peyton and jordan

We went to a birthday party today for a set of twins. Peyton and Jordan. The kids swam, had a blast! Although they did not like that the guards blew the whistle for adult swim.... If I heard it once, I heard it 10 times.... "why do the adults need to swim?" LOL.
The company at the party was nice. It was nice to be at a party where people had actually seen multiples before. There weren't to many OMG's..... (oh my gowd's).... However, Mandy had a reality check with our quads and their party next April. Mandy informed me that we will be having 4 cakes. Well, of course....and we will sing 4 times too! The babies are soooo fussy right now. We are waiting it out to get them back on our feeding schedule. They are chain reacting with their crying. Last night we were so off, that once the babies were fussing and I got up out of habit and headed down stairs to warm bottles. Mandy yelled out to me.... "hey, we just fed them, they are just making noise"....oops. I was out of it. So, Unless it is 2 or 5 they don't eat. Actually, once one wakes up, and there is always one on schedule, we wake the others to feed all 4 at the same time.
So, I was reading my parenting magazine this month, and in it I found an article about bath time. I love bath time.... so we filled a tub full of non bath items... ice cube trays, measuring cups, action figures, rubber gloves...I hope they have as much fun at bath time as Amanda and Bradley always did. I love love love bath time!!!

is amy an axe murderer

post by mandy
amy threatened to murder me if my mom quit coming to help with these babies. just because i say that we are very excited to be self sufficient doesn't mean our help has to quit coming. my cousin just informed me that people only read every 3rd word. so does that mean i should write in every 3rd word. So swing blog babies Amy murder tie die!! Now if a sentence was read like that i can see how you would thing that Amy murdered me wrapped me up in a tie die shirt and blogged while she swang my body in the baby swing. Instead of what i really meant that Amy watched murder mysteries with no panties on while wearing a tie die shirt the color of the baby swing while she thought about what to blog.
The flood gates have opened and any tom dick and harry that wants to come and hold and feed a baby can. If you are gonna swim. Bring your own towel.

SKINHEADS

When I layed down with Bradley tonight....Harper was with us and he was crying....Bradley layed there and kissed him on his head until he quieted down. What a brother.

This is him and his cousing Garrett. Bradley shaved his head because his cousin did. He loves his older cousins.

in the 11 yrs mandy and i have been together, she has never sat on the couch with my parents. Amanda snuck in for the occasion.

some photo's for fun

my nephew Alex. He loves babies.

kerry and harper napping together. looks like they love each other.... ahhh.

yin and yang

You know that every home has a yin and a yang. I am the yin....Mandy is the YANG! I'd like to Yang her hair sometimes when she gets me in these predicaments. I am not commitment phobic. I wasn't the day I met her, and I'm still not. It all happened like this....

Mandy blogged about being commitment phobic. Her mom (my better half for the past 3 months) She comes everyday and helps me with the babies. She (I'm side tracked) comes and makes bottles, cleans the kitchen, takes the older kids to the pool, brings them lunch, takes them home with her to stay the night so that I can sleep in....

Back on track....Mandy's mom Teri thought that we didn't want her help any more because Mandy had blogged about us being self sufficient. We are not self sufficient!!! When Mandy told me that Teri thought we didn't want her to come anymore...I told Mandy she should square that confusion up in a hurry, or I would have to strangle HER! She got a good laugh at that. Since she didn't have A.D.D. about having babies. On Thursday of this week, I was home alone with 7 kids. Amanda, Bradley, Karley, and the quads. We all came downstairs at 10:00, all 7 kids were hungry at the same time. There were NO bottles, and nothing for the kids to eat. So, lack of planning on our part...however, had Teri been here, even as support, I would have had a better morning. At one point, I told the kids... "get your suits on and get outside, before I strangle all of you" and I meant it! I text Mandy and told her I was "done". She wrote back.... (and I quote) "are you moving out or something?"
Jenny Godby and Mara Godby brought us lunch that day. They walked in the back door, I was crying, and Jenny was crying. O LORD.... Lunch was prepared by Jenny that day and it was SCRUMPTIOUS!!!! If you ever have quads....call me and I will connect you with Jenny Godby! mmmmm good..

You have all heard of our lawn lady....she was here on Wednesday too. She wasn't blessed enough to see me crying, but she can eat her weight in buster bars. Luv ya Jen!

Karley has asked me to post a photo of her and her favorite cousin....This is Karley and Tillie.

Mandy and I are watching Benjamin Button tonight during our feedings. Excited to have something to watch while we feed babies.

The babies are so off schedule today, I have no idea when they eat next. Guess when one of them cries and wakes us up? Good night all...

OH, Tillie laughed at my mom today. She said that was her birthday present. What a present!

commitment phobic

post by mandy
i'm having the worst case of business A.D.D. ever. All of my business ideas got backed up in my brain while i was on bedrest. Now they are all surfacing like bobbers in the pond. I think back to that time. I couldn't even read a book my brain and body were soo messed up. I had tons of hot plans to, to read hundreds of books. Right now I have book A.D.D. too. i have started 3 books and finished none of them. I'm officially putting myself on a book buying freeze until i finish them. I am ready for our family to be back to normal and not rely on anyone, and have "our time" back. I am extremely commitment phobic, so anything planned 5 min. in advance is not a good deal for me. We love to be spontaneous as a family and say, "hey let's load up today and go to Kings Island" I guess that's why Amy and I were together 9 years before I would have a commitment ceremony. Now if i committ to something like "having a family" i'm all in. How is this possible that i can be so commitment phobic? I think the only other person I have met that is as commitment phobic as me, is my cousin Dusty. He has called us 3 times and told us he was gonna come over and cancelled each time. But I understand because something better came along:) and he's commit phobic too!! Must run on the Sheckles side. So was i one of those people in highschool that if someone asked me what i was doing on the weekend, would i say "hmm not sure yet" would i wait to see if i got a better offer cuz i couldn't commit? Least i don't make the plans and then play the dis card:) I just say "hmm can't commit."

so, quiet down cobwebs

Those of you who know me, know that I like my things and space clean and organized. Well, I am not the best at getting it done, I usually have some help. Because of the tough times and having 4 babies....that just isn't an option right now. We have a great friend who comes and mows the grass for us. She comes rain or shine! If it wasn't for her....we would be living in a hay field. I pulled weeds in the front flower bed 2 weeks ago. I only got half of the bed weeded....and left the weeds to dry in the driveway. Well, I am so embarrassed....they are still there. Dry, brown, yucky! Today as I was pulling out of the driveway I looked over and all the weeds had grown back where I had been pulling. AND, there was a weed growing out of the dead weeds in the driveway! How bad is that? I have surrendered to the fact that the flower beds, the flower pots, and the house will all be cleaned up and looking good again.....NEXT SUMMER!!!

Quiet down cobwebs, Dust go to sleep, Im Rocking my babies and babies don't keep!

multiple blessings

When I go out and see mom's with their babies...I think...boy, that sure looks easy and boring.
When we had Amanda and Bradley, we loved having them as babies. Took them EVERYWHERE with us. We had the best behaved kids in the restaraunt, because they were out a lot. So, we don't take the quads out to eat, obviously, but, I can't imagine having one baby now. The other night mom was here. We were bathing the babies. They were all 4 crying at once. She kept switching back and forth who she was rocking. I was thinking to myself that she must be going crazy and what could she possible be thinking about ... like omg, how do they manage? How could they have done this? How will this house ever be ~normal~ again?
And out of my mothers mouth? ...... du du du.....
"Amy, I think people who have one baby get cheated!!!"

Way to go mom.....that's the only way to have it!

summer fun

Summer is in full swing and we are havin fun! Amanda finished her soccer season, Bradley just finished his baseball season. The two have been in the pool everyday and are tan! Bradley can do the backstroke and glides through the water like a champ. Amanda is loosing teeth left and right!!!

Bradley saw a picture of his cousin who had just buzzed his hair off. Literally. His response was "no way that is horrible"....10 minutes later he had Mandy shaving his hair off...Funny kid stuff.

Tino part 2

So, I don't usually read the blog at amyandmandy.com. I get an email, which doesn't include any photo. My dad just came over and was laughing at the photo. It triggered my memory....ahhha...yearbook. I went to the shelves and pulled out my Jones Junior High year book. I found Tino in the year book. His name is printed wrong in the yearbook as TINA....lol.
I have decided that the picture Mandy posted was of her as a baby....

My parents bought Mandy the series SIX FEET UNDER for her birthday and we watched that last night at 2 and 5.

"tino"

post by mandy
we feed at
8 am
11am
2pm
5pm
8pm
11pm
2am
5am

so obviously amy and i always have the 11pm 2am and 5am and 8 am shifts. usually unless we have company or my mom is over. so at 2 am and 5 am amy and i sit on the bed and feed the babies. well at times we are so tired we don't even mutter a word. well last night we were sitting there in silence and amy says, " come here Tino" as she picks up Tillie. Now Tillie is a little on the "hefty" side compared to the other girls. So i say, "Tino? Who is that?" Amy says, "it was this big fat mexican kid that had a crush on me in school" i about rolled off the bed laughing. we got the biggest laugh. So we have been calling her Tino. prounounced TEENO. So now we have a big fat mexican kid, a yoda, and harper with big schweaty balls that will go down by the time he's 2. So far Kerry has slid under the radar with our brutal honest nicknames. So to add more color to the story one of amy's teachers signed her yearbook and wrote "goodluck with Tino" he was being funny. We did find an old pic of Tino. Here it is.

clarify 9

the nine of us are ....

me, mandy, amanda, bradley, tillie, kerry, harper, kennedy, marmee. sometimes karley makes 10.

2 month check ups

This morning at 7:45 am Mandy and I arrived at the pediatrician's office for the quads 2 month check up and shots. What an early morning. I am soooo sleepy !!

Kerry...weighs 7 lbs, and is gaining weight sufficiently. The doctor did not hear her heart murmer today. She goes to the cardiologist in August for a follow up appt.

Tillie...Weighs 8.5 lbs, and is almost up to "normal"on the growth chart. Since she is still a preemie, she is really way above where she should be. Her one eye waters and gets gunky, so the doctor showed me how to massage her tear duct to get it unclogged.

Kennedy...weighs 7 lbs, and there is no news about her. Just healthy!!!

Harper ... weighs 8 lbs and his extra large testicals are a result in being a preemie. They will go down to normal size before the age of 2... LOL....when you share info, sometimes it is funny.

We go back in one month for a weight check for Kerry and Kennedy. The 2 K's.

We stopped at CVS on the way home for some infant tylenol. Mandy informed me she only wanted to give it to them if absolutely NeceSSary!!! Well, we walked in the door and Mandy went to take a nap. I was in the house for 20 minutes by myself. It took me all but 3 minutes to get the tylenol out and start dosing the babies. I called Mandy on her cell at 20 minutes and called uncle. The minute she walked out here, all the babies had closed their eyes. Murphy's law. It was quiet for about an hour. Now the crying has started again. There is no feeding schedule today. Feed when they are fussy, hope they quiet down.

We are going to the Olive Garden to celebrate a house closing tonight. We are taking the babies. Teri, Ron, Me Mandy, Amanda, Bradley, and the quads. Hope they give us the big room off to the side. We should have a good time.

We have had lots of company last week. It has been quiet today. I loved having Cindy and Kaitlyn, and Erin (with her bo Grady) here this weekend. We spent Sunday with our Great friends Jen and Renee. It was Jen's 29th birthday. The kids all swam, had a safety lesson from Coach Cindy. Coming home to a quiet house today was a let down, but now I am excited for the week with our family to connect with each other, and to get into a routine. Just the 9 of us. bahabahhahaha

left to right .....Kennedy, Harper, Tillie, Kerry....(is her neck ok like that?)

good night gladys

post by mandy
i have the best mom in the world. she let us sleep all night last night. she was supposed to call my cell phone at 5 am and i was gonna come downstairs and get the babies. she let us sleep and she stayed until 8am and then called Erin's phone and had Erin come get 2 babies and then took 2 babies to cindy. we slept til 10 am..... thanks to the best marmee in the world.

family and friends

dylan, garrett alex paul

the babies have had lot's of love today...

tillie

kerry

kennedy

Harper

today was my due date

post by mandy
it's hard to believe that today is my actual due date. june 12th. it just seems like yesterday that i was having my labband removed with hopes of getting pregnant. i am in absolute love with all of the kids. the quads are starting to have little personalities. bradley is just finishing up t-ball. he's one athletic kid. amanda is getting pretty good at soccer and basketball. they both have lists of what they are going to play. i think structured activities are great for kids because it teaches them to take direction and authority from adults other than their parents. Amy and I strive to make healthy well rounded socialized kids.;) When are kids start an activity or once they commit to it they are absolutely forbidden to quit it. We don't want to teach them it's ok to quit. Hell Amanda tried to quit soccer before even going to the first practice. Her anxiety got the best of her. She ended up loving it. Hell all people, kids and adults get butterflies when it's time to do something. Barbara Streisand has major stage fright, but picks up the shattered pieces and moves on. I heard the funniest comment the other day about the quads. Someone asked how old they were and if their eyes were open yet. GEES they are babies not puppies. Even though having the quads in a public place is like having a puppy at the park with all the attention you get.
i put the kids to bed the other night and they told me what is on their bucket lists.

Karley- to live at the beach
Manda- meet the president, visit Washington DC
Bradley- I am having the biggest senior moment and can't remember bradley's. (oh ya, go to paris to see the eifel tower)
I am signing up for Karley's. :)
Next on my bucket list. Grand Canyon, i have some ashes that need spread.

round 2 of the name game

post by mandy
so i asked my dad again a week after the first time we played the name game what the quad names were and he scored even worse. he only knew kerry's name. he said, "well i know one of their names is not tillie" awwwwwwnnnnnnn u lose. i don't even ask him to match them up with their names he only has to know the 4 first names. not even middle names. he blamed his poor performance on the fact that he had GAS. better luck next time.

Wednesday June 10, 2009

Last summer I was sitting at the pool reading the newspaper when I saw an ad for season tickets to Broadway. I mentioned it to Mandy that it would be cool to have season tickets to plays. A few weeks later, Teri delivered tickets to Happy Days, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Stomp, Lion King, and Wicked. What a treat. We just saw Wicked last night. Here is how it happens....
Karley wiggles in her seat the entire time. She won't sit by anyone except Teri. She complains for about half the show. After the show, she will tell us that it was "ok". She fell asleep for 2 of the shows. Amanda wants to sit by me. She always brings a "snack". Amanda always loves the show. She did fall asleep for Stomp. Her favorite was Wicked. She smiled the entire time! Bradley's favorite is the show he just saw. He wore a leather jacket for 2 weeks after Happy Days. He asked for a lion costume for 2 weeks after Lion King. Last nights show...his favorite part was when the wicked witch was slapped by Galenda....and he thought that was funny. He too smiled through the entire show. I am grateful that they were able to experience all of the plays. It broadens their horizons.
Papa Boo baby sat the quads while we were at the play. He wasn't nervous. He did a fabulous job. The babies were fed, diapered,and in good moods the entire night. If he had done a poor job, they would have been fussy. Mandy and I were so tired, that at the 2 feeding, 2 babies were fussing. WE actually put them in bed with us, and fell asleep for an extra hour, which put them behind in their feedings. I am still playing catch up. People ask why I won't feed just one when they are hungry. Well, I would be feeding all day long. They are polite now, and only fuss for a second. Then they eat with the others. Aren't they kind?
I am blessed with lots of company today. Teri's friends came to meet the babies, and I am going to take the big kids to jump and play. I am excited to get out with them. We are so fortunate to have so much help. I am outa here to play! I am holding Kerry on my chest as I type my blog. She smells good.

Tuesday's dr. appts

Tillie still has a touch of ROP. Retinopothy. Which in Amy terms means that the vessels in her eyes have not fully developed. So, how simple I think of it, it may be more involved than that...anywho...she still has it and is going back again in 2 weeks to have her eyes checked again.
When I returned to the huge creepy white van I couldn't even open the side door because some MORON parked way cose to me. I had to put the car seats in the van through the front doors, and then climb to the back to move them around. I have a handicap parking tag from when Mandy was pregnant, and I do not use it, but after today I will use it. I think hauling 4 infants around is a handicap. If there is a spot where no one can park next to me and park me in, then I will be nice to the old people. Otherwise, Im taking advantage of not having to climb over here and there to get a car seat in. I was so frustrated.
Kennedy then went to Womens to have her blood drawn. While I was there, I saw Betty. Betty took care of our quads while we were in the nicu. We had 2 nurses most of the time. Betty and Bev. No they are not related....just coincidence. I am so grateful not to have to go to Womens to see the babies, but it was nice to see a happy face while I was there today. If you ever have to deliver, and womens is an option, here is the low down. High risk nurses Rock. Labor and Delivery floor, Don't rock. Nicu nurses Rock!!!!
We are going to see wicked tonight with the big kids. Papa boo is watching the quads. He isn't even a little nervous. I will report back after his shift.

quads

bottoms up... tillie, harper, kennedy, kerry

I get lots of comments on my facebook about this photo, so I thought I would post it here as well.

left to right...face up

kennedy, kerry, harper, tillie

family trip outing

Sunday morning I woke up with a stiff neck. So, last minute with a stiff neck and my chiropractor being closed....trip to the mall for a chinese whore massage was in the works. I asked who wanted to go with me. Everyone said "I do!" . So, we fed the babies, and loaded up ... all 8 of us. It was our first trip out just the family. We had not all been in the car together since the quads were born, without someone being left behind, or someone else being in tow. It was liberating...we pulled out of the driveway, and I said "omg, this is our first trip as a family and we are going to the Greenwood Mall!" What an outing. We stood out like a sore thumb. I know that when you have multiples everyone is intrigued, and curious. However, here are some of the RIDICULOUS comments that came upon us that day at the mall. LEAVE IT TO GREENWOOD.

* Are those yours? ( like I would volunteer to push 4 babies around the mall that werent?)

* Honey, are those simultaneous babies? (mandy overheard this comment)

* Do you think her neck is ok bent over like that? (do I look like a new mom or something?)

* OMG, Are those really all yours? Isn't that a lot of work? (like we would return them after realizing that it is a lot of work?)



We were having such a good time just the 4 of us ( babies don't get to be included in fun yet) and people expected us to stop so they could gawk at us. It wasn't so bad when one respectable lady walked with me and asked about the family, and then parted ways when she was finished, but really most people thought we should stop to visit with them.

Right now, Tillie's binky fell out of her mouth, and she is trying to catch it with her mouth....funny! I bet the lady at the mall would think this is hurting her neck....what do you think?
Tonight Amanda helped me give the babies baths. She loves helping mommy. We pulled out an outfit to put on Kennedy and all of a sudden Amanda had disappeared. She came back in a pink pajama outfit that looked just like Kennedy's. Then, I told Amanda I had a surprise for her. I put on an outfit on Tillie that was Amanda's when she was a baby. It made her happy.
Amanda and Bradley really are the best darn helpers in the world. They feed babies, change diapers, hold them if they are crying. They don't complain. When they don't feel like helping, we just move on and do it anyway, because it is so far and few between that they say no. I gave them their allowance on Sunday before going to the mall - they deserved the world they help so much. I paid them $10.00 and they bunjee jumped at the mall with their money. FUN TIMES!

my help

The picture of the lady in the hood, she is the lawn keeper. She works her schedule around the lawn. Seriously. The lawn has never looked better!!!!

This is Mandy, If it wasn't for Mandy, these kids wouldn't be here. lol

This is Renee, she is in charge of the laundry in the nursery. OMG, if it wasn't for Renee....these babies would be naked.

This in Nana Boo....if it wasn't for Nana Boo, these kids wouldn't have any clothes.

This is Marmee...if it wasn't for Marmee, these kids would all have diaper rash.

here is the hired help....not! Thanks to all my lovely family and friends, the babies get to eat and be loved on at the same time!!!

full house

So, we have had a full house since the babies were born. Here is a rundown of what has been going on around the house...




We opened the pool Friday. It was once called a toilet...and guess what? It was septic when it was opened. We drained the water that day, and were swimming in it by Sunday. The water and it's chemicals are perfect. Well, aside from being a little cold and a little debris ontop of the water...but kids don't care about that.

Here is my super model and her stage hand laying on the ground. LOL.



My mom came and spent the night last night to help with feedings. The help has grown over the day. Jen and Renee came over. Jen mowed the grass, Renee swam, then she did some laundry. Now, look at my babies....

where's my mullet

post by mandy

lost my mullet today. it's a sad day at the sheckles paul house. bradley is sportin a mullet here.

moving and groovin

post by mandy
well things are going pretty well. we have settled into a routine. except for my exercising. non existant!! After i delivered i felt like i was never going to be normal again. i feel 100 percent back to normal. amy and i have decided we are moving to key west when the kids graduate from highschool. i am going to have amy cut off my mullet tonight:) kerry is laying on my chest right now asleep making old man noises. her and kennedy are very little compared to harper and tillie. amy came and got me today at work in the creepy white van and took me to lunch with her and the big kids. i love having my office really close to home. amy's mom is here for tonight and the next 2 days to help out. big kids are with my mom tonight. our friend jen has been mowing our grass for us. that has been great. at this point it's not the inside of our house that is overwhelming it's the outside and all the damn work that needs done. well i guess the inside is overwhelming too. we opened our pool on friday. OMG i will never have another pool. add that to the list to work.