MN Zoo Butterflies

The MN Zoo Aveda Butterfly garden is open!

Book Club

Caden just reads the back cover.
"Man denies liking green eggs and ham but realizes he's never tried them."
Hmmm... maybe Q should read this...

Baseball Cap

So far neither of the boys will wear their baseball caps for very long. I had some luck with Teagan and she was so cute!

A Proper Haircut

We finally took the boys in for their "proper" haircuts. I kept saying Caden needed a proper haircut rather than a mama chop job and Quin caught on that he needed a proper haircut again too. Quin set a good example and Caden, although a little terrified looking, didn't cry at all. Such handsome boys!

Learning to drive

Nap Time

While the twins are napping earlier in the afternoon, Quin enjoys a break from them, which is usually spent in the sandbox.

When Quin's naps run later than theirs, the twins just want him to wake up! Shhhh!

Happy Birthday, Mattie!

She's not really as old as she looks in the above photo! I think she was kind of sleeping and blinked there :-) We got her a cake and Quin put 9 candles on for her. She had a great birthday!

Robin's Eggs

We have this beautiful little tree in front of our playroom window. It's a Korean Lilac, which we actually planted before we knew we would have 3 Korean born babies living in our home!
On the day we arrived home from Korea, Dave pointed out to us that there was a Robin's nest in the little tree. We peeked inside... okay, I sent John out with the zoom lens to see what he could see since he towers above this tiny little tree. Inside, were 3 little blue robin eggs!
Recently we were wondering if anything had come of the nest and the eggs. Yesterday, I took this picture from the playroom window... Mama bird was sitting on her little nest!

And then today, Quin and I saw her swooping low from the tree. We then saw her fly into the tree with a big worm in her beak. Dada checked it again with his height to see if he could see any baby birds in the nest once we knew Mama had flown. Yes! A little cluster of feathers in place of the beautiful blue shells.

Oh my! We have 3 little baby birds! For now, we'll be going out through the garage. And the front door is off limits to Miss Mattie.

Baby Swing

The baby swings are like magic! Everyone seems to fall asleep in them.

On the Deck

Little Brothers

Quin is working hard on his project with Dad. You can see Caden's little hand in this first pic as Dad holds the car.

And then Dad has to just hold him back from "helping."

But, finally, he has the tools to himself. Such happiness and so cute!

Being the 3-year-old

The hardest part of adding the twins is being the 3-year-old. A wonderful, funny, much-loved, much-waited for, most adorable 3-year-old. One that we love to hug, to dance with, to cuddle and kiss, and one who is extra-extra special in this world. And not just any 3-year-old, but our Quin. And you know Quin, he just makes you smile :-)

He is also very clever and caught on quickly that there isn't a lot of room on a lap for 3. And so, he figured out what does get you picked up... crying, falling down, spilling something and then crying, the dog barking, losing your pacifier (which he just started using, having never needed one before) ... basically just needing Mommy.

And so, here is to all of us remembering our sweet older siblings. Please give Quin much love and extra-extra hugs when you see him :-) He is really a great big brother to TWO! That's a lot of change for a little guy and he is doing an awesome job.
We love you sweet baby boy!

Car Ride

They love to ride in their car.

And the real one as well! They were easy to get in their car seats.. We imagined major resistance, but all is well. Having big brother Quin helps.

Eileen made Teagan a ton of cute bows for just about every outfit she has. Thanks, Eileen! And I finally did have to give Caden a little trim.

Teagan: "Not sure about this bow, Mom."
Caden: "Umm, what is this thing?"

"Cut Caden's hair, that's a good one!"

"Not sure about this haircut, Mom. Next time let's try a real barber."