Just a year ago.....
I've been thinking a lot lately at where my life was just a year ago, how much D.J. & my lives have changed in just one little year. To reflect back, it was just after Thanksgiving that we found out we were pregnant, we kept the news to ourselves until Christmas, when we shared the joyous news with our families... the news that we were having a baby (little did we know). I didn't have my blog then, so every now & then I'm going to post Just a year ago & write what we were going thru & some of my feelings (before I forget).
It was on January 10th that I went in for my first doctor appointment, 10 weeks pregnant. D.J. didn't go with me because I thought it was just a check up to confirm I was pregnant. It ended up being more than a check up- I got to hear the heartbeat.... oh, the fast paced thump, thump.. thump, thump... brings tears to my eyes now. (How many times will I cry while typing my Just a year ago?!?!) At the end of my appointment my doctor told me she wanted me to come back in 3 weeks for an ultrasound, but didn't say why she wanted to do an ultrasound, so I just assumed it was normal. I was very excited to see an ultrasound and get to see my baby. When D.J. got home from work I was excited to tell him that I got to hear the heartbeat, but knew he'd be sad that he didn't go & get to hear it, but he was excited for the next appointment to get to see our baby & hear the heartbeat.
Picture of me January 28th (we should have known something was up at how fast my belly grew!)










Well, it was just a year ago yesterday, January 30th (13weeks & 1 day) that we went in for the ultrasound & found out there were 3!! Oh, I can remember the feelings..... first seeing 2 babies on the ultrasound monitor, then hearing the doctor saying she saw 3, looking at the monitor & seeing 3....... WHAT, OH MY GOSH, 3 babies?!?! I looked at D.J., who was now sitting down, ghostly white, eyes wide opened & mouth to the floor in shock. I was super excited, I had always thought twins would be fun... never really thought about 3! D.J. had never even thought about 2, much less 3! I couldn't wait to get to Cedar Rapids to share the news with our families! After the doctor stepped out of the room all D.J. was pretty much speechless. I asked him if he was ok, he say "yes". I asked him if he had to go back to work because I wanted to go to CR, he said "yes", I asked him if he could find his way back to work, he said "yes" & then he said "We are going to run out of money" (that's my little accountant!) I then asked him if he cared if I went to CR to share the news with our mom's & my sisters-- I'm not sure if he ever answered this question. So, D.J. went back to work (& then over to a friend's house for a couple/few beers) & I went to CR to share the news. Our doctor got a wonderful ultrasound picture of all 3- this is one of my absolutely favorite pictures- my first look at all 3! Loved from the start!
Baby 1 is Caitlen, Baby 2 is Brooklen & Baby 3 is Austen
I first showed my mom, who was shocked there were 3, but she thought there might be twins (what a smart mom!) Then to share the news with my sisters, who were both super excited for us . Then to D.J.'s mom's (Sharon), who believed there were 2, but was in denial that there were 3 babies until mid/end of February. My dad was also in town from California, so it was great to share the news with him in person!
It's still hard sometimes to believe there are 3, how fast they are growing, how much our lives have changed in just one little year, but how I can hardly picture our lives without them. So, yesterday, January 30th is Happy Day we found out there were 3!

Baptisms
We got the trips baptized yesterday, January 28th! We had it scheduled for last Sunday, January 21st, but had to postpone due to weather-- THANK YOU everyone for rescheduling, it really meant a lot to have you all there. I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the trips did in church- both girls slept during mass & Austen played on Kim's lap & then ate his bottle. No one cried during the baptisms either- yeah!! By the end, during pictures, poor Brooklen had had enough, she was hungry & thrown off schedule & Austen was tired! But, they were good in church & during the baptisms.... 2 out of 3 ain't bad =) (Caitlen, Austen & Brooklen)
I didn't go all out with the fancy baptism outfits- they are expensive!! So, we just got all white sleep type outfits & then I found the cutest hats & booties for the girls with fur trim- super cute.

Austen's Godparents are Dusty (D.J.'s brother) & Traci (family friend, Traci was unable to make it, she lives in Denver, but was definitely there in spirit- miss ya Trac)

Caitlen's Godparents are Kim & Joe Raso (my sister & brother-in-law)

Brooklen's Godparents are Jenni & Tad Benesh (my sister & brother-in-law)

Group picture of everyone that was able to attend:
Cael, Jenni, Father Hurley (back), Payton, Bailey, D.J. (back) Austen, Me, Brooklen, Tad, Joe, (back) My Mom- Linda, Jaden (in front), Caitlen, Kim (back) D.J.'s mom-Sharon, Dusty (back) & my Dad- Jim.

A to Z...
Ok, I got this from Laura Barlow... one of the most positive people I know & a great blogger-- Laura I love your blog!! Laura is a mother of two adorable girls & finds time to blog almost every day! I got to know Laura when I worked with her at Archiver's in Des Moines. Laura currently lives in New York with her husband, Ben and daughters Emilie & Claire. She passed this on to me, so those of you I've tagged add it to your blogs & tag others!
A--Available, Married or Single: Married, of course!
B--Best friend: D.J. (But, I agree with Laura, I have some awesome girlfriends that I could not live with out!)
C--Cake or Pie: I think Cake.
D--Drink of Choice: Ice Chai Tea Latte (from Starbucks: Venti Iced Chai- skinny, light ice & 8 pumps of chai--Love it!!)
E--Essential item you use everyday: hummm.. toothbrush.
F--Favorite Color: Red
G--Gummy bears or worms: I'm not really a fan, but between the two...bears.
H--Hometown: Center Point, Iowa
I--Indulgence: An Iced Venti Chai =) D.J. got me a massage for Christmas & I cannot wait- that will be a real indulgence!!
J--January or February: Neither, too cold in Iowa! I'm a big fan of fall weather.
K--Kids and names: Austen, Caitlen & Brooklen- 7 months old.
L--Life is incomplete without: Family & Friends :)
M--Marriage Date: May 16th, 1998
N--Number of siblings: Kim & Jenni
O--Oranges or apples: Oranges (or Apples with caramel dip)
P--Phobias or fears: Phobias: Snakes Fears: losing someone that I love.
Q--Fave quote: "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you may be the world."
R--Reason to smile: the adorable smiles & giggles from my trips =) I love getting them out of bed in the mornings- they are just full of smiles!!
S--Season: I love fall.
T--Tag 3 people. Kim, Julie, Katie & Lauren
U--Unknown fact about me: I'm becoming a big 'ol chicken, I used to love scary movies & now I'd much rather watch a comedy! (I'm not old.... just older!)
V--Vegetable you don't like: I think I like most veggies, but I prefer fruit.
W--Worse habit: sweating the small stuff- getting ticked over something small. I'm trying to get better =)
X--Xrays: for broken leg in 1st grade, some foot xrays & for dental work
Y--Your fave food: ice cream
Z--Zodiac sign: Leo
There it is...all you've ever wanted to know about me!

7 months old today!
Yep, the trips are 7 months old today!! Can you believe it? Where has 7 months gone? Last night me & D.J. were laughing, a year ago at this time we still thought there was only one =) How naive since I was already measuring the side of a barn =) My, how much has changed in a year!!

Since everyone is feeling better we decided to get out & about again. We met Katie & her girls (2 year old triplets) at the mall with our new stroller (the monster). I forgot my camera- but here is a picture of our new stroller we nicknamed: The monster! (Thanks Grandpa Jim- the stroller was a gift from my dad) It wasn't too bad to get in & out of the van by myself & I think the trips enjoyed actually "seeing" the mall-- in the old strollers they were mostly covered. I do have to say that the Monster does attract a lot of people, but the trips were looking all cute today that it was fun to show them off. Most of the people to stop us are the older people mall walking- they are so cute & nice =)

Out SICK with bad colds!
Sorry, it's been so long since my last post, but we've been sick. Everyone got colds last week, yes- EVERYONE!! You know how bad you feel when you have a bad cold- the nasty cough, runny nose, congestion & horrible head pounding headache... well, try that with a sick husband & 3 sick babies!! Ohhhh, it was a long week.... snotty runny noses everywhere- don't know how many boxes of tissues we went thru! I've always been the mom that tries to wipe their kids nose as soon as it runs so it doesn't get all crusted over... well, that didn't happen last week. For one- you can't wipe their noses all the time, their poor little noses were so red that sometimes you just have to leave it alone! But, I needed to be close by & ready if anyone sneezed.... whoa, watch out! In addition to the runny noses, everyone was so congested that sleeping was hard... we tried the elevated beds, but that doesn't work so well for Caitlen who is a gymnast in bed & rolls all over! Then we tried the saline solution, which worked pretty well & helped with the boogie sucker =) There were many nights that both me & D.J. were sleeping in the living room in the recliner and on the couch with a sick baby on our chest. With the lack of sleep we didn't think we'd ever get better!! D.J. did make the mistake of saying "Well, one thing is good... they are all sick at the same time & the colds won't drag out forever".... my response: "You stay home from work tomorrow, feeling sick yourself with 3 sick babies & you tell me it's a good thing they are all sick at the same time!!" I really don't know which is better: to have them all sick & get the colds done & over, but it's sooo hard to give them each the attention they need or want! Or is it better to drag out a cold for a month with each of them sick at their own time. I don't know- both choices suck =) Over all, I think everyone made it thru the first colds pretty well & I have to be thankful that we made it until mid January before anyone got sick- maybe those RSV shots work!?!? I did end up taking Austen to the doctor, he was the only baby with the cough & runny nose, the girls just had the runny nose & congestion. This week I am even more grateful for my babies smiles-- just love to see them smiling & playing again!

Happy New Year 2007!
Oh, I cannot believe it's 2007!! Honestly, where does time go?? And to worry me more, everyone says time goes by faster the older you get & unfortunately I'm not getting any younger!! I was reading my emails & it really hit me how fast time does fly by. I got an email from my friend Julie- she wanted to wish us a happy new year & remind us how much fun we had when we went to Las Vegas for the millennium- New Year's 2000-- which was 7 years ago!! What the heck?!?! It seems like only a couple of years ago. Anyway, we had a very uneventful New Year's Eve, we rented a movie, relaxed & went to bed just shortly after midnight- I know boring!! But, what do you expect from parents of 6 month old trips =)

Merry Christmas / Happy Birthday

Today, we had a Christmas / Birthday party get together at our house. This was one of the reasons we "had" to get the trips moved upstairs so we could have more room around the house for everyone to fit! I wanted to get it done by the end of the year.... this just made us get it done. Everyone came: my sisters- Kim & Jenni & their families, my mom, my dad & my Grandma Klocke were all able to come!! My Grandma Klocke will be 91 years old in February & is still doing great!! We had a great time & took some pictures. It's hard to get all the little ones to hold still, not cry & look at the camera... but I think they all did a great job!

This is a picture of my Grandma with all the kids (my grandma has 41 great grand children, my trips being 38, 39 & 40 and Jenni's son Cael being 41)

Here is a picture of my mom & dad with all their grand children.

It was also Payton's 10th birthday, (I cannot believe he's 10!!) we got a cake, sang Happy Birthday to him & he opened up gifts here! Oh, we also watched the Iowa game... they were in the Alamo Bowl playing Texas. It was a pretty good game, Iowa came out on top, but lost it in the end. As most of you know I am not a Hawkeye fan, so I didn't really much care, but it was a bowl game, so I guess I wanted them to do well =)

Happy Birthday Payton!!

Today is Payton's 10th Birthday... I cannot believe he is 10- where has time gone? I can remember the day he was born, oh we were all soooo excited!! I cannot beleive how much he has grown up! He is such a nice boy... young man! He has a heart of gold & I absolutely love the fact that he will still give me a big hug & kiss every time he sees me or before he leaves- I love it!! Happy Birthday Bug!! Love ya! Here is a picture of Payton giving Austen a hug after feeding him his bottle, I love that Austen has such an awesome cousin to teach him the ropes!

Upstairs Bedrooms!!
Yes, my babies have been moved upstairs to their bedrooms! I wanted to get them moved by the end of the year... and by golly we did it. It has been a long time planning & a few things that had to get done first. Well, we got the painting done a week or so ago (thanks Nanna Sharon!) & then we just had to get everything moved upstairs. Today, my dad helped us move everything... all the cribs upstairs, one of the changing tables, the dressers, all the stuffed animals & their clothes. Now, I just need to organize their clothes- I don't even know what they have to know what to buy for them! And I get to decorate.... We really don't have much for the walls yet, I've been waiting to see how everything fits in their rooms to see what kind of wall space we have... watch for more updates with pictures. Austen has his own room that is blue & the girls are sharing a room that is... yep, you guessed it, it's pink! I'm really happy with how the colors turned out. I'm excited to have them upstairs & in their rooms.... the daily up & down the stairs will be something to get used to, but I can definitely use the exercise =)
Then my dad also helped us move all D.J.'s office furniture from our 4-seasons room back into his office (the nursery was in what used to be his office) That was quite a task- the office furniture is very big & very, very heavy!!! Thanks Dad for all your help! It's great to have the 4-seasons room for all the trips stuff.... the 3 car seats, 3 bouncers, 3 high chairs & all the toys, toys, toys!!! It doesn't seem like we are tripping over everything anymore!

Merry Christmas!

(Brooklen, Caitlen & Austen)
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, we had a wonderful 1st Christmas with our babies!! It was quite busy! First, my dad made it to Iowa on Friday night, Dec. 22nd- he drove from California & was stuck in Wyoming for an extra night.... you know all the snow that Denver got closed all the roads. I still cannot believe Colorado has gotten sooo much snow & we got none- it's just not fair! I was really hoping for some snow for Christmas- it just helps get everyone in the holiday spirit!! Anyway, my dad stayed the night with us on Friday & then Saturday morning after breakfast we headed to Cedar Rapids. Saturday, Dec. 23rd, we had Christmas at Nanna Sharon's. We had a delicious ham lunch & then it was present time! Present time at Nanna's goes by fast!! The trips got lots of wonderful toys, Thank you everyone!! Then on Sunday, Christmas Eve, we had Christmas at my mom's- Grandma K's. Everyone arrived around noonish- we had soup & sandwiches and stretched out the gift opening as long as we could... we used to have marathon gift opening, I think the longest was 8 hours or something crazy like that. We always take turns opening up gifts & we used to have 3 or 4 intermissions for dinner & munchies. We always liked going slow, seeing what everyone gets & just stretching it out because once it's over.... it's over for a year!! I don't know why, but that is just how we have always done it. Anyway, it's getting harder and harder to go slow with all the kids & they are just so anxious- it's great!! We still take turns, we just don't have the intermissions anymore. Again, the trips got wonderful presents- Thank you everyone!! Here is a picture of our bunch!!