warning: may be the longest post ever.

Many, many, MANY people ask me this question:
"How do you do it?"  ((referring to my life - with 4 boys ages 4 and under...)

Well....................here's how:
Wake up too early to a Shepherd squirming and making noise. Get a bottle for him. Go back to sleep.  Wake up to him happily talking and playing with his feet.
Sit him up in his crib, turn on his mobile and give him a few toys and his binky to play with.  Try and squeeze in a few more minutes of shut eye.  Ultimately decide he's probably hungry.
Go downstairs to see Tim half-asleep and Cale in the kitchen eating breakfast. 
Change and feed Shepherd. 
Get Thad up, diapered and fed.
Put Megersa on the potty. 
Get the new (hand-me-down) walker out of the car and put T in it.  Watch him squeal with delight as he rolls around.  Instruct Cale to be gentle.  Wipe Megersa (decide he's going diaper-free today), dress and feed him.
Say goodbye to Daddy as he leaves for work.   
Clean up Megersa and let him loose.
Ask Cale to go and dress himself.
Slice myself a peice of pumkin bread. Slice a peice for Megersa and Cale who need to have one too.
Make 2 bottles. Feed, burp and swap.  
Have big boys help me with laundry.
Change babies out of jammies and into clothes. 
Tell M & C if they can remain calm and quiet while I put the babies in bed we can make cookies.
Let Cale play a PBS game on the computer.
Put Megersa in time-out for ripping a book.
Put Shepherd down for a nap.
Grant Cale's request to start up a Christmas movie when Megersa gets out of time-out. 
Feed Thad the rest of his bottle, smell something questionable. Check and change his diaper. Look in his crib...see there's no sheet.  Put one on. Turn on his mobile, lay him down and leave.  Say a quick prayer that he will stop yelling and fall asleep.  God answers.
See that Megersa is not watching the movie, but has crawled in the baby walker. Help him out and onto the potty. "Pee and poop?"  No, just pee, Megersa.  Wait him out. 
Start cookies with Cale. 
Have a conversation with Megersa (still on the potty) about the Veggie Tales movie he sees in a magazine.
Realize we're out of vanilla.  Cookie making stops.
"No, we can't run to the store right now...because the babies are sleeping."
Praise Megersa for peeing! 
Allow the boys to help with lunch menu.  Encourage Megersa to continue to eat. 
Tell Cale he needs to sit on the potty...now.  Remind him what the word "consequence" mean. 
Keep instructing M to eat. Have him clean up his space. Put him back on the potty to poop. 
Hear Thad on the monitor.  Text Tim that you're "feelin" Chipotle tonight.
Tell Cale he can stay with you during quiet time if he helps you clean.  Give him the windex bottle and a paper towel.
Check on Shepherd.
Bring Thad downstairs and sit him where he can watch Cale clean. 
Boil eggs.
Lay bacon on a cookie sheet and put in the oven (both for tomorrow's dinner).
Wipe Megersa, help him brush his teeth.  Take him upstairs.  See that Thad is crying when you leave.  Go back downstairs and take him up with you. 
Tell Cale he's doing a great job.
Notice Tim took your "change the sheets day" seriously.... Decide that now's the time to get the new (hand-me-down) crib mattress from the garage and swap it out for current ripped one. 
Since you're down near the washer, throw in a new load. 
Stop at the kitchen to flip the bacon. 
Explain to Cale the reason for the new mattress.  Struggle to pull the old mattress from the wired sides it's embedded in.  Put new mattress in and instruct the boys to be careful while they use the old one as a slide.  Tell them not to yell because Shepherd is still asleep. 
Put Megersa in bed. 
Grab a cranky Thad, and leave with Cale.
Assure Cale that M is only sad because we're leaving and he's tired, but he'll be okay.
Check on Shepherd again. 
Feed Thad lunch. 
Explain the concept of baby food to Cale....again.  Yes, it's real food, just mushed.  "Uh huh, real corn."  Have him taste it to believe you.
Give Thad toys to play with hoping he'll entertain himself while you open a lunch of yogurt. 
Caution Cale the oven is hot.  Yes, it's cooking something.  Open it show him.  Realize you've burnt the bacon.
Explain to Cale you didn't mean to do it.  Allow him to crack the window to let some of the smell out.
Put Thad on floor and let him army crawl.  Video tape him taking 4-5 real crawling strides.
Crumble bacon. 
Peel eggs. 
Sip on diet coke.
Agree with Cale that T is still "super cranky" and make up a bottle for him.  Give him a bottle while yelling out the letters to help Cale finish his cards for Grammie, Uncle Chet, and Jolyn (our Thanksgiving visitors).  Put on baby Einstein for a still crabby Thad. 
Get a stinky Shepherd from his crib.  Change him.  Feed him.  "Yes, corn again...real corn." 
Have Cale hang out with Shep while I take care of Thad (ultimately deciding he needed another nap). 
Feed S a bottle.
Play with him and Cale. 
Check email and FB. 
Tell Cale he needs to go downstairs for quiet time.  Correct his whiny behavior and remind him he got to stay up with me for a long time!  Tell him to turn on his music and when the CD is over he can come back up.
Call Daddy. 
Give Shep the rest of his bottle.  Put him in his crib after he falls asleep. 
See that it's after 4pm but decide you need to  lay on the couch for a few minutes. 
Ask Cale to turn on M's light so he wakes up and to play quietly while Mommy "rests her eyes."  Wake up about 30 minutes later to a crying Shepherd, a happy Thad, talking Megersa, and a Cale playing his dinosaur game. 
Let Megersa out and instruct him to sit on the potty and poop. 
Grab both babies and take them downstairs. 
Put Thad in the walker and hold Shepherd while you get baby food.
Consider dinner for the big guys. 
DADDY ARRIVES EARLIER THAN EXPECTED with Chipotle!  Wahoo!
Decide on raisin oatmeal for the boys (and chips from Chipotle) for dinner. 
Daddy feeds babies.
Grown ups eat dinner.
Give Cale a haircut.
Take two boys a-peice and start bathtime.  
Wash up Shepherd and Cale. Dry Shepherd and cut his nails.
Tell Daddy to send in Megersa after he's done so his nails can be clipped.  Razz him as he grabs the clippers from me.
Tell Cale he has 10 more minutes in the tub.
Take Shep downstairs and put him on the floor. 
Turn on a recorded show in hopes of watching a little of it while feeding Thad and Shep a bottle.
Call up to Tim to see if he was okay...(his first time for nail cutting).
Tell Megersa he can read a book if he doesn't rip the pages.
Sweep up the cut hair. 
Clean up dinner. 
Divide and conquer:  Take Thad up to bed while Daddy takes the boys down.  Put him in bed awake and hope the fight isn't long tonight. 
Grab Shep from Tim and give him the rest of his bottle.  Put him in bed. 
Come downstairs and check the clock: 8:15pm.  Hi-five Tim for an early bedtime.

Now I ask: Did you really wanna know? :)

............Maybe next time someone asks I'll just say "Diet Coke."