SNOW!

This is a post about snow, and the people who saw it.

The first weekend in January, Kim thought it would be a good idea to take Quinn sledding. She decided this Saturday night, and the only tickets available for tubing at Snoqualmie the next day was for the 9-11 session. That seemed a bit early for me, but we somehow got ready and on the road in time to make it.

Quinn sort of ready to go

Checking out the snow in the parking lot

Fully geared up

Daddy is tired, but we are here

The whole family decked out in our snow gear

So we made it up the mountain with relative ease, found parking, got everyone dressed and made it into the little lodge, tickets in hand. Now all we had to do was inner tube.

I was the first to take Quinn down the hill, and I must say I did a pretty bad job. I didn't quite figure out how we both fit in the little tubes, so my heels kicked snow into our faces the whole way down. Neither Quinn or I were fans of that. Despite this, Quinn still said he had fun, so I dragged him back up the hill for a second run. (There were tow ropes but the line was long and I thought I was in decent shape.) We both did better the second time down, but by this time Quinn had soaked his gloves and thought it was better to not wear anything.

This sort of looks like a 'let's do this' pose, but I think his hands were starting to freeze

Yep. They're frozen.

After the second round, Kim and I decided to switch. She wanted to go down with Quinn, but also wanted me to take back some excess stuff to the car. Two kids and a DSLR are a bit unwieldy in the snow. Not to mention I was sweating something fierce after dragging Quinn and a tube up the hill a couple of times. So I took the opportunity to take off some layers as well.

Kira getting sleepy while we waited for Kim and Quinn to show up

There they are!

Sort of ready to go again

Scoot

Scoot more

Here they go!

I think Quinn made it down the hill 5 or 6 times that day and that was plenty for everyone. He had fun, but his gloves were pretty crappy and that definitely impacted the fun (we of course remedied this AFTER the snowfall I'm going to talk about next). We packed up, headed home, and I for one thought that was the last of our snow adventures for a while.


The next week our friends from California, the Lincolns, came to visit. That Saturday, it started. Snow. At first, it was magical. We brought the kids out, let them run around and soak up the fun that is 'the first snow'.

Quinn venturing into the harsh winter weather

Max and Quinn exploring the sidewalk while Mommy played with the Lincoln's camera

We all had fun, and it was nice having friends around to share the moment with. We followed it up with some hot (or lukewarm for the kids) cocoa. As is tradition.

The snow continued...

The next day the Lincolns wanted to experience tubing themselves, and so we all set out for the mountain yet again. At least this time it wasn't the early session, so I wasn't quite so tired, which is good for everyone. It was a little hectic getting out of town, as the snow had set down a pretty decent cover, which prompted Kim (who insisted on driving for some reason) to propose turning back about 30 times on the way up, but we forged on. You may recognize some of the locations we hit on the way.

35th Ave in Bothell. A tad slick.

The traditional mountain pre-stop

It was definitely snowing

Kim and I got some breakfast sandwiches and Quinn got a chocolate donut. He likes those.

Quinn in back. He still looked a bit tired.

Hmm..it's looking better?

And then, no snow. Weird.

The snow did return as we climbed in altitude but we found the parking lot and spots right next to each other. Yay! You'll notice I don't have any pictures this time, as it became clear to us the first trip that having a camera and both kids up in the snow was not that fun. You'll just have to take my word for it that Quinn had a great couple of runs and was really loving tubing. But then his hands got cold, and that ended it. Stupid gloves. The Lincolns didn't have much more luck with Max and I think only got in a couple of runs themselves. Such is life with kids I guess.

We went back to the little cabin next to the parking lot, warmed up, got hot cocoa AND some sizable brownies which seemed to cheer up the kids pretty well. Imagine that. We got back to the cars, disrobed, and headed out. Unfortunately, it wasn't the easiest 'out' we've ever had.

The parking lot guys didn't realize we were leaving so they waved us down into the second parking lot. Kim realized pretty quickly this wasn't what we wanted so we headed back out, but despite the tires still turning, we stopped about halfway up the hill. Uh oh. I jumped out and tried pushing, which sort of worked, but we got stuck again a foot or so further. Ritchie jumped out of the car the Lincolns were in and came to assist me. After some yelling, some pushing, and some running behind the car, we finally got out of the lot. At the time we were leaving, the westbound traffic was now required to use chains, and the eastbound traffic (us) was required to have traction tires, which we didn't have, so it was pretty slow going on the way back. I did snap some pictures of the pretty landscape though.

Look, snow!

Look, frozen waterfalls! and snow!

We made it back home safe and sound, said farewell to the Lincolns and once again, I thought the worst of the snow days might be behind us. I'm pretty dumb though.

The snow continued...again

Snowpocalypse, as the news liked to call it, hit us pretty hard Tuesday so I ended up working from home the rest of the week. Wednesday, we thought we'd try our hand at playing in the snow and play we did. We have evidence and everything!

Kira braved the weather with the rest of us...from the porch

Why are we out here Mom and Dad?!

Look, snow...everywhere!

Quinn and I stacking some snow. It never quite became a snow man, but oh well.

She's so cute!

Still cute!

We're bonding!

The epic snow mound of doom! Quinn liked to slide down it almost prompting me to build a snow slide. Maybe next time.

She's cuter than I am, but I think I hold my own.

The cutest girls of all!

The family posing...in the street. Super safe.

Kira was pretty tuckered out after all the fun

I don't remember why he got sad but...

...chocolate fixes most problems. As is tradition.

So that's basically it. It thawed out Saturday and the only reminder of our snowy past are the former snow men (or mounds of doom) that still linger long past the melt of their brethren. I have to say, I don't miss it.

Kira: 5 Months

We are starting to see bits of personality emerge from Kira, and it's been so fun to watch. She is an observer, and Quinn is her favorite subject to study. She finds him fascinating and hilarious, particularly when he is misbehaving. He loves to make her laugh as well, and so they have a pretty good partnership going.

This month she became a pro at rolling and is rolling from back to tummy and tummy to back. She prefers to be on her stomach nowadays, though. She also scoots herself around using her feet from time to time. I get the feeling that she is just itching to be able to keep up with her brother already.

She has also been working on sitting. On her 5 month birthday she sat for 20 seconds, roughly. She is pretty wobbly still, but with each day she seems to gain more and more control. Her stomach muscles are definitely developing.

Her 4-month sleeping nightmare slowed down halfway through her fifth month, but she is still waking at least two times a night to eat, on average. She also has a very late bedtime. It's 10:00pm as I sit and write, and she just woke up from what she seems to think was just a nap. She tends to settle for good by midnight, but I intend to start implementing an 8:00 bedtime for her soon. Like, tomorrow. She is also still sleeping in a pack 'n play in our room (or in bed with us). I also intend to move her to her crib, tomorrow. :)

This month Kira was introduced to banana and avocado in a mesh feeder. She loves food so much, and hates to watch us eat without being allowed to eat herself. As in, she fusses until she's eating as well (for dinnertime at least). I don't blame her! Food is delicious!

She has two comfort items that she can't sleep without. The first is her binky, and the second is her "so-soft", a little blanket. She loves to bury her head in the blanket and can't seem to settle without it.

Kira is also quite vocal. She loves the sound of her own voice, and she is loud! I have a feeling she'll make sure she's heard in this family.

Kira celebrated her first Christmas, and it came at a perfect time for her developmentally. She was ready to start playing with her toys as soon as she received them.

I have finally began to accept the fact that she's a developing baby, and I am embracing this rather than feeling nostalgic about the newborn phase ending. Infants are pretty fun, and Kira is no exception!

Happy 5 months, sweet girl! We love you!

Quinn: 30 months!

Days before Christmas, Quinn turned 2 ½. He has been through a lot of change in the past six months and while many facets of his personality have been evident for what feels like years already, many things have also changed.

Yesterday I asked Pat to think of a word to describe Quinn. Without hesitation, Pat responded with “boisterous”. According to Merriam-Webster boisterous means:

a: noisily turbulent: rowdy

b: marked by or expressive of exuberance and high spirits

I think Pat nailed it.

July:

He met Master Chief at 343 Studios.

He ran into an old stroller strides friend on the beach, and they played nakedly together.

First dentist appointment

Enjoying the jumpy castle at my 10 year high school reunion.

Some of the major changes that have occurred in Quinn’s life over the past six months include switching day cares and ultimately staying home full-time with me, moving to a new home in a newish city, and most obviously, the birth of his sister Kira. Quinn has loved Kira from the beginning. He truly loves her and this love is evident in the way he looks at her, talks to her, plays near her, and this love seems to be developing with each passing day. Just this morning when he woke up he shouted for her. My heart swells with pride as I think of his love for his sister. However, he has certainly faced challenges during this transition. The challenges are most obviously seen in his behavior.

August:

First park date after Kira was born

Admiring Kira while showing Grandma Cathy and Mariah the new house. He and Mariah found a fun little hiding spot.

Swinging at Grandma Cathy's house in the summer

Dancing with and tackling Chloe

Trampoline fun and puppy love on the farm

Taking a sunset stroll with Chloe and their gardening gloves.

I have spent many of the past six months worrying about Quinn. I hate to admit it, but it is true. I worry about his negative behaviors. His talking back, his expressive death glares, his folded arms, his temper tantrums, his safety. He has run away from me in public at a park. My child is strong-willed and he is testing his boundaries. I also worry about his eating habits. The kid eats far too much junk, and far too few veggies. I worry about him watching too much TV. I worry about him not having enough social time with other kids his age. I worry that his exuberant personality can make him difficult to love and I worry about how this will affect his relationship with his peers and authoritative figures over the years. I worry about whether or not we’ll be sending him to college with a handful of binks. I worry. I tell myself that worrying about a child is normal. And for me, I think it helps to fuel a motivation in me to work harder. Discipline more. I also pray that a lot of this is all normal two-year-old stuff and that in time many of these worries will fade. Time will tell.

September:

The Chesnuts came to meet Kira. Quinn his smitten with these two little girls.

Fun at Remlinger Farms

His first solo carousel ride.

First roller coaster. He loved it!

Quinn’s boisterous personality comes with innumerable endearing qualities that make Pat and I proud. As we sat down to reflect on Quinn at 2 ½ we found ourselves getting carried away with all of the things that we love about Quinn. First and foremost, we love his relationship with Kira. We love seeing a nurturing side come out as he cares for her, tends to her when she is upset by dancing goofily, giving her binkies, showering her with tickles, helping feed her bottles, sharing his toys, reading her stories and kissing her every night before bed. He shows empathy with Kira, and it is so refreshing to see that characteristic within him.

October:

One of his first pictures in the new house/sharing his favorite toys with Kira.

Helping Grandpa build Mommy's new dresser.

So Quinn. Binkies and milk. His two most comforting items.

Bathtime fun with Delaney during the family work weekend.

He doesn't really know the movie Cars too well, but Pat was excited to see Mator (I think that's the character's name) at the mall while we were couch shopping.

More work.

Making play dough

Playing with the play dough!

Sharing the playdough with his cousins! We got to meet Ruby for the first time this month.

Painting. October brings out the crafting in us.

Playing dress-up

Uncle Ryan's old Halloween costume. Too big for this year... maybe next!

He found the cutest little pumpkin in the patch!

Quinn was Snoopy! The profile of this costume is the best, and this was the best picture I could find.

Trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood!

He has an inventive imagination. He gets this from his Daddy. His favorite toys are his Toy Story toys and he flies Buzz around (with sound effects and all) to rescue the other characters. His favorite thing right now is a lasso, which Pat made for him using spare rope from the garage. Quinn will lasso his toys, he will lasso himself, he will lasso the air. The kid loves to lasso. He loves to invent games. Tag games, racing games, rescue games, etc… While his preference is to play with mommy or daddy, he is also capable of sitting and playing independently. While his creative spirit can be exhausting, it is a quality that we treasure.

November:

Playing "I'm gonna gettchu" with Ryan!

Soccer!

Loving Kira

Quinn loves to play with puzzles, and we were averaging two hours a day with puzzles in the month of December. He has graduated from peg-in-shape puzzles to the traditional puzzle. Currently he is mastering every 24 piece puzzle in the house.

He also loves to draw and color. In recent months he’s shown an ability to target specific spots on the page, although he often chooses not too. The days of simply scribbling may be numbered.

He loves to read books, and he requests books throughout the day in addition to our traditional nighttime stories. When Quinn gets a new book, he will study it carefully as Pat and I read it to him. After a couple times through Quinn insists on reading the book himself. He amazes us with his ability to memorize the pictures and key vocabulary from each page.

Quinn is certainly in a phase where his ability to learn and acquire new skills and vocabulary is abundantly clear. He is showing a desire to learn, and this has been fun for me. In recent months he has developed a love of letters and at this point I’d say he knows at least 20 consistently. He can also count to twelve, although his accuracy is inconsistent. He has shown little interest in colors, and only seems to recognize blue and red. I try not to push the academic stuff at home, but have fun working with him when he is interested.

He loves music and will put in a CD and start a dance party spontaneously throughout the day several times each week. I love this!

He also loves water and since I don’t take him to swim classes, he has learned to settle for showers in the morning and baths at night. He spends at least an hour a day in the water. His favorite thing to do is take cups and practice pouring water from one to the other.

Quinn has been our athletic little stunt-man for as long as I can remember, and this continues to be the case. He loves to run, jump, climb, hop, and according to Pat, “he still throws lefty and righty!” I remember when we first found out I was pregnant Pat had a dream that he was playing catch with a little boy. This was before we knew Quinn was a boy. Pat’s dream has certainly become a reality in the past six months. Playing catch and baseball is just one of the many things they do together each day.

December:

Enjoying some holiday festivities at the country village with a train ride and meeting Mrs. Claus.

Eating sweets and refusing to pose with Mommy in his holiday best.

Merry Christmas!

Quinn has proved to have a sensitive side to him as well. In familiar environments, he has a dominating and controlling personality. However, in unfamiliar settings he becomes more shy and introverted. Recently we were at a coffee shop that had a toy area for kids, and I observed an older child take a toy from Quinn. He stood there stunned, but quiet, and I watched his little spirit crumble. He tried to contain his emotion, but within minutes he ran to me and burst into tears. While it breaks my heart to see him upset, I am grateful for these experiences. I hope that it will help strengthen his ability to empathize with his friends in the future when his dominating nature takes over.

Quinn is also quite charming with his manners. He has learned to say please, thank-you, and you’re welcome regularly and unprompted (well, most of the time). If he really wants something he’ll bust out his signing skills as well. “Mommy, I want a cookie, pleeeeeeease” (while rubbing his chest in a circular motion, the sign for please).

His speech has developed dramatically over the past six months. He’s speaking in fragmented sentences. He does spend a lot of time babbling, but we can usually pick out what he’s trying to say because there are several words within each sentence that are familiar. He has even proven to be a bit bilingual of late. “Ayudame Mama, Ayudame!” And who said television wasn’t educational?

Potty training feels like it’s a world away still. He goes through phases of being interested in the toilet, but he has never accomplished anything while sitting there. I think he just likes to be naked. At this point, I’m not interested in rushing it. He has however started to show interest in dressing himself, and he puts his boots on independently each day. Quinn is obsessed with boots.

So there you have it. A random account of Quinn at 2 1/2.

He is our boisterous little boy who will be to blame for me going gray early in life; but, he is so full of love and adventure, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be his parents.

Happy 2 ½ little guy! We love you so much!