It’s been a while since a blog update so lots of things happening at the Douglets household. We eased back into the school schedule after a fun two weeks off for Christmas break, with an enjoyable Grandma Sue and Auntie Amanda visit, and dove straight into the new year with a family plague. It easily took three weeks before everyone was feeling back to normal, with the croup cough lingering and drifting through each kid, and then returned to Harper for a second round of fun. For how terrible they sounded and all the glaring looks from random strangers, no one had any fevers throughout the entire bout of it. We visited the doctor a couple of times for steroids and instructions to hydrate, continue inhalers, and take it easy, and finally those little bodies were able to fight it off, but not before Craig and I caught a mild version of it.
Harper’s ear tubes presented no issues and she bounced back to normal in no time, and since then we’ve attended various doctor check ups for everyone. So many doctor visits, so little time. We continue the triple dentist appointments and I am still impressed how well they do; ENT visits for all three as well. Our beloved eye surgeon, Doctor Winkle, just retired- much to Emerie’s dismay- and her prognosis is so good we no longer need a surgeon to monitor and can start again with the original doctor who initialized the cataract diagnosis. All the patching is really paying off and no eye surgeries are planned in the near future. Such a big win there! In fact, the doctor told Craig she would love to host a class for parents to hear how we prioritized her patching, something many parents apparently aren’t doing. If triplet parents can make it work; everyone can do it. No excuses! And I genuinely believe all the tears, crying and trying to rip it off during the toddler years equals her ability to see out of her left eye, and it was all worth it! Emerie still questions why she has to continue putting the patch on before school, but ultimately doesn’t fight us too badly on it and has started trying to put it on herself, unassisted. She also carries her “patch book” to school every day and it has grown exponentially with each passing day.
After school and recreational activities are keeping us busy through the winter months. Two build days a month, which typical start a day of fun with “cousins” Oaki and Kaden, start the weekend off to a good start. My lack of building skills are finally improving while Craig is able to master building two sets at different stages at the same time with two of the three kids. And as the second semester of first grade began, after school stays busy with Pokemon club, gymnastics (which they LOVE!), and intramural sports each week, ballet and tap on the weekends, as well as a weekly ice skating class.
The last time we did ice skating the girls were about three, and with COVID in full effect, masks were required along with helmets, which equaled sensory overloaded tiny humans on ice. This time around, especially after some family skating outings with pushers to assist, all three adore their skating time and look forward to it. They excitedly rock leg warmers and skate out to their class spot unassisted while the parents relax from the side lines, and everyone then free skates after each class. It is extremely cute to watch all three learning the skill and how quickly they pick each thing up. The backwards skating is a little tricky; forwards they are confident and faster and believe every skill is a speed race. In mid-February all three graduated from level one and are now in basic 2 and picking up different skills than the first round. Their confidence continues to improve and they ask to skate whenever possible.
One evening excursion to town center to skate was met with great enthusiasm by all, except maybe our toes and fingers. Hockey gear was borrowed and when focusing on a puck their balance improves; they actually skate better. It was cute to watch them hit and chase the pucks and try to score. And, of course, the pushers were blue seals and Harper loved that. It was a cold, but fun night.
Reagan’s weekly speech therapy came to an end after about a year and a half. She adored seeing her teacher each week, and even more so enjoyed no sister participation. Going straight from school to the place, Emerie and Harper read books or watched a show in the car to pass the time. She just graduated and now needs only occasional reminders to correct her “s” sounds; probably just in time for her other front tooth to fall out (haha!). She now casually states I retired from speech. And would really like to go back and keep doing it!
Closer to home and outside of all the hustle and bustle of activities, the girls continue to find new arts and crafts. In addition to the standard coloring, paper creations with scissors (snowflakes are everywhere but outside this year!), and creative freehand drawings, is the new skill of rubber band bracelets. Reagan picked it up effortlessly and became a great demonstrator for both her sisters, who frustrate easily and then shut down on trying. It’s very sweet to watch, once the fighting settles, and cute when Harper finally figures the loops out and gets excited at the progress. Emerie on the other hand, rubber band jewelry may just not be her thing.
Harper finding seal books at the library
Lots of other things to report over here in this active householder, but let’s keep it short and sweet or I will never complete this post! Harper and Emerie are all about fancy, collaborated outfits lately. They appear on the stairs with many accessories, fancy dresses and shoes, ready to do a show. Harper is all about wearing her high heels, which are just ballet flats with a tiny heel bump; asking to wear them to school every morning. She gets away with that request some days, with the lack of snow for this time of year. She often wears her Target dollar section earmuffs and Jordan’s scarf, to ensure those cold days aren’t an issue. Reagan always opts for her calf high black boots, and wears those to school most days, and often with a panda related accessory to compliment. All three continue the fuzzy coat obsession and are vastly disappointed any time we force them to wear real winter jackets. Harper’s pink coat is worn nearly every day, Emerie rocks her purple one when she can find it, and Reagan traded her light blue one for a beige and green one I found at the store a couple weeks back. Fuzzy coats for the win!
Cold school lunches continue to be a struggle, especially after three years at the school where I feel as though I had fantastic eaters, from keeping the variety interesting day to day. All three vary in preference for their sandwiches, with Reagan moderately obsessed with blueberry jelly -NOT raspberry, grape or any other flavor- and no peanut butter on her PB&J-minus the J. I believe Harper is the only one that will eat both peanut butter AND jelly, and that leaves Emerie, who only wants peanut butter. So very complicated to remember. Luckily the fruit and veggie portion of lunch times are easily satisfied and the continue to enjoy that variety.
We have also entered into a more emotional stage of kid development. While it isn’t full tantrums and freakouts (well occasionally), it involves more life questions. After meeting the twins at Christmas time, Reagan is now on a kick of wishing to be a baby again, and get baby snuggles like a baby. January hosted a multitude of bedtime discussions centered around this, and alluding to wanting to go back to that age. Emerie’s emotions are a different direction. The past six months or so, she has really latched on to her Uncle Chris, who passed away when she was about 15 months old. She seems to have a kindred spirit connection with him that I can’t really explain, but I love to watch play out. This includes so many questions about him, his likes and dislikes, and she is extremely sensitive about it. But it’s also very sweet to see her carry around a photo of them together or to see a letter in her backpack that is written to or about him. Sometimes Craig and I might make the cut on a family picture, but he always does and it’s very sweet.
In addition, Emerie now says the “k word”, “d word”, and “h word” and gets upset when she hears anyone else say it. You would think that is damn, hell, or who knows what “k” is supposed to mean, but it’s not from the swear jar. Her concern relates to anything “kill” related, “die or dead” related, and “heaven,” and scolds sisters when they speak. Yes, we are working through these big picture ideas and expressions, how heaven is a happy place and not scary, and talking it out. Man, kids surely keep you on your toes.
Valentines Day was a hit again this year; everyone addressed their own cards. The funniest part of that was the organization. After the mass table mess of cards, stickers, envelopes and class lists, I turned around to Reagan’s neatly stacked in a Ziploc, Harper’s shoved into a bigger bag but still semi in order, and Emerie’s shoved into the bag and all over the place. The distinction matches them each so perfectly. Everyone wore pink and red; Harper was especially excited to rock a stretchy pink skirt and red tights with her pink headband. The massive paper envelopes with all their goodies from the day returned home with great excitement, and some of that candy is still sitting on the kitchen table. We celebrated the evening with dinner at Texas Roadhouse, and a quick family picture.
7th birthday planning always begins in February as we prepare for our annual shindig and I am looking forward to the next blog update all about how my little ladies have grown the past year, and all the amazing milestones we’ve achieved on this triplet journey.
Today was a Harper day! After battling croup, ear infections and colds over the past few months, we finally scheduled her ear tube procedure, to stop the constant ear infections causing hearing issues. Harper was very excited for it all, unusually so since it’s a medical procedure, and likely because she finally gets her “day in the sun” and one in one time with the parents. After Emerie experiencing this a handful of times throughout the past five years; it is not lost on the other two kiddos that she received special treatment on those days. They seem to be unaware of all the other aspects that go with surgery, such as pain, coming out of anesthesia, naps to sleep a procedure off, and all the dreaded eye and ear drops. But you know, other than that it’s all fun and donuts right?
So excited!
Harper and I arrived at the ENT’s office at 7 AM, bright and early on a single digit temperature day, leaving Emerie and Reagan cozy in their beds until Craig took them to school for the day. Leaving the house in pajamas is a rarity for the girls and not something we do often -especially on one of the coldest days we’ve had- and Harper was quite the hit with the nurses in her matching pink, cozy pjs, pink boots, and furry pink coat, and baby seal and Princess Aurora in tow.
During all the pre-op questions she was pumped and noticeably excited, singing, hollering and making goofy faces, which cracks me up. She hollered the numbers on the pulse monitor at the nurses in the hallway, thinking she was so darn funny. The anesthesiologist checked in and noted they had the same birthday, which did NOT impress my six year old who already shares hers twice over. So funny. She was giggly and jolly even, having way too much fun with the pulse ox machine and the name bracelet tied around her ankle.
Either we didn’t wait long enough to find out, or she doesn’t react to versed quite as strongly as Emerie, who can barely hold her body straight or her head up after a dose. After reclining in the chair and sporting her hairnet and heated blanket, eventually she was a little more “jello-y” and chill, just in time to ride the wheel chair with her very own nurse! She asked ten questions about all the parts and pieces on that wheel chair, and then was whisked down the hall to the operating room, waiving goodbye to me with a slightly confused look, but no concern.
Sitting and writing a blog always distracts me from that concerned and stressed feeling you get when a kiddo is in surgery, and there’s nothing you can do to determine outcome. It’s not a fun place, but definitely one we’ve been to many times before with Emerie, and fewer times than many of our friends with littles.
After about thirty minutes the doctor emerged, saying everything went great. The main reason for tubes was fluid buildup by her ear drums, and he noted after getting in there, it was less like fluid and more like a glue buildup; not infected but definitely contributing to hearing issues and restricting vibration. He cleaned it out and put in the tubes, and she should have noticeable better hearing right away.
Ready to go!Waking upThat glove!!
They put her under a bit deeper than planned because of the lingering croup cough; she slowly emerged from anesthesia without any negative reaction or indication of pain. She pepped up after a few minutes and finally peeked at us after a promise of juice. The highlight of her visit was getting a sticker, a mini pink slinky, and getting wheeled all the way to the car in a wheel chair (because she was still a little wobbly!). Sisters were also informed the nurses had PINK gives and let her take them home. In fact, in true Harper style, she was wearing a glove on each hand before surgery and one of them made it through the ride home!
After picking up Craig and the promised donut stop, she chilled for the day and all is well in the world, other than achy ears. When asked if today was scary or fun, she instantly responded fun, and that the highlight was watching seal videos with Craig at the crack of dawn before we left for the day, and getting a little iPad time. Glad to know her first surgical experience was met with no stress and a good experience! The next kid on deck will not be quite this easy…
The past six weeks have been full of holiday activities, play dates with friends, and school activities. Staying busy pushes us through the dark, winter season, and helps burn the never ending amount of energy three six-year-olds brings to our household. As the sun sets before four in the afternoon, it seems like that darkness turns into kid energy and wildness, all while cooped up indoors in the evenings.
We kicked off the Christmas season with a Samaritans Purse evening, organizing and filling boxes that would arrive all over the world, to share a little Christmas joy with other kids less fortunate. The girls were great helpers, customizing their boxes for girls aged four to six, and begging to do more than one box. They colored pages and wrote notes to include in their boxes and stacked them up in the big pile. Bonus was the cookie decorating table, which included some eating and some donating plates to others- all in all, it was a productive and fun night with their classmates.
Thanksgiving was late in November this year and nicely didn’t coincide with Craig’s birthday. Aunt Jenny purchased blue plaid, kid onesies that were quite the hit at dinner, with the girls wearing them consistently at night and while playing at home the past month, as we continue through our cold season. After a nice dinner at cousins’ house in Eagle River, we headed to the “real” Nutcracker show in Anchorage later that weekend, hosted by the Eugene Ballet group. Last year the show we attended was performed by a local ballet school and a little more kid friendly for noise; this year we watched the fancier one, meeting up with their friend Ava and practically sitting in the auditorium rafters. I had fancy hairstyles planned to match the Christmas dresses, but canned the idea after realizing we had the day wrong and only an hour notice to get everyone ready and downtown.
There were fewer when is it over complaints from Emerie this year; she seemed happy to sit with Ava and watch the show. Reagan also had a nice conversation with Ava’s dad during the show and Harper insisted on sitting with Craig for the whole thing. After a quick cookie snack at intermission -because everyone was apparently starving after an hour- they enjoyed watching the dances and beautiful sets and costumes, but were ready to run by the ending.
The school Christmas show went off marvelously and all three were strategically placed near each other, but with a non sibling in between each. All three sang their hearts out and did the motions to their songs, all smiles. I always enjoy these events, as it makes me feel more like a parent than other days of the year, and gives me a surreal sense of happiness.
A few other noteworthy, funny moments over the past month:
Harper begged for Mrs. Claus dresses this year, which are harder to find than you might think! Grandma Sue ended up sending Santa and Elf themed sweater dresses from Fred Meyer and the girls continue to wear them at least a couple times a week. They are great for photo ops and warm for winter, not to mention cute!
Emerie continues her goofball comments, with so many silly commentaries about Grandma’s baby boy– meaning Craig- and it’s hilarious. She latches on to an idea and then rolls with it for quite a while, accentuating the baby booooooy when talking about him.
Reagan now creates word and spelling games for sisters. You’ll find two of them with heads together and thick as thieves, doing some kind of spelling categorization or asking how to spell a word. It’s very sweet to watch her guide and explain to her sisters; she is definitely our school kid of the three. Maybe there’s a future teacher in there!
On a sweet note, Harper still starts her conversations with can I tell you something?! I love you. and I hope that lasts forever. Normal conversations often start with that question, and then she waits until you agree before starting her tangent. On the other hand, Emerie goes the opposite direction in the morning and often hollers I told you to stop waking me up! I want to wake up myself; go away! when starting off the morning for school. If you walk away she will get herself up like it was her idea in the first place; funny kid.
Harper now requests music in a new way- the girls recently noticed the car screen shows album covers and it is often completely irrelevant to the playing music. I now receive requests such as can you play the song with the girl in the pink dress? and I’m supposed to know what that is. At least with the customized song names from the toddler days I could interpret it; I definitely don’t know album covers! All three also ask what song names are, as written on the screen, and are getting better at sounding them out.
Emerie now tallies our life scores, whether we agree to participate or not. If I can’t answer a question, then my lack of correct response means she gets a point. I am unsure what these points tally toward, but I sure don’t seem to get any on my side. She asked Grandma Sue the other day how was God born? And the lack of “correct” answer earned Emerie a self proclaimed point, because she didn’t know. This is starting to happen more frequently off all her random questions.
Our girls continue to grow like weeds and no longer boast those baby faces and toddler mannerisms. In addition to sailing through an entire clothing size this summer- our quickest yet- we also rearranged their bedroom this month and removed the sofa chair purchased during my pregnancy. This felt like a mental blow to my mom brain, reminding us how rapidly they grow up, and prepared for the oversized beanbag chair arriving from Santa. That chair holds so many memories; used multiple times a day, every single day, for years: triple bottle feedings every three hours around the clock, quick diaper changes, comforting a crying baby in the middle of the night, calming wild toddlers at bedtime, snuggling for naps after Emerie’s many eye surgeries, or reading a gazillion books. I often found Emerie sitting on it with a stuffy, listening to a Tonie story, or Reagan singing along to one under a blanket. I couldn’t bring myself to rehome it, so its new home is downstairs in the family room, ready for more memories and cuddles to come. To this day, I truly believe it was the best purchase we made in preparation for the girls, and the most used piece of furniture those first few years. In other big kid news, the girls slept in the living room by the Christmas tree a couple different nights, which is another age milestone and something I greatly enjoyed and remember doing as a 90s kid.
In addition to moving furniture to make way for new activities, so begins the arguments and deep discussions related to boy crushes. I thought we’d have more time since they are only six, but exactly that occurred at the end of a school day earlier this month. I arrived with Harper in tears and Emerie mad, and Reagan running up to explain they were fighting because Harper told Emerie her secret crush and Emerie didn’t keep the secret. Emerie told her teacher, who responded they are too young for crushes (which is true!) and Harper lost her mind. Ooof, that was such a fun ride home, believe you me! This is a terrifying preview of the teenage years…SO not ready yet. The girls now intermittently discuss their “crushes” and which boys in their class they will marry someday. Reagan still wants to have twin girls and has their names chosen already, Harper wants triplets (ha!) and Emerie is a no go to having any babies in her belly, at least right now.
Christmas break this year was significantly easier than years past, and not only because of the surprise arrival of Grandma Sue (surprise to me) and Auntie Amanda (to the girls). In addition to all the Christmas arts and crafts and goodie cooking, the girls will now wander off to read a book or write something out with a drawing, which they didn’t independently do last year. Lego building, dolls sets, and a variety of slime related activities help keep the sanity too, in addition to the afternoon parkour gymnastics down the street to burn energy and give me a small break. We watched several movies at the theater, including Moana 2 twice, and had several successful ice skating excursions at the mall. Everyone is excited for skating lessons starting in January, and three impatient girls wanting it to start already.
We visited Santa at Cabela’s, and he asked everyone how old they were. When all three answered six in a row, Santa still didn’t catch on. Instead, he asked them what it was like to be twins; they were not impressed and quickly corrected him. Santa should know better!! Christmas morning did bring one Santa present request; a panda, turtle, and seal onesie, specific to each kid’s favorite animal. Good thing Santa was listening…. 🙂
I took two weeks off work for school break, not knowing that Grandma Sue was coming up for some of the fun. I nearly spilled the beans about Amanda’s visit multiple times but managed to keep that one a surprise. Picking them both up at the airport resulted in three very happy girls, who had no idea why we were driving past Mom’s work to Mom’s airport! So many delicious, Christmas goodies were consumed the past few weeks, and the girls helped Grandma with so much baking. All three liked her fruit dip, or should I say vanilla pudding, and were unimpressed with added spices. They sure did eat all the apples and grapes intended for that dip, but without the dip! Everyone helped me make gingerbread cookies and did great this year cutting out the cookies, including three new custom shapes for our set: a turtle, panda and seal (see the theme here?!). In addition to decorating a couple dozen cookies, everyone was thrilled to display the customized gingerbread house on the table and admire it for a couple weeks over the holiday.
Zoo lights in 15 degrees!
We painted and baked Christmas plates this year and watched a new holiday movie for the first time, Home Alone. The girls didn’t want to watch it at first, but once the story line picked up, they were hooked and giggling at all the torturous activities to keep out the house thieves. A few other new Disney movies prompted some distress and bad dreams, on random things they latched onto; an issue that resolved itself after a few nights and much discussion about life, death, and heaven.
After a quick hour of Christmas Eve prepping after bedtime, which included placing out the already wrapped presents from sneaky wrapping sessions over a few weeks, Craig and Amanda built the new vanity and mirror set and I stuffed stockings. I spaced out all the tasks to prep for the big day, making the night before go much quicker. All three left a cookie out for Santa, Emerie leaving hers on a tiny doll plate after adamantly demanding it had to be that way. Everyone slept well and went to bed discussing Santa’s impending visit.
Emerie and Reagan were up by 6:30, but I managed to contain them until about 7:00, when the excitement was just too much to bear. They dragged a sleepy Harper out of bed to demands of presents, and wandered downstairs to see the big, pink beanbag chair on the floor and presents scattered around the room. After a cup of coffee for the adults, presents were opened in sets of three, just like prior years. It is relatively organized and fast paced, with all three opening similar gifts simultaneously and sharing their excitement. They have different answers to their favorite gifts than I do. For example, I made a princess photo album for our Disney World trip that includes pictures of all the princesses with the girls, and of course the “magic” shots courtesy of the park cameras. I wanted the girls to be able to flip through an album and remember the trip whenever they want, like adults do on their phones. Finding three Precious Moments picture frames was a great find too, and filling them with a picture of each kiddo with their favorite princess; now I just need to find them a home to keep them from getting broken.
While Christmas isn’t all about presents, we still endeavor to make sure to have a fun and magical day. It was fun to share it with Sue and Amanda, and allow Craig to make his fancy beef wellington in peace while everyone checked out their new toys. Each kiddo received something to play with customized to their specific desires, since they aren’t all the same, a few clothing items to wear, and doll sets from both Grandma Sue and Grandma Anne. The girls ran around with their new doll pets and carriers from Grandma Anne and danced with light up animal ballerinas that play music from the Nutcracker from Grandma Sue and Papa Lon. Adults helped opened the toy contraptions and enjoyed laying on the floor playing together, mostly nicely!
Craig found dresses for all three in their favorite animals -not an easy feat- and a princess dress for each was also unwrapped. By mid-morning all three had changed outfits at least three times with no end in sight. Another outfit change was prompted later that evening after opening presents from cousins…wait for it…white wedding dresses and vails! This was met with great excitement, immediately running upstairs to change into “wedding girls.” Not going to lie…they look SUPER cute in those outfits, and had so much fun running around in them.
Wedding girls…so fancy & girly!OF course matching pjs…that were sooo itchy but cute.
When asked what their favorite gift was, Emerie responded the turtle costume and really I just like everything. I like my Elsa photo. Harper responded she liked all her presents and opening them and can’t choose a favorite. Reagan’s response was her stuffed panda from Amanda and the pink mirror (vanity) where we can do our hair.
Only one real hiccup on the big day occurred and kept us on our toes for holiday events with family. I left carpet cleaner spray on the stairs, intending to better clean the carpet where the cat left us his own Christmas gift; Emerie picked it up at some point in the evening and chased everyone with it, ultimately spraying those chemicals into cousin Elliot’s hair and eyes and prompting an unplanned shower and face scrubbing and some red eyes. Can’t say we’ve had that happen before…nothing says holiday cheer like spraying dangerous chemicals at your cousins, right?
The week between Christmas and New Years is a type of no-mans land, where you don’t know what day it is and time is spent doing whatever you want to make it through Christmas break with the kids. The gymnastics afternoons greatly assisted giving Amanda and I short kid breaks, and we filled the mornings with other fun activities like cleaning and organizing the house, painting creations at Color Me Mine, playing outside and with the neighbor kid, building Lego sets and watching Star Wars with Amanda, creating slime and play dough creations, and hitting up jump parks and playgrounds. I was hoping for a few sledding adventures while Amanda was here, but the cold temperatures and lack of snow conditions were less than desirable. Build days at Lowe’s and Home Depot were also a hit, as was Zoo Lights one night.
Having family visit during the break was such a much needed treat. I love being in a central location (by Alaska standards) and getting unplanned (and planned!) drop-ins, something I did t have as a kid with no nearby family. Grandma Sue and Auntie Amanda staying with us not only gave Craig and me a chance to recharge (I even got to sit down and read a book one afternoon!) but also created so many fun memories for the girls. Cousin Jaren flew in for a couple hours one afternoon before returning home; Uncle Will stopped over a few times to enjoy dinner and make glittered slime with the girls. Papa Cliff stopped by with a few presents. Cousin Tyler brought Chatum, Dorian, and Beckham over, and the kids had a blast riding the four wheelers in the freezing dark. It’s amazing how much longer they can endure the cold when they’re having fun! The boys were such good sports about it. At one point, Chatum and Harper came speeding down the street, with Harper at the wheel, laughing and shouting, we won! as they zoomed toward the house. Emerie and Dorian’s four wheeler died at one point in the neighborhood and they required rescue, but no upset kiddos from being out that long in the cold.
The cherry on top of all the visits was getting to meet the newest additions to the family- (second) cousin Amber’s identical twin girls, who made the trek all the way from Kenai just to see us. I believe this was the first time the girls have held babies this small and everyone was eager to participate, Reagan really taking her momming skills up to the next level. In fact, baby Kylan took a nap on her and it was so very sweet to watch her tuck her into her blanket and whisper. Elsie took a nice nap on the new beanbag chair and looked so cozy and happy, and they slept through the noise of our house! Spending a few hours with three month olds is a good reminder at how far we’ve come, and how much easier the day to day is now that the girls are more self sufficient and are out of naps and diapers. I am SO excited for next summer when they are mobile and we can get out and about.
It was a wonderful holiday season, and I tried to treasure every moment, knowing how fleeting they are. We only have a few more years to enjoy the magic of childhood at Christmas and I can’t even believe how fast it’s gone. A meme I saw earlier this month summed it up accurately: remember this is the youngest they’ll ever be at Christmas again. Pretty solid thought! Merry Christmas and happy new year…here we go 2025!
This past week, only a week before Christmas, Craig trekked across the country for a three night stay at a conference in Texas and we had a four day “girls day.” For the record, this is a terrible time to host a conference for anyone with kids, getting all the things ready before not only the Christmas holiday, but also for two weeks home over Christmas break, but what can you do! My anxiety was running high leading up to his trip, which started at a balmy 4 AM, which the girls took quite personally that he didn’t wake them up and say bye with a hug. Once we overcame that morning drama, I stepped up my mom game and had a few things planned to keep everyone busy and tired out until his return.
After a busy workday wrapping up tasks before two weeks off, I told the girls if they played nicely while I made dinner they could watch one of the beloved DVDs from the 90s from Grandma Anne, specifically The Swan Princess (which I do not actually remember watching!). In some ultimate universe everyone built cities with Lincoln logs and Emerie did a frozen puzzle, and no one fought for over a full hour!! In that time I successfully made zucchini cookies, grilled veggies, and made Mac and cheese and chicken for the girls. In addition to the movie, everyone enjoyed apple-cranberry sparkle juice in fancy glasses and a gingerbread cookie. Day one of survival, achieved, and everyone went to bed for the last day of school in 2024, which is somehow already here!
I should also mention the girls all excitedly agreed I should do a three night stay at Shiloh’s house so they can have dad time and I can have a break. There was much discussion on this topic after bedtime; I could hear them continue to discuss it once I left the room. Shiloh’s house specifically because he and Craig do guys nights together and so he is associated with kid free time (which is funny since he has 6 kids!). By the end of Craig’s trip their advice morphed into staying at Auntie Janelle’s house instead, a little more realistic 🙂
Sending daddy photos
At bedtime that night everyone wanted to fill in the vacancy on Craig’s side of the bed, which I didn’t cave into. Emerie definitely won that argument, wandering in at some ungodly hour of night, climbing across my sleeping figure, and stretching across more than half the king sized bed. Later that morning she rolled out of MY bed while I’m brushing my teeth, looks at me with a deep brow and says, Mom, before you and dad die you need to teach us how to make breakfast. I’m sorry to say this- I mean I’m really sorry- but we need to know before you dieor we will be really hungry. Wow kid. What kind of dream was she having??
Day two involved heavy complaints from all three for staying in school Child Watch for too long- you know after begging to participate- and we had a quiet evening doing crafts and playing with…wait for it, scented slime. Yes, it is no surprise I dislike slime, and neither does my couch or carpet!! My rational here was purchasing something abnormal and beneffitting from that entertainment for a bit, which worked like a charm. While it’s mostly confined to the kitchen table (Harper’s definitely wanders even after constant reminders), it led to a couple hours of creativity and excitement. Harper made soup with sprinkles and a cherry, Reagan made cute little slime people, and Emerie made every contraption imaginable in a lot of happy squeals and Mom, look at me! comments.
We spent the morning of day three sans Dad just hanging at home and starting the day- and Christmas break- slow and chill. Harper climbed into my bed early that morning, but I managed to soothe her back to sleep until around 8:30; I was definitely not ready to start another solo parent day at 5:00 AM.
Christmas activities were on my mind; first cookie decorating at the mall with other home school kids and later a hot cocoa and gingerbread village stop at Captain Cook Hotel with Aunt Janelle and Paris, and a good photo op! Cookie decorating ended up being a kidless hour for the moms, with adults not required to participate, so we had a nice little mom date in the middle of our Friday. After stopping downtown to check out the tiny gingerbread village and sip a yummy drink, we played at home the rest of the afternoon and exchanged gifts with Aunt Janelle and Paris. The girls are beyond thrilled at their new stuffed animals; a pink seal for Harper, a purple, big eyed turtle for Emerie, and a panda dressed as a green dinosaur for Reagan. All three have carted their new babies around the past few days.
The day ended with a fun trip to the girls’ dance school for an evening of fall session routines. Twenty performances in ninety minutes—whew! The girls did fantastic, performing two routines: one jazz and one ballet. With only one other kid from their class there, all three got adorably distracted at different moments, watching their teachers closely whenever nerves made them forget the steps. But they all finished with proud smiles and bows, which was the best part! I wasn’t sure how they’d handle the evening crowd, but they sat mesmerized, cheering everyone on and loving every second, especially when their teachers took the stage for a few dances. I love how relaxed and supportive this dance school is—it’s all about fostering a love for dance, fun, and staying active. The girls are already impatient with excitement for the spring recital in May on the big stage!
Before one more dance display the following morning with more classmates, we ended the late night with a living room sleepover by the Christmas tree. This is one of my favorite memories as a 90s kid, sleeping out by the twinkling Christmas tree and basking in the excitement of the holiday season. Since Alaska is so dark by solstice, with Anchorage only a little over five hours of daylight a day (and some of that is dusky), holiday lights really make the house feel cozier and less cold and wintry. I pulled out the couch and everyone climbed into their sleeping bags, with a LOT of stuffed animals friends brought down to keep them company- you know- in the midst of the siblings sharing the same pull out couch. It won’t be many more Christmases before all three won’t fit across, but for now it worked perfectly. I settled into the nearby armchair with my iPad, enjoying a quiet movie while the hustle and bustle of the day faded. The girls eventually drifted off to sleep after minimal arguing on their close proximity. And honestly, is there anything better than that moment of calm at the end of a busy day? It was always my favorite part of the day when the girls’ were busy toddlers, and even better with some holiday spirit in the mix. Sitting in a peaceful living room, the glow of the Christmas tree, listening to the gentle rhythm of sleepy breaths. It’s the kind of moment that makes your heart feel full, knowing everyone is safe, content, and dreaming. Not much in life can top that kind of magic. And while Emerie ended up in my bed again at some point, stating she wasn’t comfortable (and therefore wanted to make me less comfortable in my bed from her marathon sleeping!), it remained a quiet night for all.
After dance round two the next morning, with a lot of more classmates participating and only two dances, the girls received their ribbons and the dance session concluded. We cleaned up the house a bit and played, and just like that, Craig returned and we made it! It was few months since I’d had a few solo days with the kids, and realistically, it turned out much easier than the irrational worries my mind led me to dwell on. Sure, all three have their own ways of showing they miss the parent who is away—some pouty moments here, a bit of extra clinginess there—but it didn’t derail the days. They’ve grown and learned to roll with it, and I’m working on accepting the idea everything doesn’t have to go completely smoothly. A couple of FaceTime calls and a steady stream of random photos goes a long way in keeping everyone connected and comforted. Staying busy was the real lifesaver, with fun distractions, little crafts or projects, and keeping our routine. It was a good reminder that sometimes, the worry is worse than the reality, and I need to remember that!
As we start Christmas break and finish the rest of the holiday related activities, I look forward to making more memories and pushing through this dark season and toward 2025.
Day two at Disney kicked off with another surprise thanks to Craig, taking his role as a girl dad very seriously and booking a makeover by a local business to transform regular six-year-olds into real princesses! The girls were slow to wake up after such a magical first day, but we managed to convince them to zombie sit on the couch for a little television and breakfast bright and early. Their excitement sparked as soon as the surprise revealed.
On theme, Harper—ahem, I mean, Aurora—was thrilled to style with pink eye shadow and finger nails, plus a fancy updo to complete the look with her beautiful dress. Emerie, fully embracing her new title as Queen Elsa, chose purple eye shadow and nails with an Elsa-inspired twist braid and lower curls. And Reagan, sticking with her alliance to Princess Jasmine, rocked gold and teal eye shadow, teal nails, and a bubble braid updo. The stylist assured us all the hairstyles would survive the long day and the Florida humidity—and they did!
To top it all off, each princess sported bright red lipstick that also lasted the day, along with a healthy spritz of hair glitter (twice, on request!) and a sparkly crown comb. The crowns gleamed in the sun all day—well, except for Emerie’s, who later declared the crown was ruining her life and dramatically yanked it out, but luckily her hairstyle held up! Meanwhile, Harper and Reagan would have slept in their crowns if allowed.
It was a really fun experience and I was impressed with how quickly three incredibly sleepy kids transformed into ready to perform princesses. They even humored me and gave me Anna braids, so my hair was fancy and out of the way for the heat filled day. Everyone insisted on a photo op outside before we left – but carefully away from any impending alligators (according to the girls)- I mean honestly, is that not the cutest picture you’ve ever seen??
Outfits were changed for a second time before 9 AM, with Craig and I insisting dress up dresses would be uncomfortable through a day of walking and direct heat. With that in mind, I packed cotton twirly dresses with same theme of course, that were light weight and soft enough to handle all the activities. And then were were off for the day! While Magic Kingdom definitely took the trophy for the best park of our stay and one of the best adventure days in the past six years, Epcot still offered some memorable moments—despite not having much in the way of rides for younger kids. Epcot focused more on food, beverages, and shopping from around the world, catering more toward older kids and adults. However, the primary reason for our visit was a must: two out of three favorite princesses only make appearances at Epcot, so the choice was made for us.
And when it came time to meet those princesses, whether waiting in line talking to other families or with said princesses, the girls’ excitement was contagious. Harper nearly burst with joy meeting Aurora while Reagan was thrilled for a second Jasmine sighting and in a slightly different outfit. Emerie asked about a million times when we would see Elsa in her frozen wonderland and was undoubtedly in awe when she came into view.
This park entrance was within walking distance from parking, which greatly simplified everything. We wandered through Alice in Wonderland, briefly seeing her walk by but refusing to stop (she claimed to be on break!) and then waited in France until Princess Aurora made her appearance, walking through the gift shops and grabbing tasty treats to try. Harper’s wait was limited and before long Sleeping Beauty walked over.
We were second in line, which was outside again so thankfully still morning temperatures (still hot for us whiny northerners but not 2 PM hot!). As she sauntered up, all three girls squealed with excitement and commented on her dress. The spot was beautiful with the gazebo for shade and a treed backdrop. In no rush, she took the time to answer everyone’s questions and inquiries, giving each kiddo a little bit of individual attention, and hugs to all. Harper was beyond thrilled and talked about that ten minutes for the rest of the trip; and honestly, this is one of the best photos of the visit! With no Disney photo pass option, I took a ton of photos and ensured everyone had a solo or hug photo too. Out of all the princess, she was by far one of the best, in style, humor, and willingness to slow things down and give the girls a great interaction.
We wandered around the area a little longer and determined the landing spot for Beauty and the Beast’s Belle, since we didn’t spot her at Magic Kingdom during dinner the night before. Everyone was heating up waiting in direct sun, but making friends with other excited kiddos waiting too. The enthusiasm for Belle wasn’t the level of other viewings, but the girls still happily took a photo with her and scrutinized why she was dressed in everyday blue and not her famous, yellow gown. After a momentary chat in the shade, we were off to the next country, for a second sighting of Jasmine under the cover of glorious air conditioning! Her line was short, but long enough to admire the intricate walls and decor and the golden lamp. I do have to note, the lines were FAR smaller than the prior day’s park, likely because Magic Kingdom is larger and more focused on the child experience; so that was definitely appreciated. And I’m still a little disappointed we were unable to catch Alice, Snow White or Mulan for meet and greets. As Emerie always says, Alice is daddy’s favorite!
Each country hosted a small coloring station with specific characters to beautify, one of the only real kid focused activities. We found most spots and the girls happily sat down and colored with Grandma Sue while Craig and I wandered through a shop or two for souvenirs or goodies to try. We found a few fun Christmas presents, like fans with their names written in Japanese in the Japan store and princess ornaments. Wishes were made in more wishing wells like at Snow White’s well in Germany, many photo ops stops occurred all along the way and a few more “magic” induced ones by the Disney folks, and a long stop at a huge area with mini trains running through the “village,” with a pathway through it so the kiddos could view details up close. Lastly was a brief stop in China to look at a gift shop filled with panda things, like a panda umbrella that Reagan excitedly begged for (and made it home with us and is already damaged!).
After a morning of when do we see Elsa inquiries from our littlest, we blew through the country of China to arrive in northern Europe- a spot I hoped for indoor air condition to keep with the cold movie theme. The girls first wandered through the themed gift shop, Emerie taking stock of everything Elsa related and to get her long awaited doll (which she looked for at every princess related shop to no avail). Waiting in the princess line felt like stepping right into the Kingdom of Arendelle—it may have been the longest line of the day, but the detail made up for it. Inside was cozy like being in a cold place, the walls were adorned with family portraits of the sisters, and the dining table was set with Nordic flair. The girls were thrilled to explore all of it, giggling and wiggling with excitement as they spotted all the hidden Frozen details. By the time we reached the end, it felt less like a wait and more like a walking through part of the movie set with Elsa and Anna!
Anna was up first and they humored her existence, all the while wanting to get to the real prize of the day, Elsa. I’m guessing this is quite a common response. I’m surprised Emerie didn’t clobber anyone in her path and run straight into Elsa’s arms -the shyness and or utter awe held her back a little- and everyone did a quick Anna photo before pestering excited questions to Elsa. Emerie is convinced that Elsa promised to add her picture to her dress. I’m unsure what was actually said here, other than she’s repeated that sentiment a number of times since then, like it’s the most exciting news of her life! Just as the interaction started a light bulb in the ceiling exploded with a bang, so loud it could’ve been a plot twist in Frozen 3 (hahaha). Everyone in the room jumped but the moment was far from ruined. The automatic Disney camera captured the moment perfectly: Emerie and Harper’s faces frozen (pun intended!) in horror, while Reagan was mid-turn toward Elsa. Trying to lighten the mood, I joked that Elsa must’ve been behind it; without missing a beat she replied with a perfectly straight face, I didn’t do that. After many more questions and excitement we left the throne room and to a nice, Frozen themed photo op that produced two of my favorite photos of the whole visit. A little Disney magic added to Emerie cute reaction to “pretend there’s something on your hand” and a great family photo.
With the final, required stop of the park complete, that equaled a stop for ice cream. The girls spotted Kristof across the way, but we were informed his time was up so we couldn’t join the line to say hello. Instead everyone devoured a rapidly melting treat and took in the landscape of the area. We wrapped up Epcot at this point, with the girls begging to go to the pool again to cool off. Since other princesses weren’t out for a while, we opted to sail through the last half of the park and head back to the condo to relax. This was a good call and mostly avoided the overheated, sun filled tiny humans from melting down in the middle of the trek to the car.
Swimsuits and princess hair!
On the way to dinner, which might I add took eternity to drive only THREE miles from the condo (this seems to be a theme in Florida), we swung into a nearby outlet mall. Craig found shorts he was looking for and Sue, the girls and I wandered into an unknown (to us) shoe store, leaving with three pairs of pink flats and a couple pairs of AMAZING sandals for me that, you know, won’t be worn until next summer. Dinner at an Italian restaurant with great service and food, the girls colored and chilled from the busy day, doing great for how late we finished eating.
But did the day end there, after 12+ hours of fun activity?! Of course not. The day we arrived in Florida, Reagan started complaining about ear pain. A little Tylenol resolved it for the moment and thank goodness, with big park days ahead! But the next evening, Harper was having similar ear pain, enough to trigger a check up prior to our upcoming flight. Craig found a 24-hour urgent care not far from our dinner spot, so we headed there pretty late in the evening, with the plan to check all three pairs of ears to rule everything out.
The girls kept entertained coloring and watching a movie in the waiting room, and soon we were back in the exam room. The nurse was a good sport and answered an interrogation of favorite princesses -or LEAST favorite princess as the questions morphed into- before convincing the girls to respond to questions for the reason of the visit. By the end of the two and a half-hour visit, two ear infections were confirmed and Reagan’s freshly flushed out and releasing a massive chunk of wax to show for it! By the end, Harper and Emerie were sound asleep in the car with Sue, no amount of convincing kept them conscious, and Reagan out cold by the time the car was on the road.
It was a long night, but the staff was incredible, and the best part? No pharmacy run in an unfamiliar city! Unlike back home, the doctor prescribed and mixed the medication right there, so we were out the door and on our way with one less stop. Now THAT is what I call a day, and a good one at that. With one more day to cram activity into, everyone instantly went back to sleep in their beds, refreshing for one more day of adventure before heading home.
Orlando Day III: Beach Time!
We opted out of any Disney parks for our last vacation day, knowing it was too close to pass up the opportunity to visit a “real” beach, and that the experience would be worth it. The beach is also less expensive (i.e. free) than Disney extravagance and much needed after the prior two days spending (but also not the point!). The day started out slower, with no fancy makeovers or rushing to get there, and eventually we headed an hour or so east to Satellite Beach. At one point on the drive the dashboard map froze and required rerouting, but otherwise was mostly uneventful, with kiddos coloring and drawing in the back and discussing the events of the past few days.
Thanks to a friend from college who shared fantastic advice and directions to the best spot to visit (it was wonderful to see her and catch up!), we enjoyed an incredible afternoon. The beach was nearly empty, with just a few other people passing by in the middle of the day. The weather was perfect—sunny and in the 80s, which says a lot coming from someone like me who typically hates the heat—the breeze off the incoming tide kept us cool.
The girls were instantly excited to explore the waves, though a bit hesitant at first. They were all determined to stand in the surf and see if they could stay upright (holding the hand of an adult!), and it was adorable to watch their reactions and bliss when realizing the water was warm. Before long everyone was discovering shells—so many, and so different from the ones back home. It was wonderful watching them become completely captivated by the waves and their new collections.
After Emerie had her fill standing in the big waves with Craig, which were increasing in size as time passed, she discovered several Ariel necklace shells and wandered down the beach to find more, just like we do at home. She was the only one to find those spirals and even the adults were impressed at the discoveries. Harper was harder to track down, her enthusiasm lying with jumping and sitting in the waves and running all over the place. When Reagan had her fill of the waves, she walked along the beach with me, looking for specific shells in different colors. I was quite impressed by the variation in shells compared to those on Alaska’s beaches. However, I suppose it makes sense when you think about it—after all we are literally a world apart, with entirely different ecosystems and oceans shaping the shorelines, and Florida is definitely a lot more tropical.
Burying one another in sand was also a required activity, which is very different up north where it’s VERY cold! It was such a fun afternoon, no one sunburned (and I wore my t-shirt to keep that true!), we left with tons of fancy shells to use for crafts back home, and all three begged to stay longer. If we could do it again, I would have stayed another day to go enjoy a second visit.
After physically removing the children from the sand, with a much higher tide at this point, the only consolation that actually maneuvered everyone into the car was the promise of ice cream down the street to cool off. Such a cool spot, called the Surfin’ Turtle, where you could enjoy ice cream or soft serve in the presence of real turtle rescues. This family-owned business was friendly, fast, and Emerie was in heaven getting a treat with her favorite animal wandering around behind her. Definitely a spot worth visiting again!!
We wandered to a few more shopping spots in the area and another outlet mall. Hilarious shopping surprise of the trip? I never realized the store Five Below indicates below five dollars. This northerner assumed that meant another winter clothing store, not befitting for the south at all, and referring to five DEGREES (like the 32 Degrees brand), and I chuckle at how wrong that was. Our last store of the trip, the girls were thrilled to look at all the exciting stuff, and several stocking stuffers were secretly purchased.
It was another long day and jam packed with exploration to make the most of the end of our trip. The only real hiccup was the ridiculous traffic on the way home, bumper to bumper taking more than an hour to go five or six miles. Other than the fact that Alaska appears to have a better ITS traffic system than more populated southern states, it was a fabulous day. The evening ended with a packing frenzy to get all purchases shoved into suitcases and totes, and a quick jog to the nearby Walmart, which was “Alaska Black Friday busy” at 10:30 at night on a Friday. I’ve never seen half the checkouts open at any store in Anchorage, and every single one was open and with a line. Hilarious, indeed.
Heading Home: Travel Day
After purchasing additional suitcases in Cincinnati and Walmart totes in Orlando, we definitely left our vacation heavier than we started it. In our (my?) defense, we found amazing bargains too good to pass up, and my out-of-state shopping was overdue by a solid six years. The outlet malls did us quite a solid, and I don’t even want to share how many pairs of discount shoes returned with us, but it was well worth it! From the light-up wands from Disney on Ice and hand-painted parasols from Magic Kingdom to the oversized light-up goblets from Belle’s ballroom dinner, our packed bags were both eclectic and memorable. And yes, there were also three bags of massive pine cones, a bag of authentic, unwashed seashells and a little sand for good measure, and plenty of other store-bought treasures. The next morning at a balmy 4 AM, we barely—and I mean barely—managed to fit everything into the car. After an impressive round of Tetris-style packing, we loaded three very sleepy girls to trek to the airport and return the rental.
Knowing Orlando International is a lot larger than Anchorage or Cincinnati’s airports, we arrived in just enough time to return the car, score luggage carts to the terminal and onto the train -that many suitcases and three booster seats is a full body workout, even with three adults- check in, route through a long TSA line, and find the correct boarding gate. The highlight—the blog-worthy part—of that three-hour saga? Not one, but two kids puking in the never-ending, winding TSA line. And no, I couldn’t make this up if I tried. It was hot—unbearably so for everyone—whether from the lack of air circulation, the crush of people, or my brilliant choice to dress the kids in three-quarter sleeve dresses and pants in preparation for the colder weather up north. Or maybe it was just the sheer length of time we stood there, inching forward at a glacial pace, looking at other locals in hoodies and sweatpants, and questioning their survival choices! Who knows, but the result? Vomit in front of a lot of people; a different spectacle from the usual oh you have triplets? comments.
Harper, to her credit, managed to give us the classic heads up just in time for full-on mom (and grandma) mode. Cue me frantically dumping out a plastic bag from my backpack to improvise a puke bucket, rerouting her to a nearby trash can mid-eruption. Crisis averted, or so I thought. As we’re catching our breath and trying to regain some dignity amongst strangers (who did NOT offer to help but at least didn’t laugh) —all while still stuck in that damn line—Reagan suddenly spins around and projectile vomits all over the floor. And yes, at this point we were almost to the front of the line.
It’s safe to say this was a TSA experience for the books. After Reagan joining Harper’s puke parade, another TSA agent appeared and swiftly blocked the line behind us with a rope—presumably to protect everyone else from an unfortunate slip-and-slide situation brought to you by the Douglets. Honestly, I’ve never felt more complimented in my entire traveling life (I said what I said!). I mean, how many people can say they’ve had a TSA line shut down in their honor? You? It’s not every day a federal agent takes such action and I was ready to roll with it….that, and then we finally made it to the front of the line!
Miraculously, we didn’t miss our flight and—praise the travel gods—without any more vomit-related disasters. As we were boarding Emerie, ever the sane child, looked at me and proudly declared, well, at least I didn’t puke too. You know what? She’s not wrong. And that sums up my life in a nutshell…small victories, folks, small victories.
Fortunately, the rest of the travel day was calmer; if anything almost enjoyable. Our 6.5 hour flight to SeaTac shortened with a tail wind, and that repeated and shied off an hour of the Anchorage leg. Very minimal turbulence and sunny skies and other than the basic bickering, everyone in our group was completely chill. Only hiccup was a random passenger across the aisle deciding it was his duty to suggest I mask Reagan, who developed a mild, throaty cough the night before. It was clearly aggravated by the dry, air-conditioned and freezing cold cabin, but she had no fever or other symptoms. His tone was, let’s just say insulting, and when I politely declined, he turned to his wife with a dramatic, well, at least I tried and complete with an eye roll. Other than the darting glares from that direction for the next four hours, and the scenario replay of a better response to it than my “um, no” answer him, all was well.
It is good to be home and comical it took me a month to fully write out this adventure. It was a wild 15 days and went by quicker than expected. The girls adapted smoothly to each transition and better than younger years would have, all the different states and hotels we visited (Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida = making up for no prior out-of-state trips!), and all the new venues and people. I didn’t get a single demand from Emerie to go home, something she requests a lot when we are out and about in Anchorage, because home is her happy place, as is mine. By the end Harper was asking to stop going shopping, which was fair. Returning home after a long but wonderful trip was a mix of relief and travel exhaustion. The familiar surroundings of home, normal cool temperatures, your own bed and snuggly kittens, the girl’s toys and stuffies, and the chance to finally decompress- it was definitely worth it.
And mother nature was kind enough to wait 36 hours before dropping the first real 6+ inches of snow for the winter, and then back to the usual grind. First big vacation is officially a success!
The Douglets 