We SURVIVED!! Wow, what an awesome weekend with family and friends! I did not have time to take ONE PICTURE! So, a HUUUUGE thanks to my Aunt Susan and my dad who sent me theirs--I was ONE BUSY MAMA! (Also, thanks to Larry & Peggy who let us borrow their cargo storage on the top of our burb! It was a life-saver!)
I'll get right to it:
We started off Thursday night after the last feeding around 6:30pm, naively thinking that the babies would be exhausted and would welcome a nice 3 hour nap...
(you can all begin laughing out loud at us right about now!)
HOOOOOOLY COW! They were quiet for about one hour...then it began...the crying/screaming by all four babies for the next 120 minutes. I jumped in the back and pulled out every toy and every trick a first time momma on a first time road trip with quads could think of!...didn't work...so, after I had exhausted all my efforts, I retreated, in defeat, to the front passenger seat of the burb. Joe and I cranked up the radio, rolled down the windows, and stared ahead in silence with dazed looks on our faces. (popped a couple of Advil in the meantime)
IT. WAS. ROUGH.
Once we got to Austin, it took forever to pat the babies down to sleep! I guess they were just super exhausted and completely thrown off guard by being in a new place, waaaay past their bedtime. The next day and following days were amazing! The babies did great on their schedules and took nice two hour long naps twice a day! (It was just the first two, 3 hour drives, that just about "did us in")
We were able to spend some good time with Uncle Dan at the Steece Villa...the Steece's were at Joe's cousin's wedding in Mexico--CONGRATS Meg!!
Dan with Ben
Before we left on our next 3 hour drive of ear piercing torture, Ethan was practicing his hoop skills on the basketball court
Once again, mama jumped in the back and rattled every toy, sang every song, read every book.....to no avail. Those were the longest three hours of my life (ok, so not really, but wanted to add some dramatic effect to bring home the point!) Finally we arrived in Uvalde and the quads went to sleep pretty easily. (WHEW)
Saturday we enjoyed some good loving from lots and lots of family... (Me & Sav, Grandpapa & Ben, Sugar & Ethan, Joe & Drew--no stripes, but camo pants this time)
Aunt Susan and Savannah
Twins feeding twins...yes folks, more twins in the family (my dad's cousins)! Mary Lou on the left, Karen feeding Drew & Sharon feeding Ethan. I love quinky twink stuff--so look at the womens' postures and then look at the boys' postures. They are doing the same thing! Cracks me up. E & D even have the same shoe missing...
Aunt Sandra with Drew...little fireball!
Aunt Susan with Ethan...sweet cuddle bug!
Then we drove to Brackettville for my mom's twin--Aunt Judy's retirement party. It was so beautiful and Judy will truly be missed at that school! I remember how amazing her classroom is always set up and decorated--such a fun and extraordinary teacher!
Uncle Stoney and Aunt Judy (I hate that I didn't get a picture of Judy with the quads! argh! Just too much going on!)
Family getting to love on the quaddies--holding Ethan
Yep, just pass em around...make sure I count four by the end of the night...and we're good to go!
After the party we headed back to Uvalde for the night and got ready for church the next day. Savannah in her pretty little yellow dress, laughing at her great grandfather.
Sweet Big Ben--he was a little bashful this weekend, believe it or not...
Ben flashing that smile with Aunt Susan
Sugar and Susan with the quads after church
Mom helping me change them and getting them ready for a LONG 6 hour drive home!
Awww...daddy and his princess
Susan with Ethan, Sandra with Drew
I caught sweet little Ethan smiling again!
Aunt Sandra and Uncle Mike with the crew...By the way, Bashful Ben was doing his little shy head tilt for almost every picture (Ben, Sav, Drew, & E)
One last pic before we leave...NO--Joe and I did not PLAN on wearing the same shirts! :) We aren't THAT gooberish!....well....sometimes ;)
And this was SOOOOOOO NEAT! I was able to meet (for the first time) one of my blogger buddies who grew up in Uvalde and just happened to be in town that weekend. Charla and I have been buddies for about 2 years--waaaay before I was even pregnant. Check her site for the whole background story--it is VERY AWESOME--one of those "small world" stories! (She grew up in the same house as my father! Check it out)
It was so great to finally meet--like long-lost friends! Charla was so beautiful, sweet and funny with the most amazing blue eyes!
The 6 hour drive home, although dreaded like the dentist, was surprisingly GRRREAT! I think Joe and I finally figured out what works best for our quads. We waited to feed them until they started crying (which was about 2 hours into the trip). I crawled to the back and fed all four--which took about an hour (that is--an hour of babies with bottles in their mouths and not crying--an hour closer to home!) We stopped for gas, burped them, changed their diapers in the burb--now THAT was a sight to see. I wish so badly I would have had my camera. Just imagine with me, if you will: Joe was in the very back seat, diapering the two on the back row--in their carseats...Suz is hunched down in front of Joe, in between the middle bucket seats, diapering the middle two--in their carseats--while people are driving by the gas station, hearing four babies crying, and staring at us with our windows rolled down. We were laughing the whole time, we could barely see what we were doing!
All in all....a WONDERFUL trip! But we DID modify this weekend's itinerary and cancelled the 3 hour drive to Houston. We will stay in Waco the whole time...must recuperate! My next post will be about the grocery items that were life-savers on this journey!
