Where to begin...

Okay... you know when you have a really big task ahead of you and you keep putting it off thinking it's going to take so much time that you really don't ever had a good time to start b/c you never really have that much time to begin with??? That's where I have continually found myself the last few weeks/months every time I went to start a new post. So basically I've decided to jump in with both feet and catch everyone up as best as I possibly can. And hopefully the posting of many pictures will make up for the last 4 months hiatus!

Travel back with me if you will to the months that have past...

Christmas was great! It was just the 6 of us here on Christmas morning and we took our time enjoying the day. The triplets of course loved playing with the paper more than what the gift actually was. And Owen received more than his fair share of presents as usual - his most prized gift was Martian Matter Alien Maker.

We went to a Christmas party that was sponsored by the Parents of Multiples club that we are members of. Kyle, Landon and Piper looked like Santa's little helpers!

Owen got a new bike for Christmas from Papaw Marvin!

Another note to tell you about - everyone is CRAWLING! When I last left you Piper was the only one crawling. She started right after Thanksgiving. Well the boys got tired of watching her move around and decided they better get on the ball, too. They started crawling within a day or two of each other around the first of January. So now our house (the downstairs at least) is a bunch of gates interlocking together to keep certain areas off limits to the babies. They are fast, too! Luckily our first floor is not too big so there's not much risk of losing them! And they like to be wherever we are so they stick pretty close by.

Kyle, Landon and Piper are all also pulling up to anything they can reach - furniture, gates, and mommy or daddy's legs when they are standing still! It's very fun to watch and they love this new skill they have mastered. We often walk into their room and they will all be standing in their cribs babbling and screaming at each other. It is so cute!

At the end of January we had a HUGE snowstorm and got a full foot of snow! Nate's office (and a lot of other Indianapolis offices and businesses) was closed so he got to spend the day playing in the snow with Owen. Owen was in heaven! His truck just wasn't cut out for four wheeling through the snow!

We bundled the babies up just to take their picture in a mountain of snow. They weren't sure about it and couldn't even look up for a while b/c they were so blinded by the brightness!

Landon tries to decide what movie he wants to watch!
Making music with pots and pans in the kitchen while mommy tries to clean up!
We love our sippy cups!

So to tell you the truth, I tried writing this post and adding it a few months ago (as you can see by the date at the top of this post). It was early February and I sat down on a Saturday night and got most of the way through. Then Sunday came and everything fell apart. It started with Owen - he got the stomach bug and had vomiting and diarrhea. We tried to keep him quarantined with high hopes that it wouldn't spread to anyone else (namely three 11 month old babies). Well, that didn't work and by the middle of the week all SIX of us were sick with the same stomach bug. It was a nightmare! Luckily it hit each one of us at just the right time intervals for it not to be completely unmanageable. But it still was not fun at all. There was one day in the middle of it all that we changed 26 diapers, 17 sleepers and the crib sheets twice. I can't tell you how glad I am that week is well behind us!

At the end of February another big event took place - I went back to work! Not full time mind you. Only evenings and weekends for about 17-19 hrs per week. (See you're starting to understand why it has been 4 months since my last post, aren't you?) I'm working at a great new store called Buy Buy Baby (http://www.buybuybaby.com/). It's a sister company of Bed Bath and Beyond and as you can probably tell by the name - it's a huge baby/toddler store. And yes, the discount is great when you have triplet one year olds! I LOVE working! It has been a great break away from my norm of taking care of the little ones. Don't get me wrong - I love being home with the babies and Owen. But it's also gratifying to be earning a little extra money and being able to go somewhere to have adult interaction a few hours a week! :)

And now we are to March... I can't believe it's been a year already! They say time flies when you've got one baby, I believe time has gone by at warp speed with three!

We celebrated the babies first birthday at Pizza King, a pizza restaurant here in Indiana. The main reason for choosing this location was their party room which was large enough to hold everyone and then I could walk away and leave the mess behind!

Kyle

Piper

Landon

Anyway, we had a good turnout - about 30-35 guests and we all fit comfortably in the room. And the babies were wonderful! Sometimes first birthdays turn out to be disastrous b/c the guest of honor hits party overload and has a meltdown. Kyle, Landon and Piper all had a great time. They love being around people and were social butterflies during the whole party.

Nate and I decided that for the babies birthday we wanted to give back to the NICU where our adventure began a year ago. So on their birthday party invitations we asked guests to bring a gift off of the NICU wish list instead of a gift for the triplets. The response was overwhelming and we were able to deliver a wonderful collection of gifts for the current and future babies in the NICU to enjoy. Thank you very much to those of you who helped contribute to the NICU drive in honor of Kyle, Landon and Piper.

The nurses, doctors and staff were so excited to see Kyle, Landon and Piper and how much they've changed over the past year. They were also very appreciative and thrilled for the donations.

Kyle, Landon and Piper did receive some gifts from mommy and daddy and from other special family members. All three got a summer chair for lounging in, some shoes and some books. Piper got her first purse (Sesame Street) complete with cell phone, lipstick, change purse, keys and brush/mirror. Kyle got a cell phone and Landon got a remote control (both Sesame Street as well). Of course, much to daddy's dismay - Kyle and Landon LOVE to play with Piper's purse! :-)

Kyle, Landon and Piper had their one year checkup two weeks ago. Dr. Kidd was very pleased with their growth and the milestones that have been reached. They are not walking yet, but are all getting close! Landon has taken the most wobbly steps so far. It's more like falling forward and his feet seem to get caught up in the process. He just gets too excited to keep his balance. But he (as well as Piper and Kyle) will be independently upright before too long I'm sure!

Their particulars are below:

Kyle - 20 1/2 lbs, 29 1/2 in.

Landon - 20 3/4 lbs, 30 1/4 in.

Piper - 18 1/2 lbs, 29 3/4 in.

Last week we took them to get their 1 year pictures taken. After some drama, we finally got some good shots. Picture People did a fantastic job!

Last week was Spring Break for Owen and although we didn't go anywhere, he still had a big week. He went with Miss Marsha one day for lunch and to play at the golf course. Miss Kristi came to get him one afternoon and they went to Chuck E. Cheese followed by an overnight stay at her house. Then on Friday daddy took off work and just the three of us went to lunch at Max and Erma's and to Rascal's fun zone. Rascal's has indoor go-kart tracks, mini-bowling, and lots arcade games. During warmer weather they also have outdoor go-kart tracks, bumper boats, and miniature golf. It's a lot of fun and we had a blast spending a few hours together with only Owen. It's a rare treat to get one on one time with the big fella. We played a game of mini-bowling (which I won by the way!) and raced each other on the go-kart track. Owen was even tall enough to ride the rookie go-karts all by himself. He took a spin three different times!

Well to all the Graham Cracker fans - I'm truly sorry that it has been so long since the last post. But after you've read what has been going on in our lives during the last few months I'm sure you understand why! Anyway... love to all of you!