Videos of a "Venturous" Vacation: The Final Chapter

Our Videos of a "Venturous" Vacation Video Series is finally coming to a close! Shewwww! Thank goodness there's no upcoming Disney World, Grand Canyon, etc. vacations in the near future! It's taken me 3 weeks to blog about a 4 day weekend! =) However, I have enjoyed sharing our "Ventures" with you and hope you've taken a little humor and pleasure in our amusements!

Here it is the Final Episode. (My apologies for my lack of coherency and to any Walgreens employees.)

We received our new van on Monday night from DEAR DEAR friends who made us an incredible offer on their 2004 Honda Odyssey. We are have already become Ody enthusiast! Guess we'll have to join the Ody Club! (Yes, it does exist.) Special thanks to the Brunings and to Brad's parents for letting us borrow their vans while we were in transition.

Our favorite features, which are unique to us as quad parents, are that we can fit 3 car seats across the back row (meaning for the first time we could actually carry an additional passenger + much easier access for "locking and loading") and there's enormous rear storage for the wagon and all of the quad gear! Yesterday was the boys first ride in it, complete with frozen custard from Ritter's to celebrate! God truly provided for our needs and we praise Him for orchestrating all the details!

Videos of "Venturous" Vacation: "The Calm Before The Trying to Stay Calm"

Read the Prequel to This Sequel First

Okay, so here it goes..... All of you who were unaware that Brad and I are elite members of the "Ultimate Dork Club". It's over - we've been uncovered. The Proof is in the Pudding Video.

Here's where our "Venture" begins. Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride. (Oh, and let me know if you're getting a laugh out of our pure dorkidity.)

Stay Tuned for the Next Episode: "Cheese Nips, Downpours, and Maurice"

Videos of a "Venturous" Vacation: A Prequel to Many Sequels

Before I start on some great reality footage of our "Ventures" to Nashville, I'd like to begin with some behind the scenes details of our trip. Around Christmas time, my siblings and I started planning a surprise 50th anniversary celebration for my parents. Their actual anniversary was February 21,2007, so we were only a mere year and 2+months late! The boys were born less than 3 weeks before their incredible milestone, and on their actual anniversary Clark became very ill with his digestive issues, so needless to say, their big day became a bit overshadowed.

Clark receiving fluids via a pic line due to premature digestive system 02-23-07

However, we wanted to honor this accomplishment of marriage and celebrate with them, regardless of the timing, so we began planning a trip for 17 to Nashville, TN.

My parents holding Clark and Brooks - Mother's Day 2007

We weren't sure how we would fit 4 pack-n-plays + four boys + their enormous amount of stuff in our Chevy Venture, but then a triplet buddy, Linda, gave me this great product recommendation: Kidco Pea Pods!

If you look closely at this picture you'll see four little boys asleep inside their little tents complete with their camo sleep sacks. We are in love with this product, because it can go anywhere, takes up minimal space, and folds up to the size of a flattened basketball. I'm serious! (And no, they are not paying me to endorse their product!) It's one of our favorite products thus far. And grandparents are pumped that they'll be able to stay overnight now! We had them "practice" in the playroom for one week to adjust to the new surroundings before trying it out for the first time in a populated hotel!

So that's some background prior to our official road trip "Venture". To give you fair warning, this post will be part of a mini-series of posts, complete with bloopers and more details than you probably wish to digest. It is sure to become a moment in history for our family, so I'm using the blog as a way to document the memories, which is one of the main purposes of this blog. Read at your own risk.

Next Up...

Videos of a "Venturous" Vacation: The Calm Before the Trying to Stay Calm

We Took Pictures So It Would Last Longer...

By popular demand - The 1st Birthday Pictures! I don't have too much commentary for these; they pretty much speak for themselves. =) Besides, y'all don't come here for my words - you come here for the pics! I did a mix of b&w and color, because I think some pictures almost demand it!

(Left to Right: Isaac, Henry, Clark, Brooks)
Hooray! A family picture - These are hard to come by!

Highlights from 02-02-08 - Did I tell you that Brooks (bottom left corner) stood for about 20 seconds on his own to celebrate his big day?

Diggin' into the Monkey Cupcakes...Love that they're still wearing their socks

Henry's Chocolate Mug

Brooks intently eating each bite

Clark wondering where the Crisco icing disappeared to

Isaac thinks cupcakes are magically delicious

Quadpa and Quadma Myers

Quadpa and Quadma Murray

Myers Madness

Murray/Cronkhite/Fallon/Green Fam (Brad's side definitely has more variety in last names!)

Wonderful, wonderful memories! The day just flew!
Now, for all you "lurkers" - it took me quite a while to download, upload, edit, and post so you better at least leave a comment and tell me which picture is your favorite! =)

A Page Turned....

Here's a sample of a re-occurring conversation of mine that I find humorous:

Fellow Mom: I just LOVE your blog...I read it everyday - How in the WORLD do you have TIME to do it?

Me: Thanks, a lot of times I blog during nap breaks or after they go to bed at night. It's sometimes a work in progress - when I get interrupted I just try to pick up the post where I left off..I know it's the only way I'm going to remember a lot of this year, so I try to find time to write down important moments that I want to share....

Fellow Mom: True, well, do you scrapbook or anything like that?

Me: (Trying to hold back a huge toothy grin) Ummm, no.... I haven't really found TIME for that...The blog is my scrapbook, baby book, catch-all.

Fellow Mom: (With a look of disappointment) Oh.

Although I love scrapbooks and really admire the energy, time, and creativity that go into each page, for now I'm not a member of the "Scrapbook Junkies". I think there's only a few of us left on this planet. Perhaps 18 years from now I'll find myself "cropping, matting, and mounting" some of the 2,587 pictures that we've snapped this year, but for now I think I'll stick to blogging......

I felt like I needed to explain my perspective before I showed you this...

Brad's Aunt Deb (pictured) surprised us at Christmas with a scrapbook she created for us and I've been wanting to show you some of my favorite pages. (Keep in mind I took pictures of pictures, so it's not the best quality. It's much better in person!) Check it out....

Isn't her talent amazing? What an incredible gift! So personal and such a keepsake! Thanks, Aunt Deb - we are sooooooo grateful!

Baby It's Cold Outside....

We're snowed in here in Indy. Lots of snow, ice, and wind...so to coincide with the forecast we'll share a snip-it of our 1st Annual Murray Crew Christmas Card! I'm going to give the mailman a few more days to deliver our Christmas cards to our abbreviated list until we post it in its entirety with you. Besides, you all love the suspense! Please understand that we wish we could mail one to each of you, but due to time and funds we had to make our list super small. We hope the blog is an ongoing "newsletter" that you get to be a part of....
Brad and I spent a couple of late nights teaming up to put this all together and we're excited to share....Soon, my friends, soon!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like a 1st Christmas.....

It's (finally) beginning to look a little more like Christmas at the Murray house. So I haven't started Christmas shopping and the Christmas card isn't complete, but it will all come together.....I just don't want to get lost in the "to-do-list" and loose the joys of our 1st Christmas with the boys.

Another first: The boys' 1st SNOW! This morning we woke up to a blanket of snow in Indiana.

Over the weekend, the boys watched their 1st Christmas movie: A Charlie Brown Christmas! It's a required tradition in our house to view this timeless holiday classic at least once during the season. It gets me every time I hear Linus' little voice quoting the Christmas story.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
[Linus picks up his blanket and walks back towards Charlie Brown]
That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Linus is so right! Speaking of traditions....We would LOVE to hear some of your favorite family Christmas traditions. I'd love to compile some of my favorites for a future post - so maybe your family's tradition will make it on the list or perhaps be incorporated into our family Christmas! Send us a comment or an email to quatro_mama[at]yahoo[dot]com

I can't wait to hear all of your personalized ways that you celebrate this season!

T-H-A-N-K-F-U-L

How many of you remember this famous writing assignment given by teachers nationwide through the years, "This Thanksgiving I am Thankful For...."? This was an all too easy assignment for me as I quickly jotted down my top things I was grateful for and shared them with my class. This Thanksgiving I'm actually relieved to not have this particular homework assignment - not because I'm not thankful, rather on the contrary, I'm literally overwhelmed with gratefulness and such a task would be entirely too lengthy.

In fact, it's difficult to write a blog post for this Thanksgiving, because expressing my gratitude always seems inadequate. I don't really need a holiday to help me reflect on what I need to be thankful for - it surrounds me. Nevertheless, I know I take many of things for granted on a daily basis - guilty. Ultimately we are grateful for God's forgiveness, grace, and mercy in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation. He's our only hope!

I decided after reading a friend's blog (thanks, Em for the idea) to do an acrostic to help me highlight just a FEW(not an exhaustive list by any means) on my list this year.......

T - oday! Each day really is a gift. Every night, Brad and I have a routine of going into the boys room before we go to bed and watching them sleep for a few moments. It's such a precious time. Everyday this brings us to thankfulness.

H - elpers! How could have we survived without you? These boys are chunks today because you helped us feed them! A special thank you to: Tami, Kaitlin, Jamie, Joan, Cindy, Christianne, Sally, Moms, Sheri, Katrina, Cindy H, Carolyn, Grammie Pammie, Kathy H., Sharon G, Natalie, Sarah, Caileigh, and so many other faithful volunteers.

A - merica! The Land of the Free. After all, it's what this holiday is about.....

N -ights Out! It's always a treat to get a date or even an errand run with my sweetie. Building and maintaining our relationship has been key to getting through these last months. I'm grateful for a husband who still likes to date his wife and treat her as his prize.

K -indness! We've been treated kindly by so many around us - our church family, our pediatrician and nurse, co-workers and former co-workers, even strangers (including many of you blog readers) who have supported and encouraged us in a variety of ways.

F -amily! You have been a true provision this year. We thank God for each of you!

U - niqueness! I love how we have quadruplets, yet God has created them as unique individuals! Their personalities are revealed a little more each day. They cry, smile, laugh, eat, sleep, play, even poop differently!

L - ife! We have been given four precious lives and the privilege of watching them grow. Henry, Isaac, Clark, and Brooks are a GIFT. Thanks be to our great God for sparing their lives (and my own).

Tomorrow is actually another routine day for us (we'll be getting together with family over the weekend). The boys will be feeding at 9am and every 4 hours after.....yet everyday is so much more than "ordinary".

We are extremely 4tunate!

Family Ties

My brother Dan flew in from Florida last week and got to meet the boys for the first time. I think he's smittin'! He was a bit rusty, since he hadn't fed a baby since 1979 (ME!), but he did awesome! It was great to spend time with him and the Myers clan. A special shout out to our Florida "lurkers" from Dan's church. We know you are out there! You've been a HUGE prayer support, and we are so grateful! Come back soon, Uncle Dan (and bring your cute little wife Blanca too)!

Show Your School Spirit!

Sometimes I forget how much I love the changing seasons, until suddenly the air conditioning is off, the windows are wide open, I'm wearing capris, and I'm craving apple cider from Beasley's Orchard. Of course, we live in Indiana where our motto is, "Don't like the weather? Wait a day or two, it's bound to change", because our taste of fall is now quickly forgotten highs in the upper 80's once again. Regardless, fall is just around the corner.

Brad and I were able to enjoy the absolutely gorgeous fall-like weather on Friday with a trip to my old stomping grounds, Butler University. Like most alumni, I have a great pride in my Alma Mater. It's such a beautiful, historic campus that holds many great memories, and now a new fond memory.

We took a giant walk along the canal. I've noticed that my stamina and strength is still increasing since my months of bed rest, for which I am quite grateful. I can't wait until the boys are old enough to get excited about all the wildlife we saw. I could picture them with grins on their faces shouting, "Daddy, Daddy, look at that turtle!" We also took pictures at Holcomb Gardens - aren't the flowers and grass a great backdrop? I love God's creation and beauty! Sometimes we are reluctant to take group pictures, since it's while an ordeal to take 4 happy babies out of their strollers and arrange them without stress, but I'm so glad that we went for it this time. Even though they aren't picture perfect, it's just fun and natural! Our day ended with some Starbucks Green Tea. I might add, Butler Starbucks was the first Starbucks in Indiana. There's some trivia for you.

It was great to be back on campus. My how things have changed in the 5 years since graduation!

As for the suprise, I haven't forgotten. I just need to download some pictures.

For some crowd participation leave us a comment to show your school spirit.

Go DAWGS!

Carrying the load....

Hey everyone, time for a dad post:

I thought the above picture best illustrated how I am feeling these days about being a father. It is such a joy to have four healthy boys to parent, but wow, what a responsibility.

God has continued to provide for our family through many different avenues, but now comes the ultimate request: please Lord, give me wisdom.

Up to this point, parenting has really amounted to changing diapers, feeding babies, keeping up with normal house chores, keeping a healthy marriage, and trying to get some sleep. In my opinion, in the first six months, the damage you can do to your child when you make mistakes is pretty minimal. (reasonable mistakes anyway)

But, going forward from here, I am beginning to see understanding on the faces of my children. When I say something sternly to them, it actually brings a reaction from them. (even if it is laughing sometimes, Brooks) When I enthusiastically say "good job!!" to them when they are eating, they smile proudly sometimes. This is really exciting to see, but it is also scary.

This means that from now on, any sinful behavior on my part may ....ok, will have an impact on my children. And, with each passing month, that impact will be deeper and longer lasting. In a few months, if I make an unkind comment about someone in front of my children, it could teach them that it is ok to tear others down. If I am impatient with Jen and harsh with her, it could begin to teach them that this is how you treat your spouse.

I know I will make mistakes, but as I think about these boys, I am seeing more and more things about myself that I want to change to avoid passing them on to them. I SO want my boys to some day be men of integrity, honor, and good character. Church will help with this, friends and family can help with this, but ultimately, it is mine and Jen's responsibility to get these boys headed down a path of correct living. Obviously a huge part of that responsibility is pointing them to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And, I cannot do this successfully without first living out these principles in our home in front of my children.

That being said, it is also an incredible joy to be given this responsibility by our God. For some reason, God gave me four wonderful children, and a great, encouraging wife to go through this journey with. As difficult as the past year has been, I have never been so happy in my life.

Would you pray for Jen and I as we seek to glorify the Lord with how we parent our children? Thank you all for keeping up with us on this journey, it is really fun sharing it with all of you!

Brad, Jen, Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac

As Promised....PICTURES!!!!!

Just the six of us

Sorry for the delay. It's hard to choose which ones are my favorites. I love all of them! Kim got some great ones. I'm so thankful to have pictures of my boys - she really captured some of my favorite expressions. I especially love the ones of Brad holding the boys and me holding all the boys, since this is an occasion that only happens with HELP. I can't pick them up and put them all in my lap on my own; sad but true, so you can imagine that I had tears welling when I saw those for the first time. They are growing up quickly into little boys. If you are in the Brownsburg area check out: http://www.capturedmemoriesbykim.com/ for a great photographer. Afterall, she gave us pictures with 4 babies ALL looking at the camera at the SAME time! I think she might post the boys in her portfolio, so you'll have to check back to see. Now I have to figure out which ones to frame, where to put them, etc. Looking forward to decking the halls with my boys!

We love comments - let us know what 'cha think!




Also, just a reminder that these pictures are owned by Captured Memories, and are posted for the 4tunate website. Hope you love them as much as we do!

Colts Training Camp

Ok, new adventure, maybe new family tradition.......

Our new friends, the Reynolds, invited us to meet them in Terre Haute today to watch our beloved Colts prepare for another Superbowl season. The Indianapolis Colts hold their training camp each year and allow fans to come watch.

We decided this sounded like a fun new adventure to try, plus we were itching to get out and enjoy some cooler weather after our recent heat wave. It was a beautiful morning and so fun to get such an up-close look at some of our favorite players and coaches.

Here is a group picture with everyone who met us there today:

(left to right: Murrays, Reynolds, Boltons)

We had such and awesome time and the boys were very content most of the time we were there. We are finding that the more we push ourselves to get out and have some fun, the more things we are willing to try with them.

We got to watch Marvin Harrison make some great catches, and Peyton Manning calling some audibles, very cool from just a few yards away. I highly recommend Colts Camp!

Ok, going to try something new now, we took a couple of short video's for you today, posting video of the Murray Crew for the first time, let us know what you think!


(Boys showing their true blue)


(Clark laughing)

Ok, thats a wrap! Love you all!

Brad, Jen, Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac

PS The site that pointed us to the Target coupons for baby food, Babycheapskate, featured us on their site today! Check this site out, it can save you some serious money!

We R Refugees, If You Please

Well after "living in a van down by the river" for about an hour,we packed up and headed to some friend's from church (actually my OB, how crazy is that?) basement for the night. It was nice and chilly - a welcomed feeling! It's been great! We have had MANY offers and we are soooooo grateful for how so many of you within hours were offering your homes, fans, your neighbor's nephew's ex-wife's dog's house.....In all seriousness, we have been taken care of well. Our next stop is another family's home from church. We'll be hauling up the boys and their ridiculous amount of "stuff" it takes for their survival this evening. The boys are going to the farm. Actually it's a restored barn made into a house. I'm thinking we'll be staying put there until the air unit is replaced. I'm not sure if we will have internet access from there, so bye for now! I'll post pictures of our great adventure when we are back home.

Adventures in Quadland

Hello blog world:

I am very happy that my wife has taken over the blog world. She is so much more interesting and funny, but I figure I need to stop in and say hello once in a while.

Jen and I just got back from seeing our first theatre movie in a long time, very exciting. Did we take the boys? No, of course not. We are adventurous with them, but not stupid. :) My mom and dad were so gracious in allowing us to get out for a date. It was just really nice to just go have fun with my wife again. I am sure you all can tell how fun she is just by how she blogs, but I am telling you, I am a blessed man. She is so much fun.

Mom and Dad holding the boys

While I am at it, I want to give credit to my mom for our header picture for the blog, she took that picture at my sisters house a couple weeks ago and we absolutely loved it.

I thought I would share with you some of the silly things that I sit around and dream about for our boys. There are so many things that I have thought of that the boys and I can do. Some of them Jen will approve of, others I might have to fight for.

1. Family paintball / Airsoft wars

I will just start off with a topic that might not include Jen. I think it would be great fun to set up a paintball war games course in our back yard. I am not sure if our subdivision code will allow for it, but it would awesome. What better way is there for some male bonding than to go out in the back yard and fire plastic balls filled with paint at each other for a few hours. Sure, paintballs leave welts, but we have to teach these boys to be tough, huh?

OK, for the backyard, we may have to stick with airsoft, which leaves no paint on the our siding or the neighbors dog.



2. Full Court Basketball.....in our back yard
OK, so as you can see, I need a 10 acre back yard. I though this was a nice little plan for a fully lit basketball court for my boys. For those of you who do not live in or around Indiana, although it is not official, everyone here knows that the basketball hoop is the state tree.

March is the most exciting month of the year, and college/high school basketball is king. Many people across the country enjoyed the movie "Hoosiers", but only in Indiana do you watch this movie and have chills run down your back EVERY time Jimmy Chitwood hits the game winning shot to win the state championship. And, most fathers in Indiana would like nothing more than to see his son on the hardwood someday, hitting that game winning shot.


So, I figure I have four boys who, if they practice together, could be 4 of the starting 5 at their high school someday. I am sure that would really irritate a bunch of other fathers, but hey, chances are we will not have a center come out of our short family, so I left room for one, right? (Hey, I can dream)


3. Lots of fishing trips!
This is one that I have talked about since the day I found out we were having boys. I love to fish, and nothing sounds much more fun to me than a male bonding trip to Minnesota for some pike and walleye fishing.






I don't know if she would agree, but this is one that Jen would be welcome to join us on. We need someone to cook the fish for us, right? No, our luck, she would drag in the largest fish of the trip, like this one.








4. The Quadruplet Quartet
If, by chance, the boys all got singing ability from their mother, it would be a pretty fun concert to watch a set of quads sing together, don't you agree? I can see people driving from miles around to see and hear the spectacle. (Agents, please leave your e-mail addresses in the comments section, I will contact you.) I could be their agent and........OK, never mind, what are the chances?


5. Servants of our Lord
OK, so one very serious thing I have dreamed about. What could our four boys do to serve the Lord together if we bring them up to focus on others, rather than always thinking of themselves? What a team they could be! Along with Jen and I, I am very hopeful that our family can bring many blessings to people in need around us. I hope that my boys, along with Jen and I, can go out and serve those in need in the name of Jesus Christ. We could bring such hope to a world around us in need of the love of God.

We could do this in so many different ways. Whether it is helping an elderly household with chores and home maintenance, building houses for habitat for humanity, or going to the missions field to serve Christ, God could really use our family in a mighty way, and I pray that He will. I hope that someday we can serve many of you who have been so giving with your time and resources while we are in need. I figure my boys owe a lot of yard mowing to many of you who have been so diligent to help us out. Thank you all again from the bottom of our hearts, we are so thankful!

I will continue to dream about our family until slowly God reveals what His plans are for us. I am sure it will not go as I plan, but I am sure that we will continue to have so much fun watching these boys grow. Thank you all for keeping up with us on the blog, its fun sharing our boys and the fun adventure God has made out of our lives.

Bye for now.....
Brad, Jen, Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac

Go Colts!

Just thought I would post some pics of our "Blue Crew". Although training camp has yet to begin, we are getting pumped for a new season. Besides, we have to wear the outfits now while they fit! (By the way, you should be able to see the full-size images by clicking on any of our pictures that we post.)

We are getting professional pictures taken Thursday afternoon. Hopefully the boys will be in terrific moods. I'm trying not to have huge expectations. Hey, even if they all scream their heads off, at least we'll have pictures to show for it! Our friend Kim has been gracious to offer a session for us! I'll be sure to post the pictures when we get them back.

What have we been up to? We took a fun field trip to the mall over the weekend - couldn't have went better! (Check out the mess we make feeding these guys, though!)We were also able to get a pic in front of the "Brooks Brothers" sign, how appropriate, huh? Henry was a little upset that there wasn't a Henry Brothers store, but I explained that maybe one day he could open one with all a multiples clothes line, perhaps!

Brad and I were able to sneak away to a wedding on Saturday, for our dear friend Amy. It was so beautiful - straight from a Southern Living Magazine or maybe Martha, but very trendyish too. =) We were thankful for Brad's parents who were willing to watch the boys while we got away. We were also able to see our friends Tony, Jaimie (my best buddy), and their little ballerina, Claire. Claire was born 3 weeks before our little cowboys. What a treat to spend time with them over the weekend! I think Brad truly enjoyed his first Father's Day and we enjoyed time with Jaimie and Tony and my brother and Sally and the kids on Sunday night for some desert and conversation. We are so thankful for our precious family, including our father's who have displayed their love for us in so many ways.

Happy 1st Father's Day, Brad!

Happy Father's Day, DADDY!

I cannot even begin to tell you what an amazing dad my man, Brad, has become this year. He's my best buddy and he has truly held me up this year. I mean this is a guy who this year has done indescribable things for his family. I'll just give a few examples:

*spending hours talking to insurance people about our claims

*cleaning up spit-up from the carpet, crib, wall, kid, dresser (you get the point)

*painting my toenails when I couldn't reach them



*holding me through all kinds of pain

*shaking over one thousand bottles of formula



* putting together 4 bouncy seats, 2 cribs, 2 double strollers (and even looking at the directions occasionally)

*sleeping on the floor of our hospital room for 4 1/2 long weeks just so he didn't have to leave my side