JP plus 3: The Great Escape!

The whole crew
(well, except for napping Willa & Ryan and Uncle James)

We returned Tuesday from our first vacation away with the trio. I've been so busy getting caught up, but thought I better write about it soon, before I forget all the things we did! Overall, it was a great trip to visit Joe's family in Massachusetts. We stayed a week and had a great time hanging out with everyone including Joe's 3 sisters and their families. On Sunday we celebrated Joe's parents 70th birthdays with a big bash.

Flying with 4 kids:
On the way there, we got help at DIA from thier traveler's assistance program. This was nice because it was just one more set of hands to get us through security. Joe carried 2 carseats and a backpack. I had a backpack, a carry on & the double stroller, JP had his backpack & the helper pushed Ryan. Overall security went pretty smoothly, even with me setting off the dectector while carrying the 2 girls through b/c of my belt! Loading proved to be a little trickier. Joe & JP got on the plane first to install the car seats while I waited with the trio at the entrance to the plane. We had purchased 5 seats all in one row. The only problem was that he couldn't swim upstream to come get me until after all the passengers go on. So I was a little show for everyone to see. I heard all kinds of stories from the passengers (I'm a twin, my mother was a triplet, I am one of 5 kids, wow, you must have had them close together (thinking Ryan was older), etc, etc)

We found out that the car seats had to go in the window seats, so unfortunately, the 6th passenger in our row had to sit in the aisle seat seperating Joe & I. He was so nice, but it made it difficult to talk to Joe during the flight & I felt bad having to use this poor guy to pass things over. The kids did pretty well considering. They all had their moments, but no on cried for any long period of time and Ryan & Caitlin managed to get naps in. Maddi played almost the whole time (over 4 hours) and then fell asleep the last 5 minutes- of course! JP watched his movies on his little DVD player and colored in his book, so he did great.

On the way home we decided to check one of the car seats so we didn't have to be split. We also went through security alone & did fine. It was definitely better to sit together on the plane and be able to communicate and move around. We have learned that Ryan has to stay in the car seat the majority of the time, because he is a crazy man when he's on our laps! All 4 kids fell asleep for awhile, so it made the 4.5 hour flight home a little easier. All in all I think Joe & I agree that traveling with 3 14-month-olds is not the easiest thing in the world, but doable.

The Kids-
JP: Even though he got sick with a fever & cold for a couple of days, he still managed to fit in a lot of fun activities. He had a great time playing with his cousins. He and Elizabeth built couch forts and Eloise directed everyone in a game of being pirates one morning. Joe's parents live on a lake, so he went swimming, fishing & out on the canoe with his dad. He caught a great big bass one day and was so proud! Joe & I took JP and Ryan to Newport, RI Saturday (I called it the boy's trip). We had a lot of fun checking out the ships, eating lunch and hanging out at Newport Beach. Unfortunately, it was a "red tide" as Joe called it with so much red algae that the water was not good to swim in. But JP had a blast collecting shells and "crab's paws" as he called them. They also had bumper boats and a carousel. On Sunday at the party, JP got to hang out with some of Joe's cousin's kids. He loved playing with all the boys and asked me afterwards when they would come back. He also thought Joe's uncles were pretty fun and loved joking around with them. I'd say he had a great vacation!

Ryan, Caitlin & Madison: The trio mostly hung out at Grandmom & Pop's house, but did go on daily walks and played with Willa & Matthew who are both only a few months older than they are. It was never dull or quiet with all the kids around! There were a lot of new toys and books for them to play with. They did great at the party with all the guests and being passed around. On Monday, they went down to the lake for the first time and ended up playing in the water. We didn't have swimsuits on them and soon they were covered in sand with very saggy diapers. They had fun being hosed off on the deck before they went right upstairs to the bath! Aside from the colds all the babies got on Friday, they loved the change of scenery and did great.

Ryan got the special treat of going to Newport. He is the first triplet to see the ocean and had his first ride on the carousel. He loved walking around on the sand and kept chasing a little boy on the beach who's name was also Ryan. Hopefully his sister's won't hold too much of a grudge later! :-)

Here's just a sampling of pictures of the kids from the trip. I have tons more that I will get sent out soon!