After they left, the rest of March just flew by! All of a sudden we were onto April... it is crazy how fast time goes!!
Drawing pictures is one of her favorite things to do these days. She draws, writes letters, cuts things out, uses stickers. I love watching her concentrate. And its even better when she has a stuffie strapped to the front of her in the baby carrier haha! Little multi-tasker - getting things done while putting her "baby" to sleep haha! I love it.
Aimee wanted to come up and go on an adventure one day while she was on spring break, but with my dad here the one week it didn't really work out, because she spent most of the second week babysitting the girls. But we still wanted her to come if possible! So she packed them up and Calea too, and they came one morning and spent a few hours. We went to Ladysmith bakery and then watched a movie (it was pouring rain outside which dashed our plans for an outdoor day).
Cuddles with KK. These two rarely, if ever these busy days, get time together, so I think it was nice for both of them to get in some cuddling time while watching the movie! I love seeing her bond with her Aunties.
Quinny cried when they left, because she wanted to go with her Aunties like her cousins were... so sad! I hate the distance between us! I wish I could have sent her for the day to spend more time with them! We promised that they would see each other soon!
Little mechanic! She takes her tools and tinkers around under the quad haha. Just when I think I have her all figured out, she does things like this that totally surprise me!
Dixie took this on Tuesday night when she was babysitting. So very sweet! I know I say it a lot, but I have the greatest friends. They step in and astound us with their kindness! So thankful for friends who give up their tuesday evenings to watch this girl so that we can serve at the church.
Mail from Nannie and Papa in Hawaii! She was over the moon about it, as you can tell!
I forgot to take pictures while we were out, but Eric invited us to go bowling with them for Jerrica's birthday. So fun! Because I ask my friends to give up Tuesdays already for free babysitting, we didn't want to ask them again. So we decided to bite the bullet this time and hire a babysitter. Leighanne is amazing. I have gotten so close with this sweet girl over this year, and she lives right around the corner and was eager to come babysit. Quinny was pretending to be sleeping and hanging on tight when we got home, because she didn't want Leighanne to leave haha. That is the sign of an excellent babysitter! The few hours out was really lovely, and its nice to know she was home having fun.
Tim and Lois came home at midnight Friday night, so we went down so we could see them Saturday for a few hours after their almost month away! The cutie 3 & 4 year olds hit the hot tub. These two are playing together so well these days. It's so much less stressful than it was a few months ago! Yay!
We came back Saturday and I went to Kelly's bachelorette party, and Jon went to the Easson's for dinner and a walk!
I spent the evening with these lovely ladies celebrating Kelly's upcoming wedding! Wonderful camp friends.
After dinner we went to 4cats for a painting night! This sort of thing was super fun, and very up Kelly's alley... but it was pretty stressful for me because I am not a go with the flow kind of worker. I like set direction and to know what exactly I am supposed to be doing. I'm also just not that artistic haha! Crafty, sure. Artistic, not a chance. So it was out of my element, but I laughed a lot at myself, and it was fun to see everyone working hard
We also got a work on a giant canvas painting for Kelly, which was so sweet! I love throwing paint! haha! And this woman is one of my favorites, so anytime with her is a plus! Isn't she gorgeous?! Man I love her!
The McKnight's invited us to one of the Sunday night family dinners. Jacob is away, finally in the military as a Med Tech after all his hard work! But Laura reached out and asked us to come, so we gladly accepted! They do dinner with all their kids (7 of them) minus Jacob since he's away, every single Sunday, including the girlfriends. Maggie and Mariah are the only girls, and they are still young, so no boyfriends to include just yet. I LOVE the idea of Sunday night family dinners. A time each week to connect and check in and know that you will all be together. Alex (Jacob's girlfriend) lives in Victoria, and she drives up to Nanaimo every single week to be at these dinners. Amazing. This is something I definitely want to do when my kid(s) are grown, if they on the island. Laura said to me that evening "everyone needs to check in with mom, and just feel like they belong somewhere, even when there's hard stuff going on and maybe they don't want to come. It's a time for them to come, be fed, be together". I love it so much. I often get so lonely because weeks will pass before we see any family, with how busy things get, and I just ache for this kind of connection. I look forward to the day when our kids are grown and we can start traditions like this with our adult children!
The night itself was SO good. Life-giving. Laura and I had a very long, and open conversation where we both cried as we shared what is going on with each of us, and our families. The girls played with Q the whole night! We just love this family so much. Jacob is family to us, and so his family is also family, and I am grateful that they feel the same!
Mark put music on at the end of the night, and him and Quinny had an EPIC dance party! She was so sweaty when we left! haha! I love how this family just loves her so much. They even still had her baby picture on their fridge! Adorable. But it did make us miss Jacob a lot! Jon especially is missing his friend.
Swimming lesson time! She is still in Salamander, working hard to pass this level! This is apparently one of the harder ones to pass, because there is a big jump between Salamander and Star Fish in what they need to be able to do. She has been working so hard and the improvements are huge! She loves swimming. We are very excited for the summer!
Quinny and her beloved Lambie! Geez this kid is beautiful. And so silly!
I love these shots of her haha! I asked her to smile so she did, and then the next second struck a pose. Love her! And look at that bun. I will forever, for the rest of my life, be envious of her incredible hair!
We were a bit early for swimming lessons, so more silly pictures! Her sass is at a high mark these days - she is so quick-witted, and the things that come out are unbelievable sometimes! I've noticed such a difference lately in her mental maturity - she just seems older once again. She is losing all signs of being a toddler, and just growing into a full blown preschooler. I love her and her goofiness, and wouldn't change one thing about her vibrant and intense personality.
