Quadville Days!

I love the cycle of the seasons.
We know what to expect in pretty much each and every season.
There are exceptions as in this year when so many of my friends up north were surprised and dismayed when spring did not show up until the last week or so!

Our pecan trees are the very last to bud out here.

It was shortly after noon that the 'beards' began to fall.

They make a big mess but it is part of the process and I sort of look forward to it - in a way.

They are a nice yellow phthalo green when they fall, but they turn brown seemingly within an hour and before you know it, I will be sweeping up huge brown piles of the stuff and Louis Dean will have to drain and clean out the two back ponds once they have all fallen. 

We slept so well Wednesday night! It was dark and rainy when we woke up at 11:00!!!

We must have been tired.....or relaxed.

Louis Dean rubs my shoulders and back every night before we go to sleep and he said I didn't feel nearly as tight as I usually do. 

We were having our coffee and devotions in the gazebo when the rain swooped in again and we had to stop and close all the curtains.

I colored my hair last night before I went to bed and it was a darker shade of blond than I usually use and a different - better - brand.

I kind of like it since it had no red in it!

But it won't stay this color. With every shampoo, it will get lighter and lighter.

We headed over to Quadville for the changing of the guard with the other grandparents.

Amber is on her annual Quad Mom Trip and it takes 2 or 3 people to do what she does.

Granddad loves to sit and watch a program with them. 

I took them one by one in to the kitchen table to do their reading and spelling words.

Then they each wrote a note to Cousin Rayne using at least one of them in a sentence.

When Harrison wrote asking her when she could come over......I took him to the big calendar in the play room and showed him where Puerto Rico is.

Mike made dinner and the kids took their showers and BANG! It was time for bed.

They have to get up so early that they MUST be in bed so they get enough rest.

I sent Amber pics and videos so she could see for herself that all was well.

She sent me some of what she was doing.

This was my favorite photo!

She knew  I would get a kick out of her shopping a boutique housed in a vintage camper!

I went to bed and slept like a log.

Louis Dean not so much.

When he finally succeeded in waking me up with his tossing and turning, 

I suggested he try the recliner in the living room.

He did and slept right through the morning routine and 4 hours beyond.

I got up at 6:00 and made a cup of coffee in the Kuerig before making my way upstairs to wake up the quads. When Mike started down the stairs, he asked if something was leaking or if something had spilled. There was little wet spot on several of the stairs. I had sloshed a bit of coffee with each step.

In my defence, it WAS only a few minutes after 6:00 and the stairs were dark.

Good thing I drink weak coffee with creamer. It was at least the same color as the carpet.

The kids were sleeping so soundly I hated to wake them up.

I flipped the light on and off a few times and then took Logan's clothes  and sat down on her bed.

Amber left everything out for them - she is so organized!

I pulled Logan up and hugged her and whispered in her ear, "How would you like to be dressed for school before you even get out of bed?" That intrigued her! I pulled her nightgown over her head and dropped her shirt down in its place. She wiggled into her pants and when she touched her feet to the floor - she was already dressed for school!!!

I did that for Trystan and Kailey as well. 

Harrison was on the top bunk and I couldn't get up there of I had wanted to!

As one got up, they went to the bathroom to wash their face and brush their teeth.

These kids know the routine.

I had started their lunches last night using Amber's menu and notes.

Logan and Harrison helped me finish them up while the bagels toasted.

Bagels and yogurt were breakfast - easy peasy.

Mike took them to school and they were right on time.

I tried hard to stay on schedule!

With Louis Dean still asleep and Mike working upstairs and the house so still....

I enjoyed three HOURS of prayer, meditating, journaling, Quiet Time!!!

The steady rain just made it that much cozier!

I did some laundry and routine housework before setting up the craft table for after school.

We started these stepping stones last Saturday and we want to finish them before I go home tomorrow.

This is Shiner.....a precious and well loved pet.

He wanted to keep us company as we read the Bible.

Right now we are in Leviticus.....we are reading through the Bible and that means we will read every book and every chapter.....even Leviticus 15.

Both Leviticus and the first essay in this book were equally  entertaining.

For our lunch I fixed a hearty salad and we watched a Fixer Upper while we ate.

I know how to work our TV. Everyone has a different set up and I was proud of myself for being able to turn theirs on AND locate a program AND adjust the sound.

Mike gave me a tutorial but the fact that I even remembered it was amazing!

We picked the quads up at school and each girl tried to give me their backpack.

I do good to carry myself and my purse around so I gave them all back to them.

(I notice they didn't try to get their granddad to carry them!)

As we were about to walk to the parking lot, Harrison offered to carry his sisters backpacks.....

all three of them plus his own.

Squeezed my heart when I took this picture.

To celebrate Friday we treated them to yogurt at the Race Track.

Granddad got a lot!!

I think all the kids have loose teeth now.

Harrison lost the first one and Logan has one hanging by a thread and another one that wiggles a lot.

They aren't used to this and topped their yogurt with large jelly candies....that they discovered they couldn't eat. Youngsters and older people can have the same problem!

They have been asking for Elephant Ears and I brought a mix over (from Aldi) and whipped it up while they were doing their craft.

They taste like Funnel Cakes.

The finished stepping stones.

From top to right.....

Kailey, Trystan,

Logan, Harrison.

Tomorrow Granddad will spray them with an acrylic coating to preserve them from the weather.

Tonight was Pizza, Popcorn, Coke and Movie Night!

It is a Friday tradition that dates back to when Amber was a child.

We did this pretty much all her life so it was a given she would continue the tradition with her own children.

The movie was per request of the quads.

They have seen it once before as have I.

However, tonight was Louis Dean's first time to see it and he LOVED it!!!

So that was our Thursday half day and Friday full day in Quadville.

Amber and Mike make it easy to step in and help out.

There's plenty of coffee pods for the Kuerig, everything is where we can find it and there's plenty of notes left for us to work from.

Reminds me of Amber's Golden Schedule!

IF you read that, you will realize that anything we do now to help Amber and Mike with the quads is a piece of cake or a walk in the park!

It's now time for me to go to bed!

Praise God tomorrow is Saturday!

I told Logan and Trystan they could wake me up in the morning as long as it's not TOO early!

Trystan said, "Don't worry, MeeMaw! We'll give you a few extra minutes!"

When I was saying our prayers with them, I asked the girls to pray for my friend, Jessica.

Jessica arrived at the ER with her blood sugar at 602.

She was admitted yesterday and put in ICU. I just learned she has just been moved to a regular room.

This has been such a scary ordeal for both Jessica and her husband, Jerry.

I think a child's prayer is one of the most powerful prayers possible and both Trystan and Logan prayed for Jessica tonight.....by name and out loud and on purpose..... a specific prayer for Jessica to get well.