Two More Firsts...Poor Ava

It was LONG overdue, but we FINALLY cut Eli's hair.  I know some of you will be disappointed (now that the hair's gone, I'm finding out that some people actually liked it long).  While we were at it, we cut Cole's too.  I fought for a professional cut, but Shane insisted he could do it.  I guess you'll have to decide who was right (not that I'm taking a poll or even keeping score!)

Eli:

Before

After

The Challenge
Well, Eli didn't really sit still (not that we expected him to).  He sat on my lap and ate cheerios for a good 20 minutes.  The problem was, there was SO much hair, that the haircut took at least a 1/2 hour.  We played with a few toys as much as possible, but finally just decided it was "good enough".  We stripped him down and bathed him off in our bathroom sink.

 

Cole:

Before

Well...there is not official "Before" picture.  Shane got scissor happy while I was giving Eli a quick bath.  So here's a picture of Cole from a day or two before the haircut.

After

The Challenge
Again, we didn't expect a cooperate client.  Shane sat Cole on his lap, gave him the bowl of cheerios (which was promptly flipped over), and started cutting.  Cole didn't have NEARLY as much hair as Eli, so it went a little faster, but still wasn't all that easy.

 

To Infinity and Beyond...

Today was the big day!  Today, Ty became an official Preschooler!

He's in the same preschool that Zoe went to: Eastern Christian Preschool and has the same teacher as she did: Mrs. Bushman!

I have to admit, I was a little nervous about dropping Ty off at Preschool today.  He's not quite as outgoing as Zoe...he's a bit more shy.  So, I was worried that when he saw all the kids and parents, he'd get a little gun shy and cling to my leg.

Or...that was just wishful thinking.

We dropped Zoe off for her day (which starts at 8:30) and decided to play a little on the Elementary School playground.  Before too long, the Barclay bunch showed up and a joyful reunion ensued.

One of Zoe's best friends is Maeve.  They're both in Mrs. Slootmaker's class, but Maeve missed last week.  She was off vacationing (tough life, Miss Maeve).

Myles and Ty were gitty with excitement.  They held hands and made their way around the playground until it was time to head down to the Preschool.  Once there, they could barely stand still.

When Mrs. Bushman opened the door and invited the kids in, off the boys went!  Ty with his Buzz Lightyear backpack.

...sigh...

The Help

"Can I help?"  It's Zoe's favorite question.  A lot of times her form of "help" generally makes more work for me.  Like, when she helps by getting the milk out of the fridge and flailes it around while walking to the kitchen table...then hits the table and milk flies through the kitchen.

But recently, when it comes to the triplets, she really is trying to help.  She quickly jumps into the baby's toy room when one of them cries.  She plays with them.  She even changes their diapers on occasion.
Now she has a new request:

The thing is, though, she's pretty good at it.  When Zoe is feeding the babies, I'm freed up to do other things like, make dinner for the rest of us!  It's actually a win/win.

(My favorite thing about these pictures is Zoe's mouth.  Is she trying to show them how wide they need to open up?)

We're officially walking!

In addition to catching up in the teeth department (she now has 4 total with 2 more almost in), Ava has also joined Cole & Eli in the "Walking Club".

Eli started walking about a week ago.  It's hard to really say, since he's a "closet walker".  See, he wouldn't walk if you wanted  him to or if you were watching.  If you stood him up and put your arms out, he'd flash a huge smile, and slowly lower to his knees.  I seriously had to become a stealth undercover agent to witness it.  Anytime I'd turn on the camcorder, he'd hear it, and sit down.  Now that he's much more confident, I've finally caught it on film.

And just so Cole doesn't think he's left out...I should tell you that he's moved AHEAD in the tooth count!   He's up to 5!!!

Safety First!

Fitting 5 carseats in a minivan caused quite a bit of stress a year ago.  I suppose, in most cases, a family of 5 kids wouldn't have 5 in carseats, but we do.  And it was quite a stretch to get them all to fit just right.

Three infant carriers across the middle row with Zoe and Ty in the back.  Since the carriers come in and out, the seats can still fold forward so Zoe and Ty can get in the back.

But here's the issue now...they're too big for the infant carriers.  How do you get 3 "next stage" carseats and 2 boosters in a minivan and still be able to get INTO the back seat?

First...you gather all the carseats you own, take them apart and wash the covers.

Then you shuffle seats in and out of the car in various configurations until you get something that works.

Poor Ava, the only one still facing backward.  She's got another 4 pounds until she gets to see what's coming her way.  Yes, we can fit Zoe and Ty's boosters in the backseat with Eli's carseat, but Zoe has to squat to buckle...then put her seat down...and then  she can sit!
 
Only two more years to go until Zoe can get rid of her booster...

First Grade = ALL DAY

Our house was a lot quieter today.

Zoe started first grade this morning.  That means she's gone all day.  It's a long day for her.  I'll admit, I didn't exactly shed any tears when her line walked from the playground into the school, but it was a little sad.  She looked so grown up with her backpack and lunch box.  She knew where she was going...no longer the new kid on the block.  She was excited to get there...to see her friends.

We all managed to get in the car by 8am...and got to school with plenty of time to spare.  I snagged an idea from a blogger friend (mom of triplets) and it worked like a charm.

Let's hope tomorrow goes just as smoothly.

The bus ride home apparently didn't go 100% "as planned".  Alledgedly, there were some tears when the time came for Zoe to get on the bus and come home.  Nooooooooooooooooo...it wasn't because she didn't want to leave school!  She didn't recognize anyone on the bus and got a sudden case of nerves.  Mrs. Slootmaker (Zoe's teacher) let Zoe borrow her teddy bear and it did the trick!

The day seemed to fly by.  I didn't get everything done that I had hoped, but maybe that'll come with time and experience.

Are there Frequent Driver Miles?

For the past two weekends, we've thrown caution to the wind and ignored gas prices. For two Saturdays now, we've taken day trips to Pennsylvania.

Last Saturday (8/23) we traveled down to Newtown for a Musser House Reunion. Shane's senior year at Messiah (the year we met) he lived in a house on campus with 6 other guys. It was a sweet setup: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living & dining rooms. Those 6 guys (plus 2 others) have all stayed in touch over the years (almost 15 years...yikes!) They try to get together once a year and this year, families joined in. We all gathered at The May's house. Six families were able to make it...19 kids!

(The Guys: Dave C, Sam, Dave M, Jeff, Scott D & Shane)

Everyone had a great time.  Zoe really enjoyed hanging out with the May girls: Brooke & Ashley (twins).

(Zoe and Brooke...I think)

The car trip went well. It took about an hour and 45 minutes or so. We took off at the triplet's 1p naptime...and came back at bedtime. Perfect!

This Saturday (8/30) was the Huss Family Reunion (my Mom's family) in Lancaster. A 3 1/2 hour trip each way made me a little more nervous, but the kids handled it with grace. Again we left at naptime (9a)...or at least that was the goal. As prepared as I thought I was the night before, we still managed to leave 1/2 hour behind schedule. This time, it was me that forgot something-my makeup! I realized it 1/2 way down our street! My parents stayed over Friday night and caravanned down to the picnic with us. Shane and I made out like bandits: Zoe and Ty rode with Grammy and Granddad! It was almost like a date. At one point, we were so deep in conversation, we thought we might have passed our exit.

Our time with the family was great. There were water balloon games, face painting, volleyball, trampoline, triplet passing and of course, great food.

On our way home, we tried something new...ALL of us ate at Wendy's! That’s right...we even brought in the triplets (rather than one of us eating in the car). Although there were 3 highchairs, we gave one to a solo mom that walked in right after us...and Cole sat on my lap. I had already fed the triplets a HUGE dinner in the car, but they still munched on fries, burger bun, oranges, and even a little chicken nugget.

All the babies fell asleep in the car and transferred well to their beds, when we got home. Zoe and Ty were still flying high from the sugar of the day, but settled down relatively quickly once they were in PJs and tucked into bed.

No more road trips on the calendar for awhile, but after the past two weeks, they don’t send fear deep into my gut anymore.