2011 Holidays

Well, it's 2012! That happened so fast! I mean, I swear we were just swimming in the pool and hanging out in the yard and now it's 14 degrees and there is snow on the ground. OK, the snow just fell for the first time yesterday but you get the point. We had a quiet New Years at home. My mom came over and we ate crab legs, shrimp, sushi and an array of goodies. By Midnight we were down 3 kids but that was OK. We toasted to a Happy healthy New Year and crashed in our beds!

Thanksgiving was a great time. My family joined us here. It's just easier for me to host the family parties since the kids can stay in their routine. I cooked the BEST turkey ever...yeah, I said it! Don't be a hater! I love to cook. It's cathartic. The boys had a blast with everyone around. I was glad when it was over though. Cooking since 5am is exhausting. We decided to celebrate Chanukka as well this year. The boys learned all about it from their teacher (who is Jewish) and of course, Jesus was jewish! We thought it only appropriate that the children learn all the traditions. We celebrated the beginning with a feast of potato pancakes and even lit the mehnora. Every night it was the boys job to light it. They loved the ceremomy of it all. To tell ya the truth...so did I! Christmas was amazing as always. Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with Davids. It all goes so fast! The kids got such amazing gifts. It was probably the most HIGH TECH christmas ever! The boys got electronics galore. Digital cameras for all from Aunt Ella, interactive video games from their Dad. They got tons of fun stuff from Grandma including these amazing radio controlled cars and tops that make music and have lights, and a million other things(Grandma does WAY too much!). They got a karaoke machine from my sister Adrianne that Emerson decided was JUST his! Aunt Terri got them books and toys galore and Papa came through with the gift cards. They had so much fun playing wit eerything they got. They were down right exhausted by 8pm. There were kids passed out everywhere! Christmas morning was fantastic. I noticed Austin trying to sneak downstairs at a little after 7. I jumped up and stopped him before he could ruin the suprise. He immediately ran and woke up his brothers. Griffin decided to sleep in since he had a restless night. The boys ran down like crazy men! It's a good thing Santa is a wise, wise man. He wrapped each childs gifts in different paper so there was no chance of anyone getting anything confused. Also, each gift was numbered so they didn't open their "special" gift until the end. It all worked out well. They opened their gifts in an orderly fashion...NOT! They ripped and tore open gifts left and right. It was a frenzy! I finally gained enough composure for the bys to all open up their video game systems at once. They loved them.

I made my world famous quiche(Bacon and spinach)...ok it's Paula Deens recipe...but I did perfect it. The kids call it mommy's egg pie. They ate it all happily! Griffin eventually decided to join us. He opened all his gifts and danced happily as Mickey Mouse sang his songs. He is now the proud owner of an ipod touch as well. Like I said...it was an electronic Christmas. The day was rounded out by leftovers and David's family. The kids proudly showed off their cool new toys and Emerson even serenaded us. Could life be any better?

An Honest appology!

I know, I know...worst BLOGGER EVER! I mean 2 whole months since the last time I blogged. There is no excuses. OK, in my deffense I have 5 children, 4 that are in school and one that receives services in the home. I go go go and never seem to stop. I have done everything in my power to take 5 minutes to myself but that is usually at 1 am stunned and exhausted beyond recognition. I literally fall on the couch and watch mindless television clipping coupons. Yes, I am a coupon clipper. Not at all like those obcessive woman on tv that buy 2000 tubes of toothpaste just because they get it for free. I am the buyer of bargains and the spreader of coupon joy! I do have a tiny stockpile that will sustain my family for a few weeks if tragedy ever struck but basically I coupon as a hobby. I LOVE TO GET A BARGAIN! So between my 5 kids, PTA, houswork, kid snuggling, love of reality tv, the internet and coupons I have NO time for blogging. I swear I will try harder...I PROMISE!

Off to the Orchard

Every year my whole family packs up and heads out to Murphy's Orchard for my brother Christian's birthday. We have done this for the last 15 years or so. I make chili(it's usually cold. This year it was 80 degrees). We bring cupcakes and we pick apples and pumpkins. The kids love this more then anything. They run from tree to tree picking apples and eating everyting in sight. The most wonderful part of hanging out at Murphy's Orchard in Bert, NY is that they are family owned and operated. They have owned the property since the days of slavery. In fact they have a fully functional Underground railroad in their barn. The kids think it's so cool. They have been amazing to us. They allow us free reign of their facilities and the charge is miniscual. I have purchased 20lbs of apples. 10 pumpkins and a whole array of veggies from their garden for less then $30! That's awesome! We celebrated Christian's birthday on a very warm day this year. I felt bad for the kids. They had sweat running down their faces as they ran around. We enjoyed our day regardless. Emerson ran non stop that was until he saw the horses. He had a connection I have never seen before. I'm thinking riding lessons are in his future. Grif was over the heat but liked eating the fruit. Max and Alex loved the running from one end of the feilds to the next picking and eating rasberries. Austin was the wrangler. He handled the bags of fruit and kept tabs on the boys! We had a blast! Can't wait until next year!

The Air Show

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My mother and I took the boys to the Buffalo Niagara Air Show in Niagara Falls New York in September. It was a first outing for my mom with just me, Austin and the triplets. This was inetersting to say the least. First we spent 2 hours in the car trying to get close to the show. By the time we finally arrived...OVER, that's right, I said OVER!!!!!! We watched from the car as the stealth bomber flew overhead and fighter planes swooped in and out of the sky. But the final show took place as we were being directed to park. The good news is, we got to walk around and in and out of planes on the ground. I don't think the boys were any the wiser to what they had missed. They just loved the adventure of it all. I think me and Grandma did too! and yes...if you notice, Emerson is punching Austin the the man berries!

I'm Baaaaaack!

OK, I know...it's been forever! Well we have had a ton of new and exciting things happening in the Stinner household since my last post 2 MONTH Sago!!! First and foremost the triplets have started school. That's right, my babies are full fledged students. Well actually they only go for a few hours a day but they do go every day.

They LOVE school. I think it was good to wait but I may have done them some disservice by keeping them home so long. Emerson had a rough go of it the first few weeks of school. Every time I walked up to the the door his teacher gave me the "Guess what he did today?" look. I was in a constant state of panic. He is recieving speech and special ed services through the district for his speech delay so we figured it was just a matter of time before he settled in and guess what? HE DID! Emerson is the music buff! He sits in the front of the class and is the first to raise his hand to work the "Smart Board" . He sits patiently and listens to the teacher explain the days happenings and sings the ABC's and counts with fluency. His speech is coming along nicely. He is able to communicate better. Everyday I am shocked at the new things he knows. I a one proud mama. Maxim adores school. He is my shy boy and sits in the back. He is deffinately further ahead then the other two. He can count to 100 and recite his ABC's without messing up. I asked them to make sure he gets challenged on a daily basis. I think when kids are advanced they get labled as problem children that just act out when they are bored. So far he is doing great. Alexander is my social butterfly. He has no problem making friends and likes to be the center of attention. He reminds me a lot of Austin at this age. He is lovey dovey and is always willing to give hugs. He is too smart for his own good and truth be told a little bit of a tattle tale. He is settling in nicely. Griffin is home with mama now. He loves to get ready and jump in the car to take the boys to school. He knows this is our alone time. We go to the zoo, park and often shopping. Believe it or not he LOVES to shop. During the day it is quiet out. There are no crowds and no drama. He often reads his books or watches videos on my cell phone.

Austin is now a BIG 3rd grader! I can't believe my first son is so BIG. When did that happen? We already had a brief meeting with his teacher who said he was a joy to have in class. He is quieter this year and working hard to get good grades and be a good listener. He reads constantly and is taking Tai Kwon Do. He is turning into a nice young man. As far as David and I...we are great. Business has picked up and David is busting his butt. I am doing my mommy thing. I sit on the PTA board for Austins school and I love it! It's hard finding time for each other but we are hoping to sceduele some grown up time soon!

Emerson's Surgery

On August 22 Emerson had a tonsil and adnoidectomy. He had been having issues for the last year. He had a raspy voice, snoring, restless sleep, food obversions, gagging issues and a general decline in his food intake. After taking him to a specialist I was told his tonsils and adnoids were enlarged by 90% and were blocking his airway. The doctor was concerened with sleep apnea and said he could possibley stop breathing while sleeping. They suggested we get them out ASAP. SO we did. He came through the surgery with flying colors but had a bad reaction to the anestesia and became combative. The nurses had to put him back under in order to stop him. Once he saw me, he was fine. Whiney but fine. He wanted to go home. It had been a very long day. After 2 hours in recovery we were able to take our little bubba home. He rested for several days before returning to his regular rambunctious self. Now after almost 2 weeks he is just the same old Emmy!

School Time

Well, it's about that time. School is starting and it's right around the corner. We have shopped until we dropped. I filled 4 book bags with paper, pencils, markers and crayons. I have 4 very excited boys to start school. I on the other hand am worried and a little sad. When I took the triplets to their pre-school orientation/supply drop off I stopped off for a coffee. I glanced in the back seat expecting to see 3/5th of my babies watching a movie. Instead I saw 3 BIG boys with long legs dangling in their car seats. It's a good thing I had sun glasses on because I strated to cry. Where did my babies go? 4 years ago right now they were 3 teeny tiny premature babies in incubators fighting for their lives. They barely weighed 3lbs each and were less then 16" long. I look at them in complete AWWWW sometimes. They have come so far. We have ALL come so far. I know school is a right of passage. I know they are ready. I will smile and hand them off to their teacher. But don't be suprised if I am found sitting underneath their window at school crying my eyes out(I'm bawling as I write this). My babies are growing up!

It's Party Time!

This year we decided to tone down the Birthday festivities. There would be no equpment rental and no stress. Just close family and friends to celebrate the triple trouble turning 4. First we had a mini party on their actual birthday that consisted of breakfast birthday cake and a trip to the fair. unfortunately the kids and I had a terrible stomach virus so we had car pukes and whiney kids. It turned out to be a better then expected day though. The triplets rode the rides with Austin and we had help from my sister Adrianne, my mom and my dear friends Mike & Kelly. Griffin was a bear but got over it when he was able to run free and visit the petting zoo. Unfortunately I forgot my camera. UGH! I can only do SO much! We had the party on August 20th right here in our yard. We set up the bounce house and cleaned the pool. We cooked food and had my incredible friend Jenn make 3 diffrent cakes since my lil monsters are incredibly different in their likes now. All in all it was an amazing day with perfect weather. The kids didn't seem to mind the scaled down version of their day. I really don't think they noticed at all. They ran around, swimmed, beat up the pinata and played, then got hopped up on cake until they crashed! Thank you to everyone who came out!!!!