A typical Saturday with the family

I suppose nothing is typical when you have twins and triplets all under the age of 4, but after living this way for even a little while this becomes your typical. I rise and shine at 5:30 in the morning to give myself a head start. I would like to work out at this time but it is so hot and getting out of the house to a gym is nearly impossible.

The triplets who are 18 months old begin talking at 5:45. I make my coffee, and their bottles. I sit in the overstuffed chair in the den and look out at my postage-stamp sized backyard and drink my coffee while I listen to the babies babble. It is my only peaceful time in most days, and I sometimes use the time to pray. I pray for the health of my family and for appreciation of this time with them.

At 6 am I hear the twins get up even though they are on the floor above me, I hear their footsteps as they try to keep quiet so they don't get in trouble for getting up to early.

I go to the triplets who have started fussing by now. They see me and I see the beautiful little smiles. They are happy it is a new day and they don't know what great adventures they will get to have what cool new skill they may find they possess.

I hand out bottles and randomly pick one to begin dressing. I love getting them up dressing them, asking them where is your belly button, as they gleefully feel around their belly's until they locate it. Everyone is dressed and I straighten out there room and clean there bottles.

We head up to the dining room and the boys meet us there. I take breakfast orders and start making frozen waffles, bowls of cereal and pour juice.

After breakfast the family hangs out. Children are chasing eachother around the living room, kitchen and dining room. There are shrieks of laughter and some tears that everyone quickly recovers from. We clean up from breakfast but are really waiting for the triplets to take a nap so I can pack for the beach.

I back 7 sandwiches, water, juice, chips,bananas,snacks,towels, umbrella,sunscreen, chairs,blanket, buckets, shovels and clean clothes.

When the babies wake up my friend and her twins have arrived and we all hop in big. Big is our 15 passenger converted van. It is unwieldy but everyone loves it and everyone fits in it. The air conditioner is broken so Steve has wired a box fan in the back that runs off the cigarette lighter. It is 8' tall. Some of bridges going out to Jones beach are marked 7' tall. We fit if we stay in the middle lane.

The kids love the beach even the babies. We went to the bay side which honestly I will never do again. I much prefer the ocean side, the sand and water just seem cleaner. The kids have a blast playing in the water and digging in the sand and eating sandy food!

We head home and the kids fall asleep in the car. Steve lets me run in and shower while he sits out with the sleeping kids. Then we bathe all five kids. I do the triplets in the downstairs tub and Steve takes the twins upstairs. Then Steve finally has time to shower. We heat up dinner and we all eat at our gigantic dining room table. Then we give them all ice cream cones, all of them probably could have used a bath again after that but we just wiped them down. They all play together for about 45 minutes after dinner, they love to chase eachother around, though you have to keep an eye on Matthew, sometimes when he catches one of the babies he has a hard time keeping his stregnth in check.

Finally it is bedtime and the triplets go down fast. We watch a special movie with the boys as we call it. It is usually Andy Griffith or our Gang. Then brush teeth, use the potty and read books. From 8 o'clock on the evening is ours! We relax and clean up another good day is done!