We have had GLORIOUS weather these last few days, as I know most of the Midwest (and maybe rest of the country has had). If you know me at all, you know I am a sunshine girl who just about wilts into oblivion during the winter. I live for days like we've been having, barefoot days, days filled with wide-open windows and wonderful breezes. Ahhhhh.

One of my favorite poems of all time, by ee cummings, is perfect of this time of year:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes


(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)


how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake

and now the eyes of my eyes are opened)


Anyway, so the above collage is just a mixture of some of funny face pictures I took when Quinn and I were goofing around last night, enjoying the lovely evening. The kid gets funnier and funnier every day, and he knows it. He knows some of my favorite faces and does them to get a laugh. It cracks me up every time.

Last week, Quinn and I (and Oliver) ventured to my parents' house for the first time without Andy, who had sales meetings for a couple days. We had soooooo much fun. I love my hometown. It is a much simpler place to be with a toddler--everything you'd want is there, and it's all closer and cheaper. My mom, Quinn, and I got into the zoo for $9 total!! We went to the Children's Museum, the library where I grew up and worked for 4 summers, the zoo, 2 parks, my dad's office, and to see the "blowers" (explained below). We ended up staying an extra day because we had so much fun, and Quinn has asked each day since when we're going back to Illinois. It will be soon! The above picture is at a park by the zoo. It was a very cool park that included a pirate ship.


Above, Quinn plays with his new "spy glass" that Grandma bought him at the zoo--perfect for a pirate-loving kid (though I must reiterate that he only likes nice pirates, since bad pirates are in the news an awful lot these days!).

Here my very tired boy hitches a ride from me at the end of our zoo visit. Quinn wore himself out each day, and I carried him more than I have for months.

Ever since I bought Quinn a pinwheel when he was about 8 months old, he has loved things that spin or "blowers", as he calls them. Really loves them. As in, can spot a "blower" for miles. As in, we've watched videos on youtube many times that are simply footage of a blower blowing in a field (riveting, let me tell you). :) As luck would have it, my parents' neighbors have a blower in their yard. Quinn loves that blower and always asks my parents how it's doing when he talks to them on the phone.

So, my parents had the brilliant idea to take Quinn to a "blower farm", which is an area about 15 minutes from their house that is acres and acres of wind-energy blowers. I think there are 240 of them. They are HUGE, and I thought Q was going to turn inside out from excitement when he saw them. It was freezing cold, rainy, and windy, but he did not care. It was a wonderful treat. ;)
Quinn, Poppa, and Oliver loved hanging out together. Quinn had a great time with my mom too, but I didn't take any pictures of them. I'll get more next time.