Nap? I'd Rather Play

Finn is getting proficient enough at crawling and standing that he prefers to pull himself up with the faucet to stand rather than soak in the bathtub, roll and crawl in bed at odd hours of the night when he should be sleeping and play in his crib instead of nap (and as of today he is actually cruising along the railing), ....... Here's a fun little clip of our playful boy.

9th Inning Stretch

9th inning stretch: Hudson glad that winter and a treacherous mine-field of a backyard are (almost) officially over. Although I had almost fully written off winter, it did snow this weekend and I couldn't resist sneaking in one more "powder day" with our friends Andy and Ann.

Saturday Erika and I filled these two beds with weedy soil between layers of old maps from work and then topped them off with some rich composted soil from Realms. They're now just about ready for planting! We're looking forward to garden greens, beans, tomatoes...and best of all - just relaxing outside.


Requisite Finn shot. Here he is learning to stand up on his own. He's now "learning" to do this in the tub (cast iron) -- yikes! It's amazing how mobile he is now. His latest fascination is Hudson's tennis ball, which obviously drives Hudson nuts. So far Hudson has been pretty good about getting it back...

Finn Asher. Growing up so fast!

Energy

Yesterday morning I ran around in a frenzy getting ready for work after a poor night sleep (up too much with Finn) and got out the door without breakfast. I came home with added inspiration to come up with some good, healthy snacks to have on hand. The end result was these tasty energy bars. The backbone of this recipe originated from Big Sur Energy Bars, on one of my favorite online recipe journals 101 Cookbooks, but ultimately morphed based on what I had in the cupboards. The options are endless for tweaking this one and it will surely reappear in my kitchen in one form or another.

Yard Work is Hard work

Another weekend of amazing weather. We were out in the back yard both days working at getting the garden space ready for another season. Chris meticulously drew up the designs for what will soon be three of the most amazing 4'x5' raised beds, all 22" deep - in hopes of keeping Hudson from marauding. As you can see from the photo, we got as far as setting all the corner posts. These are going to be some solid garden beds! Next step: figure out where to get enough weed free soil to fill them.

Two Days in a Row

I'm delayed in getting this post out....but Monday was another ski day. This time Finn and I went out with the girls and babies. Although I was still behind the camera most of the time, I managed to get in front of the lens for a few shots too (just for you mom).

Look Out Below!

Hudson waiting for dropped cheerios and about to get a surprise!

Finn loves pushing things off of his tray (food, toys) when he's "done" with them - or just for fun to watch one of us pick them up.

Off Trail

I think the last time I cross-country skied was in 1989 in Ohio - on my grandfather's community golf course. So it was fitting that Erika, Finn, and I traveled up to a nearby golf course in the Wasatch to test out our new XC gear. Amazing how things have changed. Although I almost ate it a few times (with Finn on my back!) the gear served us well.

Finn - checking out our new gear.

Thanks to Chip and Stefan for the advice (they're professionals).

OK, so we weren't getting first tracks and face shots in "pow" or turning heli's off wicked bumps, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Although the signs said to stay on trail - I couldn't help myself (our skis are meant for off-trail adventures as well you know). Finn enjoyed about half an hours worth and then dozed off for a mid-trail nap. I'd hear his "mmmmm's" as I'd work my way up the small hills.


Finn and I (and E behind the lens), glad to be free from the Sunday "What do you want to do's."

Afternoon in the Park

The weather outside has been so unbelievably spring-like this week. Finn was lucky enough to get outside for a little bit nearly every day. Here he is playing in the park with Harper, who is only 10 days older than him. They both enjoyed swinging and playing on the small section of turf. Finn was a little too interested in eating the small bark chips that had made their way from the playground to the turf. He has that pincer grip and coordination of the hand to the mouth down pat, which is exciting when it is cheerios, tofu or bananas but a little frightening when it is small inedible object.

What Baby Doesn't Love Paper?

Monday and/or Tuesday is the day that all the junk mail arrives; coupons, fliers, etc..
Finn and Hudson both decided to help sort the mail. They loved tearing up the junk pile, so after a little mess making I stashed it all in a nearby laundry basket. Finn managed to tip the basket over so that he could peruse the grocery store specials and then crawl in for some deluxe play time.

Drummer Boy

OK, it's been way too long since we posted anything about Finn (about 2 days!), so here's a video collage that Erika and I put together this afternoon. Although the video doesn't show it - Finn is officially crawling!

More to See Straight Ahead

As Erika mentioned - my morning routine at work was a little different this Thursday: 7:15 am - settle in, check email, sip some coffee, feel office building shake (mildly) from a magnitude 6 earthquake originating 200 miles away! As an "earthquake" geologist I was more than a little excited.

Since Salt Lake City is closer to the epicenter than Reno, where the Nevada earthquake folk reside, my co-worker Greg and our new X-new boss (long story; in a nutshell, he was hired, left after 7 days, rehired 7 days later!) were dispatched to go look for geologic evidence of strong ground shaking (e.g., ground cracks, fault rupture, shattered ground)....basically a "scientific" emergency response. We hit the road by 1 pm. We didn't find much geologic evidence for the shaking due to snow fall overnight on Thursday, but we did get to witness the real emergency response (and media frenzy) and review the incredible damage. Here are a few photos. Certainly a wake-up call to all of us who live in unreinforced masonry buildings, which were hit pretty hard. More photos here.

Where's Da Da?

Well, Chris finally felt his first earthquake this morning. It's about time seeing that he studies seismic hazards! His office shook and swayed but we weren't feeling a thing when he called home to check on Finn and I at 7:19AM. The earthquake originated over 250 miles away, just across the Nevada border, in a small town called Wells. Currently Chris has been sent there for work to see if he can find any surface ruptures or sand blows which is pretty exciting! He'll have to tell the story when he returns (maybe tomorrow) and possibly share a few photos.

Busy Growing

How did that happen?
We didn't take a single photo this entire weekend.

Thursday we headed down the road towards Missoula for a good friend's (Scott Barnett's) wedding. Chris and I were again inundated with nostalgia and the desire to pick up and move back to the place that still feels like "home" after all these years. The cogs started spinning as we began scheming over the one obstacle that always holds us back, "Where would we work?" What is the draw to Missoula? What is it about the landscape, the community, the way of life...? Despite the fact that Salt Lake is a pretty fantastic place to call home we can't help but wonder, "Is the grass greener back on the other side?"
Most significantly though, was the meaningful time spent catching up with many close friends.

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.-- Anonymous

Now that we are back in Salt Lake I have to document a few of Finn's recent big changes. He got his first haircut Friday morning in the hotel room. Chris got out the clippers and buzzed away. He did a great job, especially considering the fact that Finn didn't hold very still. He was too interested in checking out where the buzzing noise was coming from. I can't believe how he instantly looked so much older. After getting his hair cut we went downstairs for a buffet breakfast where Chris fed him his first few Cheerios. They were an instant hit. We snagged a small Tupperware full and fed him Cheerios throughout the weekend.

Driving home from Missoula yesterday I noticed two white spots on Finn's bottom gums. Today his two teeth officially popped through. I guess he was a little fussy yesterday in the car but being in a car seat for 8 hours is a long time so I don't blame him. His other new weekend developments include mimicking; repeatedly saying "da da" and starting to wave goodbye.

Finn Again

Thankfully Finn managed to remain happy and healthy while the flu continued to move through the house, incapacitating Chris, over the weekend.


He's not on the move yet like his cousins but he is getting so strong that it undoubtedly won't be long. Currently, Finn is very focused on the fine details of things within his proximity: feathers on the carpet, water droplets in the tub, crumbs on his exersaucer tray, tags and eyeballs on stuffed animals, etc. He has one fine tuned pincer grip.

Music to My Ears

I swiftly caught a nasty flu bug Sunday night and was rendered pretty unconscious Monday and Tuesday with a fever, chills, a screaming sinus headache and a torturous cough. It's good to be on the road to recovery, coherent and able to hear all Finn's Noises again. I'm thankful that Chris took time off work to take care of me and watch Finn (day and night).

Onesie Words

A few appropriate onesies I stumbled upon.It seems as if we are not the only ones with sleeping issues - although I have to say that Finn is improving. Of couse that is sure to turn right back around once he starts teething.

Food Intake Update

Finn continues to be a great eater. He's gotten to where he'll eat nearly everything that I've introduced. The one exception is green beans. He seemed to be cruising along, taking them in, the first time I introduced them when he suddenly projectile vomited. We'll hold off on trying those again for awhile. The only other caveat is that mangoes must be presented in frozen cube form for sucking, otherwise he reverts to the super sour face.

So he is now eating: Brown rice cereal, multi-grain cereal, avocado, sweet potato, pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash, zucchini, carrot, pear, banana, plain yogurt, tofu and sometimes mango. I'm still loving making him homemade baby food. It is so fun to think that he's not had a single fruit or vegetable that came from a jar. What a lucky little boy! Sometimes I think he eats better than Chris and I.

Rain

Finn discovering how hard it is to grab those little water droplets.

Masterpiece

1-8-08

Finn created his first art work with his nanny, Nancy, during an art class (that her daughter is enrolled in) at the public library. She was attempting to capture a full hand print while he took a more abstract perspective.

Look Mom, No Hands

Brock was in Utah for work and we were lucky enough to spend the whole day with him on Sunday. It was so nice to hang out, talk and see him with Finn. Here he is showing us a new trick. Yes, it made me nervous but Finn was in good hands.