Miss Personality

Sloan has developed quite the personality! She sticks her hip out, pretends to chat on the phone (sounding a lot like mom), shakes her booty, TRIES to boss Q around, among other things. She can be quite the stubborn little girl as well... Wants to wear a million bows in her hair or 4 pairs of undies at once. But the stubbornness also comes into play when she wants her way. As if that's a shocker at this age. However, Sloan is learning it isn't always in her best interest to "test" the grown ups that love her so much... she's learning that consequences follow "icky" behavior. This little girl can't even listen to music without showing on her moves. It's like the music and beat takes over and she just stops what she's doing and the dancing begins!

On a daily basis Sloan's personality shines through bringing lots of smiles and laughs to those around her... just like her big brother! I can't wait to see how Sloan and her personality grow and develop in the future.

School = New Routine and LOTS of Adjusting

This is the first week of school for both Quinton AND Sloan. It is always nice to get back into the school routine, however, this year is a bit different. Q has preschool in the afternoon instead of the morning... which means no hustling around in the morning to get breakfast eaten, dressed and out the door. However, it does result in an awful tired boy at the end of the day since he doesn't have quiet time anymore. Not to mention Sloan getting jipped a bit on her nap in the afternoon. Sloan is now going one day a week for about 4 hours. Her biggest hurdle right now is having mommy or myself leave her there. The whole discomfort of the unfamiliar will eventually subside. Q went through the same thing at her age. Once she gets use to the teachers and the other children, she will be fine. She's needs the socialization with other children her age as well as the time to get use to having those constant familiar people in her life not around all the time. Gotta love learning independence :) Sloan even takes a sack lunch to school each week which is kind of fun!

Due to both kiddos being in school and the times of day they are, we have had to switch our story time at the library day. It looks as though Ms Judy won't be the one reading on our new day, which is a major bummer. The kids absolutely love it when she reads and the fun songs they get to sing and dance to with her. To be honest I'm a little bummed about it myself. I enjoy story hour with the kids just as much as they do. But change can be good and we will adjust to the new storyteller in time. We are all adjusting to this new schedule. It will take some time but I think it is going to work out well.

Catching Up

I have a lot of catching up to do over the past two months! I was behind before my "Big Boom" but things are all finally starting to fall into place and settle down to a degree. With that said here are some pictures I'd like to share. They are a quick overview of the summer and activities and an easy way for me to get caught up and hopefully back into the swing of things!







So this is the last couple months summed up in a quick few pictures! Enjoy! :)

Dance

Today was Sloan's first day of dance. Man did she look cute! As you can see for yourself I am not biased!!! :)


At this age parents are allowed to be in the room for the first few weeks until the children know the instructor better and are familiar with the class routine. Sloan watched and observed for most of the class. She would join in at the tail end of each activity. About half the class did the same where as those who had taken it before followed Ms Sherry's every move. It will take Sloan a few times, but she was enjoying herself. She only came over to me once after she jumped over the block when it was her turn. I gave her the reassurance she needed, and she joined back in without any tears. I have a feeling she is going to enjoy this more than she did her gymnastics class. Only time will tell :)

I forgot to bring my camera this week, which is a major bummer. Don't know what I am going to do! :( Fortunately mom got a few pics of Sloan before we headed out the door... as you saw above. Can't wait to take pictures during class and maybe even some video next week!

Until then you might just want to DANCE yourself!

Last Week Run Down

Here is a run down of last week with the kiddos...

Q started t-ball on Monday! He absolutely loves it. A buddy from soccer camp ended up being in t-ball with him. Q loves his coaches and comes home talking up a storm from all his excitement.

Sloan had her last gymnastics day of the session. Although we are still adjusting to the difference from Ms Angie's, Sloan did enjoy herself. We met a few little girls that had the same love for shoes and bow as Sloan. Although she isn't going to be in gymnastics this next session, in the future she would enjoy seeing Coach Donna and Coach Beth again. Starting this week, Sloan will be in Dance! Can't wait to see what it is all about :)

Between scheduled events and play dates throughout the week, the kids and I were able to squeeze in a trip to the library, sign up for the summer reading program (hope mom and dad remembered to log their times over the weekend), go to some parks, have a picnic, and go to Splash Park! Just so you all know, Quinton and I read 2 1/2 Magic Tree House books last week. They easily suck you right in and it is hard to stop. Since we have been logging reading hours for the library reading program, Quinton is more reluctant to put a book mark into his book. Q also practiced reading some of his beginner books. He is getting there. I think I will be buying index cards tonight to take with me... you can never go wrong with homemade flash cards!

Splash Park is an great place for both kids. Q is old enough that he runs around and doesn't mind if he is soaking wet. It took him some time to really start enjoying himself, but he found a friend from t-ball (Jack) and met a new one (Shawn) as well. After that he was all over the place, using the water cannons, running under the water tunnel, and playing on the train. The ground is made so it isn't slippery when wet, which helped calm my nerves greatly. Q had a ball and was not thrilled when we had to leave. But he understood why and didn't argue at all... he knew Burger King was in his future for good behavior ;)

Sloan was a bit more apprehensive at Splash Park. It took nearly half an hour, but I finally got her to enjoy a small fountain. First she would only stick her toes in, then her hole leg got wet. Eventually she walked through it a couple times allowing her tummy to get wet. I think the next time we go, she will be more willing to get wet sooner :)

Overall Splash Park is a great place to take the kids. It is easy to keep an eye on both of them without being afraid something might happen to one... especially being the only adult there to keep an eye on them. I am much more comfortable taking them to a place like Splash Park than a pool. There is a great picnic shelter and playground next to Splash Park which allows kids to take a break from water or eat.

All in all we had a great week and I am sure this week will be just as fun as the last!

Cousins

Family Fun!

The week after Memorial weekend the kiddos were in Morton staying at Papa's before heading down to see CC and DD in St. Louis later in the week. Which meant we were able to spend a couple days playing and hanging out with their cousins. We went swimming one day and then made a trip into Peoria to visit Ms. Angie the next!

Swimming Fun!

Ms. Angie Fun!

It amazes me how much more Sloan talks around her cousins. All four kids had a blast and I know they can't wait to see each other again when M&M head up to Chicago land in a couple weeks!!! Then they'll have some Red White & Blue Fun! :)

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!! :)

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 :)

Potty Party

We have had a number of "Potty Parties" in the S house the past couple days. Sloan is being potty trained and doing AWESOME!!! Don't get me wrong she has sat on the potty a few times over the past three or four months, but never showed an interest. After talking, Janelle and I decided this would be the week for no diapers around the house. I think I feared the worst, because Q was so easy and going potty on a regular basis around 18 months. Not to mention, up to this point Sloan definitely wanted nothing to do with it.

Man has she proved me wrong! Yesterday was the first day. She went potty with me as soon as I got here (my bladder is always ready to burst after the drive up). The diaper came off and didn't go back on until nap/bedtime. She had only one accident but otherwise went on the potty when she needed to go. Yes people, she knew when she had to go and would run in without any reminders. Only exception to that was before and after nap, as well as before we left the house for whatever reason... getting the routine started now, just like with Quinton for those particular times of day. Today Sloan did even better!!! Yes, there were still a couple accidents, one with the #2, but she realized she was going and rushed to the pot to finish. Today I only asked her once to go try.

The best part about Sloan going potty is how excited she gets. You can see in her eyes how proud she is of herself. Just sitting there concentrating and serious. Then once she feels herself going Sloan's face lights up. A big cheesy grin spreads across her face followed by "Yaaaaaay!" Sloan loves to wipe herself. She'll tell us "My do" every time she wants to do something for herself. Afterward a special treat (not every time) as a reward. I know I tell her multiple times throughout the day, as do mom and dad, how proud we are of her, but seeing her react to her own accomplishments makes this milestone that much better!

Quinton is also very proud of his sister. I think at first he was just excited to get a special treat too, for her accomplishment, but now he enjoys the celebration itself. He has been very supportive and helpful these past couple days. Holding a door, running upstairs to grab a new pair of pants, even helping Sloan wash her hands (explaining step by step how and why we wash the way we do) after the deed is done! Check out proud Big Bother below with his super cool summer haircut :)

I am so proud of both kids and their accomplishments. Once Quinton gets another one or two checked off his summer list (yes, he has a list of some major things he wants to learn this summer), there will be a post, probably a long one, to share with you all.

Cosley Zoo

Today the kiddos and I headed over to Cosley Zoo. It is a lot like Wild Life Prairie Park, similar animals. Only this place is a lot smaller. No trails, train or playground equipment. It is free to get in and the kids enjoyed the educational caboose as well as seeing all the animals. Especially the new baby lambs and goats, which were two weeks old and younger.

One of the first exhibits we looked at was the Red Tailed Hawk. We got to watch one take a bath in the little pond. It was font and center only a few feet away, which made it more exciting for the kids. Later in the day Sloan was trying to tell her mom about it. We had previously been talking about the lambs.

"Bath. Takin' bath" Sloan says.
"The lambs were sun bathing" She nods.
"Bath. Ducks swimmin' bath"
"The ducks were swimming?" She nods then quickly shakes her head no.
"Ducks. Bath. Funny" as Sloan bounces her arms around and makes a face. That's when it clicked for me.
"The hawk was taking a bath wasn't he. Then he fluffed is feathers to dry off" Sloan laughs. "Yeah. Fluff" She imitates what she saw and giggles.

The things kids think of. Who knew talking about the lambs would make her think of the hawk. Obviously that "funny bird" made quite the impression on her today!

Beautiful Day

It was such a beautiful day, the kids and I couldn't pass up going to the Wooden Playground at Glen Oak Park (remember this blog). It's Wednesday, so Q had school until 2:30 today. We were heading down Knoxville toward the interstate when I asked Q what he thought about playing at the park. "That would be great!" he exclaimed. Thank goodness I had brought snacks for in the car. Both kids had a blast.

Q played Star Wars with a few older boys (7-9 year olds) running, climbing and jumping from here to there. Quinton was leading the older boys telling them what to do and how to do certain thing... no surprise there. He helped them pick Star Wars character names explaining each so the boys knew how to act. I couldn't help laughing to myself when I heard him tell the older boys "I can't do that guys, I'm only 4 1/2 you know." One of them offered to help him down and Q replied "No thanks. That's too dangerous." So he found an alternate route to get down off the play structure and met up with the others on the ground. I kept my distance and let Q do his own thing at the park. He was always within eye and ear shot, but he is definitely old enough to do his own thing and make his own responsible decisions. Obviously he knows his comfort zone and had no problem expressing his uncertainty. Q is quite comfortable being his own person which I love, as do his parents.

Sloan was all smiles once I parked the car and she saw the playground. She climbed up and down most of the structure and went down every slide a million times. While she was swinging, Sloan tried to talk with a little girl about her age, but the other little girl just looked at her confused. I enjoy watching little ones who are finding their voice and new words converse and interact with one another. Sloan also did the balance beam that was a good 3 feet off the ground, by side stepping and hanging on to my arms. She did great! Ms. Angie has had such a huge impact of both kids' motor skills. Q was even doing the other balance beam and them shimmied across the hanging bar wit his hands! Although I am sure he sees that as more of a 'Jedi move.'

It was such a great day. I hope we are able to go back to this park again before the big move in a couple weeks :)

Why?!

Sloan has finally learned and started asking repeatedly the oh so dreadful question "Why?" Now I am not saying I don't like children asking why, because I do. It is important to explain things to them so they understand things properly. I believe that is why Quinton is so smart. Between mom, dad and I, we have always answered his inquisitive questions over the years. Not only does he understand more than your average 4 year old, his vocabulary is quite high as well.

The part I don't like about "Why?" is that it is asked again and again and AGAIN!!! There are some days when you just can't give the correct explanation that will satisfy a little one. Normally, when Sloan asks "why" it is because she is not allowed to have snack yet, or take big brother Q to school. It always comes out when she isn't getting her way. And she WILL ask it again and again until her little stubborn rear gets what she wants... good thing I am just as stubborn!! :) I know this will change as she gets older and her vocabulary grows. Her simple "Why?" will turn into ones that need greater explanations. And when that time comes I hope she absorbs all the information she gets, just like her brother has and still does.

I will have to admit when Sloan asks "Why?" she gets this soft, slightly high pitched drawn out voice. "WhyyYYyyyyy?" I must say it is pretty darn cute! I so wish I could record it to post on here. Perhaps one of these days :)

Time Fillers

With the S family living in Morton for the time being and driving Q into Peoria for school, there are days when Sloan and I need to find things to do until it is time to pick Q up from school. Those days are when mom or Papa can't drop off or pick Q up so I have to do both. We go to the library, gymnastics, Motor Mites (open gym), Barns and Noble, Toys R Us, and other time fillers that will allow Sloan to run around and stretch her legs.

Sloan absolutely loves books. You rarely see her without at least one book in her hand. She carries them around all day, reading them to herself and her baby dolls. Sloan get quite upset if anyone, and I do me ANYONE, touches them. She refuses to let you read her the books unless it is nap/bedtime. Just one of her quirks! Below are some pictures of Sloan at the Peoria Heights Library. They have nice mats, table top activities,giant animal pillows, etc for the children to play and read on. She loves it here!

Open Gyms are perfect for Sloan. Whether it is at the Morton Soccer Forum or "Motor Mites" at the Franciscan Center in Peoria; Sloan loves to run and play with other kids. Just today we went to Motor Mites. She just roamed around for nearly 20 minutes, completely overwhelmed, until she finally started to join in the multitude of activities. She made a few friends with girls that were 3 and 4 years old. She even got brave enough to try and scare a little boy just a few month younger than her. Sloan walked right up to him, got in his face and yelled "BOO!" I explained that we need to say hi to new friends, not scare them. Sloan proceed to tell him sorry and then hugged him. Of course the hug is what scared him and he began to cry. That upset Sloan and then she started to cry and wanted a hug from me. The emotions of little ones and how they feed off of each other is so cute. Enjoy the pics!

I Got a Feeling...

A little music, a little singing, a little dancing and a whole LOT of fun was happening this afternoon at Papa's. Q wanted to listen to Black Eyed Peas "I Got a Feeling" but I couldn't find it on the computer's iTunes. Of course I went to my old stand by Google, and found the video on YouTube. At first the video was loading faster than it played so there were no pauses, but half way through the "buffering" started to occur. For those of you who aren't sure what buffering is, it is when the video or song is in the process of loading so it pauses the audio/image.

Although the pausing every 5-10 seconds was annoying, for both Q and I, we turned it into a game that got Sloan laughing hysterically. Since we were dancing like crazy anyway, each time the music paused, Q and I would freeze. It was the simplest and most logical thing to do. Q and I had fun being silly and stopping in weird poses while Sloan laughed so hard I don't think she could breath! She eventually caught on to what we were doing and started to freeze too! Which made her laugh even harder if that was even possible?! The song which is about five minutes long ended up taking close to 15 min. Of course we had to listen to it a second time. Since the loading was complete no pauses. Yay!!

Here is the video below. Hopefully it is a different one than the one we had playing so you don't have to deal with the buffering. FYI... I always minimize the screen when videos are playing since I never know what sort of content will be shown. The kids like certain songs and that is okay, but that doesn't mean the videos are always appropriate. Like I said we were dancing to the music not watching this video. And now that I think about it I don't think I have ever seen this particular video. Hmmm... Enjoy!!

Polka Dots and Pig Tails

Such a cutie saying "Cheese!"

Movie Night

Tonight I went into Peoria and watched the kiddos for a few hours while mom and dad went on a much needed night out. It is so great to be greeted at the door by Q's smiling face and hear Sloan repeatedly yelling "Hi Nit-tee" waving from her booster seat. Both kids were already decked out in their comfy pajamas and were eating ice cream when I arrived. We had a movie night which is usual if I watch them in the evening on weekends. Q requested Little Mermaid 2. You may think this is an odd request for a boy, but the "mean witches" as he calls them are his favorite. Obviously Ursala made quite the impression on him in the first Little Mermaid for him to want to watch Morgana in the second. Sloan even sat up on the couch quietly for a good 10 minutes before she started bothering big brother :) Sloan and I spent most of our time in the playroom cooking, talking to each other on the phones, and playing musical instruments; while Quinton watched the movie in the family room. He had a million questions about what was going to happen next in the movie and why this person lied or that person stole. I love how inquisitive he is about most things; always wanting to understand everything in full. I think this is why his vocabulary and cognitive development is and always has been so good. His questions have always been addressed no matter what they are.

Speaking of development, I need to go back earlier in the evening before mom and dad left. Sloan was inquiring about gymnastics. Not sure what made her think of it, maybe they had been talking about it earlier in the day or maybe she knew something was up since we missed gymnastics Friday due to Q being home sick from school. Regardless, she was nodding her head and asked "Angie?" Of course making sure I understood her correctly I said "Ms. Angie?" and Sloan nodded her head "Yeah." Then she went on to say "Ropes" although it doesn't sound exactly like that, I knew what she was saying (I've heard it enough). Apparently that's what the little one was thinking about. I asked her if she liked swinging on the rope at Ms Angie and she nodded "Yeah". That is all that was said about it the rest of the night but it was fun having this little conversation with her that I actually knew exactly what she was saying without making her repeat herself a few times. Sloan is growing up so fast I can't believe it! Both kids are :)

So needless to say we had a good night. Watched a movie, read a couple books to each child, and to bed they went without any trouble. I hope their bedtime routine will be this easy once they move to Morton. It will probably take a couple weeks, but you never know, they just might surprise us all :)

Special Gift for a Special Someone!

With mom and dad being out of town most of the week for work, we had to keep ourselves busy. Q had Pajama Day on Tuesday and Stuffed Animal Day on Wednesday which helped make the days more exciting and go by quickly. Besides trying to have movie nights (stubborn, argumentative and tired boy didn't get a full movie in until Thurs afternoon) we also worked on a special project for the kids' gymnastics teacher, Ms. Angie! We have known her for three years now. Both kids absolutely adore her. She has such a natural nurturing way with all the children, interacts so well with them, and truly loves each individual child. It is no wonder why she's such a big hit! We have been trying to get Q in to do a class with Ms. Angie since he started school in September. Finally, there was a day that worked. Conferences were today at his school so he had the day off. Fridays just so happen to be Sloan's day for gymnastics. Yes, Q was with 18 month olds, but he did well. Had to sit down once because he was completely out of control and careless with a new little guy that was there, but after a few minutes to think about it Q was more aware of his actions and the little ones around him. He had so much fun. He showed Ms. Angie all the skills she had taught him over the years and was disappointed when class was over. Ms. Angie was so happy to see him again. She has watched him grow up just like I have over that past few years. I know she will miss both kids greatly as they will her.

Back on the special gift... When asked what he wanted to make, Q said "Something with my picture on it so Ms. Angie will always remember me. Then we can put a magnet on i!t" He is really into the magnet things because we have done a number of crafts with magnet on them over the years. I talked him into a hanging gift that could go over a door knob or hang on the wall. Q thought about it briefly then decided "It will work much better for Ms. Angie if it hangs, huh? Yeah it HAS to hang, Nicki. It really does." So with that bit of direction Sloan and I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up crafting supplies, ribbon and paint. Here was the end result.

Ms. Angie absolutely LOVED the gift the kids made for her.

Day at the Park

It was an unusually warm November day... I think it was in the mid 50s, but felt warmer with the sun shining. After hanging out around the house in the morning playing Star Wars with Q while Sloan took an early nap due to waking up at 6:00, we headed out after lunch to Hobby Lobby to buy some craft supplies (blog to come tomorrow). Then went to Glen Oak Park and played on the wooden play equipment. This was a huge treat for Quinton, who always wanted to play at the wooden playground during the summer, but since Sloan was so young and that particular set is swarming with older kids, I didn't want to risk her getting hurt. Or Q for that matter. So during the summer we always played on the equipment across from the pavilion that was appropriate for younger children.

When I say the wooden playground was "swarming with kids", I can say in the past I have witnessed nearly 70+ kids playing on the equipment at once during the summer. Not to mention all the caregivers scattered about taking up even more space. But since most kids are in school until 3/3:30, it worked out great for Q and Sloan to experience it. I wish every community had a playground like this for children to play on. It is quite the set up. There is an area for all ages, one year all the way up to teens. There are tons of stairs, hidden ladders, balance beams, monkey bars, swings, sand pit, slides, wooden cars with steering wheel, etc. It is the perfect set up for playing Hide 'n Seek or Tag!

Here are a few pictures of this kids playing today. We had a great day. It gave them both the chance to run off some energy, although not enough. The last 45 minutes I was at their house tonight, they were running none stop chasing each other, giving me high fives, giggling, and being utterly out of control. Hopefully they crashed hard for mom and dad tonight. I think everyone could use a good night's rest tonight!

Learning, Growing, Developing and Enjoying

I considered myself extremely blessed to have the opportunity to be part of the Quinton and Sloan's lives. Not to mention the rest of the family! I guess this post is going to be some of my favorite recent developmental achievements and characteristics of Sloan's.

She has quite the personality. First and foremost her sense of humor is just like her big brother's. She finds humor in almost anything, whether it is something she does or something she sees. She is such a happy baby. . . unless the girl is hungry, if that is the case give her food and give it to her quickly or else you will hear it!! No joke. But she is almost always smiling, laughing and having fun. Now back to those vocals. She is starting to pick up on more words and tries to repeat them when you ask her to. Her newest words are brother and up (which sometimes sounds like bup or pup). She communicates quite well when she wants something. Yes, a lot of it is signing or pointing followed by uh-uh, but the communication is there. Besides, if you ask her to repeat you she always give it her best effort to say the word whether it comes out close or not. lol :)

Did I mention she was a HAPPY baby?!

Sloan enjoys playing "I'm Gonna Get You" with Quinton and myself during the day. Q and I love playing it just as much. She has already learned to reverse directions if she sees/hears us coming from the other direction. When caught, Sloan always enjoys the tickles that follow. She has also began trying to climb everything. She gets jealous when Q is on the couch and she is not. Yesterday, while is was just her and I, I showed her how to climb up on my leg as I sat next to the couch and then on up the couch. You could see the excitement in her eyes when she achieved this much desired goal. This became a game as she would slide off the couch almost as soon as she got up, just to do it all over again. Other things Sloan loves to do it put hat, head bands, glasses, masks, etc. on her head. She absolutely loves it. I foresee many dress up moments and a lot of jewelry is her future! Pictured is a series from when she got a hold of Q's construction goggles. She was having a blast . . . can ya tell?!

Since the Tooth #7 blog, she is now up to eleven teeth! I'm glad to see some molars, because now she can actually chew her food. Sloan enjoys trying to feed herself with a spoon as well these days. Although she gets frustrated when she is unable to scoop her food up into the spoon, her coordination while bringing the spoon to her mouth is quite good. A little more practice and she'll have it in no time. Besides all the things mentioned above, the one thing that stands out the most to me is her cognitive development. She understands what we say to her the majority of the time. She'll answer yes or no questions and when asked which book at nap time she wants to read first she'll choose (no it in not always the same hand). Just today while giving Sloan a bath she stood up. I asked her "Sit down please. We don't want to get hurt." She immediately sat down, without any help I might add, and did not try to stand again until all the water had drained out of the tub. For a little one who is constantly trying to stand in the tub, it was a big deal (at least in my mind).

Last but not least, it is breath taking to see how Sloan and Quinton interact. Quinton loves teaching Sloan how to say new words and how to play a game he has made up. He helped her learn to sit down to get into the great room instead of walking off the ledge. The kids have so much love for one another you can see it in their eyes. Sometimes Q will be the one who initiates a hug or kiss (a.k.a lovin's) and other times it is Sloan. It is cute regardless of who initiates the lovin's, but when Sloan does she gets this look in her eye and she just leans in arms spread wide and she lips puckered. It's so sweet! Sloan is the luckiest girl ever to have such a great big brother!!


It is wonderful being part of this important time in the kids' lives. I enjoy watching both kids concentrate on a task, using their problem solving skills at such young ages, or even exploring the world around them. How fascinating?! :)

Surprise!!!

Friday I was lucky enough to surprise Quinton, by bringing Jayden to work with me. And boy was he surprised. A little shy at first, or maybe it was more embarrassment because he needed to get some undies on (he jetted upstairs and got dressed quicker than I have ever seen). Regardless, once he was dressed he was ready to play. They played tag, Boom Blox on the Wii, ran around & played at Detweiller Park, raced on Q's Smart Cycle, and Jayden read him a couple books before nap. They hadn't seen each other since last fall, but they picked up right where they left off. Q thought everything Jayd said was hilarious, and she enjoyed the fact that Q could now play and do things physically similar to herself than a year ago. They showed each other their gymnastic moves, only to find out they did quite a few of the same ones.

First time Jayden and Q met; summer 2007

Let's not forget Sloan in all of this. She was curious at first who this new person was, but by the time we left for the park, she couldn't take her eyes off of Jayd. Every time Jayden would look at her, Sloan would laugh. She was always touching Jayden's arm or leg, trying to figure out everything about her. Jayden enjoyed helping to keep an eye on little Miss Sloan. I believe she would have held her all day, if I had allowed it. All three kids played on the playground equipment together. Jayden would catch Sloan at the bottom of the small slide as I helped her up top.

All in all we had a great day. Q informed Jayd that she could ". . . come play anytime. I would love it!" It is good to know that I'm not the only one who wishes Jayden lived closer. And yes, I forgot my camera on Friday!! :(