hold your judgements

ok, before i begin- let's get a few things straight. i have received a few less- than- friendly comments on our "inadequate blogging". first of all, i told you that would be the case. secondly, if you have seen my basement- i should not be blogging at all. especially because there is a "for sale" sign in our yard, and our house has a better chance of being condemned than selling! i have also noticed that the only comments we receive on our blog are from other bloggers, they know the hurt of 0 comments and take a stand against "blog-gawkers". so for those of you who are checking our blog 20 times a day (i.e. jeff), this will be your jackpot.

claire, lauren and emma are going to be 3 in a few weeks. shocking, isn't it? i remember breaking life down into weeks those first few months. when the girls were 8 weeks old, i remember thinking "i have made it 8 weeks...in 8 more weeks they will be 16 weeks old" weeks/days/moments at a time made it seem less overwhelming. when i was pregnant with anna, i could picture her at different stages in life. i did not do that with the girls. too many unknowns, i guess. now, i often find myself in moments of "i didn't think of that"....and those are what makes my life so rich. here are a couple of examples...

-3 big bike riders, cruising down the sidewalk. (lauren in a size 6-8year old helmet- she has a larger size head!) i didn't seem like they would ever be independent of me, and just like that....

-i assumed that because of the close proximity in the womb, they would be more alike. not so, completely separate personalities, voices, noses...(so far no one has sported one like mine- may their luck continue).

-who knew that i would know whose hand i am holding without even looking down. it gets me every time.

-they speak. a lot. i never thought beyond the "meet my needs" cries of the first year. along with the whining, they sing and laugh and count. (honesty check, usually there is a least 1 whining while the singing is going on), but a van full of giggles makes it worth it.

anna likes to talk about "how i got to be the mom". she says God knew her and i would be a good fit because she love milkshakes and i drank a lot of them when i was pregnant with her! and because i love her best and most. it is true..my girls and i are a good fit (minus our occasional 'piece the wrong way'). each one of them brings a part that makes up our life and completes it. i wonder if i will be back to 8-week junks of life when they are about 13.....

i want to soak up the sun....

photo taken on April 12.

i just watched the 10-day for forecast...and for about the 49th day in a row, it shows no sign of improvement. bummer. i have been doing some "last minute deals" searching and feel ready to hop on a plane and head anywhere where there is sun (and no snow). would anyone like to join me?? it can't be winter in the spring everywhere. f.y.i. emma (my sweet, darling 2 year old) is not invited. she is laying with her body in the hallway and her toes in her room (so that she does not violate the "do not leave this room during your timeout" rule) and screaming "I WILL BE GOOD! I WILL BE GOOD". it has been her theme cry today, but has proven false every time. claire and lauren are occupying themselves by also standing in the hallway and reporting to me everytime she lifts a toe off her carpet. claire is chanting "get her mom. she is so bad". anna is making known her desire to attend all day school because she just got home and she is "already so bored" and "sisters are so loud and whiney". a happy household today. even though this post is rather negative- i do still love them and would not trade them (well, maybe emma for a short time!!). sunny location, here i come. have a great day!!

merry christmas!!!!.....

o wait. happy easter. those who reside in michigan with us understand this title. we had an indoor spring break, due to the weather. we braved playworld (along with most of hudsonville/jenison/grandville), the mall, and best of all....chuck-e-cheese (a.k.a. chunky cheese). it took the girls a good 30 minutes to realize that the rides could move if you inserted a gold coin. it was rather uneventful, as hart outings go. anna hopped up on stage with the dancing/singing chuck-e and was slightly assaulted during one of his pre-recorded hand movements. she didn't seem to notice. we sat down to eat pizza (kevin, i know you are gagging right now) and we noticed emma was missing. she showed up with the coin dispenser operator who informed us that she was trying to break out the front door. thank goodness for those blacklight stamps they place on your left hand!! we also walked through the mall and found a big, bored bunny. anna was feeling beautiful in her winter plaid jumper and hopped right on his lap. the other girls were not so sure, so it became a family photo. emma's red socks and all!


f.y.i. westshore mall was almost empty during spring break, who knew!!

anna and chuck-e	claire on the clock ride	proof...lauren outside the bathroom

here are some easter photos:



the cousins.





left to right:
emma rose
claire elisabeth
anna rae
lauren elise

life in panties

whoever said that life would get easier once the girls were potty trained, lied to us. apologize as you feel compelled. the triplets have mastered the potty. they also need to "mark their territory" at each and every public restroom. several times at each restroom for lauren.
here is a true story: a couple of saturdays ago, we headed out for our usual saturday trip to sam's club. we picked up the necessities and went for a slice of cheese pizza (cut into 4!) and a vanilla ice cream (with 3 extra cups- yeah big portions!) one of the three saw the potty sign and it was on. all 4 needed to go. anna is not such a problem because she can take care of herself and has an adequate fear of germs. this is not the case for the others. despite my tendency to exaggerate...this is all true. we head in and the clip board indicates that the facilities have not been tended to in a while. i am lifting emma up on the potty and meanwhile the sight of the potty has made it impossible for claire to hold it. she is wet and crying. while i am trying to convince claire that it is ok to be naked in your snowsuit and that it isn't a big deal to have pee in your boots; i look over and see lauren lying on her stomach, head on the nasty floor, licking the tile like it is an ice cream cone. where is emma in all this? i push open her stall door to find her splashing in the toilet. you may find this scenario humorous, but as i type- i still have not cracked a smile. meanwhile- brian is happily munching on his 4-berry ice cream sundae. i think i prefer the diapers.

not sure who is who?? left to right: emma,claire,anna and lauren.