Family Reunion at the Lake 2015

Now that school is officially back into swing I can take time between my no sleep, no rest, taxi/waitress/laundry mat attendant/ personal shopper etc duties and sit down to post a bit about our summer adventures. Well, there goes all my free time. Catch you all in a year. 

    As usual, I will let the pictures do most of the talking but we made it to great grandma Tillie's 90th birthday bash/ family reunion and it did not disappoint. We even managed to squeeze in some family photos with the always entertaining and supremely talented Meslissa Squires at A Girl in Love Photography I have a love/hate relationship with her in that I can take the same pictures of my kids just like she does but they never give me the amazing faces and smiles that she seems to capture. It's photography envy at its best but I just keep going back for her to keep rubbing it in with great photos. 

He never gives me this natural smile I love. 

Can you just eat him up?

Probably the last shot of us together since Melissa took our last pictures. But I swear we still hang out together despite the lack of evidence.

One of my all time favorites of these kiddos

     

     The grands house never is at a lack of entertainment or eye candy for the babes. My first second after arriving I captured these two in their bromance hug out in the garden. And yes, my kids seem to disrobe the second they arrive here.

Four of Tillie's children along with her nine grandchildren brought all of their spouses and great grand kids to the lake house. Richard and Jimbo taught the little ones how to fish. Beau went right up to him and said, "Hey mister, can you teach me how to fish?" and off they went. 

Baby Aiden (title now under discussions with the panel) was always hugging and trying to carry the actual Baby Nico. The picture may not be an adequate representation because Nico sort of loved him doing it. 

The cousins could be found all over the place learning a little about each other and forming those life long bonds people read about in novels. Long sunny days, fishing, swimming, making smores  by the fire, catching fireflies kind of days were had here. 

Old friends catching up and Arell trying to bribe Nico without success

Here are the grands with their grandkids. I think next year we may even get them to all look into the same camera.

The original crew of grands picked up right where they left off. 

Even though he just had twins, Nico may have done Rich in.

 We loved seeing all of our Michigan friends and family and catching up with their growing families.

He let her drive! 

     A highlight thanks to aunt Kellie was the arrival of Elsa and Olaf to the festivities. Yeah, it was pretty spectacular. She sang songs, painted their faces and hair and danced with the kids. Gigi was first in line. Can't you just feel her excitement in this picture?

Alex danced with Olaf and made him copy all of her moves. 

I feel a whole lot of trouble will come from this friendship of fine females.

I think Beau was most in awe over the visit. She barely spoke a word for two hours.

All kids, including the lawyer grandkid was excited to pose with Olaf.

Not all guests were invited but dealt with accordingly

Here is Tillie with her children. She was such a good sport during the party. She didn't even complain when I dressed her up like Bernie (from Weekend at Bernie's ) for a picture because when planning this event she was sick and we said we would have the party with or without her cooperation by dressing her up and moving her limbs with ropes..

     The house, as usual is magical, Sheila and Dave work 40hours a week on the yard for months and we come in and revel in it. It is lovely to every last detail.

Ah Summer, you will be missed.

Triplets Turn Four and Other Crazy Stuff That Happens Only to Us

I'd like to start with the latest stats on my growing triplets:

Gigi   41 lb 90th percentile in weight  43in 97th percentile height

Carlos 38 lb 75th percentile ""         42in 90th ""

Beau   36 lb 50th ""                    39in 25th ""

     I think what these statistics show is that it is not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog that matters because Beau is, hands down, the enforcer in this group. Just look at my Super Girl on her birthday.

    Sure she has help from her sister, the ultra organized, tightly wound, bundle of energy, Super Duper Gigi but if there's a tussle my money is always on my Beau. Equal parts scary tiger, Rapunzel princess, Princess Mermaid,sweet kitty ,ninja and "Just Beau", as she likes to clarify. Beau likes to blend into the background a lot. Not because she is shy but because if you don't notice her she will have a much higher chance of scouring the kitchen for candy, reaching around couches for her siblings toys, sneaking into Eva's room to color her entire body with markers, flood the kitchen with water, change into several costumes she prefers over the boring clothes I put her in, or simply to fine tune her plans for world domination. She is the perfect blend of sugar and spice. She's never met a brush that she likes well enough to have a proper run at a hair style but she can't seem to get enough of her daddy which, of all the triplets, she seems to curl up with him the most. 

Conversations with Beau:

Mom: Beau let's brush your hair.It's crazy hair

Beau: It's not crazy hair, it's rock star hair.

Eva is taking kids paddle boarding and Carlos wants to come back to land. Eva says, "You don't want to go back guys, mean old mommy is going to put you to bed. Stay here instead."

Beau (understanding her only option to stay on board is to declare her mother is mean) : I don't like mommy, she is so mean. She is a bad mommy.

Eva (clarifying) "No Beau, you can love mommy and still stay on the board

Beau (in her sweetest voice wrapping her arms around herself) "Oh, I love mommy! She is so sweet. She gives me kisses. My heart hurts with love for her." 

A fair-weather friend indeed, but a survivor. 

     Her birthday wish was for a dolphin cake and who am I to argue with that face? 

   Our Gigi has had this party planned since she was this old (I am holding up my last three fingers while holding down my first two, just like she had to do.) She was the one who demanded a pink Minnie cake and wanted to be a Princess Super Girl. If Beau is planning on world domination, Gigi is staging it. She has the organizing skills of Martha Stewart. She wakes up each morning bouncing in her bed, smiling and spouting off the days agenda as she sees fit for it to progress. "Today I am sooooo hungry. We'll get waffle-quillas(there word for a waffle with mantequilla, or butter), then potty, the dressed, then niñas (the gym daycare where she is the leader), then mercado (grocery) etc...for the next twelve points of the day, always ending with, "Right, mommy?" I can't wait until she can read so I can just throw her my calendar and say, "Let's have it boss, what's on the agenda today." If she sees your muscle even twitch she jumps up and says, "Where are we going? What are you doing? Can I come?" Sometimes I am sure I can feel electricity coursing out of her. I love that she squeals at an ear deafening high pitch when she  is surprised, excited, or happy about something no matter how insignificant it seems. I won't lie, I constantly search for things that will cause her to do that each day. Mike looked at her one day and said, " I wish I could be happy about anything that much again."  But I think he forgot to notice that he was smiling from ear to ear as he watched her. She makes us feel like that each and every day through her eyes full of wonderment over the mundane. 

Gigi was the first potty trained triplet. This was a very proud moment for her but later she felt a bit left out when I would bribe her siblings with small toys when they went. This started her loud declarations in public when she would see something she wanted to have.

Gigi: "Mommy, I did a poopee grande. I want to get a toy. It was so big."

Beau: " I want that toy too"

Carlos: "Then you have to go poo poo potty.A big poop"

Gigi: "But mom I did a big poopee. Can I get a poopee toy?"

Mom: (Smiling at all the people who are overhearing this poop filled conversation by some overly fixated poopers.

Carlos Romeo, was right at home being a super hero because he dresses as one most days of the week. Stealing his sisters gloves though was a new twist. Carlos literally left me breathless while in the car one day I reached back to get my purse and he leaned forward putting his little hand under my chin and bringing my face up to meet his. "Mom, you know your my girl, right?" Swoon. Sigh. Repeat. Carlos is my cuddle bug. My triplet baby. He has to wear his superhero costume during the day because he is constantly fighting off two very domineering sisters from stealing his stuff or his mommy. My favorite time of day (besides bed time) is in the afternoon when he wakes up a bit earlier than his sisters. This is when Carlos shines as a child. He is happy, quiet, sweet, content to play alone or cuddle with me without talking or needing anything. He would have been a perfect only child but his cheekyness would not have come through without a couple of bossy sisters to deal with. Like when said organizing sister is listing off all thirty items she needs to bring to the grocery store:

Gigi: I need to bring my unicorn, my dolly, my minnie, my purse...

Carlos (leaning in and talking out the side of his mouth in a high pitched taunting voice) ..."And my pee-pee." Now he breaks out laughing as do all of us.

Gigi: (Instantly screaming with rage) No Carlos, no pee pee!

Conversations with Carlos:

Mom (seeing Carlos get up and walk to the garage): "Where are you going Carlos?"

Carlos: (In a matter of fact voice)"I'm going to shoot-a my guns."

Mom: "But Carlos, you don't have any guns."

Carlos (briefly stopping to analyze the problem and shrugging): "I'm going to shoot-a daddy's guns then."

Carlos: "Mom, my cheeks hurt"

Mom: "Is it because your cute?"

Carlos: (smiles) "yeah"

  Few things fill me with more terror then looking at the calendar and realizing I have one of my kid's birthdays coming up, unless I look to see that three of my kid's birthdays are coming up.   I can usually just ask them nonchalantly, "Hey what's your favorite character this week?" and plan the party in a minute but the trips have as varying tastes as they have demands so for their fourth birthday party the theme is "Mermaid Minnie the Superhero visits the pet store on her way to fly helicopters around a ballon fight" party. It's a bit schizophrenic but hopefully, everyone will have a good time and only cry twice because they will want their siblings theme on their cake too and then because they will want their siblings toy as well as their own. My goal is to have cake, followed by presents and wrapping it up with a tantrum in about 30 minutes. I'll take lots of pictures in the beginning and it will look like we had a day full of fun and adventure thirty years from now when we look back on all of this. 


    

Because I can never pass up a photo of my baby. Nico as of this post is 18 months, 28lb (95%), 20in(85%)

I love seeing my Golden caring for my Nico. Insert sigh here. 

Fun triplet words I hope they never correct:

Bandans- Bandaids

Flippity Flops- flip flops

Sun Scream- Sunscreen

Waffle-quillas- waffles with butter

Eggs- (This is Beau)-legs

Gigi my hoarder is ready to go to "Niñas"(the gym baby care center)

Day in the life:

6-6:30- Wake up. Beau usually goes into the other's rooms and wakes everyone up at 5:30 and I have to put her in her place
6:30-7:30 Everybody potty, Get into day's clothes, get their breakfast and leche. 
7:30 leave to gym
9:00 Finish gym and run usual errands which are mercado, Sam's club or car wash.
10-11:30 Snack time, potty break, play time
11:30-1:00 Quiet time in room Possibly nap. (Mom, takes care of Nico , dishes, laundry, lunch preparation etc)
1-5 Pool time, every single extracurricular activity drive time, make dinner time, Crazy nervous breakdown time for kids sometimes
6 bathtime
7:30 bedtime (Where I scream at them on the monitor to shut up and go to bed for about 1 1/2 hours.)
8 I fall asleep

My name is MOM- MOM-MOM!

but you can call me mom for short.

Happy Easter

   Is it me, or is someone playing around with my calendar and making things fly by so fast that I can't seem to formulate a thought about how I am feeling about it all. I am full up with things to do on my "To Do" list and yet, I feel the need to stop and document today because all I felt prompted to do after General Conference today was cherish these moments of insanity. We had the missionaries over for lunch and I guess they just weren't used to the Harris level of activity like I am. I don't think anyone is quite used to this level of activity except maybe the military during active duty on the front lines but as for me, it was pleasant. Seeing my children talk and interact with one another is mostly enjoyable to me. 

     I asked Mike a few nights ago if he realized that we were presently experiencing the greatest moments in our lives and was that a blessing or a curse to know it? Every morning I wake up and count off another day before all this chaos, this messy amusement, this family unity is a thing of the past. Soon all these little miracles will be off living their lives somewhere else and we will be off to the next stage of our lives. Will we feel that we embraced these moments to the fullest because we knew they were the best or will we regret not doing more with our time with them like the other half of the world who doesn't recognize the "good old days" when they are in them. "Of course, we are better off," he said with the inflection that really said, "You're an idiot." But really, do I make the most of these days knowing that they are but a blink in my life and that these moments are the only ones I have to make a difference in molding these children gifted to me into something Heavenly Father would be proud of or am I falling short despite knowing how important now is? 

     

    

     In all of my worrying, I heard a story about a missionary that was struggling with his companion who was a bit of a slacker. The missionary kept dragging him along each day and one day while riding their bikes he sees that his companion has pulled off the road to rest. The missionary took that moment to pray to Heavenly Father and asked him why did he have to have such a lazy companion. What he heard was, "Compared to me, you both look pretty much the same." I laughed at that one. Isn't it true. We are all full of our own imperfections that if compared to Him we would surely be the junior companion every time but that is where the Atonement comes in to help us dig ourselves out of the holes we dig for ourselves and get back on track. I will stop worrying about all the things I didn't get done and teach these kids each day and focus on trying to be more compassionate as a parent hoping that, if nothing else, my children remember I always stopped and loved them for who they were. Imperfectly Perfect! 

     Here we are at our latest race, the Rock and Fly in Pensacola. You might wonder why we took a picture with the cast of the Village People so I will say that these are the aid station volunteers. They dressed up like 80's rock enthusiasts. I get a kick out of running with my family and seeing them overcome their exhaustion and pain to complete these races. All they seem to remember afterwards is the fun highlights. Hopefully, that's how we will remember all of our time together. A highlight reel of six crazy kids with two very tired parents under one roof. 

Easter was a hit. I suppose it's because the triplets thought it was a weekend kind of celebration. We spent most of it in the pool and Gigi has mastered swimming to the bottom to retrieve everything her siblings throw at her. She has a dive technique I love. She puts her hands together in front of her and pushes them out in an arc that her body is supposed to follow. A mini dive pose. I could eat her up.

     Our attempt at a family portrait continues and I am more than thrilled to have 5 out of 6 faces looking in the same direction. Maybe next time Gigi.

     Eva is such a delight to have for a daughter. She is the triplets best friend or arch nemesis depending on the minute but it is truly fun to watch the crazy antics she comes up with for them to do. We call her M.O.M. (Master of Mayhem)

     To watch my oldest baby care for my youngest baby chokes me up almost every time. Golden is so patient and loving with his siblings but especially with Nico. He says it's because Nico is so quiet and good but I truly believe these two had a bromance way before they ever stepped foot in this world.

     I mean seriously, can this kid look cuter dressed up like he's coming to sell you a vacuum cleaner? 

     Next month, these guys turn four. I can't believe it. And yes, I already have my list of things to get and do for that. Gigi reminds me every day in the car what she is expecting. 

     I started up the kind of Easter egg hunt I grew up with. Across the street from the house I grew up in ( We call it the 125th street house)was Tom Sasso pool. I have a lot of good memories from that pool and it seemed that every holiday consisted of some game where you had to hunt for stuff in the pool. Don't let the bobbing eggs fool you. This gets ugly and that is why I have waited until now to introduce it. But boy is it fun until the ambulance arrives and really, is there anything more Florida than this?

The before shot

     Golden is a natural swimmer. He comes from a long line of swimmers so it's no surprise but with a little training he could be lightning. Eva and him battled it out underwater for those eggs and I am glad to say no children were harmed in the making of this blog. But my wallet got a few dents in it from the cash they collected. 

   

     This was last weekend when we went to the art festival in town. Carlos was Batman, Gigi was a princess and Beau was a tiger. When she sat down the girl asked Beau her name. Beau didn't answer. I said, "Hey, tell her your name. Is it Beau?" Beau doesn't look away from the girl she just opens her eyes and with a face of Merryl Streep deep in character says, "My name is Tiger." She then closes her eyes as if to say, "Now, carry on." 

    General conference resonated with talks on Eternal marriage, Eternal families, holding strong to your beliefs. With that said, I would like to testify that I know this is my family for all time and eternity. I know that I knew them before we came here and I have loved them before I could remember anything else. Nothing in this world even comes close to having an impact on who I am and where I am going. We choose to follow Heavenly Father's plan in order to never spend a minute longer apart than we have to. Nothing we buy, nothing we earn, no job we get, no business we start, no club we join, no friends we follow will ever come close to giving us the happiness that this knowledge brings us. And for that I am grateful today. 

     In my archives I found a note that Elder Harris gave me shortly after my baptism. I suppose I was struggling at the moment but I find the words prophetic because I find it hard to be sad when I look at all the sweet angels that Heavenly Father has sent me, including my husband, and am eternally grateful and humbled. 

Disney Princess Challenge Weekend 2015

     Greetings from where the magic happens. Another year is marked by our visit to see Mickey Mouse himself. The triplets, in particular Gigi, have been saying, "I'm going there. That's my castle" anytime a commercial with Cinderella's castle came on the TV. For any parent reading this, I don't need to tell you how great it is to see your childhood relived through your children's eyes. It's better this way if you ask me. But the trip was not so selfless. The older kiddos and I had been signed up for races here this week since the summer of last year. Golden and Eva for their first 10K Princess Run and me for both the 10K and the Princess 1/2 Marathon which also made me eligable for a third medal for completing the Princess Challenge. I did something similar to this with Jerry Sullivan on the inaugural year of the Goofy Challenge in 2003. We ran a 1/2 marathon one day followed by a full marathon the next and received a third medal for our trouble. This should again prove that I will do just about anything for a Tshirt or/and a medal. But Disney never disappoints either. They entertain you from Mile 0 to the Finish Line. And as much as people complain about the cost, I find it one of the few things in Disney that is actually worth what you pay for. 

The 2015 Harris Disney Crew

     From the picture above you will notice two things; Eva is dressed in her best princess running outfit and both kiddos are pretty proud of themselves. I couldn't have been more proud of them for never complaining when I woke them up at 4AM to go to the race, for making them run the whole race, and for posing for pictures after the race when all they wanted to do was get changed to go to the parks. But if you could just look at this picture closely I think you can see just a bit more self assurance and confidence in these two that was not there a day earlier. This race solidified what I always try to drill into them: There is nothing you can not accomplish you set your mind to because you are always stronger than you think. 

     Highlights from running with them on the 10K. I thoroughly enjoyed embarrassing them with my AMAZING dance moves while we waited in the corrals. Honestly, I was on fire. People everywhere were staring and pointing cuz this girl had it going on! I couldn't help myself because they were playing all my jams ( I am saying this in my best embarrassing parent voice) During the race it was fun to see how fast these kids were. They were passing everyone. We passed Tinkerbell, Ironman and even a few hundred Elsa's. I loved running ahead and catching their expressions as the passed the finish line. They were trying so hard not to look amazed. It is a mother's dream to see two of her own be so darn amazing. 

     Speaking of amazing, did I mention we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were celebrating our 15 year anniversary and thought we would live a little. It was pretty fun. Here are just a few pictures of our views every day. The kids got to where night vision glasses and go on nighttime animal safaris, roast marshmallows, but they missed watching movies under the stars. We simply had too  much to do. 

Even picking up our bibs was cool. Just look how excited we all are

   In the picture below you may notice that I look like a princess bag lady. There is a simple explanation for this. I had to carry all of the gear my kid took off and I stopped and picked up clothes and earmuffs along the way that people discarded as the weather got  warmer during the run. I do this for two reasons; I can't pass up a great deal and some of this stuff, including those Elsa and Anna earmuffs were too adorable to leave there and I knew Gigi was gonna love them. Please don't judge me. And if you do just know that this is a trick that I learned from the great runner, Jerry Sullivan who roadside shops like he means business. I used gloves and a wool cap the next morning and had no guilt when I tossed them aside because they were free. 

The finish of a great race. My jacket is packed with clothes.

I also had my 10K medal which I just realized I didn't photograph.

But it wasn't all fun and games here at Disney. As my family will tell you, I mean business when I vacation. We had a full schedule of fun to accomplish and everyone needed to put on their roller-skates or die. Okay this may be a slight exaggeration but I do like to see and do it all and am happy to say that I have a wonderfully understanding husband who just rolls with it after all these years. Despite all my plans, these goofs still manage to sneak in just a bit of fun here and there. 

Exhibit A: Just when I look away Mike buys this hat. "A Must" he called it.

     My kids loved meeting the characters. Not just the little ones either. We met Daisy, Piglet, Pooh, Tigger, Mickey, and Sophia to name a few. Everyone had a favorite. I'll let you guess who loved who.

A bit blurry but again Mike snuck in a little fun. I thought they'd arrest us right here.

     When Eva was young we took her to get her hair done at Bippity Boppity Boutique. Here, inside Cinderella's Castle, you will find a flurry of women combing, spraying and pinning hair as they talk to the children with sweet little voices as if they have swallowed a bottle of Xanax. They break into song sometimes too and call all the girls "princess" and all the boys "knight." Creepy as it sounds, it's a must. Just look at the final product. Not the hair and crazy make up but the smile on Gigi's face. Carlos also got the royal treatment by having his hair shellacked then sprinkled with glitter as he read a decree making him an official Mickey knight and received his sword and shield. The only one who had issues was Beau ( Is this really a surprise?) She sat quietly and requested her crown and dress while in the chair. Let them put her hair up and sing to her. But as we left and the ladies walked us to the door waving and saying "Goodbye Princess Beau" in that sing song Disney voice, they were struck dumb as Beau yelled at the top of her lungs , pulled off her crown and bobby pins and cried so hard that snot ran down her face and gown. I was only sad I didn't take a picture of the women's faces as we had to physically carry Beau out of the Castle to complete her melt down away from incoming traffic. 

     Did I mention Nico was amazing. No! Because he is always amazing. But he seemed to love his trip to Disney as much as I enjoyed photographing him.

    Lastly, we met up with the Michigan cousins who were escaping the snow, whatever that means. It was nice to see them and nice to see them take up just where they left off. Gigi enjoyed having a new minion named Aiden and refers to him as, "My Aiden." She had him carry her around the pool and did I mention he is barely an inch taller than her. 

I did not take this picture that cut Ethan's head in half.

I love Carlos' tshirt

The grands

Gigi and her Aiden

Siblings

Nana and Arell

Until we meet again Disney.....