First Snow Day 2013

This was the scene the day after Quin's birthday party! We got lots of snow and the boys were SO excited!!!! When Quin saw the snow, he immediately ran to look under the Christmas tree. Talk about a disappointed little boy! I guess to him snow=Christmas=presents! He got over it quickly after he found out we got to go play in the snow. We bundled the boys up and figured they'd last only a few minutes due to the bitterly cold temperatures. We were wrong. They pretty much stayed outside all day, with only a few breaks to warm up by the fire. This was my most favorite day. We stayed in our PJ's (my robe), drank coffee and hot chocolate, had the fire going all day, played a few games here and there and watched a movie or 2. A perfect family day! That afternoon, daddy got out there and helped the boys build an awesome snowman. Our daddy has SO many talents, and building snowmen is definitely one of them!

 Our sweet neighbors had all the kids on our block over for hot cocoa, cookies, and a Christmas movie. They had a blast and we thought it was the neatest idea! They all get along so well and we are so thankful to have friends who live just doors away from us. So neat to get to do life with them!

 

The boys:

The girls:

Keep your eyes open for a wedding invitation for these 2. They are equally smitten with each other, and the parents are hoping they stay that way until they are 25 and old enough to get married!

Quin's 3rd Birthday Party!

For the whole month of October, I had Quin's birthday party scheduled at the Pumpkin Patch. I thought it would be fun, but something in me wasn't sure the weather would cooperate. After all, in Lubbock in November, you could either have a 75 degree day, or a 15 degree day with snow. Luckily a few weeks before his birthday, I decided to play it safe and do an indoor swimming party at BodyWorks. That way, no matter what, we would be good. Fast forward to the party, it was FREEEEEZING! Some icy roads, snow in the forecast and downright, cold. THe pumpkin patch was closed, churches were cancelling services, the city was shutting down. Luckily, our friends still came to party with Quinny! 

We got to the swimming place, Quin saw it, and said "I don't want to swim!"...I told him this was his party (he had been SO excited eariler!). So we get in there, take all of his layers off, and he is adamant about not swimming, and asks when we get to go home. Mom fail. BUT all of the other kids had a blast, and eventually Quin liked it ok. He stood by the stairs the whole time and didn't venture too far from the side (even though the whole splash pool was about 1 foot deep)!

All of his buddies were there and they had a blast. After swimming, it was cake, presents and play time. He got lots of goodies, the cake was delicious, and his favorite part might have been the giant slide he got to slide down a few times. All in all, it was a success and I think he had a great time, even if the swimming wasn't his favorite!

 

Quin's BirthdayDay

For Quin's birthday, we had such a sweet day! Birthdays are a big deal around here, so I try to really make their day ALL about them!

Quin's birthday started off with birthday donuts! You can tell he had just woken up, but he was super excited about donuts! The family sang to him and enjoyed donuts together!

After the big boys went to school, we got ready for the day and went to the "Spec-ta-woom" aka, the Science "Spectrum". He's been asking to go for MONTHS now (bad momma!), and I kept telling him on his birthday we would, so he was pumped! We played, and played, and played some more. He was in heaven and could have stayed all day if I would have let him! We stayed until lunch time and then met Lulu, Aunt Jess, Crockett and Bowen for lunch at "Calisters"....his choice!

After a yummy lunch, Lulu took the birthday boy to Target and let him pick out a few things! He got a Jake sword (that he hasn't put down since), and a stuffed spiderman that sleeps with him everynight too! That night daddy cooked him steak, because that is what he said he wanted the day before. When it came time to eat he said, "I don't like steak!" hah! So he ate a sweet potato and that was about it. But it was his birthday so we weren't going to force it that night!

After dinner, Lulu, Papaw and the Stone's came over for cake and presents! He opened gifts first, and got a ton of fun things!!! Then it was time for birthday cake! It was a hit and everyone got their fill of sugar and icing! The boys played Hungy Hungry Hippos, played with the remote control Plane, and that night I had several new books to read him before I tucked him in tight, as a 3 year old!

 What a special day of celebrating our special little boy!!!

Quin turns Three!

Sappy post first, and then about our fun day we had today with the birthday boy.

Three.

Where did the past 3 years go, and can I please have them back? This little boy is such a dream. Literally from the moment he was born, he was so calm, so sweet and so content. This hasn't changed much, from infancy all the way into toddler/childhood. He's easy. He goes with the flow. He is very content in most situations. He showers you with affection and holds you tight with his hugs. If I could bottle him up and sell it, I'd be a millionaire. (OK, maybe I am his momma and SUPER predjudiced, but still!) I'm a little emotional about this birthday. Birthdays are a big deal to me, but because we are 99% sure he will be our last baby, it's even harder to swallow, that he is turning three.

I love SO many things about this little 3 year old, but here are a few that I want to remember at this stage in his life:

1. His hair. He has the best hair. I have to dry it after bathtime, and comb it before school. It's got some natural wave to it and I L-O-V-E playing with it while he sits in my lap and snuggles. It's the best! His hair has even earned him the nickname "Beiber" from his Aunt D! Ha!

2. Some of the things he says. One being when he says, "Momma, you're my best baby in the whole world!" Except "world" is "weeld".

He loves to repeat things on movies. A few of his current favorites: "Dad, watch this!" Ow, my BOOBS! That's what Norman Para say-s". I must explain this one.  ParaNorman is some movie the boys watched a couple times around Halloween, and he picked up on this line. He does grab his chest as he says it and we laugh. Every. Single. Time.

Another one is "Oh Coconuts!" That's from Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

After he says one of his lines, he says "Mom, am I funny?"

A thousand times a day. "Mom, how did God make cars? How did God make clouds? How did God make the grocery store? How did God make houses? How did God make the streets?" And on, and on, and on!

3. Prayers. He loves to pray at the dinner table. He will start off great. "Dear God, thank for today......" then ALWAYS, looks up and asks "What's something else" So Ryan or I will suggest something else to thank God for, and then...."What's something else?"....but at bedtime, he remembers it all and talks to God like they're buddies!

4. Dimples. He has tons of them, and they get him out of a lot of trouble around here.

5. He thinks he is one of the boys. We have several older boys that play at our house almost everyday, and he is almost always out there just in the middle of it all. I love his confidence and his ability to play with almost anyone, and have fun while doing it! The big kids seem to adore him too!

6. Speaking of adoration, this kid ADORES his big brothers. He thinks they hung the moon. He has a special relationship with them both. Braidy is his best bud, but they fight like brothers, too. They have a blast together and miss each other greatly while apart. Quin thinks the world of John. He's the protector and someone he completely looks up to. He loves his Johnny and is always so happy when he's at our house. John is his hero!

7. He is very affectionate. He loves giving tons of kisses, hugs, "I love you's", hand holding, sitting in laps, sleeping together, being close. He still lets me hold him, help him and touch him. He's very independent on many things, but his affectionate personality remains.

Quin,
Thank you for truly being a JOY to all who know you. Thank you for making us smile and laugh and enjoy life everyday. Thank you for reminding us of the important things in life. Thank you for opening our hearts bigger than ever. We adore you and think you are pretty perfect. These past 3 years have been the best. I'll never forget bringing you into this world. November 18th is one of my most treasured days because of YOU!