7.18.12 ~ SHARC

 Sunriver gained an incredible new facility called the SHARC (Sunriver homeowner's...something or other) and it was a hit all week. This day I got to go shopping and out to lunch with the aunties and Dan had the girls. They loved the rock climbing and rumor has it one child climbed to the top of the structure and out of reach so Dan had to climb to the top to retrieve her. It also has several pools, a giant sand area, slides, and fountains to play in. I think the last picture speaks for itself! Those girls were exhausted!

7.17.12 ~ Pony Rides

While in Sunriver we took the girls to the Stables to ride ponies. The lucky pony was named Houdini and the girls LOVED riding him. There were tears when it was time to say goodbye to him. They also got to pet a real horse and watch ground squirrels (rats without tails?) playing nearby. 

Avery riding Houdini

Camille

Avery

Brelynn

6.30.12 ~ Birthday Party

We had a great time with family and friends celebrating these big three year olds! The girls chose to have bugs and flowers on their birthday cakes so we ran with that. Avery had flowers, Brelynn had bumble bees, and Camille had ladybugs. They got excited over every gift and enjoyed the item inside instead of just the wrapping paper this year. Here are just a few pictures from their party.

Avery, Camille, Brelynn

6.1.12 ~ updates

As I've been planning the girls' 3rd birthday party later this month I've been reflecting a lot on their lives. It sounds sappy and silly to say it out loud, but it's just incredible how far they've come. As a speech pathologist I know what can happen when babies are born premature and the many complications that can come from an early entry into the world. And although they had a bit of a rough first few months, they have thrived. Not only are they growing, but their little minds and personalities are just flourishing. When they were little I would update their development by domains... for nostalgia sake here goes.

Communication: These girls all have full on conversations. They use long, abstract sentences with a few grammatical errors. For example, 'mama, when me get big me gonna drink coffee, too.' Camille sings almost constantly. If it's not a song she knows, she makes one up. Recent songs are 'we are going to the library' 'we have a lot of food' (shopping trip), and 'I love mommy and daddy'. The girls all love singing Jesus Loves Me currently.

Comprehension: All girls can easily answer yes/no, what, where, who, and some when and why questions. They can follow 3 part directions if they don't get distracted by something along the way and can follow 2 part unrelated directions (take off your shoes, put them in the bin, and go get in your high chairs for lunch). As far as concepts go, they know all their colors, shapes, and most letters. They can count to 20 with a mistake usually around 16 and know some early phonemic awareness (B says 'buh').

Play: The girls are starting to have interactive pretend play. They will have a tea party or pretend to be puppies and kitties. They can take turns in a game really well but still fight sometimes over toys. or who gets to be first at something. or who gets to sit in the top of the shopping cart. They love their sisters so much and have genuine concern when one is sad or hurt. They also love to watch cartoons, especially Caillou, Super Why, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Dora.

Feeding: The girls are incredible eaters. They eat anything and everything and love fruits and vegetables. Given the choice, they would probably choose carrots or broccoli over just about anything. They can use a fork and spoon and drink from an open cup, although this can be a bit messy still. They primarily use sippy cups unless we're outside to avoid messes.

Gross Motor: All girls are walking, running, climbing up the 8 foot garage wall to touch the ceiling (via climbing wall holds), and trying to ride bikes. They don't love the balance bike and can't figure out how to pedal the trike yet. They can jump forward and backward and easily jump off the couch onto the floor. They are daredevils.

Fine Motor: All girls can color and Brelynn is starting to color pictures instead of just scribbling. They can draw a face with head, eyes, nose, and mouth. Sometimes their drawings have hair or ears. They are starting to write letters. They are still generally grasping the pencil with their whole hand.

Sleep: Bedtime now is between 7:30 and 8:00. They are in toddler beds and share a room. We still use the 'green light' (Okay to wake alarm clock...google it. it will save your sanity if you have young kids) to let them know when it's okay to get up in the morning. They usually sleep until 7:30 or 8 in the morning. They have 'quiet time' from 1:30-3:30 most days and have started napping again for part of that time.

Potty: all girls are fully potty trained during the day, even leaving the house for a few hours at a time. We can take a potty with us or plan to use public restrooms (like at the library). They nap without having accidents. They wear a pull up at bedtime still but a few have been dry in the morning recently.

What else is there? Dan and I talk about how crazy our lives are. The girls are incredibly well behaved and polite, but there are almost three and they outnumber us! Life is getting easier as the girls gain independence and can do more for themselves. And we are certainly enjoying these three little people more and more everyday!

5.26.12 ~ Camping!

We did it...we took the girls camping overnight for the first time. My parents have a piece of property outside Granite Falls and it is perfect for camping. There is a big grassy field for the girls to run, a river to throw rocks, and pine trees dropping tons of pine cones to collect and throw in the fire. They saw a frog, roasted hot dogs, and had smores. We wore them out during the day and the slept pretty well at night but they got a little cold and cried in their sleep. Grandma and Papa Coulson were able to join us and the girls are already planning the next camping trip! Dan stayed up late to capture star trails above our monsterous tent. Pretty cool, huh? I think the girls have the same shirts on for most of the pictures. Avery is in pink, Brelynn is in purple, and Camille is in pink and yellow. 

4.21.12 ~ Our First Hike

Thanks to the fabulous Kim and Ryan, we completed our first hike with the girls (where they did some of the hiking). We went to Twin Falls near North Bend. It was supposed to be an easy, flat hike with a few switchbacks the last little bit. It was not as described. Luckily, we brought three kid carriers and with four adults we managed to make it to the falls and back. The next hike will need to be flatter though because I'm getting too old to carry a 30 pound backpack up steep hills! The girls had a great time and are ready to go hiking again. They loved exploring all the streams and throwing rocks into the creek. There were tons of people and animals to watch including tons of dogs, chipmunks, and a cat on a leash! The girls even got to wear their own backpacks with snacks and sippy cups!

4.7.12 ~ Multiples Easter Egg Hunt

We got together with 4 sets of twins and us for an Easter egg hunt a few weeks ago. So glad it wasn't here and the yard was big enough for all the kids. Oh, they're all the same age since the parents were all in the same 'expecting multiples' class! It was fun to see so many kids the same age.

Camille busting out to get the eggs!