Preschool Week 2

We made it through another day of preschool! The boys did great today. We only painted on each other and only Drew spilled his water at snack time. The best part of preschool is the 2.5 hour nap that follows when we get home!!!

How many tries does it take to get a good picture?

A lot! These were taken when we got home, paint and all! Also, you may have noticed Drew's serious face in the pictures - he thought he was being really sneaky by slowly sliding off of the window sill. He thought he was pretty funny when his feet finally hit the floor!

First Day of Pre-Preschool!

Evan, Isaac, and Drew had their first day of preschool today!

We are attending a wonderful co-operative preschool in Stanwood once a week but after today I wish it were twice a week! The boys had so much fun but I think I enjoyed watching them play and interact with other kids their own age even more!

It's a little difficult to get my 3 little night owls up and out the door early in the morning. However, I would like the world to know that I got TRIPLETS to preschool before it was even open (first one in the parking lot) AND got a coffee! Take that singleton parents! OK, that's more than a little immature of me but I just have to enjoy the moment because I'm sure it will never happen again!

What is the breakfast of brainiac champs? Eggs (with meat as Drew would say), toast (per Isaac's request), and milk of course (in a blue cup per Evan's request)! On a side note, that is a huge foam cougar head in the bottom left of the picture. It surprisingly is a great reward for good eaters! They get to wear it and have the WSU fight song sang to them (by daddy)!

Sorry Grandma's and my future self, but this was the best picture I could get this morning. It was like they were as excited as I was and found it impossible to sit still. I have been talking about going to school with the boys for the last few days and watching an episode of Blue's Clues where they go to school just to get them ready for it. I was so happy that they weren't devastated that Elmo wasn't at their school this morning just like in one of their books. Phew!



Drew

Isaac and Evan insisting they have their hats (hoods) on.

Although Isaac did pull his pants down almost immediately upon getting his coat off at school, conveniently while my hands were occupied pinning a name tag on Evan, the rest of the 55 minutes went pretty dang well.

The boys are used to standing around toys and taking turns so they did just fine and did good at sharing the best 23 month olds can. I did discover the things that set us, the triplets, apart from the other kids though.

The first being drinking from cups. Snack time included cups with water which each of my boys all immediately dumped down the front of them. We still use sippy cups so they can help themselves when they want a drink and we work with regular cups one on one randomly. Needless to say the boys were pretty excited and I can't blame them especially since the only time they get to have a regular cup is in the bathtub!

The second difference is sitting in chairs. We still use our highchairs so I can keep them wrangled and focused on their meal. They have their own table at Grandma and Papa's but we're still working on "sitting" down. Drew especially wants to just grab a bite and start walking around. Insert prayer for second set of arms to sprout from my body at this point.

And the third applies mostly to Drew. Group activities are overrated. He wasn't down with circle time. He was probably thinking that his entire day is a group activity so he was going to make the most of some alone time with the toys.

So far so good. Then I find Evan. Finger painting on a classmates t-shirt. Yikes! Paint!!! My kids are just starting to get to have more than one crayon at once! After I wash all of the white paint off of Evan I set him loose just to find him 1 minute later eating the blue paint! I'm sweaty and a little anxious now so yes, we will play outside even if it is raining. Big mistake. Let's just say that my guys helped lead the wild boys puddle running. They were laughing and having a great time and since they were already soaked from snack time why not a little mud to boot?

We got in the car completely dripping wet and it was worth it! Can't wait for the next class!!!

Road Trip...lets - Day 7

Day 7 and Casey and I have decided that we want to live in an apartment again thanks to our wonderful stay at Rivertide Suites. We don't need all of the "stuff", we just need bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, and a DVD player! Seriously though, no more yard work or home repairs is really...really enticing!

Here are the boys watching a DVD and patiently waiting for mom to finish getting ready.

Here is what one of the bedrooms looked like with all 3 portable cribs set up.

The boys really enjoyed running around our room and doing things they can't normally do at home, like open doors and play in closets. They also figured out how to turn the dishwasher on...ugh!

Finding secret hiding places is so fun Evan just had to take his pants off!

Have I mentioned that Casey and I aren't the best planners when it comes to more specific details? By deciding we would stay in Seaside we felt like we had a plan. Little did we know that we would be there at the same time the Hood To Coast Relay was finishing. You know, Hood To Coast - the biggest relay in the WORLD! There is a cap of 1000 teams each year so imagine how many people were in Seaside at the finish line!

Here is a picture of the thousands of people and tents set up for the relay finish. Just a few people to try to get around with 3 toddlers - no big deal.

Pulling this through super soft sand was a workout!

But we finally made it to the beach! Hooray!

Drew was not as excited as his brothers. He decided that he just wanted to be held by daddy.

Isaac and Evan were off and running!

Issac

Daddy playing soccer with Isaac and Evan.

Drew finally warmed up to being on the beach and decided that digging by himself was a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

And when mom isn't looking, I'll just sneak a bite....

After making our way through the massive crowd we found a picnic table where we could do a quick change out of wet and sandy clothes and then went looking for some horses!

We found them on the carousel. The boys mostly looked petrified but they loved it! We rode twice they liked it so much!

Isaac
Drew

This is Evan at the end of the first ride asking for "one more". His number one finger is a little cut off in the picture but his face his priceless!

The boys were so excited when we were done they were jumping and dancing and telling daddy all about it...even though he was right there with them:)

We ended the day with some pizza and a movie for Casey and I. It was the perfect end to our little vacation. We rested up and headed home the next day. Thank goodness day 7 was so nice because day 8 brought terrible traffic and an in-car diaper explosion!

Road Trip...lets - Day 6

Day 6 and Casey and I are getting pretty good at hotel sleeping with 3 toddlers and continental breakfasts (the boys still ask for waffles in the morning)! Because the boys love fish we thought they would really love to go to the aquarium. They did love it, but again, the excitement of walking around and having some freedom sometimes trumps really cool things like sharks.

Drew and Isaac.

Evan and Drew.

Evan, Drew, and Isaac. Hooray!

After looking at fish and other sea life what better way to get your sillies out than by climbing on stuff. Thank goodness the people who designed the aquarium were smart enough to put in a children's play area.

Drew


Isaac and Evan meeting under the turtle...or is Isaac looking in a mirror?

Giddy up!

After the aquarium we continued our journey north along the coast solo, without the help and extra hands of grandma, grandpa, auntie, and cousins.

But wait, what is that in the distance? Something to cheer up this mama?

Tillamook Cheese Factory!!!!

Now this is the part of the vacation where I could care less if my kids are loud and obnoxious or tired and cranky. We ARE stopping. Mama wants some cheese!!!

If you have ever been to the cheese factory (that's what I call it) then you know that it's awesome. You would also know that there is an observation deck where you can look down into the factory and watch the workers cut, sort, and package the cheese. The boys really enjoyed watching the conveyor belts and workers - and it turns out the workers really liked watching the boys. They would all stop, look up and wave to the boys. It was like we were on display! Anyhow, the boys liked waving to everyone but they loved the cheese samples (and so did I). There's nothing like some chocolate milk, cheese, and meat sticks to snack on before hitting the road again.

Back on the road and holding true to our poor planning and no reservations we head north to Seaside. After driving around town and checking one hotel after another for the best rate Casey found us a gem! It was way passed the boys' bedtime but worth the wait. We scored a 2 bedroom suite! That meant that we could set up 3 pack'n plays in one bedroom and Casey could actually watch TV or a movie instead of trying to be silent so we wouldn't wake the boys.

Another great day!

Road Trip...lets - Day 5

Day 5 we hit the road again along with the rest of the family and headed out to the coast. Casey and I had a wonderful trip on the Oregon coast by ourselves several years ago so we were really excited to get back out there. We are going to have to wait a few more years for the boys to be big enough to go sandboarding in the dunes again.

We just had to stop at a scenic pull-out to take a few pictures and change the DVD for the boys. Living along the Puget Sound you sometimes forget just how beautiful the "real" ocean is!

Just to prove that I was actually on this vacation I had Casey take my picture with the lighthouse in the background. Now you know why I like to take the pictures. I hate having my picture taken but think I can get used to the blurry look!

Our final destination was Beverly Beach State Park in Newport. Grandpa Egger was right, it was an awesome beach. The boys really enjoyed getting out of the car and running free on the beach. We discovered that they don't like the crashing waves and ice cold water but were perfectly happy digging in the sand.

Don't laugh. Casey forgot to pack swim shorts so we bought these on a clearance rack at Kohl's on our drive down! Did I mention that the boys liked digging in the sand? We had so much fun trying to build a sandcastle and dig a moat!

Cousin Kayli.

Evan perplexed by the shovel attached to the pail.

Isaac and Drew.

This picture reminds me of Lord of the Flies for some reason. All they're missing is a conch.

Casey, Aunt Haley, and the tired boys. Another fun filled day!

Road Trip...lets - Day 3 & 4

Finally we were on the farm and out of the car. Day 3 was spent relaxing and enjoying the company of our family. The boys had a great time playing with their cousin and new friends, exploring Grandma and Grandpa's house, and hanging out at the creek. The boys got to stand in the nice cool water and throw rocks which they love to do. Throwing rocks is very exciting to 3 little boys who are told all day long to stop throwing their toys. The boys also enjoyed walking through the orchard and eating apples and plums right off of the tree. The most exciting thing all day though was receiving their early birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa. A train set!

Evan and Drew have a mild obsession with Thomas The Train but Isaac LOVES Thomas. Because we don't watch a lot of TV at home I let the boys watch DVD's in the car and this is where the love for Thomas began...a simple DVD. Now if I mention a car ride Isaac immediately starts yelling "aw-taw, aw-taw, aw-taw" meaning Thomas. Just last week we got him to say Tom because the aw-taw business was driving us nuts! So anyways, you can imagine their excitement at playing with the train set. Now that we are home it has already provided hours of entertainment! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!!!

Everyone loves playing with trains!

Day 4 was Grandma's birthday so we celebrated by going to the Wildlife Safari. Wildlife Safari is a wild animal park that you drive through in your own car. Since we were going 2mph we let the boys sit on our laps and get a better view. They loved the combined excitement of looking for the animals and the new freedom inside the car! After seeing all of the animals we had lunch and went for a train ride around the park. More trains - the boys loved it! It was 106 degrees that day so after the train ride our little pink cheeked boys were pooped and ready for a nap.


Who's driving?

Grandma and Evan

Waiting for the train.

It's a zebra...it's Isaac!

Drew on the train.

Isaac watching for wild animals.
Evan all pooped out!
After a good nap and a snack we went to a great park to get out the last little bit of energy the boys had by climbing, going down slides and even riding a merry-go-round! Needless to say, the boys slept great that night! And once they were asleep we got to party with Grandma!