Halloween

Here are some pics from the Halloween parade at the kids' school....

Claire, our little flower fairy

Owen, a true Ninja at heart

Emma, the "Good" witch

"Sir" Brendan Alberty, esteemed artist

Sunshine...Moonlight...Good Times...Boogie Down

Not only was this the best song of the night (complete with motions!) but I also think it sums up the Williams-Lindsay wedding perfectly....

Sunshine:  What a gorgeous day for an outdoor wedding!  All four of the kids were asked to be in our friend Shelley's wedding in September.  Shelley began helping me with the triplets when they were probably not even walking yet.  She "graduated" to being our first (and only until she got married and moved away!) babysitter that wasn't family, except that she became family:-)  What an honor to have our four children in her wedding!

    

Moonlight: What started during the day carried over into the night.  My children were troupers.  They went to school in the morning, came home for a short nap, headed over for pictures, did their thing and danced all night!  The moon was shining bright when we left that night at 11pm and they were complaining of leaving too early!!

Good times:  I truly believe this will be a memory they have for a lifetime.  They talk about the wedding a lot and are often heard singing Michael Jackson's "Blame it on the Boogie."  This song sums up how fun their DJ was as well.  He taught everyone motions...Don't blame it on the sunshine (hands go up like the sun shining)...don't blame it on the moonlight (hands go down to the rear and give a little shake!)...don't blame it on the good times (give a little dance)...blame it on the boogie (point your finger and go high then low)!  Hilarious!

Here's a pic of the boys all serenading the bride:-)

Boogie Down:  The kids did not stop dancing all night, particularly Brendan and Claire.  My two "shy" children were boogie-ing with the bridesmaids and groomsmen all night and had to be dragged away!  Emma took a bit to warm up to dancing especially after Claire caught the bouquet, but she ended up having a great time as well.  Owen doesn't meet a stranger, so he was hamming it up with the groomsmen all night but no one was surprised about that!  Unfortunately I was too busy dancing with the kids to get any pictures of all the dancing...but here is a great pic of them all being silly before the wedding:-)

Congrats to Shelley and Jon!

Last, but not Least!

Owen celebrates turning SIX, Tae Kwon Do style. Hi-ya!

Well, surpisingly, Owen didn't want a big hoop-la for his birthday party. He also wanted to wait until he made a few friends at his new school, so our "birthday celebration" ended up being about a month after his actual birthday. Wanting to keep it small, he invited three friends, along with his three siblings. He also didn't want anyone singing to him or carrying on about it being his birthday. I know, right?? Not the Owen we know at all! He usually loves to be the center of attention! However, we embraced his idea of a low-key-non-birthday-type birthday celebration with a trip to the local Tae-Kwon-Do place. Here he could just be the "all-boy" we know and love. He got the opportunity to kick, as above....

....to fight with combat weapons

....to break boards with his bare hands

....to play dodge ball

...and to frost and eat cupcakes (as long as there was no singing!!)

So what seemed a bit out-of-character at first, ended up being the best birthday party Owen could ever ask for...an excuse to kick and hit everything in sight! :-)

Happy Birthday Owen!

My Princess Ballerinas

Emma and Claire Celebrate Turning Six!

Birthday parties are so easy for girls at this age. Claire wanted a Ballerina party; Emma a Princess party....how about a Princess Ballerina Party?? They loved the idea and it was so much fun. I love that they are still willing to have a joint party. Right now they still have the same friends, so that makes it easy. Might as well take advantage while I can!!

So after wisking the boys away with Papa B., Dayna, Ann and I began the festivities. First every girl was asked to wear a leotard. Since every ballerina needs a tutu, the girls and I made tutus for every girl to put on as soon as they arrived. What a cute looking group!

Of course, at this point they are still ballerinas and we needed princess ballerinas. So, off to decorate crowns and magic wands:-)

The girls glued jewels on their crowns and magic wands and some used markers as well. Each crown and wand was a unique creation and they were all so proud! While the crowns and wands dried, we went on to snacks! The girls were adamant about making something from one of their special cookbooks. So we made flower petals from crescent rolls, yogurt and fresh fruit. Then all the girls got to decorate their own cupcake- complete with cherry on top! Yummy!

Then, of course, there was dancing. Lots and lots of dancing. We had princess music and the girls danced to the rhythm. There were plies and twirls and lots of skipping and chasing.

What little girl doesn't love to dress up and dance??

Happy Birthday Emma and Claire!

A LEGO Birthday

Our next few posts will consist of birthday fun. With 4 birthdays in 5 days, we are a whirlwind of parties during the end of August/first of September. With kindergarten for the triplets this year on top of it all, we decided to play it simple this year. Small, simple parties. I've also decided to invoke a "no gift" policy. Less stress for the other parents as well and my kids didn't seem to mind a bit.

First up is Brendan, who turned the big 9. How did that happen? Hard to believe Darran and I have been parents for NINE years. Before I need a tissue, better move on to the festivities:-)

Most of you probably know that Brendan is a HUGE Lego fan. We have Legos galore and even a table devoted to them in the basement for maximum building fun. He loves to create buildings, structures, vehicles and more and is even teaching his siblings the finer points in Lego creations these days. So what better theme could there be for his birthday? Lego mania!

So the invites were sent out....

And the guests arrived...Ben, Tyler and Dalton--three of Brendan's closest friends.

The boys built Legos and played Legos Star Wars on the Wii before we began the contests for: Most Creative, Tallest Tower, Best Vehicle, etc. The boys couldn't get enough!

We finished with a Lego Minifigure cake....

Easiest birthday party ever! Much easier than our Olympic games theme last year with 10 crazy boys (although don't get me wrong, that was one for the record books!), but Brendan seemed just as happy.

Riding the bus

The kids got to experience riding the bus for a few weeks. We decided not to continue riding it after a few weeks (had lots of substitutes and it was late all the time) but it was fun while it lasted! Funny thing is the triplets LOVED riding the bus, but Brendan needed more convincing. Turns out the stress of waiting and being late turned out too much for us and so I am off to drive them again in the mornings. Not a big deal, considering we live a mere 2-3 miles from school:-)

Cute photo ops though!

Emma and Owen

leading the way, of course!

Claire ready to go!

Brendan-too cool

to look at mom:-)

First day of school!

The day finally arrived when we sent ALL FOUR kids off to school:-) It hard to believe we have a third grader and three kindergartners! I must say, it is totally different sending off your youngest child(ren) than your oldest...maybe because I didn't really have time to dwell on it with Brendan as I had 3-3 year olds at home still to keep me busy. Darran actually got the "first day" duties as they started school on a Monday, the one day a week that I work. Everyone did great! Mom and Dad went off to work, so we didn't have time to feel the full impact. Come Tuesday, I got to experience a quiet house for the first time ever. I won't lie and say it was terrible-lol! I did enjoy the silence and didn't even turn on the radio or TV. By Wednesday though I was spending a lot of time in disbelief that our triplets were kindergartners and that Brendan is half way through elementary school.

For those that don't know, we decided to keep Emma, Owen and Claire in the same classroom this year. When we originally made the decision, there were only two kindergarten classes and we just couldn't see putting one in his/her own class their very first year of school. Of course, we found out later that a third classroom was being added because of the number of incoming kindergartners and we had to rethink our decision. Those who know me well, know I (we) didn't take this decision lightly. I read what the "experts" say, talked to other parents of multiples and talked to the kids. Of course, triplets are a bit different than "just" twins, which is what most of the experts discuss and what most of my friends have. Three is just a different dynamic. Then add in the sexes of the three and that can change everything. Blah, blah, blah....too much sometimes! In the end, Darran and I just felt strongly that coupled with the right teacher the kids would thrive together. So far we are right! We have been blessed with a wonderful teacher (who has 4 boys of her own) who recognizes their need to be independent of each other. Mrs. Creasy allowed them to get settled in the first couple of weeks, having each other as a safety net, and gradually helped them learn to branch out and make new friends. Seeing how different they were in preschool, I hoped they would continue their own path once they hit elementary school. I have to admit that as long as they continue to each grow without interfering in the others progress or their own, it is so much easier having them in the same classroom! One teacher to help out, one class party, one set of birthday treats, one set of rules and homework and expectations....in addition to Brendan's of course! Our biggest challenge will be the competition between them, especially Emma and Owen!

Ah, Miss Independent. In the beginning, Emma would play by herself before playing with Claire or Owen at school, simply out of principle. She has slowly realized that it is okay to actually be seen with them every now and then:-) Emma loves learning and can't get enough, especially of reading. She has had to learn that she can't always be the leader, which although not easy has been good for her. I see myself in her, literally and figuratively, every day!

Owen is hilarious. He has such a big heart. We worried that he might be a bit disruptive with all his energy but we needn't have worried. He takes school very seriously (so far!) and was terrified in the beginning that he would get a "think paper!" lol. He is finally finding friends his own age (he would rather play with the older kids) and is settling in. He, too, loves learning and showing off his reading skills.

Claire is truly the child that has changed the most over the last year. She is gaining confidence and independence that I continue to be amazed by. She used to be clingy and shy but no more! She is incredibly social and loves school. She runs in the door to school every morning with a smile on her face. She still misses naps some days but all-in-all is making the transition wonderfully!

Brendan- a third grader! Wow! Brendan has a wonderful teacher too, who actually looped up from second grade to third grade. This means that we are lucky enough to have Mrs. Roop for two years in a row. She really "gets" Brendan and is really helping him gain confidence, which is just about his only flaw:-) Well, at school anyway! He also has all his best friends in this class and it is great that he gets another year in the classroom with them to solidify those relationships. I couldn't ask for better friends for him. Really a good group of kids.

So far, I haven't really found all this "free" time I thought I'd have! We are trying to settle in to a routine but this first month and a half of school has been exhausting! Stay tuned for more details......