I actually want to blog...I just don't. I think my last excerpt was in May...YIKES! Let's see, has anything happened since then??? Well...I am now 7 months pregnant so I guess that constitutes a major change in the Quin household!!! Karah Grace Quin is due to arrive at the end of January and we are really excited!!! I guess I should say most of us are excited. J has days where he is really excited about his "baby sista," but other days he gets a little upset. One minute, he shows me all the toys he is going to teach "karwah" to play with and the next minute, he screams as he sees his old room turn into a pink palace. I honestly didn't know he would understand it so well. However, some of our really good friends had a baby girl a couple of months ago and we have explained to him that we will be bringing home a little baby like that...he seems to get it. He is so great with that baby and watching him "pat" her and tell her "it's okay" when she cries makes my heart melt.

Okay, so what has Josiah been up to the past several months??? Learning...learning....learning. His language development is fantastic and Seth and I are so happy to finally know exactly what he wants. He is such a sponge, which is good and bad. We have quickly learned that we now have to filter everything. While we once would call broken items "stupid thing" or maybe a bad driver a "dummy," we now have to watch everything. In fact, we have told him not to say things and when he hears us say them, he says, "don't say that, mommy/daddy!" Sometimes I am not sure who is raising whom.

In July, we took our first big road trip with Josiah. We went down to Nashville to see Aunt Trisha and Uncle Shawn. He did so well with the 8 hour trip both ways. We couldn't believe it! We had a great time and Josiah didn't want to leave. We are hoping to try that journey again when Karah is a little older.

Another big moment for us was watching Josiah as a ring bearer. He and his little cousin Elijah joined forces for their Aunt Betsy's wedding in August!!! They did an amazing job for being so little! The wedding was perfect and we all had such a great time...especially Aunt Molly!:) (that was for you Mols since you are one of the only ones reading this).

This fall, we placed J into a gymnastics class with a couple of his friends and little Elijah. They were so stinkin' cute in it. J was so good at it and loved every minute!

Most recently, we moved J to his new room and set up his "big boy" bed. He did so awesome with it. Potty training on the other hand...it is going to take a little more time. He has gone pee pee twice on the big potty, but doesn't want anything to do with it right now. :( We are hoping it happens soon because we are tired of hearing, "Mommy/daddy, I pooped...change me...right now!" Yes, he is definitely the king of the castle, although power may be shifting in the coming months! I am excited to see our family grow! Miss Karah is kicking me like crazy as I write this.

Oh, parenthood is such a joy to me. I had a bad day at work yesterday. I watched a 16 year old slip away and it shook me to my very core. They allowed family to come in as we tried desperately to keep him here. His young face brought big tears to my eyes. His family was in such pain. It can be so hard not to internalize those moments. It took my co workers and I some time to regroup after that one. All I could think of is Josiah and if that had been him on that bed. My heart crumbled for that beautiful family. It does make you realize that you truly have to cherish every moment because you don't know what is ahead of you. I came home that night and my son ran to me screaming, "mommy, mommy, you're back!" It made me cry all over again. Life is so fragile and even the smallest moments should be treasured. God has blessed me beyond belief with awesome family, friends, and just Him...I am ever so grateful.:)