Here comes the Sun

Sunday was ABSOLUTELY gorgeous! Spring fever has arrived in Atlanta! We took our girls to the Botanical Gardens to enjoy the day then to Park Tavern for an early dinner on their patio overlooking Piedmont Park. Here are some pics from this great "Family Day":

Mia trying to hug her sister (Chloe loves this, can't you tell?)

Miss Mary Britt enjoying the stroll through the gardens

Quinnie running

and playing (check out her "halo" of static hair from sliding down the slide)

Daddy with Mary Britton

Chloe's photo of us...lovebirds

Mia and Chloe really wanted to go ice-skating at Park Tavern, but their feet were too small for the skates. They look bummed.

It felt like we joined half of Atlanta at Piedmont Park

You know it's been a fun-filled day when this is what you see in the backseat on the way home (notice the paci is barely in her mouth!)

All I want for Valentine's Day is...

My Chloe's 2 top teeth have been loose since September. I was sure they'd be gone before Christmas and we could sing "the song".

Nope...they just kept hanging on.

But last Monday, Chloe came home from school and had lost one of them. The other one was barely hanging on. Chloe could close her mouth and have the lone tooth hang over her lip and look like Nannie McPhee. That was pretty funny.

I even tried to get hold of it, but every time I would do it, she would freak out.

So, I just left it there. Kevin and went to datenight and when we got home, the babysitter told us that the other tooth had come out in her mac-n-cheese. I'm so glad she told us (Chloe had asked her not to say anything) since the Tooth Fairy was coming to visit that night!

This is how she looked the next morning:

Adorable.

Holidaze

Seems like I did this same thing last year...finally get around to blogging about the Christmas/New Years holidays around mid-February.

Christmas was incredible this year with our newest gift, Miss Mary Britton.

What a doll.

We visited Santa in Mid-December and I wasn't sure how Quinnlan would be, now that she is 2, and most 2 year olds are scared of Santa, but not this monkey. She loved him. Mia and Chloe had to hold her back from rushing him football-style when she was finally close enough to see him at Lenox.

Everyone is on their best behavior for the Big Man...

Then a couple weeks later, Quinnie had her first "performance" at her Preschool. She did so well and I was so proud of how she did with her little classmates:

When Christmas Eve finally arrived, it was our year to spend Christmas Eve with Kevin's family. We met at Kevin's mom's church for Christmas Eve Mass and then we had an incredible italian feast at Kevin's mom's house with all the girl cousins. How we love our nieces. They are so precious to me:

Our newest addition, Addie, our Goddaughter---2 1/2 weeks younger than Mary Britton...love how she sticks her tongue out! Too cute...

Here's all the "big girls":

Chloe, Quinn, Mia, Katherine, & Mae

After dinner, Santa showed up. This is the best part of Christmas Eve with Grammie...

Remember how I said that Quinnie was obsessed with Santa?

This is her 1st reaction to seeing him.

Love, Love, and more Love.

I even caught her doing the "I love Santa" dance:

As well as big hugs when she was overtaken with affection for her favorite white-bearded man:

I loved seeing Quinnie love Christmas this year.

These 2 six year olds showed such patience waiting their turn for the gifts from Santa's sack on Christmas Eve.

As they say...it is so special seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child.

This is one of my favorite pictures each year...waiting on the stairs on Christmas morning:

Look how sleepy (grumpy) Miss Chloe is! Not happy to be awakened by her sister, Mia!

After opening gifts from Santa and Mommy and Daddy, we went to Nana and Grandaddy's house for lunch:

We missed my brother and his family that are in Africa again this year. We can't wait to (hopefully) have them with us next year!

Then we went to Kevin's sister, Shannon's home for Christmas dinner (and a sleepover since it snowed---a white Christmas in Atlanta??? Crazy!) Here are some pics from the night/next day:

Quinnie with her paper crown. We always have the British "poppers" at dinner and they always have little prizes and a paper crown in them.

Mia & Chloe sledding the next morning with Daddy

Spending a New Years Eve sleepover with the Brownlows at our house. Too fun.

Chloe

Mia

Quinnie

Mary Britton says, "Hey, where's my sundae???"

Fun confetti fire-works in the kitchen (with toasts from the 6 and under crowd) and then sundaes after dinner and fireworks ("real" ones from Alabama!).

It's fun to remember how far we've come...2004 was the the 1st New Years we spent with the Brownlows---when we lived in Duluth and the twins were just 4 1/2 months old and we danced the night away...in our little townhome:

Kev, Me, Kellie & Rick

This picture always cracks me up...

Packing up & Growing up

Every time I do a load of "baby" laundry I end up with a stack of clothes that I have to set to the side:

These are Mary Britton's 3-6 month PJs. Quinnlan wore them and so did Mia & Chloe. These are the perks of having 4 girls in August...hand me downs!

Today as I sat on the floor folding little socks and pants and onesies and burp cloths I cried as I had to set these to the side because they just don't fit her anymore. As much as I would love to continue shoving her chubby little legs into them, it is just cruel. She is getting older (and bigger) each day. (sob)

The ones on top are quite possibly the softest PJs on the planet and the ones below them are so sweet because they have pictures from "The Hungry Little Caterpillar" all over them. I was so happy when she finally fit into them and now they are too small...where does the time go? I so clearly remember all 3 of my older girls wearing them too.

It is a funny feeling when you realize that you will never have a little bitty baby in the house again.

But she sure does grow up cute, though!

Happy Winter Staycation!

This has been so strange having the kids (and Kevin) out for a FULL week of snow days! Besides the dishwasher and laundry machines working overtime, it really has felt like a vacation having my whole family "stuck" at home.

The girls have been eating up their serious one-on-one time with their main man...Daddy. He is SO fun...we have a giant hill across the street from our house at the church/preschool and he has been creating different sled runs, each called Killer Hill #1, #2, etc...

I, on the other hand, have spent most of my time inside with Miss Mary Britton, since she's not too hot on sledding at 5 months old.

I did go on a few Killer Hill rides with Kev and Quinnie, though. The run went down the church/preschool hill, across the snow/ice covered street down our front yard through the gate down our backyard, barely missing our pond in the back and crashing into the back fence. Afterwards, Kevin asked Quinn what I sounded like and she screamed like a little girl. I did say it was Killer Hill, right?

Yes, I screamed like a little girl.

I love looking out the window and seeing Kevin creating sled races and fun activities for our girls (and their little neighborhood friends).

I don't know if our girls realize (yet) what an amazing father they have...but I sure do.

Some of our week's highlights:

Kevin and his "big" girls ready to go outside for Day 1 of the snow & ice (notice Quinnlan's hodgepodge of an outfit!)

Heading down part 1 of Killer Hill

Chloe

Loves for Daddy

Mia

Snow Angel Quinn (the night before she laid in bed saying, "Tomorrow, I'm going to make snow angels and my lambie is going to make snow angels and my paci is going to make snow angels...")

making snowballs

My ambitious snowman makers

Quinnlan

Why is it so HARD to get a good shot of 3 kids!?!

Did I mention that my BABY turned 5 months old on January 10th?

twins and BFFs---Chloe & Mia

the final result of all the hard work

The Mighty Quinn

When I was pregnant with Quinnlan, we were having the "name discussion" with our close friends, Rick and Kellie, and when I told them that I was really campaigning for the name, Quinn, Rick said, "Like the song?" and honestly, I had not thought about it in that way, but I love that old song...it just made my campaign stronger...and it made me even more excited when the baby turned out to be another girl to use the name that I fell in LOVE with during my 1st trimester! (Is that the longest run-on sentence?)

Well, this 3rd child of mine has certainly lived up to the song. She cracks me up on a daily basis. There are many times that she should get in trouble for something or another that she has done, but I'm laughing, so I have then lost all my Mommy-Power.

Here is an example from the other night: She and Mia and Chloe were playing in the basement and I yelled down that they all needed to come up to get on their PJs to get ready for bed and so Mia and Chloe come racing up the stairs and Quinnie is nowhere to be seen. I yell down for her (baby on my hip) and here is how the rest went:

Me: Quinnlan, I need to hear you say, "Mommy, I'm coming" and I need to see you at the bottom of the stairs.

Quinn: What'd you say? (her favorite stall tactic)

I then repeat myself.

Quinn: Mommy, I'm coming! (but I don't see her)

Me: I don't see you...you need to come up NOW and if I have to come down there to get you, you will be in trouble.

Silence.

Me: Quinnlan! One... (the dreaded one-two-three countdown to trouble)

Quinnlan: Two! Three! Five!

Here's where I start laughing...but at least she can't see me.

So, I go down the stairs and I am prepared to see her playing and semi-ignoring me, but the poor child was stuck in the pack-n-play and couldn't get out.

Then I'm really laughing and so is she when she sees me.

Here's another Quinnlan Show moment from just this morning...she can be so sweet, it melts my heart:

Kevin was leaving for work and he gave us both a kiss goodbye and said:

I love you

Quinnlan: I love you!

Kevin: I love you more!

Quinnlan: I love you a google!

This is something that Kevin will say to Mia and Chloe when they start going back and forth saying, "I love you more," "no, I love you more," and the last person always says, "I love you a google!"

Who knew her little ears heard all of that and took it in???

I love her a google...

You've never seen nothing like The Mighty Quinn...