BBQ with Friends and Our New Pool!

Last Saturday we spent the afternoon in Madras at the home of our good friends, The Dodsons. We had a bbq with lots of friends from church, and the kids had free reign of their large fenced yard, toys, kiddy pool, and play structure! Although we ended up with some gnarly mosquito bites, the fun we had was well worth it:)

And yesterday, Daddy set up our very own pool for our backyard! Grandma Marsha bought it for the babies quite some time ago, and this weekend it was finally hot enough and we finally bought a pump to blow it up! We didn't fill it up very high, but the kids had a blast walking around in it, using their cups to dump it over the side...and on each other!

My little Coppertone baby:)

Capri Sun juice break!

What, Mom? I'm busy here!

Our new pool at home!

Playing in the pool with Lydi

Ice Cream!

The really cool swing

Truman

Audrey

Our Bathing Beauty

Gracie spent the day on Grandpa and Grandma's boat on Lake Billy Chinook! She came home so happy (and tired!) but before we put her to bed I just had to snap a picture of her in her cute little bathing suit...what a doll!

Cousins' Week and Surrey Rides

My nephews Donovan, Garrett, and Cory are up visiting for a few weeks so my Dad had bright orange T-shirts made for each kid with their names on the back in honor of "Cousins' Week" (so cute). Our first group endeavor was going down to the Old Mill this morning to rent a Surrey Bike! Donovan and Grandpa went on an early morning fishing trip, so Garrett, Cory, and Grandma met me and the triplets for a ride. We had a blast (well, except on the hills!), and it couldn't have been a more lovely day! And we finished our adventure with lunch at Red Robin - the kids had a blast...and so did Terri and I :)

Getting ready for our surrey ride!

Grace is lookin' good

We loaded that thing with kids!

Beautiful, beautiful Bend

Grandma and Garrett

Oliver and Cory havin' a good time

Grandma and Gracie going down the slide

Heading over to Red Robin

COUSINS!

"We want burgers! We want burgers!"

The Wonderful Fantastic Incredible Triplet Mobile

(Please excuse the no-makeup face:))

So I decided to buy a bike. And then I decided to buy a bike trailer. And then, since I could only fit 2 kids in the trailer, I decided to buy a mountable seat for the front of my bike, too. All of which my poor husband had to assemble and mount for me (seriously, what language do they write instruction manuals in???). He was such a trooper and got everything all set up for us and now I can take all three kids on a bike ride each day - although the rides are pretty short since it's a pretty intense workout hauling all that around - PHEW! We are loving it - and it has been absolutely gorgeous here in Bend this week. Oh man, I've never seen such a bright blue sky.

Planting "Baybel"

Today we planted basil seeds! I let the kids fill the pots with dirt with their little shovels, I sprinkled in the seeds, and then they took turns watering them! It was so much fun - and Ollie kept pointing to the pots and saying "baybel! baybel!"

High Desert Museum

I bought an annual pass to the High Desert Museum and it has become a great place to take the kids for an hour or two to get them out of the house. But since we purchased the pass, it has been too cold to take the kids to the outdoor exhibits so we've covered (and I mean, covered) every square inch of the interior:) But yesterday, the weather finally changed for good! Summer is here! So Grandpa Gene, his sister Anita (who is visiting from Texas - and who I met for the very first time yesterday at the High Desert Museum!), and Anita's daughter, Lisa, (Robert's cousin), met the babies and I at the museum for an afternoon of fun - and we got to go outside! We saw the otter, and all the birds of prey, too! And along our walk we even saw some really cool beetles and chipmunks in their natural habitat! It was a lot of fun, and so special to share it with Grandpa, Great Auntie Nita and cousin Lisa:)

Lisa and Gracie

More Benningtons! :)

"Let's share"

Checking out the Bald Eagles

Fun in the Sun...and in the Buff!

On Friday (6/3) my friend Lindsey and her 2 year old daughter Lydia came over to play! We sat on the patio and enjoyed muffins and coffee while the little ones played in the grass on their bikes; Gracie spent most of the time watching everyone from her favorite spot in the wagon. It was so nice and sunny that we stayed outside for quite awhile playing Ring Around the Rosy and even tried to teach the kids how to play Duck, Duck, Goose! They sort of got the idea except that whenever someone said "Goose!" they would ALL get up and run around chasing each other:) I had to change Oliver's diaper and decided to let him run around without one on for a bit (which he loved) - and as soon as Lydia saw, she peeled all her clothes off and ran around naked shrieking with delight!

Ollie, Gracie, Lydia, and Audrey

Duck, Duck...

"Goose!"

Ring Around the Rosy

Bright blue Bend skies

Riding in the buff

Mud Sandcastles

The kids really wanted to play in their sandbox today. Thankfully, Robert drilled a few holes in the side for water drainage as it has been raining on and off this past week (and hailing, and snowing). So even though there was no more standing water, the sand was still pretty wet and muddy. But I decided, why not? We can always throw them in the tub afterwards; what's one more load of laundry anyway?! :) So they got in the muddy sandbox and I showed them how to make sandcastles - which they happily destroyed 1.2 seconds after I made them. And that's what we did for about 15 minutes; I built a castle, they destroyed a castle, and so on and so forth until it got too cold. Then they came inside for a warm bath and a nap, and less than an hour later there was a huge thunderstorm complete with lightning and hail. Hello, June!

Muddy hugs...

Wagon Fun!

Sorry there haven't been regular daily updates these past two weeks! First we were on the boat, then we spent a weekend in Sunriver, and it hasn't quite worked out to "blog on the run"! But as of yesterday, we are home (and should be for awhile...) so you can expect regular updates on the triplets' outdoor adventures!

The babies celebrated their 2nd birthday on May 15th, and with the money their Great Grandpa and Grandma sent them, Mama was able to buy them a red, Radio Flyer wagon!!! I found a great, slightly used one online - and it was actually perfect timing because the fold-up double stroller we have been using for about a year is starting to buckle under the weight of a rapidly growing Oliver (with a little help from Audrey). Oliver is absolutely in LOVE with "his" wagon and won't let anyone pull it except him. And even though it's quite heavy with both sisters loaded in, he can actually pull them around pretty well - little stud!

Here are some photos from their first outing in their little red wagon! It even has seatbelts and cupholders - here's to riding in safety and style!

Out and About on the Boat

For the past 8 days we have been on the family boat cruising the San Juan and Gulf Islands in Washington and Canada. We started our journey where the boat is moored in Anacortes, spent two nights at Friday Harbor, two nights at Roche Harbor, and have spent the past 5 nights at one of our favorite annual travel spots, Victoria, BC. It's quite "cozy" accomodations with 3 toddlers, 4 adults, and 2 big dogs packed onto a 40 foot boat (similar to a large RV) - but you get the "rhythm" down of getting out of each others' way, setting up and tearing down 3 pack n' play portable cribs, keeping your stuff put away, and stacking dirty diapers into a nice, stinky heap on the passageway right outside the sliding door. It's been a little bit of a challenge to let the kids get outdoor playtime - but we have improvised slightly by at least getting them outdoors and off the boat for a significant amount of time each day. They've been able to play at several parks, go for rides on the dinghy with daddy, and take little walks on foot, but I think the neatest thing they have done almost every single day is go on a special 1-2 hour walk with daddy each morning! Robert started working out at 6:00 each morning a few weeks ago and while I thought being on the boat would make his new routine a bit difficult to maintain, he has faithfully woken up each morning, dressed the kids and packed their backpack full of diapers and snacks, loaded them in the huge triple jogging stroller, and taken them with him on a long, hilly walk around the island. What special time with Daddy! And what a great tour of Victoria for them all!

Sidewalk Chalk and Hopscotch

Today's activity varied a little from our normal routine of heading into the backyard for "enclosed" outdoor play! This morning we headed out the FRONT door into ungated terrain to draw on the sidewalk with egg-shaped sidewalk chalk! It was the triplets' first real experience with sidewalk chalk and their responses varied from immediate drawing (Audrey), to chucking of the egg into the street (Grace), to trying to stuff the delicious-looking (?) blue one into his mouth (um, OLIVER). They scribbled for a few seconds and then were quickly distracted, so I drew out a hopscotch course and showed the kids how to jump on one foot:) They did that for about 2 seconds as well and then resorted to picking dandelions. Just about that time the wind really kicked up so we packed up and headed back into the warmth and safety of our home. Audrey was supremely troubled by the fact that she could not carry her chalk eggs around inside the house, so the last picture I snapped was of her sad little face protesting the removal of her beloved chalks. Poor girl!

Oh, Ollie, doesn't your mama ever feed you?!

Hahaha - lovin' that "wind in the hair" 'do, Gracie!

Time outside: 15 minutes

Something gained: Learning how to "write"