18 months old ... we're lovin' it

The Fab Four celebrated turning one-and-a-half (!) by making their debut at Family Day, the reunion that my mom's side holds just about every summer. For most of my many (many!) relatives, this was the first time to meet the kids in person after following the blog for the last couple of years, so our arrival was greeted with big smiles and open arms—literally: While we were there, I didn't have to hold a kid unless I wanted to, which was simultaneously a very weird and a very wonderful position in which to find myself!

I wasn't sure how the Fab Four would react to such a large crowd, but they did great with all of the new faces—and they absolutely LOVED being able to run around in the park where the reunion was held. I think Dahlia actually ran nonstop, in any and all directions possible, the entire time we were there! Lucy and Jude preferred the shade (and attention) that they got in the shelter, and Isaac ended up splitting his time between fun in the sun and the shade. Keeping track of everyone was a challenge (and boy, was it HOT out there!), but we had a lot of willing helpers, which made it doable. I think it was all worth it to introduce the Fab Four to their huge family and show them how much everyone cares about them!

Family Day 2010:
Abuelito Nehiel with Isaac, Ted with Dahlia,
me with Jude, and Abuelita Joanna with Lucy

By the time we left the park, it was almost dinnertime, so we decided to stop at McDonald's and try eating out with the Fab Four for the first time ever! Once again, the kids were amazing, and all of us thoroughly enjoyed the novelties of using restaurant high chairs and eating in public. We were fortunate to have a quiet corner of the restaurant to ourselves and were interrupted only by a lovely old lady who told us that meeting our family was the highlight of her day. I told the kids that that should be our family mission: to spread joy wherever we go!

"Did somebody say quadruplets?"

Sadly, our McD's adventure came to an end after Lucy choked on a fry and threw up, but that was the only blemish on what turned out to be a pretty fun day. We drove home without incident, and the kids even went to bed an hour and a half late without melting down. It's amazing how the most mundane things can feel like huge accomplishments when you multiply them by four—thanks so much to everyone who helped make our big outing a success!