And we're back

I took a bit of a break, as last week, lets just say time was fleeting. We spent last week living at Ross' cousin Mark's house, taking care of their boys, 8 and 6, while Mark and Jenn were in Russia. Going from 1 child to 3 is quite a difference. At least their boys are capable of handling themselves. If it had been 3 smaller kids, I would have lost it.

But let me tell you the truth. I would have taken my kid, their kids, and their old, dying dog over their young dog any day. Cooper is an almost 2 (I think) year old Jack Russell Terrier, who is, in a word, insane. You have to take all these precautions so he doesn't get out, because if he does, he's gone. We had to go chase him at least 3 times, one of which involved me running in my pajamas through some neighbors backyard. Awesome.

But it was a lot of fun. We took them to Animal Kingdom one day, which, while somewhat difficult, was still a lot of fun. Boys are great, but I may be biased.

Well, I'm hoping to get back to blogging on a regular basis. I'm so busy - I got a new job! - but I do need to make it a priority. Its really the only way I record memories and stuff. Hmmm, maybe I should get better at that too.

Not to overindulge...

But I had to post these pictures from Quinn's party. My friend Kate took them, and she is truly becoming an awesome photographer. She gave me a bunch more, but I posted a few favorites. Enjoy!!

The pavilion undergoing some last minute decor.

A smiling Paige.

Quinn running, with Gavin coming up behind him.

Tasha and Beckett enjoying the arts and crafts area.

Quinn does love being the center of attention during the birthday song!

Cupcakes!

Awesome shot of the cupcake toppers.

Quinn doing one of his favorite things, swinging with Papa.

Sweet Ellie.

My dad made a new friend, Kate's daughter Lily.

An adorable shot of Beckett.

The happy birthday boy!

7 Random Facts

I was recently tagged by my friend Tasha to write a post including 7 random facts about myself. I figured that could be fun, so here goes.

1. Both Ross and I took piano lessons for 10+ years. I haven't played in a while, but I still love it and would love to pick it up again one day. You can bet Quinn will definitely take a lesson or two in the future. As a sidenote, Ross also played the violin and viola, so he might be trying those someday as well.

2. I've recently become infatuated with nail polish, more importantly, painting my fingernails. And through this I've realized that I hate long nails, especially painted long nails. I like the look of cute, short nails in fun bright colors. Maybe this stems back fact #1 and having to cut my nails short to play piano, who knows. Some of current fave colors are Hell to the No (Sephora by OPI, Glee collection), Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous (OPI), and Leotard Optional (Sephora by OPI, Urban Ballerina Collection). I also just got Essie's Sand Tropez and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of 3 Zoya colors, so I should be able to have nail polish fun for a while!

3. I love movies. Almost any kind really, and those who know me know I take it fairly seriously. It was a moment of utmost pleasure when the Oscar Best Pictures nominations came out and I had already seen all 10. I also like knowing what I've seen, so I started a spreadsheet in 2009 tracking my movies and the medium in which they were watched. Right now I can tell you that in March of 2009 I watched 4 movies, 6% of my total for the year. Of those 4, I watched 2 from TV/Internet and 2 on DVD. Dorky? Maybe. Awesome? Totally.

4. On the subject of entertainment, I can't stand the way that Ross can turn on a show/movie in the middle or even near the end and watch. He'll even flip during the show and flip back, having missed more, gah, I can't handle it! I rarely watch a show I haven't watched from the beginning (of that particular show and the entire series), scripted shows anyway.

5. I love most any cheese, but only hate two. Swiss and Feta. Blech.

6. Growing up I always said I wanted upwards of 20 kids, and some of the girl names I picked out were Lacey and Keisha. Not really feeling any of that anymore, I'll just stick to watching 19 Kids and Counting.

7. I love Broadway shows, and if I could go back in time, my first stop would be to see Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel in Wicked on Broadway. Perfection.

I'm supposed to tag 7 more people, but since most people I actually know who blog have already been tagged, feel free to tag yourself and post 7 random facts!

The Birthday Week Review

I know all of my readers have been breathlessly awaiting the recap of Quinn's birthday week. Well, breath again, because here it is!

We started the week with a trip to Hollywood Studios with Ross' cousin Pamela, her husband Todd, and their adorable daughter Audrey. Audrey loves Quinn and the feeling is usually mutual.

It was crazy crowded (the 5th busiest weekend of the year at Disney, according to Todd), so we only stayed for a few hours, but the kids had fun and were tired out, which is really all we wanted.

Here is an adorable picture of Ross, Quinn, and Audrey on the Backlot ride.

It was virtually impossible to get a good picture of them together at the Lightning McQueen/Mater area, so here you go!

My parents and sister came to town the next day. Quinn had been eagerly awaiting their visit and we were very excited about all the activities we had planned. The day after they arrived we headed out to the Magic Kingdom. Lunch at the Crystal Palace was the first thing on the agenda, and we were really excited about that. If you remember, last year we had dinner at the Crystal Palace, and it ended with Quinn's dinner back up on the tablecloth. Luckily that grossness wasn't to be repeated and we had a yummy lunch with some big furry animals throw in for a good time.

Quinn and Pooh

Quinn and Eeyore
Quinn and Tigger
Quinn and Piglet
I'm honestly amazed that he was actually looking at the camera and smiling in all those pictures. It must have been the character haze he was in.

Below is the birthday cupcake Quinn was given. I do believe it is the culprit in the puking incident of last year, so I was a little nervous about it. But as I said before, everything stayed down.

The rest of the Disney visit was great, including my random wandering through the park looking for the stroller and then fighting crowds to find my people. But it was overall a great time.

Two days later was Quinn's party! I decided to do it on a Thursday because of the overall ease factor. I have a friend who has Thursdays off, so I wanted her and her daughter to be there, and amazingly everyone who was invited (but 1) was able to come, so success! Also the park we wanted to have it at is packed out on the weekends, and it was pretty slow on Thursdays. We did have a little snafu on the way there, but once it got going it was a great time. All the kids had fun, the food (Jello jigglers, chick-fil-a nuggets, fruit salad, carrots, mini cupcakes) was yummy, and we collected quite a few toys for the Women's Resource Center. After the disaster that was Quinn's party, I was just so happy the weather was wonderful and people were able to come.

I didn't get the best pictures (I'm hoping some people with great cameras can pass some over to me), but here are a few.

There were 4 Chadwell boys at the party, and while we tried to get a good shot, this is about as good as it got. But when you're dealing with 4 boys aged 18 months to 4 years, you can't expect much.
Quinn's friend Beckett actually wanted his picture taken, so here they are!

Swinging with Papa!
That night we went to International Plaza so Quinn could get his "big" gift from me and Ross. At the new Disney store they have a design and build your own Cars area, and since Quinn loves Cars, we figured that would be great. He really enjoyed picking out the parts and made an adorably mismatched Lightning McQueen.

This next picture was taken the next day on Quinn's actual birthday. All the festivities wore him out. We took cupcakes to his class at school, which he really loved.

Here he is in his birthday shirt...I think I posted this picture in another post, but here it is again!

That night we went to Texas Cattle Company in Lakeland, which is a great steak place. And they give a free steak on your birthday, making it even better. And since Quinn and Ross' mom share a birthday, we had an even bigger reason to go. Here is Quinn with his birthday twin, MeeMaw!!

Family picture time!
After dinner we let Quinn finish opening his presents, which he really loved, as most kids do.

And one last celebration...at The Brunchery! We've been going there pretty much every Sunday since before we got married, so we're definitely regulars. Quinn is a well-known customer, and he loves everyone there too. Its so nice to have a "place" and a family tradition.
Whew, that was a lot! As you can see, Quinn's 3rd birthday was a whirlwind and a great time. Oh, and I guess he enjoyed all the attention too, as he now has a ear/eye infection. He is still getting the attention...although he could have done it without the infection part. That would have been appreciated.

Here's to hoping Quinn's 3rd year is marvelous, just like him!

Room

I'm trying to keep up on my book reviews, so here's one I just finished.

Room, by Emma Donoghue, is a book very different from most books I've read in that the narrator is a 5 year old boy named Jack. While the voice takes some getting used to, the consistency and clarity Donoghue maintains throughout the story gives the reader something to hold on to as the book unfolds.

Without giving anything major away, Jack and his Ma live in Room, an 11x11 space that Ma has been trapped in for 7 years, since she was kidnapped off her college campus at 19. The world of Room is at one time scary and dangerous, but also enriching and enlightening. Through all Ma has been through, she has educated and cared for Jack, raising a smart, caring, seemingly happy child. I can't divulge much beyond this, without giving anything away, but watching Jack's (and Ma's) development unfold takes some unexpected turns, leaving the reader both confused, hopeful, and considerate of their own place in the World.

There are some controversial, for lack of a better word, themes in Room, but overall I would highly recommend this book to someone looking for something a little different than the norm.