I love my kids.  We have some crazy days, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  I love our little family.  There are days I want more kids and who knows what will come to pass.  For now though, I am content.  I feel optimistic and excited about our lives and all the adventures we have yet to take.  I am so thankful for all that I have, especially my amazing husband and the two beautiful children we made.

And there is little Quinn, smiling at the camera, hand on her brother’s leg, so excited to be sitting on the ground exploring the world around her with her favorite person right next to her. And there is Tyler, not really caring about the picture, probably checking out a butterfly, bug or other interesting thing that has caught his eye.

The last two weekends have been so fabulous and Tyler and Chris have been having a great time.  My heart just about leapt our of my chest when I talked to Chris last Saturday and he told me how much fun he had been having with Tyler.  He was telling me how he was excited to go work in the yard with him, excited to go get sandwiches with him and then excited to later take a shower with him.  

Chris looked so proud as he walked out of Great Clips last weekend when the boys got haircuts together.  Tyler watched his Daddy and then got his haircut sitting patiently, flirting with the ladies, chatting with his Daddy.

These are the moments that Chris has been waiting for.  He wanted a son so badly.  And to see his little boy wanting to rake like his Daddy, use the same tools that Daddy uses, take his shirt of when they come in like Daddy does.  Tyler loves imitating his Daddy and I know Chris eats it all up.

They have been in a great place lately.  Having a toddler is tough, but there are these sweet spots that are so blissful.  After a long week at work, I love that Chris feels there are fun things to look forward to with his son as opposed to spending the weekend ‘parenting’.

There is probably so much that I have failed to write about Quinn, so here are a few things I can think of.  She loves it when you blow gently on her face and hair.  She smiles and giggles every time.  I know I have talked about her love of music and singing.  I cannot wait to see her reaction in the music class we start next week.  I really hope she enjoys it.

She loves to be upside down.  She will maneauver herself in my lap so she is hanging over upside down.  If I turn her upside down she smiles and laughs.  At a bridal shower a few weeks ago, I swear she was fussing when I right-sided her.

She loves to bounce.  Oddly though, not a huge jumperoo fan.  She is bouncing more in it now, but her brother was nuts about that thing.  She loves it when I bounce up and down with her or run with her.  She still loves the game of chase.

She is an explorer.  She gets into everything that is within reach and will find a way to get to what is out of reach.  She will be the world’s happiest baby when she can finally crawl.  Oh and man will the toy fights begin.  She loves Tyler’s toys - trains and trucks especially.

She is still mighty easy to get to sleep.  When she is ready, she just goes. It is such a nice change after Tyler and the 45 minutes to an hour or more it used to take.

She is getting so old, but not so big.  She is still on the smallish side and without teeth, still looks quite young which I don’t mind at all.  I still can’t believe that before long I will be planning a 1st birthday party for her.  These next two months are going to fly….

I made Tyler some oatmeal today.  He asked for applesauce in it and I told him that I had mixed it in (which I had).  He then asks for “a pile of it, Mommy”.  He wanted a big mound on top of his oatmeal!

So I went to the toy store with Tyler the other day and got him another engine.  Well, I made the mistake of offering him the choice of a digger train, another train and Toby AFTER he had already decided on Toby.  Well, days later he is still pining for Alfie, the Digger.  I have told him that we will put in on our list for the next time we go to get an engine.  Yesterday I was telling him that we needed to go to the grocery store and then would take a walk.  He tried to help me with my plan saying that we should “go to choo-choo store, grocery store, and home”.  Uh-huh.  Thanks, Tyler!

Backseat Driver

As we drive down the big hill at Spicewood Springs, Tyler’s first reaction is an excited “whoa!!  going down big hill so fast!”  Of course thsi is followed by “slow down, mama.  Be carefel!”   Then at a red light I had turned around to chat with him and he tells me “turn around and drive, mama”.  Can’t I talk to you?  “No, turn around and drive.”   Thanks…..geez, two years old and already a backseat driver!!  Chris would tell you he gets it from, ahem, me….

We did it - we went camping with the kids!  Woo-hoo!  Well, it was the first time with both kids and on our own.  We camped for 4 nights in the Guads with Tyler and our friends (expert campers) the Pizzos. 

Eventhough we almost didn’t have a reservation thanks to the piece of crap software Texas Parks and Rec uses, it all worked out in the end.  The park was beautiful and covered in bluebonnets. The Falls had a decent bit of water and the facilities were nice.  We had a lovely woodsy camping spot.  

Our sleeping pads worked out great and provided nice padding.  Tyler had a hard time falling asleep; Quinn went right out.  We slept pretty decent- have to get used to the dampness that comes with sleeping in the outdoors.  Otherwise it was great. 

I tried to make Chris yummy camp coffee in our percolator but burned it or something.  Well, the night before I broke the lid to the top, so that didn’t help.  I am determined to make him an amazing cup of coffee on one of our camp trips. 

I will say that I did miss having our partners in crime, the Pizzos, along.  Camping is fun - but camping with friends is even better!  :-p  Chris seemed to really enjoy himself which made me happy.  I am hoping that we do much more of this as the kids get older.  I have such great memories camping with my family as a kid. 

My goal now is to get a camp kitchen together and get our gear a little more organized to that packing for our trips is much more of a “grab and go” kind of thing.  My parents had this as do my friends.  Basically you have a tub and have all the basics ALWAYS in there - paper towels, dish soap, dishes, etc.  I think we are going to go ahead and try to reserve several dates in the fall.  I didn’t realize how quickly the State Parks fill up!!  

Quinn slept through last night, so even though I crashed at 11pm, I got 7 straight hours of sleep.  Wow, I feel LOADS better today.  Poor Tyler is not feeling as good.  Don’t know if he is sick or just tired..we will see.

Still No Teeth

She still has no teeth folks.  I can’t decide if that is a blessing or a curse.  At this moment though, ridding her little body of eczema is the first priority.  So far so good, I think.  We are only in day two.  One thing I have learned is that she will more easily swallow fish oil that flavored Benadryl.  Now I just have to work on getting her to take the probiotic. 

Fussy Budget

Missy Girl is asserting herself all over the place.  She is in that “fussy right before I can crawl” stage.  She gets mad when she drops a toy or a toy is out of reach.  She gets mad if she was playing with something and I take her away.  If she was playing the piano with her brother and I carry her with me to check on dinner…well, that is unacceptable - she was having a good time and was not done yet!!  There is also the “don’t you set me down” fussy and the “don’t you both leave me here alone in this room” fussy.  There is the “I want that leaf/grass/chokable object  back” fussy.  And the list goes on.  She is still her jovial self for the most part, but she is quick to show her dissatisfaction with something.

Crawltastic

Almost.  She can spin 360 degrees and can scooch all over the place.  She is a natural at going backwards and is most distressed when she hits a wall.   My favorite is when she is sitting near me and hurls her body on my legs trying to crawl into my lap. That is uber cute!  I have to enjoy it especially because once this kid is mobile, I feel like I might be losing my snugglebunny a little bit.  She is going to want to bo down and doing her thing.  Part of me is looking forward to it and part of me is sad.

Babble and her Musical Inclinations

Okay, I swear I have heard her say “mama”, “dada”, and “ty ty”. She has the cutest babble and talks so much.  These sounds are still my absolute favorite.  I also swear that she sings!!  She adores music and anything she can shake - shaker eggs, bells, etc.  The other day she was tapping one of Tyler’s kitchen pans with a wooden spoon and looking super pleased with herself.

One Nap and Sleep

She seems to be down to one afternoon nap now which is pretty early, but works so well for us.  Ultimately, we have our morning adventure, come home and get her down for a nap, Tyler and I have our one-on-one time and then we do our afternoon errands/adventures when she wakes up.  Whle it doesn’t always work out this way, this seems the usual these days.  Her sleep is still pretty good and I can’t complain.  She wakes more in the early evening, so I am less inclined to go out as much as I did.  I don’t give her anything right now as she usually has one big wake up and then crashed back out.

More To Say, But

I feel like I need to enter more updates about her, but I really have to go to bed.  I am so exhausted and staying up late is a plain stupid thing to do.  My job won’t be any easier tomorrow so the best thing I can do is get me some sleep!!  More updates and pics to come!

These pictures are from a photo shoot in front of the fridge.  I put her in a laundry basket in front of Tyler’s magnet farm.  She was having such a good time and I love almost every photo.  You will probably see more to come!