Birthday Suits!

Sometimes I look back over the last six months and wonder how on earth we made it through. It had to have been by the sheer grace of God because with no sleep, no patience and no answers, the average person would have lost their mind by now. But we are the average couple - so why us? Why is this the path our life has taken? I can tell you that neither one of us has a clue. We hope, if we are lucky, 35 years from now we'll be able to appreciate and understand it all. For now, the only thing we can do is laugh and soak in each second of each day with our children. We are infinitely blessed to have four beautiful and unique kids that make us giggle all the time - often when we need it the most. They depend on us to make things right and to know the answers to everything - even when we don't. They look into our eyes and give us hope that maybe there is some sanity and love on the Earth, because how could they be brought into a world otherwise? Personally, they give me purpose each day - to get up, to shower (moms, you know what I'm talking about!), to function on a basic level. With triplets, sometimes that's all you can ask for. My kids do that for me. So, for that, I thank them. And I thank God for the past six months of chaos, clutter and disorder....it has made my house a home and me a better human being!

Wow...that said...it was totally NOT the direction I had intended to go with this post. What I wanted to say was that we had the babies weighed and measured last week for their six month birthday. I was also going to send some pictures I took of them during Spa Time - hence the title of the post! So, here they are, in all their naked glory (don't worry there are no pieces and parts hanging out!). Six months old and growing like weeds!!

Olivia - 15.1 pounds, 24 1/2 inches

Daniel - 17.4 pounds, 26 1/3 inches

Matthew - 17.1 pounds, 27 inches

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Daniel is our drama king...24/7! He's often laughing one minute and sobbing the next. The day after Christmas, Kolya was jumping around entertaining the kids. As you can see from the video, Daniel was CLEARLY enjoying himself.

And then, as easy as flipping on the light switch, enter Mr. Pathetic-Sobbing-Baby.....

Christmas 2008

4:12. 4:21. 4:45.......6:02. Those are the times on Christmas morning that Kolya came into our bedroom to find out whether Santa Clause had come and left him presents. It was the torturous equivalent to "are we there yet.....are we there yet????" So, finally, at precisely 6:05 am on Christmas morning, Nicholas tore into the living room to open the gifts that St. Nick had left him. Boy was he a happy camper! He got a stormtrooper helmet, tons of Lego toys, books, a few movies and an outfit or two. We got through all of his stuff before the babies got up - which was a minor miracle.

When the babies did get up, Christmas was revisited all over again. There were more presents to open and more squealing of happiness. They all received a new toy and some recycled ones from Kolya's youth! They turned six months that day, so we made sure to take a bunch of pictures.

We called our family back home who were celebrating at Mark and Teresa's. From all accounts, a great time was had by all! They had carolers and a bandura player come by and entertain. I'm sure, as always, everyone went home fat and happy!

Kolya and I also spent the day visiting with our neighbors' pets! Todd and Theresa have two dogs that we take care of, along with Dustin and Jenn's cat and turtle...yes, I said turtle. So far, we haven't lost anyone or forgotten to let anyone out. When you don't have dogs, it's hard to remember to let somebody else's out at 6:00 in the morning! No matter - one week down and one week to go.

Then it was time for Christmas dinner. The main dish was stuffed chicken with homemade stuffing. We also had ham, garlic mashed potatoes and salad on the side. It was yummy. The only downside....I made enough food to feed an army, when in reality we only had three people who eat real food and three that eat mush. Can anyone say...leftovers?

Finally, it was time for the kids to go to bed. It is, hands down, the best part of my day! Our "Spa Time" ritual includes a bath, hairstyle, mani- and pedicures, new wardrobe, and a blanket wrap. Everyone loves it and it allows me to have one-on-one time with each baby.

Once everyone was asleep, Mykola and I snuggled on the couch in front of the Christmas tree and watched one of our new movies. For a brief minute, we could pretend that we were DINKs again! It gave us a chance to have some "us" time and to recharge for the next morning.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Xpucmoc Hapogubcia! Christ is Born!

Merry Christmas! To our family home in Cleveland and to our friends in all fifty states and all over the world, Mykola, the kids and I wish you a very blessed holiday. We hope that your Christmas is filled with joy and wonderment, and that you are lucky enough to experience the excitement of the day through a child's innocent eyes! All of our love and best wishes are sent to you today and always...

The Rowdy Rozsas

An active imagination!

I wrote the other day that Kolya wanted to follow in Mykola's footsteps and be in the Air Force when he grows up. Well, today he made his usual request to watch "Top Gun" while the babies were taking their morning nap. So, selfishly wanting some time to myself, I happily turned on the DVD. A bit later on, Kolya came into the kitchen and asked me for some tape. Hmmm, tape....scotch not duct....innocent enough. A little later after that, I heard him talking to himself. Again, not an unusual occurrence around here. Then, I finally took a look at what he was doing....

flying an F-16! He made himself a helmet - accessorized with a visor and mask - and was helping Maverick and Goose (regardless of the fact that they are in the Navy) chase the bad guys. He maneuvered his "plane" by using the "pogo stick" clearly placed in front of him. Of course - what was I thinking? What else would a six year old be doing on the couch with paper and tape??

The last thing out of his mouth was, "Hey, mom, can you come in the living room and feed Daniel...I'm a fighter pilot and I need to go fly my jet!

You gotta love this kid!

Enjoy your Monday,
Tracy

Ukrainian 101.....

Most of you know that Mykola and I both come from Ukrainian families. Mykola is also half Hungarian on his father's side. We are trying to raise our children to speak Ukrainian at home - which is difficult considering my language ability is probably that of a kindergartner! That said, some of our non-speaking Ukrainian friends have asked that I post a dictionary of sorts to help them decipher who and what I am talking about. So, in an effort to please everyone, on the right side of the blog is a mini phonetic dictionary. I'm sure there will be a couple of mistakes, but you get the idea! I'll be adding more as the holidays come along.

His little "Mini Me"

There is no doubt that Kolya wants to be exactly like his father. He wants to be in the Air Force, he wants to be an engineer and he wants to be a great dad just like his daddy. (His words not mine!) The other night, Mykola was working on one of his drawings and Kolya decided to help. They sat on the couch for a 1/2 hour just shooting ideas back and forth - trying to get the drawing just right. It was nice to see them working together and heartwarming to see how much he adores his father.

One step closer....

to "baby independence." I was very happy today when Matthew was able to hold his own bottle and feed himself for the first time! Granted, it only lasted a few minutes until something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned his head and POOF...he dropped his bottle....good-bye, old friend! Maybe tomorrow I'll try a square of double sided tape on his thumbs. Whatever it takes, right??

Winter Wonderland in the Desert!

From looking outside our windows tonight, no one would ever believe that we live in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The normal scenery consists of sand, a blade or two of grass, more blowing sand and rolling tumbleweeds (no joke!) We don't believe the local weathermen as 99.9% of the time they are dead wrong. They rarely predict anything but sun and hot temperatures. Rain for us is a big deal. Snow, obviously, is HUGE news!

When they said we were going to be hit with a nasty snow storm, we laughed and thought they were losing their minds. This time, though, we should have listened. Take a look....

There's one in every school play...

the dreaded nose picker! You see them on America's Funniest Home Videos all the time. Well, my friends, this year that dear child turned out to be ours!! AAHHH! Nicholas was too cute - up there on the stage dressed in his dress shirt and tie, holding a gigantic, laminated candy cane up to his head. He sang so well and said his lines clearly and with purpose. Then, at the very end of his spotlight moment....there it was, the picking of the nose. Whether any other person in the cafetorium noticed, I have no idea - but let me tell you that when it's your kid up there with his finger up his nostril, a giant bright spotlight might as well be shining down on the top of his or her head. Mortified, I tell you! The positive spin on the whole "situation" as we call it....blackmail for when he gets married. Yep, you betcha, we'll have it playing on a plasma TV screen as friends and family enter the reception. A tad evil on our part?? Quite possibly, but we're looking at it as innocent payback for his teenage years. (Clearly, we're assuming the worst!!).

In all seriousness, the play was wonderful and all of the kids did a great job. Mykola and I and all the babies had a great time watching Nicholas on stage. We can't wait until next year if only to see another child take over the roll as the Picker of the Nose!!

Thanksgiving...Rozsa style!

There's nothing like Thanksgiving -but having Thanksgiving with the Rozsas takes the holiday to a new level! Mykola's mother hosting Thanksgiving at her house this year and was able to cram about 30 people into a 20x20 L-shaped living room. There were four tables with chairs set up, and every seat was filled from beginning to end. The food was endless and the conversation reached new levels of loud! My friend, "Sara the Audiologist," would be very displeased to know that we were not wearing protective gear over our ears as, honestly, this very well may be the loudest family on the planet!

After dinner, we played Scattergories and had dessert which was deeeeee-licious! The dishes got cleared off and the babies all took some sort of nap, although not for very long - they were too busy socializing with their cousins, aunts and uncles.

The Rozsa "kids" (now all 22 and over) found some time to pile into one room to get their sibling picture taken. Clearly, there is NO way this could be done in only one shot!

Inevitably, when Mykola and his brothers get together manly topics like trucks, guns and living in the wilderness come up. Today, it was the new addition that his brother, Peter (Peh/Pah for short!), put on the back of his Volkswagen Jetta. For some strange reason only known to him, Peh decided to weld an exhaust stack onto his tailpipe. Normally reserved for large trucks and/or semis, Peh dared to be different - as usual. The result....a teeny, weeny pipe that shoots soot onto his and every other passing car. Only Peh!!

In the end, we got to catch up with our parents, Uncle Arpad and Aunt Jenny, all the brothers and sisters and their husbands/wives/etc., and our cousins, Alya and Oleh Jr. We wish we could have seen everyone in our family and all of our friends while we were home but that would have been nearly impossible. Things ran smoothly and no one dropped the turkey this year! Another great Thanksgiving in the books....we would not have wanted to spend it any other way!

Father Ihor's First Triplet Christening

As it turns out, triplets are sort of an oddity! Our family, of course, being as odd as it is has TWO sets of triplets! When the babies were christened on November 23, we were lucky enough for the first Rozsa/Lipovits set of triplets to be there to share the day with us and be the focus of some really long photo shoots! Thanks kids!

At the end of the ceremony, Father Ihor was winded after having to do three times the amount of work, but he wasn't too tired to pose for his own official photo with the three guests of honor. We can't thank him enough, as well as Deacon Michael Kulick and Subdeacon Joe Zappernick (cameraman extraordinaire!) for everything they did as well. We were blessed to have them preside over the ceremony and to have our family there to witness our precious children be baptized. God bless you all!

My Handsome Professor!

We picked up Nicholas' new glasses today. He loves them! He can't wait to show everyone at school tomorrow. Unfortunately, he inherited his parents' bad vision (sorry, kiddo!) but he sure looks cute in his new specs!

More will follow tomorrow on the baptism and the Rozsa Thanksgiving. Mykola is working a 12 hour shift today and he's been gone since 10:30 this morning. It's been a long day, but I survived it all by myself!! I even loaded all the kids in the car for a trip to the BX and commissary. All I have to say is...what the hell was I thinking??? Tomorrow I won't be so brave!

Have a great night! Love, hugs and kisses to you all!
Love, Tracy

O-H-I-O!

It's been a long time since my last post and I've got a lot to catch you up on! First, we dared to take the entire family, including my mother-in-law, on a cross-country trip back home to Ohio. We planned on getting the triplets baptized over the holiday and it was much easier for us to travel there rather than paying for all of the godparents and grandparents to fly to California. Crazy idea, right??? You have NO idea!

For those that know me pretty well, you know I'm one of the most organized people on the planet. Everything has to be "just so." It's a reality that's hard to achieve when you're trying to execute a mission of this magnitude. But, looking back on it now, it's one of the best and easiest trips we've ever had! God was definitely watching out for us and knew that if He threw any kink in the plan, it may have sent me right over the edge!

Anyway, the trip started well as we left Edwards only ten minutes after 0800 and hit no major traffic into Los Angeles. The airport experience went well - even the security check, if you can imagine that! It only took us about 10-15 minutes to get through, and there was virtually no waiting.

The only glitch came when we found out that we couldn't all sit in the same row as there were not enough air masks and only one "lap baby" was allowed per side of the aisle. In the end, Mykola ended up sitting with Daniel toward the front of the plane while Nicholas, Matthew, Olivia, Baba Luba the Short (my mother-in-law) and I sat toward the middle. I figured if that was the only hiccup in the entire trip, who was I to complain....

Other than a few whines here and there, all of the babies did fantastic! There was no crying or screaming, and the diaper changes were a breeze. Our arms were pretty worn out from holding the babies, but overall we could not have asked for a better trip to Ohio.

Coming back was even better. I was a little stressed as we were down one adult on the way home. This time it was just Mykola and me dragging four kids, three car seats, a triple stroller, two suitcases and a couple of diaper bags. But, with some solid planning on our part and by the grace of God, our trip back to California was nearly perfect. Both boys fell asleep shortly after takeoff and didn't get up until after we landed. Olivia had her moments, but once she fell asleep in daddy's arms, she was down for the count. The flight staff was absolutely wonderful which helped tremendously. They even helped us off the plane (last ones off in case you were wondering!) and made sure we had all of the aforementioned gear before we left. I can't thank them enough for being so kind!

We were blessed to have a very uneventful cross-country trip. Two ups, two downs and literally no bumps in between. The biggest obstacle we faced was everybody stopping us to look at the triplets. It's amazing how complicated things become when you ARE the circus rather than just being the one watching it go by! I couldn't be prouder of Nicholas and the way he stepped up to the plate...when I needed a helper, he was my guy. He's so proud of his brothers and sister, and I know that one day, they'll be just as proud of him! I love you, Kolya!!

A weekend adventure...

A lot of people wonder how it is we manage to get out of the house for a family weekend outing. Well, yesterday we decided to take a trip to find the Hungarian meat store that was supposed to be somewhere in Palmdale. Why someone would migrate from the beautiful Hungarian countryside to the desert of southern California is beyond reason!

We started out the day with breakfast all around. If can remember that far back, I think a pear/apple mix was on the menu. As you can see, most everyone enjoyed it!

Then we ran into the logistical nightmare of getting everyone dressed and in their car seats. I don't think there has been one time that all three babies were happy about this at the same time. Today, Matthew was our "good baby." Check out this short video....

Then, of course, in order to get anywhere from Edwards AFB, you need to travel through no man's land first. Rosamond is the first city you come to when you exit the base gate (an actual 15 minute drive from the gate through a dry lake bed...boring!) Obviously, the people of Rosamond are proud of their city - hence the sign. But I ask you....how motivated would you be to settle here if this was the sign that welcomed you??

Finally, we found what we were looking for...Valley Hungarian! The people were nice and the kielbasa was tasty. They even had pierogies on the menu - for $.99 a piece!

Then it was back home for our afternoon nap. The kids didn't sleep very well. They had been out all day and were wound up from getting in and out of the car so many times. I've vowed never to leave the house again unless the trip is under an hour! Normally, they are happy babies when they wake, but as you can see, cranky was the rule of the day....

So, there it is in a nutshell. A snippet into our travels with a six year old and a set of triplets. Not always easy but ALWAYS an adventure!!

Have a great Sunday!

Love, Tracy

PS - Next Friday will be the mother of ALL adventures...the whole family flying for the first time to Cleveland. Stay tuned!

The big, the fat...the sleepy?

Yesterday marked 20 weeks since the triplets were born. I can't believe how time flies when you're...uh...having fun?? Just like on every four week "birthday," we take the kids to get weighed and measured. I was curious to see how they've grown since they started spoon feeding. As you can see from the pictures below, eating gets them sooo excited that they literally eat themselves into a stupor!

Olivia
13 lbs 3 oz and 24 1/3 in

Daniel

15 lbs 8 oz and 24 3/4 in

Matthew

14 lbs 13 oz and 26 1/2 in

The good news is that they've all nearly tripled their birth weights in a short 20 weeks. The bad news is that if they keep eating like they are now, we won't be able to afford the food bill each month and the commissary won't be able to keep food on their shelves!

Speaking of food, later on today, I'm going to try and add a section called "On the Menu." I'd like to share some of the crock pot and casserole recipes I've made over the last few months. It's amazing what you can do with that little gadget!!

A million thanks...

to my dear friend, Sara Autrey, for inspiring me with her fantastic Veteran's Day blog!! As you can tell, my page has come lightyears from where it was yesterday. I thought her "ticker" idea was especially ingenious....it saves me from having to count the days on the calendar until we go home for Thanksgiving. She's brillant, I tell you!! We miss you and Jeff terribly, and we cannot wait to meet Isak in person!

A million thanks also goes out to my mom and my mother-in-law, both coincidentally named Luba, for coming to California to help take care of me, Mykola and all the kids. These ladies have rotated in and out of our house since May 2008, and have done so without complaining or any hesitation. We are so fortunate to have you in our lives and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have done for us. God blessed us with wonderful mothers!

Happy Veteran's Day!

My husband makes me proud! Our son tries to emulate him which is a testament to how much he is admired. He serves his country first, without question or reservation. The family has adapted and has learned that in order to have freedom, sacrifice must come first. While some say they could never live the "military lifestyle," we love it and are honored to be a very small part of the United States Air Force.

On this Veteran's Day, I would like to thank everyone who serves or has ever served in our armed forces! Retirees, active duty, officer, enlisted, spouse or DOD civilian - you should be honored EVERY day for your continued sacrifice. A special thanks goes out to my husband, my dad, Uncle Ollie, Uncle Orest, "Uncle" Rich, my sister-in-law, Tabitha (yes, the Coast Guard counts!!) and all of our Air Force friends for their time in service. I am proud to know you and forever grateful that you put service before self so that my children and I can live freely!

God bless you and the United States of America!

Rolling around...

Everyone says that having multiples is not really a big deal until they start getting mobile. Well, my friends, this week marked the beginning of the end!! Both Olivia and Matthew have started to roll from their backs to their tummies, neither of them realizing they don't know how to get back to where they started!!

Here are some clips of their very first attempts at rolling over. Enjoy!

PS - Sorry for the end of Matthew's video...tato (aka "dad") forgot the camera was still on when he walked away!

Daniel the Fat!

The reason I started this blog is because I wanted to be able to share every part of our life with our family back home in Ohio. Being in the Air Force and living/traveling all over the world makes it nearly impossible for our family to be a part of our day-to-day activities. They are the ones who miss out on those special, once in a lifetime moments. While we can't have them here with us each day, I'm hoping this blog will help bridge the gap and make it easier for our parents to forgive us for taking their grandbabies so far away from home....

So, that said, brace yourself for Daniel's first belly laugh! He decided that it was funny for me to tell him, "No!" Enjoy!

The Trouble with Tracy....

My grandfather (or "dido" as we say in Ukrainian) used to say that there was "trouble with Tracy" everytime I used to cry as a child. From what my mother tells me, he used to come home from work everyday at lunch just to see me. He used to carry me up and down the driveway - my head in the palm of his hand, my legs dangling on either side of his elbow - rocking me back and forth to calm me down. He died when I was only eight months old, depriving me of the chance to meet the man who so aptly and wisely described my future!

Now, there is always something crazy going on in my life. I am married to Mykola, an officer in the Air Force, and we have four children. Nicholas is six, and our triplets - Olivia, Daniel and Matthew - will be five months old this month. Needless to say, chaos is the rule of the day in our house. Even though we're getting grey hair WAY before most people our age, we wouldn't trade our life or our family for anything in the world. We're having too much fun!!

I hope you check in every once in a while to see what's been going on with the Rowdy Rozsas. In this crazy life, my dido was right....there's always Trouble with Tracy!!

Love, hugs and kisses...

Tracy and the gang