A Piece of Me...

Boo Hoo

This girl turned 11 this year.  I can't even believe that she can be this old.  I am a little sad.

She is so smart... smarter than she needs to be at times.   Seriously though, she is so much smarter than I could ever dream of being.  She is also extremely artsy.  She creates things constantly, you can see how her mind works.  Always writing at least two books at once and reading 3 or more at a time.  She is a sight reader on the piano and wants to take flute this year in school.

 She designed her birthday.  Every detail is from her imagination.

 Her favorite thing this year is Pokemon.  And it was the pokemon party to be at this year. They played Pokemon Jeopardy blown up on the wall like on the tv show.  They had a blast.

 She created Pokemon trading cards for each guest with their own photo and their favorite color.

 These kids are amazingly fun!  She is finding her nitch finally.  She has so much to offer.

 And that piñata...her idea.  We couldn't find one so she gave me the task of making it.  Thank heavens for a friend, balloons, newspaper and plastic easter eggs.  That's one for the books for sure.

We love this girl.  She is truly amazing.  I am excited to see who she becomes in life.

The Dude turned NINE!

This sweet, funny, adorable, kind, energetic, loving little boy is 9.  I can't believe he is so grown up.

He brings so much joy into our home.  He is always so sweet, especially if you he thinks you are sad.  The hugs are amazing.

His favorite cake this year is yellow butter cake with chocolate frosting.  He can love something for a long time and then one day he wakes up and, Bam!, doesn't like it anymore.  Make me laugh.  I tend to be the same way.

I mean really!  Look at that face...

He believes in the power of prayer.  I am so amazed at how he will put his trust in the Lord for bad dreams or whatever.  Not even a second thought.  Ironically, he was praying for a specific gift in the above picture.  Ha Ha!

He had a fun day with his two friends.  He was only missing his friend Brodyn that moved away and it would have been perfect.

I thought his sister's card was pretty sweet.  She is quite ornery with him most of the time, so it is good to know that she cares for him.

So proud of this sweet little boy and the choices he makes.  So happy to be his Mom.

Lame Recap

I am going to try for a quick recap.

I used to love blogging, but lately it has seemed like a chore on the never-ending list.  The good news is that the list is getting smaller and I don't feel so overwhelmed.  Last year was a really tough year and quite emotionally draining.

Christmas was a success in the Finn household.  Our children still remember what the true meaning is and it warms my heart that gifts aren't the main focus.  I do not remember being this way as a child.

The kids are doing great at school.  All A's for the most part.  A couple of B's for the Dude, but he has assured me that it will be all A's on the next report card.  He strives really hard to do good.  He is a good boy.

Miss Boo has really excelled on the piano.  Actually, she is amazing.  Her sight reading is phenomenal.  Her teacher says she has never had a student that sight read like her.  In some ways it is her weakness as she relies on knowing and not practicing.  I told her to think about how amazing she would be is she spent time practicing and not just getting by.
She can actually sight read so well that she can play a song so good the first time that it is equal to an average student practicing for a week.  I wish I had her talent.

The pets are good.  Let me rephrase...the pets are the same.  Leaving lots of little piles of hair bunnies all over the house just so I can love them more.

Mr. Finn likes his job so that makes things a lot easier for us all.

We went to Arkansas over the weekend and I am always surprised by how beautiful it is.  If it wasn't for the fact that it is Arkansas, I would totally live there.

Oh!  A big one.  I went to New York with my sisters and cousin in September.  Way fun time!  We walked an average of ten miles a day and saw everything that we all wanted to see.  We avoided the subway system after the first trip on it.  Ewwww!  I really don't ever need to go back again.  Way too many people in that city, but such a cool experience to see it up close.  It looks so much bigger and cleaner on TV.  Ha!  There is scaffolding everywhere, so hard to see the buildings.  You don't see that in the movies!  I enjoyed the trip even though I felt like we were in a marathon.

I found out I have Plantar Fasciitis in both feet.  The doctor saw fit to inject both feet on the same day with cortisone shots.  Ouch!  I should have questioned it when I asked the Doctor if it hurt and he replied with, "A little, I think".  Seriously!  I have had the worst week with my feet since them.  They swelled up and they ached just for the sake of aching all week.  Today I finally have relief as long as I wear my orthotics.  Boy, I feel old.

A dear friend and her husband completed their mission to Ohio and dropped by on their way home.  Couldn't be more grateful for her in my life.