The End of an Era

Back when I was pregnant, the show "6 Little McGhees" premiered.  I watched it as a preview of having 2 year old sextuplets!  On one episode I distinctly remember the kids climbing all over their feeding table, dancing on it, and causing all kinds of havoc.  I told my friend that when we get to that point, please tell me it's time to move on {if I wasn't doing anything about it on my own}.  Well, friends, we were there.

It started when Andrew figured out how to climb into his seat.  Soon to follow was EVERYONE ELSE!  They got very comfortable climbing in their seats or just sitting on the table.  NOT allowed!  The big boys were getting really hard to fit in the seats and requested to sit in "big chair" more often than not.  And I let them.

Luckily, my sister-in-law had a 6 seater Little Tikes picnic table she was looking to pass along.  We tested it out at their house and the kids all fit comfortably and seemed to like it.  So, on Christmas Eve we took it home with us.

Dave wasn't as enthused as I was to switch tables, so we waited until New Years Day.  About midday I decided we needed to give the table a proper send off.  What could be better for the job than finger paint?!  Dave wasn't excited about the mess, but sometimes fun is worth a mess :)  Just look at this fun:

That night we dismantled the table, gave it a very thorough cleaning and moved things around in the kitchen area.  Now the kitchen area looks ever so slightly more normal and we have a little more open space.  Baby steps people.

The first morning of the new table, the girls came into the room and cried.  But, they quickly got over it when they noticed breakfast on the table.  The boys went straight for the food.  So far, we all like the new set up and they're doing well for a bunch of 2 year olds.  The only issue {which I anticipated} is when they're in a silly mood or a couple of them have already been excused, they want to get up and play with dirty hands before they're done eating.  So we're working on that.

Levi and Andrew modeling the new set up

Getting rid of this table was a big sign that they are no longer babies or even young toddlers.  We are almost to preschool age!  Mind boggling.  I'm glad I have countless pictures and videos of them in that table as it holds so many memories.  We used it from age 6 months- 32 months.  First spoon feedings of cereal and baby food to feeding themselves with utensils.  Not to mention story times, coloring, painting, and any other activity we decided to take on.  I hope wherever it goes next, it will be loved as much as we loved it!