Charlotte's first day of school: Pre-K

Charlotte, our big four year old started Pre-K two weeks ago & I am still recovering from that trip to West Palm Beach which is why it has taken so long to catch up on blog posts ; ) 

Here she is on the first day....

Charlotte & I went on a special night before the first day of school date to pick out a new dress & eat some ice cream....two things we both enjoy. She was so excited about her new dress that she was in it, at my bedside before 6am saying "is it time to go to school yet?" I wish I was raring to go at 6am! So, we rolled out of bed, enjoyed some breakfast  & headed out the door. It was actually kind of nice to not be rushed sue to our early morning wake up call. 

It is rare that I get a picture of both of these girls looking at the camera at the same time. I was taking a picture of Charlotte when Eloise insisted on joining her. Precious girls.  Charlotte looks so old to me.

And then of course Eloise wanted to pose by herself....

Oh, and I wanted a picture too with my big girl on her first day....

We are really excited about our decision to begin our homeschooling adventure this year! Since moving to Florida our family has been surrounded by multiple families who have chosen to homeschool & do it amazingly well in a variety of ways.  For this year, we decided on joining a community called Classical Conversations where Charlotte will be a part of a Pre-Kindergarten class once a week. One exciting part of Classical Conversations is that I get to go to class with Charlotte! 

Many have never heard of this so, to quote the website:
Classical Conversations is a leader in the home-centered education movement. It is a mission: To know God and to make Him known. It is a model: Classical Conversations combines the classical method of learning with a biblical worldview. It is a method: Classical Conversations families meet in communities where parents train parents to implement home-centered education well.

Everything about it sounded appealing to us as we explored our options. A once a week commitment outside the home sounded just right for our family at this time, connecting with other families that are doing the same thing is a major plus but what really blew me away was the method & content.  

The classical method of learning begins with the grammar stage where students learn the terms & facts associated with a subject.  Each week a new set of memory work is introduced by the tutor. The memory work covers six subjects: timeline/history, geography, math, science, Latin, and English grammar.  Anyone that has a child around this age could say they have been surprised by their ability to retain information.  They remember all sorts of things...even things that have zero significance.  This memory work includes things I don't even know or don't remember, specifically the history sentence for each week. When I sat in on a class in January while considering enrolling Charlotte I thought "Why on earth would my preschool aged child need to learn to label a world map or memorize historical events & dates or the eight parts of speech?" 

To address this question, my favorite way it was explained to me was something like this: Imagine your child's mind is full of file folders. This method provides a framework for information intake. They memorize facts & file them away. They don't have to understand details about each subject but once the fact is committed to memory, it is there & ready to be explored in more detail as they mature. 

I mentioned the six subjects we focus on for memory work but while we are there we also get to do a hands on science project & study fine arts which includes drawing, music theory & exposure to classical composers. At home we add in reading, phonics & math which at this point I am still figuring out how that looks for us. One part I am really excited about is the History Timeline. It is 161 events in chronological order that integrate world history with bible & church history. Each event has it's own laminated card with a picture to cue the brain : ) We learn 7 or 8 new events each week with hand motions & it goes along with a Timeline song that may sound a little hokey but WOW, we (the whole fam or at least those who speak) already has it stuck in our heads all the time & can be found singing parts of it randomly.

Back to Charlotte's first day. I mentioned that I get to go with Charlotte to her class which means there are three other children that need to be cared for.  There is a nursery provided for a small fee.  Due to a little miscommunication I arrived on the first day ready to drop off all three & was told that babies under one year old need to stay with the mom. Haha! Actually in that moment, there was no laughing, I almost burst into tears & told the lady that we would have to go home (and never come back).  They felt awful for not catching that I had twins in all the emails that went around. They were SO very kind & arranged some moms with older children to help me manage the boys. I had the Ergo so I kept one with me & traded off with those who love babies.  One mom told me that her son was 185 pounds now & it had been years since she cuddled a sweet baby boy : ) I can't even imagine little Owen weighing 185 pounds ha! 

So, once the childcare situation was squared away, I snuck into Charlotte's class to find her sitting quietly listening to her teacher. I was SO flustered & within the first hour I texted Rob telling him I had almost burst into tears multiple times & asked him to pray for me.

Charlotte's buddy Hannah is in her class. They both felt about the same & were a little stand offish as the rest of the kids jumped right into class. Charlotte even ran over to me more than a few times when she felt unsure of herself. 

Another part of our time in class each week is listening to each child do a presentation that they have prepared prior to class.  The goal of this is to get children comfortable with standing & presenting in front of their peers.  Charlotte was SO excited to practice her first one for the FIRST day of school & had it down pat. It went like this: "My name is Charlotte Valentine. I have sister named Eloise & twin baby brothers named Owen & Anson. I like to eat macaroni & cheese for dinner & pancakes for breakfast with syrup. My favorite sport is to play tennis with my dad." She had a little piece of paper we made together that had drawings that were reminders of what to say. She taught Eloise how to do the same presentation & we heard it over & over & over.

Charlotte listened to about 6 of the other 8 students in her class do their presentation first. A couple were comfortable, a few sat in their chairs & whispered into the tutor's ear. When it was her turn she told me she wasn't going to do it. Big surprise ; ) I grabbed her hand & we went up to the front together. I knelt down with Anson in the Ergo & wrapped my arm around Charlotte.  I asked her to tell everyone her name. She hid her face against my shoulder.  I basically did her presentation for her but I will give her credit for saying that the baby brother I was holding was named Anson. I felt the heat myself as an adult who is fairly confident in front of others so I understand how it made her so nervous! When she I finished her my presentation everyone clapped. Charlotte HATES when people draw attention to her with clapping (or singing "Happy Birthday"). Charlotte started crying & ran for the door. I thought we would step outside & talk for a moment.  Instead she took off running around the courtyard while I chased her. Again, I felt like crying & like I didn't know what to do. I caught her, calmed her down eventually & we re-entered.

Since I am so slow at updating the blog right now, we had our second day of school last week.  Her presentation went much better this time around! The tutor had her go last which I am thinking she thought would be helpful since Charlotte was so nervous the week before Instead it was pure torture for this little girl! She kept walking over to me & saying  "I'm not doing it!" after each person presented. There were still a couple kids that were as nervous as she was. When it was finally her turn, she got to share about a bible story & although I still knelt next to her, she did more talking & was really proud of herself.  We also asked everyone to hold the clapping which they so kindly did. Charlotte returned to her chair with a smile on her face after giving me a high five & a hug. It was really fun to see her feel like she accomplished something that she was terrified of.

I didn't get a picture of O & A but their lady friend, Miss Lilah Leigh, Hannah's sister got to spend the mornings with us too. She is 3 months younger than the boys but outweighs them both & is perfectly squishy.

I just love Charlotte for many reasons, one of those is that she is so different from me.  When I told Robby about her first day he said that nothing surprised him.  In new situations I am more chatty than ever while she is a quiet observer but really soaks in information even when you think she is not paying attention. She got much more comfortable when we started the fine arts portion & she got to do some drawing. We worked on some tracing & then followed the tutors' instruction on drawing a castle. Charlotte drew the very same castle about 50 times during the week following her first class. She was so cute (and so meticulous) about it & she only wanted to draw with a red marker since that is what she did at school!

Annie, Hannah's mommy is friend I love spending time with & am overjoyed to be doing this together. We exchanged some glances (and muffled laughing behind our hands) during the first day of class as we watched our barely four year olds jump into a class full of kids that seemed far more advanced due to the fact that most had an older sibling that had been in Classical Conversations before & had been exposed to the memory work.  The fact that younger siblings are pretty darn smart has been proven by Eloise & Lawson (Annie's two year old) who are like little parrots repeating the information they are hearing. The first week we learned a history sentence about Charlemagne. We say it & then we sing it to some strange little tune that ends up invading your mind for weeks. Eloise is constantly requesting to hear the "Charlotte's mane" song. She too can say half of the continents after a week of this. Hilarious & intriguing. Owen & Anson's first word will probably be Charlemagne ; ) So these other super smart kids, some of them were boys who had just turned five but were doing Pre-K instead of Kindergarten the there are others that are closer to five instead of just turning four. We are still working on writing Charlotte's name instead of drawing a world map from memory but I am guessing we will catch up by the end of the year. Even seeing all of the other kids write their names so quickly made Charlotte really interested in writing her name. Poor girl has triple the amount of letters than some kids ; ) She is getting the hang of it though!

Here is her pal Hannah yawning as she watched the tutor draw. This was a lot in the first day for the oldest child of each of our families that is used to spending time at home while younger siblings nap & even taking naps themselves.

The day following our first day at Classical Conversations was our first day of school at home. We started with reviewing the memory work & I was SHOCKED at how much Charlotte remembered. We sat down with our world map, rolled out seven little balls of play doh, one for each continent. She labeled them correctly with her flags that have the name & the shape of the continent in no time at all then proceeded to tell me the names of at least half with no prompting. She was super excited to practice what we had learned & do anything with dry erase markers ; ) Each weekday we practiced our memory work & worked on writing some letters....oh and we drew a million and one castles.  Our schedule was really not even a schedule. We just did 15 minute chunks here & there when others were occupied....the beauty of home schooling! I do plan to get into more of a routine this week though because I think it will be helpful for me, the woman who loves check lists. 

Approaching week two of school I was a little nervous to return since at the end of our first day there I was considering never coming back ; ) Charlotte was awake by 6am again, dressed in her cute little outfit & forced to lay in our bed until 6:30 when we let people act like they are awake.  My parents were in town so they came over to stay with the boys.  It was quite a bit easier to be there with just the big girls! 

Charlotte was delighted to be in her class & even smiled with Hannah!

The first time the tutor asked if anyone would like to volunteer to come up to the board & point at numbers while we practiced some skip counting Charlotte jumped up immediately & did what she asked. I was in shock. She was so comfortable & when nervous would glance at me & respond to a thumbs up instead of running to me (most of the time).  

Here she is at the board practicing drawing some shapes...

Here we are, two weeks in & looking forward to another fresh start for the week tomorrow then heading back to class later in the week! I have to add that I read through a Classical Conversations magazine a couple months ago & remember that a woman said that learning in this way alongside your child is like getting a new brain. I thought to myself in the postpartum fog "that is exactly what I need....a new brain!" Three cheers for a new brain for mommy & filling these young minds with information! Pre-K here we come!

the trip that changed my life forever

I'm not even sure where to begin in recording the excitement of our first family vacation as a family of six.  A few months ago, our friends Halie & Eric from Dallas let us know they would be in West Palm Beach for a wedding in August. We thought "Perfect! The boys will be almost 6 months old & we could use a little fun at the beach. Let's go ahead & book a hotel room for two nights at the non refundable rate!" Well well well, what we were unaware of is that there is NO rest & relaxation available for families traveling with four children ages four & under....especially at the beach!  Precisely 24 hours before departure our little friends had runny noses & coughs.  The night before we left we had Charlotte & Eloise in our bed with us because they cried every time they coughed & woke themselves up. For Eloise this was once every 10 minutes.  The boys woke up to eat in the middle of the night & us parents, we missed out on resting up for the drive.  Disclaimer: This post is not me complaining....it is stating the truth & nothing but the truth about a "vacation" with the fab four in tow. 

I worked my tail off to pack everything everyone needed for 48 hours away from home.  While we were trying to finish up getting things together we heard Eloise saying "I need help...water!" I asked her to wait but she had gotten herself into a little pickle if you will. When Robby made it to the kitchen he found a good 4x6 foot area flooded with water due to the giant plastic up she had jammed up against the water dispenser.  We should have known then we were headed into the "no fun" zone.  

We were actually backing out of the driveway a few minutes ahead of schedule but after stopping at Walgreens to stock up on a couple bottles of an all natural miracle working cough syrup (both day & night), flying thru the drive thru lane at Panera for some breakfast sandwiches for the leader of the pack & his lady, we were behind schedule by 30 minutes. The second we got on the turnpike with few exits Eloise said she had to go potty.  We were successful in distracting her so we continued on down the rode in hopes she wouldn't flood her car seat like she did the kitchen floor only an hour before.  Usually the girls ride next to each other in the back seat & the boys ride next to each other in the middle seat. I thought I was pretty smart to switch Anson to the back row with Charlotte & move Eloise to the other side of the middle seat with a safe amount of distance between her & Owen.  We were quickly reminded of how chatty Eloise is & how her screams are deafening when she is only 2 feet away instead of 4 ; ) Believe me when I say that I love to hear my children talk & I love to have conversations with them but in our supposed two and a half hour drive I was hoping to be visiting with the driver instead of all the passengers.  Long story short, the passengers were a bit unruly, disobedient & obnoxious ...and when I say passengers, I mean Charlotte & Eloise. They required non stop attention to insure that the driver would not do a U turn on the turnpike & head home. It. was. that. bad. We did have a hard laugh long after the fact when I reminded Robby that he at one point said "If you do that again, I am going to pull the car over & spank you all the way to the beach!" Hahahaha! I was trying to picture what he meant exactly as I smirked in the front seat trying not to laugh out loud since I knew it would only stir the pot.

We finally made it to the resort where our friends were staying.  The resort, which shall remain nameless was definitely a place for the rich & the famous....not us & our crazy crew.  I'm pretty sure it wasn't cool that Elo had an accident & I had forgotten extra panties so I air dried her Hello Kitty ones on the beach chair. Our unruliness/crying by the babes was also not too fun during our gourmet Cuban sandwich lunch. All that to say, we still had some fun. We got suited up & met Eric at the umbrella & chairs he staked out for us. The ocean was beautiful as always & the men kept the little girlies safe while they made a run for it. 

Here is baby Elo with her cute little squishy tushy commanding the waves....   

Halie & I got the boys lathered up & dressed for their first visit to the beach. I am so sad that this is the only picture I got of my precious friend Halie! It goes to show how crazy the rest of the time was! She does look beautiful though with my my little guys.  She & Eric have a son named Calvin that will turn two in December. We were bummed that he did not get to come along for Mommy & Daddy's weekend away but I think they enjoyed some time alone.

I don't get to be in pictures all that often so I had Halie snap one of me & my beach boys that are so interested in their hands these days they can't look & smile on command ; )

Anson & Owen

and the beach babes that took about 3 seconds to decide the beach was the best place ever....

There is Robby's leg over on the right...proof he was there.

Charlotte LOVED collecting shells!

So the fun at the beach part lasted a short time before we had our loud lunch at the fancy hotel & then headed to the bathrooms to change back into clothes. Rob hit his limit of tolerating the shenanigans during lunch. I was still as cool as a cucumber (not really that cool) until Halie & I took all four kids to the spa like bathroom. I had asked the girls to park it near the door & not touch anything which apparently are not very clear directions for the two year old. This was proven by the couple times I pulled disposable razors out of her hands & returned them to the trash bin.  The highlight of our trip to the bathroom was when Halie had Owen on the changing table putting his clothes back on. I stripped Anson down to his birthday suit & was cradling him on my right side about to lay him down as well when he starting spraying everywhere! Eloise, who could not follow directions walked right under the stream....SICK! I think I still forget that boys are prone to let loose at inopportune times ; ) We cleaned up the kids & the mess & got out of there as fast as possible. When I locked eyes with Rob, he knew before I could say that I too had far surpassed my limit & was ready to be air lifted out of there. 

We traipsed through the beautiful hallways & lobby with the amazing help of our friends. I had a baby in the Ergo while carrying Eloise when I handed our ticket to the valet guy. The lady next to me couldn't help but stare that stare I see often. It is one where they can't decide if four four & under is a huge blessing (it is) or if they feel sorry for me or wonder if we understand how babies are made (we do). I smiled sweetly & winked at her while wrestling Eloise & said "I bet he gets my car before yours." He was a smart man & he did. 

We were loaded & strapped in after 10 minutes of shuffling & forcing people to sit down. We checked into our room, walked in & Charlotte looked around quite disappointed & said "this place doesn't have any toys?!" She was so excited to stay in a "hotelf" as she calls it & was still kind of excited following the discovery of the lack of things to play with. Having two queen sized beds in the girls room was enough to satisfy. We were hoping to get cleaned up, let the boys nap & then get together with our friends again. Slight change of plans when children were definitely out of control. Eloise screamed for about an hour & a half & we said, no thanks, we will stay here.  Rob & Char went on a date to pick up Chili's for dinner which we ate in our room. While they were gone Eloise & I had some wonderful quality time together reading. She was happy to hear The Very Hungry Caterpillar about twenty times in a row & we never moved onto the other books we brought. She was snuggly & delightful when not being angered by her sis. 

 It is hilarious that the next & final picture of our whole weekend away was taken the next morning.  It is Anson passed out solo in a king size bed.  This was following a night of little sleep for those in our room.  Thankfully our hotel room we rented was a 2 bedroom suite with a living area/kitchen allowing us to put kids to bed in separate rooms while we enjoyed some mommy & daddy time on the couch.  The night before this picture was taken we dosed the girls with some au natural cough medicine tucked them into their big beds surrounded by eight pillows each. I fed the boys & put them to bed in our bedroom.  We recounted the days' adventures, forgave each other for any of the things we said or did in complete frustration & had a few good laughs. We climbed into bed so excited to get some rest. Why does it always seem that on nights you are SO excited to sleep that your children are keenly aware & decide to be awake all night. In summary, all the kids had runny noses, the boys woke each hour, the girls were in & out of our room crying, at one point I think all six of us were in our king size bed before Rob realized that we had two queen size beds in the other room. He grabbed the girls & snuggled them until they went back to sleep then stayed put in that room. I somehow positioned the boys to dine as desired for the rest of the night while I slept. I was TERRIFIED to fall asleep with the girls when they were babies...guess that went out the window ; ) I think I slept about 2 hours total that night.  Owen & I got up the next morning & left sleepy brother in bed....

We laughed about how they had on their supposed "magic pajamas" WHERE WAS THE MAGIC?? I said that we must have forgotten to soak the sleeves in Benadryl ; ) Anyway, after crazy long nights of no sleep it is a sweet gift when the sun comes up & no matter how tired you are, you just start over.

We got dressed, picked up Halie & Eric then headed over to Cracker Barrel for some breakfast.  Breakfast was delicious & pretty uneventful minus my iPhone being dropped directly onto the plate of butter. It went into the speakers resulting in a very quiet ringtone until I found an online remedy of blowing compressed air into a few days later.

After breakfast we went for a swim. This might have been the most hilarious part.  Our sweet friends who were enjoying the lovely resort with at least four beautiful pools to choose from spent the morning with us, holding the boys while we swam in the rectangular hole in the ground full of slightly murky water at our hotel. Well it wasn't really full of murky water but it must have been the paint color they chose for the concrete....it just wasn't really fresh & inviting looking like those pools at the fancy resort. The girls were excited though so Robby & I jumped in. First thing we noticed was this man swimming laps back & forth with two ladies watching. Not completely odd but then one of the ladies got my attention & said while pointing at the girls "they can't touch that guy (pointing at the man swimming laps) he just had surgery on his leg & if they bump into it, his leg will blow up!" Really? Blow up? Now that would be quite a story ; ) So, we instructed the girls to swim on the other side of the pool to avoid any explosions.  Other thing you might not see at the resort were three ladies fully clothed sitting in the pool on the steps listening to some "soul music" from their boom box. Charlotte was in her puddle jumper swim float & swam right up to them for a chat. They were so sweet & happy to talk to Char.  One of them happened to be named Scarlett which Charlotte thought was pretty neat.  They couldn't believe all four kids were ours & I said I couldn't believe that we had tried to spend the night in a hotel. I mentioned that I had only slept about an hour the night before due to screaming babies. She immediately said "Are you on the fourth floor?" Guilty as charged. So, all that to say, we were grateful for our friends who could have cared less where we spent our time as long as we got to be together : )

After our swim, the kids took naps then we got to meet up with Hugo, Juanita & Matilda. We did another quick beach trip but of course the boys were fussy & we left earlier than we would have liked. That evening Robby was bathing the girls while I was feeding the boys. I could hear all the ruckus while I read through a blog post titled "With little kids you take trips, not vacations." It had me laughing so hard I was distracting them from finishing up their dinner. I could hardly wait to read it to Rob & did as soon as all the kids were in bed & we were snuggled on the couch. It was the perfect thing to read at the end of our trip with our VERY little children.

We finished up the night with some Duck Dynasty & went to bed in separate bedrooms: Daddy & the girls, Mommy & the boys. I was smart & propped the boys up on me the the first time they woke for the all night feast. We got just a bit more rest that night than the previous PRAISE THE LORD.

Upon waking we packed, loaded & got back on the road for another hour & a half hour of torture until Eloise passed out in her car seat.  It had never felt so amazing to be in our home with ten loads of laundry to do & a dirty kitchen than it did that afternoon. Our trip pushed us to limits we were unaware of so much so that we chose to cancel a trip to visit our dear friends Michael & Christi in North Carolina next month. We made our reservations at the Ellis Hotel in Kingwood, Texas for the Christmas Holiday...that should be a mere 18 hour drive. We are already mentally preparing for it. I will surely be purchasing a DVD player, a million snacks & some sleeping pills ; )

I titled this post "the trip that changed my life forever" because it was really the final push over the edge into helping us recognize where we are in life.  Weekends away aren't really weekends away at all, it is just relocating the chaos.  I am laughing as I am writing tonight thinking about how at one point during the trip Charlotte was crying & I was holding her saying "this is not what vacation should be like sweetheart." Hahaha! Someday we will take a vacation....right?

Life with Four: Four & Under

My original plan was to write a post titled "Four under Four" since that had a nice ring to it & was where we were for the first four months after O & A joined the family. I was in a hurry mentally documenting what life was like up until the night before Charlotte's fourth birthday when I realized it just wasn't going to happen....a little ironic.  I think I thought something magical would occur when my oldest turned four but it turns out, so far not much has changed! Four, four & under is pretty much identically crazy to four under four : ) 

Great example...

I think it went from mid June to this sometime in July & then I finally switched it on the 20th of August. I know that because it still says the 20th. 

Back to those who keep me from ever knowing what day it actually is....  We always knew we wanted to have more than a couple children & I know for a fact we never thought we would have four in just over three & a half years!  It is still hilarious to me that we brought up the caboose with surprise twins.  Life in the past five months has been nothing short of absolute insanity. We, the parents of this brood, have experienced exhaustion like never before, have dealt with extreme swings on the emotional pendulum, mostly me, have argued, have laughed a lot & have struggled to survive the day.  Most importantly, we have continued to be cared for & held together by the God who spoke the world into being.  Sounds simple but it is helpful to be reminded that God made me, He chose these children to be placed in my care & he chose the time frame as to which they would be given to me.  He equips me, He can & will sustain me.  

I felt like I had four children when the boys were still residents of the NICU at Winnie but I just traveled back & forth to spend time with each set of two.  I think it is safe to say that it didn't really click until we brought the boys home from the hospital & I saw all four together.  This photo was taken on April 3rd which was our first full day home from the hospital as a family of six. I took about 20 in a row of those sweet (and silly) sisters loving on their little misters.  This was my absolute favorite because it shows the sheer delight found in being together after a month apart..... 

  

Transition for the sisters:

We prayed that Charlotte & Eloise would love their brothers.  The Lord answered that prayer immediately & continues to do so every day.  These girls LOVE Owen & Anson! Thankfully we have dealt with zero jealously. I always say that they love them too much....like a smothering kind of love ; ) They want to be involved in everything baby related which is precious but sometimes a bit overwhelming. Utter sweetness though when they are snuggled up close to the "baby boas" as Charlotte says.   

Owen & Eloise

Charlotte & Anson

Charlotte is amazingly helpful & is capable (sometimes willing) to feed someone a bottle. She is a pro at getting them out of their sleep sacks/PJs & even tries to change diapers. Eloise loves to help too but cannot be left alone for obvious reasons.  Here she is below pointing her finger & correcting me for telling her not to feed Anson the graham cracker she has in her other hand. I turned around the other day to find a piece of string cheese hanging out of Owen's mouth! Also she told me about how she gave one of the boys her orange juice from her sippy cup. I guess that's one way to break them into the solid foods ; )  

Spending lots of time at home, we are in some sort of routine that involves playtime together & individually. The girls are happy to "read" to the boys while I fix lunch or a snack & the boys really enjoy it!

Babies are so much tougher than everyone makes them out to be.  I feel like that could be an incriminating statement ; ) Our pediatrician said one time when we reported that Anson had rolled himself off of the ottoman & onto the floor while sleeping that babies can usually fall from 4 feet or below with no problems after. She also listed a few other fun facts about babies like how how there arms can bend backwards more than ours without putting too much stress on the joint. I said "check, we've tried that one!" Haha! I really am monitoring all the time but I still miss things like take today  for example... I had Eloise & Owen with me in the boys room.  Charlotte & Anson were in the "library" on the floor, or at least they started there. I was talking on the phone with Jenny & peeked out of the door to check on trustworthy & responsible Charlotte. She was no where in sight & neither was Anson. I put Owen safely in his crib & took off running through the house. Do you know that I found her holding Anson in our bedroom on the other side of the house "hiding"? OH MY! I said "Charlotte, how on earth did you get that baby in here?" She smiled & said (while demonstrating) I just lifted him up like this (bear hug) & walked on my knees all the way here!" I am sure that was quite the work out for her little body! Overall those boys are tougher every day & don't even mind when Eloise rides them like a horsey. 

Most of the time when left to their own devices, their onesies are unsnapped & pulled up so they can blow on those bellies. I can't resist doing it either!

We couldn't have hoped for sweeter, more loving big sisters for Owen & Anson. As wild as the combo is, I am so thankful they are really close in age & will grow up doing everything together.

Every now & then they are all calm for about 1.2 seconds & I can get a great picture. This is one of my favorites when the boys were almost 3 months old. 

Ridiculous things we say a million times a day:

We find ourselves laughing often as we hear words come out of each others mouths (and our own)....here are a few of the phrases that are commonly stated.

• "Don't touch the babies eyes again."
• "Please stop licking his tongue, that's yucky."
• "and don't lick my leg again either!"
• "Stop riding on Bella, she's an old girl."
• "Don't jump on people when they aren't looking...especially off of furniture."
• "How long have you not had pants on Eloise?"
• "Please take your foot off of his belly, you are going to squish him"
• "Do not jump over the babies...it is never a good idea."
• "If a door is locked, do not pick it"
• there are soooo many more & I will have to add them in as I say them just to have them recorded in my book :) 

Getting out & about:  

This category has proven to be a bit tricky!  It was just before Eloise's birthday in May when I decided one day that I was going to conquer my fear & take everyone to the grocery store. I got everyone fed, dressed & pottied then started loading them into their seats. My car was parked in the garage & I was unaware of the rain coming down until I opened the garage door. I refused to unload & go back inside after my 30 minutes of packing for & loading of four small children so I continued on as two little voices from the back seat told me over & over that we were going to get wet. Boy were they right! Thankfully there was a parking spot right in front with a cart nearby.  I put the Ergo on before getting out of the car, ran to grab the cart & went as fast as humanly possible to get from the car to inside the store. One baby rode in the Ergo, one stayed in the carseat & rode in the big part of the cart.  I snapped Elo into the seat in the cart & Charlotte walked.  We were wet & a bit chilly. We went straight to the meat counter to get some turkey & cheese. It was confirmed that the slowest moving person to ever slice deli meat works at the Publix around the corner from my house. Both babies were screaming as I tried to bounce the one on me & keep a paci in the other one's mouth while Eloise kept turning around to "help" me. The 20 something guy behind the counter had no idea that I wasn't up for chatting ; ) We made it through our trip without much more crying & the girls were very obedient in our 15 minute visit. The cart fills up quick when you have a massive carseat that only allows for 5 items to fit alongside it!  I felt so great after it was over & have only done it a few other times. I think it is just knowing I can that puts me at ease. 

We have made it to the park with me + 4 once which was somewhat manageable. The pool is off limits due to the danger factor & I won't be attempting Chick-Fil-A anytime soon anywhere but the drive thru lane.  

When I am on my own trying to leave with everyone it is pretty much never smooth.  My favorite of the stories is this:  I was finally dressed in a cute dress, feeling quite fresh. I had planned to feed the boys when I got where I was going but of course someone woke early so I was nursing both when Eloise said she needed to go potty. I asked Char to help her but she decided to take her time getting there & by the time she did it was too late. She yelled for help & I ran into the bathroom without assessing the situation & completely soaked the bottom of my dress in urine....sick! In the process one baby spit up all over the front of my dress. Eloise was crying & while Charlotte was loudly telling me that Eloise tee-teed all over the floor. I actually said to Charlotte "well, it's because you didn't get there fast enough!" Wow, Robby reminded me later that even though Charlotte seems so much bigger than the other kids, she is still only three & is a baby herself. So easy to lose sight of! After changing clothes we still headed over to our friends house & enjoyed a little time away. 

When I weigh the pros & cons I settle on: Who needs to get out to have fun anyway? We do exciting things every day like stand on tables & stack play doh containers as high as we possibly can or hang upside down from the craft table.

When we can do two adults to four kids we are invincible.....or so we imagine ; ) Many outings are enjoyable whether we are grocery shopping or playing at the park & even eating dinner out has the possibility of being really fun.  We have taken the whole crew to Chuy's probably 8 times. We have not attempted anywhere else for a meal because you can't beat the set up & noise level there. It is perfect for loud families!

Our last visit there & ride home was hilarious. It had been one of those days around the house where the second Rob was out of his office I was begging to get out for the evening.  We got everyone ready in record time & headed to Chuy's.  We had to wait longer than usual, the boys were fussy, there was a fly circling our table & our waiter was not the greatest.  Robby said to me "This is just not fun" to which Charlotte quickly replied while coloring her Chuy's sign, "You're not having fun Daddy?"  So cute. It continued to be not very fun due to the boys fussiness. We laughed later thinking about how the longest conversation we had with each other was Robby talking about waiting to take Eloise to the potty when she said she needed to go & me telling him that I forgot to restock the diaper bag after her last accident in public & if she had another she would have to go naked for the rest of dinner.  He hopped right up & went to the family bathroom where he reported that helping her go potty was like the pit crew on NASCAR.  We (me & my BFFs Char & Elo) love the family bathroom there due to the loud music playing. We have dance parties & they are awesome. I do notice that my girls dance nerdy....just like me.

Anyway, the girls notoriously fight like cats in their car seats on the way home from there EVERY time. So Rob asked me to give them a stern warning about how they would be disciplined if they chose to act that way.  Ten minutes into our ride Charlotte is screaming & Rob looks in the rear view mirror to see Eloise hitting Charlotte with Lucy (the baby doll). He quickly says loudly "Charlotte, is Lucy kicking you?" She says yes. He warns the girls by warning Lucy saying "Lucy, you are going to get a spanking when you get home." He thought it would be just right to warn in the roundabout way. WRONG! Eloise lost it & was immediately crying & screaming "Don't spank my baby! She is my baby! You make me ang-ee Daddy!" The most hilarious moment was when Charlotte said with a completely straight face "Lucy never cries when she gets spankings." I was laying down in my seat laughing uncontrollably. He felt so bad for that little mama bear that he eventually said "Okay Lucy, that was your warning. I'm not going to spank you." That made Eloise feel much better. At one point in every car ride the majority of kids are crying. We are used to it & just keep talking. 

So all that to say, even with the intensity of being out in public with lots of little people, we continue to make plans & are even headed to West Palm Beach soon for a weekend away with the six of us! I'm a little nervous but excited for a change of scenery.

Bath time: Baths, oh baths. I do love a tub full of scalding hot water for myself on a daily basis. I have trained my children well to enjoy baths just the same & they can surprisingly withstand high temperatures like their mama!  I have been asked what is bath time like with 4 & the answer is....it's WET!  We vary night to night on our plan of attack. Sometimes we choose the divide & conquer style right after dinner. The girls go in one tub with Rob overseeing & I take the boys to the other bathroom.  For awhile I bathed them separately since we only had one baby bathtub but thanks to Aunt Jenny we added a second one which has doubled the bathtime fun & splashes! On nights when I am in a really great mood I fill up the boys tubs, put them in & let the girls help. 

Sometimes it looks like this....

and then sometimes it looks like this.....

I am pretty sure she was completely overtaken with the task of bathing Owen & just happened to slip into the tub....without any clothes on haha! She was dumping water on her head too. It was a mess & it was worth it. 

The third way we have done baths takes even more energy & tolerance on my part.  I put the girlies in my bath tub & the boys tubs on the floor in my bathroom. We let everyone go to town with the laughing & splashing.  In that moment I am reminded that the girls have seen a Shamu show once or twice & manage to do their best impressions.  Anson has picked up on the skills pretty quickly & can soak the bathroom floor in about 3 seconds. Owen is so cute sitting quietly in his tub, grinning at all the flying water around him.  It is pretty fun but kind of a hassle to get everyone out, dried off & dressed at the same time.  I soak up all the water with multiple bath towels then run a load of laundry to finish up the night. 

One other bath time related event was when the boys were either in the NICU or just home. I was in charge of bathing the girls so I did & then I sat down in the hallway outside the door to let them play for a bit. I must have gotten a little cozy on the hard floor & drifted off to sleep. I woke up to two squealing girls & a bathtub FULL of bubbles as they had squeezed out the rest of the shampoo. Sleep deprivation allows for some funny happenings!

Marriage:
I am soooo thankful for the man leading me & this wild bunch.  The Lord has been gracious as He has continued to deepen our love & appreciation of each other throughout the sleepless nights & stress filled days we have experienced over the past 5 months. We have had our fair share of tense discussions, arguments & ample opportunities to seek forgiveness as we have settled into this "new normal"  but over all, we are doing well in the new team sport of parenting four.  

We spend LOTS of time together with Rob working from home 100% of the time.  One thing we have learned over our almost 9 years of marriage is the more time we spend together the more we enjoy each other & the less we argue so, that works out well.  We are not doing so hot on getting out on dates but we do have lots of "dates" at home after the kids go to bed. A few of our favorites include- sitting out in the backyard looking at the stars, Rob with a cigar & me with a bowl of ice cream, another that has been frequently enjoyed is cheese & wine night while catching up on a favorite show & last but not least, it sounds simple (because it is) but feed all the kids & put them to bed then eat dinner alone with no interruptions. We have enjoyed so many cheese & wine nights lately that I started ordering the crackers in bulk from Amazon : )

Our sweet friends Christa & Ileana tag teamed the foursome last weekend while we went out for the entire evening.  We have agreed that it may have been the best date we have had in years. There was nothing special about where we went or what we did but the conversation was endearing & brought a closeness that we were so thankful for.  We spent the first part of the evening talking about the entire pregnancy, delivery & initial months with the twins around. It was really the first time since we have been out of the "fog" & able to clearly think & talk about the experience.  I can't really even describe the way the conversation went but we were left feeling in awe of what God has carried us through.  We went to a couple stores & strolled around which is something we don't do often with kids in tow.  We went out to dinner & sat at a little two person booth, also something we never do.  We laughed non stop all though dinner as Robby had fried calamari spilled all over his lap by a waitress & we shared story after story from our teenage/college years that we had never heard about each other.  It was truly a blessed evening for us especially knowing that our little ones were being loved at home. So yes, we should make every effort to go out on dates but we are making the best of our current life stage & enjoying our nights at home too.

Rob is way more even keeled than I am when it comes to noise level & shenanigans in the house. During office hours, we (me+4) try to live life on the peaceful side which doesn't always work.  Sometimes I get text messages reminding me of the call he told me he would be on....I can't help but smile while I look over at two screaming babies being tortured by the two year old that really needs a nap & a four year old that is working so hard on being patient (I'm wondering if she really understands what that means) as her voice gets louder & louder while asking me the same question 25 times in a row.  One perk of having him home is that if he is not texting us begging for peace & quiet, he is at my side in a moment's notice to hold a baby or discipline someone. Many times he is the one that cleans the kitchen while I get kids bathed & tidy up the living areas.  By bedtime most nights I feel like I have been beaten up & I can hardly wait to lay down so I kiss the girls & he takes care of the official getting them in bed followed by the returning of escapees to their sleeping quarters. He is a pro at feeding to babies at one time...he gets lots of practice while I am at work : )

Not much phases him, even my emotional outbursts or mid afternoon pizza orders(yesterday) in the midst of a feeding frenzy with the twins.  Those always leave me feeling starved & exhausted. He still waits on me hand & foot at night once I park it on the couch after finishing up some household work.  One night while all the kids were still awake He said "I can't do this." I said "what...you can't do bed time? 4 kids? Please don't leave me....I could never find anyone that would marry me!" I was laughing before I could finish the sentence & he was too. We do say that from 5pm till the kids' bedtime feels like the 100 yard sprint at the end of a long run.  All of life is more enjoyable with teamwork these days.

The only time I thought Robby may have lost his mind was about a month ago when he started looking at American Pitbull Terrier puppies.  I agreed that they were cute & I would love to have a puppy again but I'm pretty sure that it might push me over the edge! I told him that I already have enough small living beings that need to be protected from larger ones so waiting would be smart. Then I realized that next year I would have two one year olds I would have to protect a puppy from! So....it's off the table for now & hopefully next year too ; )

Post Baby(babies) Body:
I am a small person & I have always been that way. I clearly remember going to the doctor in my teenage years & them asking my mom to step out so they could assess if I struggled with anorexia or bulimia. Thankfully I did not. I ate lots of french fries (I mean LOTS) & managed to never gain weight...must be genetic. In fact I was about 90 pounds when Robby & I started dating. When he told my Dad that he would like to ask me to marry him by Dad gave him his blessing but told him that I had to weigh 100 pounds before I could get married.  So over the course of 5 months I ate lots of steak & potatoes, drank more than a few Frosty's & gained the weight. My brothers actually made me a "Congratulations on hitting 100 pounds" poster to show their support & I walked down the aisle to marry the man who was capable of fattening me up.

I was able to eat whatever I wanted & not experience any negative side effects until I got pregnant with Charlotte.  Over the course of three pregnancies in four years, I fluctuated by 65 pounds & have since then changed my style of clothing to compliment the post pregnancy body I now have.  I am comfortable in the skin I'm in for the most part.....it is quite stretchy thanks to those sweet baby boys.  I do want to share a couple funny things about how my body is viewed by those closest to me (and those not so close to me) & end with some encouragement for those who have carried babies & may bare the scars of that.

1. I hop in the tub with the girls sometimes to expedite the bathing process & for some quality time.  Eloise constantly runs her fingers along my stretch marks across my belly asking if that's where the doctor cut the babies out. Then she finds my scar from my cesarean which is still numb & sometimes painful to touch. She asks me if it hurts as she jams her finger into it. 
2. Karis, my precious little niece who will turn 3 next week asked my a million & one times "Aunt Lala, why is your belly so big? Do you still have a baby in there?" Haha! Aunt Jenny would always be right beside her reminding her how they talked about that & the babies had come out & Aunt Lala's belly is getting smaller. So innocent & a valid question due to the size of my protruding belly for a good amount of time after they were born. 
3. Two people that I don't know asked if I was pregnant within 24 hours of each other maybe 3 weeks ago.  The first was at the take out counter at Chili's. She pointed at my belly & asked Charlotte "What's in there?" Really? is that ever okay to ask before someone is 9 months pregnant? The next person was cutting fabric for me & my mom who were child free one evening. She said "Are you getting ready for the baby?" I said "actually I just had twins." Silence.....she then said "I learned something new tonight." I said, "what's that?" Continuing to stick her foot in her mouth..."that your belly does not go away right after you have a baby." HAHAHA! Oh my goodness, ain't that the truth, especially when there were two babies carried to 35 weeks! We have laughed since then thinking about how long you can say "I just had twins." Is it appropriate to say "I just had twins 2 years ago?" 
4. Another bath tub experience with Eloise which Robby walked in to hear...."Look Mommy!" while squishing my belly in her hands "it's play doh!" We erupted in laughter & as she continued to pretend to use cookie cutters & cut shapes out of my belly. 

Yes I have lost most of the baby weight but my body is far from what it used to be.  I do feel a little frumpy in my clothes & wish it didn't feel like everything squishes out the top of my jeans but God once again used these sweet children I am pouring my life into right now to remind me of an important truth this week. We were in the bath tub (again) & Elo was squishing my belly (again).  She said sincerely, "Mommy, your belly is so cool!" I laughed out loud & thanked her for the compliment. I asked them "Why is mommy's belly cool?" Charlotte didn't miss a beat & quickly replied "because it glorifies God." I was taken aback & my eyes filled up with tears as I told her that she was exactly right.  I explained to them that my body glorifies God because it has fulfilled (and is fulfilling) a purpose in which God created it for.  I told them about how incredible it is that God made my body to carry a baby or multiple babies.  He made my skin so it could stretch out as the baby brothers grew bigger & that is why it looks kind of funny now. I told them that I can rejoice & be thankful for the way God made my body to work.  I also told them that maybe someday they will be mommies & have a "cool" belly like me.  They thought that was funny & Charlotte told me that maybe she would have two babies in her belly.  So on days when I change outfits multiple times before walking out the door I can look in the mirror & think about how my body is well used so far, just as God intended. I could exercise instead of eating two bowls of ice cream a day (like I did today) but we will save that for another month...I am sustaining two with my breast milk right now ;  ) They are looking pretty healthy to me so I am going to keep up on that high calorie intake!

Ergo hip carry & Maya Wrap combo was fairly comfortable while keeping the boys content.  I recently borrowed Jenny's Ergo & have done one on front & one on back a couple times.  It felt more secure but Anson (on back) was a little wiggly & would not stop leaning his head all the way back while making these growling noises....kind of funny. 

Life as the mommy:
In conclusion, life with four, four & under is blessed, overwhelming, exciting, exhausting, laughable & exactly where I want to be right now.  God is refining me each day as I struggle through honoring him & loving my kids. I seem to be asking for forgiveness for speaking unkindly a lot this week.  The girls and I had a conversation after breakfast this morning about how even though I am their mommy & have authority over them that we really have a lot in common. For example, I am just as selfish as they are not wanting to share the sacred hour break I have in the afternoon when everyone should be napping or how I am easily angered when someone wrongs me or how I am quick to speak harshly when things are really intense & I lose control.  I lost control yesterday...twice. The first ended in me yelling over two screaming babies & two fighting girls just to get their attention. The second ended in me crying hysterically while I was putting the girls down for naps because no one could follow directions. I felt like ridiculous & awful mother. All that to say, this morning I was able to bring up my short comings in our conversation & remind the girls that I need Jesus just like they do & that no matter how hard I try, I will still fail just like they do. We talked about how Jesus is the only one that has lived a perfect life & that he died for us.  When I say "we talked" it really means I talked & they stared at me while nodding their heads.  We pray that someday they will understand how deeply Jesus loves them & the joy that comes in following him in obedience.  I also pray that I would find joy in the same thing.

There is one last story that I must share.  One morning around 8:30 my brother Scott called me. I answered & talked to him for a few minutes. It made me miss my other brother so I called him immediately after I hung up with Scott. We talked for about 3 minutes before everyone went bonkers at my house & I had to let him go. I told him I would call him back.  An hour passed & I finally looked at phone to see a missed call followed by a text that said "I am on my way to work & will be around for about 30 minutes if you want to call back." I of course missed this call & the text said that he laughed in his quiet car while he imagined the hysteria going on at my house. I texted back, "Would you like to know what was going on when I missed your call? The babies were screaming, Eloise was going potty all over the floor(again) & Charlotte was slamming the baby gate over & over yelling at someone. Robby walked out of his office & I told him that this start to the day wasn't working for me.  I was 3 hours in & I didn't even have pants on yet."  He wrote back "So, your telling me that you have fed four kids breakfast, had two cups of coffee & never put any pants on?" Yes, Kyle, it's true. Like I said in a previous post....pants just aren't a priority around here. Fair warning for any surprise visitors ; )

I love being Mama to these four...

Making Butterflies

The making of butterflies started back in May when we went to Lowes on Mothers Day to pick out some flowers for our annual planting extravaganza. We usually do not have a plan nor do we research types of plants & flowers prior to our trip. We were picking quick with four kids in tow & came across something called "butterfly weed." I mentioned I liked the yellow flowers & Robby threw three of them in the cart & we kept on moving. They were planted later that day & within hours there were butterflies coming by to check it out. I thought "Wow, what an easy way to attract butterflies!" Here are the blooms....

Within the week Rob saw what he thought was an infestation of mini-caterpillars. He looked up "butterfly weed" online thinking he needed to find a safe way to kill off these insects without killing our new plant. Come to find out, our butterfly weed would play a key role in the making of monarch butterflies. Guess we should have done a bit of research ; ) 

Just like in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, they were very VERY hungry. They got fatter & fatter as they made their way through the plants.....

There are three in the picture below. At times I could count 16 caterpillars devouring their delicious leaves!

In no time at all, the most beautiful chrysalis seemingly appeared outside our front porch one morning.  The color was just amazing, the gold band around the top & what looked like little specks of water were such tiny & incredible details to something so small.  It was right at eye level for Eloise which was perfect and not to mention dangerous ; ) 

We looked at it every day, multiple times a day in hopes we would catch the butterfly emerging. My guess was that it would take "more than two weeks" since that it what my fiction book The Very Hungry Caterpillar said.  Haha! I should have known that was not true since I already knew that these caterpillars were not interested in salami, pickles or watermelon. It was more like 9-11 days for these little butterflies. End of that story, the cocoon survived the interested toddler yet we missed it's nocturnal exit which was a bummer. Little did we know, we would end up seeing multiple butterflies hatch over the coming weeks. So, while we waited on our lone cocoon, we watched the others caterpillars grow...

We looked at these caterpillars for hours over these few weeks! Everytime Bella needed to go out we would check on them. The girls loved it!  Grammy was in town during part of the process & took Anson outside to sneak a peak. He looks genuinely interested doesn't he?

Talk about VERY hungry caterpillars....they ate three entire plants worth of leaves! They were a good two feet tall, the plants not the caterpillars ; ) 

They began to make their way to a location of their choosing to begin making cocoons.  We were headed out the front door one afternoon & almost stepped on this little guy!

I would like to say this picture was taken in the early morning since the girls are in PJs but it was definitely one of those days where we changed into different PJs before bed that night.  I guess Eloise was only in half of her PJs....seriously, that girl is missing pants for the majority of every day! It is just one of things I have let go of in my new stage of life.  It never fails that she needs to go potty immediately after I sit down to feed babies so she can get them off on her own but struggles to put them on correctly. They get left on the floor & we continue on with the day.  When it comes down to it...pants are just not a priority right now ; ) Here they are watching one make his way up the wall..

This was my favorite part of the process. Once they found the perfect spot, they would hang upside down & begin to make their cocoon....

Within a few hours, it would be complete.....

Apparently the prime spot was right outside Robby's office window although three really ambitious caterpillars made their way across our driveway & onto the house next door!  I did catch my neighbor outside with her power washer one afternoon about to spray them down haha! I convinced her not to. So, in the photo below there are five but at one point there were about 12 attached within a few feet of that window!

Before too long, there were butterflies hatching every day!  There was one cocoon way up high right outside the front door. That butterfly made his way down the wall as we watched in amazement...

It got even more exciting when he crawled right over & onto my foot! The girls thought I was really cool ; )

Then up my leg & onto my skirt...

His wings were still really wet & curled over.  We sat for a good thirty minutes while he crawled all over me & tried to stretch out his wings.

We sat him down under a plant while he dried out the rest of the way & about an hour later, we saw him in flight for the first time!

Here is another one still holding on....

and once we bid him farewell, all that was left was the reminder of the incredible process we had front row seats to for weeks on end.....

Just a few things I want to remember about the experience of watching the life cycle of a Monarch Butterfly:

1. It was a blessing from God in that it occurred from mid May to mid June when we had 2-3 month old babies & did not leave the house much.  This was the PERFECT thing to keep our excitement level up for "getting out!" Good thing the girls were only 2 & 3 at the time or this trip out of the house might not have sufficed ; ) 
2. Another blessing, it provided an opportunity for the girls to learn all about something beautifully designed by the same God that created them. What an incredible thing to expose them to & not to mention, right outside our front door. Talk about wildlife, in those weeks they got to hold frogs & worms & see two full grown owls outside our back door multiple nights! 
3. We had some good laughs throughout this experience. Robby was interested in the process but found it hilarious that I became obsessed. I would go out side during nap time or in the evening when we put the kids to bed. I would drag a bar stool out into the front flowerbed, push it up against the front window & climb up to be eye level with a caterpillar making its cocoon.  Some of the pictures are not very clear because I would be balancing with one foot on the stool & one on the house while trying not to crash through Robby's window while he was working. He did joke that I was going to get myself fired at lurking around out there at dusk. Ha! I was obsessed... I think.
4. Charlotte could not get it in her head that they were called "cocoons" & referred to them as "raccoons" for the first week. She would be on the phone with my mom telling her that we had beautiful raccoons on our house...hahaha!

One afternoon a couple weeks later I walked out to find the process continuing on.... at least I think that is what was happening...