The end of a decade

Ten years ago ushered in 2000! What a celebration it was. I was in my first year of teaching, was newly engaged, and had so much to hope and so many dreams ahead. Who would have guessed how many mountains would be climbed or how many valleys I would have fallen into during the 10 years that would follow. I remember the town's celebration that closed down the Main Street in Red Bud. The tents that lined the street and the lights blazing against the midnight sky as everyone tooted their horns, kissed each other, and cheered in 2000! Unbelievable. And...here I sit 10 years later...at home.

And, how wonderful it is. My wonderful husband who has been by my side for the past 10 years, and my nearly 2-year-old babies sleeping peacefully in their beds - are more than I could ever hope for.

The first ten years of the 2000s were full of teaching, fun, laughter, traveling, remodeling houses, and so much more than can be written here. But those years were also filled with hurt, anger, bitterness, and even some blood and many tears. I guess it is the combination of the two over time that makes a person who they truly are. And, as fun as it was at times, and as hard as it was at other times, I'd go through it all again. I've grown as a person, as a wife, and as a mom and all the while I've come to one realization that I've learned through it all. God is always there in the good and the bad - He has a plan for us and it is up to us to put our full trust in Him, to reach out to Him, and to make Him the one focal point in our lives.

He had blessed me with my family, friends, health, and so much happiness, and for all those things I am so thankful and humbled.

So...here is to 2010, the beginning of another decade. I don't know what is in store for my family or myself, but I know God will be by our sides.

Happy New Year!

Monkey Joe's

Christmas festivities really wore us out. We've been sleeping at least 12 hours each night and taking a two-three hour nap in the afternoon!

Today, daddy took off work early and we all went to Monkey Joe's in Fairview. It was so fun. It was like 3 Monkeys jumpin on the bed inflatables! It took awhile for us to get used to the inflatables under our feet, but once we realized how fun it was, we couldn't get enough. Here are a few pictures of the afternoon.

Apparently when you go head first on a slide, you end up on your head too!




Brooke and Zach run/jump through!


Brooke takes a turn on the slide.


Zach is getting ready to slide down.


Peek-a-boo


Everyone liked to crawl on the alligator.



Whew...I'm tired now!


We had a great time and can't wait to go back!

Christmas at Nana & Papa's

We had Christmas at Nana and Papa's on the 26th. We got a cool table and chairs that we love!


Brooke and Zach pose with bows!





Uncle Blake and Aunt Sara gave us blocks! Mommy and Daddy are already dreading picking those up every night!



And...of course, ELMO!


So many good presents and memories!

Christmas Day

Looks like Santa came!




And...he even brought Sesame Street toys for the kids!




We enjoyed breakfast with Nana and Papa and then got to open some present!





And to make it more perfect, it snowed for us too!



After we played with our toys, we headed out to Mama and Papa's house. We played with Maggie, Makenna, and Addie too.







We had such a good time celebrating Jesus' Birthday with our family!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve

Our night started with a quick visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa.







We went to church and then to Nana and Papa's house.





We got lots of fun toys and loved playing with our cousins.

We even got to meet a new "cousin" . . . Uncle Blake and Aunt Sara's new puppy - Bella. (We'll post pictures of Bella later!)

Grohmann Family Christmas

Christmas started on the 23rd with the entire Grohmann family getting together at Freddie and Leslie's house. The tradition is for Santa to arrive after we eat. Most of the kids wait in eager anticipation. Luke made friends with Santa back in November and continued to feel the same toward him tonight. Zach did sit on his lap tonight, but wasn't sure about it. Brooke refused! She cried immediately when she saw him and didn't want to get close to him. She did finally agree to give him a high five.





Brooke says, "I gave him five, got my goodie bag, I'm outta here!"

Just Sayin'

Listening to my kids talk is so fun now! The things they say are enough to melt my heart. Brooke is by far the most animated and has a vocabulary out of this world (for a two year old). The boys were fighting over a toy the other day. She squatted down and while pointing a finger at them, yelled, "Boys...STOP IT!" Brooke also uses her pronouns albeit incorrectly - when she wants me to pick her up she says, "Mommy hold you?" (I love it!) She also loves to sing "I love you", "Bingle Bells", the ABCs, and many more songs, put it to music and she'll sing it for you. She will also occasionally bring me a candle or lotion and say mmmm, mell it! She never ceases to amaze this mom!

Zach talks but we have a harder time understanding him. Maybe due to the fluid in his ears for the first 6 months of his life, he has had a harder time hearing different sounds? He does talk and some of his words are Marney (Barney), Money (Mommy), Addo (Shadow), and he even attempts to sing gle bells with his sister! This little guy is also the one who throws the most temper tantrums and we think it is because he has the hardest time communicating with us.

Luke has come out of his shell! My once quiet, laid back little guy, is anything but. He climbs up on furniture, is afraid of nothing (including shutting himself in dark rooms), and is VERY VOCAL these days. No is one of his favorites. He is fascinated with Barney and when the show ends, he wants the mote (remote to change the channel! It is hysterical to watch him search for his beloved mote! We also laugh when we hear him say broccoli, sing row row boat and I love you. Nana also taught him to say "what the heck." The other day riding in the van, I cleared my throat and he proceeded to follow suit. He would clear his throat and then say o heck. I was giggling so hard!

I love these kids!

Christmas Decorations

The "TREE" has been a constant question for me this year. Do we put up the Christmas tree with three little monkeys or not? Yes, they need a tree, but do we want to spend our days yelling no, stay away from the tree, don't touch, etc.? But...I finally got the nerve. So, yesterday, after our last day of school until January, I had Chad haul the tree out of the attic. After the kids were tucked in, he and I got busy! We put the tree up, fluffed and decorated it, and sat back and admired it.





Today was the best. The kids coming down the stairs to see it for the first time was precious.




Brooke said, "OOHHH, look at that."



Luke said, "LIGHTS!"



And, Zach was uninterested because he was ungy (hungry)!


The best part....it is still up, intact, with ornaments and we haven't had to yell!!!

Catching up...

The past week flew by. I had projects due for my master's class, papers to grade, Santa's Cottage to work at at school, and then my mommy duties. But...I just had to share this:

Cheri called me at school on Thursday. I called her back and her first words were not hello...but "I'm not qualified to watch triplets!" She then told me to sit down as she had a story for me. She was cleaning up the trays and kitchen from lunch when she realized that it was very quiet in the house. She looked in the living room and then checked our bedroom. The kids were no were to be found. As she came through the office, she noticed the bathroom (pocket) door was closed. When she went to open it, it was locked and Luke hearing her, says "Hello" in his sweet little voice! So, she knew he was in there and just had to assume the other two were since they were silent! She worked fast to get the lock apart and there they were - cleaning out the cabinet. As least they weren't drinking the water from the toilet!


Yesterday was a day to catch up around the house. I spent my time between laundry, cooking, and playing. While I was cooking, I would give the kids a taste. At one point I asked Brooke if - she liked it. MMM Good she said and ran off to play. About 5 minutes later she was back and asked me, "You like it all gone?" I guess she thought that was the name of the tuna salad I gave her!!!

Luke is really talking more and more. He is so darn cute with those big eyes. I asked him if he was hungry for breakfast and he replied..."hungy, pizza, french fries!" I love it. And, now when he shakes his head yes, his whole body wiggles as he gets so excited.

Zach has been my lovey boy lately. I just want to squeeze him. He wraps his little legs around me so tight and hangs on for dear life. Sometimes I think about everything else I have to do that can't get done while I'm holding him, but I know this phase is not going to last and I want to enjoy it while I can!

Uncle Blake/Aunt Sara's Wedding

I know this is late, but I wanted to get it in! We (all 5 of us) were very fortunate to be a part of my brother Blake's wedding. It was a beautiful November day with temperatures almost in the 60s. Sara was gorgeous, the kids walked down the aisle and made me so proud. I still cry thinking that all the planning and fun are over. Here are some pictures from the happy day.



Here is my sweet baby girl. She was such fun!





Here is Blake with the boys. I can't wait for him to have kids of his own, he is so good with mine!



This is my entire family. What more could a person ask for?

Turkey Day 2009

We have so much to be thankful for, it is impossible to list. Most important though is our family!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Happenings

This past weekend was beautiful and we spent a lot of time outside enjoying the warm weather. It was definitely something to enjoy since this doesn't happen often in November. We raked leaves on Saturday and then played at Lincoln park on Sunday. We weren't quite finished with being outside, so we decided to blow bubbles for awhile. The joy they get from bubbles is amazing!



We paid the price for such nice weather though. This morning was a morning full of green snotty noses and crabbiness. Nana went shopping with us and on the way we called our pediatrician to see if we could get in. At our appointment, she informed us that Luke has yet another ear infection in his left ear (the 2nd one in a month), Zach has an ear infection in his right ear, and Brooke is okay so far, just has a head full! Hopefully the antibiotics will clear things up and they will be good in time for Uncle Blake's wedding this weekend!

The kids were playing tonight and Luke was so crabby - just not like himself. I felt so bad for him, I picked him up, carried him like a baby into our bedroom, and sang quietly to him. As I was doing this, I realized it is something I don't do often enough - with any of them. My babies are growing up and I am going to miss this one day. I started tearing up when I thought back to how often I used to do this and enjoy it because I had waited so long for these precious gifts and God had given me three babies to love. Sometimes, we just get so wrapped up in every day life, that we don't stop to enjoy what is in front of us. I made a promise to myself to remember this and to continue making special time like this with each of the kids before they are all grown up and don't want to be held and cuddled with anymore.

Happy Halloween 2009

Make a Smilebox postcard

Gearing up for Halloween

This is one picture from 2008 when we visited the pumpkin patch.

The following pictures are this year! What a difference a year can make!

What a fun place to visit. We loved the "po-kins!"

Honk Honk

Okay, so I keep thinking to myself, I don't have time to "blog." I have other things to do...I will remember all the "little" things that my kids do to make me laugh or even cry. But, I am realizing with each passing day, I am forgetting the things that I want to remember. As life becomes more and more hectic, I cannot keep these memories inside. Here we go:

Yesterday was Luke's turn to visit the dr. He was running a low grade fever off and on since Thursday. I thought he was teething due to the constant drool! However after a quick exam, the dr said he had a double ear infection and wanted to have a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. ??? We went ahead with the x-ray and thankfully we are good to go. He is however on a breathing treatment for the next 10 days along with the antibiotic for the ears. We are hoping for an easy winter free of anymore ear infections.

So, last night I set my alarm for 1:30 for the 2nd breathing treatment. Got the meds and geared myself up after 3 hours sleep. The treatment was quick and I was back to the couch at 2:30. At 2:45, Brooke woke up crying and continued to do so for the next 1/2 hour. With talking in between - even "Crackery" (Zachary) over and over. We knew she was okay, just wouldn't fall back to sleep. Chad went to get her at 3:15 and I tried laying with her on my chest on the couch for the next 1 and 1/2 hours. She would get down, play a little, poke me and say "mommy" - I just kept thinking that I needed sleep. This is not what my dr ordered for my cold - I needed rest. I finally closed my eyes thinking she would get the hint. At this point in time, she grabbed my nose and said, "honk honk!" She is so darn funny, I couldn't help it. I couldn't be mad, I love her with my whole heart and she just simply wasn't tired. At 4:30, Chad rescued me and I crawled into bed for an hour nap while he got ready for work and did his morning chores around the kitchen. I thank God for him!

Miss Brooke was tired today but managed to make it without being crabby. She did try to pull a fast one on Mawmaw at breakfast, but mawmaw didn't let her get away with it and Brooke is sleeping soundly now! I know how lucky we've been to have them sleeping through the night since June of 2008, but 3 hours + 1 nap - just doesn't make a happy teacher at school.

Here is our little darling, trying to nap during breakfast!