Daddy's Girls

19 Month Update

2012-02-13T21:54:00.000-06:00

February 13, 2012

1 year, 7 months, 2 weeks, 5 days old

Between technical difficulties and a week of very little sleep (due to colds all around and an ear infection for Mackenzie), the girls' 19 month update is WAY over due. So what's new? Each girl has her own princess potty and electric toothbrush (only using the toothbrushes so far!)

They like to climb up the back of the couch to STAND on the window ledge above it

...and so we've started counting naughtiness (1-2-3) and giving time outs

All three girls like to give "cheers!" with their milk

And they're 100% feeding themselves now, which can get a little messy at times!

The girls also love drawing

and tracing their hands (or at least trying to trace them!) as Mackenzie demonstrates here

They come up with many uses for flash cards like quizzing each other

or trying to use the cards as decorative borders

We're mostly switched to one mid-day nap a day, but for the first few weeks of the transition, the girls asked to go "Night-Night" almost all day long. They also ask to go "outside?" and for a "car ride?" several times a day (especially Sydney)

Mackenzie Rose

Whenever she sees words on a t-shirt, poster, etc, she points to the letters and says, "A-B-C-D!" She also says, "Oops" and "Awesome!!!"

Mackenzie takes her pants off a lot - especially during nap time. After this happened a few days in a row, Sydney shrugged her shoulders saying, "Kenzie - pants?!?" Mackenzie especially likes playing with zippers and says, "Zipper. up. Down. Up..."

Mackenzie looks like mini-Mom - especially when she's wearing her mom's old clothes!

Abigail Riley

Abby is a monkey who loves to "run-run-run!" and who instigates her sisters' attempts to climb out of their cribs. This flexible little girl easily swings her leg over the top of her crib rails - only a matter of time until she leaps out again!

She LOVES putting on coats, hats, mittens and scarves and wears at least one of them much of the day. And like Mackenzie, Abigail likes to take her pants off if she can.

She has an adorable, reserved smile that looks like she's holding back, but we luckily get to see her pretty full smile, too!

Sydney Elizabeth

Sydney has started stringing thoughts together. After Abby threw her milk at dinner a week ago, Sydney pointed at the milk saying, "Milk. She dropped it. It's a mess!" She also says, "Peace out."

Sydney calls anything green, "Avocado" or "Kiwi." Those are her favorite foods, and she pretends to feed them to her baby dolls. She imitates us regularly, like the other morning when she hugged and kissed each of her sisters and then said, "Bye-bye!" as if she had to leave for work herself!

And she LOVES dancing!

Everybody Poops

2012-01-31T21:35:00.004-06:00

January 31, 2012

1 year, 7 months, 6 days old

It's been an interesting week, and it's just started!

For the last few weeks, Mackenzie has been stripping during nap time and bed time - diaper included. Sydney's cute reaction when she'd wake up and see pants-less Mackenzie? She'd hold her hands up in a shrug and say, "Kenzie - pants!?!"

During yesterday's nap, Mackenzie not only stripped, she also peed AND pooped in the corner of her crib, moving to the opposite side of the crib to sleep!

We started reading the girls books about potty training, and Sydney has started telling us whenever she has to go "poo-poo" and nodding excitedly and saying "yes!" when I ask her if she wants to go in the potty. So, we gave it a try this morning. Sydney was very happy to sit on the potty without a diaper.

Everybody watched with interest to see what would happen

Meanwhile, Mackenzie tried to strip so she could take a turn, but Jason had dressed her in a onesie so that she couldn't unbutton her shirt and repeat yesterday's crib-poo incident.

Mackenzie and Abigail alternated hopping on and off the potty in-between Sydney's more serious attempts, but neither of them would sit still very long. Mackenzie was much happier standing by, patting Sydney's head in encouragement, and Abby's almost always happiest when she's on the go!

In the end, no one went in the potty, but it was a promising start! We'll have to give it a serious try some time in the next weekend or two. Fingers crossed that it catches and spreads quickly!

Field Trip to Sweden

2012-01-29T22:01:00.000-06:00

January 29, 2012
1 year, 7 months, 4 days old

Last weekend, the girls needed to get out of the house. So, we decided to take them to Sweden. Or, to the closest thing we have to Sweden around here...IKEA.

It had been years since Jason and I had been there, and the experience was quite different. Last time, we were engaged and kidless. We wandered through the room displays, pretending they were ours. Most memorably, we sat on a patio glider for 20 minutes, holding empty coffee mugs (pretending to drink) and talking as if we were at home instead of surrounded by hundreds of strangers.

This time, instead, we had three 19-month olds in tow. They enjoyed being on the go throughout the store instead of cooped up at home. Mackenzie and Abigail drew attention as they sat in the double stroller, holding hands as we walked. SO cute!

The find of the trip was colorful dog-hinder hooks. We bought three for each girl in their respective colors - blue for Mackenzie, Green for Abigail and Pink for Sydney (alternate for yellow). We plan to hang each set of hooks next to three mirrors in the playroom, and the hooks can hold the girls' dress-up clothes. I can't wait!!

One-on-one time with Syd

2012-01-29T13:27:00.001-06:00

A while back, I was lucky enough to have Kenzie wake up early from a nap and got some really good one-on-one time. This time it was Syd. It was a lot of fun to relax with her. See what happened when she hit me in the face.

Enjoy!!!

Mackenzie, Meet Bob

2012-01-21T22:53:00.000-06:00

January 14, 2012
18 months 2 weeks 6 days old

Mackenzie says, "Bye-bye, baby-mullet"

"Hello, cute bob!"

Sydney and Abigail got teensy-weensy trims at the back of their necks as well

(Bangs too)

Abby was the last to get cut, and she wasn't sitting still or composed by then.
SOOOO...her bangs aren't exactly straight

But her face says, "I'm too cute to care!"

First Snow Day

2012-01-21T21:54:00.001-06:00

January 13, 2012

18 mos 2 weeks 5 days old

Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney had their first snow day last weekend.
Their first few steps were cautious, or maybe their many layers of snow gear just slowed them down

Mackenzie had a hard time walking and didn't seem to have much fun

But with Daddy's help, she did much better

But even so, she was VERY tired, and they headed inside after
less time than it took to get everyone ready to head outside

That's when Daddy realized that Mommy hadn't zipped the back of Mackenzie's boots,
so it's no wonder she had trouble walking! (SO Sorry about that Kenzie!!!)

Abigail wanted to check how deep the snow had gotten

But she hadn't expected it to stick to her!

She looks a little worried, or maybe just cold,
but she's huge on exploring and loved having free reign outside

After Mac went inside, Abby explored the front yard, too

and the front steps

and then she felt the snow on the bushes

It was COLD

Sydney had been asking to go "Outside?!" for a while that day

And she seemed to like walking around in the snow

but she took my hand anyway so that I wouldn't fall down

Syd took our snow adventure VERY seriously

One week later, she's still asking to go back outside, so that's a good sign!

She'll just have to convince her sister Mackenzie to give it another try - with her boots ZIPPED!

Girls with Things on their Heads

2012-01-21T21:00:00.001-06:00

January 12, 2012

18 mos 2 weeks 4 days old

Apparently, our girls like to put things on their heads like...

a shirt-turbin

a butterfly net hat

a new hat with mittens still attached

or any winter hat for Abby - she puts them on herself all day long!

Cousin Delaney's Baptism

2012-01-12T21:42:00.002-06:00

January 12, 2012

18 mos 2 weeks 4 days old

Last weekend we celebrated the Baptism of the girls' newest cousin, Delaney. Jason and I are Delaney's Godparents, so it was extra special for us!

We had LOTS of help with the girls during the service - like Aunt Trina entertaining Abby who spent most of the hour moving crayons in and out of a baggie...except for the 12 or so that rolled under all the pews in front of us!

Grandpa Madole was happy to hold little Syd while he still could (he had shoulder surgery on Tuesday that prevents him from holding his grand-babies short-term, but he's doing really well now). Syd was pretty quiet and well-behaved during the whole service as far as I could tell.

And I held Mackenzie, who broke out with a goofy slow-motion interpretive dance, arms floating slowly around her head, every time the organ broke out in a new hymn. It was hard not to laugh! When she wasn't dancing, Mac was pointing to Delaney excitedly exclaiming, "Baby!!", tearing a page out of the the hymnal she liked looking at, or generally squirming around. I think she really enjoyed herself.

Afterward, Jason took some great pics of the newly expanded family (here's a cute one!)

...while I walked the antsy girls around the church

Yesterday, Delaney had surgery to remove congenital cataracts, and she's doing really well - already looking all around for the first time. Please pray for continued healing!

Congratulations on your Baptism, Baby Girl!!!

Late Christmas gift

2012-01-10T22:57:00.002-06:00

January 10, 2012
18 months, 2 weeks and 2 days old

Jason here....

In an earlier post, Becs mentioned that we were renovating our upstairs guest room to create a playroom for the girls as a Christmas gift. The idea was to give the girls a second place to play during the winter months (and to reclaim some of our family room from their mounting piles of toys).

The number one thing I learned during this small but important renovation is that we seriously lack storage space. Apparently, closets and basements were overrated in the 1950's when our house was built. The good things is that it is forcing us to purge "stuff" we didn't even know we had.

Becs and I saw a picture in a magazine of a room that had stripes and loved it. We were thinking about painting stripes in the playroom, but we thought it would be a lot of work and that it might not turn out like it should. The room previously had paneling, so we just used the panels as guides for the striping. To my surprise, it turned out great!

We are not finished with adding the decorations yet, but the room is open for playing. The girls LOVE IT!!!

Below are some pictures so you can check it out.

Here you can see the girls enjoying their new little-people table and coloring on their Aquadoodle pads.

Here the girls are chillin and enjoying puzzle time!

Just a cute photo of Abby

Sadly, the girls' ball pit had a slow leak.
Until we can replace it, we filled the girls' ladybug tent with the balls

They love crawling down the tunnel and playing in the tent

...as you can tell from Abby's ear-to-ear smile!

Lot of Balls!!!

2012-01-10T21:56:00.003-06:00

January 10, 2011
18 months 2 weeks 2 days old

One of our biggest challenges right now is keeping the girls from standing on the couch and couch table. It's like toddler King-of-the-Couch, and it could get dangerous.

Their doctor suggested that we redirect their craving for climbing by giving them a little slide to climb. Of course, we took it one step further...

We got the slide. And then we set it up to slide into a big ball pit - AWESOME!

But, Sydney usually takes a little longer to warm up to new things...

...and the ball pit slide was no exception!

But she really enjoyed sitting on my lap watching her sisters slide down - like Abby here

Syd thought it was hilarious when Abigail and Mackenzie landed in the balls

Of course, Abigail also liked climbing UP the slide

Grandma Madole got the girls the perfect sliding outfits - complete with homemade tutus

Eventually, Sydney made peace with the ball pit

And Abby learned how to swim in it - back stroke!

She LOVED her tutu and the ball pit, too

Where did Abigail go?

Peek-a-BOO!!!

Luckily, the ball pit is big enough for three!

Sydney's 18 Month Update

2012-01-06T23:20:00.001-06:00

December 25, 2012

1 1/2 years old!!!

Happy half birthday! You are getting SO big, look so much older and learn so many new things every day. Life with you is such a crazy and fun blessing! Here's what you have been up to lately...

Sydney Elizabeth

Weight: 24 pounds, 7 ounces (73rd percentile)

Height: 32 1/4" (64th percentile)

Head Circumference: 18 1/4" (52nd percentile)

Favorite activities: Entertaining a crowd with her silly faces and funny laughs

Sydney has a little black eye. She and Kenzie were fighting over a door that ended up closing on Syd's face!

On December 18, Sydney pointed at the coffee-maker with double-guns and asked Daddy, "What's this?" Her first sentences were that and "Eat squash." She also commonly says More Please, Don't Touch, All Done, Santa, Abby/Abigail, and Ho-Ho-Ho! And she correctly can answer whether or not her diaper is poopy. ("No poopy" is pretty cute in that tiny voice!)

She does other silly things, too, like walking around trying to blow raspberries on her own belly for an entire day.

I just missed it with the camera, but Sydney often crosses her fingers.

During the Rosebowl, it was especially cute when she'd raise her arms above her head with fingers crossed on both hands as she declared, "Touchdown!" as if she was crossing her fingers for good luck and a Badger win!

Sydney is a little mother hen. She looks out for her sisters, and always rushes to comfort them with hugs, kisses and pats on the back whenever they cry. She (and Mackenzie too) talk about Abigail constantly! They just love her!

When the girls get to climb the stairs to their bedroom at night time, Sydney prefers walking up backwards! She's a fantastic mix of old soul and total silliness!

Abigail's 18 Month Update

2012-01-06T23:20:00.000-06:00

December 25, 2012

1 1/2 years old!!!

Happy half birthday! You are getting SO big, look so much older and learn so many new things every day. Life with you is such a crazy and fun blessing! Here's what you have been up to lately...

Abigail Riley

Weight: 22 pounds, 1 ounce (42nd percentile)

Height: 32" (55th percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 3/4" (20th percentile)

Favorite accessory: toddler scarf with 3-D lady bugs (willing to fight her sisters for it)

Abigail is a HUGE animal lover!

Here she tries to ride on her Aunt Gadget, just like she does with many animals and toys

Like her sisters, Abby is starting to imitate us. Here she uses the rag she took out of the laundry basket to wash her doll's face and to scrub the hallway floor (while laying on her belly!)

If she's in trouble (like when she bites her sisters), Abby starts crying and gives hugs and kisses to whoever is scolding her.

When she's especially tired and gets hurt or upset, Abby bows her head, covering her eyes with her hands like it's the end of the world. I don't know where she picked it up, but it's like a little adult and very dramatic.

When we were at the doctor's office a few weeks ago, Abigail was relentless about climbing and standing up on a chair. Nanny Nicole kept telling Abs to sit down, and she took Abby off the chair whenever she didn't do as she was told...

Eventually, Abby sweetly took Nicole by the hand, led her across the room, and left her there before quickly running back across the room, climbing the chair and standing up on it again. Stinker!!

For a little while, I thought Abby was hard of hearing. "Abby. Abs. Abigail. Abbers. Abby!" I'd go on with no response. But then I learned the magic words: "What's this?" The curiosity gets her every time, and she looks instantly!

Mackenzie's 18 Month Update

2012-01-06T23:17:00.001-06:00

December 25, 2012

1 1/2 years old!!!

Happy half birthday! You are getting SO big, look so much older and learn so many new things every day. Life with you and your sisters is such a crazy and fun blessing! Here's what you have been up to recently...

Mackenzie Rose

Weight: 24 pounds, 1 ounce (73rd percentile)

Height: 32 7/8" (78th percentile)

Head Circumference: 19" (93rd percentile)

Favorite Song: Bah, Bah, Black Sheep

Makenzie just finished a phase where she wanted help with EVERYTHING before she tried doing it herself. She asked for "Hep, peas" all day long only to be told repeatedly, "You can do it" or "You try first."

We're glad she's over that phase, but we know she'll want to do everything herself soon and sadly won't take our help when we try to give it.

She already loves feeding herself and is so proud when she does a good job - like in this picture where she figured out that it's easier to scoop food up with a spoon when she holds the cup instead of leaving the cup on her tray.

Mackenzie's love of sunglasses (she'll wear them for an entire car ride) has spread to include love for Nana's (incredibly weak) reading glasses, too

Kenzie didn't want to take the glasses off, so she casually wandered away with them. She kept looking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed by a big person with a look that said, "I dare you to take them from me"!

Her face is incredibly expressive - I just love her mischievous look below

Mackenzie repeats words she hears all the time. Unfortunately, Mommy and Daddy both say, "Shoot!" a lot, and when Mackenzie repeats after us, it sounds like she's swearing!

Kenzie also is really good at identifying pictures in books. When you tell her to point to the ball, teddy bear, candy cane, apple, train, shoes or other object she's seen before, she correctly picks it out almost every time. She's a smart cookie!

All three girls love reading books on our laps, which is getting tougher now that they're so big! Their favorites are books with flaps that they can open, and fuzzy or other tactile pages to feel are a hit, too.

We met two year-old twins at Costco a week ago, and they looked GIGANTIC! It's hard to believe our girls will be that big in just 6 months. And we can only imagine the new things they'll learn by that age!

Daddy's Little Helpers

2012-01-03T22:07:00.001-06:00

December 28, 2011
18 months, 3 days old

Armed with their mini Black & Decker tool set...

...the girls stood by in case Daddy needed help installing a walk-through gate at the top of the stairs

Sydney supervised while Abby and Mackenzie figured out how to use the new toys

Always remember - Safety first!

(Even for a Diva)

Mackenzie uses her favorite blanket for insulation,

while Abby offers Daddy some hole-drilling advice

After inspecting his work, the girls declared that Daddy did a really good job!

For added protection, the gate has an alarm we can set once the girls learn how to open it. Now, if it could detect them going OVER the gate, too, we'd be all set. Yesterday, I found Mackenzie climbing with her feet already half-way up the kitchen hallway gate! (And we all know that Abby loves to climb, too!)

Badgers, Badgers, Badgers!!!

2012-01-03T20:20:00.000-06:00

January 3, 2012

18 months, 1 week, 2 days old

Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney cheered and cheered and cheered for the University of Wisconsin Badgers as they battled the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl yesterday

Sydney couldn't believe her eyes as both teams scored touchdown after touchdown

Mackenzie shouted, "Ta-down" as the Badgers scored another unbelievable touchdown

The girls couldn't even take their eyes off the t.v. for a Badger Fan family picture

...so we moved to the couch directly across from the game

(if you can't stop them, at least fake that they're looking toward the camera!)

It was the highest scoring game in Rose Bowl history (45-38)

but in the end, the Badgers were one touchdown behind the mighty ducks. Next time Badgers!!!

Three Christmases

2012-01-02T10:30:00.001-06:00

January 2, 2012

18 months, 1 week, 1 day old

Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney celebrated Christmas so many days in a row this year, that we worried they'd expect to open new presents every day forever!

Uncle Chris and Aunt Shannon hosted the Christmas Eve celebration. While Uncle Chris finished the cooking, Abby climbed up in the head chair and helped herself to anything she wanted from the table. She was quite happy with the food spread!

Everyone else thought it was good, too! The roast was especially delicious!

Mommy and Daddy took turns eating dinner while the alternate parent followed the girls around.

They LOVED exploring the house.

...maybe a little too much!??

Luckily, nothing broke

...despite all the fun temptations at the girls' height

This look is SO Sydney

Back at Nana and Grandpa Jeff's house, we exchanged more Christmas gifts,

but Aunt Gadget got the best gift of all!

We had a good time celebrating with the Nohl Clan, who spoiled the girls rotten

...and then we were off again the very next day to celebrate Christmas with the Madole Clan

...where a whole lot of Christmas cheer exploded all over the living room

Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney and their 6 cousins opened their gifts first

and the girls couldn't wait to use the new doll strollers

Ka-BOOM! (as the girls would say)

One of the best presents of all is a new baby in the family - Delaney.

The girls lined up to see (and touch) the baby.

They were very excited to get to hold their newest cousin, too

Abigail tries to "ride" everything, and that includes Grandma Madole's winter decorations

The next day, the girls loved playing with all of their new toys,

like this dinosaur from Uncle Chris and Aunt Shannon

...the tea set from Grandma and Grandpa Madole

...and the box of animals who really roar, snort, and moo from Nana Mary and Grandpa Jeff

Then, they got MORE presents - this time from Mommy and Daddy. But the biggest gift from us is still in the works - we're making the girls a playroom!

Then, the girls decided it was time to work off some of those extra holiday calories by having another toddler flash mob!

Their Nanny Nicole says the spontaneous rolling around on the floor when a good song plays on the radio is common now, but only Mommy and Nicole have been lucky enough to see it in person yet.

You can really work up a sweat with all that wiggling around - Water break for Sydney!

More wiggling for Mackenzie!

After playing a little peek-a-boo...

(PEEK!)

...Sydney decided it was a good time to tickle Mackenzie

and to blow raspberries on her back!

So, take Sydney's lead and spread more holiday cheer - go tickle somebody!

Happy Holidays, everyone!!!

Happy Holidays to YOU!

2011-12-28T22:00:00.000-06:00

December 28, 2011
18 months, 3 days old

As much as we were excited to order super cute Christmas cards this year, it just didn't happen. So, our season's greetings will have to be electronic this year! Herry Christmas, everyone!!!

Abigail's Cheerio

2011-12-26T23:02:00.000-06:00

December 26, 2011
18 months, 1 day old

In preparation for the girls' 18 month check-up this week, their Dr's office asked us to complete a questionnaire on each girl to check her progress. It has questions you'd expect, like does she combine two words together to make a logical thought?

But some of the questions are things we've never had a reason to observe. For example, one asks how the girls react when we give them a clear bottle with a Cheerio in it. Do they tip the bottle upside down to get the Cheerio out?

Now, we've found many uses for Cheerios, as 3-month old Abby models here.

But we've never given them a bottle with a Cheerio in it. In fact, I've already given away all of their bottles. So, I grabbed the closest thing I could find - a tall sippy cup, gathered the girls, and began the experiment.

While all three girls watched, I put the Cheerio in the cup and demonstrated turning it over twice before handing it to Mackenzie. Her reaction? She immediately turned the cup upside down so the Cheerio fell out, picked it up off the floor and happily ate it.

Sydney was next. Once again, I demonstrated turning the bottle over to get the Cheerio out two times. Then I handed her the bottle. For her first two attempts, Sydney excitedly but tentatively turned the bottle parallel to the floor instead of upside down. I demonstrated again, and she successfully dumped out the Cheerio on the third try before asking for "More, peas."

Now, Abby had seen the rest of us turn the cup upside down at least 7 times, but I demonstrated it twice more anyway.

After I gave Abby the cup, she looked at her sisters. She looked at me. She looked at the cup and smiled a gigantic smile. Instead of turning the cup over, she simply reached her tiny hand inside the cup, pulled the Cheerio out and ate it. She must have thought we were incredibly inefficient and silly! Of course it made more sense to just reach in and grab the Cheerio!

They may be triplets, but they definitely all approach the world in different ways. That's part of what makes life with them so interesting!

More Winter Firsts

2011-12-22T23:09:00.002-06:00

December 22, 2011
17 months, 3 weeks, 6 days old

Even though this technically is the girls' second winter, it still is filled with many firsts for Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney.

For example, this was their first time being part of a live nativity. However, they couldn't agree on who would be Mary, so we had 3 Marys and 3 Jesuses (is that a word?)

Abby, where is baby Jesus?

They also opened their first real 2011 Christmas presents

...and ate their first Christmas wrapping paper (well, Abby did anyway)

Nanny Nicole also banished the first toys that the girls turned into dangerous pastimes. Who knew frog chairs make great sleighs for pushing your sister around?!? (...and by that I mean 'great until they dump the rider on the kitchen floor and then run her over repeatedly')

For the first time, Sydney had to show her toy Rody who's boss

Then she tackled him and gave him an elbow driver so he wouldn't forget it

And to REALLY driver the point home, she growled, picking Rody up by her teeth, and shook him like a dog toy (...something we taught the girls to do with smaller toys whenever we say, "shake it up!")

For the first time ever, one of the girls actually wanted to wear the goofy holiday headband I bought her

(Abby was the only taker though)

Another early winter highlight was watching Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney see their first snowfall.
They'd point to it, saying "ssssNOw"

I can't wait to see them play in the snow for the very first time!

Taxidermy Santa

2011-12-19T21:07:00.000-06:00

December 19, 2011
17 months, 3 weeks, 2 days old

All week, the girls have been practicing for their first-ever Santa visit - pointing to Santa pictures and trying to say "Ho-Ho-Ho!" and "Merry Christmas!"

Jason and I were pretty sure the trip would be a disaster. If Santa didn't scare them to death (especially skeptical Sydney), then the long line would drive them crazy for sure.

So on a whim, we ended up visiting Santa at a place with virtually no line at all - Cabela's hunting, fishing and camping outdoor store. This place was GIGANTIC. It's like taxidermy Heaven! The middle of the store has a two-story mountain covered with dead, stuffed wild animals like rattle snakes, grizzly bears, mountain lions, and so on.

We circled the mountain and took the elevator up to the second floor where we found Santa appropriately set up next to the shooting range (of course, right?!). We were third in line - perfect!

Before they knew what was happening, we sat Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney on Santa's lap. Instead of freaking out like we expected, they just checked Santa out, which was really worth doing. Unlike the traditional Kris Kringle, this Santa was all dressed up for the occasion in camo cargo pants and knee-high Sorel winter boots. The girls weren't dressed up in fancy Christmas clothes either, and their outdoorsy vests turned out to be perfect.

Other than a brief escape attempt by shocked Sydney...

(who must have realized that Santa's 12 reindeer had been shot,

stuffed and arranged nicely around him)

none of the girls had much of a reaction at all, which is better than we'd expected!

After saying bye-bye to Santa, the girls liked checking out the fish in the big walk-through aquarium and all of the animals on the mountain. It kind of was like their first Santa visit and zoo experience wrapped into one. All-in-all it was a good experience, though I think we'll opt for a little more traditional Santa experience next year when the girls should be a little better about staying in line.

And one day, the girls no doubt will give us a hard time for not ever doing anything the normal way. But hey, who else has real deer in the background of their very first Santa picture?!? Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney sure do!

Things that go BUMP In the Night

2011-12-18T21:44:00.004-06:00

December 18, 2011
17 months, 3 weeks, 2 days old

This is Abigail. Abigail REALLY likes to climb, and she's always on the go.

Today, Abigail's day started off with a bang - literally. Around 7:20 this morning, I awoke to a loud thud, followed by Abby crying hard. I knew instantly what had happened. I've been terrified of it for months now.

I shouted over my shoulder to wake up Jason as I raced up the stairs. I was moving so quickly that I tripped halfway, stubbing my now black-and-blue toes as I climbed.

As I expected, Abby was laying on the floor next to her crib where she fell while trying to climb out. Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion that she was trying to climb from her crib and into Mackenzie's crib. The two of them have been goofing around together at nap time, enjoying the fact that they can reach out and touch each other because their cribs are so close together. For example, last week, at the end of nap time, Abby's shirt was in Mackenzie's crib, and Mac's pants were with Abby - a friendly nap-time game of catch?

Hopefully Abby's fall scared her enough to avoid a repeat performance for a while, but I'm afraid we don't have long before this determined monkey tries again. At minimum, we pushed her crib much further away from Mackenzie's crib - just in case it really is added motivation for little Abs.

Let us know if you have any keep-the-toddler-in-the-bed tips! Eventually, we'll convert her crib into a toddler bed, but if we did that now, she'd just scale the dresser, changing table and hutch, and we'd be no better off! Who's figured this out? As the girls would say, "Hep, peas!"

83.333%

2011-12-13T21:14:00.002-06:00

December 13, 2011

5 out of our 6 toddler ears have ear infections.

That explains the most recent sleeping issues Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney are having. Hopefully the antibiotics have them feeling better soon!

First Noel Flash Mob

2011-12-11T22:09:00.000-06:00

December 10, 2011

17 months, 2 weeks, 1 days old

I was making dinner tonight, and the girls were in the kitchen with me. When 'The First Noel' came on the radio, the girls suddenly dropped to the ground one after the other.

They started wiggling all around on the ground

and they sure where enjoying themselves

I have no idea what was going on!

But I sure was glad I had the camera nearby...

...or Jason wouldn't have believed it!

They sure were goofy but cute!

Future break-dancers?

Favorite Christmas song?

...or maybe it just was a baby flash mob!

Stir it Up

2011-12-11T21:40:00.000-06:00

December 10, 2011
17 months, 2 weeks, 1 days old

While Abigail napped yesterday, Sydney and Mackenzie did some serious baking

They'd pour in a little milk, and stir it up

The best part?

The taste tests!

Sydney preferred the walk and stir method

(it helped burn off the calories in the baked goods)

or Tag-Team baking

When any of the three girls hear "stir it up," they run to grab a container and utensil and start stirring like mad. We've been cooking a lot lately, and we usually show them the steps where we're mixing ingredients in a bowl, which started their baking craze. They just love it, and it's pretty darn cute!

How many toddlers does it take to change a lightbulb?

2011-12-08T22:05:00.000-06:00

December 8, 2011

16 months, 1 week, 6 days old

How many toddlers does it take to change a lightbulb?

Apparently it takes all three triplets.

One to help hold the shade steady. One to climb up and change the bulb. And another to supervise.

Pretty Hair

2011-12-08T21:55:00.002-06:00

December 8, 2011
16 months, 1 week, 6 days old

The girls got their bangs trimmed again tonight, and they got "pretty hair" as a bonus

Mackenzie got a top o' the head pony tail

...with a butterfly clip

Abigail got low pigtails

...that make her say "OoooOOOOooooh!"

And Sydney got a top-only French-braid

...that looks completely adorable - like this picture of the blondie twins!

Sydney Smiles

2011-12-08T21:27:00.000-06:00

December 8, 2011
16 months, 1 week, 6 days old

Sydney was in a GREAT mood today

She laughed...

...and laughed...

...and laughed!

She guffawed forward

She belly-ached backward

She laughed at herself laughing

She laughed at Mommy laughing at her laughing

And then she laughed some more - just for giggles.

Diaper Box Panic

2011-12-08T21:18:00.000-06:00

December 8, 2011
16 months, 1 week, 6 days old

Mackenzie's stint as ruler of the diaper box was short-lived.

You can see the panic on her face as her sisters swarmed the box.

The panic was for good reason!

Like with most fun toys, Mackenzie had to share the box with her sisters - like it or not.

In this case, they literally sat on her!

Destruction X3

2011-12-06T22:42:00.000-06:00

December 4, 2011
17 months, 1 week, 4 days old

Geeze three toddlers can be destructive!

Take the dishwasher, for instance. Now, what happened to that???

Maybe Abby knows, since she helped her sisters break the drawer under the stove, too

On second thought, maybe I shouldn't let the girls play with my iPhone until it's time for an upgrade

But Mackenzie thinks it's her phone, and she's mastered the finger swipe.

Her favorite app is Talking Tom, and she likes looking at my triplet photo collection, too

Meanwhile, Abby eyes the kitchen sink...

...I'd better get them back to their toys before we have any more destruction!

48 hours later...here's the result of Daddy's handy work - only the kick plate left to install

Luckily Uncle Chris had a brand new dishwasher to spare in the basement. Thank you!!! I'm sure we'll start collecting toddler hand prints on the stainless steal as soon as the girls wake up in the morning =)

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-06T22:10:00.000-06:00

December 6, 2011

17 months, 1 week, 4 days old

The Madoles are getting excited for Christmas this year! We are continuing long-standing family Christmas traditions, and we're starting some new traditions of our own.

We started our celebrations by attending our first-ever tree lighting ceremony in the village where we live.The girls enjoyed people-watching

Listening to carolers sing Christmas songs

And giving each other hugs and kisses

(especially Sydney and Abigail)

By the time the tree and decorations were lit throughout the park, all three girls were out of their strollers and getting antsy like Mackenzie here with neighbor Kim. So, we'll have to bring them back to the park to enjoy all of the lights and decorations once we get another mild night.

This weekend, we continued the tradition of baking and frosting molasses gingerbread cut-out cookies with Great Grandma Dorothy. Here's Mackenzie enjoying her very first taste of the old Schulze family recipe.

Abby enjoyed a mini gingerbread man and had seconds - his wife!

Sydney loved the cookies, too

The girls climbed on everything at Nana Mary and Grandpa Jeff's house, as usual

Mackenzie and Sydney practiced sharing the cool places to sit

and Kenzie saved Syd's spot when she got up to get a toy

After meal time messes, only Sydney stayed in her original outfit all day

Mackenzie added a BEAUTIFUL necklace to her wild outfit, and she wore it for hours despite it's clunkiness

The girls opened the presents that St. Nicholas left in their Christmas stockings

(with a little help)

Like these awesome mismatched sock sets

Abby and Mackenzie checked out the book basket

While Sydney hung out with Daddy nearby

Busy-body Abby ran all around checking out the decorations, and Nana taught her to say, "Santa"

It was her first word when she woke up on Sunday morning, pointing out the santa pictures and figures that seemed to be everywhere. Her sisters remembered "Santa," too.

More holiday fun to come!!

Pink Eyes

2011-12-06T20:38:00.000-06:00

December 6, 2011
17 months, 1 week, 4 days old

When the girls caught pink eye, we were somewhat relieved to find out that we didn't have to haul them back into the Dr's office. We're guessing that's because pink eye is so common and so contagious (and the prescription is only $5 after all) they simply called the prescriptions into the pharmacy without seeing the girls.

Here is a picture of each triplet (a little messy from oatmeal, which they tried to feed themselves) on her first day with pink eye. It got a little worse before it got better, but these pictures aren't so bad.

Mackenzie Rosie-Eye

Sydney Elizabeth

Abigail Riley

As you can see, Sydney's eyes were looking much better by the time Abby first caught pink eye. It's still lingering in Mackenzie and Abigail slightly after a full week. Their treatment was 7 days of eye drops. So, if it's not gone tomorrow, we'll have to call the Doctor's office again. Fingers crossed for remarkably better looking eyes tomorrow!

Chicken Broth for the Toddler's Soul

2011-12-05T20:41:00.001-06:00

November 24, 2011
17 Months old

Who knew a case of chicken broth could bring so much joy?

Apparently, Abby did.

And her sisters joined in the fun, too.

If this was the time-out corner...

...Abigail would be naughty ALL the time!

Needless to say, she had a blast playing on the chicken broth

If only she'd eat it! Abigail and her sisters still are fighting through their second set of nasty colds for the month, and all three girls have pink eye (that hopefully will be completely gone by tomorrow - fingers crossed). Despite being sick, which does make them extra tired and crabby sometimes, the girls generally have been happy, as you can see from these pictures. They're great troopers, that's for sure! Especially after being sick for an entire month.

Jason and I found out today that we both have sinus infections to add into the mix. That makes for the tired chasing the tired - literally. Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney just LOVE being chased.

We're hoping everyone's healthy by Christmas Eve - 17 days and counting!

What it's like to have triplets

2011-12-01T20:51:00.001-06:00

People often tell us they can't imagine what it's like having triplets, and they wonder how we do it.

And we agree that it's definitely not for everyone. It's a life full of laughter and kisses but also one that's incredibly hectic and stressful - but we wouldn't trade it for anything. Here's how another triplet Mom describes her life with triplet toddlers, and we couldn't agree more...This is our life!

3! What's that like?
via My Three Blessings by Alicia on 11/29/11

Well, a lot like your one, I imagine.

Only...

The victories, they are bigger. Like when they can crawl down the stairs and stand in the door to the garage and wait there to be loaded into the car. And when they can brush their own teeth well enough to count it as brushing. And when they can hold their own bottle. For that one you do a little dance. Find their thumb, can put their own pacifier back into their mouth, feed themselves yogurt. I think, if you have one child, these things might be called milestones. But with three, they are victories. You might someday look back on the days when you were holding babies and replacing pacis with the tiniest bit of sadness and longing. But in the moment, they are windows to a whole new world of productivity. It means you get an extra 30 minutes 4 times a day to clean the kitchen and fold laundry, or 2 fewer trips down the stairs to get out the door. It means you might actually, on occasion, go out the door.

You don't have time to be upset for your child who just got 3 shots, because you are already preparing the next for their turn and keeping the first from falling out of the pumpkin seat and on to the tiled floor. When you are packing to leave in the time it takes to change 3 diapers, dress 3 bodies, put shoes and socks on 3 kids, track down coats and get ready to head for the door there is 3 times the likelihood that someone will poop. Which means EVERY SINGLE TIME you have to rechange at least 1 child. It is much less frustrating if the pooper is not already strapped into their carseat.

It is planning for everything. How are we going to get them from the car to the door. If at the last minute he can't meet me there, do I have the right stroller to get them inside. Will this office fit the triple stroller and if not who will ride and who will be carried or who MIGHT hold my hand while I push. Will they have enough high chairs. Do we have enough diapers. Do I have enough energy. What if I have to pee. Will there be breakables and can I find them first. It is knowing that meltdowns are contagious and you do not have enough arms to calm them all. It is always being outnumbered. It is sticking to the schedule. Period. It means nap times are beyond necessary for your longevity.

You wonder why when they are on the changing table they are a totally different child and you realize with the tiniest hint of horror that it is the only time they get your undivided attention. Learning to share is a process that starts before birth. Giving each other a break is taking one child with you to the store to leave only 2 with your husband. It means sitting down to read Goodnight Moon counts as taking a breather and cooking dinner for adults counts as me-time. Eating dinner yourself before 8 is a win and eating dinner as a family is a minor miracle.

It is knowing there is a safest place in the car and only one of them can be placed there, trying not to discuss your fertility health with every stranger you meet, realizing that 3 really isn't all that many because you have friends with 4, 5 and 6 that somehow manage too. It is understanding that they each deserve to be held way more than they are and snuggled far more often than they can be. It is also efficiency and making do and more hugs than I thought I would ever give or receive in this lifetime.

I don't know, what's one like?

Silly Sydney

2011-12-01T20:19:00.000-06:00

Mid-November 2011
16 months 2 weeks old

What could be sillier than Sydney's colorful outfit?

How about her SUPER-SILLY faces!!!

Here's the Stink-Face she loves so much

While running errands, it's not uncommon to hear strangers say, "Oh my, what a face!"
And we instantly know they're talking to silly Sydney

Sydney thinks it's hillarious

And I have to admit that we think she's pretty funny, too

Maybe she gets it from her parents???

Well, maybe not this intense look...!

Really, where does she come up with this stuff???

As we've said before, we think Sydney's just about the funniest kid alive!

17 Month Update

2011-11-28T23:24:00.003-06:00

November 25, 2011
1 year, 5 months old

Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney turned 17 months old today.
This week they got remarkably bigger, smarter and more grown up by the day.

They're learning to use utensils and to sit at the big table, which helps keep them interested in food longer. That's important since they generally don't eat as well anymore now that they're not growing as fast.

(Babies triple their birth weights the first year - and then some in the case of our tiny premies - and only are four times their birth weight by age 2 so they don't need as much fuel even though they're so active)

The girls are very helpful - they'll blow on their food if they think it might be hot, and they like to wipe the floor and table with any towel they can get their hands on.

They spend about 1/3 of their time ignoring each other, 1/3 fighting and 1/3 hugging or kissing

Here's a recap of what's going on with each girl...

Mackenzie Rose

Weight: 23 pounds

Foot size: 5

Shoe size: 5 1/2

She spends her free time attempting Yoga moves

or turning the world upside down

She still mumbles "Doopa-doopa-doopa-DOO!" and repeats most words that she hears now, which really increased by a ton this week. She likes to point her sisters out by name - "Abba" and "Syd, Sydders, or Didney"

And she loves music as much as the next triplet, which is A LOT!
We have dance parties at our house every day

She likes riding her pet frog, Fergie

and she's the wildest rocker in the bunch

When she's not busy opening and closing every compartment on the busy box by herself,
Mackenzie loves playing hide-and-seek in the laundry closet

She shuts the doors completely and enjoys popping out and saying "Boo!"If you're lucky she just might follow it up with the evil sounding version of her laugh, which is pretty cute.

It's impossible to keep a coat on Mackenzie. But ever since she saw Nana wearing a scarf,
she likes to tie spare pants around her neck, and she'll wear her pants-scarf for hours

She often gets bitten by her two sisters and has the bruises to prove it, but she often instigates the battles by stealing their toys. At other times, they bite her just because they can't help themselves. Luckily, those incidents have decreased significantly. And when they do happen, Mac is quickly soothed with a Boo-Boo-Bunny freezer rabbit that she loves to kiss.

Mackenzie kisses just about everything. It's especially cute when she leans in, gives a kiss and says, "mwah!" She is obsessed with all babies and loves to hug and kiss her dolls. When she saw a newborn earlier today she pointed to it saying, "baby!" and "nice" meaning that she wanted to 'pet' it nicely like she pets Nana's dog Gadget.

Abigail Riley

Weight: 22.4 pounds

Foot size: 4.5

Shoe size: 5

Abby tries to do yoga too, but so far she can't keep her feet in the pretzel position

She prefers standing on everything (chairs, couches, tables, her pet horse...)

But she is pretty flexible!

Abby comforts herself by chewing on blanket tassels

She is an incredibly fast runner. Her favorite dance move is "happy feet" which looks a little like she's running in place with a huge grin

Who sends subtle hints when she wants to be held

Like Mackenzie, she likes to wear shirts and pants as scarves

and go for laundry basket rides

Abigail also loves to play with phones. She just mastered putting colored plastic rings on the tipsy little pole thinger-ma-bobber. She is starting to talk more, and she recently learned how to walk backwards. Abigail still is an on-the-go kind of girl, but she does have more cuddle moments than ever before, which we love...other than when they're in the middle of the night!

One of our Abigail favorites is back - the bulldog. She juts out her bottom jaw and bares her teeth in a gesture that really does look like a bull dog! It's something she hasn't done for a long time, but I was glad to see it make another appearance tonight.

Sydney Elizabeth

Weight: 24.2 pounds

Foot size: 5.5

Shoe size: 6

Sydney is working on her fork aim. Hopefully we won't have many more self-inflicted accidental fork wounds around her mouth going forward...

An aspiring doctor, she's also working on her temporal thermometer skills. She practices on herself...

...on Fergie the frog...

...and on Mackenzie...

...when she can find her!

This is about as flexible as Sydney gets, so I don't see a lot of Yoga in her future, which is what she was trying to do here

She bounces like a maniac on her toy Rody

and even she thinks that's hilarious!

When she needs assistance, like getting onto Rody, she says, "Hep, peas." (SO CUTE!) She's a great talker and even can say "Abby" clearly and correctly now. Like both of her sisters, Sydney looooooves bracelets

...and pat-a-cake

One of her favorite sounds to make is a quiet, high pitched "i-e-i-e-i-e-i-e-i!"She and her sisters also love to say "Weeeeeeee!!!" when doing fun things like getting pushed around on anything with wheels. She also likes to knock things over and then exclaim, "Oh, No!" with her lips pursed out sillily far.

Sydney's the most into dancing of the girls. She waves her arms and swings her head around like it's nobody's business. Syd's favorite song to dance to is "Sexy and I know it," but just about any song will do! She also is a car seat dancer, as dance parties happen in the mini-dance-party-van, too!

All three girls are a little sick right now, so we've been giving them extra baths to help them fall asleep

Between the three of them, we have two fevers, two coughers, one puker (from the coughing), three ears with fluid, three booger monsters, three sneezers and intermittent happiness and crabbiness. This is their second cold in a row, which means they've been sick the entire month of November. Hopefully they get well and start sleeping through the night again soon!!! (pretty please!?!?!?)

A Real Stand-Up Meal

2011-11-17T21:13:00.001-06:00

November 17, 2011
16 months, 3 weeks, 2 days old

Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney all are sick, which happens after every visit to the Children's Museum. Between their colds and teething, they haven't been eating or sleeping well. Dinners have been especially rough all week, and the girls didn't eat much all day long today.

I'm not quite sure how it started, but somehow I ended up letting the girls feed themselves off a plate while standing up in the kitchen...

...and they absolutely loved it!!! Since they were eating well for the first time all day, we just went with it!

But after a while, Abby stopped eating, and (just like when she's in her high chair) she started throwing the food on the floor instead. Only tonight she was able to bend over, pick it all up and give it back to me.

Meanwhile, I had to put Mackenzie on my lap because she started using her basketball box-out move on Abigail so that she couldn't get back to the plate.

A little while later, Sydney thought it was fun to feed Mackenzie...

...until Kenzie bit her fingers -- OUCH!

We fully acknowledge that this is how bad habits start and that we definitely need to go back to the high chairs starting tomorrow. But it was really fun for one meal, and it got a fair amount of food in their tiny tummies today! They cleared the plate!

One week in November

2011-11-13T21:43:00.001-06:00

November 13, 2011
1 year, 4 months, 2 weeks, 5 days

Here is an assortment of pictures of the girls from the last two weeks. Enjoy!

We spent last Tuesday back at the children's museum

This time the girls also got a grocery cart instead of just a shopping basket

They liked to push it around the mini-grocery store together

Abby hosted a cheese tasting

and climbed through the drive through pick up window

and onto the conveyor belt

much to another girl's surprise

and that's how we got kicked out of that part of the museum =)

So we went to the baby nursery instead where Sydney rocked and fed a newborn baby

She was a natural!

She was a little thirsty, too, but there was enough to go around

She wanted to feed ALL of the babies

Meanwhile, Abby had a tea party

and needed a little creamer

Mackenzie played with the 360 degree cameras

another exhibit really blew her hair back!

We had lots of fun at home yesterday, too

But from the pictures, it mostly looks like we just sat around a lot

Mosh Pit Syd

2011-11-13T21:13:00.000-06:00

November 13, 2011
1 year 4 months 2 weeks 5 days old

Did Jason give Sydney a Mountain Dew and a cup of sugar when he got home from work last week?!?

"Oh my gosh - they're sitting on the refrigerator!"

2011-11-05T08:43:00.004-05:00

November 5, 2011
16 months, 1 week, 4 days old

The girls have a new favorite hang out - on top of the refrigerator!

It's a great place to get a different perspective

or for a baby water cooler gathering

or to sit by yourself for a think

When everyone saw how much fun Sydney was having up there by herself...

...a line quickly formed

The girls also line up to perform their new trick

Ummm...where is Sydney's hand?

That's better!

They also like to tickle the spider clings on the windows (especially Sydney)
and to play with the shadow mice on the stairs (a few even lost tails that way!)

HaPpY Halloween!

2011-11-02T22:58:00.002-05:00

From October 31, 2011
1 year, 4 months, 1 week old

"Zoo" and "Jungle" are two words that adequately describe our house with three toddlers from time to time. So their Halloween costumes this year were quite appropriate.

Abigail, our climber, was a monkey

Mackenzie, who has turned into a sweet, peaceful animal
most of the time herself, was a giraffe

And Sydney, who gives a ferocious growl when she doesn't get her way, was a lion

We loaded the girl-animals up in their train wagon
and walked to our village's downtown area

We lost a few heads along the way...well, all of them eventually!

But that was okay

Each store gave out candy and other treats

...which the girls tried very hard to eat through the wrappers

Abby tried biting through piece after piece of candy without success
despite having super sharp teeth (just ask her sisters - this cute monkey can bite!)

Mackenzie eventually gave up and threw her candy in the street. When I asked where it went, she turned around, looking behind us as if she innocently wondered, "Huh, now how did it get way back there?"

Sydney managed to bite right through a wrapper and eat half a hard candy
before we traded it for a toddler Num-Num

She was okay with the trade, and she got distracted watching other costumed kids

Even the girls' nanny Nicole dressed up for Halloween

Who knew that Miss Kitty doubles as a wild animal tamer!

After the day's excitement, the girls turned into a sleepy pile of bones

They're the cutest and cuddliest skeletons I've ever seen!

A few tickles had Mackenzie smiling again

With Halloween #2 successfully behind them, our cute little animals scurried off to bed

Would-Be Birthday

2011-11-01T22:21:00.000-05:00

November 1, 2011

Yesterday would have been Brody's 9th birthday, and I'm finally ready for a Brody tribute post.

Here's the youngest Brody photo that we have digitally (we have some younger pics we can scan and post later, but I don't want to hold up his birthday post)

He was Jason's doggy first

He gave Jason a hard time that first year, pooping in his crate EVERY day

I met Brody when he was a cute 9 month old with oversized paws, and we were fast friends

Brody loved people so much that one friend just couldn't give him enough attention. After we started hanging out together, he pooping stopped right away!

And his Daddy was very glad about that!

And so, I had TWO cute boys in my life

Brody liked to play "chameleon"

He didn't like his lamp shade necklace

Friends knew him as a party animal!

He even helped Daddy celebrate his 30th birthday

He was one good looking dog!

Even HE knew he was good looking!

And he was a really good sport, too!

Sometimes he would nibble on my ear

and sometimes I'd do it right back

His favorite dog-friend was his Aunt 'Inspector' Gadget

He was our first kid - and just like a family member to all of us

He had a brother and a sister who lived not too far away

Having Brody as a pet truly was a gift

He was SUCH an amazing dog! And he put up with a lot from us

...but he secretly liked it, I'm sure (Nice smile!)

Sometimes his expressions looked human. This common expression of his even made Brody famous when it turned into a chalk drawing on the wall of Jason's old ad agency. He must have been good inspiration for the designers

He liked to lay in front of the kitchen sink when we were making dinner so that he was never far from us

But his favorite place to lay down was outside in the sun

Just like with the triplet girls, we recorded many of Brody's "firsts" like his first boat ride

He had the best Halloween costumes to help celebrate his birthday each year

If he could speak, I always thought he'd sound like Robert De Niro

But maybe that's just because they both have a cheek mole - can you hear it?

Brody waited excitedly for the girls to arrive and helped to get the nursery ready

And when they did arrive, he was so excited to meet them

He could hardly stay away

He loved watching them

and he helped keep premie Mackenzie and Sydney warm

while we all waited a few more days for tiny Abigail to come home from the hospital

and then he watched over them some more - a loving and protective big brother

He'd check each of their cribs while they slept to make sure each girl was safely in bed

As the diapers piled up, Brody's chin hair grew gray

...making him look very distinguished!

He liked hanging out with each girl - here he's with Abigail

and Sydney

and Mackenzie

We got a few family pictures together

and many of our four happy kids

We miss you terribly, Brody, and it makes me sad that the girls won't remember you. Some day, we'll get another dog, when the girls are old enough to pester us for it endlessly. But until then, we can't imagine any dog being nearly as good as you. So until then, we'll remain dog-less except for our memories of you.

Happy would-be 9th birthday, Brody Love!

Scary Sneeze

2011-10-31T14:00:00.000-05:00

October 31, 2011
Our second Halloween
1 year, 4 months, 6 days old

Here's a video of the girls making their scariest sounds. See what happens when Dad interrupts with a sneeze!

Madole Family Pictures

2011-10-29T22:44:00.000-05:00

October 29, 2011
1 year, 4 months, 4 days old

Here are some cute pictures we had taken two weeks ago with the Madole side of the family

Of course, Abigail found interesting things that she tried to eat

...and Sydney looked serious as usual

It's tough to capture everyone looking at the camera at the same time

But that didn't stop all of us from trying to get them to look - fun candid of the crowd behind the camera!

Mommy and Daddy jumped in for a few family Shots

then Grandma and Grandpa Madole jumped in, too!

They gathered up all of the grandkids for a cute cousins picture

What better way to end than with a picture of the whole Madole clan!

A girl's got to ACCESSORIZE!

2011-10-29T22:08:00.000-05:00

October 29, 2011

1 year, 4 months, 4 days

Diva triplet Mackenzie just loves accessories.

Necklaces, bracelets, hair ribbons, purses...

...even hats!

You can't tell from these pictures, but accessories usually make this sweet girl very happy!

Slippers

2011-10-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

October 29, 2011
1 year, 4 months, 4 days old

Abigail loves her new pink slippers.
She's the only sister who gathers them up and asks to have them put on her feet.

She thinks, "They're...Awesome!"

But sometimes one slipper falls off and disappears.
Abby asks, "Where did it go?"

At other times, there's a slipper surplus.

Sydney and Mackenzie found a few more!

As the weather turns colder, I hope they'll keep slippers on their feet, too.

Abby Dog

2011-10-17T22:12:00.000-05:00

Recorded: September 8 2011

Here's a video of flexible Abigail and her impersonation of a doggy - with a little help from Daddy

(I love the giggles of her sisters who are sitting nearby and watching)

Kiddie Museum

2011-10-17T21:03:00.000-05:00

October 16, 2011

1 year, 3 months, 3 weeks old

It was cool and rainy outside, so we took our first trip to the Children's Museum.

The girls loved the grocery store that's just their size

where they got to pick out food and put it in a grocery basket

No surprises here - Abby liked tasting the food

and Sydney alternated between putting food in the basket and putting it back on the shelf

(she's the best picker-upper)

Lately, the girls' favorite food is milk

But a half gallon just wasn't enough

Seven bottles looked about right!

Even Mommy found groceries - ricotta, skim milk and ABIGAIL!

Next, we checked out the puppet show tree

Or should I say "Sydney's peek-a-boo tree?"

Then it was time to make a little music!

Mackenzie was pretty good with the drums

Abigail liked the symbols

Sydney preferred a bongo drum

And Mommy and Daddy liked the Toddler room where the girls were both content and contained!

There were so many fun things to do

Even the walls were covered with toys!

"This. Room. Is. AWESOME!" Abby was overheard saying.

After a while we ventured out on a bug hunt

You aren't exactly supposed to sit in the display, but...

...some of us climbed in anyway!

Mackenzie picked out a hairy spider that she knew grandma would love to see!

Speaking of which, it would be good to bring at least one adult with us next time so that we're not out-numbered. It really would be fun to run around with one girl at a time, letting her explore and playing with her one-on-one.

The good news is that we have an annual membership now, which includes two free quests. And, it lets us stay for as little as an hour at a time without feeling like it's a waste if the girls get fussy or if it's too crowded. So, it looks like we have many more fun times ahead at the Children's museum!

Daddy and Mackenzie

2011-10-16T21:42:00.002-05:00

October 16, 2011

1 year, 3 months, 3 weeks old

Here is a quick video of Daddy and Kenzie enjoying some quality time while everyone else naps on a cold rainy Sunday. Turn up you volume and listen for Kenzie, it's her new favorite sound.

Rainy day with Kenzie

2011-10-16T20:47:00.001-05:00

October 16, 2011

1 year, 3 months, 3 weeks old

On a cold rainy day, Kenzie and I relax while everyone sleeps.

Table for Three

2011-10-16T09:10:00.001-05:00

October 16, 2011
1 year, 3 months, 3 weeks old

In response to the previous Turf Wars post, Aunt Trina suggested that we move the diaper boxes so that there's enough room for all three toddlers on the couch table shelf. BRILLIANT!

Why didn't we think of that earlier?!! Great idea Auntie T! It works perfectly other than when one of the girls wants to lay down across the entire open area. But other than that, we've had no more incidents since we moved the boxes. Please keep the great ideas coming!

Toddler Turf Wars

2011-10-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

October 15, 2011
1 year, 3 months, 2 weeks, 6 days

Earlier today, the family room couch table turned into a battle ground. But it started innocently enough.

Dressed in her latest fashionista outfit, Sydney was playing with her shoes.

Abigail was playing with the flowers on her comfy climbing outfit.

Diva Mackenzie was just hanging out on the couch table.

It looked like so much fun that...

...when Mackenzie jumped off the couch table to get a toy from across the room...

...Abby and Sydney both tried to jump right in!

Abby quickly turned to books as alternative entertainment

Sydney was just starting to enjoy the table when Mackenzie came to reclaim her spot

And that's when the turf war began

With each girl believing she was the rightful owner

and fighting ferociously for it

Until Mommy intervened as Sydney's head was rammed into the back of the table

It looks like Abby made a smart move when she opted for books. And I captured all this TROUBLE while simply trying to get cute pictures of the girls in their personality-fitting outfits!

the Giraffes are Back!

2011-10-15T20:30:00.000-05:00

October 15, 2011
1 year, 3 months, 2 weeks, 6 days old

Last winter's adorable giraffe coats are BACK!!! Walks at 8 am now are colder than they've been all season. So, we wrapped the girls up in blankets and the coats for this morning's walk. I'm glad they still fit, even if they won't make it through the winter, because they're so darn cute!

Here they're bundled and ready.

Here we go!

15 Month Update

2011-10-11T22:45:00.003-05:00

October 9, 2011
1 year, 3 months, 2 weeks

The girls are 15 (and a half) months old, and I'm happy to report that things are going really well! Here's an update on each triplet with growth measurements as of September 29th along with pictures from this weekend.

Mackenzie Rose

Weight: 22 pounds, 6 1/2 ounces (45th percentile)

Height: 30 5/8 inches tall (50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 18 3/8 inches (75th percentile)

I am SO happy to report that Mackenzie is over her temper tantrum phase.
That change alone makes things much easier and more fun!

Her flare for the dramatic typically only shows up when she tries to steal one of her sisters' toys and fails. From the sound of it, you'd think she was the one with the toy being grabbed. What can we say, she's a gal who knows what she wants! Here she sports one of her favorite 'bracelets'.

Her extreme Mommy attachment has lessened, and she is super sweet now. One of her favorite books (Baby Boo) says, "Kiss, kiss, Baby" at which point Mackenzie puckers up and leans in for a happy kiss. So cute! Her other favorite books are Where does Maisey Live? and any book with interactive flaps for her to lift up or with flashing lights and noises.

Her most common and clearest new words are purple, blue, giggle no-no, night-night and baby.
She still is the only of the girls who will keep on a pair of sunglasses. She's one cool character.

Like her sisters, Mackenzie loves to dance.
We have lots and lots of dance parties together!

The girls also are getting less consistent with their naps, which still makes them pretty crabby. Losing the morning nap will free up our mornings to get out more, but it also means less time to get things done while the girls are sleeping. Ah, mixed feelings about that! Kenz is quite a attached to a super soft blanket square for nap and bedtime which helps queue that it's time to sleep, but she still skips naps the most of anyone. There's just too much to see and do!

Abigail Riley

Weight: 21 pounds, 3 ounces (20th percentile)

Height: 30 7/8 inches tall (55th percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 5/8 inches (25th percentile)

Abby gives awesome hugs when she feels like it. She also is a happy dancer.

She's very inquisitive and gets into everything. Here she checks out Daddy's laptop. She's a determined and fast climber, and she can reach things you'd never expect her to be able to reach.

Her weight has fallen below her natural growth curve, but Doc says that's normal with how active toddlers are at this age.

And 'active' is a very good word for Miss Abigail.

Here she's running away into the neighbor's yard, just seconds after being set down on our driveway.

"Bonk!" Down she goes. She usually pauses for a few seconds after falling or running into something. It's as if she's evaluating what happened, and she almost always gets right back up and on her way again without crying or complaint.

Abigail and her sisters love climbing onto the couch table.

Apparently it's a pretty sweet hang out.

Sometimes the girls fight over this spot. We have lots of pushing and hitting lately, and we read the No Hitting book, the Sharing book, and the No-No book frequently. The result? Before doing something they know is wrong (like launching their milk across the room or pushing a sister down), the girls just say, "No-No." Sydney calls herself out the most often. Followed by Mackenzie. Abby's usually more of a stealth naughty-doer. She'll look at you, smile, and then do something she knows is not okay to do.

Abby talks often with varied tone and inflection, but not with a ton of words. Her most common words are "this" and "that" and night-night. Though she definitely knows the meaning of many more words, and she does a mean impersonation of a monkey, a scary lion and a snake.

Sydney Elizabeth

Weight: 23 pounds, 9 ounces (60th percentile)

Height: 31 inches tall (50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 18 1/8 inches (50th percentile)

Neither of her sisters is a finger or thumb sucker, but Sydney Bug (A.K.A. Syd-ers) likes to suck her thumb when she's tired.

Unlike Abigail and the typical toddler, Sydney's weight has stayed up despite her being quite active. She's usually a pretty good eater, though she's hit-or-miss on dinner now like her sisters. I read that they naturally will eat less now (even though they're so active) because they aren't growing as quickly as they did in their first year.

Sydney is our fashionista. She likes walking around with shoes, socks and clothes and sorting them, too. Like her sisters, she clearly has a preference about what clothes she wants to wear for the day.

When we lay out all three outfits and ask, "Which one do you want?" she looks at each outfit and points to the one she's chosen. I swear it's not random. We can mix the clothes up and ask repeatedly and still get the same answer from each girl. This is something they've been doing for at least 6 months. Amazing but true!

Sometimes, Sydney just laughs and laughs. It's a funny sounding laugh, which gets Kenzie and us going too. Good times! She's just all around funny in the things she says and does and the faces she makes, including the stink face, which thankfully still comes out both randomly and on command.

Sydney says the most words clearly, and she often repeats words that she hears. Some of her new words are snack, tickle toes, shoes, please, more, milk, baby, apple, up, no-no, row, merrily, night-night, boo-boo and doh!

A favorite pastime for all three girls is putting each hand on an overturned piece of tupperware and walking around the kitchen in this bent-over position, pushing the containers all around the room. It's a pretty funny sight to see all three of them doing it at once!

People ask if Abby and Sydney are identical...until after spending 20 minutes with them - they really are SO different!

Sydney's the most likely of the girls to get very upset when I leave for work now. That definitely makes it hard to get out of here on those mornings. It's so sad, but I know Nicole does a good job of bringing them all to the back door to wave and blow kisses and then she quickly distracts them with activities after we're gone.

We go through phases where things are really good - until things start changing. Then, things get hard - until we figure it out again. We just went through that tough phase and are back in a good place. So, we're having lots of fun again...until something else changes on us!

But that just will be one more step on the crazy triplet adventure that is the life we love so much.

Too big too fast...

2011-10-07T21:42:00.000-05:00

October 7, 2011

Jay here...

As I am sitting here working on budgets and finances I can't help but think how long it has been since I last blogged. The girls are going to read this some day and say what happened to dad for this six month period. :)

Becs is at a small group meeting with friends from church and as I said earlier I am working on our finances and hopefully have them done, at least for now.

I am taking this quiet opportunity to write a blog post to say how I have been feeling about the girls getting so big. It's funny because everyone will tell you that it goes fast so enjoy! Just today I was telling Nicole the nanny that we use to feed two girls one on throw pillow and now there is no way that would ever fly. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not thankful for how lucky I am to have everyone and everything in my life especially those three cute little girls! I can't believe that they are already 15 months old. It really does seem like just yesterday we were up all night feeding them. There 1yr birthday came and went so fast I still shake my head when I get their clothes in the morning to get them dressed and see there 1st birthday outfits.

Things are great though. They are all really developing their own personalities and it is truly amazing to see how they change day by day and hour by hour. That's it for now. I really am going to try and be better about posting. I have all the technological devices to post often and don't utilize them like I should. I am also having some issues with our video camera and getting videos off the camera but when I have time I will make sure to get some videos loaded for your viewing pleasure.

Till next time!!!
J

Little Pumpkins

2011-10-03T22:24:00.001-05:00

October 1, 2011

15 months, 6 days old

This weekend the girls had their first pumpkin farm adventure.

Sydney discovers that pumpkins make great foot rests

Abigal picks a big pumpkin right away

...before finding another one with a stem she likes

She heard pumpkins are edible, so she breaks off a little stem piece to chew

Then she finds some neat rocks

...to eat for dessert!

Mackenzie enjoys the view up high

before conducting her pumpkin search

...and finding just the right bright one for herself

Sydney learns that pumpkins come in many colors

She's pretty tired, so she just chills while her sisters keep searching

It's a good spot, but at last she sends a subtle hint that she's ready to get up

s at

Abby looks at the pumpkins all around her, and what does she find?

More rocks to eat, of course!

A little later, Mackenzie and Sydney make friends with a goat

and Mackenzie helps feed the dried corn...

...to herself!

Abby wants to help feed the goat, too

After feeding the animals, the girls crawl up the hay bales

Finally! Something they can climb without getting in trouble!

It's more fun to climb side-by-side

and nice to sit a minute for a break

...where Abby finds some straw to eat

Yum-Yum!

Sydney mimics a big girl with blonde hair like hers

Time for hugs, kisses and a quick family picture

Nana kisses Mackenzie as she helps her off the hay

And Mommy swings Abigail back to the strollers

Weeeeeee!!!

The best part of climbing up the hay stacks? Sliding down!

Grandpa Jeff helps Mackenzie get safely down

At last, it's time to weigh and buy the pumpkins.

Little Abby's pumpkin weighed the most of all! (it must be because of all those rocks she ate!)

Good times! Thanks to Grandpa Jeff for uploading all of these pictures. Mommy and Daddy will try to remember to make sure the camera has a battery in it next time! (And we'll feed Abby before we go!)

Dr. No Pants Dance Party

2011-09-29T22:38:00.007-05:00

September 29, 2011
1 year, 3 months, 4 days old

While waiting 40 minutes at the Doctor's office for the girls' 15 month check-up today, we had a fantastic dance party. (A benefit of having triplet toddlers is that they put us in our own room right away...and we have built-in entertainment!)

Here is Sydney's response to "throw your hands up in the air"

Abby had a blast pushing this thing all around the room like a maniac!

But it became a hazard and had to go after Mackenzie tried sitting on it to scoot around the room for a ride. She ended up just getting tangled in all the wires, but she was a trooper and was happy the whole time.

Sydney gives a devilish look while dancing and drinking milk. She officially is the funniest kid alive.

Back to dancing...!

Here's a video of the dance party getting started - before the girls' nanny Nicole and I added music on my phone (Pandora) and joined the dancing. Good times!

Considering that they didn't nap all day, the girls were in great moods - other than when they got shots for the flu, MMR and the chicken pox vaccines!

More 15 month updates to follow soon!

Toddler Jewelry and Wigs

2011-09-27T21:57:00.000-05:00

September 25, 2011
15 months old

When Mommy makes necklaces with the pop beads, she uses every bead to make a very long necklace.

But Daddy is more...efficient? Here's a choker-style pop bead necklace he made for Mackenzie.

He held up the mirrored page of a board book so she could see herself in the necklace

I think she likes it!?

Meanwhile, shoe-lover Sydney checked out the new shoes we picked up for Cousin Kenady

And Abigail enjoyed her first time using a snack cup

Sydney liked it, too!

Then all three girls enjoyed a book with Grandpa Madole

for a minute or two before they started crawling around

Grandma Madole pointed out that the girls look like they're wearing wigs

- their hair certainly has gotten pretty wild!

Chance of Rain

2011-09-24T20:55:00.001-05:00

September 24, 2011
14 months, 4 weeks, 2 days old

Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney knew there was a 40% chance of rain in today's forecast, and they wanted to be prepared. Kenzie waited patently for her hat - looking older and cuter than ever.

She made sure her hat was fastened tight enough.

And then she was ready for a walk.

Abby fastened on her hat, too.

And then she was ready to come along.

Sydney tried and tried putting on her hat before deciding she didn't want to wear it afterall.

(Refusing all help!)

Then she watched intently...

...as Abby headed outside to test the weather.

Abs confirmed the grass was wet from an earlier rain,
so it probably was safe to head out on a walk now.

By then, Abby was the only triplet still wearing her hat.

It was a nice brief, brisk walk with our friend Nicole who's in town from NYC
- and we kicked it into high gear after it started to RAIN!!!

Self-Service

2011-09-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

September 22, 2011
14 months, 4 weeks old

Abby was hungry before breakfast this morning, so she helped herself to some fruit.

Yum-Yum. Nectarines are Yummy - even in the bathroom!

Abby's such a big girl. She doesn't even need her food cut up anymore!

She held the nectarine closely

...so that a big person wouldn't take her treat away.

And she enjoyed every juicy bite.

Nooks & Crannies

2011-09-18T20:43:00.004-05:00

September 18, 2011
14 months, 3 weeks, 3 days old

Mackenzie, Abigail and Sydney like to hide or congregate in some of the smallest places in our house.

Here Sydney happily perches on a paint can under the kitchen butcher block. She's holding a fridge magnet - one of the girls latest obsessions. They carry them all over the house.

And here she settles in between a table and hutch to investigate an outlet, trying to plug in a stray cord

Later, she and Abigail wedge themselves in the small triangle between the couches and side table. Daddy says they were hugging and kissing each other right before he took this picture. (That was before they started reaching for everything on the table - one of their current obsessions)

And Abby hangs out between her toy kitchen and the bar stools.

All three girls love sitting in the middle of diaper and wipe boxes underneath the couch table, but I haven't been quick enough to photograph them there yet. More hiding spots to come, I'm sure!!

Another new trick the girls have developed? Throwing things in the kitchen garbage can. They lift the top and toss in a shirt, a favorite toy, and who knows what else that we haven't been lucky enough to find!

My favorite new trick is the growling and hissing that ensues when we tell the girls to "Be Scary!" Their new Halloween books have "scary" in the middle of a sentence, and even that elicits their scariest reaction. It's pretty cute, so hopefully we can capture it and post a video soon!

McPlay Date

2011-09-18T11:28:00.000-05:00

September 17, 2011
14 months, 3 weeks, 3 days

Our Friend Joe is McRunner. He ate nothing but McDonald's food every meal while training for the LA Marathon last March. While he was at it, he raised over $40k for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and set a personal best of 2:36:14 in the race! You can see more on Facebook (McRunner) or at http://mcrunner.com/.

Last weekend, we had a dinner play date with Joe's family and a few other friends' families. We surprised Joe by wearing "Team McRunner" shirts.

Kelly gave Sydney her first taste of kielbasa, which she loved!

It was a little tricky getting a picture of all the kids, but this one's pretty good!

The girls are looking forward to the next get together. Good times!

Sad to Sell

2011-09-17T09:47:00.002-05:00

Becs here. We're selling most of the clothes and equipment that is too small for the girls now at a Mothers of Twins Club resale event that's open to the public today. I had NO idea how hard this would be on me.

Right now, I'm sitting in the car writing this because I just can't stop my tears. I am glad the girls' gently used clothes will be going to good use - much of it going to families that can't afford to buy new clothes. I'm also glad to have the immense amount of boxes and stuff out of our small house. But its also a continual reminder that the girls are getting so big so fast. That they're not really babies anymore. That for good and sad - we're completely done with having babies forever - all at once.

It's such a mix of excitement and agony when I see strangers pick up and walk off with our little girls' things. Seeing Abby's little lady bug costume go was the last straw when I lost it. There's a lot of memories in these clothes.

For now, I need to pull it together and get back in there. And then we'll get back to making more memories this afternoon.

First Popsicles

2011-09-07T21:53:00.000-05:00

September 2, 2011
14 months, 1 week, 2 days old

Last weekend, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Madole's house to celebrate Grandpa's birthday but somehow ended up with no pictures of him! We did get this cute one of Sydney with Grandma though:

Abby was being a good girl, but she put herself on the timeout chair anyway

(The girls don't know what timeout means quite yet!)

Then she snuggled up next to Daddy (her buddy) on the couch

Everyone enjoyed mini popsicles that are just the right size for Mackenzie...

...Abigail...

...and Sydney

Yum-Yum!

Car Seat Flip!

2011-09-07T21:42:00.000-05:00

September 2, 2011
14 months, 1 week, 2 days old

After much deliberation and car seat manual review, we flipped the girls' car seats around this weekend so that they're forward-facing instead of rear-facing. The girls are so much happier that way!

Abby loves the roominess of the new arrangement!

And Sydney loves the view!

Mackenzie would like us to point out that the decision to flip the seats was a very tough one...

For very good safety reasons, the recommendation for when to flip the seats changed from 1 year old to 2. However, the girls' weights, heights, head positions and shoulder strap positions all indicate we should be flipping the seats now according to the seat manual. So What to do?

The girls generally had been very unhappy sitting cramped in their seats. So, we decided just to try flipping them to see how it would go, and they loved it!

They still get antsy eventually, but it will make running errands and long drives much happier overall!

It also makes it much easier to load the girls into their car seats, which our backs greatly appreciate, too!

Night-Night

2011-09-06T21:39:00.000-05:00

September 6, 2011
14 months, 1 week, 5 days

When we say "Night-night" at the end of the day, the girls rush to the gate to begin their bedtime routine, excitedly chiming in with their own round of "Night-night! Night-night! Night-night!"

Then, they race up the stairs - Abby's usually the fastest, but Sydney won tonight. As each girl reaches the top step we exclaim, "You did it!" (Which they love to hear!)

Then, they bop in and out of every room on the way to their nursery at the end of the hall.

Next, it's toothbrush time! Mommy and Daddy try to brush the girls' teeth first

And then it's each baby's turn, which they all like much better

(especially Mackenzie who wiggles her hand up and down as if she's really brushing)

And then they all bumble around the room

See those white marks on Abby's crib rails? Those are bite marks. All of the girls chewed up their brand new crib rails (despite the rail guards) when they first started teething, and the marks go all the way around the crib, like a little puppy dog might have done!

There are similar marks on the wood window pane separators of our family room French doors. I was convinced that they were from Brody dog's nails, until Jason showed me the girls standing there chewing on them one day!

After washing down the toddler toothpaste with water...

...like it or not, it's time for bed!