Happy Halloween!

So many pictures! We had a lot of fun for the boys' first Halloween (Mairead's THIRD!) and the kids looked adorable in their costumes.

First, could they BEE any cuter??? We are still not great at sitting up for extended periods, and getting BOTH to sit up at the same time is nearly impossible. Especially since they just want to roll off and explore.

They loved being outside. It was more than 70 degrees on Halloween! That wasn't what I planned when I bought these nice snuggly warm costumes!

Getting a picture of all three kids is NOT an easy feat. So, we have to take what we can get. Even if it means that no one smiles or makes eye contact, or that we have to bribe Mairead with lollipops.

I think that Jack is on the left and Ben is on the right. But if my life depended on it... I'm not quite sure!

In this one, I KNOW that Ben is on the left and Jack on the right. This picture was taken at the Halloween party we went to. There were so many babies there! Mairead and Ailish were the big kids, and there were lots of little ones about the same age as Jack and Ben. It was great to see everyone and we had a lot of fun. Thanks to the Luz family for inviting us for a great afternoon!

Mairead as a ladybug (sometimes she called it a butterfly, but close enough!).

She loved her costume. She wore it during her nap and pretty much all day. She would not take off her shiny red shoes (from my aunt, Judy) because she loves them so much.

No, I don't actually have triplets- this is our friend, Brady! Brady is Jen and Chip's little boy and he is about 6wks older than the boys. He is also much quicker on the draw and can get a toy away from even Jack, who is a known toy hoarder.

Mairead's favorite part of Halloween was running through leaves and throwing them up in the air (it was very windy!). She would then close her eyes and yell, 'whee!' as they rained down on her.

Ben was hiding out under my witch hat.

Dressing, preparing, and arranging three kids under three for Halloween pictures took four adults, and we still couldn't get all three to sit up, sit still, and smile for a picture together!

The only not so fun thing about Halloween is that we took the boys to get their H1N1 vaccine about an hour before the party. Not the best timing, but we took what we could get. Now, all three kids have had flu shots and H1N1 vaccines. Here's hoping we can avoid anything serious. I will say that the shots seem to be disagreeing with the boys. They have been fussy and have had very runny noses since then, so they are not happy. Neither is Mom since I was up all night with them. One or the other was awake pretty much all night- poor things. Poor Dave had to get up for work today after a much interrupted night's sleep. I am hoping they are just having a reaction to the shot and that they are not getting sick. Keep your fingers crossed!

On the day before Halloween, we had a very special delivery in the mail! Grandma and Grandpa sent some Halloween treats for the kids. Mairead loved opening the box and exploring what was inside-- some of her favorite things! Crayons, coloring books, a 'lift the flap' book (she loves those), some cute tights, and the best thing of all- three little rubber duckies dressed up for Halloween. She LOVES them. When she wakes up in the morning, she walks around asking, "ducks? ducks?" until we find them. Same thing after a nap. There are three ducks and while I am sure that Grandma intended for each grandchild to have one, Mairead has definitely commandeered the little guys. I'm sure she will share a little bit with Jack and Ben.

Here's Mairead exploring her box of treats!

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa! And, happy Halloween to you all!

Kid Stuff and a birthday wish!

Today is Grandma Dorothy's birthday! Happy birthday, Grandma! We love you and we can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving!!!

I thought I'd tell you a little about each of our kids and what she or he is up to now...

First, the oldest.
--Mairead is obsessed with Blues Clues, so her daddy carved an awesome Blues Clues pumpkin for her.
--The other day we were playing 'what does a _____ (pig, cow, etc) say.' My mother asked her, "What does Mom say?" Without missing a beat, Mairead blew a kiss and said, "Mmmwah!" I pretty much melted at how sweet that was.
--When we play that game, I ask, "How about a duck?" She answers and then says, "How bout..." and comes up with her own animal.
--She is on an anti-nap strike; not a coincidence that we recently took away her pacifier completely.
--She is starting to potty train (we aren't pushing it, just experimenting) and she is doing well.
--She is SO sweet to her brothers. We couldn't ask for a better big sister.

Jack--
--Three words to describe him are: deliberate, high maintenance, observant
--Jack is VERY vocal about what he does and does not want.
--He has NO interest in a pacifier.
--He concentrates on what he wants and tries to figure out ways to get it.
--He doesn't really care about rolling or crawling.
--He is getting to be a pro at using the walker. He gets himself over to the kitchen cabinets and then opens them to peer inside.
--He LOVES the Rainforest Jumperoo that Ry and Dave gave to Mairead when she was a baby.

Ben---
--Three words to describe him are: smiley, mobile, happy-go-lucky
--Ben is a rolling machine. He even crawls on all fours for a few seconds. Mostly backwards.
--He needs his pacifier and a soft blanket against his face to go to sleep.
--His favorite toy is a piece of newspaper to crinkle up. He will roll/scoot for great distances to get one.
--He is a goof. He is forever rolling under the couch, losing a sock, getting a leg stuck out the side of his crib, etc. He smiles all the while.
--He loves Molly, the cat. My mom will be holding Ben when Molly jumps up to get attention, so Ben strokes her fur. He is fascinated by her.

I will say a few things about the twins together.
--They love to be in the playpen together or rolling on the floor together. They smile and laugh at each other, even though Jack is constantly stealing Ben's toys.
--If Jack is really upset and screaming/growling, Ben's lower lip will quiver and then he will start to cry. He must figure that there must be something to be upset about.
--They are starting to play bumper cars in their walkers.
--They love to eat. Anything. Anytime.
--They are fascinated by anything that Mairead does. And she LOVES the attention.

Here are just a few pictures of the kids. I love the playpen pictures-- two babies are even cuter than one!

Mairead was playing with her 'boys.' They were actually my boys when I was little. My mom kept them and their little houses, and now Mairead has them to enjoy.

The thing around her neck is a plastic stethoscope that she wore most of the day today. Maybe she'll be a doctor, or a nurse like her Nana!

Some pumpkin pics! Nice job, Dave!

'Snow Joke!

Yes, it was snowing here on Sunday. Stick to the ground and cover the cars snow. It can't be winter already! Mairead was VERY interested in the snow- she, of course, doesn't remember seeing it before, so she was watching it out the window. She ran from one window to the next. Sure enough, the snow was outside of every single one! I carried her out and let some fall on us. I wish I had the camera because the look on her face was priceless- pure wonder!


We spent the day inside watching football, making pumpkin moon pies, and having fun with our family. Still, we are not ready for this!




Luckily, we live in New England and we didn't have to wait long for warm weather to return. Yesterday, it was nearly 70 degrees. Gotta love it! I DO love the nice weather because it means we can get outside. I am already dreading a long winter indoors with the kids. Since I bought the triple stroller, we have been going for walks 3-4 days a week- sometimes more- and it has been beautiful most days! We usually go about 2 miles-- lots of exercise for me!

Speaking of walks- the boys are learning theirs! They love to be in their walkers, and while they don't really get very far, they are getting the idea. They know how to make the walkers move, they just don't steer very well. It is getting to be like bumper cars around here!

This picture was at the end of a long day- you can tell that Maired (proudly wearing her Boston Celtics robe) was beat!

Apparently, Mairead is not quite ready to give up her status as our baby. I found her in the walker the other night, happily watching Blues Clues.

One episode of Blues Clues (Mairead is OBSESSED with this show) includes a parade, so Mairead walks around the house yelling, "March! March!" while stepping in rhythm. Her aunt, Jen, heard about this and had to help out with a proper parade. After they returned from a trip to Florida, Jen and Mmmmike showed up a the house banging a drum and waving a tambourine. Mairead watched from the window while they paraded up to the house and came in with her new surprise. She LOVES the drum, and whichever adult is closest has to play the harmonica while she drums or waves the tambourine. Thanks, Jen and Mike!

It's hard to get pictures of all three kids, but they were playing together the other day so I tried. Unfortunately, I was shooting directly into the sun, so it is a little dark. They love playing together, especially the boys. They laugh hysterically at one another, and they particularly like to watch Mairead. She talks to them and brings them toys-- such a great big sister! Jack is NOT a great big brother to Ben. Jack has a hoarding problem. Whatever toys are in a 3 foot radius, Jack wants... ESPECIALLY if Ben is holding said toys. No matter how many toys Jack has, he immediately checks out what Ben has, and takes it from him. It's pretty funny, but I hope he learns to share soon!

Ben is more interested in rolling around, crinkling paper, and trying to crawl, so he doesn't mind. Speaking of which, Ben DID crawl last week! He is really good at getting up on all fours, and he moved his hands and knees last week. We were so proud! Jack pretty much couldn't care less about crawling. He is also a little bit 'behind' Ben- I think he is still catching up from those 5 weeks in ICU. He is a smart one, though... he always knows what he wants and how to get it!

Jack

Ben

Mairead is learning all kinds of new words. Some favorites include: ghost, witch, snow, and owl. She is, as I said, obsessed with Blues Clues, so we color pictures of the characters, talk about them, paint pictures of them, read books about them, and watch DVDs starring them. She is learning to sing the songs from the show and the other day, she got some mail from Nana and Grampy, so it was MailTime! If you have seen the show, you know that this is a big deal.

She saw the cardiologist the other day for her 2 year follow up, and while she did NOT enjoy the EKG, it was totally normal. They did not do an echo since a 2 year old is not the ideal candidate for that. We will go back when she is 4 or 5 for a final check, at which point they will do an echo to rule out a hole or malformation in her heart. The cardiologist, who I really like, does not suspect that there is one, but he wants to be 100% sure. But, he is confident that she is a healthy little girl and she has no restrictions. He said, "She is totally normal. Well, except that she is cuter than average." I think so, too!

Thanks for checking in with us- I am looking forward to posting Halloween pictures!

Why yes...

We ARE ready for some football! Thanks for asking!

Just to mix things up a bit, Ben is on the left in these.

Today is a good day to settle in with some football, some comfort food, and some warm blankets. Sounds perfect to me!

Pumpkins, Pals, and Pictures at Parlee Farms

On Sunday, we took the kids to Parlee Farms in Tyngsboro and we had a great time! I highly recommend their cider donuts! We have been planning to take the kids for a while, and as it worked out, we were able to get a whole crew together. Thanks to Jen, Katie, Steve, the Donahues, and the Luzs for joining us! It was great to see everyone- especially Ailish and Brady. If you don't know them- Ailish is just four months younger than Mairead, and Brady is about 6-7 weeks older than the boys. They are all set for little friends!

Our first stop at the farm was the pumpkin patch. We tried to get some good ones of all three kids, but the one at the top of the blog is the only one with Mairead remotely looking at the camera. She cannot be bothered with the mamarazzi. The boys tried to sit up for their photo shoot- suppported by pumkins, of course.

We did have a little bit of falling over... (Jack on the left, Ben on the right)...


Then, the pumpkins were too interesting so no one looked at Mom and the camera.


Then, we had some brotherly 'pushing each other out of the way,'


Followed by a nice little moment with Jack resting his hand on Ben's shoulder.


How cute are these little guys?

Meanwhile, their sister just took off yelling, "Me! Run! Me! Run!". She loves open spaces and has no fear of anything new.

She did stop for a second to catch her breath.

Here's Dave retrieving her after she tried to join another family.

And here she is trying to steal someone's wagon.

Running through the patch...

This is Ailish and her daddy, Josh. Ailish was signficantly more cooperative about posing for pictures.

So cute!

Later, we headed over to the hay bale play area. You could run, climb, and jump all over the giant hay bales. There were kids everywhere!

This was taken from the top of the haybale as she tried to climb it.

The most fun thing was to take hay and throw it up in the air to let it rain down. Aunt Jen is always good for those fun activities.

Everyone enjoyed checking out the bunnies and goats at the farm.

Katie and Steve were each holding a twin, and Katie is 7 months pregnant. People must have thought they were crazy.

The Monaghan girls. Seriously, can you even tell that Katie is pregnant? I am so jealous!

We really had a great time and we were so happy that our family and friends could join us. Especially since wrangling three kids at a farm is near impossible without extra hands! Thanks, everyone!