Garry and Katie + 3

2011-02-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

2010 in Review

Well, as you can see I didn't do very good job with keeping up the blog last year. 2010 was a crazy, stressful and emotional year for us and unfortunately many things, including the blog, got put on the back burner. In an effort to catch everything up and start fresh for 2011, I am going to try and do a quick review of 2010.

Winter 2010

We tried to keep busy despite the nasty weather. Here the girls are at the Botanical Center and with all their seatbelt gear to ride the school bus.

In March Maya had her tonsils and adenoids out. Surgery went well, but she was in and out of the hospital twice with pain control issues and dehydration.

Spring 2010
I watched A.G., the most adorable little girl a few times a week while her parents looked for a new provider. It was great fun for me and for the girls, and I am so glad we were able to get to know each other better. They are truely wonderful friends!

Maya graduated from her feeding group.

With Isabella and Katie (speech therapist). :)

With Laura (Occupational therapist). :)

The girls played their first season of soccer in Carlisle and daddy was their coach.

In early spring we decided to put the house on the market....again. The neighborhood was just going downhill quickly and I just wanted out of there. We ended up renting it out and moving in with my mom. LONG story there, but so far it's woking out well and we are able to save money with hopes to pay down our current loan significantly so we can keep lowering the price, as well as saving for the down payment on the next house. We are very dissappointed that after 10 years of being in the house and all we have done with it, that we still may have to take a loss.....but at this point we just want it all to be done and to move on. We plan on being here about a year to year and a half, depending on how fast the house sells when we list it again. It is a bump in the road, but we are so grateful we have such a supportive family to help us through the bumps. When I get frustrated with the situation I try to remind myself how grateful for this time together and fun memories we will have and what a wonderful relationship my daughters are able to have with their grandmother and great-grandparents (who are just a block away).

Garry got a job!!!!! What a scary winter this was not knowing if he was going to find a job. It took longer than we both expected I think, but the job market was so bad this year. His new job is with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. He was lucky enough to get to keep many of his benefits and senority from Wells Fargo Financial and best of all he really likes it and is able to work from home often. :)

Summer 2010

We spent the summer busy with swimming lessons and swimming in the backyard, princess camp at the Y, vacation to the Ozarks, playing with our new neighbors..........

We had a great time when all the family came home for a visit and we had some awesome photos taken of the whole crew.

In August I went back to work..FULL TIME! What a shock to my system after working very part time for the last 6 years. I took a job with Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa as a Child Wellness Nurse Consultant. It is very different from hospital nursing and has taken awhile to get used to everything. I love the hours and no weekends, no holidays and minimal to no summer hours!!! I just couldn't pass that up. It has been very hard to figure out how to balance everything. It's getting better, but I had a really hard time at first. I am still PRN at the hospital, but not sure how I am realistically going to fit that in. It's just been really hard for me to let it go. I have been at a hospital in some position since I was 18 years old, and have been at Mercy for 11 years. I have never been apart of anything that long.
Fall 2010
First day of KINDERGARTEN!!!!!!!! What a day. We even made it through without any tears...even me. They were so excited to go. Kyra chose to be in a classroom by herself and the other 2 are in a room together. Maya went in with an IEP, but lost it by Christmas time. Eryn still has her IEP, mainly working on attention and social issues. All the girls are doing fantastic. I can't believe how much they expect out of kindergarteners these days!! I had know idea they would be reading and writing sentences already.

We chose Walnut Street School and have really liked it and felt like for the most part it was a good choice. They love it and love their teachers. We love having it downtown so the girls are very close to where we work and it's a very unique atmosphere. We have been a little disappointed with a few things, but we probably would have found that with any school.

6th Birthday Party at Chuck E. Cheese.

Halloween-Trick or Treating. Maya-Dorothy, Kyra-Glinda, Eryn-the Wicked Witch (yes, they chose their own costumes)

In November Aunt Sarah moved to Austrailia for a year. We miss her, especially during the holidays. We have had fun Skyping with her and hearing about all her adventures. She is planning on studying Yoga for a bit this spring in Bali before coming home in April. We were lucky enough to see Aunt Deb twice over the holiday season. She got an exciting promotion this winter and is now the director of the non-profit she works for!!

Winter 2010

Garry and I got to take a fabulous vacation to help celebrate our 10th anniversary in December. We went on a 9 day cruise and stopped in St. Kitts, Tortolla, Antigua, Dominican Republic and Barbados. It was so relaxing!!
Not long after we returned Grandma Mary left for an exciting trip with her sister and friend. They went on a South America and Antarctica cruise and were gone almost a month.

Stay tuned for more.....

2009-12-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Through Difficulties Come Miracles

Well, a few of the biggest things I have learned from 5 years of raising triplets are to be flexible, to be patient (which I am always working on..) and to always expect the unexpected! ( For those of you that know me, know that these things can be a little difficult for little old type A, likes to be in control, never let them see you sweat, me! :)

All these areas have been tested in the last 2 months for our family. In October Garry was laid off from Wells Fargo. We knew it was a possibility, but like so many other people, never thought it would happen to us. We have had so many emotions through the last few weeks. Happy to have daddy around more, especially for the holidays, Terrified to think what will happen if no jobs open up before his severance runs out, Excited to start a new adventure and where it may lead us................the feelings seem to change from day to day. Today we are feeling hopeful, he has an interview lined up this week for a position he is thinks he would really enjoy, so we will see where that leads. We do have a few back up plans including him taking a temp position somewhere or substitute teaching for awhile, so that is comforting to know we have options. For now he is job searching and applying daily and destressing by teaching kickboxing and bootcamp at Farrells and the Y.

I have been working mostly in the PICU the last few months. They have had some very sick kids this fall, and I have tried to help when I can. It looks like the next few months I will be mostly in the NICU as their census is very high and PICU has slowed down. I enjoy both units, but at the same time is so hard to keep up with the constant changes and never having much consistency. For now it works with my schedule and life.

The girls seem to be enjoying school most days. They are at a different school then we had originally planned, but after a rocky start things seem to be going well. We have them all 3 together this year in the afternoon preschool class. Its a combo class with about 5 or 6 special ed students and 10-15 typical peer students. The school is also supposed to be the "autism hub" of the south side, but to be honest I don't see much autism specific activities, education......going on. Maybe preschool isn't as much apart of the program?? I am a disappointed in this. I think I was expecting to really feel like the teachers and program really would understand autism, but I just don't think they have had the training I thought they would. This does not mean I don't think they are doing a good job, I just thought it would be different. I want people to expect that my child can do everything that the other kids can do until proven differently! Don't assume just because she may have a label or IEP that she can't do things! They are showing them and surprising all of us. They even started a reading group for our 3 girls and another student because they are so far ahead in that area. Anyway...enough about preschool, I could go on forever about that.

As far as next year is concerned, we have decided to open enroll them to the Walnut Street School downtown. I am excited to see how this goes, we should know if we got in sometime this spring. Its a smaller, very unique program, but could really be awesome. It also has an autism program, although we are really hoping to have Eryn in the regular classroom for most if not all of the day, I am glad the program and resources are there if and when we need them. The school is in the process of becoming an IB school (International Baccalaureate). This is something new to Iowa, but sounds like a fantastic program. Here is a site about it. http://www.ibo.org/who/index.cfm

Kyra has been going through a very independent phase. She decided she wanted to have her own room, so she has been sleeping in the 3rd bedroom and loving it. She continues to be very creative and loves anything to do with art or drawing. She is not a big risk taker, more of an observer, and loves to mother her sisters. She has been telling me lately she wants to be a "cooker" or chef when she grows up.

Maya continues to excel at most anything academic. She likes to investigate things and can pretty much work about any remote, DVD player or camera on her first try. She is reading quite a few words now and really enjoys being our little daredevil. She most likely will graduate from all therapies by this spring. She tells me she wants to be a mom and a doctor when she grows up.

Eryn is our little cuddler. She has done really well with her therapies and school this year. We still do ABA therapy about 5 days a week and she does speech and OT. She loves music and is a great singer. She is very into everything Barbie. She tells me she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.

While at a craft fair this weekend I saw the phrase Through Difficulties Come Miracles on a wall display. It made me think a lot about some of the struggles Garry and I have been through throughout our marriage. We have survived infertility, a complicated and stressful pregnancy, delivering premature triplets, the first 5 years of raising triplets, and are dealing daily with a child with autism........and with each difficulty we have had our own little miracle. I am anticipating nothing less as we battle through this next hurdle and am so proud and blessed to have such an awesome partner to work through the difficulties with.

2009-10-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

5 years old !

Thursday at 10:20, 10:21 and 10:22, I will officially have 3 five year olds!! I know I say it all the time, but I can't believe how fast time is going!! I have absolutely loved age 4 and am a little sad to see it go, but at the same time am so excited for this next stage. Here are a few shots from our photo shoot the other day. I will add more shots and updates this week!!

2009-08-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

What's up??
Well, once again I have been slacking on the blog front. It feels like time is going so fast. I remember growing up feeling like it went so slowly, didn't think I was ever going to turn 16, 18, 21....... After about 25 it really started speeding up, and since the girls were born it just went into warp speed. I need to remember to slow down and enjoy all the little things..............and to blog more.

Garry and I are starting Operation Get Healthy this summer. We both are doing the Farrell's extreme body shaping 10 week challenge. Garry just started today and I just finished. I didn't lose much weight, but really gained strength, lost inches and have lots of motivation to keep going. It kicked my ASS everyday and I honestly didn't think I could workout that intensely, but I did it!! I don't think Garry will have any problem with the workouts, it will be the diet portion that kicks HIS ass!

The girls have been having a great time at home this summer. They really missed school in the beginning, but have worked into our new routine well. They have had a fantastic time getting to know the neighbor kids and playing outside with them. August will bring all sorts of fun activities, Aunt Deb is coming for a visit, the Iowa State Fair, we are going to check out adventureland and swim, swim, swim for the rest of the month.

We continued ABA through the summer with Eryn and have decided to take August off to give us all a little break before school starts. She graduated from her feeding group in July and may possibly graduate from OT sometime this fall, that just leaves her with Speech and ABA. We will have to have her diagnosis reevaluated for her waiver this spring, I am really anxious to see how she tests this time. She has come so far, I can't wait to see how she does this fall. We decided to take her out of special ed preschool and place her with the other 2 girls in regular PreK. I know it will be hard, especially maintaining attention for long periods, but I really think that is going to give her the best atmosphere for peer modeling and know what is going to be expected of her in Kindergarten.

Maya has been the little therapy rock star! She will be graduating out of Speech and OT in the next month or so. She has just really blossomed over the summer. She is still going to be in the feeding group a little while longer, but I think is just going to be a picky eater for life. She is so ready for school to start. She does so well with the academic stuff. I am sure she will be reading more after this year. She is also quite the little photographer, I should post some of her pics sometime. She has surprised us this summer by turning into a little daredevil, we need to enroll her into gymnastics to get some of this energy out!

Kyra has continued to go to Grace this summer for 2 days while her sisters were in therapy. She loves having her special place with her friends. She is really developing an awesome artistic streak. She loves to draw and is really getting good at writing her letters. She told me the other day she wants to learn how to do baton twirling like the girls in the parades, so we may be looking into that for her. Also need to get them all into swimming lessons. Kyra started trying to dive underwater last week!

We have decided to try and list the house for sale again. Garry is anxious to get us moved to Bondurant before the girls start Kindergarten next year. We are having a garage sale next weekend to clear out the clutter, looking at paint swatches to paint the outside and just getting things in order for home showings. I am really dreading trying to keep it clean all the time, but know it will be worth it in the end. Most likely we will rent an apartment in town after the house sells until we find or build what we want, that way we won't get stuck with 2 mortgages. It will be an adventure..............right. :)

2009-08-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-08-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

2009-08-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Family Vacation

At the end of June we went with Garry's family down to Lake of the Ozarks for our first real family vacation. We had a blast! We were able to see lots of Garry's extended family, attended a wedding and a birthday party and did lots of swimming, eating and relaxing!! The girls did really well with the long car ride, thank god for portable DVD players. They used water wings for the first time and loved having the independence in the water, by the end of the week they were jumping in and basically swimming on their own. We stayed in a great condo, very family friendly. The favorite spot was one of the pools that had a small lazy river and a splash park next to it. Here are some photos of the trip.

2009-04-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Visit to the Children's Museum

We had a great visit to the childrens museum this winter. We got to visit with my sister Sarah and I got to see an old friend from lakeside and meet her adorable boys! This museum has the perfect activities for preschool age kids. They have a little grocery store, pizza parlor, ambulance and little hospital, farm, bob the builder type room......... It is great fun!! Hope we can make it up there again before school gets out.

2009-04-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

WHY????

Why is it so dang hard to get just ONE good group picture???

2009-04-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

SLEDDING

The girls LOVED sledding this year. We had to improvise a few days and used cookie sheets.........hey..they work really well and go super fast!!! It was so much more relaxing for me this year since they could drag their own sleds back up the hill. Whohoo!!

2009-04-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Superbowl Sunday!!

Well about 3am superbowl sunday we were awoken by the doorbell and this is what we saw as we looked out our front door. **notice the snowman there, right where the girls had been playing earlier that day.......that makes me shiver just thinking what if this had been earlier in the day*** This guy was fighting with his girlfriend while driving (intoxicated we think, but he wasn't charged) and obviously was speeding (but wasn't charged for that either!!) and hit our neighbors parked van which was parked the opposite direction and spun it around into a tree, then he proceeded to hit our mailbox, then Garry's car in the driveway and ended up on our front lawn KNOCKING over the fire hydrant. Amazingly none of us heard this and another neighbor woke us up. The guy was slightly injured but kept telling me he needed to get out of there because he already had an OWI!! So off he went in the ambulance and was only charged with failure to maintain control and no seatbelt and we were left to clean up the mess! Literally!! We had to call the city to come clean up the street, call the water company to fix the hydrant and still have not received the check from the insurance company for Garry's car and a MONTH of rental car use. I am so thankful it was just things that were damaged, but so frustrated with the whole process!

2009-04-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

Mr. Snowman

2009-04-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

Trip to Bahamas and Florida

We were able to take a trip down to Florida and cruise to the Bahamas with our friends Teresa and Jeff at the end of January. We had an awesome time and really enjoyed being in 70 and 80 degree weather while it was below zero back home. :) These are a few of the shots I have, unfortunately my camera battery died during the cruise and I had to use a disposable camera. I will try to load those pics another day. I think our favorite part of the trip was the day we spent on Coco Cay. That is Royal Carribean's private island and it was so beautiful and relaxing. Another highlight was to be able to see my old friend Chris who lives right near where we happend to be staying in Florida. It was so great to see him. The low point of the trip had to be the flight back. We ended up stranded at the Cincinnati airport for a full LONG day due to weather. In the end we ended up getting very lucky and found a flight to Des Moines that was able to get out and they let us change our ticket for free..........the bad thing was that my dad was in KC waiting for us to land there.........but we all ended up home safely late that night.

2009-04-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Grandma's Surprise 60th Birthday Party

We were able to plan a little surprise for Grandma Mary on her 60th birthday. We arranged for her sisters and some of her closest friends to help celebrate her birthday at Latin King.

2009-04-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

First Trip to the Dentist

Ok, so I know I have procrastinated this appointment long enough,.......but wouldn't taking 3 preschoolers to the dentist stress you a little too!! They did awesome! I couldn't believe all the goodies this office had. TVs in the ceiling, about 20 flavors of toothpaste, fun prizes at the end...... Kyra was the bravest and didn't make a peep. Eryn and Maya cried a bit, but over all did well. Most importantly NO cavities for anyone!! Who hoo!!

2009-04-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

St. Patty's Day
Here are some pics from the parade. It was a beautiful day and the girls had a blast.

2009-02-09T06:19:00.000-08:00

The Penguin Walk

While we were on vacation all the girls went to Kyra's school for a day. They put all 3 girls in the preschool room so they could be a part of the Penguin Walk. They had a blast and I am so glad Aunt Deb was there to take pictures.

2009-01-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

Kyra was the first to get up and sneak downstairs. She came running back up to wake us up, saying Santa had come and we had to come downstairs. Maya woke up soon after, but it took Eryn a good 45 minutes before she could be awakened (she definitely takes after her mommy) to open presents. They were so excited that Santa had come and eaten the cookies and drank all the chocolate milk. He brought them princess barbies, braclets and a soccer ball and goal. This was the first year they really got into Santa and everything. It was so fun to see the excitement in their eyes!

2009-01-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at Kate's dad's house. Its always a nice relaxing evening with traditions including little smokies and new pajamas. We watched Wall-E in our new jammies and the girls had a great time opening presents, especially their new ponyville set. Aunt Sarah was there to join us and Aunt Deb flew in late that night, just in time for Christmas morning. Once we got home we put out chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk for santa, then off to be they went.

2008-12-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

Autism Night Before Christmas
by Cindy Waeltermann

Twas the Night Before Christmas

And all through the house

The creatures were stirring

Yes, even the mouse

We tried melatonin

And gave a hot bath

But the holiday jitters

They always distract

The children were finally

All nestled in bed

When nightmares of terror

Ran through my OWN head

Did I get the right gift

The right color

And style

Would there be a tantrum

Or even, maybe, a smile?

Our relatives come

But they don't understand

The pleasure he gets

Just from flapping his hands.

"He needs discipline," they say"

Just a well-needed smack,

You must learn to parent..."

And on goes the attack

We smile and nod

Because we know deep inside

The argument is moot

Let them all take a side

We know what it's like

To live with the spectrum

The struggles and triumphs

Achievements, regressions...

But what they don't know

And what they don't see

Is the joy that we feel

Over simplicity

He said "hello"

He ate something green!

He told his first lie!

He did not cause a scene!

He peed on the potty

Who cares if he's ten,

He stopped saying the same thing

Again and again!

Others don't realize

Just how we can cope

How we bravely hang on

At the end of our rope

But what they don't see

Is the joy we can't hide

When our children with autism

Make the tiniest stride

We may look at others

Without the problems we face

With jealousy, hatred

Or even distaste

But what they don't know

Nor sometimes do we

Is that children with autism

Bring simplicity.

We don't get excited

Over expensive things

We jump for joy

With the progress work brings

Children with autism

Try hard every day

That they make us proud

More than words can say.

They work even harder

Than you or I

To achieve something small

To reach a star in the sky

So to those who don't get it

Or can't get a clue

Take a walk in my shoes

And I'll assure you

That even 10 minutes

Into the walk

You'll look at me

With respect, even shock.

You will realize

What it is I go through

And the next time you judge

I can assure you

That you won't say a thing

You'll be quiet and learn,

Like the years that I did

When the tables were turned.......

2008-12-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a little song for you. Happy Holidays!!

The 12 Days of a Triplet Christmas

On the first day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

by knocking over the Christmas tree.

On the second day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

by unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree.

On the third day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

by fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree

On the fourth day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

by eating all the cookies,

fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

by SCREAMING in the middle of the mall,

eating all the cookies,

fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

by calling random people,

SCREAMING in the middle of the mall,

eating all the cookies,

fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

by taking off their clothes,

calling random people,

SCREAMING in the middle of the mall,

eating all the cookies,

fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree

On the eighth day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

by barfing Christmas cookies,

taking off their clothes,

calling random people,

SCREAMING in the middle of the mall,

eating all the cookies,

fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree

On the ninth day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

reprogramming the computer,

barfing christmas cookies,

taking off their clothes,

calling random people,

SCREAMING in the middle of the mall,

eating all the cookies,

fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree

On the tenth day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

waking up too early,

reprogramming the computer,

barfing christmas cookies,

taking off their clothes,

calling random people,

SCREAMING in the middle of the Mall,

eating all the cookies,

fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

losing Daddy's keys,

waking up too early,

reprogramming the computer,

barfing Christmas cookies,

taking off their clothes,

calling random people,

SCREAMING in the Middle of the Mall,

eating all the cookies,

fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas our triplets celebrated with glee,

by breaking mommy's camera,

losing Daddy's keys,

waking up too early,

reprogramming the computer,

barfing Christmas cookies,

taking off their clothes,

calling random people,

SCREAMING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MALL,

eating all the cookies,

fighting with each other,

unwrapping all the presents,

and knocking over the Christmas tree!!!!!!!!

2008-11-29T19:06:00.000-08:00

Cute photos from Thanksgiving

I have been trying to get some good shots for our Christmas cards, here are a few cute shots.....I am saving the best ones in case I decide to use them for our card. :)

2008-11-29T18:59:00.000-08:00

Our first visit with Santa

I know the quality isn't very good, I tried to take a picture of the picture. We need to get another scanner!! This was the first time I have attempted to take the girls to see Santa. They did great!! I was so proud of them. They talked to him and smiled nicely. I then gave them each a dollar to ride the train and all by themselves they gave the engineer the money, took the ticket and waited in line for the train. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I will try to post more soon and have lots of photos for you.

2008-11-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

My Little Sis is in the Iowa City Paper!!

Check it out!! She is the one on the far right. She is a super star!!! I hope she remembers me when she makes it big!! :) If you are in the area check out the play. I think we are going next weekend.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20081106/GOIOWACITY/811060308/1024

2008-10-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat

We all had a great time last night taking the girls out. This was the first year that they really understood what to do (and didn't cry because they couldn't go in and play at each house). They were dressed as princesses..Kyra was Belle, Maya was a ladybug princess and Eryn was Jasmine.

2008-10-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

Look what the cat dragged in............again!!We found 2 more kittens in the back yard yesterday. They look like they are from the same litter as the other little one we found and were left in the same spot. We played with them outside for awhile, they were so playful and cute.

But.......then mama came back and she was pissed!! I didn't realize Maya had taken this picture and I had to laugh when I saw it. She does NOT look happy. I took the kittens back down to her and they followed her into the woods. I just have a feeling she won't be bringing them back. :)

2008-10-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

BiRthDaY ParTieSThe fantastic cake made by Debbie and her students at SE Polk HS. It tasted as awesome as it looked. We got to go to the school and have the students present it to the girls. I think it was a fun experience for the girls as well as the students.putting together new toys with grandpa and Debbieusing their new cameras to take pictures of EVERYTHING!

Party #2

This weekend we had a princess party at our house. About 30 friends and family members came dressed in costumes and we had a balloon artist come for entertainment. He was FANTASTIC!!! It was a great show and everyone got to leave with their own balloon creation.

Check out his website here: http://www.creationswithatwist.com/

2008-10-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Just For Today

by Sally Meyer

Just for this morning,

I am going to smile when I see your face...and laugh when I feel like crying.

Just for this morning,

I will let you wake up softly in your flannel p.j.'s...and hold you until you are ready to stir.

Just for this morning,

I will let you choose what you want to wear...and I will say how beautiful you are.

Just for this morning,

I will step over the laundry to pick you up...and take you to the park to play

Just for this morning,

I will leave the dishes in the sink...and let you teach me how to put your puzzle together.

Just for this afternoon,

I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off...and sit with you in the garden blowing bubbles.

Just for this afternoon,

I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck...and I will buy you one, if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon,

I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up...I will simply love you for the joy you bring me.

Just for this afternoon,

I will let you help me make cookies...and I wont stand over you . . . trying to 'fix things.'

Just for this afternoon,

I will take you to McDonald's and buy us both a 'Happy Meal'...so you can have two toys.

Just for this evening,

I will hold you in my arms and tell you the story of how you

were born...and how much we love you.

Just for this evening,

I will let you splash in the bathtub...and I won't get angry when you pour water over your sister's head.

Just for this evening,

I will let you stay up late...while we sit on the porch swing and count all the stars.

Just for this evening,

I will bring you glasses of water...and snuggle beside you for hours...and miss my favorite t.v. show.

And tonight when you are sleeping safe and warm in your bed,

I will think of the mothers and fathers

who mourn for the children they have lost.

I will remember the parents who sit by hospital beds,watching over the little ones they love.

I will weep for those parents whose children are cold,hungry and suffering,

and .... this evening,

when I kneel down to pray,

I will simply be grateful for all that I have

and not ask for anything...except just one more day.

I saw this on another triplet mom's blog and it just really touched me. I hope its okay that I "borrowed" it. :)

2008-10-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Remembering....... 4 years ago todayAnxiously waiting to get this show on the road!! Real glamorous pics!!Can you see the size of that belly!!!!!!

Eryn
Maya
Kyra

Happy birthday baby girls!!

2008-10-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

A Surprise Visitor

this tiny kitty was born in or brought to our back yard by its mommy. We found it while working in the yard yesterday. It was maybe a week old at most. Sooooo tiny. I had to feed it with a syringe last night. The girls were in love, but it was just too little for us to keep. Kyra and I brought it to the rescue league this am.

SLEEPY SISTERS

I love that they want to be together, I hope that lasts forever.

2008-09-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

First Day of Preschool

Maya

Kyra

Eryn

I think the backpacks were about as big as they are!!

Everyone had a great start to school, no tears shed by anyone....including me!! Eryn woke up and the first thing out of her mouth was "I go school, and play with people", she was so excited! Maya's teachers were very impressed with all she had learned over the summer. Kyra showed me what a grown up girl she is by stopping to go potty on the way out and doing it ALL by herself....including locking the stall door and washing her hands afterwards. I just can't get over how much they grew up over the summer!!

2008-09-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

August was our 1 year anniversary of starting therapy for Eryn. I made a little video (shown below) to celebrate some of our progress in the past year.
Tomorrow is the first day of preschool for everyone!! I should have lots to share...... Have a great week!!

2008-09-01T14:23:00.001-07:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2008-08-01T13:34:00.001-07:00

Guess who the lucky winner of a new princess potty doll is................................................

Kyra!!!

She has been going strong all week so we took our trip to the toy store today. Woohoo!! 2 down, 1 to go!! :P

A Little Potty Talk (don't read Mandy)

Potty training STINKS in more ways than one!! I do believe this is one of the hardest stages to get through for us. Many multiple parents say that first year was the hardest for them. I have to say I thought the first year was easy compared to age 3 ......and potty training takes the cake!! The girls continuously show us how different they are......even down to the way they are potty training. Maya was very against even sitting on the potty until it was her way and on her terms. Then one day it all just clicked with her, she wasn't afraid anymore and she has been going 100% (during the day) on the potty ever since.

Kyra on the other hand has been sitting on it for a long time "practicing" and talking about it. She just never actually did anything. She is the "holdout". That girl can literally hold it all day long. I realized later she was able to hold it many days until she got her diaper on before bed and then would go. Turns out she was terrified to actually go on the potty. Finally one day I managed to get her on the potty before the inevitable happened and as she was screaming, kicking and crying the pee came out, and low and behold it didn't hurt. She was amazed with herself and has been talking about getting her potty doll non stop (she chose Sleeping Beauty).

Eryn is doing great at wearing underwear, staying dry and sitting on the potty, but nothing has happened yet. Another holdout I fear!! The other 2 girls seem to think that she will pick a Snow White doll for her potty reward, but you never know what E has in store for you.

Most importantly if they continue to do well in this department they can go to preschool in September.................................this is super fantastic news because it means that I will have 3 hours at least 3 days a week all to myself for the first time in 4 years!!!!! Whatever will I do with myself??????

2008-07-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

Guess who has been going potty on the big potty since Wednesday.................

MAYA !!!

Here she is with her new Ariel doll (brand new and the poor girl is already naked) that she picked out for pottying for 2 days straight!!! Go girl!!

2008-07-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Dance Class- Week 2

2008-07-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

TWENTY THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you prayed, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kinda like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day - it's like inner jogging.

11 The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional. (Preach it!)

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.

14 A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days but moments. Life moves too fast so enjoy your precious moments

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it; otherwise it's just hearsay.18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again, Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Leave gentle fingerprints on the soul of another for the angels to read. I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

My friend Jeri sent this to me a while ago and I really like it and wanted to share. I highlighted some of my faves (I especially like # 18 :). I always felt very comfortable with my faith growing up. The many summers I spent at Lutheran Lakeside Camp were awesome and hold some of my most favorite memories and it was the place that I met some of my best forever friends. I never thought that I would ever doubt or question my faith. Over the last few years I have had a constant inner battle of doubts and questions about God, religion...... I think the questioning really started when I started working as a nurse in the pediatric ICU. Seeing so many sick innocent beautiful children suffering and dying. Granted it wasn't like that everyday, and we had mostly happy feel good endings, but there were still those patients with stories so sad that I will never forget. The doubting continued as we struggled with infertility, a difficult pregnancy and having multiples , autism.................Now this year as things are calming down a little I am feeling more in tune with my faith. I really look forward to moving and getting established in a new church community.........now who knows how long that is going to take, but that is a whole different post. :) For now I find a little peace in little things like the list above.

2008-07-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!!

triple hug

having fun in the new pool

working on preschool skills with Robbie

2008-07-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

Girls first dance class(obviously Eryn had no problem being center of attention)

Kyra in black, Eryn in purple, Maya in multi colored leotard

Saturday was the girls first dance class. It was too cute. They were almost the youngest and had a little bit of a hard time waiting in line and keeping their attention, but overall did a great job and had a BLAST. This a trial class at The School of Classical Ballet and Dance in WDM. Its being put on by a dance teacher and physical therapist for kids under 6 with special needs. They were kind enough to let all 3 girls participate. Kyra started out a little scared and was a little timid and teary, but then really go into it and did an awesome job. Maya was torn between acting shy and having a good time. She would run around and have a great time then see me and run back to me and hide. Eryn did really well, but had a hard time waiting and would run around like a wild child in that inbetween time. She did not want to leave at the end!! Can't wait to see what happens next saturday.

2008-07-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

4th of July and Summer Fun!

I love this one. They are just kickin back with their snack and drink waiting for the parade to start.

Its not an Iowa parade without a few tractors!!

The girls got TONS of candy, we had to keep emptying their buckets so they had room for more.

Trying out sparklers and snakes for the first time.

......probably the last time for Eryn, this was right before she decided to try and touch the hot part and will probably never touch a sparkler again...poor baby.

Bedtime stories with daddy.
Lexi's birthday party

Which one of the girls has autism do you ask???? Yes, it is the one greeting everyone at the zoo and talking to those girls at the pool!! Way to go, sissy!!!

Riding the train at the zoo

Hey everyone, check out my sisters blog. She is blogging from China. She is spending about 6 weeks there doing an internship.

http://debschinablog.blogspot.com/

2008-06-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

California

Malibu

Kelle and I
Just a little shack in the hills.
Griffith Observatory
We loved our rental car, it had that great new car smell.

Deb and Mom on Venice Beach

A diner in Santa Monica with Deb
Here are just a few pics of our trip to California. I got to see my friend Kelle who I have not seen since my wedding 8 years ago. We picked up like we had never left each other. We had a fabulous time and I really hope its not another 8 years before we do it again!! Deb took us to some awesome local restaurants and we were able to go to quite a few different beaches. I really liked Hermosa Beach, very cute little area. I can officially say that I was a rock star driver on the LA roadways.......I may have had a few small heart attacks in the process, but I have perfected the U turn and quadruple lane change during rush hour. As much as I enjoyed visiting I can definitely say I don't wish to move there.
When we woke up our first morning there and turned on the t.v. we were shocked to find every news station broadcasting from Iowa. We knew things were starting to flood in many places, but had no idea how bad things were going to get, especially for the people in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City and those poor boy scouts who died and were injured during the tornado. It was such a strange feeling being somewhere else and watching "home" go from bad to worse. I have a friend who lives near CR and has family in town, and another blog I came across that has some of the devastating pictures of the flooding. (you may have to scroll down a little on their blogs to get to the pics)
http://www.ernbergerfamily.blogspot.com/
http://www.ghcccarlson.blogspot.com/
My sister is in Iowa City and has said that the damage to the U of Iowa is bad. The theatre and many of her buildings were down by the river and badly flooded. We are thinking and praying for all those families who are starting to put things back together after all this.

2008-06-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

Back from California!

My mom and I got back early this am from L.A. (let me tell you the red eye flight sucks!) My sister graduated with her Masters in Urban Planning from UCLA on friday. We had a fantastic time celebrating with her, meeting her friends and relaxing.

We are so proud of her and were honored to be there to help her celebrate all the hard work. She leaves on thursday for an internship in China, can't wait to see what this next chapter brings for her.

More to come.....majorly jet lagged and must sleep. :)

2008-05-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

Short and Sweet

I can't believe that May is almost over. I have not posted updates in a while so here is the latest short and sweet version.

This week was Maya's last day of preschool. She loved her teachers and friends and has learned a tremendous amount this year. Its so hard to believe when she started in November she was hardly talking. She would say maybe up to 2 word sentences and requests. Now you can't get her to stop talking!!! She knows all her letters, shapes, colors, numbers and is actually starting to sight read easy words like dog, cat and her name. We are so proud of her! Here is Maya with one of her teachers Ms. Sara. Maya is our girly girl. She loves everything princess...high heels, jewelry, crowns and dress up clothes. She also might be our next softball or basketball player...that girl has quite an arm.

Eryn is going to be the first one potty trained, that is my prediction at least. She is the best one at sitting there and trying. I know she will hate me for this picture some day, but I just couldn't resist!! We just had her annual meeting with all of her providers for therapies and she is continuing to amaze everyone. She now has over 7oo words, uses multiple word sentences, fantastic eye contact......... Its so hard to believe its only just been a year since her diagnosis and we have come so far since starting therapy in August. She will start preschool in the fall and continue with her other therapies. Eryn loves Wonder Pets and Scooby Doo, and anything that has to do with singing and dancing.

Kyra is such a natural at so many things. We are constantly amazed at how quickly she picks things up. She just "gets" it. She started her "school" this spring and LOVES it. She loves having the individual time and having her own thing. She talks like such a big girl, loves to mother and boss the other 2. She has definately taken the big sister role. She is awesome at kicking the soccer ball around, she may be a great forward. She also loves singing and dancing and may get into some gymnastics next year. Kyra is also incredibly creative in many areas. Her pretend play is so fun to watch and she love to draw and create things.Sunday gave us a taste of summer. It was almost 90 degrees and the girls played all day in the pool on the deck. I don't know how they stayed in it so long, that water was COLD!!

Picking the pretty yellow flowers in the yard.....................who needs to spray for weeds!!

Brought the bounce house outside

Taking in a few computer games

Playing doctor with sissy

Grandma brought over some little dishes that aunt julie played with when she was little.
Aunt Deb flies in tomorrow............can't wait!!!

2008-05-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Just found this....its sounds awesome. I can't wait to see how it works. Check it out.
http://blog.autismfreezone.com/

2008-05-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

The autism walk is coming up June 7th at Gray's Lake. Come join us on the walk or please help by donating to our team. Here is the link. http://www.walknowforautism.org/desmoines/personal/erynlenhart
Thank you all and hope to see you there!!

(I have had several people ask about the video for autism awareness day, if you scroll down to the bottom of the blog it is there.)

2008-05-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Muh-ders Day Mommy!!!
poor eryn hanging on for dear life!!
and about 2 seconds later...............
What a great day!! Garry let me sleep in, brought me breakfast, the girls greeted me with Happy Muhders day, we all had an afternoon nap and then family over in the evening for CAKE!! :) Ya'll know how I feel about a little (or in this case a lot) cake!!
Hope you all had a great weekend too!

2008-05-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Kyra started her "school" last week. She has started going to a church drop in center once a week all by herself. She may attend preschool there in the fall. She is soooooooooo excited about going to school and having her own thing to go to. These pics were on her first day.
Camping out in the bedroom. I love seeing that closeness and bond that they have.....even when sleeping.

2008-04-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

Just hanging out on a sunday night with Richie and Jon.....

Daughtry was the opening act, they were awesome too. Here are of few of them.

Wow!! That was quite a show!! We had fantastic seats and a wild time!! More later......

2008-04-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

Billy Joel

The concert was AWESOME!! Thank you so much to Matt and Heidi for inviting us!! Stay tuned for pics from the BonJovi concert this sunday!! Rock on!!

2008-04-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Updates!
Well the house has been back on the market at our new lowered price almost a month and we have only had 1 person come through. This is soooooooo frustrating!! We have now passed the 2 year mark of having it for sale. I found some old pictures of when we first started packing (yes, some of our things have been packed for 2 years now) and Eryn wasn't even walking yet!!! Oh well what can you do??? we will keep plugging along......

We have had crazy weather again this month. Yesterday I woke up and there was actually snow on the ground again, this was after days of rain and thunderstorms and now they are predicting temperatures in the high 70's by tuesday...crazy!!

I am going to blame the severe changes in weather on the fact that I am sick AGAIN (it couldn't possibly be that I eat like crap, don't workout and have not been sleeping..........)!! I can't remember a time when I have been sick so much, its been so frustrating and incredibly hard and exhausting chasing after 3-3year olds at the same time. Hopefully no one else will catch it this time and it will pass quickly!

On a happier note...Garry and I were invited to go to the Billy Joel concert this tuesday with our friends Matt and Heidi. Billy Joel was the first person I ever saw in concert, I was 16 years old and it was my first "road trip", all the way to Ames (ha ha). So we are really looking forward to the night out with good music and good friends! My Aunt Julie also called this week and invited me to the BonJovi concert the following sunday night. That should be a blast too!!

I want to thank all of you for the wonderful comments and support of the autism video and for passing it on. I am amazed at how many people have viewed it and have asked to use it for various presentations. Thank you all for your support.

The girls are doing great. They are entering a new phase where most of the time they are playing together so nicely. Lots of pretending,talking and singing. They love the Wonder Pets and Dora, and that is often the basis of their pretend play. They have grown so tall this winter, their pants are getting short and they are almost too long for their toddler beds. I am so excited for the warm weather so they can run around outside and we can start making the rounds to the different parks and pools. Potty training is still going very slowly, but coming along. I have been looking into signing up the girls for zoo camp and gymnastics, so that has been our latest motivator.
I finally found my camera so I will catch you up with some of our spring pics.

These were from the mall playplace. They all have been very into princess wear lately. Kyra especially has been wanting to wear her skirts and crowns everywhere.

These are from Easter at the church Easter Egg Hunt.

At the playground by my grandparents house.

Easter morning with Aunt Sarah, modeling their new Dora backpacks.

2008-04-01T17:55:00.001-07:00

The Best April Fools Day Ever

I will never forget one special April 1st. 4 years ago today, I was laying on the ultrasound table having my very first ultrasound. We had tested positive on the home pg test 2 weeks before and I had experienced lots and lots of bleeding, so I really didn't have a lot of hope for the ultrasound results. Suddenly 3 tiny circles appeared on the screen and in 2 of the circles were little flickering lights. I had no idea what I was seeing, I was just so glad to be seeing something in there!! Then she turned to us and said there is not just one........we instantly thought twins and were beside ourselves with excitement. Then she said there are not just 2.........there are 3!! Total silence followed..............We were having triplets!!

We left the office feeling totally overwhelmed, but happier and more excited than ever. Throughout the day we showed our family and friends the ultrasound pictures and no one would believe us, they just kept waiting for us to say April Fools!! Hard to believe 3 little circles on the ultrasound machine turned into these 3 beauties!!

Kyra, Maya, Eryn 1 day old

2008-03-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

Puh-puh-puh pleeeezzzzzeee someone buy our house!! We have the perfect new one all picked out with lots of room for us to grow. This is our shameless plug.....we will be relisting tomorrow with Remax, hopefully this will be our spring!! I will post a link to the listing once its done, just in case anyone knows of anyone looking. :)

2008-03-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

We never know how we will find the girls when we come in to check on them while sleeping.

2008-03-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

101 things we would rather do with the potty.......

Although this afternoon Maya did pee in the potty for the first time!!!! There is hope that the Lenhart trio will be potty trained before college!!

2008-03-16T17:29:00.001-07:00

This is too funny!!

We tried it on the girls, but thought it was even funnier that Ally was the one that looks equally like both of us!!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family reunion - Family search

2008-03-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

CrEaTiviTy

on the wall

On your sisters

On the fan

On the rug

On yourself............

I wonder why she looks so guilty??

2008-02-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

GO HAWKS !!

Garry loves finding U. of Iowa stuff for the girls, here are a few of the outfits he has found this year. He and I are heading back up to Iowa City this weekend to see another play my sister is in, she is acting in it this time. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will all be healthy by then. I don't think I can stand another month of sickness like this past one.

Maya
Attempt at group shots

Maya
Eryn Kyra

2008-02-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

Sick!!

Here is my little Kyra camped out on the couch after throwing up. Eryn was up friday and last night with the same thing and I am slowly recovering from a nasty head cold.............I can NOT wait for spring to come!!Everyone feeling a little better for an afternoon of coloring
Ok, I think this is so stinking cute!!! See the orange blanket in the corner. Maya made herself a nest over there to be closer to her sissys the other night!! Awwwww!! (I know aunt Deb is going crazy with this one!!)

Over the river and through the blizzard to Sarah's play we go............

This weekend Garry and I drove to Iowa City to see my sister Sarah and watch a play she had written. It was selected to be apart of a festival at the U. of Iowa (only 8 were selected out of approx. 80!! Yeah Sarah!!). We had a great time and really enjoyed the little night away and especially meeting her boyfriend Preston. Thankfully we didn't have any trouble getting there and back, but I can't say the same thing for the 69 cars we saw in the ditch between DSM and IA City, and that was just on the way back..............yes, that is right 69...it was crazy!!!

Go hawks !!

We also had a nice visit with our friends Kristi and DJ and their trio who moved from DSM this summer. It was so great to see them again!!

We loved our warm welcome when we returned!!!

2008-02-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

1 family

6 kids

All the kids are autistic

http://cosmos. bcst.yahoo. com/up/player/ popup/index. php?cl=6330992

here is their website

http://www.autismbites.com/

2008-02-06T16:22:00.000-08:00

A few photos just for fun from our last few snow days.

Pancakes, warm jammies and a blanket fort in the kitchen.......can't get much better than that.

2008-01-29T08:04:00.000-08:00

Gotta Love Iowa!

The temperature here right now is 12 degrees with the windchill it feels like -6!! Yesterday I think it was 54 degrees and here are some pics. The girls were having a great time playing outside. They got so muddy I had to strip them at the door, but they had lots of fun and took a GREAT nap! :)

2008-01-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

FEVER!!!

I am glad the week has come to an end!! Last tuesday Maya was feeling crappy and felt warm in the morning. I checked her temp about 8:30 and it was 102.5, gave her some Motrin and let her rest in my bed. I really thought nothing of it because she had NO other symptoms. She was acting better for a while and started playing. Then about 10:30 she started getting really whiney and wanted to be held. I noticed she was shivering and her teeth were chattering and I thought that was a little strange. As I went to hold her I noticed she was burning up again. I checked her temp again and it said 105.1!! I thought, no way, that can't be right......stupid thermometer!! Checked it again and it said 105.6!! At this point she was very lethargic, eyes glassy, not really answering questions, just kind of grunting. Ok.....now all my nursing judgement is suddenly gone and I can't think of anything but rushing her to the ER . I had no idea how I was going to do this.....Robbie was here and so kindly offered to stay with the other 2 girls and tried to keep me calm. I go to get my keys and they are GONE! Garry accidentally took both sets (insert a few choice words to him). Robbie lets me use her car and as I am walking out the door with Maya she promptly throws up all over me and the floor (to top it all off it was red juice....couldn't have been something clear!!). I am about to have a small breakdown and have Garry just come home and take us to the ER. They got us right in, gave her Tylenol, chest x-ray, urine test, and draw her blood. She is starting to perk up a little after all this. They come back in after a few minutes and tell me they accidentally mislabeled the blood and they have to draw her again. OK......now mind you this is the hospital that I work at, most of them know me and no one wanted to be the one to have to tell me. Luckily Maya was so awesome, she barely made a peep and kept watching her video, thank you numbing cream!! So once everything came back, the Dr. came in and said she has pneumonia. I was totally blown away. She had absolutely NO symptoms, not even much of runny nose. We followed up 2 days later with our ped an she is doing great. He checked the other 2 while we were there and found Eryn to have a yucky throat and Kyra with an ear infection. GREAT!! Why not.............god must know that Garry is going out of town this weekend and I am going to be alone. NICE!!

2008-01-27T19:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a news story about the underdiagnosis of girls with autism.
Its interesting, check it out.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=6066495&ch=4226723&src=news

2008-01-17T18:21:00.000-08:00

A TYPICAL DAY

Part of the reason I have been so slow about posting is due to our crazy schedule lately, just thought I would show you all a typical day in our house......it might explain why we (and I really mean, me) are a little nutty sometimes.

7am-girls wake up, breakfast, dressed

8am- Maya to school

9am-Eryn-ABA with Robbie

Kyra and I run errands and tidy up house, go to any appointments, go to Library on Thursdays, some days try to fit in a play date

11:15-Pick up Maya at school

11:30-Lunch/Play (destroy house that mom just cleaned up)

1pm-Nap?? Who the heck wants to do that anymore??

Play until afternoon therapy starts

1:ish-afternoon therapy starts for Eryn, try to get the other 2 to have "quiet time"

3:ish-Try to get Eryn to have "quiet time" without waking the other 2

3:30-4pm-inevitably they are all awake and ready to play

5:30-Dinner

6pm-Play (destroy the rest of the house)

6:30-7pm Bath and get ready for bed

8pm Bed

(by the way Kyra and Maya are sucessfully transitioned to the toddler beds now with minimal escaping)

9pm-Garry and I collapse in bed, pretending not to see the mess surrounding us, and stare at the TV for awhile :)

I am happy to report my knee is healing nicely and after I finish physical therapy at the beginning of next month I hope to be out of the woods for any surgical possibilities. The MRI last month ended up showing that I tore my ACL. I never would have thought I could have done so much damage just playing around with the girls!! I can honestly tell you the pain I went through for those first 2 weeks made my triplet pregnancy and delivery seem like a piece of cake. I was MISERABLE!! I am not a big medicine taker and I actually went through a bottle and 1/2 of vicodin in less than 2 weeks!! So needless to say I am very glad to be getting back to normal. I went back to work this weekend for a little 4 hour shift and hope to work more in the next few weeks. This has been a real wake up call about my own body and health. I really have never gotten back to my old self after my long bed rest and then have been basically stuck inside caring for 3 babies for the last 3 years. Its time for me to work on myself for awhile.....now if I can just find the time.

Maya is back at preschool and doing great. She has been talking up a storm and the teachers think that the other peer modeling is really helping her language and behavior mature.

Eryn is finally off the waiting list for The Homestead which is our only real autism/ABA specific therapy place in the state. We seem to have a fantastic line up of therapists and look forward to working with them. We will still have Robbie during the mornings, don't know what we would do without her!!! This week Eryn started saying "I want........" She was using a lot of single words to ask for things before....like "juice", "cracker". Now she is saying "I want cracker", " I want mommy". It is so AWESOME!! She is so excited about it too.

Kyra is such a little lady. She has had a good time accompanying me to my therapy sessions. We are trying to go to the library for story time on Thursdays and fit in a little shopping and play date when we have a chance. I think she is really enjoying the 1 on 1 time with mom.

Well, I am hoping to blog more frequently this year. Its one of my resolutions. I have been really bad about documenting the girls milestones and activities the last year. After Eryn's diagnosis last year I went into a little bit of a funk about that stuff, so I vow to do better this year. I will post more pictures soon and if I can figure it out maybe a video or two. Have a great weekend!!

2008-01-10T05:52:00.000-08:00

Family and Friends,
The band, Five for Fighting, is generously donating $0.49 to AutismSpeaks for *each time* this video is viewed. The funding goes towardresearch studies to help find a cure for autism. When you have a moment, please visitthe link below to watch the video and pass it along to your loved ones. They areaiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass thisgoal. Thanks, Katie

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214

2007-12-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

Remembering Christmases of the Past

2007-12-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

Man down, Man down!!!Or as I should say in this case...MOM down, MOM down!!

On Monday I was walking across the floor on my knees in a hurry to grab something out of Eryn's hand and suddenly felt a crack........I have been unable to bend my knee since. Ever since my pregnancy I have had issues with feeling like my kneecap or something around my knee was "slipping". I had done a pretty good job of ignoring it and putting off getting it checked out........until Monday. I have now been to the ER twice this week and am scheduled for an MRI the day after Christmas which may help them decide if this is something surgical or not. YUCK!!! So far they have diagnosed me with this Chondromalacia patella

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chondromalacia-patella/DS00777

which evidently is something chronic that I will need therapy to work on, and also some acute injury on top of this. Today the x-ray showed fluid around my knee, so its now wrapped up tight, immobilized and iced and I have to use crutches to get around...........oh yeah....lots of rest (like that is going to happen with 3 three year olds around). And has anyone ever noticed that when you have an injury its like a magnet for people (and I mean 3 year olds) to run into, step on, jump on..................... This just sucks!! Thank god for vicodin!!

On a good note, my sister just got in from LA for 2 whole weeks!!! Thank goodness she and my mom will be around for the next few weeks to wrangle the girls.

So from my bed to yours Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a really nice article from the New York Times about Des Moines that a friend showed me.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/travel/02journeys.html?8dpc

2007-11-28T12:22:00.000-08:00

WiNTeR DaYS aT tHe ZoO

We took a little field trip to the zoo today. This was the first time I took them without a stroller and they had such a blast seeing things from a different angle!! For most of the time we were the only ones at the zoo (might have had something to do with the fact it was only in the 30's), but it was a fun little trip.

2007-11-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

Newest member of the Lenhart family.......Introducing Maggie

Garry's parents just brought home the new arrival last week.The girls think she is pretty cool and thought her kennel was even more fun!!

2007-11-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

I am soooooooo excited!!! We have a wonderful bedroom set that was passed down to us after we got married. Its been great, but the headboard is for a full and we have a king bed, so we have gone all this time with just a frame. We have decided its time to retire our old bedroom furniture to the guest room and last night we purchased this bed for our christmas present to eachother...........now we just have to wait 8 weeks until delivery.

2007-11-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

OuR ChRiStMaS CaRd PhOtO SHooT

* here are a few outtakes to give you a little preview*

3 year olds are just sooooooo cooperative!!

2007-10-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Changes

Here are a few pics of Maya on her first day of preschool, Kyra showing off her backpack too (she starts her music and tumbeling classes in another week) and Eryn with her ABA therapist Robbie.

2007-10-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday!!
Eryn looking at her new princess dolls.
and on her new tricycle!!
Maya on her new bike.
Kyra on her new trike.The Mermaid Party

We had the mermaid party on sunday evening. It was a fun filled evening with about 25 people, lots of pizza, cake and mermaid fun.........

Great Grandparents!!

The balloon obsession begins............

A party complete with Party Hats!!
Daddy reading out of the new Dora book.
Already playing computer games!!
2 Generations of Sisters

Party Number 2 !!

We had party round 2 on monday evening. We had about 10 people over that evening for more cake and tried out the new tricycles.

2007-10-13T13:07:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon...............Pictures from the Little Mermaid 3rd Birthday Party!! Have a great weekend!!

2007-09-07T10:44:00.001-07:00

Growing Up
We recently had a friend of mine, who is starting to get into photography take some pics of the girls at Easter Lake. They turned out awesome, here are a few. They just have grown so much over the summer and are really turning into little girls.

2007-08-29T19:20:00.001-07:00

Hair by Daddy :)

New Pics Coming Soon, I promise!!
The girls have broken our digital camera, so here are a few of our more recent pics to tide you over until I can get out to find a new camera.

How cute are they all snuggled up in their tuck-tucks (blankies)!! They did this all by themselves. (Please ignore the mess!! :))

As far as updates......Eryn has started ABA therapy, the therapist is coming out to the house and Eryn LOVES her!!! We are so excited to see where this goes. Maya is talking up a storm. She has had a huge language explosion over the summer and is now even saying some sentences!! Both girls will start preschool 4 mornings a week after their birthday in October, I am excited and nervous about that. Kyra is just a little mother hen. She loves to boss her sisters around (she couldn't possibly have gotten that from her mother....:)) Her speech and language continues to amaze Garry and I everyday. She just seems to pick up and understand things so fast. We are looking forward to getting into our new routine and for cooler weather!!

Oh yeah........anyone want to buy our house!! We are going on about a year and a half that its been for sale here people.........WAY too long!! Soooooooooooo frustrating!! If we have no traffic in the next month we will take it off the market until after the first of the year. I have been getting antsy and am making a mess of things lately, thinking about new counters, curtains, paint touch ups and a few little jobs for the kitchen. I have to do something to keep myself from going crazy while we wait!! :)

2007-08-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

These are for Aunt Julie!!

these are their Hawaii dresses that Julie brought back this spring.

2007-08-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

You know you're a nurse if...

* You would like to meet the inventor of the call light some night in a dark alley.

* Your sense of humor gets more warped each year.

* Almost everything can seem humorous...eventually.

* You know the smell of different diarrhea to identify it.

* You wash your hands BEFORE you use the bathroom.

* You check the caller ID on your day off to see if anyone from the hospital is trying to call and ask you to work.

* Discussing bodily fluids over a gourmet meal seems perfectly normal to you.

* You think that caffeine should be available in IV form.

* You get an almost irresistible urge to stand and wolf your food even in the nicest restaurants.

* You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if you say,'It's unusually quiet around here today'

* You have ever had a patient look you straight in the eye and say 'I have no idea how that got stuck in there'.

* You notice that you are using more 4 letter words than you even knew before you started nursing.

* Every time someone asks you for a pen you can find at least 4 of them on you .

* You live by the motto 'to be right is only half the battle, to convince the doctor is more difficult.'

*You've told a confused patient that your name was that of your coworker and to holler if they need help.

* Your bladder can expand to the size of a Winnebago's water tank.

* You find yourself checking out other customer's veins in grocery waiting lines.

* You avoid unhealthy looking shoppers in the mall for fear that they will drop near you and you'll have to do CPR on your day off.

* Your finger has gone places you never thought possible.

If you are not a nurse and have been sent this by a friend who is, it's just to help you understand our mind set and questionable mental status/sanity. Most of the time we function in spite of this sick sense of humor, fairly normally and very responsibly. Scary, huh?????? KNOW A NURSE????.....PASS IT ON....

2007-08-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

Turning 30 by Andy Rooney
This is for all you girls 30 years and over....and for those who are turning 30, and for those who are scared of moving into their 30's! This was written by Andy Rooney from CBS 60 Minutes,

Andy Rooney says: As I grow in age, I value women who are over 30 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 30 will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, "What are you thinking?". She doesn't care what you think. If a woman over 30 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it's usually something more interesting.

A woman over 30 knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom. Few women past the age of 30 give a damn what you might think about her or what she's doing.

Women over 30 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.

A woman over 30 has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn't trust the guy with other women.

Women over 30 couldn't care less if you're attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won't betray her. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 30 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one! You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free." Here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire Pig, just to get a little sausage.

OK, so I thought that little interview was kind of funny. I found quite a few other thoughts on turning 30 on the web. Glad to know I am not one of the only ones having a hard time with this one. My 20's has been full of a roller coaster of emotions and experiences. I finished nursing school, had a great time living with a couple of awesome roommates!! At 22 got married to my best friend and celebrated in Aruba! At 23 we bought our first house and got our first crash course in parenting with our puppy Ally. We had a great time as a couple hanging out with friends, traveling, staying in and relaxing. I became a care coordinator for Peds and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, I loved this job, but boy did it have its stressful days!! Then Garry and I started trying for that one missing thing..........a baby. That was a HARD time. All those tests, procedures, drugs, scheduling.....that was hard, but just brought us closer and at 27 I became a mother to 3 beautiful daughters.

I barely remember 27-28 in my state of constant sleep deprivation. :) I took the year off of work to stay at home and be with the girls. At 28 I went back to work part time to try and balance my work and home life and started with the Peds Flex Team. That has brought many challenges, but I really have enjoyed it. Now at 29 most of this year has been concentrating on Eryn and getting things lined up for the earliest intervention and plan we could work on.

And in 30 minutes I will be 30!!

I have been stressing about this birthday all year, but now as it nears I feel a sense of peace. I am very blessed and do have a wonderful life. I have many things to look forward to and goals to attain in my 30's. I want to get back into school and become a nurse practitioner.....at this point specializing in pediatric development and possibly autism. I want to get my lazy butt in shape and take care of myself!!! I want to move into our new home and become a part of a community. I want to travel. I want to read more. I want to be a good wife. I want to learn to cook better. I want to watch my children grow and explore and be happy. I want to live a long, healthy and happy life!! :) Katie

2007-08-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Operation Toddler Bed is Underway!!!

1230........Everyone in bedroom and tucked in

1245.........mom back in bedroom to attend to fighting over the purple blanket

1250.........small child appears in doorway

1255.........mom back in bedroom, fighting again over purple blanket

1305........mom back in room to investigate strange noises and finds Eryn in Kyra's bed and Kyra

now in Eryn's bed.

1315.........more fighting over purple blanket

1330.........The trios rendition of Happy Birthday

1345...........Stupid purple blanket!!!!!

1400............No sleeping going on in there, but I am afraid to open the door.

1430........ I hate that stupid purple blanket!!!!

1445..........Ok, whose dumb idea was this toddler bed stuff anyway!!!!...............oh yeah....mine.

1520.........Still freaking awake!!!

1535.........Crying coming from the bedroom??? After an investigation mom has found Eryn in the closet (with a now broken door) and Kyra holding the trim that has fallen from above the door, landed on Maya's head and now being held in Kyra's arms. The only explanation from the group.................Oops!!!!

1540........HA!! Mom has now turned their cribs against the wall so they can't get out, lets see how they like that!!

2007-08-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Okoboji

While in high school I spent many summers working at a camp in Spirit Lake. My family also spent many years there going to family camp. This year the girls and I decided to join my mom and sister there for a few days to check out the changes at the camp and to catch up with all of our old friends. Many of the families have been coming to camp since we were all little and we have grown up together. Now many of us are having our own kids and it was so fun to see the next generation of little campers!! For those of you who have been there before...here are a few of the changes.

The new campfire site is near the waterfront. Its beautiful!

They now have a rock climbing wall complete with zip line.

The old dining hall is now the canteen and gathering hall, and at the moment has a deck off to the side.
The new beautiful dining hall over looking the water. The office is in the basement.

The waterfront with small beach.
The treehouses they are building behind the campgrounds.

These girls were at climbing camp which was going on at the same time as family camp. The girls just adored them. I tried to recruit them to babysit, but unfortunately they live in Burlington. Playing at the spirit lake elementary school.

We had a great time. The girls went for a pontoon boat ride and swam in the pool. Sleeping didn't go the greatest, but they are making up for it now!!!

2007-07-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

A Different Kind of Post

Being a mom is HARD. Being a mom to three 2 1/2 year olds is HARD. Being a mom to a special needs child is HARD. Some days life just seems too HARD and I wonder how I am going to get through the day and keep it all together.

Lately I feel like I am eating, breathing and sleeping autism. I am trying to research everything I can to make educated and informed decisions regarding Eryn's care and her future. I know she is only 2, but I also know that early intervention is the key to the best outcome and I am going to make sure I give her the best opportunities I can.

I have therapy here at the house at least 2-3 times a week right now and am planning for their therapies in the fall and preschool in October. We are on many waiting lists including one for ABA therapy that is about a year long list before she will even get started.

I hate waiting, I hate surprises, I want to work hard and fix her and live happily ever after............................ I hate not having control.

Just when I think I can't take it anymore..............they do something that makes me remember what I am working for.....

This morning I was running around cleaning up and doing laundry when I heard this hysterical laughter coming from our bedroom. I just happened to grab the camera when I went to investigate. All 3 of them had tucked themselves in our bed and were just having a good ole time jumping on the bed, then hiding under the covers and tackling each other.

I love those girls!!

2007-07-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

Aunt Deb home for a visit!!
As you can see from these pictures they didn't forget how fun it was to play with her since she was last here in march. I REALLY think its time for her to move back to Iowa and I think the girls agree!!! Come back soon!!!!!!!!!!!

And introducing our newest playmate!!!

Logan C.

Deb and the girls got to meet Logan for the first time this weekend. They were so excited to meet him!!

2007-07-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 4th of July !!!!

Here we are today trying to perfect the art of the self portrait!!!

This was taken after our trip to the zoo on sunday for the NICU reunion. The girls got to pick out a stuffed animal to take home. Maya loved the alligator. She was giving it hugs and kisses all the way home.
Here are a few shots of our annual trip to the Urbandale 4th of July parade. The girls did so awesome this year!! They were not scared of the sirens and lound noises and loved all the balloons. Kyra even cried when it was over!! What a difference a year makes!!

2007-06-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

OuR FIRST VaCaTioN

Last week we took our first real vacation with the girls and headed down to St. Louis. We went with our good friends the Bryant family who also has 3 children. Here are a few pics and I will try to blog more about it later. :)

The St. Louis Zoo

Candids in the hotel. Hello.................................. or Wuhwoh........ as Eryn says it.
It's for you mommy..........
I think we are going to need binky rehab after this little trip!!!!
I see lots of babies sleeping.........too bad its not the crabby ones that should be sleeping !!!

The City Museum

Purina FarmsThe girls thought these pigs were the funniest things they had ever seen!!

Eryn kept trying to get into the pen with them and play.

Ok, tell me this is not one of the funniest pics!!! I didn't prompt them at all.
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil...............

2007-05-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's Official!!!!

Uncle Jonathan graduated from Morningside College on saturday. We are very proud of him!!!! Way to go!!!!!

2007-05-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

March of Dimes Walk 2007

A big thank you to everyone who donated!! This was our second year walking with Team H.O.P.E. and our team alone raised over $4,000!!!! That is awesome!!!

2007-05-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sometimes they are so funny!! (Don't mind the messy faces) :)

2007-05-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

A few pics from recent playdates. We LOVE this warm weather.

2007-05-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

We were out playing bright and early this morning with some of our new play stuff. Enjoy!!

Yummy..........sand.

HAPPY MAY DAY !!!

2007-04-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

GO HAWKS !!

Daddy found these last night while we were shopping. Looks pretty good on her, don't you think??? (never mind the fact that those are supposed to be shorts, not capris!!)

The other 2 wore their outfits over their p.j.s last night and didn't want to take them off. Do you think U. of Iowa will give us a multiples discount???????????????????

2007-04-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Easter EGG Hunt

More pictures and updates coming.........................................

2007-04-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

April is Autism Awareness Month

As most of you know Eryn was diagnosed with PDD-NOS last month. This is an autism spectrum disorder. I have heard it called atypical autism because it just doesn't fit all the criteria for any one diagnosis. Here is a definiton I found online and links to more info on autism. Some people have asked what her "symptoms" are because she seems so typical most of the time. This is true, she has developed typically for most things except speech and communication. Some of the first things I started to notice were that she was not responding to her name, she does not point or show us things, her speech is delayed, she does some hand flapping when upset or excited..............As a mom I always just new something was a little different with her, and the nurse in me was trying hard for a long time to ignore some of these "red flags". I finally decided around age 2 with the encouragement of the Early Access therapists to see the developmental specialists in Iowa City, which is where we got our diagnosis.

We are very hopeful that with therapy and starting the Early Access preschool in the fall she will make lots of progress and do a lot of catching up. We are unsure of what the future holds for her, but are going to try our hardest to give her the very best start possible. Please read more about autism and educate yourselves on this growing disorder. These children need our help to give them all the guidance and love they can get and we need to work hard to find why this disorder is becoming so prevalent and stop it from affecting any more generations.

What is the difference between autism and PDD or PDD-NOS?

Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is a category designated by the American Psychiatric Association to indicate children with delay or deviance in their social/language/motor and/or cognitive development. A child may have delays in social development and delays in one or more of the other categories. The profiles of children with a PDD can vary tremendously. PDD is not one disorder but a category that encompasses a wide range of delays of different magnitude in different domains. Autism is the most severe of the pervasive developmental disorders. Autism indicates a primary disturbance in the individual's ability to relate to others. Language delay and cognitive delays are also common.
PDD-NOS represents Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. This is a diagnosis given to a child who exhibits impairment in the development of reciprocal social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, or when stereotyped behavior or activities are present. However, the child does not meet the criteria for any specific pervasive developmental disorder.

http://www.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/pddinfo.html

http://www.cureautismnow.org

http://www.autism-society.org

http://www.autism-pdd.net/

2007-03-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Thank You Aunt Deb!!!

Deb left this a.m. to go back to L.A. She did a fabulous job with the girls while we were gone and they grew quite attached to her. Here are a few shots right before she left. You can't tell from these shots, but the ones with the girls lined up at the door.......they were crying hysterically....Bye Deb, Love you, Bye Bye. It was soooooo sad.

2007-03-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

We Are Home!!

We had an absolutely wonderful time on our vacation!! Deb did a great job with the girls and they had a blast. Here are a few pictures and I will try to do more of an update in the next few days.

Miami
Our cruise ship the Fascination (its the bigger one)
This is the main elevators and atrium area. The photos below are of our stateroom. They would come in and turn down the bed at night and leave mints on the pillows, the newsletter about the boats activities for the following day and they would make little towel animals and leave them on the bed. Once you get aboard the ship you have to go through a safety drill and that is a picture of Garry enjoying that.

Nassau, Bahamas

Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. This was an awesome place. If we go back to the Bahamas I would love to stay there. They have tons of aquariums all over the grounds. It was so beautiful.After returning from the cruise on Monday morning, we rented a car and drove down to Key Largo. This was a state park there.
These last shots are of our last 2 days in Ft. Lauderdale. We loved this hotel!! It was beautiful and the people were so friendly. I loved laying on their beach on those loungers!! We were so tired after all that traveling that we didn't even care that they accidentally gave us 2 full beds instead of a King. HaHaHa!!

The weather was perfect, the cruise was great and I didn't get sea sick at all (love that patch)!! We had a great time relaxing together, but missed the girls lots. Now we just have to convince Deb to make this a yearly thing!!! LOL :)

2007-03-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

we LOVE spring!!!

We have really been enjoying the warmer weather and getting outside as much as we can. These pictures are from an outing to the zoo last week. This was the first time I had taken them all by myself and they were so good! They had the best time watching feeding and training time with the sea lions. We look forward to going back when all the animals are out, especially the giraffe and petting zoo animals.

Garry and I leave for our Bahamas cruise on thursday. Our first vacation since we were pregnant with the girls. We are looking forward to the relaxation and to regroup a little. My sister Deb is flying in to watch the girls with some help from my mom. :)

I will post new pictures when we return.........some of our new haircuts!!!! .............. and give an update on Eryn's Iowa City appointment. I know many people have been asking for more info and I have just not had a chance to really process everything myself. Once I can explain everything I will, I promise!! Have a great week!!!

The Face of Autism

2007-03-12T12:02:00.001-07:00

Last week our beautiful Eryn was diagnosed with PDD (pervasive developmental disorder) which is on the autism spectrum. This video helps remind us all that a label is not the end of the world.
We will all get through this sissy!!! :)

2007-03-12T11:38:00.001-07:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

2007-02-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

What do we do on snow days???
I have had a few people ask lately what do you do all day with 3 2year olds when you can't go anywhere. Well, here are a few shots of about an hour of playtime this am. We added a new piece to our playroom last night. I found this bounce castle online after a few of my TC friends recommended it. The girls were so excited to come down and see it this morning.