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.
You know that song about the kid who only wants his two front teeth for Christmas? First of all, that's a ridiculous Christmas gift. Unless you're a beaver, what's the advantage of just the two front teeth? Why not a whole mouthful? At least then you could enjoy a steak, or at least a chicken wing.
Anyway, Keaton got his Christmas present in late November, while celebrating Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa Siemers' house in Minnesota.
And believe us, it was FAR from a gift.
It's hard enough to get acclimated to unfamiliar surroundings, then these two little tusks poke through, causing enough pain to make three people lose sleep. And those three people were: Keaton, Mommy and Daddy.
On the upside, the early arrival of these chompers is yet another sign that Keaton is developing rapidly. He's already rolling over and trying to sit up. He's also writing this blog post. (He's not, really, but he probably could if he applied himself. The kid just sits around all the time.)
Despite the teeth, we had a nice time visiting family in Minnesota. Other than Turkey Day, the visit included Keaton's baptism (with Uncle Ken, Uncle Hal G. and Auntie Toni as godparents). We also took in the self-proclaimed "world famous" fish house parade in Daddy's home town of Aitkin.
Quinn spent good part of his trip learning about Paul Bunyan, he of wood-chopping fame. So it was only appropriate that we flew back to Oregon and the very next day chopped down a tree.
It should be of no surprise that Daddy would have never been able to chop that tree down were it not for Quinn and his plastic handsaw. We toppled that great fir tree, then celebrated with beer and cider. (Daddy had the beer, in case you're taking notes.)
The tree is now decorated, much of it by Quinn. Of course, that means the majority of the ornaments occupy the lower quarter of the tree, no higher than three-feet high, but he did a mighty fine job for a first-timer.
That's how the holidays started, and so far they are commencing with enough adventure to fuel these stories, so enjoy. That's your Christmas present.
Beats a pair of teeth. That song must have been about an orthodontist's kid.
We've been remiss in updating you about all the activity aboard the U.S.S. Fussy Britches.
And there's been a lot to report.
First, there was Halloween. For his first year of trick-or-treating, Cap'n Quinn did what comes natural -- gave a hearty "aaarrgghh" and donned his pirate garb. With Mommy at work, the Skipper Keaton came along for the ride, dressed as a more-cute-than-scary skeleton.
Quinn knew the drill: Knock on the door, stand back a few steps, and when the door opens holler "trick or treat!" He had so much fun, Daddy thought he'd have to take him out every Saturday night.
Halloween was followed by something far scarier -- a week of the yucks.
First Mommy got it -- the fever, aches sinus headaches. Then it hit Quinn and then Keaton and, finally, Daddy. Luckily, Keaton's powerful young immune system dispatched the yucks in just a day. For Daddy, it lasted just two days. Unfortunately, it lasted a bit longer for Mommy and Quinn. But they're on the mend, and just in time to head to Minnesota next week for Thanksgiving.
But before we get to that, there was Quinn's big day.
A third birthday may not be as momentous the first two, but you'd have a hard time convincing Quinn.
First, he and Daddy made a special trip to the theater to watch "Astroboy" and eat popcorn. Then on Saturday, after we dropped Dexie off for a haircut, he picked out some purple balloons for his birthday party. Just after we got home, our party guests arrived, and Quinn had lots of fun playing with his friends Evelyn, Jonah and Lenore.
Mommy made some great food. And while most everybody left before we cut the dessert, the rest of us enjoyed some pretty tasty ice cream cake.
It was a fun day and Quinn was wore out when bed time came.
Let's hope he and his brother are just as tired when we step on a plane next week. Minnesota, here we come!
Quinn and his first round of birthday presents:
Quinn and Keaton show off their Halloween costumes:
Grandma and Grandpa Siemers, Auntie Tara, Uncle Hal and Cousin Abby all came out to visit from Minnesota. It was nice to have so much company at once, even if the house was nuttier than usual -- and that's saying something.
The kids went to the zoo. Grandpa and Hal did some handiwork around the house. And Daddy and Grandpa helped build a sandbox for the U.S.S. Fussy Britches. All it needs is a little fine-tuning and a coat of paint and the sandbox will be complete.
This was the first time our Minnesota family has seen the Lil' Skipper Keaton. Understandably, they fell in love with him. The little guy is getting bigger and smarter by the day.
In just the past week Keaton discovered how to use his hands. He seems to favor a toy dinosaur named Spike. The dinosaur is almost as big as him. He grapples it like he's on the losing end of a wrestling match. Finally, he just gives up and chews on its nose.
We got back into our normal routine this weekend.
Each Saturday we have some sort of family outing. Normally, it's just a trip to the farmer's market or out shopping. But this week we visited the Roloff Farm pumpkin patch. The Roloff's are our famous neighbors, the stars of "Little People, Big World" on the TLC network.
The film crews were busy Saturday following the Roloff family. Meanwhile, Quinn's hand was nearly eaten while trying to feed a baby cow. Unfortunately, the film crew didn't get that on camera. Once Quinn settled, we had a good time climbing a haystack pyramid, checking out the ponies and running through a maze of hay bales.
We picked out two pumpkins -- one Daddy carved, and a little one Quinn chose and painted with his finger paints.
They're outside the house and all lit up.
Hopefully, they'll manage to scare away any stray cats.
Mommy is back to work now, leaving Daddy and the boys to man the U.S. S. Fussy Britches on the weekends.
In just three weeks of duty, Daddy has managed to keep the ship on course. The boys get fed. Nobody gets hurt. We even sneak in a trip to the park.
Daddy will be the first to admit, he doesn't run as efficient an operation as Mommy, but he does alright, which is about all you can ask.
With Mommy back in the swing of things, that means daycare comes back into the picture. Despite a few hiccups in the process -- which included Keaton going a day at one daycare with almost nothing to eat -- we're back to where we started, taking the boys to the same place Quinn has been going to since we moved to Oregon.
This wasn't an option to us before. Quinn's caregiver didn't watch newborns. But seeing that we were desperate, she gladly took on both boys, and so far it's working perfectly.
We've been trying to find alternative to the TV as an entertainment choice for Quinn. Lately, Mommy decided to turn him into an artist, making pictures out of macaroni glued and painted on paper plates. He's quite a talent. The kid also has some improv skills. He enjoys modifying nursery rhymes. To wit: "Jack and Jill Went up the Hill to fetch a pail of ... sandwiches! ... poop! ... blocks! ... basketballs!"
Keaton is also becoming more animated. If well rested, he enjoys sitting up in his bouncy chair and looking around at the world with his big round eyes. He likes it when Daddy stares back and asks him to talk. It usually elicits an approving coo or gurgle. Come to think of it, that could be gas.
We've grown concerned about the shape of Keaton's head, which is significantly flatter on one side thanks to two months of holding him in the same position.
We're working on evening it out a bit.
But that's what weekends with the boys are all about. A little bit of rough-housing is the perfect cure for an unbalanced head.
It's been a while since we posted any video of the little Skipper and Cap'n Quinn. So here's a little something to satiate your demand.
Mommy is back to work now, leaving Daddy to take care of the boys on the weekends. We're doing alright so far, though it's only been one day.
Daddy has had his own excitement. That is, if "excitement" is an appropriate description for stupidly stepping on non-reinforced sheetrock in the attic and nearly falling through the ceiling. Luckily, just one leg dangled from the sky before Daddy pulled himself back up to safety.
He still feels stupid because of the gaping hole in the ceiling, but he'll get over it.
Keaton, the Skipper, our cute little ball of flesh, has googly eyeballs.
He likes to sit in our arms and stare at us, as if there's something hanging from our noses and he's too polite to say anything, but not polite enough not to stare.
This is the sign of a curious young mind; an observer of the world, taking it all in through wide-eyed stares.
Just a week shy of being two months old, he's not expected to say much. He's not expected to say anything, really, which explains my surprise when one day, out from his pursed little mouth, came this noise:
"Coo."
So he cooed, in an ever-so faint way that made you think twice before you realized he wasn't passing gas.
A "coo" is baby talk, so technically we can't consider that his first word. But it was certainly his first noise other than crying, so it's worth documenting in the annals of time.
Cap'n Quinn, by contrast, is a verbal jukebox filled with coins.
What did you do today Quinn?
"Went to the park and saw the kid... then the purple guy and the shark ... and, and .... the pirate and the pirate and the blue guy ... and chicken and fries and then ... (spinning in circles) whoa! whoa!"
As bright and articulate as a nearly three-year-old can be, he still has more in his brain than his little mouth can handle at once.
The doctors say Quinn has mono, a virus which typically makes you lethargic and miserable. Quinn is ebullient and generally cheerful. I wish everybody had his kind of mono.
Certainly, he's worth staring at with googly eyes.
