Sippy Cup Personal Ad: The Quest for The Perfect Sippy

My Pseudo-Submission to E-Harmony:



Happily Married Loving Mama of Four ISO (In Search Of) Non-Leaking, Easy to Hold, Cheap, BPA-Free, SIPPY CUP! Perfection is a PLUS! Looking for lifetime friendship!!!

Trying to find "The Perfect Sippy" is like trying to find Richard Simmons a date for the prom. (I can say this because I've met him personally, but that story I'll save for another blog.)Seriously, it's nuts! Soooooo many sippy cups out there, and now we have the whole BPA junk to mess with (If BPA is new terminology for you or you are looking for BPA-Free Products, this link is a great resource), plus purchasing sippy cups x4 turns into quite an investment! I decided my quest for "The Perfect Sippy" needed to be documented - Laugh, Cry, Comment! =)

Exhibit A: Our Sippy Cup Cabinet (Recently organized by Kathy C. while she was over watching the boys - HUGE Kudos!)

You'll see we've got options in the cabinet for thirst quenchin' action:

Option 1: Playtex First Sipster (Henry's Preference)

Pros: Very Little Leakage, Easy to Sip, Fairly Easy to Clean, Stackable, BPA-Free
Cons: Doesn't Fit in Cup Holders Due to Handles, Losable Parts to Clean

Option #2: Nuby Gripper Cup (Clark's Preference)

Pros: CHEAP (.99 @ Wal-mart), No parts to wash and loose, BPA Free
Cons: Leaks When Upside down, Hard to Screw on Top, Mouthpiece Has to Be Aligned Just So to Keep From Leaking, Unstackable, Leaks When Shook....Did I Mention It Leaks?????

Option #3: Take & Toss Sippy Cup (Van's Preference)

Pros: Cheap, Stackable, Convenient, Portable, BPA Free
Cons: Leaks When Squeezed, Shook, etc., Chewable Mouthpiece

So in continuing my search for "The Perfect Sippy ", I've turned to the Playtex Sipster, recommended by a triplet/twin mom. It was reasonably priced, somewhat stackable, so far leak free, BPA free, comes in 4 different lid colors, and the boys didn't get angry with them on the first try....so have I found my prince charming? Only Time Will Tell! Wish me Luck!

Little Swimmers...

In case we don't make the cut for the USA Men's Gymnastics Olympic Team (See Video) we've got swimming as a solid possibility. We've already got the speedoish swim diapers...now we need to just work a bit on technique and decreasing splash, thus increasing speed.

If only cuteness could score points...

Henry

Clark

Brooks

Isaac

By the way, we tried out the picnic table for lunch before our swim and it turned out rather nicely. The boys stayed put to eat their meal and then swam off the calories. Hose down the table and call it a day! However, I did find two pieces of English muffin floating in the pool, but we were pea free (notice spelling)!

(Left to Right/Top to Bottom): Isaac, Brooks, Clark, Henry with their cream cheese mouths

Thanks to Aunt Kristy and Uncle Ryan for giving us the pool for our birthday present! The gift that keeps on splashing! =)

This Baby's Got Moves!

We aren't certain where Henry learned these sweet moves.
Some say he dances like his daddy....
Others like his grandpa...
I think it's his own original style.

Don't miss his graceful wipe out techinique....CLASSIC!

(Pardon my shaking camera. I couldn't contain my laughter to hold the camera still. You can't hold it back either, right?)

Table for 4...

I decided to try out the picnic table with the boys last week as a practice for eating meals outside (future blog post in the making). For a good while (good while = at least 4 minutes) they sat contently playing with a few toys and chattering with one another. Then Henry had enough socializing and was off! Next went Brooks! Clark and Isaac were left sitting like little gentlemen and entertained by their mama chasing their brothers around the yard. Next, Isaac fell backwards onto the soft grass (I think he forgot there wasn't a back to his seat, unlike the feeding table). And finally Clark climbed out of the table, on top the table, off the table, back on the table, etc. Henry enjoyed hiding out in the shade under the table.

Isn't it interesting how something simple like a picnic table can demonstrate such distinct personalities?

The Murray Crew are LOVING summer! More summer fun posts to come...

Look Who's Walking 2!

I've needed to post this for a while now.... (Check out pro-walker Brooks in the background.)

He's soooooo proud of himself and LOVES the attention. He's up to about 7-10 steps this week. So what do his parents have to say??????

"It's about time, Henry!!!!!!!"

Afterall you've been climbing this for months..

And then there's this...

Even this...

Welcome to the world of WALKING, Henry! Why don't you give your climbing gene a rest for a while, k?

(Clark and Isaac are neck in neck for who's next. Soooo close - I'll keep ya posted!)

Related Post: Brooks' First Steps

Piano Men...

Just playing a little Billy Joel on a Friday afternoon.....

La la la, de de da
La la, de de da da da...

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!

My Son Clark

The picture above illustrates what I thought the first time I saw David Cook of American Idol on my TV screen. As soon as I saw this guy's hair, I thought, "what a mess", then I thought, "hey, he looks like Clark!" What do you think? This was the best messed up hair picture of Clark we had, but I am telling you, they bear a strange resemblance when Clark first wakes up in the morning. Time for a haircut Clark!

Clark made an especially miraculous entry into our world almost 16 months ago. I can vividly remember watching for him to be delivered. Henry and Brooks had already been born, and Clark was right on his heals. Since Brooks and Clark shared an amniotic and chorionic sack, they were almost born together. We were worried about Brooks and Clark the entire pregnancy due to the fact that they were a rare form of identical twins known medically as monoamniotic twins. (Click here for a detailed explaination of monoamniotic twins)

Due to this complication, I was very anxious to see just how tangled Brooks' and Clark's cords would be. Miraculously, after 8 months of development without anything separating them from becoming entangled, Brooks and Clark were delivered with their cords only slightly twisted around one another. God was so gracious to us and them!

Unfortunately, we were not out of the woods yet. Clark would almost immediately be placed on a ventilator due to immature lungs where he would struggle for days. Clark's blood gas levels became dangerously saturated with CO2. It made no sense to me, but his lungs were doing fine with oxygenating his blood, but were failing to remove the CO2 properly, creating a potentially deadly situation. The doctors and nurses at St. Vincent were doing all they could to get our little boy to breath properly, and get him out of danger. They were forced to switch him to a jet ventilator, but were still unable to stabilize his blood gas levels.

Since Jen was still hospitalized with high fever and blood loss after delivery, we were getting updates around the clock from the NICU. Jen was not able to go visit the boys yet because of her fever, but all of that changed around 12am that night. Our NP came in and informed us that she had cleared it with the NICU doctors to have Jen come up and see the boys. We didn't realize it at the moment, but they wanted to make sure that Clark's mommy got to see him alive, as they were beginning to wonder if he would make it through the night.

When we returned to Jens room that night we sent out an urgent prayer request to our church, and to our blog readers. We then went to prayer on his behalf. Our gracious God once again answered our prayers, sparing Clark's life. Within an hour of Jen visiting the NICU, Clark's CO2 levels finally began to drop. The moment our NP burst through the door with the news and a smile on her face still brings tears to my eyes when I think of it. My little Clark was going to be OK.

Clark had a few other scary bumps in the road before exiting the NICU 5 weeks later, but is now a very happy, healthy little boy. You never want to see your children suffer, but suffering brings an appreciation for how much you love them. I will always treasure Clark's life because of those early trials.

Today, Clark's personality is a wonderful daily reminder of God's goodness. He and Henry seem to spar over who is going to command the most attention. I never thought I would use this word to describe my son, as I want them to be masculine men, but since the day he was born, Clark has always been a beautiful little boy. His smile always makes me laugh, and he loves to sit on his daddy's lap, which makes me swell with pride.

Once again, I wish I could describe to all of you what Clark's precious life means to me, it cannot be put to words. But, I love his crooked little smile, I love his deep brown eyes, I love the way he curls up in bed with Brooks each night, I love how he giggles out of control when I rub my nose in his neck, I love to watch him jump in his crib, I love his aggressive personality, I love his expression when I blow air in his face, I love to watch him play, and I love the fact that God let me keep my precious little boy, that I get to watch him grow instead of visiting his grave, and that I get to teach him to fish instead of dreaming about what it would be like to raise all four of my boys, and mostly, I love that I get to give glory to God for saving my little boy when doctors and nurses had tried everything to save him.

I love you Clark, and I am so thankful that I get to be your daddy.

Related Posts:

My Son Henry

My Son Isaac

Videos of a "Venturous" Vacation: Memorable Moments in Music City

If you're new to these episodes you gotta start....

Here...

Then Here...

Then Here...

And Finally Here.

In an effort to start wrapping up this great Ad-"Venture" here are some of my favorite pics from the 4 day event, and then a video montage to follow (since I had to keep with the "video" theme). In case you are wondering, many of these were taken at the Gaylord Opryland Resort which is a MUST see when in Music City.

Just The 17 of Us

Yet Another Failed Attempt to Get a "Perfect" Family Photo

Taking a Dip in the Fountain

Gotta Love the Shots from Behind

Make sure to listen to the lyrics of "Broken" by Jack Johnson....(Ironically, this CD was playing in the van during our break down.)

Stay Tuned for the Grand Finale and the Revealing of our NEW VAN to be delivered to the Murray Casa Tomorrow!!!!

Videos of a "Venturous" Vacation: "Reserved Room for the Griswolds, Please"

Start Here...
Prequel

Sequel I

Sequel II

After our "Griswold Moment" we hit the road for another 3 hour tour. We were more than relieved to pull up to The Residence Inn in Brentwood, TN (just south of Nashville). Regardless of being 4 hours late, we still beat my parents and sister + her family down, and were able to pull off the surprise.

Here's a peak at our BIG surprise. They were so shocked that the door slams on them! Hilarious! I think the boys were just as surprised with all the commotion.

I think they're shaking to another 50 Years!

Next Episode: "Memorable Moments in Music City"

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

You'll Look Sweet Upon a Seat, Of a Bicycle Built for 6?

Van? Who needs a van if you could ride in style with a sweet contraption like this! Six seater bicycle listed on ebay and locally on craiglist for $3500. Sure it has keyless entry, fuel efficiency, leather, and custom design, but I'm not sure about it's crash test ratings. (Thanks to Ben for passing this along for a great chuckle!)

Moving Forward....

We made the switch to forward facing car seats. I think the little munchkins are pleased with the results....

Isaac: "Mom, I can definitely do my backseat driving better from this position."

Clark: "Mom, do these windows have UV protection for my pasty white legs?"

Brooks: "Mom, a book about cookies?, this is SWEET!"

Henry: "Mom, was that my duck making that noise or was it a surprise waiting for you? Better roll down the windows!"

15 MONTHS TOMORROW!!!! I feel like my life is in fast "forward".

My Son Henry

The picture you see above is not what it appears to be. I know it looks like chicken and noodles, but I assure you that what you see above is much, much more than that. Henry worked on this creation for the better part of dinner time at the table. While all three of his brothers ate, played, and talked at the table, Henry was very quiet, and very concentrated. You may think that he quickly smushed this pile of noodles, chicken, and corn together hastily, but you would be wrong. Each of these bits of food were maticulously placed in just the right spot, then inspected for structural integrity.

I am not kidding folks, this one was really funny to watch. He took several minutes and placed each bit of food on this pile one piece at a time. I am convinced that Henry must have decided to become an architect. He is not able to communicate this verbally yet, but he was very proud of this structure.

Conveniently, shortly after Henry created this masterpiece, I needed to go to Lowes to pick up some supplies for a few home repairs. I decided that this was a perfect time for me to show Henry "man's land". I showed him what real lumber looked like and explained that someday he could build real buildings out of real wood, not just chicken, noodles, and corn. I cannot be sure, but I think I heard Henry say, "this is the coolest place I have ever seen, dad" under his breath.


I cannot tell you what a joy it is to be this boy's dad. Henry makes me laugh almost everyday. I am so proud to call him my son. God has filled my heart with so much love for this little rascal that I cannot even begin to express it. I love Henry's electric blue eyes, his love for wrestling and being rough, the way he curles up on my lap for his night bottle (man, I will miss that), his daring personality, his lightning fast crawl, his perfect hair, his ability to get out of any confined spot, the way he whispers da da da, and most of all, the fact that God created Him just the way he is and gave him to us healthy.

Henry entered our world 2 months premature. He was our first and our smallest, wieghing just 2lbs. 12oz. I am so excited to see what God has in store for Henry's life. I pray daily for his salvation and the impact I hope he can have on his world. I also pray daily that my example, and Jen's example would show him what it means to live every day for Jesus Christ. And, when we fall short in this area, I hope to point him to Jesus who is the only one who can forgive us for our sins. Henry needs a Savior just like I do, so I trust God to take care of him.

I love you Henry,

Dad

PS In case you are wondering, I am planning to write a post on each of my four sons. They are all a blessing and I cannot get enough of them, so I want to praise God publically for the amazing gifts He has given me through my precious wife....

Please Stay ON Grass...

Brad and I let the boys do some grass exploration the other night after a long walk. At first they just sat in it motionless, then Henry (shocking, I know) took off, and before we knew it we were playing "Keep the Quads on the Grass", giving about 12 of our neighbors some nice entertainment. Perhaps its time to start getting some fence estimates????? After this Brad "jog mowed" the yard before dark - Joe & Suz, you know what I'm talkin' about! They look so serious in these pictures - but TRUST ME they LOVE being out in the Great Outdoors!

Clark

Isaac

Henry

Brooks

Isaac

Clark

Brooks and Henry

Olympic Hopefuls 2008....

Ready for one of my all time favorite video posts? Turn up the volume, gather around the monitor and laugh out loud with us! (Note: If you are a chiropractor, you might wanna pass!)

Just Breathe....

Thank you for your prayers over the past few days. Things are improving daily with just a few bumps along the way. Brooks has been entertaining us with his speed steroids extremes. One minute he is stoned and out of it, the next he is frustrated by his failed attempts to scale the walls, literally! He has this impulsiveness of needing to climb all of the sudden. It's completely bizarre! He takes his last dose tonight, so hopefully we will see some of the true Brooks shining through those donut eyes soon.

Baby Einstein has come to our rescue once again as a distracting device during our time in the breathing chair. Check out the "wigged out" Brooks getting "nebulized"....

Thankfully the other boys' symptoms are fairly minor for now. Clark has exhibited some wheezing, so he's getting his turn in the breathing chair as well. Don't you think he'd make a great firefighter someday?

Translation in case you don't speak "one year old":
"Whas Da?" w/ pointer finger = What's That? (We think, anyway!)
Regardless it's cute, especially muffled. =)

Breathing easier,

And The Best Dump Goes To....

"I Got Dumped" Contest Winner:

Jenny Burkett

Photo #3

Burkett Quad Squad

Note to Jenny: Would you email me your home address so that I can send you the Starbucks gift card? Just don't "DUMP" your beverage while you're there! =)

I'm showcasing all your great dumps through a public folder on Picasa. If you click on the picture icon it should take you there!

I Got Dumped!

Hopefully you all sympathize with my tough decision of picking a Top Ten out of all these fantastic entries! A BIG thanks to all who participated! And....

Happy Future Dumping!