Category: triplets

Life as of today

I haven’t posted a normal post in a while, just an update on what’s going on in the world. So let’s see…

The boys are a couple of weeks into fourth grade. So far so good. Except they’re not super fond of the bus driver, who is apparently very strict and gruff. Which is exactly how bus drivers should be, I’d say. Well, except for last Wednesday when he forgot that school got out an hour early so we waited at the bus stop for over an hour. Fortunately, the bus stop is the mall, so I dropped into Ulta and made an appointment to get my hair did. Fun colors to come!

Speaking of fun colors, last night, I put in some extra-orange color (blood orange, to be exact) into Oliver’s hair because it was getting too hard to tell him and Linus apart at a glance. Better now. Pics later.

I have a work trip coming up in a couple of weeks, to Whistler again. I’m super excited to see everyone, but the forecast for the next ten days is not making me happy. I need some autumn weather while I’m there, dammit! I’ll get there a few days after the end of the forecast, so all I can say is, a cool front better arrive before I do.

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Speaking of weather, it’s very weird here, thanks to Harvey. Pouring one minute, clear blue skies the next. Can’t complain, though. Seeing what’s going on in Houston makes my heart hurt. Just sickening.

If you’re looking for something you can do to help people in Texas, this page has some great links.

I made pesto (no nuts, George is allergic to most of the ones that would go in pesto) out of the basil I grew this summer. First time it really thrived, probably due to the very wet summer we had. It was not bad, but maybe I’ll put one fewer clove of garlic in it next time (sorry person I worked out next to this morning!)

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A good thing this week – Evan and Ellie are in town! I love seeing that girl (okay, both of them, really) and I can’t believe how grown up she is! (Look, we’re both bigger! Hahaha)

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Ooops, I went down a rabbit hole looking for old pictures of Ellie and me, and found this…gah!

One last cute thing…Ziggy now has his https://www.instagram.com/ziggymcziggerson/ so you don’t have to look at boring pictures of my kids to see what you really want – DOG.

Decorating the stairwell

When we were in Virginia, we spent a very very fun day at the King’s Dominion theme park. I told the boys they could get one souvenir each, and after passing a caricature artist, Oliver declared that’s what he wanted. So at the end of the day, just before we left, we stopped and Oliver sat for his portrait.

Well. After that, I couldn’t resist having the other two get their portraits as well. (And yeah, this meant I had to buy second souvenirs for all three.)

I finally got around to buying frames for the pictures and hanging them…(well, I say finally but let’s face it, it took me less than six months so it’s really quite fast for me.)

Hard to get pics in the stairwell, but here they are! Love them so much.

 

 

First day of fourth grade!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!!!

I know I use the line from my favorite Christmas song a lot (first time I see Honeycrisp apples in the store, for instance) but in this case, it is so true. Because not only was today the first day of school after a summer with very little camp and a lot of boys staying home rotting their brains while I worked, but it is also the first day of RIDING THE BUS!

 

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Brand spanking new school shoes

 

YES! No more driving them to/from school! (Granted, we carpooled, so it was normally only one 90 minute round trip a day, not two, but still.) The bus stop is 10 minutes away, and because they get dropped off early and picked up late, I can now fit my entire work day in when the boys are at school! No more coming home at 8:45 and leaving at 3:15. Now I can get home at 7:30 and leave at 4:30. Amazing!

Now, you can see that my standards are falling very rapidly. Since we have to leave for the bus stop just before 7am, I didn’t have time to get my nice camera out, so cell phone photos it is.

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Yes, there have been some hair changes. They all got haircuts, and Linus wanted to go blond, and Oliver wanted to go ginger. Linus’s isn’t too dramatic, and Oliver’s looks pink from the front because the purple from before isn’t going anywhere. But it looks better than I expected when he told me he wanted orange hair like Andrew from the Great British Baking Show:

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So anyway, we headed to the bus stop where there was a crowd of kids from their school, with more ecstatic parents. The principal even showed up!

Of course I have (not great) photos of the boys getting on the school bus for the very first time…

(But you can see the color of Ollie’s hair better there.)

I think Mary Catherine summed our excitement about the bus best in the following photo:

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6 years ago and tonight

The boys and I are visiting Kristina and Mike, and I was reminiscing about the first time we all visited when I realized it was six years ago tonight that Mike made the boys giggle like crazy by laying on the floor in the kitchen, pretending to be hurt.

Because we’re all six years older, I didn’t make Mike recreate one of those pics, but instead one where everyone is standing up.

August 7, 2011:

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August 7, 2017:

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Look how short they were 6 years ago! So teeny!

9 years, 8 months

This month, co-starring Andrew, who has lost his first two teeth since we got here and is totally adorable. Emily gets home from camp tonight, otherwise she’d be in the picture as well.

The 8th month photos seem to be on trips a lot. Makes sense since that’s when we usually travel.

Music by triplets

The boys had their end of camp performance yesterday, and obviously I am going to record here for posterity. They were only at this camp for a week, but they learned so much! I was practically bursting with pride every time any of them were “on stage.”

Without further ado…

Oh, well, just a picture of the “pop band” performance because instead of hitting “record” I, uh, didn’t. Imagine a slower version of “Baby” by the Biebs.

Dangit. So mad at myself.

But at least I didn’t miss this one. I’m surprised you can’t hear the tears rolling down my cheeks during the second half (the first half of this video is the chorus singing “The Saints Go Marching In” but in the second half, they soloed on Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran and I was just so, so proud at how brave they were. (I remember as a kid not even wanting to sing one note by myself, just in front of the music teacher so she could figure out where to place me in the choir. There is no way I would have been able to do what the boys did.)

(Skip to about 2:30 for the better stuff.)

Then Linus and Oliver did a duo of the James Bond theme (but the teacher kept saying it was the Peter Gunn theme, which it wasn’t, and Miles was confused, which is why it’s not a trio here.) (So if you guessed James Bond in my previous post, you win!)

There was a drum performance that was by their own admission not very exciting, and a few little acting bits where you can’t really hear what they’re saying well, but take it from me, it was all adorable as shit.

Sneak peek by Linus

The boys have been in camp this week at the same school they take guitar lessons at, and Linus came home excited to show me what he learned today (and performed in front of the other students at the end of the day, which is huge for him!)

Can you tell what the tune is?

Good stuff vs bad stuff

Good stuff: My coworker Sarah’s new podcast. I love it. It’s funny, smart, and random. My favorite things. It’s called Hey, Bestie, and Kristina and I have already bugged her for a guest slot. (Which doesn’t even exist yet, but I already even came up with the perfect title for the segment: “Hey, Guestie!” so I think we definitely deserve to be on.) There’s a new episode that I haven’t listened to, and I am doing my best not to listen because I hoard podcasts I like.

Bad stuff: I mentioned Miles was going to be in an episode of Claws last week. Well, his part was cut. I was super sad, but Miles was like, “oh well.” He’s obviously more cut out for the cut-throat world of showbiz than I am.

img_1717Good stuff: This apple slab pie I made for the fourth of July. As usual, a Smitten Kitchen recipe. This was my first pie crust, I think! It wasn’t easy (mostly because my bowl was too small) but it came out pretty well. No one complained, anyway.

Bad stuff: I’ve been terrible about blogging. I’m working on finishing up a post about Kristina’s and my adventures at Epcot, so hopefully I can get back on a roll.

Good stuff: The boys start camp tomorrow! And it’s the only week of camp they’re doing all summer. It’s at the same performing arts school where they take guitar lessons. Hoping they’ll have fun.

Bad stuff: We all put our bathing suits on and it immediately started thundering. I think I could probably help out in areas that are susceptible to drought by just getting the boys excited about swimming and putting our bathing suits on.

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Good stuff: Our new grill. I have been using it a ton, and it turns out I’m a natural at grilling. I’ve made pizza (okay, on a storebought crust – homemade crust is next), pork chops (divine), hamburgers, hot dogs, veggies, corn…and all delicious. What can I say? I have finally found my calling.

Bad stuff: My allergies have been horrific this summer. What is up with that? Not fun. I’ve been sneezing constantly for the past six weeks.

img_1633Good stuff: Kiki’s visit! I hadn’t seen her in a year and a half. Not good. Not good at all. It wasn’t a long visit, but we’re going to Virginia in August so we’ll get to spend more time together then. (And also to see cousins!)

Bad stuff: The job I have been doing at keeping the boys engaged and off screens. We just bought a Circle (recommended by Deborah) so hopefully that will help with managing that. They’ve been doing a little reading and a little guitar practicing, but not as much as I wanted. Work has been extremely busy for me, so I just haven’t had the bandwidth to monitor them as closely as I should have. Sigh. MOTY.

Good stuff: Speaking of MOTY, I bought 15 Lunchables for the boys’ camp lunches. Yeah, that’s good stuff. Not having to make 15 sandwiches.

More good stuff: Seeing babies! So far this summer, I’ve gotten to snuggle a coworker’s adorable baby, my cousin’s new son, and Lindsay’s little monkey. And there’s another cousin’s new baby yet to be snuggled!

Even more good stuff! Slumber parties for the boys! Getting rid of the climber in the backyard! Making fun tank tops for working out! Blueberry jam on toast from the coffee shop down the street!

Jenn shooting my kids!
Blueberry toast!
Snuggly babies!
Silly dogs!
Silly!
Purged!

Happy 115 months!

We took the picture this month in Heather’s hallway. So lovely! I might move the location permanently to her house. Hope she doesn’t mind!

Linus’s smile looks a little forced, but check out the dimples on those three!

Miles, superstar

It’s time for updates on Miles’s fledgling acting career!

First, I got to see his movie, Camera Obscura in a theater while we were in Austin! It was extremely exciting. I squealed quietly every time he was on screen or there was a mention of his character. Which amounted to approximately 45 seconds all told throughout the course of the movie.

(Yes. I do realize I am being ridiculous, considering he was literally an extra. I mean, a featured extra, but an extra nonetheless.)

I went with my friends Deborah and Elizabeth to the show, so I owe them many thanks for putting up with me. Also it was at the Alamo Drafthouse, which is the best cinema chain ever. PLEASE COME TO NEW ORLEANS, ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE. Unlimited bowls of popcorn! Free giant cups of ice water! Also booze! And pizza! Honestly, what more could you want? I actually went to three different Alamos while in Austin, and each was a delight.

Anyway, back to Miles’s movie. You can watch it, you know! It’s available on demand now!

Links to various places to watch it can be found here.

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Pre-movie cocktail with Deborah and Elizabeth
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Look how official! The movie poster above the theater! So exciting! I am a dork!
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Fuzzy pic of the Q&A after. I resisted the urge to ask “who was your favorite extra?” and other leading questions. 

I don’t want to give anything away, so I shall only share one screen cap from the movie. But it’s my favorite part that Miles was in.

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My other favorite part was seeing Miles’s name in the credits as “Drowned Child.” And then, weirdly, my own name under the Extras. That’s a fun mistake I can live with!

Okay, so that’s cool BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!

Back in the spring, Miles filmed another featured extra bit for a TV show! And it’s pretty exciting because the show, Claws, just debuted, and it’s been getting a good amount of press. He’s going to be in the fourth episode, which airs on July 2. Don’t worry, I’ll remind everyone 1000 times before then.

I can’t really go into any detail about that just yet, but I’ll post more after it airs.

Spelunking

At George’s request, I took the boys to a cavern today so we could go underground. (The man was a mole in a former life, I have no doubt.) So we met up with my friend Emily and her three adorable children at Inner Space Cavern north of Austin.

The boys were enthralled (every day I realize how much they take after George and how little they take after me) and had a great time. I had a nice time, but they really loved it. I told them Daddy will take them on a more adventurous cave tour when they’re older. A boys trip. Sounds great to me!

Tubing on the river

(It’s a much better post title if you sing it to the tune of Proud Mary.)

Today, on the advice of a pal, we took the kids tubing in New Braunfels, on the Comal River. (We being Deborah, her husband Tom, and our coworker Elizabeth; kids being my three and Deborah and Tom’s two.) I bought a Texas-themed Igloo cooler just for the occasion. (And I mean, what other states do this? Where else can you buy coolers with the state flag, and in what other states do all hotels have state-shaped waffle irons? Are there any other states like Texas?)

We started from a place called Landa Falls, basically a river outfitter where we got inner tubes for us and the cooler, life jackets for the kids, and a locker to keep all of our stuff.

It didn’t start off promisingly. We went down to the river to get in, and it was basically impossible to stay together. The current wasn’t super strong, but the river was deep, and it was just fast enough to make it hard to go where you wanted.

Linus in particular was not happy if we weren’t all together (they always had an adult with them, I’m not a monster) but they all wanted to be together. Eventually with much swimming and grabbing on to the side and leg cramps (all on my part) the boys and Elizabeth and I all managed to get in a group, each holding on to another tube’s handle in a group so no one could float away.

Boy, I wish we’d brought ropes.

The problem is, the other group had the cooler! And we were thirsty! And my camera was in the other cooler! After about an hour or so, we got to a point where we could get out. (I make that sound so easy, but it was not. There was swimming and pulling tubes and slippery rocks and more leg cramps.)

Everyone else except for Deborah’s kids were ready to call it a day. I was not. (Turns out tubing isn’t cheap.) So in the end, Oliver and Linus went with Tom to get pizza, and the rest of us decided to keep on tubing.

Now, I love pizza, but I’m really glad we kept floating. It got more fun – there were chutes! Like tiny waterslides! The current got a bit faster! And if I’m completely honest, it was a lot easier to keep track of one kid instead of three. (Especially when the other two weren’t really into it.) The river was beautiful, clean and blue, and with not a lot of creatures in it. (I’m not really into natural bodies of water, for the most part.)

Eventually, we got to the end, hauled ourselves out of the river, and made it back to meet the other three.

Would I do it again? Sure. With a few grown up friends and a bunch of rope to tie us together. I really would have loved to swim more in the river, but the only time I did was to haul a kid out or swim against the current. At one point, I was trying desperately to get Miles out before we got sucked down a chute, and I was against a strong current and he was panicking (he was perfectly safe, he just didn’t want to go down the chute) and so I was swimming with all my might to the side towing him and my tube and there was nowhere to hold on to and….anyway. Yeah. Next time, no kids and a rope to tie myself to my tube so I can swim sometimes and not worry about my tube.