Happy Halloween

Quinn and Abby went trick o' treating together and had a great time. We made it to 5 or 6 houses and then went back to Abby's house to play and watch some football. Q is battling some severe teething and was a trooper the entire night! He even gave us a couple "Rrooaars!"

Vocabulary This Week

• Woof
• Fish
• Poo poo

I think they are all self explanatory.

It's Starting

Remember Quinn's chair? Well, he's grown in to it a bit since this photo. In fact, he can pick up the

chair now- which is the point of my post. See, I was cleaning and Quinn was playing in the corral. Sidenote: I have to leave the gate to the corral open now...or he gets super mad! So...the chair is backed up against the coffee table. When I look over, Q is sitting in the chair holding a book- you know how he likes to read to himself. I go back to cleaning. I look over again (cause it's really quiet) and he has climbed on top of the coffee table via said chair! As soon as he hears me gasp, he slides off (feet first-just like he learned at Gymboree) and flashes his half-angel, half-devil smile. I go over and move the chair away from the coffee table. I go back to cleaning. I look over again and by George, Quinn is picking up the chair and moving it back to the coffee table! Can you believe that?

Pumpkin Pickin' & Fall Festival

Happy Fall Ya'll!

What a Difference a Year Makes

Fall Creek Fall Festival 2008
Quinn was only 7 weeks old. He stayed in his stroller most of the time sleeping. I think we stayed for about 20 minutes; just long enough to take some pictures.

Fall Creek Fall Festival 2009
Quinn is 14 months old. We stayed almost two hours. Quinn rode a train, jumped in the moonwalk, ate bbq, danced, got a tattoo, and let us chase him throughout the festival. What a difference a year makes!

Vocab

New words this week:

"Baby"-we hear this a lot.

"Uh-oh" - pretty easy to figure out that one. I dread looking up when I hear that!

"Whoa"

"Bubbles"

Signing to Another Mommy

Ben and I took Q to Chick-Fil-A for dinner last night. It was Princesses and Pirates Night with special appearances by Cow (dressed as a pirate) and Tinkerbell. Let's just say there were A LOT of princesses and pirates! I mean LOTS. While Tinkerbell was stationed in the corner autographing photos of herself (you read correctly), Cow was making rounds. Quinn LOVES Cow- as long as he stays six or more feet away. Q will wave to Cow until his hand falls off. But if Cow comes to close to us, Quinn latches on to me or Ben. But this isn't the point of my story.

Sitting beside us was a mom and her little boy. Quinn made friends with them quickly- as if there was any doubt that would happen. I ran up to the counter to get some napkins and such and when I returned, the mom was laughing and came over to our table to talk to us. Apparently, they were eating desert (ice cream cones). Quinn turned around in his high chair to face them and started signing "more eat." Repeatedly. Q was using his Mitchell charm to get some ice cream. This mom had taught her children to sign just as Ben and I taught Quinn. She said he kept signing and looking at her as if he were saying, "You're a mommy. You look like somebody that knows what I'm saying! I want ice cream."

Growing Up

Last Friday my heart was happy and broken at the same time. You see, my baby boy went happily to school without crying for the first time. Per our usual routine, I carry Quinn into the building and half way down the hall. Then I put him down and coax him to walk into the classroom on his own; which can take several minutes. But on this day, I was in a hurry. So I held Q until we got to the classroom door. Mrs. Donna met us with a big smile and morning greeting. (side note: parents are not allowed in the classrooms for safety and security reasons. The door entry is gated and the parent has to hand over the kid and his stuff. Parents aren't forbidden in the room; but it's discouraged). And before I knew it, Quinn had jumped from my arms into Mrs. Donna's arms! He then did the "put me down" wiggle (so she did) and ran over to the train table to play with another little boy. Meanwhile, I was saying my goodbye spiel: "I love you! You're going to have a great day! I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up! Have fun!" No use. It fell on deaf ears. Quinn never even looked back at me! Not to cry. Not to say goodbye. Nothing. He had more important things to do...like make some trains crash.

Quinn's first piece of artwork.

Ready for Duke Basketball

Quinn Loves Ruby....A BUNCH

I wish Quinn would stay this age forever...most of the time.

My mom and dad finally bought me some pants to wear.
But they didn't stay on long...I live in Texas, ya'll! It's hot here!

Let's go DUKE!

I already know how to plant my feet and shoot!



Doing my Risky Business dance.

Talking Up a Storm

Here are some of this week's Quinn-isms:

• "Buh Bo"- Bye Gymbo (the clown mascot at Gymboree). Gymbo gets lots of Q hugs and kisses at goodbye time.
• "Go! Go! Go!" - Not sure where this one came from. Maybe me yelling at people while driving? Or Ben and I yelling at the tv during the Auburn games?
• "Home." - Q says this as we pull into the driveway. Amazing, huh?
• "Ssooshhs." - Shoes. Not to be confused with "oose" aka juice. He can also sign shoes.

Ninety percent of what Quinn says concerns the dogs. After "Hey Dada," it's always "Dogs?" first thing in the morning. And, yes, even when I get him up in the morning he says, "Hey Dada."

Book Fair!

Remember the book fair? I was always so excited to get my order form! Sometimes, we even had an entire classroom converted into a "bookstore" that sold the coolest books, bookmarks, and posters- can't forget the posters! I would have at least 10 items picked out before I got home.

Fast forward 30 something years and it's book fair time again! Quinn brought home his first order form on Friday. I called Ben at work to tell him and he almost jumped through the phone with excitement. Ya'll know Ben--a bibliophile to the core! I wonder how much money Jim and Anne spent at book fairs.

So on Friday night, Ben and I sat at our bar (wow, totally different meaning compared to two years ago!) and went through the order form. The total after our first sweep: $70! SEVENTY DOLLARS. FOR BOOKS. FOR A ONE-YEAR-OLD! Second sweep: $13. But that is for only two books. Granted, they are board books. And board books are more expensive than paper books. Q isn't ready for paper books yet. The excitement of reading makes him want to rip the pages.

Now Accepting Donations

I don't know how you parents with two+ children do it; especially if you have ALL boys. Our one and only little guy is going to eat us out of house and home! Here's what the kid ate for breakfast today:

• 6 oz of Banana Apple Oatmeal
• 4 oz of Yogurt
• a Pancake
• a Fried Egg
• Two handfuls of O's (that's what we call Cheerios)
• 8 oz of Milk
• 4 oz of Juice

He is truly a disposal! We scour the pantry and refrigerator "after" every meal just to find something that will fill him up!

Busted!

Me: Quinn, were you in the crate?
Quinn: Who? Me?

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I'm Going to School, Ya'll!

Mornings

Want to guess who Q takes after when it comes to morning time?