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!

Twins For A Day!

    My dear friend Bethany called me last weekend and asked if she could take Brody & Kylee off my hands for a day.  A few months ago she took Korbin & Baxlyn (shame on me for not blogging about it) and now it was time for the other two to have their turn! The difference from going from 4 to 2 kids is huge and I don’t realize how hard my daily life is until it’s altered and is made easier. Don’t get me wrong, I’d NEVER trade having qauds for “easier” but I do enjoy the break it offers every once in a while! Not only do I believe it’s good for me, but I think they all benefit from it as well. Very rarely are the quads split from each other and very rarely do they have an adult’s attention split in just two ways. Being able to split and spoil them is something I think all multiples need!I loaded up and met Bethany that morning to gladly give her two of my kiddos ;) Brody and Kylee were THRILLED that they got to go with her and Korbin and Baxlyn not so thrilled. Bethany drove away and Baxlyn cried “My Ky Ky, my Ky Ky!!!” I honestly didn’t think it would phase her or Korbin at all. Lately it seems like all they need is each other to survive! Below, Brody and Kylee gladly say goodbye!

Bethany took Brody & Kylee to see “Uncle Chris” at work! Here they are at the grocery store! I can just about bet this was one of the coolest parts of their entire day…being able to sit in a shopping cart (and one with cool car seats at that)! They go grocery shopping pretty often but are always confined to the choo choo wagon or runabout stroller. Anytime they get a chance to sit in a single stroller or a grocery cart they are on cloud 9!   I took my duo back home to spend the day. Really exciting, right? Actually, it was.  Korbin and Baxlyn play SO SO well together so I knew they would enjoy it just being them for the day. Brody & Kylee’s personalities are quite different than Korbin & Baxlyn’s. Brody & Kylee have a much stronger need to be talked to, played with and constantly entertained where Korbin and Baxlyn can easily play together for hours not needing much additional attention. This boy/girl boy/girl split works out great for us!  My day was easy breezy and I got a ton done around the house. It’s seriously amazing what I could get done with just those two!

Being a mom of multiples I’ve been asked since they were born if any of them have special bonds. I never considered any of them having unique bonds until lately. Korbin and Baxlyn have always been dubbed as “Korbin & Baxlyn” just like “Brody & Kylee” are typically paired together because of the fact that they’ve always been side by side developmentally, since birth really.  Korbin & B started eating at the same time during NICU, they came off the vent together, came home together, crawled together, walked together…etc. Kylee & Brody’s timelines are very similar as well. Lately the bond between Korbin & Baxlyn has grown into more than just similarities because of developmental milestones and such. They play their own little games and are easily swept off into their own little world on a daily basis. They’re able to play together in ways that they can’t with the others, if that makes sense….? What Brody would think was being mean, Korbin takes as a joke and plays back kinda thing. Whatever it is, it’s amazing to me as their mother to sit back and watch as it develops right before my eyes. Here's Korbin & Miss B playing in their new kitchen they got from Santa!

One big difference between these two and Brody & Kylee is that they’re getting to where they can sit and enjoy a movie (well a good chunk of it at least). They sat and enjoyed a nice peaceful mac-n-cheese lunch together while watching Dumbo for the first time (by the way, it had been years since I’d seen it and OMG, so sad!) Although separated and having a good time they CONSTANTLY talked about Brody & Kylee. Every once in a while they would tell me “BroBro & Kyky with Bethie?!” just to make sure. I heard them several times while in their room singing songs and exchanging Brody and Kylee’s names in random places… so sweet!

   After lunch, BATH TIME! Again, doesn’t seem like anything special but remember they usually all bathe together. To go from 4 toddlers in a tub to just two is a huge change!

It was all I could do to drag their little wrinkled bodies out of the bath, they could have stayed there for hours no doubt. They continued to play side by side throughout the afternoon…peace and quiet this mama enjoyed for sure! Love this shot below of Korbin making sure his hair was good and dried with the Dora hairdryer and brush lol!  I know there are a lot of moms of multiples out there who have (an understandable) fear of splitting up their multiples, if that’s you, I encourage you to do it! You don’t have to send one or some off to grandma’s for the entire night or anything, just start small and separate them for just a few hours. You may be surprised at how much fun they (and YOU) have!

Thanks again, Bethany, for giving me a MUCH needed break. I look forward to more days with “just twins” ;)