Ahhh, where has the time gone! It's just about Labor Day! We have
been thoroughly enjoying August... Will, still our sweetie, is close to 8
months old, and the girls are getting ready for Preschool to start. We
went to the Teacher Meet and Greet last week, and this week we have a
family picnic for school. The first day will be September 9th. My
babies!
By the wild flower garden at the nature center (J, S, W, M)
Love!!!! (J, M, S)
Cheese! (M, S, J)
Two guys with the BEST smiles!
I
was brave enough to bring all the kids to the MN zoo all by myself! Not
as bad as I thought. Here are the girls (S, M, J) in front of the moose
exhibit. Madeline's favorite!
Dan had to travel for the first time for his new job. He was gone for
close to a week so the crew and I trekked to my parents cabin outside
of Ely. We had pleasant weather so I got a lot of swimming and running
in! The girls played house most of the time- one of them is the baby,
one the little girl, and one the mommy. They switch up the roles. They
do like to go on boat rides too. My parents have a little motor boat and
we got out at an island per their request and they loved it!
Will and his momma!
Playing house in a kayak
We went berry picking twice while at the cabin and Madeline stayed the longest. Here she is enjoying the rewards of her efforts.
Grandma's efforts
Will happy to be at the cabin.
Story time with grandma
Last week my brother Jon and his girlfriend, Jenna arrived in
Minnesota so we got to spend time with them. (Jenna is "Josephine" from
Josephine and the Roach.) I think it was a little surreal for
the girls to meet Josephine/Jenna. They were too shy to talk to her but
when she wasn't in the room, they would say "Where'd the other Josie
go?"
This past weekend Lara, Charlie and their boys came
for a fun day at Como Town plus they babysat so Dan and I could go to a
good friend's wedding celebration. Busy but fun! The girls are pretty
scared to go on rides, but Madeline was the most brave, just as I would
have called a couple years ago. Hopefully she will go on roller coasters
with Dan later on (I am a chicken so Dan needs someone to go with him).
We have a chance Will will like roller coasters too. Dane and Peter
loved the rides and probably would like to be tall enough for ALL of
them!
The
girls at a princess birthday party for their friend Isabella. Isabella
has older identical triplet sisters. I think we were the rarest table in
the metro area. :)
My lil' runners!
All dressed up for my friend Stephanie's baby shower! He is so handsome!
Here's a video to show you the kind of awful moods of Will that I have to deal with. *SARCASM*
Dane is such a good big cousin!
Two weekends ago we made the trek to Bayfield for an Apostle Island camping trip. This was the girls' first camping trip and I really didn't know how it was going to be. They did awesome! We all actually slept and everything! Our tent is perfect for our family- plenty of room, even Will's pack and play fit- and it is tall enough to stand up in. There is so much potential for camping on one of those islands if the weather is perfect. We were hit with some rain and cool weather. Guess what! We still had fun! Luckily, it only rained Friday (we arrived mid-late afternoon). Once dinner was over, we got everyone in their pjs and snuggled in for the night. Saturday, we fished and hung out. Sunday was our last day, but it was the best weather and some of us played at a fun beach while the others fished.
The kids would say the highlight of the trip was finding garter snakes.
Dane holding the snake
Love this picture of Will!
Peter and Dane- THIS is the weather we got in the Apostles- hats in July!?
Madeline and Josie so happy!
Will lounging in a mini camp chair
At our campsite
Will is excited to go fishing, can't you tell?
Madeline was the only girl who finished her marshmallow(s)!
Madeline and Josie at the beach (it was only in the 60's here but it felt warm after the cooler days)
Yay for beach time!
Last weekend we went to Dan's college roommate, Pete's wedding and it was so much fun to see some friends we don't get to see much. It was also our anniversary too- we have been married 6 years!!
All dressed up for Pete's wedding. When do we ever get to go for dinner and dancing!?
Will hit 7 months while we were away in the Apostles and he popped two lower teeth out! I am so happy that I didn't even know they were coming- that means he's a good teether! Will is just growing bigger and bigger... he's so interested in everything around him and grabs whatever is in reach. He's not yet crawling or getting to the sitting position on his own. He is still very content and cuddly. Will definitely is at 2 naps or less a day. Yesterday he only gave me ONE nap- but he was getting pretty grumpy at dinner time. Still, his grumpy is doable, especially since he is only one baby. He had been sleeping through the night, but he's been waking up lately. I'm not sure whether he is truly hungry, because he still gets close to 0 calories from solids.
Will's 7 Month Picture
"Eating" something orange. I'd be surprised if he got a teaspoon of the sweet potato in his mouth.
Will's version of "standing". He really loves this toy but can't quite pull himself up!
The girls are doing well. Their thought process is getting deeper and you can just watch the wheels in their heads turning. They are only a month away from starting preschool. I hope preschool will help them in the social skills department.
It's fun, because of all the girls, Sofia is the most interested in bugs/animals. When she gets a hold of a frog, cricket, or caterpillar, she will be completely focused on it and it's hard for her to let it go. Today, we found a big green caterpillar, so we made a house for it. Sofia doesn't want to be away from it! Cute...
All three girls are starting to count out objects better. If I ask them to count something in a book up to 12 or less they can usually do it correctly. They can't identify numbers and they only know certain letters so far (besides memorizing the alphabet song). I have flashcards for the girls but I can only work with them individually otherwise they all start fighting or get hyper playing. The other day I had fun with Madeline and she was good at sorting according to colors and by shapes.
Some funny quotes...
*After seeing a couple minutes of the Bachelorette, Madeline said "What is that sad girl doing?" and during the commercial break she said "Where did that sad girl go?"
*The girls play house/family a lot. The other day Josie was the baby and she told me that Sofia was her "little mom" (as opposed to me being the "big mom").
*Not really a quote, but I LOVE that they call "Jake and the Neverland Pirates", "Jake and the Little Pirates". That show inspires some great play time too. I see them looking for treasure outside a lot.
I need to start writing more down because I hear great quotes daily now.
*Today I was telling the girls they needed to get dressed for the day and Sofia told me her caterpillar needed to get dressed too. I was like "Whaaaat?" and she said "Just kidding!" That was the first time I have heard one of them say that!
The latest sister picture (Madeline, Josie and Sofia)
Uncle Andy and Aunt Aimee stopped by on their way to Duluth/Lake Ojibway
I took the girls to the Washington County fair. We had a great time!
In one of the animal barns
Here is Madeline's pet grasshopper
The other day I found a big green caterpillar on our walk/bike ride. Sofia adopted him and named him "Cotty". We made him a home in hopes of him being comfortable enough to make a cocoon and become a moth. Sofia doesn't leave him alone much so we'll see what happens.
Before we found the caterpillar (Sofia is on the trike)
He's a big boy!
Here is his very high tech home
So, what kind is he?
Say "Caterpillar"!
Sometimes Odin gets left out, so here is a video from yesterday.
Thank you to Lauren and Andrea for nominated my blog for the Liebster Award.
So for those of you who have never heard of the Liebster Award, it’s a
fun way for small bloggers to give recognition to other small bloggers
(with 200 followers or less) for the contributions they make to the
blogosphere.
Here are the rules:
-
Thank the Liebster Blog presenter who nominated you and link back to their blog.
- Post 11 facts about yourself, answering the 11 questions you were asked and create 11 questions for your nominees.
- Nominate 11 blogs who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a
comment on their blog letting them know they have been chosen.
- Display the Liebster Award logo.
- No tag backs meaning you can’t just re nominate the person who nominated you.
My first set of questions are:
What is your favorite type of shoe? Running shoes! For every day use, I'd say a nice pair of Danskos- whether they are sandals in the summer or clogs in the winter. I know they aren't super "stylish", but they are comfy!
What is one goal you have for yourself in the next 5 years? I think it would be fun to write a children's book, but don't hold me accountable!
Which type of candy is your favorite? Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. I prefer a simple Dove- milk or dark is fine.
What is your favorite season? Fall time. I love the crisp days, apples, and doing the typical fall things like visiting the pumpkin patch. (Running in the fall is the best.)
What do you do in your free time? Free time? If I had a babysitter and I didn't have to go to the grocery store I would go for a run.
Why did you start blogging? I was pregnant with quadruplets and it was an easy way to keep family and friends informed.
What 3 words describe you best? Nurturing, Positive, Patient (I am tested on the latter every day)
Are you allergic to anything? Penicillin. This was a bummer when I had mastitis. I had to take an antibiotic that had rare but life threatening side effects. Eeek!
What did you want to be when you were little? There was a long phase when I thought I would be an author. My earliest hope was veterinarian, but I think every little kid said that. In 6th grade I was 99% sure I would be in the Olympics for the 100, 200, and long jump. I would medal too.
What is your favorite tv show to date? When I just need to decompress, I love "Real Housewives". It makes me feel better about myself. I am in the middle of watching all the seasons of "Dowtnon Abbey", and I love it.
What is an interesting fact about you? I don't think there is anything more interesting that my quadruplets were spontaneous and that two were mono-mono. Just something so crazy and rare!
My second set of questions
Here are my 11 questions:
1. If you could re-live one day of your life so far, what day would that be? My wedding day. I had so much fun but it's all a blur!
2. What is your greatest accomplishment? It's kinda lame, but I was the most proud of myself when I finally made it to state in the 800 meter run as a senior in high school (and I had a big PR at state even though I didn't make it to finals). I would also say carrying 4 children at once, but I was disappointed that I made it to just 27 weeks instead of 30-32 weeks. (I'm not dissing anyone else who didn't go far either- it's just a personal sadness.)
3. What is your favorite meal? Most Italian meals. I love making chicken parmesan or lasagna. I can always eat pizza too.
4. What is your favorite book? "Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan really struck a chord and I also enjoyed "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science", by Atul Gawande.
5. If you were to change careers, what would you do? I would be an RN in the NICU.
6. What kind of jobs have you had? My first job was scooping ice cream at the Portland Malt Shoppe in Duluth. I was also a barista at Caribou Coffee, a cashier at Thomas Liquors in St. Paul, and a cashier at Linder's Greenhouse in Roseville. The two jobs I've had that related to my major, exercise science, were "lab tech" at the Exercise Medicine clinic at the St. Paul and a track and fiend coach at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul. I may get back into coaching.
7. What is the best thing about where you live? I love the season changes in Minnesota. Minnesota always ranks really high in quality of life, health, etc, so that's great! Specifically I like our house in Oakdale because we have plenty of space for the kids to run and we're within walking distance to three playgrounds (and a great walking area in a nature preserve).
8. Tell us something about you that most people don't know. I may be motivated when it comes to running, but I struggle keeping up around the house. I don't even have the excuse of kids because it has always been my downfall. It's just amplified now that I have kids! I need help!
9. What is your favorite thing about being a mom? The hugs and how they need me so very much right now.
10. What is your favorite age (of kids)? So far, age 3 1/2 is really fun. My hope is that age 4 will be even better. Less whining would be great. My favorite baby age is 5-7 months (or from when they fall asleep for naps and night time on their own until whenever crawling starts!)
11. What is your favorite baby or kid product? This is a hard one. Ummmmm... the boppy? There isn't one product I depend on or anything. Actually, when the girls were little, the triple stroller (The Runabout) was a lifesaver and gave me some mobility when I was alone.
