The past week has been as crazy as usual. We have been keeping busy somehow without ever leaving the house. Quinn is continuing to grow and grow. He is now 14 pounds and is at least 25in. long. He has some rolls, but overall, he just looks long. We went outside for a while the other day and he seemed to really enjoy it as long as he was being held. He still hasn't even attempted to roll over, which is fine with me. I am enjoying the fact that he doesn't move around and just likes to be cuddled. His hair is starting to fall out and I think he is going to be bald like his sister was soon. It looks like his hair is coming in blond. He is a Mark with blond hair and blue eyes. Him and his sister had a crying competition for a while this morning. I think they were trying to see who could cry the loudest and longest. Riley won.

I think Riley is starting her terrible two's early. She is such an overachiever! Now most people don't believe me because she is perfect for everyone else except her mother. Typical child. Anyway, she has been having more temper tantrums and she is also starting to pinch and hit more. She is also teething. She is currently getting 4 new teeth, which makes me a little sad. She has had those cute 2 bottom teeth for 8 months, now she is going to look so grown up! I mentioned earlier that she is still using her bath seat, however, she has learned to climb out of it. Now we are working on decreasing running while in the bath. Not going so well. Sitting has always been hard for her. She learned to crawl before she sat. Riley has successfully introduced herself to all of the neighbors and their dogs. When we go outside she runs to the nearest person/dog and "talks" to them.My one year old is forcing me to be more outgoing. Yesterday, she saw some boys playing basketball and sat in thier driveway to watch. I do know one thing for sure,that child will have many, many friends. Good for her!

Our Little Man

Mr. Quinn is getting so big these days. I think he is always going through a growth spurt. He keeps getting longer and longer. I feel like I can not buy clothes ahead of time for him because he grows out of them so quickly. I am glad I was able to get so many clothes from garage sales last summer and hopefully I can score some more deals soon.

He has met some new milestones lately. He is sleeping a little longer at night. He usually falls asleep around 8:30pm, we wake him at 11:00 to eat, and he wakes on his own between 4:30-5:30 to eat. He then usually goes back to sleep until 8:30am. Now that he is 3 months old, I am hoping he sleeps until at least 6:00am, but I think I just need to be patient. Riley didn't sleep through the night until she was almost 4 months old. Oh, well.

I am beginning to see more of his personality. He is just so sweet. He smiles and coos a lot. Today he belly laughed for the first time at his dad. I think he is going to be a daddy's boy. He smiles at Mark all the time. He is laid back almost all the time until we put him in a car seat or stroller, then we get to see his temper. He still loves to be held and rocked. I tried to put him in the bumbo, but he looks like a bobble head. Unlike Riley was, he could care less if he sits up and gets to look around.

A couple times a day, Quinn gets stepped on, scratched, hit, or sat on by his sister. He usually just looks at Riley and puckers up because he knows what is coming. She usually is just doing it because she loves him and wants to play, but just doesn't know how to yet. She kisses him every morning. She also loves to put her finger in his nose and ears. I don't know why, but it makes her smile every time.

Things are still as crazy as ever around here. If you are ever bored, just come to our house. You will be exhausted after a few hours, but we would love to have you! Below are pictures of Quinn and Riley at the same age. I don't think they look too much alike. These pictures make me laugh because it displays both of their personalities at that age. Riley was mad all the time and Quinn just lays there.

Riley Makes Me Tired

Spring has made Riley more active then ever. Yesterday we ventured out to the park since the weather was so nice. I assumed she would love the freedom of running around. There seemed to be an over abundance of one-year-olds. There they all were, holding their parents hands playing on the small toys made just for them. They slowly walked up the ramps and held on to their parents hand down the slides. Their parents were chatting as they watched their children play. Then there was us. Upon our arrival, Riley ran to the nearest ramp. As the other children were crying trying to escape the group of 10-year-old running boys, Riley laughed and ran right behind them as if she was part of their group. I began chasing her with Quinn strapped to me. She attempted to jump off the side a few times, but I saved her by grabbing her arm. She then ran up to the slides and went down by herself as she laughed. I found myself in a predicament because I was at the top of the play set and Riley at the bottom. I ran to the bottom to catch up with her. She proceeded to continue her routine for 45 minutes. I was exhausted as I dragged her to the car to return home. Thankfully, Quinn slept the entire time. Maybe running puts babies to sleep.

We had another fun adventure tonight. Riley has always sat in her bath seat while taking a bath because she usually won't stay still otherwise. Today I thought it was time to take a bath like normal children. It wouldn't be that hard, right? Wrong! I sat her in the tub and she immediately tried to stand. She then began pacing. I kept sitting her down, but she was too excited. She then began acting like those fish that flop around rivers. She would stand, fall face down into the water, come up for air, flop a few times and would stand again. After repeating this process for 10 minutes, I was dripping with water and exhausted. Tomorrow she will again use her bath seat.

When Riley was a newborn, she was always awake and moving (very similar to today). When I was exhausted and in tears, I would pray that God would use her unique personality to change her world someday. I know that her energy will and does bring joy to so many people. I love everything about her.

I was going to write about Quinn, but I will give him his own blog soon. I want to make sure his sister does not always overshadow him :)

It smells like Spring!

I am loving this weather. It is amazing how 50 degrees feels like 70 in the Spring. I am so ready to spend time outside. I have pretty much been confined to the house since Quinn was born. Still waiting for the day he enjoys being in his car seat. On a good note, he will be able to sit in a cart by 6 months anyway. My brother went grocery shopping with me today. Riley sat in his cart and Quinn was in mine, well sort of. I pretty much held him the entire time. I am pretty awesome at multitasking these days! It was nice to finally be at the grocery store for more then 15 minutes.

I think Riley is enjoying this weather more then me. I have never heard her squeal in excitement more then today. We walked down the sidewalk in front of our house. It was almost as if she had just won the lottery. She ran faster then I have ever seen. She continued to run for a looong time. As if she was not already having the time of her life, she saw a girl walking a dog. She ran toward the girl screaming and began talking/jabbering to the dog. If we could all enjoy such simple moments as much as her.

Quinn did not have as fun of day. He had his 2 month check-up and had to get 3 shots. Poor little guy. He puckered up and just cried. I hated it. The nurse did congratulate me for not crying this time. She said I have matured. I feel so proud of myself! He weighs 13 pounds, putting him in the 75th percentile for weight and measured 24 1/2 inches, putting him in the 95th percentile for height. I think he is going to be like his daddy. He is such a sweet little boy! His smiles make my day!

Much Needed Rest

Rest these days are few and far between. I miss it more then ever, however, I appreciate it more then ever! Today was a trying day. I was a mean mom this morning. I even caught myself yelling (I really don't yell too much). I was frustrated with Riley because she was emptying every drawer, shelf, clothes basket, etc. I was mad at Quinn for crying and for waking up too early. It was one of those mornings where they both just cried and I took turns holding one at a time for a couple hours. In the middle of the screaming, I asked God if he could just let me rest. Well, He did! They both fell asleep at the same time this afternoon and I was able to sit down!!!! As I am sitting here now relaxed and pondering, I am so thankful for the chaos and the rest God gives me. I am always amazed that when we are at our breaking points, He gives us those little blessings to help us through them. Whether it is a smile from my little guy in the middle of the night, a kiss from Riley, or a few minutes of relaxation, God blesses me in those small ways over and over again. As I always say, I will look back at these times and laugh, its just not funny quite yet! And just to make both Grammy's smile, here is a picture of Quinn in his hat you both enjoy....