our girls

"whoever said diamonds are a girls best friend,
never had a dog"

five things

It is my goal to make at least three blog posts a week.
So far, the only reliable post is a weekly picture of Lauren.
But goals are things to work towards and consider this a step in the right direction.

{1}

It just so happened my grandparents were in the state of Texas visiting my Uncle Dan, who lives in the area. Their evenings were all booked up with previously scheduled plans, so they didn't get to see Matthew, but Lauren and I spent a lovely afternoon with them.

I love watching Lauren with my grandparents.
There is something so special about it..
and it makes me smile.

{2}

We are settling right into this America thing.

We spent a wonderful weekend as a family of three plus a boxer, which included watching basketball, lunch and shopping at the Galleria, driving through surrounding areas in search of the right city/neighborhood to begin our house hunt, and of course Target.
And the craziest part of it all...
we get to do it all over again this weekend.
This whole 2-day weekend thing is pretty great.

{3}

I am still working on getting caught up as an American.
I am constantly thinking of things we need and to-do's that need to be crossed off.
We still have boxes sitting around that need to be taken to storage and random items waiting to find their home.
I am itching to get things on the walls, but heavily debating if it is worth finding the perfect arrangement of things, followed by holes in the walls, and then another move.
I think it's probably worth it...
I am not sure if my husband will agree.
However we did get a little something on the walls in Lauren's {third} nursery.

{4}
At this time, both of our teams are no longer part of the Madness.
Both Tennessee and Iowa State lost tonight.
But we've had a lot of fun coordinating outfits for each game...
and by we, I mean I had a lot of fun coordinating Lauren's outfits.
I'm getting excited for football season.

{5}
Lauren is a growing girl. I can't believe we are approaching the 6 month mark. She is a happy girl, who loves to giggle, is constantly blowing raspberries, and can be found rolling around the living room. She is a talker and likes to see how loud she can get. She still loves her dolly Lola, bouncing in her exersaucer, and her pacifier. She is working on sitting up, but she's not quite there yet.
But that's okay, because, just like everyone said, it's going too fast...

her giggles slay me.
every. time.
will that ever stop?
I hope not.

25 weeks

24 weeks

I think our weekly pictures are about to get a lot more interesting.
She is curious.
She is strong.
She likes to move.

Did I mention she likes blocks?

We're here!

We've made it home...
to Houston, Texas.
{Pearland, to be exact}

Lauren and Bella both did wonderful on the trip down and now we are getting settled in, working on making our temporary 2 bedroom apartment a home and becoming a nice little American family.



We've been focusing on creating a routine for Lauren. When we left Colombia, we apparently left her routine behind and we've seen the effects of no routine.
Think no sleep.
Despite the countless books I read, highlighted, and ear marked during my pregnancy, I managed to raise a babe who can't self soothe.
It's a work in progress...



Bella is adjusting to life as an only dog. Living with a dog apartment style, takes us back to our early days with Bella, where you have to go out late at night/early in the morn in your sweatpants.
It's a big adjustment for our boxer baby, who has been living life with furry mates and a dog door the past 3 years.
Despite the change, she has been a trouper and is loving the morning walks with Lauren on a trail right behind our building.
Her anxiety is still a little high, seen in her need to follow me around all day long and her inability to enjoy treats or bones if she is left alone at the apartment.
In time...



I don't know that it has totally sunk in that we are really living in America.
It's hard to believe there's not an expiration date on our time here and a flight right around the corner.
My to-do list to settle in is quite lengthy, but I am enjoying crossing items off one by one.

We've got some work to do to make this temporary home, a temporary home
but it already feels good.

Our dog, our daughter, a zip code, and an 8 minute Target drive.



Welcome to America.

23 weeks

Lauren & Bella

There was a time when I wondered if Bella would ever 'officially' be a McQuinn again.
With the Colombia job dragging on and no idea what exactly was next for us, we weren't sure when the time would come.
Thankfully it happened sooner than we thought.

I'm relieved, especially since Bella was referred to as a senior dog a few weeks ago by the vet.



One of the most exciting parts about bring Bella back into our family is her relationship with Lauren.
We've always imagined our children growing up with Bella and are thankful Lauren will have the opportunity to call Bella, her dog.



We are so excited to see their relationship grow everyday.



It's going to be hard to take Bella from the environment she has known for the last 3 years.
She is so loved in this household, has enjoyed playing with Bailey and Ruby daily, and has a very special bond with my mom.

While I'm a little worried about Bella's immediate transition,
we've always loved her from near and far,
and with another McQuinn to show her love,
we know she will find a special place in her new home.



Welcome back,
Bella Rose Schoenfelder-McQuinn!

an update

We've been a busy little American family.

A brief update...

Matt left for Texas and started his new job last week. He has had nothing but wonderful things to say and is excited about the future.  Last week he took care of some safety trainings and had the opportunity to visit a few job sites.  We are still pinching ourselves with the idea that he will be working normal hours and no weekends!
Matt didn't hesitate in easing into the Texas culture. He purchased a new truck. He loved his truck in Texas, so there wasn't much of a discussion on what he would be driving this time around.


Matt also found us an apartment. We will be living in Pearland, located on the southeast side of Houston. We've signed a short term lease to give us some time to get to know the area and begin our house hunt {again}. The apartment is dog friendly and located in a retail area, which is quite conventient for Lauren and I. There's a nice walking trail nearby so we are looking forward to many family walks, complete with our Bella Rose, and a few shopping trips.

Lauren and I spent some time last week at the house. On Tuesday, the moving company sent some people to pack everything up. At first I was unsure of how I would feel about someone coming into our home and packing all of our belongings, but by the time they arrived I was thrilled we went this route and so over the idea that I would have been able to do this myself.

{my end}

The following day another group of gentleman came out to load the truck and head out for Houston. I can't imagine what our neighbors {who we never had the pleasure of meeting} think about us. We move in, disappear, and then a semi shows up to load everything up and we are gone.
When the truck pulled away I was so relieved that my part of the 'moving' was complete. They made it to Houston and met Matt at the apartment on Friday morning. Surprisingly we have more than we thought we did and since we are in a two bedroom apartment for the time being, we also have a storage unit.
Poor Matt was definitely on the more difficult end of this move, the receiving end. He worked his way through the boxes and has done a wonderful job of making our new little space our home.
{until we do this again in a few months}


{Matt's end}

Lauren is loving life in America.

{L sporting some Air Force Ones from Uncle Tyler}


During the day at least.
We have been spending time with the pups, taking lots of walks in this beautiful weather, running errands, and soaking up the time with Grandma & Grandpa.




The nights have been a different story.

Our little dolly has gone from a generally good sleeper to being up, quite often, through the night. We've been through a list of things, trying to help our baby girl {and ourselves}.
We were in a pack and play and switched back to the crib, we've been to the doctor to check for an ear infection, called the doctor to get their opinion on introducing rice cereal, increased feedings at night, and re-introduced the swaddle.
Lauren transitioned out of the swaddle in Colombia, it's too hot to swaddle.
With the swaddle, things have gotten better.
But we still have room for improvement.

I feel pretty responsible for the long nights, as we have put Lauren through a lot lately and there isn't much of a routine left at this point.

Regardless of the night, she wakes up with a smile each morning and melts my heart a little more each day.

So, I'll take the long nights.

We've got time to get into a routine when we get home.

22 weeks

5 months

At five months, our little Lauren Elizabeth...

... likes to giggle. But she will still make you work for it.
... loves her toes. She spends a lot of time in 'happy baby' pose.
... enjoys spending time in her exersaucer. She likes to hop around and her favorite activity on the exersaucer is opening and closing a book. Which makes my inner bookworm squeal in delight.
... can be heard talking to herself and squealing in delight while she plays. I love it.
... recently learned how to blow a raspberry.
... is becoming quite the Curious George. She loves to investigate the things around her and we love watching her discover the world around her.


Curious Lauren