the big easy

There was no blog last week because I was living it up in New Orleans with my triplet mamas!

Rosie was sick the first part of the week so Megan made some quick arrangements to help us out. Steven, Sammy and Amaya are always so happy to get time with Baby Taco.

Amaya is especially happy when she gets to see “Mikey”. She loves men, lol. Today someone came by and Amaya asked, “Is Caroline a man or a lady?” She was very disappointed to learn that Caroline isn’t a man.

Tuesday, 4/18 I turned 41. 41! What the heck? I’m officially “in my 40s”. It’s crazy.

I had a wonderful day waking to surprises from Jason and ending with a family dinner with friends. Megan and the kids came to see me at work for lunch and ran to me holding cards and flowers. Sweetest thing! Megan took them to the flower store and everyone got to pick out flowers they wanted me to have and even dipped some in glitter.

(The banner in my office was from my team.)

My “work necklace” is a favorite with the the kids. It was a big deal that Amaya not only got to wear the necklace but she got to use it to open the doors in my office building.

Rather than go out for lunch, we ate in the break room at my office. It was a good idea in theory but I forgot that it’s not totally enclosed so the sound of loud toddlers will carry through work spaces. The kids were fantastic but it still had me a little on edge.

Here, you can see Amaya handing out everyone’s food. Such a helper.

Megan in the elevator with 2 kids who wanted to be held.

Mommy’s flowers!

For dinner, we had an awesome opportunity to go to dinner with my friend Elizabeth and her family who were visiting on business. Elizabeth’s triplets turned three in March and she has another daughter who just turned one. Such a great birthday dinner!

While Elizabeth and her husband worked, they needed care for their kids on Wednesday and Thursday. By change, Anna was free and able to offer child care for the two days. Since we’re all in the same circle, we decided to bring the kids together at our house. So much fun (and so much chaos)!

Everyone got along really well and, with few exceptions, SSA were great about sharing their toys. (It was hardest for Steven.)

Amaya just loved Baby Amelia.

The whole gang in their matching triplet tribe shirts!

On Wednesday the group grew with the addition of Ben & Sam. Eight three years olds, a one year old and three brave nannies.

Friday morning, Grandma Sunshine came over to help hold down the fort while I jetted off to New Orleans for my 4th triplet mom getaway!

Twenty eight 2014 triplet moms. ♥ ♥ ♥

Daddy sent me updates throughout the weekend. Looks like a Sammy haircut!

Apparently Amaya wanted some of Sammy’s hair gel and this hairdo was Daddy’s compromise.

Rosie got these great photos of Jason playing ball with the kids. They looooooove playing ball with their daddy!

I rounded out my trip to Louisiana with a night in Baton Rouge visiting my friend Hannah and her six girls. And then it was back to MI!

Steven has been in his SMO orthotics for two years and it was time for his third pair. Our orthotist was running late but these kids know how to occupy themselves wherever they are.

Don’t mind a little Ring-Around-The-Rosie in the hallway. And, yes, we all fall down.

Steven’s new orthotics are just simple inserts in his shoes. They’re definitely easier to manage than the braces he’s been wearing. These are shoes I bought for Chase about 5 years ago that he never ended up wearing.

Right now, SSA are obsessed with band-aids. We could go through two boxes a week if we let them. (We might actually go through 2 boxes a week.) Everything is a boo boo that needs a band-aid! Sammy’s gotten to the point where he walks around with his hand in a fist if he does’t have a band-aid on his finger.

Amaya had a quick dr appointment on Wednesday so I met Megan and the kids there. The fish are always a hit. “I see a green fish! I see a bumblebee fish!”

When it’s not a school day and I’m feeling generous, I sometimes let Steven, Sammy and Amaya keep me company while I’m getting ready for work. It definitely slows down the process (obviously) but it makes them so happy.

My little helpers love to help me with my make-up. “Do you need this, mommy? What about this? Do you need this now?”

A favorite game is spinning in our bathroom chair. Spinning themselves, spinning each other, begging me to spin them, fighting over who’s in the chair… you name it.

Thursday the kids were able to get outside for a bit on their inaugural outdoor bike ride! We got them in November so it’s been a long winter of indoor bike riding! Talking to my friend Hannah, I mentioned that I wasn’t sure how we’d keep them from riding across driveways and she had the great idea to use cones as markers. Perfect!! Jason took his bike out today and, before he left, Amaya said, “But he can’t ride his bike without the cones!” Sammy also reminded him to wear a helmet.

When Steven finished PT in early January, his PT Meredith suggested he come back in a few months for a progress check. Thursday was his first day back. I think he’ll have another 3 month session and then we’ll evaluate how he’s doing. He had some trepidation at the appointment after all this time off but it was still a marked difference from his true first appointment last fall.

My girl. Pink and purple all the way around except for Chase’s black socks. 🙂

After the appointment, the kids had lunch at Megan’s mother’s house and then brought Taco back to our house for the afternoon.

Five months old already!

Bedtime is getting more chaotic but there’s always a moment of calm when I put the TV on before we go upstairs to bed. Three cute kids in Chase’s old pajamas.