Tag: triplets

Inside the Monthly Photos

So I just posted the boys’ 83rd monthly picture, and I thought I’d share some insights into the process.

First, I ask the boys if they know what day it is. They look at the calendar, notice it’s the fourth, and then groan. “ANOTHER PICTURE?”

Usually, I take them outside, in front of the side of the house. Makes for nice comparisons over time. Like this:

monthly-compareBut sometimes I’ll take it somewhere else, just for fun. (And the sun beats down on that side of the house in the afternoon, so if I don’t take the picture in the morning or late afternoon, it has to be done somewhere else. Hence last month’s porch photo.)

This time, the boys were off because of Election Day and George took off to hang out with them while I worked, so we took a walk to the pub in the afternoon and I thought that’d be a nice time to get their picture.

We stopped at the library. Nah.

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Then we stopped on the sidewalk. Nah.

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Another sidewalk. Cute, so at least I know I have something to use.

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Goofing around.

Then we get to the pub, and I know George will want me to take it in front of the TARDIS, which is also the entrance. So I do.

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Once I feel confident I have a decent photo, I let them have Tootsie Rolls (I know they will dribble chocolate down their fronts, disgusting beasts) and take random photos of them.

83 down, who knows how many more to go?

83 months old

83 months

I suppose since this month’s picture fell on Election Day, taking the photo in front of an English pub wasn’t exactly fitting. Oh well, George wanted a picture of the boys with the TARDIS anyway.

Working and walking and working and walking

Photo Oct 30, 3 48 53 PMWhen I started working full-time at Automattic, I had an ergonomic consultation and ended up with a beautiful desk with a keyboard tray and the most amazingly comfortable office chair ever. (Seriously, the arm rests feel like they’re covered in heaven.)

About six months ago, one of my coworkers was getting rid of his Varidesk, so I thought, I’m going to give this standing-while-working thing a try. So every once in a while (not as often as I should) I would stand up and work. Nice change of pace.

But I’ve just taken it to the next level. I now have a treadmill under my desk. Now I can sit, I can stand, or I can walk.

I took the advice of many of my coworkers and purchased and modified the Confidence Power Plus Motorized Electric Treadmill. (Do I wish I’d gotten it in pink instead? Yes I do.)

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It was an easy modification – removing the bars and relocating the control panel so it’ll fit under a desk (and now when I sit, it makes a handy footrest.) I have a fitbit and on Friday, the first day I had it set up, I got my 10,000 steps in before lunchtime.

Off I go!

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I like pretty sparkly things.

Our family Christmas pictures are coming up, and I got a cute dress at Target, but it needs a cool necklace.

And then my sister asked me to host a Stella & Dot trunk show.

And then I found this necklace.

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Gorgeous, right? It’s totally perfect. I’m in love.

Stella & Dot has tons of beautiful accessories. Not just jewelry. Bags, wallets, scarves, all kinds of stuff.

Haven Ring
Casablanca Bracelet
Vintage Crystal Necklace
Mercer Zip Wallet- Pewter Metallic
Tallulah Bib Necklace
Renegade Cluster Bracelet
Isla Drops
Pavé Triangle Cuff – Rose Gold
Mercer Zip Wallet- Pewter Metallic
Westwood Metallic Trellis Scarf

Let me be frank. I want that necklace. You want one of these beautiful pieces. So let’s just cut to the chase.

Click here to shop for pretty stuff from Stella & Dot.

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More Halloween festivities

When did Halloween get to be such a long, drawn-out holiday? When I was a kid, it lasted one night. Maybe two days total if it fell on a weekend. (Yeah, yeah, get off my lawn and all that.)

We did Boo at the Zoo a week ago, and then this past Saturday night was Ghost in the Oaks. Both really fun events, but yesterday there was a neighborhood party and the boys were just like, ENOUGH ALREADY. Plus it was 85 degrees, and who wants to wear polyester costumes with fake muscles in that kind of heat? Not my kids.

I don’t mean to sound too grumpy. After all, stealing the boys’ Halloween candy is a sport at this time of year. It’s my hobby. It brings joy to my life. And the more events we go to, the more Smarties and Snickers to steal.

Some pics from Ghost in the Oaks:

Group selfie on the Tilt-a-Whirl
The Scrambler
Scrambler!
Mario didn’t want to wear his moustache so I held it for him.
My crew.
Me and Ollie on the Scrambler
Hulk sad because Mommy steal candy.
Tough guys.

And a time lapse video of the Scrambler. SO FAST!

It’s LASIK day!

Today is the last day I’ll wear glasses or contacts*. For the last 26 years I’ve worn some kind of corrective lenses.

When I was young, I had excellent vision. And then some time in middle school, it started getting bad, fast. But I was bullied in middle school, and there was no way in hell I was going to voluntarily wear glasses until I got out of that place. So the summer after eighth grade, I finally told my mom that I was having trouble seeing, and I got my first pair of glasses.

It was magical! Everyone talks about seeing the moon clearly for the first time, and it really is the coolest thing. About a year later, I got contacts – gas permeable because of my astigmatism. And also because I was too squeamish to touch my eyeball. All I had to do was pull on my corner of my eye and *pop*, out it would fly. (For better or for worse. I lost a lens at Mardi Gras one year when a bead hit me in the face.)

Okay, seriously, we don’t need to go through my entire eye history. I’m just glad I won’t have to wear contacts or glasses anymore. Even though I do like my glasses, kind of. I stopped wearing contacts regularly when I started working for Automattic, and now my face is going to seem weirdly blank without them. Ah, I’ll get used to it.

I really wish they did general anesthesia for this. I am not at all looking forward to all the things I’ve read they do during the procedure. That eye squeamishness is still there, even though I started wearing soft lenses some time ago. But everyone I’ve talked to said it’s no big deal, it’s over fast, and listen, if I can deal with major surgery and a triplet pregnancy, I can deal with a few minutes of discomfort.

See you on the flip side! (Pun completely totally intended. Obvs.)

*Yes, I know, I’ll have to wear reading glasses one day soon. And maybe real glasses. Just indulge me in this fantasy.

Shots

This is going to be the most fascinating post ever, in case you were wondering. But I’m trying to blog more, dangit, and therefore you are going to get a blog post about getting flu shots. I took lots of pictures, and so I shall tell the story through images.

 

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Fascinating, yes? I have to give the CVS Minute Clinic props for giving flu shots to kids. Walgreen’s won’t do it until they’re nine, and this is easier than going to the doctor’s office. And when I got mine, I didn’t feel it at all. It was kind of freaky. If my arm hadn’t gotten sore later, I would have wondered if I’d even gotten it.

Bring it on, influenza!!!! (I kid.)

It’s “Fall” so we went to the pumpkin patch

The boys are on Fall Break this week (don’t even get me started on this ridiculousness…I’m just lucky I work from home now, because this is bullshit for working parents) so I took today off so we could go to the pumpkin patch. I’d been eying the forecast for the past few days, and today was shaping up to be cool enough to make the trip and not be totally miserable.

The weather was gorgeous, as promised, but a bit warmer than I would have liked. I mean, is it too much to ask for the air to be crisp when you’re at a pumpkin patch? Of course, we’re in south Louisiana. I’m fairly certain it’s not a real pumpkin patch anyway. I could see the giant crates of pumpkins that they litter a field with, and it was pretty obvious they were shipped in from elsewhere. Never mind, it’s not like it matters. It’s a great place and I’m sounding very grumpy about it.

After the hour-long trip to get to the pumpkin patch, we sat down for our picnic lunch. I’d promised it was too chilly for bees to come out, but I was a lying liar. There were bees. Miles freaked out, wouldn’t eat. Linus sat calmly and finished his food.

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After “lunch”, they milked a cow. Nature, man.

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Then they went on the giant bouncy pillow thing.

Then they went on the zipline thing, but I have no pictures of that, because I was too busy trying to hold a rubber tire horse thingy in place and simultaneously lift a 50-lb child onto it.

Then they rode on ponies. Miles had words with his recalcitrant equine.

Then I saw a shady spot that would make a good background for a group selfie. I was right.

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Then the boys climbed all over the haystacks. That was fun. They cooperated for some group pics, they jumped from stack to stack, they played with other kids, etc.

Miles impersonates an angel
Miles ran to
and fro
Group pic!
At least I got a good group picture.
Artsy Linus pic
Jump!
almost made it!
Taught them how to give each other boosts.
Didn’t really work.
But it was cute.
At least I got a good group picture.
At least I got a good group picture.

When they were done playing in hay, they wanted to go down a slide. A slide with a puddle at the bottom. After Oliver ended up sitting in said puddle, he declared it a terrible day. Gee, thanks, kid. His brothers mocked his tears, which didn’t help much. We picked out some pumpkins. The selection was weak. Whatever. I had given up on photos by this point.

Before leaving, I told them we’d get drinks and a snack. Oliver and Linus picked Sprite (judge all you want, they never drink soft drinks) but guess what else likes sugary beverages? That’s right, bees. Again, Linus was like, “whatever” but Oliver was freaking out. I ended up throwing the can in the trash to the sounds of Oliver’s declarations that this was indeed THE WORST DAY OF HIS ENTIRE LIFE. Dramatic much?

Next year…grocery store.