Saturday, May 22, 2010

Happy Mother's Day, Mama!


Question: Can you identify this site?

Quinn was SO EXCITED to come and greet me on mother's day that he decided he wouldn't wait for his daddy or me to come and get him from his crib. Instead, he decided to take matters into his own hands. I woke up to a nice thud, followed by loud screaming. I shook Pat awake, asking him to please go check on Quinn. Pat brought him to me in bed, looking a little pale and a lot confused he said, "He was just sitting when I got in there... on the floor." Oh, my darling son, why do you have to be such a risk-taker all the time? I'm sure it's only a matter of time before those gray hairs start coming in! Pat and I were certainly counting our blessings that day. Luckily, Quinn was totally fine. In fact, he didn't have so much as a bruise to show for his accomplishments.

Despite this little scare, I had a very nice mother's day weekend. On Saturday, Pat, Quinn, and I played tourist in Seattle a bit. We started off by taking Quinn to the children's museum. He loved the aquarium and water areas and wanted to put anything and everything that he possibly could into his mouth (surprise, surprise)! After that, Pat got his nerd on and we went to the Science Fiction Museum at the EMP (experience music project). Luckily, it was pretty small and so I didn't get too bored! After that we figured we'd check out the music portion of the museum. This would have been great if we were into Jimi Hendrix or anything rock related, but we're really not and so after about 10 minutes of that we'd had enough. Afterwards, we simply walked around the Seattle Center area, saw the Space Needle, the water fountain, and just enjoyed the beautiful day.

When we got back to Redmond, Pat and Quinn went home and I went and had a manicure and pedicure (my first since Quinn's birth). It was a perfect blend of family time and "me" time. Then, on Sunday we had a nice brunch out and enjoyed the rest of the day at home together. On Sunday evening Pat asked me, "So, what was the best part of your mother's day weekend?" There were so many things that I enjoyed, but what stood out to me above anything was when Pat and I were just playing with Quinn on the floor in our living room listening to Quinn crack up. There is no better sound in this world than a child's laughter.

Thanks for a perfect weekend, Pat and Quinn. I love you!


"Look Dada, a zig-zaggity wooden thing!"


K: "Smile with mommy, Quinn."
Q: "No thanks, I'd rather watch the fish."

K: "Okay fine, smile with Daddy then."
Q: "Nah, I'm still busy checking everything out."

"These fish are awesome, mom!"

Funky mirror... but does Quinn care? Not really. You might wonder, what's he looking at anyway?

The awesome aquarium of course! (Our doctor's office has a nicer aquarium than this one, but Quinn didn't care. He loves to see the fish!)

"Come on Quinn, let's walk through the kelp."


Who needs smocks anyway?

Water play!

"Posing with your mom on mother's day is for babies. I think I'll just play!"

"Come on mom, let me down!"

Answer: Why, it's the Space Needle of course!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Spending $$ Has Its Benefits

Pat and I have one of those reward credit cards (have for a few years now) and a few weeks ago I decided to look up what "rewards" we'd earned. Much to my surprise, we were eligible for a free flight (or two or three). Pat's been working like crazy (and therefore I've been home alone with Quinn far too much) and so I decided to take advantage of our free air miles and go visit the Lincolns and my former students/coworkers at Monticello.

It was so nice to get back down to San Jose and spend quality time with Jamie and Max. We had a great time, and Max even decided to start rolling for us while we were there. It was so exciting to be there when he achieved this milestone! We got in some shopping, ate well, enjoyed a little sunshine, and just enjoyed our time together.

Quinn loved being around Max and the Lincoln's dog, Gracie. Lucy is not very playful and so Quinn gets spoiled when he gets to be around Gracie (who will actually play with him). She does such a great job with him too. I never have to worry about her biting or snipping because she's so gentle. With each visit, I feel like Max and Quinn interact more and more. They shared binkies, passed toys back and forth a little, and just sat and played. They are two of the cutest little guys on this planet, in my humble unbiased opinion!

Pat's overtime schedule worked out perfectly with Monticello's play schedule. One of the things that I miss most about Monticello is the drama program, and so it meant a lot to me to get to visit the week of the show. Quinn enjoyed his first musical, Aladdin! He clapped randomly throughout the performance, loved the singing, but didn't want to sit still for more than the first 15 minutes or so (no surprise there)! I loved getting to see many of my former students and their families.

I am so grateful for my life in Redmond, but I've definitely gone through several mourning periods when it comes to my leaving Monticello. Each time I visit I am welcomed with open arms and am reminded why I love the school so much. It truly is one of a kind, and I hope to find something comparable in this area someday too. For now, I continue to be thankful for my opportunity to stay home and watch my amazing son learn and grow each day. I am one lucky lady.


Quinn loves Macbooks!

The boys playin'

Cutie patootie

Our little loves.

10 Months!


Another month has already come and gone, and here I am just sitting down to reflect on Quinn's latest developments. For the first nine months of Quinn's life, I kept up. I took notes on his latest achievements and I was prepared to blog thoroughly on his progress. This month however, I have failed miserably. All that comes to mind when I reflect on Quinn's latest developments is: QUINN IS WALKING. I can't believe it. He's growing and developing so quickly. Too quickly. My baby isn't even one yet, and I've already got a toddler on my hands! I love you Quinn, and I promise to do better next month!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Obsessed

Have you ever heard of a wordle? Well, I hadn't until today and I've quickly become obsessed! Over the past several months I've been brainstorming ideas for Quinn's first birthday party (yes, I'm one of those parents who plans to go overboard for a party that Quinn won't even remember), and I think that a wordle will be a perfect personal touch for his party. Here's an example of one that I just worked up:
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1998068/Quinn
My only theme for the party is Quinn which is why this is just perfect! I plan to stick it in one of the colorful frames that I've picked up and voila... free decor! So go ahead, make one for yourself. You know you want to!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010