Interview Update with Tyson and Ashley Gardner from the Youtube Channel Gardner Quad Squad

WINTER WONDERLAND WEEK AT LDS PARENTING

I'm so stinking excited to catch up with the Gardners and their cutie pie girls. I hope you guys enjoy catching up with them too ! You can find the first interview we did HERE

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JL~ It's been awhile since we last talked ! Lots of things have changed for your sweet family. The girls turned 2! You guys were blessed to appear on a TV Show and you showed America how awesome you guys are ! Just last week , Ashley, you went viral for just being a normal mom ! What mom hasn't hid somewhere to sneak a treat ? I can't fit into my pantry, it's to small, so I preferred the bathroom - Mommy needs her privacy ! ;) You guys moved to a new house and have added some new business ventures into your busy lives. Can you even believe this is your life ? 

Gardners~  It's been a very busy year for us! There have been many exciting and stressful things, but I feel that is the normal for most families. It's been a blessing for us both to be home raising the kids together and growing our businesses together. This is been something that is very important to us!

JL~OK, you knew I was going to bring it up - holy cow you guys were on Ellen ! Was that crazy ? Is she really as nice as she seems ? Ashley did you get to take your portable pantry home with you so you can hide and snack whenever you want ? 

Here's a link to the video that went viral ! VIRAL VIDEO

Gardner Quad Squad on Ellen!

Gardners~ Yes! Ellen was absolutely amazing. The girls had so much fun and so did we. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go and do something like that, and we feel very blessed that we were able to do so. She did keep the pantry, but I'm hoping it's because she's going to invite us back again soon!

JL~ Now for some good ole regular questions, things we are hoping to learn from you. What does Family Home Evening look like in your house now ? Last time we interviewed the girls were really small. Now they can get involved when you have FHE ! Do you follow a certain schedule or curriculum or do you just wing it ?! 

Gardners ~ We've always been a family that goes with the moment. We don't really have a schedule when it comes to this, so we like to do things that the girls are interested in at the moment. Most of these include learning new things like coloring, or counting. We also are working on words and teaching them the meaning of those words. It's still a little early for an official FHE where they know what's going on, but we're getting there.

JL~ I asked you this question last time, but things have changed a bit... I asked last time how you guys get all that energy to take care of four babies ! Now the question is even more important- How do you keep up your energy to run after four toddlers ??? You have multiple businesses and you daily vlog, plus there are four little toddlers running around and needing your time and energy. How in heaven's name do you stay awake and keep a smile on your face ? Inquiring minds want to know... well , I want to know. I can't keep up my energy and I have three teens who can take care of themselves physically haha ! :) 

Gardners~ Honestly, these four toddlers force you to have that kind of energy! If you don't keep up with them they'll leave you behind. As you know, they are very busy, they want to explore everything, and their motor doesn't stop. As parents, we're just trying to keep up with these busybodies, and in the meantime we are enjoying seeing the world through their eyes! As you know we waited a long time for these miracles, so every day is a joy and blessing for us, hence our positive attitutude~ On the same subject- You guys must be the King and Queen of multi-tasking ! How else could you get everything done with multiple businesses and daily vlogging. Any tips for trying to keep it all together ? How do you manage your time so that you get it all done ? 

Gardners~ We've been very blessed that we both get to work from home. This is been so important while grasping these first couple years of the girls life. It has been amazing to both be here for the girls 100% of the time. We do everything as a team, and focus on each other's strengths! This is how we accomplish our goals and give the kids all the attention that they deserve! We could not do this alone!

JL~ On your  BLOG recently you did a neat series of posts about each girl - as told through pictures. Could you tell us something fun about each girl ? 

SCARLETT

 Link to her blog post : SCARLETT BLOG POST

Gardners~ Scarlett- she is our mischievous baby. She's very sneaky and sly, but also very sweet and calm. She loves to read, and loves to collect things. She's a little OCD, just like her daddy, and likes things neat and tidy.

ESME

Gardners~ Esme-she is our most outgoing and social baby. She is also a very good talker and knows probably just as many words as Indie . She is not shy, and she is very friendly and loves to share with her sisters. She has her own #Esmefaces because of her funny faces. She is a very happy baby!

Link to her blog post : ESME

EVANGELINE ( EVIE)

Gardners~ Evie- she is our most emotional baby. She can be really happy and sweet and loving, and also be a little bit of a bully to her sisters. She loves bath time, and loves to go outside and find something new!

Link to her blog post : EVANGELINE (EVIE)

INDIE

Gardners~  Indie- she is our most independent, she's usually the one who strays away from the pack and does her own thing. She is very sweet. She's also very smart and probably knows the most words.

Link to her blog post : INDIE

JL~ You guys are a great team. I love watching the vlogs and seeing you tag team 4 toddlers ! You can tell you love each other eternally and that you really enjoy your life. What tips and tricks do you have that help you guys keep your marriage strong during this season of your life. Any advice on staying united and being good partners in life, parenting, marriage etc ?

Gardners~ Be honest with who you are. We have to rely on each other completely, so we know each other strengths and weaknesses very well. We focus on each other strengths and rely on each other to make up for our own weaknesses. We do everything together, which means we are usually on the same page about most topics. We think this will be very important when raising our daughters so that they see a unified front always. It is also vitally important to have a date night once a week and make sure that we spend some quality one on one time with each other! This really rejuvenates us and gives us the energy that we need to keep up with the quads!

Check Out Their Youtube Channel Here : 

GARDNER QUAD SQUAD

JL~In our ward there have been some kids who have struggled with bullying at school. It's obviously a big problem in the world today. Kids struggle and parents struggle when they see their child hurting. I was incredibly impressed with the Facebook post from Ashleys mama. See it HERE She was graceful and yet a mama bear. It's important that people remember you guys are human!  Kids these days really are bombarded and kids are mean ! Obviously adults are mean... and they are passing it right on to their children. These  are the latter days of course but we need to try and strengthen our kiddos to be strong and not let it affect them. What are your thoughts on this ?

Gardners~ One of the things that I think is most important is teaching our children in our homes how to act in public. We cannot rely on Society to teach our children what is right and wrong. We have to do that in our homes, and that is directly correlated to how our children react in society. Unfortunately many of these kids who bully and tease and make fun of other kids do not have the relationships that they need in their homes. I think it is important that we teach our children to focus on the good and to be the good. We cannot control many situations that are out of our hands, but we can't control what we choose to put out into the world.

JL~ LAST QUESTION! Do you guys ever get alone time and mommy and daddy time ??? Do you just pass out on random couches after the kids finally fall asleep or do you get to spend some time together at night chatting and just being a married couple ? Do you get to go on dates ever ?

Gardners~ We try to have a date night once a week. At least once a month. Some months it is difficult but we always try to make this happen as much as we can. It is so important to give your marriage attention and love just like you would your children. Marriage is something that cannot be neglected, just like anything else in life that you want to succeed. It needs time and attention to grow, develop, and succeed!

Tyson and Ashley Gardner

Oh my goodness I just absolutely love Tyson and Ashley ! They are so fun and they are such great examples of being strong in their marriage and working hard together as a couple to raise their gorgeous girls ! I had so much fun catching up with them ! I hope you did too!

Happy Parenting ! Love, JL~