How Do You Do It?

I get asked that question frequently. People are amazed that I'm out and that we do things in public all the time. Well, just so you know, most of the time we do great, amazingly even. But somedays, like today, are days when we should have just stayed at home and never attempted to leave the house.

We are finally on the mend. No fevers. I thought this meant we should get out and enjoy the flowers (possible photo op?) at Manito. Our need to leave the house was made even more clear after the neighbor boy (almost 2 years old) came and played in the little outdoor kitchen sticking everything in his mouth before his dad came out and informed us big sister was inside puking her guts out...ugh! We loaded up and set off for the park. The first sign of trouble was at our first light. My light was green. Let me repeat that. My light was GREEN. The city bus had stopped to let out people who promptly walked in front of the bus and out in front of the van. I had to slam on the brakes sending everything in the car flying forward so as not to hit them. They glanced at the light (realizing it was green for me) shrugged and continued on their way. Why did I not turn around?

We arrived at the park and parked close to the flower gardens. After loading the girls in and getting us away from traffic, I realized that the only way to the garden from where I had parked was down several flights of stairs or a VERY steep embankment. After much deliberation, I placed the boys at the bottom sitting in grass and handed them each a girl. Then I gracefully (see horrifyingly) sped down the hill with the stroller in front of me. Right as I got to the bottom of the hill, the sprinklers turn on and the boys and babies cry in unison. The boys are crying because not only are they wet but I'm telling them to sit still so they don't throw the babies on the grass. Why did I not go home?

We attempted some photos. Thomas threw a piece of candy in the fountain. We then decided to see the Japanese Gardens and the fish. Not knowing the best way to go, we explored. The boys called it the "jungle." It would've been a great adventure had I not been pushing a double stroller not meant for the wilderness. The Japanese Garden was beautiful. Serene even...before we got there. We took a few pictures. Josh cried that he wanted to go home. Molly cried that she was awake. Katie cried because she could. Thomas and I reveled in the fish and ducks and let everyone else cry. Sorry to anyone within a few block radius that had to hear all the crying from my children.

We then took the adventure back to the car detouring through the Rose Gardens. The boys wanted me to name every kind of rose (there were little templates with the rose names on them). Is there really a rose called "Sexy Lexy?" I doubt it, I stopped reading them after that. It was hot and we were walking a lot so I told the boys to run through the sprinkler to cool off. Josh cried because he got wet when he did that. :( The only way down from the rose garden was a very long meandering (and then uphill walk) to the car, or down three flights of stairs. I put both girls in my arms and started pulling the double stroller down the stairs. I asked the boys for help as a piece of garbage flew out of the stroller and both sat at the bottom of the stairs and declined helping mommy. A very steamed mommy got the stroller to the bottom of the stairs. Boys cried all the way to car because I went to fast down the stairs and they didn't get to help.

By the time we got to the car, three of the four kids were crying (only Molly was asleep) and it was time to go home. I tossed the boys in back and by the time I put the stroller in the back, Joshua was sitting naked in his carseat. Apparently his clothes were "too wet" to wear home. Fantastic! I quick nursing session and we went home and had a very long naptime.

Just so you know, we might do it. We might get out and do things. But it's not always pretty. And maybe sometimes, sometimes, we should just go home.

Sickies

Yuck! It started with me. I had a runny nose which quickly turned into a sore throat. I hit this cold hard with some Vicks, a humidifier, and trusty Tylenol....oh yeah, and one Claritin. It worked wonders! Then came Molly's turn. Poor baby. Then Dan, and now Joshua is starting. Is this what life with four small kids is like? Rough! Sleep is nonexistent right now. In fact, Dan is sleeping in the living room so I can have the girls in bed with me and continue the constant nursing. Molly threw us for a loop last night when she declined nursing for 18 hours straight. I began to worry, but Molly decided it was time to eat immediately after I scheduled her a doctor's appointment. Hopefully we are fever-free in the morning and on the mend. I keep telling myself...one more night, I can make it one more night....

Capture the Moments That Capture your Heart

If you know me, you know that I am constantly taking pictures. I'm afraid that I won't remember these moments (and am reminded by others that indeed I won't). I try to capture the moments that capture my heart. The girls are just leaving the stage of constant need for entertainment and are BECOMING our entertainment. Here are some from the last couple days that make me smile.

The girls share a secret during dinner. Can you tell we are trying out carrots?

What Molly would look like with hair. We had a LOT of fun with this one!

I recently got out the walker. Katie loves this thing! She follows me from room to room and is pretty proud of herself. I took it outside one day and she had a blast! She got on the sidewalk and chased the boys up and down the sidewalk. I think I'm in trouble next summer!

Tonight was cousin Abby's 6th birthday party. The boys absolutely love their cousins. Here are a few pictures of family and kids.

Fun at the Fair

One more time! Quite the experience. I took the day and packed a picnic dinner, and met Dan after work. That was our first run of trouble. Dan attempted to take one route from work to the fairgrounds. It was the wrong route and took him forever. As in I had enough time to run back home and get him a change of clothes and STILL have plenty of time to wait for him. I loaded all the kids and pushed BOTH double strollers to the gate to meet him. Not a great start, but a great workout! We walked in and immediately sat down for the lumberjack show. This gave us time to eat while being entertained. A couple of Dan's friends from highschool ended up being a part of the show, so it was a double bonus for us! We then did rides and then saw animals. The fair experience itself was a huge success. We (I) hit a small snag again on the way home. Dan was spoiled and enjoyed a silent ride home by himself. I, on the other hand, had one of the worst rides of my life. Prior to the fair I bought a ton of lightsticks at the dollar store so we wouldn't have to spend money on them at the fair. Unfortunately the boys' broke in the car and they were covered in glow material. UGH! Joshua rubbed his eyes and all my forceful hand sanitizing bit me in the tush as it made his eye start hurting terribly! About 3 minutes into the ride all 4 kids are just screaming and crying. I endured the screaming and crying the entire way home. Once home it did not end as Josh's eye needed to be tended to and the little ones didn't think sitting in their carseat was any fun. As soon as Dan walked through the door (a while later as the freeway was down from 3 lanes to 1) I informed him that I would be leaving for a little while.

I just went in and checked all the kids. The boys gave me big hugs and told me how much they loved me. :) The girls are out! A quiet moment much needed after a long day. My kids are cute!

Simply Wonderful

Today was...simply wonderful. Coming off a crazy weekend with hospital visits and such, today was heavenly.

This weekend, I spent some hours at the hospital. My dear friend, Katie, was there with her dad. Her dad had been in a motorcycle accident and was stranded in a ditch for 9 hours. Not only that, but they had sent out search and rescue and suspended it for the night when her husband went out one last time and happened to find him. PHEW! Luckily, he is recovering and slowly on the mend. Here's a picture of Katie (my friend) with Katie (her namesake) and Molly. Despite the circumstances, it was great to see her and get a chance to chat.

I also spent some time with a former student of mine. She was one of my first kindergarten students! :) She was in the pediatric ICU and having breathing issues. SCARY! I had a nice visit with her and her mom.

Now on to the good stuff..

Due to multiple doctor appointments scheduled for today, Dan took the day off of work to assist me. The important appointment was for Molly. We have been noticing that Molly does not respond to sounds the same way that Katie does. Instead of getting the cursory glance from the pediatrician I went straight to a pediatric audiologist. My instructions were to not feed her or let her sleep for 2 hours before the appointment so that when she arrived she'd be starving and exhausted and could be fed and sleep for the 90 minute testing session. I held up my part of the bargain and had a screaming angry baby on my hands when we arrived. She was quickly allowed to eat and go to sleep and everything looked better from there! Dan held her during the testing and I hung out in the waiting room with Katie. I spent my time taking pictures of Katie... :)

They were very thorough in their testing and spent lots of time explaining the results and procedures. They attach electrodes and watch her brain respond to sound, they check all parts of the ears to make sure everything functions. Turns out everything is fine. Apparently she is our first mellow child (and apparently Katie is a little ahead of the learning curve and we just didn't know it). We'll take mellow! We surely celebrated in the news that she is just an easy-going kid. That being said we'll go back for a recheck in a few months if we're still concerned.

Dan took the boys to the base for some errands while I hung out at home with the girls. And by hang out, I mean I took a nap with the girls. WOW! After rest time, we packed up and hit the fair. We signed the boys up for Mutton Bustin' and had some dinner. Of course, minutes before the boys are suppose to go, my camera starts to flash 'low battery.' AUGH! Luckily, we'd run into some friends, Kari and family, and I was able to call her and see if she could take some pictures. She did! When I get them, I'll post them. Here are the few I got.

The boys had a GREAT time! They loved everything. We left after only one ride, so we'll be going back tomorrow. We already have ride tickets, we just need to use them. :)

The boys had the best behavior today. We were so proud of them today. They are getting so big and making better and better choices. Attempting the fair with 4 kids was quite the undertaking (two double strollers, two snugglies, and tons of other stuff). It brought a lot of comments. The kids did fantastic and we just couldn't ask for a better family. We are so lucky. Simply wonderful.

Fall Changes!

We've been busy! The yard has been a slow, but steady, progress. 1/4 of the back yard is beautifully done with new grass and a raised garden bed. Earlier in the year, we took down the pine tree. This week, our neighbors on each side admired our lovely grass and noticed the tree stump left in the yard. They decided to make it a project and removed it. I don't get a word in edge-wise with two toddlers and two infants, so I never got to tell Dan it was happening. He came home and was very surprised! Today, my brother came over and pulled out the shrubs from the front of the house. I cannot stand anything with pine needles, I'm a leafy kind of girl. We'll be replanting with better bushes! Dan was once again surprised! :)

Now there are tree and bush parts all over our yard. I see a dump trip in our future!

Molly's bottom tooth has broken through. It's got a long way to come up, but you can feel it and just barely see it! Katie continues to sympathy teeth, but must have something coming as well.

Let the Teething Begin

I truly believe there are some parts of parenting that you intentionally block out. Teething is one of those times. We have officially begun the teething process, and I am remembering why I dislike it so much. Molly has three white bumps poking through, believed to be two teeth. Kaitlyn is thus far "sympathy teething." They are both running low-grade fevers, have runny nose, and are generally miserable. The good news? Molly is a mama's girl when she's not feeling well. I'm getting lots of cuddles from both girls.

As for the boys, preschool is going really well. I converse with their teacher online frequently. I AM one of "those" kinds of parents. I check up on the boys frequently and make sure they are being good. I have also volunteered in a few areas of the classroom. So far, the boys want me to walk them in, but I anticipate them being more comfortable with the drop-off method real soon.

Highlights from the week thus far? Dan's cousin Becca came and she and Dan rode bikes (pulling the boys) to Baskin-Robbins for ice cream. The boys LOVE Becca and LOVE ice cream, so this was very thrilling. I got out the baby swing and the girls got to swing for the first time. They love it as much as 4-month olds can love swinging. :)

Baptismal Blessings

Today was Baptism day! You can well imagine we were hustling to get out of the house this morning! The service was fantastic! Father Khuns came and assisted our usual priest Father Bob. Father Kuhns not only baptized the boys but did a special Mass for Dan when he was a toddler facing a very serious illness. Having him baptize the girls seemed like completing the circle. The girls did fantastic and were fairly well behaved. The only part they were noisy for was the actual baptism part. Apparently getting dunked in water is not their idea of fun. Thomas and Joshua did well aside from the baptism part as well. They decided our busiest time of the service was their time to be crazy. All in all, it was beautiful and well done. We had a small reception at our house afterwards and got a little more time to visit with Father Kuhns and some family. Thanks to all who participated in this special day!

With the girls' Godparents: Beth and Don

**I'm going to try and get some better pictures of the girls in their gowns tomorrow. For now, enjoy this.

I LOVE WEEKENDS!

Days with Dan home are just pure joy. It's so much easier to parent when there are two of you. I can't imagine how single parents pull it off successfully.

This weekend is a favorite of ours. Today we ventured down to Pig Out in the Park. We love it because the picky part of me can get something simple and Dan gets a rare treat that he would generally never ever get. This year was by far the most challenging of all. We put the girls in snugglies and grabbed the strollers and leashes for the boys. A stroller in crowds is always a challenge, but we managed as well as we possibly could. The boys got balloon swords and were quite content. The girls slept and ate and were also quite content. Dan and I actually got a few words in edgewise!

My Babies Go To Preschool

How can that be? Just yesterday I was rocking them, teaching them to walk and talk, and now they are waving good-bye and going into a classroom without me. Without me! Today might have been harder on me than those little boys of mine. The first day of preschool. What a momentous ocassion. Daddy met us for the drop off and to be a part of the moment. The boys were so happy to see him (Molly was particularly excited). We sat in our line waiting for school to start. The minute the music started, Thomas' eyes started to well up. I almost cried! Then he turned around and marched into the classroom with his brother and classmates not even pausing for a good-bye. I was torn for 2 hours wondering if he was in his classroom crying and wondering where I was. Flash forward 2 hours and I am anxiously standing outside their classroom waiting to see their darling faces. Apparently school went fine. They haven't said much but no complaints. No note from the teacher. They are both excited to go back next week, so I'd say it was a success! I can't believe they are already in preschool. I'm not quite ready to let go and at the same time I want to shove them out the door. My babies go to preschool. I'll never get over it.