Kiddie Land and Shedd with G & G

With Kiddieland closing after this year, we wanted to make sure the kids were able to experience a place that we grew up going to. Grandma and Grandpa Anderson treated us all to a day of fun at the park. The place is just perfect for kids their age! They had a blast! It took Logan a little time to warm up to the idea of going on the rides, but once he did, he had a great time. It sure was hot that day, so we made sure to drink plenty of water!





We all had a great time at the Shedd Aquarium on Tues. It was really hot outside, so hanging out inside for the day was a good idea. The kids loved pretending to be penguins at the "ice play land". They put on penguin suits and learned how they live. They also loved the live show with the dolphins, beluga whales and otters. They were entranced the entire time! It was really cute to see.

Triplet Trouble!

So this morning, the kiddos decided to play "make up" with Mommy's real make up! They somehow pulled my make up bag off the counter and made it into the living room, opened the bag and every piece in the there without us seeing or hearing anything! The funny part, John and I were both down stairs. We were in the kitchen clean up breakfast and going through bills...but within 5 ft. of the trio. We still have no idea how they were so quiet that neither of us saw what they were up to! My liquid eyeliner apperantly made a great marker since they colored everything including themselves! Here are a few pics we shot as we both calmed ourselves down!


After John spot cleaned the carpet, he had to steam clean them- twice! Luckily all of the spots came off the carpet and the kids!

Our Trip to WI - (Cont...on to the Dells)

When our trip was over in Edgerton, John and I decided to drive an hour north and stay a night in Wisconsin Dells. We stayed at the Polynisian Hotel. It was awesome! The room was large enough for the three cribs, there was a toddler play room right across the hall and there were several indoor and outdoor water areas perfect for their age. In the morning, we made our annual trip to Paul Bunyan's camp shanty...Yummo! Then, we took a ride on the Original Wis. Dells Ducks. It was John and the kids first time, so we were all really excited. We had a great time!

Our Trip to Wiscosin

We started our trip in Edgerton, WI with Grandma and Grandpa Kelsey, Uncle Matt and Aunt Kelly and Uncle Adam. We rented a house on a river to celebrate Mom and Dad Kelsey's 40th wedding anniversary. It was nice to be able to spend time with everyone and the kids loved all the attention they were given! We played games, went for a paddle boat ride, played ball in the yard, and many more fun things!

Emmerson driving the boat...

Aunt Kelly and Uncle Matt hanging out with the kiddos on the boat

Good morning...looks like Logan needs a bit more sleep.

The "Original" Kelsey boys having breakfast.

One day we decided to take the 30 min. trip north to visit Madison, WI. We found a great free zoo there, Henry Villas Zoo and a free beach across the street. It was a great day! We all had so much fun.

The tiger was our favorite of the zoo! He came right up to the glass and passed by us many times. It was hard not to stay there all day!

We took a ride on the "zoo train". It was fun until the conductor blew his horn through the tunnel...Emmi didn't like that very much.

The kiddie play area was great! They have a giant tree house with many slides and tunnels, including this enormus kangaroo!

By the end of the day, Mommy was beat, so Logan pushed Mommy for a while! Everyone at the zoo got a kick out of the sight.

We headed to the beach across the street after a quick nap in the car. It was all they needed to revive themselves for some fun in the sun! Emmerson showed no fear of the water like she had before and all three kids were "swimming" by pushing themselves along the bottom of the lake with their hands. It was so cute and we were so amazed at their new skill.

Daddy with Emmerson and Logan

Mommy with Emmi, Logan and Baby

Logan

Brody

Emmerson

Chicago Trip with the Weis(s)

I copied this post directly from my friend Melissa's blog. She did such a nice job telling about our trip, I thought I would just share it here. We had such a wonderful time!

We headed in Sunday afternoon and started our mini-trip with a stop at a Japanese restaurant (Domo 77). It was delicious. After that we drove downtown and checked into our hotel. After spending a little time walking around, we got in the car and headed to Lincoln Park to grab some appetizers before going to Second City. It was a very fun night. It was fun to get to see the place where so many big comedians have come from and we enjoyed plenty of laughs throughout the evening. We got out of the show around ten o'clock and headed to Chicago Pizza Grinder for some late night dinner. It's funny what a different schedule you can be on when you don't have kids in the mix!

The next morning we slept in, went out for breakfast and enjoyed a swim in the hotel pool. Afterwords, we got ready and headed to the Taste. This was the first time I had ever been there. I enjoyed the atmosphere a lot. It was such a perfect day - 72 degrees, a slight breeze with very few people there. A Monday is definitely the day to go. It was perfect! We then spent the afternoon walking around Lake Michigan and Millennium Park before heading home. Such a great time! Thanks to Eric and Melissa for the great company and for Grandma and Grandpa for babysitting!
At Second City waiting for the show to begin.


Enjoying an early morning breakfast at the Corner Bakery which was just next to our hotel.


Eric and I in the lobby of our hotel, the Palmer Hilton.


Shelli and I enjoying some food at the Taste ... not sure what we're eating. Maybe gelato?



Walking around after the Taste.


Not sure what's going on here but this picture cracks me up so I threw it in.


Eric took this picture of the bean (not the real name but I can't seem to think of what it is really called .... all I know is that it looks like a bean) in Millennium Park.

The Triplets Turned 2...And We Celebrated!

On Friday, July 3rd, we started off the morning with the kids coming down to a fully decorated house. They weren't sure what to make of the decorations at first, but soon they started noticing Elmo and all his Sesame Street friends all over...they were so excited! The kids also go to have their first gift of the day...a kitchen set and table from Mommy and Daddy. They jumped right in and started whipping up breakfast. Since the food they were making wasn't able to be eaten, we headed off for our real breakfast at McDonald's.

We then headed off to a indoor jump/play place called Monkey Joes. The kids had an amazing time and we loved seeing them with such laughter and smiles on their faces!

That night, we had our family over for the first of two birthday parties. It was a great night complete with a yummy dinner, delicious cake, an overwhelming amount of gifts and a wonderful visit with the people we love most. It was easy to see how much these children are loved by seeing how many people gave up a Friday night to come hang out with a bunch of 2 year olds. Also, each gift was so thoughtful and we really appreciated every one's generosity!

Saturday, Happy 4th of July...we celebrated at a neighbors and had a great time!

Sunday, time for party number two! We had many of the kids friends over, including Auntie Steph and her family. In total there were 8 toddlers, 3 teeny weeny babies, and 5 older kids. We had a splash pool, sprinkler ball, sandbox, swing set and jumper set up for hours of fun in the back yard. It was a beautiful day and a great time with friends! The kids again were overwhelmed with all their gifts and Mommy had to open up most of them. They received many cool new toys and activities to keep them busy all winter long. We all enjoyed the home made cake and cupcakes. A great time was had by everyone and we were so happy to be able to celebrate this special occasion with all our friends!

To our babies as they turn 2...

Dear Emmerson, Brody and Logan,

Happy 2nd Birthday! It is hard to believe that you are 2! It seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital welcoming you into our family, and now, you are 3 of the most wonderful, energetic, happy toddlers in the world and we know how blessed we are to be your parents! You have made our lives so much fuller! More full of hope, love, adventure, faith, laughter and joy and we are thankful for you everyday!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

It's a...

Well, we went to the doctor today and found out that Baby Kelsey #4 is a ...........















GIRL !!!! We are very excited and feel very blessed! I guess many of you poll takers were correct!

Our First Camping Trip- Indiana Dunes

Those of us that know us, know that we have never let the fact that we have triplets stop us from going out to dinner, going hiking, bike riding, whatever. But even we thought we might be a little crazy (and probably so) when we decided Saturday night that we would take the kids to Indiana Dunes and go camping for the first time.

By the time we packed everything into the van, there was just enough room left for the kids in their car seats. When we arrived, the boys went exploring and Emmi hung out by Daddy while he put up the tent. We brought our superyard with, and that proved to be one smart decision! The most difficult part about camping with 3 toddlers is keeping them on your site! But luckily we had a very nice family behind us with 2 toddlers as well and they were more than willing to lend a hand (as we did too of course) so it all worked out!

John and I weren't sure how they would do in the tent, but we brought all three pack in plays with so they would be contained and have a comfort of home. It worked great! We are still amazed we could fit all three pack-n-plays and our blow up queen matress in the tent, but we did!

The kids had their first experience with marshmellows and smores! Of course they loved them! Just look at the smile on Emmi's face! We had typical camping food that we cooked on our camp stove. The eating situation was a little different, but the kids did great!

When we first got there, we took the trail down to the beach. I had never been there and wasn't prepared for swimming, but that didn't stop us! The boys jumped right in, diaper and all. Thankfully we got their shoes off before they hit the water. Emmi even had a blast splashing around. The water was cold, but it was so hot out that it was very refreshing. When we got back to the campsite, we were a mess...but we had fun and that's what matters!

Overall, the trip was a success and we will definitely be camping again!