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

Wild Things

Olivia celebrated her 3rd birthday on November 22nd!  As a matter of fact, the birthday was not so much a 'day' but more like a series of days, with various celebrations, acknowledgements, songs, dinners, high fives, cake eating and (of course) leftover cake eating.  I hate to admit it but last year, things were so crazy that I did a 'combined' birthday for Olivia and Quinn. Never again!  This year, we are going all out.

Hers was a WTWTA (Where the Wild Things Are) party at a Gymboree where the kids got to make wild things masks, run around and act a bit like actual Wild Things (except not as scary).  Let me tell you, it was a great way to burn off some energy on a Sunday afternoon!

The yummy Wild Things cake was a bit hit!

Lucinda and Quinn helped Olivia blow out the candles:

Posing in front of the Wild Things banner:

I can't believe my little girl is already 3!  She is such a kind and caring girl.  She is so loving to her family, especially Quinn whom she hugs and kisses frequently and really anytime but especially when he is upset. She is always looking after her dolls when they have a dirty diaper or need some doctoring. She loves having fun and playing with other kids.  She really really enjoys it when her older cousin Natasha babysits or when she gets to play at Natasha's house.

I couldn't ask for a sweeter, more compassionate daughter, and I know this is only the beginning.  She will continue to grow in her love and understanding (but she's a really smart cookie already!).

Happy Birthday, my sweet Olivia! Mommy and Daddy love you soooooo muuucchhh.

xoxo

Shane

It is with a heavy heart that I write today about the sudden passing of my uncle Shane.  He was more than an uncle to me. He was a dear friend, co-worker, supporter, confidante, sounding board, and always a true 'coyote uncle'.  He will be missed dearly by family, including his wife, four children, three grandchildren as well as hundreds (or maybe thousands) of friends.

The turnout at the visitation, funeral and wake was a testament to how many lives he touched. He really cared about people and was always connecting with people. In this world of social media and increasing volume of impersonal interactions like email and texting, he had a true gift of relationships and fostering friendships.  These stories about Shane and his goofiness are things that I will pass along to my children as they grow up.

Quinn and Olivia actually attended their first funeral just a week prior to Shane's when we celebrated the life of Jason's Meemaw, Thelma Tolliver who died after years of health struggles.  Meemaw's celebration was beautiful and there was a really nice luncheon in the church afterwards where possibly the best cake either of my kids have ever tasted was served (I know Meemaw would have approved!).

Here's a picture of Jason with Meemaw at our engagement party back in 2010.

So we promised the kids that if they sat through Shane's funeral and behaved well, "there might be cake" afterwards.  At the end, Olivia bounced down the aisle at the church exclaiming "let's go eat cake now!"  I made Jason promise that if I die first, he will serve cake at my funeral (and we decided collectively as a family that all funerals should have cake!).

The kids and I sat in the front row of the church during Shane's service and Quinn was absolutely transfixed by the chanting of Tibetan monks during part of the ceremony.  I am definitely going to expose him to more of that as it really had an impact on him. The chanting itself was 'otherworldly' and instilled a blanket of peace over the entire church.  I will never forget how eloquent and wonderful the eulogy was that Patrick (somehow) delivered.  His siblings helped him write it, but the delivery would obviously be a challenge.  I think he has nerves of steel.

I wish I had better news today but I do know that life goes on but that doesn't make it any easier in times like this.  The kids really help to remind me of that on a daily/hourly basis.

Love always and live life to its fullest.  You never know when you will be called home.

xoxo ~Claire

Little Mermaids

Hello!
The Summer of 2014 is drawing to a close and we have definitely made the most of it!  The kids have been taking swimming lessons twice a week since early June and I have been getting them to the pool as much as possible besides that.

It's amazing to compare their comfort level in the water at the beginning of the Summer compared to the end of the Summer. Quinn wasn't as involved with the lessons but Olivia took the instruction really well! By the end of the Summer, she's able to fetch rings off of the bottom of the pool and she's getting her confidence in the water.

Here's a shot of Olivia 'diving' with her instructor Alea and one of Quinn in the pool too:

Here's a collage of Olivia going off the deep end at the pool!

On our last visit to Colorado, the kids and Grandma and I made a trip to the North Pole! It was fun to see them riding the rides together.

News Flash!
A few days ago, Quinn started talking in complete sentences! His first sentence was "You're a stinker, Daddy!" Then the next day, he invited me to sit next to him on the bed saying, "Come sit by me, Mommy" and from there he hasn't looked back. He is officially talking and not just words here and there. I am amazed at his verbal skills, the correct use of pronouns such as you, me, he, she, etc and how quickly this change has come about. He has obviously been listening to us all along and formulating sentences in his mind, just not saying them out loud until now.

At this point in a child's development, you can usually start to reason with them. With Olivia, life is one big negotiation. "Put your shoes on so we can go to the store and ride in a car" (aka one of the fancy grocery cart 'cars' they have now). "Eat your broccoli so you can get down and play", "Brush your teeth so we can read a story/watch a movie/sing and dance, then go to bed" and the list goes on and on. And the important part is, that it works.

Before I had kids, I might have frowned upon this approach because it is essentially bribery, but now I get that it is all part of parenthood and you have to use whatever leverage you have when you have it! Funny thing is, QUINN DOES NOT NEGOTIATE. I am discovering things daily about my little boy... such as that he is incredibly strong willed. Sometimes I hear George W. Bush in my head repeating, "America does not negotiate with terrorists.." and Quinn is asserting himself with the mantra: Quinn does not negotiate with Mom and Dad! He understands it all but he will just not trade this for that. A bite of oatmeal for his favorite bunny, cleaning up the toys for his beloved binkie, etc. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out!

When Quinn gets mad or frustrated, he often lays on the floor face down and beats his fists and kicks his legs, classic 'baby' style. It is pretty amusing. He is usually good natured, sleeps well and can be tickled or teased out of a bad mood easily though. He is my sweet boy and I love him to the end of the Earth and back again!

Here are some recent pics from a family photo shoot. The kids were not in the mood for pictures but I think a few of them turned out ok.

Love always, Claire & Family

Birthday Parties & Fun Travels

Hello!
In the past month, we have had several fun birthday parties and I actually have pictures to share (well, they were taken by my friend's party photographer Lauren Bradshaw but I will go with it!)  Speaking of birthdays, Olivia likes to declare just any given day HER birthday.  And the first song that Quinn sang out of the blue on his own was actually "Happy Birthday".

See some pictures from Lucinda VandeVelde's party below:

 Near the top of my 'family' to-do list is planning fun birthday parties for the kids in the coming months and scheduling a family photo session ASAP. It has been too long!

We just got back from a much needed vacation in Colorado.  We had a blast out there!  The kids went fishing with dad and caught SIX fish!  They each got to reel in a few of them.  All of the fish were thrown back in, but the one used for the first photo-op was a little close to the edge before he made it back in the water.

Love, claire & family

Potty Training and Other Adventures

Hello!
It's been too long since my last blog update. We are moving at lightening speed around here with so many changes taking place and leaps and bounds of development.

I'll start with Olivia.  She is officially potty trained!  I bought a special toy a few months ago and put it on top of the refrigerator. I told her that she could have it when she goes a week without an accident. We got it down and opened it about 3 weeks ago. She calls it her 'potty present'.  We still put a diaper on her at night, but the other night Jason forgot to put one on her.  When she woke up and her bed was wet, I asked her if she had pottied and she said "No Mommy. Someone poured water in my bed!"

We are currently in the "Princess" stage with her.  She wants to wear a pretty dress or skirt (kurt) every day. She has sparkly silver slippers that are NOT play shoes, but she wants to wear them anyways all day long.  Each night we put band aids on her boo boos (meaning the sores on her poor little feet) and also on her bug bites. Did I mention we are also in the "band aid" stage?

My niece Natasha has been watching the kids on Saturday mornings and it has been really helpful to me so that I can get some work done over the weekend.  The other day when I picked Olivia up from daycare, she wanted to go to Natasha's house and "play with my friend Natasha."  She really loves Tasha and so does Quinn.  Olivia is really forming complex sentences now and can easily carry a conversation with you, though there are still some words she says that just plain escape me.  And there are some words she hasn't quite figured out yet... For example, yesterday when she demanded to go to Natasha's house, she said "Turn the car over, Mommy. I want to go to Natasha's house now!"  I told her that I think she wants me to turn the car around, not over!

Olivia loves watching Daniel Tiger right now and honestly so do I.  This show is a spin off from the Mr. Rodgers shows of the past and they have catchy little songs like "when you have to go potty stop and go right away!"  I even heard a little girl singing that song at Costco the other day to her dad!  I honestly attribute our potty training success in part to that blessed show.  There was a Daniel show on eating vegetables and so now Olivia eats vegetables too!  I am searching high and low for a show to teach them about brushing teeth.

Quinn is doing great, but speaking specifically about brushing teeth, he is a real bear in that department.  You have to pin him down in order to force a toothbrush inside his mouth.  He doesn't want help and he doesn't want it period.  It will be interesting to see how his personality develops because right now it's very clear that he has a STRONG will.  Some people we meet in public are almost intimidated by him and what I call the "Quinn look" which is a furrowed brow and very serious expression.  I think they are expecting a sweet little 'Goo-Goo Ga-Ga' baby and he is definitely not that.

But not to paint a bad picture of my Quinn-Doll.  He is a really happy baby overall and we get silly together on a very regular basis.  He can be tickled out of a bad mood almost anytime.  When he plays with something, he really concentrates on it.  He is not easily distracted and doesn't like to be interrupted.

Quinn has two large fluffy stuffed animal bunnies that we got from Jason's family 2 Easters ago and he loves these things!  He also likes an old flip phone that he got from Jason's dad a few weeks ago.  Each night, we have to read the Little Blue Truck books and also Harry the Dirty Dog.  He hasn't shown any interest in electronics like the iPad which I think is great!

Jason and I are doing great, coming up on our 4th anniversary on Aug 6th. I can't believe how time flies! Here are some pictures of the kiddos.

Love always, Claire