"I wanna go outside and ride my bike..."

I titled this blog about your bike b/c it's all you say from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. You ask if we can bring your bike inside and ride it if it's raining outside! You recently got a big boy bike with training wheels and you love it but you still also like to ride your tricycle and scooter. Anything with wheels basically. It's pretty funny b/c lately I've been telling you and Finley that if you go potty on the big potty, Finley can take dance lessons and you can do tee ball or golf for big boys. So the other day you told us that you wanted to take dance with Finley. Your dad about had a heart attack and gave me the look of death at the breakfast table like I had put this idea in your head. But you do love to dance around the house and "show us your moves." So I tried to explain to you that dance was really for girls (b/c I knew this was what your dad would say) and that boys could play golf or baseball and your answer was that you wanted to do both. You said, "but mom....I really like girls." Your dad will be thrilled to hear that was your reason at least. I just can't see your Grandpa's, your Dad and your uncles at a dance recital for you even though I think you should be able to do what you love. Hopefully you'll be happy with golf or tee ball! You are the sweetest boy. You love to hug, kiss and snuggle. You are still obsessed with trains and animals. Sharks and eagles mostly. You love to eat, pretty much everything but breakfast is your favorite. You ask a million questions everyday and need to know how everything works and why it is the way it is. You hop and run everywhere and love to wrestle on the floor with your sister. Everything is about poop lately. You are fascinated with calling people poop etc. I guess that's a boy thing. You aren't interested in potty training though. You are perfectly content to cheer your sister on and congratulate her when she goes, but you prefer a diaper. Every once in a while you'll go on the potty but not too often. You're just not ready I guess. I always joke with you and Finley that I don't want you to get big and grow up b/c then you won't be my babies anymore so now you use that as your excuse not to do stuff like go pee pee on the potty. So if we ask you to go you say, "No, b/c mommy doesn't want me to get big!" That really backfired on me! I really don't want you guys to get any bigger though b/c I could bottle you the way you are now. The funny stuff you say and do is hilarious! It's the little things also, the other day I watched your chubby little hands try to unwrap a Reese's peanut butter cup with the foil wrapper for about 5 minutes. You'd peel the wrapper back and lick the chocolate off and then try and work on it again. It was so funny! So it's the little things that you guys do that crack me up. I can't believe you guys are turning 3 in a month! Where did the time go?

2 1/2 going on 15!

Boy are you ever sassy lately...and you never stop talking! You talk from the minute you get up until the minute you finally decide it's time to fall asleep. Emphasis on when you decide it's time to go to bed b/c everything is on YOUR terms lately! And since we're smart parents, we let you believe that that's actually the way it is. We do pick our battles with you and most of the time you're pretty good but you definitely have your moments. You love to boss everyone in the house and tell us what we can and cannot say to Quinn, Brody, Darla...doesn't even matter. Speaking of Dirty Darla, she is a little more dirty as of lately b/c she took a spill into the toilet while she was trying to potty train. Despite mommy stating that she was going to fall in the toilet and please do not hold her over it, you held her there anyway and in she went when you lost your balance. You were traumatized not being able to sleep with her that night but the toilet water is hopefully not still present! You are almost potty trained. You for the most part are becoming very good about wearing panties and keeping them dry, you come and tell us when you have to go. You've had a few accidents but overall are doing well and seem to want to potty train these days. You love to stall at bedtime. You need another drink, say prayers, brush your teeth again, turn on the nightlight, your belly isn't full enough, you need a drink...there are endless excuses as to why you can't just go to sleep! I know you've been hanging out with your cousin too much lately b/c the other day when we were in the car you said, "Mom, is this Lady Gaga?" That wouldn't be mommy's choice for music for her 2 year old but you and Mimi were listening to it on Aunt Steph's ipod at Easter. You are so smart like that though. If I hear a song and say it's one of my favorites, you will remember that and say it's my favorite next time it plays. You don't forget a thing!

We can't keep up!

Quinn Campbell...where do I begin? As you can see from the pictures, you are advanced beyond your 16 month age and you try to do everything your brother and sister do all the time! Sometimes you succeed, and sometimes we end in injury! Right now you have a bump over your eye and half of a front tooth, just to name a few injuries as of lately! You are such a funny child. You are talking more and more these days. You can say baby, mommy, daddy, bye-eee (2 syllables), bye bye, bite, book, dog, Brody...and Grandma Vicki swears you say "I pee pee" whenever Finley goes potty and then she puts you on there to sit and it makes you happy. You'll probably be potty trained not long after they are just b/c you're always trying to keep up. You still love pretty much all food, lots of fruit, there isn't really much of anything you won't eat. We tried to take you down from two naps to one nap but we've been pretty unsuccessful as you've fallen asleep in your highchair on at least 3 occasions. I guess you miss your morning nap! You are definitely a sleeper. You still sleep in far past your siblings, take good naps, and are hanging on your bed rubbing your eyes by 7:30pm. You love to sleep! We're not arguing either! One thing you absolutely LOVE right is reading. Or being read to I should say. You will go get 15 books in a row and back up to whoever's lap you can fall into if they'll read to you. You especially love the picture books with the touch and feel pages. Your favorite book is Millie Moo for the time being. You love riding the scooter outside, if you could get on the big bike, you'd try it. You like for someone to push you around on your sister's tricycle although you can't pedal. You like sidewalk chalk and throwing rocks. You just love to run around the yard. You still have this shuffle about you when you run and everyone thinks you are hilarious. Whenever we take you to a party or some event, they can't believe how independent and funny you are. You just do your own thing and you hop and shuffle around the party and never stop moving! It's pretty funny. You play peek a boo all the time now and can sort of do patty cake. You aren't a trick baby though, all of the above has to be done on your own time when YOU want to do it! I have no idea where you get this stubbornness from! You think your sister is hilarious. You just laugh out loud at her all the time. You love to kiss now. You go from person to person kiss and even make the noise. Your dad says you're a fit thrower, and I guess lately you have been. You get frustrated a lot b/c your siblings take things from you when you finally get something you want, you spend a lot of time on the floor throwing tantrums. I think it's just the age though. I think you're frustrated trying to communicate a lot. Although you say a lot of words, you have a lot more to say then you know how to get across yet. You love hair bows or barrettes. You love putting on and taking off your shoes. This is especially fun in the grocery store or somewhere where mommy has to retrace her steps to find your shoe! I took you to the park a couple of weeks ago with your brother, sister, Mason and Katy Burke. We went down to the lake to feed the fish and I set you down for one second to get some fish food out of the diaper bag and you jumped right in the shallow side of the lake and were covered from your waist to your toes in mud! I had to carry you to the park bathroom and try to wash you off and everyone kept asking me if you were covered in poop, I guess it did look like that! Once it dried, we still went to the grocery store as planned. As soon as we got there, you fell asleep in the cart. Boy did you look like a little hoosier baby covered in what looked like poop, asleep in the back of the cart...I got the bad mommy award for the day but for the record, you had a blast that day and didn't care one bit what you looked like!