WOW!

Well, I have been seriously neglecting my blog lately....but only because we have been cra-zy busy around here!! Since I know that without stressing over it and spending hours updating, I'm not going to...I'll flip in a few (ok, lots!) pictures here and there, but mostly this is going to be a list-update on what's been happening in the lives of the Calonder Crew!
Where to start???Hannah got her tube pulled!!!! On Good Friday (what an awesome day to have it happen?!?), we went in and Hannah was doing so well, we were allowed to pull the ng tube that day!! We were so excited and it has been going really well!Well, obviously you know from this post that the triplets have started preschool!! They went Fridays for three weeks towards the end of the year to get used to their new school that they will be attending in the "fall" (school begins for them August 18). During the summer they are attending a transitional preschool two days a week in Cedar Falls. It's been great for them! They also are attending VBS this week at our church with Aidan. They love it!! It's neat to see them as they get older, but hard also!

Ethan got glasses! Poor little dude couldn't see at all! I think he looks adorable, don't you agree???
Nathanial got another set of tubes and Hannah got her first set. We had no idea Hannah was having issues with fluid, but she had three ear infections in three months, so we did the referral and she had a ton of fluid. They both did awesome!Austin had his 8th grade field trip to the capital and Living History Farms. He loved it and got an awesome shot for fair of the dome!
Austin and Aidan found the tent in the back of the garage that hasn't been used in years and dug it out and had a little background camping! They had so much fun...I was positive they would be inside at some point (it got COLD), but they made it the whole night!There has been a lot of outdoor fun at our house lately...baseball playing in the backyard...
...slipping and sliding and spraying...
...bounce, bounce, bouncing good times in the bounce house....
After all those good times outside, sometimes we just like to relax inside....
...and sometimes we get hurt and have to get our first set of stitches. :-(

But don't relax too long, because if you do, Mom might redo a room on you!

Whew....that wore us out!
{and we're not done yet....watch for lots more updates soon!!!}

This and That

It's been a while since I've posted anything, we've been pretty busy around here. I'll do a separate birthday party post soon, I hope! This is just my general update for the last while so if it seems completely random, that's because it is!

It's not too late to comment on my Delurk for Haiti post here! I am wrapping it up, however, and am going to do the donation this Sunday. Our church is raising monies through our mission group for Samaritan's Purse so that is where I will direct all funds I raise.

I just love having the boys share a room and I think it encourages a bond that sometimes wouldn't be there if everyone had their own separate spaces. I know that someday they will complain about "having" to share a room, but hopefully they will also have fond memories that maybe they won't want to be separated.One of the things that I love about this is what I am able to witness - every night - is this:

One of the things that I do not so much enjoy is the destruction that three little boys left to go to sleep unsupervised can do:
{This was all done in a matter of 20 minutes}

This photo is also our "before" of our "major renovation project" that will begin - someday. Already talked with the carpenter and when his next project is finished he will begin on their room. They are getting all walls completely ripped out (finished ripping them, as it were); new wiring; new lighting; lath removed; insulation put in; new drywall; and finally new windows. That is what we would love to do in every room and, out of necessity, we are beginning in their room. I am very excited about my paint design and cannot wait for the project to be finished so I can paint!!!

Hannah is just growing, growing, growing! She has held steady at 19 lbs, 10 oz the last few weeks and last week dropped to 19 lbs, 8 oz, so I believe we are finding her new "curve." Dr. V wanted to see if we could recover any more weight, length, or head circumference and I am feeling very comfortable now about pulling the tube in April. I believe she is where her body should be finally and it is so exciting to see the amazing ways God has worked through this! Her home health visits have been extended out to twice monthly now (instead of weekly - per insurance) and we have a scale with which to weigh her weekly to keep track of how she is doing to be sure she doesn't fall behind.
{Hannah truly is her Grandpa Kenny's girl - she just adores him!!}

Daddy brought in some rabbits from the "new" litter - all already full grown - to clip nails, weigh, and tattoo. The boys just loved them and were so excited to see them in the house, on the dining room table that we never did get to tattooing them. The shrieks of sheer joy were well worth it, though!

{Nathanial, Noah, and Aidan were really excited, but Ethan decided to hang back a bit}

{Ethan gets a little closer and Thano is just giddy with excitement!}

{Ethan finally touches the rabbit!}

We have had so much snow this winter, which has led to a lot of fun with snow forts and castles, snow ball fights, and sledding....along with shoveling, icky drives, and cold temperatures! Austin has been an excellent help to Dad this year by actually helping to dig out so many times! Aidan has loved being outside when the weather isn't too cold (which this winter qualifies as above 15!).
{Aidan and his snow castle}

Austin is maturing all of the sudden very quickly. We still struggle with the Asperger side of things, but he also is more helpful lately. He likes his brothers and sister most of the time and does enjoy playing with them. You can read more about him on my blog for him, All About Austin.
{Austin and Ethan at my birthday dinner}

And, finally, a little birthday party preview. The boys had a ton of fun and we enjoyed having time to be with everyone who was able to make it out - even though it was pretty crazy!

November/December Fun

The end of November and the entire month of December brought bitter cold temps, huge dumps of snow, and nasty windchills - which means we had to come up with lots of creative ideas to spend a lot of time indoors. The triplets were quite fascinated by the first blizzard of the year as they did not remember snow from last year. It was so fun to watch their excitement at the snow coming down and piling up.

{Ethan loves to write}

{Aidan loves to draw and Hannah really wanted to try}

{Hannah "drawing" with her syringe}

{Ethan and Aidan - writing and drawing}

{Noah loves to scribble}

Nathanial put on a little impromptu concert for us all one day and everyone loved it!

{Noah and Hannah enjoyed the performance}

We were so amazed by the snow falling outside we sat and watched it in the dining room for hours, it seemed!

The next morning, we woke up to a winter wonderland in our backyard!

Somebody had to go outside and clear all that snow from the driveway and sidewalk!
{Hint: It really wasn't Aidan}

{Austin was truly freezing, but a HUGE help to Dad}
{Aidan enjoyed playing in the snow!}