Mmmm.....metal!

So this is a first in our house, ever. Last night Lauren, Dan, and I were playing Trouble at the dining room table. Alli was sitting next to me and Brooke was bopping around the room. All of a sudden this unfolds:

A:"Mommy, I chew a kerter."

Me:"What babe?"

A: Now freaking, "I chew a kerter."

Me: "What babe?"

Dan: "Alli, did you say you chewed a quarter?"

A: Now sobbing, "yes."

Dan: Jumping up, running around the table, picking Alli up, running over to the couch, looking at the with terror in his eyes, "Oh my God baby!"

A: Screaming, crying.

Dan: Still looking at me with terror on his face, "Well, aren't you going to do something?"

Me: "What's there to do?"

Dan: "Dammit, she swallowed a quarter, do something!" Now he's turning her over, pounding on her back.

Me: "Dan, stop it, don't hit her back for crying out loud!"

Dan: "I've got to get it out."

Alli: Upside down, still crying, "Mommy!"

Me: "Dan put her down! She's screaming and crying, it's already all the way down. You don't want to bring it back up, then it can get stuck!"

Dan: Putting Alli down, "Are you sure, what if it is stuck?"

Me: "It's down, listen to her, she's fine. Alli, why in the world would you put a quarter in your mouth?"

Alli: Still crying, "I don't know."

Me: "Well, you know it comes out when you poop."

Alli: Finally calm, "O.K."

Dan: "Elaine, you're going to have to watch for it."

Me: "Yeah, that MIGHT happen."

So.... I was curious, I had to look this morning. I glanced, not really inspected the package in the toilet, nothing that I could see. I guess we'll chalk that .25 piece up as a loss! I hope Alli learned her lesson. Ahhhh, the joys of motherhood!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Just a quick note to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Since I didn't send out Christmas cards this year I hope that you like the pictures I took today in front of the loaded Christmas tree. Good news at our house, after being laid off for 6 weeks, Dan is back to work...yeeeeah!! Looks like my Christmas wish has already come true.

Ho, Ho, Ho!!

This past weekend we went to my Mom's of Multiples family party. It was held at Governor's State University's Family Development Center. It was a great place. There was a gym where the kids could play with balls, scooters, on the mats, and they had a place to do some crafts. Later we made our way into the other room for some food and drinks. Well, wouldn't you know it but Santa showed up! I love that the girls are no longer afraid of him and they get so excited to see him. Brooke actually pushed me up to him. It was so funny. She kept saying, "Mommy, go, tell him what you want." I'm so glad that we went. It was the first year that we were able to attend.

Sleeping Beauties

There's something about a sleeping child. I love to look at the girls when they sleep. They look so peaceful and heavenly. Here are some pictures of my sleeping beauties. I guess it is safe to say that Brooke can fall asleep anywhere, even at the kitchen table. I love the other picture because they are leaning on each other and were so comfortable that they fell asleep on each other. I can only wonder if they were like this in the womb. On another note, I'm trying to decide if I should do away with the naps. They are, after all, 4 years old. Lauren had a nap everyday until she went to kindergarten. Since I have to wake the twins up everyday and they have to be out of the house by 8 a.m. they are exhausted by the time they get home from school. They are completely miserable until they sleep. The problem is that when I put them down for a nap, I end up having to put Brooke on the couch and keep Alli in her bed because all they do is play. By the time they fall asleep it is around 1:00 and then I have a heck of a time getting them to bed at night. UUUUGGHH, what's a mother to do? Did I mention that I LOVE nap time?

Let it Snow!

We had our first snow to speak of of the season and the girls were so excited. Lauren woke up to a blanket of fresh powder outside and she couldn't wait to put her feet in it. Alli and Brooke couldn't wait for Lauren to get home from school so they could run around in it. I forgot how long it takes to get two 4 year old's dressed in snow pants, boots, gloves, hats, and coats but it was worth it. I was sure that as soon as they got outside they would need to come back in to go to the bathroom but it didn't happen. There wasn't enough snow to make a snowman but there was plenty to make snow angels. Not to worry, the season has just begun!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. My Aunt Joyce is always so gracious and has the whole family over for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes, she's crazy! It seems as if the older the twins get, the smoother the holidays go. It's nice to get the girls their dinners and be able to sit down and eat mine at the same time. You wouldn't believe how much Alli ate yesterday. I think she ate half the ham! It was little Angel's first Thanksgiving and she handled it like a trooper. Angel, you sure do know how to spit up girl!! She covered the floor, the hutch, and my moms shoes. It was hilarious!! It is now official that the Christmas season is upon us. There are sales galore, Christmas movies on t.v. and people's houses are all lit up. This is when the fun really begins. The girls love to ride around when it's dark so they can look at everything. I love that I have Santa's phone number, seems to make life a bit easier!!

Seeing Double?

I belong to a great Mother's of Multiple's group that I love. We have lots of outings with the kids and some fun times with just the moms. This year our group has a Christmas tree at Brookfield Zoo. Yesterday we got together to make ornaments and today we met up at the zoo to decorate the tree. I love the garland that we made. Each child had a gingerbread man and we put a picture in it. We then linked each child to their sibling and then to each other to make a long chain. I think it turned out really cute. It's always funny to catch people staring at us when we're out with the kids. People whisper, point and stare and some have to ask if all the kids are twins, or triplets. It was cold out today, but we still spent some time staring at the animals (I guess I know how they feel)! We saw elephants, lions, bears, monkeys and even a baby orangutan. I realized today that the zoo is even better in winter than in the summer. Since most of the animals are housed inside this time of year, you really get to see them up close. We were so close to the giraffes and elephants, I felt like we could almost touch them.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls.....and Moms

Well, we're not so little anymore but now is the time that we can really have fun with our moms. This past weekend, 5 not so little girls and their moms headed east to Valparasio, IN to spend the night at my mom's lake house. A good time was had by all. We ate, drank, played cards, Charades, Pictionary, Catch Phrase, and ate and drank some more. We did take a field trip down the road to Roadhouse, a local establishment. Usually there are no less than 2o motorcycles parked in the gravel lot, but not last night. We hung out and played some darts while we were there. We love hanging out with our moms and were so happy that our evening came together and was a success. We're already talking about our next get together. Mom, thanks for having us all out. I love you !!

Houston, we have a ...guest author!

L is so exited about this that she wanted to write her own entry. Enjoy!

Today was so much fun. I went to the Adler Planetarium! I did a bunch of diffrent things. I saw a space movie and saw how people found out what space was, where it was, and how it formed. I also saw a little place where this man's house had a crater go threw his roof and floor. Right next to the story was the crater that hit his house !! Look at the picture of the crater. When we left, I was sad but I was happy that I learned about our solor system. The last thing that I want to tell you is that I got alot of cool pictures. I got a picture of the earth , the Milky Way and much more. Thats what I did at the Adler Planetarium.

Am I sure about this?

Since I have been a regular reader of 4 of my cousins' blogs, (and a ton of people's who I don't even know)I thought it was time I started my own. What a great way to keep in touch with many friends and family members who live out of town! But..... is this something that I can keep up with? This blog will show how my normal, middle class, midwestern family operates. I would like to think that we are a normal family. We have three beautiful girls. A singleton born in 1999 and a set of twin girls who were born in 2004. O.K. so I guess we aren't exactly an average family but it's all we know! So, ready or not here I go. Since most of this blog will revolve around the girls I guess it is appropriate to start with a picture of them.