The Finn Chronicles

Out With the Old and In With the New

2012-01-09T19:46:00.005-06:00

Our little man is growing up. Quickly- might I add.

About a month ago on our regular trip to the dentist our hygenist informed us Sean had(has) two loose teeth. WHAT? I guess I wasn't prepared for that at all. My son is four- for at least 10 more days! I thought kids lost teeth at five or six. Okay, so completely in denial about my aging baby we began talking to him about loosing teeth and what exactly happens. We prepared him, his teachers at preschool, his Mimi and Poppy and sure enough the tooth became verrrrrrrrrry loose!

This past weekend (Saturday the 7th) when he crawled in the back seat of the car I thought I was staring at a bulldog. His tooth was pointing nearly 90degrees straight out of his mouth. So I called on the only dentist I really trust- my father. Okay, he's not really a dentist, but he is really good at helping teeth fall out. Afterall, he plucked my first tooth out of my mouth! Two little tries later it was out! Sean was proud as a peacock! The tooth fairy visited that evening and left $5.00 (since Poppy informed Sean that was the going rate- thanks Dad!)

Funny thing is, Marlee's first tooth poked through the surface that exact same day. Out with the old and in with the new. Sean told me that the Tooth Fairy takes all the kids' teeth and grinds them up and sprinkles them on babies so their teeth grow too. Makes perfect sense to me!

Everyone Remembers Their First Kiss

2012-01-09T14:01:00.006-06:00

My beautiful girl Marlee is now nearly 9 months old. She's growing like a weed, full of personality and is like two peas in a pod with her brother.

Last week she did the most amazing thing. She gave me my first kiss. Much like every morning, I was smothering her with kisses and asked her to give me one pointing to my lips. She leaned her head in, exhaled and rested her forehead on mine. Of course my heart started to cartwheel!

While she IS very interactive a lot of the time, this was the first on-demand show of major affection that i've witnessed from her yet. Don't be confused though. She is VERY picky about when and where she gives her kisses away. I've yet to be able to show her Daddy her new trick and usually get a slobbery hand to the face when I ask her to perform. I guess she's reserving her kisses for our quiet times.

Baby's Nursery

2011-02-20T08:26:00.004-06:00

I've been in love with the idea of a woodland themed nursery for some time now. Baby animals, outdoors, bright colors= 100% up my alley!

I'm about a quarter of the way done with the room and today we're going to finish up the basics- (cleaning and re-arranging).

Here are some of the inspirations for the room:

Of course I'll post the "after" pictures as well!

Busy as a Bee

2011-01-10T14:58:00.001-06:00

It's a snowy day in Tennessee! To make the most of our indoor time, I started a few projects that I NEEEED to get done. Little Man's birthday is just around the corner and we're pulling a "While You Were Out" on him. Here's a glimpse of a painting i'm doing. Uncle Mikie drew it while he was visiting last week and I started painting it today. Vrooooooom!

I also started sewing some fleece soakers (diaper covers) for little miss thing. She'll be here in a mere 3 months!! Here is a link to the pattern...it is fabulous and FREE!

Katrina's Sew Quick Soaker Pattern

Next i'm going to try some out of some wool sweaters. So stay tuned for more upcycling cuteness!

Whew- update!

2010-12-19T12:20:00.021-06:00

I can't believe it's been six months since we've posted something on this blog. Here's what we've been working on........

Baby Ultrasound Video - It's a girl!

Baby Ultrasound Video - Swallowing etc.

I think Sean is going to be a fabulous big brother. He is so thrilled! We've already been blessed with a wonderful son and can't believe we'll be meeting our new baby girl mid-April. The pregnancy has been going fairly smoothly (despite some killer heartburn these last few days). I'm planning on continuing to teach Stroller Strides as long as possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle for me and my girl. Keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer for us that things continue to go smoothly.

Here are a few pictures of Sean from the last few months. (BTW- all pictures have been updated in the sidebar. Please use pword finn to access them if prompted).

Watch out Atlas!

2010-06-30T09:41:00.005-05:00

Check out little man doing some eckersizes!

Camping A La Mode

2010-05-16T10:31:00.006-05:00

Here are some recent pictures from our first camping trip in our new camper. We camped locally at Cedars of Lebanon and celebrated my birthday. To say we are LOVING the extra room in this camper is an understatement. Can't wait til we retire and can do this full time!

PS- April 2010 pictures are now posted on Photobucket. You will need a password to access the pcitures, so if you don't have it, please email me and i'll send it to ya:)

Waaaaaaaay Behind!

2010-03-22T11:43:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been three months since we've updated the blog! Lots of things have happened and many memories have been made. Sean has been accepted at UT Knoxville...just kidding. We haven't missed THAT much time!

Cool goings on:
- Sean is now potty trained- woo hoo! He loves undies and visiting public restrooms (mom says this is payback from when I was little).
- we're still attending zoo class fairly regularly. Sean has become a little more shy in this class. Now he's the youngest in his class instead of the oldest. He loves the animals and sharing time with his buddy Hank:)

Favorite sayings:
- No way, Jose!
- ha-ha!
- hairplane = airplane (still)
- I need some privacy.

Favorite shows: Ni Hao Kai Lan, Dora
Biggest obstacle: sharing with ANYONE!

So...pictures are up to date- see the right hand column.
Stay tuned for more frequent updates!

2009-12-16T15:52:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Here come the holidays!!!

2009-12-02T12:48:00.009-06:00

SAY CHEESE! Pictures for October and November are now up! Check them out via the link to the side ->

Favorite Sean-isms:

Ungella- Umbrella

ABCD truck- UPS Truck

Favorite movies: Alvin and Chipmunks, Wal-e, Ice Age, Toy Story

Sean also visited the ocean for the first time this November. He LOVED the sand but thought the ocean waves were kinda scary. At our campsite we had several nightly visitors (armadillos and racoons). We had a wonderful trip and escaped the late tropical storm only by a few hours.

We had a great Thanksgiving with both families together -minus our brothers. Our good friend Paul shared Thanksgiving dinner with us too. It was nice to have our loved ones all together.

The Finns came down from IL and mom and dad (P) made the lengthy trip from Rutherford Lane- 3 miles away. All weekend the boys worked on our new porch. We're adding a roof over our deck...yay! Here comes the swing!

September Pictures are now UP!

2009-10-01T16:50:00.011-05:00

WOW! September was busy and to show for it we have several hundred pictures!

You can view them by clicking the link to the right------------>

A few favorite moments:

Sean's new favorite song is = Ghost Mustache (Ghost Busters)

Eligator = Elevator

Applesauce= Sean gave this name to the royal gramma fish we recently added to the tank

Favorite foods= hummus and pita chips, broccoli-(that is not a typo- yes it's broccoli)

Sean started attending a 6 week long zoo class put on by Nashville Zoo. He LOVEs this class and attends with his BFF Hank as well as other 2's in the area. In class they learn something new about the animals (how they smell, see, hear etc) and then get to meet some real live animals face to face. (Some days they even get to touch them.) After show-and-tell they have craft time, story time and snack time- all favorites of Sean! As a finale they all sing a "what we learned at the zoo today" song while holding hands. This is Sean's first exposure to a classroom setting and he absolutely loves it.

In September we went on several mini-vacations: our TRACEcation (a trip down the Natchez Trace with Mimi and Poppy), Cumberland Science Museum with Gma and Gpa Finn, free rides on the Mid South Live Steamers trains, a visit to the Hermitage and an overnighter in the Opryland Hotel. Sean thinks he could get used to being a tourist! A night or two after visiting the OH he said "I want to go back to my hotel!" Mommy does too kiddo!

August pictures are UP!

2009-09-23T16:22:00.003-05:00

Here are a few of our favorites!!!

July Pictures

2009-08-04T13:37:00.009-05:00

July was a fun month! A month full of family, swimming, hiking, bbq- just what summer is meant to be.

A few more words to add to Sean's dictionary:

Can I want some? = can I have some?

Can I twist it? = can I stir it?

Sassy sauce= a little girl at the park told him her mom puts hot sauce on her tongue if she's sassy. Sean would enjoy it too much for it to work in our household.

pepper sauce = ground black pepper

Mr. Donald's= McDonald's

Uncle Mino= El Camino (one of sean's favorite hot wheels)

Sean's favorite movie this month is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the most recent version)-I know-gasp! I am a big fan too as I think we've watched it 10-20 times this month alone- seriously! Sean loves the music and goes around singing..."willy wonka, willy wonka, willy wonka" AND the Augustus Gloop song. He likes the songs and dancing and I like Johnny Depp so it isn't a bad trade off for either of us. Stay tuned next month for our editorial post as we compare/contrast this version with the original.

Here are a few of our favorite July pictures!

From the Top of Mt. LeConte

2009-07-27T10:51:00.026-05:00

I could sum up our weekend trip to Mt. LeConte in one sentence: Great trails, great food, great views and great friends. With so many special memories to share it'd be a shame to stop there.
After work Friday, Bryan and I headed out to East Tennessee. Loving the fact that we loose an hour driving east, we decided to act like REAL hillbillies and pull into the Sevierville WalMart for our first night's rest. We would need to be at the trailhead bright and early on Saturday and saw no reason to make a big production out of finding a place to stay (not to mention a waste of moolah too). So we hunkered down in the back of the D. Despite the ridiculous crowd shopping at midnight (tourists) we were able to get a decent nights sleep under the stars...or rather lights.

Promptly at 8am EST we met Mark and Anne at the Sugarland's Ranger Station and plotted out our trail. Ascent= Boulevard Trail, Descent= Alum Cave Trail. It opens a lot of doors bringing 2 cars- no loops for us! After dropping off one of the cars we parked at Newfound Gap and headed up the trail. According to Anne this is where the President will be speaking - should he choose to accept the Park's invitation for the 75th Year celebration. The Gap was chilllllly! Luckily I had water dripping down my back from my lovely camelback, which helped with the chill....not so much.

So after many years of reading, coveting and wishing I could hike the AT- I was finally on it! From our starting point Mt. Katahdin was only 1,972 miles away. Woah! We'd only be on the AT for a small amount of time, but it was still cool!

The hike up was beautiful! The climb was for the most part gradual though lengthy. The views were everywhere and for some time we hiked right on the ridge...views in both directions. We saw a couple other groups of hikers, but only a few. Not at all like our experience would be on the Alum Cave Trail. We stopped a few times to rest and to fill up on some snackage. We noticed there were a few stray "goldfish" crackers on the trail too. Either Hansel and Gretel were just ahead of us or there were some tiny tot hikers on the trail- the latter which we confirmed further up the trail. Either way, we didn't stick around to see if bears also liked the treats. Bryan did find some bear scat (or as he called it- bear guano). I suppose it's TMI, but it seemed it was pretty fresh and came from something VERY large.

The best part of the Boulevard (besides the views) was the area where the trail crosses several rockslides. I'm definitely afraid of heights and this was a little gut tingling, but it was breathtaking in a good way. Don't know how parents take their kids through this part. Even if I was carrying little man I would be nervous.

Closer to the summit (okay the top) of LeConte - Bryan stopped to wait for us all and glanced into the woods. Right next to the trail was a tree that was sporting all kinds of Christmas ornaments. These were real ornaments that had been carried up the trail. (not the Blair Witch-do-it-yourself kind). If he hadn't stopped at that exact location and looked at the exact right spot we would have never noticed it.

SUMMIT! Ok, a little history- Clingman's Dome is officially considered the highest peak in the park. LeConte supporters believe their mountain is the tallest because they measure from the bottom of the peak to the top, not elevation. Those who support LeConte bring a rock to the top and deposit it to help with the cause. Those who support Clingman take a rock away. I'd say maybe all the competition could be representative of a bigger issue......you know what I mean!Regardless we all added our rocks to help the cause. Maybe someday it will make up the difference.

Before reaching the lodge we came across the LeConte shelter and several resident deer. Then onto our first peek at the lodge. Here's how it felt to see the cabins poking through the clouds.....1) head tilted back 2)twirl around and sing this at the top of your lungs"THE HILLS ARE ALIVE...WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC" All kidding aside, the moment was magical. BUT we were tired so we scurried off to check in.

We got a cute little cabin right next to the office- location is everything! After checking in, changing and sitting down-aaaaah, we decided to grab some hot chocolate and head for the office to play some hand and foot. Mark and Anne caught on really quick to "Hand and Foot" despite the many rules there are for the game. We couldn't finish before dinner, so we packed it up and headed over- scores tallied for the first few hands.

At dinner you sit with other hikers at assigned tables. We sat with a family (Grandson, Grandaughter and Grandma) and two other ladies (one from Wisconsin and one from Asheville). Turns out the Grandaughter who was almost 7 had already hiked up 4 times. Grandma has been hiking the trails for 25 years. She looked good for her age (which we thought was probably between 55 and 65ish). We ate a dinner of roast, potatoes, cinnamon apples, corn bread, potato soup, and coookies. As it turns out Ms. Asheville had a birthday so we got to partake in her b-day cake too!

After dinner we headed back to the office to enjoy a few more hands/games of cards. Needless to say Hiker Chics beat the pants off the boys. Every. Time. During our last game "Deep Talker" (I can see how it's so easy to give trail-names) dragged out the office guitar and put on a show for us all. He started out with Cat Stevens' Moonshadow. Little man would have loved it. The moment was right..cards by lantern-light, moonshadow playing in the background, getting clean 7's every time...aaaaaah nothing could be nicer. After cards we decided to turn in. It was very cloudy! Didn't seem like sunrise would be worth the hike to Myrtle Point.

Getting back to the cabin we noticed it was nice and comfy...unless you're on the top bunk. Whoooooops we didn't get our propane heater turned down. The staff has control of this and only offers to adjust the heaters prior to 9pm. It was nearly 11 ish? So we opened all the windows and tried to make do. Have you ever slept in a tent on the beach? At noon? In July? That's kinda how it was on the top bunk. I understood now why there was a sign on the cabin wall that said "HEAT RISES". Oooooooh, I get it now. We tried to block the heater thermostat from kicking on every 2 minutes, but to no avail. We would just have to sweat it out. We were fearing we would be dehydrated before morning came. Mark and Anne on the other hand were all bundled up on the bottom bunk freezing their booties off- nice huh. An hour or so later Mark got up found an emergency valve outside the cabin and turned it off completely. Pssssssssssszzzzzzzzzzzz... that's Bryan and I finally cooling off. Mark came back in and urged us to come outside for a little surprise. We got up for some fresh/cool air and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. (those are angels singing) the sky was CRYSTAL clear. The stars were so bright it seemed like we could reach above and touch them. WOW! What a sight!!!

The next morning we awoke to the staff knocking on our door "10 minutes till breakfast" then a DING DING DING DING (did I mention they actually ring a dinner bell?) Many of us came stumbling in to a breakfast of champions. Eggs, grits, bisquits, pancakes, juice(tang), ham. Yummmmmm. Why does everything taste SOOOOOOo good when you're hiking?

With breakfast over there wasn't much to do but pack up and get ready to start the hike down. I was already getting a little depressed. How could it be over already? Alum Cave Trail was an awesome Trail! Not one I'd necessarily want to hike UP though! While the Boulevard is longer and has many more ups and downs, Alum Cave seemed to be a little less forgiving and was nearly straight up from the cave to the lodge (2.8 miles). There were many cool things on this trail (Bluffs, Alum Cave, Arch Rock, Rhododendrons) which made it a very popular trail. Not only was the trail busy from Lodge traffic, we met many day-hikers as well. Not a trail you'd want to do if you're looking for some remoteness. We loved it though and hated to see hikers coming towards us that looked fresh, smelled good and had little water bottles in their hands. All signs that the parking area was getting closer and closer.

Once reaching the car we all decided we'd like to make it a tradition to hike to LeConte. It's easy to see why hikers become obsessed with the area. I feel like I already am now! It's quite a feat to make it up there and the experience rewards your hard work fully! It's a great place to make some wonderful memories with those you love.

More pictures from LeConte 2009

TIN ROOF! Rusted...........

2009-07-14T08:32:00.011-05:00

Look at our little house! It's sporting a new metal roof courtesy of John Stacey and his gang. The guys all came out Saturday morning to start and by Sunday evening it was done! Here are some before and after pictures.

June

2009-07-12T12:54:00.004-05:00

June pictures are up!

Little man has been growing like a weed. He's gone through a major appetite swing eating everything that gets in his way- including broccoli! Our scale says he's still only 32 pounds or so, but he's very sturdy.

Sean's favorite jokes that he tells: (these are word-for-word)

Me YOU!!!!

Knock knock, Who's there?...peanut who?

Sean is progressing as expected with potty training too. He's earned a whole fleet of new Hotwheels but still isn't quite ready for real undies. We're sticking with the pull-ups for now and keeping Thomas and Lightning on deck.

May Pictures

2009-06-07T11:41:00.004-05:00

May Pictures are up! Here are a few of our favorites:

Other exciting things that happened this month:

- Sean used the potty for the first time...and second time...and, well- we've adopted an egg system that is starting to work just a bit for us! Small prizes, stickers etc in his easter eggs. Anytime he uses the potty he gets to open one. Woo hoo!

- Sean also played in a sprinkler for the first time. He calls it the Spahlinkaler. At first he wasn't about to run through it but with a little coaxing he changed his mind. First thing he told Bryan when he got home that night was.. "Mommy sprayed me!"

April Pictures are Up!

2009-05-03T12:01:00.007-05:00

Spring Planting! Look at momma's little helper. He loves to water...everything! Weeds, chairs, cows- you name it he'll try to water it.

Here he is riding in the John Deere Grandma and Grandpa Finn gave him. He's just discovered that he fits in the trailer!

Favorite April Picture

EZ Peazy

2009-04-27T07:55:00.003-05:00

Check out my new websites:

EZ Peazy & Pea Pod Crafts

Speedy the Egg Hunter

2009-04-20T15:30:00.002-05:00

Sean and his shark at the GA Aquarium

2009-04-20T14:50:00.004-05:00

Trip to Atlanta

2009-04-19T19:37:00.010-05:00

Easter Weekend we drove to Atlanta to camp and to take little man to the GA Aquarium. Here are a few pictures of the trip:

Notice the beluga whale over Sean's head!

Whale Shark

Sean took this picture of the second largest viewing window in the world.

Tuckered out after a big day at the aquarium

Easter egg hunt @ Red Top Mountain State Park Lodge

Sean got 2 whole eggs, but didn't seem to mind too much.

The first one he opened had a little shark in it....we all thought it was pretty perfect! After one round at the bunny-hop cake walk we called it a morning and retreated back to the campground to dry out a bit.

Daddy and Sean - Easter 2009

Easter Bunny came to visit at the campsite!

We survived some rough weather too. Nothing says camping like being in a storm in a pop-up. After experiencing some near- golf ball sized hail we decided we'd take shelter like the rest of the campground....in the privy. Fun times. We've decided this is one of our favorite areas to camp
in. It's only 3 1/2 hours away and near the entertainment mecca of Atlanta. ALWAYS something to do there.

Na Na Na Gonna Have a Good Time!

2009-04-05T08:26:00.008-05:00

Hey Hey Hey! March pictures are up!

Gotta share a few! Here's little man in his new digs. He's adjusted wonderfully and now reading in bed is one of his favorite past-times.

We couldn't get all of his books to fit on his new bookshelf, but most did! Now they're stored eye level and within reach. Woo hoo!

Mom and I drove up to Kentucky for Ashley and Dwayne's wedding shower. I can't believe she's 20 already! Seems like yesterday Tommy was bringing her to our family Christmas dinner all swaddled up. She's going to be a beautiful bride and Dwayne already seems like one of the family!
Arndell Family

2009-03-17T09:59:00.007-05:00

Little Man is a big fan of Sodoku...or so he thinks. He likes to make little squiggles in each square and then store his pencil behind his ear upon completion. (all moves courtesy of Mimi).

Here's a picture of the new toddler bed I found for little man. I have been looking for a metal style toddler bed for nearly 6 months! Good things come to those who wait I guess b/c I found it for $5.00!!! Now it looks brand-spankin new with some fierce, red paint!

Before

After

February 2009

2009-03-02T16:01:00.007-06:00

I can't believe February is allready over.

Little man is growing like a weed! He's recently upgraded to a big boy bed in his room. Nearly a week ago he attempted to crawl out of his crib and landed with a splat. Luckily he was okay and was just a little shaken up. So......we converted his crib to a toddler bed the next night. We're looking for just the right toddler bed to buy but in the meantime it's working out great.He has been sleeping in it like a champ and is extremely proud to show it off.

Here's little man...getting ready to go out.

All tuckered out. (Go Cubbies!)

Current favorites:

- Nemo - Lightning McQueen - fish, sharks, aquariums - trains (especially Thomas) - "getting groceries" - orange juice - singing Old McDonald and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star- the color blue,

2 Year Pictures

2009-02-02T15:11:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Little Man!!

2009-02-02T14:30:00.003-06:00

Our Little Man turned two on January 19th!! That's right....2!

To celebrate we had cake, ice cream and presents on Sunday (the 18th). He got some Cars stash, diggers and a bike!!! On Monday his actual birthday we picked up Mimi and Poppy and went to Chuck-E-Cheese to play. After some hardcore playtime we met Daddy at the movies. We saw The Tale of Desperaux. Little Man LOVED the movie. For the first half hour he stared at the huge screen and muttered..."go to movie". He was entertained for the all of the previews and the first half of the movie. After that he got ants in his pants and was content to walk the movie theatre halls looking at previews to come. We think UP might be a good movie to see (of course it's a Pixar flick).

I can't believe it's been two years since he's entered our lives. Seems like yesterday and an eternity ago all at the same time. Love and hugs to our baby boy!

Welcome Mikie III

2009-01-14T10:04:00.004-06:00

Michael James Parmele III was born at 8:59pm on January 9th, 2009. He was 7lbs, 1 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Momma and baby are doing wonderful!

Mikie II (daddy) and little Mikie III.

Daddy, Baby, Mommy and big Sis Mere
Hotel Party

Christmas 2008

2009-01-14T09:45:00.001-06:00

Christmas 2008- pictures posted soon.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T08:50:00.003-06:00

This year we made the long 3 mile journey to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately Sean was fighting a nasty cold and Mimi wasn't too far behind as she was feeling a little icky too. Dinner was wonderful (as always at Mom's). Sean's favorites were: the turkey cookie- (chocolate covered marshmallow, striped cookie and candy corn nose) and baked beans.
After dinner I had to smash the competition in Scrabble and then we lit up the house. Legally- with the Christmas lights dad had put up the weekend before. YAY!

On Friday we drove up to Montgomery Bell State Park to meet the Finns. (the other Finns). They drove down in their RV and surprised us! Sean was still under the weather but he took advantage of the drive up and cashed in on a long nap. Saturday the Finns drove down to visit (can't get enough of that Grandbaby!). We did a little shopping, eating and of course finished the day with a Scrabble game- (Grandma Finn won this time!). The weekend was too short but still a bunch of fun!

Trains, Trees, Helicopters and Piggies

2008-11-16T16:06:00.006-06:00

I can't believe Sean is on his way to being 2 years old. At the mall the other day he had the time of his life. The older boys showed him how to go down the tree slide head first- something Mommy wasn't too happy about. All in all though we had a safe and successful playdate. Sean loves helicopters hence the small loan I had to take out to keep this ride going..........

A little birdy gave me a great DIY idea (thanks Mom!). See the lovely artwork I added to those simple roll up shades. !

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh........Thomas the train is sleeping- finally. And now so are the boys.

Shout out to Mikie who is now offiicially getting ready to see the "top of the hill" at 37 years old. Happy Birthday!

Meet the Munsters

2008-11-03T13:59:00.008-06:00

This year we decided to dress up like the Munsters. Sean was Eddie, I was Lilly and Bryan was Herman. Here are a few pictures from trick-or-treating.

Sean loved the idea of getting candy. Although he was a little shy with saying..."trick or treat" by the end of the night he was not bashful about holding out his bag to anyone who was in his path. Explaining who was delving out the candy is difficult to an almost 2 year old.

Before the party Sean and I carved a few pumpkins to decorate our stone fence at the front of our property. Sean was only interestsed in using his "colors" on the pumpkin and when I opened it up to gut it he said...."ewwwwwwwwwwwwwgh". This surprised me! I thought he would have loved the slimy innards.

Here is a picture from our Halloween party- he's dancing with Linley in this one. At one point two of the girls were fighting over who got to dance with him. I swear he gave me a look that said "there's enough to go around ladies". And so it begins..........

If you weren't able to join us this year- poo on you. We had a good turnout and have decided to make it a tradition , so put it on your calendars for next year!. The kids (and adults) loved the sound/light activated decorations almost as much as we loved putting them up. I guess I'm becoming obsessed as I've already been cruising around the "after Halloween"sales to increase our stash. Can't wait til next year!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2008-10-17T09:13:00.011-05:00

Party Postponed until November 1st-

Same time, Same Place

You are ALL invited!

(Email for directions)

New Website Address

2008-10-12T10:50:00.004-05:00

Since finnsational.com was mysteriously lost by our provider, we chose a new provider and a new website address. It's a little easier to remember.

thefinnchronicles.com

Definition of Chronicles: a chronological record of historical events.

We'd like to think of it as "The best of the Finns."

You ROCK!

I couldn't have summed it up any better.

2008-10-01T16:43:00.004-05:00

an excerpt from Jennifer Chiaverini's "The Winding Ways Quilt"

...."I'm not saying you don't have difficult days and sleepless nights ahead of you, but you already know that. In the months ahead, you're going to hear from everyone how difficult parenting is, how you can kiss your social life good-bye, how you'll stumble through the days in a fog of sleep deprivation, how it's impossible to do everything correctly, how you'll feel plagued by guilt half of the time and want to run away the other half."
"But that's not true?" Sarah finished for her.
"Don't you wish. It's true all right, but it's not the complete truth." Diane took her by the elbow and steered her to the far end of the veranda, where they would not be overheard. "What people won't tell you, because they can't put it into words, is that children will bring you more joy that you ever suspected existed in the universe. Even when they're driving you crazy, you'll fall in love with them again and again. I've never laughed so hard or found so much beauty in simple things since becoming a mother. It's an impossible contradiction. They're frustrating and glorious. They throw your life into an uproar and they teach you contentment. You'll remember every mistake you make as a parent and yet your children will love you anyway. I'll tell you something: Nothing on this earth can compare to a spontaneous, heartfelt hug from a toddler." Tears filled Diane's eyes. "I'm so happy for you, and I envy you. You have it all ahead of you, all those years with your children at home. In a few weeks, my youngest baby is going off to college. Now I have all the time in the world to myself, and I'd trade a year of my life now for one more day of finger paints and nursery rhymes. Enjoy them while they're completely yours. Even when you think you'll collapse if you have to change one more diaper or sing one more round of 'Old McDonald'-enjoy them. The days are long, but the years are short. They pass much too quickly."

New Sean-isms

2008-09-23T12:52:00.015-05:00

Ok, is it normal for an 18month old to know the difference between blue and green? Seriously, Sean asked for the blue marker today when we were coloring and he was pointing RIGHT at the blue marker. To test him I held up the green and he said "geen". This could have been a fluke but I'm pretty sure he's a genius. He's also singing "Itsy Bitsy" spider (with motions) and still loves wheels on the bus (also with motions). The funniest thing he's done in a long time is tried to jump rope. I knew Stroller Strides was making a great impression on him, but I had no idea how much he really soaks in!! He also uses his sippy like a dumbell and says up/down. Thanks "Beca"!

Sean is starting to say complete sentences too. One of his first was "Poppy made dis" - while pointing to a book full of CAT diggers. We always say that when we see them on the side of the road.

Sean LOVES animals. His favorites right now seems to be the ah-tu-tu (obviously that means elephant) and zebra, which he actually pronounces pretty well. Our neighbors have some puppys and nearly everyday we blow bubbles for them through the fence. He loves it when they bark and carry on.

Ok, one other funny thing he has picked up is to hold his nose and say "p-u" when he toots. Of course if he catches anyone else he's first to call you out as well. So BEWARE....the time or place has no effect on this!

It's a BOY!

2008-09-18T10:19:00.006-05:00

BOYS, BOYS, BOYS...

Mikie and Alicia are having a BOY!! YAY!

Also, my friend Jen has picked a name for her little boy-to-be: Eli Kent Seiderer.... we think this is definitely better than "Hammy". I love pork, but Eli flows so well off the tongue. LOVE IT!

18 months old!!

2008-08-05T16:00:00.002-05:00

Little man at six months.........
Little man at 18 months.............

And baby makes 4!!!

2008-08-05T15:48:00.002-05:00

I'm going to be an Aunt again! Mikie and Alicia are expecting baby #2 around January 26th. Meredith is going to be a great big sister! We're very excited and Sean is hoping the baby will arrive on January 19th- of course!!

First Haircut

2008-07-30T11:11:00.007-05:00

MY FIRST HAIRCUT: (from the cerfiticate Sean received)

This is a real official piece of paper saying that I, Sean Finn was real brave and didn't scream
or fuss too much when they took me to this place, covered me up with a sheet thing and cut my hair! As of today, July 12, 2008, I am a BIG KID!

Haircut Place: Marie's Hair Company

Haircutter's Name: Emily Springer

Before:

After:

BumGenius

2008-06-28T10:23:00.003-05:00

We're officially finished with our diaper trial. And the winner is.....BumGenius! Little man and I have decided that this is our favorite brand so far. The only diapers were sending back are the Fuzzi Bunz, prefolds and Thirstie Fab-Fitted. We liked the fab fitted but don't want to mess with a cover per-say. The prefolds seemed pretty easy to wash, but a pain to put on- at least with little man's attention span right now. He's NOT a big fan of laying still for more than a nano-second. As for the Fuzzi Bunz- to their defense I think we're sorta in between sizes right now but listen to this: Fuzzi Bunz was our first CD ever worn. Bryan and I were cooking dinner and I noticed a raisin on the floor near the living room. At least I thought it was a raisin. YEP that's right it was poo. Little man had christened his first diaper and through the poor fit it wound up in the middle of our floor. We gave the FB's many more chances over the next 21 days but to no avail they seemed to leak nearly every time. We're returning that diaper for sure. We like our diapers to actually catch the pooooo. Hmm what a novel idea!!???!

Speaking of BG's....enter to win a BumGenius starter package...worth $250!!!

http://blog.thenatureschild.com/2008/06/beat-heat-summer-con-test.html

If that link doesn't work try: http://blog.thenatureschild.com/

Cloth Dipes on the Bus with a Cheese sandwhich

2008-06-22T15:57:00.006-05:00

That's right, Sean and I have been "testing" cloth diapers for the past few weeks. Two of my friends (Cassie and Erin) have been cloth diapering with success so I decided to try it out too. I'm not afraid of a little hard work and the idea of saving our landfills from oodles of poopy petroleum laden diapers sounded good to me. So, we're in the last week of our trial from Jillian's Drawers. They have a program where you put down a desposit then try several different types of diapers for 21 days and then return them for your deposit minus $10 or so. The verdict....not only do we like cloth diapering, we like ALL of the types that were sent to us. Don't get me wrong, we'll still do disposable from time -to-time, but for the most part we're planning to stick with cloth. Diapers are not like they used to be when my mom was diapering us (we've all seen the look our moms give us when we even discuss cloth diapering....ARE YOU CRAZY?). The dipes now adays are SO easy, they're just like disposables...only you wash them. Anywho, we're excited to be building our stash and I think I'll be sewing some more too so stay tuned for pictures!

Secondly, Sean did the most amazing thing this past week. He said "please" AND it was unprompted. YAY! Of course it's more like "peasth" but we get the picture. One more quick story....Sean loves the book "Wheels on the Bus" by Paul O Zelinsky . It has tabs that you pull to move the doors open and shut, etc. There's a page that has babies who are saying "wah wah wah". When we got to this page (now mind you this isn't the first time we've read the book together) he looks at the babies and then looks at me and gets that "I'm going to bust out crying" look. So I tell him it's okay and that the mommies are all on the bus with the babies too. For the rest of the night he continues to find the book, open it to the page and say "baby" with big ole' crocodile tears in his eyes. Bryan and I could hardly keep from getting choked up. I finally distracted him and we set the book out of reach for a while. THIS coming from our motorcycle lovin little dude. He's a sensitive little guy at times.

Here's a picture of his first "cheese" and his favorite summer hobby.

New Words

2008-06-08T15:55:00.004-05:00

Sean's current favorite words: "esh" for yes, "ish" for fish, bubble, belly button, baby (love those b's!!), NO!!, go, memo (elmo), down (accompanied by a stern look and a finger pointing to the ground) and any word you wouldn't want to be repeated. We call him our little mockingbird.
Other favorites right now....pinching and scratching. We're working overtime to eliminate those habits right away.

We're in the $$$!!

2008-06-08T15:52:00.001-05:00

okay, not really. However......I did make my first Etsy sale. How exciting! I sold one of my diaper pouches. This week I plan to add a few hobo bags and maybe an apron if I can get my butt to the sewing machine. Yipee!!

Snickers and Babies

2008-06-02T16:06:00.005-05:00

So Bryan is starting his 4th week at his new job...Mars Petcare. Who knew they even had a petcare division??!!? He'll be responsible for packaging changes on all "wet" petfood. Canned, pouches etc. Cool huh! So far it is a pretty great change for him (except for the normal new-job ramping up). Their lobby is stocked with all kinds of candy bars and he has 18 flavors of coffee available to him as well. Mars is in to coffee as well. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Good thing skinny man is working there. If I was one of their employees I'd have a butt the size of Texas and a horrible caffeine addiction.

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!! My good friend Jennifer is pregnant! She was married in October (see previous posts) and is now expecting a bouncing baby Seiderer the beginning of December. Congratulations to Jen and Gregg!!! (editing to correctly spell Jen's new last name. To me she'll always be a Kent...heh heh).

Congratulations Ed and Jenny!

2008-05-17T19:31:00.005-05:00

This past weekend I trekked on over to Pittsburgh to attend Ed's wedding. Pittsburgh was surprisingly pretty and had many rolling, tree-topped hills. Met the Augie clan there..including Mikie, Alicia and Mere. By far, Meredith was my favorite dance partner.

Of course since the festivities I've been fighting an allergy/cold/"You're stupid to try to stay up all-night" illness. I've been out of the loop for nearly two weeks. Darn that honeysuckle!!

BFFday

2008-05-03T13:41:00.004-05:00

Something from Sean's recent shopping/playing visit with BFF Hank:

Outdoor Boy

2008-05-03T11:35:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago we met up with my folks, Mikie, Alicia and Meredith in IL for some camping at Rend Lake. We had a great time despite the cold nights, the pouring down rain, the falling limbs oh and ....did we mention Rend Lake is less than 60 miles from the epicenter of the recent earthquake? The kids really enjoyed each others' company. Sean learned to say "Meh Meh" for Mere and little Mere says "Seany" plain as day. Sean asked where his playmate was when we got home.....he thinks Chicago is too far away!

Sean took Grammy and Poppy mushrooming a few times this season. See the beer can size Morel he found? Oh...that was a dream we all had. No mushrooms for us, but not from lack of effort! We're not sure if we were a little too late in the season or if the weather was too wacky for a good mushroom year. Either way, like the Cubbies say "Wait til next year!"

Monkey see-monkey do. Here's a picture of Sean in my apron. I have it hanging on the oven and even though I think I've actually only put it on two or three times, he waltzed over the other day and tried to put it on himself. I helped him into it and thought he'd rip it right off. To my surprise he actually wore it around for quite a while?!?

America's Next Top Model: He's already got the Calvin Klein pose down!

Ketchup....Catsup.....Catch Up!

2008-04-10T12:00:00.009-05:00

Sean celebrated his 1st birthday on January 19th. In attendance were all four grandparents, Uncle Paul and Chuck E. Cheese himself.

I have to say......the adults had a great time and Sean seemed to enjoy himself too. We highly recommend for kids b-day parties (at least those where you're not required to hose down the guest of honor after eating cake). We got a few sketches from some of the rides that I promise we'll get scanned in, but for now here are some pics and a quick video.

The following week we had a home-made party with friends and family. Guests included: Uncle Mikie, Aunt Alicia, Cousin Meredith, BFF Hank, Hank's mommy Erin, Grammy and Poppy. I made a cake (Elmo of course) but wagon rides were really the big hit.

Here's a picture of Little Man in his Easter outfit: Uncle Mikie picked it out just after Sean was born. I can't believe he already fits in it!!! Time is going by so fast!

Wayyyyyyyyy behind

2008-02-15T11:18:00.001-06:00

We've got lots of things to share with you all (bday parties, relative visits etc) but unfortunatly Sean has been sick ah-gen. For those of you who don't speak French (heh heh) that's AGAIN.

He's had 2 ear infections and 3 colds in the last 4 weeks. We've visited the doctor 3 times and he's not worried about anything other than Sean having some bad luck with typical 1 year old illnesses. With all of the crud floating around out there and many of the schools closed due to sickness, we're content to stay in and watch movies. However, little man is very clingy when he's sick- who isn't! So, when we get a moment we'll update the blog with all of the cute pictures from our last few weeks. Until then.........

2 Red Hens, A Cough and a Runny Nose

2008-01-17T10:53:00.000-06:00

Little Man has been under the weather for the last several days :(
He developed a cough, runny nose, sneezing.....the works this past weekend. Called the pedicatrician and they wanted to see him since he was running a small fever. (They wanted to make sure it wasn't RSV). Thankfully it wasn't, but Sean also had 2 red ears. NOT fullblown ear infections yet, but red. My heart sank. I was just bragging the other day how little man has had a total of 1 slight cold up to this point. Worst is, as a baby I was constantly fighting ear infections. Of course these days little ones receive a vaccination for ear infections so I'm still hoping history won't repeat itself. The good news is he has maintained a wonderful disposition through the whole event. It's hard to see them suffer. Even if it is just a common cold. Can't imagine how parents cope when their little ones are truly sick. Ugh.

On a brighter note....have you seen this commercial?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C50YPxT21OI

I'm not what you'd call an eBay junkie by any means. However, I have been searching for the perfect diaper bag for a total of 11 months and 362 days. I think I might have found it. BETTER YET......I found it slightly used on ebay! Whoo hoo! Here's the one I got.

http://www.2redhens.com/ Cherry Tomato- Rooster bag. LOVE IT! Retails for $98. I won't tell you what a steal I got it for!! Heh heh!!!

We're walking....We're walking.....

2008-01-05T08:09:00.000-06:00

No, we're not giving a tour at the Smithsonian but........

WE'RE WALKING!!

Sean took his first steps!. He's a pro at balancing, standing and walking with little assistance, but hadn't taken the plunge until Thursday night. Bryan and I were at the dinner table and because Sean had already eaten, he was playing on the floor beneath the table. Both of us looked up and saw Sean with a stuffed chick in his hand reaching out to me (to make it cheep). Then the big moment came and he took 2 whole steps. Of course I FREAKED out ...."Oh MY God- he's walking!!" and he promptly plopped to the floor. I think he was trying to figure out what the big deal was?!?

Since then he's been walking 2-3 steps at a time here and there. Woo hoo! I'll try to get it on video this weekend.

Happy Holidays!

2008-01-01T19:06:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

We celebrated Sean's first Christmas here in Tennessee. We hung our stockings, decorated our house with lights (and blow-up snowman***) went to a Christmas Eve service at church and set milk, cookies and carrots out for Santa and the reindeer.

(***on a side note- if we sing "Frosty the Snowman" Sean literally begs to be put up on the couch. Then he strains his little neck to look out the window at our FROSTY! What a smartypants!)

Santa brought Sean a lot of cool toys and some socks too. Every little boy needs new socks.

Here is a picture we had made into our Christmas Cards for this year. You're probably saying....HEY! I didn't get a card. That's because they're still sitting on our desk right now.

Sorry folks! We promise to do better next year and also promise you'll be getting a picture of our munchkin soon. We hear there's another birthday just around the corner.

Speaking of birthday boys! Bryan turned 40 on Sunday!! Here's a picture of his gift. Yes, I'm a great wife!

Who is that old guy with the beard?

2008-01-01T17:53:00.001-06:00

How does that old saying go?....Like mother like son- or at least that's how it should go. Sean paid his first visit to Santa a few weeks before Christmas. Mind you, we did several dry runs and strolled by Santa every chance we got the weeks before his visit. From the outside of the North Pole area Sean seemed to be in love with Santa....sitting on his lap???? That's a horse of a different color. Of course this is normal for many little folk. We'll see how next year goes when we're on the abyss of the terrible twos!

Here are the shots we got of the day........

PS- someone likes Candy Canes.

Richard Scary Apple and The GRINCH!

2008-01-01T17:33:00.000-06:00

December also brought us new things to try:

Here's Sean in one of his first coin-rides! He now squeals when he sights the big apple in the middle of the mall! He loves the worm passenger and of course hitting the blinking button to start.

Sean also attended his very first play. The local art guild held a special matinee showing of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" for toddlers, small kids and of course the school kids.

Grammy and Poppy got us some tickets and BOY did we have a good time. Even before we were able to take our seats Sean was enthralled with all of the school kids' chatter and energy. As the show began we all sang Christmas Carols like Rudolph and Frosty. (Why do few people know the lyrics to Frosty?- more on that later!). Sean remained standing on my lap the entire show. He loved the Whos in Whoville and the poor little Reindeer Dog Hybrid- but he LOVED the Grinch and music.

Happy Birthday Hank!

2008-01-01T10:08:00.000-06:00

During the first week of December Sean attended his BFF Hank's 1st Birthday Blowout! Sean had a great time eating BBQ, potato salad and of course cake- YUM! More importantly Sean seemed to really enjoy the company. Several other kiddies took Sean under their wings and took turns hammering on Hank's new toys. Here are a few pics:

First Camping Trip

2007-11-18T13:09:00.000-06:00

Last weekend Bryan and I took Sean camping at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. It was a bit chilly, but overall the trip was a huge success. Sean LOVES to be outside and LOVES hiking. The only part he was skeptic about was being penned up in a 2ft x 2ft area to crawl around. Throughout the day he was either being carried in a pack around the woods or sitting by the fire (neither of which is condusive to crawling). So each night we would give him some space in the camper to blow off some steam.

Look at these pictures!

Lions and Tigers and Bears OH MY!

2007-11-18T12:38:00.000-06:00

Grrrrrr! Sean dressed up as a Lion for Halloween (the Cowardly Lion) to be exact. I decided to put my sewing skills to the test and sew his costume from scratch. I thought for sure one side of his mane would be longer than the other or something. To my surprise it ended up fitting together pretty well. We stopped by Grammy and Poppy's house then went to a few friends' houses to show off our little kitty. Sean enjoyed the lights and all the other kids running around. He can't wait until next year when he can actually EAT the candy!

Cowardly Lion: Sean

Entire Cast:

Scarecrow- Bryan, Wicked Witch - Grammy, TinMan-Poppy, Dorothy - Kim

Pumpkin Patch

2007-11-18T12:14:00.000-06:00

On October 21st we took Sean to pick out his very first pumpkin. We made a full day of it and enjoyed Limoland's food, festivities, pumpkins and hayrides!

Here are a few pictures of the events:

Waiting for Charlie

Hayrack Ride

Driving a Tractor with Poppy (ok- really just sitting on it)

Love this wagon!

Examing this "hay" stuff

Last Day at Aspect

2007-11-04T16:18:00.000-06:00

My last day at Aspect was last Tuesday.

For those of you who didn't know I had returned to work at all- after my maternity leave ended last May I offered a proposal to my managers to work from home part-time. Viola- they accepted. So, for the past 5 months I have been working on special projects about 20 hours a week (when I could fit them in). YES- the flexibility was a dream. I knew at some point the Aspect folks would need their headcount restored to 1 (instead of the 1/2 I offered) and I knew my baby would no longer be happy sitting on the blanket next to me watching me type. Now that he's crawling (and nearly walking), taking naps in 30 minute spurts and bursting with personality, the time has come for me to say goodbye to the grind. To my office family (especially Spice)- I'll miss you, but promise to visit more often and to KL- thanks for the killer recommendation letter.

SO YAY I am officially a stay-at-home mom. This is what I was born to do. Now without the pressures of work I can concentrate on those things that are most important to me...my family.

9th Month Checkup

2007-10-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

Last Monday Sean went for his nine month check-up.
I told him before he went that he wouldn't have to get any shots. Little did I know the doctor recommended the first dose of an inactive flu-shot recommended for all babies. Ouch! Other than that the checkup was fairly uneventful.

Weight: 20lbs. 11 oz (again right at the 50th percentile)
Height: 28 inches (just shy of the 50th percentile)

Dr. K thought his growth has been near perfect. Of course we think most everything about our little man is.....but I guess all parents feel that way.

Chompers!!!!

2007-10-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

So little man has been working on his four top teeth for the past few weeks. FOUR top teeth. All at once. He's been handling this teething thing like a champ.........but- this past week we think he caught Daddy's cold too. Teething + cold = many hours awake at night with Mr. Cranky Pants. He finally slept through the night again last night so we'll keep our fingers crossed that he's on his way to recovery. Did I mention he's mastered pulling up and is cruising everywhere? We knew crawling would NEVER be entertaining enough.

Here's a recent picture of little man and one of his favorite toys as of late.

TOILET PAPER!!!!

A mini pictoral tour of our "Mini" New England Vacation

2007-10-15T17:16:00.001-05:00

This is Old New Gate Prison one of the oldest prisons in Colonial New England. The first prisoner was brought here in 1773. Because it used to be a copper mine the inmates were kept underground in a "general public" setting. I toured this site the day before Bryan arrived in CT, so I had to go underground by myself. Did I say- by myself? YES! I was the only person in the entire copper mine portion of the prison. There are rumors of hauntings in the prison/mines and of course the tour guides (who remain above ground) didn't disclose this information until after I surfaced. DOH! Of course I like a good ghost story as much as the next person, so I probably would have gone down anyway.

After Jen's wedding Bryan and I took a road trip (only about an hour and some change) to visit OCC in Montgomery, New York. Here is a picture of their retail store, the store you typically see during their show. It's the closest to their shop where they build the bikes. They had bunch of the bikes they've built and some souvenir stuff too. Got little man an OCC onsie. Pretty cool!

A couple of miles down the road after leaving OCC we ran across a pretty big car show. We counted approx 300 cars there...give or take 100. This was one of Bryan's favorite. Can you see the rat posing on the front fender?

On Sunday we took a drive east along the coast and went through New Haven (with a quick tour of YALE- "So, that's what smart people look like???!) On Monday we headed to Mystic, CT- as in Mystic River and Mystic Pizza. We visited Mystic Seaport for the day - see the next few pictures below. It's a working shipyard and the nation's leading maritime museum. Very educational and very entertaining.

That evening we took in some local grub at Mystic Pizza. YES- THE Mystic Pizza. For those of you who don't recognize the name, this pizza joint was made popular by an 80's coming-of-age movie starring Julia Roberts. Interesting fact, it was Matt Damon's first movie. Much of the movie was filmed here and in Mystic all-together. We found Mystic as a whole to be a charming little getaway. A must see if you're in Connecticut anytime soon!

"I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen"

2007-10-12T12:54:00.000-05:00

If you recognize that quote you're definitely a child of the 80's - as is our good friend Jen Kent. She was married this past Saturday in Farmington, Connecticut. Here are a few pictures of Jen, her new husband Gregg and the festivities....

The table favors were little bottles of maple syrup, rocks with our names engraved and you guessed it- pens with Lloyd Dobler's quote engraved on them.

Congratulations Jen and Gregg!

Praise and Thanksgiving!!

2007-09-13T11:48:00.001-05:00

Sean was baptised on September 9, 2007 at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Franklin.

Godfathers/sponsors are: Mike Parmele II (my brother) and Paul Nation (our dear friend)

Pastor Eric Pearson performed the baptism and friends and family were in attendance.

Sean was an angel during the ceremony (but he always is in church anyway) and seemed to enjoy all of the attention. After church we all headed out for Sunday brunch to celebrate.

On Saturday we threw a special "I'm Almost One" birthday party for our niece Meredith. She turns one on September 20th. Here are a few pictures of her day too!

We're a moving on UP!

2007-08-15T11:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, Bryan and I aren't, but my folks are finally getting their "Deluxe Apartment in the SKY". Tuesday they made an offer on a house and after some negotiations ......it was accepted! They'll officially be hillbillies on September 27th! We're so excited!! Their new house is awesome- nice big backyard, big garage (yay Dad!) and that rocking-chair front porch my mom has always wanted. MOST exciting is they'll be about five minutes from our house!

Here are a few pictures of the house from realtracs........

Now we just have to work on Bryan's folks. Anyone know of a nice little piece of land with a fishing pond on it?

Grandparents Galore!!!!!!

2007-08-12T21:35:00.000-05:00

Both sets of Grandparents have come to visit Sean in the last month. Here are a few pictures from their visits..........

Favorite Six Month Pictures

2007-08-12T20:58:00.000-05:00

Sean's new friend..... Gigantimus Caterpilliarius

Yee-HAW

Big Boy Chair

Gettin Ready for some professional pictures....

See my TEETH! (he loooooves to show them off now!)

Spata4 becomes.......Spata5!

2007-07-31T13:24:00.000-05:00

My friend Ande gave birth to a bouncing baby boy on July 12, 2007 at 6:18 am.

Ande and Jason have a wonderful little family. Here is a picture of the new baby Trevor with his big brother and big sister (Tyler and Tessa).

Congratulations guys!

We've got TEEEETH!

2007-07-28T15:19:00.000-05:00

Little Man is officially teething. I guess he doesn't have to wait for Christmas to get his two front teeth because they're growing in as we speak! The two lower teeth began making their debut this past week. I was brushing his gums and thought.......hmmm- something feels kinda pointy. I showed daddy and we saw a tooth-hole. Then yesterday we looked again and the tooth hole had multiplied!!!

So far, he's handling the teething thing pretty good. We've only had some minor irritation at a few feeding times and we're usually able to cure them with ice (in a mesh feeder of course) or a cold wet washcloth to chew.

Two Favorite Pictures

2007-07-19T21:20:00.000-05:00

6 Month Check-Up

2007-07-19T21:10:00.000-05:00

Today was little man's half birthday AND his visit to the doctor :(

He weighs 16lbs, 15oz - which keeps him right at the 50th percentile, approx 27 inches (again at the 50th percentile) and most important has a large head (75th percentile). Dr. K also commented on my large head and told me that sometimes large heads run in the family. Hmph. I proceeded to tell him that Sean's head looks identical to the shape of his Uncle Mikie's- which is true! We hope he'll be as smart too!

Besides a large head, it's fairly flat. I brought this up to the doctor and we decided it's something we'll watch over the next few months. By 9 months it should be rounding out nicely.

The rest of the appointment went as planned (they stuck my poor baby with those gigantic needles). Before the nurse who administers the shots had even entered the room Sean began screaming at the top of his lungs. He wasn't going to take it lying down this time around! This evening he was pretty sore and slept quite a bit, but by the time he was ready for bed his smiling face had returned.

FIRST TIME:

2007-07-19T08:10:00.001-05:00

In the highchair.....

Sitting up in a shopping cart..........

In the jumpy thing........

Eating a nectarine.......

Welcome to Miami

2007-07-19T07:48:00.000-05:00

Last year I was lucky enough to see my favorite band of all time right here in Nashvegas. My best friend from home (Richie) and two friends (Ellen and Jared) vowed that if Erasure toured again we would travel to any city to see them. Lucky for us Andy and Vince obliged and began their "Light at the End of the World" tour this summer. On July 6th we traveled to the hot city of Miami to see them once again.

The concert was amazing, South Beach was awesome, the Martini's at the TIDES were out of this world (little popsicles in them) and the company was fantastic. We had a blast and have decided to make it a yearly ritual to travel together.

It was nice to let my hair down, but I couldn't wait to get home to my little man. Bryan did an excellent job with Sean the entire weekend, but I knew that despite all of the fun I had ....home really is where the heart is. (corny but true!)

RAT Patootie

2007-07-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

"Two teeny thumbs up!" That's what Sean gives his first movie- Ratatouille.
Friday night the three of us buzzed on over to L-burg to the drive in! The weather was suprisingly mild and the rain held off for our first movie night out as a family.

We grabbed a quick cheat meal from McD's and pulled into our spot at the Hi-Way 50 Drive-In by 6:45pm. We popped up the tailgate of the Durango and made Sean a pallet in the back and took along 2 chairs for Bry and I. Little Man took a quick power nap while we ate and then woke up in time to play a bit before the movie started. Believe it or not, Sean actually watched part of the movie....you know how lights seem to facinate all those under 1 year old. Of course he fell asleep about 15 minutes into the show, but enjoyed hanging out with us none-the-less.

It was great being out as a family and being able to see a movie together! We highly recommend it to anyone with little kiddies. What a way to make a memory!

Snack Stand and Film Room(looks scary but isn't as bad as you think).

Playing Air Guitar with Daddy

Cozy in the Back of the Durango

Roll'in, Roll'in, Roll'in

2007-06-21T20:36:00.000-05:00

Baby boy is rolling himself all over the place. He is REALLYY becoming frustrated with the whole "I don't know how to crawl yet" thing. Just in the last few weeks he has become somewhat mobile and I think the thirst for this mobility is increasing day by day. He also LOVES to stand up (with assistance). When he accomplishes this he beams ear to ear and has a look on his face that says....."LOOK AT ME! I'm so cool!" I'll have to try to snap a picture of him in this pose.

Here are a few pictures of little man pounding out some tunes! He's taken to his Leap Frog piano/music toy quite a bit lately.

Happy Father's Day!!!

2007-06-19T20:58:00.000-05:00

Sunday we celebrated Bryan's first Father's Day.

Sean had the entire day planned and decided to take his Daddy on a hike (Sean's first hike!). We hiked the Devil's Backbone on the Natchez Trace. Despite the fact that we left right after breakfast it was very warm. Down by the creek in the valley it was a bit nicer and we stopped to give little man a bottle and change his diaper which we did right on the forest floor (on his changing mat of course). He loves being outside just like his parents. Bryan mentioned how much he missed hiking and we agreed we would have to hike again soon (we hadn't been since our backpacking trip to NC last year- when we found out I was expecting).

Once we got home we had Bryan open his gifts and then spent the rest of the day hanging out and enjoying our family time.

Here's something I put together for Bryan.........

http://s140.photobucket.com/albums/r35/circlep98/?action=view&current=b6c75ce4.pbr

Strolling and Striding!

2007-06-16T07:56:00.000-05:00

Sean and I have started attending our local Stroller Strides class in Spring Hill. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a fitness program that allows moms to work out with their babies in tow. When I first heard of it I thought it wouldn't be much of a workout, BOY was I wrong! The class focuses on cardio and strength training intervals and basically kicks my butt. Sean loves being outside and cruising around in his stroller with the other kiddies. The instructors sing songs to them and blow bubbles to keep them amused when we're doing floor work or stopped at a station. It's pretty neat! If you're ever in the area and want to try it out with me....let me know! I have free passes for family and friends (and get a referral fee if someone simply tries the class - woo hoo).

Sean's First Chinese Lamp Ritual *

2007-06-15T22:48:00.000-05:00

Sean and I had dinner with Uncle Richie on Thursday. Richie is my best friend from home and when we're together it's like we're 16 again. We met at PF Changs and had a great time reminiscing. Sean enjoyed the entertainment and of course couldn't help but giggle at Richie a time or two. (No one can resist)

Here are a few pictures from the evening spent relaxing on the patio:

* refers to the ritual you must perform every time you bang your head on those GAWD AWFUL lamps at Bobby's house in NY.

Get Your Motor Runn'in

2007-06-15T22:20:00.000-05:00

Little Man is preparing his wardrobe for his first Harley. Here's a picture of him sportin' his do-rag. I didn't think it'd be ethical to give him a "MOM" tattoo just yet, so we settled for an "I Love Mommy" bib instead.

I Heart Crafts

2007-06-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I've succumbed to just about every "mommy" stereotype these days but THIS one I was born with ... "I Heart Crafts" plain and simple. No, I don't have a stupid bumper sticker that says I BRAKE FOR CRAFTS, but as soon as I get my sticker making machine I'm going to gen one right up. Just kidding. Here's what I've been doing with my spare time. (Hardy har- spare time!)

Diaper Pouches

Fits a few diapers and a small wipes case

Great for times when you don't want to lug your entire diaper bag around with you. I am trying to talk Bryan into quitting his job so we can go door to door selling these pouches. He has a natural talent for the sales pitch. Ok, seriously- these are something I might be willing to sell at a craft fair or something (along with my soaps and moms baskets and the other 100 craft projects we love to do).

Fancy Pants Wipes Cover

The trial-sized plastic wipes box covered in material

(This matching set is for my Goddaughter/Niece Meredith- her daddy loves skulls!) So one might be thinking....."Why would you ever need a wipes cover?" I pretty much agree on that. However online these things run approximately $25-$30 so I HAD to see what all the fuss was about. They're fun! Maybe I'd sell these too or just do them on-demand if asked.

Last but not least, here's a purse I sewed for my mother-in-law Nancy. Bryan picked out the material and I did the rest. I thought it came out pretty nice.

Let's just say, while it was fun (and it was) I WILL NOT be selling these at any craft shows. I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet.

Memorial Day Weekend and Velcro Wallets

2007-06-07T13:43:00.000-05:00

On Memorial Day Weekend Bryan's folks came down for a visit. They just got a new RV and were dying to stay at CIRCLEP to try it out. It's niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice! Of course Sean enjoyed his Grandparents and the never-ending attention. He's such a ham. I love to see his personality expand when he's exposed to other people and new things. We had a great time with them and can't wait to get together this fall to do some camping!

Let's go camping!!

This week (per our usual routine) we went to the library. This time Sean picked out 5 books too. Ok, mommy picked them out for Sean. Can he get his library card soon? If so we'll have to get him a miniature velcro wallet. Here's a picture of him doing some light reading of his own.

This past weekend Sean crossed a major milestone. He rolled over!! Bryan and I just happened to be standing in the back bedroom where Sean was sprawled out on the bed playing. Just as we both caught his eye he turned - front to back. Viola! Mommy and Daddy started acting like idiots praising him. He didn't bat an eye and basically had a look on his face that said "Yeah, so??!!?" I have a sneaking suspicion that he's been practicing in his crib at night.

Before I go, here's an update on Little Man's big boy food:

Rice-yum
Sweet Potatoes- yum
Sweet Peas-yum
Green Beans-yum
Carrots-yum
Squash-yum

So far for him food=yum. He's more like his daddy than we thought. He doesn't seem to have any issues with anything he's offered. We're going to start exploring fruits in a week or two. Not to brag (but I will) he already thinks he should feed himself. We usually practice at each meal just for kicks. He thinks it's so funny.

Home Repair Service

2007-05-26T16:04:00.000-05:00

Hey buddy!

How long before you have that dishwasher fixed?

Sweet Taters!

2007-05-26T13:29:00.001-05:00

Ewwwwww?????

More taters!!!!!!!!

I like them fried taters........

Yummmmmmmmmmmmy!

4 Month Check Up

2007-05-20T19:38:00.000-05:00

Little man is growing like a weed! 14 lbs, 15.5 oz (sheesh, can we just say 15 lbs?) and now 24.5 inches long. Whew! He's right at the 50th percentile for his weight and is just shy of average for his height. Dr. K said his growth is perfect and he appears to be doing just great! Of course there were some shots, but we got through them without any major incident. Or so I say, Sean may feel differently.

Here's the coolest part though -> we get to start SOLIDS!!

First we start with rice cereal, then if successful after 7-10 days we can progress to real baby food. We had our first taste of something besides milk this past Saturday morning. Little man did great and was showing off his skills for daddy (mommy and Sean practiced with an empty spoon a few times over the past several weeks). With sweet potatoes waiting on deck we're sure to have a good "messy face" picture or two to share with you all very soon! We can't believe our boy is growing so fast!

Look I'm Swimming!

2007-05-20T19:11:00.000-05:00

Or I would have been if it wasn't so darn cold!

Saturday was a perfect day for a pool party! We visited Mark, Anne and girls to catch some rays and to see if little man would float. I knew it wasn't gonna go well when his pinky-toe touched the water and he immediately jerked it back. I went ahead and got his lower half wet to see his reaction. Let me recap for you....

"WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!"

We stashed him on daddy's lap wrapped like a burrito and he soon forgot about being cold.

A few more pictures of Sean chillin and enjoying the beautiful weather.

First Mother's Day

2007-05-20T12:22:00.000-05:00

YAY for our first Mother's Day!

Daddy got up and made mommy and I breakfast....hashbrowns and Daddy's Famous French Toast. Then we gave mommy our presents. I picked out a really pretty charm for her necklace or bracelet. It looks like me and has my birthstone on it!!!! Daddy called it a garnet or something.

We also got her flowers and some really neat alligator shoes. Oooooops I think I mean Crocs. Here are a few pictures daddy took of us.

First Trip to the Zoo

2007-05-10T09:42:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday (May 5th) Bryan and I took Sean on his first trip to the Nashville Zoo. It was raining in Franklin, so we thought we might be postponing again! (Last attempt in April it was too cold and all of the animals were inside.) Luckily in Nashville the weather broke and it turned out to be a lovely day.

Let the logistics begin......Sean is only nearing 4 months and cannnot wear sunscreen. We were hoping we could use the stroller without the seat but he is still just a little too small and the straps won't hold him in properly. We also thought about carrying him in a front carrier but there was no way to prevent the sun from touching his baby skin. So- he had to be confined to his carseat/stroller. We rigged up a nice awning for him so he would have plenty of room to look out the sides. He really seemed to enjoy being outside. We think he's already a nature baby!

Daddy and mommy took turns carrying him when appropriate (larkeet cage, elephant area, any shade etc). Sean's eyes lit up when we entered the Reptile House. The aisles are dark and the lizard, fish, reptiles are in back-lit aquariums. He loves lights! Of course this section was also air conditioned so he promptly fell asleep as we held him in our arms (no strollers allowed here).

Bryan and I had a great time and Sean loved the movement, sounds and sights of the zoo, even though he didn't fully realize the animals even existed. He can't wait to go back with BFF Hank or his cousin Meredith to play in the TOT Spot. Mommy and Daddy might have to take turns playing on the jungle gym........have you seen how big it is!????

Bumbo!!!!!

2007-04-30T10:17:00.000-05:00

Sean is growing like a weed and is now attempting to sit up. He's got pretty good control of his head so we figured it would be time for a BUMBO! Here are a few pictures of little man in his seat the first time. I don't think he realized he could sit back at first- so in the first one he's sorta leaning forward. Then he got the hang of it and sat back and chilllllllllled.

I scored last Friday at a small consignment sale here in town. I found Sean his very own workbench- just like Daddy's! It's solid wood and pretty darn heavy. Notice the tools are made of wood too. I thought it was cute! Before long he'll be hammering everything in the house.

Our Hearts are Broken

2007-04-26T07:08:00.000-05:00

Sisi passed away this morning at 4:15am. As many of you know she developed a nasty heart murmur and has been suffering from seizures for the past two months. Luckily with medicine she had more good days than bad and enjoyed much of life right up to the last minute. I can say that she truly loved many of our friends and family and made a huge impact on many.

Over the years Sisi taught us how to be good parents which even though Sean will have no memory of her, I know he will be thankful for. Over the past few months I faced the biggest challenge of my life thus far. Balancing the beginning of Sean's life and what we knew would probably be the ending of hers.

I didn't want her to go, but knew her little body was just simply worn out. We will miss her every day and will send our love to heaven each time we think we hear the sound of her little paws on our kitchen floor.

Mule Day or Bust!!

2007-04-25T16:25:00.000-05:00

Okay, so Mule Day was rained out again this year. Boooo! I've been here 9 years and have yet to attend a full Mule Day weekend. We had planned on taking little man to the parade and to see the cloggers but the weather was not only rainy it was downright chilly. SO- just like the good Cub Fan that I am I say ........"Wait til next year!". Next year will be my 10th year here in Columbia so the festivities will be representative of a great decade.

Here are a few pictures of Sean posing with Grammy, Poppy, Sisi and I.... all dressed in his Mule Day attire. (notice the Cowboy boots!).

Also adding a few pictures of Sean's first Easter. The Easter Bunny brought him a take-along mobile (that attaches to his carseat) and a light show- soother. He loves to watch the lights at night! That Easter Bunny sure is smart...and cute! Notice the hand-woven Easter basket from Grammy.

We also visited my Great Aunt Annie in Savannah, Tennessee. She was my Grandfather's Sister and one of my Grandma Mary's best friends. It was great to introduce her to Sean. We spent the afternoon reminiscing and going through the family scrapbook mom made. What a memory!

Momma's Birthday

2007-04-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

Momma's birthday was April 9th. It's hard to believe she's 23. She doesn't look a day over 32. Wait, does that sound right?

To help celebrate, her folks stopped on by for a short spell...two weeks! I'm surprised that over this amount of time I didn't get too comfortable and forget they were here, then start walking around the house neked like I often do. Remember Seinfeld...not a good naked. The weekend prior to Momma's birthday, the folks watched little man for two nights while momma and I painted the town. We shacked up in a hotel, ate bon bons, painted our toe nails and drank gallons of complimentary cappuccino. Good thing we weren't driving, I would have blown a few cocoa beans over the limit.

Saturday we went to the Nashville Zoo, but it was colder than a witches lady parts in a brass bra, so no animules were out frolicking. I guess they were kicking back drinking some cold beverages in their warm domiciles.

We cruised around Nashville for some eye buying to pass the time since the animules were wussing out on us, because...they were co-old. Oh, poor babies, don't dare get a chill and find out what shrinkage is. Yah, that's right Mr. Lion, your not so bad with your rig hiding in your belly to stay warm. Here wussy, wussy, wussy...meow.

Later that eve, I treated Momma to some good eats at the Bound'ry. If you haven't been, it's pretty tasty. I fed her every bite with a seductive flare that would make Andrew Dice Clay blush. I even let her drink from my glass (I had to get over the fact that she has girl cooties). I mean, c'mon, it was her birthday! Haven't you ever heard of sacrifice. In the words of Dane Cook..."you should try it, it's delicious."

As the night grew later and later, nearing 8:00 PM, we headed back to our home away from home to catch some Zs. We werrrre spent. WOW! Hey, have you ever heard of a hotel that charges by the hour? I haven't. Hmmmm.

All in all, it was a good time. And yes, every minute we were wondering what little man was up to. Come to find out, Momma's folks had little man and Sisi (the elder chief in the fam) acting out scenes from the supercalifragilistic movie, Mary Poppins. Little man had the umbrella and Sisi was dressed up like Mr. Albert with the funny hair. We're going to have to keep an eye on those two from now on when they baby sit. What's next, Pulp Fiction? What's a gimp?

Hey, little man, check out your Momma blowing a bunch of hot air.

(...will i get into trouble for saying that?)

Time to hit the hay.
B

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

2007-04-03T17:11:00.000-05:00

Here are a few recent pictures of Daddy and Little Man:

In this one, Sean is being attacked by his toys- he loves it!

Bathtime: Don't worry everything's covered in this shot. We'll save the nudies for his first date.

Everyday I give Sean a bath at the kitchen sink (in his baby bathtub). I usually wash him down and then empty his water. Then I give him a final rinse with the sink's spray nozzle. When I spray his belly a tiny amount of water sprinkles him in the face. I thought he would HATE this.....no he opens his mouth and chases around the spray hoping to get some inside. He's not even sure what the water is but he's sure it must taste good!

What a great weekend!

2007-03-30T12:47:00.000-05:00

Aunt Jen came to visit all the way from New England! Our friend Holly brought Jen down from the airport and we spent a beautiful afternoon catching up on old times and going through wedding plans. Sean enjoyed spending the afternoon with the ladies and agrees Jen should wear her hair in an in-between style for the wedding (back but not up).

Bryan's folks also came to visit this past weekend. They assisted Bryan in caring for little Sean while Mommy went dress shopping with the girls. On Sunday the weather was beautiful so we decided to go for a Pic-nic. Sean was dressed in only a onsie (due to the warm weather) and seemed to enjoy the breeze on his bare butt during diaper changes in the back of the Durango. I think he's going to be a nature baby. After the picnic the family went by a local Civil War site and we all brushed up on our history.

St. Patrick's Day

2007-03-30T12:39:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Sean's first St. Patrick's Day.

We planned on attending the Beer Festival in Franklin, but travelled to IL unexpectedly and missed the event. The following weekend we attempted to attend a St. Patty's Day parade here in town, but found out it didn't exist. Sean and I made our own parade and then headed home for some green milk instead.

2 month checkup- email to Daddy

2007-03-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

..................Sticker from the Doctor's office.................

Hi Daddy!

I went to the doctor with mommy this morning. I am fit as a fiddle- whatever that means ( I just heard the doctor and mommy talking). I weigh 11 lbs 8 ozs and am 23 inches long now which is right at the 50%- for my age. My head size is also right at the 50% mark.

I got 3 shots :(- they hurt. I cried really loud but calmed down pretty quickly when mommy told me the shots aren't typically lethal. Bad news is I have to get them at my 4 month AND 6 month check up too. That stinks! Why didn't Meredith or Hank warn me about this? Guess my chubby legs weren't any defense...those needles were big! I'll have to work on making them chunkier before next visit.

Mommy took me to Wal Mart afterwards and got me a new toy to hang from my carseat or that noodle thing you're always laying me under. They're some sort of baby chimes....I think I'm going to like them. Mommy also picked up some Tylenol for me (since the doctor recommended to do so) and some packaging materials. Guess we were all out. Then we went to the post office to mail Madison's package. I hope I get to meet her someday!

I have to go, mommy's calling me for lunch. I'm starving. I've gone nearly 4 hours between feedings again. You two are going to have to start giving me more than 4 ounces or I'm going to blow away!

I love you and wish you were here. Can't wait to see you tonight!

Sean

Sean is 7 weeks old!

2007-03-09T20:35:00.000-06:00

We can't believe time has been flying by so fast! Our little boy is already 7 weeks old! Last week we took him to get his first professional picture taken. Here's our favorite shot...it makes my heart soar to know that's my hand he's holding and that he's looking up at me when the shot was taken. This is the face I wake up to every morning.....(sigh!).

On a sad note my Grandpa Tom passed away last evening. Grandpa had been having some health issues as of late (heart surgery, etc) and was unable to fight off the fluid that was building up once again. Mom is hanging in there and considered herself lucky to be with Grandpa when he passed. I know it will be an emotional weekend, but it will be good to see the family despite the circumstances.

Sisi is doing a lot better. She hasn't had a seizure for nearly 5 days! I almost hate saying that outloud because I don't want it to bring her bad luck. Her birthday was Wednesday (the day we met and I adopted her back in 1998). Grammy and Poppy sent her a package of treats which we opened at the park. Sean and I took her there for a sniffing extravaganza and short walk. She likes to ride in her bag mostly now but only if she can see straight ahead- where we are walking. She likes to be the boss.

Sisi Update

2007-02-25T15:59:00.000-06:00

Sisi has been experiencing intermittent seizures over the past week. After taking her to the vet last Wednesday we were informed she has a pretty severe heart murmur and an enlarged heart due to old age- she'll be 14 next month! These things may or may not be leading to the seizures- we aren't sure at this point. She's got a whole medicine cabinet full of pills to take to help eleviate the issue, but so far the seizures have not totally subsided. We all know having a seizure is not a pretty sight but on the positive side she has kept her perky personality through it all and remains relatively unchanged.(Except for being a little clingy and a little more nervous at times.) Please keep our little pooch in your thoughts. She has a wonderful Vet and we know the Good Lord will watch over her whatever the outcome.

Sleepy Kids

2007-02-20T10:36:00.000-06:00

So this morning I'm sitting at the kitchen table working on (what else) Sean's birth announcements with Sisi in my lap. Sean was next to me in his bassinett all stretched out. Before i knew it this is what happened.....

Of course I didn't let Sis camp out long but she enjoyed it while it lasted! She loves to be wherever he is and is a big helper during the late night feedings/changes.

Let It Snow

2007-02-17T19:38:00.000-06:00

We got a little snow today. At first the flurries seemed like all we would see, but little did we know how it would end.

Front yard.

From the back door.

Back yard.

Gotcha! It snowed today but nothing like what you see. Though, the pics really are of our yard during the storm of February 2004. We had 9" on the ground. Not New York, but wild for Tennessee. Made for some cool shots.