Quintan's Baby Blessing

We had the wonderful opportunity of blessing our little baby boy, Quintan, this last weekend. We are grateful for all who came to join use; it was really awesome to have so many friends and family with us. (We really missed those of you who weren't able to attend.) Here are a few pictures of the special day!

Our precious boy!

Happy Halloween!

We had a wonderful Halloween from start to finish!

We kicked things off with a haunted breakfast

(french toast, peaches and whipped cream ghosts)

that Ethan devoured like a monster.

Later, 'Joe the Plumber ' joined us for some Skeleton Stew and helped us

get ready for a big night of trick or treating.

We were hoping that Quintan would make a gruff pirate face for the picture, but he decided to go with sweet and peaceful instead; he's the cutest little pirate I've ever seen!

Ethan must have learned early on about 'mans best friend' because again this year he wanted to dress as a dog... what can we say, he really loves dogs; and he makes a pretty adorable

puppy if you ask me.

We also enjoyed passing out candy to trick or treaters, dancing to some of our favorite Halloween hits to burn off the sugar high, and listening to Ethan tell us how much he loved his first

real Halloween.

I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Happy Halloween!!!

More Fall Fun

I mentioned that we went to the Scarecrow Festival a few posts ago but didn't have any pictures to go with it at the time because our camera has been freaking out lately and eating batteries like nothing (sooo annoying!), but thanks to Jenni and her reliable camera we were able to capture a few shots...

Here's Ethan climbing through the "gopans".And having a great time with his Aunt Jenni and Aunt Ashlee!

The following weekend we had a great time at the Poggio's Halloween Party. We also had better luck with the camera and were able to take a few more pictures (with brand new batteries in) but still by the end of the night the camera was acting up again!

So unfortunately we didn't get a shot of all the costumes (which I have to say were pretty impressive this year) : caveman and woman, an angle, and rabbit, batman, Teenage mutant Ninja turtle Tinkerbell, a dragon, and my personal favorite 'Joe the Plumber' played of course by my very own husband!

The food was delicious, the costumes were fun, and the company was fabulous! Thanks for hosting the party Lis!

In other happenings, we had a little extra time this morning so I decided to get crafty. ..Here's Ethan working on a windsock. He loves using stickers and especially glue sticks (which by the way got everywhere! but it was worth it )

After completing his first project he was asking if he could use his crayons and scissors. This is what we came up with...

Ethan is turning into quite the little artist don't you think?

Quintan was a great helper and enjoyed listening to Halloween music with us while we worked. He's such a happy little guy!

He's going on 11 weeks now and he smiles giggles and coos all the time

(when he's awake that is. He's been a big sleeper since day one)!

Gotta' love him!

Enjoying October

The first weekend in October brought several inches of snow and lots of fun! We could hardly wait to bundle up and get outside!

The snow was beautiful while it lasted but it didn't stay long.

Luckily things warmed up in time for some Halloween festivities.We went to a local pumpkin patch and we couldn't resist buying a pumpkin almost as big as Ethan! He was so proud of it.

We also had a great time at the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point with Jenni and Ashley and carved our pumpkins with family and friends at Paul and Kelsey's annual Fright Fest.(thanks for the fun!)

(And in case you can't tell from the picture, Steve tried to carve a portrait of Ethan into his pumpkin. He hopes to improve his carving skills for next year when he'll attempt a portrait of Quintan:))

Newsworthy Events

Heide reminded me today that it has been a while since I contributed anything to our blog, so I'll try and do my best...

As I have been sitting here trying to think of any "newsworthy" events in the life of SHEQ (that's short for Steve, Heide, Ethan, and Quintan), I realized that we haven't done a whole lot lately. We've just been trying to keep this new baby of ours alive and healthy; that seems to consume most of our time.

We did go to Bridal Veil Falls the other day. Provo Canyon has always been one of our favorite places to go, so we made the 3 hour round trip one evening; it was fun, but we were totally exhausted by the time we returned home (we are finding out it is double the work now that we have two boys)! We intended to hang around and stop by to visit friends and family in Provo and drive by some of our old places we lived in as students, but unfortunately we didn't have enough time. Anyway, here are a few pictures:

Note the bike in the background. We got the bike carrier a couple of weeks ago and Ethan loves to ride in it. I tried to put one of the neighbor boys in with Ethan the other day (because it fits two) and he said in a panic as I was putting the other boy in "no, no". I put him in anyway and told Ethan we were just going around the block. After a few yards he began try cry! He either really likes his personal space or cherishes our one on one time (or maybe the kid hit him while I wasn't looking).

Big Thanks

For those of you who may not have heard, we moved to Utah this summer. We have been meaning to post this little bit of news for the past month or so, but it's been difficult to find time as life has been very much a whirlwind lately.

So, let me paint the whole picture by rewinding to the middle of July when we were still living in Danville, I was 33 weeks pregnant and Steve was still working at the local hospital as the facilities director. We were living life and preparing for the baby when a job opportunity in Layton, Utah unexpectedly popped up. It was a very good opportunity, Steve was intrigued by the position and we were thrilled to think we could return to live in Utah closer to our siblings (and Ethan to his cousins). Still, it wasn't an easy decision; while Danville wasn't the greatest of places, and certainly not somewhere we wanted to settle down and raise our family, we really enjoyed the slow paced lifestyle and especially enjoyed living close to my Mom, Frank and John!

After a few days of much prayer and fasting we decided, with only 7 weeks until the baby was due (which ended up only being 4), to pack up and head out West.

Steve received an official offer July 16th, and drove away in the Uhaul four days later! How is this possible you may wonder? I wondered the same thing myself...

As soon as my mom found out that I was trying to pack up the entire house in 4 days at 33 weeks pregnant she changed her weekend plans and and she and Frank packed their bags and arrived in record time! Frank packed our entire kitchen, while my mom organized and packed up bedrooms and bathrooms, and made sure the house was spotless before we left. They also took plenty of time to play with Ethan which was the greatest help of all! And as if that weren't enough, they took great care of me and Ethan for a week and a half while Steve did more dirty work!

Meanwhile, out West my sisters were ensuring that we had a soft place to land when we arrived!
We used Lorri's expert eye to choose one of the three houses we found online for us to rent (and I might say that she chose the perfect one)! She took time out of her busy life to fight traffic and scope out the Layton area for us!

Alissa was quick to ask how she could help, and when she found out I was most concerned with finding a good Dr. she got on the phone and set up an appt. for me with her obgyn. This greatly reduced my stress level!

One of my least favorite things to do is to ask people to go out of their way to pick me up from the airport; Janell immediately offered to pick us up (she must be sick of it since she lives close to the airport); but her willingness meant so much as I know it's not an easy thing to do with two kids and such a busy schedule!

My bothers-in-law Marco and Josh also fought traffic after a long days' work to help Steve empty the Uhaul (which was not an easy task considering the monstrous piano we recently inherited)!

My awesome little brother, John, transported Ethan and me 3 hours one way to the Chicago airport; and he didn't just drop us off: he parked, helped us carry in all our stuff, and made sure I made it safely through security before he embarked on another 3 hour drive back to Wisconsin! Then, when I lost my cell phone in the airport, he was the one to call, and call, and call until someone finally picked it up. If it weren't for him I'd still be phoneless!

My sister-in-law, Jenni, offered to help unpack and came down to keep Steve company while he was here for a few days by himself.

And last but definitely not least, Steve, being the sweet and hard working husband that he is made the 27 hour drive by himself twice! After he arrived the first time he unloaded everything that he could unload by himself from the Uhaul and unpacked our entire house (and made sure it was clean for when Ethan and I flew in from my mom's)! Then he returned to IL to finish up one last week of work before making the drive again (only this time he drove straight through the night arriving at about 4:00AM so we could finally be reunited after the two longest and craziest weeks of our life)!

And that is how a cross-country move in four days is possible!
We literally could not have done it without all the love and support of our family and friends. I feel so blessed to have such a great family and wish I was better at expressing how much I really appreciate all of them. Thank you so much!

My boys

I just can't let this rare moment of free time pass without gushing a bit over how much I love being a mother and of how wonderful my little boys are!

Ethan has grown up so much in the past few weeks I can hardly believe it. He is spouting off new words every day and keeps us laughing around here as he has his own little way of doing things. Some of our favorite Ethan-isms:

If he sees food that he wants he asks,"Eat it? Bite it?"
He likes to put the word 'big' in front of everything: "big book, big rock, big bite" and our personal favorite, "big gumkun biiiig" aka pumpkin. I guess he's trying to get ready for Halloween...
He loves to throw a ball (baseball or not) and yell "stieke" (aka: strike) ...he's quite the baseball fan!
Ethan loves having Quintan around and is very aware of how his little brother is. As soon as Quintan makes the slightest little noise Ethan automatically says, "cying, Tintan cying, sad". We explain to him that sometimes Quintan just makes noise that he's not always crying . Now he says "Tintan happing" (happy) or "seeping" (sleeping).
Ethan has recently learned about petting animals since we are in walking distance to a private petting zoo (aka: a farm with friendly goats, horses and chickens) and now he asks, "pet baby, pet him?" when he wants to rub Quintan's head. We're working to improve the terminology:) , but love that he's so interested in his little brother!

He is also learning how to count. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to get past the number 2. He just says, "one, two, nine, seven". I'm sure it will come around soon.

Quintan is just as sweet as can be! Today is his 4 week birthday and he's eating and growing like a weed! He's up to 9 lbs now and has thoroughly impressed the Dr. with his ability to gain weight. Our little Quin travels all over with us and sleeps like an angel aside from the rude awakenings of his immature digestive system. We're hoping his body works out the kinks asap.

I am so blessed with two wonderful sons and love being home to help and watch them grow!

He's Here!

Quintan Elijah Call

was born Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 8:09 am weighing 7.0 lbs measuring 20.5 in.

We went into the hospital around 2:30 am last Sunday and Heide was already dilated 6cm by the time we got there. the delivery went smoothly; she only had to push 4 times to complete the delivery. The recovery is going well for Heide and Quintan and we're all thrilled to have them home!

There will be more pictures to come...

Summa Summa Summa Time...Summa Time!

Summer is in full swing and we are definately enjoying it!

Just takin' in the view

Watermelon...YUM!!!

Our little monkey!

For all those who've been requesting pics of my growing belly...30 weeks and counting .

All tuckered out.

(This picture was actually taken back in April, but I couldn't resist!)

Golf

Last week I played in a golf tournament with 3 other co-workers; after hitting one of my drives over the fence into interstate traffic, a second into a river, and a third into an occupied golf cart, I realized that golf may not be my sport. The problem I have with golf, number one, is that it is not enjoyable; I don't think a game can be considered a sport if you can wear khakis and never break a sweat. Number two, it's too expensive and time consuming to secure a half competent skill level. And with a 17 month old and second on the way, extra money and time are something I don't have a lot of.

I started playing golf when I was a senior in college because it seemed every other professor encouraged students to golf: "it's the sport of business" they said, "and a lot of business is done on the golf course" they affirmed. So, not wanting to be the odd one out in the world of business, I bummed some old clubs off a friend (props to Eric if he is reading this) and starting playing. I learned, however, this week that my reputation as a "man of business" is much stronger when I am not hitting golf balls.

Natural Born Athelete?

So we all know that Steve loves sports right? I must admit that I enjoy some sports as well but I've tried to take special care that Ethan not be brain washed into thinking he has to play and love sports just because he's a boy and that's what boys do. We like to expose him to a lot of different activities in hopes that he'll grow up to be a well adjusted child.

Lately it seems that all our efforts have been in vain. Yes, Ethan still loves an occasional story (if it involves a ball) and he's content to play in the dirt for a few minutes, but his real love is sports!He wants nothing more than to be outside with a ball (or bat) in hand, or as he says , "play, play, play, play!" (increasing in volume and inflection each time he says it so we know he really means it). See for yourself.

Exhibit A: Baseball

Exhibit B: Bocce Ball

Exhibit C: Kick Ball (slightly less happy because he's not outside playing ball)

Is it just in the genes???

It's a Boy!

Heide had her ultrasound on Monday; from what we could tell, it looks like a boy! We were both kind of expecting a girl, but we were obviously wrong. I'm just excited to be in a family now where the boys outnumber the girls. I used to hate family reunions because there were like 50 girl cousins and like 2 boy cousins. Just for complaining, though, I'm sure we will end up with 2 boys and 3 girls when it is all said and done.

So, the following picture is an artist's rendition of what "baby boy #2" should look at by 3 years of age. This was all very scientific and was based upon the ultrasound pictures, so I think it should be right on. We'll see...

my 2 cents

So, Steve wanted to do the update on our vacation, but i can't let this opportunity pass without expressing my love and appreciation for him. We have had our share of ups and downs over the past 5 years but Steve has been my constant through all of it and I really can't imagine my life without him. He doesn't always think so, but he really does know what I need when I need it whether it be a joke and a laugh , a good cry on a strong shoulder, a swift kick of encouragement, or a long embrace of love. Marriage really does keep getting better and I'm so happy to be married to my perfect man!

I also want to express my love and appreciation for my mom who so willing watched Ethan for us so that we could enjoy a carefree time! Ethan has become rather attached to "maa-ma" and paa-pa" and they showed him a wonderful time while we were away! Thank you so much for taking such good care of our little man, he can't wait to see you again!

Viva Mexico!!!

March 28th marked our 5 year wedding anniversary, so we took a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to celebrate. We had an amazing time! Here are a few pictures:

Here's a "bird's eye" shot of the resort (I obviously didn't take this), but it gives you a feel for how beautiful it was there.

Here we are outside our room, enjoying the sunset.

We enjoyed both the food and the views at the restaurants!

We spent a day kayaking and exploring some of the cliff sides; to our surprise, we found a family of Iguana's hanging out on the beach!

Heide especially loved the native flowers.

Most of all, the trip just reminded me how much I love Heide. She is so beautiful in so many ways, and I thank my Heavenly Father every day that He blessed me with such an amazing wife. She gives me such support and comfort, and I appreciate her more than I can express. The last 5 years have been the best of my life, and I'm very happy we took this trip to celebrate our marriage and our love for one another.