The Quads at 2 Years

There are SO many things the kids are doing right now that I want to remember. So many times when someone is asking me a specific question about when the quads were young/schedules/milestones, I say: "Hold on, let me check my blog!" Thank God I have been writing all of this stuff down in my online family journal, because I promise you that I would not remember. I encourage you all to do the same! And one of these days, I have every intention of making my blog journal into a book for my family---something to treasure for many generations.

Favorite words & phrases:

- "I yuv yu" (I love you)
- "Here-go" (Here ya' go)
- "Whatssupdoo?" (What's up dude)
- "Pee-ga-goo" (Peek-a-boo)
- "Ahh-seeu" (I See You)
- "Here-come" (Here I come)
- "I-got-choo" (I got you)
- "OK"
- "Moor-pees" (More please)
- "Tank-u" (Thank you)
- "Hep, hep, hep" (Help--mainly used over and over by Ethan)
- "Ouchie" (and pointing to the problem area)
- "Kees-kees" (Kiss Kiss)
- "Aggees" (Aggies)
- "ABeeCee" (ABC's)
- "Benos nochess" (Buenos Noches)
- "Tee-bah" (Andrew's word for table)
- "Abblesah" "Applesaas" (Applesauce...another fav of Drew)
- "Seehoss" (Seahorse)
- "Ban-ket" (Blanket)
- "Yawn-mow-wah" (Lawn mower, their fav toy)
- "Whut-tuh" (Water)
- "Umbuggah" (Hamburger)
- "Ehh-Pane" (Airplane)
- "icky"
- "poopy"
- "baybeee" (Baby)
- "Jump jump jump"
- "Bebo-Bebo-Bebo" (Anytime they want to watch a movie, b/c of the Signing Bear named Bebo)
- "Nemo" (Nemo the Disney fish, from some books & swim diapers)
- "Eh-mo" (Elmo the Sesame Street character, from some books & diapers)


Names for themselves and others:

- "An-doo" (Andrew)
- "Saah" (Sav)
- "E" or "Etan" (Ethan)
- "Been" (Ben)
- "Sii-loh" or "Yii-yoh" (Shiloh)
- "Gan Gan" "Ganna" (Granna Hoag)
- "Papa" (Papa Hoag)
- "Suu-gah" (Andrew's word for Sugar)
- "Gamby" "Bubbles" (Grammy Steece)
- "Gumpuh" (Grandpa Steece)
- "Un-cah-cah" (Uncle Col)
- "Ass-hee" (Ashley)
- "Cah-tah" (Carter)
- "Uncuh-dah" (Uncle Dan)
- "Uncuh-eh" or "Edd" (Uncle Ed)


Colors:

- "Yeyow" (Yellow, they're favorite color to say)
- "Geeen" (Green)
- "Buoo" (Blue)
- "Redt" (Red)
- "Purpuh" (Purple)
- "Peenk" (Pink)
- "Ornge" (Orange)


Other cute things:

- Ethan and Andrew are counting to 10! They count everything, its so cute. One car ride, I caught Andrew just sitting there and counting his toes to himself.
- Ethan and Andrew are also recognizing and reading certain words (alligator, giraffe, hippo, hands up, hands down, smile, etc)
- Helping and getting toys for each other (Ethan getting Savannah her doll, Sav getting Ben his blanket, etc.)
- Yelling Aggie Chants with their Dadda (pointing, and trying to say "Whoop"). They're favorite chant is "Aaaaa-Rrrrr-Mmmmm-YYY-yyy"- They giggle and laugh every time.
- When we say "Gig 'Em", the kids say, "Agggeees" (Aggies)--mainly Drew.
- They have almost learned all of their colors...still working out the kinks!
- Constantly running around the house loving on each other with hugs and kisses (Ethan is our main "kisser" of the house...he thinks everyone needs a "kees-kees" about every 5 minutes)
- You can tell that we travel alot when the kids constantly ask for "umbuggah, umbuggah)..yep, Sonic plain cheeseburgers are their favorite!
- Frequent random bursts of clapping, yelling, cheering, and laughing...when one starts, they all join in
- They are repeating and trying every word/phrase they hear (Scary!)
- Walking up the stairs like big kids while holding on to the railing (Ben and Sav are pros!)
- Love to dance: Sav does the arms in the air with the Chicken-Wang; Ben gets those shoulders jiving back and forth; Ethan does the river dance stomp; Andrew just claps and stomps
- Still love themselves some Bob Marley on a road trip

(BTW- I was cracking up as I went through the spell-checker on this post. Awesomeness)
I'm sure there are SO many things we are leaving out, but this is what Joe and I have come up with for now. We will add back to it as we think of more. I also plan to blog specifically about each child and what he/she is doing at this age...they are all so beautifully different.

FOUR 2-YEAR-OLDS TOMORROW! EEEEEEEK! Can't buleeeev it.

A Glimpse into My Soul

I don't know how she does it, but RUTH WILLIAMS is able to capture the. perfect. picture. Like looking into my heart and capturing the exact image that I had sketched into my soul. Pictures of how I want to remember my children at that VERY point in time. My kids are turning TWO on Saturday and I am going through pics from a year ago. I would like to share with you, our One Year Photo Session with Ruth from September 2008...captioning what was going on at that very moment. I get extremely emotional when looking at these...they mean so much to me.

(Love this pic--despite the fact that I had been VERY sick with a stomach bug the night before and completely dehydrated)



LOVE this pic because it shows two best friends, completely comfortable in each others arms...reflecting about how much they love each other and their family. LIFE IS GOOD.



In birth order:

Andrew Paul Steece (Probably our most photogenic little guy- smile lights up a room)



those eyes...



Drew's signature look at the time...curious, awkward, guarded. LOVE it.



Drew's best impersonation of Elvis: "uh thank yuh...thank yuh verrrmuch"



Sweet little guy, full of energy, full of life---ready to take on the world



My sunshine.



Quite possibly one of my absolute favorite pics of all time...best laugh ever!



Savannah Leigh Steece (Was NOT in the mood to take pics...SOOOO much sass/'tude) She would turn around and around in circles on the floor---making everyone laugh, smirking--very careful NOT to give up that smile!



We gave the little deary goldfish so she would sit still, and as she lifted up her dress to find the snacks, this ended up being my favorite picture of her!



Love the look...so pure...looking into that big heart of hers



My sweet little gummy smile--Sav's teeth did not grow in for the longest time!



Such a priss, an amazing little 18 year-old stuck in a one-year-old body. Sharp as a tac! SOOO loving and gentle with her brothers. Momma's little baby-doll.



Loves being held in her Daddy's arms...has got him right where she wants him---wrapped around her pinky! Her protector. provider.



Ethan Joseph Steece (Hamming it up for the camera, so easy to get a smile out of the twins) Always with the tongue curl.



E's best impersonation of "blue steel"



again. so pure. looking deep down into his soul.



Ethan's signature look! Always with the hand to the ear---when happy, scared, sad...you name it. I can't tell you how many people told me that they thought he had an ear infection at one time or another...and I would say, "no--he just always grabs at his ear" (he has since stopped--but a perfect memory to capture!)



Open-mouth-smile



Love the cheezy grin...hard to tell, but Joe has the exact same smile in this pic



Benjamin Stephen Steece (Mr. Ben did NOT want to smile for us...always doing things on HIS time, with HIS terms...love his independence)



Sweet cuddle muffin



innocence...priceless.



Going far beyond his eyes, deep into his soul



My little Momma's boy, never wanting to be too far away from my arms. Full of love and lots to give.



So happy with Dad. Another one of my favorite pics. A true Ben smile. Love how they all "smile with their eyes".



My little mirror-images. (Ethan left, Andrew right) Love the feet.



My FAVORITE PIC of all time. Ethan, Savannah, Benjamin, Andrew



No, we're not a happy family or anything. Ruth captured the love overflowing and radiating from our pores!


Ruth, we LOVE you SO much. You have given our family something that will be cherished for many generations to come, long after we have left this Earth. If ANY of you are looking for the best photographer to catch those priceless looks on camera---please contact my truly talented friend, Ruth Williams @ http://www.ruthwilliamsphotography.com/

Can't wait for our 2 year pictures outside!!! That should be fun/challenging with four 2-year-olds! But then again, I'm always up for a good challenge...

Blessings,

MORE Quad Mama Lovin'!

I tell ya---I sure am getting spoiled! First a weekend with the Goerlichs and their cuties; stopping by a party with the Gerwer & Urech lovies, and now another Saturday spent with Quad Moms: Moni Graf (from Kansas), Amy-Jo Sathers (from N. Dallas), Misty Urech (from N. Dallas), and Casey Gerwer (from N. Dallas). The Urech, Gerwer, and Steece quads were all in attendance and loving every second of it!


My girls! Suz, Moni, Casey, Amy-Jo, and Misty (I have to admit, it is kinda funny having quads and getting connected to all of these other amazing ladies with quadruplets as well! I never would have known! God works in amazing ways, eh?)



Hilarious trying to get all of the quads represented in my pictures! Here are 3 Urechs, 2 Steeces, and 1 Gerwer.



So special for my kids to get some Moni-loving---she drove in with her sis, sis-n-law, mom, and mom-n-law all the way from Kansas! Now, I know why her kids are SO dern CUTE!!! Some great genes in that fam! (It was a pleasure getting to meet you fine ladies!) Sweet Moni and Drew!


The Urech girls at water table...Sav (in blue) squeezed in to play with her girlfriends and Moni!



3 Steeces and 3 Gerwers



Moni with Sav in the little house!



...think I might need to invest in one of these, Case! My kiddos LOVED it!



Awww...look at those Gerwer girlies splish splashin' with Benjamin and some Urechs!


Andrew loving his horsie ride on Miss Moni!


We had such a wonderful time with you guys! LOVE YOU! (Missed all of you other quad mamas!)

Its a Bird, its a Plane, its......the STEECE QUADS!

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that the Steeces were going to be a part of something big and exciting...

Well...take a good look...can you see it on the right?



How about now?...recognize these precious faces????



The STEECE QUADS are flying high in the sky over several different parts of DFW! (Ethan, Drew with the hat, Savannah, Ben peeking over)



I knew WITHOUT A DOUBT that we have the absolute BEST BLOG BUDDIES in the world, b/c I quickly began receiving comment after comment- telling me that you had seen our quads off the interstate! It cracked me up to no end. LOVE IT! You guys rock my socks off. It is fun to know that you get just as excited as I do to see my little ones up in the sky!


We are MORE than honored to be a part of an ad campaign for Texas Health (primarily Harris Methodist Fort Worth)...for you see---I feel that I owe my life and the lives of my kids to the amazing staff who took care of us while in the hospital. So every time I see those billboards, it is ONE BIG THANK YOU, HARRIS METHODIST!---for your professionalism, for supporting us, and for loving us during the most intense time of our lives!

There is more to come by way of our ad campaign print---but you'll have to wait until they "go live" & I get the "OK" to blog about it...but it is AWESOME! Such a talented group of people working on this. Oh, and since many of you have asked- we are on 3 different billboards:

1) University Dr. N/O Park Hill Dr.
2) I-30 W/O Sandy Lane
3) I-35 @ 4th Street

After leaving the zoo and doing a billboard-drive-by, I was so excited...turned around to show the kiddies...and found this:

Awww! I fall more in love with my kiddos with every passing day. LOVE how all of their heads are turned the exact same way. Sweet little guys.

Can't believe that they are about to turn TWO next week (and that we were able to keep their carseats rear facing for almost 2 years!--despite their crushed little legs--but they didn't know any different) As as far as plans for their bday party?...um...yah...bad Mommy. With Savannah's surgery, I just haven't had the time or energy to go all out like I did last year. We are going to keep it low key with a trip to Waco and a follow up party with the Steeces. Still, we are looking forward to some good times and starting the TWO's off with a BANG!

Took My "aM-i-Nals" to the Zoo

and yes...I know I spelled it: "am-i-nals" for that is how my sweet babies currently say the word: "animals". Just can't quiiiiite get the "n" and the "m" switched around, bless their little hearts.

Lizzie and Chris and their precious cargo (Kinley and Madelyn) met up with the Steece Squad for a FUN-filled-SWEAT-fest at the zoo yesterday. YEEEE-friggin'-HAW, y'all! Sweatin' TEXAS style.


Two Sav-lovin' D.I.R's (diva's-in-training), practicing the highly skilled look of "psss-sha, I'm like totally cute and I totally know it!"

Madelyn


Kinley



Come along, lets go for a stroll (the rest of these pictures are courtesy of the EXTREMELY talented Chris Tarrant- Thanks CT!)



Our entourage of 6 kiddos in front of my favorite part of the zoo---the Texas Hill Country. SO beautiful.



No. Air. Flow. Must. Seek. Open Air. Immediately. Before I melt.



Now, come on...I know I'm sweating up a storm, but I can't smell THAT bad!



Mama Steece and her "pieces"



Hide-n-seek (LOVE this pic, Chris!)



Ben enjoying a classy snack break


And check back here tomorrow to find out what we did AFTER the zoo! (Many of you have already commented about it!)