Jun 15

And that’s a wrap!

What a whirlwind few weeks! The girls made it through their first year of elementary school and are already excited to claim first grade. While displeased that beloved Miss Tawni won’t teach them next year (since they assumed she moved up every year haha), they also contain excitement for Miss Kelly, who is just a couple doors down the hall. Looking at comparison pictures from day one to the final day, you can see how much everyone grew, not just in height!

Kindergarten is always a significant milestone of achievement. Kids start as preschoolers, becoming comfortable out in the “world” and leave the grade as elementary schoolers, with boosted confidence, better social skills and vocabularies, and understanding new concepts for math, reading and writing. I won’t claim that my kids are the smartest, most accomplished, doing amazing at all intellectual challenges thrown at them kids; I will say they are all on track, working hard to learn new skills, asking questions about everything, and greatly advancing from day one. And that is all we can really ask for, making sure to support the growth and challenges and make the time to help them achieve milestones and grow up happy, healthy and supported.

Is it hard to do with three at the same level of development? Yes! It is hard, and I often get in my own head about how we should be better, do more things, read more at night, have less screen time; all the typically mom (and dad) stresses that we all face. But I also must remember they love and spend SO much time coloring and drawing, sitting with puzzles, making up playtime stories and games, discussing the day’s events in bed at night, cooking all the things, and so many other skills they didn’t possess two years ago. It is wonderful to watch and new things are added to the list every day. We could certainly do more, but are also doing so much at the same time.

The girls’ school didn’t do an official kindergarten graduation, but their home school gave us the option! So of course, I couldn’t resist ordering caps and gowns and participating in such a wonderful event, just for the pictures. The week before we did a home school run craft and everyone “stickered” their caps (Reagan found ALL the panda ones, Emerie found all the turtles with Reagan’s assistance, and Harper was sad at no seals but found a lot of other fun ones), they painted a pot for a sunflower seed, and made a hand print. All three had a quick questionnaire away from the parents and each other’s ears, in which all three still answered we have no pets, which cracked me up since we literally have cats and chickens (and now a puppy!). They are such funny responses I have to copy them for sincerity, and share the corresponding photo taken with the silly glasses. Boy, how alike do they look with those expressions, and the matching shirt doesn’t help!

Harper was born March 20th in Anchorage, Alaska. She currently lives with Mama, Dada, Reagan and Emerie. As for pets, Harper shared they do not have any, but one day hopes to have a pet seal. When she is not writing, she enjoys eating chocolate ice cream, planting flowers, finding treasures and dancing. Harper dreams of being a ballerina queen when she grows up and wants to have SIX children while living in a pink house.
Emerie was born March 20th in Anchorage, Alaska. She lives with Mama, Dada, Harper and Reagan and does not have any pets. When Emerie is not writing, she enjoys planting seeds to turn into flowers. One day Emerie hopes to live in the Disney Castle as Queen Elsa Ballerina, with her three children.
Reagan was born March 20th in Anchorage, Alaska. She lives with Harper, Emerie, Mom and Dad and does not have any pets. Coloring, playing with stuffies, dancing and snuggling in bed are things Reagan enjoys when she is not writing. She dreams of one day being an artist in Seward, Alaska (very specific!). When asked about future children, Reagan shouted, “I don’t want any kids!”

On graduation day, the girls were uncertain why they had to wear loose gowns and weird caps, but went along with their crazy mother and were good sports about it. Grandma Sue and Miss Tawni were able to attend and join in the fun, and the sun came out just for that day, so their name calling ceremony wasn’t rushed and miserable. Everyone lined up and was called down one by one to accept their gift bag. They stood behind their name stars calmly until the last name was called. All in all, I might have had a bit of a lump in my throat; it’s tough hitting these milestones only once, and knowing that is the only time we will experience it, even when it’s three fold!

As for my little graduates, I couldn’t be more proud of how much they’ve grown and thrived during their first year of elementary school. I genuinely love that we know the teachers, the school and where they spend their days…because the world is a scary place! This milestone is a testament to their hard work, curiosity, and resilience. Each of them has learned so much and shown remarkable progress in their own unique ways. From mastering the basics of reading and writing to developing a keen interest in science and art, their journey is nothing short of inspiring. They’ve made new friends, discovered new passions, and faced challenges with courage and determination. It’s incredible to see how they’ve adapted to the structured classroom life, embraced the excitement of learning, and found joy in their accomplishments. Here are a few specific achievements and areas where each truly shined:

Harper recently started drawing and writing “lists” more than prior months, checking things off as they occur. I’m not entirely sure which school subject she is drawn to -it might be PE or dance related things- she also really likes to color and is getting pretty good at it. She sits and focuses on craft creations much longer than in the past, and thrived learning her dance routines this year. Harper is still working on a couple of her letter sounds and continues to try to figure out the answers when she doesn’t know them.

Emerie trends toward a joy in math and is often sitting in the back of the car, reciting her numbers and seeing how high she can count. She will scold her sisters if they interrupt her concentration, especially once she gets past one hundred. At home we will often find her listening to a story Tonie by herself in her bedroom, completely content, or thumbing through a book and looking at pictures. I think she will be our bookworm and she loves doing the reading application on the iPad. She also enjoys coloring more than prior years and brings her own style to her creations. If she is shocked or frustrated, you will hear her announce “oh biscuits!”

Reagan has definitely excelled on her handwriting, letter comprehension and freehand drawing. She will likely be our writer and is always willing to assist a sister on writing a letter or depicting the correct sound. She loves to draw and color everything, something consistent throughout her preschool years. She is the closest to reading comprehension and the connection between the sounds into words; she is at the brink of figuring it all out! While English class is probably her favored subject, she also continues to love to sing; albeit a bit shyer than her sisters. At home she is always humming and singing different tunes, or ones she invents herself.

I also have to highlight the improved handwriting. Personally I prefer the “loop de loops” that emerged from their very early years, but since that can’t last forever, I will accept the accurately scribed letters going forward. This image shows week one of kindergarten to the last week of school; showing their quarterly progress.

Toward the end of the school year I began a mental debate on how to proceed into first grade, with all three staying together or splitting one out separately, since only two first grade classes exist. After discussing with Craig, their teacher, and my fellow mom friends, I believe keeping them together is the best option, although maybe splitting them up at separate tables or desks not immediately next to one another might help. I did ask each kiddo if they wanted to split or stay together and received a resounding response to stay together. Another factor that could have helped would be who stayed with bestie Nicole, and if split, the solo kid would HAVE to end up with her, in order to level the playing field.

When considering who to split out solo, the best option scholastically is Reagan, who picks up and learns things so effortlessly, but is also the one that likes being alone the least of the three. Moving to Emerie, if she split out solo, she would instantly feel left out, something that her sisters often do to her during playtime and require coaching on, which would make that dynamic more difficult. Lastly, if Harper were to split out solo, which might prove as a good option since she is headstrong and needs reminders to try to figure something out before demanding help instantly, but she also really likes being around her sisters and included in the group. It seemed like a no win scenario option to me, with a literal third wheel getting excluded from all the activities of the other two, and I’m not ready to face that. Not to mention two different classes would also equal different fields trips and homework, and more parental support on both sides. This all concluded my mind to keep everyone together, as they’ve done since entering preschool at age two and a half, and see how it goes.

As we ease into the summer months, I find myself reflecting on the passage of time and the milestones that come with it. Although this blog isn’t as timely as school year end, it’s a reminder that it’s okay to feel that tightness in my chest at the thought of everyone growing up so quickly and reaching their milestones simultaneously. Transitions to next steps are especially challenging for me, particularly without another little one to follow in tow and stretch out the current parenting phase. While these events are undoubtedly exciting and fun to prepare for and experience, they also bring a mix of stress and sadness. My mom brain feels the weight of these moments, realizing just how far we’ve come in this childhood journey. The days seem to fly by, and it’s a bittersweet reminder of the fleeting nature of these precious years.

Witnessing their enthusiasm for school and the pride in their achievements fills me with profound gratitude and excitement for what the future holds. These early experiences lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning, and I can’t wait to see where their educational journey will take them next. My heart swells with joy as I celebrate these special moments and look forward to all the wonderful adventures that lie ahead.

Happy Kindergarten graduation ladies, we are so proud of you!

❤

May 16

Work Trips & Roadkill Sitings

It feels like winter vanished and a switch flipped into spring overnight, and boy are we so thankful! After a long winter of significant snowstorms, cold spells and sicknesses, and cooped up kiddos, we welcome the warmer weather and additional outdoor time with open arms. What is one of my favorite new tasks when spring finally arrives? You guessed it…putting away all the winter gear and spending more time outside without tracking all that clothing down! The girls made it through a second winter using the same snow bibs and they are definitely ready for the donation pile, since they have grown SO much!

This next season kicked off with a couple parent work trips, up north for me a couple weeks back and down south for Craig. It’s been about a year since my last overnight work trip and this was my first one hopping on the plane without the kids. I knew when the time came I wouldn’t want to go- all that normal mom guilt or “what if something happens” inner monologue or what if I miss something, etc.- thoughts I pushed through and took my seat on the plane. The trip ended up really nice and much overdue, and while I still felt mom guilt pangs on our quick FaceTime call before bedtime, the logical, non-hormonal side of my brain knows everyone was just fine and having fun dad time. They even dined with Jessie and Jason, because why not keep everyone busy! All three stuffed bunnies joined me on my trip, which the flight attendants giggled at as I buckled them in to the empty seat next to me and sent Craig photo evidence. The bunnies were far less stressed than me and had a great time seeing Denali and my coworkers, and even brought back fancy rocks from the airport. Yep…they did that.

We warned the girls the night before about Craig’s impending departure on a four night work trip to Juneau, knowing stress over it would happened. The last time he did a couple night trip, I certainly stressed more than the tiny toddlers, mostly just mental anxiety that I worked through silently! Funny enough this time around Reagan stressed over my departure while Harper stressed over Craig’s the most, and Reagan and Emerie complained a bit, but were placated with phone calls and pictures of Craig’s adventures. Knowing time would pass quickly with five full days of work, evening chores, and activities; so I planned two evening play dates, one girls’ night movie night, and didn’t sit down each night until nightly chores were done, so Craig didn’t return to a tornado house. I’m happy to report it went smoother than I planned and much less anxiety on my part from two summers ago. Post bedtime routine when solo usually involves holding your breath a bit and crossing your fingers that everyone will stay in bed, not take an hour of arguing to fall asleep, and stay asleep until morning. While each kiddo wandered into my bed once, all on different nights thank goodness, they all slept until it was time to get up for school each day, which was quite a blessing for my mental sanity.

Other fun discoveries that week- everyone forgot mosquitos exist and now scream every time one appears, inside OR outside. It’s not like they didn’t exist last year, but clearly that small detail about summer time in Alaska was forgotten, or those buggers are just really early this year and going to hit us in full force for the next three months. So now we listen for mosquito related screams instead of spiders…because that’s fun! Random topics of conversation this last week also revolve around random exclamations from Emerie, after knocking something over upstairs I hear OH BISCUITS!! (courtesy of Bluey) or moments from all three asking how did the doctor cut your belly open (c-section) questions (Mom, did it hurt? What kind of knife did they use?), which apparently involve great detail to get them to stop, and requests to see said scar, and other cute moments like Harper telling me movie details after school about un-hydrating and when you have a headache, it’s cause you are un-hydrated! She proudly announced “a secret” the other day, one that she insisted she tell directly to Dad…that she and Michael are getting married. Who knew! She insisted only family members are allowed to know this news, and of course Miss Tawni. So of course that means it should be posted on a blog, right? My babies are growing up! Hahaha…

In other news, the girls saw their first moose strike on the highway; poor thing had legs straight up in the air with a dismayed guy standing by his totaled truck. The rest of the drive home consisted of very interesting six-year-old conversations, questions, and some tears:

Reagan: Mom, I’m going to name that moose Cupcake. (Sniffles) Poor Cupcake, it’s so unfair.
Emerie: Mom! Was that “our” moose?! Was that Carrot the Moose from our house?! (no- we don’t “have” a moose, just a neighborhood one with the same name each year!)
Harper: That was definitely a girl moose. People don’t hit boys on the road.
Reagan: Whyyyyyy didn’t that driver try to not hit him? He’s so mean!
Me: after an explanation about moose running across roads and people not intentionally hitting them….
Emerie: No, he hit Cupcake on purpose! He did!
Harper: Mom, moose to go heaven right? Do their babies go with them? I think they do; their babies go to heaven too. Do they have new babies in heaven? (and she was deep in thought)
Reagan: You better call Dad and tell him about the moose. Poor Cupcake.
Emerie: Yeah, why didn’t you take a picture to send to Grandma (as if driving down the highway the opposite direction gives me enough time to try my phone out and snapped a picture!). She will want to see him.

And on and on and on. Bedtime was super fun that night…I tell you…BUT, I can report that we did survive a whole work week without Dad, I finished all the laundry and kept the house semi cleaned up (my life goal is still to have a clean kitchen every night), everyone went to school on time, and all were thrilled to go into the airport to see him walk through security. If we are being real about this, they might have been more excited to see escalators than anything else, but we will just go with they were excited for all of it. And so was I 🙂

Craig ordered a butterfly kit to kickoff spring time and the girls really enjoyed the entire process, from watching the caterpillars burrow into cocoons (listening to all three say cocoon is the greatest!), to watching butterflies grow in the netted cage, to releasing them into the wild one evening. All three were very gentle to pick them up and not damage wings, and other than the random throwing them into the air and hoping they don’t gravitate straight down, it went pretty well. They don’t mind butterflies walking on them, but scream for any mosquito siting; so funny. Most butterflies stayed in the front trees through the following day, much to everyone’s delight. It was a fun experience we should do again, and wasn’t too much effort to do. Those butterflies are part of the family according to the girls; as they flew away or found one nearby, we learned a bunch of them were named. Emerie had a Queen Amaya and Harper named one Lena. Silly girls.

The kindergarten class had another field trip as the school year wraps up. It was a nice, sunny day in Anchorage, but definitely bogged in and raining by the time we arrived in Portage for the wildlife conservation center visit, about forty-five minutes away. The porcupine exhibit was indoors and the entire class did a fantastic job staying quiet and using inside voices for all their questions. Who knew this we even possible with a bunch of six-year-olds, but they did great! Harper and Emerie kept raising their hands not to ask a question, but to point out how cute the porcupine was. His name was Twix; how could he not be cute!?

It may have poured rain as we explored the brown and black bear exhibits, but overall it was a fun trip! We drove the rest of the place in the car, a bit wetter than planned, but for the most part it worked out fine. The girls could care less that they were five feet from two brown bears (other side of the fence), and the class found a couple worms outside the wolf exhibit that became WAY more interesting to see than the big, wild animals directly in front of them. Who knew mosquitoes and worms could be so very exciting? I give you the perspective of a bunch of kids!

The girls last field trip of the school year was to the Botanical Gardens this week, and on an exceptionally beautiful day. Craig joined for the fun and everyone made their own natural chap stick, which was quite a topic of conversation on the way home that afternoon. Needless to say, May is off to a fun start and as everything starts to turn green and get a little less dusty, summer is right around the corner and we are ready for it!!

❤

Mar 30

Birthday Brilliance

The month of March always turns into quite the busy few weeks, with family visits, birthday preparations and activities, a number of friend birthdays, and then you know…work and the normal, every day things. We attempt to make each birthday special and somewhat extravagant, knowing the girls have to share it and this momma doesn’t have any other kid parties in our household to plan.

I hatched a plan this spring to replace the girls’ 18″, very ragged dolls with new ones with bright pink, purple/teal, and teal hair, especially since the current Babela (Haper), Moriah (Reagan), and “she doesn’t have a name” (Emerie) have seen better days. Of the three, Harper loves and plays with her doll the most and my attempt to replace it with a new one that “went to the salon” is working so far! I told the girls during the school day the dolls attended a salon day. This fabricated story expanded to include facials, spray tans, and a solid bath to remove existing band-aid and makeup residue, and create new hair. Surprisingly everyone bought the story, especially after seeing the photos when Mom and Grandma Sue took them there (which we actually did- go big or go home! Thanks April!!). Harper scrutinized her doll more, insisting differences but with beautiful hair, and I reinforced she had new contacts (eye color changed) and a solid facial to get all that makeup off, plus the hair dye and styling. Reagan noted the skin is darker on hers, which I responded was her new spray tan. And the white lie continues to grow….

Here are a few other activities that occurred the past two weeks:

My annual goal continues to create an exciting, custom themed birthday cake the girls will enjoy, since we only go big once per year. Grandma Sue made the cake and icing and like last year, I created the accessories and decorated. Edible grass, Oreo dirt, and a LOT of custom colored chocolate mushrooms, grass, and multi colored flowers, and topped with a million Trolls Band Together characters, from opening 20+ mystery packs to find the right ones!

On the big day we joined the family and had a “fire dinner” at Benihanna. The girls especially love this place and eat their body weight in fried rice. This time around Emerie did so with shrimp and the cook thought it was funny and kept giving her extra! Watching cousin Elliot and Corbin’s faces during the fire tricks was also a highlight of the night. For the first time maybe ever, Craig and I actually sat by one another while Reagan wanted to sit by Tyler and Sue and the other two with Papa Cliff at the other side of the table- so weird. By dinner’s end we had full and tired, giggly girls who were excited to go home and have cake, you know, after they had ice cream with dinner.

Professional birthday photos are another one of my favorite things each year. We trekked out to our favorite newborn photographer in Palmer and the girls were on their best behavior yet! As always, I can’t wait to see how they turn out and everyone fully participated. This time around was less of the I have to be in the middle or else attitude, which is predominant in almost every group photo I take these days! Who know order was so important?!

One handmade gift that deserves mention was from Papa Lon, who created custom colored deer callers in the girls’ colors. While kazoos and whistles and other generally loud toys mysteriously go missing in this house…Craig and I will let these slide. They are beautiful and the girls looooove wearing them as necklaces and ensuring the house never stays quiet. Emerie is modeling her purple one in this photo.

Another annual favorite timed with birthday events, the Daddy/Daughter dance. Craig typically receives questions about two days after this occurs, wondering when the next one will be. The girls wore fancy dresses from Costco (which half the kids did apparently!), silver flats and custom makeup by Grandma Sue, and Emerie rocked her new turtle necklace from Seward. Their late arrival home may be record setting at 9:30, but all were very happy and excited to attend. Craig noted no one wanted to take the cute group photos, and the girls were overjoyed to see Nichole and Sierra attend with their dads. Sue and I enjoyed leisure time, which is very rare, and finished up birthday preparation.

We spanned gift opening throughout the past week, after a good amount of toy cleanup and donations to make space. If I had to choose some favorites, it would be Disney princess play dresses from Mom and Dad, new doll sets (a cabin and furniture), the stylish “new” dolls, and instantly opened Polly Pockets (how fun is it they are still as fun as the 90s!). Custom colored scarves from Jordan were oo’d over; our kitten Winston adopted Reagan’s and sleeps on it now, and Uncle Will helped open surprise barbies and new clothing sets. We are very blessed for such wonderful friends and the girls are still playing with all the new goodies.

Sue and I attended the field trip to the Seward Sealife Center, picking up an extra six year old for the drive. A fourth kid meant best behaviors from mine, and all shared toys and snacks with Nichole. It was a nice visit; everyone tested the touch pool, oo’ed over the seals/sea lions swimming around, and laughed at the one who flirted with the group. At the gift shop before heading home, Harper informed the cashier she renamed the seal to Harper, and indignantly said it is now a girl. She loves seeing her favorite animal in action- thank goodness we live in Alaska!

The actual birthday party occurred the weekend after their big day, which allowed Sue and I time to get everything prepped, ordered and finalized well in time for the trek over to the party place. In the midst of all this, Harper came down with a cough and confirmed ear infection, but she managed to muster up enough strength to enjoy her party.

We were unsure how many kids would show up to the party, and it turned out to be almost thirty! It was great to see cousin Jamie, Steve and Hayden drive up from Kenai to join us, Cousin Tyler and Uncle Will, Keegan and Jenny and the boys, Papa Cliff and of course Grandma Sue. The sound volume (and heat) level increased dramatically and the girls’ flushed faces showed it. We recycled the Halloween candy in a rainbow pinata (sorry, not sorry parents!) and played a Bluey favorite, Pass the Parcel, which everyone participated in with minimal crying. We ended up giving out all 48 Trolls themed cupcakes, which I call a success in itself.

The whole day was a great success; Reagan told me it was the best day EVER. Somehow this year felt a bit easier than the fifth birthday, not sure if that was because we prepped less food (much to the dismay of all those vegetable pizza lovers out there….Grandma Sue…) or because we did the full Trolls themed cake at home on their actual birthday this year; or simply because they are a bit older this year and getting things done while they entertain themselves is more of a common occurrence. Whatever reason, it was a busy month and we made it to the other side unscathed! Our house looked like Christmas morning by the end of the day and the girls happily sucked down their pho for dinner so they could return to the floor to play with new toys. My brain still can’t comprehend I have three kiddos a third of the way through their childhood- if you think about it- and who knows what wonderful adventures we will experience this year.

❤

Feb 21

It’s a Heart-Knock Life

Life over the past month continues to stay very busy! I started writing small notes to myself of the latest with the girls, knowing I will forget what lovely life tidbits to include as I muse about our daily life. Since I last wrote a blog, 10 new Bluey episodes were released in the United States. This is clearly a worthy milestone to mention, since we marathoned them like an adult would for a new season of their own show, and within a few days the girls were already asking for episodes by name. No, we don’t watch television allll the time and yes, we love that the episodes are only a few minutes long and share good, family values.

It took me a couple rewatches to realize one game in our house emerged from a new episode. One night the girls were running wild -literally, as kids do in January in the winter- and circling the living room over and over again, full on running and screaming. Occasionally one would plop down on the ground randomly and pause a moment, until another caught up and yelled flush! and imitated the flushing of a toilet, and said still child would jump up and return to a sprint. I watched this occur for a few minutes and finally asked what they were playing. All three responded with we are playing toilet tag! and explained when someone stopped, you had to flush them to bring them back in the game. Like what? I’m not sure if I’m impressed at the creativity, or mortified, but now it is a standard kid game in our household. Toilet tag. Yep.

We are now in the age of toy cleanup that all three now understand cleaning up does not mean shoving everything under the bed, or in one toy bin, but to try to put things away correctly. I should probably credit Grandma Sue for this transition, and it’s noticeable when we ask them to put things away where they go. I will often randomly fine one cleaning up a room (never all three at once), looking for a reward treat of course, and putting doll accessories or barbies or stuffed animals in the correct bins. Score!! Now, if we can only convince these kids to change their clothes and put anything removed in a laundry bin or by the washer, instead of everywhere. Baby steps!

School continues to go smoothly and all three claim to enjoy it, likely due to the love for their teacher and seeing her each day. I now respond to being called Miss Tawni in the afternoons, especially from Harper, and wonder how many times a day the three actually call her name. It must be about in the millions. Take a look at the picture above. Being mom makes me biased, but I am seriously impressed at how well and creatively all three copied those pictures. Is it just me and this is normal five year old drawing? I am pretty sure all three are already better than I am at drawing. Look at the enhanced detail on Reagan’s cup, or the fingers on Emerie’s hand, or Harper’s color coordinated bear. I can’t help but be impressed!

In January Craig and I took all three to a mid-year reading assessment at our home-school (it’s in addition to their normal daytime curriculum). Each kiddo went back with the teacher for the same assessment, and all three were evaluated right where they should be. She noted everyone understands the difference between the letter name and the sound of a letter, which is the first step toward reading comprehension. All three are still stumped on combined letter sounds creating words, but she assured us they seem close to getting it. We’ve tried a few different ways to explain the concept and so far the light bulb for all three hasn’t clicked on quite yet. I believe Reagan will be the first to catch on; not sure who will be second! By the end of the kindergarten year, I’m betting all three will have it down and we will be working through level one reading books.

In January we continued to practice counting by fives and counting to 100. You can see their brains trying to figure out what comes next in the sequence after a 9 (like 39 to 40), and improvement continues. The end of January also prompted the 100 Days in school party, occurring on January 31st, and I swear the girls were more excited the night before than for Christmas. It took forever to calm them down at bedtime, and everyone happily put on their matching t-shirts (with friends) and let me do fancy hair for the occasion. We counted down the last few days until this milestone- or should I say we counted UP- and everyone excitedly yelled it was day 100 the moment eyes opened that morning. When asked their favorite part of the day, because I know several activities were planned, they all answered the same: the fruit loop necklaces! We might have to make some of those at home one of these days. We finished their fun filled day with a trip to frozen yogurt to commemorate, and I can’t believe everyone is so grown up!

Everyone received mid-year report cards in January, with great marks and then need to practice reading and comprehension more, which Craig and I both agree we need to commit more time to at home in the evenings. I hope all three grow up to love books and reading; so far Emerie seems most inclined to grab a book and hang out by herself while looking through pages. Harper prefers stories relating to princesses or ballerinas and asks someone to read to her on those; Reagan loves to carry books around and add notes and drawings in them, rotating through her favorite book each week or so.

As we all wait for spring to arrive, we maintain indoor entertainment through tons of birthday parties (not an exaggeration!); swimming at the nearby YMCA or Alaska Club, build days, hitting up the indoor climbing playground at a local rec center or running at the jump park, and other at-home activities like kid yoga, makeup and hair styling, playing with dolls or legos, making paper crafts and coloring, and can’t forget toilet tag (haha). The girls discovered yoga at school and asked to watch kid videos everyday one week. I came downstairs to find all three actively participating in the activity, yelling Mom we are exercising! They are surprisingly limber and thrilled to check out different yoga themes (Frozen was a particular favorite, not surprisingly!).

Build days continue to be a fun activity, some kits harder than others. We really like that Lowe’s provides stickers instead of paint, although I’m guessing the girls prefer the Home Depot mess because it’s more fun. They are all getting better at hitting nails and I am getting better at building some of the sets…otherwise I just copy however Craig builds it! I often find the girls at home during quiet times, playing salon with their dolls or each other, making a huge makeuppy mess but haven’t fun while doing it. Harper’s doll Babela continue to look like she’s had a rough night and quite the hangover, and then about 20 hair clips to seal the deal. Reagan finally named her doll Moriah, and constantly reminds me she has a name and is beautiful. During much of these events I will find Emerie in the bathroom, giving her doll or stuffed animal a bath, rather than adding to their makeup. Such girlie girls!

After a handful of swimming birthday parties in the past few weeks, one party highlight is certainly the Taylor Swift themed one, which was about as girly as possible and all three were thrilled. Is that Craig in a pink cowgirl hat? Why yes it is, and he definitely bedazzled those hats for the girls while at the party. I found him hanging out upstairs, bedazzling them with TS music in the background and the kids running around, having fun. He’s definitely a girl dad!

In addition to the usual birthday shenanigans, the crafts were on point. Everyone bedazzled a microphone (yes, they were working and charged…it wasn’t loud in there at all…), Emerie opting for all black while Reagan snagged a teal and Harper a light pink. The girls also added gems to their sunglasses and humored me for a couple cute shots. It was quite the afternoon!

And lastly, since this blog is getting a bit long, I have to mention all the Valentine’s day fun. This time last year we were down in Juneau working and harassing family, and I’m really glad this year we stayed for the girls to participate in their school activities. One day after school everyone wrote out their own Valentine’s Day cards; something I did quickly the night before last year! Some grumbling occurred until we got in the groove; overall they did great writing all classmates names and their own. I overbought options, since last year valentines sold out well before the holiday and couldn’t be found, with Reagan selecting Trolls (Band Together), Emerie choosing Frozen over the Bluey option, and Harper claiming Peppa Pig. I always enjoy watching them to a school type activity at home, such as writing classmates names down, and seeing how they react. Emerie struggled a bit fitting the letters into the small cards, writing bottom to top to finish names, but was able to get over that frustration and actually finished first! Harper and Reagan continued fighting over the pen used to cross completely names off the list; Harper also demanded to only use a yellow marker for all the writing, and Reagan took her time writing out the names. Somehow we made it through and were done by the time Craig came home from work!

Excluding the winter season we are currently in, it feels though time is passing really quickly and my babies are growing up quickly before my eyes. The girls are growing like weeds and I’m internally struggling a bit at how big and independent they are becoming- it really goes by quick! Life has gotten a lot easier for sure, and we can fit so many more activities and outings into a single day, but I certainly have my moments of missing my little tiny humans. I am learning to enjoy them spreading their wings and learning new things.

Cheers to winter…for a little bit longer! ❤

Nov 15

Snowstravaganza

Well…to no one’s surprised, winter is here! And not only is it here, but it decided to take over in epic force and beat us into immediate submission, breaking a couple records within the first two weeks. In fact, one more inch and it will be the snowiest November on record for Anchorage; this doesn’t even consider that the month is only halfway over. While I should be impressed and awed by the continual snow filled clouds that are sharing their joy (too much?), the lack of plowed roads in our neighborhood makes navigating very difficult, with many distressed vehicles and public school closures. While I don’t generally don’t mind the beginning of winter once it starts- I’m definitely over it by the end though- this year began with quite the bang and dropped two feet on us at a very expedited rate. Was it beautiful? Absolutely! Did it take FOREVER to stop falling? Yes. But we live in a winter state, so I guess we should try to embrace the chaos…as I’ve done in other parts of my life!

I had planned to give a brief update on our Halloween fun last month, and now it feels strange because the level of snow makes it feel like fall ended months ago, not two, short weeks ago. Halloween night weather was much more amenable this year but as usual, everyone wasn’t feeling their best, including me! Harper opted to be Ariel, Reagan continued as Jasmine, and Emerie as Alice in Wonderland. Harper, with her extreme cough and two-hour afternoon nap (which showed she really felt sick!), meant she was the first to want to go home; she made it a few blocks farther than expected before asking to go back. Reagan followed her sister and Craig and opted to go back home, while Emerie and I ended walked a few more houses along our street before heading home. The girls were happy Tyler drove in again this year and walked around with us, and overall the night was pretty uneventful.

Unsurprisingly, the girls don’t see an issue with all this snow. Well, maybe a little if we boot them outside in their winter gear when it’s not their idea…but they will survive and it’s good for them! When Emerie peeked out the bedroom window after a couple inches of snow finally stuck overnight, she instantly hollered at me it’s snowy! That means it’s almost our birthday! Once I calmed down that reality, which is still five months away, she was contented to know the change in weather meant Christmas would be here soon, and all we had to list off all the family’s upcoming winter birthdays. Harper continues to ask when we can put the Christmas tree up; if we get another foot of snow this week, I might just cave in to her request!

With winter comes daylight savings time, with fall falling back and prompting a dramatic shift to darkness in the evenings. The girls are much more attentive to the change this year, and have asked multiple times why we are going to bed before dinnertime, because it’s so dark out they assume it’s time for bed. Luckily the time shift didn’t mess with sleep routines much, but this is more attributed to the lingering cough, fevers and need for more sleep to combat it. As we slowly creep out of the current illnesses and winter plagues, Emerie and Harper are back to being content to sleep in their bunk beds, surrounding by a thousand stuffed animals, blankets and nightlights, and Reagan still makes it about half the night and then ends up in bed with the parents.

Everyone is thrilled to ride with Craig on the four wheeler and “help” plow the driveway. This snowfall is extremely heavy and very difficult to push with a shovel (especially as I still recover from my lung infection!) and so Craig broke out the four wheeler to clear as much as possible using the plow. He immediately broke out the new-to-us inter-tube and pulled the girls around the neighborhood. For the moment all three can snugly fit on it together and we will definitely have to invest in a larger one as they get older. Buddies Kaden and Oaki came over after the first snowfall and were excited to drive the kid wheelers, with the girls riding on the back of Kaden’s for runs down the street and back. In a moment of bravery, Emerie hopped onto one and proceeded to do an unplanned donut as the adults chased her, shouting to let go of the accelerator. She thought that was just hilarious.

On the school front, the girls are greatly advancing on their letter recognition. They are starting to read television show titles and can rapidly rattle them off; and frequently ask what words the letter spell out. We now have a new game to spell the letters on signs and buildings and they all want to do it at the same time. Kids learn so quick! They are also improving on sounding out what words start with and answering their own questions when encouraged. With the turn to cold weather, more time is spent coloring than in the summer time and that includes tons of inquiries on how to spell different words on their creations. I’m starting to think that we may spend a great deal more time than other families using markers, paint, sparkly or gel pens and combing through thousands of coloring book pages, while sitting at the table, all coloring and making creations together. This is a main activity in our house year round, but even more-so when we are inside during the cold darkness. Reagan is still my top coloring kid and takes the time to think out how she wants to design something, spending a lot of time perfecting it. Harper is still on her rainbow kick and brings many papers home with a rainbow theme. Her people sketches are also greatly improving and I love to see who she draws and the interpretation of who they are and why. The girls also enjoy using their school scissors to destroy my house with tiny bits of paper- ahem I mean make art- and cut out grass on their flower drawings. Emerie enjoys making Santa bracelets, no clue why she calls them that, and will sit on the floor and cut out strips of paper and tape them together into a colorful chain. They are popping up all over my house and she is very proud to do it all herself. We will certainly make some to hang on the Christmas tree this year!

All three have already started drawings for Santa and were overly concerned at our lack of fireplace. If anyone asks, Santa can and will deliver presents through a dog door…just go with it! Reagan interpreted my response a bit more graphically than I intended and told me the other day that Santa turns into a dog, goes through the dog door, and brings our presents through the door! Not sure that is accurate…but who am I to argue!?

In the midst of all the fun weather, the girls successfully made it on the ice skating field trip this week. While the majority of students in Anchorage are still doing remote learning because the buses (and normal vehicles) can barely get around the neighborhoods, we’ve been lucky to have no school closures and only one day we decided to keep everyone home instead of venturing out. Craig took the afternoon off to help shuffle kids out on the ice rink. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spent an hour out on the ice with fourteen five-year-olds?! That concept aside, it sounds like the event went well and everyone had fun.

I’m looking forward to starting the holiday festivities and getting all the decorations up around the house. We shall see if I can hold out through Thanksgiving to put up the tree and I’m doing my best to hold on out the Christmas pajamas and fancy dresses. Two more weeks!

❤

The Douglets

Triplets in Alaska

kindergarten