Hooray for Holden!

What a wonderful day for a walk! Many thanks to friends and family for all of the well wishes and donations. Our family team, Hooray for Holden, raised $505 for the March of Dimes. "One day, all babies will be born healthy!"




We were so happy that our friends, the Sanfords (Howard, Sandi, Sam & Elijah), joined us . . .

"Hey Fletcher, watch me!"

Mr. Fletcher is in the beginning stages of crawling. He gets up on his knees, but he has yet to figure out what to do with his arms. This morning, Quinn decided that it was time to teach him the proper technique.

Q: "Hey Fletcher, watch me!"



For now, Fletcher is happy to watch his brothers and roll all around the floor. But thanks for trying Q!

He'll Probably Change His Mind

I really want to remember part of the bedtime conversation with Quinn last night:

Me: "Quinn, I know that you're 5 now. But, it's important that you remember that Mommy is still the boss. You need to do what I say, when I say it. There is no need to argue."
Q: "But, Mommy . . . how long will you be boss?"
Me: "Well, I'll be the boss until you're 18, leave this house, and go to college."

EXTREME TEARS FROM QUINN!

Q: "I DON'T WANT TO EVER LEAVE THIS HOUSE! I WANT TO LIVE HERE FOREVER!"


I was able to quickly console him with hugs, kisses, and much conversation about how he will probably change his mind . . . and that age 18 is many years away. Poor guy!

A Screened Porch and Some Dirt

Our house is a bit of a construction zone. We have changed our back deck . . .


into a screened porch . . .


And now that the porch is done, we've got folks working on a patio and lots of landscaping. The boys are very excited about this part b/c it involves tractors and piles of dirt!




Please don't ask me why Quinn insisted on knee-high red socks (b/c I have no clue)! ;-)


And just a cute, completely unrelated picture of Fletcher to finish the post . . .

Mr. Scott

Brant's cousin Scott takes an annual golf trip to Myrtle Beach from Ohio. This year, he decided to stay with us for a couple of days on his way to the beach. The boys enjoyed spending some time with Mr. Scott. We even managed to have a little cornhole fun . . .


Mr. Scott . . .


Quinn was very serious. Doesn't he look like an old man with his white socks and black crocs? Ha!


Holden had another strategy. Just walk up and put all 4 bags directly in the hole!

Easter Greetings

Happy Easter . . .

from my boys . . .

and me!

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!

2 Sickies

Earlier in the week, Quinn had a little stomach bug. He spent a day or so laying around, resting, and watching movies. He could only eat Goldfish crackers. He really was quite pitiful.

Because of Q's illness, Holden decided that he was also "sick". When asked about his illness, he would reply that his knee hurt and then point to his skinned knee from a couple of weeks ago. He totally used this "boo-boo knee" excuse to lay around, rest, and watch movies . . . and only eat Goldfish crackers. Ha!

I am happy to report that Q has fully recovered from the stomach bug, and H has fully recovered from his hurt knee. Thank goodness!

They're Coming!

Quinn has been working really hard on his birthday "Thank You" notes . . .


He's taking his time and doing a great job . . .


I promise . . . they're coming! :-)

Air Show

Brant and Papa Tom took the big boys to an air show on Sunday. The boys all had a lot of fun. *Note for next year: GO EARLY! They spent over an hour walking to and riding the shuttle bus from the parking lot to the show. CRAZY!

The End of a Visit

Papa Tom left for Michigan this morning. The boys LOVED his visit. Papa Tom: We are looking forward to going to your house this summer! Get ready for all 5 of us!!!

*Yes, Q and H are still wearing their Christmas pajamas. We celebrate the birth of baby Jesus year round at our house! Ha!

Quinn's Actual Birthday

Okay . . . the final post about Quinn's 5th birthday. Just a few pictures from his BIG day!




His cupcake that night . . .


Q with 2 of his gifts (the scooter and Hulk shirt - the shirt was from Fletcher!) . . .



He even let Holden take a ride (Fletcher also gave H a Hulk shirt!) . . .



If you are looking for a great first scooter, this one is awesome! It's the Radio Flyer "My 1st Scooter"; I bought Q's at Toys R Us. It has 2 wheels in the front and a really wide base. It's great for beginners. Also, there was no assembly . . . just open the box and go! :-)

Quinn's Birthday Party

This morning was Quinn's Star Wars bounce party. He had a complete blast!













This was definitely one of the more interesting birthday parties . . . quite a few little mishaps.

We had one child dropped off (by her parents!) at the wrong party room. She spent 2/3 of the party there before the staff figured out that she was supposed to be with our party. This brought quite a few tears and confusion for her, us, and her parents (when they came to pick her up).

A child was invited to the party by accident. Q has a good buddy at preschool. He is not in Q's preschool class, but in another class. I was unsure as to the little boy's last name. So, I gave the invitation to the preschool director to pass to Q's buddy. Instead, it was given to a child that Q barely knows (but has the same first name as his friend). The little boy still showed up and had fun!

I had a parent complain to me about another child's rough behavior on the bouncers . . . in front of the child's parents.

On the cake, Darth Vader's and Luke Skywalker's light sabers were supposed to glow . . . they didn't.

Fletcher soaked through his diaper. Both he and Mama Quinn (who was lucky enough to be holding him at the time) had to change their clothes!

Despite all of these mishaps, Quinn told me that he had so much fun at his party. Makes it all worth it, right? ;-)

Happy 5th Birthday Quinn!

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Guess Who . . .

is visiting from Michigan?

Papa Tom!

Q's Preschool Bday Party

Quinn's 5th birthday is Friday, which also happens to be the day of his preschool's Easter party/egg hunt. So, we decided to celebrate his birthday with his preschool friends today. His big party with friends and family is Saturday.



Q liked Daddy's cookie cake last week so much that he requested one for today. Considering that you can easily buy those at Lowes Food, I was happy to oblige! Ha!


Fletcher was also there for the festivities . . .