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Thank you to everyone who has sent me hugs of support. I should have vented a long time ago instead of crying all the time. I think the boys think I have lost it. :) The last few days have been great and the weather has been nicer. That always helps. Now the only reason I am washing more underwear and clothes seems to be from the ashes.
Justin bought an outdoor fire place for my birthday, which I love and the boys think is a play toy. They like to take the sides off and climb in and sit down. Then they decide that their pants are dirty and they should shuck them. So they climb back into the pit in their "nemos, Thomas', and Elmo's". They all squash in there and chat away. I have no idea what they are saying because they use their own language telling each other what to do and what to look at. A little while goes by and they realize their shirt is dirty too so they shuck that and climb back in. I stop it there and tell them they need clothes on because it is not 70 degree weather. Of course they refuse to put on their dirty clothes so we go in get a bath and eat some supper. They have very creative minds and when they all get together on something it is hilarious to watch.
Yesterday they all ended up outside and 15 min after they went out, Aubrey woke up from her nap. As I walk through the kitchen to go get her I see them shucking toys over the fence. I yell out the patio doors and tell them not to do that. Ya whatever Mom, you can see it in their face. :) So I go get Aubrey before she thinks we have really left her alone, get her changed and head to the kitchen to feed her. As I am putting her in her high chair the neighbor boy (Austin is 8 or 9) is climbing over his fence to come into our yard and get me. He says "your kids are throwing things over the fence". Apparently he has been yelled at for this too and knows it is wrong. I tell him, thanks I will stop them and we will pick up the toys. I sit down to feed Aubrey and half way through feeding her I see Austin climbing the fence again. This time the boys have thrown the fire place sides over the fence and are tossing the itty bitty remains of ashes in the air. I say thanks for letting me know, when I finish feeding Aubrey I will come out. I finish and as I am coming back from the sink to let her out of her chair Austin is in the alley and the neighbors yard throwing all our toys back into our yard!! I am laughing my butt off in the house. Just as he finishes I step out and thank him for putting them all back in our yard. Apparently I was not quick enough for him and he was going to put an end to it. I just knew if I left Aubrey she was not going to be a happy camper. Toys can wait, tummies can't! :) Austin was on spring break, I can't imagine what this Summer is going to be like when he is chasing the triplets telling them to put their clothes back on. I can be sitting on the deck with them, turn my head and look back at them and they are buck naked. Our poor neighbor lady was caught off guard today and saw Everett and Tehl running around with their willies hanging out. I was so embarrassed. I guess, by the time Summer gets here maybe we'll all be immune. As frustrating as it is, it's really hard for me to yell at them and tell them to put their clothes on without laughing. My sister Rosanne has the funniest little boy (well, he's 16 now) and he has the bluest most beautiful eyes. When he was little and did something wrong, he had a look he would give that sent me laughing. I asked her how she could yell at him without laughing and she said "oh trust me, it's not funny!". I get it now.
Aubrey is getting so big and learning more every day. And every day I am so amazed at how different she is from the boys. She doesn't care that I have an open faced three tiered book shelf in the living room packed with books. They are never disturbed. She leaves the "pretties" alone. She could stand and unload the dryer then re-load it all day. She loves to follow me around, she laughs at her Dad and likes it even more when he wrestles with her. I can not believe that four kids can be so much the same and so incredibly different. She says and waves bye-bye, cracker, baby, momma, no longer has bottles (as of her 1yr bday), she drinks from a straw, loves her brothers sippies better than hers, and has figured out how to pout. She is going to keep us on our toes. Until then I just hope her brothers will let her play with them soon. She giggles and follows them as they run through the house, but then flinches as all three plus the dog wiz by her. She decides it's too close for comfort and comes to find Mom or Dad.
We have some funny little kids and I thank you all for the advice and support you give us as we raise them. I love you all!