Welcome Home, Soldier

Crissy, Wesley, Donna and Bob Poell. This picture was taken just prior to his departure.

This post is going to be dedicated to our cousin, Sgt. Wesley Poell. He returned on October 18th after serving approximately 9 months. He is a member of (please forgive me if we word this incorrectly) the 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery. He was stationed in Ashraf, Iraq which is north of Baghdad. They had a ceremony for his unit when they arrived home to Wichita. We loaded the kids up and took them down to Century II for the emotional homecoming. The Kansas Patriot Guard was also there in all their glory (motorcycles, leather, and American flags in tow). It was quite a scene and something we will NEVER forget.

Wes, Moni and Forrest. Forrest is sizing him up, thinking "I've got more hair than you!"

Wes, Stubby and Pius. Pius is thinking, "I ALMOST have as much hair as you!"

Wes, Moni and the Banana Princess. Danna's thinking, "I KNOW I'm the best lookin' chick you've seen in 9 months, but try to contain your excitement."

While Wesley was over there, we were able to exchange emails, and he was able to keep up with the Quad Squad overseas. He is probably responsible for the Graf Victory in Dance Wars vs. the Tubre Quads as he and his fellow squad members all voted for the mad dance skillz of the kids. He also told me that he is ready to teach the boys how to actually dance because he has seen me in action and I help prove the theory right: "White guys can't dance." Just kidding about the Dance-off, Tubre Quads. The government didn't provide them with fast enough internet to be able to participate in the voting.

I was so happy that he and his sister, Crissy, showed up for my birthday last week at the bowling alley. He helped coach us to 3 more wins and get us to the top of the standings. (Actually he just made fun of Ryno and me because we were horrible).

Crissy and Wesley

Anyone who knew him before he left can tell what he spent his little free time doing over there because he is a freakin rock now. I don't think I can beat him up anymore. My wife has been drooling over his six-pack and arms since we saw him.

Wesley....on the clock.

Wes holding his godson, Zach Graf

Wes and Stubby. Stubby thinking, "Six-pack?! More like an eight-pack! Get in my belly!"

We love you so much and are thankful you came home safely to us, Wesley. Our hearts and prayers go out to your unit and to the family and friends of your fallen comrade, Sgt. Schmidt. We are forever grateful to ALL who serve, and have served, so we can live our lives freely.

Love,

Billy, Moni, Pius, Forrest, Danna and Laine (not pictured anywhere in this post....oh well)

Playtime and Such

I've really gotta start getting better at just posting small things more frequently. I wait too long to post and then end up with "doozies", as Jaclyn likes to call them. This is my stab at "short and sweet".

The following video features Pius (my right, your left) and Forrest (my left, your right) and their rendition of "Head, shoulders, knees and toes". Just some silly playtime. Danna and Laine also make cameos in the clip. Danna's the one riding her horse into the sunset. Laine is off to the side, masterminding his next plot to take over the world. I'm telling you, he's a child prodigy.

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Laine's also a bit sneaky. Billy calls him the uni-bomber. He got into the Boudreax's Butt Paste tub while I was changing Forrest's diaper (which is a battle in itself). I was P.O.'d, but decided to take a picture for posterity's sake.

It's a good thing he's cute! Seeing this brought back memories of reading Gen McNulty's blog about her quads getting into the Udder Bag Balm. I guess it'll only get worse.

So much to blog about....so little time. I hope to compose a post dedicated to Billy's cousin, Wesley, in the near future. He just got back home from Iraq! It was SO good to see him again and I can't even begin to describe how proud we are of him. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. More to come....

Later, gators!

Moni

Happy Birthday to the Quadfather

That's right everyone, it's Bill-boy's birthday! Thank you, Vickie, for going through all that labor and pain to bring him into this world 28 years ago today. He's so special, he celebrates his "birthday week", but please join me in wishing him a Happy Birthday today.

Billy and I met in high school and started dating our junior year in November 1997. It hasn't always been easy (just ask our family and friends), but there is no one I'd rather be sharing my life with today.

I'm posting a few pictures of us through the years. My how time flies!

Junior Prom

Our wedding day - June 24, 2000. What a couple of young pups!

A couple of years ago??? Can't remember. That was our doggy, Ralph. He had an untimely death after an unfortunate meeting with a bumper.

Halloween 2005 (I think). That year, we were a doctor/nurse combo. I tried getting him to wear the dress, but he backed out. We LOVE Halloween and usually try to dress up every year. Other past costumes include Litte Bo Peep (Billy) and her sheep (me), a lock (me) and key (Billy), and last year in Phoenix I dressed up as a woman pregnant with quads because I was laid up in the hospital on Halloween.

I love you, Billy! Have a GREAT birthday week!

Moni

A Bully Among Us

Not a whole lot to report here in DooDah. It hasn't stopped me from running the camera battery into the ground, taking massive amounts of pictures, though. Let's see.....what's new?

Forrest has become somewhat of a bully lately. I think someone told him he's now the biggest and therefore needs to take full advantage of his God-given talents. He's been working on the toy thievery for awhile now, but it seems just overnight he's begun using his brute strength for less innocent personal enjoyment. He'll take things from the other babies just to prove he can. He could care less about the object after it's in his hands. However, up until that point, there is no distracting or detouring him from getting to what he wants. He is, in every sense of the word, a BULLY! Funny, if you switch the U for an I in bully......you get BILLY! Coincidence? I think not. Love you, dear Bill boy!

Despite this minor flaw, Forrest has the uncanny ability to make whatever he was doing wrong, seem right. How could you look at that face and be mad for long?! Little Miss Emma Tubre found this out the hard way. She caught him in the arms of another woman (Uncle Ryno's girlfriend, Angela), but took him back after some fast talking by Forrest (I didn't catch the whole conversation, but I'm pretty sure it went something like, "Dadada-Bababa-squeal-Wawawa-squeal-Mumumum"). But to show Emma how sorry he REALLY is, he wanted us to take a picture of him for her.

Sure, he sustained 3rd degree burns to his scalp, a terrible headache and vomited 4 times, but he said Emma was totally worth it! Billy could've shot him for selling out Bama for a woman. Then he realized......

Forrest isn't too picky about what goes on his head. Billy could have shot me for this picture, but I'm really just trying to deflate that big ego he's got goin' on right now.

Other pictures of Forrest:

My ornery little man. He's cute and HE KNOWS IT!

The little heathen gets in to everything. Newspapers and coupons are his favorites.

"You know I'm bad. I'm bad. You know it.!"

None of the babies are immune to Forrest's bullying. Laine, it seems, handles it with the most grace. He doesn't let it bother him all that much. In fact, I've been noticing that those two usually enjoy each other's company and have become buddies. Their cribs are next to each other and I always hear them talking through the bars to each other in the morning and after they wake up from naps (many times they'll poke each other through the rails to wake the other up, or pull the other's blankie into their own crib). I tried to catch the jabbering on video, but they caught sight of me. On a funny note, I did manage to catch a glimpse of Forrest's amazing hand dexterity.

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Other pictures of Laine:

He's not happy that Forrest used him as a speed bump, but he'll tolerate it.

"Hmmm. I wonder if mom and dad realize I'm not as fat as my brothers and could probably escape through these bars?"

What a stud-muffin!

On to my little Pi-in-the-sky. What a ham! Recently, he's discovered the use of his index fingers and puts them to good use. You'd better watch out when he gets an intent look on his face and pulls out his pointer finger. Chances are, he's gonna try to stick that finger into the closest orifice around. Most commonly.....nostrils, mouths, eyeballs (okay, not an orifice) and occasionally ears. It's so funny to watch. He doesn't use any other fingers and he's very precise about where he wants that ONE to go! I'll try to get video of it sometime. In the meantime, I'm doing my best just trying to dodge "the finger".

Pictures of Pius and his baby blues:

Next up.....Danna Banana. She is still probably the most serious of the group, especially around unfamiliar faces. Of course, you'd never be able to tell that from the pictures. She sees a camera pointed anywhere NEAR her, and she is smiling and talking to the lens. I'm telling you, she's gonna make a career out of it when she gets older. Billy's thinking we've got ESPN's next Michelle Tafoya or Bonnie Bernstein on our hands.

Does the dress look familiar? Thanks, Emma! Those Tubre girls have great taste (except in sports teams)!

So, I had a large roll of pink tulle and tried to think up a use for it. My solution? A pink tutu for Danna! I also fashioned a bow to complete the outfit. Is it too frilly?


"Thumbs up, mom! LOVE the frill!"

Danna with cousin Maddie Jo

The Banana Princess is pretty darn good at getting around. While not quite as professional as the boys in her crawling skills, she's developed a technique of her own....

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Group pictures:

The quadlets with Gramma Vicki and Grampa Stubby before heading to their first Bishop Carroll High School football game. Go Eagles!

"Seriously, mom? That's what you call a gate?"

Pius, Forrest and Laine....all trying to play with the same toy. Fortunately, they're all still smiling. Well, we think Laine is. Just call him Maggie Simpson.

The babies with cousins, Maddie and Mia, and Aunt Mollie

On the Billy and Moni front, we're still keeping extremely busy with work and school. Oh yeah....and FOUR BABIES! Thanks to our helpers, we were able to attend our friend's wedding and had a great time. We even got some self-portraits to prove we got out of the house. Congrats, Matt and Carli!

Self-portrait, Take 1

Self-portrait, Take 2. Really, one of these days we'll just ask someone to take our picture.

And we wanted to save the most important for last. A very special "Happy Birthday" wish goes out to one of our most beloved helpers, Janet. We hope you have a great day on Friday! Thank you so much for all you do. We love you!

Have a great Hump Day!

Moni

Oh the Faces We'll Show!

....or the Places You'll Go. I'm a Dr. Seuss fan. Anywho, on to the show!

Thought you all might get a kick out of a few videos that the children performed spendidly in. I thought they were pretty funny, which doesn't say a whole lot. I find many things humerous that most might consider to be borderline wrong or a little too close to the morbid side. Let me know what you think (about the videos, not me....unless you really want to go there).








The cup was licked dry shortly after the end of the video. When the babies know someone has "real people" food, they become like sharks that have caught the scent of blood in the water. And now that Forrest is getting his 3rd tooth in (2 bottoms and 1 just barely popping out from the top) and Pius is sprouting his 1st tooth, we'll have to be careful not to lose our digits to their ravenous chomping! Do not feed the animals....I repeat, DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS!!!


Love, love, love,

Moni

Part Deux of "We Survived Denver. Woop, Woop!"

Let's see, where did we leave off? Ah, yes....Aunt Laverna's. We stayed the night Thursday.


FRIDAY

We did feeds, baths, feeds again and left took off for Denver during their naptime. The babies slept, jabbered and continued to be on their BEST behavior. After about 2.5-3 hours, they started acting hungry, so I dug my way to the back seat and started spoon feeds. Didn't know how it would work out, but it ended up being a great idea (besides having to contort my body into the most impressive yoga moves even the most avid of yoga-ists would be proud of amidst all the luggage and carseats). We made it to Denver without incident and the babies got to love on Aunt Debbie, Uncle Billy, cousins Rosie and Jonathan.

The babies, in order according to behavior in the car....

Are you surprised that Forrest is in last place? Neither were we.

SATURDAY

The rest of the entourage arrived in Denver Friday night (Lainie, Adam, Ryno, Angela, Rachel and Sergio). We spent Saturday lounging, playing, EATING (the family all knows what an excellent cook Aunt Debbie is) and just enjoying Colorado and the Mile High City. We took the kids out in their Choo-Choo wagon and found a sports shop. We had to get a bumper sticker for the wagon! Later that evening, Billy and I walked the kids down to Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium and toured the surrounding. It was a beautiful evening and we all felt right at "home".

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pius (and the other 3) LOVED Uncle Billy's 'stache!

Danna and her daddy. She had what we like to call "a little drooling problem" that day. But I drool too when Billy holds me like that.

The Laine-Train trying to pull off the 1991 "one overall strap unfastened" look

Farm boy Forrest

The big-mouthed Pi-Man

Sergio and Lil' Miss Thang. Wanna a little wine with that cheese?

Taking a gander through the Broncos mecca. Pius was in complete wonderment at the Sports Shop.

Our Saturday evening stroll landed us at the feet of the Broncos in front of the stadium.

Made the mistake of giving Forrest the Gerber Puffs tub. We salvaged what we could, then let him hit his forehead the entire ride home, reaching down and trying to pick them up off the wagon floor.

Honk if you love the Broncos!!!

SUNDAY - Get your game face on!

Sunday morning, the kids got bathed and dressed for the big day. The whole group walked down to the stadium (Aunt Debbie's house is only a couple of blocks from it) and got lots of honks, stares, grins and down-right belly laughs! We discovered that it doesn't matter the age, sex, race, class or handicap....four babies all in a row will make ANYONE smile. The quads just ate it up. Except for Pius who was more interested in watching his pompom drag on the ground. He's a weirdo like that.

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I'd say he's going prematurely gray, but you have to HAVE hair first! This wasn't "staged", either. He was trying to eat the bubbles and came up looking like this.

Laine is such a binky-boy! Doesn't matter whose it is, he'll see it on the ground and pop it in his mouth.

I'm sure Forrest and Danna will appreciate this picture when they're in high school.

These next 4 are pics of their gameday outfits....

Laine (and Sergio's hand)

Pius with Aunt RayRay

A hungover (?) Forrest

Go bananas. Go, go bananas.

Frosty with his woman, Angela

The babies didn't go to the actual game with us (this year!), so we said our goodbyes near the gate and Aunt Debbie and cousin Rosie walked them back to the house and quad-sat while we were chewing our nails off at the game. It was a close one! Broncos 34, Saints 32. Woop, woop! (Too bad I can't say the same for last Sunday's game against the Chefs. No I did not misspell it. I'm blaming it on the bad karma sent by UncleT.)

The ride to the stadium. Pius was dragging the pom-pom the whole way. No joke. He LOVES to hold things over the side and shake them. He even does this with the washcloth used to clean their faces after spoon feeds!

Aunt Debbie in the middle, Lainie and Angela in sunglasses, half of Adam's head, and a bunch of strangers near the stadium.

Danna and cousin Jonathan. He looks so much like Ben Affleck

An infamous self-portrait

Pius: "Whaddya mean we're not goin' to the game? I got all dressed up with no where to go?"

Forrest: "The Saints?! Gag me with a spoon!"

Laine: "Mom, I'll love you forever because you give me faux-hawks!"

Danna: "Mom, you forgot to put a hair pretty on me! Sheesh!"

It was a packed house

Like I said, "a real nail-biter!"

Thanks for hosting us Schwartz Family! From left: adults (we use that term very loosely)-Uncle Billy, Rose, Aunt Deb, Jon; babies L, P, F and D

I wish we could say that we partied into the wee hours of the morning, but we had to get back to KS for Billy's classes and our jobs. Boo, Hiss. We thought we would be stallions and drive through the night straight through, but changed our minds after about 2 hours on the road. Laverna was gracious enough to let us back in to her home and spend the night again in Grainfield. She had a doctor's appointment the next morning, so we thought we'd visit her at the Medical Center in Quinter. We enjoyed meeting all the wonderful nurses and doctor who take great care of our Laverna while she's getting her chemo treatments.

Great-great Aunt Laverna et al

After our little Quinter detour, we headed home sweet home. I got pictures of the car spoon feeds this time. The babies exceeded our expectations on the trip and we are so grateful to everyone for helping out and making Denver Trip 2008 a HUGE SUCCESS!

We've got lots more fun videos and pictures already in the works. In the meantime, I'd like to know who our readers cheer for during football season. Let us know!

Love,

Moni