Snow, snow, snow

So sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I actually figured not many were even checking this anymore, but then Andy said some people just commented this week (Hi, readers!:) ) so I will finally post. If I could only figure out how to post more than 4 pics at a time from Picasa, I really would stay up-to-date easier!

January was a very fun month, which is not something I often say about January. We've had a pleasantly snowy winter, one that is beautifully white but doesn't annoyingly trap us at home. I have fallen in love with winter this year, largely due to the lovely snow, the fact that I finally bought snow pants and I'm not cold and wet when we're in the snow, and because my darling 3 year old is a super playmate!! February has continued to be as enjoyable. We've settled into a great routine of visiting the Children's Museum weekly, playing outside in the snow, going to preschool and church group, and having various playdates. Spring doesn't seem too far away now!

I do love taking snow pictures, so forgive me for how many I post!

Christmas Morning

We have hit January full speed ahead, so I'm going to get caught up on Christmas pictures before time gets away from me! This past week was a great week. Quinn started gymnastic class, we went sledding, and he and I took a fantastically fun class at Conner Prairie. It was freezing cold this week, but we aren't getting stir crazy yet. We have too many fun toys to play with inside and too many fun places and things to do around here! The only thing that can slow us down in snowy weather, but I think we're in the clear for at least a little while.

The above picture is Q's Christmas morning pic. Notice the bedhead?! I fight it every morning. Only a full soaking will get it down, but with the dry air and hats on and off all the time, it is really a losing battle. :)

Quinn and Poppa had matching jammies again this Christmas morning.

Q got this adorable Captain America costume from Aunt Emily and Uncle Justin. He gets super excited about the built-in muscles!
Gator Golf was the only present Quinn talked about getting for Christmas. He was SO excited to get it from Aunt Carolyn! His big present from us was a lot containing many sets of Geo Trax that I purchased from craigslist. We have had sooooo much fun as a family playing with it all, building different configurations and playing with the remote control trains.

Our traditional family pic on Christmas morning

Andy and Quinn checking out another present. We open presents Christmas morning at my sister's house, which is about 5 minutes away from our house.
And I had to include this pic because it cracks me up! My mom got a new lens for Christmas that takes "fish bowl" pictures. We had a great time goofing around with it, and Quinn loved posing for the silly pictures. :)

More South Bend Christmas Pics

I love this picture of Aunt Amy, Uncle Steve, and Quinn

Quinn with Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Mary

Quinn loved spending time with his second cousins, Ethan, Emily, and baby Elyssa. He hadn't seen them since right after Emily was born, almost 2 years ago! Quinn loves older boys, and Ethan was such a sweet boy, so patient with Quinn.

Quinn also soaked up every second he got with his other second cousins, Kamryn, Austin, and Adalyn.

Christmas in South Bend

We spent the weekend enjoying family and lots of beautiful white snow in the South Bend area. It was as close to a Christmas card weekend as I think it could have been. I have lots of pictures but will just post these few tonight.

Throwing snowballs at Papa Bruce

Being pulled around in a sled by Daddy

Standing next to the snowman Daddy and Papa Bruce made

More Birthday Pics

Just like last year, Andy was able to take the day off to spend with Quinn and me for Quinn's birthday. We are trying to make sure his birthday feels special, not just another day lumped into Christmas festivities. Also like last year, we went to the Children's Museum. I was happy because since it was the last day of school, there were no field trips there (at least that we saw)! When we went a few weeks ago, the place was exploding with field trips, and while I am a former teacher and do appreciate the exuberance of children having learning experiences outside of school, it is a bit stressful when I'm also worried they are going to stampede over my child! :) So, this day was great. The employees saw Quinn's birthday button and directed us to a place to get birthday crown for him, which he proudly wore everywhere. We had a lot of fun!

All last winter, when we came to the museum almost weekly, the dinosaur exhibit was a bit too dark and scary for Quinn. Now, he loves it. Isn't this a cool picture with Andy? The sky changes color, so I waited for the sunset sky to add extra drama to the pic. :)
He found a dinosaur costume area and immediately put it on, then wandered all over the exhibit. It was so cute to see my little dino with all the big ones!

After sliding down the Yule Slide, which is the big staircase they convert to a slide this time of year, I had Quinn pose in front of the Christmas display. I received some comments about how well Quinn smiles and poses for pictures. He really is my little model and is more than willing to do whatever I ask of him. I think there are 2 reasons for that--1. he's had a camera in his face for all of his short life and 2. I almost always give him a "special treat" for modeling for me. So, that's my secret! Also, I have to say that while I did comment on my last post about how Quinn never has meltdowns, that certainly does not mean we don't struggle with many other age-appropriate issues, such as listening and obeying, sharing, and using our hands kindly! I just wanted to set that record straight. ;)

Three Is a Magic Number . . . and Age!

Today my baby boy turns 3! As every parent says at every birthday, I can't believe he's this age already. Last year flew by. While his growth is not as dramatic as the first 2 years, still there are some big changes. Compared to last year, he is no longer in diapers, carries on incredibly in-depth conversations, is much leaner and taller, and is in general more independent and strong. He still is such a sweet, sweet boy who most definitely was not terrible in his 2's. While I'm sure some not-so-terrific times in the 3's will come, Andy and I remarked today, as we observed at least 4 meltdowns by similarly aged boys at the Children's Museum, how blessed we feel that we've made it 3 years with exactly 0 meltdowns, public or private. (And did I really just type that? Because I've surely now jinxed myself!(: ). Quinn is everything I could have ever dreamed for in a child and more. We are overwhelmed with the blessing God gave us in him!

I will post pictures from today later, but here are a few pictures from our Mickey-themed party on Sunday. Quinn is so blessed to have family members willing to drive hours to be at his party at this very busy time of year. We had a blast!

Quinn with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Dennis. Each year, we've had different party hats, and it's become a tradition to take a group picture with the hats on.

Photo Session

My sister Carolyn's best friend Kari came to visit for a weekend. She is an aspiring photographer looking to start her own business, and she graciously agreed to take some pictures of Quinn and me. It was a gorgeous day, and I loved how the pictures turned out. If you're looking for a photographer in the central Illinois area, let me know and I'll give you her contact info!

Getting Caught Up . . .

Well, November went by in a blur! I'm going to quickly post a bunch of pictures tonight in hopes of being more timely for the rest of the month, since I'll have birthday and Christmas pictures later.
In November, we had our annual visit from Uncle Johnny. He and Quinn has SOOOO much fun playing together. We can't wait to see him again soon, since next time will be his wedding in just a few months!

Aunt Amy came to visit for a few hours too!

Uncle Johnny got some temporary tattoos for Quinn so Q's arms could match his.

The next week, Uncle Steve, Aunt Amy, and Roscoe came to visit too.

What Brown Can Do for Q

This year for Halloween, Quinn was a UPS man. I saw the costume at a local party store and knew it would be perfect for him, since his great-grandpa worked for UPS for 35 years, and his great-uncle has worked there for 20+ as well. We are definitely a UPS-loving family, and Quinn has been able to identify a UPS truck since he could talk. So, I knew it was great for us to enjoy, but I wasn't prepared for the huge response we got when we went trick-or-treating. Everyone LOVED it!! He was quite a hit.
Quinn was much more into trick-or-treating this year, but he still was confused about how it worked the way it did: why was it okay to suddenly ring everyone's doorbell in the neighborhood, and why was candy given as a reward for doing so? Then it got really confusing when we saw someone out in a Santa costume! I think his little brain, which has been trying for weeks now to figure out why there are simultaneously Halloween and Christmas decorations in many stores, just chalked it up to a strange but wonderfully sugar-filled night. :)

My little ham!

Quinn and his cousins

Quinn and Will, his trick-or-treat buddy. It was their third Halloween together already!