How is it November?!
I thought I'd write an update about all the wonderfully amazing things that have been taking place inside the Patton home.
I'll skip over all the horrible, agonizingly mundane, chaotic and exhausting moments and just give you the good ones. ;)
I love experiencing fall in our new home. We have so many windows in this place; the colors outside my window make the rain and dreariness not so gloomy. The trees outside my window are a deep gold color and I know it is mid fall because there is heaviness in the sunshine now. I feel like I'm truly living in November.
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| This pic definitely doesn't do the view justice |
We took a walk as a family this afternoon. It was one of those moments in our life as a family that I need to bottle up and revisit again, perhaps during one of those moments when it just seems impossible.
It was a glorious late afternoon, fall day. We bundled the kids up with fuzzy blankets. John pushed the triplet stroller (with Evie insisting she sit in the middle of Caleb and James). Levi got his own little chariot with me. We commented on the colors of the trees, stopped to look at leaves and sang goofy songs. It was one of those moments that made me pause and pinch myself: "Is this really my life?!" ....Four beautiful children, an amazing man with whom to share this all with, and a glorious fall day!!!
Ok, I'll take this life today.
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| Whoa, what a leaf! |
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| Wait, here's one with Levi too... |
It's moments like these when I see glimpses of what our life will be like someday... Happy family times, traditions, laughter and long walks that don't end in tantrums or smelly diapers.
We got a new member of the family too:
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| Ta da! |
Meet our new best friend. John has kept his eye out for one of these espresso machines for quite some time now...and lo and behold, one day on Craiglist he found "the one." This is not a simple relationship however. This machines has to be figured out. It takes a lot of trial and error and testing and computing to make "the perfect shot." This one is truly an art form. But like I suspected, John is figuring out all the gadgets and buttons and nozzles and he's making some pretty good caffeine bombs.
I'm not ashamed to admit that my life pretty much runs on Caffeine and Wine right now. It's a never ending cycle, but I'm already on this hamster wheel so now I just need people to join me! ;)
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Oh, and let us not forget Halloween. I think Halloween can be one of the cutest holidays. Let's just forget about the gore and horrible things some people chose to display in their front yards.
I'm talking about Goldilocks and the three bears.
I've pretty much been planning out this costume arrangement from the moment I found out we were having triplet boys.
I'd say Trick or Treating was probably one of Evie's top days ever!
And now let's move on to the boys. They are NINE months old and just had their nine month appointment. We switched doctors because we are so close to another hospital. It was kinda sad to leave the doctor that has been with us from the beginning with Evelyn. But, 2 min to the doctor instead of 30+ min wins. So this was our first appointment with our new doctor.
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| 9 Months! Woo Hoo! |
Levi, as you can guess, is the biggest boy, weighing in at 21 lbs and 13 oz!
Caleb is 18 lbs. 3 oz and James in 18 lbs. They are right in the normal range for the average baby. They didn't even take into consideration that they were preemies! Go boys! They definitely take after their parents in their enjoyment of food consumption.
So, Caleb has the biggest head, which to me is so funny. He's done with his helmet, but I never considered him to have the biggest head.
Ok Caleb, what's going on in that brain of yours?!
I am so grateful. All of them are really healthy: Three perfectly, growing, curious, handsome fellas.
What more do I want?! Soooo grateful.
But Yes,the time has arrived. They are moving...well, not all of them. James is full on crawling. He is such a curious little lad. He pulls, pokes and grabs at everything. He chases the cat. His knees are raw from exploring the house. I don't know where he is half the time; but because he is a "2nd child triplet " I just assume he's ok to fend for himself.
When I am in the kitchen, he crawls over to me and pulls at my pant leg. He's like a skinny little puppy dog.
But I adore him, my James.
And then there is Levi. Levi is huge. He is busting out of his infant car seat and is most comfortable in 18 month clothing. He is truly content to roll around by himself on the carpet and chuckle to himself like a little old man.
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| His favorite toys are Evie's..especially fond of this Ariel doll...(shhh. don't tell his sis) |
He is full on army crawling through the house. He and James corner the cat and pull at his tail. They are already partners in crime. However, Levi will let you know when he is displeased. Yikes! He already throws tantrums when he is frustrated. Usually his frustration stems from not being fed fast enough. He is my gentle giant though, and I love love love my Levi.
While Levi and James are getting into mischief, there’s little Caleb. Caleb is still floppy and prefers to be held and cuddled. He can kinda sit by himself...but he does roll over and aggressively grab at toys. I know he'll get there, little by little. I think he is just too interested in gazing into your eyes to really care about doing anything else. He has two bottom teeth (along with James!) and he still has undeniably has most genuine smile ever.
Even though James and Levi have paired off, he and Evie on the other hand, are kindred spirits. He is completely smitten by his older sister, and she with him.
He has the most hair, and it is carrot red. He will always wear a UV shirt in the pool. But thats ok because I could cuddle with my little Caleb all day. He is simply irresistible.
And then there is princess Evie.
She is the queen of the her brothers. She makes them laugh, dances for them, wants to help feed them and is starting to really enjoy being around them. She talks and looks like a four year old, but she still has her utterly emotional two year old moments. She loves her one morning a week preschool because she really thrives on structure, schedule and organized activity. We are able to bake cookies together now; she recognizes her written name; she sings songs at the top of her lungs.
She has such wonderful moments when I can see a beautiful mother-daughter relationship blossoming….but then there are still so many total meltdown episodes; I dream about the day when we can simply sit down together and discuss our issues over really strong coffee from our espresso machine.
And let's not forget Daddy John. John is still succeeding at being a #1 family man. He is really enjoying how responsive and fun the boys are becoming. He soaks up any time he has with his girl Evie. (in fact Evie has said she doesn't like boys except Daddy) According to John, his plan is working out perfectly.
He shows me everyday that he is committed to our family, relationship and me, til death do us part. He hangs pictures, changes diapers and makes me the best carmel lattes. I really do feel so honored to be raising our kids with him. We are a team.
And me?! Well, I feel like I'm always in the process of being refined.
What I’ve been learning lately is the necessity to separate the situation from my emotions. Being a woman, I am prone to getting emotionally wrapped up in Evie and her emotional outbursts. My emotions can plummet into deep despair due to exhaustion of caring for everyone. And I can get totally drained by the expectations and demands and desires of my own relationship obligations within and outside my family. I am learning to view what is going on around me- the situations and problems- from an emotional distance and deal with it in neutrality. This, I believe ,is the key to keeping up my energy and my sanity.
But everyday I feel like I take one step forward and five steps back.
Overall though, life is good. It's November and we are still living and still smiling 50% of the time. I'm looking forward to the holiday season starting. I'm trying to bake a lot of pumpkin bread...
but I vowed not to start listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving.
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