Wow - the day it seems like we've been waiting years for has finally arrived!  Actually it was last week, ALL of the kids are in school this year with Jacob in the first grade and the quads in Pre-K.  WHOOHOO!!  They are all loving school, their teachers are wonderful, and they've been excited to get up and go each day.  Just don't ask about Jacob and the homework   Thank goodness for the uniforms, it's the one thing that makes mornings a little easier - everything mixes and matches.

        

We love to enjoy S'mores  as a family because it's an activity that all of the kids can participate in, and of course they're just so yummy!  Our favorite time to make S'mores  is during our backyard cookouts, but they're also a great idea inside on a rainy day!

This post is my entry in a contest for a S’mores prize pack as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.

        

Jacob had a blast today with his friends and family at his birthday party held at Chuck E. Cheese, then mom had a good time putting this short little video together!

        

Today was Jacob's graduation day and he was SO thrilled that he "went to school a kindergartner and came home a 1st grader!"  The ceremony was really sweet - the two graduating kindergarten classes got together and sang three songs before their commencement ceremony.  We're very proud of you Jacob!  Great job!

        

I was reading about this new book that just came out called "Awkward Family Photos" (about $9 on Amazon) and the pictures that I saw were absolutely hilarious, and unfortunately, remind me of most of the family photos that we take.  We have more than one camera and we take tons of photos, but with five kids under five we RARELY get all of them in one shot.  Of course our annual family photo usually turns into a story , like the year that Jacob got knocked down by the photographar and got a bloody nose, or the year that none of the kids would look at the camera so we were all looking at each other in our Christmas card picture.  This year I think we're gonna change things up a bit and give Sears Portrait Studio  a try, and not just because they are graciously offering one lucky winner a two day conference pass to BlogHer this August    (but I WOULD give my right arm to go!)  I've heard great things about them and I've always been a fan of Sears - so look out guys, I'm planning to bring the whole brood in this fall for a family photo that WON'T make it into the book!

Disclosure:  This post is my entry in the Sears Portrait Studio  BlogHer contest, all of the words and thoughts are my own but they have been written in the hope of winning a ticket.

        

The local annual strawberry festival is a two day event each year and is one of about 4 or 5 area festivals where we setup a booth to sell our honey.  Since we live in the middle of the woods it's a little far for people to come buy our honey, but mother and I usually have a good time working the festivals - it's a change of pace from working at home a few times a year (and is just enough to make us REALLY appreciate the fact that we get to work from home ). 

The problem with working the festivals is that the kids never get to go and have any fun at them because we're too busy setting up and working them.  Well this year we had a super long winter and about 1 1/2 days of spring (it's already in the 80's and humid so I think spring is over!) so the bees didn't get to make very much honey before the festival.  We ended up selling out of all but a few bottles on the first day and didn't have near enough to go back for the second day, so instead this year the kids got to go.  They had a blast - they got to play a few games and rode a few rides, then were happy to get milkshakes on the way home before dropping hard for a nap

        

The hubby and I had our last vacation in 2003.  We'd been trying to start a family for a couple of years with no luck, so we decided to take a vacation to just "get away from it all" and relax.  We didn't have the money to go far or do much so we drove down to south Florida and hit Disney, some nice restaurants and a few other hot spots, and it was AMAZING!  The chance to have some downtime with no schedules and to do lists and just reconnect as a couple was awesome.  Little did we know that it would be our LAST vacation for over seven years   About ten months after that our first son was born, then just fifteen months after that we welcomed our BBGG quadruplets and it has been pretty much non-stop, round the clock ever since then.

The quads are four now and our oldest is five and thanks to a LOT of help and support from our family (thank you mamaw, papaw, nana and Aunt Diana!!!) we've all survived pretty much unscathed   Since we've got one in kindergarten and the quads will be starting pre-k this fall, we're starting to realize that life as we know it with these kids is about to change dramatically once again and I'm feeling the need to slow it down a little and really take the time to enjoy my family.  I believe that a family vacation, even one that's short or close to home, is a perfect way to do just that!  What better way to create lifetime memories for your children, recharge your batteries, and remind yourselves how much you appreciate each other.


Disclaimer:  I am writing this post to participate in the Golden Inn Resort “What is the importance of a Vacation” sweepstakes for a chance to randomly win a full conference ticket to Blogher 2010. You can learn more about the Jersey Shore Resort and contest at their blog http://www.GoldenInnResort.com/vacationtips.

        

Jacob had surgery to remove his adenoids and tonsils, and to have ear tubes put in both ears a couple weeks ago.  We got lots of advice and info ahead of time and were as prepared as possible with the protein shakes and all the soft foods - but you're just never really prepared to see your child in so much pain.  He did very well in the surgery although the doctor told us the adenoids were worse than he expected as they were growing up into Jacob's nasal cavities.  When we got to see him in the recovery room he had a bloody nose and two of his teeth were missing (they were loose when he went in), but he has healed up very well and pretty quickly so we're all happy with that.  He started back to school this last Wednesday and he's been like a whole new boy now that he's not having problems with his ears or the sleep apnea!  Way to go Jacob!

        

Since they were babies I've been shopping for most of the kids clothes at consignment sales and I'm excited that consignment season is here again!  I have also sold their outgrown clothing and toys at the Pensacola Parents of Multiples consignment sale every year until this one.  I just haven't had time between sick kids and everything else to get ready for the sale this year, but I'm still looking forward to shopping the sale!  Here are a few of the local consignment sales coming up this week and next - leave a comment if you see any I've missed!

March 9 - 13:  http://mom2momsale.net/Florida/home.htm

March 16-20:  http://mom2momsale.net/Alabama/home.htm

March 20:  http://pensacolapom.org/

March 19-20: Kidz Klozet behind Wings Sports Grille, Mobile, Alabama (this is a new clothing sale event)

See you there! Happy shopping

        

I am STILL doing my happy dance!  There were 25 applicants for the 18 available spots in the pre-k program at the school for this fall and I have REALLY been sweating it since for us it's all or nothing - if they only accepted three, or two then we couldn't send any of them.  I am SO HAPPY to report that they all four got in - YEEHAW!!!  Would it be terrible if I started counting down now?