Copy Cat Post.

My sister just posted a blog that was pretty cool.  Thanks sis for the idea, don't mind if I do:

What I'm reading: Well, my New Year's resolution this year was to read 1 book a month.  The goal seemed attainable at the time, but now I'm not too sure.  Maybe it's because Tony has been gone and I go to bed very early now.  We were getting into a good habit of reading together before bed, but that's not always the best time for me because 2 pages in, my eyes start to close!  Last month I did read "Wild" and I give it 2.5 stars.  Apparently the movie is going to come out soon so hopefully that's better!

What I'm reminiscing about: My Minneapolis days.  I have a friend who is moving to Linden Hills very soon and that has sparked many memories of my days in that incredible neighborhood.  I loved walking to the coop and running out my door around Lake Harriet.  I can't wait to go back there... to visit - and hopefully one day TO LIVE!

What I'm looking forward to: Gosh, many things.  Today, I am looking forward to planting a few new flowers in my pots.  On Tuesday I will have my 2nd half home with us which we are SO excited about!  April a new (and only one like it) mall is opening up in Okinawa.  It's about 10 minutes from our house :).  Looks like we will probably be going home end of May now, too.  Fun things!

What I'm loving: I've started working out with a small group of ladies across the street from me.  I ran into my neighbor at the park last week and she said she has a 4 stall garage that has a playroom and a workout gym!  I thought I was dreaming!  I have been there twice now this week and I've never been so sore in my life.  I love it.

Sorry about the black line through the picture.  Quinn had my phone..

This is the playroom in the back of the garage where I workout.  Pretty awesome, huh!

What we've been up to: Running errands, cleaning, playing, walking, running, and I think teething ;)

If I could have treated this girl to ice cream for her good behavior that day, I would have.  I would have ordered her an extra large sundae if she wanted.  She sat like this for about 20 minutes while we waited.  So sweet.

What I'm dreading: Today I'm dreading walking down the stairs, sitting down, or getting on the floor to play with Quinn.  I'm that sore.  Otherwise I guess I'm half dreading the flight home and half dreading the extreme hotness on island in August/September when Quinn and I return home.  Oh, and I also hate emptying the dishwasher.  Is Tony home yet?

What I'm excited about: I'm very excited to see my nieces and nephews back home.  There's a lot of people I'm excited to see - but I miss those kids aaaaaa lot. I've got 9 of them.  Luckiest Aunt ever :)

What I'm watching: This is embarrassing.  I am currently watching Scandal, The Bachelor, and Revenge.  I've kinda started Parenthood, but haven't gotten into it a whole lot yet.  I've never liked TV as much as I do right now.  I'm looking forward to October when season 5 of The Walking Dead comes on Netflix.

What I'm listening to: Milky Chance, Hozier, and Gregory Alan.  I've also been listening to more country music lately, which is not quite my personality.  Maybe it's because I'm missing Tony or maybe it's because Chris Soules (the bachelor from Iowa) likes it.  ;)

What I'm annoyed by: All the dog "doo doo" on the sidewalks in Okinawa.  I feel like I'm always swerving the jogger around piles of them.  It's very, very annoying.

What I am hoping for: My brother and his wife and my sister's family are all going to Mexico (not at the same time) and I hope they have safe travels, a whole lot of fun, and soak up that sun.  They all deserve it.  I also hope Quinn's skin won't take a beating in the summer months of Okinawa.  The sun is different here - so I gotta get in the habit of sunscreen ALL the time!

Mid Month Picture Overload

When your phone tells you that your "storage is full" when trying to take a picture you know it's time for an update on the blog.  Here are a few (or a dozen!) pictures from the last couple of weeks.  8 month blog will be coming soon so I won't bore you twice with all she's been doing these days! 

Box full of FUN.

We're teaching her great manners ;)

One of the best times of my day is when I go get Q from her crib after a nap or in the morning....especially when she's full of smiles like this :)  When she's not wanting to be in her crib or needs a little more cuddle from mom, she will go right to this spot and look through the bars (the door  is right there).  it's pretty cute.

On our way up to Camp Hansen to get the mail we couldn't help but to pull over and enjoy the beautiful flower fields!

A running path on Kadena (biggest base (Air Force) on Okinawa)

Super Bowl MONDAY.  Mimosas, bloody mary bar, muffins, and mini pancakes.  That's how we do the Super Bowl over here :)

On our way to lunch we saw a man walking his dog cow!

Morning Breakfast from this side of the world!  :)

I've pampered myself with many, many flowers since Tony has been gone.  I'm afraid it's become a habit, but when you get a huge bouquet for 200 Yen (about $1.80) how can you pass it up?  These white roses were "expensive" at $2 :)

Our sweet friend, Ella had a lemonade stand today on Camp Shields.  Isn't it cute!  I suppose these are in my future, huh.  I better start practicing :)

Aunt Jackie made this ADORABLE sweater for Quinn.  Quinn wasn't upset that I took the remote from her in the upper left picture.  

Hangin' out on Mom's bed - with her favorite toy, a water bottle.

It was a rainy day and I wanted to get a short run in so I decided to try out this pack 'n play that we haven't even used yet.  She liked it for 20 minutes!  I'll take it.

The Q babe is 7 Months Old!!!

 

It seems like just yesterday I wrote a very similar post- but it was a MONTH ago already!  Today, Quinn turned 7 months old.  Yup, time is cruisin'.  I wish somehow I could record an entire day with this girl so everyone could see what a joy she is.  We rarely have a "bad" day, but we have those tough moments of course!   The toughest time with Quinn is right after her bath when i'm getting her into pajamas. Seriously, where are the Grandpa's when I need them!!!  My routine every night is this: start the water to let it warm up, go into Quinn's room and crank the heat, set out her onesie, pajamas, diaper, and lotion on the floor, go back to the bathroom and fill the tub.  She loves her bath a ton right now, but never gets upset when I take her out - but it's a whole 'nuther story when we are getting dressed!  Luckily playing "itsy bitsy spider" can keep her sidetracked a little while I torture her into putting the pjs on.  So besides those 2 minutes of the day?  This girl is a keeper ;)

Quinn's favorite things these days are KIDS KIDS KIDS.  No matter where we go or what we're doing, she gets the biggest smile when she sees someone her own size.  She is shy and somewhat cold towards adults we are out 'n about right now (pretty funny actually) but soon enough I'm sure she'll warm up to that generation..  She also loves to play with water bottles that have lids, coasters, blocks, and remotes.  Similar to all the things she loved last month. She is starting to enjoy books a little bit more now which is a lot of fun.  She will sit still for the first 30 seconds :)  She's mastered the crawling and can get anywhere at about any speed whenever she wants.  I have a feeling that walking will be on the back burner because of how good she is at crawling!  Why walk when you've mastered the art of crawling, right?  We'll see!

She is eating very well these days.  Sweet potatoes still remain her favorite food.  I might as well get her a straw for the jar so she can just suck it down faster because right now i'm not sure she's even breathing while she eats it!  She's doing very well with pears, mangoes, bananas, apples, carrots, beets, and peas.  I introduced avocado to her last night, but that didn't go over so well ;)  Maybe next week.  Atleast it didn't go to waste :) I ate that up as fast as she eats her potatoes!

For the past month or so we have been fighting fighting and fighting with her late afternoon 3rd nap.  It would only happen if I put her in the car and drove around for 20 minutes or so.  I don't want to do that every night so i've decided she might be ready to start the 3-2 nap transition.  The first day I tried it I thought it was too good to be true (it was) as she slept 2 hours in the morning and nearly 2 hours in the afternoon and went to bed fully awake, no crying... perfect.  It hasn't gone that well again, but we have had about 4 days a week with a successful 2 naps/day routine.  I'm in no rush - so i'll just continue to follow her lead I guess!

Random facts: she is in size 3 diapers and she is just about done with her 9 month sleepers. :( sad.  Wearing clothes that range anywhere from 6-12 months.

I know I speak for Tony as well when I say this has been the best 7 months of our lives.  Thanks for being such a great peanut, Quinn.  We love you a whole lot.

Keepin' busy

Quinn and I have been busy bees here on Oki.  I told Tony the other night that I was looking forward to an entire day with nothing planned!  We always make it a point to get out of the house even if it's to roam the aisles at the Bx.  Last weekend was beautiful with a perfect 70 degree day back to back.  We haven't been so lucky this week, but we've managed to get out as much as we can!  

We joined a group called "Stroller Warriors" here on island.  We went last Friday and it was a lot of fun.  Stroller Warriors is a huge group here on Okinawa and they are spread out amongst the entire military in multiple countries!  It was great meeting some other moms, but the best part was afterwards when all the kids played at the park!  If only Quinn could walk she would have had an absolute blast.  Not too much longer :-/  This girl LOVES kids.  Her arms were all over the place, kicking nonstop in my arms, and talking up a storm.  I'm looking forward to more of these "events" however, they all seem to be right when Quinn goes down for her morning nap.  Darn!  Well, we'll get to as many as we can ;)

Even though I'm a little bit of a germ freak, this has been so nice to put Quinn in the cart while I shop.  I put things around her so she's extra cozy in there....she loves it and thinks she is pretty hot stuff :)  I'm not sure I want to get the insert pad you put into the carts - but maybe I will. 

Her newest thing is trying to pull socks off her feet.  She is very determined and sticks with it for quite some time.  Being as competitive as I am in some things, I secretly love that she is this determined. :)

We stroll to the park near our house almost every evening before dinner.  There's always something going on whether it's kids in the sand, soccer, skateboarding, basketball, or kids playing on the jungle gym.  Quinn loves to watch and I decided to let her try to sit with the "big" girls and play in the sand.  I watched her like a hawk and made sure she didn't put the sand in her mouth.  We have plenty of those days ahead of us, but not sure I'm ready for that quite yet ;)  

If I can't find something these days - it's always under the couch!

Our fun FaceTime with Daddy this week!  He couldn't believe how big she was getting and all the things she is starting to do now!  I guess I didn't realize ALL the changes until he said it.

Lovin' bath!

Hangin' out with mom at the Bx

24 more days until we see daddy-o!!!!!

6 month pictures and stats

I meant to post these pictures awhile ago but never got around to it!  I decided to just snap some of Quinn on her 6 month birthday and a few turned out ok!  I also forgot to mention her stats in the last post.  She weighed 17.53 lbs (79%), 26.77 inches (which isn't accurate unless she shrunk from 4 months) - 85% and head circumference of 55cm - 99%.  Sorry about the big head there, Quinn ;)

10 Days Down (not that i'm counting)

Today marks the 10th day that Tony has been back in the states at his exercise in 29 Palms.  Quinn and I are sticking to our word and partying each day that he's gone.  It's been going very well here and although I would MUCH rather have Tony home each night and on the weekends, we are keeping busy!  I have been cooking quite a bit.  It's been something I've always wanted to do more of and expand my horizons on so I thought what better timing.  We have been able to get out for some good walks/runs, but I was hoping the weather would be a bit better than it has been!  Hopefully in the next few weeks it will turn around.  I shouldn't complain to all you midwesterners that 60 and cloudy is not ok with me. :)
Here are a few things we've been doing! 

Quinn has this thing with covers over her face and playing with pillows right now. Each morning when she wakes up I bring her into bed with me (partly because I just don't want to get up yet!) and we get a little playing in :)

This girl has moved to her high chair and ever since, she has been eating very well.  Not sure if it's a coincidence or not - but whatever the reason...it's fine with me :)  Last night we had chicken and rice and she did very well.  I was hoping she would!

This picture isn't that great, but the jungle is on our running route.  Don't be too fooled because as there might be a jungle on our right there is also traffic on our left.  Wish there was a path through the jungle we could go on... I think I wish that :-/

My great neighbor, Neng took Quinn and I out to eat last Friday.  It was SO good.  I can't wait to take Tony there.  I was sure to take a picture of what I ate so when we do go I can just show the waitress because I can't read the menu nor can I speak Japanese.

There's a market just down the street from us that I went to for the first time last week.  Not sure why it was my first time - but it was awesome!  So many great flowers, so cheap - and local vegetables that are also very cheap.  The produce at the commissary is ridiculously expensive so it's nice to have this so close!

My favorite treats from the Family Mart (convenient store) down the road.  Lets just say I don't mind going for a walk with Quinn in the afternoons ;)

WE CAN'T WAIT FOR DAD TO BE HOME!!! few more weeks.

Ayden Walter Lenninger

We have some big news!  Quinn has another cousin that we can't wait to meet and play with!  Tony's sister brought this cutie into the world on Friday, January 16th.  He weighed 8lbs 15oz and full of cuteness.  We are excited to FaceTime with him more in the months to come :) Here are a few pictures of the little fella and his big brother, Collin (almost 2) and big sis, Kate (5)

Pictures are worth a thousand words....

My "trip" home

This has been a blog I've been putting off the last few days and definitely not one that I've been looking forward to writing either!  It'll be interesting (not necessarily fun) to look back on someday.  So here it goes.

Tony is currently at an exercise in 29 Palms back stateside.  Initially he was supposed to be gone for about 4-5 weeks, but when last month we learned that it would be close to 7 weeks, Quinn and I decided we would go back to the states for a month to help pass the time and see all our friends and family!  I'm sure this doesn't come as a surprise to anyone, but I wasn't looking forward to the trip for 2 reasons.  1 - the flight and 2 - jet lag.  But beyond those two things, I was SO excited to go home and guess what?? MEET OUR NEW COUSIN (who will be here any day).  Even though the weather was frigid I told my mom I have always wanted to live somewhere that I could have 1 month of winter.  Doesn't that sound perfect?

I had spent the whole week packing and planning.  I had everything very organized and in line for all the "what if's" along the way.  Friday morning before Tony took us to the airport we let Quinn keep sleeping as long as she possibly could.  I was so happy she had a great 2 hour nap as it would have made for a more enjoyable flight I'm sure.  When Tony dropped us off, we said our good-byes, gave some tight hugs, and off we went.  Quinn and I went to check in to our domestic flight on JetStar and when he asked to see the passports I saw that I accidentally grabbed Tony's.  My heart sunk.  My tears streamed.  SUCH AN AWFUL FEELING!  I immediately called Tony only to realize later that his phone had died just minutes after dropping us off at the airport.  It was too late to call someone to grab Quinn's passport and return Tony's as he was leaving for the states the next day.  I FaceTime'd my parents and Tony's, devastated.  The airlines were going to work with me (at some expense) so I was able to take the same flights the next day.  So Tony picked us back up and we spent about 5 hours that afternoon looking for Quinn's passport.  I'm still looking for it 5 days later.

So here we are in Okinawa anxiously waiting for Tony to get back on Feb. 24th.  The great news is that we didn't have to make the flight after all, our bodies are not in the jet lag shock, the weather is beautiful right now, and we can get outside everyday.  I have 2 great girlfriends that also are riding solo until the end of February when their husbands get back.  I have a Super Bowl party to go to which will be fun, the house needs some organizing (I love projects) and Quinn continues to have a pretty good napping schedule which I never had to give up.  We will be going home with Tony in July for a few weeks which will be here before we know it!  Quinn will have a new cousin any day now so we look forward to seeing many pictures and introducing that little one to FaceTime when he or she is probably just hours old.  I can't complain.  Life is good.

Thanks to all of you for your support and emails with all of this!  Means so much and has helped both Tony and I have confidence that it all happened for a reason.

Well - better sign off.  I need to call the US Consulate to get a new passport for Quinn :)

The kind ladies at Jetstar (my domestic flight to Tokyo) were kind enough to take Quinn off my hands so I could make my phone calls!  She had a great time and so did they.  I need to note that when I looked over there after this picture all 3 of them were sniffing her backside like she had just dirtied her diaper (which she didn't). When they gave her back to me they faced her outwards like she was some ridiculously stinky child ;)  So funny.