I'm a Big Boy!

Quinn and I are sitting on the couch eating rice crispies and bananas (him) and drinking coffe (me) and watching the wonderful Baby Genuis videos Wendy sent us.  I turned on my computer to check on a nearby petting zoo we could visit, when the above picture came up as my screensaver.  Quinn was very excited about the picture and I started naming everyone in it for him.  When I got to Omi and Grance as my stepmom and stepdad, Quinn just stops and thinks (you can see the wheels turning) and proclaims: "I'm a step guy!!"  Then he just laughed and laughed and thought it was hysterical.  My little boy is so clever and DEFINITELY has a sense of humor!!  Gammy was just here for 3 days visiting and he loved every second with her.  He said "I love Gammy" on the way home from the airport as well as "Gammy's at my house," and "Gammy's at the park" and kept repeating it, in a small way to keep the hope alive that she hadn't gone.  BTW--Quinn pronounces her name "Gummy."  He also said out of the blue on the way to the airport: "I like Grance."  Random, but so cute!  He is getting to be quite a big boy these days, and says that a lot too: "I'm a big boy!"  He loves the park and his favorite person is Collin Dake to whom he refers to as Conkin Dake.  I have a cute pic I'll post of his recent excursion to Conkin Park (the park where we meet him) where he really does look like a big boy. 

Last Day Being 1

Today is bittersweet for me.  It is the last day Quinn will be only 1.  Tomorrow is his big 2nd birthday, and he doesn't quite understand it yet.  I'm having a hard time processing it myself.  Once again, I find myself in a position where I have to play catch up, and I am so disappointed in how I have so terribly handled updating this blog.  I have so much I want to document about my precious little boy.  I want him to see all the little things he did and said that put a giggle in our bellies--like how he says "wickin" for blanket or "tutu" for little.  Just this morning he answered one of my questions with the appropriate "I don't know" rather than "oh no" like he usually says.  He is speaking in full, complete, understandable sentences now and even describing things like "big wall, Humpee dumpee fall down".  Ahhh... could that get any cuter?  He is even pretty good at talking on the phone.  I've also noticed recently that he is becoming aware of himself and his self image, frequently smiling coyly when he knows he's being cute.  It's like he's pleased with himself for being charming.  I could go on and on, but naturally, as I am at work right now and flooded with new cases (having just gone BACK to county court for a while to help out--ugh!) and quite frankly, just scattered thinking about all the stuff I still have to write from recent events: like our wedding!!  Quinn was the most adorable ring bearer ever.  Tomorrow we will wake him up with a lighted cupcake and sing to him and hope he doesn't cry when we do that like last year.  :)  Then we'll bring some cupcakes into his class with him and have his real party on Saturday.  Since he is so into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse right now--that is the theme of his party.  He is going to love it and will have his best buddies Cole Christiensen and Colin Dake there.  I will have to post some pix of them together too--he really loves his friends.  Which reminds me before I forget:  he is such a polite kid too, frequently saying please and "tanks" without prompting.  It warms my heart.  xo  I love you, my sweet little bunny bear.  I am so proud of the kind, funny, smart little boy you are becoming and I promise to make your 2nd year updates much, much better! 

CAPE COD 2012

As I mentioned in the previous post, we all went to Massachusetts for Quinn's first 4th of July Cape Cod experience.  He loved it.  He was a bit fussy due to the time changes, but otherwise, he just went with the flow.  We spent the first night with Gramps at the house in Needham where Rich grew up.  It was really neat for me to see too, as I had heard many stories involving that house through the years.  It would be the first and last time for us, as Nana and Gramps have decided to sell it.  We were fortunate to get video of Quinn's first little steps into it.  I also got a few shots of Quinn and Daddy sitting on the front steps playing with some little toys that Rich used to play with as a child.  Rich said it was surreal.  Then we headed for their cute little cottage in Dennis--and we were able to get video of Quinn's first steps into that house too.  Gramps very sweetly got down to Quinn's level by playing with him on the ground.  Quinn repaid that kindness by calling Gramps "Russ" the entire time.  That was really funny.  Some of the other shots are Quinn enjoying Nana's famous thin apple pancakes.  Man, did he ever love those!  We also have a shot with him on the deck entertaining a group of Rick and Eileen's friends that had come over for the day.   Very nice people!  The shot of Quinn in the helmet is when we took him on a bike for the first time down the Cape Cod Rail Trail.  He liked that a lot, too--but the day was hot so pretty soon into it he was saying "all done now".  Quinn likes to add "now" to everything: "more milk now," sit down now", etc.  Very cute how demanding he's become!  The last few shots are just cute ones with Dad and cute ones on the airplane with me.  I should note that Quinn is also an excellent traveler!  (What doesn't he do well?)  He doesn't cry during ascents or descents and pretty much just eats, reads, naps or looks out the window.  He's a regular person! 

Ocean Baby

More evidence that Quinn loves the water and is afraid of nothing!  We went to Dennis on the Cape this year for the 4th of July--Quinn's first time there!  We stayed with Nana and Gramps and Quinn went into the ocean for the first time.  He LOVED it.  He splashed around, touched crabs, and even held hermit crabs in his little hand.  He is so independent already too.  He wanted to walk in the water by himself and though he fell down a few times and got the ocean water in his mouth, he just stood back up, wiped his mouth, and laughed.  He kept saying "eagles!" for the seagulls and could easily say "ocean" and "beach".  When we got back to Denver he said "Ocean wa-wa...oh no...where go"?  He was absolutely adorable exploring the shore.

Water Baby

Quinn Collins Casey is a water baby.  No doubt about it--he loves the water.  Some of these pictures are from a few months ago when we signed him up for swim classes at the Y.   They aren't "lessons" so much as parent/baby water time, but there is an instructor who has you pass the baby back and forth to her and shows the baby how to kick.  On his very first time in the pool, Quinn was not only kicking...he was going under the water, jumping off the side into my arms, and standing alone on a little platform in the water.  On the 2nd lesson, he held on to the side of the pool alone, and, get this....pulled himself out of the water onto the ledge!!!  I was dumbfounded.  There is nothing this kid is afraid of.  That's my boy!

Easter in the Park

Quinn spent Easter in the same park where he celebrated his first birthday.  He searched for eggs and candy with his friend Cole from the YMCA.  Cole is one of Quinn's favorite friends--and the two blue-eyed blondies looked adorable with their sticky fingers and blue tongues.  Quinn wore an outfit of Rich's from the '70's and it couldn't have been cuter.  Even his Godmother Mary and Godfather Goodie came for a bit.  It was a fun morning, especially for Quinn who seemed very satisfied with his first taste of jelly beans.

Thanksgiving Past

Both Thanksgiving 2010 and 2011 were spent with Granddaddy Jake and Omi in Colorado Springs.  We were grateful to be spending that time with family, and more grateful that Dr. Tim Hart, their neighbor and friend could be there, too.  Tim is really more like family to us all at this point, and he is one of the kindest most generous people I've ever known.  In anticipation of this great American Tradition, we took Quinn to his first pumpkin patch to take in some of the local festivities.  We went to Anderson Farms in Erie, Colorado, and had a great time!  I can really see this being an annual thing.  Part of the hayride takes you through a pumpkin patch where you may choose any pumpkins you like and just pay for them later.  They have gourds, too.  Well, the second we got off the wagon Quinn walked right over to the patch and found a gourd that he proceeded to guard with his life for the remainder of the day.  He dropped it and picked it up more times than I could count--but he was not going to lose that damn gourd!  It really was quite perfect, too--as you'll see from the picture.  We had such a fun day dragging him around in the buggy and showing him little animals to pet.  He became quite proficient at both spotting and identifying pumpkins on our daily walks, pointing to various porches and proclaiming "pahnkee" every time he saw one!