Fall Festivities with the Fam!

We had such a GREAT weekend with my family! I'll have to break up the posts because there are just TOO many pictures!

Papa and his quadlings (Sav, Drew, Ethan, Ben)



The twinks catchin' a ride together---Here's a hint: Ethan is NEVER without a car!



This yellow car happens to be his absolute FAVORITE. It plays "funkytown" which E has translated to "par-tee-town". He also calls it "beep-beep" and "honk-honk"...kid cracks me up. We lost it for about a week...he would wake up from naptime/sleeping- and it would be the FIRST thing out of his mouth: "Where's beep-beep?...honk-honk?" He walked around the house endlessly looking for it. I finally found it THE DAY I was going to suck it up and buy a new one! Thank goodness! I'm tempted to tape it to his hand permanently.



Drew and that grin



Benny & Sav (LOVE that WiLd hair!)



Big Ben with the biggest heart



Sweet Savannah--poor thing. Her eyes are getting worse and worse. Y'all keep prayin for her surgery coming up on Tuesday, November 24. And yes- Miss Priss is never without a wipe...always cleaning, like her Dadda.



Family-group-photo-gone-wrong! THIS PICTURE CRACKS ME UP. I LOOOOVE real life tantrums caught on camera. Not so fun at the time, but good black mail for later...tee hee hee ;)



Sunday morning, Joe kept the quads so I could go to church with my out-of-town fam & out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory- YUMMO! (I don't think it bothered Joe TOO much, seeing as how he was able to watch the MN Vikings game in peace and quiet..tsk tsk) FYI> With all the swine flu/illness floating around- DFW especially, we are not taking the kiddies to church for a while.

And now some of my most favorite people in the world! Me & Mah



Uncle Stoney and Aunt Judy



Dad and Aunt Susan



Ashley and me



Collin, his bushy facial hair, and precious baby Carter (does his cranial band look familiar?)



Okay...so the next couple of pics are all of that darling little baby boy! I have NEVER in my life met a happier, sweeter, easier baby than Carter. He MELTS my heart to MUSH...pure mush.



Never knew I could love another child as much as I love my own kiddos!


Those baby blues KILL me!


Stay tuned for the BIG Fall Festival Festivities post! The quads were just OH-SOOOO-CUTE in their Halloween costumes!!! Pictures do not do them justice! Cannot wait to share!

...Like Christmas Morning!

Oh MY gosh! Its like Christmas morning, every time I get a text from Ruth telling me that new pictures of the kiddies are up on her blog!!!

Seriously. Andrew and Benjamin's pics are up and they are SOOOO cute!!!

Check them out here!

Professional Pictures- YAAAAY!

A hApPy fRiDaY indeed!!!

Ruth Williams has our first family picture preview up on her photography blog! It is the group shot of the entire fam and it is WONDERFUL!!! I don't know how in the world she was able to capture all 4 kiddies looking her way!

Ruth is going to blog individual pictures of the kids over the next 4 days, so be sure to keep checking for updates on her blog (as I know I will- I haven't seen them either!!!) Stop by and say "hi"--she'd love to hear from you!

www.ruthwilliamsphotography.com/blog/

We have a big, exciting weekend--full of family and friends!! Our Fall Festival is this Sunday evening from 5-7 pm and we just can't wait to see the kiddies all dressed up in their costumes! You guys come on out and enjoy a FREE evening of games, food, and fun! Hope to see you there! :)

In Case You Were Wondering...

What does a sick Mama in a house full of quadruplets look like?



No rest for the weary, I tell ya. Saturday night I caught some weird stomach bug/bad food (?) and spent the wee morning hours "upchucking" everything I had consumed the previous day. It was loads of fun! Savannah especially enjoyed pile-driving Mommy's tummy while she tried to recuperate on the couch.



In other news, you do NOT want to mess with THIS guy. (Thought the shirt was appropriate)



Nice shiner, eh? Yah--it happened last Saturday at our professional photo session! Not kidding- we were there for maybe 5-10 minutes and Ethan face planted into a concrete curb. AWESOME. Felt sorry for the little guy--but had to laugh at the irony! I mean, seriously!



The session was awesome, but WORE us OUT! I don't know how you professional photogs do it! But if anyone can, its Ruth!!! She is INCREDIBLE and such a gifted woman. If you are in the DFW area and looking to take pics of your family that you will love for years to come...I know just the gal you should talk to! You can visit her website HERE.

(...a preview of our pics that I snapped with my camera at the end of the day: Andrew, Ben, Savannah, Ruth, and Ethan with the beginning stages of his awesome black eye)

Halloween Sneak Peak...

Time to myself? What's that? Last week, I tried to sit down one day and work on my Beth Moore Bible study while the kids were playing. I knew I wouldn't be left alone for long--but figured I would give it a shot. It had been one of those mornings where I just couldn't hear myself think...lots of time outs...lots of temper tantrums.

I grabbed my cup-o-Joe and sat at the dining room table with the necessary items. Ethan and Andrew were off playing quietly by themselves (as usual) while Ben and Savannah were by my side at all times (as usual). I could hear B & S around me, chatting with themselves and moving the chairs- but I tried to focus on what I was doing, tuning everything out, Mommy's quiet time, just God and me...after a couple of minutes, I looked up and saw this:


Ben and Sav had grabbed their milk cups (that they are supposed to keep in the kitchen) and had pulled up a comfy seat right next to Mama and her coffee. They weren't saying a word, just sitting there with me as I read quietly to myself. Those faces! How could I try to ignore those sweet faces!? Its funny- the little life lessons you can learn in any situation.

What else is "funny"? How the kids can be little demons one second, and turn around to be the sweetest little angels the next...WELCOME TO THE TWO'S! and THREE'S! and "(okay, so enter your own age here...)" you get the picture. And yes- I've got the video footage to prove it. One of these days I'll have to post a video montage of the Steece Quads' Greatest Hits "Fits".

Super excited about Halloween this year! It will be the first time that the kids will be able to get out and participate~ WOO HOO! Even when my children were still in the NICU, the nurses and I would sit around and dream of different Halloween ideas for 3 boys and 1 girl! So, before the kids start telling ME what they want to be, I just HAD to get in the perfect costume ensemble...





(Here's a sneak peak!)









Yep, its been done before...its not "original"...but gosh darn it---they are the cutest little Scarecrow, Tin-Man, Lion, and Dorothy that I've EVER seen! Can you pair the character with the Steece quad? (Here's a hint: their personalities match their costumes!)

No More Glasses...

...well, at least after her upcoming EYE SURGERY, that is.

YEP- at the end of November, our little princess is going to be having a bilateral strabismus repair to correct the crossing of her eyes known as strabismus. Our recent appointment with the pediatric eye specialist, Dr. Norman (who is awesome, btw) revealed that Savannah's eyes have not gotten better AT ALL--despite the glasses and eye patches. It is a fairly easy outpatient procedure and our good friend (and fellow quad buddy) Cullen Tubre had the same surgery earlier this year and is doing great.



This will make Sav's 3rd surgery THIS YEAR ALONE! Ugh. poor thang---her next major kidney surgery (Ureteral Reimplantation) will be the following week after her eye surgery! Thankfully, these procedures should be permanent fixes to all of Sav's medical issues. Looking forward to 2010 and being surgery-free! (knock on wood) Please be praying for our little princess & the professionals involved in her care!

In other news: my sweet, sweet hubby watched the kids this weekend so that I could enjoy some much needed R&R in Waco with the parents. I am amazed at how many people gasp when they find out that "Dad" is in charge of all four of the little dearies--all by himself. He is such an incredible man and amazing father. We trade off weekends frequently---Joe gets to go play with his boys while I hold down the fort, so I get to spend a weekend away every now and then as well. It is such a nice trade off and SOOOOO needed! (Especially now---these feisty 2 year olds are really testing their boundaries/limits every chance they get!)

I had a wonderful weekend with Mom & Dad. There is something SO incredibly comforting in being able to wake up in the same bed & bedroom where you were raised your entire life! No schedule, no responsibility...not to mention all the wonderful food and chats with dear 'ole friends. Thanks again Mom & Dad...and Joseeeef, I love you SO much!!!

Happy Monday, sweet blogger buddies! ;)

A TEXAS-Sized Weekend-O-Fun!

After months of begging the McNultys to come down to Texas to visit, my dream finally came true (and quickly)! Let me first off say that this would not have been possible without all the many people who watched our children while we played (and on such short notice)! I personally want to thank Granna & Papa for playing/feeding/changing/dressing/WORKING, etc. all weekend in Waco with our 4, very active and loud, 2-year-olds...all by themselves! So proud and extremely thankful. WE LOVE YOU GUYS and I know the kids had a blast!

Playing outside is MUCH MORE FUN...



...with the McNultys around!



Talk about a man who knows a thing or two about raising girls (3 to be exact)! Conor and Sav having a chat about clothes, shoes, and everything else that is of utmost importance.



Daddy pushing Ethan (L) and Ben (R) on the swings--it was such beautiful weather on Friday!



Chris & Mari Goerlich wouldn't miss the McNultys flying down for the world! So they cruised on up I-45 and met us late Friday afternoon. After dropping the "pieces" off with their grandparents, us girls met the boys at the Oasis for some good grub and great convo!


Such handsome quad fathers: Conor McNulty, Chris Goerlich, and Joe Steece (like 3 little peas in a pod).



We were all pretty wiped out, so we chilled at the Steece hacienda and enjoyed the fresh night air on our back patio---fully equipped with good tunes, a lovely fire, and childless mamas goofing around!



Saturday was our big Aggie vs. Arkansas game---so we stopped by Chuy's for a quick Mexican lunch- yummo! (Cannot visit Texas and NOT eat Mexican food at some point)



She's beautiful, folks! Chris and Conor showcasing the one-and-only "Jerry world" aka "Jones-Mahal" aka the "Death Star" aka the new Dallas Cowboys stadium.



Although the weather was "icky icky"...we somehow managed to have a rockin' good time! (Chris, Mari, Conor, Gen, Joe, Suz)



We loved having all of our buddies decked out in maroon!



Seeking shelter with Gen from the humid/muggy rain



Leaving the boys outside to fend for themselves under the dumpster lid!



A random pic of me and the boys' wet Rainbows (which left the bottom of my feet stained for days)



The inside of the stadium was amazing! (Conor and Joe)



Standing room only? No problemo---this place is HUGE! (Joe, Suz, Gen)



The Ags started the game with guns a blazin'...but by halftime, things weren't lookin' so good. Here is a pic of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band on the field and big 40 million HDTV screens (60 yds long, 72 ft tall)!



Joe and I cheered and yelled to no avail...the poor Ags got trampled :(



So we headed on over to Billy Bob's Texas---we had to show these California peeps a little slice of Texas while they were here...



The world's largest honky tonk! (Neal McCoy was playing that night---dude was cracking us up in his skinny little Wranglers! He was actually a really good performer)



Fellow quad mom- Casey Gerwer and her hubby, Rob were able to meet us out for the night! (We missed you Misty & AJ!)



Yes, Genevieve...real live bull riding....that's how we roll in Texas! None of this mechanical bull stuff! She also tried her first barbecue chopped beef sandwich and fried jalapeno poppers that night!



See??? (bummer that we missed all the action)



A little photo booth fun! 4 moms with 16 kids!



One last group pic before we hit the road! (Rob, Chris, Casey, Conor, Suz, Gen, Joe, Mari)



So on the way home, we were a little hungry..."What?! you've never heard of Waffle House?!" I immediately turned the car around and headed to the best, greasy, 2am little dive you could ever imagine. Disclaimer: Just LOOKING at this picture will immediately make you gain 10 pounds. SOOOOOOOOOO good!



On the count of 3 say "heartburn!" (but oh-SOOO worth it!)



Sunday was cold and rainy, so we just hung around the house before meeting the grandparents to pick up the rascals. Meanwhile, Chris and Mari headed back to Houston (sniff, sniff---thank you guys SO much for making the drive to come play with us! Can't tell you how much you mean to us---LOVE YOU! and see you soon!). Later that evening, my bestie, Liz, offered to come watch the kiddies so we could grab one last date with Conor & Gen! (she secretly was dying to meet Gen as well!) How sweet is Liz?!?!? Thanks woman-love you! (Raining again--and for the next week! Ick! Suz & Gen in front of the PF Chang's horsie)



What a great way to end such a wonderful weekend with amazing friends! Conrad and G-Gen, thank you SO much for making the trip down to Texas! We appreciate and love you more than you could ever know!



Monday morning, I took Gen to experience Francesca's (the best store in the world--my fav place to shop) and hit up Chick-fil-A. I still can't believe that she has never heard of Chick-fil-A before! Then we loaded everyone in the burb and headed to Dallas Love Field Airport. I sure did bawl like a baby as I watched Gen & Conor walk away from us and out of sight. Rip my heart out! Ugh. I miss you guys so much already. Back to reality and the daily grind! :)