Birthday Celebration

Chris insisted Finn have a cake for his first birthday. I was not in such a hurry to let him indulge in refined sugar but I gave in for his special celebration. So I took an unfair vote on cake type through the evite invitation with the following three categories:

• Heavy on the Chocolate
• Strawberry and Whipping Cream Long-Roll
• Au Natural and loaded with veggies (think carrot)

I say unfair because I basically decided before tallying the votes that Strawberry Long-Roll was the cake I would make. This wasn't exactly a democratic decision. The deciding factors: familiarity with the recipe, relatively low sugar content and Finn's adoration for strawberries. Finn had his own mini cake and I made two full size cakes for the rest of our friends. Of course, I did appease those that voted heavy on chocolate and made a Flourless Chocolate Chipotle cake that turned out superb (there was just the right amount of heat to make it interesting).

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Finn, Happy Birthday to you!"
Finn started the cake eating by feeding me. What a polite boy! I don't think I even got this much cake shoved in my face at our wedding :)

It wasn't too long before he started digging in himselfLooks like he's starting to get full here

Oooh, finger paints, these will be fun!Hudson enjoyed helping open the gifts too

Happy Anniversary!

Mom & Dod: Happy Anniversary!

You guys are truly an inspiration to all of us "young" married couples. Without a doubt, the love you guys have for each other has spilled over into our lives. Thank you for the many hours of your marriage sacrificed to your three boys, but I'm sure you wouldn't have it any other way. We love you guys and know that if our lives resembles yours in the least bit, we're doing pretty good.

Love,
C & E

Love this Laugh

Finn's First Birthday

Here we are, a year has passed already.........

It is crazy to reflect upon the fact that at this moment a year ago Chris stood by my side, full of encouragement as the final hours of Finn's complicated birth unfolded. Although some specific details have become fuzzier with the passing of time, I have a vivid, encompassing memory of the powerful experience we shared that day/night which finally brought Finn into our lives.

Finn has grown so much and developed such a personality over the past year. Each day brings new joys. Lately, he's been keen on climbing up into Daddy's lap for story time and bouncing along with the music (in his car seat) as the two of them cruise around town.


Tonight we had a low-key birthday evening, but this weekend the birthday festivities will get under way with, cake and friends, etc...

Water World II

Hey, your hair's not even wet! Finn starting to get his sea legs at the local pool. Eventually we were doing laps around the lazy river. It was crazy (so many hyper kids), but fun. Next time we'll go back on a weekday afternoon.

Thousand-yard stare. We were all pretty pooped by the end. He slept like a log that afternoon.

I love this photo - shows his adventurous side and independence....gingerly going for the ball that's getting nailed by the sprinkler. He didn't even notice that I had walked away.

OK, we haven't posted a video in a while. This "raw" video shows Finn exploring the garden beds, which are at a perfect height for him. I love his quiet, joyful snarls.

Better than a Kiddie Pool

As promised, here is Finn playing in the outdoor sink. He is just a hydrophilic boy - he LOVES his water! Yesterday he discovered the sprinkler and went chasing after it, holding his hands up in the air to catch the droplets.

Reaping the Benefits

After another weekend of working on the yard, we are getting to the point where it is just nice to wander around and enjoy all the changes we've made or relax in our various sitting areas (depending upon the angle of the sun). Chris arranged weed block cloth and bark mulch in our hammock area, completed connecting the irrigation system for all our plants and created a garden washing station using our original kitchen sink. This has become a favorite play place for Finn. I'll have to capture a photo soon. My job involved planting ground cover in the transition area between the patio and the lawn. My ongoing project is plucking snails out of their last stronghold in the lilac/rose bushes. This has become a daily ritual during Finn's morning nap.

Chris has started on another project. We need to strip the old paint and select a new color for our shed. But first, he's ripped off the old dilapidated doors and is entertaining different options for replacing them. My only request is that they still have windows of some sort. It does look odd to have a big gaping hole in the shed but sure does make access easy. I don't miss opening the huge, sagging doors.

Just a few New Finn Photos

Ah, there's nothing quite like being cozied up in a fuzzy towel after a bath! I love how his feet are poking out. Below, Finn is reveling in one of his new joys - bouncing on the bed. It is so funny how he bounces around on his knees and then flops backwards, although it is also a little scary that he has no concept of the edge of the bed being a giant precipice.

Finn has quite the developing pitcher arm. He's gotten so interested in throwing the ball for Hudson. Now he claps for himself after he throws the ball. Yeah Finn!!!! (clap, clap, clap)

Sorting Things Out

Finn has been busy lately putting things back where they belong. To give just a few examples......

1. Here he's pulled most of his books off the shelf and is putting them away.
2. Chris had a large bucket in the backyard filled with fragments of rock left over from assembling the patio. Recently Finn picked up a small chunk of patio rock in the yard, crawled over across the entire patio to the bucket and added his found piece. What a smart boy.

Front Page News

We were pretty surprised to see Chris on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune this week. Co-workers put several copies of the paper in my mailbox at school and continued to express excitement of also seeing him on TV. He's famous :)
Here's the link to the article: Wasatch Fault quake '800 years overdue; Geologists look to pinpoint a big one;Utah and U.S. teams study soil in trenches for signs of when and how bad

Honorable Discharge

OK, so it's been a very long time since I've posted anything. Thanks to Erika and Finn for filling up cyberspace with all of their excellent photos and touching words.

Here are a few things I've been enjoying lately. Since being "discharged" (honorably) from the hospital I've had little time to sit back and relax in the back yard. This afternoon I did just that...

Finn contemplating the organic, grass-fed, free-range, pesticide-free greens grown with alternative energy! Erika assures me that no weeds have snuck in there, but I still have my doubts.

This was a lucky snap - Finn is not quite there yet, but at least he's trying. Erika is admiring her young greens and structurally sound "grow beds."

Grapes!! We're looking forward to our first harvest of grapes this year.

Finn checking out the outskirts of his kingdom.

It was agonizing to see our patio 78% finished and not be able to work on it. But thanks to a friend and a few motivated rock moving sessions - I finally get to post the (near) finished product! I figured I lifted 12,000 lbs for this project. 4000 lbs of rock, and I probably moved each stone on average three times to get the fit just right - no wonder I ended up in the ER!

And for a satisfying look back - here is what our back yard looked like a little over a year ago. In this photo Erika is about 6 months pregnant with Finn.

Everyday Adventures

Practicing walking. It is all about pushing things around the house....










Proud to be a professional speed crawler.











"working" with me in the garden at school

Traveling Taste Buds

Recipe: Almond, Black Sesame Seed Crusted Goat Cheese with Fresh Garden Greens Drizzled in Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar
We are fortunate to live within walking or biking distance of many of my co-teachers, so last weekend we finally took advantage of the proximity and the beautiful weather to have a traveling eat-fest.

The festivities began at our house. I had enough fresh greens to gather a first harvest from the garden. They were so fresh, tender and tasty, especially topped with these goat cheese treats. I also harvested rhubarb to throw together the season's second batch of Rhubarb Dumplings. The dumplings always go so fast. I can never get enough.

Look Mom, No Hands

Finn is getting more independent with eating, especially when it comes to being in control of the spoon. As you can see, it is does not make for the tidiest of meals.





















Above:Check out those teeth! He has five now and I'm pretty sure he's working on popping out another one (or more)
any day now.





Below: he's working hard to be independent, holding the cup on his own while drinking his smoothie with a straw.

That's My Boy!

Finn hit the eleven month mark today. It is hard to believe there is only one month to go before he has his first birthday. Finn and I had a quiet mother's day at home, doing a little cooking and a some hanging out in the backyard while Chris spent another long day in the field at the trench site.

I made these Cheese and Almond bites for Finn but I think I might end up snacking on just as many as him. I think they'd make good appetizers served plain or dipped in some sort of marinara sauce.






Cheese and Almond Bites
3 C fresh white bread crumbs
1 C grated cheddar cheese
1 small onion
1 small carrot
1T parsley
1T almond butter (you could use smooth peanut butter)
2 egg yolk
2 egg whites
1C bread crumbs (I used rice cereal)

• put first 6 ingredients in a food processor and mix until forms a dough ball.
  
• Form the mixture into tiny balls.
  
• Dip each ball into the egg white, dredge in bread crumbs and place on baking sheet
• Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes
  

Parting Shots

May 3rd was a day of celebration for all the fabulous times we've shared with Chip and Audrey over the years that we've been fortunate to live in the same community. The number of people gathered at Sugarhouse Park for their send-off BBQ is a testament to the value they place on friendships. It was so much fun to see all their circles of friends mixing and having a great time. I am sure that I speak for many people when I say that It was an afternoon filled with much excitement as we prepared to send them off to their next adventure in Portland, but also a sad realization of the gaping hole about to be left in our personal lives here in Salt Lake City. Chip and Audz.....you will be greatly missed!