Finnean

 

This kid.  He is something else.  He has my heart.  He makes me laugh out loud multiple times a day.  Just the stuff he comes up with, you never know what is going to come next.  He is full of energy and loves to play just about any kind of sport.  He would spend most of his time outside, all day everyday if we let him.  On the other hand, he loves to craft and draw and build Legos.  He has been coming up with some pretty cool Lego designs lately.  He loves to read and look at books.  He has been making "books" at preschool during writing time.  It is pretty cute to see what he creates, they are all about superheros!  He is into ninjas and being a spy lately.  His mind is always coming up with something fun for him and Hutchinson to do.  They are always teaming up on adventures.  Finnean gets so sad when Hutchinson doesn't want to play along.  He is still a pretty picky eater but does surprise us with tearing up a meal or two every now and then.  We are pretty sure that he is growing an inch a week.  I can't get over how long his legs are getting.  We really need to measure him!

 

 Preschool Update: Ms. Margaret said that he is doing really great and she thinks he knows how to read some words already.  She said that he is writing words by sounding them out but the best thing that she told me about school is that he is so kind to his friends.  I emailed her to make sure that he wasn't back talking and being disrespectful (like at home) and she said that he is far from it.  There is a little boy that is very trying and a lot of the friends get upset with him but Ms. Margaret said that Finnean is always so kind and sweet to him, even when everyone else is exhausted.  My heart just swelled up.  I am so thankful that he is kind.  That is probably one of my most important goals as a parent, to make sure that the boys are kind.  I am so glad that he is thriving at school.  He really loves his friends and it is so cute to hear about his day.

 

Finnean is in full force of trying to figure out what it means to be (almost) five.  We are learning about a lot these days.  Parenting is hard.  Being (almost) five is hard.  We will get it figured out, it just might take us a little while!  He can be so naughty and just a few minutes later he is just so full of love.  He gives the best hugs and loves to snuggle still (YES!!!).  I am so thankful that he still wants to snuggle up.  I can't believe that he will be FIVE in just a few months.  I am excited to see what the next year brings for this big guy but I am thankful that I get to soak him up right now.   And keep him little for just a little while longer. 

 

I love these shoes.  He just looks like an old kid here...see what I mean about his legs!?

Chucks and Trucks.
Finding and hot wheel of some sort is one of the first things he does when he gets home from school. 

A momma dog and a baby dog made by Finnean.

About two minutes before this, he was insisting that he "wasn't tired" and that he "couldn't sleep."  Then it got really quiet and I found him fast asleep.  Most days he doesn't take a nap but sometimes I just think it is too much for him.  I love that he looks so little here.  I know he is almost five but he is always going to be my sweet first born. 

Hutchinson

This boy has my heart.  He is so sweet and his tiny little voice is so darn cute.  He is getting a little feisty and is exploring what his personality should be like.  He LOVES to explore the world around him and loves to hang with his momma.  I feel like he is just a really fun age,  not too sassy and still really sweet!  I am just trying to soak up everything about him.   His long, crazy hair.  His sweet little cheeks that are still perfectly chubby.  His little hands that are always covered in dirt from driving Hotwheels around.  His tiny voice that kept saying "mo' leaf?" today on our walk, as he picked up every leaf we passed.   His little legs that are so tiny but prefect for his little frame.  His eyes, oh those eyes.  They are so brown and just have a way of melting my heart.   Or maybe it's the long lashes... those really get me.   I want to remember his sweet smile and his awesome grumpy face.  I can't keep a straight face when puts on the grumpy face.   I feel like it is my job to soak him up at this very age.  I just want him to stay little for a while longer.  

Today we set out on the trail for some exploring.  The weather is over the top beautiful right now.   The sun keeps your skin warm when the morning is chilly.   The leaves are just starting to fall.   Everything is about to get crazy beautiful, only like Iowa can do it.  Stay tuned for plenty of pictures from our fall adventures.   It just might be the most wonderful time of the year. For now, here is our little adventure from today or as I like to call it : today's work.

ISU fan fest

   At the end of August (we had a lot go on in August, thus the super slow blogging about it) we headed to Ames on a scorcher of a day for ISU Fan Fest.  It was SO FUN!  Finnean played softball, tennis, volleyball and basketball on the floor of Hilton Coliseum and even got to play with some of the ISU athletes!  He hit a round of mini golf before we headed outside to sweat it out! 

The highlight of the day was the obstacle course that the football team had set up.  Michael did a great job of capturing Finnean running through it.  The best part...he got to tackle REAL ISU football players at the end...

...before catching a touchdown pass from one of them.  Needless to say, they made this little Cyclone fan's day. 

This was the shot from my angle...I love his determination!  He looks so tiny but so mighty!

Hutchinson didn't do any tackling, he just played it cool. :) 
We will definitely be going back next year!!

Off to a good start!

We spent the weekend at Lake Okoboji (more on that later) and being away can wear us out, leaving the start of the week up in the air for how it is going to go.  We took it easy on Sunday evening, so I think that helped.  And the Packers won, that always helps!  Here is what we have been up to for the past couple of days.

Yesterday afternoon we headed to the zoo for a little exploring.  It was cool and everyone is back to school, so we had the place to ourselves.   Finnean kept saying...where are all the people!?  It was also about 3:45 when we got there and they close at five---it was perfect!  Finnean was so excited to see find this tiny wallaby eating his supper!

He really wanted to get on the wallaby's level!

Oh my goodness, he was SO cute!  We spent a solid ten minutes just checking this little guy out.

One of the best parts of being a member at the zoo is Member Monday and that equals FREE TRAIN RIDES!!  The boys were so excited because the black engine was working today and it is usually the red one.  Every time we ride, Finnean wishes it was the red engine that would take us on a ride.  So with a round of CHOOO CHOOOOS, we were off!

O my.  These boys have stolen my heart.  Look at those smiles!  We had so much fun exploring and just being together. 

Holy huge cat.  The lion, Deuce, was being super playful and running around his home, chasing the ball.  The boys thought it was so awesome but when he stopped to look at us, they were both kind of scared.  I was too!  It was kind of terrifying to look right into his eyes and also kind of sad at the same time that he isn't out in the wild.  He didn't look mean though, he looked really playful and excited.  He was panting from all his running around and kind of reminded me of a dog and looked like he was saying, "hey guys...wanna play!?"  He is only two years old, so it was fun to see him playing.  It was definitely a highlight of our zoo trip!  

My heart.  This boy is something else.  He loves nature and loves finding things in nature.  He was so proud of this cool, HUGE leaf that he found.  We had to take it home, of course! :)  A little preschool update on this little man...he is doing great!  He loves it and says that he "stays busy" while he is at school.  He is learning his friend's names and I found out today that some of his friends are struggling with listening at school.  I asked his teacher if Finnean was in that group and she said he is far from being in that group and is a really great listener!  YES! I am so thankful (that for now) he is a good listener at school.  He sometimes struggles with that at home...so it is nice to know that he listens to someone else! :)  I has started wearing his new jeans and tennis shoes to school with the weather change...ahhhhh!  I don't know if I can handle him looking so old.  He is something else. 

  

After all that exploring and a church meeting, I met up with a sweet friend (hey, Shelby!!) for a much needed mom's night out.  Dos Rios was the perfect spot for our date.  We sat on the patio and enjoyed the cool night while having some seriously delicious food!  Bacon and chorizo corn chowder, I mean come on!  It was so tasty and I wish that I knew how to make it.  I think that is going to be my fall cooking challenge!  The goal of Mom's night out is to talk about whatever we want to and recharge our batteries.  It was absolutely perfect. 

These boys!!  Please don't let their cuteness fool you, they are seriously up to no good.  A few minutes before they were being so cute at breakfast, Finnean got Hutchinson OUT OF HIS CRIB!  I am not sure how Finnean could even get him out.  Needless to say, I was very surprised when I heard TWO sets of feet pattering up the stairs this morning.  I am guessing this is just the beginning of their teamwork shenanigans. 

Today was glorious!  Rained off and on ALL day.  I can't remember the last time it was gloomy, so we soaked up some craft time this afternoon.  We had a kit from Kiwi Crate from a long time ago and finally got around to doing it.  It had all of the supplies to make a Space Mobile.  The boys thoughts it was SO cool to paint the stars, moons and planets.  It is now proudly hanging in our living room.  The boys just sat and looked at it for about 15 minutes after we finished it!  Hutchinson did a great job painting.  It is so cool to see his little fine motor skill developing and improving.  He did try to lick the paint brush a few times...silly boy!

While Hutchinson put any color, any where...Finnean was very deliberate about his painting.  It was neat to watch him decide which color he wants and then carefully paint it.  He would wait for that side to dry and then start over on the other side.  He loved that it kit came with glitter paint.  He added that to a lot of his work after the paint had dried.  Everyone needs a little sparkle, right?  We had a lot of fun and shared many giggles.  The fact that we have some new art in our living room is just a bonus!

I love the way the cool, fall air turns your cheeks pink when you are outside.  We went for a walk after dinner tonight and then spent the next hour playing football.  It is so cute to see Finnean make up plays or get excited when he makes an awesome catch.  Hutchinson even said "Hey Momma, play foo-ball?"  It was a perfect way to spend the evening.  Michael was on the road today and got back later than normal.  We were outside we he got home and it is so fun to hear the boys' squeals of excitement when he pulls in.  Michael added just another reason of why he is such a good daddy, he immediately put down his stuff and joined our football game-dress clothes and all. 

Hutchinson doesn't have quite as long of an attention span for football as Finnean, so he played with the dump truck, the "t ball" AKA tennis ball and spent some time being a cowboy.  His hat matched his track suit quite well! :)  It was a great way to wrap up our fun day.

  

PELLA!

We had an awesome weekend filled with family and friends. The weather here is absolutely perfection right now and we didn't have a lot planned...that always makes for some fun adventuring.  I will get that post up and going soon.  Here is a look back from a couple weekends ago when headed to Pella.

 

We try to meet up with Grandma and Poppa every once in a while in Pella.  We love George's Pizza and it is about half way in between.  We always seem to get there around Michael's birthday, this year we were a couple weeks late.  We had a great dinner and then went for our normal walk around the square.  Finnean chased squirrels and Hutchinson giggled.  We threw pennies and thanks to Grandma, we had some to throw.  The boys even pose for a picture, of course, Grandma and Poppa had Pella cookies for them...so that helped with getting them to stand still!  Finnean had a football and Hutchinson had a lion.  If you don't know what cookies I am talking about...drive to Pella and get yourself some! They are TASTY!

This picture cracks me up.  Finnean and Hutchinson have some interesting faces and Michael's shirt is covered in stickers BUT it was real life! :)

Bloomfield Fun!

Here is the run down on our Bloomfield Adventure in late August! 

Hutchinson was much more excited than his face suggests.  He LOVES going to Granma and Poppas but I can't get over that face.  He has been perfecting his grumpy face lately!  Soooo...I got a ladder out of a dumpster!  We went to Finnean's story time for preschool a few weeks ago and I noticed it in the trash on the way in.  Long story short, I texted Kelcee, she told me to DO IT and yada, yada, yada...we have a ladder in our living room.  It is freaking awesome and the perfect green.  Someone told me last night that they regularly see ladders like it for $100 at antique stores!  YES!  It is like I MADE money on digging in the dumpster.  Funny thing is, the first day of school Finnean tells Michael, "Hey Dad!  That is where Mommy got our ladder!"  We are going to be "that" family at school, hope he doesn't tell his friends!   After our awesome find, we headed to Bloomfield.  Michael was out of town for an extended period of time, so we packed up and headed for some Southern Iowa fun!  The boys spent most of their time reading books, playing Legos and of course, making laps around the living room with the dump trucks!  We also got to see Grandpa Stevie and the most awesome moon rise ever and we lunched with Grandpa Delbert, Aunt Mary and Sheridan.  It was so nice to get to visit with so many family members on our trip!



Friday morning we headed out for a little Amish Country adventure.  We hit the bakery and scored some yummy cinnamon rolls and stopped at the discount store to get some bulk goods.  I am attempting to make "healthy" granola bars for the boys! Then we headed to the Amish Auction.  Man, I wish I knew how they worked a little more.  They were sell sweet corn for 50 cents a DOZEN!!!  It is so neat to watch the process and this fall I am going to get me some mums there!  You in, Lisa?! The boys loved seeing the ponies and Finnean found some treasure (a super old ruler).  We ate fresh donuts and took inventory of all the yummy produce they had.  It is a neat environment and I can't wait to go back this fall!

 

All of that exploring made us hungry so we headed to "Grandma's restaurant" AKA Oasis in Bloomfield for lunch.  Finnean thinks that it is Grandma's, maybe because we only go their with Grandma?!  They boys actually ate their lunch so they got some ice cream! Crazy kids.



That evening we headed up to the square for Meet the Mustangs.  I did this when I was in high school, so it was fun to take the boys.  It is basically a  huge community pep rally for the fall sports.  We picnicked on the courthouse lawn and sang the fight song.  They got to play carnival games...thanks, Grandma!  Finnean loved seeing the football players and Hutchinson LOVED the band.  They preformed with the color guard and he was amazed by the flags!  They even had free sno cones, perfect for a warm, summer night!  And you just can't beat the sun setting on that beautiful courthouse.  We headed back to Ankeny late that night, as you can see the boys were PUMPED to go for a ride...

Thankfully they did go to sleep just outside of Ottumwa!  It made for a nice quiet ride home! They were so wound up because they just had a huge case of the giggles with Poppa.  I came out of the bathroom and the three of them were almost rolling on the floor because they were laughing so hard.  It was priceless!



Rooooooaaaaar!

These boys are the best.  We were on our way home from the grocery store and they launched into being dinosaurs.  They roared and I giggled all the way home!  My job rocks and somedays I can't believe I even get to do it everyday.  These are the days that get me through the really hard days!

Murphy's Backyard Bash!

At the end of August Kelcee and Matt had their annual backyard party.  Goodness, they throw a crazy awesome party.  The food was amazing, individual sangrias in mason jars, a carnival-like fishing game with prizes for the boys, bubbles galore, stickers, homebrew, good conversation and did I mention the food?  It was a sticky evening but we didn't care because it was so nice to soak up their beautiful backyard!  It was a great night with friends!  Thanks, Murphys!

This boy had a blast!  He was enjoying some popcorn snack...isn't that smile just awesome!

Hutchinson does this cute little thing that he is doing in the picture.  He loves giving Michael and me a hug at the same time.  He comes up to you with his arms spread way out and says "huggg!" We were thankful that our camera was handy and Cory snapped a picture for us!  Love this tiny little man and the big one too!

The Murphy's have this awesome bubble recipe and it makes ridiculously big bubbles...check out Michael's monster of a bubble!

Sign of a good party...passed out and covered in glow sticks!  He had so much fun and ran around for the entire night!  He fell asleep before we got home...doesn't he look so old!!

 

Back to School!

We headed to Finnean's Open House on August 29th.  He did a great job and didn't seem nervous at all.  He seemed like an old pro.  Walked right in and put his things away.  He talked to the teacher, which I am pretty sure he didn't do last year and looked around.  He said he really liked his new room!  Aren't the boys cute in their matching green shorts!?

 

He picked out his clothes and of course, had to wear his Thursday monster unders!



I LOVE this picture!  He looks SO happy and just so darn excited.  Not to mention how stinking old he looks!  The pilot thing is new.  We have watched this All About Airplanes video a few times (while he recovered from the tonsillitis) and it has him hooked on flying!  I just can't get over the cuteness here! 

 

He was so excited to get to school and hang out with his friends!  He didn't miss a beat with being gone the first couple days.  His teacher said that he had a great day and had a lot of fun!  I know he will do great but I just worry about him.  What will be the challenges for him this year?  In what areas will he have success?  I know we just have to help him along but it is hard to be without him each morning.  I didn't cry but goodness, my heart was definitely sad!

"Where FiFi? Where FiFi? Where FiFi"
Hutchinson was so sad that he didn't get to stay and paint with FiFi on the first day of school.  We headed to the library and he had a great time at story time.  You can definitely tell that he misses his big bro.  It will be an adjustment for all of us!  I am excited to get to spend some one on one time with little H! :)

Tonsillitis...on the first day of school!?

Sometimes things just don't go according to our plan. Finnean woke up on Sunday and was beat.  We thought he was just wiped from the day before but he slept for the entire day.  9 am to 5 pm!!  He had a little fever, so we just let him rest and then he slept all night.  Yesterday he was fine and we picnicked and then the neighbors came over for an easy dinner.  The boys played but nothing to exhausting but right before bed Finnean said that his throat hurt when he swallowed.  It hurt for good reason, Michael looked and said it looks like he has a canker sore on his throat.  I looked and his tonsils were HUGE and covered in little blisters...obviously Michael doesn't have any experience with swollen tonsils ;)  We gave him some Tylenol and he was down for the night.  We were SUPPOSED to be getting good sleep so he could go to preschool in the morning but instead we were off to Urgent Care. 

Thankfully we didn't have to wait and Finnean was seen quickly.  They did a strep test (which is THE WORST!) and confirmed it wasn't strep.  The doctor said all kinds of things can cause tonsillitis and let's try some antibiotics.  The part that is the scariest...he said Finnean is REALLY, SUPER contagious and said that about five times.   So here's to hoping we all don't get sick and to a quick recovery.  He just wants to go to school, hopefully he can go on Thursday!