Pumpkin Patch 2012

Pat and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch this weekend.  We have yet to make it to the same pumpkin patch twice up here.  This year we checked out the Farm at Swan's Trail in Snohomish.  It was over 70 degrees and sunny.  We have been conditioned to believe that such weather conditions are ridiculous for our annual pumpkin patch outing, but we embraced it!  I am loving our extended summer in the northwest this year.  

We might just have to take one more trip if it ever gets muddy, for tradition's sake.

  The afternoon started out with Quinn sleeping in the stroller and Kira admiring the farm animals.  

Sidenote: Quinn refuses to nap at home, but the second we try and do anything, he crashes in the car.  What is up with that?

 She wanted to pet the chickens and bunnies so badly.  For the animal's sake, we did not let her.

 Gazing out into the field of pumpkins.  

 We eventually woke Quinn up so we could accomplish what we set out to do, select our pumpkins!

 The kids liked the wheel barrow, even though the expression on their faces might not make that clear.

Quinn was so cute.  He knew exactly which pumpkin he wanted and he was determined to carry it back to the wheel barrow.  Daddy helped him with the final lift, but he just about made it.  It is such a cute little pumpkin!

 Kira wasn't into the pumpkin selecting as much as she was into frolicking through the field.

 And resting in the field.

I have been spending the majority of my time behind the lens lately, but Pat snapped a couple to prove I was there.

After we picked our pumpkins we let Quinn play a bit, but Kira was quickly melting down and so we didn't take advantage of the hay rides or other festive activities that the venue had to offer.  I guess we'll save that for a muddy day.

 But before we left we had to have a little treat.

We discovered that although Kira might not like cake, she loves sticky caramel apples.  I guess she's not completely crazy.

Happy October!

The Secret to Potty Training

Guess what?!?  We've got some exciting news around here that I'm dying to share!

Quinn is OUT OF DIAPERS.  Except for nighttime sleeping.

I've been dragging my feet on the potty training thing for a good year or so now.  Diapers really didn't bother me that much since I basically only changed Quinn's diaper if he went #2.  But, the kid is 3.  Actually, he's 3 1/4.  It was time.

So, last Saturday I decided to go for it.  And by "go for it," I mean I decided to introduce bribes.  And by bribes, I mean cookies.  The kid will do ANYTHING for cookies.  And in case you're totally judging me for giving such a large bribe for such a small task (judge away, I would), it's important that you know I quartered the cookies.  It's still ridiculous, I know.

But, IT WORKED!  We had one accident the first hour and then no accidents for four days.  He did have one accident at preschool, but his teacher said he was running to the toilet, but just didn't make it in time.  Poor kid.  Oh, and he peed in his carseat on the way home from the dentist with Pat once too.  I sort of blame Pat for not making him go before heading home, but whatever.  Three accidents in his first diaperless week is a successful week in my book.  I was expecting three accidents a morning.

Today, he successfully held it long enough to race to a honey bucket in a field at the pumpkin patch.  And that's when I knew he had this thing down.

I am so unbelievably proud of my little guy.  He's growing up!

So, the secret to potty training is a) wait a reeaaalllly long time b) give cookies.  Works like a charm.

*and for the record:  the iwillonlypeeinatoiletforcookies attitude only lasted about a day.

Wednesday in the Park with Quinn

This past week marked the one year anniversary of us moving into our house.  We spent the past year living in a construction zone which was quite fun for our little boy.  However, the development was completed this summer and the finishing touch was a little park at the end of our street.  Quinn frequents this park at least once a day, but sometimes more.  He either rides his little scooter or big wheel down, swings a little, and rides home (with a parent, of course).  Anyway, he and I went yesterday afternoon and had so much fun together, just the two of us.  

His legs are just long enough to pedal now; and yes, he's ready for a flood.  Good thing, since this is Seattle.

 Trying out new swing methods.

 Goofy boy.

 Sweet boy

 Mischievous boy.

 We were playing a little game of freeze tag.  This was one of the freeze poses he came up with.

 I'm sad this is so blurry.  I just love this happy face too much to delete the photo.

Riding home.

Wordless Wednesday: Little Mama

 

Preschool

Quinn started preschool up again right after Labor Day.  He started going to Ms. Marie's Place, a small in-home preschool last March, but was off for summer break.  This year he got to experience his first "first day", and he was so excited to get back into the routine of going to Ms. Marie's house.  Probably not as excited as me, though.

 A big kid backpack, courtesy of Auntie Riah from his birthday

 Representing his Diego love

 His well-loved shoes

 Sporting his post-procedure wrapped hand from the dreaded glass incident.

 Shushing me for trying to convince him to actually look at me and smile for a decent picture on his first day.  

Jumping for joy

We love Ms. Marie and look forward to a great school year!

13 Months

It is not my intention to keep up with monthly updates about Kira, but I feel like she's been blooming so much this past month that an update is necessary.

First of all, the pigtails.  I'm obsessed.  They are the tiniest little things I've ever seen, but they scream "little girl!" to me, and I love them.  So, don't mind the little photo shoot I did in our backyard trying to capture this stage of hair.

Kira's "vocabulary" has been growing so much this past month.  Quinn was/is a late speaker.  I know that.  I am just barely starting to hold conversations with him, and he's three.  And let's be real, they really aren't even conversations yet.  So, I use the term "vocabulary" quite loosely here.  BUT, Kira's experimenting with a variety of sounds, and tries to mimic Quinn and me all day long.  It is so fun.

She waves and says "Haaaah".  She drops something and says, "Uh-uh".  She lays down and says "Ni-ni".  She eats and says "Numnumnum".  She says "mama" and "dada".  She growls when Quinn growls.  She screams when he screams, and she does her best to match his decibel level each time.  She walks through an aisle of shoes in a store and says "Wah-hoow".  Speaking of shoes; Kira is obsessed.  Every morning without fail, as soon as I get her dressed, she walks to her closet and chooses a pair of shoes to wear.  She hates being barefoot.  For now I find her obsession hilarious.  Also, I've totally fed the addiction this summer.  Baby sandals are my newest weakness.  Sister is finding her voice and she is learning how to use it.  It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for this to translate to actual speech.

This month Kira got her four top teeth.  We've noticed it affecting her sleep a few nights, but overall she's done quite well.  We can't complain.  Tylenol has definitely helped, though.

She also says "no".  It sounds more like "nah, nah, nah" and she shakes her head vigorously while saying it.  Funny thing is, she's usually saying it to herself.  For example, as she walks up to a socket to pull out a cord, she'll say "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah".  Or, as she sneaks away to try and crawl up the stairs, "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah".  Or, her favorite, as she tries to escape outside through the dog door, "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah."  She provides us with a little warning as she's about to do something she shouldn't.  It's quite helpful, really.

Kira is also picking up a few signs to ensure that her wants are known.  Her favorite sign is "more", and it looks like an aggressive hand clap.  When she gets what she wants she says, "duh-duh" with the same inflection as "thank-you".  So, I'm pretty sure she's got manners, too.  The other sign we see regularly is "all done".  These two signs are quite helpful when it comes time for meals.  She communicates when she needs more food and when she is satiated.  No more guessing games over here.  Those are the only two signs that we see regularly, but they are also the only signs I've worked with her on (besides thank-you).  Next on the list is "please".  I didn't really do any beyond that with Quinn that I can think of.  Are there any other useful signs you'd recommend?

This month Kira has really taken to books.  She loves to sit and thumb through pages herself, but her favorite is being read to.  She plops down on a lap with a book, and expects to be read to.  We happily oblige.  She started memorizing some of the sounds in the book Mr. Brown Can Moo, and looked at me suspiciously when I tried skipping a page.  She then went on to make the popping sound from the page I skipped.  My girl's a genius.  But, whose kid isn't?  

Unlike her brother, Kira is not interested in tv.  In fact, she's recently figured out how to turn it off in the play room.  Whenever Quinn tries to watch something she quickly prevents him from doing so, while laughing.  I'm not sure if she loves the attention she gets from turning it off, or if she just likes to torment her brother already.  Perhaps both are true.  There's definitely some spunk in that little personality of hers.

The final thing that I want to note is Kira's sleep habits.  On some days I've had to wake her up around ten because she would just sleep the day away like her daddy if I'd let her.  It makes Pat so proud.  Her and Quinn are opposites in the sleep department as well.

It continues to be such a joy to see Kira's personality evolve.  Her communication skills were certainly the highlight for her developmentally this past month.  She continues to be such an easy-going child, and she's such a love.  Happy 13 months, baby!