Roaming around the neighborhood

With the weather so nice & the girls so active, I have taken them by myself!!!! on walks around our block. They LOVE it! If you ever come to my house becareful of saying words like walk, shoes, outside. Hysteria will ensue! I will say it takes as long to get them ready, as it does for the adventure. Though, they do love their new walking shoes. I mean a girl needs the right shoes for each outfit & event! And if it seems walking puppies would be easier, it is!
Enjoy!

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Roaming around the neighborhood!

A little catching up

I promise to have more pictures & a better post up soon. I wanted to let everyone know that JuJu was chosen as a success story by ECI this year. ReadyStart, the local ECI program, wrote an article about her on their new blog. They had to for confidentiality reasons use another name, but since I'm the MOM, I can say who it is!!!! I truly cannot say enough good things about the team of therapist who have worked with JuJu from ECI. Her other miracle worker is Ms. Sally and ALL of the staff at Integrative Pediatric Therapy. JuJu has seen Sally Fryer since she was 3months old for Craniosacral Therapy. The combo of ECI, the cranio, JuJu's inner drive and all of the prayers for her, have created the miracle that today keeps me on my toes (and my hair grey!).



THANK YOU to ALL of you with all of the nice comments on the pictures of the girls & our family. One of the members of our local MOMs of Muliplies group, Carey Lynn of Carey Lynn Photography did the photos. She will tell you for each person in the shot is how many she had to photoshop to get all of us in one picture! The pictures came out great.

As for Christmas, the girls LOVED it! Rayne's favorite new word is "prezin". River took no time in figuring out how to get into the presents and all packages that now come to the door are assumed to be theirs! Favorite toys of the day: noisy magic fairy wands, m&m's (they are my children, of course chocolate would be in the top 5!), a walk on piano keyboard, and the stuffed animals from Noni. And like most 2 year olds~ the wrapping!!!! Oh, the anticipation!!!!! Santa! Presents! Chocolate & Coffee! Oh wait, that is for me! Hehehehehehe

I don't think they knew where to go to first, but were mostly in awe that they got behind the gate!
The musical keyboard. It truly should come with a bottle of motrin. Skye LOVED to jump from key to key. Rayne was content with a stroll, and JuJu couldn't press enough different spots at one time! River analyzed it and then tried to dictate, sorry direct everyone.

Noni & Pop-Pop with the girls. It was so awesome having them here on Christmas morning.

And before I forget.........CONGRATULATIONS to both of my brothers!!!!!!!
Jeremy & Natasha announced they are expecting!
Travis proposed to Angie and she said yes!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Christmas "jammies" preview!

On Friday we had a crazy fun day. I tried the girl's new Christmas pajamas on, hung the stockings, and before you knew it, a ton of pictures were taken! A huge thank you has to go out to Ms. Emily! Part of it was her idea!

My Montage 12/20/08

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Water Puddles

Jump, Jump

Photo TAG

Here is how it goes!

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag 4 people to do the same

NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)


This is Minew. The picture is a perfect example of his personality. I love this cat dearly. He went to live with my niece when we went to PHoenix to have the girls.
I'm not going to tag anyone, but feel free to do it also!

The Boss

Sirens!

Well as I was finishing the last post, the weather warning started showing up on the tv, so like a good girl scout I decided to pay attention. GOOD THING! The tornado sirens went off about 5 minutes later! I had already started de-cluttering our "safe zone" and even threw in a flashlight & some books. I was looking to see what else would be significant to throw in and how to get the girls in there by myself. So I threw in my purse when the siren went off! Oh, did I mention Beau is out of town!
Well, I now know I can get 4 kids out of bed, carry 2/herd 2, usher the dog, grab blankets & binkies, and corral into the safe zone! Oh yeah, and pray to GOD! All of course while my four angels are screaming their heads off. Oh, except JuJu, she was still not completely awake yet. It is alittle humorous now, but they were screaming so much & I was trying to keep them calm, that I couldn't hear the all clear. I could hear the tower giving out some sort of announcement, but not what it was.
The tornado didn't touch down and all is now calm. I think I will NOW have a glass of wine, or 2 or 4 or....... Who am I kidding?

Taking it easy & talking up a storm

We have had a language explosion here! Full sentences, new words, gestures, ect. It is almost scary. I asked River where was something, and she goes "here it is". Rayne & Skye are counting to 13! And the four together point out and tell you what's going on in the Pooh movie now. The cutest thing is the care of their bears & dolls. And dressing! (and undressing....) Skye is putting on socks by herself and Rayne is putting on her own jackets. JuJu has managed to master undoing her diaper underneath her pj's. We now know to look and see if there is any off centered lump. She thinks its hysterical and will stand in front of you to do it.
This last week we have been laying a bit low with some minor colds & one ear infection. Because of this we have discovered a new pasttime-coloring! We love to color now. And it is mostly done on the paper. Well, the walls could use a fresh coat of paint, or 2.....

Going to see Santa

Santa: part 1

Skye, Rayne, River, & JuJu with Mommy & SANTA! All of us on the Polar Express !!!
More pictures & the craziness that surrounded getting these very adorable pictures!!

Can you find all of the girls? With all of the "big" cousins in for Thanksgiving, the girls got to take a walk around the block. The girls were loving all of the extra attention. They cried when everyone arrived, and cried even more when they all left this morning. It was really sweet. It was a great holiday with all of Beau's siblings and their families in town. As I get more pictures, I will post them.
Daddy, I"m in charge right? (River)
(Rayne)Here we go again!
Ah, I finally get my ball pit to myself!
Hmmm,I wonder which shoes What not to Wear would recommend? I hope mom gets a good deal on some shoes!
Am I the only one cleaning around here? Oh, what a mess! But a good time was had by ALL!


Thanks to everyone for all of the nice comments about the girls. It really meant alot and it was alot of fun to do!

Skye Elizabeth

Skye was the last one born at 7:09pm weighing 2lb 13oz. She was our tiny one! She, like River, came out breathing room air & never looked back. She also had the penthouse suite in-utero & had the most room to move. We figured that was why she was the tiniest; she got to "exercise" more. In the NICU she seemed to always be sleeping, so we would have to wake her up to hold her. Now, we have to almost hold her to get her to slow down enough to sleep!
This was the first picture where we started to put the girls together. It was a few days after things had happened with JuJu and the amazing nurses made sure that we had "happy experiences" too. They nick-named Skye "Mini-me" because she looked so much like Beau. She was the cutest thing, but hated getting her picture taken. Now she likes it, but actually prefers to be behind or operate the camera!
From the beginning, Skye has been a very happy baby! She loves to smile, laugh, dance and play. She also was the first to crawl & walk, but we figured it was because she was just so light, it was easier to move around. She loved to wiggle or crawl over & steal bottles or pull hair. Karma is catching up to her, but she still remains very fast!
I guess the other two major loves in Skye's life (besides Daddy) is her blanket & TV! She asks for tv before she is even out of the crib or fully awake. If you ever want to see a melt down, turn off the tv when she is watching. It is pretty bad! We have tried to limit/reduce it, but half the time she really isn't watching. Her & her sisters just love the background noise and the comfort of it. But, she does count, knows a ton of signs & is even recognizing letters! All I can say is thank-you Sesame Street & Signing Times!
Skye's other love, before I forget is shoes & clothes. She is even sleeping with them now!

I have been asked if she was named Skye because of how blue her eyes are, and the truth is we picked out which baby was getting which name while they were in-utero. It just so happened that the one with sky-blue eyes is Skye!

I hope ya'll enjoyed getting to "meet" the girls.

Julianne Carroll

Julianne Carroll was born at 7:07pm weighing 3 lbs, 1oz. This is her just a couple of days old. Little did we know the roller coaster she would be taking us on a week later. It seemed any of the issues that happened in the NICU happened with her. A week after they were born all of the girls got a head CT and they all came back normal. All the girls were on room air and doing good. They were on their way to being "feeders & growers". Well, a few days later JuJu, as she is known now, got an infection in her IV line that spread. It was MRSA. It is one of the worst staph infections you can get. I watched my little angel struggle to stay alive why the NICU staff took care of her. The MRSA got into her blood stream that caused many more infections that eventually led to a stroke.

Needless to say she was in the NICU alot longer than her sisters were. She was also placed on contact isolation due to the MRSA infection. We were only allowed to handle her (as well as all of her caregivers) with gown & gloves. It wasn't till she came home that we reall got to touch her. We had several tough days/nights, but JuJu has a spirit and a drive to live that is amazing!


We were told to expect profound/sever delays. When I call my girls miracles, I mean it. But with JuJu, I can honestly say, she IS a miracle and the answer to so many prayers! This picture of her is a few weeks after she got home. We knew after seeing her lift her head up & really look at something, things were going to be okay.



JuJu has the best smile and it will melt any heart. And when she bats those blue eyes and does her "hi baby" in a long drawn-out Texas drawl, well........ Let's just say she knows she's cute and uses it to her full advantage.


As you may remember, JuJu did not have a good reaction to Lucy's arrival back home. Uucy is now one of her favorites! She LOVES Uucy. Dada is still number one, with Elmo a close second. However, Winnie the Pooh is making some gains.
Now for all her sweetest, she is quite a stinker! There is alot of "uh-oh's" and "No, JuJu"'s said on a daily basis. She is a master of the innocent look. Her other great look is the "what happened? Who,me?"

So, our little miracle who is with us today, is now a whooping 23.4 lbs and 33in tall. We are truly thankful every day for being blessed with ALL of our girls, but we are very aware that we were truly graced with a miracle. I thank all of you who prayed for us and especially for JuJu and her sisters.


Tomorrow: Skye Elizabeth!


And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!!

Rayne Marie

Rayne Marie was born at 7:06pm and weighed 3lbs 7oz. Today she is 25lbs 4oz and 34.5inches tall. Rayne is my most laid back of the bunch. Even when she was born. She loved to sleep and still does! She is my snuggler too. She always had to touch whoever was laid next to her. She now walks up to you and says "hand, hand", so she can hold it while she walks with you. She was also the first to walk up to Beau & say "I wuv you Dada". I think she will be getting a car for it!

In the NICU, she was the first to get a baby massage and to this day she still loves to get lotion put on & her feet & back rubbed. It is quite cute. Most people look at Rayne & think she is the more delicate, graceful, "Jackie-O" of the group. However, she is actually the messiest and it never seems to bother her.

And her hands are never empty! It has become a running joke with us, but the truth is she never goes anywhere without something. She has to take a treasure. Usually it is her doll, a blanket, a bottle, but sometimes it is a phone, a remote, ect. And if you try to take it........well, let's just say she isn't as laid back anymore! Also, she loves jackets! She wears several of my sweaters or jackets as long robes. She likes to dress up.

She is also the sneaky one of the bunch. Noni's favorite story is when they were about 11months old, Rayne came up and sat by River. She watched and waited until RIver put her bottle down. She then put her EMPTY bottle right next to it, grabbed River's full bottle and then took off. Poor River went to take a sip & had no clue what had just happened.
If you come over, Rayne will probably sing you a song and read you a book. She LOVES to do both and go for walks outside. She is my sweetie-pie princess with a smile that will absolutely melt your heart. And if that doesn't melt your heart, her sweet sing-song voice with whispers into your ear while she hugs you tight will.

Tomorrow- Julianne Carroll

Fabulous Blog Award!

I was given a Fabulous Blog Award by Dorinda. You have to check out her : http://nelsontriplets.blogspot.com/. She is an amazing writer and 5 gorgeous kids. Here are the rules to receiving this award:
1. You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous bloggers in a post.
2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.
3. You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.
Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them.

I wish I only had 5 addictions!
1. Hearing my girls laugh. It is so much fun, especially when all 4 are laughing at the same time.
2. Caffiene. Mostly in the form of coffee & Cokes. I truly wouldn't have made it this far in life without them!
3. Blogging & wasting time on the internet (like now at almost 1am)
4. Buttered Popcorn flavored Jelly Belly's. I will actually hide them. Unfortunately the girls have the same addiction.
5. T.V. I love to watch & unwind with tv at night comedy & drama. Some favorites are How I met your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Ugly Betty, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Grey's Anatomy and LOST! Tivo helps ALOT!

Here are the blogs I nominate:
Jaclyn at Tubre Quads
Moni at The Graf Quads
Charity at The Donovan Quads
Casey at The Gerwer Quads
Maria at The Carson Quads (she has 4 girls like me!)

I hope they enjoy being nominated as much as I did!

Next post: Rayne Marie

River Leigh

I thought I would give a post on each of the girls and their latest stats. Since River is "baby A" she is up first. River was born at 7:04pm weighing in at 3lbs 1oz. My life truly changed in an instant and I'm so greatful for it everyday.
As you can see, she had her Daddy at "whaa".This is her less than 48hour old. One day I will tell the whole birth story, but for now just know that River gave us a huge scare on the day they were born. We went into delivery not knowing if she was still with us. She wasn't "showing up" on the ultrasound. Well she was still with us and has been making her self known ever since. She came out looking at the world and sizing it up. Even the NICU nurses said she was one of the most alert and observant babies they had seen. She also came out needing only room air which is awesome since they were born at 30weeks. Today, she is now 25lbs & 34 inches tall! (but she is not the biggest anymore......) She has an amazing vocabulary and chooses when to use it. The other day she did walk up to me and say "mama, I wuv you". Totally melted my heart. If you ask her, she will tell you she IS the alpha dog. She is also very much into sharing & will tell you so, "share, share". Though her idea of sharing is a bit one-sided. I'm sure you can guess which way! Not much happens around here that she is not a part of. Emily is convinced she is a 25 year old stuck in a little body. River believes so too. She LOVES her Daddy, "Uucy" and of course Noni & Pop-POP. And her bee-boo. What is bee-boo? A pacifier. I have no idea where the name came from, but it has stuck. And she will not sleep without it. WILL NOT and will be very vocal about it. Gee I wonder where that could come from?
She can count to 5, 10 with alittle assist and can recognize a few letters. R & E mostly. Her favorite show is Pooh & Veggie Tales. And she is always ready to go! Don't try sneaking past her either. Like I said, she came out very alert & observant. It hasn't changed! She is protective of her sisters and if one of them is hurt, she will look for their toy or something she knows they like to give to them.
River is definitely the first born and her mommy's little mini-me. She does have her daddy's sense of order and I won't be surprised if she isn't an engineer like him. If not, she will probably be ruling the world or CEO of some company!
Tomorrow, Rayne!

Happy Birthday Noni!

Birthday videos

Whew! They are 2!

The girls had a great birthday despite not feeling very well that day. Beau met us at their favorite restaurant Blue Goose and they got LOTS of "molee" (aka guacamole) and sopapias. The favorite part of the day was getting mail! I put most of their b-day cards in the mailbox for them and they LOVED getting their own mail. Ms. Emily & I are still recovering. (think Halloween! I'll post video when my computer begins to act nice). That night after dinner we had their Birthday cupcakes. I love this bakery near us that has cupcakes with huge flowers on them in each of the girls colors. We even let them blow their own candles out. Ok, we assisted ~ alot!
Then bath, bed, and off to Noni & Pop-Pop's! The girls had a blast there!
JuJu quickly let my mom know which of her baby-proofing worked & which didn't. River gave her a quick smile and immediately wanted to know where Pop-Pop was. Skye took control of the remotes and the buttons on the TV & Rayne was a permanent cling-on to me, literally!
One of the best part of the weekend was having my Grandma come in from LA with my aunts Jeanne & June, and cousin Sarah, for the girls birthday. It was the first time they have seen the girls since last July. Needless to say, they had changed alot. My Grandma has 11 Great-grandkids with 2 more on the way. I am still trying to find the right thank-you note for the gift of the musical instruments, including a drum & recorder!
And then before you know it, we were back on the road again. Four & a half hours of Elmo, Veggie Tales & Signing Times later, we pulled into our drive way.
Thankfully the girls travel pretty well.