A Happy Way to Celebrate Independence Day + A Fireworks Giveaway!

It's June! If you've been around on the blog for awhile, you know that I always spend the week before Independence Day, sitting in a Fireworks Tent. Next week begins my 8th year, having fun, and sweating it out with friends!

And I have good news! For the past two years, the tent that I work in has offered a giveaway through my blog. This year, it's bigger and better than ever!

But before we jump into the giveaway, I'd love to remind you about why I love sitting in the fireworks tent for a week straight:

The tent I always work with partners with Hillcrest Transitional Housing. It's a ministry in our area that works with families who don't have homes. They help them by providing a place to live, basic life skills education, and the encouragement to find a full-time job. It's a 90 day program that offers a hand up instead of a hand out, because their goal is to get these families back on their feet. They have a 95% success rate, and are doing some fabulous work in our community. It's truly one of the most effective ministries in our area.

As you are buying fireworks this year, I hope you will consider coming to Lee's Summit, MO to purchase from our tent. Hillcrest Transitional Housing does great work, and we'd love to have you partner with us in this!

On top of that, military, civil service, and homeschoolers get 10% off of their purchase. But even better, we've negotiated a special discount just for YOU!

Mention the KC Bloggers code at the checkout table and get 10% off just for reading this post and coming out to the tent!

By the way, if you want to meet me, I'll be there everyday from 2pm-10pm (except for the 28th when I will be there 5pm-10pm). Meeting readers is seriously one of the biggest highlights for me!

This year, you can find us behind the Mid-Continent Public Library at:

• 224 NW Oldham Pkwy
• Lees Summit, Missouri 64081
• 
  
• June 27-July 2nd, open 9am - 10pm
• July 3rd, open 9am - 10pm or later
• July 4th, open 9am - midnight

Just look for the big yellow and white tent!

Now let's talk about the fun stuff....STUFF TO BLOW UP!!

You won't have to buy any extra fireworks to have an amazing display with this $160 set. It has enough in it to keep the whole neighborhood happy...and awake! If you click on the photo, you can make it bigger so that you can see all of the fun stuff inside!

All you have to do is enter below and then wait for us to randomly draw the winner. Please note that if you win, you will have to come pick up your prize at the tent in Lee's Summit, MO. The post office frowns on mailing explosives.

I hope that you will come out, use your KC BLOGGERS discount, and buy from the tent that partners with Hillcrest Transitional Housing this year!

To enter the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below. 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 11:59pm on Friday, June 27th. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email to confirm that they received it. All prizes must be picked up in person at the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Tent location. Due to laws restricting the shipping and distribution of fireworks, we are unable to mail the prize. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States.  For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

It's June! If you've been around on the blog for awhile, you know that I always spend the week before Independence Day, sitting in a Fireworks Tent. Next week begins my 8th year, having fun, and sweating it out with friends!

And I have good news! For the past two years, the tent that I work in has offered a giveaway through my blog. This year, it's bigger and better than ever!

But before we jump into the giveaway, I'd love to remind you about why I love sitting in the fireworks tent for a week straight:

The tent I always work with partners with Hillcrest Transitional Housing. It's a ministry in our area that works with families who don't have homes. They help them by providing a place to live, basic life skills education, and the encouragement to find a full-time job. It's a 90 day program that offers a hand up instead of a hand out, because their goal is to get these families back on their feet. They have a 95% success rate, and are doing some fabulous work in our community. It's truly one of the most effective ministries in our area.

As you are buying fireworks this year, I hope you will consider coming to Lee's Summit, MO to purchase from our tent. Hillcrest Transitional Housing does great work, and we'd love to have you partner with us in this!

On top of that, military, civil service, and homeschoolers get 10% off of their purchase. But even better, we've negotiated a special discount just for YOU!

Mention the KC Bloggers code at the checkout table and get 10% off just for reading this post and coming out to the tent!

By the way, if you want to meet me, I'll be there everyday from 2pm-10pm (except for the 28th when I will be there 5pm-10pm). Meeting readers is seriously one of the biggest highlights for me!

This year, you can find us behind the Mid-Continent Public Library at:

• 224 NW Oldham Pkwy
• Lees Summit, Missouri 64081
• 
  
• June 27-July 2nd, open 9am - 10pm
• July 3rd, open 9am - 10pm or later
• July 4th, open 9am - midnight

Just look for the big yellow and white tent!

Now let's talk about the fun stuff....STUFF TO BLOW UP!!

You won't have to buy any extra fireworks to have an amazing display with this $160 set. It has enough in it to keep the whole neighborhood happy...and awake! If you click on the photo, you can make it bigger so that you can see all of the fun stuff inside!

All you have to do is enter below and then wait for us to randomly draw the winner. Please note that if you win, you will have to come pick up your prize at the tent in Lee's Summit, MO. The post office frowns on mailing explosives.

I hope that you will come out, use your KC BLOGGERS discount, and buy from the tent that partners with Hillcrest Transitional Housing this year!

To enter the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget below. 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 11:59pm on Friday, June 27th. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email to confirm that they received it. All prizes must be picked up in person at the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Tent location. Due to laws restricting the shipping and distribution of fireworks, we are unable to mail the prize. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States.  For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Thanksgiving Eve with Friends, Christmas Lights, and Fireworks!

Some friends of ours have a tradition on Thanksgiving Eve where they throw a small pizza party and then head out to look at Christmas lights and fireworks. We were invited to join them this year!

Now, I probably don't have to explain how fun it is for our family to be invited over to someone else's house. Let's face it: two-year-old quadruplets are overwhelming in our own home. I don't expect anyone to voluntarily take that on at their house!

But Ron and Kristina have routinely reached out to our family, inviting me and the kids over for play dates, and even offering to host the kids for dinner and a movie so that Sean and I could go out for my birthday last month. So when they invited our family to join them for their pre-Thanksgiving tradition, we were thrilled to go.

In addition to our hosts and their four girls, there were two other families: Nick and Lauren with their three boys, and Michael and Stacey with their five girls. That means with our four kids, there were 16 kids!

Kristina had the whole place set up before we arrived. Big plastic tablecloths were spread over the floor so that the kids could eat their pizza and watch VeggieTales without making a big mess. She also had special thermal cups for the kids to fill with hot chocolate when we left to go see the lights, and bags for each family, filled with snacks, candy canes, and glow sticks for the road. I don't know how she makes it all look so effortless, but each thoughtful touch was sure appreciated it!

Even more amazing is that when the pizza place lost her order, she managed to pull together a meal for 24 people in five minutes flat by going through her pantry. It was really incredible!

Good company is not something we take for granted, and Sean and I both appreciated the adult conversation with other parents who have kids our age. As Sean would say, "They are good people!"

Ron, Nick, Lauren, Michael, Stacey, Sean, and Kristina

After dinner, each family loaded up in their respective cars, and we caravaned out to Christmas in the Park. Every year, one of the parks and rec departments in the metro area puts on a giant Christmas light display. People easily sit in line for over two hours during the Christmas season to get to drive through the free attraction. These photos don't even begin to show how fun it is! Just try to imagine a park that is filled with moving Christmas light displays....okay, you might just have to come visit and see it yourself.

We drove through that twice since there wasn't much of a line, and then parked to watch the Christmas in the Sky display. On Thanksgiving Eve, they do a big fireworks show to kick off the holiday season and the opening of Christmas in the Park. It was chilly, but seeing it with our friends was a lot of fun!

And then right before the fireworks started, I realized that we needed a family photo! As you can tell, the kids thought the glow sticks were awesome!

By the time the fireworks were over, we had some very, very tired kids, and Caleb was literally putting himself in his car seat. He doesn't talk much, but he can be pretty vocal with his actions. We headed home with a very enjoyable evening behind us!

By the way, guess what I learned??? If you put glow sticks in the freezer, it stops the chemical reaction and essentially saves the glowing. Then, the next time your kids take a bath, you can throw them in the tub and the warm water will immediately get them to start glowing again. Cool, right?! Bath time just went to a whole new level!

Some friends of ours have a tradition on Thanksgiving Eve where they throw a small pizza party and then head out to look at Christmas lights and fireworks. We were invited to join them this year!

Now, I probably don't have to explain how fun it is for our family to be invited over to someone else's house. Let's face it: two-year-old quadruplets are overwhelming in our own home. I don't expect anyone to voluntarily take that on at their house!

But Ron and Kristina have routinely reached out to our family, inviting me and the kids over for play dates, and even offering to host the kids for dinner and a movie so that Sean and I could go out for my birthday last month. So when they invited our family to join them for their pre-Thanksgiving tradition, we were thrilled to go.

In addition to our hosts and their four girls, there were two other families: Nick and Lauren with their three boys, and Michael and Stacey with their five girls. That means with our four kids, there were 16 kids!

Kristina had the whole place set up before we arrived. Big plastic tablecloths were spread over the floor so that the kids could eat their pizza and watch VeggieTales without making a big mess. She also had special thermal cups for the kids to fill with hot chocolate when we left to go see the lights, and bags for each family, filled with snacks, candy canes, and glow sticks for the road. I don't know how she makes it all look so effortless, but each thoughtful touch was sure appreciated it!

Even more amazing is that when the pizza place lost her order, she managed to pull together a meal for 24 people in five minutes flat by going through her pantry. It was really incredible!

Good company is not something we take for granted, and Sean and I both appreciated the adult conversation with other parents who have kids our age. As Sean would say, "They are good people!"

Ron, Nick, Lauren, Michael, Stacey, Sean, and Kristina

After dinner, each family loaded up in their respective cars, and we caravaned out to Christmas in the Park. Every year, one of the parks and rec departments in the metro area puts on a giant Christmas light display. People easily sit in line for over two hours during the Christmas season to get to drive through the free attraction. These photos don't even begin to show how fun it is! Just try to imagine a park that is filled with moving Christmas light displays....okay, you might just have to come visit and see it yourself.

We drove through that twice since there wasn't much of a line, and then parked to watch the Christmas in the Sky display. On Thanksgiving Eve, they do a big fireworks show to kick off the holiday season and the opening of Christmas in the Park. It was chilly, but seeing it with our friends was a lot of fun!

And then right before the fireworks started, I realized that we needed a family photo! As you can tell, the kids thought the glow sticks were awesome!

By the time the fireworks were over, we had some very, very tired kids, and Caleb was literally putting himself in his car seat. He doesn't talk much, but he can be pretty vocal with his actions. We headed home with a very enjoyable evening behind us!

By the way, guess what I learned??? If you put glow sticks in the freezer, it stops the chemical reaction and essentially saves the glowing. Then, the next time your kids take a bath, you can throw them in the tub and the warm water will immediately get them to start glowing again. Cool, right?! Bath time just went to a whole new level!

Fireworks Tent 2013 Recap

It's true that it's been two weeks since Independence Day. I feel like I'm so behind on everything that I want to document here on the blog, but I hate to just let good memories go away, so I'm going to post this anyway. Maybe someday I'll get all caught up again!

We had a really fun group of people working the tent this year. That always makes the week better!

Most of the tent staff (but still missing a few people)

For the first time since we've been doing this tent (eight years!), we had staff tshirts. We looked very official, and I think it helped people figure out who to ask when they had questions.

 Brett, Melissa, and Lauren

Technically, we are the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Transitional Housing Tent. It was quickly renamed to the Ice Cream Tent. Laurel arranged for us to have a refrigerator/freezer hooked up in the tent, so we made the most of that!

Ryan (he wanted to be in disguise in this photo) and Laurel

This happens every year. After a few days in the tent, everyone starts to go a little nuts.

Left to Right: Lauren, Melissa, Ryan, Brett, Rebecca (me), and Brooks

Horizontal: Laurel

The big difference between this year and previous years was the weather. It was about 20 degrees cooler than any other year we've been out in the middle of that parking lot. It was so incredibly wonderful not to sweat to death out there. Of course, on the flip side, we had seven major storms to contend with. Fireworks and rain do not mix. At all. When rain comes, everyone springs into action and everything gets covered in plastic.

Okay, now watch this short video of what we had to deal with out there! The Weather Channel saw my YouTube video and actually emailed me. Five minutes after I responded to the email, they called and asked if they could run it on their website and in any programming on their TV channel. How cool is that?!

After fighting storms all week, we hit the 4th of July at full speed. We were so busy, no one sat down or had a chance to eat. Brad Munsen from the Lee's Summit Chick-fil-A came into the tent to do his fireworks shopping that afternoon and saw how busy we were. He called me over, asked me how many staff were in the tent, and then returned about a 30 minutes later with sandwiches, nuggets, and sauces for everyone. If it hadn't been for his generosity, no one would have eaten until after 10:30pm that night. It turns out that he also supports Hillcrest Transitional Housing through his business as well. It was awesome to meet him!

And, of course, Sean brought our babies out to see me. I loved that! He brought them out twice, but I only took photos the first time. 

All of the staff helped wrangle our kids since tents don't come with doors.

Brett carrying in the diaper bags. He was such a good sport!

We brought out the kids' lawn chairs, which actually proved to be really exciting for the public shopping in the tent. Who knew that little chairs could catch that much attention?

Daddy bought McDonalds for a picnic in the tent

Abby, Caleb, Elijah, and Ellie

Ellie, Mommy, and Abby

Abby and Ellie

Exploring the Tent!

I think the kids were exploring so that they can help sell fireworks in the future. We still have to work on what they are though. Elijah was very confused why the "Crackers" table didn't actually have any food on it....

It's true that it's been two weeks since Independence Day. I feel like I'm so behind on everything that I want to document here on the blog, but I hate to just let good memories go away, so I'm going to post this anyway. Maybe someday I'll get all caught up again!

We had a really fun group of people working the tent this year. That always makes the week better!

Most of the tent staff (but still missing a few people)

For the first time since we've been doing this tent (eight years!), we had staff tshirts. We looked very official, and I think it helped people figure out who to ask when they had questions.

 Brett, Melissa, and Lauren

Technically, we are the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Transitional Housing Tent. It was quickly renamed to the Ice Cream Tent. Laurel arranged for us to have a refrigerator/freezer hooked up in the tent, so we made the most of that!

Ryan (he wanted to be in disguise in this photo) and Laurel

This happens every year. After a few days in the tent, everyone starts to go a little nuts.

Left to Right: Lauren, Melissa, Ryan, Brett, Rebecca (me), and Brooks

Horizontal: Laurel

The big difference between this year and previous years was the weather. It was about 20 degrees cooler than any other year we've been out in the middle of that parking lot. It was so incredibly wonderful not to sweat to death out there. Of course, on the flip side, we had seven major storms to contend with. Fireworks and rain do not mix. At all. When rain comes, everyone springs into action and everything gets covered in plastic.

Okay, now watch this short video of what we had to deal with out there! The Weather Channel saw my YouTube video and actually emailed me. Five minutes after I responded to the email, they called and asked if they could run it on their website and in any programming on their TV channel. How cool is that?!

After fighting storms all week, we hit the 4th of July at full speed. We were so busy, no one sat down or had a chance to eat. Brad Munsen from the Lee's Summit Chick-fil-A came into the tent to do his fireworks shopping that afternoon and saw how busy we were. He called me over, asked me how many staff were in the tent, and then returned about a 30 minutes later with sandwiches, nuggets, and sauces for everyone. If it hadn't been for his generosity, no one would have eaten until after 10:30pm that night. It turns out that he also supports Hillcrest Transitional Housing through his business as well. It was awesome to meet him!

And, of course, Sean brought our babies out to see me. I loved that! He brought them out twice, but I only took photos the first time. 

All of the staff helped wrangle our kids since tents don't come with doors.

Brett carrying in the diaper bags. He was such a good sport!

We brought out the kids' lawn chairs, which actually proved to be really exciting for the public shopping in the tent. Who knew that little chairs could catch that much attention?

Daddy bought McDonalds for a picnic in the tent

Abby, Caleb, Elijah, and Ellie

Ellie, Mommy, and Abby

Abby and Ellie

Exploring the Tent!

I think the kids were exploring so that they can help sell fireworks in the future. We still have to work on what they are though. Elijah was very confused why the "Crackers" table didn't actually have any food on it....

Independence Day Fireworks Giveaway!

Yay! It's fireworks season again!

I always look forward to Independence Day! This is my 7th year spending the week before our country's birthday in the big yellow and white tent. I really enjoy getting to do this, and I am beyond appreciative that Sean makes it a priority to let me have the week "off" so that I can go work the tent.

Last year, the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Tent offered an awesome giveaway through this blog along with a discount for an A Beautiful Ruckus readers. I've been chatting with the tent operators over the last few months, and guess what? They are totally on board with letting me giveaway more fireworks this year!

But first, in case you are new to the blog, let me tell you why I love this particular tent and the organization it benefits:

The tent I always work with partners with Hillcrest Transitional Housing. It's a ministry in our area that works with families who don't have homes. They help them by providing a place to live, basic life skills education, and the encouragement to find a full-time job. It's a 90 day program that offers a hand up instead of a hand out, because their goal is to get these families back on their feet. They have a 95% success rate, and are doing some fabulous work in our community. Wonderful!

Odds are that you will be purchasing fireworks somewhere this season, and I hope that you will consider doing so at the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Tent. All military, civil service, and homeschoolers get 10% off as an extra incentive! Your money will be benefiting something far more worthy than overhead at a big box store....plus, you get to meet me! I met several blog readers last year and had a blast!

So, now that I have you on the hook, let's get on with some fun stuff! Ready??

First, all A Beautiful Ruckus readers will receive 10% off any purchase! Just mention that you are a reader at the checkout counter! Save a little money, and know that you are partnering with a great ministry!

On top of that, you can enter to win one of FIVE prizes!

Four readers will win the Kiddie Assortment Packs! It has snappers, sparklers, poppers, and some other fun things to entertain younger kids!

One Grand Prize Winner will receive the Pyro Blast Fireworks Party Package (or a package of like value) that contains all sorts of items to get even the dads excited! This party package retails for $75! Just as a side note, the lady who won this last year has a husband and four sons...let me tell you who was queen of the house when she brought that home!

All you have to do is enter below, and then of course, come see us at the Big Yellow and White Tent in Lee's Summit! And definitely don't forget to mention that you are A Beautiful Ruckus reader to snag your extra discount!

To enter the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget 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 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 11:59pm on Monday, June 21st. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Tuesday, June 22nd. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email to confirm that they received it. All prizes must be picked up in person at the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Tent location. Due to laws restricting the shipping and distribution of fireworks, we are unable to mail the prize. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States.  For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Keep an eye out for the Ishum Quads this year as well! They will be making another appearance in their red, white, and blue wagon...although they are a whole year older now. *sniff!* Pretty soon they will be working the tent with me!

Yay! It's fireworks season again!

I always look forward to Independence Day! This is my 7th year spending the week before our country's birthday in the big yellow and white tent. I really enjoy getting to do this, and I am beyond appreciative that Sean makes it a priority to let me have the week "off" so that I can go work the tent.

Last year, the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Tent offered an awesome giveaway through this blog along with a discount for an A Beautiful Ruckus readers. I've been chatting with the tent operators over the last few months, and guess what? They are totally on board with letting me giveaway more fireworks this year!

But first, in case you are new to the blog, let me tell you why I love this particular tent and the organization it benefits:

The tent I always work with partners with Hillcrest Transitional Housing. It's a ministry in our area that works with families who don't have homes. They help them by providing a place to live, basic life skills education, and the encouragement to find a full-time job. It's a 90 day program that offers a hand up instead of a hand out, because their goal is to get these families back on their feet. They have a 95% success rate, and are doing some fabulous work in our community. Wonderful!

Odds are that you will be purchasing fireworks somewhere this season, and I hope that you will consider doing so at the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Tent. All military, civil service, and homeschoolers get 10% off as an extra incentive! Your money will be benefiting something far more worthy than overhead at a big box store....plus, you get to meet me! I met several blog readers last year and had a blast!

So, now that I have you on the hook, let's get on with some fun stuff! Ready??

First, all A Beautiful Ruckus readers will receive 10% off any purchase! Just mention that you are a reader at the checkout counter! Save a little money, and know that you are partnering with a great ministry!

On top of that, you can enter to win one of FIVE prizes!

Four readers will win the Kiddie Assortment Packs! It has snappers, sparklers, poppers, and some other fun things to entertain younger kids!

One Grand Prize Winner will receive the Pyro Blast Fireworks Party Package (or a package of like value) that contains all sorts of items to get even the dads excited! This party package retails for $75! Just as a side note, the lady who won this last year has a husband and four sons...let me tell you who was queen of the house when she brought that home!

All you have to do is enter below, and then of course, come see us at the Big Yellow and White Tent in Lee's Summit! And definitely don't forget to mention that you are A Beautiful Ruckus reader to snag your extra discount!

To enter the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter widget 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 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 11:59pm on Monday, June 21st. The winner(s) will be randomly chosen and contacted by email on Tuesday, June 22nd. The winner(s) will have 48 hours to respond to the email to confirm that they received it. All prizes must be picked up in person at the Lee's Summit/Hillcrest Fireworks Tent location. Due to laws restricting the shipping and distribution of fireworks, we are unable to mail the prize. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States.  For more info, please see my disclaimer page.

Keep an eye out for the Ishum Quads this year as well! They will be making another appearance in their red, white, and blue wagon...although they are a whole year older now. *sniff!* Pretty soon they will be working the tent with me!

Happy Independence Day!

Oh my word! Was the weather rough this 4th of July or what?

Out of all of the years I've camped out in a fireworks tent, this was the worst heat I've had to put up with. But, the friends who I've worked the tent with every year were there as well, and they made it worth it! We came up with all sorts of sweat-related jokes, which I will spare you the details of, but I have to share the photos that we took when the kids came to visit!

Sean loaded up the kids by himself after lunch on Monday and brought them out to see me. I sure did miss my little quadlers this week! Of course, I did see them when I wasn't working in the tent, but I guess I'm a bit spoiled to get to stay home with them all of the time. 

Daddy Pulling the Kids in their Red, White, and Blue (and Orange) Wagon!

Renee is one of the friends who I got to hang with all week. We definitely don't get enough time together since she lives about an hour from us. We worked it out so that her daughter, Emma, could be there when our kids were. We are hoping that they develop a friendship as they get older, which of course, would mean more reasons for Renee and I to see each other. I guess I have a bit of an ulterior motive, but at least I'm honest about it!

Emma Thought the Wagon was Fascinating! 

Emma wanted to try out the nifty wagon, so we pulled Ellie out for a minute so that Emma could have a turn. We are learning how to share!

Around and Around!

Then we let the kids roam a little bit. With the heat and bit of wind, they much preferred to sit in the wagon.

Scoping Out the Fireworks

They were probably out in the tent around 20 minutes and then they started to get a bit cranky. I can't blame them. Heat makes me cranky too. Being the awesome father that he is, Sean remembered to bring their cups and they guzzled milk like it was their last opportunity for a drink. A quick family photo and Sean loaded the kids up to take them back to the air conditioning.

Independence Day Photo - 2012

Tuesday evening, the grand prize winners of the fireworks package came to pick up their prize! I'm so glad that Natalie brought her four boys and husband with so that we could get a photo! I'm pretty sure that Natalie was the hero at her house this Independence Day!

The Winners! (check out how one of the boys is lunging for the prize his mom won! Haha!)

Okay, this last picture has nothing to do with fireworks but is hilarious enough to share on here. One of the guys in the tent, Kelly, has a really nice big garden. He brought me some fresh veggies for the kids throughout the week. The guy grows the most massive zucchinis ever! He gave me four, so of course, I had to line the babies up for a photo op with them. I love that Ellie's zucchini is almost as big as she is, Elijah is trying to eat his, Caleb is trying to figure out how to fit his whole zucchini in his tummy, and Abby (like always when it comes to food) wants nothing to do with her's. :-) We are definitely eating well this week!

Every year, I'm happy to see the Fireworks Tent come, and I'm happy to see the Fireworks Tent go. My babies definitely were missing me toward the end, and I sure did miss my little family as well. It was nice to eat dinner all together as a family last night!

Which reminds me, I should go figure out what's for dinner tonight...pretty sure it will involve zucchini in some form or another. :)

I hope everyone had a safe and fun-filled Independence Day!

Oh my word! Was the weather rough this 4th of July or what?

Out of all of the years I've camped out in a fireworks tent, this was the worst heat I've had to put up with. But, the friends who I've worked the tent with every year were there as well, and they made it worth it! We came up with all sorts of sweat-related jokes, which I will spare you the details of, but I have to share the photos that we took when the kids came to visit!

Sean loaded up the kids by himself after lunch on Monday and brought them out to see me. I sure did miss my little quadlers this week! Of course, I did see them when I wasn't working in the tent, but I guess I'm a bit spoiled to get to stay home with them all of the time. 

Daddy Pulling the Kids in their Red, White, and Blue (and Orange) Wagon!

Renee is one of the friends who I got to hang with all week. We definitely don't get enough time together since she lives about an hour from us. We worked it out so that her daughter, Emma, could be there when our kids were. We are hoping that they develop a friendship as they get older, which of course, would mean more reasons for Renee and I to see each other. I guess I have a bit of an ulterior motive, but at least I'm honest about it!

Emma Thought the Wagon was Fascinating! 

Emma wanted to try out the nifty wagon, so we pulled Ellie out for a minute so that Emma could have a turn. We are learning how to share!

Around and Around!

Then we let the kids roam a little bit. With the heat and bit of wind, they much preferred to sit in the wagon.

Scoping Out the Fireworks

They were probably out in the tent around 20 minutes and then they started to get a bit cranky. I can't blame them. Heat makes me cranky too. Being the awesome father that he is, Sean remembered to bring their cups and they guzzled milk like it was their last opportunity for a drink. A quick family photo and Sean loaded the kids up to take them back to the air conditioning.

Independence Day Photo - 2012

Tuesday evening, the grand prize winners of the fireworks package came to pick up their prize! I'm so glad that Natalie brought her four boys and husband with so that we could get a photo! I'm pretty sure that Natalie was the hero at her house this Independence Day!

The Winners! (check out how one of the boys is lunging for the prize his mom won! Haha!)

Okay, this last picture has nothing to do with fireworks but is hilarious enough to share on here. One of the guys in the tent, Kelly, has a really nice big garden. He brought me some fresh veggies for the kids throughout the week. The guy grows the most massive zucchinis ever! He gave me four, so of course, I had to line the babies up for a photo op with them. I love that Ellie's zucchini is almost as big as she is, Elijah is trying to eat his, Caleb is trying to figure out how to fit his whole zucchini in his tummy, and Abby (like always when it comes to food) wants nothing to do with her's. :-) We are definitely eating well this week!

Every year, I'm happy to see the Fireworks Tent come, and I'm happy to see the Fireworks Tent go. My babies definitely were missing me toward the end, and I sure did miss my little family as well. It was nice to eat dinner all together as a family last night!

Which reminds me, I should go figure out what's for dinner tonight...pretty sure it will involve zucchini in some form or another. :)

I hope everyone had a safe and fun-filled Independence Day!

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 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.