Class Placement in Kinder

{Angie, I hope this answers your question & thanks for asking!!!}

{Sofia, Ian, Gabi}

This is probably the.most.talked.about.topic. when school starts.
I will admit, since we had PK3 & PK4, we had an opportunity to experiment.
Let me go in to it a bit for ya!

For PK3, there were only 2 classes.
We didn't have much of a choice how they were place, only who would be together,
and who would be alone which is a pretty big deal since triplets have a certain dynamic.

Sofia, at the time, seemed to be the most "independent".
We lovingly refer to Sofi as the "only child"  because I have a feeling
she would absolutely LOVE to be alone more than to be with her siblings.

This made our decision easy.
Sofia would have her own teacher.
That put Gabi (our best communicator) with Ian (our speech therapy boy).

The cards fell perfectly the first time out of the gate.
And it went smoothly until mid-year.
Sofia so badly wanted to be with her siblings really she wanted to be with their teacher.

But we didn't switch her.
The year finished out.
Everyone seemed to thrive.

{Gabi, Sofi, Ian}

As quickly as their first year in PK ended, it was time for PK4.
We originally were going to put all 3 in the same class since Sofi wanted to mid-year.
But we had a great opportunity for Gabi to join the Bridge class (advanced PK4).

Of course, we ran with it & quickly decided to separate them all.
Sofi was placed w/ the same teacher as the year before which was great.
Ian got a new teacher, as did Gabi.

They absolutely LOVED being apart.
It worked really well...until it was time for class parties.
Then the crazy triplet momma was in for a huge mess.

Unfortunately, the bad about separating them is that you don't get to be with them the whole time.
I would literally run between the 3 classes.  Never spending too much time in one class.
It sucked because I felt they were losing out on Mommy/Daddy time.

That was the downfall.
It also spurred discussions between the hubs & I about how we were going to place them in Kinder.
We automatically thought all together.

One, to ease our pain.
Two, to ease our pain.
Three...well, you get the picture.

I mean, in a perfect world, separate would be best.
But our first year in public school, we wanted a smooth transition.
One teacher, 3 kids.

That meant only having to communicate with 1 person.
One class for parties.
One set of rules to teach the kids.
Homework assignments being the same.

We were set.
So it was decided.
I called the school to make an appointment with the AP for Kinder.

In Texas, parents of multiples have the law on their side.
You get to decide placement and they have to comply.
Period.

But then I really started to think about it.
We didn't even bother to ask the kids.
How could we not ask the kids?

I mean, they have a valid opinion.
So I sat down with them.
And the truth came out.

Gabi said, "Mommy I want to be alone.  I don't want my brother and sister telling me what to do in class and interrupting my learning!"

How could we say no to that?
Sofi and Ian were happy to stay together.
Game plan change.

{Gabi, Sofi, Ian}

Meeting with Mr. P was amazing.
He heard our concerns and answered all our questions.
We decided partner teachers and a 2/1 split.

Everyone walked out happy.
I was comforted.
Hubs was content.

And that is how we started off the year.
This doesn't mean we won't do something different next year although I have a feeling Gabi will continue to want to be alone in class.

As their kinder year comes to a close in May, we will revisit this discussion.
Until then, I am so excited for my babies & their future!

It has been a LONG TIME...

Life took over.
You know, the doldrums of every day life, routine.

Building my business.
Saving my marriage.
Kids starting elementary school.
Becoming a fitness coach for Beachbody.
Family vacations.
Couple's getaways.

Yeah, that kind of life.

It dawned on me yesterday.
I haven't written in ages.
And we are starting a BIG, new chapter of our lives.

The kids started kindergarten.

Yes, you read right
They are almost 5 1/2 years old.
And on August 26th, they started full day kinder.

So, with the new daily routine, I decided it was high time I started blogging again.
I mean, you see plenty of blogs w/ triplets when they are little.
BUT, the fact remains, not many write about the school years.

My hope is to impart some knowledge about these years & how we steer the road.

I bet you are wondering if we put them all in the same class.
We didn't.
Per their request.

Gabi, my academic gal, wanted to be alone.
We honored her request.
And as of Day 3, she is thriving alone.

Sofi and Ian, on the other hand, requested to be placed together.
The school & principal were more than accommodating!
So far, they are doing fine in class together although they sit across the room from one another.

We are on our 3rd day of the new routine.
It gets easier every morning.
I will say this, they were tired when I woke them up.

Doesn't help we have to be up at 6:15 in order to get everything done.
Yeah, a little early in my opinion but with 3 to feed, brush teeth, brush hair, & dress,
I need the time (and I wake up at 4:30).

So there you have it.
Our triplets are now in kinder.

Loving the new routine & life that we have.
Hoping to keep up with the blog a bit better.
And always, feel free to comment or leave a question!

3 Kids and a Wedding Dress

I'm not sure where I got the idea.

Maybe I saw it somewhere?

Pinterest?

Who knows.

What I do know is it had to be done.

I had to get my wedding dress out and get photos of the kids with it.

You know, the ultimate dress up session.

Mommy's wedding dress + triplets + Candace + sunset = PERFECTION.

Isn't this the most gorgeous shot?

I am completely in love with these 3 children.

Gabi is our China doll...such a perfect little face!

Sofi is so vogue...couture for sure.

She LOVES to model.

This little boy is the sweetest...he has stolen my heart!

Ya know I had to get in the shot somehow.

Why not with Daddy's tie around my head!

We had so much fun.

This was by far the best photo shoot we have ever had.

The kids were completely in to it.

Here is the lowdown on the goodies for the shoot...

~ Eye Candy by Candace "Orange Crush" Mini Session ~

{Orange Crush is the beautiful couch}

~ Girl's bloomer design by Sheelin's Closet, sewn by me ~

~ Boy's white shorts by SIGnature Creations ~

~ Chunky Pearl Necklaces and Headpiece by Stinkin Cute Dollhouse ~

~ Wedding dress, 7 years old ~

~ Daddy's sports coat and tie ~

~ White tank tops from Target ~

~ No shoes or fancy hairdos ~

~ The perfect sunset ~

And that's it folks.

I had to share with you all the wonderful talents that came together

to make this one very special photo shoot.

These photos were used to make a collage that I gave to my hubs

for our SEVENTH wedding anniversary.

He loves it and so do I.

Now, are you going to schedule a photo session

with your kids and your wedding dress?

Hopefully it inspires you!

Hope your Thursday is fabulous!

{I did copy/paste this from the SIGnature Creations blog}

Spirit Day

Today was Spirit Day at school.

The kids looked adorable!

We got tons of compliments on the dresses.

Best part is they are comfortable, like wearing a big shirt.

And I had an excuse to use the chalkboard again.

I love these kids so much!
And they love school.

Can't get much better than that.

Oh yeah...they love me too!

First Day of Pre-K 4

One more year until Kindergarten.

Last year flew by so I don't expect this year to go slowly.

They have been so excited about starting.
Asking every.single.day.

And of course, I got the chalkboard idea from

others that did something similar on their first day.

This chalkboard is going to get a lot of use!

Miss Gabi couldn't wait & is acually in Bridge class

which is an advanced pre-k 4 class.

We are so very proud of her!

Sweet boy Ian and his favorite color "rojo".

Don't try to tell him different!

Precious Sofi all ready to go & so excited!

This gal is going to keep everyone on their toes.

(in a good way, lol)

Sofi made sure they were all "touching".

Mommy always makes them hold hands for at least one photo!

I've got the sweet & the sassy in these 2!

Don't ask me what he was doing but this was "his" pose.

I love watching him jump & catching air!

Hey, no set of photos on an important day can lack the HUG PUDDLE!

Oh, just one more detail about this year.

I am teaching twice a week.

Art on Tuesdays and Spanish on Thursdays.

So I got to have a first day photo too!

Thanks to a kind neighbor that was on a walk.

But before you go, here is one last photo.

The kids 1st day this year on the left and last year on the right.

My how they have changed!

Hope all the families out there had a great first day!

The Colorado Cabin

Ever since I can remember, we have gone to Colorado for summer fun.

When I was about 11 or 12, the first cabin started going up.

The logs came from the mountain.

Put together by all of us.

One log at a time.

And the "Aloha Cabin" was born.

But that became too small for everyone.

And it is really was my sister-in-law's father's cabin.

Now it isn't.

He has a new cabin.

Of course my daddy had to get in on the action.

We all pitched in.

As a matter of fact, I am a master chinker.

And you are probably asking what the heck is chinking?

In log cabin terminology, it is the stuff you put between the logs.

We used nails as rebar and cement to seal the deal.

There is still plenty of chinking to do on the outside but the inside is beautiful!

 I did much of the chinking and loved it!

Looking at it now, I'm amazed at the architecture of this cabin.

I'm so happy that this place will be in our family for years to come.

I see many, many summers being spent up in the mountains.

Enjoying the cool air.

The beautiful landscape.

The amazing amount of stars at night.

The cooling rain.

But mostly, I look forward to the memories.

Our First Family Vacation

It is official.

We survived our first family vacation.

So you understand, the thought of taking our triplets on a

16 hour road trip was less than appealing until this summer.

Why 16 hours?

Because that is how far my parents are away.

In Colorado.

Up in the mountains.

Way, way up.

This is the year we decided to tackle the challenge.

And the kids did beautifully.

Except for the occasional temper tantrum

but that could have happened here at home as well.

I'll be sharing some pics over the next few days.

These are some of my favorite moments.

Daddy and son...together.

My boy trying to be patient and learn how to play Old Maid.

This dog, Happy, was my son's best friend.

Miss Sofi discovering the water.

Actually they call it a "crick".

Ah, horseback riding!

One of my loves.

And my kids were finally introduced.

Gabi was by far our best and most natural rider.

Sofi caught a ride bareback.

{as did Gabi in the photo above this one}

My girls loved riding together!

The photo above truly captures my girls' spirits!

We spent 5 glorious days up in the mountains.

The weather was much cooler than here.

The sleeping was amazing.

The activities throughout the day were fun.

Best of all, no electricity.

No electronic games.

No tv.

No cell phone service.

No iPad.

Nuthin' but sweet nature!

I promise to blog about how we made it work.

Trying to get back in to the swing of blogging at least a few times a month.

It is pathetic the job I have done keeping up until now.

{I did copy/paste this from my SIG blog but will also be adding other info.}