Quinn's New Kicks

Doesn't like them so much.

Getting a little better.


Riding in the stroller with them on.

Loves them so much that he kicks back and watches a little Baby Einstein.

Eatin' Cookies

Q in a Box

Reflective Q

Q at Play

God is Great

One of our pastors, Mark Terry, presented Quinn with his first bible today. As expected, Q was very excited about being on stage in front of the congregation. He even waved and shouted to the crowd, "Dada, Dada!" as Pastor Mark prayed for us.

Quinn's First Starring Role

Houston Dog Show

Quinn went to his first dog show today. And I must say, the kid had a blast. We must have heard, "Dog.Dog.Dog." a thousand times. We caught the end of the Chessie competition- none as beautiful as Baker- and we saw a lot of beagles- none as majestic as Ruby. The most amazing animals we saw, however, were the Irish Wolfhounds. They look like horses. Seriously. Quinn seemed to really enjoy watching the agility races and the fly-ball competition. Ben and I got a kick out of the booths and the all the dog junk (I mean accessories and collectibles) that people seemed crazy over. And the best and saddest part of the day was seeing all the breed rescue clubs. From Goldens to Beagles to Chessies to Daschuns to Ridgebacks to Spaniels....I'm surprised we didn't come home with one. I really hope Q develops a love for animals.

This Chessie is "dead grass" color just like Baker.

Quinn meeting a rescue Chessie. She was just a year old and needed a home. I'm sure Ben is telling Quinn how important it is to help animals and take care of them.

Quinn and Ben meeting a Great Dane.

Quinn and Ben watching the Chessie competition.

An Irish Wolfhound

You can't tell how big he is in this photo.

The Pie

I made a cheesecake pie last night. Look closely. You can see a straight-edge side and a crooked-edge side. See, I use a knife to cut pie (hence, the straight edge). Ben uses a spoon or fork (hence, the crooked side)...because he's "cleaning up the edges" one bite at a time. But when you "clean up the edge," it gets even more crooked. So you have to "clean" it more. Funny how that happens.

Who Loves Sesame Street?

Quinn does! I bought an Elmo dvd for Quinn when he was about six months old. And he wouldn't have any part of it. Totally no interest. About a month ago, he started watching Sesame Street (mainly because Disney changed their morning lineup and now his favorite cartoons are on from 5:30-8am and he doesn't get up until almost 9am). The puppets really grab his attention (just like on Baby Einstein). Well, this is how he enjoyed breakfast this morning...watching Elmo. And to the grandmas, yes, I thought he was too close to the tv! It does no good moving him back.

The Ball Pit

A Day at the Park

Actually, we only stayed for 20 minutes. It was 100 degrees outside- the 10th time in the last 3 weeks.

Mommy and Me

Fourth of July

Quinn spent his first Fourth of July at Abby's house (it really belongs to Matt and Allyson, but Abby rules the roost just like Quinn does here). Matt and Allyson invited a whole group of folks over including our other neighbors the Halls. They have two kids, Abby (6) and Luke (3). That's right, there are two Abbys. Anyhoo, we had a fine Independence Day meal that included deviled eggs (a must), tater salad (a staple), dogs and burgers, and freshly fried fish! Allyson's dad fried some speckled trout in a FRY-DADDY! Actually, I think it was a Fry-Baby. I have been dying for a Fry- Daddy, Mommy, or Baby since Ben and I got married, but he always talks me out of it. And Allyson made a fabulous desert. She "says" it was cheesecake, but it looked similar to and tasted A LOT like pumpkin pie (I love you, Allyson). I think she and I have the same "cooking" background! :)

Below are a few pics from the evening. As you can see, there is not one photo of the kids looking and smiling at the camera at the same time- for no lack of trying, however. At one time, we had six adults waving, snapping, clapping, and calling out, "Quinn, Abby, Abby, Quinn, look, look, look, Quinn, Abby." Big Abby made a photo appearance, but Luke couldn't be wrangled.

We had a great time just hanging out, eating, drinking, and watching Wheel of Fortune. I'm thinking the kiddos will be old enough next year to enjoy some fireworks!