we bit the bullet?...

We finally bit the bullet and the tribe now has a new BIG kid bed at Grandma's house! It was such a BIG decision to make because what do you do when four kids share the same room? In an ideal situation we would have more bedroom space & split them up two & two but no we are not the fortunate! )= I mean four seperate beds can eat up a TON of space in a bedroom! Luckily we have some pretty awesome friends who always think of us & came to our rescue! Not only did we get everything we needed in a bed but it was FREE! When you are part of a party of seven anything FREE is MUCH appreciated! Their new bed is a twin over a full BUNK BED, yes I said BUNK BED! After tossing around many different bed ideas this just works for us! It kills SO many birds with one stone & the tribe absolutely LOVES it! I realize now that they needed this change more than I could ever imagine! [= I have to send out a HUGE Thank you to my good friend Renee who gave the bed to us! It's hard to believe that I used to lay down on this very same bunk bed when her girls were little! They are about to graduate high school! YIKES! I am SO aging myself there! ha! So Renee & family the tribe wants to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! & THANK YOU! You have helped our munchkins grow both physically & emotionally! [= It was SO cute watching them see the room being painted, the pieces being put together & then finally being able to check out their new bed! This process has taken us a LONG time to complete! I think I started this "project" about 3 months ago. I first painted the room this cool shade of green, then I deceided to paint chalkboard paint in there. I figured, let them be creative! That turned into a MESSY, MESSY idea! When you live in two homes it is hard to finish anything! Basically this bed was the last piece of the puzzle.Now to get them to NOT climb up to the top bunk! I know, I am CRAZY if I think they will not climb up to the TOP bunk! I mean the bed is practically calling out to them "Climb up here..." LOL! Let's just say any worries that I had about them having a bunk bed flew out the window when Daddy showed them how to climb up & down the bed. Yes, he actually showed them how to get to the TOP bunk! arghh! His theory being that you cannot expect them to stay away from it & they need to learn what to do! Hello!? They are three years old after all! The things you do when you are a parent of MANY! hahah! Anyhow, after about thirty minutes of exploring it they have become semi pros at it! I had forgotten that they have already had some BUNK BED experience from climbing up & down their friend Ashley's bunk bed.Even knowing that does not help this mama feel any better, I mean the thought of them falling off the top bunk FREAKS me out! Let's just say there will be MANY night time checks to make sure that NO ONE is caught up on that top bunk! After all is said & done should I be happy that...

we bit the bullet?...

Let it snow!...

Ok I know that winter means COLD weather and a high chance of snow for about everyone outside the state of Florida. Yes we had snow flurries when I was in the 1st grade but that does not count. It melted before it touched my tongue! I have to tell you that this Floridian did not really see snow until she was 16 and even then she was very unprepared for it! My wardrobe consisted of t-shirts & shorts only to have a freak snowstorm hit our rustic cabin in the NC mountains. We had about 6 inches of snow that Spring Break. Needless to say I got majorly sick after that adventure! But at least I can say I saw snow! Now fast forward quite a few years to the winter of 2010. We've had some CRAZY CRAZY weather! For the amount of clothes we have layered upon ourselves we need something for our trouble! I think we deserve some snow! Approximately 3 hours North of us got some so why not share the wealth? I mean since Florida is NOT suppose to be so cold why not make it memorable one?! And to think they say there is global warming, ha! Something is going on but I doubt it's that! I started getting my hopes up today when it started raining. All you need is COLD weather & a little precipitation. We have the components so bring it on! Nothing like rain & cold weather to ruin a perfectly good Saturday! UGH! But if it snowed now that would turn even a bad day good! Now all of your northerners who get the snow I am sorry to complain. I just want the tribe to see what you all take for granted. If my wish comes true I promise not to complain again! (= Give me something to talk about! Give us some snow! We have the precipitation & the temperature is cold enough so why not let us get some benefit out of it!? The tribe needs some action down here & a good snow day would do just the trick! SO please Mother Nature please either give us our warm weather back or just...

Let it snow!...

Buddy...

Funny how just one year can change SO much! These children of ours have grown so much in the past year, not only in height but also in vocabulary. The say SO much! The things that come out of their mouths! YIKES! Makes me bite my tongue on quite a few occasions for fear they will repeat me! LOL! One of the words that has stuck has been Linz's nickname for Brendan. She does not call him Brendan or Brendy, but calls him "Buddy". It is SO cute seeing how she interacts with him & shows him her affection. Just yesterday she held him in her arms & rubbed the hair on his head and neck. You know how soft & fuzzy the hair is after a buzz cut, well she ran her fingers across the back of his neck & he just giggled. He is by far our most ticklish child! He loved every moment of the attention she gave him! SO SO cute! Maybe they will continue that bond once school starts & be the twosome that stays together in their first classroom. You know I will NOT be splitting them up if I don't have to! Oh to be two and not have a care in the world! (= These children definitely give us more joy than we even realize. Lately my smiles have come from watching Linz and her...

Buddy...

a day at Costco....

Today Grandma & I took the babies to Costco, Grandma's home away from home. If we ever show up to her house & she is not home she is usually at Costco. The employee's there are like family to us now that we have had the babies. Especially Maria in the photo lab. She has watched them grow by seeing the pictures we take in for processing. I have even run into her at my local Costco. (She lives near us!) It really is a small world! It is amazing how much of a stir we cause when we show up to go shopping. In the beginning we would bring "BIG BLUE" aka our monster of a stroller. We decided that we could take them in their shopping carts since they are built for two. Thank you Costco for that! No other store accomodate multiples like they do. So we entered the store, I had the "twins" and Grandma had Cam Cam & Brendan. I really want to get a spy cam to attach to us just to capture peoples faces when they see us coming. The babies are used to it. They sometimes even wave. We went all over the store & had people following us at every turn. Things we heard were "Are they all from the same pregnancy", "Are they all the same age?", "Are they quintuplet's?"(NO there are FOUR not five of them here!LOL!), "Are they identical?", "How old are they?", I even heard a "You are a blessed woman". I LOVED that one because THAT I am!! We eventually made our way over to the food court to feed them some lunch. Those carts are even good to feed them in! One of the Costco employees came over & said I notice you did not bring their stroller. Even the employees notice our kids! I FINALLY took a picture of them there so Maria & the photo lab can display it. For now the babies just LOVE when they have...

a day at Costco....

oh, lucky day....

Today is suppose to be a lucky day, 8 8 08. I do not know if there is that much truth in that since I woke up EARLY to a screaming baby! Miss Linz decided to wake up an hour & a half before the rest, SCREAMING! This is the 3rd day that she has had a fever. I think it is teething but I just do not know. She just wanted to be held, by only ME! IT was rough. Her twin also woke up with a cough & some congestion so I decided I better take them in to the pediatrician just to make sure. Luckily Grandma had the morning free so we loaded up the babe's & off we went to the doctor's. Only having to take two babies in is a treat! Whenever they need shots I try to line up EXTRA reinforcements to help comfort them. You never think of those things when you have just one baby. Well there I was in the waiting room with them clinging on to me like glue. I guess that was better than letting them down to roam through the germ infested "sick kid" area. We waited about 20 minutes & YAY they called our name! They got weighed in & I am sad to announce that they are still under 20 lbs. No wonder we still call them "peanut"! We saw a NEW doctor to the practice which sometimes can be hard when you are so accustomed to seeing their regular one. She was great! She made sure they did not cry when she listened to their lungs & checked their throats. Let me tell you for all that we had to do to get them there you would think we woud leave with some sort of diagnosis. NOTHING! No ear infections, sore throats, congestions, etc. They were as healthy as can be. I guess I should have listened to my intuition & realized it was just them teething their molars...

oh, lucky day!....

our little streaker....

We have an exhibitionist amongst us & no it is not me! haha! Little Miss Linz seems to LOVE to remove her diaper & then strip down to her bare bottom. Part of me thinks that maybe she is trying to tell me she is ready for the potty but then I think "No, she is only 18 months old". I have no idea when to start this potty training business nor do I think I am ready. What is a mother to do. Last week when Uncle Bob & their cousin Jenny babysat them she did it again! We came home AFTER their nap & I noticed on the changing table the pretty undie pants that go over her diaper. I said to myself please let those not be Lindseys! You see any other child would be ok during their nap with out panties covering their diaper but not Linz. I no sooner turn my head to check her, I see a diaper on the floor & she is standing up in her crib minus her diaper. Then comes the treat, poopies on her blanket. YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! I should have made Uncle Bob or Jenny clean it up but no I called on their dear daddy! Normally I do the poopies & he does the throw up. Doesn't that sound like a good plan! Well I needed for him to see it. You see we have had one too many encounters with poop! Linz just stood there, smiled & then laughed. You see she is....

our little streaker!

you gotta have friends...

We have the most AMAZING friends! From the beginning of our quad journey we have been blessed. I must say that the first 6 months were a blur. We did not know which end was up. We had some family, friends but most of all our church, Christ Fellowship, there for us. They moved mountains! We do not live near anything & they enlisted so many volunteers to help feed me, feed the babies, do house chores, etc. It still amazes us at how they helped us. We had complete strangers turn into some of our best friends. Isn't that what the Lord tells us, to love one another like he has loved us. Well, They really showed us his love. We thank you SO much! We met Auntie Jody through CF. She started coming when the babies were a few weeks old & stayed till after their 1st birthday. She would come once sometimes twice a week just to help out. She was our BEST babysitter!! When she moved to SC we all cried! We miss her tremendously!! Now that the babies have gotten older & WILDER (hehee) I have 2 of my best girlfriends help me. It's hard to believe that I have known them both for over 20 years!! This ages me! (= I think about how God had us cross paths & I am so grateful that he did! You can see from previous posts I not only am a SAHM but I also get to work part-time too! I am a police/fire dispatcher (in my 19th year! Yikes!). In the beginning I would only work on the weekends but that was making daddy weary. So I decided I would try & work a few week days so I could have part of the weekend off to spend with daddy & the babies. So Auntie Debbie & Auntie Delia come to Grandma's house to watch the babies. They ask nothing from me & are SO good with them. Taking care of four 18 month's old can be quite exhausting yet they enjoy it. The babies LOVE them too! I have such WONDERFUL friends! I just hope that one day I can repay them for all that they do for us!

oh you gotta have friends....

it's a gecko, not a geico gecko....

Just the other day when we ALL were swimming in the pool at Grandma's we spotted a gecko. It seemed to be habitating under Grandma's umbrella stand. We spyed it for awhile until it darted out from under its cover & into plain view. The babies LOVED looking at their new "friend". We no sooner took one eye off of it & it jumped from the patio into mid air & then into the pool. I never knew geckos could swim! Well this little bugger did & EVERYONE in the pool freaked with the exception of Dustyn & his four little siblings. They LOVED the fact that their new friend was now swimming among them. (They are their father's children!) Dustyn took charge & went after it like a hunter catching his prey. He LOVE'S catching anything with legs! In fact he has a bearded dragon as a pet! He has had way too many "cool" pets to mention. Just say we have had it all. I once won an honorable mention from his school for having the most unusual pets! So he too takes after his Dad. I not only geographically live in the woods but my house should might as well be called a lodge. Dead animals adorn our walls amongst other woodsy things. SO when we spyed our new friend I could actually say it's...

a gecko, not a geico gecko....

it's a QUADathon!

I just wanted to share with EVERYONE a new blog spot that I stumbled upon via another quad momma. It is a site dedicated to babies & now they are doing a QUADathon!! I am SO excited to see what they have to say. Babies in general are fun but multiples are EXTRA ORDINARY! (= So check them out! Just go to babyblogaddict.blogspot.com!

love,

Cathy & the babe's

Isn't life amazing....

Each and EVERY day these little buggers of mine AMAZE me! They are SO smart & continually show me that. It all started with one little step at a time. Now it has turned into a race!! They are full speed ahead & I am just along for the ride! I must say that it is the ride of my life! When I was younger the phrase was "You are a trip with no luggage". That is a good description of my life; full of laughs, laughs and more laughs! Too many occur & definitely not enough time to write about them! I will however include a recent one from a recent visit with Aunt Jodi (AJ) & Uncle Philip. Cam Cam did another "funny". (that is what I call most of my blog entries, funnies). They, just like any "newbie" that comes into contact with our four amazing little people always say the same thing... They are SO good! Do they think we raise ANIMALS! ha! They really are good & GOD has blessed us immensely in that dept. He gave us the pick of the litter!! (= It may take them 20 minutes to get to know you but once they are warmed up there is no telling what they might do. They LOVE people! I wonder where they get that from!? ha! (= Well, Miss Cam Cam loves to amuse & did not let them down last night! After dinner Cam snuggled with Aunt Jodi as she danced around the room. AJ assumed she was going to sleep because she was so still. Don't ever assume! ha! She was so proud of herself getting her to "sleep" when all of the sudden Cam bounce's up, smiles & shakes her head "no" as in I am not sleeping you silly woman! "AJ" just laughed! She really did fool her! Too bad they live so far away.. if not, they could experience this daily! The babe's learn SO much from all of us. I have noticed that the more I "blog" the more they want to "blog" too! They now think this keyboard is a toy. Uh oh! My only hope is that they grow up to be writers! I can wish can't I??

Hopefully 20 years from now when they read my post's they will know how much their mommy loves them! Remember 20 years down the road is the light at the end of my tunnel!! (=

MY life as I know it....

I must say that my life is an amazing adventure. I get to wake up each day to a new bag of tricks. My four little ones keep me very entertained. I do not notice how grown up they are getting unless I look back at pictures & then can I see it. Someone comes by to see them and comments on their hair, skin, height, etc. then I pay closer attention. I guess you need to see things from a distance once in awhile to really appreciate it! My mom asked me the other day what it felt like being a mommy & I cannot remember not being one! I have only been at this job 17 months but it seems like forever! That is hard to believe but VERY true! These little buggers have taken over my mind & soul! I do not remember life without them! I used to do SO many things, not having to worry about anyone but myself & now all of that has changed. Every extra cent is spent on them! I order the kiddie meal whenever I can just to get the toy for them. It's bad! hahah! Most of my friends have children but to the ones that do not, Your day will come! You may laugh now at how silly I can be singing a "Barney" song out of the blue at work or because I am happy and I know it so I clap my hands! ha! I am telling you, you will be in this SILLY place one day too! Of course then I will laugh at YOUR silliness! Especially since Barney will be old school & my kids will be on to something goofier!

This is MY life as I know it....

my little sprinkler....

Well, we have gone from smacking to spitting! Miss Avery seems to think she is ALLOWED to do this. Boy is she in for a rude awakening! She just started this today. She takes a swig of milk from her sippy cup then proceeds to spit it out! This is going to be a LONG day! I swear the next time their darling daddy teaches them any new tricks I am gonna scream! He thinks it is funny but I am here ALL day long dealing with it! At least it is the same child that is making all of the ruckus! (= I have said this before & I will continue to say it "We are going to fight! ". She has gone from being my patient one, to the heathen, to now just one little "spitfire"!

In times when we need some rain I have... my little sprinkler!

bye,bye, fishy,fishy....

We lost our pet fish the other day! He/She was the best fish a person could have. It was a VERY rare fish, a red hawk fish! Not only did it do what other fish do meaning swim around the tank, it also would sit. Yes our Red Hawk fish would swim around and then take a load off & sit on a rock. It was one cool fish! I could stand at the edge of the tank & call "fishy, fishy" and he/she would swim over. It was SO cute! Michael told me not to name it. He said once a fish gets a name they die. I tend to think he LOVED the name & felt we were complete now that we had the babe's! As everyone who has multiples already knows having them is time consuming! Maybe we were SO busy in our quad life that we probably did not pay enough attention to our dear pet. The babies were just able to stand up next to the tank & point to "mr Fishy". They really LOVED him. I loved him too & shed a tear when Michael told me that he was gone. We were lucky & there will not be another "Mr Fishy", we will most likely not replace him. I told the babies as we passed by his tank on their way to bed, say...

"bye,bye fishy,fishy"....