Trick or Treat!!!

I racked my brain this year trying to come up with a theme for the boys but not the more common triplet themes... 3 bears, 3 blind mice, 3 little pigs. I wanted a common theme just not one of the ones we would see over & over again the day after :) Not that they aren't totally awesome ideas! I just like to be unique :)

Thank you Aunt Pat & Rosemary, the boys loved dancing along with these fun little guys!!!

My first idea was awesome, but the costumes didn't come in small enough sizes for the boys, so maybe next year??? Wonder if I can get a deal on them now?! I moved on to other ideas, muppets, Winnie the Pooh characters, Star Trek & M&M's. I struck out on all those ideas, either they were out of stock of one or like Star Trek & M&M's, they only came in one color for toddler sizes :( Finally while I was checking out the clearance items I ran across a bunch of different animals, so we went with a Zoo theme.

Kellan as a Panda, Caden as a Lion & Garren as an Elephant

(his head peice was to tight)

I had been dying to get the boys in their costumes since the day they arrived. I held out until this past weekend. We put them on & switched them around depending on how they fit. They boys had fun playing in them. Garren especially loved petting his brothers.

We got these totally amazing treat bags from an awesome friend, check out her facebook & Etsy pages, Green Owl Bags!!! She makes the BEST market bags!!!

Trick or Treating didn't happen for us this year. I was incredibly bummed but all 5 of us have horrible colds & are now at the coughing uncontrolably phase which just gets worse at night :(

I ran out of steam to put faces on all the cookies, but a bit better than last years I think :)

I spent the morning making some fun treats & we took the boys out for an early dinner instead.
We didn't end up getting any Trick or Treaters either, so now I have a whole bag of candy to go along with the goodies I made. If your in the area & in need of more candy or cupcakes or cookies, stop by!!!

Our *18 Month* Old Boys

There will be a couple other *18 Month* posts, 18 month photos & 18 month check-up. I don't have either at this moment but in celebration of the boys actually turning 18 months, I'll just update about them for now :)

I almost feel like the boys have changed more in the last 6 months than they did in their entire first year. I know it isn't completely true but WOW do they ever grow & change so much, so fast. They have these quirky little personalities, I have no idea where on earth they would have gotten them from, ha! They are each so different & so interesting.

Garren & Kellan

I'll start with Garren, as an infant he was so quiet & content he required very little extra attention. Now he is a huge clown! He is constantly showing off, either by dancing, talking (babbling gibberish mostly) or climbing. He also likes to play a lot of games, chase, hide & seek, or even peek a boo from around a corner or behind the couch. Anything for attention! He is making up for how little he needed as an infant. He has also become very loving, he's always been affectionate with hugs or cuddles but now it's more drawn out, more eager & very deliberate. He is giving kisses now... He stops and focuses on either Donna or I or even one of the pups, holds both sides of our face or shoulders  & slowly comes in for a kiss (his mouth open of course.) Its cute when he does it to Eason & even more adorable when Haddie allows him to give her a kiss, she's a bit of a diva.
Garren has a mouth full of teeth, I think he may end up with a problem I had & not have enough room for them all. He has all 4 front teeth on top & 2 molars, it only looks like he has room for one more tooth on either side. He has 3 of the 4 front bottom teeth & 2 molars on the bottom also. After our 18 month check up with the new pediatrician next week I will make them all dentist appointments & start keeping up with that.

Kellan & Caden

Next up is Caden, who was super outgoing & always laughing as an infant. He is more shy now, I guess more bashful than shy, he warms up quickly usually but he doesn't like to be more than an arms reach away from Donna or I when we're out. He has also been the most quiet of the 3 but recently he has all of a sudden started babbling up a storm, he really has a lot to say & gets quite frustrated that I usually have no idea what he's saying. He says the fewest words of the 3 but is starting to mimic more of what we say so I'm trying to make more of an emphasis of saying what things are are or what color or shape & so on. This morning while I was pouring their milk he came to the kitchen & said "hotog" (hot dog.) maybe watching Micky's Clubhouse is more useful that I thought :)
Caden is very affectionate, he gives very big, vey warm hugs anytime I pick him up, he gives kisses by leaning his head in to you when you ask for a kiss, very sweet! He is content to sit on one of our laps & just hang out there.
He also has a mouthful of teeth, 4 fronts on top & bottom & 2 molars on top & bottom.

Kellan, still streaking! I thought I had solved the problem by always keeping pants on him, but he took those off too on this day :)

Last but most definitely not least is Kellan. He was our neediest infant, he had the worst reflux & tummy troubles to boot. We really thought he would always be needy/clingy since that is how he started out but we couldn't have been more wrong. I would have to say he is now the most content. He's happy most of the time & finds interest in just about anything he runs across. He is sensitive though, if he falls & hits his head or if one of his brothers pulls his hair, they are equally as devastating & result in big time tears. He is so affectionate & cuddly, he gives kisses with his forehead, when you ask or on his own. He loves to be close, it doesn't matter to who, Donna or I or his brothers, even Eason. When Donna is home she usually lays in the floor with them before bedtime & he is always sitting right next to her if not laying on or across her.

Caden, Garren & Kellan, they love this tiny kitchen!!! They can open & close the doors all they want & leave the furniture alone!!!

All 3 boys can now get on the couch or in the dining room chairs. The couch is their favorite place to be. We don't mind as long as they sit, but a couple of the monkies think that it's a trampoline. Caden also likes to touch/move the photos on the wall above the couch :( So child proofing has gone to a new level.
The boys all play really well together. As I mentioned in Garren's paragraph, they chase each other, hide from one another & pop out to scare each other. They wrestle & roll around on the floor, sometimes it's get a little rough but what can you expect with 3 boys?

All in all they are healthy active boys. I think they are pretty on track developmentally, but we will find out for sure next week at their well check.

Anniversary Vacation

This past week was Donna & I's 10 year wedding anniversary, we decided to take the whole week & go to FL to see our parents.

Caden, Mama, Kellan, Mommy & Garren



We left Friday afternoon & spent Saturday, Sunday & Monday with my dad & Marie. Saturday, dad lead us to a Fall Festival. We took the boys on a hay ride & let them wander around the pumpkin patch. It was a lot of fun seeing their reactions and watching them explore. On the hay ride we stopped to pet a deer, the boys were more interested in the BIG tires on the tractor than they were the deer, but we enjoyed seeing & getting licked by it.

Club Lake Plantation in Apopka, FL



Caden, Garren & Kellan



Kellan picked his pumpkin :)



 He isn't too sure about the hay though.

 

Garren picked his pumpkin...

 

and tried to pick it up :)



He then though this one might be more suitable for carrying.



Caden liked the idea of a smaller pumpkin



 but just to hang out with, not to carry.

 

 Hay Ridin'

Grandpa, Garren, Caden, Mama, Grandma & Kellan

 

Sunday, Donna's parents came over for lunch & spent the afternoon visiting. My parents hadn't seen them yet since returning from NY for the winter.

Monday we did a little big city shopping. We'd been wanting to go to Ikea so we went there & we also went to a BabiesRUs/ToysRUs to get some Christmas ideas.

Tuesday we were suppose to go see our triplet bff's, but they woke up with fevers & runny noses so we had to hold off on that visit & we headed to Donna's parents a little early.

We spent Tuesday through Friday at grandma & grandpa Tilyou's, ransacking their house & spending some time running around outside.

Garren running outside at Grandma & Grandpa Tilyou's



Garren's first encounter with stairs & he didn't even have to think about how to climb them.



Kellan running around outside



All 3 boys discovered their VERY LOUD voices while on vacation, Kellan though this was an apprpriate place to use it :)



Caden checked out the place from front to back...



Lucky boy found his favorite thing, a wheel :)



Thursday, one of  Donna's best friends, Rhonda, came up from Tampa for a visit.

Saturday we had Fall/18 month photos scheduled with a good friend of mine who was in town from Utah.

We had intended to head home after pictures Saturday but the boys had an agenda of their own in mind & we didn't have time to get packed back up AND get the 5 of us dressed & ready or pictures by 1:30 so we hung out one more night & got to see my bonus sister & her family.

A late night visit with cousins,

Clark, Kellan, Tucker, Caden & Garren



Meggan & Aaron got in right as the boys had gone to bed so we got them back up so they could visit with their cousins. All 5 boys seemed to really enjoy each other. I have no idea what time they all ended up going to bed. Sunday morning we all visited some more & the boys all played outside for a little bit while Donna & I packed up to head back home.

Tucker in the swing (backwards) Caden at the top of the slide with Grandma & Kellan walking.



Tucker & Clark playing catch



Tucker



Garren & Grandma



This little Monkey really likes to climb, we may need to get something like this for inside :)



Caden going up the slide & Garren



It was a good & exhausting week!!! Being out of your element with 3 toddlers that get into EVERYTHING is a challenge, the boys kept us on our toes for sure. They came home with a couple new tricks, talking at the TOP OF THEIR LUNGS & climbing on the couch & chairs.

I love seeing the boys with family, interacting with their grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins. I love how their personalities are unfolding & think it is so amazing how children have a love for each other & those around them so innocently & easily.

Photo Challenge FAIL!!!

In my defense, I did not take into account that we would be on vacation for a week & without Internet service for at least half of that week.
Maybe I'll give it another try next month?

10. Water

Bath time!!!

9. Autumn

My beautiful sister, Autumn
aka Aunt O

8. Morning

Some of us need a pick me up to get the coffee going...

7. Food

Saved by Jennifer!!!

I almost forgot to post this... 

Convenient that today's topic was food. This guy however, was not interested in food today. Kellan ate 2 bites of his lunch & was done. I thought by dinner he would be ravenous but I was wrong, he ate NOTHING of his dinner. He did suck down a whole cup of milk though & then half a cup of pediasure closer to bedtime. (I didn't want him waking in the middle of the night hungry)

He seems fine, acting normal, no fever, pooping regularly & not fussy so I guess he just wasn't into eating today??? 

If you're noticing the high chair like tray, we have reverted back to eating off trays, thank goodness the booster seats came with them :) Being at the table, having a plate & silverware was all just too much for the boys. They were playing more than eating & I just didn't have the patience to fight with all 3 of them at every single meal. So it's trays for now & silverware, maybe when they get that figured out we'll try plates & then move back to the table top.

6. From A Low Angle

Do you know how hard it is to get lower than a Corgi?!?

Especially when you get that low & she wants to crawl to you :)

 

 

This is our little princess, Haddie.

She runs the house!!!

She loves her babies but keeps them in line, the boys have figured out how to manipulate her though by holding a peice of food and not letting go before getting a few pets in :)

 

 



Coast Fest 2012

We went to Coast Fest today, a local environmental festival they have every year. It was fun to see & learn about this coast as opposed to the west coast of FL where Donna & I are from.



 Here are Caden, Garren & Kellan with a chipmunk character?? Garren was curious about him but the other boys just looked at him like what in the world???

 

"Captain Jack" a pretty cool shrimp boat. We couldn't take the tour with the choo choo & they wouldn't even let us down the peir with the choo choo to get close enough to carry the boys on :( Maybe next year.

 

There were some pretty cool "local" critters at the festival, here are the boys petting an Eastern Hognose snake...



 Caden touched it but then preferred using mom's hand to pet it.

 

Garren's idea of petting is more patting but it's kind of rough so maybe it's more like slapping, lol... He gave the snake a couple pats & then grabbed ahold of it! He scared the handler but the snake didn't seemed bothered at all.



Kellan doesn't quite have petting down yet either but did well with mom's guidance & seemed to like the snake quite well.

 

It was a beautiful day to be outside & we really couldn't beat the view.

5. From A High Angle

I almost forgot to post today...

My sweet (not so) little Eason, who turned 3 this last month & now weighs almost 35 pounds :)

He is so good with the boys & lets them do anything they want to/with him. He loves to sleep under their cribs (until I go to bed) & is very protective when someone different is in the house.

He sleeps like this ALWAYS!!!

4. Something Green

I thought cloth diapers were pretty green :)

 

But then I also had this handsome boy in green...

 Kellan

3. Clouds

It's been overcast & rainy the past couple days so no good cloud photos to be had. :(

 

However, cloud is one of the new signs the boys have recently learned & Kellan signs it pretty well along with the lady in the video. :)