A Quad Mom Needs Her BFFs!

I stood in line at the airport Starbucks closest to my terminal and anxiously checked the time on my iPhone again, ensuring I still had a few minutes to grab my trenta-sized green iced tea before boarding. It was way earlier than my normal rising hour, much less an hour to be presentable and awake and boarding a plane. (And apparently I'd managed to color coordinate everything I was wearing and carrying to a black-and-white scheme.) But it was time for my second annual quad mom BFF trip and I was ready!

Ever since last year, when the five of us met up in Gruene, Texas—some of us meeting for the very first time—my friendships with these amazing women have flourished and blossomed beyond measure. They are my survival tools for every single day of my life now, we all message each other frequently and check in on each other when we know someone is facing a tough day or a challenging obstacle in life. We celebrate our successful moments with each other, both big and small, and the five of us are an unflinchingly strong and constant support group that I simply could not live without!

Between the five of us, we have 25 kids—amazing, right!? Obviously some of us have more than quadruplets, but the quads are certainly what brought us together in life and remains our common bond. That bond now also includes our efforts to be the best mothers and wives that we can while also continuing to nurture each other through friendship and reminding each other to take care of ourselves amid all the chaos of the crazy lives we lead!

The trip was everything I'd hoped for and been looking forward to since we parted ways a year before. I was all too happy to start this particular trip a bit sooner than last year as well. Instead of arriving Friday, three of us flew into California on Wednesday where Krista picked us up and we got to meet her seven beautiful kiddos, her wonderful husband and see where she lived! I have to add that Krista has the most kids out of any of us, with a set of gorgeous twin girls, the cutest singleton boy (a total ringer for his dad!) and their sweet quadruplets. I knew she drives a big ol' van and we got a kick out of riding around in the "bus" for a day or two!

Not ones to waste any time, the four of us made sure to fit in drinks and dinner together, which Krista's husband sweetly took us to and listened to our non-stop chatter!

We spent the night at their house then retrieved our final QMBFF (quad mom BFF) member at the airport before making our way to Tahoe for the weekend. But not before halting in the parking lot to aid a set of new parents in folding up their baby stroller post-flight. What's a van full of quad mommas to do but help!?

Our first meal together in a year, while on the way to Tahoe...

One of Krista's friends had graciously offered up her cabin for our retreat and it was the perfect location for our group to enjoy some R&R and relaxed bonding time. The cabin boasted beautiful views of the tree-lined mountains and lake views were around every other bend in the road. We spent plenty of time on the couch chatting and flipping through magazines, we napped, cooked, played games, watched movies, drank wine and enjoyed a few outings.

As soon as we'd plopped down our bags at the cabin, we busted out the equivalent of "Christmas morning" thanks to all the small gifts we'd each brought for each other! It was quite the sight! I made some hand stamped necklaces that said "QMBFF" with little heart charms on them; Amber hand embellished photo frames for each of us that had our respective states we live in with hearts over our cities; Becky gifted us some of her sister's homemade body cream (love my lemon lavender!) and healing salve as well as a copy of the book, No More Perfect Moms; Krista stocked us up on some of her favorite products, like Eos lip gloss and the best smelling Island Coconut candle from Target as well as a Norwex wash cloth and Sally Hansen insta-dry nail polish; and Ashley, talent that she is with her Sweet Dumpling Boutique, embroidered us special shirts that say "Raising Quads...  #neveradullmoment #qmbffsgetit." Last but certainly not least, in keeping to tradition, one of my longtime friends Mary (who is a triplet momma herself) of Sugar Coma Cookies made us the most gorgeous and delicious sugar cookies. Like I said, Christmas!

It was so touching that we each wanted to do something special for everyone, and since we only see each other once a year in our group setting it certainly makes it all the more memorable.

At first it was odd that we didn't have kids to chase after, bedtimes to reinforce or endless dishes to clean. But it didn't take long to settle into a relaxing state of just "being," in which we enjoyed each other's company and conversation amid a serene nature-filled setting. We even managed two trips to the hot tub over the weekend!

And to throw in a little adventure, Krista booked us for a zip line course that I'll hurriedly clarify turned out to be a ropes course! Which posed quite the challenge for a few of us that are bit scurred of heights. Something about walking across a tight rope hundreds of feet in the air, despite having a bulky harness attached to your waist....yeah. But the good news is that it turned out to be a wonderful team building experience and we all encouraged each other through various challenges and courses, tight ropes and all, and cheered on Krista and Becky who seemed to enjoy every second. With her gymnastics background and continued athletic abilities and flexibility, Becky had a renewed appreciation for her own kid's monkey-like antics at home!

Too soon, it came time to part ways and I think we all got a little misty-eyed at some point on our journey home. We were back at it once we'd returned to our families though, messaging back and forth to each other about what a wonderful trip it'd been and how much we'd enjoyed our time together! We'd created yet another memorable getaway, there near the shores of Lake Tahoe, and have already set plans in motion for 2016.

 I thank God every day for my QMBFFs!!

P.S. Wanna read some of my QMBFF's recaps of our weekend getaway? Check out Becky's blog here, Amber's blog here and Krista's blog here. Enjoy!

An Afternoon in Boston

Hi, I'm in Boston! The weath-ah here is gaw-gus and my ears perked up as soon as we arrived at our hotel and started overhearing that distinct accent.

"Welcome ta Bah-stun!"

It's a work-and-pleasure combo trip, so while the husband put in some valuable face time at his corporate office today, I've been walking my boots off all over town. I found Newbury Street where there's plenty of shops from Louis Vuitton and Valentino to Urban Outfitters and Ann Taylor Loft. I went into the latter and found some really cute stuff for 50% during a special sale they were having.

pants | top | sweater (similar style)

I headed back toward the hotel by way of a park in the middle of town and stopped to snap a few more photos. The weather here was originally supposed to entail loads of rain all weekend, but instead it's resulted in beautiful blue skies and mild temps. Today was around 72F, I think.

Just as I was about to turn onto our hotel's street, I remembered I'd spotted a TJ Maxx nearby and found some more great buys. Don't you love it when you find such wonderful things without even trying? Sometimes I think I shop better when I'm not in search of something particular. The two tops below are Michael Kors and I got them for $29 and $25, plus a bright blue bag that just looked like fun! I wanted to some more color in my wardrobe aaaannd I think that'll do it. Also snagged a cool Nautica tie for the husband, some acai berry face wipes for me and under-eye cream from Bliss (my fav spa).

Yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, the husband and I each loaded a suitcase and carry-on bag into the truck and headed toward the airport in the quiet of a not-yet-completely-awake Thursday morning. My parents had spent the night and both they and the babies were still sound asleep when we made our departure, and by the time they were awake we were boarding our flight to Boston!

| bag - sold out at Target (similar) |

shirt | leopard-print flats

It turned out to a busy day since we dropped our bags at the hotel room and freshened up then headed over to the husband's company corporate office and did a meet-and-greet with everyone. It was nice to put faces with names! After that, two of the guys from the office and their lovely wives drove us all out to the Patriots vs. Jets game at Gillette Stadium and we had a blast! The Pats won in the final seconds of the game and we met some really cool people around us in the crowd, like a local fireman who has three daughters. One of them is a police officer and was working stadium security that night, and his older daughter was sitting with him. He wore a patriotic red, white and blue custom-painted fireman's hat, which he said was his original fireman's hat that he had painted after 9/11 to commemorate the tragic event and our country. He wears it to every game! 

I've been enjoying a break from miles of walking this afternoon at Starbucks with my trusty green tea, but now it's time to get ready for dinner. Both the husband and I can't wait to get some really good lobster bisque—one of our favorite soups—so we might be heading over to The Boston Chowda Co. And I am also booking tickets for a duck tour tomorrow to get a true feel for the city.

Happy weekend!

{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.