Coming back to the blog!

Hello! Please forgive my huge disruption in updating my blog. I have no excuse, so I won't try to create one. :-) It's a rainy day, so I thought how perfect to sit down and write?? Family time is becoming more sacred and as I ponder our past few months, Brock is sitting on the couch with Quinten in his lap doing animal flashcards. My husband is a VERY patient man and just keeps repeating animal sounds while Quin seems mildly interested. It's moments like this that make me take a break and appreciate the little things.


Life has been good, and Brock and I are doing wonderfully right now. Quin is 17-months-old, and he amazes us what he can do. He LOVES to climb, which I've been assured that Brock was the same way. He's fearless, so I've consulted with one of my friends about enrolling him in gymnastics. We're so thankful for spring weather coming because we've already gotten to go outside a couple of times. Going to the park might quickly become my favorite past time.

We are in the church season of Lent, and we've been encouraged to be more prayerful and take time to breathe. This is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, the week we reflect on Jesus's last week on earth. This time of year is one of my favorites. As we prepare for Easter, this week is pretty solemn for me. I still can't quite comprehend that a man died for us, for you, for me. That is love, and I pray all may know that love and embrace it!

Guess I have a lot of things on my mind... I will mainly catch up on what's happened over the past few months, and share some pictures of Quinten.

Pictures coming soon of Quin's first birthday...

Christmas this year:
One of the best nights during the Christmas season was inviting Rachel and Bethany, my college roomies, plus their significant others, to watch the Butler Ballet and Orchestra perform the Nutcracker. This is a picture of us ladies at the show. It was a wonderful weekend!


Breakfast with Santa. Quin actually giggled while on Santa's lap!


At home after Christmas Eve Service at church


First trip to the Children's Museum!




First time sledding. Thanks to our friends, the Jacobs, we had a toddler sled for Quin! We went with the Youngs and had so much fun!



Quinten's milestones at 17-months:
-Quin, you've been walking since you were 1. Right around your 1st birthday, you took your first steps.

-You're a pretty good eater and will try almost anything once. You still hate peas, and Mommy is still trying to convince Daddy to give up on making you eat them. :-)

-You're a climber! Thankfully, you haven't climbed out of your crib yet. You can climb the sofa, furniture, stairs, and your slide.

-You love to talk and make noise. We're not sure what you're saying most of the time, but you definitely say "ball, mama, dadda, no, and Chewy (our cat.)" You really say, "chew," and when we ask you where is kitty, you know exactly who we're talking about.

-You try to ride the dogs, and they are so patient with you. You get excited and grab their fur. When we ask you to be gentle, you softly pat them. It's SO cute!

General Assembly

Every 2 years, my denomination hosts its General Assembly. I belong to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which is a Protestant denomination. It's so much fun and very special. Disciples come together from all over the world for worship, fellowship, study, and reconnect with old friends. Two years ago, Brock and I went to Fort Worth, Texas, and that was my first Assembly. This year it was in Indianapolis, and so much fun. A lot of our friends from church were able to go and we got to hang out a lot afterwords!! Quin got to come too for a little bit of the Assembly.

Here are the three of us at closing worship on Sunday.

One of my favorite aspects of Assembly is the area for children. I didn't know if I could get pregnant due to medical issues, so Quin is really a miracle baby. I dreamed of coming to Assembly and sitting in the area reserved for children and their families. They set up large pads for kids to sit and color on, and they also have rocking chairs to rock infants. I was sure to visit that area with Quin, and I got a picture of us on one of the mats. The cool part is the hand prints on the mats were painted on by kids at our church! It was wonderful and a testament to how quickly life can improve in just 2 years.

We have some wonderful friends who moved to California last fall just before Quinten was born. They are the Hamms and we went to Fort Worth with them. Assembly just wouldn't have been the same without them, so we were thrilled it was in Indianapolis. Plus, they got to come back for a little while with their kids, and I miss them terribly. The hardest part of them leaving was they had to go just before Quin was born. But, when they came here for Assembly they got to meet him. Here is a great shot when Christie and Michael first met Quin.

One of my favorite nights was Thursday. Brock and I didn't have to go to work on Friday, and Quin was with Brock's mom. We went to the Cladaugh and just had a ball!! The first one is of us Voguing. :-)

On Saturday, we had lunch with Brock's dad. Here is a great shot of three generations of McCrackens.


Finally, one of the best nights of the entire summer was the Monday after Assembly. The Gores were gracious enough to host all of us at their home for a farewell cook-out. It was fantastic! They have a beautiful, large backyard. The kids got to play on the swing set and all us adults got to talk around picnic tables. It was a magical evening and the perfect way to end Assembly weekend.

 

Thank God for good friends and a wonderful church!

Quin Can Stand in His Crib!

Well, we have exciting news! Quin can now stand in his crib and pull himself up on things. I just can't believe it. He's so proud of himself. It's so funny because just a few weeks ago, Quin still couldn't sit-up right on his own very well. Now, he can sit up, crawl, and stand. Brock and I were getting ready for church, and I went to get Quin from his crib. When I went to get him, I found him standing up. I know he had to do it himself!!

Look at my Big Boy!


I have to admit, I'm a little sad. Quin is growing so fast! I know, I know, he's still a baby. But, I remember when he was just a little tiny thing when he had to eat every 2 - 3 hours, we had to support his head, and we were thrilled if he opened his eyes.
Quinten in the first week of his life

It is really amazing how quickly a baby changes, just in 9 months! I know coming to his 1st birthday will be wonderful but also a little emotional too. He's changed our lives so dramatically. A good friend of mine named Shari said after your baby is born, it's hard to picture how life was before he was born. I thought yeah right, I'll always remember. But, it's true. He has brought so much joy and purpose to my life, and I already think it's going too quickly. I know I must sound really strange and naive to moms out there sending their kids to college, but I can't help what I feel. Quin is so awesome, and I wouldn't trade him for the world. Here are a couple pictures of him we took this weekend.

I absolutely love these pajamas. The pants have a little waist band that says "Joe Boxer" on them. He looks like such a big boy! The last one is of Quin asleep on my shoulder. It's moments like this that I will always cherish!!

Ben & Carrie's Wedding

This past weekend, one of our good friends from high school got married! I say "our friend from high school" because Brock and I went to the same high school and started dating the 2nd semester of our senior year. It's really nice to have that in common, especially when we want to reminisce about things. We both know what the other is talking about.

Anyway, Ben got married to a wonderful woman named Carrie. They met a couple of years after they graduated from college, and we couldn't be happier for them. They asked us to be the DJ's at their wedding, and we were so humbled to be asked. Not only did we play music at the reception, but we also did at the ceremony. I have to admit it, I was a little nervous right before we arrived at the wedding. I didn't want to mess anything up! I mean, if the music is bad, people will remember. It went very smoothly. What's amazing to me is Ben put all the ceremony music on his iPhone. I just followed the right playlists and plugged the phone into a jack in the sound system. Those iPhones are SO user-friendly, and now I really want one! The ceremony was beautiful. The colors were light yellow and pink, and it was absolutely gorgeous.

The night before, we attended the Rehearsal Dinner. We brought Quin with us since he wasn't going to the wedding. It would have been a long day for the little guy. One thing I really love is watching my friends with Quinten. Jeff was the best man at the wedding, and he just went crazy for Quin. Then again, his wife, Kara, did too. Jeff also went to our high school and was the best man at our wedding. Brock and Jeff have been friends for a long time, and we're so happy he found such a wonderful wife in Kara! The first pic is of Quin, Brock, and Jeff. The next is of Jeff and Kara at the wedding.

The beautiful newlyweds!

We had such a wonderful time! Here's a picture of us at the reception.

The groomsmen and Brock! Jason on the right also went to our high school. In fact, I've known Jason since elementary school. It was great to catch-up.

Ben and Carrie, we pray you have a wonderful marriage. Thank you for including us in your special day. Your wedding was beautiful, and we're so glad we got to be there. Congratulations, and God Bless You!

4th of July & Quin 9 Months!

I need to do a little catch up!! I first wanted to tell you about something we discovered Quinten absolutely loves. To swing! He loves going on outdoor swings in the park or at church. We put him on one for the first time during Father's Day weekend, and he loved it. We have a great playground at church complete with baby swings. One evening, Brock had a meeting at church. Quin and I tagged along for dinner, and then we played on the swings. He giggled at first, and eventually, he fell asleep! Check out the collage below. The pictures on the left are of Quin falling asleep.

 

So, we had a wonderful 4th of July and went to our friends, the Jacobs, house. We have been fortunate that every year for the past few we've gotten together. It just wouldn't feel like the 4th without their annual party! We had to stay indoors due to the rain, but we had good food and played fun games. One of the best parts of the evening was Quin playing with Kara. She got one of her stuffed dogs and kept wagging it in his face. He was cracking up! The next is Rachael holding Quin. The girls just love on him all the time; it's great!

































Here is a picture of Quin in his 4th of July outfit. I feel so stupid because I had the onesie he's wearing for a while and bought a special new shirt for him to wear. I just totally forgot about it! Oh well, he still looked adorable.

The night before, we went to symphony on the prairie. Here is a great pic of Quin and his daddy.

Quin is just so fun and cute!! Here are some pictures of us just doing normal things around the house. The first is of Quin after a bath with a mohawk! The second is of Quin in his bath towel, big eyes! The last one is of him sleeping on me. I love that he still does this and hope he will for a long time!!!

My baby is 9-months-old today. It's just hard to believe! He's been alive almost longer than I carried him inside me. I really love being a mom, and it's better than I ever imagined. Quin has started crawling! He did it about 3 weeks ago, and now he wants to go everywhere. Here are some exciting updates on what Quin is doing.

Developments and Likes:
-Quin you're crawling! We were with our good friends the Youngs when it happened. Here's a picture of Quin and Charlie the same weekend of his big milestone.
-You are still a great eater, but peas are definitely now on your not likes list. You actually gag when we try and feed them to you. You now eat puffs! They're great because you can grab them yourself and put them in your mouth after we lay them on your high chair tray for you. We shake the container to let you know you'll be eating puffs, and you get so excited. You're very hungry right now!

-You attended your first symphony on the prairie and did wonderfully. You saw fireworks for the first time after the concert, and you were FASCINATED. You lay in my arms with a big blanket wrapped around you. It was a moment I've always dreamed of, holding my baby watching the sky. Daddy was very excited because you weren't scared of the loud fireworks and watched the whole show quietly with your pacifier in your mouth. The moment it was over, you looked at me and fell asleep.

-As mentioned before, you love swings.

-You love playing with the animals, and they're so good with you. You laugh when they walk by, and you excitedly crawl over to their pillow bed. We can have tons of toys on the floor for you, but you go straight for Sampson's ball, gross! It is fun to watch you with the pets.

-We have to be very careful when we put you on our bed because you like to crawl and roll all over it.

-Swim lessons are awesome! You're such a big boy, and you love being in the water. I'm so happy because I was/am a huge water baby. We take a parent & me class, and we put you underwater. You don't stay under long at all, and as soon as you come back up, you wipe your eyes. The instructor said that's a good sign, and you're not afraid of the water.

-You like to stand on the side of the couch, at the coffee table, or outside of the bathtub. You need us to help you, but you love to stand. You sometimes bounce.

-When you play, you love things that make sound or talk to you. You have a little radio, and when you push it, it tells you about the weather. You love having the button pushed for you.

-When you smile, you still scrunch up your nose, which is SO cute. You have an AMAZING laugh, and when you really get going, you laugh really hard and fast.

-You sometimes will show your teeth, but you won't show them if I try to open your mouth. I want to show off your teeth, but you won't let me. You currently only have 2 teeth on the bottom. Here's a picture of you as you're reaching for your puffs, and you can see those adorable teeth.

We love you so much and are so happy you're here! You're a miracle baby, and it's hard to believe you'll be 1 in only 3 short months!!

Brock's 1st Father's Day & 8 Month-Old

What a joy it is to have a little boy! Quin is so much fun right now, and we are loving watching him explore new things. We had a really nice Father's Day this year, and the weather was perfect. I asked Brock what he wanted to do for Father's Day, and that evolved into a picnic. Then, that evolved into a picnic with his family, including 3 of his 4 brothers! We went to our hometown and to a park we both remember playing in as children. We were so happy to take Quin on his first picnic in a place where we first played, and we even put Quin on his first baby swing in a park! I made potato salad, cowboy caviar (veggie salsa - YUM), deviled eggs, and M&M brownies. Brock grilled the perfect chicken Saturday morning. Quin and I went to our Parent & Me swim lessons, and then we hit the road!

Quin with his grandparents and talking to Uncle Jay B & Uncle Kurt

Quin ready to party at the Father's Day Picnic

Brock with his brothers, dad, and son (Uncle Kurt is holding Quin)

One of the definite highlights of the picnic in the park was putting Quin in a baby swing for the first time. He loved it! We had to be careful because he wanted to chew on the swing, gross! His reaction on the swing was perfect; he just laughed and giggled. We LOVED watching him!

Look at this happy swinging baby!

Daddy just had to take his son down a slide. Quin liked it ok, but he really loved the swings. You gotta love his hat!

On actual Father's Day, we kicked back. Quin didn't get his naps on Saturday, so he was exhausted on Sunday! He took a 3 hour nap, so Brock and I took a 2 hour nap! We were a little productive and set-up a bouncy seat for Quin, which sets-up onto a door jam. I couldn't ask for a better father for my child. He is so attentive, so loving, and so happy to be a daddy. Brock you're a TERRIFIC father!

Hard to believe, but Quin is 8-months-old. He's got 2 bottom teeth, and I think more are coming in. He just chews on everything he can! He has bit my finger, and gosh it hurts!! Quin, here are some of the wonderful things you are doing and some of things you just don't like...

Quin Likes/Developments
-You're a really good eater, and you really like to try new things.
-You love your spoon and playing with it! You try to grab it and put it in your mouth. We have to be careful when you do that because you sometimes gag yourself!
-You scrunch your nose up like Mommy when you smile, and it is too funny.
-You still use your pacifier and have mastered taking it in and out of your mouth.
-You like to go for rides in cars. Most babies fall asleep, but you like to look around out the windows to see what's going on.
-Daddy got out a play keyboard for you, and you really like it! You also really like your bouncy seat and going on a baby swing.
-You love sitting in your stroller and taking walks with Mommy & Daddy.
-You move around the room, even though you're not crawling. You roll over from your back to tummy and vice versa to move around.
-You like playing in your playpen while Mommy & Daddy do work in the house.
-You laugh when you see the pets.
-Still absolutely love having your picture taken.

Quin Dislikes
-Taking naps when you're home on the weekends. You want to play with your parents.
-When you're really tired, you want to be held for a while before you go to sleep. You don't like just being put down.
-You're "not too keen on rice cereal" as Daddy says.

You are such a good baby, and we love you very much. Slow down growing!

Pennsylvania Trip - Memorial Day

Brock, Quin and I went to Pennsylvania to see my wonderful Aunt Carol and her family. We had a great time, and Quin did a great job in the 10 hour car ride! She doesn't live too far away from Washington DC, and my grandfather is buried in Arlington National Cemetary for his service in World War II. I was very close to my grandpa, and I still miss him everyday. It was wonderful to go to his grave and do it with my son and extended family. My brother also came out from Chicago, which was really special.

Here's a pic of Brock feeding Quin on a pit-stop in Ohio.

We spent the night on our way out there, and here is a picture of Quin in his first hotel room!

Sleeping baby on our way. Those wings really helped his head not bob while he slept!

Brock loves going to breweries, and my Uncle Hugh took him to a brewery the last time we went to Pennsylvania. Here is a picture of Brock, Quin, and my Uncle Hugh at Victory Brewery, which is near my aunt's home. The meal was delicious!

Here are some wonderful pictures of us with my Aunt Carol, cousin Jennifer, and my family. My aunt's other daughter, Gayle, is currently deployed in Iraq as an Army Nurse. She called us on Memorial Day, which was awesome! We love you, Gayle!





Here are some pictures from Arlington National Cemetary. You can see the Washington Monument from the road that leads to my grandfather's grave. It was awesome to have a picture there with my brother and cousin, and it was phenomenal to have a picture taken there while holding my son. I'm so grateful to my aunt and uncle for taking us there to DC!!

With my brother, Joseph, and cousin, Jennifer

My family

You can put rocks on the gravestones at Arlington. It shows that someone was there and visited a grave. We also saw my cousin, Michael's, grave. He died in a helicopter in Iraq, and he's not too far away from my grandfather.


Thank you Aunt Carol & Uncle Hugh for a great trip and Quin's first vacation! We did so much! We went to Victory Brewery. My aunt and I made a wonderful Memorial Day feast, including yummy Cowboy Caviar. We played one of the best games ever, Catchphrase. We talked, told stories, and just really enjoyed being with each other.