This is a very long video, but this should help ease grandma’s soul until we can visit with next month! Before I started taking the video Riley was being so cute, singing a little song and waving his spoon all around and trying to feed himself. but once he saw the camera he kind of stopped. but I kept filming hoping he would start again. no such luck, but he is still pretty damn cute and he makes me laugh. (cameo appearance by Finnegan Lakes)
Our neighborhood has a corner that is a bit of an eye sore. Back in the day when we moved here 7 years ago, there was a gas station/liquor store on one corner, a small convenient store on another, a “chop shop” on another corner and a wings to go on another. I can’t even begin to tell you how awful that corner was. A few years ago, all of the places were shut down and it is supposed to be developed into a work/live environment. This all happened though as the economy tanked and so it has sat vacant for a few years.
Last year though, some lie was returned to the corner in the form of a Saturday morning farmers market. We loved this farmers market. We’d walk down with the boys every Saturday and pick up a bag of peaches and a “Cha Cha cookie” and occasionally some tomatoes/mushrooms/strawberries/etc.
This year, Todd has gotten involved in the market and is the treasurer! The market has officially opened for the season and the first weekend they had some live music and a collard green cook-off. It was a lot of FUN!
Keeping baby away from the hole in the ground
Covering it up so baby doesn’t get hurt
And escorting baby away from the hole.
One night Finn came into our bedroom to give me a hug and kiss good night and he looked over and saw this little figurine we have on top of our dresser. It is a figurine we got from grandma and grandpa when Finn was born. It is a mommy and daddy holding their new baby. Finn saw it evidently for the first time and asked what it was. I told him it was mommy and daddy holding baby Finn. He was in awe. And now every night he wants to see mommy and daddy holding baby Finn. It is such a precious moment because he thinks it is precious.
Our AC was broken and the repairman (who was to be at our house between 12 and 6pm) came as we were eating dinner out on the back deck (at 6:15) because it was 1,000 degrees inside the house. Finn just couldn’t take his eyes off “Mr. Chad” and after sitting on the deck peering over the railing while he finished his dinner, he then got a little more up close and personal to watch. The repairman was really nice, talked to Finn the whole time, answered Finn’s millions of questions and listened to his stories of our trip to the race track that day. Only downside, Finn wouldn’t go to bed until Mr. Chad was gone. It was a late night.
We have had this swing forever but only just now installed it this year! He still fits and its nice to have because he likes to climb the treacherous stairs, so when you’re tired of blocking him from doing that you can just put him in the swing. Finn helped install it and helped with the first test run! Look how happy Riley is that big brother is playing with him! LOVE!
You can see little man sneaking up the stairs in the background!
Grandma Bear gets the test run!
Safe enough for grandma bear, safe enough for Riley!
May 1st 2009 was my first official day as a Stay-At-Home-Mom. I have officially been a SAHM for one year! As this day was coming near I remembered that I had made some posts in the beginning and went back through the blog to find them.
And I thought I had also posted one at one month, but I found this one at a Month and a half .
This last year has been amazing. It has been good, it has been challenging, and it has definitely been the hardest job I have ever had. But whenever anyone asks me if I’m enjoying it, I easily and excitedly reply “YES!”. While at the end of most days I am worn out and can easily pass out on the couch, I still marvel at each of these little people that I get to spend my days with. I’ve always been easily amused and one who likes to have FUN (obviously where this whole FUN business began with) and spending time with my boys has really allowed me to relish in those things. Seeing the world through their eyes, enjoying the simplest things is really, really cool. (see if I was a better writer I could have come up with something better than “really, really cool”.)
I definitely still agree with most of the things I wrote about early on. The camera is attached to me at all times. Having a plan is key and having lots of activities is the best. I do give us time to just play at home together, though all of us are happier outside of the house. I do sometimes feel guilty that I’m not sitting down and teaching Finn his letters or other similar things, but I’ve been reassured that they are learning enough, so I’ll try to not let the internet get the best of me!
We’ve discovered lots of cool new things to do around town, and I’m excited that we still have some new things on the to-do list! We’ve also made some really awesome new friends this year, for the kids and for mommy!
We’d always said this was our plan, for me to stay at home, but always in the back of both of our minds, we really weren’t that sure if I’d like it or if it would last. We’ve all been very pleasantly surprised! I’m definitely looking forward to so much more time with my boys!
I’m not a writer, I hate writing, and I hate that I’m not a writer because it makes writing posts like this really hard. I have no idea how to express my emotions without it sounding cheesy or not like me. I love to use exclamation points, I love to jump up and down and get all excited and say YAY!!! really loud and clap frantically, I’m a hugger, a squeezer, a tickler, a snuggler and a high fiver. But I have no idea how to write any of that down. So I will just have to let these pictures do some of the talking.
Our moms group took a field trip to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for a tour. I knew we would be driving around the track in a van. What I did not know was that we would be going 90 mph not wearing seatbelts with 20 children and about 8 moms in the car. It was exhilarating and frightening all at the same time. We got to stand in the winners circle and rejoice the fact that we had not died on the track after our ride. It was an awesome adventure and the boys got a little Nascar too!
Some pre-race hugs and running around!
The van! Can you believe this van did 90?
Some inside shots of us all crammed in the van.
The winner’s circle
I can’t believe we were able to get most of them to stand still and line-up for these photos!
And Finn and D are done!
You forgot about me!
Me and my boys!
Phew, need a break!
And a race car
We made some goodies for Uncle Buzz who is hiking the Appalachian Trail right now! Finn helped and even got to lick the bowl, and sent him a cute message!
