For Christmas Lights! My children are in love with looking at outside decorations!! We decorated our roof, trees, bushes, and porch and when I saw "we" I mean Keith. It looks great and the kids LOVE it! They also love driving around and looking at all the other yard decorations. For Clyde there are some awesome houses!
Tonight after the basketball games I drove the kids around our neighborhood. I was impressed with so many houses! One house probably had 100 wood cutouts of cartoons characters, Santa, and reindeer. A few others were just covered in lights! One had their front room open and in the background tons of Christmas dolls, a spinning Christmas tree, and a Santa!
Ashton kept saying "Wow! Look at that!" and "Ohhh man.." Presley and Keegan were a little less impressed and just said "Christmas lights!"
It's neat to see the little things others do to make others happy. Just putting up Christmas lights and decorations for others to see has brought a huge amount of happiness and excitement to my kids which makes my heart happy.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Advent
This year we decided to attempt doing Advent with the kiddos. What is Advent? I am still learning but it appears to be a daily bible study that takes place Dec 1-25 and takes you through the Bible and God's story.
We have been using a free version I was able to download from Austin Stone Community Church. It has a reading plan along with little pictures that relate to the story that the kiddos can color. You can get it here!
Another great thing about this Advent study is it provides not only the readings in the Bible but also gives page numbers for the same story in The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. It's a great children's Bible! We bought these for our kids this year for Christmas. When we found out the Advent we downloaded used it we let them open a Christmas gift early.
So far the kids have enjoyed reading their Bibles...even though we end up having to paraphrase the stories because their attention span is so short. They are excited to get their Bible every night, look at the pictures, and find out what picture they get to color that night. Here are a few examples of what they get to color and of course it goes right on the fridge.
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We have been using a free version I was able to download from Austin Stone Community Church. It has a reading plan along with little pictures that relate to the story that the kiddos can color. You can get it here!
Another great thing about this Advent study is it provides not only the readings in the Bible but also gives page numbers for the same story in The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. It's a great children's Bible! We bought these for our kids this year for Christmas. When we found out the Advent we downloaded used it we let them open a Christmas gift early.
So far the kids have enjoyed reading their Bibles...even though we end up having to paraphrase the stories because their attention span is so short. They are excited to get their Bible every night, look at the pictures, and find out what picture they get to color that night. Here are a few examples of what they get to color and of course it goes right on the fridge.
.JPG)
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
2 years and 10 months of ..... craziness
So today...I was vacuuming out the van (which should be done on a daily basis but really happens every other month or three) and the kids were playing in the driveway. I hop out of the van and make sure all were accounted for. There's Presley, Keegan is over there and ..Ashton...Ashton? I walk around to the front of the van and find Ashton...butt naked. Why in the world are his pants and undies off?? Then he starts waving his undies around over the grass and poop starts to fly out. Yea he is still hit and miss with the pooping in the potty thing. At least he is a go getter and took care of it himself right? Ugh...glad no one was around to see this. Gotta love boys.
Driving home from our playdate and Walmart Presley zonks out pretty quick. Ashton is crying/whining "hold me mommy...hold me" with his eyes close until he finally falls asleep 5 minutes away from home. Keegan is playing with his little plush cookie monster. "Here is a chip Cookie Monster...its spicy. Ohh Cookie Monster I told you so! It's spicy! It's ok {gives Cookie Monster hug}. No hitting Cookie Monster!!! BAD BOY! You go to time out! Not hit!" And he continues to play and talk to Cookie Monster. I think it is the cutest thing when Keegan pretend plays with his toys...pretty sure I could watch it all day.
My children somehow find their DVDs and get them out and play with them...frisbee, throwing, sliding, ect. I have told them until I blue in the face "YOU ARE RUINING YOUR CARTOONS!" We don't have cable so we rely on DVDs and Netflix. Well today we were going to watch Mickey, but once I grabbed the DVD from the mantle ABOVE the fireplace I noticed it was split in half....pretty sure it wasn't like that when I put it up there. REALLY?!? Ugh these kids. We settle for Dora. I was cleaning the kitchen when the kids started to say "Dora is freezing" Must be a Dora in the winter right? Wrong!!!! Dora now skips and pauses at the end. I looked at them and said "Oh no! What are we going to do?" Presley looked at me and threw her hands in the air with a shocked face. She then got a real sad look on her face and fell to the ground in a little ball. A few seconds later she jumped up laughing. Oh the actress she is.
Driving home from our playdate and Walmart Presley zonks out pretty quick. Ashton is crying/whining "hold me mommy...hold me" with his eyes close until he finally falls asleep 5 minutes away from home. Keegan is playing with his little plush cookie monster. "Here is a chip Cookie Monster...its spicy. Ohh Cookie Monster I told you so! It's spicy! It's ok {gives Cookie Monster hug}. No hitting Cookie Monster!!! BAD BOY! You go to time out! Not hit!" And he continues to play and talk to Cookie Monster. I think it is the cutest thing when Keegan pretend plays with his toys...pretty sure I could watch it all day.
My children somehow find their DVDs and get them out and play with them...frisbee, throwing, sliding, ect. I have told them until I blue in the face "YOU ARE RUINING YOUR CARTOONS!" We don't have cable so we rely on DVDs and Netflix. Well today we were going to watch Mickey, but once I grabbed the DVD from the mantle ABOVE the fireplace I noticed it was split in half....pretty sure it wasn't like that when I put it up there. REALLY?!? Ugh these kids. We settle for Dora. I was cleaning the kitchen when the kids started to say "Dora is freezing" Must be a Dora in the winter right? Wrong!!!! Dora now skips and pauses at the end. I looked at them and said "Oh no! What are we going to do?" Presley looked at me and threw her hands in the air with a shocked face. She then got a real sad look on her face and fell to the ground in a little ball. A few seconds later she jumped up laughing. Oh the actress she is.
Keegan
Ashton
Presley
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Two and a half craziness!
Yea the kids are not bed trained...I'll be tyring that again soon....HOWEVER...They are potty trained!!! Yup all of them! Take that! Ok Presley and Ashton aren't 100%....but they go most of the time!
They have recently gotten into coloring. Which I'm okay with!! I don't mind them sitting at the table for a few minutes at a time and give me a break. We have been doing lots of fun things this summer...like the splash pad, playgrounds, we have a new little play area in our backyard that is sticker free, playing with our neighbor Maxx who is 7 months younger, and other random fun.
Keith switched the kids playroom and bedroom....it has been interesting. I can't decide if I like it or not. The kids have been helping a lot more around the house. With what?
-They put their shoes away
-Laundry (they put it in the dryer and washer for me and starting to "help" fold)
-Put their dishes in the sink
-Cleaning up their spot at the table (They now sit in the adult seats...not more high chairs!)
-Helping empty the dishwasher
-Cleaning up their toys
-"Making" their bed
- Putting their dirty clothes in the hamper
Yes I am putting these kids to work!! In August I am going to start a chore chart because they fight over doing different things (laundry, dishes, feeding the dog and cat)
Ashton has become a big boy. He will dress and undress himself and won't let you help. I'm okay with that. He has also become our best picking up the toys helper.
Keegan has become more insistent with things he wants...even if it makes no sense and when he doesn't get it...we hear about it....loudly.
Presley has also become very picky about what she wears...I pick something out and she says "NO!" and then proceeds to tell me which outfit she wants to wear. Sometimes she gets her way sometimes she doesn't
Ok here are a few recent pictures thank you to Monica Smart
They have recently gotten into coloring. Which I'm okay with!! I don't mind them sitting at the table for a few minutes at a time and give me a break. We have been doing lots of fun things this summer...like the splash pad, playgrounds, we have a new little play area in our backyard that is sticker free, playing with our neighbor Maxx who is 7 months younger, and other random fun.
Keith switched the kids playroom and bedroom....it has been interesting. I can't decide if I like it or not. The kids have been helping a lot more around the house. With what?
-They put their shoes away
-Laundry (they put it in the dryer and washer for me and starting to "help" fold)
-Put their dishes in the sink
-Cleaning up their spot at the table (They now sit in the adult seats...not more high chairs!)
-Helping empty the dishwasher
-Cleaning up their toys
-"Making" their bed
- Putting their dirty clothes in the hamper
Yes I am putting these kids to work!! In August I am going to start a chore chart because they fight over doing different things (laundry, dishes, feeding the dog and cat)
Ashton has become a big boy. He will dress and undress himself and won't let you help. I'm okay with that. He has also become our best picking up the toys helper.
Keegan has become more insistent with things he wants...even if it makes no sense and when he doesn't get it...we hear about it....loudly.
Presley has also become very picky about what she wears...I pick something out and she says "NO!" and then proceeds to tell me which outfit she wants to wear. Sometimes she gets her way sometimes she doesn't
Ok here are a few recent pictures thank you to Monica Smart
Thursday, May 30, 2013
28 months ( well almost)
Its been a while..guess I better post! I blame the kids ... they never give me a moment to sit down.
Lets see....last you heard Presley and Ashton were starting to escape their beds....well we ended up taking the side off the crib...and now we never get a full nights rest. Now that the kiddos are not contained they come into our room in the middle of the night crying and get in our bed. I know..I know...I am supposed to take them back to their bed...and we did that for a few months...and then it got hard. WHY? Well because when you have 3 kids sleeping in the same room and one wakes up and you tick that child off by putting them back in their bed they throw a fit. A loud fit. Loud enough to wake everyone up and then they all want in your bed. And then you are a peewee quarterback with a UT team charging toward you (yea that's right UT) and your night is shot. SOOO we gave in and yours truly ends up on the couch a few nights a week...which actually means I get a good nights rest not sandwiched in between the 2 boys. Also its funny...Presley always goes to Keith's side and the boys to mine.
That is probably our biggest challenge right now...I am hoping to tackle it and get the kids trained to stay in their beds next week...or maybe the week after.
Other than that we have three 2 year olds. The good and the bad. I hear from 90% of parents that 3's are a lot worse...I am going to be in denial about that and pretend that's not true and won't be for ours. I don't know if I can take worse....its just the whining and fit throwing that drive me CRAZY!
The kids are starting to play with each other by themselves....they don't do it a lot (with me around) anyway. The love to climb on me and always want me to hold them! I am having to get tough with them. They are starting to pretend play which is fun.
Presley is still the smallest one...she is just petite but has a big personality. Everywhere we go everyone asks "Are they twins?"....and then they are shocked when I say "No, they are triplets." Presley isn't that much smaller but I guess triplets isn't super common. Presley is the best at sleeping in her bed all night. She loves to dance and really loves to jump. She is super friendly. Everytiem we go to the park she makes a friend to play with. The other day on the way to the park we had this conversation:
Pres: I want girls to be at the park
Me: Why?
Pres: I want to play with girls and Keegan and Ashton to play with boys
Me: You don't want to play with boys?
Pres: NO! Girls!
She got her wish today and made a friends named Paisley
Keegan is still so laid back and chill. He will go and play by himself forever. Until someone ticks him off. Then the demon comes out. He will scream so loud it hurts my ears. If he is really tired or hungry he is inconsolable. It really is ridiculous. But that happens maybe 10% off the time..if that. Otherwise we have happy Keegan. He is the only one potty trained!! We have the little potty chairs and he will just go when he has too and he usually dumps out his potty and flushes it. I kinda like that he does that although it can be messy....he doesn't have the steadiest hand. Keegan is also the most polite. He says Thank You, Please, and your welcome...the most without being reminded. Gold star for him.
Ashton is crafty...he gets into everything!! Right now is favorite thing is to open the fridge...which is helpful sometimes...and other times not so much. He is also the instigator. He loves to take toys away, throw them, and slap. He spends the most time in time out. But he is good about going to time out, saying yes sir/maam and sorry. He also thinks everything is funny and loves to laugh. He has the deep belly laugh and laughs often!! I love this about him.
They all love to race and run around the house...well until the run into each other. That's not so fun.
They love to pretend to go "shopping" and like to pretend to leave sayings their "bye's and love you's" to everyone.
They love to help...dust, empty their stuff out of the dishwasher, laundry, get stuff out of the fridge for me, picking up toys (we are still working on this).
I will have to post some pics later when I figure out how to from my phone. Thats all I use now! Probably should stop that and use a real camera.
Lets see....last you heard Presley and Ashton were starting to escape their beds....well we ended up taking the side off the crib...and now we never get a full nights rest. Now that the kiddos are not contained they come into our room in the middle of the night crying and get in our bed. I know..I know...I am supposed to take them back to their bed...and we did that for a few months...and then it got hard. WHY? Well because when you have 3 kids sleeping in the same room and one wakes up and you tick that child off by putting them back in their bed they throw a fit. A loud fit. Loud enough to wake everyone up and then they all want in your bed. And then you are a peewee quarterback with a UT team charging toward you (yea that's right UT) and your night is shot. SOOO we gave in and yours truly ends up on the couch a few nights a week...which actually means I get a good nights rest not sandwiched in between the 2 boys. Also its funny...Presley always goes to Keith's side and the boys to mine.
That is probably our biggest challenge right now...I am hoping to tackle it and get the kids trained to stay in their beds next week...or maybe the week after.
Other than that we have three 2 year olds. The good and the bad. I hear from 90% of parents that 3's are a lot worse...I am going to be in denial about that and pretend that's not true and won't be for ours. I don't know if I can take worse....its just the whining and fit throwing that drive me CRAZY!
The kids are starting to play with each other by themselves....they don't do it a lot (with me around) anyway. The love to climb on me and always want me to hold them! I am having to get tough with them. They are starting to pretend play which is fun.
Presley is still the smallest one...she is just petite but has a big personality. Everywhere we go everyone asks "Are they twins?"....and then they are shocked when I say "No, they are triplets." Presley isn't that much smaller but I guess triplets isn't super common. Presley is the best at sleeping in her bed all night. She loves to dance and really loves to jump. She is super friendly. Everytiem we go to the park she makes a friend to play with. The other day on the way to the park we had this conversation:
Pres: I want girls to be at the park
Me: Why?
Pres: I want to play with girls and Keegan and Ashton to play with boys
Me: You don't want to play with boys?
Pres: NO! Girls!
She got her wish today and made a friends named Paisley
Keegan is still so laid back and chill. He will go and play by himself forever. Until someone ticks him off. Then the demon comes out. He will scream so loud it hurts my ears. If he is really tired or hungry he is inconsolable. It really is ridiculous. But that happens maybe 10% off the time..if that. Otherwise we have happy Keegan. He is the only one potty trained!! We have the little potty chairs and he will just go when he has too and he usually dumps out his potty and flushes it. I kinda like that he does that although it can be messy....he doesn't have the steadiest hand. Keegan is also the most polite. He says Thank You, Please, and your welcome...the most without being reminded. Gold star for him.
Ashton is crafty...he gets into everything!! Right now is favorite thing is to open the fridge...which is helpful sometimes...and other times not so much. He is also the instigator. He loves to take toys away, throw them, and slap. He spends the most time in time out. But he is good about going to time out, saying yes sir/maam and sorry. He also thinks everything is funny and loves to laugh. He has the deep belly laugh and laughs often!! I love this about him.
They all love to race and run around the house...well until the run into each other. That's not so fun.
They love to pretend to go "shopping" and like to pretend to leave sayings their "bye's and love you's" to everyone.
They love to help...dust, empty their stuff out of the dishwasher, laundry, get stuff out of the fridge for me, picking up toys (we are still working on this).
I will have to post some pics later when I figure out how to from my phone. Thats all I use now! Probably should stop that and use a real camera.
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