Big changes for a big boy

Brent turned FIVE on Sunday. Five is a big birthday. I can't believe it is already here. His birthday party isn't until later this month but we had a little family celebration that day. He got to open a gift and have his favorite breakfast...cinnamon rolls and sausage links. Interesting combination you say? I agree. But he's da birthday boy! He got his first "real" lego set: Batmobile style. And can I just say, I think this may be the best birthday gift we have ever given him. Anyone who knows Brent knows he is incapabale of self-entertaing. However, for the past 3 days he has spents HOURS playing with this batmobile all by himself during Owen's naptime (this is the only time he gets it since Owen's too young to play with it). High five for me!

Brent also started preschool today. He was so cute about it. When he woke up this morning he came out of his room bookbag in one hand, outfit in the other and asked, "is it time to go to school yet?" Brandon and I busted out laughing. And then, when we pulled up to the "drop off" zone at his school he jumped out of the van and ran into the school without a single kiss, hug, or goodbye. I promptly called his little tail back to the car where he then quickly hugged and kissed me and told me he loved me. Then he was off again! After I picked him up he told me what a great time he had. He also told me 3 hours wasn't long enough. Geeze!

On a very personal side note, can I just say how incredibly difficult all this has been for me. For the last 5 years I have had my children with me all day every day with the exception of a few times here and there leaving them with close family members. The last five months have come with many challenges for me as a mom. I feel like I never had enough time with each child. My frustrations for one child get dumped onto another. There are always clothes to be washed. Dishes to be cleaned. Someone to be fed, or a diaper to be changed. Forget exercising. I never end the day with everything completed that I set out to do that day. The last couple of months I found myself looking forward to today. Thinking, I can finally get a little bit of a break. Spend more quality time with Owen and Quinn. Take some time to focus on taking care of myself. And now that the day is here, I find myself wishing I had just a little more time. Just a little more time before this phase starts. The phase where my children are no longer solely under my watchcare. Where I have to rely on someone else to teach, care for, shelter, and love MY children. Knowing, that they will be exposed to things I don't agree with. I try to tell myself, "it's just preschool. you get to go pick him up in 3 hours." But it's not that really. It's just the start of a new stage in our little family. I was so depressed Saturday knowing when I woke up I was going to have a 5 year old. I did ok taking him to school this morning but I have to be honest, knowing I have to do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, I have considered pulling him out. I'm ridiculous. I would never actually do that. I am just remembering how hard change can be. I guess for the most part, what's important to me has been the same for the past 5 years. Just add a child here and there. Phew! Ok, I am done with my rant. I actually feel much better too. I've said it before, I'll say it again. Motherhood makes you C.R.A.Z.Y. But I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING! I'll just have to be crazy :P

A week at the beach

We have been going going going for the past month and I am just getting around to uploading pics from our 1st vacation of the summer. We took our annual beach trip with Brandon's family to Waves, NC. The weather was beautiful and fun was had by all! Here are just a few of our many adventures caught on camera...

        Boogie Boardin'...      

                                                                   

     Hammockin...

Swimmin'...

         Hot Tubin'...

          Kite Flyin'...

      Chillin' with cousins...

     Sand Castle Buildin'...

        A trip to the Musuem...

 Spendin' lots and lots of good quality family time together!

3 Months Old ~Girly Time~

Little Miss Thang is 3 months old now!  It's crazy how much changes in a month with a baby.  She is smiley, smiley, smiley, with an occasional hard-earned chuckle.  She no longer is the baby who doesn't like to be held.  In fact, we think we figured out the deal with this.  After reading some material about certain foods that tend to upset babies through breast milk, I did some experimenting and found that when I eat dairy, it upsets her stomach.  So, ever since I cut dairy out of my diet we have noticed a big change in her.  We think she was uncomfortable, and holding her just made it worse.  So now everyone can get all the snuggles they want!  Just no icecream for mommy :( or cheese, or milk, or sour cream.... It's ok! She's worth it!

I know I'm partial, but couldn't you just eat her up!!

Someone thinks they are all grown!  Standing is her new favorite thing.  You will be her best friend if you just hold her up so she can stand. Btw, do I see a little ginger in that hair??? Time will tell...

I was talking to a friend the other day and she asked me if it felt different having a little girl.  I told her up to this point, it kind of just felt like another baby.  She told me that after having her girl (she already had a boy) she felt this instant connection with her like she had found herself again after all those years of being in "boy world" with cars and trucks.  I think I felt a little bit of that for the first time today.  All the boys (Daddy included) were down for a nap and I had some alone time just with Quinn.  We were lying on my bed and I was talking to her while she looked at me so intently.  I began thinking about all the fun stuff we have in store for us together in the future as girls.  This may sound silly, but I began to remember how much I truly love being a girl.  I can't wait to share all these things with my daughter.  So we had a little photo shoot of just the 2 of us in bed.  It was fun.  I am starting to get comments about how she looks like me now and I must say, I. am. loving. it.  So, keep them coming :) Even if you don't think so ;)

She is SO sweet! Ahhh!

Quinn at 2 Months

Quinn has grown A LOT in the past month.  She certainly doesn't seem like a newborn anymore.  Life with 3 has gotten somewhat easier.  I am officially grocery shopping and running errands by myself with all 3 now.  I have to admit, I dove in much sooner than I thought I would.  Sometimes you just gotta do whatcha gotta do.  I mean, we gotta eat :)  The first grocery trip was interesting.  I was nervous so I went right at lunch time and bought chick fil a for the boys.  I had Quinn in her carseat snapped onto the front of the cart, both boys sitting in the basket eating some chicken and fries, and I packed all the groceries on the bottom and all around my 3 kids.  Needless to say, I got some funny looks.  But we survived!  I have to say, the minivan really does help...much love for the mommymoblile.

So what has Quinn been up to?  She is now sleeping through the night.  Yay!!  She'll go 8-9 hours straight, feed, and then another 3 hours.  This makes me very, very happy!  So nice to have a good nights rest so I can tackle life with my 2 energizer bunnies during the day.  She still nurses like a champ.  She went "swimming" for the first time on Memorial Day (see pics below).  The water was really warm so I'm sure it just felt like a big bath.  She loves a bath, so she loved her first swimming experience.  Her looks have changed somewhat.  Her hair still stands straight up on her head, but her complexion has lightened up some.  Most people agree she looks a lot like Brent now.  She went in for her 2 month checkup this past week and just as I suspected, she is a long baby.  Here are her stats:

Weight: 11 lbs. 4 oz. (50th percentile)

Length: 23 1/2 inches (75th percentile)

What does Quinn like?  Well, she LOVES her playmat (which you can see her laying on in the first pic).  She spends a lot of time on this thing because she actually prefers NOT to be held.  Weird, I know.  Can you imagine the looks I get when people ask to hold her and I tell them this.  But it's the truth.  We've even experimented with it.  You pick her up, she cries.  You set her down she stops. Smiles. And goes to kicking her feet.  Her Dr.suggested maybe she's hot natured. Who knows?!  Sometimes I wish she would cuddle more, but I just count my blessings that she is this way and not the other extreme where she always has to be held.  That would be tough as the 3rd child.  She has also discovered her hands and fingers.  I am desperate to turn her into a paci baby.  I keep one in her crib, and one clipped to her bib when we're out.  But she just REFUSES!  Both boys took pacis and I just don't know what to think about a baby who won't take a paci and doesn't like to be held.  So, she has started to suck on her hand and fingers and this soothes her.  I am a little nervous about a thumbsucker though.  Oh well, once again I guess it could be worse. 

Quinn has also started forming this sweet little bond with Daddy :) :) :)  She LOVES for him to rock her and talk to her.  Actually, she PREFERS for him to rock her.  I rock her, she gets mad.  I get frustrated, pass her to him.  He rocks, she gets quiet and falls asleep.  Am I jealous?  Well, maybe just a little.  But mostly, it melts my heart.  She can really get herself worked up (reminds me a lot of Owen in this way) and Brandon is really good at just talking to her to calm her down.  So sweet! 



I just love this pic of her.  She looks so angelic!

New Mommy Ride

I actually got this a couple weeks ago but my computer has not been so nice to me lately and now it's just not working at all so I haven't had a chance to upload my pics.  (I am using Brandon's :) 

So, want to hear the minivan story??  About 4 years ago, after having Brent, I decided I wanted something a little bigger than my Galant so we went looking for minivans.  I really didn't want a minivan. I wanted a crossover.  But, knowing our family would only continue to grow in the following years, Brandon convinced me to buy a minivan.  We bought a Toyota Sienna but weren't able to take it home that day because they had to clean it.  When we got home that night, I literally cried to Brandon saying I wasn't ready to become a minivan mom yet.  Pathetic, I know.  So, being the wonderful husband he is, he called the dealership and got our money back for the car.  A couple weeks later we bought a Honda Pilot.  I was happy :)

Now, 2 more kids and 4 years later, I decide I am ready for a minivan.  And a minivan I got!  We call it our home on wheels.  This thing is SO nice!  There aint' no way I'm taking this thing back this time!  Oh, and the kids love it too :)

A Blessing

This past Sunday was a very special day for our family because Quinn was given a baby blessing at church.  It was a beautiful blessing and the entire day was spent with family which made it even more special.  And as if the day wasn't special enough, we got to witness my now future brother-in-law propose to my sister, Courtney.  It was so sweet and I love that he chose to do it in front of our family so we could all share that moment with her.  This is going to be an exciting year preparing for a wedding!!

Quinn..1 Month Old

No doubt the fastest month of my life.  We love this little girl so much and feel so blessed to have her in our family.  Her first month of life has been spent eating, sleeping, spending time with lots of family, and getting lots of good cuddles. 

Quinn is very strong and has already rolled from belly to back and back to belly.  When I lay her on my chest she holds her head all the way up for long periods of time to stare at me.  I am amazed at what she is already doing.  She seems to be such a mixture between the 2 boys.  I am loving watching her grow (and, man is she growing) and become more alert.

She eats and sleeps like a champ.  Her cry is out of this world! It sounds like a dying cat.  Makes you want to jump off a bridge.  Our house is loud so I guess she figures she needs to speak up to be heard.  I did a 1 month photo shoot with Quinn today.  Brent high-jacked it halfway through :)  He wants to be in on everything involving Quinn.  Such a sweet big brother.  He can't get enough of her!

...and here comes Brent :)

 

                                                                       (SO sweet!)

Quinn Elise

Dear Quinn,

      Just when I was beginning to think you were never going to come, you chose to make your debut one day late.  Just to show us who's boss I'm sure ;)  So here is your story...

      I woke up at 5 am Monday morning to serious bad cramps.  With the combination of a stomach bug going around and the fact that I had been having braxton hicks, I was not convinced that this was labor yet.  I got in the shower and wasted time for about 30-40 minutes to make sure this was real.  Around 5:45 Daddy made the decision to call Grandma and get her over to watch your brothers.  She got here by 6:40 and it was VERY apparent by then that your were coming...FAST!

    We got to the hospital by 7 and I was already dilated to a 7 and in lots of pain.  I begged for an epidural and kept getting the response, "We will do our best, honey but no promises since you are so far along".  I was scared.  By 8, I was given an epidural which only took to one side and not completely. At 8:30 my water broke, and you were here at 9:01.

    I can honestly say I have never felt so much pain in my life but as soon as you were here and I held you in my arms I knew right then and there I would do it all over again.  You took us by surprise with your head full of dark hair.  I just kept staring at you in disbelief of how beautiful and perfect your little body was.

    You weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. and were 20 inches long.  You have a beautiful dark complexion and full cheeks.  Your nose is tiny and you have prissy little lips.  Your eyes appear to be blue but it is still hard to tell the shape of them since you mostly sleep all the time still.  You have long fingers and Grandma is already hoping for a concert pianist.  Your fingernails were so long that they started growing back into your fingers.  This has not been fun correcting :/  You have teeny feet that don't even begin to fit into newborn shoes.
A lot of people say you look like Owen, some say Brent, even a few have said Daddy (not a single one has said me-but that's ok :) But personally, I just think you look like Quinn.
    Your brothers absolutely adore you!!  Brent loves on you all day.  He rubs your head and tells me how cute you are and how much he loves you.  Owen just copies his big brother.  Plus, he thinks it's pretty cool that you both have the same blankie.  They both get so upset when I put you in your crib for a nap and shut the door.  They want you to be out where they can see you at all times.  It is so sweet!

    Your Daddy doesn't say much right now.  I think he's still taking it all in and getting used to having a daughter.  He is very protective of you and whenever I hand you to him he stops whatever he's doing to look at you and talk to you.

    So far, you have made life with 3 children much easier than I expected.  Thank you for this, and feel free to keep up the good work!  You are a great eater and love your sleep.  I have had to wake you almost every night to eat.  When you are awake you are so content to just listen to your rowdy brothers and stare around the room.

   We love you so much already and even though you've only been here a week, it's hard to imagine our family ever without you.  Welcome to the work Baby Quinn!!

Coming Home

Sweet Brother Love



Articles of Faith

At the beginning of last year, all the primary children at our church were encouraged to learn all 13 Articles of Faith.  Brent took on this challenge and by March of this year had passed off all 13.  We were so proud of him!  The primary had an icecream social to congratulate all the children for their hard work.

Here they are singing all 13 Articles of Faith for everyone.

Here are the 8 children who memorized all 13.

They received 1 scoop of icecream for each Article of Faith memorized.  So yes, Brent had 13 scoops of icecream!!



9 Days and 9 Reasons

(38 weeks, 5 days)

Here comes the countdown. I kept telling myself I wanted to make it to Friday, and I have. And now I'm ready. I have 9 days left until my due date and here are my top 9 reasons why I am SO ready for Miss Quinn to make her grand entrance.

9.  As much as I love and appreciate these wonderful maternity clothes that I got from my good friend Jennifer, I am so over them and would love very much to never see them again :)

8.  Heartburn, Heartburn go away.  I have had it for about 2 months now and it has got. to. go.

7.  I need to run.  I need to run so I can chase Owen in public (he is always headed in the opposite direction). I need to run so I can race Brent to the mailbox again (a daily ritual we have).  And I need to run because it is starting to get warm outside and that gives me the running itch.

6. Like my maternity clothes and my heartburn, these support hose have got. to. go.  With every pregnancy comes an ailment and for this one it was bad, BAD vericose veins.  Thank goodness it was a winter pregnancy and I was able to stand wearing these support hose to help with the pain.  Too much info?  Sorry.

5. I've forgotten what it's like to sleep through the night without having to get up to pee.  Since she has dropped, my night schedule goes about like this: 10pm-pee, go to bed; 12am-pee; 2 am-pee; 6 am-pee; and then I'm usually up for good by that point because it's just annoying.  Not that a newborn feeding/sleeping schedule is going to be much better but atleast I will have good company :).

4. I have a room full of precious little girl stuff that needs to be used and worn by a speical little girl.

3. I am so excited to see Brent and Owen with their little sister.  Brent, especially.  He asks about her every day and tells me he can't wait to see her and hold her and I know he means it.  He is going to be such a great big brother to Quinn and a tremendous help to me.

2. I can't wait to see my tough hubby melt with a little girl.  He may not know it's coming, but I do.  She is going to have him wrapped and he is going to eat every word he has ever said about me being so soft with Owen (my Momma's boy).

1. My top reason??  I am about to explode with excitement at the thought of holding and cuddling and squeezing my little girl for the first time.  I want to stare at her and fall in love all over again with my precious gift from God!

...Not to mention, I just got my hair cut and styled today so I am ready to deliver this baby in style.  C'mon Quin!!!