Taking off the training wheels (written prior to birthday)

Bottles.  We went through ALOT of bottles of the past year.  The beginning was very hard but once they started holding their own bottles it was like being on vacation and I got some of my life back.  That was short lived because then I started adding baby food so I was feeding 6 times!  Now I have slowly been taking away bottles and supplementing milk and meals instead.  Tomorrow is their birthday and we have breakfast with milk, lunch with milk and/or juice, .dinner with juice and a bedtime bottle.  I don't think they need the bottle at night but I have been doing it for some sort of peace of mind.

Feeding the babies bottles I know that they are getting all the nutrition they need.  I don't have to worry about it.  It is there. But when you take away the bottles you take away the nutrients they need.  Now it is up to ME to come up with meals that will replace all those nutrients.    This has been very stressful for me...probably way more than it should.

The bottles were my training wheels and now they are being stripped away and it is up to me to make sure these kids eat healthy.  Every meal I feel like I am scrambling to figure out something healthy for them to eat.  Yesterday lunch was canned soup, edomome beans and oranges.  todays lunch was turkey sandwich, goldfish, green beans, and cherries....yes I gave them 1/4 of a sandwich...they did fine with it. I try to make up stuff too!  Like plain yogurt mixed with pumpkin....sounds kinda good.  Kids like it but let me tell you it was disgusting!

I am so blessed to have 3 funny babies who are not picky eaters like me!  They will pretty much eat anything.  My hope and goal is to introduce them to a wide range of foods and hope they continue to like them as they grow up.

Winter "One"derland

February 8th the babies turned one.  That weekend they celebrated their birthday with family and friends.  The theme was Winter "one"derland and turned out great.  This winter has been extremely warm with highs in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.   So as I sent out invites I thought for sure we would be able to use our backyard.  This was not the case because that weekend was extremely cold and even snowed the next day!  I guess we really did have a winter wonderland.

It's hard to believe the babies are already one.  This past year has been long and short at the same time.  I am pretty sure the first few months were the ones that crawled by.  I don't miss those days at all.

At one....

Presley is walking ... quickly.  She is 19 lbs  She likes to pretend to talk on the phone.  She likes to dance.  She likes to wrestle with the boys.  She likes to shake her head no and yes.  She likes to talk and laugh.  She loves to clap and wave.  She loves to sit in my lap.

Keegan is cruising along the couches and has started to push stuff around and walk.  He is 24 lbs.  He likes to dance.  He likes to cuddle.  He likes to scream.  He still love Yo Gabba Gabba.  He likes to point to things especially the "light".  He likes to play "throw" the ball back and forth.  He likes to play the piano.  He likes to flirt with girls and make others laugh.

Ashton is walking...kinda like a drunk person trying to walk a straight line.  He is 23 lbs.  He likes to fall onto and roll around on big soft pillows.  He likes to cuddle.  He laughs a lot.  He likes to try and put the basketball in his basketball hoop.  He likes to tackle his brother and sister.  He likes to be tickled.  He likes to drink anything.  He likes to dance.

Those are just a few things that they are doing and enjoy.

Here are some pictures from the party.  Picture are provided by Jayme Nelson!

The Snacks

Keegan dumping his cake so he can dig into it easier

Blessed with all the gifts

A closer look at the cupcakes

Ashton playing with his friend Carter

Opening gifts with Keegan and Presley

Nanny playing with Presley and Ashton

Grandad playing with Presley

Keegan digging into his presents

Emily hanging out drinking some juice

Presley snacking on some cake

Keegan stuffing some cake in

Ashton wants to open this gift!

Keegan helped me open his gifts...or I helped him?

Presley found a toy

Ashton and Keegan race to the top

Lydia and Carter playing

Where is Ashton???

Tatiana and Emily

It's Ashton!

Nanny and Keegan playing 

Keegan loved his cake

Jessica and Presley playing with snowflakes

Icing is yummy.

Jessica and Presley

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESLEY, KEEGAN, AND ASHTON

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, supported us, thought of us.  You have helped make this past year a lot easier.

Let the toddlerhood begin!

A year ago today was the Superbowl....I was upstairs watching lifetime I'm sure eating who knows what...Keith had a friend over downstairs watching the Superbowl....both of us wondering when these babies would come.  I was big, uncomfortable, and tired of peeing in big orange containers and taking them to the cpl lab everyday.

Now I have 3 big babies....well not so much babies anymore as one of my moms of multiples friend pointed out.  We have toddlers!  We have one walker (Presley).  One sorta walker (Ashton) and one cruised (Keegan).

We have toys being grabbed from each other.  Crying and falling to the floor head down like the world is ending (Presley).  We have tempers who kick, scream, and stomp (Ashton).  And we still have if you touch be I will cry (Keegan).  We have pushing, pulling smacking, tackling, and screaming.

But..

We also have cuddling, climbing into your lap, patting each other, tickling, laughing, playing together, sharing, following some direction, feeding themselves, no more bottles, babbling back and forth, walking, pretend play, independence, silliness, and toothy smiles.

It has been really fun to watch them grow and learn knew things which seem so out of the blue.  While we have had to take a huge monetary cutback it has been so worth it to get to see each of my babies develop and grow into the one year old's they will be on Wednesday!

A photographic look into my day

Surviving the cold

Me and Keith were getting ready for bed and watching Parenthood (amazing show!) and I was kinda cold. I noticed that cool air was being blown into our room.  I stuck my hand up and verified that this was reality and not my imagination.  "Keith....I think the heater is broken...it is blowing cold air" And so it began.  During commercial breaks (because we weren't going to miss any Parenthood(you really should watch it)) we looked at the heater pretending there was something we could do to fix it.  I hit it once hoping that might jargon something. Played with the thermostat...on ...off ...cool...heat....off....on... when that didn't work we (and by we I mean Keith) crawled through and jumper over boxes, clothes, and baskets to get to the electrical box thing.  Flipped on and off and few breakers..and nothing.  No heat.

We knew we could tough it out.  We had blankets and some body fat to keep us warm but the babies.  What would happen to the babies!?!?  I was ready to cover them in blankets and let them fend for themselves.  But Keith, the nice one, said "They can't sleep w/ blankets they may suffocate.  There are two windows in their room it will be freezing in there!"  My guilt set in for being selfish and not wanting to share my sleep and bed with them.   So one at a time we brought them in our bed.  Presley didn't wake up right away, Keegan started screaming like someone was pinching him with tweezers, and Ashton got excited and wanted to sit up and look around and bounce.

Some how we got them laid down and covered up.  Presley started crawling around and found my elbow pit.  Nestled her head in it and went to sleep.  Keegan was nestled with daddies and Ashton was laying down nicely next to me....until he wasn't.  He started moving toward Keith and crawling over Keegan and onto Keith moving, patting, nudging.  "I can handle Presley and Keegan if you can take Ashton."  Good trade I thought.  We traded and I got Ashton settled.  

2 toss and turning hours later Ashton is sitting up bouncing up and down.  Saying "ga!" over and over again.  For an hour I tried my best to settle him down and the other babies were starting to wake.

"You wanna just go put them in their bed??"  Keith mumbled.  "UH YES!" We quickly placed them in their bed and covered them up with blankets.  They slept fine.  We slept great.

The heater didn't get fixed the next day so Keith went out and bought  a space heater home.  Space heaters always worry me because you hear of so many fires that start from them.  But we survived another night with out a heater.

(I do understand that those of yall who live up north where it gets below 0 are possibly laughing at our Texas 22 degree lows and our fear of our babies turning to ice figurines)

Today at 10:30 AM our heater is fixed.  Thank you Kevin our landlord and the nice guy who fixed it and explained to me what went wrong.

11 months

(This is their 11 month photo. They all started in a sitting position but within seconds found a new pose they liked better)

Well I am a little late and posting but better late than never right? This last month has been alot of fun and very busy with the holidays.

The babies are doing wonderful! Presley is getting ready to walk, she is taking 3 -5 steps at a time very slowly and carefully. Ashton is starting to take 1 - 3 steps very quickly and rambunctious like. Keegan is pulling up and standing while holding on. He hasn't adventured into letting go yet but I bet he will soon.

The babies personalities are starting to show more and more everyday! Keegan is the flirt, jokester, and still kind of a cry baby. He loves to make people laugh and likes attention.

Ashton doesn't sit still and laughs at everything, especially Keegan. He is also pretty mischievous and likes to quietly sneak away and head into where he is not supposed to be as quick as he can.

Presley is pretty sweet. She is observant and careful yet adventurous. Presley is starting to climb when she can..she of course is starting small. She gets her feelings hurt when her brothers take away her toys but she is pretty tough. She has probably had the most bumps and bruises and doesn't cry about it.

The babies love to play together and are starting to more and more crawl into the playroom and just play with each other. This is very nice for me!

The babies have been to many basketball games to cheer for the Lady Eagles! They even made the news! They are at the beginning on the fan cam. The moms at the games are so nice and love to hold the babies. So if I can manage to get in there then I kinda get a break for a bit! The babies always do pretty well at the games even though it is usually past their bedtime.

They went to visit Santa! (I think all 4 were a bit nervous) Notice Presley's pouty lip. She went through a phase of stranger danger but she is starting to come out of it I think.

Christmas was a week long adventure. We first had Christmas at our house, then my parents, then Keith's parents. The babies were really good at taking the bows off the presents. They didn't really get opening gifts but they liked playing with their toys!

Christmas at our house.

Christmas at my parents

Christmas at Keith's parents. This is all the grandkids.

We also had a great time ringing in 2012

We have also visited the park a lot! Swinging is one of their favorite things to do!

They love to ride in their choo choo wagon!

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They have also started eating a lot of table food. I have discovered after watching Keith and our families feed them that I feed the messy way. I just plop food down on their tray and let them go to town. I enjoy doing it this way because they get to practice feeding themselves and I get to have a break, and they are content and not screaming at me to stick a spoon in their mouth. I have also noticed that they each have their own way of feeding themselves. Ashton grabs his food gets it on his palm and the puts his palm to his mouth. Keegan does the same thing but 2 or more fingers end up in his mouth as well. Presley uses her pincher grasp and elegantly puts her food in her mouth like a normal person.

Ashton

Keegan

Presley

I have tried to capture a little more video so...

Here is a link to see Ashton and Keegan playing...keep an eye out for Presley.

This is one of Ashton playing with a car seat box and being excited.

10 months! What?

Holy cow these babies are 10 months! I can't believe it. I know I probably say it every month but only 2 more months and they are going to be 1 !!! A lot of days I am too busy to think about anything but sometimes I stop and think...I have 3 babies! Crazy!

The babies have started to eat table food here and there. Ashton doesn't know what a pincher grasp is...but he does know what a fist grasp is. Grabs a fist full and shoves it all in his mouth. Keegan tried to get the food in but usually it ends up everywhere else. Presley is pretty good about eating. (This is Keegan in the picture eating peas and carrots)

This is the babies w/ their favorite TV show character DJ Lance (the white version.) They don't look super happy at the moment and Ashton looks plain scared BUT they are smiling on the inside. (Presley, Ashton, Keegan, and Keith's dad)

They are starting to realized what a camera is and most of the time will look and smile...well some of the time. (This is Keegan)

Cheesing it up is Ashton.

Presley smiling pretty. And this is her head back, nose scrunched smile.

The babies are crawling every where and pretty much go all over the house. Keegan is now army crawling and can keep up w/ his brother and sister.

This is Ashton and Presley in their room playing. Keegan is coming down the hall.

There is Keegan! Mercy is herding him in the room.

Now here they are in the entry way having a discussion about Yo Gabba Gabba.

The babies won Nuby sippie cups! Here they are playing with them.

Ashton is getting pretty excited about Christmas!

So excited that he chews on his crib!

Trying to get a picture for the Christmas card. Why can't they all look at the camera and at the same time?

Did I mention Presley can stand up? It's usually only for a minute or so but she loves it! I am sure walking will follow soon.

We have been crafting and this is our family ornament. The "lights" are made by everyones fingerprints. The other ornaments (there are 3 the red one is kinda hiding) are the babies hand prints that are embossed on a clear ornament.

We hope you have a merry Christmas!!!!