Sitting on Great-Grandpa's Knee

Last winter, Sean gave me the most amazing gift, when he suggested that we make the very long drive back to my hometown for Christmas. It had been 1.5 years since we had been down to visit my extended family, and I had been wishing that I could get the kids down to see their great-grandpa again. Except how do you say, "Hey, Babe...let's pack up 4 kids and take a really long drive so that you can spend Christmas in a hotel room?" Not exactly what most spouses want to hear. But I married the best guy who volunteered for it himself, even though he knew it would take him far away from his own family on Christmas.

I love him! *sigh*

The drive back to where I grew up in New Mexico takes 16 hours each way. It's a long road trip through some pretty empty states with literally no cell signal for hours at a time. (As a total side note, can I just add how weird it is to be unable to even make a call in this day and age?) When we go back, we have to take two days to drive each direction because the kids just can't do the full 16 hours in one stretch. So it ended up being a two day drive down, two days in New Mexico, and a 2 day drive back. Not going to lie. It was a bit grueling to spend four days driving for just 48 hours in town, but the kids were champs, and it was so amazing to get to spend Christmas there!

I bet you are wondering what the kids thought of all of that....well...they were totally confused and so over tacos by the time we left, it was almost comical. It was just too different from Christmas as they know it. haha!!

My kids know all of the traditional Midwestern Christmas stuff, you know, the stuff in Christmas movies. But in New Mexico, a traditional Christmas looks very different. It involves luminarias, Mexican food, and no snow. haha! I think my little family was in a bit of a culture shock, but to me, it was so perfect. It was just like going back in time 20 years and getting to do Christmas the way I remembered as a kid. Our extended family always celebrates on Christmas Eve with a giant get-together, and my grandpa always displays his collection of several hundred Nacimientos (nativity sets) for the public to enjoy as well. It was all exactly as I remembered, even down to the exact same Christmas Eve punch recipe that my aunt has been making every year for as long as I can remember and sitting on the floor eating dinner with my cousins because there aren't enough seats for all of us. 

And I got to share ALL of that with my kids and show them what Christmas was like for me while growing up. They may not have appreciated the over-abundance of tacos in the moment, but I think they had fun anyway!

One of my big goals going back was to get some photos of my kids with their great-grandpa. It was so important to me to get those photos...but, unfortunately, I waited until we were saying good-bye to try to get them. It was already dark outside, we were in a dimly lit living room, and that combined with my not-so-stellar photography skills just wasn't working out the way I had hoped. All of my photos were blurry and my tired kids weren't fully on board with the idea of watching mom try to take the same photo over and over. Thankfully, one of my cousins took over with his own camera and captured the photos below. I have to give him a quick shout-out because Paul is an international award winning photojournalist, and I kind of scored big time by having him rescue me from my lack of skills.

I wasn't sure what he had been able to catch. I gave him the worst lighting ever, 4 very tired kids, and only about 10 minutes to work with. But oh my word! I just cried when I opened the link he emailed to me to download the pictures. My kids sitting on their Great-Grandpa's knee....so precious! They are exactly what I had dragged my camera all the way to New Mexico to try to get. Photos that I will cherish forever!

(Warning: I'm posting all of them below because I don't want to lose them! It's not really a warning though because I have cute kids and a cute grandpa. hehe!)

Great-Grandpa Taylor and Ellie

Elijah and Great-Grandpa Taylor

Abby and Great-Grandpa Taylor

Caleb and Great-Grandpa Taylor

Me and My Grandpa

The Crew: Elijah, Ellie, Great-Grandpa, Abby, and Caleb

Our Family....so worth the drive!

The Playroom at my Grandpa's house. I spent a lot of hours in here as a kid.

Brothers: I love this photo! It pretty much perfectly sums up their relationship. lol!

We have a ton of family in New Mexico who I think might enjoy these. Somebody show Grandpa for me! :)

Anyhow, thanks for enjoying these photos with me even though grandparent photos are maybe not that interesting to the general masses. Our trip to New Mexico was one of the sweetest gifts that Sean has given to me, and then the photos from Paul on top of it...well, I think I can safely say that time with family and the memories that go with them are everything. <3

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

Last winter, Sean gave me the most amazing gift, when he suggested that we make the very long drive back to my hometown for Christmas. It had been 1.5 years since we had been down to visit my extended family, and I had been wishing that I could get the kids down to see their great-grandpa again. Except how do you say, "Hey, Babe...let's pack up 4 kids and take a really long drive so that you can spend Christmas in a hotel room?" Not exactly what most spouses want to hear. But I married the best guy who volunteered for it himself, even though he knew it would take him far away from his own family on Christmas.

I love him! *sigh*

The drive back to where I grew up in New Mexico takes 16 hours each way. It's a long road trip through some pretty empty states with literally no cell signal for hours at a time. (As a total side note, can I just add how weird it is to be unable to even make a call in this day and age?) When we go back, we have to take two days to drive each direction because the kids just can't do the full 16 hours in one stretch. So it ended up being a two day drive down, two days in New Mexico, and a 2 day drive back. Not going to lie. It was a bit grueling to spend four days driving for just 48 hours in town, but the kids were champs, and it was so amazing to get to spend Christmas there!

I bet you are wondering what the kids thought of all of that....well...they were totally confused and so over tacos by the time we left, it was almost comical. It was just too different from Christmas as they know it. haha!!

My kids know all of the traditional Midwestern Christmas stuff, you know, the stuff in Christmas movies. But in New Mexico, a traditional Christmas looks very different. It involves luminarias, Mexican food, and no snow. haha! I think my little family was in a bit of a culture shock, but to me, it was so perfect. It was just like going back in time 20 years and getting to do Christmas the way I remembered as a kid. Our extended family always celebrates on Christmas Eve with a giant get-together, and my grandpa always displays his collection of several hundred Nacimientos (nativity sets) for the public to enjoy as well. It was all exactly as I remembered, even down to the exact same Christmas Eve punch recipe that my aunt has been making every year for as long as I can remember and sitting on the floor eating dinner with my cousins because there aren't enough seats for all of us. 

And I got to share ALL of that with my kids and show them what Christmas was like for me while growing up. They may not have appreciated the over-abundance of tacos in the moment, but I think they had fun anyway!

One of my big goals going back was to get some photos of my kids with their great-grandpa. It was so important to me to get those photos...but, unfortunately, I waited until we were saying good-bye to try to get them. It was already dark outside, we were in a dimly lit living room, and that combined with my not-so-stellar photography skills just wasn't working out the way I had hoped. All of my photos were blurry and my tired kids weren't fully on board with the idea of watching mom try to take the same photo over and over. Thankfully, one of my cousins took over with his own camera and captured the photos below. I have to give him a quick shout-out because Paul is an international award winning photojournalist, and I kind of scored big time by having him rescue me from my lack of skills.

I wasn't sure what he had been able to catch. I gave him the worst lighting ever, 4 very tired kids, and only about 10 minutes to work with. But oh my word! I just cried when I opened the link he emailed to me to download the pictures. My kids sitting on their Great-Grandpa's knee....so precious! They are exactly what I had dragged my camera all the way to New Mexico to try to get. Photos that I will cherish forever!

(Warning: I'm posting all of them below because I don't want to lose them! It's not really a warning though because I have cute kids and a cute grandpa. hehe!)

Great-Grandpa Taylor and Ellie

Elijah and Great-Grandpa Taylor

Abby and Great-Grandpa Taylor

Caleb and Great-Grandpa Taylor

Me and My Grandpa

The Crew: Elijah, Ellie, Great-Grandpa, Abby, and Caleb

Our Family....so worth the drive!

The Playroom at my Grandpa's house. I spent a lot of hours in here as a kid.

Brothers: I love this photo! It pretty much perfectly sums up their relationship. lol!

We have a ton of family in New Mexico who I think might enjoy these. Somebody show Grandpa for me! :)

Anyhow, thanks for enjoying these photos with me even though grandparent photos are maybe not that interesting to the general masses. Our trip to New Mexico was one of the sweetest gifts that Sean has given to me, and then the photos from Paul on top of it...well, I think I can safely say that time with family and the memories that go with them are everything. <3

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

Letters from Dad: #16

(Once a month, I invite Sean to take over the blog and write a little note to our kids. I love that he is willing to leave little nuggets of wisdom for them to look back on when they are older!

Dear Children,

First of all, let me apologize for not getting you a letter last month. I don’t have an excuse, and even if I did, it wouldn’t be a good one.

This month has been crazy. A lot of emotions have been going all over the place. Caleb had his heart surgery. The doctors kept telling us it was nothing to worry about, but as a parent, you worry about your kid having any type of surgery, let alone on his heart. Praise God he made it through and has been doing better than ever. He has a lot more energy now.

Unfortunately, while in the recovery room, I received notice that Two-Ma’s (your Great-Grandmother’s) health had taken a turn for the worse and some other bad news. It was a rough day. The day ended up going well. Caleb was full of energy when we got home, and then once he was settled, we were able to see Two-Ma before she made a complete turn for the worse.

We miss Two-Ma. I am having a hard time writing this month. I feel like I’m holding back to not get too emotional. I hope that when I’m done with this letter it makes sense.

You kids feel me with joy and laughter most every day. Around Mother’s Day, I told Two-Ma that Abby had her laugh. So true. Caleb and Ellie have her smile too. It’s hard to say what Elijah has inherited, but sometimes when he asks questions, I swear the look in his eyes reminds me of her.

Kids, my Grandma, loved Jesus. There is no doubt in my mind that she is now with Jesus. I hope so much that I will reflect the same love of Jesus to you kids that she did to everyone she met in her life. 

It was important to her that her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids continue her legacy and not let people forget about her Jesus.

She was a woman full of joy, laughter, and encouragement. Children, laugh and enjoy each day. Look for the good in all situations. That’s the way that your Great-Grandma would have done it.

Stay off the drugs also. While I never recall her explicitly saying to stay off drugs. I know she wasn’t a fan of addictions, unless the addiction was breakfast or laughter! In regards to addictions for other things besides drugs, anything that doesn’t help you or make you a better person needs to be avoided.

Your Two-Ma saw a lot of worth in staying joyful, full of faith, clean from addictions, and full of humor. I think that’s one of the reasons that she lived so long and had such a full life. You can learn a lot of lessons about living life by looking at how she did it.

Kids, sorry this letter has been all over the place, but the lessons I want you to take from it are important.

Love,

Daddy

(Once a month, I invite Sean to take over the blog and write a little note to our kids. I love that he is willing to leave little nuggets of wisdom for them to look back on when they are older!

Dear Children,

First of all, let me apologize for not getting you a letter last month. I don’t have an excuse, and even if I did, it wouldn’t be a good one.

This month has been crazy. A lot of emotions have been going all over the place. Caleb had his heart surgery. The doctors kept telling us it was nothing to worry about, but as a parent, you worry about your kid having any type of surgery, let alone on his heart. Praise God he made it through and has been doing better than ever. He has a lot more energy now.

Unfortunately, while in the recovery room, I received notice that Two-Ma’s (your Great-Grandmother’s) health had taken a turn for the worse and some other bad news. It was a rough day. The day ended up going well. Caleb was full of energy when we got home, and then once he was settled, we were able to see Two-Ma before she made a complete turn for the worse.

We miss Two-Ma. I am having a hard time writing this month. I feel like I’m holding back to not get too emotional. I hope that when I’m done with this letter it makes sense.

You kids feel me with joy and laughter most every day. Around Mother’s Day, I told Two-Ma that Abby had her laugh. So true. Caleb and Ellie have her smile too. It’s hard to say what Elijah has inherited, but sometimes when he asks questions, I swear the look in his eyes reminds me of her.

Kids, my Grandma, loved Jesus. There is no doubt in my mind that she is now with Jesus. I hope so much that I will reflect the same love of Jesus to you kids that she did to everyone she met in her life. 

It was important to her that her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids continue her legacy and not let people forget about her Jesus.

She was a woman full of joy, laughter, and encouragement. Children, laugh and enjoy each day. Look for the good in all situations. That’s the way that your Great-Grandma would have done it.

Stay off the drugs also. While I never recall her explicitly saying to stay off drugs. I know she wasn’t a fan of addictions, unless the addiction was breakfast or laughter! In regards to addictions for other things besides drugs, anything that doesn’t help you or make you a better person needs to be avoided.

Your Two-Ma saw a lot of worth in staying joyful, full of faith, clean from addictions, and full of humor. I think that’s one of the reasons that she lived so long and had such a full life. You can learn a lot of lessons about living life by looking at how she did it.

Kids, sorry this letter has been all over the place, but the lessons I want you to take from it are important.

Love,

Daddy

The Little Things Thursdays: #78

This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting our family and blog!

Welcome to The Little Things Thursday!!

If you are new to our link-up, we like to take a minute to look back on the little things that brightened our week. So often we get busy and forget all of the things that we enjoy as we go through our daily lives. This is an opportunity to stop, remember, and enjoy those things! Nothing is too small...in fact, the smaller the better! That's the whole point! If you have a blog, link-up below. If you don't blog, I'd love for you to participate by leaving a comment. Ready?

1. Polar Vortex - Summer Edition!

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

Sean and Becca (keeping it real with no makeup!)

They've been calling it a "Polar Vortex" in our neck of the woods. I have to say...I like summer polar vortexes! They are definitely a step up from the winter version. It's been really pleasant with the high's in the 70's for the past few days. It's hard to believe that it's mid-July and we are enjoying weather like this! We took advantage of it this evening and headed outside to play after dinner (complete with a "Frozen" sing along and dance party). Bedtime came too soon!

2. He's MY Superhero!

Once a month, our church offers Respite Care for a few hours so that the parents of special needs kids can have a break. We definitely took advantage of that on Saturday! Sean and I headed out for a lunch date, and then stopped by Target. While we were there, we found this awesome superhero t-shirt. I made Sean get it because it's true! He really is my superhero! He was all embarrassed that I made him hold it up for a picture, but he obliged me anyway. :)

3. Uhh....Buddy?

Caleb

So yesterday while I was cooking dinner, Caleb walked up behind me and just stood there. Like that. Staring at me. I finally picked him up, and moved him to the living room to watch a show with the other kids because it was kind of creeping me out. He immediately came right back and took up the same spot again. And continued to stare at me.

And I still have no idea why.

4. CSA: Last Week

I am SO disappointed! Normally the CSA program through Good Natured Family Farms is one of my favorite parts of summer. This year, it just totally bombed. And I mean, bombed. The boxes have been scarce and definitely not a good value for our money, they forget items almost every week, the produce that is included rots quickly, and the truck that does the delivery at my husband's office is ALWAYS late. We hated to do it, but we asked if it was possible to cancel mid-way through the season. Normally they don't allow it, but the program has been so bad this year, that they are letting people drop out. This is our last week, and we are (unfortunately) happy that we managed to get out of it. In the photo above, we have our box and a box that one of Sean's co-workers gave us this week: 4 bunches of kale, 4 bell peppers, 10 peaches, 6 patty-pan squash, 2 small loaves of zucchini bread, and 2 quarts of  heavy cream. And yes. We are missing stuff from this box too. In fact, they owe us the equivalent of several boxes at this point because of everything that has gone wrong. So sad.

Here's hoping that we can find a decent CSA for next summer, because I really love getting our fresh produce every week!

5. Grandma Winn

Sean, Grandma, and Becca

We were sad to say goodbye to Sean's grandmother this week. She fought cancer for 25+ years, and finally passed away from leukemia on Sunday afternoon. We took the above photo with her on Thursday evening during our last visit with her. When we went to see her on Sunday, she was unfortunately on the decline and wasn't aware that we were there. We were able to spend some time at her house with extended family as she drifted off to be with Jesus.

Please pray for comfort for her husband of almost 57 years, their 4 kids, and all of the grandkids and great-grandkids. Our girls were asking me about TwoMa today (her nickname), and I had to tell them that she went to be with Jesus. We all miss her dearly already.

Now it's your turn! What Little Things brightened up your week? Link up your post below (or leave a comment if you aren't a blogger) and make sure you come back next week to play again!

The link up rules are super simple!
1. Please add the button or a text link to your sidebar or post to share the fun that we are having over here!
2. Please visit at least one other blog linking up and leave some blog love. Maybe you will find someone else's "little thing" is exactly what you needed to read!
3. Please keep your linked post clean and respectful! Any links directing to offensive posts will be deleted.

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

This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting our family and blog!

Welcome to The Little Things Thursday!!

If you are new to our link-up, we like to take a minute to look back on the little things that brightened our week. So often we get busy and forget all of the things that we enjoy as we go through our daily lives. This is an opportunity to stop, remember, and enjoy those things! Nothing is too small...in fact, the smaller the better! That's the whole point! If you have a blog, link-up below. If you don't blog, I'd love for you to participate by leaving a comment. Ready?

1. Polar Vortex - Summer Edition!

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

Sean and Becca (keeping it real with no makeup!)

They've been calling it a "Polar Vortex" in our neck of the woods. I have to say...I like summer polar vortexes! They are definitely a step up from the winter version. It's been really pleasant with the high's in the 70's for the past few days. It's hard to believe that it's mid-July and we are enjoying weather like this! We took advantage of it this evening and headed outside to play after dinner (complete with a "Frozen" sing along and dance party). Bedtime came too soon!

2. He's MY Superhero!

Once a month, our church offers Respite Care for a few hours so that the parents of special needs kids can have a break. We definitely took advantage of that on Saturday! Sean and I headed out for a lunch date, and then stopped by Target. While we were there, we found this awesome superhero t-shirt. I made Sean get it because it's true! He really is my superhero! He was all embarrassed that I made him hold it up for a picture, but he obliged me anyway. :)

3. Uhh....Buddy?

Caleb

So yesterday while I was cooking dinner, Caleb walked up behind me and just stood there. Like that. Staring at me. I finally picked him up, and moved him to the living room to watch a show with the other kids because it was kind of creeping me out. He immediately came right back and took up the same spot again. And continued to stare at me.

And I still have no idea why.

4. CSA: Last Week

I am SO disappointed! Normally the CSA program through Good Natured Family Farms is one of my favorite parts of summer. This year, it just totally bombed. And I mean, bombed. The boxes have been scarce and definitely not a good value for our money, they forget items almost every week, the produce that is included rots quickly, and the truck that does the delivery at my husband's office is ALWAYS late. We hated to do it, but we asked if it was possible to cancel mid-way through the season. Normally they don't allow it, but the program has been so bad this year, that they are letting people drop out. This is our last week, and we are (unfortunately) happy that we managed to get out of it. In the photo above, we have our box and a box that one of Sean's co-workers gave us this week: 4 bunches of kale, 4 bell peppers, 10 peaches, 6 patty-pan squash, 2 small loaves of zucchini bread, and 2 quarts of  heavy cream. And yes. We are missing stuff from this box too. In fact, they owe us the equivalent of several boxes at this point because of everything that has gone wrong. So sad.

Here's hoping that we can find a decent CSA for next summer, because I really love getting our fresh produce every week!

5. Grandma Winn

Sean, Grandma, and Becca

We were sad to say goodbye to Sean's grandmother this week. She fought cancer for 25+ years, and finally passed away from leukemia on Sunday afternoon. We took the above photo with her on Thursday evening during our last visit with her. When we went to see her on Sunday, she was unfortunately on the decline and wasn't aware that we were there. We were able to spend some time at her house with extended family as she drifted off to be with Jesus.

Please pray for comfort for her husband of almost 57 years, their 4 kids, and all of the grandkids and great-grandkids. Our girls were asking me about TwoMa today (her nickname), and I had to tell them that she went to be with Jesus. We all miss her dearly already.

Now it's your turn! What Little Things brightened up your week? Link up your post below (or leave a comment if you aren't a blogger) and make sure you come back next week to play again!

The link up rules are super simple!
1. Please add the button or a text link to your sidebar or post to share the fun that we are having over here!
2. Please visit at least one other blog linking up and leave some blog love. Maybe you will find someone else's "little thing" is exactly what you needed to read!
3. Please keep your linked post clean and respectful! Any links directing to offensive posts will be deleted.

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

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!

Three Days of Christmas

Our First Christmas Together!

We are still recovering from our long Christmas weekend. Whoa. It was wonderful to get to see our family, but the kids especially were worn out by the time it was over.

THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS

We started the weekend off with a visit from the babies’ Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Winn. The babies seemed to really enjoy the visit, and Ellie discovered that Great-Grandma wears necklaces that are really fun to chew on. :-)

With Great-Grandparents Winn: Ellie, Caleb, Abby, and Eli

They brought a gift with them that was big enough to pile all of the babies on top of. Abby didn’t seem to get into the Christmas spirit as quickly as the others, but eventually, they all took turns tearing (really more like chewing) on the wrapping paper. They brought us one of those Super XL Play Yards. Or as I affectionately refer to it, “The Baby Cage. “ We’ve already started using it to corral the kids. Awesome gift because these little people are all over the place now!

What is this big box?Opening their first Christmas gift

Friday evening, my parents, brother Mike and his wife and daughter, and my two youngest brothers, Josh and Chris, came over for dinner. We decided to have a New Mexican Christmas dinner as a nod to our childhood. It’s so hard to find good Mexican food here in the Midwest, so we like to make it ourselves to make sure it is good. :-)

New Mexican Christmas Dinner

I made Chicken Fajitas with homemade salsa and homemade guacamole.

I baked some bischochitos as well. They are the traditional New Mexican Christmas cookie. Made with brandy or white wine, rolled thin, and dipped TWICE in sugar and cinnamon. Yummy!

Bischochitos

My Mom wrote down my grandma’s posole recipe while she was in Mesilla, New Mexico visiting last week. Cooked correctly, it takes a while to get that perfect flavor of pork, hominy, and red chili, but it is so worth it. Mom made her red chili sauce from scratch just like grandma used to do. She also brought a big pot of chile con queso (not rotel, mind you. I’m taking about the real stuff!)

Sarah brought Little Smokeys and Taquitos. Little Smokeys? That’s not technically Mexican, but every Christmas Eve, we had a potluck at my grandparents’ house and someone always brought Little Smokeys. It’s just not Christmas without them. The only food item that got a complaint were the Taquitos. Mike told Sarah that they weren’t quite right because she didn’t cut them in half for him like when we were growing up.

But, other than Mike’s small complaint, everyone thoroughly enjoyed skipping the Traditional Christmas Dinner, and going with the New Mexican version. Can you tell it was one of my favorite parts of the entire weekend??

Uncle Josh, Uncle Christopher, Grandpa, Cita, Daddy, Aunt Sarah, and Uncle Mike

There is even talk about making it a tradition from here on out. I’m totally on board with that!

The kids thought that the wrapping paper was the best part of the evening. Then they got to the toys and realized that Grandpa and Cita brought all toys that make noise. The kids LOVE the fact that they light up, move, and play music. (Sean and I are still coming to terms with the extra layer of noise in our house now.)

First Christmas!

Two of my siblings couldn’t make it back from Christmas, but we were lucky enough to get to Skype with my brother, Mark, from New Mexico (he moved back to the area that we grew up in). We wish that he could have made it here, but Skype is a good compromise!

THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS

Saturday afternoon, Sean’s parents, and sister Ruby and her husband and daughter came over for a traditional Christmas dinner. Ham, sweet potatoes, cheesy corn, rolls, and pumpkin pie. Another delicious meal! Which reminds me, I still need to get that cheesy corn recipe from Ruby. It was beyond amazing!

That was followed up by some Wii Bowling before we dug into pie and then into presents.

Pa, Cousin Marissa, Ma, and Daddy Playing the Wii

Cousin Marissa, Uncle Todd, and Aunt Ruby recovering from Christmas Dinner

So much for our kids not being spoiled! They were simply showered with toys, books, and clothes! But they are having a great time exploring all of their new items! Ellie was also held for two solid days, so we are still suffering from the ramifications of that. I didn’t really think it would be possible to spoil quadruplets. Uh…I was so wrong.

Abby, Cousin Mo, Eli, and Caleb looking at the Bilingual Learning Table from Uncle Todd and Aunt Ruby

Ellie and Abby unwrapping a new book from Ma and Pa

CHRISTMAS DAY

Sunday morning, it was just our little family. How fun to have their first Christmas! Unfortunately, by the time we got to Sunday, they were completely done with anything related to Christmas. Sean and I didn’t do much in terms of gifts for them (consignment sales is where it is at!), but even the little we did was completely unnecessary after the windfall of gifts they got on Friday and Saturday. In fact, I collected all of the puzzles they got from us for Christmas, and I’m going to rewrap them as birthday gifts. Yep, I’m that kind of mom. I won’t be able to get away with that for long, but I’ll take it while I can!

The babies and their three days of loot

Post-Christmas Day

Monday morning, our kids who are usually awake and playing in their cribs by 8am, slept until we woke them up at 10am. We didn’t take them anywhere due to our lockdown, but apparently they were exhausted just from interacting with everyone.  Whew!

Eli and Caleb, tired but still playing...

The only thing that Ellie wanted to do all day on Monday.

This was not posed! Abby was just too worn out to play or crawl around anymore. Eli makes a nice pillow. :)

Even though we enjoyed our first Christmas together, all six of us need a break. I hate to say that I’m glad it’s over, but it’s nice to get back to the regular way our house runs.

But, I’m already looking forward to next year when our kids will be able to make Christmas crafts, eat Christmas Dinner with us at the table, help us decorate the tree, and start understanding the real reason for the CHRISTmas season!

Our First Christmas Together!

We are still recovering from our long Christmas weekend. Whoa. It was wonderful to get to see our family, but the kids especially were worn out by the time it was over.

THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS

We started the weekend off with a visit from the babies’ Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Winn. The babies seemed to really enjoy the visit, and Ellie discovered that Great-Grandma wears necklaces that are really fun to chew on. :-)

With Great-Grandparents Winn: Ellie, Caleb, Abby, and Eli

They brought a gift with them that was big enough to pile all of the babies on top of. Abby didn’t seem to get into the Christmas spirit as quickly as the others, but eventually, they all took turns tearing (really more like chewing) on the wrapping paper. They brought us one of those Super XL Play Yards. Or as I affectionately refer to it, “The Baby Cage. “ We’ve already started using it to corral the kids. Awesome gift because these little people are all over the place now!

What is this big box?Opening their first Christmas gift

Friday evening, my parents, brother Mike and his wife and daughter, and my two youngest brothers, Josh and Chris, came over for dinner. We decided to have a New Mexican Christmas dinner as a nod to our childhood. It’s so hard to find good Mexican food here in the Midwest, so we like to make it ourselves to make sure it is good. :-)

New Mexican Christmas Dinner

I made Chicken Fajitas with homemade salsa and homemade guacamole.

I baked some bischochitos as well. They are the traditional New Mexican Christmas cookie. Made with brandy or white wine, rolled thin, and dipped TWICE in sugar and cinnamon. Yummy!

Bischochitos

My Mom wrote down my grandma’s posole recipe while she was in Mesilla, New Mexico visiting last week. Cooked correctly, it takes a while to get that perfect flavor of pork, hominy, and red chili, but it is so worth it. Mom made her red chili sauce from scratch just like grandma used to do. She also brought a big pot of chile con queso (not rotel, mind you. I’m taking about the real stuff!)

Sarah brought Little Smokeys and Taquitos. Little Smokeys? That’s not technically Mexican, but every Christmas Eve, we had a potluck at my grandparents’ house and someone always brought Little Smokeys. It’s just not Christmas without them. The only food item that got a complaint were the Taquitos. Mike told Sarah that they weren’t quite right because she didn’t cut them in half for him like when we were growing up.

But, other than Mike’s small complaint, everyone thoroughly enjoyed skipping the Traditional Christmas Dinner, and going with the New Mexican version. Can you tell it was one of my favorite parts of the entire weekend??

Uncle Josh, Uncle Christopher, Grandpa, Cita, Daddy, Aunt Sarah, and Uncle Mike

There is even talk about making it a tradition from here on out. I’m totally on board with that!

The kids thought that the wrapping paper was the best part of the evening. Then they got to the toys and realized that Grandpa and Cita brought all toys that make noise. The kids LOVE the fact that they light up, move, and play music. (Sean and I are still coming to terms with the extra layer of noise in our house now.)

First Christmas!

Two of my siblings couldn’t make it back from Christmas, but we were lucky enough to get to Skype with my brother, Mark, from New Mexico (he moved back to the area that we grew up in). We wish that he could have made it here, but Skype is a good compromise!

THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS

Saturday afternoon, Sean’s parents, and sister Ruby and her husband and daughter came over for a traditional Christmas dinner. Ham, sweet potatoes, cheesy corn, rolls, and pumpkin pie. Another delicious meal! Which reminds me, I still need to get that cheesy corn recipe from Ruby. It was beyond amazing!

That was followed up by some Wii Bowling before we dug into pie and then into presents.

Pa, Cousin Marissa, Ma, and Daddy Playing the Wii

Cousin Marissa, Uncle Todd, and Aunt Ruby recovering from Christmas Dinner

So much for our kids not being spoiled! They were simply showered with toys, books, and clothes! But they are having a great time exploring all of their new items! Ellie was also held for two solid days, so we are still suffering from the ramifications of that. I didn’t really think it would be possible to spoil quadruplets. Uh…I was so wrong.

Abby, Cousin Mo, Eli, and Caleb looking at the Bilingual Learning Table from Uncle Todd and Aunt Ruby

Ellie and Abby unwrapping a new book from Ma and Pa

CHRISTMAS DAY

Sunday morning, it was just our little family. How fun to have their first Christmas! Unfortunately, by the time we got to Sunday, they were completely done with anything related to Christmas. Sean and I didn’t do much in terms of gifts for them (consignment sales is where it is at!), but even the little we did was completely unnecessary after the windfall of gifts they got on Friday and Saturday. In fact, I collected all of the puzzles they got from us for Christmas, and I’m going to rewrap them as birthday gifts. Yep, I’m that kind of mom. I won’t be able to get away with that for long, but I’ll take it while I can!

The babies and their three days of loot

Post-Christmas Day

Monday morning, our kids who are usually awake and playing in their cribs by 8am, slept until we woke them up at 10am. We didn’t take them anywhere due to our lockdown, but apparently they were exhausted just from interacting with everyone.  Whew!

Eli and Caleb, tired but still playing...

The only thing that Ellie wanted to do all day on Monday.

This was not posed! Abby was just too worn out to play or crawl around anymore. Eli makes a nice pillow. :)

Even though we enjoyed our first Christmas together, all six of us need a break. I hate to say that I’m glad it’s over, but it’s nice to get back to the regular way our house runs.

But, I’m already looking forward to next year when our kids will be able to make Christmas crafts, eat Christmas Dinner with us at the table, help us decorate the tree, and start understanding the real reason for the CHRISTmas season!