I am back from Las Vegas! I went to the annual WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) convention. I didn't stay the whole week this time, but it was still worth the trip. It was a nice little get away and I came home with some fun ideas! Stay tuned for some new products and looks that I will soon be offering...
I thought I'd share some comparisons and pictures from my kids' birthday parties. My son had an all boy Monster Truck party with 16 boys and my daughters had an all girl Teddy Bear party with 18 friends. WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! Here is the quick run down....
Boy Party:
The boys raced remote control trucks around the "race track" that my husband built on my drive way. Having sixteen 7-8 year olds at my home at the same time was a very interesting experience. I was exhausted! I found that all boys (not just my own) are easlily distracted, loud, competitive, are always hungry, sometimes emotional and have very smelly tennis shoes and socks! Even though I had a serious headache by the end of the pary, it was worth it. The boys had a blast!
The girls' party:
We had the girls' party on Saturday morning. All of their friends came over in their PJs and they had a big pancake breakfast together. We then did our own build a bear party. This time, it was my husband that was exhausted! My mother-in-law came over to help serve breakfast. The girls were so excited to be together... there was a non-stop high pitch sceaming could break glass! It was so much fun!
Unbelievable... my kids are now eight years old. They were soooo excited for their birthday! They wore birthday ribbons to school and the girls wore crowns. I surprised them with balloons on their backpacks at recess and a ding dong cupcake in their lunches (they've never had one before.... so that was a big deal!) That evening, all of our family came over for dinner and cake. It was a wonderful day!
My kids were meant to come into this world together. They are beautiful, patient (with having to share everything... including their birthday!), they are sweet, helpful, loud, energetic and they are my life. Even though they are triplets... they are their own person. They each have unique qualities and talents which I love and encourage. When they were babies and I would take them out in public, I would get the most interesting comments. However, by far... the most commonly heard comment I'd get was "Better you and not me." I could never understand why people would say that and it was actually an offensive thing to hear. I LOVE having triplets and can't imagine raising kids any other way.
Happy Halloween! My kids are so easy to please at this age. We decorated our front court yard with spider webs and the thought it was "the best day ever."
This is the second year that I have had no say in the kids' costumes. Being triplets, I've had great fun deciding on what they'd be for Halloween for several years. We've done:
-Three peas in a pod - The three little kitten who lost their mittens - Goldilocks and the three bears - The three little pigs - Three blind mice - ...and then I ran out of ideas.
Now they choose their own costumes. This year, we had a scarey witch, Boba-Fet (Star Wars bounty hunter) and a sneaky little devil.
I've been meaning to post an update with some photos of the fire near my home. We are still evacuated due to the smoke now. The fire crept through Whiting Ranch and threatened the homes one street up from mine. The flames were taller than the houses and came right up to the backyards. I'm grateful that not one home was lost thanks to having one fire truck per every three homes. The fire encircled the outer boundaries of Portola Hills and is now threatening the canyon. We are still staying away because of the smoke. We're at my in-laws home and even though the kids are a little more energetic than normal, we are doing well.
These first three images were taken by a neighbor on the street before mine. The second two images were taken from his backyard. Yes, that is the huge fire headed straight for Portola Hills where I live. 
These last four images were taken last night. The fire is like a line of lava moving along the mountain.
Here are a few pictures from our little Lake Powell get away. Everyone keeps asking me if it was cold since April is not the best time of year for Lake Powell. It was cold one day, but pretty warm the other 3 days. The kids braved the water with wet suits and they were fine. Tiana only cared about fishing and collecting shells, so she stayed pretty dry. The kids had a blast with their cousins!
This is my brother and sister-in-law. They are the ones that invited us to join them on their trip.
Cousisn: Josh & Justin
So, this is when I start to freak out... as I see my 7 year old flying in the air....
But he came out of the water yelling, "That was AWESOME!"
