Crazy Busy

What a day!! It's been busy, crazy, exhausting, and cozy. I know, how can it be all of these all jumbled into one?? Lets just say I have five cute kids and lots of hours in my day to fill with them. To start our day we woke up cuddled in my bed with cartoons. We thought we might take showers and get ready to go to the bank and to Saint Susanna to work on the Pre-K service project. We were slightly interrupted by our randomly sounding smoke alarms going off. Only this time they didn't stop. After counting four bodies (because Drew was at school) and checking the house for smoke I called our contractor for an electrician that was to be sent on Monday. My second call was to 911 to have the fire department come out and check the house and turn off the alarms. I know....I should've done it the opposite way, but when you're in the shower and they go off you need the extra few mintues to get dressed...at least when you're not in immediate danger and know it. After being evacuated to the neighbors and a very extensive serach with heat guns and all the firemen dug out some very disgusting furnace filters and checked the wiring from the alarms it was suggested things get replaced immediately. Luckily the electrician was able to come and get the wiring fixed, new smoke alarms put in, and put my nerves at ease. After the craziness settled I was able to play with the kids in the basement. Well, I should say I worked out while the kids jumped in the bounce house then I rocked with Maddox in the glider. He was so snuggly!! It was so nice because after we ate dinner the snuggles with Emma, Jack, and Parker continued. We played on the IPAD. I'm so loving this stay at home mom stuff. Even though some days are tough, I wouldn't trade it for anything. In other family news, Easter is coming and we were able to take the kids to see the Bunny. They loved him. We were able to color eggs as well. A little messy but a success none the less. We are excited to spend the weekend with family. I'm really hoping to get the kids outside to take some new pictures but it's not looking as promising as last years weather. I've been itching to update the pictures in the photo frames. I'd pay to have them done but the kids seem to shut down with new photographers and I've managed to do good on my own and Walmart's photo shop. Parker is potty trained!!! YEP, that's two down, two to go. Maddox could have it down if I could keep up with him. He's done great until today. We really just had some craziness and he was a little under the weather today. Back on the potty wagon tomorrow. Hoping everyone has a safe and happy Easter!!

Where is Spring??

Happy first day of Spring!! We are still waiting for the Spring like weather to arrive though. Today's weather a sunny 31 degrees. I know it's a heatwave out there. :) We are also waiting for the Easter Bunny to arrive with new fun things. Brian and I are planning on taking the squad to see the E.B some time this week. Brian has a bunch of days off to spend with us and working on a "honey do list". First up the kitchen entry door. Brian ended up kicking in the door this past weekend when he locked himself out in the garage on accident while making his dinner. No kids involved here....we were all in Wisconsin visiting my family when this all happened. Second on the list is my new microwave. The old one had begun to rust from the fire. This alone has been an adventure too. The first one came damaged so we had to return it and then Brian has worked long days at work. Needless to say I have been without one for a week now and geesh how I miss it! Third shopping and replacing our front door and fixing the patio door. Both doors are leaking....ugh! The patio we can salvage but the front door I think has served it's time. While we are out looking for those items we are most likely looking at replacing our lawn mowers and other outdoor items. Parker and Drew are doing good in school. Drew says he's ready for Kindergarten. Parker is slowly learning his letters. Emma and Jack know at least half of their letters and love to color. Maddox is just a stinker. He won't work on school work for me but I'm hoping he will work for his teacher next year. I have a feeling his teacher and the Principal at St. Susanna next year are gonna have a busy year with him. Praying that he proves me wrong. Potty training is going ok. Three of four of the quads have it or are darn close to having it down. Jack just isn't ready and I'm not going to stress myself out over it. I'm still loving being a stay at home mommy. The extra kisses I get throughout the day are so worth it!! Not much else happening here at the Squad Headquarters. Just waiting for warm weather! XOXOXO

Mommy....Mommy...MOMMY!

Yes, that's me....every ten seconds I hear that word. I've been contemplating getting one of those clicker counters just to see how many times a day I hear it. :) I'm not complaining, I love being a stay at home mom. I don't have to get out of jammies if I don't want to, I don't have to shower everyday and best of all I get to see my sweet squad for at least 70% of everyday. I was thinking this morning about the old me (Working Mom) vs. the new me (SAHM). I'm a completely different person. For the first time in a long time I feel like I am having fun with my kids. Sure I used to do cute projects and go a few places when I had time. But now, I get to play Playstation, Wii, trains, go the the museum, color, and more. I think a lot of this has come to my attention since the house fire. My boss was not supportive, my kids were sick, I just didn't feel like it was my life anymore. I realized I had better opportunities in life and with a very supportive husband I took a leap of faith. Totally worth it!! Although,I will let you all in on a secret...being a SAHM is so exhausting it leaves little time for Brian and me. I love him to pieces, but some nights I don't even have the energy to open my mouth to ask him how work was. I'm sure it will get better as spring comes around because I can let the kids outside to play more vs always entertaining them. Although, I might just decide I need to play outside too and catch some rays!! The squad is doing great by the way. They love being home with me everyday. I've taken on some school projects at Saint Susanna so they get to visit there quite often. They know where Drew's classroom is and where all the good toys are. The quads have met their teachers for next year. I'm sure they will keep them both on their toes. Parker will stay in Avon Schools until KDG. He is doing well in the Developmental Preschool 5 days a week. Emma is doing well with her letters. Jack likes to color the letters and Maddox....well he's a work in progress. ATTITUDE!!! Parker is also starting to recognize some letters. He know's "p"!! Drew is doing great in school. His last report card came home and the teacher had written Excellent! on it. I'm one proud Mama. That's all for now, just having some real mind blowing revelations lately. Having the time of my life though. XOXO Sara

Times of Change.

Change has never been easy for me. Although our latest family decision: me becoming a stay at home mom has been maybe in the top three best decisions we've ever made! I am having the time of my life with my kids. Being able to pick Drew up from school, planning our meals and grocery lists, playing all day, cuddling anytime I want, going fun places, and I don't have to miss any new milestones any of them hit. All I need right now is warm weather. I want to play outside, go on walks and go to the zoo. Our last outing was the Indianapolis Children's Museum. We took the whole squad about a year ago. The quads were still too little to really get into it. But this time was so much fun. Parker was still talking about it a day later. Which is impressive for him. I personally loved the Hot Wheels exhibit. The kids all loved the carousel and the Scienceworks exhibit. We must have played there for an hour. The Geckos opened today for members and tomorrow for the public. We can't wait to go back and see we can find in little sticky lizards! We've been hiding inside playing most of the winter. It's so cold outside, not even the dog wants to go out. That means its been trains, bounce house, ball pit, Wii, and lots of hide and seek inside. When I'm not playing with the kids I've been decorating the house. Hanging pictures, curtains, and thinking about hanging other decorations. We got our new counters finally. WE LOVE THEM! The house is completely finished and we couldn't be more thrilled. No more contractors to plan around and I don't have to worry about lounging in sweats if I want. We hope you all stay warm in this cold weather, we know we are loving our snuggle time in front of the fire!! XOXO

Off to a Spectacular 2013.

We are home and LOVING IT!!! Space to run, space to hide, and space to play. We arrived home a day earlier than expected due to school cancellations and snow. I was able to take the kids to daycare and move us out of the hotel in just a matter or hours. Our amazing contractor had a crew of four come and help us unpack everything that was coming back to the house(furniture, books, movies, etc). They had about 70% of the house unpacked in one day. I was able to unpack the rest of the boxes in a couple of days. I took a few breaks with the holidays and all, and of course some time here and there to enjoy the space with my kiddos. That was round one of digging myself out of boxes. The drycleaners brought back 60 boxes of bedding, clothes, pillows, towels, and stuffed animals that survived the fire. It's been really overwhelming the second time around. Sorting clothes, bedding, hanging things up, and keeping ontop of the current laundry I already have. I only have maybe 12-14 boxes left to put away. Most of it is shoes, and kids clothes. The biggest thing I've noticed is; possesions mean less to me now than they did before. Yes, there are those sentimental things that I'm devastated about losing, but I have my children and a husband that would do anything for me.

Changing the subject a little, we had a wonderful Christmas. We spent the holidays with our families and shoving food in our faces constantly. :) Lego (our dog) is adjusting to being home. He's kinda taken over the kids Cars couch. He loves laying upside down with his paws in the air. It snowed quite a bit this past week. Not only was I reunited with a shovel and an aching body, but I took the kids sledding. It was fun. Drew and I made a nice little sledding path in the backyard. I of course had to show him how it was done. He giggled at me then told me how awesome I looked. Guess I can say I'm one cool mama(and not too shabby for someone in their 30's)!

It's been a great start to 2013. It can only get better. From where we've been to where we are going has been quite the journey...as long as I have my family nothing else matters. Happy New Year!

We'll Be Home For Christmas!!

That's right...when I spoke with the contractor this afternoon he said we SHOULD be in by December 21st!! I signed over a check for our flooring from the insurance company and he was working on getting the cabinets finished. Almost the entire house is painted and just needs a second coat in some rooms and touch ups when it's completely finished. They still have to paint the boys room and the garage but it's looking good. Since it's been so nice we were able to take the kids over to the house and we played in the backyard. The kids loved being home. They hated to leave and explaining to them we couldn't stay there for a few more weeks was difficult. We are all ready to be back home. We were able to get Lego, our new puppy out of the hotel and introduce him to our backyard. He seemed to like it. We are gearing up for the holidays. Shopping is almost 100% complete. Stocking stuffers are always a last minute purchase and of course I'm not done shopping for my handsome hubby. Hoping he buys some good things for me. HINT, HINT! Drew's school program is this week. I'm very excited to see him perform. Last year he was goofy and well....I wanted to hide. Other than the holiday and house excitement, Brian and I found out we are going to be Aunt Sara and Uncle Brian. My sister Stacy and her husband Nick are expecting their first baby in June. We are thrilled! The quads have all been enrolled in Preschool. Emma and Parker love it. Jack and Maddox start tomorrow. It's going to be interesting with Maddox. He's so stubborn. Hoping he shapes up! I fear that we will be good friends with the principal once he starts at Saint Susanna next year. Well, this might be the last post from "the box", I need to finish Christmas cards...or maybe even start them. :) XOXO

Just Another Day

We made it to the weekend! It's been a rough week, everyone has been sick and not sleeping well. We played with our good friends Kiersten and Nolan today. It was about 50 degrees out this afternoon and we took advantage. Brian worked all day and when he came home (to the hotel) he told me to go relax in the hot tub. THANK YOU DADDY!! It was nice and peaceful. Just what I needed. I stopped by the house today to see what kind of shape it was in. The construction crew tood down the boy's bedroom ceiling and sealed it with a fire sealant. This prevents the smell from ever coming back. They have done the entire house with this sealant, but needed to take the ceiling down to get into the attic space they share above the garage. The house is smelling so much better. They painted all of the doors in the house yesterday. It's looking like a maze in the living room. This is where they left them to dry. They ripped out a few cabinets in the kitchen for restoration, and have taken some damaged subflooring out. When I spoke with one of the painters on Friday he said they would be able to paint a few of the rooms starting on Monday. Meaning: Master Bedroom, Drew's room, Emma's room and the two upstairs bathrooms. It's a start! I'm beginning to feel more at ease with the thought of moving back in. The smell really takes a toll on your mind. As the smell has improved my fear has disappeared. I'm beginning to get excited about having a new kitchen and floors. :) In more upbeat news, our quads turn THREE on Saturday. It's hard to believe I've been a mommy to five kids that long. I love them all so much and couldn't be happier to be their mom. We have new LEAP PADS for them as they are all obsessed with my IPAD. I think they will all be super excited. They no longer have to fight over whose turn it is and they all can play whatever they want. Thanks to Grandma and Papa for helping fund operation birthday present!! I'm not sure I'll get the chance to post before Thanksgiving, but everyone have a wonderful holiday and travel safe. We will be heading to Wisconsin for some much needed room to run and snuggle with my family. Hopefully we will have a new addition to the family when we return. HINT HINT DADDY!! XOXO