More August Moments...

The month of August has been a memorable month for the Darnell family. The biggest change is that Mike became a Stay at Home Dad and we are finally getting to experience our weekends together as a family!! In addition, we turned 16 months old, started using forks, started to 'help out,' fell in love with Yo Gabba Gabba and most of all spent a lot of time playing outside in the backyard. The following are some photos that did not make their own post but could not go without posting. Enjoy....

As mentioned previously, August was a month in which we spent a lot of time playing outside in our backyard. The boys have a small pool, a water table, a sprinkler ball and usually just love playing with the hose. When we come inside, I get the boys out of their wet bathing suits, wrap them in their towels and then they get to spent a few minutes drying off - 'in da buff.' Here is Andrew walking around..... (photo edited to add the red bow for modesty)
Jared decided to spend his 'naked time' playing in the toy box...

Taking a picture of the boys sitting together has become darn near impossible. This picture was not staged. Wesley was first sitting on the ottoman, then Andrew and then Jared climbed up. The magical force that drew them all together was none other than the great show "Yo Gabba Gabba!"...

No explanation needed for this one - silly Andrew...

Daddy and his "mini-me" Jared.....

Every night we put all of the toys away. For the past couple months, I started to believe that toys were disappearing. Tonight, we could not find one of the puzzle boards and it was too big to misplace. We looked all over and then last place we looked was under the stove. Well, we found it and many of the other "disappearing" toys. The next day, we also watched the boys slide the toys under the stove....

Jared, our thinker....

As the boys are growing taller, we needed to add another layer of baby-proofing on the door knobs. When the boys woke up the next morning, they were immediately drawn to the new cover on the door handle. They spent a while trying to figure out this new contraption...

As the boys are becoming much more self-sufficient while eating and eating in their presence is not pleasant for any of us, I have started to join for meals. Their table is made for them and not for company. In an effort to expand the table, I used a stool with a TV tray on top. This is my expansion so I can eat at the table with the boys....

Our new favorite toys are the diaper wipe containers. There are so many different ways to play with these. Jared is showing off the container as a hat...

Since we have been playing outside all the time, it is very sad when a rainy day keeps us trapped inside...

Don't worry, we just bring the summer fun inside. How about a little beach ball basketball? Please note we have already raised the goal up one notch and are ready to move it up another level....

Daddy just can't sit still!! His new project is building a small deck for the area between our patio and the fence. The boys sure look up to and LOVE their Daddy.....

Dogs, like children, learn the rules and learn how far they can push the limits without actually breaking a rule. Murray is not allowed to sit up on the couch or the ottoman. He knows he is not allowed to get up on the ottoman but he has learned that he can lay on it as long as he keeps his feet on the floor. Here is a pic of Murray relaxing.....

During the month, Uncle Lance and Aunt Kim came for a visit. We had a great time and during the day on Saturday, they took the boys for a walk. This picture makes me laugh because of Wesley sitting straight up as if to show them around the neighborhood. He definitely has natural leadership potential....

The following series of photos show of Wesley and his silly personality:

Here is his "I make this look good" look....

Say "oooooooooo".....

Wes - what do you think of the Gators? BLAH....

Funny kid....

Each morning, Andrew loves to dump the blocks over his head. Once the box is empty, he will wear the box on his head...

Everything goes on the head....

Murray takes a moment to rest while the boys are napping....

This is our time out spot. When we put one of the boys in time out, he is quickly joined my his bros. Which one do you think is the offender in this photo?

All clean, lotioned up, jammied up, relaxing with our last milk of the evening and watching Wheel of Fortune. The day must be drawing to an end....

Wes looks so sweet in this photo! He is hanging out in his pillow pile in what will become their new room. ...

August was a month full of a lot of fun times! Bring on September...

Take care,

A Day at The Park

Early in July, we decided as a family that we needed to make a change. Our decision was to take the leap and Mike was going to become a SAHD (Stay at Home Dad). We had originally planned for this transition to occur on October 1st but I had some work things come up that required me to be in the office 5 days a week and then a week of travel. Because of this, we opted to move up the transition and Mike has officially been a SAHD for one full week.

If either of us were nervous about our decision, those concerns are gone after today. The most simple act of going to the park was something we were unable to do before today. Up until today, it was always a 1:3 parent to child ratio in our house. Because of this, it would be too dangerous to go out to the community park that is just a couple minutes away from our house.

So, the first chance we got, we were both excited to pack up the boys and head to the park. The boys were a little overwhelmed by all of the people and it took them a few minutes to loosen up. Once they were comfortable, Wes and Andrew were running around. In opposite directions of course....
Here is Wes getting ready to take a big step onto the bouncy bridge....
Jared was a little more cautious and ended up in Daddy's arms for most of the morning....

Wes thought he was one of the big kids. He was trying to do anything he was not big enough to do...

I was surprised that Andrew was as outgoing as he was. Typically, he freezes in public and tries to become invisible. Once he relaxed, he started running around the park. Here he is contemplating which direction to go....

Then.... he was gone..... wait up Andrew.... .

He was so funny. I am not sure what he was looking for but he just kept running around the sidewalk for the longest time. Here is a little video of Mommy chasing him. He was a man on a mission. The only thing that slowed him down was a pretty girl that walked by....

Going to the park is such a simple activity. It was a big milestone for our family and I look forward to many more outings and time spent together as a family!!!

Take care,

Shake Your Moneymaker

Every great once in a while I will put together some video of Team Darnell in action. This particular video showcases the boys and their newly acquired skill of dancing. You will mostly see Wes and Drew moving about, but there are a few seconds of Jared. He is starting to move more, but like Daddy, he probably doesn't care for dancing. Or Dancing with the Stars. Or So You Think You Can Dance. Crank up the volume and enjoy!

Uncle Lance, Aunt Kim, and The Olive Garden

Team Darnell loves when we have visitors.  The boys are learning to socialize once they get over a few moments of shyness.  Jared seems to be the most timid, but soon comes around once he sees his brothers getting all of the attention.  This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting Uncle Lance and Aunt Kim.  They arrived after the boys were in bed, but come morning time we were all up early, ready to kick off our weekend.  Lance and Kim brought the boys a gift: a bowling set complete with milk jug bowling pins, and a bowling ball that moos like a cow and plays a quick banjo song.  We had fun setting up the pins and teaching the boys to knock them down.  They all approached it with their own style, but all three were pretty good at knocking stuff over already.  Soon after, the party was moved to the back yard for some aquatic fun.

Hang on boys...Uncle Lance is about to launch the swings!

Andrew takes a plunge down the slide.

The beach ball attacks Jared yet again!

The boys are treated to an afternoon walk around the neighborhood.

That evening we went out for dinner at The Olive Garden.  The boys were perfect gentlemen, and of course we were the center of attention.  The boys have been eating with forks for a couple of weeks, so here was their chance to show off their skills.

Jared wants to know "How you doin'?"

Huh...just like the chicken and broccoli we get at home.

Andrew enjoying some "il pollo palpa"

Mama Mia!  Dat's a spicy meatball!

Andrew is immune to the paparazzi.

Forks!

The past weekend we decided to let the boys try a meal with forks. They have been doing great with the plates so thought we would give this a try. The boys were curious and surprisingly patient. While there was little success of using the fork to get food to their mouths, it was a great start!

It was a little painful to watch as they would try over and over and over again to stab a piece of food. But, it was great to see them try something new without getting too frustrated.

The following is a few minutes of their first attempt with me and then a few minutes with Daddy teaching. Warning - this is not the most exciting video but it is a great milestone that I want to remember. The funniest moment is about 45 seconds in when Wes succeeds in getting a banana on his fork and then it's gone!

My babies are growing up so very fast!!

Take care,

Super MoMs of Tallahassee

Tonight was a great night out with the Triplet Mom's of Tallahassee!! The group called MOTNO or Mother's Of Triplets Night Out is not a typical multiples club. There are no dues or meetings or other responsibilities. This is just a group of ladies that get together every other month for dinner. The common bond is that we all have triplets. Tonight we met at Olive Garden and had a great time visiting and sharing stories.

L-R: Rian (newest Mom with 10 week olds), Kimberly, Gina, can't remember her name, Julia, Lisa Margie (my mentor mom through the Tally Twins group) and me. This is a great group of ladies!!

Take care,

Mommy & Daddy's Little Helper

Wesley has long since been labeled our "dare devil." It is true that Wesley likes to do things higher and faster than his brothers. He seems to have no fear and is usually the first to try something. When he falls, he does not usually skip a beat even though my heart has skipped a few!

To my pleasant surprise, Wesley has taken on a new label of our little helper!!! It started one day when I was getting the boys ready for breakfast. The boys get their sippy cups when they wake up. Then, I collect them and refill them for breakfast. Sometimes it is a challenge to find the sippy cups so I will request assistance from the trio. Usually, this request goes unanswered. Then.... one great day, Wesley actually joined into the sippy search. He was looking high and low and actually found the last sippy underneath the couch.

Very proud moment!!! Now before breakfast, Wesley's "chore" is to collect all of the sippy cups. He is so cute picking these up and bringing them one by one to me.

He has also expanded his help to collecting the straps for the feeding table seats. The boys pull these out between meals and Wesley will collect them in preparation for a meal. His other helpful skills come during diaper changes and bedtime preparation. He will bring you diapers, the lotion and even jammies upon request. It is so wonderful to have a little helper!!!!

THANK YOU WESLEY!!!

Take care,