My Top 10 Tidbits of Advice On Touring Disney World [With Four Little Boys]

I have not updated in quite a while, I have been working on this post since we took our four kids to Walt Disney World over fall break in October. It was fun, exciting, overwhelming, and exhausting, all at the same time! I spent the better part of a year planning for this trip which was a huge undertaking with twin toddlers in tow. The reason for attempting a trip with these two? Kids under the age of three get in FREE! This was our last chance to go without having to take out a loan just to pay the admission fees for all six of us.

I spent a lot of time reading blog posts and advice from Pinterest. Pins that should have been titled, "You have failed as a Disney-going parent if you don't do these 29 things with your toddler," or "If you don't plan your trip this way, it is doomed to fail."

I cautiously entertained this information, but found that I should have probably talked to people that actually know my family and can tailor the advice to my own situation.

So without much ado, here are my "top 10" tidbits of advice from my experience touring WDW with four rambunctious boys. I have four positives, five negatives, and one indifferent to share with you. Pin it, delete it, or take it to heart and use it for your own planning purposes. Just please remember the most important thing is to give yourself a break! The kids will have fun no matter how much stuff you try to pack into less than a week.

Positive # 1: The Food and Wine Festival--- WORTH IT!! With the help of the grandparents, the hubby, the sis and I got to go to Epcot's World Showcase one evening and partake in what the festival had to offer. My only regret was not having enough time. All of the food was awesome and the atmosphere was great. I don't know what World Showcase looks like when it isn't set up for the festival, but we were not disappointed at all.

The Illuminations show that ended the night was pretty spectacular too! Just be sure to stock up on any food and drink you want prior to the start of Illuminations because they shut down the shops and kiosks once the show begins. I could have used another drink to enjoy while strolling out of the park.

Negative #1: Fast Pass Fail! I am debunking all of the fast pass posts I read. I did my best to navigate the system using what I had learned from blog posts on Pinterest. I don't know if I was working with out-of-date information, but it was a lot harder to work with than I had anticipated.

The only time it actually worked to my benefit was when we stopped for lunch at Pacos Bill's in Frontierland and I ran nearby and got fast passes to Splash mountain. Once we finished eating, we had 45 minutes until our return time, so we went to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which had a 35 minute wait. By the time we waited and rode, it was nearly time for our Splash Mountain turn. So we pretty much waited in line a total of 35 minutes and got to ride two awesome rides out of it. So, if I was planning the day again, I wouldn't rely as much on the Fast Pass system. It is pretty inconvenient to run across the park to get them, and run back to where your party is waiting in line (pretty much having to cut the line to get to where your party is). We have little ones with us, so we really require a lot of hands, and it was difficult to spare them for someone to run around collecting the passes.

Positive #2: The best treat! I read about it in almost every Pin there was dedicated to food at WDW. We saved it until our way out on our last day. I am talking about the Dole Whip at Aloha Isles in Adventureland at MK. We sampled all there was to offer, pineapple, orange, and vanilla. At the start of our trip, $3.75 seemed like a lot for this treat, but by day 4, in 90 degree heat and the humidity of the rainforest, I would have paid $375.00 for this! Enough said!

Negative #2: The Jedi Training Academy, do NOT, I repeat, Do NOT talk this up until the kid is actually donning their Jedi robe to perform. This was the most disappointed I was the entire trip. I struggled to get our party to Hollywood Studios right as the park was opening and ran to the place to sign them up, dragging my two Padawan behind me. The line was already very long and had already filled up before even half of the line had gone through. The boys were disappointed, so was I.

I didn't plan meals with characters or a pirate makeover, this free activity was just about the closest thing I was going to be able to give them. They cheered up with a visit to Star Tours 3D. Even if we had gotten on the alternate list, you had to keep checking in, and your performance time could be later in the day, like 5:00 pm! So, my plan to spend half a day in Hollywood Studios would have been foiled by this. Unless you are willing to camp out the night before at the gate so you can be one of the first in line (not sure you are allowed to), be warned about this activity.

Negative #3: Hollywood Studios is NOT for toddlers. While I was dealing with the fall out of being cut from the Jedi Training Academy, hubby took all of our passes over to the Toy Story Mania ride to get Fast Passes. Keep in mind, it was only 30 minutes after opening and all of the passes were gone for the whole day!

We ended up waiting in a 90 minute line and once that was over (great ride, though) there was pretty much nothing else for the little guys to do. My last shot at redeeming the day was to go to the Disney Jr. Live show and do the "Hot Diggity Dog" dance with Mickey and the Gang.

Well, we were 2 minutes late for the show time because we were getting lectured on proper stroller parking etiquette by a cast member and they wouldn't let us in. So all in all, Hollywood Studios was a wasted morning for us. I can see it being great once the kids are older. The big boys enjoyed the Indiana Jones Stunt Show and the Toy Story Mania ride was a pleaser for all ages in our group! The redemption for the day was E&F earned their Mouse Ears from a shop underneath the Sorcerer's hat.

Negative #4: Dining at Disney left nothing to be desired. I am talking about most of the counter service for lunch which only gives you a few choices and none of them are very good or healthy. Compared to Disney food, it makes hospital food look gourmet! With the prices they charge, it should be! So pack lunches if you can, save your money for a nice dinner when you are tired and want to sit down and relax.

Positive #3: In my opinion, the best place to eat lunch at Epcot's World Showcase was in Mexico. Like a mirage in the desert, La Hacienda provided a great place to sit down and take a break. It was large, the tables were square, which makes it much easier to spread out. It was counter service that was fast and efficient and there were tortilla chips and churros that the kids could enjoy while the grown ups had the other cuisine that was all very good. It was air conditioned, had a great view of the lagoon, the banoes were close by, which made it easier for me to run back and forth to do potty and diaper changes. It was quiet and peaceful. I know it wasn't the real Mexico, but I might as well have been in San Lucas by how happy and relieved I was!

Negative #5: Being at the park in time for "rope drop," which translates to get up at the crack of dawn and drag the family to the park, wait in a really large crowd just to have the park open and still be stuck in that large crowd.

The system to get into the parks requires you to touch your pass to the Apple-looking Mickey Ears and then press your finger on the plate. BE SURE to pay attention to what finger your child uses the first time you go to the park and set that fingerprint with that pass! it does matter and can really slow things down if you don't.

We spent more time waiting in the line to get in than we did at any ride the whole time we were there. It just wasn't a good precedence for the day. The other days, we would get to the park 15-30 minutes after rope drop and avoid that entire scenario. It is a whole lot more satisfying to walk up to the gate and not wait long before scanning your ticket and finger print and walk right in.

The indifferent one: Character spotting is another animal of it's own. The older two weren't that excited about it, I think they are on to the fact there are real people inside of costumes, so besides a quick stop by to say "hi" to "Phineas and Ferb," which had virtually no line, they really didn't care about the characters.

F&E, however, were borderline stalkers of the characters! They acted as crazy as a bunch of girls at a Bieber concert upon spotting any character. Of course, their favorites were Buzz and Woody. They saw the Lego versions of these characters at Downtown Disney the night before our first day in the park. F had an absolute fit over seeing these familiar friends, he couldn't stop smiling, until we took him away, that is. Thereafter, he was on a mission to spot the characters and act out when he saw them.

It might have been fun to actually wait in a line to get a picture with more characters, but they have what can only be described as near-seizures when they are that close to a character and can't get to them. So instead of being slapped with a restraining order from Disney, we decided to abstain from visiting characters on this trip.

Positive #4: The Wishes firework show in Magic Kingdom was worth the crowd and uncomfortableness. We had a spot just before the bridge over to Adventureland, right up to the fence that blocks the path from the landscape, so we could sit on the ground and not have an obstructed view. The images they project onto the castle of Disney movies old and new were very impressive, the boys liked "Wreck it Ralph."

The fireworks were amazing and more than made up for our rained-out fireworks at the 4th of July back in the hometown. I had a moment during the show when I looked at my kid's faces that were posed in amazement and illuminated by the lights and fireworks. It reminded me of the end of the Disney commercial when the family was watching the fireworks show and the words, "wishes really do come true" would pop on the screen.

It really was kind of emotional for me to realize how quickly they are growing up. Right now they see magic and wonder, not crowds and astronomical prices for food and souvenirs. I saw Disney through their eyes at that moment and I remembered what it was like to be a kid.

Take a number, please....

I feel like I need one of those ticket machines that deli counters used to have where the customer takes a ticket with a number on it. When they were ready for that customer, they would display a sign saying "now serving number....".

Why am I thinking about outdated technology? I am in desperate need of a system to organize my children's wants and needs. Nothing is more frustrating when I am doing something for one child and all the other ones rush me like the stage at a Stone Temple Pilot's concert. Did I just reveal my age?

Have you ever noticed how everyone is fine, everyone is taken care of, so you turn your attention to something that has probably gone neglected for a while, like the mountain of dirty dishes, and all of the sudden it is mass hysteria? Someone decides to have a dirty diaper and they have stuck their hand into said soiled diaper. Meanwhile, another needs a drink of water, but not from the cup they have been using during their meals, but from a "fun cup" with a "fun straw" that can be only hand washed. If I'm not giving someone the attention they crave the second they demand it, they take a hostage and start harassing them with full nelsons, and yes I am talking about B2.

I'm fairly sure this isn't just the behavior of my kids, my work as a nurse is where I first observed this. As the nurse, I worked hard to make sure all patients' needs were taken care of and everyone was settled in. Then it would happen, someone would call a code, the medical team would run to the aid of that patient. The parents would stick their heads out into the hall to see what the commotion was, and that is when they decide it was time for that sponge bath they had been declining the whole day. I figured it was related to their fear that everyone was so focused on another situation that if something were to happen to their child, they might get neglected. So they start demanding things that aren't priority over the patient who is being bagged, intubated, and sent to the PICU.

I liken this to my children's behavior, they think if my attention is placed elsewhere, the second they need something, I will be in Italy or some place (only in my daydreams will I be in Italy).

I suppose it is human nature, but it drives me crazy! I want to say, "when have you ever gone hungry? Look around, there are goldfish crackers and cheerios on the floor. "

"When has there been a time that you got hurt and not had nurse mommy to take care of it?" I am always armed with bandaids, gauze, sutures, and kisses.

"When have you gotten your foot stuck in a chair and not been freed by me?" My furniture has the damage to prove I have made the sacrifice!

I may only have two arms and I have yet to figure out how to clone myself, but I am still always present and will get to your needs and/or wants in a timely manner.

I have visions of them sitting in their therapists' offices having a break through about how I always picked another brother over them. Then reality hits, life isn't fair, no one ever promised it would be. So then I feel like parent of the year because I am doing a great job preparing them for the future of unfairness!

Oh, and on an unrelated note, happy fall!!

Little E

After brother F got out of the way, Little E took his time to be born, finding more room than ever to stretch out and swim around. Nearly 30 minutes later, Dr. B had to take control and make him appear.

Always just a little bit smaller than F, what he lacks in size, he makes up for in personality!

In an acrostic, "E" would stand for eccentric. That is a good way to describe our littlest man.

He came from humble beginnings, determined to live on this Earth , he hitched a ride with brother and snuck his way into the womb. I guess it could easily be argued that F was the one who did this, but for some reason I have always felt like if there had only been a singleton, it would have been F. I am so grateful that he "tagged" along because I cannot imagine life without him.

Once in the womb, he didn't find much room, so he ended up taking residence on my right side, under my rib. He had so little space that he didn't have much room to move, giving me a scare more than a few times that I couldn't count his fetal movements. Because of this, I thought he was going to be this quiet child (or I was hoping he would be) but he was just resting up because once he took his first breath, he made sure everyone knew that he was feisty!

From about 1 month until 6 months old, both of them were "colicky," one of the worst experiences of my parenthood. The best way to calm E was to put him in his car seat, put him in the bathroom with the light off and the fan on. He preferred listening to Elvis while riding in the car, and he always resisted diaper changes and screamed during bath times up until at least a year old.

Finally, he learned to calm down and the real E started to emerge. He makes funny faces and likes to act, like pretending to eat food from a bowl or lap water out of a cup like a dog. I know a lot of toddlers do this, the thing about him is that he can go on and on for quite a while, he does not break character!

He likes to hear songs and will clap when you finish singing. Sometimes he walks hunched over like an old man, just to be silly. He is fearless and is working on perfecting his climbing skills.

He is our precious boy and we love him dearly! Happy 2nd birthday, E!

Mr. F

My littlest fellas are rarely spoken about individually, it goes along the territory of being a twin, I suppose. So, I am going to write about them separately to celebrate their uniqueness.

From the very beginning, F was the candidate for alpha-twin. He occupied more space in utero, he was the active guy that would dance on my left kidney and kick my spleen, and he even managed to fight his brother to be the first one to take a breath of air.

F is flirty, he is quick to offer up a smile at people in public or show off his dance moves for others. Despite his confident attitude, he is scared of fast movements, like swinging too high on the swing set.

He usually leads the way in developmental milestones, he sat up first, walked first, and is now perfecting his toddler tantrums first.

He enjoys hearing the "ABC song" and "twinkle twinkle little star." He gets excited about doing the "hot dog dance" with Mickey Mouse. He enjoys playing with toy cars, and crawling into my lap to read books.

He enjoys playing chase with his brothers, running around the kitchen island while emitting shrieks of laughter. In rare moments, he will let me cuddle him and he will strum my arm lightly with his little fingers.

He is our F and we love him very much. Happy 2 years, sweet boy!

B2

Our sweet second born celebrated his 5th birthday this past week.
This kid gets so excited talking about his birthday and his birthday cake!

He is our only baby that waited until nearly his due date to arrive (actually, he was evicted by induction,) he was the only one that took to breast feeding, slept well, and was content being held.

Nowadays, he is rambunctious, hilarious, and affectionate. He enjoys playing games, working jigsaw puzzles and mazes, and being a big brother to his twin brothers.

Today he told me that when he grows up, he wants to be, "a daddy, scuba diver, chef, astronaut, chef, boxer" and he added singer to the list after singing the songs from vacation bible school.

If you ask him what his favorite color is, he will say, "all the colors in the rainbow and not in the rainbow." He will also tell you that he loves babies and puppies and that he is allergic to anything that has whiskers. He is allergic to cats and that has somehow morphed into lions and tigers.

He is our sweet boy who is heading to kindergarten this fall, will be playing soccer, and is learning Tae Kwon Do.

We love you, B2!

Update to Twins and Toddler Beds

Since I wrote the previous post, more changes have occurred. The twins have perfected turning their toy bins over and using them to boost up and grab at wall decor, baby wipes, etc...
So now their toys are without organization since I had to put the bins away.

The summer sun comes through their east-facing window most of the day, and since they had pulled down their black-out shades, I had to hang a blanket up, just to the point they can't reach it. This blocks a little bit of the sun, but still isn't a great solution for nap time.

The biggest change came today when I heard a crash and opened the door to see that they were climbing on the sides of their toddler beds and pulling each other off. The reason I turned their cribs into toddler beds was because I didn't want them climbing on their cribs, falling out, and potentially breaking a bone or have a head injury. With that being said, I spent this evening taking down their beds, now they are left with their mattresses on the floor.

They have less things in their room than an inmate has in prison, but they are happy anyway.
At bedtime, they were using their mattresses as a tumbling track of sorts, laughing and enjoying each other.

I thought it was difficult having twins as infants, but these toddler twins are beyond anything I have handled before or could have imagined. While taking deep breaths and taking it minute by minute, I will get through this stage too.

Twins and Toddler beds

I haven't had time to write lately with a combination of my whole household having an epidemic of stomach virus and end-of-school-year activities. However, the youngest two Moore's have been making lots of changes lately that are pretty cute, I really must share them before they fully move into the toddler phase and I forget how cute they are for a while (or until they turn 5).

The major change that has occurred is that last week, F started to climb out of his crib. Brad heard him fussing, which is nothing unusual when they are having a party while they are supposed to be sleeping. He went to check on them and saw F hanging on to the outside of his crib. He rescued him and the next morning was spent converting cribs to toddler beds, for the last time (I may have shed a tear or two at that realization.)

It is something that I have done twice before, but there are special considerations when allowing two toddlers to roam free during naps and night time. I had to go through all the toys and take out anything that could become a weapon. So basically soft toys and books were left. I turned the dresser around so they couldn't climb on open drawers or shut their brother's fingers in them. We anchored the bookshelf to the wall in case they decide to go mountain climbing.

Even with all of this, they still managed to find ways to cause destruction, keep in mind it has only been a week. They completely tore down the black-out shades on the windows, pulled the moulding off from under the window, broke their lamp, and are severely sleep deprived from not sleeping as long at night, and skipping naps during the day.

This change has been difficult, but there are some really sweet things that have come out of it. I went to check on them during nap time because I kept hearing a lot of laughter and some loud noises. I opened the door and saw F sitting in the middle of the room, but E was no where to be seen. I finally saw him laying on the bottom bookshelf with a huge smile on his face.

It has been fun to open the door and see where they are sleeping/playing. Usually they can be found next to each other either on the same bed, or the same spot on the floor.

I think this experience has really strengthened their relationship, they seem to be playing together even more, having more conversation, and even caring for each other. One night E was so tired that I had to hold him to calm him down to sleep. F kept coming over to "check" on him and trying to cover him up with his blanket.

A few days ago, I was running late getting them up from their nap and loaded into the car to pick B1 up from the bus stop. I went in their room and of course E had gone #2. I didn't have much time to move him to another location to change him, so I did it right in the middle of their floor. F saw an opportunity and came over, took some wipes out of the container, and started trying to "help" me wipe E's bottom! Although it was really gross, and hard to contain while I was trying to fight with E to hold still and not get poo everywhere, it was pretty funny and I couldn't help from laugh. That will be a great one to tell them when they are older!

I am going to hold on to this phase as long as I can, but before I know it, they are going to be asking where their bunk bed is, just like their older brothers sleep on.

Confessions of an Isolated mother

I have never claimed to be super organized or have "it all together" when it comes to childrearing. To prove this, I am going to let you in on a secret, I don't take the twins many places. Especially not all four kids together, the thought scares me! However, sometimes I wonder if I am being overly dramatic and think maybe it is just my anxiety that stands between my kids and the front door.

One of these moments happened a few weekends ago when we attended a first birthday party for our friends, Lindsey and David's twins (B and G). Our entire family was invited, and since our youngest two are twins, there was no doubt in my mind that we would all go.

F and E are very mobile these days, climbing, running, opening and shutting doors and cabinets, you name it, they are exploring it. So the plan was for Brad to keep an eye on one and I would watch the other. Seems like a good plan, right? It wasn't that simple, however. F and E were all over the place! Being that they were in a new environment, kids and toys were all around, and there were lots of adults to give them attention, they might as well have been at Disney World.

From the very start, it was obvious my plan needed modifying because they were snaking their way through the crowd, admiring knick knacks, and attempting to make escapes through doors. So instead of being assigned a tot to watch, we kind of traded off depending on our position in the house. I ended up mostly following E around, he was the one that wanted to do laps around their downstairs.

F was fairly content staying in the main room playing with toys, so Brad camped out there with him. Meanwhile, the older two were being their usual rambunctious selves, they were totally disobeying the lecture they got on the car ride over about being calm, about how it was a party for babies, and to be respectful, etc...

From the moment we arrived, the big boys took off to the upstairs part of the house which was not included in my battle plan. They came down frequently to rummage through the food and kept bringing me cans of soda to open (I refused after the first one). I felt my energy draining quickly, I barely felt like I was at a social event, I spent the entire time following E from room to room, while he kept looking over his shoulder and laughing because he thought it was a game of chase. He completely ignored my attempts at getting him interested in a toy so that we could stay in one place for a moment.

Then came time for the cake. Lindsey did a great job planning this Elmo-themed party! Both babies had an Elmo smash cake on their high chair trays. About that time, E was trying to figure out a way to the backyard. I tried to pick him up, but all that lead to was kicking and crying, which would have been very distracting to the moment, so I took him outside.



Cute Elmo cakes!

I heard the familiar "Happy Birthday" song followed by clapping and laughs. Then I recognized the screaming and laughing of my older two boys. I scooped up E and ran into the house. B2 had this life-sized balloon of Elmo and was chasing B1 and a few other young kids around the house. I immediately rescued the mylar Elmo and turned my attention to Brad. I gave him the unmistakeable "it's time to go" look and proceeded to gather up shoes and supplies.



That is one BIG Elmo!!

Brad didn't follow me to the front door, so I went back to the party, that is when he told me he couldn't find F! I felt like he had pressed the code button and my adrenaline suddenly kicked in. Fearing the worst, I ran to the front yard where I heard a neighborhood dog barking. I looked around, no F in sight. After surveying the grounds, I ran back inside. Several adults had joined the search party. After what seemed like an hour, (probably only 5 minutes or less) everyone met in the foyer empty-handed. 

I was about to start hyperventilating when someone mentioned that someone was in the downstairs bathroom. We held our breath as she knocked on the door, no answer. She opened it and revealed a wide-eyed little boy who was in the dark and had unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper into the commode. He started giving us that pathetic whine when he wants us to feel sorry for him. I scooped him up and gave him a big hug!

Not related to this event, but an example of said look.

We finally got out the door with all four children accounted for, and headed home. That is when Brad revealed to me that not only had B2 caused great disruption while running around, he had also eaten Elmo's eyeball off of baby B's smash cake and licked the cake too! B2 is a huge cake fan, like his Mama, but I was mortified that he had taken it to that level!

 

Poor B, he had no idea what was about to happen.

 Miss G was not going to let that boy get her cake!

Fortunately, Lindsey and David are very understanding and forgiving people. They even gave me permission to post this confession and pictures. So lesson learned, I will just stay at home until I have another moment of temporary insanity and then perhaps have another confessional blog post.

I am guest posting!!

Hi readers,
I am delighted to be guest posting on a friend's blog this week while she is on "maternity leave" from her blog after the birth of her third child. Please follow the link and visit the Vanderbilt Wife.

Beth

Www.vanderbiltwife.com

And then there were three, or four....

* This post was originally published on www.vanderbiltwife.com

For those of you who don't know my background, I had two boys who were born 18 months apart. My husband and I figured our family was complete with the craziness that these two brought to our life. Then a serise of unfortunate events occured and forced me to rethink the decision.

We had one chance to try for another child before we made our family of four permanent, then I found out that we were indeed pregnant right before Thanksgiving.

I went to the OB/GYN for the regular eight week exam right before Christmas, and that's when I heard him say "I see two." Our life changed dramatically at that very moment.

Skip ahead to the birth of the darling twin boys, F and E. From the moment they entered this world, there was a huge amount of adjustment for everyone in our family. I had often heard that when you have two children, any subsequent children are fairly easy to get used to, I did not find this to be the case. Maybe it was the challenge multiples bring, but with any life change, there is a degree of growing pains that go along with it.

One thing I learned is that I was going to have to grow extra arms, fast! With one or two children, you have an arm for each child to comfort and cuddle. I spent many hours sitting on the couch, a baby propped in the Boppy pillow on either side, and a bottle in each hand (photograph below). For a time, I was also hooked up to a breast pump simultaneously (fortunetly, a picture of this does not exsist).

Meanwhile, the toddlers were running, jumping, and fighting in front of me. My legs and feet served as my extra arms and hands. If one child was about to fall, my legs would catch him in a scissor-like fashion. If one child was hitting another, my scissor legs would grab him as he ran past me. I wish I had a picture of this, because it had to look really awkward, but I didn't have any other extremities to take one.

I also learned that I had to discipline them from this position because they discovered that they could take advantage of when I would get set up on the couch, and see their chance to misbehave. The discipline consisted of holding them in my leg scissors until I felt they had "served their time." I called this method, "mommy jail" and it worked pretty well, not to mention it was a good work out for my calves.

If I wasn't tied to the couch, I would have the babies set up in bouncy seats or swings on the floor. We would be in a corner of the room so the big boys couldn't do sneak attacks from behind. I would also hold a small pillow in my hands in order to deflect any object that might fly toward us. Don't get me wrong, the boys loved their baby brothers, they just got so wild trying to "entertain and play" with them.

In the early days we didn't get out much, the biggest field trip the twins got to take was to drop off and pick up their brothers at preschool a few days a week. What a sight I must have been pulling into the closest parking space I could get with my mini van.

Suddenly, both side doors and the trunk open and out comes one frazzled mother, two rowdy toddlers, and two crying infants. I would run around the back and pull out my lifeline, the double stroller.

The only way to keep the older ones from fighting over who got to help was to have one go in front and pull and one stand back with me and push. It was up to me to make sure there were no casualties while we made our way to the classrooms.

The thing I truly was not prepared for, and probably never will be, was the amount of work that would be involved with having a lot of young children. I'm not even talking about the childcare itself, I am talking about all the things that go into maintaining the family.

The laundry, dishes, food, and supplies; there was an abundance of all of it! I went from washing all the big boy's clothing in one load, to doing about four times that a week. The amount of bottles, sippy cups, and dishes ended up being about two loads in the dishwasher a day.

We would buy the twin's formula in bulk, and the amount of milk I would bring home from the store would have justified having a milking cow in my backyard. The baby supplies that are a necessity with one child, doubled with twins, and that included swings, bouncy seats, car seats, pack 'n' plays, high chairs, and exersaucers.

I had this idea that I would have one bouncy seat and one swing, and they would take turns, but of course, even as infants, they always wanted to do what their brother was doing, thus the additional equipment was added.

I really could go on about this, but I do think that could take up a whole other post (the pictures below can help to illustrate my point.)

The best thing about going from two kids to four is the amount of love and fun they share. Now that the twins are old enough to be able to run around with their brothers, games of chase have become a favorite pastime. I will see B1 showing F his leapster game or B2 "reading" a book to E.

Even from the beginning, the older boys have showered their little brothers with love. They were a great help to me by getting me supplies, taking wet diapers to the trash can, and making silly faces to get them to smile. A favorite game of the big boys' was to "shoot hoops" with the babies' wet diapers. After scoring points, they would run back and give the babies high fives (after they washed their hands of course.)

In the mornings when I go to get the babies from their room, B2 insists on accompanying me and singing a "Good Morning" song to them. The twins have come to expect it, and run around with delight at the sight and sound of their beloved brother.

B1 and B2 look forward to weekends and days off from school so they can play with them even more.

Four kids is four times the love, that is what is extraordinary about going from two to more!

Brotherly Love

I was blessed to grow up with a sister who is only 18 months younger, so we shared pretty much everything. We did the same activities, shared a lot of the same experiences, and even a car.
When I started having all these boys, I couldn't fathom what raising them would be like, much less what being brothers would be like for them.

I hoped and prayed for the best case scenario. I was hopeful they would have a companion, a life-long best friend. They would have someone to play with any time they want. Having siblings doesn't come without it's challenges, but they are the very thing that prepares you for future relationships. To have to learn how to get along, take turns, and work out your differences, all while loving the other person.

My sister is my best friend, even after 31 years. I'm sure there are times that we didn't feel that way about each other, but we always had someone to talk to and we had a friend no matter where we moved.

So what does brotherhood look like in my house so far? I would say 90% of the time, there is rough housing, competition, yelling, running, name calling, fighting, and even some crying.
It is the other 10% I want to focus on, however. Those subtle moments that are barely noticeable. When one brother is being thoughtful and generous to another. It is a big brother, playing with baby brothers because he wants to "show them something cool." It is one brother bringing a blanket and a favorite buddy to another brother who is sick and lying on the couch. It is those nights that I listen outside their bedroom door, and they are having a sweet conversation with each other and letting their imaginations wander.

Now that they are here, I added to my prayer. I hope for them to be able to foster a great friendship among themselves. For them to celebrate each other's successes, to be happy for each other during good times, and support one another during bad times. Even though my walls may end up having holes knocked in them, and I have to have super glue on hand to fix things that break, it won't matter as long as they can always mend their relationship.

I get frustrated by the fighting, but every once in a while I get a moment of hope for their future. One of these came yesterday as B2 decided he was going to share his last Valentine's tattoo and some of his candy with B1. Anyone who knows B2 will tell you this was a very big deal, he does not give up his candy easily! At that moment I saw his sweet heart and the love he has for his brother.

What if SAHMs went on business trips?

My dear sweet husband went away on a business trip last week. While I do understand that he was working, I still can't help from being a little envious. The thought of leaving my house and all the work that goes along with it, to go to an interesting place, stay in a hotel, be around adults and have adult conversation. To worry about just me, for a change. To get just myself ready for the day, to watch what I want on tv, to have some piece and quiet.

In listing all of that, I guess I forgot there is actually work going on. So what I really want, is just to get away.

Luckily, my sister and I had already planned our annual spa getaway weekend for the end of the week, so I didn't have to wait long! After taking care of all four by myself, and preparing to go out of town, I couldn't wait to hit the road.

My instruction list for the boys was seven pages long, including a menu for the babies. I couldn't believe all that I do was summed up in a seven page instruction manual. Then it occurred to me, that isn't even the half of it. It didn't include cleaning the house, errand running, meal preparation, and entertaining/educating the children. I can't believe all of the stuff I have to do, I know it is a lot, but to put it down on paper is humbling.
Brad returned home from his trip late Wednesday night, and I left after getting the kids off to school on Thursday morning.

Spa retreat in Gatlinburg, here we come! I know we should probably switch it up a bit and go explore a different place, but it is only 3 hours by car, and nearly in the mountains. We have been to the area so much over the years, we don't feel the need to do tourist things, and we know where we like to eat.

We were a little disappointed Nashville got snow while we were gone, but happy that B1 got to have his first snow day from school. Meanwhile, we enjoyed the quiet, caught up on chick flick movies, and relaxed with a hot stone massage!

It was surprising to me how easily I settled into my "me time." With the exception of hearing phantom children yelling and crying at times, I reveled in the knowledge that I didn't have anyone I was responsible for. I had no guilt about sleeping in (with the help of zquil, I must admit,) eating sugary cereal, and vegging on the couch. No loads of laundry, very little meal preparation and virtually no cleaning up. It was nice not to have to utter my usual mantra of, "keep all four chair legs on the floor, sit your bottom in the chair, eat your veggies, and you already had like 3 desserts." I didn't hear my name over and over again followed by a "watch this."

Of course I missed my little men, but the time away gave me the renewal of energy I needed. When I returned home, I was greeted with the latest achievement of the twins, they are climbing on everything!!! Time to start planning my next "business" trip.

Hey 30...3

Today is my 33rd birthday, which by all accounts really isn't special in any way. I, however, am just getting around to reflecting on being in my 30's.

In 2010, when I turned 30, we got some terrible news, my MIL's cancer had metastasized. As you can imagine, that over shadowed my thoughts as we went through the rest of that year with her.

In 2011, I was still in shock over the news that I was pregnant with my 3rd and 4th children. My mind was in overdrive thinking about how I was going to care for 4 children, so there went 31.

In 2012, I was too tired from caring for the 4 children to even realize it was my 32nd birthday.
For some reason, 33 has been my year that I finally get around to reflecting. Maybe it is because of the history of this particular 21st of January?

In my lifetime, there have only been a few times that Martin Luther King Jr. Day actually fell on my birthday. In 1980, my birth year, the 21st occurred on a Monday, but MLK day wasn't a nationally recognized holiday until 1986, which means it didn't fall on my birthday again until 1991, my 11th birthday.

I remember that day well, we lived in Alexandria, VA at the time. I was in 4th grade, so we were out of school. My dad was in the Air Force, so he was off of work too. I went to my dance class (Jazz) and it was a snowy day, so bonus! Imagine my disappointment to learn that was the one and only time MLK day would be shared with my special day during my childhood. Not again until 2002, as I was probably writing my community health nursing paper for nursing school (good times :), then 2008 when I was very pregnant with B2, and then of course today.

Another bit of significance to January 21, 2013 is that it is the only Presidential Inauguration to occur on my birthday in my lifetime so far. Being that the official Inauguration date is January 20th, but yesterday was a Sunday, so I get the honors. It doesn't matter to me that I am not a particular fan of this President, I am a history geek and very patriotic, so I am excited about it.

So how are the 30's going so far? I think I kind of like this decade of life. I've had a few years of it under my belt to realize high school was not the best years of my life. College was great, but I worked way too hard! My 20's were fun, but I would trade all of that in for where I find myself right now. I have never been more self-assured and have never cared less about what others think of me. That is pretty liberating!

Sorry for the history lesson, if you have managed to read this far, but it's my party (and blog) and I'll be a nerd if I want to!

Enjoy a sampling of my artistic creation (pic below)

I should have...

I should have gotten that shower this morning. My mistake was putting it off thinking there would be time later when the twins were napping. It is not the act itself, but yet another example of how I don't make myself priority.

You see, it all started this morning when we slept later than usual, which meant a mad rush to get B1 to the bus on time. In my sleepy haze, I was trying to figure out what day it was... do I have to get B2 to school today? Do I have some morning appointment? It's Thursday, so no to preschool and we had every appointment you can imagine last week, so no to that too. With that, my fate was sealed, my shower was not going to happen.

By mid morning I was regretting that decision. I just felt blah and thought how that shower would have woken me up and started my day off better.

I should have eaten breakfast when I had the chance because after I cleaned up everyone else's mess, B2 went number 2 and stopped up the potty with toilet paper. So then I had a smelly mess all over the bathroom floor, the twins were trying to get past my legs to get into it, and B2 was running around the house not wiped. My decision was made for me, throw some old towels down to soak up the water, turn on the fan and shut the door. I got the twins quarantined to their high chairs, hunted down B2 and got him cleaned up. Still feeling blah, I donned my HAZMAT suit and got to work cleaning up the disaster zone. By the time I was done with that mess, I had to turn my attention to the mess the twins made with their food. They are now in the stage where food is art. It isn't lack of skill with the spoon, it is a deliberate game they are playing. Being that there is two of them, they feed off each other, literally, and food fight with one another.

I couldn't believe I had already fed the kids 2 meals and a snack, all I had was a cup of coffee. I finally got them cleaned up and their diapers changed, and went to put them in their cribs for a nap. I was putting clean clothes on them, when I turned around and realized E was playing in the vomit he just expelled into his crib. So then I had to clean him up, change his bed and his clothes again. By that time, F had pooped his fresh diaper, so I cleaned him up as well.

Finally, time for that shower! While I was letting the warm water rain down on me, the stress melted away and the time alone gave me clarity to think. Why has this day been so hard? Is it lack of sleep catching up with me? Am I getting sick? Is it Seasonal Affect Disorder from all of the overcast days we have experienced lately? Are the kids conspiring against me? I contemplate this and my mind turns to prayer. "Heavenly Father, my day isn't going well, can you help me find the strength and the way to get through it?

After my shower and finally some lunch, I sit down to play puzzles with B2. He has been waiting for one-on-one time with me since he opened his eyes this morning. Every request he made was met with the same response, "after I get the babies down for their nap." It suddenly occurred to me that something was absent, that blah feeling that I had all morning was miraculously gone. I was restored to my normal self, though haggard it may be.

I am sitting at the bus stop, typing this entry while drinking an energy drink that I hope will get me through the rest of the day. I am thankful that my prayer has pulled me out of my "funk" and hope others can relate. You may be reading this and thinking that the shower did the trick, or eating lunch, and I am sure those contributed to my better mood; but if you know the God that I do, you know that He provides us with peace, which is something that bathing and a meal cannot provide. It is now occurring to me, I should have prayed earlier.

Daisy cakes by Beth

For those readers that may not know, I am pretty passionate about baked goods, in particular, cakes. In my opinion, the whole reason to have a reception at a wedding, or to have a birthday party is to indulge in cake. It is the centerpiece, it can express the preferences and personalities for those who choose it.

In the past decade, cake decorating has taken on a life of it's own. Reality TV probably had a lot to do with it, TLC in particular with shows like "The Cake Boss," Cupcake Wars," and "DC Cupcakes," to name a few. I don't get that detailed, and really don't prefer the taste of fondant. My main goal is flavor, then appearance.

Long before things got out of hand, I was a little girl that wanted real cooking gadgets and appliances for birthday and Christmas gifts. I remember being excited to receive my first rolling pin, hand held mixer, and set of mixing bowls. I think I have a little of my Memaw in me, she was always cooking in the kitchen, and from scratch too! Things just taste better when someone takes the time and care to put their love into their dough or batter.

I started to learn the craft around the time of my wedding, my roommate's sister, Jen was very talented (she made our wedding cakes) and taught Wilton classes. Jamie and I got a crash course, then I took it from there.
The main reason I do it, is to have a special tradition of custom designing cakes for my kids' birthdays, but I have been getting some orders lately, and branching out.

December was a busy time for my little confections hobby, I will include some pictures below if you want to see. I enjoy creatively coming up with ideas that reflect someone's taste, it is a great outlet for me.

I first did a cake for a friend whose daughter graduated from Auburn. Then it was B1's turn, his 6th birthday Indiana Jones cake, then a 40th birthday cake that was Alabama-themed, although you cannot see the "A" very well in the picture.
Who knows what 2013 holds for "Daisy cakes by Beth," my boys are already putting in their orders.