Quinn the Artiste

In my desire to keep Quinn occupied (and especially since my car is still dead), we have ventured into the art world. I purchased fingerpaints a while ago, and for some reason had never used them. So one day last week we broke them out. Quinn was a little unsure at first, but after a few minutes, he was an old pro. I dressed him in his swim clothes for safety, if you want to call it that.

He was a little unsure at first. He very gingerly touched the paint.

Then he gingerly touched the paper.

It didn't take long for him to realize how fun it was and then quickly became the 2 year old boy that he truly is. It became a blobby brownish mess, but hey, its his artistic expression.

So, a few days later we decide to paint again, this time using some Hotwheels trucks as a painting tool. I had seen someone on a blog do that once and her son loved it. Quinn definitely liked it, but I think he likes using his fingers/hands better!

You'll notice I didn't dress him in swim clothes the 2nd time. And of course the 1st time he kept himself completely clean. And of course the 2nd time he squished on of the paint covered trucks up against his yellow shirt. Nice job Mom. At least I bought washable paint!

My Son, the Crib Hoarder

Sorry for the recent blog silence, all 2 of you reading this. We finally were able to restore our computer back to its former glory, and I wanted to wait to get any possible bugs worked out. It is going well so far, so hopefully we'll be in happy computer land for a long while.

So I often see posts on mommy message boards talking about what a child takes to bed, how much is too much, etc. Well, I always chuckle, because as you can see below, Quinn takes seemingly everything to bed. Now for the record, most of it is already in his bed and stays there. Some things come and go, but the majority of it is in there for the long haul. I took this picture on a day he decided to dump it all out on the floor, which he does from time to time. And yes, he picks it all back up and puts it back. Everything from the football on the left to the random pieces scattered under the footstool are in his bed. Not the footstool though, I'm not that vapid. I will often hear him roll around in the night, and its a rather loud process. I figure he's not going to go to college and sleep with 4 trucks and 6 books and 7 stuffed animals in his bed. At least I hope not.

The Flintstones and Sprinklers

The title of this sounds a bit odd, but our life can be a bit odd sometimes. Can't everybody's?

Last night we went to Ross' cousin Steven's house. He and his wife, Anne Marie, generously let us borrow a tricycle for Quinn. The absolute second we put it in the car (not mine, mind you, mine still doesn't work) he was shouting "My Bike, My Bike!!" and wanted to ride it right then. It was a little late yesterday, but today we went outside and gave it a whirl.

Well, it went ok. He doesn't quite get the concept of feet on pedals, so he was just walking the bike around...hence the Flintstones reference. If Fred Flintstone had a trike, that would be how he would ride it. Now, riding it like that, in the Florida heat in the middle of the afternoon, will not leave you clean and dry. Needless to say, Quinn was a sweaty little boy by the end of his "ride". See the transformation.

Starting out, he was all smiles and excitedness. Notice how clean and fresh he looks.
After going up and down the road for a little while. He's definitely looking a little more worn out.
He is done. Sweaty, stinky, but satisfied boy!


For the sprinkler portion of the program...

Steven set up a sprinkler for Quinn and Josiah to play in last night, and they had a blast. Quinn had never played in a sprinkler before, and he was a bit wary at first. But once he saw Josiah going for it, he did too! Although he never would jump over the actual sprinkler.

Josiah showing Quinn how its done!
They started running through the screened patio, in one door, out the other, through the sprinkler and around again. But for some reason, Quinn decided to go through the doggy door. Whatever floats your boat son.

A 4th of July Dream Come True!

We spent a lovely but rainy 4th of July at Ross' cousin Debbie's house. July 4th is his cousin Mark's birthday (Debbie's brother), so since that is where he was, that is were we went. We had a great time with family, lots of food, fireworks, and as you will see, Quinn got to experience one of his favorite vehicles!

Quinn playing with Daddy and Henry. One of Henry's finer moments. I tried to get a picture of Q in his outfit, but he was not interested in the camera at all. Trust me, it was cute.


Here is Quinn...in a Jeep!! For some reason unknown to me, Quinn has really latched on to Jeeps. He can spot them anywhere, its pretty impressive. He sometimes calls other vehicles Jeeps, but he's usually right when he names them. So when he saw the Jeep parked in Roy and Debbie's garage, he was very excited. And "Uncle" Roy was nice enough to let him sit in it while they were shooting off fireworks in the driveway. I think Quinn would have sat there all night if he had the chance. He was a little frightened by the close proximity of the fireworks, so it was probably better for him to be in the Jeep anyway.
The birthday boy blowing out the candles on the yummy cake made by his fabulous wife, Jenn Star.


And the following is yet another blackmail picture. I think I have plenty at this point, but they're just so cute, I can't stop myself!