hip hip hooray.

"A little girl?! YAY! I can't wait to play with her!" (a baby girl cousin on the way!)
"Wait...she isn't going to try to take my barbies, is she?"
"We can snuggle our dollies...
...and maybe even try to eat them."

"I'm so excited for someone to play dollies with! We can play dollies for hours and hours just like our mommies did when they were little. Since I'm older does that mean I get to have the nice dollies and that she gets the ones with crayon drawn on or a leg missing?...well, that's what my mommy says." :)
We are SO excited for the upcoming arrival of our little niece and Quinn's cousin! It is perfect that these cousins will be so close in age and both little girls.
Congrats to my sister Amy and Michael, Aidan and Liam!

lucky.

One lucky little girl to have a grandma who is so crafty, and retired too. :)
falling in love with shoes, and these handmade ones by grandma were to die for.


A new outfit made with love by Grandma D. one lucky little girl.

four months.

a little delayed, but better than never. :)
June 19th marked Quinn's 4 month birthday!
Here's to our beautiful baby girl and a shortened version of our monthly birthday celebration post. Many of her 4 month pictures captured some of her firsts.

her shining personality coming through. happy. happy. happy.
talking, singing, hooting and howling.
grabbing toes, holding toys and focusing on new things.
...and a little flipbook of the giggle.


love it all so much.

Other firsts? rolling over front to back and back to front, standing up strong for a long time with little support, reaching out and grabbing things that people are holding, rolling onto her side or belly to sleep now, eyes so quickly started to change color (from a bright and bold medium blue to now a blue-green) ...and feeling a little tooth that may come in soon. AH!!! too many firsts all at once! No, I love it all, it's just so amazing how fast things start developing.

Size? 11 pounds 12 ounces. 23 1/2 inches long.
and a little head. nurses and doctors always comment on her little head. It's proportionate to her body so it doesn't look too tiny, but I guess in comparison with most babies their heads tend to be a little larger on those little bodies. Doctor mentioned that she has been doing so much developmentally and is so strong because she doesn't have to lift a big heavy head up like the average baby. (we finally took the newborn insert in her carseat out at about 3 1/2 months :))

Clothes? 0-3 months and most of these will fit her all summer for sure. This little girl has quite the stylin' little 0-3 month wardrobe, so I love knowing she will get good wear out of them for months.

The adorable things that make her Quinn? Quinn is such a good and happy baby. From our parental responsibility perspective, she is easy. We can pretty much take her anywhere, anytime and it doesn't mess up her day or mood in the slightest. She spent 3 days in the car traveling a total of 23 hours and we barely heard a peep. She coos, sings, and howls quite loudly and is becoming rather animated. This is the side of her personality that is making me really curious about who she will grow into. And I would say the girl side of her is coming out now :), she has the best pouty lip you will ever see, and she is a little trickster now as she does a loud screech/scream (not a cry, but a fake scream) to get your attention. As soon as you attend to her she doesn't have teary eyes at all, nope, but a huge grin grabbing her feet and you can see her little mind going "haha, it worked".
We love it all and can't wait to find out more about our little Quinn.

Happy 4 months little one. kisses.

the best.

the moment these little fingers reach for these little toes...
...can you hear my heart melting?...
...it's the best and my favorite.

southern comfort.

We recently had some good friends relocate to the south, giving us a very good reason to take in a little south carolina beauty and more importantly enjoy the comfort of being around loving friends. We had such a great time with Eric, Lisa and their two adorable and wonderful kids ~ Sydney and Sammy. Lisa and I became close friends when I first started my teaching career and she helped to take me under her wing when I was a 21 year old newbie to the profession. I learned so much from Lisa, and there was never a dull moment spent together. She always makes life fun, and that's what it's all about. Quinn made two new friends in Syd and Sam, but I think she created a special little bond with Syd, who took care of her so well and gave Quinn her first real girly playtime, dress-up and all. We are so happy for them, they are doing so well in their new southern home. Looking forward to our next visit.

and look at all the fun we are having now. :)
a little love from Sammy.
so good with our little Quinny.

ah...come on...our little girls together. it's amazing and so so sweet.
dress-up time.
the boys had some fun too.
who says we all can't have a little fun?...how times have changed.

some morning cheer.
and a lazy morning snuggling.
such a good visit.

coming your way.

sorry for our little break in updates. roadtripping adventures and new memories in the works. treasures forever being created.
tons of new posts coming your way... very soon.

a quick little tidbit of life this week...
all in the short time since our last post we've seen eyes start to change color, our first unforgettable girly giggle, a tiny little white bump poking through the gums, shared with her 9 states in our beautiful country...far more than the 4 months birthday we just celebrated.
lots of hugs, cuddles and kisses ahead of her with grandma and grandpa.

dads & daughters

There is something so special about the relationship between dads and their daughters. As everyone says a little girl has their daddy wrapped around their finger, and to a little girl he is always a hero in her eyes, always.

he is easily convinced to let her play with his car keys.
is devoted to caring for them endlessly.
makes every single christmas extra special.
teaches them how to be part of a community and fall in love with sports.
and when it's their turn, never misses a game.
cautiously teaches them to drive.
welcomes all friends with open arms.
provides opportunities to see the world.
and lets go a little so they can experience the world on their own.
hopes their 21st is quiet, reserved and safe.
cringes every time they walk out the door like this and prays for a safe return.
watches her walk down the aisle in a wedding and starts to think about the day he will walk her himself.
teaches her how to find the good machines in Vegas.
drives far and wide so she can get her dream kitten.
protects her from the rain and storms that come in her life.
preciously gives her away.

and loves every second with her babies and his new granddaughter.

love my daddy.

and the magic and memories begin.
Happy daddy's day!