Is it because I am a man?

The last few weeks the kids and I have been going to the Science Center after they get out of their "school." Almost every time at least one person says I am brave to come out alone with the Triplets. I think anyone would get that but this last time I felt a little reverse discrimination.

We were having a great time moving from one exhibit to the next when we came to the magnetic wall. It is a wall that is well, one big magnet. There are a lot of kitchen items for the kids to stick on the wall, sans the sharp or pointy ones:) There were two whisks and William grabbed both of them. Addison instantly wanted them. I asked William to give one to Addison and he did so very graciously. But no, she wanted TWO, TWO, TWO, TWO! She ramped up her fit till she was screaming. No big deal, I live for these times. I knelt down and got face to face with her. I told her that she had one and William had one blah, blah, blah.... She got madder. So I gave her a choice; calm down or time out. Just then a volunteer/employee stopped by to see what the problem was and tried handing her other stuff. I tried explaining quickly what she wanted and why she was not getting it. About ten seconds later another person stopped by asking if she was OK. Finally the third person came and said "I will do time out with you."

Needless to say I wanted to thump each of them in the head for getting in the middle of the situation. I was VERY calm, the boys were right there with us and they were having a good time playing with the wall. I was just talking to Addison and explaining her choices to her. I know everyone who tried to help did so with the best intentions but I wonder.... did they do it because they thought "Daddy" was in over his head? I don't take it personally I just find it funny. I doubt many people interrupt a Mother talking to one of her children that is pitching a fit. I don't have a problem with my kids "showing out" in public, HELLO! THEY ARE TWO AND A HALF, THEY PITCH FITS! Laugh if you want, I do, but don't try to help.

The way I look at it I was just having a "coaching session" with one of my "employees."

The Triplets get a taste of how traveling was different before Minivans:)

A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.
Ludwig Erhard (1897 - 1977)

Al

Jump, jump, jump, jump around

Thomas the Train comes to town!

Our kids like Thomas but we have so far resisted becoming addicts:) So when we saw that Thomas was coming to town we wanted to go but at $16 - $18 per person for a ride it was a bit too spendy for our budget. Luckily we had been to one of these events with Friends when we lived in Dallas we knew that there was a lot more to do at the event. So we headed out after our Saturday afternoon naps, EVERYONE got one!

The kids had a GREAT time. It was at a Railroad Museum so there was also a small steam train for them to ride for $4 each. That we could afford. They still got to see Thomas and say hello and goodbye as he came and went. We all shared some shaved ice, played in the activity tent with the Thomas toys, got balloon animals (free) and petted goats, chickens and bunny rabbits. We could not have asked for a better day. That is until William popped Addison's balloon animal. She was upset but she held it together pretty well for a toddler:)

Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man.
Francis Cardinal Spellman (1889 - 1967)

Al

Not so loud please....

The other day the Triplets got into the CFO's shoes and had a field day. I guess Daddy's "work shoes" (running shoes) aren't as fun as the CFO's. We had open toes, sling backs, mules, heels and flats all over the house. It was so loud that I contemplated getting the ear plugs, seriously. Luckily the CFO is not into expensive shoes so I figured if there was any collateral damage that it wouldn't be to costly. I did get some VERY nice pictures to taunt Jackson with later on in life.

William's expression says it all.

Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better.
Anonymous

Al

The Triplets are so helpful

The Triplets have really started playing together lately and most of the time they play well together. I noticed something the other day so cute I couldn't tear myself away to get the camera. This time I did.

They LOVE helping each other on with their shoes!

Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.
Robert Orben

Al

Tag, Addison.... you're it.

It is all my fault, really it is. I was just thinking that it is nice that William was the only one of the Triplets that got sick. So I then went upstairs to find Addison in the epicenter of a ginormous puke blast. My first reaction was to make sure she was breathing and alive. I still have fears ala rock stars choking to death. But I have to remind myself that the kids aren't that hard rocking:) Yep, she was alive. I should have grabbed the camera but my next thought was to assess the damage and clean everything up ASAP. I woke Addison up fearing the worst but somehow she had VERY little on her or in her hair. I REALLY wish I had a camera in their room! Based on the collateral damage to the floor, bed, bottom of the pillow, crib, blanket, bed skirt, wall and floor on the opposite side of the bed it is AMAZING that she was not covered in it.

The CFO bathed Addison (she was at least courteous enough to only do this sort of thing on bath day) and I tackled the bio hazard in their bedroom. Of course the two boys were right there the ENTIRE TIME saying things like "big mess, mess on the wall, mess on the floor, mess on the crib, Addison sick, where is the pink" (Addison's sheets) and other things that made me feel like they were critiquing my cleaning.

Funny how the kids puke once or twice and they are fine. With adults it feels like a Mack Truck runs over you, backs up, then does a burn out on your... well, you get the image:)

Addison looking MUCH cuter than she did in the morning.

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

Al

Yes, I am having another piece of pizza... You Gotta Problem With That?