Good-bye Summer!

Ellie, Elijah, Caleb, and Abby

Yesterday was the official last day of hot weather, swimming pools, slushies, flip flops, and strawberries, so we decided to give it a send-off!

How did we send it off? With half-price ice cream cones from Sonic!

Even better, Sean offered to take us for dinner too! Uh...yeah! No cooking sounded good to me!

Most of the kids did pretty well sticking with us in the picnic table area, but Caleb really felt that he should be allowed to go inside and see what was going on. I did a lot of walking with him while we were waiting for our food, but once it arrived, the kids had a blast on their "picnic." The car hops quickly figured out that they were quadruplets, and brought out a kids' meal toy for each of them to play with as well (we don't do kids' meals because of the expense). I thought that was really thoughtful of them, and the foam airplanes were a great distraction for Caleb. 

Speaking of the Sonic staff,  they asked if they could get a photo with our kids because "they've never seen quadruplets before." I thought about letting them know that most people haven't seen quadruplets before, but instead, just let them have the photo. Lol! They were super sweet girls, and they ASKED first which is a lot more than what most people do. (Yes, we've been followed in cars with people "sneaking" photos of the kids.) Plus, they let Ellie and Abby take turns wearing the official Sonic hat, so they pretty much have a preschool fan base now.

I told the Sonic girls that we should probably take a photo BEFORE they ate ice cream as I wasn't sure how that would turn out (note: it was insanely messy!). Once we took the photo, it was time for our first ice cream cones! Everybody did surprisingly well, although that patio was covered in melted ice cream by the time we left. Abby was the only one who managed to get two ice cream cones out of the deal since she dropped hers about 60 seconds after she started eating it. I'm actually impressed we only lost one during our first ice cream cone experience!

It was a HIT!

Ellie, Elijah, Caleb, and Abby

I posted this photo on my personal FaceBook page and a bunch of people have asked what Elijah is doing. I told everyone to look at the camera and say, "cheese!"...so he put his hand over his eyes so that I couldn't see him. Such a little goofball. Lol!

It was a really fun family outing to bid summer good-bye. Now onto my favorite season: FALL!

Ellie, Elijah, Caleb, and Abby

Yesterday was the official last day of hot weather, swimming pools, slushies, flip flops, and strawberries, so we decided to give it a send-off!

How did we send it off? With half-price ice cream cones from Sonic!

Even better, Sean offered to take us for dinner too! Uh...yeah! No cooking sounded good to me!

Most of the kids did pretty well sticking with us in the picnic table area, but Caleb really felt that he should be allowed to go inside and see what was going on. I did a lot of walking with him while we were waiting for our food, but once it arrived, the kids had a blast on their "picnic." The car hops quickly figured out that they were quadruplets, and brought out a kids' meal toy for each of them to play with as well (we don't do kids' meals because of the expense). I thought that was really thoughtful of them, and the foam airplanes were a great distraction for Caleb. 

Speaking of the Sonic staff,  they asked if they could get a photo with our kids because "they've never seen quadruplets before." I thought about letting them know that most people haven't seen quadruplets before, but instead, just let them have the photo. Lol! They were super sweet girls, and they ASKED first which is a lot more than what most people do. (Yes, we've been followed in cars with people "sneaking" photos of the kids.) Plus, they let Ellie and Abby take turns wearing the official Sonic hat, so they pretty much have a preschool fan base now.

I told the Sonic girls that we should probably take a photo BEFORE they ate ice cream as I wasn't sure how that would turn out (note: it was insanely messy!). Once we took the photo, it was time for our first ice cream cones! Everybody did surprisingly well, although that patio was covered in melted ice cream by the time we left. Abby was the only one who managed to get two ice cream cones out of the deal since she dropped hers about 60 seconds after she started eating it. I'm actually impressed we only lost one during our first ice cream cone experience!

It was a HIT!

Ellie, Elijah, Caleb, and Abby

I posted this photo on my personal FaceBook page and a bunch of people have asked what Elijah is doing. I told everyone to look at the camera and say, "cheese!"...so he put his hand over his eyes so that I couldn't see him. Such a little goofball. Lol!

It was a really fun family outing to bid summer good-bye. Now onto my favorite season: FALL!

{2014 Summer Bucket List} I-49 Bounce House Fun Center

Today's post is really more photos than anything else, but the kids had SO much fun, I couldn't skip writing about it!

A couple of weeks ago (yeah, I'm behind on posts), Sean's mom called and asked if she could take our kids to a place called the I-49 Fun Center. It's a big room with four big bounce houses, and kids can just run wild!

So although we agreed to meet Ma and cousin Marissa at the play center, Sean and I kinda thought it would be a bust. Caleb's issues are such that family outings very rarely turn out to be family outings. We normally end up splitting into two groups: Sean and Caleb, and Me and the rest of the kids. We had a feeling that bounce houses, a new location, and lots of kids was going to make for a very short play date.

 Ellie

I am happy to report that is was a resounding SUCCESS!!! I can't even explain to you how much it means to me to have a family outing that is actually a family outing! Until you repeatedly have to take a child out of public situations because of sensory overload and anxiety, you just won't get what a big deal this was for us!

Caleb

All of the kids had a great time, but Caleb especially enjoyed it! He was all smiles, and even left our side to go explore on his own. We eventually figured out that he most likely was able to cope with the situation because of the white noise in the building. The bounce houses all have blowers, and the noise level was just loud enough to drown out most other noises, but the white noise made it very manageable. 

It kind of makes me want to carry a bounce house around with us just to make family outings easier. Just kidding. Kind of.

Abby

They ran and bounced and climbed and ran. By the time we reached 1.5 hours, they were exhausted.

Elijah

 But everyone still wanted to go down the slide one more time before we left.

Daddy and Caleb

I think we are going to have to take another trip back over there. It was so nice to finally see all of our kids enjoying an outing together!

Ellie and Cousin Marissa

I'm not complaining about the awesome nap they took afterwards either!

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Today's post is really more photos than anything else, but the kids had SO much fun, I couldn't skip writing about it!

A couple of weeks ago (yeah, I'm behind on posts), Sean's mom called and asked if she could take our kids to a place called the I-49 Fun Center. It's a big room with four big bounce houses, and kids can just run wild!

So although we agreed to meet Ma and cousin Marissa at the play center, Sean and I kinda thought it would be a bust. Caleb's issues are such that family outings very rarely turn out to be family outings. We normally end up splitting into two groups: Sean and Caleb, and Me and the rest of the kids. We had a feeling that bounce houses, a new location, and lots of kids was going to make for a very short play date.

 Ellie

I am happy to report that is was a resounding SUCCESS!!! I can't even explain to you how much it means to me to have a family outing that is actually a family outing! Until you repeatedly have to take a child out of public situations because of sensory overload and anxiety, you just won't get what a big deal this was for us!

Caleb

All of the kids had a great time, but Caleb especially enjoyed it! He was all smiles, and even left our side to go explore on his own. We eventually figured out that he most likely was able to cope with the situation because of the white noise in the building. The bounce houses all have blowers, and the noise level was just loud enough to drown out most other noises, but the white noise made it very manageable. 

It kind of makes me want to carry a bounce house around with us just to make family outings easier. Just kidding. Kind of.

Abby

They ran and bounced and climbed and ran. By the time we reached 1.5 hours, they were exhausted.

Elijah

 But everyone still wanted to go down the slide one more time before we left.

Daddy and Caleb

I think we are going to have to take another trip back over there. It was so nice to finally see all of our kids enjoying an outing together!

Ellie and Cousin Marissa

I'm not complaining about the awesome nap they took afterwards either!

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

{2014 Summer Bucket List} The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

This was on our bucket list last year, but we never quite made it. This year, we prioritized and put it right at the beginning of summer, and boy are we glad that we did!

The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead is across between a living museum, a petting zoo, a giant playground, and a working farm. The kids loved it, and we didn't even get to see everything on the day that we went. What's even better is that admission is free Monday-Thursday, so we can "afford" to return again!

Checking out the chickens:

Daddy, Caleb, Elijah, Abby, and Ellie

Caleb quickly decided that there were too many people and that the situation was too foreign for him. Unfortunately, it only took...3 minutes for him to start isolating himself like he does when he is overstimulated. :( But we were determined to keep going.

Caleb and Daddy

One of the living history buildings was an old schoolhouse that even had a role-playing teacher inside! 3 out of 4 kids gave it their stamp of approval! Unfortunately, Daddy and Caleb missed this part because our little guy was having trouble coping with his surroundings.

Left photo: Daddy and Ellie walking into the school (Daddy came right back out)

Right photo: Abby, Ellie, and Elijah

 Then we went to go see the "baby cows" and "baby goats!"

Elijah, Caleb, Ellie, and Abby

Family photo!

Abby, Elijah, Ellie, Caleb, and Daddy

They are so FAST!

Abby, Caleb, Elijah, and Ellie

We also stopped by the Native American building and tepees. We stayed until the display started filling up and then quickly moved on since Caleb was doing better without so many people around. I wanted to stay and hear about the history, but having little kids means that we had to keep moving. Someday though...

Then we headed to the baby goat pen to do some petting! I'm happy to see that our kids aren't afraid of animals.

Elijah and Caleb

And then Caleb had to take another break....

One of our last stops was the children's garden. We spent a lot of time playing here, and everyone enjoyed it (even Caleb!). Plus I snapped these photos of the girls! Lol! They didn't realize that you are supposed to look through the hole. They just did it because they were curious what was on the other side. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy having a camera with a fast shutter?

Abby and Ellie

A smart mom never goes on an adventure without snacks for the family. The kids were pretty worn out by this point, so snack time made for four very happy children! I also brought some of their special teddy graham snacks with us that they don't get very often, so snack time was extra appealing. It's possible that Sean and I were as grateful for the break as they were.

Caleb, Ellie, Abby, and Elijah

Our final stop was this ginormous barn slide. This was, hand's down, the very most favorite part of the adventure for our kids! They ran up the stairs and slid down non-stop until a bunch of big kids showed up and started to run our little guys over (not on purpose. Our kids are just so small!). Sean stood on one side of the barn, and I stood on the other, and between the two of us, we were able to keep them in sight. The kids were just happy to run and play (and we were happy not to chase them!).

We added Deanna Rose to the beginning of our summer adventures to make sure that we fit it in, but all it did was let us know that we will most likely be back several more times before the summer is over. It's an awesome place to go with little ones since everything is sized to them!

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

This was on our bucket list last year, but we never quite made it. This year, we prioritized and put it right at the beginning of summer, and boy are we glad that we did!

The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead is across between a living museum, a petting zoo, a giant playground, and a working farm. The kids loved it, and we didn't even get to see everything on the day that we went. What's even better is that admission is free Monday-Thursday, so we can "afford" to return again!

Checking out the chickens:

Daddy, Caleb, Elijah, Abby, and Ellie

Caleb quickly decided that there were too many people and that the situation was too foreign for him. Unfortunately, it only took...3 minutes for him to start isolating himself like he does when he is overstimulated. :( But we were determined to keep going.

Caleb and Daddy

One of the living history buildings was an old schoolhouse that even had a role-playing teacher inside! 3 out of 4 kids gave it their stamp of approval! Unfortunately, Daddy and Caleb missed this part because our little guy was having trouble coping with his surroundings.

Left photo: Daddy and Ellie walking into the school (Daddy came right back out)

Right photo: Abby, Ellie, and Elijah

 Then we went to go see the "baby cows" and "baby goats!"

Elijah, Caleb, Ellie, and Abby

Family photo!

Abby, Elijah, Ellie, Caleb, and Daddy

They are so FAST!

Abby, Caleb, Elijah, and Ellie

We also stopped by the Native American building and tepees. We stayed until the display started filling up and then quickly moved on since Caleb was doing better without so many people around. I wanted to stay and hear about the history, but having little kids means that we had to keep moving. Someday though...

Then we headed to the baby goat pen to do some petting! I'm happy to see that our kids aren't afraid of animals.

Elijah and Caleb

And then Caleb had to take another break....

One of our last stops was the children's garden. We spent a lot of time playing here, and everyone enjoyed it (even Caleb!). Plus I snapped these photos of the girls! Lol! They didn't realize that you are supposed to look through the hole. They just did it because they were curious what was on the other side. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy having a camera with a fast shutter?

Abby and Ellie

A smart mom never goes on an adventure without snacks for the family. The kids were pretty worn out by this point, so snack time made for four very happy children! I also brought some of their special teddy graham snacks with us that they don't get very often, so snack time was extra appealing. It's possible that Sean and I were as grateful for the break as they were.

Caleb, Ellie, Abby, and Elijah

Our final stop was this ginormous barn slide. This was, hand's down, the very most favorite part of the adventure for our kids! They ran up the stairs and slid down non-stop until a bunch of big kids showed up and started to run our little guys over (not on purpose. Our kids are just so small!). Sean stood on one side of the barn, and I stood on the other, and between the two of us, we were able to keep them in sight. The kids were just happy to run and play (and we were happy not to chase them!).

We added Deanna Rose to the beginning of our summer adventures to make sure that we fit it in, but all it did was let us know that we will most likely be back several more times before the summer is over. It's an awesome place to go with little ones since everything is sized to them!

This post may contain affiliate links. For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

{2014 Summer Bucket List} Visit the River Market

We've already started in on our Summer Bucket List for 2014! And our first activity ended up being...a doozy.

On Saturday morning, we woke up and did a nice little combo of yard work while stopping periodically to play with the kids. We gave the kids' new baseball bats from the grocery store a whirl with Daddy pitching, and Mommy as the assistant batter. They seemed to have a lot of fun with that!

And then I got the idea that we should all head downtown to the River Market (a giant Farmer's Market). Sean warned me that 10:30am on a Saturday would probably not be the best time to go, but I was pretty sure that we could find parking.

Well, I was wrong.

We drove all the way down there, and they were packed out. So packed out that there were no parking spots for a two block radius around the market.

So sad! I love the River Market! Their produce is insanely cheap, they have a bulk spice vender that I wanted to visit, and several ethnic markets with delicious food.

But wishing wasn't going to make the crowds dissipate, so we turned the car around to head home.

I hate loading the kids in the car, telling them we are going on an adventure, and then having to disappoint them. So halfway home, we decided to try the Overland Park Farmer's Market instead.

Happily, we easily found a parking spot, but by that point, the boys weren't interested in adventures anymore. We had a couple of very whiny butts on our hands. In fact, they were so tired and overwhelmed by the people and noise that we lasted...oh, about 10 minutes total there.

BUT, our short little visit was totally worth it when a lady walked up to Sean and asked if we were in line at a particular booth:

Adults: Sean, Dr. Katherine Florendo, Rebecca

Kids: Caleb, Elijah, Abby, and Ellie

It wasn't just any lady! It was our kids' doctor from our NICU days. She didn't recognize Sean and the boys at first (understandably as they are a lot older now), but when I turned around with the girls, she suddenly realized that she was looking at the Ishum Quadruplets!

Of course, our boys threw a royal fit when we tried for a photo at the Farmer's Market, but we can't win every time, right?

It was such a treat to see her, especially since it was in a non-medical situation. Doctors are so good about maintaining composure even when they are delivering bad news like Dr. Florendo had to give to us several times. But because she wasn't in doctor mode, and we caught her so off guard, so started crying as she dropped everything on the ground to free her arms for hugs (okay, I started tearing up too). I think we often forget that our medical professionals are people too and they invest not just their expertise but also their hearts in long-term situations like ours. We could tell how much it meant to her to see our kids not just surviving, but thriving!

The last photo we took with Dr. Florendo was when the quads were 5 months old, so it had been a long time!

Clockwise from lower left: Ellie, Elijah, Caleb, and Abby

Once we grabbed our photos, we headed back to the car. The boys were literally throwing themselves on the ground (so embarrassing!) and there was no saving our visit.

And then, you'd think we would have learned, but we stopped by the Organic and Natural Farmer's Market on the way home. Six booths. That's it. Such a tiny Farmer's Market that we thought surely the boys could handle walking around for five minutes.

Not so much. In fact, one of them threw themselves into one of the booths, causing quite the scene. Yay for parenting.

All that to say, our adventures to three Farmer's Markets ended up being a total and complete bomb. BUT, Sean and I both agreed that seeing Dr. Florendo made the morning worthwhile!

And the next time we try to go to the Farmer's Market, we are leaving A LOT earlier in the morning.

We've already started in on our Summer Bucket List for 2014! And our first activity ended up being...a doozy.

On Saturday morning, we woke up and did a nice little combo of yard work while stopping periodically to play with the kids. We gave the kids' new baseball bats from the grocery store a whirl with Daddy pitching, and Mommy as the assistant batter. They seemed to have a lot of fun with that!

And then I got the idea that we should all head downtown to the River Market (a giant Farmer's Market). Sean warned me that 10:30am on a Saturday would probably not be the best time to go, but I was pretty sure that we could find parking.

Well, I was wrong.

We drove all the way down there, and they were packed out. So packed out that there were no parking spots for a two block radius around the market.

So sad! I love the River Market! Their produce is insanely cheap, they have a bulk spice vender that I wanted to visit, and several ethnic markets with delicious food.

But wishing wasn't going to make the crowds dissipate, so we turned the car around to head home.

I hate loading the kids in the car, telling them we are going on an adventure, and then having to disappoint them. So halfway home, we decided to try the Overland Park Farmer's Market instead.

Happily, we easily found a parking spot, but by that point, the boys weren't interested in adventures anymore. We had a couple of very whiny butts on our hands. In fact, they were so tired and overwhelmed by the people and noise that we lasted...oh, about 10 minutes total there.

BUT, our short little visit was totally worth it when a lady walked up to Sean and asked if we were in line at a particular booth:

Adults: Sean, Dr. Katherine Florendo, Rebecca

Kids: Caleb, Elijah, Abby, and Ellie

It wasn't just any lady! It was our kids' doctor from our NICU days. She didn't recognize Sean and the boys at first (understandably as they are a lot older now), but when I turned around with the girls, she suddenly realized that she was looking at the Ishum Quadruplets!

Of course, our boys threw a royal fit when we tried for a photo at the Farmer's Market, but we can't win every time, right?

It was such a treat to see her, especially since it was in a non-medical situation. Doctors are so good about maintaining composure even when they are delivering bad news like Dr. Florendo had to give to us several times. But because she wasn't in doctor mode, and we caught her so off guard, so started crying as she dropped everything on the ground to free her arms for hugs (okay, I started tearing up too). I think we often forget that our medical professionals are people too and they invest not just their expertise but also their hearts in long-term situations like ours. We could tell how much it meant to her to see our kids not just surviving, but thriving!

The last photo we took with Dr. Florendo was when the quads were 5 months old, so it had been a long time!

Clockwise from lower left: Ellie, Elijah, Caleb, and Abby

Once we grabbed our photos, we headed back to the car. The boys were literally throwing themselves on the ground (so embarrassing!) and there was no saving our visit.

And then, you'd think we would have learned, but we stopped by the Organic and Natural Farmer's Market on the way home. Six booths. That's it. Such a tiny Farmer's Market that we thought surely the boys could handle walking around for five minutes.

Not so much. In fact, one of them threw themselves into one of the booths, causing quite the scene. Yay for parenting.

All that to say, our adventures to three Farmer's Markets ended up being a total and complete bomb. BUT, Sean and I both agreed that seeing Dr. Florendo made the morning worthwhile!

And the next time we try to go to the Farmer's Market, we are leaving A LOT earlier in the morning.

2014 Summer Bucket List

It's time to post our annual summer bucket list!

Last year, we made a summer bucket list for our first summer off of lockdown. We managed to make it through about half of it before the summer was over. I'm hoping that this year, we can get a little further into our list since the kids are older, and a little easier to move from point A to B. Some things on this year's list are the same as last year (because they are just FUN!), but we've added some new activities and places to explore as well!

Whoohoo!

2014 Summer Bucket List

• Visit the City Market. We love the City Market! It's a giant Farmer's Market/Ethnic Shop hub. The produce is insanely cheap too! I wish it was a little closer to our house, but it's worth the drive when we go!
• Picnic in the Park. Is it summer without one???
• Visit the Deanna Rose Farmstead. It's farm/petting zoo for kids. We never made it there last year, so it's a high-priority this year!
• Preschool Story Time at the Library. This was such a disaster last year, although our Occupational Therapist who went with us thought it went well. Lol! I think it's worth trying again though.
• The Summer Reading Program at the Library. I loved participating when I was a child, and I'm planning on leaving this on our bucket list for our kids every year.
• Go to the Kansas City Zoo. Technically, we've already been once this year for the kids' preschool field trip, but Ellie got sick, so I had to leave with her before she could see anything. I think we need a do-over!
• Little Monkey Bizness. Always a favorite with our kids! We like to go first thing in the morning when the entry fee is cheaper and there are fewer kids.
• Powell Gardens. It's a beautiful garden that is open to the public. We haven't been, but we already have our tickets to visit this summer! They always have exhibits rotating through. This summers exhibit is animal art through the gardens. I think the kids will love it!
• Blow Bubbles and Pop Them! You know those ginormous bubbles? Yeah, I think it's time to introduce those!
• Draw with Chalk on the Sidewalk. Hmm...streets make me nervous. Maybe we will do this one while we are picnicking at the park. We have so much chalk, I'm pretty sure that our kids could doodle all summer and still have some left over!
• Go Swimming/Play in the Sprinklers I bought a family size inflatable pool at a consignment sale this spring. Brand new $80 pool for $12. I love consignment sales! So maybe we will all go "swimming" this summer!
• Sand and Water Table. Sure it's messy, but that's what being a kid is all about! The kids love, love, love their Sand and Water table, and I love watching them explore with it. Definitely on the list again...followed by bath time. :)
• Ice Cream Bars or Popsicles in the Backyard. A must during the summer!
• Visit a Real Farm. We have several friends who have farms, so hopefully we can visit and see some animals this summer!

What is on your bucket list?? Did I miss anything that I should add?

It's time to post our annual summer bucket list!

Last year, we made a summer bucket list for our first summer off of lockdown. We managed to make it through about half of it before the summer was over. I'm hoping that this year, we can get a little further into our list since the kids are older, and a little easier to move from point A to B. Some things on this year's list are the same as last year (because they are just FUN!), but we've added some new activities and places to explore as well!

Whoohoo!

2014 Summer Bucket List

• Visit the City Market. We love the City Market! It's a giant Farmer's Market/Ethnic Shop hub. The produce is insanely cheap too! I wish it was a little closer to our house, but it's worth the drive when we go!
• Picnic in the Park. Is it summer without one???
• Visit the Deanna Rose Farmstead. It's farm/petting zoo for kids. We never made it there last year, so it's a high-priority this year!
• Preschool Story Time at the Library. This was such a disaster last year, although our Occupational Therapist who went with us thought it went well. Lol! I think it's worth trying again though.
• The Summer Reading Program at the Library. I loved participating when I was a child, and I'm planning on leaving this on our bucket list for our kids every year.
• Go to the Kansas City Zoo. Technically, we've already been once this year for the kids' preschool field trip, but Ellie got sick, so I had to leave with her before she could see anything. I think we need a do-over!
• Little Monkey Bizness. Always a favorite with our kids! We like to go first thing in the morning when the entry fee is cheaper and there are fewer kids.
• Powell Gardens. It's a beautiful garden that is open to the public. We haven't been, but we already have our tickets to visit this summer! They always have exhibits rotating through. This summers exhibit is animal art through the gardens. I think the kids will love it!
• Blow Bubbles and Pop Them! You know those ginormous bubbles? Yeah, I think it's time to introduce those!
• Draw with Chalk on the Sidewalk. Hmm...streets make me nervous. Maybe we will do this one while we are picnicking at the park. We have so much chalk, I'm pretty sure that our kids could doodle all summer and still have some left over!
• Go Swimming/Play in the Sprinklers I bought a family size inflatable pool at a consignment sale this spring. Brand new $80 pool for $12. I love consignment sales! So maybe we will all go "swimming" this summer!
• Sand and Water Table. Sure it's messy, but that's what being a kid is all about! The kids love, love, love their Sand and Water table, and I love watching them explore with it. Definitely on the list again...followed by bath time. :)
• Ice Cream Bars or Popsicles in the Backyard. A must during the summer!
• Visit a Real Farm. We have several friends who have farms, so hopefully we can visit and see some animals this summer!

What is on your bucket list?? Did I miss anything that I should add?