Photo Session For Twins, A Single and Triplets....Need I Say More

It was time again to conquer the impossible and attempt an outdoor photo session for the kids.  The triplets are 18  months old and it has been a yearsince we took our last group photo.  I decided to use our dear friend, Kim Kozlowski to take the photos for us.  She took the 9 month photos of the triplets so she is used to chaos.   We decided to do the photos in a common area in a surrounding neighborhood (thanks Sally for sharing your area with us). 

The preparation for this glorious event was rather time consuming to say the least.  I decided that I wanted to do a "match match" session.  Thank goodness there are so many private schools around that require dress codes because I was able to find lots of white shirts and khaki shorts...everywhere.  I also brought some props to use.  The biggest ordeal was coming up with enough "new" things that I could pull out to quickly entertain the kids.  I got some mini windmills, baseballs, kick balls, squish balls and of course good snacks.  I got tootsie pops, licorice and veggie straws.  Let me tell you....we used everything I brought. 

Prior to this shoot I had a sit down talk with the older kids and I told them the following:


"Ok so we are going to get our pictures taken and I need help from you guys. Mom gets kind of grumpy during picture days so please please please listen to me and pay attention. Now lets practice our smiles. Liam I don't want the fake smile so here let me tickle you..yep that is the smile I want, Eamon lets see your smile...perfect. Mairin your turn...great.  Now I need everyone to do everything mom asks and we will get thru this"

Everyone got dressed and of course I noticed a tattoo on Mairin's arm....nail polish remover please.  Eamon decided to do an art project right before so he came into the kitchen with marker all over his hands.  Momma was gettin' really grumpy and starting to sweat before we even got out the door.  Thank goodness Heidi was around and she knows me well enough to just jump in and help me stay calm.  We got most of the marker off of the hands with lots of scrubbing and tattoo removed (Mairin don't put on anymore tattoos until you ask me, OK)

I arrived on site and since I put all the kids in white shirts I didn't let them out of the car until we were ready to go.  The session started with a couple of cute shots and it didn't take but a minute before Colin decided that he wanted to be on the other side of the common area.  He would get up from whereever we placed him and take off in a full sprint.  Most of the shots will probably be 5 kids sitting and Colin running towards the camera.  Colin then decided to chill out half way thru the session but then Finn lost his coolness.  Finn, all of a sudden wanted nothing to do with walking and taking pictures.  He became either a fixture on my hip or a screaming, tear filled little man.  Eamon, Liam and Mairin did ok but they were trying to help out but they would look at the babies rather than the camera so we had many times that someone wasn't looking.  Liam needed a talking in the middle of the session because he wanted the baseball and mitt in every picture.  I did the whisper yell.(you know..when you whisper in the ear and the tone is just like you are yelling).  I thought we were finished only to find out that Eamon and Liam wanted a "sports shot".  Kim was so gracious to let them pose their own shot. 

We had Heidi, Sally and myself carrying, chasing and bribing babies and after an hour we were all exhausted.  I was sweating and emotionally exhausted.  I have not seen any of the pics but you will have to stay tuned to see if any turned out.  I have to commend Kim Kozlowski for acting so calm and cool and she never appeared to look nervous or stressed at all.  Kim you are the best.  www.kimkozlowski.com

It may be at least another year before I attempt this feat again......ahhhhhhhh!

There Are Good Days and There Are Tough Days with Triplets, Twins and A Single

We are flying into August without too many days of ...I'm bored...actually that is not allowed here.  Once those words are spoken..mom gets angry and the feelings of how ungrateful these children are begin to take over me.  I have to then..stop and remember that they are little kids and instead of letting the frustration overwhelm me I need to take the time to explain, teach and help them to understand that everyday is not intended to be a visit to Disneyland or all about them.  Today their dad took them outside before he left for work and told the boys and Mairin what weeds needed to be pulled and how it needed to be done before he got home from work.  David was out the door by 8:30am and by 8:35am the boys were skipping breakfast to get out there to get it done.  The weeds surrounded our play area so there was a fair amount of work involved but come on....we are not slave drivers.  They picked for a good hour and then I was ready to take the kids to the park so I had them come in.  Eamon asked me, "Mom do you think it is ok to come in since we are not done with our job yet?" "Do you think Dad will be mad if we don't get it done"?  I smiled and thought to myself...wow this is really the response you want right..."Eamon I think we can go to the park and I think you will have plenty of time to come back and do some more later..before dad gets home".  We did the park and Heidi took them to the beach for the afternoon and upon our return the boys went back out to get all of the weeds picked.  David arrived home from work and they met him with big smiles saying they were ready for inspection.  David gave them all handshakes and told them they were good men and  a good little girl (Mairin didn't do much..lets all be real)

Friday was a whole different story.  The bugger Mott kids came out.  Everyone had finished breakfast and I was cleaning up and everyone was under my feet and things were just starting out kind of crazy.  I know my limits so I decided to have the older kids take the triplets outside (in the fenced in area..where I can see them thru the window) so that I could finish cleaning up and make 3 phone calls to schedule 3 doctor and dentist appointments.  Sounds like an easy task...15 minutes at the max and then I would take over...nope not that day.  Liam comes in and says he is hungry.."what..you just ate..get outside with your brothers".  Then I hear crying while I am on hold.  The triplets are all standing with their arms up against the sliding glass door..crying...trying to get in.  The older kids are just walking around, swinging...."hello everyone..this is your job"  Then Eamon came up and said that Colin fell.  I run down there and notice that the older ones are less than interested in even throwing a ball to entertain the triplets.  I threatened to cancel any future playdates, pointed my finger at each one of them and explained how they have responsibilities and they need to take care of their little brothers.  I walked away frustrated...got back on the phone to make all of my appointments.  A couple of deep breaths and a task completed.... I went down and joined my poor little guys.  I gave up on my frustration and told the older ones that they were ok to go.  Uggggghhhh...Each day brings different responses I guess.

My New Mother....Water and 6 Boys Under 2 years old.....

My daughter Mairin has now become my new mother.  She is a spunky little 5 year old who mimics everything I do whether it be caring for the babies or reprimanding her older brothers (exactly the way I do).  I have to laugh because it allows me to hear what I must sound like everyday.  On Saturday I decided to take Mairin with me for a couple hour outing with "just the girls".  She gets all buckled in and before I back out of the driveway I receive a text so I respond (before leaving my driveway).  Mairin says.."mom isn't writing on your phone illegal now"  I say, "you mean texting" she says "yes".  I answer her with, "why yes Mairin it is but I am not driving yet" . "Well mom I will remind you again if you need me too".  Really????  Then I am at a red light and I pull out my lipstick to put it on, "Mom isn't that illegal too?"  Uuhgg.....I have finally hit the point where I need to be more mindful of the little Mother that sits in the backseat.  It is so funny to me how my 8 year old boys would not even notice or care. 

No fear here.  We have been taking the little crazy babies to the beach and they love the water.  They keep walking in ...deeper and deeper.  What a great way to burn off their energy.  Here they are surrounded by adults but they want to go to the big slide like their older siblings are doing.  Too cute not to get a shot.

We did a playdate with a mom of triplet boys who are just 2 months older than my triplets.  They live about 3 miles from us and I am so glad to have met these 3 little cuties.  We found a fenced in play area and we managed to get about 2 hours of good old solid playtime with a little adult conversation as well.  Thanks Jennifer for sharing your little ones. 

Ask Me ANYTHING you want?

My husband, David loved dinner time with the kids and he often starts interesting conversations the kids while at dinner.  The other night he asked the question, "Ask me anything you want".  Ask this question to a couple of 8 year old boys and a 5 year old girl and this is what you get. 

Liam...."How thick and big is the planet earth"?  Of course David had an answer to it but I did not take notes to give you the answer.

Eamon..."Did it take more than 10 relationships to go thru to get to mom"?  This kid is hilarious.  What was actually on his mind?  David answered and told Eamon that yes Dad had some other relationships but not more than 10 (liar).  David was convinced that Eamon was thinking about how many girlfriends you have to have before you find your wife...I guess.  Interesting to say the least.

Mairin...."Dad, so when a girl drops her books on the floor and a boy comes and picks them up for her and as he is handing them to the girl he looks in her eyes and smiles...then you know you will marry him ..right Dad?  Clearly this from some TV show.  I laughed outloud at this one.  Mairin is wayyyyy ahead of her game.

Try this game some night at the dinner table.  It provides lots of laughs and you get all kinds of interesting questions.

Monkey Munch!

i would love to take full credit for this little invention but I cannot.  I had a special birdie tell me about this (thanks Aunt Jessica) and when you hear about something from a veteran of raising and taking care of children..you listen.  I made this and all of my kids love it.  They ask for it for breakfast, snacks and any ohter time they think I will let them have it.  I love that I can mix up whatever I have and make it however I want.  Here it is below.  Colorful cereal, pretzels, goldfish, cherrios, cheeze its and whatever else you want to throw in there.  I put a little in sandwich bags and the little ones carry it around and dig in for their treats. 

The summer is in full swing now and we are still making it.  I am finding many things to do to keep everyone busy.  I have my wonderful sitter, Marcia coming every Tuesday and Thursday for 4 to 5 hours each day.  I am blessed to have my sister Heidi on Wednesday's so that we can take turns taking the older ones out and doing something fun.  It seems like a lot of help but the hours with help seem to go so fast.  Thursday  Marcia came at 10am and I took the older 3 down to the beach (invited some friends) and we played in the water until noon.  At noon I dropped the kids off at home with Marcia and headed out to run some errands.  I was home by 2:30pm with a load of groceries.  I had an hour and a half to unload, put away and do all the things I enjoy before the triplets were due to wake up.  Friday we played in the backyard for the morning, the boys did some chores and then I let them do some crafts while the babies were sleeping.  Friday is beach night and we get Mary (my adorable niece) to babysit for the babies while we take dinner and drinks and the older 3 down to the beach to grill, play, talk and drink some beverages.  This beach that we are members of is our lifesaver.  The kids love it and we love getting together with our friends and relax. 

Livin The Dream

This seems to be my slogan for today.  My husband called from work and says, how is it going?  I say..Livin the Dream Baby...Just Livin The Dream.

The dream that I live could be considered a nightmare to some but I would have to say that most of the time it is the dream..but not always.  Summer break is all about taking it one day at a time.  You can't sit down with a calendar and count exactly how many days you will be home alone with 6 kids.  You must just wake up and go with the day that God has given you.  I find it funny living with my sister who is a teacher.  She says that she feels like her summer is slipping away so fast and I look at her...almost startled...thinking...slipping away..no actually I think it is going along quite nicely.  I guess it is all about perspective.

Today I got out for a couple of hours and the older kids spent the day at the pool with Aunt Myrna.  We are all home now and just got word that David is working late.  Ok so that confirms a trip to the park this afternoon and no formal dinner needed.  The older kids are currently working on their paint by number pictures. This is hour #4 in the past 2 days that they have sat at the kitchen table painting away.  I did good with this purchase...so good that I went back to Michaels today and bought more.  I just love it when I find something that is inexpensive and it keeps their interest for so long. 

Yesterday we had to get a bit creative in keeping everyone happy and entertained so the babies had lunch served in the garage.  Remember that I run out of things to do so playing in the garage is still one of our favorites.  I didnt feel like messing up the kitchen so I made a makeshift table with an empty diaper box, put their food on a paper plate and told them to have at it.  They were like ants that swarmed the box and stuffed food in as fast as they could.  I organized my shelves, filled up the garage fridge with pop and juice and we all had fun. 

Sam's Club With All 6 Kids?????

It was around 9am this morning and I had finished my coffee and I decided it was time to go somewhere.  I asked my sister Heidi if she was up for a Sam's Club run (got to love Heidi..she will run errands with me anytime).  She was in so we packed up the kids.  I decided rather than leave the older ones home lets try it with all of them (please note that David is home this week so they would have been left home alone).  They suggested that if they do go that we could get them some pizza for breakfast.  I must have been in a good mood because I agreed...on one condition.  They had to be nice, polite, quiet, walking little beings.  We arrived and they were angels.  We were greeted at the door with a lady who said, "wow, you are gutsy".  We had 2 carts and 6 kids in tow.  We grabbed all that we needed and the older ones helped unload all of  the stuff.  Heidi checked to see if they were serving pizza at 9:45am.  Of course they had 2 pizzas ready.  We sat down and ate.  Heidi and I fed the babies and kept them in the cart while Eamon, Liam and Mairin sat very nice and ate their pizza.  The trip was a success and only a couple of looks and several stares.  We decided to stop by the park to play on the way home to burn off some more energy (love stopping when I have all of this help).  The pizza must have been extra greasy because first we watched Declan stop in his tracks with a red face.. to push one out, then Finn stopped at the top of the slide and he made fists, red faced and I could smell the results of what he produced.  Colin followed in a few minutes and before I knew it the older 3 all came running up to me saying they had to go "big bathroom".  Ok well we cant do that at the park so lets head home.  Good thing the park was close to home because the truck stunk so bad..Heidi and I were breathing in our shirts to mask the stink.  Ahhh....got home and changed 3 diapers while Eamon, Liam and Mairin each ran to a bathroom.   Not a bad morning.

A Michigan Vacation with Triplets, Twins and A Single!!!!!

hah....Not really.  We have not gotten up the courage to do vacation with everyone yet.  We are still in a divide and conquer mindset.  We did not all go on vacation together....but everyone did get a change of scenery and were spoiled for the week...no matter where they were.

On Sunday we packed up for the week and headed north.  We had to stop off in Stanton to pick up the older boys (they spent the week at grandma and grandpas for camp) and drop off the triplets with Heidi and Grandma and Grandpa.  Heidi was yet again...willing to take on the triplets for the week so we could take the older kids.  We left on Monday morning..just the 5 of us...on our way to Glen Arbor, Michigan.  We had rented a tiny cottage (dollhouse like) for 3 nights and we had no plans other than to move at our own pace and do whatever we wanted to.  We quickly found the favorite activity was climbing the Dunes (Sleeping Bear Dunes).  Our cottage was a mile away so every morning we started the day with a dune climb and ended the day (sometimes 9 or 10pm at night) with a dune climb.  The kids loved it and we enjoyed some nice chats..sitting on the tailgate of the Expedition while the kids went up and down the dunes.  David and I always try to take a family vacation and a "David and Heather" vacation every year but I must say..the older the kids get the easier and easier the family vacation becomes.  I figure we will add the triplets in 2 more years.

We spent the days touring around Glen Arbor, Leeland, Leelenaw Pennisula, Traverse City, Torch Lake and where ever else we drove by.  We usually kept the bathing suits in the truck and would stop off regularly whenever we saw water or a beach.  We did the day at Pirates Cove and the kids went wild...we visited a couple museums, ventured out to see some lighthouses and did lots of good old together time.  The vacation was one that I will remember and I hope the kids do as well.  Each year we have been trying to visit different waterfront towns along Lake Michigan.  We have almost covered the West side.