Night at the Theater

Last night Mia and I went to see the Pinkalicious musical at the Dallas Children's Theater.  That's one of Mia's favorite books about a little girl who has a love for pink on par with Mia's.  I think I enjoyed it as much as she did.  She could see well and was so excited at the prospect of seeing Pinkalicious.  She wore her pink dress, and I put her hair in pigtails so that she would look like Pinkalicious.  We bought the crown and wand when we got there to complete the ensemble.  She wore the crown and held onto the wand for about 3/4 of the entire musical.  She kept looking to me and making exclamations like, "Look Mommy!  There's her brother Peter!" and "Hey, there's the cupcakes!!"  She didn't like that there was an intermission.  She asked where everyone (the actors) went, and I told her that they were taking a short break but would be back soon.  She asked, "But why do they need to rest?  I want to see Pinkalicious!"  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the actress portraying Pinkalicious's mother was a girl that I went to high school with!  That was in another state!  I was glad to see a gal from my hometown doing well in the Dallas theater system.  I was able to talk to her briefly after the musical was over.  It's such a small world!

It's Great to be a Girl

When I found out that I was pregnant with a baby girl, I daydreamed of all of the fun mother/daughter activities she and I would one day do together.  I was thrilled on Thursday to be able to fulfill one of those daydreams.  I had been thinking that Mia and I needed some one on one time.  She's done well adjusting to having Quinn join our family.  She's helpful and loving to him.  However, time and time again I have to ask her to wait if she wants something until I'm finished feeding him, changing him, etc.  Sometimes I just can't accommodate her every whim like I used to.  That's something she has to accept because we have two kids now.  I don't want her to feel like she isn't still so special to me, though.  I decided to take her on a little outing Thursday afternoon while Daddy stayed home with Quinn.  Mia and I went to lunch at Hunky's because she said that she wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.  I had the amazing honey mustard grilled chicken sandwich as usual, and she and I shared a chocolate milkshake.  Yum!  Then, we walked down the street and both got pedicures.  It was Mia's first time in a nail salon.  I got the spa pedicure which was divine.  She just got her nails clipped and painted, but she had a ball!  Her favorite colors are pink and purple, so I thought she'd pick a polish in one of those shades.  She surprised me by choosing a dark blue color.  The lady who gave her the pedicure added a silver glitter polish to it.  That girl loves to be pampered and look pretty.  We'll definitely have to go get our nails done once in awhile.  This momma likes to be pampered too!  After that, we walked to a children's boutique where Mia got to pick out a teddy bear.  We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon together.

Lunch at Hunky's

Pampering ourselves!

 When Mia saw Quinn wearing this onesie, she said, "BatQuinn!  Quinn to the rescue!"

6 Weeks

I took Quinn's 6 week old pictures yesterday.  He has been changing a lot each week.  He is incredibly alert and watches us with fascination.  He can smile, but he makes you work for it.  I babble like a crazy person and make all kinds of faces to coax a smile out of him.  Then, without warning he'll break out into a huge grin when I go to feed him at 3:00am.  That makes the lack of sleep all worth it.  I love his gummy grin!  He's a good sleeper.  He usually goes 3-4 hours at night between feedings.  I don't know what we'd do without him!

Quinn at 6 weeks old

I tried to get some turtle pictures.  I think he's getting a little too big for it!

 

 

Wordless Wednesday: "Take My Picture, Momma!"

Donuts in the Park

We took the kids to Lake Cliff Park on Saturday morning to have a breakfast picnic.  We did that with Mia last summer, and it was nice to be at the park when there weren't many other people.  Mia remembered the squirrel that she threw pieces of her donut to last year.  Her memory is amazing.  She remembers things that I would think she had long forgotten.  We spread our blanket out by a fountain that was topped with what I believe is a pineapple.  Mia was certain that it was an ice cream cone.  I told her that we would have to agree to disagree on that one.  It was nice to sit there by the rose bushes and eat donuts on a beautiful morning.  We took the long way around to go back to our car so that we could walk through the park a little.  Mia loves to collect things as we go.  She picked a few flowers, an acorn, and a stick that she claimed was her magic wand.  Her imagination is so fun right now.  I love to listen to her talking to her baby dolls and stuffed animals.  She's the boss and makes sure that they know it.  Haha!

Today was a quiet day at home.  Quinn didn't nap for very long stretches during the day and wanted to eat every couple of hours.  My best guess is that he's going through a growth spurt.  During his few short naps, Mia and I played with Mr. Potato Head and PlayDoh.  She doesn't like to be cooped up in the house, but I still have to get the hang of taking both kids out by myself.  I would imagine that it's an acquired skill.

Quinn at 5 weeks old

 Breakfast picnic

 I think Quinn wanted a donut too.

 I still say that it's a pineapple.

 Quinn chilled out when we started walking.

 Sweet Amelia

PlayDoh fun

 

 

Pumpkin Patch and Children's Zoo

Saturday was the first really cold day we've had in Dallas so far this fall.  I had told Mia that we were going to the Kessler Pumpkin Patch that day.  She was excited at the prospect of the petting zoo and pony rides.  I almost backed out of going because when I checked the weather that morning, the high for the day was only 50 degrees!  However, there isn't much that is less appealing to me than having to disappoint my baby girl.  With that in mind, I bundled the two of them up, and we headed out to see some pumpkins.  I had Quinn strapped to me in the infant carrier.  I even had a thick fleece blanket wrapped around the carrier for extra insulation.  He slept the whole time and never made a sound.  Mia complained of the cold when we first arrived, but 15 minutes later, she was refusing to leave.  In the end, we stayed for awhile.  We kept moving around, so we weren't too cold.  Mia loving seeing the animals and riding the pony.  She won a tattoo (of a mummy that had to be immediately applied to her hand) as well as a few pieces of candy (that she ate before we even made it home).  It was fun, but we were glad to get home where it was warm.

On Sunday, I took the two of them to the Dallas Zoo for a special event.  I'm a member of the PTA for our school district.  The PTA had set up a time for members and their families to come enjoy the children's zoo portion of the Dallas zoo after hours.  I was a little disappointed that we weren't allowed to walk around the whole zoo to see the animals, but once again it was cold.  The animals weren't outside anyway.  We met up with some of our friends who are also PTA members, and the kids played and played and played.  It was a little weird for me to just sit with the stroller and watch everything.  Usually, I'm chasing after Mia, too.  Unfortunately, Wes wasn't there due to work, so I'm so thankful to have good friends who helped keep an eye on Mia for me.  She enjoyed it and didn't ever ask about seeing all of the other animals.

Sleepy Quinn

A few zoo pictures...

Carousel riding with the Roberts family!

 This little guy snoozed the whole time.

Sweet friends: Reese, Ryleigh, and Mia

Catching Up

I think that this post will finally catch me up with my blogging.  Quinn is becoming so alert.  He's finally starting to focus on us individually and look for each of us.  He is also trying so hard to hold up his head.  It makes him tired, but he wants to look around and see what's going on.  My friend, Julie, came by to take his newborn pictures last week.  She only got a few, though, because he didn't want to cooperate.  We're going to try again soon.  I took a couple of pictures of him in his Dallas Stars onesie just in case he outgrows it before then.

Quinn at 3 weeks old

Quinn at 4 weeks old

Pumpkin Village '12

Last week while my mom was in town we took the kids to the Arboretum to see the Pumpkin Village that they have every fall.  It's one of my favorite fall destinations.  They have thousands of pumpkins and gourds made into many different displays.  I love the houses covered in pumpkins.  They also have an amazing outdoor garden exhibit right now by Dale Chihuly.  It is a collection of huge glass sculptures that can hardly be described and must be seen.  They are very beautiful. 

I wanted to take lots of fall pictures of Mia and Quinn with the pumpkins.  Mia let me get several good pictures, but Quinn doesn't like to pose yet.  It's a good thing he's so photogenic!  We hope to go back at least one more time to see the pumpkins again.  I love that every time we go to the Arboretum we see something new!

I debated whether to post this next picture because of my sleep-deprived, makeup-less face.  I finally decided I'd rather be a part of the day than edit myself out because I didn't find a perfect picture of myself.