Snapshots and Memories

There is always so much I can and want to say about my family, but pictures are worth a thousand words, right? 

Feel free to share, comment or just enjoy.

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"-AB

5 Reasons Older Siblings Are The Worst

You may remember my most recent post, "5 Reasons Siblings Are The Best," but all of us who have siblings know that sometimes, they're the worst. Not really the, "I hate you never speak to me again" kind of worst but more of the, "You couldn't be more annoying if you tried" type of worst. From another Buzzfeed inspired post, "The 24 Worst Parts of Having Older Siblings," I thought I'd share a few that resonated most with the Quinn Family experiences.

• Your parents never got your name right on the first try. This is something I know all of my siblings have experienced, primarily from my dad. Whenever he's trying to call someones name it starts with, "Hey Pat!...I mean Dan...no Con-...sorry MATT!" Fair, he's got four sons, sometimes that must be tricky to get them all straight. What's not as forgivable, however, is when he refers to me as "Maddie," my dog, or calls one of my brothers by a name that none of them have, like Kevin, his brother's name. No matter who he's actually trying to speak with, he usually doesn't get it right on the first try.
• You were always the last one to reach any personal milestone. Graduating from college in May? Not so exciting when you're the fifth kid. What is exciting for my parents, however, is the end of the "paying out their ass for college tuition" era.
• Your siblings would never pass up an opportunity to embarrass or annoy you. Oh yeah, this one is for sure. I specifically remember sitting at my kitchen table one evening with my brother Matt and a few of his friends when my brother Pat made up a rumor that I was constipated and told everyone. Pat must have just learned the word and decided it would be HILARIOUS to tell everyone. Not so funny for me. I hid in my room for the remainder of the night and have done my best to black out that memory. Besides now, and I'm sharing it with the internet.
• You were always the one who had to try something first. Have you ever eaten the tail of a shrimp? Probably not, because everyone takes those off. One Christmas, my brothers tricked me into thinking the tail was the most delicious part of the shrimp and encouraged me to eat it. Haven't eaten shrimp since. 
• You always had to be player 2. Video games were a hot topic in our house and usually ended in a fist fight, among my brothers of course. Who was going to play with the best controller and be on the best team always caused a dispute. I, on the other hand, was never encouraged to play because, "video games are for boys."

These are just a few on the long list of why being an only child has it's perks. On the other hand, what's life without a little entertainment and conflict?

What do your siblings do that drives you crazy? Comment and share!

As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"-AB

The Quinn Family Addition

At last, the Quinn Family has expanded and a new generation of Quinn's is upon us. His name is William John Quinn and he was born a whopping 9.5 pounds and 22 inches long. He'll be a linebacker, we've joked. His name comes from William, Abby's father's name, and John, my father's name. I think I finally understand why parents brag about their kids so much. Will isn't even my baby and I want to put his picture up in Times Square and show the world how perfect and amazing and cute my nephew is.

In all of my 21 years, I've never seen my brother as happy as he was than when his son was born. The pride, joy, relief and excitement could be felt throughout the room. Here is Will, the most perfect baby I've ever known.

 My brother Matt, holding his son Will

 Will bonding with his only auntie, me!

I just had to add this-my brother Pat (age 23) sent out this snapchat of the baby...

because we couldn't be THAT mature.

It really doesn't take much for me to cry, so it's no wonder the tears were flowing when I first saw a picture of him and again when I met him in real life. While I am so incredibly grateful Abby and Will are happy and healthy, I can't wait until Dan comes home and we're all a big family again.

I can promise that you won't find better or more loving parents for Will than Matt and Abby and that we already love him more than he'll ever know. So brace yourself, World, another Quinn boy has just entered. 

As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"-AB

The Waiting Game

The phone rang at 2 this morning. "Abby's water broke," my brother told my mom. She hopped out of bed, changed and was out the door in a flash. As a maternity nurse of almost 30 years, there was no chance she was missing the birth of her first grandchild.

But then started the waiting game for me, my dad and brothers. What's happening? Is the baby born? Is Abby okay? Why is this taking so long? We've waited 9 months, so why does today feel like an eternity?

Then came the text at 8 AM. from my mom. "Abby's doing well. 8 cm dilated, hopefully he'll be here within the next few hours."

But the waiting continued. 9 AM, 10 AM, 11 AM. No news. Ugh, "I should do something to take my mind off of this," I told myself. So I worked out, I showered, I ate lunch. Still no news. So I played with the dogs and kept waiting.

And then at 1:57...............


Want to know what happens next? Stay tuned for my next blog post! Any last predictions for names?


As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"-AB

Family Photo Friday!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today is Family Photo Friday, which means another ludicrous photo of the Quinn family. This week features Pat and me when I was about two years old. You might notice a dark area around my right eye, and yes, it is a black eye. My brothers put me on our two year old golden retriever, Katie, and sent me down the driveway on her back. Naturally, that ended exactly how you'd expect-pretty terribly-and I ended up with a black eye and scratch faced. But I rebounded and the moneymaker has remained intact ever since. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger, right?

So here is week 2 of the caption contest; post in the comment section or tweet at me! The most clever will win next weeks!

As always, "Other things may change us, but we start and end with family"-AB