Quinn's Photo Baby Book

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the 4th and more

neighborhood picnic and fireworks...




Mater came to town ...


Camping trip with Dax's family!

Dax is the best camp chef there is!

Mountain arts and crafts with Bro (melting sap, pouring it into a mold)


Catching the parade. We liked the drill team on unicycles.


Making banana boats to cook in the fire...yum



Mya is great entertainment at dinner time!


Grandma's fish pond


frolicking in the mountains was so much fun!

Mack's face was a delicious smorgasbord for the mosquitos..

before mosquitos:

after mosquitos..

eat, sleep, swim, diaper, work, sew, repeat

We have been running and loving every bit of the summer. I am actually sitting down right now which is awesome. Swimming lessons are in full swing...

I started a little part time Mom job cleaning for a new motel here in town. I am grateful for the chance to earn a little money for a new fridge or food storage or lessons or a cell phone (what to choose) and I am grateful I can bring my kids along.

Any spare 10 minute windows of time I get I run downstairs and sew a bit. I finally finished a matching dress and skirt for my girls. I might put a gray ruffle on the bottom of Preslie's skirt. The pattern called for it but I got in too big of a hurry to finish. But I think it will look better and more finished with the ruffle added to the bottom.

Quinn finally got 2 teeth this past week! She also turned 11 months! She is becoming very high-maintenance and wants someone to hold her hands and walk her at all times. She loves being up and moving! She can do patty-cake and dance so cute. She loves peek-a-boo, any kind of food, outside, putting lids on and taking them off bottles/jars etc. She is weening and doing great. She still is up to eat at 3am every night! Her feet are tiny, still a size 1. She reaches one hand out to things/people she wants. She did it to the garbage truck last week and made the garbage man's day! He just kept waving at her and smiling.

Dax has been working hard on his garden and also cooking (when he's home). He's had muy lots of work trips lately.

Preslie bought her own slip n' slide and loves it. Hunter is a great helper with Quinn. Mack keeps us in stitches. Quinn is a sweetheart. Life is good.

props to Pops

Yesterday on Father's Day, Preslie asked me "Why isn't there a Kids' Day?" To which I replied,
"Because every day is Kids' Day (am I right or am I right?). So it is only fair to give a special day to Fathers and Mothers."

But that doesn't mean they get the day off.

Dax, Preslie, Hunter and I were sitting around after church and Dax was telling us a funny learning experience he had as a boy with his own Father and we were just having the nicest chat when Dax suddenly says, "Hey, someone go check on Mack in the backyard. I haven't seen him in a few minutes."

Mack was indeed in the backyard keeping busy watering making a muddy lake in the garden.



It was his lucky day that his daddy was in a loving mood.

new ride

Another trip to the big city. This time to pick up our new (to us) Dodge Durango!

Wa-hoo for enough space!
Yay for enough seat belts! (Preslie won't have to ride in the back-back cargo area anymore...)

And hooray that we were able to see 2 of my nieces who were in town visiting my parents.

chartreuse spandex awesomeness

Meet a human sling shot. It is the most fun thing I've done in a while.
4 yards of spandex + 4 humans = instant entertainment (for participants and onlookers)



This was the ladies' first attempt; we got much better, faster and flingy-er than this but the video shows the idea.

We enjoyed our family reunion so much. The gang (minus my Oregon brother..boo hoo) met at my parents for many days of bonding. It is always so nice to be together. My Florida sister and her fam met Quinn for the first time.

We played and swam and ate and laughed. Dinner conversations are so entertaining when my brothers are there. I always laugh so hard I cry. Good therapy.

Here are some pics from the week...Since most of us were together, my parents decided to do their 3rd annual Grandkid b-day party. I'm not sure who was most excited, the kids or my parents. So fun.
Quinn got walked all over the place the whole time and LOVED it. My niece got into my Mom's fabric boxes and found some fur and the next thing we knew, my Mom was sewing stuffed animals for each of the girls. Matisse wanted a red fox, Saryn wanted a bear, and Preslie wanted a Monster. I think their requests turned into darling stuffed creatures! My Mom is so talented.
Mack loved playing with Bryant, Jerek, and Zya. And Saryn was Quinn's second Mom. She played with Quinn for hours and never got tired of it; I need her to come to my house! I don't think the kids got to bed before 10pm the whole week but they were always up by 7am thanks to my sister's twins who were the self-appointed wake-up callers.

Here is the dress Mom crocheted for Quinn. Now that's a July baby!

She also made the headband, shoes and matching dress and shoes for Preslie's doll.

It was hard to leave, especially since I don't know when I will see my sisters again! But it was good to be home, too. We were all so tired and enjoyed sleeping (and sleeping in) at our quiet house.

It's DONE!!

He finished. His thesis is done. Dax completed his Master of Science degree in Wildlife Biology.

I could cry.