Wednesday, March 25, 2009

We've Been Outted!

Outted, you say? We've got varying degrees of emotion amongst the Quads over this.




Pius could not care less. He thinks it's kinda funny how it all works out.



Danna Banana was a little shocked and felt taken aback for awhile (then we dressed her and painted her toes. She got over it quickly.)


Dear Frosty went pyscho over the news. Or maybe he was more distressed about the fact that people told him his bedhead would improve if he snipped off those curly locks. As evidenced by this picture, the crib-fro is still alive and kicking. Is it just me, or did getting his hair cut exponentially increase the size of his already walrus-like front teeth?! Freakin' adorable any way you look at it.


Laine prefers to remain neutral about the situation. He's definitely the stoic "Lainer-zinski" we've always loved. But gotta watch out for that temper. Bad things can happen when he's pushed too far!


Thanks to Monica's comment on our last post, I just remembered I never posted about our very 1st zoo trip with the quads. Yes, it was a couple of weeks ago, but it seems we've been in a bit of a bloggy rut lately....or Spring Break and work.

So here goes:



On the way to the zoo, we got to try out the new van configuration since moving Pius and Forrest out of their infant carriers. Laine and Danna still get to kick back in their seats for a few more pounds.


Forrest loving his new throne



Pius barely able to contain his excitement about going to the zoo (actually, he had no clue about what was going down).




We met up with a lot of the Haag Clan at the zoo. We were so excited to finally use our Christmas present from Lainie (the zoo membership). We decided to start the quads off slowly with the petting zoo, which we did not actually enter. As it turns out, the Choo-Choo wagon is NOT an all-terrain vehicle. However, the kids seemed to enjoy looking at the white fences around the petting zoo. We don't think they could quite see over the boards at the animals. They were happy, though, nonetheless. You know what they say, "Ignorance is bliss."


Our Zoo Trip Posse from left to right: Billy pulling the Quads, Moni's sister Mollie pushing her daughter Mia. Mollie's other daughter Maddie Jo is walking right next to her, and her oldest son Taten was up ahead of the pack. The little boy next to Maddie is our nephew Ronin. His parents, my brother Brandon and wife Tracy, are to the far right. What an entourage!



See what we were saying? The kids took very little interest in the white fencing boards around the petting zoo. But what fun zoological mysteries (okay, so they're just common sheep, goats and other domesticated farm animals. Can a girl elaborate some?!) do those boards encompass! They'll figure it out...all in good time.




Our niece (and Godchild), Maddie Jo, with Fo-Fo.

A lion.....according to the babies. Rrrrr.




From the petting zoo, we headed to the rainforest. They actually got to see some of the animals on the way (like the aforementioned "lion"). It was so cute asking them, "What does the lion say?" and them grunting back in reply "Rrrrr." We got to the rainforest and entered. Let us tell you about the Sedgwick County Zoo Rainforest. To sum it up in two words...AWESOME and TIGHT-SQUEEZE (is that two or three words?) The three-foot wide path contains wood chips, hills, various scampering rodents, and a LOT of people. The Choo-Choo barely made it through and we only had a few police reports filed on us for vehicular assault. There were no random children plastered to the grill or stuck to the undercarriage of the wagon when we exited, so I call that a success.


Crossing the Rainforest Bridge


Not sure if our turning radius would allow entry into the underwater tunnel. It wasn't pretty, but we made it.


D and L at intermission. Laine had to get out and stretch his legs a little. And no, we don't give our kids pop...that was MY Diet Dr. Pepper that Danna was guarding.




If only we would've known that plastic cups with lids were more entertaining than any toy they've ever had! There have been many a death matches at our house over these things.


After the rainforest, we headed for the Downing Gorilla Exhibit, stopping to see a few other animals along the way. If you ever have a chance to visit the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, this HAS to be one of your stops. In one word.....incredible. While we were in the exhibit, we came across something more incredible and even more rare to behold than the gorillas. A man came up to me and asked the infamous question, "Are those quadruplets?" I smiled politely thinking we were going to hear the same twenty questions we always get. "Yes they are," I replied. What he said to Monica and me about knocked us on our a$$es, "So are mine!" To which I replied, "What? No sh*t?!" He started laughing and we struck up a wonderful (and educational) conversation with him and his wife. To make it even more unbelievable, their quadruplets are three boys and a girl, too. Only they are four (almost five) years old. Crazy, huh?




In the Gorilla tent with the Davis Quadruplets! Their names are Brenna, Samuel, Joseph and Aiden. Sorry for the crappy photo quality....my camera is a piece-o-crap sometimes.



Unfortunately, I'm not sure which one is Samuel, Joseph or Aiden. Pretty sure I can pick out that beautiful Brenna, though! Aren't they adorable? Little blonde haired, blue-eyed knockouts! Sidenote: Tim and Jackie Davis (their parents) have a photography business here in town. For more fabulous pictures, check them out at http://www.timdavisphotography.com/.




After a couple of hours at the zoo, the quad squad was "telling" us it was time to call it a day. They were so well behaved and really enjoyed looking around and just being outside in the beautiful weather. We can't wait for our next zoo day. We went on short-notice this time around, but hopefully we'll know a little farther in advance next time and be able to have some of our friends around town join us.




Pius daydreaming about our next visit to the zoo. I wonder if OUR monkeys will always be the main attraction there? But then again, I guess the wagon isn't too subtle (one of only a few minor drawbacks to it).





The other major happening around our house is that we have started to fall into our new eating/sleeping routine. And our "fall" has NOT been very graceful. We are hoping that all of our friends and family continue to visit because this new "one nap a day" crap doesn't quite cut it. The grumpiness around 5:30 in the evening can be a bit extreme at times. The plus side is that they do go to bed about an hour earlier than before (around 7:15 now). Unfortunately their one nap a day isn't any longer than their morning nap used to be. Any pointers on getting them to take ONE GOOD, LONG nap? They still sleep through the night, but it is seeming to take them longer to fall asleep in the evening. We know they are tired and ready for bed (laying their heads down...usually on the dinner table, droopy eyes, yawning, spontaneous tantrums, walking around aimlessly with their fingers inserted in their noses, you know....telltale signs) but, they seem to fight the sleep. Frustrating. Maybe they just want to stay up a little longer to catch the tail-end of the NCAA tournament games. Hmmmmm.




It's all downhill after the evening baths. Here, Pius and Forrest are vocalizing their generalized disapproval. They pretty much hate the world at this point. New teeth MIGHT be aggravating our situation.



Laine's lip-biting scowl.




Did I say EVERYONE was unhappy? I meant everyone except my Danna girl. This little princess could, quite possibly, be the BEST child the Good Lord ever created. She is such an angel (or she has somehow managed to pull the wool over her parent's eyes). Just don't take her books away and nobody will get hurt. She LOVES to flip through and "read" her books for hours on end, just babbling away.





Speaking of the NCAA tournament games, it's utter March Madness at the Graf residence right now. It was four days in a row of constant hoops and having a lot of people in the house. We are loving it, although the kids might be wanting some of their Baby Einstein time back soon. They're just going to have to toughen up because it will all be over April 6th. We are having a little break right now, but that's just to rest up for the weekend. Good thing Uncle Ryno has been around to help transform our kids into little "Cameron Crazies." For those of you who don't follow college basketball, that is the Duke University Student Section. The kids don't quite do it all correctly yet, but you should see them grin and yell when we start chanting, "Hey. Hey. Duke. Hey. Hey. Duke." It is priceless and Ryno is so proud of the new trick he's creating.


And now, a multitude of backyard pictures from the weekend. We've had lots of family and friends over for basketball watching and for a barbeque. The kiddos loved the commotion and comradery!





I found this Little Tikes swing at a garage sale last week. Unfortunately, it's only a one-seater AND the most coveted spot at our house (even trumping "Laine's corner"). They didn't even mind sharing a seat (with Grammy Vicki spotting them). TRYING to share a seat might be a more accurate phrase, I guess. We've gotta look for more of these before a tree limb snaps!




Pius: "Go fly a kite, mom. No really, get this thing off of me and let's go fly this kite!"




Uncle Brandon making bubble magic for the kids (cousins Mia and Ronin pictured)



Pius enjoying our other new outdoor equipment. Thanks Mollie and Trav!



The kids couldn't get enough of Brandon and Tracy's dog, Bourbon. I swear, this dog looks like a small bear in real life....and SO gentle.



The cutest thing ever...the second Laine laid eyes on Bourbon, he ran to him with his arms wide open and hugged him around the neck. Kind of scary because he'd never met Bourbon before. We'll definitely have to watch him closely around animals. Some may not be as tolerant of kids or may get startled and snap at him.




It was love at first sight for Danna, too. She couldn't get enough doggy-lovin' and followed him around all afternoon.



Forrest with Godmother, Aunt Ray Ray.




How better to become one with nature than by eating a stick? Danna is totally in her element when she's outside...just like mama. I see lots of camping in our future....probably just tents in the backyard, but camping nonetheless.




Budda with sweet Danna. FYI - I know the name "Budda" probably causes alot of confusion. It's pronounced like "but, uh.." which is how the name came to be. You can read this past post for more info on it.




I almost forgot about my promise to post some "after cut" head shots from the boys' haircuts. If you can imagine, I was too busy gathering up wispy, curly toddler strands for safekeeping rather than taking pictures of the new hairdos.

Of course Danna didn't get her hair cut, but she had to get her "hair did", too.
Pius didn't have a whole lot to lose, but was the most transformed after his cut. It's amazing how much better he looks sans the fro'd out mullet.

With his golden locks of yore now snipped and swept away, Forrest looks so much like a little boy and not a baby. I'm gonna take this moment to shed a silent tear.
Laine's sweet chop was just right. His hair seems so much thicker and DARKER now! I don't know why he always looks so somber in pictures. He's a hard one to capture on camera.

In closing, Moni is working with "a professional" on a new blog design, courtesy of Ms. Jaclyn Tubre (it was for her birthday). Yes, Monica's birthday was almost two months ago...she is a self-proclaimed procrastinator. We guess Jac was thinking that if she gave us a "blog-lift" we would be inclined to post more frequently. Sucker!!! We'll show her. We can still be lazy even if we have nice stuff. Just look at our yard. No, but really, she is the best friend Moni could ever ask for and I can't figure out what they could possibly talk about every day. Regardless, we're excited for the new blog-look, but would LOVE to hear some suggestions from you all. Got a creative hair up yer arse? Shoot us some ideas for a new title or layout for our blog. Can't wait to hear from you all!

This picture of Laine and Billy was too sweet not to share. What's one more, anyway?

Love,

The Graf Quad Squad



P.S. In case you weren't sufficiently confused already, Billy wrote most of the post content while I added the pictures and wrote most of the captions. Thus, the frequently changing point of view. Sorry if it threw you off....we like to keep our readers on their toes.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Loved it, loved it. Champion!

Anonymous said...

Champion without a name. UT

Anonymous said...

Cute, cute shots! The picture of Laine's lip-biting scowl looks so much like Danna! Loved the post! You two write well together! It wasn't confusing at all.....
Love you all!
Budda.."but, uh"

Fulton Quads said...

VERY cute! I love that you had a play date too! My kids too know that a lion goes "ROAR" but could not point one out! That zoo looks like a TON of fun! Makes me want to take ours back to the zoo! =)

Love, Cathy & the quads
itsaquadlife.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Great Post! Loved all the pictures!!!!

Stacy

Stephanie said...

Wow..what an update!! Glad you got out of the blog rut..we love to hear all about "A Day in the Life of the Grafs!!"
Those eyes on each of the babies just melts my heart! They are so stinking cute!!

HansonTriplets said...

I loved the zoo pictures. We have been multiple times now and I think our cho cho wagon is one of the biggest things to see there. We did try to take the wagon in the petting zoo and were instantly surounded by about five huge sheep. I will never do that again. Live and learn I guess. :) We have not tried to take the wagon in the rain forest yet. I guess I didn't think it would fit. We normally only stay for about two hours but that is long enough for us!
Also, the whole one nap time thing is also killing me! THey only take one nap in the morning at 10:00 and no matter what I do they will not take another one. The other day Ethan actually fell asleep eating his dinner. My kids also fight going to sleep. It is nice having them go to sleep at 7:00 but the last 2-3 hours of my day are insane! I asked Parents As Teachers about it when they came over and she told me that they at least need some quiet time in the afternoon. So at 3:00 I put them in their cribs and close the bedroom door. It gives me at least 30 minutes to regroup and clean up the mess from the day.
I loved the long post...I have been missing it! We need to plan a zoo trip. Just let me know when and we are game.

Mummy2LeonaLex said...

Hey im kinda delurking myself, your babys are getting so big1! wow great pics precious =D xx

http://beingmummyto2leonalex.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

...Bye the way, I really enjoyed the Tim Davis Photography site. He does some great work!
Budda

The Cochran Crew said...

I can so see me making fun of your for calling it Pop. Sorry, had to throw that little Mississippi vs. Kansas tidbit in after the Mississippi Mudflap comment!! LOVE the pics! Glad you put the PS part, I was confused, although that doesn't generally take a whole lot!! Love YA!

Emma said...

What was the "situation" you referred to at the start of the post? confused ...

KelNosz said...

First of all, I've got to give you guys props for pulling 85 pounds of adorable toddlers around the zoo for an entire day. My arm feels like it's falling off pulling around two kids in a wagon!

I love the most recent close ups - it's fun seeing the resemblances and differences between the siblings.

My kids are both big fans of the blog. My son, who is about the same age as your quads, shimmied off my lap and onto the desk top so he could point and squeal at the photos.

Anonymous said...

Duke? DUKE?!? Why aren't they learning the Rock Chalk Jayhawk chant?? The kiddos are adorable as usual! Can't wait to see the new blog layout!

Moni Graf said...

Yah, sorry 'bout that Emma! I just realized we weren't really clear on that. We were referring to Monica's comment when she "outted us" (told on us) about being at the zoo. Probably could've expounded on that a little more.

Moni

Ashley Wasser said...

I was also confused about being outted. I seriously thought you were pregnant! I skimmed through your post as quick as possible, but did not see those happy words.

The Davis quads are getting big! Tim did our 6 month pictures and I saw lots of pictures of his kids when they were younger. So cute!

Jac's present to you is so awesome!!! I can't wait to see the makeover. I do think it will motivate you to post more often. I sure hope so! :)

EMO said...

Yay! Thanks for the great update. How cool about the other quads. So are they from Wichita? I loved the post but it just makes me want more :)
Love
Erin

more posts, not more babies...

Anonymous said...

Bill and Moni you guys constantly crack me up! So glad the zoo trip was a success! The pictures were fabulous! Love you all! Xoxoxo

Anonymous said...

Oh and that was from me!
-Ashlyn

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love the zoo! Lemme know next time you go and Ryan and I will go with you!!! Love you guys!
-Ang

Anonymous said...

It's really best to keep those babies rear facing for safety purposes for as long as you can. You can find Many seats will hold them rear facing up to 35lbs. Please research them properly and keep those babies safe in the car. The zoo pics are cute.

Anonymous said...

WOW that was long. do you know i divided that up into two computer sessions :) DIdnt want to miss a thing?
LOVE THE ZOO PICS!! I need to ask you how you fit the choo choo in teh car, i want to take it when we go to the zoo...
Forrest looks like a carbon copy of billy, seriously.
Danna shouldbe on magazines, she has SURELY mastered that sweet and innocent look with out a doubt!!!
ANd how crazy to run into another set of quads, THAT IS WEIRD AND WILD STUFF!
LOVE YOU!!!!!

Anonymous said...

The first pic of Pius is adorable. So stinkin' cute, all of them!

Shelia said...

Great post guys... I was wondering when you'd finally put up some zoo pictures! You are so brave to take the choo choo in the rainforest! I must say, Emmalie got a HUGE laugh out of Forrest's "bed head"... but I think he's still adorable regardless (but I must admit, I do miss the curls). And running into another set of quads... what are the odds of that. You'll have to give us a call next time you go to the zoo. They are all getting so big. Thanks for sharing... FINALLY:)

Shelia

Oh, and the whole pebbles comment... Moni, you know what you're doing!

Jac Tubre said...

What?! No additonal posts with your new look? I've been robbed! You'll be inspired to post more, just wait and see.

I love the update and I can't believe you ran into another set of quads there...too funny! They look like great photographers...maybe they'll give you a fellow quad family special??

LOVE the picture of Laine and Billy...almost can't stand the cuteness.

Love you tons!
Jac

Squiggle Wiggle & Maggers Moo said...

Terrific post. The kiddos are growing so fast!! Trip to the zoo...you will have to post a while in advanced next time so I can take my kiddos to the zoo when you and your clan are there. I would love to finally meet all of you wonderful people!! God bless!!

Hilary said...

CUTE love all the pictures...the zoo looked soo fun!!! Man they are getting so BIG :)

Nikki said...

Aw, the zoo looks like so much fun!

Nikki
www.madebynikki.blogspot.com to help children in the DR and Haiti... and get a great looking blog!

Anonymous said...

How do you stay sane??? Seriously. 4 little munchins always on the go? How do you ever get anything done around the house? Surely they take long naps, and you take advantage of that too, right? Gosh, I don't know how any of you HOM moms (and dads) do it.