Gavin's Day!

Our sweet Gavin turned 4! This little guy lights up our home with his smile, funny jokes, and bouncing energy that is endless! I'm so glad that we celebrated his Birthday on Saturday (which was the day before his actual birthday) because we were all sick on Sunday! We had a fun family day and spent a lot of time at the park and going on walks. He requested a McDonald's happy meal for his birthday dinner so that's what he got! We ended the day snuggled up on the couch watching Peter Pan (which was one of his gifts) for the first time. When we were tucking Gavin in bed that night I asked him what his favorite part of the day was and he said, "All of it!". Such an angel. :)

He loves his new bike! He wanted to ride it all day. We even let him ride it around inside the house since it was his special day! He thought that was pretty cool.

On sunday Gavin wanted to watch Peter Pan again. So they built a Lost Boys Fort in the front room and watched it from there. :)

Oh Gavin, you are too much for words! You are so loved. Happy Birthday!

First Time Snowboarding

We took a quick trip up to Flagstaff so that Quint could teach Tristan how to snowboard. Quint has been talking about this day ever since I was pregnant with Tristan and we found out we were having a boy! :) We had a really nice trip and both Quint and Tristan were over the moon about snowboarding. They had so much fun together. Tristan is determined to get as good as Daddy someday and he wants to help teach Gavin in a few years too. :)

Tristan's Day!

 Tristan turned 7 years old this month and I still can't believe it! We had a really fun day celebrating him. Birthday festivities consisted of:

Opening presents in the morning! We sort of had a Star Wars theme going on with the presents, but his favorite gift was his Razor Shock Scooter! He spent most of the morning riding it outside.

                                     

 We had a small get together with a few friends at the park. Quint played football and kickball with all the boys and then we had cake. It was a nice mini party :)

 Of all places to eat at for his birthday Tristan chose Ihop! I thought it was funny that he chose that but while we were eating Quint and I kept saying, "Why don't we eat here more often?!" It was very yummy! And the staff came out and surprised Tristan with a Birthday Sundae! 

Happy Birthday Tristan! You are such a joy and we love you so much.

Tenley keeps growing!

I could just sit around all day and watch Tenley play! And sometimes I do...  :)

She loves playing with trucks and cars. They are her favorite! She rides them around the house and says, "Vroooom". It is so stinkin cute. She hasn't really taken a huge interest in her baby dolls yet, she just wants to play with the trucks. Too funny!

Recently she started really playing with the boys. She goes up and sits next to them and just starts playing with whatever their playing with. They love playing with her and get sad when it's time for her to take a nap or go to bed. 

These moments are so precious

Fun in January

The month of January means beautiful weather for us and we love spending time outdoors! Going to the park, riding bikes, and going for walks are our favorites. 

Tristan had another assembly at school and made the honor roll again! He was disappointed that he didn't get a "Perfect Attendance" certificate this time like he did at the last assembly. He was sick for a few days and missed school and must have forgotten about it. I reminded him and tried to cheer him up. He has a goal now to not get sick this quarter. :)

Cousin Lexy leaves for college in six months so we've been spending every moment with her that we can! Tens loves giving her cuddles.

The McCook's had a birthday celebration for Dan, Lex, Tristan, and Gav this month and we all went to Adam and Erin's beautiful new home. There were two trays of brownies so the boys each get their own set of candles to blow out! 

                                     

Honestly, this dog makes Quint and I a bit crazy!! He is a puppy so we try so hard to patient and teach him but sometimes he is just so naughty! And then he goes and does this....cute little cuddle bug. It's a good thing he is so cute! :) We really do love him, but I don't think we'll miss the puppy phase when it's over.

This cutie pie turned 1! Emma and Danny threw him a fun party at the park and we all loved soaking up a memorable day with Jonah. He is such a sweet, calm baby with the kindest disposition. Just an angel and we love him. Happy Birthday Jonah! 

We're starting to see the cousin bond grow with Tenely and Jo and it's adorable! They will be running and chasing each other around in no time.

My brother, the machine!

Last weekend my brother Tom ran a marathon in Yuma. Susan and his kids were not able to make it for this race so my parents went to watch him and cheer him on. They texted the entire family and kept us updated during the race. It was raining that day which I thought would make the race harder. There  were a lot of muddy farm fields to run through, but Tom said later that the rain felt nice. He started off at a good pace and with every text my parents sent they couldn't believe that Tom was smiling! Running, running, running, and smiling! :)

Tom said that around mile 18 things started to get really rough and he wanted to quit. His ankle and hip were giving out and he even told my mom when he was running by her on the side that his whole body was hurting and he wanted to stop. You have to know my brother to know that him saying he wanted to quit is a huge deal! He has done MANY races in the last decade including 4 other marathons, the Tour De Tucson several times, and a half iron man. For him to say that he is hurting and wanting to quit, you know he is HURTING. He kept going and started shedding layers of clothing that were drenched and handed it to my mom. Then my parents would get in the car, text the family again, drive to the next point they could stop at and wait for Tom to pass, checking on him, and cheering for him. They did this the entire race. 

The last 3 miles were uphill and Tom's leg and hip were hurting so bad he was limping while he ran and had bleeding blisters on his feet. My mom went and ran with him for the last half mile, cheering him on and telling him he was almost there. She said it looked like he was going to cry when he looked up and saw the finish line up ahead. 

Later on, Tom thanked the family for cheering him the whole way through text messages and he said he couldn't have finished the race without my parents there. 

This really touched me, I was emotional with every update and felt so proud of my brother and so happy that my parents were there with him. Tom is such an inspiration...his entire body was killing him and he wanted so badly to just stop, but he didn't. He enjoys working out and doing competitive races (always competing against himself for a better time) and enjoys being healthy. But he has told me many times that he does this simply because he loves it. Isn't that cool?! All because he loves it. 

I love my big brother and definitely look up to him :) Way to go on another amazing race Tom! 

Running hard and smiling :)

Shedding layers around mile 20

                                                

Cheering in the rain!

He made it! 

Snowbaording Trip!

Quint went on a snowboarding trip this year to Durango with a few friends and his brothers! He was especially excited to go with Danny and Josh. Snowboarding is Quint's happy place so I try to ship him off at least once a year so he can get his fix. He's always saying that he would love for it to be a tradition for our family to all go together every year someday. We'll see. :) 

In the mean time, he had a wonderful trip with his brothers and hopes that it will become an annual vacation for them! 

This is Quint...very, very happy!!

Poor Josh had a nasty fall on the first day and had to sit it out and recover the rest of the trip. Quint said Josh was in such good spirits about it and they all still had a blast together.