Aug 08

Stars, Stripes and Shells

And just like that, the entire month of July is in the books! It went by so quickly and involved a lot of family fun, even meeting extended family on Craig’s side that I’ve never met before. Two weekend trips out of town, more lost teeth than I can count at this point, more outfit changes than ever before, and lot’s of hustle and bustle as we transition toward back to school.

Before the parade and on the way down to Sterling we stopped at our favorite ice cream spot and wandered next door to a random carousel, which the girls rode at least ten times in a row. The owner was a good sport and let them switch up to their hearts’ content and ride all the different Alaskan animals while the adults perused the beautiful wood carvings.

Another magical fourth of July weekend is in the books. Last year we explored the wonders of the holiday in Juneau, a first for me and the girls, and a double parade followed by hanging out on the beach on Douglas Island. This year we left town again and headed south in the car, to experience the City of Kenai parade. It was a beautifully sunny day and the girls rocked their stars and stripe dresses, star face glitter, and light up hats throughout the event. Oh and the adults also rocked the star glitter, and the kid-sized cow girl hat accidentally kept me from a decent sunburn on my face.

I should also mention my judgy children called me out for smashing a dragonfly (to death) when it landed on my leg and I smashed it with my foot, thinking it was a mosquito. For the following few days I was dubbed a “dragonfly killer”, and that was before I nailed a mongoose on the highway on the way home… The children determined my mild swerve at 70mph was to intentionally hit him instead of avoid, and did just that. Ah to be a parent.

We spent a few nights staying with Cousin Brian a little farther south, and even made a quick pit stop in Homer to hang out on the beach, say hi to friends and eat some bbq, and collect shells that would become painted jewelry in the following days. The girls favorite part of the first weekend in Ninilchik? Brian’s movie projector that played cartoons on the ceiling, and probably picking wildflowers. The projector was quite the hit with all three and something different than normal television.

Our second Ninilchik weekend and mini family reunion was another nice time away, this time the girls and I sleeping in Tyler’s RV while other family stayed in cabins. Craig opted to catch food poisoning (opted hehe) and stayed home at the last minute; but Sue and I weren’t going to miss out on the fun with Papa Lon up here!

One hilarious moment of the weekend was watching Cousin Brian show the girls where he collects fresh water from a spring across the highway and lugs it back home for use. The girls were rather enthralled with the concept water comes out of the ground (rather a pipe in the ground) and it was pretty funny to watch their reaction to something so Alaskan.

We had a lot of fun meeting more extended family and enjoying an evening barbecue in the hot summer sun, with a tote of new Barbie’s to entertain the girls while the adults caught up. The girls ran around the yard with their new toys, played Barbie dress up with just about every adult in the place, cooked smores on the grill with Lon, and overall enjoyed a fun visit and some fantastic weather.

We couldn’t end such a fun weekend without a quick stop at our favorite lake on the way back; all three girls finally walking out into the water and not complaining it was too cold. They made a few new friends, tried to capture (note I didn’t say catch!) tiny fish and happily enjoyed a quick jaunt around the lake in the boat. Unlike past years, this year had screams of faster! instead of carefully holding on.

The rest of Papa Lon and Grandma Sue’s visit was full of yummy dinners, fun crafts (like Lon drilling holes in ton of seashells so jewelry could be made!), celebrating Grandma Sue’s birthday with a homemade cake, customized birthday cards and a pie shaped, smelly candle- and helping her blow out all those candles- and of course I can’t forget to mention the girls watching hunting shows with Lon, filled with commentary and questions.

In other unrelated news, we have officially lost all the front baby teeth for all three, with Emerie finishing the milestone and convincing that last, lazy front tooth to depart for a future adventure with the tooth fairy. Her sisters accelerated this by knocking it before it was really ready, and then her absent minded wiggling, just like the other side. The prior day Harper evicted her top right (canine?), which frees up some of the space for those front two teeth to continue filling out. And Reagan, who was the first to lose a front tooth as a toddler and her other top front a little more naturally, excitedly pointed out that the hole she’s boasted in her mouth for years finally has a tooth poking through, after much speculation this year that it didn’t want to arrive. I also continue to find it amusing how all three closely mimic the same tooth order, with only a few outside that.

A great deal of discussion centered around the tooth fairy these few weeks, and all were in agreement she should be trapped and captured (like the movie), so many schemes were devised. Prior discussions last year centered around hiding lost teeth from her completely, which 180’d into using them as a trapping method to catch her. A decorative birdcage was purchased, recolored, and strategically placed in the bedroom. But that elusive tooth fairy managed to evade capture, and even leave little notes behind, scolding their attempts to get her. She always had a bit of a panic, spreading fairy dust all around the cage, but managing to escape, to the girls’ delight. I know we will miss these entertaining, magic related stories and creativity in the future; meaning Craig and I continue to embellish the fun while they still believe in it.

I’ve greatly slacked on writing things down this summer, due to the usual busy-ness and just not in the mood to do it. We wrapped up July with other miscellaneous stops like our favorite farm out in the valley and their summer festival, horse shows, birthday parties, and watching jets land at the airport. Reagan getting lost in the corn maze at the festival; Craig eventually tracked her down with some effort. While Sue picked her body weight in rhubarb, we ventured over to the strawberry fields where I supervised (and didn’t touch!) and the girls picked a container each. Emerie left that field with a face bull of strawberries, in addition to the box she carted around. The horse show captured everyone’s attention for a fun afternoon and good excuse to rock their cowgirl boots, and we enjoyed a day trip to Seward with Auntie Janelle and Paris, even in the constant rain. After the standard stop at a very tourist filled Sealife Center, we embraced the rain and let the girls run while along the beach. It might have taken as long to dry them off as they played, and was a great day.

As we wrap up summer and get back to a more normalized school schedule, my goofy girls continue to switch with each other during the day, and who is who depends on the day! Harper and Reagan keep wearing each other’s colors, demanding adults refer to them by the other sister’s name, and in addition to how funny that is, it’s also hard to purposefully call them the wrong name! Harper also attempted to pull one over on Grandma Sue by rocking Emerie’s glasses and smiling without showing teeth. It always amazes me how swapping glasses between them really makes them look like Emerie!

Nightly neighborhood bike rides have also become the new normal. Emerie is incredibly close to removing training wheels and did great practicing and overcoming her fear of it at the park last weekend. Harper and Reagan did a great job cheering her on, with lots of words of encouragement. On pavement she is still sporting the training wheels, but that doesn’t hold her up on speeding around. She especially hates going uphill (or putting in the muscle to move uphill), and with that Craig has a newly discovered superpower, which is pushing a kid up a hill on a bike, while riding is own bike. All three think it’s hilarious when he chases them around the neighborhood on his in-line skates instead of the bike, and he’s convinced them to pull him. It’s pretty funny to watch.

I’ll save our four wheeler adventures for another day, since fall time is my favorite season to get out and about in them. The track by our house has one loop that isn’t too scary for the girls to navigate solo, and it’s been quite the excitement to get over there and speed around. Only minimal blood and crashes, and a lot of mini-speed demons emerging, not to mention the big smiles and giggles you can hear from so far away.

Anyway, getting this blog is getting posted since it’s way out of date, and we are jumping back into the back-to-school to-do list before next week. Happy August!

❤

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!

❤

The Douglets

Triplets in Alaska

triplets