a day at the park (lots of pictures)

Last weekend was family-filled adventure weekend.  We went to the Greek Festival, apple picking and to a great park John found outside of Statesville (this was spread throughout the weekend-not all in one day of course!).  I'm going to tell you about our adventure at the park.

Dan Nicholas Park was a great find!  It has a huge playground, a petting zoo, a lake, a small train to ride and a carousel.  We got there early (because someone was up before the sun...) and headed right for the playground.

 

 Next we made our way over to the train.  Quinn LOVES Thomas (Ton-om is how he pronounces it) and we thought for sure he'd be excited about riding this little train.  He was scared when it pulled in, but we all climbed aboard and he seemed to have a good time, though we didn't push our luck and only rode it once!

 Next we made our way to the petting zoo.  Scared at first, he warmed up to the goats, sheep and the birdies.

Hi Goat!

Birdie - tweet tweet!

Finally, we headed to the carousel. He had seen it as we walked to the train and was very excited to see the "horsey's." Daddy bought a ticket for Quinn and I to ride and he stood on the side to take pictures.  

We waited in line and he was excited.  They opened the gate and he was excited.  We got on the carousel and he was petting the horses and was excited.  We sat in the seat and...

GET ME OFF THIS THING!!!!

He was not excited.  But it was too late, the ride had started.  So, I did my best to reign him in and calm him down.  Thankfully, he started to enjoy it. 

So much so that he rode it again with Daddy.

We spent the rest of the day walking around, checking out the lake and watching the ducks.  

Quinn was asleep before we left the park parking lot.  All in all, it was a wonderful day.  There are tons more photos on our Shutterfly website.  Please check them out!

We leave this Friday for our vacation in Emerald Isle.  I'll be sure to update the blog soon with fun stories about our trip!

I did it!!

Grandma and Uncle Glen came to visit this past weekend.  We had a great time!!  Quinn kept us going all weekend long-as usual! We colored, danced, played outside, went out to eat-they even watched him while "Momma" went to work on Sunday.  I'm sure they took some nice long naps when they got back to Virginia!! It was great having them here and the visit, as usual, ended too soon.

While they were here Grandma was helping Quinn do something (I believe he put his shoe on the correct foot) and she congratulated him on his accomplishment and said, "You did it!! You did it!".  As I have mentioned, he has become quite the little mimic and picked up what she said and has been saying it ever since!

Here is a video of him celebrating buckling the straps on his high chair. Watch and you will see what he has learned. He's so proud!

chatting with a new friend

On Saturday Quinn and I went to Target to exchange some diapers.  I know, exciting stuff right?  While we were there I thought I would do a little shopping for clothes.  I grabbed some shirts and we headed to the dressing rooms.  Quinn had been feisty all morning and decided that he would yell while we were in there.  I don't think he expected a response from the little girl a few rooms over. I hurriedly grabbed my phone to capture the conversation:

This went on for a few more minutes then the other woman left.  When we walked out the attendants were grinning and said that their little exchange made their day!

grocery shopping

Quinn loves going to the grocery store.  He loves the whole experience - the cart, the sights, the sounds, the samples, and most importantly all the people to interact with!!!  He loves waiving at people, saying, "Hi!" and of course his favorite conversation starter, "How are you??"

Here are some photos from our shopping trips:

I love the race car cart!!

 

 

Yep, I'm turned the wrong way...

Tonight Mommy, Daddy and Quinn went to the grocery store to get some food for this weekend.  As we were checking out, Quinn decided he would help out the cashier and began reaching into the cart and handing our items to him.  "Here go, here go, here go!" he said, with each item he picked up and handed to the gentleman.  People in line and in the next check-out lane were laughing and looking at him.  He really is such a little ham!!!

On another shopping adventure last week, Quinn decided to break into dance.  There was no music, he just "felt it" I guess :)  The dance he's doing is the Hot Dog Dance from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  

If you're wondering what he's saying in the video, it's John.  Yep, he's heard me talking to Daddy using his name and has picked it up! The best part is it was just Quinn and I at the store. Guess he really wanted Daddy to see his moves!!! 

Just to give you a point of reference, for those of you who don't watch the Disney Channel 24/7, this is the Hot Dog Dance. Try playing both videos at the same time, so you can see him with the music.  Pretty funny:

Corn!!

We were eating dinner on the 4th of July - corn on the cob, grilled chicken, hot dogs (for the dude), peas and pasta (also on the dude's menu) and Quinn asked for a, "bite!" of my corn.  So I happily obliged, thinking that he would do his normal taste and spit.  I was wrong.  He took a big bite and said, "Mmm!" and continued to eat.  He must have really been watching Mommy & Daddy because without any assistance he grabbed onto the corn holders on the sides and dug right in ;)  Yippee - another vegetable that he will eat!

Mmm!!

 

Summer Camp

Quinn started summer camp two weeks at Dilworth United Methodist, where he will be attending Weekday School starting in September.  We thought it would be a good idea to get him familiar with the surroundings and teachers and give him a chance to be away from Mommy...OK, and give Mommy a chance to get use to being away from Quinn ;)
Mommy packed his lunch (which she and Daddy KNEW he wouldn't eat - and they were right), put on the sunscreen and we were on our way!

Where are you all going? Can I come??

Daddy carried Quinn into the school and I snapped a few shots on the way.  Hey, this was a big day!!

When we got into the classroom Quinn was instantly at ease and loved all the new toys!

I love to vacuum!

So, since he was so happy Mommy and Daddy decided to make a break for it!

He had a wonderful week and is back there again this week.  He LOVES the teachers and blows them kisses each day when I pick him up - and takes loooong naps when we get home!!  They said he has quite the personality and asks everyone, "How are you??"  They also said he has the cutest laugh ever - which I must agree with!
I'm so happy he likes them because they will be his teachers this fall when he starts Weekday School.
Today I put him down and he went right over to the activity table to play and turned around and said, "Bye!" So I guess this was a great idea after all!

Hi!

I broke down and bought the iPhone last week.  What can I say, I LOVE IT!  It just has so many cool things!!  Fun things for Mommy and for Quinn!

On Thursday we set out for Virginia to see Grandma and family and decided to stop halfway because some little guy was super-cranky!! We were out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant next to our hotel and while we were waiting for our food I took out the phone to keep Quinn occupied.  He loves one app that Daddy found on his iPad called Doodle Buddy.  So I downloaded it too.  It lets him "draw" on the screen and has stamps that make noise, like a frog that ribbits, and as John found, one that makes a throw-up noise. Fantastic.  Here is one of his creations:

He grew tired of drawing so I turned on the front-facing camera and showed it to him.  He really wanted to be friends with the cute little guy looking back at him I think!

PIZZA!

Quinn is a very picky eater.  He didn't use to be.  When he was eating baby food he would basically eat anything we put on a spoon.  Sadly though, those days are gone.  We have tried so many things for him. I've chopped & steamed veggies, grilled chicken, prepared little mini cheeseburgers-we even went to Chick-fil-a - all for nothing as each meal, to our dismay, ended up on the floor....or in Sally's tummy. 
We have learned to be very sneaky at hiding veggies in eggs (his FAVORITE food).  We go through a dozen a week!

The other night we ordered pizza from one of our favorite pizza places here in Charlotte, New York Pizza (Upstate Pizza is THE BEST in town, in case you were curious, but unfortunately no delivery).  So, I thought what the heck, I'm going to give him a piece.  After all, it has some of the things he loves, bread & cheese, so maybe, just maybe, he'll eat it. 
Low and behold, HE DID!!  He ate almost a whole slice! Now granted, he picked the pizza up, turned it over and ate it from the bottom, but as John said, "Hey, he's eating it!"  Yippee!!

Hmm...what is this?

OK, not so bad...

Mmm!

It's so yummy!!!

Is it raining in here?

Sally, as many of you know, likes to bark - A LOT.  She barks at squirrels, at the mailman, at passersby heading to the park - I think sometimes she barks at the wind!  She's a dog, that's what she does.  However, having a little one now - that is not the biggest fan of naps during the day and wakes up when the floor creaks - that barking needed to be curbed.  

Enter the squirt bottle.  A neighbor actually gave me the idea one day...guess she was trying to tell me something?? What, you don't like Sally barking at you and your dog each time you walk by?  Weird.  Anyway, she said to use a squirt bottle filled with water to disipline her.  Spray her and say very firmly, "Stop." You know what-it works.  So, the squirt bottle lives on my desk while I work. 

This weekend Quinn saw the squirt bottle and wanted to play with it.  He LOVES water to begin with, and as you can see, he didn't mind getting wet!

discovery place fun

Grandma and Uncle Glen came for a visit but unfortunately we have had some pretty yucky weather.  So, I thought it would be fun to go to Discovery Place and see what we could get into!

They have a room just for young children with all kinds of activities.  Drums, wind tunnels, a gigantic Lite-Brite wall - you can even build your own race car and test it on a little track.  They have a lot!  However, the one Quinn LOVED was a water activity table.  They provided little aprons so that the little ones did not get too wet. The floor had drains too, since some of the cups of water ended up on the ground!!

Once we got the apron on him he wandered over to the table and went to town.  I think he might have enjoyed himself just a little bit...

Showing Uncle Glen how it's done

I can almost reach it!!!!

 

How cute am I in the apron??

 Needless to say, we will be returning to Discovery Place soon!!

bath time!!

Quinn LOVES taking a bath.  This has not always been the case though.  For the first 3 or 4 months of his life he would SCREAM and cry the minute you put him in the tub until about 15 minutes after he was dried off and dressed.  Very stressful for everyone involved!  Thank goodness, those days are long gone.
 He liked the first few baths though!

First bath at home

First bath in my tub

 Now, when it's bath time he'll stand on the side of the tub and watch the water fill up the tub and yell, "WOW!!"  He's so funny!
He would stay in there all day if we let him!!  He plays with his toys and really loves his Flow 'N' Fill Spout and enjoys turning it on and off.  He does not like when you play with the little cups though-he likes them his way :) 
 Here are some pictures of him having a ball!

 Where has our tiny baby gone??  He is becoming a funny, busy, happy little boy right before our eyes!!

lookin good

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!?!

As you may remember, Quinn had his first haircut back in the summer by Great Aunt Annette while we were on vacation.  His hair grows like a weed and he has since had another haircut in November by Aunt Jennifer. 

Well, we thought we could wait until we saw Aunt Jennifer again to get another haircut, but the hair just did not stop growing!  He was starting to look like a little hippie, so something had to be done.

I did some research (what did we do before the internet?!?) and found a children's salon in the area called Doolittle's, http://www.doolittlecharlotte.com/ that had some great recommendations-and a great price tag....geez! I'm in the wrong business!

I must say, I was beyond nervous that he was going to freak out at the whole situation, but I was pleasantly surprised!  As I set him in the fire engine chair he was instantly distracted by the bell.

Man, I need a haircut!

The woman that cut his hair, Erin, was so great.  She gave him a comb and let him "do" his hair before she got started.  He enjoys brushing his hair.  He held onto the comb (and a rice rusk) the whole time!

I normally part it here

Being a good boy!

He was so great through the entire thing.  The only time he got upset was when she took out the clippers.  He was not a fan.  She only used those to make sideburns!  It looked so adorable when she was done and I think he liked the attention.  All the ladies in the salon were telling him how cute he looked ;-)

First salon haircut - done!  Another milestone down!

More haircut pictures here!

Adorable!

 

 

 

stay puft quinn

Uncle Chris is pretty creative.  He made this video last summer and I thought I would post it so that everyone could see it and have a good laugh!

This was the first time Quinn ate solid foods (that was not cereal).  It was sweet potatoes and he obviously LOVED them!

all done...no wait, I want more

We have started teaching Quinn sign language.  I purchased a book and also rented a video called Baby Signing Time that a friend recommended.  We watch it every day and I have been hopeful that it is sinking in.  Quinn has picked up a few signs pretty quickly.  He can sign more and also says it - well, he says, "maaa."  He loves to bring me his snack cup and say "Maaaa?"  

He can also sign please - when he wants to ;)

Well, on Monday he showed me that he has learned a new sign and a few new words.  He was eating a late snack and started asking for more, but then, changed his mind, then, changed it again...

squeak squeak!

A few weeks ago Aunt Jennifer called me asking what size shoe Quinn wore.  I told her that currently he was in a 3 1/2 but probably not for long (he's a 4 now!).  She said that she found some shoes online that he had to have!

We got the shoes yesterday.  John had been in Maryland for work and brought them back with him.  When he got home he said, "Let's put on the shoes Aunt Jennifer got you!" He sat Quinn down and laced them up.  I said, "Oh, they are so cute!"  They are very cute-and musical...

As you can see, Quinn didn't know what to think.  If you listen you can hear John and I trying not to laugh out loud.  It was hilarious! 

 

Thanks Aunt Jennifer!!!  Now we'll always know where Quinn is :-)

brusha-brusha

Our pediatrician told us that once little ones have teeth (and around the age of 1), you should take them to the dentist.  Quinn has 7 little teeth (4 on the top, 3 1/2 on the bottom), so we thought, let's do it.  I started researching on my Mommy blogs and boards looking for the best pediatric dentist around and I came across a dentist with rave reviews, Dr. Beth Cook.  When I called, I half-expected them to laugh at me, "You want to bring a 1 year-old to the dentist??" They didn't though, so I guess other parents have brought in their children at this age.  Hmm, maybe I'm not an overly-obsessive Mommy after all...well, at least not about this!

We actually had to reschedule our appointment due to the "blizzard" last week.  It all worked out though, because we rescheduled for a day when Daddy was able to come along!!

The big day arrived and we got there early to make sure all of our paperwork was filled out correctly.

I swear, my insurance card is around here somewhere...

When they called us back Dr. Cook suggested that I sit in the chair with Quinn, so he wouldn't be scared-or escape.

Everything seemed to be going so well.  He really liked Dr. Cook.  When she put on her gloves he was laughing-he even tried tasting them!  She showed him his new Big Boy toothbrush and he was quite interested. 

Hmm, so you say I am suppose to put this in my mouth?

Then, she tried looking in his mouth and all bets were off.  He cried and squirmed, but she and her tech were able to get in there and look at his teeth-for about 30 seconds!!  She said his teeth were healthy and clean-yippee!  See you again in 6 months Dr. Cook!