In Celebration of Fall

November 20, 2016November 20, 2016Amber Leave a comment

I really love fall with it’s crisp weather, lingering pumpkin spice scent, and rich traditions. This year Texas weather has been insanely ~~warm~~ hot so it’s been a little harder for me to get in the fall spirit. Seriously, my kids were wearing shorts last week and the air conditioner has been running. Nonetheless, I filled our home with warm fall décor in hopes fall would one day appear. We aren’t hosting Thanksgiving this year, but I decided to set our new dining table anyways. It was begging for a little splash of fall. Since having the table fully decorated, I realized it stays looking pretty and never collects random items like usual. From here on out, I think I’ll have to keep seasonal tablescapes out.

On the table, I pulled together an assortment of glass hurricanes and filled them with items I had including cranberries, wine corks, and coffee beans (the aroma is fabulous). Deco mesh and heirloom monogrammed chargers completed my table scape. To fully enjoy our fall table, we may have a family dinner there this week. I’m certain the kids would enjoy a “fancy” meal.

I kept the entry way simple with a collection of antique books, a fresh pumpkin, a framed fall printable (a gift from my friend, Amber), and a pumpkin spice candle. Did I mention I adore pumpkin spice?!?! Even with summer like heat, the scent feels like fall.

This was the first year the kids each chose their own Halloween costume and weren’t part of a theme. Long before Halloween arrived, they determined exactly what they would wear and proudly stood out as individuals- Rainbow Dash, a pirate, Rapunzel, and Spider-Man. George and I pulled together coordinated costumes, however. Complete with bowl cut wig and fitted red pants, George dressed as Howard Wolowitz while I was his wife, Bernadette from the Big Bang Theory.

Though the kids celebrated their fourth birthday this summer, we still hadn’t taken four year photos. We decided it was better late than never so we staged a fall DIY photo shoot. One of the kiddos (I won’t name names…) may not have cooperated with my Pinterest-y clothing scheme, but we managed to get some great shots and had fun taking them.

The individual photos capture each child’s personality perfectly…

Happy fall, ya’ll!

hugs,

Amber

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Buy One, Get One Free

November 1, 2015November 1, 2015Amber 3 Comments

When I was a child, my mother always made my Halloween costumes, and she was quite creative. I went through a few years of wanting to be things instead of people. Long before the invent of Pinterest, mom managed to craft costumes including a bag of M & M candies, a shocking pink Crayola Crayon, and a bunch of purple grapes. When the quads arrived, I was determined to follow her example of creating cute costumes without spending much, if any money.

When the quads were infants, Aunt CiCi made them mummy onsies. The next year, we used white t-shirts to make four of a kind playing cards. When they were two years old, we went as Noah’s Ark; the kids wore animal print clothing with coordinating ears and tails. These first few Halloweens, the quads tolerated whatever I chose for them. As threenagers they weren’t quite so complacent. In the weeks leading up to Halloween, the excitement over the holiday began. Throughout the day they’d inform me what costume they intended to wear, which primarily consisted of favorite television show characters. Feeling defeated, I decided I would take them to Target to choose their own costumes (gasp!) Much to my delight, Target was running a buy one, get one free sale on children’s Halloween costumes. If I was going to fork out cash for Halloween costumes, at least I’d get them for a bargain.

After cruising the crowded costume aisles several times over, each child chose their own costume. I could hardly contain my excitement when they managed to coordinate with one another as superheroes: Supergirl, Captain America, and Spiderman. Proving the purchase was worthwhile, the quads wore their costumes nearly everyday after we brought them home. And, I believe they will continue wearing them throughout the year.

Mason wasn’t keen on the Spidey mask so I found a Spiderman baseball hat at Target for him to wear instead. Rylin added her own flare to her costume by adding a sparkling tiara. Harper and Sydney were excited that they were compliments to one another.

Our neighborhood is the perfect place for trick or treating. As soon as the sun begins setting, families clad in Halloween costumes begin lining the sidewalks. Homeowners (or kind relatives) perch on the driveways sharing treats while spooky music fills the air. There are so many trick or treaters, most people realize that closing the front door is a fruitless effort. Some families leave a clever note and basket of treats on the porch while they enjoy the festivities for themselves.

The quads had a hard time understanding the concept of taking only one treat from a bucket so I had to keep an eye on them.

Sometimes the treats looked so yummy, we had to stop walking to nosh on one.

Once we were back at the house, the kids began tearing through their treat buckets for goodies. We let them choose a few favorites before confiscating the haul. Sneakily, we distracted them by charging them with passing out treats for our visitors.

How did you spend your Halloween night?

Hugs!

Amber

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Four of a Kind

November 1, 2013Amber 8 Comments

Sometime after discovering we were expecting quads, George researched statistics and determined the chances of conceiving quadruplets to be about one in a million. We joked that we hit the “baby lottery”. George actually bought a lotto ticket, hoping we’d win the state lottery, but no avail. We’ve always considered having quadruplets to be a “win”. Keeping that in mind, I thought of the quad’s Halloween costume last year- Four of a Kind. Actually…I’m not sure I thought of it myself. Four of a Kind is relatively common for quadruplets because In poker, four of a kind is also known as “quads”. Anyways, I had my heart set on Four of a Kind last year, but the babies were too small for it. This year they were just the right size.

To bring this idea to life, I picked up a package of Hanes toddler undershirts and black and red duck fabric. George stenciled the suits and A’s onto the fabric, which we cut out. Because I have zero sewing ability, we enlisted our friend, Marianne, to help us with that part. She did a beautiful zig-zag stitch that should last long enough for several future generations of quadruplets to enjoy. (Thank you, Marianne!!!)

I’m sure everyone is tired of hearing this, but taking a picture of four active toddlers together is nearly impossible! We busted out the baby Adirondack chairs to contain them, but Mason kept escaping.

I’ve never been one to dress up on Halloween, but this year, I really wanted to do go all with our theme. I went onto Amazon and scored a Poker Dealer’s hat and arm bands for George, but was a bit puzzled about what I should wear. While perusing Amazon for George’s accessories, I noticed that the female counterpart to Poker Dealer was “Lady Luck”. Being a spendthrift, I wasn’t about to drop any cash on ordering a costume. Instead, I rifled through my own closet to pull something together. I think it turned out pretty well.

Four of a Kind wouldn’t be complete without a Poker Dealer and Lady Luck! It’s hard to see in the photo, but my hair clip is made of tiny playing cards (all aces) and poker chips.

Once our obligatory pictures were snapped, we set out for our very first excursion as Trick or Treaters. Thankfully, Nisey and our friend, Terri, joined us. The quads are all capable walkers, but they aren’t terribly efficient yet.

Just getting out the door posed a challenge for quaddlers.

Our first stop was across the street to Kent’s house. There, a huge bowl of peanut butter cups beckoned the quads, but they were hesitant to take any. Eventually Sydney gingerly chose a piece and the boys joined her.

Rylin protested choosing any candy and instead clung to Nisey.

Rylin, hon the other hand, protested choosing any candy and instead clung to Nisey.

Once we collected our fair share of peanut butter cups, we traveled to our next door neighbor, Kim’s house. There, Harper and Rylin had a blast picking Tootsie Rolls from her bucket and handing them to George. This ended up being our final stop as Trick or Treating was hard work this year.

Kim snuggled Sydney while the others picked through the candy bucket.

Each time Harper spied a bowl of candy a mischievous look swept over his face.

Each year, George prides himself in being the most decorated house on the block and this year was no exception. He laced our bushes with bright orange, purple, and lime lights, hung large letters reading “BOO” from our porch, and giant spiders crawling in our bushes. I didn’t snap a picture this year, but it looked similar to last Halloween. A few years ago, George and I grew weary of popping up from the sofa to dole out candy to voracious Trick or Treaters. Not to mention, it drove our fur babies insane hearing the door bell ring and rapping on the door. We began putting a baby gate in our doorway and posting up in the dining room. That allowed us to enjoy our traditional Halloween dinner (chili dogs and chips) while we greeted little spooks. Our usual plan worked perfectly for the quads. They had a fantastic time playing in an otherwise forbidden part of our home while also checking out all the visitors through the window.

Every year, George insists on putting skeleton bones out as part of his decor. I absolutely loathe the horrid things, but it’s a losing battle for me. George let the quads play with them and it looked a little grisly.

Lily took her role as official family greeter and hopped up at the edge of the gate with each new wave of Trick or Treaters.

Even though four babies toddled around the foyer and hundreds of kids visited us, Sasha found it fitting for a siesta.

When I was a kid, mom always made a pumpkin shaped cake of two bundt cakes. She made it once again for the quads.

What do you think the quads should be next year for Halloween?

Hugs!

Amber

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