I did it...I did it...I finally finally did it!

I made a phone decision! I ended up changing my provider. I'm now an AT&T/Cingular customer. And a PROUD owner of a brandy new...

dum dum dum....

Palm Treo 680 only mine's red!

I LOVE IT!

Not that there's not a lot going on...

Sorry it's been a little bit since I've posted crazy Higby stories lately. It's not for lack of material. More like time! Shane's away. But Grammy's here...so really I SHOULD have more time. I mean, my Momma's an angel: she folds laundry, picks up crying babies, washes dirty dishes, changes stinky diapers...ALL DAY LONG! So how have my days gotten shorter? And seriously, Shane's only been gone since yesterday. It's not like I've even had time to be falling further and further behind in the day-to-day. But somehow, I'm not getting the daily "chores" crossed off my "To Do List".

On a positive note: Eli finally got a clean bill of health today and was able to get his 6-month shots (a week shy of 7 months)! Both ears are finally clear. I just looked at my calendar and it's been a month and a half since he received his first (of 3) diagnosis-es (what's the plural of diagnosis?) of an ear infection. So hear we are, 7 weeks later, with uninfected ears...FINALLY! Even better? He was released from the nebulizer! No more wheezing...3 weeks of albuterol...5 days of steroids (just call him Clemens)...and 1 more week of albuterol!

Okay, I think I just figured out where my days go...the doctor!!!

Cell Phone Search

Okay, so I need some help (no, not mental help...although I'm sure that's not far away with 5 kids):

For my birthday, Shane gave me an "audible" gift (it's his specialty and I think he actually created the term). An audible is when he doesn't actually HAVE a wrapped gift...but he tells you what he's GOING to get you. Basically, for some reason, he doesn't make the purchase prior to your birthday lunch, so he just says what the gift is and at some point in the future, you'll get it. But since I'm his wife, any audible gifts given to me become my responsibility to make sure actually get purchased. I say that because last year, I got an audible, too. I got a watch. Shane wasn't exactly sure what I wanted, so he printed out three pictures of watches he looked at and thought might be what I had in mind. The picture hung on my board for an entire year. Let's just say I'm still watch-less...a year later. I think I've given up actually GETTING the watch.

Back to this year: I got "a new cell phone". I wanted the iPhone when it came out. Now, though, I don't think I want it. Not that I COULD have it, I have Verizon...not compatible with the iPhone. But I want a phone that takes away some of the other "stuff" in my bag. I want it to hold my music, my contacts, my calendar, and...oh yeah...my phone! So I was all set on the LG Voyager (better than the iPhone in that it has a QWERTY keyboard). But then I went to the Verizon store on Monday and looked at the phones and got all confused.

And now...

Shane is switching Cell Phone companies! His work will pay for it now. The only catch? It has to be Sprint or AT&T. He is choosing AT&T since we have a not-so-great history with Sprint. If I stay on Verizon as a single, I'll go over in minutes and texts EVERY MONTH, guaranteed. Especially since Shane won't be "in network" anymore. If I up my plan, it becomes almost as expensive as it is now...with both of us on the plan. So, I think I'm going to switch to AT&T, too. Which means a whole bunch of new phones to consider.

Since I'm married to the King of Research I did some more searching (side note: To hear how Shane got the research title, just ask Corey how many times he heard, "Let's talk about it again this weekend" when they were growing up). Again, I think I've narrowed down what I want...I think! That's where you come in. I need your options, advice, thoughts, comments, other suggestions, rude remarks, whatever...just help me!

Option #1: The Pantech Duo
Option #2: AT&T Tilt

Of course, if I do switch to AT&T I could now get the iPhone...ugh!

There are rules for a reason...

For Christmas, Shane bought the big kids a set of rings from IKEA to hang from the basement ceiling. After my initial heart attack...and then the panic...and then the thoughts of all the injuries (some worse than others) that could happen...I gave in and let him hang them. Of course, being me, I made sure there was a list! Yes, a list of rules for the rings.

I have to admit, the rings have been a hit. The kids love them. They get out a ton of energy on them. They're building great upper body strength. They're even following the rules...most of the time.

Yesterday, right after Lindsay left (of course), and while I was in the midst of feeding the babies, I heard some rather loud crying downstairs. Normally, I'd just let the problem make it's way upstairs and handle the argument then. But something about the cry didn't seem...well...average. So I raced downstairs and was greeted by a rather bloody Ty!

Apparently, Zoe & Ty (in Zoe's words) "accidentally forgot" to follow Rule #1 - Only one person on the rings at a time! What we did discover, is Zoe's head is hard...Ty's lip isn't! And when two kids are going in separate directions on rings...they inevitably meet back in the middle!

Thankfully, there weren't any stitches. Although I did panic and call Lindsay back...just in case.

Did I seriously just get tagged?

I have to say, I've never actually been tagged before, and to be honest, hadn't a clue what it meant...so I had to do some research when Little Miss Alejandra did me the honors.

Apparently, I'm supposed to reveal some random facts about myself. Hmmmm...shouldn't be too hard, I mean, I AM a talker and sometimes, I don't think I have a filter. So, for your boredom/pleasure, here are five ridiculously absurd tidbits about me. (Supposedly, the real thing calls for ten, but since Alejandra only did 5, so am I.) Just think of this as a way to get to know each other better...

1) I've never broken a bone. Crazy, right? I used to think that was really cool, but now I think it might be a bit sad. Does that mean that I'm boring? Too safe? Not adventureous enough? I mean, I played basketball in high school. I've been skiing. I've traveled to far off places. So how come I've never broken a bone? I think I'm just not crazy enough. Maybe I'll work on that in 2008. Of course, that means I'll focus on a non-priority bone (i.e. One that will NOT make parenting 5 kids too difficult!)

2) I think I might be addicted to "the lunch salad". It started when I was pregnant with the triplets...I'd havea big giant salad everyday for lunch. And, well, it's become habit. Boring...(oh no, I'm starting to sense a trend...)

3) I'm supposed to be losing this "baby weight" and I cheat on my diet EVERYDAY, somehow. Either it's eating after dinner...a bowl of ice cream some point in the day...not enough water...an extra slice of cheese or two.

4) In a previous life (a.k.a. "pre-kids") I worked as a Human Resource Professional in the HRIS world. Somedays I miss it. I mean, I used to travel...farther than the local grocery store. I used to manage people...and they'd listen to me. I used to get dressed up...and shower everyday. My, how times have changed!

5) Okay...I'm struggling here...lemme see...I guess I could admit to my hyper-organizational habits...or my addiction to The Biggest Loser...but I guess I'll find something a bit deeper: I can't name the books of the Bible in order! Sad, considering I'm a pastor's kid and have grown up in church, right!?!?!?!

So Alejandra? How'd I do? Now, I guess I'm supposed to tag others...right? How does one do that? I'll start with Alexa...or Alex! Who else???? How about Shelli? Okay...Pam...now that you have Olga, you should be well rested and ready to be tagged! I'll try Gayle, but she hasn't updated her blog since Christmas, so I'm guessing she won't play. Last, but DEFINITELY not least, Suzi...just because I don't know her all that well and I think it'd be fun to hear what she has to say.

100th Day...temporarily cool Mom

In general, I don't consider myself a very "fun" mom. I mean, I laugh and play with the big kids, but for the most part, I'm the "rules" parent and Shane is the "fun" one. And..since the birth of the triplets, I'd say I've only gotten less fun. But last week, I had a temporary...passing moment of being a "cool" mom. Even I was impressed!

Apparently, in Kindergarten, the 100th day is a big deal. On Wednesday, Zoe's class was ready to celebrate. I happened to go out Tuesday on an errand and Zoe BEGGED me to pick up a shirt with "100" on it. Obviously, The Children's Place, Old Navy, Kohl's, nor Gap have heard what a big deal the day is to 5 & 6 year olds. If they did, they'd jump all over the marketing opportunity. I tried to explain that there wasn't such a thing as a "100 Day" shirt, but she was VERY insistent.

So I stopped at Michael's while I was out and grabbed a blank shirt and some fabric markers. When I got home, I told Zoe that she could draw her own 100 on the shirt. She had a better idea! Very painstakingly, Zoe wrote the numbers 1-99 on the front of her shirt. Purple, Silver, Purple, Silver, Purple, Silver. Did I mention that Zoe's a lefty? So it was more like Purple, blow, Silver, blow, Purple, blow, Silver, blow...so as to not smudge the marker as she went. Each 3, 5 & 7, she would stop to verify that she was about to write it in the correct direction.

45 minutes later...

...we were ready to turn the shirt over! The LARGEST #100 ever written was then placed on the back of the uber cool shirt.

She was so proud and to be honest, I was proud of her, too! The only problem was the snow in the forecast. No snow in January...the entire month...first time since 1983...and it snows the night before 100th Day. Can you believe it? Just enough for a 2 hour delay. Enough for morning Kindergarten to be cancelled. Poor Zoe.

So on Thursday, she brought her shirt in to show Mrs. James (her way cool teacher) but she didn't want to wear it. She chose to wear her Valentine shirt instead. I did, however, manage to get a picture of it...

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

...or in the words of Zoe, "Happy Valen-times Day"!

Close your eyes and imagine a picture of Cole, Eli & Ava in cute little Children's Place Valentine's shirts with the pants from their "My First Christmas" outfits. Seriously. Close your eyes and imagine...cuz that's as close as you'll come to a picture! They were so cute. Not matching...just coordinated. But then Ava had to go and poop up her back! Gotta love the switch to cereal and what it does to their digestive system, huh?

So maybe I'll take one in a few days...when I've caught up on laundry...and update this post with it!

In the meantime: Have a WONDERFUL Valentine's Day!

I DEFINITELY did! See, today's my birthday...and I can't say that it's a number I've been looking forward to: 34! (YIKES! How'd I get so old?) Cole was the first to greet me this morning...at 5:30! Yeah, not what I had in mind, but we worked it out, he and I. After feeding Cole & Eli, Shane took over the breakfast duties and sent me back to bed. He and Ty made me breakfast...eggs, bacon, toast, coffee & OJ and brought it to me in bed...where I had fallen back to sleep after watching The Today Show. (Sidenote: I've never actually had breakfast in bed before - aside from room service on business trips - and I totally loved it.)

That's pretty much where "my day" ended. I spent the rest of the day bathing the babies, taking Zoe to swim lessons, bringing Ty & Eli to the doctor, and various other "routine" chores.

Before I sign off for the night (we're starting Season 2 of Lost tonight) I HAVE to tell you about Ty's trip to the doctor:

It was his 4-year old check-up. He did great! He got a kick out of the fact that he got to go "potty" in a cup for the nurse. AND THEN IT WAS "SHOT" TIME! He started crying and shouting and yelling, "Not even one shot! I don't want even one!" Well, we didn't listen. And after shot #1, he started screaming even louder. He was yelling, "No thank you! Sorry, but no! Sorry, but no! No more shots! I'm sorry...but...nooooooooooooo!"

Leave it to my polite little man to be apologizing while completely upset! It was all I could do to not laugh while holding him for the nurse during the second (and final) shot.

Quite the Little Man!

He's 4! My little man's 4! I can't believe it! (And btw, I feel like I say that a lot these days.)

Ty turned 4 on Saturday (2/9). And his choice for a party? ART! Yes, ART! How does one throw an art party for a group of 4 year olds? My plan? 2 hours and 2 projects:

Chocolate Pretzels:

Painted/Decorated Memory Boxes:
(One of Ty's requirements was the use of paint)

Then cupcakes & pick up! Tadda...party complete.

Best Husband in the Whole Wide World

"Don't blog me."
"You aren't going to blog that, are you?"
"Are you blogging me?"
"Please don't blog that!"

All things I hear from Shane every night. He LOVES the idea of me blogging...even asks if I've got a way to back it up in case Blogger suddenly shuts down...but he's slightly afraid that I'm going to share with the world when he makes a bone-head move. Odds are...at some point, I probably will...but I keep reminding him that I DID tell the world what a great Dad he is. And now, I'll tell you all what a great husband he is!

Remember last night, I was moaning and groaning about being exhausted. I was complaining about EVERYTHING (what a whiner, I am). Well, hubby came to the rescue last night...BIG TIME! He had an amazing idea: Bunk the big kids in Ty's room for a slumber party (afterall, it is his birthday) & I could sleep in Zoe's room (also the guest room). He'd take care of any baby issues throughout the night. He'd only wake me up if things got really bad. I got to sleep in a queen size bed...alone...all night! I went to bed at 11pm and woke up at close to 9am. WHAT???? I haven't slept that good since I was 4 months pregnant!

Wanna know the best part? I get to do it again tonight!

See...my husband is the best there is! Ain't NONE better...

(that should make up for any future embarrassing posts, right?)

I just read him this post to make sure he approved prior to posting. And he asked why I didn't include a picture of him like I do with the kids. So...

A whole lotta blah

It's been a long week. Nothing too traumatic, just life with triplets, I suppose.

I'm exhausted. For the past few nights there hasn't been a lot of sleep for the parental figures. It's not actually sleep we're getting. It's more like bunch of naps back-to-back until morning. I can't remember the last time I slept for more than a few hours at a time. And by few...I mean 3...TOPS!

I mean, it's Friday night and I'm posting a blog while watching the season finale of LOST Season 1 with my hubby. Why's that significant? Well, because I'm typing so that I stay awake! Keep in mind, I've already watched this season, but with the writer's strike, there's really nothing on, so we joined Netflix. And Hubby has discovered Lost! Oh sure, I told him about it when it was on ORIGINALLY...but he didn't care, then. So now, we're watching it...a few episodes a night. Okay, I've gotten off track.

So...it's been a week of the blah's. What are the blah's? I donno...I guess it's my way of saying I just wasn't that excited to be a mother of 5 this week. I felt like everything was a fight: getting Zoe out of bed for school each morning, bringing the trips for their 6 month check up, finding out Eli's got another ear infection (I was shocked, to say the least), having a full day without Super Nanny Lindsay, planning Ty's 4th birthday party (he wants an art party...I'm sure that'll be a blog in itself), trying to stay on top of laundry, switching the babies to cereal at least once a day, etc. It was just not a fun week. And I'm excited to say "adios" to it!

James 1:2-5a -
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God..."

I have to say, that has not been a verse at the fore-front of my mind this week. And it's one of my favorites! I memorized it in High School, for crying out loud. Looking back, it definitely would have helped. So why is it that I can't seem to keep scripture in my heart not just my head?

Our Peanuts are 6 Months Old!?!?!?

Then....

(left to right...Eli, Cole & Ava)

Cole: 5 lbs. 3 oz.

Eli: 4 lbs. 4 oz.

Ava: 4 lbs. 5 oz.

Now...

(left to right...Ava, Eli & Cole)

Cole: 19 lbs. 13 oz. (CHUNK!)

Eli: 15 lbs. 3 oz.

Ava: 13 lbs. 1 oz.

Also of note...all are rolling belly to back & (as of last week) back to belly!

A New Schedule (never thought I'd be excited about a schedule)

This was a crazy week (hence the lack of posts). On Monday, "we" decided to start the cereal process. I should probably clarify. I say "we", but there isn't really a "we". It was me. I decided to take our comfortable little schedule and throw it out the window. And can I just say that I'd never imagine in a million years that I'd be one of those "scheduled" moms. NEVER! I loved being spontaneous when Zoe & Ty were babies. I loved being flexible and doing "whatever". I can't believe I've become one of those moms that lives and dies by a schedule SHE created! A schedule that isn't even really written down. Sorry. Off subject. I'll get back on track.

This massive change I decided to make...to say the VERY least, I wasn't looking forward to it. I can remember the cereal struggle with Zoe & Ty...teaching them how to eat from a spoon...how to swallow something "solid". The thought of struggling with 3 at once just stressed me out THINKING about it.

But...

Thanks to a great idea from my friend Mary (an awesome Mother of 4) I tried tackling this challenge one triplet at a time! (Leave it to a mother of singletons to come up with this idea!) One baby got cereal for "breakfast" and the others had their typical bottles. At "lunch", another baby got cereal and the others had THEIR typical bottles. Then I did this all over again at "dinner". Before bed, everyone got a bottle.

I have to say, it wasn't all that bad! A bit messy...VERY funny...but not really that bad. Monday was a tad interesting, but by today (Friday) everyone definitely improved.


Here are a few highlights:

Cole was pretty straightforward. He spit out about 50% of whatever I put in his mouth and HAD to have a bottle after his bowl of cereal each day (stay tuned for the 6-month old update post for a good explanation for his eating habits). Can I just say that I love this picture! It's so him. I'm pretty sure he's thinking, "this is not what I ordered!"

Ava was probably the best eater. It took her about 3 spoonfuls to figure out that this cereal gig was SO much easier than sucking down 6 ounces of formula from a bottle. Princess Ava even wiped her own mouth. What a proper little lady.

We did need to make a few adjustments on how to feed her. She didn't really fit in the highchair. She couldn't see over the tray. And the bibs were a little big on her. You might not notice the child UNDER the bib, but I promise she really is there. At one point, she pulled it off by just pulling it over her head. I guess they don't expect little peanuts to need a bib for cereal!

Eli, on the other hand, was somewhat of a nightmare. He screamed something FIERCE when I put the cereal in his mouth.

But eventually found a way to swallow it...

You can imagine how long it took to get through Eli's feedings! Seriously, the first 3 days he had cereal, sucking his thumb was the only way that Eli would swollow. On Monday, when he put his thumb in his mouth, he actually got mad at his thumb. He gagged, took out his thumb, glared at it...and tried the other thumb.