So sick...

Well the sickness has reached me in every possible way...this is awful.

Unfortunately my mom also got sick on her last few days here with us. She was able to safely fly home to Florida yesterday and now Poppop is able to 'nurse' her back to health.

So it has been just me and the girls these last 2 days and when I wasnt in the bathroom (sorry if too much detail) then I was in bed. In fact I had to keep the girls home from school because I was too sick to get them there. I really truly hope and pray that the sickness gets out of this house...SOON!! Three of the four girls are on antibiotics, on wheezy machine (nebulizer), ear drops, motrin, etc. I feel like a pharmacist, a nurse, a mom, and one sick girl.

Enough of my complaining for now...

One big HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-out
to one of my favorite Ecuadorian Princesses...
Isabel... I love you baby!

Sickness abounds :(

Well, all four kids are officially sick. It is so hard. It started about 2 weeks ago with colds - runny noses, coughing, the usual. Then Tuesday night (two nights before Thanksgiving), I put them all to bed and 30 minutes later, Madison starts SCREAMING and continued screaming for close to three hours! She complained that her ear hurt and she couldnt lay down, it was constant pain. I called the pediatrician and the nurse helped put my mind at ease.
Wednesday AM I took them all to the doctor (our new, awesome pediatrician!) Turns out Madison had an ear infection and bronchitis, Morgan had a sinus infection and bronchitis - close to pneumonia, Kaitlyn had bronchitis. Megan was the best with just a mild cough. Then we were off to the pharmacy and $200 later, I got all the meds, antibiotics, and medicine for the nebulizer.
The triplets are feeling much better after a long weekend full of nebulizer treatments and antibiotics. Unfortunately, last night Kaitlyn got worse and started screaming that her ear hurt. She slept all day today and is running a fever. So tomorrow, we will be back to the doctors office.
We had a nice Thanksgiving and much to be thankful for. Tim was home and Brian came to visit for a few days. My mom flew in on Friday and is here until Tuesday. Sean and Holly came down Saturday for the day. I will catch up on all that later, but for now I'm off to snuggle my 'baby'.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”
Albert Schweitzer

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow."
Melody Beattie

Funny Elves!

Check these out! They made the girls laugh till they cried!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9553339053

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9556716505

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9556752542

Please vote!!

My cousin Karen is a beautiful singer! When we were young, she spent hours singing songs from 'The Little Mermaid' and her dream was to be on broadway. Well, now she is very happily married and has 2 adorable children and a busy life at home. However, she has found a way to live her dream just a bit ... Karen has entered a singing contest in which the winner gets to spend a few days in NYC in a fancy hotel and being a part of the recording of 'The Little Mermaid' on broadway. This would truly be a dream come true for her - honestly, it is something I know she would treasure. So, I would like to help her make this happen. And YOU can help!!

Please visit this website:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/mermaid.cfm#entries

You can find her under the name Karen O. from Southeastern PA. The voting started today and continues through December 3rd. So please, check it out and vote, vote, VOTE!
Thank you!!

Fun in Cape May!

My cousin Tommy was visiting us for the weekend and Tim was able to sneak home too! (even though he's on-call) - so we had a nice weekend together.
Friday night was spent relaxing at home and for movie night, the girls chose 'High School Musical 2' once again!
Saturday, we spent the day in Cape May and it was so nice! We went to the lighthouse and climbed all the way to the top - girls and all! Luckily, we were able to get some nice pictures while all the way up there, the girls were amazed by the view!




We enjoyed the nature museum and ate dinner at the Pilot House (www.pilothousecapemay.com) with seats around the fireplace. Then we walked through the shops, which remind me of a quaint New England town. It was very pretty.
And guess who we saw standing on the corner...SANTA! The girls were so excited, it was quite a surprise!

Then we went into town to the Emlen Physick Estate where they were having the Annual Tree Lighting ceremony. We had hot chocolate and cookies, listened to Christmas Carols and saw the place light up as the large tree was lit. Although by that point the girls (and ourselves) were exhausted, it was beautiful!

Unfortunately, all four girls have little early-season colds - runny noses and coughs. So the cold, windy weather probably didnt help, but we bundled up and snuggled together as best we could!
The holiday season has begun...with Thanksgiving only days away!
Have a great Monday!

Maria's visit

Maria (our au pair from last year) came to visit from Virginia this week. She arrived on Monday afternoon and came to pick up the girls from school with me. I hadnt told them she was coming, so it was a huge surprise to them...they all screamed "MARIA!!" ~ it was cute! Then she left this morning to make her journey back home in the pouring rain.

Here are some pics from her visit...



Notice Megan's new glasses - we just got them this week!



We went for hot wings at Charlie's in Somers Point, got Megan's new glasses at the mall and ate dinner at Friendly's. Maria stayed with the girls so Tim and I could go to a meeting for the triplets at school on Tuesday. Last night, Maria and I got to go out shopping while Tim stayed with the girls, what a great feeling to get out without the kids!! It was a wonderful visit and I can only hope she enjoyed herself as much as we enjoyed having her here!

Our new car!

We had a busy, exciting weekend! It was our second time to PA since moving and our main purpose was to trade in our Ford Expedition at the place we bought it. I was done with things breaking and the value dropping daily.

So...we purchased a brand new 2008 Nissan Armada! I have not taken pictures of the actual car yet, but I will attach some basic stock pics that I got online.

It is shiny black outside and black cloth interior:

It has a cool screen that shows the rear back-up camera image, temperature, radio controls, menu settings. The car also has 8 sensors (4 front, 4 back) that beep when you are close to another car or object, 6-disc CD changer, upgraded Bose sound system, Dual heat controls (very good for Tim and I, as he is always hot and I am usually cold), rear lift gate opens at the touch of a button.
Seats 8 people comfortably, actually larger than our Expedition!
We bought it with a 3-year lease and by that time, we will be done with our inequity from the Ford and ready to lower that payment!! But meanwhile, we LOVE this new truck and I am very thankful it all worked out as it did!

Have a good Monday :)

Christmas Dresses!

After taking Kaitlyn to school this morning, the triplets and I took the cats to the vet to get them fixed (FINALLY!).
While out, we went into Target to check out their holiday dresses, and surprise...they were on sale! They had a beautiful selection and we had our choice, since they were just put out and fresh on the racks!
I thought I'd post pics of the dresses we got - the girls are SO excited! I cant wait for Kaitlyn to see her dress too!

Kaitlyn:


Megan:

Morgan:

Madison:

School pictures

We just got Kaitlyn's first grade school pictures back yesterday. I'm not sure I love them, may have them retaken in 2 weeks, but thought I'd post - I was amazed at the difference comparing her picture from Kindergarten to First grade! Especially seeing the change in teeth! With the retakes, you will see a nice big gap! lol
The triplets will be getting their school pics taken in 2 weeks as well. So I will post some pics of them that I took yesterday before school.

Kindergarten (5.5 years old):

First grade (6.5 years old):

Morgan:

Megan:

Madison (being VERY grumpy...):

Kaitlyn (with Spice Cake):