Indoor playground fun!

Indoor Playground

Since it was raining this morning and the kids needed to get out of the house, I decided to take them to the indoor playground. We don't go there a lot, it's a little expensive, but it's great fun. They have a ton of different things to play with, even though kids under 3 can't play on everything they have. The kids love to ride the cozy coupe cars, play on the slides and they have a gigantic firetruck and camper which are also fun. You have to "fred flintstone" the cozy coupes, and they are getting pretty good at doing that and steering around the indoor track. Today they had fun driving the cars through this little tunnel and sticking their heads up through a hole in the middle of it.

Will is getting better from his bout with the croup. Xander also cought some sort of virus, but it wasn't croup. He had a couple of feverish days with some coughing, but after a couple of long nights sleep (he slept until 8:30 this morning!) and long naps, he is mending. Grace hasn't caught anything yet. They spent Friday night with Dale and Ellen and got spoiled. They ate dinner at McDonald's, played at the Children's museum and played outside. Sunday, we had church, then Kara and Wes came over for a picnic, complete with homemade ice cream. Yummy!

They've started using two new words that I think are funny. They say "probably" and "already" and usually in the right context. Grace has started saying things like "It's probably mine, mommy." I heard Will say "I already did it." and "Mommy take shower already." They sound so grown up when they say things like that! Will has a little bag my mom must have gotten from ladies golf, because it has the word "swing" on it. Will looked it and said "S-W-I-N-G swing!" this morning. I know I had told him what it said, but he spelled it on his own.

Swimming is going well. Tomorrow is our last lesson. They are all great at jumping off the sides and floating. They all allow themselves to float with a life belt in deeper water with just someone holding their hands. Yesterday, we were sticking heads under the water. Grace did it twice and was MAD about it both times. Will wouldn't do it (he was really cold in the water that day, and spent most of the lesson shivering). Xander's toy was on the bottom of the pool and he held on to the side, stuck his head under water and picked it up. So, that was a good step forward. I'm hoping we can go swimming a lot more this summer and they will get more comfortable in the water. I don't know when we'll do lessons again, but it is definitely worth repeating this class.

We are currently in the middle of fixing the basement bedroom to be a playroom for the kids. It is part of their (half) birthday present from Brian and I. We are commencing painting this week with the goal of being done by their (half) birthday party on the 6th. I'll post some "after" pictures of it when we're done. I think it will turn out neat! More next week, thanks for looking!

Something odd

As you can see from these pictures, there is a baby bird in a nest. What you can't really tell from these pictures, is that the nest is built between my wreath and my front door! For several days I had seen a little red/greyish bird fly around my front door and every time someone opened the door, it would fly to the roof and chirp like crazy, well, this is why. It's baby is on the front door that was getting moved around. The kids are fascinated by the baby bird, and can hear it chirp when the door is shut. Several times a day they ask to see the "baby birdie on mommy's wreath". The wreath can't stay on that door forever, so I hope the baby bird learns to fly soon! In the meantime, let's hope the mama bird doesn't accidentally fly into the house when someone opens the door.

What's been happening...

First of all, let me apologize for no new pictures other's than the Father's Day ones. I do have some pictures from swimming lessons that we took with an underwater camera, but I have to actually take those in to get developed, so it may be a little bit until those are posted.

And speaking of swimming lessons, they are going well. They're starting to get comfortable in the water and with the YMCA. They are letting us doing things with them, like float them on their backs and tummies, put life belts around them and float them. They all are jumping from the side into the water with someone cathing them and putting their face in to blow bubbles. No heads underwater yet. I don't even know if they do that during this particular phase of lessons.

Our other big news this week is about poor Will, again. He seems to get the short end of the straw when it comes to health related issues. He went for a check-up at the asthma doctor on Tues and all looked good. We are continuing on his low dose of Pulmicort (steroids) for now, upping the dose when cold season comes back. He said his lungs sounded good. However, Tues night he started coughing and by Wed morning had a really nasty, barking kind of cough. It wasn't like any asthma cough I recognized. It started getting really bad around noon, so I called the doctor. They had me bring him in later that afternoon (he missed swimming lessons) and it turns out that he has croup. So, now he's on oral steroids and he sounds pretty bad. He isn't super sick otherwise, just a small runny nose and small fever. But you could tell when we were at the doctor that he was having trouble breathing. His tummy was going in and out just to breathe, and he was sucking air audibly through his throat (he sounded like Darth Vader). His oxygen levels were a little low (94/100). So, they're being aggressive with his treatment, considering his history of breathing troubles. The poor kid never seems to catch a break, but he's an angel at the doctor's offices. I hope a good night's sleep and a low key day tomorrow will help him mend.

The other two are doing well. They all 3 are still talking up a storm, being very conversational with adults and with each other. It's funny to hear them talk to each other. Their conversations are very simple, but real. They just say things like, Will: "Here you go, Xander." "Thank you, Will." "OK, Xander." "My tower!" "Xander tower!" (Will is the one who usually uses names that frequently.) Grace gives us a play by play of everything that she does during the day. The other day she was eating a fruit salad and she announced the fruit she was going to eat. "I eat watermelon!" "I eat cantaloupe!" "I found blueberry!" You get the idea. (She did this EVERY BITE!!!) They have always enjoyed building towers with Legos, but this has become a particularly fascinating activity lately. It seems almost all they do at home is build lego towers.
We've been enjoying the mild June weather with several trips to the park this week. Brian and I took them swimming at Star City Shores on Saturday night. I think they had fun, even though the water was cool.

I think that is about all. I'll try and get some swimming pictures up soon. Later!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Happy Father's Day to the best daddy ever! We love you Daddy!
Love, Will, Xander and Grace

Our week

Well, it has been a nice week. We're glad for the nice weather. We had a good weekend of lots of outside playing time. On Thursday, Curt went with us to the zoo. A good time was had by all! The zoo wasn't very crowded, so we were able to go wherever we wanted at our own pace. We spent a long time in the butterfly pavilion and got to touch butterflies. We also spent a while in the bug room, where Xander touched a Madagascar hissing cockroach and a hermit crab. Interesting! The kids were very interested in the animals and I think learned a lot.

On Friday, we spent a lot of time playing outside in the beautiful weather. We met daddy at McDonalds for dinner, then went to the park. It's nice to have park playing time with daddy there. Saturday we did lot of housework during the day, and ate dinner with Aunt Kara at home. Sunday was church all morning and a picnic and trip to another park for dinner.

Monday was an interesting day. It was the first day of swimming lessons. The time of day of the lessons isn't great. They start at 4:00, which is a little early. I had to wake them up from their nap to get there on time. I had a feeling that would cause some problems from being tired, and I was right. We got off to a rocky start during the first half hour of the lesson. A lot of screaming and scared kids. But, by the end, they all three had warmed up to the pool and people and were playing, blowing bubbles and letting us float them. I hope the lessons tomorrow start smoother and they will warm up more quickly so they can actually learn something.

A few funny stories about Will and Xander. Will constantly amazes us with his ability to extrapolate and put knowledge he has learned to work in new situations. They were at my mom's house and Grace was opening a baggie and accidentally ripped it. My mom said "Well, I think we'll have to go and get a new one." and will announced "Super Target!" He knew that you could get new baggies at SuperTarget. Also the other day, he sat down on the lego bucket, said "I go potty. pssssssss. All done!" And got up and walked away. I just about died laughing. (Brian says they were pretending to make the people go potty in the little people doll house.)

The other funny story is about Xander. We had gone to Blockbuster on Saturday night. When we left the store, Will was carrying my receipt and Xander was carrying the movie. When we were walking into the house Brian said "Will, put the receipt in the trash. Xander, put the movie on the counter." So, after they had gone to bed, we went to watch the movie and we couldn't find it. We were turning the kitchen and living room upside down to find it and couldn't. Brian went into their room and asked Xander "Where did you put the movie?" Xander said "Movie all gone." Brian yells to me, "look in the trash." And sure enough, the movie was in the trash. He must have just followed Will's actions. But, we were amazed that he remembered what he did with it!

I think that's about it for now. We have another sort of busy week planned, but it should be fun if the weather doesn't turn hot or rainy. Today is a gorgeous day and we played outside all morning and had another picnic. They love eating outside, something new I guess!

Future virtuosos

The kids got out their instruments they got for Christmas and formed a little trio. I grabbed the camera in time to get a couple of cute action shots. The funniest is Grace holding the guitar like a violin and calling it a "vi-lin". Aunt Kara thinks she's the perfect candidate of the three for the diva violin virtuoso. They're becoming pretty good singers too, lately. They know about a dozen songs from beginning to end and love to sing. Twinkle, ABC's, Itsy Bitsy Spider, I'm a Little Teapot and Wheels on the Bus are most requested. They all have shown some pitch matching potential, so I think it won't be long until we have a little Niebuhr family choir.

Tag - I guess I'm it!

I was "tagged" by Brian's sister Lisa the other day, so I'll go ahead and play the game. Pretty much you answer these questions about yourself and "tag" several other bloggers to answer the same questions. It's just a cyberspace game that tells people about you and sends traffic to other people with blogs. So, here goes....

Favorite person (outside of your family)? As some of you know, Brian and I have had a core group of friends since high school and these people are still very important to us. Some have moved away, gotten married or divorced or have drifted away a little, but all of them will always have a special place in our hearts. We don't see them as much as we would like, but I hope that will change!

Favorite food? I can't narrow it down to just one. I can narrow it down to three, though. Anything crispy chicken, (sandwiches, salads, wraps, on pasta , alone, whatever, it doesn't matter. It's all good), mocha torte (a cake from Brian's aunt's store in Shenandoah, IA) and Easy Cheese (the kind that comes out of a can).


Quirks about you? I like things symmetrical, mostly when it comes to decorating and scrapbooking. Very rarely will you find something asymmetrical in my house. A couple of other small quirky things about me, I hate having my hair pulled up, because it gives me a headache. I will only pull my hair back if I'm really hot or it's really bothering me, and then I don't leave it up for long and mostly around the house. I don't like sweating, I have the air conditioning on as much as Brian will let me and I hate wearing sandals or having bare feet. I also have a love/hate relationship with reading books. I love reading books, and I read very fast and enjoy reading. But, I enjoy it too much. When I'm reading a good book, all I want to do is read because I have to find out what is going to happen next. So, everything else (housework, chores, etc.) suffers. So, that makes me hate reading. Plus, if I start reading a book that doesn't grab me, I don't ever read it. So, pretty much is all or nothing when it comes to reading.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? Well, I will answer this one for Brian in two ways. One way which he thinks about me when he's irritated at me, and the other that (I think) he thinks the rest of the time. When he's mad at me he would say I "strive for mediocrity" because he thinks I'm lazy and don't care about making things as good as they can be, and I'm stubborn. On a good day, he would (probably) say that I'm conscientious, loving, a good mom and I don't know what else. That's a hard one to answer.


Any regrets in life? I can answer this almost truly and say no, I don't think so. Sometimes I wish I had done something a little different or said something a little nicer the first time around, but those things have always gotten resolved in the end and I don't regret the way they turned out. I am very happy with all the choices I have made in my life and the path that I'm on.


Favorite Charity/Cause? Since the triplets were born premature, I really admire and appreciate all the work the March of Dimes does. Their research and advancements with babies has made a world of difference for some families and I think that's wonderful. I know how scary it is to see your little tiny babies lying there in the hospital, although I am thankful ours were so healthy.


Favorite blog right now? My friend Susan Otte (art teacher at my old school, Zeman) has a daughter, Quinn, with a congenital heart defect. She had some complications with her first heart surgery last year that has led to some developmental delays. Susan has been keeping up a blog/online journal since then to keep everyone updated on her progress with doctors, surgeries and therapy. As it also happens, Susan's husband had a heart attack on Christmas day last year and has undergone several surgeries himself, so she also posts info about him. (Glad to report he is doing better). Susan is a wonderful person, whom I really admire. She is getting through some tough times and keeping a very positive attitude. I don't get to see her as much as I would like to (during cold and flu season, Quinn couldn't be around other kids for fear of infections) but I keep updated by reading her entries. Please take a look at her blog by clicking here and keep them in your prayers.


Something you can't get enough of? FREE TIME! There is precious little of it in our house. Now, I know I shouldn't complain, because we have 4 fantastic grandparents who take the kids several evenings a week and an occasional weekend evening, but it always seems I spend that time doing work instead of playing. I wish I had more scrapbooking time and I would love to start playing the piano and organ again.


Worst job you ever had? Hands down, the worst job I ever had was at Nantucket Child, a daycare I worked at in Maryland when we first moved there. I only stayed from mid-February until I left for New York in September, but those were the longest months of my life. My boss (the owner) was a nutjob who didn't know how to run a daycare. I didn't have anything in common with the people I worked with and didn't get along with some of them and we had some crazy parents. I was glad to leave for Albany when I did.


What job would you pay NOT to have? A high school or middle school principal. I wouldn't want to deal with all the delinquents and other problems, plus I think I would be horrible at it.

If you could be a fly on a wall, where would it be? The White House. I would love to hear what actually goes on behind closed doors that no one ever gets to hear.


Favorite bible verse right now: Philippians 4:6-7. "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."


Guilty pleasure? Watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC. It is always good to see someone with multiples who is crazier that I am. I also enjoy the occasional game of spider solitaire on the computer.


If you HAD to spend $1000 on yourself, what would you do? Travel. With three kids only one income, we will never get to go anywhere. I would go on a cruise, or perhaps to Hawaii or Europe. Those are the three places I really want to go.


Favorite thing about your house? The location. We're close to great shopping (hello, Super Target!), restaurants and great schools. The library, YMCA, parks and grandparents' house are relatively close, too. The only drawback is being so far from Brian's work and Sam's Club.


Least favorite thing about your house? How dirty it is. The kids have destroyed the wood floor and carpet. We need to have them refinished and cleaned, respectively. Plus, no matter how often I clean (which isn't that often) it never seems clean enough or stays clean.


One thing you are bad at? Confrontations. Telling people exactly how I feel in a constructive, non-accusatory manor.


Who would you like to meet someday? This is a hard one, and I confess, I can't think of anyone that intrigues me so much that I would really want to meet them.


Who is your real life hero? Any mom or dad of multiples who has raised those kids to adulthood relatively unscathed. By far raising triplets is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life and I completely admire anyone who has successfully done it.


What is the hardest part of your job? I don't think this one needs explanation. Most or all of you reading this have been around my kids at some point in time and know how crazy and hard it can be. Every part about being a stay at home mom is hard.


When are you the most relaxed? I'd say when all the cleaning, laundry and chores are done, the kids are in bed and I am free to watch TV, scrapbook or read a book (but only when the right one comes along).


What stresses you out? Screaming kids and tantrums, running late, bad drivers and extreme hot or cold weather.

What can you not live without? Music. I don't play much piano anymore, and most of the music I listen to these days is sung by a furry red monster, but I know my life would be a lot less meaningful without music. I enjoying singing in choirs, and wish I did it more. And, as I said before, I wish I had more time to restart playing piano or organ. Doing music at church has been good for me to keep that part of my life going and Kara, Brian and I do an occasional wedding where I'll get to play some.

Why do you blog? At first I started blogging to make it easier to give updates on the kids when they were small. Then as time went on, I started to realize that this is giving me a great record of things they did, when they did them and funny stories about our lives. So, now my reasons are two-fold, I blog for all of you, as well as us. I hope the triplets can look back on this when they're older and read about everything they did growing up.


Who am I tagging?


New/newer bloggers: Denise Alexander (I'll give you a link when she's up and running) and my cousin Stefanie Hoefs.


Bloggers you would like to get to know more: Michelle Moser (her husband works with Brian and their son Drew is the triplets' age).


Bloggers you don't think will respond, but hope will: Khara (a brilliant photographer, and friend of Kara's and by extension, mine. She keeps a blog for her photography studio, Kabloom Studios. She's the one responsible for the great professional pictures of the triplets.)


Bloggy friends: Susan, Becky


Rules
1. Answer the questions
2. Link back to whoever tagged you
3. Tag eight bloggers to do the same, 2 from each category:
New/ newer bloggers (since we want to share the love and send them traffic)
Bloggers you'd like to get to know better
Bloggers you don't think will respond, but you hope will
Bloggy friends

A fun day at Kara's house

The rest of our week was not much to speak of, we just did the regular things. But, we did have a fun Sunday evening at Kara's house. Their neighbor has chickens, so we went over to see the new chicks. They also have a new litter of kittens, so we got to pet the new little kitties. Boy were they cute. The kids were fascinated by all the animals, as you can see from the pictures. They were even pretty good around Kara and Wes' dog, Jack. He's a gigantic black lab, but is very nice. They even got close to pet him and no one cried. We're making progress in the dog department, I think. Also, you can see from the pictures that they ate corn on the cob for the first time. At first, they weren't sure what to think of it, but they figured it out and I think they liked it. They do like corn, so I think they will always enjoy it on the cob, too.

Since the weather has been pretty stormy lately, we haven't done much or gone a lot of places. We did hit the park once this week, had some outside time, went to church a couple of times and lots of time at grandparents house. Brian and I got a nice evening out on Saturday, we even saw a movie!!! I'm glad to report sleeping without pacifiers is getting better. They have had several good nights in a row, and even if they do wake up crying, they figure it out and stop crying in only a few seconds. Naptimes are getting a little better, although they are still taking a while to fall asleep. Grace and Xander have woken up screaming during nap the last couple of days, I think they really relied on their pacficiers during naps and the change is hard. They still love their "night-night" toys so that is good.

Not much else to report this week, as I said before, it was a non-eventful week. We hope everyone is surviving the crazy stormy weather and we'll post more stories next week. Take care.