Thank You!!!

I'm not the most timely about sending out Thank Yous but I eventually do! 

Until then...

I just wanted to thank everyone that came to the boys' birthday party, we unfortunately do not live near any of our close friends or family & we really appreciate everyone traveling to be there!!!

We (& the boys) are also very thankful for all the amazing gifts!!!

Thank you to;

Nana & Papa for the adorable clothes & fun birthday dinner!

Grandma & Grandpa Whittenburg for allowing us to party at their house & for the new swim suits, clothes, beach toys, Thomas the Train video & race track!

Grandma & Grandpa Tilyou for the birthday cash, with which we bought 3 pairs of new shoes each! :)

(good shoes, water shoes & sandals)

Aunt Autumn, Uncle Steven & Chandler for the super fun train table!

Aunt Meggan, Uncle Aaron, Clark & Tucker for the super cool animal sounds zoo!

Aunt Pat & Aunt Rosemary for the awesome tricycles & clothes!

Great Aunt Buffy, Devin & Dalton for the bubble mowers!

Great Uncle Rick, Aunt Taneah, Colby, Braelyn, Blakely & Brendon for the picnic table!

Great Grandma for the Toys R Us gift card that we bought a sand & water table with :)

Karin & Dan for the adorable shirts

Aunt Janet for more birthday cash which we bought "puddle jumpers" with :)

The boys are very lucky & super spoiled by all of those that love them!!!

Thank you all again!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

My dad & bonus mom came up for the weekend and boy did we have fun!!!

My parents arrived Saturday morning. We had already decided we were going to the beach as soon as they arrived. I figured Saturday morning would be the least crowded time of the holiday weekend. My dad called as they pulled in the parking lot & I told him the door was open & to just walk in. If I had known how surprised the boys were going to be when grandma & grandpa walked in I would have had a camera ready. I don't think I have ever seen that much excitement in the faces before, the gaping open mouths & gasps with excited were just too much!!! I will have a camera ready next time!

Caden, Grandpa, Garren, Kellan, Grandma

So we headed out to the beach for a little fun in the sun to start our weekend. The boys dug in the sand & built (& smashed) sandcastles with grandma & grandpa. Garren of course visited with dogs close by & everyone took turns running up & down the beach. The tide was in & the water was a bit cold so there was no swimming on this trip.

 Caden

 Grandpa & Garren

 Garren

 Caden, Garren, Kellan

 A little sand in the pants never hurt anyone, lol

Grandpa & Caden

 Mama, Grandma, Garren, Caden, Kellan

Grandma gettin' some lovin' from Garren

After naps we took the boys down to the pool to try out their new "puddle jumpers." Hey are arm floaties with an added chest floaty/life jacket. I was sure the boys would not be happy in a float this year & hope that these help them learn to swim. We put them on the stairs & let them make their way into the pool on their own. None of the boys are completely comfortable with submerged & not being able to feel the bottom yet, but they kept trying it out. I think by summers end they will be jumping into the pool with no fears :)

Sunday we headed to the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens. Since we had extra hands the boys got to walk quite a bit. Kellan pushed his face between the fence posts to look at the animals while Caden & Garren had to be picked up to see over the fence. Garren did a little face squishing but wanted to be "up" most of the time. After lunch we changed the boys into their swim suits & set them loose on the splash pad. They had so much fun playing & running & jumping in the water. We decided to leave when Donna pointed out the line of people waiting to get in but couldn't until some of us left. It was well past the boys usual nap time but they were doing pretty good. We made one last stop to see the giraffes & then headed for the exit.

 Baby birds

 Kellan & Caden

 Zebra

 Mama, Garren, Kellan, Caden (in front)

Kellan, caden, Garren

Garren, Caden, Kellan

Caden & Kellan

Just a note about this wagon, we got NO triplet comments at all!!! And that storage bag holds a TON of stuff, like the entire diaper bag, 3 beach towels, 3 changes of clothes/swim suits, 3 pairs of shoes, the camera & camera bag. Fantastic Wagon!!!

 Giraffes

Thanks for the new hats Grandma!!!

Due to the fact that Donna was transferred out of state just before I got pregnant with the boys, we have not lived close to family or even our close friends since then. Our move to GA was to be closer to family so that we could visit more frequently but we are still a ways from the closest family member. So Donna & I had not had a date night since before the boys arrival, that was until Sunday. Donna still has a little trouble leaving the boys so we waited until they were tucked into bed & soundly sleeping before hearing out for our fist date night in 2 years. 

 A nervous Donna driving away...

We went & watched the sunset & then for drinks. It was kind of weird, we didn't worry about the boys at all but didn't really know what to do not having a wagon or stroller to push or kids to entertain, lol... It was very refreshing though to have an uninterrupted conversation & to not be listening for someone to cry out or wake up.

A pretty sunset

Monday morning Donna made banana pancakes for breakfast. Then her & my dad finally put the tricycles the boys got for their birthday together and we took them outside to try them out.

Mama getting a little help with the assembly

 Garren waiting for his brothers

Caden trying to stay out of the grass

 Kellan waiting for a push

Grandma & grandpa headed home after we put the boys down for their naps & our super fun weekend came to an end.

We also remember what Memorial Day is really about. We remembered my cousin & all of the soldiers that have served & sacrificed protecting all of us.

2 Year Check-Up

The boys had their 2 Year Check-Up yesterday & boy was it an event!

It was an early morning appointment at 9am. I know it's not that early but feeding, dressing & getting three 2 year olds out of the house in less than an hour is like an aerobic workout. I also wanted to look semi presentable so I started an hour before the boys woke up. 

Anyways, I was feeling great! We were all fed & dressed, the dogs had been walked & we were leaving the house right on time...

I loaded Garren in his carseat, then Caden & just as I picked up Kellan I felt something wet. I turned him around to find his diaper leaking on both sides :( I did what I've never done, I locked the boys in the car & ran back inside! Little man needed a new pair of shorts. I grabbed Kellan & the diaper bag & proceeded to change him in the back of the van rather than unload everyone & go back into the house. It wasn't until I had him laid down that I realized this was a bath worthy blowout!!! He had poop all the way down his legs, we didn't have time for a bath!!! I think I used half a pack of wipes to get him clean, then redressed him & off we went to the doctor's office.

We got to the doctor's office just in time! We were called back within 5 minutes. As the nurse weighed each of the boys & took their temps I realized Caden's diaper was leaking... What on earth?!? Why don't these things happen at home, on days you have no where to be, or when no one is around to watch you use 64 baby wipes to try & clean your kid up from a mess that was meant for the bath tub?!?!?

Anyways, Caden's mess was mostly contained in his diaper with just a small leak. He was cleaned up & good to go in just his shirt & diaper in no time, lol... I never imagined I'd need a second pair of spare shorts so he went pant-less :)

The rest of the appointment went smooth, with the exception of having 3 2 year olds open & close every door & drawer in the exam room & touch EVERY SINGLE OBJECT within their reach :)

They had their second Autism screen & scored great!

They have met all of their developmental milestones, YAY!!!

12 months ~ 18 months ~ 2 years

(where oh where have my baby boys gone?)

Caden measured 36 1/4" tall - 93rd percentile

& 32.6 lbs - 89th percentile.

Kellan measured 36 1/2" tall - 95th percentile

& 33.1 lbs - 93rd percentile.

Garren measured 34 1/2" tall - 59th percentile

& 26.13 lbs -36th percentile.

These percentiles are for their actual age NOT their adjusted age, remember we are all done adjusting as of their 2nd birthday :)

Just for laughs we put their age as 3 & left their stats the same for Kellan & he was still 64th percentile for a 3 year old, lol...

I had a few questions regarding a couple of things with each of the boys. Dr J is awesome about taking her time, looking at everything & answering my questions.

Caden has had peeling feet recently, both feet from his heels to his toes. She said its called "trench foot" & is just from sweaty feet. Nothing to really do about it except let him go barefoot which he already does & it's nothing to worry about.

Garren has a tiny little belly button, it's not an inie or an outie, just a tiny belly button, sometime when he flexes in different directions it (& the surrounding area) bulges out, also nothing to worry about. He was born with a concaved area in the middle of his chest (there's a name for it but I can't remember it right now) we've noticed recently that it had shown up again & also has a small bone that sticks out from it. Lots of people are born with it & it is also nothing to worry about, it will be less noticeable as he puts on fat & muscle. 

Caden & Kellan are going through stages where they will not eat meat (K) or veggies (C) for a couple weeks at a time. They get plenty of peanut butter & beans to accommodate for the protein but I was a little concerned about their veggie intake. I started sneaking some in in smoothies & that is what she recommended doing so we will continue offering balanced meals & supplementing with smoothies. 

I expressed that we were concerned about the boys speech. They say the number of words they should for their age plus they use a lot of signs but they don't talk much at all outside of the house. They still communicate with each other using their own language & they aren't using 2-3 word phrases. So she recommended having a speech evaluation done. We should hear something about that next week & I'll post an update then.

Lastly, we talked about potty training. I felt that the boys were showing some signs of being ready. I told her what they were & she agreed. She also said that she thought 2 was a good age. We are going to take a casual approach to it, letting them go pant-less/diaper-less at home, having potty chairs readily available & visiting them regularly. We have considered different methods like the 3 day method, but have decided with training 3 it would be too chaotic. Besides, the boys have been pretty good about making transitions themselves so I'm hoping this will go smoothly too. 

Any input you have on the subject would be great to hear! :)

First Beach Day of The Season

The weather here has been amazing the past couple weeks, high 70's or low 80's, sunny & breezy. It's a nice change from the wacky late winter early spring weather we had and the 3 solid days of rain a couple weeks ago.

Friday night, Donna & I decided Saturday was the day, we were heading to the beach. You see, a lot of preparation & planning had to go into it since "the beach" is a long 20 minute ride for us, lol...

It's amazing what difference one season can make. The boys were barely walking, Kellan wasn't at all last summer, so we wheeled the boys through the sand down to the waters edge in their Choo Choo Wagon & then let them play. Saturday the boys walked from the parking lot, across the boardwalk & onto the beach, we pulled their wagon with toys & towels & drinks in it but it was much easier to pull through the sand without 3 little boys in it! :)

Running for the beach!!!



Kellan barely made it off the boardwalk before plunging into the sand, he would have been happy to sit right there at the edge playing in the sand but we really wanted to get a little further onto the beach, lol...

Garren



Garren headed straight for the water with Donna & I settled in a spot with fluffy sand for Caden & Kellan to play in. Once Kellan spotted Garren in the water though he made a bee line to them! I quickly grabbed Caden & joined them.

 Kellan, Garren, Caden

Garren, Caden, Kellan

Caden looks like he's about to grab a fish ;)

The tide was out so there were smaller pools of shallow water all over the shore line, perfect for little people! The boys plunged right in! I was sort of surprised but pleased they had no hesitation. They played in the water, dug in the sand, Garren visited some dogs & we had a blast watching them play. I really thought they would be more interested in running since that is what they like to do in wide open spaces, it was a nice surprise that they were content pretty much in one area (& we weren't running after them.)

Chasing the waves, Kellan, Garren, Caden

Caden & Mama taking a walk

I'd take the boys everyday if I had someone to go with us, but I don't dare take them by myself. I grew up on the beach & love that they will too!

Sneak Peek...

This is just a sneak peek I got from the photographer of the boys' 2 year photos, as always, she leaves me dying to see more!!!

Garren, Kellan, Caden

Kellan was obviously not feeling this photo, actually he just wanted to sit down & play in the dirt, lol



 Kellan

 

 Garren

 

 

Caden

He was being so bashful, looking down & then giving a quick look & smile, such a little flirt!!!

 

Needless to say, I am totally in LOVE with all of these!!! My firend Kareen is an amzing photographer!!! She alsways captures the best images & is so artistic with her editing, if you're in the Orlando area & need a photographer, I'd be happy to pass along her info! :)