thanksgiving. chapter three.

the mister had to return to work on friday (boo!/thankful at the same time) so the babe and i hit the highway for a little trip to napa. thanksgiving was still in full force at casa de awesome. and so were the leftovers. ryan came for dinner and we all enjoyed mama's turkey pot pie.

we spent lots of time cuddling by the fire, chatting, laughing at finn, flipping through mags.

the girls and i stole away to see breaking dawn. hence, emily's vampire and werewolf faces, respectively.

we visited the caldwell's and these boys sure got a kick out of one another. so sweet.

the hills were calling and we joined erika for a walk.

i love this place...

...i loooooooove these leaves....

...and i really love holidays that seem to last for days.

thanksgiving. chapter two.

thanksgiving day found us at mimi and pops! finn was disappointed to learn that he wouldn't be able to sample their stuffing this year (YUM!)...but he was excited to meet aunt lane who made the journey from disneyland ontario to celebrate with us.

finn and his many costume changes, thanks to his excessive amounts of drool.


the feast! and the beautiful table settings.

everything was so delicious and we had such fun....

we are so thankful.

thanksgiving. chapter one.

early on thanksgiving morning, despite the rain, we bundled up and walked to j street. there we found many other people. short people. tall people. young people. old people. grumpy people and fun people. we all walked to feed the hungry. and to burn some calories before that gluttonous meal that was in our future.
our feet got wet and our fingers chilly, but baby finn stayed warm and cozy in his chariot and we ran into friends, an aunt, an uncle and a cousin!

we trekked home to get dry and warm up with hot cocoa, french toast and the parade. and finn decided to show his new trick - thumb sucking!
we had such fun, and we agreed that a new tradition was born for turkey day morning.

lately...

:: grandma great hosted a lil' sip and see last weekend for all our napa friends and family who had yet to meet little finn. it was beyond special.

:: finn is all ready for chilly walks with his new little bear suit. thanks, W!

:: the girls came over and we walked to starbucks for java. i love these ladies so. and we learned that soon, another sweet baby will join our club!

:: dylan and finn reunite.

:: our little gingersnap is growing more accostomed to tummy time. toleration would be an appropriate description.

:: daddy took us on a date (family style) to our favorite restaraunt: villa corona! last time we there, finn was in my tummy - just two days before he was born! i had the enchiladas. ryan had nachos. and baby had leche.

:: these two still have somethin' special and finn discovered that he has a fist! two fists to be exact!

:: tante rachel came for a slumber party. finn was in heaven.

:: we shared toast with jam, coffee with cream and hung out in bed. i was in heaven.

:: finn meet sophie. sophie meet finn. the beginning of what i hope will be a sweet love affair.

:: we walked. and marveled at the leaves. again.

:: uncle trevor came to visit! we went to the mall and the boys got new hats.

:: we had a photo shoot in the backyard. of course.

:: finn is a big fan of the trevor. much like his mama and papa. and everyone else who ever met the guy.

:: me and my boy.

:: we received some amazing news: erika is having a boy AND a girl!

:: and all that fun makes for one sleepy babe.

three months

oh finn boy...our sweet, sweet finn boy. how you have grown. and how our hearts have grown with you. you just get more fun by the day. but even if you weren't such a fun person, we would still love you just the same. you are just that irresistable to us.

you are quite the talker! our conversations are full of the most hilarious sounds i have ever heard. you sound like a dinosaur, a pterodactyl to be specific. and the faces that you make as you try to figure out how to make different sounds come from your mouth just kills me. your entire face contorts: you furrow your brow and purse those lips as you throw your clenched fists up in an effort to show us how hard you are trying. we are so proud of you.

(our little turkey - whose parts are present and normal but have been blurred for privacy)

you really love being outside...it is amazing how the great outdoors just changes your mood instantly. as soon as you begin to get a little bored with me, usually around four o'clock, we head outside and you instantly become mesmerized. you don't really smile or talk too much while we walk: i think you too busy absorbing all that you see.

you don't really care for the car. you detest stop lights and traffic. and you really hate tummy time.


you pretty much smile for anyone who gives you attention. which of course makes me think that i have the sweetest, most well-adapted baby there ever was. just kidding.

in the mornings sometimes we lay in bed together: while i read or try to catch a few more zzzzz's, you stare at the light on the ceiling. when i turn to look at you, sometimes you will be waiting for me with the biggest grin. i die a little everytime. one of my favorite things is when you get super excited: you flash your biggest, wide-open smile and shake your head from side to side, as if the motion will stretch your smile even bigger to match the height of your glee. this is always the moment that i think you would giggle if you knew how.

we don't know what we did to get so lucky but you are pretty easy to please, are a pro sleeper (knock on wood) and are a pretty efficient eater at this point. i absolutely can't believe how much i love nursing you. it is the most tender thing i have ever known. but you sure spit up a lot! and always just when i think the coast is clear and have just put on my good clothes. ahhhh, the plight of a young mother :)

you are a big boy, at a whopping fifteen pounds and are starting to get chubby! yessssssss! your cheeks have just exploded in the last month and i could kiss them all day long. your brand new skin is just sooooo soft and sooooo kissable. and you finally have those finger dimples and wrist rolls i have always adored on babies. it's the cutest.

we just can't get enough of you finn bear. thank goodness you are ours.

today we went for a walk

well it was tuesday really. but regardless it was pretty clear that fall was in full force. finally. chilly air, crunchy leaves underfoot, sweaters and hats on mamas and babies and those leaves. oh those leaves. fall blows my mind every year and is most certainly the time of year when i am most in awe of this planet.

we ended up walking much farther than we usually do, but i couldn't help it. each tree (and each darling house in that neighborhood!) kept drawing me further. needless to say, i had sore legs. from walking. jeez.

and of course, my baby. my summer baby. i can't believe a season other than the one he was born in has arrived.

we ended our two hour fall walk as the sun set at the park.

and then we went home to cuddle. complete with rosy cheeks and chilly hands. perfect.

someone had a birthday...

1. mama decorated. cute.

2. finn gives tante her birthday kiss. double cute.

3. mama made chocolate cake. yummo.

4. emily got a present. 'cause its her birthday!

5. finn thinks papa and grandpa great are pretty funny. i do too.

6. we enjoyed chicken enchiladas and mexican coke. boy oh boy.

7. emily gets another present. lucky.

8. emily makes a birthday wish. i hope it comes true.

happy, happy birthday em!

halloweeeeeeeen!

it started early. because we like to get as much out of this holiday as possible. costume number one:

this little cow (costume thanks to mimi and pops!) got all bundled up for an early morning walk to starbucks.

mommy and daddy cow got pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin scones. i am not going to lie. it was a bit much. but i suppose that is part of the spirit of the holiday, right?

after learning that we should have been reading to finn from day one (oops!), i read him his first book. appropriately, the very busy spider.

finn decided on halloween that he would begin expressing joy during bathtime, rather than sporting a blank, comatose-like stare. it is much more fun now. for all.

our little family got all dressed up. two farmers and the little peapod, the organic peapod, they grew. i wish you could see my cowboy boots. they were pretty rockin'. and i will never tire of seeing my mister in those overalls. equally handsome and hilarious. i decided to call him "manly", as in almanzo wilder. my very own farmer boy.

we headed to tante cory's for a halloween bash! there was even an outdoor bed to lounge on, music and a big outdoor fire. october magic.

her house looked so spooky! i love spooky.

finn the pea pod made the rounds and spotted all these loving faces...

agent ever stole my heart. as always. and made me laugh. a lot. as always.

homemade carnitas with slaw. black beans. spaghetti squash. pumpkin pie. popcorn. guacamole. brie and chutney. and my tante's famous cake. i wish i could do it all over again today.

finn's first halloween was a real scream. it started early. and ended late...

with a whole lot of happy in between.