Year: 2009

Queen of the Juggle > 2009

Catching up – End of September through October

Posted on by Sherri
As usual, time flies. End of September brought the Bards moving out of the house with no rent paid. Again, we totally get screwed. Just made it through the Sweet Jewel mess and here we are with a new horrid situation with Fair Play. Deann and Carlos have been so generous and have come from Summerlin to Henderson to show it. It’s fantastic that we have such good friends, but it’s horrible when people don’t show up.
September ended on a high note, as I had applied to get a job at a casino doing social media marketing which is really my new passion. I enjoyed some wine with Candy and then headed home. Things were looking up considering the job hadn’t been very fun. Still a lot of conflict with marketing.
Chip’s birthday on 10/1 brought more than just birthday wishes. I wasn’t feeling well. Feeling pretty weird actually. Very emotional. I had definitely felt this way in the past but hadn’t really put it all together. So on a hunch I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. Yes, I said positive. That afternoon I went to the doctor (after taking another pregnancy test) and took a blood test. Yep, sure enough I am pregnant. The hcg count was 118. I went off to St. Paul for work and had to wait until I returned to do the next blood test. We told mom first and she was happy. Then we Skype’d with Hortons for Chip’s birthday and told them as well. The next morning I called and told Kristy and it was sort of offensive. She asked why Chip didn’t get snipped and if we knew how that happened. Of course we do. It was just strange. I was already trying to deal with the shock myself.
I geared up to to go to St. Paul, MN (October 3 to October 8) for my first trip to the MLT travel agent show. It was a really cool visit. I saw Susan Haigh-Bishop and traveled with Terry and Michelle from Atlantis. The trade show was fine, but I was not very energetic and tried to keep up. On top of being a neat city and being able to walk all over, I was also in the city for the first Vikings vs. Packers game with Favre playing for Minnesota. The buzz of it was so cool to be a part of. Even more, the Twins were finishing their season as well. Lastly, but not most important, I visited the Mall of America. Oh my god, it’s HUGE. I spent 3 hours there. I think you almost need 3 days in there! I was fighting a lot of a fatigue and was wondering if this pregnancy thing was really working. It was hard because we decided not to tell very many people. I was trying not to give much away with my fatigue and laying low on the drinking. Lucky for me it wasn’t too noticable. I headed home on Thursday morning and arrived in Reno in the late afternoon. I was exhausted. Time change and 2 very full, very hot planes. The plane was so gross with this guy next to me in the middle. I got off the plane, got my stuff, had the blood draw for my 2nd hcg level. I was finally home! Once in the door, I immediately went to take a shower. The next day, Friday Jane’s office called and the count for the hcg was 3201. Since they couldn’t tell me much, I called Dr. Bohman’s office and talked to them. He said the numbers were high…meaning multiples…so he wanted to see me the next week. Friday brought the Travel Agent University Fam luncheon which was really good.
Christina arrived on Monday, Women’s travel group started Monday. Met RoseMarie and the group on that evening. It was a weird and I was a little bitter that Christina was virtually shut out. Total crap. A whole new view of RoseMarie. The other ladies were super great to get to know. Especially Suzi and Nan. Nan reminds me of Chris Fegert. It was a neat “think tank” environment. The meeting was intense and good. Went down to Vegas on Thursday 10/16 and learned the night before that Kaitlyn sprained her ankle at gymnastics. On crutches. Saw the girls for about 30 minutes while showing Fair Play. Finally rented. They won’t move in until November. Better than sitting empty I guess. Well definitely better than sitting empty. Signed the lease and dropped the girls off. They went to a Lakers game with their dad that evening.

Before seeing the girls and showing the house I saw Bohman for an ultrasound to check out what was up with the hcg count and finally see what was happening inside. One baby, which was a great big relief. It really took me by surprise when I reacted so emotionally once I saw it on the screen in the doctor’s office. I guess it wasn’t real to me, I mean really real to me until I saw the movement and heard the heartbeat. This pregnancy is just really strange all the way around. Referred to a Reno doc. Feeling insecure about it since Bohman and group were so good to me.

Mom left to go home for awhile since Colvins are here. Nice for everyone I think.

Colvins arrived on Saturdary night. Very nice to have Christina and Fred and Celia here at once. The boys really enjoyed it. Chip went off to Madison, WI for work so it was a bit of a long week, but very good to have a ton of help. I feel very fortunate.
Chip is off to Madison for the week for work.

Sept. 25th Weekend

Posted on by Sherri

Finally a relaxing weekend at home. We started Friday a little rough with information on the Fair Play house and some decisions we need to make. They won’t be easy ones either. The last renters left just last Tuesday and we were only to Friday. More negative news from John…more child support/daughter visitation issues. Not fun. It really felt as though the ceiling continues to fall in. Somehow I try to see the good, but the negative stuff creeps in like mold.

Ben has been having serious trouble with allergic breakouts this week. A lot of really strange welts. Puffy spots all over his legs, back and butt. Poor kid. We’ve been giving Benadryl, but it keeps reappearing. I’m fine giving it and it definitely clears up. But seriously, every day? Hopefully we can pinpoint that. The thought is the wash detergent or maybe, just maybe its the weird diapers that I bought. Not sure. I have to call the doctor and schedule the 2 year old appointment so we’ll take a look at it then. It just can’t feel good for him.

Saturday brought a lot of college football, of course the Michigan game. Chip was in the “zone” with the boys and watching and then as soon as they went up for a nap, out to the “big room” he came to watch on the big screen. He was cracking, sighing and talking to the TV for better than an hour. Pins and needles later, UofM brought it home. The score was a tight 36-33. I thought Chip was going to have heart issues. Lucky for me it turned out alright.

In the meantime, Chip was off to Costco for essentials…soy milk (don’t ask), fishies (a.k.a. GoldFish), regular milk, cheese and….anyway, he was too late. So it was get the essentials and try again on Sunday. Sherri was busy seeding like about 101 jalapenos. Not really, but it was a lot. However I needed some extra stuff from the store, so I was waiting. Very mundane, I know.

Boys 2nd Birthday

Posted on by Sherri




I’m writing this a little later than the birthday but it’s taken me a few days to let it soak in that the boys are 2. I’m proud of and emotional about it.

We celebrated the birthday early on September 7 since the girls were here for Labor Day. I had ordered ice cream cakes from Marble Slam Ice Cream early. Each cake was heart shaped and had their names written on them. So cute. Ryan had chocolate, Ben was strawberry and Gary was sweet cream ice cream. I had also bought another small cake for the rest of us to share. Since the boys love ice cream I thought ice cream cakes would be fun. Kaitlyn and I picked them up on Sunday, September 6 and put them in the freezer.

I had to work Rib Cook-off, so I was gone a good part of Sunday and the girls, for the second year in a row, ran around the cook-off doing whatever made them happy while mom worked in the village. Good for everyone. They had a good time roaming and I enjoyed the company of my clients.

It’s so great to live here because it feels much safer with fewer people than Vegas. I also had those girls “tethered” to their cell phones every 30 minutes, with the requirement that I see their faces every hour. Probably anal but hey, it worked for all of us. Everyone had a good day and off we went at 8p to get on home.

On Monday Sept 7 (Labor Day) there was a lot to do. The girls wrapped gifts and Chip did a little last minute shopping. The girls and I had gone to Trader Joes and Toys ‘r Us on Saturday after I picked them up at the airport to shop for the little guys. We had fun shopping. Chip wasn’t with us so he took the opportunity to go shop a bit on Monday morning. We also needed candles and the paper goods to make it a party. Chip chose Mickey Mouse. A great theme with ears as well as intertwining the Mickey Mouse Club cartoon with a party. The boys really enjoy the song “Hot Diggety Dog” from the cartoon. We celebrated early Monday between breakfast and nap time so that both the boys and girls would enjoy the celebration before the boys nap and the girls departure. The boys had an absolute blast! The cakes went over very well. Each little boy had their own approach. Ryan tried to take Ben’s strawberry cake even though he had plenty of his own. Didn’t matter. Ryan wanted Ben’s cake. Gary dug right in, as did Ben. Each one liked the cake. After the Ryan/Ben struggle with the strawberry cake we cut a piece of everyone’s and shared it among the 3. All of them enjoyed the experience. Then it was into the “zone’ in our family room to open gifts. Kaitlyn and Gillian started the gift opening showing their brothers how to open gifts. It was a mixed reaction as to what to do with the gifts. Ryan and Gary wanted to hang out. Well Ben did to, but he’s far more understated.

We moved on to the gifts. 14 in all. No gifts were directly given to each boy. At this age we thought it would be the best if we set all the gifts in the family room and just let them go. Each gift and opening it was a new experience to the boys.

It has forced me to reflect on the days that have passed since the little boys birth. So much has changed, so much has happened, both positive and negative.

First, the positive: these boys are just amazing. They have grown up so much. I enjoy hearing Ryan say HAP PEE. He says it so succinctly. So warm and true. Ryan is like a parrot who just wants to say everything when you tell him what things are. In his sweet little voice after you read a book to him he says “awwwdon”. It’s very cute. “glogbaw” (golf ball) is another favorite. He’s got his letters down and in particular says the letter “O” with lips in a perfect circle. Loves to call them out. Ben is exploring more and more. Lots of babble, but not nearly as many words as his brothers. He’s getting braver every day. Happy little guy for sure. Still in love with the blanket and the bottle. Gary is as curious as ever. His mind is going a hundred miles an hour all the time. All the letters are old hat. He in particular loves to say the “Q”. You just cannot believe how clearly he can say that letter. “Car” is still the main word of choice.

Vegas Visit – The houses….oh the houses.

Posted on by Sherri

Last week I was in Vegas for both work and personal stuff. It was quite eventful, even though I wasn’t even there 48 hours.

Tuesday morning started at 4:30a to catch a 6 a.m. flight. In Vegas I picked up the rental car and raced off to a business breakfast. Then over to our former home, which we are renting (Sweet Jewel). The new renter is in the process of moving in (over the last couple of weeks). There was a ton of damage to the house from the former renters. Although our new renter had sever well over 200 pictures of the property, it didn’t really do it justice. When I arrived our handyman was there along with the new landscaper who ironically lives around the corner and has lived there for several years. In any case, I walked up and met the two of them and then took the grand tour of damage. The backyard by far was the worst. The landscaper said he’d hauled off over 15 bags of debris and dead foliage. The backyard grass was completely dead. The inside had a lot of damage from being dirty to crayon on the walls to destroyed paint and cracked light fixtures. Very disappointing to say the very least. Truly amazing that human beings can be so inconsiderate of others property.

I had been in the house a few times over the last year but hadn’t seen the upstairs. Downstairs was just dirty.

After a quick business lunch I headed over to our other rental house (Fair Play). The renters have been there almost 3 years, so it’s a good feeling to know that they take pretty good care of the place. They also put up with the entire plumbing system being redone. Not everyone could live through that! Once over in that community and driving up to check on the house I found the lawn to be pretty crispy, but not dead. It wasn’t fun to find it and I wasn’t very happy about it. I left a message for the renters and continued on with work meetings.

During the day Chip had called and asked some questions about our computer system. It seems that we have an intruder…someone we know…is downloading documents and photos that don’t below to them. It’s shocking and a complete violation. It’s also incredibly illegal. We’ve taken action, but who would’ve thought. People are just amazing.

Quite the eventful week for sure. The one bright spot was more successful business meetings and staying with our dear friends the Tellos.

Curious little boys

Posted on by Sherri

The little guys are just as busy as ever! Ryan is catching up with Gary on the letters and can say a fair amount of them. Gary knows all of the alphabet and some colors as well as a few shapes. Ryan can also say some shapes, but hasn’t grasped colors yet.

All the little ones are crazy for the computers and ipods and anything else electronic they can get their hands on.

Gary said “mama car” and “bye ball” in the last few weeks.

Ryan is saying more 2 syllable works. Like “W” and “umbrella”, “checker”, and “hot dog”. He definitely knows when he wants to “eat!”. Ryan’s the best at pointing out his own or others with “caca” and “skinky”.

I was thinking the other day that they are just little sponges, doing and learning so much. We’re still waiting for Ben to catch up, but he compensates with his climbing and eating. They all eat a lot, but Ben totally chows!

Last weekend we all went to a BBQ at Michelle Engleman’s house from Grand Sierra. She’s fantastic! Anyway, I’ve realized a few things. a). God bless anyone who opens their home to triplets who only have 1 child and he’s grown. b). It’s far more exhausting now than it ever was when they were newborn. Now everything is game since all 3 are mobile. Since they are sponges and learning everything, everything needs to be touched, pulled and/or eaten with no realization that something could be dangerous. c). It’s exhausting to run after them and ensure their safety but I still would not change anything…ever.

Little boys update…they’re almost 2!

Posted on by Sherri
Life has been crazy with so much going on between work, home and everything else that I haven’t really had a chance to write an update on the little guys!

Gary – what a kid! He knows almost the entire alphabet! On his way to bed, he stops in front of the Oreck vacuum and says every letter. He follows it up with saying “vacuum!!!”. He also greets almost everyone with a huge, very loud “HI!”. Or, better yet, when you’re leaving him he says “byeeeeeeeee”. It’s too cute!

Ryan – what a sponge! Ry-Ry is just saying so many words. He’s particularly good with 2 or 3 syllable words. He says umbrella really well. He also can identify Ben by name and points to him. He says hi, bye and car. Ryan is all about the remotes and phones too. Once he gets a device he will NOT give it up to anyone for anything. He’ll even eat and get it all gooey, but if you take it away, god help you. The screaming begins and takes quite awhile to quit. The phone is really bad. Any gadget he just loves. Daddy tries to sit on the sofa and play with his itouch and boy they come running for it, but Ryan truly wants it. I honestly think that Ryan will be the first one potty trained because he now says cah cah and skinky. Most of the time he’s spot on! He’s still the most temperamental too. Tantrums are not unusual and he’s well aware of time out now. He tends to still be the bully. We’re working on that.

Ben – little Ben-Ben. We are a little concerned with his lack of speech. He just doesn’t say much. On occasion he’ll say car, but doesn’t really respond when we ask him to repeat words. He still loves cars and often plays alone. I think he might be an engineer. He checks everything out and loves to buckle stuff. Sweet, sweet little boy. Ryan pushes him around and he cries. In fact he does a lot of sympathy crying when one of the other boys are crying. Ben is the best eater. Oh my gosh, I sometimes cannot believe how much food he can eat at a meal. Ben also still is quite attached to his blanket. Talk about low maintenance. He’s such a happy boy. In the evenings sometimes Chip will run back and forth across the family room flapping his arms and saying eeeeeeeeeee. Ben jumps right in, flapping his arms and mimicing the eeeeeee. His giggle is SO funny.

All the boys are now scurreying up the stairs to bed and nap. They also walk down the steps with help when they get up in the morning and after the nap. All 3 are so much more hungry these days. They get up, get dressed and then it’s breakfast. Probably within 20 minutes! Right now the breakfast food of choice is Frosted Mini Wheats in milk to soften them up a bit. Daddy is still taking them on walks every day. During the walks Chip tells them the names of things. They all know tree, mailbox and car. Ryan and Gary say them, Ben doesn’t. When Ryan and Gary say all these words, it’s after one of us ask them to say them. We’re not into phrases or spontaneous conversation, but I’m sure it won’t be long.