Woolsey Family Chronicles

I find it increasingly difficult to find the time to write my blog, which is sad. I have time after 7:30pm when all the kids are down for the night, but by the end of the day my brain and body are mush. I don't have the energy to think or write.

So I am sitting in Sartory Coffee while Ava is in preschool and Nanny Laura has the babies and I am drinking my very strong cappucino and super fattening coffee cake and I am determined to catch myself and my avid blog followers, all four of you, up on the life of the Woolsey 6.

On Sunday Chris and I decided to take all four kids to Arden Fair Mall mainly so we can all get out of the house. Sometimes I feel badly for the triplets because they just don't get out of the house like singletons do. I want them to get out and experience the world like they deserve to. And I needed desperately to get out of the house myself.

To say we were a circus show would not be too far from the truth. I was not looking forward to garnering so much attention but as long as I have to go out with the triplet stroller in public it is inevitable. So I prepped Chris on what we would do as we were approached by strangers oogling and googling and making their nice comment as well as their rude ones. I told Chris, based on what fellow triplet moms have suggested, that when people stop to stare and talk that we are polite but we don't have to feel compelled to stop and chat with every onlooker and curious shopper.

Our first encounter was a pleasant one. It was a woman and her daughter at Pottery Barn Kids and she said to us "I know you will get stopped a lot today and I don't want to be annoying but I just wanted to tell you they are just adorable and how old are they?" She went on to tell us how lucky and blessed we are and how jealous of us she is. About 5 minutes later she comes up to us and says, "is this your red head also?" speaking of Ava. We told her it is and she said "oh, now I am so jealous I could cry." It was so sweet. Then came the disheveled man who took one look and said "geez, I am glad it is them and not me!!". Yeah, I am too guy.

So, it was difficult feeding all three babies and keeping up with Ava's steady stream of demands in the Nordstrom Mother's Room. The babies were not happy with their cold bottles and they needed a nap and didn't want to take one in the Runabout stroller. That was hard. But when we were done feeding them we cruised around the mall with everyone, Ava rode on the Merry Go Round and we all had some lunch. Then something cool happened. An 85 year old man came running up to Chris (I was with Ava in the Disney Store) and waved to his identical twin brother to come. They said they were two of three, and sure enough there came the third - the third to make triplets. They were born triplets 85 years ago and that day they were still together shopping at the mall. It warmed my heart. It really did. To think that all four of my kids would be shopping together at 85 made me feel very warm and fuzzy inside.

All things considered, they were good babies. And we almost made it out of the mall without a really rude comment and as we were walking through the doors out of the mall some woman said "oh, that is my nightmare right there." Nice. People just don't think before they blurt things out.

That night we went to my parent's house for dinner and the kids hung in there but the babies were so overtired by this point and Preston fell asleep in his carseat, Violet fell asleep on me and Elsa, good little Elsa, just entertained herself on her activity mat. The babies would've been better doing only one big activity that day but we all survived and had fun mixed with a little stress.

Wednesday I took Elsa to Auntie's house to bring some dinner and visit with Ronin who was sleeping the whole time I was there. I got to peek in on him while he was peacefully sleeping in his bassinet and he looked so peaceful and sweet and small. It made me think that my babies are growing up so quickly and they are my last babies so I treasure each day with them while they are so small and sweet.

Yesterday Chris took the afternoon off and we took Ava and Preston to have lunch in Placerville with Gramps and then we headed up to Apple Hill and got some apple donuts and pumpkins. We went to O'Hallorans Ranch where we have been getting pumpkins and apples from Pat and Donna O'Halloran since I was about Ava's age. Now my kids are getting their pumpkins and apples there and it felt really special. In the middle of the pumpkin patch Ava proclaimed "I love Halloween". We picked out some great pumpkins and Ava got to see scarecrows galore, which are her favorite things at Halloween other than candy. Preston was a good little boy but we were all underdressed because Fall was definitley in the air and mommy thought it was going to be 80 degrees again.

Today Elsa has a little cold and I feel badly for her. I am not looking forward to a winter with four sick kids. Maybe I could just go into hibernation and wake up in the spring when it is warm and people aren't sick anymore. Sigh.

Well, these are scary and interesting times with the stock market plummeting and the presidential election getting more and more heated. Our house is very political right now. Let me put it this way, Ava knows Barack Obama and John McCain by sight, name and sound. She may know more about this election than the average American. I wish she could cast her vote because she has her choice for President nailed down. Go Barack Obama!!

Until next time, the mothership is signing off.