Picture of the Week - 1/28/2016

This time next week, Quinn will be 12.  My little, Mighty Quinn.

As the boys all get older, it's really fascinating for me to watch their personalities develop.  I typed change there first, as in their personalities change, but that's not right.  They aren't changing at all as much as becoming more sharply defined.  Quinn's personality could possibly be my favorite of the 4 right now (at least most of the time). 

Quinn has always been a nurturer.  He puts other people first.  Always.  I think that's one of the reasons he has so many friends at school.  It makes him a dream at home.  90% of the time he's willing to fill a glass for one of his brothers or share his snacks.  He brings me water without asking and never EVER complains when we ask him to take out a dog or feed the cat.  He, honestly, cares about the people around him.  That empathy will serve him well as the years go by.  Our goal is to make sure he's also nurturing himself.

Maybe the biggest surprise for me this year with Quinn is the work he's doing in the 6th grade.  He's always been a smart kid, but he's been an A/B student - mostly Bs.  That's OK.  He was trying and doing the work.  He wasn't skipping assignments or blowing off his responsibilities.  He just seemed to "get" somewhere around 85% of the stuff he was taught.  Honestly, I was prepared for middle school to be a tough adjustment for him.  I thought we'd struggle.  I figured there would be more Bs and more challenges to get him through his work.  I was SO wrong.  He's blowing doors off the 6th grade.  He's got nearly straight As.  His confidence in his school work is obvious and he clearly takes pride in what he's accomplished.  I loved Quinn as an A/B student (of course), but this newfound competence is just a lovely surprise.  When I asked him how he was doing it, he just smiled and said that the teachers are more strict, so he doesn't have time to mess around anymore.  Whatever the cause, I'll take the results.

A few month ago Quinn decided to try out for the percussion team in his band.  He loves it and it's a really good fit for him.  For fun Quinn plays lots of video games and other assorted things on his phone.  He is oddly addicted to watching youtube videos of other people playing video games.  I don't get that...  at all!  Quinn's also still playing lacrosse and this winter decided to play basketball, which he has really enjoyed.  We even got him a basketball hoop which he uses almost daily to burn off some energy. 

I'm actually not sure where Q gets his energy because he still eats next to nothing.  He's a pasta guy through and through and will take veggies over meat almost every time.  We struggle to get protein in him and are very thankful he's decided drinking Muscle Milk is an OK think to do.  He has one every evening along with his microwaved hot pretzel before settling in with Bob and I to watch some TV.  He's very predictable, which is actually very comforting. 

I am excited to see what changes this year brings for our Mighty.  This time of year, between his birthday and Congenital Heart Defect Awareness week, I always stop for a bit to remind myself how lucky we are to have this child in our lives.  We could have easily been down a different path and I thank God that things have worked out this way.  I can't imagine life without my Quinn Quinn.

We are celebrating Quinn's birthday with a little family dinner - and chocolate cake of course - this weekend.  I wish him the happiest of happy birthdays and can't wait to celebrate being 12 with him!

Picture of the Week - 1/21/2016

Today is one of those days where if I didn't have this POTW to write, I wouldn't bother with the camera.  The only pictures I've taken all week involve quilts.  So thank you!  Thanks for giving me the responsibility to stop and document a little piece of life in January 2016.  Here's a quick shot of the little boys with Ozzie.  Love them!

This has been another long week for us.  Odd how the calm and quiet of the holiday weeks seem SO very far away!  Highlights of the week - some of which are questionably labeled as "high"lights.

- I got my first root canal.  Um...  not fun...  but better than the "angry" nerve that's been bothering me for weeks.  I had no idea this was such an involved process.  I have to go back for the crown in a couple of weeks and hoping I don't have any issues between now and then.

- I finished a quilt I've been working on for more than 18 months.  Feeling pretty awesome about that.

- The boys had their first weather-related school dismissal of the year.  I feel there will be more coming.

- I finished my 3rd business trip in 3 weeks.  Too much travel.  It wears me down...  The welcome home from the boys is always a welcome sign. 

- We went to our first professional lacrosse game and it was really fun!  I was surprised how few people were there - which made for a very easy event.  No lines, no traffic.  Just a good time.  We'll be back.

This weekend we have a basketball game (if it doesn't get snowed out) and a wrestling tournament.  Pretty tame as far as weekends go.  I'll be home for the next couple of weeks too, which is a relief! 

Have a great week everyone!  And thanks again for forcing me to pick up a camera.  Those little boys of mine will never look exactly the same as they do tonight.  And it's a rare treat to share a picture of Oz.  LOL

Picture of the Week - 1/14/2016

There's something about cold weather that makes me want to cuddle.  I know I'm not alone here, right?

When I work from home, my "office" is in our bedroom.  This means, obviously, that there's a bed (which is rarely made...  so if you are one of those "make the bed every day" people, look away) right behind me.  Sometimes that comfy bed is a pretty big temptation for me.  It is ALWAYS a big temptation for the animals.  One of my favorite things about working from home - aside from the obviously lovely commute - is that I get visited by my pets randomly throughout the day.  No better stress relief than that!  Here's a picture of Rooster enjoying the quiet house and a nice snooze. 

Do you guys remember how Zane used to sleep when we first moved him to a toddler bed?  Remember how he used to sleep UNDER the bed every night.  And he built that wall of stuffed animals to close him in under there - every night.  I never stressed about that - although it WAS a bit disconcerting and a lot weird - because he slept really well under there and he clearly felt safe.  Well now he's sleeping up on the top bunk in his room with Beckett.  And he sleeps up there with a MILLION stuffed friends.  Not much of an exaggeration...  He burrows under those friends and blankets and other soft comforts every night.  And I'm fairly positive after he gets his bedtime hugs and kisses he covers himself completely with his friends.  It's weird.  And it's super endearing.  And I will miss that mountain of stuffed friends when he finally outgrows this...  Because it's adorable!

So off you go.  Go find someone to hug and get a good cold-weather cuddle in.  If you don't have anyone to hug, grab your favorite blanket (or a giant pile of stuffed friends) and make yourself comfortable.  It's the perfect weather for it!

PS - One more trip this week to the frigid north.  I have to head up to Grand Rapids, MI to deliver a speech at a HFMA conference.  After being up in MI this week, I have no idea how people live up there.  I'm pretty sure my feet were frozen solid for 2 straight days.  Somehow after 18 years in Georgia, I have lost all my Ohio hardiness and have turned into a weather wuss!

Picture of the Week - 1/7/2015

Happy New Year!!

How're you feeling about the fact that you have almost made it through the first real work week of the new year?  Feels pretty AWESOME to me!!

I'm currently sitting in the airport in Hartford, CT thanking the airport Gods for free wifi.  (Aside...  what did people do in airports before they could jump on wifi and surf/work?)  I'm looking forward to getting back home to my little boy snuggles.  Those boys LOVE to snuggle.  Here's a picture of us watching movies last Sunday.  Yep...  that's what I'm looking forward to getting back home to!!

Remember a few years ago when my New Year's resolution was to "hug more"?  Well we did - and do - and it's spectacular!  

Are you making resolutions this year?  

I've made 2. First, I am determined to MAKE more stuff this year.  I wasn't able to give away any home made Christmas gifts this year.  And it really bugged me.  (It probably bugged me more than the recipients of my store bought stuff...  but it bothered me!)  So this year, I'm making more stuff.  That means finishing up some projects I've already started.  And getting a few things out of my head and into production.  

The second one is to figure out a better way to managing my pictures.  I used to do all picture related stuff (including personal editing, etc - don't tell) on my work computer.  While, technically, against company policy, it was easy for me and meant everything was in one spot.  Now...  my company is much more strict on what you can have on your laptop.  So, I have pictures split across 2 laptops and do my editing at home.  And "long term" storage is a whole other issue.  What do you use for photo storage/organization?  I could use some easy options.  

Here's to heading home at the end of a business trip.  Also, forgive me in advance for all the work-related travel complaining I'm going to be doing between now and mid-Feb.  It's bad.  Next week I'm going to Detroit.  Who goes to Detroit in January?  The week after...  Grand Rapids.  And then I'm heading back over to Edinburgh again too.  Oy!  

I'm gonna try to cram in all the boy-snuggles I can get in between all these trips!  Because goodness I miss those boys (and Bob) when I'm not home!!

Have a great week!  Stay warm!!