Jul 03

Stilettos & Sidewalk CEOs

Summer is in full swing and that means finally a few days of sunlight! With the warmer temperatures appears our three fashion icons, who -unlike their mother- instantly boasted a tan and brightened blonde locks with their new fashionista attitudes. With Grandma Sue in town for the month as our built in daycare, that means days spent at home and fifty thousand outfit changes. Her visits always equal a lot of fun activities and goodies; new artwork decorates my walls, colorful bathwater now has to be saved for future use (don’t ask…) and crystals and gems are growing on the counter. At this point it’s hard to picture summer without her after several years of visits.

As shown in the photos, we’ve apparently entered the girls’ high fashion era—think stilettos, strappy sandals, and a rotating wardrobe of too-big junior and women’s dresses, now making daily appearances in our living room runway and around town. Each of the girls handpicked their own thrift store heel, scoring treasures like sparkly pink wrap-around stilettos, black chunky heels with sparkly butterflies fluttering up the leg straps, and silver flats that shimmer with every stomp.

Harper, in true firstborn form, struts around the house in 3” heels like she’s been doing it since birth; unlike me, who barely survives standing in heels, let alone walking in them. I tried on the size seven ones at their request; and nearly didn’t survive that five minutes. Harper’s skill is frankly rude it’s so natural. And Emerie and Reagan, well their confidence and thrill of style far outweighs their coordination, but don’t tell them that! They still charge into the backyard in their new shoes, attempting to climb playhouse, swing, and help with gardening with all the grace of baby giraffes on stilts (great visual right?!). But hey- as Grandma always says, beauty is pain….right?

Along with the heels came an influx of XS dresses from the women’s section and enough sweaters to dress all the Bluey grannies. The girls have a sixth sense at spotting their desires; it might just be in their DNA from my skill finding a good deal in clearance sales. One day it’s a pink off-the-shoulder sequin dress, the next it’s a glittery black gown that looks like it was made from recycled sandpaper. They also swap colors and parade around, announcing they look like their sister. And comfort is clearly not a requirement. The discovery of oversized cardigans too, that naturally go with evening wear or even pajamas pants, support this fashion-forward household. After several weeks of searching, Harper and Reagan excitedly found thrifted hooded bathrobes, one pink and one teal. Emerie initially claimed an adult-sized purple robe, rocking it like a tiny boss until I caved and ordered her a kid-sized version—at which point she graciously “allowed” Sue to wear her discarded one. Even on a few warm nights, these three goofballs still curl up in bed wrapped in them like cozy, baby burritos. I mean honestly, it looks kind of cozy…if it wasn’t the warmest time of year for us!

Papa Cliff stopped in a couple weeks ago and delivered roller blades, which caused quite the discussion on who received what color, and very interesting times watching them try to run across the front yard and not lose all their teeth or break any bones. They excitedly rocked their half pajamas, half winter wear with elbow and knee pads, another fashion forward style apparently. And no, they cannot skate like Craig- who is exceptionally good at it- but they sure wish they could!

Grandma Sue visits always equal your body weight in goodies; and no, we are not complaining! As the girls have grown, they are a little more manageable on the cooking output, not eating handfuls of flour, licking their fingers every five seconds, or sneaking chunks of butter (hey they are their grandma’s granddaughters haha). Fashion forward outfits contribute to this activity as well, with messy buns in the morning for scones and much more handwashing than in years past. The past few weeks they’ve tried their hand in peach pie and crust (Emerie), key lime cheesecake, multiple flavors of delicious scones, and you can’t forget the non-desserts, like homemade fried rice and favorite and local flour explosion, chicken fried steak.

The girls, Sue and I spent the first real sun of the summer out of town, and what better Father’s Day gift to a busy girl dad then giving him two days of kid-free silence while we harassed the Kenai Peninsula. The weekend was smooth overall, the girls bonded with their new identical twin cousins, barbecued with family and made smores, and discovered a few treasures at local garage sales. It is fun (for me!) to try to figure out which twin is which, something that is always fun when trying to distinguish who is who on identicals, and Reagan is getting really good at it. We rounded out the trip stopping for the waffles at the train restaurant, and were back home in no time.

It’s not all fun and games when the parents are off at work- there’s still a busy household to run. Thankfully, Grandma Sue runs a tight ship and keeps the girls busy with chores. And by chores, we mean supervised chaos with good intentions and efficiency. For example, the reseeding of spots in the yard. In order to avoid stomping the spots, the girls “helped” throw grass seed, with a level of distribution far exceeding the adults and their enthusiasm. So far all are abiding by the rule well, and excitedly notice as grass starts to fill in since they helped with the process. Around the house, they’re also tackling the essentials: loading the dishwasher, making beds, putting away clean laundry, and attempting to clean up the daily toy explosion. It’s a group effort -with some fighting and arguing in between- and the job jar is never empty!

In addition to having little fashionistas, we once again have tiny entrepreneurs with a homemade lemonade stand, all inclusive with colorful Rice Krispy treats (extra marshmallows) and M&M cookie bars. Picture three sets of energetic hands helping Grandma Sue stir the cereal; it was a chaotic and hilarious scene to watch. Yes, hands were washed, and yes, we limited the direct cereal-to-mouth ratio…at least until the end. The giggling lasted about as long as the stirring. Sign making didn’t receive the same level of enthusiasm as last year’s marathon art session, but the results were still pretty customized and cute. Everyone rocked lemon-themed outfits and, for the most part, stuck to the front yard, where they joyfully harassed any passerby and our good sported neighbors. All agreed to spend their revenue on fancy nail polish at the nail salon, and hopefully we are working toward a good understanding that hard work equals reward, even at this age.

Each morning, just like during the school year, Emerie continues to patch her eye and still questions why she has to do it when the other two don’t. In the past month she’s become more aware that her weaker eye doesn’t always appear straight, especially at night, and was really stuck on the thought for a few days. We’re not sure if a friend pointed it out but it’s the first time she’s ever noticed, and it doesn’t seem like it came from her sisters since patching is a normal occurrence throughout the years.

Needless to say, we’re working hard to reassure her that patching strengthens her eye, and that it won’t be forever. We also remind her that her sisters will likely end up in glasses eventually, given the genetic odds stacked against them with both parents and grandparents in the bad eyesight club. Our hope is to ease her worries now, before they snowball into something bigger… especially in a house that’s destined to have three teenage girls under one roof. We know she will appreciate all these efforts as an adult, because glasses or not, she will have sight in both eyes!

Other summertime adventures include a stop at the local reconnaissance fair, a first for the girls and during an excessive downpour afternoon. Excluding the cold hands, wet raincoats and attire covered in clay from learning pottery, it was quite a fun afternoon. And not so cold as to avoid an ice cream treat (according to the girls…because I was cold!). Our annual visit to the Scottish Highland Games was also a success again this year. The Douglas kilts aren’t nearly as oversized with growing kids, and we managed to snap a family photo with the Douglas scarves from Grandma Anne in Scotland last month. With only a few rain sprinkles here and there and mostly sun, the girls rocked their kilts, drank a gallon of fresh lemonade, gleefully found the dip and dots booth, sported cute face paint and begged to do the harnessed trampoline jumps. They nibbled on lunch during the Harp Twins concert and handed their coloring to the twins before getting our annual, three-sets-of-identicals photo. Everyone enjoyed watching the dance clubs highlight their dances. Another highlight was all three volunteering to go on stage with other kids and learn one of the dances, and they did pretty well. Stage fright is not a concern in this house (other than Reagan occasionally) and they listened, followed along, and gave it their best. All three get their rhythm from their dad 🙂

I can’t believe July is already here. We continue to get out and about and enjoy this great state, visit parks and ride bikes through the neighborhood, and get out of town when possible. For now, we will continue crafting, baking, picking all the wildflowers, and enjoying our time together.

❤

May 29

Spring Fever

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!

❤

Apr 24

Just Hop Till You Drop

Another Easter for the books, in a year without any snow. I’m guessing this year or next is probably my last hurrah in the magical era where all three girls still believe a giant bunny trespasses into our yard, throws random (but common in our household) candy around like confetti, and casually hides eggs like it’s his part-time job. So I’m milking it for all it’s worth—full commitment to the eggs and customized easter bunny notes, the whole production. If the girls have discovered my secret stash this year, they are either humoring me or they haven’t noticed. Either way, they continue to prove they CAN clean up quickly and without complaint…but only for covertly placed plastic eggs. Shocker.

All dressed up to see the *creepy Easter bunny*

Our in-and-out mission to see the bunny at Cabela’s took a grand total of five minutes- tops! No line, all three kids hopped onto the bench like seasoned professionals, and they even smiled for the first photo. Honestly, it was suspiciously easy compared to the chaos of previous years. Of course, the magic didn’t last long. They immediately tried to peek under the bunny’s head and declared that’s not a real bunny. So, I guess that particular secret is officially out of the basket (basket- get it?? I crack myself up….eggs crack… I’ll stop now…). We also discussed how the real Easter bunny is in high demand with a busy schedule, meaning no time to sit and pose in a store, so we meet the hired help, kind of like Santa Claus. That excuse seems to be reasonably accepted for now; unsure if it will be by next year!

Harper drew a custom letter for the bunny visit and hung it on her bed, as visible as possible for easy spotting. I enjoy seeing what ideas they write on the love notes, and the cute freehand pictures along with it. Emerie also spent some time on a note, but declared the bunny would find it where ever she left it. That sneaky bunny left one egg by each kiddo’s bedside… but Reagan intercepted Harper’s and stashed it under her own pillow, much to Harper’s dramatic dismay she was left out. Meanwhile, Emerie was the first one up and displeased she didn’t get an egg and Reagan had TWO. The irony? Emerie could have easily slipped on her own egg down her stairs and still didn’t even notice it. Yep.

Once I finally found the empty, plastic eggs in our house (freaked a bit when I couldn’t find them the day before!), I stuffed them with a variety of small candy and then figured some minor torture was in order, and stuffed a few with carrots and a few with raw broccoli. The look on their faces from the lack of candy? Absolutely priceless. Craig egged the backyard after bedtime and Grandma Anne and I finished up the baskets, which included new sunglasses, a couple cute outfits in their colors, a mini Lego set of their favorite princess, a “peep” egg to grow in water, and of course the beloved chocolate bunny. The goal of less sugar and more fun went a little easier this year than some in the past, and everyone built their Lego sets first thing.

The egg hunt itself went pretty quickly and with great excitement like past years. They started out sharing the pink, purple, and blues with the kid specific to that color until realizing they don’t have to share. Very kind on their part, and some of the fancier ones were still traded even after my protests- no complaints here. The few eggs on the bird feeder were met with laughs and once knocked over, landed in Reagan’s hood. Seeing opportunity, Emerie snagged one and ran. Sisters…

We survived the wild, sugar filled children by visiting the zoo for a little exercise. Warmer temps and the occasional sunshine peeking out meant no complaints of being cold, and everyone enjoyed the playground and running from exhibit to exhibit. The howling of the wolves brought other zoo visitors over to observe, with four kiddos howling at the two wolves, who were only a few feet away on the other side of the fence. Pretty funny.

Easter dinner was laid back, everyone munched on their chocolate bunnies, ran around chaotically, read books with Grandma Anne, and stayed up late since Monday was another day off from school. We also (mostly) jokingly tormented Emerie all weekend about her outrageously loose front tooth-not the one she wanted to lose to join her sisters’ gap-toothed club, but the one just to the left of her recently departed front tooth. It hung on defiantly, with no root, no purpose, no business still being there—but it stayed a few days until gravity finally finished the job. The tool fairy also dropped the ball on swapping the tooth out for some moolah (oops!). Emerie pointed this out first thing in the morning, and then retracted her irritation after seeing rain outside, commenting that it’s okay, fairies can’t fly in the rain so she’s running late. What a problem solver…and that late fairy added a dividend to that tooth swap that made for one happy, little girl!

❤

Mar 30

3x the Cake, Chaos & Celebration

What a week! The beginning of March, for the past six years, has been all about birthday festivities: planning our biggest party of the year, coming up with spring break activities, creating customized cakes in triplicate plus school cupcakes, and squeezing in the much-anticipated daddy-daughter dance. And just to keep things interesting, this year we also added a surgery, a few dental fillings and tooth extraction, a weekend trip, and you know, that four letter word called work- right in the thick of legislative session. I think it’s safe to say the parents (and probably Grandma Sue too!) have officially earned their own spring break; when exactly does that happen and who wants to watch the kids?!

Much discussion occurred in January and February about this year’s birthday theme—because obviously, picking the right one is serious business. I figured My Little Pony would be the winner this year but the girls had other plans. In a unanimous vote (rare!), they landed on a zoo theme featuring three completely unrelated animals: Harper chose a arctic seal, Emerie a turtle, and Reagan her beloved panda. Naturally, the party colors remained the standard pink, purple, and teal theme of our lives, because I didn’t actually give them an option otherwise (Reagan asked for red pandas and that was vetoed- I don’t have red stuff!).

After tossing around ideas with Sue (aka my creative partner-in-cake…so funny!), we came up with a plan for each kiddo’s cake. Then came the chocolate molds—50+ of them over the course of a few evenings. They are time intensive but actually pretty fun to change up each year, and the girls love seeing the results. The arctic seals nearly did me in- I kept accidentally decapitating them with the one 3D mold ordered from Etsy. But after a few trial runs; I think they turned out passable. The turtles were a breeze and popped right out with cute shell patterns, and the mini pandas were fun to crank out in teal. I even brought my “a” game and managed to make a few in black and white, making Reagan so excited and adding more flare.

Our toothless Harper smiling with her “harper seals” in pink and white, sun bathing on a bed of sparkling water (because edible glitter is awesome), surrounded by rocks, green brush, and snow covered ground. In food terms, it’s like melted blue Jolly Ranchers turned into a sticky candy, water body, topped with a mix of white and rock-looking sprinkles, and some plastic bushes to boost up the three dimensional look. I think it came out pretty well!

Emerie’s face in that picture says it all. She wanted her cake a bit busier, more like an undersea party than a quiet reef. So, along with the handmade chocolate turtles were sprinkles of mermaid treasure to share the glory. In addition to colorful shells, more turtle friends, and an abundance of foliage, her cake included a mermaid backdrop to set the scene, complete with light green icing for the ocean floor and dreamy lakes in blended shades of blue and green.

Reagan’s panda habitat ended up looking the most like a real zoo out of the three cakes. It featured a chocolate bamboo enclosure, framed with plastic bamboo leaves, and a whole bunch of rambunctious pandas- some edible, some just along for the ride- all relaxing on a mountain of light green icing, with little leaves popping up from the “ground.” And don’t forget, lots of edible glitter to make the whole thing sparkle.

Aside from the cakes was a lot of other cooking and crafting creativity for the actual party that weekend. The good ‘ole internet allowed me to find really cute seal balloons, and the pandas/turtles were easier to find after that. Same for the party bags, which were fun to figure out distributing equal goodies for each kiddo, and having a harder time finding seal themed anything. ChatGPT and I also got in some quality bonding time, helping me design custom stickers in each girl’s favorite color and animal, and photoshopping seven candles because the program would NOT do it. That turned into a surprisingly fun exercise in trial-and-error (loooooots of it!) until I finally landed on just the right look. It was totally worth the effort. I think they turned out super cute and the girls were so excited for extras, and to help decorate the party plates with them.

As far as the party goes, we invited a lot of people to celebrate, but weren’t sure who would show up, and ended up with WAY more than expected. The party was in a big, indoor space, which was filled with about 40 kids in total. If you didn’t know, that is a lot of kids…

Each animal was well represented at the party, and Sue and I spent plenty of time crafting customized creations—like kiwi and grape turtles (complete with tiny eyeballs!) and Rice Krispy shaped of all three, each with little noses and smiles. As usual, Sue’s veggie pizza was a hit, as were Craig’s fancy cupcakes, all frosted with a triple swirl of pink, purple and teal and topped with matching chocolate animals. It really is a team effort to put these events on, and breaks my heart to think we only have a few more until the girls will be grown and probably less excited for all the extravagance.

The party itself was packed with animal-themed activities. We had props for silly iPad photos (and yes, there were many to go through after), temporary tattoos (seal tattoos are surprisingly hard to find, by the way, but do exist!), scratch art animal face masks, and even a zoo-themed game inspired by Craig. But the real hit? The open space and soft mats for climbing, where the kids ran wild and just had a blast being kids.

But you know what I found most impressive about the afternoon? The pro level of effort put into the gifts. Not only did almost everything have custom, hand drawn cards for each kid individually (handwritten kid cards are simply the greatest at this age, giving and receiving!), they were also incredibly thoughtful and catered to the likes of each kiddo. Wrapping paper and gift bags were a total explosion of pink, purple, and teal, so on-brand for our continued life trend. It was such a joy to watch the girls’ excitement. This was also the first year everything didn’t come in threes, which feels like a big milestone to me and a sign they’re growing up and moving out of the little kid phase (sob!!). We also have a very generous group of friends!

Favorite gifts for this year? I always like to write this down because I instantly can’t remember for all three. The girls unanimously loved the glittery gold H, E, and R letters, the star dresses in their colors from Aunt Jenny, and surprise dolls. One friend grabbed everyone another stuffy in their animal of choice; i.e. a stuffed grey seal that was open with squeals by Harper, another small panda who now has Reagan insisting she is a mother of a set of quadruplets (I love that she even knows what that means), and tiny turtles that now snuggle in bed with Emerie. This is also the last year for some of the dress up dresses, which they will size out of after size 8 (sob!!) so we splurged and bought them one last fancy outfit from the local toy store. We also upgraded their bedroom comforters and replaced the matching princess ones originally purchased when we installed the triplet bunk bed, which feels like ages ago. The theme for those? Well you guessed it, pink and white seals for Harper, I couldn’t find any purple turtle comforters so a purple Elsa set for Emerie, and a teal panda family for Reagan. I love the new look in their room!

Amidst all the excitement of the week was also the very anticipated Daddy-Daughter Dance, now a staple tradition in our household. The girls ask about it all year long. We went all out: nails done, hair curled with the curling iron for the first time, and eye shadow and liner picked by each of them. Then came the strappy, white heels, tights, and lacy dresses in their colors. The event anticipation was full of excitement, and while Craig reported they were a bit chaotic and wild at the actual event (less magical for him, maybe), they absolutely loved their special night with Dad. It’s one of those sweet memories they can look back on as they get older—and the photos are just plain adorable and no snow and sunshine was a nice, unusual touch for this time of year. Sue and I also snuck away from all the party planning for a kid-free sushi date, which was pretty fantastic, too.

Surviving a week(s) as a party planner for the triplets feels like juggling three dozen cupcakes while riding on a roller coaster coated in a thick layer of glitter, with miscellaneous events in between the stops for preparations, real work hours, and everyday chores. By the end, one needs a serious break from the never ending glitter and abundant child inspired noise, and need some very strong caffeine or a long nap… but hey, the stress is worth the effort to deliver a fun month that the girls will remember happily as they get older. But thank heavens it’s done for another year and my tiny babies are now seven!

❤

Mar 18

Cavity Chronicles

Well, two out of three kiddos strutted out of their biannual dentist checkup with shiny new cavity appointments—so what better way to spend spring break than scheduling three separate dental procedures? I can think of plenty of things… but hey, at least we were productive!

Harper was up first, needing two separate appointments for cavities on either side of her bottom molars. To my surprise, she was both excited and a little nervous—though mostly thrilled to have a medical appointment all to herself, without her sisters tagging along. The wonderful dental hygienist explained the entire procedure beforehand and even let her use the light for a tiny practice filling on her hand. That little blip became a prized possession- one I had to keep track of throughout the visit- and is now safely tucked away in the treasure box by her bed.

She followed all directions, held still as the “sugar bugs” were removed, and didn’t peek when told to shut her eyes (for the Novocaine!); she held my hand and didn’t flinch at all, entirely chill. Puppy also joined the event for moral support and snuggled under the blanket the entire time. The laughing gas definitely helped take the edge off, but took a bit to take effect and she was goofy waiting for it to kick in. Harper was mostly concerned about bad tasting stuff like the previous visit’s sealants, and reported the air running through her nose smelled good, like cherries. Overall, fantastic attitude from the youngun the entire time, and lots of thumbs up when asked by the dentist. One down!

While running a few errands after school pickup, Harper suddenly decided it was time for that first wiggly front tooth to vacate the premises. With a dramatic twist (pun intended!!), just as the dentist had mostly jokingly suggested a couple of hours earlier- out it came in the car. Seriously, my kids have a thing with pulling teeth at inopportune times in the car! And no hesitation, just hollering for a tissue and yelling about blood, while this poor driver reminded her not to drop it. Just one quick twist, and boom– tooth gone. The first thing out of her mouth (besides the tooth? Ha.)? Reagan! Now we look like twins! Mon, now I look like Reagan! As if they didn’t already have identical faces. The main, obvious visual difference between the two since middle toddler years was Reagan cracking and losing her top tooth, so it’s fitting the same one came out first to match. And honestly, it’s not like some of the kids they know don’t tell them apart by dental records at this point…but not so much now. Emerie is extremely displeased to not be in the “twin club” (even funnier since she and Harper are technically twins) and really hoping to push out her same top tooth any day now and catch up.

And how did she catch up??? Instead, as if I didn’t have enough dentist visits this month, we scheduled one more unplanned one to assess her sagging front tooth from a toy to the face, a tooth that turned black within a few days, but was still dangling strong from her gum-line. At least, holding strong enough for resistance from an adult trying to yank it out. Emerie was convinced the dentist wanted to take it at the appointment, meaning her face plant and butt in the air on the seat and hiding from him. Superrrr fun. His very short lived assessment after a quick x-ray gave us the green light for the ENT to remove the tooth while under anesthesia the following day.

I should also mention the newest household villain: the Tooth Fairy. Once a magical figure ensuing joy and excitement, she is now viewed as a thief lurking in the night, ready to snatch possessions that don’t belong to her, such as the freshly evicted front tooth. No amount of money was deemed acceptable after much discussion. After taking said tooth and container on a bike ride to show the neighbors down the street (one of our last days before snow returned), this valuable treasure needed a bodyguard and she entrusted me -her ever-reliable mother- with its protection. That was two weeks ago; and the tooth still sits on my nightstand, untouched by distrusted fairy hands, and receiving daily visits from its rightful owner. Harper checks on it like a rare museum artifact, making sure it hasn’t mysteriously disappeared. And at this point, I think I’m more scared of losing it than she is. Yep, #realtalk.

Emerie’s tooth eviction followed uneventfully with her tonsillectomy and has secured another safe location to avoid that damn tooth fairy, and now I have a new job to add to my resume- a watcher and protector of random front teeth…

The day after Emerie’s surgery Harper was up again for her second filling and met with continual thumbs up, like it was no big deal for such a grown up six-year-old who hates brushing her teeth. She certainly loves the attention, happily picked out some chap stick afterwards and enjoyed a fruit drink to celebrate good behavior, because nothing says good dental behavior like a sugary treat right?!

The following day Reagan was up for her first filing and my last health related appointment for the week, thankfully. Unlike her “full-speed-ahead” sister, Reagan approached the situation cautiously. She gripped my hand tightly, showing her nerves, and while she didn’t dish out any enthusiastic thumbs-ups, she faced it all with quiet determination. The Novocain part was especially stressing- no dramatic reactions or peeking, but plenty of squeaking and turmoil I could feel through her tiny fingers. Her panda joined for the entire visit and the first request was a sugar free lollipop and chap stick for her trouble. While this visit had no happy thumbs-ups or post-filling happiness, she did exactly what was asked of her, following every direction to the letter- because rules are rule and Reagan is certainly great at following them.

Now I’d like to avoid the dentist for a bit, and keep on those pesky kids to brush, brush, brush! My brain still hasn’t fully caught up to the fact that everyone now sports a holy front smile—not just Reagan. For years, she was the lone gap toothed wonder and now suddenly, it’s all three. Also interesting that Reagan and Harper are rocking identical holes and I can’t help but wonder which tooth Reagan would have lost first naturally, had she not cracked it and needed it pulled. Same goes for Emerie, who probably would’ve followed suit with her sisters… had a toy (and sibling) not intervened and made the decision for her gums. And just when I thought our tooth saga would slow FOR THE WEEK, Harper sprinted up to me at school pickup today, flashing a huge smile; and now missing both front teeth. The second one made its grand exit this afternoon at school (at least it wasn’t the car??). And where, you ask, is that second tooth currently? Oh, you know, safely tucked away in another plastic bag, because the big, bad Tooth Fairy will NOT be sneaking off with it overnight. No amount of bedtime discussion could change her mind. That tooth is HERS and the Tooth Fairy can keep her money.

And with that, the Tooth Fairy remains the enemy in our household—and our house is rapidly becoming a tooth museum -or possibly burial ground- a place where lost teeth aren’t treasures to trade… they’re trophies to keep.

I’ll end on what was a current “holey” triplet photo, until about six hours ago that is…

❤

The Douglets

Triplets in Alaska

douglets