2 Crazy Adventures

Trip #1 -
Call me crazy. No! Really! CALL ME CRAZY! The triplets made their first trip to the mall. Yup. The MALL! And it'll be awhile before they go again. Last Monday (11/12), Lindsay and I took "The 5" to the mall for their Christmas picture. I know, I know, "WOW...you're supermom...a Christmas picture already...you're crazy...I only have 2 and we haven't gone yet...etc..." Get it all out, Ladies and Gentlemen, I've heard it all. But don't give me all that credit: I HAVE LINDSAY! Without her, there would be no picture, trust me! Anyway, we got everything ready for the big trip so when Zoe got off the bus from school at noon, we packed lunch into the big kids and stuffed the babies into their car seats. We were on our way by 12:30. Our appointment was at 1:10, but we needed to hit up Payless first, since Ty didn't have black shoes to wear (which, by the way, you can't even see in the picture).

Three hours later, we left the mall with some great pictures. I should have known it was going to be a challenge when it took 45 minutes just to get in front of the camera. Then, the photographer walked in...and she looked about 16 and like she'd just picked up her first camera. Half hour later, we were still waiting for the camera's first "click". Eventually, we got a second photographer to help and the camera caught fire. Okay, not quite "on fire" but at least there were pictures being taken. On the way INTO the mall, I asked Lindsay if she wanted to bet on how many times we'd be stopped by strangers to see the babies. She laughed me off! Let me just tell you there were no less then 2 dozen GROUPS of people that stopped us. Actually STOPPED us. As they saw us coming, they'd put down their bags and gather into a group and expect us to stop by them. Like we're a train on the tracks and they were waiting at the next station on our route. My favorite question is when they ask if the babies are triplets!

Trip #2 -
First, you should know that Zoe's kindergarten class uses "Letter People" to learn the sound of each letter. For example: "Mr. M" had a "munching mouth" and "Ms. T" had "tall teeth". (If you look closely at the picture you can see the feet of the letters that the class has already finished hanging from the ceiling.) They are currently learning about "Mr. I" who is covered in "impossible inches". Since Zoe was the "Special Helper" on Thursday (11/15), she was asked to bring in a show & tell object that started with "I" and had the soft sound like in "impossible inches". So after phone calls to my mom and my friend (that's already had 4 kindergartners) and a trip through Webster's dictionary for ideas, Zoe decided she wanted to bring "INFANTS". We called her teacher and cleared it with her first. Then I needed to explain to Zoe that the babies wouldn't be taking the bus with her in the morning, we'd meet them at school. (Yes, she actually thought they were going WITH her...she was getting their car seats ready!)

Sure enough, a simple trip to show & tell became a very big challenge. First, the babies woke up early: 6am. Which would mean they would need to eat again at 10am - right during show & tell time. So, we had to hold the triplets off for an hour and THEN feed them. Second, it was raining...no...POURING outside. Third, Ty gave me a run for my money to get him in the car. But it wasn't enough to stop us.

Zoe had her show & tell and boy was it a show! While we waited out in the hall, Mrs. James had Zoe stand by the door and asked what Zoe brought for show & tell. Quietly, Zoe whispered, "infants". It was a little strange seeing Zoe so shy! Mrs. James asked Zoe to introduce the "infants" and then Zoe wheeled them into the class in their stroller. There was a chorus of "ahh's" as she came strolling in. All the kids immediately stood up and gathered around. Zoe got very protective and asked (i.e. ordered) them all to sit back down on the carpet. Of course Mrs. James was already all over it, but Zoe wasn't sure the kids would listen to their teacher, so she made sure to add her two cents. Once everyone was sitting again, Zoe got to stand there and call on her fellow classmates as they raised their hands to ask questions. "What do you do when they cry? Do they fit in the car? Which one was born first? What are their names? Which one is your favorite?" When Mrs. James asked if they wanted to take a closer look at the babies, Zoe was quick to make sure they all washed their hands. Eli was awake, so Zoe showed her classmates how she holds the babies, but was NOT going to let them have a turn. She made sure everyone took a few steps back to give Eli (and her) some space. Then Zoe let Mrs. James have a turn holding Eli before we put him back in his car seat. The "infants" were a huge hit! Their trip even made it into the weekly newsletter that Mrs. James sends home to parents. But boy am I glad I don't have to do it again!