Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Since Grandma N is here tonight, we celebrated Mike's birthday one day early so Gma could join in. Bugs decided to sing "happy birthday" to Daddy ... and had her mind blown when Grandma said that it will be her birthday in a couple weeks too. All the more reasons to eat cake!

So this video is for Daddy, and Brenda (happy birthday, B!), and Grandma J, and Grandma N ... who all have birthdays in the next couple weeks! Play your cards right over Christmas and the Bug might encore just for you.

Q - 4 Months

Napping on the princess
couch

Here we are again - another month has gone by! Quinn is now 4 months old (yesterday) and we can't imagine this family without her! Quinn has the ability to make anyone smile ... it's impossible not to respond to her infectious grin with one of your own. In the last month, we've experienced quite a bit of development ...

• Stepped up the chatter even more. We have such lovely conversations! Fiona's conversations at this age were full of drama (and often ended so sadly), but Quinn's are hilarious!
• Smiling and giggling. All the time! Such a happy, happy girl
• Falling into a more predictable schedule for eating, napping, and playing. Lots more awake time, which we love. She is also starting to self-soothe and put herself to sleep. Hooray! (and occasionally will take a crib nap at home)
• About done napping during meals. She wants to be at the table with the rest of the gang. We think she is ready to start some solid food in a few weeks!
• Met Santa for the first time. Loves the jolly guy!
• Getting more interested in playing with toys ... and her feet and hands. Able to entertain herself more independently ... but still loves one-on-one attention.
• Loves to play with her pacifier and moves it from her hands to mouth often.
• Has started trying to mimic sounds. She is surprisingly good at it. Mike swears that a couple times when she has been mad at him, that she has sobbed "mama." 
• Had her first sick day from day care. Yucky colds for both girls!
• Tried out the jumperoo for the first time. She can't quite get it to bounce yet, but she loves the "upright" experience.
• Continues to work on her core strength and practices sitting often.

Fiona and Quinn continue to adore each other and the big sister is loving that Q is becoming more able to play. We love to watch them interact - even when Quinn grabs Fiona's hair (crying) or Fiona is too rough with her love (crying).

Babies by comparison (wow, those are some cute little girls!)

Quinn - 4 months

Fiona - 4 months

Santa!

New family game plan for our annual Santa date: pick the girls up a bit early from day care, drive to EP, meet Mom at the mall, and wait approximately 7 minutes to sit on the lap of the big guy! SCORE! Fiona was super excited to see Santa, but got a little nervous when it was our turn. She checked him up and down, agreed to sit on his lap with Quinn, but decided not to smile for the picture. She was very serious about the entire process and we could tell she was taking it all in. She rode home with me and told me that she "had fun, but I didn't smile. because I was done." So there you have it.

She asked Santa very nicely for a dollhouse and told him "thank you" and "Merry Christmas" when we were done. Quinn thought Santa had a very comfy lap and gave him lots of smiles and a bit of chatter. I think she asked Santa for a play farm!

To make the night even more special, we stopped at Perkins for pancake brinner [breakfast for dinner]. Quinn woke up before the food came and had a fantastic time playing with her feet, chattering, and smiling at anyone who would look at her. Fiona was happy, ate well, and shared a special french fry with me that she had dipped in ketchup, syrup, and chocolate chips. Yum ...

All in all, a very successful Santa date experience!

Fun at the Museum

We wanted to go to the Holidazzle Parade on Thanksgiving weekend. But the weather was quite chilly - especially for the little one! So we took Gma and Gpa to the Children's Museum instead. I'm not sure if Fiona or Grandpa had more fun.

And luckily Grandpa brought his camera and took a few fun pictures of our adventures!

Daddy putting on a puppet show at the Castle exhibit

Q and me - hanging in the "pond"

Fiona and Grandpa in the crazy mirror

Family Tales

A few conversations in the spirit of "families say the darndest things ..."

(while rocking before bed one night)
S: Bug, what should we sing next?
F: The church song.
S: A church song?
F: Yes! THE church song.
... so I start singing Jesus Loves Me  
F: No! That's the Jesus song! (duh, mommy)... after a few false starts, I figure out that the church song is Amazing Grace.
F: Mama, can you sing Amazing Fiona?
S: Bug, I think the song is about someone named Grace.
F: No, it's Amazing Fiona.
... for lack of ability to explain "grace" to a 2-year-old, we sang Amazing Fiona.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(while getting ready one morning after watching The Avengers)
M: I had a dream last night where you were the Black Widow (Scarlett Johanssen's character. She's redheaded, sexy, AND kicks butts and takes names)
S: Thanks, babe. Who were you? (I was thinking Captain America. Mike and the Cap have the same boyish charm and good looks)
M: An innocent bystander.
S: Really?!?! So that's what you think of our marriage ...?
M: (smirking) Apparently!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

(eating dinner one night)
F: Can I have a candle?
M: Why do you need a candle?
F: So I can blow it out.
M: You want to blow it out.
F: Yeah. I do. And make a wish.
M: Oh, you want to make a wish with your candle. What will you wish for?
F: My cake!
She may have the Vanneste last name, but Johnson genes are strong in this one! ;-)