Cowboys and Campouts...

May has come and gone and left me with a twitch in my left eye that won't seem to go away. I attribute it to the hot days and the trio trying to give up their one and only nap. The heat totally takes it out of me and interferes with my sleep big time. Whenever the temperature drops in the fall for the first time since summer and our house has a chill, I have my best night of sleep. So the restless, hot nights have started which is a bummer. Another reason I'm looking forward to our summer Idaho trip to beat the heat.

Regarding the trio's naps, it varies from day to day. Sometimes they will go three or four days without a nap and I can tell it's really catching up to them. Lots of whining and fighting on their part and lots of impatience on my part. Days I'm not so proud of. The worst part of it now is that when I yell or show my frustration, the kids just laugh...which makes me more frustrated. However, I'm sure I do look funny with my angry faces and exasperated sighs. Soooo then I eventually nap them which throws off their bedtime. Then they lose out on nighttime sleep which impacts their behavior and mood the next day. Then we start the cycle all over again. This nap transition has been far harder than the three-to-two transition which I thought was the worst ever. They want to give up the nap but they can't quite do it. So we go back and forth, back and forth, and everything is so unpredictable right now, schedules and their behavior, which I DO NOT like. So I'm in survival mode until the trio can fall back into a rhythm.

Clark was supposed to travel internationally this month but his 10 day trip was cancelled when the company he works for was chosen for a government inspection. So the night before his departure, he was on the phone with the airline cancelling his reservation. He was really bummed out, especially because he was looking for a change of venue and a little getaway. Instead he's been working night and day in anticipation of the June 6th deadline.

So we promised Clark to make the most of this month amidst his cancelled trip and busy hours. Our first activity was a fun family night sponsored by his company. It was a western theme and we had a fun time!  Zachary and Leah even got lassoed by a cowboy!

Following the family night, I headed to a hotel for my Mother's Day getaway.  Of course I enjoyed it thoroughly, woke up to a nice breakfast, did some yoga, showered, hit up the book store, and came home rejuvenated and refreshed.  This might seem weird to some moms but here's my thinking and why enjoy a night away:  when one working parent heads to work everyday, they typically miss their kids and have a really enjoyable time at night when they see them.  There is something to be said about absence making the heart grow fonder.  Well I never really get to 'miss' my kids.  Ya they go to sleep at night and we are apart but I don't miss them.  However, when I go to a hotel and spend time by myself, I DO start to miss them and look forward to seeing them the next day!  I love to hear about their adventures with Dad and my time with them that day is not strained. When I arrive home the next day the kids were eating lunch and Clark had prepared ice cube tray lunches.  The great thing about it is that he didn't even have to consult Pinterest.  He came up with this idea on his own.  :)  What a guy.  So my Mother's Day was very enjoyable and included a nice dinner over at Michael and Marisol's as well.



Our next fun activity, which Clark has wanted to do since before Leah broke her arm, was a bowling day!  Who knew bowling for a family cost so much these days but whatever!  We bowled for an hour and had a REALLY fun time!  It was a totally new concept for the kids, a fun environment, and they loved pushing their bowling balls down the dragon.  Luckily we had the bumpers up the whole time because Clark and I actually really needed them!  Yikes are we horrible bowlers!!

After bowling we headed over to the arcade.  We played a couple car driving games and the boys did a virtual roller coaster game.  We ended the family date with a huge bowl of ice cream to share. 



As Memorial Day approached, we decided it was time to bust out our 8-person tent and have a backyard campout!  We played some ladder golf, ordered pizza, watched Pocahontas, and set up the tent for the night.  As things usually happen, Caleb is close to Clark being a huge helper and Zachary is nearby playing games.  :)  The tent came up and we brought all our stuff out.

We even had a fake campfire made of rice krispies, chocolate logs, and fire made of sugar and cinnamon (Gram's idea).  It's supposed to be made with cake but we had to improvise.  Either way, the kids enjoyed it and we didn't smell like fire afterward.  The kids finally fell asleep after 9pm when the sun went down.  Caleb felt really unsettled about the darkness outside the tent and went into panic mode.  We see this mode often and are learning that Caleb is afraid of just about everything including dark clouds, ducks, and dogs.  He also hates having anything on his hands like water, dirt, marker, etc...  That's totally how I was as a kid.  I was adament about wearing gloves when washing dishes because I hated getting my hands wet.  So I can't judge him too much.  I still refuse to put lotion on my hands and haven't for years and years. 

Anyway, so the kids slept for a good five hours in the tent and decided they were ready to get up at 2am!  We encouraged them back to bed but when all was said and done, they got maybe 6-8 hours of sleep as opposed to 11-12.  They were totally wiped in the morning and walked around like zombies for a few hours until we put them down for a nap at 9:30am.  They slept for a solid three hours! 

We ended the holiday weekend with a bbq and swim at Michael and Marisol's.  The kids don't like their heads or faces underwater but they sure do like to swim around on noodles!  They have a great time.  Clark and I snuck away at some point to visit some stores while the kids stayed and played.  We're always so thankful that the kids love to be over there.  One store we visited was Home Depot so we could buy new red paint for our front door!  Kind of fun.

I'll end with this little gem from Leah.  Some Sunday mornings we watch the 'Prince of Egypt' which is about Moses.  So we've been talking a lot about Moses and his life.  One day we were driving by a Methodist church nearby and the kids asked what it was.  I explained that it was a different church then ours because they believed different things.  I mentioned that Methodists do not believe in Joseph Smith and Leah gasped from the back seat and said that wasn't good.  Then she asked, "do they believe in Moses?"  I said yes and she finally felt at ease again for those who attend the Methodist church. 

Gotta love what little kids say in their complete innocence.  Here they are snuggled up on a Sunday morning on our air mattress.

Until next time!

April Newsletter...

January through March have been super busy for Clark this year so we planned a little family weekend to kick off April.  It was fun to have something to look forward to and to get out of the city. Our friends' parents live a few hours south of the metroplex so we all headed out for the weekend for a little country fun!!

Grandma and Grandpa Cooper's house had so much to do and our kids were in heaven. They could run and play outside without us fearing that they'd run into the street or get kidnapped (not that we live in the sort of neighborhood but we never can forget that there are some crazies out there). There was a huge sandbox, tramp, horse, fire pit for smores, play house, swings, a mule, and lots of open space! Not to mention the huge house to play hide-n-seek, gun shooting (Dad's only), a dollar theater (girls went to Divergent and boys went to Captain America), and the DELICIOUS smokehouse restaurant we enjoyed (I always have mixed feelings on getting my meat cut off a slab while I wait in line to have it weighed).  I even got a tutorial on how to make the most incredible bread I've ever tasted. EVER. All in all, it was a VERY fun weekend and just what we were looking for. We're just grateful for friends who are willing to put up with our shenanigans for three days straight.  And don't mind Clark's brown sweater.  He borrowed several of Grandma Coopers for the weekend because he thought he left his at the office.  Turned out it was in the back of the van.

Next up for the month was Easter weekend!  We never really make a big deal out of Easter at our house.  Just more stuff to do and worry about.  I did do a couple spring crafts during the week and a reading schedule with the kids about Christ's life out of The Friend magazine, but other than that, nothing too crazy!  There were some fun church and community events going on so we attended those.  We started the weekend with a BIG WHEELS exhibit at the local library.  Obviously the boys were in heaven and loved getting to touch the machines we always point at while driving down the road.

The next morning was the Egg Hunt and Breakfast at our church.  Not much of a 'hunt' per say but still exciting for the kids to collect eggs full of candy.  Zachary could hardly contain himself in the car and subsequently poured out every egg "accidentally."  Most had jelly beans but there was an unfortunate M&M egg that got melted underneath him.  Figures!  We then headed to a little friend's birthday party, then to Michael and Marisol's for a couple of hours, then to Home Depot to buy new flowers and plants for our front yard, then planted the flowers, then ended our day with a pizza dinner on the front lawn.  Whew!  Everyone slept pretty good that night.

Of course Easter Sunday was enjoyable. We watched a lot of videos of Christ and read from the scriptures. Church was enjoyable and the kids had lots of interesting things to say after Sunbeam class. One of which was Leah being really concerned about getting blood on her hands and knees. :) Her comprehension of the holiday was sweet and I videotaped her testimony.  We had German pancakes for dinner and thought maybe we'd rename them Easter pancakes and make it a tradition since Clark claims it's is FAVORITE food ever. I'm writing this down so I don't forget for next year! 

I got one Easter photo for the day. 

Caleb. 

Our picture of Easter perfection.  Straight posture, pressed shirt, cute smile, and a goofy look.  His picture helps me remember that I'm here on earth living my imperfect life with a family I love so much because Heavenly Father's Son made that possible. And even though my kids, Caleb in particular right now, push me to my last nerve sometimes, I'm grateful I can ask for forgiveness and start over new everyday. That's the most wonderful thing about young kids. They are completely and utterly forgiving. No matter how I act or how I mess up with them, they put their arms around me at night and say they love me. That's how our Savior is. Completely and utterly forgiving. And when we come to Him at night in prayer, he envelopes us with His love and peace and says 'it's ok, I love you.' What a wonderful thing.     

The following weekend we all headed up to a wildlife sanctuary.  I bought season passes on Groupon and am excited to have a neat place to go occasionally to check out animals and go for nature walks.  There is a little village in the sanctuary with miniature log cabins in which the kids have so much fun.  They each pick a cabin and make it their own then proceed to invite one another over for tea parties and sitting on the porch.  We've even had a little glimpse of Caleb's hoarding problem and wonder if he'll end up on the A&E show when he is older.  He invited me into his cabin and had collected EVERY item from EVERY cabin and placed it on his floor.  However he was so proud and excited about his belongings.  Makes you wonder.  Anyway, we had a good time and wore the kids out.

Something new that our family has started doing is visiting local bakeries for a sugar cookie fill.  I have found, for me, that it is the smartest way to go.  You pay for your sugar cookies and when you are done, you are done.  No extra cookies are laying around on the counter or packed in a bag in the freezer.  No extra frosting around either.  I LOVE sugar cookies.  Like more than any other dessert.  I could pass up most anything until presented with a soft, gooey sugar cookie.  So I like to go have them at the bakeries and then walk away empty handed with no further temptation.  However, we've now encountered a problem.  At a recent sugar cookie run after the wildlife sanctuary, we happened to find the most incredible sugar cookies I've ever tasted.  Not only that, if you buy six, you get six for free.  FURTHERMORE, the sugar cookies are gigantic!!  So now I'm really in trouble because with a family of five, of course we're going to buy the extra one and get six free.  But now we have cookies on our counter....really good cookies....and really BIG cookies....defeating the whole purpose of the bakery visit!  Ugh.  Back to square one.

 

To round out the month of April, our family came down with Bronchitis and Leah broke her arm.  We've actually had a relatively healthy winter so I knew we were bound to get hit with something before Spring ended.  Leah got sick first.  Low-grade fever and cough.  Then she started wheezing and getting crackling in her lungs.  That's a sign of RSV so I figured she had it.

One night after dinner, two days into Leah's sickness, the kids were playing in the living room and I was cleaning up the kitchen.  Apparently Leah and Zachary were sitting on their big balls on top of the coffee table (this activity could never end well).  Leah's ball rolled one way and she rolled another.  She started crying, which happens a LOT during the day, so I checked her out to make sure she was ok.  I felt both her arms because she said they hurt and moved the joints (which I feel bad about now) to see if she would cringe or indicate pain.  But she didn't so I gave her a rice bag to put on her arm. 

But she wouldn't stop crying. 

And when I asked her to lift her arm, she wouldn't.  She had to use her other arm to lift the injured one.  At the point I knew it was broken.  So we shuffled off to urgent care, Michael and Marisol picked up the boys, and she got an x-ray.  Surprisingly she fell asleep in Clark's arms while we waited for the results.  This ended up being a blessing because they were able to listen to her lungs, give her an Albuterol treatment right away, and check her oxygen levels.  She would've screamed and screamed through all of that if she was awake.  They diagnosed her with bronchiolitis which is worse than bronchitis.  Poor girl.  Double whammy all in one night. 

Maybe I'm new to this whole broken bone thing but they wrapped her arm in an ace bandage and said to make an appointment with an orthopedic specialist within the next few days.  That seemed so weird to me that she would have an unprotected broken arm at home while I casually set up a future appointment.  Wasn't this an emergency?  I was so confused.  Then I called the Children's hospital the next day and they couldn't get her in for a week!!  Not only that, they said that she would be fine waiting that long.  I felt totally uncomfortable with that timeline.  It just seemed too long for her to be in so much pain.  So I called and called and called and found a place up north who saw children and could get her in the next morning.  I was so grateful.  I actually got the referral from my pediatrician who gave it to me when I picked the nebulizer up for Leah's bronchiolitis!  So in a way I was grateful for her sickness which led me to a solution! 

She's all casted up and on her way to healing now.  She's still in pain most of the time and again, often forgets to be careful, but she'll only have the cast on for three weeks.  Clark watched the boys while we went to get the cast on and creatively thought to give the boys some pink casts so Leah wouldn't feel bad.  So sweet. 

It's been a pretty eventful month.  We've been to some fun parks and on some fun bike rides.  Unfortunately on one bike ride I lost our garage door opener so when we got back home I had to crawl in a window.  The kids were so excited about the whole situation and are still talking about it.  They've also really gotten into Peter Pan this month.  I like Peter Pan for several reasons.  One is that it's short.  But the main reason that I like it is because it fosters a lot of creative play that sometimes the newer Disney movies don't.  I like that it encourages imagination and fantastical situations...moreso than a plane flying in the air or a car driving on a track.  Those things are good too but I've really enjoyed seeing their imaginations go as they take on the Peter Pan characters and play it out in a new way.

A few more April items I'd like to include are Caleb and Zachary having many debates on Spiderman and his villains, getting new swimsuits for summer (picture taken before broken arm), and the boys taking a bath in the sink so we could show them that we did indeed bathe them in there when they were babies.  They always think we are joking.  But they had a great time and made a great mess.

I'll leave you with this gem from Zachary.  So my parents have wanted Clark to get rid of his green D.I. Bidwell Dragon shirt for years.  They think he needs to frame it and move on.  What's funny is that it always seems like he wears it when they come or when I take pictures but he really doesn't wear it that much at all!  When they were here last September, they were going to try and kidnap and frame the shirt themselves but didn't go through with the act.  So with all the bronchitis going on, I hadn't done laundry and Zachary didn't have clean pajamas.  So Clark offered him the comfiest, coolest shirt to sleep in and Zachary was SOOO excited to wear and sleep in it!

Sorry Mom and Dad, looks like the Bidwell Dragon shirt has found a new owner for many years to come!  :)

Marching Marching....

March is by far my least favorite month of the year.  Usually as we start into January, which is long and cold, I start to think that January is the worst.. But once March hits, I'm reminded that it is indeed the winner. March was particularly dreadful in college because we didn't have a Spring break. However, with having three toddlers I now dread spring break because all our usual hot spots are overrun with big school age kids. Caleb gets all panicky and defensive when there are a lot of big kids around which is both funny and stressful because he starts doing and saying weird things.   Beyond that, ever since playing at some parks over Spring Break with older kids, the triplets learned words like 'shut up' and 'stupid.' So I'm annoyed about that because I know exactly who the girl was that was saying that stuff. Luckily the trio aren't entirely sure what the words mean and use them incorrectly. Hopefully if I just ignore them (which is hard not to react immediately), they'll stop saying it and move on to something else.

Anyway, March has been long. Clark's been working very very hard and putting in so many hours. When he is at home, every time I turn around he's taking a nap. His napping capability is incredible.  Really I envy his ability to fall asleep so quickly.  Of course with three kids jumping on him the naps don't last very long and he soon gets caught up in a 'Dojo' building contest.  He and Caleb teamed up one Sunday morning and definitely won first prize for the tallest Dojo.

What's funny, maybe not to Clark, is that every weekend Clark says how badly he needs to wash his car and ironically it has been rainy and cold every weekend for the past month.  All the nice days have been during the week.  So finally he said 'whatever I'm going out!' and he and the trio washed his car in the pouring rain.  It's hard to tell but everyone was soaked when they came in!

Along with rainy days there have been some hot and sunny days.  We were given our trampoline in the fall so this is really the first time the kids have jumped on it when it's been hot enough for a sprinkler underneath!  I haven't even got their swimsuits out for the new season so for now it's underwear!  After an afternoon of working hard in the sandbox, they were THRILLED with a wet trampoline and the 'sprinkles.'  They couldn't stop laughing and squealing about it.  It was fun to watch and reminded me of all the times I did this exact same thing as a kid.  You just can't beat it.  Since then I've added some water balloons into the mix which has made this whole activity even more exciting!

Then in true Texas style, the next day is cold and the sprinkler stays off.  Socks, pants, long sleeves, and superman capes.  Also very exciting!



A few other March updates to remember include

...receiving a fun package in the mail from Great Grandma and Grandpa (thank you so much)!  They were special boxes with seashells inside and some nameplates.  We love and cherish all the handiwork from Great Grandpa.  The trio had a good time comparing shells and placing them in their boxes. 

...discovering the 'rocketship' park.  We've been there a couple times now and there is still more fun to be had!

...working more on my braiding.  Leah is a great muse to practice on.  She waits patiently for a whole 30 seconds then starts whining.  As a result, my skill may take longer than anticipated to master. 



...sleeping over at Michael and Marisol's!  Man....what an exciting thing for the kids.  They can hardly contain themselves knowing they will soon be sleeping over there.  I kept telling them that 'Friday is sleepover day!' so they had to wait all week and now every Friday they ask to go over there.  :)  They sleep in a room full of toys, each in their separate bed (Leah has a cot), and keep Michael and Marisol up way later than they would like I'm sure.  Then of course, the morning comes fast and it's time to play again.  Marisol has a magical attic.  Things keep coming out of there which add to the excitement and fun at their house.  It sure has inspired me to keep and take care of all our toys because you never know when you'll need to pull them down from the attic in the future!  They sure have a good time though and we're grateful for such wonderful friends.

...celebrating Marisol's birthday!  In true Marisol style, she ended up buying the kids some balloons and giving us the movie Frozen.  Luckily we sang to her, had some cake, and gave her a card we had made otherwise it would've felt like the kids' birthday instead!

...and finally, fake-napping with Dad.  All the kids ended up on his lap one day and I said that once upon a time they could all fit on his chest.  So we snapped a picture and compared.  Leah and Caleb switched places but they sure have grown!  Either that or Clark is pulling a Benjamin Button on us and shrinking.  And isn't it amazing how Clark hasn't seemed to age one day since having newborn triplets?? 

The main event of the month was having Clark's mom come to visit.  She came for ten days and helped get us through the end of March.  Of course her first morning here she came bearing gifts:  Hawaii shirts from Papa, Lego kits from Gram Rox, and peanut butter balls for Zachary and Clark!  Oh and let's not forget the GOBS of candy...peanut M&M's, candy corn, licorice, etc... (most of which was provided by Gram Rox).  So the first morning was fun and exciting and thanks to Gram Rox and Papa who contributed to that! 

Her stay here was super fun and super busy!  She didn't waste any time getting the kids into their explorer vests and off to the park.  It's always strange being alone at the house but I took advantage of the time to exercise, shower, get dinner going, and tidy up.  They went on a couple more explorer walks and bike rides.  The kids LOVED it and apparently were very kind and obedient while gone.  :)

We did a few small outings while Gram was here too.  Nothing big since everything is so expensive now that the kids are three and we have to pay for each of them.  One afternoon we met Clark for lunch near his work which was really fun then headed to a nearby mall.  The mall is awesome (never been there) with attractions like LegoLand and an awesome aquarium but again, $20 per kid just isn't working for me.  So we settled on an awesome train ride around the mall which was probably equally as thrilling as any big name attraction and 1/5 the price.  They pretended they were on the Polar Express.  Furthermore, nearby the train there was a life size alligator who opened his jaws so we could throw pennies inside.  Scary!  To top off the mall trip we had some cinnamon/sugar pretzels on our way out!  Can't beat those mall pretzel places.

On another day we went to a place called KidMania.  It's an indoor jungle gym that is HUGE where both kids and adults can go inside the structure.  Super fun and popular.  It can get a bit overwhelming for the trio though because they could often see us or each other but not know how to get there.  So Gram and I rotated to keep the kids together.  Once they got tired of that that we played in the arcade area for a bit and Zachary could not part from the motorcycle game.  It was a very fun and tiring morning so we all came home and collapsed for a couple of hours!  I think there might have been some heating pads and Tylenol involved too.  :)

Gram's trip would not have been complete without a surprise ice cream trip to McDonalds!  Smiles all around!

I think my kitchen was cooked in more during her visit than the whole previous month!  She started with sugar cookies, then introduced me to a new freezer jam technique (which is AWESOME!), then tried a new roll recipe I had which also turned out awesome.  So why not make cinnamon rolls right?  So she did.  Then she rounded out the week with Anie's caramel popcorn recipe!  So good!  I'm still working off the pounds I put on while she was here.

Other Gram activities included foam sticker sheets, flower necklaces, hair-cutting for all the boys, and reading.  LOTS of reading.  She probably read 50-75 books to the kids.  We even had to make a trip to the library to replenish.  The trio love stories.  Clark has this automatic switch where if he sits down to read or participate in reading time, he's asleep within one minute which leaves me doing all the reading all the time.  He says it's something about my voice that puts him to sleep!  Nice.  So I loved that there was another enthusiastic reading voice in the house.

I'm tired just remembering and writing about how much stuff happened while she was here.  She was apparently pretty tired too because one afternoon she didn't quite make it in the house from the car.  She fell asleep against the house....



Ok that's not what really happened.

She was actually out making stick stacks with the boys.  The sun was nice and the boys came in to eat dinner.  I kept thinking she was out there cleaning up the sticks or talking on the phone.  Next thing I know I am getting a knock on my door from our neighbor informing me that a homeless woman was asleep against our house!  Ha.

Ok that's not what happened either but Clark and I have been laughing ever since because that's probably what our neighbors were thinking!  The way the houses are situated our garage faces the alleyway.  So to see anyone in the alleyway is rare but to see someone asleep in the alleyway is very strange.  So we totally laughed and I snapped a picture to remember. 

Clark wasn't home as much as he would've liked while she was here but I certainly enjoyed her company and conversation.  I even got her watching a little Project Runway!  The kids had SUCH a good time with her.  I love seeing them be so kind and open with their grandparents.  In the past this hasn't been so great but with my mom coming last month and Clark's mom this month, it's been great to watch them finally favor both Grandmas over me once in a while.

Thanks for a fun visit!  Can't wait until next time!

I'll end with this little gem from Leah.  So probably about one year ago when I lived here in crazy town with three two-year-olds who weren't quite good at communicating yet, fought a lot, and were constantly testing their boundaries and independence.  If a situation escalated between the kids, I'd usually follow suit and  be yelling at someone for something.  So I started praying, during family prayer, that Heavenly Father would help me to be patient and calm and to not yell or get frustrated.  I did that for a while and as the kids grew and were able to start praying on their own, they incorporated my prayer into their own.  Now the following phrasing happens in EVERY prayer EVERY day in EVERY situation including primary and primary class (airing all my secrets), "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, please bless that Mama won't yell or scream or get mad or sad..."  Oh geeez. 

Sometimes it's embarrassing that they say it so much and so publicly but on the other hand, I do need the help and extra prayers so I won't object!  I figure that Heavenly Father listens to the prayers of sweet innocent children more than he listens to mine anyway.  :)