Quincy is 5!

I don't know why, but it feels so weird saying that! I knew that it would inevitably get here, but now that it's here I just can't wrap my head around it.  She should still be the toddler of the house... not a getting ready for school, starting to read big kid.  I am even the one watching the growth happen each day and it just hurts my brain (or my heart) to think that she is getting so big.  She is so proud to be 5 and will constantly point out the number 5 wherever she sees it... "Look mom, 5, like me!" Some things about Quincy at 5 are:

• Her favorite foods are chicken nuggets and peanut butter sandwiches.  But she is my best eater by far.  She loves avocados, salad, sushi, all fruit, and cucumbers.  There are very few things that she won't eat but eggs and tomatoes are a couple of those.  
• She LOVES babies.  At first, I assumed that is was just Tessly... whom she is very affectionate towards.  But after sending her on some playdates and watching her in church, I discovered that it is all babies.  She always wants to be near them, checks on them when they cry, wants to hold them, and is amazing at getting them to laugh.  
• She is still afraid of things that she can't control i.e. amusement rides, going down hills on a bike.  But she will be the first to leap down a flight of stairs into Devin's arms.
• Quincy is the most thoughtful little girl. She is always telling people she loves them, checking on people when they are hurt, offering to help (when she is in the mood), and making pictures for her family.  If you have ever been in Quincy's life for any reason (friend, teacher, etc) she will remember you and excitedly wave to you or give you a hug.
• On the flip side, she can also be the biggest tease.  She tends to figure out what pushes people's (mostly Addie's) buttons and will use that "because it's fun."  She tends to be a bit mischievous and I know that if I have told her not to do something she is going to do it anyways.  But she will also reveal herself as she says with a grin... "No one is eating candy down here," "I didn't play with the markers," or "I don't have the remote!"
• She has a great sense of humor and loves to make people laugh. 
• Although she is an outgoing person, I have discovered that she is more introverted than she appears to be.  I have noticed that when she is with a large group of friends, after awhile, she will wander off on her own or sneak away with one other friend in tow.  She isn't sad or upset, she just needs some space.  Rather than having a party with all of her friends this year, she was adamant that she only wanted 2 friends.  
• She loves the TV too much.  She is constantly asking to watch it and would watch all day if she was aloud to.  
• She still sucks her thumb.  We are working on stopping this habit, but it is a hard one to break!
• She can be a bit lazy.  If she wants something she will ask someone else to go and get it for her rather than getting it herself.  And if I tell her we are walking somewhere she will ask if I can carry the baby so that I can push her in the stroller.  If the answer is no I can inevitably expect some whining about how she doesn't want to walk.  Once she gets going she ends up enjoying and exploring different things along the way. 
• She loves to collect things...rocks, bottle caps, leaves... pretty much anything that catches her eye.  
• She loves being close and cuddling with people.  She will squeeze into the smallest space so that she can sit next to either Devin or I and she is always sitting in Devin's lap.  
• Our favorite things that she says right now are: Snaked (naked), It doesn't care (it doesn't matter), You're my bestest sister/mom/dad/friend, and Pocporn.
• She is spunky, happy, full of life, and can light up a room.  

For her big 5 we had a fun filled day. It started with a cinnamon roll breakfast...

And opening presents...

Quincy asked to get her ears pierced for her birthday.  So we headed out that morning to the mall.  She was so brave.  She didn't flinch or cry, just held onto that bear and closed her eyes.  When it was over she said, "That didn't hurt so much."

Her choice for lunch was sushi (that's my girl!)...

And it's not really your birthday unless there's ice cream ...

For her party she wanted to take 2 of her best friends, Kaylena and Grace, to Chuck E Cheese. They had a blast!  Quincy was so excited when Chuck E Cheese actually showed up to sing Happy Birthday to her!

The party package included time in the ticket blaster and she wanted Devin to help her catch the tickets!

It was a fun day to celebrate our little fireball!  She is the most awesome 5 year old we know!  Looking forward to watching her continue to grow over the next year!

January 2015

January was quite a month for us.  From Tessly being consistently sick to not knowing whether Devin would have a job, and everything else that fell in between, we really struggled.  Yet somehow (and by somehow I mean by the grace of our Heavenly Father) we survived.  Although I mostly felt like I was  slowly drowning this month, it was a great opportunity for us to recognize how much our Heavenly Father blesses our lives daily.  After many sleepless nights being up with a sick baby, I didn't know where I would get the strength to get up each day.  And yet there it was.  Strength that I couldn't have mustered from anywhere else was given to me time and time again.  After we heard that eBay would be making drastic lay-offs we were blessed with peace of mind that all would be well, regardless of what happened.  Rather than adding the burden of stress of the unknown, we were spared from adding that to our heap.  And then even further blessed when we found out that Devin would be keeping his job at eBay.  Sometimes it takes falling a little to recognize that someone is there to pick you up and comfort you, but I am more determined to recognize these tender mercies not only when I fall but when I am flying high as well.

As far as what we did this month...

Tessly turned 6 months old and we can't believe that she has been with us for half a year already.  She has been such a joy to our family and we couldn't have dreamed up a sweeter baby.

Unfortunately, she has been sick this month.  While we were in Utah she caught a cold that turned into bronchitis.  This bronchitis has lasted the entire month.  She then contracted an ear infection and began to cut a tooth all at the same time.  Once she was on antibiotics she started to get better, except that the antibiotics gave her tummy problems.  Needless to say, aside from a couple of miracle nights, we have not slept much this month.  However, she has still been the happiest, easiest baby during the day.  She loves baby food with her favorites being peas and pears.  She started sitting up on her own just before she turned 6 months.

She loves to bounce... and not just in her bouncer.  She will start bouncing when she is eating, when you change her diaper, or any other time.  She also loves to laugh, talk, and be kissed.

She is a total mama's girl and will look for me and reach for me whenever I am in sight. (I'll admit that its hard to not love this!)

She reaches for everything and tends to go for things like phones, remotes, etc.  Everything that she can reach goes right in her mouth, no matter how big it is.

 She is still overly-loved by her sisters.  The first question we hear whenever we are driving anywhere is, "Can I sit by the baby?"  And there are many complaints that they didn't get to see the baby enough.  It makes me happy that they continue to love her so much.

Baby friends... Start 'em young. 

We were able to go to a beach town called Half Moon Bay twice this month.  We fell in love with this little town.  So much charm and tranquility and the fact that it's a beach town didn't hurt.  If we could find a way to live here we would move tomorrow!

The first time we went we walked through the town, did some crafts, and then played at the beach. 

The second time we stopped at a place called Lemos Farms where the girls got to feed goats, ride a train, ride horses, and play all over.

Then, of course, we headed to the beach.  The girls had been asking for awhile to watch a sunset at the beach.  Guess we can check that off the bucket list!

 Tess feeling the sand between her toes for the first time...

We found a park near our house that has a small environmental center.  I was surprised to see how willingly the girls held all the different creatures!  They held a few different snakes, a gecko, and a bearded dragon.  It was pretty cool.  Until they pulled out the Tarantula... then I was out of there!

Addie's class also had a field trip that I was able to chaperone.  They walked to a local dentist where the hygienists walked them through all the different things that the dentist does. One of the hygienists talked about all the things that are good and bad for our teeth.  At one point she held up a bottle of water and a bottle of Coke and asked, "Which one of these is bad for your teeth?"  All the kids answered, "Soda!" at which point Addie raised her hand and said, "My mom drinks Coke all the time!"  Haha...Busted!

Now that this month is over, here's hoping for healthier and more restful tomorrows!