Gingerbread House

We have decorated a gingerbread house for the last three years.  It is one of our Christmas traditions!  It usually ends up being Reese and Sage decorating and I end up taking pictures. I had to hunt around the house for more candy.  Need to remember next year to buy more candy as the kits never come with enough!  I got this kit at Kroger and it was the best kit yet!

The finished product!

Christmas cookies with Nana

I didn't make any Christmas cookies this Christmas, so it was Nana to the rescue!   She and Sage had lots of fun making cookies while Nana was visiting.  Sage loved that we had an apron for each of them!  

 

 

Sage and Santa

Our local library has a great Santa and they let you schedule a visit and bring your own camera.  Works for us!  Sage's visit with Santa was the afternoon we came home from the hospital.  Nana and Daddy took her to see Santa.  The library had some Christmas coloring pages out for the kids to do while they waited for Santa and Sage was coloring away!   Then it was her turn to see Santa and she did great! 

Sage meets Quinn!

It was so nice that Nana and Papa stayed home with Sage while we went to the hospital.  She was able to have some time with them before they brought her to the hospital.  We called them with the news that Sage had a little sister!   She was so excited that we had a girl! We sent them a picture and Sage looked at it all the way to the hospital and kept telling Nana that Quinn was beautiful.  They brought me flowers and Sage handed them to me and said "Where's the baby?"   So cute!  She was so good meeting Quinn for the first time.  She immediately wanted to hold her. 

Opening her big sister present from us - a Pandora bracelet with a pumpkin charm.  Reese calls Sage pumpkin so it was a perfect charm to get her and I love that we can add charms to it.

One of the presents from Bev and Tracey!

A present from Nana and Papa!  She loved coming to the hospital she got all these presents!

Papa, Sage and Quinn - he now has another girl to spoil:)

Our two girls - LOVE!

First picture as a family of four!

The only picture of us before we left the hospital.  We were so ready to get home.  Three nights in the hospital was enough. 

Boy vs. Girl

It was so fun to not find out whether we were having a boy or a girl during this pregnancy.  Tracey thought we were having a boy and Bev thought it was a girl.  They came up to the hospital to meet Quinn and I loved that they took the time to come visit us.  They had their husbands take time off of work and be at home with each of their boys.  I am so very lucky to have these Mommas in my life - I truly value their friendship!  As you can see in the pictures below with Tracey in the blue shirt and Bev in the pink shirt.  They were representing each of their teams!  I had Reese take Quinn and he was to hand her off to the Momma who guessed right!   He did a great job and faked them out by going to hand her to Tracey first!  Then ultimately handed her off to Bev!   They came prepared with a boy and a girl present and a present for Sage.  We were totally spoiled!   Love you guys! 

 This is my favorite picture - love that they were so excited to meet Quinn!  

Quinn's arrival

I had a scheduled C-section on Monday, December 9th at 7:30am.  That made for a very early morning as we had to be at the hospital at 5:30am.  We weren't sure if we were going to make it to the scheduled C-section as I started having contractions about a week before.  They were never consistent and I am glad Quinn waited to make her arrival.  Nana and Papa stayed home with Sage and Reese took me to the hospital.  We were in triage when the nurse said to me - "So you're having a girl?" my response was - "We aren't sure what we are having."  As soon as the nurse left the room.  I looked at Reese and he said "So, its a girl?"  Waiting 40 weeks and then having that happen was just a bit disappointing.  After that all went smoothly.  I got into the operating room and was a little nervous.  I kept my anesthesiologist busy with lots of questions - I was nervous so I was very chatty.  They started the surgery and didn't even tell me, probably a good thing!  Quinn was born at 7:53am and she was unhappy to be out and let us hear her lungs.   Reese brought her over to me and it was love at first sight! 

Her first bath, she wasn't happy about it.  

Daddy and Quinn

Aunt Shelley came over - she said a tornado wasn't going to take this away from her.  So glad she came over to be with us! 

Nana and Quinn - we were very lucky that Nana stayed at the hospital with us for two nights. 

More Christmas

I am a little behind on blogging.  Having a newborn will do that to you!  But also having a newborn who likes to party from 12am - 6am and that is my shift.  That complicates everything not just blogging.  Hopefully I will have some time to finish blogging about 2013. 

When Mimi and Pop-Pop were here for Thanksgiving we celebrated Christmas.  Sage was very excited for the presents and even more excited when she opened her American Girl doll.  The doll of the year for 2013 was the Saige doll.  It was meant to be!  Sage loves her new doll!

 Sage got her first Barbie and she loves her too!  We already had to go out and buy more clothes for her Barbie. 

Checking out her American Girl doll!

Newest Family Picture

When we had Quinn's newborn pictures taken we also did family pictures.  It was with a new photographer and we loved her!   She was really good with Sage and with Quinn.  I am excited for her to take pictures of us this fall.  Here is one of the first pictures of us as a family of four!

It's a Girl!

We were so lucky to welcome a second daughter into this world on Monday, December 9th, at 7:53am.  Quinn McDonough arrived weighing 8lbs, 3oz, and was 21 inches long.  She is so loved already and we are all loving having her home.