20 months....

Well Quinn turned 20 months...thats 4 months from having a 2 year old.....Hes so independent now.  Makes me a little sad, but so happy for the wonderful toddler he is becoming.  We went to the park this week, (Yes in January, I love it) and he is so different then he was when we were going to the park in the fall.  He would stay by my side and I had to go down the slides with him, now he climbs all the way up the equipment by himself and goes down the slides head first!  And Im running around trying to make sure he stays in me sight lines....so basically I am sweating more then he is after an hour of playing at the park.  He answers yes and no to questions now, he knows what he wants to eat and for a snack,  it is crazy that I am communicating with this little person who just a year ago was learning how to walk.  He is the politest little kid, he gets that from his dad.  If another kid has something he wants, he will never just take it out of their hands, he always waits his turn for things...we are working on please and thank you!  It just amazes me how much he is growing and changing right now.  It is something new everyday.

New words in the past couple weeks...
range- means he wants an orange (tangerine)
Hot
coo-coo- Train
water
boo-boo
baby- finally he never wanted to say this before and now all the sudden everytime he sees a baby he says it
Bella- his playdate friend
I- is anything he can write with
shoes
basketball (so cute how he says it)
Football
Mouse- this is an old one, but this is what he calls Mickey Mouse
Duck-he knows donald duck
Toes, mouth( he knows all of his body parts, now he is starting to say a few of them)


In January we did a lot of activities...we go to open gyms every week, where he runs and jumps, and plays.  We have been to the Childrens musuem a few times.  We go to library time every week, for books, bubbles, and songs.   We had a few playdates.  We played in the snow and we are going to swim lessons every Saturday morning so Dad gets to go!  We even got to play outside a few days with the weather being so nice.

We are working on colors, he has blue down...I am so proud of him.....I couldnt have a sweeter baby boy..I always say to him, Can Momma hold you? And he says Yes...and comes running for me to hold him......I love it......dont get me wrong he has his terrrible two moments......and when I ask him if he needs a time out he always says Yes...so those are obiously doing a lot of good! 

Febuary looks to be just as great a January...we will going to Florida next week to visit Aunt Kassidy and Uncle Brian.....Cecil has a birthday...we are going to make a trip to see mamaw and papaw in Kentucky.....

First Post of 2012.....

Welp...here we are 2012...I cant believe it...I will be graduated from high school 10 years this  year...thats crazy!  Makes me feel old.....2011 was by far a great year, probably the best year of my life so far......Quinn took his first steps and celebrated his first birthday...I dont know what can get more special then those two things! Cecil and I celebrated 6 years married....which again...CRAZY! I enjoyed every minute staying home with Quinn this past year, we did all kinds of things, play dates, played at the park, walks, swimming, played outside...2011 brought our first family vacation and Quinns first trip to the beach, it was so much fun....I cant wait to take him every year.  My dad got married and my sister got married...so we welcomed 5 more people into our family in 2011.  You can never have enough people in your life that love and support you!  We also sold our house this year, it was bittersweet...this is what we do....it is our second income per say....but was a little tougher then most, I loved our house...we brough Quinn home to this house.....but I know we will find something we love just as much! 

The end of 2011 brought Quinns second Christmas.  He still doesnt understand but he was way more into unwrapping and being excited about things then he was last year, I know it will just get better and better every year with him.  If he is anything like his dad, he will love the Christmas season.  My sister and Brian were home for 2 weeks this year at Christmas, which was great....but Quinn and I were sick the second week they were here which is kindof a bummer!  But we are heading down to see them in a few weeks...and I much rather hang out with them in the sunny warm weather then here!  Quinn was spoiled at Christmas, the gifts just kept coming!  When he gets a little older, I want to make sure we are explaining to him that Christmas is not all about the gifts and what people buy you...I hope I can come up with some ways for us as a family to do things for the needy during Christmas, so Quinn can see the true meaning. But for now...he enjoyed ripping paper and getting new things.  His favorite gifts were his real basketball, his train table, hi mickey mouse pillow pet and his huge hot wheels track!  Love spending time with all of our families at Christmas, it always comes and goes so quick.

Quinn turned 19 months the day after Christmas.  He is the funniest kid ever.  He proably shoots at least an hour a day on his basketball goal....he gives me the remote and says Ball and wants me to turn on a ball game.  This kid is obsessed with balls, any...soccer, basketball, football, tennis...hes not picky! And I know everyone thinks since Cecil and I are into sports that we shove it in Quinns face all the time, but we really dont at all.....its just who he is, its just in his bood I guess.  We follow his lead with what  he wants to do, and what he wants to play with...and it will always be that way...if he rather sing in the choir then be on the sports court.....I will be just as happy, as long as he is doing what makes him happy. ( Even though I have no idea where he will get his singing voice from!)

He is saying so many words, a lot we understand...a lot we dont, and a lot we dont and he thinks we should be understanding
Quinns words at 19 months...ball, Bubba (our bulldog), Georgia (our dog), Big Boy ( our big american bull dog)  Dog, Car, Tractor, Yum, Milk, Cracker, Bye Bye, Papaw, Mamaw, Dad, Mom (even though he calls me Dad too!) Mine (Thanks Aunt Kassidy) More, Bath ( the kid LOVES a bath, he asks for one about 5 times a day) No, Yes., Night-Night.....I know there are more I just cant think, he understands almost everything we say or ask him to do, put your crayons away and he does, go get your books and he does....

Besides playing ball he loves to color in coloring books, that is his thing right now..We are going to spend a fortune in coloring books because he scribbles on a page and then hes done with it and goes on to the next!  Silly!  He also loves MICKEY MOUSE, he asks for it to be on the TV...he can spot anything Mickey Mouse from a mile away. 

We have been going to open gym every week, and he loves it! He runs and jumps, and walks on balance beems, and plays in the bounce house and jumps in the foam pit and on the trampoline.  He has a blast.  We are started swim lessons again this month and he will love that too, anything active he loves!  Total boy! 

We had our first of probably may trips to the Childrens Museum this past weekend.  He did really well, we were there almost 3 hours, he loved the playscape and pretty much everything there was to do.  He loved the big train, I see many more trips in our future there.

We actually have been playing outside a little bit because the weather has been so nice, he loves it...he wouldnt care if it were freezing out...he just loves to  be outside, we cant wait for the weather to break again and be able to be outside all the time!

One of my New Years Resolutions in to blog once a month at least, with pictures from the month and what we did that month and what Quinn is doing new.....I am usually good about keeping resolutions so hopefully I will keep this one.....

Fall is here.....

Man I cant believe Fall is here.....and next Month in Christmas! We have had a great fall. The weather has been good enough to play outside in the leaves, take our daily walks, and explore the back yard!  Quinn turned 17 months.....and the "terrible" twos have come early to this house, Im kidding he is not terrible by any means...but we are starting to deal with the tantrums, a few where he has thrown himself on the ground kicking.  I was that mom carrying my screaming, kicking kid out of the store last week at the Nike outlet.  Alls he wanted to do was throw every single box of baby jordans on the ground...and this mean mom wouldnt let him, so it was on! :)  He may be a spitting image of his dad, but he sures acts like me.  No patience at all.  He has started hitting sometimes when he is really mad, so we are starting time out, which he Hates but it works, for 5 mins until he forgets about getting in trouble!  But I love him the same...even carrying him screaming with people looking at me like get control of your kid!

He is still the sweetest boy most of the time.  He loves to hug and when you say give me a kiss, he leans into your lips, like "man I am really busy right now, but you can give me one if you want to" He still loves his cars, Loves hot wheels, and this mom cant complain when spending $1.07 on a hot wheel makes his day! 

He is talking up a storm, and repeating a ton of what we say.  He has started putting two words together.  Like "No way" "Football" No No Georgia.  One of our bulldogs is named Georgia and so he calls every dog Georgia!  And he says it the cutest way! He calls Mickey Mouse, Mouse, which is still his favorite show!  He says dada and papaw all the time, he calls me dada too, I try and tell him dada isnt really as cool as he thinks he is! LOL.  I am kidding but Quinn does think hes the coolest, everyday when he walks in from work , he just lights up and goes "OOOHHHH" and runs to him with his arms up!

He was a monkey this year for Halloween.  We went to a few neighbors house and then came home and handed out candy, he liked watching the kids in their costumes out the window more then anything! 

Other then that, not a lot going on, Volleyball is over for the year and my freshman did great, ended the season 8-3!  We are just enjoying each other and this little thing called life around here!

I think its time for an update.....

Wow...Late Summer and Early Fall get super busy around here for us....I am pulling double coaching duty this year doing the Freshman team and being the assitant Varsity Coach.  My Freshman are doing well, 5-2 so far, losing to two good teams. They are a good group of girls.....Our house is on the market, actually both houses are on the market....just looking to find another fixer upper, I see us doing this for a long time! We love it and make a good profit from our hard work, I just hate the packing and moving part. But its worth it, enables me to be a stay at home momma!

Whats new with Quinn---Well hes 15 and 1/2 months old.......he is talking up a storm all the sudden. He is starting to repeat things we say...time to watch our mouths!  Words he says all the time

1. Ball-he can spot a ball from a mile away, he has ball on the brain, he does spend a lot of time at the gym or by a field...poor kid :)
2. Momma and Dada-  Its def. more dada now then momma, which hurts my feelings a bit :( LOL
3. Yes and NO....and yes he knows when to use which one...and when the dogs bark he runs to the gate and yells no at them...
4. Bye-Bye...he not only waves it now, he says it
5. Night-Night...when I say night-night, he repeats it and runs and finds his blanky!
6. Block- loves to build with blocks
7.papaw and mamaw
8. More...this is my favorite, he says more when he wants more food or drink, but it comes out bore!
9. Car- loves them both toys and the real thing
10. Book- still loves to read, but he only likes to read by himself, he will hardly let us read to him anymore, hopefully that changes!
11. Dog- who would of thought dog would be one of his first words...:)


We are working on body parts...he knows nose, belly button, and mouth! He also likes to color in a coloring book for a few mins and then he finds it a lot cooler to throw the crayons.

He also knows how to get down in a football stance and tackle and the sign for touchdown, the sad thing is neithier one of us even taught him that...its just on his brain!

He also loves Mickey Mouse.  He watches Mickey Mouse ClubHouse every morning and just laughs and laughs, he sleeps with his Mickey Stuffed animal every night and carries him around like a baby sometimes!

At his 15 month appt he was 75% height, 65% weight, and 99% head size! He weighs around 26-27 pounds.

2 years ago this week, I was in the 2 week wait after our IVF transfer, 2 years ago today I took an early home pregnancy test and it was negative, my hopes were shattered, I was sure our second IVF had not been successful.  I cried, and cried. Cecil said dont give up yet....our baby is going to come at the right time,  and 5 days later on Sept 26th 2009...I took a home pregnany test again (after 3 more negatives) and for the first time in the 5 years I had been doing home tests, the 2nd pink line showed up.....I was in shock and kneeled down on the toliet (gross I know but in the moment I didnt care) and Thanked God for never giving up on me, and for my husband never giving up on me, and Just thanked God over and over again for giving us our baby! I cant believe its been 2 years since that moment.  The past 2 years has been the best of my life, from finally experiencing a pregnany, ultrasounds, and little baby kicks, to the moment with just Cecil and I in the delivery room, when Quinn made his way into the world...and we held him for the first time! I never lost faith, even though I questioned why......for the rest of my life I will stay faithful in God, even when it seems like it would take a miracle for something to really happen......Miracles do happen to those who believe!

First Vacation.......

So Quinn went on his firt trip at 13 months old. His Aunt Kassidy got married to his crazy uncle Brian.  So we headed down to Florida for a little over a week.  It was hot, but Quinn loved it. He did great on the flights and loved spending so much time with Aunt Kassidy.  The wedding was beatiful, on the beach as the sun was setting! Quinn was a ring bearer! He was so cute in his little beach outfit.  After the wedding we headed out to a small Island off of Florida.  He had a great time, swimming, playing in the sand, riding bikes, taking walks, eating great, new food.  Our first family vacation=success!

Quinn turns 14 months tomorrow.....He is a crazy, wild boy...no other way to put it.  Hes talking up a storm and will repeat random things Cecil and I say...along with his normal words....ball, dog, truck, mama, dada, yeah. He now dances all the time, every time there is music...even sometimes when there is not....he dances...its about the cutest thing I have ever seen!  His favorite book is Moo, Baa, La La La,  he will have us read it to him 10-20 times in a row, and he asks everyone that comes over to read it to him and when he sees it he goes "Baa" so cute!

He got his 4th haircut last week and hes turning so blond! Who knew I would have a blond kid.  He is getting such a personality...he has started seeing things in stores that he wants and he lets us know! He is pointing and waving and has got 9 teeth.  He is working on his molars right now, poor guy! 

Still loves to be outside! As long as he is outside, he is good!  I can finally say he is sleeping through the night! I honestly didnt know if I was ever going to get another good nights sleep, but all the sudden he just started going it!

He loves to stack toys and blocks...he loves to ride his 4 wheeler.  He is becoming quite the little dare devil, standing on his 4 wheeler, turning over things so he can stand on them, trying to climb things. 

Other then that we are just enjoying our summer.......He is the best little boy we could ever ask for, and amazes us everyday!

Turning 1......

Welp Quinn turned 1 on May 26th.  I am still in shock I think.  Where did a year go? I literally feel like it was 2 months ago we were coming home from the hospital, but then I look at pictures of him as a newborn and I feel like I cant remember when he was that little.  I have mixed emotions about him turning 1, I am so happy, but a little sad.  I dont know if I will get to experience all this "baby" stuff again so I try to soak it up as much as possible but man its just flying by.

On his actual birthday we just had a small cake and dinner, just the 3 of us. Cecil and I talked about how the day went the year before, and how ours lives changed in an instant at 3:12pm.  We talked about how we were awake for 48 hours straight because we were so worried something was going to happen if we closed our eyes.....we talked about how we had Hot Box pizza delievered to the hospital room both nights we were there and how it was proably the best thing we had ever eaten.....and how going into that day last year, we didnt know how to change a diaper, how to make a bottle, how to do a swaddle....and how you just get "it" when you need to.  We just did all those things because we had to, not because we knew what we were doing.

Im sure we have had made our fair share of mistakes, but this first year has been something I cant explain.  I have never felt so much love for 2 other people in my life.  Quinn has just been everything I knew I wanted, and a million times more.  Cecil is everything I knew he would be as a father, plus a million times more.  I sometimes wonder if I would have just given up, like some doctors told me I should....what a great gift and life I would be missing out on.  Anyone who reads this no matter what in life someone tells you isnt going to happen, can't happen, won't happen....fight, pray, love, and fight somemore....Dont give up.....it will happen. "Where there is great love, there are always Miracles"

I think in the year I have got this stay at home mom thing down pretty good, growing up I ddint ever see myself being a stay at home mom. But I love and cherish it so much.  I know its not for everyone, and I know everyone just cant do it, even if they want to.  I can never thank my husband enough for being such a hard worked and allowing me this time with Quinn.  We spend our days playing, taking walks, going to the pool, going to playdates, playgrounds, library time.....and just hanging out! It is the hardest, yet most rewarding job I have ever had.

Quinns Brithday party was a success.  He had a good time, thats what matters right?  We did a sock monkey theme and had it in our back yard, we put up a bounce house for the older kids that I didnt think Quinn would like at all, and of course when we put him in it, he LOVED it.  He kept wanting Aunt Kassidy to make it bounce more and more.  He loved his cupcake and wasnt really to into opening presents, he was way more concerned that their were other babies play with his toys in his room! (we are working on sharing!) He was cracking the whole party up because he would go into his room and just start yelling, and stomping his feet when he saw all his toys being played with.....Oh Gosh...am I really going to have that kid?  :) He loved all his presents as soon as we got them out of the boxes...he is very blessed and lucky with all the people in his life that love him.

Other then that.....hes just a character.....he RUNS now, like literally full force runs...hes trying to jump and starting to climb....everything in our house is attached to the walls now! He is saying momma, dada, dog, baby, oh yeah, Hi, I love you.....he will repeat a ton of what we say.....Mom and Dad are having to start watching our potty mouths....he gives high 5s, waves, and points, he can climb stairs on his own.  He watches about 10 mins of MIckey Mouse Club House every morning.  He absolutly loves being outside, getting dirty and muddy.  He is a true BOY in ever sense.  His favorite toys are any ball and blocks, he loves to stack them up and knock the over.  He still loves his food, and can clean an entire kids meal plate we were are out.

A letter to Quinn:

Quinn,

I hope one day you are reading through this blog and you know what a blessing you are to your dad and I. We love you even more then we thought possible.  You light up ours lives everyday when you stand up in your crib and start chattering away.  You bring such joy to us! This first year has flown by, but been such a blessing.  I cherish every day, minute, second with you and enjoy it so so much.  You have been the best baby we could ever ask for.  We love you so much! Mom and Dad 6/15/2011

Quinns 1 Year pictures, turned out amazing as usual, Suni Johnson captured his first year and I am forever greatful.