San Diego and Purple Presents

I had my first-ever business trip last week. I went to San Diego with some other co-workers to have our last Board of Directors meeting of the year. I think I've mentioned I'm the Executive Assistant to the President and CEO of a TB vaccine foundation in Rockville (the name of which I can't mention because it will show up if you Google it and I've already been down that road)...

So anyway, I run all the logistics of our board meetings and one of our members invited us out to his company in La Jolla, so voila! I got to go - and boy, what a beautiful place to see. Check out just a few pictures I took on my very little free time.

Sunset in Del Mar, off the Pacific Coast Highway

At the Hang Gliding Park in La Jolla

Seals at La Jolla Cove

I was away 4 days from my Q-Bug and although it was nice to have the break and be an adult free of any responsibility, I missed the hell out of her! She spent lots of time with Uncle Mike, who took this picture and emailed it to me while I was 3000 miles away - she loves being a cheerleader!

Check out my sweet moves, Uncle Mike!

I spoke with Kirch and Quinn several times while I was away. Quinn would tell me how much fun she was having with Uncle Mike, or Suzanne, or Jenn, depending on which day it was (we had the schedule all set up). And when I asked her if she wanted me to bring her back a present, she'd pipe up, "Yeah, I want a PURPLE present!" So that is what she got! Let me tell you, she actually really put me on the spot! I didn't have much time to shop, so when I finally found time, it really took some effort to find things purple. In the end, I found a purple flower barrette, a purple 20's style headband with a purple Gerber daisy on it, and a soft purple scarf. Here she is, modeling them off, the night I came home and gave them to her!

I look like a movie star, Mommy!

As I said, I really enjoyed my time out West, but it's even better to be back home with my Bug!

Change We Need

It's not very often I get up on my high horse and spout political opinions to... well, anyone (except Kirch, with whom I've gotten into some very good conversations with - and learned a ton from!). But I figure what the hell - this is MY blog, so I'm entitled. But I warn you - I lean WAAAY left!

Last night was one of the most inspiring nights of my life. I saw history in the making. And for once, it was GOOD history. My memories of life-changing events all seem to be tragedies - 9/11, the Oklahoma Bombing, even the stupid OJ Trial (which wasn't really a tragedy, but it was negative, so it counts in my book). Last night it was so great to see a black man become our 44th President of the United States. And to think that what, 50 years ago black people couldn't even sit at the same table in a restaurant with white people... And 200 years ago black people were bought and sold by white people! I'm not a very eloquent speaker (never claimed to be), but my heart was so full of hope last night when Barack Obama and his family took that podium in Illinois with Joe Biden and his family! It was very encouraging to think that we had a record turnout to vote and people put their race issues aside to put who they believed was the best candidate for the job (CLEARLY) in office - well, in January...

I sometimes wonder why was I so selfish to want to bring a child into this crazy, damaged world? It just isn't fair to her that she has to clean up our messes - and boy, are they big messes. But last night, after they called the election, tears ran down my face and I went in and kissed my beautiful little sleeping girl, thinking, we're going to be OK. Obama has a very long, ugly road to travel to get this nation back on it's feet (how our current president let us get here over the past 8 years is something I'll never wrap my head around), but I truly believe he has the smarts and support to do it. I guess time will tell, and maybe I'll eat my words someday (but I don't believe that). Either way - I'm proud that my daughter, even though she won't understand this for many years, is here to be a part of this amazing journey.

She is what it's all about. And HELL YES WE CAN!!!

A Day at the Farm

I love Autumn... It's my favorite time of year. It's our wedding anniversary (we celebrated 8 years on October 6!), it's football tailgates, it's days like yesterday - out on the farm, drinking cider, going on hay rides, picking out pumpkins. I love the oranges and browns that Fall brings to the trees. It's beautiful.

Quinn had a couple of firsts yesterday. She went on her first hay ride and she ran me ragged in her first hay maze. It was the perfect day. Larriland Farm is definitely a place we'd return to for future fall activities!

What She Does After We Turn Out the Lights and Close the Door...

We still use the monitor for Quinn during naps and overnights. I know she's pushing 3, but her bedroom door sticks and I sleep with a fan on, so it's just easier to have it on so she can call us if she needs to. So every night after we tuck her in, shut off the light and close the door, we can hear Little Miss Chatter Box talking away in the dark - having conversations with her babies, reciting poems she's memorized, and talking to no one in particular. Then we sometimes hear her drawers open and close - great, what is she getting into? Well, we have later found her asleep with a pair of tights pulled up over her pajama bottoms. SO FUNNY. But Thursday night was the "kicker" so to speak. She had gotten into her shoe bin and this is what we witnessed!

Fast asleep with a pair of Mary Janes on!

...a matching pair, on the right feet to boot!

Quinn-isms

Of course I'll never remember all of Quinn's "special" words to describe normal everyday things, but tonight's bedtime story cracked me up so I thought I'd blog it before I forgot. I've forgotten so many of her little Quinn-isms over the past 2 1/2 years, but I couldn't let this one get away!

Kirch and I were both in her room doing the usual routine for bedtime - 1 book with both of us, then one book with either myself or Kirch, whomever's night it may be. It was Kirch's night, so while I was still in there, we were reading her Colors pop-up book. It has different animals drawn in beautiful colors with all sorts of pop-ups and flaps for the little one's eye. We got to the picture/pop-up of the peacock and I asked her what that animal was and she immediately said, "Heecopper!" What a crack up!

One of Mommy's favorite faces - the "mad" face! Painting done at daycare...

We also listen to a lot of adult music in the car - I figure she gets enough kid nursery rhymes at daycare... and one of her favorite songs is, "Pe-ah Pe-upon Us" (better known as "Peace Be Upon Us") by Sheryl Crow. She sings it too! And of course I can't do it justice on the blog, so I guess at some point I'll have to video it and put it up for everyone's viewing pleasure :)

Seriously, who doesn't love bare legs and cowboy boots???

Just last week Poppy and Manka sent her new dress up outfits and one was of her favorite princess, Ariel. Well, she wears that outfit with her little earrings and stands in front of her castle and she just thinks she is "so pwetty, Mommy!"

I look just like Awiel, Mommy!

Nose Fascination

Why is it that 2-year-olds insist on shoving things up their noses? Kirch sent me a text this morning saying nothing more than, "all is ok, but Chrissy just pulled a sticker out of Quinn's nose." WHY? Why would she do that???

Let me tell you, my daycare has nose picking down to a science. They keep those kids' noses as clear as possible by using a flashlight and tweezers. So you can imagine Chrissy's surprise when she looked up Quinn's nasal canal and found a nice shiny little Spider Man sticker! GROSS!!! Now, this is the first time that Quinn has succeeded in getting something up there without anyone knowing about it while she is in the process. But she's been caught in the act several times with peas, corn kernels and just her plain 'ole finger. What is the fascination? Well, now we can say she's had a bug up her nose... I guess it's better than up her - well, you know.

Ticks and Shiners

Kirch got the call from Tiana at daycare on Wednesday that Quinn fell and smacked her cheekbone against the toy box. Boy, what a good one. She's had so many knocks her her poor head and face in her 2-and-a-half short years that I have lost count.

Here is the progression of the nice trophy she has on her face from that fateful spill...

Wednesday - Look what I did, Mommy!

Today - Nice and Purple!

This is the conversation I had with her, asking how she fell and got her boo-boo...

Rox - "Honey, what happened to your cheek?"

Q - "Because, because.... I fell down on the toybox and hit my eye..."

Rox - "How did you fall?"
Q - "Because, because... and I tripped and fall..."
Rox - "But how did you fall? What were you doing?"
Q - "Because, because... I stepped on a dinosaur and I was... with Jaden... and.. and..."

You get the picture - she is speaking in these lengthy sentences with so much passion and excitement, it just breaks my heart it is so cute!!! And "because" is one of her favorite words right now, along with the phrase, "I don't have to." But that one is not said in a malicious or sassy tone, she is using that as sort of an "I don't want to."

Then, to top it all off, after I got her out of the bathtub Wednesday night I was drying her off and... what the heck? There was a tick on her neck! Poor baby! Luckily it was an extremely tiny one that I was able to remove with tweezers and she was soooo good. She just sat there so still and let me take care of it. "Mommy, you have to get the tick?" I can't brag enough on how tough this child is.

Let's hope she has a better weekend than she did this past week, huh?