Franklin

Yesterday Daddy found a little friend for the girls. Daddy had a box turtle when he was little so when he saw this little guy he had to show us. The girls thought he was so cute and they both touched him. Quinn had no fear and reached right out which then encouraged Ellie to reach out too. Daddy decided his name should be Franklin. Once we went in we looked out the window and thought he had left, but once we opened the door we realized he had thought he was coming in the house too and had crawled over to the front door. We decided to let him crawl on to the creek next to our house since the girls are a little young to take care of him, but Daddy did state if she was a little older he would gladly let her keep him. :)

Some Days...

Some days are a challenge. Our sweet Ellie has a determined personality and at some times that is amazing, but other times it can make days a challenge. The other day was one of those days. It was barely lunch and she had put me through the ringer when all of a sudden I came around the corner to this....

It makes it all worth it and makes those frustrations turn to laughter and gives me the boost I need to make it through the afternoon.

And on those days I also am blessed with scenes like this...

If you could only have heard the joyous laughter these two girls had as they both enjoyed this time on the swing. These girls make my days full of joy.

Quinny's Friend

Ellie has a good buddy Ethan who is 9 months older than her. They have been buddies since the beginning and used to live across the street so we saw them all the time. Now that they live a little further we try to see each other once a week or every other week so Ethan and Ellie can play and Caroline and I can visit. Well, Ethan has a sister, Kendall, just 3 weeks older than Quinn. So, Quinny has a buddy too just her age. Last week the girls went for a ride in the wagon at Ethan's house pulled by Ellie and I had to get a picture. They were too cute. They would even put their snacks in the cup holder and just hang on for the ride.

 

Quinny and Kendall

 

Just for fun, here is Ellie (9 months) and Ethan (18 months) in the same wagon!

Strawberry Pickin'

Earlier in the month we went to a local strawberry patch to pick strawberries with some Mom friends and their kids. We had lots of fun picking strawberries and then having a picnic and playing on the playground. We are looking forward to when Quinn can help pick strawberries too!

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful time Mother's Day with my girls. We went to church and after naps the girls and I planted some sunflower seeds. Then we enjoyed dinner out. Ben and the girls had already bought me my Mother's Day hanging flower baskets and Ben brought home lunch and donuts, so no cooking for Mommy most of the day. :)

Three and a half years ago sweet Ellie made me a Mommy and my greatest dream for my life was fulfilled. Being a Mom is not all wonderful, there are days of frustration and feeling as if today was not a good day for Mommy, but there is not one moment that I would trade for anything. To see these smiling faces each day and hear "I love you, Momma!" everyday gives me more joy than I could ever have imagined possible and the laughter and fun that is present in our home constantly can't help but make my heart thankful for every moment. And to top it off, I get to share every moment with a pretty awesome man that showed me how much he appreciate and values me as their mother and his wife. I have to say this was one special day to pause and think about how special this time is in my life and the life of our family.

 

Molly Monks (Ellie's Best Buddy) is in her shirt because I had Quinn in the Bjorn, so this is Ellie's version of the Baby Bjorn. :) Such imagination!

 

PopPop and Ellie's Garden is growing!

 

Me and My Girls

 

Love that Quinny smile and Ellie's Imagination!!

Quinn's Dedication

In the beginning of May we had our little Quinny dedicated. Our church does a wonderful little celebration on a Saturday morning twice a year and we were overjoyed to have all our family from both sides here to celebrate with us. We also enjoyed a visit from my Nana and PopPop and Uncle Drew and Miss B. Ellie was in heaven to have all these people to play with for so many days. Sunday she was very sad to see everyone leave and to only be left with us. :) We miss them so much when they are not here but are looking forward to seeing Nana in less than a month and the rest of my family in August!

We were asked to write out what we desired for Quinn and why we were having her dedicated and below you will see what we shared with our family during the dedication. We are so blessed with this little girl and her big sister and many days as life goes and frustrations and worries or fears come along it never fails that these two little girls snap me back to what is really important. In the hardest moments I can always count on Ellie to do something gooby and I can't help but laugh. God has given us more than we could ever have dreamed of when he gave us these two girls!

Dedication of Quinn Avery Holden

Our prayer today is that Quinn will first be a follower of Christ, that she will grow to be confident in whom God has created her to be, and for her to be a woman of integrity with a passionate love for others.

Our desire is for Quinn to grow to have a firm grasp of what the Bible teaches while possessing a faith that is her own. We hope to instill the qualities in her life that will demonstrate a Christ-like attitude towards the world and others.

Today we are here to commit to raising Quinn in a way that honors God and teaches her that she has been created for a purpose with the intention of being in a right relationship with her heavenly Father. As parents we are committing to encourage Quinn to have a faith that is her own and to live according to God’s instruction for her life.

Deuteronomy 6 teaches that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and strength while committing ourselves wholeheartedly to His commands. As parents, we are challenged to repeat these truths again and again to our children…to talk about them when we are at home and on the road, when we are going to bed and when we are getting up. We are to tie them to our hands and wear them on our foreheads as reminders…to write them on the doorposts of our house and on our gates.

So today, we are asking all of you, who are our friends and family, to help us in this journey as we seek to be the Godly parents in Quinn’s life that God has called us to be and we commit her to the Lord and what He desires for her life.

We love you, Quinn!

 

Bathing Beauty

 

My Sweets taking their nightly bath.

 

She spent most of the weekend soaking in her PopPop. He has found a new snuggle buddy and by the end of the weekend I am pretty sure she said PopPop.

 

They disappeared upstairs and when Ellie returned with Uncle Drew they looked like this and then performed a show for everyone with Ellie singing and Uncle Drew playing the xylophone. Love that Uncle Drew!!

 

Nana and Quinny

 

 

PopPop and his Ellie

 

The guys would start the kite for her and then hand it off and if I do say so myself she did pretty good her first time flying a kite.

 

From where I was this is what I saw.

 

Quinny Enjoying the Swings

 

Love these girls and this man!

 

Love this boy (I mean man)! This is what I think of when I think of my brother! So blessed to have a brother like him!

 

Geep and Gran

 

Dedication

 

Aunt Rachel and Quinny

 

There she is with PopPop again!

 

Uncle Drew and Miss B with Quinny

 

My Family

 

Both Families

 

Look at the joy with these two!

 

Ellie has been obsessed with gardens since PopPop was here at Thanksgiving. Obsessed is an understatement. A weed actually is growing right next to her in this picture and Ben could not bring himself to kill it because she calls it her beanstalk and waters it all the time. The weed is huge! I even caught her out there talking to it and petting it much like Olivia does in the books we read. So Nana and PopPop are fostering her gardening skills and brought items to plant a real bean stalk and sunflowers and on their last morning, while still in her pajamas she got out there and planted with PopPop.

 

Sharing cake with Quinny! That is true love when Ellie is willing to give up cake for you!

 

Ben's Family