Bicycles! Bicycles! Bicycles!

I made a deal with the kids tonight. After dinner, if they would both ride their bikes we could ride over to Brook Park school playground. They both reluctantly agreed. They both rocked on pedaling their bikes. Paige was fast and controlled and Quinn really did marvelous at just pedaling away. He gets stuck every once and awhile when he accidentally brakes instead of pedals forward. We rode all the way to the park. After just a few minute sof playing, Quinn took. Little girl by the hand, who was visibly upset and walked he down to the bottom of the stairs. what a gentlemen! Paige tried the monkey bars but only for a few moments because then she wanted to get right back on h bike and ride around the blacktop. Quinn soon followed suit and despite a huge crowd of kids they both spent the rest of the time on their bikes. Paige even let a girl take turns on her bike.
We rode all the way home. It was a ton of riding but they both did absolutely awesome.

Ah, memories of ACS

Yesterday, after dinner the kids and I took a walk around the neighborhood. We walked home I decided to take them to Bill's to split and ice cream. the kids settled on superman with M&M's. We sat outside on the benches and they did a decent job sharing. Then she said it! Paige said, "I just ate my counselor Maggie. I just ate my my counselor Kara."
Nothing like memorializing your camp counselors by pete ding to eat them as the M&M's they dressed up as for costume day!

What school do I go to today?

It was great, the day after Paige had he graduation ceremony from Huskie Pups she woke the next morning saying, "What school do I go to today?". Sadly, I had to break that bubble and send her back to Miss Karla to finish the year. She had a great summer at Avery Coonley summer program with Dad, she took Let's Get Ready to Read, Swim lessons, Kinesthetic Kids, Art and Music, Brain Boosters, Movin and Groovin and Art Alive. Tomorrow, she begins her school career as a sparkling brand new kindergartener in Ms. Mamollela's class at St. Giles in Oak Park. mom is going to take care of drop off and pick-up, sure hope she gets some great photos!

Oh no it's Mister Quinn!

Yesterday, was the first day back to OPRF Huskie Pups daycare and Quinn is in the preschool class. Yes, he has Miss Karla, just as Paige before him. Mommy reported that within 20 minutes if being there he was already in his back up shorts. Guess the little man was so excited to be back to school with his friends that he good not bring himself to stop playing to use the potty. Whoops! If memory serves right, I thinknPaige may have done the same thing on her first day back to school as a potty trained kid!

X games boy

We took a ride around the neighborhood, Paige rode her bike with the training wheels and Quinn rode the red flyer scooter. Paige does a great job on the bike although she leans right almost the entire ride, so much so that when she hits a bump it bends the training wheel backwards. Quinn loves the scooter and gets going pretty fast. When he loses control and dumps the scooter he throws up his hands, ghost riding at such a young age! He took on bump fast and as the handle bars twisted, he jumped off grabbing the scooter in the air, to which he called out, "I saved it Dad!". What and extreme athlete and a hero to boot! On our return trip he took a spill and scraped his knee really good. We made it home without tears and he proud exclaimed, "Look Mom, I got blood!"

Oh, Quinn!

Ran across some scribbled notes about Quinn.
On Sept 6th of 2009' Quinn saw a picture of a cow in one of his storybooks and promptly said, "moo."
The next day he pointed out a train and said, "train" and then pointed to the gibbets on his crocs and touched his Thomas the tank engine gibbete. He kept repeating himself. It seems like just yesterday he was making no sense and unable to say any words.

He's a BIG BOY now!!!

It was a patriotic poop for Quinn as he choose July 4th for his first poop on the big boy potty. It was classic Quinn as he yelled, "I gotta go potty!" so away we ran to the bathroom! After a minute he said, "I cna do it by myself Dad." So I just stood idly by when he turned to me and said, "Can I have some privacy Dad?"
What, uh, yeah sure buddy, I closed the door and left him alone to then discover a poop in the bowl. Nice Job Qunners!

Get Paigey

The morning is pretty standard, cartoons, bagels or waffles, clothes, diaper, brush hair and off to the car.
I routinely get Quinn buckled, kiss him, hug him and a high five and then he demands ! " get Paigey, Dad!"
Heaven forbid should I not hug, kiss and high five her!

Family Economist

While driving home last night, Mommy reports the backseat was unusually quiet as the kids joshed on snacks. Then out of the silence came, "Mommy, can we do that?"
"Do what Paigey?"
"I don't know, but they said we can save hundreds!"
No clue what they were hawking but the deal was too good to ignore apparently!

Big boys potty

On May 13th, while wading in the wave pool at Grand bear lodge in Utica, I could see on Quinn's face some concern. I asked him if he needed to go potty and he shook his head yes. I yelled to Paige and off we raced for the potty. We jammed into the handicap stall, only my third time for the day, thanks to Paige. I got him up on the potty and then it happened, the little man let loose and peed like a big kid. He watched himself as he peed and stopped, peed and stopped nd kept going. He was truly amazed and Paige and I were the to cheer hiim on. What a great job he did!

Graduation, sniff, sniff

Today is Paige Rae's graduation from preschool. She is going to join the ranks of the truly big kids. She will enter kindergarten in the fall at St. Giles in Oak Park. She is all set with her dress and sweater despite the 80 degree weather. She will make a tremendous graduate, let's hope the stage frump face from her Reddy Teddy performance doesn't return. Two minutes of scowling would not be worth the video tape.

Captain, my captain

While at Umpa's to take down the tent from the weekends camp out, the kids broke out into song on their own volition. Umpa and I stopped in mid conversation to watch Paige waving her hands in a conductorial manner lead Quinn, who was perched upon Umpas two step stool, in a active version of Do-Re-Mi from the sound of music. Umpa just shook his head in disbelief and said, "Man, is she smart."

A ladies man already.

Quinn has a habit of rambling on in an incoherent language while prancing around the living room. On one particular morning, I was able to make out him repeated using the words booby trap, so I joked with him saying, "Did you just say booby?". Mom or course did not like my reference but Quinn spoke up right away and said, "A booby trap is a booby trap"
No truer words could have been spoken by such a cool ladies man such as my soon to be three year old son.

My budding artist

While on a late night trip home from a home match, the kids voted unanimously for me to be their chauffeur. They of course started calling out their requests for tracks from the Sugarland CD and then Paige became entranced in her gift bag from her teachers from Easter. She was scribbling away with her short pen in her notepad when she called out to Quinn, "Quinn, pose for me and I will draw you in my notebook."
Classic artist pick up line, but I think it is a little premature for her.

Snotty kids

Quinn was a sniffling mess this morning when Mommy said to him, "Quinn, do want a tissue?"
He quickly relied, "No thanks Mommy, I'm gonna just smell them back up. SNIFF!"
hey, at least the boy has manners. Besides even at almost three years of age he still does know how to blowout through his nose.

Two down and a whole mouth to go

Well, the second tooth fell out on Thursday, March 24, 2011. Probably got shoved out as the adult tooth for the first goner is already pushing into sight. Mommy actually reached in and pulled it out for paige. Wonder what the tooth fairy will pony up after the 10 spot for tooth #1?!?!?

To tell you the tooth . . .

January 20, 2011 - So it was a family trip to Continental Honda to replace the totaled Cr-V, sorry Sioux. We knew the car and the price going in but it still did not shorten the whole process of close to three hours!! The kids kept busy in the play area, trains, dominoes, animal figurines, etc. We finally had to throw some food at them, thanks for the free apples Honda. Kept them quiet and occupied for a while but as we sat with the Finance manager, Quinn found a hidden spot behind his Daddy and dropped a load. Nice, oh and sign here, here, here, here and . . . here. Then Mommy turns to Paige and says, "Smile for me." Lo and behold, loose tooth now a missing tooth. So between signatures, we looks around, Dad inspects the apple, duh parents, she was gnawing.
Quinn finally protests so much that Mommy takes him to change his diaper and paige goes along, while Daddy signs the rest fo the papers. Daddy looks down at the ground and there is the tooth!!! Hooray!!! Mommy gets a Pilot and Paige gets a tooth! Suuuh-weeet!

Movie Night

on the ride home we decided we should do something, so I suggested movie night. Everyone agreed that popcorn and a movie would be goodm As we got inside the door I called out, "First one to the couch gets to pick out tyhe movie!" And of course I had a headstart, so I easily won so Paige called out, "can't I pick the movie, your movies are boring!"