Seven times the fun

We were lucky enough to spend Friday with our fave quad buddies, The McNultys. Whenever I have a day off from work, Gen and the quads are top on my list for playdates. The kids really enjoy each other and Gen and I get to feel like we have a partner in crime while running around chasing the kids together. They made the drive out to our neighborhood to play at one of our parks and the kids played their hearts out. We had the whole park to ourselves for most of the day and the kids took full advantage of all the space.

Between the two of us, Gen and I almost complete the lineup for our own baseball team! Here are the kiddos checking out the dugout before they make a complete mess of it.

Of course my kids start playing in the dirt and collecting bags of "corn." Love the imaginations of three and four year olds. Makena knows a day at the park would not be complete without digging in the dirt.


Riley is happy about the dirt too!

Alyssa flashing her sweet as sugar smile!

But the day wouldn't be complete without a Lissy-bear meltdown.

Had to capture that face on camera.

Molly and Libby got in on the dirt action too!


Molly and Alyssa swinging to their heart's content!

The kids had fun chasing the soccer ball around but nothing tops climbing the nets. Monkey genes must run in both of our families. Check out Russ in the top right-hand corner of the picture. Little man got all the way to the top!

Lunch time love!

Makena, Alyssa, Libby, and Ally

Russell, Riley, and Molly

And of course my girls complete the day by taking their shoes off and kicking back in the play structure. Those pink socks MUST belong to Alyssa.

And a HUGE thanks to Gen for bringing along the potty.

You know I couldn't resist taking this picture right? And yes, that is my Lissy-bear taking care of her business. Sometimes that trip to the bathroom is just too far!

Thanks for coming out to our hood McNulty's.. As always, we LOVED spending the day with you!

A long overdue playdate

The girls and I spent our Friday morning with our quad buddies, The McNulty's. Gen and I have been talking about getting our kiddos together all summer and our schedules finally worked out. We loved every minute of our zoo adventure together.

Gen and Conor's kiddos are little balls of energy and are still learning the ropes of having some freedom outside of the stroller. I had a fabulous time chasing all 7 of our kids around and getting to have some mommy chat-time with Gen. I couldn't help but notice a few times both of us had 2 kids in each arm with stuffed animals, water bottles, cameras and diaper bags hanging off of us....we were like 2 pack mules loaded up with all the supplies.

The McNulty girls took the Quilao wagon for a spin.

From L to R: Libby(with Earl...VIP monkey), Ally and Molly (with Jo-Jo...VIP clown)

Our 7 kiddos checking out the tigers.

Uh-Oh...they're all on the loose checking out the monkeys. Hold on to your hats.

"So, I get to hang out with some chicks besides my sisters today? Sweeeeeet."

-Russell "The Muscle" McNulty

Mr. Tiger...always a crowd-pleaser.

Riley's fave...Mr. Giraffe.

After our stroll around the zoo, we headed to the park for lunch and then it was off to feed the ducks.

Our afternoon ended with much excitement when Russ decided he wanted to jump in the duck pond for a swim. Gen jumped right in after him and scooped him up. After we gave him the once over and saw that he was okay we had a good laugh at the chaos that two-year old toddlers like to bring to the table. There's never a DULL moment!

And just in case Russ decided to sneak off into the pond again, I was ready with the big fish net that the local fisherman let me borrow.

We love you McNulty's....See you soon!

The apples don't fall far from the tree

We had a playdate tonight with 3 of my co-workers and their kids. The girls and I were the last to arrive and much to my surprise, they weren't the least bit timid or clingy during the evening. This is a HUGE change, especially for Alyssa, who has shown some major stranger anxiety over the last few months.

What was even funnier was that the girls spent the first 20 minutes huddled around the coffee table eating Chex mix while the other kids played around them. Ahhhh yes, it was quite clear that these kids are mine. The first thing you do when you go to a party is check out the snacks! I have taught them well.

Now we just need to work on keeping the snacks in our mouths or on our plates instead of dumping them all over the floor and then grinding them into the carpet.

After we enjoyed pizza with all of our new friends, Riley figured her chances of getting a cookie for dessert were much better if she called it a "nana" (as in banana). Girlfriend knows perfectly well the difference between a cookie and a banana but she kept the game up until I figured out she wanted a cookie. After Lissy saw Riley had scored a cookie she comes blazing back into the kitchen asking for her "coo-coo."

These girls have also inherited my love for all that is sweet. I hope my "little apples" never stray too far from their "mama tree."