Our New Addition

O.K., O.K., don't get too carried away...It's not a baby or a pet. It's a NEW SHED/SHOP!!! I am privileged to be married to a very handy guy. The downside of the arrangement is that he comes well equipped with enough tools to fill our entire garage. I've refused to give up my indoor parking spot but will have a little more room now that we've constructed this new addition. Jason has big plans for his little space and is very protective of it. Every time I suggest something that could be placed inside of it, I am quickly reminded that I'm treading on his turf.

This project has been ongoing since we moved into our house. We started with the concrete slab. Then Jason and his step-dad built the structure (thanks to much, Gordon). Then Jason insulated it. And we finally hired someone to put the siding on a few weeks ago. I think it looks great and love that it matches our house.

Hmmmm...What should our next project be?

Nathan's Big Surprise

Today we were driving in the van, when all of the sudden Nathan started reciting something that I'm sure you'll all recognize. I couldn't believe my ears!!! I had him say it a couple of times to make certain that it wasn't a fluke. Turn the sound on your computer way up so that you can hear what he has to say.

Nathan learned this at school. It's one of the many things that he's amazed us with since starting school. Thanks to all of his WONDERFUL teachers for teaching him so many things. He's one of the smartest 3-year-olds that I've ever met. Yes, I am biased. What can I say. Yeah Nathan!!

Happy Halloween

Halloween was VERY exciting at our house this year. Our kids were really into all of the decorations, costumes and CANDY!!!!

We started a new tradition in our family. Jason's sister Jody had these really fun face parts (eyes, ears, lips, etc.) that you just poke into the pumpkin. She found them at Walmart for $3.50 a box and used them with her kids. When I saw them I nearly jumped for joy!!! You see, the thoughts of three 3-year-olds with knives for carving pumpkins was just too much for this mother. I love my children and I love that they have all of their digits. Thankfully, we have them all still intact and had darling pumpkins as well. Nathan especially loved that the nose that he chose for his pumkin had a big green booger hanging out of it. Why are boys so gross??!!

Our super cute and 100% safe pumpkins!!

Nathan's pumpkin-Can you see the booger?



Landon's doggie pumpkin-so cute!!


Lauren's crazy pumpkin.

For Halloween this year I decided that the kids would all be penguins. I found the cutest costumes on the Internet and just couldn't resist. Landon really wanted to be Spiderman or a skeleton but I wanted them to all match one more year. First we were dalmation puppies, then we were clowns, then we were pirates and this year we were penguins. From now forward I vow to let my children choose their own costumes.

Our Happy Feet-Lauren, Nathan and Landon-Aren't they cute?

Our ward had a fun Harvest Dinner followed by the annual Trunk or Treat. Last year the kids were still little and I kept them in the triple stroller by the back of our van. They were content to watch all of the trick-or-treaters pass by. Never once did they question why they weren't trick-or-treating or why they weren't getting any candy. It was fabulous!! Besides, I really didn't want them getting/eating all of that candy. But...I knew there was no way that I would get away with that this year. So here is a photo of Jason and the 3 penguins trick-or-treating at Trunk-or-Treat. It was super fun. At the end Nathan had both hands full of candy bars. He said to me, "Are these candy bars?" When I said that they were he cheerfully exclaimed, "I love candy bars!!" This is true. He does love candy bars. Nathan and Lauren LOVE chocolate like their Mommy. Landon detests chocolate but is a huge fan of taffy and starbursts. I think we got more than enough candy to please all 3 of them-and Mom and Dad too!!

Here is Jason's Jamaican-inspired costume. The nice ladies that he works with always call him "Boss Man." We found a fun Jamaican twist to the term on this t-shirt and purchased the hat and dreds to go with it. He said that everyone liked the costume but the hair was a bit itchy. He also wondered what the hair was actually made from. I'm sure we don't want to know, but I thought he looked really great.

A Dream Vacation...Yeah Mon

O.K., I'll admit I've been a very neglectful blogger... While I won't bore you with the details, let's just say our lives have been EXTREMELY CRAZY (but really fun) lately.

We managed to squeeze in a fabulous trip to Jamaica a couple of weeks ago. Many of you know that Jason and I have a side business called Premier Blind and Shutter. We spend evenings and weekends on this business and it's lots of fun. Well, Jason worked so hard the past few months that he was able to earn a trip to Jamaica at an all-inclusive Sandals resort. Lucky for us, Jason's brother, who sells blinds and shutters with us, earned a trip for him and his wife as well.

So the four of us left from the Pocatello airport at 7:00 PM. We arrived in Jamaica the next afternoon around 2:00 PM and took a 2 hour bus ride from the Montego Bay airport to the resort. We were extremely tired after the plane rides and long layovers, but the island was so beautiful that I couldn't sleep through the bus ride. Traveling by car or bus there is crazy and I felt so fortunate to have made it through alive. I was also surprised by the many, many goats running around everywhere. The foliage was beautiful and thick and very tropical, as you might imagine.

Jamaica is a relatively poor country and it was humbling to see the dwellings built from scrap metal all along the highway. It made me realize, once again, how fortunate I am to live in this fabulous country. I can't ever remember seeing a house built from scrap metal in the United States. I'm sure they probably exist somewhere, but I have never seen one. These little homes were a stark contrast with the very nice, very large British-Colonial style homes built just above them on the hill. Everywhere we went there were men all along the highway holding up fruits and stringers full of fish (mainly Snapper), trying to sell them to the passers-by. One taxi driver told us that a minimum wage job there paid about the equivalent of 60 U.S. Dollars per week. Wow!!! Even with their meager financial circumstances, the Jamaican people that we met were the happiest people ever!! I've never seen such beautiful smiles and they sing everywhere they go. They truly believe in their ever-popular saying, "No problem." We heard this over and over and it was always accompanied with a gigantic smile.

We heard tons of reggae music and I have a new appreciation for Bob Marley, although I didn't make it to the Bob Marley Hall of Fame. (Darn! Maybe next time.) Jason and Ryan were approached several times by "farmers" who were eager to share their "crops" for a small fee. :) I joked with Jason that we could have smoked our way across the entire island. Is this why they're so happy?

After arriving the first day, we took a short nap and got ready for dinner. The resort had the largest and nicest swimming pool that I had ever seen and dinner was held around the pool. It was buffet style and the food was delicious. The resort employees were all shocked when none of us ordered alcoholic drinks with our dinners. The booze is all free and they kept telling us, "You're in Jamaica, Mon!" We even had one kid ask us if we were Christian. When we told him that we were he said, "Oh, I want to be just like you guys when I grow up." My brother-in-law quickly offered to have missionaries come to visit but the Jamaican just laughed. I don't think he's quite ready to give up his rum, which is the drink of choice there.

The next day we took a taxi to the famous Dunn's River Falls. With a group of about 25 people we climbed over 900 feet up a beautiful waterfall. The guides were fantastic, telling us just where to step and when to step up or down. The entire group holds hands in a line for the climb. At first I thought it would make it more difficult, but as we climbed I could see that we all were able to help each other as we went along. We were told that these guides go up the falls every morning with a wire brush to scrub all of the slippery algae off of the rocks to make it safer for everyone.

The next day we spent some time on the beautiful beach. The weather was fantastic with lots of humidity, that I actually found very comfortable. I especially liked the chirping (is that the right word? Probably not.) of the frogs at night. It sounded similar to our crickets (hence the use of the word "chirp"), only the frogs seemed to be much more pervasive. It was a beautiful sound. We rode water trikes, ocean kayaks and Hobie Kat sailboats, all of which were loads of fun.

In the evenings there was plenty of entertainment provided by the resort. We really enjoyed the staff and guest talent show, the couples gameshow and the awesome steel drum band. Jason has always been a huge fan of steel drums. (I know someday we're going to own some-where on earth will we put them? They're huge!) The drummers were amazingly talented but their dance group was unbelievable. I've never seen such high spirited dancing go on for so long. It was unforgettable! No wonder the Jamiacan people are so thin and so fast. (Hussein Bolt is really idolized there, as you can imagine.)

The last night we attended a really nice farewell party on the beach. It was decorated beautifully and the food was delicious. We enjoyed lobster, conch, snapper and every other thing you could possibly think of, even macaroni and cheese. Jason drank coconut milk from a fresh coconut, but said it wasn't very good. And, of course, the fruit was amazing.

The trip was super busy and loads of fun. We tried to spend all of our free moments at either the beach or at one of the beautiful swimming pools. It was a great trip but we couldn't have gone without the help of my Mom and sister who came to stay with our kids. I missed them terribly and got teary when I told them goodbye. But when I got home it didn't seem like they had even missed me. Ha!! I'm sure this just means that they were very well taken care of. I know they had lots of fun with Grandma and Aunt Suzy! Thanks to the both of them. We could never have enjoyed this opportunity without them.

The Weirs-Jason, Melanie, Nichole and Ryan

Yeah, Mon!!

Back To School...Already!

Nathan started back to school this week. Where has the summer gone? For those of you that don't know, Nathan attends Special Needs Pre-School at our local elementary school. He qualifies for this wonderful program because he utilizes a walker and has gross motor delays. Last spring Nathan attended the school 3 days a week for a few weeks until summer came. He really liked going, especially riding the bus, and I thought the program and the therapy that he received at school were very beneficial. This year he'll go to the school 5 mornings a week and will receive all of his therapy at school.

For a few weeks before school started we reminded him that he'd be going to school soon. We talked about riding the bus, seeing his teachers and his friends and learning new things. We talked it up as often as we could. I hoped that on the first day Nathan would be ready to go with no nervousness or sadness. Well, it worked!!! On Wednesday morning I got him up, fed him breakfast and got him dressed in his new school clothes. He looked so handsome!! When it came time to meet the bus he said goodbye to Lauren and Landon and told them he'd see them after school. He was happy to see his friendly bus drivers and didn't show the least bit of sadness when he got on the bus.

I'm so proud of Nathan and all that he has accomplished this summer. He's a very smart, very determined and very funny little boy. I often say that he's a pleasure to parent. While it's difficult to let him go to school, I'm convinced that this extra help will be for his benefit. His school therapists are wonderful and are determined to help him build strength and balance. We hope that one day soon Nathan will take off walking and leave his walker in the dust. Won't that be exciting??!!

Big Smiles For School

To keep him safe, Nathan utilizes his "ride" for the bus ride. Once he gets to school he uses his walker (we call it his "wheels") and his "ride" is put away. Go Nathan!!!

Swimming Lessons

This week our kids started a two week session of swimming lessons. It's a "Mommy and Me" swimming class and each little person needs a big person to help them in the class. For this reason I've had Jason and some of my Young Women from church helping me. The boys are absolutely loving the lessons. They like to kick their legs, float on their backs and are O.K. with having their head under water for a brief moment. Nathan especially likes it and said to me recently, "Mommy, I'm a good swimmer." Lauren, however, is another story...

The first night the teacher asked if we could all dunk under water. I used my funnest, happiest voice to convince Lauren that it would be O.K. and then put her head under water. Well, she FREAKED!!! She started cyring and hanging on super tight to my neck and saying she wanted to get out. I promised her that I wouldn't do it again, but my promises were in vain. Jason tried working with her. He reassured her and told her that he'd hang on tight to her. She endured the 1/2 hour class and was relieved to finally be out of the pool. Then, as she was walking on the concrete around the pool, she tripped and fell and skinned her knee and ankle. The tears started all over again. Needless to say, I think I've ruined Lauren in regards to swimming. The next night she stayed in the pool for about 3 minutes and spent the rest of the class sitting in a chair a safe distance from the pool. We'll hope that tonight is better for her...

Shalissa, Landon and Sydney

Jason and Lauren-The smile on her face was very brief.

Nathan and Sydney

A big THANK YOU to all of the girls who have helped us with this. They have been wonderful and our kids love having them come to swim with us. We couldn't give our kids this opportunity without their help.

A Very Fun Weekend

Last weekend our family took a trip to Boise for Jason's cousin's wedding. It was a fun event and we enjoyed visiting with Uncle Pete and the Weir family. As always, there were lots of laughs and funny things that happened. The Weir family is a fun and funny bunch and we always enjoy getting together with them. Congratulations Mary and Rocky!!!

Uncle Pete, Mary and Rocky

The kids thought the wedding was O.K., but they loved staying at the hotel and eating at restaurants. They especially loved our trip to the Boise zoo and even tolerated a little bit of shopping at the Outlet Mall.

Landon, Nathan, Lauren and some of their penguin friends.

The zoo was fantastic with great monkey and penguin exhibits. The kids really liked watching the penguins swim. The way the exhibit is set up you can stand inside and see their little feet kicking under water. Our little ones were fascinated and are still talking about seeing the penguins. It was a very fun weekend for our family.

Sooooo Tired

This week the kids have all had a little bit of a cold. It hasn't slowed them down much but they've been a little tired and had runny noses.

Yesterday I was busy doing chores and could hear Nathan saying, "I want you Mommy." When I asked him what he needed he said, "Put me on the couch." I told him that I was busy and that he was a big boy and could get on the couch by himself. A few minutes later when I walked past the couch, this is what I saw.

I couldn't believe he had actually fallen asleep like this! I guess he really did need my help getting on the couch. He was just too sleepy to make it all the way by himself. Poor little guy!

To the mountains!!!

This week we enjoyed 4 days of camping for Jason's annual family reunion. We all had a wonderful time and I can't remember the last time I was able to relax for that many days in a row. With no washing machine, no house to clean, no lawn to mow, and the shared meals, it truly was a break for me. The kids played long and hard each day and stayed up late at night. I think they're still trying to recover.

We started each morning with a yummy breakfast together. We ate pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon. (I'll probably have to call my cardiologist to have my cholesterol meds increased.) Then we enjoyed mountain golf, 4 wheeler rides, art projects, playing in the dirt, eating more yummy food, playing in the dirt, fly fishing (with little success), eating more yummy food, playing in more dirt, fighting with the kids to get them to sleep, and a nighttime campfire with marshmallows, conversation, laughs and mosquitos. Here are a few photos...

Here is Jason panning for gold. Lauren thinks she sees something, but unfortunately riches were not found and Jason will be returning to work at the hospital on Monday.

Jason and Landon on the 4 Wheeler. Landon loves motorcycles and 4 wheelers and couldn't wait to ride.

Landon shucking corn with the "big boys." Landon followed them everywhere and was sure he was as big as they were. They were very tolerant and included him every time they could.

Would you believe that Jason put her on kicking and screaming? He said she calmed down as soon as he took off and she returned with a beautiful handful of wildflowers for mommy. (Later Jason informed me that picking wildflowers is illegal. Oops!)

Lauren playing a round of mountain golf. This has become an annual tradition enjoyed by all. It was started by Grandpa Gordon who couldn't give up his almost-daily golf game during family reunion week.

Nathan eating one of the yummy meals that we had. Why does camping always mean eating? Anyway, as you can see, he thoroughly enjoyed his chocolate chip cookie.

Landon and his buddy Jerratt. Jerratt is Jason's cousin Tami's son. Thanks to Jerratt and his brother Justin for taking such an interest in our kids. They kept them entertained for hours and are such awesome kids!

Lauren coloring a picture using Jerratt's paper and pencils. He had her all set up at a table just her size.

This hole in the ground provided hours of fun for all of the kids. Here Lauren and Nathan are playing with Shannon. This picture doesn't accurately depict the immense amount of dirt in their hair and ears, but you get the idea. Thank heavens kids are washable!

This picture perfectly portrays the way we were all feeling by the end of the week...tired. This is Nathan sleeping next to Grandma-Great. I thought it was the cutest picture.

As you can see we had a wonderful time. Thanks to all who came and those who helped put all of this together. And thanks, especially, to Jason's grandma for creating such a wonderful group of family. We are truly blessed and will look forward to more fun and more dirt at next year's excursion.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Lauren, Landon and Nathan

We had a wonderful 4th full of fun, fun, fun!! We started with the parade in the morning. The kids LOVED the candy the most. They also really liked all of the horses and the motorcycles. Lauren HATED the fire trucks. Every time she saw one coming she grabbed onto my neck and nearly strangled me. She did not like the sirens at all. The parade was quite long but the kids sat there the entire time and were totally into it. It was great.

Jason, Lauren and Landon

Melanie and Nathan

Later in the afternoon we took our boat out on the river. We had such a fun time riding around, tubing, splashing our feet in the water and swimming.

Nathan and Jason

Landon

Lauren

But the highlight of the entire day was watching the fireworks on our boat. We were able to get right under them and they were extraordinary. Landon provided non-stop commentary through the whole show ("I like orange/purple/blue/green best.", "That was my favorite.", "That one was sparkly.", etc.) and Lauren and Nathan were in quiet awe. (I think they were getting tired by then.) We are so blessed to live in this wonderful free country. Our family is grateful for all of those who have fought and who continue to fight for our freedom. We hope your day was as nice as ours. We were tired by the end but loved every minute of being together.

Happy Birthday Lucas!

This past weekend we took the kids to Pocatello for their cousin Lucas' 4th birthday party. It was a really fun day with lots of sun, swimming, food and ice cream cake. Yummy!!! The kids had so much fun and were exhausted once we finally got them away from the water and into the van. Thanks to Jody and Lucas for such a fun party!!!

Landon and Nathan

Lauren

Nathan

Riding Bikes

Playing on the Slip and Slide

It's O.K., kids wash.

Before I share today's post there are 2 things that you need to know. #1 I am a bit of a clean freak. I love a clean house, a clean car, clean kids and a very organized life. This is an absolute curse for a mother of triplets, especially 3-year-olds, but I'm doing my best to cope. #2 About 2 weeks ago I told Jason that one of our sprinkler lines was leaking and that it needed to be fixed as it was creating a muddy area in one of our flower beds in the back yard. Can you see where this is going?

This afternoon I sent my three little darlings to the back yard to play while I cleaned our bathrooms. Our back yard is very safe, fully fenced, and virtually kid proof. It's great!!

Well, here is what I learned about how boys and girls are different...

Girls will tell you when they are up to no good. For example, while cleaning my bath tub I heard Lauren saying, "Moooommyy!" She was using that tone of voice that every mother knows means someone is doing something they shouldn't. We hear this tone often at our house.

Boys will giggle and laugh while doing something naughty. They know to enjoy it while it lasts because when Mom realizes what's happening she'll put a stop to the fun.

Boys love mud! The more, the better. It's not enough to just dig with a toy or a stick in the mud while staying safe and clean on the grass. They have to be right in the middle of it to thoroughly enjoy it. (I give you exhibit #1)

Landon and Nathan

Girls ARE content to stay on the edge because they don't like to get dirty. When their hand does acccidentally get in the mud, they wipe it off on their shirt and then want to change the shirt immediately. (I give you exhibit #2)

Landon and Lauren

Upon discovering today's adventure I was blessed to hear the words, "It's O.K., kids (and clothes) wash." Having this happen was probably good therapy for this clean freak. Without saying a word I went back to the house to get my camera. I took photos and laughed about it and then went back to cleaning. The kids continued to enjoy the mud for a bit longer and then it was time for a bath.

Exhibit #3 is a beautiful photo of the freshly cleaned bath tub after the first dirty child was taken care of.

One final note. . . Not only did Landon love the mud, he loved the "polka dots" all over his arms and legs. So the next time your child is splattered in mud from head to toe, try to appreciate the pretty polka dots and remember, "It's O.K., kids wash." :)

Landon's Big Adventure

This was a very exciting weekend for Landon. Our ward was having their annual Father and Son Campout and Jason took Landon. We try to have the kids spend special one-on-one time with Daddy every once in a while and this was the perfect opportunity for Jason and Landon. Nathan would have loved to go as well but Jason had to help with cooking breakfast on Saturday morning and was afraid that it would be difficult to keep track of both boys. Nathan will get his Father and Son Campout with Jason at a later time.

Landon went to the grocery store with Jason on Thursday night to buy all of their food and the food that would be prepared for the Saturday morning breakfast. Jason said that Landon sat in the shopping cart, holding the list and talking the whole time. Landon was thrilled that Jason bought pancake mix (pancakes are his favorite food), orange chips (Doritos) and Twinkies (probably Landon's second favorite food), as well as some other things. Landon told the checker that he was buying food at the store to go camping.

The next day my sister and mom were at our house for a visit. Landon was so excited to go camping with Jason later that night. They asked Landon what you do when you go camping because they wondered if he really understood what camping was all about. His answer? "Eat! It makes sense doesn't it? He had just been at the grocery store buying all of this food. Camping must mean eating. Yeah!!!

At the actual campout Landon was a bit nervous. He was one of the youngest boys there, if not the youngest. When the older kids came around Landon would cover his eyes, hide behind Jason's legs or put his head in Jason's lap. For this reason Jason said he was very easy to keep track of. They slept in the back of Jason's new trailer. It's a Haulmark 6'x12' that he swears he'll use for his blind and shutter business. I'm sure it will be used for this purpose, but it conveniently has tie-downs inside so that a guy could put his new dirt bike in it as well. Anyway, it made a great trailer for camping and Landon slept great on the air mattress inside.

Landon loved fishing and swears he caught a fish. Jason said he loved reeling in the fishing pole when he would cast it out into the lake. Landon especially liked that Jason put a Sponge Bob fruit snack on the end of the hook to catch the fish with. Landon loves fruit snacks and is sure that fish would like them too. Maybe this is why he didn't actually catch anything????

The next morning Landon ate a few bites of breakfast and started saying, "I want to go to Mommy's house." They were home by 10:30 and Landon was hardly dirty (not what I expected) but he seemed to have had some fun. We're still not certain that he knows he's been camping because as Jason was driving home Landon asked if they were going camping. It was a big adventure but I think Landon was glad to be back at "Mommy's house" with Lauren and Nathan.

And now something funny about Nathan... While my Mom and sister were here Suzanne was playing heads and tails with the kids using a penny. She was showing Nathan the heads side of the penny and asking him whether it was heads or tails. He looked at it for a minute and said, "Is it Abraham Lincoln?" We laughed like crazy! He's just way beyond heads and tails, I guess.

Lauren's New Glasses

A few weeks ago we took Lauren to a new eye doctor in Salt Lake. She's been seeing an eye doctor in Pocatello since she came home from the hospital over 3 years ago. Lauren has had a condition called ROP or Retinopothy of Prematurity that she's been followed for. This is a condition related to being born so early where the blood vessels in the retina form abnormally. Often times babies are treated surgically to correct the problem and glasses are sometimes needed later. Lauren never had surgery but has had to be watched closely as blindness can result if the appropriate measures aren't taken as the eyes grow. The Pocatello doctor had given her a prescription for glasses about a year ago and said that she was getting increasingly farsighted. He said to have her wear the glasses, if possible. But, if she didn't want to wear them, we shouldn't force her and should try again in a month. The idea was that when she realized that they helped her she would want to wear them.

Well, we tried having her wear the glasses, but, of course, she didn't like them and didn't want to wear them. Throughout the course of the last year we'd try putting them on her and she'd break them because she wouldn't leave them on. We'd have them fixed and try again with the same results.

The doctor in Salt Lake agreed that she needed to wear glasses and said that she would need to wear them at all times. Once again, failure to wear them could result in a degree of blindness. And, most importantly, if she does wear her glasses her eye muscles will strengthen and she may actually grow out of this and not need glasses later on. So, here is our beautiful Lauren with her new "specs". She's done great with them this time around. I think the new pair fits her better than the last pair and that she's now old enough to realize that she can see better. We'll see the eye doctor again in 6 months.

One more happy note. . .Nathan also saw this same eye doctor in Salt Lake and we were told to discontinue having him wear his glasses for the time being. Yeah Nathan!!! Hopefully this will last. I guess we'll see. . .