Party On, Gen...Party On, Suz!

(BTW- Gen and I did not discuss what we would blog, nor what we would name our seperate posts...make sure and take a look at her recap of our weekend as well. FREAKING hilarious how much we are alike! Same title...same verbiage throughout. Hysterical)

Long before I met my internet-quad-mama-best-friend for the first time in Lake Tahoe, CA (June 2008)...



I was dying to meet the McNulty 4 in person!

This past weekend, my dream became reality! The moment I found out Genny was going to need a hysterectomy at the ripe old age of 31, I was making plans to fly out there and take care of her...(ya know, considering I'm a quad mom AND surgical/recovery nurse!) But NOOOO! G just HAD to get that utie out and was scheduled for the ONLY weekend in 2010 that I absolutely could not make it...(my brother-in-law's wedding weekend). Tsk, Tsk, woman. ;)

But it worked out even better because we modified plans for Auntie Suz to celebrate the McNulty quads' 4th birthday in the sunshine state- just a couple of weeks later!!!! Let me just tell you...one of the BEST WEEKENDS OF MY ENTIRE LIFE! It was SO special to experience the day-to-day life of Gen, Conor, Ally, Russ, Libby, and Molly McNulty.


We went to the river right behind their house in their AWESOME neighborhood...



...stopped along the way to inspect EVERY, and I mean E-V-E-R-Y insect that we happened to cross paths with (Here we are saying hello to Mr. Caterpillar for about 10 minutes! Cracked me up...the kids are SO precious) AND- might I add that Penny is the BEST DOG EVER?! LOVE HER.



We played on the neighborhood jungle gym (Russ, Molly, Ally, Libby) and ran errands for the big birthday party that was the next day. I enjoyed just being a part of "the average, stereo-typical McNulty" day.



Friday night, I was finally able to meet my absolute FAVORITE hot mama of triplets---none other than Casey Quilao! We had the perfect dinner night out at Benihana (thank you, Conor- for holding down the fort!)...holy freakin' cow. AMAZING food! and even BETTER company. ;) Awwwww. Seriously, CQ- you are one of the coolest, most down-to-earth chicks I have ever met. I told Joe that you are a gal that I could spend every single second with for months, and never get tired of. Love you 2 pieces....not to mention those beeeeeautiful, precious little girls!



ADORABLE. And SOOOO well behaved. Little ladies. I told Casey that I wasn't going to believe one word she says about temper tantrums and fighting. Uh-uh. Nope. Not these angels! ;) LOVE. THEM.



Saturday was the BIG Birthday Party at the McNulty casa. I don't know who's idea it was to have it at the house---but it was pure genius. Every one had a great time, especially Princess Penny. ;)



The Birthday Kiddos and Auntie Suz. Gosh. I seriously love these guys as if they were my own.

Cute story: the girls (especially Lil' Libs) would constantly come up to me and ask for more lipstick. They would all gather around me and watch me put on make-up...requesting everything I applied. At one point, Gen told them to "stop bothering" me...and I was like, "G, are you KIDDING?!! I am LOVING this!!! 3 girly girls who enjoy watching me put on make up?...who let me pretty-them-up?!" SO much fun. Sav would be in estrogenic-heaven.


Party peeps...aka: my new buddies! It is NO surprise whatsoever that the Mac's are surrounded by amazing friends and family.



And here she is, folks---the wonderful, strong woman who single-handedly made Genevieve Caridi McNulty the incredible Mommy that she is today. I LOOOOOOOOVE you, Nani Donsie. Such a blessing to finally meet and hug in person!!! You are breathtakingly beautiful- both inside and out, exactly how I imagined you. Thank you for raising your daughter to be one heck of a lady.



Sweet Gramp...I wanted to take him home with me.



11 kids between the 3 of us! Casey, Me, Gen



Molly came running up to me after the opening of the presents, almost out of breath and cried, "Auntie Suz! Auntie Suz! I have shoes just like YOU!" I just about died...she is so adorable!

Perfect party...good times. Sunday morning, Gen and I were headed to San Francisco & Berkeley. A girls' only trip to see where G went to college and spent a good chunk of her adult life (pre-quads). We had a friggin' BLAST and it was beyond special to share in her sweet memories. I even got to see where Conor proposed in the rain!


But first things first...I just HAD to try one of these "IN-N-OUT" Burgers that every one and their dog has told me about. OH. MY. GOOD. GOSH. I have died and gone to heaven. HOOOOOLY COOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IN-N-OUT attendant: "Will you be eating in the car or taking it home?" (insert Suz chuckling at the absurdity of the question) "Uhhhh....CAR PLEASE!" Gotta be kiddin' me. They give you a tray to set on your lap and everything. I have dreams of: double-double, "animal-style", no tomatoes, large fries, large Root Beer. Oh yes, and you had better believe that I looked it up: THE FRANCHISE IS COMING TO TEXAS!!! YEEEE HAWWW!


A little shoppin' down the infamous Haight Street with my Cali girl showin' me all the hippie-lovin' hot spots.



Gen also took me by her alma-mater (USF), where she & C met for the first time. The campus was beautiful! We drove through the city...Chinatown, Little Italy...



and ended up at the infamous Pier 39 and Fishermans Wharf. LOOK! There's Alcatraz!!! I thought that was SO cool.



Awwww...Pier 39's Sea Lions are SO bloody cute!



After some fresh calamari and sugary donuts...we headed to our hotel room to get ready for dinner. That's right. Did I mention that Conor put us up for the night in Berkeley? Freaking awesome. Thanks C-Dawg!



Yummmm....Sushi at Kirala!



SOOOOOOOO GOOD!



and then back to the hotel for some good old fashioned bed jumping! (Kids, do NOT try this at home) OMG. Gen and I have never laughed so hard in our lives. I gave Gen a T-shirt as a gag gift (take a closer look) and wanted to snap some fun pictures... while trying to get airborne... setting the camera on timer. It takes 3 pictures right in a row---like a photobooth...FUN TIMES! HUGE NERDS.


Check out this slideshow and I dare you not to laugh outloud!...especially when we both fall off the bed at different times...




BEST. TRIP. EVERRRRRRRRRR.


So, the next morning (Monday) we headed back into Sac-town and I packed up for my long flight home. We all said our good-byes and Gen, the quads, and even Penny piled into the burb to take me to the airport. {Sniff, sniff}. After checking in my bag, I proceed to the gate where I was to receive my boarding pass and...


DENIED! OOOO...OUCH! Don't cha love it when airlines over-sell their flights? How is that even legal? Awesome.


No more flights to Dallas that day, but my suitcase sure as heck made it on the plane. Go figure. Is it sad that the first thing that popped into my head (after I had calmed down), was: "YAAAAAAY! Now I can eat IN-N-OUT again!" And then of course, overwhelming joy that I would be spending yet another night with my besties! ;)

We took it easy Monday night because we had to wake up super, insanely, early (4:45am to be exact) to head to the airport the next morning. Any flights before 7am should be illegal, if you ask me- I'm just sayin'. Gen was such a trooper!---being the non-morning person that she is. God love her. And after several plane changes and layovers, I finally made it home-- with my luggage sitting in Dallas waiting for me. (Pheww)


I already missed the McNulty 6. :( But was also super excited to see my little munchkins as well! I can't count how many times Joe said that it was "so good to have you home"...always great when Daddy has to take care of the kids without you...a whole new-found appreciation for what I do on a daily basis. (smile)

And I can't post without thanking all the people who made this trip possible: Joe, Joyce, Shirley, Dids, Kate, Jess, Ed, Ashley...thank you SO much. I love you more than you will ever know. You rock my socks off and I appreciate your time, your energy, your love...YOU ALL, so much.


To Genevieve, my identical-twin-sista-from-anutha-mutha:

Umm...so yah, I didn't think that I would start crying while I type this part out (I'm not a cryer, remember? tee hee)...but I'm already tearing up at the first couple of words. You mean the friggin' WORLD to me. I think your mom said it best when she praised God for the blessing of bringing you and me into each others lives. We say it all the time, but I honestly don't know what I would do without you. You are the laughter on my crazy days...the sunshine on my dark days...and the beauty on my ugliest of days. Thank you for loving me, just the way I am (and my entire family for that matter).

This weekend was perfect. Absolutely perfect in every way. You were an unbelievably gracious host and super fun travel-companion. ;) Thanks for the boisterous, belly laughs and unforgettable memories. They will forever be cherished. With many more to follow...

I love you, girlfriend.

"Exes and O's",

CALI-FORN-I-A!

So, I wasn't kidding about Mama needing a vacay to California! I've been gone since last Thursday! Ah woo hoo!!!!!!


I had a blast with my BFF, Gen McNulty (aka- the amazing mother to 4 year old quads whom I love like my very own kiddies!). We celebrated their 4th bday and had our own little girls' trip to San Fran. Uh-May-Zing.

Needless to say, I'm trying to catch up on things at home (seeing as how I just got back yesterday afternoon), but will post pics soon!

In the meantime, make sure you visit the 'ole review blog---as I have several sweepstakes ending this weekend! FREE MONEY PEOPLE! Just by leaving a comment!

Cheers!

Potty Training Quadruplets-101

Let me start by saying, that this is in NO WAY a manual on how to potty train. Joe and I just wanted to write down our thoughts so we can always remember this crazy weekend. Joe's added commentary will look like this. (Warning: please do not read if you are already freaking out about potty training your little one/s in the near future...this post just might send you over the edge.)


So...because the actual day of my 30th birthday was going to be spent as Day 1 of our full-out 3-Day Potty Training Boot Camp...my sweet hubby had planned for 3 of my best friends to join me for dinner the Friday night before. (me, Casey, Liz, Ashley)

It was nice to get my mind off of what was going to transpire the next morning...but I was more than ready and mentally prepared...or so I thought. ;)


Saturday morning, May 8th- MY 30th BIRTHDAY. HOLY COW. Easily the most difficult day as parents that we have EVER experienced!---even when we were completely sleep deprived with 4 tiny preemies, eating every 3 hours, under one roof!
Not even kidding. I'd take that over potty training 2 yr old quads ANY day! Yes, welcome to Joe's very own personal nightmare...so, can we go back to diapers and try this again later?


We pumped up that morning with balloons and called it our "Potty Party"---to celebrate Mama's birthday and transition to big kid undies/panties! All of the kids were super excited, took turns throwing away every diaper we had in the house, and picked out their very own undies to wear for the day. Oh, and the HUGE $19.99 GREEN TARP from Target was a definite LIFE SAVER/MUST HAVE for our carpeted living room! (We blocked off the stairs and front living room). I would like to add that this tarp and this tarp alone saved my sanity...seriously, if this thing hadn't been there, I'd have been out of the house and in my car by 8:05am. FYI- We got the kids up at 8:02am.



"Be sure and let Mama & Daddy know when you need to go pee pee on the potty. You guys let Mama & Daddy know when you need to go pee pee on the potty..."- We said this phrase over and over and over (no joke). I continue to use this phrase with friends, coworkers and generally anyone I meet...I'm working on it.



It was the longest morning of our lives...we realized that we hadn't even have our first cup of coffee until NOON. We were stuck in some weird, foggy dream world where time stood painfully still. Honestly, its cliche, but time stopped...it stood still. I remember looking at the clock and thinking, is it working?



I remember at one point that morning---there was pee covering every inch of our floor. If only I were exaggerating. It was mass chaos! INSANITY! We went through over 50 pair of underwear and 4 loads of laundry. Water bill should be nice and low next month...don't think there was a minute that thing wasn't running.



Joe could not clean up the accidents fast enough. He is SOOOOO OCD--that he was spending like 5 minutes cleaning up each spot: wiping with a paper towel, scrubbing with several Clorox wipes, wiping with a paper towel, spraying with 409, wiping with another paper towel. I was like, "Hey babe- I love you...but you need to CLEAN FASTER!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! There have been 3 more accidents while you have been cleaning that ONE!" I just blacked out reading that paragraph...having intense flashbacks...my arms are still sore from the excessive scrubbing. At one point I literally considered locking myself in our room until the 3 days were over...I am not kidding, getting the shakes as I type.
Joe, please repeat after me:



In fact, Joe used up all of our Clorox wipes on the morning of Day1! I had to make an emergency trip to CVS! Even when I returned with 3 huge tubs of wipes, Joe said it still wasn't enough. Ha. Bless his little germaphobic heart. At one point, I looked over and saw Joe sitting in the corner, staring off in a daze, with his leg bouncing up and down- like a jackhammer. I said, "How ya doin, hun? I know this has to be hard for you, but you are hiding it well. I'm proud of you." His reply: "What day is this again?" There weren't enough Clorox wipes in all of DFW, but the emergency run brought me a brief moment of relief. Yes, I realize this is sad...but I was looking for any little positive I could find. In this case, it was knowing that we wouldn't run out of wipes...at least in the next hour or so.



I guess it didn't help when Ethan had gone icky, nasty, mushy poopy all over himself, the floor, and everything else he was standing by. Joe grabbed him (with poop, now covering Joe's hands and arms) as he looked at me: "Sue...what do I do?!!!!!!!!!!" I just stared in shock---I didn't even know where to begin. I giggled with my mouth wide open in disbelief. I think we just stood there frozen for 10 long seconds. We snapped out of it quickly when we realized that we had to keep 3 other kids and 1 curious dog away from walking into the pooptastrophie covering our kitchen floor.

OH. MY. GAWSH. Pure nastiness. No comment...I have nothing to add. Seriously, I've got nothing.

Peeeeeeee-Yeeeeewwww, Ethan! (Sav, Ben, Drew)



Not to mention, over the course of the weekend, Joe had been peed on 3 different times by Andrew (and not just a drizzle). I couldn't help but laugh so hard. Poor Drew- he had a VERY difficult time with the potty training and did not get it until around noon of day 3.

He, alone, was physically/mentally/emotionally exhausting for us. We would refer to him as "the Camel" and "Mr. Tinkles"...I swear that kid could hold his urine for 5 hours at a time, to avoid having to use the potty. Drew still tells me "Don't pee pee on Dada, pee pee in the potty." Hey, there's another little positive. I've got one son that knows NOT to pee on me. As for the Camel, it was mentally exhausting for me just knowing that the little dude was a ticking time bomb full of "carpet stain"...holding until the last possible second. In fact, I've never been more mentally exhausted in my entire life than I was over these 3 days. When can I go back to work? I get to go back to work tomorrow, right?


So, we kept all four kiddos in undies for the night time too...knowing full well that we would be cleaning up numerous accidents. Joe and I decided to spend the night upstairs in the guest bedroom, so we could be closer to the kids' room---and we like doing that every now and then anyway...makes us feel like we're sleeping in a hotel or something out of the norm. (isn't that sad how we have to get our kicks?) I had forgotten how *awesome* it is to spend the night with a baby monitor (cough, cough). Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep ("didn't get much sleep" means we got 2-3 cat naps...it did nothing for us) from all of the sheet changing! (Here's a hint: double or triple stack the toddler bed mattresses with a sheet, waterproof pad, another sheet, another waterproof pad, another sheet, and the mattress protector...It made middle-of-the-night clean ups SUPER easy because all you have to do is take off the top layer and you're good to go!)



Savannah, Ben, and Ethan all pretty much had this potty training thing down by the end of Day 1. And 3 kids outta 4 ain't bad (I had to keep reminding myself of that).
Happy Sav!
Funny how the night time sorta erased their memory though, because we spent the first 5 hours of the next morning---retraining and cleaning up accidents. Did I mention that they were awake by 6am? Ugh. LOOOOOOONG morning. So the kids got up 2 hours earlier than normal and it was as if Day 1 never happened...accidents all over the place, me not cleaning fast enough, and I seriously wondered if anything was clicking. Again, time standing still and I start thinking did we really go through this yesterday? This is Day 2, right Suz? It's got to be Day 2...Oh please, someone tell me its Day FREAKING 2!By 10am, the fantastic THREE were pretty much accident-free!
Proud Ben!

But Drew made up for it, for sure! Ha. At least until the 3rd day---then everyone had gotten it down. No problems with pooping or peeing on the potty!!! Yaay!


A cute story about Ethan: Once we had put the kiddies in bed for the night, we could hear Ethan on the monitor saying "Savi, make sure you keep Dora dry...Andrew, make sure you keep Elmo dry...Ben, make sure you keep Mickey dry...and E-fun (Ethan, himself), make sure you keep Tow-Mater dry." The little dude remembered exactly which pair of undies each child was wearing! Cracked us up to no end. Sweet little guy.



It was sad at night, because Ethan would wake up in his wet bed and cry "I'm sorry...I'm sorry." Heart-breaking!!!

Needless to say, we decided to put all four back in Pull-ups...or "BIG KID NIGHT TIME UNDIES" until they consistently wake up dry. Thanks for your advice on that! I felt horrible for the little dude, he was so upset that he got Tow-Mater wet it was unbelievable. I almost started crying with the little guy I felt so bad for him. It was also the point I knew that they were "getting it." Day 3 cruised along with only limited Clorox usage, I had time to drink a cup of "me" before noon and I knew I was going back to work the next day.


E-bud LOVES his Tow-Mater! He walks around saying: "Keep Tow-Mater dry"



All in all---the 3 Day Potty Training Method definitely worked! (for the daytime at least). You just need to mentally prepare yourself to stick with it NO MATTER WHAT! Don't quit on Day 2! Hang in there!!! Be consistent! It WILL work! Going back to diapers was NOT an option. Just take that off the table from the get-go. The hardest part was being able to catch every single accident (from FOUR different kids) as it was happening--which is imperative for this particular method to work. I had been so encouraged from all of the awesome advice I received from friends---both on my blog and on Facebook--- who had used the 3 Day training with their children. I was pumped and so ready to be DONE WITH DIAPERS. Again, it was the absolute most difficult transition we have worked through- by far! But also, the most rewarding. It was a rough 3 days, no doubt, but it's completely worth it in the end. Just keep telling yourself its only 3 days and keep pushing through...because trust me you will have several "Let's quit" moments.


Hip Hip Hooray for NO DIAPERS and BIG KIDS!!! (Sav, Ben, Ethan, Andrew)



A great depiction of Mama Steece when she is worn out and exhausted with black rings under her eyes and no makeup...

I need a serious vacation...maybe California?... ;)

A Special Knight!

Okay...so we haven't quite gotten around to writing that potty training post. We aren't ready to work through those emotions just yet (tee hee. kidding...kinda). Promise to work on it today. In the meantime, I finished my 4th post for my Tropicana Review:

The Steece family had an absolute BLAST at Medieval Times!!! We are participating in the Tropicana Juicy Rewards Program---saving money on lots of fun family activities!

Check out my Tropicana Review #4 with tons of cute pics and video...and not to mention, you have a chance to win a $50 VISA gift card, courtesy of the awesome people at BlogHer. (plus an additional 7 chances to win from fellow BlogHer reviewers!)
Such a special *knight*---we had SO much fun! Check it out and don't forget to comment on the review blog to enter the sweepstakes---YES!---It is that easy.

Cheers!

A Rude Awakening

So...we can finally say it! The Steece household is diaper-free! I never thought I would see the day. I took your advice to try the 3 Day technique and it totally worked for us! We are still trying to work out some bedwetting kinks with the boys, but all 4 are staying completely dry during the day. I would LOVE to hear any suggestions/tips you might have for staying dry throughout the night. (We limit fluids before bed, wake them up an hour after they fall asleep to void again, etc)...and I know a lot of it has to do with plain 'ole pathophysiology.

Many people have told me that after a few years, we won't even remember how hard this potty training transition was......(which I find difficult to believe seeing as how it was the absolute hardest thing Joe and I have EVER done as parents- to date!) Needless to say, we are working on a blog post together---to write down all the nasty, crazy, insane details of our whirlwind-potty-training-weekend.

In the meantime, I thought these pics from yesterday were hilarious. (Try not to focus too much on Drew's huge wet-spot...like I said, we need a little bed wetting help! tee hee)

All of the boys were asleep in the same position



and then there's Sav...such a goof!



Lil' Miss Priss- being silly with her Daddy



While I had my camera out, I caught my *darling* daughter trying to wake up her brothers. (Reason #142 why it is extremely difficult to get 4 toddler siblings to fall asleep when they share a room together...this kind of mischief goes on nonstop!)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATE/GRAMMY!!!! WE LOVE YOU! ;)