Egger Triplets

No more mean guys.

2011-10-23T23:54:00.000-07:00

This summer we graduated from short little TV programs to watching movies. Actual movies. The boys love MOVIES! Mommy loves movies...they are great for long car rides and days with skipped naps, etc. We have watched the Toy Story movies, Open Season, Horton Hears a Who, and Rio. They have really given these little guys some interesting things to talk about and incorporate into their pretend play - which is an entirely different blog post (once I get some video). Movies, however, have also introduced mean guys, bad guys, naughty guys or whatever you would like to call them. Evan has recently decided that he is especially bothered by the means guys and is going to do something about it.

This is a video of Evan explaining how he wants movies with no mean guys. Keep in mind that this conversation had been going on for quite a while before I wised up and grabbed my phone. It is nice to see enthusiasm for a cause. This is possibly the video of a future politician!

I would also like to point out our small success in teaching table manners. Within the first few seconds of the video Isaac tells Evan that he burped and needs to say "excuse me." Follow by Evan, not missing a beat and working in an "excuuuuse me" into his passionate speech.

3 X 3 = Trouble!

2011-10-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Guess who is 3?

Evan, Isaac and Drew recently celebrated their third birthday and boy did they enjoy it!

Although 3 is proving to be a difficult age, it is still full of innocence and wonderment and despite their new found independence it is actually a really adorable age. It was so much fun watching the boys get excited for THEIR birthday party (which was just cake and ice cream with Grandma and Papa). A party. So simple and SO exciting!

Isaac, Drew, and Evan waiting patiently to blow out the candles. I'm not sure what was harder for them, waiting to blow out the candles or waiting to grab their Buzz Lightyear or Woody off of the cake.

Do we like licking frosting?

Evan does.

Drew does.

Isaac does.

After some cake and ice cream what better way to burn off some sugar than by riding scooters! I can't believe how quickly the boys picked up scooting. After 10 minutes Isaac was already asking to go down the hill. Thank goodness for helmets, because I don't think he will ask much longer - he will just do it!

Because of Casey's crazy work schedule in October, we did a daytime birthday celebration with the boys. We took them to the pumpkin patch again like last year and then out to lunch at Red Robin. They had so much fun! They really felt special at lunch having people sing to them and give them balloons. The only down side is that now they request for me to sing Happy Birthday the way they do it at Red Robin. Evan says, "no, happy happy birthday" followed by Isaac telling me, "clap your hands".

One of my favorite things at the pumpkin patch is the growth chart. I remembered to take the boys' picture again this year...maybe next year they will get the look at you AND smile thing:)

Look how big we are!

Evan

Drew

Isaac

October 2011

October 2010

Look at what little monkeys we were!

Casey and his wheel barrow of fun!

Evan, Isaac, and Drew.

Evan in his hat. Before you make fun of his hat you should know that I made it and I realize it is fairly unattractive but for some reason Evan LOVES it and I will continue to let him wear it until the day he discovers how very un-cool his mother's homemade craft projects are.

Isaac in his hat. He requested that I make him an orange hat with black stars. I'm glad he forgot about the stars. I have no idea how to do that!!!

Drew Bear. His favorite color is green, however he will wear any hat.

Here are some pictures of the boys on a hay ride. It really is the little things that make this age so special. Like the excitement of getting to sit on your knees on hay and get pulled by a tractor, they really thought they were big boys!

A few of my favorite pictures!

Evan loading up some pumpkins.

Isaac staking a claim.

Here is Drew trying to be a little Daddy and push the wheel barrow.

Isaac pretending to drive the tractor.

Running With The Big Dogs!

2011-09-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of Preschool! The boys are attending the "big kid class" (3-5 years old) this year and were SO excited. I was surprised at how many names they remember and how they just went in to class as if no time had passed at all. I am so excited for them and can't wait for next weeks classes!

Pool Party!

2011-06-09T20:40:00.001-07:00

I started to post these pictures months ago but my follow through needs a little work:) Here are my water babies! They love playing in their pool and have yet to complain about how ridiculously small it is. I continue to be surprised at how Isaac and Evan can just jump into freezing cold water and start having a ball. My little Drew Bear is a little more like his mommy and gets cold pretty quick. We spend a lot of time snuggling in a towel while sitting in the sun.

Evan and Isaac dumping water on their heads. Why is this OK, but me rinsing their hair in the tub is torture?

Drew and Isaac hard at work.

This picture cracks me up because Isaac is almost as white as the towel!

Evan "getting warm". He lays down in the sun for 30 seconds and then jumps up and gets right back in the water.

Just Beachy!

2011-05-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011

2011-05-01T14:32:00.001-07:00

The boys never miss an opportunity to dress up so mom can take some pictures and Easter was no exception.

Isaac "the stud".

Evan loves to start the movies at Grandma and Papa's house!
Drew...just hanging out.

Evan playing with choo choos.

Isaac is reading the directions of a very complicated toy for Daddy. Thanks to Isaac's help, Casey was able to construct some train tracks.

Drew finally got Thomas...now what?

The impossible group picture. Drew decided that a finger in his nose was hilarious. I might think it's funny too in a couple years:)

1st School Pictures!

2011-05-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here are the boys' preschool pictures for the 2010-2011 school year. They are so handsome (if I do say so myself)!

Isaac

Evan

Drew

Still Catching Up...Christmas 2010

2011-03-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010 was so much fun! The boys could understand (kind of) who Santa was, they were really excited about snowmen and Christmas lights. Evening drives were a lot of fun with a LOT of shouting from the back seat, "I SEE KISSMAS LIGHTS."

Here is our Christmas in a very small nutshell...

The boys posed for pictures for mommy...

...well, we tried......and tried again.

We made cookies for Santa with Grandma and Papa.

Drew

Evan and Isaac.

What a yummy mess!

We went home and set our cookies out for Santa with some milk. Evan and Drew even tested the milk to make sure it was just right for Santa. Isaac was so exhausted from making the cookies that he fell asleep on the way home - don't worry, we told him all about it the next day:) Drew and Evan also kissed the cookies just to make sure they were extra special for Santa. It must have worked because Santa ate every single cookie!

Christmas morning was SO exciting!

My favorite memory from Christmas morning was Isaac asking Brewster for help opening his presents. He would say "hep me Brewsie." Of course Brewster was glad to help! I think next year I will ask Santa not to use Thomas the Tank Engine wrapping paper because I'm pretty sure Isaac thought anything wrapped in Thomas paper would be a Thomas toy.

Mommy made all of the boys [try to] pose for one more group picture!

Catching Up

2011-02-28T13:54:00.001-08:00

Where has the time gone?! Why do I still think that it is December? So her are some WAY overdue pictures.

We took the boys to see Santa at the mall this year and they were so excited. They went running into the mall only to come to a screeching halt when they actually saw Santa. They were all fine giving him a high five but sitting on his lap was a little more than they were prepared for. Eventually we got some pictures of everyone individually and as a group actually looking in the direction of the camera! Although they were a little leery of Santa in person they were still super excited about him after we left.

Isaac, Drew, and Evan.

Evan politely trying to slide off of Santa's knee.

Evan still trying to wiggle free.

Isaac, although refusing to smile, was doing just fine until...

...the photographer tickled him with a feather duster. He hated it but tried so hard to be a big boy and not cry.

Drew (post stitches) did really good with Santa. It was hard to get a smile...

...but we eventually got the scared-deer-in-headlights smile!

And The Winner Is....

2010-12-17T22:06:00.000-08:00

Drew

Drew is the first one to get stitches! Unfortunately he must have inherited some of my clumsiness because the poor guy tripped and and hit his lip just right on the kids table at Grandma and Papa's house. I wasn't there when it happened so I had the luxury of being reassured by my mom that it wasn't too bad and that Drew was ok. Once I picked him up we headed to the doctor's office and along the way he would tell me "Drew sad", poor little thing!

Because the cut happened right at the border between his lip and skin his doctor recommended taking him to the hospital so he could be sedated to ensure a really good stitch job and reduce scarring. After throwing out words like plastic surgeon and Children's Hospital and scaring the crap out of me Drew's doctor (who is awesome) made some calls and determined that we could get it done at the local hospital, so off we went.

After checking in at the ER we had to wait in a room for almost 2 hours. Keep in mind that the accident happened before lunch so not only was poor Drew hungry, it was his nap time too. Now imagine entertaining a hungry and tired 2 year old in a hospital room for 2 hours who also happens to have a gaping wound on his face. Considering all of, that Drew did great and was such a trooper! I had to keep telling Drew that we had to wait because mommy needed to talk to a doctor so I few times he opened the door to the hallway and yelled "DOCTOR!"

Other than messing up the first IV, things went really smoothly. The procedure was awful...for me, but the doctors did a wonderful job stitching him up. I'm really glad we did the conscious sedation instead of the "burrito wrap" the PA suggested. I think after staring at him with a "you've got to be kidding me" expression for an uncomfortable amount of time, he said, "let's talk to the doctor." You think!

After 4 hours at the hospital we were finally out of there! I knew Drew was super hungry but I wasn't sure what to feed him so we headed to Fred Meyer so I could get some groceries AND a toy for my little trooper. By the time we got to the store you wouldn't have guessed that Drew had been sedated an hour earlier. He was his usual self except for the stitches and blood that was still on his face. As I started putting items in our shopping cart he starting yelling "Drew eat" so I started feeding him strawberries, watermelon, and cheese. Imagine what we looked like. I looked like a mess and was feeding a small child with a bloody face right off of the shelves at a grocery store! Some of the other shoppers faces and double takes were pretty funny.

Little Drew Bear (or Drewbie as his brothers like to call him) is completely unfazed by his accident and owie and didn't mention it at all today. I, on the other hand, did not fare as well. I have already made my way through the entire box of cookies I bought myself as a reward for not losing it at the hospital. I need to come up with a different reward for the next time something like this happens...because with 3 little boys something like this is bound to happen again.

Barber Shop Babies

2010-12-15T23:02:00.001-08:00

Evan, Isaac and Drew recently got "real" haircuts. "Real", meaning I didn't cut their hair. I figured with the holidays coming up that they should nice looking haircuts instead of adorable little versions of Jim Carrey's character from the movie Dumb and Dumber. I made a few calls and found a place that specializes in kids hair so we recruited Grandma and Papa and headed to the barber shop!

Drew was up first and did not like the squirt bottle or the clippers. For as miserable as he looks he barely cried. He just made lots of sad faces.

Every time the lady cutting his hair would stop to change positions or sides, Drew would throw his arms up and say "Yay, Drew all done."

Now Drew is all done, and boy is he handsome!

Next up was Isaac. He started out a little scared...

...but quickly got distracted by a Thomas video and a bin full of toys!

Cheeeeeeese! I'm pretty sure he said, "Dang I look good."

Last one to get his hair cut was Evan. Who knew E-Man would be completely oblivious to the fact that someone was cutting his hair. He had a bin full of toys to check out. Look, he found Tigger!

Looking good!

Oh, man. Done already.

The picture I forgot to take was of the hair stylist's face when we walked in the door!

Birthday Weekend Jamboree!

2010-10-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

Evan, Isaac, & Drew are 2!!!

We decided to celebrate the boys' birthday over several days this year and to make it a birthday weekend extravaganza (i.e., Casey and I are poor party planners) and just let them go wild! On Saturday we went shopping and let them walk into a store. In case you didn't get the significance of that, I said WALK. No strollers, no shopping carts, and no wagon. We let them pick out a couple Thomas trains before they had to clean up after themselves. I caught Isaac running into himself in a full length mirror and he said "hello" and them kissed himself! After the shopping we ate dinner at a restaurant where the boys enjoyed people watching, coloring, and playing with stickers. Drew also appointed himself the official greeter and said hello and bye to everyone who could hear him...which was everyone!

On Sunday we took the boys to Jungle Playland to burn off some serious energy. There are ball pits, slides, and bouncers at Jungle Playland and we did them all. WE ALL did them all. After chasing the boys around, taking them down the FASTEST tube slide ever (you should see the tube burn on Casey's elbows), a minor split lip on Evan, and ball pit jumping Casey and I were sweaty and tired! The boys loved it though so I think we will be going back.

Here are Evan and Isaac climbing in the little kid area.

Isaac and Evan in the big kid ball pit. Drew was off and running and impossible to get a non-blurry picture of.

Casey and his boys!

On Monday since the boys were still coughing from a little cold we skipped preschool and went to the pumpkin patch. The boys loved this because "picking" or choosing things is really exciting to them. They all got to choose their own pumpkin, ride a train, look at some animals, and ride in a wheel barrow!

Drew having a seat on a pumpkin.

Evan pointing to a pumpkin he liked.

Tough man Ike picking up a big pumpkin!

Look how big we are on our 2nd birthday!

No room for pumpkins in this wheelbarrow. Sometimes I wonder if other parents think we are crazy:)

Drew, Isaac, and Evan. I cannot get Isaac to take his finger out of his nose!

We are three wild and crazy guys!

Me and my big boys!

Preschool Week 4

2010-10-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

I skipped week 3 because I forgot to take a picture - oops! I have to tell you how much I enjoy taking the boys to school. It is so much fun to watch them play with other kids and to see what they choose to do with total freedom.

Drew is a social butterfly. He likes to say hi to the other kids and their parents and roam around doing whatever he runs into. Isaac and Evan have a tendency to stick together but that is starting to diminish a little more each week. Surprisingly, Evan is the one who is the most concerned about where I am...after playing for awhile. He always comes to find me and tries to get me to do whatever it is he is doing. Isaac is pretty independent and also a people watcher. Once he gets started on something though he tunes out the world around him.

Last week during our outside playtime there was a small mud puddle which the boys found and had a blast playing in. Drew even sat in it! By the time we left the puddle was gone because it had all be soaked up by all of the kids! The boys' pants were so wet that I had to take them home in just their diapers! Of course, the week I don't bring a change of clothes!

I was able to get one picture inside of Isaac reading. He looked at this book for about 20 seconds.

Here comes trouble! The water fun is just about to begin!

Time to head home for lunch and a much needed nap!

Preschool Week 2

2010-09-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-09-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-19T19:58:00.001-07:00

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

2010-09-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-12T22:57:00.001-07:00

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

2010-09-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

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!

Road Trip...lets - Day 2

2010-09-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

ANTHONY! That's right, day 2 begins with the loud and obnoxious family from the room next to us yelling at poor Anthony in the hallway right outside our door. I had a hard time refraining from giving them a piece of my mind! Oh well, I was up - so off to get some hotel waffles for the boys. I found myself wanting to explain to everyone in the breakfast room that I was getting breakfast for 3 kids but just kept my head down busily making a giant plate of waffles and stuffing butter, syrup, and yogurt in my pockets.

Casey and I lucked out big time and just happened to catch his Aunt Tina (who lives in Portland) on her day off from work so she agreed to come to the Portland Zoo with us. We also lucked out because Casey's sister also happened to be in Portland and was able to come along. It was SO nice having Aunt Tina and Aunt Kortni with us to help wrangle babies and give them the opportunity to walk around the entire time instead of riding in their wagon. The boys loved hanging with TT (as Isaac would call her) and KoKo!!

We thought that we would practically have the zoo to ourselves on a Monday but were badly mistaken! It was so busy and took us FOREVER to park but surprisingly it didn't seem as crowded once we were in the zoo. The boys were really excited to be walking around and we discovered their fascination with traffic cones. Maybe next time they will be just as excited about animals!

Isaac and Aunt Kortni

Isaac

Tina and Drew

Drew loves penguins! The cutest thing all day was when we entered the penguin area and Drew said "ooohh" and walked right up to the wood penguin cutout displays and started hugging and kissing them all while continuing to say "oooooohhh".

One of the zoo highlights for the boys were the African drums. They loved them! Even if they had to stand on their tippy toes.

Evan taking a little break from walking.

This is one tired little dude. After Evan tried playing the same drum as Isaac "The Boss", Ike-man had a total meltdown and we knew they were done.

What a fun day! Thank you Tina and Kortni for hanging with the Egger hurricane!

Once we got in the car the boys crashed immediately and Casey and I began our journey south the Myrtle Creek.

We did learn something important on this day. Even though the boys have a nap, on a really exciting and busy day they will still be tired, cranky, and prone to outbursts in the evening. Where did we learn this? Applebees. A few hours down the road we thought we would stop at a mall to let the boys stretch their legs and get some more walking in before dinner...wrong. They were hungry and everything was upsetting them so we hurried across the street to Applebess where we were "that family". Have I mentioned before how loud Drew is? He has no inside voice and has recently discovered how to scream. Go ahead and say it..."oh man" is right! It didn't help that we were using boosters for the first time but our food could not come fast enough! Eventually it came and the little devils who were moments earlier throwing crayons and Matchbox cars were little angels flirting with the waitress.

Back to car for more Elmo and Thomas DVD's that entertained the boys the rest of the way to Grandma and Grandpa Egger's house. They went straight up to bed and right to sleep!

Road Trip...lets - Day 1

2010-09-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

After months of "talking" about going to Oregon to visit Grandma and Grandpa Egger we finally did it. Instead of driving the 8 hours straight through in the middle of the night while the boys were sleeping we decided to make a week long road trip out of our journey and really try to enjoy the last days of summer. Our first day we left at the boys' nap time hoping they would sleep for a portion of our 4 hour leg to Portland. It was a rocky start because we had to stop by my parents house to drop off Brewster which got the boys all worked up thinking that they were also going to play at Grandma and Papa's. So after a teary beginning the boys finally fell asleep and we were on our way!

We used to take Brewster with us to the farm before we had kids and would stop at this great park in Centralia to let him run around and burn off some energy. We figured if it worked for the dog it should work for the boys! They loved the park! They got to swing, slide, climb, run around trees, and even see squirrels and ducks. It was at this park though, that I realized that I am a magnet for wacky kids, you know the ones who are filthy and missing an article of clothing (shoes and shirt in my experiences). They seem to want to play with me...like friends. I end up helping kids on monkey bars, watching them jump, and holding hands. Makes me wonder what it is about me....youthful spirit, childlike attitude, overuse of the word 'cool'...no, must be my similar unkempt appearance:)

Back on the road and we realize we didn't make any hotel reservations...not unusual for a Casey/Jenny trip. I remembered a hotel that was listed on the Portland Zoo's website (where we were going the next day) so Casey called and reserved us a room. We pull in way past the boys bedtime to find that the hotel was not exactly the nice family place one would expect to partner with the zoo. We decide to make the best of it because it was only a few hours, right?

Wrong. Worst night's sleep since the boys were new born! The walls were pretty thin so we could hear the family next to us yelling at Anthony who was crying while his mom and dad took turns seeing who could be the loudest. I was ready to start yelling at Anthony too! On the other side of use was a guy who had a TERRIBLE phlegmy cough...all night! We also had our own little drama in our room, which was our first time in a hotel with the boys. We started with all of the boys in one bed while they settled down and fell asleep which quickly changed to one of them in a portable crib, one in a bed alone, and one guy with Casey and I (something that never happens). As we settled in for the night cuddling my sweet little baby it was then that I got it. I understood how people end up with their kids sleeping in their bed until they are 5. It's your child at their best - cute, cuddly, sweet, and quiet. I changed my mind at 2am. How can anyone sleep with a toddler? Drew and Casey ended up in one bed, and Isaac and I in the other. Drew kept getting on all fours and ramming his head into the headboard and kicking Casey all night while Isaac spent the entire night trying to get away from me! I guess we have all gotten used to sleeping with plenty of space!

Hang Time

2010-08-07T23:43:00.000-07:00

We have recently taken the boys to an elementary school playground that is on the island and have really enjoyed doing something fun that is close to home. The boys have REALLY enjoyed it. There is never anyone else at the playground so the boys are free to roam around and do as they please. On this trip we reaffirmed Drew's freakish strength by letting him hang from some playground equipment. We first discovered his ability to hang like a monkey at one of Isaac's developmental follow-up appointments using the physical therapy equipment when he was about 1 year old. He loves hanging and could probably stay like that all day. He never once let go - we would have to take him down! Once Drew impressed Mom and Dad, Evan and Isaac were quick to jump in.

Drew hanging and very pleased with himself.

Here is Drew hanging by himself on the low bar.

Isaac is an impressive climber...I mean it's scary at how coordinated he is getting up strange things. With all of his climbing, hanging didn't really interest him until his brothers were doing it - go figure!

Here is Evan looking unsure of himself with Isaac running in for a turn.

I think that it is funny how even in wide open spaces they just HAVE to test the gates!

Day Full of Firsts

2010-08-04T21:15:00.001-07:00

Today was full of firsts for the boys and me, and boy was it exhausting! So exhausting they were actually quiet by the time we got home tonight. Notice I didn't say asleep - that would take another 2 hours of activities!

We started the day by going to our first story time at the local library where Grandma and Papa met us. Let me just start by saying that our boys LOVE books, they like reading in a lap or by themselves and they especially love story time with dad at our house before naps and bedtime.

So...we enter the library where Drew is immediately drawn to all of the books on the shelves. I was able to deter him from removing every book in the library at a height of 2 feet or lower by sitting all of them at an activity table with paper and crayons while we waited for the story time room to open up. Drew is about to jump out of his pampers at this point. A million books at an arms reach away AND a tub of crayons that he can pick out all by himself (very exciting for a crayon eater who is only given 2 crayons at a time)!

I would like to stop here and thank my parents for agreeing to come to story time. It would have been a DISASTER without them. Thank you!

We enter the story room where they are instructed to pick out a stuffed animal to hold during the stories. What? New animals! Again, so exciting for my little guys who normally contained and somewhat sheltered. The story starts and Drew is having none of it because there are a million books on the other side of the door calling his name. Drew and Papa leave. Evan sits quietly in Grandma's lap holding his purple lion. Isaac sits with me and squirms and says "no, no, no, no, no..." Drew and Papa return for about 30 seconds. Drew, Papa, Grandma, and Isaac leave. They all leave Evan and I just as an activity is starting where you take a colored felt crayon up to the front of the room when your color is called...each child only gets one...and here Evan and I are with his and his brothers'. All three of Evan's colors where called in a row and he loved going up there and soon thought it was the Evan show. As other shy children went to the front of the room with the help of their parents Evan took it upon himself to go back up and rearrange the felt crayons and even take some down. Thankfully story time ended after one more song with some musical instruments and shakers which I'm pretty sure one of my boys opened up a shaker (plastic egg with sunflower seeds inside) which an adorable little boy decided to snack on. Grandma, Papa, and mommy all sweating head to the car.

Next up, McDonald's. The boys had their first Happy Meals and didn't eat them in the car! After eating lunch I thought I would take each of the boys up into the playland slide maze since it wasn't busy. I forgot how on a warm day it turns the playland into a 200 degree hotbed for germs and stinkiness. Isaac and I went first and he loved climbing up the tubes. We came across a little girl and her brother who after some minor taunting consisting of "ha ha, we got here first", helped guide my sorry lost behind to the big pink slide! Next up, I decide I would take Evan and Drew together to try to speed things along. Not a great decision seeing as how they don't know their right from their left. Thank goodness they know their colors though! We finally made it down the big pink slide and I won't be entering that pee smelling prison again for a long while.

After lunch we went to a couple of stores looking for their first life jackets, where they rode their first mechanical ride thingy. A fire engine with Bert and Ernie could not be passed up.

After taking a nap at Grandma and Papa's the boys went for their first ride in the boat. Up until now they had only played in Papa's boat in the driveway. The boys were so excited to get in the boat and once we got going...Drew grabbed onto me for dear life, Isaac sat on Grandma's lap stiff as a board and Evan grabbed the wheel and drove the boat. Eventually Isaac relaxed and started breathing, at which point he decided he also wanted to drive the boat. Evan was a little upset, interpreting this move as mutiny. After a small squabble at sea they were both sitting on Papa's lap driving the boat. Drew meanwhile has a death grip on me and won't say a word....except when asked if he wants to go fast he says, "Yeah". We exit the boat and Drew talks about it like he had a blast. Yeah, boat. Papa boat. You would never guess he never even saw the water because his face was buried in my shirt.

After the boat ride I decided to jump in the lake for the first time since I was pregnant, which was not the relaxing floating experience I was told it would be. I sank like a rock and had to doggy paddle with some serious drag thanks to my giant belly. I wanted to let the boys see me jump in the water so they would see me swimming and think that it looked like fun. When I ran and jumped off of the dock my mom told me that Isaac said "uh oh". Maybe he thought I fell in, which would not be a surprise seeing as how I'm not exactly a graceful ballerina.

All of these firsts and I didn't get a single picture - which ironically is also a first! I decided to share a second though. Yesterday I gave the boys their second haircut.

Beating the Heat

2010-07-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

It has been so hot lately, over 70 degrees, which makes our house feel like 400 degrees so we have had to move outside in the late afternoon to beat the heat! My $5 investment at the drug store for a small baby pool has been worth every last cent. The boys LOVE playing in the pool and recently discovered they also like the sprinkler (after a warm up introduction at Grandma and Papa's house). Add a couple of balls and some toys and you end up with a fight to get them inside!

When we play outside our house looks like a daycare. Casey is so good about picking up after us. We wouldn't want neighborhood kids thinking our yard is a park:)

Isaac getting hit by the sprinkler - and it was COLD!

Drew trying to decide if he likes the sprinkler.

Drew has a hard time keeping his shorts up.

Isaac is starting to like the sprinkler.

Isaac

Evan running from the sprinkler.

Evan loving the sprinkler!!

Baby Stew

2010-07-08T20:23:00.001-07:00

Look how much has changed in 1 year! I continue to be amazed by how fast time seems to be passing me by!

Evan

Isaac

Drew

Beach Bums

2010-07-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

Finally! We made it to the beach! All of the stars aligned-we had a sunny day AND low tide just after nap time. We couldn't resist and headed to the beach.

Our first dilemma was whether or not to go to a more populated but easily accessible beach or hike down to a more remote beach with fewer (if any) people. We chose the remote beach so we could let our dog run wild while we chased after the boys. We had a great time but my legs are still sore from the hike. To get to the beach we hiked down a HUGE hill and then about a 1/2 mile down the beach once we got there to get to the sandy area. This wasn't so bad, but going up hill with a pack and carrying a toddler was more than this soft body had bargained for! Poor Casey had to carry 2 toddlers up the hill! Evan and Isaac were nice enough to give him "power hugs" to help get him up the hill though!

Our decision was a good one because we were the only people at the beach so Brewster was able to run free. He probably had the best time out of everybody. Our poor, out of shape little dog was trying to fall asleep in the car ride home - which is only 2 minutes!

Before we get started with fun pictures let's talk about what went right and what went wrong and lessons learned at our first outing to the beach.

1. Once we made it down the hill/trail and to the beach I noticed that one of the boys had stepped in dog poop...and it just happened to be the boy that I carried so I had dog poop smeared all over my shorts. Bad. Good- I packed wipes!

2. I quickly realized that I should apply sunscreen before we leave and not try to do it while they are in the water. Lesson learned.

3. Sand does not come out of cracks and crevices even if you use wipes. Bad. Just stick them in the tub at home. Good. Really dirty tub. Bad.

4. Pack an extra pair of clothes (done) including a sweatshirt or long sleeved shirt. Lesson learned.

5. Packing cookies. Good. Packing a cup of ice (good) but no bottle of water to put in it. Bad.

Ok, let's continue.

Once we got to the sand the boys ran and went nuts! Evan immediately took a header right into a huge puddle and didn't mind at all, except for the fact that his shirt was wet and stuck to him.

Here is Evan running for new waters.

Drew loved splashing!

Even when his face would get all wet!

Isaac loved just standing in the water. He didn't like any waves at first but after we showed him he could kick the waves he LOVED it. Now if you ask him about the beach he says, "kick, kick".

Here are the water babies. We quickly learned that we should have started out shirtless.

Isaac and Evan helping Daddy build a sandcastle. Just after Casey got done rinsing Drew off he came running to me and fell right in the mote of the castle!

Isaac and Evan.

Drew spent 98% of his time in the water throwing sand. He stood in this spot forever! He was having a great time and really enjoyed cracking himself up.

Drew

Isaac checking out his toes under water - weird!
Look at those white little bodies! Notice mommy and her white legs were not captured on film!

Smartest thing I packed was a bunch of animal crackers! It was helpful in luring the boys out of the water and helped get them to sit still. I love this picture of them, but it makes it painfully obvious that I need to invest in some beach towels!

Family sandals.

What a great day!!!

Baby Crockett

2010-06-23T21:33:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Papa bought the boys some sweet hats today! We called them their "hunting hats" and went outside hunting for wild strawberries.

Drew sporting his new cap!

Evan's hunting hat worked - he found some strawberries!

Here is Isaac reflecting on what he just ate. Isaac recently learned how to pick and eat his own strawberries and although we are working on learning our colors he will eat red OR green strawberries...and the leaves, and the flowers..........

Only A Father

2010-06-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

In honor of Father's Day...

And I wonder why the boys are always asking for Dada! Because he is so much fun!

The sweet smell of victory!

2010-06-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS INFORMATION REGARDING POOP

Today was a very exciting day at the Egger house. Drew went poo-poo and pee-pee on the toilet!
Drew was grunting while the boys were eating their lunch so Casey asked him if he was pooping and Drew said "yes." I told Casey not to bother because Drew was grunting and then laughing earlier at breakfast. But apparently Casey believes in the "give every grunt a chance" method and took Drew into the bathroom (must be a guy thing). We had recently bought a little seat for the toilet on a whim in case they began to show any interest. Casey showed Drew how to hold onto the handles and most importantly... to keep your feet and legs down:)

Drew sat there while we cheered him on. We even brought in his Elmo Likes To Potty book for him to look at - one of several ideas to introduce the concept and begin the daunting task of potty training three boys. After several pushes and a few noises Drew surprised us both! Needless to say a HOORAY of tremendous proportions was in order and Drew got to call Grandma and Papa to tell them of his triumph.

Don't think that I am foolish enough to believe he is potty trained now or even close, but let's hope it will happen again before he is 3 years old. Casey is giddy and sees a light at the end of the diaper tunnel however he continues to do the math of how much money we waste on diapers (.35 x 5 changes on average per day x 3 boys = $5.25 per day = 157.50 a month).

Today we are very proud parents!

Drew showing us how he grunts!

Oh yes I did take a picture! Way to go Drew!!!

Big Day For Isaac

2010-06-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

Isaac had his last developmental follow-up appointment at Children's Everett Clinic today! Isaac has been seen there every 6 months since his extended stay in the NICU (an entire month of getting better and waiting for surgery) when he was just 8 weeks old as part of standard procedures. Today's appointment was his "18 month" follow-up visit and I say "18 month" because that is his adjusted age for prematurity.

We are so fortunate that despite Isaac's rough start in life he is totally healthy and we have never had any concerns regarding his development. At each appointment he has met or exceeded his developmental goals and today was no different. Actually, it was a little different because he blew the therapist's socks off with all of his tricks (if I may toot Ikie's horn a little)!

Did I mention that Isaac and I went to the appointment alone? Just mommy and 1 baby!!! What a nice morning we had. Evan and Drew got to hang out with Grandma and Papa while Isaac and I went to his appointment. I can only imagine life with a singleton! We were on time. I didn't have to unload a wagon or stroller. I didn't have to put on 6 socks and 6 shoes once we got there (we have a small issue keeping our socks and shoes on in the car). Isaac and I were able to hold hands and leisurely walk into the office. While we walked he pointed out cars (which there were a lot as we strolled by the parking lot) and trees. It was really nice spending some time alone with him!

It was really interesting to see Isaac in action without his brothers. Although he is probably our most dominant little guy he sure was shy all by himself. While in the waiting room Isaac just stood between my legs and checked everyone out. When we got into our therapy room he was still pretty shy with the two therapists but warmed up quickly once they got started with the blocks. Once he warmed up there was no stopping him! He completed all of his tests quickly and then would stand up and look out the window or put the testing materials away for the gals - as if he owned the place! One of the things that impressed them the most about Isaac was his coordinated run for his age! I just thought to myself, you should see him run when he is naked and you want to put a diaper on! He was even talking a lot and said "thank you" and "clock" among other things while we were there. Just when he couldn't get any more impressive (and I turned my back for a second) he started digging in the garbage can trying to fish out some old cheerios!

Our moment of brilliance was short lived but it was great while it lasted! Way to go Isaac!!!

Here is Isaac as Indiana Jones and his sidekick Evan.

Isaac in his perch - the window.

Pictures

2010-06-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

I keep beating myself up about not being better about getting the boys' pictures taken regularly. I started out really good by getting them at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year. Then it just sort of stopped. I was looking through there old 6 and 9 month pictures that actually got copied to the computer and had a wonderful time laughing at the 400 bad pictures taken just to get 1 good one! I also remembered WHY I have been reluctant to head back to a studio again. Here are some of my favorite awful pictures!!!

Lets start with the obvious. How do you get 3 kids to look in the same direction and look happy all at the same time. You don't. So it should be said that I don't blame the photographer...entirely.

At 6 months the boys were just starting to sit up on their own and naturally all of them couldn't sit up for 3 seconds, look at the camera, and smile all at the same time so you have to improvise. Here are the boys laying down. Just kind of haphazardly laid on a sheet...love the photographer's foot in the bottom corner.

This was the 19 year old photographer's (we were at Sears) attempt at an artistic picture. I think the boys are very confused and so am I! Which way should I hang this picture? Again, notice they are laying down.

Ok. Lets try some with them sitting up. Ah, the memories...3 boys and their parents' arms. We have several pictures like this!

Another obstacle to face when photographing multiples is dealing with the well intentioned SLOW photographer. They try to get you to do a million poses, purchase a million photos, do a million add-ons. Enough already!!! They are just doing their job but cannot fathom what is going on in your head..."stop talking, doesn't she know they needed to eat 15 minutes ago?" Unless you have multiples you have no idea the anxiety of being OFF SCHEDULE!

9 month pictures were a nightmare. The boys were mobile but not steady enough to stand on their own...but mobile enough to refuse to sit still. If I remember correctly, one of the photographers called in sick so one poor girl was taking all of the pictures. We waited in the lobby for over an hour before we got in to take these beauties.

The chair isn't working lady. Let's move on.

Although Evan may have a future as a weather man...the green background and goofy rock aren't working. Keep moving....
Ah ha, some finished collages to look at. These look pretty good...oh wait, there are 2 pictures of the same baby in the bucket. That's Isaac in the top and bottom corner, poor little Evan got left out of this one! Needless to say we stay away from the collages they put together for us:)

Beach Shoes!

2010-05-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Casey and I took the boys on a quick shopping trip this evening to good old Fred Meyer and happened upon some sweet beach shoes for the boys. When we got home I thought I would try them on one of the boys to see if they fit (because we were shopping a little too close to dinner time so we had to grab and go shop). To my surprise Evan and Drew started asking for shoes once they were on Isaac's feet. After they all had their new sandals on they started laughing and running around in circles! This is when we were supposed to be winding down before bed-oops! They liked them so much that they put up a fight when I went to take them off. I'm so excited that they have shoes we can finally take them to the beach in. We didn't go to the beach once last year...and we live on an ISLAND!!!! Now we are just waiting for some sun and crossing our fingers that we don't have sand eaters!

Evan and his robot (it's actually a transformer but robot is easier to say).

Isaac showing me how a kangaroo hops in his sweet new sandals.

I love this picture of Drew. It looks like he is tap dancing or something and I surprised him.

Say cheese! Isaac is the only one who will say cheese or smile when I ask them.

A New Kind Of Trouble!

2010-05-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled upon the source of many arguments among the boys that only seemed to be happening when I would leave the room. Turns out when the window is left open it makes a nice little handle to grab onto and climb up with. Isaac is a spider monkey. You should see the strength he uses to get his little body up...and see his little toes desperately gripping to the wall as he makes his way up. Isaac manages to pull himself up into the window sill and balance there while enjoying the view. You would think that it would be enough just getting up in the window...but no, there's more.

(And yes, those are bite marks on the window sill. So glad the boys are taller now!)

Easy does it...turning around...

1...2...3...jump!

I'm a little slow so I missed a couple of frames. I didn't quite understand the full scope of what was happening. The next pictures you can see Isaac in the window and Evan is pretty jealous. The fighting is usually Evan and Isaac pulling each other down. You can see Drew looking at me as if he knows this is not a good idea!

But wait. There's still more. What I noticed after Isaac did some rearranging was that he had moved all of their stuffed animals under the window...you know - to jump onto!!!! Is this type of stuff just part of little boy's DNA? Where do they come up with it?!

The Pool

2010-05-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

In my last post I shared a picture of the boys and their "indoor pool" but I have so many more great action shots I just couldn't help myself! These guys crack me up!!!

Synchronized diving!

Running dive.

Balls in, balls out. An endless cycle.

Another dive by Isaac.

I think we told Evan that Brewster was going to get him in this picture.

Favorite Toys

2010-05-19T21:29:00.001-07:00

So it's no secret that the boys have a lot of toys but there are some that keep their attention longer than others. It is interesting picking out toys for them because some things just aren't meant to be played with by 3 kids at once. So while there are many fun toys out on the market, there aren't a lot that can hold up to these guys! We are constantly battling the "toy is always greener in the other brother's hands" mentality:) I thought that I would share some of the toys that I had pictures of or that are their current favorites.

Balls. Love balls! BAW, BAW, BAW is what I hear all the time! Evan, Isaac, and Drew have even started trying to say different types of balls, like basketball, football, and baseball. It is cute to hear the additional syllable. Of all the balls there is one mother ball....JUMBO BALL, or as the boys call it, bumbo baw. It is a large silver exercise ball that embarrassingly saw very little activity until the boys came along. We recently took Grandma and Papa's idea and bought a blow up baby pool and filled it with little plastic balls. Now the boys can say pool!

Melissa & Doug Noah's Ark shape sorter. The boys love shape sorters and are pretty dang good at them so we thought we would bump up the challenge. It is all made out of wood so it is heavy, thus preventing it from being thrown (essential for my crew). Although this shape sorter is too difficult for the boys to do correctly because the animals are flat it still keeps their attention and they love putting them in and out of the boat over and over. Who would have thought?!

Truck. This truck has seen it all-including a lot of fights. It actually went on hiatus for a little bit because the boys would fight over it so much. The dumper flips up so you can ride on it or use it as a push toy but now Evan and Drew just sit in the dumper and Isaac will push them around. They also like to put their Mega Bloks in it and use it to build.

I don't know what this toy is really called but we call it the monkey toy. The boys have been playing with this for over a year now and still enjoy it. I saw the commercial for this thing over and over while I was in the hospital on bed rest and thought that it looked like something 3 little kids could play with. I was right!!!! When the monkey's hands tilt it starts playing music. One of my favorite memories was watching Drew stand holding the monkey's hands, bouncing, and shaking his head no to the music. This is when we discovered Drew's love of music and wacky dancing! Please note the hippo that can be used for storing balls. I once found that one of the boys managed to barf right into the hippos mouth without getting it anywhere else! Imagine my surprise when I found that!

Puzzles! We love puzzles! It is so fun to watch Evan, Isaac and Drew work on their puzzles. I continue to be impressed at how fast they are getting with them. We usually do puzzles in highchairs after meals and rotate them around. Well the boys know the routine and they will do a puzzle really fast and then hold it up and say done so they can get a new one!

Ninder. That would be blender to you and me. This might be their favorite toy of all. It is a blender shape sorter that plays music. I feel kinda weird about this toy because one of the songs is about adding fruit, ,mixing it up and making a good drink. Feels like I'm training them to make blended beverages for mommy! Thank goodness one of the ingredients in the song isn't tequila:)

Last but not least. Boxes, bins, and buckets. Anything little boys should not be sitting in they love. Sometimes they all try to get in them at once which never turns out good! So, need a gift idea for some kids? Give them a box!!!

Cousin Emma!

2010-05-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

Cousin Emma, who is only 2 months younger than the boys, came to visit Grandma and Papa last week and got to hang out with the "boys only" club. She was an honorary member and the boys had fun playing with her - once they got used to her girl stuff-like kissing! The first day we came to play with her the boys would just stand there frozen with fear as she went around trying to hug and kiss each one of them. Drew was the most traumatized by the kissing so he kept his distance from Emma for most of her stay but much to my surprise Isaac (the hot head biter) was a perfect gentlemen. He made sure Emma was included in all of the songs we sang where we name everyone by pointing to her (so cute), he offered her bites of his snacks, and he would stand very still when she wanted to hug and kiss him! By the end of Emma's trip she was just one of the guys:) I have to say the pink, dolls, and chattiness of a little girl was a lot of fun. We miss you Emma!!!

Emma

She would sit at her little picnic table Grandma set up for her and watch the Wiggles and crack up laughing when the boys weren't there to play with her!

I wasn't able to get a good action shot but Emma would launch her little body into the pool of balls. While Evan was playing with her he would grab the side of the pool as if to brace himself!

We all went for a walk and she got to ride with Evan. It was so funny to watch the boys experience something so common to them with a new person. At first Evan just sat there looking at Emma as if trying to figure out what was different.

She participated in the nighttime running of the bulls. This is just before we put jammies on and the boys just race up and down the hallway. We say, "ready, set, go" and then they all run...except for Evan, he takes off at "set".

Grandma and Papa have this great box that when upside down has a door and window for a clubhouse. Right side up it is something to put balls in. And on it's side it becomes a slide! The boys and Emma were all climbing on the box and each other while laughing and having a good time!

Dressing For Lunch

2010-05-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

At mealtime I usually carry one boy at a time from the play room to their high chairs because when I am by myself and let them all walk in someone always dumps Brewster's water and someone always races passed the kitchen and straight for the cat food! Today, after I had lunch all ready to go, I went to start transporting babies and found Drew sitting down and reading nicely wearing one of Casey's hats. I told Drew how nice he looked in his hat and we went into the kitchen. When I came back to get Evan and Isaac they had both raced over to the book shelves where we keep various hats for them to play with and each put on their fishing hats! It was so cute that I had to take their picture.

Drew

Isaac

Evan

I know, I know. They are still in their pajamas. Give me a break, they are just going to take a nap in a little bit:)

Here is one more hat I occasionally find them playing with. It cracks me up every time I see them in their wizard hat but they always seem to take it off when I race to get my camera. Here is a bad picture but you get the point.

The Forgotten Child

2010-05-10T20:36:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time there was an adorable puppy named Brewster who could do no wrong. He was small, cute and cuddly.

All of his needs were taken care of. Like underpants.

He posed for pictures...lots of pictures.

Some pictures he liked and some he didn't.

This little guy really got to go places...

...like the tulip fields...

...his fight club with Maggie...

...and the beach. He used to get to go to the beach a lot!

Now just look at this face. It is full of worry wondering if his babies are separated or not properly corralled.

Ah, the work of a baby herder is tough stuff!

Penitentiary Break Out

2010-05-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm going to share these pictures but if you really want to know what it's like with triplets you have to see it. I always said that I would never buy my kids a million toys that just sit around and never get played with but things don't always turn out the way you imagined so the boys do have a million toys but they all get played with! The poor guys stay home all day and on top of that they spend most of their time in one room so we are constantly looking for things to keep them occupied and stimulated. Normally we have their toys separated into bins that are stored in the closet and just play with one bin at a time and rotate things in and out all day but on this day I just let the boys go hog wild.

Here you can see the jumperoos and baby chairs strategically placed in front of the fireplace. Also note the grey Pound Puppy in the bottom left. That was mine when I was little and it is probably the only childhood toy I will be able to share with my boys. If we had a girl she would have got one sweet Barbie Dream House and Cadillac!

Babies gone wild!

Why would they want to get out of this nice playroom that Casey put together for them?

Yes, we have a world map for the boys to look at. They can already point to Australia. Ivy League here they come!

Now that you have seen their beautiful playroom lets talk about what is not in there anymore. They no longer get to have the picnic table due to Isaac the mover pushing it up against the baby gate and narrowly escaping and because they liked to flip it over and play on it upside down which always resulted in tears. Also the storage bench in gone because they figured out how it opened and would all get in together - again resulting in tears. And last but not least, the slide is now in my living room. You've seen the pictures of the slide on it's side but recently the boys managed to get it upside down! Later slide! This prison allows supervised visits with the slide though:)

The Great Indoors

2010-05-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

Drew and Isaac have started camping in their bedroom! No campfires, no marshmallow...not actually that much fun. They are called crib tents and my two little escape artists had to be contained. Drew jumped/fell out of his crib a couple of months ago and hasn't been persistent at trying again, however he does throw that little leg up when I come to get him so I thought it was better safe than sorry with him. Isaac on the other hand had figured out how to get out with quiet, ninja like skill. That is scary because of all the baby proofing we have done the boys room is totally NOT baby proof! Their room is actually a bonus room and on the other side of the wall from their cribs is a bunch of junk. We have our buffet from the dining room, our sleeper sofa, all of my arts and craps (I mean crafts but I'm not very good at any of them so it is just crap), our old coffee table with a train set on it, our old tv we use for "working out", other random workout equipment, and other various hodge podge items. The tents have worked like a dream! The escaping wasn't a struggle every night but was enough of a safety concern to warrant the tents. Aside from keeping them safe we have been pleasantly surprised at how much more quickly the boys settle down and fall asleep now! It is amazing how boring it is when you can't throw binkies across the room and laugh with your brothers about it! Might as well just fall asleep!

Drew's crib is on the left and Isaac's on the right. That's right, the walls are orange. I painted the house like Punky Brewster would have (as Casey says) when we first moved in - you know, experimenting. Never fixed it and didn't have the energy once I was pregnant. We like to think that it reminds the boys of a basketball:) Also, in an attempt to decorate we have put sports balls decals on the wall and hung planets from the ceiling. Casey likes to call this Space Jam.

You can see the very edge of Evan's crib by the changing table on the other side of the room. Luckily he hasn't ever tried to get out of his crib. Even when his brothers did he would just stay there and laugh at them. Thank you Evan!!!

Drew waking up from his nap. Looks like the napping fairy came and stole his pants!

Isaac was not as happy when he woke up:)

Here is some of the junk on the other side of their room. Can you imagine kids running wild in this? Oh wait, they are running wild. Notice Brewster is in the rocking chair and the train set is missing several pieces of track!

The boys really enjoy playing the keyboard (or piano is what we tell them). They love music and love to dance, which sadly shown us that they have inherited my rhythm. Sorry boys!

Play Nice

2010-05-02T20:51:00.001-07:00

It does exist! The boys can all play nicely together. Playing nice does get a little bit boring so somebody has to take their pants off to spice things up!

Teddy Bear

2010-04-29T19:42:00.001-07:00

Drew Bear. Our little big bear. Drew is sweet and cuddly just like a teddy bear but can yell like a grizzly bear! He is our sensitive guy who would be just fine left alone with a pile of books. His favorite thing to do is back up into someones lap with a book though. We have noticed that Drew has an ability to memorize pictures, remember them, and point to them when asked. I'm not talking about just dogs and cats - things like newt, jackhammer, kite, igloo, and outer space...weird stuff! He impresses us everyday with his memory.

Of all of the guys Drew is probably still the most attached to his binky. They only get them for naps and at bedtime and because Drew is so loud, at the doctors office and in stores! I think we have our work cut out for us when it comes time to get rid of the infamous green binkies once and for all!

Although Drew tends to let his brothers be a little more aggressive when it comes to stealing toys and books he really likes to wrestle and grab them. Drew is also the guy who hangs on my legs the most and thinks that it is funny to be my shadow (making diaper changing a little difficult). He also likes to hang back when it's time to clean up and let his brothers do all of the work, which Isaac is happy to do!

Drew is really enjoying his new independence at dinner time using utensils and a plate. He digs right in and there isn't much he won't eat, but when he's not in the mood for something his mouth clamps up tighter than a vice and he won't stop shaking his head no. He loves juice and almost always finishes his cup...can't say the same for his milk though.

Drew loves to laugh and is pretty easily amused which is why it is so strange that I can hardly ever catch his cute smile with the camera! His first impression to others is that he's a serious, studious guy but then he warms up and is just as wild as the others. Drew is also the most interested in little girls...ugh!

Drew pondering life among the tulips with his faithful binky.

Drew "flying" at the park.

Drew loves to point things out so he really enjoyed showing the kites (not in the picture obviously) to his daddy.
Drew reading. He loves this book. He will say du, du, du really loud while pointing to the duck!

Drew can also be a silly monkey!

Drew Bear.

E-Man

2010-04-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

Evan is a happy go lucky kind of guy! He is very playful and easy to get along with. When introduced to other babies he is the most interested in them and is very curious about them. Evan can also be sensitive and have his days where he won't let Papa put him down but for the most part Evan is a good balance between Isaac and Drew.

Evan can be wild and run crazy at play time (and fight with the best of them) but he also likes to sit and read books and arrange toys. Evan was the first one to really enjoy playing with his Little People toys. He likes to arrange them all in the barn, on the window sill, or some other location not to be interrupted by his brothers. Evan is also the only one to be partial to any toy. He loves one of the Little People, a duck dressed up like a doctor - the ducktor we call it. He can pick that one figure out instantly and grabs it every time. Although Evan is particular about arranging the figures of his ducktor he doesn't get upset if someone else is playing with them. He does like to knock all of his figures down before his brothers get to them though!

Evan is also a very lovey guy. He likes to give hugs and kisses and will pat your back when you hold him. He really loves to play tag or chase and laughs hysterically while playing. And it always ends with a big hug!

As easy going as Evan is, he is my most stubborn eater! There were times we had to put things in his mouth just so he would try it and realize he likes it before he would eat it. He has recently started refusing to eat unless he can use a fork! He won't let me put anything in his mouth and will only let me spoon feed him yogurt and cream of wheat (because I'm not ready for that mess yet)! I must say that he is pretty good with a fork though!!!

Thanks to all of Evan's reading he has gotten really good at his animal sounds. One of my favorite things is to ask all of the boys what sounds all of the animals make. They are pretty funny! Evan's knack for arranging has also made him naturally talented at sorting his shapes and doing puzzles. Evan is certainly a ray of sunshine in our house!!!

Evan being silly with his Little People farm animals.
Evan's first styled hairdo. Styled with maple syrup! He has recently started rubbing his plate on his head while I am getting him more of something.

Evan being silly again. Are you seeing a theme here?

My little monkey!

Curious Evan showing me wood chips at the playground.

Evan Almighty!

All About Isaac

2010-04-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

I have been asked more than a few times how I tell the boys apart to which my initial reaction is "are you crazy, just look at them", but then realizing how three small boys all dressed the same must look to others who don't see them everyday, I suddenly understand. It has got me thinking though...no laughing...about how Evan, Isaac, and Drew are so similar yet so different. So the next three posts will be about each individual little guy starting with Isaac.

Ike, Ikie, Ike-n-stuff, Mob Boss, Isaac, whatever you like to call him, this kid is busy! I like to call him Isaac the Mover. He is constantly moving things around the playroom; pushing toys, throwing things out, stacking them up, you name it he is moving it...or trying to climb it! Isaac gets very focused on his project du jour and gets VERY angry if something or someone gets in his way, thus our biting problem. He has gotten a lot better about biting because now when he can't take the book or toy away from someone else or push the slide over he will stomp his little feet and fake cry. That is right-a tantrum. I will take this 5 second tantrum any day over the biting though!!!

Isaac does like to take breaks from his intense focus on projects to run and jump in your arms and give you a big hug. He is very friendly and lovable and will almost always give kisses and hugs when asked (and mommy asks a lot). He is also the "father hen" of the group and likes to give binkies and toys to his brothers (as long as he is done with it) when they are upset and also likes to give bites of his snacks away!

Mr. Ike is definitely our parrot! I will really need to start watching what I say around him soon and will need to find something besides dummy to call the dog! He will try his hardest to repeat anything you ask him to and is getting really good at talking.

If you know Isaac then you know he loves to eat! He has always been my best eater but only recently has been given all of his food at once because of his tendency to shove it ALL in his mouth at once. He still eats too much at once but is getting better at it because his fork is slowing him down a bit:)

Here are some pictures of Isaac doing what he does...

Ikie loves to push the wagon. Sometimes when we are at the park he wonders off to push the wagon around!

Don't let his "uh oh" face fool you. He isn't scared of anything!

Why would I go around and use the steps, mom? I can just climb up the side of the playground equipment!

We brought a ball with us to the park on this day and I sort of regretted it because Isaac was obsessed with taking it up to the top of the slide and rolling it down over and over and over. The poor guy was working so hard, he was huffing and puffing but apparently having fun.

I even tried throwing the ball out in the field to try to get him to do something else but all he did was go get the ball (after crying) and head right back to the slide!

Little Isaac.

Socks

2010-04-26T13:41:00.001-07:00

The boys recently discovered how to take my socks off. They think that it is really funny to take off my socks and try to put them on, which consists of setting them on their feet. I thought I would help them out and put my socks on them which just looked weird because they were pink with stripes so I got them each a pair of daddy's socks and they loved it! I pretty sure this was all just for my entertainment though!!

Evan, Isaac, and Drew.

Isaac and Drew.

Sir Evan.
Look mom! This is typical "wild Ike".

Isaac the elephant.

Tulips!

2010-04-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

We made it to the tulip fields this year!!! We managed to find a nice day in the middle of the week to avoid the crowds which was amazing considering our attempt 2 days prior was more like storm chasing! I could not get out from under those dang rain clouds but could clearly see sunny skies all around us! Although the boys were not awed by the rows and rows of tulips they are always up for an adventure and some good ol' people watching...or more like getting watched by people! We were able to take a few good pictures even with people pointing and not-so-subtly saying "look, triplets". We made a full loop around the field at Tulip Town and braved the mud. Good thing I wore boots! Tulip Town had some really great large kites flying that they boys loved and a big empty field to run in that they loved even more. After the tulips we went to a park where all three boys touched a dirty sock on the ground but had a great time getting some energy out. And to end the day we had dinner at the Olive Garden. Surprisingly, this has turned out to be a good restaurant for the boys because of the bread sticks. Casey and I can actually eat because of them. It was also a great opportunity for Evan to try out his new trick - shaking hands. So my little guy shook hands with Keith, the evening manager.

The Egger Family

A bored Isaac and mommy.

Isaac found a flower for mommy. I hope it was already on the ground!

Drew touching the flowers.

Isaac smelling! Ahhhh.

Evan is my daisy picker. He always stops to inspect the grass and pick something!

Casey and the boys watching a tractor go by. So exciting!

Casey with a bouquet of babies!

Freedom!

Casey, Drew, and Evan.

Easter Egger Hunt

2010-04-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

For Easter this year we headed over to Grandma and Papa's where we also got to hang out with Uncle Johnny, Auntie Ioanna, and cousin JW. Auntie had a great idea to have an Easter egg hunt for the boys which I didn't think Evan, Isaac, and Drew would do so good at but could at least enjoy a good run outside with their big cousin JW. Little did we know that our boys were bred for egg hunting! They followed JW's lead and were soon racing around putting eggs in their baskets. It was so much fun to watch them all. They were all so good it only took a few minutes for them to find all of the eggs so we just kept taking them out of their baskets and re-hiding them over and over. I tried to take some pictures but when the all of the boys get together they get pretty excited so all I end up getting are pictures of the back of everyone's heads! We had such a good time. Thanks for the great idea Auntie!!!

Drew, Isaac, JW, and Evan eagerly waiting for their Easter baskets from Grandma and Papa.

Oh my gosh! Trucks and ducks! Our favorite things!!!!

Gotchya! Finally I got a picture of JW's cute little face. This kid is fast!!!
JW getting some help from Papa.
Evan

Drew

We have no idea how our mad scientist Isaac ended up with a basket full of just orange eggs but we have decided he must be brilliant.

Evan was very concerned when the eggs would open and ask you to fix them. So cute!

Ikie running with eggs.

Drew must have already spotted his next egg!

Super Heroes

2010-03-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

Here are my little super heroes. Their special powers change daily but for the most part Isaac is Superman, Drew is Batman, and Evan is Spiderman. One day they will smile when I ask!

Valentines

2010-03-08T20:25:00.001-08:00

Since Casey was out of town working on Valentine's Day, the boys decided that they would like to get dressed up and be sweet little Valentines for Grandma and Papa Grose. They even made a card! Here are the little heart breakers.

Say What?

2010-02-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

Language development for the boys is very important to Casey and I especially after learning that multiples can have a delay because they get less one on one time talking with mom and dad. We try really hard to talk about everything around them, look at books, sing songs, emphasize sounds, and avoid baby talk. We even bought the "Your Baby Can Read" DVDs - no laughing. Even after all of the effort we put into their language development I have found that they are each other's biggest influence. They all say or don't say pretty much the same things and make the same sounds for words. Watching the boys grow and develop is fun, rewarding, and very interesting. I have found it very strange that the boys will name some animals and make some animal sounds but none of them will name an animal and make it's sound together. It is one or the other with them!! For example they say dog (all the time) but will not make a dog sound. They will make a cat sound (which is a hilarious high pitched screech) but will not say cat. It is pretty funny and I always know when our cat is in the room. No wonder she doesn't stick around for long though!

Although the boys are selective in choosing words to say and sounds to make they surprise me everyday with how many words they understand! They know most of their body parts - head (used to be Isaac's favorite word to say as he slapped his head), shoulders, knees, toes (yes, they follow along with the song), eyes, ears, mouth, nose, tongue, and arms. They can pick out different animals in books and while playing with their Little People farm set. At 16 months old the words the boys are saying are:

dog=daw

ball=baw
up=mu-p

milk=nil

more=mo

snack=na

banana=ba by Drew and nana by Evan - together they make the whole word

DVD=DVD (so funny)

mama

dada

Brewster=B or daw

papa

baby

bus=bu

head=he

blueberry and watermelon, but will they say cat, no!

Evan, Isaac, and Drew will all make a T and S sound but refuse to use them with words! The sounds the boys like to make include:

Elephant - they even lift their arms up like the elephant's trunk

cat

car

truck

fire engine (Drew's favorite)

airplane

owl

cow - Evan is the only one who will make this sound and he says meeeeee

Another word the boys love is toast. No they don't say it, they just laugh every time I say it. They are so funny!

Evan

Isaac

Drew

Park & Slide

2010-02-23T12:43:00.000-08:00

The unusually warm February has brought the Egger Triplets outside! And boy have we been needing it!!! We have started taking the boys to parks to help them burn some of their endless energy. I have no doubt that our little plastic slide at home has provided proper daredevil training for Evan, Isaac, and Drew - they are fearless! Evan is especially fearless, he finds the slide and without hesitation goes down head first. Isaac and Drew like to crab crawl backwards to the slide and go down feet first on their tummies. This makes them very hard to keep up with so Casey and I have to be on our 'A' game to keep them wrangled and safe. We have had a few bumps and spills but the boys love it and cry when we have to leave. Mom's lesson learned - always have juice ready when we get back in the car, it makes leaving a little easier! We recently went to Kayak Point and Riverview Park in Mt. Vernon. We loved Kayak Point and the boys did too. Lots of room to move and it is far away from the parking lot which is important because the boys like to try to divide and conquer. Also a good run on the pier is a good way to wind down and prepare for leaving. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures at Kayak Point:( We can't wait for summer and for the boys to start listening and following instructions!!!

Casey wrangling the boys in an open field. There are soccer players to the right and the boys would keep trying to run over there yelling "ba, ba, ba", which is ball.

Isaac on the swing. It is hard to tell but he really likes it.

Casey keeping his ducks in a row heading for the slide. The boys will not walk on the playground equipment. I think that it might be because there are holes you can see through.

I'm trying to get them all lined up to slide at the same time. No such luck. As you can see, Evan is already pushing off.

Isaac going down the slide.

Drew going down the slide. Rubber shoes don't slide as easy as his pajamas!

Evan going down the slide. We quickly learned that this was the "fast" slide as little E-Man bumped his head the entire way down the slide. He loved every second of it!

This was at a park in Bellingham where we first learned about Evan's fearlessness with slides.

Isaac, Evan, Drew, & Casey. What a great day!

Sign Of The Times

2010-02-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I ran into a woman at Costco with twin girls who told me that I just HAD to sign with the boys. She convinced me that I did need to do this so I went home and ordered the book she recommended along with a DVD. The book arrived and we tried a few signs while we had a captive audience - while the boys were in their highchairs. It lasted a few days but as I got bogged down in the daily grind I forgot to sign consistently and questioned whether or not I was even doing the signs correctly. As time passed I misplaced the book and completely forgot about the DVD. Bad Mom! Once Casey's work schedule relaxed a little and he was home for dinners, the natural teacher came out in him and he started signing with the boys. They picked it up really quickly and were soon telling me more, or "mo, mo, mo" at mealtimes. The boys also learned a few signs from one of their Baby Einstein videos that they love. We have stuck with just a few simple words but I am truly impressed by them. I know millions of babies do sign language but they are my tiny babies beginning to communicate! It is like watching the evolution of man right before your eyes! The words they can sign are; more, book, ball, bowl, tree, cup, milk, blocks, table, refrigerator, and they have even invented their own signs for draw and bath. Here are some pictures of the boys signing a few of their favorite words.

Evan's version of 'more'

Isaac learning "cup"

Drew loves to tell us when he sees a tree!

"Book" is a very popular sign at our house. I'll try to get a picture of all of the guys doing this one. Shouldn't be hard because I see it a LOT!

Confident Man

2010-02-12T22:56:00.000-08:00

Reflecting on a long day of playing hard. Evan is not bothered by his lack of pants. He is a confident man.

Sometimes I wonder what our neighbors think!

Rub A Dub Dub

2010-02-12T22:46:00.000-08:00

Three little men in a tub!!!!

The boys love to splish splash!

Party in Evan's crib after bath time!

Riots

2010-02-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned before that my boys are active? I mean really active! There is very little quiet play time at our house. Each boy always wants to be doing what the other boys are doing creating some baby fights (and previously mentioned biting). One thing Evan, Isaac, and Drew can all come together on is destruction! I call it baby riots. They can spend some serious quality time pushing over every toy and throwing all small toys over the baby gate. Casey was smart enough to start placing a toy bin on the other side of the gate to catch some of the mess. Here are some pictures of quality triplet play time.

Yes, they push their slide over!

Sometimes while someone is still on it. Yikes!

You can't tell from the pictures but Casey and I "reset" the playroom several times a day and cycle different toys in and out almost every hour. We try to make it nice and organized so they have room to play but it gets messed up pretty quickly!!!

Yes, Drew is putting his head in the basketball hoop.

At least one good thing comes from all of that destruction!

Cougar Cubs

2010-02-10T22:49:00.000-08:00

As many of you may or may not know, Casey works for Washington State University and has become a proud Cougar, making the boys honorary Cougar Cubs, I guess. In any case, he was pretty excited to get them decked out in some Cougar gear. Go Cougs!

All of my guys!

Isaac is probably laughing at some devious plan he has cooked up in his head.

Evan is getting pumped up to do some break dance moves.

Drew doing an impression of a robot:)

Baby Proofing

2010-02-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

Baby proofing (or containment as it is sometimes referred to in our house) is supposed to consist of baby gates and outlet covers but if you have ever met my boys you would know that these simple measures just won't cut it! Not only do all of the boys walk now, they run, climb, push, pull, and riot.

Since bringing the boys home we turned our dining room into a baby playland. This playroom is where the boys spend most of their day so we have all the supplies we need for them close at hand. Until recently we had a portable crib set up as storage for blankets, books, and toys and also to use the changing table because there was no way I was going to go upstairs to change every diaper! The crib and the diapering supplies became such a temptation for the boys it was too much for them to handle and they just HAD to get into it. My little Isaac has proven himself to be the mastermind behind the demise of the portable crib. He was smart enough to figure out how to push toys over to the crib and stand on them and pull himself up onto the changing table. Will he stack blocks? No. Will he stack toys to stand on. Yes! Isaac gets so focused on accomplishing his missions that anything or anyone who gets in his way...gets it...and yes, I mean a good old fashioned biting! Poor Evan is almost always trying to assist Isaac with his devious plans and inevitably gets in Isaac's way. Needless to say, we are at the heighth of a biting phase...ugh!

So the last straw happened last week. I heard a thud followed by crying while I was in the kitchen doing dishes. I ran into the playroom to see Isaac laying on the floor by the crib crying. When I got to Isaac I looked up and saw Drew STANDING on the changing table with two fists full of vaseline...and a mouth full! I yelled for Casey to come in and as we got Isaac up (who was not injured) we noticed his head was covered in vaseline and every single item that was in the crib was also covered in vaseline. Evan was quietly standing on the other side of the room and also had vaseline on his pajamas! What a mess!!! After a clean up and lunch we headed to the store to try to solve our playroom dilemma.

Yes, Evan has a diaper wedgie.

So now we have shelves with the lotions and potions out of reach and a bench to change diapers on and allow the boys to safely climb on. A pretty decent compromise! The only problem with the new set up is that I always have a little helper when I'm changing diapers. If they aren't trying to grab the clean or dirty diaper my "helper" is poking or hitting his brother. I guess I just can't win!

A Trip To The Farm

2010-01-26T23:09:00.000-08:00

For the New Year's Holiday we took the boys to visit Grandma and Grandpa Egger down on the farm in Oregon. This was the first time Drew and Evan had been south of Babies R Us in Lynnwood and Isaac south of Children's Hospital in Seattle. Needless to say an 8 hour car drive was a daunting task but WELL worth it! We drove at night while the boys slept and it worked like a charm! Casey drove straight through making record time (7 hours). Poor Grandma and Grandpa waited up until 2am to greet us!

The boys did great while on vacation! They slept good, they ate good, and they tried really hard to be good! We had such a good time visiting Casey's family and the boys really enjoyed hanging out with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Tina, Aunt Kortni, and cousin Kayli (who was nice enough to share her old toys). We have been practicing identifying animals and their sounds with the boys so it sure was fun to show them some real live cows up close.

Our visit just happened to coincide with the Fiesta Bowl which the University of Oregon was playing in so we got "Ducked". We were all outfitted with yellow and green duck gear which greatly pained Casey to wear as he is a paid WSU Cougar! You should have seen his face! We had a wonderful time at the farm and can't wait to go back!!!

Tina and Evan

Isaac, Casey, Drew, & Grandma checking out the mommy cow and baby cows.

Grandpa and Drew just hanging out.

Kortni and Kayli

They boys spent endless hours playing with these large blocks. They especially loved playing peek-a-boo with Grandma!

Lights of Christmas

2010-01-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

We ventured out and took the boys to the Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach. We typically don't go many places other than Costco and Target as a family so this was a pretty big outing for us, especially in the cold! We took the boys in our wagon and they all took turns riding and being carried. Although we lost a few mittens along the way they boys really seemed to enjoy sightseeing and people watching. Maybe next year we won't be doing an Indy 500 lap around the lights and will be able to stop for hot chocolate and doughnuts!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-23T23:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas was a lot of fun for our family this year. The boys enjoyed looking at Christmas decorations and lights and would have really liked to touch it all. Although the boys received many gifts, the wrapping paper and boxes proved to be their favorite toys. Not only did new "big boy" toys come at the perfect time (as the boys were getting very bored with their baby toys) but Santa also brought them a big slide to help get out some of their endless energy. They love sliding but have found it more fun to climb to the platform and dance which inevitably creates a baby traffic jam and biting and pushing ensues. Close supervision is required:)

A rare family picture with everyone looking in the same direction!

The boys were able to visit with Santa this year to share all of their wants and wishes for Christmas. I had "heard" of Santa's Den in Marysville that people really liked so I decided to check it out. My mom and I dressed the boys in their Christmas sweaters, packed them in the car and headed out for Santa pictures. I arrived at Santa's Den to find the actual Den curtained off but the desk where you purchased your package had really nice sample photos with a nice looking Santa in front of a decorated tree or fireplace. So we purchased our package and waited our turn. Finally, Santa was ready for us...or so he thought. The Egger hurricane entered the den and I quickly began grabbing boys and trying to get them sitting with Santa. By the time I took a real good look around at the "Den" it was too late. The "Den" consisted of the ugliest, cheapest looking backdrops and a stuffed reindeer. So I went with the dollar store den and figured it wouldn't look that bad in the pictures. Wrong! Oh well, we will laugh about it next year!! Despite the surroundings the boys did ok. There were a few tears but no major meltdowns. Mom and I were sweating and exhausted by the time we were done but it was worth it...kind of:)

Surprisingly, Evan who has recently been the most shy around strangers did the best with Santa. Must have been the candy canes!

Isaac didn't like Santa very much and never once looked at the camera.

Drew is frozen with fear in a running position.

Yes Evan, you are sitting on a dead, stuffed Rudolf and Santa has a death grip on the back of your sweater.

Can't wait for next year!!!!

Thankful Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving I am reminded of what I am truly thankful for. My family. This time last year we almost lost our Little Isaac The Great. It was the most difficult hurdle I have encountered as a new parent - knowing something is wrong with my child and not being able to do anything about it. I took Isaac to see a doctor 4 times during this week last year and each doctor (yes, 4 different doctors) said that there was nothing wrong with him, well, other than maybe some acid reflux. On the night of the 29th Casey and I determined that something definitely was not right and took Isaac to the ER. Just as we made it down the hallway to a nurse Isaac stopped breathing. We had arrived just in time for doctors and nurses to revive Isaac and save his life. Amazingly, on a night when something was so wrong, many things went right. We went to the right hospital at the right time. Isaac is a perfectly healthy, strong little boy today and I can't imagine life without him. Although we celebrate Isaac and our luck, the fragility and preciousness of life is not lost on me. I am still overcome with emotion when I have a quiet moment to myself and cherish the one on one time I have with Evan, Isaac, and Drew, especially in the middle of the night. I am so thankful for a family that is supportive and loving. I am thankful for friends who call even when they don't know what to say. I am thankful for doctors and nurses who treat children as if they were their own. And I am thankful for every minute I have with my family. I am especially thankful that my dad told me to take Isaac to Everett that night instead of Arlington and also for Casey who drove us fast enough!

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

2009-11-07T23:01:00.001-08:00

These babies are fast as lightening!
It has started. The boys have began fighting. They have been grabbing toys from one another for a while now but it has escalated into wrestling, smacking and biting. Yes, biting. They really enjoy stealing binkies from out of someone else's mouth even if they already have a binky and they like to smack each other with crazy arms. Evan especially likes to do this. This kid has little fists of fury that move so fast. It can get ugly when they use their sippy cups when hitting. It is really hard to mediate because half the time they are all laughing and having a good time. The biting is the worst and what is most disturbing about it is that they are trying to bite each other in the back of the head! They will all have big wet slobbery spots in the back of their hair by the end of play time! How am I supposed to stop this? I have this awful vision of my boys being the freaky kids on the playground who only speak in their own language and growl and bite at the other kids! How could my little angels be biters? It is just a phase right?

Just look at this chaos! I have to pick up their play room several times a day so they can tear it apart all over again.
Does this look like a biter?

Does this look like a fighter?

Does this look like a destructive spider monkey?

No. Not these angels!!!

The Force Is Strong In These Ones

2009-11-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

One of the benefits of having multiples is dressing up for Halloween as a group. This year we decided to dress up in Star Wars gear. The boys were Ewoks, Casey was Obi Wan Kenobi, Brewster was Yoda, and I was Princess Leia.

On Friday we went to Granite and did some trick or treating in the office. They boys were distracted enough by all of the people and other kids that they stopped trying to tear their hoods off. Drew was let loose to walk and managed to find a Papa-ish looking old guy and went straight to him and asked to be picked up. He did this 3 times!!! I had to tell him it wasn't Papa and quickly get out of there:)

On Halloween we stopped by to see Uncle Eric, Grace, and Ella before heading over to Grandma and Papa's house. It is hard to believe that on Halloween a year ago Casey and I were bringing Drew and Isaac home from the hospital. Look how far we have come!!! We had a great time this year and are already thinking of ideas for next year!

Casey has some sweet light saber fighting moves!

Mommy and Evan.

Daddy and Drew.

Drew. I think he really likes being dressed up:)

Isaac. He is probably looking for fallen candy to eat.

Evan. He is a wild Ewok.

And you can't forget the Jedi Master, Brewster.

Look Who Is 1!

2009-11-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Casey and I are the proud parents of toddlers!! The boys turned 1 on October 18th and thoroughly enjoyed the festivities in their honor, although they may have just thought it was any other day with some cake.
I am so late in posting the pictures and updating about their birthday because, honestly, I am speechless. I don't know what to say about it. I just can't believe an entire year has gone by. An entire year that I have been responsible for keeping 3 tiny babies alive. It has been the hardest, most challenging, and most rewarding year of my existance and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Evan

Isaac

Drew

Notice that Isaac is all done with his cake before Evan and Drew are even half way done. Also notice that Brewster has found a new spot at mealtime.

Drew

Isaac

Evan

Isaac shoveling cake into his tiny mouth!

Drew savoring every bite.

Evan building momentum for a sugar rush.

Party at Grandma and Papa's!

I'm such a lame mom. I bought their cake from Costco.

Weekend Get-Away!

2009-10-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

Casey surprised me with a weekend getaway in Seattle to have an early celebration of my birthday, our anniversary and Casey's maniversary (the day after our anniversary reserved for manly non-romantic stuff). Grandma and Papa Grose (and Aunt Haley) watched the boys for us so we could have a worry free weekend - and boy was it great!!!

We started the night with dinner at Ruth's Chris where we surprised our server by how long we had been married and that we had triplets. Apparently he thought we looked like teenagers! While dining we were able to spot a couple of the Chicago Bears players coming in to pick up their dinner to go. Judging by the outcome of the football game the next day, the Bears players must have all grabbed dinner and went back to their rooms to watch film and prepare:) After dinner we went to see the play "Wicked" at the Paramount Theater. It was the first time I had been to the theater and was a little surprised by the random clapping but REALLY enjoyed the play and would like to go again. After the play we took the scariest cab ride back to our hotel. I mean scary! The driver would get up to 60mph between each block and was...um...an aggressive driver!

The next day Casey and I were off to watch the Seahawks play. I was very excited because I have only been to one Seahawk game and it was when they were playing at Husky Stadium while the King Dome was being repaired...does that tell you how long it has been? We drove down by the stadium by 10am to find good parking only to find everything packed and tailgating parties in full swing! So we ditched the good parking and went to Pike Place market for breakfast and sightseeing. I love going to the market so I was happy for this little turn of events:) We eventually made it to the game after another interesting cab ride and entered the hawk zone! You always hear on tv about how loud Quest Field is but it is actually deafening in person. Amazing! Lot's of great fans and a not so great showing by the home team but we still had a great time.

It was so nice to get out and do something by ourselves without people staring at us or taking 15 minutes to get in and out of the car. We had a really nice time. Thank you Mom, Dad, and Haley!!!

I told Casey I had a bad feeling about buying this jersey 3 weeks ago. I wanted to see if I could find something else but now I know why he encouraged me to buy it:) Why didn't I hold out for the Largent jersey?!?!

Casey doing his best Seahawk!!

The original Starbucks. You know I likes me lattes:)

I'm such a tourist.

See the blurry thing in the middle of the picture? Flying fish!!

I love all of the flowers!!!!

There were a ton of all of these beautiful peppers.

Casey at the exhibition center before the game.

Go Seahawks!

We were booing our own kicker about one hour after this picture was taken.

Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins

2009-09-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

These cotton headed ninny muggins are 11 months old! I can't believe it - and yes, I say this every month. It is hard to believe that this time last year I was on bed rest at Hotel Providence eagerly anticipating the boys arrival and hoping that my next meal did not have gravy on it! Contrary to the Urban Dictionary, these cotton headed ninny muggins are not useless elves, although Evan does have some elf like qualities and is definitely a member of the Egger Elf Clan. They are 3 very active little boys who are growing and learning something new every day.

Drew has been able to stand on his own for several weeks now but very hesitant to take a step without holding on to something. He is so proud of himself when he stands up that he makes this manly grunting sound to get your attention and then laughs. He pushes my hands away when I try to help him take a step, giving me fair warning that he is the "I can do it myself" kid. Evan and Isaac stand up on everything but have yet to stand without holding on to something. Why would they want to practice walking when they crawl at light speed. I'm not kidding. If there were baby races these two would be thoroughbreds! If I could just get them to stop using their heads to let them know when they get where they were going we would have a lot less bumps and cries:)

The boys have been stretching their vocal cords and I have to say that Drew might be in the running for the loudest baby ever! Not crying, not complaining, just talking and listening to himself make noise. Unfortunately Drew also likes to make these glass shattering noises when we are shopping so we have to bring lots of treats with us! Casey has no one to blame but himself because Drew most definitely gets it from him! Drew has also taught his brothers an interesting skill. I call it an Appalachian banjo. They put the back of their hands up to their mouths and start making all kinds of noise while flapping their hand. I guess you just have to see it. Too bad they really like to do this while eating....things get messy!

Speaking of eating, we have been trying lots of new foods. They like peaches, pears, bananas, peas, green beans, and even some casserole! They also love watermelon which is not surprising as they may actually be part watermelon since I ate so much of it while I was pregnant. Oh, they also eat pancakes for breakfast - yummy! This is a big deal for me, it is hard to let my little preemies try new things. I would like to keep them in bubble wrap until they are 5:)

Now that it is football season the boys can put their touchdowns (arms up in the air) to good use. Casey gave up on the Mariners a couple months ago and has been practicing touchdown with the boys ever since. Brewster gets very excited during these practice sessions because this was originally his trick so he thinks we are cheering for him.

So here are some pictures of the boys doing what they do.

Baby traffic jam.

They play with everything upside down!

They have to share everything!

They laugh.

They eat grass...oops!

They climb on everything!!

Touchdown!!!

Go Seahawks! Too bad the boys have to learn the disappointment of rooting for Seattle teams at such a young age. At least they have been spared the heartbreak of the Super Sonics!!

I Never Thought I'd...

2009-08-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Having children has left me feeling, thinking, and doing things I never thought I'd feel, think, or do. Today when I got some baby poop on my hand and I didn't freak out I thought "who am I" and it got me thinking about other things I never thought I'd do. Such as...I never thought I'd...

catch vomit with my bare hands
shake a nugget out of my baby's diaper upside down in a park
continue wearing clothing that I know full well has spit-up or pee on it
get peed on...a lot
get so bent out of shape about stupid comments strangers make
want to fight above mentioned strangers
take long drives covering most of north Snohomish County
drive from Starbucks to McDonald's (not my best day)
get warm and fuzzy after receiving a wet, slimy, open-mouthed kiss from one of the boys (not including Brewster)
taste beef baby food
get used to the smell of formula
get used to the smell of formula spit-up
miss wires attached to my babies to make sure they are breathing (I had a lot of weird dreams about this)
smell butts to check for stinky diapers
be judgemental of people with one baby who can't get anywhere on time...please people
sweat so much trying to get 3 babies out of the house
tailgate by feeding 3 babies out of the back of our car in a parking lot
let my kids watch TV (I know this takes me out of the running for Mother of the Year)

Even after all of this, I never thought I could love three little guys so much!!!

9 Months Old!

2009-07-23T21:40:00.001-07:00

The boys are now 9 months old and changing SO fast I can hardly keep up! They surprise me everyday with new tricks, new babble, and new bruises. People always ask me how I get anything done and my secret is the baby gated room. The boys all play together and also take time to play by themselves and stay entertained for quite some time. I can get plenty done downstairs...upstairs is a different story. Unfortunately this leaves me doing dishes and laundry a lot! Even at 9 months old I know to check on them when it gets too quiet. I have found them all gathered around the swing with the cord pulled down and chewing on it. I have found Drew trying to pull himself up on the pack'n'play knocking down diaper cream or anything else he can get his hands on. The funny thing is that he likes knocking it down and Isaac and Evan like to chew on whatever falls. They have also recently discovered how to flip the activity mats over and play peek-a-boo with each other. I try to leave them alone when they are playing so well together but I can't help it when they are all cracking up at each other. My favorite sound in the world is all 3 boys belly laughing! The boys are all wonderful eaters and haven't met a jar of food they didn't like. Too bad they all hate having their mouths and hands wiped off at the end of the meal. It has become nearly impossible to change their diapers. They are such wiggle worms and are VERY strong now. I have had to begin using the word "NO". Now I need to work on establishing dominance:)

Evan

Evan has become a bulldozer. He sees what he wants and he moves for it in a straight line regardless of who or what is in front of him. Sometimes what he wants is what Isaac or Drew have so he just grabs it. This makes Isaac and Drew mad because he is always taking their binkys and he doesn't even like them while he is playing. Evan is a biter. He just lunges at his brothers and me and digs in. Isaac and Drew always have big wet spots on their backs from their dear brother Evan. Evan is very interested in what is going on around him and loves to check out his surroundings. So much so that I'm surprised he hasn't gotten whiplash from looking around so quickly. Evan is my space cadet and nutty professor.

Isaac

Mr. Ya Ya. Isaac is talking and says ya ya a lot and quite emphatically. He hates wearing bibs at meal time and is constantly trying to (and sometimes successfully) rip it off like a little hulkamaniac (which is cute considering I myself am a former hulkamaniac). Isaac is still a ladies man and loves smiling for strangers who smile at him. Isaac likes to smack his left hand on everything. The floor, the table, me, toys. I have recently put his hand smacking to good use and let him pick out a watermelon at the grocery store. He did a great job! Isaac is a little more reserved at play time than his brothers and will spend more time with each toy. If he loses interests in his toys, Isaac loves to stand at the gate and smile at you. He must know how irresistible he is because the little smile works on me almost every time.

Drew

What do they call them...spirited? Drew Bear has developed an attitude. He knows what he wants and tries to let you know about it. He is stubborn. For example until recently he wouldn't let us move his arms for him to clap or do patty-cake! He is starting to come around finally. Drew is independent and likes spending time digging through his toy box touching every toy. He has also started trying to stand by himself and even take a step or two. Drew is very strong but incredibly delicate when touching things. He loves feeling textures and softly runs his hands over them and also gently reaches for Brewster and Monchi which is quite different from his brothers. Drew is an equal opportunity hair puller. I take the brunt of his hair pulling but daddy's bucket always makes Drew laugh. Needless to say, I am desperately growing out my bangs that just happen to hang in his face when I am changing diapers.

Pictures

2009-07-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

It can be hard to get one kid to smile and take a good picture and three is nearly impossible. I have taken the boys to get pictures at 3 and 6 months and have their 9 month scheduled for next week. As if feeding, bathing, changing, getting in the car and arriving at a time when the boys will be happy and smiley (and finishing in time for the next feeding) isn't hard enough I also have to battle the bruises, scratches, and black eyes that pop up. Evan is the biggest culprit. This kid takes a header into everything!!! The problem is that he tries to do everything at lightening speed and insists on standing at any object sturdy or not - even when his little legs are tired. The big scratches on his forehead are finally gone just in time for a black eye, bruised eyebrow, and scratch in the corner of his eye to appear so close to picture day. Aunt Jen, will you be able to help us out with some sweet photoshop?

Bruises, scratches and all he is still pretty dang cute!

Questions

2009-07-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

Living on an island and having 3 babies I can't go anywhere by myself with (yet) sometimes creates a feeling of isolation. So needless to say I itch to get out and go places. I will get my mom to go to the grocery store with me, to the outlet mall, or just go hang out at Grandma's. Casey and I also make frequent trips to Costco and Target for formula, wipes, and baby food - lots of baby food. As you can imagine we sometimes create a lot of attention and are stopped frequently by fellow shoppers, especially the day we had to take Brewster into Target with us because it was too hot! Can you imagine that sight? 3 babies and a dog! Although I enjoy strangers telling us how adorable our babies are and am thankful for people telling us how blessed we are I am beginning to cringe when the questions and comment start. You cannot believe some of the questions people ask us! Not to mention the random comments people will make.

Here are some of the questions:
Are they natural? - no, they are unnatural
Are you having more kids? - none of your business
How did you carry them? - really, do you want me to answer this
Two boys and a girl? - what? they are all wearing the same outfit
Did you nurse them? - again, none of your business
How were they delivered? - by the stork
Triplets? Are they all yours? - yes, I have been asked this several times

Some comments:
They must be expensive.
Sorry.
That must have hurt.
You have your hands full.
You must be busy.

And my favorite comment that has had me stewing for a week now came from some random lady at Costco who had her young daughter with her. It went like this.
"Are these all yours?"
"Yes."
"Fun (insert sarcastic tone)." and as she turn away continued, "Three babies at once."
"That was rude." and I kept on walking. What I should have said was, "Is that your daughter? A girl. Fun."

I fear that the next person with a snarky comment will feel the wrath caused by the 900 idiots that preceded them.

Forgot to Mention...

2009-07-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Along with being a wonderful dad, Casey is also quite resourceful when watching the boys by himself. Here are some pictures.

Learning Spanish by watching Diego. Yeah right dad!

Fixing problematic sticky-outy ears.

Ode To The Daddy

2009-06-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

Nobody ever anticipates having triplets. Especially not Casey! After agreeing to have 1 child (because he hates the idea of potty training, teaching to read, write, and do math over and over) we found out we were expecting triplets - not the romantic TV moment you may have envisioned - and we were off to planning, thinking, worrying...and worrying some more. I did get a little worried when Casey grew a mustache so I hid his passport:)

Well 8 months into parenthood and Casey is the super dad we all knew he would be. He is such a good dad and the boys just adore him. I'm jealous to admit that I don't get quite the same reaction Casey does when he walks into the room with the boys. They all squeal with delight! Casey doesn't think that he has any patience but shows great patience when playing with the boys and trying to teach them something new. He comes up with the most creative ways to capture their attention and help their little minds with discovery and exploration. Casey is a natural teacher and it shows everyday. Although he is committed to providing learning/educational experiences to the boys he is also wild and crazy Casey. He can make the strangest noises and the silliest faces that the boys love and enjoys rolling around on the floor with them (our boys are very active) helping them burn some energy.

The boys sure are lucky to have such a caring, loving, and fun daddy! Happy 1st Father's Day Casey!!!

Gated Community

2009-06-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

The boys are really moving now! We had to contain them and fast. Casey "McGeyvor" Egger so handily installed a baby gate. The gate has been wonderful and lets me get a few things done without running back and forth trying to wrangle escapees. The downside of the gate is that it takes me a few extra seconds to get through the gate to get to the crying guy who just bonked his head...or was crawled over by his brother. The other downside of the gate is that the boys like to play right at it, looking at you like dogs in a kennel. This is where I have also witnessed a flash into my near future. I saw Drew push Evan down and then Evan get up and bite Drew. Can't wait until they get their upper teeth!! I also saw Drew crawl right over little Isaac as if he were one of the pillows. I'm thinking Drew might be the instigator!

The Start Of Something Wonderful!

2009-06-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

Toofers

2009-06-12T10:35:00.001-07:00

The boys have teeth! They all have their two bottom teeth poking through that look like little bunny teeth. They have handled the teething process like little champs with only a couple grumpy days. I know the teeth are there because they like to bite now (ouch) and because you can see them when they laugh.

Trying to get a picture of them though is like trying to photograph Sasquatch! Here are my attempts. I will keep trying though. Oh, close up pictures are also hard now because the boys like to grab the camera!

Egger's Go Green

2009-06-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

Social conscience? Um...maybe.

Frugality? Yes.

We have recently started recycling at home. I know, I know - just starting. What was wrong with us? Well, we used to take our garbage to the dump because waste pick up on the island is pretty expensive but decided it would be worth it not to have mounds and mounds of diapers piling up in the garage. Casey is the recycling task master and is quick to let me know when I've thrown something away that could be recycled but he is doing a great job though! We always have a full recycling bin and he has widdled our waste down to 75% diapers and 25% actual garbage. No small feat considering he wasn't willing to spring for the larger can! Did I mention we have a lot of dirty diapers? Casey has to position the diaper genie logs strategically in the garbage can like tetris pieces. He is very good at it!

In other efforts to "go green" the boys will not be playing in a fuel "inefficient" wagon. No, not here. They are playing in an eco-friendly light rail!

I hope they don't catch on to the fact that their parents are cheap anytime soon:)

Oh No!!

2009-06-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

We have crawlers! They look like little worms crawling all over each other and not minding one bit. Not only are they all crawling but Drew is pulling himself up to a standing position on anything he can get his hands on. This has made playtime a little dangerous. Drew is constantly trying to escape baby playland only to find the cold hard tile in the entry way not so soft. The poor guy has scratches, bumps, and bruises all over his head. I hear a lot of thumps followed by crying that keep me running to see what is wrong.

The boys have also started noticing each other more and interacting more. Before they would just stare but now they move to look at one another and make each other laugh. I will find them all in a circle just cracking up at each other and it makes me laugh too. They are funny little guys who are changing every day!

Isaac, Evan, Drew

Sippy Cups

2009-06-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

We gave the boys sippy cups to play with a few weeks ago and recently added water now that they have figured which end is up. After breakfast they all practice with their cups and look so cute trying to coordinate their little hands to get those things up to their faces.

Unfortunately our boys are lazy eaters and are perfectly happy to have mom and dad hold their bottles and cups so not much actual drinking has occurred. With a little help all of the boys were able to get some water out today though. It probably didn't hurt that it was in the 80's today making it about 400 degrees in the house. Poor sweaty babies needed a cool drink!

Play time. You might notice that Drew gave up and decided to chew on the highchair.

This is Isaac and I have no idea what he is thinking but I love it!

Drew in the early phase of sippy cup introduction!

Sweet little Evan just before he starts acting like a wild animal.

Sprouts...part 2

2009-05-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Check out Isaac's hair now. It sticks straight up making him look like someone but I just can't put my finger on it:)

What you talkin' bout Willace?

2009-05-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

Drew is so hard to take pictures of because he is so sensitive to the flash on the camera. I have hundreds of pictures of him squinting or looking mad. I'm thinking it must be the photographer!

Time Flies

2009-05-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

The last month has been a very busy one! After 6 months of staying with my parents and being spoiled rotten with extra hands, hot meals, and babysitting (THANK YOU MOM & DAD!!); the Egger's have moved back to their own home. I slept in my own bed for the first time since August 2008! Not like it was a great night sleep though:) We have been busy trying to get settled back in and baby-fying all while trying to keep up our routine and schedule. Casey is adjusting to working from home with 3 babies and me. I think Brewster also preferred working with Casey alone all day with no interruptions.

Part of baby-fying our house included converting our dining room into a baby playland. We think the buffet and wine are a nice touch in a baby play room:)

Some things that have happened in the last month include the boys' six month birthday, introduction of solid foods, babies getting mobile, mama getting mobile and their seven month birthday.

Drew, Isaac, and Evan at six months old! They are getting so big!!

Starting solids was a big deal at the Egger house. We were so excited to get the green light from their pediatrician at their 6 month well baby check-up. My excitement was quickly replaced with total confusion. I understood how to feed the babies, but WHEN? After some trial and error(error was trying to give them cereal when they were really hungry for a bottle and were more than frustrated by the tiny bites mom was giving them) we found something that worked and were on our way. When we started with real food, like squash and peas, the boys didn't even hesitate! They each gobbled down an entire container of food. The only food the boys thought about before the second bite was carrots but those were also quickly eaten. We enjoy some cereal in the morning and some veggies or fruit in the evening for now. If the boys eating habits now are a predictor of what is to come, Casey and I will need to buy a second refrigerator for the garage sooner rather than later!

Drew

Evan

Isaac

The boys are now mobile. Commando crawling and rolling get these guys wherever they want to go! Drew found his way to Brewster food and water dish all the while Brewster was looking on in silence. Evan is a very effective roller and can scoot backwards. When he gets backed up against a wall or toy he rolls and starts scooting in another direction. Isaac is my ninja baby. He rolls around and rocks on all fours but doesn't move much when I'm watching him but when I leave the room and come back he will be on the complete opposite end of the room, I'm still not sure how he does it.

Isaac getting into trouble.

Drew getting in trouble.

For Mother's Day I received a triple jogging stroller and I was so excited! I can now take the boys for walks by myself. Other than recovering from the lingering effects of total body muscle atrophy from bedrest, I have really enjoyed the exercise and the boys love putting their hats on and getting some fresh air. Brewster, on the other hand, often goes home after the first lap around the neighborhood or just won't leave the yard! He has gained some baby weight too!

The boys also had their 7 month birthday and just a couple days ago starting cutting teeth. All three of them!! They are handling it so well, like little champs. I think that with their new teeth and healthy appetites we will be fast-tracking the introduction phase of solids and start eating a little more. We have also recently decided to back off of the prunes:)

7 months old!!

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

The boys celebrated their first Easter all dressed up. I think they knew they were dressed up because they were on their best behavior and put up with a lot of picture taking. Aren't they cute?

Here's trouble! Evan, Isaac, and Drew.

The Easter Egger's!

The boys with Grandma and Grandpa Grose.

One Year Ago Today

2009-04-08T20:52:00.001-07:00

One year ago today my dear friend Leah turned 29 (happy 30th birthday), I got a speeding ticket, and we had our first ultrasound. One year ago today we hear the doctor say "there is 1, 2, oh boy do I have a surprise for you!" We found out we were having triplets!! Good thing because it was probably the only thing that got Casey to shut up about my speeding ticket:)

We saw the heartbeats of these 3 little guys for the first time one year ago today!

Sprouts

2009-04-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Isaac is growing hair! He has been working hard on his new turf for about 2 weeks now. I think he was jealous of Drew's comb or maybe he wanted Daddy to stop calling him Lex Luther!

Isaac has also been working on his "Blue Steel" look to pick up some male modeling gigs. I think agents will be calling soon!

In Like A Lion

2009-04-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

March was a tough month for the Egger family as we experienced our first colds together. First we all got pink eye - and I mean all of us, grandpa, grandma, Drew, Evan, Isaac, Casey, and me!! Just as we were getting over pink eye the boys came down with colds. They are just now starting to clear up. On top of not feeling well we had a terrible time feeding Drew and Evan. Now that they are feeling better they have their appetites back and are doing much better.

On a more positive note, the boys got a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Egger and their cousin Kayli. They boys were so excited to spend some time with them and tried their very hard to be on their best behavior.

Also in March the boys turned 5 months old! They are getting so big and active. You can't turn your back on these guys anymore!

Although March was rough April started out great as the boys have started sleeping through the night!! Most nights anyhow. Someone always wakes up but is usually easily rocked back to sleep. Brewster is enjoying his not as interrupted sleep much better. Doesn't this look like restful sleep?

Hey Drew

2009-03-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Drew is simply known as Drew Bear around our house. He is cuddly like a bear and hibernates like a bear when he sleeps. Drew was formerly known as Baby C or The Lone Ranger. He is a long, lean yelling machine and has really found his vocal cords! Drew loves to play on the activity mat with overhead light show. He gets so worked up watching the light show and playing with his toys that he just starts yelling at them. I'm pretty sure he is using some baby 4 letter words! After playing hard all Drew needs is his binky and a blanket and he puts himself right to sleep. This comes in very handy as his brothers are not so cooperative.

One of Drew's favorite pastimes is dancing. He likes to Latin dance with mommy (I'm working on my footwork) and enjoys dance-off competitions with Evan. Who knew Drew could do the macarena and break dance! He loves to stand now on his new found dancing legs making it nearly impossible to burp him sitting down. Drew also loves music and has his own song, "Hey Jude" but with the words changed to "Hey Drew". He likes it when Daddy sings it to him. Mommy - not so much.

Drew is happy to play by himself or wrestle with his brothers. He likes to sit in the crib watching the mobile and hold hands with Isaac (and occasionally suck on Isaac's hand). Drew is still quite a talker and loves to have long conversations with Grandpa Grose. From day one Drew has been the cooing baby when he ate and slept. This has continued today and I often hear him cooing in his sleep on the monitor. Of the three boys Drew is currently in the lead with the most hair. It is coming in light brown and is getting close to needing a comb. Drew is a very special boy and our days wouldn't be the same without him!

Isaac I Am

2009-03-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Our little man Isaac. Also known as Spud, Tator Tot, Peanut, and Smiley (and formerly known as Baby B). Isaac is a little flirt and loves to smile at people. He has an adorable crooked smile that will melt your heart (his smile is hard to get a picture of because he is very interested in the camera). He started his flirting in the hospital by winning over all of his nurses and it has continued today. Just the other day while we were out he flashed a big smile at some lady and she just gushed over him. He loves the attention. Isaac is learning to be VERY vocal to get your attention. He likes to be tickled and laughs really hard. Isaac is still little but catching up to his brothers quickly. He wears size 2 diapers now (maybe 1 1/2)!

Isaac just recently decided that Brewster is really funny. He will watch Brewster when he is in the room and then just start laughing at him. He even likes it when he barks (which mom and dad hate - can you say shock collar?) but he does not like Brewster's high pitched "singing" voice as his smile turns into a very concerned look. Brewster is happy to have a little buddy. We are a little concerned about Brewster's influence on Isaac. Isaac has become well known for his licking, drooling, and sticking his tongue out. Don't worry, he's not panting or sniffing bums, just concentrating really hard.

Isaac LOVES to be held and would be happy to hang on to you for hours and walk around the house. He especially likes to hang like a monkey on Grandpa Grose. After Isaac came home from his extended stay in the hospital you could set your watch by a 4pm meltdown but he has gotten used to his crazy and noisy family and no longer meltsdown...at4pm. Isaac likes to hang out and play with his brothers but is sure to tattle if Evan scratches him or if Drew pinches him. Hopefully I will be able to count on Isaac to tell on his brothers when they get older:) Isaac is a very happy baby and makes my day every morning when I wake up to a big smile!

What's Up With Evan

2009-03-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

Evan. He is a busy guy these days. For about 2-3 weeks he has been able to roll from his back to his belly. Unfortunately he forgets how easy it is to roll back over onto his back and gets pretty frustrated after awhile. Evan always has a big smile for me when I get him out of the crib in the morning or after a nap. We have discovered that he is a Daddy's boy and will stare at Casey wherever he is in the room. Evan frequently squeals in delight when playing and then cracks up laughing. Like his identical twin, Isaac, Evan likes to put up a fight when it comes to sleepy time. The fight is always followed by a crash though! You can spot Evan in pictures with his brothers because he is always looking at the camera and has his mouth open. Just like mommy!!

Evan is an animal. He is a crazy little guy with crazy little arms and legs. You can see in the picture that Evan has socks on his hands. Although he does like doing sock puppet shows for his brothers the main purpose of the socks are to keep him from scratching (you can also see scratches on his forehead). I just can't get his nails short enough...or maybe I can't get him to stay still long enough to cut them. His crazy flailing arms still require swaddling at bedtime and he will surely wake up if he manages to Houdini a hand out. As previously mentioned, he likes to look at Casey all the time. This makes feeding him nearly impossible when Casey is feeding one of the other guys. He turns his head all over and smiles and giggles at him. You can imagine that Casey can't resist to smile back and really get him going:)

Evan has many names. We are always trying out new nicknames for him. He has previously been called Baby A, Evan Arthur Fonzarelli (only I liked this one), and Cheddar Neck (until mom and dad wised up to the secret hidden roll under his chin at bath time). He is currently called E-Man, Mr. Evan, The Hammer (this is Grandpa Grose's favorite), and Steamroller as he will only rollover in one direction. By whatever name Evan is certainly one of a kind!

$$$

2009-03-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Who knew - babies are expensive!

Lots and lots of special high calorie formula-

$$$

More diapers than the garbage man would like to see on a weekly basis-

$$$

2 weeks room and board for 2 babies in the NICU-

more than $115,000.00

3 healthy little nuggets - priceless!!

What We've Been Up To

2009-03-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe the boys will be 5 months old next week. This last month (and previous 3) have flown by so quickly. What have we been up to?

1 doctor visit for Evan's lumpy head (apparently it is normal tectonic plate movement)

1 doctor visit for 4 month well baby check up - seriously considering not doing all 3 shots at once for 6 month well baby

2 rounds of RSV shots in Everett - learned that the car must be constantly moving which also involves rocking the car at red lights

1 trip to store to purchase new jammies because the boys grew so fast

Several trips to the store to purchase formula - they go through more than 1 can of formula a day now

2 trips to the store for all new 8oz bottles after struggling to feed Drew for a week - problem resolved!

Fought off pink eye from Grandpa - this was hard because Grandpa is the baby whisperer!

I got my first cold - that was an awful week!!

Now the boys have colds with little coughs - ugh!!

Grandma and Grandpa are sick...again. Poor grandma and grandpa!!

Broken washing machine - this required shopping, excessive consumer report reading, and cleaning the garage full of baby stuff for delivery guys (poor Casey)

Sleep - not a lot

The boys and I are eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new double stroller that will change our lives! Other than the usual trips to the doctors office the boys have had only one trip for pictures and to Costco and Evan got to visit with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. Once we have the new stroller I think we might be ready to go on more outings. It will still be tough to get out and back before the little guys need their next bottle though:)

It has been such a busy, tiring, chaotic, stressful, and wonderful time for our new family so far and we really appreciate all of our friends and family for visiting and checking in on us and being patient with our tight schedule centered around feedings! We might not be able to get out much but always welcome visitors and enjoy the variety to our day:)

They Work Hard For Their Money

2009-02-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

The boys had their 4 month birthday on Wednesday and celebrated by getting dressed up. They were going for a business casual look.

Yes, Drew is holding his Blackberry and somehow managed to buy stock, set up a facebook, and check his fantasy hoops.

Age Ain't Nothin' But...

2009-02-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

...a couple of numbers. In the world of multiples you will often see a couple of ages when referring to preemies. There is their age and then there is their corrected gestational age which is their age beginning from their full term due date. So although the boys are 4 months old, their corrected gestational age puts them at only 2 1/2 months old. The corrected gestational age is used to measure developmental milestones. This is hard for me because I'm constantly reading and looking for what they should be doing, and how much they should be eating and have found that the boys are developing appropriately for each age. Some things are what 4 month olds are doing and some things are what 2 1/2 month olds are doing. Don't get me wrong though, I don't need a book or statistics to tell me that my boys are advanced geniuses who also happen to be completely adorable:)

Sheik Isaac

2009-02-11T21:55:00.000-08:00

I've got some problems...

2009-02-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

As the boys are getting bigger and more active I've discovered that I have got a few problems.

Scratching

The boys' favorite toy is an activity mat with overhead toys and a star that lights up. The toy is meant for one baby and three little heads are competing for real estate on it. Recently their little hands have started wondering and grabbing onto their brothers. Evan is pretty sneaky as he grabs ears while looking the other way. Drew and Isaac are both guilty of this as well. Isaac is the one who gets the most upset when he gets grabbed or scratched. Needless to say activity time has turned into baby cage fighting. E-Man (Evan) also has a problem scratching himself. He wiggles his arms out of his blanket at night and scratched the heck out of his head! Poor guy looks like he ran under a barbed wire fence - and was too tall!

Licking

Isaac. The little guy will contort his body in order to get into a position to suck on the back of his brothers heads. Drew has also started licking heads too. I think that Casey is right when he said that licking is the gateway to biting!! Brewster is also a big licker. He thinks he is being a good big brother by cleaning the babies heads. We really gotta watch the hairy brother:)

TV Watching

Drew loves the tv! What can I say, so does mommy! This guy will turn his head to watch the tv no matter where he is and stare as if he is really into the show. I have always said that my kids won't watch a lot of tv but I have to admit that this comes in handy when trying to feed three babies! Mom of the year...I know.

This Is How We Roll

2009-02-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

Now that it is slightly above freezing we have started taking the boys on walks during the day. It is actually quite a production because you have to get them dressed in warm clothes and out into the strollers before they get too hot. Today's walk was tough. Not because the boys were fussy while getting dressed, not because Drew cried most of the time - it was tough because my 15 lb dog decided he wanted to be carried halfway down the street! Brewster is the spoiled baby:)

Here are the boys bundled up in the staging area before their walk.

Slept Like A Baby

2009-01-28T21:13:00.000-08:00

Slept like a baby. Okay - this saying now confuses me. I always thought it meant that you slept really well. Now that I have 3 babies it has a new meaning. The following is what I have come to understand this saying to mean.

Wake every 3 hours hungry.

Often poop and/or pee in your pants while sleeping.

Fart so loud it wakes you up and makes you cry.

Arms flail waking you up and making you cry.

Slept wrapped up like a mummy.

Chewed on a piece of rubber to make yourself fall asleep.

Slept while someone held you.

Slept on a mattress with no pillows.