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.

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!