The Q Family Blog » Birthday

Happy 5th Birthday to Jake!

Joel — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:18 +0000

Five years ago, Jake entered our world and forever changed our lives. And although it’s only been five years, it’s sometimes hard to remember what our life was like before his arrival. One thing is for sure… there were definitely less toys laying around the house.

I enjoy playing with Jake, but I also enjoy watching him play. It reminds me of what it was like to be a child; the times spent playing with toy cars, or kicking the ball outside, blissfully unaware of the daily stress experienced by parents as they work to provide for their children. I watch him play and I sometimes find myself selfishly wishing he would stay a little boy; spending the rest of his days joyfully playing, completely innocent and unaware of life’s harsh realities.

The truth is he’s growing up, and we’re growing older. Today he’s 5, before we know it he’ll be 10, and soon thereafter he’ll enter the awkward teenage years where the grandparents are finally avenged. Yeah, I’m a bit worried about that.

For my part I plan to do what my father did with me and pass on the experiences he passed down to me, as well as the new ones I’ve obtained through my personal journey. As parents, I feel that’s one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.

Happy birthday Jacob! Mommy and Daddy love you!

Jake under 1 year (2005)

Jake at 1 year old (2006)

Jake at 2 years old (2007)

Jake at 3 years old (2008)

Jake at 4 years old (2009)

Jake and Sophia’s Birthday Party

Joel — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:00:55 +0000

This past Saturday we celebrated Jacob and Sophia’s birthdays (Sophia is Jake’s cousin). They’re birthdays are only one day apart and Jake is just a year older than Sophie, so this one was birthday #5 for Jake and #4 for Sophie.

Continuing with the themed birthday parties we’ve been doing for them, this year the theme was cowboy/cowgirl. The planning for this one goes back to October/November of last year. In fact, Jamie had purchased some western themed items, including a cowboy costume for Jake, prior to her leaving for Tampa. My nieces Amy and Alyssa (Amy is Sophie’s mom) really worked hard and frankly, outdid themselves with this one.

Jake had been counting down the days to this party and I heard some of the boys in his class were doing the same. They all had an absolute BLAST! We invited the boys from his class and Sophie invited the girls from hers. The weather was a little windy, but the sun was shining and the temperature was just right.

The girls had planned some fun activities for the kids with the potato sack race and gold rush being the most popular. Speaking of potato sack races… CHEATERS NEVER WIN! This is a lesson Jake learned when he ran instead of hop during the race. ….and it’s all captured on video for ever more.

After the party, we took turns riding the strangest contraption. Apparently, one of my niece’s coworkers heard we were having a western themed party, and insisted we borrow the…, well for a lack of a better work, horse bike?? Just check out the photos below and you’ll see what I mean. It was an interesting ride and great fun. So much so, we were able to get the grandparents to take it for a spin.

Overall, a very enjoyable day. Many thanks to Amy, Alyssa, and the entire Borges clan for putting it together. Alyssa was kind enough to record the event with my video camera so Jamie wouldn’t miss out. You can find the 25 minute video from the party below.

[See post to watch Flash video]

Happy Birthday Joshua!!

Joel — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:12:14 +0000

Joshua Jamie Quevedo was born yesterday, August 6, 2009. He was 16 inches long and weighed exactly 3 lbs. At 32 weeks and 4 days he’s early, but he’s breathing on his own and otherwise appears healthy. He’ll need to stay in the hospital’s nicu over the next few weeks for observation.

Mommy is recovering from the c-section delivery. The doctors said she did very well and they don’t foresee any complications, so we’re hoping she’ll be able to come home sometime this weekend.

Happy Birthday to Jake and Sophie!

Joel — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:53:19 +0000

Although their birthday’s aren’t until next week, yesterday we celebrated Jake and Sophie (our niece) 4th and 3rd birthdays, respectively. Jamie and Amy, Sophie’s mom, spent weeks, nay months planning this themed party, complete with a treasure hunting activity that required yours truly to dress as a pirate and “scare the kids” (Don’t worry, none of them even flinched as I stormed the room waving a hook).

Unfortunately, Jamie came down with the stomach flu the night before the party and wasn’t able to attend. She was missed by all and I made sure to take plenty of pictures for her since I knew she’d be bummed about not being able to participate. The good news is she’s doing much better today and if she’s up to it, perhaps she’ll sample that slice of birthday cake I brought home.

Lucky Wife and Mom

Jamie — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:03:46 +0000

For my birthday yesterday, I received two beautiful pieces of jewelry. Jakey gave me a “#1 Mom” charm for my bracelet, and Joel gave me an unbelievable necklace. I found a picture on the web of a similar necklace:

I think I’ll wear it on Christmas because it’s too nice to wear on a daily basis.

Since I wanted to do something fun and different, Joel took me out to lunch (because that’s a rarity – when are we home and together on a weekday afternoon?). Then, we picked up Jake early from school and took him to see Bolt, which he totally enjoyed. It was his second trip to the movie theatre; WALL-E was his first. On the way home, Joel asked Jake which movie he liked better: WALL-E or Bolt? With kids, whatever’s most recent rules, so his answer? Bolt!

Look How The Family has Grown!

Joel — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:24:32 +0000

Every November, our family gets together to celebrate the Autumn birthdays (Joel, Jamie*, Amy, and Bryan). A good time was had by all this year at my sister’s house. Angel’s barbeque chicken and ribs were tasty as always and my sister’s pumpkin pie cupcakes were awesome! This year, we had a few new additions to the family – our new nephew Gabriel and our new niece Emma. It’s incredible just how much the family has grown!

*Technically Jamie’s birthday is in winter but she gets lumped into our celebration since it’s so close to Christmas.