Fall Fun!

Fall is such a fun time to get outside. It's especially nice when it's still warm enough to wear short sleeves and feel the sun's warm rays on your face. This week we joined some friends from my neighborhood playgroup at the arboretum to enjoy "Mommy & Me" day and the Great Pumpkin Festival.

Here is Payson giving his best effort to pick up a large pumpkin.


Hayden successfully handles a pumpkin of just the right size.

After getting very sick after our last petting zoo experience (visit Swine Flu? to jog your memory), I swore I would never do a petting zoo with the kids again. Okay, so I knew it would be unavoidable. But when the day came, I was very careful to drench the babies in an antibacterial cleanser. This time, the kids never came in contact with chickens and are at an age where their hands aren't constantly in their mouths. When Madison wasn't brushing her own hair (no, I wasn't letting her - but I did have three kids to keep track of!), she was brushing the sheep's or the goat's hair.

Hayden continues to be absolutely fascinated with animals. She warmed up quickly and was soon petting, hugging, and trying to pick up the animals.

I love this picture of my three little ducklings in a row following Momma. It is really a lot of work for me to do these kinds of activities during the week without Keith's help. Keeping up with three toddlers by myself is borderline impossible. But thanks to the help of my friends, no run-away attempt was successful.


I did have my triplet stroller with us (a necessity, of course), and having the kids in it was my only sure way to get a picture of all three kids facing forward.

We found the perfect spot and set up a little picnic with our friends. No, they didn't sit this nicely the whole meal!


Later that day while I was cooking dinner, it got really quiet upstairs. I sneaked a peak only to find my three darling children quietly reading books to themselves. But when the quiet continued, I went back for another look and this time found that they had rummaged through a drawer that led them to stickers and Band-Aids, a recent obsession. If you look closely you can see Madison trying to put a Band-Aid on her knee.

They knew they were doing something wrong, hence the silence. Payson immediately started cleaning up and trying to put the Band-Aids back in the box when I walked through the door.

When it hit over 90 degrees last Sunday, I knew it would be our last opportunity to take the kids for a swim. It was a little chilly thanks to the recently cooler days and an active wind, but we had a great time saying goodbye to summer. It's amazing how much stability the kids have gained in the kiddie pool since last May. Swimming with them at the end of the summer was much less stressful than at the beginning!

Seriously, can someone get any cooler than this? Backwards hat, shades, chewin' on a straw, no shirt, cargo shorts and camo Crocs?

Payson threatened his cool factor with this jazz move. (Actually this was his graceful save from a potential face plant off the step. What an effort of balance!)

And later when he and Hayden spilled their food on the ground, Payson joined it on the floor to finish what he started. Actually it looks to me like Madison is the mean guard standing watch over Payson as he is forced to eat off the ground like a dog.

It's amazing how much of a boy my little boy is and how much of a girl each of my little girls are. Payson was thoroughly entertained one afternoon with a single piece of bark. He would drop it in the umbrella hole in their picnic table and then crawl under the table to retrieve it only to do it all over again, and again, and again.

Hayden has decided that she wants to be just like Mommy by being a triplet mommy herself. I've tried to tell her that having triplets is not normal but given that a large number of her friends are triplets, she needs more proof.

Then there is Madison who has turned her baby doll stroller (yes, she has designated the hot pink one as hers) into a miscellaneous toy stroller. At press time, the stroller held two baby dolls, a sippy cup and an old honey bear container (which is fought over daily). Minutes later she added two Hot Wheels to the babies' laps. The key to happiness with building her mountain of toys is doing so without getting frustrated as they fall or bounce around out of position.

Each kids' sense of humor continues to get even more charming. The other day Madison turned her stroller into a human bulldozer, attacking Keith at the ankles every chance she got. Play the video below to see her in action (or visit the blog for the video at http://keithandjessica.blogspot.com/2009/10/fall-fun.html):

Barbeculicious

As a throwback to our ol' pre-baby hosting days, we decided to have a barbecue now that the weather is out of the 100's, and we have a wonderful extended patio. Keith laughed when I was taking pictures and said that I just wanted proof that we do things other than just work and take care of kids all day (which is partially true).

We had an awesome turnout and the backyard filled up quickly with friends and their toddlers. We went all out with burgers, hot dogs, chicken, sausage, potato salad, grilled corn on the cob, guacamole, pigs in a blanket, quiche, brownies, cookies, you name it! And that doesn't include all of the yummy food that our friends contributed.

I caught such a sweet moment with Monica feeding Madison, her son Matthew, and friend Sloan. Madison and Matthew were immediately buddies and spent time together playing and talking (aka sharing toys and looking at each other). At the end of the night I got to witness Matthew walk up to Madison and put his arm around her and pat her back. It was too cute!

I honestly don't know what I was thinking! Hosting a barbecue and taking care of the kids is really just too much. But thanks to our great friends, our kids were supervised, fed, cleaned and entertained as needed. I kept finding them in random places doing random things like sitting at this adult table eating off other people's plates while Payson kept putting his sippy inside the dump truck and then tilting it so he could drink out of it at the same time. Given his obsession with juice boxes I am surprised that he wasn't sitting in the middle of the table with the three juice boxes.

I just adore this picture of the Hickey triplets with parents Steve and Candace eating dinner out in the yard.

Here is Hayden sitting across from Payson and talking on the phone. Did I just hear her say "Oh my gah!"

Madison is totally enamored with babies and can easily spend over half an hour staring at a baby and gently holding their hand or foot. Bobbi brought one of her beautiful triplets (starting to see a pattern?), Sophia, and she and Madison were actually talking out loud to each other at one point. IF (did you see that capitalization) Madison weren't a triplet, she would make a great big sister. Once she has all of the words, I am sure she will ask to be one.

This totally makes me smile... the late nighters were all friends we met when Keith went to Harvard Business School, which led me down memory lane of the time when we lived the easy life of going wherever, whenever, however and with whomever. What fun we all had in Bah-ston!

Check out these amazing photos from my friend Betsy. Such talent! I am kind of embarrassed to have them posted so close to my lousy photos. :)

You can see more of her work at Betsy Marie Photography.

Madison... love this girl!

All three playing together with a dump truck, and nicely too! It does happen from time to time.

Payson's hair used to not grow on the sides so we had to give cut it or else he would sport a natural mullet (which is not quite his style). But now that it is growing evenly we're letting it grow messy, I mean, grow out so we can see what his curly hair will do with a little length.

Earlier in the day we attended a friends' 2nd birthday party and Payson, Madison and Hayden were such big kids eating in the grown-up chairs. We had lots of food rolling around and off the plates but, all in all, mealtime was a success despite the lack of a belt, buckles, and such.

Last Sunday Nunie and the girls played dress up with their cousins' princess dresses. They loved it!

Seriously? How can unfixed hair look this marvelous?

Last weekend Keith and I received a very special treat! My Aunt Nancy was having a crazed moment, and she offered to watch the babies so Keith and I could get away for some much-needed alone time. We left on Thursday night for San Antonio and returned home late Saturday afternoon. We had a wonderful few days of wasting time and, often, not even keeping track of the time we wasted! In under two days, we managed to see a movie, workout twice, eat along the Riverwalk thrice, stroll the mall, relax by the pool and chill around the hotel.

The report was that the kids did well at home and slept fine despite a little bug they all seemed to have. It cracked me up because the report on the first day was, "They are perfection! We are having a wonderful time" which changed the next day to, "Everything is going great" which changed again the next day to, "Things are fine, the kids are down, and I am resting." Clearly the novelty wore off and the level of energy went down with each day (if not each hour!). I could very much relate!

The kids are now even closer to and more comfortable with Aunt Nancy, who they exuberantly greet with "hi's", hugs and kisses when they see her. Thanks a million Aunt Nancy for a very memorable time away!

Moms Blog

The Dallas Morning News asked me to blog for them periodically on their Moms Blog. It's difficult to add new commitments right now, but I enjoy writing and feel like this is a great opportunity to reach out and relate to other local moms. I will be posting a few times a month (Thursdays) as with a few of my multiple mom friends. Linked below are my first two posts:

Jessica: Our first vacation with the triplets

Jessica: Raising triplets without lowering the parenting bar

I will continue to include links to my DMN posts so you can read along if you'd like.

"Laa Laa La La"

The kids got to see their favorite character last weekend at My Gym's open house. They adored him from afar, and even close up, but as you can tell by the concern on Payson's face and the sheer terror on the girls' faces, they didn't like being that close to him. Keith and I were happy though! Still, it was a treat for them to sing and dance near Elmo. Keith and I are amazed at Elmo's universal appeal. Our kids don't watch TV and they still managed to fall in love with Elmo just through books and Elmo dolls.

Capturing a more comfortable and happy family moment at My Gym.

Last month we said goodbye to our old high chairs and introduced the kids to their new booster seats. The baby high chairs were too bulky to slide under our table and with these, we can all sit at the table. Realistically, I end up acting as waitress and chef during most of the meal. So, I don't actually get sit and eat with them, but at least we attempt family mealtime. We actually introduced the boosters six weeks earlier but the kids were awful, could barely reach their food and it was a total mess. I decided to wait until they were a little taller, a little older and had improved their utensil skills. This time, the transition went much more smoothly.

The kids are quite flexible in a lot of areas, but not so much at mealtime. They have decided - all on their own - who should sit where, who wears which bib, and who gets which colored plate. If I give Payson's plate to Hayden, for example, he will point at and fuss for his plate until I switch it. While this can seem like a pain, I look at it as a way for them to see their differences and have something they can call their own. I welcome their individuality, and I think it's good for their development. Especially since they share nearly everything else.

Hayden being silly at snack time.


Big boy Payson is all smiles for mommy all the time.


Madison with her favorite foods: crackers and cheese!


The kids relaxin' all cool with daddy.


Rain, rain, rain. Lots of rain these days! Instead of being cooped up for a week, why not play in it?


Hud visited us this weekend and he and Madison played around with a pair of swim goggles. Such a cutie!


Daddy making mommy sweat once again. But they were so cute I had to get a picture. The kids loved being up there and looking over the fence.


Here's how I spend my time after the kids go to bed. This is a days' worth of plates and bowls and two days' worth of sippies. I'm always so tempted to hire someone just to hand wash the kids' dishes at the end of the day! Any volunteers?

Yea, Cookies!

Last week our sweet little Hayden hurt her arm when she and daddy were roughhousing. After a good cry she was holding and kissing her arm while repeating saying "Owy, owy" over and over. She couldn't (or wouldn't) use her arm much and it was tender to the touch. So, Keith took her to an after hours children's clinic just in case. Here's what I saw when she walked through the door.

The X-ray showed no broken bones or fractures but they gave her a splint and sling just to be safe. We followed up with the pediatrician three days later. By then her sprain or bruise was healed, and she was back to 100%. We are so glad she didn't have a more serious injury, but did think she looked pretty darn cute sporting her temporary gear. She was pretty frustrated with having the use of only one arm. It made eating more difficult - especially when she was dead set on holding her sippy while eating. Also, she didn't have much of a defense against toy-stealing siblings, so we were glad it was short-lived.

It was so fun to have our friends Joey and Cristin visit over Labor Day weekend along with their 15-month-old son Harrison. Harrison was quickly initiated by the triplets with a trip around the block in their Choo Choo wagon.

No toddler visit to the Melker house would be complete without a dip in the kiddie pool and meal at the picnic table.

Here is Payson stuffing, I mean feeding, Harrison. Harrison was cool with the first bite but I love how he is leaning back and using both hands to try and get Payson's hand off his face. So funny!

The triplets hadn't yet told Harrison that it's more cool to pose for pictures with a straight face than a smile.

My friend Amanda (whose identical twin girls were born the day after the triplets) inspired me to bake cookies with the kids. I knew I would need Keith's help to keep things manageable, so we gave it a go on Sunday afternoon. Taking turns went well for about 5 minutes, but after that we had quite a bit of whining, pulling, reaching and fussing going on. All in all, I think it was a great learning experience for them to see the various ingredients go into a bowl and come out as a cookie. I wish I had a picture of the kids all looking into the oven window as they yelled, "Nookie, nookie!" This was only the third or fourth time they have even had a cookie, but it doesn't take long for a toddler to learn to know and love them!

After the cookie adventure, we were anxious to get out of the house and decided on a whim to go to Chuck E Cheese. What could have been a really fun outing turned into a disaster rather quickly. Not only did the little toddler rides scare the kids, leading them to jump off of them as quickly as possible, but there was a rubber duckie game that just made them mad because they couldn't reach the ducks behind the glass. So 15 minutes and $2 later we were out the same way we came in. Cheap entertainment, but I guess you get what you pay for!

We decided to try again and headed to a barbecue restaurant down the street for dinner. This was a success, and Hayden loved chomping on her first corn on the cob.

Actually, I wasn't too surprised with her fondness for corn. Check out this photo of her mommy doing the same thing on her first trip to the state fair (18 months old). And check out my awesome ride too! (Just think about how much moms complain about strollers these days!)

On our way home, we talked about how we made cookies earlier, and I finished by telling the kids, "And now we get to eat the cookies!" at which point Hayden replied enthusiastically, "Yay cookies! (insert clapping here) Yay! Yay!" We didn't even know Hayden could say that, would fully comprehend what we were saying about the cookies or respond appropriately in that way! Prior to now, it has been more along the lines of, "And then we'll eat crackers" at which the kids respond with whining and saying "crackers" desperately until they get them or are distracted. They all loved their homemade cookies as demonstrated by Payson.

On Saturday night, Keith and I had a blast at the OU/BYU game despite the painful loss. Cowboys Stadium is amazing and their "World's Largest HDTV" screen is incredible!

Madison likes to line up her Little People farm animals on the coffee table, fireplace and along the windowsill. She's turning into quite the perfectionist.

She is also getting quite skilled at moving the many animals from one place to another by strategically using the crook of her arm and, of course, her mouth.

The last time Grandma visited Payson made up a new game: Dip finger in Grandma's Coke and then put said finger into Grandma's mouth. He got such a kick out of it that he repeated it over and over until I eventually took the Coke away. Grandma was such a good sport as always!

Last weekend Pops and Nunie watched the babies at their house for a few days so we could go to my friend Charles' wedding that took place on a farm in Philadelphia.

Abbie was a beautiful bride and my old high school crew had a blast together. Love these guys!

Keith and I enjoyed our time together. This was our first time to leave home since we had the babies and it was so weird to shop and stroll Main Street without ever looking at our watches! Thanks Pops and Nunie and congratulations Charles and Abbie!