Merry Christmas!! If you're here because you got a Christmas card with our blog address on it, WELCOME!! If you're here because you're trying to see if I updated yet, well I'm working on it. Because it takes forever to upload pictures UPDATE-IN FACT IT ISN'T LETTING ME UPLOAD PICTURES AT ALL!! I WILL TRY TO ADD SOME LATERI decided to write a Christmas letter now about our year and then go back and update as I can.
The Dorns in 2011
This year we have done lots of fun and exciting things! We are blessed to be healthy and happy.
In January, we started off the year in AZ still visiting our families. Steven blessed Quintin and we were surrounded by friends and family.
Then, we celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary!!
We came back to North Dakota and we both got back to the grind...Steve went to his last Spring semester and Chelsea back to her LAST semester ever.
In February, we had a family Valentine's date. We got all dressed up and went to a concert at the school. It would have been great but Quintin likes to sing to music. So we spent the night taking turns bouncing the baby in the hall. Afterwards we went to Denny's and enjoyed dessert together. I'm the luckiest lady ever to have TWO valentine's dates!!
In March, I submitted my final work and case study analysis to complete my Master's degree. The ceremony isn't until April 2012 so stay tuned for the real celebration update.
After, we went on a spring break trip with our dear friends, the Eagars. We headed to Minneapolis for a few days and based our trip around restaurants featured on Diners, Dine-Ins, and Dives. It was an awesome trip full of the mall of America, the zoo, Mill City Museum, and LOTS of good food,
Shortly after we got back, me & Quintin made a surprise trip to Arizona. We stayed in Arizona for a few days and then flew to Idaho with my parents. We visited Talia and her fiance Brad, were there when she went through the temple, and attended her bridal shower. After Idaho, we drove down to visit my grandparents (Q's great-grandparents) in Utah. I also got to see some good friends from college and my BEST FRIEND for the first time since she has been home from her mission!! Lastly, we stopped in Provo to see my baby nephew/Quintin's only cousin (only a few weeks old). Finally we ended up in Las Vegas were we flew back to ND to a very lonely Steven (We were gone 10 days!)
In April, we flew back to Arizona for my sister's wedding. She was a beautiful bride her husband, Brad, is a great guy! We're so happy we got to be a part of her big day.
After a week in AZ for her wedding, we came back and celebrated Quintin's first Easter. We didn't fill his eggs because he didn't know the difference and he just liked the bright plastic of the eggs.
In May we stayed close to home (finally!) and celebrated Mother's day. Being a mom is my greatest blessing. I love having TWO boys to celebrate with :)
In June, we celebrated Father's day with Steven and then Quintin and I took off to Arizona again. Airfare is inexpensive to AZ in the summer and grandparents love to see Quintin. We stayed in AZ for almost 2 weeks. Towards the end, we were able to have Steven come to AZ too!! He stayed for 4th of July weekend and then the three of us flew home together. We spent the whole time surrounded by the people we love most, our families!! It was a long but wonderful trip and I'm glad Steve got to come for a few days too!
In July we spent time together going on picnics, playing on swings and celebrating our birthdays! At the end of the month, my mom, dad, and two brothers came to visit us for a whole week. We had a laid back trip but it was so much fun! The boys went fishing, the girls went shopping, and everyone but Steven made a trip up to Canada. Quintin loved the attention and I loved having an extra four pairs of hands around to help!
We took a three day break after they left and then Steven's mom, dad, and brother came to visit us for a week!! We stayed in Grand Forks for a few days until Steven finished up his summer semester flying. Then we drove down to Minneapolis. We went to several museums, the zoo, a REALLY fun amusement park, and thoroughly enjoyed our vacation time together. We also ate at some more Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives restaurants and they were all pretty awesome!!
After the Dorns left, we got Steven started again in Fall semester. Well this ended up being a whirlwind because we found out Steven was going to graduate in December instead of May if he would take 21 credits. Eager to be done with school, he signed up for those 21 credits and he IS graduating in December (keep reading!)
After the start of the semester, Quintin and I went back to Arizona for my other sister's wedding. It was great to spend time with family. And my mom and I plan and decorate an AWESOME wedding reception (if I do say so myself!) I am also blessed to have great inlaws that are willing to help with anything (even taking Quintin out of the wedding ceremony into the hall when he started screaming so I could watch my baby sister get hitched).
After the wedding trip, we came back and things settled down for the rest of the month. We attended the world's largest french fry feed here in Grand Forks. And we also took Q to his first parade (which he LOVED).
In October, we started off by celebrating Quintin's first birthday a little early. Can you believe it? We sure can't!! He is such a big boy now and I can hardly believe he's been with us for so long already!! Time flies when your baby is growing up! We had an UNO-themed birthday party. We had many great friends come to the shin-dig and we skyped with the grandparents to open presents.
Next, we went to a pumpkin patch that is just outside of town. There weren't many pumpkins but there were lots of things to do and it was a really fun family day.
On Quintin's actual birthday, Q was sick :( BUT after getting the ok from his doctor to have him out and about, we had many fun things planned. We pounded on the windows to get the birds to fly away (Q loves to scare the birds). Then when Steven got home, the fun really started. We rode the quarter carousel at the mall, shared a cupcake, went to Burger King, got a crown and played on the playground with dad, opened lots of presents, and ate more cake. It was a fun day and Quintin was spoiled rotten.
Shortly after Q's birthday we moved! So if you send us a Christmas card, make sure you updated our address. As Steven is graduating we had to move off campus by the end of the year. We already moved in January one time here and vowed to never do ti again. So we moved in October. We moved 1.1 mile away from our old apartment. But our new apartment is bigger, still close to the school, across the street from a park, and it has carpet!!
After moving, we dressed Quintin up as the tin man from the wizard of Oz for our church's trunk-or-treat (I was Dorothy and Steven was at work). Once he figured out he was getting candy he was all for participating. We didn't take him out to go trick-or-treating because we didn't need all the candy and he wasn't quite walking yet.
In November, we hosted Thanksgiving and cooked the turkey for the first time ever. I don't know if we'll ever do it again, but it was a learning experience! We are lucky to have friends here to spend time with when our family is so far away.
In December, things have been very busy. Quintin has officially started walking and he goes almost everywhere on two feet!
We celebrated Christmas Adam with our little family of three last night (because Adam came before Eve). Christmas is WAY more fun when you have a little one to spoil; who knew?! Quintin loved ripping open the presents and we couldn't take the toys out of their packaging fast enough. But you should have seen the disappointed look when he opened the present with socks and shoes in it. I could almost hear him thinking, "Really mom? After all these cool toys? Why did you even bother wrapping these up...just stick them in my drawer and call it good"
We are busy cleaning and getting projects finished so we can head home for Christmas. Our parents will be here tomorrow. Steven graduates on Friday (he's doing his last test as we speak). We are starting a new chapter in our life together. We'll keep you updated for where we go next.
If I picked 4 words to sum up the life of the Dorn family in 2011 they would be:
Graduations
Travel
Weddings
Quintin
We hope you all have a great and wonderful Christmas surrounded by those you love! Please know that we are thinking of you! I'm so grateful for the holiday season that reminds us of the important things in life: the Gospel, family, friends, health, spending time together, etc.
We are blessed to call you our friends. Thank you for being apart of our lives! Stay tuned for more updates (and updating more in depth about our year).
Merry Christmas!
Love,
Chelsea, Steven, & Quintin
December 14, 2011
December 9, 2011
Swinging time!
We have a little swing set behind our apartment buildings and it's a good thing because baby Q LOVES to swing!! April 5th I bundled him up to have his first swing ride and he's been hooked ever since. He loves to swing even if it's a little cold. And I like the break to get outside even if we don't have the car to go somewhere.
Friends
Quintin has lots of little friends here. He is learning to share (or at least watches the other kids take his stuff). He is pretty good as long as momma is close by!
October 21, 2011
The Keller Wedding-Part 3
And finally, the thing I had waited for all week!! Steven came :)
Ok ok just kidding. He did show up but not without some set backs. The Friday morning before the wedding, I woke up to a text from Steven that said "you're not gonna believe this. It's snowing" WTF? April 15th and it's snowing? Well needless to say, I wasn't missing the weather. As soon as I got it, I called him. Before even saying hello I said "GET OUT. Get out of there right now and come to me in the sunshine" I expected it to be a joke. Well the next thing he said was "Don't freak out. But I'm in a ditch" Of course I immediately started crying. A ditch? where? what happened? are you ok? you're going to freeze to death! You'll miss the wedding!! And so on and so forth. But he promised to keep me updated and was hoping he would still make his flight. I rushed out to my mother in law and was freaking out. Luckily she is a mom and knew I just needed to be held. I figured that if anyone in the world loves Steven as much as me, it would be her. We worried together. Brad and his 2 groomsmen had stayed at my inlaws house. They knew something was wrong, but not what was happening. Crying females always make boys uncomfortable. But, Brad got the general idea and asked if he could help with the baby. He fed Q breakfast and I stayed up to date with Steve about where he was. Eventually a highway patrolman (who is in our ward) showed up. Steven talked to him, calmed down, and they called a tow truck. While Steve was talking to Greg (the cop), Greg received 2 other radio calls for the same type of accident. That should tell you something about the weather and road conditions. Greg left to take care of the others and Steve waited for the Jeep to get towed. $100 and a whole lot of praying later, the Jeep was back on the road with no apparent damage (Steve was just stuck in slush and mud too far to get out on his own) and on the road to Fargo trying to make his flight. Luckily he did. Holy cow. What an experience I never want to repeat. Knowing my husband is supposed to be on his way to me and instead he's in a freak blizzard in a ditch. Count your many blessings.
He showed up later that afternoon and it was over 90 degrees when he got to AZ. How weird. It was hard to believe it was snowing in GF and so warm where we were! He showed up as we were decorating the church. We finished decorating, and went to set up for the luncheon at the other building with Steven's parents. In case you didn't know, I have the world's greatest in-laws. HONESTLY would your in laws go straight from work to the church to help deal with all the lights and the ceiling AND then help set up the other building for the luncheon AND then take you out to dinner? Mine inlaws are awesome.
Quintin loves attention and he did not lack for any with so many cute bridesmaids and aunts and uncles and grandparents around.
Ok ok just kidding. He did show up but not without some set backs. The Friday morning before the wedding, I woke up to a text from Steven that said "you're not gonna believe this. It's snowing" WTF? April 15th and it's snowing? Well needless to say, I wasn't missing the weather. As soon as I got it, I called him. Before even saying hello I said "GET OUT. Get out of there right now and come to me in the sunshine" I expected it to be a joke. Well the next thing he said was "Don't freak out. But I'm in a ditch" Of course I immediately started crying. A ditch? where? what happened? are you ok? you're going to freeze to death! You'll miss the wedding!! And so on and so forth. But he promised to keep me updated and was hoping he would still make his flight. I rushed out to my mother in law and was freaking out. Luckily she is a mom and knew I just needed to be held. I figured that if anyone in the world loves Steven as much as me, it would be her. We worried together. Brad and his 2 groomsmen had stayed at my inlaws house. They knew something was wrong, but not what was happening. Crying females always make boys uncomfortable. But, Brad got the general idea and asked if he could help with the baby. He fed Q breakfast and I stayed up to date with Steve about where he was. Eventually a highway patrolman (who is in our ward) showed up. Steven talked to him, calmed down, and they called a tow truck. While Steve was talking to Greg (the cop), Greg received 2 other radio calls for the same type of accident. That should tell you something about the weather and road conditions. Greg left to take care of the others and Steve waited for the Jeep to get towed. $100 and a whole lot of praying later, the Jeep was back on the road with no apparent damage (Steve was just stuck in slush and mud too far to get out on his own) and on the road to Fargo trying to make his flight. Luckily he did. Holy cow. What an experience I never want to repeat. Knowing my husband is supposed to be on his way to me and instead he's in a freak blizzard in a ditch. Count your many blessings.
He showed up later that afternoon and it was over 90 degrees when he got to AZ. How weird. It was hard to believe it was snowing in GF and so warm where we were! He showed up as we were decorating the church. We finished decorating, and went to set up for the luncheon at the other building with Steven's parents. In case you didn't know, I have the world's greatest in-laws. HONESTLY would your in laws go straight from work to the church to help deal with all the lights and the ceiling AND then help set up the other building for the luncheon AND then take you out to dinner? Mine inlaws are awesome.
Quintin loves attention and he did not lack for any with so many cute bridesmaids and aunts and uncles and grandparents around.
The Keller Wedding Week-Part 2
We took a day off from wedding festivities and then had the Bachelorette party. Now planning a bachelorette party for a bunch of girls who don't drink, dirty dance, or party could seem like a challenge. Are you dieing to know what we did?
Ok I'll tell you. I rented a hotel room and we had a little staycation. We went swimming, played some get to know you games (for her high school friends and her college buddies), did facials, did pedicures, ate a lot of food (which was hand delivered by the groom himself). And of course there was ice cream. I didn't stay the night so I could be home with the baby. I'm told that they went swimming again and watched a movie. The next morning, they ate breakfast and I checked us out of the room.
For each of the bridesmaids, I created a little gift bag of sorts. Inside was a pair of pajama pants, a matching headband, a shirt that said bridesmaid, their favorite treats, and some other little knick knacks. They had wondered why I kept asking for measurements and sizes. It was a fun night and I'm glad we got to capture the bride away from the groom one last time :)
PS Quintin stayed with grandma and grandpa and got spoiled out of his mind!
Ok I'll tell you. I rented a hotel room and we had a little staycation. We went swimming, played some get to know you games (for her high school friends and her college buddies), did facials, did pedicures, ate a lot of food (which was hand delivered by the groom himself). And of course there was ice cream. I didn't stay the night so I could be home with the baby. I'm told that they went swimming again and watched a movie. The next morning, they ate breakfast and I checked us out of the room.
For each of the bridesmaids, I created a little gift bag of sorts. Inside was a pair of pajama pants, a matching headband, a shirt that said bridesmaid, their favorite treats, and some other little knick knacks. They had wondered why I kept asking for measurements and sizes. It was a fun night and I'm glad we got to capture the bride away from the groom one last time :)
PS Quintin stayed with grandma and grandpa and got spoiled out of his mind!
October 19, 2011
Dear Quintin, Happy Birthday!
Dear sweet baby Quintin,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
I can hardly believe it's been an entire year since I held you in my arms for the first time. I looked at you and understood "love at first sight". You were perfect. Every little detail was perfect--little finger nails and ear lobes! I was exhausted, it took a lot of work to get you into this world. But all I could do was stare at you and silently pray to Heavenly Father thanking Him for such a wonderful blessing.
And now you are one year old. Some things have changed and others haven't! Now you are still perfect in every little detail. Even with that little scrape on the back of your arm, your tooth that is only half through the gums, and that horrible line in your hair from when I messed up cutting it last week. I look at you and see perfect.
Something that is changed is you can move!! Holy cow. Was I unprepared for a mover or what?! You've kindly shown me how un baby-proofed our house was over and over again. I feel like just yesterday I was snuggling you and doing my homework. I could leave you on the couch or the bed and you would stay right where you were!! Then slowly you started rolling, then rolling over and over, then scooting backwards, then army crawling, then crawling, then pulling up, then walking along furniture, and now so close to walking!
I am sad you've been sick the past few days but I'm not sad about all the extra snuggling we've had together. I think that's something not everyone can understand, not even daddy. I don't get tired of having you around, snuggled up in my arms. Sure you drive me crazy and we get tired of being cooped up at home. But then you give me one of your little smiles and everything is good again. No one else understands how I can be so fascinated by watching your little fingers pick up food and put in your mouth for hours on end. No one can understand the joy it brings to see you clap or shake your bum when music comes on. And NO ONE understands just how great it feels to hear you say ‘momma’ (Even if you do usually say daddy 1000 times to every 1 mommy).
So, here we are a year later. 100s of diapers, smiles, cries, late night feedings, messes, laughing fits later. And all I can think is how much I’ve learned and how much I love you. I thought I would be a pro at the mom thing. How hard could it be right? Oh how wrong I was!! Luckily, you are a good baby with a patient disposition. We’ve made it through a year of learning together. Thanks for letting me learn and thanks for teaching me so much this year.
I never thought I could love anything or anyone as much as I love you now. But then again one year ago, when you and I met for the first time, I never thought I could love you more than that minute. I am looking forward to an eternity of fun with you. I know soon enough it will not be cool to give kisses to your mom. And mom will not be nearly as funny as you think she is now. So in those more difficult times, I will have this sweet, perfect year to remember. Remember getting slobbery little kisses at just the right moment. Remember the look of surprise on your face when I cheered after you took your first steps. Remember the smiles, the tears, the giggles.
Thanks for choosing me to be your mom. Thanks for coming to our family. I knew we were missing something and that something was you! Quintin, you are my biggest blessing. I love you now and forever! Happy Birthday little man!
<3 Mommy
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
I can hardly believe it's been an entire year since I held you in my arms for the first time. I looked at you and understood "love at first sight". You were perfect. Every little detail was perfect--little finger nails and ear lobes! I was exhausted, it took a lot of work to get you into this world. But all I could do was stare at you and silently pray to Heavenly Father thanking Him for such a wonderful blessing.
And now you are one year old. Some things have changed and others haven't! Now you are still perfect in every little detail. Even with that little scrape on the back of your arm, your tooth that is only half through the gums, and that horrible line in your hair from when I messed up cutting it last week. I look at you and see perfect.
Something that is changed is you can move!! Holy cow. Was I unprepared for a mover or what?! You've kindly shown me how un baby-proofed our house was over and over again. I feel like just yesterday I was snuggling you and doing my homework. I could leave you on the couch or the bed and you would stay right where you were!! Then slowly you started rolling, then rolling over and over, then scooting backwards, then army crawling, then crawling, then pulling up, then walking along furniture, and now so close to walking!
I am sad you've been sick the past few days but I'm not sad about all the extra snuggling we've had together. I think that's something not everyone can understand, not even daddy. I don't get tired of having you around, snuggled up in my arms. Sure you drive me crazy and we get tired of being cooped up at home. But then you give me one of your little smiles and everything is good again. No one else understands how I can be so fascinated by watching your little fingers pick up food and put in your mouth for hours on end. No one can understand the joy it brings to see you clap or shake your bum when music comes on. And NO ONE understands just how great it feels to hear you say ‘momma’ (Even if you do usually say daddy 1000 times to every 1 mommy).
So, here we are a year later. 100s of diapers, smiles, cries, late night feedings, messes, laughing fits later. And all I can think is how much I’ve learned and how much I love you. I thought I would be a pro at the mom thing. How hard could it be right? Oh how wrong I was!! Luckily, you are a good baby with a patient disposition. We’ve made it through a year of learning together. Thanks for letting me learn and thanks for teaching me so much this year.
I never thought I could love anything or anyone as much as I love you now. But then again one year ago, when you and I met for the first time, I never thought I could love you more than that minute. I am looking forward to an eternity of fun with you. I know soon enough it will not be cool to give kisses to your mom. And mom will not be nearly as funny as you think she is now. So in those more difficult times, I will have this sweet, perfect year to remember. Remember getting slobbery little kisses at just the right moment. Remember the look of surprise on your face when I cheered after you took your first steps. Remember the smiles, the tears, the giggles.
Thanks for choosing me to be your mom. Thanks for coming to our family. I knew we were missing something and that something was you! Quintin, you are my biggest blessing. I love you now and forever! Happy Birthday little man!
<3 Mommy
August 23, 2011
The Keller Wedding Week -Part 1
My sister, Talia got married to Brad on April 16. Baby Q and I flew in on Monday afternoon of that week to help with everything.
First up was the Bridal Shower held on Tuesday. The bridal shower was an around-the-clock shower.
We spent the whole day and I mean the WHOLE day getting all the food ready. We kept the wedding colors as the theme. Teal and Green.
For games, we played a tiara & mustache game. We also played a purse scavenger hunt game. AND we played a 'see how many words you can make out of Talia's new name' game.
The shower was outside until it got dark and we moved in to open presents. There was lots of fun ladies there. And everyone seemed to do pretty good with their times. We had everyone write advice cards for Talia (Tal, if you're reading this, I promise I will finish that book for you soon!) and we read them aloud. At this point I completely embarassed myself (won't go in to details) and folks started leaving...not sure if it was just late or if it was coincidence with me being embarassed. Yikes.
Anyways, it was a fun shower. I haven't planned one like it in quite some time so it was good for me. I miss event planning. Talia is a beautiful bride. She was just glowing and loved to tell everyone about her husband-to-be.
First up was the Bridal Shower held on Tuesday. The bridal shower was an around-the-clock shower.
We spent the whole day and I mean the WHOLE day getting all the food ready. We kept the wedding colors as the theme. Teal and Green.
For games, we played a tiara & mustache game. We also played a purse scavenger hunt game. AND we played a 'see how many words you can make out of Talia's new name' game.
The shower was outside until it got dark and we moved in to open presents. There was lots of fun ladies there. And everyone seemed to do pretty good with their times. We had everyone write advice cards for Talia (Tal, if you're reading this, I promise I will finish that book for you soon!) and we read them aloud. At this point I completely embarassed myself (won't go in to details) and folks started leaving...not sure if it was just late or if it was coincidence with me being embarassed. Yikes.
Anyways, it was a fun shower. I haven't planned one like it in quite some time so it was good for me. I miss event planning. Talia is a beautiful bride. She was just glowing and loved to tell everyone about her husband-to-be.
August 19-10 months old.
Can you believe we are already to double digits?!
At 10 months, baby Q:
Has 5 teeth and at least 2 on the way!! This month the theme could be 'teething'.
Walks along furniture.
Stands a little by himself until he realizes he's not holding on.
Is starting to recognize cause and effect. For example, he has one toy where you push the buttons and the animals pop up. He knows how to close the animals back in and tries to push the buttons to pop them up too. Or when he gets frustrated, he turns the whole toy over and closes them all at once.
Finally 6-9 month clothes are starting to get a little snug.
Loves bubbles.
Explores everything. Baskets and shoes are his favorite. Goodbye organization.
Waves to lots of people.
Loves books. His current phase is phone books. We get one every 3 months here it seems like so we have quite a few to choose from. I was going to throw them away but he likes them so much I can't do it. He also will finally sit still and read stories with me.
He has finally started eating some pasta. He's been trying table foods all summer but finally he'll do the pasta. I think it's a texture thing.
He likes yogurt.
loooooooooves technology. Especially the stereo system.
We're pretty sure he is left handed.
Likes to be outside but not always in the grass. He'll sometimes crawl in it to explore a stick but he won't walk with us on the grass.
He is PRO at avoiding the car seat. He immediately arches his back and stands when he gets put in.
He babbels all the time. The only word he officially says is 'dada'. He also seems to say Hi and Yes. I'm trying momma still.
At 10 months, baby Q:
Has 5 teeth and at least 2 on the way!! This month the theme could be 'teething'.
Walks along furniture.
Stands a little by himself until he realizes he's not holding on.
Is starting to recognize cause and effect. For example, he has one toy where you push the buttons and the animals pop up. He knows how to close the animals back in and tries to push the buttons to pop them up too. Or when he gets frustrated, he turns the whole toy over and closes them all at once.
Finally 6-9 month clothes are starting to get a little snug.
Loves bubbles.
Explores everything. Baskets and shoes are his favorite. Goodbye organization.
Waves to lots of people.
Loves books. His current phase is phone books. We get one every 3 months here it seems like so we have quite a few to choose from. I was going to throw them away but he likes them so much I can't do it. He also will finally sit still and read stories with me.
He has finally started eating some pasta. He's been trying table foods all summer but finally he'll do the pasta. I think it's a texture thing.
He likes yogurt.
loooooooooves technology. Especially the stereo system.
We're pretty sure he is left handed.
Likes to be outside but not always in the grass. He'll sometimes crawl in it to explore a stick but he won't walk with us on the grass.
He is PRO at avoiding the car seat. He immediately arches his back and stands when he gets put in.
He babbels all the time. The only word he officially says is 'dada'. He also seems to say Hi and Yes. I'm trying momma still.
July 19: Nine months old!
Holy cow this is going to fast. At 9 months, Baby Q:
crawls!!!!
Has 3.5 teeth. 2 bottom, 1.5 on top. Official snaggle tooth
Pulls up on the couch
Holds on if you stand him near something
Notices crumbs, strings, etc. and they are WAY better than his toys
LOVES cords. This is bad.
Shows preference for certain foods. For example, if you give him a mix of Cheerios and Puffs, he will pick out the puffs to eat first and then move on to the Cheerios.
Doesn't like mom to hold other babies.
Watches mom and dad kiss and then leans in to give mommy a kiss too (sweetest.thing.ever-Steven doesn't love it haha!)
crawls!!!!
Has 3.5 teeth. 2 bottom, 1.5 on top. Official snaggle tooth
Pulls up on the couch
Holds on if you stand him near something
Notices crumbs, strings, etc. and they are WAY better than his toys
LOVES cords. This is bad.
Shows preference for certain foods. For example, if you give him a mix of Cheerios and Puffs, he will pick out the puffs to eat first and then move on to the Cheerios.
Doesn't like mom to hold other babies.
Watches mom and dad kiss and then leans in to give mommy a kiss too (sweetest.thing.ever-Steven doesn't love it haha!)
June 19: EIGHT MONTHS OLD!!
At 8 months old, I feel like it was just 7 months old. Not a whole lot has changed but officially at 8 months old, Baby Q:
IS SCOOTING...all over the place
Has 2 bottom teeth!
We think he is left handed...but he uses both pretty well with almost the same frequency.
Stranger anxiety has officially begun. Oh my goodness has it begun.
Likes to sit up in the tub!!
IS SCOOTING...all over the place
Has 2 bottom teeth!
We think he is left handed...but he uses both pretty well with almost the same frequency.
Stranger anxiety has officially begun. Oh my goodness has it begun.
Likes to sit up in the tub!!
May 19: 7 months
At 7 months, Baby Q:
Scoots backwards!!
Sits up really good on his own.
Recovers himself when he falls over.
Laughs all the time
Has a regular sleep-eat-play schedule
Loves to read books
No teeth...yet!
Has figured out that daddy is for playing, mommy is for snuggling!
Intently watches us sign to him and has signed "all done" TWICE!!
Likes peek-a-boo
Recognizes positive attention...Mr. Charmer!
Scoots backwards!!
Sits up really good on his own.
Recovers himself when he falls over.
Laughs all the time
Has a regular sleep-eat-play schedule
Loves to read books
No teeth...yet!
Has figured out that daddy is for playing, mommy is for snuggling!
Intently watches us sign to him and has signed "all done" TWICE!!
Likes peek-a-boo
Recognizes positive attention...Mr. Charmer!
APR 19: 6 months old!!
At 6 months old Baby Q
Rolls consecutively over in a line
Has been to Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Minnesota & ND
Has been on an airplane 7 times
Size 3 diapers
Size 3-6 pants
Size 6-9 onesies
Sits up unassisted
Likes pickles and lemonade the most
Smiles...a lot.
Laughs when he gets tickled
Has tried peas, green beans, apples, bananas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes.
Loves paper
Rolls consecutively over in a line
Has been to Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Minnesota & ND
Has been on an airplane 7 times
Size 3 diapers
Size 3-6 pants
Size 6-9 onesies
Sits up unassisted
Likes pickles and lemonade the most
Smiles...a lot.
Laughs when he gets tickled
Has tried peas, green beans, apples, bananas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes.
Loves paper
July 16, 2011
I'm a crafting machine.
I have been a crafting/ organizing/ photoshopping/ purging/ thrifting/ taking-full-advantage-of-every-minute-quintin-sleeps-ing machine the past week.
Seriously Steven is shocked at how many projects I've finished.
So I'm working on stuff...slowly but surely.
And I PROMISE
updating this blog is on my to-do list :)
In the meantime:
PS Tomorrow we are getting Q's 9 mos. pictures taken...CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!
Seriously Steven is shocked at how many projects I've finished.
So I'm working on stuff...slowly but surely.
And I PROMISE
updating this blog is on my to-do list :)
In the meantime:
PS Tomorrow we are getting Q's 9 mos. pictures taken...CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!
June 9, 2011
Blockbuster
So I went to Blockbuster today. We got this thing in the mail that said if you rented one new release you could rent anything from the middle of the store for free until 4th of July. The store listed on the flier was the one that just closed but I figured the other one in town would still have the promotion. I read the fine print, made sure there was no bar code and put it on my list of stops while running errands.
Well after a long drawn out discussion on the phone with Steven while trying to juggle the baby, we had a selection and headed to the front. I tried explaining to him about the deal and he had no idea what I was talking about. It went downhill from there:
Blockbuster Employee: Do you have a blockbuster card?
Me: I have a phone number. Can you use that?
BE: How about a picture ID?
*I hand him my driver's license and he looks up my name*
BE: I don't see your account here. Would it be under a different first name?
Me: *Thinking, WTH?!* Um...it might be under a different last name, my maiden name.
BE: Ok what's that
Me: Ferrell
BE: Uh...
Me: F-E-R-R-E-L-L
BE: Nope not under that either.
-Pause-
BE: Do you know if you have an account here? Like, are you sure you have one?
Me: Yes. But my husband is the usually the one who carries the card and everything. Can you look up him?
BE: Sure. What's his name?
Me: Steven
BE: Oh ya I saw him in there.
Me: Ok good.
*awkward pause*
BE: Can you verify the address for me?
Me: *thinking: our current address? our last apartment? our townhouse? steven's parent's house?*
BE: The one in Arizona...
Me: *Gave him Steven's parent's address*
BE: *smiles* yep that's it.
Me: Can you add me to his account?
BE: Yes I can. And there's a $1.07 in late fees on his account.
Me: Awesome. Add that on too.
BE: Your total is $5...
Honestly I just felt like saying, "I'm normally not this stupid" or "I actually have a Master's Degree. Surprising huh?"
The RIDICULOUS part about this is that I OPENED THE ACCOUNT and STEVEN GOT ADDED TO IT LATER!! Honestly. The cards have my maiden name. I can even tell you which store I was at when I opened it (Ogden, UT and I had to have an account to check out all these movies for my 'writing about baseball' English 102 class). I have had them change my maiden name to my married name like 3 times and I'm willing to bet he didn't add me to the account tonight.
Why did they even send that advertisement to ME with my MARRIED NAME with the address for a store they just shut down and then not have my name in the system?
And...we didn't even watch the movie tonight.
Well after a long drawn out discussion on the phone with Steven while trying to juggle the baby, we had a selection and headed to the front. I tried explaining to him about the deal and he had no idea what I was talking about. It went downhill from there:
Blockbuster Employee: Do you have a blockbuster card?
Me: I have a phone number. Can you use that?
BE: How about a picture ID?
*I hand him my driver's license and he looks up my name*
BE: I don't see your account here. Would it be under a different first name?
Me: *Thinking, WTH?!* Um...it might be under a different last name, my maiden name.
BE: Ok what's that
Me: Ferrell
BE: Uh...
Me: F-E-R-R-E-L-L
BE: Nope not under that either.
-Pause-
BE: Do you know if you have an account here? Like, are you sure you have one?
Me: Yes. But my husband is the usually the one who carries the card and everything. Can you look up him?
BE: Sure. What's his name?
Me: Steven
BE: Oh ya I saw him in there.
Me: Ok good.
*awkward pause*
BE: Can you verify the address for me?
Me: *thinking: our current address? our last apartment? our townhouse? steven's parent's house?*
BE: The one in Arizona...
Me: *Gave him Steven's parent's address*
BE: *smiles* yep that's it.
Me: Can you add me to his account?
BE: Yes I can. And there's a $1.07 in late fees on his account.
Me: Awesome. Add that on too.
BE: Your total is $5...
Honestly I just felt like saying, "I'm normally not this stupid" or "I actually have a Master's Degree. Surprising huh?"
The RIDICULOUS part about this is that I OPENED THE ACCOUNT and STEVEN GOT ADDED TO IT LATER!! Honestly. The cards have my maiden name. I can even tell you which store I was at when I opened it (Ogden, UT and I had to have an account to check out all these movies for my 'writing about baseball' English 102 class). I have had them change my maiden name to my married name like 3 times and I'm willing to bet he didn't add me to the account tonight.
Why did they even send that advertisement to ME with my MARRIED NAME with the address for a store they just shut down and then not have my name in the system?
And...we didn't even watch the movie tonight.
June 1, 2011
Surprise Trip: Part 2
On early early early Friday morning, March 25, we left for the airport. My parents jammed out to "We Will Rock You" together on the way. We got there and Quintin charmed the hearts of everyone who saw him. We waited in a line that was pretty much outside the doors. He decided to chew of Grandpa's nose before take off. On the plane it was SO nice to have two extra people to help with Quintin. Of course because I had the extra help, he decided to sleep most of the way.
We finally landed in Idaho Falls. We knew Talia was coming from class and it would take a minute to get there from Rexburg. We changed Quintin into his My Auntie is #1 outfit and worked out our plan. My parents were going to get picked up and I was going to go up to a door a little way up. Once they were loaded they were going to say they forgot something and told Talia "Just pull over there by that lady with her baby" which was actually me. Everything worked out great. She was so surprised...even though she said she knew I would come. She was only mad to hear that her roommates and fiance all knew I was coming and she didn't. We had to tell someone so that there was enough room in the car!
After checking into the hotel and getting the grand tour of Rexburg (HA!) my dad went to work at the hotel, my mom went with Tal to class, and seeing as how I was totally burnt out on school, I took the baby and we went shopping. Did I mention Talia's car is two doors. I know completely understand why those with children do not have 2 door cars. Quintin got tired so we headed back to the hotel. Grandpa read him his new tool story book. Quintin fell asleep and I went with my mom, Tal, and Brad to the Distribution Center. We got the panic call from my dad when Quintin decided the baby food and grandpa wasn't cutting it. So we went back and got him. My dad went with Brad and his friends to their man party at a place called Big Judds. And we girls and Quintin went to get ready for the bridal shower. I will say it was a little awkward being one of the only married ladies there and the only one (besides my mom and one of Talia's bridesmaid's mom) with a baby...Seriously I didn't think I was old until I was back in the whole college scene with a baby. Anyways we had fun at the shower and then headed back to the hotel.
Quintin was basically wired. I was continually having to get up and sing to him. He was having a hard time being in a different place with other people in our room (2 queen beds) Finally, I got him back to sleep and I gently climbed into our bed. My mom rolls over and says "That was really nice singing. I haven't heard some of those primary songs before" Holy Awkward! I thought they were asleep!! I guess I soothed everyone to sleep lol.
Saturday morning, we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. Before checking out, we went to the indoor pool...which was freezing so we decided to try out the spa instead. Quintin LOVED it. I mean he LOVES bath time so why wouldn't he love a GIANT bath tub?! I held on to him like crazy. My biggest fear as a mom, one that I have recurring nightmares about is Quintin drowning. So it was a huge step to have him anywhere near the water let alone in it.
After the pool, we checked out and went and got my dad a new suit...at a store called Ferrell's...ironic, no? We went to the BYU-I bookstore (where my parents decided Quintin needed a sippy cup for sure) and then Jimmy John's for lunch. After lunch, we headed to Wal-mart. Brad helped me pick out a new toy for Quintin through process of elimination, we grabbed some juice and baby food, and headed to Tal's apartment to change. My mom was Talia's escort and I was the second escort (I'm pretty sure that was made up, but they let me do it and I got to share in the special moment). I GASP left Quintin with my sister's BFF, Kristilyn. This was a HUGE deal for me seeing as how I've never left him with anyone except our parents and even then only for an hour or two. The session was about 2 hours and we were there about 2 hours before that...so four hours was a long time.
We finally landed in Idaho Falls. We knew Talia was coming from class and it would take a minute to get there from Rexburg. We changed Quintin into his My Auntie is #1 outfit and worked out our plan. My parents were going to get picked up and I was going to go up to a door a little way up. Once they were loaded they were going to say they forgot something and told Talia "Just pull over there by that lady with her baby" which was actually me. Everything worked out great. She was so surprised...even though she said she knew I would come. She was only mad to hear that her roommates and fiance all knew I was coming and she didn't. We had to tell someone so that there was enough room in the car!
After checking into the hotel and getting the grand tour of Rexburg (HA!) my dad went to work at the hotel, my mom went with Tal to class, and seeing as how I was totally burnt out on school, I took the baby and we went shopping. Did I mention Talia's car is two doors. I know completely understand why those with children do not have 2 door cars. Quintin got tired so we headed back to the hotel. Grandpa read him his new tool story book. Quintin fell asleep and I went with my mom, Tal, and Brad to the Distribution Center. We got the panic call from my dad when Quintin decided the baby food and grandpa wasn't cutting it. So we went back and got him. My dad went with Brad and his friends to their man party at a place called Big Judds. And we girls and Quintin went to get ready for the bridal shower. I will say it was a little awkward being one of the only married ladies there and the only one (besides my mom and one of Talia's bridesmaid's mom) with a baby...Seriously I didn't think I was old until I was back in the whole college scene with a baby. Anyways we had fun at the shower and then headed back to the hotel.
Quintin was basically wired. I was continually having to get up and sing to him. He was having a hard time being in a different place with other people in our room (2 queen beds) Finally, I got him back to sleep and I gently climbed into our bed. My mom rolls over and says "That was really nice singing. I haven't heard some of those primary songs before" Holy Awkward! I thought they were asleep!! I guess I soothed everyone to sleep lol.
Saturday morning, we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. Before checking out, we went to the indoor pool...which was freezing so we decided to try out the spa instead. Quintin LOVED it. I mean he LOVES bath time so why wouldn't he love a GIANT bath tub?! I held on to him like crazy. My biggest fear as a mom, one that I have recurring nightmares about is Quintin drowning. So it was a huge step to have him anywhere near the water let alone in it.
After the pool, we checked out and went and got my dad a new suit...at a store called Ferrell's...ironic, no? We went to the BYU-I bookstore (where my parents decided Quintin needed a sippy cup for sure) and then Jimmy John's for lunch. After lunch, we headed to Wal-mart. Brad helped me pick out a new toy for Quintin through process of elimination, we grabbed some juice and baby food, and headed to Tal's apartment to change. My mom was Talia's escort and I was the second escort (I'm pretty sure that was made up, but they let me do it and I got to share in the special moment). I GASP left Quintin with my sister's BFF, Kristilyn. This was a HUGE deal for me seeing as how I've never left him with anyone except our parents and even then only for an hour or two. The session was about 2 hours and we were there about 2 hours before that...so four hours was a long time.
SURPRISE Trip: Part 1
On Mar. 21, Quintin & I flew on a roundabout surprise trip. My sister, Talia, was going through the temple for the first time on the 26th...in Idaho. Well she thought we weren't coming. My parents and I planned it to be a surprise from everyone so none of my siblings knew we were coming and my bros-in-law didn't know until the night before.
We got to AZ on the 21st. My mom picked us up from the airport and we went home to surprise my brothers and sister. I walked up to the door and my brother Jaden was in the front room. He saw me through the window and ran out to seeus Quintin. Then my other brother Dakota realized we were there and ran out. My sister was probably last to get the memo and once we saw the 3 of them, we went and visited my dad in his home office. Then the arguing and fighting over who got to hold the baby commenced. We spent 4 beautiful days in the sunshine, shorts-weather there!! We also ate lots of good food (Chino Bandito-Another Triple D feature!) and had a ton of fun!
Oh I should also mention baby Q got completely spoiled by grandparents who gave him food like pickles, lemons and got him addicted to lemonade...(ok so he had already had pickles before--they just fueled the fire).
We got to AZ on the 21st. My mom picked us up from the airport and we went home to surprise my brothers and sister. I walked up to the door and my brother Jaden was in the front room. He saw me through the window and ran out to see
Oh I should also mention baby Q got completely spoiled by grandparents who gave him food like pickles, lemons and got him addicted to lemonade...(ok so he had already had pickles before--they just fueled the fire).
March 19: 5 Months Old!
Our sweet little boy is five months old!
He weighs 16 lbs 5 oz.
He's 26 inches long.
He chews on his thumb...not sucks. Chews.
At 5 months he rolls over from front to back and back to front.
He also sits up with assistance.
He eats baby food: squash, carrots, green beans, peas, apples, bananas.
He has started soothing himself to sleep.
He LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES bath time!
He has begun mimicking actions (My mom talked into a cup and next time he got the cup, he started talking into it too!)
He is in size 3-6 mos clothes and switching to size 3 diapers.
He loves fabric. Can't craft anything without giving him his own piece to hold.
He manipulates his toys hand to hand.
He hates getting into his car seat. He has officially learned the arch the back move!
He weighs 16 lbs 5 oz.
He's 26 inches long.
He chews on his thumb...not sucks. Chews.
At 5 months he rolls over from front to back and back to front.
He also sits up with assistance.
He eats baby food: squash, carrots, green beans, peas, apples, bananas.
He has started soothing himself to sleep.
He LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES bath time!
He has begun mimicking actions (My mom talked into a cup and next time he got the cup, he started talking into it too!)
He is in size 3-6 mos clothes and switching to size 3 diapers.
He loves fabric. Can't craft anything without giving him his own piece to hold.
He manipulates his toys hand to hand.
He hates getting into his car seat. He has officially learned the arch the back move!
May 30, 2011
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
On March 17th, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day by eating green eggs for dinner. I seriously tried taking 50+ pictures and these are the only ones that turned out remotely good.
Spring Break!
We were really trying to figure out what to do for Spring Break. We love Food Network and especially the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Well one thing led to another and we decided to go to Minneapolis with our friends, the Eagars and experience a Triple D vacation.
We left on Sunday after church, and made the 5 hour or so drive to MSP.
When we got to the hotel, we cooked our pizzas (yes we had one of those awesome rooms with a kitchen in it-Thank you Mike for the hookup!) and planned out our days!
We were going to play games but the kids melted down and we separated. We skyped with our parents and then just went to bed early.
The next morning we ate at the hotel and headed to Como Park Zoo & Conservatory
For lunch, we made our first Triple D stop: Donatelli's
It was AWESOME food! We will definitely go back there.
Then we tried out this other random mall...ended up being a flop as a place just to browse so we rearranged our plans and headed to Mall of America. MOA is overwhelming even for people who grew up in a big city. We browsed through lots of stores for several hours and only made it through one wing of the store. The sad part of the whole thing is the only place we bought stuff was at stores we have here in GF...oh well. We decided to eat an early dinner at the Mall and then go to a Triple D restaurant for the late night happy hour appetizer thing. We decided on Panda Express and the Eagar's made it to Chipotle.
We headed back to the hotel so Lisa and I could watch the season finale of the Bachelor (hey don't judge me and I was right about who ended up as the last one). The boys ditched us so they could go see a movie they wanted. When they got back we were all so tired, we didn't feel up to going to another restaurant. We made plans for Tuesday and the Eagars went to their room. Steven and I stayed up late talking and seriously had one of the best chats of our whole marriage. Reminded me why we are best friends too.
Tuesday we woke up, checked out and headed to breakfast at the Colossal Cafe. Now we watched all the segments of Triple D for all the restaurants we were going to visit. Let's just say Triple D did a good job of making the Colossal Cafe look HUGE...and it wasn't. It held 10 people maxed and we were 6. But, the food was pretty good. This was a little cash-only 2 people working type place in the middle of a neighborhood. They actually had to call in another person to come work because it was so busy (lol).
After the Colossal Cafe, we headed into downtown and went to the Mill City Museum. There used to be a huge flour mill there that exploded and burned down. Well they made the cite into a museum that is really cool. We got to go on a tour on the elevator that told the whole story, watched a rather odd movie, and saw all the original packaging for Pilsbury, Betty Crocker, etc.
We decided to hit one more Triple D restaurant on our way out of town. We stopped at Psycho Suzy's Motor Lounge. We walked in and it was a pretty cool lookin place. When we got there and said we have 4 adults and 2 high chairs, the owner (who we recognized from Triple D) was like...um we don't have 2 high chairs. When the hostess informed her they just got another one in, she got really excited. That should have been our first clue it wasn't really a family restaurant--seriously who only has 2 high chairs?! But, the people were really nice and the food was AMAZING!! We had battered cheese curds and some really good pizza. We would probably go back there again but only if it was in the early afternoon again so we weren't there for the bar scene.
On the way home we stopped at the outlet malls about an hour outside of the cities and I got some good deals at The Children's Place and Carter's. We drove almost the rest of the way, stopped to nurse the baby, and finally made it home about midnight.
It was the funnest vacation ever! We had no car problems. We had a nice hotel room that wasn't in the ghetto. We had awesome company. We had just enough to do, but not too much. AND we stayed under budget.
We left on Sunday after church, and made the 5 hour or so drive to MSP.
When we got to the hotel, we cooked our pizzas (yes we had one of those awesome rooms with a kitchen in it-Thank you Mike for the hookup!) and planned out our days!
We were going to play games but the kids melted down and we separated. We skyped with our parents and then just went to bed early.
The next morning we ate at the hotel and headed to Como Park Zoo & Conservatory
For lunch, we made our first Triple D stop: Donatelli's
It was AWESOME food! We will definitely go back there.
Then we tried out this other random mall...ended up being a flop as a place just to browse so we rearranged our plans and headed to Mall of America. MOA is overwhelming even for people who grew up in a big city. We browsed through lots of stores for several hours and only made it through one wing of the store. The sad part of the whole thing is the only place we bought stuff was at stores we have here in GF...oh well. We decided to eat an early dinner at the Mall and then go to a Triple D restaurant for the late night happy hour appetizer thing. We decided on Panda Express and the Eagar's made it to Chipotle.
We headed back to the hotel so Lisa and I could watch the season finale of the Bachelor (hey don't judge me and I was right about who ended up as the last one). The boys ditched us so they could go see a movie they wanted. When they got back we were all so tired, we didn't feel up to going to another restaurant. We made plans for Tuesday and the Eagars went to their room. Steven and I stayed up late talking and seriously had one of the best chats of our whole marriage. Reminded me why we are best friends too.
Tuesday we woke up, checked out and headed to breakfast at the Colossal Cafe. Now we watched all the segments of Triple D for all the restaurants we were going to visit. Let's just say Triple D did a good job of making the Colossal Cafe look HUGE...and it wasn't. It held 10 people maxed and we were 6. But, the food was pretty good. This was a little cash-only 2 people working type place in the middle of a neighborhood. They actually had to call in another person to come work because it was so busy (lol).
After the Colossal Cafe, we headed into downtown and went to the Mill City Museum. There used to be a huge flour mill there that exploded and burned down. Well they made the cite into a museum that is really cool. We got to go on a tour on the elevator that told the whole story, watched a rather odd movie, and saw all the original packaging for Pilsbury, Betty Crocker, etc.
We decided to hit one more Triple D restaurant on our way out of town. We stopped at Psycho Suzy's Motor Lounge. We walked in and it was a pretty cool lookin place. When we got there and said we have 4 adults and 2 high chairs, the owner (who we recognized from Triple D) was like...um we don't have 2 high chairs. When the hostess informed her they just got another one in, she got really excited. That should have been our first clue it wasn't really a family restaurant--seriously who only has 2 high chairs?! But, the people were really nice and the food was AMAZING!! We had battered cheese curds and some really good pizza. We would probably go back there again but only if it was in the early afternoon again so we weren't there for the bar scene.
On the way home we stopped at the outlet malls about an hour outside of the cities and I got some good deals at The Children's Place and Carter's. We drove almost the rest of the way, stopped to nurse the baby, and finally made it home about midnight.
It was the funnest vacation ever! We had no car problems. We had a nice hotel room that wasn't in the ghetto. We had awesome company. We had just enough to do, but not too much. AND we stayed under budget.
Mar 7: Grad Party
Steven threw me a little grad party for Family Home Evening. He made lots of food and invited over our 'grand forks family'.
Some of the food.
I didn't take any pictures during the party except:
There was lots of good food and even better company. The question I got asked most frequently was, "How does it feel to be done?" My answer: "It feels like a giant weight that I didn't even know was there is lifted off my shoulders".
We are truly blessed to have good friends here. As we told everyone it was Family Home Evening, we thought it best to have some sort of message. I shared this quote:
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, A Prayer for the Children (Apr 2003 CR, 90)
“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. Give priesthood blessings. And bear your testimony!11 Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own. …
“Nephi-like, might we ask ourselves what our children know? From us? Personally? Do our children know that we love the scriptures? Do they see us reading them and marking them and clinging to them in daily life? Have our children ever unexpectedly opened a closed door and found us on our knees in prayer? Have they heard us not only pray with them but also pray for them out of nothing more than sheer parental love? Do our children know we believe in fasting as something more than an obligatory first-Sunday-of-the-month hardship? Do they know that we have fasted for them and for their future on days about which they knew nothing? Do they know we love being in the temple, not least because it provides a bond to them that neither death nor the legions of hell can break? Do they know we love and sustain local and general leaders, imperfect as they are, for their willingness to accept callings they did not seek in order to preserve a standard of righteousness they did not create? Do those children know that we love God with all our heart and that we long to see the face—and fall at the feet—of His Only Begotten Son? I pray that they know this.
“Brothers and sisters, our children take their flight into the future with our thrust and with our aim. And even as we anxiously watch that arrow in flight and know all the evils that can deflect its course after it has left our hand, nevertheless we take courage in remembering that the most important mortal factor in determining that arrow’s destination will be the stability, strength, and unwavering certainty of the holder of the bow.”
I didn't take any pictures during the party except:
There was lots of good food and even better company. The question I got asked most frequently was, "How does it feel to be done?" My answer: "It feels like a giant weight that I didn't even know was there is lifted off my shoulders".
We are truly blessed to have good friends here. As we told everyone it was Family Home Evening, we thought it best to have some sort of message. I shared this quote:
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, A Prayer for the Children (Apr 2003 CR, 90)
“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. Give priesthood blessings. And bear your testimony!11 Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own. …
“Nephi-like, might we ask ourselves what our children know? From us? Personally? Do our children know that we love the scriptures? Do they see us reading them and marking them and clinging to them in daily life? Have our children ever unexpectedly opened a closed door and found us on our knees in prayer? Have they heard us not only pray with them but also pray for them out of nothing more than sheer parental love? Do our children know we believe in fasting as something more than an obligatory first-Sunday-of-the-month hardship? Do they know that we have fasted for them and for their future on days about which they knew nothing? Do they know we love being in the temple, not least because it provides a bond to them that neither death nor the legions of hell can break? Do they know we love and sustain local and general leaders, imperfect as they are, for their willingness to accept callings they did not seek in order to preserve a standard of righteousness they did not create? Do those children know that we love God with all our heart and that we long to see the face—and fall at the feet—of His Only Begotten Son? I pray that they know this.
“Brothers and sisters, our children take their flight into the future with our thrust and with our aim. And even as we anxiously watch that arrow in flight and know all the evils that can deflect its course after it has left our hand, nevertheless we take courage in remembering that the most important mortal factor in determining that arrow’s destination will be the stability, strength, and unwavering certainty of the holder of the bow.”
You can call me Master.
So, in case we're not facebook friends or you missed a few posts back, I have been working on finishing my Master's Degree. After a LOT of work, an almost all-nighter, and a lot of typing I FINISHED!! I actually finished with a 10 hours to spare. My final paper was supposed to be a thesis...which I wrote the first half of in my class last fall. Well, they changed the program requirements and changed it to a case study analysis. Awesome right? But, I sucked it up and wrote the dumb thing. Throughout my writing, I kept writing myself notes of encouragement.
Also, a few times in the middle of the night when I was writing I bought myself a few books on Amazon to motivate me to finish writing. I knew exactly how many points I needed to earn on the final to still pass the class (I had to get a D on the paper at least to pass with a C). Seeing as how I was completely burned out, I set my goals on just passing...and I did...with 101% (thank you extra credit) for my final grade. It was a rough last week, but I won't lie it feels great to be done with it! I started the program before I had any thought of being pregnant and I'm pretty proud of myself that I kept going and finished even though my life changed quite a bit!
Here's what it takes to finish a MA in HR:
wheat thins, several drinks, lots of encouragement, food, books, paper, and of course post-it notes.
To celebrate me actually finishing, we ran errands and I bought my new glue gun (Steven and I made a deal that I could get it and I had a coupon so it was like $2 bucks)
AND we went to Denny's. As anyone with kids probably knows, it's almost impossible to enjoy a meal at a restaurant when you have a very curious baby with you.
As always, we were taking turns with each other to eat, catch the toys, and entertain the baby. Also we were attracting attention of all the elderly couples around us. After a particularly long time which ended in Steven taking the baby for a walk, we finally finished. When we went to pay, we learned that someone else had paid for the majority of our bill. We are pretty sure it was an elderly couple we had noticed watching us and the baby. Did they know that we were there celebrating such a big thing for me? Probably not. Will they ever know? Probably not. But we hope they are blessed for their kind deed :)
AND as if this day could get any better, we got a call on the way home to learn that our sister-in-law was in labor. She ended up having the baby within the night...
So in one day:
I finished my MA in HR
We got dinner paid for by an anonymous stranger
AND we became an aunt, uncle, and cousin!
Also, a few times in the middle of the night when I was writing I bought myself a few books on Amazon to motivate me to finish writing. I knew exactly how many points I needed to earn on the final to still pass the class (I had to get a D on the paper at least to pass with a C). Seeing as how I was completely burned out, I set my goals on just passing...and I did...with 101% (thank you extra credit) for my final grade. It was a rough last week, but I won't lie it feels great to be done with it! I started the program before I had any thought of being pregnant and I'm pretty proud of myself that I kept going and finished even though my life changed quite a bit!
Here's what it takes to finish a MA in HR:
To celebrate me actually finishing, we ran errands and I bought my new glue gun (Steven and I made a deal that I could get it and I had a coupon so it was like $2 bucks)
AND we went to Denny's. As anyone with kids probably knows, it's almost impossible to enjoy a meal at a restaurant when you have a very curious baby with you.
As always, we were taking turns with each other to eat, catch the toys, and entertain the baby. Also we were attracting attention of all the elderly couples around us. After a particularly long time which ended in Steven taking the baby for a walk, we finally finished. When we went to pay, we learned that someone else had paid for the majority of our bill. We are pretty sure it was an elderly couple we had noticed watching us and the baby. Did they know that we were there celebrating such a big thing for me? Probably not. Will they ever know? Probably not. But we hope they are blessed for their kind deed :)
AND as if this day could get any better, we got a call on the way home to learn that our sister-in-law was in labor. She ended up having the baby within the night...
So in one day:
I finished my MA in HR
We got dinner paid for by an anonymous stranger
AND we became an aunt, uncle, and cousin!
Date night: Mar 4th
For Family Date night, Steven decided to give me a break from writing my final paper and we went to dinner at a place called Space Aliens...In true ND style, it is a family joint, connected to a bar with an arcade in it. I swear we're not THAT bad of parents...but Quintin really thinks he needs lots of food.
By the way...he only sucked on it. We didn't let him eat it and it had no spices on it.
We also let him try out his first arcade game. Clearly he was really excited about it.
After date night, we went home, got Quintin in bed and I went back to writing my beast of a paper.
We also let him try out his first arcade game. Clearly he was really excited about it.
After date night, we went home, got Quintin in bed and I went back to writing my beast of a paper.
First Trip to the ER
On March 3rd, we took Quintin to the ER. He had been running a fever and tylenol wasn't really helping. Diagnosis: Ear Infection.
Why is it that your kid can be MISERABLE all day at home and then you take them to the Dr. and they smile and coo at all the nurses?! Our ER takes patients in order of severity...so of course because Quintin decided to coo and smile we got put at the bottom of the list. But, we got some antibiotics in him and he was back to normal in no time.
Also...we learned that even though we knew Q wasn't deathly sick, it was still AWFUL to see him on the hospital bed getting examined :(
PS...this was why we were waiting for the dose of medicine...it was almost midnight...and I had spent a long day working on my final paper and taking care of a sick baby.
Why is it that your kid can be MISERABLE all day at home and then you take them to the Dr. and they smile and coo at all the nurses?! Our ER takes patients in order of severity...so of course because Quintin decided to coo and smile we got put at the bottom of the list. But, we got some antibiotics in him and he was back to normal in no time.
Also...we learned that even though we knew Q wasn't deathly sick, it was still AWFUL to see him on the hospital bed getting examined :(
PS...this was why we were waiting for the dose of medicine...it was almost midnight...and I had spent a long day working on my final paper and taking care of a sick baby.
Presidents Day-Feb 21
For President's Day, we went to IHOP as usual...Guess who's big enough to sit in the high chair :)
March 1, 2011
Excuses
I meant to write about Quintin's first experience with homemade applesauce, or his teething nonsense, or our President's Day IHOP visit, or a number of other things.
But they will have to wait.
Because I am...
4 days
2 assignments
4 discussion posts
20-37 type-written pages
AWAY
from finishing my Master's Degree.
Oh ya.
But they will have to wait.
Because I am...
4 days
2 assignments
4 discussion posts
20-37 type-written pages
AWAY
from finishing my Master's Degree.
Oh ya.
February 27, 2011
Happy Birthday Madre!
This is my mom:
And today is her 45th birthday!!
Here are some things you should know about my mom:
Q Club: She was the second member of the Q club...even before Steven.
Madre: I went through/still am going through this phase where I didn't call her mom, only madre. Started in high school Spanish.
Musical: something a lot of people may not know is that she plays the piano. She often had music playing in our home growing up.
Festive: This was Steven's word and it's so true!! She decorates for every holiday...like even St. Patrick's day! And she has a 12 ft Christmas tree (the main one)
Kindred spirit: If you've ever watched Anne of Green Gables, you'll understand this.
Grandma: She has the grandma thing down! She skypes every week, asks for pictures basically daily and spoils the kid rotten!
Mom of 5 Friend to all: I think my mom could get along with most people. And this phrase could be her super hero motto.
Hip: She is so trendy! I have never been embarrassed to go out with her and I miss being able to go shopping with her regularly.
Teacher: My mom teaches English for a living. She also teaches Gospel Doctrine at church and each of the kids in our home.
Fashionable: She is looking for a dress for my sister's wedding and I hear comments like "that looks like an old lady would wear that!" I borrow my mom's clothes and especially jewelry when I go home to visit.
Friendly: I remember a lot of times growing up my mom was the one at church that would go say hi to new people and she always makes friends with the kids in nursery.
Unselfish: My mom is the least selfish person I know. She once drove 3 hours each way to pick up my letterman's jacket that I had forgotten at a leadership camp...by herself...in not great weather. She didn't complain about it either.
Patient: Did I mention she has five kids?
Ring leader: Our house is nothing short of a circus and she is the most efficient ring leader there ever was.
Thrifty: some of my greatest memories are from hitting up thrift stores together. She is so good at finding a good deal. Now it is so fun to call and talk about the good finds we get at thrift stores and the good deals we score!
Creative: My mom thinks of the coolest, most creative things sometimes. She is a magnet for creative things.
Baker: Steven wanted me to write baker extraordinaire but it wouldn't fit. She's not a big cook but she is a great baker!
Edumacated: Again, one of Steven's words. My mom has a Master's degree. I don't think I've ever heard her tell anyone she has one. Steven has known our family for over a decade and he had no idea she was so formally educated until we got married. She is educated but humble about it.
Reader: My mom instigated a love for reading in our home from as early as I can remember. She is the one I call when I find a great deal on books for Q because I know she understands me...oh and she buys him books a lot too!
Good Example: My biggest example in my life has always been my mom. I think she always will be.
Righteous: Even though she has been faced with a lot of trials and hardships, she has always been righteous. She took us to church alone for a while when we were young.
Smart Cookie: Like I said she has a Master's degree. But she's 'street smart' too. Like in the 5th grade, we went to a music store to get my clarinet books. We were talking to the owner about brands of instruments. She mentioned that we were looking at a Vito. The owner said, oh ya we see those in here a lot. Her response was, "Oh so does that mean they break easily and require a lot of upkeep?" I remember thinking WOW...never would have thought of that!
Caring: My mom is so caring. She checks in on all of us frequently and genuinely cares about what we are doing.
Crafty: My craftproblem love comes from her. She can take almost anything and spruce it up. And after living with her for so long I have a hard time paying for a decoration or something similar if I know I can make it myself.
Kind: My mom goes through a lot on a daily basis. She is forgiving and always kind. She rarely complains.
Wife: She has been married to my dad for almost 24 years...and that's saying something :)
Generous: She flew to Minneapolis and then drove 4+ hours by herself in a place she had never been to come the day when Quintin was born. She basically abandoned her classes and the rest of my siblings to come help us out. She stayed for about five days. She woke up with me every time I fed the baby so she could help me get situated to feed him. I could hardly move and she was right there with me every single time. After I fed him, she would stay up and burp him and get him back to sleep so I could try and get some sleep. She even helped me get him to the doctor twice while she was here (to check on the jaundice). She went and ran errands, got groceries and even let us pick out a few sleepers and other things for Quintin. At the end of her stay, she had to drive back to Minneapolis by herself on like zero sleep. This was in no way a 'vacation' for her but she did it, never complaining. She put her life in AZ on hold to come to take care of me and Q. And this is just a more recent example of her generosity.
Beautiful: I have always thought my mom was one of the most beautiful people in the world...inside and out.
Adventurous: (Just realized I spelled that wrong on the card...crap) My mom is always up for an adventure. Like driving to SUU for me to go to a leadership weekend. Or driving to Hurricane, UT (and yes it is as big as it sounds ;)) for me to go to Prom and sleeping on the floor on an air mattress with me at my date's house (he slept somewhere else, FYI).
Listening ear: my mom is and always has been a listening ear. When I was in high school I thought she never listened to me...now I realize how much she remembers and I know I can call her anytime day or night to talk about anything and she will listen. She's also great at knowing when to offer advice or when to just listen.
Best Friend: Something I've come to learn recently especially after moving across the country is that my mom is truly one of my best friends. She laughs with me. She cries with me. The only thing is we don't really fight like some best friends do. At Christmas break a friend asked us if we had ever thought that maybe in heaven we got the choice of who would be the mom and who would be the daughter. I think we have been best friends forever.
We love you mom! We miss you more than you know!
Here are some things you should know about my mom:
Q Club: She was the second member of the Q club...even before Steven.
Madre: I went through/still am going through this phase where I didn't call her mom, only madre. Started in high school Spanish.
Musical: something a lot of people may not know is that she plays the piano. She often had music playing in our home growing up.
Festive: This was Steven's word and it's so true!! She decorates for every holiday...like even St. Patrick's day! And she has a 12 ft Christmas tree (the main one)
Kindred spirit: If you've ever watched Anne of Green Gables, you'll understand this.
Grandma: She has the grandma thing down! She skypes every week, asks for pictures basically daily and spoils the kid rotten!
Mom of 5 Friend to all: I think my mom could get along with most people. And this phrase could be her super hero motto.
Hip: She is so trendy! I have never been embarrassed to go out with her and I miss being able to go shopping with her regularly.
Teacher: My mom teaches English for a living. She also teaches Gospel Doctrine at church and each of the kids in our home.
Fashionable: She is looking for a dress for my sister's wedding and I hear comments like "that looks like an old lady would wear that!" I borrow my mom's clothes and especially jewelry when I go home to visit.
Friendly: I remember a lot of times growing up my mom was the one at church that would go say hi to new people and she always makes friends with the kids in nursery.
Unselfish: My mom is the least selfish person I know. She once drove 3 hours each way to pick up my letterman's jacket that I had forgotten at a leadership camp...by herself...in not great weather. She didn't complain about it either.
Patient: Did I mention she has five kids?
Ring leader: Our house is nothing short of a circus and she is the most efficient ring leader there ever was.
Thrifty: some of my greatest memories are from hitting up thrift stores together. She is so good at finding a good deal. Now it is so fun to call and talk about the good finds we get at thrift stores and the good deals we score!
Creative: My mom thinks of the coolest, most creative things sometimes. She is a magnet for creative things.
Baker: Steven wanted me to write baker extraordinaire but it wouldn't fit. She's not a big cook but she is a great baker!
Edumacated: Again, one of Steven's words. My mom has a Master's degree. I don't think I've ever heard her tell anyone she has one. Steven has known our family for over a decade and he had no idea she was so formally educated until we got married. She is educated but humble about it.
Reader: My mom instigated a love for reading in our home from as early as I can remember. She is the one I call when I find a great deal on books for Q because I know she understands me...oh and she buys him books a lot too!
Good Example: My biggest example in my life has always been my mom. I think she always will be.
Righteous: Even though she has been faced with a lot of trials and hardships, she has always been righteous. She took us to church alone for a while when we were young.
Smart Cookie: Like I said she has a Master's degree. But she's 'street smart' too. Like in the 5th grade, we went to a music store to get my clarinet books. We were talking to the owner about brands of instruments. She mentioned that we were looking at a Vito. The owner said, oh ya we see those in here a lot. Her response was, "Oh so does that mean they break easily and require a lot of upkeep?" I remember thinking WOW...never would have thought of that!
Caring: My mom is so caring. She checks in on all of us frequently and genuinely cares about what we are doing.
Crafty: My craft
Kind: My mom goes through a lot on a daily basis. She is forgiving and always kind. She rarely complains.
Wife: She has been married to my dad for almost 24 years...and that's saying something :)
Generous: She flew to Minneapolis and then drove 4+ hours by herself in a place she had never been to come the day when Quintin was born. She basically abandoned her classes and the rest of my siblings to come help us out. She stayed for about five days. She woke up with me every time I fed the baby so she could help me get situated to feed him. I could hardly move and she was right there with me every single time. After I fed him, she would stay up and burp him and get him back to sleep so I could try and get some sleep. She even helped me get him to the doctor twice while she was here (to check on the jaundice). She went and ran errands, got groceries and even let us pick out a few sleepers and other things for Quintin. At the end of her stay, she had to drive back to Minneapolis by herself on like zero sleep. This was in no way a 'vacation' for her but she did it, never complaining. She put her life in AZ on hold to come to take care of me and Q. And this is just a more recent example of her generosity.
Beautiful: I have always thought my mom was one of the most beautiful people in the world...inside and out.
Adventurous: (Just realized I spelled that wrong on the card...crap) My mom is always up for an adventure. Like driving to SUU for me to go to a leadership weekend. Or driving to Hurricane, UT (and yes it is as big as it sounds ;)) for me to go to Prom and sleeping on the floor on an air mattress with me at my date's house (he slept somewhere else, FYI).
Listening ear: my mom is and always has been a listening ear. When I was in high school I thought she never listened to me...now I realize how much she remembers and I know I can call her anytime day or night to talk about anything and she will listen. She's also great at knowing when to offer advice or when to just listen.
Best Friend: Something I've come to learn recently especially after moving across the country is that my mom is truly one of my best friends. She laughs with me. She cries with me. The only thing is we don't really fight like some best friends do. At Christmas break a friend asked us if we had ever thought that maybe in heaven we got the choice of who would be the mom and who would be the daughter. I think we have been best friends forever.
We love you mom! We miss you more than you know!
February 26, 2011
Happy Birthday Caitlin!
Today is my sister-in-law (left), Caitlin's birthday!!
Here's her custom-made art work ;)
Healthy Eater: We are always hearing stories about all the delicious, healthy things her and Greg cook.
Mom-to-be: She's going to be having our little nephew anytime in the next month or so!
Teacher: Caitlin is a voice teacher and she also teaches piano!
Piano: Caitlin is a great piano player!
World traveler: Caitlin has been to some of the coolest places. This last summer she went to Spain and we were totally jealous!
Music: Caitlin is extremely musical! She is the talent in our family. This year for the family Christmas party she sang "Grown Up Christmas List". It was absolutely beautiful and I can't believe we haven't heard her sing before then!
Pretty eyes: You can see-look at that picture!
Dog lover: I have never heard Caitlin talk about a dog she didn't like.
Singer: Like I said, she's a voice teacher!
Aunt: She is Quintin's only "Dorn" aunt!
Violin: She also plays the violin-see I told you she was musical!
Opera: Opera performance is her major at BYU. She was in an opera called Trial By Jury last summer. Our in-laws said it was great!
Fashionable: She even makes maternity clothes look good. And if you've ever been pregnant, you know that's no easy feat!
Wife: She's Greg's wife!
BYU Class of 2011: Caitlin will soon be getting her BA from BYU!!
Thankful: One of the things I have always been impressed with about Caitlin is her almost immediate response in sending Thank-You cards. Seriously I think I had a thank-you card for her baby shower waiting for me when I got back after Christmas break. And, I don't know if it's just ours or if it's everyone's but she always makes them sound so sincere. I know she takes time to write such nice notes!
Happy birthday, Caitlin! We hope it's your best year yet!
Here's her custom-made art work ;)
Healthy Eater: We are always hearing stories about all the delicious, healthy things her and Greg cook.
Mom-to-be: She's going to be having our little nephew anytime in the next month or so!
Teacher: Caitlin is a voice teacher and she also teaches piano!
Piano: Caitlin is a great piano player!
World traveler: Caitlin has been to some of the coolest places. This last summer she went to Spain and we were totally jealous!
Music: Caitlin is extremely musical! She is the talent in our family. This year for the family Christmas party she sang "Grown Up Christmas List". It was absolutely beautiful and I can't believe we haven't heard her sing before then!
Pretty eyes: You can see-look at that picture!
Dog lover: I have never heard Caitlin talk about a dog she didn't like.
Singer: Like I said, she's a voice teacher!
Aunt: She is Quintin's only "Dorn" aunt!
Violin: She also plays the violin-see I told you she was musical!
Opera: Opera performance is her major at BYU. She was in an opera called Trial By Jury last summer. Our in-laws said it was great!
Fashionable: She even makes maternity clothes look good. And if you've ever been pregnant, you know that's no easy feat!
Wife: She's Greg's wife!
BYU Class of 2011: Caitlin will soon be getting her BA from BYU!!
Thankful: One of the things I have always been impressed with about Caitlin is her almost immediate response in sending Thank-You cards. Seriously I think I had a thank-you card for her baby shower waiting for me when I got back after Christmas break. And, I don't know if it's just ours or if it's everyone's but she always makes them sound so sincere. I know she takes time to write such nice notes!
Happy birthday, Caitlin! We hope it's your best year yet!
February 23, 2011
Repeat after me:
I love being a mom
I love being a mom
I love being a mom
(These don't even do it justice-it was up to his shoulder blades!)
I love being a mom
By the way...this happened at 12:25 AM.
I love being a mom
I love being a mom
I love being a mom
By the way...this happened at 12:25 AM.
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