Going back to 2013...but just for a minute

I have two post I really should have gotten in during 2013 but I didn't! They were both photo sessions we did this summer!! Just in case you have forgotten what my now toddlers looked like as babies I wanted you give you a quick reminder. Okay maybe I want to add them to the blog because this is the family photo album, the quads baby book and the one book I can say I wrote so I get to put whatever I want in it.

In July we did a very fun photo shoot of the 'day in the life'. To Paul and I our life just seems simply normal. Not much free time but totally manageable. I can pretty much guarantee that anytime we are out as a family we get the question 'how do you do it'? Paul and I both simply answer 'we just do'. We don't think about it. We start each day with coffee and at the end of the day we have no problem falling asleep. But when I stop and think about everything that Paul and I do in a single day I can see why people ask us how we do it. When it is your normal day to day it doesn't seem like a big deal but when taking care of 7 kids who are four years apart in age is not something you do every day it would be exhausting and probably after you signed up for one day you may never sign up again.

You are about to get picture overload of a quick glance of what 3 hours of our day looked like when the quads were 11 months old. I can honestly say that I think we are busier now than we were just 6 months ago. Toddlers are exhausting and multiply it by 4 and I don't even know what you get except for lots of noise, the need to grow extra arms because someone always wants to be held, multiple meals daily in which a fair amount of the food lands on the floor, and the need to step in as referee many times through out the day. On that note we do get more smiles, hugs & kisses than ever before.

My little man who loves having people over and as soon as you step in the door he will need to show you his room.

The girls hair is almost always done even on days we are just staying home.

Somehow daddy is able to work from home and doesn't even have an office to work from. He will sit at the kitchen table and when he needs to make a phone call that does not include screaming kids in the background he will take a walk around our yard.

As a way to save money this summer I found a great recipe for iced coffee that does not end up all diluted. It was the way I finally got my husband to become a coffee drinker with me!

The one part of babyhood I was so glad to say good bye to. I resented making bottles every single day.

Nap time is over.

Tate has never been one to wake up from nap happy. The minute he wakes up he screams and has alligator tears until someone comes and gets him.

A ton of time is spent sitting and playing on the floor with the kids.

Times like these just make me laugh.

Time for a walk but first dad was called upon to fix something. One of the top reasons why I love having a husband!

I am not even going to guess how many times a day we wash our hands.

Our quad stroller was a life saver. It allows Paul and I to get out by ourselves when we are alone with the kids and as they have gotten heavier it has also become a form of exercise as we much over 120lbs every time we push it.

Paul and I catch opportunities throughout the day to catch up and figure out what the next days agenda looks like.

Aubrey loves hanging out with friends who are older than her and both girls love when Scotti is around.

Babies are occasionally left unattended while we give attention to older kids. Don't worry we always make sure the babies are safe, they may be crying but they are safe.

Unexpected stop on our walk as we found a geo-cash hot spot.

Before we moved the kids loved going for walks because it often meant stopping for ice cream at Rite-Aid.

We would always get a single scoop cone but would have them place it in a bowl with the cone on top. The kids would then eat the ice cream with a spoon before it melted and then after the ice cream was gone would eat the cone by itself.

Back home the kids would play while dinner was made. Since she is baby #5 chewing on shoes is totally acceptable.

The older kids are so good with the babies. They very seldom get frustrated when one of the babies wants to be near them. Usually it is the babies swatting at an older kid because they want to be left alone!

Sometimes we all want some alone time but I can guarantee a baby or two are playing right underneath her.

A child is always underfoot.

Longing for the day he can go play outside with his big brother.

Diaper changes happen many times a day.

Dinner time is at 4:30 in our home.

They have now upgraded to plates and it is amazing how much food the quads eat. On mornings when we make scrambled eggs the quads will eat a dozen eggs by themselves. It is just plain crazy and a tad bit scary.

 

Sensory activity planned for right before bath. Anything messy is done deliberately before bath time and with all clothes removed prior to ease in clean up.

We all love cool whip around here!

Dishes...we do them all day long and have become very good at washing.

Four diapers to throw away every diaper change does not even phase us but it probably does seems like 2 or 3 too many.

I love bath time and we still give all 7 kids a bath or shower every night.

Rylan went through a phase of hating bath time, he wanted to be a smelly boy. Now he only hates when it is time to rinse his hair!

Isabella and Tate are always the last two in the tub. I think Tate would be happy if we let him sleep in the tub because he gets so mad when it is time to get out.

The babies get their teeth brushed every night during bath time with a single tooth brush. Yes we share germs because it is so much easier. I will admit that some days the babies only get their teeth brushed once a day. We are not perfect and I have no problem admitting it.

The babies still wear their amber teething necklaces. I really do think they help with teething pain because I have only had to medicate when their molars have come through. The other day Kenzie was playing with a necklace I was wearing and I said the word 'necklace' slowly as we often do now so that they can start repeating us. She then reached for hers and wanted me to see it. I was surprised she even knew she had one because they never play with their own or try and grab for a siblings.

It is often a wrestling match now as we get four babies into jammies after bath.

Not only do we share one toothbrush but we also share one towel for all four babies. He doesn't seem to mind a wet towel...

but something made him mad!

Multitasking

The baby girls have gotten ponies in their hair since they were little. They have no problem letting me put them in but they are not always happy when I have to take them out.

Not a daycare...just my life and I love it!

An evening swim is had by a cute 3 year old while his babies are getting bathed.

And dad is watching said 3 year old while doing the dishes. (Drew was only in our hot tub which was right out our sliding door. He could touch bottom and we could see and hear him.)

After bath came bottles.

We do give each baby lots of individual cuddle time through out the day. I think people would be amazed how you really can give each child individual attention even when you lots of kids. It isn't something you have to think about you just naturally do it.

Tate & Kenzie playing with each other.

I added this picture because it shows that my windows are always marked with fingerprints and my floors are clean only for the five minutes after I mop. This use to bug me but these days I try to remember how I would feel if there were no children in our home to make those prints.

I get and receive more kisses each day than some people probably get in a month. Some of those may be wide open mouth, slobbery kisses but I love them all.

The babies have always been put down awake and will fall asleep on their own. Bedtime is at 6:15 and they will stay asleep until 7. I strongly believe in sleep training because it is glorious when you know 7 kids will be asleep by 7:30 and not wake until 6:30 the next morning.

Three hours...bottle prep, coffee making, screen door fixing, family walk with ice cream, play time, dinner made and fed to hungry children, sensory activity, bath, hot tub swim, bottle drinking, more play time, dishes done, and kisses good night. This was our normal daily routine from 3-6pm back in July. In years to come I may look back and wonder how in the world we did it but for now each day we just do it.

Stay tuned for another 2013 post which I promise will be out before the year 2015. I am also going to have Paul as a guest blogger, as soon as I let him know, so if you have any questions you want answered from a dads point of view make sure to leave a comment on the blog or on my Facebook. Don't leave one on his Facebook because he will never see it...he may despise Facebook, which means he never opens his account, but we will leave that one for another day!