11 days before Christmas 2012

Wanted to share this poem I heard earlier today.  Very moving and uplifting when thinking about the terrible tragedy that occured just less than 1 week ago in Newtown.  I am still terribly saddened by this unthinkable act of evil and very thankful for every day I am given with my precious children.

11 Days before Christmas 2012

T’was 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38

When 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven’s gate.

Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air,

They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.

They were filled with such joy, they didn’t know what to say,

They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.

“Where are we?” asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.

“This is heaven.” declared a small boy. “We’re spending Christmas at God’s house.”

When what to their wondering eyes did appear,

But Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same,

Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.

And in that moment was joy that only heaven can bring

Those children all flew into the arms of their King.

And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,

One small girl turned and looked at Jesus’ face.

And as if He could read all the questions she had

He gently whispered to her, “I’ll take care of mom and dad.”

Then He looked down on earth, the world far below,

He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe.

Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,

“Let My power and presence re-enter this land!”

“May this country be delivered from the hands of fools,”

“I’m taking back my nation. I’m taking back my schools!”

Then He and the children stood up without a sound,

“Come now my children, let me show you around.”

Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran,

All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,

“In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT.”

Holiday Happenings

A wonderful Thanksgiving day has come and gone, leaving a month full of holiday fun (didnt mean for that to rhyme, but it sounds kinda catchy:) with birthday  parties (both young and old!), fun programs for the kids, hunting trip for Travis, and lots of shopping for me:)  I know some people do not care for this time of year, but i love it!  I love the shopping, wrapping Christmas gifts, Christmas music and receiving Christmas cards in mail from all of our wonderful friends and family.  A new tradition has also made this year even more fun for myself and the kids.  The first question I hear each morning is "where elf"?  I was hesitant to get an elf this year, thinking they wouldnt understand it, but boy do they!  They love coming downstairs each morning to find their elf, usually somewhere "way up high"-- to keep them from being able to get him down.  Our elf is unnamed at this point, and goes by "Mr. Elf", but hopefully will have a proper name by next Christmas.  The kids are really big on "baby Jesus" right now (I think it is due to a combination of bible class and some Christian videos we have that they LOVE!) and when I asked what they wanted to name their elf, they immediately said "Baby Jesus".....after trying to explain to 2 year olds why our elf could not be named baby Jesus, I decided to stick with Mr Elf for the year and let them try again next year!  Travis is gone for the weekend on a hunting trip that he has been looking forward to for quite a while, leaving me to referee the little ones alone.  I hope he has a great time because he definitely owes me big after this! Even though he is gone, we have a fun Saturday planned with Kate and I going with friends Becca and her dtr Kinsley to a program, while the boys spend the morning at our church kids Christmas party.  Next weekend, we are planning to take the kids to Shrek on Ice with wonderful friends Adam and Lane Booten then having our first "Christmas" with the Morris family.  I know it is stereotypical, but I cant help but think how blessed we are, especially this time of the year!  Merry Christmas!

Tutus and Ties Birthday Party

Hard to believe the kids have just had their 2nd birthday party!  The day was wonderful filled with a house full of a wonderful family, 3 happy toddlers and more toys than we have house for:) Though it was a little (okay, a lot!) crazy at times, the kids were great and LOVED all their new gifts!  I am so thankful to be part of such a loving, generous family! Looking forward to the holidays that are now just around the corner!

Fall Fun 2012-10/22/12

The past month has been filled with some good and memorable times.  Travis and I ran our first Warrior Dash with friends Drew and Becca Cox.  It was a fun and dirty 5K run filled obstacles and mud pits you must get through to cross the finish line.   We have been trying to soak up the beautiful fall weather lately, attending MTSU football games, playing outside and having a blast with our first time fingerpainting (which turnied into bodypainting) with Lane.  The kids were so funny with the fingerpainting activity and really showed their personalities that day.  Kate, of course, loved the paint and did not hesitate to dive in and get dirty.  Braden was pretty much indifferent, painting a little here and there.  Brooks was hilarious, not wanting to get too dirty or get paint on him.
Kate has hit a new stage--the "I want no one except momma" stage.  Honestly, I do love how much she loves me right now (as I know this is only a stage that she will too soon outgrow), however, it does make the balancing act of sharing myself b/t all 3 of them a bit more difficult.  I figured out just today that Kate and Braden are getting their 2 year molars which has also increased their aggitation level.  Kate has been waking up 2-4 times every night for the past 2 weeks and Braden has been literally chewing on his fingers.  I am sure Brooks will have his soon as well, as he has started drooling nonstop lately.
Braden had his first haircut last week.  His hair on top is not too long, but he was starting to delevop a mild mullet in the back, so we had to get a trim!  He was so good!  He sat in the chair like a big boy, not fussing or whining even one time!  I was so proud of my sweet little handsome man.  Brooks joined Braden and had his 2nd cut and did great as well!  I was one proud momma, getting to tell people that both of the handsome boys were mine! 
We had our family/ 2 year old pics taken last week.  To say the photo session was TERRIBLE would be quite the understatement. As we arrived for the photo session, I felt calm and prepared.  Everyones clothes had been ironed the night before, I had all the necessary accessories with me and even decided to bring some props of my own for some photo ideas I had.  It is funny/sad/frustrating how quickly all my plans went right down the drain.  Everyone gets out of the vehicle looking so nice and in I thought good moods.  I planned the kids day around the pics, so everyone would be rested with a full belly and ready for great pics.  We had practiced our "CHEEEESE" face for 2 weeks and thought we were ready for the day until we walked up to meet our photographer (who did great on our pics last year) and her husband who was with her to assist.  The next thing I knew, I looked down at Kate (who was of course in my arms) and realized she had closed her eyes and would not open them to look at the photographer.  I think she thought it was funny at first, as she was acting a little shy, hiding her head in my shoulder, but for the life of me, I could not get the child to open her eyes!  So, here we are with the photographer and one of my children has decided to squeeze her eyes shut and will not open them for anything!  Thankfully, Brooks and Braden were loving the camera that day and doing a great job hamming it up, which gave me time to try to coax Kate into opening her eyes.  Eventually, after abour 20 min of her literally walking around with her eyes closed (holding my hand of course), she decides to open her eyes, but would still not step 2 feet away from me.  Oh the frustration, knowing you are paying good money for someone to come take your kids pics, and then have your daughter act this way!  She finally opened up a little and gave us a couple very brief periods of smiling, hopefully enough to have at least one decent shot of her, but our photographer definitely earned her pay that day.  I havent seen the pics yet, but am not getting my hopes up too high that we have a lot of good shots after a day like that!
As I looked through the calender earlier today, to see what we had going on in the next few weeks, I realized that the holiday season is rapidly approaching.  Between Halloween, Kids SECOND Birthday!, Thanksgiving and Christmas--the rest of our year is looking pretty busy!  Over the next few weeks, I want to savor my ONE  year old babies.  This year has passed by so quickly and I can not believe they are almost 2! 

So long summer

Hard to believe that summer 2012 is officially over!  It was a hot summer, we were able to enjoy some good times outside ("outeye outeye" per my kids); but I am now really looking forward to some cooler fall weather.  I love all things fall--beautiful fall colors with changing leaves, fall food, football and fun holidays.

This summer was filled with more "firsts" for the Morris triplets.  Our first trip as a family to the Nashville zoo, first outing to the Discovery Zone with Lane, first haircut for Brooks, and our first family camping trip to Fall Creek Falls.  We did quite a bit of swimming/splashing at Pops and Losi's/Gramps and Gigi's pools and had fun cooling off in our own baby pool as well. 

As the kids continue to grow, they reveal more and more of their unique, individual personalities.  Kate is definitely a "girly girl".  I came home recently to find her wearing multiple bracelets (toy rings) on each arm prancing around in my shoes---Adorable!  She still loves her baby and Teddy and doesnt go anywhere far without them.  She needs to have her booboo's kissed and prefers to be "lolo" (lotioned) regularly. Her vocabulary grows daily and has progressed to 2 and 3 word sentences now.  She has learned to say "hold me" and therefore, wants to be picked up a lot now!   She repeats anything said around her and loves to sing (often hums the tune of Twinkle Twinkle).  She knows her colors and can count to 3 (sometimes:)--sorry for so much bragging, remember this is written by a proud mama!   Brooks still loves to look at books and "read" them aloud.  He loves to play "upsairs" on the slide and has mastered the color/shape sorter puzzle.  His vocabulary is also growing daily .  He loves playing with our phones and began saying this word ("phone") just this week.  Braden loves working puzzles and is great at buiding towers with his blocks (future engineer???).  He also likes to look at books and push anything not nailed down to the floor (including his brother and sister at times!)  I believe his vocabulary is comparable to Brooks, neither are quite as extensive as Kates, but definitely evolving on a near daily basis.

They are all great at playing together sometimes, but other times (more often than not lately) they prefer to fight over a toy/item the other one has (for example, I have 4 different mops/brooms--enough for everyone!, but each time I pull one out to mop, all 3 will fight over the same broom/mop!!! ) The tantrums have begun occurring more frequently and are much more dramatic lately.  I feel we are just entering the terrible 2 stage and honestly fear what we have in store for the next year (or two).   I feel the " time out chair" will be a frequently visited spot in our house over the next couple of years!  

19 Months

So we were a little late on our 18 month check up (it actually fell on the day they turned 19 mo old), but "late" seems to be how we do most things these days.  It seems no matter how hard I try to get everyone up and ready in time to be anywhere, we usually end up late.  I am still using the triplets as an excuse....I figure I can blame them for my tardiness for at least another 3-4 years:)
Everyone had a good check up except, of course, for the shot at the end of the appt.  Braden remains my biggest weighing 26LBS! Kate is right behind at 24lbs and Brooks 21lbs.  I knew Braden was quite a bit bigger than Brooks, but I did not realize he was 5lbs bigger.  I am so proud of these sweet kiddos and so thankful for their continued overall good health and development. 

Triplet: a set of 3 (totally different!!!) items

It has been a big week in the Morris household--the kids hit the 18 month milestone, Travis and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary, and I started a new job. We are so blessed and reminded of God's love daily through the innocent, sweet spirit of our children. 
Although Braden, Brooks and Kate were all crammed together in my belly at the same time, were born on  the same day, and have relatively had the same experiences since they entered the world...Boy, are they DIFFERENT!  Their personalities seem to emerge more everyday, revealing the differences between these triplets.

Kate, my precious, loving, thumb sucking, sassy pants is living up to her "red head" persona these days.  She is mostly a sweet little girl who loves her teddy and tells you "night night" when she is ready for bed; but recently, her "sassy" side has emerged revealing a feistier side to my beloved little girl. She has learned to say "no no" and likes to tell the boys this when they are doing something they shouldn't---I think we will know who will be in charge:) She seems to have a harder time sitting through church and has begun "mini tantrums" to get her way. The sassier side comes on full force when she is tired!  We recently attempted to go eat at a restaurant with my grandmother for mothers day.....bad idea!  Travis was unable to go, but my parents were going, so I thought I could handle it...I was wrong and it will be a while before we enter a restaurant again.  The boys did pretty well, but Kate was tired and a pistol to say the least.  She did not want to sit down and preferred to roam the restaurant "reading" her book to strangers at tables nearby.  Thankfully, most of the tables around us were empty and those that did have customers were very nice and understanding.

Braden, my strong, energetic, fearful, lover of food, occasionally affectionate, sensitive, son.  Braden is a fun, energetic little boy.  He has a smile that literally spreads from ear to ear which lights up his entire face.  He still loves his " Mr elephant(s)" and paci when it is time to sleep.  He is a GREAT sleeper and often has to be woken up for meals.  He loves to sleep or even just lie in his bed and play until someone comes to get him.  He has always been a bit of a "clinger" when you hold him (he wraps his legs around you and squeezes so you cant put him down) and likes to fidget ( squeeze/pinch the back of my arm when I am holding him or mess with my fingernails).  He loves to please others and gets really proud of himself when he puts something in the trash.  He is also the best at the "clean up" game and will actually put toys up when asked...although they typically come right back out.  He is scared to death of the vacuum and Swiffer mop which mean I am usually holding him as I vacuum or swiffer the house.

Brooks, my fearless, clumsy, cuddley, daddy look-a-like, whiny, occasionally shy son who loves books and going outside.  Brooks is and has really always been the best cuddler of my 3 kiddos.  He knows how to curl up on you and snuggle just right to make it nearly impossible to put him down.  He has mastered this technique with his Losi and Gigi especially.  He loves looking at books and will sit and look at the same book for 15-20 minutes some days.  He is a bit clumsy, but this is not totally his fault...his feet are slightly inverted (turned in) which causes him to trip quite a bit more than Braden or Kate.  I feel sure this slight inversion will correct itself as he grows, but until then, I am a nervous wreck watching him play outside just waiting for the next tumble.  Despite his clumsiness, he is fearless ( a bad combination!). He climbs in, around, and over anything he can find and likes to navigate obstacles on his own without any help.  He is whiny.  I feel kind of bad saying this, but it is true.  He whines to be held multiple times a day, most days.  I say whine because they are rarely tears involved in these fussy spells.  He loves Macy and Mo ("Mamy and Mo") and scares me when he gets a little too close to them to try and pet them.

This post has ended up quite a bit longer than I was expecting, but I want to be able to look back in the future and remember the different stages we went through.  I know if I leave it all to memory, much of it will be forgotten.  I am nervous as we approach a new stage with smarter, more independent, much more mobile triplet toddlers, but I am also very excited to watch them continue to grow and learn daily.

Fun Fun Fun

Once again, it has been way too long since my last post.  I somehow completely missed updating any post/pics in April, but will add some of our Easter pics soon.  April was a good, busy month.  We had a wonderful Easter and were blessed to be with our family for good food and a fun egg hunt. 
Quick update on Travis and I.  The Pallet Co is going well keeping Travis very busy.  I am so proud of him and his ability to run a successful business in this tough economy.  As for me, I have taken a new job in Lebanon.  I will still be working in the same setting (SNF), but will be about 20 min closer to home working with a former boss.  This change could not have happened at a better time, as my current company recently lost its contract with McKendree.  Once again, God has provided, opening doors as he closes others--very blessed!
Now to the kids---where to start???  They are all doing well and still just so much fun!  They are pretty good eaters, although some days are better than others.  They love "cackers", muffins, "nanas", spaghetti and Ketchup is an essential with eating chicken.  They are not too fond of pizza yet....I am sure this will change soon!
They love playing "boo" and hiding behind furniture.  They still love books and sometimes will sit still for 10-15min (i think thats pretty long for a 17mo old!) just looking at books.  They are literally "reaching new heights" these days...into all of my kitchen drawers!!  They love brushing their teeth, but hate when I take the tooth brush away. 
Their vocabulary seems to grow everyday and they are definitely understanding more of what is going on around them.  They imitate a lot and already seem to decide when they want to do what someone asks, or do the opposite...they like to turn around and run from me when i ask them to "come here".

We are really looking forward to the summer and having some fun in the pool!

March 15, 2012

Life in the Morris household seems to get busier every day!  As the kids have gotten older and the weather has been wonderful outside, I have tried to get them out of the house a little more for some much needed fresh air and social interaction. 
Last weekend we took our first trip to Memphis to visit Ashley (well, technically 2nd trip since the last time I went, I was pregnant).  Travis had extra work to do at the Pallet Co, so mom went with me and the babies to Memphis.  We had a great time and I really enjoyed getting to catch up with Ashley and mom.  We took the kids to the park on Friday and went to the zoo on Saturday.  I loved playing with the kids at the park, watching them play on the slide and climbing up and down on the jungle gym (with me and mom close by!).  Brooks and Kate loved the swings, but Braden was terrified!.  He was so funny, with a look of pure horror in his sweet little face as he was holding on to the swing with a death grip.  The kids are still a little young to really know what was going on at the zoo, but they had fun just getting out and strolling around.  Although it was a lot of work to take the weekend trip, it was well worth it! 
Yesterday, I decided to take the kids to visit Papa at Adams Place.  He has been a little more lonely lately and I knew he would love the company.  He was eagerly waiting for us when we got there and immediately began showing the kiddos off.  We never actually made it to his room, but strolled the halls a bit and visited some of his friends while we were there.  It has become a little easier managing all 3 of them, now that they all can walk (Forgot to mention--Brooks is Walking!--He really began walking more a couple weeks ago and is walking more than he crawls now!)---that is until they decide to run away from me!
Kate has just discovered how funny it is to run away from momma--She wanted to walk the halls yesterday at the Adams Place and pranced around like she owned the place:) and the minute I would tell her to come to me--she would look at me, laugh, and go faster in the other direction....Kate has also become more independent with eating and often gets mad if I try to help her with her food.  I have recently said "when she is sweet, she is the sweetest baby you have ever seen; when she is mad--watch out".  We will have to get this temper in check soon! As far as development, Kate is doing great.  Her language skills are taking off and she is now saying a couple 2 word sentences (Byebye Dada, Night night dada).  Kate's other common words right now are ball, bath, Ma (Max), Papa, Momma, Dada, cracker, Hi, Byebye and teddy.  She loves books, bathtime, her teddy bear, and sucking her thumb.
Brooks has really made some progress in the past couple of weeks as well.  He is walking most places now and only sometimes crawls when he is tired.  His vocabulary is not quite as large as Kate's, but he is babbling A LOT more these days.  He says ball, Ma (Max),dada, momma, hi and bye bye.  He really seems to like getting into things these days (toy box, dresser drawers, kitchen cabinets,etc.) and loves riding his pony! He still prefers to have someone feed him and is not quite proficient yet with a fork/spoon. He also has begun showing us his temper with dramatic tantrums when he does not get his way.  He has always been a little on the dramatic side, so I fear what kind of embarassing public temper tantrums are in our future. 
Braden has made the most progress in recent days with his speech, primarily animal sounds:)  My favorite thing to do right now is ask him what a sheep says.  When you ask him, he replies with the most intense BAAA sound you have ever heard--it is great.  He can also make pig, duck, cow and dog sounds on request ---if he wants to.  He really likes playing in, around, under, over... our tall kitchen chairs.  He uses them as his own personal jungle gym, climbing all over/around them.
We will have our annual review with TEIS next week to assess goals and write new ones.  I am confident we have achieved all goals thus far and am unsure how much longer we will be able to receive the services.  I do not necessarily feel the kids need the intervention services at this time, however, am grateful the services are available.

Fifteen month update

This week, my not so tiny babies turned 15 mo old.  They are so much fun right now--most of the time:)--and seem to learn something new almost every day.  Brooks has decided to attempt walking, but still prefers crawling for now.  He has taken about 4 steps on his own so far,but then decides crawling is much easier and he is back on all 4's.  Braden has become much more proficient with walking and walks more than he crawls now.  His language has also taken off in the past couple of weeks.  Not so much saying words that we can understand, but a whole new babble that has definite meaning to him!  Kate has mastered walking and rarely crawls these days.  Her 2 top molars came in over the past couple weeks which has led to some extra (understandable) fussiness.  We had our well check this week which meant the highly anticipated "weigh in" as well as the dreaded shots.  Braden is still my biggest weighing 22.4lbs, Kate right behind at 21.4 and Brooks bringing up the rear at 19.4lbs.  MD said there is no concern with any of the weights at this time.  He said that Brooks weight has been consistent and since his height is on the chart, there is no reason for concern.  In my opinion, Brooks is not gaining weight as quickly bc he rarely naps and NEVER sits still.  The child is constantly on the move.  They are all 3 great eaters, so thankfully this is not an issue.  Overall, check up went great!
The unusually warm weather this week has given me a bad case of spring fever--really looking forward to getting these babies out and letting them play in the sunshine!

January 2012

Wow!  Cant believe it has been a month since my last post--and I cant believe January is about to come to an end- Already!  Everyone says "the older you get, the faster times goes by"--I am only 28!!!  I can not imagine how quickly the days will pass in 10-20 years! 
Well this month has been a pretty good one.  We had another round of cold/fever/cough/runny nose spread between the kids in mid January.  It lasted about a week, but we made it through.  We have had approx 1 week of good health since then, so I figured it was about right when I picked up Brooks earlier today and could immediately tell he had a fever (101.9)  UGHH!!  Here we go again!
Exciting news....Braden is walking!  Braden decided to take his first steps Thursday (1/26/12).  He has been very close to taking off for the past few weeks, so I knew he would be on 2 feet teeter-tottering around soon.  Brooks is not quite ready to walk, although he has definitely been showing more interest in trying to walk in the past week.  I feel sure he will be up moving like the other two very soon!  Kate has become even more steady on her feet and walks much more than she crawls these days.  She is still a very sweet baby girl who loves to "give love" by hugging, kissing, blowing kisses.  Her latest trick is being able to identify and name a duck AND say "quack quack" (which actually sounds more like dquack dquack").  
We attempted our first weekend trip with the kids this month.  Last weekend we took a short trip to Gatlinburg with my parents, brother and sister in law.  We had a great time, especially since Gramps and Gigi offerred to keep the kids in their condo, leaving us a room to ourselves and 2 good nights of sleep:) The packing required to take 3 babies on a simple weekend trip is overwhelming.  Our vehicle looked more like we were moving to Gatlinburg, rather than staying only 2 nights.  Despite all the work it took to actually get there, we had a great time.  The kids did pretty well.  Kate definitely knew she was out of her usual setting and off schedule, but overall did good.
2012 off to a good start--cant wait to see what the rest of the year will bring!