Catching up....

It has officially been 6 months since I posted anything! It seems like a lifetime ago we were leaving Ann Arbor. We have been busy since then. It is overwhelming to think about catching up on all that. Maybe I will have to make this part one of a short mini-series, but no, my life isn't that exciting. Even I would fall asleep. So I will just sum up the last half of 2008 and then tell you about 2009 later. 

In July we moved to Massachusetts amid stifling humidity and heat. (What I wouldn't give for a day of that right now). We settled in to our new place and got used to our new surroundings. We live next to a lake surrounded by woods. It is beautiful and we love taking family walks around part of the lake and playing at the beach.

In August we took a few day trips to see our new state. We played in Cape Cod and saw old friends, enjoyed the view from atop Mt. Wachussett, and biked to the local park to enjoy concerts in the evenings.

In September Ellie started preschool and loves it. We watched the leaves change colors in our yard, and took a trip to watched daddy ride in his first sponsored bike ride to benefit MS research. We also had some dear friends come visit for a little Ann Arbor reunion.

In October James parents came for a visit and spent Halloween with us. Ellie was Belle (think Beauty and the Beast) and the boys were cute little black and white puppies. The kids quickly got the hang of "trick or treat".

In November James had a "run" in with a pothole and sprained/broke his ankle. Despite him being in a boot, we took a family road trip to visit good friends in the DC area over Thanksgiving. We enjoyed seeing the sights, visiting a fun museum, and playing games. We also vowed never to take the NJ turnpike again!

In December I enjoyed taking the kids on walks in my new-to-me quad stroller. We finally got snow (it hasn't quit since) and Santa wasn't the only one who made his presents known. The kids loved learning Christmas songs about baby Jesus. They also loved watching the mail man make deliveries to our house from our extended family. Brown paper packages look great under the tree! We feel very loved.

Ellie has become quite the artist. These were some of the pictures she colored for her grandparents. Below is a picture of J playing with a little nativity. The kids were so cute playing with baby Jesus.

The kids and daddy ready for a Christmas Eve story.

This is what Christmas morning looked like. Cute family pic never happened. 

Ellie in her new cottage.

The boys playing "train" with their new fire trucks and tractor.

This post is officially long enough so we will save the rest for another day. 

It's time!

It's finally here. The time I never thought would really come. We have a real job and we are moving. James has been in school for as long as I have known him, which is coming up on 10 years now. James is a great student as many of you know and originally thought he would be a professor after finishing his PhD., but things change and we are off to a job in industry in the East. Another thing I never thought would happen. We are from the west, and to the west we thought we would return. I guess life isn't what you think it will be. I can't help but shed a tear for the home we are leaving. We have made life-long friends here and had all four of our children here. I know most people can't stand the housing we are in and are very ready for more space (as am I), but I have considered this our home and find it hard to pack up. I have really grown here and will miss all that this place is. We have a one of a kind ward here, that I love, and I really don't know what I will do when my kids don't have a huge sand box and a playground to play on right outside the front door, not to mention the three baby swings, and playmates is ample supply. I will miss walking around the NW V loop and seeing all our friends out in the evening.

The one thing that makes this move easier is knowing we have a place waiting for us and we love the area we will be in. We have a state park 1/10 of a mile away, at the end of a very quiet, wooded street. We will still only have three bedrooms, but they are bigger and we have a finished basement!! The best part...three and a half bathrooms! We have arrived. No waiting in line to shower, let alone pee. I don't look forward to potty training, but at least we have a bathroom on each level. That will help. We hope we will find as much joy in our new home as we have had here. Hopefully that doesn't mean four more children or I WILL lose my husband to the psychiatric ward.

As for other happenings in recent past. We went on a housing hunting trip for four days with just E and almost felt normal when out in public. No stares, no "you have your hands full", just
business as normal. Boring. Thanks, Aunt Kim for taking good care of the boys while we were gone. We were home for a day and then it was off to Utah to visit family via a four day car trip. We haven't been to Utah as a family for three years and many of our family members hadn't even seen our kids yet. We had a nice visit with cousins on the way out. Thanks Gaza's for accommodating us so well. It was wonderful to see all my siblings again. It has been way too long and was way too short. Hopefully we can make it happen more frequently. We also go to meet Kim's new husband and two kids. Our kids had three new cousins to meet on this trip. Thanks Mom, for arranging the family party. It was great to see so many family members I wouldn't have seen otherwise. We even got updated pictures of both sides of the family. Thanks, Lane for flying out. James and I got some much needed time alone and had a mini-vacation for a couple days. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa Allison and all who helped watch our kids for a few days.

If I started to thank everyone that helped us on this momentus family vacation we would be here all night. I won't bore you. You know who you are, Thank You! Thanks Aunt Vicki for letting us stop in unexpectedly and making us lunch. The boys love the 4 wheeler ride, even if they weren't moving. Last, but not least, we visited our good friends the Pollary's on the way home and got to watch fireworks on the 4th. After a day's drive, it was nice to feel like it really was a holiday. E and J got to play princesses the next morning and even posed for some cute pics. We loved our time with everyone.

Since we returned home, it has been back to work. Packing and wrapping up our life here. James had his last day doing consulting for Ford today, although he will still be finishing things over the next week or two. Tuesday we load the truck and Wednesday we leave town. I will be so glad to be done with this move. We really thought we got rid of so much stuff, but we still have so much left. I really do appreciate the simple life.

Well, I guess this update will have to be enough. One of these times I will get more pictures on here, but until then you can envision us a little darker from the summer sun, a little plumper from the road trip fast food, and a little older. E's curls are getting longer, and the boys are sporting new buzz cuts that are really cute on them. It's much easier to get sand out of short hair!

Have a great July and wish us luck on our move.

Tagged!

ABC Tag. Just for fun. I love reading other peoples tags so now you can read mine.

A - Attached or Single: Attached
B - Best Friend(s): Lives with me
C - Cake or Pie: Cake with ice cream please
D - Day of Choice: Do I get a choice?
E - Essential Item: lately... Puffs plus with lotion
F - Favorite Color(s): almost any shade of Green
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: I like to suck on the worms
H - Hometown: Woods Cross
I - Indulgence(s): Naptime!!! (the kids', not mine) and as of two days ago Starbucks Double Delish hot chocolate!! Wow, that's chocolate!
J - January or July: July... Popsicles and sandals! Sorry to all those who were born in January.
K - Kids: 4 in 16 months... nuff said.
L - Life is incomplete without: Spooning, hope that's not TMI
M - Marriage Date: October 5, 2000
N - Number of Siblings: 3... I miss you.
O - Oranges or Apples: Sunkist and Fuji, but nothing beats fresh from the mill cider!! Michigan definitely has that going for it!
P- Phobias or Fears: spiders, and colicky babies
Q - Quote: Yes, they are all mine!
R- Ring size: Can't remember back that far.
S - Season: Spring, Summer, and Fall.
T- Tag 3 Friends: Anyone who feels like being my friend.
U - Unknown fact about me: I hate this question and I get to skip it. If a fact is still unknown, it's probably for good reason.
V - Very favorite stores: Children's Place
W - Worst Habit: guilt
X-ray or Ultrasound: I'm an RT so X-rays all the way, but I really like CT scans
Y - Your Favorite Food(s): Mexican, Indian, Thai...mmmmm
Z- Zodiac: Taurus

More Catching Up

I have several more photos and a few videos to catch you back up to the present.

After the boys were born we were really fortunate that Ellie did not learn how to climb out of her crib for some time. Finally, last December, Ellie realized climbing out was a pretty easy task, and having a free-roaming two-year-old in our house added an entirely new dimension to our family. Here is a video taken the day Ellie learned to climb out:




Room for everyone!



For a while the boys' hair grew very slowly, but by the time the boys were 16 months old they were looking pretty shaggy. While mom and Ellie were away, dad got out the clippers and went to it. Surprise mom! We had a haircut party!





We had a great Christmas morning. The clear winner with Ellie was her new princess attire, which has been a defining component of her life ever since. Ellie found some cylindrical cardboard packaging from another present that worked perfectly as a crown, and she is still using that cardboard crown.



The surprise favorite for the boys was Ellie's new doll cradle:




Here is a photo of our courtyard on New Year's Day.



During the previous winter (2006-2007) the boys were constantly sick. Colds turned into bigger respiratory problems and sometimes into ER visits. At times two or three of them needed breathing treatments several times each day and a few times during the night. They didn't really get better until the middle of March. This winter has been comparatively better; they were sick for most of January, but had several healthy periods afterwards. Here is a photo of dad giving Brian a breathing treatment in January of this year:



All the kids having their drinks in Ellie's bed:



All four kids fully engaged in front of a movie:



At the end of January Ellie went on an all-day date with dad to the Detroit auto show, including lunch at Xochimilco in Detroit's Mexican town. Here are some photos of Ellie posing at the auto show:




During the middle of the winter and at the height of cabin fever, a few very generous friends provided babysitting so that mom and dad could escape to someplace warm for a weekend. Here is a photo from our trip:



And this is one of the first sights that greeted us when we returned to the Detroit airport:



This catches us up to the beginning of March. Natalie will probably want to write about some of the more recent events, like her mom's visit over Easter, Ellie's adventure with green markers, and Ellie's birthday.

Finally Some Photos

I've finally pulled out a few photos from the past several months to share, and plan to post them a few at a time. They might be in a somewhat random order. The first is from Halloween. Here we are out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Ellie is Princess Fiona, and the boys are the Shrek Triplets.

Here is Michael celebrating his loot.

Here are the kids playing in the fall leaves.


This is what happens when you let a two-year-old dress herself.


It's surprising what toys become the favorites sometimes.


Here is Ellie mastering the rings.


Time for Jonathan to get a haircut.

We never know what we'll find in the morning. Here is Brian just after waking up.



At the beginning of December we took the whole family to a Christmas party for parents of higher-order multiples. Here is a photo of our family there.


No one was quite sure what to think of Santa.


On December 13th I passed my final dissertation defense. Three other Ph.D. students in my research group passed their defenses as well. This all happened within a three week period. The day after my defense we had a party for all the graduates. In the photo below you can see my advisor at the right, the four Ph.D. graduates to the left of him, and then an MS graduate and another professor. The graduates all received 'surprise' graduation presents from my advisor.



I'm still in the middle of a job search. I have several prospects, but no offers yet. Possible destinations so far include California, Arizona, New Mexico, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.

I'm Baaaaaaack!

So when I started this blog Ellie was still napping and I actually got a break during the day to do what I needed to do without kids. Now, it has been so long since she has even taken one nap, I don't remember what it is like. By the time they are all in bed for the evening and the house is restored to semi-cleanliness, and I have given James some attention, I am exhausted. Blogging is something I can always put below the really important things on my to-do list, but there is always something at the top and it is never updating this blog.

I have come to find out that this blog is linked on many, other blogs. I am amazed at how that happens when I really only told two other people about it besides my mom. I guess I should be flattered that you want to link to our blog, but I am pretty embarrassed by the fact that everyone checking this has read the same Poopy Day title for over two months. So I am finally updating this thing.

Where to start... I could write for three days and not tell it all. I guess I will pick a couple favorites and save the rest for another day.

Ellie loves to pretend. I love to wake up each day and wonder who Ellie will decide to be today. It might be Fiona (from Shrek), Ariel (Little Mermaid), Cinderella, Snow White (thanks to Grandma E), Boo (Mosters Inc.), Sleeping Beauty or Super Mom a.k.a. Elastagirl (from Incredibles-currently her favorite.) The best part is that I get to play opposite her. Shrek, Eric, Prince Charming, Sully, or my favorite, Super Dad! The other day she was in the bathroom while we were getting the boys ready for bed. She is potty trained and can go by herself, so the once off-limits bathroom is now fair game. I walked in to find her face around her mouth covered in red. I at first thought lipstick, but I don't own red lipstick, or bathtub crayon. On closer inspection I find it is blood and lots of it. I start cleaning her up and try to stay calm. She isn't screaming or scared yet and I don't want to upset her. I finally put two and two together when I see the parrallel cuts on her cheeks and both lips. She found dad's razor in the mirror cabinet and decided to shave her face just like Fiona does in the second Shrek movie. I guess the first and second cuts didn't hurt so she kept going. We finally got the bleeding stopped enough to put on band-aids and make her promise never to shave her face again.

Michael helped me make the decision about when to take the boys to the dentist last week. As he was climbing up the stairs from the basement Friday, he looked down and moved up at the same time and caught his bottom teeth on the wooden stair. He has a funny tooth on the bottom anyway, but now it is chipped too. He sheered off the front of his right lateral (for all my dental friends). I called the dentist and they thought it would be good to check it out before the weekend, just to make sure. So we went on our first trip to the dentis that afternoon, me and all four kids. What an adventure. It actually went really well. The office had a big waiting room with lots of toys so the kids thought it was great. When I took Michael back, one of the hygenists even offered to watch the other three so I could listen to the dentist explain everything. M had an x-ray and the dentist checked out his teeth. She really knew how to work with kids and M did really well. The chip was superficial enough that we don't need to do anything about it. Just watch it. Luckily it is a baby tooth and he will get a new one in a few years. Unfortunately, our dental insurance kicked in today so we got to foot the bill for that trip. I also made appointments for the other three in a month so we can all go back again! Two more things about M. He thinks anytime James or I are lying on the floor it is time to climb 0n top of us. He get a big grin and just runs at you. He also doesn't like bubble baths. We tried it the other night with all four kids and all he kept saying was bubble, bubble, bubble with a worried look on his face. He's so funny.

I only have time to write something short about J and B. Jonathan loves to wear this little navy knit hat that used to be Ellie's. He also loves E's sunglasses and almost anything of hers including necklaces, her backpack, and princess shoes. It is cute to see how much he loves her. I think they kind of have a little bond. They look very much alike and M and B look like each other. I have two of each. Jonathan will find something of E's and go running after her calling Eddy, Eddy, Eddy and get so excited to give her her stuff. It is really cute.

Brian has the best eyebrow expressions. He can go from mad to sly to smiling with the slightest change in eyebrows. I love to catch him in a grumpy expression and do it back to him and see how long it takes to get him to smile. He is so cute. He also needs a little beeper installed like dump trucks have when they shift into reverse. He loves to stand in front of me and back up to sit in my lap. Sometimes I try to back up a little while he is to see if he is watching where he is backing.

Today is April fools and I wish I were as good as my dad at pulling pranks. The one time I actually pulled a prank on my dad he got it to backfire on me. I won't go there again. I would love to post a pic of an old ultrasound and announce we were expecting or something, but with my luck it would jinx me and it would come true. Not something I am up to right now! I will just have to end this post with a Happy Birthday wish to my dad the King of April Fools! I love you.

Poopy Day!

Today was one of those days that hopefully I will find funny in the future. It was not funny at the moment. I came home from a quick lunch date with James to find Ellie coughing and feverish. Our family has had it's share of sickness for the year in the last two weeks. I have somehow managed to stay somewhat healthy, but the rest of my family has been hit hard. Just after Christmas the kids one by one began getting conjunctivitis (pink eye) and then ear infections. They were put on antibiotics, but the bug they got must have been resistant. We switched two of the boys to another drug, but M got hives. So back to the pharmacy I went to get yet another prescription. This seemed to do the trick so in the end four out of five sickies were put on it. Yes, James was not spared. Conjunctivitis, ear infections and a nasty sinus infection, he was flat on his back in bed for days on end. While on antibiotics M and J both decided to spike high fevers too. Tylenol round the clock for three days helped. After they were on the mend, B decided to have his turn. He developed periorbital cellulitis and his temp was as high as 104.1 before he got better. I guess it is E's turn for the fever now. She has been healthy for the last week so I was hoping she would get spared. Guess not. Wish me luck tonight.

So on with the story. I decided to try to get E to take a nap today, since she wasn't feeling well. Naps are something she suddenly gave up a couple months ago. I put her in her room and locked the door. (she can open child safety knobs and likes to play in the bathroom) I was downstairs getting dinner started (something that rarely happens) when I heard "Mommy I have poop on my bum, I need a new diaper." I entered her room to see a ball of poo waiting for me on her carpet and E standing there in the nude. So much for a nap. I have no idea why she
decided it was OK to take off her clean diaper, and then poop. The last time (Friday) she tried to change her own poopy diaper. Yes, we are attempting potty training, another story for another day. So I got her cleaned up and dressed and threatened her if she ever does it again.

By this time the boys are all screaming and giggling with each other. I love how they play peek-a-boo with each other in their cribs after naps. This wasn't quite the game I walked in on. It was more like peek-a-POO. There sat M with only a shirt on, no pants and no diaper. But wait, it gets better. He had a poopy diaper too. I am pretty sure I got to him soon after he had taken it off, but not before he could spread it on the bars, sheet, lips, etc. I am getting really good at changing crib sheets and wiping down crib bars now so I got M cleaned up and in with J while I clean up the mess. Tonight his diaper is taped shut.

I finally get the boys down stair to play and I can still smell poo. (not uncommon) I pull on the back of B's diaper to check and sure enough my fingertips hit paydirt. 10 seconds longer and it would have been spilling over. At least I caught that one before it was all over the carpet. Hands wash much easier than the carpet.

Well, enough for one day. They will all be waiting for me again tomorrow. Someday I will only have to wipe one bottom and it better be my own.