Almost Three 3-Year-Olds

As we are quickly approaching Alexis, Jack, and Faith's 3rd birthday, I find myself looking at pictures and reflecting on the great year that it has been for us overall. Alexis, Jack, and Faith have continued to grow and develop their skills, and they are no longer considered delayed in any way even though they were born 9 weeks early.

Watching them change from toddlers into little kids in the last 12 months has been amazing. Although our babies were never chubby, what little baby fat they did have has disappeared and they now look like kids, not babies. They talk our ears off, which is awesome since they were once considered to be speech delayed, and sometimes overwhelming (I recently heard that the average preschooler demands attention 180 times an hour...so that's 540 times an hour for me). They run everywhere, jump off of everything, climb up everything, dance, and do somersaults. Their energy is endless. All three love to sing and "strum" their ukuleles. They sing their ABC's perfectly, and they sing nursery rhymes, Jesus Loves Me, and some songs that they learned in music class (the only issue is that sometimes they want to sing alone, so they end up fighting over who gets to sing). They are learning their colors and shapes, and they can count to 10 (and higher, but they usually miss a number or two). We are blown away every day by what they can do, what they know, and what they say.

On the other hand, it has been a rocky year. Of course there is the issue of Jack's low platelets that came to light only three days after their 2nd birthday, which has added a lot of stress to our lives. Thankfully it seems we have found a treatment that works for him, but for awhile the unknown was difficult as we never knew when his platelets would drop and when he would need treatment.

There is also the fact that 2-year-olds are sometimes difficult to be around. It is great that they are gaining independence, but that means we had to learn how to parent and discipline toddlers with their own ideas. The kids love to play together and they have a blast most of the time, but we never know when a fight will break out and when it does they are usually physical (biting, pushing, hitting). "I want to do it myself!!" is a commonly heard phrase at our house. They want to climb in and out of the car seats on their own, which means we never leave the house on time. They have strong opinions about their clothes most of the time, so I've gotten in the habit of picking out clothes with characters or words on them, or just letting them pick themselves. I have found that it is a lot harder for me to be patient with 2-year-olds than it was for me to be patient with babies. Although babies cry and have needs, they really are helpless and they don't know any better. When toddlers start talking in full sentences it feels like they should have some reasoning, even though I know they still have a lot to learn, so it is easy to become frustrated with them.

Although some days are frustrating and I long for a break, overall I love being a stay-at-home-mom to Alexis, Jack, and Faith. I feel so fortunate that I get to spend so much time with them and teach them new things. I love taking them to the Botanic Garden, the zoo, and the park. It is fun to watch budding friendships when we do playdates. They add so much humor and interest to my days. I cannot believe that I have already been a mom for almost three years, and that we are at least halfway to kindergarten (or more if they start when they are 5....we haven't decided yet). Alexis, Jack, and Faith will start preschool in September and, although it will only be two mornings a week, I am already starting to feel like my days with them are numbered.

Thank you to everyone who has given us encouraging words throughout the first three years of our kids' lives. When I was pregnant we were completely overwhelmed by the thought of raising triplets, and it was difficult to imagine all of the joy three at once would bring. Although there are have been many challenges, now that we are entering the "little kid stage" I am finding that there are many benefits as well. I look forward to seeing how Alexis, Jack, and Faith grow over the next year, but I also want time to slow down as the baby stage is starting to become a distant memory.

Here are some photos of the kids together throughout the last year. I hope they always have this special bond.

24 MONTHS

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35 MONTHS

Micah's Birthday Trip

Micah has been working on a climb called "Goliath" in the Enchanted Tower climbing area, which is near Datil, NM. It is a 5.13a, so when he gets the route it will be the hardest one he's ever climbed. He has had Goliath in head as his first 5.13 since he first saw it over five years ago. Goliath is the main route on the Tower and it quite impressive to look at from the ground. It is much longer than most sport climbing routes as it's about 115 feet long. For those of you that are non-climbers, climbing a route is not just about reaching the top of the rock face on top rope. It's actually about lead-climbing (which means you bring the rope up the route with you and clip it into quick draws as you make your way up), without any "takes" (which is when you ask your belayer to take up the rope so you can rest on it), or any falls. As of today, Micah has been up the route five times to learn where the good holds are and to practice the moves, but he has yet to do it without at least one take.

Micah knew this route would take some commitment. Although it used it take about 2 1/2 hours to get to the Enchanted Tower, the access through private land has been closed so now one has to drive an extra 45 minutes on a rough dirt road to reach the area. Micah and his climbing buddies have been leaving ABQ around 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, driving over 3 hours to the Enchanted Tower, climbing for 5-6 hours, and then driving over 3 hours home so that they can be home for dinner with their families. Although it is a sacrifice on my part to have Micah gone climbing on Saturdays, I'm thankful that he is home for dinner even though half of his climbing day is spent driving. I also understand how important this climb is to Micah and that he only puts forth this kind of time and effort when he is working on short-term goals such as Goliath. Soon it will be too hot to climb at the Enchanted Tower so, although he has spent the last four weekends climbing there, he only has a couple of more weekends to go back.

Last week Monday was Micah's birthday. I asked his parents if they could come to ABQ and watch the kids overnight the weekend before his birthday so Micah and I could camp at the Enchanted Tower. It just isn't worth driving 6 hours in one day with our kids for a few hours of climbing each (since Micah and I have to take turns climbing with friends when we go there with the kids), so we don't have much opportunity to climb there together. Thankfully they agreed to come down.

We decided to camp in our 4Runner like we did pre-kids since it is much more comfortable and warmer than tent camping. We took out the car seats, put the backseat down, and created a bed in the back of the car.

We got to the Enchanted Tower just before 4:00 p.m. on Friday and we had the whole place to ourselves. Micah climbed up the route slowly, with many takes, for his warm-up while I belayed him. Around 5:30 our friend Dan and his 7-year-old son Auggie arrived. Dan and Micah have been working on this route together and, since the route is so long and one has to belay for 45 minutes or so because of the climber working out the moves and re-climbing various sections of the route, I welcomed Dan's idea of camping at the Enchanted Tower with us since it would mean that I wouldn't be Micah's sole belayer. In fact, I only belayed Micah on the first of his three attempts during our time time at the Tower, and the rest of the time I got to relax and watch!

I truly relaxed as I drank a cider while the guys climbed

It's hard to watch someone climb from the base of the climb since you have to spend so much time looking up, so I ventured down the campsite where I had a great view of the guys on Goliath. This is Dan.

The true perspective from the ground. Goliath is front and center and it definitely stands out! 

My only complaint from our trip is the flies...they were awful but at least they didn't bite

Micah getting close to the top

After the guys got in a little more climbing, Micah made dinner (he is always the cook when we go camping, which is great news for me!). Then we enjoyed sitting around a campfire before we watched part of a movie in our car. It was a great kid-free evening.

My cook

I always enjoy a good fire, and we even had mini marshmallows in the car (our car seat bribe) for Auggie to roast

We slept great, especially because we didn't have anyone waking us up in middle of the night or at 6:00 a.m. After making breakfast, Micah, Dan, Auggie, and I went up to some easier routes that I could lead and Auggie could get on too. I led three easy routes, which felt like an accomplishment to me since I rarely have the opportunity to climb outside and leading outdoors is much different than leading at the gym. Then the guys both got on Goliath for awhile and made some progress with the route.

Good morning! Goliath beckons...

We enjoyed our breakfast, and my chai, in the car since the flies were ridiculous at the campsite

Auggie

Me

A rare moment of Micah and I climbing together

As I was sitting there watching Micah work on a route that is a challenge for him, I was thinking about Grendel (5.11b), which is a route that I once attempted to lead on a whim in my stronger climbing days. It is on a slightly smaller side of the Tower, but it is still a long climb, and I am not in the best climbing shape right now so I knew it would be a challenge. I decided that if Micah was up for leading it, I would attempt to top rope it. Attempt is the right word as, although I made it to the top, I had to take three times, but I was proud of myself for doing it.

Micah taking his turn belaying Dan

Auggie spent a lot of time riding his bike on the road below

Micah belaying, Dan climbing

Micah records his attempts with a Go Pro so that he can watch it and learn the moves better. This is serious business.

Micah headed up

Micah going over the bulge

Our car is hidden between the trees below at our campsite

Micah at the top

Micah coming down

Maybe Micah really likes this route just because he gets a big swing ride on the way down...

Me heading up Grendel

Somehow I made it to the top, but I was sore for days!

We left the Tower around 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, stopped in Socorro at a brewery for an early dinner, and then headed home for birthday cake with Micah's parents and the kids. Although the kids were happy to see us, they had a great time with Grandpa and Grammy and it sounds like the grandparents had fun too!

Jack was sad that we weren't celebrating his birthday. Only a few more weeks!

Daddy always enjoys tickling the girls...look at that reaction!

Micah with his parents and the kids

On Sunday Micah, his dad, and Jack went out to eat at the Waffle House. They enjoyed talking about Jeeps and other guy things. A quote from Jack at breakfast, "Someday, I'm going to drive a Jeep, you're going to drive a Jeep (to Grandpa), and Daddy's going to drive a Jeep."

All in all, it was a great trip and the perfect way to spend Micah's birthday weekend. I think he will remember this one for awhile.

Reflections on Mother's Day

I was just thinking yesterday that it's hard to remember life without kids now that we are almost three years into parenthood, but Mother's Day makes me remember life before Alexis, Jack, and Faith. I wanted kids for years before we actually decided to have a family, and then we struggled with infertility for two years before getting pregnant.

Triplets have been intense. Going from wanting one baby to having a house full of babies is overwhelming, and there have been many days that I've wished we only had one baby at a time (not that it was a choice!). But Mother's Day is a day that I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for our three beautiful children.

I understand that there are many women that are longing to have children and Mother's Day is hard for them. I know all too well what it's like because I spent years longing for children and feeling great disappointment, and the feelings were even more intense on Mother's Day. I want to be sensitive to others' struggles and losses, but at the same time I want to shout to the world how much I love my children and how thankful I am to be able to celebrate my own Mother's Day.

In reality, Mother's Day with three almost 3-year-olds is no vacation. Although Micah is doing all of the cooking and housework, the kids want me to do things for them like change their diaper, help them go potty, and buckle them in their car seats. Although I'd love to have the day off as an observer and have Micah do it all so I can just enjoy the kids, the reality is that a lot of these things just aren't worth the battle, so I do it.

My three requests for the day were a morning run, photos with the kids, and a lemon drop martini tonight. Two of these things have already happened, and we have the ingredients for the third, so I can count my Mother's Day as a success.

I know many moms are not celebrated as well as they should be on Mother's Day for many reasons. Life happens. Husbands don't know what to do. Kids aren't cooperative. But I'm realizing that Mother's Day, at least for me, is not as much about having the day off and getting gifts as it is a time to step back and realize how fortunate I am to have three children who call me Mommy (even if they often yell "Mommy!! Mommy!!" over and over again).

I feel fortunate to have many wonderful moms in my life to emulate including my mom, my mother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, women from church, and all of my mommy friends. This is a tough job, but I am thankful to have others who have gone before me and who are in the trenches with me. Happy Mother's Day!

Alexis on the left, Faith on the right