When I took the babies in for their 18 month check up the doctor asked me if I had the them coloring yet. Random to me, but I guess it meant something to her. Since my answer was no, I thought we should get to coloring so I can pass that part at their 2 year check up. They wanted to put the markers in their mouth more than on the paper, but they still seemed to do well with it for their first try. I have noticed that both babies are using their left hand most of the time when eating and now when coloring. Jeff and I are both right handed, so I think it would kind of neat for them to be left handed (not really sure why, but I just do). We will continue to work on our coloring skills. Maybe next time we will try finger painting, since I also bought finger paints while I was getting the crayons. Actually, I think I pretty much bought one of everything on the coloring isle. Now it is time to get creative.

Our monthly Meetup

We spent Saturday evening with three of our closest sets of twins. I am very thankful for the relationships I have developed with some of the mom's in my twins group. It is so nice to have someone else to relate to when it comes to raising multiples. I'm lucky that we are the youngest of our foursome (or eightsome) that I always have three other mom's to consult with when trying to figure out the next step in this thing called 'motherhood'. We try to get together once a month for an evening. Last month we hosted at our house, so this month it was Wes and Evan's turn to host. We always love going to Wes and Evan's to play. They have a wonderful yard and a ton of cool things to do. Luke really enjoyed driving the car, which he didn't want to share with anyone, and Carter made his way around trying everything at least once until he managed to get his feet stuck in this tree. After I rescured him, he was off to explore again. I look forward to our next meetup with our friends and the many future playdates we will have together.

Landen and Holden Reagan (the only girl of the eight)

with Cason next to Lukie

Wes and Evan chasing bubbles

Rub a dub dub four babies in a tub

Last weekend we traveled to Oklahoma for my grandmother's 80th Birthday party. Our friends Cason and Holden live on the way so we stopped by their house for dinner and to get ready for bed. At dinner we played a few rounds of musical highchairs, then it was off for a bath. They all had a great time spraying each other (and us) with the shower sprayer. And we thought two made for a wet bathroom, try having four!!!

Just like in February when we went to visit Ella, I couldn't imagine having triplets then and I really couldn't imagine have all boy quads now. Thank goodness there were two mommies to share the work. Thanks Stacey for letting us destroy your house and drench your bathroom on our way to Oklahoma. The babies were out the entire ride.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma.

'Hello-Hello-Bye Bye'

Sorry I haven't been very good about posting. I have been brain dead by the end of the day and can't find the energy to write. First, I do want to update on the chicks. We gave them up for adoption to Jeff's aunt who already owns a chicken coop. Sadly, one poor chick didn't make it, but the four others are doing great and growing fast. I plan to take the babies to visit them soon. Second, our new room is coming along great. The outside should be complete after this weekend then the living in a construction site will begin. It should be interesting with two toddlers and open construction. I'm sure we'll figure it out like we seem to with all other things.

I caught this video this evening. Luke and Carter are so cute with the phone. They take anything they can find, hold it to their ear then you hear-'hello- jadkf aljf o dkja-bye-bye'. Or, if I'm talking on the phone in the car, when I hang up they will say 'bye-bye'. It is amazing to me how fast kids today are picking up on technology and how fast things are changing. I guess that is due to them always seeing us on the phones, computers, etc. I have to keep reminding myself that my children are growing up in a different time than I did. The video isn't very exciting, but cute. Enjoy!!!

SAHM

I always envy all the wonderful stay at home mom's that I know. I wish I too could stay home to be with my babies every step of their fast growing life, but I can't. Unfortunately I have to work in order for us to have many of the things we feel we can't live without and do the leisure things in order to help us destress. Luckily, I only have to work part time and luckily I LOVE what I do. Since I only work part time I am able to be a part of some wonderful mom's groups and have time during the week to do my housework and spend extra time with my babies.
For some reason today I realized how much I make a better part time SAHM, rather than a full time one. Our day started out wonderful-a sunny sky, babies slept till 8, a wonderful workout with stroller strides and time at the park with our friends. Once we got home is when it all went down hill. When I say down hill I don't mean the babies, I mean my mommy skills. While lunch was cooking in the oven I went out back to get an estimate on having brick put on our sun room we are in the progress of building. I noticed Carter wasn't out there with us anymore, so I figured he went back into the house to watch TV. I soon came in to check on him to find him in the kitchen with the oven door open and two hot pads on fire inside it. I have to say I'm very luck that it was only hot pads on fire and not my son or my entire house. Another lesson learned for mommy-do not leave baby unattended with oven on (I'm the reason they have the silly warning signs on these products when you buy them).
After this event and either baby eating any of their lunch, I decided it was time for a nap. Luke always has a hard time taking a nap, but today I was determined he was going to sleep. I could hear him play, then cry, then play some more then it was quite. He was out. After 2 1/2 hours, I decided I better go wake him or he wouldn't sleep tonight and this is what I walked into.....

My sweet baby worked his diaper off and was sleeping so soundly he didn't even flinch when I took this photo. Lesson learned to mommy-keep shorts on baby when taking a nap. Or not, maybe I should let him sleep in the nude more often, he sure did nap better today!! His bed was still dry so thank goodness for that. Needless to say, I'm ready to go to work tomorrow so the babies can have a normal day.

Thing 1 & Thing 2

I bought these shirts when they were about 6 months and of course have forgotten about them so now they are almost to small. I thought they were cute and fit the part.

Girls Road Trip

My hand picked Easter flowers from my babies. This past weekend was a very busy one. We spent Saturday starting on our sun room we are adding onto our house. My dad is helping us construct it. He and Jeff worked very hard Saturday and finished all the framing. We are getting the windows in this week and will place then this coming weekend. I will post pics of it at a later time. After a fulls day of work we had Easter dinner with Jeff's family and ANOTHER Easter egg hunt-this made #3. Everyone had a great time helping the babies hunt the eggs and eat the candy. We were fortunate to have my mom here with us for the long weekend. She came into town unexpectedly to gather the remaining of the things. She rented a UHaul and spent two days loading it up. Let me explain something here-she had help both days from my brother and Bryan to load the truck with her old furniture, boxes and boxes of books, pictures and 30 years of all her memories. I wasn't there during all the packing, but when we arrived in Colorado to unload the truck it was only she and I!! When she asked me if I were interested in taking a few days off work for a little girls road trip she seemed to leave this small detail out. Needless to say, we unloaded all the furniture into her third level apartment (there was an elevator-thank goodness) and all the heavy boxes into her storage building on post. I have a few bruises on my shins from the dolly, but I am very proud of us to get it all complete on our own. Who needs men anyway? After finishing unloading the UHaul, we traveled north to visit my cousin (which is the real reason why I agreed to go). She gave birth to twins on March 19th. A beautiful girl and a very handsome boy (Alyssa and Collin). Alyssa and Collin's total baby weight was the exact as Luke and Carter's. Katie was two weeks further along than me, so either the babies ran out of room to grow anymore or my babies would have been huge if I were to make it two more weeks. I'm glad I don't have to find out. I'm so happy I was able to meet Alyssa and Collin and play with their big sister, Lauren. Katie, I'm very proud of you and you are doing an awesome job. It only gets easier from here. Well at least that is what I have heard, but haven't experienced it yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it still will.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!!