Four Christmases

or so...

The Gillette family was thoroughly spoiled this year for Christmas. Gifts galore, yes. However, it was the overflow of love that we received from our family and closest friends that will be imprinted in our memory. This love causes me to sit in awe and reflect on the love that Christ has for us, for I can't imagine anything more powerful than the earthly love that we receive.

First Christmas
Our Christmas festivities began on the Washington coast at Pacific Beach with the Gillette/Halligan clan. Our days and nights were filled with laughter, food, games, and relaxation. Oh yah, and some rain. It is so fun for us to see Chloe who is just three months older than Quinn. It's amazing how quickly the babes develop in the first year. Quinn and Chloe are adorable together, and it's fun to just sit and watch them interact and play.


Babes with Grandma Cathy (in their matching shirts that you can't even see)

Our homemade "stockings" (thanks Mariah... anyone who knows my artistic skills knows that I am not capable of such a masterpiece!)

Here's a shot of the matching shirt I mentioned earlier.

Quinn loved the ribbons most of all, and this was a common theme throughout all of our Christmas celebrations.

Liz and Dale

Matt and Lora

Eric and Mariah

Emily and Zach

Card games make me happy!

Beach family Christmas!

Thanks for such a fun weekend Grandma Cathy!

Second Christmas (aka: Christmas Eve with the Hines family)

It was a treat to get to spend Christmas Eve in LaGrande with my mom's side of the family. Nearly every aunt, uncle, and cousin was able to make it this year thus creating quite the crowd. We are certainly a growing family!


Quinn and GGrandma (he wasn't too sure about the train set that he's sitting in the middle of, maybe next time...)



Quinn and Jaxon (He's going to make such a great big brother in a few months!)


My favorite Jaxon quote of the evening was "Her's a good boy." in reference to Lucy who he called "that 'ole leller (translation: Old Yeller) dog" most of the evening. He was such a sweetie. It's crazy to think that the last time we saw him he was Quinn's age. Where does the time go?

Third Christmas (Christmas Day)

Between Quinn's sleep schedule and the kitchen schedule, our Christmas morning turned into more of a Christmas afternoon! We figure this might be one of our last (if not our last) year of sleeping in on Christmas day and so we took advantage of that. Before we know it Quinn will be waking up at the crack of dawn! We enjoyed stockings and gifts and then prepared a Christmas dinner for my Nana and Aunt Diane. It was a pretty low-key day, just how we like it!

I have a series of photos that display Quinn's gift opening skills but will have to post those later. For some reason they will not upload. :(


My handsome little boy

Merry Christmas!

So happy!

Here's a sneak peak of Quinn's gift opening strategies.

Grandpa went to Chicago and brought Quinn back some official gear. He'll have to grow into it!


Apparently Santa thought my eyes were looking a little tired?


Happy Grandpa!


Uncle Ryan (and Grandma, if you look hard)


Daddy and Quinn


He's the center of our world!


Fourth Christmas

Last night we had our fourth and final Christmas celebration of the year with Pat's dad's side of the family. It was a quaint group with Quinn's Papa and Nana, Auntie Lolo and Matt, and Uncle Rich and Liz. We ate more, gifted more, and simply enjoyed each other's company.


Papa

Auntie Katie and Auntie Lolo

Nana

To everyone who has made us feel so loved, thank you. We hope that you had a very Merry Christmas and wish you a very Happy New Year!

Photo Shoot With Daddy

My parents recently purchased a Nikon D5000 (I think that's what it is) and they were generous enough to let Pat and me borrow it for the past month. Pat's been having fun playing around with it, and I have loved having more photos! Here are a few of our December favorites.

Four Years of Marital Bliss!

December 10, 2005

Pat and I celebrated four years of marriage yesterday! People say that marriage takes work, and I suppose they are correct. However, being married to Pat has been pretty easy so far! He is my best friend, he makes me laugh each day, he is always supportive of my goals, and he is thrilled to be giving me the opportunity to stay at home with Quinn. I look forward to continuing to see what our future holds but am focused on enjoying each moment along the way.

This year has obviously been particularly special for us with the birth of Quinn. Seeing the father that Pat is to Quinn has deepened my love for him in a way that words cannot express. Even though his time with Quinn is limited during the week, they have an indescribable bond. Quinn lights up when Pat walks through the door each evening. Pat makes Quinn laugh, plays with him during bath time, and reads to Quinn before bed (in a way that only Pat can, using a variety of his ridiculous voices that entertain us all)!

For our anniversary this year, Pat and I enjoyed our first meal ALONE since Quinn's birth. It was so nice to enjoy a quiet, stress-free lunch together. Thanks for babysitting, Heather!

Happy Anniversary my love!

Thank you for being such a wonderful father and husband!


2006


2007


2008


2009

5 Months!

It's been another exciting month in the Gillette household watching our handsome little man continue to learn and grow!

Quinn got his first taste of rice cereal and first taste of water from a sippy cup. He loves the idea of eating and drinking, but isn't incredibly skilled with the spoon or cup, yet. Good thing he loves to practice!

He has also been more attuned to the animals around him. He loves our animals, tries to "pet" (grab) Lucy, and gets excited every time he sees Jules.

The most exciting development has undoubtedly been Quinn's laughter. He had been giggling already, but this last month he began cracking up! It started in San Jose as he watched Gracie play and as Jamie tickled him with her kisses. There has been nothing more exciting than a happy, laughing baby for Pat and me this month!

New Firsts!

It's been an exciting week in Quinn's life. Not only did he get to drink from his first sippy cup, but on his 5 month birthday, he got his first taste of "solid" food, runny rice cereal. Unfortunately, the video of his first bites won't upload (it must be too long). So, these pictures will have to suffice. He was excited about the idea but not so successful with the actual consumption. We continue to practice each day, and he is slowly getting better. I was dreading starting solids (I think it was me struggling to "let go" a little), but seeing how excited he was makes me excited to keep introducing him to other delicious foods!


"Yummy!" November 22

This inspiration behind the sippy cup was Quinn's constant grabbing at my water bottles. He was pretty excited to have his own cup, but he didn't quite understand how to get the water out. (I actually think that his favorite part was the cold water on his gums.)

November 20

Thankful Reflections

Pat and I have so much to be thankful for this year:
o Our precious son who has expanded our capacity to love and who makes us smile and laugh each day.
o Close family who love Quinn and us dearly. His life will be enriched (and already is) by the plethora of love we receive from our family.
o Friends, who despite where we live, are always thoughtful, supportive and loving.
o A dream job for Pat working for Bungie studios on Halo Reach, a game that he looks forward to playing himself when released.
o A roof over our heads, food on the table, cars to get us from point A to point B, clothes on our bodies, and the many other unnecessary material items that we can afford to enjoy.
o The opportunity for me to stay home and focus on being the best mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend that I can be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Little Buddies

Quinn and I spent last week in San Jose. It was wonderful to spend time with Ritchie and Jamie again and meet baby Maxton. He feels like a feather compared to Quinn, but I'm sure in no time there will be little difference in size between the two boys, especially since Max has been gaining a pound a week lately!



Quinn would much rather look at Max than the camera!



And Max always loves to show that tongue of his!

But aren't they precious?

Thank you for being wonderful hosts, Jamie and Ritchie! We love you!

San Jose Laughter

Quinn and I had a great time in San Jose this past week! We loved spending time with the Lincolns and baby Max, but weren't real successful with the pictures. There are a few that I will post later.

For now I want to share the highlight of my week with Quinn, his laughter! As you can see, he absolutely loved Auntie Jamie and Gracie!

Enjoy!

Baby's First Halloween

Gillette Halloween 2009

Eric and Mariah visited us this year for Quinn's first Halloween. Mariah and I shopped during the day while Pat, Eric, and Eric's brother, Marcus went go-cart racing. We had a fairly untraditional Halloween, but we couldn't miss out on the opportunity to dress Quinn in his first Halloween costume! He was the cutest little monster I've ever seen (in my unbiased opinion)!

Auntie Mariah

Uncle Eric (he preferred his hat on Eric)

Mommy and Quinn

My little monster


By the time Pat got him, it was time for bed.

Happy Halloween!