Spring is here and summer previews! My fast-growing seven year olds are beyond excited to see the leaves sprouting on the trees, the sunshine and warmth that it brings which immediately equals the need to wear sandals, shorts and tank tops. In particularly stylish fashion, the girls attended several events over the past month sporting their heavy winter coats, with long summer dresses and increasingly snug flip flops, or shorts and a tee with a scarf and winter vest or hoodie.

What have we been up to the last eight weeks? Sicknesses. And note, that is written in plural! Why?! Well, let me tell you- we finished two rounds of strep medicine for Reagan, who was unable to kick it after a full ten days of amoxicillin the first time. After that a cough started, but she was strep negative…and ended up with clogged ears resulting in a double ear infection, with one ear drum close to bursting. Her pain tolerance for ear aches continues to be high. About the time we started round two of Reagan’s medicine Emerie started the intense throat cough, no fever but greatly effecting her sleep or doing anything without fits. This then passed to the medicated Reagan, and then to Harper, and has since rotated between the three in variable levels for the past FIVE weeks. We’ve tried everything: different allergy medicine, inhalers with Albuterol, daily nose spray, pedialite popsicles for extra hydration and electrolytes, extra sleep, an oral steroid, and even one round of medicine for Harper, in case it was bacterial when she couldn’t kick it. In the midst of this rotation Harper also caught one of the later letter flus (Flu Q or something ridiculous!), with no cough, but over a 104 degree fever for four days straight, with Tylenol only able to bring it down to about 100. Crazy temps!!

It is also interesting to see how identical kiddos react differently to different illnesses plaguing our household all at once, and then repeat. After several weeks, the unproductive throat cough is more of an annoyance than anything else and brings out the non-verbal mom shaming whenever we leave the house, but the girls handle it in stride with minimal complaints. I am probably complaining more than them after this long! Needless to say, our household seems to believe winter remains in effect and that equals all the sickness. One day Reagan even put herself down for a nap (which is a first) on the bean bag, another day Emerie napped on the way home from the valley; and Harper, who naps the least of the three, hasn’t caved into any but definitely rocked her fevers by wearing tank tops and adult scarves for skirts to “cool off.” Silly girl.

I have tons of little notes relating to cute things, or funny comments, from the past two months without a posted blog. Here are a couple, so that I can actually get this one written and posted:

• Emerie one day walking in from the back deck: Mom, can you help me? Harper won’t and she keeps saying when there’s an Emerie, there’s a way. And not helping!
• Reagan, bringing over fresh salmon chowder courtesy of our neighbors: Here, Mom, it’s fish and carrots. Carrots AND fish. Yuck. Scoffs. Such judgment!
• Harper painted me a custom painting for Mothers Day, made me mommy and me ornaments from a craft set, and it was very sweet. Reagan wrote a sweet letter to me and Emerie made me a couple drawings.
• Emerie came home from school with the most reading hours in her class for the month of April, and very excited to pick a prize out for it!
• Emerie has told me several times that she wants to drink more milk because her, and I quote, bones are hurting. Growing spurts!

Mother’s Day this year was spent out in Palmer, enjoying the Mother’s Day festival at the fairgrounds, on the first real beautiful, sunny day of the year. We spent a handful of hours outside doing things I enjoy, including Craig buying hoodies for all us girls, checking out different craft booths, drinking fresh lemonade and eating Garcia’s mini chimis (mmmm…). The girls bounced on the big kid, harness trampoline for the first time. It took a little convincing for all three, and as predicted, Reagan enjoyed it once she was comfortable, Harper jumped a good amount and didn’t mind the height, Emerie was a little too ambitious and did not take that well, but it was funny. It was a nice day spent with family and an event we will have to hit again.

Another staple spring event in our family: the annual dance recital, also known as the second most exciting event of the year (behind Daddy/Daughter dance). It’s a full-on production requiring a lot of preparation: three separate costumes EACH (covered in ridiculous amounts of glitter), stage makeup wrestled on three resistant kids who don’t like their eyes touched, and three heads of fancy hair and ballerina buns sculpted with industrial-strength hairspray, then smothered in colorful glitter in the girls’ colors. Everyone has been counting down the days until they could wear their outfits and hit the stage like tiny divas.

This year marked a major milestone: they went to the pre-show rehearsal and didn’t boomerang back to us until the end. That’s right — no mid-show impatience for their turn, no my ballet slipper is too tight! Just 100+ kids corralled backstage by what I assume were patient professionals, while Craig and I… wait for it… actually sat down, visited with other adults and their beloved Miss Tawni (who joined us!), and watched a show uninterrupted. It was magical- and not just because we were still covered in glitter.

The night went smoothly (ignoring the coughing) and all three girls bravely twirled, leapt, and shuffled their way through three full routines. They began with a sweet ballet number in tutus, all graceful arms and serious faces in their big, blue tutus, and wrapped it up in a flurry of pink and sass in their tap outfits. At one point Harper proudly led the group with a few steps and did a great job. And for some reason this year, it was actually possible to tell who was who from the audience. Maybe sitting closer played into this equation, because last year I spent half of each routine squinting at the stage and trying to decode whether that was Harper or Reagan executing a plié. This time their teachers strategically placed them close together, as if to say, here you go, parents. You’re welcome. And we thank them!!

I’ll have a proper wrap-up soon to celebrate the girls finishing first grade (how are we already heading into second?!), but that update’s a story for another day. For now, we’re diving headfirst into summer and whatever adventures come our way- soaking up the sunshine when it arrives and trying really hard to convince the girls that swimsuits in 45-degree weather do not equal beach day.

Their front teeth are finally making a comeback, and our house looks like an explosion of glitter glue, up-cycled fairy villages, plant and flower based soup contraptions, and reams of paper in every shape and size everywhere. Every surface becomes a canvas for painted masterpieces and phonics-fueled love notes or demanding instructions, all delivered by three fiercely accessorized fashion icons in confidently clashing and very impractical outfits. And don’t forget the cough…always the cough…More updates to follow; I probably need to go vacuum again…wish us luck!

❤