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I succumbed to the iPhone craze yesterday, so I'm testing out the video function. Hope this works!

3 Little Personalities

You have come to know them as the Perry Triplets, but even at 5 and a half months they are 3 very different babies. I thought I would take the time to let you know a little bit about each one.

Lila Joy - AKA Lila Bean, The Bean, Lila Jean, The Princess, The Diva, The Drama Queen. Lila loves to laugh. She thinks the song "Barbara Ann" by the Beach Boys is the funniest thing she has ever heard. Especially when Mommy sings it. She loves Daddy and already has him wrapped around her little finger. She like to get fussy between 8 and 9 at night and the only thing that will calm her down is laying on Daddy's lap. She has the cutest little nose we have ever seen, and we think she looks like a little doll.

Brandon Nathaniel - AKA. Brandon Boo, Brando, B-Dog, B-Dog Millionaire, the Great Brandino. He is the silliest of all the babies. He has the funniest little crooked smile. He has the longest eyelashes we have ever seen on a baby and a full head of spiky hair to match. He loves to eat and NEVER misses a feeding. We joke that if he had teeth he'd be eating cheeseburgers. He's gone from the littlest at birth to our giant baby. Seriously, he looks like a toddler. Brandon has a special little sparkle in his eye that makes you think that -- just maybe -- he's up to no good.

Alexander Jude - AKA Ali, Alex Bear, Alexander Salamander, Ali Baba, Baby Genius. Alex is the sweetest little boy you will ever meet. He is sweet as can be and rarely fusses. He loves to cuddle. And, if I hear Alex cry then I know something is really wrong because he so rarely does it. He loves sucking his thumb and getting a peek at the TV when he can. He is the first around here to do things like roll over. His sweet little smile melts my heart.

Star power

I have about 15 of MJ's hits on my iPod, and I'm committed to listening to all of them this afternoon. As a child of the 80's, his passing is particularly saddening. I really only mention it on this blog because one of the things I was thinking this morning was: will our kids ever, ever, see someone rise to the stratosphere of stardom like Michael did? I mean, his popularity in the early to mid-80's was just beyond ridiculous.

I was 5 when Thriller came out. My brother Scott had it on vinyl, and I had it on tape. At some point in the 90's, I bought it on CD. Every single kid wanted to be MJ... black, white, it didn't matter. Will our kids will ever be part of such global adoration? I doubt it. The entertainment options today are already too many. Radio doesn't have the power it once did; MTV doesn't play videos any more. The Internet shines too bright a light on celebrities' lives. There's no wall between them and us; no longer any way to create the kind of mystique that someone like MJ had. No, I doubt Alex, Brandon or Lila will ever experience anything like us 80's kids did. It was fun, wasn't it?

The guy had his issues, and he made some bad decisions. No doubt about it. The worst of the allegations never seemed legit to me, but he sure didn't do much to help his cause, with the choices he made. But I'm not a psychologist or a judge, I'm just a guy who looks back fondly upon the soundtrack of his childhood. I'm just a guy who -- and I am not making this up -- tried to learn to moonwalk last year, by watching instructional videos on YouTube (I wasn't successful, but I can show you the mechanics sometime if you're curious.)

Our kids are growing up in such a different world than we did. But maybe it's good that they'll never see someone like MJ. Maybe that much star power is just destined to consume the one who wields it.

Be free, Michael.

Don't worry, we'll keep listening.

But they told me a man should be faithful,

and walk when not able,

and fight till the end,

but I'm only human.

--Will You Be There

Father Father Father's Day

Sam's first Father's Day was a success. The morning started like most do around here....early..... and deciding who is going to get up with the first baby and who is going to run downstairs and get the coffee. Coffee around here is made in the kitchen using the Keurig. We LOVE our Keurig. It is so easy to use and brews a fast, easy cup of coffee with no hassle and NO CLEAN-UP. So, the babies and I saved our pennies and bought Daddy a mini Keurig for our bedroom. A little silly, I know. But, really a wonderful convenience for parents of triplets who have a serious caffeine addiction. Also, we got Daddy a mug with the babies' picture on it.

Here is a picture of the happy Daddy with his mini Keurig and his 3 mini me's.

Later in the day we stopped by Nana and Papa's house for the kids' first dip in the pool. Check out the cool bathing suits our Grandmom Deb got us.

All the babies LOVED the pool. But Alex, especially, took to the water. Next Michael Phelps?

After some yummy food with the family we feasted on tie-dyed cupcakes. Can you tell I am on a cupcake-making kick??

Miracle Blanket and the Magic Stroller

Hi everyone, sorry it's been a little while since we last posted. Everyone is doing well. The kids are sleeping through a lot of nights, which has been great. We still have to get up a few times to give out a pacifier, or just go and see what that noise was and make sure cats and/or small elves haven't invaded our home. Between the low-fidelity baby monitors, the potential for interference since we're using 2 sets of them, and the sheer range of vocalizations the kids make, we have more than our fair share of "what in the heck was that?" moments.

Alex has started rolling from his back to his stomach, and it's not uncommon to put him down for a nap and find him on his tummy after a while. It seems like Lila is heading that direction, as she is starting to turn to her side. And Brandon... well, as Abby says, Brandon is a cutie.

They all smile and giggle now. And you can get them to do it on-demand, which is fun. It definitely makes waking up easier when you're greeted with a big smile first thing in the morning.

We're sure they're all gaining weight, but we won't know just how much until their next doc's appointment, but that's not until July. Can't wait to see.

The reason I named this post what I did (Abby's idea, actually) is that it refers to 2 things which seem to be propping up our sanity right now. One is the Miracle Blanket, a product which defies convention and proves that there really is truth in advertising. The other is an umbrella stroller we picked up last weekend. In addition to being highly maneuverable and fun to take around the house in laps (this kind of reminds me of Mario Kart, without the Koopa Shells), the kids are just fascinated by it. It has put a cheerful countenance on many a cranky Perry child, already in the few days we've owned it.

Here are a few random pics.

Daddy plays for a captive audience. Literally.

Daddy rocks Brandon back and forth in the aforementioned Magic Stroller.

Lila takes a break after setting the track record.

Mommy made these clever, Cookie Monster cupcakes for Uncle Scott's birthday. Full-time mom, full-time worker, part-time pastry chef... is she great or what?

Look Ma, it's a minivan!

Well, we finally joined the minivan crowd over the weekend. The lease on the Envoy is up soon, and it had become increasingly clear that something was missing from our life. Specifically, sliding doors. Having done plenty of research, we headed to the Honda dealership, where Belinda was kind enough to direct us toward a fine specimen of an Odyssey.

We'll post pictures at some point. We're very happy with the seating, storage and features. Actually, it's the most feature-rich vehicle I've ever driven (not sure what this says about my automotive past). Doesn't have a touchscreen GPS or anything crazy like that, but it does have 13 cup holders and a smuggling compartment that's reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon. (Editor's note: Longtime readers will know that the goal of this blog is twofold; 1) provide real-time updates on the triplets' lives, and 2) reference the Millennium Falcon as often as possible. Done and done.) We can now fit all 3 car seats, both parents, the stroller and 1 more passenger all at once. Look out, world!

A quick note about the kids: All 3 are doing well, smiling a lot, and sleeping until at least 6ish probably every 3 out of 5 nights. Not half bad. We also think we have teeth coming in, but more conclusive proof is needed. Stay tuned.

Golf Anyone???

Hope this brightens up your Monday. Thank you to our next door neighbor, Linda, for these adorable outfits!