Our Disneyland Top 10

Our recent trip to the happiest place on earth was definitely one to be remembered. As is family tradition, we thought a "Top 10" summary was more appropriate...

10. Setting the Tone: The 6.5 hour drive from Sactown to Anaheim went by quickly. Until we hit the LA city limits and Ally provided her best Lloyd Christmas impression. Our collective ears are still ringing....




9. Good Digs: we opted to stay at a Residence Inn for our 2 nights in Anaheim. Saved some dinero making our own meals in the kitchen and the kids loved crashing on the pull out beds at night. Quick walk and/or shuttle to the park made for a perfect setup to enjoy each day, we just hope the neighbors didn't mind their 6am wakeup call.

8. Batteries Not Included: Despite 95 degree temperatures and the multiple miles spent cris-crossing the parks (no stroller, cart, or assistance at all), our gang literally ran/skipped all day long. We took breaks to hydrate, rest, and eat of course, but their endless energy was perplexing. After 8 hours running, they were bouncing off the hotel room walls. The phrase "Sit down, and watch TV, PLEASE" was actually uttered more than once. Parents of the year....

7. Step Into The Zone: Those who know Gen well realize that eating at ESPN Zone isn't part of her ideal vacation (more like a personal hell...), but she was a great sport and suggested the locale as a reward for sitting through an entire afternoon of princess themed rides and attractions. The kids and I were stoked and spent dinner laughing and reveling in the 360 degrees of flat screens and sports memorabilia. You might even say we were "en fuego....."

6. Pushing the Limits: We weren't sure if all the kids were ready for some of the "big" rides. We took a leap and went on Space Mountain first. A) Forgot how fast that ride actually is B) Forgot how dark it is in there C) The kids didn't care one bit about either. Shrieks of "AGAIN! AGAIN!" signaled they were ready. Big Thunder Mountain railroad, Haunted House, Pirates of the Caribbean, and many more followed. We have four adrenaline junkies on our hands.

5. Wish Upon A Star No description of the 10 minutes spent at the Princess Fantasy Faire could illustrate the pure awe, excitement, and euphoria the girls experienced in meeting Princesses Tiana, Ariel, and Belle.

Molly has been consumed with anything and everything Ariel for 2 years.

Ally has named every inanimate object and character drawing as "Princess Belle" for the same amount of time. Each got a chance to meet her favorite in person. The video below is just a peak at trying to contain Molly while waiting in line!

4. You Want Two Tickets? While meeting Ariel, Russell felt the need to break out the "gun show." No rhyme or reason, just making sure she knew. She was even the lucky recipient of 3 different flex poses. The Disney staff members got a kick out of it, while Gen and I held back laughter and politely ushered him to the next area to keep the line moving.

3. Consolation Prize: Poor little Libs didn't get a chance to meet her favorite princess, Cinderella. We searched high & low for that sneaky blonde, and actually kind of get Prince Charming's frustrations now.... But she never complained, and was ecstatic to meet Fairy Godmother instead. Watch out in 2011, Libs will be back on the hunt...

2. Queen of the One Liners. Ally retained her crown with a collection of sound bites that kept us in stitches each day. One of our favorites was her proclamation of anything and everything as "ooohh....that's my FAVORITE!"

- Anyone want to go see Capt. EO? "oohhh...that's my FAVORITE!"
- I guess we HAVE to go to It's a Small World now...? "oohhhh...that's my FAVORITE!"
- Look, there's a disney trash can! "oohh....that's my FAVORITE!"

1. Viewing all the sites and sounds through the eyes of our four little people was absolutely awesome.

After 3 days, we left the magic kingdom and headed over to L.A. -LOTS MORE to follow on that soon!

XOXO

Gen and Conor

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Home Sweet Sactown!

I passed out uploading pictures to this post last night... ha ha ha!

It's so good to be home. Today the kids and I packed the car and kissed Conor goodbye. :(

Conor and Gen

He still had plenty of work ahead of him in LA and we were ready to come home. With our So Cal vaca over, it was time for ME to brave the VERY LONG road trip SOLO- just me and the kiddos. Los Angeles to Sacramento never seemed quite so far;).

The return trip was definitely one for the record books and I know I'm going to be laughing about it by this time tomorrow. It's safe to say I'm rocking a few dozen NEW gray hairs. BUT, we made it and all is well! Truth be told, it was actually empowering. You never know what you can do solo with your kiddos until you try!

Russell Man

Ally Boo Boo

Miss Molly

Little Libs

The kids are sound asleep in their beds and it's quiet for the first time in a WEEK! I'm sitting here, looking at pictures, and taking a deep breath. It's so cool to re live all the hilarious, CRAZY, wild, happy, and awesome moments captured on camera. From Disney Land to La La Land it was quiet a trip and I cannot wait to share it all. Stay tuned!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

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This week I got to talk about MY favorite cereals.

Check out my little birdies begging for a bite..

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PS- working on a blog post now. We just got home from our vaca and I fell asleep with my computer on my lap last night!!!

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Road Trip!

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Have a great week everyone!

HOME SCHOOL....

2 words I NEVER thought I'd hear come out of MY mouth. Then again, I never thought I'd have quadruplets either! The older I get the more I realize that life is never what we planned, sometimes it's better.

Many people ask about what our gang will be doing for preschool. After a lot of research we've decided that home schooling Pre-K for our four-year-olds is what works best for us, for the time being.

Early on in my college career I thought I'd be a teacher, THEN, I learned I didn't have the patience for it. Ha ha ha.. little did I know that patience was something I was going to have to learn! I ended up with a BA in Psychology. The truth is, I've always been afraid of the responsibility of home schooling. Then it occurred to me... I'm already doing it.

My fear has nothing to do with the socialization aspect. They get TONS and TONS of socialization every day. They love the gym, where they play games, do arts and crafts, and have dozens of friends. They've also had to learn to listen to someone other than me and follow directions. It's been great for them and ME! They also LOVE nothing more than a good play date. They have become very well adjusted and out going with their peers.

Hitting the gym- our home away from home! :)

What I was worried about was my ability to properly prepare them academically.Thanks to the MANY fabulous educators in our lives, those fears have been put to rest. My sister even teaches Pre-School! So, needless to say we have many wonderful resources right at our fingertips. THAT gives me a great deal of confidence in our decision and my lesson plans. So far, it's going great AND helping us save for Kindergarten- next fall 2011. I can't believe our four preemies are one year away from Kindergarten! I mean, when did they get so big? I must have blinked.

Instead of being bummed that our kiddos won't be heading off to school this year, I've decided to embrace it. The five of us are going to make the best of it each day and enjoy the little time we have left. Before I know it, I'll be back in the working world, they will be in school, and life as we know it is going to be VERY different. I know that these are the days I'm going to miss.

Today- coloring inside the lines!

Ally Boo

Russell Man

Miss Molly

Little Libs

Have a great weekend everyone! If you have any home schooling ideas to share, I'd love to hear about them!

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Good Morning!

So sorry I've been MIA this week. We've had a lot going on. I PROMISE to post tonight!

First things first....

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Model Behavior

The kiddos and I had the honor of being in a fashion show this past weekend. It was a fundraiser for the SacKids Museum. My darling/talented childhood friends, Mary & Michael (Sister/Brother) put it on- I love you both and I'm so proud to be your friend.

In the days leading up to the show the kiddos could hardly contain their excitement. They were practicing the cat walk, telling ANYONE who would listen about the "show," and ready to WOW the crowd. In rehearsals they did great as well.. even sporting a little hand-on-the-hip action. They were hysterical!

Practicing at home!

(clothes by Gracie Mae)

I knew the real show would be different.. with the loud music and a big crowd. So, I tried to prepare them the best I could. For a week straight I talked to them about it. I explained that it would be very crowded/loud and they would be on stage. They were over the moon excited. I know you can't predict what kids will do in that situation, but I knew I did all I could to get them ready.

(L to R)

Ally, Russ, Libby, Molly

(L to R)

Russ, Ally, Molly, Libby

Right before we made our debut, Molly was all a flutter. Mary gave her the "very important job," of leading us down the runway. Molly took it VERY SERIOUSLY and could not wait! As far as she was concerned, the groups in front of us couldn't move fast enough. She was READY to walk!

The minute we stepped out into the crowd my poor baby froze. It broke my heart. She stepped on the runway and looked back at me ready to cry. I smiled and told her it was okay, just keep going. So, she did. The other three instantly freaked. I picked up Libby (who was in tears) and followed Molly down the runway. Russ was holding on to one leg for dear life while Ally gripped the other.

By the time we hit the second runway all four of my children were in hysterics. My poor mom tried to help out but, it was a lost cause. My 4 babies wanted me. So, with my bra hanging out (yes, really), I did the only things I knew how to do. I kept smiling, kept going, and attempted to carrying all 4 of them down the runway. Ya, that didn't work out so great for me and was suddenly HIT with my WORST and BIGGEST HOT FLASH to date (menopause at 31 is awesome).

Sweating like I stole something, grin plastered to my face, flashing the crowd, I dragged all four of my poor, screaming children down the remainder of the cat walk. The crowd was SOOO sweet and cheered us on. By the time we stepped off the runway my babies were inconsolable. I had to hand my kiddos off to my mom and head back for my next outfit. It broke my heart to leave them like that, but what better hands than my mom?! God love you Nani Donsie.

Caught on Camera

- By the wonderful Brenda Bisharat!

*for a DARLING slide show of the event click here*

After recovering from my super sexy hot flash (thanks to the ladies from Firefly fanning me) I lead the second half of the show to the tune of California Gurls. When I hit the second runway, I was greeted by my SMILING children!!! They were jumping up and down and clapping for me. They were adorable and I melted into a giant mush ball. Once I saw them HAPPY, I was good to go and enjoyed every moment of the rest of the show.

I will never forget that first walk down the runway. Looking back at it NOW and LAUGHING.. it may have been the funniest moment of my life. Isn't motherhood glamorous?! ;)

Other than the runway, we had the best time. The kids clothes were amazing, designed by my friend Brooke - Gracie Mae. My little peeps also made LOTS of new friends. AND I LOVED getting my hair and makeup done. I know, I know.. I'm such a girl! But, it was A MAJOR TREAT- a little slice of pampered heaven!

In the days following the show the kids have been telling the story to EVERYONE! It goes something like this..

Molly- "We did a fashion show."

"I got scared."

Me- "But, it turned out just fine. I am VERY PROUD of you!"

Molly- "Ya. So, ya wanna play fashion show?

Mom can you grab the tunes?!"

They are SUCH HAMS!!! Ya gotta love it....

Miss Molly

-Modeling a fancy number from Miss Mary

(who has started a dress up trunk for the kids)

Our Elli

-Owning the family room runway!

Little Lib

-Southern Belle?

Russell Man

-Representing with the pink football

Allison Ann

-Imitating Mommy on the catwalk! ;)

The Grand Finale!

(L to R)

Russ, Molly, Libby, Elli, and Ally

It's been a weekend I won't soon forget. Thanks for the memories everyone! :)

SO where was Conor during all of this? He was in Alabama winning the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR SOCCER!!! Congrats Sacramento Gold, we are SO EXITED and proud of you!!

Have a great week everyone and strut your stuff!