Saturday smiles

Sometimes your joy is in the source of a smile, but sometimes a smile can be the source of your joy. (Thich Nhat Hanh)

Week in Review

It's the laws of nature I'm concerned with these days. One law in particular, Murphy's. Even more particular, the version of "Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first." Each night this week I set out to update the blog because I know you are waiting on pins and needles to hear what exciting things happened in our crazy world. (See, I may not have given you the wit this week, but I did save some sarcasm to spread today.) But, I now find myself at home with the three girls on a Friday night with nothing to do...and it isn't the Tell Tale heart I hear beating, but the blog saying "Write me. Write me." So here is the much anticipated review.

Sunday, February 20th
Although Abby was ending her cold, cough and congestion, she unfortunately passed it on to Blaire and the two stayed home from church this morning to help knock the crud right out of their system. But surprisingly, it wasn't the cold or crud that seemed to be the problem..it was the separation between Reagan and Blaire. After reading up on twins separation anxiety, several articles suggested that it doesn't begin to bother twins until age 6. Phooey. (Another one of my technical terms that proves I was never one of the intended to go into math/science or medicine.) I saw it first hand Sunday morning. Reagan, who came with me to church, was completely out of sorts. And for the child that loves her morning 2 hour nap, she wouldn't even hardly close her eyes until she was back home and next to Blaire. During the same time, Blaire was acting odd as well. After they were reunited (after being apart for only about 4 hours), they both laughed, cooed, played and then had a great nap in their own cribs - 2 feet away from each other and happy as can be.

Monday, February 21st
Presidents Day...which brings to mind one of my favorite political quotes, "George Washington is the only president who didn't blame the previous administration for his troubles." (Author Unknown). And not only was it a holiday - it was a girls only holiday! Eric headed out of town Monday morning and wouldn't be back until Tuesday night. While some schools used this day as a weather make up, Abby's did not - which meant we had the entire day to play hooky and have fun. There were lots of crafts, books, cartoons and sister playing during the day. Then, at dinner time we invited the Miller family (Alex, Aaron, Carys and Kismet) over for a Presidental Pizza Party! There was pizza, bouncy house, dress up, dancing, singing, video game car racing and cookies!

Tuesday, February 22nd
School was back in session! (And after a week of Abby being off of school due to illness and holiday, all I could think of was the lyric from It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas - "And mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again!") While Eric was still gone, after Abby's school drop off, I headed to check out the progress on the church. Even though the Campers on Mission are gone, the contractors are getting the place up and running - in particular this week, the air and heat needed to be running. After some grocery shopping and playtime, we headed back to school to get Abby and ended up coming home with our friends the Slagles (Elizabeth and Taylor) for fun times outside in the gorgeous weather we've been having!

Wednesday, February 23rd
Almost everyday Abby asks "What kind of fun stuff can we do today?" Today's activity was something I really never thought we'd do in February: swimming. Yep, the kiddo was ready to head on out to the pool and take a dive...or rather a jump. But it was just the one jump and then the excuses started - I heard everything other than the real reason she refused to say...the water was freezing! It might have been in the mid 70s out on the lounge chairs but the water was nowhere near that! But it was a good time and we enjoyed it being together...especially watching Reagan and Blaire laugh at Abby while she was kicking around the water and splashing at shadows!

Thursday, February 24th
Twelve days ago, little Hayden William-James Wilson came into this world and we have been so ready to see him and snuggle! With 2 of our 3 kiddos cruddy last week, we couldn't get near the newborn so we were so excited when his Mom said we could come on over today! Jennifer and Colby Wilson welcomed their main man into the world Saturday February 12th...and he is simply beautiful! Such a gorgeous complexion! We were in love at first sight and can't wait to get back to get our hands on the handsome little bugger!


Friday, February 25th
Calling all local moms...you need to check out the Wiregrass Cheer and Dance for their Toddler/Tot Time and play rooms. A bunch of us headed on over there this morning and had a ball. Although almost all of Abby's age friends were in school (she only goes to school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays) she, and the twins, had a great time! After playing we headed out to lunch at one of our favs - Mellow Mushroom.


As we sit here on the brink of another weekend, I'd like to say that I'll post before the weekend ends, or further more, before the next one begins, but like Murphy, I'm gonna just be realistic and tell you that something else is probably gonna come up first! Happy weekend and happy week ahead!

**********
NEWS ALERT
**********
This just in...the top five things that make a somewhat fun week, a pain in the you-know-what:

(1) Ridiculously crazy drooling as a cause of teething - the teeth that have still not come in even though they've got to be just right there since the drool will soak a new outfit in less than 6 mins of it being on.

(2) Bug bites...ant bites on baby hands, mosquito bites on baby thigh, etc. I don't know if it's bed bugs, summer-is-coming bugs or what but sheets are being deep cleaned, carpets were vacuumed every day, and ointments were applied. Those bugs are really bugging me.

(3) Nasal Aspirator (a.k.a Booger Machine)

(4) Having a list of 5 things you've been trying to remember all week to add to the blog post but not remembering all of them. Pure frustration.

(5) See Number 4.

Picture Perfect!

Abigail Lee (4 years old)

Reagan Nichole (9 months)


Blaire Elizabeth (9 months)


The three girls...love love love!

Look Who's Talking Too

Blaire (in blue): We did it! We did it!

Reagan (in green): Yea! Wait, what did we do? I forgot already.

Blaire: We made Mommy get up early on this Saturday morning and play instead of sleep! Woo Hoo!

Reagan: Yea! That's right! I remember I was keeping that a secret from her when we were in her bed last night.

Blaire: Wait. You were in her bed last night?

Reagan: Yeah, this teething thing isn't going so well for me. I got really fussy.

Blaire: Is that what all that noise coming from your crib was about? I thought I was dreaming.

Reagan: Girl, you were sound asleep. I even heard you snoring!

Blaire: Nah, girl, it's not snoring. I'm still a little congested. But at least it isn't as bad as it was yesterday morning.

Reagan: So...what are we going to do today?

Blaire: I don't know. I heard Big Sister is feeling better. Maybe if it's nice weather we can go outside for a little bit. I love watching these golfers in the backyard...maybe we can go say hello to a couple.

Reagan: Yeah. But Mommy will probably make us eat some food first. You know, I love breakfast and I love dinner but those veggies at lunch are gross.

Blaire: I know. That's why I spit them out the other day!

Reagan: Ha ha! Yeah, Mommy didn't find that so funny, did she?

Blaire: I think she's still learning about this whole baby thing.

Reagan: Think we should tell her we think she's crazy?

Blaire: Nah, that part I'm pretty sure she knows.

Flower Power

Once again, another family member is getting married and asked Abby to be their Flower Girl...she is becoming a pro at this gig! LOL! After waiting months for the dress, we finally got it and decided a night of "Flower Girl practice" was in order since the wedding is exactly two weeks away! Since we didn't have any flower petals to practice throwing, we improvised and fixed the Flower Girl basket full of peppermints, ha! I think that was Abby's favorite part of the practice!!! After she walked and threw (and she literally chunked those candies...thank goodness it's not a Willy Wonka candy themed wedding or people might be leaving the sanctuary with black and blue eyes), she wanted to dance a little bit. She chose one of her favorite songs (from The Princess and the Frog) and boogied down!

Third Thursday

Today's the third Thursday of the month so that means dinner with Eric's brother (Aaron) and fiance (Jenifer). Dinner this month was at our house and was quite yummy if I do say so myself - ha! (I have to add that in as much as I can so people believe that I really can cook, ha ha!) With all 7 of us around the dinner table, we enjoyed fried pork chops, au gratin potatoes, cheese biscuits and a garden salad. There was all sorts of fun and fellowship...and even a bit of monkeying around - and I'm not just talking about when we all ate the monkey bread Jen brought for dessert!


P.S. Thanks to everyone that's called, written or messaged us about Abby. She's feeling much better! If you didn't hear, she got a bit of a crud/cold this week and a runny nose on Wednesday afternoon turned into congestion and a cough by that night. She stayed home from school today and got lots of meds and rest...apparently enough to enjoy the night!

Ripley's Believe It Or Not

You wouldn't believe me if I told you but...I'm sitting here with some time on my hands to blog (rare these days - which is why some updates come with 2 or 3 days at a time!)...Anyhoo....I thought I'd go ahead and post something from Tues or Wed and you'll just never believe it. Nope, you won't. Go ahead and guess what I'm gonna say...

I have taken NO pictures since Monday night!!!!!

Can you believe it? I just can't...I think that's a record for me, LOL!

Course you know what that means don't you...I'll be taking a lot of pictures today, ha ha!

Love is...

"Love is never stuffed up, never puffed up,

Never gives up when the goings rough

It’s the biggest little word you can say, by the way

Its sympathy, sincerity, its charity, the main variety

Of everything happiness is made of."

What a wonderful day of love we had around here...it was a great Valentine's Day! After school was out for the day, the four of us Wade women headed over to the local park where we met up with some friends and enjoyed a gorgeous day out in the sunshine. Ducks were fed, playgrounds were played on, swings were swung on, and although Abby was very excited to share with the twins first visit to the park, in true baby fashion, they slept thru almost all of it! Ha ha!

When we got home we were treated to a yummy grilled steak dinner with baked potatoes and salad as well. Scrumpdidliumpcious! And then we opened up tons of Valentine's Day gifts! We spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company before it was time to say goodnight! We hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day...Happy hearts to all!

HAPPY HEARTS

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love, The Wades


We give on this day candy and flowers,
But we never stop to say thank you for the many hours.
You have stood by our side and gave a smile,
As if to tell our hearts it's been worth every mile.
No need to buy a teddy bear or even a card,
It's pretty simple and not at all hard.
Just put your arms around us and hold us tight,
And say without words that in your heart all is right.
You may say I Love You throughout the year,
But on this day you need to make sure.
The words so sweet and straight from your heart,
That your life would be lonely without our part.
So put forth the effort and take the time,
Look us in the eyes and say I'm glad you're mine.

To all of our Valentines out there...we are so very glad you are ours. Our hearts have been touched by so many people and we love each and every one of you. Thank you for letting us love you!
Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunday smiles

After a great worship service today at Providence Baptist Church, we joined Jess, Branden and Renee at lunch and the girls were all smiles for the chance to sit with some of their besties! All three of them ate and ate and ate...although some got green beans while another got to munch on some of her favs including a baked potato, fish and hush puppies, ha! It's never a dull moment at the table with all of these characters and today was no exception! A great time was had by all!

Party on girls

Another Saturday, another day full of parties! And I'm beginning to believe that we wouldn't have it any other way! After waking up and getting ready for the day, we headed off to Jennifer's baby shower (Barbara's good friend, Jennifer Wilson)...but low and behold, the guest of honor wasn't there because she was in Labor and Delivery holding her new little bundle of love! Yep, little Hayden Wilson was born on 2/12 at 9:50 AM via C-Section. He is adorable - head full of blonde hair, 20 inches long, 7 pounds and 5 ounces big. Pure sweet baby love! But even though Jennifer wasn't able to be at her own shower, we partied on without her and sat eating cake, laughing and watching her pile of presents grow bigger and bigger! It was a great shower and we can't wait for baby Hayden to enjoy all of his new goodies! After the baby shower, we headed to the Oglesby's house for a Family Valentine's Day party...with the Oglesbys, Millers, Jones, Vahovius, Edds, Slagles, Phillips, Boswells and a ton of kiddos we laughed and ate until the night ended with babies and toddlers ready for bedtime! Thanks to our great peeps for such a great time!

Friday night feast

What would a week be in this house without a trip to Santa Fe???? I don't know - you'll have to come back to me with that one since we seem to go there once a week! And sure enough, this week was no different. When we got the invite to join the Campers on Mission for their Friday night dinner out, we immediately said yes. And when we got the call that the restaurant was changed from McLins to Santa Fe, you would have thought that Abby was going to have a heart attack from jumping for joy! She of course thinks that they chose Santa Fe just for her, ha! But we packed up the car, headed to Santa Fe and spent a wonderful two hours enjoying some great fellowship with eighteen of our great new friends!

Part of the crew

Today was a bittersweet sort of holiday from school for Abby. Once a week, Abby attends chapel with her classmates at school(First United Methodist Stepping Stones Preschool). Pastor Bob Penton leads the children in chapel where they learn stories about God and Jesus. Abby and her friends knew that Pastor Bob was going to the hospital for the doctors to work on his heart. Unfortunately, Pastor Bob passed away after heart surgery. The school closed for his funeral today and Abby stayed home and we worked on lots of crafts, projects and lots of quality time together. Although, after eight hours of quality time with three kiddos, I was ready to get out of the house...which worked out well with our schedule because we were going to attend a Bible Study with the women of Campers on Missions earlier this afternoon. As we headed to the church we enjoyed an hour of great fellowship while finishing the Bible Study on the miracles of Lazarus and the blind man. All the COM women helped out and watched Blaire and Reagan for me while I was able to go take Abby to the construction site. And once again, Abby wooed those COM men into getting anything she wanted - including signing her name on the drywall (of the main hallway) as one of the construction workers! She couldn't believe she was allowed to do that...and with their special construction pencil to boot!

Stuck on Bandaids...

Well, it was that time of month again for the twins to get their Synergis shot (their final one - woo hoo!) and it just so happened to coincide with the time for Abby to get her 4 year old shots (technically they are the shots you get at age 5 but Docs prefer you get them at age 4). After having the appointment planned for Friday of this week, Dr. Mac had to make changes in her schedule and needed to rearrange the girls' appointment. This morning we were sitting around the house and got the call to get up and get going to her office since there was an opening for all three to get their check ups and shots. When we first got to the office, we went straight for the digits we wanted to know:

Abby - 42 lbs, 42 inches tall
Reagan - 16 lbs and 10 ounces, 25 inches tall
Blaire - 18 lbs, 24 inches tall

Dr. Mac and Nurse Leigh were so impressed with the way all three girls have grown! Abby was above and beyond the developmental and learning milestones in all areas including social, cognitive and motor skills. Blaire and Reagan are now up to the 40th percentile for their corrected age but exceeding all of their milestones for development. They are right around the developmental curve of a 7 month old. They are already rolling, scooting, eating 3 meals a day, 3 naps per day, and babbling like crazy. Both girls are teething (any day now we are waiting for their bottom teeth to pop thru those gums!) and can sit unassisted for short periods of time (as long as they are leaning forward propping their hands on the ground between their legs). For their weight, length and growth, Dr. Mac and Nurse Leigh were very proud of the girls and their accomplishments! Everyone was all smiles...UNTIL....

...the shots came. After Dr. Mac left the room, Nurse Leigh came back in with the shots and Bandaids ready. If you haven't heard me say it before, I'll say it now - she is awesome. She's the first person that I've ever seen give shots to three girls and get it all done in less than 3 minutes flat. Rock on!!!!! We started with Abby and while I held her arms/hands, Nurse Leigh gave her three shots all in her thighs. She did cry but was soon calming her sobs in the exam room chair sipping on her Capri Sun. Then came Reagan...she got one shot in her thigh and cried for about 30 seconds before turning and laughing in my arms. And last was Blaire. Who didn't even cry as long as Reagan - but she pouted for about the next minute or two. All in all, it wasn't bad - the only thing I can say is that thank goodness it didn't last long because all three of our daughters have VERY healthy lungs!



PS. Wanna know the best part of the entire day? Since I was by myself with the girls, I really turned to Abby for a lot of help...and she was awesome! When we left the exam room, we headed up to the front desk to pay. At each of Abby's "Well check up" appointments, she gets a book from Dr. Mac. When we got to the front desk, Abby pulled her book out of the diaper bag and said "Mommy, you can pay the money while I read to my baby sisters." And a few minutes later, while I was taking care of all three bills, I turned and saw the sweetest sight beside me:

Me want cookie!

Tonight the girls got to try some of their first real solid foods...yummy yummy (insert a third sarcastic yummy right here) rice cake cookie! In all honesty, the girls weren't quite sure what to do, but it didn't take long. They started to gnaw on the cookies and realized that they weren't toys but good little munchies!

And....ACTION (or no action!)

*****************

Scene - One

Setting - In the living room after coming home from a day at school where there were no naps and lots of getting in trouble. Fade lights....enter stage right...

*****************

Abby: Mommy, what fun things are we going to do this afternoon?

Mommy: Nothing. You are going to sit there without TV, movies or video games because you got in trouble at school.

Abby: But that can be fun.

Mommy: Sitting there on the couch can be fun?

Abby: Yes, I'll show you!

*****************

Scene - Two

Setting - Mommy standing over Abby in time out after Abby jumped off the back of the couch using the cushion for her "fun on the couch gymnastics." Fade lights....enter stage left.

*****************

Mommy: Do you know why you were in time out?

Abby: Yes.

Mommy: Yes what?

Abby: Yes mam.

Mommy: Why were you in time out?

Abby: Because I had fun on the couch even though you didn't think I could.

*****************

Scene - Three

Setting - Abby sitting back on the couch wiping her tears. Mommy in the kitchen already trying to calm the increasing tension and frustration in the house. Fade lights....enter from back stage...

*****************

Mommy: Abby, just sit there while I start cooking dinner.

Abby: But that's not fun Mommy.

Mommy: No, no more fun on the couch. Just sit there.

Abby: (In a very quiet, hushed voice.) Well, I'm still gonna gave fun. I'll dream about fun.

*****************

Scene - Four

Setting - Living room couch. Fade lights.

*****************

Mommy: Son of a gun, she's asleep.

Gotta love twins!

A blond woman had been married about a year when one day the she came running up to her husband jumping for joy. Not knowing how to react, the husband started jumping up and down along with her. "Why are we so happy?" he asked. "Honey, I have some really great news for you!" She said. "Great" he said, tell me what you're so happy about." She stopped jumping and was breathless from all the jumping up and down. "I'm pregnant!" she gasped. The husband was ecstatic as they had been trying for a while. He grabbed her, kissed her, and started telling her how wonderful it was, and that he couldn't be happier. Then she said "Oh, honey there's more." "What do you mean more?", he asked. "Well we are not having just one baby, we are going to have TWINS!" Amazed at how she could know so soon after getting pregnant, he asked her how she knew. "It was easy" she said, "I went to the pharmacy and bought the 2 pack home pregnancy test kit and both tests came out positive!"

February showers bring March flowers

Today was a day of bridal showers for Aaron (Eric's brother) and Jenifer (Aaron's fiance). Although their wedding isn't until March, the parties were in full force today - in fact, two in one day! After a ladies shower with friends from the church, there was a couple's shower that night which we attended. The wedding party (including Eric) threw the shower for the couple and it was full of some great laughs, fellowship, food and a lot of great presents the couple got...and not a minute too soon - less than 4 weeks until the big I-DO date!

And we weren't the only two in the family to have had a great night! Since kiddos weren't allowed at the evening's shower, they enjoyed what can only be described as "exactly what they wanted!" Jess (their babysitter) came over to the house and with the help of her mom (Renee) and boyfriend (Branden), all three girls had a great night (parent free) and ended up getting dinner, bottles, baths and bedtime...exactly what a parent loves to come home to! Thanks guys!

Pictures, Presents and Posing

Q: What makes a Mommy's heart smile?
A: The smiles of her children...especially when you are paying for those smiles to be captured!!!

This morning we headed to one of our fav photog studios (in the pouring down rain I might add!) for Abby's annual picture. And it was just adorable! In true Abby fashion, when I said "stand, sit or something for the picture so we can get a really cute one!" she went right to her tummy and said "I don't want to stand or sit but I'll get on my tummy!" And it was one cute pic to be honest! After her 4 year old shot, the twins got in on the action and not only did we get some good single shots of them, but the photographer managed to get all three girls at the same time - not only all looking at the camera but also all SMILING! The pictures won't be in for a couple of weeks but we were pleased with the proofs so stay tuned for the final product to be revealed on the blog...

After a morning that felt like a full day, we were all exhausted and came home to rest. But rest is apparently for the weary so we were up within minutes starting to work on some Valentine's Day crafts. And speaking of Valentine's Day, we are on the countdown. Abby's really into this year since she's putting two and two together - colors (red), shapes (hearts), and presents! Ha ha! She came across a large bag of presents my parents left here for us to open on the big day and she came up with a plan to open a few early. She worked so hard on what the plan was that I actually said it was OK! We opened the presents that were clothes so she and the girls could wear their heart attire for the days leading up to Valentine's Day. All three girls got cute outfits and sent their thank yous to Gramercy and Papa Doc.

The Three on Thursday