Cox Quads meet Movie Theater: Wreck It Ralph

As you all know, Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin have been potty trained for a while now. We did the 3 day method, they caught on super quickly and have never regressed, thank goodness. I’m told some kids night train themselves naturally during the 3 day as well…ours not so much.

On any given morning 1-3 of them will be dry but never all four. We’ve opted not to waste our money on Pull-Ups for the longest time because they’re basically an expensive diaper. We recently started buying Pull-Ups since we are trying to be more aggressive at the night training thing. Knowing it hhaadd to be done sometime, we told the quads that if they needed to potty at night, they are allowed to get up and go and go back to bed. They hear “you are allowed to get out of your bed!” HOLY HEADACHE!

I’m not one to not allow them water after a certain time in the evening. I know how thirsty I often get during the night and they’ve been known to chug water during the night as well. I’m sure most parents deal with the train of excuses their kids make up to get out of bed “I need my other blanket” “I forgot a drink” “I need to give you a hug” “My toe hurts…the list goes on. Now added to that list is “I need to go potty!!!” The night time process is a drag lately. One get’s up to potty, what do ya know 2 or 3 more have to get up to potty. Before you know it there’s a party going on, sanitizer everywhere…etc. Ugh, where do you draw the line? If they neeeeed to go potty, we HAVE to let them, right? Especially if we want them to wake up dry… Like seriously people, I’m asking you. If you have (kind) advice, I’m all ears.

So anyways, Bret and I cut a deal with the quads a couple of weeks ago. The morning they ALL woke up dry we could call Daddy, he would leave work and we would go to Going Bonkers and have a day out together. We both assumed it would be a long time before they all woke up dry together. We remind them every night of our little deal and they try so hard. Several mornings I would go in only to find wet diapers on the floors where the pee-ers had ditched them and gotten a new one from the bathroom, thinking that it would count as “being dry”. Yeah, not so much, guys.

I went in Wednesday morning as usual and started checking pull-ups. Dry, dry, dry….and dry! I immediately started searching around for the soggy diapers they had ditched and found NOTHING, nada. They informed me that they all had gone potty by themselves and stayed dry all night. After searching dressers, drawers, trashcans & under the sinks with no wet Pull-Ups in sight, I let myself believe them and we gave Daddy a call and gave him the great news! This week happens to be spring break so we knew due to crowds and germs, Going Bonkers was off the table. There’s no doubt that place is packed like sardines and our four would get trampled. After discussing different outing we decided to treat our foursome to their very first movie!

Wreck it Ralph was one of the only kid movies playing at the dollar theater that day so that’s what we chose. Brody, B, Kylee & Korbin were SO excited to go to the movies even though they had never been. We dropped off Baby Blade with Nana & friend Sandy and headed to the theatre. We walked through the doors and they all stopped and stared…

If you know me, you know I have a fear of them choking (I blame it on the episodes they had while babies). I’m that mom who still cuts her kids grapes at the age of 4. It took some serious convincing but Bret talked me in to letting them have popcorn for the first time. He said, and I agreed, they need to have the full experience ;)

Kylee got folded up in her chair a few times and they said, I think for personal reassurance, “It’s not scary, Mommy. Yeah. It’s not scary…”. Once there for a few minutes they were settled in and excited!

I sat next to them and stared like a hawk for any choking while they giggled and talked too loud :)

Once the movie started they all sat pretty well, Kylee did the most talking (once her popcorn was gone) and did some seat rearranging and Brody was the only one who needed a potty break. I’m not sure they followed the point of the movie, but they enjoyed it nonetheless! At one point they all about had a nervous breakdown when the word “stupid” was said…. all four of them at once turned to Bret or myself “MOMMY, THEY SAID A BAD WORD, WE DON’T SAY STUPID, THAT WAS BAD! THEY SAID A BAD WORD!” lol!

As we were leaving the theater, I noticed these ABCD signs at the ends of these lines. We HAD to stop an have a picture, of course! They don’t understand that that’s what they used to be called so this picture made no sense to them, but it was special to us. In birth order Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin… our little ABCD. *Fun Fact: In utero Kylee was “D” and Korbin was “C”. During delivery, Kylee slipped down and was delivered first technically making her “C” and Korbin “D”.

Congrats, my little people, for waking up dry! Let’s try to make this a habit, ehh?!

Cox Quads & Tew Triplets take over Chuck E Cheese!

The weather has been beautiful here lately but getting out of the house with 4 3 year olds while being 7+ months pregnant is quite the challenge. Typically this weather is enjoyed at the zoo but physically, there’s just no way right now. Angela and I opted to take our large crew to Chuck E Cheese. We picked the perfect time and our kids practically had the entire place to themselves!

L-R Kylee, Baxlyn, Korbin, Brody, Emmett, Emerson & Everett

The kids all had a great time! It was all Angela and I could do to keep up with their “money, money, money” requests (asking for tokens). ONE by ONE we went through 150 tokens (a coupon deal) between all 7 kiddos. With each token we would remind them to actually attempt to PLAY the game they put their coin in, rather than walk away from it, and to not forget to grab their tickets, if they won any.

Miss B and her signature face lately…just about every picture, this is what she chooses to do which drives this germ-a-phobic mama crazy at a place like Chuck E Cheese….yuck!

Kylee Mae & Barney

Kylee has a MAJOR fear of characters…Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Santa, The Easter Bunny and Chuck E Cheese is no exception. On our last trip to Chuck E Cheese she happened to be up in the jungle gym tunnel things when Chuck E Cheese himself came out to wave and see the kids. She saw him from above, FREAKED OUT, couldn’t find her way down for several minutes…etc.  The entire experience has haunted her ever since – the girl has one sharp memory. She’s been talking about Chuck E Cheese for a few weeks now and about how she’s afraid but could hold my hand, but not touch him, but maybe wave at him and so on and so on. You can tell she’s still so terrified but wants to be brave SO bad! I was anxious to see how she handled the experience this time around.

As soon as we walked in and the babies were all safety stamped at the door they all took off and Angela and I stopped at the front to order their lunch. We were not there 3 minutes and here comes Kylee RUNNING for her life, so terrified she can’t even scream. To make matters worse she was on the opposite side of a row of booths blocking her from me and Chuck E Cheese is headed right in her direction! By the time I got to her she was bawling and literally trembling in my arms, poor girl! The rest of the day she kept a close eye out. She made sure she was in my lap and had her head dug into my shoulder each time “HE came out of his cage”. It’s been a few days now and she is still talking constantly about how she “freaked out, but maybe next time it will be ok…etc” LOL! Her fear makes me wonder how we are going to handle the whole Santa thing this year. I can just imagine telling them “Let’s leave cookies for Santa, Santa is coming to your house tonight while you are sleeping, he’s gonna snoop around your house, eat cookies and leave stuff!!” and having 3 excited and one going down with nightmares. Ugh, we’ll have to think that one through!

Korbin & Baxlyn riding the clock ride…

Brody & Korbin playing the Dog game. This one was a hit and one of the few they actually understood. It was so frustrating watching them put coin after coin into machines that they couldn’t even see into, much less play.

As Angela and I sat and watched we saw Emmett helping his bro, Everett attempt to get his shoe back on. At this age we’re really starting to see them care and try to look out for their siblings (when they’re not fighting, that is) and it’s so sweet to witness!

Baxlyn, slightly regretting her choice to ride the monster truck!

Much happier on the buzzy bee…

1 large pizza, 4 drinks, 150 tokens and who knows how many tickets later split between 7 kids…they each went home with their little crappy plastic ring and bug (which have all been either broken or lost by now) ;)

Another fun outing with some of our favorite triplet buddies, can’t wait to do it again!

Random Pictures of Quad Life at 3 Years Old

I tend to do most of my blog posts on specific events, trips, subjects or outings we have. I’ve done a few “random pictures” posts in the past out of…well laziness or lack of time to blog to be honest…but I think it’s a good thing to just record random pictures I have here and there as they grow. Many of these pics simply get stuck on the cell phone, facebook, or in one of a thousand picture folders on the computer. Recording them here will guarantee I have them forever (we print our blog into a book each year) and allows me to share some of my favorites with family and followers!

We’ve been spending a lot of time at the pool lately. Their Puddle Jumpers (floats you see them wearing) that we got last year fit them much better this year and bring me HUGE peace of mind – the best thing out there for little swimmers in my opinion!

In their swimsuits! I don’t shop for them often but when I do…. WOW is it fun having quadruplets – how cute are they?!?! L-R Brody, Kylee, Korbin & Baxlyn

A little Fathers Day shopping this past week. I’ve attempted the leashes/monkey backpacks on several occasions….a) trying to practice the whole walking and staying with Mommy thing and b) to cut down on the insane attention/picture taking/strangers asking endless questions thing. So far it’s not all that easier than dragging out the beast of a stroller or the Choo Choo and certainly doesn’t cause much less of a scene. Korbin & B are fast walkers while Kylee & Brody are much slower and tend to get side tracked easily. I end up {literally} in a tangled mess and am constantly asking the two to slow down and the two to speed up while trying to dodge other shoppers and stay in the upright position myself. Practice makes perfect, right?! We’ll have to get something down before our number 5 gets here!

Speaking of taking them out by myself, many people are surprised I do it at all. It’s taken a lot of practice and learning certain helpful strategies. It’s not an easy thing by any means but they really are well behaved kids which helps a ton. Below is a picture at the hospital after one of my OB appointments. I had walked them upstairs to see the newborn babies in the windows when one of their neonatologists walked by. Such a pleasant surprise to see Dr. Lucena and his NEVER DISAPPEARING smile!  He insisted on sitting for pictures, let the quads play with his badge and phone and helped them all jump off the steps over and over again. Such an incredible man that I’ll forever be thankful for!

The same day, out to eat just the 5 of us!  Bret & Baxlyn at Olive Garden on Father’s Day

Some of my favorite moments….them sleeping. Not just for the obvious reason of quietness but I swear I can sit and watch them sleep for hours. Notice Korbin sleeping with his hands behind his head? He’s laid in that same exact position a million times since he was a little 2 pounder in the NICU…

Big Man Brody! This dude is ALL about 4 wheelers, golf carts, motorcycles and anything else that goes!

My first and second born…my “A” and “B”…Brody & Baxlyn!

A little fun in the sun at Aunt Beth’s!

Sweet sisters! I know you’re wondering if Baxlyn ever takes this blanket off her head. The answer is No.

Brothers (Notice I didn’t put “sweet brothers” like above). These boys Ay Yi Yi… this particular morning I went in to find pillow stuffing all over the floor. Brody looked up and informed me that “it snowed in their room”.

Kylee & Daddy headed out on a special date to the local grocery store. NOTHING makes them happier than getting some one on time with either Mommy or Daddy. Not only did she get to go by herself, it was raining so she got to wear her rain jacket! Add that to the fact she got to WALK at the grocery store, help pick out things to buy and leave 3 siblings crying at the door behind her and you have one happy, very special feeling, little girl!

For those of you who know our fab four, whether it be via the blog or in real life, you know Korbin and Baxlyn tend to have a closer bond while Brody & Kylee do their own thing. When I caught Korbin & Kylee playing and interacting together, you can bet I ran for my camera! At times I think they all look nothing alike and then there are times, like in these pics, they have SO many similarities!

 

It wasn’t a minute later and Baxlyn realized someone else was playing with “her puppy” and she quickly stepped in to intervene ;)  An attempt at a group picture with Papa Jim & Gramma Carol on Papa Jim’s 75th Birthday! Out of the 6 of them I think Gramma Carol is the only one looking at the camera lol   Nana & Aunt Beth took the boys overnight one night last weekend so Bret and I could spend some quality time with just the girls. While the boys got their share of being spoiled, we took the sisters to Applebees and did a little “spoiling” of our own…no high chairs, no brothers, no extra attention or questions from strangers and they each got their very own kids drink – no sharing! Love this one of Kylee & Daddy enjoying every minute of it all!

After dinner Bret took his 3 favorite girls to…Home Depot of course…isn’t that where all girly girls like to spend date night with Daddy?! Really tho, we had a great time. Daddy did the business side of the trip while the girls and I ran around the store looking at all kinds of things we know nothing about.

While on our little adventure through the store they immediately thought of their brothers when they saw this vacuum cleaner on display. I told them we could take a picture to show Brody & Korbin, which they thought was a great idea, but had no desire to smile for the pic…hilarious!

Chris & Bethany also known as “Uncle Cwis & Aunt Bethie”. The quads adore them as do Bret and I and some of the best nights are when they come to visit! They both enjoy playing the with quads, reading to them and Chris, in particular, loves to get them all loud and crazy!

Here’s Chris & Miss B playing “monster” with Daddy and the boys. He would growl as loud as he possible could while crawling towards the others, she would crack up….

…and Daddy & the boys would laugh, scream and tremble in fear!

They’ll love me for posting these pics… but here’s Chris & Bret showing off their hand/head standing skills while the babies watch in amazement. Yes kids, they are that cool ;)

Baxlyn, of course, had to give it a whirl too! I’ll bet money this girl will be some kind of gymnast/dancer/cheerleader like her Mama once was ;)

….Brody giving it his best, sweet little buddy. You go Big Man!       

That’s all I’ll throw at you today! Life certainly is crazy busy these days with 4 3 year olds, one in the oven and other big things going on all at once! Can’t wait to see what the future holds for our little (big) family!