Diagnosis...malnutrition! - Part 2

This time it was Olivia eating something she shouldn't have been. What is it with these kids?? Clearly, by looking at them, you can tell we feed them regular food...on a regular basis!! At least it wasn't a live bug!

Daddy's Dancing Gene....

Check this out! Kolya was dancing to the theme song of "Go, Diego, Go" this afternoon. Sorry, but you can barely hear the music. I wonder if Mykola danced like this when he was young because I know that I surely had more rhythmic ability. I'll give Kolya this, though, he clearly went all out in his performance. Enjoy!

Busy week!

This week has been a busy one so I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything new. Things won't change much in the next few days either. We've got t-ball practice tonight along with a trip to the commissary. Tato is leaving tomorrow for Portland, Oregon to get his truck looked over before the warranty expires on his oil conversion kit. Which means that mommy will be here all by herself with all four kids, 24/7.....yippee!

I did want to make a comment on the new picture that I posted here and up on top. Olivia is finally standing and walking along the wall. But, look how much shorter she is than Matvij! I bet he's about four inches taller than her. He's got a good inch on his brother, too. He's going to be our giant, just like Kolya!!

Have a great week and say your prayers that Mykola gets to and from Oregon safely!
Love, Tracy

Diagnosis...malnutrition!

Daniel clearly has a problem. He never stops eating. Even when we feed him, he still wants more food. Take a look at this video. He's sitting in the high chair getting ready to eat but obviously we weren't moving fast enough!

Mama's Day in the ER!

Here's a GREAT example of how my life turns from simple to comical in a matter of minutes. It's so bizarre that I truly could not make this stuff up even if I wanted to! This is the short story....

I went to a local surgical center to have an endometrial ablation done (it's a "girly" procedure...if you want to know what it is, look it up!!). It started at 12:30 and ended at 1:05. A half hour - that was it. When I came out of the anesthesia, the nurse asked me what my pain level was. I told her "about a 3, and I have this weird pain in my chest." It wasn't a stabbing pain but rather a dull ache like I'd pulled a muscle. "Did you have this pain before you got here," she asked. No, so they called the anesthesiologist and asked him what to do...clearly no one on the face of the earth had presented with this sort of symptom before. But I digress...

Long story short, he said to do an EKG which came back completely normal, but the pain was still there. They sat me up in the bed, but the pain was still there. They called him back and he wanted me admitted to the ER!!! In the meantime, I asked for a glass of water because, by this point, it had been 17 hours since I had last had something to eat or drink. Immediately after drinking the water, I let out three long, loud burps and the pain was instantly gone! Yeah, me, or so I thought. Too late!! The doctor had already made the decision to admit me as a precaution and the nurses were running with the order! It made no difference that I was now asymptomatic nor that I didn't want to go to the ER, I was going anyway AND I was going via ambulance!

The EMTs showed up and took me to the hospital which was .37 miles away from the center...I could have walked their faster in my hospital gown, open in the back, blowing in the breeze! At point we ran into a traffic jam of sorts! I was fifth in line in the ER - not to mention I was stuck next to a crazy lady that was being guarded by two LA County Sheriff's Deputies. You know it is a bad situation when she is screaming profanities through the bag they had placed over her head to calm her down, and when she is trying to get out of the handcuffs that are crisscrossed behind her back and attached to shackles bolted into the floor....yes, I said shackles!! Not only that, but they actually were going to pepper spray her right there in the ER until the nurses (who clearly agreed that she needed it) forbade them from doing it inside. She clearly had mental problems and I made it a point to thank the deputy that was unfortunate enough to guard her for all of his service. He was a young, black man who took a lot of lip from that girl. She had no right to talk to him that way, and he would have been applauded had he shoved his boot right up her a**!

Anyway, after I went through triage, I took my place in the hallway, across from an older gentleman. My hallmate's name was Albert, who is about 65 years old and who has seven grown children. It was funny to learn that he, too, had a set of multiples - twin boys, apparently. What was cute about his story was that they had the twins long before ultrasounds were around. So, when he arrived at the hospital with one cigar, he had to promptly turn around and buy another one to celebrate his second son! Boy, was that a surprise to him! He was a sweet man and my prayers to out to him that he is okay!

In the end, after three loud burps, four EKGs, nearly four hours in the ER, and being mooned by a naked, tattooed man who clearly didn't realized his gown opened in the back, my minor role in the local adaptation of the "Antelope Valley Hospital Freak Show," came to an end. The doctor finally saw me, asked me a few questions, diagnosed me with GERD and discharged me immediately. What is GERD, you ask? Gastroesophogeal reflux something, something. aka......GAS!!!!! Duh!!

I understand that the surgical center was taking necessary precautions and I am in no way angry about today. It was a little inconvenient to say the least but at least I'm healthy (and the EMT "eye candy" wasn't bad either!). And, having taken part in today's performance, it just reinforces my belief that someone ALWAYS has it worse off than you do. I may have had little sticky pads all over my chest, but at least I didn't have a can of pepper spray aimed at my head!!!

Here's to finding the silver lining on every cloud!
Love, Tracy

A Washington National...

Kolya had his first real t-ball game yesterday and he had so much fun!! He is so proud to be a Washington National! He ran all over the field (regardless of the position he was playing) to back up his teammates. He even tried teaching them "signs," earning him a soft spot with his coach! He had no idea what he was doing but he was crossing himself and touching/tipping his hat like he was a professional! It was hilarious! Here are some pictures from his first game, a video of his first at bat (he actually really cranked the ball!), and a video of him sliding into home plate! When I asked him why he had to slide in and get his uniform dirty, he promptly replied, "Um, mom, that's what you're supposed to do in baseball." Okay, whatever you say, Kolya! Enjoy!

Daniel's First Steps!

Daniel took his first steps today and we were lucky enough to catch them on film. There's only a few, and it goes by pretty quickly so pay close attention!

Matthew making his own fun...

Here's a sad but true fact....when you're a triplet, you don't get a whole lot of one-on-one time with anyone. So, while waiting to be fed or changed or played with, our kids have found ways to occupy their time. Matthew has one particularly funny way! Take a look....

An Update on Olivia....

Well, our little girl sure surprised us this week. Here, we've been poking fun at her for not being as developmentally advanced as her two brothers - boy, did she prove us wrong!! In a matter of three days, she learned to sit all by herself, get into a crawling position from sitting, crawl forward (not backward!) and pull herself to standing. Truly an amazing little girl...just like her mommy!

Olivia's on the move!

Here's a little video of Olivia trying to decide whether to sit, crawl and/or do the army "low crawl." Clearly, she's mastered the low crawl and uses it every chance she gets! But we're not going to complain....at least she's moving!

Hrystos Voskres! Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day here to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We had a minor miracle of our own this morning, as the Rowdy Rozsas actually made it to church BEFORE church started....barely, but we did it! We hope that everyone who celebrates Easter has a wonderful holiday with their families and that you stuff yourselves silly with all that you had given up for Lent!

Here are a few pictures of our day. Enjoy!

Tato "helping" to make his paska with raisins. Doesn't he looked thrilled??

All the paskas just out of the oven....too bad you can't eat them right away! I am pretty proud of myself (even though the one cross is WAY off center!)

Our Easter basket, filled with all of our food, came with us to church and was blessed by Father Llanos after mass. The writing on the bottom of the embroidered cloth says, "Christ is Risen." The other side of the cloth says, "Indeed, He is Risen." Thank you to Father for giving us this special blessing!

The Rowdy Rozsas all dressed up for Easter Sunday. Maybe next year we'll have matching outfits. This year, we're lucky to just be wearing clothes!

Matvij, Kolya and Danylo (all my handsome boys) in the car waiting to go home....nap time was WAY overdue!

Olivia looked beautiful in her Easter dress, purple headband (which she kept on the entire morning) and her silver shoes. Tell me she doesn't know she's the family princess!?

There's Kolya taking part in the Easter egg hunt. This year, thankfully, he didn't push anyone over to get to the prize! He was a true gentleman!

Kolya and his winnings! Out of all of the kids there, he definitely got more than his share of eggs (the fact that he had an oversized basket probably helped!)

HRYSTOS VOSKRES! CHRIST IS RISEN!

VOYISTYNO VOSKRES! INDEED HE IS RISEN!!

We're 9 months old

Yesterday was a very interesting trip to the clinic to get the babies weighed and measured for their 9 month birthday. Baba and I found out, through much trial and error, that there is NO WAY my new jogging stroller will fit in my car. Not a big surprise, really, we were planning on buying a rear hitch carrier for the back of the SUV anyway. We'll just have to buy it sooner than later!

Anyway, we ended up carrying all three kids everywhere and trying to keep them occupied while the others were getting weighed. That was soooo much fun, let me tell you! In the end, though, they all got their new stats...so here they are:

Matthew is now 22 lbs 7 oz and 29.25 inches long
Daniel is now 21 lbs 13 oz and 29.25 inches long
Olivia is 18 lbs and 7 oz and 28 1/8 inches

I'm also happy to report that Olivia has two new teeth on the bottom and is sitting and pulling herself up on her knees. Oh, what fun is in store for mommy!!

Pysanky and getting ready for Easter!

Hrystos Voskres! Or, Christ is Risen, is what we say on Easter Sunday. Today, our family started getting ready for the Easter festivities that will be held here on the base. While it's not the kind of services that we are usually use to, we intend to bring our traditional Easter basket to church with us. Because during the Lenten season we are not supposed to eat meat and/or dairy products, Easter day definitely is a feast of feasts! Thus, our basket will be filled with all the previously forbidden foods, i.e., pysanky (decorated Ukrainian eggs), ham, smoked kielbasa, butter, salt, pepper, and paska (the best Ukie bread!). We'll all be adding a spread of horseradish and beets....recommended only for the truly ethnic!!

Anyway, because I literally have no time in the day to do anything fun anymore, making traditional pysanky with bees wax and a melting tool was totally out of the question. So, I found some pysanky shrink wraps online at Yevshan.com, a spectacular Ukrainian website! Here is the outcome of our efforts.

First, we hard boiled the eggs and then, one by one, we inserted them into the premade wrap.

Then, we dunked it into boiling water for 3-5 seconds.

Voila, "homemade" pysanky done in less than 15 minutes. Amazing!!

Kolya and I also made traditional Easter eggs with dye and vinegar. He was a TREMENDOUS helper! He measured all the water that we needed and poured it into the cups without spilling a drop. What an awesome kid!

We had a fun time making our eggs. Tomorrow will also be a busy day. I'll be sure to post a slideshow with all of our Easter preparation and celebration pictures on it. Happy Easter to everyone.

Sending our love from California,
The Rowdy Rozsas

Mykola's Control Room Official Photos

A couple of months back, we posted a message about the Hover test that Mykola was a part of. He recently was given some official photos of that Multi-Kill Vehicle (MKV) mission. So, here they are for your viewing pleasure...kind of cool that he got to be a part of something so unique!

The MKV just before launch with the blue light acting as the target

The Control Room crew post successful launch! Mykola's on the far right - out of uniform!

Setting up inside the high bay

Perspective on the actual size of the 500 lb MKV!

Inside the high bay - the netting prevents the MKV from escaping!

The MKV launching successfully

Another great photo of the vehicle hovering in flight

Dinner with the Carpenters

We've known Carlton and Holly Jo Carpenter from our days at Spangdahlem. We had some super fun times with them in Germany. We haven't seen them in three years. They are now stationed in Montana and were visiting her sister, Susan, in Las Vegas this week. During their vacation, they decided to make a very big detour to San Diego and visit Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and the beaches. On their way back to Las Vegas they made yet another detour to Boron, California to visit us!!! We could not have been happier to see them. They've had two children, Abigail and Davin, since we last saw them so it was wonderful to catch up and share all of our baby news! I think Nicholas may have found a potential girlfriend that we approve of - although neither look too enthusiastic in this picture!

We got word today that they would be heading our way so we made plans to meet up for dinner in Boron at Domingo's, a locally famous Mexican restaurant in our area. All of the astronauts that land and/or come to Edwards make their way there to have their meals. Kind of a neat place!


We had a great dinner and truly enjoyed their company. It's as if we never left Spangdahlem and time had stood still! Thanks to the Carpenters (and Susan!) for taking time out of your trip to keep in touch with the Rowdy Rozsas! We love ya and miss you terribly!

Holly Jo and I taking a self portrait!

Carlton enjoying conversation with his peers!

All of us before we had to say good-bye!

Independent Eaters

Well, the boys finally figured out the sippy cups! And they are getting to feed themselves. They started out with bitter biscuits (as seen in the pic above) and then they got some Gerber "veggie puffs." Honestly, what these companies don't think of anymore to market for children.

Anyway, they did really great and Matthew really loved feeding himself. He chewed on his fingers the most as he didn't quite realize that he had to push the food to the front to be able to bite it off!

Here's a little video, too. Olivia, clearly was not -as is usually not- interested in doing ANYTHING her brothers do!

Having twins?? Looking for a great stroller??

If there is anyone out there that could use a triple stroller (either for triplets or for twins and a toddler), please pass on this message to them. I'm selling our Peg Perego triple stroller (one of the best strollers ever made) for $300 - I bought it for $450 over a year ago, and totally got my money's worth!! New ones are in the $1300 range. It has three seats with 5-point harnesses. Each seat is independent of the other so it can recline and face either direction. Each one has its own canopy as well. The stroller also comes with two infant car seat which are in great condition. Those, too, have their own canopies as well has 5-point harnesses. If you need to use them, simply remove the toddler seats and snap the car seats right in!

There is a huge basket that runs the length of the stroller and, most importantly, it's super easy to maneuver and to store in your car (it fit in the back of my Expedition).

If you know of anyone who could benefit from this stroller, I'd really appreciate your passing this information on to them.

PS - I'd be willing to deliver to anyone in the local area (within about 200 miles from Edwards) but can't ship it because of all the pieces and parts that come with it!

Our Spring Yard Sale

This past weekend, my neighbors and I decided to have a multifamily yard sale. I wasn't sure how I would handle all the work that was involved considering it was only one week after my surgery. But, in the end, things went well for all of us and I walked away with hundreds of dollars in my pocket that I didn't have to begin with. It was nice to sit outside in the beautiful weather, get some much needed fresh air, and meet some new people! I had a great time!

(That's me drinking the extra large cup of java my honey brought me...what a guy!!)

Tracy's Surgery

Since my c-section with the triplets, I've had nothing but problems with the scar area. So last week, I went in for a tummy tuck and Dr. Peter Ashjian (a miracle worker if you ask me!) made me look like a new woman! It hurt a lot (not nearly as bad as the c-section) but it's totally worth it. My stomach is flat and the sores are gone! No more pain and the best part is at some point I'll be able to go shopping for a whole new wardrobe!!

I'm very thankful that everything went smoothly and I'm able to get around as easily as I am only one week post surgery. Thank you to everyone for all your prayers and positive vibes that you sent my way. They definitely worked! Thank you also to the nursing staff at the Henry Mayo Clinic in Valencia, CA...you're the best - I could NEVER do what you do! Here are some pictures of the experience....