Quinn's Birthday

As you know, Quinn turned 3 last week.  We love to celebrate around here (who doesn't), and so we stretched out our celebration over two days.  This post is dedicated to Quinn's actual birthday.  I'll share bits of his party later.

As you probably also know, Quinn loves movies.  Since Pat is an animator, he encourages Quinn's love of animated film (and also screens the quality of animation that Quinn is allowed to watch).  Content screening, not so much.  Quality animation screening, absolutely.  I know, it's backwards.

Anyhow, Pixar is the creme de la creme of animated film in Pat's book, and so when we found out that Brave, the newest Pixar title, was being released on Quinn's birthday, we knew we had to take him.  It would be his first movie theatre experience, a Pixar film, on his birthday.  Perfect!

Uncle Ryan had flown up for the occasion (and to run his first half-marathon), and so he agreed to watch Kira.  Pat and I were excited to have some alone time with Quinn before celebrating big with our families.  It felt like the best of both worlds.

I was nervous about whether or not he'd be able to sit through a movie quietly in the theatre, but planned to fill his lap with junk food and figured that'd probably do the trick.  I was also a little worried about the content of the film, knowing that Pixar can cover some pretty heavy topics.  However, I didn't worry too much about this because a) Quinn's seen (and loves) every Pixar movie made and b) heavy content would just go over his head.

So, we took him to the theatre for his birthday this year.  He was so excited to see the "big movie" that I'd been building up for a few days prior.  As we walked into the theatre Quinn oo'd and ahh'd, and I was giddy anticipating the excitement he was about to experience.

We filled his lap with popcorn and licorice, and he was set to enjoy the film.  And, that he did.  However, the content was pretty scary for him at times (growling bears on a large screen with surround sound) and towards the climax I took him out of the theatre with me.  We took a long bathroom break and slowly roamed the halls looking at each movie poster before making our way back into the theatre to watch the last few minutes as the film resolved.  As we left Quinn said, "That was fun!  Big movie - scaaary."  So, it was a mixed review.

We're happy that his first theatre experience was a Pixar film, but I was worried that he would associate the theatre with big, scary movies.  So, we left with the intention to take him to Madagascar 3 (a much lighter film) soon.

As we returned home from the theatre Grandma Cathy, Auntie Mariah, and Uncle Eric had arrived from Western Oregon.  We basically took it easy at home for the rest of the day, and besides having our extended family in the house, it was a pretty regular day.

I couldn't let Quinn's actual birthDAY go by without some cake (as the pictures have already shown), and so after dinner (which I'm pretty sure Quinn didn't actually eat) we celebrated with cupcakes.  Quinn enjoyed the frosting most of all (naturally) and I think felt quite loved and celebrated all day.

3.

Quinn turned 3 last Friday.  And I was so ready for it.  In the past I've felt nostalgic and a bit sad around his birthday, but this year was different.  It's been such a big year for us, with the birth of Kira and moving into our first home.  We've all had to transition and adjust, but for Quinn, this adjustment has been the most noticeable.  This year has had it's share of challenges, sure.  But those challenges have been overshadowed by so much joy.  And Quinn is central to so much of the joy in our life.  

So, what do I want to note about Quinn at 3?

He's adventurous. Still.

He's stubborn.

He's protective of his sister and he loves her fiercely.  

He's finally given up the bink.  Hopefully.  But in order to do so, Kira had to give it up too.  It's a long story that I'll probably never fully tell.  It's embarrassing. But, it's gone.  I hope.  

He loves puzzles.  And he's pretty darn good at them.

He's still in diapers.  That's my next hurdle/goal.

He knows his letters.

I worry about his language development.  

He's a boundary tester.   

He's quite sensitive.  And also very imaginative.

He's inquisitive.

He counts to ten.  Usually in English, but sometimes in Spanish, too.  Thank-you Dora and Diego.

He's got the best laugh on this planet.  Well, maybe he ties with his sister.  The two of them laughing together, that's the best.  And, I get to hear it nearly every day.  

He sucks at sharing.  

He loves screens.  Movies, tv, computers, phones...  I'm not proud of it, but it's the honest truth.

He has a preschool teacher who he loves and who loves him.  

Notable quote:  

Me:  "Quinn, I need you to be a nice boy."

Quinn:  "No, mommy.  I be myself."

I think there's a lesson in there somewhere for me.  Of course, I am striving to raise a kind child, but I want him to be true to himself.  Always.  And so far he is certainly that.  

Parenting is so hard.  But I am thankful for the responsibility. 

He has taught me unconditional love.  And if there's one thing I want him to know, it's that I will never stop loving him.  Quinn, thank you for being you.  You are so loved.  

Happy 3rd birthday!

Kira's 10th Month

Kira turned 10 months old last week.  In two short months we'll be celebrating her first birthday.  It just doesn't seem possible.  

There wasn't a lot that happened this past month developmentally for Kira.  She continued to pull herself up to a standing position and use furniture, tables, or toys to cruise around.  Towards the end of the month she began to experiment with standing unassisted a bit more, but she didn't have the balance to stay standing for long.

Her sleeping patterns continued to vary, although she seemed to be getting into a pretty good rhythm at home.  Most nights she'd sleep through without any feedings (up to 12 hours).  It was glorious.  However, we learned while vacationing in Hawaii that she thrives on having her own space for sleeping.  In fact, Pat and I ended up bringing Quinn's mattress into our room and giving Kira his sleeping space while we stayed with our dear friends, The Loos, for the majority of our vacation.  Now that we're back home she's doing well, with only a few off nights here and there.     

Kira loves watching her brother, and this series of photos demonstrates that.  I had a terrible time getting her to take her eyes off of him for even a moment to capture her through my lens.  I'll treasure the few shots that I have of her looking (out of the hundred(s) or so that I took)!

Her temperament continues to be a dream.  She is just so happy the majority of the time.  I struggle to find words to express how much joy this little girl brings to our lives.  Kira, we love you!

Hawaii Part II: Quinn Met the Ocean

Quinn is our adventurous child.  He's had a wild side from very early on, and Pat and I knew he'd love the rolling waves of the Pacific.  After all, he's gone full body into Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish around here.  Warm ocean water would undoubtedly be quite the treat.

It didn't go quite this way, though.  At least not at first.  Here is a ridiculously long series of photos that tells the story of how Quinn came to love the ocean.  

Walking out the first day.  I'm sure he's in awe of how fine the sand is here.  Certainly not like the rocky stuff he's used to at home.

 Feeling brave.

 But nope, got scared and needed Daddy to carry him, or, "Up me" as he puts it.

 He was mesmerized by the sand, but was careful to stay at the shore line so the water couldn't get him.

 He held his shorts up like this the whole first day.

 Exploring the beautiful white sand.

 Oh, and he decided that he should do a little drawing in the hotel room while we were getting dressed for the beach.  On his tummy, of course.  Why use paper when you have skin?

And this photo epitomizes his first day.  Intrigued but cautious.  There's no way he was letting that water touch his shorts.  

 Second day, sand castles!

Seeing Pat and the kids building sand castles makes me all kinds of happy.  I've fantasized about these moments.

 Playing nice and safely in the sand.

Shadows!

  Totally relaxing.

 And then just as quickly as the vision of relaxing on the beach and building sand castles for the next week entered my mind, I was brought back to reality.  Quinn had decided the ocean was now worth exploring.

And he discovered that waiting for the waves to come up and slowly bury his feet in the sand was pretty entertaining.

But letting the water bury just his feet got boring, apparently.

Because he needed to let his hands get buried as well.

And sometimes the waves were strong enough to knock him down.  That was fun too.

But Pat taught him to have a "wide stance" to help him keep his balance.

We enjoyed sitting as the waves rolled up to shore.

In fact, Kira clapped and cheered right alongside Quinn for this.  We were all in heaven.

And before we knew it, Quinn was laying in the ocean, having the time of his life.

In summary, we've still got ourselves a beach babe!  And boy am I grateful for that.