Post I of II: Giant Sandbox

OK, it's time to get posting - even Chip and Audrey posted their NC shots and they were a week behind us! Our excuse is that we all recently came down with the stomach flu (seriously).

Here are our Outer Banks photos (hard to narrow it down from 400+ photos!). We really had a memorable time, and are thankful to have had the chance to catch up with Derek and Hope (miss you guys already!), and see the three kids go crazy together. It is so amazing how unique their personalities are. Of course we also loved seeing Nana and Papa soaking up all the kid time ("I'll be at the beach if you need me!") - and can't thank them enough for doing so much to make our time together so special.

Here is the "kid collection" of photos:

Finn predicting that large waves will fall upon us

Finally, the pool all to myself!

Judah and Finn workin' in the sun. That bucket eventually became Finn's favorite resting place!

Success! Papa and I had doubts that that "inflatable kite" would actually fly.

Finn's first fins. Daddy I saw a fin just like this in the water behind you!

Judah clearly has the best style. One of my favorite photos - amazing that they all sat still for so long (4 seconds).

Look at the hole I dug!

Ocean Beaches ------->

Here is a photo-video from our recent trip to Oregon and Washington. We had a great time - and soaked up as much time with Chip and Audrey, cool port-town air, wet rain forests (redundant), and incredible ocean beaches as possible.

Thanks again to C & A for sacrificing much, and for making our stay super memorable. Enjoy the video (sorry, kinda large)... C & E.

Boy Ages 6 Months in 6 Minutes!

We just gave Finn his fourth haircut! Here is a before photo:

And the "after" photos:
Now that his hair is "#7" short, he looks so much older - especially combined with him walking around!

He's been loving climbing all over our gear for our upcoming trip to Oregon/Washington! So much for traveling light. We're definitely going to be maxing out our luggage poundage limits as well as every bit of free space Chip and Audrey have.

And here is a quick photo from our garden. Our first Jalapeño peppers! I was thinking that they would be a little less hot - reasoning that the spiceyness reflected the local climate, but boy was I wrong. They are mean little green things.

Centenial Post!

Just now, the thought crossed my mind: I wonder how many posts we've racked up, and if it's anywhere close to 100...cause it would be cool to post a 100th post. So I looked, for the first time mind you, at the number, which unbelievably was 99!

So here you go. Our 100th post (in 9 months)! Probably our 92nd post of Finn. That kid is going to have a record of his upbringing suitable for a presidential library. We're doomed as parents as he'll easily be able to pull up posts in support of feeding hudson, dressing up hudson, refusing to eat, or making a huge mess (when eating, just in general).

My favorite post? That's hard. Drummer Boy is probably my favorite. This is right about the time when we wondered what happened to our cute infant who slept all the time! Hmm, I also really like Snowy Sunday Hike, which recalls our first official hike together. Of all the firsts, this one seemed pretty meaningful to me.

My least favorite (or rather, hardest moment to recall)? Parting Shots

Most comments? Surprising I Passed! That was a big day for me though.

Most meaningful? Easy. Reflection and Renewal. Still gives me goosebumps.

More to come...E still needs to weigh in.

-Chris

Experiment 2-a

We didn't stray far from home this weekend but regardless, it was enjoyable. In continuing to prepare for our upcoming Oregon camping adventure, we set up the tent in the backyard. Finn certainly enjoys being in the tent, although it is entirely possible that he has too much fun crawling, bouncing, looking out the mesh sides, etc and will have a hard time sleeping when the time comes.


As an addendum to the milestone list from Chris's 13 month post.....
Finn is now able to walk! Not that he has converted to this as his main mode of locomotion but he has the know-how and balance to at least get across the living room.

I'm 13 months!

Now that I'm 13 months old, I have basically mastered everything. I now know how to...

Hold my spoon:

Eat my applesauce:

But you should see me - I can really get after it:

Also, for those wondering, I can also:

Walk a step when I feel like it
Say: daddy, water, down, hello....All with my secret language (da-da, da-der, dow, doh)
Grab books to read (attention span = 11.5 seconds)
Feed Hudson
Manipulate my parents into letting me sleep in their bed
Help daddy clean my bum
Turn on the shower
Talk to Judah on the phone and use all of da-da's minutes
Help mom cook (you wanted that powdered sugar in the second bedroom right?)

Absorption

Evidence that we've officially entered the sponge phase:

Fouth of July

We celebrated Finn's second Fourth of July in Driggs with our friends Stefan and Jess and their daughter Greta. It was such a relief to escape the 101 degree temperatures of Salt Lake and get out for some stunning hikes on both sides of the Tetons. It seemed like we'd stepped back a season. The foliage was so lush and the wildflowers abundant. As always, we took a lot of photos. Alaska Basin and Death Canyon

Here are just a few of the many wildflowers we saw. Forget-me-nots, columbines, monument plant, etc... I'm not sure what this nodding purple flower is, or the yellow one below it. Any ideas?

Growing Green

Ok, so now that the photo has been posted for a number of days without text, I'm sure there is some question as to why I, having never been fond of watermelon, would put a photo of it in a collage. Two photos to be precise. Why would we even posses a watermelon in our house considering Chris has never liked them either, (or any other melon for that matter)? Is it just because watermelon is so iconic of summer? No...I can't seem to find a credible source, but I will go with the explanation our taste buds are transformed every 5-7 years (not that I am losing taste buds with age and becoming less discriminating). I distinctly recall the first inkling of liking watermelon. It was another sweltering day in the Galapagos Islands. I was in my fifth month of pregnancy with Finn and was was resting in a patch of shade at the edge of Biological station's organic garden. We had just completed the morning's physical labor. In addition to helping lug buckets of water to plants down the long rows, my individual job was to fill several larger buckets with tomatoes I harvested from the vine. Tired and thirsty I watched the coordinator pull a watermelon from a tangle of leaves, raise a machete and whack it into multiple pieces for us to savor. The high water content was what I was craving so I gave it a shot. Much to my surprise it actually tasted good. I thought that would just be an isolated instance but that was not the case. I've given watermelon another shot out of politeness when it was offered after a dinner with friends and it seems to be growing on me. The ironic thing is that Chris's taste buds have transformed right along with mine. On a hot summer day in Salt Lake, I'll take a sweet, fresh watermelon right along side Chris and Finn.

The other photos depict garden harvests of beets, cabbage and peas. I love the bullseye stripes of the Chioggia Beet beets and the deep purple torpedo shaped cylindrical beets. They were both excellent roasted with carrots, parsnips and garlic. I'm still stunned at the size of the cabbage I pulled out of the garden especially since it was the first I've ever grown. I wish I had weighed it but at least having a photo next to Finn gives a good sense of scale and the fact that it took two different recipes to use it all.

Lastly, there is a photo of my ring. For more months than I care to think about it sat in my drawer for fear that the diamond would fall out due to a worn prong and a lack of knowing who to trust with it. Finally we took it across the street to Charlie Hafen Jewelers and had it repaired. The trip was worthwhile in multiple respects. It was good to finally satisfy the curiosity of what they had in their store/gallery as well as to meet Charlie, our neighbor. I was nervous to have the crown totally redone but am thrilled with the new look. It is lower and despite the fact that there are more prongs it seems to show off the diamond even more.

Saving Energy with a Passion

In concert with Chris's recent post, Experiment 1-a, stating a propensity to commit before figuring out all the details of how to do something, he bought himself a road bike to commute to work. This is something that he has wanted for a number of years for exercise as well as commuting. After the bike came all the other unplanned accessories: helmet, shoes for clipless pedals, a light, reflective clothing, water bottle, bike pump, tire repair kit, etc. In addition to accessories there were the logistics of extra toiletries to shower and clean clothes to change into once he got to work, plus all the extra food required to replace approximately 600 extra calories burned biking 6.8 miles each way. Next there was the experimentation of route finding with considerations such as what is the most direct route with roads that are the best in terms of least traffic, lowest number of traffic lights and won't have a passing train obstructing the path.

Chris seems to have worked out most of the kinks and claims to be truely enjoying his new mode of transportation, even though he comes home sweaty every day from exerting himself in the mid-ninety degree weather. With gas prices being just over $4/gallon, he figures that biking to work five days a week saves nearly $100/month. That's pretty significant. Now if I can just keep up with the laundry and the nourishment required to support this endeavor....

Forward Progress

Finn has reached a few more milestones. Now that he's a year old, he's decided that it is o.k. to sleep through the night. Of course this progress comes from changes on our end too, such as creating the consistency of a nightly routine including a bath and story time.
We've had one glorious week of solid 8-10 hour nights but..... just because that is becoming the norm doesn't mean it will be every night from here on out. Case in point, A newly emerging tooth (number seven) has hindered sleep the last two nights.

Finn is also learning to stand up without using props. He's still a little wobbly at times but improving rapidly. Here is a video showing off his new standing skills.
It won't be long now before he starts walking...

I love the adorable double-kiss towards the end. That is the first time I've ever seen him kiss anything. Could it be that he sees himself reflected in the stove?

Experiment 1-a

OK, this is generally how we do things: commit ourselves to something and THEN figure out how to do it. For example - our house (enough said). Another example - a couple weekends ago I took the ratty old doors off the shed - now I'm committed to figuring out how to replace them. And finally our upcoming trip to the Pacific Northwest - we have plane tickets, plans for a weekend trip to the Oregon coast with Chip and Audrey, and then we're off to Olympic National Park - to ahh, hike many miles...with Finn. Today, we experimented with our pain thresholds and went for a moderate (short by the standards of our non-kid-bearing friends) hike. We drove up to the High Uinta Wilderness and hiked toward Amethyst Lake.

The hike was amazing and a perfect way to kick off summer: 90+ degree heat in Salt Lake City and we were enjoying 60's, sun, and nothing but the sound of some raging water. We had big ambitions of making it to a lake about 4-5 miles in, but decided we were seriously pushing our luck at about 3.5 miles in and turned around. No big deal though - we got some great views of a crazy "creek," Finn did amazing (only one lunch/diaper stop!), and we returned to the car refreshed and energized for our future trip. On the way back we indulged ourselves with milkshakes, which handily undid four hours of hiking in 20 minutes.

Entering the High Uinta Wilderness

Ostler Fork of the Bear River - runnin' mad

Maiden of the Mist

Hayden Peak in the background...maybe Experiment 1-b?

E and Finn kicking back after 7 miles of bliss

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.