Funny Thomas

My mom stopped by today and was chatting with Thomas about preschool.

Mommy: "Tell grandma what about preschool. Who is your teacher."
Thomas: "My teacher is Mrs. B."
Grandma: "Mrs. B?"
Thomas: "Yeah, but she doesn't have a stinger. If she have stinger she can sting everyone."

It took us a second to figure out tha the was taking his teacher's name literally thinking Mrs. Bee. I laughed so hard I was crying. H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!

Testing....Testing...1....2....3....

Thomas has decided to test the limits. It's been coming slowly but surely, but today he outdid himself. I write this to remember. To tell him about later. And to gain sympathy as I'm exhausted and it's only 12:49 PM and I have 5 more hours until Dan gets home. :) The morning started off with both boys crying. I should have known then that it wasn't going to go as planned. We went to breakfast with grandpa, which amazingly went very well. The calm before the storm. After breakfast we always to go greatma's to play at her house and spend some quality time with her. The boys love this. They did well until the end. Thomas decided he didn't want to listen and leave. Put him in timeout, he gets out of the chair once....twice. I take him back to the back room to discuss it with him and he hits me. He receives a swat. He laughs in my face, yells "NO" and hits me again. I go to the fridge to find hot sauce....his nemisis. He quickly puts on shoes. We get to the car with very little problems. You'd think we would be done there, but no. He begins hitting and kicking Joshua very hard. I'm on the on-ramp with no possibility of pulling over. Luckily my threats hold out and he stops. Only to unbuckle Joshua's carseat. This wouldn't be as big of a deal if they could buckle themselves in, but they can't. I speed over to the shoulder, spank Thomas and rebuckle Joshua. This happens again not a mile down the road. Repeat procedure and call Dan for backup advice. Thomas calms down. At this point, Angie has called to see if we want to meet for lunch. She agrees to take Joshua to lunch so I can take Thomas home. This ends up doing the trick. Thomas is devastated and has since calmed down and we are at home with the girls while Josh is at lunch. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am so frustrated. SO FRUSTRATED! I am not a spanker. I do not wish to spank. It is literally my last resort. While the kiddos know that, it does not seem to affect them when I do it. Here's hoping to a better afternoon!

Great to be Home

What a nice relaxing day. We thoroughly enjoyed the new floors and having our house back. In fact, we played outside very little and instead played inside!

I taught the boys how fast cars can go on the new floors. This was entertaining for quite some time. Then I taught them to slide on the floor in their socks. Fun times! Between crafts and games, we were busy all day!

The girls were also busy. Lots of eating, sleeping, and pooping. Molly rolled over for the first time tonight. She must've gotten distracted and forgot about her thumb because usually she gets so SO close and then finds her thumb and forgets to roll over.

Tonight we went swimming at the 'Y'. Instead of checking the girls into childcare, we took them in with us to let them get use to the water (Molly hates bath time, so I thought this might be good for her especially). They both loved the water. And both of them handled being dunked very well. After the girls were done in the water, I took them to the sitting area and waited for the boys. There, I got to chat with two moms, both of whom were moms of triplets. Quite the conversation!

After we got home I started getting the girls into their pajamas. The both rolled to their sides and discovered...EACH OTHER! It was the neatest moment to watch. They held hands and grabbed each other.

What a Week!

Phew! It's finally over! We started 10 days ago and can now claim to be done...well almost. At least enough to count as done! The rooms are painted. The floors are done. Furniture is back in. The rooms where we had to put all the furniture are destroyed, but those are now accessible and can be cleaned again. Hooray!!! Here are a before and after picture so you can see a little bit of the change.

What have we been doing this week? It's been CRAZY! During the weekend, we stayed with some amazing friends (thanks Hillmans and Shefflers) and got the floors done. Even with the floors done, they had to dry and seal so we weren't to have any real traffic on them. That meant sleeping at home, but running around during the day. TOUGH! On Monday we went to breakfast with grandpa Bob and spent some time with my grandma...where we did laundry.

Tuesday we were lucky enough to have scheduled the girls' 4-month shots. They were troopers! Here are their stats:

Katie-

Weight- 14#12 (55%)

Height- 25 1/4 (75%)

Molly-

Weight- 13#11 (50%)

Height- 25 1/4 (80%)

Wednesday was the boys' first real visit to preschool. They met their teacher and saw the classroom. When we first walked in, I stuck very close by and let them explore with me by their side. Then I started to separate and observed them to see how they would respond. They did great! Our first short day (they ease into it) is next week when they'll go for just two hours. I'm excited, nervous, anxious, scared, etc. It will be a big deal for me! Then we went to my brother, Adam's house. The boys found a spiderman costume and were in HOG HEAVEN!

Today we had a field trip with my mommy group and we went to a local pizza establishment and saw how they make pizza. The boys were thoroughly impressed and told daddy all about it when we got home. They sent us home with some pizza dough that we'd mixed up while there, so we had pizza for dinner! YUM!

That's it for the week. We are tempted to get out and do something fun tomorrow, but I'm also tempted to just sit at home and revel at the fact that we are done. DONE! I can wake up, lay the babes on the floor, and make breakfast. I haven't been able to set the girls on the floor in over a week. I'm so ready to get back into routine. Hooray!

We're Home!

Hooray! We are finally sleeping in our own bed! It feels so great! The boys were happy to see their own room as well. The house is completely torn apart and our life is still in shambles, but we're on the right track! The floors are done and look as fabulous as we could get them. Dan, bless his heart, worked day in and day out (as in slept about 3 hours from Friday to Sunday) to get it all done. The floors are not perfect. You might not believe that Dan and I are perfectionists, but we are. The floor is great and livable, but we will redo certain parts of the process in the spring when I can vacate for a week and let Dan get it done the way we both want it done. For now, it's fine and WAY WAY WAY better than the carpet. I cannot wait to get the furniture put in on Wednesday night. It will feel so great. As for now, we'll be here at night and naptimes, but for the most part will attempt to be gone during the day until the floors are fully set and ready for us to live on them. I know I'll look back and say, 'It was only a week of our lives,' but for now it was a rough week. Not something I intend on doing again in the near future! Pictures to come...

Kids Happenings

Here's what we've been up to besides the house changes...

I discovered that the girls like to cling to stuffed animals when they sleep. Unfortunately I discovered this while giving Joshua's prized dog, Deac, to Molly one day. While she loves Deac, luckily she'll sleep with other animals too. It's too cute!

Grandpa Bob has brought over a couple loads of sod and we've been planting and watering like crazy. He tends to come over during rest time which means Thomas is asleep and Joshua gets to help grandpa Bob while I tend to babies. Ok, so rest time really means Thomas gets his nap. :) The sod looks excellent and the grass we planted is really coming in! Now we have to do all the other sections of the yard.

Katie is rolling over everywhere and loving her ability to do so. Her hair is actually lying down flatter as well. Super cute! Molly is SO close to rolling over...if her darn arm would just get out of the way! She's extemely happy on her side though because they she can find her thumb easier. Both girls are happy and giggling more and more. It's so much fun to tickle them and hear them shriek!

Thomas expressed interest in riding his bike without the training wheels. Dan took an old bike and let the boys try. Thomas went a ways without Dan holding on. Joshua rode like a drunk driver and was swerving back and forth. They sure loved the daddy time though and will be out again working on it soon!

We visited a petting farm with our mommy group this weekend. The kids absolutely loved it. By kids, I mean the boys, the girls were pains and cried the majority of the trip. It was fun to watch the boys sit on the sheep (Mutton Bustin' coming Sept 16th!) and pick out chicken eggs. They had a great time! Thanks Julie for having us!

House Updates

What a week! We are dog tired! After nearly a week straight of painting from 10 PM- 2 AM, we finally finished...well as much as we could (still some touching up to do). On Friday we started pulling up carpet and getting ready to sand the hardwood floors underneath. This has turned out to be a much bigger job than we had prepared for. The floors are in excellent shape but were waxed with some sort of sealant. Dan pulled an allnighter last night (tough for a guy who loves and needs his sleep as much as Dan does) and got it as good as it can get. He's just now finishing the sanding and staining. Tomorrow after work he'll do more work. We are at least one more night away from getting back in the house due to the harmful vapors. It's SO hard being away from home with four youngsters. So hard! We are, however, extremely grateful for our gracious friends that allow us to crash with all of our kids for multiple days and nights....thanks guys! Hopefully at the end of this, we have some awesome looking floors and walls!

Painting

Ever had a day where you know you should have just stayed in bed? That happened today. I got up early and even WOKE UP the kids to go have breakfast with grandpa Bob. We got dressed and were ready to go when I realized I couldn't find my keys. No joke. All kids crying and I can't find my keys. An hour later I gave up. Another hour passes and I called Dan home to help me. He walks in the door, my keys are found.

I then volunteered to run to Home Depot to get more paint since he had wasted his time coming home for me. I called mom to see if she wanted to meet up with me for IHOP since we had missed it earlier. Walking to the paint counter, I knew were in trouble. There was a line. We stood in line for 15 minutes before Thomas said he had to go potty. A trip to the bathroom and then back in line. Luckily, mom showed up then so she took the boys and I stood in line. Another 10 minutes and I had dropped off my paint...finally! A quick nursing session and breakfast could not come fast enough. I scarfed down my food knowing my time was limited. Smelling Molly, I knew she needed a diaper change. A quick check down the back revealed that she had pooped up her back and it was now all over my hand. YUCK! I take her back and change her. As soon as I return to the table, Katie spits up. A quick clean up and I can hear Molly filling her pants again. Seriously? I picked her up only to realize she's blown out again, this time down her leg. Another trip to the bathroom and a clothing change. I trade off babies with mom and intend to give Katie a quick change on my lap in the booth to save time. Except I can't. She's pooped too and it's up her back. The bathroom is quickly becoming my new residence. I finally return to the table where the boys are acting up (Thomas is covering Joshua's cup lid with strawberry syrup, they are playing swords under the table, etc.). It's time to go! I put the girls in their car seats and strap them in just in time for them both to mass puke all over their outfits and car seats. We quickly leave before any more fluids can erupt.

I drove to Home Depot to pick up my paint and left all kids except Katie in the van with mom. After standing in line for another 15 minutes I am finally given my paint. We hurry out and head home. Mom has probably never been so happy to get back to work! :) Everyone napped and we all got rested.

Fast forward to tonight when we go to open the paint. It's the wrong kind. ARG! So much time waiting in line and here I am with the wrong paint. We'll be taking it back tomorrow but have lost precious hours painting. Sad! Here's our progress so far.

So Tired...

It's been a busy weekend and this week shall be the same. We decided to buck up and do a few house projects while the timing is as right as it can be. One small section of the yard has been worked on and grass planted. The rest will follow as time allows. Indoors we've been hard at work. The walls for the dining room are sanded and now have their first coat of paint. The living room will follow tomorrow night after the 2nd and final coat in the dining room. Assuming we get all painting complete, the carpet will be pulled up on Friday to reveal the hardwood floors underneath and they will be sanded and fixed up over the weekend. EXHAUSTING! We're trying to get everything done before the weather turns sour and before Dan leaves for 8 weeks of military training. YIKES!! Picture updates shortly.

Other ongoings...

Thomas got his 2nd bee sting of the summer. In case you're keeping track that's Joshua=2 stings, Thomas=2 stings. This was a horrible one! He was riding his 4-wheeler around the house and it just came up and stung him on the ear. Look how swollen it was!

The boys enjoyed a day at grandma and grandpa's while Dan and I painted. When I got there to pick them up they were riding their bikes through cones. They loved it!

The girls are starting to enjoy their food. They like avocado. Not big fans of sweet potato. They like squash and enjoy pears. We'll add banana and applesauce and stop at those flavors until 6 months. The goal of starting food this early was to keep them from eating every hour. The girls are now eating twice a day, generally sharing 1 jar per feeding, and still eating every hour. They are hungry girls!

Tonight was the first night of sitting up bath time. I'm hoping to get into a routine of bath times so that when Dan leaves it's not terrifying for me to get all four kids bathed! Katie loves bath time and loves Thomas. (The boys each have a baby. If you ask them which baby is theirs, they will tell you. Katie-Thomas and Joshua-Molly). She had a blast. Molly, not even a fan of sponge baths, was not as impressed.

A Day Out on the Town

After a week of days at home we decided to get out for the day. After all, our Riverfront Park passes will soon expire and we need to finish making those totally worth it! The boys had an absolute blast. They rode the airplanes, the bumper boats, and played mini-golf. Then my brother and his wife called and we met them for a picnic lunch and then went back up to the rides. Then it happened. I lost a kid for the first time...ever. I was horrified and terrified. I watched the boys go with their cousins down the stairs to the rides and I quickly went to the ramp with the stroller (of course getting stuck behind a lolly gagging set of parents). I got to the bottom and found everyone but Thomas. YIKES! We made the rounds and Thomas was found just feet from where we had departed, but Joshua was screaming since I was literally dragging him by his arm as he wanted to ride rides and I wasn't letting him out of my sight while I searched for Thomas. Once all was well again, we finished the rides and headed home.

Our friends, the Shefflers, came over for dinner and cards tonight. Not that we were able to finish a game, but the girls would have won. We all know that, right?! :) A few candids of the kiddos.

The boys are exhausted and out. The girls are exhausted and out. Hooray for the quiet time of the evening!

What a Beautiful Day!

I'm a big fan of the hot hot weather. Then again, I'm only a fan of it when I'm near the water and not toting around two 3 month olds. So, based on my new additions, today was a near perfect day for weather! We spent a good hour and a half outside in the front yard. The longest the girls have ever managed without total fit-throwing. It was beautiful! I also did 8 loads of laundry and got it, plus the other 4 that were already done, folded and put away. Yahoo! I'm realizing that the girls' fussy time is about 2 PM. This is awful because it's right at the beginning of rest time for the boys. When the girls start freaking out, we go for walks. I figure I'll lose weight (right?), run some energy out of the boys, and let the girls' screams waft into the sky. So today I got the boys up from rest time and we packed up for a walk. Just happened that we would get a block away from home and it would downpour. We just kept walking. No one complained and the girls actually fell asleep. Phew!

Almost Thursday Already?????

This summer...heck this week is just flying by. It's not like we've been really busy, but our days are just active and it makes the weeks fly by. We've gone to the YMCA for exercise and swimming. We've played outside. Here are some favorite pictures from the week so far.

Tuesday was the Twins' Club annual family picnic. We met at Audobon Park and had a potluck and visited. Here's a group of the big twins before playing some games.

Joshua is in fit-throwing mode. He's not figured out how to handle frustration and takes to massive fits, then gets put in his room, and really goes at it. I tried to sneak in and take a picture and this is all I could get. However, due to posing for the camera the fit was over.

Grandpa Bob has been bringing truckloads of dirt for the backyard and raised garden beds. Today the boys went with him and watched the dirt get loaded and then came home and "helped" unload it. Fun to watch!

The girls are getting really good at sitting in the Bumbo seat and seem to really enjoy it.

Tonight we had dinner with grandma Alice and grandpa Lyle to celebrate Dan's birthday. Molly slept through dinner so we couldn't get a picture with all the grandkids. Joshua was really into loving grandma Alice and chatted with her the entire way through dinner. Joshua doesn't usually attach to people like that so it really warmed my heart to see him giving his special loves to his great grandma!

Here's some cute pictures of the girls in cute outfits. The cold weather means we get to play dress up again with new outfits! HOORAY!

A Family Weekend

It's not often that Dan and I get real time over the weekend to just be together as a family. There are always things to do and events to be at. Saturday was our quiet day. It was AWESOME! I even got to go grocery shopping all by myself!

This morning we went off to church. Some friends met us there and the boys were really happy to sit with friends. Even though Katie spit up on most everything around us, it was yet another successful Sunday. We are thankful to get some prayerful time and put in some extra prayers for little Mya (rjtiegs.blogspot.com). We departed from church straight to cousin Anson's first birthday party. What a fun party! They had a huge inflatable water slide. This sucker really zoomed. The first time both boys went head-first into the pool at the bottom, but quickly got the hang of how to stay upright. It was also the boys' first pinata. They were in hog heaven.

As for the girls' weekend they've been reaching fun new milestones. We've finished our 4 day run of eating avocado. Tomorrow they move on to sweet potato. I love making my own baby food; for some reason I find it therapeutic. Katie has discovered how to roll over. She's not totally consistent but can go both front to back and back to front. She actually likes her stomach more so she gets really upset when she rolls to her back. A big milestone reached today is that Katie's hair laid down flat for the first time! It was either a fluke or it just got long and heavy enough. Either way, super cute.

Now, as I type, I'm sitting in the recliner snuggling Katie. She fell asleep on my chest and I'm trying to remember this moment. When she's little enough that I can snuggle her and she can sleep on my chest. I know this time passes all too quickly, and I rarely get a time to fully soak in the moment. Time to turn off the computer and really revel in the miracle that is this little girl...and be thankful that all 4 kiddos are asleep.

Peaches and Hornets

What an interesting day! Earlier this week we discovered a hornet nest in the front yard. The sucker was HUGE! I'm so mad at myself for not taking a picture of it. After 5 1/2 cans of bee spray the nest was not as active, but still buzzing and hanging heavy off the branch. I called Senske and had someone come out and take a look. He said we were dealing with Bald Faced Hornets.

They are extremely possessive of their nest and sting repeatedly if bothered. The Senske guy even said the nest was huge. We were home when the guy came to take the nest down. It was amazing to watch. You could tell he was nervous and he admitted he'd already been stung once today. The boys and I crowded around the window safe in the house to watch. I tried to take pictures but was totally mesmerized. First he sprayed the nest with a mass amount of insecticide. The bees were ANGRY. They came flying out of that nest like crazy. After soaking the nest and the bottom falling off, he got out a long pole started hacking at it until it came down. He came in afterwards and said the queen bee was very well protected and we wouldn't have gotten it ourselves unless we had knocked it down ourselves (NOT HAPPENING!). He then brought pieces of the nest over to show the boys. It was DISGUSTING! He showed them the larva, the eggs, the babies, all of it. The babies were all still wiggling and trying to poke out and escape. I was mortified, Thomas was in heaven and talked about the process of larva, pupa, etc. YUCK! But, problem solved, the front yard is once again safe.

Today we headed up to Greenbluff to pick peaches and apricots. It's something we do every year and the boys absolutely love it. Something about picking your own fruit makes it taste that much better. We met the Butterfields and the Shefflers and had a great time visiting. So far I've made baby food with the peaches and will make a pie for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Tonight the kids were all getting anxious so I took them for a walk. It's really fun. The boys ride their little four-wheelers and and I push the strollers. Tonight Katie was mad, so I put her in the front pack. We went a long way and I got quite the walk in! Everyone was exhausted!