We are still working on getting Franklin to walk on his own. He still lacks the self confidence, however my brother sent Franklin a pair of shoes that his son, Ian, wore, and loved. Ian was fearess, and invincable in those shoes. It must be the shoes because Once I got them on properly Franklin wanted to walk all over the place. Yes, he was still holding a finger, but he wasn't using me for support. My finger was below his shoulders, and in a way he was pulling me along because he wanted to walk further ahead of me. Christian, thanks for the shoes!!





We have been getting these coupons to go to Sears Portrait Studio and finally I saw a deal that I didn't want to miss. Last week I made the appointment for Monday, and was very eager to get professional pictures of just Franklin. Monday morning Franklin woke up with a runny nose, go figure. We believe its just teething, but still it put a damper on things. He was tired all morning. So he took an extra nap in the morning, and after that nap he lounged around watching "Play with me Sesame" his favorite show. Then he took a late nap in the afternoon. Stephen had sometime between appointments to come with us to the studio. We allowed Franklin to sleep right up until we had to go. Bad idea. He was cranky and crabby the whole time. We've rescheduled for Friday so we'll see how that goes.

On Friday last week Franklin woke up in the middle of the night; it was close to the 2 o'clock hour. We don't turn on his monitor anymore, and haven't for a few months. However I heard him, and instantly had the thought that Stephen should go check on him instead of me. Stephen is impossible to wake so I gave up and went in myself. He had been crying so much, and so hard that it took a little while to calm him down, but I continued to rock with him, and I sang to him (once I did he stopped crying entirely). I realized he was awake enough that I couldn't just put him back in his crib without him crying so he needed a bottle, however I couldn't take him out of his room or that would wake him even more; he's just like his mother. I went and got Stephen, making him get up so that he'd get the bottle. He didn't actually hear me say bottle so he came in the nursery to ask what I wanted.

Franklin saw his daddy and from that moment on he wouldn't stop crying till Stephen came back in the room. Here I spent 30 minutes with him, comforting, and calming him, and the instant he sees his dad it all meant nothing to him. That broke my heart, and I couldn't go back to sleep once we put him back down. Stephen stayed up with me for a little while listening to me. Finally we were able to both go back to sleep, but all Saturday I was still heartbroken. Franklin is such a daddy's boy!

To suffice till I write my next blog

1. Where is your cell phone? on the desk

2. Your significant other? In Orem on his last call for the day, it better be

3. Your hair? Still air drying, let down, curly with a head band/ribbon thingie

4. Your mother? if you're asking where, she's in Sierra Vista, AZ either in her classroom, or at home, I need to give her a call anyway

5. Your father? My bet is that he's still at his office making some calls. (In S.V. AZ)

6. Your favorite thing? jiggling Franklins chin when he's making a noise, it sounds hilarious!!

7. Your dream last night? I don't remember all the details but I know my friend Jessica Tilton was in it, and it was raining outside so it was a little dark.

8. Your favorite drink? Pibb, and lucky me it is sold EVERY WHERE in Utah! It was impossible to find in AZ. Aside from that, water.

9. Your dream/goal? to get to the weight I was when Stephen and I got married

10. The room you’re in? living room

11. Your hobby? if a hobby is something you do in your own time, then it's cooking a cleaning. Otherwise I love baths and reading.

12. Your fear? not going to share, sorry

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? In our own home but here in Springville still.

14. What you’re not? a guy, I'm definitely not a guy

15. Muffins? Bran with Chocolate Chips. Oh so yummy and great to help regulate

16. One of your wish list items? a fuel efficient Large car or small SUV

17. Where you grew up? I'll say Sierra Vista since that's where I lived the longest even though most of childhood was spent in several different places.

18. The last thing you did? put different clothes on Franklin

19. What are you wearing? A blouse with a lace-ish tank underneath, and capris

20. Favorite gadget? probably our camera, it's cool discovering the different things it does, and it's way smaller than our last one

21. Your pets? Osgood a.k.a. Fatty, and Rizzo or Franklin calls him Izzzisszz

22. Your computer? needs to be replaced

23.Your mood? I have a head ache

24. Missing someone? Inga and Janiel.

25.Your car? A Toyota Tundra. I love it, but it's our only vehicle, so I stay home a lot just to save our gas

26. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes. I love not having my warts anymore, so I don't have to wear my slippers all the time anymore

27. Favorite store? Sam's Club

28. Like someone? Stephen, of course I love him, but it's still good to like him too.

29. Your favorite color? red, if you want to be specific, auburn. Fortunately for me I wear it everyday!

30. When is the last time you laughed? earlier today. Franklin frustrated me at the photo studio, so I'm still a little upset that it didn't work out. Luckily they allowed us to reschedule. Next time it'll be later in the day so he won't have just got up from a nap.

31.Last time you cried? About a week ago Franklin didn't want me, he wanted Stephen and it broke my heart. I won't go into details now

I tag no one. Do it if you want, or don't.

Caught in my Pajamas

Heidi totally caught me. It is past 10:00 in the morning and yes, I am still in my pj's.

10 years ago:
I was in my junior year at Buena High School in Sierra Vista, AZ. I had just started my first job at DEB in "The Mall at Sierra Vista" (seriously, that is a stupid name for a mall. The Show Band played at the grand opening, so we had to stay for the whole speech. When they introduced the man who was responsible for choosing the name we all looked at each other and agreed, he was going down.)

5 years ago:
I had my eye on this really hot guy that stood in front of me a lot in marching band, playing the trumpet. I was Drum Major of the marching band at Eastern Arizona College at the time.

5 months ago:
Getting through the slow months at Stephen's job. (seriously there was nothing memorable, or eventful at that time) I just remembered, I started blogging at that time! Yay for blogs!!

5 Things to do today:
Yoga/workout
shower
laundry
wash bottles/sippy cups
continue to collect and edit photos

5 Bad habits:
biting my nails when they are cracked or broken
staying in my pj's far longer than I should, but its so comfy!
Staying up insanely late (I'm an insomniac)
finger combing my hair and leaving it, usually for Franklin to find
playing with my one really sharp, crooked tooth on the bottom. (Because I constantly play with it I have a sore on my lower lip. I need to get that tooth filed, and I need a retainer)

5 places I have lived:
Thatcher, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Silver City, NM
Sierra Vista, AZ
Springville, UT
(these are all places I have lived since I've been married, and we've been married for over 4 years, luckily we have found a place we are going to stay!!)

5 people I tag:
I'm not going to tag just 5, I'm going to tag all of you who are on the computer to kill time, or because you don't know what else you want to do at this very moment.
~ You know who you are, don't deny it. I confessed to still being in my pjs.

See videos below

Its Monday and that means a new blog. You may want to check the videos at the bottom of our blog to see what Franklin has been up to lately. I've changed the blog so that only two show up at a time so that its easier to scroll down to the bottom where we have the videos at all times.

Next week is officially Fall, and by golly I am ready. I'm so amazed at how quickly the time flies when I'm not at school to see it go. I'm so used to time flying when I'm in school, but not when I'm at home with Franklin. I can see how much he changes every day. Yesterday he started putting things in his mouth and then crawling around with them there. Our primary kids thought it was funny, and so did I. He's been putting lots of things in his mouth, and I just assume its to help alleviate the pain of teething. He currently has 5 teeth though they may not all be completely out. There is one more about to cut as well. In this picture he has one of my socks in his mouth.

Stephen's job is on the verge of getting really busy again. Now that Fall is just around the corner there are people who are already turning on their furnace. I'm still opening the windows all day long to cool things off down here. It has been getting up to the low 80's and high 70's here, and I think that's perfect. However I know not all people are like us and need their heat.

multi-tasking

I've been trying to stay on task so that every Monday there would be a new blog about the Utah Quinn's, but I've put a task in front of me that's taking up so much of my time. If you click on the title you'll see what a big undertaking I've been busy with. I've taken it upon myself to direct the first LaVor and Vernelle Reed family reunion. It's not till Christmas 2009 but there's so much to be done, and so many little things I want to have for it that I've already begun. My current task is putting together a slide show. The end result is a 2 - 5 minute slide show, but so far I have spent 2 entire weeks (and still no where near done) putting pictures together; taken from some of my cousins websites, some from my own computer, and from my personal stash of pictures and I have to scan each one to my computer. We have recently discovered that our computer cannot keep up with me, nor do everything I've been needing it to. Needless to say we are in the market for a new computer, but probably won't get it till December.

I've spent so much time doing this that I haven't given my 100% attention to Franklin, who by the way has become more comical than ever. Last Saturday we were driving back home from a grocery run and it was time for him to eat. Stephen sat in the back to feed him, and suddenly Franklin gets delirious. He is cracking up about nothing. He's squealing, and then laughing hysterically. I started to laugh because he was so funny, and of course he starts laughing harder. Quickly I called my mom because I thought she'd get a kick out of his laughing fit. The very next day, Sunday, he did it again! He's done it 3 times this week. He's just like his mommy, getting dilirious and he totally laughs like his Aunt Inga. (Can't wait for the two of them to finally meet!)

He also loves to play "Where's Rizzo?". He knows exactly who Rizzo is, and he knows that Osgood isn't Rizzo, but that Osgood is a kitty, and Rizzo is a kitty. Yesterday I was trying to divert his attention from what he was doing (he loves to slobber on my cell phone) and said "where's Rizzo?" Rizzo was laying on the top of the couch but Franklin decided to look in the opposite direction. He saw Osgood, and then started to get a little mad. He headed for the hall looking for Rizzo, but it was in vain. So seeing that this could escalate I brought Franklin back in, and I tried to show him where Rizzo was. When he noticed Rizzo, but started to come to me instead I asked "where's Rizzo?" again and he got all excited because now he knew where Rizzo was, and started to climb onto the couch to get to him.

I'm not entirely sure yet, but I think Franklin's first word is Rizzo. Of course he doesn't actually say Rizzo, but he does say "IssszzIsssz". Sometimes he'll keep throwing in a few more Isszzes but I'm still testing him. He does say Dad or Dadda and Mamma or Mom mom momm, but so far is doesn't seem to be completely on purpose. He still copies my unusual hiccups or little squeals, and whatever noises the cats make. He's realized that it makes us react so he's learned to play to the crowd. He is also a very huge little boy. I'll have to get exact measurements from his next appointment but right now he's just barely over 25 lbs. and is 32 1/4". He's a really heavy boy, and I'm over anxious for him to walk. Till then he's my lifting weights.

Getting into everything

Franklin is a very busy little person. Though he is only moments from walking on his own, he is very content to jet crawl after anything and everything he wants. He loves his kitties, popcorn, open cupboards, books and magazines (have to make sure it's a book he can't tear apart, or that we don't care if he does) and anything that his mommy happens to have. (regaurdless if he actually would want it if I wasn't holding, or using whatever he may want). He always wants to eat what we have on our plates, even if we've let him taste it and he hates it. He still wants it. So occassionally I make something I know he'd actually eat on his own. So far we know he likes spagetti, pizza, soups, and some mexican food, however he hates the baby food version of dinners, all dinners. Can't blame him, I've tried to get him to eat it by me taking a bite of his food and I hate it too, the fruit and veggies are fine thank goodness. He also loves to pretend he's chewing on something if we are; for example, gum. You should see him eat popcorn, it's actually very funny. He's obsessed with it. It can't run out before he's finished eating it.

In some of the pictures in our Picasa album (click on this entry's title for the link) Franklin is persuing Rizzo in a box. Rizzo loves boxes, and Franklin loves Rizzo. Franklin will bring a toy to Rizzo and Rizzo will bring a toy to Franklin. Those two can play all day, and I imagine they literally will when Franklin no longer needs 2 naps a day. It's such a huge relief that our cats no longer have their front claws. Franklin likes Osgood too, but Osgood doesn't always like Franklin. Sometimes he hisses at him, and usually Franklin will laugh. He still imitates their meows, and often laughs at them for any reason at all. The video at the end of the album is of Franklin and Rizzo playing. You can tell Franklin is partically distracted by the tv, which is muted.

I LOVE Springville. If anyone wants to experience why we love it here so much you should come visit us this fall (or perhaps if you want to go to conference, come see us during your visit). It was fantastic to go outside the other day and you feel and smell that Fall is just days away. Just in case you don't know Fall is my absolute favorite season. We've jumped the gun a little and already put up some Fall and Halloween decorations. Up here everyone goes all out for Halloween; the entire town really gets into it, and the city has something just for the kids. We're going to take Franklin to it. I'm hoping that Franklin finally gets up his nerve to walk before then so I won't have to carry him everywhere. He has taken one step on 3 different occassions all by himself, he just lacks the confidence to do more; plus we have to trick him into it. I also can picture in my mind Franklin trick or treating (we already know what he'll be) and I see him taking things out of his bucket and then once it's empty, putting it all back in, at every door we stop at.

For our Labor Day we put up the tent in our living room, and camped indoors. It rained from Sunday to Tuesday. Franklin thoroughly enjoyed the tent and air mattress. He thought it was more fun than the cats. The only thing better was Rizzo playing in the tent too! Franklin was in heaven! They were hilarious!! Oh, and I wanted to let you know you can leave comments on our blog even if you don't have an account. We'd love to hear from all of you who stop by and check out whats going on in our family.