so big.

There are moments when you realize your itty bitty baby is not so itty bitty anymore.

This new addition to our fridge captured one of those moments.

That little S of a snake makes this one proud mama.
Quinn attended her first Toddler Time class this morning. It was "S" day.
There were stories beginning with "S" read and songs sung. There was a special "S" craft and even an "S" treat (sherbet ice cream - yum!) I was quite impressed with this little class, all for one dollar ...fantastic and Quinn had fun and that is the most important part.
As for that snake craft, it's probably 80% mommy 20% Quinny as she was the youngest in the class, but she was such a big girl at that table and had her first experience with finger paints.

I'm so excited to be doing all these new and fun things together with her now that she is officially a toddler. Other than Toddler Time at the Library, we also are Gymboree class regulars now. I am so excited about that, and Quinn will be so excited when we go back for our next class. She LOVED it!
It all makes me realize what a big girl she is becoming.

Otherwise, most days we are happily playing at home. :) The awesome weather of March has increased walks, park visits, and playing outside.
Quinn's 12 hour day-time portion of a day primarily consists of:

15% Chasing Lucy
15% eating
30% napping
15% reading books
15% cozying with her stuffed animals
10% cuddles and kisses

and throw in bathtime every other night in there too. :)

Books and stuffed animals are Quinn's favorite things.
She cuddles with her animals all the time. It's the cutest.

She is such a happy girl.

She has really been interested in learning more about her mommy lately.  She pulls out my Educator of the Year book about once a day and really looks through it carefully.

Our windows are the perfect height for this curious little girl.

no tippy toes needed.

such a big girl.

She is excited that her little cousin is growing fast and getting big too!
She can't wait for a girl playmate, although her boys love her so much too. :)
Here is our adorable little niece/Quinny's cousin - Brynn - 4 months
Look at those blue eyes!

Have a great day!

what I learned today.

I learned that this little girl...

is a silly little ham.

Quinn attended her first little toddler class and it was memorable. It was her first time being in a structured group and being around others of the same age group (especially other little girls).

I was the mom going in hoping my shy little girl who sticks to my side around other people would venture out to explore. Well, not only did she have no problem venturing out, she somehow became "that girl", you know, the social butterfly that wants to know every little thing going on and be friends with every single playmate possible in the room. The one that eats up all of the attention as other parents are entertained by her silly, singing, dancing adorable self (while all of their children stay close to their sides) and mine is in the middle of the circle underneath the draping parachute swiveling her hips and snapping one hand like she is in some music video. Yup. That's my girl. I loved every single second of being able to see this side of her around other people. I've always seen this little silly imaginative little girl, but around others in her age group it definitely stood out how much her little personality shined. It made me smile so big, because of all the hopes I have most in the world it is for her to be herself, be strong, be kind, and let herself shine.

Aside from our little star who I've determined will have some artistic (song or dance) about her, she also played very well with the other kids. And her sweetness was apparent through her play, her smiles, her joy and that anytime the teacher stopped talking Quinn would clap. It was seriously so cute, and the teacher ate it up, thanking her each time for her applause.

When your kids are around peers, it definitely teaches you more about them. Things you already knew, but think is just typical of all children at that age.  But you discover it isn't typical and you learn more about what makes them stand out in this big world.

Quinn, you are so sweet and care about what is going on with others around you. I know you will be an amazing friend. You already show what a good listener you are, and focus when others are talking to you. You make good eye contact too. :) Your personality shines and you share your happiness to others by your infectious smiles and giggles. Others are drawn to you. You have a serious beat to you when you dance, and you've got more than just a few moves. We listen to music all the time and you love it. You are so responsive to others, and I've realized that you respond to everything. I am SO proud of that in you and it is definitely a unique trait to a little toddler like you. There is a very silly side to you that makes us laugh constantly, and a dramatic side that makes you strong and independent. We love every single little bit of you and love getting to know you more and more everyday.

With our first gymboree class being such a great experience (and she loved it so much), we are going to turn it into a regular weekly class for us. And I'm really excited about it, I'm sure Quinn is too!

It has been so fun to get more involved in new activities. We also have a Toddler Time Library class we attend now as well. It's all so fun.
New activities also means making new friends and meeting new people and I love that side of it.
I had the funniest conversation with my sister the other day that started with her saying this "I got picked up at the park today". And me "huh?" Well it turns out another mom was there with her baby and started up conversation and then slowly led into "Well, I'm sure you probably have lots of friends, but if you ever want to hang out..." and then an exchange of numbers for play dates. Leading my sister to talk about how awkward it is to get "picked up"/make new friends. It's like the beginning stages of dating. And this comparison just made me laugh, but it is so true.
I called her two days later following our new gymboree class to tell her "Guess what, I got picked up twice today!"
All things funny aside, it is so nice to meet new people. Gymboree will hopefully bring us new friendships and some play dates with other kids Quinn's age.


Happy St. Patty's Day!
A gorgeous day led us to the park.

dancing her Irish jig.

We see this finger to the mouth look a lot lately.  sometimes it's like Dr. Evil on Austin Powers though.

another adorable outfit made by grandma.  and the little booty is always the best.

Have a wonderful weekend!

storytime for bear.

We went on a little adventure today and decided to read a story for bear.
And where do bears like to be read to?

In the woods of course. :)

"I will be reading Brown Bear Brown Bear by Eric Carle"  she says.

"Mama, are there brown bears up in the trees?"

we giggle when we get to the brown bear page.

and then we take bear to see the lake.

and squish our feet in the grass.

and take in every single ounce of a beautiful day.

ready to go.

Our adventures are the best and I'm so grateful for them.

Quinn's wardrobe:  a 3-6 month dress we pulled out from the fall that still fits and put it together with some jeggings.  I love that we can still get great use out of a lot of her clothes.  Only for a girl though can you make it work in new ways.

piggies, booty shakin' and sunshine.

hello sunshine. welcome spring.

Winter came and went so fast you barely saw or felt it.   Before we knew it, it was time to "spring ahead" already.  I won't complain. Spring and Fall are my favs and they have been putting up a fight for more of a presence. I cheer for them and enjoy watching their triumph over winter or the scorching days that may show in summer.

With this little girl around seasons are so much brighter than before. Spring is more meaningful than I've ever known. Spring is sweet, and right now it is absolutely scrumptious.

girl was on a mission today.

and she found a little boy to chase down the block.  warm weather brings neighbors outside and together.

60's and 70's are here for the week.
I think it may have even been warmer here than at Grandpa & Grandma's in Florida today.


There are moments that bring about a great excitement during the stages of infant and toddlerhood and one snuck in and surprised me with how exciting it was.

Piggies.

Piggies are here and I'm excited. Not just for piggies but for everything that is oh so girly. Putting piggies in her hair was like "first tooth" exciting for me. I loved it.

I am SO in love with being a mama of a little girl.   And this particular little girl, oh my word is she precious.  seriously.

and right now this absolutely precious little girl with piggies...she loves to dance.
and this little outfit is a favorite of mine, we pulled it out from the fall and it still fits (6-9 month). yay! It is ADORABLE on her.

On most days you will find us with music on in the background, playing, reading and lots and lots of dancing.

To watch our little booty shaker click here.

and to see some more plus a little dancing like auntie amy click here for extra cuteness.


Have a great week!
Enjoy the sunshine and dance a little too. :)

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, you would think we had been on vacation.  A little bit of a different vacation I guess, away from the computer and my camera.  Picking it up again and heading outside today was refreshing and felt brand new.  I love spring.

and today it really does.

Feel like spring I mean.
It is a little strange to think about spring around the corner when you feel like you are still waiting for a typical harsh winter.  Nevertheless, we enjoy a gorgeous sunny almost 60 degree day today.  The furnace isn't running, a breeze blows through the house, this is my weather (no need for heat or air).  The park is calling to us this afternoon and we will definitely answer.

How is the spring cleaning?  rolling.  I have productive spurts in the day.  When I get that in the morning that is the best.  Today it felt good.  By 10am I had clean floors and rug (including under the couches) a spotless cleared out kitchen, a kitchen table I haven't seen since before the party hoopla began, two loads of laundry rolling, a clean dishwasher awaiting, and a refrigerator scrubbed inside from top to bottom.  I got tired of playing that fun game of "what is smelling inside of the fridge?" and decided it needed a full top to bottom makeover.  And best of all, I enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast with Quinn too.  Because apparently we missed national pancake day yesterday, and we couldn't let that one go.
With windows open, we have a happy (almost completely clean) house today.

Got to enjoy a mommy break last night with my regular movie date Jill.  Regular as in every few months we try to catch that cute girly flick that is out, and have a chance to catch up too.  Last night we saw The Vow, we enjoyed it, but also walked away thinking we could be way better in the film industrty than some people who put these movies together.  It was cute, very very cute, just lacked a little of what we expected and wanted more of, that fight and romance to make her fall in love with him again.  A couple hours away from normal mommy duty is always healthy and refreshing so it was a good evening out. 

The Oscars, here are my random thoughts:
Really good show.
Especially loved the winners: Olivia Spencer, Christopher Plummer and Meryl Streep.
Billy Crystal is always funny but tasteful.
Loved Jessica Chastain's whole look, especially her hair.
Liked Natalie Portman's fun polka dots.
Would love to wear Kristen Wiig's dress.
Did Angelina really need to stick her leg out every time she stood?
...and holy cow Tom Cruise looks half his age, no joke.
If you saw him hand out the Best Picture award you know what I'm talking about.
It looks like Marerick just stepped off the Top Gun set.  He is 50 this year, may as well be 25. Funny enough I googled pics and found that many others found that he looked the same way.
I mostly loved having my sweet little girl cuddled on my side as we watched all the movie stars strut the red carpet. :)


A few weeks ago we had our darling little niece's baptism.
Here are a few pictures from the event, that I didn't have the chance to blog yet.
Unfortunately I was not on top of my game with pics though.  Sorry Aim.

What's going on in the audience?

"But, look at my pretty dress mom."

This moment here:

Resulted in this expression from my sister:

and that expression was from this.

a very very oily little Brynn. :)

Brynn's Godparents are Todd and Courtney.  Todd was very excited. :)

Ugh. eyes are closed, but this was the better of the two family pictures we got.

and this, is just so sweet.

Happy Leap Day!
Happy Spring day!
Enjoy the sunshine.

feels a little like spring.

I don't mean this quite in the weather sense as we just had a snow day the other day and there is a bit of a chill today.
However, spring cleaning in our home has begun!
Exciting, right?
If you like to get things clean and organized then it is.
Unfortunately, our cozy little home is a challenge for finding everything it's own little place. And especially after a big event and lots of family in town it's hard to keep everything in a place. But it's time. We are pretty good at always trying to find a place, but some good ol' clean down to the baseboards is really needed around here. I'm motivated and with the party over I have a little more time on my hands, figured I better jump on it before I no longer have that motivation. My goal is 2-3 cleaning projects on my list a week.

Spring also symbolizes new things to me.

Today I made my stay-at-home mom status official.
I notified the school district that I will not be returning following the end of my leave of absence. Although I've already been away for over a year now, it was still very strange. I love teaching, I'll miss the kids and my friends, but I am so excited to be here with one very special little girl who deserves every ounce of my attention.

Other new things?
Well, we have an official toddler in our house and boy is she filling that title. Everyday she gets even more silly, more dramatic, and every day I see more of a little girl in her. The one that cuddles with me on the couch to watch all of the pretty gowns walking the red carpet last night. It makes me excited for all those things that are very mother/daughter. I can't quite imagine a little toddler boy sitting calmly and quietly though the Oscars. :)

In our new little toddler are new teeth! New one-year molars to be exact. Poor baby, I can only imagine how that feels. Her sleeping routine has been just a little off, but overall she still handles these things like a rockstar. She has been waking once a night these last few days, we spend 20-30 minutes playing, grab a little orajel and back to bed she goes. Last night she woke up at 8:30pm so we cuddled for some of the Oscars show for a while before she headed back to bed until 7:30 this morning. I hope all of these molars come in together. It appears they may. One is through on her right side, and the left side seems to be bothering her so those should be shortly behind.

My mom recently sent me some pictures of my one year birthday. Thought I would share a few along with our new birthday girl.

I see this expression on Quinn sometimes, it's so funny.  And she has a little doggie she carries around that she just got from her auntie, uncle and cousins.  Our hair is the same (except mine was cut with bangs already)  the nose and shape of the eyes is the same.  Quinn has more teeth though, and I think some fuller lips like daddy's maybe.  I was definitely chubbier. :)

Spring is just around the corner.
I'm excited about some new projects and possibilities.

And on that note, I hear a little girl singing in her crib awake from her nap. :)