Chuck E Cheese

The holidays were really busy with the business- deliveries and pick-ups all week and weekend long. When we finally had a slow down and had a day where the whole family was home, we went out for some fun. The boys love Chuck E Cheese. They both love to play ski ball, basketball, and air hockey. It was a great time and it was nice to have some time set aside just for each other.

Prego Mama

So- this pregnancy has not been very kind to mama! I feel like I have been sick since the week after finding out we were pregnant. First I had the flu- I thought it was morning sickness- as I threw up at the park (Thank God we were the only ones there!) but once the chills set in, I knew. Then, that went into a cold that I have had since the day after Christmas- yep! I still have it. On top of all of the illness I have also had horrible morning (all day) sickness and have had no energy. I feel like all I do is sleep, cough, puke and sleep some more! I am so thankful Arlene was here to get us through the holidays and now my mom is back from her vacation and helping out tremendously with the boys and around my house and with the business. I am so lucky that she lives near by now. So, I am starting to show a bit and can pretty much only wear pants with elastic waist bands and hoodies so I don't look like a fatty with a bulging belly. I hate this in-between stage. Oh- I also went to see "7 pounds" the other day... BAD movie for a pregnant emotional lady. I cried from the moment I figured the movie out- which was about 30 minutes into it. I was exhausted and had huge swollen eyes leaving the theater. But, really it was a great movie! Will Smith was awesome. Great movie for non-pregos! So, there you have my gripe session... I really am happy that we are having another baby and usually enjoy the whole pregnancy thing... this baby has just been tough! I know what your thinking... maybe that means it's a girl... I am not getting my hopes up. We have about 10 more weeks before they can tell us what we are having. Gotta go... I'm off to rest!

Baby #3

We had our first ultrasound yesterday and the doctor determined our due date to be August 7, 2009. It was funny, because the lady referred to the baby as a "gummy bear". I never thought of it that way but at this stage it really does look like a squishy little gummy bear. The boys are getting excited and know what is going on now. They are both hoping it is a sister... Austin is really excited that the baby might be born on cousin Ryan's birthday! I would post pictures, but they are not that great- just imagine a blurry black and white image of a gummy gear- now it's almost as though you have seen the picture!

Christmas Cheer

Christmas was great this year! The boys were absolutely adorable- really getting the whole thing this year. Nathan told Drea on the phone- "Santa came... there's present EVERYWHERE... everywhere!" Pretty cute. It was also really nice to spend Christmas at home this year- our first ever! Plus, we had Grandmas here- which was a real treat. She is such a work-aholic and worked with Brandon to install a new kitchen sink and file out the top layer of all of my kitchen grout to get the dirt that was sealed in by the previous dirty owners. LOTS of work! I am so grateful- everything looks great! Plus, while she was here she played with the boys, cooked, cleaned- even did all of the laundry for the week. It was a real treat for me and the boys loved the visit too! Thank you Grandma!

Santa Claus is coming to town

Austin's preschool had a little breakfast with Santa today for all of the classes. During the breakfast Santa walked around and chatted with the kids. Afterwards, we waited to get our pictures taken. Both boys were excited and no tears from them... although there were quite a few other kids who screamed and cried. I got very sad when the "Santa's" grandchild came up and didn't even recognize him- reminds me of our own Santa who we lost last Christmas. Papa loved to dress up as Santa and fool the grandkids. We miss you... woo didn't intend for this post to go that way. But, this is going to be a tough first Christmas without him.

The things Nathan says...

This week Nathan has had a few memorable quotes...

We were driving and my mom says "Nathan aren't the mountains pretty with all of the snow?" Nathan's reply..."No, Mommy is pretty." Ahhh, melt my heart! Then I was combing his hair for the day and Nathan says, "I need mirror." So, he steps up on his stool in the bathroom and peeks into the mirror and says, "I cute, I so cute." Yes, you are baby!

Snow Day!

The last few days have been icy cold. It snowed on Monday but melted as soon as it touched anything. Today though was a different story. It was snowing for several hours today and began to stick outside- we didn't get blankets but it's still been a pretty cool day!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

Drea came for a visit this past weekend and whenever she visits it makes me miss her even more when she is gone. Because her visit was so close to Thanksgiving we postponed our big family meal... yum, was it worth the wait?! The boys had a great time visiting with their Aunt Drea and wished she didn't have to leave. We love you Drea and hope you can come back soon!

Christmas is coming

Every year the kids get bigger and Christmas gets more fun. Austin is having so much fun in pre-school making ornaments and "surprises" for us. Nathan keeps asking, "Where's Tanta?" I must say that tree decorating was a lot of fun this year, since both of the boys participated. The tree had a lot of ornaments on the bottom rows, but they have slowly been moved around and are starting to look more even. I must say that our "big" 6 1/2 foot tree looked much bigger last year. This new house makes it look midget size... Can't wait to hit the after Christmas sales to try and pick a big one up- and of course that means more ornaments... yeah! I love Christmas decorations. Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!

Good news!

We just wanted to share with our friends and family that the Quaid's are expecting another Quaid. Yes, we are just as shocked as you are! We are just barely pregnant and don't even know a due date yet, but we couldn't keep the good news to ourselves. We will keep you all posted as we find out the details... and yes, we will let you know if the baby is expected to be a boy or a girl. I know everybody is hoping for a girl but this time I am ready for when they tell me it is a boy... we have a pretty strong family track record!

Look Who's 30!

Wow! This month has been cRaZy! Of course, we were in Phoenix for the Dunn Wedding on the 8th. We drove home on Sunday, the 9th- my actual birthday- and surprisingly Brandon and my mom had orchestrated my first ever surprise party. I was so caught off guard- as you can tell by my outfit...

But we had a great time with our friends. And it made for a wonderful birthday.

Then we drove back to Phoenix on Wednesday, the 12th to leave the boys with Grandma Arlene and fly to Hawaii early on the morning of the 13th. This was my first trip away from the boys for more than a day or two. I really missed them alot! But, I had a great time and would not have been able to things we did with 2 young boys in tow. Speaking of things that we did... We stayed on Oahu at Waikiki Beach. We were able to get to Haunama Bay to snorkel- the most beautiful picturesque location we went to.

We also rented a car and drove to North Shore for the day. I didn't get to the beach- although Brandon and the rest of the group went on to the beach where the waves were 10-12 feet high (They were up to 30 feet high the day before!). While the others were at the beach I was able to catch up with April- a dear friend from my childhood and church. I visited with her and her husband and their two beautiful boys at their favorite Mexican restaurant- Cholos. April clued us in on a short hike to a waterfall, which we all went to together.

Back in Waikiki we also rented surfboard paddleboards and hung out on the beach, we rented mopeds and cruised the coastal byway (We found out later that double riding on a moped is illegal in Hawaii... oops!), we also had an opportunity to parasail. In between the activities we hung out on the beach and soaked in all of the waves and sun possible.

Before we knew it, it was time to return to reality and leave our little paradise. We swore to each other that we would get back someday when the boys get bigger. A few thoughts to sum up turning 30- I know many people dread the big 3-0 but I embrace this number... I finally feel like I know who I really am and what I really want. I can appreciate the sacrifices my mom has made to help me become the woman that I am. I realize that friends and family are what matter most and I strive to keep them close to my heart.

Thank you to Grandma Arlene for taking care of our boys and allowing us the opportunity to enjoy being Brandon and Raquel- don't get me wrong we love being Mommy and Daddy but it was nice to enjoy each other for a while.

Thank you to Grandma RaRa for running the business and doing the numerous deliveries and pick-ups, as well as taking care of our house and two pets that come with it.

Happy Birthday to me! I love you all...

The Newlyweds

This weekend we went to Phoenix for a long awaited wedding. Josh and Paige have been dating since Brandon and I were a new couple. I remember Josh wanting to ask Paige out when he was 16 and everyone gave him a tough time because Paige was only 13. Can you believe it? It was a beautiful wedding and of course Paige was an elegant bride. Brandon and I had a great time and thank the Dunn's for a lovely evening.

Turkey day is coming

Now that Halloween is over I can't wait for Thanksgiving. I get so irritated that the stores start playing Christmas music the day after Halloween. I know there is not Thanksgiving music to play, but atleast make the turkey display bigger than the lights and trees. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas too, but can't Thanksgiving have it's glory too! Turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, Lee's baked beans, rolls, Arlene's pumpkin roll or cheesecake, mmmm I can't wait. Plus, Drea is coming! Love ya sis and can't wait....

Trick or Treat

Every year the holidays get more fun as the boys get bigger and understand them. Halloween was a blast this year. Both boys decided on their costumes weeks ahead of time and could not wait to dress up. It was alot of fun making their unusual requested costumes, but I know the day will come too soon when they won't need me for those kind of things because they will be one of those teenagers who thinks carrying a pillow case is a costume.

A Visit

Grandma, Aunt Carin, and Cousins Christopher and Ryan came for a visit. We had a great time hanging out, filling up at the M&M factory, and twirling about at Circus Circus. We even celebrated the twins birthday! And of course, no Petek vacation would be complete without a project- So up with the garage cabinets! What a super time...

Nathan's Favorite Shoes

Nathan's new thing is to follow me into the closet when I get dressed- where he also gets dressed!
Cutie pie!
Heels and a ball... I'm a man!

Austin can speak Spanish!

So, apparently Austin is teaching himself Spanish! We were at dinner tonight at our favorite mexican food restaurant, where the server always throws out broken Spanish and English combos- "Do you boys want pollo tenders?" "Give me cinco!" etc.. So tonight Austin turns to the man and says "Cinco!" So the man gives him five and goes about his business. Later Austin turns to me and says, "I know how to say hi-5 in Spanish." "Oh really!" "Yeah- hola cinco." I guess that does say hi-5!

Woo! It's been a while...

I guess we have been a little busy lately... I haven't even had time to post! I did want to share some pics of the boys bowling this week. They love it! Austin is even starting to hold the ball with his fingers in the holes. I'll go through the pics and see what else we have been up to... It's all a blur!

Fingerpaint Picasso's

The boys created art for their new rooms this week. They had a lot of fun and the results are pretty cute. Next time I think I will limit the amount of colors they can choose from- because in the end they mixed them all together and their pictures came out very brown. Although, if you ask them Austin will tell you his is a roller coaster, a traffic light and a flower and Nathan will tell you his is bowling.

1st Day of Preschool 2008

So, Austin started pre-school on Wednesday. He is going to the same school he went to last year but he has a new teacher and is in the "4 year old" class now. He goes 3 days a week for a little over 2 hours. I thought that we would be able to jump right back into the routine. But, he was very sad when it was time to leave and even chased me out the door with a river of tears. Hopefully Friday will be better.