Happy Birthday to my Babies

You are still the babies. Each year I think the term "babies" will get replaced in our house with a word such as the little kids or the quads or something that groups you together but today you all turn six and you are still the babies. We don't use that word to imply that you are still little ones in diapers, or needing us to make you a bottle or pushing you everywhere in a stroller. Instead the word is used as a way for us to say "Kenzie, Isabella, Tate and Rylan" in one single word instead of 5. I know people often laugh when I still call you the babies but I just can't imagine calling you anything else even though you are big kids who are entering kindergarten in just 4 days.

I am at a complete loss at how we went from hearing the doctors say we will be delivering in the next 48 hours to having all of my children in elementary school. They say the days are long but the years short and it completely describes the last 6 years. It flew and in a way it saddens me that my youngest children are 6. My days as a mom to babies is gone. My days as a mom to toddlers are gone. My days as a mom to preschoolers have also left. But all that said I can not wait to be the mom to 4 kiddos who are so excited to tell me what they learned in school, what art project they did, who brought which treat for their birthday snack. This is a year when you will all learn and grow so much and I am excited to be the mom who gets to witness all of it.

Tater Tot
Oh buddy you are only turning 6 but if you had a magical way to be turning 8 you would be. The first glimpse I got of  you at 10:26pm six years ago after realizing you were a little boy were "he looks just like Drew." This statement couldn't be more accurate because you are your brothers idol and want to be everything he is. You love sports like him. You love playing rough like he does. You love being outside. You do NOT like anything risk taking or extreme though. You will ride your dirt bike all day but don't ask you to tube behind a boat because you will tell everyone you are just find driving it! You know what you are comfortable with and you do not care to try anything out of this zone even if Drew is having a blast. You are 100% boy in everything you do. We are really looking forward to you starting school because mom and dad can see you struggling with going from a little kid to a big kid. You have many tears through the day because you just aren't sure how to handle your emotions. If something is hard for you- you cry. If something isn't fair- you cry. If someone is bugging you- you cry. This wears on us and we both feel being in a classroom with a teacher who is not mom or dad will be so helpful for you. Tate, you are so loved and though you are much taller than most 6 year olds I cannot wait to see you grow this year as a kindergartner. I don't think school will be easy for you academically but we know you will do amazing things when it comes to anything on the field!

Izzybella
I am sure this will be the year that you figure out when you say your name it is Isabella and not Izzybella but if not I am just fine with you continuing to tell people you are Izzybella. I know it causes confusion to some because they aren't sure what you just said but mama loves it. Your brother Tate is 100% boy and you are 100% girl. Unicorns, baby dolls, frills, hair accessories, jewelry, painted nails. These things are all you. I use to think you took after Natalie because you are so much like her. You are independent and often have your mind made up and will argue your stand until mom tells you to stop many times over. You are the calmest one of our kids until you are not and then you leave the room because you know you are going to throw a fit and prefer to do that alone. You are smart, just like Natalie, and it comes easy for you because you soak up the knowledge. In the last year though I have realized you have so much of Aubrey in you too. You love doing art and are found daily sitting at the kitchen table coloring. You love animals and will often have the cats laying in your arms like babies even though 2 of them won't come near mom or dad. You have a love for your friends that amazes me at such a young age. You will be our social butterfly. One of the highlights of your day is when you can make or give a gift to one of your friends. I cannot even tell you how many days you brought things to preschool this last year whether it was a bead necklace you made, a coloring, a stuffed animal or a book to give to a friend. You are a giver and I love that about you. Boo you are ready for this next year. You are ready to be taught. You want to be part of the school your brother and sisters attend and I can't wait to see all of the friendships you make this year. I love you Izzybella!

Rylan
Our Baby D. I get the biggest smile on my face when I try to write about you! You my son are our mischievous one. Dad and I were talking last night about you and how you gave us the biggest scare when you were 24 hours old. For the next 9 months I just keep telling all of your therapist and doctors to just tell me you had CP. I could handle it and just wanted you to get the therapies you needed. They told me over and over you didn't have it and would be fine. I didn't believe them and would often cry because I just wanted you to be the best you could be in life. Oh how little faith I had! You started proving me wrong when you were the first to start walking and you continue to show me even today because of all the quads you are the smartest. You have a way of absorbing the world around you and this includes the television when we allow you to watch it. Our house could be burning down and you would have no clue if you were watching that dang tv! I believe you have a mind like your father's, a mind of an engineer. You see the world differently than your mom and you have a way of figuring things out. You also have an amazing way of being a shithead. This is said with so much love! We have said you have been one since right before delivery since you are the reason we delivered. This continued as a toddler when you would figure out how to steal a toy from a sibling but make it look like they tried stealing it from you. You continue, even at age 6, to hold this title. You will find a way to pick on a sibling but the minute you know you are going to get into trouble you come crying to us that someone did something to you. Two phrases that we would love to delete from your vocabulary are, "I don't knoooooow" & "okaaaay". Boy those 2 phrases coming from you are like nails on chalkboard. And don't even get started with daddy on your smirk! I am sure I will be hearing from your teacher this year because I am pretty sure you are up for challenging her in your mischievous ways. Rylan I am still betting on you being an engineer or a professional pick pocketer when you grow up and for some reason I think your smirk will follow you into your profession of choice.

 

 

Kenzie Rae
My sweet baby girl. You are the oldest and will tell everyone that when Tate tells them he is the biggest. You hold that Baby A title proudly and you do not let your size dictate anything you do. You are like your brother Drew in the sense that you have a zest for life. You love life as long as life gives you enough time to wake up. You remain my cuddle bug and love your time with mom and dad but this year you did finally give up the need to be carried but now you always come up and ask if you can hold my hand. Yes, you can baby girl as long as you need to. You do still give me one hour a week though in which I get to hold you tight and that is during mass. That is my time to love on my little girl. This year we realized that your love language is acts of service. What amazed me so much is that you also realized this and have come to understand the importance of gratitude when someone shows their love this way. You thank us so many times throughout the day and you are always the first child to say "thank you" which often has 6 other kids realizing they should be thankful. It amazes me how quickly in life you have realized how important it is to show gratitude to others but it goes along with who you are. Of all my kids you are the one I am not ready to have grow up. I would bottle you little forever if I could and I know your daddy would say the same. You don't let anything in life slow you down. You are an amazingly hard worker and don't stop until something is finished. You give your all when you are part of a team. You have a loyalty to your brothers and sisters and I know you will keep a watchful eye on everyone for me. Kenzie you were described as feisty when you were first born but I don't feel that has followed you through your first 6 years; instead I would say you are determined and full of life. You may get bigger this year but know you always have a place to cuddle with mom and dad. 

 

My babies, you are so excited for your day today. Rylan mom is sad because you will no longer hold up 5 1/2 fingers because you now get to extend that sixth finger all the way up. Today is about you; the 4 babies I turned over to God when I found out I was expecting you. I didn't think I could do it. Some days I still don't think I can but everyday I am so thankful that I get to be your mom. The 4 of you have made me a better person. You have taught me what is important in life. You allowed me to realize how amazing your daddy is and how much I love him. You blessed me in ways I could never have imagined 6 years ago starting at 10:24pm. Kenzie, Isabella, Tate & Rylan....you are 6 and so very loved.

Happy Birthday Babies

And he turns 8...

You say you can't stay 7 because you need to turn 8 to become smarter. I understand your viewpoint but I am not sure if I agree that need to get older. I still remember the excitement of going into the hospital with you 8 years ago today. You were 10 days overdue and I was huge. This is saying something when I was pregnant with quads two years later and still feel I was bigger with you than I was with 4. We didn't know if you were a boy or girl but I only had a boy's name. My heart was already falling in love with a little boy named Drew and you coming out a princesses wasn't even a thought. You came fast. You were ready to be part of this world when you knew you couldn't stay with mom forever. The moment you came into this world you were ready for it and being the baby with 2 big sister's was no problem for you.

Here we are 8 years later and not much has changed except we realized having 4 younger siblings wasn't a big deal for you either and just gave you the bragging rights that you were a "single." You have a zest for life and wake with a can do attitude each morning. This year of being 7 brought so many moments when I just smiled to myself and thought "my son is pretty darn awesome."

• When asked what you wanted to bring for your birthday treat during the last week of school your response was "something Grace can eat. Twelve donuts and a pack of gluten free, nut free cookies." When dad sent your response to me I had tears well up in my eyes. Which 7 year old thinks of his friend who has to be gluten free due to a medical condition and then also thinks of this friends twin sister who has a nut allergy. This is my Drew Bear. 
• While swimming with your brothers this spring you got hit in the face and you got cut right on your scar from your cleft. You panicked thinking your lip was going to split again. You cried as I held pressure to control the bleeding because you didn't want people to make fun of you at school. This was the first time you have ever complained about having a split lip when you were born. I had never seen you upset about it ever. After a bit you stopped crying and said "Mom scars tell a story." That was it and you were good again. You were okay that God made you the way you were because you had a story to tell.
• There is not a sport you don't love and you will try anything I  am willing to sign you up for. You are frustrated that I won't sign you up for hockey but thankfully you found a sport that speaks to you this year. BASEBALL! You lived for baseball this spring and if you weren't playing it with Tate or Aubrey you were out on the field being part of the Gold Rushers. At the end of the year your coach gave a speech about every player. Dad was elbowing me when the coach asked "Do any of you know who Charlie Hustle is?" He was elbowing me and whispering, "This is Drew." I had no idea who Charlie Hustle was so I was still questioning how dad knew. Your coach went on to say how Drew is the Charlie Hustle of their team. You never came to a game and complained that you didn't get to play a certain position and instead ran to any position with a smile on you face. You gave your all at every game. Who would have imagined that my kid that loved first base last year would fall in love with being catcher this year? Your coach continued and by this point I had tears coming down my face and they didn't stop because your coach then said you came onto the field this year one of the youngest and quietest but it didn't take long and you were the leader of the team. He finished by saying he would be honored to have you on his team again next year. Buddy, I know you kind of giggled and were a tad embarrassed with all that your coach said about you but your mommy was so proud of you. This attitude is not because of something mom & dad have done with raising you but instead is who you are. 
• This year we challenged Natalie and Aubrey to get on the Principal's List which is something one can achieve when one gets into 4th grade and earns all A's and a 3 in conduct. Achieving this earned them a date with mom and dad. We started this during 2nd semester and unfortunately at the end of the semester you ended up with a 2 in conduct. You were so upset the night that we took N&A to sushi and a movie and you had to stay home with the babies. You told me that night that next semester you were getting a 3 in conduct. Each week you brought home your weekly folder and each week it showed us that you didn't have to pull a card. You were not going to allow another date happen that you were not part of. On the last day of school you handed us your report card and told us you didn't pull a single card all semester. You got that 3 in conduct which being a first grade boy I have no idea how you did it. All I know is you can't wait to go white water rafting next month with Mom, Dad, Natalie and Aubrey. 

Drew you are 8. You can get smarter but pretty please do not change your personality, your love for life, your love for your family, your determination or the love to be tickled at night. You are one amazing little boy, and though I knew this 8 years ago today, I can say it with even more conviction today. 

Happy 8th Birthday Drew-Drew

Double Digits

10...you are 10 and it happened faster than I ever imagined it would. Natalie, you told me this weekend that you wanted to be done with college by age 22. You said you wanted to be young when you finish. That means in nearly the time that I have been able to call you girls "mine" you will be graduated from college. How are you already planning for college? You only just started painting your own nails.

We have so much left to do before I will be ready to send you off to college; you have to have a bedtime later than 8, you have to get to an age where you can watch something rated higher than PG, we have to finalize which high school you will attend, we have to have the fearful days of teaching you to drive and then allowing you to go off and drive without us, you have dances to go to, crushes to tell me about, heartaches that you don't think you will every get through, you will have your first job in which you will earn a paycheck and I will be so proud, you have milestones in becoming a women that will happen and talks about topics you are too young for at this time, we have curfews to instill and you have to try stretching them, you will think your mom & dad are the dumbest people on this earth and don't understand anything, we have hours to spend driving you to and from practices along with hours cheering you on at everything you try your hardest at, you will have lots of friendships and some of those friendships you will have for the rest of your life and some will be for only a short while, we will get to watch your relationship with the Lord deepen and at times He will be who you fall upon instead of mom & dad, you have colleges to apply for and acceptance letters to receive, you will have English teachers who tell you that run on sentences are wrong, you will walk upon a stage and mom will be crying as you receive your high school diploma knowing that the rest of your life awaits you.

We have so very much to do and I know the time we have to do all of it is so very short. Another blink of an eye and another 10 years will pass us by. Being a mother is the best thing I have ever done and at the same time the most challenging thing I have ever done. It gives me the greatest high yet at other times it leaves me completely frustrated. Some days the two of you remind me why I spent years wanting nothing more than to be a mother and on other days I question why God saw me fit to be a mother. At the end of each day though I thank God that He chose me to be your mother and I pray that I can be what you need me to be to allow you to be the best you can be.

You are the best of friends, yet you have started to drive each other crazy. This is most often seen when you are getting ready for school. Aubrey you are a morning person and are ready to interact the minute your internal clock goes off at 6am. Natalie you also have a 6am internal clock but you like to take your time waking, showering and getting ready. This last year you both have found a love for reading and this love is most often found at the end of each day when you are being tucked in for bed and are trying to extend your bedtime. You both love to take on the mother role and for some reason answer whenever "mom" is called out and this has gotten you in trouble more than the double digits you are. You strive so hard to do the best you can in school and we realized all it takes is a promise of a date with mom & dad with no siblings if you land on the principal's list...we will gladly take you to a movie and sushi as was requested for this trimester of straight A's and a 3 in conduct. I wonder how long this little incentive will work? I am more than happy to still honor it throughout college as long as Natalie chooses somewhere other than North Dakota State as you currently state is your college of choice!

Today you are 10. Today you wanted to hear over and over what I was doing 10 years ago at the exact moment you would ask. You loved the 4 minutes of one of you being 9 and one of you being 10 and you giggled when your friends sang individually to you at your exact minute. Ten years ago today my life changed and I couldn't imagine not having you as the twins of the family. May your next 10 years be just as amazing as the first 10 but can they be much slower so I can enjoy each moment because I know I will look back in 10 years and wonder how in the world did 20 years go by because it was just yesterday when I held you for the very first time.

Happy Double Digits Natalie & Aubrey

Happy 5th Birthday...

Today marks the end of you telling everyone that you are "four & a half" as you hold 4 fingers up because you are now 5! My babies are 5 and this fact has me in total disbelief. How did this happen? Where did the years go? How are my youngest 5 and really not babies anymore? I am sad and in a way grieving that my days of parenting  a baby are over but at the same time I can say I love that my kids are all the ages they are. Are you easier now that you are 5? No, not at all, but the challenges are different. We no longer have to feed you every three hours or get you dressed or carry you to the car and buckle you up but now we do have to tell you why you can't use so much toilet paper and why "no" really does mean no and why we don't care that so & so won't let you play with their fidget spinner. All of this comes with the joy of watching you blossom into amazing kiddos who can introduce yourself to people and tell them you are not a twin but a "kwadwuplet", you can stand still and follow along at church, you can tell us thank you for making you a yummy dinner, you can tell us how excited you are to start school again because you want to meet your new teachers. You simply amaze your mom and dad every single day and though some days we may forget to appreciate those moments, we never lose sight of how proud we are that you are ours.

TATE

Oh how badly you want to be exactly like your big brother. You have been like this for a while but over the last year this desire has only grown. You dress like him, you play the same which means sports and guns, you make the same faces right after him and you are frequently seen dabbing because Drew loves to dab. Out of all of our kids you are the one who voices their opinion the most on choices of clothes. You only want shorts and it doesn't matter what the temperature is. You will only wear short sleeve shirts and for the entire school year you threw complete fits if they had buttons. Thank goodness you would wear sweatshirts but of course only certain ones. You are worse than any of our girls and you were only 4!! You have a love for sports and are so excited to turn 5 because you know that is how old you need to be to join swim team with your brother. You were the first to decide you didn't need puddle jumpers anymore this summer while in the pool and you haven't stopped for a second as you dive and jump to be just like Drew. You have an amazing arm and even your t-ball coaches were impressed every time you threw a ball to 1st base this season. Tater Tot I am so lucky to be your mommy and I can't wait to watch you on those sports team just like I do with your Big Brother.

KENZIE

You remain our peanut even though you have grown but you have no problem being the littlest and wear this badge with honor. When asked what you want to be when you grow up your response is always "Baby Annabelle". I think you would be happiest if you could stay attached to my hip because you love to be carried and still dislike when I tell you that you can walk. I don't think you've gone to mass yet in your 5 years in which I haven't held you for the majority of it. I will not complain for a second though because I know my days of carrying you are limited and someday the weight of you on my hip will just be a memory. You are, for the most part, a pretty laid back person but when you don't like something a very loud whiny, screechy voice can be heard. You haven't figured it out yet but you will be my child that someday I will have to wake and tell you to get moving because you love to sleep. You wake at 6am but you are so not ready to be up. You come downstairs with your hair a complete mess, sucking on your thumb with your blankie in your hand. Your eyes shout to us that you are still tired and even though you go lay down on the recliner chair you tell us you aren't tired anymore. I wonder at what age you will realize you are still sleepy and just how awesome sleeping is? You started gymnastics this year and it is so fun to watch you flipping all over the place and just simply loving life.

RYLAN

Rylan James you are such a character. You are so, so sweet and at the same time you are such a pain in the bottom. You have a way to know how to pick on everyone and for the most part you think you can get away with it but when we catch you your response is "what?" with the most sly voice and if we ask you why you did something you again use the same voice with an "I don't know" response. You are also by far our biggest crier. Anytime someone does anything to you that you do not like you cry like you are being tortured. I know you think you are going to get someone into trouble by doing this but in the end it's yourself that gets the bad rap because of your outcry. You would be most happy if we would just allow you to sit all day with the tv on. You don't care what is on but you will sit and watch as long as we will let you. You very seldom sit on the couch and instead love to watch from the table. Surprisingly, mom and dad do not just let you veg all day so instead you keep busy putting together perler bead projects, playing baseball with the other boys, finding ways to annoy your siblings which usually means deciding you were playing with the same thing as someone else and screaming at the top of your lungs that you had it first! You were the last to realize you could swim this summer and you figured this out when mom basically said "I need to know you can swim so either you show me or you watch from the side." It was a game for you to wear your floaties because we knew you could do it but you refused. You quickly, well after you threw a fit and got thrown in, realized you did have the ability to swim without drowning and haven't stopped swimming since. You love school and the minute you are inside you are off and playing. Very seldom did mom get a hug or kiss from you at drop off because you had other things to do. You remain our trouble maker but there is a side to you that mom just loves and that is the part of you that will take you so far in life.

ISABELLA

You may be our 4th and final girl in the family but you are such a little mommy. You also have so much of your older sister's personality in you! You are head strong, independent, have your mind made up and stick to it no matter what anyone says yet you are so caring and nurturing. Your life goal is to be a mom and you plan to have 2 girls, 2 boys and 2 babies. We have explained that the girls and boys start out as babies so you will have 4 kids but in your mind you are having 2 girls, 2 boys and 2 babies no matter what we try and tell you. You are our one child out of 7 who enjoys playing with toys. You love your baby dolls and coloring the most. You are always making mom pictures and you get annoyed with me when I throw them away. If you were not part of a set of quads you would be the only one I would consider sending to kindergarten this year. You enjoy learning and will soak preschool up this year even more than last year. Telling us the color of everything is a favorite of yours. Actually talking in general is probably your highlight each day. According to Google the average person uses 16,000 words/day. I am pretty sure you use up your allotment by 9:30 in the morning. Sometimes I just have to tell you to be quiet for a moment because you will fill any silence with announcements such as the sky is blue and has white clouds. You are a beautiful young lady Bella and you are 100% girl and love to be in dresses and the more they twirl the better. I hope your birthday wishes are grand and that they all come true for you.

Babies you are 5 and it simply amazes me. August 9th, 2012 will always be a day I want to go back to. As I watched your birth video a couple nights ago I just sat with tears in my eyes as each one of you took your first breath. Those 4 minutes of listening for each of you to cry as we found out if you were a boy or girl where minutes I never knew if we would get when I was pregnant with you. Now looking at you 5 years later I wish I could go back and whisper to that scared mom on the OR table that each of you would amaze me more than I could ever imagine. That you all would be perfect. That you would all hit your milestones even if delayed. You would all give me more love than I deserve and that 5 years down the road I would never imagine life without the 4 of you. Today is your day Kenzie, Isabella, Tate & Rylan and I hope your 5th birthday is one of the best yet.

Happy 5th Birthday Babies!!! 

We all love you like crazy...