The majic of Doritos!

How do you get three 2 year olds and 2 non listening dogs to sit still for 30 seconds?????? DORITOS!!!! Check them all out sitting together. Please remind me of this when I am trying to take my Christmas picture next year. Granted the cushions are off the bench and the house is a disaster but all five subjects are IN THE SAME FRAME and no one looks terribly miserable! I didn't even think the boys would like Doritos but apparently no so. I knew the dogs would like them because, hey, they have been known to eat dirty diapers so I am thinking a Dorito is an upgrade from poop!


We headed down to Maggie's for some of the weekend. It was ungodly hot and somehow we never even made it to the beach. Um.... wasn't that the plan? We did have a nice dinner on the deck followed by ice cream at Circus Time. All was well until the CLOWN came out. If you have been reading my blog you will remember Cormac has a tremendous fear of clowns. He ditched his ice cream and clamped onto me so tightly I didn't even need to hold him. I had to take him outside while she made balloon animals for Ciaran and Colin. She was kind enough to send one out for Cormac. The car ride home sounded something like this Cormac:" No more clowns" Ciaran:"mickmack scared clowns". Colin: "red doggie balloon" This was repeated over and over again. I guess Colin relly doesn't care if Cormac is scared. He just wanted his balloon.

Cormac enjoying himself before Bozo showed up!



Colin jolly as usual


Ciaran digging in..


Yes, those are my babies (ok, boys, toddlers, whatever) all sitting at a big table eating ice cream by themselves.

We went to the marina this morning to check out the boats. One of our favorite past times. We saw some fish, a star fish and a crab swimming. You can imagine the excitement. Here they are checking out the water.





And we tried to get me the boys and grandma. This was the best I could get. (I didn't have any doritos on me!)

A Shitty Day...LITERALLY

I heard the boys wake up this morning and they were all chatting in their cribs. I hop out of bed to take a shower while I had a minute. When I come out of the shower I hear "Colin BIG Poopy". Ok, that's not too out of the ordinary because Colin always does big poopy and tells you. But for some reason I felt the need to go in and check what was going on. Well, Colin had did a BIG poopy and proceeded to take his pajama bottoms off as well as his diaper. I have heard so many moms tell me about this phase of toddlerhood. I think just yesterday or the day before I said to myself that I can't believe they haven't done it yet. I was lucky. He only had poop on his hiney. He had folded the diaper the way I do so no poop was getting all over the place. There was one runaway turd laying in the crib but not too bad.

I take the dirty diaper downstairs and I as I get to the kitchen the smell of not human poop overwhelms me. The dogs had crapped in the kitchen twice. I was so aggravated. It stunk so bad. I can deal with toddler poop but giant dog poop makes me gag. So, now, i have to clean up the dog crap while colin is still naked in his crib.

I head the boys into the bath since they can always use a bath. The day is much better since. We headed to a new playground I found. It is completely enclosed and totally made for toddlers. I can go by myself and let them all out. They all listened when it was time to go and got in the stroller. (ok, I did mention I had lollipops in the stroller! but I didn't give them to them before so they sort of listened!) A mom commented when I was leaving "I can't believe she got all three of those boys in the stroller and I can't get ONE to leave the playground!" (ahhh, the wonder of the lollipop!) We went to Target,our favorite hangout, and at "pizza pie" as the boys like to call it!

It's now 1pm and everyone is asleep. Quiet on the homefront. Tonight is my bookclub, ok, "beerclub" and I plan to really enjoy a few frosty cold beers. Just typing that makes me want one!

So, the day was actually great so far other than the shit!

Here are just some videos from yesterday. This is Ciaran and Cormac playing. Ciaran was tickling Cormac to make him laugh. You can see how much fun they have together. At one point Ciaran is pinching Cormac but he thinks he is tickling him.



This is Ciaran pushing Colin in the wagon (in the living room). Cormac interupts to tell me his letters. At first I don't realize he is telling me his letters. They normally don't play in the living room. You can see how quickly they trash the room!




Here are some pics from yesterday too. Just in case you can't tell I am TOTALLY loving borrowing my mom's camera. It takes awesome pics and amazing videos and it's so easy to upload. (don't worry, mom, I know I have to give it back!)


Colin just waking up from his nap. He always giggles when he wakes up.


Ciaran pointing to an airplane


Cormac getting ready to go down on the slide on his belly

Ciaran or should I call him my lil' salami sandwich?

I was vacumming this morning (my first mistake) and the boys were playing in the living room and dining room where I was cleaning. I left the dining room for two seconds and I turn around and almost an ENTIRE bottle of Olive Oil is all over the floor. Did I mention the Olive Oil was from Costco?? You know the GIANT bottle!! No, I didn't take time to take pictures because I didn't think it was too cute at the time. It was soaking into my hardwood floors. Now, who is the culprit? The title of this post is misleading. If could ONLY have been Colin because he is the only one who can OPEN twist tops so far. But somehow, Ciaran was the one wearing the olive oil. (Now he smells like a Salami sandwich or a breaded chicken cutlet I can't decide.Frank's favorite sandwich is Salami and Mozzarella with olive oil and vinegar) SO, Ciaran and Colin went straight to the time out chairs which was a blessing because how in the world could I clean it up with three munchkins running through it. Cormac was no where near the scene of the crime so he wasn't in any trouble. There was no time for a bath because Joan was arriving in about 10 minutes for Cormac's therapy. So, Ciaran will be Salami boy for the day. I might just take a bite out of him! On a lighter note, his skin is so soft. I might have to start moisturizing with Olive Oil.

The Duke and a lil video of Cormac

When we were having the babies tons of people wondered what the dogs would do when they met the kids. Lots of people asked me if I was going to get rid of them. That thought never crossed my mind and I thought it was strange people would even think the idea. I guess if they were mean dogs I would have had to think twice but they are real lovers so I wasn't worried. The dogs ignored the babies for a long time. Without me ever saying a word they never walked into the nursery unless I told them they could enter. Most of you know the dogs and are probably shocked to read this since we all know they are wild. But I guess they just knew. As the boys got bigger the dogs were more curious. Once they started eating food all bets were off and Duke and Duchess had found three new best friends. Of course, there is the occasional steeling of a cracker out of the boys hands and that leads to a tearful "Dukie or Duchie did it". But it usually ends happy. I know I must spend a lot of time calling them bad dogs because one of the first two word phrases any of the boys said was "bad dog". If you ask the boys if the dogs are good or bad they say bad. Since they don't know what the word bad means it's just them repeating my words. But cute all the same. Anyway, all this to show you how the boys and the dogs play together. Ciaran likes to think Duke is a Horsie. Duke just loves any attention he can get, even if it means someone riding him!  


Here's a little video of Cormac. He's chatting away. I think I am asking him his name and his brother's names.

Our new friend, Zak

The boys have a new friend, Zak. He is about 6 months older than and they had a blast playing on Saturday. Zak had a ton of cool toys the boys never had seen before. They ran themselves ragged and slept on Sunday until almost 8:30 in the morning. I think we need more playdates with Zak.

Here is a slideshow of the boys with Zak. You will see some of his cool toys. (well, in one pic Cormac is on a motorcycle. That's not one of Zak's toys. That's a real motorcycle!)

A year ago yesterday!

Make sure to scroll down for the some pics.

I meant to blog this yesterday but we had such a fun packed adventurous (more on that later) day I didn't have the time or energy.

It was one year ago on June 21st the Lawrence family had one of the hardest days of their lives. Cormac had his blateral Cochlear Implant Surgery on June 21, 2007. Easy date to remember since it's Trisha' birthday. We then had the long 3 week wait until activation. It was the longest day of my life (even longer than the day the boys were born. That only took 45 minutes) Cormac's surgery took almost 7 hours. Frank and I just waited and waited. One is never so frightened as to hand over your child for surgery. Especially, when it involves drilling in the head. I remember walking him back to the OR and holding him. Praying it would all be OK. It just had to be OK. I could never forgive myself if it wasn't OK. Frank said I could only go in and hold him if I promised not to let him see me cry before he was sedated. I put on the happiest face I could muster and held that little boy until his eyes closed. At that point all bets were off. I lost it completely but the nurse was kind enough to tell Frank I didn't cry until he was asleep.

We then waited the seven hours until we could see him. When we went into recovery I was not prepared for what I saw. Cormac was so swollen he couldn't open his eyes. So at this point he couldn't see or hear. My heart just broke and I immediately went to hold him. At first they wouldn't let me but at Frank's insistance they quickly handed him to me. He laid on my chest and slept for the next 2 hours. Even though he couldn't see or hear he KNEW it was me and I would take care of him.

We were moved out of recovery and into his room for the night. We did not have the best experience with nursing care. They would only let me stay and not Frank. Basically, I sat in a chair with Cormac on my chest for 12 hours. No one came in to check on us. I couldn't use the bathroom because I wouldn't leave him alone. It was a horrible night. The nurse call button I pushed all night apparently wasn't a clue enought I needed help. ANyway, I finally carried Cormac and pushed his IV pole into a nurses meeting and demanded someone pay some attention to us.

We were home within about 24 hours. His recovery time was much shorter than one would think. I do remember he wanted to stay outside the next day. He just wanted to sit in the grass. He looked like Princess Leah with the bandages on his head.

Cormac had just started walking before his surgery. But the day after he walked around the hospital pushing his IV pole. He has been running ever since.

While it was one of the hardest days in my life I now know the impact that day has had on our lives. As the years progress the impact will be greater and greater. Cormac has the sweetest, softest voice you have ever heard. He loves to talk and listen and learn. He is your typical 2 year old. He says "I love you". He makes jokes. He gets jokes. Today he was roaring like a lion at the zoo and howling like a wolf. He told me he wanted "more yellow school bus". All because of his Cochlear Implants. He is no longer on the outside looking in. Yes, he is still deaf and will always be deaf. Yes, he will have some struggles in his life his hearing peers might not have but I think this will only make him stronger. Cormac has a speciall purpose in life. I strongly believe this in my heart. I can't wait to see what this purpose turns out to be. I think Cormac will somehow change the world. Or at least change the parts he come into contact with in his lifetime. Each day he educates strangers when they see him. Just the other day someone said to me "what are those on his head?" I said "he is deaf and has bilateral cochlear implants". She says "but wait, he talks just like the other two". I say "exactly. That was the hope". I think Ciaran and Colin are better for having Cormac as a brother. They will learn not all people are born the same but it doesn't mean they are any less "normal" Anything is possible. They are constant speech models for Cormac. They are his best friends and they will always take care of each other. They are the first to try and put his "ears" back on when one falls off. Ciaran can find a lost magnet in seconds. (I think this is because he usually is responsible for taking it off in the first place!)

I have lost count of the number of words Cormac says and understands. I am supposed t still be tracking this but when the numbers get so high it's hard to remember them all! We have out one year evalualtion next month.

This year has flown by so quickly. So much has happened. I know I have never been so certain we made the right choice for our son.

Cormac heads to the hospital. This was his first time in Frank's car


In his hopital gown waiting


This is what he looked like after surgery. He was NOT sleeping. He literally could not open his eyes for 12 hours


The next day on our front lawn. Happy as can be.

My thoughts today

We are driving in the car and are driving past the firehouse. To the boys pure joy the firetruck was backing into the firehouse. In unison, the three start saying "ooo eee ooo eee" (the sound they make for a siren after a year of listening therapy for Cormac!!). Anyway, the fireman gets out of the truck in all his gear and Colin says "oooeee man instead of fireman! So cute. It cracked me up. He can say fireman but decided to call him oooeee man instead.

I think the question I get asked the most these days is "are they all yours?" Or it's at least second runner up to "are they triplets?" I always chuckle when someone asks me this question. Granted, I could be babysitting or have borrowed an extra from a neighbor but 99.9% of the time the boys are dressed in the same clothes so it would be a little strange to watch someone else's kid but make them dress him just like mine! A woman I met today in the park said she felt it was an "honor to meet me and my beautiful boys". One comment like that makes up for all the idiotic comments I usually get. Oh, and she also thought I was no older than 25!!! Did I say she might be my new best friend?????

I have planned a fun afternoon. We are going to have a waterballoon extravaganza in the yard. Which reminds me a a little story from this morning. I leave the park after doing my jog while pushing the kids. We headed to the dollar store, oh, what a treasure this place is for us. Ciaran picked out a horse, colin picked a motorcycle and Cormac a spider. There is only one problem with the dollar store. Not carts outside. they have the stupid pole on them so the carts stay in the store. Sounds nice for them but now presents the issue of getting the three of them across the parking lot without a stroller. (I only had the triple jogger and it doesn't fit thru most doors.) Our trip in was very successful. We all held hands and it went smoothly. Our return trip to the car carrying two bags of dollar treasures, holding three kids hands AND the nice man was kind of enough to give them a balloon a piece. You do the math..... I have two hands there are two bags, three kids and three balloons they want to hold and I KNOW ARE GOING TO GET BLOWN AWAY and cause many tears. I tie the balloons to my bag, hang the shopping bags off my wrist and at this point have to convince all three they are STILL HOLDING their balloon and I am not helping in any way. We must have been quite the spectecal. Luckily, everyone's listening ears were on and we made it to the car.

Frank has been working like crazy this whole week. It's feast or famine with the overtime so when it's available he can't pass it up. I have been flying solo all week with Frank making it home just before bedtime except for Wednesday. He missed the boys that day. Basically, I am doing 13 hour shifts alone! Today, I can tell they are missing Frank. He will be home by 7 so he will get some time with them tonight.

POOPY and White donuts!

So, Ciaran, who has yet to pee on the potty, decided to poop on the potty today! Go figure! I am sure it was a fluke and am not counting on it happening again but it's a start! He was so excited he could barely contain himself.

Today, I was taking Cormac to school and we made our usual stop at Dunkin Donuts. He always gets a munchkin or two and I get some OJ and a vanilla frosted. I never really liked donuts but really I just want the frosting and could care less about the donut. Anyway, I digress. I decide to skip the munchkin for Cormac and get him a glazed donut. He is happy as can be. The kind lady also through in two munchkins. (one powdered and another chocholate) I get him in the car and we are driving and I hear him saying something to me with his mouth stuffed with a glazed donut. He is handing me the glazed donut and saying "white donut" over and over. I guess he decided he wanted the powdered donut. This might not be so earth shattering to most people but to me it's pretty darn amazing. He is really using his words together. And he knew to say he wanted the "white" one and not the "brown" or chocholate one. He also said it so clearly. The wonder of the cochlear implant. If he was born just a few years earlier I probably would have never heard him say "white donut". So, the simplest little things he says really could make you cry!

I love how they now talk about everything. It seems there is always something to say. Colin's new favorite phrase??? "ree ree (ciaran) did it! Gotta love it!

The day from HELL!

I should have blogged this yesterday when I was still living it but I was too stinkin tired to deal. Sunday night Ciaran was up most of the night. He wound up sleeping in our bed which means zero sleep for Mamma! So, I knew Monday was going to be rough with no sleep. I have totally forgotten what it is like to be sleep deprived. I think I am totally spoiled since the boys have slept thru the night since they are 4 months old. Anyhow, Ciaran was in a terrible mood since he didn't sleep well. Apparently, some demons entered Colin and Cormac's bodies overnight. I had three little hellions all day. I rarely complain about my days because most days are good. But GOOD GOD they tortured me yesterday. No one wanted to eat. No one wanted to do ANYTHING they were supposed to do. We did go to Target and they were very well behaved. COnsidering all I was doing was burning a picture CD (don't even get me started on the whole camera situation). It took forever but they were fine. Nap time was a welcome moment. I could no longer stand the whining. It was just constant. I finally figured out what was wrong with Ciaran. He pooped right before nap and it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He was skipping around as happy as can be after. Mind you, I have yet to figure out how someone so small could poop what he did! Gross, I know, but this is my reality.

I had to go to Shoprite yesterday afternoon since Frank was working 7-7 I had to bring the boys. I was a little leary since they were crankly. But they surprised me and did great. When we go home it was another story. They got a bag of pretzels and poured them all over the kithcen floor and proceeded to walk on them. They blew thru the living and dining rooms like three mini tornadoes. All this while i made them a dinner a I KNEW THE WOULD JUST LOVE! HA! Who am i kidding??? Of course, they wouldn't eat dinner. Not a single frigin' bite. I was so aggravated. They love chicken and cheese BUT NOT YESTERDAY. I was so happy when Frank got home last night. We watched TV and of course the boys turned into the perfect ANGELS for Daddy. Bed time was good as usual.

Today, so far, things are great. Happy little boys who ate their food. They went to Stroller Strides with me and played after for about an hour with the other kids. They were exhausted and barely madet he ride home. I think the moral of my day yesterday was just keep them out of the house. They get into too much mischief in our house and are bored. When we are out they are always so good.

Lord knows what the winter will be like and we are trapped indoors. I am already dreading it and it's only June!

On a happier note, here are some pics of the boys. Since my camera met with it's demise I have been using my moms old camera and it won't download to my computer. It's a royal pain in the butt. Hopefully, I can get a new camera soon.

Some changes to the blog

I was trying to be "fancy" and the entire blog got screwed up. I was able to fix most of it but all of my links and pictures have to be reposted. What a major pain in the ass. That will teach me to mess with it again. I did figure out how to post a picture in the title so I guess it's worth it.

I will work on getting all the links back up to my favorite sites and blogs. It all takes time. Time is something I seem to have little of these days. Today was one of those days I was looking forward to the boys nap. I should have KNOWN better. It's always on those days things don't go as planned. They happily went to their cribs and all was silent. I was just enjoying the peace and quiet when Ciaran started fussing. I left him for a few but he is persistant. I thought he was asking for milk. Going against my norm because I just wanted to rest, I gave him milk in his crib in a sippie. Nope, he didn't want milk. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what he was saying through the tears. When I finally figured it out he was saying "michael". WHen he fell asleep for his nap my nephew Michael was here. He woke up and wanted him. When I told him he left. He went ballistic. THere was no talking him down. At this point he was starting to wake Colin and I swear I was going to lock him in the closet! Cormac, well, he can sleep through anything since he can't hear without his implants. He's the lucky one. I finally gave in and took him out of his crib. I put him in my bed and it lasted all of ten minutes. It was play time.

I am wondering if it is just my children or if others have this same issue. I think I have the dirtiest kids in the world. I swear, I could bathe them three times a day. We played in the yard today. Now, I always thought it was because we never could get grass and they were playing in dirt. MAkes sense. But now, after all of Frank's hard work we have a really decent lawn back there. Makes NO DIFFERENCE. They still look like they took a dirt bath after five minutes. Am I the only one? Can anyone else chime in here and let me know I am not alone. Is it a boy thing? I just don't know but there is NO SUCH THING as skipping a bath in this house. I am thinking I must just start hosing them off in the yard!

Hearing Journey...

I am feeling like I have been neglecting one of the purposes of this site. It is supposed to document Cormac's hearing journey. As crazy as it sounds and with all we do sometimes it is hard to remember to document his accomplishments. I know, I know, sounds terrible but it isn't. It all just seems so normal to us at this point. He talks and he says things and he continues to progress along the same lines as Ciaran and Colin so sometimes it's hard to remember to "take notes". Each day I do marvel at the things that come out of his mouth. I am amazed at the words he understands. Here's a funny one. I have NO IDEA how he knows this. Cormac walks up to me and starts rubbing my shoulders like he is giving me a massage. (He's pretty darn good at it too!). He walks away and I say "Cormac, Mommy needs a massage". He comes right back and starts again. ???? Massage??? How the heck does he know that word? It's not like I am getting massages squeezed into my hectic schedule. But, none the less, he heard this word at some point and knows it.

I have to take some more videos of him talking. My girlfriend just said to me today. If I didn't see the magnets on his head I would have no idea he couldn't hear. I think that is the greatest compliment I can receive. I guess all the hard work he does is paying off. He says new words every day. He is also expanding the amount of words he puts together. He rarely says one word at a time any longer. It's "mommy, drive", "Olin's turn", "Ciaran, owie nose". He is still signing the words he knows but we haven't been signing any new words.

I think the hardest time I am having at the moment is the pool/ocean. The implants can't go in the water. At the pool on Saturday he had to be "off" the entire time. THis saddens me. I think he will miss out on things. Not to mention he can't hear me if there is something dangerous. A lot of people also talk to him and I have to explain he is deaf. I totally love the opportunity to explain to people he is deaf and hears with implants. I always love the chance to educate those around me. But then again, most of the time they can't tell because he reads lips SOOOOO well he could fool you. And he is able to answer without his implants on. At the moment it is probably harder on me because he doesn't seem to care. But I know in the future this will be an issue. He will want to hear when he is with his friends at the beach. Just keep you fingers crossed they can develop a waterproof implant quickly. Many parents have come up with ways to "waterproof" the implant but I haven't tried it yet. I think I might soon. It's not like he is swimming. MOstly just splashing and playing but you never know if he will fall down and soak himself and all that expensive equipment.

I am going to make an effort to focus more on Cormac's progress. I know years from now I will appreciate having a place to look back and remember.

On a side note, Colin and Ciaran say just about everything now. But I have noticed this between all three of them. They don't actually "talk" to each other. They will say "no, mine" or "my turn" but they don't have conversations. I guess they are a little to young to talk to each other. I can't imagine how cute it will be when they start having conversations. They do however, talk ABOUT each other. Colin is always quick to say "ree ree did it". Ciaran was crying today because he wanted "mickmack to play" and he couldn't at the time.

On a STRANGE note. We were at the park today. I was teaching my first Stroller Strides class. I just finished loading the boys into the van and was putting the stroller away. A woman says to me "do you have triplets?" I say yes, and continue to put the stroller in the back. She says "can I look at them?" I was a little taken aback. Did she think they were going to look different than other children? Did they have tails or horns??? I wasn't quite sure. It was a little weird I have to say.

Sizzling weekend

With the weather so hot we were looking to go somewhere indoors this morning. We decided to go the The Liberty Science Center. I had not been there in years and it was a fun trip. It is very hands on for the boys. We also got lucky because today if you were a Bank Of America customer you were allowed in for FREE!! Can't beat it! We started out by going to the indoor small zoo. Mostly, snakes, reptiles and things like that. They LOVED it. They really loved the turtles and the giant Monitor. Next, we went to the exhibit that taught about germs. They had the GIANT nose, I mean, almost as big as one of the kids, and it sneezed when you walked by to show how far a sneeze can travel. It startled me because it made such a loud noise. Cormac got so upset. He started saying, "Bye Bye, mommy drive" all while waving at the giant nose. He wanted me to take him home. I felt so bad for him. I picked him up and his entire body was trembling. It just kept sneezing and sneezing. I got him away but you could hear it across the room (God, bless his little heart, he COULD hear it across the room) I should have just popped his magnets off so he couldn't hear it but I didn't even think of it until now! I had to take him into another area. Took the poor kid about 1/2 hour to recover!
We left that exhibit and it took him about 1/2 hour to fully recover. He kept saying "bye bye, drive, mommy". We were finally able to distract him in the I explore exhibit. This is geard towards 2-5 years olds. It had tons of hands on activites (painting with water, a ball pit, a big tub filled with rice and they could scoop it and play with it. The rice was their favorite activity. If it wasn't so messy I think I would set one up at home! Maybe in the backyard if it ever cools off enough to go out there!

Choo Choo Train and a flight of stairs.....

Need I say more? That is what Ciaran decided to do yesterday evening. It is one of the motorized trains that goes around the track. I have no idea what possessed him to do it. Luckily, it is only 5 stairs but he was bleeding pretty bad from his nose and mouth. I took him to the ER because I really thought he had broke his nose. They did xrays and a cat scan. The doctor said because he landed on hard wood on the back of his head and the train landed on his face he wanted to do the CAT scan. Little trooper never shed a tear at the hospital. He took xrays and went into the CAT without crying. They gave him a lot of stickers!

He didn't break his nose but resembles Rocky after a good fight! He is all black and blue and swollen. All the people in the ER said, with three boys they will probably know us on a first name basis. Makes me a little nervous.

Frank said while we were gone Colin and Cormac kept asking for Ciaran and saying "Ree Ree owie choo choo" (Colin and Cormac call him Ree Ree)

This was all happening while we were supposed to go and visit Grandpa in the hospital. But instead I went to another hospital with Ciaran and no one was able to visit Grandpa. TR is out of the ICU but still in the hospital. I think he might be sent home tomorrow. Frank says he looks great and seems back to normal. Quite amazaing after suffering a heart attack a few days ago.

Pray we can avoid hospitals for a while.

On a positive note, Colin peed on the potty for the first time on Thursday. He really didn't know what happened it was all luck but we had a big party. Who knew my life would be so exciting I would be throwing a potty party?? It was exciting and funny. Colin sat on the toilet and in order to do this he had to be totally naked. WHen he finally went you should have seen the look on his face. He could not have been prouder. CIaran was watching and got so excited for Colin he leaned over and kissed him on the chest and hugged him. It was a one time deal. But I guess you have to start somewhere. Today was Cormac big day. He asked to sit on the toilet and nothing happened. He got off and put himself back on after stepping into the toilet and he went! He seemed like he knew what he was doing because he got back on the toilet. We all celebrated and the boys were given a smartie as a reward!

We are headed to the pool this afternoon because it is ridiculously hot.

Stay cool

Say some prayers.

Frank's Dad, TR, had a heart attack on Tuesday afternoon. He is in the ICU as of today since they did an emergency stent. We were able to see him and talk to him yesterday and he was doing well. He really didn't know what had happened to him. The doctors said the intervention done in under 90 minutes is what saved his life. When he arrived at the hospital he was in the midst of a major heart attack. Very scary. We need Grandpa around for a long time. So, if you can, say some prayers for him.

As for the kiddos. Ciaran let himself out of his crib this morning even with the crib tent. I had no idea he was out except I heard him yelling "bye Daddy" as Frank was getting into his car to leave for work. I opened their bedroom door and Ciaran very sweetly said "hi, mommy!". Colin proceeded to start yelling "Ree, Ree, Out, no, Ree, Ree, out, no! Colin calls Ciaran ree ree and he was not so happy Ciaran was free and he was still trapped in his crib!

Cormac had school today and they were working on children knowing their own name when asked. I wasn't sure what he would do but I was happy to find out he answered with his version of "cormac" and was also able to say the names of all the kids in his class. He is so funny. He always asked me what everyone's names are, even strangers. They also made yogurt smoothies and he was the only one who drank his smoothie. We have a smoothie almost every day so I guess he was used to it.

Not much else going on. We were supposed to go away this weekend but have decided to stay home.

A wild weekend

My weekend started out by going to see Sex and the City on Friday night. All total it was seven ladies. We even drank some Cosmo's. The movie was great. I was pleasantly surprised. I watched Sex and The City but I wasn't some crazy fan. The theater was PACKED with women. I think two men were in the entire theater. (those poor men. I am sure their wives made them go!) It was the strangest phenomenon I have seen in a while. Droves of women in packs in a theater. It seemed like most of them don't get out much! I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, I have three two year olds and I still manage to socialize with people other than my two year olds! But it was also nice to see so many women out together to have a good time. I will say at the end all you saw were light from cell phone all over the theater. I am guessing everyone was calling to check on their kids and husbands. Or the husbands were calling to see when Mommy would be home!

We headed to Belmar to Grandma's house Saturday morning. We got a late start (remember I had cosmo's the night before!) Tommy, Juanita and Corinne were up from Texas. Ciaran, Colin and Cormac had been practicing for days to say Aunt Juanita, Uncle Tommy and Corinne. I think they did a stellar job! They just love Corinne and kissed her all weekend. Now onto the interesting Saturday night we experienced.

Juanita's sister, Jackie, asked us (tommy, frank, juanita and myself) to go out with her on Saturday night. She is on the lookout for a new girlfriend. Her and her girlfriend broke up a while ago. So, we agree to go to a gay club in Asbury Park. It was all about having some drinks and enjoying each other's company. We went to one place first and it was called "cruisin" (I think). Anyway, it was an all male bar. Except for a few women. We were enjoying our cocktails and haning out when out of NOWHERE two male strippers are behind the bar dancing. They were wearing practically NOTHING. One had a leapord print thong, the other little boy shorts. Ok, we were all a little freaked out by this but we found it amusing. Next thing you know, they are walking around ON THE BAR. Mr. leopard print thong (it was purple) squats behind Frank at the bar. Frank had his back to the bar so he didn't have to look! The guy taps Frank on the shoulder and says "hey, how are you?" Frank looks the guy in the face because if he didn't look him in the face he would have been looking directly at the purple thong and says "I'm good, how are you?" Frank slowly turns around toward me and Mr. Leopard print thong man realizes Frank isn't about to put money in his thong and walks away. At this point I am so hysterical at the whole situation I can barely contain myself. Of all the people for him to approach it was Frank. It literally took me an hour to recover!

We decide enough of the male bar and hit a club. We had a blast. We mostly listened to Cher. We were prewarned by Jackie we would hear alot of Cher at the club. I think we got home somewhere around 3 am. (Grandma was home with her 4 grandchildren) The boys were kind enough to sleep until almost 7. We went to the beach for a while. Played in the sand. We headed back up north and went to a BBQ at a friends house. Lot of fun jammed into one weekend.

My camera broke last weekend and I had to borrow my mom's but I can't download the pictures. If I figure it out I will post some. And for those who are wondering NO I don't have a picture of Frank and Mr Leopard print thong!