New Halifax Group site

There is a new website that is offering discounts at Halifax area restaurants.  Most deals are at least 50% off.  It's easy to join, and they just email you deals.  You only take any that look good to you.  AND if you sing up now, you will get $5 towards your first purchase!

http://tinyurl.com/2dlq3fn

Charlie's 6 month check-up

I cannot believe that she is now six months old!  Time really is going by so fast.  I took her in this morning for her 6 month check-up.  I have been concerned about her acid reflux, as it has not been getting better.  I am looking for a different treatment plan since we took her off all meds as they weren't doing anything for her.  They are going to try her on Prevacid, and she is being referred to a specialist.  The doctor was concerned with her weight.  She dropped about a half pound in the last two months.  It doesn't sound like much, but at her age, weight should only be going up.  I am not as concerned about the weight loss, as she is doing extraordinarily developmentally.  She was rolling over before 4 months, crawling at 5, etc.  Her height growth slowed, but she is already as tall as a normal 1 year old girl, and is wearing 12-18 month clothes.  To be honest, I think her thinning out is making her look more like her daddy.

Hanging out with daddy

As for her needles.  She barely cried, then shot the Doctor a dirty look, and promptly fell asleep on the way home. No drama at all...

Christmas Cookies

We had some fun making some Christmas cookies.  There was lots of good old fashioned messy fun!  We made sugar cookies, frosted them, and Quinn decorated them. 

making the dough

Then daddy had some fun with Quinn...

Going for a walk

Look, no hands ma

Sweet, sweet victory

It's really nice to have a boy that loves to cook.  He is even getting very adept at adding ingredients, and mixing.  He is always reminding me to add baking soda to every recipe, even if none is required!

Fun times

Today is a bit of random reports.

Quinn has been hanging out in the kitchen a lot lately with me, "helping" and stuff.  He loves sitting up height on the bar stools chatting with me.  Sometimes he brings some toys to play with, when I was looking for a pot this morning, this is what I found.

Simba and Chick Hicks, hanging out

Grasshopper soup anyone?

Apparently he found homes for his critters...

Tired daddy? LOL  Ignore the puke all over both of them...

My crew

A rare pic of me, with my little man

A funny story about those grey pants HC is wearing.  They are some ratty, old, ELASTIC-BAND-BOTTOM sweat pants.  I hate them, no, I LOATHE them.  I havebeen in a bit of a hubby-clothes-cutting-up phase lately, so later that night, I grabbed some scissors, and sliced the elastic band off those pants (while he was wearing them). I laughed so hard, because they actually looked like decent scruff around the house pants after that.  I also cut up his favorite jeans last week.  He was not happy about the jeans, but in my defense, he was wearing them in public constantly, and they were covered in many mystery stains.  I could pick out the blood, and grease stains, but there were many others.  I also had previously purchased new jeans for him, but he thinks they are too weird for him since they aren't Wrangler... LOL.  Here is a clip pf our convo.

HC: "But these show my butt"
Me: "Yes, jeans should do that"
HC: "But they are kinds stretchy all over"
Me: "Yes, it an addition to jean material that helps it conform to your shape, and will be more comfortable"

HC: "But these must be girl's jeans then"
Me: "No, they are for men"
HC: "But, my butt!"
Me: "Yes, you have a butt, people will see hat you have a butt, deal with it"

As funny as it sounds, this is really the convo, and HC hasn't worn his new jeans yet, but he will...

Stop this ride, I want off!

This is how my last few days have been like.

I have a house filled with sickies.  HC came home from work so very sick yesterday, and Charlie has been fighting a bad stuffed nose.  She sounds like Darth Vader with the heavy breathing.  Quinn is pretty much all better from his cold, but he is probably the most vocal about any ounce of discomfort. 
On top of all that, Quinn has been bouncing off the ceiling all week.  He is getting so excited for Christmas, and I am getting exhausted keeping up with him.  I have been putting him on a stool for five minutes of "quiet reflection time", basically, a fancy time out!  I think everyone he sees is secretly giving him candy, he sometimes randomly pulls a pice of candy cane out of his pocket, and we have NO candy canes here at all...
Hopefully this will pass quickly.

A thing about Quinn

Aunt Jess made a super cute slideshow that sums up Quinn.

http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d6a41354e4445784f5442384e4441794d5459344d6a413d0d0a&sb=1

It sure makes me laugh!

Santa baby

This is the first year that Quinn has managed to actually sit with Santa for a picture.  Last year, there was screaming, clinging, and running, at the mere thought of meeting Santa.  Since we don't really talk about Santa much in our house, he didn't even understand the concept until he went to preschool this year.  Now, he thinks Santa is an old man that gives out presents.   I was hoping to hear what Quinn would like for Christmas this year.  Whenever I asked him, he would say silly answers that aren't gifts, like a little brother, or Mickey Mouse to live here... or as daddy kept getting him to say "a puppy!"  And we all know that is NOT happening. 
Quinn still was ok with meeting him, but when he saw that Santa is an old fat man in a red suit, his excitement cooled.  He only went to sit with him after Charlie was there... As for Charlie, there was no drama, and she loved grabbing his silky beard.  No problem at all.  Here is a pic.

Is it just me, or does Santa look creepy?

Gotta love the d'oh look on Charlie's face.

HC's days off

It is taking some getting used to HC's schedule since he rotates day and evening shifts, and works on an 8 day schedule.  It makes it hard to establish a daily/weekly routine.  I pretty much have to run things, and half the time he will be here, and half the time he wont.  It hasn't been so bad this year since I am on leave, but I will have to adjust my life, and more importantly, my attitude next year when I go back to work.
So for this 4 days off, HC has been trying to spend a lot of time with Quinn.  There have been mixed results, as you can see...

That's HC's Wii gun

Bad daddy!

So after playing in the basement for a bit, this is what I am greeted with.  Really nice daddy!  Apparently, they found some of daddy's old army stuff.

Quinn's Every day

I posted a while ago about an advent calendar that aunt Melanie had sent up for Quinn.  He of course loves opening a little present every day, and calls it his "every day".  Each morning, he runs up to me and asks if he can open his "everyday" present, it's so cute.

Posing by the advent calendar

Checking out the goodies

We have been working on his numbers since he tends to count to 20 like this:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11,12,13,19,20
So, I have been getting him to count from one every day up to that days number.  Good fun!

Christmas Concert

Tuesday night was the kids' Christmas concert, it was very cute to see them up on the stage.

Walking up to the stage

Baby C with P Russ

What's with my kids and fingers in their mouths?

Chilling

 

It is fun, and sad too because HC couldn't make it to the concert.  He had tried to get off an hour early to come see them, but it was too busy, and they couldn't let him go.  It sucks, but something that goes with the job. 

Crawling already?! Oh My!

For the past few days, I have been putting Charlie down on the mat and finding her in a much different place a few seconds later.  So, today after finding her under Quinn's train table, I decided to film her shenanigans.  Here is the result.

She is still a little awkward, but can move pretty quickly already.  She loves books, and will go across the room to find one.

Charlotte's Dedication

This morning we got to dedicate Charlotte. It was so fun, and she loved being up on the stage.
Here are some pics of the big day.

The family

Quinn talking to Pastor Russ

Charlie checking out the audience

She's already trying to take the mic

She was captivated by all the people looking at her, not shy at all

She looked and smiled at Pastor Russ the whole time he spoke

 

It is so weird now to say that everything is the "last time".  Sp this is the last time I will have a baby dedicated, WOW! Time is running by so quickly, I have to make the best of every day I am given.

Chili with a Kick

I got a great gift from my sis Mel for Charlotte's birth.  She baked up a whole freezer full of yummy meals, since I probably wouldn't get around to proper meals for a while.  She was right as there is no way we would have had more than cereal or toast for while!  So, when I say a freezer full, I am not exaggerating as it filled my freezer, and there was some extras stored in mom and dad's freezer.  Well, mine have been long gone, but mom was cleaning out her freezer and found two meals that were hiding, so she rushed them right over for us to enjoy right away.  HC saw one was Chili with a kick, and he was in the mood for something super spicy.  He cooked up that pot of chili, and excitedly tasted it as soon as it warmed up.
This is the look I got right after that

Spicy chili?

So, he said there was no kick, and not even a nudge in the chili!  I laughed and reminded him that Melanie finds onions too spicy.  We then decided to really kick up the chili and added some cumin, chili power, garlic, and about half a bottle of "stinky Pete's" hot sauce.  Now, that was some chili with a kick!

no-kick chili

So, the moral of this story is, bring your own hot sauce to eat with Melanie...

The funny thing is that HC and I love anything spicy, and so far our Quinn's tastebuds bear a strong resemblance to his aunt Melanie's.  He hates all things spicy, and finds onions way too "HOT!"  The jury is still out on Charlotte, as she has no teeth, and has only had mush so far!

Charlie and the icky cold bugs.. AND Her first word!!!!!

So, Charlotte has had a cold this week, and just hasn't been herself.  She has settled into a routine so well, that this week has really thrown ME!  She has been tired, and cranky, and it is reminding me of how things used to be every day last time...   It has made me realize what a cool, happy baby she normally is!
So here are some pics of my happy gal

EDITED to remove pics




And here is a video of her saying her first word!  Can you pick it out?  The video is a lot of baby babble, but she does say something (and has been saying this word for a week)  Any guesses??