Summer Vacation Recap

Ahhhhhh!  Michigan is such a beautiful state.  

These are pictures of Lake Michigan taken by Auntie Kim.

I don't know where you live, but this year summer has been mild and some nights have already been getting dare I say crisp.  I am not ready for Fall to arrive, so I was grateful our vacation the first week of August was warm and sunny in the 80's with nights in the 60's- PERFECT cottage weather!

Tanner & Hannah scheming under a table (yes, that is a electrical plug in her hand).
So mischievous, yet so cute!

The fun fine motor activity of the week: 

buckling & re-buckling booster seats!

Thankfully the cottage is on a private beach, so Andy & I packed up all the baby gates and made one giant oval that stayed on the beach all week long.  The locals were kind of worried when I started to set it up (i.e. dads with beer in hand asking with fear in their voice, "Uh, how crazy are these kids of yours?!?"), but by the end of the week (and several compliments later) everyone agreed that containment was KEY for our busy little crew!

One day three random ducks decided to come say hi.  I found it hilarious because I have never seen ducks decide to peruse the beach before (or be so friendly)!

The kids LOVED to play with sand & water this year, unlike the boys who were freaked out by anything beachy last year.  Clad in puddle jumpers, Lauren, Hannah & Tanner also LOVED to play in the water!  I did not get any pictures because I was too busy acting like an octopus and making sure everyone was safe, but trust me when I say they looked adorable.  I came to the conclusion that Tyler is a land-loving guy.  No worries dude, no worries :).

Every year it's tradition to have all the girls dress up one night and go out for either appetizers, dessert, etc.  Last year we made the exception and brought the boys, but this year the men all stayed behind and just the girls went out.  Look at all these beautiful Niemeyer ladies!

My three beautiful girls- Lauren, Jenna & Hannah

Anna & Julia- beautiful inside & out!

Cheers!

So was it a relaxing vacation?  Well.
It was not relaxing in the sense of getting to do whatever I wanted to do, going on beach runs, or sleeping in- (for heavens sake, the whole sleep thing was awful because the quads are professional crib-crawler-outers and every single morning I awoke to little people crawling over me, jumping on me & poking at my eyes....)-- but it was SO wonderful being with family for a week in a cottage by the beach, catching up on everyone's life and sharing meals & stories.  Plus, the kids all LOOOOOOVED it and overall did great...
So it was definitely a worthwhile vacation!

Our cozy quarters!
My bed is the one surrounded by 4 pack n plays (you know, those things the kids are crawling out of).  And to answer your question, NO, I am not ready for toddler beds at home yet!!!!

Tanner

Lauren

Tyler

Hannah

Jenna

Jenna is a FISH!  She swam every chance she could!

~Trying to get the kids to smile in a picture      &     trying to take a family picture~

~Our family~

L-R:  Tanner, Becky, Tyler, Jenna, Lauren, Andy, Hannah

As I write this today I want to say a special Thank You to you, the reader, for caring enough about us to read this blog and catch a glimpse of our life.  I never aimed to write a blog any more than I aimed to have quadruplets.  The very fact I do both and have lovely folks like you sharing the journey with us means so much to me.  Thank you.

I love writing down & capturing life.  I use to scrapbook, and blogging has happily taken that place.  I will continue to blog as long as I am able but I must admit blogging gets pushed to the back burner sometimes.  I definitely do not blog as often as I did when I had all the time in the world with four preemie newborns & a preschooler (insert sarcasm font here).  But for now, my lack of blog time is because (well, besides the obvious 5 busy kids and all) our addition has started!  

Check this out:  this is what our house looked like when we went on vacation:  

Before....

And this is what it looked like when we got home!!!

During (current)....

There is still A LOT that needs to be done.  Floors in the kitchen, windows, pantry, paint, counter-tops- and that's just the kitchen update!  We still have 2 walls to break down and an addition to do on the top & bottom levels.  Andy & I decided that instead of moving, we would stay put and add another bedroom & a little more space to the house.  We also finally addressed the aging kitchen (which I  we have been eagerly anticipating since moving here 4 years ago!!!).

I will keep you updated as much as I can but let me just say I AM LOVING the changes!  Many days feels like a 3-ring circus because the little kids are curious and into everything, Jenna is bored bored bored, things are not where they should be, and I am here all day, every day.  I am praying that with school starting soon for Jenna, work starting for me, and the addition continuing on at a good pace, the circus atmosphere will level out.

One can at least pray for such things, right?

Hugs!

Becky