Meet Buddy

We have a new addition to the family (and, of course, it's ANOTHER boy!), Buddy the Elf (on a shelf). If you are not familiar with this completely FABULOUS Christmas tradition (and I can say that after only having him for 2 days), it all starts with this book . . .


and this elf . . .


The elf is a scout sent by Santa to watch little boys and girls and report on their behavior. You CANNOT touch the elf (his magic will go away), and he does not talk to you (that's one of Santa's rules). Each night the elf flies to the North Pole and tells Santa if the little ones have been nice or naughty. Each morning he flies back for more observations. If he lands in the same spot from the day before, you've been naughty. If he lands in a new spot, you've been nice.

This morning, the boys were beyond thrilled to rush downstairs and look for Buddy. They were relieved to find him in a new spot . . .




The boys have been talking to Buddy and trying hard to be extra good. Quinn's first words to Buddy this morning? "Buddy, I'm not going to push Holden today." MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, MY FRIENDS, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Ha!

*Yes, I have yet to take down the fall/Thanksgiving decorations and put up the Christmas ones. I should get to that huge task this weekend. For now, we have Buddy . . . and that's all we need! ;-)

DWTS

Last week, Fletcher was very intrigued . . .


by the Dancing With The Stars finale show! Ha!



*Jennifer Grey won. Yes, she was a great dancer. And, yes, she was the lead actress in my all-time favorite movie (Dirty Dancing). But, she was a little too emotional/dramatic for me. We were big Kyle fans at our house. He was just so fun to watch! ;-)

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

This morning, my friend Kristy came over for a little photo shoot. She is following her dream of becoming a photographer and needed pictures for her portfolio. We needed some recent pictures and a Christmas card photo, so we were more than happy to oblige. She did a FANTASTIC job! Here are a few of my favorites (NOT including the one that we chose for our card!) . . .

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hosted Thanksgiving lunch at our home today. My parents (Papa and Mama Quinn) and Brant's mom (Mama Carol) were here for all the fun!













My mom works at an elementary school. Wal-Mart donated their left-over Halloween costumes, and my mom was able to pick out a few for the boys. They were THRILLED . . . and VERY THANKFUL! ;-)



*Just in case you can't tell . . . Quinn is a ninja, and Holden is Bumblebee (Transformer).

Friendship Stew

This morning was the Friendship Stew at Quinn and Holden's preschool. The classes sang a few songs to start the festivities, followed by the delicious "stew" and sandwiches. BOTH of my boys sang happily! Does everyone remember the fiasco of last year's preschool Thanksgiving celebration, when Quinn refused to wear his super-cute hat and sing with his classmates? Well, I'm happy to report that there was no stage fright this year. Yay! :-)

*They were most excited about their noodle necklaces, talking about them for at least 2 weeks now. Please admire their beauty in the photos! :-)

Part of the Action

This morning, Fletcher was happily playing on the living room floor; the big boys were playing right beside him. When Quinn and Holden came to the kitchen for breakfast, Fletcher started fussing . . . which led to full crying. After trying a few things to make him happy, I put him in the bouncy seat and placed him on the kitchen floor right between Q and H. He IMMEDIATELY stopped crying. He just wanted to be part of the action . . .

Thankful Thursday

Just a cute picture of my Fletcher . . .

on this "Thankful Thursday"!

*All 3 boys are napping right now. PRAISES for that, too! ;-)

Venom

It is no secret that my boys LOVE costumes. The day after Halloween, I was able to get 2 new ones at Target for 1/2 price. I happened to be shopping without Q and H, so they had no idea of my purchase. I decided not to give them to the boys immediately. Instead, I saved them for when I needed a special "incentive".

For the past month or so, I had been having some trouble with Quinn at naptime. He still needs to nap (he needs the sleep - he is cranky/whiny when he doesn't get it!), but he was fighting it. He would toss and turn, sit up, be restless, etc. I knew that if he would just lay there, still and quiet, he would be able to go to sleep. I was trying a variety of things, and nothing was working. It was getting to be a bit of a daily battle.

So . . . LIGHTBULB MOMENT . . . the costumes! I started a "smiley face chart". As long as he laid down, still and quiet for all of naptime, he got a smiley face. After 6 days, he would get the new costume. Well, it was AMAZING! He decided that he could lay down, still and quiet . . . 6 days in a row! AND, he fell asleep all but 1 of those days! I KNEW IT! ;-)

So, yesterday was day #6. He received his costume after nap. Introducing Venom (or as Quinn calls him, "The Bad Spiderman") . . .



Holden does really well at nap, usually falling asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. So, he received his costume, too. Introducing Iron Man 2 (or "The Bad Iron Man") . . .

*Yes, it's too big. If he doesn't wear it out first, he will grow into it!


My adorable little villians . . .

Cool and Crazy

The bigger boys enjoy "entertaining" baby Fletcher. Most of the time, he smiles and looks at them as if they are so cool . . .



Other times, he looks at them as if they are so crazy . . .



Fletcher with his cool and crazy big brothers . . .

Mr. Personality

Fletcher is becoming little Mr. Personality these days. He is cooing, smiling, and playing. He is also less fussy (and less gassy)! YAY! :-)



Happy Friday y'all!

Papa Tom's Visit

Over the weekend, Papa Tom came for a visit from Michigan. The boys LOVED spending time with him. And, Papa Tom was able to meet his 3rd grandson. I think that they liked each other! ;-)

Loyal

We have LOTS of costumes; however, Holden remains loyal to Iron Man. This is how he feels about the Buzz Lightyear costume . . .



*To tell the truth, I admire his dedication and loyalty to his favorite superhero! ;-)

Fascinating

Fletcher has discovered his hand . . .

He finds it completely fascinating! ;-)

Meet Bubba

As most of you know, both Quinn and Holden have beloved bears given to them by Papa and Mama Quinn. The "Build-A-Bears" have become their security objects. They have been cuddled with and loved at every naptime and bedtime for years now.

Quinn's "Big Teddy" . . .

*Yes, I know that he is looking pretty sad. Every time I offer to fix him and sew up some of his "boo-boos", Quinn assures me that he is "perfect"! That is unconditional love, people! ;-)

Holden's "Brownie" . . .



A couple of weeks ago, Papa and Mama Quinn brought Fletcher his very own bear. Meet "Bubba" . . .

Mr. Bubba Bear, welcome to the family! I can't wait to watch Fletcher fall in love with you, too!

Another "First"

This boy of mine . . .

is a sweet, social, tender-hearted boy. As much as I've tried to protect him the past 4 and a half years (car seats, vaccines, vitamins, rules, etc.), I knew that this day would come.

Today at preschool, one of his little buddies hurt his feelings. He told me (during preschool pick-up) that his little friend said "you're not my best friend anymore" and "David is my best friend now". I gave him a hug and told him that we would talk about it at home. So, before nap, we spent some time in his room snuggling and talking about our words, friends, and feelings. This was one of those "firsts" that I had been dreading. I know that future hurts will come (and they will be much bigger than today's little playground slight). I just pray that he will feel comfortable sharing them with me and that he will always feel safe and loved at home.

Thankful Thursday

I am so very thankful that Quinn really LOVES "baby Fletcher". Quinn especially loves entertaining him with songs and stories, all in an effort to get Fletcher to look at him and smile. This morning he helped to keep Fletcher happy while I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast . . .




*Please note that Holden was also present in the living room. But, his attention was devoted to PBS Kids instead. He likes his brother, but he does have his priorities! ;-)