Mismatch pictures

Self Portrait. Love my little girl!
Tyler, Amanda and Finn. Finn adores his family and everynight in his prayers he asks Heavenly Father to bless each one by name. He is always coming up to us and saying, "I love my family!"
How do you get food on your eyebrows?
At Cabella's the other night. What a trapper!

Halloween dress rehearsal

So, these costumes are not the most original (Cam and Syd Rossi were the exact same thing last year) but they are zero effort and SO DANG CUTE!! I was going to put Neelah in Finn's old Tigger costume but then I found this Piglet that Amy so generously donated to us and VOIALA! Instant Halloween Costumes! Finn asks to put his costume on almost every day and yesterday while I was at work, Ya-ya decided to pass the time by doing just that. I am so glad she did since these are the greatest pictures!

ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS! If you look close enough, you can see her two bottom teeth!
We almost never get good smiles from this kid anymore. I wonder, did Ya-ya bribe him?
Our little Neelah can sit by herself now she is getting so big! Sometimes it only lasts for 30 seconds, others for a few min. She loves being able to participate in what Finn is doing.

365 x 3= you do the math!

A toddlers birthday isn't complete unless all the kids help unwrap presents. Felicity and Camden were the best helpers although Keaton really did want to play with the toy that he got Finn. By the way Melissa, Love the Koala Bro's Bingo. He can play it by himself and it isn't too noisy. Thanks! Even though I specified in the invitations, "no gifts please" everyone was so generous. We were really glad to have all of you who were able to come. It wasn't too big of a party but it was great fun! Thanks to all!

So you may think that we are cheap parents but this backpack was all Eric and I got Finn for his bday. The kid has enough crap as it is! He is always seeing his friend Gracie with her backpack and asking for one. It is really nice since now he can haul his own stuff wherever he wants to go and I don't have to try to cram it in the diaper bag which is always already overflowing. It was a big hit!
I decided to do cupcakes instead of cake. Finn said that he wanted them red but after putting about half the bottle of red food coloring in the batter, it was still only neon pink. Oh well.
This face says, I don't like it, but that isn't what really happened. He ate every speck of the frosting and about a third of the cupcake. Yum! Check out the spooky spider made with sprinkles! Thanks Ya-ya for all your patience in making these cupcakes so dang cute!

Happy Spiderman Birthday!

Here is my little Spiderman! Too bad he can't see out of the eye holes! I got a Spiderman theme in lou of the Halloween season and as soon as I opened the box with all the party stuff, Finn whined that he wanted THOMAS! Figures.
Gabe, Keaton, Finn, Felicity, Reagan and Averie
At first Finn was way freaked out about these things but then he caught on. People were asking me why they didn't make any noise, DUH! I am not stupid people, 10 kids running around with bazooka sounding things? Why would I purposefully give myself a migrane?!

And the Pinata! Good thing Camden brought his bat, otherwise we might have had to use a broom. I didn't think that far in advance. Apparently, Cam doesn't go anywhere without his bat. He was very kind to give everyone a turn although he really was the pro at hitting the Spiderman bust. The kid is a natural. Finn kept swinging like he was golfing, what does that say about his future as a baseball player?

Scarecrow Festival 2007

Since today was the most GORGEOUS October day, we took playgroup to Thanksgiving Point where they had the Scarecrow Festival. The best part about it...WE GOT IN FREE!! I love Military Appreciation Day!! It really is the only good thing about the ARMY since we haven't gotten paid in 3 weeks! Who gets away with that crap? The US Government does I guess. Anyhow, above is Reagan and Finn inside the bouncy house.
Here we are riding the train. Finn, Reagan and Felicity. This was one of the highlights of the day. We all know how much Finn loves his trains!
So that pic was in front of me and this one is behind me. We have our other playgroup friends Courtney with her 2 daughters and Brittany with her two daughters. Unfortunately, you can't see Gracie behind Kinnley.
These goats were so friendly! They just wanted some treats from us but they only got the kids little fingers to lick.
Finn did find a stray piece of hay that he is feeding this one.

It was such a great way to spend the day!

Copy Cat

So Brittany just published a post about 5 quirks she has. I LOVED IT! It made me laugh out loud. I have decided that I will do the same even though most of those who read my blog already know these things about me.
1. Just like a child needs his pacifier or blanky for comfort, I need my DRINK. Normally, my drink is Coke but not always. When I was pregnant with my kids, Coke was the nastiest tasting thing ever so I found alternatives. My DRINK has to have ice and I prefer a straw. I get mad at Eric when he drinks from my drink even though I almost always waste half of whatever it is I have in my cup. I don't want to drink it all, I just need to know it is there if I WANTED to drink it!

2. I eat chocolate in bed before falling asleep. I usually have some sort of treat in my nightstand and I know that some of you are freaking out about not having my teeth squeaky clean before going to bed but I am just being real here. My mom eats (and always has since I can remember) potato chips before falling asleep. Like mother like daughter. I wonder what Neelah will choose as her pre-bedtime snack.

3. I never listen to my voice mail. Usually there are at least 6 messages from 3 days prior before I listen.

4. Just before falling asleep, when I am really tired, I get a little giddy. I think this really freaked Eric out when we were first married. I giggle at the lamest things and want to wrestle or tickle him. It always used to happen at sleepovers with my friends and now it's all Eric.

5. I am a sucker for Grey's Anatomy. Even though this show is NOTHING like a real hospital, I love it. It kills me when I see the "interns" give suppositories or take blood. Like that EVER happens in real life. Nurses do all the work, are they kidding me?!

Party Week at our house

This week both Eric and Finn's birthdays came and went. Finn's on the 7th and Eric's on the 9th. The next few pics are of the cake celebration tonight with the Watson's. Isn't this the most precious picture of Grandma Sharlene and Neelah?
The countdown to candle-blow-out! April made a yummy strawberry cake and brought it over for us to enjoy. How thoughtful, thanks April! She even wrote "happy birthday" in Chinese.
Grandpa Rick, Amanda, Nate, April, Tyler, Grandma Sharlene, Eric and Finn.
Eric eating his cake and Finn getting ready to eat something else. SICK!! I have no control over that.

ITS MY PARTY!!

Finn came down Sunday morning to wake Eric and I up. He promptly reminded us that it was his birthday and that he was 3 YEARS OLD! We had a little birthday breakfast celebration complete with smiley face pancakes (thanks Ya Ya) and party hats. We are so proud of our little boy! He is so smart and funny and (mostly) sweet! I love that I can ask for a kiss and without argument, I get one! I know that I shouldn't expect that to last from my little boy but I will cherish it for as long as I can get it!
Here we are with our Thomas Tank Engine Conductor hats! A birthday party isn't a party without HATS!!
Do you think my son has a Thomas obsession?
We couldn't leave Neelah out of the party hat fun, now could we? She was a great sport about wearing the hat. We love that she sits in her little chair and can join us at the table these days.

Makes me cry...

Here is Miss Neelah sitting up by herself. Granted, about 3 seconds after this was snapped, she fell over but it was a great effort!

This video is of Finn singing Do As I'm Doing. He learned it in Nursery last Sunday. When I called home to chat, he got on the phone and sang it to me. It made me cry!! I am so proud of my little boy! He learns SO QUICKLY and is so smart! I love that he is learning so much in Nursery. He comes home each week and the Nursery sisters tell us that he is getting better and better each week. For a while there, he would play too rough with the other kids. It didn't help that our church block is right during naptime. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this video as much as I did. Check out Neelah doing her best to sit up by herself! She is growing up WAY TOO FAST!! 6 months old already!

a day at the museum

So this blog is totally messed up and backwards but I am too lazy to fix it. You will have to read below to get the whole story behind theses pictures... Finn and Gracie reading books.
This is how Neelah kept herself busy while the kiddies were off playing. Maybe she was playing peek-a-boo?

Another picture of the dress up costumes. Finn kept brushing this out of his face like it was Repunzel's long hair or something.
The other day we went with our freinds the Prudens to the Childrens Museum. Mom bought a membership for all of the family I we need to take more advantage of it. Here are Finn and Grace with the flowers they picked from the garden. Grace is Finn's favorite church friend.
This isn't a very good pic but it is of the two of them rowing away in the rowboat.

Finn is about ready to whack himself in the face with the oar
Now Grace is a big dress up fan. She located these "costumes" and they both went to town. Grace is a shark (unfortunately, you can't see her back) and Finn is wearing some sort of bird outfit. Why is he wearing it on his head you ask? Well when I asked him why he replied, "I am a costume" "I am going to WORK!" Then that afternoon he wanted to wear his Winnie the Pooh costume all afternoon. It was all about the costume. I don't know that he grasps the concept completely but he has fun reguardless. That is all that matters. I love Grace's pose here. She is quite the drama queen.

Family Time

Here is my cute family! Post bath, watching Monday night football! I love looking at this picture.This picture says so much. In the video below you can see just how happy she is to get her ENTIRE foot in her mouth! Doesn't she have the most amazing blue eyes? Can I sound like a more proud parent?

Putting your foot in your mouth...

Another day older...

This pic was taken today, the day after my bday bash! Unfortunately, there are no real photo's of the party since I wasn't about to document my own party. I am always the one behind the camera and when I don't take pictures, they don't really get taken. However, I am wearing the new necklace and earrings that the Watson's gave me, LOVE THEM! And the party was a hit. We had food and best of all, CARROT cake!! Just a chill night with the fam! What better way to start off my last year in my 20's! Finn told me all day long that it was my birthday party. He even carried around the candles for the cake for like 2 hours asking when it would be time to put them on the cake. He was more excited about the cake than even I was, and did I mention it was CARROT CAKE??? (my favorite!)

Touches my heart...

You were generals in the War in Heaven and one day when you are in the
spirit world, you will be enthralled by those you are associated with.
You will ask someone in which time period they lived and you might hear,
"I was with Moses when he parted the Red Sea," or "I helped build the
pyramids'" or "I fought with Captain Moroni." And as you are standing
there in amazement, someone will turn to you and ask you which of the
prophets' time did you live in? And when you say "Gordon B. Hinkley" a
hush will fall over every hall and corridor in Heaven, and all in
attendance will bow at your presence. You were held back six thousand
years because you were the most talented, most obedient, most
courageous, and most righteous.

Elder Boyd K. Packer

This quote from Boyd K Packer really inspires me. It makes me want to get out of the crappy mood that I am in and be the person I came to Earth to be. It makes it easier to look at the bigger picture and not focus on the hurt feelings or annoyances of daily life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, I hope it inspires and uplifts you as much as it does me.

Check out my underwear!!

Today I was on the phone with Brinn and it was quiet. Not good. I called out to Finn to find out where he was and he says, I'm going POTTY! Yipeee, he went in there all by himself and did his thing. I love it!! But the newest development is that he can put his underwear and shorts back on by himself. He came out of the bathroom looking like this. Now you can't really tell that his shorts are on backwards but here he is showing you "Diego" in front. We have a longstanding argument in this house about how Diego goes on his BUM! He wants to be able to see Diego and not just the Jaguar's that are on the front. Needless to say, it took me 10 mins of arguing to get him to put his underpants and shorts on right.
How cute are the thigh rolls!! Since Finn was showing off his underwear, I didn't want Neelah to be jealous and since she sucks on her dress all day long, it was a perfect shot. I love the quilt here that Jen made for Neelah! Neelah loves to look at the colors and tries to pick up the polka dots.

One Lovely Fall Evening

Last night we went for a walk. It was a gorgeous night and I even put a sweater on Neelah...a SWEATER folks, can you believe it? We didn't make it far since Finn insisted on ramming the dogs with his bike. Not to mention my heels...how dumb am I for walking in front of him?

I for sure got rammed taking this photo.

choo choo video!