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.

Brock's Graduation Party

Sorry for the delay in posting!! We had a great time on Brock's graduation weekend, and we wanted to continue the celebration. Here are some great photos from Brock's Graduation Beer Tasting Party in May! We have to thank our friends who came and brought micro-brews for Brock to try. To top it off, I had a yummy cake in the shape of a beer bottle for Brock. It even said Brock's Brew on it. :-) Here's to good friends!

Brock and Sarah. She was so sweet, she actually put little graduation caps on the beer bottle lids!

Brock showing off his bottles


Quin, Brock, and I with his yummy cake!

Charlie Young came over, so Quin had someone to play with. Everyone loved seeing the babies together.

Great time, good food, good brew, good friends

 

Brock's Graduation, FINALLY!

I'm so proud to say my husband finished his MBA from Butler University! We knew this day would come, but we're so glad it finally did. Brock did an excellent job and learned so much from his time at Butler.

Brock with his degree


I've just discovered Picasa, and it's an awesome way to organize and edit pictures! Here is a cool collage from the ceremony. Quin did pretty well, but he definitely got a little fussy and tired. He slept some... I guess the excitement of Daddy getting his MBA was too much for him. Brock's parents, David & Carolyn, my brother, Joseph, my mom, Linda, and Quin and I all got to see Brock get his degree.

 

Congratulations, Brock! You go wherever your dreams take you. Do what makes you happy, and your family will always love and support you. We're so proud of him, so afterwords, we went to a delicious tapas bar downtown to celebrate. What's really cool about this is when Brock and I received our bachelor degrees, we went to a Spanish restaurant in Northwest Indiana. So, I thought I'd continue the tradition. Everyone who went to dinner for graduation 2004 was there for Brock's MBA graduation. Well, minus my grandmother and plus my son! We had a great time and got to try lots of good food. Since Brock studied abroad in Spain, we let him order for us. And of course, we had delicious sangria to toast us. What's even better, we had a private dining room, and they played Star Trek, Brock's favorite, on the tv! I didn't plan that, but I wish I could take credit for it. Here are some pics from a wonderful lunch. Thanks Mom and Brock's parents!

Enjoying being together


The restaurant was beautiful inside, and we had great service. The food was awesome; you can't get much better than that! Brock also thought the tapas were very authentic, even better!

 

Congratulations, Brock! You did it!!!

Mother's Day 2009

I celebrated my first Mother's Day! It was wonderful. Mom was in town from Montana, and it was also the weekend of Brock's MBA graudation from Butler, more on that in other post. My brother, Joseph, also came down from Chicago, and we had a great weekend. It just went too fast! I received a beautiful card from Brock, and a sweet card from Quin. I also got a cozy blanket from my mom with a very nice card. Brock even got us a Dairy Queen ice cream cake, my personal favorite! To top it off, my brother treated us all for a very nice brunch at a Hilton Hotel. It was a great kick-off to many Mother's Days to come. Here are some highlights:

Yummy ice cream cake


At yummy Mother's Day Brunch



With Quin & Mom


Check-out Quin's onesie. I just couldn't resist.


Great pic of Mom and Joseph


One of the definite highlights from Mom's visit was the Saturday before Mother's Day. My mom is an excellent cook, and we totally use that when we get together! Anyway, we had a delicious meal of pork tenderloin, salad, and garlic mashed potatoes. Mom just couldn't resist and convinced me to let Quin try some mashed potatoes. He LOVED them! What can I say? He's his mother's son because Mom's mashed potatoes are one of my favorite foods and should be in their own food group. I just gave him tiny bites, and you can see a little mashed potatoe residue on his chin. It was too much fun, and we had a great laugh.

Quin eating mashed potatoes


To finish off the wonderful day, we all went on a walk throughout my neighborhood. It was really nice, and Quin did great in his stroller. Thank God the sun was shining and it was gorgeous out. It really finally felt like spring!