Have Wheels - Will Travel

We would like to introduce you to two new additions to our family. (Nope - not the human kind; you need to reread the title of this blog if you are thinking that!)

The first one is called a Choo Choo Wagon. These babies are no longer in production, so you can only buy them used, and they are hard to find! I was fortunate enough to get one through a member of our triplets group. I guess you could say that it's an investment piece now. Another friend with triplets saw one of these on eBay for $700 more than we paid for ours! (Honestly, I think we'll just be happy to get what we paid back out of it. Plus I promised to keep it in our triplets group.)

Those of you faithful blog readers may remember from almost 2 years ago when we hit a fork in the road with strollers. I knew about the Choo Choo back then, but with all my back problems, it just wasn't an option. We are so excited that the Choo Choo has worked out now for us at this stage in our lives. It is the perfect solution to the problems we were having with our Triple Decker stroller, which has gotten us this far. First, it's a place for all 4 kids to ride. Alyssa was frequently feeling left out before. Secondly, if someone wants to get out, it's no big deal, and we don't have to worry about it tipping over like we did with the stroller. Thirdly, since each kid has his own car, there is no more kicking each other in the back. It also opens up all kinds of options that we didn't have before for one parent to get out of the house with all 4 kids (especially for running errands). Needless to say - we love our Choo Choo!

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The second new addition to our family is a Barbie Jeep from some very generous friends from our church. I had no idea that Alyssa even wanted one, but she told me after we got it that she had really wanted one. She was so excited to have one of her own after seeing another kid with one. I wish we had our camera when we first got it, because it was hilarious to watch Alyssa try to drive it while running into things in the backyard. (I'm sure our neighbors got sick of hearing us yell "Stop!") It also made me very, very frightened for when she turns 16!!! But after she got the kinks worked out, she has gotten pretty good at driving it. She loves to drive her siblings around, too. One afternoon during naptime for the little kids, she and I were out in the backyard. After a while she asked me to wake her siblings up because she was lonely. I think she missed having a passenger. The triplets have been relegated to passenger status only, since they don't understand the concept of a steering wheel.

 

It is so cute to watch the kids go cruising around the backyard in their new wheels. The Jeep is really fun, too, as it has a toy phone and it can even go in reverse  when they get stuck. My favorite feature is how you charge the battery. You have to pop the hood and attach two mini jumper cables that plug into the outlets.

Here's a quick video (courtesy of our new camera - yeah!) of some of the joyriding that takes place in our backyard (with a touch of jealousy thrown in at the end). Enjoy!

God bless,

Amanda

http://four-and-no-more.blogspot.com/

Florida Wedding

Hi everyone, Dave here...

Alyssa and I had the pleasure to travel down to Orlando for my cousin's wedding in March. We had a great time there, and it was fun to watch Alyssa travel on an airplane for the first time since she was a baby. If it were up to Alyssa, she probably would've packed for the trip a week or two before we actually left, unlike her dad, who waits til the last minute and packs everything under 5 minutes flat. We were fortunate to fly down to Orlando with Grandma and Papo (my parents), and we all enjoyed watching Alyssa get so excited. Even though we parked in what seemed to be about 50 miles from the airport in the economy lot, the shuttle got us to the airport in one piece.

 

A few days before we left, Alyssa had to go to the BMV to get an ID card to travel, and she thought she was hot stuff with it. She had her backpack with wheels carry on with some books and other things to preoccupy her (thanks Grammy!), and I had a few Sports illustrated magazines to read (March Madness time!), so all was going well, until...

"Do as I say, not as I do" should be a motto for me in terms of giving out parenting advice. I did two "no-no's" on the airplane with Alyssa. The first thing I did was tell her that when we take off in the airplane to go up in the sky, her ears may pop and it could hurt. Alyssa already has big, green eyes, but when I said the words "pop", "hurt", and "ears", her eyes bulged out with panic, and she began to whimper. I taught her how to hold your nose and blow to make her ears feel better, so she proceeded to practice this for about 15 minutes straight while we were on the runway. You're probably thinking, "just give her some gum" right? Well, Alyssa seems to swallow gum after about 20 seconds, so I got her some fruit snacks. But, I forgot to tell her to wait and eat it while we were ascending in the airplane. So, I'm sitting in my seat reading an article in SI, and I look over and see Alyssa devouring a huge bag of fruit snacks while we're parked. Thankfully, her ears didn't "pop", and according to Alyssa, she said they just felt a little weird.

The second no-no was a bathroom incident with Alyssa. First off, the bathroom is a perfect size for only one 5 year old. But, she was a little nervous going by herself, so I went with her. So, what did wise daddy tell his little princess? "Alyssa, make sure you flush the toilet (you need earplugs for those toilet flushings!), or else you'll get sucked out of the airplane, and you'll have to flap your arms really fast to meet us in Orlando." Yes, I did say that, and yes, Alyssa's eyes bulged out again, and yes, I have a tendency to joke around way too much with my family. After she realized she wasn't going to get sucked out of the plane, she felt more comfortable going potty on the plane.

We finally made it to Orlando, and we had a wonderful time. My brother, Mike, and his family also flew down, so it was great seeing all of them, too. We all wish Amanda and the triplets could have come, but there was just no way it could have worked. Had the triplets come, I'm fairly certain they would've knocked over the wedding cake, screamed during the vows, picked a fight with some other 2 year olds, ran on the dance floor screaming during the first dance between the bride and groom, and Florida would've categorized them as a Category 4 hurricane. Before you start feeling sorry for Amanda, please know that she's going out to Hawaii this summer for about a week ALL BY HERSELF!!!! Pray for my kids during that week! :-) My brother Mike's two kids, Will (4) and Paige (almost 2), along with Alyssa, danced the night away on the dance floor. All three of them danced and danced and danced, and it was awesome to see them get along so well.

 

The day after the wedding, we all went to SeaWorld, where we saw sharks, manatees, alligators, and of course, Shamu. That was an exhausting day, but we loved it. Before we left, my Uncle Bob and I got in line for the big roller coaster. We waited in line a few extra minutes just to get to the front, and man, was it awesome! I hadn't been on a rollercoaster for years, and I loved it! Alyssa, Papo, and Grandma also went on a kiddy rollercoaster ride and loved it.

One of the best parts of the trips was after we returned home. We got off the plane and walked towards the baggage claim, and we got to see Amanda, the triplets, and Grandpa waiting for us. Seeing their smiling faces just made my day! That's it for now. Until next time...

Welcome to Twitterland

I want to invite you all to start following little snippets of our family craziness via Twitter. For those of you who haven't heard of Twitter, it lets you give little 140-character or less updates on your life. I have mine hooked up to the blog to update it automatically. You can hook it up to Facebook and other pages, too. If all of this lingo makes no sense to you at all, just know that you can read quick updates about our family under the section on the right labeled "Twitter Updates."

We have lots of blog entries in the works, but can't seem to find time to finish them. On top of everything, our camera broke on Easter! We have still been up to our usual antics like taking Jack to the ER on Thurs when his eyes almost swelled shut (they thought he had pink eye, but our pediatrician thinks it was just an allergic reaction). Tomorrow will be day 5 of work being done to finish our basement. We are excited, but life is keeping us busy, busy, busy. We have way too much planned to accomplish this summer, but I think we will keep you amused as usual. Until then, I hope that the Twitter updates will help you keep up with us during this super busy time.

God bless,

Amanda

Before I Had Kids, I Never..... (Part III)

If you haven't read the previous parts, click here for Part I and here for Part II.

Back by popular demand, here's Part III (I can't seem to stop writing these!)

Before I had kids, I never......

• had someone ask me what I was coloring as I was writing the grocery list.
• realized how little control I really have in life.
• knew that "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and the ABC's song have the same melody.
• had a crowd watch me change a diaper.
• knew how long a box of raisins could keep a little kid busy.
• thought I would answer a question with "Because I said so!" (I made it 5 years until I caved in, though.)
• knew how completely amazing it is to feel your child move inside of you.
• had any idea how tired I could get of saying: "Stay away from each other!"
  "Where are your pants?" "Say you're sorry." and "Eat your vegetables."
• knew how tired I could get of hearing: "Mine!" "I do it!" "He pushed me."
• fully appreciated how gracious God was by creating young child that needed naps.
• thought my kids could reach locked drawers from underneath and pull out the pizza cutter.
• feared how powerful my parents curse was "to someday have a child that eats just like me".
• realized that leaving a box of wipes by a toddler is just as dangerous and giving them a box of Kleenex.
• had ballerinas and princesses parading through my kitchen as I cleaned up after a meal.
• thought of getting up at 9am as sleeping in.
• was told how important it was to pull the leg ruffles out on diapers.
• thought of refilling the liquid soap as something fascinating to watch.
• kept a box of Kleenex in my car at all times.
• wiped the nose of a teddy bear.
• saw someone drive a toy stroller up the side of a wall.
• thought I would hear "You're not bleeding - you don't need a BandAid" on a daily basis in my home.
• thought reading the phrase "party pooper" would make my 5-year old laugh for 5 minutes straight.
• had someone ask me to put pepper on their strawberries.
• noticed all the light fixtures and fans and other amazing things on the ceilings of all the places I visit.
• knew how annoyed I would get by little people walking in front of me when I'm in a hurry (and resent them deciding how fast I can walk).
• appreciated how much effort goes into pigtails look like someone older than 5 made them.
• thought about how I will never get sick of watching my kids spontaneously hug and cuddle with each other.

God bless,

Amanda

http://four-and-no-more.blogspot.com/