Sleep Over with Grandparents {Summer Bucket List}

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015Amber 4 Comments

When George and I received an invitation to attend the wedding reception for our friends Zak and Elizabeth, I knew it was an ideal opportunity for date night. We don’t have many excuses to get gussied up, and we take advantage of every chance we get. Nisey and Poppa agreed to babysit the quads at their house, and since it would be late, put them to bed. Thank goodness for rock star grandparents!!!

Zak and Elizabeth tied the knot in Ireland with their immediate family, but held the reception stateside in order for friends to celebrate their union. At the beginning of the reception, they played video of the ceremony on a large screen, and it was beautiful. It took me a minute, but I eventually realized the officiating priest was Father Tom who was pastor of our family’s church during my childhood. In fact, he confirmed both George and I, and baptized George. Father Tom was in attendance at the reception, and we had few minutes to catch up with him. He was amazed that our teenage romance transformed into a long-lasting marriage, and that we are now parents to quadruplets. A lot can happen in 15-20 years!

After we enjoyed all the dancing, cake, adult conversations, and beverages we could handle, it was time to head back to my parent’s house to scoop up the quaddlings. The gorgeous newlywed couple obliged us for a photo before we parted ways.

Perhaps the quads didn’t have a full fledged sleep over with Nisey and Poppa, but it was at least a “sleep under”. They spent the evening with their grandparents, and went to bed there until about midnight. Actually, only three went to sleep. To my horror, Rylin was WIDE AWAKE when we arrived to pick her up. Nisey described the many tactics attempted to help Rylin drift off to sleep, none of which worked. She did, however, fall asleep within about 10 seconds of riding in the van.

I think the quads sleep under counts as a sleep over with grandparents, thus another item checked off our summer bucket list! Plus, we got a much needed date night out of the deal. Congratulations, Zak and Elizabeth!

~~Movies~~
Sea Life Aquarium
Train ride
~~Fire station tour~~
~~Library story time~~
~~Sprayground~~
Zoo
~~Bahama Buck’s~~
~~Frozen yogurt~~
Community pool
Grill dinner outside
Water Table
~~Inflatable Pool~~
Sprinklers
Ice Cream
Indoor playgrounds
Lee’s Grilled Cheese
Blow bubbles
Chalk drawings
Board games
Play dates
Summer Reading Club
~~Dance classes~~
~~Fireworks~~
~~Sleep over with grandparents~~
Nature Walks
Bounce house
~~Popsicles~~
~~S’mores~~
~~Sparklers~~
~~Water pistol duels~~

hugs,

Amber

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The Best Gift

November 18, 2013Amber 4 Comments

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 reminded me of a middle school volleyball team photo. Notice I have super dorky bowling shoes thanks to miniature feet. I think they gave me a kid's pair.

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

Over The Summer: {Staycation}

August 26, 2013Amber 6 Comments

Believe it or not, the summer wasn’t ALL about the babies. Yes, it was mostly baby centered, but as a Father’s Day gift I arranged stay-cation for George and I. To my delight, Nisey, Grandpa, Terri, and Ed accepted the challenge to babysit overnight. Seriously, to leave four babies overnight, we needed four adults. On Father’s Day, George received a gift certificate for a date night including dinner and movie of his choice. Unbeknownst to him, we were also staying the night at the nearest Hilton, our first night away from the babies.

Since he had Cart Blanche, George chose the new Star Trek flick. I’ll be honest, I remember the television series, but have never seen it or any of the previous movies. Consequently, I had very low expectations for the movie. Fortunately, it was far better than I anticipated. Plus, I got the background on Star Trek, which means I now understand the references on the Big Bang Theory. Following the movie, we enjoyed George’s favorite cuisine, sushi, at Sushi Zushi. I am not a fan of fish or really seafood in general, but Sushi Zushi, has a wide array of vegetarian/ vegan options I enjoy.

Because going out without four babies is a rare occasion for us, George and I did a little shopping after dinner. I snagged a few deals at Gap, and then we could not resist going to Carter’s. The majority of the babies’ clothes are either hand me downs or gifts so I rarely shop for them. Before the babies were born, I took a stance that I did not want to dress them in identical outfits. Instead, I wanted to celebrate their uniqueness. I often dress them in similar colors or coordinated outfits because it looks cute in pictures, but that’s where I usually draw the line. Going into Carter’s was an “Ah ha” moment for me. Parents of multiples dress their children in identical clothing because it’s easy! Carter’s was overflowing with adorable, inexpensive clothes for girls and boys. My head literally started spinning. Choosing four outfits of similar color schemes that were not identical was nearly too much for my quad mom brain. I thought I might short circuit so grabbed a stack of options I liked and gave George final say on what we purchased. Here’s what ended up in our shopping bags-

We go out for date night and what do we do? Go shopping for baby clothes of course!

Even though I despise driving, I volunteered to drive home following our date. George became irritated with my indirect route home through a parking lot, and was puzzled when I parked the car outside the Hilton. At first, he was slightly disappointed when he realized we were staying he didn’t kiss the babies goodnight, but quickly warmed up to the idea. Even though the babies sleep well at night, sleep is a precious commodity always in short supply for us. I think we both conked out close to 10 pm. We had no chores to do or babies that needed tending, and we took full advantage of that. Naturally, we woke up at 7:15 am, right on cue. However, we did not get up to change, feed, or entertain anyone. Rather, we lazily enjoyed the morning before packing up to greet the babies back home. It may have been one night only, and near home, but our stay-cation was refreshing and much needed. Thank you, Nisey, Grandpa, Terri, and Ed for taking care of the babies overnight.