Monday, April 26, 2010

Spring brings good things...

March ended, as usual, on a sad note, because it marked the 2nd anniversary of my Papa Ray's death. Quincy and I headed to the National Cemetery and spent some time there, catching Papa Ray up on all our recent activities. It is amazing to see how much Quincy has changed since last year's visit.



We enjoyed a Cubs Spring Training game at Hohokam Field in Mesa - it was a beautiful day and the Cubs beat the Rockies! Quincy loved every minute of it out there!



Kellan and Quincy!


Easter Sunday before going to church

... and later after the egghunt at my parents' house


Kellan taught QB how to play tag, and Quincy loved it!


April got off to a wonderful start for me because I was reunited with one of my dearest friends from childhood. Annie & I grew up together since 5 years old, and our families were super-close, but we lost touch during college. We got in touch again through Facebook, and were able to spend a whole day together when she was in town visiting her mom. It was a perfect day!



Aunt Nancy & Uncle Bill were here for a quick trip and we got to enjoy breakfast with them at 5 & Diner!


And Happy Hour at Tommy Bahama Kierland Commons!










I have decided that I will be frequenting Desert Ridge Marketplace & Kierland Commons a lot this summer since they have the little splashparks for kids. Quincy loves playing in the water (which was freezing this day & he didn't care) and hates when we have to leave. What a cheap and fun way to beat the heat!



April 17 was Alpha Gamma Delta's International Reunion Day. Our alumnae group hosted the luncheon at the Irish Cultural Center in downtown Phoenix. I took my grandma Mama Mimi and Great-Aunt Eleanor, who are Alpha Gams from DePauw University! We had a great time!

Here are some of the girls from my college years


FORREST!!!


Solon discovered that we have several bird's nests under our curvy roof tiles. Here is a mama bird with food for her babies!

I also painted a birdhouse and hung it up on a tree in our backyard with hopes that we would get a wide variety of birds rolling through to show Quincy! Check out some of our visitors:



Quincy's Grandma "Sasa" (Lisa) was in town for a work conference, and we got to spend a lot of quality time with her! Quincy loved the view from her balcony at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge (such a gorgeous hotel!)

It was too cold outside to enjoy the pool, so Quincy took a nice warm bath instead

And spent the rest of the afternoon chasing after bunnies






For the first time in a couple years, I was able to help my friend Charissa celebrate her birthday. We went to Castles & Coasters for some miniature golf and of course I went on some rides too!




Then we went to dinner at Pappadeaux and the band serenaded Charissa with a birthday song - we had a great time!



What Quincy likes these days:
Stretching with Daddy in the morning

Taking big brother Forrest for a morning walk

The smell of Sharpee Permanent Markers (which led to a mustache!)

Playing with water and running around half-naked


Stretching his legs like he's taking ballet class


At almost 17 months, most of the things he does are the same as in my previous post, but his new favorite word is vacuum which sounds like "bacoom". He is obsessed with that thing, and would stand at the closet and cry until I pulled it out. Then he would plug it in the socket, run and turn it on, then turn it off, and run to pull the cord out of the outlet. He would do this over, and over, and would have done it all day long if I would have let him, so we eventually moved it into the garage. Now everytime we go to leave, he sees it and says, "Bacoom! Bacoom!!" Hilarious. He also can say "popcorn" now, although it sounds like "paw-come", but I know what he is talking about.

Solon took Quincy to Target while I was out at a sorority function, and they picked up a mini-basketball hoop that adjusts in height as Quincy grows. It has been the center of almost every day since the purchase. Quincy absolutely loves dunking on the hoop, and Solon and I have become quite competitive with our rounds of "Best out of 5" - I have proven that I am better than him at mini-basketball. You can even ask his family. They were witness to my skills on Friday night at dinner. So much fun! Solon kept saying, "My wife's INCREDIBLE! She unstoppable!" It was hilarious!

Magi Man is still the pickiest eater on planet earth, but I continue to offer him a wide variety of things, and am hoping that one day he will just get bored of eating the same things over and over. While he is only in the 40% for weight, he is in the 90% for height, and his pediatrician says he is growing just fine. He is 'regular' and happy and sleeps well, so I know he is getting enough nutrition - I just need to be patient.

Another thing he is doing is learning how to climb on things, like the couch and the patio chairs. He tries and tries until he can get up on it. It is so remarkable to see him learn things and grow before our very eyes.

Other than that, I have been going to the gym at least 3x a week and am enjoying being active and feeling good. All that working out and eating well, and I have only lost 3 pounds over the last 2 months, but I know if I keep it up, the pounds will start to fall off. I feel strong and enjoy going to the gym, and Quincy is comfortable enough now that he walks into the Kids Club, and rarely ever cries.

Hope you enjoyed this lengthy post & hope life is going well for all!
xoxoxo

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The ABC's of March (well most of them...)

Anniversary kiss


Brotherly LOVE




Catching some Z's


Donovan!


Extra-special day


Fun with cousin Kellan


Get your groove on


Happiness is... playing with Vivian


Imagination Avenue with Olivia





Legonie!


Mixing Drinks



Never been happier


Old friends (& a new one!)


Parking lot in my living room


Quincy!


Robert!


Squirrel Seeking @ the Rock Art Center




Then & Now



Violet's 1st Birthday



What a cute picture


Yellow bridesmaid bouquet


ZOO fun!



I started this post on March 28, and it's now April 13 and I am just getting around to publishing it. Obviously, things have been a little busy around the Bell household. So much has happened since the end of March, but I will leave that for my next post. Hope you enjoyed this one!