We're Back!

Eli, Luke and Zach - learning to eat with spoons!

Sorry for the long absence. We have had serious technical difficulties at the Z-Ranch, including a fried computer, missing software, etc. You don't even want to know the details! I will give lots of updates on the boys, to bring you all up to speed!

15 Month Appointment

This was on January 26. Everyone is doing great health-wise now, except for seemingly interminable cold bugs getting passed back and forth! Here are the stats:

Luke

Height: 31-1/2 inches (65%)

Weight: 23 lbs, 12 oz (66%)

Eli

Eli's favorite hat is a custom tupperware bowl

Height: 33-1/4 inches (98%)

Weight: 26 lbs, 10 oz (92%)

Zach

Height: 34-1/2 inches (>99%)

Weight: 26 lbs, 2 oz (90%)

So as a summary, they're all big boys! Zach is literally off-the-charts tall, and Eli has taken over as the heaviest for the first time. Luke is still smaller, but he's growing fast and furious too!

We had a really nice Valentine's Day! I made shirts for the boys - boys Valentine's shirts are hard to find!

Zach, Eli and Luke - "We Love You!"

We've been enjoying the warm weather lately. We play outside in the yard or at the park usually every day. The boys are starting to get really adventurous on the playground equipment, and it's super cute, but also super scary. So far, no major injuries - for me or the kids!

Eli loves to do yard work already!

Zach, Eli and Luke - I couldn't resist!

Just a few comments on what the boys are up to... Zach is a talker! I never would have thought he'd be the one, but that child imitates almost any word you say! He says on his own now: ball, book, Bible, moo (as in the cow sound), bird, purple, cracker, cake, bye-bye, dad (obviously), and probably lots more I can't think of right now. It's so cute! I can't wait to hear all of their sweet little voices (I know, I hear many of you laughing hysterically!).

Luke is a little shape sorter! For those of you without small kids, this probably sounds weird. We have a couple of shape balls and blocks, where you fit the shapes into the right holes, and Luke is the master! He gets so intense when he's putting those blocks in - it's really cute! Once he gets going, the other ones want in on the fun too, so that might cause issues. We're trying to figure out sharing and NOT stealing from each other!

Eli is just so adventurous! It's funny because he doesn't like new things at first, but he's usually the one to explore new places and get into new things. He's really social with other kids too - he has no problem just taking off into a room full of kids. Again, the stealing issue comes up, but we're working on it! He's also really good with pointing out his body parts. All of the boys are pretty well-versed in body parts, but Eli performs! He'll show off to neighbors and friends with a big, dimpled smile, even chomping up and down to show off his 50 teeth!

Some quick family/friend news... Please pray for my Gram - she recently had a hip surgery and is recovering. Congrats to Staci on the new job and Barbara for retiring - rock on sisters! More to come soon, including super cool St. Patricks Day shirts!

Here We Go Steelers!

Eli sporting his Steeler gear

OK, I know I haven't blogged in a while and there are so many more important things going on in our lives.. but GO STEELERS!!!! We had such a fun day today. Phoenix is a beautiful place to live, especially in the winter with three little guys who love to go outside. It was about 72 degrees and sunny, so we went outside and jumped in a leaf pile and just generally explored the whole back yard.

Eli on left, Luke on right and Zach in the back

Then the boys went down for a nap at 2:30, which coincided perfectly with the start of the game. If you watched the game, you know the first half was dismal. The Steelers weren't playing well and the prospects didn't look good against a tough Ravens defense. So the boys woke up at halftime (wearing their Steelers gear, of course!) and I said, "OK, you have to be our good luck charms!" And don't you know, the Steelers rocked the whole second half! The boys were so excited to see us clapping and cheering! At one point, John and I roared with excitement on a long completed pass, and all three of the boys just burst into tears! It took us at least 15 minutes to get them calmed down! Hopefully, next week they will be awake for the whole game!

Other than that, we've been having a lot of fun. It's been so warm here lately that we've been able to go to the park almost every day. The boys continue to amaze me with what they can do. All of the boys climb up the steps of the play area (which is neat because we don't have steps here at the house) and Zach and Eli both go down the slide by themselves - usually on their bellies! It freaked me out the first time Zachy came flying down, but he was fine and loved it! They went on their first swings the other day, and Luke and Zach liked it, but Eli needs a few more times to get used to it, I think.

They're really starting to be so sweet to each other, too. Luke is especially empathetic - he will go over and gently touch a brother who is crying, and even give them his cup.

Eli and Luke playing together

Eli kissed Zach tonight (I really thought it was going to be a bite!) No teeth involved though - which is hard since Eli now has 15 teeth! Can you believe that? Thank goodness he only uses them for good (so far!).

Poor Richards lives on! Zachy carries on the tradition of the hat

(Nadine and Big E, you know what I'm talking about!)

Luke waving - I almost caught it!

Hope everyone is recovering from a busy Christmas and getting used to this new year. I have a feeling it's going to be a great one!

Zach, Eli and Luke at the aquarium at Cabela's -

Daddy's little boys!

Merry Christmas!

Luke, Zach and Eli say "Merry Christmas dudes!"

I hope you all had a Christmas full of joy and peace! I felt that way this year, and know that I'm blessed to have had that experience. Many more times it has a been a stressful, anxious time, but this year - totally fun! We had John's Mom, Stepdad and Gram come up for Christmas Eve, and we all went to church together. This was the boys' first time in the main, "big" church, and of course they did great! They weren't as impressed with all of the singing and lights as I thought they would be, but they kept themselves (and us!) occupied during the service.

After church, we came home and had a prime rib feast, and then went for a walk in our neighborhood. This is something so special, and I have never seen anything like it in all of the different places I've lived. Everyone puts out luminaries (which are put together and sold as kits by the neighborhood) on Christmas Eve. That alone is beautiful, and most of the homes around us are decorated with really great Christmas lights. So you take a nice walk, see the lights, one neighbor even has a high-powered telescope you can look through. Then there is a street that is blocked off and people bring cookies, they have hot chocolate and coffee, and Santa is there in one of the driveways! All of the boys had their turn on Santa's lap. This was the first time for Luke and Eli, second for Zach. Their expressions speak for themselves!

Zach: This is my second time, and I still don't like

this dude!

Eli: What are you doing with that hand, mister?

Luke: Seriously, get me out of here!

The boys were pretty tired by this point, so we read them the Christmas story, put them to sleep and helped Santa work his magic! The boys (and everyone else) were so excited Christmas morning to see all of their new toys, books and clothes. They didn't tear into wrapping paper yet - I think that will be next year. But they did explore every inch of new addition to "kidland"! It was super-cool, and I highly recommend spending Christmas with any triplet toddlers you might be acquainted with! Here are some pictures of the amigos enjoying their second Christmas!

Luke, Eli and Zach in their new bouncy

Luke, did you grow a tail?

Zach was born ready to play the xylophone

And Eli may never put the guitar down again

Eli sitting on the racetrack - great idea!

Luke loving life

Doesn't this remind you of A Christmas Story??

Farewell Summer

The Last Hurrah! We went to visit John's family in Tucson earlier in November, and we got to swim one last time. Eli is on left with Erica, John's cousin, then Jay has Zach and I've got Luke

A stroller ride and half an hour later, this is the result of all that swimming! Zach is on the left and Eli on the right.

Again, as usual, I'm apologizing for not getting on here enough, but you'll forgive me when you hear why I'm so late (one of the reasons, as least). Last week we all had a wicked stomach virus - ewwww! So gross! It's really bad enough to have a stomach bug on your own, but also three little guys - it was almost over my gross-out threshold. Once again, Luke was the harbinger and started getting sick one day, then we all fell like dominoes within the next couple of days. We are all better now though, and the sunny side is it made me appreciate my kids' sweet dispositions, as opposed to what happened last week!

Other big things that have been happening around here... Zach took his first steps! It was on Thanksgiving, and really cool. We were all hanging out after a nice dinner, and he was just lounging up against the couch. He looked at me sitting a few feet away, and just walked over to me! He has been walking a lot holding a hand, but never on his own yet. Luke and Eli are jetting around - the head-knocks on the floor are way down as they've passed the "drunken sailor" stage, as Uncle Rob would say!

Thanksgiving was also special because it was the first time we sat down to eat as a family. We always feed the boys by themselves, because it's so much easier. That night, we pulled them up to the big table in their booster seats and we feasted together! Eli wasn't that into it, so he and I were up and down, but it was really nice and very special to me. I felt a new kinship with my Grandma, who would so much rather serve her family than eat. I never understood that until now. The boys keep teaching me!

Speaking of learning new things, Eli can now open all of the doors in the house, and is always on the lookout for a possible escape route. Since I stopped reading "how to" baby books, I'm not sure, but I think this is a little early for this. I mean, a couple of months ago they were barely able to push up on their knees, and now Eli's plotting a break out? So now we need to do a second round of babyproofing. It's all worth it! I just hope we can stay ahead of these boys!

That's about it around here! I'm sure I'll write more around Christmas, so for now, wishing everyone a very happy Christmas!

Luke: Is this dude really sitting on me?

Eli: Oh, just laugh it off!


Zach: Time to move on fellas

Happy Birthday Amigos!

Luke, Zach and Eli getting their first taste of the sweet life!

The baby boys had their very first birthday on Saturday, October 30. They are so awesome! It's amazing to see how they've changed over the last year, and to imagine what changes the rest of their lives will bring.

Talking about changes, where did those tiny babies go? I used to be able to pick up two at a time no problemo, but now a couple of boys (who shall remain nameless) are breaking their Mama's back! Here are the stats from their 1 year appointment, which was Monday:

Luke: Weight - 21 lbs, 6 oz; Length - 31 in

Eli: Weight - 25 lbs, 6 oz; Length - 32 in

Zach: Weight - 25 lbs, 10 oz; Length - 32 in

They're all doing really well - no major health concerns. The biggest thing to come out of the appointment is that we're done with formula!! AND we're supposed to give milk in a sippy cup, so we should technically be done with bottles as well. For anyone who's visited, they know the burden of bottles and formula (To all my bottle washers, I am forever indebted!) This made me think - "wonder how much...?" So here are some approximate stats for the boys first year:

Bottles drunk: 5475

Bottle parts washed (5 parts per bottle): 27,375 (Thank goodness we had some help!)

Meals fed: 1638

Diapers changed: 5475 (Funny how that's the same as the # of bottles!)

Wipes Purchased: 0

Can you believe it? I wrote in an early blog about how our church neighborhood group had done a diaper drive when the boys were born. They brought over a truck full of diapers and wipes. Well, we didn't buy a diaper until the boys were six months old, and we haven't bought a wipe yet! Isn't that amazing? My theory is that when the wipes run out, the boys have to be potty trained! (I think we better start conserving!)

So it has been a busy year, but the result is three awesome, beautiful, healthy, sweet boys who have changed my life completely. I'm just going to write a little about each one, so you can know how special each guy is.

Zach

This boy is so sweet and lovable! He loves to curl up on your lap and watch anything from Baby Einstein to football, and he gives hugs that make you not want to ever let him go. He's very laid back and isn't walking yet, but he doesn't mind at all. From very early he has been an imitator, and he imitates facial expressions and sounds. One day while driving, we were listening to music and "Men in Black" was playing. John looked in the rear view and started laughing. Zach was bobbing his head to the music right on beat! Too cute! So we were all car dancing - Luke and Eli sway from side to side!

Eli

Eli is his own little man. He is so assertive and definitely will not be lost as the "middle child". He is just an outgoing, boisterous, adventurous little guy. He was the first to walk and is now practically running. He still wears a helmet to help the shape of his head, and the bad side effect of this is, it has made an already wild child less inhibited, because he can run into things with his head and not feel it! He will run into something almost on purpose because that's easier than sitting down on his own. Hopefully he has a really hard head by the time the helmet comes off. Just this morning (Friday now!) he went and got his own cup of milk (not from the fridge - it was sitting out already) and got himself settled down to drink, because I had both Zach and Luke on my lap. What a little rock star!

Luke

Luke has never stopped being the inquisitive, observant guy that he was when he was born. He really is so alert to everything that's going on, and picks things up really quickly. The boys got a Scout dog for their birthday, and you have to press its paws to make it do things. I noticed last night that he already knows to push the paws and to let go, so that a whole song plays, etc. The other guys play with Scout, but that involves mostly chewing on his ears! Luke is so sweet too - he pats your back when you're holding him, and he gives very solemn kisses. He is a joy.

OK, and to fit one more thing into this tremendously long blog, the boys had their first real Halloween! Last year they were in the hospital so that doesn't count, in our book. We went around in the stroller (just the boys - I pushed) and saw all of the neighbors in our area. It was really fun, and the boys were so good. They didn't get to eat their candy, though. Daddy and I took care of that for them :) Happy Fall to everyone!

Superboys!

Almost 1 Year!

Luke, Eli and Zach sporting their "Pappy" look!

Well, we're coming up on the boys' first birthday and it has been quite busy around here lately! My mom Robin has been visiting for three weeks, spending lots of quality time with the boys and helping me to prepare for everything that has been going on. I'll get right to it and bring you up to speed!

October 16 the boys went to their very first Halloween picnic, with the Mothers of Multiples club that I belong to. It was a really nice day, and the boys got to check out lots of other little tiny humans. As you can imagine, it was pretty chaotic, but we did get a few good pictures of the super boys!

Eli in back, Luke in the middle and Zach is Super Baby in the front!

(This is also a good shot of our new stroller!)

"Is that a bat signal I see?" Eli looooves his costume!

Luke found a fairy friend! He is the Hulk in case you couldn't tell!

I'll post some good Halloween pics after the big night!

The next day, Sunday, October 17, the boys were dedicated at our church. This is a small ceremony where John and I show our intention to raise the boys to know Christ. It was a wonderful day (just a little hot!) and we had lots of friends and family there to also give their support to raising the boys in a Christian way. We had a nice ceremony, some cake, hung out with the boys and just enjoyed the day!

Eli, Luke and Zach are ready!

John and Luke

Eli is such a smiley boy!

Nana and Zach

Other than that, we have been enjoying the cooler weather finally! The boys love playing in the yard and at the parks around the area. They've also started a new fashion trend around the house - shoes! You can see Eli showing off his new Crocs!

Luke is too cool in his new shades

Zachy won't be outdone!

We also had the boys' birthday party this past weekend, so I have tons of great photos to share! I'll post more about that later, when I write about their birthday. More soon!

What a Week!

Well, we have been having some crazy times around the Z-Ranch lately! It all started with "Typhoid Luke", as I now refer to him sometimes (not usually out loud!) Last week he started showing cold symptoms and quickly developed pink eye. John soon followed, and they both caught a pretty big cold. I was maintaining quite well, along with Eli and Zach, until bam! It hit me over the weekend, and really hasn't let up since. Zach and Eli are still fighting the good fight, so hopefully they won't succumb too. It's almost amazing that they aren't sick, with all of the transfer of germs that has to take place around here!

But in the midst of all this, which truly hasn't been easy, we have had some really awesome things happening with the boys. First, and most exciting, Eli has taken his very first steps! On Wednesday, we caught him moving between two bog toys that he holds on to walk around, and so I put him about a foot away and said, "Come see Mama!" and he took two little steps! It was so exciting! We were all there to see it too - how cool!

The other guys haven't taken any steps yet, but they're moving around pretty well when they have something to hold onto. The cool thing that Zach and Luke have been up to is they started chasing each other! Crawling, of course, one will go about 10 feet, look back, see the other guy coming, then they both laugh and laugh! They take turns as chaser and chasee - laughing the whole time. This is the first interaction between the boys that seems meaningful. They have always liked to touch each other, and for the last couple of months they take toys from each other, but this is really playing together. It's cool because this is the benefit of being a multiple, and we're starting to see it.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I really don't have the energy to do much more today, and I really wanted to tell everyone about Eli's steps! More to come soon!