The Finn Family

That kind of day...

2012-01-26T19:04:00.002-06:00

I went to bed late.
Really late.
The cat is sick.
Really sick.
Throwing up every couple of hours sick.
When I did go to bed at midnight, I got woke up two hours later.
I slept in until almost 10 a.m.
I had the most awesome dream ever.
Got to blow up a building with a James Bond type dude named Joe.
It was totally cool!

In fact, I used that exact phrase when I woke up this morning.
My dreams lately are better than movies.
Worth sleeping in for.

I also dreamt of carrot cake muffins with cream cheese buttercream frosting.

So I made some!

And they were almost as good as my dream.

Worth the trouble

2012-01-19T21:33:00.000-06:00

Little boy with hat he doesn't like. See the look on his face. Too bad you missed the screaming that came right after picture was snapped.

See boy with Star Wars hat. Very happy boy with fake smile. But no screams. See Mom with fake smile. There were quite a few pictures in between these two.

See little girl playing along with Mommy. Oh, how I love that girl.

Little girl remembered to put her glasses on and went for a more civilized picture. My hat is much more fitting. lol

Only family picture we got this year for our new years letter. Wow! At least we have one.

It was my idea to go to the Hallmark Center for a family picture. I just didn't imagine how hard it would be orchestrate. At least I get an "A" for effort.

When I grow up....

2012-01-18T18:12:00.001-06:00

I don't remember what I wanted to be when I grew up. I remember writing a lot about who I would marry and names of children I would have, but never about what/who I would be. Most kids have dreams of what they want to be. It was never very clear to me what my strengths were. I was shy, withdrawn, timid and a bit scared of most things.

I was always afraid to commit to things because it took so long to accomplish them. Like college. It seemed like so much time, but I remember the day I realized that four years had passed away and I could have been finished had I started.

That is when I made a decision to do something... anything.

That decision led me to a mission.

That mission led me to know me better. First time that I ever had a spiritual conversation with myself. And through a lot of learning experiences, I knew who I was.

That opinion has changed and wavered over the years, but I am still standing.

I envy my daughter. She knows she wants to be an artist. We make sure to encourage her every chance we get. She needs to know that she can achieve her dreams of what she wants to be when she grows up. That may change as the years go by, but I want to make sure that she does have a dream of WHO she will be. And who she already is.

By the way... she loves Bob Ross. I love that she can say that and mean it with a straight face.

Gentle

2012-01-17T15:46:00.001-06:00

Words and Music by Micheal McLean

Like a gentle wind can blow the clouds from the sky,
Like a gentle touch can ease the pain of goodbye,
Like a gentle smile embraces empty souls in lonely places,
We should be more gentle with ourselves.

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Like the friend who gently builds us up when we're down,
Like a gentle kiss can turn our world all around,
We've been hurt by others often,
We've forgiven and forgotten,
We should be more gentle with ourselves.

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Life can be hard but
we need not be so hard
on ourselves,
If we will see

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Like the Shepherd leads his flock with gentle commands.
With his gentle voice that only hearts understand.
One thing we can know for certain, He has borne the awful burdens
so we can be more gentle with ourselves.

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One thing that I know for certain:
He will bear my every burden,
So I can be gentle with myself.

Thanks Laurie!

What comes first?

2012-01-16T18:54:00.002-06:00

I have a really wonderful friend that is so open about herself and her spirituality on her blog. I envy her. I find that I hold back a lot about me these days. I'm not sure when it happened completely, but I do know some of the reasons why. I can't put those reasons on here unfortunately. I am not that brave.

I used to use my journal for an outlet of emotions and baggage I carry around, but since I don't write in there anymore because it got too negative and dark, I tried to use my blog. And for a while it was working for me.

Until I got lost somewhere.
I read my old posts and I wonder how I was that person.

Interesting, funny and open.

I can't find her right now, but I am not giving up. Maybe I will find her in this period of trial I am going through.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. I hope it is "light" inside of me.

The message/lesson in RS was about "Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself". I find it harder to love myself. I wonder how many other people fall into this category. I wonder if we considered ourselves as a "neighbor", would we be more charitable with our thoughts. Would the self flogging abate?

I remember a quote I heard once that we should pray to see others as our Heavenly Father does. I have never once thought about praying to see myself as He does.

Maybe that is where I should start. We learn what we need from the lessons that are given. I saw that many people were glad to be reminded of how to treat others. I was glad to be reminded that I need to treat myself better.

And when you feel better about who you are, it resonates with those you come in contact with. It makes you want to share your "joy" with others, to lessen their burdens. Whatever they may be.

So, with that in mind...

Where does the time go....

2012-01-12T17:32:00.001-06:00

Eleven years ago today I married this guy.

And these are some of the ~~eleven~~ reasons why. According to Mr. Finn, since I am Canadian my math can be a little fuzzy.

He loves to share his passions with his family.

He makes a pretty handy umbrella holder.

He makes a really great pillow.

Is the best seat in town.

Teaches our children.

Shares the things he learns by taking us on geneology trips.

Will play with the kids in the freezing cold.

Instituted our annual New Years Eve Hockey game.

Spends time helping the children learn the basics of life.

Can bring home dinner...

Makes sure we stop and see what the world has to offer.

He can be silly.

I absolutely love that he will play with our children.

This video is so much fun to watch. If you have a couple of minutes, it is worth the time. Makes me miss my little boy.

Nothing makes Mr. Finn happier than when I post pictures of him. Sorry Hon, but this is about why I am married to you and and... it is my blog.

Happy Anniversary!

So very Random

2012-01-11T16:16:00.002-06:00

Miss Boo's favorite day of the week is Wednesday because it is Art day.

The Dude loves chicken nuggets or tuna for breakfast.

I just spent 5 hours cleaning my daughter's room. Sheesh! She is a hoarder in infancy.
Don't tell her, but 2 boxes of stuff did not make it back into her room.
I did the same to her brother's room a couple of days ago. The difference is that he is willing to give up stuff in order to have room for his new christmas gifts.

The Dude lost his blankey right after Christmas. Mr. Finn tells me yesterday that he thinks he might have trashed it with the wrapping paper. That boy misses it so badly.

My friend Sandy lost her Mother yesterday after a long battle with cancer. It is sad and a relief at the same time. My thoughts are with her today.

My friend Angie from Bishop called today out of the blue. It is good to hear from old friends that you haven't heard from in a very long time.

Tomorrow I will have been married 11 years.

Today I am grumpy and tired.

"Queen" Victoria

2012-01-10T12:22:00.001-06:00

Official notice of occupancy.

Name: Victoria
Age: 2-3 years old
Size: Average (takes up more space than you would expect)

Favorite room: Any with a blanket
Favorite person: Whoever is scratching her ears

The kids are so very excited to have a pet. The poor cat will eventually get adjusted to all the attention. Whether she wants to or not. Because all they want to do is love her and love on her every second of the day.

All hail the Queen.

Chicken

2012-01-09T20:10:00.001-06:00

It was the last five minutes of RS and a sister was sharing her testimony. Moments before Laurie had nudged me and said, "It's your turn". I felt an instantaneous tightening of my stomach.

I sat wondering what I could possibly share. I truly couldn't put any thoughts together. I have a testimony but I was wondering why I couldn't find anything to share. Why was that?

At two minutes until the end of class it struck me that I was looking for some "pat" testimony to share. That isn't me. My testimony is the things that make me live the gospel every day. The things that I learn when I feel as if I am stalled out.

Laurie reminded me yesterday when we were trying to get the paint sprayer to work on this job we contracted to do for her husband's dentist office. She said we needed to say a prayer. I was thinking about how that is such a trivial thing to ask of our Heavenly Father. This was something we needed to figure out. But, there was such power in the simplicity of her prayer. As we continued to work on the sprayer I realized that it was her faith that held that power. She didn't doubt that she would get an answer in some way.

It helped me remember that He does listen and like us as parents wants to help us when we have exhausted our own resources.

The sprayer started to work again but hours later it took a turn for the worse. At this time she said we needed to rent and so we did. We had a conversation about why we didn't receive this answer hours before when it broke the first time or the day before when it acted up.

It wasn't because of her faith, it was because of mine. I tend to lean on my own willfulness and insecurities before I go to the Lord for help.

I am grateful that I got to spend the time with Laurie working frantically to complete the painting of this 5200 sq foot building. It was the hardest I have worked for four days and it was a great experience to have with her. I laughed a lot, sweated a lot and was exhausted, but in some ways I came out energized in the end. Even after only 3 hours of sleep.

Jonette saw that I was about to rise and share my testimony, but I shied away. I didn't have the courage to rise anyway when the RS president was getting up. She would have allowed me my moment. I caught Jonette's eye and she asked if I was o.k.? I nodded yes. I was fine. Disappointed in myself, but relieved that I knew I had a testimony and that was good for me.

After RS was over, Jonette motioned me over and asked me to share my testimony with her. I was overcome with emotion. She is such a warm person that sees the needs in others and gently encourages. I am grateful for her in our ward and that she has shown such service and kindness to me.

As I finished up this job with Laurie I told her I was glad we are still friends and that I was not doing another one like this. She is a very hard worker with a deep spiritual drive. Thank you Laurie for making it so much fun and for helping me to learn some much needed lessons in my life. I also learned that she is a prankster, especially when she knows a weakness. And yes... I am paranoid.

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T17:27:00.000-06:00

This year sucked! Not going to sugar coat it.

I am saying, "Good Riddance 2011"!

There was some good in this year, but for the most part it has been a pretty hard year for our family.

I have struggled with posting on a regular basis. Mainly just trying to find humor in the days and that has been the hardest thing for me.

We are blessed to have a warm home that protects us from the elements, food in our bellies and plenty of what we need for the time being.

Just emotionally it has totally stressed me out.

I have always been pretty healthy, but this year I was told I was in a high risk category for breast cancer and... that my cholesterol was so high I was now in a high risk category for heart attack. Geesh!

So, I panicked! I found out the heart attack stuff right after my 44th birthday and the fear of not being around for my children made me get off my $%^$ and get moving. Up at 5:45 a.m. every morning to do sit ups, stretches, leg lifts and the treadmill for a combined total of 45 minutes. And because I am not good with delayed results, I was pleased to lose 16 pounds in about 1 1/2 months.

I credit Jonette for getting me started. I had a visiting teaching meeting with her in August and she volunteered her time to walk with me. I was completely incapable at that point of getting myself motivated. After walking with her twice I knew it was going to have to be on my own because she walks faster than I can run. And the sad part is that she was really slowing herself down for me.

It worked though. She got me going.

My cholesterol is better. My disposition fluctuates. Obviously there isn't a direct correlation from my moods to my weight. Who knew?! I was hoping.

I did get more energy. Not sure if it was the weight loss or the vitamin D that my doctor put me on because my levels were really low.

Boy, was I mess this year physically. My fault.

I spent the first part of the year as a "single" parent with Mr. Finn working in the frozen tundra until the end of June. It was a stress on the family, but we made it through.

And because I deal with stress by eating. I ate!
A lot!
Things that brought me immediate gratification. So lots of veggies.
NOT!

I discovered a dark chocolate bar at Aldi's from Australia. OH MY!

I found that at a price tag of only $1.29, it was an affordable luxury.

But unfortunately it turned out to be a luxury I truly couldn't afford.

This year I PRAY it will be easier in all ways. I know it can't, but I could use a little break for at least a little bit.

So for me, no resolutions. They frustrate me because I don't keep them or fall short. I just want to handle each day better than the day before. Even if it is only a millimeter.

Good luck this year!

Merry CHRISTmas 2011

2011-12-25T19:43:00.001-06:00

Nothing says Feliz Navidad like this boy!

This year we brought home a cat for Christmas. Whose idea you might ask?
Well... let me give you a hint.

My Hero! There is a soft spot in there for cats. I always knew it!
NOT! He was pretty clear when we got married that a cat would never cross our threshold.

I can't remember if he used things like "hell freezing over" or "lightening", but I am pretty sure that none of this has happened.

Phew!

Even though hell freezing over would be something to talk about.
Anyways, we now have a cat named Victoria and she pretty much runs the house.

I was joking with Mr. Finn when she was rolling around on the floor that she was saying to herself, "It's all mine! It's all mine!".

Santa was good to the kids this year and so were their Grandparents and Aunts and Sister. Thanks everyone. They really enjoyed their presents.

Grandma Lois sent this little boy his Happy Napper and as he told her on the phone, "It's what I always wanted!". There is truth in that. He has mentioned it every day for the past 3 months, at least.

And Grandma Lois got Miss Boo exactly what she needs to finish all those art projects she has started in her room and are on hold due to "lack of correct color" in the box.

Grandma Enid made the kids these wonderful magnet boards. I just want to know where mine is?! They are blessed with a Grandma with many talents. Thanks!

Mr. Finn likes to pass on his childhood loves to his children. This year it was Lincoln Logs... for obvious reasons. They are downstairs playing with them right now.

Mr. Finn came home the other day to the kids using "Jenga" blocks to build fences. Can you imagine how many cool fences they can make now. It will take some instruction, because as the Dude told his Dad, "We have these at school and I don't know how to make them work.". There you go.

These photos are my attempt at learning to use my camera better. I read how to take pictures with christmas lights on a blog and really wanted to see if it would work. So here is my attempt at photographing my tree.

These star ornaments were an idea from a wonderfully, talented woman I visiting teach. Very simple and pretty. I have a lot in the tree, but they are huge. She never mentioned you should start with a small piece of paper and not a full sheet. That's how I learn though. Lots of error.

I have been collecting star ornaments for over 20 years. I love what they symbolize and every year the tree gets fuller. This year you could actually tell that I was aiming for a star theme.

And this was thrown in because I never, ever want to forget my dear, sweet Miss Boo and all the colorfulness that is her.

Feeling a lot like CHRISTmas...

2011-12-23T12:03:00.002-06:00

I was telling my Dad yesterday that we had a special visitor on Wednesday and that it made the holiday feel more like CHRISTmas for me. I love having family around the holidays, especially the ones I enjoy so much.

The Dude was taking pictures while we sat around the table. This is my cousin Rob, his delightful wife, Katrina and their adorable daughter, Alyssa. It has been more than 22 years since I have last seen him but it didn't feel that way. He was at my mission farewell in 1989. Wow! Long time ago. In that time, he married his beautiful wife and had 3 children in 21 years. (I think that's right, but I am often wrong.)
It was a fun night of dinner and talking. I could have sat there all night catching up as they are so enjoyable. I am hoping they move closer. How much fun would that be?!

Thank you for coming.

After they left to pick up their son from the airport, I was standing at the sink doing dishes looking out at these beautiful lights. What a delight.

This little boy just yelled at me from the hallway to come see. He is always a sight for sore eyes.

Merry CHRISTmas Everyone. Much love to all of you. Thank you for your love and support through this year. May God bless you in your holiday season.

CHRISTmas

2011-12-20T07:58:00.000-06:00

There are so many things about CHRISTmas that I love.

These are two of those reasons.

I had a "friend" tell me recently that Christmas is bad and wrong. I said to her, "How can be it be so bad if it brings out the good in people?". It may not be the real birth of our Savior, but it is a day that the majority of people worship his birth and for others it is a day of giving and family and goodwill.

She said that Santa was made up by the Catholics. I say, "SO WHAT!". He is a symbol of giving and kindness. We don't worship Santa in our home. I am sure there are many that do, but we know what the true meaning of CHRISTmas is.

You can't stand in judgement of a day because of those that don't worship the Savior. It is a day that focuses us towards the one that can save us from ourselves.

It may not be the actual birth, but my children understand that this is about the Christ. They know that on CHRISTmas morning they will put Jesus in the manger of our Nativity. Their idea! They get the meaning.

Does she?

Off to see the Wizard

2011-12-13T22:04:00.000-06:00

There are many things I love about living in these parts and one of them is that we can drive a relatively short distance to all things "Dorothy" and what could be better.

This was one HAPPY Dude. Who doesn't love the Tinman? And a gigantic one at that. I love that the museum had hundreds of pieces of memorabilia from over the years.

Did you know that Baum wrote over 20 books that had the almost the same title? Who knew?

Excuse the pictures, my iPhone can only do so much.
I was fascinated with all the puppets. This picture is one of my favorites because it makes me think the puppet is coming back from being a ghost.

I fell in love with this painting. Wish I had it for my house.

This witch totally scared me. I thought I saw myself. LOL Just kidding.

Miss Boo wasn't keen on taking pictures but she insisted on one with Glenda, the Good Witch.

I thought these stockings were adorable.

Mr. Finn decided this is what our children needed to wear to school.

I absolutely am terrified of flying monkeys. I ran through this section.

One more of my little guy, because he is so cute!

And I can't end on flying monkeys. Eeek!

Some of my favorite things at the museum. You must come and see it sometime.
Well... if you are ever in Kansas.

I have always wanted red shoes, why not ruby red slippers. These are gorgeous and were made to mark the 50th anniversary of the movie.

I loved that you could watch the movie if you had the time.

Hark!

2011-12-11T18:06:00.001-06:00

Fact: I have been married almost 11 years.

Another fact: I have wanted lights on the house for almost 11 years.

The last fact of this post: That meant I had to put them up.

And so I did and jumped up and down like a school girl when it got dark enough to see them.

I wonder sometimes who is the bigger kid.

PB and C?!

2011-12-09T20:04:00.001-06:00

This post is dedicated to you Laurie.

It's all about the PB y'all.

I know I shouldn't snicker, but...

It's the crack that makes me laugh. Doesn't matter whether the "P" is a little, let's say "fluffy" or not, there's always crack. Even those skinny dudes. Unbelievable.

How is that possible?

I am so irreverent when it comes to the crack. I start to snicker. My shoulders shake, my head falls forward and my knees literally quake from the laughter building up on the inside.

My friend Laurie and I have been painting and prepping her husband's new dental office, which I will refer to as the "war zone" until it starts to resemble a building.

Well, today while we were painting the boss's office I had to pass by the plumbers getting their job finished. FINALLY! But... well, it was all about the "_tt", wasn't it? Or rather lack thereof, but I started to laugh. I couldn't help it. So, I went and shared it with Laurie. A bit later we had to bring some stuff from the other side of the building and as we passed the aforementioned "P" she saw what I was talking about and with the knowledge that she now knew, I once again became a snickering, pathetic person.

But, one would say that laughter is good for the soul. Today it was. And sadly at the expense of one hardworking plumber.

To him I say Thank You and please, for the love of Pete, pull up your darn pants.

Over it

2011-12-07T19:04:00.001-06:00

There were a few items from Mr. Finn's bachelor days that made their way into my kitchen cabinets. One of them was this pan. It has been well used in 11 years of marriage. In fact, it has actually lost the ability to be non-stick in this past year.

In many ways this pan is like me. I feel worn down. I don't let anything roll off my back anymore. It just sticks to me and I can't seem to get it off. Especially when it comes to Mr. Finn.

I used to think he was really funny, but not so much these days.
As he told Miss Boo, "Mom had her sense of humor surgically removed", in response to her comment that I (Mom) didn't find him (Dad) funny.
I couldn't even find that funny.
I wonder why that is.
Was he never funny and I was just in the "honeymoon" phase of our life?
Was I not as serious back then?
Or have I indeed lost my sense of humor?
The truth is that I don't have an answer to that conundrum right now. I will have to ponder it some more and hopefully I can figure out what happened, because according to Mr. Finn he is really funny.
I suppose he can be. At times. Not all the time.

But, for now I have a new pan that is shiny and everything rolls out of it like butter.

For all to hear

2011-12-06T12:28:00.001-06:00

Winter is here! A part of me is ready, but the other part is rebelling with all it's might. The Dude's tractor really never had a chance outside in the cold. Well, it was thrown in the wheelbarrow sometime in the Fall and that is really what did it in.
But... it makes for a really cool picture.
Mr. Finn is calling it a Missouri Zamboni.
Funny!

My little boy had a part in the Christmas Program for his school. He never even let me know that he did, but he did great. Clear, concise and didn't even seem nervous.
But, I have to say that as a Mom, shouldn't I have known that he had a part?
How could I not know?
He even said to me before we left for the program that he was really nervous. I told him he would be fine. That isn't right!
Aren't mothers supposed to know everything in their children's lives?
Well, at least the stuff that matters?

Sometimes I wonder if my kids will survive me because apparently Mr. Finn knew.

And yet... I didn't. Isn't there some husband/wife code that says they make sure the other one is in the loop?

What's up with the kid's belly?

I knew Miss Boo had lines in the play and she did well. She is so good at memorizing things and I knew she would be able to pull it off without a hitch. And she did!

Do you remember the days as a kid when you would just belt out the songs?
Before you realized that you couldn't sing.
I love to sing, but those around me don't want to hear me sing. I can't blame them.

My mother used to tell me that I sounded like a crow. That is when I quit singing loudly. Maybe I should start singing loudly again. I heard once that singing is a form of worship and participation.

I love that they take the singing seriously and never forgot their parts.

I get choked up when I watch my children excel at what they are doing. There is something about that whole "pride" thing. It really "wells" up inside you and wants to burst out of your chest.

At least, in my experience it feels that way. Makes me want to be that obnoxious parent that is elbowing the person next to her, saying "That's my kid!".

Maybe even a big "Whoo Hoo!" shouted very loudly at the most inappropriate moment.

But, alas I am not that kind of parent. I inwardly wished I had the nerve to be, but for now I will BEAM with pride.

Enigma

2011-11-30T19:21:00.001-06:00

I have this amazing little girl that can infuriate me more than anything else in the world. I find her to be a complete enigma most days. She is so opinionated in one moment and then so needy in the next. I don't know "how" to parent her most days. I feel so inadequate when it comes to her. I feels as if I can't give her enough of what she wants, love, affection, understanding, discipline, consistency, laughter, humor, you name it.

The part that I find most frustrating is that when I think I am ready to take the proverbial leap off the cliff, I hear "Mom!" in that tone that drives me crazy. I always answer gruffly, "What!?" and she answers so sweetly, "I Love You."

I feel like such a heel.
Is this normal?
Do they do this on purpose or is it just because I am so impatient and so clueless as a mother?

I love her so much. I want to be a good mother so she won't grow up in therapy.
I'm am afraid that it may be too late and she is already therapy bound.

Yet, she seems so well adjusted in spite of me and so unbelievably creative. And smart... oh my heavens. How am I going to help with her homework?
Do you ever stop feeling inadequate?

And just when she gets her hair long like she wanted, she wants it cut off immediately.
I guess I should just admire her for following her passion. She is quite amazing.

But... I think I already said that because I KNOW that.

Oh... little town of...

2011-11-29T19:33:00.001-06:00

We live in a charming little town that hosts a Christmas lighting ceremony the night before Thanksgiving. Every year it is wonderful and every now and then we get a fun surprise...

... like Reindeer. This one happens to be named "Rudolph".

We have these teenage girls that dress up as Angels and dance in front of the courthouse every year. I know Sarah, the one in the middle.

Miss Boo is fickle about pictures. This night is was all about the "No Paparrazi!".

As you can see, the Dude is always up for a picture. He loves the scavenger hunt thing we do. They collect stickers from all the local businesses in the old downtown and then they can trade the paper in for a book. They then will put the paper in a box for a drawing that will take place the week after.

The fun part is that everyone wins the drawing.

Shhhh... don't tell the kids.

Miss Boo wanted a carriage ride so badly. So we stood in line a very, very long time and then had to split up so we could actually get that ride. She went with her Daddy and the Dude went with me.

Luckily when the Dude and I got our turn the horses were tired, so only 3 adults got to go with 3 children. It was very relaxing.

I love courthouses. There is something about them, especially in small towns. Just a certain bit of charm.

I love where we live. The people are great, the town is sweet and we are close enough to the city that I don't have to do without what it has to offer.

We pray that we can live here a long time and let out children call this home.
It's always good to have a hometown full of memories that you can carry into adulthood.

This Kid

2011-11-25T00:32:00.001-06:00

I totally dig this kid.

I have never known anyone so in love with stuffed animals. He bought this one at an estate sale. I am not one to let my kids buy old stuffed animals, but it was an elderly lady that had passed on. Her great grandchildren had made it for her at Build A Bear. He fell in love the instant he saw it and would not stop.
I finally agreed to lend him the dollar to buy it. You would have thought I had given him a million dollars. He was so proud and excited buying it.

The minute we got home he ran to his piggy bank to pay me back for the most awesome dinosaur in the world.

I am grateful for children that understand the responsibility and weight of money. A dollar is a lot of money to him and to make a deal like this, he had to be in love.

On this Thanksgiving I am grateful for my family. I have been blessed with wonderful children that test me and give me great joy.

Stats

2011-11-23T21:22:00.001-06:00

Modern technology is FABULOUS!

Because of all the wonderful statistics this blogsite provides (that Mr. Finn set up) I get to know WHO is stalking me at all times.

Is this YOU?

ROFL

Sisters

2011-11-19T20:48:00.001-06:00

I tagged a long for visit to Aunt Jane in Columbia.

Sometimes in a family you end up with the norm...
1 whole sister, 2 half sisters, 1 adopted brother/nephew and 2 step sisters.

I was asked by someone when my sisters were coming for their visit, "Which ones?".

My reply, "the ones I like".

It's funny that in a family, you can have a strained relationship with your "biological" family and the "step" one can become the one you most relate to.

I'm not saying that it started out this way with my step sisters, it was definitely a process and took a lot of time.

Maybe that is why it is enduring and why I enjoy being around them so much.

It isn't hard to be around them. Just easy, cheesy, nice and peasy. (can you name the movie?)

Mainly because I don't feel judged all the time or that there is something else motivating the visit. I just get to be with them and laugh. We do have fun together.

Besides, they got me to see some sights that I haven't been to here. Almost 6 years and didn't even know about the Federal Reserve. Seriously... so much fun.

I love my sisters!

Mi Companera

2011-11-17T18:56:00.001-06:00

My goodness... has it been that long? I guess the proof is in the picture taken at 6 a.m. without any primping.

Well... maybe it is just that these young missionaries got old... er!

Kara was a companion I did not want. I actually prayed frequently that I would not be paired with her.

She terrified me. I'm not sure why, but she caused me to shake in my knickers.

And then the inevitable happened... she became my companion the last month of her mission. She actually extended her mission to be my companion.
You would think I would be flattered.
Not so much!
Still terrified.
And the first week cemented my fear.
She rode a bike like a maniac. A strong, in shape maniac. Up and down the steep hills in the Dominican Republic. I wanted to scream. My body was not used to such treatment. She was undeterred to slow down.
In fact, she relished being in front of me. Because... if she was, she could clip my front tire and if it was just right, my bike would go out of control and down I would go.

And she would laugh with that laugh I grew to love Mainly because it meant she was happy. Truly happy. Something I really didn't know or feel.

She would pray that I wouldn't sleep at night until I figured out how to be happy and to know that my Heavenly Father loved me.

I would lie there exhausted, yearning for sleep and I would hear her giggling from her bed, which only added to my frustration.
How could she be so heartless, I would ask myself.
I soon learned how big her heart really was and how much she wanted me to be happy. Truly happy.

Once I learned what I needed to learn and learned to love her, I could sleep again and shortly thereafter she left.
Leaving me a better missionary.
Leaving me a with a lasting friendship.

Thanks Kara for stopping by on your way home from Utah. It totally made my day, week, and year.
Love you.

Say Goodbye

2011-11-14T20:07:00.001-06:00

The Dude has finally given up his "potty aid". Yeah! That is so worth celebrating!

Now if only I could get him to wipe his own bum... hmmm!

Not so fast

2011-11-07T16:47:00.004-06:00

I am struggling with the increased rate in which my children seem to be growing up these days. It was just yesterday she was born. Tomorrow we are going to be beating the boys off the front porch. I'm not ready for that. She is a creative, spirited little girl that went from a size 7/8 to a 10/12 within a couple of months. And the 7/8's were bought for school this year. She has always been off the charts and she still maintains that distinction in most aspects of her life and personality.

She did tell me the other night that she is not going to grow up and stay home with me forever. I wish! Well... not sure if that is my wish, but it is certainly good to hear it. One day she will be desperately wanting her own freedom. Away from us! That will hard. Somedays it seems so real that it makes me sad.

I did these curls with a flat iron. Who knew!?

I appreciate President Uchdorf's talk about "Forget Me Nots" as it reminds us to find happiness in the now. I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy them now... not when the laundry is done.

I wonder how many moments I have missed because I said, "Just a minute!". The other night the two of them came running in to show me a dance they had learned (square dance) and were so excited. I almost sent them out because I was wrapped up in something. I am so glad I took the time to watch them. It was hilarious and heart warming at the same time.

I love this face. When she was born I would spend hours studying it as if I would forget something about her. I still find her face unbelievably fascinating and wonderful.

And... I spend many moments just staring at her. I am grateful that we are blessed to have her in our home.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T19:55:00.001-05:00

Too sweet for words.

If only he were the sheik of an oil well...

There's no place like home...

If ever I wanted a dog...

We have the most creative farmer that lives out on the highway. Last year he did pigs and this year...

It's the great pumpkin

2011-10-27T12:42:00.003-05:00

I am always excited to see how the children come up with their pumpkin faces.
When asked what he wanted, the Dude replied that it needed to look exactly like the one I bought at Michaels last year. He cracks me up!
I have learned that I can copy pretty decently, which is good because he doesn't accept half attempts.

Miss Boo always draws something elaborate and this year she wanted it carved. That's a bit hard when the drawings are small and intricate. She wanted holes for the ears, but since they were so cute, I stuffed them in the holes.

Mr. Finn has never carved a pumpkin.
Seriously!
Really?!
Well, I have it on film that he did this year. These pumpkins were almost 3 inches thick and I needed his help. It was certainly a lot more fun sharing the job.

These kids are so much fun. I can't imagine not having them around. They certainly make life more interesting.

Let it rain...

2011-10-19T10:27:00.000-05:00

This charming little face greeted me at school yesterday. I truly believed he was a corn stalk. Doesn't he look like one? Well... that's what I got for verbalizing what I thought. With kids, it is always better to get some details first.

He is the Statue of Liberty.

Can you see it now?

I totally can!

Or, at least I better so I don't hurt his feelings. I would never want to do that.

I love Fall and everything that goes with it. Well, I could use a little less 50 degree days, but I do love sweaters and pumpkin patches.

I find it interesting that we end up going to get pumpkins on the wettest day of Fall. How does that happen? We pick a day and then it rains. This year it rained hard.

But it didn't dampen our spirits. The kids picked out the BIGGEST pumpkins they could find this year. So different from last year when they wanted little ones they could carry themselves. They have hit this very competitive stage and it tumbles over into the size of pumpkins. The Dude had his picked out until Miss Boo found a bigger one. You get the picture. Remove pumpkin... insert bigger one. We are lucky that it started to rain a little harder because they were willing to compromise quicker.
Then inside to play with the kittens. One of the draws to this particular pumpkin patch is the kittens every year. They are cute and oh, so very cuddly. I would like to believe it's because they love us, but I know they are seeking warmth and they cuddle right in to get it. Doesn't change their delight.

Tonight we are carving those bad boys. Or, at least I will be carving what they draw with their Sharpies. I can't wait!

Soccer thoughts...

2011-10-17T10:56:00.000-05:00

I wish I could feel as relaxed as Miss Boo makes soccer look.

Try to remember that you can look good in anything if you are dressed to play the part.

I wonder if I could keep my eye on the "ball" if my days would go better.

If we all gave it our "all" every moment of our lives, what would the end result be?

But... sometimes I just feel like she looks. I think we can all relate.

Fall fun and a fish story

2011-10-12T08:42:00.001-05:00

This is the first year that we have attended the Fall Festival Fundraiser for the kid's school. We have always been busy years past, but we didn't have anything pressing and the kids were pressing us hard to go. Helps that they have a great motivator named BON! Have I ever mentioned that she totally rocks? She happens to be the principal of the school and one of the reasons that Miss Boo excels in her academic and social life.
We love her. In this house her name is holy.

She puts together so many fun things for the kids to do. Such a safe environment that makes it easy to let the kids run and play.

My little guy was having this intense conversation with one of the teachers. His expressions were cracking me up.

The Dude ran into his friend Jacob and they had a great time riding the train. I am so glad we made it this year.
Sad that Mr. Finn couldn't go because he pulled his hamstring fishing. Now, there's a fish story. LOL
He actually pulled it falling down the side of the bank trying to get a picture of a bullfrog... that got away.

Tender mercies

2011-10-08T08:56:00.000-05:00

Truly, the Lord suits “his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men” (D&C 46:15). David A. Bednar

I was having a rough day.
I felt impressed to check the mailbox at noon. This is not something I normally do as Miss Boo frowns on anyone usurping her duty.
Awaiting me was this package from Shannon. After reading her note it took me 30 minutes to get under control.
I am so grateful for friends that have the spirit in their lives and know its promptings AND act upon them.

Thank you my dear friend for helping me to feel how much my Heavenly Father loves me through a single act of kindness.

p.s. Did you know that fruit medly is my favorite treat?

Will it work...

2011-10-04T18:54:00.000-05:00

Conference was wonderful. For the first time since we moved here I have been able to watch it on TV. Well, on the Netflix box through the Mormon Channel. It had its moments where it would suddenly skip to an earlier part in the conference and just when I was thinking it was a message for me, it would skip back.

The thing I learned though, was that I pay more attention when it is bigger than a computer screen and I enjoyed seeing the speakers eyes clearly. I absolutely loved President Monson's talk. His whole demeanor was what I needed. He was quick to smile and tell jokes, roll his eyes and for me it was great to see his humanity. I needed to hear him talk in a way that I can relate to.

The main thing I can remember, and for me that is a biggie because my retention is that of a GNAT, is a quote from the Prophet.

"The Ten Commandments are NOT a Suggestion!"

I've never been one to break the ten commandments, but I can certainly skirt over the stuff that leads up to breaking a big one. My temper has been very short lately and my language... well, not so christlike.

I don't want my children to remember that about me. I remember my mother always blowing up at just about everything. I find myself doing it and hating myself afterwards. How can I expect my children to control their temper if I don't control mine?

It is my greatest challenge to work on. I want a harmonious home filled with the spirit. I feel that we have the basics and we love each other, but we lack patience for each other when it really counts.

I want my family to be eternal. I know that can only happen if we endure to the end. And that takes action and constant change with a desire to become more like our Savior. I am grateful for forgiveness and the chance to start again trying to get it right.

Tomorrow is a new day, hopefully with a new and better attitude.

Long morning that led to a long day

2011-09-29T16:49:00.001-05:00

My day so far...
6:00 a.m. Treadmill
6:33 a.m. Shower
6:55 a.m. Prayers
7:00 a.m. Check email
7:10 a.m. Check FB
7:25 a.m. Check Blog
7:26 a.m. Download new cupcake recipes
7:33 a.m. Wake up the Dude
7:35 a.m. Wake up Miss Boo
7:37 a.m. Back to the Dude's room. Still asleep.
7:39 a.m. Wake up Miss Boo again.
7:44 a.m. The Dude is dressed. Miss Boo ignoring me.
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:10 a.m. Make lunches
8:20 a.m. Get kids in car
8:21 a.m. Back upstairs to find keys
8:22 a.m. Take kids to school
8:30 a.m. Drive to walking trails to visiting teach
8:45 a.m. Commence walk
9:20 a.m. Drive home
9:25 a.m. Clean up house to prepare to watch Lati's kids
9:45 a.m. Make some changes to friends website. Add page.
10:07 a.m. Kids arrive
10:15 a.m. First poopie diaper
10:17 a.m. Kids claim they are hungry. Tell them we have to wait until 11:00
11:00 a.m. Lunch
11:35 a.m. Still waiting for Davis to finish lunch
12:00 a.m. Put mirror back together
12:10 a.m. Second poopie diaper
12:15 a.m. Davis falls off the couch after I tell him 10 times to not jump.
12:21 a.m. Kids are wrestling. Starting to take a turn. Can hear the whines starting.
12:40 p.m. Sis. Johnson showed up to take the kids for the rest of the afternoon before their naps.
12:41 p.m. I'm beat. I am not used to having small kids in the house.
1:00 p.m. Laid on the couch to catch up on my recorded shows.
2:30 p.m. Got ready to pick up kids
2:45 p.m. Leave house
3:00 p.m. Car full of kids
3:30 p.m. Put mirror up in Miss Boo's room.
4:30 p.m. Make dinner
4:45 p.m. Eat
5:40 p.m. Take home the Dude's friend that joined us today
6:00 p.m. Soccer practice for Miss Boo
6:10 p.m. Homework with the Dude
7:00 p.m. Head back home and rush to get kids in bed
7:15 p.m. Kids eating because they are starving
7:20 p.m. Brush teeth, pajamas and bed
7:58 p.m. Yell at kids to get back in their beds
8:00 p.m. Kids fast asleep. Whatever! So never happens like I dream it.
10:00 p.m. Bedtime for me.

This is the mirror I picked up at a yard sale for $1.00. YES! I did say one dollar. I could see all kinds of possibilities and none of them was in this color of gold.

But I did imagine this in white hanging in my little girls room. She loves it! I love spray paint.
At least I accomplished one project. I wish the picture turned out better though. Oh well, it is done.

Identity Crisis

2011-09-27T16:42:00.000-05:00

‎"Hey, we have another babysitter named Hunter. She drew these minions."
"That was me..."
"Oh, i couldn't remember you because you changed your hair."
...story of my life...

My kids crack me up!
I must admit that our babysitter did look completely different. They were disappointed they didn't get new "me's".

Miscellaneous moments

2011-09-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

She is growing up so fast. Those two front teeth have come in nicely. Her favorite thing to do is read. Who could ask for a better hobby for their child.

Our children have such a love for my friend "Margarine". They beg to go to her house.

The Dude claims it has been forever since I "brung" him to visit. He acted as if it was his long lost home. Rolling all over the rug and hugging all the toys as if they were his best friends.

She used to teach Miss Boo in Primary and now has our little man. They love her so much and she has a true love for all the children in her class. I am grateful because they are forming their opinions of everything right now and a bad experience could taint the church experience for them.

Did I ever share with you her wall that inspires me when I go to her home. She has such a deep love for the Savior and it shows. I had the honor of helping her put this wall together and I drop in every so often to bask in its warmth.

This picture is just to show you a little bit of HIM. He is a mess! A loveable, sweet, enjoyable, cuddly MESS!

Thanks Aunt Erika for sending the kids post cards from Hawaii. They love to get mail and to be remembered by the family they don't see very often. She will be visiting us in November with my other sister Gretchen. Can't wait!

Finger Pointing

2011-09-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

Thank you Mr. Finn. He knows how much I have missed my camera. I appreciate him finding an inexpensive way for me to get back to what I enjoy. I also love the red rose on the note. He is such a romantic.

And... thank you Shannon for putting the notion in his head!

It's that time of year again

2011-09-23T20:16:00.000-05:00

I love Fall!

It just makes me happy inside and out. There is something about the leaves changing to brilliant hues of red and gold that makes my spirit soar. That and the cool weather that allows me to spend more time outside and not dread the walk from the car to wherever I may be going.

It is also Fall Soccer. We have always done Spring Soccer and I have to tell you that I am so glad we are doing it in the Fall. So much warmer than what spring has to offer us during practice. And the fall colors are gorgeous.

As usual Thursday practice comes and its as if no one remembers it is going to come and we run late or can't find half the equipment we need.

This time it was soccer socks, but I am glad they couldn't be found. Halloween socks make a much more interesting addition to soccer, don't you think?

Miss Boo was complaining after her first practice that she was too slow and that everyone was faster than her. I have many pictures to prove that she can hold her own.

She finished practice and declared that she was the most "hurt" kid on the team.
Possible.
She did get knocked down a bit. I tried to explain to her that it was because her team was split for practice and her other team mates had to pretend she was the other team.

Her response was that she didn't like them because they hurt her too much.
We love seven year olds.

I love watching her play. I wish she could understand how proud she makes us.

I love Fall and yes... sometimes Soccer!

Speaking terms

2011-09-18T17:26:00.001-05:00

My camera was finally diagnosed after its unfortunate ~~tumble~~ drop at Wrigley Field.

Drum Roll....

The lens is broken.

It can't/won't communicate with my camera anymore.

They appear to not be on speaking terms.

The good news is that my camera itself is fine.

But, without a working lens it is just a non-working camera.

I am sad. I haven't taken any pictures since our trip.

Miss Boo had her first day of soccer practice on Thursday.

I took pictures with my iPhone, but apparently it is

not on speaking terms with me and instantly

DELETED THEM!

It's like being on Facebook!

I miss my Canon!

Little Brother

2011-09-08T08:29:00.000-05:00

In Chicago we had our share of fun! In front of the ballpark they had this photo booth set up promoting the above mentioned title. I do not recommend the movie, but the picture was a "Must Have" for obvious reasons. Seriously so much fun to watch the kids get into it with the prop box.

For as much as these two fight, I am glad that they have each other. And sometimes... they do get along and it is magic.

I hope they find a friendship in their siblinghood and it follows them through their life. I think siblings are important and especially if you like each other. Sometimes families just don't mesh, so we are hoping and praying with some nudging and guidance they will love each other (for real) and want to be around each other because they trust the other.

Grateful to have these two. As Miss Boo says, "He is my Brover".

Birthday Holiday

2011-09-05T14:08:00.003-05:00

Having a birthday on Labor Day is always fun because the whole country celebrates with you! Ha!
Before Mr. Finn, I never considered my birthday something special, but he always make sure that is even while sharing the day with me.

My sister was commenting this morning that Mr. Finn and I have the same initials and the same birthday. Heck! We even share the same temperament. NOT!

Sometimes it is hard to believe we have been together 10 years already. Through the good and the bad I am still glad he never gave up.

Happy Birthday to my Husband. My Nader!

He sent me this picture while I was serving a mission in the DR.

He is a great Dad! Total Bonus...

His new hobby is fishing these days. Keeps him calm. Says it is his diet regime. lol

As long as he is happy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! TO US!

p.s. I realized while putting this post together that we don't have many pictures together. Especially new ones. I am usually the one behind the camera. Oh well, we know we're married.

Vacation Catch up

2011-08-31T19:22:00.002-05:00

I am horrible at getting things written down, especially here on my blog. I wanted to add in the rest of our ~~escape~~ trip away earlier this month.

The Dude loves my Indiana Jones Hat.

I told Mr. Finn that I didn't want to be rushed because we always get so testy with each other when do too much and have to somewhere at a certain time. He gave me what I wanted and it was a really nice, relaxing time.

I'm not really sure why people rub Lincoln's nose for luck.
We passed!
And still had good luck on our trip.

She was very proud that she was able to catch a fish on Mr. Finn's home made fishing pole. She was the only one that did! Good on you Boo!

We learned some things about our daughter...
She is quite the poser. Wants the picture to look real. Like she is really touching something that she is not allowed to.
Don't know where she got that, but it is pretty funny!

Did you notice the braids? That is new too. She is all about braiding her hair to the side in rows. Mr. Finn says her name should be "Boonicqua" or something like that with the new "do".

The Dude is a lot like me. He stays away from the bugs and such. I love the outdoors if I don't have to wander in them too much.

Before we went down south to camp, we went north to Illinois to see some history. We stopped in Hannibal on the way to Springfield, but decided we didn't want to walk around in a cave with just lanterns. Miss Boo would never have survived. She doesn't do well in dark spaces.

And because I have a love for black and whites, here are a few of my favorites. These were done before I broke my camera in Chicago.

Lincoln's Tomb

Spectacular Tomb

Touch Down Jesus.

Apparently you can see this from the football field and it earned this nickname.
Mr. Finn had been telling me about it so we had to find while we were at Notre Dame.

Mr. Finn believes it is never to early to get your kids comfortable with college campuses so we get to visit them often. This one was pretty spectacular. They wore t-shirts from here on their first day of school.

The Dude cracks up when we travel. He has to have the optimum traveling conditions and prepares for it in advance so he is not uncomfortable. This doesn't look very comfy to me, but I didn't have to use it.
We did go see some other caves closer to the campgrounds on our down South. Thank heavens for lighting. It was 1 1/2 hours underground. I thought the kids wouldn't handle it well, but they did great.

It's hard to photograph in there, but you can tell that the kids were cold. Mr. Finn and I were comfortable. Actually, Mr. Finn was sweating and I was comfortable. That sounds more like it.

It was a nice escape from the "world". Now back to the grind.

Aftermath

2011-08-29T20:03:00.003-05:00

Last weekend a group of 68 members of our ward traveled to Joplin to help with the cleanup after the tornado that ripped their town apart. It is humbling to see that we are not in control of our lives. 7000 homes were damaged and/or lost during the storm. (3000 didn't have insurance.) I don't know what the number was for businesses destroyed, but it included Home Depot, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Taco Bell, etc. You get the picture. They lost so much within minutes. One mile wide and it destroyed a path six miles long.

What amazed me though was how many people show up daily to help out. Ben, the guy in charge said every day some group into town to work and those that are passing through leave money to help out.

The group I was in worked on this house. When we arrived the ground was covered on all 4 sides with shingles. We spent hours cleaning it up and the men worked on the roof. The woman that owned the house was so grateful for the help. She said it was overwhelming to see all that needed to be done and to not know where to begin. It took 6 of us 2 1/2 hours to clean up her yard from the debris, can you imagine how hard that would have been for her?

They keep this car at the base camp to help the volunteers understand what happened. There has been so much cleanup since we took the kids down a month ago that I think it would be easy to forget the extent of the damage.

We spent the afternoon working at the school cleaning up the trash. After 2 1/2 hours we had 20 bags of trash and it still looked like we had barely touched it. There was also a bus load from Columbia that was working as well. It was sobering to see how much there was still left to do.

The people are so humble. It was a pleasure to serve them.

I am more grateful for my life and the home we live in. I know that it can taken at any moment. We sometimes forget that we are not in control. I know I do!

From out of the rubble by the school we found some items that had blown from the houses over a block away. Pictures, baseball cards and this basket that contained a vase and a hurricane lamp. The hurricane and the vase were undamaged, yet the outside speakers and light poles were twisted into knots and barely recognizable. I brought the hurricane home as a reminder to me of how delicate life is and that it is truly a gift.

These pictures are from my friends blog. I think she borrowed them from Sis Hollars.
The top is the Hospital. I love the one of the school. The only letters remaining were "OP" after the tornado. Someone added "H" & "E" with duct tape and carved eagles into the damaged trees.

I am amazed at the HOPE they have.

Shut Ins

2011-08-26T16:28:00.000-05:00

While on vacation we visited a state park in So. Mo with an odd name.

The Shut Ins.

Say what?

That's exactly what I said, but then when I found out why they were called it.

Well, I still wonder...

It has to do with all these rock in the canyon, the flow of water, etc. The kids had a blast climbing over the rocks. Although the Dude has since stated that he didn't have any fun at all. It could be because he was expecting a rock slide. The kind a five year old boy dreams of. He didn't get one of those, but he did do some sliding.

I soon realized how many muscles I don't use in a normal day.

Can you guess?
A lot!

I did end up having to get in with the kids because Miss Boo said the current was too strong.
Little did I know until I had entered that freezing water that all she had to do was stand up.

I love these kids. Glad they got me in the water. But, for obvious reasons I did not include any of the pictures that Mr. Finn took of me with them. Yikes!
LOL

First Day...

2011-08-23T14:10:00.000-05:00

... in the Kindergarten.

... in the second grade.

It was a little difficult letting mey five year go on his first full day of school. I am used to spending time with him after preschool until his sister gets out. He was worried because he really likes his quiet time and that I wouldn't pack enough lunch. He loves to eat!

Miss Boo was more than ready to get back to learning. I am proud of her for her desire to learn new things. It hasn't been without it's bumps, but for the most part they are both doing really well.

I ~~celebrated~~ mourned by shopping all day with a friend. It is amazing how many errands you get done when you don't have to be back by 11 a.m. to pick up kids. We just had to keep reminding ourselves to slow down.

I am still trying to get all those projects done that I swore I would have so much time for when both kids were gone. Sigh~

Friends

2011-08-20T10:58:00.003-05:00

Miss Boo's friend Elise moved away a year ago to Michigan. Last month they came to visit for a couple of days and we decided after we went to Chicago that we would take her to visit her friend. We spent a couple of days letting them just be together. It was good for them to be girls again. They were silly.

Elise visit to see Miss Boo

Do you remember your first best friend?

I do.

It was Rachel B. We were in kindergarten and would make up the weirdest games to play. We were nuts! I moved away in 3rd grade and when I moved back we were friends, but you know how grade school is... she had a new best friend and Leisel M. and I became BFF's.

I look back over the years of friends I have made and am amazed at how there are been many and they have been for the time that I have needed them. I am friends with so many of them still.

I am glad to say that Rachel and I are still friends and I love her dearly. She is someone that I look up. She has an inner strength that is enviable and with what she has been through in her life, I am proud to call her my friend.

Chicago

2011-08-13T09:50:00.000-05:00

I have always wanted to visit Chicago. Mr. Finn loves the Cubs and has visited Wrigley Field, but I have not had that honor. I was surprised how big it was. I'm not sure why I was though. I watch Chicago Code and Oprah.

Wrigley did not disappoint. Did you know it is in the middle of a neighborhood? It has a totally different feel from other ball parks. Got me all choked up.

The kids had a blast. These claws were something they couldn't live without. Heck! Who could live without them at a game. So much fun!

Right after this picture I dropped my wonderful camera and the shutter jammed. I seriously wanted to cry. Mr. Finn is happy I can't take pictures of him anymore. Boo!

It was a fun trip. We stayed in Greektown. Who knew that one existed. Maybe I should have paid more attention to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". I had the best Gyro ever! It's unfortunate that my family does not share my love of different foods. They found Taco Bell or Burger King. It's all the same.

I am glad the children get to experience all these things because their Daddy loves to explore. I just take the pictures so they will remember when they are older and want to carry on the tradition with their kids.

Creativity Day

2011-08-03T14:18:00.001-05:00

Miss Boo is a bit of a clutter bug. When I say a bit I am not telling the whole truth. She is a mess! She collects everything and throws nothing away. Most of what she has ends up underneath her bed. It is driving me crazy!

So... after much searching. And, I mean a lot. Do you know how hard it is to find a bedskirt these days? Apparently they are not in fashion.
Who knew?

I did find this white one at the going out of business sale for Sears.

Blah....

So, Miss decided it needed something purple on it and as luck would have it, I had this rick rack on hand from a super duper sale I got from Pick Your Plum. One fabulous deal daily. Now I have 60 yards of it... yeah!

Bet you didn't know I could sew?!

Well, at least I can fake it anyways. I love feeling creative. It is like an endorphin for me. I am at my best when I am creating something.
At least it covers up all the stuff she ~~stores~~ throws under her bed.

We then set out to make cupcake boxes for all the goodies she has for her friend we are going to see this weekend. I borrowed the idea from Sew.Craft.Create. Hers are so much cuter than mine, but this was our first go around. I learned quite a few things. Less if more and the is a definite for hot glue. I will never get it all off. I think she pulled her pieces of felt apart more than I did. She also used a 2" box where I used 3".

I still think it turned out pretty cute though.

Some notes: Can take quite a bit of time to get it done. Cut first and read all the directions prior to starting. Not my strong suit, but because I didn't, I had to remove the pieces and start again. Who knew that not cutting off the tip on the back would make such a huge difference?

On Sunday we found out that our Sister Missionaries are leaving. On was scheduled to finish this week and this sweet sister has to go home and have surgery.

I don't know if you can tell, but the Dude loves them.

The sisters brought Miss Boo this crown.

They will be missed here. It is our first time to have sisters and after only having them for about 3 months, we are without missionaries in our area.

I am going to miss them. They are fun and very helpful. They took all my recipes in my cupboard and organized them into a book for me. Who else would do that?

Obviously not me or it would have been done by now.

I wish them well and hope Sister Jones will come back soon.

Promises

2011-07-30T09:25:00.001-05:00

I have been given promises by my children that they would never leave me. Never grow up. And, never get married.

Well...

Yesterday I was given a glimpse of 10 years from now.

My darling little boy was holding my hand as we left the Bounce House. He spotted his new friend and immediately dropped my hand and grabbed hers.

My heart broke a little as I was replaced instantly. I do understand that she is much cuter and will play with him all day. I do see the draw.

Still... He is mine! For now.

Hope

2011-07-27T11:29:00.001-05:00

I was talking to my Dad about all the devastation that we are seeing these days and I came to the conclusion that I am ready for the Savior to come. It is exhausting and heartbreaking to see what others are going through in these last days.

We drove to Joplin a couple of weeks ago to let the kids see what happens when a tornado touches down. They understand when they hear the weather radio to go to the basement, but we didn't think they really got the whole picture.

We went through Greensburg years ago when the tornado destroyed the whole town.

I was ready for a reminder.

I was humbled by the ones that had lost everything.

I am always amazed at those that can still have a sense of humor in the face of loss.

Over 160 lives were lost, a hospital, schools, community centers and hundreds of homes were destroyed.
I am inwardly embarrassed that I think my problems are bad. There is no comparison.

We have a home over our heads, food in our bellies and healthy children.
I am grateful for the gospel that gives me HOPE.
It is what gets me up in the morning.
I need to try harder with what I do during the day to show my Heavenly Father that I am grateful for those blessings.

What dreams are made of....

2011-07-21T10:23:00.002-05:00

Miss Boo has been waking me/us up in the middle of the night for a while now, claiming to have bad/scary dreams. I don't know the difference between the two. I just know that her bad dreams are creating some of my own, not to mention loss of sleep and personality.
On my part that is.

After spending a enormous amount of time yesterday morning trying to get her to spill on what was so scary. And mind you, it came with a lot of shuddering and horror filled eyes.

Finally....

In her words.

"My brother (pronounced brover) was coming up to me with his hands full of bees and was poking me with them."

Really?

That was it? Seems bothersome, but not very scary.

Then again, I am not seven.

It takes a much scarier boogey man to scare me bad enough to wake up.

Like Clowns.

July 4th parade

I would take her bad dreams any day, but then again who knows. It might be terrifying.

Who isn't afraid of bees?

Stress Relief

2011-07-18T12:21:00.000-05:00

I find when I am down in the dumps and stressed that I seek out projects that:

1. I don't have time for.
2. Aren't really necessary.
3. Require brute force.
4. And sometimes a lot of creativity. (or plagiarism)

Hence the pigs for breakfast. Big hit with the Dude. Super easy and I love the bonus booger. Who would have thought.

I then tackled Miss Boo's room. I just didn't like the way it was set up. So, I moved every piece of furniture in the attempt to create more playing space. She got this dollhouse for Christmas and really couldn't play with it too well. It is big! Really Big!

And she loves it.

So does her brother. They can play all day and ignore the TV.

But, just in case, this guy keeps watch for me.

Cluck...

2011-07-13T15:55:00.002-05:00

July Festivities

2011-07-12T10:19:00.002-05:00

I need to blog.

Why don't I just do it then?

Maybe... because my spirits are in the dumpster.

I will let you see my children during the 4th. Actually these are from the 3rd. They couldn't wait to set off their fireworks they had bought from the tent set up in town with the big gorilla in front.

They are a bit of a "pick-me-upper".

One of those said children is still sleeping at this hour. 10:15 a.m.

What kind of mother allows that?

This is just the way you are supposed to stand when the fireworks are starting.

I love their excitement.

He doesn't like those loud Bangs! Me neither.

Thanks to some of the neighbors, the kids got to see some nice ones in the sky.

She can be so sweet.

Our children have been instructed in proper fire setting techniques.
RUN!

And cover your ears!

You're too weird...

2011-07-08T08:43:00.006-05:00

Apparently I may not comment on my son getting taller and then becoming a bit emotional, and I say just a bit for those that are mothers, over his growing up and all.

I don't even think I squeezed out a tear. Well, maybe a little.

Maybe it was the teary eyes and shaky voice that led to his reaction.

It's o.k. though. The truth is I don't want him to grow up. I want him to stay my little guy forever.

I know it can't happen! I am not delusional. I am just wistful at the moment.

And... I love my kids.

Todays Joy

2011-07-06T14:46:00.000-05:00

Dear Heavenly Father,

I love this little girl.

Thanks for making me her Mommy.

Love,
MF

Highlights of the week

2011-06-24T19:44:00.003-05:00

We had a friend and her son visiting the last couple of days. They took us along to the Science Museum with them yesterday and here's the rundown of adventure as seen through my camera lens.

And with the imagination of children. Thanks DJ for "Amphybio". He made a few people laugh.

The Dude totally loved jamming on those trash can drums. Wasn't too shabby either!

The trip to the moon was pretty "stellar".

The contraption worked with the movement of your hands. The kids were fascinated.

I was too.

Where did his legs go?

And hers?

Watch closely...

Pretty cool, eh?

Such a pensive player.

What's the fun of it all without digging for dinosaur bones?

And of course, a little golf. She must have watched Harry Potter... looks like she is trying to summon some magic spell to get the ball in the hole. lol

And what adventure is complete without Lyle the Dinosaur?

Just in case you missed out Miss Boo is trying to make it look like she is petting him. Totally did it without and prompting from Mom. Do I have an actress on my hands?

And this picture totally cracks me up.

Did I tell you that the Dude is a pilot?
Well, maybe only in his mind, but he takes it pretty seriously.

How do you like her new glasses? Did I mention that she lost her first pair after only 4 months while we were visiting Mr. Finn in the frozen tundra?
She looks pretty cute.
So does the stinker hamming it up beside her.

I wish you could hear what he is saying into his hand. His daddy pretends to be talking into a C.B. type thingy all the time.
His son picked up on that and was having quite a chat with an imaginary person.
He has since denied it.

Who wouldn't want a pilot that intent on his driving... errr, flying?

They were dreaming about flying in the clouds so they went down and made some of their own.
I love science.

And... this was for Miss Boo. It was really beautiful.
I wish I hadn't had the Dude pulling my arm telling me we didn't have to have pictures of everything and that he was done with it all and very tired.

It was a fun day! So glad we were able to go. The kids need these experiences for their minds... it helps them to stretch their imaginations and that was fun for me to watch.

Poor alligator didn't stand a chance.

Fathers... and guilt

2011-06-19T21:46:00.001-05:00

Uncle William (Other Dad's identical twin brother), Me and Dad

When I was a child, I felt guilty a lot when I thought of my Dad. How do you explain to a five year old that it is o.k. to love two Dads? I felt like I was cheating if I thought of my father that had passed away. I felt bad if I loved my "new" dad.
Guilt.
No one took the time to tell me it was OK to love both. Equally.
More guilt.
But... I didn't know and so I spent years avoiding thinking of my father who had passed away. As I got older I felt bad for that.
And... more guilt.
Now that I am much older, I have told myself it is o.k. to love both equally and for very different reasons.

Heavenly Father blessed me with two Dads to love. Two that would touch my life in very different ways. I would have preferred that my Father were still alive and that he could have had an active role in how I grew up, but that wasn't the case.

Instead I was given memories of his love for me. I have my Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents that helped me to know him and to appreciate the kind of person he was.

The Father that raised me helped me to be a strong, independent woman. I don't know if he truly knows how much of I am is because of him. I knew him to be an honest businessman while I was growing up. I wanted people to regard me in the same way as an adult, so I emulated that.

I served a mission, in part, because of him. I wanted him to be proud of me for making good decisions and to give him the joy of having a missionary in the field.

When I was going through the worst time in my life, I drove four hours to talk to my Dad. He wasn't expecting me, but left work and drove me through the mountains for an hour before I could finally talk to him. He never said a word, just let me cry and talk. When I was done talking, he said one thing to me.

"You need to decide if staying will take you closer to your Heavenly Father. If something is taking you farther away then you need to re-evaluate."

It was great advice and it still works with everything I do in my life. I have used that advice with my children and friends.

Happy Fathers Day Dad. I love you!

I love my Dads. How many get to be blessed with two.

No more guilt.

One more little memory that sprang to my mind while writing this. My Uncle John (who passed away several years ago) was trying to help me remember my new last name when I was adopted by my dad.

He said;
"You have come from being a rose to a wilted flower on a river bank."

I cried.

But, I never forgot my last name again.

The one that almost got away

2011-06-16T19:35:00.001-05:00

Fact: Mr. Finn loves to fish.
I didn't always know that.

He loved golf and tennis when we first got together.
And hiking. How could I forget that.
I even hiked the Grand Canyon for him.
It was almost as bad as childbirth.
It lasted just as long.
Seriously.

If it wasn't for the helicopter ride out of the canyon, it would have been a complete disappointment. (well, kind of.)
Thank you for that ride Mr. Finn.
Too bad you missed it. (mainly because I had the better seat. Ha Ha!)

After 10 years of marriage he has become the fisherman. Every chance he gets.
He takes the kids with him and they enjoy it too.
As long as there are no spiders.
He tricks me into it by asking me to go with them to the play area for a little bit.
Hmmmmm!
We got home after dark.
Don't get me wrong, I like to fish. But when you don't have a license, all you can do is watch and that gets boring. Kind of like watching Golf. Or paint dry.
At least he could have done was warn me and I could have brought a good book to read.

And to think...
I almost let him get away.

Update

2011-06-15T22:02:00.002-05:00

The fire is 16% contained which is a miracle in itself. My parents are back home as well as the other residents of Eagar/Springerville.

Now the Huachuca mountains are burning. Floods are all over the midwest and expect to hit the area Mr. Finn works in within a couple of days.

It's a crazy time.

Reason #1 I love comments

2011-06-14T12:56:00.000-05:00

Helaman 5:12 "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

As the world descends into chaos, we can have peace if we know Who we trust in.

Thank you Shannon for this.

Time will tell

2011-06-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

Wallow Fire: Crews make gains as winds die down

Thousands of residents soon may be allowed back

by Dennis Wagner, Dustin Gardiner and JJ Hensley - Jun. 11, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

After 13 days of relentless fury, the Wallow Fire rested.

In the absence of blustering winds, the voracious blaze laid down on Friday, allowing firefighters to gain a foothold by setting preventive burns and cutting fire breaks in its path.

By nightfall, crews had gained 6 percent containment, an increase from just zero percent two days earlier, said Kelly Wood, a spokesman for the fire command.

The amount of pine forest and meadowland consumed by the second-largest fire in Arizona history grew to 408,887 acres Friday from about 386,000 on Thursday.

But no additional homes or buildings were lost. At least 50 have been destroyed so far. And no injuries were reported.

Jim Whittington, spokesman for the Southwest fire-management team, said: "We had a really good day today. We are feeling really good about the east flank of Greer. That's going to be a critical piece we are going to be watching tomorrow."

Conditions are expected to be more difficult today, and Whittington said "we are very concerned about the winds," which could be 25-35 mph, with gusts even higher on the ridges.

But perhaps more importantly for thousands of evacuees, there was talk that at least some residents may be able to return to their homes in Eagar, Greer and Springerville.

Chief Deputy Brannon Eagar of the Apache County Sheriff's Office said poor air quality and back-burn operations could delay the lifting of evacuation orders until Monday.

Officials said they may still need three to five days of mop-up around Alpine and Nutrioso, but residents should be able to return after that.

For Ross Ashcroft, 77, and other longtime residents of the White Mountains, the good news was offset by fear of what they might find - a forest of ash and charcoal.

Ashcroft wondered whether he'd again see the colorful fall foliage of Escudilla Mountain or marvel at the view from his Eagar home.

"That's kind of why we hate to go back and look at it," he said. "Imagine going back and seeing it all black."

Instead of flames roaring down mountain slopes and mushroom clouds of smoke overhead, the prevailing image Friday was a gray pall covering hundreds of square miles as the fire mostly stayed at ground level.

That was posing a new problem. Mark Schaffer, director of communications for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, said because the fire had dropped down low and the winds subsided, smoke had become "very hazardous."

"We've got a serious potential health problem on our hands" in the Springerville-Eagar area, he said. Fine dust particulates are way above national safety standards of 30 milligrams per cubic meter, with overnight readings at 1,200 mpcm.

Whittington said the smoke affects firefighters to a great extent. "We are dealing with the hand that was dealt by Mother Nature. We've got to get out and stop this fire. And that means we are going to have to suck some smoke to get it done," he said.

Command officials emphasized that nobody is out of the woods when it comes to the Wallow Fire's remaining threat: stiff winds of up to 25 mph that have been driving the flames all week are expected to kick up again this afternoon.

But Friday's calm, with breezes up to 15 mph, allowed a team of thousands of firefighters and support staff to get some rest and to launch an offensive from the air and on the ground.

Wood said numerous backfires were set by hotshot crews south of the high country towns.

Logistically the firefighting operation is a marvel: 211 engines, 17 bulldozers, 16 water tankers, 14 helicopters, 3,137 people and one DC-10 air tanker dropping fire retardant.

Standing on a cliff overlooking the Little Colorado River near Greer, R.J. Estes of the Southwest Incident Management Team pointed to at least three smoke plumes where crews had ignited the forest between homes and the approaching blaze, literally fighting fire with fire.

The relative calm was a bit of hope for residents at Blue Ridge High School in Pinetop-Lakeside as they waited for word on the fate of their homes and the surrounding forest. About 50 stayed at the shelter Thursday night.

Lynn Livingston, a retired high school teacher from Springerville, has been sleeping in her car outside the shelter with her Rottweiler, Molly, since Tuesday. Pets aren't allowed in the shelter and Molly has seizures, so she can't be boarded.

"All I want to know is when can we go home," Livingston said. "I don't know what we're going to find when we drive up to our gates. It's almost scarier than packing up and coming here."

Friday's reprieve also gave firefighters a chance to talk about the devastation of the Wallow Fire and the huge effort to stop it.

Michael Umphrey, a medic with a 20-man crew out of Ronan, Mont., said he spent six nights patrolling burnout operations and was stunned that the blaze remained active even at 2 a.m. "I've never seen a fire burn up so much timber before," Umphrey said. "That's what struck me."

Pierre Malatare, with the same crew out of Montana, said the fire moved so fast that maps showing its boundaries quickly became useless.

"The scariest part, at least for us, is working around houses," Malatare said. "At night, you don't know what all your hazards are. You get a lot of downed wires. One particular house we were by up near Nutrioso had a lot of warning signs about bear traps. It was slow going through there, but no one stepped in one."

Malatare said that, while flames licked right up to one man's porch, firefighters were able to save the home.

"It feels real good just to be able to help out," he added.

Republic reporter D.S. Woodfill contributed to this article.

The truck in front makes me laugh. Truly looks like refugees. Sadly, it reminds me of my hometown all too well.

This map is to show how big the fire in the mountains is compared to the Valley area.

Mother Nature is certainly something.
My parents evacuated a week ago to stay with my sister in Gilbert, AZ. They will probably returning tomorrow.

I feel that we are just beginning to see our new reality as it stands today. Mr. Finn was telling me how the earthquake in Japan over a month ago changed the earth axis. I heard that it has been moving for a while and the earthquake really did some work on it. It means a whole lot of "new" for all of us. It seems to go along with the prophecy of "... know not what season it is..." or something like that. I think they are supposed to change and I have definitely seen the evidence of that.

As Mr. Finn always says, "Time will tell".

"Pink" me out to the ball game...

2011-06-09T19:46:00.003-05:00

Our family loves baseball.

Well, the children love eating food at the game and playing on the various things for kids.

And, not to mention the handouts.

He loves his kids. He spent quite some time watching them.
Not the game!

Mr. Finn, on the other hand, loves baseball.

I like it a lot.

It was the thing I learned for him.

You all know what I am talking about ladies! It's the one thing that your guy loves and because you want to impress him, you learn all about this thing for his benefit.

So, he will think you are the greatest.

When I was on my mission, Mr. Finn started writing me the last 9 months or so that I was there. He knew I would have to write him back because of mission rules. He had his "In" as he puts it.

I knew then from what he wrote that he loved baseball, so my companion, Hna Steele taught me the song. You know the one...

"Take me out to the ball game. Take me out to the park. Give me some peanuts and cracker jacks. I don't know if I'll ever get back. So, it's root, root, root for the home team. If they don't win it's a shame. For it's one... two... three strikes you're out! At the old Ball GAME!"

Our little Finnettes love singing this song at the top of their lungs. One little problem. See if you can find it.

"Pink me out to the ball game. Pink me out to the game."

I think you can figure it out. It is so adorable that I really don't want to change it, but I don't want them to get beat up either. Kids can be cruel. How did they ever come up with that one?

Can you guess which one came up with it?

It was a very hot day and I got this strange eye infection so that by the end of the game I could barely see. Pussy, yucky, nasty stuff was oozing out of my eyes.

Aren't you glad I shared that?

We got so worn out from the heat, despite the kids cute umbrellas that we left sometime in the 3rd inning.

Well, as worn out as five year old can be.

Even though the event never goes as planned, I am glad that Mr. Finn values family time and plans fun things for us to do together.

Even when that includes eating ball park hot dogs.

That... by the way, used to be good and the reason you ate at the ball park. These were lacking a lot in flavor.

But, for a buck, what do you expect?

He gives me that little nudge to get me out of the house. I am not much of one for the heat or dirt, so he is good to help me join in with the family.

After all, we do have a pretty great one!

Poof... now it's gone

2011-06-06T21:13:00.004-05:00

Wallow fire grows to 233,000 acres, zero containment

by KTAR.com (June 6th, 2011 @ 4:56pm)

SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. -- A wildfire in eastern Arizona has grown to 233,522 acres, about half the size of the largest wildfire in state history.

There is still no containment on the Wallow fire, burning in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest near Alpine.

Some 2,500 firefighters braced for another day of bad weather conditions as they fought to keep the Wallow fire in eastern Arizona from becoming the second-biggest wildfire in state history.

Fire area as of 6/7/11

I grew up in these mountains.

It will take many years until it looks the same.

They just issued the pre-evacuation notice for my parents to leave their hometown.

It seems like something out of a movie. Arizona is known for fires in the spring/summer because of campfires and carelessness of people, but this is the first time it has gotten this close to my family.

One of the things I missed the least when I moved away was those horrendous winds. Without those trees, I can't imagine how awful those winds will seem. These winds are also what have caused the fire to spread so quickly.

I had a long conversation with my Dad the other day about the fire and the tornados, tsunamis, etc. and how they seem so much more devastating than they used to. It was the first time since I was a kid that we had a heart to heart talk about anything like this.

It is a most anxious time for many people. I find it hard to cope with the worry about family there, tornadoes here in the midwest and friends with their worries. Somedays I wish it was the last second of the last days and then we could be free from all this strife.

I am grateful for a husband that takes care of us and knows how to make me feel safe even though I feel in turmoil.

As Mr. Finn always says, "This too shall pass.". He is right, but it is the journey through that leaves me a little weak hearted at time.

Isaiah 41:10

¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Visit to the Temple Site

2011-05-31T21:54:00.000-05:00

You all know about my daughter and my five grandchildren.

YES! I do look good for my age. LOL

Sometimes families are formed differently than popping a baby out.

Yikes! That would have been painful giving birth to a 13 year old. lol

The painful part was the bonding process. It was hard with her.

But, I will say that it was worth it. I would do it all over again just to be her mother.

She has made me very proud of the woman and mother she has become.

Kansas City Temple
It happened to be a very hot, windy day.

My oldest grand daughter.

This one was taken by my daughter.
She knows how to photo shop way better than me.

I wish our temple was ready to be visited already, but at least it gives us something great to look forward to. Until then, we will watch it's progress and be grateful that we are being blessed with one much closer to us.

It's that time of year

2011-05-28T21:06:00.001-05:00

Every year I await the blooms on my magnolia tree. The anticipation is almost too much and then when I have convinced myself that it is too early, I awake and look out the kitchen window to this.

And my heart skips a beat.

I have to run outside and breath in deeply the sweet aroma that only this bloom can produce.

A little bit of heaven.

So that is what I give gratitude for today.

This is one of the things that gives me great joy and it is a blessing.

Mad Love

2011-05-26T21:50:00.004-05:00

I love when my children use words or a phrase they are unsure of. I was watching this new sitcom called "Mad Love" when Miss Boo came in. She wanted to know why they would call it mad love when love isn't supposed to be mean.

I told her it was another word for crazy. She wasn't sure about love being crazy either. I explained that it was when someone loves another so much it is kind of crazy.

I now get, "I have mad love for you Mommy!" every time she sees me. I have to admit that it makes me giggle and she then has to give me "mad" hugs to go with it.

Miss Boo lost her glasses while we were visiting Daddy in that really cold state last month.
She informed me that she would be wearing these ones now. Hee hee

I must have "mad" love for my kids too because I want to crawl in that picture and squeeze them.

I must admit that I am a little leery of that notebook of hers. She is always taking notes and won't let anyone read it. Hmmmm! I just know a day is coming when I am going to have to answer for her writings.

I totally sound paranoid.

Maybe this means she will be a writer some day. I wouldn't doubt it. She has no less than 12 notebooks in her room and they are all for something different. She has them marked for certain things. Things we are not to know about.

Maybe this means she will be a spy.

What does it all mean?

I wonder what she will be someday and it is fun sometimes to just wonder.

Renewal

2011-05-23T20:15:00.001-05:00

For those that wonder where we go when there is a tornado warning.
This is it! Luxury quarters decorated by the Finn kids.
Did I mention that I can barely walk after sleeping on those mats? Getting old kind of bites.

Every year I grow tomatoes on our back deck. This year I added fresh herbs. Thank you Rachel Ray for turning me on to herbs and pasta. I am in heaven. And... much happier now that they don't cost me a fortune.

I would like to introduce you to Slim. We have a serious love/hate relationship. Basically, he doesn't grow when he is in the house and I am there. His leaves turn brown at the sound of my voice. You can see how this relationship is going to end.
The only thing that saves his complete death is Summer. He loves it outside. Who knew?

Lucky him!

I inherited this fern from a woman I visiting taught for many years. It was a big, beautiful thing! Notice the haircut?
Shouldn't have poked me with its needles!
Will these plants every learn?
I am the master of their domain.
Sheesh!

The Dude brought this pumpkin seed into our home.
Poor... poor plant.
I wish it the best.
Really, I do!
I just don't have much hope.

I love this time of year when everything is draped in rich earthiness. Even I can't ruin this view. I love sitting in front of these windows just staring into the trees.

I feel renewed this time of the year. Not necessarily energized, but I have a sense of renewal and it gives me peace to see things grow.

In spite of me.

False Doom

2011-05-22T11:49:00.001-05:00

Hope you didn't put off what needed to get done!

Ha ha!

Teacher Appreciation

2011-05-21T15:32:00.001-05:00

I forgot to take pictures while I was doing them and before I wrapped them in ribbon, but you get the end version. I think they turned out pretty cute. The black frame I had was from a yard sale and kind of dinged up, so I continued along those lines and roughed it up more.

This bigger one (8x10) was for Miss Boo's teacher. The original frame was silverish so I spray painted it black during a rainstorm. I was worried it was never going to dry, but that's what you get for waiting till the last minute to start.

I found these cute little tags online and printed them on a thick paper.

The truth be known that I am not one to do things for my children's teachers. I am very grateful for what they do for my children and how much they have grown over the years.

This year I decided I "could" do something. Without the help of these very creative bloggers, I don't think I would have known where to start, so here's a shout out to all of them.

Here! Here!

A look to the past

2011-05-19T14:12:00.002-05:00

Who knew Mr. Finn started out this way?

This picture is so sweet it makes my heart skip a beat.

It has always makes me laugh that Mr. Finn didn't think the Dude looked like him. He now says he can where he is starting to look like him.

Really?

Teachers...

2011-05-18T20:21:00.001-05:00

Miss Boo has a wonderful teacher. For that matter, all her teachers have been great and the Dude's are the ones she has had, so you can imagine how good he has it. We have been very blessed with our children's educators. Never enough said about them!

I found this divine little saying on Positively Splendid. (her website is here.) I love what she did, but I lack the Cricut, so I improvised and created this in Print Explosion. If I could figure out Photo Shop, I would have tried there first, but this works fairly well. I am going to paint a frame I bought at a yard sale for .50 in a splendid shade of black. Maybe rough it up a bit and put this little dandy in the middle.

This isn't the final draft. I changed the font a little and lined up the words better. If you want a PDF of it, just give me a holler and I'll get it to you lickety split.

I love how it turned out and am going to make a couple for The Dude's teacher and his favorite assistant, Mrs. Hall. He totally adores her and I can tell she has a soft spot for him. After all, she finally got him to be classroom helper. He would do most anything for her.

I have a lot of things to do and not a very good attitude. I am feeling a little down on humanity today. It never ceases to amaze me how sad it makes me feel when someone is unkind to another.

Maybe finishing this will pick my spirits up. Miss Boo is sick and the Dude is getting over whatever he gave her.

I believe we will be sleeping in tomorrow. Ahhhhh!

Sounds like a good plan.

Pictures of the finished product tomorrow.

Who needs sleep?

2011-05-16T20:43:00.000-05:00

I'm tired. These kids are wearing me down in my sleep.

Seriously!

Last night it was both kids in bed with me and I didn't sleep. Much.

It felt like I had the Dude's new shoes on me all night long. From the kicking to the throwing off of covers, to the mauling me...

I am tired.

Two nights of the little man. I don't know what's going on, but he has started coming in every night.

I can't survive without sleep. It turns me into that green person from the Wizard of Oz. I admit. I am not much fun. Short tempered. Moody. Just plain awful.

The worst part is that Miss Boo feeds off of that and well... you can imagine.

I am ready to see more of this sweet little girl that listens to her mother.

Oh, and more sleep.

Mothers Day recap

2011-05-12T12:09:00.000-05:00

This is a day that makes a Mothers Year. I love having these kids that make me so happy. They, with the help of Dad, got up early Sunday and made me breakfast in bed.

Apparently this little guy helped?!

The best part was the pictures they took of the process. I know I am loved when they do something that is so important to me. I love documenting the great things in life.

Not sure how this picture is part of it, but I bet the Dude would be able to explain it.

It was very tasty and filling. Thanks to my kids and hubby for a great day.

That ended at 5:31.

Hmmmmm.

Mr. Finn announced that Mothers Day officially ends at that time.

Something to remember... hmmmm.

I got 2 singing cards. I'm not sure who enjoys them more. Well, actually I am pretty sure it is the Dude, but my enjoyment comes from watching him.

There was a time in my life when I didn't think I would ever have babies and am so grateful for the ones I have. Even my grown one.

I am very blessed.

Oh, and one more thing. Is white chocolate really chocolate? I am taking a poll.

Hersheys Cookies and Cream Bar.

That is what our ward handed out on Sunday.

A lot of Moms were like... "Where's the chocolate?"

Didn't stop me from eating it during R.S. Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone.

Not so black and white

2011-05-05T14:06:00.001-05:00

Mr. Finn arrived home on Friday afternoon after 3 long weeks in the frozen tundra. We needed some family time.

We had a great weekend with friends and then just by ourselves. I loved spending time seeing new things and that is something that Mr. Finn and I have in common.

You know those signs you see on the side of the road for "interesting" sights. We try to make a point of stopping at one of those every so often. Or sometimes, we backtrack when we have time to one of those places we have seen while passing by to enjoy what it has to offer.

This time it was The Russell Stover Factory. Yummm! No need to say more. That is a pretty black and white statement, I am quite sure.

Then we hit Fort Riley.

I love architecture and the richness in which things were built in the past. I think that most things are built for efficiency now and have lost their warmth.

I wanted to remember everything.

Especially the buildings.

It makes me giddy.

Can you feel it?

I want to wake up and see this everyday.

You lucky military folks that live in the housing in front of all this.

And of course, Chief. He is buried in front of this statue.
Lucky Horse.

It was one of the most relaxing days we have had in a long time.

Maybe it was the beauty.

But for the Dude...

It was all about the Tanks.

Little Drummer Boy

2011-04-28T17:46:00.001-05:00

Our little man has always had a thing for music, ever since he was born. When he hears music, his body just starts moving fantastically. He likes all types of music and never ceases to amaze us with his recollection of songs from movies and shows that he has seen.

When Daddy is sleeping in the living room, he will tink out a little song on the piano to wake him up slowly. It isn't pounding, but some song he hears in his head. He likes to make up words to songs, I fear both the children have learned that from their Daddy. I find it adorable.

We spent friday night in Minnesota at some friends and their son took the time to show the kids how to play the drums. This was the end result of lots of loud banging.

It shows some promise, but not enough to get the set of drums that he was sure he needed after that lesson.

I apologize for the poor lighting, but it was out of my control.

We also got to spend Easter with some friends of ours. Well, it was someone from my hometown and her familyg. The funny thing is that I don't remember her, but Mr. Finn was friends with her. The bigger kicker is that they lived 40 miles north of us about 2 years ago. They were even in our Stake. Small world. Now I get to be friends with her. We had a great time, good food and fabulous conversation.

Just goes to show you what a small world we live in. They even hid eggs for our kids to find. They loved it. So grateful they were up for having us.

Trip to the frozen tundra

2011-04-26T20:44:00.001-05:00

Miss Boo celebrated her birthday in the land of the frozen tundra. We tried to make sure they/she had a good time.

Our first trip was to Lego Land. How can you go wrong?

I think it is amazing what you can do with legos.
And lots of time.
And money.
Have you seen how much legos cost these days?

The Dude was so excited about all the lego computer games.

What a fun place for kids.

This was hovering above us. Totally cool!

Even Mr. Finn found his inner child.

The Dude could hardly handle all the fun and passed out. It reminded me of when he was little and he would slump over in his seat. So precious.

Miss Boo decided to eat at Red Robin for her birthday. She anxiously waited for them to come and sing her happy birthday. They didn't disappoint.

They brought her a sundae to celebrate and she couldn't stop talking about it. All night long after we had left she would say, "Can you believe that they brought me a sundae for my birthday? I love sundaes.".

Since it was close to Easter, all I could find was easter cakes at the store. She was so excited because the Grandma's sent her money and she used it to buy a pillow pet. And the cake matched. Too funny.

We went to visit the lockes between the Twin Cities and it was a bit colder than we had anticipated. Miss Boo borrowed my scarf and Dad's gloves. What a sight!

Dad showing them the falls. Kids love water.

I drug the kids to the zoo on the only day that could be classified as "warm-ish". It's a good thing the zoo was small, because it was a bit chilly.

I am fascinated with gorillas so you get to see my favorite pictures. He is magnificent. They were throwing mud at each other, which was amusing for me.

The Dude is part "vampire". He really doesn't like the sun in his eyes. Can you tell how much there was that day? Not much, but apparently those baby blues just can't handle it.

It was good to spend time with Mr. Finn, but we are so glad to be home. It is a cold place up there and the hotel isn't big enough for a 5 and 7 year old that are very full of life.

I can't believe our children are so grown up. They are great kids and I am so glad they are mine.

Even on the days that I am not so happy with them. And them with me.

I do realize this isn't that entertaining, but someday my children will be happy that their Mom recorded all these events in their life. That is what I tell Mr. Finn when I am snapping all those pictures.

Knock, Knock...

2011-04-18T19:18:00.004-05:00

As history goes, I was married before. Yes, it's true! It didn't even leave any marks.

Well, not according to Mr. Finn. There is no way to not come out without any battle scars.

Not the best decision I ever made and not for the right reasons, but out of that marriage came several things that have brought great and lasting joy.

One evening as I was silently having a meltdown in my kitchen, wishing for an end to all the unhappiness, I heard a knock on my door. It wasn't something I was used to hearing. I was living in Virginia far from family and friends. I was lonely and had been praying for a friend. Someone to help me deal with my life and help me get through this day. Just this day for starters.

The knock again. I finally mustered the strength to mask the feelings that were screaming all over my face. I opened the door to this lady I didn't know.

"I brought you a roast for dinner." she said.

"Uh, o.k.", I stammer. Why would she be bringing me dinner?

"I felt like I should bring you the dinner I prepared for my family." she answered.

"Thanks, but you didn't have too." I reply.

"Yes, I did!' she says. 'I am your visiting teacher and felt like I needed to bring this to your home right now and so I am following that feeling.' 'If you need anything else, please call me."

She left her number and she was gone, but she didn't take the warmth and love that she had brought into my kitchen. I went upstairs and cried.

I didn't need that roast. I don't remember if we even ate it, but I did need her and she followed the spirit in a moment when I really needed someone to care about me.

A short time later, I was asked to be a visiting teacher. I replied that I would only be one if I could be her companion. Not really the way you are supposed to accept a calling, but I was struggling and I knew that she followed the spirit and that she cared.

I wanted to spend more time with her. I wanted some of what she had. I craved it.

We became friends. Really good friends. Like grade school friends that can drive.

She empowered me with her kindness and strength. She was/is the strongest person I have ever met and is unflexible in her testimony and drive. I was amazed at all that she could do and was doing. Raising seven kids and working full time in a marriage that was challenging. And still doing her visiting teaching faithfully.

She taught me to run. We did that almost daily around the lake. It was easy because we talked about everything and then we would stop at the back of her house to talk some more. (O.k., so it wasn't easy to run, it was just more fun being able to talk the whole way.) I had no desire to go home and it was fun when her kids would come out and talk with us. It was peaceful.

It was a sad day when I had to move away from Virginia to the West Coast. I didn't know how I would survive without her.

The best part is, she followed me in spirit. I called her constantly and was able to walk taller and handle things better.

I love my dear friend Margaret and cannot thank her enough for being the answer to my prayer. She always says I was the answer to hers, but I know that Heavenly Father knew we would need each other. She has blessed my life in so many ways.

She wrote a book that is full of humor about lessons in her life. She is a HAPPY person that has a great sense of humor. Perfectly content with herself. I strive to be that way someday. She does it through honesty with herself. I am still working on that. I tend to lie to myself a bit when I don't want to change or work through something.

One day, I want to be just like her. My hero!

Check out her website, In His Footsteps. Her blog. Her Book. It is fabulous. There may or may not be a part in there about me. That isn't the reason to read the book, but it helped me to see what she was going through during that time. They say there are two sides to every story and it's fun to read the other side.

By the way, it was her birthday Sunday and I forgot to call her and wish her a day just like herself. FABULOUS!

I love you Margaret!

Lucky Seven

2011-04-16T10:26:00.001-05:00

Today is Miss Boo's Birthday!

SEVEN Years old already!

When did that happen?

It just seems like yesterday we brought her home from the hospital.

And she screamed all night long. I would call it crying, but I would be lying.

Thank heavens for the baby whisperer that took over around 2 in the morning. he finally got her to sleep at 6 am ish.

She came into our lives larger than life and has always been that way.

I found a lot of pictures that the Dude had taken.

Some things about her:

1. She is funny.
2. Extremely smart. Already into her 3rd math book for the year.
3. Tender hearted and loving.
4. Kind to others. She is so compassionate and wants others to feel good about themselves.
5. Very fast. She can certainly move those legs of hers.
6. Loves to read.
7. Imaginative. I love to hear her play.

She has brought us so much joy while challenging us to be better people and parents.

We love her so much.

Life would NEVER be the same without her.

For your amusement

2011-04-14T19:05:00.001-05:00

While we are away.

Well, mostly mine.

This is what happens when you record after your son has used the camera. Who knows what was on that lens.

After cleaning.

This little boy is full of so much energy and life. He brings a great amount of endless joy into our lives.

See you soon...

2011-04-13T13:46:00.001-05:00

Mr. Finn left us last Sunday.

We knew it was coming.

We dreaded it.

It made us a little sad.

We thought about how hard it was going to be without him for three weeks.

The time was going to go so slowly.

We wouldn't know what to do with ourselves.

We were all in agreement.

That we would miss him very much.

So...

He took us to play in the sun.

In this remarkable City that we live by.

And even made some new friends.

But we would still miss our Mr. Finn.

heee heee heee

So...

We are leaving on Friday to be with him until after Easter.

It won't be this warm, but it will be FUN!

See you soon Mr. Finn.

Spring Fresh

2011-04-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

Many years ago my friend and then visiting teacher gave me a beautiful birds nest with chocolate eggs in it. I have loved it for years.

Last week the Dude was playing in the yard and found this nest lying in the grass. I ran to the store and bought some chocolate eggs. It looks so real and the Dude keeps asking me when the eggs will hatch. Maybe I should have explained better, but it is so beautiful to me.

The children have decorated their tree for Easter and I love how sweet it looks. I love that they get to have something that they can do to remind them of the holidays and feel part of the decorating process. And, it doesn't help that it isn't messy.

The little rugrats the day they decorated the tree. They are good little helpers and make the holidays so much more special. This year we are going to the frozen tundra to spend it with Mr. Finn. He had to go back a week early and would have to miss his daughter's birthday, so we are going to pack up and spend it there.

I am so disappointed. Ha! Maid service, little cooking, hotel pool, breakfast provided. It's a "win, win" situation for me.

I am looking at is as a vacation.

A day in the life of a 5 yr old

2011-04-07T16:18:00.003-05:00

Miss Boo and I surprised the Dude at his school with balloons. He had specifically requested NO balloons, but I knew in his heart he would be excited to get some. Especially if it was Spongebob.
Certainly you can see that he is smiling on the inside.

Miss Boo was able to get out of class to see her brother do Happy Sack.

This is not small thing to the Dude. He has REFUSED to do it this entire year.
We held out hope and used his turning five as a reason to share with his class his favorite items. He chose five Kung Zhu Pets claiming they were his friends.

I was o.k. with anything as long as he got up in front of his class. Mrs. Howerton is so good with him and helped him along until he got warmed up.

Then we went home and created his birthday cake. He told me what he wanted and this was our creation. The frosting is very light blue, but Mr. Finn says it is more on the gray side. I say, "Whatever". My baby was happy and that is all that matter.

He loves being five. Can you just feel the pride?

His shirt says "Mummy's Boy". This is the first time he has chosen to wear it. Sniff.

And as for candle blowing... he was up for the task.

yes... he does need his hair trimmed.

Some things you all should know about this fabulous little boy.

1. Loves to cuddle.
2. Will give in to stop the fighting and contention.
3. Is a belly laugher. He can make anyone smile.
4. Very compassionate. Is always concerned about others feelings.
5. Is full of energy and has an amazing imagination.

We are so blessed to have this little boy in our family. I truly can't imagine the Dude not being part of our family.

This trip down memory lane is for my benefit. I just want to go squeeze him.
OK... I am headed into his room right now.

Couldn't you just eat him?

Going back for another squeeze.

As Mr. Finn said, "He completes us".

Happy Birthday Dude

2011-04-06T07:55:00.000-05:00

He informed me this morning that he now has a five year old laugh and darn if he isn't right!

Lame... kind of.

2011-04-04T20:10:00.001-05:00

That pretty much sums it up.

Pick up the paste

2011-03-31T13:54:00.001-05:00

Today was a one of those days that starts early and must be done in double step time.

We had to pick up "Tilly" for school as her Mommy is sick and drop her off at her own school, which turned into a conversation about "public" vs. "private".

Private won according to the children. They love their school. They love their teachers. I love that they are being taught according to each of their own abilities because the classes are small enough that it can be done. I love that it is a faith based school. It is not our religion, but they do get to learn about our Savior and I don't believe that can ever be wrong. Besides, it give Miss Boo (the Dude too) and me some great opportunities for discussion about religion and through that I see her testimony growing.

She will always have the opportunity to question things and to decide for herself. Her testimony will be strong because she doesn't have the opportunity to have a blind one. She can handle it and I am proud of her for the questions she does ask.

As we were trying to get onto a busy street, the cars were putzing down the road. I really can't stand that, especially when I am in a hurry.

Miss Boo shouts at the cars, "Pick up the paste"!

If I hadn't been in a good mood, that would have made it an easy transition.

We just found out that Mr. Finn has to return to the frozen tundra a week early.

We are sad.

Everyone is doing well from their surgeries. We are inching back to normalcy.

Thanks for all your love, well wishes and advice.

The night that ate the day....

2011-03-27T12:32:00.000-05:00

Where to begin. I really can't even find a starting part that doesn't contain the word or thought of exhaustion. And that really makes for a boring post.

I knew this week would be difficult with all three having their tonsils out, the part I didn't factor in was the lack of sleep I would suffer from and how that would affect the household.

It wasn't pretty some days and it makes me sad that I couldn't rise above the sleep deprivation and shine. I don't know how people can overcome it. It takes me down and unfortunately it took a toll on all of us.

I really don't know if my kids were whinier than usual, but they were bossier. Or were they? It is hard to tell when you have fog for brain. Everything was so much bigger than I'm sure it was.

Many melt downs. MANY! Some of them were mine.

One trip to the ER for Mr. Finn on Friday night. Thank heavens for a great Home Teacher that dropped what he was doing at 10 o'clock at night and came to sit at our home so the children didn't have to be woke up. It turned out to be nothing major, thank heavens, but it took yet another toll to some already tired bodies.

I chose not to wake the children for their medication to see how they would do and that turned out to be a bad mistake. By 4 a.m. the Dude was crying from the pain and then Miss Boo started around six, but by then she was irrational from the pain.

It was a very long night of a very long week.

We are going to church this morning for a respite from the drama.

Before and After

2011-03-22T18:24:00.000-05:00

We gave the children some buddies to help them not be afraid for their surgeries. The Dude named his "wizard" (lizard) Swirly.

And Miss Boo named her caterpillar "Catherine". She was so excited to have her tonsils come out and especially happy about the fact that all her classmates were going to be jealous because she was the first one.

She entered the recovery room smiling and waving. She looked so peaceful. She proclaimed it the best time ever.

This is a lesson in pain meds. 1 1/2 hours after surgery he is finally calm thanks to some serious pain meds that they waited to give him. They also rewrapped his IV after getting bugged for over an hour that it hurt. I kept telling them that it was too tight and they said it wasn't. The Dude was not having anymore of that and was trying to yank it out. He broke me heart when I came into recovery to see him. He bottom lip was trembling and he was crying. I wanted to cry seeing him like that.

My friend came to be with us the whole time. I am so grateful for her emotional support and helping to calm down my little boy.

I went through every gamut of emotion during this day. I don't ever want to have the experience of watching my child be taken away. They were talking to the Dude about seeing the equipment they use to take out tonsils. He had been so curious as to how they really do it and since the Doctor wasn't being very clear about it they offered him the opportunity to see it. I didn't know they weren't bringing him back before the surgery and I got extremely emotional.

My mind was reeling with "what ifs" and my not seeing my son again. I was on the edge of panic until they told me he was out of surgery. The nurse apologized to me for not telling me what she was doing. It's easy to forgive when you are sure your child is o.k.

I wonder about those instances when something goes wrong. Is it impossible to forgive... how do people get over that hurdle? I truly couldn't imagine how hard that would be.

I am so grateful that there wasn't any hitches and my family is here at home. Thank heavens for pains meds. I keep saying that, but oh my! When they start to wear off it turns into a horror movie. Lots of whining and yelling and crying.

Only 5 more days to go...

That's what they say!

I'm sticking with that. School on Monday for both kids. I am going to need that time to recoup.

I want to give a big shout out to Mr. Finn right now. Even though he is in a lot of pain, he tries to help out. A Lot! I appreciate all the help he gives me. I know it can't be easy.

Here we go...

2011-03-21T06:47:00.003-05:00

We are on our way to the Surgery Center. Lots of prayers please.

I feel like I am going to hyperventilate.

How am I going to handle seeing my babies go under for surgery?

Talk to you later.

No more training wheels

2011-03-20T20:41:00.000-05:00

Miss Boo has decided that she is ready to ride her bike without the training wheels after learning how to ride with the TW last Fall.

And Yes... I do let my children go outside in public in pj's and rubber boots for all the world to see. Hee hee

I am excited for her, but worried that she will have a hard time learning. Her balance is not so good. Thanks to her Mom, she has inherited some of my weaknesses. I do remember riding a bike when I was five and if memory serves, I never fell off my bike, but my memories are pretty one sided. Isn't everyone's?

I have fallen off my bike more as an adult than I ever remember as a kid. I don't know why I couldn't seem to stop my bike without falling over sideways. I blame it on the shoe locks. Mr. Finn blames it on my lack of coordination.

I choose my excuse.

Tomorrow the kids and Mr. Finn go under the knife and I am scared. Doesn't that sound silly? Just tonsils, but the thought of my children being wheeled off without me to protect them has got me in a knot.

I know I have to be strong. My Grandma told me I can't cry. How do I not? I love my children and I can't stand the thought of anything going wrong. Maybe that is what I am so afraid of... the unknown. The freak stories that you hear.

The children were given blessings.

Take a deep breath Robin and put your faith in the Lord. I am going to throw this fear up to him and let him take it. Because... I can't.

Waiting for the moment when he feels well enough to do this again.

How blessed I am to be their Mother and to have a husband that is my partner in all things. For holding me up when I am weak. Glad he will be there for me and I pray that I will be there for them in the way they need.

Huh?

2011-03-18T18:46:00.000-05:00

I think I am crazy!

Yup!

I am! I have proof.

Monday, my two darling children and my dear Mr. Finn will be entering the surgery center to have their tonsils out.

I didn't write that wrong.

They are all having their tonsils out Monday morning.

People keep asking me why I am doing it all on the same day.

Really? That's the question.

Why would I opt for 3 separate weeks of this instead of one?

Maybe I am not so crazy after all.

Happy Friggin Green Day...

2011-03-17T14:41:00.000-05:00

There are a few things that I learned today.

1. The city where my Costco resides is the location of the largest St. Patty's Day parade/gathering in the world. Really? Apparently so! Just saying.

2. I turn into a crazy person when I am 3, count them, three blocks from said Costco and the policeman makes me take a right turn. Seriously! 45 minutes until I could get back to the freeway and go to another one that isn't exactly close.

3. And... I don't like traveling anywhere without my GPS. Because then friends of mine and my Mr. Finn get phone calls like this. "I don't know where I am!" "Can you find out where the next Costco is?" "Do you know where this freeway goes, etc.?"

It makes me grateful for friends that have your child playing at their house and can't hear you turn into a lunatic.