Part One

Here is a little video of Quinny on her first birthday. The video camera died right at this time so we only got a short one. Ben taped the rest on his phone, which we will post later. She devoured the cupcake. The initial touch she did not like but once she tasted that sweet icing she was hooked. I figured this would be the case as I gave her a taste of a cookie a couple weeks ago and she would not stop trying to get more.

Verse of the Month

At our church the children are given a verse of the month. It is usually short and has hand motions to it. At the end of class each week they tell it to their teacher and can pick a prize from the treasure chest. Ellie has gotten to an age where she is remembering her verses and loves to do it. We work on them in the car a lot since we are always on the go and it seems we spend a lot of time there. This is last month's verse:

Ellie's Name

We have been doing school time together this year as I the teacher in me has wanted Ellie to have some skills at an early age so she can feel proud of herself. She has known her letters for quite some time. She has learned how to spell her name and this spring we began working on writing. At school time last week I stepped away for a minute to check on Quinn and when I returned this is what she was anxious to show me:

 

She now writes her name on everything.

A Whole Year

Our sweet Quinn is one years old as of April 21st. I can not believe that one year ago today she arrived faster than I ever expected and I was forced to deliver her without an epidural. She entered the world in a frenzy and on her own timetable, but completely the best timetable. She is a bundle of joy and love. She loves to give me smoochies and follow Ellie wherever she goes. She enjoys trying to share Maggie's food with her when we are not looking and loves sleeping without covers. She has learned to climb the stairs, as of this past Saturday, and as she climbs those stairs looks at you and waves bye-bye. She is already trying to help Ellie clean up and loves to take all the toys out too. She loves Ellie unconditionally and Ellie loves and protects her just as a big sister should. I am so excited to watch their little relationship develop in this next year as well as to watch Quinn grow. She is such a sweet addition to our family and it is hard to even remember what life was like without her. We love you so much little Quinnytunes! Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!

 

Good Morning Birthday Girl

 

Ellie wrote the letters she could and Mommy filled in the rest. Ellie also signed the card herself :)

 

Quinn's Birthday Banner (I make the girls their banners to use each year and Quinn's is purple mostly as Ellie's is pink.)

 

Big Sissy Helping

 

We let Ellie pick out gifts for Quinn at special occasions and for her birthday she picked this and was more than willing to guide her in how to use it.

 

From Mommy and Daddy

 

Sissy Pushing

 

Only good picture I got of her and her eyes were closed as the rest looked like....

 

this...

 

and this!

 

Birthday Picnic Out Back (Quinn's birthday was on Sunday, so Daddy had to work, but we saved all the yummy and fun stuff for when he came home that evening.)

 

Cupcakes

 

Quinn devoured her cupcake. Ellie was more timid at her first birthday, we had to force her to dive in. Quinn didn't love the first touch, but once she tasted that icing there was no stopping her.

 

Ellie has been looking forward to Quinn's birthday since Easter. She loved the cupcakes, but she was so excited for her all day and even the night before. She has such a sweet heart for her little sister.

 

And it is completely gone! She had some remnants on her hands, but not too many.

 

Daddy reading "The Birthday Book", a tradition that Geep did with him each year on his birthday. It was Quinny's first birthday book reading and I was told she was a little less squirmy than Ellie was at that age.

Our April Adventures Thus Far...

Our April has been full of adventures and we still have more to come as sweet Quinny turns 1 tomorrow and Ellie has been really looking forward to celebrating her birthday. This post is primarily going to be pictures as that is what most want to see! :)

Nana and PopPop sent gardening items for Easter so Ellie could tend to her garden, which is something she has created on the side of our house. Lat week there was a weed that sprouted and she was very happy to announce that her beanstalk is growing in her garden. Her imagination is amazing!

 

Wrote her name for the first time all by herself.

Geep and Gran came to visit us for an afternoon.

The Tulip Park. We love going there each year to see the tulips.

 

Park and Ice with Gran

 

She said she was writing on her Facebook at dinner. Pretty amusing since Ben and I never post on Facebook.

Easter

This Easter we continued with our family traditions. Easter came early and having been battling sicknesses around here it snuck up on me and we did not get to do all I wanted, but there is always next year. This year was special as it was Quinn's first Easter. We started off by coloring our eggs and then making and decorating Easter cookies. Ellie did a lot of eating of sprinkles and frosting that dripped off. Quinn even got to sneak a few sprinkles. We gave the girls their Easter baskets, which I made. I made Ellie's her first Easter and made Quinn one as well this year. We went to church as a family and enjoyed an Easter egg hunt at church and at home. It was wonderful to spend Easter at one of the satellite campuses for our church as the girls love it and they love on our girls so much when we come. We had a wonderful afternoon as a family at home and enjoyed some takeout when the girls went to bed. Being at home on a Sunday afternoon as a family is a luxury for us so it was a wonderful way to celebrate Easter.