Is it really July already?!

This summer has been so fun! It is hard to believe that my baby is 13 months old and July is coming to an end. Quinn is moving around like a mad man and has started running in the last few days. He has been playing "Hide and Seek" and likes it best when Mike plays with him. His laugh is so contagious... He has me laughing a lot during our days together. He is saying "Hi" when the front door opens, usually in a whisper. He is also a huge snuggler. He loves to give hugs and kisses... it is so sweet.

The latest excitement in our house is that we recently updated our cable box (whoo hooo)! However, it has sparked an interest in Quinn as there is now a really pretty blue light that he can turn on and off. It started out funny as it is the power button for the cable, and now, not so much. He is a fan of dials and anything that spins as well as pushing buttons... so we frequently find him in this spot playing with the stereo equipment. "Turn it up, Quinn"!

Clarkston's Littlest Picketer

I have been a teacher in Clarkston for 11 years. It is crazy to think that I have been teaching that long, and teaching in the same building. At least I have managed to change rooms! I love my job, my students and most of all my fellow colleagues. The people I work with are awesome and it definately would not be the same without them. We as a staff have taken concessions in salary and insurance over the past 5 years or so to help save the district during these hard financial times. Unfortunately they have continued to spend at a rapid rate and have now found themselves in a situation where they are going to have to make some serious cuts. This is so sad because they are threatening to privatize custodial and transportation services. Because both of these (among other programs and people on the cut list) would be a huge devastation to our staff and students, the unions stepped in and rallied. The CEA organized an "informational tailgate" at Monday night's board meeting. We wore our crisis orange shirts and held picket signs as community members drove in to attend the meeting. Because my parents were still out of town and Mike was working, Quinn had to take part in the festivities. It was an awesome sight as over 300 employees showed up to support our custodians and bus drivers.

Quinn and I walked the "picket line" and waved as supportive parents and students drove in and honked. I have to say, he was the hit of the "tailgate" as we used an extra CEA t-shirt as his blanket. He loved looking at everyone's signs and at all of the different faces. He was so good and had lots of smiles for all of the CEA and ESP members! I do hope (regardless of his future political beliefs) that Quinn is an educated, informed and conscious voter and stands up for what he believes is right. I just hope we don't have a mini "Alex P. Keaton" on our hands!

Bath Time is the BEST time of day...

Along with eating, bath time is the favorite time of day for Quinn. We (up until this week) would put his infant tub up on the bathroom counter and play. However, Quinn discoverd how to splash this week, and not just little splashes, but splashes that caused water to slosh out of the tub, on the rug, floor and of course all over me. As much as I didn't want to move him, we put his infant tub into the big tub, which is more of a challenge for Mama :), but a whole new world to little Q. He stayed in the bath a little too long this time and this is what his feet looked like at the end, Wrinkly!

Spring is a bittersweet time for me. While I am looking forward to the warm weather and school wrapping up, Mike just gets going with the golf season. We are so lucky as a family that Mike can stay home with Quinn in the winter and then I am off in the summer. However, our "winter time" ended a bit early this year and we had to adjust to Mike not being a stay-at-home dad as long as we thought. Mike started a new job, as the new Head Golf Professional at Paint Creek Country Club in Lake Orion. This is so great for Mike and I am so proud of him! With both of us working it's an adjustment, needless to say we were all tired! My parents are on vacation (they watch Quinn for us normally during the week in the fall and spring) so my brother Matt (and his girlfriend, Kyle) stepped up and were our "Manny" and "Nanny" for us. Matt, Kyle and Quinn had so much fun! It was great bonding time for everyone and we hope they come back to "bond" again soon! :)

Moving on to Puffs!

Quinn who is 8 1/2 months old, already is on the move. Although he has not started crawling yet he has been standing for awhile. He actually LOVES to stand and walk with support. It's one of his favorite activities. Mike recently bought a big blue ball that is also one of his favorites. We are teaching him how to kick it and he is actually getting really good at it. He will start to squeel when we bring it out! We have a future soccer player here!

He is also very particular with food. It has been funny to try new foods, just to find out that he really doesn't like anything but vegetables. He is the king of sweet potatoes. What kid doesn't like fruit? His two bottom teeth are really starting to come through. He now loves to bite everything in arms reach. He loves the Biter Biscuits (they are all over his face and hair in this picture), so we tried the Gerber "Puffs" this week. Of course, they are sweet potato flavored and he is a huge fan.. shocker.