If you’re in the DFW area you should definitely try to make it out to the 4th Annual Etsy Dallas Spring Bash this Saturday! Justin and I have been busy little beavers creating new designs and screenprinting our first paperfingers tshirts and tote bags. We would love to see you there!

The babies modeled some of our kid tees for me the other day. Didn’t they do a good job?

Oliver, Zoey and Quinn’s first birthday was almost TWO MONTHS ago! It was a really beautiful day since spring begins in late February in Texas (don’t get too jealous, winter comes back for about a week in early March, then summer starts by April). Justin took half a day off work and we celebrated a year since we first laid eyes on these littles by going to the Dallas Arboretum and enjoying some sunshine.

March 1, 2012

These are some of the first pictures of our precious ones on March 1, 2011:

Oliver was born first by a whole two minutes, weighing 4 lbs 6 oz. He started off on a breathing tube, but by day 2 he was already on cpap and by the end of the day he was on room air. The nurses couldn’t get over how blonde he was!

Zoey was born next, weighing in at 3 lbs 10 oz. This little one was so beautiful and sweet and quiet unless you wanted to change her diaper and then she proved that there was nothing preemie about her cries.

Quinn is “youngest” by about 45 seconds, and weighed 3 lbs 8 oz. She was the first to hold onto my finger when I got to go see everyone in the NICU for the first time.

Oliver is such a sweet boy who loves to cuddle his mama and play chase with his daddy. He gives big sloppy open mouth kisses and sleeps with his little bottom stuck way up in the air. He loves his sisters and his puppy dog and has a smile on his face if he gets to play with a soccer ball. He will put any and everything in his mouth unless it’s a vegetable and he claps his hands when his daddy comes home from work. He loves to sit with a book and point at the words and pictures and inspect every page…that is, until he starts to eat it. He says mama, dada, baba, dog, duck, banana, cheese, and night night. I’m sure no one would understand any of those words when he says them, but we know what they are.

Zoey has transformed from our quiet, soft-spoken, dainty little newborn girl to a spunky, outgoing, and LOUD one year old. She’s the first to go up to another baby and inspect his pacifier or tug on his ear. As soon as she started to crawl she figured out the proper way to do it on her hands and knees and quickly became the fastest baby in the house and makes a break for the kitchen any chance she gets. This girl’s favorite activity is eating, and pulling up on mom and trying to steal her phone. She’s discovered the thrill of the shriek and will exercise her vocal chords often throughout the day. She always wants to see what’s going on outside and spends a good chunk of her day by the window. She LOVES her doggie so much, she says “dohb!” all day long and looks around the house for her.

Quinn is an independent little lady who is content to cruise the perimeter of the living room all the live-long day while Zoey and Oliver argue over toys. She has a certain fascination with her index finger and points at everything. She also loves to stick her finger in her brother and sister’s mouths, which is not her smartest idea. Quinn has a sweet, infectious smile that she shares with those who have earned it. She loves to give mama puppy dog kisses but is wary of kissing daddy’s scruffy face. She loves drumming and rocking back and forth to music. She also loves shaking her head no.

A year went by insanely fast. I knew it would, but it’s still crazy to think about how much has happened in a year and how incredible these little people are. We’re so thankful that they’re healthy and have grown so well. They didn’t even get any normal sickness worse than a cold in their first year! None of them had to be on antibiotics or even ran a fever higher than 100 degrees. What a blessing! Every day with them is fun, even if it is exhausting at the same time. We love our little family so much and are so excited to see what this next year brings…new experiences, new words, new skills, new understanding. Everything is new, and wonderful!

We started attending Irving Bible Church a few years ago after we moved to Dallas, and there is so much that we love about this church. The community is diverse, loving and welcoming, with a great balance of focus on ministering to the surrounding community as well as international mission efforts. The teaching on Sundays is thought-provoking and theologically sound, and the worship music is beautiful. Its been over a year since we’ve been able to attend regularly due to my time on bed rest and our decision to wait to put the babies in the nursery until they were at least a year old (we were recommended by the NICU staff to keep them out of nursery environments for their first year if possible). So it felt so good being back there and sharing that space with our babies as we dedicated them to the Lord, committing to raise them in a way that brings honor to God.

Our photographer friend Erin Blinn came out and took pictures for us, too. We’re spoiled by all of the talented friends we have!

We sang a few songs first and Quinn LOVED it.

Two parents holding three 11 month olds is a unique challenge.

They don’t quite get the whole “keep your eyes closed during prayer” thing yet.

During the dedication our pastor asked the parents several questions, to which we collectively responded “We will.” Quinn decided that she felt pretty strongly about one of them so she answered herself with an enthusiastic shout and got a big laugh.

Our friend Betsy is on the left. She learned about our little big family from a mutual friend when I was pregnant and even though she had never met us she helped to organize a group of young families at church to pray for us and give us an extremely generous amount of gift cards for restaurants while the babies were in the NICU. She was so sweet to join us in praying for the babies during the dedication. If you’re reading this, Betsy, thank you for all the love you’ve shown our family! You’re in our prayers, too.

After the dedication Erin took some photos of the babes and our family. They’re wonderful, as usual! Here’s a group shot of all our family members who were able to be there. We’re so blessed by them.

I’m not usually a girly girl but I love love love this fluffy pink dress I found for Zoey and love that Erin took this photo of it!

Getting a picture of three 11 month olds is also a unique challenge.

We’re so excited to start going to church as a family soon! Hoping the kids do alright in the nursery. Any tips on helping them feel comfortable are appreciated!

And here’s some info on baby dedications at our church if you’re interested to know more.