Beach Time

We spent yesterday at a beach in Woodbury. It was a slightly chlorinated swim pond and the sun was hot and there was much sand to be having fun in! We went with 4 other moms with kids and one friend without kid in tow. It was a great time. We all concentrated very hard on keeping the kids in the shade and sunscreened...and sort of forgot about ourselves! I would have been okay....if only I remembered to have help on my bikini lines....lower back and just above bra line = ouch. Quinn was in the sun almost the whole time refusing to sit under the beach umbrellas....and not a red mark on her. THANK YOU to Aveeno 55 spf kids sunscreen! (If only I would have covered all my skin....). She drank a ton of water, milk and juice and demanded much nursing when we got back and several times through the night. Both kiddos found it difficult to fall asleep last night (10ish), as they were overtired from short naps. So, I looked at houses for about 30 minutes and went to bed as the day exhausted me too! Overall, it was a great day! I have some photos....but the camera is hiding upstairs where Q is currently napping and I don't want to disturb that!!

So I took yesterday off actually looking at houses (still looked online) as most of the initial thoughts and likes and dislikes were covered on Thursday night...seeing about 8 houses. Two are very strong possible contenders for final ownership. I may request second showings prior to Mike's arrival in a week. Additionally, we have a list of 10 to try to get through today. After today, I think our Bloomington options will be exhausted, with 1 of them a great house and one having strong potential ( today's viewing). Eden Prairie and Minnetonka are also on our list of places to search, as the school districts are pretty great there. From what Mike and I have seen online, the ones we've picked so far seem to be the best in our low to mind-end price range. The next option may be to step up in price searching and see what's out there...to see if we need/want the extra square footage and yard...AND to see if we can negotiate price to affordable.

Quinn has become quite the little mother to Teddy (11 months), Julia (almost 1) and baby Jake (2 months). We were with a 4th mom yesterday and her son was about 1 week younger than Q and she really only had interest in his snacks, toys and cup...and the feeling was mutual. Q has showed Teddy how to tackle his kitty, find his sucker, bang on toys, open and close cabinets more frequently, walk, and talk. Maybe it was the timing of our arrival and Teddy was tired on Wednesday, but I feel his chattering, crawling, and walking have all increased/improved crazy great since watching Q interact with his space. Q decided she wanted to play alone today and pushed Teddy over...which is the first time she's done that. She was tired and past nap time and went right down for a nap. So,like usual, her acting out shows me she's getting tired and when I miss those signs is when naps and bedtime become difficult. Overall, their interaction with each other is very cute to watch and is promising for Q's reaction to a sibling someday. And how great for Teddy to have a live-in little person to help him explore his territory!! It makes me very jealous that Q never really had the opportunity to do so in a non-day care setting. But I am very happy to help others with expanding their kids' knowledge and development!

She only had limited time with Jake, but was concerned when he was sleeping in his car seat during dinner the other night and when he was awake at the beach yesterday without a sucker or cup. She likes his toes and nose and hair best.

We will hopefully be making it to Finn's baptism tomorrow morning. She's still having some runny poop...but I have a feeling it was related to the pounds of cheese crackers I was feeding her (right...way to think about the lactose issues, right?)...then it was her shots...and today I think it's water/sand/corn related. I don't want to introduce them if she's contagious somehow. Teddy's been normal with his poo, but I don't want to take chances with that.

Today we are celebrating Scott's birthday and viewing some houses later tonight. Tomorrow will be open houses and more comparison shopping and we'll see how many places we really need to see during the week! Maybe my trip will end sooner than anticipated with a house to buy! I would be soooo excited and happy. Not to mention maybe we can actually get to enjoy the city and maybe have trips to the zoo and museum. And maybe even have a normal day of breakfast, park, lunch, nap, play, dinner, books, bedtime!!! With no chance of not seeing each other in a day!

Beth watched her on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday she slept the entire time and we actually got to enjoy some time at dinner (already posted about that). And Thursday Beth took the kids to the park and she was VERRRRRYYY happy to see me. And I was only gone about 2 hours! We're gradually working up to a possible overnight stay by the end of the trip...if it doesn't work out, there's always the possibility when we move back to town. With her still nursing, I feel bad keeping it from her...and I'm not sure if I could stand the milk pressure for longer than about 14 hours! :)

I'll keep y'all posted on house information, but so far it's looking promising for Mike to see a few houses on Friday!