Adventures of the Mom Car

But wait...

2010-10-31T22:18:00.003-04:00

So the night AFTER trick or treating, we were getting ready for bed, talking about Percy and Thomas, and I asked Liam (yet again) if he would try on his train costume. Nope.

So I said "will you try it on so I can take a picture to show Sadie?" Magic words: "show Sadie."

Yep. He not only put the stupid thing on, but also ran all over the house in it shouting "all aboard." You're a day late little guy!

Oh lemon...

Wouldn't those have been cute costumes? Tears. Sigh. Oh well...live and learn mommy and daddy, live and learn.

Candy!!!

2010-10-31T22:03:00.003-04:00

Ok. Let me start by reminding you how much the boys love Thomas the Train. Remember when we rode on Thomas? How we have a train table in our living room? How we have Thomas shirts and pajamas and a lunch box. So what would be a better costume than Thomas and Percy, right?

Wrong.

After Chris and I stayed up late for more than one night making these cute little trains, neither boy would even put it on. Not even for a second. Nope.

So when it was time to hit the street (we only went down ours), Quinn was decked out in the costume we put together for his preschool party, and Liam, bless his heart, wore his Thomas shirt. At 5 minutes to 6:00 (trick or treat time), Liam says "upstairs mommy to get Trick or Treat shirt." I had no idea what he was talking about so I followed. He goes through his drawer, pulls out the Thomas shirt the Gobrails gave him for his birthday, and says "lets go mommy." What could we do? We just rolled with it.

Trains or not, they LOVED trick or treating. Even Quinn. It was adorable.

Pre-Halloween events

2010-10-31T21:44:00.003-04:00

Liam has been a little excited about Halloween. He's talked about pumpkins for a month. He asks to go on a hayride all the time. And after we saw a Special Agent Oso episode, Liam has wanted to put eyes on his pumpkin (thanks Disney Channel).

We attempted to decorate Halloween cookies on Friday, but my helpers were a bit more into eating the cookies than decorating them. They were big fans of the moon ones. After going through six cookies that could not be consumed by others, mommy decided to decorate them herself.

And then Saturday morning daddy, supervised by Liam, carved two little pumpkins for the boys. Way cute.

Our hayride and pumpkin adventure

2010-10-17T10:57:00.003-04:00

What better thing could you do on a fall Saturday morning than go play on some wooden playground stuff, ride on the bumpiest hayride ever (poor Lauren--see below), and pick out pumpkins?

We met our friends and their kids bright and early (well, early if you don't have kids) yesterday to do exactly that. We visited the Windmill Farm Market, played for a while, looked at some interesting animals (as in maybe not the cleanest), and then went on the longest, muddiest hayride I've ever been on. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome. The tractor went through huge mud holes (weren't we having a drought?) and down big hills and everything. The kids loved it. But our friend Lauren, the poor thing, is 8 months pregnant. Mental note: no hayrides when pregnant.

Halfway through the ride, we jumped off the wagon to pick out pumpkins. Liam was SO excited because he's been wanting a pumpkin FOREVER.

And, of course, we had to make all the kids (sans Gavin, who is a little too small for a group photo opp) do a cheesy/adorable group shot. Awww.

In the words of Dave..."what did we do before we had kids?"

BounceU

2010-10-03T22:34:00.003-04:00

Today we made our first trip to BounceU. Oh. My.

First lesson: it makes the kids very tired. How tired? Liam fell asleep while he was talking on the way home.

Second lesson: it makes parents very tired. And maybe a little sweaty.

Third lesson: Quinn has apparently been secretly training in climbing. That boy can pull himself up a wall SO fast.

Fourth lesson: Liam is not a fan. But don't worry...they had football. All was good with the world.

Fifth lesson: the workers are so nice! They were best friends with Quinn by the time we left.

Definitely going back again.

Liam and Sadie girl

2010-10-03T22:24:00.004-04:00

Liam loves visiting with Sadie and Jenn. Every time I put my sneakers on, he asks if we're going for a walk with Sadie and Jenn. Or he asks if "Sadie girl" is coming to play. And sometimes he even calls Jenn "mommy Jenn." It's pretty cute.

So Liam was very excited to hear that Sadie and Jenn were coming over on Saturday (along with some of his other favorite friends).

How cute are they?

Enjoying the last days of summer

2010-10-03T22:11:00.004-04:00

Before we officially broke the long pants and coats out, we took a trip to the K and the park with our friend Emmie.

Oh ice cream and parks and warm weather...how I'll miss you!

Quinn update

2010-10-03T21:52:00.004-04:00

We took Quinn back to the autism clinic last week for a follow-up to his original evaluation.

We're happy to say that the doctors were as thrilled with his progress as we have been. His eye contact, increased vocabulary, interaction with others, decreased frustration...all tons better than they were last December.

No, we didn't really need doctors to tell us that early intervention therapies have helped Quinn more than we ever expected. But when someone tells you that your child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder--or any disorder or medical condition really--it's really nice to hear those same doctors be so excited about his progress.

Chris and I have met a lot of people over the last year. Speech therapists, early intervention specialists, occupational and physical therapists, teachers, other parents whose children have similar diagnoses, etc, and we're so thankful for all of them.

Last fall, Quinn spent most of his days playing by himself and being frustrated because we never knew what he wanted...not to mention all of the sleepless nights. A year later, he still keeps to himself at times and gets overwhelmed in large groups and new situations, but he now plays with Liam and other kids (at times), makes eye contact, uses over 60 words, and is just overall a much happier boy. It's awesome!

Celebrating on the farm

2010-10-03T21:33:00.004-04:00

After the birthday breakfast festivities, we ventured to Young's Dairy for more fun. Remember how I told you the boys love all things country? It's still going on. So we thought Liam would be pretty happy on the farm.

Grandma met us there, and we fed the animals, played in their kid area, went on a wagon ride, and lunch and even got ice cream. The boys loved it. We had some issues with corn throwing and someone got his hand nipped by a hungry little goat, but all was good other than that.

And I'm sure we'll hear something about their matching shirts in 20 years...but they're cute.

Did I mention it was a perfect day for the farm? Cool air, sun...awesome!

Birthday boy breakfast

2010-10-03T21:21:00.003-04:00

Yep, Liam turned 2 last weekend...can you believe it? THIS little boy is already TWO. Wow.

We had to go to a wedding on the evening of Liam's birthday, and we didn't want him to feel slighted on his big day (he stayed with grandma, so we're positive this never crossed his mind). So we surprised him with balloons, new animals and presents when he woke up. Really though, he would probably have been thrilled with just balloons. :)

Oh lemon...we can't believe you're 2 already. You crack us up constantly, and you're the best little brother that Quinn could ask for. We love you!!

Thomas cont.

2010-09-12T22:16:00.004-04:00

So after the 30 minute ride to nowhere, there was a little Thomas funland where the boys could jump in an inflatable Thomas (and other animals), listen to live music (which the boys looooved), eat, shop, etc.

I seriously think this part was better than the ride.

Of course there were train tables. Train tables that caused our kids to scream and cry when it was time to leave. Thanks Thomas.

Quinn was great at the jumping. He even smashed heads with another boy (who left and continued to cry for a long time) and kept on jumping after a few quick tears. Liam...not so much into bounce houses yet.

Liam, on the other hand, was very much into the temporary tattoos. He saved it through his bath last night, and it's still going strong today.

And, as you can see in the last picture, both of them were really into the musician they had there. I should have gotten his name...he was pretty good. No Laurie Berkner, but still.

Overall, I'd say Thomas was a hit!

All aboard!

2010-09-12T21:57:00.004-04:00

MeMe and Papaw came to visit us this weekend, and we all went for a ride on Thomas.

Thomas is THE thing in our house at the moment. We watch Thomas on tv. We play on the train table. We play with Thomas in the bath. You get the picture.

So the boys were a little excited to see Thomas in person.

The actual ride on the train was maybe not worth the small fortune that it cost, but hey, how many times do you get to ride on Thomas the Train?

Alter fun

2010-09-12T21:47:00.004-04:00

For the second year in a row, we took the boys to the Alter Family Fun Fest on Labor Day weekend.

We quickly learned that Monday is way more calm. Kinda boring. But no lines for rides or food (yay).

So we rode on some tea cups, went down the big slide (twice) and enjoyed some very unhealthy food. Yum.

First baseball game

2010-09-12T21:26:00.004-04:00

We waited until the very end of the Dragon's season to finally take the boys to a game. The Dragons did not have a good season (maybe they finished last in their league), but the boys didn't seem to mind.

And we had awesome seats through Chris' work. But really...is there a bad seat at a Dragon's game?

Quinn LOVED the game (I'm guessing that being outside had something to do with it). Liam LOVED the mascots. I hate people dressed up more than almost anything else in the world (just look at my face), so I'm not sure where Liam got his love of all things in costume. Ew.

Look how cute all the boys are paying attention to the game!

First day of school! First day of school!

2010-09-05T10:22:00.003-04:00

Well, we survived the first day and first week of pre-school. It was a little hairy at times, but Quinn seemed to enjoy what he was doing and learning in his class. The biggest issue was the new, no napping schedule. By Friday he was begging to take a nap. :)

He also was not a fan of his big boy backpack (you can kind of guess that from the pictures), but he learned to deal with it by wearing in the front instead of on his back. Whatever works, dude. And he's recently developed a hatred for shoes and socks, but his teachers seemed to have convinced him to leave them on after the first day.

It also helped a ton that their theme for the first week focused on trains, which is the current obsession in our house. Nemo and Cars are old news. Thomas IS in...in a big way. We read about, watch and play with trains most of the day. Could be worse.

Keeping our fingers crossed for an equally good second week!

Wegerzyn Gardens

2010-08-30T18:02:00.003-04:00

Wegerzyn Gardens might be Dayton's best kept secret. Why have we never been here before? No idea.

Since it's finally not a million degrees in the anymore, Jenn and I took Sadie and the boys to explore. It was A-MAZ-ING. Aside from all the flowers being beautiful, there was so much for the kids to do. From instruments and a little house to gardens and dinosaurs, it pretty much had it all.

And, of course, there was a waterfall at the end, and we were not successful at keeping the kids away. Oh well...we had spare clothes.

Definitely support Dayton's metroparks; they're awesome.

EnterTRAINment Junction

2010-08-30T17:49:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we visited EnterTRAINment Junction with Mamaw and Papaw (these are all Liam's pronunciations). Quinn and daddy went last year with Papaw Tom, but the rest of us had never been before.

Can I just say that if your child even remotely likes trains, this is the place to be. Wow. It was amazing.

And in addition to the giant display of model trains, there is a great interactive play area.

The boys were a little bit in love. Can you tell?

Summer at the park

2010-08-30T17:44:00.002-04:00

We spent quite a bit of time at parks this summer. Lucky for us, we have a ton around us. Water parks, gardens, playgrounds, etc.

The park near Jenn and Jim seemed to be the boys' favorite. Quinn loves the water while liam loved the playground.

These pictures of the boys and Sadie are some of my favorite...

Ginelle and Cyp

2010-08-29T10:33:00.003-04:00

After leaving the boys with MeMe and Papaw, we headed to NJ for Ginelle's wedding. For those of you who haven't met Ginelle, she's one of my dearest friends from UD. We met our freshman year in Founder's Hall. Seems like ages ago!

The wedding and reception were at the beautiful Stony Hill Inn, and the entire event was gorgeous, as was Ginelle. The bride and groom were beaming the entire evening. And it was, of course, so fun to see Ginelle's family and meet some other great couples at the wedding.

We had a wonderful trip, it was a nice break from our little ones (oh...2 full nights of sleep!), and we're so happy for Ginelle and Cyp!

And back to PA we go

2010-08-29T10:15:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, my Pop-Pop passed away at the end of July. He had been in a lot of pain, so in that respect, it was a good thing. And we had fun visiting with family that we don't get to see very often. But still, it was sad. We'll miss you Pop.

After the funeral, we left the boys with MeMe and Papaw and headed to NJ for a wedding. I don't think the boys even noticed we were gone. They visited The Farmer's Inn, had ice cream, shopped at a garage sale, and who knows what else.

And now Liam asked if we're going to see MeMe and Papaw every time we leave the house. I think they maybe had a good time.

Hot air balloons...take 2

2010-07-26T22:45:00.003-04:00

Remember when we went to the hot air balloon festival last year? Quinn looked thrilled, huh?

The boys were way more into this year. We rode a ride, went inside an inflated balloon and ate spiral french fries. What more could you ask for from an evening? Well, it would have been nice if the weather would have cooperated so the balloons could launch, but you can't have everything.

I also get the impression that they're sick of me taking their picture...don't you?

Not your average Tonka

2010-07-26T22:39:00.004-04:00

Quinn and Liam also got to check out this old truck when one of grandpa's friends stopped by to show off his work. It was pretty impressive.

E-I-E-I-O

2010-07-26T21:42:00.003-04:00

While in PA, we visited my mom in Wellsboro and went to Hal and Sandy's farm. Our boys were clearly destined for country living. Omg. They LOVED it.

Liam ate peas out of the garden...lots of peas. Quinn petted the chicken. They both loved the pond.

Maybe it's time to leave the suburbs...

Why the boys love PA

2010-07-25T10:45:00.003-04:00

We spent the first half of July visiting all the grandparents in PA. Usually PA is a nice break from the heat and humidity that we have all summer in Ohio. But not this time. It followed us there.

The boys did a lot of playing outside when we visited Grandpa and Grammy in Brockway. As you can see, they found ways to stay cool. Like, um, run around outside at full speed wearing only a diaper. Yeah, we don't normally run around outside in a diaper at our house. I'm pretty sure there are rules against such things in our HOA handbook.

They LOVE visiting PA. Can you tell?

This lives at our house now

2010-07-25T10:37:00.003-04:00

I can't believe I forgot to share that we added a giant wooden structure to our landscaping! Yep, this is in our backyard now. All the time.

The boys love it. And we love not having to go to the playground all the time.

Quinny Quinn turns 3

2010-06-26T22:43:00.004-04:00

Quinn is officially three. Can you believe it? This little baby is all grown up!

To celebrate his big day, daddy took the day off, and the four of us met up with the Gobrails at the spray park for some fun on the playground and in the water.

Quinn loves being outside, but I think he's starting to love being in water almost as much. Liam, on the other hand, doesn't so much love the water (he opted for more playground time).

It's been a crazy three years for sure, and we wouldn't change a minute of it. We love you Quinn...and your great smile!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-21T00:23:00.003-04:00

Quinn and Liam are sending a very special Father's Day shout out to their dad and their grandpas today. And Happy Father's Day to all the other awesome dads we know.

Hope you enjoyed the day!

The monkey bus visits our house

2010-06-21T00:08:00.002-04:00

Quinn's third birthday is just a few days away. Yeah, I know, it's crazy. How did that happen?

So, to celebrate, we thought we'd have the Monkey Bus come to our house and invite a few of our friends over to play.

The Monkey Bus visits the boys' daycare one day a week, but Quinn has missed out on the fun because he's been in Toddler Group (which was fun too) for the last few months. It has been kind of sad when Liam comes home with the Monkey Bus stamps on his arm and Quinn doesn't.

I'm not quite sure what Quinn thought of the bus rolling up to his house, but it was a fun hour of play...zip line, trampoline, ball pit, and all.

Reunion Weekend

2010-06-20T23:52:00.003-04:00

If you haven't guessed by all the posts about basketball and the Flyers and whatnot, we love UD. I mean the kind of love where you not only go to college there, but also meet your spouse in the student neighborhood because you lived at the same house (different years), get married at the chapel on campus, and spend a small fortune on basketball tickets (and babysitters) every season. Not to mention that A LOT of our friends went to UD too, and we've all already started brainwashing our children to go there too.

You get the picture.

So, last weekend was my 10-year reunion and Chris' 15-year reunion. Nice how that works out, huh? So we packed up the kids (and the dog) for grandma and grandpa's house and headed down to Campus South for a weekend of drinking, stories, wondering around campus, and seeing people we haven't seen for years.

And for those of you who went to UD but couldn't make it to Reunion Weekend, yes, we went to Tim's (twice), and, yes, it was exactly the same. And, yes, JON was there too. And, yes, he was exactly the same (minus hair).

Sadie turns one

2010-06-20T23:41:00.003-04:00

Our fabulous friend Sadie recently turned one, and we were more than thrilled to celebrate her first birthday with her. Look how adorable she was at her party (and how much she looks like her daddy!).

And I think she enjoyed her cupcake. Happy birthday Sadie!

Oh how we love holiday weekends

2010-06-20T23:21:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day weekend could not have been more fun and more packed with activities.

First, we celebrated the wedding of our friends Katie and Brian. The wedding was beautiful and the happy couple was beaming the entire day. I think they still might be beaming a month later!

Then we woke up early Sunday morning and headed to the Akron area for more adventures. I attended a wedding shower for one of my oldest and best college friends, Ginelle. The shower was so much fun, but, even better, it was great to see and catch up with Ginelle. More wedding beaming!

And while I was at the shower, Chris and the boys hung out at my Aunt Marge's house with my family. I'm sad I don't have any photos (I think I had the camera with me), but when I got back from the shower, I saw two VERY tired but VERY happy little boys. Like asleep by 7 tired. Which never happens.

So, we had our very first experience of spending a night in a hotel with kids. Picture Chris and I sitting at the hotel room desk eating take-out food in the dark and watching Where the Wild Things Are on a portable DVD player. Classy. I promise you that we used to take much more glamorous trips and be way more exciting. But this was still fun. Just a different kind of fun. :)

The next morning we headed to IHOP (yum) and then explored the Akron Zoo before we headed back to the 'Boro. Turns out admission is free if you have a pass to the Boonshoft. Score!

Great Strides Walk 2010

2010-06-20T23:05:00.003-04:00

You might remember our Great Strides walk from last year. Well, we participated in an even bigger and better event this year with even more of our friends. It was great to see so many people out to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and those who are affected by cystic fibrosis.

We arrived a little early (yeah, I was shocked too) to the event, so we got to explore the playground with our friends. And, of course, the walk was super fun too.

Birthday party craziness

2010-06-20T22:49:00.003-04:00

Last month, our friend Kyle turned five and celebrated his birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's. I'm not going to lie...I was not excited. :)

If you're my age, you remember the crazy "shows" with the animatronic mouse of the old Chuck E Cheese. Luckily (or not if you're into that kind of thing), the place has been updated to the 2000s, and that kind of display no longer exists.

I'll admit that the party was fun. Kyle and all his guests loved it. And our boys (including Chris) can't wait to go back. Liam brings it up often (thank you for the ads, Disney channel).

Apparently Liam does not share my hatred of people dressed up in costumes. That's him front and center for Chuck E. himself.

And, I had to post the picture of our friend enjoying her slice of pizza because it was so cute!

We became a two-coupe family

2010-06-20T22:28:00.003-04:00

As Spring arrived and we broke out the outdoor toys, we quickly realized that the fights over Quinn's car were going to be common. Maybe every day. I started shopping around for a used coupe, but our friend Chris came to the rescue with one her daughters used. She saved us.

No patio furniture for us this summer!

What?! It's June?

2010-06-20T22:11:00.004-04:00

Yep...I fell behind in blogging AGAIN. Is it weird that I write for a living yet can't keep up with writing for our own blog? Embarrassing.

Ok, so now you're going to get caught up on all the pictures I just downloaded from our camera.

First up, the normal stuff. Liam's first lollipop and the boys decorating cookies for fun at home.

Enjoy these pics and all the other updates that follow.

Finally...McKenna!

2010-03-15T22:32:00.003-04:00

We FINALLY got to meet little McKenna this weekend. Finding a weekend where both toddlers are healthy to visit a new baby is not easy. But we finally made it! Yay!

McKenna was, of course, adorable and a little angel for our whole visit. Mommy and daddy looked great too (don't worry, they still had the I need a little more sleep please look in their eyes that all first time parents have for the first few months). Don't worry guys, it gets easier and then baby #2 is a breeze. Well, kind of.

And, Liam seemed to really want a little sister (we told him he might need to wait 4 or 10 years or so). He was in love!

Spring break visitors

2010-03-15T22:21:00.002-04:00

Alyssa and her friend Liz just spent the last few days visiting us during their spring break.

And just like last year, everyone had fun during the visit. Alyssa and Liz got to see the sights of Dayton (haha). Layla and the boys got some extra attention. And Trisha and Chris had two extra sets of hands to help out. Win. Win. Win.

Ohhhhhh. And this time we got to go out. To a bar! How is Alyssa old enough to drink, you ask? Yeah, I'm not so sure when we got that old either. But we had tons of fun.

Thanks for visiting us ladies!

Liam looooooves basketball

2010-03-01T19:06:00.002-05:00

I swear we did not force Liam to love basketball. And he just doesn't love the Flyers...he loves all basketball.

This clip of Liam watching a game IS actually the Flyers playing Temple last Wednesday night.

I guess Liam just didn't cheer loud enough. We lost.

Storage?

2010-03-01T18:44:00.003-05:00

This isn't really what we had in mind when we bought these storage bins at Ikea.

But I guess this works too...

Oh, and apparently their tunnel is their reading spot. :)

Keeping our sanity

2010-02-21T21:03:00.003-05:00

Dear Laurie Berkner...I might owe you my next child or a million dollars or something. When our kids are screaming in the car, over tired, or just sick of being in the house, the Laurie Berkner Band comes to our rescue. The Rocketship Run CD was their first love, but now we've added other Laurie Berkner Band CDs to our collection and watch the videos on YouTube quite regularly.

Today around 5:30 was one of those times. Meltdown averted with Laurie on YouTube. And, yes, we have a computer hooked up to our television...we are one of those families. What can I say--Netflicks is a wonderful thing.

In other news, Liam now refuses to have any food than involves bread cut into pieces. From PB&J and toasted cheese to hamburgers and dinner rolls, don't even think about picking up a knife. And I'm pretty sure we're giving him a complex because Chris and I laugh at him eating throughout the entire meal. It's just so darn cute!

Not so fun in the snow

2010-02-14T18:39:00.003-05:00

Since the sun was FINALLY shining for a bit today, we thought we'd bundle the boys up and take them out into the snow. Either the snow was too deep for a 1- and 2-year-old or we bundled them up a little too much. Regardless, they were not fans.

Layla, on the other hand, had tons of fun.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Lots of pennies

2010-02-14T10:20:00.003-05:00

Ok, I try to just blog mostly about the boys. After all, it IS the point of the blog. BUT, just this once, I need to show you a project we did at work.

After I had Quinn, I traded in the long hours and long commute to work part-time at Real Art Design Group in downtown Dayton. And while I was sad to leave friends at Hobsons, this was possibly one of the best decisions I've made. Everyone at Real Art is insanely talented and creative; they never stop amazing me.

Anyway, last week we finished this project for the Chicago Auto Show. Made of pennies. Thousands of pennies. It was tons of fun and turned out even better than we expected.

Grocery store = bad idea

2010-01-31T20:42:00.003-05:00

Ok, we could take our kids to Toys R Us, and they wouldn't ask for one thing. Maybe it's because they don't really watch tv with commercials yet...who knows. BUT take them to the grocery store, they want it all. And by all, I mean fruits and vegetables and cereal.

Today we had the worst idea ever of taking them to the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon before dinner. We realized the error of our ways as soon as we arrived, but figured we'd get some stuff since we were already there.

Liam freaks out over the avocados, I give him one, and he holds it the rest of the time we're there. Quinn melts down by the apples, I give him one, and he holds it the rest of the time. Mind you, Liam thinks he has an apple like Quinn, so he's yelling "apple" the entire time we shop. And this is our trip to the store.

So, we get home, they still want apples (but, of course, not cut up), so we figure what the heck. And this is how much they ate.

Oh the drama.

Saturday morning fun

2010-01-31T13:06:00.003-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa hooked Quinn and Liam up with a membership to the Boonshoft Museum for Christmas, so we tested it out yesterday morning.

You might remember pictures from our trip in, oh, maybe May, but the boys enjoyed it a little more this time because they could do more.

Looking forward to many more visits.

Friends!

2010-01-31T12:59:00.002-05:00

A few of Chris' friends--who we don't see that often--were in town a few weeks ago, so we got together so they could see everyone's kids too. It was tons of fun, but keeping the kids still for a picture wasn't as easy as we hoped.

Christmas pictures

2010-01-31T12:48:00.003-05:00

The boys had lots of fun Christmas morning. We didn't buy a ton and quickly saw that we still bought too much. They opened a few favorite presents, and we lost them after that.

And, yes, they will hate us for dressing them in matching pajamas when we look back at these photos 15 years from now.

Also, please note that Liam could have cared less about the presents Christmas morning and really only focused on getting a graham cracker.

Is it January 31 already?

2010-01-31T12:31:00.002-05:00

Dear blog readers,

I apologize for the LOOOONG break in blogging. The last three months have been, well, interesting. To say the least.

You haven't missed a ton with the cold weather and all. We've been playing in the basement a lot, with a few occasional outings here and there.

But mostly, we've been going to a variety of appointments...doctors, therapy, etc. Right around Thanksgiving, Liam and Chris got pretty sick. We didn't make it to PA, which was probably best for the health of our family there. Liam was over it in about 12 hours...Chris wasn't as lucky. He actually got so sick he passed out and landed us in the ER for some stitches and a few IVs. It was cra-zy.

Shortly after that, we took Quinn to our local children's hospital for an evaluation in their autism clinic. After a day of meetings with different specialists (he did great, btw), they diagnosed him as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder. He fell on the low end, so they are pretty hopeful that he should overcome some of his communication issues with therapy.

So now he's getting weekly therapy through the PACE program (awesome program) and speech therapy through the children's hospital (not really a fan of that just yet...giving it a chance though). Quinn's finally communicating a little more, which is helping him not be so frustrated all the time.

Liam, on the other hand, is SUPER social and talking up a storm. He started walking/running around Thanksgiving and now really enjoys torturing his brother. Never a dull moment at the Webb house.

So, that's what you missed in a nutshell. Oh and, for your enjoyment, here is a picture from Christmas Day.

Stitches already?

2009-11-04T21:57:00.005-05:00

So poor little Quinn was trying to cheer up a crying Liam with tickles and wrestling, and then things went bad.

There was a crack so loud I was sure Quinn had some kind of skull fracture. But, alas, he just needed three little stitches. And, if you talk to Chris, getting those three little stitches was no small feat.

Quinn seems to have forgotten all about the stitches though (especially when daddy brought home a slinky)...until we have to go get them removed in a few days.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T21:38:00.003-05:00

Apparently our boys don't like stuff on their heads. We seemed to have fooled Liam, but Quinn wanted no part of his costume's hat (in case you couldn't tell what was going on in the photo). We ventured down the street and back for a little candy, but it was freezing cold so the boys were ready to hang up their costumes.

Regardless, they made a cute little Yoda and Darth Vader.

May the candy be with you...

Last days of warm weather

2009-11-01T21:06:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed some 70+ degree weather on Friday, so we were sure to get outside and take advantage of it.

Our original baby and the two who wrecked her world... :)

Why little brothers exist

2009-10-20T21:37:00.003-04:00

Quinn finally discovered the joy of having a little brother...putting him to work.

Mind you, neither one of them talks, but they managed to work this arrangement out. Poor Liam started out pushing with socks on, but I helped him out a little and took them off.

He gave up in the end to get a drink. Well deserved!

Cracking each other up

2009-10-20T21:18:00.003-04:00

Quinn and Liam are starting to finally play together. Translation: Quinn is finally giving Liam the time of day.

I love how Liam sits and waits for Quinn but still screams and how Quinn knows to duck to go into the tent but not to come out!

Our superheroes

2009-10-19T23:06:00.003-04:00

Just because these were too cute to not post...

Did you know Batman and Superman's favorite thing to do is read?

Birthday take four

2009-10-19T22:53:00.003-04:00

Tired of watching Liam open birthday presents yet? Here's a few more from Grandma Trudi's visit.

Liam, unlike Quinn, likes opening presents!

Liam's birthday party

2009-10-19T22:36:00.003-04:00

We decided on a pumpkin theme for Liam's birthday since it's fall and all (and who doesn't love fall). Cute pumpkin decorations, snacks and all. But the best part was all the friends who came to celebrate with Liam.

Congrats Sadie

2009-10-19T22:32:00.003-04:00

Quinn and I went to see our little friend Sadie get baptized. Sadie and her family looked beautiful!

We love you Sadie!

Liam's birthday day

2009-10-19T22:19:00.003-04:00

Both daddy and mommy were home for Liam's birthday, so aside from poor Liam going to get shots for his one-year checkup, it was a pretty fun day.

We shopped a little, we ate a little, we played a little. And then we had an ice cream cupcake.

And holy cow. How did Liam get to be one already?

Oh man

2009-10-19T22:09:00.002-04:00

Dear blog friends,

We have soooo much to catch up on. Since I posted last, we've been very busy. Mommy and daddy went to St. Louis for a very fun wedding (congrats Andrea and Brian!), Liam turned one, our friend Sadie got baptized, we had a party for Liam, three grandparents visited, and Liam and Quinn finally decided to play together. And lots of other stuff probably happened too, but I can't think of it all right now.

So, the next few posts will give you a glimpse of all that and more.

Enjoy!

Celebrating birthdays

2009-09-08T21:24:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday we got together at Grandma and Grandpa's to celebrate birthdays for Liam, Grandapa and Andrew.

Something tells us Liam had a good time...

And so did Quinn. He loves his Uncle Chuck time.

Alter Family Fun Fest

2009-09-06T10:48:00.003-04:00

We journeyed to Alter Family Fun Fest last night (at the local Catholic high school--for those of you not from the area) to meet up with friends and partake in the fun.

After dinner, we thought we'd try out some rides. Apparently the poor economy affects carnival rides too because we paid $30 to ride 5 rides. I foresee expensive trips to amusement parks in our future.

Anyway, Quinn and mommy and daddy rode the flying elephants, Quinn went down the big slide with daddy and mommy, and then all four of us rode the spinning dragons.

Ok, well, maybe it wouldn't have cost so much if mommy and daddy didn't both want to take Quinn on the rides. Who cares...we had fun!

Liam gets a new 'do

2009-09-06T10:32:00.002-04:00

When daddy started calling Liam "Hippie Longstocking," it was time for Liam to get a trim.

When Quinn got his cut, there were tears and drama. Liam, on the other hand, likes to sit in the middle of a room, up on a car and have people look at him.

Here's Liam before, during and after. He's much more distinguished now. :)

Oh bananas

2009-08-09T22:33:00.004-04:00

Liam discovered bananas this weekend. And this is how he chews them (the loud background noise would be his big brother)...

Art on the Commons

2009-08-09T22:23:00.003-04:00

We decided to take the boys to Art on the Commons via the wagon. Apparently it makes us as much of a spectacle as the double stroller. It's hysterical. I don't think we're the only people who accidentally had two kids 15 months apart. Maybe it's because they look more like they're 9 months apart...

Round and round

2009-08-09T22:10:00.005-04:00

Quinn liked the carousel so much he rode it twice in a row. He probably would have rode it forever if we would have let him...

The Zoo!

2009-08-09T21:53:00.002-04:00

Grammy and Grandpa came for a visit this weekend, and we all went to the zoo on Saturday morning. It was hot and the kids were worn out by 1, but we still had lots of fun.

Looking at the cats...

Posing on the gorilla statue before checking out all the different monkeys.

Quinn wasn't so sure about his first carousel ride, but he ended up loving it (check out the video in next post).

And getting ready for our train ride near the end of our zoo adventure. I think the train put Quinn over the edge because he fell asleep shortly after.

Backyard fun

2009-08-09T21:36:00.002-04:00

So way back at the end of June we were supposed to have a little party in celebration for Quinn's second birthday. Unfortunately, I got really sick and then July was pretty busy and flew by.

So last weekend we finally had our friends over for some backyard splashes (sans the birthday). The boys (and Sadie...yep, only one girl) seemed to have lots of fun!

Butterfly festival

2009-08-09T21:28:00.003-04:00

We met up with our old pals Corina, Nate and their parents for some fun at the butterfly festival (and people watching). We checked out some butterflies, ate some lunch and saw some really interesting people who went all out to celebrate the butterflies.

Sleepover!

2009-07-26T21:41:00.003-04:00

So while the guys were in Put In Bay this weekend, we had a little slumber party at our house. And although daddy thought the boys were a little young to have a girl spend the night already, Liam obviously thought there was nothing wrong with it.

The morning after, Liam and Emmie got up at the crack of dawn (as usual). We were hanging out playing...and then Emmie made her move.

Note how Liam is trying to resist in photo #2 but clearly gives in by #3. Awww...young love.

25 months and 10 months

2009-07-26T21:22:00.002-04:00

Sorry, this is a day late. Pretend I actually posted it on the 25th.

Quinn has become quite the little builder lately. He's concentrating pretty hard on these blocks. Liam will, of course, knock them down in 2 seconds.

Liam is enjoying the newfound freedom that comes with crawling. His little knees have the rug burn to prove it.

And it took about 8 tries to get them both sitting for two seconds...these are the best two. Enjoy!

Balloons away...

2009-07-19T09:17:00.003-04:00

Yesterday evening we took the boys to a hot air balloon race. After standing in line for a million hours for food and looking at the antique cars (clearly for Quinn), we almost gave up on waiting for the balloons. The weather was a bit questionable, so we weren't sure they were going to launch anyway.

Luckily, they started blowing them up right as we were about to leave, so we took the boys over to watch them inflate and launch.

Although Liam still enjoyed looking at people the most, Quinn thought the balloons were pretty cool (and so did we).

What a Friday!

2009-07-19T09:01:00.002-04:00

So I have been complaining for a while that Liam hasn't started crawling yet. Clearly I forgot that we'd have two little ones to chase around. I take back everything I said.

Liam had been working on it for a couple of days but then on Friday morning he started crawling at full speed (well, maybe not full speed). Fast forward to like 2pm. I'm standing in the bedroom putting some makeup on--yep, 2pm is the earliest this could happen--and I hear the boys' chair playing music. Only I knew Liam wasn't in the chair. And when I turned around, he was SO proud of himself for standing up all on his own.

You can also tell how much Liam is the opposite of Quinn when it comes to pictures. Quinn=never smiles. Liam=just waiting for the next picture so he can smile more.

We're back!

2009-07-13T23:02:00.002-04:00

Do you curse my name every time you look at our blog, and there isn't a new post? Well, I vow to get back on the blogging bandwagon, so don't worry. I have a bunch of old posts to get caught up on, but I'll just start with this past weekend.

We took the boys to a park near our house for a while in the morning. And while there were tons of beautiful flowers, deer, butterflies, turtles, etc., we spent a large part of the time in the shrub maze. Quinn loved it. And I mean LOVED. I have about 20 pictures of him running around, but I'll just share one action shot, one not-so-much-of-an-action shot since Liam still isn't crawling, one of us trying for the hundredth time to get them in a photo together, and one just cute one of Quinn (sorry Liam).

Enjoy, and I promise that there will be more to come soon!

Liam gets a tooth

2009-05-20T23:00:00.003-04:00

Liam's first tooth popped through while he was at daycare today, and we noticed it at dinner. Man--these milestones seem to fly by on the second kid!

And while we're spotlighting Liam, I thought I'd throw this picture in with his hat and sunglasses because it's so freaking cute...

Great Strides Walk

2009-05-20T22:31:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday we walked in the Great Strides Walk to support our friend Carson. It was a beautiful day and a great day to walk.

To learn more about Cystic Fibrosis, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, or Great Strides events, visit www.cff.org.

And who thinks Chris and the Big Boy look alike? This was a joke from MANY years ago on a Stratford trip. Poor Chris--what a sport.

Museum of Discovery

2009-05-19T22:26:00.002-04:00

Recently Grandma and Aunt Alyssa came for a long weekend, and we all visited the museum during the day.

Look how excited Quinn and Liam are about the adventure. They have no idea what's in store for them. You could say the same for us. It must have been school trip day because there were TONS of kids of all ages.

Liam strolled around most of the time. And Quinn had more fun running than he did paying attention to what was around him. But everyone had a great time, and it made the kids tired (which we're always in favor of).

What's the point of having kids close together...

2009-04-24T14:33:00.002-04:00

If you can't dress them in matching outfits???

I'm sure they'll hate me for it in 15+ years, but it sure is entertaining for right now.

These pictures say so much about both of their personalities. Quinn being all serious with his cars. Liam jumping and laughing like a mad person. Both of those themes continue throughout the days (maybe not so much the jumping).

And don't you love how they're almost the same size? Liam's outfit is 12 months but he's only 7 months old tomorrow. Quinn, on the other hand, wore 12 month clothes when he was 15 months old.

Hope everyone is enjoying warm weather like we are!

Easter morning

2009-04-15T23:15:00.003-04:00

The boys aren't old enough to really get into Easter, but that didn't stop Grammy and Grandpa. Here are the boys with the baskets they got for them...er...I mean that the Easter bunny left for them.

Next year should be fun!

Nana and Pop-Pop

2009-04-15T23:03:00.003-04:00

Since Liam hadn't been to PA before, we tried to squeeze in as many visits as possible. We were able to visit with Nana and Pop for a bit Saturday afternoon.

The boys did their best to charm everyone at the nursing home.

Coloring easter eggs

2009-04-15T22:50:00.003-04:00

For some reason we thought it would be a good idea to let Quinn color some eggs.

Sometimes he tried to bounce them like balls. Some times he tried to take a bite out of the colored ones. Sometimes he put his hand in the coloring.

In all, it went pretty quickly but proved to be very entertaining.

Don't worry--Liam didn't color the eggs. He's just posing with them.

Little Liam

2009-04-15T22:36:00.003-04:00

Liam had quite the week last week. On Tuesday he had an MRI at the children's hospital (everything is fine). On Wednesday he woke up with pink eye. And on Thursday he made his first car trip to Brockway. He was quite the trooper through it all, smiling all the time.

6 and 21 months

2009-03-25T22:53:00.002-04:00

Has it really been another month already?!?!

Lucky for Liam, Quinn has started to finally take an interest in him--as in the past two days. Oh he won't play with him or anything, but he'll at least look at him before swatting Liam's hand away.

Liam is chugging right along on getting introduced to different baby foods. His wet shirt is a mix of banana oatmeal cereal and plain baby drool. He's even sitting up pretty well now.

As for Quinn, he could not be happier now that the nicer weather is here. Getting him to come inside is another story. Meltdown every time. I seriously feel bad for the people at daycare. And even though he isn't talking so much yet (we're getting his hearing checked again in April), he understands SO much more now.

AND we finally watch something other than just The Wiggles...Cars! Chris and I can pretty much quote the movie for you.

Enjoy the pics!

Our little leprechauns

2009-03-17T22:45:00.003-04:00

Our poor kids. I made them wear St. Patrick's Day t-shirts. Liam sported an Ireland coat. They had green eggs and ham for breakfast at daycare (not Liam, of course). For dinner we had corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and shamrock cookies. And then mommy and daddy drank cider while we played outside.

I'll wait until they're older to let them know that they're mostly German.

Spring breakers

2009-03-05T15:00:00.002-05:00

Aunt Alyssa and her friend Liz came to stay with us for some of their spring break. They saw the sights of Dayton (yep--there are sights), shopped, spent time with the kids, hung out and played cards (one of us was not a happy loser...I'm looking at you Alyssa!).

We loved having them and were so sad to see them leave. Visit anytime ladies!

5 and 20 months old

2009-02-25T22:03:00.003-05:00

Probably against the better judgment of Quinn, the boys had a lot of togetherness on their 5/20-month birthdays.

Liam had lots and lots of oatmeal for his 5-month birthday. It was his second day of oatmeal bliss. Looks gross to me, but he seems to love it.

Quinn chose to spend the evening without pants. For some reason, our kids love being naked.

Then we attempted to bathe them together for the first time. Quinn made sure Liam didn't touch his toys and that there was a safe distance between them at all time.

Finally...getting ready for bedtime. And, yes, they have lots of matching pajamas. Hey, it's better than matching outfits.

Where does the time go?!

Two-kid play dates are work

2009-02-20T15:02:00.004-05:00

So, this morning we went on a play date to our friend's house who has two kids around the same age as Quinn and Liam (their kids are spaced out a bit better though...smart people). Getting out the door was insane. I started getting ready at 6:40 and we left at 9:45. None of that time was spent sitting around either. This two-kid gig is a lot of work!

I apologize--the photos are from my phone and aren't the best. But, LOOK AT ME posting just one hour after we got home!

Um, guess whose kids are the crazy ones in the picture (ok, Liam isn't so crazy). But really. You've met us--did you expect our children to be normal?

Playing the recorder...kind of

2009-02-17T22:26:00.003-05:00

Quinn loves music (hence his obsession with the Wiggles). He also loves looking at himself in mirrors or, in this case, the fireplace. This video shows a little of both.

Oh, and that is Chris playing at the beginning. He CLAIMS he can play the recorder. I'm not sure I'm buying it.

Liam looooves cereal

2009-02-17T21:47:00.003-05:00

You may remember that Quinn was not so much into baby cereal and food. We flew threw that stage so fast I can't even remember it. Liam is a whole different story. I'm starting to think he might be one of those kids who eats everything, but I could be wrong.

So at his 4-month appointment the doctor thought that since he met all of the major milestones, he was huge, and he still isn't sleeping for long stretches that we could try some cereal. We thought it was a little early, so we waited a few weeks.

It took him a few tries to get the whole eating from a spoon thing down, but, as you can see here, he LOVES it.

Quinn hearts window decorations

2009-02-03T22:43:00.003-05:00

Or at least he loves putting them up and taking them down over and over again. He's getting ready for Valentine's Day.

First real adventure in the snow

2009-02-03T22:25:00.003-05:00

Quinn looooved the snow that we got. Too bad it's still nothing like PA!

Poor Liam lasted about half a second but he needed to at least go out for a picture.

Layla had fun in the snow too.

And, now that we had a few inches, I'm ready for spring. Stupid groundhog and his six more weeks of winter.

4/19 months...a little late

2009-02-03T22:03:00.002-05:00

Right, so, I'm going to try to post more than once a month from now on. We've had a rash of illnesses, funerals, and other not-so-fun stuff over the last month; we're hoping for a better February.

But we did remember to take a few photos of the boys on the 25 for their monthly birthday pictures. Quinn is a little bit afraid to sit beside Liam right now...if you can't tell from the expression on his face as he tries to get down.

And Liam still has more hair.

Ringing in the new year

2009-01-02T23:10:00.003-05:00

The boys are excited for everything 2009 has in store (well, Quinn is excited even though he isn't wearing his excitement in the photo)--new babies and friends for them, a wedding, time with friends and family, and just having fun being brothers.

Just because I like these ones...

2009-01-02T22:49:00.003-05:00

Here are a few others from the break that I just kind of liked.

Lots of time with the grandparents

2009-01-02T22:36:00.002-05:00

The Christmas break brought lots of time with the boys' grandparents.

First Grandma Trudi arrived with Aunt Alyssa.

Then we hung out with Grandma Jan and Grandpa Chuck (and their cousins).

And then Grandpa Tom and Grammy Debbie arrived the day after Christmas.

The boys loved every moment of their time with their grandparents.

3 months and 18 months

2009-01-02T22:20:00.002-05:00

Christmas also happened to be Liam's 3-month birthday and Quinn's 18-month birthday. They're getting so big!

And, yes, I'm going to save the hat picture for when they start dating or start therapy...whichever comes first.

Christmas funness

2009-01-02T21:39:00.003-05:00

Has it really been almost a month since I posted last? Wow...I'm awful. We've been crazy busy the last few weeks and are finally getting a few minutes to ourselves again. Both babies are sleeping at the moment...ahhhh. Peace.

So, the first of our posts will be Christmas morning. Liam, of course, isn't so much aware of Christmas. Quinn wasn't into opening presents either but loved everything he got. Santa/mommy/daddy didn't buy so much because we figured all of the grandmas and grandpas would buy enough for two little ones under 18 months.

One present we did buy was a sports slide, and Quinn LOVED it as soon as he came down the stairs.

Liam also got a few presents of his own...everything he has can't be hand-me-downs.

It was a fun morning, and we were excited to have Grandma Trudi and Aunt Alyssa with us too.

Liam and Emerson

2008-12-09T22:10:00.003-05:00

What can I say...our boys are chick magnets. It didn't take Quinn long to find some ladies, and Liam is following in his footsteps.

You might remember that Quinn went for a girl a few weeks older.

Well, Liam decided that his first lady-friend should be a little younger, but just a few weeks too.

Welcome to the world Emerson!

We're not going to need to read to Liam

2008-12-09T22:05:00.003-05:00

Quinn has that covered. Liam already LOVES his older brother!

As you can see from the background, we don't have a shortage of books in the Webb house (trust me--you can only see a small portion of them). Like parents like kids.

It's official...

2008-12-09T22:00:00.004-05:00

Liam is a giant. The doctor confirmed it. He grew 3 inches in one month. He might be wearing the same size as Quinn soon...

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T20:45:00.001-05:00

Liam hopes everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Happy 2 months/17 months

2008-11-25T21:51:00.004-05:00

Conveniently (for blogging purposes), Liam and Quinn were both born on the 25th, so that means today is Liam's 2-month birthday and Quinn's 17-month birthday.

If you can't tell by the expression on his face, it freaks Quinn out a little when I put Liam in his crib. He didn't seem to mind sharing his rainforest crib toy though, and Liam might like Quinn's better than his ocean version.

I also think Liam might catch up to Quinn in size...(and, yes, Quinn's hands really are that big).