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!