Babies Turn One and More...

It's been awhile since I posted, but not because nothing is happening. The biggest news...the babies turned one. There's lots of pictures of the last month and thanks to auto save I kept working 2 seconds at a time as Caleb has now turned the computer off twice.The whole Smith family got together after everyone coming in for Grandpa's funeral.
Boys in training. That's a day I can look forward to.

This girl shows her cheese only for the camera!

And for what 5 minutes of silence is worth, we won't be getting rid of these anytime soon.

All trying out their new water toy. This might be more fun next year. They still get soaking wet which means lots of clothes and diaper changes for a few minutes of fun.

Nicole tries to keep them contained, especially now that they turn the TV on and off while she's watching. It was her who broke our last TV the same way. I've convinced Jason to wait a couple years to upgrade to the flatscreen. They'll probably brake this one anyway.

And the birthday pictures. I guess their backwards since I started uploading from the beginning and didn't want to move them all around.

No one was shy about digging in.

They each got their own cake to dig into and the next day I was convinced they ate a little too much dyed frosting.

They weren't too into opening presents, but they enjoyed their new toys for a few hours anyway.

I made three cakes which we didn't even eat anyway. So here's my written reminder to do something much easier next year. Three of something. I don't want them to always feel like they got a group cake and gifts.

And he was caught. Someone was taking bites out of the peaches and putting them back.

We made a trip to the zoo. Mostly to give Nicole a few day activies this summer. We're nowhere near ready for a week in hotels with the babies. But we're definately ready for an adult getaway to Hawaii in a few weeks. It's been an unimaginable year.

Grrr Caleb, make that 3 times for the computer. There's no where to hide that bright red light.

And Nicole got bangs. The babies woke up sick so with three crying babies on my lap I asked her to go brush her hair and put a headband on today. Simple right? She wanted curls which I never have time for. I couldn't budge the comb so she got a cut. Some were a little short, but not bad.

Nicole had dibs on the first red tomato which she picked on June 18th thanks to the early variety and wall o water.

We made a crazy trip to story time at the library and picnic afterward. The babies are pretty good in the stroller for a few minutes during storytime (except Caleb gets out to roam) and then once we're outside.

Caleb is walking pretty well and since his birthday is really getting his balance and walking all over the place. Good? Who knows. It keeps getting harder so I'm waiting until we finally hit our peak and get to the downhill.

Seriously, no one will even look at me.

Pictures of my incredibly difficult children. (hence the box) As soon as you set them down, they crawl away.

Family turned out good despite their inability to sit still for half a second.

(pictures by Carlypendleton.com)

Nicole lost her first tooth-the night before family pictures. She pulled the 2nd one out herself just a few days later.

A few window watchers. It was raining this day and this travling trio kept flocking to the windows.

The closest it gets to family dinner. I've completely given up on tableclothes which just get pulled off.

Grandpa Dallin with all the babies.

Quite a Crew!

These boys are always together. They eat together, sleep together (in separate cribs), and play together all day.

Brooke has always been the one off schedule. She has preferred to sleep through breakfast (until 9 or 10 and even 11 a few times). We try to get the princess up for breaskfast with everyone, but have to hurry to have breakfast, change diapers, get dressed, play, and have bottles X 3 done in an hour and a half when the boys are ready for naps. This girl still crawls the fastest and loves the pantry. They all love when Nicole shares drinks or treats with them which she readily does anytime they cry! She has a stash of suckers by her seat in the car to make her own ride a bit more peaceful.
As you can see, the cupboards are beginning to be a problem. Caleb is Mr. Destruction. The other two leave them alone until he shows them how much fun there is unloading the dishwasher, garbage, can, tupperware, pantry cans, etc. He just throws everything off the table and moves on. So we'll be installing cupboard locks this weekend. I've researched and hopefully we got some good ones. I see no point in the little clips that open an inch and pinch fingers so these are magnetic keys that shouldn't open at all. Yes, it will be a pain to grab the key anytime you need to throw something away, or start the dishwasher, and unlock every cupboard to unload the dishwasher, but I think it will still save time cleaning it up all day.

Here's McKay enjoying a ride from Caleb.

Easter and Everything Else...

These babies have us running.

Apparently Brooke was very pleased with her soap!

I took Nicole (and Caleb because he was awake) to an early morning (8:00) Easter egg hunt at the grocery store. Either people didn't know about it or it was too early, because there was a ton of candy and only a few kids. Nicole and Caleb each got a HUGE stash.

She even got 2 coupons for a free box of popcicles.

McKay is crawling really well now, but when he first started he went backwards.

Caleb sneaking some extra food from McKay. He's the best crawler and rather than go around them while they're playing, he prefers to just go over the top of them, which they both hate. They lay there and scream while Caleb knocks them down, steals their bottle, and uses them as support to stand up. They're starting to fight back for their bottles and toys.

I thought life was going to get easier when they started crawling and it did at first. They were much happier and would entertain themselves for awhile. The downside-my house is a disaster. They're into everything and between that and self feeding, I have hours of housework every night after they're in bed. Their highchairs and the floor need a deep clean every day. I can't stand the mess, but it's just going to be that way for awhile. We made this little play room to try and contain them, but somebody ends of hurt and crying in a matter of minutes.

I still can't believe how well Brooke is crawling considering she just started rolling over at 8 months and was crawling a few weeks later. She rocks back and forth to build up some speed and then takes off as fast as she can until she stops to rest. She's very funny to watch.

Nicole at the Clements' Easter egg hunt. Poor thing was on her own while everyone else had an adult helper so we split her in with the babies to make everyone happy!

Nicole absolutely loves her brothers and even though she initally wanted all girls, she says she would have wanted boys, but she just didn't know they'd be so cute!

This has been the best toy for cruising. They all love it.

Caleb makes it up the first couple of stairs. No longer safe to stack my laundry and everything else I leave to take up when I'm going. It all comes flying down.We enjoyed the few days of wonderful weather. We went on walks at least 3 times a day and even packed a picnic lunch to the park. Well, I fed the babies at home and packed a sandwhich for me and Nicole.

McKay enjoyed his first time swinging and laughed his head off as usual.

My little terrors.

Nicole cracks me up. It was raining and she always goes and gets the mail on her bike, but this time she rode her car, which she's pretty big for. She always parks it and fills it up with gas. She has such the imagination. She was old enough to ask all the fun questions when I was pregnant with the triplets and has ever since been very upset about having your tummy cut open to get a baby out. When I picked her up from preschool her teacher told me she had her rolling today. They were all talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up and all the girls wanted to be moms. Not Nicole. She told them she never wanted to be a mom. She wants to be a paleontologist and dig around for dinosaur bones. She then proceeded to tell them there's two ways to have a baby and if you just have one you can just push it out. I think they got more than they bargained for in preschool that day. Nicole has seen a few too many sacrifices of motherhood this past year. I'm sure she'll change her mind before it's her turn.

McKay's Laugh

McKay has the best laugh ever. He laughs so hard. Of course, everytime he's lauging I grab the camera and he's not quite as amused anymore so I haven't gotten the full out giggle taped. Oh and he got his first haircut. It was so long on top that I couldn't spike it up anymore so he got a little trim-just on top. And he also has 2 teeth on the bottom. Brooke also has 2 teeth, one on top and one on bottom, and Caleb has none. They're all different.

A few fun statistics:

600-800 diapers/ month

180 jars of baby food/month (they each eat at least 2 per day)

About 2 loads of baby laundry per day-if I take a break on the weekend, Monday is a busy day. These babies still spit up a ton-and now its orange and green with their lovely veggies. So we have a lot of burp clothes, blankets, and clothes. But luckily with the food comes a lot less blow-outs! I kept swearing to Jason one day when he came home from work I was going to run away after scrubbing 3+ blowouts everyday. When they were really bad, I said I was just going to throw the onesie away so Jason would take it and scrub it out. My sink is always soaking something. I never used to mind laundry, but it's quickly becoming my dreaded chore. Every morning and afternoon while the babies nap, I do laundry and wash up the dishes, and now vacuum. It never ends.

By the way, my favorite bibs are the Baby Bumpkins. They're for eating, not drewl bibs, but they're awesome. They're $7 a piece at Babies R Us but you only need one each. You just rinse them in the sink after their meal and hang them on the high chair bib holder after and they're dry in time for the next meal. And the pocket at the bottom actually catches the food and drink they spill, unlike the Sassy ones I had with Nicole. I hope I'm learning a thing or two as I never want to do this again. This is it. I better start writing down all the things I've learned so I can say I already learned that-I don't need any more of those experiences.

About 10-12 bottles per day-Caleb usually nurses twice a day. Jason is embarrassed that we have a microwave and fridge in our bedroom. He thinks it makes us look lazy, but we pretty much just use it for bottles so I think it's totally fine.

They're pretty much sleeping through the night! The boys have been so exhausted that they've been going to bed between 6-8 pm and sleeping until 6 or 7 AM. Brooke usually cat naps then and settles between 11 and midnight, but I think it's because Nicole wakes her up when she goes to bed. As hard as she tries, she really doesn't know how to be quiet. Anytime we ask her to stay quiet, she informs us that she doesn't know how. When do they learn that skill?

Caleb's Latest

This is Caleb's latest habit while eating. He wants to feed himself and screams during meals until you give him a cracker or put bread or cereal on his tray. And today he ate a whole pickle. I cut it the long way thinking he would just chew on it but he ate the whole thing. He also got some chocolate chip cookies today. He begged for them and grabbed a piece off of grandma's while she was holding him and stuck it right in his mouth. Thank you very much. So the last couple of days, as soon as you put a bite of baby food or oatmeal in his mouth, he immediately puts his hand in his mouth. I guess he just wants to feel it. Sorry about the unprofessional video, I was feeding him and taping at the same time so I was looking through the camera screen to find his mouth.

8 Months and Counting

They're all sitting up great, with less toppling over. But occasionally, there is some tackling. Usually Brooke is the victim, because she never moves. The boys can't resist her beautiful bows. She still has only rolled over a few times. McKay loves to suck on his own feet and also loves Brooke's. Caleb on the other hand is all over the place. He's not quite crawling, but he's gotscooting mastered. He can get to whatever he wants. So the first gate is up at the top of the stairs and I have to vacuum everyday. He's already finding pieces of baskets and whatever else is lying around. Plus the kitchen looks like we spilled a box of cheerios after every meal. I'm hoping they kind of stagger with all of the stages to come so we can do one at a time. Baby-proofing is soon to come.

This is what Nicole calls "quiet time." She's supposed to do books and quiet toys on her bed, but the rules have been getting a little more lenient to do coloring and art as long as she's out of my hair. Today she took a little more liberty. Brooke was asleep in their room and I need a 45 minute break from her as much or more than the babies naps. I'm starting to fear its going to be more than a rough three years. She's 5 and she's still a handful. She recently cut her hair...again. She wants it short and I had already cut it once when she requested shorter hair, but she wanted it even shorter. Now she got into my makeup. I was pretty impressed with the mascara. She had it on her eyelashes and only a little spot on her nose. I have to use a q-tip everytime to clean myself up. I saw her and just laughted and took a picture.

Brooke always has her tongue sticking out of her mouth. She's always moving, but she doesn't go anywhere. She'll just sit there and flap her arms and legs with her tongue hanging out, but hasn't discovered she can get anywhere. She's very difficult to feed as she's a moving target. She never stops kicking her legs and her tongue pushes the food out as fast as it goes in. And of course Grandma Smith taught her to blow bubbles, which she loves to do with beans!

These babies love their toys. Especially getting them out of the basket and taking it from each other. They see how much fun it is so they take it, and the other one doesn't care, they just grab something else.

Too bad we didn't have a background. We can never get them to all smile and look at the same time. I've gotten rid of most of the swings and bouncers, but it still looks like a day care in here. We just rotate from different toy stations to keep them entertained.

So at 8 months McKay has taken a major lead.

Caleb: 17 lbs 3 oz

McKay 18 lbs 15 oz

Brooke 17 lbs 8 oz

I guess the countdown for me is how many weeks of pumping. I'm getting so tired of it every morning and night and sometimes in the afternoon. I don't know if I'll make it to the full year, but we're getting closer. None of them take binkies so I'm feeling okay about not taking away bottles anytime soon. Brooke is barely learning to hold her own.