Roadtrip Across America

Back in April we helped with the San Angelo Cultural Affairs Council Food and Wine Festival. We actually only got to be a part of one night because we were out of town the rest of the time. Our event was the Thursday night kickoff event called Uncorked and Unplugged- Roadtrip Across America. I served on the committtee with my friend, Lori, and several other talented women, and our friend, Ashley, was actually chair of the whole festival. We began planning the event back in November before Quincy was born and it was so neat to watch all of our work come together and the night was a huge success. We had 5 chefs from the top San Angelo restaurants. They each prepared food from a different region of the United States which was then paired with wine. We ended the evening with the guests on the roof of the San Angelo Museum of Art enjoying more wine and music from the Divas. Several of our friends also helped out by pouring wine. Here are some pictures from the fun night-

We did not realize Doug was in the background but I think that is what makes this pic so fun!
Justin, Doug, and Sutton- The boys had a large time pouring wine.
I was in charge of the Florida table. Chef Earl Mulley of the the River Terrace served Vaca Frita with black bean broth and boniato puree paired with Surh Luchtel Syrah from Page Nord Vineyards. I had a great time decorating the table and Sutton had fun serving.

My favorite detail of the table was this gorgeous centerpiece that Shurley Floral designed for me.
Julianna, Ashley, Johnna, and Laura

April 2010

I returned to work on April 6th after an amazing 18 week maternity leave. The day I came back our company went through a layoff but my job was spared. I was able to do a 12 week reduced work schedule with Fridays off and that definitely helped make the adjustment easier. During the month of April, Quincy had two great babysitters who came to the house so she was able to stay in her normal environment and routine. We were so blessed to have my friend Wynell come on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to help fill in when Elise, Q's normal sitter, was in class. Wynell was a true answered prayer for us and we were so thankful for her help. Q also went to Mother's Day Out a few times and she did great!
4 months old
Ready for her 4 month checkup- She weighed 14 pounds 7 ounces and measured 25.5 inches.


Dressed up in her Easter bunny ears.

We went home to Ericksdahl to celebrate Easter with my family. It was so nice to be home and to worship in the church where I grew up.
Our 1st family Easter picture- this was the best picture we could get!
Q met her friend Ace for the first time on Easter Sunday. I used to babysit Ace's mom, Adria, and his grandad is one of the great prayer warriors of my life...Q is one of his many answered prayers! His grandma was also my 1st grade teacher.

She became a pro at tummy time this month and was so close to rolling from tummy to back the whole month, but did not get there until the first of May.

Sutton and I attended the Raising Truly Great Kids conference at our church in the middle of the month and it was awesome. Tim Kimmel does a great job! That same weekend we got all dressed up and went to the Cotillion with our dear friends, the Wildes.

Q and I went to Aggie Muster on April 21st. Here she is with her buddy, Watson, both class of 2032. This is such an amazing tradition that makes me so proud to be an Aggie. I think it is a tradition that even non-Aggies can appreciate and I hope Sutton can go with us next year.

I thought this was so cute- Q was amazed by our friend Doug and just kept staring at him.

Quincy got to meet her cousin, Reed, and his wife, Brandy, when they came in for the weekend. Sutton was out of town on a guys fishing trip and had a great time. We girls had a good time too and spent the weekend baking and hanging out with friends and family.

That same weekend we went to a graduation party for our good friend and one of Q's babysitters, Hannah Brown.

Q with the Brown family
Q and her friend, Sydney White.

Quincy loves the rainforest jumperoo. Here she is at the end of the month...It is amazing how much she has grown and changed!

March 2010

Over the next few days I am going to attempt to catch up on the last 3 months... March was a great month for us. It was my last full month of maternity leave and I enjoyed the peace and quiet of being home, spending lots of time with Q just cuddling and playing, doing all kinds of fun domestic things like cooking and organizing, and having lunch out with friends. By this point, Q was on a really good schedule...Most days up between 7 and 8, breakfast, playtime, nap around 9, up again around 11-11:30, lunch, playtime, a snack, nap around 2 til about 4-4:30, a snack, playtime, bath every other day, dinner, prayers, a story, and then bedtime about 7:30-8. I loved the routine of it all and though I am enjoying being back at work for the most part, I miss those precious days at home with my sweet girl.


Q at 14 weeks

On March 2nd we went to see our lactation consultant to do an official weigh in and she weighed 12 lbs. 15 oz. The l.c. said she was right where she should be.

Working on her tummy time.

Hanging out in the Bumbo.














The middle part of March, we traveled to Dallas to spend the weekend with Sutton's family. I also enjoyed getting to see my best friend from high school, Raquel. We went shopping on Friday while Nancy kept Q and we also treated ourselves to Sprinkles cupcakes. It is always so easy with Raquel...We just pick right up where we left off. Her friendship is one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Q, me, and Raquel

We enjoyed celebrating Sutton's birthday again with his family. Caroline helped him blow out his candles. We enjoyed great meals, lots of fun fellowship, and Q and I loved going shopping with Chels and Caroline. It felt so grown up pushing a stroller at the mall...I still don't quite believe I am old enough to be a mom!

The girls- Becky, Davy, Chelsea, Caroline, Johnna, and Q

This picture cracks me up- The boys with their girls...At this point, all three girls were tired of pictures and the meltdown had begun.

I love this one!

I can't believe this is Q's first pic with her Aunt Beck...I guess it was worth the wait because it is adorable!

On our way home, we stopped in Arlington to visit our dear friends, the Chois. This was the first time Q got to meet everyone. Here she is with her Auntie Esther.

I love how our families have grown over the past 3 years. It is hard to believe the Chois have been gone from SA that long and we miss them so much, but at least we still get to see them several times a year.

The next day, we traveled with Sutton to Haskell to meet up with our dear friend, Bryce, for work. We enjoyed getting to go with Sutton to work...I rarely get to do that because I am usually working too! It was also fun to surprise Bryce who did not expect us to be with Sutton. On our way back we got to stop by for a quick visit with my parents.

Q with her Uncle Bryce

Way Behind...

I started back to work on April 6th and since then I have fallen way behind on my blogging. My focus has been on learning to balance being a working mom and so the blog has dropped down on my list of priorities. Today I just wanted to say hello and thank you to those who continue to check in on us...I promise I will get it updated soon enough. Quincy turned 5 months old last week! I don't even know where the time has gone, but it has absolutely been the best 5 months of our lives! She is rolling over, smiling, laughing, grabbing for things, and sucking on her toes...It is so neat to watch her growing and developing every day. She is such a sweet, happy girl!
I thought I would share a picture today of Q in her very first bikini...She got it from her great-aunt Sherri when we went to Houston for our annual crawfish weekend. Why is it that fat rolls on a baby are so adorable, but when you see the same rolls on an adult we cringe? I love this picture even though she seems to be a little annoyed about us taking the picture- a lot like her mom gets when someone tries to take a picture of her in a swimsuit. I think she definitely has my thighs!

This week I have to go to Dallas for a meeting so this means my first night away from Q...I am not excited about it, but I know her daddy and the sweet nanny will have things under control...I just know my heart is going to ache (it already does just thinking about it). Fortunately, the schedule is packed so hopefully I can stay busy enough so I won't dwell on it too much. When I get back, I plan to post our March and April updates, as well as a few other fun things we have been doing. Until then, I hope you have a great week!

Hoarders and Spring Cleaning

On Monday night I watched a Hoarders marathon...Have you seen this show? I really feel for these people who are dealing with major issues. It made me realize that I have a tendency toward hoarding and at the same time I crave organization. I feel so invigorated when I clean out a closet or cabinet. In fact, organizing is probably one of my favorite things to do. I love to take my vacation days off just to organize. Cleaning, on the other hand, is a whole other story...Thank goodness for Claudia! Anyway, watching the marathon also made me start thinking about why I hold onto things. I seem to have an emotional attachment to things and I am highly sentimental. I save cards, letters, pictures, and other stuff. I have plastic tubs full of these things going all the way back to when I was in kindergarten. I still have my first scrapbook that I started when I was probably in first grade. I think this goes back to the fact that my mom died when I was 2 and I don't have any of these things of hers. I have always saved stuff thinking that my kids might want that piece of me, but I know that it is a bunch of clutter that will be thrown away one day. I need to go through it and either put it in a scrapbook or throw it away myself. I think this is also the reason I scrapbook and blog. I know that these hobbies are allowing me to document my story for my children and their children. That is the piece of me they will enjoy when I am gone, not plastic tubs full of crap.

I also think I need to be prepared for anything. I think I need a stocked pantry and freezer just in case I have surprise company or so I can whip up a special meal for Sutton. I still end up going to the grocery store and very rarely do we just have folks stop by without calling first. This habit comes from growing up in the country and not being able to just run to the store if we needed something. Sutton has reminded me many times that we only live 5 minutes from the grocery store. Since I have been home the past few months and cooking most nights, I have been cleaning out my freezer and pantry and trying to use all of the stuff I have stored up and now I am realizing that some of it has gone bad because I had forgotten about it. I also hoard toiletries and save those little bottles of hotel shampoo and soap so I have them for my guests. I have enough scrapbook supplies to make at least 5000 pages (I wish I was exaggerating, but I am not) or possibly open my own little store. Since Miss Q arrived I am starting to see that less truly is more and life is much easier without so much stuff. I also see that I have wasted a ton of money.

So this week I am purging the house. I just cleaned out my spice cabinet and freezer. From now on I am only going to buy small bottles of spices for recipes because they go bad before I can use the whole bottle and today I threw out alot. I have cleaned out all of the little hotel bottles and a lot of Quincy's clothes she has outgrown and the baby toiletries she can't use because of her sensitive skin. I am also working on my closet. I have always taken stuff to Goodwill, but I just learned that the Family Shelter is in need of clothes, toiletries, and baby items. I am going to take stuff there from now on. I was overwhelmed today when I talked to them. Here I am blessed with too much and so many people don't have enough.

One thing I am preparing to throw out and I have known for years it needed to be done, but I just could not bring myself to do it, is a box of old letters from junior high and high school. I used to have several pen pals and I have saved all of those old letters. I am going to keep a few but for the most part that needs to go...I need to live here in the present. All of this stuff is just taking up space. I have been thinking of all of these things lately and it is so nice to just put it out there and own it. I am really ready to let some things go and move ahead. Wow, writing this post has been good therapy for me!

If you are like me and in the mood to do some spring cleaning, I thought I would share with you a few resources to get you inspired. Watching Hoarders and Clean Sweep usually does the trick for me, but I have also been reading a couple of great organizing books lately. I love Throw Out Fifty Things by Gail Blanke and I am really enjoying One Year to an Organized Life by Regina Leeds. Another favorite book of mine is It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh. My favorite organizing blog is Creative Organizing by Aby Garvey. I love Aby and I am so impressed with her ideas. I have taken a couple of her online classes and I highly recommend them. I also get inspired each month when I get Real Simple magazine in the mail. Do you have any favorite organizing tips or inspiration? If so, please leave a comment.

Daddy's Birthday

Sutton celebrated his 36th birthday this past week. He was so busy that day, so he just wanted to relax when he got home that night. I made dinner and an amaretto cake (his favorite flavor) and we just hung out. It is amazing how much things have changed in one year...Last year his birthday wish was for a baby...We were both a little down then because I think we both thought we would be parents by the time he was 35 and it just was not happening...When he blew out his birthday candles that day we just seemed to be missing something. God has a perfect plan, and 2 weeks later we found out we were pregnant with Miss Q! We always joke that she was his belated birthday present. This year she was here to help him blow out his candles and we feel complete. It was a happy day for all of us. I love this man more and more as the years go by and that love has deepened even more now that I have seen him become a daddy. My prayer for Quincy is that one day she will find a man to marry who is as good and sweet as her father. He works so hard and juggles so much so that he can provide and care for us. I am so proud of him and feel blessed that he chose me! Here are my 2 favorite people in this world on Sutton's birthday...

February 2010

Wow- February flew by! We started the month with Sutton out of town for work. This was the first time Q and I had stayed home alone and we had a great time, but we were so glad when he got back. Most of our days were spent warm and cozy at home, but we did travel to Stamford for our church's bi-annual Smorgasbord and for a Sip and See for Quincy. We especially enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics! This was our third Winter Olympics since we met in 2001 and it is one of our favorite things in this world! Each night, I would cook dinner, we would put Q to bed, and then stay up way too late watching all of the action. I think we have been going through withdrawals since they ended. We also had Quincy's pictures taken this month, but I will share those in another post. Here is what we were up to the month of February...
9 weeks old
While Sutton was out of town, we enjoyed a quick visit from Gigi!
We also went for Q's 2 month checkup. Here she is with Dr. Sawyer.
She had to get shots and she was not a fan, but she was tough.
She loves bathtime...
Talking with Daddy after her bath.
We met our sweet friend Laura for lunch on the Friday before Valentine's Day. We had a great time catching up!
Laura took this one of Q and me.


Q in her cute "first Valentine's Day" outfit.
Daddy surprised me with roses for Valentine's Day. We enjoyed a very low key day and it was perfect because I got to spend time with the two great loves of my life! We went to church, had lunch at Carino's, spent the afternoon relaxing, and we ate appetizers for dinner in front of the fire while watching the Olympics.
On the 18th, we went to the Tom Green County Farm Bureau Office for a hamburger lunch and to support Daddy at the Food Checkout Day. It was a great event and they served almost 1,000 hamburgers with the proceeds going to support the local food bank! Daddy also got interviewed on live tv.

That night, Q and I attended Aggie Happy Hour while Sutton had to work. Here Q is with our cute friend, Roxie, who is Class of 2008 I think...Man I feel old...Crazy to think Q will be Class of 2031!

Papa went to church with us on the 21st and then treated us to lunch at the Country Club.
We enjoyed a snow day on the
23rd and loved having Daddy work from home. We made smores in the fireplace and made soup...
And Daddy and Q got to cuddle. I love how she has her hand on his while he is giving her a bottle. She does this to me when she is nursing and it is almost like she wants to make sure the food isn't going anywhere!











I have enjoyed playing with my big camera...It is amazing how much better the pictures are with a DSLR.

Here Q is dressed up in a cute onesie from Aunt Chels that says, "All because two people fell in love", and a cute flower from Aunt Ingrid. Q is a lucky girl to have so many sweet aunts to spoil her. This was the first picture I took, but I kept thinking I could get a better one and this is what happened...
She hung in there for a while and then it was all too much and she let me know about it! Even when she is mad, she is cute.
The last weekend in February, we went home to Stamford to see Mor Mor and Pop and for a Sip and See diaper shower for Q. We had such a great time catching up with old friends and loved ones. Patsy, Clara, and Lisa hosted the fun party.

Here Quincy is with her Great-Grandma at the party. My camera died right after this so these were the only pictures I was able to take.
I am amazed at how much Quincy developed during the month of February. Here she is on her playmat working on trying to roll over. She loves her playmat and spends alot of time on it.

She prefers tummy time on the boppy and she is really holding her head up now. She is cooing and squealing and making sure her voice is heard. They are the sweetest sounds in the world to us and we cannot get enough! Her daddy can get her to laugh every now and then, but I think this is really going to start in the next month. She kicks alot and will move herself all the way down to the end of her crib. She started sleeping in her own room at 10 weeks. I think this was harder on me than it was on her, but I am so thankful for the video monitor which gives me alot of peace of mind and has saved us many trips across the house. She slept through the night for the first time in her room on Valentine's night. She has done great since then, and typically goes down around 7:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. and sleeps til about 7:00 a.m. Every now and then she still wakes up around 3 or 4 am. She is also taking longer naps and we have developed a bit of a schedule. It is nice to finally have some structure to our days. I know we have been very blessed to have a fairly easy baby the first time around and we are really enjoying parenthood. I am still at home and will be off until April 6th. Our proposal was not approved because our company is going through more change so they are not approving anything like that right now. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers...I know God will show us what we need to do. In the mean time, I will go back to work 4 days a week for the first 12 weeks and we will see how that goes. Hopefully by then they will revisit our proposal.

Here is one more of our sweet, happy girl.