A couple of months back when George celebrated his birthday, my parents gave him the best. gift. ever. an evening of babysitting.  They also gave him movie tickets and a restaurant gift card, but seriously, the babysitting was perfection.  It took us several months to redeem his gift, but this weekend proved the perfect time.

In honor of her birthday, my sister invited her friends to go bowling at a chic Dallas alley (a far cry from Fred Flintstone’s lanes) Saturday night.  I was delighted she included us in her celebration, but didn’t expect we could attend.   After seeing the invitation, George said he was game so we made arrangements to redeem his gift.   Saturday afternoon, Mom and Dad headed up to our house and set up shop.  Not only did they agree to babysit for the evening, but my parents also planned to spend the night.  Just before we left, I snapped a few pictures of the quads with Nisey and Grandpa.

Grandpa and Nisey assured us that all would be well for the evening.  Harper does not enjoy snuggling and has not slept in my arms since infancy.  Apparently Grandpa has “the touch”.

We love our kids fiercely, but it was nice getting out into a social scene together.  We really enjoyed spending time with Courtney’s circle.

We had trouble picking teams so went girls vs guys. I have no idea which team won, however.

Courtney and her beau, Matt, were up at the same time.

George thought it was more fun to check ball speed than to knock down pins.  He and one of the guys kept trying to outdo each other.  In the end, I think Anton won that battle with something like 24 mph.

Courtney and I took a cheesy sister picture, which reminds me of a middle school volleyball team photo.  We should have put a bowling ball between us to make it goofier.  Notice I have super dorky bowling shoes with Velcro closure, I think they gave me a kid’s pair.

Thankfully, no one in our group had any bowling talent whatsoever. There’s nothing worse than being a terrible bowler when you realize your company has their own shoes, monogrammed jacket, and ball (that happened to George and I once).  We had much more fun in the company of equally awful bowlers.  I managed a few strikes, but rest assured, there were far more gutter balls.

I felt like a teenager when George and I crept home under the cover of darkness as my mom waited up on the sofa.  Unlike our teen years, Mom didn’t reprimand us for breaking curfew.  Instead,  she inquired about our evening and dished what the quads did.  My aunt, uncle, and younger cousins stopped by for dinner with our crew.  Then, the quads cut the rug with their dance moves, which apparently created an uproar of laughter.  (I’m working on capturing their “moves” so I can share them later, because they really are hysterical).   Once all stories were sufficiently swapped, we all tiptoed off to bed knowing that four little people would wake us all too soon.

On Sunday morning, George and I woke up around 8:00 am to an eerily quiet house.  When we padded into the kitchen, we found the quads situated at the quad table as my parents fed them breakfast.  And, that was wonderful!

What’s the best birthday gift you ever received?

hugs!

Amber