O Christmas tree.

We had a lot of fun decorating the tree. :)
Definitely different from the 9 month old we had last year when we decorated the tree.

Quinn is 21 months this year as we decorate the tree.
21 months as in only a few months away from being 2 years old!  yikes, how did that happen?

It's been a while since I've done one of her monthly update posts so we will do a quick one here. :)

@ 21 months:

- Quinn is still a little thing, but she is growing and all of a sudden seems to be stretching out taller.
- She LOVES:  music, dancing, reading books, playing with stuffed animals, balls, jewelry, purses, playing with the toy bowls and silverware, being outside, just running in general, playing chase, being scared by someone jumping out, giving hugs, brushing mommy's hair (or pulling it!), Mickey Mouse, when someone lightly rubs her arm, foot, face,  petting Lucy and playing with friends (she gets so excited to play with other kids).
- She dislikes:  watching movies other than Tangled, Shrek 2 and Cars 2 (hoping she opens up to a few more soon so that mommy doesn't start reciting them unknowingly into regular conversation), when we give Lucy treats (we can't figure this one out)  ....hmmm I'm getting a little stumped here there isn't much that she dislikes, usually just when she wants something that she can't have, but fortunately for us she moves on from things pretty quickly.

- Quinn is still a great sleeper.  Typically 7:30pm-7:30/8am and a 1pm-4pm nap daily.  Once in a while she goes for about a week where she wakes up occasionally at night.  While Quinn has always been a wonderful sleeper, she is a bit of a light sleeper.  She sleeps with a crib full of blankies and stuffed animals to lay on and snuggle with. :)

- She has a huge vocabulary but is still light on the talking.  I take that back, she is a constant talker and has always been, however she is few on her words.  Like everything else she does she will say things when she knows she can, that I know is true.  She doesn't like to "try" things until she knows she can do it, and she really doesn't try to repeat after you much.  In the meantime, she understands everything, follows specific directions, listens carefully, and says:  yeah, no, k (okay), again, mi-eee (Mickey), hi, sock, doggy, mommy, daddy, duck, stuck, see (Lucy), oh boy, happy, ow-sy (outside), grandpa,... and a few more that aren't coming straight to mind.  She still signs and we continue to work on building her signing (and mine too!)

- Quinn is a good listener.  This I have seen in her since she was a little baby.  She listens intently.  She follows directions.  She is a good little listener.

- She is a giggler, and loves to be tickled!

- She is a relatively tough little girl when it comes to some things and I love that about her, but she is also a sensitive little soul...bound to happen as both Todd and I were and still are very sensitive.
There is this sweet soft little side of her that gives hugs to friends, loves animals and stops and cares when she sees someone crying or upset.

- Since the move we have been doing little activities in our community when we can and that are free :)  We love to go to the library every week, whether there is a class or not.  We are hoping to start a new class after the new year (thinking swim lessons or a music/dance class).

- Our favorite song to jam to in the car this week:  Give your heart a break by Demi Lovato.  Quinn loves it when it gets to the chorus and we are dancing.

- Quinn has the best little smiles, and I pride myself in knowing all of them.  My favorite smile right now is her proud smile.  The one she tries to hide but can't - when she is proud of herself for something that was figured out.  This smile a little similar to her embarrassed smile too :)

- Proud - She is starting to show that she is proud of herself and I think this is my favorite new thing about this stage of her toddlerhood.  I LOVE to see how proud she is of herself when she does something, I hope to see this so so much more as she continues to grow.

I could go on and on of course.
Quinn has always been an easygoing little girl.
We have used the occasional little timeout (mostly for jumping on the couch), and there have been a few little tantrums (about 3, one of them being today).
But we love every little ounce of her including those tantrums. ;)

playroom reveal.

It's about time I got around to a room reveal from our new home. :)

Welcome to our playroom/office.

I had a specific vision of what I thought this room would look like and this picture above was pretty much right on target. :)  I'm so happy with how this room came together.
Like most rooms in our home, it is about transforming a new space by using most of what you already have and just tossing in a few new pieces that really make the room.

We decided to utilize the downstairs dining room and transform it into our playroom space.  For several reasons: 1.  It's on the first floor, with a young child you want to be in the same space/closeby (if you aren't already playing of course).  2.  We would use this type of space so much more than a formal dining room.  3.  The convenience of this room to other major routing areas in the house is perfect (the through way door opening in the picture leads to the kitchen and the family room is also nearby).  As I envisioned this space I wanted to make sure it didn't look like a dining room that we use as a playroom and I think we were successful.

Now, placing our office here was probably not a popular choice of many as it's not tucked away somewhere as most people would like it.  That choice was simply convenience, livability, and what made the most sense for us.  Having it on the first floor meant that if you went to use the computer you weren't up secluded on the 2nd floor away from family.  It also gave the convenience to utilize the computer quickly when checking a recipe, directions before you leave, or perhaps typing a quick blog post while your daughter is playing with her toys just a few feet from you.  We are all about spending as much time together as possible, so in a nutshell that was the reason for the office placement here. :)

What went into this room?
- I painted the grey stripes on the walls (a long project, but not nearly as complicated as I thought it would be to take on).
- We added the 3 teal storage ottomans from Target to act as a bench or another place to sit and can hold more toys.  These were on sale of course. :)
-  We utilized the computer desk/shelving/file cabinet/office chair we already had.  As well as our toy shelf and organizing bins that we had as well.
-  We added the canvas pictures on the wall for a little dimension and more pops of color as well.

- My mom made these AWESOME golden yellow panel curtains.  I love them.  It took a while to find just the right fabric.
- And Todd picked up this Fisher Price table at a sale for only $10.

- A light fixture change can make any room seem completely different.  Here is our IKEA light fixture...aka our New Year's Eve ball. :)

Just to show another angle of what is near our playroom.

And this is our beautiful, bright, colorful, functional playroom/office.

thanksgiving.

This year for Thanksgiving, we roadtripped it down to spend the holiday with Todd's mom, Genny, and Derek.

Can you guess where our road trip destination was?

Yes, cardinals fans...we were in St. Louis.

Quinn added a new state to her travel passport. Missouri is now state 11 for her. That's quite a few states for only being 21 months old. :)

We spent two days enjoying some family time and taking in all things Thanksgiving and Christmas.  In the morning we headed out to enjoy the wonderful Thanksgiving day parade, just a quick train ride away. 
By evening after our bellies were full from our Thanksgiving feast, we enjoyed a Christmas carriage ride through Winter Wonderland, filled with thousands and thousands of lights and decorations.

First train ride.

Watching the parade!

love this picture.  mesmerized by the big balloons.

a proud little American girl.

 

Our evening horse-drawn carriage ride was a special treat.
It was a beautiful park filled with gorgeous lights and Christmas decorations.
We all loved it.
If you know me, then you know I fell in love with our horse. 
And was quite concerned that I didn't want him to be working too hard. :)
His name was Lightning, despite that we were told he was actually the slowest of the group.  He was huge and beautiful and Quinn loved him as well.
We were hit with some rain towards the end of our ride, but Quinn loved that part too.  Good thing it was 68 degrees outside. :)

We had a very nice trip and time with Genny and Derek.  We enjoyed seeing a little more of St. Louis and having fun with things that got us in the holiday spirit.  And we had safe travels to and from, so we are very thankful.

We arrived home Friday evening after a quick stop in Bloomington for some delicious food from Avanti's.
On Saturday we enjoyed a lovely day at home and hosted our own Thanksgiving dinner with our little family and Todd's dad, Ron.  We had a wonderful time just visiting and spending time together.

Such a wonderful holiday.

now bring on all the Dalton's/Harvey's for Christmas!  :)

thankful.

We have so much to be thankful for.

Our family whom we love so dearly and look forward to every minute we can spend together.  We are so fortunate in the love of our family.

Our friends who I can not imagine life without. Our friends who have become our extended family. There for us in the blink of an eye. Loving our quinn as if she is their own. 

A beautiful house that has become our home.  Our family home. We never cease to be grateful to have our home, a shelter for our family, and a treasure filled with love and memories.

Our health. We are always grateful for good health, especially for our Quinn. We are also grateful that we no longer carry the flu or colds this week. :)

Our greatest little gift and joy - Quinn. Your smiles, your snuggles, your sweet giggles, your energy and your love, are the greatest little gifts for us. You are such a good listener these days. You listen and do what mommy and daddy ask of you. We are so proud of you for being a good little friend to your friends as well.

So Thankful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year Quinn is especially grateful for:

- A new big home to run around and around and around in.

- Mickey Mouse, Rapunzel, and Shrek

- A couch to bounce on even though she is not supposed to.

- a kitty to hug, pet and give things to. (she likes to give her toys to Lucy)

- goldfish, corn puffs, chicken nuggets, corn, peas, broccoli, zucchini, apples, and oh chocolate. :)

- slides and bouncy houses.

- being rubbed/massaged lightly (loves to have her arm, leg, foot, face lightly touched).

- playing with anything that mommy has on her regularly (keys, chapstick, sunglasses, phone, etc.)

- playing outside.  running.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!



what i wore wednesday.

just a quick check-in post to say hello.
it's been a busy week of housing guests (my parents), colds, flus (made their way through all 3 of us), a trip to Wisconsin, a birthday party, visiting with family and well - watching Mickey Mouse.
Being sick means watching many, many, many episodes of Mickey Mouse.  We do officially have a Mickey addict.  But I will say that when our little peanut is not sick or her mommy and daddy aren't sick, she doesn't watch so much t.v. 
We are on the upswing I think though, Todd was the last to get it.  And thank goodness I'm feeling better because let's face it men just don't handle illness quite as strongly as women (sorry honey). 
Soon those mickey mouse episodes will slowly decline and we will be back to our dancin' and groovin' and checking off more things on the never-ending to-do list ways.

In the meantime, here is a child version of "What I wore Wednesday". :)

 

 

Some of the cutest outfits are the most random ones we throw together quickly.

Cardigan - hand-me-down from a relative

t-shirt - "I love the coach shirt" made by grandma

mustard bubble skirt - Target, gifted from grandma and grandpa

heart leggings - Kohls, gifted from grandma and grandpa

hair fashionably done by mommy - alright that is pretty much a go-to style these days.

 

off to clean and then enjoy Quinn's naptime on the couch with my DVR.

 



picture updates.

hop on over to our photography tab for a couple little updates there...
two sweet little girls who recently turned one.
both a special part of our family.

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This picture is one of my favorites. 
It's everything about being a mommy picture, and the little tear on her cheek makes it all the more precious.

pool time.

the it's chilly outside, let's get creative and have an indoor pool party with my stuffed friends version. 

 

a halloween video.

Turn up the volume. Enjoy!

halloween.

 

2011

 

2012

 



Hope everyone had a happy and safe halloween!