The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #22

July 4, 2013Amber 7 Comments

It’s Thursday so you know what that means….time to link up with A Beautiful Ruckus for The Little Things Thursdays. If you are new to our blog, we pause each Thursday to reflect upon some of the little things that brought joy to our family.

1. We’ve hosted several play dates at our house, but this week we were invited to one! With the help of my friend, Jen, the babies and I went to the Glawson Triplet’s house for round #2 of the Quadtriplet Playdate. We headed over after the babies woke from their afternoon nap, which was a great diversion from witching hour. At first, Rylin was hesitant to enjoy herself. She screamed like a banshee and clung tightly to me. Thankfully it was short-lived and all seven babies eventually seemed to have fun. As a bonus, the triplet’s big sister, Ryleigh was there and took up post as resident baby-entertainer. She is a devoted sister who knows her way around a baby.

All seven babies and Ryleigh are in this picture. It’s a bit like playing “Where’s Waldo”, but if you squint, you can see all of them.

It’s always nice to have play dates with other multiples because they aren’t overwhelmed with all the babies and have the daycare scene at home.

2. After fellow quad mama, Krista, successfully bathed all four of her babies at once, I decided to try my hand. It was by no means perfect, but at least I know it’s possible and it gave me a boost of confidence. I also learned that we can manage without bath seats. However, I have a lot of work to do with Rylin and compliance. She insists on standing in the tub, which means I cannot bathe her sans seat with other babies until she follows the rules. I haven’t tried, but could probably bathe the other three at once without too many problems.

Here are the four little quadlings all lined up: Harper, Mason, Rylin, & Sydney.

3. I was able to take advantage of having our weekday babysitters to catch up on some emails on blog posts. I was grumbling to George about wanting to write so many things. He replied, “Well, you have a laptop. Why don’t you take it to Starbucks?” Stellar idea! I ended up hitting Panera so I could enjoy some lunch while accomplishing some writing.

4. It is the first week in July and the Texas weather is fantastic! Apparently there is some weather pattern hovering over Arizona and pushing cool air our way. We LOVE it! It actually felt crisp in the mornings and evenings, which is refreshing. Happy Fourth of July!

5. Sydney is my patient gal. She was fussy one day so I took her into a new place, the master bathroom. There she calmly allowed me to paint her toes azul. I had to work quickly using a Q-tip and I used Sally Hansen’s Insta Dry polish (seriously that stuff dries almost instantly), but got all ten piggy toes done. I tried on Rylin later, but it did not go well with her.

Aunt Cici’s reaction to seeing these tiny painted toes was priceless. She gasped in delight!

Where was the sunshine in your week?

Hugs!

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays Installment #21

June 27, 2013Amber 6 Comments

It’s time for our weekly link up with A Beautiful Ruckus for The Little Things Thursdays! Yippee!!!!

1. One day during witching hour, the babies took a field trip to a faraway land…The Foyer & Dining Room! The babies rarely get opportunities to venture into this part of our house, but they clamor at the gates in hopes of finding a chink to escape. I blocked the opening between the kitchen and dining room, removed all glassware, and foreseeable baby hazards then let them explore. They were fully entertained for nearly an hour! Mason found the antique handles on our English liquor cabinet amazing while Sydney took up post at the window fussing at anyone who dare come near. Harper naturally discovered the final remaining spring behind the door and flicked it with his chubby fingers. Rylin seemed just to enjoy crawling in wide open spaces. Maybe in a few weeks, we will revisit this exotic destination.

Sydney actually explored the entire globe from the dining room.

Don’t mind the dust bunnies and other gross stuff seen on the floor. The maid hasn’t been here in a while.

Rylin and her sidekick, Lily take on the dining room.

This window is just Sydney’s size.

Oh how fascinating handles can be!

2. I won, I won!!!! I actually won the Simply Sweet headband giveaway hosted by fellow quad family, The McCleary Quadruplets. If you ever wondered about blog giveaways, yes someone wins them! They are always worth entering if you are interested in the prize. I am also excited about being nominated for the Leibster Blog Award from Lily and the Bee. That one gets it’s own post later, but I’m excited now!

3. My friend and co-worker, Kristin, promised her two kids a “surprise” on Monday. Unbeknownst to them, the surprise was a day with the quads. At first, I don’t think her teenage son, Robert was terribly impressed. However, the quads worked their magic and won him over before the day was done. Carolyn has been itching to play with the babies, namely Sydney, since before they were born. Preemie babies and lock down put a damper on her play date dreams, but it finally arrived. Here’s what Kristin had to say:

“My kids were in heaven. We played, babies took naps, changed diapers, folded baby clothes, washed bottles, fed the babies “baby goldfish” when they signed “more”, mixed the goldfish in with Cheerios (all the babies could discriminate the goldfish and picked them out no problem with a pincer gasp..my OT friends would be proud of me!), played some more, fed the babies dinner, Amber was able to give them individual baths instead of two by two, had more bottles, watched Baby Einstein, and put the babies to bed! 8 hrs with the 4 of us and I’m pooped! Amber and George are rockstars! They make it look so easy! What a blessing these four precious, HEALTHY babies are!!!!”

To the Nethers family, it may have been just a summer day, but to me it meant the world. They sacrificed an entire day of summer fun to be with four busy babies. It was a tremendous help. If friends keep stepping up to the plate like this, I may just avoid hiring help a bit longer.

In case they didn’t get enough quad time, Kristin and Carolyn returned the next day bearing Sippy cups and suction cup bowls. They noticed the babies were wanting to be more independent with feeding themselves and thought we could use these items. They boys have been using these Sippy cups with success, but “The Hulk” aka Mason figured out how to pull the bowls off the table already.

Carolyn has a special affinity for Sydney. She even noted they resemble each other.

Kristin and Carolyn helped the babies work on signing “more” for baby goldfish or Cheerios.

What little things brought joy to your heart this week?

Hugs!

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #20

June 20, 2013Amber 3 Comments

It’s time once again to link up with Rebecca at A Beautiful Ruckus and make note of some special little moments from the week. Without further a due, here we go!

1. When my cousin’s oldest daughter, Taylor, turned one George built her a puppet theater based on a Pottery Barn Kids version we saw in store. It was well crafted to resemble a castle. Recently, we noticed the babies, Sydney especially, giggle at the puppets on their DVDs. We searched for puppets online, but found them to be expensive. George eventually found a set on Craigslist that included a puppet theater. The theater was cute, but not nearly as magnificent as George’s version. He kept remarking that he wanted to build a new one like Taylor’s. I, however, was okay with the Craigslist find. Ironically, my cousin called a week after we bought the puppet theater asking if we wanted Taylor’s puppet theater. At the ripe old age of eight, Taylor outgrew it. George was ecstatic to say the least. This week, the babies enjoyed the theater’s inaugural show.

For a brief moment, everyone watched the puppet show.

Even Lily was interested.

2. With busybody babies, I’m always looking for fresh ways to entertain them. I purchased a bag of plastic balls at Walmart and tossed them into a Pack ‘n’ Play as a makeshift ball pit. I tried putting babies in there individually, but they seemed bored so I started adding babies. Eventually, all four were in there at once and tossing balls. It would probably be more like a play land ball pit if I added another bag of balls, but I really don’t want to store them.

Mason decided to visit his sibs in the ball pit.

And then all four ended up in the ball pit together.

3. This week has been dedicated to health and wellness for the whole family, fur babies included. Earlier in the week George took Sasha and Lily to the vet for their annual vaccines and exam. I intended to make dental and doctor appointments for myself on days when we have our usual babysitters. I procrastinated on appointment making and found desired times booked. My aunt, Terri, saved the day and agreed to babysit ALL four babies single handedly while I got my pearly whites cleaned. I never thought I would see a dental hygiene visit as “me time”, but it was. I was in a quiet place where I could watch an episode of Ellen mostly uninterrupted. The babies got a good report and I enjoyed some extra evening help after my appointment.

Few can manage the dual baby hold, but Terri mastered it!

Babies everywhere!

4. This is a typical scene around 6:30 pm when George arrives home from work. A picture is worth a thousand words-

Priceless!

What little things highlighted your week?

hugs!

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #19

June 14, 2013June 14, 2013Amber 3 Comments

As the babies are getting older, they are napping less and are far more busy and inquisitive than ever before. I’m finding that the late afternoons and evenings are becoming a time when they require more entertainment, yet aren’t quite big enough to do many things. Thankfully with the onset of summer, more friends are available to lend a helping hand. This week the babies enjoyed an onslaught of special visitors. I’m thankful for the relief and sunshine these special people brought to our home this week. This week as we link up with A Beautiful Ruckus, we are recognizing the visitors from the week.

On Friday when I arrived home from work, I discovered an unexpected visitor. Our friend, Kelsey, was sitting in the den with babies perched around her. She recently graduated from Notre Dame (we are so proud of her!) and is now back home in Texas. Yippee! Bless her heart, she returned for a second round of baby help Wednesday evening, which included bath night and babies who did not take naps. It was so nutty both days she came, I didn’t get an opportunity to snap pictures.

I went to the office three days this week, leaving my in-laws with the babies twice. On Monday when I opened the door to greet them, I found George’s youngest cousin, Brandi ready to wrangle babies. Like Kelsey, she returned for round two on Wednesday! I know that Carol and George appreciated having a helper because the babies are just plain busy lately, even with two adults.
Sadly, Brandi lives an hour away from us. Otherwise, I’d hire her for regular duty.

Tuesday, my two college roommates helped me with the babies all day. The wheels in my head began turning thinking about the rare opportunity of having two adults for an entire day. They helped me accomplish a few missions I would not have been capable of tackling solo. Despite the fact that there were three of us with the babies, we were exhausted by the end of the day. I hope they’ll return for round two…

When Rylin’s temper flared, Neha found a way to help her grin.

After lunch, I read the babies a favorite book, Brown Bear, Brown bear. Sometimes I read it as is, other times I point out animal names and sounds, and sometimes I label body parts. Any way it’s read the babies LOVE this book.

Kristen and Neha helped me work with the babies on signing “more” during snack time. Rylin and Mason are really getting it and the others are close.

By the end of the day, the adults snuggled up in Boppy Pillows as the babies crawled around us. Mason and Sydney apparently took up massage therapy.

Today, I took Mason to Cranial Technologies for his DOC band adjustment appointment. This time however, I took Sydney along for the ride. Sydney did extremely well and we enjoyed trying out a twin stroller handed down to us. My friend, Jen, graciously stayed behind with Rylin and Harper so I could practice taking two babies out on my own.

Mason thought the snack cups were nifty while Sydney thought the foot rest was great.

I am officially working just two more days before I go on summer break myself. I’m looking forward to having our usual helpers come over when I am home so we can go on new adventures that I cannot do alone. What moments brightened your week?

Hugs,

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #18

June 6, 2013Amber 2 Comments

Yesterday a mom from our online group posted a picture of her quintuplets in graduation regalia with a quote stating, “The days are long, but the years are short.” How true that is! Some days raising quadruplets seem incredibly LONG, yet their first year is flashing right before us. All the more reason to savor the little things and link up with A Beautiful Ruckus.

1. For the first time ever, George and I split the crew. We took Harper and Rylin to a friend’s house for a family barbeque. Meanwhile, Sydney and Mason stayed with Aunt CiCi and her friend, Leslie. I agonized about who would be the “chosen” ones and considered all possible scenarios. I ended up choosing Rylin since she rarely takes a good afternoon nap and Harper because he is a strong sitter (they planned to have a baby pool and I didn’t want a baby toppling over in it).

Playing man to man defense turned out to be a cake walk compared to the zone defense we’re accustomed to. When we bid our farewells at the party, a nagging feeling taunted me. I soon realized I was missing two kids! Sydney and Mason may have stayed home, but I don’t think they missed out; they got individual attention for an entire afternoon. Besides, they get to go next time we divide and conquer.

There were four babies at the party, but only two were mine! Rylin got her first kiss from the adorable little blonde. Actually, I think Harper also received a kiss from this kiddo. Hmm.

Leslie and Sydney

Aunt CiCi and Mason

2. All six of us enjoyed our first meal from the garden this season. My father in law shared some summer squash and George harvested a zucchini from our own garden. I sautéed both with onions and then simmered with diced tomatoes for our dinner. Then, I pureed the left overs for the babies. As it turns out, Sydney in particular has a sophisticated palate. She prefers our meals over the baby purees I’ve been serving and gobbled up as much as her big brother, Harper.

3. Monday was a rather trying day for me with the babies. Afternoon naps were brief and baby dispositions were noticeably foul. I simply had to escape the confines of our house so I devised a getaway plan. As the babies noshed on a few Cheerios, I loaded the van with Goodwill donation boxes, an ice chest, and a diaper bag. Then I swooped up each baby, buckled them into their car seats and loaded the van. After about 15-20 minutes we were on the open road. After ditching our Goodwill stash at the Donation Station, we dashed over to Sonic. I snagged a chocolate shake topped with a cherry and a bag of ice. It was a bit of an ordeal loading and unloading four babies for a measly shake and ice, but was totally worth it! We ALL needed a diversion.

It may have taken me close to an hour to grab a bag of ice, but it was worth every minute of effort. After all, Sonic ice is the best!

Those precious faces were not smiling just an hour prior to this picture. I had some seriously unhappy babies.

4. On Friday evening, Sydney had an occupational therapy session. Her therapist was pleased to find both goals were mastered: rolling over and sitting independently. However, I shared concern that unlike the other babies, Sydney wasn’t even attempting to pull up and relied solely upon army crawling. Sydney must have been listening because she got busy on Saturday. All of the sudden she started doing both things! Her therapist is in for a real surprise at her next visit when she sees Sydney crawling AND pulling up on her own volition.

Sydney is finding all sorts of things to pull up on from baskets to siblings.

5. I am far too cheap to pay for the version of WordPress, which supports video. However, I’ve been capturing the babies in action recently and started posting them on our Four to Adore Facebook page. With all four babies crawling I noticed they behave a lot like ducks following their mama around. After several outtakes, I finally (well, mostly) captured them crawling from their nurseries to the den. I love re-watching this footage because it makes me smile every time.

What bright spots filled your week?

Hugs!

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #16

May 23, 2013Amber 8 Comments

This week, I have to admit I’m totally exhausted. George and I have been battling a refrigerator on the fritz amidst our typical chaos. However, I know in the scheme of things, the stresses of the week are totally insignificant. There are far greater problems in the world than our bit of drama. Instead, it is more worthwhile to remember this week’s highlights.

1. Saturday was a special day when Daddy got some solo time with the babies. He stayed home during lunch while I got a trim and went to Costco alone. I think it was his first time doing spoon feeds himself, but he managed perfectly! I think Saturday was a good bonding time for them, plus freedom for me.

I knew George was unlikely to snap pictures while I was away, so I caught one before I slipped away.

And, I captured another after my return. Loved this image of babies crawling over and around their Daddy.

2. Recently, George and I whined over our dilapidated social life. We love our babies and being with them, but spending time with our friends is infrequent. Leaving the babies for an evening poses challenges for us, as it does for any parent. Before the arrival of our babies, George and I often invited friends over for dinners, movies, and game nights (we love friendly competition). Now, our babies are all tucked snugly into bed by 8:00 pm, and the evenings are relatively quiet thereafter. There’s no reason we can’t host a dinner or game night now. Thus, we invited some of our board game playing friends, Rick and Holly over for a ~~classy~~ trashy dinner. On the menu: chili con queso, bacon dogs, and ice cream sundaes, all washed down with summer beer. It may not have been a fancy meal, but it was super easy to prepare and clean up; plus, it was a delicious nostalgic summery meal we all enjoyed. We intended on breaking out a few games, but had so much fun catching up we never got around to games.

Rick got a bit of snuggle time with the babies before it was lights out.

George, Rick, and Holly enjoying the grub!

Oh how I love an ice cream sundae topped with a cherry and sprinkles of course!

3. Sunday marked a special day for my cousin, Seth, as he was confirmed in the church. It was no easy, feat but we took ALL four babies to church with us. After all, it was a momentous occasion. The church members were so excited to finally meet the babies they prayed for since the early days of the pregnancy. In fact, the clergy was so thrilled to meet the quads, they wanted to take a picture with them! We were able to snap a quick one before the service began. After that, I fell down on the job and did not snap a single one. Keeping track of four now mobile babies in new places is a time consuming fiasco. I was slightly concerned about how the babies would handle being in a new place where they needed to be relatively quiet, and if they would startle from hearing loud music. They did GREAT! Mason was the only one taken out of the sanctuary (briefly), but it was because he was giggling too loudly. It didn’t hurt that a large portion of our extended family members were their to help hold and entertain babies.

The babies with the clergy of St. John Lutheran. Sydney was hesitant to be held by an unfamiliar person so I kept her while Harper visited many new faces.

What bits of sunshine brightened your week?

Hugs!

Amber

P.S. There’s still time to enter to win the Tiny Prints giveaway. It’s simple, just be sure to visit Tiny Prints, then click a Rafflecopter giveaway

It is mandatory to comment about your favorite baby shower invitation or announcement, but there are a few other ways to get extra entries (e.g. like our Four to Adore Facebook Page).

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #15

May 15, 2013Amber 8 Comments

Hooray, it’s time for The Little Things Thursdays!

1. After spoon feeds, I am always trying to find new ways to occupy the babies while I tidy up the kitchen. Finger foods entertain them quite well, but afterwards I have to clean the babies and table again. That’s not productive. Sometimes toys do the trick, but my new favorite thing to do is give the babies kitchen utensils. Apparently spoons and spatulas are fascinating to babies. On the downside, they also discovered the joy of gravity and I found myself repeatedly scooping up dropped things. To remedy that, I started using pacifier clips to strap them to the babies’ seats. Works like a charm!

2. When the babies are sleeping, I usually pull the doors closed so they don’t disturb each other. However, today when I began putting babies down for naps, I found the dogs posted by the cribs as if they were guarding the babies. I thought it was sweet, I let them stay and kept the doors open. When Mason began blowing raspberries, Sasha changed loyalty to the girls (she is terrified of unusual noises).

3. With the arrival of spring and summer on its heels, I’ve been really bothered by my toes. I loathe unpainted toenails at any point in the year, but in the warm months I just can’t take it. I enjoy wearing flip-flops and open toed shoes so painted toe nails are a must for me. Recently, the babies have been cramping my style. If I get a rare moment to paint them, chances are I won’t stay still long enough for them to dry well. The salon is an even more rare luxury. I gave the Sally Hansen salon effects strips a whirl this week and really liked them. They are a bit of a trick to apply, but required zero dry time and have a nifty design I could never create myself. The box claims they’ll last two weeks. I’m one week in and they look decent still.

4. A while back, my cousin loaned us some of her favorite baby toys. We’ve been enjoying the rattles and tiny baby toys for a while, but this week I brought some of the more exciting ones from storage. Novelty rocks a baby’s world so they were totally enamored with the new things. I like to keep toys fresh so I’ve been rotating the new and old ones this week.

Check out how all four babies are playing with this single toy at once. They are really into opening and closing doors and flipping switches,so this one was a crowd pleaser. As an added bonus, this toy tells the babies what it is doing (e.g. The door is open.”) and it sings catchy tunes.

We’ve had this one out before, but I brought it out again today and the babies literally swarmed it. Mobility is amazing!

5. I’ve never cared much for our back door. It has a large window running the length of it that is usually decorated with doggy nose prints or muddy paw remnants. However, Mason enjoys gazing through the window so I’ve found a new place in my heart for the old door. The only problem is that he gets into this position easily, but tends to get stuck.

6. When I began writing this blog, I created a page for frequently asked questions. After hearing the same questions repeatedly, I compiled the most common ones. However, I wonder what questions you may have. Send me your wonderings and I’ll compile them into a new post and updated page. George and I are open books for the most part, but please use your manners when asking questions. I can’t wait to hear what you’ve been dying to find out!

Hugs!

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #13

May 2, 2013May 2, 2013Amber 6 Comments

I had a good chuckle yesterday when George’s aunt asked me how the weekend was and I replied, “We had a good weekend, but um…I don’t remember what we did. It was a long time ago.” By the time Wednesday rolled around it took me a minute to even recall what we did just three days prior. I’m going to plea the Quad Mom card on that one. After a short pause, I was able to recall our weekend and it was in fact a good one. Over the past week, we had plenty of bright spots worth remembering so here are the little things!

1. Saturday evening George and I had a rare opportunity for a date night. Thanks to Nisey and Grandpa we were able to steal away a few hours to meet fellow quad parents, Mike and Amber Bell, for dinner. Amber and I became sort of pen pals shortly after I discovered we were expecting quads. At that time I ferociously Googled about quads and I stumbled upon her blog, Texas Tales. I immediately emailed her and was ecstatic when she replied back with words of encouragement and hope. She was about 7 weeks ahead of me and always helped me prepare for “what is to come”. In fact, she still does that! I love checking in with her “Quad Squad” to see what they are up to. Despite our online friendship, Amber and I had never met prior to this weekend. She was living in Houston, which is about five hours away. However, they recently relocated back to Dallas/Fort Worth, opening up a chance for a meet up. George and I had a wonderful time chatting with another couple who has the same normal as we do. Plus, Amber and Mike are so sweet and fun to hang out with. We have hopes of future dinners and quad play dates! Amber and I both fell down on the job and did not snap a single picture over dinner so we will just have to meet up again soon. To check out their story about the Quad Squad, visit http://bellsandkilts.blogspot.com/

I totally snagged the idea of feeding the babies Ritz from Amber. They LOVED them! Funny thing, the boys crammed them in their mouths like Cookie Monster while the girls nibbled them like little ladies. We are just steps away from a food fight and tea party, I think.

2. Around the time I went on bed rest, our Peke-aPoo, Sasha became sort of lethargic. She turned out to be a fantastic bed rest buddy since she loved to snuggle and sleep the day away with me. When the babies trickled home, Sasha, retreated to our closet most days only coming out for short bursts of time. We chalked it up to her getting older and having trouble adjusting to her new siblings. Several weeks ago, Sasha’s allergies flared up and she got horrible skin irritations all over her body. At first our vet thought it was just her allergies again, but did a blood panel to check. She discovered Sasha had a tick disease (who knows why since we keep her on flea/ tick preventatives). Anyways, she’s been on a round of antibiotics for four weeks and a few days a go she turned a corner. OMG- Sasha is a new dog! Our seemingly cantankerous dog has become spry and friendly again. We love having our Sasha back!

I put the Boppy pillows on the couch to vacuum and this is what happened next. On the birghtside, Sasha got the gumption to jump up there and be in the den with her family.

I put the Boppy pillows on the couch to vacuum and this is what happened next. On the brighttside, Sasha got the gumption to jump up there and be in the den with her family.

3. The babies had their nine month check up this week and in good quad mama fashion, I recruited a reinforcement. This time, our family friend, Terri helped me schlep the babies to see Dr. Knapp. She’s helped me numerous times and knows the drill perfectly. Our appointment went flawlessly and we were done in about 45 minutes. That meant we had some time before the spoon feed. Spontaneously, I asked Terri if she were up for a Costco run. With a glimmer in her eyes she happily accepted the challenge. The babies were angelic in Costco and we replenished supplies in under 35 minutes.

Not only did Terri come along for this shennanain, she rocked the Baby Bjorn WHILE pushing the twin stroller! She did a fantastic job fielding questions while Harper and I got to business.

Not only did Terri come along for this shenanigan, she rocked the Baby Bjorn WHILE pushing the twin stroller! She did a fantastic job fielding questions while Harper and I got to business. I’m thinking I ought to get her to help me do weekday Costco runs more often.

4. The babies are becoming increasingly aware of each other and often “entertain” their siblings. It’s a blast to watch! After nearly six weeks, Rylin, Harper, and Sydney are suddenly aware of Mason’s band and reach out to pat it or give it a good luck rub. On the downside, Mason thinks it’s a thrill to gently ram others with his band….oh boy! Stay turned for more on our home becoming Fort Knox!

Mason and Rylin have reeally been cracking each other up lately. I mean cackles came from them for over five minutes.

Mason and Rylin have really been cracking each other up lately. I mean huge cackles and guttural belly laughs.

5. I know this is totally irritating by now, but don’t forget to vote again for the Top 25 Moms of Multiples Blog contest. I really wish it was a vote once sort of thing, but it’s not so that means we have to keep soliciting votes to stay on top. We hang around 2nd through 6th place. At least it’s easy, just two clicks every 24 hours.

What little things brightened your week? Can you remember back that far?

Hugs!

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #12

April 25, 2013Amber 5 Comments

Several months ago when Rebecca at ABeautifulRuckus.com invited me to participate in her weekly series: The Little Things Thursdays, I had no idea how much my readers and I would enjoy it. Her idea was simply brilliant. The purpose is to reflect on the week and make note of some of the little things that brightened it. It’s incredibly easy to get wrapped up in stress and things that go awry, but so much more fun to recall what was great no matter how small. The cherry on the top is when readers tell me how much they now look forward to Thursdays! In a typical work week, most everyone looks forward to Friday (TGIF!!!). In my little space of the world, Thursdays are much more appreciated now. Thank you, Rebecca!

Without further ado, here are the little things that highlighted our week:

1. The babies are now nine months old! I’m having a hard time realizing how fast they are approaching their first birthday and at the same time enjoying every moment with them ( minus some of the screaming fits we have). Every day is a whole new world for them and they are constantly reaching new milestones. At nine months old, everyone has at least one tooth (Rylin finally got her first one), they hold their own bottles, they sit up with minimal assistance, roll both ways, maneuver on the floor by pivoting and scooting, and babble often. Sydney was the first to say “Dada”, and she says it often! Harper was saying “Mamama”, but hasn’t been doing it much lately, making me one sad Mama. They’ve also become keenly aware of each other. Toy snatching is commonplace around here. One day Harper even tried to roll on top of Mason to swipe a coveted toy. At meals, Sydney and Mason frequently turn to face each other and sometimes hold hands. I never seem to catch those sweet moments on camera because they are short-lived.

The babies are pictured in birth order: Rylin, Harper, Sydney, & Mason.

If his head would have fit under the couch, I'm certain Mason would have slithered all the way under!

Here’s what happens when Mason starts scooting around. If his head would have fit under the couch, I’m certain he would have slithered all the way under and scarfed a few dust bunnies!

Harper backed it up and under Sydney’s crib. For some reason our babies love backing up. You can really see Harper’s teeth in this picture; I think they’re so cute!

Here's proof that Sydney can roll over. She's been rolling over and getting her legs stuck between the rails. Yes, she is sleeping here and no I did not move her (she seemed totally comfortable).

Here’s proof that Sydney can roll over. She’s been rolling over and getting her legs stuck between the rails. Yes, she is sleeping here. No, I did not move her (she seemed totally comfortable).

Surprisingly, Sydney was perfectly content having her legs stuck after she woke up that way.

Surprisingly, Sydney was perfectly content having her legs stuck even after she woke up that way.

2. Since we moved into our house, we’ve taken great pride in it’s appearance inside and out. I love for our yard to look fabulous, but George is the resident yard man. He’s always worked really hard to make it look it’s best. However, last summer bed rest and drought got the better of our yard. The wisteria that once covered our pergola and the sole tree in the back yard both perished, which means we have no shade. George has been rather depressed about the state of our yard and it really is rather sad. He ran to Home Depot this week and purchased a few flowers to help the cause. He filled a pot on our patio with my favorite flowers, Gerber daisies. These little gems do great in Texas heat and keep bright, cheery blooms all season long. In fact, there was a single daisy sprout already in the pot. George was going to take it out and replace it, but I fought for that little flower. It’s going to be a hardy one, it managed to survive a Texas drought, neglect, and a winter freeze already.

Bright colored daises are always a great pick me up!

Bright colored daisies are always a great pick me up!

Despite all the withered plants in our yard, these Iris’ came up and bloomed on their own. They came from George’s Granny. She loved her garden and I love that her plants still bloom in our yard. I think she’d like that.

3. Our friend Natascha and her mom traveled all the way from Berlin for a holiday that began here in Texas. Of course, they couldn’t travel all that way from Germany without seeing the babies so they dropped by the house. The babies warmed up to them and acted like they were old friends. It was priceless seeing George teach Natascha how we diaper and feed the babies. He did a really good job, actually. He’s probably got more experience with those things than the average dad seeing we do everything times four.

4. So far, we’ve received over 1,000 votes for the Top 25 Moms of Multiples blog contest, placing us in third. Thank you all for voting because now it’s getting close, sometimes as few as 3-4 votes separate the rankings.

Many people have asked what we get if we win. The answer is mostly notoriety and also exposure that can open up new opportunities for us. I honestly love writing and in the future hope to author a book. This sort of competition can help me achieve some of my long-term goals. Winning does not bring any sort of tangible prizes or money, but I would still want win, or at least remain in the top 5. As I mentioned before, George and I are highly competitive so we don’t need to be offered much to play a game. Winning aside, there are some other great blogs participating and I’ve enjoyed checking in on them. The Littlest Lesnau’s and A Beautiful Ruckus are both authored by friends and fellow quad mamas so I was already familiar with them. However, I cruised the triplet blogs that are contenders to win: The Great Umbrella Heist and The Best Things in Life are THREE. I personally found both of them entertaining. If you have spare time you may want to check some of the other contestants blogs.

What little things brightened your week?

hugs!

Amber

The Little Things Thursdays: Installment #11

April 18, 2013Amber 2 Comments

You may have noticed that The Little Things Thursdays have become the highlight of a blogging week for me. That’s because the babies have been falling out of nap sync. It’s a travesty really. Inevitably they all go down then one wakes up bored in his or her crib and lets the others know of said boredom. This all means I have significantly less time to accomplish things such as blogging. Don’t worry, I LOVE writing and blogging so I don’t plan to stop, I just don’t get to it as much as I’d prefer. I’ve got at least two or three good posts in draft mode that I never seem to revisit.

1. On Saturday my sister and I took the babies in the Runabout for the community garage sale. Every good garage saler knows you have to start early before all the best stuff is snagged, but as a schedule-bound quad mama I knew that going out early would inevitably interfere with naps. I went against my reservations and we headed out right about the time babies would normally settle in for naps. I really worried we would stroll down our street and experience Def Com 5 with four wailing babies. To my surprise they did great! They took turns snoozing and lapped up all the attention they received from complementary onlookers. I am certain they know a compliment when they hear one because they all beam.

To ease crib doldrums, my goal was to find as many crib toys as possible. Just by cruising a few blocks, I scored three crib soothers (these really cool aquarium looking things that play music and move when the babies push buttons), a crib piano, a caterpillar crib toy, a swimming duck bath toy, and a bubble machine (all for under $30). I priced crib toys prior to heading out and learned that full retail is about $35-65 each! Multiply that by four and you’ve got the start of a college savings account. So far, the crib toys have helped quite a bit, especially for Rylin.

Isn’t this bubble machine cute? It plays music while blowing bubbles and has colored piano keys that say color names when pushed.

2. The babies received these nifty baby swings for Christmas, however we had trouble figuring out where to hang them. We hoped they could hang from our pergola, but decided it wasn’t sturdy enough. Then George considered building a swing set frame himself. As always, we are budgeting not just money, but also time. I found a patio swing set frame on Amazon (the source of almost everything in our home nowadays) for a mere $70 shipped. It took George less than 20 minutes to assemble and we were set for summer swinging fun! Just like at the playground, Harper and Sydney don’t seem terribly interested in swings, but Rylin and Mason relish it.

Mason’s dimples tell all: he is having fun! Syndey, well she seems content at least.

3. Prior to having quadruplets, I only drank coffee on Sundays when we made a hearty breakfast. I’m really not much of a coffee drinker and can’t handle a strong brew. I never understood why people say, ” I NEED my coffee”. That was until I brought home four tiny babies who needed round the clock care. Out of pure necessity, I started a habit of drinking one cup of coffee every morning during the babies first nap. That being said, I’m still no coffee aficionado,but I NEED my coffee! I became bored with the 80 cups of a single flavor from Costco and ordered some new ones instead. My spring favorite is blueberry! It seems odd, but blueberry is a great compliment to coffee, it reminds me of chocolate and orange together. Yum-o!

The blueberry pairs nicely with a dash of sugar and splash of half and half.

4. Don’t forget to vote for Four to Adore on the Circle of Moms Top 25 blogs list. It’s easy! Just click the badge on the sidebar of our home page (or below), then click the “pending” tab, finally scroll down to our picture and click vote! Just three clicks is it! In a day or two we should be off the pending list so we will be on the page right after you click the badge. You can vote daily through May 8, 2013.