Day 12 (4th of July)

Summer at the lake is busy, but this forth of july may be a record. I think nearly 30 people for fireworks. The weather was not the best, a bit chilly, very windy, but the brave still went in the lake. Just good time of hanging out with friends. Honestly, for me it was a bit stressful, watching the boys with all the activity, but lots of helpers was nice too! We missed BK a bunch! I was especially lonely during fireworks, without my handsome hubby to snuggle up with:( Maybe next year! Julie made her famous flag jello
I did dress the boys in 4th of July gear, but they were not up for a nice group picture...this was the best I could do.

Games in the Garage

Aunt Rebecca and Russell have a special bond...its all about the second child

She assures me they are the best!

Rebecca's friends from Geneseo had a little reunion.

They are sweeties and it was great having them here.

Bec knows how to pick good ones:)

Skype with Daddy!

Today BK was on break from training because of the 4th of July and we were able to figure out how to chat online (thanks to the Taylor family IT guy Uncle Dave). BK's connection was very slow, but it was still so great to see him.
Quint has been saying lately "daddy come home" and I don't think he understands time or why he is gone, but when he saw him on the was filled with joy, and I believe he was reassured that Dad will be back. Thank God for technology.

Day 10

Day 10

Mom watched the boys in the morning and Dad, Dave, Rebecca, and I went to the outlets for a while. Just for the record the men spent much more money than the women! Although we didn't buy much, it was fun to get out and shop without babies complaining (my boys hate to shop!)

In the afternoon it was rainy, so we had a lot of indoor playtime.

Russell is very social, he already wants to text message.

Flash forward 12 years....frightening!

Quint spent time building a garage for his trucks:)

Eggo boxes have so many practical uses

Quint built a stunning tower, while making a long distance phone call to Daddy.

He is quite the multi-tasker:)

Day 9 Wednesday

Day 9

Another fun day, here are a few pictures for Daddy:)

Russell's first boat ride!!!

Bath time in Grammy's sink!

Day 8 (Tuesday)

I have been able to talk to BK a few times, but usually very late in the evening, when the boys are in bed. Tonight he surprised us and called early while he was on a break. Russell was asleep but Quint was just laying down to bed. I brought the phone to him and asked if he wanted to talk to daddy....he almost jumped out of the bed! We did a lot of things today, but nothing could top talking to Daddy.

Day 7

Day 7

Aunt Doreen brought a few kids down to play for their last day of Daycare.

Quint observed the children for a while but eventually he was right in the mix!

After nap we ran through the sprinkler!

Quint also played one a water slide!

Day 6

Day 6

Papa and Quint read the paper early in the morning

Quint and Russell colored pictures (while admiring my gorgeous flowers!)

Bedtime is going smoother, which means more sunsets.

Flowers

Quint smelling my flowers!

Wow, today the doorbell rang, and it was a lady with flowers. BK has never sent me flowers, he is very frugal. So, even though it was our anniversary, I did not think they were for me. BUT, THEY WERE!!! BK sent me flowers and a nice card from Texas! It was the greatest surprise. I know it probably killed him to spend money on something that will inevitably die in a week, but it was so thoughtful. I love them.

Five Years Today

I don't know if it is like this for everyone but I felt I knew BK was my match from almost the moment I met him. Our courtship was a whirlwind, and I practically ran to the alter. A few minutes before we got married I remember thinking "just don't change your mind!" Today it is five years, I am back at the lake, but this time not in a pretty dress eager to see my groom, I am in sweats chasing around our two boys, and BK is away. We have lived in 6 cities in 4 states and are chasing a crazy dream. We have grown a lot, and I am proud to say we have grown together, but it has taken work. All relationships do.

Today, we are five years wiser, but inside I am still that girl running to the alter, BK is still my match, he challenges me, laughs with me, is weird like me, and I am so grateful that he chose me. Thank you BK for being my husband. I am so proud to be your wife.

Day 4

DAY FOUR....WE MISS BK

Quint and Grammy gardened

It was warm enough for the diaper only stroller ride:)

Russell showing his shy side (this is how he hides his face from the camera!)

we got him to warm up eventually!

1st Grandchildren are always spoiled

Quint went for a boat ride alone with Grammy and Papa!

Day 3

Today it was a hot, humid, summer day. Erin and the twins came over and we enjoyed the lake together. In the late afternoon, a roaring thunderstorm came through. Storms at the lake are always spectacular. Early evening it cleared up, and we BBQ'd and there were swing rides with Papa. Bedtime was brutal, but beside that, it was a super day! Here are some photos of our day.

Quint was very busy, didn't want to pause for a picture....I think he was thinking

"hurry up mom, I want to play"

Erin and Ella take a dip

I finally caught Russell's eye twinkle

Quint convinced Uncle Dave to share his retro (retired) Hess Trucks!

This one is from 1991, Quint was in heaven.

Thank you Uncle Dave

Papa gave swing rides after work

Uncle Dave and Quint BBQ'd (yummy)

Day 2

We went up to the country to visit Aunt Doreen, but I forget the camera:( We picked strawberries and ran over this hills. The boys were exhausted and fell asleep in the car ride home. It was a toasty afternoon so we played in the water. We got out the whale pool and both the boys enjoyed it. We missed you Daddy

Russell had a snack (he is an eater!)

Yummy!

Russell was clingy today, maybe teething?

Quint loves the Whale Pool

He learned he could redirect the spout spray....danger!

He was great at hitting the whale tail. Maybe he will become a decorated water spout carnival game winner! I see very large stuff animals in our future!

Day One at the Lake

BK is gone to Texas for the next 27 days. It is a lofty goal but I hope to post some pics and videos each day of what is happening here. We are missing him, and want BK to share in our moments. We are counting down till he returns.

Here is Day One

We played, took a walk, but the most significant activity was the sprinkler. Quint learned to jump through it, and Russell just loved cruising around outside. Here is a short clip.

Flashback Friday

UNCLE DAVE

Right now we are at my parents house while BK is going to military training in Texas. Dave is here too, and he is an amazing Uncle. This picture is a flash back to when Dave first met is nephew (Quint). He has been a nature all along, but now that Quint is 2 1/2 he plays with him, teaches him, and spends quality time... just because. This flashback Friday is a shout out to our favorite "Uncle Dave"
We are so glad you are here this summer, thanks for being such a fabulous Uncle!

animal sounds

We are at Grammy and Papa's house. Bedtime has been a little more challenging because it is very exciting here. Anyways, Quint was in bed working on falling asleep and I was in rocking Russell. Then out of nowhere I heard a sound, it was a cross between a bird sound and a growl:) What was it? I could not tell if it came from Quint or outside. When I heard it the second time I was pretty confident it was from Quint. As I continued to rock Russell, I thought to myself I guess we can cross animal sounds off Quint's "need to learn" list.

Russell Turns One!

Today our Russell turns one! It is amazing how fast the time goes. Just a little bit about Russell these days:

Loves to laugh
Sleeps 11-12 hours:)
Four teeth, but not a biter
Loves people
Very tough, we call him bruiser because he will take a tumble or bump and just keep on charging
18 month-24 month clothing
Loves to snuggle
Fearless
Loves carbohydrates, not a big fan of meat or veggies....could be a problem later!
Three ear infections and tubes in his ears
Very verbal but no words yet
Stairclimber
Loves attention from his big brother
Actually, just loves attention
Nicknames: RussRob, Russ the Bus, Bruiser, Russell the Muscle.

We couldn't imagine a better addition to our family! We love our little Russell.

Russell gets Tubes

This morning Russell and I left early for the outpatient surgery center. Russell was continuing the family tradition of tubes in the ears. He has had three consecutive ear infections and the doctors decided tubes were the best option. Anytime your baby has to go to the hospital it is a little scary but as far as surgery goes, tubes are the best. The whole surgery takes 10 minutes. I was very excited because I was able to go in the OR with Russell and hold him as they put him under. It was very cool. BK was jealous! Russell was awake and in recovery with me in only 20 minutes. He did great. I think his biggest complaint was he had to delay breakfast (food is important to Russ!) We think his balance is better and hopefully he is feeling better. Here are some pics from out day.

This is our Quint

BK snapped this picture from across the yard, and as soon as we saw it we said "that is our Quint". It captures his thriving independence!

In the mail

This week I finally mailed my official copies of my thesis to be bound. I know, many of you are thinking "ridiculous didn't you start that years ago?" Yes. 6 1/2 years ago. It has been a brutal process. If I knew when I started, the amount of time, resources, and stress it would cause I would have run the other way. But, I am proud I gave a voice to my participants, did research I believe in, and most of all, that I finished.

Thank you to all who cheered me on. Especially BK.
I promise I do not plan to go back to school for a very long time....unless it is to be room mother, or help with a science project:)

Russell is a walker!

Russell has officially graduated from crawler to walker! Quint loves that is brother is standing tall next to him now. It is so fun to have both of them toddling around.

Here is a video from yesterday of Russell showing off his skills!

Flashback Friday

Exactly One Year Ago Today....hard to believe.
Russell was due in two days...now we know he was too cozy and waited 10 more days!
We were so excited for Russell to arrive, but I was dreading labor:)
He has turned out to be more than we could ever ask for, we can't imagine our family without him!

Gama Visits

Grandma Sylvia was able to get a few days off and took some time to come visit us. It was exciting because she had not seen Quint and Russell since Thanksgiving. As soon as she arrived Quint assigned her a new name "gama". Quint is talking up a storm and I think Grandma Sylvia loved her new name:) We spent a lot of quality time, and played with the boys. It was great. Here are some pictures of our time with Gama.

Bye Bye Gama, can't wait till Thanksgiving at your house!

Flashback Friday

YEAR ONE DONE!!!


Today BK finished his last final. It is official we made it through the first year of medical school successfully! In some ways it seems like forever ago that we celebrated the start of medical school, and in other ways it seems like it flew by.
Here is a look back at us in August. Do we look niave?

Hard to believe this was the first day I met Lauren. She was bouncing a fussy James by the door of the ceremony, and was doing the same with Russell. Turns out they are one month apart exactly. We were instantly great friends. I am so grateful for her.

It all happens in three's

It has been a crazy few weeks, which is why I have been so absent. I don't know why the house of cards all falls at the same time, but in life it always seems that way. It all started with Chuck the Truck.
1. Chuck the Truck died...on the way to pick up Wabecca at the airport. It was a crazy situation, smoke pouring out of the hood on interstate 80...a ride in a semi truck with the babies...Wabecca's first rental car...and buying a car that is not a junker! Crazy

2. My beloved Imac decided to crash. I know you are not supposed to love things, but it is pretty close, it is my portal to the world. So, it was just another bummer. At this point I was worried...what is next!

3. Finally, I realized I wrote 8 checks out of my old check book, so I spent a few hours on the phone trying to avoid charges, and apologize to people. Seriously how could I be such an idiot...but in all the craziness, I am giving myself a pass. I was annoyed but I thought it could have been much worse! Meanwhile we are car hunting without our Imac!

You have to love life...this is just how it is sometimes. All I could do was laugh. Slowly we are recovering. God pointed us to the perfect car..the computer is with a Genius and thankfully still under warranty...and no fees from the check debacle (yet anyways). We will keep you posted.

In all this my fabulous Grandpa passed away. But, I did not think that was a crazy life thing..it was just very sad. I prefer to remember Grandpa as a fabulous, so that is why his death was not one of my things. When I get my computer back I will blog about my grandpa, but I want to make it a great post with pictures...so I will wait till the computer is healthy again.

Flashback Friday

Christmas 2004
Celebrating with our California Family
We miss you all

Flash Back Friday

June 26th, 2004

One of my favorite photos from our wedding weekend.  

This was taken at our Rehearsal Dinner at the barn.  

This picture captures the excitement from that day.  

In one day BK would be my husband, and the hours could not pass fast enough:)

Whenever life gets between BK and I, 

I close my eyes and think about this time in our relationship.  

It reminds me, when you strip away all this life stuff, we are still Christy and BK

Fears of being 30

When I turned 20 i was afraid of learning to "be more adult". So, I have been thinking, what am I fearful of in my 30's?
Well, just to name a few....
BEING 30
I know, it is viewed as old by many groups of people! (I used to be one of them)
LOOKING 30
ok it is vain, but, seriously, it is not possible to look as cute as I did when I turned 20. Questions have been running in my brain...am I too old for long hair? Do I have to start wearing make up all the time...it does look better....ahhh. Do people think I am old when they look at me? It is stupid, but aging is lame.
BEING A MOM OF "KIDS"
For some reason, I view mom's of kids (schoolagers) to be much older than new mom's with babies. It does not make sense, since it is only a few years difference for the child, but i perceive it to be much older. So, I am fearful of being a mom of "kids". Maybe it is more I am fearful that raising children will start to add wrinkles, gray my hair, and overall make me look more haggard. I am not sure what the secret is, but some mom's look rockin' you see them at the store and their kids don't whine, and they look like they actually brushed their hair. That is my goal. I am fearful of the mom you see at the store who looks beaten down by life. Clothes don't match, or they have spit up on them, kids are going crazy and they are just trying to get some milk. Sometimes I feel like that mom, and it freaks me out....I am wishing for rockin' mom experiences...fingers crossed.
THE CRITICAL DECADE
I view this as a critical decade in raising our children. I am fearful that I will not do a good job. I am fearful of not having all the answers, or not being diligent enough. When I leave my 30's Quint with be 12 and a lot of his formation will be done...so for you praying people, please pray that we will be the parents God calls us to be, and if we don't have the answers, we will seek Him first.

As a 30-something, I hope to embrace this decade and tackle its challenges. I hope to still flirt with my hubby, and never let our marriage become stale and boring. I hope to be an active, fun, intentional momma. Overall, I think my 30's are going to rock...I hope to give my 20's a run for their money:)