Guinea Pigs

So we finally caved. After months of pining for a pet, we got Riley, not one but two guinea pigs. After questioning our animal loving nurse friend about all the important stuff to know about guinea pigs we felt confident in our pet handling capabilities. Because, after all we have managed to keep the triplets alive for the past 3 years and prevent them from killing each other over the past 6 months of WWF going down in our neck of the woods.
As it turns out, Miss Ericka has the perfect guinea pig for us at PetSmart (the name is important here) and we may take her home free of charge (adopt) after she is discharged from the pet hospital. "Roxy" as Riley has named her, had a rough start in life. She was the runt, had a tough time growing, and at one point lost all of her fur. (* If after reading this portion of the blog and are doubting our choice, just wait, there is more). Riley and I made several trips out to visit Roxy prior to bringing her home and fell head over heals in love with her. Roxy had been held and loved frequently in the hospital and was used to be held. She even purred for Riley boy.
Fast forward to last week just prior to Easter, Roxy was being discharged and we were clear to come and pick her up. We had already purchased and put together (with Papa's help) her top of the line guinea pig hutch, food, hay, bedding, igloo, holding pad, treats, water bottle, food dish, hay ball  . . . .
We were prepared!. And yes, so on to guinea pig #2. Guinea pigs are social animals. We did not want our Roxy girl to be lonely when we were out running to and fro with doctors appointments, OT, PT, school, Friendship Builders, Language Builders, Leaps N Bounds, etc. So we were determined to find Roxy a sister friend (we DO NOT need baby guinea pig breeding going on). PetSmart was out of girl guinea pigs at this time and the PetCo down the street had one female left. "Will you please hold it for us until tomorrow?" "No. We cannot hold 'pocket pets' . It is not our policy. But, I think she will still be here tomorrow . . ." Freakin liar.
Onwards and upwards we drive to Irvine PetCo where according to their directions we get lost 3 times before our arrival. Riley at this point is quite concerned that we are buying a pet from PetCo because they are not "smart". Clever little man. Anyways, here we find two very darling and very skittish little girl guinea pigs. I fall in love with the brown one with the white nose and one white foot who squeaks and squeals like a pig. Riley instead chooses the white and brown one to be his Olivia (* name chosen after a classmate :)). We purchase Olivia and head back down to PetSmart to introduce her to Roxy. Ericka helps acclimate the two guineas while Riley and I fill out Roxy's adoption paperwork (very official). It is Ericka who notes Olivia's extra toe! Yea, two special guinea pigs have found the perfect family. Onward home to introduce them briefly to the triplets and then whisk them into Riley's room until they have settled down. A week of bliss follows as the girls adjust to being home with us. Daily holding and loving with Riley and Michaela. Little treats here and there- oranges, carrots, broccoli. We are in love.
Monday, I worked. Grammie Girl says that something is not quite right with our Roxy girl. Her feet are cold and she is super easy to pick up- no running around and trying to escape. Knowing Grammie can sometimes be an alarmist, I assure her that I will check on her. Roxy and I settle down to watch a show on the couch. Her breathing seems labored, but shows no other symptoms of illness- no runny nose, crusty eyes, sneezing. She wants me to hold her close and tries to nestle against my neck. Damn. I start calling after hours vets. Casey looks at me as if I have lost my mind. It will be $73 for an urgent care visit with a vet that does not specialize in guinea pigs. Casey looks at me point blank and says, "I know that look. You are going to drop a $1,000 on trying to save this thing. Promise me you will be sensible." Fine. My mom and I drive Roxy to the vet at 11:30 PM.
The vet on call is fabulous. He tells me everything they can do for her and yet breaks it down to reality. We agree to start her on antibiotics and discuss in depth on how to rig an isolette as we are lucky enough to own a home oxygen blender (thank you Austin and thank you Dr. Lana :)). $100 later, Roxy is no longer a "free" guinea pig and is the proud owner of antibiotics that are prescribed in her name to Roxy/Rodent (perspective).  I am confident that I can at least tell Riley how hard we tried to save our Roxy Girl. Morning comes and Roxy is still alive. I struggle with telling Riley but decide that I had better do it before school, just in case, and so if anything he can again know that I tried. He is concerned but takes it rather well. Stating that he feels the medicine will help save her. I then explain that medicine does not always work, but I am hoping (for his sake and for mine) that she will be ok.
After school Riley rushes out of class and inquires about his Roxy. He is happy to hear that she is still alive but devastated when I tell her that she is in fact dying. He holds her quietly in his lap with the oxygen held up to her nose (because she turned blue when I tried to force feed her the vet stuff) and sobs. I join him. Papa comes and digs a hole for her in the garden. Roxy has a lovely (Catholic) burial service joined by Grammie Girl, Mommy, Riley, the triplets, and Riley's new ABA therapy aids (it's their 1st day here- joy). Horrible.
The next morning Riley is sad and Michaela is sobbing. She wants Roxy and she wants her "NOW!". Austin attempts to comfort her as only a three year old boy can: "She is in the hole Mitch and you can't go you are too big!" Hell. So now our attention is poured out onto Olivia. Checking her frequently for signs of infection, etc.
We need to get a second guinea pig for her so she is not lonely . . . (Yes, I did think about a 5150 for myself, truly. But my psych hold is in all honestly my house.) So I call PetCo. My favorite little brown guinea pig, Olivia's sister, is still available. Given my sob story they agree to hold her. Pippi "Squeak" Longstocking is ours. Mitchy, Riley, and I pick her up and rig a second cage to isolate her until we are sure that Olivia is well (1 week). Story not over.
Two days into having Pippi holed up in Riley's room, Grammie Girl and I are convinced that something is not right. Round 2. I rush her back to PetCo where I am assured that she is quite fine and that her nose is brownish in color like her feet and she is not "dusky". I am a freak.
Tonight Oliva and Pippi have been reunited. I am hopeful that they will last at least a year until Casey agrees to a dog . . . it could happen AND pigs could fly . . .

7 months later . . . The Shays Are Busier Than Ever!

Sorry friends. It has been awhile. I have been meaning to update the blog- really and truly, but life got in the way! In the past 7 months we have gone on vacation to San Fransisco- a road trip to celebrate the wedding of a favorite uncle; been in the hospital 3 x with T&As (tonsil and adenoids removed) for Caden and Riley and just because he couldn't breathe for Austin- discharged on Thanksgiving. Michaela has managed to potty train herself and we are currently working on the little boys. Riley has started kindergarten and the triplets have started  preschool, two days a week for three hours. In addition, Riley has started karate; Austin attends Friendship Builders and Language Builders (both 2 day a week programs;) and Caden attends Leaps and Bounds once a week. All boys attend Beach Kids Therapy Center for occupational therapy and physical therapy. Michaela would like to sign up for a gymnastics class, Austin would like a ballet class,  and Caden would like guitar lessons. Casey is working 5 days a week and I am working 2 (vacation days :)). My mom is here most days, particularly the days that I am working. I love when other people complain they are busy, it makes me laugh! I would love to post the hours of operation around here, including the drive time, but would hate to get robbed (as if we had anything to steal other than toys :))! Not complaining, just saying.
As my New Year's Resolution I will attempt to keep this blog updated (esp. more frequently than 7 months time). The kids are growing and thriving. They are beyond funny (and they know it).

QUOTES-
Riley- Upon overhearing the conversation about the Stagecoach tipping at Knott's Berry Farm (while we were there, of course) . . .
Grammie:"Did anybody D-I-E?" (spelling it out). Riley: "You mean DIE, Grammie?" Damn, you forget how quickly kids learn to spell and read these days! Here is to learning how to spell backwards!

Riley describing how wet people got on Big Foot Rapids: " . . . And this lady got so wet you could like, see where her boob holders were!"

Austin: "Hi, beauty. Shake your bootie."
Austin: "I am a beautiful princess, you (mommy) are my king."

Mitch: "I don't feel well. My heart feels funny." Mommy: "You want me to check your heart?" Mitch:"NO. Not you! Dr. Wilkinson. The doctor, not the nurse!"

Mitch: "Laura (nanny), I DON'T love you. I love Mommy, I love Grammie, but I DON'T love you!" Caden tilting his head and looking at Laura, reaches out grabs her face and says, "Iiiii love you, stupid!"

A lady commented to Grammie while she had the kids out to lunch at McDonald's, "she is so cute." Mitchy turns and glares at the woman, "I am not cute!" Well, she might have been before she opened her mouth :)

*The preschool teacher (with the patience of a saint) is convinced that Michaela will not have any self-esteem or peer pressure issues when she is in high school. Yep, I believe it. God Bless all of her minions though.

At the beach in reference to a 10-12 year old chubby little girl- Caden: "She's got a belly!"

Caden (at 4 o'clock in the morning): "I want to go to Reynold's house today." Mommy: "Reynold's has to work today. How about tomorrow?" Caden: "I want to eat cereal at Reynold's and play the computer, and go up and down the stairs, but NOT in the bedrooms and play the piano. I want to see Tuxy. I need my bathing suit and go in the water." Mommy: "Where is your "off " button?"

 

 

Michaela Boo-Boo

Yo Gabba Gabba

"I don't like it!"

"I wove this!"

Riley and his cousin, "Baby Sawyer." 

 

It's ALL true . . . sad, but true

So, it's been awhile, but don't worry we've been keeping tabs on all things Shay to keep you entertained. As a matter of a fact, so much has happened that I will first present it to you in outline form- so if you fancy, you could skip ahead should you so desire. There is a lot to report, so much so that I will probably have writer's cramp to go along with my broken finger (thanks to the new "fire door"- we clearly needed a door such as this BTW- you'll see!)

It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want to . . .
     OUTLINE
I. Kitchen Remodel
II. Move to apartment
     a. van vs. pole
     b. vomit escapades . . . and poop and pee
     c. CT scan
     d. security deposit refund?
III. Homecoming
     a. kitchen remodel from HELL, ie. oven doesn't fit, etc.
     b. backyard makeover (or under)
     c. trailer
     d. fire department
     e. broken finger

     The kitchen remodel began as a dream ever since we moved in. The "old" kitchen with it's original (but bigger) cabinets was full of mold and falling apart around us, literally. Shelves were propped up with 2x4s and lined with linoleum to give us more of a barrier against the oldy moldy plywood.  Some cabinets weren't even used as they were crumbling from the inside out. So this was our excuse to take out a home equity line to remodel what clearly was a "health hazard". Interviewed a couple different contractors and off we went.
     Prior to the demolition of the old kitchen, it was decided that the Shay's would need to relocate based on the fact that the children (mostly Caden and Austy) could not tolerate anything that might aggravate their airways (* yes, they are special and they know it). After hemming and hawing and Casey calculating and recalculating (done with a great deal of complaining in regards to the extra expense), we decided to rent an apartment instead of an extended stay hotel (mas dinero). We signed a month to month lease for a 1 month period of time at Laguna Serrano in LN. We had stayed there prior to purchasing this house and actually found out about the triplets during our 1st round in the apartments there. Good times. The difference this time? Aside from the THREE obvious things (ie. Austy, Mitchy, and Caden being full fledged children and not just fetuses would be one),  but also the size and location of the apartment. We were forced to rent a 3 bedroom based on the number of people residing in the apartment (more money!) and there was only one available (upstairs unit- God love the people below us- it wasn't our 1st choice I swear).
     Moving in was relatively painless (we cheated and rented a refrigerator so the company would have to carry the unit up and down the stairs). We also saved ourselves the hassle of moving tons of furniture and just brought mattresses, a few chairs, futon, the kids' table, clothes, and toys. Oh, and a microwave of course- cooking in-style. Casey forbade any crafting item that could be used to deface the property as the $500 security deposit rested heavily upon his heart. We kept those items in the garage just in case we needed to get crafty, but alas managed to survive without having to break through the tape on the box. I did however manage to break the front end off  of my van (1/2 way only :)) by running into/ side driving into a plastic (stupid, plastic) pole while arguing with Austin in the back seat about which Alvin and the Chipmunks song he wanted to listen to. All I wanted him to do was shut . .., um PLEASE, BE QUIET and GO TO SLEEP! But alas, no. Pole 1st, song 2nd, drive 3rd, sleep- dead last.
     Back to the security deposit . . . Our kids are pukers. Well, Austy is for sure and Mitchy and Riley can sympathy puke with the best of them, so yeah that statement is just about right. Our kids are pukers. First week in, Austin in the kitchen. All over. Riley hearing the excitement (Casey on duty, bemoaning the puke) comes running and sliding. Two pukey kids. Riley: "AGGHHHHHH. Mommy what do I do?  (gag, gag) What do I do?" Casey: "Why would you do that Riley? Why would you run through the vomit? Why weren't you looking . . . .?" Me: "Riley, honey. It's gonna be okay. Lets just take off your jammies and get you into the shower right here, quick. See problem solved." Casey: "There goes the security deposit . . ." Oh, for heaven's sake. Everybody barfs, everybody poops, etc. Life goes on. All in all we checked out with a few "accidents" to speak of and a couple ( + a few )broken blinds, not too shabby for triplets and 5 year old :)
     By far the worst part about the apartment though was the stairs. We did our best to make sure that the doors were locked at all times and that the kids held onto the rail and/or us going up and down each and every time. One raining morning though, Mitchy slipped and fell approx. 4 stairs. By the grace of God and her (very overworked) guardian angel, Michaela ended up sliding backward on her head, shoulder, and back, vs her head and face, etc. She was pretty shaken up and promptly threw up. I kept a close eye on her throughout the day and even though she was a little off (quiet for once) she fared pretty well. We even managed a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific with Erin and her mom "Reynold's". The next morning though, Mitchy was throwing up again and off we went to the ER.
     A couple hours and a cat scan (CT) of the brain later, Michaela was cleared of any fractures or brain bleeds. Dx: Concussion. The best part (aside from the fact that there were no bleeds, etc) was the CT scan itself. We (Mitchy and I) enjoyed a ride on the gurney to radiology. "It's okay Michaela. It's like Disneyland." Michaela-"Where are the rollerposters?"  In CT neither my mom nor myself could convince Michaela to lie still, but Christian could. Oh, you betcha. "Michaela, princess, could you please just put your pretty little head right here and I'll be really fast. Oh. and when your are done princess you can have ice cream and what ever you want, but we really need you to lay still for the camera. Can you do that princess?" "Ok." And for that Christian got upgraded (by Mitchy) from radiology tech to doctor."Doctor fixed my head with the camera. He fixed my noggin. It's all better." Oh, my darling girl how I love you. Forget age 16, we're locking you up at 10 sister.
     One month passes. Finally time to move home into our new kitchen. Yea, right? Nope. It's not done. Even with an extra week built into the schedule, still not done. Problem- the oven doesn't fit, the cabinets are too small, etc. I wish I knew why, except for the obvious- they measured wrong and despite Casey having presented the guys with the appliance measurements PRIOR to them building the cabinets- the oven remains un-installed in the middle of the kitchen. Good times. More microwave meals, cereal, and McDonald's - the kids are suffering :)- yeah right! Add yet another week onto the schedule, more bickering with the contractor and the cabinet maker an attempt to slide the cabinetry over and shave down the granite- fail. Next, shave the cabinets down (8 of them, which= 16 precise cuts) in an attempt to make the oven fit. It's a go, barely.
     I am so not amused. I can however say that I am among the majority of people who "LOVE" contractors after working with them in my home and being told what I want. Really? How bout I tell you what I want and because we are paying for it, as a contractor/cabinet maker, you do it regardless of what google says about the size of plates! (Apparently all cabinets (except our old bigger ones) are 11 inches on the inside which is "standard" unless you specify otherwise and  I quote "the standard dinner dish according to GOOGLE is 9 inches.") Wow. Good to know. Please don't come to the ER and tell me you think you are having a heart attack and gee . . .those symptoms aren't on my Google list of signs and symptoms of a heart attack- please have a seat in the waiting room . . . ) Come on!!! (I know, I know. I don't work in the ER, I work with kids only for a reason!)  Maybe, you should ask the customer before you assume things. Alas, my dead aunt's dishes don't fit and even though they were ugly and it would be cheaper to buy new dishes vs reinstall cabinets, I am a little bitter. Oh, and because of the island placement, we can only load the oven from the side. They were worried about moving it further down as it would "float" a bit out into the dining room and it wouldn't look right. Yeah, so how is loading the oven from the side any righter? (If you do, please keep it to yourself!) Needless to say the kitchen is done. I have a few more things to put away, but all the extra people milling about are gone! Finally.
     While the kitchen was undergoing its beautification process, my Uncle George was hard at work painting the interior and dismantling the backyard. There was a large brick and concrete patio off to the side that posed a hazard to the kids and really needed to go. It is now gone and a large (LARGE) patch of dirt/mud exists in its place. Add in a falling apart sandbox, trampoline, swing set, plastic climbing toy, merry-go-round, and playhouse- you have my yard in a nutshell (oh- and lots of chalk drawings, pieces of chalk, socks, discarded clothes  . . .) MESS. It is of course a work in progress :) Add in the trailer that is in the driveway (utilized and abandoned in the move to and from the apartment) and you have WT. Yep, I know God doesn't make trash. But we are WT to the nth degree (we do for the record have all our teeth, though many of mine aren't exactly "real").
     And now for the icing on the cake . . . the fire department. They didn't just come for a social call. Nope. We called 911 within 48 hours of moving back home because something was burning. It smelled so bad that we were convinced there was a fire in the attic. During the course of the remodel they had done a lot of rewiring to get everything up to code, so it must be that right? We didn't find anything amiss in the kitchen, the oven had yet to be installed, smoke was noted to be coming from the attic vents . . . Everyone out. 911. 4 fire trucks and 2 ambulances (just in case?) arrived within minutes. 1st round of guys go into the house, 2nd group around the back. The first group reappears after apparently doing a quick sweep of the house and put on their oxygen tanks. Firemen are now on the roof with chain saws, half the neighborhood is outside observing the melee, my children and I are on "Grandma Carol next door" neighbor's front yard, and my husband- why my husband would be across the street checking out the neighbor's kitchen remodel. Yep. Anyways, back to the roof where they are about to cut a hole when a fireman walks out of the garage with Caden's nebulizer with a plastic playdough knife stuck (now melted) in the vent. The whole unit is hot, melted, and no longer functional. "MICHAELA!" (She had that knife in her hand the whole morning asking for playdough!) "I am sorry, Mommy. I can't mean for that teeny tiny fire to happen!" So, according to the firemen, aside from the nebulizer, the dryer vent was clogged and both would have potentially started a fire had we not been home to "catch it". I was so embarrassed (*remember how I described my current housing situation- WT + hoarding buried alive). The firemen, especially the younger ones with kids were most gracious, while the older ones just shook their heads. Oh, man. We promptly went out to the bakery and purchased cookies to take to four different fire stations  . . .
  Which ultimately brings me to the conclusion of this lengthy update. The fire door that was installed in the garage to get the kitchen up to code bit me. My right index finger is now a beautiful shade of Barney purple and is currently the most favorite digit of the children's to mistakenly grab. Go figure. Life is good. My next vacation day is Saturday- 12 hour shift, baby!

* New post of kids bestest sayings coming soon . . . they are growing like weeds and are quite hilarious! Ie. Riley has "decided that he is going to marry Leela and when he gives her a ring and then she starts to get fat, he will say 'Leela, what has happened?'. . . and she will say she has a baby!"
Mommy- "Wow Riley. I think it is time to say our prayers now . . ."

The Wrecking Crew

Fire, Fire, Fire

And, despite all the drama- BEAUTIFUL :)

"Stinky Poopy"- Caden

The asylum is functioning on pure insanity. We have never been busier or crazier (. . . unless you can remember when we first brought the triplets home 80 days after their birth on apnea monitors and a Q3 hour feeding schedule.) I for one do not remember too much about that time frame, so for my sake fast forward two years to now. It's nuts. Note I have not had time to blog in over a month (*Austin spent a week at the hospital with a respiratory virus that required oxygen. Same week, my brother broke his back bodyboarding). Crazy. Having THREE 2 year olds is like living in a WWF wrestling ring. When you add the 5 year old to the mix it is anybody's game. Some days Riley can be a big help and others, well, like having yet another 2 year old. Timeout is a joke, but required. I am a broken record stuck on the chord, "Hitting is not ok. If you hit, you will sit." They get it- "no bullies" they will say, and yet the minute they get backed into a corner, a blankie gets jacked, a snack gets stollen, the gloves are off! Sometimes the adults want to cry and at other times cheer (ie. when Caden lunged and nailed both Mitch and Austin on the head after they ganged up on him ;)), but most of the time we just yearn for PEACE. "For the love of God, can't we all just get along?"- don't remember who said it, but in all honestly the answer is "NO! We cannot." Besides, if they did, I would have anything to write about :).

Riley: Continues to work on transitioning to general education pre-school. He loves it (most days)! Kindergarten sign ups are coming up next week and I can hardly believe that he will be 6 in August. He loves all things trains, Hotwheels, computers, and is looking forward to signing up for Karate and swim lessons this summer.
RY: "Mom, when I grow up and drive a train then I will make a lot of money. Then we can go on a date and eat things and then get me a surprise." Wow, Ry. Sounds like my idea of a good time, honey.
RY:"Mom, quick. You gotta get a picture of this for facebook. They're (the triplets) are cracking me up!"

Austin: The biggest of the small ones. The wimpy-est. The most snuggly. An inch taller and 5lbs. + heavier than the other two. Austin is just discovering that he truely is bigger than "Mitchy" and Caden. He likes to bump into them just to demonstrate his knowledge on the subject! Our fashionista boy loves purses, shoes, and the colors orange and pink. (Big melt down over his assigned name tag written in blue.) Once thought to be delayed in speech, Austin has now learned how to vocalize quite a bit and boy, is he LOUD.
Austy B: "Mom. Mom. What Caden doin? What Caden doin?"- translation- Austin is tattling.
Austy B: "Where's Mitchy?"- he loves her to pieces
His favorite toy is currently the "baccumm". He prefers the real one to the toy vaccumms and is convinced that the real one is "out of batteries" because it doesn't turn on.  He also has a trash can fettish. Missing shoes, keys, and phone (now found-phone) all attributed to this fettish. Riley and Austin get along swimmingly (because, lets be honest, they are 2 of a kind). Austin is the only one of the trio that gets personal invites onto Riley's side of the tracks.


Michaela: Mitchy, Mitch, Kayla, Curly Sue, Sissy LaLa (her fav). My darling crazy girl who insists she is actually a man. Yep, man. Showed her a beautiful Easter dress the other day and she told me "Uncle Timmy might like it." Not like her wearing it, but as a frock for himself. God love her. Took a fam field trip to Goldenspoon, Mitchy went "swimming" in the movie theater fountain. Running, climbing, jumping, streaking= Mitch. She may be a "man" but she does like to shop. She doesn't even mind going to the grocery store and through a gigantic fit this afternoon because I didn't stop a Trader Joes as she requested (driving from the back seat of course). We get a lot of good laughs out of this girl and boy does she like to deliver.
Picking berries that all have been told are "poison", Michaela takes a handful and says "Hey Austin, want some poison?"
Mitchy: "I cannot like it."
Mitchy: "Austin MICHAEL Shay!"
Mitchy: Upon leaving mass after Michaela was quite loud and had to be moved to the "cry room" half way through . . . I made the comment to Casey- "What was that?!" Mitchy replied, "I listened to Jesus. I was quiet." Really? What did I miss?!
Mitchy: With a blanket wrapped over her head and around her body, "I'm being Jesus."
Mitchy: With a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, "I'm being Mother Goose!"
Side note. Kayla had her first dental appointment today. She stayed absolutely still and let the dentist do his thing. Dr. Shannon couldn't believe it. "Not your typical two year old patient." My response, "God's gift to me" in referrence to Riley's dental office history. Laughter and a nod.

Caden: Our true miracle man. Caden is quite the character. You cannot trust this little imp an inch. He elops. Likes to run down the driveway over the neighbors house next door and pound on their garage door, laughing like a maniac. Problem- Joe and Joe don't like kids. "Joe and Joe crabby."- Caden. In their defense, I get it. No quiet at our house. Caden is now the proud owner of both glasses and AFOs (aka Forrest Gump braces). He prefers the glasses in the case, but has learned to tolerate them to get more time on the "pad" (ipad). Att: APPLE- Caden is your biggest little fan! So smart. My little 2 pounder so grown up, so smart, so silly. Caden loves to sing and often changes the words to encorporate "potty talk", something his big brother Riley has taught him, that reduces them both into mad fits of giggles. "The Farmer in the Dell" is a fabulous song, but is now "The Farmer Takes a Poop." Funny yes, but appropriate, not so much. The PT and OT therapists, the teachers, all hide their smiles by biting their lips, but the tears in their eyes speak volumes. This little imp is quite the charmer. He can do no wrong. I am so screwed. On that note- pray for me. I get a vacation day at work tomorrow!
Caden: "Stinky poopy."
Caden: " I want chippies."
Caden: "Call grammie."
Caden:  . . . where are your glasses, "in the case."

Random Funnies
Michaela wets through her diaper into the shopping cart full of Easter supplies at the 99 cent store= time to go! Shopping with two carts- one full, one empty. Go figure.

Caden goes pee pee on the potty for the second time. Bladder empty (1/2 in the potty, 1/2 on my foot), he says "I need some more (pee)". Gotta give him props though, Austy B is afraid of heights and won't sit on the potty to save his life.

Will have to post pics later, super late and kids will be in our bed soon!

" . . . and here I thought it was going to get easier!"

Yep that would be the neighbor's take. "I thought it was going to get easier for you . . ." Yea, not so much. As you can clearly see it's been over 2 months since I last posted. Easier? Not by a friggin long shot! Over the past 2 nights, I've probably averaged about 4 hours of sleep total. No joke. The kids run all day long and stop long enough to sleep a few hours before demanding "Barney" or "Blue's Clues" at 3:00 am. "Nope. Sorry. Barney is sleeping." "On-Demand." Really?! On-Demand. You are killing me smalls (x3). At least when Riley wakes up in the middle of the night, he climbs into bed and goes to sleep. And yes, before you ask if I have tried, to um, medicate them? Yep. I so did. And no,  it so didn't work. Caden, God love him, is freakin wired. He was dx with asthma last week and is on a high dose steroid regime (today last day, yea team). He has been insane or "crazy" as he tells me. Running around, eating bowls upon bowls of "cereal with milk", singing nursery rhymes at the top of his lungs (also at 3:00 am), and sleeping in 10 minute segments. To add insult to injury? He has followers. His siblings think his antics are so hilarious, they are more than game to join in.
So what is life like in the 2012?! Busy and busier. We have PT on Monday (Caden), Mommy-n-Me (trio), OT/PT (Austy and Caden) on Tuesdays, OT (Riley) on Wednesdays, OT/PT (Austy and Caden) on Thursdays, OT (Riley) on Fridays. Riley goes to Crown Valley Elementary M-F, with Friendship Builders (social skills) class on Tues & Thurs and is working on transitioning to a typical preschool class at Oak Grove Elementary on M-W-F afternoons. Lots of gas and lots of "wee sing silly songs". Sometimes the children are in just the finest of moods and we resort to feeding them (by throwing) cereal or fishes into their car seats. Mitch was screaming for a band aid from the backseat the other day that Grammie, not finding anything of the sort, handed her a tampon. So of course, the boys just had to have their own "torpedoes" too. Dear God, had that been anybody other than my mom, I would have fired her. For heaven's sake, don't make me explain to a five year old, what exactly this particular "torpedo" is used for and why we can't play with it in the bathtub or (gasp) the pool!
JMJ. . . I just love to listen to the ladies at work complain about their children's schedules, hectic lives, etc. Whatever! (Oh, my bad, according to Riley this is a "bad word and we don't use this in our house!" :))  and F*** is french :)!
Christmas was an absolute blast this year. Our tree was set up and half way "undressed" the following morning despite the gate that was supposed to keep the tree upright and well, "dressed" for lack of a better word. We had at least 5 ornament casualties per day, this despite time outs, widening of the zone, etc. The fisher price manger scene was a big hit, though I'm hopeful baby Jesus found his way back to the stable before it got picked up. The "real" manger scene managed to make it up the night before Christmas. A few days later I found Mitch playing house with all of the figurines. "His name, Mom?" "Joseph." "Oh. Joseph."
We did make our way to see Santa on a couple of occasions. No tears :) The kids asked for a variety of things: Riley- "the Lego's with the bombs" (They aren't real Mom, they are made out of plastic. They are pretend!); Austin- "cookies"; Mitch- "Santa, open doors Disneyland. Papa, Kayla, go jungle cruise!"; Caden- "PAD" (as in IPAD, as in "sorry Charlie, no 2 year old in my house is getting an IPAD for Christmas!"). Yep, so Santa made his way down our chimney on Christmas Eve with plasma cars, bikes (with helmets), a bounce house, and Lego's. Gotta be honest, the bounce house has already paid for itself . . . and we haven't even had a rainy day yet. We jump almost daily! And, no to answer your unspoken questions- no broken bones, no stitches, no ER visits- YET, and hopefully not in the near future, we don't have time in the schedule for that!
Lots of kid updates and pictures coming soon, but it is late and I have a vacation day at work tomorrow morning . . .

Halloween 2011

Caden- "Jesus"

Caden was convinced the goat was eatting "chocolate".

PUNK KINS

Mitch the Witch, Caden as Itsy Bitsy, Austin as the Web, & Riley Boy as James the Train

Riley Boy and SoSo

The Spider Witch

TWO x 3

Welcome to the insane asylum. It is absolute bedlam here. The triplets have officially turned TWO. We celebrated in style at Goofy's Kitchen where Mitch and Caden danced the "twist" with Pluto, while Riley and Austin practically hid under the table with the limited character visits that we did have. Dinner that night consisted of a small pizza party with a yummy Mickey and Minnie Mouse chocolate cake from the Torrance Bakery for dessert! Small and relatively "low key"- relatively speaking :).
I can hardly believe how fast the time goes, as Halloween has come and gone we are eagerly looking forward to and worrying about Christmas. For example, where to put the tree that will get tipped over at least once. "Why does everyone seem to get sicker at Christmas?- Riley". "Does Santa fly, mom?" "No Riley, Santa cannot fly but his sleigh does." "How?" "The reindeer." "The reindeer fly? That's just crazy!" Yep we are 5 going on 50 here. Trying to incorporate the importance of Jesus' birthday is also a bit of a concern as Caden was convinced that the pumpkin patch scarecrow was Jesus. I can hardly keep up.
Take today for example:
Multiple children up during the night (3 of 4). Two asking for bottles (yea, I know) and one with a stomachache. Long night, long morning. I am alone now with all four kids- wiping butts and doling out cereal, etc.  Caden reaching out to pull Micheala's hair gets reprimanded, "Caden, we do not pull hair in this house." Caden says "timeout" and walks into Austin's room and closes the door. Awesome :) self disciplining children.  Fast forward a few minutes later and Caden is handing out Frosted Mini Wheats- not exactly the best choice and here is why: Austin has a very sensitive gag reflex. Before I know it I am trying to fish out pieces of chewed up cereal in order to prevent the inevitable- he pukes. Austin throws up everywhere. A tiny bit hits Michaela's foot and she too leans over to throw up. Riley runs heaving out of the room while Caden just stands there munching from the box of his Frosted Mini Wheats. Oh, man! It just went down hill from there. The bus didn't come to pick Riley up for class. Caden fell asleep in the van and had to be woken up to walk Riley to class. Austin kept up with the verbal reminders not to barf in the van. Even going so far as to say "No barfin, yet!" Gee, the "yet" part makes me feel so confident . . . Michaela is is well, Mitch.
The day before last she instructed the pediatrician- "Dr. Wilkinson. Dr. Wilkinson. Nurse. Shot. Caden." Yep. Caden needed a shot of decadron for our second round of croup in 2.5 weeks. Mitch and Austin had their shots the day before and Caden, sounding not to worse for the wear stayed home. Until of course the next morning where it was clear that he needed to be seen. Upon leaving the office, Michaela spots a gentleman leaving Starbucks where she says, "Man. How ya doin, man?" He keeps walking past so she repeats herself a little more loudly, "Man. How ya doin, man?" He glances up and apologizes for "being rude," tells her he is "doing well thanks," gets into his SUV and proceeds to back into another truck. Crap. I passed my van and kept walking. Um, distraction much? Oh, man. My Michaela is just too much. A couple days after Caden knocked out his front tooth (the day before his birthday-long story), Michaela climbed onto the top of Papa's BIG red truck- on the HOOD. "Mitch, what are you doing up there?! Get down!" Hands above her head she starts singing, "Up above the world so high . . ." Right. So now you get a little gist of where I am coming from . . . and all we can do to keep from crying is to LAUGH.

September 2011

Wow. The world seems to be flying by. Each day is filled with classes, appointments, work (aka. vacation), etc. Playing and snacking too of course. At the beginning of the month, we took the kiddos to Disneyland. It took a village, Mommy, Daddy, Grammie, Papa, Erin- but the kids had a blast and the adults didn't fair too bad either. Michaela is still talking about it and begging to go back to ride the "jungle cruise" and "rockets, ride it pulleasee?". She even went so far as to tell Mickey (on TV) "later Mickey, 5 minutes!" I am a bit nervous about taking them to Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel on their birthday for fear she will loose it when we leave without "jungle cruise and rockets, ride it pulleasee?!" We just might have to invest in passes this year . . . at least while the trio is still free :)!
I have survived Riley's 1st day back at school. It is his last year at Crown Valley Elementary where he has been going the past 2 years. We are working on transitioning to general preschool and hopefully into a regular Kindergarten class next fall. Testing has demonstrated that he has "above average" intelligence- now to figure out how to use it for good and not evil . . . He is though, in all honesty, a very sweet and loving little boy and wonderful big brother- most of the time!
I have survived a few rounds of "Mommy & Me x3" preschool with the triplets. I can't even begin to describe the chaos and the fun of going to school with 3 little ankle biters! From free play to circle time, snack time to art, and finally PE, Austin, Mitch, & Caden are growing up right before our eyes. My all time favorite though was walking in the first day of class to find that the class aid was our old neighbor- "Albert's wife" the same lady that pretty much forced our hand in giving up our dog Cassidy. I had a good laugh- God's sense of humor at its finest! I really cannot complain though, she has been a great help in class with the kids when I am forced to fly solo :). On the good days, Grammie gets to come too and experience "Mommy, Grammie, & Me x3"- much more enjoyable with 2 extra hands for sure!
I am working on "surviving" Casey's 1st business trip abroad. He has been in Singapore this past week. It also happens to be the week that Papa is on business in Washington and Grammie is busy moving Great Grandma and Grandpa Farley to "Leisure World". Grandma Shay is here helping with laundry and dishes :). Thank God for Erin, Trisha , and Mary or I would have lost it way before today. Working tomorrow- yea! Casey so owes me big time. I don't even know where to begin . . .
I think last night was actually the first night they all slept through the night. Praying hard for a repeat tonight.
So . . . sorry for the delay in updates- super crazy but as always feeling blessed.  Oh, and in case you are wondering, we are still the proud owners of the mouse- still living in our house. He is helping dismantle the kitchen, one cabinet at a time. Mitch found the traps and is still trying to find the mouse that the "man" is trying to help us "catch and let him (the mouse-not the man) go in the dump where he can eat all the food he wants . . ." Liar, liar, liar.
Piley- our caterpillar, now a cocoon minus the caterpillar head is quite possibly no longer "with us" and for this I blame Mary. Sorry Mary, but it was your idea to "catch" the caterpillar in a jar and watch him turn into a butterfly. Now we need to catch and release a butterfly to cover my hinney. I so do not want to have to deal with a caterpillar death . . . it's going to be hard enough to explain the mouse. Lord have mercy!

And now a few words from the kids:
Riley- "Wow mom. She is a great 'all-aboarder'!"- in regards to the Disneyland train conductor.
Austin- "No. No. No."- will you smile for mommy in the picture, "Mommy's pretty . . ." in reference to my "pretty" purse. Yep. Austy is a big fan of both purses and shoes.
Mitch- "OMG" "Shake your booty" "Choo choo scared me. Scaredy. Cry." "Mom, Caden barfin. Awww Crap!" "Man. Hi man."  Oh, and my fave- "Hi Trash Guy. Love you." - really? really? First of all it is the mail man, second of all she has never told me she loved me. I am so screwed  . . .
Caden- to grammie upon waking up first thing in the morning, "Chocolate, Lollipop, Chips- OK!"

Mouse in the House- among other things

So this month has pretty much flown by. Riley turned 5, his current favorite number, August 6th. We celebrated at Goat Hill Junction in Costa Mesa a few weeks before the "real birthday". His "fake" birthday was scheduled in advance to spare any conflict with the wedding plans taking place the following week. The party was all about trains, of course. Riley wanted a "Thomas the Tank" party but Mommy convinced him to have a Geotrax Train theme instead. I don't know- something about we had a Thomas party for year two and again for year three, and four . . . It was a blast. We had only a handful of kiddos (most of which belonged to me . . . ) and enough adults to keep things under control. All in all it was quite fabulous and Riley too seemed pleased. He was in all honesty worried that his "fake" birthday wouldn't have all the fun of a "real" birthday. His words by the way :)!
Then came and went the wedding. Out of now where August 13th appeared and my youngest brother Neil was happily married to "Aunt" Miri. Of course my children were the chosen ones and were honored to be the ring bearers and flower girl. The PRACTICE session was spot on . . . the wedding, well its safe to say, all hell broke loose. Nanny Tricia was out sick. Erin and Great Uncle George filled in. Mommy was already at the alter with all of the other bridesmaids when it was the childrens' turn to process down the aisle. So . . .  down RUNS Mitch (without her flowers), followed by Riley (who is so far cooperating- bribed with a train he was), Caden holding onto Uncle Georgie's hand for dear life and the hand of the wedding coordinator, and Austin throwing himself backwards on the floor demanding that Erin "hold ya". Thus, Mitch decides the need to intervene, grabs Mommy's flowers, RUNS back down the aisle, throws the flowers aside and attempts to figure out what the hell is wrong with Austin. At this point, Riley gets down on all fours and attempts to crawl the last two pews. Good Lord! This all took place in the span of 40 secs. I have it on tape. It would be absolutely hilarious if they weren't mine! After the aisle "walk", the children are taken to the cry room to have snack time, play on the i-pad, etc. Would have been nice to know that the cry room is not exactly sound proof. Caden banging on the windows, Riley shunting freight cars, Austin demanding more snacks, & Mitch stripping down to her pull-up (pretty good considering her pension for running around completely naked). When I mentioned this to the priest all he could say is "Yeah. I noticed. It doesn't exactly keep out the sound of children pounding on the windows!" Yeah, well now we know why priests don't have kids either so there! (Actually, the priest was very nice about it and had a few laughs at our expense. He was the same priest that baptizeded the babies at day 2 of life when we weren't certain if they were all going to make it out of the NICU alive.)
That was the wedding. The reception, well we are out a nanny and we are not about to take all 4 children on a yacht regardless of whether it is staying in the harbor or not. The back up plan was to have Casey stay home with the triplets and Riley and I to go to the reception. This plan did not suit the groom and thus began the phone tree (the morning of the wedding). Jacqueline (one of our CHOC docs) and her daughter Megan, bailed us out. They watched the younger boys and Casey and I took Riley and Mitch. It was a lot of fun, but there was no way we would have been able to keep all 4 safe on that boat. Jacqueline and Megan were absolute lifesavers! Not to mention Erin and Great Uncle George!
And now at the end of this craziness enters the mouse. No, it is not a pet. It is wild (fits in with the children, I know), but I would like it out. I realize that we have enough crumbs to go around and that they multiply many times over throughout the day but still. Gross. At this point, this little guy is the icing on the cake.

Kiddo Update:

Riley: Now 5! Returns to school (oh, yea) next week. He will be in preschool with Miss. Jenny one more year before transitioning into general education Kindergarten (at least this is our hope). He still loves trains and will talk your ear off about "Thomas this and Thomas that". Papa is his best friend. And Ryan. And Rex. And Justin. He is a love. He is also full of it.

Austin: Lover of food and snacking. He has an uncanny resemblance to Neil Michael, blond hair, curls, personality, and all. He loves carrying his purse and pushing the doll stroller around the house. His favorite toy is still the whoopee cushion. If he isn't eating or sleeping, he likes to snuggle. He has a major crush on Tricia.

Mitch: Beyond crazy. She climbs everything. Swings on everything. She is bossy. Likes to be naked. Thinks she is potty trained. "Kayla do it", "Mommy, clothes off", "Bossy", "Riley's crabby", Caden's "silly", "Austy B did it. Mess." The other night at dinner she told me "No. Don't like it"!" I hadn't even served anything yet. That being said, I probably so had that one coming as a pay back for dinner time growing up. She is exhausting. She is "ADHD" (according to Daddy), she is "Action, . . . and she cracks me up" (according to Riley). "Mommy tired"- Mitch

Caden: What a love. He is still learning to walk in his AFO braces- little blue, baby Forrest Gump braces. He loves singing and dancing to "itsy bitsy spiddy", "twinkle twinkle", "I'm a gummy bear", "all you single ladies", and then some. He can sing the ABCS. He has an infectious laugh that echos throughout the house. He finds words to be so funny- taco, pizza, dirty, stinky poopy . . . giggles, gut busting, pee in your pants- giggles. What a miracle! They all are really . . . and even though this "Mommy tired", this Mommy also realizes how very blessed we are!
Pictures to follow . . .

The Triplets and Riley Take on Vegas

Oh, boy did we have fun! Vegas road trip with Grammie, Papa, Mommy, Ally, and kids. Daddy stayed home with the work excuse! The reason for the trip was to visit family friends- Grandma and Grandpa Seely. Grandpa has been sick and we wanted to have an opportunity for him to see Riley again and meet the triplets. VEGAS ROAD TRIP! Not over planned, not too over packed, but we had a blast! Rooms were booked at the Excalibur for 2 whole nights on the Vegas strip! Crazy? Oh, you bet!
Our last minute addition to the van was Ally. Our Tuesday night hospital volunteer was green to go when she found out our plans for the next morning- "You're taking the triplets and Riley to Vegas?  . . . I am so there!" Thus, the 8th van seat was added. The 8th, non-folding, climb over the seat- try not to bump your head/flash anyone in the front seat, seat.
We left early the next morning and stopped for breakfast at the Barstow Train McDonald's- Riley's little piece of heaven- McDonald's and trains all in one building/train car! It was probably the first time he relaxed after we told him about the trip. Our little guy was extremely concerned with the following- 1) "Will people snore in the hotel?" (Only papa.) 2) "Do they speak our language in Nevada or do they speak English?" (Well honey, WE speak English and so do the people in Las Vegas.) 3) "What will we do there?" (Pool. Food. Visit. Play. Oh, and shop for souvenirs!) By the time we finished breakfast, Riley was sold on vacation.
After checking into the hotel and going for a round of swimming, Riley was taught the fine art of winning tickets by Ally. Riley and Ally had quite the system going- approx. 30 minutes later and $20 lighter, Riley had won 3 small stuffed animals, 2 hot wheel cars, and a little red plastic car. Yep, he was a winner. What Riley really wanted to know though was when we could "gamble" for money to buy trains. "Well buddy we can't. Only adults can gamble." "Your an adult mommy. You could do it!" Fast forward 3 hours and Riley witnesses a gentleman in the mists of playing the slots- "Ha. Ha. Mom, I saw that guy. He just put in a coin, pulled the lever, and pushed the button. I could do that. Ha. I know how to gamble!" I never said there was a secret to gambling, I just simply said no. In the mean time, Caden is shouting "Gamble, Gamble." WT baby!
Our visit with Grandma Sylvia and Grandpa Warren brought back a lot of great memories for me. I don't feel so bad about letting the kids drink my sweet tea knowing that that is exactly what Grandma and Grandpa Seely raised us on. The kids were a little uncertain about waking up from their naps in a strange house- Mitch to Austin- "Austy, wake up. Wake up, Austin." Just slightly panicked, but no worse for the wear. We got to meet up later with Grandma and Grandpa's daughter Tina and granddaughter Katherine at M&M World! So fun and of course, delicious too!
The rest of the time we spent at the pool, McDonald's, and relaxing triplet style- running up and down the halls at full speed with a couple beach balls, etc. On the way home, we stopped off at the Barstow train museum (yawn). Two small rooms of all things train. Mitch kissed the mannequin, which I suppose was better than the Thunder Down Under Guys performing at the hotel! We made it home, virtually unscathed. Austin puked while we were on the El Cajon pass- no rest stops, no pull offs, no nada. Grammie stood him on the side of the road to clean him off, while I frantically cleaned out his carseat with baby wipes! Papa and Riley kept chanting to themselves that they would not barf, they would not, they would not! And, most thankfully- they did not!
What a great time! I will be sure to add pictures to the post when my new computer arrives as the old one has eaten pretty much everything and will not share :)!

Happy 4th of July- A WEEK+ LATE

What can I say? We have been busy. Very busy. Too busy. Casey and I barely make it to bed by midnight each night and are usually joined in bed by at least one child. I dread the day we move the triplets out of cribs . . . do they make "room beds"?  You know, like a bed that spans the whole room? I suppose that would then be considered a "padded" room and well, I could very well be on may way to one of those soon. Of course, Casey would beat me there! :) This house is insane . . . or at least the children are.

We spent the 4th at Mother's Beach in Dana Point, thanks to my dad for saving us parking spaces. The kids spent time in the sand, in the water, and on the grass. We all had a blast, minus a few meltdowns (Riley, Daddy, Papa) and made it home for a BBQ in the backyard and fireworks. Riley got to do his first sparkler ever- and loved it. Austin and Mitch managed to stay up for the show ("Oh, Wow!"- Austin. "Boom!" -Michaela, "ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz"- Caden). Can't really say that I remember too much else (1/4 of a wine cooler- I know, dream big- right?).

Throughout the week we have spent a lot of time scrubbing of crayon graffiti (thank you to Austin and his followers); picking up ground in cereal and goldfish from the floor, car, etc.; wiping up barf (thank you Austin); and doing copious amounts of laundry. Casey was ever so grateful to be going back to work today- gee I wonder why? Could it be that work is easier than being home? Just a thought.

Today, we braved the park with Riley and the trips. Tricia and I almost died when we found Mitch with a piece of fur/bone in her mouth (seriously). I had to call the MD office and leave a message with the advice nurse and of course while I waited I phoned the hospital to speak with one of our docs. Thank you, Lana! No I didn't have to worry about rabies unless she was bitten and call if she develops fever or begins vomiting. (This kid is going to be the death of me!!!) My car was fed an entire box of Fruit Loops this morning with an 8 oz glass of water, you know, just in case the car was thirsty. She "dressed" herself this morning, selecting one of Riley's monster truck t-shirts and a pair of James (train) underwear, which she wore over her diaper. Yesterday, she told me I was a mean mommy. . .  I am in over my head. Thank God, they were not all girls!

Before I add pictures, a few quotes from the kids this week:

RILEY:
"That's not cool man!"- after watching Austin squeeze 2 snails to death (mommy too slow to stop him)
"She's Action"- in reference to Michaela after Daddy said she had ADD or something!
"Sorry Austy. Sometimes my brain doesn't work right."- Ry's apology for splashing Austin in the face (and a total understatement if I ever heard one!)

AUSTIN:
"Hold ya" and "Toot" (Austin's new favorite toy is the whoopee cushion!)

MITCH:
"Riley naughty"
"Mommy mean"
"Kayla crazy"
"Happened? Happened, Mary. Happened, Mary hand? Sorry Mary. Kiss."- after breaking the hand off of the statue of the Virgin Mary. Catholic guilt anyone?

CADEN:
"Itsy bitty"- itsy bitsy spider (he can sing most of the song)
"ABC"- again can sing most of the song
"Chips? OK!"
"Taco!"
"Pizza!"
Caden just got his AFO leg braces and is learning to walk, bending his knees! He is so funny- and he knows it too!

Waving the White Flag

Lord, have mercy. It has been a day. Started with crackers dumped on the floor, pee on the floor, kids on the floor . . . ended with lotion dumped on the floor, more pee on the floor and lots of kids on the floor. What happened in the middle is still making my head spin. Thanks to Erin for helping make it a little more bearable!

OT/PT for Austin and Caden. Mommy to Target, rudely bumped by a cart, kicked a cart, re-injured toe. Quick lunch with my very pregnant BFF (who had to push my cart through Target- as I swore up and down the aisles trying to catch my breath). Pick up the boys, drive to the orthopedist to pick up Caden's new Forrest Gump braces (no, they are not metal sorry to disappoint you Riley Patrick, they are hard plastic and blue). We spent over an hour in the "room" with no toys (except a pink beanbag doll and one hotwheel). Survived by feeding the boys Fruit Loops (sorry to the dietitian and others who claim sugary cereal is not the best- it was and is a lifesaver!), coloring receipts with a lone pen, and flying paper airplanes with those same receipts. The boys were troopers and we were able to scoot across the hall to the Orthopedic MD to get my toe re-examined after spending the better part of the afternoon contained in a small room with 2 chairs. "Probably fragmented the newly forming 'fragile' bone," "set back". Gosh darn it . . . MF!!!! I've been looking forward to getting back to my vacation days at WORK! Home is killing me! I long for my half hour lunch and "unsupervised" potty breaks by 3 feet tall individuals scouring the bathroom cabinets and drawers for nothing short of trouble.

Back home, Riley and Mitch waiting oh, so patiently for Mommy. Backyard play for an hour and half before dinner, more meltdowns, baths, home wrecking, and the general night time melee- that led to a 45 minute car drive to get 3 of the 4 children to sleep. Home in time to read books with Riley. Quick bowl of cereal (9:30 pm), a little blogging (b*tching), and 4+ loads of laundry to fold . . . and tomorrow is another day!  Cheers to my fearless helpers tomorrow (crazy people) Grammie Girl and MB! Go Team!

On a lighter note- the kids are doing exceptionally well. Riley is in summer school at Crown Valley from 8-10 am. Mommy and the trips drive him there because the bus wanted to pick him up at 6:54 to take him to school (12 minutes away mind you) and since Riley isn't even awake at this time of morning, the bus was out of the question. He asks when his "long summer holiday" will begin and I haven't had the heart to explain that it will be only half of the "normal" summer break. He is such a smart, sweet, and loving little boy. Riley has been enjoying many "playdates" with close friends, Great Uncle George, and cousins. He loves water fights and of course his beloved trains. He is an AWESOME big brother!

The triplets are hilarious. Each different in his/her own way. Austin is 28 lbs (5 more than the other 2). He loves to snuggle and eat. His favorite "toys" are Erin's IPAD and a whoopee cushion. Austin also has a pension for lotion and will gravitate to any bottle he can find and request a toe massage :)! Mitch is 23.5 lbs and loves to rule the roost in the buff. She thinks she is potty trained and can go without diapers. If I had to give a number, I'd say she makes it to the potty 25% of the time . . . the other 75% is keeping the Resolve Carpet Cleaner in business and the grass outside slightly damper than it might otherwise be. She continues to climb everything- regardless of how high or "danger" she is being. Mitch will stand just about anywhere with her toes to the very edge, arms up above her head and request to "fly". God help her if nobody is there to catch her. Her guardian angel works overtime . . . Sweet Caden, is a funny little guy (23 lbs) who constantly gets the giggles when the others misbehave, are corrected, or anybody says the word "dirty". Riley just has to look at him and Caden is bowled over with laughter. He loves to sing the ABCs and can pick up just about anywhere in the alphabet. He is also a huge fan of "itsy spidy" (the itsy bitsy spider) and twinkle, twinkle little star. Caden loves to "scribble" and constantly requests us to draw his beloved Mickey Mouse. He can now WALK!

We are beyond blessed . . . Thank you to everyone for all their love, support, and PRAYERS!

Great Uncle Georgie and Riley following a squirt gun fight in the house . . . Mommy took the rap (Daddy was not happy)!

Riley and So-So

Austy Bear

MES! Michaela Elizabeth Shay

Every day, every meal  . . . "all done .  . . fly"

Caden Christopher

And tomorrow is another day . . .

Well-Checks, SHOTS, & broken toe . . . oh, my!

So, all things considered we are doing well in the Shay household. Despite the little boys having runny noses, we were able to get our 16/18/&20 month well-checks completed all at once :). We had not had the opportunity to stay on the "recommended" well-check schedule, because, quite frankly we were anything but well- so there. Today, Austin weighed in at a whopping 28 1bs, pretty much 5 lbs heavier than Mick and Caden who weighed in at 23.5 lbs, and 23 lbs respectively. He is also 3 inches taller! They are growing leaps and bounds and much to our delight are speaking less in foreign tongues and more in English. Riley gets a kick out of asking them to repeat words and delights in the new things they figure out, particularly when it involves getting into trouble. The boys are now able to climb up on chairs and get back down, while Mitch has learned to scale the swing set, cozy coup, and playhouse roof (this with assistance). She is fearless, which scares the heck out of me and Casey. "Flying! FUN!"- direct quote!

Today we caught up on a few immunizations with a new latest and greatest technique- deception (okay- who am I kidding? Is there really any other way?). We took the babies in one at a time to get their shot. Caden was first, barely a whimper and then smiling. Austin was a bit more dramatic, but calmed easily. Mitch? Well lets just say she had an annoyed face, said "ow" and demanded a band aid. God, I love this girl!

Riley spent the afternoon with Erin, one of our favorite babysitter/helpers. She picked him up from school, took him to run errands, to lunch, and then the park. He had a blast playing with her cat (I am so off the hook of ever owning one as he quickly broke out in hives . . . :)) and later with her IPAD. He is so smart. With school nearly over, Riley is looking forward to swim lessons and long days at the beach. He turns 5 this August and wants a gold fish and trains of course! This little/big boy is such a love despite his little mood swings and difficulties with transitioning. He wanted to know "so how is your toe coming along, mom" after I broke it by accidently kicking the door jam last night. "I will massage it for you mom, would you like that?" I managed to let out a yelp, just as he reached my foot and instead he offered me a kiss to make it better.

Life here is just as crazy as ever with PT/OT still 2-3 days a week for the boys. Caden is getting taller "Forrest Gump" like plastic braces to help support him when he walks, but he is WALKING :). School is in session for another month and then we will be on to other activities. I vacation 2 days a week at CHOC at Mission, and throughly enjoy my respite and uninterrupted potty breaks. Life is beautiful . . .

Happy Mother's Day- a bit late :)

Happy Mother's Day Week! Better, ya? Ok. So technically everyday is Mother's Day in my house- "Mom, I need your help!" "Mom, can I please have some juice?" "Momma (crying)" "Mommy (crying)" "Mimi (crying)" I am needed and wanted for the most part (except when they are crying Mimi- cause that is Austy's version of Grammie Girl.

This Mother's Day weekend we spent in Fashion Island doing the March of Dimes- Walk for Babies. It was a 5K walk to raise money to help prevent prematurity- we were fashionably late (30 mins) and strategized by walking the route backwards to "run into" our group! My mom and I and the trips had a blast! Following the walk, there was a little NICU reunion for CHOC and CHOC Mission NICU grads. I cannot tell you how grateful I was to be able to celebrate the lives of my sweet and precious 3 x-preemies. A fellow mommy that I had met prior, was walking with her twin daughter, her twin son died a few hours after birth. I am so blessed.

The next morning, Casey and I took the fam out to breakfast- the local donut shop. We happily munched our way through a dozen donuts with Papa's help. So fun to watch my kids' faces light up over sprinkles :)

Of course if you thought about how messy 4 children and donuts could be- you would be right. However, check out all the fun we had in the backyard with shaving cream . . . messy just doesn't even describe it!

Celebrating our babies . . .
Grammie Girl & Caden

Triplet A- Austin Michael
Lover of food and snuggling.

Triplet B- Michaela Elizabeth

Lover of chocolate bunnies and being "naked".

Triplet C- Caden Christopher
Lover of LIFE and Mickey Mouse.

A SINCERE THANKS









Loving Mommyhood- most of the time :)

GOOD CLEAN FUN