Getting ready for the Holiday

After several attempts, we finally got our "Family Christmas picture." Things have been busy and we are buckling down under a winter storm warning as we speak. What better time of year to get 15" of snow than Christmas Eve? We wish all of our friends and family a very merry christmas and will be missing those who we cannot be with this year. I will update again soon as this year should be even more exciting for Finn!

Happy Holidays

Thanksgiving with a visit from grandpa

I figured I better add some updated pictures before it's Christmas. My dad was here over the Thanksgiving holiday and we couldn't have had more fun! Finn loved playing with his glasses and also loved sharing "special treats" with him (like ice cream and pie) while he was here. I'm so glad he came not only because he's a great grandpa he's also a GREAT handyman. It was hard to make him stop finding fix-it projects and relax. But I must say Finn was even curious enough to try and help him a bit.

Fall and our "Ferocious Lion"

Fall came all too quickly this year and actually didn't even really happen at all except for maybe a day here and a day there. But I have to remind myself, I do live in North Dakota. We did however manage to find some time to visit a local pumpkin patch and get in the seasonal spirit! Finn may have been more interested in the slide they had on site than the pumpkins, but we had fun.

For Halloween this year Finn was a Lion and all month long we had been practicing his "lion voice" with him so that when the time came, he would be ready. Should have known, when your dealing with a 17 month old, he didn't even want to wear the costume. :) His cousin showed up as a super hero which suits him well since the joke in our family is that Noah truly is a "super baby." Meaning we have yet to hear him fuss, whine, or complain about ANYTHING. Just a bit different from our Finn filled world. But costumes aside, even though there was no candy or trick-or-treating involved, Finn did get to have some of Grandpas home made apple crisp. Doesn't get much better than that!

Indian Summer

A date with Finn

With summer weather winding down, I decided to pack up the bike, trailer, lunch and Finn and head to Turtle River State park to spend the morning enjoying the sun! We hit a couple of hiccups along the way, Finn deciding to dump out ALL of his goldfish bag, the chain coming off of the bike and taking nearly an hour to fix it all. But all in all I haven't enjoyed scenery or weather like that in a looong time and haven't been so relaxed in awhile so I would say my date with Finn was a hit and i can definitely affirm to the fact that he is my little explorer BOY!

Dancin' @ the zoo

Colorado fun

We recently were able to take Finn on his first plane trip to visit friends and family in Colorado. It was very busy as my Dad and Betty FINALLY tied the knot and that meant plenty of new faces. The weather was oddly cool while we were there but overall it was a GREAT trip and one we hope we can continue to make every summer. Here are some of our pictures as there were lots of "firsts" for Finn on this trip. His first airport, trip to the zoo, haircut, his first slide experience and possibly his first word. My dad swears he said mustache while chatting with him through a dinner one night :)

Water park fun

Ketchup anyone??

I should have known better...the love of ketchup runs in the family! For years I have given Josh a hard time about not only the unbelievable amount of ketchup he eats, but what he will eat it with. Needless to say, Finn had some ketchup with his dinner tonight and I'm not sure what he ate more of...ketchup or tater tots? I guess the answer lies in the pictures and all I could do was plop him in the bath afterwards:)

small steps

get ready world...here I come

Daddy Daycare

Every Sat. is Daddy Daycare and as you can see, Finn LOVES it!  The weather is finally cooperating so Josh and Finn got to spend a lot of time outside yesterday.  But since we don't have a pool, Josh decided to make due with what he called a "redneck pool." A cooler filled with water sure seemed fun as they were able to blow bubbles, splash, and get wet! Another fun filled Saturday with many more to come! Thanks Daddy Daycare!

Yet another Finn first...

A day of firsts...

Finn was opening his first gift of the evening and was of course more interested in the wrapping paper than what was actually inside. But much to his surprise it was a parachute which he was so excited about!  Lots of fun with nana for years to come I'm sure!

 And although we couldn't get him to "play" with his cake, he still managed to get some in his hair!! He also got his first radio flyer wagon from nana and papa and we can't wait to put it to good use with all this great weather we've been having. One birthday down and so many more to look forward to! And of course as with any good party comes a good mess!