2nd Birthday and Family Photos!

I've really been looking forward to sharing these new family photos with you! Whoohoo!

Debra from Abundant Moments Photography did a photo shoot with the kids back when they were newborns (scroll to the end of the linked post for the newborn pics). She came to our house and managed to get a photo of all four looking like they were asleep. Precious! Six months later, she did a second family shoot that turned out beautifully! She got the perfect family photo of all six of us. We have really treasured those photos since then. In fact, we have a print from each shoot hanging on our dining room wall where we can enjoy them every day. Aw!

A few months ago, Debra contacted me again and asked if we wanted to do a last photo shoot to round out the First Moments Plan even though the kids were about eighteen months old at the time. She very kindly offered to give us this shoot as photos aren't in our budget. It was unexpected and so generous, and I was definitely excited! We gratefully took her up on it, so this is the last of our First Moments Plan...that conveniently doubles as their 2nd Birthday Photos. :) With her permission, I wanted to share them with you!

I was thrilled to find that Debra had toys stashed around her in-home studio to entertain the kids when we got there. Short attention spans + four toddlers + photos is a tough order, but she was prepared for the onslaught. The toys were awesome to have on hand! They were all about the wooden blocks, which fit perfectly with the soft look we were going for.

After she took some family photos, she brought out her bubble machine and let the kids play for awhile. They thought it was AWESOME!

And then she was kind enough to take individual photos of the kids. Between the bubbles and the popcorn that I brought along to bribe smiles out of them, I think she was able to perfectly capture their personalities. What do you think?

Caleb

Quiet, shy, and a little worried, but so precious and trusting! I was very proud of him for sitting all by himself and letting Debra take his picture. 

Abby

Happy, sweet, girly-girl with a bit of mischief behind her eyes. Can you see the mischief? Because I definitely can!

Elijah

Such a hilarious, goofy kid! He finds total joy in every situation. I love the expression on his face in this photo!

Ellie

Just plain adorable! Ellie is a little ball of energy and fun!

And then there is this photo. I am in love with this family photo! All of our eyes are open, everyone is smiling, and everyone is looking at the camera. My mommy heart can't stop beaming over it. I love every single photo, but this one will be cherished forever.

Many thanks to Debra at Abundant Moments Photography for the greatest gift she could give to a mom: precious, personality-filled photos!

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

I've really been looking forward to sharing these new family photos with you! Whoohoo!

Debra from Abundant Moments Photography did a photo shoot with the kids back when they were newborns (scroll to the end of the linked post for the newborn pics). She came to our house and managed to get a photo of all four looking like they were asleep. Precious! Six months later, she did a second family shoot that turned out beautifully! She got the perfect family photo of all six of us. We have really treasured those photos since then. In fact, we have a print from each shoot hanging on our dining room wall where we can enjoy them every day. Aw!

A few months ago, Debra contacted me again and asked if we wanted to do a last photo shoot to round out the First Moments Plan even though the kids were about eighteen months old at the time. She very kindly offered to give us this shoot as photos aren't in our budget. It was unexpected and so generous, and I was definitely excited! We gratefully took her up on it, so this is the last of our First Moments Plan...that conveniently doubles as their 2nd Birthday Photos. :) With her permission, I wanted to share them with you!

I was thrilled to find that Debra had toys stashed around her in-home studio to entertain the kids when we got there. Short attention spans + four toddlers + photos is a tough order, but she was prepared for the onslaught. The toys were awesome to have on hand! They were all about the wooden blocks, which fit perfectly with the soft look we were going for.

After she took some family photos, she brought out her bubble machine and let the kids play for awhile. They thought it was AWESOME!

And then she was kind enough to take individual photos of the kids. Between the bubbles and the popcorn that I brought along to bribe smiles out of them, I think she was able to perfectly capture their personalities. What do you think?

Caleb

Quiet, shy, and a little worried, but so precious and trusting! I was very proud of him for sitting all by himself and letting Debra take his picture. 

Abby

Happy, sweet, girly-girl with a bit of mischief behind her eyes. Can you see the mischief? Because I definitely can!

Elijah

Such a hilarious, goofy kid! He finds total joy in every situation. I love the expression on his face in this photo!

Ellie

Just plain adorable! Ellie is a little ball of energy and fun!

And then there is this photo. I am in love with this family photo! All of our eyes are open, everyone is smiling, and everyone is looking at the camera. My mommy heart can't stop beaming over it. I love every single photo, but this one will be cherished forever.

Many thanks to Debra at Abundant Moments Photography for the greatest gift she could give to a mom: precious, personality-filled photos!

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

Christmas Cards + $50 Tiny Prints Giveaway!

I need a little help from my friends. A decision this big, can't be made flippantly.

Christmas cards are easily one of my favorite parts of December. I love getting to check the mail everyday to catch up with friends and see the photos that they send of their families. It's true, I've become my mother and now plaster Christmas card photos all over the refrigerator so that I can enjoy them all year long. When my kids get older and want to take turns getting the mail, I'll probably refuse to share the month of December with them.

Yep, I love Christmas cards that much!

In addition to sending cards to family and friends, I'm also part of a large Christmas card exchange with other quad moms all over the country. It's AWESOME! Let me tell you, it's so encouraging to open an envelope and see a bunch of smiling faces. And then realize that these older sets of quads haven't driven their parents insane yet! There is hope for us! :)

So here is the part that I need help with. I need to decide on:
            1. My Christmas card design
            2. The photo(s) I'll use

And there might be a little something in it for you, so keep reading!

This year, I'm super excited to use Tiny Prints to make our Christmas Cards! They have a huge selection of cards in their 2012 lineup, so there is no end of options to choose from. The best part? Their cards start as low as $0.89 each! I've priced a lot of websites, and this one easily has some of the best prices. Yay for affordable cards that don't cut corners on the cuteness!

The only problem is that they might have too much cuteness. 800 different cards worth of cuteness! Holy moley! I've looked through their cards...oh...five or six times at this point, and I'm seriously struggling to narrow it down.

Should I go with one larger photo and keep it simple?

Option A

Option B

Option C

Or should I do a slightly smaller group shot with individual photos of each of the kids?

Option D 

 Option E

And then there is my second problem of which photo to use on the card:

Number 1

Number 2 

I would love it if you would help me out by leaving a comment with your favorite card option and photo number! :)

How about you? Have you started thinking about Christmas cards yet? Because I have a fun giveaway to help you out on the card end of things!

One person will win $50 off of their total order, compliments of Tiny Prints! What an awesome giveaway just as we enter the holiday season! Your family and friends will be really excited to see your smiling faces when they open their mailboxes!

Tiny Prints also offers specials that you will definitely want to check out to get even better deals as you order your Christmas cards this year! Also follow along with their FaceBook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages to stay up on the latest designs and fun deals that they post!

Please use the Rafflecopter giveaway below to enter. The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. If you choose the "anonymous option" to comment, please at least include your first name and first letter of your last name. It's next to impossible to verify comment entries without names! The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:01pm on Sunday, November 25th. The winner will be announced and contacted by email on Monday, November 26th. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. Please note that the $50 Tiny Prints credit does not include shipping and cannot be combined with other promo codes. It also must be used by December 14, 2012 or it will expire. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received Christmas card samples in exchange for hosting this giveaway; however, all opinions and words are her own. She received no further compensation. For further information, please see my disclosure page.

I need a little help from my friends. A decision this big, can't be made flippantly.

Christmas cards are easily one of my favorite parts of December. I love getting to check the mail everyday to catch up with friends and see the photos that they send of their families. It's true, I've become my mother and now plaster Christmas card photos all over the refrigerator so that I can enjoy them all year long. When my kids get older and want to take turns getting the mail, I'll probably refuse to share the month of December with them.

Yep, I love Christmas cards that much!

In addition to sending cards to family and friends, I'm also part of a large Christmas card exchange with other quad moms all over the country. It's AWESOME! Let me tell you, it's so encouraging to open an envelope and see a bunch of smiling faces. And then realize that these older sets of quads haven't driven their parents insane yet! There is hope for us! :)

So here is the part that I need help with. I need to decide on:
            1. My Christmas card design
            2. The photo(s) I'll use

And there might be a little something in it for you, so keep reading!

This year, I'm super excited to use Tiny Prints to make our Christmas Cards! They have a huge selection of cards in their 2012 lineup, so there is no end of options to choose from. The best part? Their cards start as low as $0.89 each! I've priced a lot of websites, and this one easily has some of the best prices. Yay for affordable cards that don't cut corners on the cuteness!

The only problem is that they might have too much cuteness. 800 different cards worth of cuteness! Holy moley! I've looked through their cards...oh...five or six times at this point, and I'm seriously struggling to narrow it down.

Should I go with one larger photo and keep it simple?

Option A

Option B

Option C

Or should I do a slightly smaller group shot with individual photos of each of the kids?

Option D 

 Option E

And then there is my second problem of which photo to use on the card:

Number 1

Number 2 

I would love it if you would help me out by leaving a comment with your favorite card option and photo number! :)

How about you? Have you started thinking about Christmas cards yet? Because I have a fun giveaway to help you out on the card end of things!

One person will win $50 off of their total order, compliments of Tiny Prints! What an awesome giveaway just as we enter the holiday season! Your family and friends will be really excited to see your smiling faces when they open their mailboxes!

Tiny Prints also offers specials that you will definitely want to check out to get even better deals as you order your Christmas cards this year! Also follow along with their FaceBook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages to stay up on the latest designs and fun deals that they post!

Please use the Rafflecopter giveaway below to enter. The first two tasks are not optional and must be completed to qualify for this giveaway. If you choose the "anonymous option" to comment, please at least include your first name and first letter of your last name. It's next to impossible to verify comment entries without names! The additional entry tasks are optional. Winning entries will be validated prior to announcing the winner with an alternate drawn if the entries cannot be verified.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest ends at 11:01pm on Sunday, November 25th. The winner will be announced and contacted by email on Monday, November 26th. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the email with their information so that the prize can be forwarded to them. A Beautiful Ruckus is not responsible for the delivery of the prize and is not responsible if the sponsor does not deliver. Please note that the $50 Tiny Prints credit does not include shipping and cannot be combined with other promo codes. It also must be used by December 14, 2012 or it will expire. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States. A Beautiful Ruckus received Christmas card samples in exchange for hosting this giveaway; however, all opinions and words are her own. She received no further compensation. For further information, please see my disclosure page.

Pumpkin Patch Pick'n

Over the weekend, we had one of those days where I just LOVE being a family!

I wanted so much to take the kids out for some fun fall activities and we found the perfect outing when my friend Katie from a local multiples group told me about their pumpkin patch. Katie and her husband Logan are farmers and every year they make a giant corn maze along with opening up part of their farm as a pumpkin patch: Powell Pumpkin Patch!

And the best part? It totally fit our budget because their pumpkin patch and hayrides are FREE!

So we loaded up the kids along with their winter coats, hats, and flannel blankets and headed for the patch. The weather definitely got colder recently, and I think the kids were a little surprised by it! Since they were on solid lockdown last year, I'm not sure they realized how cold it can get!

All loaded up in the wagon and ready to find a pumpkin!

Elijah, Caleb, Abby, and Ellie

I love the various facial expressions as we got ready to roll out!

Caleb                                                                                    Abby

(Is Caleb's hat a riot, or what?! Haha!)

Elijah                                                                                   Ellie

The little pumpkin shack is right at the front of the patch. Since Katie and Logan grow other produce as well, they had some wonderful displays of butternut and acorn squash, gorgeous fiesta squash (so pretty!), red Indian corn, and some fun little mini pumpkins for kids. Our kids thought the mini pumpkins were the best! We even caught Eli giving his a big kiss at one point. Lol!

Little Kids and Little Pumpkins!

Elijah, Ellie, Abby, and Caleb

And, of course, we had to have a family picture!

Then Katie and Logan were kind enough to load us up on one of the tractors for our first hayride out into the patch! It was very important that we found the perfect pumpkin!

Mommy, Abby, Ellie, Caleb, Eli, and Daddy

Out in the middle of the patch, Logan stopped the tractor and they helped us unload the kids to go exploring. I love that they don't make people stay on the path. They encouraged us to go exploring through the patch to find our ideal pumpkin.

Ellie and Eli Getting Ready to Hit the Field

Daddy trying to convince Abby to go into the field, while Caleb surveys his options.

Katie and Abby (look at that little red nose!)

I had no idea that there are as many varieties of pumpkins as there are! I thought that there were carving pumpkins, mini pumpkins, and pie pumpkins. Whoa. I was so, so wrong. They had SIX different sizes of carving pumpkins. I saw one that was over 90 pounds! Pink pumpkins (who would have thought?), Cinderella pumpkins (pretty!), Red Warty Things (that is seriously the name, and they look exactly like they sound), and a bunch of other ones. Click HERE to see a list of some of the specialty pumpkins. It's really amazing!

For myself, I wanted to try a couple of pie pumpkins. I love baking pumpkin flavored goodies, but I wanted to take it a step further and see how they turn out with fresh, straight-from-the-field, pie pumpkin. Katie helped me pick out four (one for each kid!) pie pumpkins. They are so pretty though, I think I'll wait until the end of October. That's the nice thing about the pumpkins, they will last a long time.

Then we decided that a Pink Pumpkin would be a fun change from the usual pumpkins that you find in stores. Logan headed off to find one of those for us, while Sean and I started hunting for our "front porch" pumpkin.

Oh goodness! It was so hard! I'll be honest, I was kind of expecting those cruddy pumpkins that they sell at Walmart. You know, the kind with bruises and soft spots that are lopsided and weird colors.

Their pumpkins were gorgeous. I'm talking, Martha Stewart worthy pumpkins. (Maybe I should send her an email to let her know that real pumpkins exist that meet her standards, and she can stop decoupaging fake ones...)

But eventually, all six of us agreed on our family pumpkin!

The kids were cold at that point, so we headed back to the tractor to ride the rest of the way back with our pie pumpkins, pink pumpkin, and kid-approved family pumpkin!

Daddy unloaded the kids from the tractor and got them back in their wagon while Katie and I walked over to look at the squash. I love cooking with in-season produce, especially when I know that it's straight from the field. We are also big fans of supporting local farmers who are growing food right here in our area. I got a nice array of butternut and fiesta squash for us to enjoy over the next couple of weeks as the weather turns colder. Yummy!

The Kids with their Mini Pumpkins and Pie Pumpkins!

Caleb                                                                                        Abby

Elijah                                                                                         Ellie

And then for fun, Katie was kind enough to give us an extra pumpkin so that we could create a pretty display in front of our house (along with instructions on how to cook all of this when we are done looking at it). What do you think?

After that, we considered our trip a successful family outing! We LOVED the patch and were surprised how family friendly it was! Pumpkin patches so often charge for every little thing, including admission and that can get super expensive for a family our size. With free admission, free hayrides, a free sandpit (with toys to play with!), and a free hay area for the kids, it was the perfect patch for us! The only things to pay for are the pumpkins (very reasonably priced) and the corn maze if that's your thing!

Front Porch Display with Our Family Pumpkin

Carving Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Pie Pumpkin, Pink Pumpkin, and Mini Pumpkin

P.S. Don't you just love the stems on these fresh pumpkins? They have so much character!

Steps up to the Front Porch

Pie Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Carving Pumpkins,

and Mini Pumpkins

Pie Pumpkin with Fiesta Squash

The Fiesta Squash actually looks painted!

On our way home, Sean and I decided that this will be a yearly adventure for us. As the kids get older, we look forward to taking them out to Powell Pumpkin Patch every year with the tradition of letting them pick out their own pumpkins! Yay for new family traditions and the memories that go with them!

Our final stop on our way out of Louisberg:

The Louisberg Cider Mill to warm up with Apple Cider Doughnuts and Apple Juice!

What is your favorite fall outing as a family??

Over the weekend, we had one of those days where I just LOVE being a family!

I wanted so much to take the kids out for some fun fall activities and we found the perfect outing when my friend Katie from a local multiples group told me about their pumpkin patch. Katie and her husband Logan are farmers and every year they make a giant corn maze along with opening up part of their farm as a pumpkin patch: Powell Pumpkin Patch!

And the best part? It totally fit our budget because their pumpkin patch and hayrides are FREE!

So we loaded up the kids along with their winter coats, hats, and flannel blankets and headed for the patch. The weather definitely got colder recently, and I think the kids were a little surprised by it! Since they were on solid lockdown last year, I'm not sure they realized how cold it can get!

All loaded up in the wagon and ready to find a pumpkin!

Elijah, Caleb, Abby, and Ellie

I love the various facial expressions as we got ready to roll out!

Caleb                                                                                    Abby

(Is Caleb's hat a riot, or what?! Haha!)

Elijah                                                                                   Ellie

The little pumpkin shack is right at the front of the patch. Since Katie and Logan grow other produce as well, they had some wonderful displays of butternut and acorn squash, gorgeous fiesta squash (so pretty!), red Indian corn, and some fun little mini pumpkins for kids. Our kids thought the mini pumpkins were the best! We even caught Eli giving his a big kiss at one point. Lol!

Little Kids and Little Pumpkins!

Elijah, Ellie, Abby, and Caleb

And, of course, we had to have a family picture!

Then Katie and Logan were kind enough to load us up on one of the tractors for our first hayride out into the patch! It was very important that we found the perfect pumpkin!

Mommy, Abby, Ellie, Caleb, Eli, and Daddy

Out in the middle of the patch, Logan stopped the tractor and they helped us unload the kids to go exploring. I love that they don't make people stay on the path. They encouraged us to go exploring through the patch to find our ideal pumpkin.

Ellie and Eli Getting Ready to Hit the Field

Daddy trying to convince Abby to go into the field, while Caleb surveys his options.

Katie and Abby (look at that little red nose!)

I had no idea that there are as many varieties of pumpkins as there are! I thought that there were carving pumpkins, mini pumpkins, and pie pumpkins. Whoa. I was so, so wrong. They had SIX different sizes of carving pumpkins. I saw one that was over 90 pounds! Pink pumpkins (who would have thought?), Cinderella pumpkins (pretty!), Red Warty Things (that is seriously the name, and they look exactly like they sound), and a bunch of other ones. Click HERE to see a list of some of the specialty pumpkins. It's really amazing!

For myself, I wanted to try a couple of pie pumpkins. I love baking pumpkin flavored goodies, but I wanted to take it a step further and see how they turn out with fresh, straight-from-the-field, pie pumpkin. Katie helped me pick out four (one for each kid!) pie pumpkins. They are so pretty though, I think I'll wait until the end of October. That's the nice thing about the pumpkins, they will last a long time.

Then we decided that a Pink Pumpkin would be a fun change from the usual pumpkins that you find in stores. Logan headed off to find one of those for us, while Sean and I started hunting for our "front porch" pumpkin.

Oh goodness! It was so hard! I'll be honest, I was kind of expecting those cruddy pumpkins that they sell at Walmart. You know, the kind with bruises and soft spots that are lopsided and weird colors.

Their pumpkins were gorgeous. I'm talking, Martha Stewart worthy pumpkins. (Maybe I should send her an email to let her know that real pumpkins exist that meet her standards, and she can stop decoupaging fake ones...)

But eventually, all six of us agreed on our family pumpkin!

The kids were cold at that point, so we headed back to the tractor to ride the rest of the way back with our pie pumpkins, pink pumpkin, and kid-approved family pumpkin!

Daddy unloaded the kids from the tractor and got them back in their wagon while Katie and I walked over to look at the squash. I love cooking with in-season produce, especially when I know that it's straight from the field. We are also big fans of supporting local farmers who are growing food right here in our area. I got a nice array of butternut and fiesta squash for us to enjoy over the next couple of weeks as the weather turns colder. Yummy!

The Kids with their Mini Pumpkins and Pie Pumpkins!

Caleb                                                                                        Abby

Elijah                                                                                         Ellie

And then for fun, Katie was kind enough to give us an extra pumpkin so that we could create a pretty display in front of our house (along with instructions on how to cook all of this when we are done looking at it). What do you think?

After that, we considered our trip a successful family outing! We LOVED the patch and were surprised how family friendly it was! Pumpkin patches so often charge for every little thing, including admission and that can get super expensive for a family our size. With free admission, free hayrides, a free sandpit (with toys to play with!), and a free hay area for the kids, it was the perfect patch for us! The only things to pay for are the pumpkins (very reasonably priced) and the corn maze if that's your thing!

Front Porch Display with Our Family Pumpkin

Carving Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Pie Pumpkin, Pink Pumpkin, and Mini Pumpkin

P.S. Don't you just love the stems on these fresh pumpkins? They have so much character!

Steps up to the Front Porch

Pie Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Carving Pumpkins,

and Mini Pumpkins

Pie Pumpkin with Fiesta Squash

The Fiesta Squash actually looks painted!

On our way home, Sean and I decided that this will be a yearly adventure for us. As the kids get older, we look forward to taking them out to Powell Pumpkin Patch every year with the tradition of letting them pick out their own pumpkins! Yay for new family traditions and the memories that go with them!

Our final stop on our way out of Louisberg:

The Louisberg Cider Mill to warm up with Apple Cider Doughnuts and Apple Juice!

What is your favorite fall outing as a family??

Lots of Family and a Backyard Barbecue

Saturday was probably one of the busiest days our kids have had, and they did great! We spent all day with extended family and they didn't get an afternoon nap...gasp! Yet they still managed to hold it together.

Thank goodness. Because I honestly thought the day was going to bomb. 4 Toddlers + No Nap = YIKES!

We started the day off as we normally do, and then put the kids down for their morning nap. We let them sleep extra long to try to give them juice to get through the rest of the day. Most of them took advantage of it (we did too! I love naps!).

Then we headed over to Pa and Ma's house (Sean's parents house) for lunch and a visit with the kids' great-grandparents who had driven in from St. Louis for a visit.

And Ellie started screaming the moment we arrived. Happily, she perked up after lunch and was a bit more agreeable!

Photo with the Great-Grandparents

After that, we drove about 45 minutes to the other side of town for their second-cousin, Morgan's 2nd birthday (follow all that? *smile*) This was the kids' first successful backyard barbecue. We tried to have a barbecue at our house last summer, and the kids only lasted for about 20 minutes. They didn't want anything to do with it. This time, it went much better!

And that is where Sean's cousin, Michelle, got some awesome photos of the kids! I had my camera but was so busy trying to keep up with the kids, that I forgot all about it.

We got to the barbecue and used the Choo-Choo Wagon to easily get the kids to the backyard. I seriously love that wagon! The party came to a dead halt as soon as we rolled in. The kids were a little overwhelmed and spent a few minutes taking it all in.

Someone said, "Why are they all just sitting there?"

So I answered with, "Because they are wondering why you are all staring at them!"

What? You haven't seen four kids before? Hehe!

There was lots of exploring...

Abby in the play house looking at the window box of flowers.

And lots of eating....

Morgan, The Birthday Girl, and Elijah eating a veggie stick

And, of course, lots of bounce housing (once the kids warmed up to it!)!

 Aw! I love good family photos! :)

 And then the kids tackled Daddy.

And Ellie thought Daddy was more fun to bounce on than the bounce house!

We also discovered all that is amazing about backyard swings!

Ellie thought it was fantastic and giggled all they way through her turn!

There just isn't a description worthy of the look on Elijah's face. Haha!!

Random extra pic. This is a photo of Uncle Brandon (Morgan's dad) helping Abby put back on her sandles. I really love this photo because it's a great example of how Sean's family always makes sure they are available to help us with the kids at family events. Brandon was barbecuing and hosting, and still stopped to help Abby with her shoe. I appreciate all of our extended family for such small acts of kindness like this! It certainly doesn't go unnoticed!

Understandably, the kids started to wear out as the party continued. They wanted to ride in their wagon instead of play in the bounce house. Sean and I took turns dragging them around the yard. Thankfully, they love their wagon, so that let us stay a bit longer. Look how cute this photo is of the kids looking at Daddy in the bounce house. Lol!

Michelle also got some great close ups of the kids!

Caleb

Abby

Elijah

Ellie

And then we headed home. The kids were flat out tired, but held their own quite well. As the Mommy, I was really, really pleased with how the day turned out. Yay!!

Does this mean that we can stay out a bit longer and explore a bit more when we go on our adventures now??? I hope so!

Saturday was probably one of the busiest days our kids have had, and they did great! We spent all day with extended family and they didn't get an afternoon nap...gasp! Yet they still managed to hold it together.

Thank goodness. Because I honestly thought the day was going to bomb. 4 Toddlers + No Nap = YIKES!

We started the day off as we normally do, and then put the kids down for their morning nap. We let them sleep extra long to try to give them juice to get through the rest of the day. Most of them took advantage of it (we did too! I love naps!).

Then we headed over to Pa and Ma's house (Sean's parents house) for lunch and a visit with the kids' great-grandparents who had driven in from St. Louis for a visit.

And Ellie started screaming the moment we arrived. Happily, she perked up after lunch and was a bit more agreeable!

Photo with the Great-Grandparents

After that, we drove about 45 minutes to the other side of town for their second-cousin, Morgan's 2nd birthday (follow all that? *smile*) This was the kids' first successful backyard barbecue. We tried to have a barbecue at our house last summer, and the kids only lasted for about 20 minutes. They didn't want anything to do with it. This time, it went much better!

And that is where Sean's cousin, Michelle, got some awesome photos of the kids! I had my camera but was so busy trying to keep up with the kids, that I forgot all about it.

We got to the barbecue and used the Choo-Choo Wagon to easily get the kids to the backyard. I seriously love that wagon! The party came to a dead halt as soon as we rolled in. The kids were a little overwhelmed and spent a few minutes taking it all in.

Someone said, "Why are they all just sitting there?"

So I answered with, "Because they are wondering why you are all staring at them!"

What? You haven't seen four kids before? Hehe!

There was lots of exploring...

Abby in the play house looking at the window box of flowers.

And lots of eating....

Morgan, The Birthday Girl, and Elijah eating a veggie stick

And, of course, lots of bounce housing (once the kids warmed up to it!)!

 Aw! I love good family photos! :)

 And then the kids tackled Daddy.

And Ellie thought Daddy was more fun to bounce on than the bounce house!

We also discovered all that is amazing about backyard swings!

Ellie thought it was fantastic and giggled all they way through her turn!

There just isn't a description worthy of the look on Elijah's face. Haha!!

Random extra pic. This is a photo of Uncle Brandon (Morgan's dad) helping Abby put back on her sandles. I really love this photo because it's a great example of how Sean's family always makes sure they are available to help us with the kids at family events. Brandon was barbecuing and hosting, and still stopped to help Abby with her shoe. I appreciate all of our extended family for such small acts of kindness like this! It certainly doesn't go unnoticed!

Understandably, the kids started to wear out as the party continued. They wanted to ride in their wagon instead of play in the bounce house. Sean and I took turns dragging them around the yard. Thankfully, they love their wagon, so that let us stay a bit longer. Look how cute this photo is of the kids looking at Daddy in the bounce house. Lol!

Michelle also got some great close ups of the kids!

Caleb

Abby

Elijah

Ellie

And then we headed home. The kids were flat out tired, but held their own quite well. As the Mommy, I was really, really pleased with how the day turned out. Yay!!

Does this mean that we can stay out a bit longer and explore a bit more when we go on our adventures now??? I hope so!