No good deed goes unpunished...

I always say in our house that no good deed goes unpunished. If you have or have had toddlers you know what I mean:) So for all the CFO's hard work while I was sick she received..... yep, the same! She got sick around midnight Sunday night. Weird that this bug seems to hit everyone around the same time of day...

Being that she is a Woman she is tougher than me:) So when I took the kids to the YMCA she decided to head to work. I warned her of relapses that I had but she really didn't want to burn a day off just for being sick. I totally understand. When I worked "outside the home" (writing or saying that still makes me laugh) I rarely stayed home sick. I figured why waste a perfectly good day off being sick, might as well get some work done. See, most companies I worked for have wised up and give people days off they can use for whatever; sick, vacation, personal day, etc... I mean why should the healthy/well people have to work all the time while the sick get to lolly gag around:) I should point out that was VERY sarcastic as we have several friends with Lupus/other chronic diseases requiring them to miss work and I know they would much rather be at work. So I called the CFO on my way home from the YMCA and she had just gotten to work. She then called when I got home (a five minute trip) to say she was headed home. Yep, she is bad again. On the bright side the REALLY BAD part only lasts 36 hours and she should be back to normal by Thursday or so:)

I got some good nap time in with the kids while I was not feeling well.

Fish is the only food that is considered spoiled once it smells like what it is.
P. J. O'Rourke (1947 - )

Al

The CFO steps up and hits a home run!

Let's just say that the 36 hours after 12am Friday morning were the second worst in my adult life. The worst on record was last year when we were in Dallas and I had a 103 temp. That time the CFO had just had her wisdom teeth out so we rotated between who slept and who monitored the kids. I say monitored because we both felt so bad we just wanted to be sure they survived:)

This time the CFO took the day off work and took over my job while I got to lounge in bed. I use the word "lounge" in the way that you lounge between... well, let's just say that my stomach seemed to have led a revolt and it became the center of the battle with cassualties on both sides (ends). The CFO even took the kids to the YMCA just like Daddy does! They even tucked me into bed at 6pm Friday night. After dinner they went out to Target to buy birthday gifts for a party we were invited to Saturday. One of the Target Team Members that knows us there asked were Daddy was and William said "Daddy's sick." SO CUTE!

William on his first "car date" :)

Here's a tip to avoid death by celebrity: First off, get a life. They can't touch you if you're out doing something interesting.
Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine, Ask a Ninja, Question 55, 10-03-07

Al

The Triplets like to scare Daddy

The CFO and I LOVE Zombie movies but I do not like boo-scary movies. I guess you could say I like horror but not scary movies. After we put the Triplets to bed at night the boys usually have to be "encouraged" to stay in bed. Sometimes once is enough, sometimes not. They can be as quiet as a mouse peeing on cotton or they can be quite loud. Both are scary.

If they are quiet you will just turn a corner and there will be a toddler staring at you. It brings back images of Children of the Corn. Other times you will hear them coming.... thump thump.... thump thump.... thump thump.... VERY Zombie like. Either way it keeps me on my toes.

The kids watching Wonder Pets on the computer, remember - no cable:)

For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three.
Alice Kahn

Al

The Toddler alarm clock... don't hit snooze too much

We have stopped setting our alarms because we are always wake up when one or more of our Triplets come downstairs to our room. We usually talk them into going back to sleep for a bit. Usually their snooze alarm goes off by kicking us. But yesterday morning William make sure we were up by puking in our bed. We reacted with fine precision.... The CFO grabbed William and I became the Hazmat Team. He seemed fine after that so we proceeded as normal. Unfortunately his breakfast was also refunded. Oh well, a PJ day it is:)

William wanted something a bit bigger than the Twin's Barbie Mustang:) Kate catching bubbles on her Birthday.

Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.
Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004)

Al

REAL Boys wear teal and drive pink:)

Toddler time....

Maybe I am on to something with this whole "relative time" thing. But then again this is most probably one of my backwards way of thinking deals. To explain how my thinking is different let me give you an example that the CFO uses on a regular basis to explain how I am different. If you have read this previously I apologize.

If there is a stack of books on a table and someone asks you to hand you the first book which one would you grab?

• 99% of people would grab the one on top.
• I would grab the one on the bottom. My reasoning is that it is the first book in the stack. Call me crazy but that is how floors in buildings are numbered:)

I have found a huge inverse relationship within my "relative time" theory. I call it Toddler Time. You know, the time it takes a Toddler to respond to a request. I find myself counting to ten a lot in my head before I see a response. Not sure if the delay is willful or if their little heads are bombarded with so much information at any given time that it takes them a little longer to filter everything out. But I know one thing for sure. If you want to send a Toddler into a extremity flailing fit ask them to do something then don't give them long enough to do it before you step in. Talk about the wheels coming off:)

We went to the Zoo with some friends last week. Our first shot at pig-tails on Addison, or any of the other Triplets for that matter.

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.
Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

Al

Back to life...

Back to reality... We had a GREAT spring break last week! It culminated with our twin Nieces' third birthday party on Saturday. I feel like the kids are growing older much faster than I am. Not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing. But I have always said everything is relative to your age. That is why summers or school seemed to go on FOREVER when we were younger. See, when you are ten a three month summer is 1/12 of your life. But when you are oh, say 38 that same three month summer is only 1/152 of your life, if I am doing my math right. Not sure that I am but you get the picture.

The point to all of this... enjoy today, tomorrow, and the next day. Next year they those same dates on the calendar will be worth less due to depreciation:)

We all did a little (VERY little) yard work.

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

Al

The Triplets' first trip to the Dentist

Let me just say that it could not have gone better! The CFO and I were so proud and we thank God for giving us such great kids. Little did we know that the paperwork was more than you need to get into most Universities. Yep, you guessed it... they needed the same paperwork for each kid. Oh well, in the grand scheme of things it was not bad. But my hands hurt, no really, they did/do! It was a flash back to finals in High School and College. I once wrote eleven legal pages in one final. I am such a wimp now:)

Our Dentist ROCKS and everyone there was GREAT!

This only is denied to God: the power to undo the past.

Agathon (448 BC - 400 BC), from Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

Al

Let's play together

The Triplets are really starting to play together. No, really, they are. OK, well, in between the pinching, pushing, whining and crying they actually play together:) It is REALLY cute but it makes the times they fight all the more frustrating because I know they can play well together. Now I know why my parents use to get so mad when they knew I could do better but chose not to. Believe me, I chose not to A LOT:)

The Learning Tower can be fun in more ways than one:)

Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?

George Carlin (1937 - 2008)

Al

You missed a spot

Spring Break!!!!

Man, I remember when those words had a different meaning.... The CFO is taking the week off but the Triplets are trying to make her change her mind:) Since Friday they have been VERY cranky and whiny. Part of it is that they have been fighting a bug or two during this time and they all have a cough that a life long smoker would wear as a badge of honor. You know the kind.... the ones they MUST have a cigarette after:) Hey, I use to smoke so I know I live in a glass house but I still like throwing pebbles:)

The best job security for me came yesterday. We have started taking our Triumpherent to McDonalds after story time at the Library. The one we go to has an indoor play area with slides. The kids LOVE it. Well, they all use to love it but William bit off more than he could chew. The last time we were there he tried going down the BIG slide and decided halfway down that it was not such a good idea. Something about the angle of decent combined with the gravitational pull on a 29 lb boy relative to the direction the earth spins on it's axis or something. He tried to explain but he lost me at WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! That time I had to climb through the germ filled giant gerbil/hamster maze to find and rescue him. Good thing I am a little skinny guy:) This time we had a talk before he headed in.... you know the talk... the tough love talk. You killed it, you eat it Tarzan.

You guessed it, he headed right back up to the big slide but this time he just sat at the top crying as other kids zipped by him, including Jackson. Addison knows her limits. Keep in mind that the McDonalds play place is mostly opaque where you can rarely view the children. The only way we knew where he was is because of the cries coming down the tube slide and from interrogating other kids that came out the BIG slide. The CFO did the interrogating. She is MUCH better at it than me. She actually had an ex-military guy she questioned at work about some ethics issues say that she made him more nervous than anyone he had delt with in the military. This time we waited for our friends who were meeting us there with their older kids to arrive. Then we told their son he was on our HRT and his target was William. He quickly came down the slide with William.

Unfortunately for the CFO William had already worked himself into a tizzy and promptly made us both ask "what did he eat that is red?" You guessed it, he puked. Of course being nice he waited until the CFO was holding him:) That's my boy! But after a few chicken nuggets and fries he was back at it. No, he never did go down the slide but he learned how to climb all the way back down.

Another "I do it...." Breathing treatments.

Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do.
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 - 1980), Nausea (1938) "Vendredi"

Al

How to get a life with Triplets....

The CFO and I often talk about how hard it is to have friends, much less do anything with them. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost is the Triplets:) Not blaming them but it is a bit harder making and keeping friends when you actually like spending time with your kids, which we do. If we did not like and/or want to spend time with our kids then it would be easy to have friends. But alas, we once again take the road less traveled. The solution.... find other people as crazy as we are!

At the risk of sounding weird.... we had a "sleep over" this weekend. Usually sleep overs are just for the kids. This one was more for the four adults to have dinner, fellowship and watch last week's episode of 24. We are all hooked! Sure the five kids (our three and their two) had a great time but that was just a side benefit:) It is great because we all have similar parenting beliefs and styles so we can discipline each other's kids, not to mention we saved money hanging out this way; no babysitters, no restaurants, no movie theaters, etc... So what if some people think it is a little kooky. Did I mention that I am a stay at home Dad, kooky is what we do:)

The kids are really enjoying their "milkshakes." (milk, fruit and ice)

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)

Al

I do it, I do it.....

OK, we are there.... you know, the time in kid's lives when they want to start doing EVERYTHING themselves. At first it is cute, then it is frustrating, then you accept it and make accommodations. This includes almost everything.... going potty (we are starting down that road), taking clothes off, putting clothes on, diapers, shoes, socks, setting the table, bathing, etc...

So now I need to allow more time for anything we do. Good thing I am a work-a-holic and this is my job:)

The kids have a great fun playing outside now that the weather is getting warmer... I see more bath days per week in my future:) If you look close you can see the dirt on their faces.

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.

Patrick Young

Al

I have figured it out....

You know how just when you have something wired, I mean you really are firing on all cylinders that is when it hits the fan only to blow right back in your face? Yep, it is exactly like that with the Triplets. While I still think they are better organized than the Teamsters were under Hoffa, I am beginning to realize that there is something bigger going on. It is pride.... my pride. I have noticed that whenever I feel that I do this (raising kids) better than someone else the Triplets (God) remind(s) me that humility is the best tool in a parent's arsenal. Well, that and a stick-to-it-tiveness that will enable you to stick to your guns. Unfortunately if you so much as even think you are humble, then by definition you are not. How is that for an unattainable SMART goal - be humble.

There is not much better in this world than blowing bubbles for kids....

It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.

Saint Augustine

Al

More is better!

Just our luck

Our friend/previous Nanny, Miss Kelly visited us this past weekend. We had a very busy and GREAT weekend! We went to the Zoo Saturday and Miss Kelly sponsored (paid for) all of us to ride the train at the Zoo. No small feat considering lunch was $30 and I didn't even order anything for myself:)



So we get all loaded on the train, everyone is excited and then..... there was a delay. An ambulance had been called for someone who fainted in the park. Needless to say the path the ambulance needed to take crossed the railroad tracks so the train could not move until the ambulance had left the park. But "luck favors the prepared darling" (Edna from The Incredibles), so we had snacks and sang songs to pass the time and we had no meltdowns!

Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power.
Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)




Al

Yes, I do own and sometimes wear pants

As many of you noticed in our snow day pictures I do sometimes wear long pants......

Church on Sunday - long pants
Weddings - long pants
Funerals - long pants
Special "date" nights with the CFO - long pants
When the high temp for the day is below 30 degrees - long pants
Working with power tools - long pants

All other times I will be wearing shorts. I have gotten a lot of funny looks and comments since doing this. I started my "shorts revolution" here in Alabama. The best I have heard is from the day out program the kids go to. Most Moms say that since we are on one income I can only afford half of my pants:) But come to think of it I have been doing this since High School.

The only real downside I have noticed is that the Triplets like hanging on to my legs at times. Not a problem until they put their hands up my legs:0 I may need to start rethinking my preferred choice of undergarments - boxers. Now I know how women in skirts/dresses feel when their kids do it to them - NOT COOL:)

BTW - have you all used SKYPE? This ROCKS! You get FREE video web calls to anyone in the SKYPE directory. My Dad turned me onto it and the kids LOVE talking to their G-Daddy on the Computer. Now if I can find a way to keep their drool and greasy/germy little fingers off the laptop:)

Happy Sunday, may the force be not against you:)

Al

This may sound crazy.....

I have a friend that I met through my blog who just had a set of GGG Triplets! I have to tell you... I am a bit envious of him. Not having all girls but rather just starting the journey. I still remember those days. It seemed like you were on the Autobahn of life going 200 mph+ with a lot of blind turns. I also liked the laser focus we had on the kids. No TV shows, no work, nothing but them.



Don't get me wrong, I love where we are in life and I am VERY excited to see what is around the next bend but..... well, I guess it is like the first time you do anything.... MAN, it is COOL!

Random pictures from our snow day and my internal dialog about them....

Man, William sure did throw a big snow ball to Daddy, he has some follow through!

Daddy sure is mad about something. I wasn't but it looks like I was.

Our new band "The Trips" and their new album cover "Kicking Snow"

Part of being sane, is being a little bit crazy.
Janet Long


Al

Brain freeze.....

I usually try to feed the kids healthy stuff. I add spinach and white bean puree to their mac and cheese. I make pizzas, pancakes, and waffles from scratch. So when they get a "treat" it is usually something most kids would scoff at as a treat. The CFO gave them their first smoothie and they loved it! We keep it simple; milk, ice and fruit.

They are learning the hard way not to drink it too fast. They say their heads hurt:)

Your true value depends entirely on what you are compared with.
Bob Wells

Al