In Honor of Q...

In honor of Quinton and all the other Star War fans out there, I say HAPPY BIRTHDAY Star Wars!!


Yes, that's right, today is the Star Wars Saga's birthday. The original Star Wars movie premiered on May 25th, 1977. How do I know this you ask? Fun Facts have been brought to you because of Swagbucks :) Q thought it was pretty cool that Star Wars in general had a birthday. Even more interesting to him was that it is the same age as some very important people in his life!!! So again I say, Happy Birthday Star Wars :)

Hot Days of May

Oh the hot days of May are about to do me in!!! Okay not really but walking outside in the morning and immediately sweating is not my idea of a good time. But the kiddos and I have made the most of it so far. Monday, Sloan and I walked to pick Q up from school. Thank goodness I brought water for him too otherwise it would have been even more dreadful. We were all dripping with sweat by the time we made it home. Quiet time after lunch was welcomed by all three of us.

Afterward, I lathered up the kids with sunscreen and we headed out back so Q could do the slippin' slide and Sloan could play in the water table. She isn't too fond of the slippin' slide yet; it still scares her. The kids had a blast cooling off in the water. Of course eating Popsicles may have been their favorite part of the whole 'Outdoor Heat Fest Activities Monday!' <-- Now that's what I call a title! he he :) So today was just as hot as yesterday. Not sure it the thermometer read the same but it felt just as hot! The plan was for us to go to a park in the morning so that in the afternoon we could do the whole water stuff again when it was the hottest part of the day. Mom brought the Morton Arboretum pass in from her car and Q decided that is where he wanted to go. I have blogged about this place a couple different time in the past, but it is seriously an AWESOME place! For kids and adults alike. On the way there, Q says, "Nicki remember we said we would close our eyes and go strait to the end. Then we can work our way back and play. We are still going to do that right?" I told his as long as that was what he wanted to do, it sounded like a good plan to me. We started out doing our usual routine, we stop by the restrooms to get it all out of our systems; with a recently potty trained 2 year old it is a must! For the record, Sloan did awesome without having a Pullup on in public today. I think we will try undies for gymnastics tomorrow. She always tells me in time, but I am always nervous with all the equipment. But I have a feeling she will be just fine! :) Okay, on with the story...

Then we headed into the Children's Garden where a volunteer offered Q a map of this wonderful area with kid activities. He gladly accepted. Q looked like such an explorer with his red baseball cap on and map in hand leading the way. Every time we saw a sign stating what the new location was, I had Q match it to the sign on the map. He wants to learn to read so bad, so I figured this would be a good exercise for him. "Come on guys. This way. We have to go straight ahead and then we will get the stone with tadpoles" he said. "Am I seeing that right?" He would always double check with me to make sure he was telling us correctly... and he was right each time! The map has detailed enough pictures so Q could figure out where each place was. He was a superb leader :)

After Q led us through the garden maze near the entrance of the garden, we made it all the way to the end which is Look Out Deck. It looked kind of like a giant tree house. The kiddos ate their snacks under the shade of the trees and structure. From there we made our way to the tree house play area. There is a lot of climbing and rope bridges that Q loves. Last we stopped by the Tadpole pond where you can wade in 6-8 inches of water, or use the stepping stones, and examine the tadpoles that are swimming all around and their habitat. It has been a few weeks since the last time we went. The tadpoles have gotten pretty big. Not huge, but a lot bigger than the last time we were there. Q actually took his socks and shoes off and waded in the water. I was shocked! Last time we went he had not interest in it and looked disgusted that I had even suggested it. But today he did his own thing while I helped Sloan. Maybe with all the school age kids there for field trips made him feel like he could do it. You know he always wants to do what the older kids are doing :) So those were the stops we made today. Oh I for got to mention that we were yet again, dripping from sweat from head to toe, on another Hot A** day in May!

We did the slippin' slide again this after noon as well as the water table. Popsicles followed as usual along with hot exhausted children. The sun takes so much out of them... well okay, it takes a lot out of this fair skinned girl as well. Sloan has been sleeping like a log during her naps the past couple days. When we go to wake her she is still fast asleep no where near ready to wake up. Hate waking her, but mom and dad would like to go to sleep at a decent themselves at night, so it's a must. I think all babies and children are so cute when you first wake them. They are go out of it, looking all over the place trying to focus. So cute.

We only have six more days of May left. Enjoy your own Hot Days of May while they last!! :)

Speed Demon

I mentioned it in my last post about Quinton learning to ride his bike, but wanted to post a video of him also! I am so proud of him!!! He got the hang of it quickly. Q even got to ride his bike to Stacey Park today and practiced bicycle safety by walking his bike across the streets (even a super busy one). After lunch he made a few laps up and down the sidewalk and again this afternoon. Quinton is enjoying his new 'freedom" and I know we will all enjoy it with him in the future.



Q is quite proud of himself which I absolutely love! He gets a huge smile across his face as he tells others of his accomplishment or hears one of us adults telling someone. Q even told the guy at the shoe store today that was measuring his feet what he learn in just one weekend!

Quinton is already talking about learning to tie his shoe. So I guess we are ready to move on to #3 on the list of things he wants to learn this summer :)

Big Boy Bike

Well folks it happened this weekend... Logan learned to ride his bike without training wheels! He is the type of kid that would rather stay inside and play videos games all day (much like his uncle Matt) but this weekend he brought his Big Boy Brave Britches and was determined to ride his bike. He was so dedicated that he even practiced in the rain. Okay it was actually sprinkling out after a pretty good rain, but you get the picture. Although he is still wobbly, Logan can now get himself started without any help and go, go, go! We are all so proud of him!!! Matt and I got him a new bell for his bike as well as a license plate to put in front. We also have plans to go to Safety Town (a.k.a. The Bike Park) in Peoira, this summer!

Here he is...



It must have been a great weekend to learn to ride your bike because I got a phone call from Q letting me know he has been practicing and is getting the hang of it also! After letting me in on a secret earlier this week that he was embarrassed to still have training wheels and didn't want other kids seeing him use them, there was major motivation on his part to say "Adios" to the training wheels. His cousins' little bike they sent home with him last week was perfect. I can't wait to see Q ride his bike in a couple days. He is learning so much this summer. First the swing, now his bike, next will be tying his shoes and reading! I'm so proud of you Q!!! :)

A Cute & Creative Gift Idea

Twice in the past week I ended up using the same gift idea. One was for a friends birthday and the other was with the kids as a Mothers Day craft. For the birthday gift, I was only given "... Willow Tree, candles, and out door plants" as ideas to help me get my dear friend a gift. Our friend Dee is a wonderful woman. She is so kind and doesn't have a single ounce of bad in her body. I have known her for a couple years now. So with the hints her hubby gave me, Matt and I concluded in making a Cookie Bouquet, in a "Friend" flower pot with a gift card to Hallmark so she could pick out her own Willow Tree figure. We don't know what she has for sure, so this way she could get what she wants. In a creative way, Dee got flowers. Here is what it ended up looking like.

While trying to figure out what kind of craft the kiddos could do for their mom for Mother's Day, I figured we could do the same thing only the kids would paint their own pots for mom. I suggested it to Q and he told me "No wait I have an even BETTER idea. We can go get some pots to paint and then we can put pretend flowers in them. Not real ones, but pretend ones. Like cookies or something. Isn't that a great idea?!" Um... are you thinking what I was thinking? His great idea was what I had suggested from the get go?! Yep, you were thinking the same thing as me. But I enjoyed seeing him 'come up' with such a great idea. The enthusiasm in his voice was so cute and heartfelt. Pictured below are the gifts Sloan and Quinton made. Aren't they cute?! They worked very hard on these special gifts for mom. Enjoying frosting and sprinkles along the way! :)

Morton Arboretum

Today was absolutely beautiful so the kiddos and I headed to Morton Arboretum. Last time Sloan and I went we were there just briefly before heading to pick Q up from school. Today I got to see more of the place, but not even remotely close to the whole place. We headed straight for the Children's Garden that houses educational play equipment, water features, playgrounds, etc.

The kids had an absolute blast!!! They ran, climbed, and were all smiles. We all wished we could have stayed longer but we had an important errand to run, lunch and Sloan's nap to contend with. I promised Q we would be back. Any time he wants to go, we will be there!! Here are a few pics from today!

There is a cute little area that has these acorns with tunnels and cut outs like a rock wall. The song "I'm a Nut" immediately popped into my head. That was one of Sloan's favorites to listen to at Papa's house. Q and Sloan were 'nutty' over the acorns as well :)

Things Are Looking Up

Things are starting to look up for my Matty Matt!!! After feeling like he had hit rock bottom (although I know things could have been worse) due to his never ending lawsuit things are finally starting to come together. As you may remember, back in September, I was excited to share the news that he was starting work for the first time in nearly 4 1/2 years. He wasn't making a whole lot but he was back to work. That lifted his spirits considerably. Just being around people again was good for him.

About a month or so ago, a settlement offer was finally made. A whole year after his benefits had been cut off without warning where we struggled to make ends meet. The offer was more than what we anticipated their first offer to be (found out later it was technically their second offer), but a lot less than what his lawyer had proposed. After a week or so of negotiations they reached an agreeable amount. It has been two weeks since Matt signed the settlement contract. They have 30 days to give him the money otherwise they are in default and will be fined or something (I personally don't know the logistics of it all). So he should be getting it within the next couple weeks. He will be able to pay off all his bills and pretty much start over, which is exactly what he needs. This long horrible chapter in his life is nearly closed. Matt is ready to move on with is life!

Which brings me to some recent GREAT news!!! Matt got a major promotion at work and started training for his new position today! He's in a different building on the other side of town, but still works within the same company. Matt has salaried pay now versus an hourly wage. Plus, I don't think they have much if any overtime. From the sounds of it his boss is very laid back as is the work environment. Not to mention hour lunch breaks! I will be able to meet him for lunch the one day during the week I am home :) Yay!!

Things are starting to look up in our household. You know the phrase "Something's Gotta Give?" Well it finally has for Matt. I am so proud of him!