January Tales

     January has started off well. I have finally gotten my act together long enough to make a book of my blog posts thru a great gal at Picturia Press named Suzanne. You could make your own book through blurb.com but I had an issue with not knowing what I was doing so left it up to the professionals. I hope this is the first of many journals I leave for my family that can chronicle all of the mundane to the exceptional in their lives. What I hope most that they get out of my perpetual verbal diarrhea and snap shots is that their mother was proud of them, enjoyed them, and loved them more than could be measured in this world or the next. I must say that putting my thoughts to an actual page has left me with a bit of writer's block. What do I want to preserve for time and all eternity? I think I just need to get back into the mind frame that I am writing for myself and the rest will follow.

     I am still on Instagram. I love it because I can quickly take a picture, document it to my folder and input it into my computer for later cataloging with nothing more than my iPhone. The only draw back is  obviously the picture quality. I miss my camera and her impeccable results. I must learn to find a balance in "getting it documented" vs. "getting it amazing". Until then, here are a few of the pictures of my babies these last few months.

Golden

 Growing like a weed but still able to play Legos with his dad. He made Honor Roll again this quarter and is doing well in piano classes. He is surprisingly good at tether ball and Mike says he can hit three pointers all day long in the backyard, whatever that means. Funny moment with him last night in Family Home Evening:
Mike: What were the prophet Abraham's sons named Golden?
Golden: (long pause) Ughh. Willy and Tad.
Mike and I: (worried we have not been teaching the Bible too well to our kids) No Golden. Why don't you try again.
Golden: No dad. I am sure. I just did my book report on him.
Mike: (Even more confused) You did a book report at school about the prophet Abraham?
Golden: Was he a prophet too? I just thought he was the President of the United States.
So technically, he was right. Good job Go-go.

Eva

 She made Honor Roll this quarter too. I may need to hire a full time secretary to keep up with scheduling her play dates and activities. She enjoys flipping all over the house when she's not busy taking giant leaps everywhere. No wonder she comes into our room each night with a new malady to complain about. Mike and I are sure that she has so many complaints because she doesn't have a co-pay. We are trying to rectify this. She face times daily with the grandparents and texts us from the next room when she needs to tell us something urgent like, "I love you" or "I want ice cream." My mother is completely head over heels for her because she thinks she resembles me so much. I only hope I was as kind, smart and beautiful as her at that age. I have finally put my finger on describing Eva's smile: disarming.

The triplets

As a group, they love using their new words, in particular, the word "mas" (more). They use it when asking for food and sound like the seagulls in Nemo who say "mine." They follow commands extremely well. 

 "paseo" (trip)They run to the door. 
 "Zapatos" (shoes) they run to the shoe bin to get their turn.
 "outside" They run to the back door to play in the backyard. 
 "Papas" (food) They line up at their triplet feeding table to 
  eat. 
 "bath time" While repeating the words over and over they run to the bathroom and start pulling at their diapers. 
 "night night" The run to their rooms and get ready to pray. 
  They all say, "Amen" like they landed a touchdown. 

   The kids can say all of our names but Eva's. It is funny to all of us but her. I say she is like Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter; he who must not be named. They point to her when I ask where Eva is. The run to her when I tell them to go hug Eva but not one has uttered her name from their lips. We await the day with bated breath. 


Gisele

   The oldest of the trips likes to grunt and make growling noises. She has a weird habit of rocking back and forth in her crib making a "bang bang" racket we can hear throughout the house but still her sister manages to sleep through it. She has the cutest little tip toe run. And don't get me started on her hair. It is a perfect representation of who she is. Wild but still soft and lovely. She is the hard sell when it comes to strangers. I feel flattered that she prefers me and it means so much when she hugs me because she really means it. She does not cuddle often. She loves her daddy. She calls out for him like one might call a puppy. "Daddy" she yells than blows kisses while patting the side of her leg. She has a preferred white bear she takes everywhere that was given to her by President and Diana DeVries in Michigan. There are actually two white bears but I have to wash one almost every other day. She, like the other siblings, has found a new love for Baby Einstein. She gets so excited when it comes on. She yells, "Baby. Baby" as she climbs into the rocker with her bear to watch the show. Her laugh is infectious. It is impossible to be in a bad mood if you are within listening distance of it. 

Beau

   She is our little coquette. She is the most friendly of the three when it comes to strangers. I like it when she comforts her siblings. She passes her hand across their hair and says, "Oh no." She also is our tiny little bit. About three inches shorter than the other two in height but she never lets that stop her. She pats the pillow or seat next to her and tells you to come in Spanish. She is putting the most words together of the three and is presently our official door closer. Her and Gigi have learned to jump. Even though it's not very high they crouch down as if they are leaping to fly and get a millimeter off the ground. We applaud them nonetheless. She has ponytail envy when she sees Gigi's hair pulled back so I have to get the small bit of hair she has and put it in a ponytail too. You can barely see any hair left around the band. 

Carlos

   My papito is still the baby. He loves to hug and be held which is fine by me most days but since he is now the largest of the bunch, my hands do get a bit tired. He sleeps in a separate room because he wakes up with only a brief nap in the day and because I fear the noise those two girls make at night while they rock and jabber will cause him some psychological damage. He eats double fisted and stocks food into his cheeks with abandon. He likes his trucks and cars. I like to see him in his little man clothes, especially shirts with pockets. Even though they all say it, I love how Carlos asks for the "mote" or remote. He is happiest with his mommy and some piece of electronics in his hand.