Another One!

I was eating dinner with Quinn last night. She had salmon, linguini noodles and veggies. As she was picking up her noodles with her fingers and playing with them, I started to lose my temper a little. I sternly told her, "STOP playing with your noodles, please, and EAT them."

She looked at me, with a big smile widening across that sweet face of hers, and retorted, "Look, there's a dancing noodle in the house!!!"

Needless to say, I was no longer irritated and was rather belly laughing at that comment!

The Best Gift

Need I say more?

Pout and all, this girl owns my heart.

First Snow!

What a way to kick off the winter time! On Saturday we got about 4 inches of nice wet snowman-rolling, snow fort-building, snow angel-making snow! After Quinn's dance and tennis classes, we came home, changed into our winter gear and went outside for 2 1/2 hours to play in the beautiful snow! Ok, it was pretty wet and sloppy, but that is the best kind for a 3-year-old!

This stuff is great!

Frosty at his best!

My first snowman!

We did just about everything we could think of except go sledding. We built Quinn's first snowman, we made a fort, we hid toys and played treasure hunt, we made snow angels, and we got WET!!!! After all that time outside, Quinn didn't even put up a fuss to come inside to have hot chocolate and... jello? Ok, ok, I didn't have any cookies so I had to compromise. Strange, I know - but I was desperate to keep the "Awesome Mom" status, so I made do with what I had!

Making a snow angel

She is very much hoping for more snow when we go to Michigan for 2 weeks over Christmas. Come on, Midwest, don't let us down!

Last Dance

This past Saturday was Quinn's last dance class of 2009. She was as showoff-y as ever, posing and strutting for the whole audience to see. She loves Miss Maya, but is very excited to start tap dancing lessons in the spring time!

Aren't I just too cute matching my sitting mat?

For now, I enjoyed all of her little costume changes through the 10 week course. She never ceases to be a real girly-girl for dance class!

Striving to be a professional hula hooper!

Strike that pose, girlfriend!

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. Our 4th with Q-Bug! We spent Thanksgiving Day at Paula's and she cooked yet another awesome dinner. The weather didn't cooperate with us this year, so we spent most of our time inside. It was nice to see Bob and Teresa, and to have Quinn interact with them again. It's not terribly often we get to hang out with them, but I keep promising myself to talk to Kirch to see when we can go to Delaware for a weekend and really spend some quality time with them!

I think the highlight of the evening was when Quinn put on an old "The Name" t-shirt and modeled it for everyone to see. Check it out for yourself!

I rock! I know it!

I'm thankful for my Mommy! Oh, and my new outfit...

On Saturday we got up early and headed to Grandpa and Dorothy's to begin yet another feast fest. The beef tenderloin was outstanding as usual and this year there were not many leftovers leftover! The weather was better so we were able to get outside a little and enjoy the crisp cold fall day.

Woah, that's quite a view, Daddy!

Uncle Mike, you're so silly!

I was another wonderful holiday with the Kircher family. I guess now is as good a time as any to say that I'm very thankful for the people that surround me in my life!

A Visit To See Santa

I am a big believer in going to see Santa VERY early in the season. I don't know how parents have the patience, especially with even more impatient children, to stand in line to see Santa Clause just days before Christmas. This year I took Quinn to Columbia Mall to sit on Santa's lap. There was no line and it was a beautiful sight! They had a Naughty-Nice Meter, a mailbox that blew out snow (bubbles) when opened and the letter dropped in, and the Grand Finale - Santa Clause. Quinn loves Santa Clause - she isn't the least bit scared (which is more than I can say for myself when I was her age), which makes it a delight to see and snap some pictures while she rattles off her list to the man in red. This year she asked for a pair of roller skates with a helmet and a fishing pole. Santa busted out laughing when he heard that one! His exact quote was, "This girl wants a fishing pole for Christmas!" I had to explain to him that Daddy is a fisherman and she's been looking forward to going with him!

Santa believes in me? Whew!

We had a good day together - after visiting Columbia Mall, we headed over to Arundel Mills Mall and had lunch, took pictures in one of those silly booths, and watched the huge fish swim in the Bass Pro Shops fish tank. All done a week before Thanksgiving!

We mus ALWAYS stop at the Disney Store!

Love the Holiday outfit!

Quinn-isms

So we were at Paula's yesterday for Thanksgiving (I'll blog about that when the weekend is over and the traveling is through) and Matt was holding a wine corkscrew when Quinn came over to him and asked him what it was and what it was for. The following conversation ensued:

Quinn: "What's that?"
Matt: "It's a corkscrew."
Quinn: "What's it for?"
Matt: "You pull the cork out of a wine bottle with it."
Quinn: "Matt, will you hurt yourself with that?"
Matt: "No."
Quinn: "Well I would!"

Tonight Kirch and I were sitting down to eat our Subway subs when Quinn came running into the living room and proceeded to put a hand under each foot and then try to stand up while stepping on her hands. Kirch and I looked at each other, perplexed, and this was the following short conversation:

Kirch: "Quinn, what are you doing?
Quinn: "I'm trying to pick myself up!!!"

I can't be THAT heavy!!!

I swear, these never ever get old. I only wish I could remember all of them!

Coach Quinn

Quinn and I took advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend and hit two different playgrounds in two days. On Saturday, after dance class and tennis lessons, we went to the Kentlands and played on the swings (her favorite) and the jungle gym before heading to the outside flea market to peruse the booths. It was beautiful out!

Yessss! This is so cool!

Seesaws are fun too!

On Sunday, we hit a playground in Germantown. I was pushing her on the swing, and she was really crankin'. She was loving going so high! She kept saying, "I'm going high on the Earth!" She said she wanted to go into outer space, so I asked her if she wanted to be an astronaut. After I explained what an astronaut was, she thought about it and said, "Mommy, if I go into space I would be lost from you. I don't want to do that, I just want to grow up and coach tennis with my daddy." There you have it - I guess we have our next tennis coach in the making!

Ooooh, this sun is brutal!

Crazy, static-y hair!

Another Quinn-ism

Really quick, I promise!

This morning after Quinn got herself dressed, she came up to me wearing a new (hand-me-down) shirt where the sleeves are a bit long on her. She politely asked me, "Mommy, will you please roll up my sleeves because they are driving me nervous!"

LOVE IT!!!

Putt Putt Playdate

What a beautiful day for our final playdate. Yesterday we joined the Fernandezes and the Perruses for a round of mini golf in Gaithersburg. It was a perfect day to let little kids run around with iron putters and golf balls and hope for the best! Quinn is quite a sports fan - she took pretty good direction and tried her hardest to sink her ball hole after hole.

Watch this Eagle, Mommy...

Daddy is even in on the action!

There is NO way Mommy will make this shot!

After the game was over, since it was the last day before the course closed, all of the kids got popsicles and we called it a day. This is a great tradition Donna Scheleur started 2 years ago and I look forward to next year's adventures!

What a great way to end the Playdate Season!

Another Trip to Michigan

In September just Quinn and I headed back to Michigan one more time...

The reason was actually for me to go to a fundraiser for an old friend of mine I grew up with - his 6 year old son has Autism. That night, an adult night only, was a blast. But the time I spent with Quinn was as much fun. Poppy and Manka enjoyed their time with her, too!

I love my Poppy and Manka!

We spent time at a new park on Taft Rd, just a 10 minute walk from the house, we saw Brenda, Carrie and the kids, we hung out with Uncle Swany and Aunt Jessica, and Pop and Laurie got some time alone with her, too. We had good weather, and we are already looking forward to Christmas time!

"Digging" the new park!!!

If I were any cuter, your eyes would hurt...

This picture just screams Pippy Longstocking!

A Football Fan

Yesterday I took Quinn to her first college football game - and I'm proud to say it WASN'T her first tailgate! We had a great mother-daughter day together. I think I had just as much fun watching her watch the game as she did taking in live football for the first time!

I'm not ashamed to say that I totally threw caution to the wind and my mothering skills out the window, letting Quinn eat any-and-everything she wanted yesterday. Her dinner consisted of a few juice boxes, one chicken nugget, a football-shaped doughnut, some chips and chili cheese dip, a hot pretzel and some french fries. This all spread out over a 5 hour period!

She was a great tailgater, too. She had Eric Scheleur to play with all day, and she kept herself very entertained digging in the dirt and playing with a tennis ball!

I'm digging this tailgating thing! Go Terps!

Nothing like a football-shaped doughnut to keep my energy up!

Quinn kept asking when we were going to see the football player (sooo cute), and when we got into the stadium, she did a good job of paying attention to the game. She kept asking where the ball was and when the flag girls were going to run around the field again. She made it through the halftime show and almost all of the 3rd quarter before we packed it up and headed home. She learned a cheer and now runs around the house saying "Defense, Defense, Number 1!"

Me and my buddies Donnie and Eric!

Mom, I'm sure having a good time!

So now she has attended a hockey game and a football game - our little cheerleader is being sports educated!!

Petting Testudo!

A Baltimore "Stay"cation

Since we have taken so many trips back to Michigan this summer, we decided to do a little mini-vacation to Baltimore for some quality family time. It was a wonderful way to show Quinn some of the close-to-home attractions with a far-away feel by staying in a hotel for a couple of nights. I'd say the trip was a smashing success.

But I must digress a bit. We actually started the weekend off by heading up to Dad & Dorothy's in Pennsylvania for some quality pool time (oh yeah, and time with Grandpa and Dorothy!). We had fair weather for the weekend, allowing us time to splash around in the pool, and watching Quinn's courage grow enough to jump off the diving board. The girl is a fish and she's not afraid of much when it comes to the water!

Sunday afternoon we left PA for Baltimore and after checking into our hotel, we walked a block up to Pratt Street Alehouse for a yummy dinner on the patio. It was nice to be so close to home, but to still have the feel of being in a new place to explore. After dinner, we took a walk up to the Harbor to get some ice cream and check out the sights. We headed back to the hotel to rest up for Monday's adventures - and by rest up I mean wait until 11:30pm when we could finally get Quinn settled down to go to sleep!

Monday morning after breakfast we took Quinn to the Baltimore Aquarium, where we spent 3 1/2 hours checking out the fish, frogs, birds, sting rays, sharks, and all other aquatic creatures. We tried the 4-D theater and failed miserably. Quinn was NOT a fan of how the special glasses made everything come to life, and on top of that, it was an interactive theater --- that meant that when a fish would come on screen and splash in the water, we'd get sprayed. There were little gusts of wind and sprays and Quinn lasted about 2 minutes (I kid you not) before bursting into tears and begging us to get out of there! After calming her down and checking out the sharks, we headed to the dolphin show, which was much more up her alley. We watched 4 dolphins wave, swim and jump around for about a half hour before we finally headed to the jellyfish exhibit, which was very cool.

After we got out of the aquarium, we jumped onto the water taxi and went to the Rusty Scupper for lunch. We jumped back onto the water taxi and headed to Fells Point (the oldest burrow in Baltimore, by the way, circa 1792-I think) to chase pigeons and eat snow cones. And chasing pigeons was by far the more exciting of the two!!!

We went back over to the Harbor and walked around for a little while longer until about 5:30pm, when Kirch and I had finally run out of steam. Quinn was already asleep in the stroller! Kirch and I enjoyed a drink in the hotel bar and watched some US Open tennis while Quinn caught some ZZZ's and finally I brought her upstairs to crash out on the bed. She woke up about 8pm and we all stayed up until 11pm again, playing Candy Land and watching more tennis.

This morning we took Quinn to Port Discovery Children's Museum, which was a HUGE hit! It had this 4-level monster jungle gym, which we could all play in! We also played in a water room, did puzzles, did pretend grocery shopping, played on a mini soccer field, went through this crazy Alice-in-Wonderland type house where all of the room proportions were off... It was really great. If you have kids and are looking for something fun to do with them, I highly recommend it. But only on a weekday - I can't imagine how crazy it would've been on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon!

After Port Discovery, we had a nice outside lunch at Luckie's and finally called it a day. It was a fantastic long weekend and we look forward to showing Quinn other things around the area as she grows up!

Tennis Love

We've really focused on getting Quinn into team-or-group related activities this year. Earlier this spring we enrolled her in a dance class and over the summer, into... wait for it... TENNIS LESSONS! But let me explain - Tiny Tots tennis lessons are more of a glorified daycare scene - trying to get 4 3-year-olds to pay attention for 30 minutes is no small task! But Quinn has really enjoyed it and Kirch is now even doing one-on-one lessons with her on his own time. Now, we are not overbearing parents who are trying to raise the next Steffie Graf - quite the opposite, in fact. Kirch has found that he is enjoying spending time with her on court, and he is continuing lessons with her as long as she is interested in playing on court.

Here are pictures from her 1st official lesson with Coach Chris - whom she absolutely adores, by the way!

The Great Falls Excursion

This morning, at 0 Dark Thirty, Quinn and I joined Kirch and Mike down at Great Falls for a long hike and adventure. It was a beautiful morning. There was basically no one there. My kind of outing. That's the benefit of getting there at 7am.

Quinn and I got some mother-daughter time for a half hour or so before we caught up with Kirch and Mike (who had gotten there even earlier, so Mike could have the upcoming sunrise for his photography project, of which Kirch is the subject). Once we all met, we continued our journey together. We watched Kirch fish, let Mike take additional pictures (of which I'm looking forward to seeing a few, ahem-ahem), saw helicopters, turtles, fish and a fawn - all while the sun crept higher and higher into the sky, warming the weather considerably by the time we finished our walk. All told, Quinn was a trooper, walking about 2 miles in 3 hours (give or take a few rides in the arms of the adults). She loves the outdoors, and is always looking for her next adventure!

Who Knew Rockville Town Square Could Be So Much Fun?

Quinn and I spent 4 hours in the center of Rockville Town Square last weekend. What a blast! I packed us some PBJ's, chips, carrots and juice boxes, and Quinn and I played in the water fountain most of the morning! We played tag in the courtyard, and she climbed on the rocks, showing off her amazing biceps and balancing abilities.

I'm going to water the plants next...

Here I come!

It was the perfect summer day. And the best part was, it never got overly crowded there! That was amazing to me, because it seems to me this would be a great getaway for families for minimal to no cost at all. And it was so much fun! I mean, to create this fountain and actually call it an interactive fountain - who could ask for more? I'll lay money (that I saved by going there) that the Germantown Water Park was twice as busy for twice the price!

I can spell the letters out, Mommy!

...and look at my strong muscles!

What a Difference a Year Makes...

Quinn on the motorcycle ride last year at the Algonac Pickeral Tournament...

Quinn on the same ride this year!!!

My little girl isn't scared anymore (which scares me now)!!!