Visiting Meme and Gee in Norfolk

We had a great trip to Virginia where we got to do SO many fun things! Here is Quinn on the plane...she has traveled by plane before, but she was too little to remember. She was a great passenger, and even held on tight to BunBun and Pig so they wouldn't be scared. The first night Meme and Gee took us to the
Surfrider, home of the best crabcake on earth! We also went to the playground in the mall that has a giant hot dog, cupcake, chips, and coke that Quinn loves to play on! The next day we visited the Children's Museum. We got to take a ferry over to it, and it was jam-packed with fun things to do. You can see Quinn in a giant bubble above!

Catching Fireflies

These pictures turned out a bit dark, but maybe if you click on them you can see what is going on. I love the first one, of Quinn in pursuit of a firefly that is lit up...and Brad behind her with one captive already. I had completely forgotten how much fun this was! I remember loving catching fireflies as a child, and it was one of Quinn's favorite parts of Kanuga!

Photography

Quinn was quite the photographer this weekend, and Brad and I were impressed with some of the shots that she captured. Here are a few examples. She really enjoyed taking these, and this might be a hobby that she enjoys for a long time. "And I only dropped the camera three times, Mommy," she says....haha....might be time for a Barbie camera...or maybe time for Mommy to get a new camera and Q keep this one!

Kanuga!

We had such a wonderful time at Kanuga! (Or "family camp," as it is affectionately known around our house. We collectively: hiked, made arts and crafts, carved a walking stick, splashed in some waterfalls, read books, took a boat ride around the lake, napped, played in the sand and water at the lake, caught lightning bugs, (or "flaming bugs" as Q called them), tie-dyed a t-shirt, won prizes at the carnival, and much more. Quinn's favorite part of Kanuga was going to the lake. She went to "school" in the mornings and did projects with her class. She enjoyed playing with her friends Kate and Madeline. It was a great family bonding time in the great outdoors, and we look forward to going again.

Belk Baby

We just found out today that Betsy and Nic's new baby is going to be a BOY! We are thrilled at having two babies in the family within two months, and now overjoyed that they are both going to be boys! Her due date is December 17th.

George and Ringo

Our Brookhaven clan is growing...we have added two to the family...kittens, that is! Here are our newest loves, George and Ringo. Quinn is especially fond of Ringo because he actually lets her hold him. Everytime we visit them Quinn is bursting with excitement to see them. Gimme said something today about them growing up into cats, and Quinn did not like this idea at all. She said that she wants them to stay small forever (Brad and I often say the same about her!)

Fourth of July Celebration

We went to a Fourth of July event in Brookhaven last night. It had food, tons of moon jumps, a super duper bouncy slide, music, and great fireworks! I couldn't believe that my little brave girl actually did the super slide...four times! (You might see BunBun sticking out of her shirt in the sliding picture...he went along for two of the four rides) The fireworks started a little after dark, and they were spectacular. Quinn loved the ones that squealed...she thought they sounded like a bird.

Ellie's Birthday Party

Quinn went to Ellie's Fairy Birthday Party this week and had so much fun. The highlight was the carriage ride around the block! How sweet!

Hawaii Trip

Hi everyone! I am finally back from my trip to Hawaii. What a wonderful time we had. Here are the first of many pictures that I will be posting in the next few days. All of these pictures were taken on the island of Kauai. (actually, all except the last one, which is from the Big Island of Hawaii) We went to unbelieveable beaches, with tons of coral/reef life and beautiful fish. We snorkeled a bunch, kayaked, hiked, took a helicopter ride, and ate some delicious fish! We stayed busy most of the time, and were quite adventurous! Brad is the best husband and father for letting me take the time to have all this fun...I sure did miss him and Quinn! Much more to come about Hawaii....

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.