Game Day

It's a family tradition.
Every year we let the girls choose their attire on the Iowa v. Iowa State game.

This year,
the girls failed their mama again this year.

But made their daddy proud.
And chose the winning team.

Father's Day + Lauren's First Dance Recital

When I read that Lauren's two year old dance class would have a recital at the end of the year, 

I felt pure joy, followed by a bit of confusion and fear.

How does one send 2 year olds on stage and expect them to perform  actual choreography?

After weeks of practicing the Princess Sofia dance,

recital time arrived.

I paid extra attention at the last few classes,

trying to learn the moves myself 

in hopes that some work at home would provide the practice needed to nail it.

She nailed it.

Maybe not in the mind of a dance instructor,

but in the eyes of this mama, 

it was the sweetest minute of dance I've ever seen. 

Lauren loved it.

The moment she stepped on that stage,

she was excited.

We weren't able to film the performance

and we're still awaiting our DVD,

but if I had to sum it up, 

it was perfectly Lauren.

A little serious, a lot fun.

Afterwards we celebrated with a bouquet of flowers, 

a sweet dance outfit for her doll, Payton,

and dinner out with friends. 

She got to wear her recital outfit to dinner...

which was fun for mom too. 

We woke up the next morning to celebrate DAD.

We started our day with breakfast, followed by baseball, and some BBQ.

It was a simple day, 

but a day spent all together making little memories,

which is exactly what {he told me} he wanted.

We're a lucky trio of girls to call him ours.

He works so hard and gives so much to each one of us.

Those two little girls adore him

and so does this mama.

Happy Father's Day! 

X

2 daughters.
2 dogs.
3 houses.
4 states.
2 countries.
8 moves.
10 years.

a decades worth of memories and adventure
and there is no one else I'd want to share it all with.

Happy Anniversary.

backyard shenanigans

It's been hot.

Yes.
I know it's July and we're all feeling the heat,
but it's hot.

That means, unless we're at the pool, you can find us outside for morning walks, in small doses through the day, or in the evening for some backyard shenanigans.





These shenanigans usually involve pressing the 'door bell' on the castle numerous times, listening to the princess music, and spinning until we're dizzy.







But backyard shenanigans are the best when Dad gets home just in time to join in on the fun.

may celebrations

The beginning of May is a celebratory time for the McQuinn family.

'Cinco de Mateo', Matt's birthday & Mother's Day kept us busy last week.

We celebrated Matt's birthday with Tex Mex, balloons, and a few gifts.




The cupcakes were eaten by the dogs while we were at dinner.
Never a dull moment in this house.

This weekend we introduced Lauren to the Houston Aquarium.


After oohing & ahhing at all the big & small fish and a white tiger
[what? you don't have a tiger at your aquarium?]
we made our way to the outdoor area and rode the ferris wheel and carousel.

Lauren was a little hesitant about sitting on the carousel,
so dad rode her seahorse instead.


We celebrated Mother's Day with a lovely brunch followed by a trip to the spa for this mama.


Celebrating another exciting and adventurous year for Matt.

Celebrating the beauty and challenges of motherhood.

Celebrating one another and our lovely little family.

nine.

Nine years ago today I began the greatest adventure that would lead to all the other adventures...

I married this man.

While today will look like any other day in the McQuinn household...

five things

{1}

We had a great weekend celebrating Matt's birthday that included a trip to a food truck festival {where we ran into a couple from Cartagena that has been relocated to Houston}, a few gifts including getting fitted and ordering new golf clubs, ice cream pie, and a nice dinner out to one of our old favorite sea food spots.
We missed the Gulf Coast.
Especially the oysters.

{2}
During our dinner out, Lauren sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time.
And felt pretty special doing it.
Matt and I loved it. She entertained herself with rice crackers and people watching while we enjoyed our meals...
and a celebratory glass of wine.
Both for Matt's birthday and Lauren's new milestone.


{3}
Every year I print our blog into a book. It works pretty well since I don't scrapbook anymore nor do I print pictures for albums. When I printed 2013, I noticed a few of my last posts didn't have pictures. A few months ago, I was made aware that the photos were showing up differently on the blog from Flickr. I thought it was a change they made. Apparently it was a change in my settings. So now on my to do list, is the task of replacing all those pictures with the correct setting, so I can print our 2014 book with pictures.
guh.

Oh and by the way, while I was strolling down memory lane....
remember when 'this' welcomed us to Cartagena

It looked the exact same when we left.

{4}
This girl had some dental work done yesterday, which is quite invasive when you are a canine.
Anesthesia, teeth cleaning and little extra gum work.
She's on the mend and getting some extra attention around here.


{5}
While Matt was getting fitted for clubs last weekend, Lauren and I did a little shopping.
I stumbled upon both of these on the clearance rack at Marshall's.

Seriously.
In the middle of Webster, Texas.

I guess we are meant to be here...

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.

Big Changes Ahead

The McQuinn family is packing up and moving to...

AMERICA!
{why yes, Lauren is wearing a pacifier holder that says God Bless America}

We are moving to Houston, Texas, USA!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks that have left our heads spinning as we prepare for a lot of changes. Matt received a call two weeks ago, at his desk in Colombia, from a small Engineering Procurement Construction contractor, that was interested in him for a Director of Construction position.  After communicating with them a few times, Matt found himself seriously contemplating if he was ready to leave CBI and try something new. We made a list of pros and cons and had some major discussions and in the end felt like it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Here's the thing...
Matt really enjoys working on the construction side of things. Often times with the construction, comes the travel. While we had discussed finishing our time in Colombia and doing one more job that required travel, providing Lauren and our growing family with stability was also important. This opportunity allows Matt to stay on the construction side of things, without the travel. All the work they do is in the Houston area. We felt like that in itself was a great opportunity, for both Matt professionally and for our family. Plus, he is taking a position that was in his 15 year plan, has weekends off, and we get to live in a large city that has a lot to offer
{as opposed to some of the smaller areas these jobs usually take us to}.

It was a difficult decision to make, but we are so excited about our next adventure.

We've still got a lot of details to sort out {yes, the house in TN is one of them}, but we're ready to settle in and enjoy this American life.

Did I mention we leave Cartagena on February 15?

That's basically one week...

America, here we come!

five things

{this weekend we dressed Lauren up in her Sunday best, a Southern smocked little ensemble.
When I put on that bonnet, my heart burst...}

{1}

Our happy little girl received her 4 month shots today. The pediatrician has been a huge stressor for me since arriving in Colombia. Even more so than the lack of seat belts {seat belts exist in very few taxis}. 

Matt and I were left feeling confident and pleased with Lauren's Colombian pediatrician. He speaks excellent English, provided her with a thorough check, and was very knowledgable. He gave us his cell phone number and a clean bill of health. 

Lauren measured in at 25.25 inches and 13 lb. 13 oz. 

{The weight has some error. He weighed Lauren with her everything on, but her pants and I am fairly sure she had a wet diaper as well. So take that into consideration.}

He informed us that she will in fact, be bigger than her mother.

{check out those long legs...}

{2}

Matt and I celebrated 8 years of marriage on Tuesday, our third anniversary in Colombia. Sometimes it's hard to believe we've been here that long. We had a lot to celebrate, another wonderful year, full of sacrifices that lead to a stronger marriage and the most amazing gift, our beautiful daughter.

We had a lovely evening out with our dolly celebrating at one of our favorite restaurants in Cartagena, Hotel Sofitel, toasting with a glass of wine, rather than the bottle. 

I also received an amazing bouquet of flowers. Matt's driver delivered them in the middle of the day, which was a sweet & beautiful surprise. 

{3}

I am quite behind on posts, however, I have backtracked and done a blog post on our Thanksgiving and our trip to Hawaii. 

Christmas is still on the to-do list. 

Click here to read about Thanksgiving and here to read about Hawaii. 

{4}

Since arriving in Colombia I've received a lot of questions as to why Lauren's ears are not pierced.

Apparently in Colombia baby girls get their ears pierced. 

That's just what you do.

I've been told that as long as it is done within a few days of birth, it does not cause them pain. 

There is a lot about Colombian culture I am willing to embrace,

but Lauren will not be getting her ears pierced.

Not for several years.

{this baby turban head band slays me. every. single. time.}

{5}

January 28th not only marked 8 years of marriage for Matt and I, but it also marked the birth of Lauren's BFF. Our dear friends, Matt & Kathleen Schroeder, welcomed the most precious baby girl, Grace Marie, into this big beautiful world on Tuesday afternoon. Gracie is so blessed to have such amazing parents and we look so forward to sharing this beautiful journey of parenthood with the both of them.

We've been telling Lauren all about her BFF and how much fun they will have together. We're hoping to get our girls together in a few months,

unless of course I book a spontaneous trip to Chicago...

{five things}

If you are a faithful follower of this blog, you've probably noticed the severe lack of updates. You may believe this has something to do with my new role as a mother and this is how the blog will continue from now on.
Wrong. {I hope.}
I have full intentions of being a better blogger and documenting all of our adventures, especially as new parents.
But lately, I've been a little busy.
These five things may help to explain that…

{1}
Lauren had her first road trip. Little Bird can travel.
My mom and I set out with Lauren for the windy city to attend our dear sweet Kathleen's baby shower. We left on Friday morning and Lauren did fabulously. She was happy and slept most of the trip, amazing us with her content demeanor during an 8 hour road trip.

{Lauren after an 8 hour road trip + an hour of traffic}
Lauren had the pleasure of meeting a few of her dear sweet 'aunties' and we had a wonderful afternoon celebrating Kathleen and sweet baby girl Grace.

I had my first night out, dinner with friends, to celebrate Kathleen's 30th birthday.  I loved catching up with everyone and enjoying a relaxing glass of wine, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't itching to get back to my dolly girl.
We ventured for home on Sunday, the day that Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and several other states were riddled with tornadoes. We made the decision to get a hotel in Indiana and stop traveling around the time the severe weather warning went into effect.  We stopped in Edinburgh, Indiana. Our hotel happened to be in the area of an outlet mall, so we stopped to do some Christmas shopping before checking in. While heading to our car, post shopping, a woman standing outside the Coach store informed us that a tornado had touched down to the South and we were welcome to take shelter inside the back room of the store. Obviously, we took the offer. It was slightly scary to think that we were hunkered down in a Coach store with my dear sweet babe, but it also reaffirmed that we made the right decision by stopping, as the storms were directly in our path home. After about 15 minutes, we were released from our 'shelter' and since we could see our hotel from the front of the store, we safely and quickly made our way to settle in for the evening.
Thankfully we didn't experience any severe weather, but I learned a little lesson about being safe rather than sorry, especially with Little Bird.
What else did I learn?
That a baby requires an incredible amount of items when traveling.
I don't believe this will be the last time I mention this…
We've got quite the itinerary ahead of us.

{2}
My mom celebrated her 50th birthday last weekend.
Her birthday party was last Friday night and we had an incredible evening celebrating.
She laid a few ground rules early on… no surprise party and something small and intimate. My father started from there and planned a truly wonderful evening.
My parents best friends, The Wilkenings, flew in and my dad rented a loft in downtown Knoxville for the weekend.
That's all that Annie knew.
The evening started with a wine tasting. A friend of my father's, who owns a local liquor store in Knoxville, arrived at the party with two wine reps. Together they prepared both a white and red wine tasting for the party guests, which consisted of our family and a few close friends. My mom loves wine and the education that comes with a tasting, so this was the perfect way to start off her celebration.
While we sampled several wines, a chef was in the kitchen preparing a delicious Italian meal, of caprese salad, cesar salad, grouper and chicken parmesan, and tiramisu. We also had an awesome cake prepared by a local bakery, decorated with my mother's favorite wine. As we finished up dinner and got to visiting, the real surprise was under way.  My father had contacted one of their favorite musicians, Otis Gibbs, and had scheduled a surprise performance for Ann's birthday party. I've mentioned Otis in a previous blog post and even Little Miss Lauren had the opportunity to hear him live this summer.
When he walked in my mother was shocked.
And she is not an easy woman to surprise.
We had a wonderful evening, celebrating an amazing woman, wife, mother, and friend.















{3}
I'm a big fan of birthdays. Both yours and mine.
But this year, mine sort of snuck up on me.
I usually have a birthday countdown and celebrate the entire month of November.
This year was different.

Last year for my 30th, Matt surprised me with a trip to Chicago and I began 30 with a trip to Saks to pick out a pair of Christian Louboutin heels and ended it surrounded by friends and drinks at a bar.
It was fabulous…

but somehow a low key day, spent with my husband and our sweet sweet sweet baby girl was even more amazing.

What a difference a year makes.


{4}
Each time Matt has traveled back and forth to Colombia he has taken a good amount of baby items back to Colombia. His latest trip was his last haul, before he hauls us back with him.
It's been interesting to try and prepare for our lives 'con bebe' in Colombia. The wardrobe, the necessities, toys… trying to decide what I think I can find in Colombia and what I absolutely need from America.

It's going to be an adventure...
{and while it is fast approaching, I am having a hard time fathoming that final pack job…}

And last but not least….

{5}
We are homeowners.

No, we are not leaving Colombia.

Let me start from the beginning.
When I traveled back to Colombia in July, Matt mentioned that he had been thinking about buying a home in Knoxville. I was quite surprised by his proposal, but as we began talking about our five year plan I began to understand his house proposal. Through the following several months, not a lot went on in the house hunting front. Matt would send me a few emails with properties, most of them older homes with the potential for some upgrades. When Matt arrived for Baby McQuinn's birth, he got pretty serious about 'Project Let's Buy a House'. He contacted a realtor and our first house hunting excursion happened to be on my due date. House hunting continued after Lauren's birth and the house we were looking for evolved from something older to something on the newer side. The day before Matt went back to Colombia, he had a few new construction homes he wanted to check out before he left. I chose to stay back with our little darling. Matt came back excited and with pictures and drove me by the site of the house the following day. Within 48 hours, we put an offer on the house and had a contract. We closed on the house last Friday and are currently waiting on a few things to get finished up.
So the last several weeks have been filled with paperwork, countertops, fixtures, shopping, phone calls, emails, more countertops...

There are probably a lot of questions that go along with trying to figure out why we bought a home that we aren't going to live in full time. While I am not sure I can answer all of them, I can say that we were ready to have a place to call our home. While it is wonderful to spend time with our families when we are in the US, we have missed a space that is ours, that holds our things, a space where we can be a family. I think our new little addition really motivated us to create a little more stability in our lives and while we are far from what some define as 'settled down', we feel good about our family and our exciting future.