So Long Old (Saggy) Boobs...

Yesterday was the last official day of nursing Finn! I am beyond excited but find myself a little bit sentimental. I am not sure if this is the last time I will ever nurse. I have a love/hate (or should I say like/hate) relationship with it. My goal was to be done by the time Finn was a year. (I won't mention my initial goal of bottle feeding after 6 months). But, dear Finn stopped taking a bottle around 4 months. Here is a picture to remember how tiny he was and how much he needed me.

Here is a picture that shows where he is at now. Funny and independent. But Finn - you don't fool me. I know that you still need your mama.
(NOTE: Liam took this picture of Finn. He's good.)

The Joy Ride

Swimming Lessons

Liam is in swimming lessons with his buddy Sim (and a couple other boys)... Jesse took a few shots on Friday and I loved these two. Yes, he does look like he is happily drowning in this first shot.




Liam and his buddy Sim McQueen. I LOVE this shot of the two of them. It is fun watching them grow up together...

Wine, Chocolate, Shoes and a People Magazine

I have been dealing with a little bit of anxiety the past few days... I have had a lot on my plate lately and I have been guilty of not taking great care of myself. I took a day off yesterday and feel better today but I did a little bit of - I don't know what to call it - maybe damage - maybe retail therapy - at Target on Friday afternoon.

When the boys went down to take a nap, I told Jesse that I needed a little time to myself and just drove... I ended up at Target. I walked around aimlessly for a while and picked up a few things that I felt like I needed. I checked out and drove home feeling a tiny bit better. I bought a box of 100 calorie a pack mini Swedish fish at Target and decided to enjoy a few on the way home. I ate and thought about everything that I need to get done and when I finally stopped at a light, I looked down and saw that three mini Swedish fish bags were opened and empty. Mmm... that's funny. I only remember opening one bag.

I made it home and Jesse asked what I purchased. I opened the bag and pulled out the following items:

1) 3 bottles of red wine (I totally buy for the label)
2) 4 (don't worry - slave free/organic/fair trade certified) chocolate bars - they were on sale and I felt like I really needed them
3) A People Magazine
4) A box of 100 calorie mini Swedish Fish
5) $5.99 sunglasses
6) Pink slip on Converse for - get this - $7.48
7) Contact Solution

After going through the bag, I realized that I wasn't doing great... chocolate, wine, shoes and a People Magazine...

I am going to take better care of myself this week...

Oh - and in case you are wondering... I still have two bottles of wine left and took two chocolate bars to a friend's house to share. I did binge eat the Swedish Fish.

Eastside Women of Purpose MEETING UPDATE

Our next Eastside Women of Purpose meeting will be...

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3rd at 9:30am
in the OCC Music Suite's Choir Room

We will have all the information you can dream of about our upcoming Charity Golf Tournament called, "TEE OFF AGAINST TRAFFICKING" taking place at Willows Run in Redmond on October 5th at 2pm. We will be having a little sales training, you can sign up to play (or sign someone else up) and spend a little time on our website! It is almost done but you can check it out at www.teeoffagainsttrafficking.org.

Be ready to laugh and work hard - be ready to meet some really cool women with similar passions - we move fast - we are making a difference - I want to see you there!

(I know that the weather has been really nice and it is hard to want to put your church-ish clothes on to come to a meeting. I know that you want to go and have brunch somewhere and sit out on the patio and soak in the glorious rays of sun. So... don't put on your church-ish clothes and go to brunch on Saturday morning instead of Sunday and head over to our EWOP meeting instead! We get done around 10:45... there is still plenty of sun left after that! You will be glad that you did it.)

It's Been a Long Time...

Liam has been quite the photographer lately and seems to think that I (more specifically - my "bottom") am a great subject. He asked me to pose this way - I swear!


Whoa! It feels like I haven't blogged in a while! I have been up to my eye balls in work since mid June and it doesn't seem to be letting up... Here is what I've been doing:

- Remember how I kept posting things about Pictures for a Purpose? Well, lucky for you, it happened. It was a great success but there have been a few lingering things to do while people are ordering. Oh - and if you weren't able to participate, it looks like we are having our 2nd Pictures for a Purpose day on April 18th, 2009. Mark your calendars - if you have one for 2009!

- Finn has had almost constant colds and ear infections for the past few months. He has been on a lot of antibiotics. We went in for his Well Baby Check-up last week. He had just finished almost 3 weeks of antibiotics to try to kill the infection deep within his nose a few days before but had been really grumpy and waking up at night. I thought he was teething. The doctor checked his ears and sure enough - another infection. Now it looks like we are looking at having tubes put into those tiny little ears. I thought that I would be really nervous about something like that but it seems merciful to get his ears fixed and get him off antibiotics.

- Towards the end of Pictures for a Purpose, we started planning our next fundraiser, "Tee Off Against Trafficking" - a charity golf tournament taking place on Sunday, October 5th at 2pm. We are hoping to raise the money needed for the next 2 years of our commitment to World Concern. It has been a lot of work and meetings/play dates, but our planning team is great and I am really excited with how things are going. I will be posting a lot more about this so keep your eyes peeled!

- Liam has been in swimming this past week. He LOVES the water but his teacher is a bit grumpy and not great with her class of 4 boys ages 3 to 5. He still loves the water though!

- My mom came up to visit for about a week. It was a really nice trip. It left no time for blogging though. Liam and Finn LOVED having their "Gaga" here with them and Liam was very sad to see her go. That is the hard part about not having family nearby... Liam seems to recognize that he is missing out on having all his grandparents around.

- I have been able to see a lot of movies! I haven't been to a theater much this past year for obvious reasons but since being around family, I have seen the following. Hancock, Wanted, Hellboy 2, Batman The Dark Knight, Sex in the City (I feel like I might be missing one). I LOVE going to the movies so this has been nice!

- Jesse and I were able to go on two dates nights in a little over a week. We are trying to make up for having ZERO date nights (out of the house) for a long time. We went to see Hellboy 2 (a movie that we really wanted to see) and then Batman The Dark Knight (which we both really loved and wanted to see). It was of course great to be with him without the mini-Jesses tagging along.

- Jesse has been incredibly supportive and helpful with all things Women of Purpose. He has taken the boys so that I can get stuff done, watched them during meetings and sacrificed more than a few evenings with me so that I can get work done while the boys are sleeping. Thank you Jesse.

I will try to be a better blogger next week!

I'm in Serious Trouble

My son Finn... (It feels like there should be an exhale here.) He has just turned one. I knew that he was different from his older brother from the start. He was of course a bit of a blob at first so it's harder to tell, but I knew that he was different. I mistakenly thought that he was "laid back" because he didn't seem like he moved around as much in the womb. I was very, very wrong about him.

As soon as Finn figured out how to drag himself around the room, he was off. He never did seem to love it when I held him but he had maybe resigned to play the waiting game until he was old enough to move. He always watches Liam very carefully.

The day Finn figured out how to legitimately crawl was the same day he figured out how to climb the stairs and scale furniture. It was a rough day for me.

One morning I decided to put Finn in his exersaucer while I finished getting ready. While drying my hair I felt something grab onto my leg. It was Finn. He had somehow gotten out of his saucer. I have seen him do it since then and he makes it look easy. He actually jumps up and to an angle and then wiggles and throws his body weight towards the floor on the other side of the saucer. It takes him a couple of minutes.

Finn has also been able to get through any barrier I have put up at the stairs... gates, the exersaucer, pillows, storage bins. He grabs them and moves them. He tests it. He shakes them. He continues doing this until he finds its weakness. He then exploits this weakness and gets through. It is remarkable to watch.

Finn has also figured out how to get both of his arms out of his car seat. I have tightened them but he still works at it and he can usually free them.

Finn can easily stand up in his bath safety seat. Liam never tried that.

So... here is what I am working up to... Finn apparently escaped from his class in the nursery yesterday at church. I have worked in the nursery on many occasions and I have never seen a child get out. My friends that witnessed it said that he somehow hoisted himself over the tall and wide and impenetrable fence that keeps the babies safe and was last seen speed crawling out of the children's department.

He may be fast, but someone caught him and he was there when I picked him up. I often get the feeling that he realizes that he could leave if he wanted but knows that he would be missing out on something if he did. So he stays at home and doesn't make a run for it.

I can't wait to see what life has for Finny... (and if I make it through.)

Words to Melt a Mama's Heart...

As I was getting ready this morning, I decided to put on the necklace that Liam picked out for me for Mother's Day. It is a really pretty necklace from Target with a leaf imprint. After putting this beautiful necklace on, I walked out to the family room. Liam spotted the necklace right away and the conversation went like this...

LIAM: "Pretty necklace, mama."
ME: "I know. I love it. You picked it out for me."
LIAM: "I know. You look pretty mama."
ME: "Thank you, Lovie."
LIAM: "When I get a little older I'm gonna marry you, Mama."
ME: "I can't wait. I love you, Bubs."

Holy crap. If he is trying to butter me up for something it is seriously working!

On a far less pleasant note - I am pretty sure that someone in our neighborhood got skunked last night. There is a distinct skunk odor outside...

More Sneak Peaks

I know, I know... I am a total cheater and can see all the photos before they are sent out! I love it. They are all SERIOUSLY cute. Here are a few shots that my friend Ashley did of my boys. She is really talented. She did this all while 3 months pregnant with her 4th child by the way. Amazing.

Birthday Party and 4th of July Spectacular!

We celebrated Finn and his Cousin Landon's 1st Birthdays and along with the 4th of July while we were in McMinnville. They were born two weeks a part and it seemed fitting to have a little shindig while we were with family. My grandparents have a beautiful pool and offered (or were forced) to have it at their house. Finny's grandparents, Finny's great-grandparents, one great uncle, my brother (and Landon's daddy), sister in law (Landon's Mama) and then Landon's grandparents and great-grandma, plus some family friends and their sweet baby girl. Whoa! That probably didn't make sense but there it is!

Liam with his Great Grandma
on her John Deere
(This is Liam's "This is So Cool" face)

Liam fishing with his Great Grandpa
in their lake

Watching Great Grandpa Fish

Liam Apprehensively Using His Sparklers

The Melting Birthday Cake
(No, it wasn't an ice cream cake)
-We call them Finny and Lando-

Finn Loving Life in the Pool

Finny getting "patted" by his cousin

Look how cute they are crawling with each other

Finny and Landon with Great Grandma

Finn's Alone Time with Gaga and Papa

Finn enjoyed some one on one time with his Gaga and Papa while Liam went swimming...

Liam and His Drive on the Baby Gator

Oh to have the freedom to do life like Liam...

Road Trip to Gaga and Papa's

This was the first time we turned Finn's carseat around and he was REALLY excited. They both watched movies and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Fun at Gaga and Papa's

We have had a great time visiting my parent's house and the boys have had a particularly good time. Here is the start of a lot of pictures. Liam has been swimming like crazy at his Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's house. Finn has been loving every minute of the constant attention he gets...