Quinn has been learning his ABCs at school.  I think the way he says “w” is pretty much the cutest thing ever!

A weekend in review:

1.  Ryan’s band played on Friday night and I went to the show with some friends.  My parents came out to watch Quinn, who had a blast with his Didi and Pop-Pop.

2.  Saturday was spent outside.  Quinn played in the pool with his grandparents and while he napped, we worked on the beds in the front yard…again.

3.  Chalk, crayons, baseball and basketball filled our day on Sunday, interrupted only by a nap and some more gardening.

Quinn’s weekend wrapped up with a bath.  We could tell it had been a good weekend by the color of the bath water when we took him out- gray.  Which means he was dirty.  And dirt = fun for a little boy.

This is what happens when I ask Quinn to smile for the camera.

He’s a cheeseball.

Today we went to Dutch Wonderland.  Oh yes, we really do have an amusement park around here called Dutch Wonderland.  It’s actually a great little park geared towards little kids.  The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the lack of hex signs and other Dutch paraphenelia.  Oh well, they did have a giant pretzel- I guess that counts for something.

This was Quinn’s first amusement park experience and we weren’t too sure how he would react to the rides.  Luckily we went with our neighbors, who have 3 boys between the ages of 22 months and 6 years, and they showed Quinn how it was done.

Here he is on his first ride- The Whip.  He looks pretty petrified in the beginning…

but by the end was having a grand old time!

This was probably the biggest ride Quinn went on- the slide.  He loved it and immediately at the end of the ride asked for more.  This picture was actually his second ride down and he and Ryan are racing our neighbors (on each side).

I love their reactions…

The other ride that tied this one for biggest was the water ride that Quinn and Ryan went on together.  You can’t really tell how high it was in the picture, but it was darn tall.  When Quinn got off the ride, his bangs were split in the middle and slicked back because they went so fast!

He also went on some regular kiddie rides, with his buddy Myles (who is 3 days younger than him).  They both had a lot of fun on the rides, it’s just impossible to catch a picture of both almost-two-year-olds smiling at the same time.

At the end of the day, we hit up the splash park.

After not napping ALL day, this is what happened when we got home.

It was cute- his first nap on the couch.  He’s becoming such a little man!!!

Happy Father’s Day to the guy who does it all- cooks, cleans, changes diapers, and absolutely adores his son.  My favorite thing to see is Ryan and Quinn laughing together; it never fails to make me smile.  And I’m loving that Quinn is at an age where he loves to do what Daddy does- mow the grass, sweep the floor, wash the car- because if Quinn turns out anything like his father, he is going to be an amazing guy!  (I think he’s well on his way.)

So Happy Father’s Day, Ryan.  Quinn thinks you’re cooler than Thomas the Train (which is a top rank in Quinn’s book!)

Oh, and did I mention that this guy not only does my laundry but he also folds it and puts it away?!  In the correct drawers.  I’ll be keeping him forever!

Quinn practiced his drumming today.  Ryan taught him to count when starting but 1, 2, 3 somehow turned into 1, 2, 5.  Here’s a little showcase of his talent.  I think the upside down drumming move will catch on fast- look for the it at a rock concert near you!

What a fun summer afternoon looks like at the end of the day:

And the reason he looks that way:

Ryan brought yet another drum home from NH and Quinn is really into it.  He saw it in the garage today and whined about his “dum” until I finally brought it into the house.  He is a pretty decent drummer for his age- he almost had a rhythm going.  Which means he now is more talented in the music department than I am!

And the rock star is spent.  He’s waiting for his groupies to bring him his sippy cup!

Today we spent the morning with Thomas the Train.  Surprisingly, we all had a really good time.  I was dreading the crowds and screaming kids, but we got there early and left by 11:00 so we were able to avoid all the chaos.  And luckily, Quinn had a great time so he didn’t turn into one of those screaming kids!  He was a little nervous at first with the loud steam engine but was all about the trains in no time.  Here are a whole bunch of pictures from our day.

Quinn and the gang- Thomas, Percy, James and Harold the Helicopter

At the beginning of the day- Quinn was still a little nervous about the train

the real deal…

and the star of the show, Thomas!  I’m not so sure the engines were using “clean coal” technology.

A train graveyard…

waiting for…

Thomas!

the fam.

The only downside of the day was waiting in line to get on Thomas.  All the kids had a hard time waiting and Quinn got a little bored.  He got a little rambunctious.

Once we got on the train, Quinn was enthralled.  He sat the whole time and just looked out the window.  The train ride was pretty short- about 20 minutes.  It was kind of odd that we were at a very commercialized event and right next door there was an Amish farm.  The train tracks went right by the field and we saw the family out plowing their field.

Quinn enjoyed the sights…

After the ride, we decided we had seen it all so we started to head out.  On the way out, a Thomas made out of Legos caught Quinn’s eye.

I tried to get some video, but had a hard time juggling the video camera and the regular camera.  Plus I looked like a major tool- video camera in one hand, regular camera over my one shoulder and diaper bag on my other shoulder.  It was cool though, I fit right in with the crowd.  In fact, there was some pretty good people watching.  One family all had on matching Thomas shirts, parents included, and even had 2 Thomas bumper stickers on their car.  We probably looked like newbies because none of us had on any Thomas paraphanelia!  Anyway, here’s a short clip of our day.  I promise that despite Quinn’s seriousness, he really did have a great time!

We went to lunch on our way home and then all took a nap once we got home.  The nap was followed by an afternoon spent outside mowing the lawn, weeding, and playing in Quinn’s sprinkler pool.  I’ve decided that Ryan and I should take every Monday off for a day o’ fun with the mighty Quinn!

Quinn found a puddle this weekend and made friends with it.

I love how the simple things make him so happy…

It’s graduation season.  So we’re up in New Hampshire for Ryan’s sister’s graduation from high school.  We’ll be here until Sunday and then on Monday we go to see Thomas the Train near our house.  Yes, the one and only Thomas the Train.  Live.  In person.  Life-size.  Quinn is even going to get to ride on him.  It’s going to be nuts and I think Quinn might just be a tad bit excited about it!  I can’t wait to see his face when we see Thomas- and I’ll be sure to share the pictures with you!

On another graduation note, Quinn is also graduating- from the 1 year old room to the 2 year old room at daycare.  He’s big stuff.  I’ll be the proud mom and point out that he isn’t yet 2- he’s 3 months shy of 2- but he’s ready to play with the bigger kids and talks a ton so they’re moving him up.  My little boy is growing up!

He’s also demonstrating a trait that comes with being 2- attitude.  He has been ”hitting” me and Ryan- I prefer to think of them as love taps, though.  Actually, I know he’s doing it to get a rise out of us because he looks at us, smiles his sweetest smile, and then swats at us.  And since I’m a sucker for Quinn’s cuteness, discipline is hard for me.  Most of the time I have to try my hardest not to smile and Ryan and I find ourselves turning around to laugh or smile so Quinn doesn’t see us.  I’m sure in time the attitude will get old and not at all funny, so I won’t have to worry about laughing about it.  But for now, I’m working on my poker face.