Just A Little Update.

I feel like it's been forever...I guess it has because we had our computer decide to die! It's funny because at first I panicked, and now that I have a new one I am barely on it! I have been spending a lot of time with the kids. We've been doing school stuff, playing toys (Legos and Lite Brites), and just hanging out. We've had our quads turn four! We had some of our family over to celebrate. The kids had a fantastic day. We ventured to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. The kids left Nana and Papa's house in one piece and standing. We shopped, went swimming, played Nana's Wii, and ate lots of candy. Our family is all ready for Christmas. Herbie, our Elf has been keeping the kids on their toes. He took a marker and drew on their school pictures last week. He is good most of the time, but when he gets bored....it's kinda scary. Today, Herbie left candy canes for the kids. We have been excited to make some winter/Christmas decorations this year. Gotta love the Target dollar section. Last week we all made snowmen and reindeer. Nana bought us glass ornaments and permanent markers to decorate ornaments. They look adorable on the tree. Later we are going to make gingerbread men. We attempted to make gingerbread houses last week. They were cute. Not my favorite project of the season. They biggest news here in the house is that I am returning to work in January. I will be working at Avon High School in the Special Ed Department. Working with 9th grade English and Algebra students. It works out perfect!! It's afternoons while the kids are all in school. While it's not my dream job it's a good start for now. Once the crew is in school full time, I hope to get a second degree in Nursing. The kids are doing great in school. I love to see their cute projects come home. It's even better when they tell me all about their day. Most of the time their favorite thing is snack, but sometimes they tell me what they painted or colored. I like to listen to them randomly sing songs they learned as they play. I am so thankful for my crew! Hoping everyone has a safe and blessed Christmas! XOXO

Where's.......

You fill in the blank. I can fill it in with multiple things. Perhaps, Where's the time gone? Where's the birthday cake? Where's my sanity? The big question from all five of them this week is "Where is the cake?" That's right, we have four little people turning FOUR on Monday. I keep thinking "Where has the time gone? It's all such a blur to me. Well at least a good portion of the first year is a blur. Of course I remember things like the ride home from the hospital with all of them, hospital stays, the NICU, and special little things here and there. I am so glad I documented most things in baby books. I took a lot of pictures and now praying they all survived the fire. Luckily there too, I have them saved on a hard drive so I guess it's not the end of the world if I have to print them again. We don't have anything too special planned other than cake and presents with some family members. Since they are Thanksgiving babies and Drew is a Christmas baby we forego the parties and do the family thing. They all know that we are heading to Grandmas for Thanksgiving. We are sad to leave Daddy home alone but it will be fun for us to go destroy, I mean play at Nana and Papa's for the weekend. Papa just got a new tractor so I'm sure he will be gassing it up for a little outdoor drive time. Plus it's green....Parker will be so thrilled!! Since I've posted last we had Drew's report card come home. He's doing great in Kindergarten. He really likes it. Soccer ended....the kids are now thinking baseball. Drew taught the quads how to play baseball on the Wii. Maddox and Parker are really getting the hang of bowling and tennis. Jack is a racing fan and Emma; well, she's really into coloring right now. It's amazing how their personalities have really taken shape this past year. Drew has really taken on his role as big brother. He struggles to talk to his siblings with words but is more patient with them in things. Emma is very independent and girly. Jack is like a opposum. He is so smart and will sometimes act like he has no clue when really his IQ is probably higher than some adults I know. Parker is smart and such a quick learner. Maddox is stubborn and sweet. I know that sounds silly, but he is. He just enrolled in the developmental preschool with Parker. He's too smart cognitively to be there, but so far behind in gross and fine motor skills that it was best for him to go there. He loves riding the bus everyday. That's about all the news we have here for now, I will hopefully post pics from the quads birthday soon. I'd share pictures now but that might give away our Christmas card. :) Stay warm!!! XOXO

Surviving One Year Later.

Can you believe it's been a year since our house fire? I feel like it was just yesterday. Flashbacks and feelings coming back to the surface, thinking about how lucky and thankful we are. I didn't mention anything to the kids, but somehow they knew. The kids and I sat down with Bailey's ashes and we talked about her, and held her. It was amazing that the kids understood how she was an angel in heaven and we were lucky enough to get to keep "her fired" body. Yes, I explained cremation to them, but they kept coming back to she was "fired". So I let it go. Now that they realize Bailey is on Brian's dresser they talk to her everyday. It is the sweetest thing ever. We are doing great a year after the fire. I'm loving being at home with the kids, even though they all go to school throughout the week. I do keep my nephew Mason five days a week, so I get to snuggle with him as well. Our house is completely put back together and we love it!! We just finished Emma's room this past weekend with new furniture. We are able to smell fire damage only on super hot and humid days. It doesn't seem to linger long but is quite alarming when it hits you out of nowhere. All I can say is we are thankful we are all ok, we've recovered fairly well from the stress of it, and all of our friends and family have been amazing. Even if I don't know you and you sent cards, items, meals, please know you will always hold a place in our hearts. In other recent news we have completed the Fall soccer season. Drew and crew had a blast. The quads were so excited to get their trophies. Drew will get his soon. His team is having a soccer party and he will get his then. My new dilemma is: I have four who want to play baseball/tee ball and one who wants to play soccer. Do I really want to play ten sports and go to 100 different games? Maddox is the only one who wants to play soccer....I feel like I NEED to support his soccer wants because physically I don't think he has the strength for baseball. I'm so torn. I may think about offering spring swim lessons to the little ones and let Drew continue with baseball. So....here's to sleeping on it another night!! Birthdays are coming. FOUR years old for my little preemies. Where does time go?? I've been thinking about a party, but it's Thanksgiving time and our family is so big, I feel like I don't want to invite 20 more kids. UGH! I need to get my positive thinking cap on. They go to preschool and love their friends....maybe I should sleep on this one too! Well, here is to sleep...hoping I do cause I've been sick and little people like to visit me throughout the night. Don't want to mention any names Jack Randall!!!!

We Are Growing Up!

It's amazing how well we have adjusted to the school routine. Drew loves Kindergarten and seems to be excelling in all areas. He's about to lose his second tooth and learned to tie his shoes this week. Drew is excited; he has moved up to two consecutive bounces on his pogo stick. Brian and I spent our Saturday evening watching him work on it in the basement while we watched some baseball. Parker had parent teacher conferences this past week. He is doing well. He is learning to recognize the letters of the alphabet. He can name quite a few! He is independently writing "P". The school is going to re-evaluate his fine motor skills as his teachers and I notice he's still having quite a bit of difficulty in this area. He will continue with speech therapy and physical therapy. I have seen a lot of improvement in both of those areas. Maddox will be evaluated for Occupational and Physical therapy through the school in October. He's been going to outside therapy for a few months now. He likes it and really needs it. Maddox is really smart but doesn't seem to have the steady muscle control and tone to complete fine and gross motor activities appropriate for his age. His current therapists and I have noticed a lot of sensory things with him recently too. Not the same things I noticed early on with Parker, his were obvious. I sometimes feel like a bad parent with him because I thought is was his stubborn attitude when it really wasn't. Maddox does love going to preschool with Jack and Emma. It's so cute when they talk about sitting by each other at school. Jack and Emma are doing well. Both love going to see their teachers. They learned the R-E-D song last week. All three of them got in the car and sang it all the way home. Makes my heart melt. Soccer is going great for all five kids. Sometimes I need to bribe Maddox, but who hasn't needed that at one time or another, right?!?! The quads finally understand how the game works and love their patches on their jerseys. Drew gets excited about playing most days. I will say that he's more excited to go because they get slushies after the game from the concession stand. The quads have found they like the Nerds Ropes. A bit sour for my liking, but they do have skittles! :) We've been hiding inside the last week or so. We had that lovely heat wave and now it's been rainy and chilly. Lots of bounce house and basement time when we aren't busy with school. Unfortunately with the heat it's made the house smell like the fire. It was so bad on Saturday that Drew even noticed it. It's not too terribly bad inside the house but the garage is the worst. All the attic space holds the heat and humidity with little airflow=stench! Hopefully with Fall like weather setting in we can get outside a bit more. Looking forward to Halloween and pretty weather. Hope a fun filled week lies ahead for everyone. XOXO

SCORE!

Wow! We love soccer. Drew has scored two goals this season so far, compared to none last season. Emma and Maddox have scored a goal each as well. I am most impressed with Emma. She went from laying in the middle of the practice field to standing in the middle of the game field, to scoring a goal in just her second game. Maddox and Drew both scored in the first game of the season. Maddox showed off his little Mario and Luigi jump with his arm in the air; while Drew airplaned it out down the field. Parker and Jack have yet to score goals but do a great job moving the ball up and down the field. At first I wasn't able to leave their sight while they were practicing, but finally last night I was able to walk the walking trail around the soccer field. Brian was really nervous about them participating and I'll admit I was on the fence about it. I'm glad we allowed them to play and get out to do some fun things this Fall. It's always been following Drew to his fun activities and now it gives Drew and I a chance to bond while watching the quads play. We have such fun. School is going great for everyone. Drew has shown us that he is ready to read. He and I have been reading chunks of Green Eggs and Ham together. He does a great job sound blending to make his words. We've been doing ok with keeping up with homework. It's going to be those silly fundraisers that get us though. At least with Saint Susanna the fundraiser is per family, where as the public schools are per child. Homeschooling on the days the little ones are not in school is going well. They love counting and coloring. We've been having some fun with stories. We have tried using a computer mouse and I'm not just ready to tackle that yet. The kids are so button happy, and fast too. I'm afraid they are gonna blow the place up from pressing too many buttons at once!! We haven't thought about Halloween yet. All the costumes from last year fit and the kids love them so that is a strong possibility. Considering last year we Trick or Treated with friends in another neighborhood, they would be new to our neighborhood this year. OH SUCH FUN! We are coming up on our one year anniversary of our house fire. I can feel myself fighting the anxiety some nights before bed. Usually its not bad, but last night was one that gave me chills. I have found myself going to bed later at night, sleeping lighter throughout the night, watching the clock usually around 3am, listening for unusual noises all the time, and have been extra jumpy if the smoke alarm goes off on accident when our oven sets it off. I'm thankful that I'm not scared to be living here. You know how sometimes when something tragic happens you have that fear of going home? I really thought that I would feel like that, and I don't. It's amazing how much everything in our lives has changed in the last year. I'll post all that in a separate post later! Right now I'm thankful for my family and friends. Hope you all have a great rest of the week! I know I'm looking forward to watching more goals being scored by the squad!!

Success and Failure

We made it through Drew's first day of Kindergarten. Brian took him to school and walked him into the building. Drew was super excited. When I picked him up he talked the whole way home. He even admitted he was tired. :) He said he learned to say "Hello" and "Good-bye" in Spanish. He got to see his BFF's Conner and Margaret. He played at recess and loved lunch time in the cafeteria. He is willing to go back for day 2!! As for Parker, he's been in class for a week now and still is flip flopping between going and not going. His teacher is very nice, I think it's a drastic change and he's still trying to adjust. We've had a fun and busy last week or so. Drew went to the East coast with my parents, Brian put the tube slide on our new jungle gym and is now almost finished with the second tower, we went to the Indiana State Fair and the quads had their first ever ferris wheel ride (they loved it), the kids all had their first soccer practice for the season(I failed miserably at this one), and we've started homeschooling. Drew loved the beach with my parents. He came home and told me his favorite part was watching my mom dig in the sand for their sand castle. My poor mom...she was a trooper. But Drew is her buddy and that's Nana's job! We spent over eight hours at the State Fair on Monday. We went first of all because Brian loves fair food and second it was wrist band day. The squad rode rides until the sun went down!! We were able to take them on their very first ferris wheel ride. We rode Jack's favorite: the carousel, Maddox loved the bees. Emma and Drew liked the Dizzy Dinosaur and Parker was just giddy about it all. We saw the largest pig.....boy that's a lot of BACON! That excited Drew because he loves bacon. Tonight we had soccer practice for the whole crew. It turns out that I am totally dingy when it comes to directions to practice. Drew completely missed practice and the quads made it to the last 10 minutes of practice. Parker and Jack dove right in and loved it. Emma and Maddox shut down and laid on the field to spectate. Seriously....they both laid in the middle of the practice field. Both coaches seem really nice and forgiving, so I'm hoping I don't get labeled as the "mom who is irresponsible". I'm also hoping Saturday's games go well. Since Drew and Parker go to school, we decided to homeschool Jack, Emma and Maddox. It's going better than hoped. Maddox is struggling fine motor and gross motor wise. We decided to have him referred for OT and PT. He starts with a new OT on Monday. She is great. He responded to her well during testing. We are still waiting on PT to evaluate him, but he is toe walking, has some other things going on that are raising some red flags. Emma and Jack are doing great. They do great with seat work, are able to recognize about half of their alphabet and all three of the kids can identify their numbers, colors, shapes, names, and do great at circle time. We've slowly introduced working with a mouse on the computer. This is an area where I need to learn patience. Overall though, I'm doing better than I thought!! I will try to post pictures from soccer next week. Pray we all survive!!

Right Now......

We're getting ready for school!! Parker starts tomorrow. I think he's ready. I've been talking him into going for the last two weeks. Drew will start next week. I sent him on vacation with Nana and Papa first. Poor Drew saw me put water paints in the cart while we were school shopping and now doesn't want to go anywhere but art class. I'm sure his teacher will have a lot of fun things planned to divert his attention. Jack, Emma and Maddox will be homeschooled this year. I'm really sad about this turn of events and wish those who had a say in how things turned out knew how things looked from the opposite side of the window. I'm feeling confident right now, as Maddox has said he would listen and do his best for me. Jack and Emma I'm not as concerned about. There always seems to be that one little turkey in the bunch and he's got it down!!! Although when I took him school shopping he was quite excited about his toolbox. I'm thinking I might have to buy some Super Mario stickers to keep him pulled in. :) We are ready for soccer to start. All five kids love to take there ball and kick them around the yard and house. Parker loves his cleats. That surprised me because the kid HATES shoes and socks. Drew's coach seems really nice and I look forward to meeting him. I've not heard from the quads coach yet, but am looking forward to watching them run all over chasing the ball. Brian is still working on our monster play set. Our tube slide finally came and he can get it installed. Our neighbors lent him their drill....that was three weeks ago or maybe four. I had to text them to let them know we hadn't forgot about returning it. Did I mention we have the BEST neighbors?!?! In upcoming plans, we want to visit the Indiana State Fair. That starts Friday. It may be a little difficult to fit in with school and all, but we wouldn't miss it for the world. Lots of fun things to taste, look at and ride!! I'll post pictures in the next post hopefully, along with a finished play set. Until next post....enjoy the rest of summer!

School Days

This is the first time in eight years I am not preparing myself to go back to work. It feels strange. I'm excited, have no apprehension about anything. Considering I'm sending my oldest to Kindergarten this year, I feel like I should be sad. But in reality, I don't. Brian and I thought long and hard about things. We had sent Drew to Saint Susanna for Preschool and Pre-K. He has loved every minute of it. We've had wonderful experiences there and the families and staff have been so supportive. We couldn't have asked for anything more. We considered sending Drew to public school beginning this year and when it came down to making the final decision Brian and I were split. Financially, it would be better to send him to public school. In the long run for Drew, he will benefit more from going to private school. Nothing bad against public schools, I've taught in them for eight years and worked with great teachers and support staff. It's just the smaller class sizes and the amount of attention staff are able to provide. This I think has eased all those emotions of him entering the full day world of school. Parker also returns to Developmental Preschool in the next week and a half. I have been asking Parker if he's ready to start riding the bus again. He's been pretty anti-school until yesterday. I finally got a "I'm ready" out of him. He will have a new teacher this year. I've heard great things about her and look forward to see the progress he will make. Brian and I are still deciding what to do with Maddox, Emma, and Jack. We have been trying to work things out with some Preschools, but are just not sure how things will work out financially. Let's face it.....MULTIPLES ARE EXPENSIVE!!! Check back in two weeks to see if they go to school or stay home with Mommy! In other squad news....WE ARE GOING TO PLAY SOCCER!! Yes, all five kids in soccer. Brian and I also debated this for quite sometime. He said "NO" I said "YES" and well, because I'm the boss naturally I won the battle. I'm praying we have no broken bones from our clumsiness, and no meltdowns on the field. The kids each have their own ball and have been playing in the basement. THEY LOVE IT!!! I still haven't decided if I'm nuts or going to enjoy watching them. I'll keep you all posted on this too...maybe post some action shots of the crew. At least the quads will all be on one team and Drew will be on another so it's only two different teams to follow for now. :) No other gossip from Squad Headquarters, we'll keep you posted on school and soccer news. XOXO

Busy Bees!

A lot has happened in the last three weeks. We've welcomed a new baby into the family. That's right, my little sister Stacy and her husband Nick have welcomed baby Mason into the world. He's a cutie! My kids have adjusted fairly quickly to his name. They had been thinking his name was going to be Mario or Luigi. We've been able to see Nana twice in three weeks! We've been having a blast swimming, and Daddy took a week off of work to start on a swing set. We are slowly gearing up for school. Parker returns in two weeks to preschool. We've had a rough time without Speech and PT services for him. I'm glad we didn't go too far outside the house. I might have had CPS called on me from all his bumps and bruises. He is one of a few people I know who can fall while running across carpet!! We are struggling with him using words. He's resorted to pinching the last two weeks. I've had a lot of squeezing and cuddle sessions with him. I will be happy to see his therapists! Drew and Crew as of right now will return/start school in August. Drew is excited to head to Kindergarten. Jack, Emma, and Maddox seem excited to go to preschool. I'm nervous to send Maddox, and I think he maybe good friends with time out and the office staff! The squad is going to try soccer this fall. Drew just finished baseball and is ready to return to soccer. The quads will try it for the first time. Jack is super stoked for the shirt with his name. HEHE!! They all play soccer in the basement and seem to get the just of it. Hoping there are no major fights, fits, or metldowns out there!! I know it's a short post. Nap didn't happen today and well....there's fun to be had! XOXO

Truths About Being a Parent to Quads Plus!

I'm so proud of myself for posting twice this month. Most of the time things get away from me! I know it's hard to imagine...I mean I do have my hands full. :) We took a family trip to the zoo last minute today. All Brian's idea. I was kinda excited he wanted to go out and have fun as a family. Usually family events make him nervous and raise his blood pressure 300 points. I know Brian is going to read this and get all worried, but in all truthfulness, I'm sure most fathers of large families have the same issue. He just doesn't get out all the time with them to realize it's ok to have some malfunctions on an outing. I've been there through it all. Age 1.5-2.5 were an absolute nightmare most times. We've made large improvements!! I've learned a lot in the past three and a half years of parenting multiples plus one. 1. You always get asked stupid questions. It doesn't matter where you are those questions will find you...it's like a magnet and a fridge! 2. The choo-choo wagon always draws attention. It's like being a celebrity. 3. Your kids will never go to bed. Night owls!! Even if separated there is always the INSTIGATOR...they will unlock/lock doors. 4. The doctors office visits will always be a challenge. It's a small space with A LOT of bodies. Although our behavior there has improved. 5. Always buy bulk of EVERYTHING. What one has the others will ALWAYS want. 6. There is no point in trying to save money....there will never be enough. 7. Buy a home with a large backyard. It can be a sanity saver. 8. Always know where the closest Starbucks and/or liquor store are. Sleep deprivation and increased stress are a given. 9. Potty training requires lots of patience and laundry detergent/bleach/stain remover. 10. Make your own laundry detergent....it will save about $300 a year. 11. I'm only skinny because I NEVER SIT DOWN, DON'T GET TO EAT A FULL MEAL, and have to run on the treadmill to de-stress! 12. My kids love kisses and snuggles all the time. I feel like I have leeches on me! 13. I know I'm not the only one who has failed at many things while parenting. 14. Sometimes dinner just looks like you are at the circus....this is when I drink my dinner! 15. No matter what my kids LOVE me. (EVEN ON THOSE ROUGH DAYS). I've learned a lot! I happen to be a very lucky mommy who has a very supportive husband. Raising our family is a challenge but I don't think I could us loving life any less chaotic. I know it's crazy, but our passion for our kids is unimaginable. :)

Starting Summer with a Bang!

Well we are a little over a week into summer break. I'm having a blast with the crew....they've been keeping me on my toes. Within the first ten minutes of summer break we had a boo-boo. :( Yes....Drew unbuckled his seatbelt to retrieve a toy he tossed behind his seat. As I came to the realization he was moving about the car I turned my head to yell at him and almost ran a red light. He sat and had one arm under his belt by the time I hit the breaks to avoid running that red light. He flew into the front seat and ended up with a seatbelt burn across his neck and whiplash. As the week continued we had a smashed finger, two cut toes, a dresser on top of the three little boys, my debit card number stolen and my account overdrawn. Needless to say SUMMER WILL GET BETTER! We have some positives to the above named negatives...the quads are potty trained during the day!! Emma, Parker, and Maddox have been day trained for a while now but Jack was a bit stubborn. Maddox told Jack a few weeks ago that he wasn't a big boy because he was in a diaper and Jack got mad. I asked Jack if he was ready and he said no, but it didn't stop me. I woke up the next day and told him he was going to be a big boy. The first few days were murder, but now he's doing great. We've been able to spend lots of time outside, which is great for wearing ourselves out. The boys make sure they "water" the trees every chance they get. :) We've made some big changes in the house this past week too. Drew used to have a room to himself. He and Maddox are now roommates in the bonus room and Parker and Jack now share Drew's old room. Emma still has her own room. Maddox, Jack and Parker managed to pull an antique dresser over on top of themselves last week. Talk about a heart attack! Brian and I immediately thought about splitting the three of them up. It has made bed time a little easier and more peaceful. Brian is considering improvements to the backyard. Expanding the jungle gym and adding some fun things like a tire swing and another slide. The kids love playing on it, so it would be a great investment. We aren't planning on any family trips this year, but most definitely looking forward to fun here at home. We'll keep you up to date on our backyard adventures!! XOXO

A Rough Day Looks Like THIS...

Most days are good. Every now and then there are "those" days when you just completely lose it. Today is one of those days. Many people I know who don't have as many children say I make it look easy. It is easy when I have them all under control. My kids behave well in public, they listen a majority of the time, and they are pretty friendly with others. Here's a look into a rough day in quad mama life. Midnight: I got up with Parker who I believe was having a bad dream. I laid with him for about 10 minutes and went back to bed. 1:30AM: Jack comes in and stands on my side of the bed. He finally lays on the floor beside me. 2:30AM: Emma wakes up and is standing in the hallway...not sure why. Tuck her back in. 3:45AM: Emma again wakes crying. 6:30AM: Parker wakes Maddox who thinks we should all get up and play. I go into the boys room and let them know it's not time to get up only to have Brian tell me 15 minutes later he needs Drew ready in 25 minutes because he has a meeting in Plainfield. OK! I'm up. 7AM: Breakfast and getting dressed. This went well today, all the kids were dressed and playing before Parker's bus came at 8:30 8:30: Parker is on the bus and Emma, Jack, and Maddox are inside playing together. Between 8:30 and 10:30 is the prime time for me to get things done around the house. Today I folded and put away all the laundry, did dishes, packed for our trip to Kentucky, cleaned the pool, and cleaned the mess from breakfast. At 10:30 we always pack up to go get Drew from school. 11:15AM: Time for me to make lunch. Emma requested "HOCKA DOGS" and Maddox requested mac n cheese. So we had both with a side of mustard per Drew's request. Here's where my day really plummets. :( During lunch the kids were absolutely crazy. It seriously looked like the circus was at my table. Once lunch was over, I sent everyone outside to run off some energy. I joined the kids and we played an hour. For some strange reason the tornado sirens sounded and we headed inside for nothing. We played in the playroom where Jack decided he needed to paint with fingernail polish all over himself. Thank goodness it was only on him but he was a mess. Parker smashed his finger, Maddox got nipped by the dog, Jack then cut his finger, Emma was just over tired and Drew was busy with attitude and Wii Fit. By this time it's already 3:45PM. Too late for any type of nap or rest time. So I thought I would send them to the basement while I made an early dinner and folded one last load of laundry. Of course the usual he hit, she threw a toy, I'm hungry game begins. While all this is going on the one spectacular thing of my week so far happens. Maddox had gone upstairs and pooped all by himself. (Yes, even on bad days good things do happen!). We had a little dance party and gave high fives and cheered and all that then went back to business. 5:15PM: Dinner is ready. We made sloppy joes, corn and applesauce. By now Emma is exhausted and refusing to eat. Jack is so cranky he left the table on his own and never did eat. Maddox and Drew ate pretty good. Parker picked a little but found a plate of hidden cookies and ate quite a few of those. When I say "quite a few" that means I have no idea how many, but it was at least two! 6:15PM: Dinner is cleaned up and I still haven't heard from Brian who I had been calling all afternoon. I decide to pack up five over tired kids and run to Walgreens. Somehow we managed to lose Drew's eye drops and needed them refilled. The tech must have been new cause she gave me the run around. I finally get the pharmacist who gets me taken care of. By now I'm just DONE!!! I decided to get Starbucks. 7:00PM: We get home from our errands and Jack refuses to come into the house. I leave him to have his fit on the garage steps for a few minutes. I go back and he is sitting in front of the door smiling at me. I ask him if he is ready to come in? He says yes and comes in. I begin to make chocolate milk for everyone. 7:30PM: Mama is PAST DONE. Kids are going to bed early. Maddox and Parker inform me they need new diapers.....GRRRR. I get them changed. Jack continues to throw a massive fit and hides downstairs. I find him and put him in bed. Maddox now refuses to lay down and Parker can't get enough kisses, hugs, fives, zaps, and booms. Emma, meanwhile is whining because she wants this doll, and can't find that doll. Drew is running up and down the hall yelling. After I get the quads settled I tucked Drew in bed with a movie. 8:00PM: Here I am, writing about my day drinking my Starbucks. Waiting for my husband to come home so we can sit and stare at each other because it's all we have the energy for. We are blessed to have five wonderful kids. We love them to pieces, I love being home with them all day, every day. I'm lucky to have the husband I do. It's not always easy and I know Brian and I feel neglected by each other quite often, but we know in our hearts this is what god wanted us to do and we will survive. Looking forward to tomorrow, family fun and a fresh start. :)

Spinging A Leak!

Hoping Spring is here to stay. I did look at the weekend forecast and it says to keep those warm clothes close by. Mother nature is sure making it tough on us this year. Although it does make for good s'mores and a campfire. Why am I wishing for warm weather?? With Drew and crew ready to play outside I would like to do it in style! Today the crew had a choice of going to the Zoo or playing in the backyard. They surprisingly chose the backyard. Drew has been itching to go swimming and keeps asking when we get a pool. I haven't had a chance to replace it yet, but Nana did buy the kids a shark slip and slide. Yes, you've guessed it. It was only 73* today and my kids requested the slip and slide. I'm sure if I were little again I wouldn't mind the cold water either. I agreed thinking they were nuts. The kids had an absolute blast and played a little over an hour on it. Drew is in full swing, as baseball season is underway. I missed his first game due to a ladies weekend away with some amazing quad mamas in Nashville, TN. Brian sent me a video of him during the game. He is in coach pitch this year; one of the younger kids on the team but is doing great. It will be interesting to see how he develops those ball playing skills over the next few years. I may be biased, but he's the cutest and best player on the team!!! Maddox, Parker, Emma and Jack love to cheer for him. They really have it down...."Go Drew, RUN!" "Fast Drew, like Mario." "Good job Drew!" Thinking about soccer for them in the fall. :) My weekend away with my mama's was fun. It was four days of sight seeing, music, food, more food, and laughs. We visited the pink bus "Nash Trash Tour" where we visited music row, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and saw some pretty landscapes. We spent one night doing massages and girl talk, and visited the Grand Ole Opry. Tons of fun! Did I mention shopping because man those girls know how to shop. My squad was so excited to see their very own cowboy hats. Do they look country!!! Get out those graham crackers and marshmallows!! XOXO

Rough Start to Spring

What a rough start to Spring! We thought we were in the clear for the bugs going around. WRONG!! We started out on Easter with plans to go to Brian's mom's house. We pack up and get about 45 minutes from home to have ADT (our alarm company)call and tell us our home security alarm had been activated and the police had been dispatched. We turn around and come home to get it all taken care of. Jump back in the car to get an hour from home and have Emma puke in the car. We assumed it was Brian's driving and a case of car sickness. We stopped at a gas station in Terre Haute to clean the mess up. We continued the last 20 minutes in the car to Grandma's who let me wash her clothes and her carseat. We continued the afternoon with an exciting egg hunt and movies. The week continued with all five kiddos and Brian getting the stomach bug (Norovirus) that has been wreaking havoc on lots of people. I ended up in the ER three times with three different children. Parker and Emma only needed IV fluids to rehydrate, but Drew ended up being admitted for observation. Maddox and Jack didn't have as severe voiting, but certainly made up for it coming from the back end! So needless to say our spring break was quite exhausting and germ filled. This week was back to school for both boys. It's neen good getting back into the routine. I managed to do some home improvement. Our front door has been leaking water when it rains and the window above the door has been leaking as well. I took Maddox, Jack and Emma to Menards to order a new front door, but for some reason out door is an odd size and was going to be more expensive than we are looking to spend at this time. I was able to get a new storm door and tools to fix it until we are ready for a large messy project. We've been able to play outside for the last two days. IT'S AMAZING how fresh air and a change of activity fixes anything. We were all so tired last night. There is going to be rain moving in tonight so I'm hoping we can do ice cream outside after nap today. I know we are exciting peeps here in the Squad Headquarters, and this isn't as fun of an update; but we like you all to know we are A OK!! XOXO

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!