A Goodie for Relatives and Other Finn-Obsessed Watchers

Finley is getting such a fun personality! He is starting to be a bit of a ham- and easily excitable!

This video is from November, so it's not super recent.

Finley's First Birthday!

Well, Finn is one year old! I can't believe it! We celebrated his birthday a little early so that my family could be there. It was so much fun! Here are some cute pictures of the event.


He loved the bows. In fact, that was his favorite thing about Christmas, too.


He wasn't sure about the candle.


Messy cake face!


And here is a video of him chowing down. The first thing he did was pull the frosting off in one big strip. (It was fudgey frosting.) But, of course, we missed that. Oh well!

News

Well, I don't have any pictures. Or rather, I don't feel like uploading my pictures, so that will have to wait for another uber-exciting post. This one will just be ho-hum. Here is what has been going on with each of us lately.

Jason has been working, and working, and working. Poor guy! He hasn't been able to do anything really fun for a long time. We are just grateful he has a job and that we can save money for the slow times. He is still loving his Young Men calling. They do lots of cool things, like slack lining. It looked fun, and I wish I could have done it! He is also very into cooking meals for others. And when I say cooking meals, I mean ME cooking meals, and him inviting people. I have been making treats every Sunday, and meals about every other Sunday. I made schwarmas this week. I know you are jealous!

Finley is still just a-growing! He has FIVE teeth now, which I must admit is weird. He grew the first four in pairs, so I haven't seen him with an uneven mouth before now. He is starting to stand up by himself. I think he will be walking WELL before his first birthday. He is getting to look more and more like Jason. EVERYBODY says he looks just like Jason. He is also in to monster noises and snorting right now. It is pretty hilarious to hear him growling all the time.

I am doing nothing of great interest. Well, actually, I did help Preston pick out his engagement ring this week. It was so much fun! And it is SOOOOOO gorgeous! I am jealous, I will admit it! It also makes me want a new ring. Which I don't need. (Repeated until I believe it.) And today I got a new waffle iron, a sil pat, and some cutlery organizers that I am way too excited about. Sometimes I think I am just a little bit too weird. I keep opening my drawers to look at those organizers.

And to end, a somewhat embarrassing story. Preston calls. He wants to come hang out. Sure, why not? So I am feeding Finn and getting him ready for bed. I am changing his diaper, and have just rolled up the old one and not put the new one on yet, when somebody knocks on the door. I run to open the door, turn around without looking and say "You have HORRIBLE timing!" Well, it was my landlord, and he looked pretty freaked out. He just kept saying "I'm so sorry" and I was embarrassed. It was awkward all around. He laughed about it later, but he was freaked out for a while, there. Oh well, c'est la vie!

Granddad

My last great grandparent died yesterday morning. It is sad, of course- it's always sad- but he lived a long, full life and was suffering toward the end. I know he is much happier now. Before he died, I got to take Finn to visit him. He was very excited to meet Finn, since Finn was (and is) his first great great grandbaby. It was neat!


Here is a five generation picture! Unfortunately, my Grandma has passed away, so that is my great aunt Rinda standing in. It still counts. Granddad was staying with Rinda for quite a while toward the end, and I am so grateful to her for all she did. I sure do love her to pieces!



Granddad, I will sure miss you!

Just a Quickie!

This is just a quickie post with some photos from our recent trip to Wyoming and the few days before.


Finn- smiling! I have figured out how to get smiles again- Yay!!!



He loves to play in his car seat, as long as he's not in it. Then the toys are boring. (Note- this was before the 10 hour drive both ways... He's not so into his car seat anymore...)




Finn and Grandpa- right after church!


An actually decent family photo. Mostly decent, anyway.



Finley and his cousin? (My cousin's baby) Meliah. Meliah is a few months older than Finn. They rather liked each other.


Grandma feeding Finn some yummy tomatoes from his Great Grandma's garden!



Grandpa and Finn again, camping in the trailer.



Finn LOVES his Grandma's hair. This was a popular look for her this trip. She did like it, you know. Until he started to grab handfuls AND footfuls and pull in opposite directions. Ouch!



Finley also had his first real encounters with a dog. My old dog, Chaos. She is so good with him, too!

As a side note, Finn is getting another tooth. This makes three! And we had a great time in Wyoming. Got to eat Bobby Flay food- which was divine!, hang out in the mountains, see everybody around, and show off Finn. It was nice. Except for the drive.

Finley, Finley, Finley!

I know guys, you might be getting tired of Finn, but I never do! And he is getting so big and cute!


Today he ate cheerios for the first time ever! All by himself. It was so cute! He is also pretty good at sitting up on his own. He is learning new things all the time.




He is also tons more fun, although you wouldn't know it from the pictures. As soon as that camera comes out, he turns into "What is that and how does it work?" guy. It's cute, but not for EVERY picture. I would like some smiles, you know. I guess I'll have to write in a complaint or something.




Here he is in Jason's work hat. He really liked it, actually! I expected him to pull it right off, but he really enjoys wearing it.




He is crazy flexible, huh? He does this all the time. Boxes are about his favorite toy ever!




Here he is helping Jason reload some 500 S&W ammo. (Jason got a new gun, and he is very happy about it!) (PS- notice how clean my kitchen is, other than the reloading corner. I am pretty proud!)



And here is another one in Jason's hat, just cause it's so darn cute!

Life, oh Life...

Well, I don't have any awesome new pictures to share, but I am sure I have some older ones that never got posted. Maybe I will scare some up.

Life has been good around here. I have been keeping myself busy, and staying on top of the dishes. For a few months now! I am pretty proud of myself. I have learned that the trick is to just run the dishwasher, even if there is still some space. I used to wait for that ONE plate I needed to fill it up, but then I also had at least one more plate, silverware, and glasses- not to mention the pots and pans!- and then I had dirty dishes piling up. But no, I am now awesome and keep my dishes dirty for a very short amount of time. This is a big deal, you guys. HUGE even! I used to bribe Jason with expensive items to do the dishes for me, because I would get so overwhelmed. Oddly enough, he would just pay somebody else to do them, which was mortifying. Anyway...

We are still working on getting everything unpacked and finding homes for all the odds and ends that you need, but go nowhere. We made some good progress today, and I am glad! It's nice to see the boxes dwindling.

Jason has been really busy lately. He went to Zion National Park this week with the Young Men, and he had a great time. They did one really long canyon in one day, and even JASON was sore. He told the guys that he was going to do it every weekend until he doesn't get sore anymore. It wouldn't really surprise me. If it were closer, I think he would for sure! He has also been getting some major work hours in. He is good to me!

I decided that I am going to make myself look cute every day. Make-up, hair doing, new clothes- the works! I haven't done this much grooming since high school. It's weird. I was just starting to feel like a slob. And since I was only wearing make-up about twice a month, I figured I could pick it up a notch. So far, I have been doing it for about a week, and it feels good. Of course, the new clothes and new make-up certainly make it easier!

Finn has been growing like nuts! He is getting huge, and heavy. He is army crawling all over the place, and has even expanded his hunting grounds to the tile. He didn't like it at first because he would bonk his head every time he rolled over, but he has figured it out. No more teeth, and no pictures of the two he has yet. He is making lots of noise, and starting to get restless when we take him places, which makes me miss the newborn stage. Oh, the joy of napping wherever you happen to be.

And now, some older photos that I passed up for cuter ones:
This is the ridges in his head after he was born. Crazy, huh? He looks like his head is perfectly shaped, until you see this.


Oh, the phototherapy lights. We hated this stage. We had to take shifts staying up because he had to be under for 24 hours. And I was still recovering. It was beyond awful.


Here's a newborn picture of Finn that my Mom took. Before he lost all his hair. He was so cute! He is making his grumpy sleeping face.


This is a pretty recent picture, from July. He is playing with the toys on his carseat. He loves to play with them- as long as he's not in the carseat!


Another recent photo. Look at those legs! He is a cutie!


And a video from May of Finn talking a little while he tries to roll over. Cute, huh?

Please no!

Finn is almost crawling. I am NOT excited. Well, okay. I am kinda excited. It will be so fun to have him crawling around and getting all big.

But then, I think about baby proofing. And how I have not baby proofed anything, despite my intentions to have it all done well before this started. I haven't even fully unpacked. And I think about how he will get into everything, and be a handful. Oh well. At least it's cute, right?

AND, Finn got two teeth on Wednesday. Out of the blue! We had no teething symptoms. No excessive drool, no grumpiness, no chewing, no nothing! They are all the way through, and really, REALLY sharp. I have tried to get a picture of them, but he won't cooperate. After I realized he had two teeth, I got the symptoms. Screaming bloody murder, mainly. But only for one evening, and then he was peachy keen. I am a lucky mother. I know it.

Here's a video showing how close he is to crawling. I know most of you probably aren't that excited about it, but my Mom keeps requesting, and I am sure more relatives care. I know Jason's parents watch them too. But feel free to skip it.

Here's One for the Grandparents

Finn has been tons of fun lately! He is getting so big, and mobile to boot! At his 6 month appointment, he weighed 18.6 pounds and was 24.5 inches long. His weight is now in the 70th percentile and his height is in the 43rd, so he is growing pretty well.


This is his concentrating face. He makes it all the time when he's trying to figure something out. He is really pensive, and enjoys problem solving. I think he is a lot like Jason in that regard.


When my Mom came to visit, we went to eat at Chili's. We were having a hard time getting him to be happy, so we gave him a lemon wedge. He LOOOOVED it! I have never seen a baby go to town like that. It is especially funny because he makes sour faces. It's hilarious! He went through three wedges, and stripped them down to the peel. There is a video below. Notice that this was near the end of one of the lemons.


He also was funny because he liked his thumb flavored. (He also did this with a french fry.) He has to hold the lemon wedge and suck on his thumb. (With the fry he had to have both in his mouth.) If you try to take it away, he cries. It's pretty darn cute, for thumbsucking!


This is a video of Finley scooting. When he sees you over him, he gets all excited and squirmy. Then he starts scooting on the back of his head. It's pretty hilarious! It's also his main mode of transportation. I don't think he will ever grow hair in his bald spot.




This video is Finley using his switchback motion to try to get a toy. Well, he does give up, but it's still pretty cute. He rolls back and forth moving at an angle to move forward slowly. VERY slowly. But it works!

Food, Food, and more Food!

I have been enjoying all sorts of delicious food lately, and it feels like heaven. Seriously, heaven. I discovered a new place to grocery shop. Harmon's. It's awesome. For those who have never been, you should go check one out. Some examples of cool things they have there that I have not yet purchased:

Edible flowers
Dry Aged Beef (House Aged)
A Cheese section that is the best in Utah other than Caputo's
All Sorts of Weird Fruits
Marshmallows for roasting that are about 4in long

I could go on. Anyway, I have bought all sorts of yummies from them. They have delicious artisanal breads, and my favorite is a sourdough bread with white chocolate and pecans. It is amazing! In fact, I have decided I need a good sourdough recipe so I can make up my own breads. (Ben and Laura, I know you guys have some great bread recipes!)

I also bought maitake mushrooms, which I turned into an AMAZING pasta with some scoparolo cheese from Caputo's. It was a pasta I make pretty often, but the mushrooms and cheese took it to a whole new level. Amazing! They also have other cool mushrooms there, like enoki, oyster, chantarelles, and blue foot mushrooms. I think I will be trying them all before too long.

I bought a dragonfruit. It was gorgeous, but not that tasty. It was a lot like a kiwi, but very bland. They have other cool fruits that we may try in the future.

THEN, we went to Caputo's. We bought cheese and olives, as always, and some new Valrhona chocolates. But the coolest thing we got at Caputo's was.... a Truffle! A black truffle, to be precise. Usually prices at around $800 a pound, we got a screaming deal at just $200 a pound. Luckily, truffles are very light. We paid $6 for one. I wish we had gotten more. Oh well. We made a delicious dish out of Mario Batali's cookbook called Turkey a la Bognese. Basically, it was turkey breast (found at Harmons) breaded and sauteed in butter, then topped with shaved parmaggiano reggiano, shaved truffle, a layer of prosciutto di parma, and finished off with grated pecorino romano. Then you bake until the cheese is bubbling and shave the rest of the truffle on top. It was good and simple. The truffle acts as a flavor enhancer, and also adds its own musky, earthy, mushroomish taste to the party. I liked it, but wish there was more truffle on it. My fault for buying a small truffle.

Anyway, I have been glorying in all of the delectable goodies I have been eating. AND it has the bonus of making me feel like a true gourmand.

Blogging Rut

So, I have no idea what to blog about. I am ashamed because I have had plenty of things to blog about, but have not done it, and now I don't know what to say. It has been too long. And I am imagining all of you guys looking at me and shaking your heads in despair, and I feel ashamed. Oh, the joy. So, to appease the masses (well, mostly my own self) I am blogging about nothing of note.

Finn is now 18lbs 8 oz, which is MONSTROUS! I feel like my arm is about to fall off if I ever have to carry him around. Which I do, unfortunately! I also finally got around to buying him a crib. I haven't set it up yet. I think I will make Jason do it when he gets home from his camp out. Finn is now in 6-9mo clothes and size 3 diapers. He's getting too big. I don't even feel like he's a baby anymore!

I recently spent a week in Idaho for my cousin's wedding. It was lots of fun to see everyone and we all stayed up way too late. Especially my mom and I, staying up til 5am multiple times. It was sad, and I still don't think I have recovered on sleep. Or maybe I have recovered on sleep, but my house hasn't recovered from my recuperation period.

I have decided I need some shorts. Summer snuck up on me, and I am dying of heat. Some shorts would be nice. But, I don't want to buy any because I am hoping to lose some weight. I was doing so great throughout my pregnancy, only gaining 15lbs, but then I delivered and packed it all on. So now I weigh the same as I did before I lost any weight at all, way back at the beginning of last year. That doesn't make me too happy. I think I might start The Daily Plate again. But I am weighing it against eating. I mean, if I am just going to gain it all back the next time I have a kid, maybe I should just wait until I am done having kids to get skinny. (And I am going with the "your body has a weight it reverts to" theory because I am sure not going to gain 20lbs after every kid! I would be waaaaaaaay too fat then.)

And that is about all the things on my mind at this moment. Have a nice day! :)

Pictures of the cutest boy ever!

Finn is getting huge! We still haven't weighed him. He is now over his cold, which is a relief to me. He is getting super fun! He loves to be tossed in the air, and he laughs at all sorts of weird things. Finn is interesting because he doesn't like to REALLY laugh. If you tickle him, he just grunts and holds his breath, but if you do something weird he will laugh, but in a more mild manner. I think he is a bit of a control freak.

I don't have much else to say, so I will let the pictures talk for me. Enjoy!
Thumbsucking. I can't get him to quit. I admit, I have given up for now.


He makes the FUNNIEST faces ever!


He likes to chew on his fingers, too. No teething yet.


For scale. And I haven't lost any weight. So he is getting pretty darn big!


He is such a ladies man! He has a smile for all the girls. I think he will be a heartbreaker.


I know this one is fuzzy, but it's such a big grin! It's harder to get those on camera than I thought it would be.





More faces. He was talking and getting excited here. I think he will take after me as far as facial expressions go.


Just so gosh darn cute!

Fives

Well, Finn is now Five months old! It's going by so fast! I don't have any current pictures. We have been a little bit busy over here. A list:
1. We moved. We are now the proud owners of a dishwasher and a washer AND a dryer! Makes life oh so nice.

2. We have all been sick. Yes, all. Including Finn. Although it is his first time, which I think is a pretty good track record. Jason gave it to us.

3. Okay. I got nothing else. But since Finn is Five months old and May is the Fifth month, here are five fives about me.

5 favorite sounds
1. Rain- especially a thunderstorm
2. Finn talking to himself. It never gets old!
3. Hearing my phone ring. (Maybe because it's Sleeping Beauty, but mostly because I love getting phone calls.)
4. The dishwasher. It means I have one AND I have been good!
5. Music. I love me some music!

5 least favorite sounds
1. People fighting that live upstairs or downstairs or next door. Awkward.
2. Bees. Shudder.
3. The way the shower head whines. Ugh.
4. The car with the windows open on the highway.
5. The stupid bird I had shot because it squawked too early in the morning. I was pregnant. I think.

5 people I would not like to be trapped in an elevator with
1. Cameron Hitch. He was my creepy stalker in HS. He couldn't look me in the face, if you know what I mean.
2. Jack Nicholson. He creeps me out. I think it's the eyebrows.
3. A woman about to give birth. I do NOT want to see what I put myself through!
4. The devil.
5. Kate Gosselin

5 things I think I like but then really don't
1. Hats. I think I love them, but I don't. They are not so cute on me.
2. High heels. I have so many pairs, but they are so uncomfortable!
3. Actually doing my hair. I do enjoy it, but only a few times a year.
4. When Jason lets me drive. I always forget that he is a HORRIBLE backseat driver.
5. Summer. Too hot. And I don't even have a pool anymore.

5 reasons to eat ice cream for dinner
1. Because ice cream is better than nothing, and it's been too long since I went shopping.
2. Because I just read a Nicholas Sparks book and am now sobbing uncontrollably.
3. Because it was an awesome day, and ice cream is the perfect ending!
4. Because my mom won't know, and therefore can't tell me not to. I am an adult! :)
5. Because there is never a bad time to eat ice cream! Mmmm

A Little Laughter to Brighten your Day!

Just because it's cute, and I am excited to have found a way to reliably get Finn to laugh.

Four Month Doctor Visit and Super Cute Nails!

Well, I am going to start with my super cute nails, because I am so self-centered. Well, really it's because it happened first. Or something. I found these really cute star cutouts. Well, actually I found way too many. But they are for nails, and they are not stickers. I got a great deal, and had too much fun with them. Here they are!
Please ignore the way my knuckles dent in. I haven't lost all my baby fat yet?
And yes, those are my real nails. No fakies here!



Finley had his Four Month Visit today. Here are the stats:
Weight: 14lbs even. 24th percentile (still a little small)
Height: 24.5 inches. 24th percentile (well, at least he's consistent!)
Head: 16 inches. 10th percentile (I am okay with small head babies)
He also had to get his shots, poor guy. I forgot to give him Tylenol first, too, so he is pretty grumpy. I have to say though, he handled the first shot like a pro. Didn't cry or anything. It was the second one that did him in. I think it was just too cruel to handle.

We put him in 3-6 month clothes today, which was momentous. AND, we get to start feeding him real food! Well, real baby food, anyway. Nothing cuter than a messy faced baby, huh? That's what I think! So I made sure to take some photos!

He really seemed to like it, once he figured out it was food. I don't blame him for wondering. Rice cereal isn't my favorite, either. Notice Jason's death grip on his hands. He tends to try to shove them into his mouth every chance he gets. Thumbsucking- I hate you.

Aww- so cute! I was strangely super excited to feed him! I mean, it's messy and he wasn't that excited but I was just grinning away like an idiot.

Notice the blurred arms. He is such a squirmy kid! Like the bib? I know I do! (Emily, I think Gabe should be a pirate puppy when he grows up. Just sayin')


I guess he didn't like the feel of all that goop on his face, because he cleaned it up all by his lonesomes! Either that or tried to eat the bib. I am going with cleaning because I am sure Finn is a genius, and because I am hoping he will be a neat freak and clean all day long while I read. Sounds good, no? Yeah, I am the luckiest mom in the world!
And to end, a video of Finn ALMOST laughing. He was laughing really good until we pulled out the camera...