Fireworks Giveaway *WINNERS!!*

The giveaway for free fireworks is officially over and the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Tent is officially open!

We had 187 entries over the course of the last week from all over the metro area. Wow!

So who won? *drumroll please!*

The winners of the four Kiddie Assortment Packs are:

1. Rachel V.

2. Tree B.

3. Jackie C.

4. Courtney E.

And the winner of the Grand Prize Assorted Party Package with enough fireworks to make your neighbors regret moving next to you is:

1. Natalie M.

Congratulations to everyone! Winners, please check your email for instructions on how to claim your prizes!

And don't forget, everyone who is an Ishum Quad Blog Reader gets 10% off of their fireworks through Independence Day at the tent! Just print out a page of the blog or show it on your phone, and you will automatically receive your discount!

It was so exciting for me to get to offer this giveaway and special discount for my readers on behalf of the fireworks tent partnering with Hillcrest Transitional Housing! Thank you to everyone who participated, and who is planning on coming by the tent this week! Make sure you flag me down and say, "hi!"

The giveaway for free fireworks is officially over and the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Tent is officially open!

We had 187 entries over the course of the last week from all over the metro area. Wow!

So who won? *drumroll please!*

The winners of the four Kiddie Assortment Packs are:

1. Rachel V.

2. Tree B.

3. Jackie C.

4. Courtney E.

And the winner of the Grand Prize Assorted Party Package with enough fireworks to make your neighbors regret moving next to you is:

1. Natalie M.

Congratulations to everyone! Winners, please check your email for instructions on how to claim your prizes!

And don't forget, everyone who is an Ishum Quad Blog Reader gets 10% off of their fireworks through Independence Day at the tent! Just print out a page of the blog or show it on your phone, and you will automatically receive your discount!

It was so exciting for me to get to offer this giveaway and special discount for my readers on behalf of the fireworks tent partnering with Hillcrest Transitional Housing! Thank you to everyone who participated, and who is planning on coming by the tent this week! Make sure you flag me down and say, "hi!"

Will She Really Eat When She is Hungry?

Abby is pretty proud of herself this week.

She managed...believe it or not...to actually eat enough food to graduate to size 3 diapers!

Barely.

Mostly she just graduated because we used the last of the size 2's. But hey! We will take what we can get!

Abby with her new diapers!

(My laptop is at the doctor's right now, so I don't have a place to download my photos. I have to stick with phone photos for illustrations. Hence why it is blurry.)

I seriously don't know what I'm going to do with this kid. This is about all she will eat, and we've come pretty far to be able to list all of this:

-Yogurt

-Bananas

-Crackers

-Dry Cereal

-Bread

-Peanut Butter Sandwiches

-Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

-Cold Beans out of a Can (sometimes)

And that's just about it. It's really frustrating to sit through mealtime with her because she will just sit and stare at her tray of food or watch her siblings eat. It doesn't matter how hungry she is or how long she sits there, if she doesn't like the way something looks, she won't eat it. I'm always torn between giving her something I'm sure she will eat so that she gets the calories, or making her sit it out since I don't want to start the habit of being a short order cook.

Because calories have always been such a huge deal with her, I tend to be a bit more lenient than I want to be in the food department. Can my child end up being malnourished if she subsists almost entirely on graham crackers and Chex cereal?

My mom likes to remind me that from 18 months to 3 years of age, I would only eat yogurt and hot dogs. Literally, nothing else. I now have a pleasantly balanced diet and enjoy lots of different foods (except calamari. If I don't say that here, I'm sure my husband will leave a comment telling all about my aversion. Eww!)

She may not like or eat something, but I always offer it to her anyway. I've heard that a child doesn't officially "not like" a food until they have refused it fifteen times. I'm pretty sure we've reached that number for many of the food items we've tried.

I guess there is hope that eventually she will learn to eat different things, but I am definitely open to suggestions! If you have one, please, please, please leave a comment! I can't have the only toddler on the planet who is this picky!

*********************

Also, don't forget that tomorrow is the last day to enter the fireworks giveaway! At midnight, the giveaway closes and five lucky winners will get free fireworks to use in their Independence Day festivities! Did you miss the post about entering? Click HERE to find out how to get in on the action!

Abby is pretty proud of herself this week.

She managed...believe it or not...to actually eat enough food to graduate to size 3 diapers!

Barely.

Mostly she just graduated because we used the last of the size 2's. But hey! We will take what we can get!

Abby with her new diapers!

(My laptop is at the doctor's right now, so I don't have a place to download my photos. I have to stick with phone photos for illustrations. Hence why it is blurry.)

I seriously don't know what I'm going to do with this kid. This is about all she will eat, and we've come pretty far to be able to list all of this:

-Yogurt

-Bananas

-Crackers

-Dry Cereal

-Bread

-Peanut Butter Sandwiches

-Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

-Cold Beans out of a Can (sometimes)

And that's just about it. It's really frustrating to sit through mealtime with her because she will just sit and stare at her tray of food or watch her siblings eat. It doesn't matter how hungry she is or how long she sits there, if she doesn't like the way something looks, she won't eat it. I'm always torn between giving her something I'm sure she will eat so that she gets the calories, or making her sit it out since I don't want to start the habit of being a short order cook.

Because calories have always been such a huge deal with her, I tend to be a bit more lenient than I want to be in the food department. Can my child end up being malnourished if she subsists almost entirely on graham crackers and Chex cereal?

My mom likes to remind me that from 18 months to 3 years of age, I would only eat yogurt and hot dogs. Literally, nothing else. I now have a pleasantly balanced diet and enjoy lots of different foods (except calamari. If I don't say that here, I'm sure my husband will leave a comment telling all about my aversion. Eww!)

She may not like or eat something, but I always offer it to her anyway. I've heard that a child doesn't officially "not like" a food until they have refused it fifteen times. I'm pretty sure we've reached that number for many of the food items we've tried.

I guess there is hope that eventually she will learn to eat different things, but I am definitely open to suggestions! If you have one, please, please, please leave a comment! I can't have the only toddler on the planet who is this picky!

*********************

Also, don't forget that tomorrow is the last day to enter the fireworks giveaway! At midnight, the giveaway closes and five lucky winners will get free fireworks to use in their Independence Day festivities! Did you miss the post about entering? Click HERE to find out how to get in on the action!

A Shattered Laptop and Bit of Perspective

I think the Toy Story producers were on to something.

Over the weekend, I took advantage of the kids' nap time to work on the blog a little bit and play on FaceBook. At some point, while I wasn't paying attention, Thomas the Tank Engine came to life and decided  that the best place to camp out for awhile was right in the middle of my walking path. Unfortunately, I didn't see him until he tripped me up. The good news is that I caught myself on my way down. The bad news is that I dropped my laptop to catch myself.

This is what my laptop looks like now:

How will I check my money saving sites? How will look for recipes? How will I check my email? How will I BLOG?

On top of that, a brand new laptop isn't exactly in the budget.

In a panic, I texted a friend whose husband is a bit of a computer whiz to see if he could save my laptop. They said that they would come right over, and I was really hoping that they would get here before Sean got home. The idea was for my opening line to be that my laptop was fixable (hopefully cheaply).

Nope. It didn't quite happen that way. Five minutes after I hung up with my friend, Sean walked in the front door.

I greeted him with the words that every husband wants to hear as he comes through the front door, "I don't want you to be home right now!" After wading through my tear-filled explanation of what happened and profuse apologizes, he started smiling.

....smiling??

I just told the guy that I probably destroyed my laptop, along with losing all of the photos that I've taken since the babies were born and all of the writing I'm working on (he has been telling me to backup my computer for weeks, and I've been putting it off).

"Are you okay?"
"Yes." *sob*
"Are the kids okay?"
"Yes." *sob, sob*
"I thought you were going to say you dropped them down the stairs what with the way you are carrying on."
"No, I only dropped my laptop."
"So no one is hurt?"
"No...except my laptop and all of our photos and my writings were on it! And now it's probably destroyed forever!" *sob, sob, sob!*  (I can get a little dramatic sometimes. Heh.)
"But you and the kids aren't physically injured?"
"...No...." *sniff*
"Okay then."
"You aren't mad?"
"Why would I be mad? It was an accident, and no one is hurt."

Well, there's some perspective! I'm so grateful for a husband who doesn't get upset over stuff like this...or a wife who is slightly hyperventilating. I was focused on things, he was focused on people. Sometimes I get so caught up in a situation, that I forget that there is something beyond it. In many ways, my laptop has been one of my lifelines to the great beyond while being cooped up in our house. It turns out that my laptop has become an extension of me. Seriously, I feel a little lost without my friend sitting on the kitchen table.

As much as I hate seeing the shattered screen of my laptop, it is a good reminder not to get so caught up in stuff, no matter how expensive it is or how many irreplaceable photos or writings it contains. Even if the photos of our kids were gone, I still have the real life versions of them running around underfoot.

I'm just hoping that I've thoroughly learned this lesson so that I don't wreck the car or anything like that this week! And I will most definitely start backing up my laptop! And I will be keeping a closer eye out for any toys that come to life!

Oh, and as far as the prognosis for my laptop: My friend's husband said that he could fix it by replacing the screen. The hard drive still works and no photos or writings have been lost. Hopefully, in a week or so, I'll have it back. Until then, I'll be using Sean's old desktop...haven't used a desktop in years!


Do you have a time when a minor (or major) accident helped you regain perspective on what's important?

I think the Toy Story producers were on to something.

Over the weekend, I took advantage of the kids' nap time to work on the blog a little bit and play on FaceBook. At some point, while I wasn't paying attention, Thomas the Tank Engine came to life and decided  that the best place to camp out for awhile was right in the middle of my walking path. Unfortunately, I didn't see him until he tripped me up. The good news is that I caught myself on my way down. The bad news is that I dropped my laptop to catch myself.

This is what my laptop looks like now:

How will I check my money saving sites? How will look for recipes? How will I check my email? How will I BLOG?

On top of that, a brand new laptop isn't exactly in the budget.

In a panic, I texted a friend whose husband is a bit of a computer whiz to see if he could save my laptop. They said that they would come right over, and I was really hoping that they would get here before Sean got home. The idea was for my opening line to be that my laptop was fixable (hopefully cheaply).

Nope. It didn't quite happen that way. Five minutes after I hung up with my friend, Sean walked in the front door.

I greeted him with the words that every husband wants to hear as he comes through the front door, "I don't want you to be home right now!" After wading through my tear-filled explanation of what happened and profuse apologizes, he started smiling.

....smiling??

I just told the guy that I probably destroyed my laptop, along with losing all of the photos that I've taken since the babies were born and all of the writing I'm working on (he has been telling me to backup my computer for weeks, and I've been putting it off).

"Are you okay?"
"Yes." *sob*
"Are the kids okay?"
"Yes." *sob, sob*
"I thought you were going to say you dropped them down the stairs what with the way you are carrying on."
"No, I only dropped my laptop."
"So no one is hurt?"
"No...except my laptop and all of our photos and my writings were on it! And now it's probably destroyed forever!" *sob, sob, sob!*  (I can get a little dramatic sometimes. Heh.)
"But you and the kids aren't physically injured?"
"...No...." *sniff*
"Okay then."
"You aren't mad?"
"Why would I be mad? It was an accident, and no one is hurt."

Well, there's some perspective! I'm so grateful for a husband who doesn't get upset over stuff like this...or a wife who is slightly hyperventilating. I was focused on things, he was focused on people. Sometimes I get so caught up in a situation, that I forget that there is something beyond it. In many ways, my laptop has been one of my lifelines to the great beyond while being cooped up in our house. It turns out that my laptop has become an extension of me. Seriously, I feel a little lost without my friend sitting on the kitchen table.

As much as I hate seeing the shattered screen of my laptop, it is a good reminder not to get so caught up in stuff, no matter how expensive it is or how many irreplaceable photos or writings it contains. Even if the photos of our kids were gone, I still have the real life versions of them running around underfoot.

I'm just hoping that I've thoroughly learned this lesson so that I don't wreck the car or anything like that this week! And I will most definitely start backing up my laptop! And I will be keeping a closer eye out for any toys that come to life!

Oh, and as far as the prognosis for my laptop: My friend's husband said that he could fix it by replacing the screen. The hard drive still works and no photos or writings have been lost. Hopefully, in a week or so, I'll have it back. Until then, I'll be using Sean's old desktop...haven't used a desktop in years!


Do you have a time when a minor (or major) accident helped you regain perspective on what's important?

A Vacation + An Explosive Giveaway!!

Next week, I'm going on "vacation!" It involves heat, good friends, and lots and lots of EXPLOSIVES!

Every year for the past six years (okay, last year was the exception for obvious reasons), I've spent a whole week in a fireworks tent, sweating it out in the middle of a parking lot, and using a porta potty. As unattractive as that sounds, I missed it like crazy last year, but the sleep deprivation and needs of the kids made it impossible to even drop by. It didn't quite seem like Independence Day since I wasn't hanging out in the tent.

A couple of months ago, out of the blue, Sean suggested that we make it a priority for me to get back out there this year. Honestly, I really need the break and time to hang with friends. So anytime he isn't working, I will be at the tent...starting a week from today!

Me and my sister, Hannah, working the cash stations in 2008.

We seriously have the best tent in the Kansas City metro area. Why? Because in addition to some awesome hanging out with friends time for me (hehe!), they like to reach out to the community:

1) Starting in 2010 the tent has represented Hillcrest Transitional Housing which is a shelter for homeless families in Lee’s Summit. Hillcrest is such a cool organization! They have several different locations across the metro, but our tent will be donating to the Lee's Summit branch. The reason why I love this organization so much is that they don't just hand out assistance and expect nothing in return. Families who use their services are limited to 90 days in the shelter,all adults are  required to work 40 hours a week, and required to attend classes that will help them get back on their feet. With a 95% success rate, I feel like this organization is a benefit to the community without draining the community's resources. We need more of those. Score!

2) They offer 10% discounts to active and retired military (with ID) and homeschool families! I was homeschooled and have family in the military so both of those are close to my heart.

And, I'm happy to say that they are adding a new discount this year!

All Ishum Quad Blog Readers will get 10% off too!

All you have to do is print out a page from the blog or show it on your phone at the big yellow and white tent off of 50 Hwy in Lee's Summit, Missouri, and *BAM* 10% off for you!

I am SO excited!! And what with part of the proceeds benefiting a local organization, that's way better than buying from a big store where most of what you spend goes to overhead.

On top of that, they are sponsoring a couple of giveaways for FREE FIREWORKS on our blog!

Free explosives....um, YEAH! In fact, there won't be just one winner, but FIVE winners!

Up for grabs are four kiddie packs of fireworks: they include sparklers, poppers, snappers etc. Perfect for the younger sector. And because we have quadruplets, they are giving away four packs! I love a multiples friendly business!

They are also giving away a large party package filled with all sorts of different fireworks that shoot up and make noise. This is perfect for a family gathering! These always go so fast at the tent because they are the fun ones! It will either be the Pyro Blast or a like package valued at approximately $75!! That's a huge giveaway!

Entering is easy peasy! In fact, I've set this up so that you can get multiple entries since we are a multiples blog! Each activity you complete gives you one entrance into the giveaway. The more you do, the better chance you have of winning the Grand Prize Fireworks Package valued at $75!!

Make sure you enter the giveaway and then come out to the tent to see us and use your 10% discount just for being a reader! And keep an eye out for the Ishum Quads because I'm pretty sure they will be making an appearance at least one day in their Red, White, and Blue wagon!

(All entries will be verified!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

The fine print: The giveaway will close at midnight on Friday, June 29th with the winners being announced on Saturday, June 30th. Due to laws restricting the shipping and distribution of fireworks, all winner will need to pick up their prizes at the Lee's Summit, MO tent during business hours before the close of business on Wednesday, July 4th. At that point, all unclaimed prizes will be forfeited due to laws preventing the distribution of fireworks after July 4th. Winners assume all responsibility and liability while using their prizes. Winners will receive instructions about how to claim their prizes once the contest ends.

Next week, I'm going on "vacation!" It involves heat, good friends, and lots and lots of EXPLOSIVES!

Every year for the past six years (okay, last year was the exception for obvious reasons), I've spent a whole week in a fireworks tent, sweating it out in the middle of a parking lot, and using a porta potty. As unattractive as that sounds, I missed it like crazy last year, but the sleep deprivation and needs of the kids made it impossible to even drop by. It didn't quite seem like Independence Day since I wasn't hanging out in the tent.

A couple of months ago, out of the blue, Sean suggested that we make it a priority for me to get back out there this year. Honestly, I really need the break and time to hang with friends. So anytime he isn't working, I will be at the tent...starting a week from today!

Me and my sister, Hannah, working the cash stations in 2008.

We seriously have the best tent in the Kansas City metro area. Why? Because in addition to some awesome hanging out with friends time for me (hehe!), they like to reach out to the community:

1) Starting in 2010 the tent has represented Hillcrest Transitional Housing which is a shelter for homeless families in Lee’s Summit. Hillcrest is such a cool organization! They have several different locations across the metro, but our tent will be donating to the Lee's Summit branch. The reason why I love this organization so much is that they don't just hand out assistance and expect nothing in return. Families who use their services are limited to 90 days in the shelter,all adults are  required to work 40 hours a week, and required to attend classes that will help them get back on their feet. With a 95% success rate, I feel like this organization is a benefit to the community without draining the community's resources. We need more of those. Score!

2) They offer 10% discounts to active and retired military (with ID) and homeschool families! I was homeschooled and have family in the military so both of those are close to my heart.

And, I'm happy to say that they are adding a new discount this year!

All Ishum Quad Blog Readers will get 10% off too!

All you have to do is print out a page from the blog or show it on your phone at the big yellow and white tent off of 50 Hwy in Lee's Summit, Missouri, and *BAM* 10% off for you!

I am SO excited!! And what with part of the proceeds benefiting a local organization, that's way better than buying from a big store where most of what you spend goes to overhead.

On top of that, they are sponsoring a couple of giveaways for FREE FIREWORKS on our blog!

Free explosives....um, YEAH! In fact, there won't be just one winner, but FIVE winners!

Up for grabs are four kiddie packs of fireworks: they include sparklers, poppers, snappers etc. Perfect for the younger sector. And because we have quadruplets, they are giving away four packs! I love a multiples friendly business!

They are also giving away a large party package filled with all sorts of different fireworks that shoot up and make noise. This is perfect for a family gathering! These always go so fast at the tent because they are the fun ones! It will either be the Pyro Blast or a like package valued at approximately $75!! That's a huge giveaway!

Entering is easy peasy! In fact, I've set this up so that you can get multiple entries since we are a multiples blog! Each activity you complete gives you one entrance into the giveaway. The more you do, the better chance you have of winning the Grand Prize Fireworks Package valued at $75!!

Make sure you enter the giveaway and then come out to the tent to see us and use your 10% discount just for being a reader! And keep an eye out for the Ishum Quads because I'm pretty sure they will be making an appearance at least one day in their Red, White, and Blue wagon!

(All entries will be verified!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

The fine print: The giveaway will close at midnight on Friday, June 29th with the winners being announced on Saturday, June 30th. Due to laws restricting the shipping and distribution of fireworks, all winner will need to pick up their prizes at the Lee's Summit, MO tent during business hours before the close of business on Wednesday, July 4th. At that point, all unclaimed prizes will be forfeited due to laws preventing the distribution of fireworks after July 4th. Winners assume all responsibility and liability while using their prizes. Winners will receive instructions about how to claim their prizes once the contest ends.

How to Organize Everyday Things With Multiples

We live in a pretty small house. It's about 1200 square feet. Sean signed the paperwork to purchase it on Valentine's Day, the month before we were married. It was my first Valentine's Day with a guy, and he gave me a house (which I waited until after we were married to move into). How sweet is that?

We picked it out together thinking that it would be the perfect spot to live for a few years before starting a family. The original game plan was: be married for three years, have a baby, maybe have a second baby, then move, then have another baby or two.

Our game plan always makes me think of the passage, "In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Gee...ya think??

Now we are six living in a tight starter home with no foreseeable plans to move anytime in the near future.

Actually, it's not all that bad, because as I keep telling Sean, the bigger the house, the more there is to clean. I definitely do not have time to clean a bigger house! But the space problem can definitely become an issue some days.

So we have discovered that the best way to create more space is to go UP.

This is what our dining room looks like. On the left hand side of the photo, you can see the corner of our kitchen table. We bought two 4-tier racks from Walmart along with some plastic sterilite bins to keep things in.

The left rack holds all of their clothing. The boys have six bins and the girls have six bins. We do keep a few jackets and the girls' fancier dresses in their closet, but everything else is here.

Each bin is labeled with the gender and exactly what is in it. This way, I can tell at a glance where to go for a particular article of clothing. It also makes it pretty obvious when I should do the laundry. That and the pile of dirty kids' clothes that seem to materialize out of nowhere.

On the other rack, we have some bins for things that I need to access on a fairly regular basis.

The top shelf has what I like to call a "Special Box" for each of them. My mom did something similar while we were growing up, so I've continued the tradition. It contains lots of firsts: first Halloween costume, first birthday candle, first outfit, micro-preemie diapers, and other special items that were made specifically for them or have significant meaning. Since we are still experiencing lots of firsts, I'm adding to them often. It's easiest if I can keep them handy so that their stuff doesn't pile up.

The next shelf holds baby cereal, crackers, a plastic drawer set for hair bows and hats, and a box with paper and pens for notes so I'm not scrambling when I need to write down a brilliant idea, or more often, a list of things to remember. Pregnancy Brain has turned into Mommy Brain.

Bottles, burp cloths, bibs, bottle parts, and miscellaneous supplies like thermometers and those snot balls (I'm sure there is a more high tech name like "bulb syringe", but my name is way more fun!) go on the next shelf.

The bottom shelf has a plethora of formula, baby food, and light jackets for everyday use.

Bins, bins, bins!

Now you know how we do it! The labels I used for the bins were something free that I found online here. Just download them, print them out, and write on it!

With a little creativity, it is possible to have a semi-organized space in a small house. It certainly does not always look this way, but if you catch it on the right day it's a good calm sliver of space in my house. Thank goodness, because messiness drives me crazy. That's the other thing that God is teaching me: He has the best game plan in the end...and I need to be okay with some chaos. I'm sure I'll have a post about that in future!

We live in a pretty small house. It's about 1200 square feet. Sean signed the paperwork to purchase it on Valentine's Day, the month before we were married. It was my first Valentine's Day with a guy, and he gave me a house (which I waited until after we were married to move into). How sweet is that?

We picked it out together thinking that it would be the perfect spot to live for a few years before starting a family. The original game plan was: be married for three years, have a baby, maybe have a second baby, then move, then have another baby or two.

Our game plan always makes me think of the passage, "In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

Gee...ya think??

Now we are six living in a tight starter home with no foreseeable plans to move anytime in the near future.

Actually, it's not all that bad, because as I keep telling Sean, the bigger the house, the more there is to clean. I definitely do not have time to clean a bigger house! But the space problem can definitely become an issue some days.

So we have discovered that the best way to create more space is to go UP.

This is what our dining room looks like. On the left hand side of the photo, you can see the corner of our kitchen table. We bought two 4-tier racks from Walmart along with some plastic sterilite bins to keep things in.

The left rack holds all of their clothing. The boys have six bins and the girls have six bins. We do keep a few jackets and the girls' fancier dresses in their closet, but everything else is here.

Each bin is labeled with the gender and exactly what is in it. This way, I can tell at a glance where to go for a particular article of clothing. It also makes it pretty obvious when I should do the laundry. That and the pile of dirty kids' clothes that seem to materialize out of nowhere.

On the other rack, we have some bins for things that I need to access on a fairly regular basis.

The top shelf has what I like to call a "Special Box" for each of them. My mom did something similar while we were growing up, so I've continued the tradition. It contains lots of firsts: first Halloween costume, first birthday candle, first outfit, micro-preemie diapers, and other special items that were made specifically for them or have significant meaning. Since we are still experiencing lots of firsts, I'm adding to them often. It's easiest if I can keep them handy so that their stuff doesn't pile up.

The next shelf holds baby cereal, crackers, a plastic drawer set for hair bows and hats, and a box with paper and pens for notes so I'm not scrambling when I need to write down a brilliant idea, or more often, a list of things to remember. Pregnancy Brain has turned into Mommy Brain.

Bottles, burp cloths, bibs, bottle parts, and miscellaneous supplies like thermometers and those snot balls (I'm sure there is a more high tech name like "bulb syringe", but my name is way more fun!) go on the next shelf.

The bottom shelf has a plethora of formula, baby food, and light jackets for everyday use.

Bins, bins, bins!

Now you know how we do it! The labels I used for the bins were something free that I found online here. Just download them, print them out, and write on it!

With a little creativity, it is possible to have a semi-organized space in a small house. It certainly does not always look this way, but if you catch it on the right day it's a good calm sliver of space in my house. Thank goodness, because messiness drives me crazy. That's the other thing that God is teaching me: He has the best game plan in the end...and I need to be okay with some chaos. I'm sure I'll have a post about that in future!

Cover Kids!!

Our kids are on the front page of a magazine!!!

Normally I try to start my posts with a sentence that "hooks my reader," just like my Mom taught me to in grade school. I just couldn't help myself this time! There is no hooking line that is as exciting as just blurting it out!

Our kids are on the cover of a magazine!!!

That just makes me smile! :)

Those of you who have been following our blog since the beginning have probably noticed that occasionally I have been asked to write articles for KC Parent Magazine (check under the "In the Media" tab for links to past articles).

I used to pick the magazine up when I went to Planet Sub to grab a sandwich between college classes. I had no kids or even a boyfriend, but the magazine intrigued me with all of the ideas for parents and kids...and it was free! So technically, I've been reading this magazine for several years even though I didn't necessarily fit the prescribed demographic. Hey, it's never to early to start collecting ideas!

Anyhow, I never thought that sitting in the car, trying not to drop guacamole and tomato juice on my shirt and paging through the magazine, that I would one day get to write for it! I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to write the articles. It's a little bit of "me" but still a family thing; so pretty much, it's been a guilt free hobby. :-)

A couple of months ago, the editor emailed me again to see if they could put our kids on the cover of KC Baby Magazine and if I would write a "first year" article to go with it. It sounded like fun!

KC Parent Magazine has two sister publications: KC Baby and KC Going Places. It has a lot of the same writers but covers different topics. Since this was a first year article, we fit KC Baby perfectly!

In May, Sean and I drove the kids to an amazing photo studio about forty-five minutes from where we live. Antisdels Photography took some newborn photos of the babies for the magazine a year ago, and they also took the cover photo this time. They were awesome and had quite the crew on hand to work with the babies. They had the photographer, a baby wrangler, and three additional assistants to help with the shoot. Thankfully, the kids did great (I did have some doubts when Caleb screamed the last 30 minutes of the car ride there)!

Newborn Photo by Antisdels for KC Parent Magazine last year.

The photographer, Kia, even picked out their clothes for the shoot so that they would all go together but not match. She got them from a boutique store called Mady and Me. And I was extra excited when she told me that the boutique wanted us to keep the adorable clothes!

So if you are out and about in Kansas City in the next few weeks and see four cute kids on the cover of KC Baby, make sure you pick it up and read our article! The publication is free and can be found in HyVee, Hen House, Price Chopper, Sam's Club, doctor's offices, some toy stores, and a bunch of other places around the metro. Normally they are in waiting rooms or right inside the entrance.

The Cover of KC Baby Magazine!!
(Sorry it's a little fuzzy. I don't have a high res image.)

What a super fun keepsake for our babies! Thank you KC Baby Magazine!

**Proud Mama!!**

Our kids are on the front page of a magazine!!!

Normally I try to start my posts with a sentence that "hooks my reader," just like my Mom taught me to in grade school. I just couldn't help myself this time! There is no hooking line that is as exciting as just blurting it out!

Our kids are on the cover of a magazine!!!

That just makes me smile! :)

Those of you who have been following our blog since the beginning have probably noticed that occasionally I have been asked to write articles for KC Parent Magazine (check under the "In the Media" tab for links to past articles).

I used to pick the magazine up when I went to Planet Sub to grab a sandwich between college classes. I had no kids or even a boyfriend, but the magazine intrigued me with all of the ideas for parents and kids...and it was free! So technically, I've been reading this magazine for several years even though I didn't necessarily fit the prescribed demographic. Hey, it's never to early to start collecting ideas!

Anyhow, I never thought that sitting in the car, trying not to drop guacamole and tomato juice on my shirt and paging through the magazine, that I would one day get to write for it! I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to write the articles. It's a little bit of "me" but still a family thing; so pretty much, it's been a guilt free hobby. :-)

A couple of months ago, the editor emailed me again to see if they could put our kids on the cover of KC Baby Magazine and if I would write a "first year" article to go with it. It sounded like fun!

KC Parent Magazine has two sister publications: KC Baby and KC Going Places. It has a lot of the same writers but covers different topics. Since this was a first year article, we fit KC Baby perfectly!

In May, Sean and I drove the kids to an amazing photo studio about forty-five minutes from where we live. Antisdels Photography took some newborn photos of the babies for the magazine a year ago, and they also took the cover photo this time. They were awesome and had quite the crew on hand to work with the babies. They had the photographer, a baby wrangler, and three additional assistants to help with the shoot. Thankfully, the kids did great (I did have some doubts when Caleb screamed the last 30 minutes of the car ride there)!

Newborn Photo by Antisdels for KC Parent Magazine last year.

The photographer, Kia, even picked out their clothes for the shoot so that they would all go together but not match. She got them from a boutique store called Mady and Me. And I was extra excited when she told me that the boutique wanted us to keep the adorable clothes!

So if you are out and about in Kansas City in the next few weeks and see four cute kids on the cover of KC Baby, make sure you pick it up and read our article! The publication is free and can be found in HyVee, Hen House, Price Chopper, Sam's Club, doctor's offices, some toy stores, and a bunch of other places around the metro. Normally they are in waiting rooms or right inside the entrance.

The Cover of KC Baby Magazine!!
(Sorry it's a little fuzzy. I don't have a high res image.)

What a super fun keepsake for our babies! Thank you KC Baby Magazine!

**Proud Mama!!**

Freedom on Wheels

We are happily, finally recovering from a rough few days at our house.

We knew that this summer could potentially be a long one as we start to introduce our kids to germs. Since the kids have been so protected, they haven't been sick yet. The middle of last week, Caleb came down with his first virus and promptly shared it with the rest of the kids. It made for five very long, very sleepless days and nights for our entire family. 

Thankfully, the kids finally started to perk up on Sunday afternoon. We decided to celebrate by getting themselves (and us!) out for some fresh air.

We took our brand-new Choo-Choo Wagon out for a walk around our neighborhood!

This wagon is something that I have had my eye on since we got pregnant. It is a very popular choice among higher-order multiples in terms of transportation. For me, it means I can finally move all four kids from one point to another all by myself.

Sean's side of the family all pitched in to get this for us for the babies' first birthday. I was so excited when the babies opened the packages! My mother-in-law joked that they almost wrote my name on the packages instead of the babies! Haha! Fair enough! :)

The company offers the original colors and the USA edition plus a trailer. It's very fitting that we have the USA edition since I consider it to be "Freedom on Wheels!"

Getting Ready to Walk the Neighborhood!

Daddy, Ellie, Abby, Caleb, and Elijah

Daddy pulling them up the big hill (and I cheered him on from the side!)

Neighbors were out doing yard work, so we asked them to snap a quick family photo. It cracks me up because all of the kids were distracted by their dogs!

Ellie: "What did you think, Daddy? Did you have fun pulling us? Can we go again?"

Abby: "Why do people stare at us? We're just kids."

Caleb: "Hold on for dear life!"

Elijah: "The back end of this thing gets bumpy!"

From an "out in public with the quads" point of view, it was really interesting. We had heads hanging out of car windows as they drove past, one lady was taking photos of us from a distance, three people stopped us to ask about the babies, and one guy asked where we "bought all them kids at"....and we were only walking around the neighborhood for 30 minutes!

I also took a short video of us walking around....if you'd like to see it, click here!

We are happily, finally recovering from a rough few days at our house.

We knew that this summer could potentially be a long one as we start to introduce our kids to germs. Since the kids have been so protected, they haven't been sick yet. The middle of last week, Caleb came down with his first virus and promptly shared it with the rest of the kids. It made for five very long, very sleepless days and nights for our entire family. 

Thankfully, the kids finally started to perk up on Sunday afternoon. We decided to celebrate by getting themselves (and us!) out for some fresh air.

We took our brand-new Choo-Choo Wagon out for a walk around our neighborhood!

This wagon is something that I have had my eye on since we got pregnant. It is a very popular choice among higher-order multiples in terms of transportation. For me, it means I can finally move all four kids from one point to another all by myself.

Sean's side of the family all pitched in to get this for us for the babies' first birthday. I was so excited when the babies opened the packages! My mother-in-law joked that they almost wrote my name on the packages instead of the babies! Haha! Fair enough! :)

The company offers the original colors and the USA edition plus a trailer. It's very fitting that we have the USA edition since I consider it to be "Freedom on Wheels!"

Getting Ready to Walk the Neighborhood!

Daddy, Ellie, Abby, Caleb, and Elijah

Daddy pulling them up the big hill (and I cheered him on from the side!)

Neighbors were out doing yard work, so we asked them to snap a quick family photo. It cracks me up because all of the kids were distracted by their dogs!

Ellie: "What did you think, Daddy? Did you have fun pulling us? Can we go again?"

Abby: "Why do people stare at us? We're just kids."

Caleb: "Hold on for dear life!"

Elijah: "The back end of this thing gets bumpy!"

From an "out in public with the quads" point of view, it was really interesting. We had heads hanging out of car windows as they drove past, one lady was taking photos of us from a distance, three people stopped us to ask about the babies, and one guy asked where we "bought all them kids at"....and we were only walking around the neighborhood for 30 minutes!

I also took a short video of us walking around....if you'd like to see it, click here!

How Many Diapers Does a Quad Family Need? *Diaper Deal!!*

Happily, the number of diapers that we go through per month has been drastically reduced since the babies first came home. These days, we go through roughly 600 daytime diapers and 140 nighttime diapers per month. That's still a lot of diapers!

This is most certainly not the blog to read for regular deal updates, but this is one deal that I absolutely must pass on!

Walgreens is having their buy-one-get-one free deal on diapers right now! It comes at a very VERY good time for our family since we just ran out of baby shower diapers in the last couple of months. Many thanks to my fellow quad mom, Jamie, for tipping me off that now is the time to stock up!

The deal is pretty simple (thank goodness!):

All Walgreen Brand Jumbo Diaper Packs are 2/$8.99. They are regularly 1/$8.99.

The problem with these types of deals is that most Walgreens only stock a few packages of diapers in each size. Before kids, I used to play the drug store game. When I found something I wanted to stock up on, I would drive around to a bunch of different stores until I found enough of what I was looking for.

These days, I don't have that kind of time. So this afternoon, I drove to my favorite Walgreens (yes, I do have a favorite Walgreens), and asked them to order 44 packages of Size 3 diapers. The manager was extremely accommodating and should have them in the store by late Friday afternoon so that I can pick them up that evening. It's worth asking at your local Walgreens if you are in need of diapers!

I ordered 44 packages of diapers which is enough to get us close to three months worth of diaper wearing. From what I understand, these deals tend to be on three month cycles with Walgreens. So stock up if you have babies, are pregnant, or are planning to go to a lot of baby showers soon! :)

We are currently subscribed to Amazon Mom which is the cheapest way that I can find to buy diapers without doing reward clubs and other things like that that require more brain cells than I have to spare at the moment. Since I'm stocking up on diapers this week, I'll be skipping my shipment from Amazon for the next few months.

These easy deals are definitely the type of shopping that I like to do these days!


Note: The Walgreens website is only showing Size 4 and up diapers at the 2/$8.99 price. However, all Walgreens Brand Jumbo packs are 2/$8.99 in stores! And this is a national deal!


Extra Note: Many of you have suggested buying diapers in bulk from Costco or Sam's Club. Huggies and Kirkland (Costco brand diapers) don't work for our kids and we don't have a membership to Sam's Club. Just about any diaper other than Huggies or Kirkland works for us though. So this is a great time for our family to stock up!

Happily, the number of diapers that we go through per month has been drastically reduced since the babies first came home. These days, we go through roughly 600 daytime diapers and 140 nighttime diapers per month. That's still a lot of diapers!

This is most certainly not the blog to read for regular deal updates, but this is one deal that I absolutely must pass on!

Walgreens is having their buy-one-get-one free deal on diapers right now! It comes at a very VERY good time for our family since we just ran out of baby shower diapers in the last couple of months. Many thanks to my fellow quad mom, Jamie, for tipping me off that now is the time to stock up!

The deal is pretty simple (thank goodness!):

All Walgreen Brand Jumbo Diaper Packs are 2/$8.99. They are regularly 1/$8.99.

The problem with these types of deals is that most Walgreens only stock a few packages of diapers in each size. Before kids, I used to play the drug store game. When I found something I wanted to stock up on, I would drive around to a bunch of different stores until I found enough of what I was looking for.

These days, I don't have that kind of time. So this afternoon, I drove to my favorite Walgreens (yes, I do have a favorite Walgreens), and asked them to order 44 packages of Size 3 diapers. The manager was extremely accommodating and should have them in the store by late Friday afternoon so that I can pick them up that evening. It's worth asking at your local Walgreens if you are in need of diapers!

I ordered 44 packages of diapers which is enough to get us close to three months worth of diaper wearing. From what I understand, these deals tend to be on three month cycles with Walgreens. So stock up if you have babies, are pregnant, or are planning to go to a lot of baby showers soon! :)

We are currently subscribed to Amazon Mom which is the cheapest way that I can find to buy diapers without doing reward clubs and other things like that that require more brain cells than I have to spare at the moment. Since I'm stocking up on diapers this week, I'll be skipping my shipment from Amazon for the next few months.

These easy deals are definitely the type of shopping that I like to do these days!


Note: The Walgreens website is only showing Size 4 and up diapers at the 2/$8.99 price. However, all Walgreens Brand Jumbo packs are 2/$8.99 in stores! And this is a national deal!


Extra Note: Many of you have suggested buying diapers in bulk from Costco or Sam's Club. Huggies and Kirkland (Costco brand diapers) don't work for our kids and we don't have a membership to Sam's Club. Just about any diaper other than Huggies or Kirkland works for us though. So this is a great time for our family to stock up!

Monkeying Around to Celebrate Our First Birthday!!

I'm SO excited to write this post! Hence, it wins the award for the most photos ever to be put on our webpage at one time! You've been warned! :)

We have been in full Big Birthday Bash mode over at our house! Even though the kids were born on February 23, we haven't been able to celebrate their big one year milestone with extended family and friends due to their immune systems. We did have a small little gathering of our immediate families the weekend after their birthday, but we saved the big party until last weekend.

It ended up being AWESOME because Little Monkey Bizness in Shawnee Mission, Kansas saw an article in KC Parent Magazine about our family and emailed us last summer. They offered to sponsor the babies' first birthday party in style! And because they had read the article, they understood that we couldn't really do a party on their birthday, so they readily agreed to wait a few extra months until it was safe to take them out!

Okay, I just have to say, I was a little nervous about this whole idea. While it's really neat that a local business wanted to sponsor their first birthday party, it meant that, *gulp* I had to take my babies into a giant play land where other kids had been (what if they had been sick? What if they hadn't washed their hands recently??) and trust that it was going to be a safe place to take them. This was going to be a big stretch for me. Especially since I'd never been there.

When I called to book the party in March, I talked to the General Manager, Taelor. Without me even saying anything, she told me that they wanted to do the following:

• Donate the party to us! HUGE!
• Give us a private party room to eat dinner and cupcakes in! It was actually two big connecting rooms where they set up a line in one room for hot dogs and chips and another for cupcakes. Plenty of seating for everyone and lots of room to move around.
• Allow us to bring our own food in. I had already started brainstorming food and didn't want to pass up on the chance to get to participate as much as possible in the party preparations. I'm so glad because I loved making the babies' cupcakes!
• They shut the facility down to the public so that it was only our guests in the facility. They completely shut it down! Taelor told me that they wanted me to feel comfortable allowing my kids to play and not worry other people or germs.
• Taelor also offered to re-clean the play area just prior to our party so that is was squeaky clean. They didn't want us to worry AT ALL!

Uh...WOW!!

So, I signed on for all of it (seriously, who could turn down an offer like that?!) and got ready to party!! And what a blessing to me to have nothing to worry about. I was already in love with Little Monkey Bizness, and I hadn't even been inside the doors yet!

It was the best first birthday party ever! It was as great as the list above makes it sound! Nothing was left undone! The staff were incredibly accommodating and friendly, even going so far as to set up our food for us. The mother/daughter team (Carrie is the owner/Taelor is the General Manager) who run the facility both showed up to celebrate the event with us. Since it was on Saturday evening, I'm sure they had other things to do, but they both were just as excited as we were with our big milestone! The play land had areas for crawlers and bigger kids, perfect for letting our kids warm up slowly and move into the bigger area.

But for me, being the NICU mommy that I am, the best thing by far was how spotless it was. It was the cleanest kid place I've ever been to...ever! One of the other mom's who came used to manage another kid party place sort of like Little Monkey Bizness. She made a point of coming up to tell me that she was incredibly impressed with how clean it was and was actually having a blast herself even though she is an adult. I know for a fact that this place goes out of it's way to keep it clean for everyone  (not just us), because it has a reputation of being that on top of it! Yeah, I'm spending a lot of time talking about how clean it was, but for me, that was my main concern right from the beginning. The place was as clean as if I had done it myself...and we have stock in Clorox wipes at this point!

So, between me and my brother Mike, we took around 300 photos. I don't want to overload you, so I've narrowed them down to my favorite....40. Hehe!

Waiting just before our time slot began: Let's get this party started! 

Ma holding Abby and Ellie, and Me holding Caleb and Elijah

Ready. Set. PLAY! We started out in the crawlers area to give the kids time to warm up.

Ellie and Abby. You can tell Abby was ready to get to it!

Braelyn and Bailey with Eli, Beth, Ellie, and Abby P. in the background

To much to do to hold still long enough for Mommy to take a photo!

Abby, Daddy, and I think that's Caleb. :)

Abby taking a little break with Mommy

Some of the sweetest friends in the world! I could go on and on about how these women have invested in our kids lives, but if you read our blog, you've already seen their names and photos pop up several times. :)

Sarah (the other Sarah), Keri, Sarah (the sister-in-law) holding the other Sarah's daughter, Rachel, and Beth (Thanks, friends, for lining up in a way that made it really confusing to label this photo! LOL!)

And then Channel 41 came out to do a news clip on Little Monkey Bizness and our party. If you haven't had a chance to see it, click here, to watch!

Sean and I getting ready for the interview (I always get nervous doing these kinds of things!)

Once we finished with that, the kids were ready to move to the big kids area!

A view of the giant play land from the Crawling Area

Ellie took her time getting used to her new surroundings. For a kid with sensory issues, we were surprised by how well she did! Way to go Ellie!

Cita and Ellie taking it all in.

Peek-a-Boo! Elijah found this mirror in the toddlers area and loved it!

Eli

Awesome toddler treehouse to climb through! Wouldn't that be fun in our living room?!?!

Rachel

Elijah also found this fun climbing toy to play on. Such an explorer!

Eli

Who doesn't love a good slide complete with tunnels? It was so fun to see the kids' friends having a blast also!

Braelyn and Morgan taking turns down the slide

More fun!

Morgan

Aly

Rock climbing toy for little people

I never got a clear read on who this guy was, but I know he was an employee (quite helpful!), and he was running around in a monkey outfit. I think he must be the Monkey Mascot! :)

Monkey Mascot and Rachel

Don't these guys look like they are enjoying what exists beyond our living room? "Mom! You didn't tell us it was FUN out in the great big world!" I know kids. Just so you know, I really enjoyed getting out of the house too!

Daddy and Caleb

Mommy and Eli

At the far end of the facility was the whole huge area for older kids. A bounce house and things like that.

Not sure how Uncle Josh managed to get Elijah all the way up in the bounce house to the slide, but he did!

Uncle Josh and Eli

Lots of areas to climb around in!

I can't tell which kids the are from the back. Anyone want to claim them? :)

After about an hour, the kids started to wear out. Abby definitely was ready to move on to the food. I didn't realize until later that I forgot to give them their afternoon snack because of the timing of the party. Oops!

Mommy and Abby

So we moved on to the two connecting party rooms that they set up for us!

They drew this on the chalkboards in each party room. :)

Singing Happy Birthday to the Babies! 

Grandpa (my dad) holding Ellie, Me holding Elijah, Sean holding Caleb, and Pa (Sean's dad) holding Abby

The first party room with hot dogs, chips, and drinks!

The second party room with cupcakes and a few mementos of the babies' first year (since this was the first time a lot of our friends had met them).

Because I forgot to feed them their snack (oops!), the kids snarfed (seriously the best word for it) their food down. Ellie ate two hot dogs, a couple pieces of cheese, and part of a hot dog bun by herself! A few hours later, I discovered that I probably should have held her back at one hot dog, when she emptied the contents of her stomach all over my clothes (oops, again!). Thankfully, we were home at that point. BUT at least they all enjoyed it! Even Abby ate her dinner! :) 

     

Caleb

Abby

Eli and Ellie

Daddy surrounded by his four favorite babies!

And this is the amazing mother/daughter team who worked so hard to make our First Birthday/Introducing our Kids Party absolutely perfect!

Taelor, the General Manager and her mom, Carrie, the owner.

Thank you SO much!

And thank you for making it all the way to the end of this post and celebrating with us in spirit! It was SO nice to be free to take the kids out to Little Monkey Bizness and watch them have so much fun!

I'm thinking we need to head back soon. Anyone want to go with us? :)

Disclaimer Statement: Little Monkey Bizness did not ask us to write about their venue or the party on our blog. They did not in any way reimburse us in exchange for what I wrote above. We had an awesome time celebrating our babies and just wanted to share it with everyone else!

I'm SO excited to write this post! Hence, it wins the award for the most photos ever to be put on our webpage at one time! You've been warned! :)

We have been in full Big Birthday Bash mode over at our house! Even though the kids were born on February 23, we haven't been able to celebrate their big one year milestone with extended family and friends due to their immune systems. We did have a small little gathering of our immediate families the weekend after their birthday, but we saved the big party until last weekend.

It ended up being AWESOME because Little Monkey Bizness in Shawnee Mission, Kansas saw an article in KC Parent Magazine about our family and emailed us last summer. They offered to sponsor the babies' first birthday party in style! And because they had read the article, they understood that we couldn't really do a party on their birthday, so they readily agreed to wait a few extra months until it was safe to take them out!

Okay, I just have to say, I was a little nervous about this whole idea. While it's really neat that a local business wanted to sponsor their first birthday party, it meant that, *gulp* I had to take my babies into a giant play land where other kids had been (what if they had been sick? What if they hadn't washed their hands recently??) and trust that it was going to be a safe place to take them. This was going to be a big stretch for me. Especially since I'd never been there.

When I called to book the party in March, I talked to the General Manager, Taelor. Without me even saying anything, she told me that they wanted to do the following:

• Donate the party to us! HUGE!
• Give us a private party room to eat dinner and cupcakes in! It was actually two big connecting rooms where they set up a line in one room for hot dogs and chips and another for cupcakes. Plenty of seating for everyone and lots of room to move around.
• Allow us to bring our own food in. I had already started brainstorming food and didn't want to pass up on the chance to get to participate as much as possible in the party preparations. I'm so glad because I loved making the babies' cupcakes!
• They shut the facility down to the public so that it was only our guests in the facility. They completely shut it down! Taelor told me that they wanted me to feel comfortable allowing my kids to play and not worry other people or germs.
• Taelor also offered to re-clean the play area just prior to our party so that is was squeaky clean. They didn't want us to worry AT ALL!

Uh...WOW!!

So, I signed on for all of it (seriously, who could turn down an offer like that?!) and got ready to party!! And what a blessing to me to have nothing to worry about. I was already in love with Little Monkey Bizness, and I hadn't even been inside the doors yet!

It was the best first birthday party ever! It was as great as the list above makes it sound! Nothing was left undone! The staff were incredibly accommodating and friendly, even going so far as to set up our food for us. The mother/daughter team (Carrie is the owner/Taelor is the General Manager) who run the facility both showed up to celebrate the event with us. Since it was on Saturday evening, I'm sure they had other things to do, but they both were just as excited as we were with our big milestone! The play land had areas for crawlers and bigger kids, perfect for letting our kids warm up slowly and move into the bigger area.

But for me, being the NICU mommy that I am, the best thing by far was how spotless it was. It was the cleanest kid place I've ever been to...ever! One of the other mom's who came used to manage another kid party place sort of like Little Monkey Bizness. She made a point of coming up to tell me that she was incredibly impressed with how clean it was and was actually having a blast herself even though she is an adult. I know for a fact that this place goes out of it's way to keep it clean for everyone  (not just us), because it has a reputation of being that on top of it! Yeah, I'm spending a lot of time talking about how clean it was, but for me, that was my main concern right from the beginning. The place was as clean as if I had done it myself...and we have stock in Clorox wipes at this point!

So, between me and my brother Mike, we took around 300 photos. I don't want to overload you, so I've narrowed them down to my favorite....40. Hehe!

Waiting just before our time slot began: Let's get this party started! 

Ma holding Abby and Ellie, and Me holding Caleb and Elijah

Ready. Set. PLAY! We started out in the crawlers area to give the kids time to warm up.

Ellie and Abby. You can tell Abby was ready to get to it!

Braelyn and Bailey with Eli, Beth, Ellie, and Abby P. in the background

To much to do to hold still long enough for Mommy to take a photo!

Abby, Daddy, and I think that's Caleb. :)

Abby taking a little break with Mommy

Some of the sweetest friends in the world! I could go on and on about how these women have invested in our kids lives, but if you read our blog, you've already seen their names and photos pop up several times. :)

Sarah (the other Sarah), Keri, Sarah (the sister-in-law) holding the other Sarah's daughter, Rachel, and Beth (Thanks, friends, for lining up in a way that made it really confusing to label this photo! LOL!)

And then Channel 41 came out to do a news clip on Little Monkey Bizness and our party. If you haven't had a chance to see it, click here, to watch!

Sean and I getting ready for the interview (I always get nervous doing these kinds of things!)

Once we finished with that, the kids were ready to move to the big kids area!

A view of the giant play land from the Crawling Area

Ellie took her time getting used to her new surroundings. For a kid with sensory issues, we were surprised by how well she did! Way to go Ellie!

Cita and Ellie taking it all in.

Peek-a-Boo! Elijah found this mirror in the toddlers area and loved it!

Eli

Awesome toddler treehouse to climb through! Wouldn't that be fun in our living room?!?!

Rachel

Elijah also found this fun climbing toy to play on. Such an explorer!

Eli

Who doesn't love a good slide complete with tunnels? It was so fun to see the kids' friends having a blast also!

Braelyn and Morgan taking turns down the slide

More fun!

Morgan

Aly

Rock climbing toy for little people

I never got a clear read on who this guy was, but I know he was an employee (quite helpful!), and he was running around in a monkey outfit. I think he must be the Monkey Mascot! :)

Monkey Mascot and Rachel

Don't these guys look like they are enjoying what exists beyond our living room? "Mom! You didn't tell us it was FUN out in the great big world!" I know kids. Just so you know, I really enjoyed getting out of the house too!

Daddy and Caleb

Mommy and Eli

At the far end of the facility was the whole huge area for older kids. A bounce house and things like that.

Not sure how Uncle Josh managed to get Elijah all the way up in the bounce house to the slide, but he did!

Uncle Josh and Eli

Lots of areas to climb around in!

I can't tell which kids the are from the back. Anyone want to claim them? :)

After about an hour, the kids started to wear out. Abby definitely was ready to move on to the food. I didn't realize until later that I forgot to give them their afternoon snack because of the timing of the party. Oops!

Mommy and Abby

So we moved on to the two connecting party rooms that they set up for us!

They drew this on the chalkboards in each party room. :)

Singing Happy Birthday to the Babies! 

Grandpa (my dad) holding Ellie, Me holding Elijah, Sean holding Caleb, and Pa (Sean's dad) holding Abby

The first party room with hot dogs, chips, and drinks!

The second party room with cupcakes and a few mementos of the babies' first year (since this was the first time a lot of our friends had met them).

Because I forgot to feed them their snack (oops!), the kids snarfed (seriously the best word for it) their food down. Ellie ate two hot dogs, a couple pieces of cheese, and part of a hot dog bun by herself! A few hours later, I discovered that I probably should have held her back at one hot dog, when she emptied the contents of her stomach all over my clothes (oops, again!). Thankfully, we were home at that point. BUT at least they all enjoyed it! Even Abby ate her dinner! :) 

     

Caleb

Abby

Eli and Ellie

Daddy surrounded by his four favorite babies!

And this is the amazing mother/daughter team who worked so hard to make our First Birthday/Introducing our Kids Party absolutely perfect!

Taelor, the General Manager and her mom, Carrie, the owner.

Thank you SO much!

And thank you for making it all the way to the end of this post and celebrating with us in spirit! It was SO nice to be free to take the kids out to Little Monkey Bizness and watch them have so much fun!

I'm thinking we need to head back soon. Anyone want to go with us? :)

Disclaimer Statement: Little Monkey Bizness did not ask us to write about their venue or the party on our blog. They did not in any way reimburse us in exchange for what I wrote above. We had an awesome time celebrating our babies and just wanted to share it with everyone else!