Quinn at 30 months

 

Hi my sweet darlin'!

 

This month you are 30 months aka 2.5 years old.

 

You can count to twenty.
 

You can sing the ABCs in English and French.
 

You can sing part of O’Canada.
 

You know your name starts with a Q and you can write the letter Q.
 

You recognize the first letters of many of the children 's names at daycare.
 

You love the movie Frozen and know the lyrics of many of the songs.
 

 

You love blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes, pineapple, goldfish crackers, oatmeal, noodles.
 

We can talk to you about anything and you understand and respond.
 

If you don’t remember something, you’ll ask for help or try to get more information to help you remember.
 

You put your whole head under water and you also try to hold your breath.
 

You are quite good at gymnastics. You can walk the balance beam without help (just spotting), you can somersault and you love jumping on the trampoline.

 

You love reading and will often ‘read’ stories aloud (you will make up a story based on the pictures).
 

 

 

You remember lines from many stories. Your favorites are Mortimer, 50 Below Zero and Jason Cleaned up and then Heard a Sound.
 

You are 100% potty trained and you like to do your business in private. You can climb on and off the regular potty using a stool and you wash and dry your hands all by yourself.
 

You love helping and have some assigned chores to do around the house.
 

You help with laundry - loading the washer, transferring to the dryer, sorting and putting away.
 

You feed the dogs their dinner.
 

You put your dishes away in your cupboard.
 

You vacuum, often without prompting if you see a dust bunny roll by.
 

You love dusting and wiping windows.
 

You love helping little kids and babies. You bring them toys, hold their hands, rub their tummies and are just plain adorable with them.
 

 

If you want something upstairs, you always tell us before you climb the stairs so we know where you are.
 

You love coloring, painting and playing with playdough.
 

You love watching Dora the Explorer, Franklin, Sesame Street and anything Muppets.
 

 

You are the best thing that every happened to Daddy and I.
 

 

You are gorgeous on the inside and out.
 

 

We could not be prouder of your accomplishments and we love watching you grow.
 

 

All my love forever and ever,

Mommy

Say What Now? - Edition Six

 

#1

Mommy: "What happened at school today?"

Quinn: "I stepped in a muddle"

Muddle = mud puddle?

 

#2

Daddy walks in after Quinn had a tantrum...

"Daddy, I just freaked out about Popsicles!"

 

#3

After finding a book under her bed that we'd been looking for weeks for:

Quinn: "Daddy, Mommy is gonna be so proud!"

 

xo, Mama

Say What Now? - Edition Five

#1

Mommy: "I love you Quinn"
Quinn: "I love you too much Mawmy"
(insert the sound of my heart exploding)

 

#2

The other morning while snuggling on the bed before I left for work, Quinn put her arm around my neck and Simon's and said: "Family hug!"
(insert the sound of my heart AND Simon's exploding)

 

#3

While jumping off a jumbo package of toilet paper in my bedroom, Quinn shouts:
"Quinn's being silly upstairs Mawmy!"
Yes you are child. Yes you are...

#4

At a recent family dinner, Quinn was being held by my dad's brother, Uncle Tom.
Quinn: "Uncle Tom matches Grumpa."
Translation: Uncle Tom looks like Grumpa
My child is a genius.

#5

Quinn’s most prized possession, Baby Addie, had a dirty face so Quinn asked for a cloth.
While wiping her face Quinn said : “Oh Baby Addie, your face is all mucky!”


#6

We were told by her teachers that the other day in daycare a boy in her class threw his lunch on the ground. Apparently Quinn piped up and said “ Simao, you’re weird!”

She’s kinda right, I mean, who in their right mind would throw their tuna melt sandwich on the ground?

 

#7

While brushing her teeth the other night:

Quinn: “Where’s Baby Addie”

Mommy: “She was sleepy so she went to bed”
Quinn: “Yeah, she’s tired and toasty”

xo, Vicky

Say What Now? - Edition Four

#1

Quinn to Daddy who was tickling her non-stop:
"Careful Simon!!!"

 

#2

While buckling Quinn into her carseat Simon said, "Toats M-Goats."
Quinn's response: "No Daddy! Not toatin' goats!!!"

 

#3

Quinn's response to many questions these days:
"Sure, absolutely!!"

Eg.
Mommy: "Quinn, can you feed the puppies please?"
Quinn: "Sure, absolutely!!"

Mommy: "Quinn, would  you like some berries?"
Quinn: "Sure, absolutely!!"

Hahaha

xo, Vicky

Say What Now? - Edition 3

 

#1

Quinn while trying to peel stickers out of her new sticker book:
"Mawmy, dat's pretty hard!"

#2

Quinn while pointing to the Christmas tree after it had been decorated:
"Whhaaaattt? No way man!"

#3

Mommy: So what did Santa say on the phone last night? (It's our new Christmas Eve tradition)
Quinn: "Ho Ho Ho, go to bed."

#4

Quinn to Nana after having sucessfully convinced her that she was allowed to have Nesquik chocolate syrup in her milk:
"Haha, Quinn tricked Nana"

xo, Vicky

Our New Christmas Elf

This is Bob Tinseltoe.

 

He's our newest holiday tradition.

Quinn is rather taken with him.

  

Simon's not so convinced, but the look on Quinn's face yesterday morning when she saw his first shenanigan tells me to keep it up.

 

If you aren't familiar with Elf on the Shelf, I wrote a little about it here, or you can read all about it here.

Bob's job is to learn all about Miss Quinn to find out what she likes, what she doesn't like and to report all the good and the bad to Santa.

Bob will be around, getting into trouble until Christmas Eve. Once Santa is all done at our place, Bob will catch a ride on Santa's sleigh back to the North Pole.

Here's what Bob's been up to the past couple of days:

Monday morning he made a terrible mess in the bathroom...

 

And this morning, he pulled off some sweet Mission Impossible moves from the dining room light...

 

 

Oh Bob! (as Quinn's been saying)

xo, Vicky

 

Quinn at 24 months

I know I say this every month, but once again you are so much fun my dear!

Talking:
 

I'll save our funny conversations for the next installment of Say What Now?, but what I will share is my joy at just how much you know. You put whole sentences together and we are at the point where Daddy and I know what you are talking about all the time.

 

Eating:

 

You are still an awesome little eater. Whatever Daddy and I are having, you'll have too. Don't get me wrong, you still pick veggies out sometimes and you still fidget and squirm at the table, but we never worry if you are hungry.

 

One way we manage to sneak in good stuff is with smoothies. You love smoothies. You especially love the banana, blueberry, yogurt and spinach combo. I do too.
Smoothie mustaches are the best!

 

 Sleeping:

 

Ever since you got your teepee on your birthday, you’ve slept in it every night. One night you managed to roll off your mattress and get outside the back of the teepee. When I went in to check on you I just about had a heart attack when I saw you weren’t in there. I frantically ran around your room until I found you behind the teepee, under a pillow.

Fave Things:

 

If our car ride is any longer than 10 minutes, you take off your shoes AND socks. Every.single.time.

For a week leading up to Halloween, your Daddy wore a scary mask to ‘get you used to it’ so you wouldn’t be scared of it on Halloween. Well, his plan worked. It worked so well in fact, that you request that mask sit with us at the table for dinner. You also drew the mask a picture the other night when Auntie Heather was babysitting you. Point 1 for Daddy.

Auntie Heather and I took you to Dora the Explorer Live last Sunday and you absolutely loved it. When the characters came on stage, your eyes lit up and you had a perma-smile the whole show. I wasn’t sure how you’d react to the crowds of kids, the noise and the length of the show, but you were wonderful. You danced and participated all while wearing a big goofy grin. It was an awesome afternoon. 

 

 

You love your new Dora and Swiper dolls, but your absolute fave toy is still Baby Addie.

You love circle time. You do a circle time every day with all your babies while I get dinner ready. You sing the Goodmorning Train song, the alphabet, you talk about letters, numbers and the days of the week and you read stories. It is so, so, so adorable. 

 

 You love to help Mama cook and bake. Every night you say "Help Mommy, help Mommy" and demand that I put you up on the counter.

 

 

You do your business on the potty (sometimes)! Last weekend we put you in underwear and you only had two accidents the whole weekend! We are so proud!

 

We have so much fun together Quinny.

You are just the best!

xo, Vicky

Two

 

 

Two...

 

TWO

 

I know I sound like a cliché, but where did the time go?

 

I know exactly where the time went.

 

It went into so many happy/stressful/rewarding/frustrating/proud days of being your mama.

In just two short years you have gone from a tiny, helpless baby to a smart, funny, creative, beautiful and independent little girl.

 

To watch someone grow from nothing and witness all their accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem, is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced.

 

To know that I have had a part in guiding who you are now is so very humbling and although I would like time to slow down so I can savor your littleness, I can’t wait to see you grow and develop even more.

Quinn, you make me feel like I’ve won the parenting lottery every day.

Here’s to so many more wonderful years ahead Boo.

Love, Mommy

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Quinn at 23 months

Late again.

Story of my life.

Talking

Just like I said last month, you are a talking up a storm and getting better everyday.

You can now put two, sometimes three words together.

You also now add possessives to nouns.

For instance, you'll say "Mommy's water" or "Scout's ball"

Eating:

When I ask you what you want for dessert, guaranteed every time you’ll say “boobees” (blueberries).

At your school they keep a tally of how many morning snacks, lunch servings and afternoon snacks each kid has. You are consistently one of the biggest eaters in the class.

Sleeping

You are a master manipulator. You will use any trick in the book to delay bedtime. You want your pippers (slippers) on. You want the pippers off. You want the blankets on. You want the blankets off. You want to hold your bunny. No, wait you want to hold your monkey. You need to peepee. You need to poopoo. You want water. Please Mommy, water! Etc. etc. etc.

The past couple of weeks you haven’t fallen asleep until 8:30 or 9:00 because of all these shenanigans. Kill me now. As Daddy likes to say when he’s having a hard time, “Everyday I’m strugglin’ ” (to the tune of LMFAO’s song Everyday I’m Shufflin’)

Favourite Things

 Baby Addie is still your #1 favourite thing. You sit her on the bottom step when you leave for school and the first thing you do when we get home is to run over, give Addie a big hug and a kiss and you say "Hello Addie!". It is beyond adorable.

Last weekend you had a sleepover at Grandma and Grumpa's house. They brought you to WalMart and told you to pick any toy you wanted. What did you come home with?

A big stuffed alligator of course! Daddy is pretty happy you didn’t pick a Barbie or something really girly. You named the alligator 'Otter' and he sleeps beside your bed.

And since we're on the topic of Grumpa, I should mention that you ask him every time you see him for money. You tap his pocket, make your cutest face and he usually caves and gives you a few coins. We make you keep it in your pocket, which you'll tap occasionally and say 'see it'. We tell you no, that you need to wait until we're home and you can put it in your piggy bank. Given the clang the inevitable piggy bank shake makes, I'm fairly certain you have more money than me. 

xo, Mama

Quinn at 22 months

Whoa, this is late...
Like almost a month late. 
Oops...
Let's carry on, shall we? 

Talking:

Kid, you are a full blown talker.
You talk from the moment you wake up to the moment you crash at night. 
Here are just a few of the many things you says (with some translations) :

"eat it", "read it", "move it"
"Oh no"
Mawwwmy, Daaaddy - you say it in a very drawn out, exasperated way

"Whhhhees, Whhhhees" = Wheels on the Bus

 Peepin' = sleeping
Pwinn = Quinn
Peas = Please
Manky = Thank you
Seedy = Sydney
Towt = Scout
Pippers = Slippers
Wobe = Robe
Malt = Milk

You love to sing and will randomly break out into song. Its awesome. 
Your faves are:

You are my sunshine
Wheels on the Bus
No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Row Your Boat

Eating:

Boobies aka blueberries are still your favourite but you like all berries and fruits.

You still like broccoli.
You also loves eating "Sadies" aka oatmeal for breakfast with boobies. Every since cousin Sadie came to visit and ate oatmeal, you've decide that oatmeal should be called "Sadies".

Sleeping:

You've decided that wearing your robe and "pippers" aka slippers is mandatory for bedtime.

Sometimes Daddy or I will be in the middle of a story and you'll turn to us and say "night, night", meaning you'd like us to leave. 

Favorites Things:

Swinging on the swing
Your baby dolls

Jumping into the pool

Getting everything for a diaper change
Holding and catching frogs

You're the best kiddo.
Love you, love you, love you
xo, Mama

Halifax!

I've been meaning to post this for about a month, so now that I have a bunch of free time with the sick leave, I figure I better play catch up. 

Ahhh Halifax.

 One of our favorite places to visit.

Not only is it a beautiful place, but there are awesome people living there too.

Two particularly awesome Nova Scotia residents got married last month, hence our trip to Halifax this year.

Before I get into all the wonderfulness that was our East Coast trip, I think I'll get the logistical aspects of air travel with a tiny human out of the way.

Our experience went a little something like this:

Our flight was delayed 3 hours. Damn you Murphy's Law. Being stuck in your own city's airport is probably a lot like purgatory. Pretty sucky.

We bought Quinn a Sesame Street sticker book and a Dora the Explorer colouring kit for the plane. It saved our butts, I can't even tell you how many times.  We did however end up covered head to toe in stickers.

Simon insisted on bringing our backpacking pack for Quinn and am I ever glad we did. She ended up napping in it while we were at the airport and it was so convenient strapping her in there when we didn't want her running around the airport.

We fed Quinn things she should not have eaten (eg. sugar covered donuts) but they kept her quiet and entertained for all of ten minutes. Worth it.

Quinn also spent a good chunk of time looking out the windows of the airport. Watching planes land was pretty cool for her, but not as cool as watching a little moth fly around outside.  

Speaking of windows, Quinn loved nothing more than looking out the little plane window. Our flight was only an hour and half so she spent a good chunk of time looking out at the clouds and searching for birds.

Simon also got creative with his toddler distraction techniques. 

Overall Quinn was awesome both in the airport and on the plane; thank you toddler gods.

Now on to our awesome trip...

We hung out by the waterfront:

We trolled around downtown:

And we of course, went to Mike and Meg's wedding! 

Simon was Mike's best man and Quinn was the flower girl. 

Quinn did so well walking down the aisle, I was so proud!

My Aunt Heather visited Halifax the same time as us and offered to watch Quinn while we enjoyed ourselves at the wedding. After the dinner, Heather and Quinn headed up to the hotel room we reserved while Simon and I got some mingling and dancing in. Thanks again Heather!!!

Not only did we get to hang out with friends, we also got in some family time as well. 

I, of course, took no photos. But I stand by my reasoning that we were having too much fun to take pictures. 

My Uncle Ralph and his wife Susan live about twenty minutes outside Halifax and graciously hosted us for a few days. We stayed in their RV on their property, and let me tell you, it was pretty swanky.

All in all, we had a wonderful time and are looking forward to our next visit to Haliwood. 

xo, Vicky

Quinn at 21 months

So I’m a little late getting this up. We’ve done some travelling and have been tied up with other summer activities so I haven't had much time for catching up.

I know I said this last month, but this month you are SO MUCH FUN. You are a legit person with your own opinions, ideas and agenda and boy do you ever let us know it. 

Talking:

You have started stringing ideas together and have started telling us stories. For example, the other morning you and Daddy found a stray cat under the car. Daddy caught the cat and put it in the garage. You gave it a bowl of milk and a ball and went on your way to daycare. Long story short, we were able to find the cat’s owner and it was a happy ending. Ever since then you recount the tale and it goes something like this:

Quinn: "Cat"
Daddy: "You found a cat? Where?"
Quinn: "Car"
Daddy: "You found it under the car? Where did you put it?"
Quinn: "Garage"
Daddy: "Then what?"
Quinn: "Ball"

Daddy: "Where is the cat now?"
Quinn: "Home"

You may not be saying full sentences or anything, but you certainly know the sequence of events.

Eating:

You are still basically surviving on fruits and meat. Oh and Goldfish crackers, applesauce, smoothies, and dried cranberries. Vegetables, not so much.

Sleeping:
You are still sleeping pretty well through the night. You’ve also gotten better about staying in your bed and not on the floor. You still like to sometimes camp out by the door, but generally when I leave you after reading a story you just cuddle your babies and go to sleep.

Favorite things:

Swimming in the bath

Thomas the Tank Engine

Elmo / Sesame Street

Your Dora colouring box

Shoes, shoes and more shoes

The songs: "Wheels on the Bus", "It’s Raining, It’s Pouring", and "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

Sydney the little puppy (much to Syd's dismay)

xo, Mama

Camping with a Toddler

Whoa, what a weekend.

I'm pooped.

 

So pooped that on Tuesday I thought it was running day.

I dragged my butt out of bed at the ass crack of dawn to meet my coworkers for our run only to be disappointed that no one showed up.

So off I went on my own.

Well, let's be honest I only did half the run because I have little to no self-motivation.

 I only realized my error when I saw my coworkers pull into the work parking lot while I huffed and puffed to the door.

Damn you holiday for making me think it was Monday.
 

 I really shouldn't curse Canada Day because it's a great reason to dress Miss Quinn up in some patriotic gear.

 

And for fun, here is a comparison of Canada Day 2012 and 2013:

 

Man, I love that child.

Anyways, what did I come here to talk about?

 

Oh yes, Camping with a Toddler.
 

I think the following statements should help 'set the scene' for you:

 

1) You'll tell them to stay away from the firepit about 100x a minute

2) They WILL eat dirt, sticks and random other things they discover on the ground

3) They will not sleep on their special toddler cot

4) They will however take up your entire blowup mattress

5) They will run onto the road even though you remind them 100x minute

6) They will take the liberty of breaking into the food box whenever it pleases them to snack on everything/anything

7) They will be covered head to toe in bug bites even though you used an entire bottle of bugspray on them

8) By the end of the trip they will look like a homeless child

9) So will you

10) You will both have a great time

 

Despite my snarky, over-tired tone, we had an awesome time camping.

Some of my fondest childhood memories are from my family camping trips so I definitely want to make sure Quinn has some memorable trips under her belt as well.

 

 

 

 

Happy Weekend!

xo, Vicky