Julsie's Birthday Celebration

This afternoon we celebrated Julia's birthday with pink cupcakes and sent some balloons to heaven for Julia and her angel friends to play with. Molly also attached a note to her baby sister and I taped my favorite "nose to nose" picture of Molly and Julia on the back with a little note telling Julsie how much we love and miss her.

As with most birthdays... there was a slight change of plans... I left the original balloons in the car after I bought them this morning, and apparently the heat took a toll on the helium, so we had to run to Party City for a second batch of balloons!! It wouldn't be a birthday party without a last minute issue to deal with!! :o)

A great big loving "Thank You" to everyone who brightened our day with notes, comments, emails, cards and gifts in remembrance of our sweet Julia's special day. It means so much to us that so many people remembered our little angel. We love you all very much!

Happy Birthday, Julsie

Today is our sweet Julia's first birthday. I feel very empty and don't really know what to do with myself. Molly's birthdays are always a whirlwind of activity and today I feel like I should be doing more for Julia, but I just don't know what.

When Molly gets home from school we're going to make pink cupcakes and send some pink and purple balloons to heaven. (Molly said she wants to send her sister's favorite color as well as hers.) Maybe we'll go to the park and have a fun family afternoon remembering our sweet angel and how blessed we were to have her in our lives.

I know how lucky we were to have her with us for 80 wonderful days, but I still can't help but feel cheated. I am so thankful that we have our beautiful and healthy boy on the way, but don't know if our family will ever really be complete.

My cousin, Jeremi, is helping me finally create a website for Julia where we can post her pictures and the video that Star made, so hopefully that will give me something positive to focus on this afternoon and the rest of the week. I will be posting that link as soon as the site is up. I am very excited to share the video from Julia's Memorial with everyone.

We love and miss you so much sweet Julsie Mae. I hope you know how anxious I am to see your beautiful face hold you in my arms again one day. I love you my little angel!! I hope you hear us singing to you later this afternoon - how I wish you were here to smile and clap your hands and enjoy some icing.

Today please think of Julia. I am so scared that she will be forgotten. Please say a prayer for her and all of her angel friends and their families left here on earth missing them so much every single day.

Mommy, Daddy and Molly love you so very much sweet girl. I hope you are having a wonderful day in heaven!

Here are some pictures from Julia's 80 wonderful days with us.

Waiting for our sweet girl one year ago today

Julia on her birthday.

(She was medically paralized so that she wouldn't fight the vent)Holding Julia for the first time after she came off the vent!FINALLY home!
Molly was so excited to finally have her baby sister at home!All dressed up and ready for her first doctor's appointmentJulia's pink-themed one month birthdayAll pinked-out!Family picture the day of Julia's BaptismFinally off the oxygen - how I love that sweet face!Julia's Pooh-themed 2 month birthdayFirst smiles and the hint of a giggle!I love this picture of Julia and Daddy

You ask me what I like about Texas...

There's nothing I love about Texas more than spring-time! The wild flowers are absolutely amazing. Taylor found this field and after I saw her pictures, Molly and I headed to Navasota in search of some awesome picture taking opportunities.

As we were heading back to the car a man showed up with two gorgeous dogs. Molly immediately set off chasing them, which is when I captured some of her best smiles!It worked out well since we swapped cameras and took pictures for each other!Molly decided to crash the picture he took with his dogs!

2nd Annual Quin Bunny Bash

On Saturday we had our annual Easter party at the house for all of our friends. We had an overwhelming turn out - over 80 people showed up! We were so excited!! There were at least 40 kids, including the babies, and minus the three injuries during the egg hunt, they all had a great time bouncing, eating, hunting and just being crazy!

The Coker boys Kiera G and his lunch
Miss Avery - beep, beep!
When it was time for the eggs to be hidden we took off on a short walk through the neighborhood with the kids. It started off as an Easter Parade with maracas and kazoos, but quickly turned into a race for some of the more energetic kids, a nature trail for the flower-pickers and a time to whine and cry for those missing their naps. But when we announced it was time to return to the house to hunt eggs, they all took off! I was in the back of the pack, so it cracks me up to see the pictures of the kids running back to the house. We borrowed the neighbors' yards on both sides of our house, and next year I will be sure to dedicate a specific yard to the big kids. They really needed more of a challenge!!!

Everyone getting ready to either hide eggs or take the kids for a walk:
Mark and Camden Molly took a moment to pose for me Mad dash back to the house The hunt is on!

Molly and her buddy from school, AmyTons of toys, egg hunt, play dough table and a bounce house... and she has the most fun with a stinkin' box!Caden had to see if the box was as fun as Molly made it look!Here are a few of the kiddo's who will be enjoying the hunt next year:

Natalie

Adalyn

Harrisonand sweet Hallie
There were several other babies at the party, I just failed to get pictures of them all! Plus two babies on the way this summer!!!

**Just had to add this interesting tidbit to the post... of the kiddos at the party we had 2 Cadens, 2 Marins, 2 Jacksons, 2 Averys, 2 Andrews, 2 Camerons and 3 Abbys!**