The New Kitchen

Oh Grammy, how can we thank you enough for finding the awesome garage sale deal on the kitchen! I assumed Riley would love a play kitchen since she loves to pretend. After she ate breakfast this morning, she ran to her bedroom to play. She microwaved her baby's bottle and her washcloths. She opens and closes all the doors and puts everything in them. We don't even have play food or pots and pans and it is the best thing in the world to her. Quinn loves it too because all he wants to do is stand and it is his perfect size.

The kids are much better this week and things seem a little less stressful around here. We were able to enjoy visiting family in Michigan this weekend. It was so nice for all of us to get out of the house for a few days.... and it was nice for mom to have a few extra hands to help out. As usual, we were the first to wake everyone up in the morning. Who doesn't want to see Quinn's cute face bright and early on a Saturday morning anyway? Grammy and Papa kept Riley for a couple more days while Mark and I were able have some time alone at home. It was wonderful! We cleaned and reorganized the house and even watched an entire movie without interruptions! Best of all, we didn't have to find a sitter while we both worked Monday.

Riley is getting so big! She is working on her ABC's (her favorite letter is W). We have noticed that she is talking in more sentences and is singing songs often. I told Mark today that I hope I always remember her sweet 1-year-old voice! Quinn is spending all his time climbing and standing on things. That is all he wants to do. He never plays with toys. I am actually ok if he walks early because it is apparent that is all he wants to do anyway. I still can't believe how early he is showing interest in walking. I am preparing for the facial bruises!

I will leave you with a picture that no doubt should put a smile on your face!

The Bug Eater

Quinn has a new hobby, eating bugs. He looks for flies or any other bug dead or alive to eat. Yes, it is disgusting! It reminds me that I need to constantly clean my floors (we shall see if that actually happens). The kids have been sick for the past week and a half with colds, coughs, and runny noses. Not much has happened this week, besides dealing with fussy kids. Hopefully they are on the mend for a while this time. I will post a few pictures of the week. Riley is at the age where it is nearly impossible to have her stay still for a picture, so we take what we can get.

My, how time has flown!

Over the past week, Riley all of the sudden seems like a big girl and Quinn is acting like a 10 month old. I have been getting a little emotional watching Riley as her looks have changed. She looks so much older and she talks like she is so big! She is obsessed with babies and car seats. She still enjoys Elmo, but will no longer sit through her Elmo movie (sad for mom). She still bosses her brother around, but loves him so much. She is very protective of him and worries when she can't find him. Riley has been crawling so Quinn can chase her. I love seeing them interact at such a young age.

Quinn is a little monkey. He climbs on everything and always wants to be standing. Best of all, for the past week he has slept from 8:00pm-6:30am. This is huge for him...and his parents. I was able to get 8 hours of sleep 3 times last week. Ahh, I finally feel rested for the first time since I was pregnant with him. Sleep is my friend. Since I have enjoyed a good night's rest recently, I have decided to let Riley have her paci for a few more weeks. It is really more for me. I am just not quite ready for a screaming child at bedtime and naps. I will do it soon though to get it over with.

Those two little ones are such blessings to me. To be honest,life has been a little easier for us all since Quinn started crawling and sleeping. I feel like I have made it through the hardest part of having two so young. If not, at least I am rested. Below are just a few pictures from last week.

What a cutie. And yes, he has a sunburn...horrible parents.

He is already walking by holding on to the cart. It looks odd.

I asked Riley to read a book to Quinn and she sat on his lap to do it. Quinn is trying to figure out how to drink from Riley's water bottle.

This picture is for Rach and Abby. Riley and Quinn were suppose to be in it for a group picture, but this is how it started. Maybe another time. Aren't they cute?

Here is a recap of the week:
* The kids were sick again! They both have had colds and we found out today that Quinn has an ear infection.
* Quinn is a little monkey. He is a super fast crawler and he is standing/climbing on everything. I have a hunch he will be an early walker. How did I get two of those? They must have their mother's special skills:)
* Riley is still cute. She loves being Quinn's "mommy". She walks around with a comb and tries to comb his hair all day long. She also likes to sit on his lap. Quinn is not a fan of either.
* They love taking baths together before bed. I tried to give Riley and a bath by herself and she cried for her brother.
* I have been planning on getting rid of both kids pacifiers at the same time for about a month now. I was going to finally do it today until I started tearing up thinking about it. I'm pretty sure it is going to be harder for me then them. Maybe next week:)
* We went to the fair on Sunday. Riley was not a huge fan...neither was I. Animals just don't interest me. I would rather watch people compete.
* I survived taking both kids to their doctor's appointment by myself...with some extra help from the nurses. Riley only escaped the room once. They are both healthy and larger then most kids their age. Riley weighs 25 lbs (70%) and is 33 in. long (80%). Quinn is almost 19 lbs (70%) and is 28 in. long (95%). Quinn is teething, has an ear infection, and he had 3 shots today. The poor kid is miserable.

Picture Day

After weeks of trying to set a time for the kids to get their pictures taken, we finally had them done. Thankfully, Aunt Mindy and family decided to join us. I had carefully planned the morning so both kids would be sparkling clean before pictures. Well, that was one of those ideas that I should have known was unrealistic. Quinn spit up about 10 times as usual. I left Riley's clothes off until 10 minutes before we left. As I was packing the diaper bag, I heard a splash. I ran in the kitchen and Riley had grabbed a cup of coffee off the counter and spilled it all over herself. I was impressed that I caught the cup before it hit the ground, but not impressed with the coffee running down her outfit. It was a good thing that I drown my coffee in creamer, because I was able to get most of it out. I made Riley sit on my lap as I used my hairdryer to dry her shirt off. If I would have actually thought about it, the task would have been much easier had I taken her shirt off. I rushed Mark to work (we were down to one car) and I raced to JC Pennys. I think I was behind every slow car on the road.

I tried to act calm as I walk into the photo studio, but my heart was racing as I was already upset about the coffee spill and slow traffic. I knew taking Riley's pictures could be stressful, so I tried to prepare myself. Quinn went first. We sat him on the ground and he just looked at the camera with a blank stare. We did everything we could to get him to smile or move, but he just sat there and drooled. After a while he crawled a little and we were able to get him to smile a few times. Man, I love that little boy. It was now Riley's turn. She took a couple of good pictures before her temper tantrums began. To make it short and sweet, she screamed every time we tried to put her in front of the camera. She screamed when I took her out of the room. She screamed when I took her back in. It was torture for her and close to torture for me. I feel as though we were there for hours. I was sweating and I was fighting back tears. That child makes me so exhausted, but I love her so stinkin much. Mindy said I will laugh about it later..... we shall see.

Later that afternoon, I decided that I hated getting pictures taken with small children. I am going to be a photographer. I have always wanted to take pictures, but have just never pursued it. I want to be able to take my kids pictures when they are happy, not at a scheduled time. I want to take pictures of my friend's kids. Now I just need a good camera. It may take me a while to get one, but it is a new dream. It makes so much sense!

Other then our picture drama, we are staying busy around here. Riley is climbing on everything from the kitchen table to the changing table. She loves taking care of her little brother. She punishes him, cleans his spit-up, and checks his diaper for poop. Quinn is crawling everywhere and is pulling himself to standing already! He is getting his two bottom teeth and he is not enjoying it very much. Now its time for bed. It may be a rough night for our little guy.

If anyone was wondering why I am behind on my post, it is because most people do not want to hear about last week. To make it short and sweet, the stomach flu visited our house early Tuesday morning and finally left our house Friday afternoon. It was a rough, nasty week. I am glad to report we are all happy and healthy this week! I went back to work last week in the mist of the chaos. I am really enjoying the change in schedule. Mark is doing a great job of handling the kids while I am gone. He is an awesome dad!

We enjoyed hanging out with family over the July 4th weekend. We were able to experience spending the night together in a hotel room. It actually went pretty well. Riley and Quinn had their first beach experience when we went to Warren Dunes. Riley enjoyed throwing and eating sand. Quinn could have cared less that we were there. That is what I love about him!

Riley is being her normal crazy self. That is all I have to say about that. Quinn is being more mobile. He continues to crawl and now sits by himself. He is so much more content to play by himself now. He follows Riley and crawls on top of her. It is so cute!

I will leave you with some pictures:

The new game we play with Quinn. For some reason, he loves it when we talk to him from outside his crib.


Riley helping mommy make cookies

Quinn being cute

All Riley needed was an empty water bottle. Forget the beach toys.

Half Birthday

Tuesday was Riley and Quinn's half birthday. I decided that every year I will do something special for their half birthday since they have to share their special day every year. This year Riley helped me make brownies. It was quite messy, but she had so much fun stirring (and eating) the batter. We sang "Happy Birthday" to both of them after dinner and enjoyed our gourmet dessert. I can't believe Riley is a year and a half and Quinn is 6 months! In celebration of our little miracles, I decided to focus this blog on what I love most about each of them.

Riley is too cute! I love her beautiful blue eyes and dark eyelashes. I love the gap in her front teeth, the way her hair flips in the back, and her chubby legs and cheeks. I love how she screams when she can't contain her excitement and how special her 2 second cuddles are. I love how she prays continuously through dinner and how she sings "Jesus Loves Me". I love the way she stares and strangers in public for extremely long periods of time until they pay attention to her. I love her joy and her laughter.

Quinn is such a sweet boy. I love his big, bright blue eyes. His eyes are going to melt many girl's hearts. I love how he smiles so big when I kiss him on the cheeks...every time! I love when he puts his hands on my face and presses his forehead against mine. I love when other people talk to him and his buries his face in my shoulder. I love the way he crawls and scoots across the floor. I love his frequent laughs and the way he presses his head against his crib rails and drools, just waiting for me to come get him after a nap. I love his personality and how he just lays there after Riley jumps on top of him.

There are so many days when I get so tired and frustrated being a mom of two little ones. Unfortunately, I often compare myself as a mom and my kids to others, causing me to have unnecessary stress and expectations. Thankfully, God made their little personalites perfect. I am so blessed to experience every day with them... the ups and downs. I know that when I am exhausted and in tears from the day, Riley and Quinn will still love me and I will love them more each day.