NO APRIL FOOLING...

GUESS WHAT??


WE HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU...










IT'S A SURPRISE...


1, 2, 3, 4...










5!! WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!









Wow, what a fun day this has been! God is so good, and I know he gave us laughter for a reason! He also gave us wonderful friends and family who, while probably think we are completely insane, love and support us through everything.

I'm very early on, so prayers for a safe first trimester and continued pregnancy are much appreciated. We only told today because Kelly couldn't pass up the opportunity to mess with people on April Fool's Day! LOL, and boy did it work! Don't believe me, just go to my Facebook page! ;)

We have decided to cancel the trip to Colorado. Though not the main reason, we decided morning sickness on a 1,600-mile roadtrip is more than either of us want to handle! Hopefully some day...but we know there are tons of great things ahead for the coming year!

Caleb is very excited. He told everyone today he is FINALLY going to be the big brother, and he's going to learn to ride his bike without training wheels this week to prove it! :)

Canon was happy, too. He has asked me 100 times today when the baby will come, what will it be, where will it sleep, does he have to change diapers, will I hurt too much, and many, many, many more! I'm just glad he's curious and pleased!

Chloe is going crazy! She is so ecstatic, she can hardly think of anything else. She, of course, asked God tonight that it be a baby sister...then said, "Better yet, Jesus, TWIN girls would be great!" I just rolled my eyes, but I've always told her to pray her heart's desire...so I guess it's my fault, there! :)

Connor is... well...a preteen boy with a mind of his own. Right after we told them, he said he wasn't mad, or sad, but a little confused. I know he is happy, deep down, but he did tell his Aunt Ariel that we didn't even ask him if he wanted another brother or sister...needless to say, Aunt Ariel reminded him that it wasn't his call! :) He did get animated when we started discussing names and of course, when they started debating whether we "needed" a boy or a girl! I have no worries that he will be amazing with the little one once he/she arrives...but I do hope to see his little heart soften quickly.

So that has been the excitement for the week in the Quinn household. Hoping you and yours are feeling as Kelly and I are right now... and that is Abundantly Blessed!!

TOS Review: Amazing Animals By Design

Amazing Animals By Design, written by Debra Haagen, is a new children's book that introduces Intelligent Design to your younger children. The story is about two kids, John and Sarah, who love to visit their local zoo, but are a little confused about a word that keeps being used by the grown ups around them: design. With the help of their parents, they learn wonderful information about the animals that God created - and better yet, about the Creator Himself.





I believe Intelligent Design is an important foundation in the Christian worldview. Introducing our children to great books that support our worldview at an early age is difficult, frankly because there just aren't many out there. Debra's book eases you into these conversations as easy as if you were strolling through the zoo with them yourself.

Debra Haagen is a military wife, a homeschool mom, a blogger and now a children's author. Amazing Animals By Design is Debra's first published book, and I was thrilled to be one of the first to read it in PDF format. The book's official release date is April 3, but you can pre-order the book directly from Tate Publishing. Even though I have it in PDF format on my computer, I WILL be buying it for my bookshelf. For $8.99, it's worth having two copies in our home! I truly hope this is just the first of many books from Debra, because I am already a fan! :)

**Don't just take my word for it! Check out some of my fellow TOS Crew Members' reviews HERE.

***Disclaimer: I received this product via TOS Homeschool Crew in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review; all opinions stated are mine or my children's.

Catching Up

Just thought I'd post that I AM alive and kicking....sorry for the massive break in blogging - I've just been so overwhelmed with the schedule, that finding time to write something that wasn't critical (ie:reviews for TOS) has been next to impossible! I've sat down two or three times after midnight this past week to try and write something, and I'd just stare at the screen. Nothing. Blank. Zilch. NO IDEAS WHATSOEVER! How many of you know me? Most, I'm assuming. So you all know how rare it is to find me with ABSOLUTELY nothing to say! I admit, I am still having a hard time believing it myself... ;)



Life is normal around the Quinn home...which is to say, there are not nearly enough days in the week to get all I need to do accomplished! But still, we are loving life and praising the One who makes this journey so worth it. We've had some amazing time with family this last month. My cousin April and her kids came and spent a week with us. We had a great birthday celebration for Caleb's big day (I'm still trying to process that my baby is four!). We took a mini vacation to Kansas City - thanks to Kelly's work! And we have had spring break from co-op this week - woohoo! As much as I love my LCA family, it was so nice to have a day to not be rushing around and getting into my frame of mind that is necessary to wrangle 110 5 to 12-year-olds! :D

Lots coming up, too. My birthday is Wednesday. Band and Orchestra contests are a week from tomorrow...prayers needed there! Easter is just around the corner, and I want so much to focus on my Savior's sacrifice and resurrection with the kids - as well as privately. The kids' musical is May 3 - and they all have big parts this year. :) And we are working on our Colorado vacation plans for mid-May. The list could go on...and on...

This year has already been so packed with blessings, I can hardly believe March is coming to an end. Where does the time go? I hate to sound cliche, or worse, like my mother, but REALLY - it blows me away how quickly the years are flying by! I find myself tired and overloaded, cranky with the kids, and frustrated for not accomplishing what I expected to. But then I realize we have 9 weeks left of the school year, and I can hardly believe it. The cloce just won't slow down, no matter how much I want it to.

So tonight, I just want to take a moment and breathe...breathe in the silence of my home while my babies are sleeping just feet from me...listen to the much needed rain on our porch...focus on this moment...because it, too, will be gone in an instant. I NEED to remember this moment. God has given me so much. I miss a lot of what He's given me because of the hectic schedule I've allowed into our lives. It's my job to set boundaries, to protect our family time, to keep the main thing the main thing. I want to do that better. I will do that better.

SO...now I'm getting off here. I'm going to go look at my sleeping babies and thank God for those flesh-wrapped miracles He gave me...and ask for the patience and wisdom and all the love He has for me to pour out on them. Because I only have so much time before my job will be done and they won't be here driving me crazy. They won't want to cuddle with me on the couch and read 22 books - or one book 22 times. And regardless of how silly it sounds, I KNOW - without a doubt - that I'll want this moment back. For this moment, time will slow down.