Three Little Pigs

This post is all about the Three Little Pigs. Most all of our activities this week including dressing up in our Halloween costumes. Fortunately the kids LOVE their Three Little Pigs costumes, even the "hat" which toddlers oftentimes refuse to wear. When I put the outfit on them, they immediately start asking to wear the hat. And all month long when you ask them what they are going to be for Halloween they reply with "piggeeee!" emphatically.

We first broke out their costumes at music class followed by gym class a few days later.

Next up was our stroller workout class (first picture below) followed by a parade around the mall with my multiples group. There were several dozen sets of twins and triplets decked out in all kinds of adorable and creative costumes.

Only a handful of the multiples made it in this picture. Thankfully, the hot pink costumes are easy to spot because with all of these activities, I had lots of piggies on the run!

Today I made the kids a special Halloween breakfast. They got to eat a caterpillar (banana with peanut butter), ant bed with ants (oatmeal and raisins) and sticks (thinly cut cinnamon raisin bread). The kids loved it and Payson was more interested in playing with it than eating it!

I had some adorable Halloween bags custom made for the kids and they got to open their bags full of goodies after breakfast (it was like having Halloween stockings!).

Our playgroup had a Halloween party and the kids, once again, loved wearing their costumes and did so for several hours without complaint.

 We intended to photograph only the kids but it didn't take long for us to realize that the moms needed to jump in to stabilize the active crew.

 Payson playing peek-a-boo in his house made out of sticks.

 Daddy, who was the Big Bad Wolf in theory, though never outfitted in actuality, playing with the pigs outside.

Loaded and ready to go in their muddy wagon.

And we're off! Pops and Nunie joined us for the triplets' first Trick or Treat experience!

Hayden, Madison and Payson did a great job Trick or Treating at their very first house! Hayden was spooked right off the bat by some teenage boys dressed with Scream masks, so she preferred to ride in the wagon (and eat candy!) for the first batch of houses while Payson and Madison collected candy for her. And at house number two they got to knock on the door, and when the lady opened it Payson walked right in! And why not? That's usually what you do when you go to a front door!

Mommy, with Madison, out from behind the camera for once!

After returning home, the piggies played in the front yard and helped Mommy hand out candy.

Payson is our big helper right now, and he was so proud and desperate to help Mommy hand out the candy. We sat on the steps and alternated dropping candy into Halloween buckets and bags. The two of us were a great team and could have gone on for hours but eventually Daddy killed the lights and we headed inside for much-needed baths and sleep.

Pumpkins... Again!

The day before we went to the fair, we joined our multiples group for yet another round of pumpkin patch fun. We have visited quite a few patches this year but who's counting?! Okay, so we've been to three, but that doesn't count the half dozen pumpkin patch invitations I've declined!

Bounce houses are always a hit, especially when the kids have it all to themselves with parents and grandparents on the other side of the net giving them all of the attention they could possibly desire.

Payson loved his first donut. It was so big compared to him and was practically half the size of his face!

Hayden went after her donut as well. Kids do not have to be taught what tastes good!

Madison does this funny thing where she holds the last bite of food in her hand for easily 15 minutes. Months ago this would always lead to a meltdown, but now we eventually tell her to eat her last bite and she does without protest.

Pops and Nunie joined us for the fun. It sure was chilly! Down in Texas we don't need to buy coats for the kids until late October so this day caught us by surprise.

Hayden, Payson and Madison are finally at a stage where they play with the Play-Doh more than they attempt to eat it. This was their first time to really play with it, and it kept them entertained for nearly half an hour! Of course, I was hard at work shaping dogs and cars at their behest, so it wasn't like I got to kick back and relax.

Payson is such a good boy these days. He doesn't try to put Play-Doh in his mouth or eat the crayons like his sisters. He is always the one to run to get something when I ask or to help clean up. He also spends the least amount of time in timeout. The girls are really testing their mommy these days, so it's nice to have my easy-going Buddy on my side.

Recently, we went on a fire station tour. The kids are still a little young to fully appreciate it and they were a bit timid. Madison stepped out as my brave child and agreed to check out the inside of the fire truck all by herself.

They got a kick out of their new fireman hats on the way home and Hayden was in full silly mode. She kept putting the fire dog sticker over her mouth and giggling at herself.

My mom's mother, brother and sister-in-law visited us last week, which was a treat for all of us. We were so glad the triplets finally got to meet them!

We had dinner at my brother's house and the kids had a blast sitting with their cousins, Addison and Avery, at the kids table. And thanks to our booster seats, Keith and I were able to sit down and eat part of the time as well! I am a huge fan of buckles and will be sad the day they learn to undo them!

The kids were excited for the big game this weekend despite the team's injuries and a tough start to the season. No fair weather fans here!

Play the video below to see our little cheerleaders-in-training cheer on their Sooners!

That evening we decided to go for a picnic down by our neighborhood lakes.

I brought along a loaf of bread so the kids could feed the ducks, which they love to do. They got a little too close to the edge a few times. I was a worried that if one fell in, he or she would be scared to feed the ducks or go near the water for years to come. So, I kept grabbing onto their hoods when they got too close to ensure that they stayed dry!

At one point, a goose was about to take a bite of bread right out of Madison's hand so I called her name quickly and loudly to get her to step back. I was trying to keep her from getting scared, or bitten, but that didn't work because my tone scared her as you can clearly see by her expression.

It took her a few minutes to calm down, but she was back to feeding the ducks in no time.

Below are the links to my last two Dallas Morning News Moms Blog posts:

Jessica and OPRAH at the Fair!

Jessica: Multiple moms get multiple questions

Oprah and the State Fair of Texas

We had no idea what to expect for our visit with the triplets to the State Fair of Texas. Here are Keith and the kids in front of the famous ferris wheel as we arrived before the crowds. We knew it would be an unpredictable and memorable experience, but we had no idea that our visit would include talking to Oprah!

After a full morning of fair fun (more on that below), someone told us that Oprah was going to be playing a water gun game at a nearby game stand. Of course, we had to check it out. Sure enough, there were half a dozen Harpo staff members lingering nearby. After several hours of waiting (yes, WITH the babies!), Oprah finally arrived. Check out the crowd!

Eventually a flurry of activity began and Keith and I were asked to participate in the game with Oprah. We, of course, said "yes" and explained that we had to be in separate rounds as one of us had to stay with the babies. Keith is in the red at seat #1 waiting to challenge Oprah.

We had been waiting the longest along with a few others, so we had front row seats behind the barricades. The kids did awesome hanging out in and around the stroller for the first few hours, but then they started to express their desire to go home and sleep! A large pretzel bought us some time but not as much as we needed.

Oprah and her Friday Live team - Nate, Ali and BFF Gayle - sat 5 or 6 seats down from Keith.

Here's a better shot of Nate for you Nate fans. They played three rounds and Keith won two of them! No prizes, just fun. I love a man who is good with a water gun.

On her way to the make-shift stage (her team spent the better half of two hours building stairs out of random wood crates and old metal steps before her arrival), she stop right in front of me to sign an autograph. She then looked at the babies and told me several times, "Oh, they are so cute!" Wish I could have captured it on video but it's rude, of course, to film someone when you're talking to them. The before and after pictures and video will have to do.

Oprah announced that she would be calling (aka announcing) the next game and that the prize was much larger than winning a teddy bear! Keith came in a close second and almost won us a trip to Vegas with hotel and Cirque du Soleil tickets included but the prize instead went to someone much more likely to have the time and ability to take such a trip!

I participated in the second round and didn't come home with a big prize either. Such losers!

Here is Oprah in her cowboy hat and boots. What a fun surprise this was! The kids (and Keith) were such troopers and I was amazed at how well they did during the long wait.

Watch the video below for a few clips of Oprah and her Friday Live team. That's poor Hayden in the background with the cry that sounds like an infant.

And now to the fair part of the fair!

Here is Madison being measured for the rides. She came in at 32 inches with her shoes on, just enough to be approved to ride the kiddie rides with a 30 inch requirement.

Pops and Nunie treated their grandkids to their first Funnel Cake - a State Fair of Texas tradition and the first food vendor you see when you walk in the gates!

Here is Hayden giving Pops a look of appreciation as he helps her eat the sweet treat. Nunie even fed the kids powdered sugar chunks when the Funnel Cake was all gone. Grandparents are too funny when it comes to spoiling their grandkids!

Pops held Payson for his first ferris wheel ride. The kids did great despite its 212-foot height!

Pops and Nunie treated the kids to their first fair game: "fishing" for ducks!

I love this picture of Keith and Payson on the safari train ride. It was relatively fast for them and they still liked it!

We ran into our good friends Robin and Andy several times and got a picture of sweet Charlotte with the kids. Love that girl!

Hayden thanks Nunie for her froggie! Payson and Madison would later be treated with a stuffed dog and bear.

Here are Pops and I eating a fried Honey Bun and fried Snickers. Naughty!

The kids loved the marionette show, especially Hayden. She and Payson sat perfectly still for the entire 20 minute show! And the girls were brave enough to get close to the closing act puppet for a memorable picture.

Surprise, surprise, Hayden loved the dog show! Madison slept in Keith's arms and Payson watched a dog trick or two in between stuffing his face with fair food. On the menu between the seven of us was a funnel cake, five corn dogs, two sausages on sticks, a turkey leg, a bag cotton candy, a pretzel, three soft serve ice cream cones, a fried Honey Bun, and a fried Snickers bar. Wow, we won't have to eat for a week!

Keith and I had so much fun as did the kids and the grandparents. I think Keith finally understands why the State Fair of Texas is a tradition you can't resist!