Fall is the BEST!

  We have been out of town so much lately, that the last couple days, just spent bumming around the back yard, in the gorgeous Fall weather (80 degrees in November, we will take it!), jumping in leaves, riding bikes around, and swinging on the swings.

  I'm not sure if I'll ever get "official" 18 (or now 20 month) pictures of Quinn Evelyn... but I think these pictures are much more fitting of her spunky little attitude.

Quinn, some days you test us (me) to the core.  You are fiercely independent, and I love that about you.  You are talking up a storm!  "I do it" "I want ____" (insert anything you want.... and then repeat it 7 times! ha!) You love your "rabih" (lovey rabbit), and you would take him everywhere if we let you.  You will eat almost anything we put in front of you.  Asparagus?  OK!  Salmon?  No problem!  Meatballs?  More, please!   You continue to love dogs so much - you lay around on Sullivan, and he doesn't mind one bit.  Oliver minds, but you don't.  lol!  You want to do anything that Palmer or bigger kids are doing.  You had to trick or treat, you have to color (I draw! you say!) and you love to "wing wing wing wing" (swing!)  You are one of a kind.

seriously... with the finger.   Totally showing this to all your dates, when you are 50.

Happy Halloween!

This year, because we live in Louisville, I thought it would be fun to make costumes that are related to where we live.  After taking a trip to Churchill Downs with my parents over the Summer, it just made sense!  We have two little kids... jockeys are little... our two little kids could be jockeys!  It was so fun when we took the kids to the Downs, the horses that were on the track in between the races, were able to be pet.  The kids loved that!

Pictures from this Summer's trip to Churchill Downs!

I love how my Mom and Quinn look like twins in this picture! 

  So flash forward past a few hours of hunting down items, painting "silks" for the kids, and searching for items so that Ross and I can match... and you have our halloween costumes for the year!  The kids were the jockeys, and Ross and I went as attendees of the derby!  Only thing we were missing, were the mint juleps!

 We had SO much fun this Halloween!  We also had a few visits from very special people!  We were (if you can't tell from the pictures) up in Fort Wayne.  Friday night, we got a special visit from Aunt Heidi, Mr. Eric, and Piper - the kids ran around and played, and had a ball together!   We took some pictures of them, because they are always changing and growing.  We wanted to document them right in this special moment together!   Our visits are always too short, but we love them so!

We were also lucky enough for not one visit, from far away family (Strobels are family!) but two visits!  Uncle Sean and Aunt Meredith were in town this weekend as well!  We hung around the house, played with dogs and kids, went to adult dinner at Cork and Cleaver, and went to a movie (The Accountant).  Palmer used Uncle Sean's legs like a slide, and Aunt Meredith helped Palmer sort out all his Halloween candy.  It was a good weekend! 

Palmer-isms this week!

  You know that saying, "kids say the darndest things?"  Well, I just don't think it could be any more true.  I also think what they say about how you talk to your children, becomes their inner voice, because I notice so many of my phrases that I say to the kids, Palmer repeating back to me in context. 

"Be careful mommy!" 

(When going in to the kids bedroom because Palmer is being loud and keeping Quinn up, and I knock into something in their room)  "Shhhhhhhh!  Mommy!  Quiet, please!"

(Laying down on the couch)  "I'm Santa, mommy!  Do you want a present?"    (It is definitely February! LOL!)

Going down the stairs, Palmer says "You want to hold me?"  I told him that I would hold his hand, and that he had strong legs to walk down by himself, recently.  He walked down our (steep cape cod) stairs, and as he kept saying "Good job, legs!  You are strong legs!  Good job!"

He is very encouraging.  After we get done driving some place (whether I'm driving or Ross was) he says "That was good driving!  Good job!"  He also is very encouraging when one of us has been cooking.  "Great cooking!  You're a good cook, mommy/daddy!"  We don't know if he's being genuine, or if he is scheming, but it is still cute!

Palmer is also starting to pretend play well.  While he is playing, he'll say things like "I have a problem!  I have to find the solution!"  He likes to pretend that he is a doctor, and his favorite thing to do, is to take the scissors, and give me surgery.

Palmer, you are almost three, but sometimes it feels like we've been a family so much longer

.  At times, you have your toddler moments, but those are greatly outweighed by your funny sayings and things you do!  Love you Palmer Jerraid!

Pictures of you helping with daddy's birthday preparations last week!  You helped make the cake, and you picked out a valentines balloon and a baseball bat for him at the dollar store.  You were certain he would love those items! :)

 

A few Quinn pics! Quinn {almost} 1 year update!

Quinn Evelyn,
   How could we have know how we'd love you so?  How could we have known how sassy pants you would be.?  And crazy?  And dare devil woman?  And full of joy?  You are just the most perfect "you" that I could have ever dreamed up!  At almost a year, this is you:
- You are nearly 20 pounds (19.5 when you stand on our home scale)
- You wear 12 month and 12-18 month clothing.
- You point at things that you want.
- You started waking up at night again... womp. womp.  It's not every night, luckily!
- You share a room with your brother, and have since mid-December.
- You say Mom, Dad, dog, and you babble and "talk" about everything!
- You started walking about a month ago (around 10.5 months) and you are walking more and more!
- You get crazy when food or milk come out!  You love grilled cheese, avocados, pears, oranges, and will try pretty much anything we put in front of you!
- You are learning how to use a sippy cup.  Not super successful, but you are trying hard!
-  Your brother is your VERY favorite person!
- You wave like Cray-zeeeee!  Your zest for life is just adorable.
- You cannot help yourself.  Music comes on, and you booty dance!
- You are so incredibly loved!

 We are looking forward to so much in this next year!  We look forward to you and your brother bonding more and more!  We look forward to watching the two of you run around the yard this Summer.  We look forward to watching you learn more and more - learn to talk, and learn about the world around you.  We know your sense of humor will come out even more!  You are so funny already! 

Life without you, would be boring for sure!  We love you, and are so happy to have spent the last (almost) year with you!  We look forward to all the years ahead!  To the moon and back, mighty Quinn!

Love you!
Mom, Dad, and Palmer

An Ocean of Calm

 I was sitting, listening to my itunes music yesterday for a purpose.  The purpose, was to find a song or two that I would like to use for Quinn's 1st year picture/video slide show.   Just typing that seems so surreal.  Our baby, our mighty Quinn, the Quinnster, Quinner, Quinny Winnie, our dynamo, Quinn Evelyn, will be one year old in another month.  As I was going through songs, there are so many songs produced as love songs, that I could sing from the depths of my soul for my babies.  For the two little beings who turned me from a daughter, my parents' child, into a mother.  Into someone whose first thought isn't of myself anymore, but is for my babies.  Each of them has this very special place in my heart.
 So I'm about tears singing song after song to my babies, innocently eating their lunch, and then the song, Oceans, by Hillsong United came on (click on the link to watch/listen!).  I pretty much lost it.  I distinctly remember this song playing during my labor with Quinn, and I was immediately taken back to that moment.  So clearly, I remember the pain and the calm, all wrapped up into one.
  It is so funny to me, how my children came into this world so differently.  Palmer, my chill laid back kiddo, came into this world in a painful frenzy!  It was an unexpected un-medicated birth all the way until the end.  I stalled out, and then, as if my body said "ooooooohhhhh, that's what you want me to do?!" I went from 3cm to 9.5cm in an hour.  I was out of it, and it was total insanity.  None of the nurses would listen to me, and it was infuriating.  On the other hand, my firecracker, my daredevil, my sassy one, Miss Quinn, came into this world in the most calm manner possible (well as calm as a birth can be).  I was prepared mentally for a natural birth this time, mostly because I thought it would be a very quick birth, and I just prayed it wouldn't be in the car on the way to the hospital!  But instead, we were ushered down from an appointment to the birthing suite, and I had options.  All I wanted was a birthing tub, my husband by my side, and my playlist. (And our photographer, Kate Podjan!)
  I look back on this song with such fondness.  Forever it will be a time in which I felt a distinct calmness that came over me, from outside of me.  It came from a presence of God washing over me.  I thank God for that amazing experience, and every day since, that has been filled with such blessings, in the two little people that now depend on me.  Thank you God!! I do not thank you enough for the storms in this life that you walk with me (or labor with me) through.