Jackson tourist weekend with the Simms

Every day we found some time to spend in the pool! We also spent a day at the Jackson Zoo. Everyone enjoyed playing in the water sprayer to cool off. Quinn's favorite animal was the baby monkey...she would have loved to have taken one home from the zoo! We went to the Planetarium and the Mississippi Museum of Art too, but didn't take any pictures...we were total Jackson tourists!

Natural Science Museum

We spent Thursday morning at the Natural Science Museum with the Simms, and had a great time. They had a special dinosaur exhibit that just started that was really cool. The dinosaurs were BIG and really life-like. Quinn and Christian were the only ones brave enough to go in! Quinn especially liked the dinosaurs that had the nest with hatching dino babies...they were going, "click, click, click," and she thought that was the coolest thing!

Lilies in bloom

Our Easter lilies finally bloomed, after the BEST of care by Quinn. These were a gift from a very special friend, Brother Tom Hollowell. He gave them to us on the Easter after Quinn was born. He has since passed away, and we think of him every time they bloom. This year Quinn took care of them and made sure they had enough water...they turned out beautifully!

It's a BOY!!!

We are so excited to announce that baby #2 will be a BOY!! Quinn has said all along that she wanted a brother, so she is thrilled too. Even more importantly, everything looked normal and healthy during the ultrasound, so we are extremely thankful. Now to paint the nursery, buy some clothes, think of a name...glad we have the second half of the pregnancy to get this all worked out!

First Trip to the Dentist

We went to see Dr. Uncle Nic this morning for Quinn's first checkup and cleaning. She was a little nervous at first, but quickly warmed up to the sweet hygenist, Miss Deanna. She did well through the cleaning and listened to Miss Deanna's instructions very closely. At the end, she got to see Uncle Nic and they counted all of her teeth...10 on the top, 10 on the bottom! She even got to pick two prizes out of the prize box. When we got in the car, she pretended that she was Miss Deanna, and flossed her pig's teeth. Quinn told me that her favorite part about the visit was the vaccuum that she got to hold and put in her mouth when she needed it. Now she has sparkling clean teeth, and the best dentist in the world!

Feeling a little like summertime!

We had a fun weekend with the Simms this weekend. We got to keep Christian and Hadley on Friday night, and we did lots of summer activities. We cooled off in the sprinkler, went swimming at the Country Club, played at Kid's Kingdom, and ate popsicles! Kristy and Noel came back from Jack's graduation from Tulane on Saturday, and we continued the fun until late Sunday.

Flower Girl Quinn

As I was working on that last post, I walked into the living room to check on Quinn. This is what I found! Would you say that someone is ecstatic to be a flower girl? She is practicing already...let's see, wedding in January, she should be REALLY good at this by then! Of course, probably Aunt Lindy will want to go with flowers a little more special than the weeds out of our yard! (If you want them, they are yours, and I'm sure Brad would appreciate the yardwork help!)

Camp out

We decided to set up the tent in the living room today so that Quinn and her cousins could enjoy it this weekend. Here she is reading "Lilly's Big Day," in preparation for her flower girl duties at Aunt Lindy's upcoming wedding. She has really taken to this book, and she can't wait to be a flower girl!!

A little (late) Spring cleaning

So I needed to clean out my closet...out with winter, in with summer! (More like out with normal, in with maternity!) Quinn found a few gems and decided to put on a fashion show. I especially like the boots look!

Quinn's Fun Day at School

To celebrate the end of her school year, Quinn's class had a fun day today. They played in the pool, sprinklers, and other outdoor toys. They all wore their bathing suits and had a great time! One of the moms made the cutest snack: it was chocolate cake with pudding on top and crumbled graham crackers on the very top. She served it in a beach bucket, and the graham crackers really made it look like they were eating sand!

Beach Trip Part II

When the week was over, the Boerner and Belk families headed home. We continued our stay for the weekend with the Simms family down the street. Even though the pool was like ice water, we all braved it, even Kate! Saturday morning we decided to go for a walk on the beach, so all the kids just wore their pajamas. When we felt the water, it was really warm, and before we knew it, all the pajamas were soaked head to toe. So what else was there to do?? They all stripped down and had a ball! We laughed so hard! We are so sad that beach trip is over...what a wonderful week!

More Beach Trip

Here is another beautiful day on the beach. Brad buried Quinn in the sand and even made a mermaid tail for her! One of Quinn's favorite parts of the trip was " catching shells with Gimme," so we had many treasures to bring home! Unfortunately, another "treasure" that we brought home was the bikini shirt that Brad found at the shark souvenir store...maybe I have a picture...let me see...

Naval Aviation Museum

We couldn't get it together to get over to Pensacola in time to see the Blue Angel show, but we did make it in time to enjoy the museum. We did this one morning, and it was really fun. Quinn loved all the planes, and there was a LOT of information here. We spent about an hour and a half there (and what seemed

like an hour and a half in the gift store!).

Beach Trip Part I

Family trip!! This morning it was a little overcast and windy, but we came to be on the beach, and on the beach we were! Most of the days were sunny and beautiful. The water was a bit cold, but we were still able to swim. Other than spending time on the beach, we played bocce ball, hearts, and a new addition to family trip: the Wii. We ate a ton of great food and even found a new favorite restaurant, the Tin Top Restaurant in Bon Secour.

Bellingrath Gardens

So we are back....sorry for the long break. Baby number two is on the way, and all of my free time for the past few weeks has been spent sleeping!! Now I am feeling better and more energetic. On the way to Gulf Shores last weekend, we stopped at Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile. It was absolutely beautiful, and a really fun hour or so. It was a gorgeous day, and all of the flowers were in bloom..I highly recommend visiting if you are in the area, especially around this time of year.