There's a Spider In My Bed

So sweet, yet so heartbreaking...

For the first time last night (or should I say at 4:30 this morning), Quinn was able to tell us about one of her dreams. Well, the heartbreaking part was that it was actually a nightmare.

As I said, at 4:30 this morning Quinn crept into our room and to Kirch's side of the bed. Her muffled cry woke me up and I realized she was talking to Kirch. He took her back over to her room, where I just assumed she would go back to sleep and we'd see her again in the (later) morning. Ten minutes later, she climbed up into bed with us, and settled in for sleep. I thought this was strange of Kirch to let her do this because we are pretty strict about her not sleeping with us over night. But I was too tired to argue it, so I let it go. Then, the words came out of her still as sobs that melted my heart... "There was a spider... with red eyes." My poor baby had her first nightmare that she remembered! How much does that suck? I gave her a big hug, Kirch climbed into bed, and we all settled in for a few more hours sleep.

When we all got up for the day, Kirch filled me in on the rest of the overnight episode. Quinn had pottied through her diaper onto her bed and he didn't feel like changing the sheets, which is why she got to sleep with us (I would've done the same thing!). He also told me that when he had taken her back to her room to change her PJ's, she told him the big spider with red eyes was still in her bed. What a creepy dream! I'd be running to my parents' bed, too, if I had a dream like that!

Even in the morning after we got her dressed and ready for daycare she was telling us about the red eyed spider in her bed. It was a tough story to hear, but one I'll never forget. I have to say, I'm glad we're still at that stage when we can make everything better for her.

Duck Pin Bowling!

Again, 2 weeks late, but on March 28, Martina organized a duck pin bowling adventure for our monthly play date. And, boy was it an adventure! I think it is safe to say that Quinn is the slowest bowler in this history of the planet. Her balls rolled so slowly down the alley that at one point, Kenny Barron yelled, "Quinn, the suspense is killing me!" It was hysterical seeing all the dads there watching and helping out the kids get the balls down the alley. And I have to say, thankfully the bumpers were up!

My first attempt at this bowling thing...

Woohoo, Mommy I got ONE pin!

It was a great indoor activity because it was so crummy outside. So we made the most of it and had awesome bowling alley cheeseburgers and French fries (why is it that bowling alleys have such amazing food?), and Quinn feasted on some candy with the other kids. This is definitely an outing that we'd like to do again sometime!

Ok, this is getting easy for me!

I had a great time today!

Future Beader

Quinn got a very cool gift for her birthday - a gift that her Auntie Carrie can be very proud of!!! She got a beading kit and she absolutely loves it. She has spent hours stringing those beads over and over again for herself, me and Kirch. We all walk around the house looking like hippies!

This butterfly will look perfect on this necklace...

Thread it through like this and...

Voila! A beautiful masterpiece!

I have mentioned before that I believe Quinn has very good dexterity. She can put ponytails and pigtails in her own hair, she's writing lots and lots of letters of the alphabet, and now she's working on becoming a professional jewelry maker. Check out the intensity on her face!

Pig Tails!

She did these herself, I swear it!!!

Mommy, lookit what I can do!

Obvious to say, she has other things on her agenda during "nap time" these days...

Birthday Girl!

I know, I know - Quinn's birthday was March 9th. A week ago. I'm a terrible mother for not posting on time, but time is something I just can't seem to find enough of these days!

And it doesn't matter anyway, because her birthday tends to last 2 weeks, what with all of the lunch and dinner invitations (combined with Kirch's birthday, which is on the 11th), and a steady stream of boxes that arrive in the mail for her - some of which we are apparently still waiting for! So technically, I'm not so late in posting this after all!

The event series began with us heading to the Hatleys' house last Sunday. While the adults spent some quality tax preparation time together, Quinn had a blast playing with Patricia and Erin for hours in-and-outside. The girls got her I think the only Ariel doll she didn't have - and of course, she loved it!

On Monday, Tiana and Chrissy had a party for her at daycare. After cupcakes and presents, which I was fortunate enough to take part of, we headed home for our own family party. Kirch and I gave her a stool that I had decoupaged (is that really a verb?) and a few DVDs to add to her ever-growing collection. She LOVES faries, princesses and mermaids, and she got plenty of all of them in just about every media. Dolls, movies, books - you name it, she got it!

Purple cupcakes in honor of.... ME!

I love my new Tinker Bell dolly!

...and my new Ariel birthday dolly - they are my favorites! (right now)

Wow, what is in this secret compartment in my new stool?

YES!!! Dora wristbands from Daddy - that I prefer to wear on my ankles!

This past weekend, Grandma Kircher took us out for dinner at Chevy's where she received a boatload of Qute (yep, with a capital "Q") clothes! And on Sunday, Grandpa Kircher and Dorothy took us to Dogfish Head, where she got a sweet little fairy dress-up outfit (which she wears all the time now!). Poppy and Manka sent her an adorable bikini with a lay and hula skirt, Aunt Gail sent her a box of goodies, and apparently we are still waiting on Auntie Carrie's and Auntie Brenda's gifts. See what I mean by birthday event?

A Day in the Snow

Oh, it's been 2 weeks now, but it did snow here recently. Quite a bit, actually. Enough to give Kirch the day off and keep Quinn home to play in it! What a time they had. Thanks to Kirch for all of the great photos. Here they are clowning around...

Daddy, do we even fit?

And my very favorite series - these were just priceless. Wish I could have been there to see it, because Kirch said she sort of freaked out (in a funny, non-scared way) when the snow hit her! "OHHH it's COLD, Daddy!"

Now you see me...

Abracadabra!

AHHH! It didn't quite turn out like I had planned!!!

A Hockey Fan?

On March 1st I took Quinn to her first hockey game Downtown. We met up with Donna and Troy, and Stacy and Eleni. Aside from crummy weather and an even crummier game ending, Quinn really had a great time.

The thing I most remember is as soon as we walked into the stadium - just in the halls, passing all the TV monitors and food vendors - she was just astonished at all the sights and sounds. Her eyes got really big and I could hear her say, to no one in particular, "Wow!" It was great to re-experience something so mundane to me now through her eyes. She was just flabbergasted!

Well, like any good hockey mom would, I loaded the kid up on junk food. That's part of the deal, right? Well, she got plenty. She started with cotton candy, had a boat load of popcorn and ended with ice cream - or should I call it by it's proper name - "Dippin' Dots".

The one thing that I never even considered was how loud it was going to be for her. Thankfully Stacy came with ear plugs because we never would have made it without them! After we got them in, she was cheering along with the rest of the crowd. And the icing on the cake was that Scott and Jim took us up to the press box where the work so we got to see the rink from about as high up as you can get in that stadium!

After a poor, poor showing from the Caps (they lost 6-2!), we headed home. Quinn was dog tired and fell asleep in the car at 6:30 and slept until 7:30 the next morning! That, my friends, NEVER happens!!!