Please, don’t judge my mom…I dress MYSELF.

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015Amber 17 Comments

When Rylin was an infant I recognized her strong will and desire for independence. I also knew she came by it honestly. I recall the countless mornings I went to school sniffling and splotchy because I was dissatisfied with my clothing, breakfast, lunch, or whatever. I also recall asking my mother repeatedly to re-fix my hair because it wasn’t “right”. Bless my mother…she’d style my hair only for me to pull it out and ask for a do over. In various states of frustration with my bull-headed behavior she’d occasionally mutter, “I hope you have a little girl just like you someday.” That little girl is the sunshine in my life and one of my greatest challenges. Because I relate to her, I struggle.

Since she has well developed verbal skills, Rylin asserts her opinions easily. She has an opinion about every. single. thing. I love getting a little insight, really I do. Except when it comes to wardrobe. This is a VERY sore subject here. Around age two, each of the quads started expressing opinions about clothes and a desire for independence. They no longer willingly wore what I chose for them. As much as I love choosing their clothes, I recognized that they needed a little independence in the area. I began offering them 2-3 choices in the morning. I’d hang the options on the dresser and they’d pick one. It worked beautifully. They got a tiny bit of control, but on my terms.

It wasn’t long before my 2-3 choice system wasn’t going to work with Rylin. I’d offer the choices and she’d have an immediate meltdown demanding something specific from her closet. I tried very hard to stick to my guns on this one. I was NOT going to let a two year old rule the roost. The harder I dug my heels in, the bigger the meltdowns became. Clearly, met my match. There were many days, I had to leave the room exasperated. I maintained the Love and Logic technique if the child doesn’t make a choice within 10-15 seconds, the parent chooses. It was awful. I’d wrangle her squirmy, angry self into an outfit of my choosing and she’d ~~sulk~~ scream like a banshee for the next hour. After repeating this process many times, George started taking over. He’d go in, remove my options and let her have full reign of the closet. Oh the little spunky one had a blast with Daddy’s method. She was elated, but this wasn’t a good solution to the problem. I felt that it undermined the boundaries I set and gave her opportunities to choose inappropriate clothing (e.g. wrong season, formal attire, ect). After I had time to reconsider, I came up with a new plan.

Instead of offering just 2-3 choices, I designated areas within the girls closet and let Rylin mix and match her outfit independently. Since the girls don’t wear the same size, their closet is divided into quadrants: 1. top left is Sydney’s dressy clothes 2. top right is Rylin’s dressy clothes 3. bottom left is Sydney’s play clothes 4. bottom right is Rylin’s play clothes.

When it’s time for Rylin to choose an outfit, she starts by picking a shirt from her play clothes rack that she can reach. (Her dressy clothes are strategically placed out of reach so she’s less likely to try choosing one. I also removed summer clothes). Next, she goes to her drawer and chooses a pair of pants, which she almost always pairs with a tutu. Most of the time I cringe at her fashion sense, but who am I to decide what goes together? As long as her clothes are appropriate for the situation and weather I do not interfere. She is still given boundaries, but also freedom to choose for herself. I feel it is important for kids, even toddlers to have opportunities to feel empowered. Clothing can be that type of opportunity for Rylin.

On occasion, after getting dressed, Rylin proclaims, “This isn’t working”. If this is the case, she is allowed to change once. I get it, sometimes things just don’t work together, don’t fit anymore, or don’t feel comfortable. George can attest to the fact that I do the same thing….I try on various pairings before finalizing an outfit 95% of the time.

Behold a signature Rylin outfit complete with mismatched patterns, colors, and textures accessorized with high top converse and a crimson tutu. She is undeniably pleased with her own clothing choices and we have significantly fewer meltdowns. Should you see Rylin in her quirky attire, grin at her and know it was her choice. Plus, she’s so proud of herself!

The only thing I have left to do, is fill babysitters in on the clothing boundaries for Rylin….she hoodwinked several into letting her choose formal attire. Once she convinced our friends to let her change from her original outfit into Sydney’s keepsake dress from our family photos. (I since learned to store keepsakes a little better so she doesn’t even consider them.)

Though Rylin’s strong will can be a parenting challenge, George and I see her many strengths and know it’s evidence her future is bright. This girl is destined to do something great.

What did you do as a child that challenged your parents?

hugs!

Amber

High Tea

January 5, 2015June 7, 2015Amber 7 Comments

The past week was drizzly cold one and we had four sick toddlers held hostage in the house. Whining reached epic proportions (not just the kids…parents included). Desperate to change the pace without actually leaving, I set up high tea for lunch one day. The quads received a lovely ceramic tea set from Aunt CiC this Christmas and this was just the occassion. She scored the set at a local Asian market for $1 per piece, which was a brilliant idea because I know it’s food safe and we can add pieces later if needed.

While the quads watched an episode of Sesame Street, I prepped a meal fit for tea. I created a spread of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, sliced strawberries, and veggie straws. I also made a small kettle of lemon honey decaf tea (the best stuff for scratchy, sore throats!). For new scenery, I set the kid-sized table in the playroom with all the needed accoutrements for tea. Although the tea set was inexpensive, I was admittedly nervous someone might decide to chuck a dish or two; eating at the kid table would mean a shorter distance to the floor.

Once Sesame Street wrapped up, I invited the quads to join me for high tea. I explained that we were using our special tea set from Aunt CiCi and it could break if anyone did not respect it. I emphasized that all dishes were to stay on the table and needed delicate care. Eight doe brown eyes stared into mine as they nodded in agreement. I still wasn’t sure how this would go.

Teatime proved magical! All four cheerily noshed on their meal while politely sipping tea. Not an hour before they were wallowing in misery, tears, and snot. Teatime also turned into a great opportunity to practice manners. Since I poured only a sip or two worth of tea into the cups so they had to request more by saying, “more tea please”.

My low appetite kids managed to scarf three peanut butter sandwiches, a pint of berries, and several handfuls of veggie straws, all washed down with four cups of tea. Getting sick kids to eat is a win in it’s own right! Our impromptu tea party went so swimmingly that we held another today, and it went equally well. I think tea parties may become part of our TLC routine when everyone is sick. It certainly brightened everyone’s glum spirits.

As an added bonus, tea cups were great open cup practice. Everyone did very well sipping, and not one drop of tea touched the floor. Only two of the four dribbled onto their clothing, but it was minimal.

What is your favorite way to nurse a cold? I used to love it when my mom made buttery baked potatoes with iced Sprite.

hugs!

Amber

PS- If you can’t get enough of Four to Adore, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

The Reason for the Season

December 22, 2014Amber 6 Comments

When my parents first got married, Mom worked at a Hallmark store. While she worked there, she bought a small nativity set, which she used every Christmas while we were growing up. When my sister and I were little, we had a grandiose Barbie Dream house, but Barbie found her home empty at Christmas. At the time Mattel did not manufacture families for Barbie. I think it was just Barbie, Ken, and Skipper. At Christmastime we would take Baby Jesus from the nativity and he would serve as Barbie’s baby. I guess he was sort of a foster child staying with Barbie and Ken for the month of December. He did a beautiful job as Barbie’s baby and we generally got him back into his manger before Christmas. However, at some point with all of our shenanigans, he went missing. Of course, you can’t have a nativity without Baby Jesus so my mom removed the wings from the little cherub who resembled Baby Jesus and put him in the manger instead. The cherub sort of looked like Baby Jesus, but he didn’t fit quite right in the manger and looked awkward. Mom used the nativity with the cherub sitting in for Baby Jesus for years; I think always complaining about how we lost Baby Jesus.

One year Mom found a gorgeous jewel-toned nativity set at Bombay and Company and decided she didn’t need her incomplete nativity anymore. By then I was in college and had my first apartment. Mom gave me her old nativity since I didn’t have one, and I happily accepted it. I soon discovered that Mom’s vintage nativity was actually a Fontanini set from Italy and they continued to make pieces for it. I found a replacement Baby Jesus in a department store and added him to the nativity. This new figurine was a Baby Jesus, but with his newness he didn’t fit in with the old nativity set quite right either.

When Dad was putting the Christmas decorations back into the attic that year, he saw something tiny glimmering between two rafters. He shined a flashlight on the tiny object and discovered it was the original Baby Jesus. As it turned out, we had not lost Baby Jesus after all. He was in our house all along and right over head for all those years. I like to tell this story at this time of year because it is a reminder that He never leaves us alone even when we feel forgotten or forsaken. It is also a message that I kept close to my heart during our struggles with infertility, and still do as we take on the everyday challenges of raising quadruplets.

This December has been joy filled with the quads learning about Christmas traditions and celebrating the season. They’ve learned Christmas carols, watched holiday movies, and visited Santa. We’ve crafted all sorts of festive decorations from gingerbread men to reindeer. If you’ve been following us on Facebook or Twitter, you may have seen Bop’s (our scout elf) various locations in our house.

All of those secular traditions are fun, but we haven’t let them overshadow the true reason for the season. This year, we spent time reading toddler books about the first Christmas and showed the quads our Fontanini nativity set. They’ve rearranged the nativity a few times, but have been good about leaving it on the burlap, which helps me keep tabs on Baby Jesus.

It was Harper’s idea to move the kitchen footstool to the den so he could get a better view of the nativity. I thought it was clever, and I’ve been proud of his self-restraint in looking at the nativity. Sometimes two of the quads will share the stool and look at the nativity together.

Since I’m not exactly encouraging the quads to play with our family nativity, I was happy when I found a Melissa & Doug toddler’s nativity set. This one is wooden and durable so they can manipulate and arrange as they like.

Despite making several Christmas crafts, I kept coming up short when it came to an age-appropriate nativity craft until my friend, Amber shared hers last week. (Don’t forget to stop by her blog, Texas Tales for a more detailed description of the craft and other toddler nativity books). It’s very simple and ideal for toddlers. I printed Baby Jesus coloring pages and let the quads color them. Then, I dotted glue onto the manger and asked the quads to place snips of rafia over the dots. For a special touch, we also glued a star on the top of the page.

May you find love, peace, and hope this year. Merry Christmas!

Hugs,

Amber

Annual Sit with Santa

December 7, 2014Amber 7 Comments

When the quads were infants, we were on lock down due to their premature immune systems. Although I wanted them to have keepsake pictures with Santa, it wasn’t worth the risk of taking them out in public. Even lock down couldn’t keep Santa away from the babies. He surprised us with a visit and we captured some adorable keepsake pictures.

Last year, we were still hesitant to take them to wait in long lines and still had lingering fears of germs. Santa was kind enough to drop by our house for a second visit.

I think we’ll always worry a little about germs (the mere thought of FOUR sick kids is horrible), but we are letting go of them to experience the world. This evening they had an opportunity to visit with Santa at our mothers of multiples Christmas party. I’ve seen the classic kids wailing on Santa’s lap pictures, and wondered what the quads would do this year. They didn’t grin for the camera, but not one tear was shed. They treated Santa just like everyone else we meet.

Santa wasn’t satisfied with just visiting the children, and insisted Mom and Dad have a chat too.

Hugs,

Amber

Gateway Church Southlake {A Spot to Visit with Tots}

December 5, 2014December 7, 2014Amber 2 Comments

I’ve found that everyone’s mood and behavior is always best when we play outdoors at least 30 minutes daily. However, sometimes winter weather puts a damper on outdoor play. I’ve been searching for indoor options to help keep everyone active. Thanks to our local mothers of multiples groups, we’ve discovered several fabulous indoor play areas. Many of our local churches maintain indoor play areas that are free and open to the public. This week, we joined our mothers of multiples group for a play date at the Children’s Indoor Play Area at Gateway Church Southlake. Someone counted 19 children and seven moms with our group. It was a nice turnout! The quads had a great time playing in this cheerful, bubble themed play area. I was grateful that my friend, Kristin, tagged along to help me watch all four.

Location:

700 Blessed Way

Southlake, Texas 76092

Hours:

8 am – 8 pm weekdays

Cost:

FREE!!!

Favorite Features:

Did I mention it’s FREE???

Since the play area is indoors, it’s climate controlled and clean.

The play area includes several ride on toys (e.g. train, ark) that do not require coins to operate. There are small climb on toys for young toddlers and a large climber and slide for older children.

Tips:

The entrance to the children’s play area is on the north side of the church. Look for the signs and you can park close to the entry.

Shoes cannot be worn in the play area, so be sure your kids are wearing socks.

Sydney and Mason were the only ones brave enough to climb to the top of the play area. Sydney had so much fun, I had to go up and get her down myself.

The boys got plenty of practice taking turns driving the coveted fire engine.

Rylin did not care for the larger climbing area and instead took refuge on this pack of gum.

If you aren’t in the Dallas Fort Worth area, chances are local churches in your area have similar play areas. Ask around! There are several other indoor play areas we plan to try this season.

hugs!

Amber

Bass Pro Shops {A Spot to Visit with Tots}

November 23, 2014Amber Leave a comment

Over the course of the week a pesky cold was passed from one family member to another, and successfully kept us confined indoors. In fact, Mason missed his dental visit due to said cold. Yesterday as everyone was on the mend, a thunderstorm rolled successfully holding us hostage. Everyone (including me) was cranky and unpleasant. We needed to go somewhere to restore our spirits. There don’t seem to be many Thanksgiving family activities, but Christmas festivities are already in full force. After cruising the Fort Worth Mom’s Blog for places to visit, I found a thorough listing of holiday venues. Since Thanksgiving has not yet been celebrated, I could not bring myself to go all in on the Christmas cheer, but settled on taking the kids to the Bass Pro Shops.

Location:

Bass Pro Shops are available nationwide, check here for the location nearest to you

Hours:

November 15 – December 24 during normal store hours

Cost:

All activities are FREE! Santa’s wonderland includes kid friendly crafts, games, a carousel ride, and a visit from the jolly old man himself. Bass Pro Shops provide a complimentary 4 x 6 photo with Santa. You may choose to purchase a complete package of photos with Santa or you can take snap shots with your own camera as well.

Favorite Features:

What’s not to love about FREE family entertainment?

The quads enjoyed taking a spin on the carousel. Since all children under 42″ must be accompanied by an adult, three of our littles enjoyed their ride from Santa’s sleigh allowing me to supervise all of them.

Harper apparently felt slightly intimidated by the ride, but once it was in motion he settled down. The fear of the unknown tends to get the better of him.

After taking a spin on the carousel, George demonstrated how to drive a remote control monster truck in the toy testing area.

We weren’t willing to brave the line to visit Santa (and I just don’t like the idea of seeing Santa before Thanksgiving), but we did check out the aquarium.

Tips:

If you plan on visiting Santa, see one of his elves first. They have passes to get into the line at specific times, which will reduce your wait time.

Don’t forget to bring your own camera in case you’d like to snap pictures with Santa yourself.

Our trip to the Bass Pro Shops was a success in decreasing the tension and brightening our day.

After we celebrate Thanksgiving, I’d like to enjoy several of the local holiday scenes around town. I’m really looking forward to celebrating our Christmas traditions with the quads since they can understand them now.

What are you hoping to do or see this season?

Hugs!

Amber

Divide & Conquer

November 20, 2014November 20, 2014Amber 1 Comment

At the quads two-year well visit, our pediatrician encouraged us to take the quads to a pediatric dentist. We had so many appointments due in the summer, I put the dental visit off. I finally scheduled an appointment for all four, and made sure it was a day when George was off work. The week prior to the appointment, I read a Bernstein Bears book about going to the dentist and practiced looking at the quad’s teeth. I also showed them pictures of some of our quad buddies at the dentist. These kids were going to be prepared! The evening before the appointment, Mason was fussy and his eyes were a little glassy. We put him to bed with Benedryl thinking it was seasonal allergies.

By morning, Mason was moaning. Under the cover of darkness, I got him out of bed and immediately knew he had fever. I padded to the bathroom for an official temperature check. The Exergen delivered the news- 101.5. Fever. Without much thought, I started pouring Advil into our Elmo dispenser. All of this and I didn’t notice Mason looked like this:

The poor kid looked awful. I wanted to believe it was seasonal allergies, but fever indicated otherwise. Mason wasn’t going to the dentist. As our 9:30 dental appointment approached I started troubleshooting. I thought I’d haul the three healthy ones to the dentist and leave George at home with Mason. I figured with a twin stroller I could contain two kids while leaving one free for an exam. It would be hard but totally workable. What I didn’t realize is that George wanted take the kids to their first dental appointment. Yet, sending George with all three didn’t sound like a good idea. It was time for the ‘ol divide and conquer play.

George took Sydney and Harper first while I kept the other two. According to George, both kids opened their mouths and let the dentist check their teeth. Sydney appeared most at ease so x- rays were attempted, but she wouldn’t stay still long enough. Nonetheless, both got to choose a prize and new toothbrush.

The dentist snapped this picture of George with Sydney and Harper.

Once George, Sydney, and Harper were back home, I loaded Rylin into the van. Though it wasn’t my original plan, I really enjoyed taking just one child to the dentist. Rylin lapped up the attention. In the waiting room, Rylin chatted up other parents telling them about her pink and gold beaded necklaces and fluffy boots. Upon meeting the dentist, Rylin willingly opened her mouth for an exam and sat with the dentist. Her favorite part of the visit was getting a pink princess toothbrush then choosing a fairy wand from the treasure box. She also chose on Mason’s behalf, and we rescheduled his appointment.

When we got home it was time for Mason to take another dose of Benedryl and Advil. He wasn’t too keen on the idea so I gave him a straw. He slurped it as if it were juice. Before bed, I gave him a curly straw, which he really appreciated. I think I’m onto something here.

The ol’ divide and conquer play worked out well. Everyone will revisit the dentist in six months and will hopefully tolerate a cleaning.

Hugs!

Amber

Proud Mama Moment

November 13, 2014November 13, 2014Amber 14 Comments

Yesterday was the coldest day of the season by far. Temperatures were near freezing and the wind was gusting at about 65 miles per hour. It was bitter cold (at least by Texas standards). Yet, we opted to continue with our scheduled Christmas card photo session outdoors. I layered everyone up with thermal onsies and warm socks, but it was far cooler than I imagined. The quads fussed a little during the session, but did really well. Our photographer offered to take a few extra shots at her in-home studio in case the outdoor ones didn’t turn out. Everyone had noticeably red noses and hands. We gladly accepted this offer, just in case the others were bad. Naturally, everything took longer than we expected. Traffic was brutal, we got stuck behind a sluggish train, and situating indoor lighting took time. What we planned on taking one hour ended up running right past dinner time. After the photo shoot, everyone was getting hangry (hungry + angry) and there was nothing quick to serve at home. We stopped by our favorite Thai restaurant and crossed our fingers no one would expire.

While we awaited the arrival of our food, the quads played in the toddler area and befriended another little girl. When dinner was finally ready, everyone noshed happily and cleaned their plates.

As we were wrapping up our meal a couple approached us. The woman leaned in towards us and said, “Your family is beautiful!” I beamed a little bit. Then she said, “I just have to ask…” My heart sank. What was she going to ask??? What did she feel compelled to ask at our dinner table? Would it be one of the many curious, yet often intrusive questions we hear? Our skin is getting thicker, and we are accustomed to reactions we get while out in public, but rude commentary still stings. I held my breath just a bit as she continued, “Are they two sets of twins?” WHEW! Not bad. At all. I kindly replied, “Actually they are one set of quads.” Instead of prying or asking 20 more questions, the woman simply added, “Well, they are exceptionally well-behaved. You are doing a great job”. It made my day!

At home, we work very had to teach the quads appropriate behavior. They are two so they have plenty of tantrums, disobedience, and sibling scuffles. A lot of these things, actually. When we are away from home they do an exceptional job of demonstrating their good behavior. It makes the effort worthwhile, and it makes me proud of them.

What was a proud moment for you?

hugs,

Amber

Japanese Gardens {Spot to Visit with Tots}

November 3, 2014Amber 3 Comments

With four curious toddlers, we are making an effort to get out of the house a few times week, and to visit somewhere new as much as possible. Too much time spent at home often results in stir crazy toddlers and haggard parents. It’s an ordeal just to load the van, but outings are always worthwhile, they refresh all of us. When George had a recent holiday from work we took a field trip to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens- Japanese Garden

Location:

3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.
Fort Worth, TX 76107

Hours:

Daylight Savings Time

Monday – Sunday 9:00 am – 7:00 pm

Standard Time

Monday – Sunday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Cost:

Adults $5.00
Senior (65 and over) $4.50
Child (4-12) $3.00
Under 3 Free

Favorite Features:

The Koi ponds are by far our favorite part of the Japanese Garden. The quads had a fabulous time watching them and of course feeding them.

The entire garden is serene and relaxing.

Tips:

Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy somewhere in the garden.

The garden is stroller friendly so bring one along if you have young toddlers who may tire easily.

I didn’t dress everyone warmly enough, but fleece blankets from the van made for cozy stroller rides.

The quads had a blast stopping at each Koi pond to for a feeding frenzy.

This spot was my favorite for feeding the Koi because the concrete wall created a nice barrier between the little people and the water.

Look carefully, and you’ll notice the water droplets all over Harper’s face. He got in the Koi pond splash zone!

This bench proved to be ideal for our picnic. We had a serene view of the Koi pond and a nice place to sit.

If you are a Dallasite or Cowtown family, what are some of your favorite places to visit?

Hugs!

Amber

Read This, Made That {Cheesecloth Ghost}

October 31, 2014Amber Leave a comment

In Say Boo!, Ben the ghost is practicing his scariest “boo” for Halloween night, but it comes out mixed up most of the time. In case you were wondering, ghosts don’t say “moo” or “coo”, they say, “Boo!” Even though we already made wispy ghosts, another ghost craft was in order for this story.

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at cheese cloth ghosts, but never attempted them. I found simple directions at One Good Thing by Jillie to try. I created a form using ball pit balls taped to paper towel rolls, which I secured onto paper plates. Then, I covered the form with two layers of cheesecloth. The quads helped by spraying the cheesecloth with liquid starch until they were soaked. I set our soppy figures in the sun to try for 24 hours. The next day, I dotted glue on the tops of the forms and let the quads stick googly eyes and oval mouths on them. I think they are adorable! In fact, I’ll try to pack them up to use for next year’s decor.