Fall Pictures III

Fall Pictures II

Fall Pictures

Jacob's school is closed due to sickness. So we had some fun outside instead.

Chchchanges

I just keep putting this off. Well, because I'm a facebook fanatic now. And I usually blow off my steam on there.
Updates:
Since September 3rd I have been sick. It started out with a migraine, then pneumonia for three weeks which immediately followed by a sinus infection. Can I catch a break? I'm just hoping I'll get all this over and have a happy and healthy winter. One can only hope.

The kids got a cough in mid september and Brooke has not shaken it yet. Jacob had it too and on Sunday he came down with a fever. Due to the heightened awareness of the flu virus and H1N1, many schools are taking a lot of precautions. Like sending out notices about having kids in with fevers. A big no-no.
So I kept him home monday and he was acting like normal, except for a little bit on the quiet side. Last night he climbed into bed with me and he had a fever. I gave him medicine and he was fine and spunky. So I sent him to school. He fell asleep when he got home for about two hours. Then he threw up the yogurt I gave him. I think it was due to him not wanting to eat it and my policy of "you'll eat if and I don't care if you vomit it up." But with him falling asleep and having a slight fever tonight, I'll keep him home tomorrow.

And speaking of being sick of things, I need a good night's sleep without kids coming in and out of the bed all night. Mostly I've put up with it because they don't feel well and I think its just my maternal duty to cuddle with them a bit more. Sometimes I take them back to their beds and just lay with them. But their beds are very small so its not very comfortable.

I have seriously considered drugging them so that they sleep 8-10 hours or more and not get me up at 2 and 3 in the morning. I'm hoping for a peaceful sleep without children tonight.

Jacob seems to be liking school. He really has taken off with reading and I'll read books to him too. He can memorize really easily. Makes my job easier. But we have at least 1/2 hour of home work each night plus any additional reading.

I dread when the triplets get to school and trying to manage all of this. I know by then I'll have come up with a system, but its just overwhelming. I guess that should be a little lesson reminder to me to just take one day at a time. Maybe it will be easier teaching three kids at once. I'm glad that they will be in the same classroom. Makes it easier on me and less confusing.

Potty training is going really really well. Its just getting them to poop in the toilet. They still hide on me and its doesn't seem like incentives are working for this one. Maybe they are afraid, maybe they don't want to give up control, maybe they realize its one step towards independence.
I'm not putting them in underwear because we just got a new couch and I really don't want to be cleaning that over and over again.

What is really nice is that I bought diapers in the beginning of September (176 of them) and we still have over 1/2 left. I bought a small pack of girl pullups and a big pack of boy pull ups in 6 weeks. I need more pullups now, but the nice things is that I've probably spent $80 in the last 6 weeks versus spending $200 in that amount of time.

School's in session

Its been nearly a month since I last blogged. A couple of different reasons. I forgot my login and password and got sick of guessing. And secondly I've been sick for two weeks.

New stuff in the Callaway household... POTTYTRAINING

I started about two weeks ago with all three children. I didn't want to do all three at once, but I wasn't having much luck with Brooke on her own.

So I got about $50 worth of little toys, stickers and a reward chart and gave them stickers every time they tried to go potty. It only took a few days for the boys to catch on. Matthew is even dry at night about 1/2 the time. John is probably the most ready for underwear now, but can be just stubborn.

Brooke is another story. It took her a very long time to figure out how to use her muscles to go potty. She does have a few accidents during the day, but has done really well with improving how many times she goes potty. I don't think she's ready for underwear just yet.

The only problem is that the kids are potty-trained, not poop-trained. I think if I can catch them a couple of times trying to hide to go in their pull-ups, I can get them to go on the toilet.

Jacob started school two weeks ago. He doesn't really want to go to school. He's still got his shy problems from last year. He doesn't want to make a mistake. And then there is the whole, "they already have friends and I don't want to ask them to play with me" thing. I just wish he could make one or two friends instead of wandering around at recess by himself. It breaks my heart.
He's doing very well academically though. I was surprised to find him reading a level 1 book all by himself.

Matthew started Early Childhood two weeks ago. He's a good role model in the class as there are new boys in his 3 year old class. He even asks to go potty at school.

John started his speech class today. His teacher said he is doing so wonderfully and must have had a growth spurt in his speech over the summer.

The other thing we are doing is going to "school" otherwise known as library time at the Neenah Public Library on tuesdays when Matthew is in school. Its for 3,4, and 5 year olds without a caregiver. The key word is "without". John wouldn't let me leave him so I sat through story time, dance time and puppet time.

Tranvestite in the making????

The old saying, a picture is worth a 1000 words applies here.

The hangover

And boy do I have one. Las Vegas was tiring. I think I'm still recovering.

I had suppressed my known fear of flying until I got on the airplane. Not sure why I don't like flying. Lack of control, fear of heights, smell of stale urine, who knows.

But the fun started when we got to our rental car and tried to leave the security area and they gave us the wrong car, so in the 100 degree heat at midnight we figured it out with the nice but clueless Budget people.

We stayed at Circus Circus and it hadn't changed in the five years that we had been there last. Same gaudy decorations, but the rooms are nice and comfortable. Basically we gambled a lot, did a little bit of sightseeing and not much sleep. I think our highlight was seeing Red Rock Canyon. Very pretty area. Very different from the green vegetation around here. I love the Red Rock Canyon Casino too. Very nice place.

The last night we went downtown and boy has it gotten seedy. I cannot believe how many children are out at all times of the night for one thing. Las Vegas is not a place for children. Or at least children you want to keep from seeing the darker side of life. Anyway, as we walk down Fremont street I look into a casino and see a girl pole dancing around blackjack tables. We go into Binions to play poker and when we come out the same thing is happening there too. Come on.

This whole thing got brought up at the Poker table. I was sitting next to the dealer and he leaned to me and said, "They have places around here that men dance too." I wrinkled my nose up and said, "that's not for me" or something to that effect. It was like the dealer was talking about a favorite blanket or teddy bear. He whispered to me, "oh, I just love watching men dance." And I got the hebbiegebbies. And then I realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore. It wasn't so much that he was gay, it was more about the tone of voice and how he described it. I didn't have to guess where my tips were going...

And that basically sums up my trip. I like living in an area where there isn't advertisements for sex being blown around, parents respect children's nap times and bedtimes, respect for ourselves and others is predominant. All those good things that make Appleton a great place to raise a family.

Going to Vegas...

Alrighty then. I am super-dooper excited. I am also ultra-uber nervous. Scott, my parents and I are flying to Vegas tomorrow night and stay until Sunday. I am a quiet nervous flyer. Having nightmares that the plane will go down and my children will be left without parents. On the other hand I'd be in Heaven right? I'm pretty sure I would be except for the gossiping part. The 11th commandment would be - Thou Shall Not Gossip. So I'll take that up with God tonight when I pray.

So if something would happen to me, a freak accident, I die peacefully in my sleep or the Boogeyman gets me - this is my last and only Will and Testament.

I, Jean Marie Plamann Callaway, being of somewhat sound mind and body, would like my family and loved ones know that I'm in a better place, don't mourn for me, celebrate my life.

My life has been consumed by my children, which are most precious. God has been gracious by giving me four children and I or my husband are no longer able to take care of them, I would like them to grow up knowing God and be living examples. (So that narrows down a bunch of people ;). Just kidding.)

I would like my children to be raised by my sister-in-law Amy Elizabeth Wichman Plamann and my brother James Walter Plamann. They will take care of my children and Jim can be executors of our estate (or whatever is not in debt). I would like my children to get a christian education and be good citizens of this earth.

Secondarily, my cat Cosmo is very dear to me. I don't want her put in a shelter or given away to strangers. There are a short list of people I think would take her in, Amy & Jim Plamann, Mike & Kathy Callaway or Fred & Arlyne Plamann. Please take care of my kitty.

My living will has been established and is with my doctor and a copy is at Theda Clark in Neenah.

Jean Callaway

Now, I haven't written a will before, but it would look like this. I was afraid to do it because I wasn't so sure that Amy and Jim would want to take my kids in if I asked them, but if I'm dead I figure they'd follow my wishes.

I'll really miss my kids, but I know I'll come back a refreshed better mother. And hopefully with more money in my pocket than I went with.

More cute pictures

The kids lined up for pictures at the lake. This was last Tuesday at the campgrounds were Aunt Julie and Uncle Kelly were. We had a really good time. Very nice campgrounds.

Aunt Julie and Uncle Kelly at their camp site. The kids kept wanting to go inside the camper and play.

Mister Matthew is such an angel. For those who have met him you know what I mean. He has a kind heart.

Today he fell out of the cart and landed on his head. I could only buckle two in and he was sitting in the big part of the cart. I had been telling him all day to sit down, but I was preoccupied and turned the cart and he fell out. I can't tell you how I felt at that moment. You hear the thud of his head hitting the ground, you see him crying and in pain. And you know that you were responsible for it. I picked him up and comforted him. I carried him while pushing the others in the cart and Jacob yakking a mile-a-minute. Within a few minutes he had a goose egg on the top right side of his head. I went home and gave him some Motrin and then tried putting ice on his head, which he did not want. I watched him for any odd behaviors, but he was talking in sentences and his eyes looked fine.

I think tonight I finally felt the fear that I suppressed all day. He could have been critically hurt and I am so lucky that he wasn't.

I realize why kids are supposed to be buckled in and why kids are not supposed to ride in the big part of the cart, but what do you do with triplets? I could try pulling two carts, but that is really hard to do. If I bought the stroller all the time and pulled a cart behind me its still very hard to do. Its just not easy keeping them from harm sometimes.