A little update

I think it's time for a little blog update.  It's crazy how fast time goes by.  In our last blog, Quinn was just starting to walk, now he is a running, talking, energetic little boy.  We are so blessed by him daily.  He is quite the talker and repeats almost everything he hears which makes me think of the song "Oh be careful little ears what you hear."  (Sooo true!)  He can sing the entire alphabet, count to ten and sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".  A few words he has learned from Daddy, "GO CARDINALS!!" and "Booyah!!"  The best part is when he says "I love you".  It seems anything he hears, he can instantly repeat.

I (Martha) decided to take a little time off of work, which has been a little hard, but has allowed us to plan a few trips on the weekend.  We were able to go to Grant's Farm in St. Louis, and The Children's Museum while visiting friends in Indianapolis.

I have been able to get my house clean again now that I have extra time! :)  I also have been doing a little crafting.  I made a shower curtain for the master bathroom. (It's a stand up shower and I was never able to find a pattern I liked.)  Today, I started working on the baby's room.  It's interesting that I had Quinn's room finished almost 3 months before he was born, and now I'm just starting on Piper's room 6 weeks before she is due.  Yikes!! I better get going.

Quinn feeding the goats at Grant's Farm.

Tammany family visiting Dora and Diego's world at the Children's Museum

Quinn splashing away in the water exhibit of the museum

Quinn's newest fascination: trains!

Driving some heavy machinery at the museum.

Lunchtime nap after a fun morning at the Children's Museum

       

By Popular Demand

This is for all of those who do not have Facebook access.  Quinn is becoming quite the walker.  He took his first steps on his own on December 17th.

Walkie Talkie

Here we are about to start a new year, and I notice I haven't blogged in a few months.  Here is a quick update on our lives.  We just returned on Sunday from an amazing Christmas vacation to Phoenix.  It was great to see all of my family again, and meet our new niece Reese.  I also took advantage of the opportunity to break out my shorts and t-shirts as temperatures were above 70 degrees everyday we were there.  This is usually the time of the year when I ask myself what I am still doing in the Midwest.  It was hard to say goodbye to everyone in Arizona, but we hope to make a return trip in the near future. 
Quinn continues to make every day a lot of fun, and we do not take for granted what a blessing he is in our lives.  He is getting very brave and can take 4-5 steps on his own now.  It seems like every time you turn your head he will try to walk across the room on his own.  It will be really fun to watch him learn to walk on his own full-time.  He is also fairly vocal and says "star" and "dog" pretty clearly.  I have no idea where he picked up the word "star", but he does continue to love our dog Malcolm.  It's hard to believe that we will soon be planning his 1st birthday party!  Here are some pics from our trip.

 The Tammany Family in their Christmas gear

 Quinn and Reese checking out the presents

Quinn playing on the playground

Growth Spurt

It has been a little while since I've posted, but life just seems to be extremely busy these day.  Quinn is hitting a really fun age where it seems he is doing something new everyday.  A few weeks ago, his two front bottom teeth came in.  He really wasn't fussy, so it was a bit of a surprise to feel them in there one day.  This past week, Quinn and Martha came to visit me a couple of times for lunch at work.  Quinn must have felt the need to impress some people because he began waving to everyone he met and also showed off his clapping.  He had never really done either of those activities before, so it was really funny to see him all of a sudden be able to do everything in front of an audience.  I have no idea how he learned to wave, because we never do that with him.  He is also trying to interact more through his speech.  At times, he will try to repeat words that we say, like dog or star. 

Everyone asks if he has started crawling yet, but I don't think he feels the need to crawl.  He is an expert at turning 360 degrees on his stomach and rolling to wherever he wants to go.  He loves to walk when you hold his hands, so he may be one that walks before he crawls.  He loves Malcolm and we have to watch him because he grabs the dog whenever he can.  Malcolm does not appreciate that, but has been good about not trying to bite Quinn.  Still, Malcolm stays very close to Quinn quite often, so he must not mind getting grabbed and pinched too much.  We feel very blessed to have our son and are having a blast watching him change and grow into a little man.

Addicted to Coupons

I know Justin is usually the blogger in the family, but I decided to share my latest addiction.  I have heard several people talk about how they can get things for free or next to nothing.  I didn't really think much about it until I discovered how easy it is.  Thanks to Justin's mom, Lois, for bringing me some coupons when she came for a visit, and the website Clipping it with Carrie.  Here is a collection of what I have purchased or gotten for free, so far.

Dark Kiss Bath & Body Works lotion = FREE ( smells amazing! )
Dial Nutriskin Body Wash = FREE
Colgate Toothpaste $ 0.55 
Mini-Wheats = $0.63
Huggies Wipes = $0.83
Tide Detergent = $0.99

 

Walking in Memphis

This past weekend we made our first real road trip with Quinn to Memphis.  My parents came over from Phoenix for the occasion, as we were attending a Tammany family reunion.  Everyone had a great time, and we even squeezed in a little rest and relaxation.  The trip was about 6 hours of driving in each direction, and Quinn did very well.  It helped that Mom and Grandma were in the back seat to keep him entertained. 
As for the reunion, we got to meet many people that we did not know or had not seen in many years.  The Tammany family is so spread out, that it is very rare for us to get together with everyone.  In the middle of it all, we got together with our friends Jason, Miriah and Norah Denbo, and Jason's parents for lunch at Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana: delimexicana.com.  Last, but not least, Quinn got to go swimming for the first time in our hotel's pool.  He seemed to enjoy it, and was very relaxed.  It must have reminded him of the womb.  All in all, it has been a fun few days.  This weekend we will be making another road trip to Michigan City, Indiana, for a friend's wedding.  Here's to hoping this trip is as successful as the last!

 Quinn hates Memphis traffic.

Pool Fun

Lunch with the Denbos

4 Month Check-Up

Quinn had his four month check-up with his doctor today.  He measured 15 lbs 12 ounces (75th percentile and exactly the same as his dad at 4 months) and 26.5 inches (95th percentile).  Our little guys seems to be changing every day and can now roll over, put his feet in his mouth and attempts to talk.  It is a lot of fun being able to interact with him now, but in my tired moments I do confess to missing the times when you could count on him napping for 3 hours straight.  However, he does sleep from about 10 to between 5:30 and 7 most days, so I really can't complain.  Plus, Martha is the one who gets up, so I must be trying to express her feelings.
Tonight, we gave Quinn his first taste of cereal.  He has probably been ready to try it for awhile, but we decided to wait until his 4 month check-up.  He did very well, and seemed to like it.  Check out the video and pictures.

                                                           Tummy Time!

Church buddies: Quinn, Myles Yenchko, Lincoln Reents, Bode Laughlin