Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Christmas fever!

Here we sat on Monday, ready to go bowling at Daddy's company Christmas party, when the Grinch came in and stole our fun.

He arrived just after Quinn's nap in the form of a 103.8-degree fever, causing one miserable and slightly nauseous little boy.

But this truly is a tale of Seuss-ian proportions.

That 'ol Grinch was vanquished not long after Quinn hit the sack. He woke the next morning a brand new boy, ready not only for school but his first-ever Christmas concert.

It was a virtuoso performance by the Happy Hearts preschool of Aloha, Ore., with Quinn singing loud, ringing his bell, and stroking his faux Santa beard on command in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

Their reward was a visit from the big man himself, all the way from the North Pole -- a cameo appearance we've captured here for you on videotape.

Enjoy it, along with the marvelous singing.

Even the Grinch cracked a smile.





Thursday, December 9, 2010

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a very good boy. And so has my brother Keaton.

Here are the toys I would really like for Christmas.

I would like alot of toy animals in a big box. The animals I would like are: an eel, a hammerhead shark, a buffalo, an Orca, a dolphin, a black and white eared tapir, a deer, a lizard and a crocodile, and an elephant. And a red fox and a red panda and a black and white panda.

And may I please have a dog and a pillow pet and may I please have an owl because I lost the other one. And may I please have a meerkat and a hyena.

I would like a black bear and a red dragon with black on it. And I would please like a pelican and a toucan.

And I would like a pillow pet for my brother Keaton. I'm going to choose a animal toy for Keaton too, a snake. And a stingray for Keaton and a stingray for me. A pufferfish for Keaton, and a pufferfish for me. And a jellyfish for Keaton and a jellyfish for me.

We're going to put some cookies out so you can have them with some milk. I hope you enjoy them and have a nice Christmas.

Love,

Quinn and Keaton Siemers

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Keaton Reads at OneTrueMedia.com

Keaton has come a long way in just a short month when we visited the Dr. at 15 months and he asked was he saying many words. And at the time he wasn't. He had maybe 3 to 4 words in his repertoire. Those being: Dexie, for the dog, Go go go, for going up the stairs or anywhere where you want to go! Duck duck, for the obvious and hmmm, drawing a blank on one I think. But not long after that visit, it seemed his little vocabulary just exploded! Here you will see him reading me a book, because really that is the only way it happens now. He is much too busy to sit and be read to and you can hear a few of the words he says. His list of words right now are as follows:

Whaz zat? (or something similar)
Gop gop = book
nigh nigh = night night
no
nana (sometimes I think he also means "snack" with this one)
by = butterfly (also one that Quinn said)
bye
hi
says "moo" when asked what a cow says, but also for any other animal
ball
bubbles (not very clearly)

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Quinn's New Daily TV Routine


Just thought you'd all like a glimpse into our daily life now that Quinn has decided that this is how he MUST watch TV, on OUR TV. With his large blanket and EVERY stuffed toy, animal toy, and whatever other toy strikes his fancy that day. Yeah makes for interesting sitting when you want to also try and sit on the couch.

Trick or Treat

Thankfully we had a small reprieve from the rain Sunday evening for trick or treating. Quinn had a blast running from house to house gathering his loot. Random phrases to be heard coming from him at points throughout our excursion were, "I LOVE trick or treating!" "Dad (Mom), look, I got some (more) candy!" "This is so much fun!"

It was plain to see that Quinn was having the time of his life. Keaton too, was having fun, although he had to sit back in his car and point out the sights. Most houses had steps up to them and we couldn't get him close enough to get his treats, so we pushed him along to see the ghosts and goblins. Next year he'll be able to run and shout "Trick or Treat" with the best of them.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Pumpkin Carving With a Superhero and a Dragon

Bet you didn't think it was possible did you? Well it darn near wasn't. The dragon was wandering around aimlessly dragging out utensils and balls and random toys. The superhero was jumping around fighting imaginary foes tearing up the newspaper daddy had painstakingly put down to keep the floor somewhat clean.

Finally pumpkin carving commenced and it couldn't begin fast enough for Quinn. His job was going to be scooper of pumpkin guts. "Can I scoop now Dad? Can I scoop now?" Dad hadn't even gotten the top cut off yet. Patience is not a virtue of our oldest son. It was then that I realized this was probably the reason why I had never carved a pumpkin with my parents until I was probably in my 20's. They probably felt the same way.

In the end all was well and uneventful, Quinn did a great job at chief guts scooper and Dad did a good job carving the spooky pumpkins. The dragon, he was the supervisor.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

MacGyver I am Not

Resourceful Mommy I am even not! About 2 seconds into our car ride to pre-school this morning, Quinn decked out in his Halloween costume, he was messing around with the mask portion of his Robin costume, Robin being from Batman and Robin, so this mask is quite important at keeping his identity secret you know. When all of the sudden--zing--and well there goes the elastic on one side of the mask. Well apparently THESE super hero costumes were not made all that well. So I tell our super hero that mommy can't fix it right now in the car to pre-school. He is wailing,sobbing, as all good super heros will you know. How will he fight bad guys when they know who he is?


I try to explain that mommy does not have a fix it all kit in the car and that I will be able to fix it for trick or treating, just not for pre-school in 30 seconds. He calms down sort of and goes to class where he proceeds to tell everyone he broke his mask and I leave. I immediately call daddy to tell him the terrible news. Daddy, ever resourceful daddy says "How about stapling it?" Mommy says: "Stapling? Nah, no, you can't staple it. It would never work, I'll just sew it later." Meanwhile in the back of her mind she thinks, why on earth didn't I think of that! Men just think like MacGyver I guess.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Changes, like autumn leaves




Ok, first the crawling. It's over. Old news. Done. Finite.

Walking is in. WAAAAY in. Might as well call it running. The kid's completely over with the knee thing and into the feet.

It's fun watching Keaton figure out the whole walking thing all of a sudden. It's like watching the evolution of man in fast forward. One day he takes two steps, then it's six, and finally today we've got to keep him from a running sprint to the highway.

I'm not sure, but I think he asked for a motorcycle today.

When that happens, I'll post pictures, just like the ones below from the past few days and our week-long trip to see Grandma and Grandpa Smith in Pennsylvania.

And in case you need evidence of our walker, there's plenty of video below.







Sunday, August 29, 2010

It's show time

It's been too long since we've posted. We know this. Apparently chasing after two boys really cuts into our blogging time.

Some day, we'll get our priorities straight.

To satiate your need for Quinn and Keaton news, here is a whole highlight reel from the past three months, starting with our trip to Minnesota in June.

Enjoy.













Sunday, May 23, 2010

Talent show

At this point, I'm wondering if there's anything these boys can't do.

First Keaton: Crawl? Check. Climb? Check. Squawk like a bird? Youbetcha. Cute? Of course.

Now Quinn: Dance? Naturally. Sing? Like no other. Hunt for Easter eggs? Gleefully. Play trombone? Are you kidding? Better than his Dad.

In case you don't take our word for it, here's the video evidence.











Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Sunday Drive



Keaton has been spotted out & about lately in his sporty new red plastic car with the snazzy dad handle. He likes it, dad likes it, what's not to like about it? He's been seen getting the mail in it, spotting ducks and touring the neighborhood. We got word it needs to go back to the shop for some work, so we'll have to get it in soon.

In other news our little big man has been pulling himself up to things and standing for short periods of time. He likes his big brother's train table and I caught him standing up next to it this evening tearing it all apart to get to another piece of the track that was out of his reach. He's a wily little fella who seems to be a bit mischievous and jumps with a start if you catch him doing something he probably shouldn't be doing.



Quinn is becoming the big helper around the house, whether it's gardening, or sweeping the back porch. He may not be perfect yet, but at least he tries.

We visited a pre-school last week where we hope he can go in the fall. He watched as the kids sang songs and did their daily jobs. He joined in on the fun when it was free-play time and it was hard to tear him away. He was a little wary about going to "school" but I think he'll fit right in come September.


Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bugs and Teeth


Our littlest member has been a fussbudget recently. Don't dare put him down to play or you will receive his wrath, usually just crying and crawling as fast as his arm will drag him to get to you, making you feel just guilty enough to pick him back up.

After another unsuccessful day of trying to get him to nap, a light bulb went on in my head. Hmmm, maybe he's getting teeth. Maybe is an understatement. I can say that literally overnight -- OK, could have been a few nights -- Keaton has 3 new teeth. Three! He's growing them like beans in there.



Meanwhile Quinn has a new found love for all things relating to bugs. Mostly he likes to try and find them and then stomp on them for all he's worth. Last Saturday we all spent the morning outside doing yard work, dad doing the heaving lifting of mossy brick, mom digging up weeds and tulips and Quinn digging for worms which he would study for about 5 seconds before bringing down his foot several times on it making it fertilizer. Today he was hanging out behind the blinds, Handy Manny flashlight in hand looking at a "mysterious bug" he told me later. Well he is definitely a boy!

Keaton, other than sprouting teeth, is "talking" more these days, although he is pretty quiet about it. He's formed an attachment to a bear that has been in his crib since he was newborn and hangs onto it when he's trying to get comfortable. Mom wants to replace it with a bear that will stand the test of time. But I'm getting opposition from Dad and probably would from Keaton too. So we'll see.

Saturday, April 10, 2010



As a sports-loving dad, it's hard not to push your kids into being athletes.

Sure, Quinn's got a great throwing arm (righty, though I'm encouraging lefty), can hit a baseball (to all fields, no less), and is a natural soccer player (uses both feet, with power and control).

But there's more to life than athletic prowess, right?

That's why we're encouraging the boys' artistic side. As you can see above, Quinn is becoming an accomplished painter. He even describes himself as an artist. Just the other day, his smattering of paint on paper was deemed good enough to hang in a gallery (and by gallery, I mean my cubicle at the office), where it received rave reviews.

Keaton may be too young for sports (built like a linebacker; early signs of a killer pitching arm), he has his own artistic talent: stand-up comedy. He loves to sit on the floor, stare up at you with a goofy grin and make a stacatto-like sound: "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhhhh."

He'll be here all week, folks. Try the veal.





Sunday, March 14, 2010

A pair of lions

Keaton can't talk and barely moves. Quinn never stops talking and can't sit still.

Yet somehow, the Cap'n and Skipper have developed a mutual form of communication. Call it guttural. Call it primal. Call it a growl, because that's what it is.

These brothers are enjoying playing the role of dinosaurs, roaming treacherous landscape within Keaton's 6-foot-wide radius of movement. Or they're pirates, traversing the ocean in search of burying treasure at the bottom of the toy box.

Decide for yourself. Here's some photographic evidence.







Saturday, February 13, 2010

Natural evolution



Keaton is leaving his turtle stage, where he lays on his back and occasionally rolls over. He sits up now, although with Mommy and Daddy or his baby chair as a prop. But it's still sitting up, which is more than we could claim last week.

This is where it starts to get fun, not that it wasn't fun before.

He's still a baby, and will be for a long time, but he's advancing to a stage where he feels more like a little boy. Keaton will sit in his little Bumbo chair, fully supported, and dig into a box full of baby toys. Across the house, his big brother is doing the same thing, though rooting through a bucket of Hot Wheels cars.

They're really not all that different anymore. I'm discounting, of course, Quinn's stage of evolution, which involves him saying things like, "Get out of my face, Dad!" and "I'm so, so, so, so, sorry, Dad!" and "Let me tell you a story ... "

But today, the day before Valentine's Day, Quinn really warmed Daddy's heart.

We were at Costco and Daddy was stuffing a case of beer into the bottom of the shopping cart. Quinn, looking at the case, said, "When I get big, I'm going to drink beer just like my Dad."

I know I shouldn't be proud, but let a Dad have his moments, even if they're mildly inappropriate.

My boys are getting bigger.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Hey, watch this!


Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Any other holidays we missed?

Pardon us if we seem forgetful. It's been a long time since we updated this blog. So, in the spirit of giving, we've given the blog a new look and present you with a handful of holiday videos of the good Cap'n Quinn and the Skipper Keaton.