So my sister-in-law Jen and I decided since our zoo outing went so well last week, that we'd brave the St. Patty's Day parade in Lawrence today. Jen came over that morning with green tie-dyes that she had made for the babies. So cute!
 |
| Cutest little leprechauns! |
The parade was at 1:00 and we had made it our goal to be out the door by noon. It ended up being 12:25 before we were on the road, but we had 4 babies to get ready...what do you expect!?! We got to Lawrence right at 1:00 but it took us almost 30 minutes to find parking. We ended up settling for a spot at the top of Lawrence's largest hill. We got everyone out and packed into the strollers/baby carrier.
 |
| Ready to go! |
We made it down to Mass St. and parked ourselves next to a set of newborn twins. The grandma and I chatted about multiples the whole time we were there. After a while, babies started to get a little fussy, so we walked down the street and found a place to sit so we could feed them. It may have been the chilly weather or possibly just the over-stimulation of all the people and noise, but our four were not real interested in eating. We decided we'd be better off inside somewhere. So we attempted to deck into a nearby cafe, but the door was just barely too narrow to fit the double jogger through. So we made our way down the street to delicious Pita Pit. Their door was also too small. We started to realize that we probably wouldn't fit into any of the doors on Mass unless there was a place with double doors. We looked around. It wasn't looking promising. We decided we may just have to head back to the car. Then suddenly, out of nowhere appears Buffalo Wild Wings across the street...with a wider than normal door. We made our way over there and...victory! Inside we were! The next mission was to find a place to sit that would accommodate our crew. Fortunately the hostess and servers were very friendly and helpful. They showed us to a large table. The double stroller wasn't going to fit, so we asked about high chairs. They only had three, so we took all three and kept one in the single stroller and then parked the double over by the waitress station.
After we finally got settled, we had a chance to take a breath. Jen asked the server for to-go children's cups which kept the babies entertained. We ordered our food and even a green beer (which got us a lot of judgmental stares). While waiting for food, Jen took one at a time to the bathroom to do diaper changes, while I stayed with the other three. Again, I attempted to feed them but they just weren't real interested. I've come to realize, they don't eat as well when they're out of their element.
 |
| Big kids sitting in high chairs |
 |
| Our crew! |
By the time Jen got back from diaper duty, our food had come. It was getting apparent that the babies were getting tired and soon we were asking for a to-go box and getting them loaded up so we could high-tail it out of there without making too much of a scene. I knew once we started moving, they'd probably all fall asleep.
So we began our venture back to the car, which I will remind you was at the top of a quarter-mile long very steep hill. I gotta tell you, pushing 40 lbs of babies in a 40 lb stroller with another 15 lbs of baby strapped to your front is hard enough...but when you add a crazy steep hill you really get a good work out!
 |
| The Hill |
The drive back was uneventful. Everyone slept and Jen and I decided that it may not have been our most successful outing but that we'd still mark it down as a victory.
 |
| Happy babies! Home after a long day. |
