Birthday's 3 and 4 (Tyler and Quinn)

We had a few weeks of cold weather and homework catch up before birthday's hit again.  Tyler's was on a Sunday, but we did our best to treat him right.  Turns out the formula for fun little girl party isn't quite what you would use for a "Daddy turning 30" party.  We've establish that he isn't a huge fan of balloons.  He almost got breakfast in bed but instead got breakfast on the couch which was of course immediately pilfered from him by little hands.  This is the only picture of the day.  Tyler opted for banana split brownies instead of a cake which was enjoyed by all.

Next was Quinny!  Lucky for her that her birthday came the day after Tyler finished Unit tests!  Wednesday we went to our first Pirates baseball game.  Tyler got tickets for $1, we found parking for $5 and it was $1 hotdog night! Probably the cheapest dinner and entertainment we've had as a family ever.  We met up with a group of Tyler's school friends who doted on the girls and we had a wonderful time with friends watching a great game!

 

Thursday was Quinn's big day.  Heidi woke up with a fever and was a zombie all day unfortunatly, but Quinn started the day with a bath and then went straight on to presents!

  
We decided to get her useful things since we have so many toys, thus she received sandals from Heidi, a big ball from Alex, clothes from Mom and Dad and then the best gift of all......... a box of tissues.   She had at it and emptied half the box in a few minutes.

 It was a rainy day and we didn't quite know what a 1 year old would want to do for her birthday so the day sort of revolved around tissues and the cakes.  I had way too much fun making them. 
Quinn is just hilarious.  She is super smart and has a lot going on in that head.  She gives high 5's on command, accurately uses "uh-oh" and "all done" and Da-da.  She calls Alex Ah-heee, and Heidi Ha-heee, and every now and then, in a moment of true desperation she may actually say Mama.  She absolutely REFUSES to walk, or practice walking or pretend to want to walk.  If I try to stand her on her own 2 feet she goes limp and falls to the ground. 
She gets in to EVERYTHING and has an incredible reach.  She loves pounding on the computer while Alex is doing school, and barrel rolling when we change her diapers.  She will give hugs and kisses when asked and her hugs are extra special because she pats your back (or the doll or stuffed animal or wallet) and says ohhhhhhhhh and smiles.  If she is in a really good mood then after the hug she will bite your shoulder, or clamp down on your face if you happen to be a stuffed animal.  She is a very physical child and loves to interact with things and people in a very physical way. 

She devoured that cake.  I was baffled.  We finally pulled her away when it was 3/4 gone.  She didn't even make a big mess because she was constantly licking her fingers and eating the fallen pieces.  She eats SO much.  I finally think I have an idea what mother's of boys must mean when they say they can't keep their kids full. 

Quinn also pulls off a pretty good Count Dracula laugh, Ah Ah Ah Ah.  Her sisters absolutely adore her and she loves them.  In the morning when they wake up and come downstairs to be with us, Quinn always crawls over to them and pats them on the head or leg and says her "oohhhhhhh."

Daddy decided she wasn't messy enough and helped out.  Then Alex got in on the fun and then Quinn got another bath.  This week she also got to experience the ground for perhaps the first time.  She crawled up and down the sidewalk for a good 20 minutes before experimenting with dirt in her mouth.  It was obviously delicious because I couldn't keep the stuff out of her mouth after that.  We also established that she can climb the outside steps because they are wider, it became the only good thing about our super narrow inside stairs- Quinn's legs are too long and she hasn't figured out how to get up them.

She likes making choices and sits and thinks about her options.  If I offer 2 kinds of fruit or crackers she will look back and forth and back and forth and then point to the one she wants.  She does this with toys and clothes and food.  This is how we established that her favorite color is orange and knew how to decorate for her party. 
To sum it all up, Quinn is pretty fantastic and a huge blessing in our lives. I can hardly believe she is already 1!  Tyler is also pretty fantastic, and I can't believe he is 30!