The Biebs is in Town!

Oh yes. The Biebs. Just as good as I imagined. His concert did not disappoint. Although I still wish I had front row seats where I could've snagged his leather jacket when he took it off. That sadly was not the case but I was not disappointed at all with our seats. We had a great view and at one point were maybe 40 feet away from the JB. What more could two girls ask for?

Of course we got there early enough to take some pictures. Much to my dismay I was wearing the same shirt as 5000 other concert goers. Luckily I got mine at Kohls for less than half the cost than what they were selling for at the arena. We would've never made it through that line to purchase anyway!

 It was a crazy, energetic night and I was convinced my hearing was impaired permanently after the concert was over. We had a great time though and I think both Mubeen and I were so glad to be out doing something completely and utterly for ourselves. Although Clark would never admit it, I think he would've had a good time. However, in his absence I avoided his mocking and laughter. He would've died when JB entered the arena strapped to wings made of instruments. Quite the entrance and I admit it was over the top but it added to the experience. Clark would not have understood.  He's not a true Belieber.  I was sure glad Mubeen was there!

Next time JB is in town, you better BELIEVE I'm going again.  :)

Halloween 2012

No trick-or-treating or costumes this year.  Just a fall festival at our church and some tye-dye shirts to round out the holiday.  We talked a lot about Halloween and what it means but it seemed to go in three ears and out the other three.  We're looking forward to next year when we can really start to play into this whole triplet theme.

For now though, we'll be happy with putting pennies in our pumpkins at home and wearing 'comfy shirts' (that's what the kids call them) from Gram Rox.

Happy Halloween!

The Beginning of the Season...

It's that time of year! Spice cake, cooler weather, holiday decorations, and pumpkins. We love love love it all. We're always looking for more and better ways to make our house feel more cozy and holiday-ish. I got our limited amount of Halloween decorations out a couple weeks ago and knew we needed some pumpkins to go along with it all. So that weekend we headed back to the same Big Orange Pumpkin Farm we went to last year and enjoyed.

 Only thing was we happened to go on the coldest weekend of the year so far so we definitely got the 'cooler weather' experience. It was only 50 degrees but since we've been dealing with intense heat since June, 50 degrees seemed like a wintry Idaho day. :) We got there right when the farm opened and headed straight to feed the goats. I receive ZERO enjoyment from this activity and think that goats are psychotic. One kept head-butting the fence so he could get more food. Zachary LOVED it. He was all about the goats...feeding them all he had and having some nice conversations with them. Leah was apprehensive until you got down with her. Caleb...no go. Not interested in any psychotic goats. So we held hands and stayed a good distance back.

 Next we headed over for our hay ride. We were pulled by a tractor and the boys were in heaven being so close to an actual tractor. Something we've only seen in books thus far. We sat on the hay, cuddled close to stay warm, and enjoyed the five minute ride. We then walked through a fun maze that the kids couldn't do last year because they were still crawling. Zachary got a little panicked at one point because he could see Clark but couldn't get to him. He resorted to just crawling under the sides of the maze and getting out that way!

 Last but not least, picking a pumpkin. The kids each chose a pumpkin (meaning they lost interest and we chose for them), we took some pictures which were terrible, and called it a day.  All the kids were super cold but Caleb had had enough by the time we got around to pictures.  He kept sucking on his hands, wouldn't engage in what we were doing, and would go limp if you tried to pull him to do something.  He didn't return to his happy self until we were in the warm car drinking some milk on the way home.

 To make up for our cold morning outside, although very fun, I helped Leah make her first lasagna and we had a steaming hot family dinner to finish the day. Leah's lasagna was pretty tasty! I tried to get her to tell me her secret but she just kept saying 'spicy, spicy,' so I'm still not quite sure.  The day at the farm was a great start to our fall, holiday season. Just counting down the days to November 1st when we can set up our Christmas tree! :)

Grandma and Gramps...

I mentioned in my earlier post that my parents came to visit on the triplet's birthday.  They stayed for a week and as ALWAYS, it flew by!  We had a jam-packed week, which had all been mapped out on the white board, and enjoyed every day hanging out together. 

When my parents arrived at our house, they got out of the car and had a CAFE RIO bag in their hands!!  The Salt Lake airport now has a Cafe Rio so they got a salad to go, put it on ice, and flew it halfway across the country.  Seriously.  The miles did not dampen the taste or my enjoyment of the salad.  Oh man it was delicious.  Now they've set a precedent though and will be required to have a salad in hand every time they come visit.   :)

The next day Grandma and Gramps (or so the kids named him) were able to be part of all the birthday festivities.  Even the unveiling of the bounce house.  Unfortunately because we live far apart, our kids were a little unsure of our new house visitors even though we'd been talking about their arrival and studying their photo.  However, two year olds are great in that all it takes is sitting down and playing for them to warm up.

One of the activities on our white board was for Leah to do some cooking with Grandma.  Leah is OBSESSED with helping in the kitchen and cries and cries when she can't be up at counter-level seeing what is happening.  Typically that wouldn't be a problem except we have only one step stool so anytime it's out, there is pushing and screaming among the three but Leah is really the only one that cares.  So as expected, when Leah and Grandma got to cooking, the boys wanted to be involved...apron and all.  Luckily we always have diaper boxes hanging around so they used those as stools.  They were all GREAT helpers!

Beside hanging out at the house and running normals errands here and there throughout the week, we also did a few big activities.  One of which was going to a Texas Rangers game!  The kids didn't attend so we just enjoyed the nice weather and fun atmosphere.  That was my first time at Rangers stadium and it is definitely something to behold.  Very cool.  Another fun activity we ALL did was the zoo!  We did the zoo last year for the trio's birthday but this year was MUCH more fun.  They knew all the animals, could get out of the wagon and get closer looks, and had a great time in the Children's Zoo wading stream. 

Of course we had to go out to eat some Texas brisket while my parents were here.  This was the trio's first BBQ exposure and they seemed pretty satisfied!  It was definitely a tasty dinner all around!

On the last morning my parents were here, Clark happened to be signed up for a sprint triathalon.  We originally weren't going to go but ended up changing our minds so my parents could say goodbye.  Plus it was such a beautiful morning we just had to be outside to enjoy it!  The triathalon was held at a fitness ranch and we camped out right at the finish line.  We made it there about ten minutes before Clark finished so it was perfect timing.

High fives all around!  Clark was disappointed with his time compared to his last triathalon but we were proud of him nonetheless!  I can't wait until the kids are old enough to do these with him so he won't pressure me anymore.  ;)

Before Grandma and Gramps left, we had to take advantage of some free photographers.  We took about 50 pictures at this nearby park but I only ended up liking one of them.  This one...

Maybe because none of us are looking at the camera so I have nothing to be critical about.  The jury is still out on the rest of the pictures.

We had a GREAT time with my parents and they were so helpful with the kids, the house, and making sure we were in good shape before they left.  The week was so great and we sure miss having them around.  Until next time!!

This is How We Celebrate...

The trio's birthday this year was on a Friday so we decided to postpone and celebrate the next day.  It was a good decision too because Saturday was our first 'fall' day and was BEAUTIFUL.  Friday was 105 degrees.  Yuck.  My parents flew in Friday night so Saturday morning we began our birthday festivities!

The boys played with new trains, tracks, and a Thomas fort from their California grandparents.  If I didn't know any better I would think Zachary and Caleb were actually playing peacefully within a foot of one another!  Henry, Gordon, and Diesel have been welcomed happily into our home.  :)

Of course Leah couldn't go without a friend.  'Baby Doll'  was instantly welcomed as well and fed a delicious lunch of plastic food.  Leah just chatted away with Baby Doll and enjoyed having a girlfriend around.

My parents didn't waste any time after arriving and immediately presented the kids with magnadoodle books!  This seemed to be the solve-all for getting the kids to color/draw without having to deal with the fights over crayons and colored pencils.  They have been deemed our special Sunday toys and entertained the kids for over 30 minutes the next day at church as well as the following Sunday too.  Perfect!

We also busted out a block train that was intended as a Christmas present last year from some friends but was a bit to old for them to play with.  They would've just sucked on the blocks.  So it was great to be able to pull it out from under our bed with no hassle, shopping, or running around!  

Last but not least, the triple-sized present I promised.  Clark and I have been toying with the idea of getting a tramp.  I have great memories growing up jumping on the tramp, having sleepovers, and spending hours out there imagining up the craziest things.  However, we know we have a unique situation with three kids all the same age so we decided the tramp should probably wait until later when they are more coordinated and can understand taking turns a little better.  We still liked the idea of an outside toy that wasn't necessarily a swing set.  That's when we were introduced to the world of bounce houses.  Who knew they weren't just for renting!  I hurried over to craigslist, found an awesome house for a little over $100 (originally close to $350), and bought it immediately.  Considering we didn't get the kids anything for the birthday last year and threw out the party idea this year, we felt ok spending money on something that would be useful for the next couple years and burn energy for the kids that I could never attempt to.

So here it is in all it's glory...

The kids jumped on it for a grand total of three hours the first day!  THREE HOURS!  It was amazing.  They were exhausted and I sat in a lawn chair the whole time.  :)  The excitement when they ran outside and saw it for the first time was priceless.  All caught on camera.  We enjoyed the morning outside in the cool weather while watching the kids bounce away.  It was GREAT.

Of course we had to do a little song with birthday candles.  They each got a giant rice krispie with their letter and don't worry, we did the 'Z' correct this year!  Their friend Addison dropped by to be part of the celebration and get her fair share of rice krispies too!

Then later that day they had a second celebration with a couple of our friends who brought over a special cake and present.  Seriously, so thoughtful.  So we sang again and dipped our fingers in frosting.  Notice how Clark was right up in there....if there is cake around, Clark is bound to be near. 

Their birthday was perfect.  Family in town, close friends around, cool weather, and new gifts for this next year (more sanity for me as a result).  Birthday #2, although completely different than what I originally planned a few months ago, was just right for our three two-year-olds!