I felt the need to post today. Josiah keeps growing up and leaning new things and I know that I need to be writing it down...this blog is my way of doing that. I am finding it ever so important to cherish all the little things that bring me such joy in life. Last blog, I wrote about the impact Dax Locke has made on my family...today that baby is dancing with Jesus. I can't explain the sorrow I have felt for that ailing little boy and for his beautiful, doting family. I would read his mommy's blogs and immediately put myself in her shoes. I internalized everything that she wrote and cried for that baby every day. I can't begin to explain why this happened or how a child could endure such pain. I am 100% follower of Jesus Christ and love him with my heart, yet I can't wrap myself around why this happens. I tell you what I do know... I know that He gave the world a tiny piece of heaven through Dax Locke. That little boy and his parents touched hearts around the world. He made people re-evaulate their lives. I am certainly one of those people. I often wondered why my family had to endure the pain of having a daughter/sister walk out on us or watching my dad endure the pain of being an outcast by his family simply because he didn't worship a church. It was heart-breaking to me and I would ask "why" constantly...enter... baby Dax. When I began to read Dax's story several months ago, I felt God. I began to realize that I had so many important things in my life. I didn't need to focus on my anger/bitterness that I felt every time I saw an old pic of my sister or in hearing her name mentioned. I kept thinking that I needed to cherish every moment with the ones that LOVE me. I also realized that I need to pray for the ability to forgive and move on to the great things in my life and focus on those things. By nature, I am a very loving person and want everyone to get along, but I also know that I am not always in control of that. I still pray that my sister's heart, along with my dad's family, will change and they will be open to this love that I speak of in my blog. I cry for them all the time and pray that their hard hearts will melt into something soft and pliable. Until then, I am going to cherish the moments with those that love me most. I am blessed to have an amazing hubs, son, mom and dad, in-laws, and some of the best friends in the whole world! (Amy, you are probably the only friend that reads this, so yes, I am talking about you -Muah!)

Anyway, this is what I decided to do today in my effort to "cherish every moment" as Dax's mommy would say. I decided to write down some of the things that Josiah does that make my heart melt...here we go:

The way he sleeps on all fours during nap time
The way he runs through our house screaming, "mama, mama!"
The way he runs his blankie through his hands until he finds a corner to hold
The way he breathes when he sleeps
The way he gets concerned when I cry
The way he squeezes my neck when he gives my a tight hug
The way he puckers up when I say, "give me a kiss"
The way he mimics my words
They way he folds his little hands when we pray
The way he claps for whomever said the prayer (he is a little charismatic)
The way he dances when music comes on
The way he pretend fights with daddy
The way he shares everything with me
The way he shares everything with others
The way he throws all of his bath time toys into the tub when I say "Bathtime"
The way he cuddles when we read together
The way he raises his chubby little hands when he has worship time with mommy
The way he sheds his socks five minutes after putting them on
The way he plays with his little cousin Elijah and his friend Addison
The way he asks for a cookie or vitamin
The way he moves his mouth to sing, but nothing comes out
The way he pats my back when he is crying and upset
The way his hands and feet get moving when he is excited to get in the car and go somewhere
The way he runs to me after nursery
The way he puts food into my mouth
The way he says "kitty" LOL
The way he loves his grandparents
The way he loves his aunts and uncles
The way he says "cool, dude"
The way he looks in jammies that are just a tad bit too small for him-ha!
The way he loves his daddy
They way he grins
The way he smiles
The way he loves me and his entire family


There are so many more "ways" that this child makes me cherish, but this blog would stretch to the heavens if I wrote them all! I encourage all of you to do this...not just for a child, but for whatever you hold dear in your life!!!! I love you all so much and thank you for reading this blog!!! Hopefully, I will write again soon!

Has it really been four months since my last blog??? Well, Josiah will be entering college next week...not really, but it seems like it!!! He is the most active little boy that I have ever seen! You have to keep in mind that I am with him all the time; so to me, he is definitely the most active boy I HAVE SEEN! ;) Anyway, he is building his vocabulary immensely! He uses phrases like, "I don't know," "Up mama," "Call Nana"...Yes, I am serious, he will hand me the phone and say, "Call Nana." He likes to hear the voices on the other end of the phone. He laughs and giggles quietly and never says anything back to the person talking to him! It can be frustrating because they want to hear his cute little voice so badly. Other words we are learning include the following: train, cow, sheep, moon (pronounced moan), kitty (unfortunately pronounced titty), and many more that I can't even remember. He calls my dad and mom "nana" and "pawpaw." He calls Seth's dad "Pa" instead of "Pap" and he calls Seth's mom "Momo" instead of Mimi. Last night, Momo and Pa ( :) )came for a visit and as they were pulling out of the driveway, he was waving violently and screaming "bye momo, bye pa." It is super cute. Another thing that he started doing recently is to carry a picture around of my dad holding him as a teeny tiny baby...he gets angry when you take it away!!! He found it in his mama's scrapbooking pile! The child LOVES pictures! We received the Quin family Christmas card today and he is having a hayday with it! He points out Momo and Pa, and he says "maw" for Aunt Molly, and he can point out cousin "lijah" too.. He can point the rest of the family out when I show him everyone.

J is like a little sponge, taking in everything around him. That is good for the most part, until he hangs around our friend Greg, known as "Uncle Hat." Greg teaches him words like "ocean" and such...if only it came out sounding like ocean. Seth and I will look at each other when he uses that word and in panic say, "what did he just say?"

Another thing that J and I work on together when we are at home are his colors. Some days he nails them and other days, he does not! I try to lay out all of his toy balls that are different colors. I then proceed to ask him for the different colors of balls and he brings that particuliar color to me. He likes that game! He is also still a fan of reading. The books of choice right now are "Trains," (thanks Aunt Julie), "The Cow Says Moo," (thanks Momo) and "Goodnight Moon" (thanks me). Oh, and I am going to buy him "Little Einstein" videos now. We watch it on Disney in the mornings and I think he is ready to upgrade from "Baby Einstein" to this one...so are mommy and daddy...VERY READY!!!!!!

We had a good Thanksgiving with both families! I always tell Seth how blessed we are to have TWO families that we get along with so well!!!! My in-laws treat me like a daughter/sister and my parents treat Seth as a son!!! I will say that this Thanksgiving has been a time for me to reflect on so much! I have been following the story of baby Dax. He is from Washington, IL and has leukemia. He is fighting for his life the very moment that I write this. I follow his mom's blogs daily. I get terribly emotional when I read this blog. I sometimes will sit by myself and cry for awhile. You see, he is close to J's age and I put myself in that mommy's shoes. She is such a great mom and she has made me realize what I take for granted in my life. Sometimes, we get caught up in the silly drama of our lives...may it be with family or friends or whatever else. I ,myself, struggle with problems with my sister and have prayed for reconciliation for years. This Dax story has made me realize that there are far worse things in this life. He is a baby fighting for his life and enduring pain that no child should have to bear. I have realized that I shouldn't whine over things that I have no control over. Instead, I should be thankful for what God has given me this year. I pray for Dax Locke and his family several times a day. My heart is full every time I read the latest about him. I am crying right now as I revisit the thought of his mommy saying that she doesn't have much time left with her baby, but she memorizes every inch of him and kisses him over and over again. I pray that God will help me to get rid of my anger and bitterness toward others and focus on the blessings that He has bestowed on our family! You never know what lies ahead...so for now I am doing what Julie Locke writes at the end of her blogs...CHERISHING EVERY MOMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. A special thank-you to one of my besties, Hilary Melick, for taking this beautiful shot of my son! I love you Hil!

You turn around for one second and...

So my son is quickly growing up (actually he turned 17 months today) and he is becoming more and more mischievious. My friend Hilary makes awesome cookies and so I made a batch for my family. Apparently, Josiah loved them very much! I really wasn't paying attention and had forgotten that I left a bag of cookies that I had made for my mom and dad up on our table...totally in reach of my little scavenger. When I finally noticed that he had been really well-behaved and stopped whining, I wondered why. I turned around and there he was, double fisting two cookies out of the bag that he had stolen off the table and opened up. He was all smiles while several cookies were scattered on the floor around him. I couldn't help but laugh...and take a picture. These moments pass so very quickly and I don't want to miss them! Love you cookie monster...

Summer fun!!!!

This has been a crazy, yet fun summer!!! I have loved it so much! Today J, Seth, and I went to the Washington pool with my Aunt Julie and cousins Nate and Emma!!! We had such a great time with them!!! I believe family is SO important and I want to spend as much time with them as I can!!! I always say that in the end, life isn't about money or things or trying to hurt other people, it is about love! I LOVE being with my family and with Seth's family. It is always so refreshing to be in the company of people that know how to love each other! This world is so full of hate and anger and I want my son to spend as much time as he can being with those that truly love him.

Anyway, I am realizing that J may be a little swimmer like daddy, Aunt Molly, and Aunt Bets!!! He loves the water even though he seems frightened initially! He loves to play with water toys and the fountains! He is such a big boy!!! I can't believe how he has grown!!! This is only like the 5th time he has been swimming this summer. My friend Jamie has been so kind in letting us come over there to swim a couple of times. I hate to say it but I have only been to the Princeville pool one time! I love the pool, but don't know that many people that go there! I was able to have a mom's luncheon at my house and have some girls over from the area. I have been so lucky to meet some so many new moms in my area this summer! I was beginning to wonder where they all were!

Hmmm...what else have we been up to? Seth's 29th birthday was July 29th ( I just realized it was his golden birthday) . Most wives give their hubs a card and night out, but I decided I wanted to do a weekend, so Seth and I went with 3 couples to St. Louis for the entire weekend! We enjoyed our time with Greg and Sara, Ryan and Sarah, and Jeremy and Hilary! Each couple is so special to our little family! During our time in St. Louis, the boys did what they love...watched baseball, while the girls did what they love...shopped and got pedicures!!! It was a great time! We also went to the landing later on and had dinner! This was followed by a piano bar and dancing! We felt young again! I am so happy with the way our lives have turned out! Seth and I have such a strong relationship and we have surrounded ourselves with such great friends that have encouraged us so much!

Well, that is all for now! I will leave you a pic of my cousin Emma and J from the pool today!

Should I really even continue????

Well, I haven't done this in awhile...four months to be exact!!! I am so sorry that I haven't kept you up to date on the sweetest little boy out there, but mommy has not been feeling well, so blogs were not on the forefront of my mind. However, I am so sad that I didn't keep up with it because this is how I chart what Josiah is up to and so on. Josiah turned 1 and that was the last you have heard!!! He is now walking and TALKING a lot!!!! I knew he would take after daddy with all of that talking...that is who you think he takes after in the verbal dept, right??? Josiah started walking at 14 months. He had been taking steps before that, but never could walk far distances until 14 months. He is now running and mimics everything we say....okay, so now would be the time to be super careful! He has been saying dog, mama,dada, and choo choo (train) forever now, but he has added a lot to his vocab. He says nana (just did that yesterday when I addressed mom as "nana") and he also said chicken yesterday after I told him to "eat his chicken." He says "sit down" to sasha and says her name as "shisha," which does make mommy a little sad because it reminds me of Trisha. Some day I know she will want to meet this spunky little nephew of hers...I have realized it is not something I can bring into existence...I continue to pray until then. God has given me peace in knowing that I have done all that I can. Anyway, my blog is about my baby, not my sister, so enough about that. Josiah is very social! I work in nursery at church once a month and I get to see it firsthand. He loves to play with the little children in there. He squeals in excitement when he sees "tiny people." I love to watch it. My friend Sarah has a little boy that is 3 months younger than him and I love to watch them together. Last night, I visited their family, and we had both the boys down to thier diapers and they ran around enjoying their freedom! They are soooo adorable!!!! I wish I would have taken a pic of them. I love this child so much and my heart is full of love when I see those chubby cheeks or I hear his little feet running through the house...can't remember life before that...don't think I want to either! Oh, and since last entry, my SIL Molly and her hubs, Ryan welcomed little Elijah Quin Hite. We were thrilled for them. Molly has been so good to me and has always made me feel like a real sister...it was so great to be at the hospital when that little guy arrived! He is SOOOOOO ADORABLE!!! I look forward to our boys getting into mischief together!!! I am sure J will show him how! Okay, so here it is...the latest...I am going to do better! I promise!!

Love to you all!

The Quins

Traci

Oh how I wish I could post my videos on here...I can never get that to work!!! Anyway, today is a HUGE milestone! My baby boy turned 1 year old today and I have a mixture of emotions! I am excited because I can see more and more of who he is going to be as he grows. I am also sad because this past year was a whirlwind and I know this precious time is going to fly by before my eyes.

This one little person has changed my life dramatically...and I have learned that I LOVE that!!!! My day is not complete until I have those chubby little arms around my neck. I love when he only wants to be with me and makes that fact known to me. I love how he dances to silly songs with me in the playroom. I love how he claps/laughs at himself when he does a trick we have taught him. This mother and son bond is more than anything I could have dreamed. Having said all of that, I also realize the responsibility that comes with this little man. I want to raise him well. I want to teach him love, compassion, and honesty. I want him to hurt with those who hurt and truly know life beyond himself. I know I still struggle with those principles as well, but God has never given up on me because I am His child...what a crazy thought!

I have posted some pics from our little party. Josiah was scared out of his mind of the candle on the cupcake...he is definitely not a pyro! Someday I will post a video on here so you can all see "Mr. Personality" or you could all just get a facebook account and see them there...you know who I am talking about ...Mama Q.

Okay, so nothing really new here...I know it seems that I have abandoned this blog, but not a whole lot of new things are going on. J man is still standing a lot. In fact, the other day, he stood up completely on his own without holding on to us first...hasn't done it again though! When he first started standing, daddy and I would clap and holler for him, which made him get completely excited. So now he stands until he knows that we have seen him! We then start the clapping/hollering exercise which prompts more standing, which can wear you down a little! However, I have said it a million times, but it is so true...there is NOTHING like witnessing a little person doing something for his first time! I feel completely blessed!

I also have been having my night time prayers during Josiah's final bottle of the night. By this, I mean that I pray out loud with him. Any hurt or challenge or praise that I have, I pray for with little J man in my arms. I want this baby to know where his mama gets her strength from! I also have been praying a lot for Josiah to be a man of compassion and to love others above himself. My mom and I were in Bergners the other day (community day) and we saw this kid that completely touched our hearts. He worked with severely handicapped kids and had one of them there with him to help him sell community day coupons. He was so great with her! He was the type of kid that had probably just graduated college, but was not out to "get ahead" or measure his life by the amount of money he makes a year. He chose the job he did to make a difference in these special adults/children's lives. I admire kids like that today. After his partner in crime had sold us a coupon, he gave her a high-five and said, "Good job Brianna." That is when my mom and I began to cry. At that moment, I realized that my prayer for little Josiah was not to go out and conquer the world and make as much money as he could, but rather, to make a difference in someone's life and learn how to be a compassionate individual! I came home and shared this account with Seth...tears streaming down my face the entire time. I am thankful that I was at Bergners that day...and I was thankful for that kid that made me realize what our priorities should be to truly make a difference in this world! :)