Meet Joe

... the happy talking flower who loves sing, have his picture taken, and eat lots of green playdough for food. He prefers green light sabers and is not afraid of his new pal, Scruffy (the dog), and he thinks everything is so funny.

 

I enjoyed seeing him meticulously roll all the little balls of playdough at preschool, and he refused to leave until he was done.  I love Finley's imagination.

Birthday Boy #1

Honestly, I can't believe I have a 4 year old. It's really quite crazy I think. There are days when it's hard, but for the most part, I love my little guy. He really is the sweetest thing alive and I love being able to watch him grow up.

To my little Finn:

1. I love that you love having me tickle your back & arms when we snuggle on the couch. 

2. I love your crazy european hair, even when daddy thinks it's too long and needs a trim.

3. I love your big big eyes & pouty lips. Though everyone seems to think you are the spitting image of your dad, these two features come from me.

4. I laugh when you fake cry over something and you stick your pouty lips out and force them to quiver for added emphasis.

5. I love that you are such a good friend and that you will play (for the most part) with anyone - even your little sister who sometimes annoys you.

6. I love that you tell Berlin that she must share her snacks & treats with you, but somehow the rules change when she asks you to share with her. Hmmm.

7. I love your imagination and the silly games & stories you make up and share with me.

8. I love sitting with you at breakfast and listening to you tell me about your dreams.

9. I love it when you say prayers and how personal you make them.

10. I love that you and Bentley are buddies and that you love to throw the ball for him & play with him.

11. I love the silly songs you sing & hum all day (thanks to dad for creating such fun songs).

12. I envy your memory and your ability to remember the most minute details that I have often overlooked.

13. I love how blanky & scruffy are your dearest possessions - still. 

14. I love that you love to snuggle & read books with me.

15. You melt my heart when I walk into a room to find you playing tea-party with Berlin, or sharing your star wars paraphenelia with her, destroying monsters, sword fighting, cooking in the kitchen, reading her books - even the girly princess ones, and more. She may not tell you, but you are the BEST brother and you are so sweet to her (most of the time).

16. You brighten my day when you run over & hug me immediately upon seeing me enter your preschool. I hope you'll always be that happy to see me - even when you're 20.

17. I love watching you try new things, like the way you jumped (literally) right into your tumbling class and have LOVED it ever since.

18. I love tromping around the backyard & field looking for monsters & bad guys to shoot. Discovering new bugs & worms as you help me weed the flower garden and plant new flowers.

19. I love it when you say that dad is your bestest friend. Then mommy, then Berlin. I pray that never changes.

20. I love hearing you shout, "Hey mom! I went poo on the potty!" It's music to my ears.

Birthday Boy #2

We celebrated Finn's bday all weekend long with family & friends.  But before the celebrations could begin, he knew he had to be happy during his soccer game. Ryan said he pouted a little during the warm-up practice, but was awesome and enthusiastic once the game started. His team even sang "Happy Birthday" to him after the game.

He had a Star Wars party with 5 of his friends and despite having to move the party inside (thanks to cold, wind & heavy rain), it was so much fun.  I had attempted an r2-d2 cake (3-d of course), but after frosting the entire thing, the head cracked. I even tried holding it together with uncooked spaghetti noodles. No go. So after consulting with Ryan, into the trash it went and out came the chocolate cupcakes. Of course, I'm not to be outdone by a cake so I plan on making another one this week just to prove to myself I can do it. Silly me, I know.

Finley also had a small dinner party with just my family. The best part was when he opened the small box of Clone Wars legos saying, "Lego droides! Ooooooh, it's just want I wanted, Thank you! I have been dreaming about these. Now I can complete my collection!"  What 4 year old talks like this? I totally loved it. I wish I had been filming on the Flip mino instead of just taking still camera shots. It was priceless.

Rainy Day Fun

So what do you do when you're bored and tired of the rain and just want something fun to do?

Dress up in costumes meant for your build-a-bear bunny (or atleast according to Finn).

Busy, Busy Weekend

This weekend was super busy. I had a boutique on Thursday that went REALLY well! A playdate with cousins at the library where we learned all about dinosaurs. A primary activity at the church history musuem. I went to the temple with Ryan and my family to see my sister Val go thru for the first time. Bday parties, soccer games, church, and a couple family dinners. Needless to say, we are all super tired and a bit cranky today as we finally get a chance to catch our breath and relax (is cleaning house relaxing???). Anyhoo - I needed a break so here I am blogging.

Here are all the cousins on my side of the family, together for dinner at my sister's house. It was so much fun watching them run & play together. I really really really wish that someday everyone will move closer to us (I know, I know, I'm so selfish *smile*).