Wells Quads and a Queen

I did it again!!

2012-01-27T12:43:00.006-06:00

Ugh! As hard as I try, I just can't seem to make this a habit. Not making any more promises to do better, just thought it would be fun to post something new today. Why not?!

Life is busy here at our house....between 4 Kindergarteners and a third grader, there is never a dull moment. Our routines have changed with everyone in school now, and it's still fun, just different. Mommy is working almost full time away from the house. The girls have all been doing gymnastics. And as always, we love to spend time with our family and friends. God has blessed us abundantly and we are beyond grateful for that.

Here's a few pics to update you a little. Maybe I can do this more often, but don't hold your breath. :)

First day of school

Madison and Duke
Duke was our "first born". He is 13 years old now and loves our girls, but I think him and Madi have a special bond. I love watching her play and talk to him.

Halloween Fun
Girls dressed up as the Wizard of Oz cast. Reagan was Dorthy, Madison the Scarecrow, McKinley the Lion, Taylor the Tin Man, and Kennedy the Good Witch Glinda.

Girls at Christmas

So, there you have it. I will do my best to return soon. Until then...

March of Dimes 2010

2010-04-17T21:51:00.006-05:00

We interrupt this already delayed program, to give you a current update. :)

Next weekend, we will be walking in the 2010 March of Dimes, March for Babies walk in memory of Carter and in honor of McKinley, Kennedy, Madison, and Taylor. This is our 4th year to participate as Team Wells Quints. It started out as our immediate family, along with grandparents and a few aunts & uncles. This year I have ordered 128 t-shirts, and of those, it sounds like we will have over 50 walkers.

I didn't understand what the March of Dimes was until we spent our fair share of time in the NICU. Life will never be the same. I will never doubt the miracles that God performs on a daily basis, I will never take for granted the birth of a perfectly healthy baby, and I will forever be grateful for the money that has gone to research & studies for premature babies. Our girls would have not had a chance 20 years ago being born at 1 lb. 9 oz to 2 lb. 1 oz.. Things would have turned out MUCH differently. And for that reason, we support the March of Dimes.

Our t-shirts this year look like this...

Back says....

June 16, 2006 is the day our lives changed. Carter Robert Wells entered our world at 26 weeks, along with his quintuplet sisters, McKinley Jo, Kennedy Lil, Madison Kay, and Taylor Nan. It took only 8 short hours to fall in love with a baby boy that would too soon become our angel. He so courageously protected his sisters and showed the power of God's grace. Carter will forever be our little hero and we look forward to our joyous reunion in heaven. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29.11

Our team has raised $820 as of today. Our goal is $2000. It's a lofty goal but I'm still hoping for the best. :) The money Team Wells Quints raises also goes toward the Woodlands Mothers of Multiples club. WMOM has a goal of $15,000, which we are only a little over $1000 from reaching....as of now, highest amount in Montgomery County! Woo hoo!

So IF you can help, please check out our MOD webpage at

www.marchforbabies.org/wellsquints
Thank you to everyone who has already given...we truly appreciate your support!

Reagan's 6th Birthday

2010-03-19T22:58:00.010-05:00

Reagan's 6th Birthday

celebrated with great friends and family at the gym (her new found 2nd home)

"Would you please stop growing up!?!?"

Blowing out her candles with sisters watching from behind

Reagan's friends and family getting ready to go play

Cake and ice cream time!

Proud Daddy and Mommy :)

For Reagan's birthday, Aunt Wendy and Uncle Randall paid for her to go to

CYT (Christian Youth Theatre) Camp during the summer. Logan went as well, and they

had a blast each and every day. The last night they performed the play "Newsies!".

It was fabulous! What a great gift! Thank you!

Reagan on stage

It's hard to see her, but she's in the second row, 6th from the left

Logan had a solo during the performance! That's him at the microphone.

And I saved the best for last! This picture says it all!

Best Cousins Forever!

Reagan and Logan were born only 5 weeks apart and they love being together!

Isn't that the cutest?!?

Fun in the Sun ~ Summer 09

2010-03-16T23:38:00.017-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite pics from our hot, Texas summer days! This makes me anxious to get our "tan on" and swim again....but not excited about the humidity! Yuck! We had lots of fun last summer and I know this one will be even better...

Fun at the park...

Madison, Taylor, Kennedy, McKinley

McKinley

Playing in the water fountains...one of the girls' favorite things to do!

Kennedy getting a kiss from Aunt Jeni

Rea Rea going for a bike ride

McKinley, Taylor, Madison, Kennedy, Reagan

Playdate at our house for Reagan

Hailee, Payton, Rea

Visiting a new pool with some friends from church

Thank you Mrs. Kimberly, Andrew, and Kaitlyn! The girls LOVED it!

Sweet Madi

They loved this one!

Taylor trying to join Andrew under the bubble

The rainbow shower- surely there will be one of these in heaven!

We even swam at Grandma's office a few times

Madison and Kennedy

Reagan loves her Daddy!

Port Aransas ~ Summer 09

2010-03-15T16:28:00.023-05:00

Pictures from our trip to Port Aransas with Robby's family.

The girls had a BLAST...still talk about it now! Thank you Murray family for letting us crash your family reunion!

Kennedy, McKinley, and Reagan

getting a good look at the water as we cross on the ferry

McKinley getting Papa love!

Reagan the Mermaid

The girls LOVE animals...
so this dog got some attention as she walked down the beach with her owner.

Daddy and Madison watching the baby clams hide under the sand

Madison

Mommy getting some Reagan love!

On the dolphin cruise

Aunt Wendy, Logan, Reagan, and Carrie

Daddy and Taylor

Kennedy with Papa

Reagan and Logan

Carrie and Reagan

McKinley and Kennedy ready for the beach

Daddy playing at the beach with the girls

The "sand man" was teaching the kids how to build sand sculptures

The big kids were using his techniques

The little kids were even trying...

And after much hard work... they all did THIS!

(with LOTS of assistance from the Sand Man)

It was a great weekend at the beach....hopefully we can do that again very soon!

Wisconsin ~ Summer 09

2010-03-14T23:25:00.023-05:00

We were in Wisconsin for a week in July last summer. It's always nice to visit family that we only see once or twice a year, and this time was no different! We usually stay with my Grandma the majority of the time, but since she can no longer live by herself, we stayed at my uncle Arlen and aunt Rhonda's house...on the farm! The girls had a BLAST!

Reagan in the barn on the hay

And of course....milking a cow! Well, getting it cleaned up to put the milker on.

Then off to Aunt Judy's house to visit more family....

Reagan and Aunt Jean

Girls with Aunt Sandy and her kids

Vince, Taylor, Jesse, Kennedy, Sandy, McKinley, Sammy, Madison

Then....to Aunt Diane's house for dinner

Reagan on the tire swing

Girls in the corn field

Checking out the horse

Crazy Aunt Didee playing "doctor"

Cousins... our five, Aunt Judy's 2 girls, and cousin Cindy's 2 kids

Lindsey, Taylor, Madison, McKinley, Kennedy, Mckenzie
Mesa, Reagan, Rio

Took a drive to Milwaukee/Madison to visit more family

My cousin, Kelly's, kids and our girls

Taylor, Sara, Kennedy
Reagan, Kyle, Madison, and McKinley

McKinley

Back to the farm

Great Grandma pushing Madison

Kennedy

Taylor "hanging" in the barn

What awesome weather and soft grass....they loved playing outside!

SURPRISE!!!

2010-03-14T23:15:00.001-05:00

I'm back!! Yes, FINALLY! I officially dropped off the face of the planet for a good 7 months and I'm going to try to catch up. Not as much with words but with some much needed pictures. I know you don't need an explanation, but I feel like giving one. :) First, my laptop "died" (which it has been revived, but not in my hands yet), then I lost my camera for almost 2 months (since been found-no comment), and I've been working two part time jobs...so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

It's Spring Break now, and I'm going to try to play catch up on the blog. I'm hoping to start where I left off (August 09) and post as many "important" pics as possible to recapture our busy days since then. It makes me sad to go back through these old pics and see how much the girls have grown up. It is literally happening before our eyes! Please be patient, not promising a miracle this week. :) But I am hoping to get a good jump start so that I can keep current from here on out! We have missed you all...thank you for being so patient!

Swimming Lessons

2009-08-03T15:40:00.017-05:00

I have alot of updating from this summer to catch up on so here we go....

We started our summer off with a bang doing swim lessons for all five girls! Reagan's lessons were planned for the first three weeks of summer and the other four girls' were a blessing from up above....thanks to Mrs. Kim! Story to follow...

Reagan took 2 of the 3 weeks of lessons (middle week was VBS) and did fabulous! She didn't take lessons last summer, so it had been 2 years since she had been taught the basics. But she picked them up quickly and enjoyed her time in the pool. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics of the actual lessons (I think I was busy chasing/entertaining/feeding 4 other little girls for that very long 30 minutes).

Last day of lessons

Reagan playing in the water fountains

Mrs. Kim going over everything she learned in lessons and telling her what she still needed to work on. She graduated to the next level!

As we were getting out of the car on the first day of lessons, we noticed a very familiar face!

One of Reagan's very good friends from her Kindergarten class, Julianne, just happened to be taking lessons at the very same time. There are only 30+ classes to choose from, and we couldn't have planned it to work out that way...very cool! So Reagan got to kick off her summer with seeing Julianne every morning for 2 weeks. We even squeezed in a playdate at our house after lessons one day. :)

Julianne and Reagan

(We will miss Julianne this year, as she will be going to a new school...but look forward to seeing her at the softball fields in the fall!)

Then as I was saying before, our blessing from above came on the 3rd week. Monday at swim lessons, Reagan's teacher, Mrs. Kim, offered graciously to give the girls lessons at her house for a fabulous price that we couldn't pass up. So we said YES!!

Reagan's lessons were from 9:45 to 10:15 and then the four little ones were from 12:30 to 1:00!

It was hectic but so worth every penny and drop of sweat! Mrs. Kim was awesome!

She did great with Reagan and even better with the girls. I wasn't expecting much, just to gain a little confidence, learn some pool rules, and have fun....and they got a whole lot more!

Big Sis walking sisters from the car to Mrs. Kim's house for lessons

She has a beautiful pool...if we are ever able to build one ourselves, I would do it just like this!

Girls kicking their legs

Mrs. Kim, McKinley, Taylor, Kennedy, Madison

McKinley practing blowing bubbles

*Please note the dolphin picture at the bottom of the pool. This is where they were "supposed" to sit when it wasn't their turn. I can't tell you how many times Mrs. Kim and I said, "Where's the dolphin?" and "Are you sitting on the dolphin?". It was a constant battle....until

Dad came!

Then for some reason, they could hear again! It's amazing how that works!

Normally, they listen to me, especially when we are out in public, but for some reason, maybe it was the water in their ears, they would not sit and listen when I told them to. I threatened everything under the sun and even did time-out a time or two...but Daddy comes....and wah-la!

Look at Madison and Kennedy sitting in time out for him!! Please!!!

Kennedy having another turn....thinking about what she did wrong....or not!

But overall they did a great job. I guess I can't fault them too much....4 two year olds in a pool and 'you want me to do what mom?!?'. I know! But I just wanted them to get the most out of it and in the end, I think they did.

Mrs. Kim trying to get McKinley to go under and grab a toy off the step.

And then there is Taylor "Mrs. I Can Do It!"

Check her out diving down for a toy. Notice she is even a step lower than McKinley.

By the end of the two weeks, she could get a toy off the bottom of the pool. :)

Taylor floating

She was so comfortable and relaxed in the water. She is definitely going to be the one we have to worry about and watch the most until she can really swim. She has no fear!

Madison blowing bubbles and kicking

Kennedy working on her reach and pull

And the last thing they did at each lesson was jump into the water for Mrs. Kim.

As you can imagine, Taylor was the best at this. McKinley almost got to where she didn't have to be holding Mrs. Kim's hand to jump in (definitely our least brave of the bunch).

And while they girls were in lessons, Reagan was allowed to swim in the hot tub. This made her very happy and much easier on mommy as well. :)

S'more Graham!

2009-07-14T12:46:00.015-05:00

I couldn't resist using that as the title! :)

As dad likes to say...I like S'mores and I like Graham, so I LOVE S'more Graham!

As I posted previously, Graham was born almost 3 weeks ago, spent 1 week in the NICU, and has now been home for almost 2. Because of our crazy busy schedule and then an unexpected trip to Wisconsin, we hadn't met our new nephew and cousin....until Sunday!

Alli and Brad came to our house for a visit, what a treat! As you can only imagine the girls were very excited, especially Reagan.

Isn't that the cutest thing you ever saw?!!?

Baby Graham Kipton in my arms

About 10 months ago, McKinley and Kennedy sent their pacifiers to heaven on a balloon to Carter. Cold turkey, they were done. Madison had given hers up on her own months before that. Although, when we sent Taylor's up, up and away, she was not happy! She cried, threw herself on the driveway, and fought us at bedtime and naptime for the next 2 days until we gave in and gave it back to her. I know...SUCKERS! She just truly wasn't ready. I think she would have had a nervous breakdown. :) She was only getting it at naptime and bedtime, but those were "important" times for her.

I said all that to say...about 1/2 way through Alli's pregnancy we came up with this great idea of giving Taylor's paci to Alli's baby when it arrived. Taylor was all for it, never questioned it or hesitated when we talked about it. I just knew it would be different once it was really time. Well, Sunday was the day. She found the two that she was currently using, put them in a ziplock bag, and happily gave them to baby Graham.

And I'm proud to say, that it has now been two bedtimes and two naptimes of "No Paci" Success! Way to go Taylor and THANK YOU Graham! She has cried and fussed each time, until today's nap...and not a word, not a fuss, just straight to sleep! I think it's going to work!

After mommy got some Graham loving, he was off to the arms of his big cousin, Rea Rea.

And boy was she in heaven! She held him on the couch for over an hour straight! She just sat there, smiling at him, singing to him, looking at him....hardly moved a muscle. And he was pretty content himself. :) Reagan LOVES Graham THHIISSSS MUCH!!

And the little girls were quite impressed as well. We had a talk before Alli and Brad came to remind them that we can't touch the baby's face or hands...just his feet. Hard concept to understand but they did pretty good.

While they were sharing Graham with Reagan, Aunt Alli and Uncle Brad got some sweet time with the girls as well. Our girls loves their aunts and uncles!

Allison and McKinley

Graham, Reagan, and Allison

Proud Cousin

Graham sleeping away in the arms of Reagan.
It was if he knew who was holding him and how much he was being loved on.

Baby Graham with all the girls
Graham, Reagan, Madison, Taylor, McKinley, and Kennedy

Thank you Alli and Brad for coming to see us. What a treat and a great welcome home from our trip to Wisconsin. We will never forget our first visit with sweet Graham!

P.S. Happy 2nd Anniversary Allison and Brad!

Sweet Baby Graham

2009-07-01T16:23:00.014-05:00

We are so excited to announce that Graham Kipton is here!

My sister, Allison, and her hubby, Brad, welcomed their first child into the world a week ago today on June 24, 2009. Unfortunately, due to some complications with mommy, he was born a few weeks early. He weighed 5 lbs. 9 oz. but his little lungs just weren't quite ready to breathe on their own, so he had to spend the first 7 days in the NICU. As I have said all along, no one can prepare you for a NICU experience. And even though Brad and Alli walked beside us while we were there and now Brad has spent many work hours in the NICU, there still isn't words to express the emotional roller coaster ride you go through when it's your own child. They handled the situation beautifully!

He was born last Wednesday, but because of our super crazy schedule around here, I wasn't able to get to the hospital to see her until Thursday night. I took my side-kick and 'Aunt Alli lover', Reagan, with me. Even though she knew she wasn't going to be able to see Graham, she was super ecstatic to see Allison. And Brad too, of course! :)

When we first got to the hospital, Alli was MIA. We quickly found out that she was in the NICU visiting Graham, and would return soon. Reagan thought that would be a perfect opportunity for her to rest and keep Alli's bed warm for her.

When Allison returned to the room she was glowing! She was able to hold Graham for the first time that night. That was one happy (but still very tired and sore) momma!

And then Daddy was next...does he look proud or what?!

And check out those poor blood shot eyes. They had been at the hospital in labor since Monday night, and after about 36 hours, decided to do a c-section. No one had gotten much sleep around there. None the less, I know if you ask either of them, it was worth every minute!

Then Alli was pampered by Reagan.

She checked out her swollen feet and even put her sock back on for her.

Then it was time to get "snug as a bug in a rug".
Reagan covering up Alli for the night.

Visiting over dinner (or late night snack...extra calories for Graham).
I think Reagan was really sweet talking her for a bite of her strawberry shortcake.

Reagan giving Alli her "see you later" hugs. That girl LOVES her Aunt Alli.
It was very hard for her to leave her at the hospital...she even cried when we got in the car....mommy did too.

And then I got some Alli love!

BJ, Alli, and Rea

We are so excited and proud to say that as of yesterday, June 30, Graham was released from the NICU to go home! Hip hip hooray! The last 24 hours has gone smoothly. Grandpa and Beatie were there for his arrival last night and Grandma has taken a couple days off to spend with them now. Our girls are waiting patiently to see him, but we want to make sure they are 100% well before meeting their new cousin.

Congrats Alli and Brad! We love you baby Graham!

More pics to come.....

But please be patient, I think our laptop (that was very graciously given to us by one of Robby's co-workers when I was put on bedrest with the quints) kicked the bucket tonight. I'm praying that I can safely retrieve all of my pictures off of there...if not, it's going to be a sad, sad day at the Wells' house. :( Keep you posted!

Happy Birthday to You X 4!

2009-06-16T14:58:00.013-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to

McKinley, Kennedy, Madison and Taylor

TODAY!

It's still sinking in my thick head that the girls are really 3 years old. I know this is normal, but it truly feels like it was just yesterday that they came into this world. If it wasn't for all the drugs they gave me that day, I'd probably be able to remember every detail. :) It was a crazy day, unexpected emergency c-section, birth of quintuplets, and the sad news of losing our Carter. June 16 is definitely a day Robby and I will NEVER forget.

After having two big parties for their 1st and 2nd birthdays, we decided to celebrate this year with just family at our house. It was a sweet time for the girls as they actually realized what was going on this year. All day Kennedy said, "It's my birthday!" with the biggest grin. She seemed to enjoy the day the most.

Here's a few pics for now, more to come...

Our family with the Birthday Sign

(gift from Signsational Signs for their first bday but we have used it every year!)

Daddy, McKinlely, Kennedy, Reagan, Taylor, Madison, and Mommy

McKinley Jo

born at 11:08am on 6.16.06

(seconds after her brother Carter)

weighing 1 lb. 9 oz.

Kennedy Lil

born at 11:09am on 6.16.06

weighing 2 lb. 1 oz.

Madison Kay

born at 11:09am on 6.16.06

weighing 1 lb. 14 oz.

Taylor Nan

born at 11:10am on 6.16.06

weighing 1 lb. 9 oz.

It was a great birthday party, weekend, and day for the girls. We sure do miss our Carter, but I know he had a big party in Heaven. And we sent him up some balloons! :) Thank you to everyone for the sweet cards, gifts, calls, and thoughts....I keep saying, one day these girls will REALLY understand how much they are loved. THANK YOU!!

Reagan Graduated...

2009-06-03T15:37:00.029-05:00

...from Kindergarten this week!

I truly feel like it was just a few weeks ago that we were taking her for the first day of school. How does that happen?!? Ugh! Our little girl is growing up right before our eyes.

It was a fabulous year and as a parent, I couldn't have asked for better. The Lord was definitely leading the way! Her teacher was awesome, she made some great friends, and the staff met my expectations (and they were high). Thank you LSE!

Reagan had a Kindergarten Celebration on Tuesday.

They received their Certificate of Completion and sang a few songs on the stage. I'm including pictures and a short video because you have to see the facial expressions...she's a hoot! Although, she doesn't necessarily love being the center of attention, she enjoys being on stage and performing.

Reagan with her principal, Mrs. Fiaschetti

3 of the 7 kindergarten classes performed together on Tuesday.

Reagan is on the top row, 2nd one from the left.

First song they sang, "Jazzy Three Bears Rap"
This was the Papa Bear part...

Then the Baby Bear part...

And then the last song they sang was "Happy Trails To You".
Of course, I didn't have enough memory on my card to video the entire song, but you get the idea. It was very sweet!

Daddy and Reagan before leaving the house that morning.

Reagan and Mommy
I know, shocker, I'm actually in a picture!?!
I love that kid!

Reagan and Grandma

Nana and Papa with Reagan

Nana and Papa with all five girls
Little sisters LOVED watching big sis on stage. They were so proud!
Reagan waved to Kennedy from the stage at one point, and Kennedy could not stop smiling, she was beaming from ear to ear!

Note: the girls are all wearing Reagan's hand-me-down dresses. :) They are about the age that Reagan was when they were born so we started buying and saving Reagan's clothes, knowing one day they would be worn again... it was hard to imagine at that time though.

McKinley, Taylor, Nana, Reagan, Papa, Kennedy, and Madison

And Reagan with her two sweet friends, Megan and Julianne
These three were close buddies all year long!

So since Reagan officially "graduated" from Kindergarten and today was her last day of school, Daddy told her we could celebrate with a "date night". Although, she doesn't like to call it that anymore (she says, that's what mommy and daddy do, not little girls) so we call it a "Reagan Night" now. :) She chose to go to Incredible Pizza, so we dropped the girls off at Grandma's house and went to celebrate with our big 1st grader!

Reagan playing Air Hockey

Reagan scoring on Daddy

Reagan played her first game of putt-putt golf, and LOVED it!

On the first hole, Daddy stood behind her and helped with her swing....hole in one!

Daddy and his "little" girl

Mommy and Rea Rea

This was one of Reagan's favorite games, skeet ball!

And couldn't pass up the Ms. Pac-Man game...ok, this one was for Daddy. :)

Daddy teaching her how to "aim and fire"!

And the "big winnings"!

Reagan earned a whopping 72 tickets to buy herself a bouncy ball and a plastic ring.

She was happy,

but even more happy that she got to spend some one-on-one time with Daddy and Mommy!

And we were the MOST happy!

Congratulations Reagan!

We love you THIS much!

Summer here we come!

Frio River

2009-06-01T22:27:00.047-05:00

Once again, a very long overdue post, I guess this could be the norm. :(

We took our annual family vacation to the Frio River a couple weeks ago and had a blast as usual. Well, I'll be honest, I was cautiously optimistic that this year would be better than last. On top of being sick, the girls were just at a hard stage last year, so it wasn't super enjoyable...but MUCH BETTER this time! This was our 7th year to go with my family, and every year the company changes a little.

This year...

Dad and Beatie

Michael, Leigh, Ellery and Tristan

Allison and Brad

Jeni and Brad

David, Kym, Peyton and Hannah

Sonja, Danny, Lane and Mason

Chris

Scott and Crystal

and

Scott

so yes, that's 18 adults and 11 kids...29 people total

missed you mom :)

I used to plan the trips until I was pregnant with the quints, and then my super duper step-sister, Sonja, took over...thank you! She has been doing it since, and I must say, it's nice to be "along for the ride". We have always stayed in a different house each summer, but this year she hit the bullseye! We found us a winner!

Most the houses along the river that are for rent have a name, this one was "Paradise"... perfect name! This was our view from the back porch....

Our own sidewalk down to the river

As soon as we got there, the kids took off to the water, and then headed back to tell how it looked!

View of our "Paradise" from the sidewalk

We left at 4 am that morning, and arrived in Concan before 10am. With 6 cars caravaning and 11 kids, proud to say that we still only had to make one pitstop. Once we arrived at the house, it's time for preparations for the long weekend. It was like ants unloading the trucks, everybody moving!

First things first, unload the groceries and stock the refridgerators and the pantry!
WOW, that's a LOT of food!

Then, it's time to put the "river equipment" on the truck so that the tubes can easily be carried from the house to the river when dropping off the "floaters".

Danny and Robby at work

Next, make the kids happy. We brought our handy dandy sand table.

Mason, Kennedy, and Lane

And then our "Family Newcomer" had the right idea of finding his perfect spot on the river.

Brad H. a.k.a. Jeni's Brad

And last but not least, everyone needs to put on a life preserver...or two...or three!

Ellery, my super sweet niece!

Here's Reagan helping out Lane before heading down to the river to swim

Scott only thought he was along for a quiet, peaceful trip to the river! Sorry Scott, there's 11 more kids than the last time you came. :)

Me with my little girls

Madison, Kennedy, Ellie, Mommy, McKinley, and Taylor

Then after the little girls swam, it was time for a nap. Which meant some one on one time with Reagan while Daddy took a river trip.

The big kids found the perfect place to jump and here was Reagan showing off for me. She had to jump a half dozen times to get each shot (note Hannah's change in position).

Go Reagan!

I think everyone would agree that these four kids had the BEST time out of everyone! I know Reagan will never forget this vacation with her cousins.

Peyton, Lane, Hannah, and Reagan

And can't forget about Mason Roo...look at that innocent face. :)

Michael and Leigh with their kiddos, Ellie and Tristan

Leigh's first time also to be at the river with the family

This was the view "up river" from our spot at the bottom of our house.

There was a nice walkway up on the rock to let the little ones float a few yards.

Or they could hang out in the shallow water by the rock island...

it was perfect for the kids!

Madison, Taylor, and Kennedy

Kennedy

Madison

Grandpa floating down the river with McKinley and Taylor

Then back to the house for some more rest time...

Mason and Grandpa Bob

Have I mentioned how much Grandpa loves his grandkids...all 11 of them! Definitely more than he loves the river, and that's ALOT!

The first year we took Reagan to the river, my cousin Kris, found a really cool place near Concan that we didn't know existed...

it's called, Reagan Wells, Texas!

Can you believe that!? Reagan has her own little town!

Yes, it is very little...no stop sign or stop light, but there is an old's boy's ranch that's now a bed & breakfast type resort and a baptist church. We went to visit before she was one and haven't been back since, so we stopped by again this year.

Reagan Wells, Texas

Reagan Wells Ranch

Reagan Wells Baptist Church

Pretty cool, I must say. Even cooler that we didn't know the town existed when we named her. She still doesn't quite get it, but will soon. When we got done taking the first picture with the green state sign, I said, "Isn't that neat Rea?"...she said, "what, it's just a green sign with my name on it." One day she'll understand. :)

The other four had a great time this year and we had fun watching them!

McKinley being goofy, what she does best!

Madison being stubborn and not smiling for the picture

Kennedy being sweet and looking pretty

Taylor being serious, deep in thought

All five of our girls, love it!

Kennedy, McKinley, Madison, Taylor, and Reagan

And last but not least, Tristan!

If that smile doesn't melt your heart?!?

Our family picture before leaving to go back home.

Grandpa trying to keep the kids entertained while we finished packing the car.

It was only fun for a few seconds though. :)

Our traditional "group picture" before leaving...good times!

And next year there will be two more!!!

No, Brad isn't really having a baby!

But Alli and Sonja are! Can't wait to meet them in the next month or so...

Thank you everyone for a great trip!

We had so much fun and can't wait to go back!!

Surprised Aunt Alli

2009-05-22T10:44:00.012-05:00

This is a very belated post, but definitley worth the wait.

Last month, we surprised Aunt Alli at her school the day before her birthday. She lives closer to us than she has in 8 years, but it's still hard to make the time to see each other...so decided this was a perfect opportunity. She was taking the day off for her birthday and a dr. appointment the next day and her students had been asking if she was bringing birthday cake for her birthday. After twisting Grandma's arm (yeah, right?!?), she agreed to go with us to Pearland to deliver cupcakes to Aunt Alli for her pre-birthday party!

Grandma leading the way into Aunt Alli's school

Girls patiently waiting while we checked in.

Madison, McKinley, Taylor, and Kennedy

They called Allison in the teacher's lounge on her lunch break. She almost didn't come out, wondering what could be more important than a pregnant mommy's lunch!??

"Four girls here to see you" and then it clicked!!

Instant tears as she came around the corner and saw the girls...only thing that could have made it better was if Reagan could have been with us. :)

"AUNT ALLI"!!!! "AAAHH!!!"

(look at McKinley ready to run!)

Big Aunt Alli hugs!

To her classroom while the students were at lunch...
always a teaching moment for 2 year olds. Good ole' tanagrams!

And of course, cupcakes for everyone!

Her students are singing "Happy Birthday" to her and the girls are in awe of the students.

Girls are right in front of Alli at the reading table

Done with cupcakes and time for recess!

Everyone must walk with their "bear in the cave" down the hallway, no running, and no talking. Never too early to learn!

The girls were brave for a little while and even went down the slide at the playground while the big kids watched their every move.

Then it was time to leave. Alli had work to do, kids to teach, and we had naps to catch!

Sweet hug from Taylor Bear

We love you Aunt Alli!

And we can't wait to meet our new baby cousin in your belly...is it a boy or girl?!?

We could use some more boys around here but have lots of cute girls stuff to pass on!

Perfect Day!

2009-05-07T21:11:00.031-05:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to post about this PERFECT DAY! Life doesn't slow down much around here but no time for slackers either! :) Our March for Babies, March of Dimes walk was a HUGE success. Thank you to EVERYONE who was involved in some way or another. This was a bittersweet day for Robby and I and we couldn't have asked for better people to celebrate with! We had a total of 59 1/2 people walking with us (yes, 1/2...there were 3 babies in bellies, so 58 + 3 preggos)...awesome! And the rest that ordered shirts and couldn't be there, wore them on Sunday so Carter could see!

Wells Quints Team 2009

Sorry Brock family, you were cut off on the left side- no Sheri or Ryan :(

and please note the lovely Danny, posing down front :)

Unloaded and ready to walk

Aunt Alli and Aunt Jeni doing some final touch ups and high fives!

Big Sis on the move

Let's get this train moving, there are people waiting for us!

March of Dimes honored the Wells Quints with a Mission Sign that was displayed along the course of our 3 mile walk. Right next to our sweet friends, The Guinn Triplets, and The Woodlands Mothers of Multiples.

Family Pic

Madison, Mommy, Taylor, Kennedy, Reagan, Daddy, and McKinley

Mrs. Texas was also there!

6 beautiful ladies :)

Sweet memory for Reagan, thank you Bonnie!

Then after the Wells Team round-up, some pictures, speech on stage,

some more pictures.... it was finally time to walk!
Ready Set Go!

Cousins, Logan and Carrie, lead the pack

Sweet!

Logan, Lane, Reagan , and Carrie

Tired Mason, hanging out

Mason named after Carter...Mason Carter :)

He's only 3 months younger than girls, always makes me think, what if?!

Two of our sweet volunteers from when the girls were little (and my elementary school teachers), still supporting us!

Bettie and Joanne

Troy and Trey

precious pic of Father & Son

Trey also named after Carter....Trey Carter :)

Part of the group walking for ALL those precious babies!

College Friends, Alyssa and Mark, with their cousin, Ava

(and a 1/2 to add to our count)

Alyssa having a boy in July!!

Dad pushing Beatie, and Kennedy along for ride

It killed Grandma Beatie to be in that wheelchair....we want that foot to start healing fast!

Uncle Michael, Ellie, and Peyton

Cool man Ryan

(good thing I got an individual of you since you didn't make the group!)

How does that hat smell? :)

And how about that game winning hit the other night!?! You are awesome!!

Then after our fun, everyone headed back to our house for some good ole' mudbugs!

We couldn't have asked for better weather. Robby cooked crawfish, kids played outside, and adults talked, played some washers and of course, ate!

Here's Trey giving Taylor a kiss, or at least pretending like he was.

Look at those eyes on Taylor! :)

Lane and Reagan playing

Silly cousin Ellie

She was eating a cookie with blue icing but I think she forgot about the cookie...

or maybe she just ate a smurf!

She cracks me up!! Love that girl!

Kym and Hannah
I still think Hannah looks just like her Grandpa Davis

Peyton and Tristan

Doesn't he look just like his daddy!? Mini Michael!

Allison and her friend Kylie

Kylie & her kiddos came and walked with us, but also in memory of her niece :)

Ok, I saved the best for last again. :) This time it's Taylor...

So Robby cooked up some crawfish for the adults and we had hot dogs for the kids and the weenie adults. :) Well, Taylor decided that a hot dog wasn't enough and she needed some crawfish too. We were trying to keep her away for a little while because they were pretty spicy, but she managed to sneek a few, and then a few more....

Hanging out behind Grandma on the chair...eyeing the mudbugs...

then getting herself in position....

making the final leap over the shoulder...

for the kill!

And so proud of herself!

Teaching them young to love those mudbugs! We will have her peeling them next year!

Taylor LOVES crawfish!

"Sea food!"

Like I said....a PERFECT day!

Perfect weather!

Perfect company!

Perfect celebration!

Thank you again to everyone involved!

Thank you to March of Dimes for allowing us to be this year's Montgomery County Ambassador Family and represent MOD at numerous events!

Thank you to everyone who donated to the MOD for a grand total of $1,550!

Thank you for ordering 100 t-shirts!

Thank you for walking beside us, both in mind and body!

Thank you God for loving us and blessing us with these five girls! And please tell Carter we miss him "this much"!

We are already looking forward to next year! You won't want to miss out!

Silly Spring Days

2009-04-23T14:33:00.025-05:00

We are loving this Spring weather! It's been "mostly sunny, with a chance of rain". The days of rain have been few and far between but when it decides to come down, it lets loose. I've driven through hail 3x in the last 4 weeks or so. We got over 5 inches here at the house last weekend and we needed it...since then, "Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun!". I'm one of those that would rather be hot than cold, so this Texas Spring weather and I get along great. We have been having lots of fun outside with the girls and are looking forward to having Reagan back home with us in June. Thought you would enjoy these pictures of us on our silly spring days! :)

I think this was one of those rainy mornings where we stayed inside. You never know what they are going to come up with next, one of them is always up to something. I think this was McKinley's idea...Taylor was not allowed on the bottom after the picture, just in case. :)

Taylor loves to dress up!

The Frog Trampoline is a hit at our house. The Speck Family gave it to the girls for their birthday one year, and they love it! They watch big sister do flips and turns, and try to do the same. McKinley watches very closely.

Taylor

Madison

Kennedy AKA "Crazy Hair!"

McKinley

I told you she watches very closely...loves to "thread the needle"

We've spent a few days at the park playing as well. I will say that as much as I love the summer and enjoy the heat, it's hard to do this during those really hot days. So we are trying to enjoy this as much as possible.

Please note the t-shirts...they match the personalities perfectly. :)

Taylor

"Hello My name is CUTIE"

Madison

"Everyone loves a blue-eyed girl"

Kennedy

"I'm not trying to be difficult, it just comes naturally"

McKinley

puckering up for some chapstick before going to the park

"This is my Princess Shirt"

And last but not least....some fun pictures from today...

We delivered some t-shirts this morning and then came home to play.

I always pick out the girls outfits. Sometimes I will let them choose how to do their hair. And most of the time, I let them pick the shoes they want to wear.

So this is what we got from Taylor this morning....you never know?!?

Top to bottom

St. Patrick's Day headband
piggies
nipple from baby bottle
sweet outfit from Teresa
sticker tags up and down her legs (you can only see one in pic)
one pink and one purple flip flop

And yes, I let her wear that out of the house (minus the nipple).
Somethings just aren't worth fighting over...I was choosing my battles today!

Taylor giving Kennedy kisses!

Sweet girls!!!

Kennedy

Madison

McKinley giving Madison kisses!

McKinley

McKinley, Kennedy, and Taylor
Coudn't get all four together today :)

And after all of our fun outside...delivering, playing, and eating a picnic lunch....it was nap time!

This tends to be my favorite part of the day, not sure why?! :) Most days, they all sleep at the same time, some taking a little longer to actually fall asleep and others sleeping a little longer. McKinley is usually the first asleep and Kennedy the last. And McKinley is usually the first awake and Madison the last. There are days that this doesn't go as mommy plans, which is why I hardly ever take a nap with them, because as soon as I plan that, without fail, someone doesn't nap. So this is what happened today....remember I said usually!

Kennedy and Madison sleep in their normal beds, in separate rooms. Taylor sleeps in a pack n play in the office and McKinley sleeps in a pack n play in our room. Like I said, McKinley usually falls asleep within seconds of her head hitting the pillow...but not today! She talked, yelled, got out of her pack n play and into our bed....and then.....

I'm standing in the kitchen, getting some dinner ready to cook in the crock pot, and hear a noise in the living room. I walk over towards our room to find this...

Yes, that's McKinley trying to sneak out of the room with the blanket over her head, as if I couldn't see her. She's not making a noise.... until I called her name...

She thought she was hilarious! I guess she was, as hard as I tried not to, she made me laugh out loud. That girl is going to be trouble!

We hope that everyone else is enjoying the weather and each other! Looking forward to a very nice weekend full of crawfish, softball, birthday party, March for Babies walk, and church!

Thank You!

2009-04-22T14:33:00.006-05:00

Thank you! Thank you!

4 times over...

THANK YOU...FOR ORDERING T-SHIRTS

THANK YOU....FOR PLEDGING TO WALK WITH US SUNDAY

THANK YOU....FOR SUPPORTING US

THANK YOU....FOR GIVING TO THE MARCH OF DIMES!

I feel like we use those words so often, that they don't mean what they used to, although they are even more sincere than before. Does that make sense?

We are forever grateful for EVERYONE that has taken part of our lives during the last 3+ years and I pray that one day we will be able to "pay back" in our own way those that have "done for us".

As you can see to your left, our March of Dimes March for Babies goal has been surpassed...thanks to some very generous givers. I KNOW that this is not a great time of year to be asking for money (hints the reason I have kept the asking to a minimum). I know that many just cannot give right now, and that's ok. WE understand! But I do want to especially thank those that have, you have given to an organization that benefited our children, and many, many others.

The March for Babies Walk is this Sunday, so it's not too late to donate (we'd love to hit that 1500 mark--only 18 more $10 donations). Go to www.marchforbabies.com/wellsquints

And it's still ok for you to come walk with us. We sold 100 t-shirts and hoping at least 50 are able to walk with us. If you have a shirt and can't walk, try to still wear it on Sunday...we want Carter to "see brown from heaven" on Sunday. :) You don't need a t-shirt to walk, just come on out! It's gonna be a blast!

again...

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Happy Belated Easter!

2009-04-17T22:28:00.026-05:00

Time flew by this week, so as you can see I'm almost a week late posting, but couldn't pass up sharing these pictures. The girls had a great weekend as we celebrated Resurrection Day! As our 5 yr. old nephew, Logan, simply stated during our lunch prayer on Saturday, "it's not all about the Easter Bunny, but about how Jesus died on the cross". We focused on the true meaning but had fun with the eggs as well...

Saturday we spent the day with Robby's family. Reagan stayed the night with Nana and Papa the night before, along with her cousins, to make and decorate Easter cookies. The little girls also had a sweet surprise on arrival.

Here they are having to cover their eyes for the surprise...who's peeking!?

Kennedy, Taylor, Madison, and McKinley

SURPRISE!!

Stuffed bunnies made with love from Nana!

Nana made Reagan, Logan, and Carrie the same bunnies for their 3rd Easter as well.

Randall, Logan, Wendy, and Carrie

That's a good looking family there!

It was non-stop fun ALL day long. First things first, Easter egg hunt!

Here's all our little bunnies...

Carrie, Reagan, Logan

(Reagan and Logan are 5 weeks apart, and Carrie is 15 months younger)

McKinley, Madison, Taylor, and Kennedy

We gave the little ones a couple minute head start and told the big ones to hold tight.

Then ready, set, go.....Reagan was off!

Nana and Papa's backyard is a great hiding place for eggs, lots of room to roam.

After all the easy ones were found, then it was time to really look.

"Nana, where is the egg?"

Reagan showing me her goodies.

Looks like Logan is stealing an egg, but he is actually giving one to Reagan...sweet cousin!

McKinley Jo

"What is that face for?"

Kennedy Lil

Cutie Patootie!

Madison Kay

Serious business looking for eggs.

Taylor Nan

"Look Mom!"

Nana and Papa with their 7 grandchildren...

Bestest of Cousins!

Showing off the cookies they made the night before and about to dig in!

Then it was time for the Easter tradition of making the Easter Bunny Cake.

This was the first year, the girls helped, and they loved it!

Of course, along with decorating the cake, means that some of the decorations will need to be tested out. Taylor was the official taste tester. She is giving Daddy "her look", as if to say, "Nana told me I could!". She can cut those eyes like nobody's business!

Easter Bunny Cake--Final Product

And then, last but not least, Easter baskets from Nana and Papa....lots of goodies!

Thank you!!

Getting some Papa Love!

It was a great day! Everyone had fun, including Daddy who got to watch a little TV, Mommy who was able to visit with Wendy, Reagan who enjoyed her quality time with Logan and Carrie, and the girls who were ultimately entertained!

Thank you Nana and Papa for EVERYTHING!

Then, the most important part of the weekend...church on Sunday morning. We didn't make it to Sunrise Service, but snuck in for some breakfast. Robby played his part of one of the disciples for the last week, he was so ready to shave off that beard. Service was phenomenal!

Family Picture with the Cross of Flowers

Made with all fresh flowers brought by everyone that morning. We added some morning glories from Grandpa's house.

Mommy, Madison, Kennedy, Taylor, Reagan, McKinley, and Daddy

Then we finished off the day by spending time with my family at our house. We had some lunch, took naps, kids played, another egg hunt, and then time for bed! It was a great weekend!

As I get older, I love Easter more than ever. This holiday is amazing! God sent his ONLY son, to be CRUCIFIED on a cross, for OUR sins, and then ROSE again from the dead. If you don't truly understand this story, I challenge you to learn more. This is my ticket to heaven and I am FOREVER grateful for what He has done for me. His GRACE has set me FREE!

Do you know, that you know, that you know, where you are going when you DIE?

Bluebonnet Pictures

2009-04-11T00:42:00.018-05:00

If you live in Texas, it's the law to have your picture taken in the bluebonnets each and every year! Ok, not really, but you do feel guilty if you don't, at least I do.

So...here we go again...round 3!!

I thought it would only be appropriate to include the last two years along with this year's adventure. This was definitely the most fun and easiest. Aunt Jeni has always been my assistant for these pics, but I jumped the gun on her this year and went the day before we were supposed to go with her (timing was perfect and couldn't resist...sorry Jeni!)

April 2007

Reagan was 3 years old and the girls were 10 months old

Taylor, Reagan, Kennedy, McKinley, and Madison

April 2008

This picture barely happened. Our girls were not happy campers last year! We didn't get one picture of all five together.

Madison, Taylor, McKinley, and Kennedy

Big Sis, Reagan

April 2009
This year was a success!
Reagan is 5, and will be 6 in July.
The girls are 2 and will be 3 in June.

Kennedy, Taylor, Reagan, McKinley, and Madison

McKinley Jo

Kennedy Lil

Madison Kay

Taylor Nan

Reagan

McKinley sitting on Reagan

Madison

Kennedy

Taylor

Reagan

Sisters Forever!

Kennedy, Taylor, Reagan, McKinley, and Madison

And last but not least, the girls with our sweet ECI friend, Teresa. She happened to be driving by and noticed 4 little monkeys all dressed alike on the hill and stopped to see us. What a sweet surprise! Our girls LOVE Mrs. Teresa!

So....the moral of the story.....even if your pictures don't turn out the best, it's still worth the effort. And if you don't live in Texas, you should come visit in April so you can take some pictures with our Texas Flower, the bluebonnet.

We missed you Aunt Jeni! Next year, right?!

B-I-B-L-E

2009-04-08T11:07:00.003-05:00

Softball Days for the Queen

2009-04-07T00:56:00.008-05:00

Softball officially started a week ago last Saturday, and Reagan loves it! Of course, things could change by the end of the season (or by next week for that matter) but we are so glad she's having fun. Reagan has a very easy-going, encouraging coach...no, it's not her daddy....or her mommy. :) She is learning alot about softball but also about being a team player. She is playing with her best friend, Payton, which she couldn't be happier about.

Reagan

Diamond Dolls 09

Team huddle on the first game day!

There are only 6 girls on each team which is perfect. Just enough for the infield, and everyone gets lots of turns at bat. The coach pitches three balls and if they don't hit during that time, then they have two chances to hit it off the tee. Great system!

Reagan playing 3rd base and Payton "pitching".

What a cool sight....Payton's Mommy, Heather, and I used to play softball together too! Who would have thought that we'd be watching our girls play on the same field one day. :)

Payton hitting the ball off the pitch! Go P!

And yes, as you can imagine, the girls LOVE going to watch Rea Rea play ball. They actually enjoy the sand more than the softball, but that's ok. We just strip them down when we get to the car, and take baths when we get home.

Here's the girls having their sandwiches in the back of the car before the game started.

The bathroom is not exactly close to Reagan's field, so I decided it's just as easy to use our port-a-pot. Hints the "chair" that Taylor is sitting on. I've decided this is one thing I never thought about doing for Reagan when she was little, but just seems normal with the four. Normal is sometimes a little different with quads but we make it work for us.

Aunt Jeni with Madison

(Taylor in the background)

Pizza Night

2009-04-04T13:21:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday night, my uncle Fred and aunt Debbie treated us to a pizza night at our house. We had a busy day with Reagan at the softball fields, so it was so nice to be able to come home and just relax with family. Thank you Fred and Deb!!

I can remember as a youngster not going out to eat very often, so our Friday Pizza Night was always a big deal. We loved it as kids, and to be honest, didn't know we were missing anything by not getting to go out to eat. Well, those days are similar at our house these days. If we do go out, it's usually a special treat, we have a gift card, or it's Kids Eat Free night! :) The girls do great when we are at a restaurant, but eating at home is just that much easier and much more cost effective (since our girls LOVE to eat!).

Fred and Debbie

McKinley, Kennedy, Reagan, Madison, and Taylor

Uncle Fred (yes, this is my dad's brother--how could you tell?! )

with McKinley and Kennedy

Last Call!

2009-03-29T20:10:00.002-05:00

Last call for the March of Dimes

2009 March for Babies

Wells Quints Team T-shirts!

Orders due by midnight on Tuesday, March 31st,

so that I can place the order first thing Wednesday morning.

T-shirts will be $10 a piece.

Sizes available are Youth XS to XL and Adult S to XXXL.

See pictures below...

Remember, you don't have to be a "walker" to buy a shirt!

Email me ASAP!

Friday Fun with Family

2009-03-23T12:52:00.015-05:00

We officially finished off our Spring Break week on Friday by spending some time with Robby's family. Aunt Bobbi (Nana's sister) was in town so we enjoyed her company at our home, along with Nana and Papa. The girls love spending time with family....and it was a great day to do it!

Papa with Taylor, McKinley, and Reagan

Nana with Madison

Nana with all of her girls (except their cousin, Carrie)

We missed you Logan and Carrie!

Girls eating lunch at their new table.
Thank you to the Clayton family for passing this on to us!

Aunt Bobbi helping Reagan read "Hop on Pop".

Then it was outside to play and enjoy the beautiful day.

Reagan showing off her sand/chalk artwork....love it Rea!

Madison deep in thought playing at the sand table.

McKinley giving Duke some love. That dog LOVES the girls!

And then off to play in Papa's truck. This was a scary glance into the future!?!?

Kennedy driving and accidentally pushed the horn. As you can tell by her facial expression, it scared her a little. But pretty much everything does these days...

Going for a ride in Papa's truck...who's driving?!?

One day it will be Reagan the Chauffeur.

Then we finished the day off with Nana trying to teach Reagan how to do a headstand. :)

Thanks for coming to visit, Aunt Bobbi. We loved spending time with you. And thank you Nana and Papa for a super lunch and entertainment! :)

Vacation...

2009-03-20T23:14:00.026-05:00

We did it! We successfully took all five girls on vacation for a couple days during Spring Break and we didn't lose anyone! We made it a point at the beginning of each destination to give Reagan a "meeting point" if we were to get split up....and at the end of the last day, she said, "there's the big horse mom, but I didn't even get lost again today!"

There are a ton of pictures, so I'll be brief with my descriptions and stories....enjoy!

We started off at the San Antonio Zoo on Tuesday. Here's the girls after unloading (it only took us a good 20 minutes to get ready...poor Robby, I guess he'll get used to that after awhile).

Girls looking at the flamingos

Zoo keeper showing them a grizzly bear nail and fur.

Reagan with the BIG bear nail.

Me with my girls

Rest time and water break

Farewell San Antonio Zoo...we had fun!

And no, they wouldn't let us leave our monkeys there so we had to take them with us! :)

Then we were off to Austin!

We made a pit stop in San Marcos at the Outlet Mall. The girls and I had a picnic while Daddy and Reagan walked around to do some window shopping, everyone went to the restroom, and then we headed to the Bugbee house! My sweet, life long friend, Heidii, and her hubby, Chris, allowed us to crash at their house for the night. It was a long overdue visit, and we were so excited to finally see their new home. It is gorgeous, and like always, they are the 'hostesses with the mostesses'! Thank you both for putting up with ALL of us!

Heidii took us to their neighborhood park to let the girls play for awhile before going to dinner.

Madison, Reagan, Taylor, Kennedy, McKinley

Reagan with Heidii (mommy to be!!)

Girls cuddled up in Heidii and Chris' bed after baths that night.

It didn't take them long to fall asleep...snug as a bug in a rug!

McKinley, Madison, Taylor, and Kennedy

Then ready to leave for our next big adventure....Sea World San Antonio!!

Thank you again for having us Heidii and Chris!

Cool girl Taylor, ready for the dolphins!

She really thought she was cool because she had her paci and bear (loves this bear from Julia, sleeps with it EVERY night) and she usually only gets this in bed for nap and bedtime. So she was loving that she got it in the car.... yes, a potty-trained paci sucker! We'll get rid of it before she marries. :)

First stop at Sea World was the dolphin feeding...very cool!

Reagan, Madison, and McKinley

Watching "Viva!" Show...notice McKinley covering her ears, she did that for 45 minutes straight! Mommy, McKinley, Taylor, and Reagan

Daddy with Kennedy and Madison

Kennedy being silly in the shaded play area for toddlers...perfect spot!

Reagan riding a ride

Took a break for a picnic lunch in the grass...sandwiches, chips, and pudding. Which you can find all over McKinley's face....messy girl!!

On the way back in the park from our picnic, Taylor and McKinley decided they didn't want to ride anymore....Robby and I should have sat down. :)

Reagan, our big girl, and Daddy

Girls with Shamu, before the "Believe" Show

Taylor, McKinley, Madison, Reagan, and Kennedy

Cutie patooties....McKinley and Madison

And then back to the car.... ok, this picture has a story I can't resist telling. One day Taylor will forgive me. :) So.... they are all potty trained which is WONDERFUL, but also meant MANY bathroom trips at the zoo and Sea World. Mommy was VERY tired of the bathroom at the end of the two days. We got back to the car (after going potty for the "last time" in the park), and of course, Taylor says, "I need to go poo poo!". Instead of walking all the way back to the bathroom, we pulled out our handy dandy port-a-pot, sat her in the back of the Excursion, and away she went! And of course, I had to take a picture!! Like I said she will forgive me one day!

As you can imagine, we had a BLAST! Mommy and Daddy were exhausted but it was worth every minute. The weather was perfect and we made memories that we will never forget. Which is a good thing, because they may never see that place again... ok, not really, but seriously, we made out like bandits this time....basically, buy three, get four free! (kids under 3 are still free at Sea World and SA Zoo)

Now, it's back to daily routines....

Carter is my hero!

2009-03-10T15:53:00.011-05:00

Like I said a couple weeks ago, we will be participating in the March for Babies again this year. We would LOVE for you to join our team by walking with us on April 26 and/or donating to the March of Dimes! You can do so at www.marchforbabies.org/wellsquints.

Just like last year, I've created a t-shirt for those that want to officially be a part of the WELLS QUINTS TEAM! Do not feel like you have to buy a shirt in order to walk, and on the other hand, if you aren't able to walk, you can still get a shirt! The cost will depend on how many we order, but I'm thinking they will cost about $10 a piece. You can order from Youth XS-XL and Adult S-XXXL. The shirts are brown with lime green font. Email me with your orders by March 28. So here it is....

Front of MOD t-shirt

says...

carter is my hero

walking today for their tomorrow

Back of MOD t-shirt 09

says...

Wells Quintuplets and a Queen

Total birth weight of quints....9.2 lbs.

Time in Mommy's belly...26 weeks

NICU hospital stay....77 days

Time spent with our precious angel Carter...PRICELESS!

Reagan, McKinley, Kennedy, Madison, Taylor, and Carter

Great Weekend!

2009-03-02T23:43:00.008-06:00

We love the weekends at our house for many reasons...

1. going to church on Sunday!

2. Daddy is home for a couple days

3. spending time with family and friends

and that's just what we did this past weekend! With a few extras in the middle of all that!

Saturday Robby and I "divided and conquered". I spent my morning at our bi-annual WMOM Buy/Sell (all the multiple moms in my group get together for a big garage sale) and Robby took Reagan to softball try-outs. Both were very successful! Reagan did great at her first official try-outs. She took 3 ground balls, 3 pop-flys (which "no one could catch, mom!"), and hit 3 balls off the tee. She'll meet her coach and team this week and have her first game at the end of the month. She's very excited! I did good at the buy/sell as well. I spent less than I made, always a good thing...and came home with some great stuff! Pictures below to prove it. Thank you to Kenedi and Kaiden for passing on their shoes and clothes and to Tori and Kyla for the boots!

McKinley showing off her boots to Daddy...where's your clothes kid?!? Maybe we should have bought an outfit from Kyla and Tori to go with those boots...yikes!!

"I get your HINEY!"

Reagan loved her STACK of clothes, and couldn't wait to try them all on. Here's one of the super cute tops she got. And isn't that a cute dog...that used to be my baby...until Rea came along!

Girls now have matching tennis shoes, all four different sizes. Thank you Kenedi and Kaiden!

And of course, you have to see the sweet faces that go with those shoes. Notice them holding hands...sisterly love...that minute at least.
Kennedy, McKinley, Taylor and Madison

And after an eventful Saturday morning, we joined forces again to attend Emily's quads 1st birthday party! I met Emily through our WMOM group and as you can imagine, we have enjoyed each other's company through the last year and a half. What an awesome sight...lots of family, friends, and church members helping them celebrate their big day. We felt honored to be able to be a part of their special day!

Our friend, Kelly, was also able to come to the party. She just recently had quintuplets as well. One day we'll all three be able to sit down and talk....maybe when the kids are in school! :)
So pictured below.... 3 MOMs of 16 kids age 5 and below!! WOW!

Me, Emily, and Kelly

And I really wanted to save the best picture for last....but I haven't gotten a chance to snap the shot. I'll give you a little tease until next time and let your imagination work...
my husband lost all his hair yesterday?!?!
More to come....

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

2009-02-26T22:35:00.001-06:00

Taylor and McKinley reading

2009-02-26T13:01:00.004-06:00

I haven't figured out how to add text with my slideshows/videos without messing it up, so I'm having to do a separate post....sorry still learning this blog world. One day I might have time to figure it out....

So... the video above is Taylor and McKinley reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear together yesterday. McKinley is still not sure of her colors. Taylor seems to know most of them but not real confident that she knows them, so will take McKinley's word for it. Cute stuff!

*Thank you to the Medford family for our collection of Eric Carle books! As you can tell, they love them! *

March of Dimes

2009-02-25T13:40:00.008-06:00

I will be completely honest when I say that just over 3 years ago, I had NO clue what the March of Dimes was. Very sad, but true statement. I had heard of it, but didn't know any specifics. So because of that and our precious miracles, I tell everyone about the March of Dimes!

I am honored to say that this year we were chosen to be the Montgomery County March of Dimes Ambassador Family to help others learn more about what this great organization has done for us and continues to do for others. We give complete glory and honor to our Heavenly Father for the miracle of life that we witness every day, including our oldest daughter, Reagan, who was healthy from the get go. But we also know that there are wonderful, intelligent people that have used their God given abilities to help premature babies survive unlike they used to. Just as doctors and nurses told us in the NICU, 20 years ago, our babies would have had minimal chance of survival because of the lack of research and meds compared to today. Here you will find some of the very important research that March of Dimes has done with the money donated! http://www.marchforbabies.org/whereyourmoneygoes.aspx?link=42698Title

We would love for those that live near to join us on Sunday, April 26th for the March For Babies walk. It's a great time for the whole family! It's an easy 3 mile walk through the college campus and you can bring your strollers and wagons for the kids. This is our chance to thank March of Dimes for what they have done, celebrate the precious lives of our girls, and remember our sweet Carter. Please join us!! You can go to the Wells Quints March for Babies webpage to sign up as a walker or to donate, check it out! http://www.marchforbabies.org/wellsquints We will be designing new t-shirts this year so I will let you know when those are complete. Until then, here's some pictures from the last two years. You can see how our "team" has grown...don't you want to be apart of this special day with us?!!?

March for Babies 2007

Taylor, Kennedy, Madison, and McKinley 10 months old

Reagan 3 yrs. old

Our 2007 Wells Quints Team

Our 2008 Wells Quints Team

Team Wells Quints walking the course

Always Entertaining!

2009-02-04T11:48:00.010-06:00

As you can imagine, life at our home is never dull. As a matter of fact, it's always entertaining! Here's a few pictures that were snapped during the last couple weeks. This is what we turned around to after giving the girls their dinner the other night. Those are their bibs on their heads. I'm not sure who started it, but "monkey see, monkey do"!

Aunt Alli came to visit and did what she does best!

They ALL (especially Reagan) love to hear her read books.

Last week my friend, Emily, came by to pick up our quad feeding table (as seen in the first picture). Her quads are almost one and needing the convenience of the table much more that we are these days, so we are letting them borrow it. The girls weren't sure they were ready to part with it, but said their good-byes as Emily pulled away. "Bye bye table!" We are so thankful for those teachers that gave money to buy it for us, and feel it's once again in good hands. When Emily is done, we plan on passing it on to our church.

After bathtime, the girls settled down in their beanbags to enjoy a little "Hide Em In Your Heart". Don't they look snug as a bug in a rug?!?

The next morning they enjoyed some Playdoh time at their picnic table. It's so fun to watch them be creative and use their fine motor skills....and sit still and quiet for a few minutes. :)

And depending on this wonderful Texas weather, the girls enjoy spending time outside playing in the sand table, riding on wheels of their choice, and swinging/sliding on the playset (especially when big sister is in on the fun).

After playing in the sand, of course they needed a bath. The new thing is taking a bath in mommy and daddy's bathtub, as you can imagine they don't fit as well as they used to. After getting out, everyone snuggled on our bed to stay warm. Is Daddy a lucky man or what?!?

McKinley Jo

2009-02-01T20:05:00.001-06:00

about McKinley...

2009-01-30T21:51:00.007-06:00

Baby "B"

born at 11:09am on 6.16.06

named after her mommy

spent the majority of her time in my belly next to Carter

did relatively well in the NICU, came home after 64 days

roommates with Madison

aka our princess, drama queen, social bug

once she warms up to you, she'll be your best friend

as soon as we get out of the car she's asking to hold our hand

loves to take daddy's spot on the couch when he gets up

great memory like big sister

after getting out of the bath, runs around saying "get my hiney!"

will carry on a conversation with herself in the mirror

sleeps with a silky blanket every night

now completely potty trained, big girl panties 24/7

most often the ring leader, the others will usually follow

loves watching Reagan at gymnastics

will be the one the teacher's calling home about..."trouble!"

cute as a bug, but we try not to let her know that too much

loves babies, especially her cousin, Tristan

loves being messy and dirty

of the four, the most pickiest eater, but still not much she won't eat

my guess...future cheerleader

We love you McKinley Jo!!

Our Queen

2009-01-17T21:42:00.007-06:00

I've decided to do an individual post on each of the girls to give everyone their "time to shine!". So Reagan is first, she is "the queen". She turned five this past summer and started Kindergarten in the fall. I'm not really sure where to start...this girl is amazing! Her little world was rocked at the age of almost 3 and she has handled it very well. Oh don't get me wrong, she's a normal kid and has her moments. But if I can brag a little, she has a few extra special qualities...one being an awesome big sister. The "babies" love her and think she hung the moon.

We are often asked who Reagan gets along best with and I always say Kennedy. They seem to have a special bond, but on that same note she doesn't really show favoritism towards her. They just seem to play best together and laugh alot, but Reagan enjoys one on one time with all of them. Every once in awhile I will catch her pulling one of the girls in her room to play, and boy do they love that! I could go on and on about how much she helps me around the house... let's just say she's missed during the day while she is at school now.

Reagan is also involved at our church in the Kids Choir and loves it. I'm hoping she gets her daddy's singing ability and not mine...yikes! I know Janet is laughing in heaven right now at the remark. :) On Wednesday's she does Awana Sparks at church as well. She has memorized many, many bible verses and is teaching me some along the way. I love it! Then she is in a gymnastics class one day a week...busy girl! Mommy and daddy are seeing lots of improvement and she is having fun learning!! She is going to the same gym that Mommy went when I was her age, so it's a sweet feeling to be back there again. No pressure on her continuing, just glad she is giving it a shot.

Here is a little video of some snapshots taken throughout 2008...poor thing is not a bit camera shy as you will see. They are in chronological order so you can see how much she's changed this past year. Our little girl is growing up...makes me sad and proud all at once! We love our "queen"! Thank you God for giving us Reagan Gail, we are better parents because of her!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

3 down, 1 to go

2009-01-16T12:58:00.007-06:00

I feel confident enough to call it official....we have 3 of the 4 potty trained!! Hip hip hooray! And the best news is that I'm still not completely crazy! McKinley, Kennedy, and Madison have been wearing big girl panties all week, 24 hours a day! Yes, they are even sleeping through the night wearing panties, and we've only had 2 accidents. One of them being the night that I blogged about Madison, so that was a bust, but since then she has been home free.

Taylor is trying, but mommy is going to have to try harder with this one. She's just not quite as interested, which is ok. She's our "baby" (last one born, baby E) and she is filling the shoes. She's the only one with the paci still (nap and bedtime only), so we might have to concentrate on that first....maybe there's a pecking order for success.

Here's a pic of each from last Monday morning after breakfast...

McKinley Jo

Kennedy Lil

Madison Kay

and last but not least, Taylor Nan

The reason I blog...

2009-01-10T21:44:00.004-06:00

I received this email from my cousin, Kelly, who lives in Wisconsin and decided it was too sweet not to share. Even more, it made me realize the reason I blog! We have lots of family and friends that do not live close, and I know they enjoy seeing the girls "grow up right before their eyes" via the computer. Thank you for checking up on us Kelly and Sara...and all the others that do the same. We miss you all!!

sara and i were reading your blog again, and she saw the picture of reagan. she asked who it was, and i said her cousin reagan. i asked if she remembered her, and she said yes. then she asked if she could go over and play with reagan. i said no, she's far away in texas. and sara said, well maybe she can come over? i said no, she's too far away honey. and she said, but maybe? so i said, but maybe :)

And yes, Sara....we will come play again one day very soon! Your cousins miss you!

My favorite picture of Reagan and Sara taken at my cousin, Laurie's wedding in Sept 2007.

"I Gotta Go!"

2009-01-07T23:11:00.008-06:00

I really want to do a "looking back over the last year" update, but before I do, I wanted to get this one in. I'm hoping I am not jinxing myself by bragging too soon, but had to share. The girls are now a little over 2 1/2, so it's safe to say that we have gone through AT LEAST 25,000 diapers...ugh! Thanks to Ford Elementary students and staff we didn't have to buy any of those until the girls were 18 months old! WOW! And since then many have helped out with boxes for their bdays, gift cards, etc. (and recently the "diaper angel" has been bringing them, thank you Grandma!)

Well, I am very happy and proud to say, that those days are almost over! We introduced "the potty" to the girls around the time they turned two, but only used it (or tried to) before getting in the bath at night. At the first of November, we ALL (minus Daddy) got very sick and I knew we weren't going anywhere for awhile, so decided to go ahead and give it a shot. It was hit or miss, mostly a miss, but I felt like the girls started understanding a little more. During the holidays, I let it go again, but decided to start the sticker chart a couple weeks ago...and it's WORKING!!

I must admit, I'm a little surprised to say that Madison is our first "Big Girl"! I really thought Kennedy would take the lead, as she has in everything else, but Madison proved us wrong. That strong will and determination is paying off! Way to go Madison! She has gone about a week with only a couple accidents, she sleeps in big girl panties at naps, and I'm being extra brave tonight and letting her sleep without a pull-up overnight (I'll let you know how that goes!). Kennedy and McKinley are right on her heels. They are both doing very well, panties all day, a few more accidents, on and off at naps, but pretty much a success! So, I'll go as far as to say we have 2 potty trained (1=Madison 1/2=Kennedy 1/2=McKinley). Taylor on the other hand, could care less!! She's definitely the baby of the four, but that's ok. Our box of diapers should last us almost a month, instead of a week now! We are proud of you girls!

Madison and Kennedy on the "double potty" in their bathroom. They are going to be shocked to only find one potty per stall in the public restrooms. :) I'm sure they will love that I'm sharing this picture with everyone but couldn't resist. I feel like the bathroom has been my "home away from home" lately, so wanted you to see where I've been!

These are the sticker charts from the first day. This is the same thing we used for Reagan when she turned two and it worked just as well. You can still see the pin holes in the walls from her chart, seems like just yesterday. :( We had to use the big wall this time. Their charts are filled up now (Taylor has about 15 stickers on hers) and Madison & Kennedy have had to turn theirs over and use the back already. Their different personalities even came through with stickers. Madison's are lined up nice and neat in rows, no sticker touching another. Kennedy a little less neat, but likes them to be right side up. And McKinley's are all over the place, overlapping, off the page, upside down. I never thought I might be able to predict the future through a sticker chart!! None the less, we are having fun, in and out of the bathroom!

Christmas Fun!

2008-12-27T23:09:00.030-06:00

Christmas Eve with Grandpa and Grandma Beatie at Danny and Sonja's

We usually spend Christmas Eve with my dad, brother & sisters, and Beatie & her kids. This year there were 14 adults and 11 kids! The kids always have more fun than we do, but that's what it's all about, right?!

Taylor in Mason's car

McKinley

Uncle Brad & Madison

Danny and Kennedy

Reagan and Peyton Fox

Girls opening gift from Grandpa and Grandma Beatie.
Our very own jumpee!

Taylor hitching a ride with McKinley
"We should have asked Santa for one of these!"

Christmas Morning at home
In previous years, Robby and I have woke up before Reagan to video her seeing the presents for the first time. But this year Mommy and Daddy were tired...Reagan woke us up about 8:30. She came jumping on our bed, "It's Christmas morning! Santa was here!!". What a cool feeling to hear the excitement in her voice, as it brought back so many memories of doing the same thing when I was little. But usually, Michael beat all of us out of bed that morning.

Our girls
Taylor, McKinley, Kennedy, Reagan, and Madison

Reagan opening note from Santa

McKinley, our drama queen

Kennedy digging in her stocking.
Mommy should have put a bow in her hair so she could have seen better.

Madison, stacking and organizing her playdoh.

Taylor, loved her new cup!

She didn't want to open anything else.

Four girls playing in the new kitchen Santa brought them.

Christmas night

We spent the last part of the day with my mom, brother, and sisters.

Once again, the girls received many wonderful gifts. We exchange names between siblings, and it's always fun to find out "who had you".

The Kids

Ellie (Michael & Leigh's daughter- 2 years)

Taylor

Reagan holding Tristan (Michael & Leigh's son- almost 5 months)

McKinley

Madison

Kennedy

Eating dinner at the quad table

Ellie loves to sit with the girls, and the girls love to share, especially Kennedy, who knows she gets the special seat. :) The girls love hanging out with their cousin!

Reagan and Ellie

Day after Christmas

We spent Friday at Robby's parents' house opening presents, eating, playing, eating some more, and being entertained by the kids. The kids out number us here, so they usually lead the show, literally. 6 adults and 7 kids!

Logan and Reagan putting on a singing show for us.

Opening presents

Bobbi Jo, Wendy, Reagan and Carrie

Girls opening their new Art Easel from Nana and Papa! Thank you!!

Reagan with her very own sewing machine!

Merry CHRISTmas!

2008-12-20T22:45:00.011-06:00

Wells Family

McKinley, Robby, Madison, Reagan, Kennedy, Bobbi Jo, and Taylor

Santa and Reagan

A very Merry Christmas from our family to yours! We hope this finds you doing well as we get closer and closer to my most favorite time of the year. It's hard for me to believe that it's here. The girls are really getting into it and can't wait to see their faces Christmas morning. This year we've started seeing the love in their eyes when reading about baby Jesus, excitement when opening gifts, and the fear when seeing Santa! Great memories!

After "dropping off the face of the earth" for the last year and a half, my new year's resolution is to start journaling again for our kids, family, and friends. (I'm starting early so I can't make any more excuses!) I truly enjoyed sharing on the website, before and after the girls were born, but soon life got the best of me and something had to give. I'm ready to share what God is doing in our lives with you again. So, consider this your "year long" Christmas card (which we decided not to do this year, sorry!) and the gift that keeps giving!

So, welcome back to the Wells Quads and a Queen!

AKA Save the Wells!