A case of the sickies

Whew! What a hectic few days! 

Friday night the babies stayed with Nonna and Granddaddy (Matt's parents) so we could take Ava on a little date to the carnival. When we woke up Saturday morning there was a puddle in the kitchen floor. Our fridge went out and all of the ice melted. Luckily, we have my grandmothers fridge in our basement. We usually use it to hold extra can drinks and waters. We were able to move everything from upstairs down to that fridge. Hopefully someone can come today to fix it. 

The babies came home Saturday afternoon and poor Hew started running a fever. 103. Bless his little heart. He can't catch a break. We skipped church Sunday since he still had a fever and a runny nose and just rested. I ended up taking Hew to the doctor yesterday morning and its just a virus. So far today he acts like he feels better. I'm hoping he's over it and I'm praying so hard that no one else get it. 

How was your weekend? Help me live vicariously through you. 

Menu Monday

I thought I'd share my menu for this week. I like to read other people's menu posts because it gives me some new ideas to try. And I am always on the look out for new stuff to cook. Plus, menu planning helps with the grocery budget.

Our "week" starts on Fridays. It's payday. It works for us. :) So when you read this we will already be done with Friday-Sunday.

Here's our menu for this week:

Breakfasts: waffles, French toast sticks, cereal, oatmeal, grits, toast, fruit (whatever the kids are feeling)

Lunches: sandwiches, beefaroni (don't judge), Mac and cheese, leftovers, garlic butter pasta, salads (again, whatever the kids are feeling)

Snacks: fruit and veggies, Popsicles, veggie chips

Dinner:

Friday-eat out (grocery day)

Saturday- Mexican Night (taco salads with chicken, beans and fixings)

Sunday- BALT's (bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato sandwiches)

Monday- family dinner night (we eat with my Mom and Sister on Mondays...sometimes I cook, sometimes I don't...this week I'm making Mac and cheese to go with what my mom is making)

Tuesday- family dinner night (we eat with Matt's parents and grandmother on Tuesdays)

Wednesday- copycat California Pizza Kitchen California Club Pizza

Thursday- BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, green beans

     BALT's

That's our menu for this week. We've been bad lately about buying groceries but then eating out instead. Last week we only ate out on Friday evening. Hopefully this week will be the same. So far so good. 

Carnival Fun

Last night the babies stayed with Matt's mom and dad while we took Ava to dinner and to the carnival that came to town. She loves going!

We had a great time spending this one on one time with her. We try to be intentional about spending time with just her. Sometimes she feels lost in the shuffle. It's a daily struggle with 3 kids to help them all feel important. Praise the Lord that each new day is a new start! 

Commenting Challenge Day 5

I'm linking up with Jenna for her last day of the commenting challenge. 

Today's topic is FOOD, one of my very favorite subjects.  I wanted to share one of my very favorite meals.

picture from link below

We have this little chain of restaurants nearby called Surin.  I have been several times and I always get the same thing.  It is by far the best thing I have ever put in my mouth.  It is called Nam Tok Beef.  (If you follow the link it talks about the dish.)  We always go to Surin when it's date night because it is kind of pricey.  But it is totally worth the splurge.

What are some of your favorite meals?

Commenting Challenge Day 4

Y'all, the past 24 hours have been super busy. I didn't even have a chance to write a proper post for today. I'm typing this from my iPhone and praying the babies stay asleep for just a few more seconds. 

Today's topic is Christmas in July. Y'all, I added my Christmas list app (It's called Better Christmas List) back to my phone a week or so ago and I honestly have no idea what to get any one. I struggle with gift giving. I want to get everyone something they want or need but the budget doesn't always allow for that. What are some of your suggestions for kids and grandparents? Ava will be 7 and the babies will be 2. 

I promise to try and get on tonight and leave some comments for Jenna's Challenge. Hopefully I will have a few minutes. :) 

Commenting Challenge Day 3

I'm linking up with Jenna again today for her Commenting Challenge.

Today is all about Pinterest.  I love to browse around and get great new ideas.  Here are some of my favorites:

I made this Mississippi Roast.  It was a huge step out of our food comfort zone but oh my gosh!!! We loved it!  It has this sort of tang to it that is awesome.  We have had it numerous times since.  Huge hit around here.  I usually serve it with some mashed potatoes and a veggie on the side.

We have used these Alphabet tracing pages in our homeschool.  I laminated them so we could use them over and over.  And now Hew and Hollyn can use them.

I also used this sheet to discover my new favorite shower/bathroom cleaner.

I have a ton more pins that I want to try...like these key chains, making my own baby bodysuits/shirts, and I want to try some of these art projects with the kids to decorate with for the Holidays.

What are some of your favorite pins?

Commenting Challenge Day 2

I'm linking up with Jenna again today.  Hop over and check out the other awesome blogs.

Welcome back!!!

Today's topic is all about series. TV. Books. 

Now with 3 kids, it's hard to find some time to sit down and watch TV or read. We do use our DVR to record a few things to watch when the kids are all in bed.

First, Army Wives. I started watching Army Wives a few seasons ago and actually used Netflix to watch the entire series from the beginning. This past season was kind of hard at first because so many of the original cast left. I'm still holding on to hope that they will renew for at least one more season. 

HIMYM. We love How I Met Your Mother but have fallen off actually watching it. We have a ton to watch on the DVR. Maybe it's daunting to think of how many there are. Maybe it's just that we don't have time. Either way we need to catch up. 

I recently read Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series. It was such a good series to read. This past Saturday they aired the first episode of the Cedar Cove series on Hallmark Channel. I, of course, have it on DVR but haven't had time to watch it. I'm hoping its really good. 

Do you watch any of these shows? What do you enjoy watching/reading?

This is what I spend most days with. My kiddos and messes. :) I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Jenna's Journey 4th Annual Commenting Challenge

I'm joining up with Jenna from Jenna's Journey for her annual commenting challenge. Hop on over and join in!

Today she suggested we do a sort of "about me" post. I've posted some about me but here's a little more.

*I enjoy lazy weekends. Spending time just enjoying my family and soaking up these memories.

*I'm a twin. Every time someone learns that I have a twin (usually the hard way by thinking Kristen is me) they say "why didn't you tell me you were a twin". So now you know.

*I have a huge addiction to office supplies. Pens. Notepads. allthethings office...I puffy heart them!

*We have 2 dogs. A poodle named Lella (rhymes with Bella) and a pit bull terrier named Naomi. Lella was Ava's birthday present last year and Naomi was a stray. We named her No-Name Naomi. She answers to it now.

*I am a hoarder of furniture. I buy random pieces at yard sales and thrift stores. I may use it. Or I might use it one day. :) Matt loves it. Not!

*I enjoy tweeting and using Instagram to share my life. Follow along.

Share with me a little about you.

5 on Friday

I thought I would join in with the 5 on Friday link up this week.  It seems like a fun way to find new blogs and it's an easy prompt...write about 5 things...any 5 things.  I think I can handle that.

::1::

I'm so excited that it's Friday.  I love the weekends because it means my little family is all together.  We don't have any real plans for the weekend.  I'm sure we will move some stuff to our storage unit tomorrow and we have nursery duty at church on Sunday.  Other than that, we are just having a low-key weekend.

::2::

I'm busy readying school stuff.  I purchased and/or made everything we need for this year but I'm waiting on a good bit of stuff that seems to be lost in the USPS (that's another post for another day). It was bought and shipped on July 1st.  It's the 19th.  UGH!  I'm hoping and praying it comes today. 

::3::

I'm starting my Christmas list already and honestly I have no idea what to get anyone on my list.  It doesn't help that the kids' birthdays are all right around Christmas time.  It's like a double whammy for us.  Send some ideas my way for the kids and Grandparents.

::4::

We've officially entered the terrible 2's and the sassy 6's.  I'm drowning over here.  No one forewarns you about 6.  Everyone talks of how horrible 2 is.  I'm here to tell you that 6 is just as hard if not harder.  I'm praying for patience and for all of this to pass quickly.  Join me?

::5::

I'm highly guilty of the double space after a period.  I was taught that way in high school and it's such a hard habit to break.  And you know what?  I am totally not going back through this post and deleting all the extra spaces,  Maybe next post I can remember to leave it off.  But honestly, what does the extra little space hurt?


Y'all have a good weekend!

First Day of Speech Therapy

This was where Hollyn was moments before the therapist arrived. Silly girl!

Today was our very first speech therapy appointment. I was a little leery about how it would go because Hew and Hollyn usually tense up around strangers. It did go better than I expected though. They played a little bit with her but didn't do much talking. Most of the time was spent doing their evaluation which more involved me answering a million questions times two. :) 

We are only doing monthly visits right now so a good bit of the work lands on me. I'm ok with that seeing as we already are a home"schooling" family. I am racking my brain and searching the Internet for lots of ideas to help us. Those that have done speech therapy...what are some of your favorite activities, apps etc for encouraging vocabulary. We do a lot of narrating and read a good bit but lend me your ideas, please! 

And just because I can't resist sharing this picture...here is Ava reading to the babies. She's such a good big sister. 

Half a Year Later

Hi friends!

A lot has happened since my last post...back in JANUARY. I know, I know. But life has been happening and I have just been enjoying living it. I'm jumping back in with both feet now. 

Here's what we've been up to since January:

Matt and I celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary in May. We didn't do anything big. We actually all ate at Milo's and went to church. We had plans to getaway one weekend but we just haven't managed to make it happen yet. Soon. 

We spent several weekends in Tuscaloosa watching Alabama's softball team. Matt's cousin plays on the team. It was a fun little adventure to pack up and head out on Friday evening. We'd spend the night after Friday nights game and watch Saturdays game, then head home. So much fun!

For Memorial Day we took a little trip to Biloxi, MS and visited some of our favorite nearby places. We even took a day trip to New Orleans. 

Ava's 4th dance recital was the first Saturday in June. She absolutely adores dance. This year her studio did an 80's themed recital. Ava dance to "When I See You Smile" for ballet and "Don't Worry, Be Happy" for tap. Both dances were so cute!  

We visited some of my family in Georgia in early June. We had the best time. It was so good to spend time with them and piddle around and finally get to see their new house. 

Over the course of a few weeks I read Debbie Macomber's "Cedar Cove Series". There are 12 books with an additional 2 short stories. I really, really enjoyed them. And now they're making the books into a television series on Hallmark Channel (premieres this Saturday, July 20th). I'm so excited!!!

The babies semi-graduated from occupational therapy. They had their annual review at 18 months and had pretty much caught up to their peers in all areas except speech. So, we start speech therapy this month. This week actually. I'm anxious to see how it goes because honestly Hew and Hollyn are leery of strangers. Not a terrible thing but it is when they're being evaluated. We shall see.

We had a pretty low-key 4th.  Matt had to work on the 4th but was off on the 5th.  Rather than sit at home, me and the kids went and ate lunch with my mom.  She fixed BBQ porkchops, baked beans and homemade french fries.  Yummy!  That evening we went with our neighbors to watch the fireworks downtown.  We had a great time!

And now we are just gearing up for school to start.

What have y'all been up to?

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My Nanny::It's Her Birthday

Today is my Nanny's birthday.  She would have been 73.  

Kristen, Nanny, Me and Ava, my Mom

We lost her very unexpectedly in May.  

Nanny with Elvis :)

I just know that she is in Heaven spoiling Hazel rotten.

Nanny holding Hazel

She was a great woman.  Funny. Sassy. Kind.

Nanny and Hollyn (She never got to hold Hew)

Tonight we are celebrating her birthday at my Mom's.  Pajamas (her basic attire) and Popsicles (the kids favorite treat that she always had on hand).  

We sure do miss her, but oh the time she is having in Heaven!  I know she is healed from the ailments that effected her here on Earth.  And I know she's celebrating even more this year because of that.  I know that I will see her again one day.  

Happy Birthday Nanny!  We Love You!

What's in a Name?

All 4 in one shot

Naming kids is a hard task.  There is a whole realm of things that you have to take in to account.  How can any name be turned in to an unpleasant nickname?  How does it sound for a child AND an adult?  Will I still like it in a couple of years?  It's a lot to consider.  I'm glad that Matt was big on helping me name our kids because I can't imagine having to do it alone.

Here are our kids names and a little about how they came to be. 

Laurie Ava
For us, naming Ava was easy.  We talked about baby names before we were ever pregnant.  We were those type pf planners.  We had a boy name and a girl name already decided on before we ever saw the positive pregnancy test.  We picked Laurie Ava for our first born daughter.  They aren't family names. They are simply names we loved.  And they suit her.


**I have to preface the triplets names by saying we had once again already decided on a girl name and a boy name before learning that we would soon {too soon} welcome 3 babies.

Hazel Frances
Hazel was the name we had picked for our potential next girl.  We loved the name and that it was an old name.  We like old names.  It also happened to be Matt's paternal grandmother's name.  We had such a hard time deciding on a middle name for her but finally decided on Frances, my maternal grandmother's name and the name of the sweet nurse from our fertility office who was always such an encouragement to us. (My grandmother has since passed away and I just know she is taking care of my little Hazel for me.)

David Matthew, Jr. {Hew}
Hew's name was our name for our potential boy.  He is named after his Daddy.  I had a teacher in high school that her son was a third and they called him Hew off of Matthew and I LOVED it.  And it just so happened that I married my very own Matthew and was able to have my very own Hew.  :)

Hollyn RoseAnn
Bless her heart...Hollyn's name was the only name undecided when we got the news that we were having triplets.  And it just so happened that both of the names we had decided on for our potential boy or girl started with the letter H.  We tossed names back and forth for a few weeks when Matt found Hollyn.  We fell in love with it and that it wasn't a common name but it isn't too out there in uniqueness.  Her middle name is a combination of both of our moms (and Matt's maternal grandmother's) names.

We love our kiddos names!

What are your kids names?  Any fun stories to go with them?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Y'all...this weekend was a doozy.  It started out great and ended crappy.  :)  Here's the weekend wrap-up.

Friday night Matt took Ava on her daddy/daughter date.  She was so excited. She talked all day about what she would wear, where they were going. She was just tickled!  I loved it!  She picked out the perfect outfit.  It was all just too cute. 

Daddy and Ava before heading out the door for their date.

Daddy let her pick where they went and she picked her favorite, Red Robin.  After dinner, he took her for dessert at the Great American Cookie Company.  Again, her pick.  She had the best time.

Saturday we went and visited with Matt's family that came up to visit. After we ate breakfast we headed back home to clean.  We went to the basement to get a level to hang some shelves and discovered that our washing machine had backed up into the basement.  NOT COOL!  Matt tinkered around with it and by Sunday we still hadn't figured out what was wrong.  By Sunday night...the toilet wouldn't flush.  Ugh!  Long story short...the septic tank people came out this morning and pumped our tank (we thought that was the problem).  That didn't solve our problem. Our house is so old that our pipes underground collapsed and it's causing huge problems.  They are coming back out tomorrow to fix it.  Oh joy!  And that's how my weekend ended crappy.  :)  I hope y'all has a great weekend!

Big News!!!

I had intended to write earlier today during the babies' nap time but apparently they are plotting against me and decided not to nap. Big honkin' sad face.

But! We just got the results from Hew's over night oxygen study. He passed with flying colors!!!!! This little boy is oxygen free!

Thank you, Jesus, for Your wonderful blessings!

PS Matt and Ava have a little Daddy/Daughter date tonight! She is so excited and I can't wait to share with you the outfit she has decided on.

Christmas 2012

December 27, 2012

We've had a great Christmas season so far.  I am soaking up this time with my sweet little family.  I haven't taken very many pictures and for once I am ok with that.  I am trying hard to be present and unplugged.  Our family needs this down time this year.

I pray that each of you have had a great Christmas season and that God has blessed you in some way.  I know he has us.

Merry Christmas!

Nutcracker Ballet

December 22, 2012

Yesterday we took Ava to see the Alabama Ballet perform the Nutcracker.  She loves all things dance so we figured she would enjoy seeing "real" ballerinas dance.  And we were right...she LOVED it!

Before the show we were able to meet 2 of the performers.  Ava was in awe of them.  They even had cookies and lemonade for us to munch on.

 

After the first act ended they turned on one of those bubble snow machines and all the kids had a blast playing under the snow.  

We ended our evening with a dinner date.  We had such a good time spending some much needed quality time with our first born.

Lunch With Daddy

December 21, 2012

Today we went and ate lunch with Daddy.  We wanted to see his new office and such so me made the haul out there.  Seeing him in the middle of the day was such a treat. 

Dance Party 2012

December 20, 2012

Tonight was Ava's Christmas Dance Party.  She loves taking dance so much and honestly we love watching her dance around all the time.  They did 2 cute little dances to Christmas songs.  I just love the passion she has for dance.  I am so proud of how well she does and I can't wait for many more years of sharing these moments together.

We also got to glimpse at their costumes for recital this year.  They are going with an 80's theme and will be dancing to Don't Worry, Be Happy and When I See You Smile. 

Our Gingerbread House

December 19, 2012

Tonight we made our very first Gingerbread House.  Ava has been asking to make one for about a week now and I finally broke down and bought one at T@rget.  I put my OCD tendencies aside and let Ava decorate the whole thing by herself while Matt and I watched.  We had the best time.  And I think it turned out just beautiful!

Zoolight Safari 2012

December 17, 2012

Friday night we went with Kristen and Amelia to Zoolight Safari at the Birmingham Zoo.  The kiddos had such a good time.  The lights were so pretty and of course the kids LOVED the train and carousel.  And they even had ice skating this year.  I love making these memories with my family. 

Here are a few pictures I snapped with my phone:

Ava and Amelia

We look forward to many more days at the zoo since we were gifted a membership.  We can't wait to go back soon!

Celebrating!

December 16, 2012

I really struggled with the what to do about the babies' birthday parties.  It's RSV season and I really didn't want to expose them to tons of germs.  We decided to have a low-key family party for now and then in the Summer, for their half birthday, we will have a party for those who didn't get to come celebrate these 2 little lives.

We had our parents and siblings over, and Matt's grandmother was able to come.  I cooked spaghetti and we had cupcakes.  Nothing fancy.

But oh what fun it was to celebrate these two.  A year ago it was so uncertain if they would even survive and here we are...surviving AND thriving.  God is so good!

Here are the Birthday boy and girl eating their cupcakes.

Hew

 Hollyn

They didn't get near as messy as I had hoped.  Oh well.  They took a few bites but were more concerned about going to bed.  :) Poor things.  

Finishing up this post I can see them not feeling well at all.  They started soon after this with the crud.

Well Babies

December 15, 2012

Hew and Hollyn

These 2 had their 1 year well baby checkup yesterday! Hew weighs 18lb 9oz and is 26 1/4in. Hollyn is 18lb 3oz and is 28 1/4in. They both got 4 shots today. We are so grateful that they are doing so well. 

Here is a little bit of what they are up to:

*Both are crawling machines-they are everywhere!

*Hollyn has been pulling up for a few weeks now and just yesterday, Hew pulled up for the first time!

*They both babble all the time.  Hew's favortie sound is "ma, ma, ma, ma" {melt my heart} and Hollyn's is "da, da da".  

*Hew has 7 teeth.  Hollyn has 4 teeth.

*They both are such happy babies.
*We got the ok to switch to solely table food and whole milk!!!

We are so blessed that my childhood pediatrician takes care of our kids too.  We all love him so much!  He is thrilled with how well they are doing.  WOOHOO!!!

I have to add this in...Ava was such a big help today.  I went by myself and she jumped in and helped entertain and comfort.  I am so proud of her and the little lady that she is becoming.  

This evening is the babies birthday dinner.  I can't wait to see how they look after they eat their cupcakes.  Those are some of the cutest pictures to me. 

Weaning the Oxygen

December 13, 2012

We started the weaning process this week and praise the Good Lord Hew is doing GREAT!

Here is a picture I took on Monday and posted on Instagram.  Look at that sweet cannula free face!  I love it!

We are taking a slow approach per our doctors orders.  He has us adding an hour each morning and afternoon that he is off oxygen until the only time he is wearing it is to sleep.  Then we will do an overnight study to see how his sats do.  Please pray with us that this goes well.  {We still haven't heard back from this.}

Tomorrow is the babies well-child check-up and I am so anxious to see what they weigh.  I'll update y'all on how it goes.

Long time no see!

Wow!  I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post.  I honestly didn't intend for it to happen that way.  I have posts partially written and saved...just waiting to be finished or pictures added.  BUT, life happened.  Sick happened.  Christmas happened.  Things are finally slowing down now.  I'm planning to play catch up as I have a few minutes here and there. 

Until then, Merry {belated} Christmas from our family to yours!