Clark's Trip to London and Paris...

Let the Fall Festivities Begin!

Each month when I sit down to write down our family happenings, I always say I'll just do it 'real quick.' Then a few days and a few hours later, I'm finally done. But this month I REALLY am just going to do it real quick.

To kick off the fall, I enrolled the boys in a karate class through the recreation center. I also enrolled Leah in a drawing class. I was super excited about the classes and the kids were anxious to go. A week before classes started, I got a call to inform me that both classes were cancelled because of low enrollment. Sad! Now I had more time to fill for the kids and had no idea what to do. I called around and decided to put the boys in a private karate company called USA Martial Arts. They go three times a week for 30 minutes and have a great time. It's mostly game play but there is a lot expected from the boys like the way they sit, when they talk, taking turns, listening, etc... Caleb is mostly there for the fun but Zachary has really taken to the whole experience and is actually pretty coordinated and VERY good at listening to instruction! Who knew!?  We'll be done at the end of this month.  It's a little pricey for us to keep up, especially with them being so young, but I could see us putting Zachary back in when he gets older. Some days Caleb would say he didn't want to go and I could never figure out why. He usually would say he wanted Dad there. I think the strictness makes him feel uncomfortable sometimes. He always ends up going and having a good time though.

I didn't find a replacement class for Leah but not without lack of trying. I have ended up just making some time each week to teach her new things to draw from a drawing book like ladybugs, butterflies, bees, sunflowers, etc... She's into it but is hard on herself if it doesn't look perfect. She certainly has a knack for drawing and creating.  She tags along to karate with me and enjoys just sitting and watching her brothers. She actually did the beginning trial class and participated in a few activities. Then the instructor put a punching bag on the floor for the kids to balance on and she bolted out of there as fast as she could. Ha! Let's just say she is NOT coordinated added to the fact that she is a perfectionist.  Not a good combo. She can write her whole alphabet perfectly but can barely jump off the curb without hurting herself. So I suppose we'll focus more on the arts with her.

A big reason I started the karate was to really get a handle on Zachary's attitude.  I was reallllllly struggling with him at home and it was taking a toll on me and the other kids.  Right about when they started karate I also starting reading a book about decreasing defiance in children.  It was a ten day program and I implemented all the information I was reading.  I saw results RIGHT AWAY and thought WOW!...this karate thing is really helping.  Now that time has passed I know that my implementation of the book's program is what has made the difference in Zachary's behavior.  I have hardly ANY problems with him anymore.  I know how to handle things better and talk to him in a certain way.  This book has been a huge lifesaver for me and will be my reference book while Zachary grows.

I have found, in my short four years of mothering, that when I have a really difficult struggle to overcome with the kids, it never fails that I am led to a book that has just the information I need to make positive changes in mine and the kids' lives.  I really have felt almost inspired when it comes to finding these books and while I'm reading them I just can't believe I found a book so helpful and pertinent.  Definitely some obvious answers to prayers for me. 

Speaking of books and studying, the trio is doing a little bit of school this fall.  Since I'm doing this post 'real quick,' I'll skip the details of my joy school decision.  Let's just say I vacillated and could never commit to doing it, for whatever reason.  I convinced a friend to do a weekly school morning with me that was very laid back, flexible, and much less time committed.  So once a week we have a little friend come to our house or we go to her house and have school time for an hour or so.  We happened to fall into an alphabet schedule so each week we alternate letters and do activities and crafts around those letters.  It has been fun with no pressure at all.  Usually either one of us moms will sneak away for an hour and then come back while the kids play.  On our first day, I had the kids looks through magazines to cut out pictures that they liked.  Then they stood up and told us about their collage.  Hazel and Caleb were pretty spot on with the pictures describing their personalities.  Leah only did pictures that had two people playing or socializing.  She doesn't do well by herself so those pictures were pretty accurate too I guess.  Zachary's was by far the funniest.  He only chose candy, desserts, and Halloween decorations.  Zachary's personality could be summed up in one holiday:  Halloween.  I suppose his pictures were pretty spot on as well.  Anyway, it was a fun time all around.  Before our school playdate ends, we usually try to get the kids to do a human letter.  It always gives us a good laugh.

We had our first backyard campout this past month which meant we got to bust out our new fall pajamas!  The kids could hardly contain their excitement over the pajamas.  Combined with the campout excitement....there were some pretty hyper kids that night.  We read spooky Halloween books with a flashlight which the kids loved and made them nice and unsettled.  Sure makes for some good dreams right?  :)  It did get pretty chilly that night so Leah and I came in around 1am while the boys toughed it out. 

As previously mentioned, Halloween is in FULL swing around here.  This has totally been the kids' doing.  Like I said, Zachary loves Halloween.  ESPECIALLY skeletons.  He likes it all but skeletons are definitely his thing.  Witches for Leah and pumpkins for Caleb.  It's funny how they all just choose something to attach to.  We've also been checking out Halloween books from the library since mid-September because Zachary inevitably finds that section and can't put his spooky books down.  Whatever!  All three were so obsessed with decorating their bedrooms this year that I finally gave in and went to the dollar store.  They each got six items, plus we made some sticker pages and jack-o-lanterns to add to the spook-factor.  Let's just say that walking down the hall in the middle of the night is a different experience now...a little unsettling.  :)

Don't you just love Leah's welcome mat to her room?  We even went as far as making countdown chains which started with over 40 links.  Ha!  That's what I'm saying, these kids have just been totally into this year.  I admit, it has been fun and I even got some decorations for our living room.

One of the more funny conversations going on since all the Halloween stuff started is the topic of graveyards.  Zachary likes skeletons and sees them in his books in graveyards.  So he asks about graves and who is in them.  Then he has started putting some pieces together and asked me if we will go in the ground too?  I said that our bodies will but our Spirits will be with Heavenly Father and his response was:  "But I don't want to go in the grave alone!".

I tried to explain that our bodies are just for this earth and when our bodies don't work anymore, our Spirits will go to heaven and we will NEVER be alone.  I mean, it's a pretty legit conversation we were having and pretty legit concerns of his.  I don't want to go in the ground alone either.  Maybe I should start checking out the Christmas books instead??!!

Another little memory from Zachary I want to note happened after my sharing time lesson a couple weeks ago.  I taught on the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's and how they buried their weapons of war in the ground.  I even brought all the weapons we own and placed a blanket over them to really drive the point home.  :)  Then I talked about how those people promised God to never fight again.  They were true to their promise and 'perfectly honest.'  When we got home, Zachary and Caleb wanted all their weapons back that I had borrowed.  Caleb immediately assumed the roll of a Lamanite who did NOT bury his weapon and wanted to fight. I wonder if he missed the point of my lesson.  Ha!  When bedtime came I went into Zachary's room to say goodnight and sat on his bed. I felt a bunch of toys underneath me so I lifted the blanket and saw all of Zachary's weapons.  He proceeded to tell me that he came home and buried them.  Oh my goodness, melt my heart. 

I'll end with one of my favorite words from this past month.  Leah has been using the word 'yesternight' pretty regularly which I think is adorable.  I plan not to correct her because it makes me smile every time and I'm starting to wonder why we don't say it too!  Makes complete sense!

Sickness, Projects, Frozen Yogurt, and Four-Year-Olds!

Returning from Idaho was sad.  The trio followed me around expecting me to play with them as their cousins did.  Leah went through some sort of funk not having any girlfriends to play princesses with.  Luckily we had recently purchased a new couch and had five HUGE couch boxes for them to play house with.  This activity went really well for a few days until the boys discovered that the boxes could hold their body weight....  After that it was game over.  The boxes got all bent and weak and then they started ripping them apart.  That was an indication it was time for the boxes to go.  Like I said, Leah missed having some girls around who don't play so rough and tough all the time.  The boxes were fun while they lasted though and helped us with our first few days home!

Another sad aspect about our return from Idaho was that Caleb came down with some illness on the drive home.  He spiked a fever and felt yucky.  Once we returned home and slept in our beds for a couple nights, he seemed to be on the mend.

Boy was I wrong.  His fever came back with a vengeance on Monday (I'll use the days to remember his sickness).  Tuesday morning he woke up with a full-body spotted rash.  With having had a fever several days before (although it had broken), and now having it return accompanied with a rash, I took him to his doctor.  He tested positive for strep and she knew it as soon as she saw his rash.  With his positive strep test and the dark rash, technically was considered to have Scarlet Fever, which he's had before, and he was a pretty classic case.  Nothing too alarming although rashes in general always make me super nervous.   

So we felt good we had taken him in and got him started on antibiotics immediately.  Since Clark had strep throat in Idaho, we weren't surprised with Caleb's diagnosis and knew after 24 hours of antibiotics he'd be feeling a lot better.  Wednesday came, as did Clark's Dad, and Caleb was still in a bad way and the rash was getting worse.  Thursday came and I called the doctor asking what our expectations should be and they said to wait 72 hours before improvement.  I knew he should already be feeling better though and to add to all of that, he had thrown up two nights in a row.

So then Friday came (72 hours after starting antibiotics and four days since the fever came back) and Caleb was probably at his worst.  His rash wasn't just spotted anymore....it had all filled in and covered his entire body at this point--face, hands, and feet included and his feet and hands were swollen and hurting.  His joints were hurting him and he was hardly eating or drinking.  He received his second Priesthood blessing that evening and we went to bed hopeful that his fever would break.

Saturday morning his fever was still present.  Although his rash looked significantly better, I decided to take him in again.  By this point his eyes were incredibly pink and blood shot.  Add that to his long list of symptoms, the biggest being his 5+ days of fever, and he was a classic case for something called Kawasaki's disease.  The doc checked his urine at the office which didn't show anything but wanted us to go to the ER right away to have his blood taken and checked for the markers (if markers were present in the blood, we'd stay for two days to receive immunoglobulin treatment).  We went to the ER as instructed and met with the doctors at the Children's hospital.  They examined him and asked loads of questions.  The ER doc agreed with the Pediatrician's opinion so they ordered a blood draw to confirm and an IV to get some fluids in him.

This was the first time I'd ever been to an Emergency/Urgent Care specifically for kids and it was great.  They had cartoon channels, books to distract, dinosaurs, little kid equipment, etc...  Such a better experience than when I went to the urgent care for Leah's broken arm.  Anyway, we distracted him as much as possible as they drew blood and got an IV set up in his hand.  He was a CHAMP although it wore him out.  Luckily he fell asleep during that time and I watched some sort of shark attack survival show.  In fact I was kind of annoyed when they kept interrupting me because I was really into it.  Three hours later, his blood work came back negative for Kawasaki's.  Relief.  Kawasaki's is an inflammation of the heart and arteries so it's definitely a serious one.  All the while we were waiting for results, Caleb received an IV treatment of fluids and electrolytes.  This treatment, I'm convinced, is what helped him recover.

With a negative blood panel and no answers, they sent more blood for a viral panel and told us to go home to await any news.  I was glad not to be spending the night there although I wished we had some answers.  Once we got back in the car, Caleb said he was starving so I got him some food which he gobbled down (first time in a week).  So that was weird.  Later that day, although still feverish, he seemed significantly better in his energy and spirits.  His IV treatment gave his body the boost it desperately needed to get better.  Now we know he was severely dehydrated and lacking the nutrients to help his immune system fight.  Monday his fever stayed around but was a degree lower and Tuesday his fever was gone.  FFFFFFFIIIIIIINNNNNNALLLLLLLLLYYYY.

His poor little body had gone through the ringer.  It had been a really rough week and weekend but we were so grateful he was feeling better.  I hate to say it but I was grateful Clark's Dad was here during that time because Clark had already taken work off and we had extra hands for helping and entertaining the other two.  Our conclusion was that Caleb had the strep/scarlet fever and during that sickness he became infected with a virus that, because it was a virus, was not reactive to the antibiotics.  So even though his strep bacteria was cured, something else got in and ran it's course.  Double whammy.  But here is the biggest lesson I learned from all of that:  I am always very diligent in following directions on medication bottles.  No combining medications or taking them more often that it says.  The ER staff told me to rotate Tylenol and Motrin every three hours so that the child feels well and will continue to eat/drink to avoid becoming dehydrated.  Caleb was totally depleted and dehydrated and in the future I will make a much more diligent effort when it comes to fevers because I have now seen what a prolonged fever can do!

Since he's been feeling better, he has seriously been eating like a COW!  More than Clark and myself at one sitting.  He just can't get full.  So he's been having no trouble making up for the days of not eating.  Like I mentioned, all the while this was happening, Clark's Dad had flown in to work on some house projects with Clark.  Of course before all the working began, Papa came bearing fun little surprises for the kids.  Cars, socks, cups, nailpolish, etc...  They were super excited.  There were even some Christmas gifts in his suitcases that the trio wanted to open and couldn't understand why they had to wait.  Luckily they got distracted and I hid the gifts in the closet!

Project weekend started out with getting all the tools and saws set up in the garage.  Let me just add in the fact that the whole week Papa was here, it was nearly 100 degrees every day.  So even though they were working out in the shade of the garage, it was stinkin hot out there.  Anyway, they began with replacing all the drawers that Clark's Grandpa had made.  It was amazing to see drawer after drawer go in just perfectly since Grandpa had measured and cut and prepared clear in Oregon without ever seeing where the drawers would go.  That was a whole day project with all the installation of drawer gear, emptying and refilling drawers, and putting the faces back on.  Our original drawers were plastic and horrible to use and open.  These new drawers are sturdy, smooth, and so good looking!  We cannot thank Grandpa enough for taking the time to put those together for us.

Of course the trio got in on the drawer action as Papa instructed them on the rules of using tools.  Zachary was in heaven being able to help with the drilling and stapling.  They were working in pretty tight spaces down in our cabinets so having little bodies to assist was definitely helpful!

I mean, aren't we always wishing for an extra set of hands....well Papa had three extra sets at all times!

Day 2 was a rest and prep day. We ran errands, watched a movie, played with the kids, and prepped our ceiling for the next day of work which was going to be our kitchen lighting. We have very low ceilings throughout our hall and kitchen because the duct work sits low in the attic.  As a result, we've always had this industrial pocket lighting.  Like flat panels you would see in an office building.  So Papa and Clark rewired the electrical (really glad we had Papa's knowledge on that), filled in the sheetrock, measured 20 times, and finally starting putting the bead board and crown moulding up.  Sounds easy right?

Well it was 2 1/2 days of overhead work, cutting, caulking, analyzing, more cutting, and half a dozen more trips to Home Depot.  Good thing HD is around the corner!  We are so happy with the finished product and think that it adds a unique flair to our kitchen plus Clark doesn't feel like such a giant anymore.  They did the lights above the eating area too although not pictured.

Even with all the chaos of Caleb's sickness and home projects, Papa still had time to show Leah how to iron.  She really made me look bad when he got the ironing stuff out and she said, "what is that?"  Ha!  In my defense, I use our standing steamer instead of the iron.  I despise ironing.  So Leah got oriented to the art of ironing through Papa.



Of course Papa couldn't leave without having an early birthday celebration with the trio. Gram had sent him with presents so we all sang to them and they opened their 'bags of pants' and sticker books!



Papa's visit was fast and furious to say the least.  Hopefully the heat didn't totally drain him.  He did mention he never wanted to live in Texas so maybe we need to bring him back during a time of year when he's not sweating at 6am!  Thanks for coming and enduring the heat Papa!

Once Papa left, it was on to birthday preparations.  While in Idaho the trio had their first exposure to Razor scooters.  After just a few rides on them, I knew we needed to get some for their birthday.  On my first look at Craigslist, I found a lady selling 3 for $30!!  I mean....what are the odds?  So I emailed and coordinated with her to get the scooters.  Razors are typically around $35 each so I was thrilled with my find.  We were super excited for their actual birthday to arrive so we could surprise them.

Their birthday fell on a Sunday this year so we woke up early, sang Happy Birthday to them, and busted out the scooters.  They were so excited!  Although early, it was hot and dark outside so they happily rode the scooters around the house for the morning. 

When the time came, we had to tear them away so we could load up the car and head to Michael and Marisol's for a breakfast party!  This was no regular breakfast, this was a birthday breakfast!  We had waffles, vanilla ice cream, sprinkles, whipped cream, and strawberries.  YUMO!!  We even stuck their candles in the ice cream and gave each child their own individual birthday song.  Each child felt incredibly special and couldn't stop smiling during 'their' song.  It's not often they get special individual treatment.  They are usually grouped together for pretty much everything.

After we were filled to the brim with sugar, it was on to presents.  We brought a small gift over in addition to the scooters (puzzle book and punching bags) and of course Michael and Marisol had their own pile of gifts for the kids.  Four year olds are awesome because they literally love everything.  Everything that is considered their own is just over-the-top exciting.  So opening gifts was enjoyable. 

I asked Caleb to give me a huge smile to show his excitement for his Transformer.  This is what I got...

After a bit of coaching, we were able to get the smile thing figured out.  :)

After all the excitement, we headed home to get ready for church.  I was teaching sharing time in Primary for the first time (got released from RS and put in Primary) so I needed time to prepare.  Every Sunday when we get home from church it's usually super crazy and chaotic.  The kids have tons of energy and when bedtime comes around they can't seem to calm down.  So unfortunately it was a pretty normal Sunday evening with no additional birthday festivities (birthday fun would resume the next weekend anyway).  I can't forget that we did face time with a bunch of their cousins who sang to them so that was exciting.  Clark and I were definitely worn out after the day!

This year is the first year we organized, planned, and sent invitations out for a birthday party.  In past years as their birthday approached I would come up with these grand plans for a party; however, I always ended up telling myself that I wasn't going to stress about a party if they didn't even know the difference.  But this year they know.  They have been talking about their 'party' before I even started planning it.  So I felt some pressure to put something together for them. 

One of our family's favorite outings is to go get frozen yogurt.  One night when we were all sitting in the yogurt shop, it dawned on me that we should have their birthday party there!  I talked to the owner (who had never done something like that) and he seemed pleased with the idea...especially because it would be bringing a bunch of business to his store.  I also asked if we could use his flat screen to show a movie while everyone was there.  He agreed so the party's theme ended up as "COME GET FROZEN WITH US!"  All party guests who attended received a free frozen yogurt and the movie Frozen was playing on the big TV during the party.

All the kids loved picking out their yogurt and decorating it with whatever topping they wanted...sprinkles, M&M's, animal crackers, gummy worms, etc...  Basically a bowl of sugar!  Surprisingly, all the parents were pretty modest with their child's helping so we paid a lot less for yogurt than we originally thought.  Because this was the first birthday party we've ever had for the trio, they were enamored by the fact that people were bringing them gifts and could hardly focus otherwise.  Once we opened their presents, in true multiples fashion, they stood guard and protected all their toys.  Caleb carried everything that was his for the last 30 minutes of the party.  He would NOT put it down.  All they wanted to do at the point was go home so they could feel safe again.  :)  I mean, you never know what could happen with a bunch of four-year-olds around.

It was a great time and we were grateful that their little friends could come and celebrate.  We sang to each of them separately and it was just as fun to see them light up during their own song as it was the first time we did it.  The fact is that they are separate people.......

...just born closer together than normal.  Ha!

 Now we will look forward to year five!  I've heard this is a really fun and rewarding year.  That kids tend to be happier and more independent.  I'll see if that's the case.  It seems that every year has gotten harder as the triplets have grown.  I hope we've hit our plateau and can start going downhill from here on out.

Leah is really into asking 'what if' questions right now so I'll end with this gem from Leah. Usually her questions are like 'what if we never wore shoes and only wore tights?'  Or 'what if our car didn't have wheels?'  Or 'what if we never went to sleep?'  It's pretty entertaining to see what she will come up with next.  One night before bed I expected to answer her 'what if' questions but instead she asked, "When will we go to heaven?"

Me: "when we leave this earth."
Leah: "how will we get to heaven?"
Me: "Heavenly Father will get you there."
Leah: "Will I fly or will Heavenly Father use magic?"
Me: "I don't know, I think it'll be a little of both."

Pretty logical question and so dang cute. Got to love their little four-year-old inquiring minds.  I can't believe we have four-year-olds!!