Disney or Bust!

What an AMAZING week we had! We left for Disney World last Sunday with Drew and crew, along with Nana, Papa, and Grandma Susan. The kids were so excited to ride on a plane. We arrived at the airport (after discussing airport rules and behavior of course), and grabbed our tickets, checked our luggage and talked to the TSA people. Parker thought it would be great to "talk" it up with the gentleman scanning our ID's. Thankfully it wasn't too busy, and the officer was more than happy to chat back with him. The kiddos did a fantastic job waiting for our plane. We shared leap pads and drank Starbucks. After arriving in Orlando we boarded the bus to the resort and walked Downtown Disney. We ate at Planet Hollywood. The kids loved the music and decorations. We started the week off with a visit to the Magic Kingdom. We rode roller coasters, met Pluto, Mickey Mouse, Baloo, and Stitch. Brian and I were so excited the kids liked the coasters. That all changed when Papa took Parker on Splash Mountain. After that it was all over for him. I'm hopeful he will change his mind as he gets older. Drew was that way too until he rode the rides at Disney. :) We ate at Whispering Canyon Cafe and had the best time. The food was good, and lets just say if you eat there be sure to order ketchup!! Tuesday, we spent at Animal Kingdom. It was really beautiful! There is so much foreign culture and the animals were amazing to watch. We took an African safari and saw the animals in their natural habitats. We were able to ride in a safari jeep and the kids thought that was really neat. We met Daisy Duck down on a boat dock and met Mickey and Minnie. Wednesday, we ate breakfast with Mickey, Stitch, Lilo, and Pluto at O'Hana. I'm not sure any of us ate much we were so busy having fun. The juice was delish! After breakfast we went back to Magic Kingdom and rode more coasters and met Tangled (Rapunzel) and Cinderella. We visited some of Brian's old favorite rides from when he lived in Orlando too! Thursday we went to Hollywood Studios and ate lunch with Jake (from the Neverland Pirates), Princess Sofia, Doc McStuffins, and Handy Manny. We of course went for more coasters and rode Tower of Terror. There were lots of screams and a few fake tears. Jack said he didn't like it but then by Friday he wanted to go again! Emma and Drew liked it and Maddox says he hated it, but then later can't make up his mind about it. Friday we spent the day in the spa. Brian and I went for a couples massage, then Emma, Susan, Nana and I went for a princess pedicure. Emma received a new tiara from Queen Elsa and Princess Ana. She was thrilled! Us girls continued with a little shopping downtown while the boys tackled the pool and giant water slide! We finished off the vacation with a very yummy and fancy dinner complete with make your own Mickey sundaes. While our vacation was fabulous, other happenings in the Scott house include one completed soccer season for the kiddos. They did great. Drew played up a league this season. It was a whole new world out there. He played both offense and defense. He doesn't really understand playing goalie yet, but has the hang of the rest of it. The quads moved up an age level, but I feel like they were so small compared to everyone else, it kinda worked against them. They were not able to keep up with the other kids as well. Nursing school is going well for me. I just finished my second set of classes. Starting my third round in November. All five kids are doing great in school. They all really enjoy going. It's been fun listening to them sing, talk, and share stories from class. My favorite though, is listening to Maddox sing his days of the week. It's time to tuck my little ones in, some of them have school in the morning. Hopefully I will blog more soon, I hadn't realized it had been four months since my last post. YIKES!

Furry Fun Plus Some.

Furry is right.....Drew and crew saved their allowance up and purchased a puppy. A black lab to be exact. She is CUTE!! We drove to Terre Haute to meet the litter of puppies. One little girl puppy was so drawn to Drew. We knew immediately she was the one. Drew gave the owner the cash they saved and away we went. We hadn't picked out a name yet, but by the time we got home with our new addition the kids had named our furry friend "Peppy" short for Pepper. Peppy has been so good with the kids. She loves playing fetch and rope. She is still learning to walk on her leash with the kids. They run and she runs, then the kids stop to pick leaves off the trees and she thinks it's time to lay in the grass. I guess comical would be the appropriate term for it. Either way we love her and she seems to be enjoying us. We are in full swing of the spring baseball season. Drew is enjoying it and doing well in the sport. Soccer has ended. Maddox, Parker, Emma and Jack had a blast this season. They earned patches and trophies, which they were really excited about. It's been really nice to be able to sit back and watch them all play sports. Hopefully the sports enjoyment with the kids will continue. We have a very busy summer planned for us. Summer break is only seven weeks this year. Maddox and Parker return to school July 31st. It doesn't leave us much time to have lots of fun in the sun. We had splash pad fun planned for today, but it's raining. So, today looks like it's bounce house and movies in the basement. It may just give me some treadmill motivation!?!? We have Mason's (my nephew)first birthday, a wedding in Wisconsin, our Anniversary, Brian's birthday, the Fourth of July festivities, school starting and then it's the State Fair. While I will have to juggle the kids school schedules to go to the State Fair, we are definitely looking forward to it. On top of all this summer fun, I have been fortunate enough to return to school for a second degree. While I do love speech therapy and have some amazing co-workers and friends that I have been lucky to work with over the years, it's not my true passion. Since having the quads I've realized that nursing is what I want to do. I'm scared about juggling school and a family, but at the same time I think back to working full time and juggling a family. It's possible. Luckily a lot of my credits transferred and I will be done by September of 2015 (if all goes as planned). I'm really looking forward to a new career and helping to support my children. They deserve the best, and Brian and I are going to make sure we do our best. I hear crying, I guess it's time to be done blogging....welcome to summer break, day 1!

Let the Games Begin.

Maddox started the soccer season with a bang! For someone who is so stubborn, he sure found a way to release those feelings. The little man scored three goals in 16 minutes of soccer play this weekend. Emma J scored two goal and Jack scored once. Parker came close to scoring but is still learning to be aggressive during the game. They all had a blast though, and I'm one proud Mama. My cheering section (AKA: Drew), was so helpful in yelling like a lunatic when our team scored. Always the good big brother!!! Drew decided to play baseball this season. We've had so much rain that the season has been off to a later start. We missed his first practice due to a concussion he sustained while falling head first into the stairs. It was quite scary, he has already missed one week of school and will miss this week as well to recover. His reflexes checked out well at his last appointment, but his balance and memory are still areas of concern. He will go back this week for another check up. He's been very irritable, tired, and when he's not in bed very "busy". Poor kiddo can't stand in one place for more than two seconds. I've also noticed he's been stuttering while talking. Nothing too terribly bad, you can tell he's trying to complete his thoughts. It's crazy knowing I've been trained in college to treat traumatic brain injuries, I've treated students with them and now my own child is going through this and it feels completely alien to me. My heart is breaking for him, he knows he can't remember things and he ends up crying over it. He can't play anything because he needs to rest; so he's then upset that he's bored. I'm praying he will recover faster so he can get back to doing the things he loves and can play with his friends at school. He got upset at the soccer fields on Saturday because he couldn't play sports yet. Luckily his games don't start for at least two weeks yet, so he has time. We've been laying low lately as a family. We've had a few germs passed around, and now with Drew's head injury there's not been enough time. We are looking forward to Summer break. It will be a short one for the kids, as the snow days added up and Maddox and Parker start in July. This balanced calendar stuff for schools is good, but it's almost like where did Summer go? Oh well, I will enjoy them while I have them!! Looking forward to more Saturday sports....we will keep you posted on Drew. XOXO

March Madness

What a crazy couple of weeks. Flu, strep, sinus infections, medicines, cleaning, crying, and sleepless nights. I have been doing some thinking lately and don't know how we ever survived the days when our quads were infants. YIKES! If I think the past two weeks had been rough, I must be crazy!!! I mean, it's not like we had a ton of help when the kids were infants. I'm hoping that today will be the end of all our sickness. I might just open the windows tomorrow and air out the house again. I had done it right after we passed the silly tummy bugs, but am feeling like maybe another round of that might be what I need here. In case you haven't yet been in the know...Emma is scheduled for her second craniotomy May 12th. Her first craniotomy was to correct her fused suture on the front of her skull. (Metopic synostosis). We knew there was a chance she would need more surgery, but were optimistic. As she grew, we saw her head beginning to deform. Each time I took her to see her Neurosurgeon or her Plastic surgeon they continued to confirm some of my fears. They both agreed it was best to wait until she was five. Emma is now four, and neither surgeon wanted to wait any longer. I have been talking more with Emma about what to expect and prepare her for things that are going to scare her. I told her we would take her to the hospital when it's still dark outside. Mommy, Daddy and Grandma Susan would all be with her. She will go with the doctors and they will "fix her noggin" and make it perfect like all the pretty princesses. I had to warn her that when she wanted to wake up, she wont be able to open her eyes. This is what really scares her. Telling her that she won't see for four days and that she will have gooey, sticky hair, and won't be able to get out of bed. That she will only hear Mommy and Daddy or feel our touch. The doctors are very confident that she will only spend one night in PICU and then move to Peds for a few days. At least once she is out of PICU and settled in to a regular room, the boys can come and visit her. That I know will help her feel better. We ask that you please pray for Emma and our family. We hope for an easy surgery, fast recovery, and for our family to be safe at home together.

In other news, Jack has his adenoids out next week, Brian has earned an award at work and will be honored at a special ceremony next week. YAY!!! Soccer and baseball are getting ready to start soon. I'm looking forward to watching Drew and crew out having fun with new friends. Spring break is right around the corner. No plans yet for us, but you just never know. The seven of us are all off for a whole week together, the opportunities are endless. :) The kids were able to ride the fire truck to school on Monday. That was exciting!! Brian and I actually had DATE NIGHT. I'm shocked we still know how that works. Tee-hee. We won the "Ride to School in a Fire Truck" item at the school fundraiser's silent auction. We were able to go to the station, learn about their trucks, play in the bunk rooms, quiz the Chief, watch them slide down the fire pole, and wave to all the kids friends in the school parking lot! We were interviewed by the local newspaper and got really cool hats. It was such a positive experience for the kids, they really loved it. I think I've made up for not posting in a while, so I'll end here, sleep tight. XOXO

Rolling Along....A Bowling We Have Gone.

Today I decided to take the crew bowling. We had some free bowling passes from Halloween that I had found in a drawer. Considering our weather has been quite horrid and our attitudes needing some adjusting, I thought getting out of this huge box might do us some good. I took a chance on skipping "rest" time today, and it was so worth it. The crew was kind of quiet walking in, taking in all the lights, balls, and activity going on. We were able to get bowling bumpers, a rail to push the ball down and of course those cool looking shoes. Drew was able to throw his ball independently and scored a whopping 78 pins!! The quads all used the dinosaur rail to roll their balls. They were all able to carry their ball to the rail but weren't quite strong enough to throw it alone. Emma scored 67 pins, Parker had 69 pins, Maddox had 65 pins and Jack had 54 pins. It's definitely something we will do again. Soccer and baseball will be starting soon. I'm a bit worried with all this cold weather and snow. It seems like it will never end. The kids have been playing soccer in the basement, but its a bit more difficult to play baseball. I was a little scared when Brian and Drew shot his BB gun this past week in the basement. Don't freak out yet....they were alone, Brian had a big target with padding, and the gun is securely put away where only Brian and I can get to it. Safety first!!!! I am loving my new job. I'm working part time at Avon High School as a Resource Teacher. Things sure have changed in high school since I was there 15 years ago. I probably wouldn't let myself out of my bedroom wearing some of those things that are scooting through the halls now. Fashion is everything....even if it truly doesn't look good on you. Luckily, I only have to deal with Emma J in that department....I'm thinking a second or third job won't be needed. Some of my girlfriends, well....I'm sorry girls. I feel for you! Well, it's bedtime for my crew so I will end here for the night. XOXO

Let the New Begin.

It's really late, but Happy New Year!! Brian and I celebrated with Drew, a bottle of Sparkling Grape juice and a bottle of Asti. I know.....we are exciting peeps. We survived the huge snow storm that followed the new year in. We had 13" of snow and FIVE snow days. Brian and I did a whole lot of shoveling and I built a snowman with the crew. We did a little backyard sledding and built a fort. The kids had a blast throwing snowballs at Brian who was standing on the inside of the patio door. I will say, my crew has some good aim and they all seem to have pretty good arms. Look out MLB! The kids finally went back to school this week. It has also been a full moon.....let the games begin. The boys were so naughty last night, I wanted to just sit and cry. They are now grounded from video games for a week. I hate having to punish them because I always feel guilty. I always have that "well, I should've been watching them better, or the I need to be a more positive mom". It's not like I was even sitting on the couch....I was just cleaning up dinner. Nothing wrong with that, until you have four boys peeing in the toy bins in the basement and throwing it in the air all over everything. UGH!!! Drew got his second quarter report card. It was good. I am so proud of him. His teacher says he is reading fluently and does a great job sounding out words and sound blending. :) WAHOO! I don't have reports from the littles yet. Those I should have tomorrow and Monday. Hoping for good reports there too. I went back to work this week. After being off for a year, it felt really good. I am working with High School students as a Resource Teacher. I have two classes I work with and really like it. English 9 is a lot more fun than I remember! I look forward to the rest of the semester with a fun bunch of kids. Brian is putting in some OT at his job. We have enjoyed being inside this winter with the kids. We are looking forward to many family memories this year and sharing them with you. XOXO