4 precious years

this year, our sweet little quinn turned 4. hard to believe it's been 4 years since we met this little face and snuggled him for the first time. it's hard to explain how, on one hand, it feels as if the years have flown by and it was only days and not years since he was born while at the same time i feel like he's always been here and i can hardly remember life without him. i guess that's part of the beauty and blessing of children.

quinn is really such an awesome little boy if i do say so myself! he's kind and considerate and has a huge heart. he loves his family - and especially his sister - with all of his heart. he loves to help us and he loves to teach caroline to do new things. he likes to take care of her. he's a snuggler and i love that about him!

quinn is starting to get pretty brave. he loves gymnastics class and though he was a little timid when it started in the fall, he's now so brave and absolutely loves it. he still loves thomas the train and loves to drive his trains all over the house. he now narrates in detail the story line of  what the trains are doing, complete with conversations between the trains. it cracks me up when he says things like "thomas biffed the trucks", "james is coupled up to the coal cars", "well, bust my buffers!", "sir topham hatt was cross", and "he traveled faster than his wheels could wobble". i love that his train stories sound just like the ones from thomas.

one of his favorite things to do is jump on the trampoline. he could do that for hours. he loves to play soccer and we're thinking about letting him play on a team in the fall. he loves school and gets so excited to spend the day with his "best friend will" (in his words). other favorite activities include: helping me in the kitchen, playing with his hot wheels cars and construction equipment, doing puzzles, and playing outside. he loves jumping and climbing.

quinn, love, we so enjoy watching you grow and seeing glimpses of the man you will become. God is faithful and is guiding your steps and we're thankful for that. we love you more than you'll ever know and our family wouldn't be the same without you. thank you for loving us the way you do. you're amazing and we had fun celebrating YOU! happy birthday, son.

family breakfast before church to celebrate his birthday. he got to choose a treat and not surprisingly chose a chocolate muffin. this kid loves anything chocolate!

playing with the birthday balloons on the morning of his actual birthday.

caroline and i took cupcakes to his class during snack time. they were all so cute and he was so excited! how is my sweet baby this grown up??

that night we had a little party with family. the day before his birthday he requested a thomas and percy cake and this was the best i could do! when in doubt, just stick the trains (after washing, of course) on top of the cake :)

reading caroline's new books with papa

little sisters being silly!

i love these sweet kiddos and the way they all love each other!

best buddies

right before we took this picture, papa accidentally popped caroline with a ball and she was not pleased. she wouldn't stop holding her eye like this for a long time. she's not dramatic at all.

almost a great family pic, except for a goofy birthday boy!

more reading with gigi

playing with balloons before bedtime

reading the dr. seuss birthday book and the story of quinn's birth before bed.

happy birthday, quinn.