What is so Great about Pudding?

So our pediatrician told us that we need to ensure that we are giving the triplets more calcium and dairy product along with more Vitamin D. Now giving chocolate pudding to a toddler is a mess all in itself, but giving it to four is just a nightmare.

I gave them pudding after lunch because I knew that I would have to clean them off when they were done. They actually did not do so bad. There was NO chocolate pudding on the floor just all over each of them. They had a great time and enjoyed the pudding and the shower in the kitchen sink after lunch.

I want to thank God for paper towels, Clorox clean-up, HE washer/dryer, and Spray and Wash. Each day is a new day and with it comes new adventures and struggles. Thank you God for each day that I am stretched to my limit but never pushed over the edge and for the patience to love my children when all I want to do is go out back and scream.

15 Month Check-up

Noel and I took the triplets for their 15 month check-up. I actually had questions for the pediatrician this time, she was thrilled.

Jacob: 31" tall, 22 lbs
Joshua: 31" tall, 23lbs
Esther: 29" tall, 19lbs

Jacob and Joshua had hearing tests to make sure that we did not need tubes in our ears. They like to do a hearing test instead of just looking at the ears. My boys did outstanding, usually they have to try several times because you have to sit still for the hearing test to work. My boys got it on the first try.

Esther needs more vitamin D in her body, so needs another serving of milk and more cheese. That is no problem. She is actually 5 times her weight from when she was born, so she is growing very well.

They had to get three shots, one of them being the flu shot. The triplets where at the doctor's office for almost two hours and did fantastic. I love my children and thank God every day that we have well mannered and tempered kids.

The Counting Game

Have you ever thought about the numbers that goes into raising infants/toddlers. Well I have and this is the numbers that Noel and I have come up with. Please hold your laughs until the end.

***Noel and I have changed over 10850 diapers, so far. We still have at least another year and a half to go with that.

***We have bought over 214 huge cans of formula and have 10 more months of that. Which will bring the total to around 250 cans.

***I cut 100 fingernails and toenails on a weekly basis and that does not count my own.

***We have done more laundry then I ever want to count, but this is the number that we came up with that is really close. We have done more than 647 loads of laundry that is just the children's laundry.

***We have made over 8000 bottles for the children and are still going with Hannah for another 10 months. That does not count the one bottle that the triplets still get at the end of the day with their vitamins.

***We have given around 730 baths so far and we have a long ways to go to be done with that.

Noel and I are looking forward to when the children can dress and bathe themselves. Not to mention when chores are given to them. So when we get to that stage and you need some work done at your house we will out-source our children to ensure they get enough work.

On a side note we would like to thank Marti for coming to our house and taking pictures of our family. We had fun and it was an experience. The picture at the top was taken by her.

True Aggie Parents

Noel and I are graduates of Texas A&M University. So we naturally dislike t.u.(Texas University). We taught our son the basics to survive for the football season. Enjoy or film and our "brain washing" of our child. Know that the other four will be taught the same thing. Have a wonderful weekend.

Ready for Austin

Noel decided that he was going to start to ride his bike again to get into shape, since we are done having babies. That means there is no more sympathy weight. So he rode his bike to work today, which is around 26 miles round trip. When he returned Elijah was totally excited about the helmet that Noel was wearing.

Noel and Elijah decided to go to the mailbox and Elijah could not leave without his hat. Well the hat that he wanted was the sweaty, nasty helmet. So he walked to the mailbox and back with this helmet. I think that he is ready for Austin if only he could reach the pedals on his bike. Oh, well Elijah has to wait a little while longer before he can go on adventures with daddy.

Hannah at 2 Months

Hannah had her two month check-up today. The picture is how my daughter looked after having to get stuck FIVE times. Now they use to combine the vaccines because that meant that there were less times you had to stick the infant. Well now they do not offer that because a SMALL percentage of parents are limiting the number of vaccines they want their children to have. I guess to each his/her own.

Hannah weighs 11 pounds 5 ounces. That is only 6 pounds smaller than Esther. So you know the pediatrician asks you a lot of questions about feeding, sleeping, habits, and developmental questions. Well at the end my pediatrician goes you have the "Wilcoxson guarantee" Apparently in the office if there is a mellow, well balanced child that is the phrase they give them. So she asks me if I have any questions and I state that I do not. She looked disappointed and asked me to at least come to the office with one question so that she can feel like she is doing something for me and my family.

Being on our fifth child does not lead to too many questions about this stage, but I told her I would think really hard for next week when she sees the triplets. Yes this month has been fantastic with ALL the children having to go to the doctor.

Esther and the Horse

This video is Esther on the horse that she likes to ride. The funny thing is that she likes to ride the horse from one side of the room to the other. Then she gets off the horse and plays a little and then climbs back on and rides the horse to the other side of the room. She does not hold onto the handles but to the horse's ears. Hopefully I can teach her about being nice to animals before she actually rides a real horse.

This last Friday my parents came to the house to give Noel and I some time to ourselves. We went out to dinner, Red Lobster, and then we came home. Noel got to sleep in on Saturday and Noel and I got to spend some quality time with each other on Saturday. The funny thing is what we consider quality time is going to IHOP, Lowe's, and grocery shopping. BUT actually walking into an establishment without the stares, questions and utter shock to everyone was GREAT!!!!

As a parent you never stop noticing other parents though. No matter where Noel and I went I always noticed the parents with children. It was good to look at other people instead of being the "Main Attraction." We get why everyone stares at us if we say us we would stare also.

Thank you mom and dad for giving up your Friday night and Saturday afternoon to give Noel and I some time together without the children. We love you very much and enjoyed every moment.

Hannah with Curls

We have tried to take a picture of Hannah with her curls but the picture never turns out. Last night she received a bath and so we took this picture. She is getting her personality and she is starting to make lots of noise with her cooing and sqeaks. It is so funny, but life goes so fast in this house lately that it is hard to just sit and really enjoy our children sometimes. Noel and I have made it a priority to spend time with each of our children each day. That does not sound hard but it is sometimes. We have really enjoyed Hannah because she stays up later then the other animals in our "zoo." Each moment is precious with our children even the high stressed moments because they are learning to be individuals. We hope you enjoy the latest picture of our baby girl.

Hensley Grandparents

Bobby and Gail came over tonight to play with the children. Now the pictures are of Bobby giving chocolate to Elijah. You see Bobby has been doing this since Elijah was old enough to realize that when Bobby comes over that means that there are treats. So when Bobby walks into our house Elijah gets all excited and could care less who else was in the house. This is what happened at my brother's wedding. Elijah was the ring bearer and he walked down the aisle until he say Bobby who had been feeding him M&M's not even 20 minutes earlier. So Elijah made it all the way down the aisle but not to my brother.


Gail, Noel's mother, brought Elijah this cookie dough bucket because Elijah has always loved to put them on his head and run around the house. My only problem is that Gail brought the container but NO cookies. She promises to bring some cookies next time though. Elijah loves to run around the playroom like he is the warrior of universe with the cookie dough bucket on his head.


This is one of my favorite pictures of the evening. Bobby, Noel's step-father, and Joshua having a laugh. Two bald guys having a good old time. Who said you need to have hair to enough life. =)

Isn't funny how our parents have changed when we give them grandchildren? I mean all the rules that we had growing up have all changed or gotten a lot softer with our children. There are a lot more treats and extra goodies and a lot less of a strict schedule of eating times. I guess they have brought their children up and made sure that they turned out okay and now it is play time for them just like it is play time our children. So it works out, if you have children and after they grow up. If you did something right then you get grandchildren and that is when the playing with no hard consequences begins. yeah now we only have to wait hopefully for 20 years or so.

Fun at the Horn's

Today we went to a BBQ at the Horn's house. We had a wonderful time and the children enjoyed the bounce house that was there. My children are tough and enjoy playing with other children. The only problem is that they get hot really quick and so we had to
come inside a couple of times. The picture is Jacob getting mad because we would not let him climb in and out of the bounce house. In the background is Joshua just sitting there waiting for someone to come and play with him.

A Moment in My Day

I thought that I would give a couple more pictures that I have taken to let you see a little piece of my day. My triplets will follow Elijah to the end of the world and even on the rocking chair. Now this may look like it is nothing but that is what everyone says with pictures. It is what happens after the picture is captured that is the great part. You see Elijah thinks that he can fly and tried to jump off the back of the rocking chair and then Jacob wanted to try. In doing so stepped on Esther and made her cry and Joshua just wanted the chair to himself. So now the rocking chair is in another room so that I do not have to go to the emergency room with my daredevils.

The second picture is a current picture of what my table looks like. Now for every meal the children sit at the table in their chairs. Now Esther wants to put her feet on the table at all times, Jacob wants to throw his food, Joshua just wants to eat everyones food when he is done. Elijah wants to play musical chairs because he cannot sit in the same seat that he sat in the previous meal. After they eat then the clean-up begins. We wash the children, scrub the table and then sweep the floor of everything that was not on the table or in their chairs. The funny thing is that every time that I go through this it makes me smile because in a couple of hours we are going to go through it again.

There are some days where I do not think that I am going to make it. That is when I call Noel and ask him when he is coming home. Which means I need you to leave the office RIGHT NOW!!! But at the end of the day I could not be happier that we have 5 children that we love and take care of that cannot communicate with me in full sentences, but that I still can understand. Noel and I laugh because in a few months down the road we will start to potty train, now those blogs are going to be funny.

God Knows What He is Doing!

WOW how life changes for God's people. It seems like yesterday I was single and had not a care in the world. I could come and go as I pleased with no responsibility but myself. Now I have five children that depend on me for everything and every waking moment. I did not think that I could ever be a good mother because I wanted so many things that did not include children. I wanted a career and nice things and a wonderful husband. Well I can imagine that God just smiled in heaven and said, "Well I am so glad that I am in charge and know whats best for you."

Meeting Noel was a God thing because if it was an us thing Noel and I would have never met in person. God also knew who I needed to make me whole and who Noel needed to make him whole. Well Noel and I hit it off and we have not stopped since. When we found out we were pregnant it was not the exciting news that makes you jump up and down, because we were not married yet. So Noel and I decided that we wanted to be with each other and that we loved each other. We got married and started our life together. We enjoyed our time together without our first child for a little while. We bought a house I thought was too big and moved in two months before Elijah came.

Elijah came and I was filled with joy from the moment I saw him. Noel was the proudest father and our entire family was there I mean everyone. They stayed the entire 16 hours of labor. No one left and everyone stayed to see the new addition to our new blended family. No one would have know that in less than a year we would be at the same hospital doing this all over again.

The day that we found out we were pregnant with triplets was a mixed emotional day. I was scared and excited at the same time with shock mixed in. I had never been around someone with multiple children and Elijah was not even going to a year old when the triplets came. Plus all the percentages and complications that came along with multiples.

The triplets came and they were all normal and good size, and Esther only had to stay one extra day after Joshua, Jacob and I were released. Our church helped out with coming over to hold babies and feed babies. Also my mother was a lifesaver because she stayed with us for a while to help out with feeding, cleaning, cooking and anything else she could do.

I went back to work and put the children in childcare, the triplets stayed with my mother and Elijah went to daycare. Well God decided that since I would not take the hint that I needed to be a SAHM (stay at home mom) I got pregnant again. Yes that makes 5 children. Hannah came in July 2008.

Life is great, overwhelming, and exciting. Noel is outstanding and helps more than I ever thought possible. He does everything from changing dirty diapers to taking out the trash. From feeding Hannah so that I can take a 30 minute nap to feeding the other four children. He even comes home early when I call him at 3 in the afternoon to let him know that I have had enough for the day and I need help. We joke about my 3 o'clock phone call but it is a blessing to know that I can call him and he will listen to my day. I love him so much and could not have asked for a better husband.

Our friends and people that we meet cannot imagine how we do it all. We go in public with our children and go to church, Visit family and have people over for dinner. Noel and I could not do it without the grace of God. You see God has gotten to laugh with our family and I feel that He gives us a break every once in awhile. No, really we could not do it alone Noel and I are a team and as long as we are being team players our family life is pretty smooth. It is nice to know that we have each other and that every once in a while we get nap time. So this is to Noel, I love you and God answered my prayers when I asked Him to send me the man of my dreams.

Priceless Words

Noel and I thought that we would capture some of Elijah's words that he is using. We know that our parents will just love it and play it over and over again.

It has been hard to capture the children most days because we are going a hundred miles a minute is seems and then the next day they are three months older. They grow up so fast that sometimes I wish that we could rewind and enjoy them a little more.

Noel taught Elijah to say touchdown and it is even better because he does the hand signs for it. Enjoy the video and remember when your children were just starting to put the words together to the actions they were doing. It just melts my heart to see the video. So I know that our parents will love the words that are coming out of Elijah's mouth.