We're Back...

I am happy to report things have improved around here.

Thank God.

Because I was about two glasses of wine away from becoming a raving lunatic. I literally could not take another freaking second of sick kids, home confinement, laundry or whining. It was truly awful. The quads got a terrible cold or virus of some sort—though they tested negative for flu—and two were suspected to have RSV. We were doling out meds, nebulizer breathing treatments and kleenex all day and night. Then sometimes one would have such a bad coughing fit that would cause them to gag which would end up making them vomit. Ugghhhh. And right when we started seeing some improvement, we ALL caught a stomach bug. Despite being indoors and Lysoling the crap out of my house, using hand sanitizer so much it cracked the skin on my fingers and washing sheets every day. So then we were holding puking kids over trash cans, toilets or plastic bags while trying not to be sick ourselves. The husband went down hard for a whole day and night, poor guy, and I had to rally and tend to the quads on my own, and no one was able to come over for fear of catching the sick. Awful, just awful.

My parents jumped to the rescue as soon as they recovered from having been ill for awhile and took the kids for two nights and two days last week. The kids had just gotten well and they needed to get out and I needed to not see them for a little bit. I know some moms are particular about it—for me, I think it's totally fine (and human) to need some space from our kids sometimes. It makes me happier to see them again, gives me a reprieve from being a mom for just a minute and helps me actually do better. So I'm all for it whenever it works out and I'm so glad the kids love going to my parents house. Incidentally, it was their first overnight stay anywhere ever and they did awesome. So awesome that they stayed a second night without issue, and they knew they'd be going home so they never got upset about being away.

I didn't worry about cleaning the house, updating my blog or really working on much of anything those two days. I needed to decompress, lounge around, sleep in (which I did quite well) and recooperate. Because no matter how much I did or didn't do, those four little people of mine were definitely coming back and I was going to have to be ready regardless! So sleep and lounging it was.

Since our return back to the living, the sane and the (for the most part) normally functioning part of society, we've done a couple things that indicate routine is forth coming. And right now I could really go for routine, because it doesn't involve puke or Advil.

It actually really, truly snowed in our area—a rare commodity for Texas!—and the kids got their first experience with the fluffy white stuff. Everyone loved it but two got cold and decided to throw a fit after about 20 minutes so, you know. They all went back out later that evening with the husband once he was home from work and, well, since daddy makes snowballs it was much more fun! And my mom even made snow ice cream, which was quite yummy and a hit with the kids. A snow day or two was fun, but once it all melted, though, it's been back to cold, wet, dreary looking weather.

I was practically giddy with excitement for the kids to go back to school, which they attend one day a week. Just in time for spring break next week so it'll be another hot minute before they get to go again. Win some, lose some.

We have made a trip to the grocery store and restocked our food supply, since everyone's eating more than crackers and jello again. We've done crafts, too. I have barely cracked open a crayon box since the Great Sickness came, so it feels good to actually do some projects with them and avoid the TV.

This evening, before bedtime, there were a few moments of heart melting sweetness. My girls are so beautiful and they look so grown up with their top knots and dresses here. And Harrison gave out a few very loving kisses to his sisters, which melts my heart even more. These kids, though they be a handful so much of the time, are truly my life's greatest achievement and my pride and joy.

Fill me in if I've missed anything important—I've had no knowledge of what's going on in the outside world and am catching up this week! Relishing every minute of our improved quality of life and keeping my fingers all crossed that it doesn't go down again for awhile...

{Quad Squad} Dallas Arboretum Fall Trip

While the husband and I recoup from our return home from Boston and spend some time catching up with the kids and stuff, I wanted to share photos of our recent trip to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden with the quad squad. It was one of the first holiday outings we've had as a family and technically our first pumpkin patch visit as well. (Though I did some pretty dang cute pictures with them when they were nearly five months old, involving some rolling babies and propping pumpkins.)

The weather kicked up some awful winds and a constant threat of rain all day, but we dressed accordingly and stayed warm. Luckily it didn't rain while we were there either, but the power to the park went out as we were standing in the ticket line so a lot of the attractions and the children's concert didn't happen. But it didn't seem to pose an issue for us, as we still enjoyed our visit!

There was a toddler-friendly area that the crew loved, they ran around exploring the path between all the mini trees, the play house, supersized wooden bugs to climb on, a treehouse with slide and more. It was a great chance for them to get out and run around and I got some excellent profile pictures, too!

From there, we headed through a few more trails with some interesting and pretty scenery...

...and found some picnic tables near the massive pumpkin patch and displays, where we ate a packed lunch we'd brought then let the kids go wild! There was some serious pumpkin love going on, ha. They kept saying "Pumpkins, pumpkinnnssss!"

The last photo of Logan is just the cutest, in my most humble opinion of course. She knows when we're taking photos now and they're all very familiar with the sight of my camera, God bless 'em, and she will dutifully say "Cheeeeeeeeeese!" when I flick open the lens cap. 

By the time we'd all chased each other through hay bales and over stacks of pumpkins, it was nearing 2pm and Harrison's grumpy face was making its grand appearance. So we called it a successful venture and cleared out to get them home for a late nap. Thankfully they obliged us with a short one and the husband and I got a chance to rest our own feet from the outing. I'm just so glad I finally got loads of pumpkin pictures and that the kids are getting a real sense of the fall season this year.

What's your favorite fall weather tradition?

{Weekend Recap} Six Quad Mamas, One Condo, Three EPIC days...

Yeah. You read that title right! Six quad mammas. It was like movie magic. Couldn't believe we'd all united for the first time as a group—some of us meeting for the first time in person ever—and feeling like we were living out a dream. Pretty sure the phrase "Is this real life?" was uttered many times!

I'd begun prepping for the trip weeks prior, since getting a head start is the only way I can ensure I get things done in a timely manner these days. I made a grocery list and purchased all the fare the day before we left, packing an ice chest and cooler bags with eats and drinks, as well as all the necessities for a weekend away from home that comes equipped with a bare kitchen. Including my Keurig machine!

My local quad mom buddy, Amber—yes, we referred to ourselves as Amber Squared all the time!—and I drove down to the beautiful Texas Hill Country along with a newcomer to our group, Griselda, whose quads are eight months old. We talked and talked the entire drive and only stopped at Starbucks for bathroom breaks and drink refills. I hadn't sat in one place for that long in ages, so my muscles were pretty cramped when we arrived at our condo four hours later. But excitement took precedent and we raced inside to check out our digs, then ran back outside to welcome the second vehicle arriving that brought the other half of our group...three more quad mommas!

top row, l to r: amber s, krista, becky, griselda
bottom row, l to r: amber (me) and ashley

I think my absolute favorite moment of the entire trip were those first few seconds when we all laid eyes on each other. It almost didn't feel real! Becky had flown down from Michigan while Krista had joined us from California and the rest of us Texas gals had been pumped to meet them in person for the first time. Amber and Ashley and Griselda had never met each other, either. And Ashley and I had been extremely excited to reconnect since I left Houston and moved to Dallas. We miss our regular lunch dates!

We all looked at each other then the music reached a rousing crescendo and we ran into each other's arms with shrieks of joy and pure excitement. Okay, so maybe not the music so much but the rest is pretty accurate. It literally felt like a reunion right out of a best-girlfriends type of movie. I still couldn't believe we were all together in a wonderful place with a weekend before us and not a single one of our kids in sight!

After snapping our group picture, we checked out the rest of the condo and unpacked food, snacks, booze and even the flowers and candles I'd brought for everyone to enjoy! I also gifted everyone with cute little goody bags and my triplet momma friend made the most amazing cookies for us to indulge in over the weekend!

As soon as we had all adjusted to the sheer adrenaline rush of being together at last, we began talking. And talking. And talking. We discussed our disbelief that we'd finally pulled off a quad mom retreat of our own, we chatted about babies, motherhood and parenting, our love lives, our busy lives, lack of sleep, kid-friendly meals, personal aspirations, challenges and more. And that was just the first hour! ;)

I think the only quiet time amongst our group was when everyone was sleeping. The condo would be quiet and still, smattered with evidence of a fun day's worth of relaxation and girl time from the magazines on the couch to the beach towels drying on the bar stools and the purple tulips blossoming on the counter to the bottles of slowly disappearing wine. We stayed up until 3am that first night, gabbing away and trying to cram in every conversation we could think of to make up for the fact that we don't get to be together in person very often!

The next morning the girls all helped themselves to a variety of coffee k-cups I'd brought while I caught a few more winks! Though I don't drink coffee, I know those who do relish a steaming hot cup and I knew these quad mommas deserved that during our getaway. They clutched their mugs over bowls of cereal or blueberry scones and we all admired the view overlooking the Guadalupe river from the balcony of our condo.

After a very lounge-around morning, we saddled up and headed off to San Marcos, about 15 minutes away from the town, Gruene, we were staying at. San Marcos is home to my alma mater, Texas State University, and it's gorgeous campus. I was excited to show the girls around a little bit and we decided on a river-view patio lunch at Salt Grass Steakhouse so the Northerners didn't have that option at home! 

Lunch was perfect followed by a stop for me to buy some collegiate t-shirts then we headed back to Gruene and perused all the cute little shops that line the streets. I ended up getting a great turquoise book case that has now found a new home in my living room! (You better believe we hoisted that thing into the back of my Avalanche and squeezed it in!)

the turquoise bookcase i hauled home as a souvenir!

After shopping we decided to walk down to the river for a few scenic views and the coolest thing happened. We asked two ladies walking by if they would take our group photo, and one quipped that it looked like we were on a girl's getaway. Krista decided to let the cat out of the bag and said we were all quad moms (we'd been keeping mum about that fact everywhere we went!) and one of the ladies gave us a deadpan look. Worried, we paused and she revealed that she was in fact a quadruplet herself! She and her siblings had been born 53 years ago and she and one of her brothers were the only babies that survived infancy. She was in town for a family wedding that was setting up across the river bank and we wished her a wonderful weekend, as she had certainly made ours!

our quad mom group with a 53-year-old quadruplet (far right) that we met by chance!

Still buzzing about that random, very memorable moment, we landed ourselves at a little wine bar down the street from the condo. We each got three samples of vino before choosing a glass and settled in at an outdoor table because we still had more talking to do! 

Afterward, we all changed into comfy clothes at the condo and I pulled out all the making for chicken fajitas and homemade guacamole. Unfortunately Griselda had to head back home, but the remaining five of us kept the party going until midnight!

Our second morning was greeted with more happy hot coffee drinkers, I was the last to rise again and more chatting over breakfast. Then we headed down to the river bank for a brief walk and back to a few of our favorite shops before setting up shop of our own at the pool! Now that's a vacation treat!

Yup, you're seeing that right. There's two Ambers in the photo below and I wore my new two piece swim suit! It took a very brave moment for me to walk out of the condo and into "public" baring my midriff after carrying quadruplets and undergoing abdominal surgery to try and fix the damage, but I did it! And I enjoyed every bit of the tan I got in the process. :)

becky, a previous gymnast, still has her flexibility! a favorable trait when keeping up with quads!

We were doing our best to relish each second of our weekend at this point because we only had the evening left. After having drinks at the pool, we cooled off in the condo and got ready for dinner. I had planned for us to eat the Gristmill, a former cotton gin turned delicious authentic Texas resto, and we enjoyed frozen sangrias while waiting on our table. I think four out of five of us ordered chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes, all smothered in gravy!

One more late night chat and DIY cucumber masks and we called it a day. The next morning parting was such sweet sorrow, but we had already decided on the date for next year's retreat and had officially started the countdown! Amber and I smushed our bags into my truck around the bookcase I'd stashed in the back and made for home. Of course, a Texas road trip is never complete without a stop at Buc-ee's gas station!

The entire weekend I'd been receiving photos and updates from the husband, who had been taking care of the quads with a little help from our nanny and, later, his parents. I was all too happy to kiss him hello and then go hug on my crew!

The weekend was certainly predicted to be the first of many and was such an incredible event. We all agreed it had gone even better than expected, and we'd been harboring high expectations! It's such a treasured feeling when you are able to unite with friends that you've become close to via various methods of communication. We all had shared quad pregnancies, struggling to become parents to quads, endless sleep deprivation and more. While our common ground certainly brought us together, our absolute love, admiration and support of each other drew us close. I continue to talk to all the girls daily through text messages and Facebook, and we look forward to future memory making!

P.S. Read the other quad mommas recount of our weekend together! Amber writes at Four to Adore, Becky pens her stories at Our Multiples Journey and Krista shares her quad tales at The Littlest Lesnaus.