Vacation in the 'Burgh!

Vacation! I had been crossing the days off till we got to head back to Pittsburgh. It had been over 3 years since I had been back and I was dying to see my old stomping grounds again. So Labor Day weekend, we loaded up and headed out for a week long vacation. The 10 hour road trip out went extremely well. We only stopped 3 times and the kids held up great in the car with the help of crayons, stickers, books and oh yes the savior of the trip, the DVD player! After a long car ride out, we arrived at my Aunt's house and begun a week of visiting with family and friends. Each day was pretty jam packed with trying to see everyone, but we really had a blast. The kids were so excited to play with new friends and new toys, so it was a great change of scenery for everyone. Here are a few pics from our trip:

Posing with the scarecrow at the county fair.

 

 

 

Having fun at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum

 

 

 

We got to see lots of old friends and the kids loved having new playmates!

 

 

All tuckered out after a great trip

Hand in Hand

This is one of those moments that God gives me to sustain me through the challenging days. We caught these three strolling through the backyard the other day and just talking up a storm. I'm so thankful for these little moments, when I am reminded of the incredible blessing of having 3 two-year-olds. They may scream at each other, take each others toys, and push each other down, But at the end of the day, they are truly best friends, holding on to each other as they learn and grow.

Meeting Baby Carter

The next best thing to being a mom (& wife) is being an Aunt. I love spending time with my only niece, Mya. She is such a sweetheart and the kids LOVE playing with their cousin. And now, my sister-in-law has provided yet another playmate, Baby Carter. I just love him already and can already envision him wrestling with the boys! We took the kids over to meet him last week. They were so excited, but once we got there, they weren't quite sure what to make of him. But at least we got some good snapshots to capture the occasion. And then it was on to playing with Mya's toys of course. :)

Kayla gets a closer look at her new cousin, she loved holding him!

Braden's not sure what to do here...

And I'm not sure Daniel even knew he was holding a baby.

Summer Fun

Yay for summer! Although, I know many of us are not feeling so enthusiastic these days with the sweltering temperatures and lack of rain we've had over the last few weeks. But now that we can actually step outside without melting away, I'm glad for nicer weather so the kids can get OUT of the house! We're pretty much getting into what some have some graciously called "the terrible twos". I don't know what exactly to call it since for the most part, my kids play well together, but there has been definite streaks of attitude and tantruming that have lately struck a new high! But attitudes aside, I'm finding the secret of keeping the fighting at bay is just to keep us busy. Play dates - bring it on, visits to the splash park - yes please, petting zoo, pond or just the grocery store, getting out is the key to sanity. :) Yesterday we made a trip to a little petting zoo in Wheaton and the kids LOVED it! It was perfect for their size and FREE, so it was really a win-win all around. I forgot to bring my camera, but here's a pic from my phone of them looking at the ducks. Their favorite part was actually just running over the little bridges.

In other news, we only have 2 kids in diapers now!! Kayla girl has been a champ in the potty training department and with the "#2 exception", she pretty much has it down. The first week almost killed me with all the accidents and I was about to give up, but she hung in there and it finally clicked. The boys were major cheerleaders for her as I gave them a treat too when she went potty. :) It started to be that as soon as Braden heard the toilet flush he was asking for a treat. That's my boy! The boys really have no interest in it yet though, although we had great aspirations of Kayla just teaching them once she was trained. :) So we'll hold off on them for now. But we are rejoicing in the small victories and noticeably less trash.

Music has also been a big part of our lives these days. The boys are OBSESSED with drums. If it looks like a drum stick, they feel the need to play and they are banging on just about everything around the house. It has become rather loud around here! Daniel has even taken to setting up his own little drum set complete with strainers and bowls he can find in the kitchen. Amazingly he just did this himself one day! It probably helps that their Uncle Brian, whom they all idolize, plays the drums. In fact Daniel likes to pray for Uncle Brian and his drums every night before bed. :) So although it is loud around here, I'm happy to have kids who seem to really enjoy music.

We are rejoicing that Braden has reached the 4 month mark since his last seizure! He is still on medication and I always have emergency meds with me just in case, but all in all he is getting stronger and stronger. He'll continue to be monitored by our neurologist for the next 2 years and the hope is to eventually wean him off the meds, but for now we are just so thankful for his good health. God is good and has answered so many of your prayers. Thank you!


I'm including a bunch of pics below of this and that. I know the blog has been lacking in lots of updates! I was really hoping that as they got older, I would be able to slow down a bit but so far the opposite has been true. Oh well, I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Daniel's homemade drum set

Day at the Petting Zoo  

Making Uncle Dave proud.

Mother's Day and Father's Day Pictures 

Braden comforting an upset Kayla

Easter and Other Updates

As always, we're a little late in getting pics up, but hey better late than never! We had a great Easter this year. The kids had their first time hunting for Easter eggs. We weren't sure if they would really catch on, but they got the hang of it in no time and loved running around the yard searching for eggs. In fact, the eggs and baskets were the hit of the day. This is the first Easter that we were actually able to have an Easter egg hunt outisde. Easter in Chicago usually still means winter coats!


Look Mya, there it is!


On the Hunt


The kids are doing very well. They are talking so much now, many times in full sentences. This of course can be a good and bad thing, but mostly they just have us laughing. Here's a quick update on everyone.


Kayla is quite a chatter box. She will go on and on about anything and everything. She especially likes talking about pretty dresses and pretty shoes. Look out daddy, this girl is going to love to shop! She is starting to play dress up too and loves trying on shoes and hats. She's taken an interest in getting herself dressed too. Wow, that will make such a difference when they can dress themselves. I can barely imagine! Kayla is also mommy's helper. If I'm cooking, she is right there wanting to help. If I'm dusting, she actually knows where I keep dust rags and will dust right along with me. Hmmm, I wonder how long this will last??? I'm soaking it up now!


Daniel is our singer and musician. He is constantly singing every song he knows and often is playing the drums at the same time. If he hears a song playing, he immediately runs to get his drums (which could be his play drums or any spoon that can double as a drum stick). I really do think he has an ear for music though. Even when I have a CD on for them, a lot of times I will just find him sitting and listening. It will be interesting to see how this grows. Daniel also has the best laugh. The kid has started cracking himself up and can laugh at pretty much anything. He still thinks Braden is the funniest guy around and I just love seeing Braden do whatever silly thing he can to keep Daniel laughing. Music to my ears!


Braden is still our man in charge. He is not afraid to state his opinion and tell everyone exactly how things should be done. He remembers routines and the way we've done things and he will remember so many details. In fact, there have been several times that he reminds me to give him his medicine! He is a very independent guy, which clashes with Kayla and Daniel when they want to join his fun. But he is starting to pretend more and the other two will join whatever game he is playing and they all enjoy that. I see an awareness in Braden too. He really understands what's going on so well and I love that I can tell him something and I know he gets it. He is definitely very aware of his little world!

In health related news, Braden is doing very well. He has continued to have mild seizures about once a month or so, but we are working with a new doctor and are optimistic about the game plan for him. His condition is not serious, and while we haven't found an underlying cause for the seizures, the doctor suspects that he he will outgrow them. So we wait and pray that God will heal him from all this. And we are continually thankful that he is doing so well.

So that's the latest on the Hess crew. Three busy 2 year olds make for two very tired parents most of the time. But we're having fun and feeling blessed every day that we get to be their parents. :)

And we're off!

Now that the kids are 2, we are feeling SO much more independent. This may sound crazy to many of you, but I have really been enjoying taking my kids shopping! I have to be creative sometimes depending on the store with how I fit them all in, but I'm so grateful for kid-friendly stores that come with cool shopping carts. What a lifesaver! When they can drive a car through the store, they're happy and I'm thrilled because I can still get my shopping done!

Lately the weather has been gorgeous and we have enjoyed lots of time outside. Since it's been so long since we were able to actually go out and play, I really saw the difference in how the kids are playing. They can entertain themselves so much easier and love driving their little cars around and pushing their lawnmowers. I realized how much fun this summer is going to be. And even more than that, I realized how much easier it will be! Last summer I felt helpless to go outside without reinforcements, but it is definitely doable now. Yay for independence!

The kids are talking a lot more and it's fun to hear what's on their minds. I especially like our talks at dinner when I ask them to tell daddy what we did that day. It's fun to see the wheels turning in their little heads and to hear what they remember most. Manners are even showing up a lot more these days. Sometimes when I sneeze, I get a "bless you" from one of them. And Braden even looked at me after dinner yesterday and said "Thank you for dinner, Mommy." He knows just how to win me over! Kayla has been talking in almost full sentences. Last week, she was talking to her Aunt Erin and told her, "That is so pretty." It's so fun to see them growing up.

As always, I have to include a few pics of our big boys and girl. Until next time. :)


The Boys


They love reading on the stairs


Ready for Liftoff...


And a very happy Braden

Siblings

I'm an only child. I always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. I remember even pretending when I was younger that I had a big sister. I never really felt lonely, but I think I was just curious about what having a sibling would really be like. By the looks of things from my close friends, it seemed like siblings were just really an annoyance. They take your toys, make fun of you, and if you have a brother, do whatever they can to torture you. But as I've gotten older, I've seen the blessings of siblings. When I married into the Hess family, I loved watching the dynamic of brothers and sisters. They have this amazing connection that is beyond words sometimes, a closeness that exists without needing to say much.

When I found out I was having triplets, one of the first things I thought of was, "Wow, they will grow up together!!" For the first year or so of life, I don't think Kayla, Braden and Daniel really paid much attention to each other. Sure I think they were used to the comfort of being together and I think it was so natural for them to see and hear each other. But it hasn't been until the last few months that I see their relationships really developing. At 2 years old, I think there is a fair sure of annoyance with each other. They all want the same toys, want to do the same thing and get terribly jealous if one does something without the other two. Fights flare up on a regular basis, but I see a closeness developing too. Things definitely aren't the same if the three of them aren't together and the other two will ask about the missing sibling until they return. No one cracks them up more than each other. And they're starting to look out for each other too, bringing toys to each other, or even wanting to sit in time-out together!

I'm sure their relationships will have highs and lows, but I love seeing my kids growing closer. I love knowing that they will always have each other and my prayer is that they will always have a closeness that no other friendship can rival.

New Year

One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to post more on our blog. It has become quite ridiculous that we only post once every few months and then are scrambling to figure out what to post when so much has happened! So this year I want to focus on capturing more of the day to day so I don't forget all the little cuteness that goes on in the house on a daily basis! Since I still don't have all that much "free" time, we'll see how this goes, but I'm at least wanting to start out with high hopes for the year. :)

January has been fairly quiet compared to the usual chaos of December. We've started back into some of our normal routines. Every week we actually go to a "Terrific Twos" class at our local library. (On a side note, our library is fantastic! It is huge and full of resources for kids which is a life saver during a long winter!!) Last year the kids attended the "Wonderful Ones" class and absolutely loved it. So now they've "graduated" to the twos class. It is simply a couple of stories and songs, but I really love their new teacher. I swear she was a pre-school teacher before. She has a theme every week and engages with all the kids so well. It is definitely one of the highlights of our week.

With the colder weather, I'm also starting to plot trips with all 3. Yesterday, I actually took all 3 out grocery shopping by myself. One of my favorite grocery stores upgraded their carts so I am now able to fit all 3 in one cart! It was truly liberating to be able to take my kids out on my own and just have some time with them. I found that bringing snacks along was a strategy I'll have to keep though. It definitely helped to keep them occupied. So another little milestone met, wow my "babies" are getting big!

One of the most challenging things lately is actually trying to cook. My little helpers love to push the kitchen chairs up to the counter and play with anything they can get their hands on. I always have aspirations of actually letting them help, but in no time, there is pushing and shoving, light switches flickering and food on the floor at which time "helping" is over. I've had to come up with creative ways to keep them out of the way which has included letting them play with dry pasta on the floor or emptying the entire contents of my pantry. It literally often looks like a bomb hit the kitchen, but is essential to me actually getting dinner on the table!

Another first around here is that we have all started eating dinner at the table together. While this comes quickly for many parents once their kids start eating solids, we have always put it off since feeding 3 can be quite a production. But since last week, I've been lowering their high chairs and pulling them up to the table so they can eat with mommy and daddy. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's really been wonderful! It is so refreshing to all sit down together as a family and eat dinner. I was beaming through the first meal together and kept asking Rich, "Isn't this crazy? We're all eating together!" I love these little moments. :)

Well, those are my random thoughts at the beginning of 2012. I hope to keep everyone better informed about life with 3 two year olds! Until next time...which should be soon.

And of course I can't not include a few cute pics. :)