Snow Day!

It doesn't snow much here, so when it does, we get excited!  I've clearly blocked out a lot of Virginia winters (and springs).  Last night we got around 3-4 inches and I think that's a perfect amount.  Enough to play in, but not enough to be trapped inside for days and days.

The girls were of course thrilled, and Maddie even declared it a "winter wonderland"!  Their favorite activity of the day seemed to be sliding down their slide and then landing with a big wet splat into the snow.

We were all a little bummed that it wasn't good snowman-building snow - they'd already planned out the whole snow family they were hoping to create - but it didn't keep us down for long.

Kevin's work was technically on a two-hour delay, but because he's a good daddy (and maybe because he wanted to play a little too) he took the whole day off to hang with us.

A bunch of older kids on our street were out sledding, so we headed out to watch them for a bit and give our girls a chance to join in if they wanted.  Although we don't have any sleds or anything of our own, our sweet neighbors were quick to offer to share.  Can I just say these are some of the kindest, most well-mannered kids of this age that I've ever been around?  I think I need to spend some more time talking with and observing their moms (if you're reading this, you know who you are)!  Maybe their good parenting will rub off.

Only Reagan ended up being brave enough to try a sled, and only once.  I think she liked it but not enough to go again.  Her sisters seemed happiest watching!  We warmed up inside with hot chocolate and then made snowman cookies.  As always, the best part of making cookies was eating dough and licking the bowl...

We ended up going outside three different times...bundling everybody up got a little monotonous at that point!  Confession: I haven't yet bought any winter coats for the girls this year.  (Grandmas, don't fuss at me!)  Last year we didn't need anything heavier than fleece hoodies.  Since that was all I had for them today, I just went with layers - LOTS of layers!  I'm surprised they could walk.  At least we had hats, mittens and scarves.  They've been wearing them inside since November, so they were pleased to actually need them outside today.

Hooray for snow days....every once in a while!

A Triple Sweet Christmas

We had a very merry Christmas 2013 and are excited to kick off a new year!  Since the girls understood the holidays a bit more and really got into the festivities, it was a good chance to figure out what new traditions we might want to start and then continue in the future.  One of my favorite activities was taking the girls to the retirement home to sing carols and give out cards and drawings they had made for the residents.  I was worried that my two shy(er) girls would shut down, be afraid (or rude), and not participate, but after a little warming up they did a great job singing, handing out cards, and saying "Merry Christmas" to the sweet people there.  I was so proud of them.  In a way it broke my heart to see these women and men who have 50 - 60 years of their lives packed into their little apartments, but that made it sweeter to do this one little thing to make them smile.  We moved pretty quickly from room to room and it was hard because so many of them just wanted to talk and to be listened to....I think some of them could have talked all day if someone would have stayed to listen.  I hope in the new year that I'll remember them and commit to taking the time to go back and visit more.  Some of us have talked about taking the kids back for Valentine's Day; I hope we can make it happen!  One of the kids commented on a lady's pretty necklace, and she told us her husband had given it to her on their wedding day.  They all had pictures, quilts, and mementos they wanted to show us and one couple had a whole Christmas village in their apartment that I'm guessing they'd been collecting for years.  They were precious and loved seeing triplets, and called the girls "angels" (ha!).  It was one of the most meaningful things we did this year and I definitely want to make it a tradition.

I love the magic feeling of Christmas Eve night.  So much anticipation!

Christmas morning was exactly what you'd imagine it would be with three three-year-olds!  At first they weren't really sure what to do, but they caught on fast.  I wanted to make sure that they took the time to see what each person received, so we all took turns opening one gift at a time (they got a little antsy, but they tried).  Before Christmas I took each girl individually to Dollar Tree and let them pick out a gift for their sisters.  They seemed to have fun with it, but the challenge was getting them to keep it a secret and not tell each other what their presents were, and also helping them understand that they weren't shopping for toys for themselves but for something to give away.  It was interesting to see what they picked out for each other (bubbles, princess crowns, and a play-dough tool).  They liked watching their sisters open what they'd chosen and they were sweet to thank each other (with some prompting, of course).  Another tradition I want to keep!

It was a sea of pink once all the presents were opened!

We tried not to go overboard but I did get a little caught up in shopping and it was hard to stop once I got started!  And I learned that even if you get three of the exact same toy, three kids will still find a way to fight over them.

I would say that their favorite gifts were dress-up clothes (princess dresses and shoes).  They've been wearing them non-stop since Christmas day.  Even if someone breaks an ankle in those shoes it still might be worth it for the hours of fun that they've created...there's a ball to attend at least once a day, with this whole scene that takes place where someone cries, "It's late!  I have to go!" and someone else responds, "Wait!  I don't even know your name!" followed by lots of running/clomping.

I really enjoyed having time with family and I know the girls made some great memories with their grandparents and great-grandmother (my Mamaw).  I'm pretty sure the grown-ups had even more fun than the littles.

Grammy is still a kid at heart, so she's always in her element here.  Christmas was no exception.

After Christmas we headed north to spend a few days at Grandma and Poppy's house.  Maddie became attached to (obsessed with?) a Rudolph storybook, even though she was terrified of the abominable snow monster.  Luckily Poppy has a better attitude than I do about reading the same story 50+ times.

Grandma made aprons for the girls so they could help her bake up some cookies and make fudge.  Doing this kind of thing with the grandparents is the way to go....mommy gets to enjoy the fruits of their labor but doesn't have to deal with the mess...

It was a great Christmas and we are thankful for the time together.  I've been feeling a little sad lately when I see old pictures from when the girls were smaller.  So much of the first couple of years were a complete blur and we were in survival mode for such a long time.  It feels like I can hardly remember them as babies and toddlers, and I worry that I didn't savor the time like I should have because I was exhausted and often frustrated and overwhelmed.  These days are pretty overwhelming themselves....so I'm trying hard to fight for joy and be thankful for the sweet moments.  I spent a lot of the past year in a state of frustration with potty training and "obedience" training (wow, sounds like I'm talking about dogs), and I'm praying for the grace to enjoy these days a bit more in the year ahead.

Happy 2014!  I'm looking forward to seeing what adventures lie ahead!