Quint's Friends

In the summer the lake is alive with children. Mostly kids visiting their Grandparents, because the lake tends to be a retired population. Quint has loved having the other kids around. He will just stand on the porch in and watch them play. Lately, we have been taking him over to see them. They are all older than him, but they are so good with him. Yesterday they all came over and were throwing the ball with him, playing peek a boo, and pushing him in the swing. Quint was in heaven with all the attention from the older children. I brought Russell out and the kids flocked to see the new baby. Quint was clearly bothered by this and quickly came over and tried to steal back the attention. I am still not sure how much Quint likes sharing the limelight with his little brother:) I am sure he loves playing with the big kid neighbors and hopefully they won't go home too soon.

Family Day at Roseland!

This is Dave's 6th summer working at Roseland Water Park. He has moved up the chemical man, so he hardly works but has a lot of responsibility. Today was family day for employees at Roseland. Dave told us we could get in for free. Mom offered to watch Russell so that we could take Quint. Dave met us at the gate (since he works 15 mins of every two hours). BK, Quint, and I got in for free and Dave walked us over the the Splash Factory. It is the area designated for kids. It was huge, and we were very excited for Quint to have his first water park experience. We started to walk him into the water which was very shallow and he ran the other way. I think it was overwhelming to him. So, after a few minutes of warming up to the idea Quint got into it. He eventually made it up the structure, and under a few waterfalls. It was very fun. To top it off we took him in the lazy river. There were double tubes with a bottom in one side and a hole in the other. It was perfect. I put Quint in and I could put my feet through and direct us through the big waterfalls. He was taking it all in, as he does with all new experiences. It was a special bonding time with Quint.

Is that a Smile?

Today I had a few precious moments with Russell. When Quint was his age I could look at him all day, but my cooing time is more limited now.  I am treasuring my quiet moments with him. I was sitting with him, and he was cooing at me. It was wonderful, but then it happened. He smiled. Initially I thought he was just moving some gas but he kept smiling. I am pretty sure it was a social smile, and it was so special. I don't know what it is but a baby who smiles is so much easier to care for. The first smile is a very special moment.

Good morning naked boy!

This morning I went into Quint's room and he was standing their stark naked! I guess he learned how to take off his diaper. He was laughing and jumping around. It was actually very cute. I was not excited to wash all his bedding, but it was a priceless moment. But, in the future he goes to bed wearing pants or shorts:) Naked boy is cute but we don't need a repeat every morning.

Spoiled

BK spoils me. Even though looking from the outside we might not have much I feel very spoiled. He spoils me in love and action. Taking care of me and our family. Working overtime and never complaining. Fixing Chuck, selling Casper, helping with the boys. I feel spoiled because he is such a good father. I knew he would be a good husband but the good father part is such a bonus.
Being frugal is one of his best and worst traits. Sometimes he surprises me and lets go of his need to be a saver to spoil me with a gift. Today BK actually ordered the Imac. I mean we have put it in our vitual shopping cart countless times but never went through with it. Tonight BK actually pushed checkout! We know its a bit outside our budget but we needed a new home computer, and if it were just BK he would have got a cheap Dell, but for me he upgraded to the Imac. He did it just because he loves to spoil me. Sometimes he says I deserve more, but that is not true, I have everything important, and sometimes things that are not important but fun like an Imac:) I would take living in a shack with BK and our boys over all the nice things in the world...but when possible it is nice to splurge a little:) I can't wait till it arrives!

Suckers for propaganda

Today a package arrived for BK. It was from the Iowa National Guard. He was working so I opened it. The typical recruitment paraphernalia, free shirt, pens, pamphlets, and a DVD. I waited till BK got home to watch the DVD. BK was stoked about the shirt and pens but we were both eager to watch the DVD. We popped it in and were immediately sucked in by the cool helicopters, tanks and guns. They made doctors look very cool. Doing surgery in airplanes or back of trucks. Learning to shoot guns, and wearing camouflage. BK was so excited he said "I can shoot people and then fix them!" I don't really think it works like that, but he was over the moon. The guns and tanks part made me nervous, but it was very BK. The part that really got to me was the service to country, the pride of being a soldier (or soldier's wife). They even showed the 9/11 towers being blown up! By the end BK and I were like sign us up! Good thing the recruiter was not there with papers. We need to make sure we avoid the propaganda when making such a big life decision.
I am pretty certain we are headed to the National Guard. It is very BK and he is excited. We'll see how it works out, but the idea of no deployment, a lot of compensation and oh yeah service to country sounds good to me.

Go!!!

Today I went for my first run post pregnancy. It was very hard and I wasn't even pushing the stroller. Dad came with me and pushed Quint. I only made it 2 1/2 miles (to the bridge) but it was something. When we got back I went to jump in the lake. I was standing on the edge of the dock and Quint was watching from the porch with mom. Then out of no where I hear GOOOO!!!! I looked up and it was Quint. So not to disappoint I jumped in and he laughed. It was so special because we have never even heard him attempt to say go. Then clear as day he yells it at the appropriate time! It was the cutest, I hope I can always remember the moment.
It is confirmation for me that I do not need to worry about his language. Clearly, he has more words up in that little head than we know about.

Car seats may save my kids but they are killing me!

Car seats have always been a thorn in my side. Initially dad picked up an infant car seat at a garage sale and we figured that would work great. At the time we were headed to Boston and did not own a car. I can probably count on two hands how many times we used it for Quint. Around 6 months Quint was outgrowing it and we were on a VERY tight budget so I found a larger seat for 8 dollars. A few weeks later I was doing some research and realized it was missing the overhead bar! Well, we were financially strapped at the time. BK was working at the BB gun factory and we had no wiggle room. I did not make a fuss, just prayed he would be ok in the car. Once we fixed the finances I negotiated a nice used Britax car seat off Craigslist for $50. I was so relieved because now Quint was in a safe seat. I was still on the hunt because I knew we would need one for Russell. BK got a free one from a guy at work, but as I was cleaning it I realized it expired in 2005. Well, everyone thinks it is ridiculous that a seat expires but it gave me a lot of mom guilt. So, to recap we have four seats now, but I was still hoping to get a safe one for Quint when Russell moves over to the Britax.
Even though everyone thought it was ridiculous I found a car seat boaster that goes from 22-80 pounds and had great reviews. The best part was it cost $50 new! Well, BK still thought it was too much. My mom guilt was overpowering me. Mom and I were at Target and we tested it out and she bought it as the baby gift! I was so relieved. Now I have the three seats I need. Infant, Britax and Booster! I think this car seat thing is a bit ridiculous but the mom guilt is very intense if you don't follow the recommendations. I am very grateful to mom for relieving my stress. Here is a picture of Quint and Grandma with the new seat:) I am sure that something new will stress me out, but at least for now it is not car safety.

Cavities cost how much?

Today I went to the dentist and I had three cavities. I was totally bummed. We have very stinky dental insurance. It pays for cleanings but not the extra work. I knew it would cost something but they quoted me 520 dollars! Oh my gosh, who knew cavities cost so much! I called the insurance to see what they would cover and it was 30 dollars. Wow, that is not very helpful. So for now I still have three cavities. I don't know when I will get them taken care of, but I am obsessively brushing, flossing, and Listerining. I don't think that cures cavities but until we can afford to fix them it will have to do.

Goodbye Casper

Casper has been on craigslist for a few weeks and we have had some lookers but no takers. Today we had another looker who turned out to be a taker! We had him on craigslist for 2000 originally but we got too many lookers so we increased it to 2500. We figured we had over a month so we could wait it out. Today, Kerry a very nice guy from Naples came to check him out. Mom and I were taking the boys to Wegmans for dinner because it was 90 degrees and we were melting. BK was going to meet us after the guy looked at Casper. He never showed up, so we called and turns out he sold Casper to Kerry for 2300! Great news! It is sad to see Casper go but it means we are one step closer to being ready to move. It was a blessing to sell him for so much. Bye Bye Casper.