Let's see if I can do this in 10 minutes or less...
Got a second swing on Thursday because that's the only place the babies sleep. This resulted in simultaneous naptimes on Saturday for several hours, which gave us time to:
Mow the lawn (Andrew)
Read all the books (big kids and me)
Do a science experiment (big kids and me)
Bake cookies (big kids and me - 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies!)
No picture of our delicious fresh strawberries from the Farmer's Market, since those got eaten too quickly (is there anything better in the world than fresh local strawberries? I think not...)
We went to a carnival hosted by the Moms of Multiples group I'm a member of (even though I never go to meetings because of the babies).
Glitter tattoos!
And stuffed bears for the babies, which the big kids are "borrowing."
And visors that they artfully decorated...
And monkeys that they decorated also. Cecilia's was pink. Surprised?
...
Sunday found us basking in the beauty of our backyard once Andrew was home from singing.
Well, once he cleaned up the dead bird that found its way into the water table.
Pretend you never read that. GROSS!!!
Elizabeth discovered grass and was absolutely entranced!
Tips for outdoor photography in harsh sunlight? I can't figure out what angles work!
I watered the lovely tomatoes that my mom brought over and planted for us because she's seriously the best mom ever. She came over, helped me with the kids, planted heirloom tomatoes that she grew from seed, and weeded. Yeah, you wish she was your mom :P
Mary Claire showed us her growing strength.
And that morning a wonderful friend came by with boxes full of craft & homeschooling supplies - we will never need to buy markers or crayons again, and the kids have been having an absolute BLAST with all their new things! I have a stack of homeschooling books to read and we have a second high chair that I PROMISE we really will set up and let these babies actually try solid foods one of these days...
The day ended with dishes being left unwashed because ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT!!!
Which may or may not be the reason I'm only giving myself 10 minutes to post...
...
Monday morning we got ready to head out to Front Royal to visit friends and then drive out to Skyline Drive for a hike. John Paul chose an adult-sized hat to keep the sun out of his eyes.
Cecilia chose her Mary veil...
And wore it for half of the car ride, but eventually decided it was cramping her style.
We stopped for Apple House doughnuts (fresh warm apple cider doughnuts - nothing better!), visited with friends in their wonderful new house with their adorably snuggly baby, and then headed out *right* as it started looking a little overcast...
Which is why this is one of the only pictures I took! It started raining about 20 minutes before we got to our final destination! We went for our hike anyway, but it was at a rather less leisurely pace than we had planned because it was chilly and rainy.
Highlights: The kids getting to pee in a giant hole (the weird weird toilets that just dropped into pits...)
John Paul, in the middle of the trail: I just need to dance for a little while. Dance break with no music
John Paul, picking up a walking stick and hitting a rock with it: I'm hitting the stone with my staff. AND THEN WATER CAME OUT!
John Paul: I'm going to throw my staff to the ground and it will become a SNAKE!
Yeah, he's been reading a lot about Moses lately...
Then of course, Cecilia fell asleep about 15 minutes from my father-in-law's house, where we stopped to play for a bit before dinner.
Ah yes, our first dinner out with all 4 kids in tow (aside from trips to Chick-Fil-A and Subway).
BUST.
In retrospect, after such a ridiculously long day we should have realized nobody would be on their best behavior. At least the food was delicious!
And there you have it! Only 5 minutes over my time limit, time to go watch more Arrested Development!
I love John Paul. He's hilarious!
ReplyDeleteI hope your tomatoes are doing okay, because low temperatures were supposed to be in the 40s over the weekend. Not good for tomatoes. Urg.
Awwe, you are a good momma! I keep hearing about Arrested Development, is it really that good??
ReplyDeleteI would like to know the same thing!! Never heard of it and now it is everyone's favorite show?
DeleteIt's pretty hilarious, in a very offbeat way. We love it!
DeleteFresh strawberries are heavenly!!!! Your kids are hilarious and that sounds like an epic weekend. We still can't manage eating out with just our little one so I'm very impressed :)
ReplyDeleteEven with 5 adults, we couldn't quite manage the crankiness... But I think it will be better on a less exciting day!
DeleteYou seriously manage to get a huge amount done with those littles. How do you not get tired always? Your mom is totally awesome, and if I didn't love your blog so much I would tell you to quit it and spend your time writing a series of books about John Paul.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your new buttons!
ReplyDeleteI'll vouch for your mom being totally awesome!! And she's bringing me tomatoes to Mass on Sunday, too! I won't wish she were my mom, because mine is awesome too; but I'm glad she's my friend!
ReplyDeleteI hope you do a better job keeping yours alive than I'm sure I will!!! I'm also kind of counting on her bringing me some of her abundant yield once they start producing ;)
DeleteHey, you'd better keep them alive after all that work I did! ;-) Seriously, once they've established themselves, you won't need to do anything in particular but make sure that they don't fall down. Tie them to the railings with old runny stockings or sole sock strips. Even if you forget to do that, they'll still produce, just not quite as well.
DeleteAnd can't you get the kids to water them now and then? Seems to me as if that is something they would enjoy. Rabia, yours too.
Also, Rabia, I'm glad we are friends, too! :-D
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