Wordful Wednesday: LOVE This Photo

This year I had a shot at getting my Christmas cards out early.

Early as in before Thanksgiving.

But I'm a realist and I knew that wouldn't happen. Especially not when I was busy putting all the magic in Christmas -- you know, playing Santa, moving the Elf on the Shelf, having four extra sets of hands in all my holiday baking.

I had hoped to have them all out before Christmas, or at least by New Year's.

Nope.

I got the last cards out on Jan. 9., which means I can finally share these great photos on the blog. They were on our Christmas card and I didn't want to spoil the surprise!

We didn't even try to get a picture of them all together with their letters. I just planned from the beginning to frame four individual shots.

I LOVE these photos, and those little people in them, too!

Play along with Wordful Wednesday over at Seven Clown Circus.

© Trippin' Mama 2012

The Wedding: Three Handsome Boys

You may recall my struggles to find something dressy for the boys to wear to the wedding that A) came in the right sizes, and B) wouldn't break the bank.

Well, Sears delivered with these vest sets.

Sam, Alex and Isaac ~ Perhaps Isaac thinks they are the three tenors?

The boys got a kick out of their "handsome man clothes." I got a kick out of seeing them look so gosh darn cute. The black Converse sneakers were the perfect touch, and although I do love me some Velcro kids' shoes, it's almost worth it to tie these on all three pairs of feet. ADORABLE!

We didn't get a great picture of the trio, because as you can see, the boys were really hamming it up that day. I think (I hope!) the professional photographers had better luck than we did.

Sam gets in on the fun this time around!

More to come on our beautiful flower girl, as well as the highlight of the day: cupcakes!

© Trippin' Mama 2011

The Joy of Easter

This Easter was full of joy. Christ is risen, and we celebrated!

Enjoy the photos from our weekend, and listen to the lyrics to the song. They tell the story of our true joy, a gift that could only come from heaven.

The song is "Little Things" by Go Global Entertainment.
Hope your Easter was full of the joy!

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Wordful Wednesday: When Life Gets Crazy

Sometimes life gets a little crazy.

Like when you're in the midst of preparing to sell a bunch of outgrown kids' clothes and gear at a big consignment sale. And your living room looks like a Babies R Us exploded.

Which takes away from blogging. (Boo!)

I find when life gets crazy there's only one thing to do: Find something that makes you smile...

Or better yet, laugh out loud.

Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Wordful Wednesday: Always Room for One More

One little tub. One little boy.

One tight fit.

But, wait!

"Hop in, Sam!" said Isaac.

Isaac & Sam

There's always room for one more around here.

Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Every Now and Then

Every now and then it's important to stop.

Soak up the now:


Clockwise from top: Sam, Alex and Isaac ~ March 2011

And remember the then:

Clockwise from top right: Sam, Alex, and Isaac ~ Nov. 2008

Once again the song lyric pops into my head:

"These are days you'll remember.
Never before and never since, I promise, will the whole world be warm as this.

And as you feel it, you'll know it's true that you are blessed and lucky.
It's true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you."

These Are Days

sung by 10,000 Maniacs



© Trippin' Mama 2011

The Family Photo Marathon

If you're looking for a recipe post, tune in tomorrow. In the meantime, here is a recap of today's adventures.

Today we had family pictures taken. The photo session went well, considering the subjects included three energetic two-year-olds, but today was a piece of cake compared to getting everything ready ahead of time.

I now understand why my mother only had photos of the whole family taken twice when we were kids. I think I was two the first time and eight the second time. She probably spent the intervening six years trying to find clothes that matched and fit everyone. We still talk about how my brother Paul wore red socks with his blue pants in the first family photo that included all eight of us kids.

We had our photos taken outside, so I put everyone in sweaters. Do you know how hard it is to find simple children's sweaters that are unadorned by poodles, ballet slippers, baseball gloves, cowboys and more? HARD! And coordinating clothes for six people was no easy task either. To top it all off, I was hemming jeans for the boys at 11 p.m. last night.

When we got up this morning it was clear that it was going to be a great day for pictures, but chilly. It was barely 50 degrees when we left the house. I wanted to make sure everyone was warm enough, so the boys all wore a pair of Amelia's old tights under their jeans. The ran around the house in their pink striped and heart-patterned tights shouting, "Ballerina! Ballerina!" as Jeff and I tried to get them dressed this morning. Don't worry, we made sure to pull their socks up high enough to cover up the girly tights.

I tried so hard to get everything ready in advance, but we still forgot Amelia's shoes and had to turn around to get them. She had pink shoes on, but we were all in browns and greens, and I wasn't about to repeat the red sock incident that haunted my mother.

Our photographers were great, the kids were fairly cooperative, and the scenery was glorious with the colors of fall. The kids chased each other around, throwing leaves and generally having a blast when we weren't coaxing them to sit still long enough for a couple shots.

Kurt and Laura were thrilled with the photos they got, so I can't wait to see them and share some with you. But now I'm headed for bed. I got up well before the crack of dawn this morning. It was painfully early, but on the plus side I did get to shower today!

Night all. 

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Who Gave These Kids Permission To Grow Up?

I was only gone a few days, but I swear to you the kids grew like I was gone for a month!

I came home to find Amelia an inch taller and three years older than the four-year-old little girl I left behind.

Amelia - 4 going on 14

And the boys! The boys are 23 months old today. And over the long weekend Isaac quit saying "Aler" instead of "Alex," and Sam starting saying "I-zic" instead of "I-gic." What? Who said that it was OK for them to grow up at all, let alone when my back was turned?

Sam

Isaac

Alex

Of course, there are pluses to them growing up. Being fully potty and sleeping past 6 a.m. come immediately to mind.

Note: These photos were taken at our local JC Penney's studio. Didn't they do a great job?

© Trippin' Mama 2010

The Perfect Storm

I'm have a great few days with my mom and my sisters while Jeff keeps the home fires burning.

My niece Elyse, Judy, Mary, Mom & me at the Flamingo. (That's a story for another post!)

But I can't say it's all been relaxing. Take, for example, today's scenic boat tour of the Gates of the Mountains on the Missouri. We had a little weather issue:

The pilot, Captain Kyle, did a great job of trying to minimize the wind damage to the boat and the danger to his passengers. I took the video right after all the wind started. It lasted about five minutes, and we did start to worry a little when the metal frame holding up the "roof" started to pull away from the wooden boat frame and the whole roof was pushed to one side of the boat.

 Captain Kyle said it was one of his "most interesting" tours ever. And he's been doing this for a long time.

If that doesn't call for a margarita, I don't know what does!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

From My Kitchen: Let's Talk Turtle

When we were in St. Louis we visited Terrapin Park. It's a little park full of sculptures of turtles, large and small. I took tons of pictures that I wanted to share with you, but today is recipe day.

What's a girl to do?

Daddy, Sam, Isaac and Alex hanging with one of the turtles.

At first I thought, "What the heck. It's my blog. I can do what I want!"

This makes me think of a bad science fiction flick. Run, Amelia! Run!

But I hate to disappoint those of you who like my recipes, and I've already abused you enough with my sudden unexplained absence, so I decided to get creative. I was desperately wishing I hadn't already posted my Mock Turtles, so I would have a recipe to go with the turtle theme.

Alex checks out his terrapin friend while Sam offers back up. Isaac isn't so sure about this one!

Then, luckily for you, I remembered this delicious Turtle Cake that I used to make quite often. I guess it got crowded out by other things, but now that I've rediscovered it, I'll be making it again soon. It's a bonus that it starts with a cake mix, so it goes together in a snap. And who can resist the combination of rich, moist chocolate cake and buttery carmel? Not me!

And not these guys, either! (See how seamless this whole Turtle Cake/Terrapin Park post is? No, really. It's a work of art!)

Amelia, Sam, Isaac and Alex go for a s-l-o-w ride.

So without further ado, here's the recipe for some chocolate-caramel decadence.

Turtle Cake

1 box German chocolate cake mix

1 14-ounce bag of Kraft caramels

1/2 C. butter or margarine

1/2 C. evaporated milk

1/2 C. chopped walnuts or pecans

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box. Spoon half the batter into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

Melt the caramels, butter and evaporated milk in a small saucepan or in the microwave, stirring until smooth. Pour over the baked cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

You can omit the nuts, but that's really what makes it a turtle cake. Without the nuts, well you've still got a delicious cake, but it's not technically a turtle cake anymore. Still, since you've made it this far in this madcap post, you've earned the right to do whatever you want. Throw caution to the wind and leave those nuts out if you so desire!

Pour the rest of the batter over the caramel layer and bake for another 15 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Seriously. I thought these would be cute shots, but now that I see them full-sized "ominous" is the only word that comes to mind. This bugger looks poised to eat my flower-picking darling!

This time of year I like to cover the cake and keep it in the refrigerator so the caramel doesn't get too runny. But don't worry, unlike its namesake, this turtle cake moves pretty fast -- at least in my house!

And now for those of you still with me (thanks, Mom!) the last of the gratuitous Terrapin Park shots.

Here's Amelia just moments before she slid right off the turtle's back and to the ground. It was a good six-foot drop. Some other dad at the park who was on her side of the turtle threw his iPhone and ran to catch her. He missed. Amelia scraped up her back and bruised her knee a little. Thankfully the iPhone survived so we didn't have to buy the guy a new one!

Amelia hams it up for the camera. See, no harm done!

Isaac makes friends with a hatchling.

Alex checks out the turtle eggs.

Sam welcomes a little turtle to the world.

Just think, if this were the good old days, you would have at least gotten invited over to eat the Turtle Cake while I tortured you with slides of my vacation. I guess everything isn't better in the digital era, now is it? :-)

© Trippin' Mama 2010

We've Got Our Shades, So Let's Go!

So I may have been gone from the blogosphere for a few days, but believe me, I was NOT on vacation! We probably pushed the strollers 11 miles in three days. That's a far cry from sipping a margarita on the beach.

Although when I stop to think about it, pushing strollers is usually what we end up doing when we're on vacation.

Anyway, we had a great time despite the major workout. We picnicked at a state park, went to the zoo, and celebrated the Fourth of July at a parade.

Of course we had to have our shades for this beautiful weather: 

Sam

Isaac

 Alex

The playground was the hit of the state park, but while we ate, Jeff found a little frog. Amelia wanted to like it because it was "so little and cute," but she didn't want to get too close. It was funny to watch her.

The boys just eyed the frog suspiciously. Until it jumped. Then they all started saying, "Ribbit! Ribbit!"

I honestly was a little worried one of the boys might grab the frog and try to eat it. Anything that moves too slowly around here these days is in serious danger of getting eaten.

To add to the fun, Amelia and I camped out in the yard on Saturday night. It was perfect weather for sleeping outside, though the fireworks did go on until 11. I didn't really think that one through, did I? Amelia slept anyway, which was all that mattered.

Mom & Amelia
 

We ended our long weekend with a parade on Monday. I was sure Sam was going to freak out at the noise, especially since he sat through the last thunderstorm with his hands over his ears. But he never batted an eyelash. Not even when the Revolutionary War reenactors shot off their muskets right in front of us. I nearly wet myself, since I was facing the boys and didn't see it coming, but it didn't bother Sam at all.

The boys loved the music, and Amelia said the best part was when they threw candy. (Of course!) I got a little teary-eyed when the veterans paraded by us. The crowd cheered and men tipped their caps while the Sousa marches play. It was the kind of moment that makes you proud to be an American.

Throw in a kiddie pool, a couple boxes of sidewalk chalk and a few pounds of sand in everyone's shoes and shorts and that was how we spent the Fourth of July. How about you?

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Family Photo By Amelia

Amelia wanted to take some family photos, "because I'm going to be four."

Perhaps we need a taller photographer?

After she took a couple of pictures, we used the timer to capture all of us.

The boys seem a little confused by the fact that there's no one behind the camera.

And just in case you aren't aware how fast time is marching on, how about a comparison with last year?

What a difference a year makes!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Wordful Wednesday: Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time there lived a fairy princess named Amelia.

She had three loyal subjects.

A cowboy named Alex:

An angel named Sam:

And a very put-upon "lady-in-waiting" named Isaac:

They all lived happily together...

at least until the loyal subjects got old enough to protest!

Amelia (3), Alex, Sam and Isaac (8 mos.) ~ June 2009

Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:


Or you can go Way Back When at Twinsanity.

 

© Trippin' Mama 2010

My Funny Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day! We aren't doing anything fancy and romantic today, just enjoying a day together with the best gifts anyone could ever hope for:

There's nothing Jeff could give me that could be better than these four little cuties.

And speaking of cute, the boys have been giving hugs to us for a while, but just in time for Valentine's Day they've started to hug each other. Sam's the biggest hugger, though it was Alex who stole the show in this video:

Hope you enjoyed a great day with some of the people you love!

© Trippin' Mama 2010

Phil Was Right

Well, turns out the groundhog was right. Winter is back in full force around here. We've got snow on the ground again, but at least this time the temperature's not so unbearable.

Isaac

Tomorrow afternoon we'll probably take the kids outside and do a little sledding. Hopefully they will be bigger fans of the snow when it's not quite so cold outside. Last time they didn't last more than ten minutes, and Sam spent nine of those crying.

Sam

As for me, I learned a valuable lesson that first time out. If you are going to wrestle four small children into snow pants, boots, coats, mittens and hats, DO NOT put any of your winter gear on first. In fact, workout wear is more than appropriate. I was sweating like it was the Fourth of July by the time I had everyone ready.

Alex & Amelia

My winter-wear workout did make me appreciate how much effort my mom made to get us ready and out the door every day when I was growing up in the Frozen North.

But I also know that the silence she enjoyed while we were outside was definitely worth it.

© Trippin' Mama 2010