Relay

Last Friday night, I took Quinn and Holden to our town's annual Relay for Life event at the park. Brant developed an inner ear infection with vertigo; he stayed home with Fletch.

Relay was really fun for the kids (especially our church's obstacle course) and inspiring for the adults. It's a BIG thing that our little town takes on each year, and it's always great being a part of it!

*Thanks again to Kristy for the pics!

Happy Friday!

Just a typical morning before taking Q to school . . .

AND this one is already wrestling a tiger!

Meet Mabel

Can you spot the mama cardinal?

She and her 3 eggs are in a nest just under our kitchen window. Our boys are convinced that they're 3 baby boy birds (of course!). We've been watching her for a few days now. She sits there on guard all day and all night; that's a mama's love. It's so sweet!

We've named her "Mabel". The boys know that they are only to watch her through the window, and not to bother her or the eggs. I'll never know why in the world she picked our house out of all the other houses on our street. We're the only ones with little kids. Poor thing has to sit there and endure the noise of our boys as they scream, play, run, etc.! She's probably counting down the days until those eggs hatch. Ha!

Wordless Wed - My Fireman Loves Dinos!

Super Saturday

Last Saturday was the big annual fundraiser for Q's school. We took all 3 boys for a morning full of games, bouncy fun, treats and more. They certainly had a super fun time at Super Saturday!

Trash to Treasure

Quinn just completed and turned in his "Trash to Treasure" project. The first graders were asked to take a trash/recyclable item and turn it into something useful. The teachers stressed (quite a few times) that the project should be done by the kids and not the parents.

After talking with Q and browsing Pinterest, we decided on a milk jug bird feeder. Quinn wanted to paint it dark green and make it look camouflaged (so that the squirrels won't see it in the trees!). We guided him with the spray paint and cutting the holes, but he did almost all the work. He was VERY proud of his finished project!









His little brothers wanted to be involved in the process, too. Fletcher painted his own milk jug:




and then they showed off their toys for the camera!

Holden's Cap and Gown

First Q turns 7, and then this picture comes home with Holden from preschool:

Oh my, it's been an emotional week for this mama!

Here's his class picture:

Holden has had such a great year. We have truly been blessed with a great preschool and wonderful teachers. He has learned and grown so much! Kindergarten - watch out! Here he comes!

Field Trip

Yesterday was Q's first grade field trip to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. There was no set agenda; everyone just met there and explored on their own. All 3 classes attended, and it was really great seeing friends from Kindergarten (oh how I've missed those moms!) and this year.

We spent over 3 hours walking, running, playing and having fun! Some of Q's favorite parts? The mist garden, watching a real snake cross the path in front of us (we think that it was a copperhead!), the dinosaur trail, the wooden playset & the barnyard animals













To make it extra special, we stopped for lunch in a "real restaurant". You know, a place without a drive thru or a play set! Ha!


***Many thanks to Mama Carol for watching Holden and Fletch so that I could spend a special day with Q!

Quinn's Birthday (Part 3)

The birthday boy on the morning of his birthday:

7 of Q's favorite things these days? Jesus, his brothers, his friends, animals (especially snakes), reading Magic Treehouse books, Skylanders & art


Part 3:
Monday - Ice cream sandwiches for his class during lunch. Quinn and his buddy Matthew (can you tell that he was a little excited about his birthday - ha!):

Quinn's Birthday (Parts 1 and 2)

Quinn's 7th birthday is today. We'll be celebrating with his classmates at lunch.

Over the weekend, we celebrated with the grandparents and some of his buddies. Only when you're little do you get 3 birthday celebrations! Ha!

Part 1:
Saturday - A little party with Papa and Mama Quinn and Mama Carol










Part 2:
Sunday - A "friend party" at the science museum! The party theme was "Weird Science". It was an AWESOME party for my science/animal guy! They met weird animals (turtle, hedgehog, lizard and snake), did 3 chemistry experiments, and finished up with cake and ice cream (complete with a liquid nitrogen centerpiece). Our friend from church, Ms. Alex, worked the party. Fun, fun!

Who Knows?

Maybe it's Venom meets the Hulk meets a gladiator?
This little guy is FULL of personality! He's a nut!

*One thing I never want to forget about Fletch? The fact that he ABSOLUTELY adores Q; Quinn is quite possibly his favorite person. He likes the rest of us, but he really loves his "Boo". After all, "Q" is a pretty hard letter to say! Ha!

It's Done!

This morning was Holden's 5 year/Kindergarten check up, complete with shots, blood draw, hearing test, vision test, and more. Although he was a little nervous about it, he did a great job. There were only a few tears during the finger prick/blood draw. He talked everyone's ear off and practically skipped his way out of there when it was all over.

We celebrated his successful appointment with a trip to Lego store, lunch and a little play time at the mall. Fun way to end our morning!