Ahoy, mateys. Greetings, ladies. {Pirates & Princesses Party}

August 4, 2014August 8, 2016Amber 10 Comments

As the quad’s second birthday approached I began to panic as I fell short on party ideas. Instead of choosing a theme and then searching for a coordinating invitation, I reversed the order. I perused invitations first, and found a simply adorable princesses and pirates birthday invitation for boy girl twins. I contacted the designer and she customized the invitation for us by adding an extra pirate and princess making it the perfect invitation for quadruplets. Once I had a theme and invitation chosen, I discovered a treasure trove of ideas on Pinterest fit for a princesses and pirates bash.

When we choose a party theme, George and I go all out. consequently, we both dressed the part. I made good use of an old bridesmaid dress my mom had in storage and accessorized it with my bridal tiara. George wore a few tatty items from his closet with a dew rag to create a pirate look. As part of their birthday gift, I ordered princess dresses (on clearance) from the Disney store for the girls and Carter’s pirate t-shirts for the boys.

After our guests were welcomed, each tot was given an empty bag personalized with their name, which would later be used to collect game prizes. Little pirates were to take a hat, sword, and eye patch while princesses were asked to select a dress and tiara. The pirate gear was all found in Target’s party section and doubled as party favors for the boys. The dresses were on loan, but the tiaras were also party favors. I used a shower curtain rod to display the selection of princess dresses available.

Give party guests an empty bag to fill with game prizes at a party

I used free clip art from Disney Junior to create labels for the loot bags. Unbeknownst to me, it’s a “Princesses and Pirates” summer on Disney Junior. This made finding party goods a cinch.I used more free clip art found online to create signage for directing pirates and princesses about what to get.

A few weeks before the party, it occurred to me that the quads weren’t familiar with pirates. To prepare them for the party, we watched The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. We also read Unexpected Treasures from our own bookshelf. Since I love literacy based crafts, we created a few pieces that served as party decor. Pirates don’t generally have the best reputation for being kind and such so I carefully selected books and videos where pirates were portrayed as having desirable virtues.

The quads had fun making their party decorations and still enjoy looking at their masterpieces.

My friend, Jen, kindly served as our party photographer. I have enough trouble being a hostess without also managing the camera. Besides, she’s a far more talented photographer than I! To make sure she’d be IN a picture and not just behind the lens, I snapped this one of her.

My sister and cousin, Brandi were both on board with our princess theme and donned old formal dresses to the party. Noteworthy…CiCi is wearing my junior prom dress, and I think she looked just like Belle.

Matt did his best to dress for the pirate theme with his red and white stripes with eye patch.

Each of our little pirate guests came sporting pirate themed threads, but our quad buddy, Harrison matched Harper. It was adorable!

Since the quads are two and all of their guests were two, I planned a few simple party games to keep everyone occupied. First, everyone tried their hand at fishing. My cousin, Ryan, sat behind a black curtain hung by a tension rod while the little ones tossed a fishing pole over the curtain. He then clipped goldfish crackers or shark fruit snacks to their line for the “big catch”.

I also set up a treasure dig in the yard. I filled a bucket with sand and littered it with gold doubloons (Dollar Tree plastic coins), gems, and rings. Each guest had a chance to riffle around to find a few treasures of their own.

My friend, Ashley, is talented in the baking department so I sequestered her help for creating cupcakes and cake pops. Both were a huge hit! By the end of the party one cake pop remained and I enjoyed savoring it with a glass of vino.

Ashley made cupcakes for each princess and captain, and the liners coordinated with their “assigned colors”.

Ashley hand-made each of the sweet treats served at the party. Her attention to detail is impeccable.

The boys easily made wishes and blew their candles out, but the girls were a bit more hesitant. Rylin used a straw to finally blow hers out, but Sydney got help from Mason.

This year the cake smashing was much more tidy. I love how each of the quads approached their cupcake their own way.

Harper willingly wore his eye patch for just long enough to capture a photo.

With four tykes, gift opening was a bit like a Christmas extravaganza. I was proud of how well the littlest guests as well as our four managed the scene. No one protested, tried to get into things they shouldn’t, or caused any trouble whatsoever.

The quads worked well together to open packages.

The quads are all able to tear through paper, but still need a bit of encouragement to realize there’s something beneath the pretty paper. With a little help from ~~Captain Flynn~~ Jen, Mason decorated his arm in Jake temporary tattoos as did his troupe of friends and siblings.

Set up a temporary tattoo station for a pirate themed party.

Little princesses chose from an assortment of princess tattoos. Sydney’s choice was none other than Cinderella.

What a scene!

The boys immediately made use of the pirate ship riding toy they received. This toy has been among our most popular toys since the party, and is often sought after.

Hugs!

Amber

I missed out on taking pictures of our food spread, but we served toddler favorites (PB & J, goldfish crackers, fruit, chicken nuggets, ect) and paired them with cute labels with fancy names for the Plain Jane fare. Here are all the printables I created using the free clip art from Disney Junior. Feel free to edit and use for your own Princesses & Pirates Party.

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Easy Literacy Based Crafts for Toddlers

July 14, 2014July 15, 2014Amber 8 Comments

Last week Rylin casually informed me that she’s not a baby. She very earnestly said, “Mommy, I not a baby.” as she furrowed her brow. It was like daggers to the heart, but she was right. The quads aren’t really babies anymore. They are transforming into children with opinions, thoughts, and voracious appetites for learning. They never cease to amaze me with bits of knowledge they absorb. I want to nurture this love of learning, and literacy in particular so I’ve begun literacy based crafts. It sounds fancy, but I promise it’s simple.

Part of our day is devoted to semi structured learning activities such as flash cards, songs, and story time. A few times a week we do a craft, most typically one I remember doing from my days in the classroom and sometimes a Pinterest find. Crafts in themselves are fantastic for toddlers; they can teach direction following, concepts (e.g. shapes, colors, counting, alphabet recognition), develop fine motor skills, and inspire creativity. However, children learn and recall new concepts best when associations are presented to them. Therefore, I’m now pairing our craft activities with literature (aka toddler appropriate board books). When I have a craft project I’d like to do, I peruse our library to find a book that coordinates with it (or a favorite book inspires a craft). I read the book to the quads as I present new vocabulary and concepts related to the book. As I read, I also ask many “wh” questions (e.g. who, what, when, where). Of course, these questions are all asked with toddlers in mind. For instance, I may say, “what animal is this?” I also try to help the quads draw connections between the book and their world by pointing out things in their environment or that they’ve seen other places. Following the story, we do the craft, which I hang in the quads new “art gallery” (aka a wall in their playroom). As days and weeks pass, I continue to ask the quads about their art and the corresponding story. When I re-read the story, I bring up their art and they proudly tell me about it.

Does it still seem complicated? I assure you, it’s not! Here are two recent crafts:

1. Coffee Filter Butterflies

I remembered doing this craft while working in a daycare and found two books from our shelf related to butterflies. We happened to have The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Caterpillar Spring, Butterfly Summer so I chose those for our literature. Any book related to caterpillars or insects would suffice.

Vocabulary Introduced: Butterfly, Caterpillar, Cocoon

“Wh” Questions: What did the caterpillar eat? What did the caterpillar turn into? Where did the caterpillar sleep?

First, the quads scribbled on their coffee filters with maker. I used Sharpie to write their names.

I sprayed the coffee filters with water to make the marker run, creating a watercolor effect. Then I pinched the middles together and wrapped them with pipe cleaners to create our butterflies.

I sprayed the coffee filters with water to make the marker run, creating a watercolor effect. After the filters were dry, I pinched the middles together and wrapped them with pipe cleaners to create our butterflies.

Simple toddler craft: coffee filter butterflies. Scribble on coffee filters with washable marker, spray with water, allow filter to dry then pinch together with a pipe cleaner.

I love how every time I ask the quads what a butterfly used to be they say, “caterpillar”.

2. Muddy Car Tracks

One of the quad’s favorite books is Little Blue Truck. Again, it reminded me of working in day care and painting with car wheels. I read the book as well as another related to cars and spent time discussing mud. It was fitting that it was a rainy day so we peered out the window and watched the raindrops create mud in the yard. Afterwards, I explained that my plate was covered in mud (brown tempera paint), and our toy cars got stuck. The quads then had a great time dislodging the cars and creating muddy tracks on construction paper. It’s been at least three weeks since we did this project, and the quads still talk about their muddy tracks, and tires getting stuck.

Vocabulary introduced: mud, stuck, tracks, tires

“Wh” Questions: What does blue truck say? Who helped push the trucks? Where were the trucks stuck?

For this project we used: construction paper, tape, brown tempera paint, and Little People cars.

Toddler craft: roll cars through paint to create tracks. Brown paint looks like mud.

I taped the edges of the paper down to keep it in place as they rolled cars.

Chikldren's art gallery wall using picture frames.

This is our new art gallery wall in the playroom. I used the frames from our old study, and found another to expand it. The quads LOVE seeing their materpieces and telling about them. It probably doesn’t hurt that I constantly ask them to talk about their art.

Anytime we do a craft, I try to keep it simple using basic supplies we already have, most of which I collected from the Dollar Tree. There’s no need to make things complex or expensive for toddlers.

What is your favorite toddler craft and/ or book? Any we should try?

Hugs,

Amber

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Home Sweet Home

June 17, 2014June 17, 2014Amber 5 Comments

After nearly a month in the new digs, it’s finally starting to feel like home. All of the boxes (except George’s garage stuff) are unpacked. We are struggling a bit with organization, and we have a laundry list of DIY projects to complete in the next few months and even years, but it feels like home. The aroma of our Scentsy fills the air while our lamps cast warm pools of light in each room. The toys strewn about and photographs adorning the walls make everything feel cozy.

At one point we thought we were done unpacking, only to remember all of the boxes in storage from when we “decluttered” to put the old house on the market. I nearly cried!

This was our kitchen the week of move in.

Alas! We have counter tops!

Well before I started feeling at home, the quads began enjoying the new digs, especially their dedicated playroom.

The playroom was the perfect spot for the quad’s table and chairs. They’ve been making me “hot coffee” nearly every morning. They even remember to add a little cream and sugar, just the way I prefer it.

One morning, Mason busily punched letters on his LeapTop as he sipped piping hot imaginary coffee.

Long tiled hallways make for perfect motorcycle races.

Our larger breakfast nook better accommodates the quad table.

Indoor tents made the perfect refuge for reading on a rainy day. Notice Rylin’s “Elsa dress”, she wears it almost daily.

When rainy days resulted in a sloshy back yard, we discovered the front porch as a play space.

When rainy days resulted in a sloshy back yard, we retreated to the covered front porch.

I most certainly would not chose “Gold Brown” as the accent color for our home, but it’s there and we are embracing it for the moment. Painting is not a top priority at the moment. These portraits were done by Preemie Prints shortly after all four babies came home from the NICU. They mark special moment in time. Since George and I do 90% of our organization and decorating after the quads are off to sleep, they don’t see us in action. The day after we hung these, the babies honed in on them immediately. They can now identify who is who in every picture.

There’s no better way to feather a nest than to brighten the front door with a cheery wreath. I reinvented the wreath I created for autumn by changing out the “S” for a crisp white version, adding spring floral picks, and moving the lime chevron burlap bow. It makes me happy each time I pass it!

What makes your house feel like home to you?

hugs!

Amber

Toddler Tips #934: Yogurt Reinvented

March 4, 2014June 7, 2015Amber 9 Comments

With each passing day, I find myself trying to solve some new challenge with raising four toddlers, aka “quaddlers”. They are a cunning lot who inspires a little ingenuity on my part (and George’s) just to manage day to day life. While my ideas are born from being surrounded by four toddlers, I think many of them could be helpful to any parents of little ones so I’m sharing.

Being independent toddlers, the quads refuse to let me spoon feed them anything. For the most part, it’s not a problem because they are highly skilled at finger feeding and are using utensils a little better each day. Some foods such as applesauce and yogurt don’t lend themselves to finger feeding and aren’t ideal for novice utensil users. This led me to find some alternative solutions, especially for yogurt.

I snagged this little gem from Gwen’s Nest. I put a little yogurt in the bottom of a bowl or plate and top it with dry cereal. This is one of my favorite ways to serve yogurt because it helps the babies work on spoon-feeding themselves. The yogurt sticks to the dry cereal, making it easier to scoop. Sometimes they pick up the cereal as a finger food, and it’s a bit sticky, but it’s not terrible.

I also found a recipe for Orange Dreamsicle Bites from Cookies & Cups, which used Greek yogurt and orange flavored Jell-O. I experimented with it and found that other Jello flavors make tasty yogurt bites for the wee ones (and adults too!). Plus, using other flavors creates fun colors, which is helpful when teaching toddlers about colors. The best part- Greek yogurt transforms Jello-O into a snack packed with probiotics, calcium, and protein that is easy to serve and clean up!

You'll need just two ingredients to make yogurt bites: 1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt 3 oz. box of Jell-O

You’ll need just two ingredients to make yogurt bites:
1 1/2 cups Chobani Greek Yogurt
3 oz. box of Jell-O

Note: I’ve experimented with various brands and flavors of Greek yogurt for this recipe, and Chobani vanilla results in the right texture.

Mix the yogurt and Jell-O in a microwave safe bowl

Microwave the mixture 1 minute then stir well. Microwave another minute then stir again.

Spoon the mixture into molds, or muffin tins with cupcake liners. If you use a mold, be sure to spray it with cooking spray first.

I forgot to spray my mold and only two of our animals came out clean. I found that mini muffin tins are just the right size for a snack, and clean up is easy.

I forgot to spray my mold and only two of our animals came out clean. I found that mini muffin tins are just the right size for a snack, and clean up is a cinch. I made these as a toddler snack so I didn’t get fancy, but at Cookies & Cups, she topped these with whipped cream and candy, which would be cute to serve at a party.

I’ve been serving banana milk shakes for a while, but recently began adding Greek yogurt to them. I also like adding yogurt to whole milk as a drink. This is by far the easiest way to serve yogurt to toddlers! I do this often for Mason and Sydney because they are so tiny and often need extra calories that are nutritious rather than empty junk food options.

Toddlers absolutely LOVE dipping. They recently discovered they joys of ketchup and sour cream so I began using yogurt as fruit dip for the quads. Sometimes they spear fruit with a fork, which is good utensil practice. They also do well just dipping fruit as a finger food.

The yogurt I used for this was white, but I added a drop of red food coloring to make it pretty for the picture. Rylin is currently obsessed with pink things and thought it was fantastic. I think I’ll experiment with making our yogurt other colors such as green and orange to help teach colors.

Do you have any clever ways to serve yogurt or otherwise messy foods to toddlers? I always enjoy tips for feeding toddlers, and have been enjoying the Tyke Bites series at Texas Tales.

hugs!

Amber

P. S. Since the original writing of this post, I began using plain Greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute as a condiment (e.g. over chili, tacos, in veggie dip), to add creaminess to pasta dishes, and in baked goods. There are so many creative ways to use Greek yogurt in your family’s meals. In fact, Chobani has an entire site devoted to such recipes!

These recipes are some of our family favorites-

Greek Yogurt Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

7 Up Biscuits (for this recipe just substitute the sour cream with Greek yogurt)

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What Paintbrush?

March 2, 2014Amber 12 Comments

As much as I enjoy doing art projects with the quads, I’ve admittedly avoided them in recent months. Winter wardrobe is simply not conducive to messy art projects. However, I knew it was time to put my reservations aside and let the quads try their hand at painting with brushes for the first time. I waited until George had a day off so I had help managing the eight little hands and forty fingers. Thanks to Sesame Street, the quads are highly interested in the alphabet and letters in general. Given that, I thought it would be fun to let them paint their initials. We started with square canvases and taped off each baby’s initial with masking tape. Then, we let them go with a cup of paint and paintbrushes.

We gave each baby a square canvas with their initial taped across the top.

It took Sydney less than 30 seconds to dip her fingers into the paint and slather on some crimson lipstick. Red is not easy to pull off, but it was a good color for her. This is also the reason we use non-toxic tempera paint!

Things started out slowly with daps here and dots there.

Things started out slowly with dabs here and dots there.

It didn't take long before babies started "borrowing" paint from each other, creating some uniuqe color palates. You may notice they not only painted their canvases and the table, but also their hair!

It didn’t take long before babies started “borrowing” paint from each other, creating some unique color combinations.

You may notice they not only painted their canvases and the table, but also their hair. Mason added the most color to his hair, he loves adding “product” to his hair.

This is how everyone looked after painting their respective masterpieces. I believe Rylin was channeling Frida Kahlo.

When it was all said and done we had a gigantic mess to contend with, but it was thankfully bath night and our Bumkins smock bibs protected all clothing perfectly. Even better, the paint was easily rinsed from the bibs and they came out of the washing machine looking like new. Once the paint dried, we peeled off the tape, revealing the initials. Even though the babies weren’t quite yet skilled with paintbrushes, it was certainly good practice and a fabulous sensory experience!

Here are all of the little masterpieces. I think they turned out really cute. Now I’m just not sure where to display them.

Hugs!

Amber

And…It’s Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2014February 14, 2014Amber 4 Comments

This week I decided it was FINALLY time to wrap up everything remaining from Christmas. George nagged me enough about our Christmas card display, and I knew our thank you notes were far overdue. And…it is Valentine’s Day!

I am certainly no Emily Post, but I try to maintain proper etiquette, particularly regarding thank you notes. When someone takes time, effort, and money to purchase and wrap a gift, I want them to know it was appreciated. This year, I thought I’d diverge from our traditional hand written notes, and send electronic versions including pictures of the quads enjoying their gifts. I started strong. In the first few days following Christmas I busily snapped pictures and attached them to texts and emails thanking the gift givers. Then, it became overwhelming. I started losing track and getting confused so I gave up, leaving about half of our thank you notes undone.

After almost two months, it was high time I finish the thank you notes. I bailed on my original idea and insead reverted back to traditional hand written paper versions. Even though these would not come with pictures, I wanted the quads to add their mark. I wrote a quick note to each gift giver, then let the quads decorate with stickers and crayons. In the past, they typically ate both stickers and crayons so I partially expected a futile effort. However, the quads really enjoyed playing with stickers. I started by handing them stickers and pointing to the paper and telling them to “stick it”. It wasn’t long before they convinced me to let them peel the stickers off and place them independently. I really didn’t give them enough credit, and found our project to be relatively relaxing. They did, however, munch a few crayons in the process, leaving most of our crayons without tips.

Once we stuffed our mailbox with completed thank you notes, it was time to tackle the Christmas card display. At the beginning of the Christmas season, we hung a wooden “S” in the entryway with three strips of ribbon dangling from it, then used clothespins to attach cards as they arrived. Christmas cards are one of my favorite parts of that time of year. We get updates from our friends and family from near and far, and I enjoy looking back at them all season long. If it were up to me, we may leave them up until the next year.

As I took the pictures down, the quads were given the task of storing the clothespins in an empty wipes box (it’s not my permanent storage place for them, but it was a great toddler task). Then, I borrowed an idea from a fellow quad mom. I punched a hole in the corner of each card and put them on a ring, creating a flip book. Since the quads are interested in learning names and labels, we’ve been pointing out each person pictured as we name them. Perhaps at our next extended family gathering, or play date the quads will recognize everyone better. The best part is that our cards didn’t end up stuffed in a storage box indefinitely or worse, thrown away.

Now that Christmas is finalized, I suppose we shall take time to show our love for each other in honor of Valentine’s Day. George and I aren’t the biggest fans of Valentine’s Day so we are keeping it simple. I’m planning to pick up dinner after work, and perhaps a movie rental. I also made our favorite sugar cookies in heart shapes for each of my five Valentines.

What do you do with Christmas cards at the end of the season?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Toddler Tips: #1,120 Don’t Recycle That! (Yet)

February 11, 2014Amber 4 Comments

Thankfully, our city makes recycling simple. All we have to do is rinse our recyclables and toss them into a giant bin that we place curbside for weekly pick up. Consequently, our household waste is drastically reduced and we recycle the majority of what would otherwise be trash. Now that the quaddlers are fascinated with containers, I let them play with our clean recycleables before dropping them into the bin. As I cook dinner, I dole out the newest materials and the quads are easily occupied for 20-30 minutes. But, it doesn’t just occupy them and allow me to cook, they are working on fine motor skills as well. They open and close flip top and screw top containers, flip and tear magazine pages, stuff containers with smaller ones, and drum with kitchen spoons. Sydney’s occupational therapist would be proud of the page turning we get with magazines. (She told me that at 18 months they should be turning paper pages one at a time. We all know what they do to board books so I wasn’t letting them at paper paged books, but magazines meet the same end.) Once they are done playing, I scoop up everything and toss it into the recycle bin. Super easy! I am aware of the many toys circulating around Pinterest using these types of things as toys. However, the quads seem to enjoy the novelty that each day brings rather than using the same containers or materials again and again. Plus, four babies tend to wear out flimsy plastic and cardboard containers relatively quickly.

While I’m on the topic of recycling. I love re-purposing linen packaging, specifically the clear zip bags used for new sheets and comforters. They are ideal for storing toys with many parts. For example, the bag from our pillow shams now houses a few Lego sets, and our old Boppy Pillow bags are fantastic for storing our ball pit balls. All the small parts are contained, and the contents are visible so labels are unnecessary. Each time we have a new bag like this, I make a point to let George know it’s a keeper.

What is your favorite item to re-purpose?

hugs!

Amber

Shared Journeys

January 30, 2014Amber 9 Comments

Just over a decade ago, I anxiously toured the university where I would soon begin my graduate studies. That was the day I met Melissa. I remember her enthusiastically answering trivia questions asked by our tour guide and thinking she was far more studious than I. After all, I had no knowledge of these university factoids. Once classes began, I timidly attempted to blend into the group whereas Melissa took ownership of the front row. However, it wasn’t long before a long lasting friendship would emerge. In fact, she quickly had me sitting in the front row with her (to this day, she has me sitting in the front at conferences and work meetings).

Over the years, we’ve shared the joys and struggles of life. We endured graduate coursework followed by a year long internship. We celebrated momentous occasions including weddings, buying homes, becoming puppy parents, and then starting our own families. Melissa was a loyal friend and confident during my years of struggle with infertility and supporter during my difficult pregnancy with quads. On several occasions, I’ve chatted with fellow quad moms about how going through challenges in life help you take notice of who your true friends are. Melissa is among that group of true friends.

Just before I went on bed rest, Melissa hosted a baby shower for me.

While I was on bed rest, Melissa brought me lunch several times and kept me company (I cannot express how lonely bed rest becomes). She also helped me prepare ahead by making freezer meals.

Both of us can attest to the fact that you just never know the plans that God has in store. Shortly after purging the majority of our infant gear, Melissa sent me a message inquiring about our infant car seats. Huh??? I knew she already sold her baby gear the previous spring at a consignment sale (she has two girls, ages six and two). It didn’t take me long to figure out she was expecting TWINS! Undoubtedly, raising two plus twins will be one of the most incredible blessings and challenges for Melissa and her husband. Honestly, there are not better parents for the job, and I cannot express my excitement for them. Melissa is among my go-to girls for baby and parenting related advice and always will be on that list. While she’s a seasoned mother, I am looking forward to sharing the MoM (mother of multiples) experience with her. It seems to be another experience the two of us can muddle through- good times and bad.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of hostessing a shower for Melissa and her twin girls. Despite having now 18 month old quadruplets, I attempted to create a shower with the same attention to detail that Melissa hosted for me. Since Melissa already has two older girls, I thought a diapers and wipes shower was appropriate. I can attest to the fact that multiples go thought both of these commodities rapidly. In their first year, the quads used nearly 10,000 diapers. However, thanks to the generosity of others, we bought only a few that first year. As my gift to Melissa, I constructed a diaper cake that also served as a whimsy centerpiece. Being a novice at diaper cake building, I found a tutorial that did not involve diaper rolling. To spice it up, a bottle of champagne served as the middle of her cake. After the girls arrive (or sleep through the night), Mommy and Daddy can enjoy a celebratory toast. In addition to her cake, I created a DIY baby wipes kit so she can try her hand making baby wipes. We’ve been making our own wipes since the quads were about eight months old, and I now prefer them to commercially made versions. I sincerely believe they’ve helped prevent diaper rash. Plus, they are very inexpensive (we spend $1/ week for the quads). When I was on bed rest, and after our babies were born, I remember really enjoying freezer meals Melissa made so I also whipped up a freezer meal gift bag. One of my favorite go-to meals is crock pot chicken tacos, which I turn into chicken spaghetti on night two.

In true quad mom fashion, I began preparations several weeks in advance. It only took me at least six days to fully assemble the diaper cake, and another week to complete my table scape. I was really pleased with the outcome-

I re purposed a bland picture frame to make a decoration for the table that doubled as a gift for the nursery. It’s a bit difficult to read, but it says, “Sometimes Miracles Come in Pairs”, on the bottom corner I added the girls’ names for a personal touch. I always love gifts with by kid’s names on them.

Since the party was in the afternoon, our menu included light finger foods. I made the same pimento cheese sandwiches we had a the quad’s first birthday party. I was delighted to find a good excuse for making marshmallow pops. Thanks to melted chocolate, I made a total disaster of my kitchen, but I think they looked cute. To balance the sweet and salty flavors, I made a batch of my Great Aunt LaFay’s Oyster Crackers and edamame cranberry blend.

For a little added decor, I made a graphic listing twin trivia and put it in an ornate frame.

I wanted a little party decor in the den since that’s where the guests would congregate. My mom helped me cut scrapbook paper into triangles, and I printed black letters from a Word document that I cut out and glued to the triangles. I used a bit of soft pink tulle, tape, and clothespins to hang them. It still looked a bit plain so I added silver mesh ribbon along the top for sparkle.

When I am hostessing a party, I struggle to find the balance between social butterfly, serving others, keeping everything flowing, and taking pictures. Before the guests arrived, I snapped a few pictures of Melissa and that was it. Even though I spend the majority of my days as master juggler, I simply can’t keep up the pace at parties.

Melissa’s mom, Donna, was able to join us.

Nekedria co-hosted with me.

I am certain that if we could travel back in time ten years, Melissa and I would laugh hysterically at the thought of us having four children each. Certainly, we both wanted children, but we never could have dreamt having large families. Life is certainly a journey, which is enhanced by the people around us and I treasure Melissa’s friendship dearly.

This was our final day of internship. When I found this picture, I noticed a few interesting things. 1. Melissa & I are dressed alike in chocolate brown with khaki (I think the more time you spend with someone, the more things you do the same, and that includes dressing alike). 2. There were three specialist level interns our year (we are in the picture on the bottom with our supervisor) all three of us are now MoMs. Jenny (black shirt) has identical twin girls, I have the quads, and Melissa is now expecting twin girls.

This picture was taken on our final day of internship. When I found this picture, I noticed a few interesting things. 1. Melissa & I are dressed alike in chocolate brown with khaki (I think the more time you spend with someone, the more things you do the same, and that includes dressing alike.) 2. This picture is of the three interns and our supervisor. All three of the interns are now MoMs. Jenny (black shirt) has identical twin girls, I have the quads, and Melissa is now expecting twin girls.

Have you experienced challenges in life that helped you recognize true friendships?

Hugs!

Amber

Cookies for Santa

December 21, 2013August 13, 2014Amber 4 Comments

Last year, the when the babies were newborns, they had a surprise visit from Santa. We scored some precious pictures of Santa snuggling sleeping babies that we will treasure forever. This year, the babies are far more aware of Santa. They point him out in pictures and say “ho ho ho” whenever they spy him. That meant we needed to make sure they got to see him in person again. Yet, I was hesitant to wait in a long line with four toddlers to see the big guy and maybe get a picture. Plus, I’m still a bit nervous about germ exposure this time of year. Our dear friends, made sure seeing Santa would not be an ordeal and arranged for him to make another home visit, but this time I was prepared and had cookies for Santa awaiting his arrival.

During Icemagedon, I felt a bit crafty and found tutorials for making decorated plates using Sharpie markers and Dollar Tree plates. I combined one tutorial explaining how to do the lettering, and another explaining how to cure Sharpie onto a plate. Then I used acrylic craft paint to create lights with the babies’ thumbprints. I was very pleased with the result, and found it perfect for Santa’s visit. I also made Santa our favorite sugar cookie recipe, which was a crowd pleaser. In fact, a week later, the babies still point to the spot where the cookies were and sign, “more, please”.

After baking my piece, I was afraid the thumbprints would wash off so I added a top coat of Mod Podge as a sealant. I do NOT recommend doing this. At the end of the evening, one of our friends washed it in warm water, which melted the Mod Podge and caused peeling. The next day in an effort to “fix” it, I peeled the majority of the remaining Mod Podge off and re did the thumbprints. It is now a “surface wash with damp cloth” piece. I’m sure you could make a similar piece at a ceramics shop that’s dishwasher safe, but this was made with found materials and cost me zilch!

Before Santa arrived, I showed the babies pictures from last year and talked to them about Santa more than usual, but I still wasn’t sure how they’d react. Santa is notorious for startling toddlers. Thankfully, they greeted Santa just like every other visitor to our home, with big grins.

Keeping with last year’s tradition, we snapped individual pictures of each baby with Santa.

Rylin was the only one hesitant to sit on Santa’s lap. A cookie did the trick.

Harper

Sydney

Mason

Santa needed a little help holding all four babies so George and I joined him.

Since we were at home, the babies enjoyed playing with Santa after our obligatory pictures were snapped.

Santa couldn’t help but pinch Mason’s adorable cheeks.

Rylin eventually warmed up to Santa just like all other visitors.

As Christmas approaches, take time to enjoy your family and friends and don’t let it become a time of stress. Merry Christmas!

hugs!

Amber

Toddler Tips #14: Board Book Rehab

November 27, 2013January 13, 2014Amber 11 Comments

With each passing day, I find myself trying to solve some new challenge with raising four toddlers, aka “quaddlers”. They are a cunning lot who inspires a little ingenuity on my part (and George’s) just to manage day-to-day life. While my ideas are born from being surrounded by four toddlers, I think many of them could be helpful to any parents of little ones so I’m sharing.

Because I want the quads to develop a love of reading, I leave book baskets within their reach within in every room where they congregate. I even keep a basket of them in the kitchen so they can peruse them before and after meals. Our “basket books” are primarily ones I picked up at garage sales and Half Price Books, or were handed down. We have our special books located on high bookshelves and we take them down only when an adult can sit and read them, most often at bedtime.

When we finish a meal, I’ll often hear Rylin’s raspy voice whisper, “book” as she signs “please”. They will sometimes sit for up to 30 minutes flipping through pages of books, examining the pictures, and sometimes even asking us to label things. It warms my heart to see this.

Photographer, Christina Childress, captured this group shot during their one year photo session. This is one of my favorite photos of the quads.

However, sometimes I’m convinced that our children are part Billy Goat. They love gnawing the edges of books almost as much as they enjoy looking at them. It doesn’t matter how closely we supervise them or how often we redirect this behavior, they are toddlers and they simply chew voraciously. At first it wasn’t really a problem aside from making books a little less attractive. After a while, their books were so tattered they’d chomp of bits of them, posing a choking hazard among other things. The first few times this happened, I chucked the worst books into the garbage. Then, our collection of board books began to dwindle forcing me to look for replacements. I didn’t want to spend money on more books I knew they’d find delectable so instead began a repair process.

Here are a few of the books with chewed spines.

To fix them, I gathered our collection of Duct tape and a pair of scissors.

Voila! These books were put back into rotation. Since the repair, they have chewed the edges a little bit, but they cannot get through the Duct tape and don’t seem as interested in Duct tape as cardboard.

My desire to repair books began when they nearly finished off our copy of “Yummy Yucky”, which is a family favorite here. What is your favorite children’s book?

Hugs!

Amber