13 revisited...

Lately we have been a house full of teethers. The quads have been teething their eye teeth aka their canine teeth for quite some time. It always seems to be Camryn & Brendan that have a TERRIBLE time teething. Our pediatrician told me that these are the worst teeth to teethe. UH OH! Like I need more drama in my life! It started with Camryn spiking a fever one day & then she basically refused to eat. I have tried EVERYTHING & even gave her some icecream thinking that would make her gums feel SO much better. NOPE! She wanted no part of it! She is just one BAD teether! Now on the other hand we have Miss Linz who apparently thinks teething seems to be a piece of cake. She never gives us any trouble. She may be clingy but that is for other reasons. Having 4 children of the same age going through the same stages makes it VERY hard to keep up with. Seeing who has what tooth & when did they get it is SO hard to keep track of. I just started to write ANYTHING & EVERYTHING that happens down in my agenda. That way there is a record some place! LOL! Every few days I attempt to check for an new teeth by sticking my finger in their mouths. I know, what am I thinking? Do I WANT to get bitten!? I seem to have gotten pretty good at swooping in & checking, PLUS they seem to allow it from time to time. Well, the other day on one of my "checks" I found that Lindsey has 13 teeth. 1 more than the rest of the bunch. She never complained one iota that she had a new tooth coming through. It was just there! Funny huh!? Well, It was Dustyn who noticed that she has as many teeth as he has years. That made me realize that this moment was definitely...

13 revisited...

boo hoo moment...

The other night Michael & I decided to take our brood to the mall for dinner & some shopping. Another PLUS to this excursion was that we did not have "clean up" duty after dinner, YAY!(The little things that will make us happy! ha!). Lately Florida has been having some WEIRD weather, ok not weird, it's been down right COLD! We were not prepared & were in dire need of some cold weather clothes! We seem to have plenty of sundresses & shorts but NO long sleeve tops. So we needed to hit the stores for some sales! We actually found a few necessities that we desperately needed. Remember we live in Florida where it is suppose to be warm 365 days a year! I am a native Floridian & I LOVE the heat! LOL! The kiddos were VERY good especially since we had them out past their bedtime. On the car ride to Grandma's house we turned the radio up so they would sing, dance & mostly stay awake. There's nothing worse than waking a sleeping baby! The babies LOVED it! We were dancing in our seats & probably looked very "KOOKY" to every other car on the road! To each their own! ha! Then this song came on the radio, you know the song from "An Officer and a Gentlemen", the one Joe Cocker sings when Richard Gere carries Debra Winger out of the factory. I LOVE that song, anyhow, Brendan starts saying something & I do not quite understand him. He repeats himself a few times until I FINALLY get that he is saying "Grandpa". Once he saw that I knew what he was saying he then pointed to his heart. (I tell them ALL the time that Grandpa is in their heart). I then started paying attention to the words of the song. "Love lift us up where we belong, where the Eagles fly...". It's funny how he associated this song with Grandpa. Especially since it mentions eagles. My father LOVED eagles! He had a HUGE collection that we still have. He was letting me know that Grandpa was there! I started crying. Now some people will say that he is ONLY 2, how could he possibly know this. I truly believe my father was there in that moment. This was definitely a...

boo hoo moment...

4 Fulton's & 1 Mechtly...

Here is a photo I took of our bunch on their 2nd Birthday with their BIG cousin Lauren. Taken outside of an IHOP after they had chocolate chip pancakes, YUM! The sun was behind them yet Lauren needed her "eye goggles". Don't you LOVE it! Happy Tuesday!

"She's STUCK!"...

These are the words I thought I heard come out of Camryn's mouth the other day. I had to have her repeat herself three more times until I understood exactly what she was telling me. "She's STUCK!" & then she proceeded to take my hand and drag me into OUR bedroom. I was wondering "what" would be in our bedroom that was "stuck" & that needed MY attention. How did she ever know to use this word. hmm... Well, Lo and behold at the head of our bed was Avery half clothed stuck in what appeared to be my bra! She has had a fascination with clothes for quite some time & once she caught a glimpse of my bra she apparently HAD to put it on. Yes, she attempted to be a "big girl" and wear mommy's bra. Needless to say this was a sight to see because she was indeed stuck. Now picture this, her entire body was in the part your arm goes in! The shoulder strap behind her neck & the strap that is suppose to be under your arm was under her knees. She was not going anywhere! First I made sure she could breathe and second I grabbed my camera to capture this PRICELESS moment. Can you tell how ticked she was that she was caught!? It's a good thing that her "big" sister was on the ball & came running or else we'd still be hearing...

"She's STUCK!"...

4 times in a row!

That's how many times Lindsey has pee pee'd on the potty! Could we go for 5?!? Nope... 4 seems to be her record for now. I must say that she is definitely getting the hang of this potty training business. Speaking of business, trying to potty train four of them at the SAME time is HARD work! I feel like I am ALWAY'S in the bathroom waiting for a urine sample! I thought those days were over! LOL! They LOVE the idea of everyone sitting side by side, in their "special" potty, yes they think each potty is different just by where it sits on the floor. Sometimes they drive me crazy by how many times they switch seats & then scoot around on them across the floor. I told you this was difficult! ha! Sometimes I am caught saying "Just sit down & pee!". Terrible but it works! Then there are the days where they "pretend" to go. Do they think they can fool me? LOL! SOMETIMES they surprise me & actually do go. Then there's the flushing of it down the BIG potty, oh how they LOVE that! I just wish they would dislike the diaper more so this process would be a whole lot quicker! Now Brendan is the only one that has not peed at all on the potty. I just do not get boys! I asked Michael how he potty trained Dustyn & he said he had him pee when he did. Well, times must have changed because this boy LOVES sitting on the potty, fully clothed & then will proceed to point into his EMPTY potty saying "Pee Pee". Oh to be that cute! I NEVER thought I would be SO happy to have a child pee...

4 times in a row!

a BIG round of applause!

We have a NEW look here on the four little fultons blog site! I felt that since our kiddos are now 2 they deserve a more "grown up" looking blog. We found this WONDERFUL blog designer named Hilary through a "new" friend Gen McNulty & after MANY ?'s on my part this is our new design! I am still tweaking things but this is it. What do you think? Looks good huh! You should check out her web site. Her work is AMAZING! I am SO computer illiterate that this has been one BIG work in progress for me! She has probably received more emails from me about what I like & what I didn't like, etc. Hopefully I did not drive her CRAZY! LOL! I think the FINAL product is AWESOME! SO please join me in giving Hilary...



a BIG round of applause!

a BLAST from the past...

Today my Mom & I took the babies by Dr Denker's office, our fertility doctor, so he could see how the babies he helped create have grown. This is not a first time thing, I try to stop by & visit all of the people that have helped us along this journey. First of all the babies did not get their usual nap. They usually go down around 130pm & sleep till 430pm. Well today they sort of skipped it all together & surprised me at how well they behaved. Once we entered his office I noticed a young couple & another woman waiting in his lobby. I started to feel bad that I had my children with me & they were most likely there to get one. I SO remember what it was like when I saw other peoples babies at those low periods of our fertility struggle while I was yearning for a baby myself! After having that "moment" I look down to see that my children are jumping & dancing all over the place to the radio being played in the lobby. Uh Oh! I SO wanted to tell those women about OUR story, how I was once like them & that there is hope, to look at me now but the words could not come out. The babies were oblivious & probably just thought they were on yet another outing with Mommy & Grandma. Little did they know that this was "the guy" that came through with his promise to give me baby SO many months ago. I can still remember him telling me that as I was sitting in his office bawling my eyes out. I can get you a baby! WOW! I NEVER thought I would have a child call me "Mom". Now I have 4 of them! See what happens when you get what you wish for! hahah! I think I made out in the deal wouldn't you say? haha! I owe him a lot so taking some EXTRA time to stop by for them to see the babies is the least I can do. The babies treated him like he was Santa's brother! ha! As you can tell by the picture they were not very happy! It's been...


a BLAST from the past...

it's all about the number 2!

Well, we finally made it! The quads are now 2 year olds! YIKES! I wonder if anything will change, if they will now start being little devils? hmmm... This has been one LONG road we have been traveling on & for the most part we have enjoyed EVERY minute of it! We decided after MUCH thought that we would not be having a party for our foursome. Things are just TOO expensive & we could not justify the cost. Not that we do not LOVE them & especially all of YOU who have touched our lives. It was just not meant to be! When I was pregnant with these guys I joked about having their birthday party on their "half birthday", you know, when they are 1 1/2 or 2 1/2. That way we could celebrate with warm weather & it would be FAR from Christmas. I do not do well when everything happens all at once! So check in with us come July to see if anything is in the works! You never know! Stranger things have happened! haha!

Now for the update on our FABULOUS four!

Camryn is mommy's little helper & trys to mother her sister & brother. She is always looking out for everyone. If someone gives her a snack she makes sure everyone gets one. However, she does not like when we break a pretzel stick, she likes them whole. Weird I know but if that is the worst of her quirks I can deal with it. If she sees clothes on the floor she will put them in the hamper. Oh how I LOVE that! She can have a temper when someone takes something from her. She will usually throw any object that is nearby & then look at you to make sure you noticed. She can also be VERY sweet & when Brendan crys it is usually her that consoles him. She will pat & rub his back as she says "Don't cry". She is just TOO cute for words!

Brendan is our sensitive one. He usually gets every COOL toy taken from him by one of his sisters and then will proceed to whine or cry. Now you see why Camryn always consoles him! LOL! He has taken to grabbing something he knows that one of his sisters wants & then runs as fast as he can. He has become a pretty good runner! He is fascinated with anything on wheels, Matchbox cars, trucks, etc. However he has been seen carrying a purse & even a pink or purple cell phone! What can I say he has 3 sisters! He likes what they like! Most of all he is VERY affectionate. He gives tons of kisses & hugs! He comes when you call him & will wait patiently to hear what you have to say. Everyone tells me that is because he is a boy but I know it is due to him being MY little boy!

Little Avery is our "Wild Woman". She is by far our toughest child & like Timex she can "take a beating & keep on ticking!". This child has had SO many bumps & bruises that she AMAZES us all. She once even took a nose dive off the top platform of a slide, fell 3 feet, got up & started giggling. I said she was wild, I should have said CRAZY! haha! Dustyn says she is a tomboy however she is a girly girl too. She loves purses, clothes & shoes. Most of all she loves her Daddy. She does like to bully her siblings, even Camryn, to get whatever she wants. Mostly it is by taking a piece of string cheese or a pretzel from them. I know if I start hearing one of them cry it is due to her "stealing" their snack. She is just a spitfire & we would not want her to be any other way. We LOVE her immensely!

Miss Lindsey is our baby girl. Lately she has been going through a phase of just wanting me. She just wants me to hold her & love on her. It is in these moments that I realize there is not enough of me to go around. SO I give everyone a day to be first. She LOVES being first! She makes sure the others know it too! When it is "her" day she will help me cook, walk out to get the mail or just sit with me on the recliner. Just being with Mommy makes her happy. Most people probably do not realize that Lindsey & Avery still share a crib. They do & she loves that too! They are two peas in the same pod! They giggle together, play together & get into trouble together. The two of them can make quite a mess! She LOVES Dustyn even more than we will ever know & has the best laugh EVER! She makes our party of 7 complete!

It is hard for me to put into words what these past 2 years have been like. The BEST explanation is that we are on the VERY best roller coaster ride that never ends! There's twists & turns, lifts & BIG drops. We have felt anxious, excited, happy, sad, wishful, thankful & most of all LOVED! Thanks for following along with our journey and seeing our four find out...



it's all about the number 2!

Potty Training Progress Report...

Well it has been approximately 2 weeks since we started this Potty Training business. I must say that it has been one roller coaster of a ride. I have had a few moments where I wanted to pull my hair out. But I just perservere. I mean all I want is for them to learn to do this monumental thing that EVERYONE eventually does & all they want to do is stack them up or line them all in a row. Can you tell that they have inherited my compulsion for things to be straight & orderly!? LOL! There have been a few successful moments where Camryn & Lindsey have actually pee pee'd in the potty. I make a VERY big deal of these little successes. They each get some applause from the "crowd" & a BIG "high five" from mommy. Oh how I cannot wait for no more diapers! One day Camryn even pee pee'd in TWO potty's! Yes, She pee'd in hers & then "stole" her sisters spot & pee'd in hers as well! If I wasn't there to see it I probably would have thought they both had pee'd! LOL! I just sit back & smile that I even have these moments to share.



Potty Training Progress Report...

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Ok people! A friend of ours needs your votes! Out in cyber space they have this award just for blogging, cool huh? It is called The Weblog Awards & a quad momma friend of ours is in the running for being the winner of the BEST Parenting blog. Their blog is called 4tunate and it is about their quadruplets, all boys, just a little bit younger than ours. She needs your help!Besides voting for them you all should check their blog out. Jen gives all moms hope that they can "do" this multiple mommy thing. Heck you do not even need to have multiples to appreciate her posts! So please click on the link http://2008.weblogawards.org/polls/best-parenting-blog/ & vote for them! They need everyone to...




VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Mine!...

Oh how I dislike this word! I seem to hear "MINE" ALL the time lately. Way back when Finding Nemo was first out I thought it was sort of cute how the creators had the sea gulls say "mine" when they went after some sort of food. I mean didn't we all want to know what those birds meant when they squaked at us? I can now say "That was then, this is now". I cringe every time I hear that word! Of our four children it is mostly Lindsey that says it. She seems to say it when that word is not even called for Like when she is on our bed & I tell her to get down. She will start to whine & then say "Mine!". And then she REPEATS herself about a million times! I think she is on to how much this annoys me! Because she gets a smirk on her face after about the third time it comes out of her mouth. LOL! What do you think it is all about? What does it mean? Now I realize having to "share" things with three others can be tough but at least say it when its called for. Like when let's say Avery takes her sippy cup. That sounds like a perfect opportunity to me & being the logical thinker that I am I wonder why. Why is EVERYTHING "Mine!"? I SO wish she would move on to another word & stop saying...



Mine!...

dreams...

Lately I have been dreaming ALOT! I do not know why just that I attribute it to getting MORE sleep. I need that! Anyhow, Last night I had the strangest dream. I dreamt that Michael, Dustyn, my Mom, the babies & I all were on a trip where we rented a house. I have no idea where this house was just that it was some place warm. Somehow I had just Camryn with me, I know you all will say that is because she is my favorite, but that is not true! She was just with me & we needed to go back to "our" house to get some things before we met up with the rest of my clan. I remember thinking to myself that everyone was some place else so the house would be empty. I unlock the door and start towards the bedroom when I hear a noise like someone is there. Then I look up & there in the doorway stood my father, my deceased father. Now you need to know for approximately 6 years before his death my father was in a wheelchair. He had a paralyzed right arm and only stood up when he walked to and from the front door, car, shower, etc. In this dream he was not in a wheelchair or sick at all, he was getting changed for dinner & then proceeded to ask me where all my children were. I think my mouth was gaped open from being stunned to see him there because all I said was that Camryn is here. Then the dream gets EVEN weirder. His right arm was the size of a childs but worked & was good as new. I told you it was a weird dream! I stood there watching my child, the one that looks most like him, in his arms, giggling and saying "Hi Grand Dad". I was in awe! I always tell my children that he is around them. I do not want them to forgot the short time they did have with him so I continually ask them to tell me where he is. They will point up to Heaven or to their hearts, you see he is in their hearts. When I woke up I was really amazed that I even remembered it. My father passed away 16 months ago. I mean what does it all mean? They say that dreams NEVER mean what they seem. In my mind this dream sort of represented what I think my children missed out on, a Grand Dad that they will have memories with. All I have these days are...



dreams...

piggy bank...

I have previously posted about all of the COOL things we inherit from various people. Well, we have recently inherited a Fisher Price piggy bank toy from their cousin Veronika. The babies just LOVE this toy! Mostly it is Camryn that takes possession of it, she will start with the "mine" thing, which we need to break her of, and then play for hours with it. She really likes to play by her lonesome & dislikes when her siblings come along & take something from her. I just cannot get over how much she LOVES this pig! It comes with several coins that have different colors & shapes that fit into the top of the pig. It plays songs or will add as you drop the coins in. Now that we have had this piggy for a few weeks & they see how much Camryn likes it, they come up with "new" ways to tease her. You see Brendan & Lindsey have taken to "stealing" the coins from her as she trys to put them in. It is funny & terrible at the same time to watch them do this! They know that it really bothers her that she does not have ALL the pieces and that she does not like them bothering her as she put the coins in. She actually knows that we have seven coins & will search for the missing coins if she does not have all of them. There go Brendan & Linz with their fists up in the air clenching what coins they could grab giggling all the way with Camryn right behind them, crying as she runs after them. I think she is on to them because she now hoards the coins & brings them to me as she goes after the rest of them. Terrible as this is to watch I just sit back, giggle a little bit myself (I know I should not laugh but it is hard not too) & try to let them settle their dispute. The funny thing is that this is all over a silly...



piggy bank...

The best laugh I had all day!

Ok I have to tell you about what happened on Saturday at Grandma's house. As usual I worked. This time I only worked an 8 hour shift but we all have been under the weather lately so I was TIRED! Anyhow, the babies woke up around 415pm & we brought them all in to Grandma's room & climbed into her bed together. We were just lounging out. Michael proceeds to tell me about their day. I usually try to make a point of asking him how his day was while I was at work. I usually already know since I practically call them ALL day long! ha! He tells me how Avery came up to him with what he thought was chocolate on her fingers & then proceeded to put her fingers in his mouth. His first clue should have been that it was Avery. Remember, she is our child that CONSTANTLY sticks her hands in her diaper. Well, as most of you can already guess, it was not chocolate on her fingers. My darling daughter was trying to tell her Daddy that she had a "stinky" in her pants. He said he about threw up & had to clean his mouth out with peroxide! Daddy's will never learn! Never let your child put ANYTHING from their finger in your mouth! As I was picturing this in my head all I could do was laugh! I about peed my pants because I laughed SO hard! Leave it to little Miss Avery! hahahah! It was...


The best laugh I had all day!

Resolutions...

Today is January 1st & I have already broken one of my resolutions! Uh Oh! I just finished eating a LARGE Oreo Blizzard from Dairy Queen. I know what a way to ruin my New Years Resolution on day one! But boy was it YUMMY! It is probably filled with TOO many calories to count & my hips could have done without it! Now I need to start over tomorrow. I FINALLY have a good pair of running shoes so I can actually start exercising! They cost me an arm & a leg but they are so darn cute! This is my first pair of running shoes in about 10 years. Can you tell how much I run!? haha! I NEED to exercise, I need to get healthy, I need to drink more water & most of all I need to lose my "clothes". My hubby calls the fat deposit below his waist his "clothes". Ever since I had these babies of ours I now have "clothes" too! I think my C section did not help the matter. That area is numb & does nothing. I could do sit ups FOREVER and I'd still have my "clothes". Oh, how I LOVE this time of the year & making then breaking my New Years...


Resolutions...