The great outdoors...

Today, Steve and I decided to have a "family day". We tend to work too much and at times feel convicted that we need to make more memories with our kids. And Steve wanted to make a trek up the mountain before ALL the snow was gone. So off we went! It's always hectic getting packed and everyone in the car by morning nap time (so the twins could sleep on the drive up), but it was totally worth it. Steve and I both love the outdoors and can't wait until our kids are just a little older so we can do more and more with them.

We went up to Donner Pass and went for a hike. The trails were still partially covered in snow, so it was quite a workout. We each carried a baby on our backs and took turns pulling Molly on the sled. It was so much fun to be a naturalist for Molly, and teach her about the birds and trees and river (something both Steve and I have a passion for).


After hiking in towards the lake, we stopped under some trees where the snow had melted. We put our blanket down and enjoyed the picnic that we packed. As long as Garrett and Paige were standing up on their feet they were pretty good about not putting things in their mouth, but I'd say a fair bit of dirt, leaves and bark got consumed. Mmmm... fiber...


Then it was time to play in the snow. Garrett was SO EXCITED and was completely wet and muddy by the time we were through. Paige enjoyed it, as long as her hands stayed clean, dry and warm and she didn't get any dirt on her. And of course Molly was in heaven!


And then we enjoyed some sledding. This version of sledding was more "slipping down minor inclines", but Molly didn't care and was SO HAPPY to be able to go down with her brother and sister. It was definitely a glimpse into the blessing of having 3 kids in 2 1/2 years. Hopefully they will all grow up having fun and playing together.


When we were all done, we came back down the hill and had a nice dinner in Auburn before coming home. It was such a wonderful day and we're looking forward to when the kids are older and we can do more and more of this stuff.

SMOM Spring Picnic

On Saturday we went to the SMOM (Sacramento Mothers of Multiples) annual Spring Picnic. It was hotdog BBQ at a park with an Easter egg hunt. We had a really nice time and there must have been around 100 adults/kids in attendance. Our children had a blast playing in the park, and Garrett and Paige LOVED the swings.


Molly was pretty excited about the Easter egg hunt, but we made the twins watch the commotion from the comfort of their stroller. Ever since the egg hunt, Molly has been re-filling her plastic eggs with toys and hiding them around the house. Love that kid! And yes... the kids are all in coordinating outfits (gifts from their Aunt Christie)!


I've sure been thankful for my SMOM friends. They're such a great group of ladies who are there to support eachother and all the new twin/triplet moms. And I've made some fabulous friends there.

Messy, messy, messy

I decided that it's time Garrett and Paige were allowed to master "the spoon". Anyone who knows me understands that this is not an easy thing for me. I don't like messes... particularly when they involve food. It actually kinda turns my stomach to the point that I'd just rather feed them myself. But feeding two babies at once AND trying to eat food myself can be challenging. So I decided that it is time for them to start another lesson in independence. I bought some bowls with suction cups on the bottom and gave it a whirl... with non-fat refried beans. Although I knew beans would be incredibly messy, I figured they would stick to the spoon well. Paige picked up her spoon and started feeding herself like she's been doing it her whole life, and by the end of the meal Garrett had figured it out. And I survived the mess.


Now that Garrett and Paige are walking all over the place, they have become two little tornadoes going from room to room creating havoc. Garrett is SO mischievous and can turn a room upside down in 30 seconds flat. Needless to say, they are spending more and more time in their "cage". Here's Garrett after he discovered where I keep my place mats and napkins.

Spending the day at preschool...

Today I got to spend the day with Molly at preschool. They were having a field trip to the dentist, and it was right in the middle of the twins' morning nap. So Steve stayed home from work so I could take Molly, which was the perfect excuse to spend some one-on-one time with my big girl.

We went to class before heading to the dentist office, and I got to watch her in her element. It was "Green Day" (for St. Patrick's Day) so of course the craft was decorating shamrocks.


And the teachers also discussed how blue and yellow make green. To prove their point they let each kid put a drop of yellow and blue food coloring in vanilla yogurt and then mix it up to see what happens. And of course, then they got to eat their green yogurt.


Then it was off to the dentist. The kids watched a classmate get an exam and the dentist even used a mini camera to show his teeth on a big T.V. Molly may look bored in the photo below, but she was actually a little anxious. There was no way she was getting in that dentist chair, which is interesting considering she's been to the dentist three times now.


Then it was back to class for snack and playing with her friends. Here's Molly with her best buddy, Kate.


It was so cool to see Molly in her class and watch her interact with her teachers and the other children. She is such a happy little girl, who is so eager to help and she literally "bounced" around the classroom because she was so happy to be there. The teachers all spoke really highly of her and I left feeling like it was the perfect school for her to grow and thrive. I'm so happy I was able to spend that time with her.

Garrett & Paige's Dedication...

This morning at church we were finally able to have Garrett and Paige dedicated. It took us longer than we had hoped to have this done, because we were insanely overwhelmed when the twins came and our church was in the middle of several pastoral transitions. But thankfully, today was the day. We were sad that our family wasn't able to be here to celebrate with us, but I think we're getting used to the reality that our families are not close by. However, because of that reality, the twins dedication was particularly poignant because our church really has become our family here. When Garrett and Paige were born, it was our church family that brought us meals, helped do laundry, and cleaned my kitchen (after my mother and mother-in-law had to return home). In fact, I had help in some form every weekday until the babies were two and a half months old. There were people like Liz who came at LEAST 4 times and started cleaning the moment she arrived without asking for direction. And there were people like Chuck and Debbe who we hardly knew at that point, but brought us dinner, helped with the kids AND washed our windows inside and out. And there were people like Jeff, a bachelor who was unafraid of volunteering his time (despite knowing little about babies himself), and after playing with the kids fell asleep in the recliner with Paige on his chest. That's just a handful of the names I could put on here. And there were people who remain un-named that donated money so we could hire a house cleaner for three days of our choosing. And then there's all the people that were faithfully praying for us without us even knowing it. I seriously do not think we would have survived those first few months without that assistance. So our church has already proven that they are dedicated to coming alongside us to help raise our kids and show them about God's love.

Here's Pastor Rick praying with Garrett and Paige. We were pleasantly surprised that neither of them cried! Garrett watch Pastor Rick intently, as if he was soaking up every word coming out of his mouth.


And here's our family after the dedication. Yes... the entire family was dressed in coordinating pink, white and brown. Yes... I have an illness.


When I was reflecting before church on this day, I got quite emotional. As a parent you have such strong desires for your children... that they grow up happy, healthy, successful. But for Steve and I, our biggest desire is that our kids grow up falling in love with Jesus and reflecting His love to everyone they come in contact with. So I just ask that all of our friends and family out there in "blog land" pray that for our kids after reading this post. And we are dedicated to do the same!

Boys and Girls

I'm sure noticing that my girls are quite different from my son. The girls are so much more relational. They love to interact and play together, which I love to see. This morning Molly dressed Paige and herself up in some princess garb and put together an entire make-believe scenario. Paige was SO happy to play along. But Garrett is only interested if the interaction involves wrestling.


That brings me to Garrett. He is a little talker. He says the usual first words, but he's already putting words together which amazes me. He says "bye bye Dada" and "all done". And he is SO STRONG! It blows my mind. Seriously. Today he's been practicing his new skill: getting to a standing position WITHOUT using his hands. He goes onto his knees, puts one foot up and just stands. Anyway, here's a video of Garrett in action.

Double Trouble

As Garrett and Paige are getting older, they are definitely becoming tricky little toddlers, and together as a team they think they're unstoppable.  Paige has become a climber and tries to scale everything.  So far she's figured out how to climb on most toys, the fireplace mantel, and our couches.  She climbs up and proceeds to hand anything within grabbing distance to Garrett who waits below patiently.  I wouldn't mind, except she doesn't get down very gracefully at all, which can be a little scary.  Garrett on the other hand has figured out how to open doors, which is aided by his extra height.  Yesterday he got into the bathroom where I found him playing in the toilet, he barged in on Molly using the potty, and he went into the nursery while Paige was still napping and woke her up.  We have fenced off our living room with a play yard and have given it the nickname "the cage".  I can foresee that Garrett and Paige will be spending more and more time in the cage.  Here's a couple of photos of them trying to escape out the front door today.  Notice Garrett trying to open the door while Paige stands on her scooter to look for a get away.  Good thing that we always keep the front door locked.  And like any good parent, I had to snap a couple of pictures before stopping them...

A sad day...

This is my Uncle Mike... my mother's brother.  It's not a great picture of him, but it's the only one I had where he was looking at the camera (taken at our wedding).  He died relatively suddenly yesterday after battling colon cancer over the last year.  When I think of him, the words that come to mind include sweet and nice and kind and gentle.  I am thankful that he is no longer suffering and can finally rest peacefully, but he will be missed.

A day off...

Today I got a day off.  All you moms out there understand that occasionally you get to the point that you desperately need to take some time away from your children.  I think Steve recognized that I was getting to "that point", as I've been doing the majority of the parenting as he works on our bath renovation.  Ironically, I really only got time away from Garrett and Paige because I really just wanted to play around with some photographic lighting techniques.  So I needed a willing subject, and Molly was willing.  But she was a good girl and was easily bribed with some play time with a friend.  Thanks for the break Steve... I needed it!

Rub-a-dub-dub

Steve has been fervently working on a bathroom renovation for the last couple of weeks. He and my dad installed a brand new bathtub and now Steve is tiling it in. I'll do a separate post later to show you his awesome handiwork (not to mention my new granite counters and granite tile bathtub enclosure). Anyway, while the tub has been out of commission Molly has been showering, but the babies have been getting bathed in the kitchen sink. It's actually been WAY easier because we can bathe them at the same time! Here they are enjoying their bath.