Quinn is 20 months old

Being 20 months old is so much FUN! She needed a little bit of help getting up the swingset to get to the slide in the beginning, but now being 20 months, she can do it ALL BY HERSELF! Quinn is getting such a big girl.

And just like the saying 'there are more ways that lead to Rome', there are also more ways to get down the slide then "just" sitting down. She also tried face first on her belly, but that didn't turn out too good. So hopefully she learned from that and won't go like that again.

Brushing our teeth is an important part of our daily activities. Twice a day, before bedtime and in the morning after breakfast. Sometimes she gets to use my electrical toothbrush, which is the coolest thing of course. I'm sure the vibration feels good on her gums.

Talking about teeth, she still has ways to go before she has her mouth full. Up until now, there are 11 in total and no signs of new ones yet. I'm wondering if they will ever come. We might have to ask Santa for some dentures.......

Reading stories is so much fun.

And even though she is the big girl, she sometimes loves to be the baby too......we just got this out for Kane and it didn't take long for Quinn to take over and settle herself underneath. She looks so big.....

....and it makes Kane look so small......

Afternoon naps are still going strong. 2,5/3 hours. I love it ;-)

Auntie Kelly

Ryan's sister Kelly came to visit us! Last time we've seen her was more than one year ago. She stayed with us this time which was very nice. This way she really got a good taste of her niece and nephew. And besides.......it was also nice for me to have an extra pair of hands in the house.

Of course, she spoiled the kids with lots of cool clothes from California and toys. Quinn also got a lot of Kelly's old books from when she was little. Most of them about animals. Quinn loves them and I'm sure she's going to be a big animal lover too like her auntie.

Thanks for the visit aunt Kelly! You rock!

Kane is 1 month old

This first month flew by. Happy 1 month Birthday buddy!
I can't believe how big he's getting already.
And those big blue eyes........they just make you fall in love with him immediately.

He is doing really good for a one month old. Most of the time he's very relaxed and he's fallen into the eat-awake-sleep schedule pretty good already. The times in between do vary quite a bit though, so every day still looks different. Planning ahead is something we don't really do right now. 

I do get up with him a few times at night and sometimes it's difficult to get him back in his bed. He will sleep in my arms, but then wakes up the moment he feels his mattress. So this is how you can find us sometimes early in the morning. Both in a deep sleep on the couch.

Looking up to his big sister already. Quinn likes to point out where his eyes are, his nose, ears, mouth and hair. Gotta watch her though, because even though she means to be gentle.......those little fingers can be quick and strong at times.

They just love each other and are best friends for life!

Kane meets The Hanson's

Our friends Evelyn and Larz Hanson and their mom Marisa came over to our house to meet Kane. Evelyn dressed up beautifully for the occasion. With her tiara, she looked like a real princess and I think our little prince Kane was pretty impressed by her appearance :-).

She couldn't wait to hold the baby and she was great at it. She will be a wonderful helper for her mom once their new brother or sister arrives in a few months from now.

Marisa (with little baby bump) and Kane.

The three kiddos played together very nicely. And it was fun to see that Quinn picked up a few of their tricks after they had left ;-)

Oma and opa

I was so happy and blessed my mom and dad could stay with us for a longer period of time. They were a GREAT help to me and it was so nice for them as well to spend time with their grandchildren who they hadn't seen since January....

My mom came two weeks before Kane was born and she and Quinn soon became best buddies. It made it a lot easier for me to focus on Kane knowing that Quinn was very comfortable with oma.

Oma and opa with their two youngest grandchildren.

Oma giving Kane a bath.

A tomato for Quinn....

Yummie!

and one for Teddy too!

Playing on the swing and slide with oma was one of Quinn's favorite things to do. They could hang out there forever, singing songs together. There were times she only wanted oma to come out there with her to swing, because she knew all the songs and the moves going with them.

Doing arts and crafts with oma.

And getting the mail was one of their daily tasks!

Thanks opa and oma for such a wonderful time!

We really miss you and we can't wait for your next visit this winter!

Kane's first weeks

Not only we celebrated the arrival of our little baby boy. Also back home in the Netherlands were people so happy and excited about their new cousin and nephew. And of course, the traditional Dutch 'beschuit met muisje' is part of that!

Tess and Luke enjoying every bite of them......

Just a few days old. Full belly and snoozing.......I have a similar picture of Quinn like this and it's amazing how much he reminds me of her when she was that age. You can defenitely tell they are brother and sister!

Kisses, kisses, kisses. Quinn is full of kisses for the baby.

Sleeping in his crib for the first time. He looks so tiny in it.
At night he sleeps in a bassinet in our room though, so I can hear him sooner and he doesn't have to wake up the whole house when he gets hungry. But during the day, I try to have him sleep in his crib at least once in a while, so he gets used to his bed. He also likes to sleep in the seat of his swing, which is nice and cosy.....

More kisses for the little man.....

Our two babies.......

It's so nice at this age where they just fall asleep in your arms (sometimes it's the only place where they will fall asleep.....haha).

Our family......

Time for his first real bath in his baby tub after his umbilical cord fell of. He LOVED it in the warm water.

Quinn was my special helper, making sure the water was still good temperature and all......

Oma feeding him his first bottle.....I was at the dentist at the time.....luckily I had pumped a little here and there already so we didn't have to interrupt Kane's feeding schedule. And he took the bottle just fine! He had it empty in no time..... 

Quinn is 19 months old

Being a 19 month old is a big job. There are so many things to play with and to explore. Here are a few of Quinn's favorite activities for the moment:
Eating snacks! Yummie yummie. And a little puzzling in the meantime....

A snack and a drink for Teddy too!

Working on her laptop, just like mommy.

Reading books. And she has lots of them. Dutch and English. Sometimes she gives Ryan a dutch book to read to her. Those stories are always fun to listen to.....;-)

Coloring is so much fun! Although she tends to put the crayons in her mouth once in a while as well...

She loves it when I wrap Teddy in a blanket, just like I do with Kane. She walks around with him like he's her baby, so cute. She's going to be one great mommy some day.

And sleeping is also one of her favorite things to do. She sleeps a good 12 hours at night and takes a 2 to 3 hour afternoon nap. Hopefully we can continue this pattern for a while.....