KinderQuads

 Our fab four have been in Kindergarten for just over a month now and are LOVING it! They’ve adjusted so well to their new no-nap schedule and are learning new things each day. They look forward to going each day and love their teacher – what more could I ask for?!  I wake them at 6:30am and after a full day of school, therapy (twice a week) and horseback riding lessons (once a week) they are all more than ready for bed by 7pm. After lots of discussion with their previous teachers and our school principal (who has triplets!) we opted to keep all four of them together this year, in the same class. So far, just like last year, their teacher says they’re doing great, sibling-wise, and are having no issues in class. (For those of you wondering, it is a state law in Texas that multiples can not be forced to separate in school.) They are all meeting friends within their classrooms and on the playground, which they share with other classes at the same time. Each day when I pick them up, they’re talking a mile a minute before they even climb up into the van. “Mom, today I met another girl at the park” “Mrs. So&So caught a TOAD-FROG!” “So&So said she would be my BEST friend!” “I drew you a picture!”…on and on! I LOVE that they LOVE it! Academically, we have a few that are still adjusting but they’re in such a great school there’s no doubt in my mind they’ll each thrive :) I’ve heard so many good things from different teachers and staff about how well behaved they are and how they adore their sweet personalities, especially Brody’s southern drawl. Either they’re stealing the hearts of those who work with them or the staff is just really nice to us parents…either way, I’ll take it ;)

They were asked by their school to come and lead the city in the Pledge of Allegiance at this year’s first school board meeting. It was such an honor to have our babes be a part of the night. The building that they now use for the board meetings is the same building that was both the computer lab and library when Bret and I were in in Jr. High. It was surreal to sit in that tiny building remembering what it was like back then and then watching our kids stand there today. Here they are below L-R Korbin, Brody, B & Kylee. You’d never know by the picture that Baxlyn had been diagnosed with strep throat an hour earlier. I assumed it would be a matter of days before they were all down and out with strep, but to my surprise it didn’t spread! B was home for two days per doc’s orders and then was good as new. Let’s just hope we can be that lucky as we continue through RSV season :/

I’ve been asked by many what I am doing now that they are in school. Let me say, Kinder could not have come at a better time. I didn’t realize just how hard it was to stay at home with them 24/7 until I didn’t any longer. Blade and I, along with a sweet 3 month old baby boy named Luke, play and enjoy our (somewhat) quiet house. Because I wake Blade so early to take them to school, he goes back down for nap at 11:30 and sleeps until it’s time to go get them. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me :) As you can imagine, it’s been much easier keeping up with laundry and housework too! I’ve also been able to commit more time to our local Moms of Multiples group as well as take on the roll as Room Mom in the quads’ class.

I can only hope they continue to love school as much as they do now and continue to thrive!

Kindergarten Prepping - {DIY School Wall}

You all know by now I’m a slight freak when it comes to organization. Kindergarten and ALL that comes with BIG kids going to school has me in major prepping mode. Last year Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin all attended pre-k five days a week. We had a pretty good routine when we came home (shoes in closets, show mommy folders, put away backpacks…) but one thing that drove me crazy was that our hooks that we hung backpacks on were too high for the quads to reach, leaving me to gather the bags and hang them myself among dealing with the excited and hungry quads, the baby eating their papers…etc. I knew that had to change before kinder and it became my must-fix-problem #1. I started searching for wall storage units online and wowza… the ones I adored were WAY too expensive. I then turned to good ole pinterest for some inspiration ;) After seeing multiple ideas that I thought would work best for our house/family, I came up with this…

 

Two hooks per kid at the perfect height so that THEY can retrieve and return their OWN belongings! Not only do they hold their bags and lunch bags, they’ll also very easily hold coats as well for cooler weather!

Here is the wall I chose and how it looked before. I told Bret what I had envisioned and, if you look closely, you can see my row of (ahem…very crooked) thumbtacks showing him about where I wanted everything to fall in the end.

With the never-ending projects these men have going on around here we have plenty of 2x4s laying around. Bret took one, cut it to fit the length of our wall and “spray painted” it with this nifty Rust-Oleum stuff he found at Home Depot. The finished board was perfect!

After hanging our board, he mounted all 10 hooks… can’t leave our little Blade out ;)

 

I used vinyl and a cricut machine to cut out the kids’ names (Thanks Jenn!!!!!) If you haven’t heard of cricut crafting supplies, for sure check them out. This was my first project using my cricut and I’m in LOVE!

A close up of the finished letters (font name: better with chocolate).

Originally I wanted to do this past DIY to go above each name. I envisioned a large, square picture of each child above their hooks, but I’ve had a heck of a time getting the first ones I made to stay on the wall (grrr.) While browsing the aisles of Hobby Lobby with my fab five I discovered some dark brown cork board squares that came 4 to a package. They were the exact size I was wanting (12x12) and I liked the idea of pinning notes to them down the road if ever needed. A pack of four came to just $7.19 (with tax!) after my 40% off coupon I found online – whoop whoop! The package came with some MEGA-adhesive squares to hang them and believe me, they’re going to STAY where you put them. 

Despite going to pre-k for just 3 hours each morning, my little quadlings managed to come home with lots of papers stashed into their little folders. Which brings me to my must-fix-problem #2. Combined, they could easily bring home 12-20 papers on any given day. I enjoyed seeing and reading it all… notes from their teachers, school announcements, all of their little artwork masterpieces…etc., but it didn’t take long before I found myself drowning in a pile of “stuff” and having no place to put it all. I remembered my fellow quad mom and blogger, Suz Steece, and how she solved the same problem. Following her advice, I went online to The Container Store and placed my order for four of these black file bins. The individual bins are stackable so I have a variety of ways to store them, for now it’s two and two, slid under one side of our computer desk. I labeled each kiddos’ bin with their name in “their” color and found matching folders to put inside each drawer.

You can imagine how shocked I was when my mom, who knew I was on the hunt for folders in their colors, found this pack at Office Max. They’re durable and expandable which made them a bit more costly than your average file folders but I think they’ll hold up well to what we need them for.

 

Each bin will hold 13 folders starting with pre-k and ending with 12th grade. I sorted through their pre-k stuff a week or so ago and kept everything I wanted and put them in their pre-k folder. Their Kindergarten folder is ready and waiting…

 

The first keepsake added to each of their Kindergarten file folders are their own copies of this week’s local newspaper where the quads were featured! The paper did updates regularly during my pregnancy and their NICU stay. It was fun for them to see themselves on the front cover and read the latest update about them entering Kindergarten!

Each of their files also hold one of these “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” books written by Dr. Seuss. The book talks about the ups and downs of life and encourages everyone to find the success that lies within them. At the end of their pre-k year, I sent the books to school and had their teachers, principal, therapists and others write a special note in each child’s book just for them. I also wrote a note to each one myself. My plan is to hold on to the books, sending them back to the school at the end of each year, and eventually give them their book when they graduate. Let’s just hope I can keep track of them for the next 12 years ;)

 

I’d love to hear any school tips you may have. Whether it be tips to packing school lunches, how you manage homework between multiples kids…etc., I’m always open ears/eyes and looking for ways to make things a little easier! Stay tuned for more Kindergarten Fun!

**UPDATE**

I went back and added a verse above their boards, also using the vinyl letters and cricut. The final product…

Pride

Since becoming a mother 5 years ago, there have been countless times that I’ve been so overcome with pride for my babies. I remember going in to see them the day after they were born. Hardly able to even stand at their isolettes, I remember gazing at their tiny bodies and truly realizing for the first time that these little beings that laid lifelessly in front me were some of the strongest I’d ever see. True miracles that had already overcome so much since the day they were conceived.

I watched my sweet boy change the doctors words from “he has us backed into a corner and there’s nothing else we can do” to “…we don’t know what happened but he’s turned a corner and is improving by the minute” within a matter of just a few hours. I watched that same little boy start to finally pull himself forward on the floor towards a bottle of baby lotion at 12 months old. I watched him take his first steps at nearly 18months old and finally learn to jump, two feet off the ground, at 4 years old. Moments I’ll never forget.

I’ve witnessed these babies, at risk for well, just about everything, defy the odds and thrive more than we ever imagined they would. Pride is watching your sweet little girl pray over each meal being sure to ask that God keep “evweybuddy in the world safe”. It’s watching your babies sing, dance and rejoice while praising Jesus in church. It’s hearing their little conversations at night when they think nobody is listening. It’s watching their first tee-ball practice and fighting back tears because they’re the slowest and least-coordinated on the team but they try their hardest to keep up with the rest of their teammates…all with huge smiles on their faces. It’s hearing your little girl insist on telling her dog “I love you” each time she leaves the house.

This morning I watched my precious four walk into Kindergarten. I watched their nervous smiles greet their new teacher as they looked back at me for reassurance. This morning, I watched their wings spread a little wider as I was forced to let them go just a little bit more than I ever have before. Pride. Immeasurable Pride.

Brody, Baxlyn, Kylee & Korbin, I love you so much and am SO incredibly PROUD of each and every one of you. Never forget that, sweet babies. –Love, Mommy