Waiting...

After 3 weeks of traveling for me, I get a week off and am working from home this week... And what better way to welcome me home than the stomach flu :-) Declan work up this morning with it and now Andy and I are just waiting for the rest of the kids to get it (and possibly both of us too). I can't explain the feeling that we get when one gets sick and we just know that we have 3 more to go... It's like every bit of food that the girls ate today, I thought to myself, well I guess we'll be seeing that again... It's like a ticking time bomb... So it's not a great feeling :-) I thought for a moment that perhaps it wasn't going to be so bad because Declan only puked a few times this morning and hadn't for several hours. But then he just did. So now I'm anxiously awaiting vomit sounds from the monitor. Awesome. I'd like to say we might be lucky, but this isn't the first rodeo that Andy and I have been too and we both know it's just a matter of time.

On a brighter note, we did have a fun weekend up until this morning. Andy took Grandma Mary to the airport and then Declan and I went to the mall and had some bonding time... He really wanted a wallet, so that's what we got. And he hasn't let it out of his sight since... I mean, really he hasn't.

Declan and I at lunch with his new wallet!

And in not so happy times this afternoon, sick in bed, but still with his wallet...

Bria getting ready for the game with her cool new headbands on...

And the girls in their favorite place in the house, the laundry room... Not sure where they will play in the new house. L to R: Stevie, Aven & Bria.

While we were out Declan wanted to get he and his sisters new sun glasses, so we did. Here is Stevie and Bria trying them on with Declan...

Still having fun in the laundry room.

And while Declan was in our bedroom, the girls still wanted to have fun, in the laundry room of course... Although Stevie had had enough with all the fun...

I've been trying to take more videos lately... Here's a cute one from tonight... The girls got ahold of the TV remote and turned the TV off. We kept asking them who did it, and no one ratted Aven out (cause I'm pretty sure she did it). Stevie was telling us a story and Bria kept saying "I don't know"

The girls love getting rowdy right before bed, it's hard not to laugh and think it's adorable, because honestly it is. And it's one of the rare times that they all get along really well. I think it's their way of making sure they extend their bedtime... Please ignore my horrible singing voice (and laughing)...

Changes!

I know, it's been way, way, way too long... It's been a busy few weeks in the Lawry household... Just over 2 weeks ago, I had my last day of work with my previous employer... It was very bittersweet and I already miss all my former colleagues. Andy and I jumped on a plan that night (while my Dad and Judy came out, with little notice, to graciously watch the kids for the weekend). We arrived in Atlanta Thursday night, drove around and explored on Friday, looked at houses Saturday and put an offer on a house on Sunday. Nuts I know. But strangely enough, when it comes to big decisions, they are very easy for Andy and I to make. I am SOOOO excited for our new house (in the meantime our offer was accepted and we close in mid-April) - we have more space, we are in a great neighborhood, and did I mention we have more space? Can't wait for the kids to see the place!

I then started my new job and have been on the road for the first 2 weeks (and one more to come), which hasn't been easy, but it will slow down soon. This weekend Andy and I headed to NYC, while his mom watched the kiddos and I ran my first half-marathon... What an awesome (yet painful) experience... I found it to be a very emotional experience, one because I never thought I would do it, two because I got to run it with my sister and three I got to run it with a good friend of mine who has lost 70 pounds in the last year and before 6 months ago had never even run a mile. Amazing is all I have to say...

Because I'm tired, sore and sleeping, I'm not going to make this long... I promise when things slow down I'll blog more... Here are a few pictures from these past few weeks...

Bria has been OBSESSED with socks lately... Here her sister Aven is helping her put them on. She has my sock on her left foot, her brothers on the other and then she puts them on her hands...

Sock lady!

Sweet Stevie...

Aven & Stevie...

Declan being a good big brother and helping Stevie draw...

L to R: Stevie, Bria & Aven... They were on time out - well technically only Bria and Aven were, but Stevie felt bad for them (notice her pout). I'm pretty sure Bria pushed Aven  off a chair, but Aven was being mean and hoarding in this instance...

Silly Stevie!

Post race smiles! Me and Em with Neal (Left) and Justin (the one I referenced above)

Em and I...

28 Months!

It's hard to believe that the girls turned 28 months yesterday... And their adjusted age of turning 2 happened last month and it blew right past! It could be that the kids are keeping us crazy busy or we are starting to forget just how "old" they really should be. Both are good in my book though! So here's their monthly update...

Aven:

• Nicknames: Avie, Ave
• Favorite thing to do: Per Andy, she likes to do whatever she wants, when she wants. I think she likes to color and spend time in the kitchen cooking with me.  
• Favorite food: My lasagna
• Favorite toy: Yo Gabba Gabba stuffed animals
• Favorite TV show: Yo Gabba Gabba
• What she doesn't like: She doesn't like when people tell her no and her diaper changed
• Morning or Night: Night - she's usually the last one to go to bed and her and Stevie often mess around for a good 30-60 minutes while in their cribs. She's always been the most restless of the girls and not much has changed. 
• Things she likes to say: She is saying more and more... She likes to say "Hi." She says a lot and has full fledged triplet talk but we don't understand a lot of it.
• Funniest thing she does: She sticks all her stuffed animals between her crib and the wall, so they are all just sitting there looking at her (or you when you go and get her)
• Therapies: Aven is currently getting DI (development intervention) once a week and is doing really well!

Bria:

• Nicknames: Bri, Bri Bri, B-B, B
• Favorite thing to do: Climb and dance
• Favorite food: Everything
• Favorite toy: Books, puzzles and Yo Gabba Gabba dolls (which presents problems with Aven)
• Favorite TV show: Yo Gabba Gabba (but she's always been the least interested in TV)
• What she doesn't like: Her diaper changed
• Morning or Night: Neither - she's always the first to go to bed and the last to wake up.
• Things she likes to say: She is pretty much a little parrot now, you say something and ask her to repeat it and she will... She has recently said sister ("sister") as a new word...
• Funniest thing she does: She makes funny faces and she likes to wear her rain boots all.the.time.
• Therapies: Bria gets DI with Aven, once a week and is doing great!

Stevie:

• Nicknames: Stevie
• Favorite thing to do: Dance, talk jiberish
• Favorite food: Bananas (still - she literally wants to eat bananas for every meal)
• Favorite toy: Blankets, Yo Gabba Gabba dolls (which presents problems with sisters A and B)
• Favorite TV show: Yo Gabba Gabba
• What she doesn't like: Her diaper changed
• Morning or Night: Both, but is happy in the morning (mostly) - she will trade off with Aven on who wakes up first. 
• Things she likes to say: New words that she is saying "no" and "mama"
• Funniest thing she does: She loves wearing blankets or towels over her head. She will literally go to bed with them wrapped around her head (don't worry, no breathing hazard because her face is free). She just likes to be cuddled by them I think.
• Therapies: Stevie gets PT and speech twice a month

Recent picture of the girls, thanks to Jessie who is in town with Mary and her boyfriend this week... L to R: Bria, Aven & Stevie... 

The Energy Project...

Last year at one of our leadership meetings at my work, I went through a workshop called "The Energy Project." It was basically around creating balance in your life to fully optimize your energy, etc. It's the basics, like getting solid sleep, exercise, etc. Everyone took a survey to see what their "number" was and I was a 13, not bad, but the lower the number the better. Anyway... Back to my normal topic... Well today, we took the girls to Declan's learn to skate class. We took them once before and it wasn't so bad because there are two hallways with dead ends so they can't get far. Well a few months later now and they are FAST! And there are stairs everywhere... I know they were there before but I didn't notice it as much. At least we planned ahead and Em agreed to come with us to help while Andy was on the ice with Declan. Well today, I got a new meaning of The Energy Project :-) Meaning how fast the girls zap me! Aven was the ring leader and she wanted nothing to do with keeping still or staying in the guarded hallway. Then Bria followed her. Then Stevie... It was insane to say the least and there was a moment when I didn't think we were going to make it... There was one point where I was following Bria and Aven and I swear they looked at each other laughed and ran opposite directions. Aven to one set of stairs and Bria to the other. Em in the meantime was hysterically laughing, because it was pretty funny. We got them still for a bit by going into my bag of tricks and finding some coloring activities. Then we occupied them for about 20 minutes with a game called "running back and forth from mommy and Aunt Em and giving us hugs." It. was. fun. But I'm thinking we might just continue with our quite Saturday mornings at home :-)

Then we came home and Stevie got ahold of the TV remote and purchased a $18 movie... At first I thought it was a porn movie, but thankfully it wasn't and it's actually a movie that Andy wanted to watch - win win, but I would have preferred she rented it versus bought it. Never a dull moment :-)

Before our big adventure, I took a few pictures of the kiddos (mostly because they had actual clothes on today versus our normal stay at home attire :-))

Declan, Aven (telling me something I'm sure) and Stevie (with her oven mitt on - which she took to the skating rink as well)

L to R: Bria, Declan, Stevie & Aven

Declan and Bria having a serious chat...

Sweet Stevie...

Declan and his favorite...

Aven wanted to sit on Declan's lap, Stevie didn't understand why :-)

At least Declan was having fun...

This would have been great, if we could see Declan (L to R: Aven, Stevie & Bria)