St. Paddy’s with the Sheedys!

Our good friends Adam and Katie have welcomed a new, precious, beautiful baby girl into their family. We are BEYOND excited! We brought some homemade food over and had one wild and crazy Saturday night…(okay, well, maybe not like the old days)

 

Little Miss A.K. DARLING!

 

 

It is funny how life changes. Instead of going out and partying for St. Paddy’s Day like in college, you learn different ways to get together. So, lets throw the quads in the back room with a movie and catch up!

 

 

Our buddies. Love them so much! (and can I just take this time to compliment the Katester~ 6 WEEKS after giving birth?!?!?! Lookin’ good, girlfriend!)

 

 

Me and my curly headed leprechaun. xoxoxoxoxoxo

 

and yes, I am THAT annoying gal who will pinch you if you are not wearing green. I especially love it if Joe forgets to wear green to bed the night before….a little pinch, pinch as soon as I open my eyes. Tee hee.

Spring Break In Waco

Do you ever feel like you are missing out if you don’t do SOMETHING for Spring Break? I do. So, Ashley (my sis-in-law) and I decided to pack up our kids and head to Papa and Granna’s for the week! (Granna was on Spring Break too with her school!)

 

Sav still sporting her steri strips from that mean ole pillar that jumped right out in front of her the other week (heh, heh). I swear I’m going to pad this girl up in bubble wrap.

 

 

Drew and that big smile

 

 

Little E having fun riding the tricycles

 

 

And no trip to Papa and Granna’s would be complete without an outting to Kiddieland! (yes, former-Waco peeps, it still exists!) Ben, Carter and Ashley

 

 

Ethan and Andrew enjoying the choo choo

 

 

Weeeeeee!

 

 

Ethan in his red rocket

 

 

Cousin Carter in the boats

 

 

Why does Ben always look so grown up in pictures? My precious little man.

 

 

I’m guessing Ethan chose this vehicle due to the awesome GREEN flames… any bets?

 

 

Sweet Sawyer and Granna…don’t worry lil buddy, you’ll be out there playing with your cousins in no time! Little angel.

 

 

Uhh….yikes, Sav! Lol. Savannah and Andrew

 

 

Best buds: Carter and Benny

 

 

A group photo…(that took about 20 attempts and 5 minutes of torture to try to capture, hehe). Ethan, Sawyer, Carter, Ben, Sav, Drew

 

This was actually a special night, because we randomly ran into my best friend, Adriane (who lives out of town as well), from childhood and all of her family at Kiddieland…the place where Ade and I had plenty of birthday parties. It was just surreal to be there with OUR children this time. SO NEAT.

 

 

Baths and time for bed! Yeah right….how long do you think THIS will last? Ben, Carter, Ethan, Andrew

 

 

Not long. But hey, at least we gave it a try…after about 30 minutes we gave in the towel and had to split up the rambunctious boys! haha.

And I just LOVE this picture of Sav and Drew…melt my heart.

(Btw~ the pillow is wet from their freshly bathed hair…at first I couldn’t figure it out and I was like, ewwww…drool/sweat! but its not)

 

 

I seriously have an obsession with sleeping kid pictures---they look so sweet and innocent…not talking back to Mama or giving her grief. Ahhhhh…..Lovely.  Ben and Ethan.

 

 

 

Back to riding tricycles…man, after visiting my parents house, I desperately want to lay a HUGE slab of concrete in our backyard! We had to practically drag the children in for food and such. it was so great. Drew in blue.

 

 

Carter---just so you know, this kid is like a bajillion times more athletic than any of his older cousins. Kid is amazing.

 

 

Trouble with a capital T.

 

 

My buddy, Reynolds and I were actually able to meet up with the kids! It has been forever. Ethan, Ben, Reynolds, Drew, Sav

 

 

Good timing it in the Baskin Robbins parking lot

 

 

The kids loved Reynolds and all of his magic!

 

And that was it for our Waco trip! Had a blast!!!

Did you guys do anything fun for Spring Break? Maybe a stay-cation? I think I’m going to be one of those crazy Moms who drags her family out of town on a vacation every year in the spring.

 

Yup.

I am.

God Love You, "Crafty Moms"

Confession, folks: I am absolutely, 100% NOT a "crafty" mom like so many of my friends. You know who I'm talking about...we all know them---those Moms who look like they have it all together every second of every hour. Those Moms who post adorable pics of their kids sitting quietly, doing their craft for the day. Well, KUDOS to you fine ladies! Seriously. I applaud you and only WISH I was more like you.

I just don't have the time, energy (or patience) to:
1) search the internet/books/Pinterest for craft ideas
2) go out and gather the necessary supplies (which can be very expensive!)
3) get all items organized & ready for the craft
4) sit 4 wild & crazy 4.5 yr old quadruplets down for "craft time"

Yah feel me?


But then something amazing like Kiwi Crate comes along to help obliterate my daily, guilty, "failure-as-a-Mom" feelings. It does all the work FOR you! SCORE!

Kiwi Crate is a fantastic monthly subscription service for kids~ dedicated to sparking children’s natural creativity and curiosity. Each month, an adorable box filled with plenty of materials and inspiration for 2-3 hands-on activities in art, science, crafts, or imaginative play will arrive on your doorstep.

Previous crate themes include: Dinosaurs, Gardening, Space and more. We received the SPACE crate! It was SOOOO cool. I mean, just look at all of this stuff!

Kiwi Crate projects are age-appropriate for boys and girls ages 3 to 7 and are designed to encourage discovery, exploration and expression. Each project is designed by moms, reviewed by child development experts, and, of course, tested by kids.


What does it cost? $19.95/mo (FREE SHIPPING!)
Types of subscriptions: month-to-month, annual, or gifted to others at www.kiwicrate.com. (MONTH-TO-MONTH SUBSCRIPTIONS CAN BE CANCELLED AT ANY TIME!)
Can I purchase additional materials for siblings? YES! Each single crate provides a generous amount of materials for one child - many of the projects, but not all, can accommodate two children. For an extra $7.95/mo the crate will include extra materials.
How often are Kiwi Crates delivered? monthly by mail~ addressed to the child/children (the Steece kiddos LOVED this!)



Here are our pictures from the first ever, "Steece Family Pajama & Craft Day!"~ perfect for our cold & rainy weekend.

The kids were SUPERexcited to open their special delivery!

The directions are ridiculously easy to follow

Going over the project details with the kiddos...

...as they eagerly wait for the fun to begin!

First up, ROCKETS! The kids were THRILLED to find their very own rocket launchers (jumbo straws) in their favorite colors! (Drew-blue, Ethan- green, Savannah- pink, Ben- yellow)

It was so much fun to sit around the table as a family (yes, even Dad!) and work on these projects together! Something out of the ordinary, ya know?

Ben helping Mom cut the ribbon~ yep, the crate was complete with small scissors for the kids!

Mission completed!

Perfection! The kids were SO proud of their very own rockets!

Andrew, Ethan, Benjamin & Savannah

Benny trying to launch his red rocket

Sav blowing with all her might!

It was kinda funny, but the kids weren't able to blow hard enough to send their rockets into the air. They were pretty bummed...

But Daddy and Mama didn't have a problem with their rockets!

The kids kept trying and were finally able to get them flying.

Okay, so I have to admit that I'm not the most patient of Mommys. (I know, I know~ big surprise) I'm working on it. Craft time is STRESSFUL when you are working with FOUR, 4 year olds. (Side note: Teachers, you rock my world! I have the upmost appreciation for you). That is where my husband jumps right in for some much needed comedic relief while I regroup for the second activity.

Cookie break!

And now, on to our Space Mobiles!

I KNOW?!?!! RIGHT?!!! (sugar rush)

For this next part, I divided the kids up~ 2 by 2...mostly to maintain what little I have left of my sanity. Ben methodically painting away on his perfect planet

Sweet Savi and her colorful moon

I was beyond impressed with these two and their crafty abilities! Very cool to watch them in action.

God bless these two tweedles (my identicals)

They were more interested in playing with their trains...so Mama just HAD to jump in and finish their stars (twist my arm...I loved it!)

Letting it dry overnight...pretty cool looking solar system, eh? Very neat.

And voila! The boys' awesome mobile:

Sweet Savi's beautiful creation:

Aren't they cute?!! (The projects are purdy cute too)

The kids wanted their masterpieces to be showcased in their individual rooms.

My proud boys and their hanging artwork

The Kiwi Crate directions are complete with talking points about space, planets, etc. When we ate dinner, we talked in depth about the solar system and rockets. Online, there are even more "space" activities and an area where you can submit your very own project pictures!

Kiwi Crate makes it super easy and fun for you and your kids to start exploring, building, and creating. Together, you'll have a blast with the engaging projects that promote hands-on learning. Plus, your kids will love getting mail every month!

I was completely impressed with this product and highly suggest you trying it out! ($19.95/mo, and you can cancel at any time) The Steece Fam had such a fun experience together~ doing something out of the norm~ that we will most definitely subscribe for our monthly Kiwi Crate!