Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Seasons Greetings!!!

I know, I know, I know... it's about time... sheesh, you'd think I had been busy or something.




Truth is I've been wanting to post, but wanting to post with pictures, and had misplaced the cord to transfer the pictures to my computer... could have done it on Kim's... but never found the time to do it there.





So here are some recent pictures of the kids, though they have been battling colds the past couple weeks, and just when they seem healthy, they come down with another. So most of their pictures they have shiny nostrils... you can guess why.

As you can tell they are sitting up now on their own, though Nate is still a little sketcy on his... it's fun to see.

Here is Jack in his big beautiful smile!!! He almost looks too pretty ;)

He's not wearing makeup... but it kinda looks like it?






Next is Gabbi sleeping on Uncle John after a night of Rock Band!
















Here the kids are taking a bath with their 18 month old friend Maddison

And then Sophia and Ben entertain the class of 2020

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Aloha From Maui

Too long since my last post... I know. 11 days in Europe and then 11 days in Maui meant my job wanted some of my time as well. No excuses... our public needs us.

Maui was great with the family!!! Not quite the leisurely vacation we are used to, i.e. no just laying in the sun and reading. But it was still fabulous.

The kids all did great on the plane... but boy you should have seen the eyes of the people at our gate as strolled up to the flight with our kids in their stroller. The usual ooohs and ahhs.... and I'm sure several "Oh God, please not next to me" were uttered as well.

The cried a bit for the first 10 minutes or so on the flight, but after that they were great. It wasn't the most comfortable having to hold a child for 5 hours on the plane... but overall, I can't complain.

Sophia was awesome, as usual, and had a ton of fun, as she felt right at home at our hotel. She swam like a fish, and enjoyed the constant family time in the pool. It really helped that Ben O'Loughlin was there to help her get past her initial shyness with the water slide. By day two she was acting liked she owned the place.

Sophia, Max and Ben perform the Hoola at the Luau

Kim and Jack

The triplets were very popular at our hotel, and everywhere we went. I think we had as many people take pictures of us as the fire dancers at the Luau. I think on average we were asked about 20 times a day about the triplets "Triplets?", "You must have your hands full!", "All boys?", "Are you the mother?" (looking at our petite nanny Cori). There were a couple days it actually became annoying, especially when it prevented us from going where we wanted to go. I.e. being stopped every five feet while shopping Lahaina with "Oh, I just have to see them!"

The kids all did great in the pool, and i have more pictures to post, so stay tuned (yeah right, when pigs fly... I hear some of you scoff)


Daddy and his boys at the Luau

Sunday, September 23, 2007

The Kids Are Alright






I haven't posted in a while, and now that I'm on my European excursion... see my other blog... I thought I would quote The Who with my title.


The kids are doing great... they are nearly sleeping through the night... but not quite. Kim is battling heavy with me being in Europe... HUGE kudos to her for that, and to all of our friends who have been helping out! THANK YOU!


I have included some pictures of a night that Kim got a wild hair and decided to try and start feeding them some rice cereal... to top it off she had Sophia taking pictures... so they are a little fuzzy, or as we say "artistic".


Other than that, they are growing great, and smiling a TON! It truly is amazing at how far they have come in the past couple months. I can only imagine what the next couple will bring.


We are taking them to Hawaii as a family vacation in the next week... wish us luck! We are thinking of taping our adventure through the airport... for posterity's sake.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Preview to Spring Break 2022




Hi everyone,


Nate's hernia surgery went perfectly and he was home the next day smiling his big smile. He really has become the little charmer as he bats his big eye lashes and gives you a grin that lights you up.


Here are some pictures from a trip to Chelan we took with our friends, I call this the preview to spring break 2022, because as you can see the kids (including Ryan O'Loughlin) are enjoying their first stint on an air mattress in a pool. I'm sure it's just a preview of lounging years to come.


It's nearing the end of summer (sigh), but with that the kids are starting to sleep more and more at night. YAY!!!!

The kids are becoming more and more interactive as you can see by the shots of Gabbi in her bouncy toy.


Also, it seems as though this blog site will now support video, so I will have to put some clips together (with all my spare time) and start posting some videos so you can get a better feel of our controlled chaos ;)

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Nate Watch 2007

I have recieved several calls regarding Nate's health after his hernia surgery... and thank you to everyone for your concern and support. But we ended up postponing his hernia surgery until Monday, August 13th... so hold onto your prayers and get well wishes for a couple days :)

Monday, July 30, 2007

July Madness - I actually updated the blog!

July was the month I headed back to work... and so the fairly easy life ended.

Having to manage my sleep without the luxury of taking naps during the day between feedings has been tougher on me, and likewise on Kim. Our nanny Cori is a huge help, but on the days she is not there, the burden falls on Kim... and that can lead to a long tiring day for her.

Luckily, I'm taking 3+ weeks in August to spend with the family (and steal away for a fishing trip!!!)

The babies are getting bigger, and even little Nate is approaching the 10 pound mark.

Smiles are more common now, and no matter how tired you are, you can't help but let it touch your heart and smile back. It's amazing how one smile from a child can make everything better.

Here are some much needed pictures for the blog, I hope you enjoy.

Aunt Yvonne came to visit for a small bit one afternoon, and so I thrust all the kids on her for the picture I love to take so much. :)



Sophia has been a HUGE help! She likes to get in the kids faces a bit too much to give them her love, but she will endlessly run and get binkys, blankets, burp cloths etc... to help out. She has also learned the Cougar fight song and much to Kim's chagrin, she sings it quite often. GO COUGS!


We had a small incident with Nate the other night where I had to take him to the emergency room at Children's Hospital. Net Net is that he is going to have a hernia operation on the 8th of August to repair a hernia on the right side. It doesn't bother him much, but the doctor's say it could be very dangerous if not repaired, so of course... better safe than sorry.




Gabrielle is definitely showing that she is very vocal, and very demanding. Sophia has already nicknamed her "Crabby Gabbi" for the strength of her cry. When she wants something, you know it... and she seems to be wanting more and more these days. She is the one that most wants to be held all the time these days, which can be tough with two others that need it too.

All in all, things are going well. Trips in public are still a spectacle, and almost comical at times. You would be amazed at how many parents of multiples are out there, and they will always come up and commiserate with you ;)

During my time off I plan on building Sophia's playset, visiting with my mother and sister who are coming for a short stint, and going fishing in Idaho with my buddies. But I really plan on spending more time with the kids. I want to spend time with each of the babies aside from feedings, where I get to enjoy them and not just worry about the next task... we'll see how well I pull that off. I also look forward to spending some quality time with Sophia. She is a ton of fun these days and has the best sense of humor. She cracks me up all the time (and drives me nuts at other times... must get that from me)

Monday, July 2, 2007

Two Months Old - Where has the Blog gone?



Wow, it's been nearly a month since my last blog entry... I apologize for any of you still patient enough to check back in with the confidence that I'll eventually update things.

A lot has been happening, but pictures have not been as fluid as they were before... bad parents. I'll give you the highlights of the last month's happenings, but there won't necessarily be pictures to accompany things :)

Most recently, Grandma Harrington paid us a visit and got to see Sophia on her 5th birthday as well as the triplets who have nearly doubled in size since she saw them last, on the day of their birth.

Overall, we have been doing pretty well. The little ones are still feeding every 3 to 4 hours, but they are taking more, and eating faster, so the promise of sleeping through the night seems near.

We have decided to not be tied to the house, and take the kids out a couple times a week on errands and what not. We've been to Costco, the mall, and car shopping, without any problems. They actually have slept up to 7 hours on our day of errands before, though we were getting really nervous near the end that we may have a coma inducing melt down. But we feel pretty good that we can continue life as normal... well mostly normal.

You see when we go out into public with the entourage we are viewed as either a rock star or as a freak show... hard to distinguish the two some times. It truly is amazing how people feel the need to talk to us, approach the babies, or take pictures. No questions seem off limits, and people feel like the triplets are public property as many come up and try and get a view. I truly believe it is extremely innocent curiosity that gets them to throw away rational communication with strangers, but it can become overwhelming at times.

Some of the comments we have heard:
"You have your hands full" (90% of our comments are this one)
"Wow! I am so glad it's you and not me" (sounds like it's better that way)
"Did you use fertility drugs?" (excuse me... do I even know you?)

One lady even followed us for about two minutes in Costco asking me questions. Now while my comments may sound flipant, I have been answering these types of questions for about two hours so far on our errands.
(Lady) "Wow, triplets... how does that happen?"
(Mark) "I'm not sure I should tell you this but... when a man and a woman really love each other..."
Kim practically ran away from this lady... and I strolled after her pushing the monster stroller, trying to be polite to this lady, but at the same time end the conversation.

Kim found some videos on YouTube that other families of triplets have posted of their trips in public that really illustrate this fact as well.

But overall things are really great, and we feel truly blessed! We have great friends, neighbors, and family that have been offering their unending support. Thank you soooo much to everyone who has been so supportive and helped us through this exciting, yet tiring time.