Royals and Other Firsts

Hello!
We are soggy here in late May in Kansas City but very excited about our hometown Royals who currently have the best record in Major League Baseball! The Cunningham crew got in on the action and took in a game last Sunday. This was the first time the kids had been out to Kaufmann Stadium and it went ok!

Some other firsts since the last update:

1. First haircut in a real swanky salon for Quinn.
2. First attempt at potty training for Quinn. We're not giving up :) - I will spare you the photo!
3. First photos published (on Facebook by Mom) for our new resident photographer Olivia.
4. First successful dog birthday party attended by neighbor kids and planned by Mom and the kids. Olivia was in charge of decorations and games!
5. First time fishing in the mouth of the Mississippi for Jason!
6. First night sleeping in a Big Girl Bed (Olivia!). The pic is before we got it all set up with the bed frame.

Also, the first introduction to the Ice Cream Truck! They can now hear that bell about a mile away! It seems the Ice Cream man is really working our street. We routinely have a minimum of 2, even up to 4 passes of it along our street every weekend day.

The Cunninghams are staying busy with work and play. We are looking forward to the kids starting at St Pauls in August, but for now we are focusing on building the back deck (work in progress pic below including Daddy's helpers) and enjoying the Summer!

Take care! xoxo

One Big Minute

Hello!
I have been definitely slacking on the blog this year, but I believe that life is meant to be lived and not recorded. I even read somewhere that people who constantly photograph or video record their lives have fewer actual memories.  Who really knows, but I'll go with that theory!

The kids are growing so quickly it's making my head spin. We are really enjoying them and it's fun seeing the world through their eyes. The other day when we were driving, Quinn said "Mommy, that guy needs to mow his yard!" Whenever Quinn sees something that is bad, like a big mess that someone makes, he says "Uh oh... That's not nice." He also says "Oh My Gosh!" a lot. Olivia is very hopeful and optimistic in nature. One of her trademark sayings is "Maybe next time" or "Maybe tomorrow" such as when she's told that we can't go to the park because it's raining or we don't have time. She is fairly flexible and agreeable most of the time.

Jason and I have bedtime routines with each of the kids and we alternate putting them down every night.  When I put Olivia down at night, this is how the conversation sometimes goes:

Mommy: It's time to go to bed now.
Olivia: No, Mommy. I want to rock. (So we snuggle in the glider chair for a few minutes)
Mommy: Ok. For just a few minutes.
A few minutes goes by
Mommy: Now, it’s time to go to bed.
Olivia: One more minute.
Mommy: Ok
Olivia: One BIG minute.
Mommy: Alright.


That's how I feel too. We are holding on to the minutes and enjoying each one. Of course, life is not always grand. We have the occasional meltdown, but I find the kids to be easier and more reasonable (i.e. able to be reasoned with) as time passes. Quinn had a rough patch right around the 2 year mark, but he has gotten a lot more mellow in just the past few months. We are all working together to get along, live together and make things work.

In general, life is not perfect but it is pretty darn good. I feel so incredibly blessed to have this family and such a wonderful and loving husband to share it with. We were all fortunate to have gone on two fun trips already this year. Maui in February...

.... and Park City in March.

We're blessed to be able to travel and experience things with the kids. I believe the more you travel and do things, the more flexible and fun it becomes. If you look back to my blog called "Reality Check" from April 2013, you will see how far we've come in two years! Traveling on airplanes in particular can be stressful and it takes some good planning plus trial and error to get it right.

Signing off now until next time. Love always, xoxo Claire