Old Friends...

Today was an exciting evening. Danny and Rebecca and two of their three kids came by to visit. They have a boy named Danny Jr. who didn't get to visit. Sorry buddy! Maybe next time! Sydney and Izabella are their two daughters. I have to say, Sydney and Sydney are definitely kindred spirits. They hit it off from the very beginning and as you can see...

by the end of the visit my Sydney had on most of their Sydney's clothes. It was really funny to see how much Syd loved playing with an older girl. Sydney, you are welcome to come babysit any time! We can't wait for you to come back. There was one incident however, Their Sydney was playing back the hallway with a few of the kids when she brought Landon to me.

He was covered in blood! That is no exaggeration. It was literally dripping from his chin. She said he ran into the wall. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he was injured. Not a tear or concern. I couldn't believe that he didn't hurt at all. He was more interested in the red stuff all over his hand.

We teased Sydney that we weren't going to let her come back since she hurt the kids. I can't believe we haven't had a broken bone or stitches yet as rough as they are. Even if Sydney did hurt Landon (which she didn't) we got even wit them before they left. Izabella is 10 weeks old. They put her into the car seat to go and Danny left her on the floor. He was looking for her little green froggy thing when he looked over and my kids were trying to see if her eyes and nose came off like Mr. Potato Head's does. She was a good sport and didn't cry. Oh yeah, Peyton and Danny were two peas in a pod as well!

They had to leave way too soon and Rob is already crying the blues because Bookem is gone. We are hopefully going to make a trip out there next summer. Danny will be deployed to Qatar in the Middle East in October to serve this great country. Keep him in your prayers! We had fun and can't wait to see you all again!

P.S. Sydney, you are a great big sister and my Sydney really loved playing with you. She hasn't ever had so much fun with someone. You have a special way with my kids. I can't wait for you to visit again!

Elephants on the blog

Okay, I've never been one to ignore the big elephant in the room, so I am going to just say it. I know lots of you think badly of me for taking video while I was driving. Come on, be honest. The silence after I posted that was obvious. Actually, I did think about that before I posted it.

So, here goes my explanation. I know most of you have a video camera of some kind. Ours happens to have a little screen that comes out and can be turned in different directions. There was only one time I taped while I was going at a normal speed and it was obviously a straight interstate. All I did was open the screen and push the record button. I held the camera backwards and hoped I got all the kids in the shot. I never took both hands off the wheel or looked back. Besides, it wasn't any more dangerous than texting while driving, (which I don't do), and certainly wasn't anymore involved than eating while driving which I know we all do. So, I just wanted to clear the air and give my explanation. I am sorry if I upset anyone, but I don't think I did anything life threatening to my kids.

Now to the fun (not so much) stuff. So, I didn't do anymore video diary because the trip was less than joyful. I think I was too positive about the trip. In a nutshell, it was awful and stressful and dangerous and depressing. No parent wants to believe that their kids are brats. But, mine are right now. They were awful. If I had the energy to think of a better word I would. I can't even put it into words. By last night I was so upset I had to shed a couple tears. Just as I begin to embrace my life of having quintuplets, they do something like this. They made me look at what our future holds and just how bad it can be. I was ready to take the next step into becoming little kids. Instead, they opened my eyes to just how little we still can do. When your kids absolutely will not listen to you it just isn't safe to do anything. I don't have the hands or ability to corral five kids who are wild. Someone is going to get hurt and no amount of adventure is worth that. We are just blessed that God held my kids hands as they chose to run out in the parking lot, stand at the highest point in the playground equipment and choose NOT to jump, pull on Happy dog's ears and body until he bit them. The list goes on and on. Seriously, the kids were so bad that in all reality they should have been kidnapped or hurt. God watched over every second of our trip. That is the only way we made it home in one piece. There are very few pictures and just a little video. Not much worth capturing on this trip.

I know, they are still only 2 1/2. I know things will get better. I know we are blessed that they are healthy. I know we should be digging the positive out of all situations.

BUT, right now I want to be grouchy. Tomorrow I will be positive and give you the positive part of the vacation. I just need my own bed and pillow to think about what that could possibly be. Until tomorrow...

Good Night!

Vacation #2

Late yesterday morning the kids and I loaded up and headed for Rising Sun, IN. Before the trip began I was filled with emotions. Excitement to see my best friend again, fear for what could unfold, dreading the drive, worry for the kids safety during all the days events, hopeful for all the new things we were going to experience, and terrified of how to get the kids to sleep without beds. I have been packing and preparing for a trip that has potential to be a huge success. However, it has just as much potential to be a disaster. So, hold onto your hats everyone, I am bringing you along for the ride.

So, as you can see, the trip was less than smooth. We are all here and safe. The first part of the drive was a little stressful. We strategically place the kids in the van for long trips. Ethan has to sit in the front because he can't keep his hands to himself. Landon has to sit in front because the other kids take his blankies and he SCREAMS. Jenna has to sit in the middle because Syd and Peyton get a little too wild and usually start biting each others toes until one chomps down too hard. Sydney has started taking her seat belt off. Before we left I duck taped the top strap. You can see in the video that it didn't stop her long. She just pushed it down and pulled her arms out. I am going to buy some buttons and sew them on the straps so the plastic thing won't slide down.

You all saw the horrendous traffic backed up for miles. We went a total of 7 miles in 1 hr 10 min. It was awful. Thank God for Veggie Tales. The kids did wonderful. I, on the other hand, didn't do so well. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't use public bathroom unless it is an emergency. I haven't ever been a person who has to go often. Usually when I wake up and maybe in the evening and before bed. Well, as our trip went from a 3 hour drive to 5, the two McDonald's large sweet teas started getting to me. After the traffic jam I was about 45 minutes from Chandra's house. I thought I could make it. We were about 20 minutes away when I was so nauseous i couldn't stand it anymore. Every bump was like having Ethan jump on my bladder. I had reached my breaking point. I found a road out in the middle of no where. I was too scared that someone would drive up or see me. So, I pushed the drivers seat back as far as it would do and pushed the steering wheel up. After laying baby wipes out everywhere so I didn't make a mess, I filled that McDonald's cup. Yep, the entire thing. I was petrified of being spotted and a nice passerby stopping to see if I needed any help. Thank you Lord for keeping me hidden.

We finally made it! Everything has been smooth sailing since then. The kids were really tired and went to sleep really fast. Unfortunately, the sun came up directly in the double sliding glass door. So, at 5:30 our time all three boys were bright eyed and bushy tailed. The girls followed soon there after because Ethan thought it was time for them to be up. Well, I will try to let you know how the day goes.

A Few More...

Here a few more of the wonderful pictures Tanya took of the kids. Let me know what you think!

What Was I Thinking???

I have been overcome with the desire to be normal. Not in an unhappy way, but in a way that has me looking back at my recent decisions and saying, "What was I thinking?" Do you ever do that? An example of this same desire that backfired on me is the "Christmas Tree" post. I wanted to pretend that we were a normal family and have the dream Christmas I had always planned on having with my family. That was a big eye opener. Since then I have come to grips with my life and the new normal I have embraced.

I have no idea what has come over me. Rob and I went on vacation and now I am acting like I don't have five toddlers.

Ex #1) The day after we got back from vacation we went over to my friend Jina's house to pick out a kitten. A KITTEN!!! Seriously? Not only did we pick out a kitten, we picked out TWO kittens! Seriously? What was I thinking? As if 5 kids weren't enough. Now I have 7 kids to worry about. They are the cutest little things. KiKi is the little dark one and she is just precious. Gray (how original) is the boy and he is really feisty. Now, our first approach was to tell the kids they couldn't touch the kitties. That didn't work. So, we have showed them the proper way to pick them up and hold them. Since then, we haven't been too successful at being gentle. I try to keep the kittens away from the kids, but that is impossible. Jenna and Syd are REALLY rough and just don't understand that they can really hurt them. The silly kittens just keep going back for more. You would think they would hide or run or something. Now we are faced with a decision of keeping them or giving them back. I really love KiKi, but I am stressed out because I am so worried the kids are going to kill them. Like I mentioned before, "What was I thinking?"

Ex #2) Sunday evening Grandma and Grandpa Wright took Ethan and Sydney to spend the night. Aunt Mel and Uncle Shawn took Peyton and Landon. That left Jenna with mom and dad all to herself. Monday morning I went and got Landon and Peyton and went to Menard's. They played in the play area and then we walked by the fountains and everything was fun. I took them to McDonald's for lunch and we had a great morning. The day was going so well that I must have forgotten I had two other kids who would be coming home that evening because I made a crazy decision. I had the bright idea of painting my cabinets. Now, one may think that isn't a horrible idea. However, I had to sand them and prime them and tape and lay plastic and take the cabinets and all the hardware off. What was I thinking? I have 29 cabinets and 11 drawers. Now I am at the point of no return. I am exhausted and ready to be done. Tomorrow I will painting the drawers and cabinets and hopefully get all the painting finished. I have no idea what came over me that made me think it wouldn't be a big deal to paint. I think it will look great once it is done and I am glad it is getting done, but I was not thinking clearly when I made this decision.

Besides my obvious lack of good decision making, things are going smooth here. We had an awesome week last week. The weather was wonderful. We played outside all week and discovered a new world. We learned about trees and leafs. We dug holes and played with sticks. We threw dirt and ran up and down the hill. We jumped and ran and rolled and crawled all over the yard. It was a week of exploration. We also took the kids on their first walk without a wagon or stroller. We put their harnesses on them and headed around the block. It was hilarious. The kids have no idea how to walk on a leash. They wouldn't go. As you can see, the boys struggled the most. Peyton was in lala land most of the time and wouldn't walk.
Friday we decided to take the kids to Evansville to Show Carnival to get some new sandals for our picture session with Tanya that evening. The kids did great in Show Carnival and the workers there were top notch. We had all the help we needed and everything went smooth. A+ for Shoe Carnival. After that we went to Boston's for lunch. This was our first time taking the kids out to eat by ourselves. We were giddy with excitement as we were sitting in the booth eating. It went so well that I said to Rob while we were eating "Doesn't this excite you? Look at what we can finally do!" It was hilarious to see how the kids ate. Jenna ate an entire bowl of french onion dip and Syd ate an entire bowl of ranch dressing. Everyone behaved and no one fell out of their seat. It was a complete success and I am smiling just thinking about that day.
So, things are great here in the Wright house. Everyone is healthy, happy, and loved. God has blessed us beyond measure.

Sneak Peak!

Friday we drove to Petersburg so Tanya could take our pictures. It was a perfect evening. She did a wonderful job. I only have those three pictures. I can't wait to see the rest. Tanya, you are a great friend and we are so blessed to have you in our lives. You never fail to answer your phone when I'm having a rough day. You are gifted on so many ways. Thanks for the photo shoot!

One of the thousands of failed attempts to get them to walk holding hands.

What can I say? I have beautiful babies.