The Madeira Fearsome Four: May 2009

Well, it's time for another post! Motivated by "spring" and the desire to get rid of some old baby toys, we "sprung" for a Step 2 kitchen and larger outside playhouse so that we could wear them out without taking them to a park and watching all three run in different directions! Grandma Burkett and Jody put the kitchen and a few parts of the climber together with Matt's power drill when he was at work. Matt did not know that the kitchen was going to make an appearance until it was too late; since then he has been subject to all kinds of "taste tests" as the triplets "cook" and then feed all three of us. The climber started out in our backyard, but we moved it onto our porch after worrying about sunburn, mud, and the triplets walking through dog poo. The triplets also love a workbench that Grandma and Grandpa Madeira got for them, and they will play with it for a long time.

Grandma and Grandpa Madeira visited us for a week in late April, and we had a fabulous time! The boys not only loved the extra love and lap space, but they also had a blast with the balls and toy cars and trucks that came along too. The week went too fast, however. But we think they'll be back soon :D

On May 7th, we leave for our first real family vacation...to Disney World in Orlando, FL! We'll be driving down and staying in a 2-bedroom condo timeshare right near the gates to the park. We can't wait.

Here are the pictures we know that you've been waiting for!

Ty is intent on trying to saw some plastic wood on the workbench.

Alex has decided to don a utility belt and undertake some house repairs...probably building some kind of infernal machine.

Playing on the porch...Jacen and Alex wonder why their bikes won't go very fast! Perhaps it's time to go back to that workbench again...
Jacen and Ty in the kitchen...hmm, what do all these drawers and cabinets hide?
Which pan is a skillet, Mom? I hear those are good to bang brothers on the head.

Ty tries to clean up his act in the sink...

Jacen tries one of his new concoctions on Dad. Mmm...tastes like plastic chicken, little man.
The new woodland climber debuts in the backyard. Jacen explores the backyard rather than the large hunk of plastic that we bought and put together for him.

This climber has something for every...dog.

But Orc isn't left out either...Grandma Burkett got the boys a Cozy Coupe police car over a year ago. It drove Matt and Jody crazy trying to put it together, and then drove the boys crazy once they figured out only one of them would fit in it, which drove Jody and Grandma Burkett crazy when they had to put up with them. It is now in a closet where the stickers keep peeling off and the roof pops loose. But Orc got a ride in it first...

Granma Madeira let Alex in on some important family beauty secrets. Alex watches intently as she installs the curler in the first part of the beauty ritual...the other part consisted of all three boys pulling out the curlers.

The ritual continues...

Curl complete! There was a little boy who had a little curl right in the middle of his forehead...

We joined the local children's museum, the Wonderlab. It has a contained area that the triplets loved to explore...

Alex investigates a pipeline down which you can drop golf balls to do goofy things...

Ty loved to push around a big green ball...

Alex preparing to get wet at the water table...

Even Grandma and Grandpa Madeira found new science projects to interest them...

No area rug is safe from Jacen...