Stopping to Smell the Roses & a Video

I threw myself a little pity party yesterday afternoon. It seemed like the perfect time, anyway, since the kiddos were at my mom's house for the day (I take them over there every Wednesday) and I had a quiet house to myself. It was only for a few hours since I'd spent several hours at the dentist getting a cracked tooth fixed. I have major anxiety with doctor's offices—made even worse after my extensive hospital stay while pregnant with the quads, our time at the NICU and several surgeries I've endured over the past few years. Needless to say, I don't like the dentist either and my anxiety was extremely apparent right down to my shaky hands. I had to get extra shots in my mouth to numb things since the first one didn't do enough and they were able to fix my cracked tooth that had taken me months to get around to treating. Mommas stay busy working around the clock, am I right!?

I'd already gotten two injections, one in each knee, on Monday morning as well. I have advanced arthritis in both knees that was a result of my pregnancy. A long stint of bed rest, atrophied muscles and the quads sucking up a large portion of my calcium and vitamin D certainly had its effects. Even my orthopedist feels for me! He's in sports medicine and has worked with me to try every possible treatment for my aching knees that sometimes hurt so bad they make it difficult to walk around my own house. I've had steroid injections, various medications and two knee scope surgeries to snip torn meniscus and clean out the arthritis. The latter part only helped for a few weeks before the arthritis started creeping back in. So now I've tried something new—synvisc injections that are literally like a joint lubricant that I hope will give me some relief! I need to be able to stay active and keep up with my kids! Thankfully my mom went to the doctor with me and helped me hobble out afterward. We enjoyed a lunch out and then hung out together at my house while the kids were at school before going to pick them up.

So yesterday I'd had enough misery and grabbed a chocolate shake on my way home from the dentist, pulled out my favorite blanket and made a dent in my DVR show lineup. Bandit kept me company too, finding a nice little spot near my legs to curl up and purr away.

This morning, I had plans to meet a friend of mine and her sweet baby boy at an indoor trampoline park so the quads could bounce out all their energy. Unfortunately, I discovered they were all sick. Harrison had thrown up all over his bed at some point in the night but hadn't woken us up and actually went back to sleep but he definitely required a bath this morning and a change of linens. He was all upset that he'd gotten them dirty but was very impressed when momma produced clean, sweet smelling linens from the dryer before naps this afternoon. I love that at this age they truly believe mommy can fix anything! 

So instead of the jumpy house, I offered Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast and that brought around a few smiles. We loaded in the car and grabbed our sugar rush (donut holes and a kolache each for the kids) then I indulged in some Starbucks, too, and we all got some tea. For the kids, I order two tall lightly sweetened green teas and two waters then mix half tea-half water in each cup so they can enjoy the flavor and still stay hydrated. For myself, I get a trenta-sized half-green half-black iced tea with one sweet n low! We parked in a large lot near Starbucks, next to a big field with lots of cows. (Gotta love Texas!) The kids enjoyed looking at them and also watching the Mickey Mouse DVD I put on in the car while I enjoyed my own tea and donut with a side of peacefulness. 

When we got home, the rain was still at bay and it was nice out so we hung out in the front yard for a little while. It's so nice to see everything turned such bright shades of green and all my rose bushes are now blooming! I cut two bouquets and the kids all enjoyed watching me and looking for caterpillars among the flowers, as well as smelling the super sweet blooms.

(red roses in the backyard)

Our front yard is looking better now, too, since the husband put down enough grass pallets to cover the entire yard that was formerly weeds and dirt. And the flowers the quads helped me plant have taken root and provide a nice little pop of color.

I wanted to get a photo of all four of my babies in front of the rose bush and asked them to gather around. Harrison didn't miss a beat. He walked up and casually hoisted his arm around Kailey and Logan, then Logan put her arm around Trystan and they all looked at the camera and said "Cheese!" Naturally, I wasn't ready for such blatant cooperation and missed the perfect moment but snapped a pic right after. It was so cute how they all came together and posed! I think we are reaching a point where group photos won't always be such a challenge. That or I just take so many freaking pictures that my kids know what to do, ha!

Despite feeling bad (mostly low grade fevers and sniffles), the crew has all been very well behaved today. Pretty laid back and lots of lounging around since they're tired. I sat down the vases of freshly cut roses on the porch and the girls wanted to smell the flowers, since they always see me doing it whenever I walk by whatever vases of blooms I have on my kitchen counter for the week. What a precious little moment!

One vase went on my kitchen island and one went on the entry table by the front door, a nice colorful addition. The "BELL" blocks were made by the kid's while at meemaw's house last week! Every time they walk by them, they say "I made these for you, mommy!"

I like walking by the new kitchen towels hanging from my oven handle. Wine makes everything better! I regularly drink a glass or two in the evenings. My favorite wine is Cupcake malbec or cabernet, but I also drink the Bota Box malbec often.

Once we came inside, I could tell the kids were tired so we sat down and watched a little Shaun the Sheep (the kids love it!) and the girls wanted to help mommy by folding some laundry. They got their little orange baskets and would fill them up with clean clothes from the laundry basket then lay them all out and "fold" them. Kept them occupied, even if I did end up with some clean clothes laying around the house!

We ate lunch and they went down for naps very easily and quickly, which only confirms that everyone's feeling under the weather. I've enjoyed the quiet time and have been working on this blog post as well as a few articles for a couple bridal magazines I write for. I loved how the style and beauty awards feature I penned for Dallas magazine turned out! The pages are below and you can view the article online here.

In the meantime, here's a quick video for everyone, both longtime followers and new! It's a bit blurry and out of focus, but that's okay since I don't have any makeup on. Enjoy...

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