An Answer for Everything

January 23, 2016Amber 4 Comments

@FourtoAdore.com

I am constantly impressed with Rylin’s quick responses to life’s little conundrums. For three years old her insight is impeccable though sometimes a tad sassy.

When we entered the playgroup with our local school district, the teacher greeted the girls.

Teacher: “Rylin & Sydney you look so pretty in your purple clothes, and your nails are painted to match!”

Rylin: “Actually, my nails are fuchsia.” (and of course she was correct!)

Teacher: “I think she’s mastered colors.”

When Grandaddy and Aunt Carol were babysitting, Grandaddy was going to the grocery store. Harper begged to go too.

Grandaddy: “Harper, you can’t go because I don’t have a car seat for you.”

Rylin: “Next time, you could ask my mom and dad to leave a car seat so he can go.”

At birthday party another child spilled a cup full of water, which spread all over the table.

Rylin: “Little kids probably shouldn’t have open cups.”

Oh how this little lady is keeping us on our toes. She’s attentive to everything around her and is listening even when you think she’s not…

hugs!

Amber

Psst…If you enjoy keeping up with Four to Adore, check our pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for the latest.

Peppermint Mocha

January 14, 2016January 14, 2016Amber Leave a comment

@FourtoAdore.com

During the holiday season we took the kids to Starbucks for a hot cocoa date and ordered a peppermint mocha for the adults. When Sydney batted her big brown eyes and begged for a sip, Daddy obliged. Her thoughts on the beverage….

“Mmmm, coffee! It tastes like chocolate toothpaste!”

A toothpaste flavored beverage doesn’t sound particularly enjoyable to me, but Sydney seemed to enjoy it, and I thought it was a good peppermint mocha.

What will these kids say next?!?!

hugs,

Amber

Quadruplets Quoted

January 8, 2016January 7, 2016Amber 1 Comment

@FourtoAdore.com

The kids have been rather gregarious for a while now, but in recent days they’ve been coming up with some hysterical and sometimes heartwarming material. In fact, I purchased a blank journal for each of them and have done my best to jot down our favorite quotes. If you follow us on Facebook, you may have seen a few cute ones posted.

This gem comes from Harper.

Harper was busily playing with his rescue vehicles when he announced,

Harper: “Mom! The fire truck and ambulance are having a baby!”

Me: “Oh really…What kind of baby?” (I was thinking boy or girl)

Harper: “They had a train!”

@FourtoAdore.com

Harper and the happy new family!

@FourtoAdore.com

Happy Friday! Stay tuned for more quadruplets quoted…

hugs,

Amber

Pssst….If you enjoy keeping up with Four to Adore, don’t forget to subscribe to this blog and have the latest posts delivered directly to your inbox.

Four Christmases

December 30, 2013Amber 6 Comments

The Christmas season has always been one of my favorite times of year, largely because it’s the time when we carve out time to spend with our extended family. With the exception of last year (baby lock down), George and I have paraded from one gathering to another, often within a day’s time in order to make several Christmases happen. George and I both recall a painful year when we stopped by THREE homes in a single day! While we enjoy all of our family togetherness, that was a bit much. Thankfully, our family has become more flexible with celebration dates and we spread our four Christmases over a week’s time. It was far more relaxing that way and we never felt rushed to leave one home to arrive at the next. Not to mention the fact, the notion of toting quadruplet toddlers to more than one place in a day is rather daunting.

#1 Saturday, December 21st

We kicked off our Four Christmas Extravaganza at our house with my parents, sister, and her boyfriend. Typically, we do this at my parent’s house. However, we changed venue so the adults could enjoy time together sans quads after 8:00 pm. Our plan worked seamlessly. When the quads were awake, we enjoyed non-stop gift opening-snack munching action. Sydney maintained her reputation for being a pepper belly when she begged for spicy queso and gobbled it up repeatedly. The other three seemed to be bottomless pits for all things sweet. Once the clock struck eight, the quaddlers drifted off to sleep as the rest of us leisurely opened gifts.

Grandpa made the grave mistake of opening a snack in the den where the quads could see him. He attracted four beggars in seconds. If you look carefully, you may notice Lily on the far right. The dogs weren’t going to miss an opportunity for snacks.

The quads found the value of teamwork when opening a train set from Aunt CiCi. The wrapping paper and ribbon proved to be the most entertaining part of the gift. They became experts and paper ripping, but rarely paid attention to the treasure beneath. I told everyone they would have been pleased with empty boxes, that’s toddlers for you!

Of the many snapshots of our whole family, I thought this one was the best. I am seemingly ignoring the chaos behind and around me to make sure my smile was just right.

Of the many snapshots of our whole family, I thought this one was the best. Mom, Cici, and I are all seemingly ignoring the quad chaos to make sure we looked just right.

#2 Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, George’s family joined us at our house. This time, we digressed from the usual Christmas dinner fare (e.g. ham, green bean casserole, rolls…) and served breakfast for dinner. George made Belgium waffles, bacon, and scrambled eggs while I served up fresh fruit with marshmallow dip and hash brown casserole. It may become our new family tradition because there were NO leftovers. This was a meal even the quadlets devoured.

We unearthed our tripod from the back of our closet in order to take a group photo. My camera took exactly one photo before the battery died. At least we got this one!

After my camera battery died, I snapped a couple of photos from my phone before it’s battery life also ended. Great planning on my part.

#3 Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, we traveled to my parent’s house to be with my Dad’s family. The quadruplets seemed to steal the show and enjoyed spending time with their older cousins, especially the twins and their older sister. I was pleased the quads had a second opportunity to wear their Christmas outfits from Nisey and Grandpa.

Upon our arrival, the quads enjoyed a bit of Shrek while we unloaded the van. Their love seat time lasted approximately two minutes.
GG got a snuggle with Mason while GG Paw had Harper.

The older twin boys proved to be great at entertaining our quad boys while big cousin, Kenzie enjoyed time with the girls.

We got a little creative with the quads mealtime arrangement and made good use of our old Super Seat trays. The babies found these old toys to be exciting again.

#4 December 28th

We rounded up our Four Christmas Extravaganza at my Uncle Dale and Aunt Terri’s house with my mom’s family. There, we maintained our family tradition of a Tex Mex meal followed gift opening mayhem and a smorgasbord of family favorite desserts. I think we have a new favorite sweet treat that I’ll make next year- Chocolate Mint Bark. If you like Thin Mints, this is for you!

All of the cousins had a blast playing in the unseasonably warm weather outdoors just before dinner. Seth and Ryan’s batting cage was ideal for corralling quadruplets!

My uncle, Dale, thought it would be a nice change to have our entire 27 person clan eating Christmas dinner at one table. He and my Aunt Terri made his vision come to fruition in their garage with several banquet tables and many, many chairs. There was even space for the quads to join us.

Uncle thought it would be a nice change to have our entire 27 person clan eating Christmas dinner at one table. He and my Aunt Terri made his vision come to fruition in their garage with several banquet tables and many, many chairs. There was even space for the quads to join us.

Unbelievably, Harper was caught snuggling Uncle Dale! Sydney begged for guacamole and queso from Grandma, and big cousin Taylor gave each of the quads some quality individual time.

Unbelievably, Harper was caught snuggling Uncle Dale! Seriously, Harper is generally as snugly as a crocodile.
Sydney begged for guacamole and queso from Grandma, and big cousin Taylor gave each of the quads some quality individual time.

Clearly, if you want to be in a photo, it’s wise to grab a baby!

I must admit, celebrating Four Christmases is absolutely exhausting, and I believe we may still be in recovery. However, we feel fortunate to have so many relatives to visit. Time with them is precious and fleeting. How did you spend the holidays this year?

Hugs!

Amber

Happy Friday!

November 22, 2013Amber 5 Comments

I have all sorts of things I want to write about and plenty of stories to share, but at the moment I’m totally exhausted. It took forever to capture the quads dance moves, but I got a few clips to create a montage. Apparently the soulful sounds of J. D. McPherson really get them jazzed up and inspire the best dance moves, and it doesn’t hurt to ask them for “their moves”. I hope it brightens your Friday.

hugs!

Amber

Shawver Shenanigans

October 20, 2013Amber 2 Comments

Shawver Shenanigans

When I review the snapshots taken in a week’s time, it’s apparent that our lives are full of shenanigans, but that is what enriches us and makes life full of JOY! It’s a clear reminder why God thought quadruplets were just right for our family. Here are some of my favorite outtakes from last week-

1. Sydney is a stealthy climber, she did this when I turned my back.

2. Harper is all boy, and an aspiring super hero. He turned his bib into a cape at lunch.

3. Mason learned how to strip his pants off during nap this week. At first, I thought it was a fluke, but he repeated the process two more times so I let him sleep sans pants. He hasn’t figured out how to open the tabs on his diaper, but it’s only a matter of time. Duct tape may soon become a fashion accessory for Mason.

4. This is pretty much the scene before all meals. As we load the babies into the quad table, those waiting bull rush the gate and wail. As a result, it is bolted into the wall.

5. The babies aren’t the only ones getting into mischief around our house…

When making dinner, the freezer exploded on George, spilling corn everywhere. Fortunately, Sasha came to the rescue and helped with clean up efforts. Who knew dogs like frozen corn???

Friday evening, George mixed up a good cocktail for Grandpa and himself. While Nisey and I sorted baby clothes, the pair nodded off in the den (before 10 pm).

When friends joined us for dinner, George and Alan, saw the quad table a fit place for enjoying dessert.

What’s shaking at your house?

hugs,

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #34

September 26, 2013Amber 5 Comments

In honor of Thursday, it’s time to link up with A Beautiful Ruckus as we recall the little things that brightened our week.

1. Three times is a charm for scheduling quad play dates. Since our quad buddies, The Bell Quad Squad, settled into their new home, we’ve been trying to arrange a play date. Thanks to toddler hood and increased outings, both sets of quads have gotten a few colds, causing us to postpone. On Monday, it FINALLY happened! I brought the babies for their first play date in the Bell Romper room (e.g. amazing, over sized quad-proof living room). The babies and I always enjoy time outside of our home, exploring new places. There’s no place better to visit than the home of other multiples. The Bell home is equipped with everything we need from four pack ‘n’ plays to a quad table. Plus, other parents of multiples are tolerant of multiples. For example, Amber wasn’t ruffled when three of my four screamed bloody murder after being put down for nap. Amber and I really enjoyed each other’s company and have exciting plans for another play date in the near future. Stay tuned for that!

The Quad Squad has many familiar toys and some novel ones too. The babies enjoyed playing with this toy, which is identical to one we used to have (I got antsy and purged it a few months ago). They LOVED seeing it again.

Capturing four toddlers in a single picture proved impossible. This was my best attempt. I spy seven babies and it looks like total mayhem.

For lunch time, each set of quads took turns in the quad table. I thought it was cute how they peered at each other through the bars on the fence as if they were jailbirds.

2. With the promise of fall weather coming, I brought the babies’ fall clothing boxes down, washed and sorted everything. My friend, Jen, helped me work on the girls portion Tuesday and I was incredibly thankful for that! I started going batty trying to match twin sets, coordinated outfits, and sort by size and gender. With each seasonal change, I find the task of clothing transitions daunting. At the same time, I am overjoyed with the generosity of our friends and family who clothe our babies with gifts and hand-me-downs. We are abundantly blessed by others, and in turn we are able to share our things with many other families behind us.

As I sorted, babies had fun jumping onto the clothes pile and carrying items away. Harper was a willing model to try new sizes from our fall collection.

3. We order many things for our home online these days so we are no stranger to UPS boxes. This week, I was delighted to find an unexpected delivery all the way from Italy. My mom’s cousin, Debbie, sent us these stunning blown glass turtle figurines. She told us that she spotted them in a store front window and immediately recalled our sea turtle story. There’s nothing that warms my heart more than when seeing sea turtles remind others of our story.

I found the perfect place for our new turtles in the entry way below our family portraits.

4. Since Mason’s plagiocephaly was corrected by his DOC band, he was given a formal assessment by Early Childhood Intervention this morning. I was so proud of our little man. He worked very hard to follow directions and scored within his age range or above in all areas. Therefore, he’s graduated from Early Childhood Intervention services! Hooray!!!

What brought you joy this week?

hugs,

Amber

P.S. I’d like to extend a thank you to the Itz, Reese, Clements, McKenzie, Lawson, and Parr families for sharing their clothes with us! You should be seeing some of your clothes show up on our babies in the near future.

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.

Ahh, the quiet!

What did you do over the summer?

Hugs,

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #29

August 22, 2013Amber 4 Comments

Thursday has rolled around once again. It’s time for us to link up with Rebecca at A Beautiful Ruckus for The Little Things Thursdays. Each Thursday, we take time to reflect upon some of the little things that brightened our week.

1. Laughter is good for the soul, and the babies gift us plenty of laughter to fill our days. Sydney’s hair is getting longer by the day so I’ve begun pulling it into a side swept ponytail. We could not contain the laughter a few days ago when her hair stood straight up after the ponytail holder was removed. She seemed to think it was entertaining as well.

I think Sydney could star as "Cindy Lou Who" in the next Dr. Seuss flick.

I think Sydney could star as “Sydney Lou Who” in the next Dr. Seuss flick.

2. Keeping up with family tradition, my grandmother (GiGi to the babies) hosted a family birthday party honoring the babies. GiGi whipped up a family meal chock full of the babies favorite dishes (macaroni and cheese, steamed carrots, roast, and rolls). For dessert, Cici made scrumptious funfetti cupcakes. Now experienced with cake smashing, the babies demolished these cupcakes.

They each received a brightly wrapped package containing a tiny backpack filled with books. Reading is a beloved pastime in our family so I hope to instill a love of books in the babies now. Of their new reads, they especially enjoy the book, “Thank you, God for Puppies” by Tommy Nelson. They literally squeal when they spy it.

Grandma decorated each baby's gift with a picture from their first birthday party.

GiGi decorated each baby’s gift with a picture from their first birthday party.

Keeping up with tradition, each of the babies approached the cupcake in a unique way. Sydney entertained the entire family when she grabbed her cupcake and went after it like an apple. She did not let go until it was completely devoured. Mason ate none of the cupcake and only licked the frosting off the top.

As always, each of the babies approached the cupcake in a unique way. Sydney entertained the entire family when she grabbed her cupcake and went after it like an apple. She did not let go until it was completely devoured. Mason ate none of the cupcake and only licked the frosting off the top.

3. We’ve been working on learning environmental sounds and Rylin is all about it. She produces a moo and ba sound upon request. She and Mason scrunch their noses and snort if you ask them what a pig says. However, my favorite sound of all is Rylin’s smacking to call the dogs. Apparently George and I smack our lips to call the dogs A LOT because Rylin’s been imitating this all week. She also makes the sound if she sees a picture of a dog. It’s precious.

4. Today, Granny, (my uncle Clarke’s mother) celebrated her 90th birthday, and she met the babies for the first time. Granny is 90, but she’s spry and didn’t miss a beat with the babies. She was determined to learn each baby’s name and got a snuggle with each of them. Happy birthday, Granny!

Sydney gravitated to Granny and cuddled with her for a long time.

Even at 90, Granny helped Mason take steps. The picture quality is poor…I snapped it while wrangling another baby so the hand was not steady. Still, it is really sweet.

Poppy informed me that he celebrated his 92nd birthday last month and that he and Granny recently celebrated 71 years of marriage. What a wonderful example of commitment and honor.

Granny and Poppy’s son, Jack, was visiting from Washington in honor of the momentous occasion and brought them to the house.

What brought joy to your heart this week?

hugs,

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #28

August 15, 2013Amber 9 Comments

Whoa, Nelly! Is it Thursday??? Sometimes I don’t know where the minutes and hours go. Before I know it, a week or more vanished right before my eyes. Since it IS Thursday, it’s time to link up with Rebecca at A Beautiful Ruckus to recall what little things brought happiness to our week.

1. Texas summers are typically stricken with heat waves and severe drought conditions. This year we’ve seen more pleasant showers than I can ever recall. We still have plenty of triple digit days, but the rain is always refreshing.

All four babies pressed their noses to the glass, but scattered before I could snap a picture.

2. Last night was our first bottle free night. In place of bottles we offered the babies Sippy cups of cow’s milk. Thankfully, they seemed content with this new bedtime routine and drifted off to a peaceful slumber without protest, and they stayed asleep all night long.

One new challenge with Sippy cups at the table, is the trill of playing with gravity. Without fail, the babies take a swig of milk then toss the cup over their shoulder. If the cup remains on the edge of the table, they push it until they hear that nice “crash” to the tile. I’ve been working really hard to redirect this behavior, but I sometimes miss opportunities. Yesterday I made my first ever trip to Buy Buy Baby and stumbled across Sippy cup straps. Ingenious. The babies still attempt to taunt gravity, but the cups don’t make it to the ground, which is hopefully not thrilling and cup tossing will soon cease.

Rylin nudged her cup over the edge, but it dangled instead of smacking the tile. That’s no fun.

The blue cup is Harper's. Mason attempted to commandeer it, but it didn't quite reach his lips. It looks like the Sippy cup straps solve another problem for me.

Mason attempted to commandeer Harper’s blue cup, but it didn’t quite reach his lips. It looks like the Sippy cup straps solve another problem for me.

3. Periodically, I rotate the babies toys, keeping some in rotation while others are stashed away. This week the Weeble’s tree house and camper returned from a sabbatical. The babies were thrilled to reacquaint with their old friends. The best part was the babies now discover how to play with the toys. These Weebles have been sent down the slide and for a camper ride numerous times this week.