Autumn Quadyssey: The Pumpkin Patch

 

Just because summer is over, doesn’t mean the Quadysseys must come to an end.  In fact, I think the Quadysseys are here to stay!  The pumpkin patch and apple orchard has become an annual tradition that we hope to continue with the boys for years to come.  This year’s pumpkin patch trip proved to be even more fun than the previous years.  Watching four little boys take in the surroundings and adventures of fall brings our hearts so much joy.  I hope by sharing some of our captured memories it will bring you joy as well! 

 

 

 

 

And a few video highlights:

Have I mentioned how much I love this time of year?

 

Summer Quadyssey: Indiana State Fair

 

Our Summer Quadyssey to the Indiana State Fair was accompanied by absolutely gorgeous weather. I don’t think I even broke a sweat. An August seventy degree day in Indiana is the equivalent of no snow at the North Pole on Christmas. The hours went by quickly and there was so much to take in!  I had NO IDEA how many hands-on activities the State Fair provides for toddlers/preschoolers; From baby animals, to farm vehicles to climb on, and even a fishing pond!  I really wanted to see the boys go on a pony ride, but I couldn’t justify $20 ($5 per kid) for a ride the length of our backyard and back. The highlight of our visit was the “Little Hands on the Farm”, where the boys became Farmers for the Day; Complete with buckets, collecting eggs, digging up vegetables, riding a tractor, and earning play money for their hard “labor”, for which they cashed in for a cereal bar.

I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking….or most of the talking.

Where’s my ice tea and newspaper?  (Left to Right: Clark, Henry, Isaac, Brooks)

Clark “Framed”

 

Two Twinkies Talkin’ in a Tractor

Hello, Mr. Cow.  You are quite popular at our house. 

 

Well, we are in LUCK!

Soybeans or Corn?  That’s the dilemma.

Goats get a bad rap, but I happen to like you little Billy.

Those strollers back there got nothin’ on our quad stroller BEAST!

What does “ignition” mean, Daddy?

Future Quadmobile???

 

Herding the Cattle Farmers

So THAT’S where our sippy cup liquid goodness comes from!

Elephant Ear…Sounds Gross, but Tastes Like SUGAR!

I attempted several video clips, but kept being interrupted by curious fair goers.  Really nice fair goers, I might add.  Nevertheless, I didn’t get too much footage, but I hope you enjoy the short collection from our day at the fair!  

 

Only 350 short days until next year’s Indiana State Fair!

Summer Quadyssey: Chicago Part III

This post should wrap up our Chicago Quadysseys.  If you've missed Part I or Part II you can catch up here and here. Thanks for letting us take you along in our suitcases! (Hope you weren't near the dirty sock corner)!

He Said:

By the time day two in Chi-town rolled around, I was really ready to go when the alarm sounded.  Day one had proven that I COULD enjoy time alone with the boys in the city, and I was ready to embark on a new adventure.

We had a laid back morning in the hotel with more PBS Kids on the large flat screen TV (we have a smallish old style TV at home) with cereal and granola bars.  Then after getting the boys dressed and ready for their day, we headed for Navy Pier, which was a couple miles east of the hotel, right down the river from us.  We made a short stop at the conference hotel along the way to drop off some supplies for mama.  I had heard that another "blog husband" and his daughter, were also looking for something to do.  So, after calling him and making plans to meet at the pier, off we went!

As soon as we got to the pier the boys started yelling "he-he, he-he, he-he".  They saw them before I did, it was the Budweiser Clydesdales.  Turns out, beer not only makes men bigger around when they drink it, but horses as well, because these things were HUGE!  Once we approached them, only Henry actually wanted to get out of the stroller to see them, as they were a little too intimidating to approach.

 

We had some pretty amazing weather for the entire weekend, but the sun was SO bright on this day, that after walking around the pier for a while and taking in the lake and boats, we decided we had better find some air conditioning somewhere to cool off a bit.  This is one wonderful thing about the mind of a 2 year old.  Even the lobby of a parking garage can be a playground.  All four boys ran round and round the lobby, entertaining their new friend.

We then walked back to the Sheraton to check in with mommy before heading back to the Westin for a nap.  We could not set foot inside the Sheraton without getting out of the stroller to check out the boats on the Chicago River.  Our boys got along VERY well with this sweet little girl....made me wish for a moment that I had one....BUT JUST FOR A MOMENT!!  I am very content where we are at right now! 

 

 

When we returned to the hotel for nap, the cleaning staff left a surprise for the boys on the bed.  You would have thought they were presents under a Christmas tree, the boys were SOOO excited about this!  Once they were down and asleep, papa took a nap of his own, preparing for the evening.

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She said:

Chicago, I forgot how beautiful you are in the summer!  Seriously, you're spectacular!

Meanwhile, INSIDE I was able to attend a few BlogHer sessions on Friday and Saturday morning.  Far better than the thought-provoking packed sessions were the people, however.  How I wish I could go back for a few more days just to build more relationships!  It was nice to "live INSIDE my computer for a few days" as Mommy from the Midwest describes it so well! 

Before returning home to our little village, we enjoyed some of the sites of Chicago as a family of six. Sites and tastes, I should add.  Who can resist a Chicago style hot dog, after all?

  

You know you're not in Hoosierland anymore when the signs read like this:

We spent most of the day checkin' out the art and architecture of Millennium Park.

One last clip for the memory vlog:

 

Chicago, you were a wonderful host!  We hope to return soon.  Thank you for the beautiful memories and helping us realize we CAN do more than we imagined with our family! 

 

Summer Quadyssey: Chicago Part II

First off, I want to say a hardy welcome to any of you joining us from the London Times article!  It's jaw-dropping amazing to think about our story being shared "across the pond". 

Because so much of our Quadyssey took place separately, I decided to make the next couple entries into a He Said/She Said post.  You'll get to hear Brad's side of the story (always a treat when he writes!) and then Mama's side of the story.  Believe it or not , this is the CONDENSED version!

He Said: 

Ja-bi-go, Ja-bi-go, when do I get to go back to Ja-bi-go?  I am crying right along with the other Murray boys this week at having to end our little adventure in Chicago.  The long weekend was fun, exciting, exhausting, liberating, encouraging, scary, and funny all wrapped in to one. Here's a look at our first day out on the town with Daddy:

Thursday morning, Jen awoke early and headed out for her event, while the boys and I slept in and hung out in the hotel room.  When the boys started chanting "OUT-OUT-OUT!" I knew it was time to start our day.  I got the boys out, gave them each a bowl of cereal, turned on "PBS Kids", and they were happy as clams. 

While they ate, my scramble began.  I had to be out of the Sheraton by 1pm, and was hoping for an early check-in at the Westin  (thanks Dan & Blanca for the amazing discount hook-up), so I had to get our room completely packed up before we left for our adventure in the city.  The boys sat like gems and watched TV the entire time I packed, and our day was off to an awesome start!

Out the hotel I went and into Chicago traffic with 4 toddlers and to my delight, almost every single person we ran into had a smile or positive comment for us.  I was expecting the "Big City" to be at least somewhat annoyed by our giant stroller getting in their way, but almost without exception, every person we spoke with seemed blessed to have encountered us. This included the awesome dudes at the Chicago Firehouse.  Although the boys were too fearful of the new surroundings to take them up on their "truck tour", we had fun checking out the firehouse garage.

We didn't really do much other than walk down the entire "Magnificent Mile". (Not stopping in a single shop ladies, not a one!)  The Westin River North, offered us a much appreciated early check-in and even an unexpected complimentary room upgrade!   After single-handedly packing up a hotel room, packing the van, unpacking the van, settling in our second hotel for the weekend, AND the city tour, I put the boys down for a much needed NAP! Man was I glad to see mama at the end of the afternoon! 

 

She Said:

While Brad and the boys were out on the town, I joined 49 other bloggers and the executives of Ford for a tour of the plant, test drives, and an open discussion on what women want in a vehicle.  (I took all of your great suggestions with me!)  It was a jammed packed, informative, day.  I walked away seriously impressed with Ford's attention to details, safety, ingenuity, and interest in the consumer's needs.

After reuniting with the Fam, we headed over to the conference hotel to pre-register and introduce the boys to some AHHH-MAZE-ZING women!  This was by far my favorite component of BlogHer.  Getting to meet other bloggers In Real Life (IRL), each with their own story and motivation for blogging, was such a valuable encounter! 

There were a few other "IRL" encounters of the day:

American Gothic IRL

 

Nina, from the PBS Kids Sprout Goodnight Show IRL

 

And a IRL encounter with the boats on the Chicago River. (My favorite picture from our trip so far).

Finally, no Quadyssey is complete without video!!!!

Chicago Quadyssey Part III is in the works!  So glad we were able to take you along for this adventure!