Still Dreaming of Disney

Blue Monday.... oh how I hate blue Monday....

We had a super busy weekend starting with the last warm night of the week Friday, we decided to take the kids to the "sandbox restaurant" and let them play, so when we returned home we had 4 very dirty little bodies.  We stripped them down in the garage and had them march straight to the bathroom tub.

Saturday, we ran errands in the morning and when the kids went down for naps, I colored my hair (yes, too much grey) in an effort to get ready for a wedding later that night.  When my parents showed up at 3:45 I was glamourous and ready for a night out.  We drove downtown and attended a truly fantastic wedding.  My parents took the kids to dinner and a movie (Toy Story 3) at the Church.  We were home in bed at around Midnight and up again at 7:00 for Church.  After church we ate a quick lunch then took the kids to see .....

Disney on Ice...  Princess Wishes!!!

They were SUPER EXCITED and the show was fantastic.  There were dragons, fire, fire works, and lots on princesses.  When the show was over Kaylee turned and gave me a huge bear hug then went to Jerry and gave him one.  My legs however are still in recovery from the event.  See, we purchased 6 seats because you have to have a seat for each person, but we only really used 2 seats.  I held two kids and Jerry held two kids, so they could be high enough to see well over the heads in front of us.  By the time the show was over, I couldn't feel my feet!!!

We purchased a $15.00 show program which the kids have looked through many times since and it came with a fake pink rose.  Due to fighting over the rose,  my Mom bought them 4 red roses at the dollar store this morning.  We quickly learned they couldn't remain long stem because Cody kept whacking everyone with them...  now they are 4 short stem roses.

The Price of Beauty

Wow... how expensive is it to dress kids???? As we enter the winter season and say goodbye to summer I find myself once again struggling to dress the kids. The other day, my Mom and I went through the girls winter clothes from last year to ascertain what doesn't fit and needs to find a new home, what still fits, and what can be let out to fit. Then the shopping to fill in the gaps began. I try to shop smart, but even at that... four $15 dollar items is $60 bucks and that doesn't make a dent in a wardrobe. The girls need brown shoes, black shoes, and tennis shoes. The boys need dress shoes and play shoes... We need 4 heavy coats and 4 jackets... the list goes on.... But, I regularly get compliments on the kids clothes which makes me feel good.

Funny, I can walk out the door in sweats, t-shirt, hair clip, and no make-up... but heaven forbid the kids walk out without matching bows, socks, and shoes.

Anyways, I want to thank Walmart, Target, Kolh's, and Ross for their great sales and contributions to our wardrobes....

The Innocence of a Child

Monica over at Pixel Perfect is having a VERY FUN photo challenge themed "The Innocence of a Child." I loved this photo of Addison spinning on the beach and Jadon behind her.

Need a Smile?

Thought I'd Share This One

So, what did you do all day? You ask....

I am always tired...  I've just learned to live with it...  I don't have much to report so thought I'd recap the day.  I like to do this every now and then so 20 years from now I can remember the super crazy days.

Today, woke at 6:00, showered and cleaned up for the day.
6:45 make the kids carnation instant breakfast
7:00 woke the girls
7:10 woke the boys
7:30 fed the kids
7:30 - 8:45 made beds, dressed kids, brushed teeth...
8:45 loaded in the car for school
9:00 dropped them at school after kisses and goodbye's
9:10 drive through food
9:30 ish Hit the post office
9:30 - 12:15 Went to Ross, Walmart, and the grocery store
12:30 Unloaded groceries and grabbed a bite, and chatted with Mom
12:45 Went to get babies from school
1:15 Homeward bound
1:30 ish had everyone potty and get in bed for naps
1:45 - 2:30 Rested
2:30 Worked on checkbook
3:30 Let the kids up from naps
4:00 Edited photos
4:45 Jerry home
5:00 Started dinner
6:30 We ate
6:45 Started dishes
7:15 More checkbook work
8:00 Started this post....

Everyday... this is the day...  But I LOVE my LIFE!!!

I Heart Orange

I soooo LOVE LOVE LOVE I Heart Faces and this weeks theme is "orange." Head over and check out all the other AMAZING entries.

I'm Gonna Skunk You....

Jerry is upstairs watching football.  Poor guy has to watch his games via DVR after the kids go to bed given you just cannot watch TV with 4 little ones running around.  Fortunately, we don't watch much TV so we don't feel like we are missing anything.

We have been playing a lot of games with the kids the last few months.  Candy Land and Uno Moo are the favorites.  In Uno Moo, if you play the Skunk animal, the next person has to draw another animal (a penalty of sorts).  So, we started saying,  "I'm gonna skunk you."  The term recently has been finding it's way into our daily lives and conversations.  Jerry and I were out one evening and discussing one of his co-workers...  Jerry said, "he just needs to watch himself or he's gonna get skunked."  I can't tell you how often we say skunked around here.

Here are some pictures of recent outdoor play...

TGIF....

I am soooo glad it's finally Friday and I can sleep until 8:00 tomorrow.  For the 1st time since the kids started school right after their 2nd birthday, I came home after dropping them off yesterday and crawled back up in bed and watched a movie (My Sister's Keeper).  Cried through the whole thing, but sooo enjoyed the escape into another world for 2 hours.  "Me time" is hard to come by around here, so this was a nice break.

The other night we were eating dinner:
Kaylee:  "Hey Mom, Hey, Hey..... Hey."
Me:  "Kaylee, Hay is for horses, what do you say?"
Kaylee:  "Excuse me....  I was just trying to have a conversation with you."

Where did she learn this???  She is our most advanced socially and amazes me with what she comes up with.

Jadon on the other hand thinks he's a cow right now, so conversation with him go more like this.
Me:  "Jadon I need you to come and get your teeth brushed."
Jadon:  "No, I'm Baby Cow."
Me: "Ok, Baby Cow, I need you to come and get your teeth brushed."
Jadon:  "Ok, Mommy Cow."

Well, the kids are out back playing, so I think I'll join them.

Halloween Recap....

The 1st time the kids tried on their costumes, it was sooo fun given they were new and it was just a quick trial run.

The 2nd time they tried on their costumes it was a real quickie for the grandparents, but our little lion was reluctant to take his off to say the least.

The 3rd time was fun in that it was the real deal, they were getting to wear their costumes to school for the Halloween parade!!!  I painted faces and took pictures....  This time however, the little lion clawed miserably at his costume trying to rip it off in tears and screams....

The 4th time we put on costumes, it was beginning to get old, but we just HAD to go to the neighborhood Halloween party.  It's an annual event we don't miss after all.  Once again, I tried to capture that special shot on film, but was dismayed by the once again screaming lion.  Fortunately, Aunt Pam (in from out of town) calmed him down for a few good photos.

The 5th time we strapped on the Oz wardrobe, it was Halloween!!!  Woo Hoo, I thought....  the last time I'll have to wrestle 4 little bodies into sequins, tights, hats, face paint, fur, and straw...  and now another Halloween has come and gone and I am once again sad it's all over.

I have to say, a good time was had by all and the kids were true to their characters.  They referred to each other as Dorothy, Wicked Witch, Scarecrow, and Lion.  Jerry was the Tin Man and wore the heart.  I was Glenda although without costume, and my Mom was Auntie Em....  It was adorable.

From the back seat of the car.....

Jadon:   "Glenda, Glenda... GLENda,  GLENDA!!!!!"
Me:  "Yes, Scarecrow..."
Jadon:  "I wuv you"

Happy Halloween from the Land of Oz

Happy Halloween from the Land of Oz

I love that Addison (the witch) has the Tin Man's heart and a sly little look on her face. Here they are... my kiddos....

I'll post more photos and Halloween details in the coming days.

No Longer 4 Under 4

This past week, my babies turned FOUR years old...  I remember when I could say I had 4 under 2 and now it's 4 under 5...  It has been a SUPER BUSY WEEK with a lot to blog about, but I wanted to start with the birthday.  Since their birthday fell during the week, we decided to celebrate the Sunday before their birthday.  We 1st went to church and the triplets went to the children's liturgy for the 1st time (you have to be between 4 and 6 years old).  I remember when we took 4 month olds to church and 4 year olds seemed sooooo far away.  Kaylee was sweet taking Jadon's hand and walking him through the church.  We came home, napped them and I started the decorating.  When they woke up we let them play on the blow up bouncer in the back yard and then we went in for gifts.  Ohhh, the excitement!!!  We finished up at a local restaurant with a big sandbox and let the kids get dirty.


Ok, a few notes for the kids.....

You are very into the Wizard of Oz right now, so please know your mother searched and ordered your cake topper figurines off of 3 different sites and googled for hours to find them.  When you were asleep Saturday night I stayed up until 11:00 making your cake.  Addison, the appropriate response to seeing your cake for the 1st time is "WOW, thank you Mommy!!", not, "Where are the munchkins?"

Next year, can we please avoid swan diving off of the outdoor bouncer? Addison, it took a couple of days for your ankle to heal and birthday injuries are not welcome...

While you were fast asleep napping, your mother was at the Dollar Store getting balloons for the big day. I drove home with a car full of helium balloons and then when I got home, I blew up a ton of balloons. Kaylee, next year make it your mission to enjoy the balloons a while before seeing how fast you can pop them.  It may be next year before we recover the helium balloons from the living room ceiling.

We had fun straws, streamers, and party hats. Jadon, next year you might try wearing the blue birthday hat instead of the pink birthday crown all day.  It's only a suggestion.

To all, great care and effort goes into wrapping your gifts and making them beautiful for you to open... may I suggest slowing down just a bit before tearing into those pretty packages?  I felt a bit like I was in the middle of a shark feeding frenzy.

Cody,  so eager to help and participate.  While the slinky's were for the triplets I think you got the most play out of them.  Of course, now after less than a week they are mess of twisted and tangled steel never again to "walk down stairs."

When returned from the restaurant, it was time to sing happy birthday. We had to sing twice to you Addison since you had a melt down when Cody tried to help you blow out the candles, perhaps we could roll with the punches a bit better next year. Jadon love, the green frosting and yellow frosting all tastes the same so there is no need to insist on only eating one color. Also, please note after a long and yes, hard day.... we had to bathe you all since you were covered with sand and cake... and then Mommy cleaned up the disaster of a house after tornado triplets birthday blew through.... maybe next year we could keep the over exhausted tears to a minimum during baths.

Now, of course your real birthday was later in the week, so the night before your birthday after you went to bed, I stayed up until 11:30 making cookies and gift bags for your class. I woke the next morning at 5:30 to decorate the cookies with your names. Yes, Mommy made those cookies... not your teachers.

Now, your birthday is officially over and I have four year olds. I love you more than anything else in this world and I hope you had a WONDERFUL birthday!!!!!

Pretty In Pink

In honor of breast cancer awareness, I Heart Faces theme this week is "PINK." We celebrated the triplets birthday on Sunday and the girls got new headbands which Addison is showing off. She didn't nap today, so I let her up early and bribed her with M&M's to sit still and look at the camera for me.  I'm sure bribes will become more difficult as they get older, but yea for M&Ms!!!!

The Simplicity Challenge this week is Portraits, so I thought I'd link this shot up there as well!!

Bath Time Photo Challenge

I am busy preparing for a birthday party tomorrow, so I will leave everyone with a Photo Freak photo challenge entry.... Bath time Fun!!!  This is a picture of Cody when he was running a fever of 106 and we were desperately trying to pull it down.