First Christmas

Finn got to spend his first Christmas in St. George with my side of the family. It was so much fun! We left at 11 on Christmas Eve night and pulled in to my parent's driveway at 6 am on Christmas morning. It was a long drive, but Finn slept for almost the entire drive. We had a great Christmas morning (pics of that are on Blake's phone and my sister's camera since all of our stuff was still in the car when we started opening presents). Either way, we had a fantastic time! Finn enjoyed his first Christmas. He really loved spending time with his big cousins...he couldn't get enough of them and they all had such a blast playing with them! My mom made a delicious Christmas dinner (which Finn also loved) and we all had a fun week of playing Wii and just hanging out!

We also had the chance to take some family pictures. This was so much fun to get all the boys together and try to organize them for some good pics!

I love Braxton's serious face in this picture. He's getting so big like his older cousins!

Finn had such a blast with his cousins! Here he is playing with Tyson and Braxton.

You gotta love Ben's little guys...Braxton and Caleb. Just look at those cheeks and devious looks!

Such a cute picture of the 5 boys with their Little Gramma and Big Papa.

I LOVE this picture!!

There are not words to express how I feel about this little boy! I could just look at this picture all day long!

We hope you had a great Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

P.S. Blake and I just celebrated our 6 year Anniversary! Yikes! I can't believe it's been that long!!!

Blessed

It's always so easy to concentrate on the frustrating things in life or the things that don't always go our way. So, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the many GOOD things I have.

It's been a tough year with going back to work when I really didn't want to, but it has turned out to be a blessing in a way. I have a great group of kids this year, including some hilarious boys who have tried to help me with my dance skills. Then, once they see me try to demonstrate what they've taught me, they beg me to never dance again. If you're trying to picture these dance moves, google search "The Jerk Dance" and "Swag Surfin" then picture me attempting the moves and you'll understand.

Also, we have 2 incredible people watching our little guy. Andrea (Finny's aunt) watches him twice a week and a friend of mine, who lives right by my school, watches him the other days. He loves, loves, loves these two ladies and has such a blast when he's with them.

In addition, I have a great husband who simply adores his son. He made him a great Christmas stocking and takes such wonderful care of him. We have been so blessed to have this little guy in our life. Just looking at this perfect, cute, fat face makes me smile!!!



I hope you all have a Merry Christmas! I can't wait to celebrate with my family and see Finn enjoy his first Christmas morning!!

Please Don't Stop the Music

The other night, I was getting a little worried that my son was going to simply be "a bull in a china shop". Anytime he gets his hands on something, he ends up slamming it on the floor or hitting against the wall. He's simply a destructive, loud BOY.

So, I was watching him while he was playing with the toys on his exersaucer. He was pounding and pounding on the buttons that say the animal's name, make their noise, then plays a short song. I just thought to myself, "Here we go again...". Then, I watched a little more closely...and I just about died laughing. He was hitting the buttons non-stop until he got to the turn for the music. He would stop, listen to the whole song (while squealing with glee), then pound and pound again until he got to the music again. Blake and I couldn't stop laughing. This literally went on for half an hour. This has now become a ritual for him and it's pretty much the only reason he'll play with his exersaucer now. So, although it seems far-fetched to some, maybe Blake and I created a musically-inclined child! Ha! We'll see!

Enjoy the video...he kept getting distracted by the camera and I think he was getting a little sleepy at this point!

You'll need to pause the music on our blog music player to hear the video!

Also, I did a couple of "JibJab" videos the other day to get us in the Holiday Spirit. Check them out if you want. The pictures of Blake and me are from our Christmas picture last year, hence the blonde hair and swollen, pregnancy face on me!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/vsiBub0gzJgA6lJ72yUC

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/5j60qswezRAnFeg4zDLT

FYI...Finn's first tooth cut through finally! Woo hoo!! I'm a little sad about it, but relieved that he made it!

Pumpkin Patches and Halloween Haunts!

Finn just celebrated his first Halloween and seemed to love it. He was the cutest little skeleton that I've ever seen! Blake bought him some black hair gel for his mohawk just to make it extra special. He got to get all dressed up on Friday night for trunk-or-treat and then again on Halloween for pictures and some trick-or-treating.

You can't see the mohawk too well, but here's our little skeleton!


A couple of weeks ago, we took Finn to a local farm to visit their pumpkin patch. We had a lot of fun with Grandpa, Nana, Uncle Clint, Aunt Andrea, and Cousin Bailey! He loved all of the pumpkins, especially when Blake buried him for a "Where's Waldo" picture...I hope you can find him. Good luck!

He was loving the pumpkins and trying to eat the hay!

This is such a dorky picture of us, but I had to include it because Blake's cheesy grin cracks me up!

Finn and Bailey hanging out.

Investigating the pumpkins...

This is supposed to be the "Where's Waldo" picture, but I don't think it turned out like we thought. Oh well!

Recently, things have been crazy! Finn is crawling all over the place and pulling himself up. He likes to move his head around when he hears music and he claps when he hears an audience clapping on TV. Lately, he especially likes to scream as loud as possible when there are a lot of people around if he's not getting any attention. The other night, we went to dinner when my dad was visiting, and little Finn was quite the flirt. There was a group of girls at the table next to us and he would lean over in his high chair, scream until they looked at him, and then flash a big gummy grin at them (yes, still no teeth)! Then, they would give him some attention and go back to their conversation and food...only to be interrupted a few minutes later by his squeals. Luckily, they loved him and didn't seem too bothered.

We also recently moved which was a long, exhausting process. I have to give a lot of credit to my husband who did a LOT of the packing and moving!! Thanks hubby!!

Scootin' or Crawlin'?

This little guy has been working very hard lately to figure out crawling. He gets closer and closer every day. Whether he's rolling, scooting, or doing his "worm crawl" he manages to get wherever he wants to get. Usually, he's trying to get to the remote, a drink, or Molly (rather than one of his actual toys, of course).

So, today, I got the camera ready and set up some bait. I set my drink on the ground, and sure enough, he went for it. Here's the result:






I barely got the drink out of the way in time. Then, he decided to go for Molly, so I started to record again. For whatever reason, he loves to grab her tail or drool all over her (which seems to be his way of kissing). He especially loves when she returns his kisses! It cracks me up how she just patiently stays there waiting for him to come over and start torturing her. He seems to think it's pretty funny too! Here's some more video:




P.S. I apologize for the poor quality. I recorded all of this on our regular camera and not our video camera.

Let the baby-proofing begin!

6 Months...Seriously?

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to my mom and she commented that she was excited for Finn's first birthday. I told her to calm down because it was still far away, then she simply pointed out to me that I was already half way there! Then, I almost started to cry. I can NOT believe that this little guy is already 6 months old! So, before I get all weepy, here are some stats:

-19 lbs., 14 oz...90th % (he was 8 lbs., 11 oz. just 6 months ago!)

-28.75 inches long...over 95th % (he was 20.5 inches just 6 months ago!)

-he LOVES to sit and play with his toys

-he also enjoys his books, especially when he can chew on them and hit the pictures really hard.

-still no teeth, but we're pretty sure they're on the way.

-he has just started to get the urge to figure out crawling. So, he can go from sitting up to laying on his tummy. Then, he'll do a little push-up, but he's not so sure what to do with his legs so he usually just screams or scoots backwards.

-his scream can literally make your ears bleed. I honestly don't know where he learned it, but he will arch his back and scream in a way that will wake the dead! He might be moving in with his grandparents when he reaches his terrible 2's.

-his smile is the cutest thing on this entire earth! People will stop in the store or at restaurants to give him love, and he's such a little ham. He'll smile and talk to them (I think we all know where he got that from)!

-he's doing very well with the transition of mommy going back to work. He goes to Aunt Andrea's on Monday, my friend Shannon's on Tuesday, then Tenneal's on Wednesday, and he's home with daddy on Thursday and Friday. So far, he has been great (let's keep our fingers crossed).

The past 6 months have been so great. We love this little guy so much and he has made us incredibly happy! Here are some of his 6 month pictures! We got them done when Blake and Finn went to California. Enjoy!

5 Months

Our little Finner is just over 5 months now and I really don't know where the time has gone. He is just too cute for words and he's growing so fast! He is sitting up on his own really well and got to sit in a high chair at a restaurant the other night. You can tell that he felt very special!! And, just like his daddy, he was flirting with all the ladies and showing off his adorable smile (they're both such hams).

He has also been loving Molly quite a bit lately. He will reach out and pet her, he giggles when he sees her, and he loves when she gives him kisses. The other day, he tried to return the favor by giving her a big open-mouth kiss on her head. It was kind of gross but cute at the same time!

Then, he had the privelege to ride in a Power Wheels with Chas the other day. Don't worry though...Blake took extra precautions by using the seatbelt that was already there and by creating another one with his own belt. And he also ran along the side of the car as they went on their drive (even though it was just up and down the driveway).

It makes me sad to think about how big he is getting, even though it is so fun to watch him learn new things. I love to just sit on the ground and play with him. He is such a sweet boy! Just look at that smile!!

SSSHHHH...Don't Tell Daddy!

It might be hard to see, but I gave Finners a little lightning bolt with some eyeliner this morning. I'm obviously way too excited that "Harry Potter" is coming out today, but I couldn't help myself! Finn is officially 5 months old today, so we had our own little celebration! Ha ha! Blake won't be happy, but he gave him a mohawk...so we'll call it even!

Utah

I took my first trip alone with Finn to Utah and it was quite eventful. First of all, I have to say that my prayers were answered because this guy fell asleep right as the plane was taking off and slept until we landed. I was terrified that I would be the lady with the screaming baby, but I wasn't!

I met up with my parents at the Vegas airport since they were coming in from their Hawaiian getaway. Then, we drove from there to good ol' St. George. We were there for a week and we had a blast. Finn got to meet the rest of his cousins and his Aunt Sara, Uncle Ben, Aunt Melissa, and his great-grandparents Jerry and Jerri. We went swimming every day, we watched movies, we took naps, we went to a baseball game, and we took lots of pictures!

My nephews, Tyson and Marcus, were so great with Finn. I had some stressful moments because I was missing Blake's help when I was washing bottles, teaching two online classes, and running back and forth to the guest house when I forgot something, but I could totally count on those two guys to entertain their little cousin. Obviously, the rest of the family was very helpful, especially when Finners was in a cuddly mood, but I was just so impressed with their "Itsy Bitsy Spider" singing abilities!

Overall, it was a fun trip but I don't know if I will be able to do it on my own again. We missed Blake a lot and he really missed his little guy. Plus, this kid just gets bigger by the second and I swear those airplane seats just get smaller and smaller...Enjoy the pictures!

Hanging out with Grandpa Jerry.

He was having a very serious conversation with Grandma Jerri.

Watching movies with cousins Marcus and Tyson. Is he kidding me with that smile??

The 5 boys...Marcus, Caleb, Braxton, Finn, and Tyson.

"Lil' Gramma" and "Big Papa" with their 5 grandsons.

4 Months!

Finn had his 4 month check-up on Monday. He got some shots, which did NOT make him happy. I think they actually bothered Blake even more...he was looking a little woozy and he didn't enjoy seeing his son get tortured!

So, this "little" guy is 27 inches (over the 95th percentile), 17 lbs, 9 oz (95th percentile), and his head is 17 inches (75th percentile). The doctor was quite impressed with his size and says that he looks very healthy!

Finn and I are heading to Utah tomorrow. We're leaving Blake at home, which means that I'll be attempting Finn's first flight alone (wish me luck) and poor Blake will be without his child for his first Father's Day! I didn't realize that it was Father's Day when I booked the flight. I feel so bad, but I want to say that Blake is a fabulous dad! He absolutely adores his little boy, and his little boy's face lights up when he sees his daddy!! They are both my reason for living and I truly appreciate what a fantastic dad he is! Happy Father's Day!!

A First Time for Everything

Let me start by saying that our laptop decided to completely stop working a couple of weeks ago. Not only did it stop working, but it decided to stop working on the very day that our 2 year warranty expired. So, needless to say, we were very frustrated and now have a different computer up and running.

On to more positive things...Finn has started the process of becoming a big boy! He has had quite a few "firsts" recently. Ever since our Memorial Day trip to California, he has been waking up twice a night to eat. Basically, he was eating every 2 to 3 hours and I was not too thrilled about this. So, we followed the advice of experienced parents who suggested giving him some rice cereal at night to help him stay full for longer. I was expecting him to hate it, but he gobbled it down in no time. We tried this for a few nights, but he was still waking up quite a bit. So, we decided to put off the food for now until he's a little older. He must have been going through a growth spurt because he's back to eating every 4 hours and only waking up once (yay!).

Here is his first bite. He wasn't so sure about it:

But then he realized that this is some pretty good stuff

Another "first" was at Reese's birthday party. Kevin and Melissa rented a really fun water slide. Blake, of course, had to test it out and was quite embarrassing to watch...just imagine a grown man waiting in line to go down the slide with 4 year-olds. Then, he took Finn down for his first water slide! He LOVED it!

He has recently started to hang out in his exersaucer, which keeps him super-busy. I wasn't sure if he would be big enough for it, but he's plenty big as you can see. He is doing a great job with his hand-eye coordination and is starting to figure things out. It has been so exciting to watch him learn and grow. And it has been especially exciting to have extra time to wash bottles or clean up the house while he's hanging out in it!

His other "first" is rolling! One morning when we were doing tummy time, I looked away for a second. By the time I looked at him again, he was on his back! It took me a second to really figure out what had happened. Then, I ran to get our video camera and caught him doing it again. He still isn't real consistent with it yet. He just does it when he wants to. And he's really trying to go from his back to his tummy but I think his big gut just gets in the way.

So, as you can see, it's been a busy couple of weeks and I've been sad that I haven't been able to post. Tomorrow he will be 4 months and is going to the doctor for his check-up. I will post his newest stats ASAP!

Finn Hearts California!

Over Memorial Day weekend, we had the chance to take Finn to California for the first time. We left on Thursday afternoon and stopped in Riverside to see GeeGee (my Grandma Jane). He got to meet her, Uncle Gary, Aunt Rose, and his cousin Kaitlin for the first time.

On Friday, we spent the day with the family and with Gerald. We went over to Gerald's place so that the boys could test out the new UFC video game. I went and took a great nap in another room. It was fantastic! We also went to Taco Surf with some dear friends and ate some delicious grub!

Then, on Saturday, I took Finn to visit Alex. He got to meet her husband, John, and their kitties for the first time! He loved them and had lots of smiles for them. On Saturday afternoon, we all got together to take the babies to Mother's Beach (that is where we all used to go when we were little kids). As you can see in the pictures, Finn didn't mind the water at first....

Then, when it touched his belly, he was NOT happy.

Blake handed Finn off to me to get warm. Besides, Drake really wanted to swim with his Uncle Blake. They had such a blast together!

...until Blake wrapped Drake in his towel, which made it impossible for him to push himself up after falling down face-first in the sand! He was so upset and, of course, we all laughed hysterically and took pictures before helping him!

We had such a fun trip! The weather was so beautiful and it was just perfect for the beach. Plus, it is always so fun to see our friends and family. And it's especially fun to go to our favorite restaurants! Some of our other pictures are on Donovan's camera, so I'll update with those later!

Bath Time

So, I had to return to work on Monday, the 11th. And my awesome sister-in-law, Melissa, has been watching Finn for us. That has certainly made the devastating transition much easier. I just wanted to say thank you Melissa (and Reese!). Luckily, I now only have 3 more days. Yay!

Anyway, when I give him bath time, I usually just use his little bath in our tub and he LOVES it. He smiles, squeals, and talks non-stop. Recently, he has started kicking and splashing. Melissa suggested that we just put him in our tub with about 1 inch of water. Here are the results! He had such a blast. Blake and I were soaked by the time he was done. I'm surprised that there was any water left in the tub!

My First Mother's Day

I have been waiting to be able to celebrate this day for a very, very long time. Of course, I tried to get away with saying that I was Molly's mom for the past few years, but most people didn't really let me get away with that. So, let's start with the great presents for my first real Mother's Day...

First of all, my Finn slept for 7 hours straight for the first time! Now, that was a GREAT gift. I only lasted 6 hours before I got up, pumped, and made sure that he was breathing. When I went in there, I noticed a small gift bag in his crib. Apparently, he had snuck out to get his mommy a special gift. I didn't want to open it yet, so I decided to wait until we were all awake in the morning.

When we were all awake, Blake made me breakfast and I opened this beautiful gift...

This beautiful necklace has an amethyst, which is Finn's birthstone. I absolutely love it!

Just as I was thinking that this is a perfect Mother's day, Blake gives me his card and I find this inside....

Yep, that's a ticket to go see "Wicked"!! This will be my 3rd time seeing it. And this time I get to see it with my great friend, Tenneal, because her hubby got her the same gift. I guess our husbands really are thoughtful and very, very sweet!

We also got to enjoy church by listening to Clint and Andrea speak in their ward. They did such an awesome job! After their ward, we went home, rested, and then went to Ryan and Tenneal's for a delicious dinner prepared by Blake and Ryan.

Unfortunately, the big downer of the day was the fact that I had to return to work on Monday. It was such a sad, terrible day. I would never have been able to make it through the day if it wasn't for Melissa and Reese who take such good care of him while I'm with my crazy, obnoxious students all day. Luckily, it's only 6 more days at this point! Yay!

The best present of the day, though, was just the fact that I'm a mom to a wonderful, adorable little boy. He has made me so incredibly happy and has brought such an incredible amount of love into our home. I simply adore this little guy. His smile (with that perfect dimple) melts my heart. I am so thankful for him and his fat, chunky face!

11 Weeks

My little guy is 11 weeks old! Sometimes it's hard to believe that he has already been here for that long because time flies by way too fast! Yesterday, I put him in this little "muscle shirt" to show off his big guns and I just had to keep taking pictures. He was so full of smiles but by the time that the flash went off, he would have this stunned look on his face. It's nearly impossible to get him smiling, but he's cute no matter what.

Blake and I went to go see "Wolverine" on Saturday. It was really good and it was a lot of fun to go out on a date with him. One of my friends from work watched Finn and he had a blast with her. He slept, ate, watched Food Network, and slept some more!

I also want to take a moment to wish my fabulous mother a very, very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I won't reveal her age, but I will say that she's beautiful, wonderful, and absolutely fantastic!!

This picture was taken when he was only a week old! He was so tiny!!

A Giggle

My heart has officially melted. I was just rocking my little guy in his room and I heard his giggle for the first time. It was one of the sweetest things I have ever heard. He was sound asleep and he kept smiling. Then, he suddenly let out this deep chuckle. At first I thought it was a fluke but he did it a few more times. For those who have had the pleasure of hearing his Uncle Kevin laugh, imagine that in a 2 month old version. It was hilarious! I really wish I knew what that little guy was dreaming about!!

A Beautiful Blessing for a BIG Boy

This past week was CRAZY (to say the least). It all started on Wednesday when Alex (my best friend of nearly 18 years) came to visit with her mom and her grandmother. They got here quite early that morning to meet Finn for the first time and spend the day with him. We had a really good time drooling over this boy's adorable face and chunky cheeks. I was quite exhausted by the end of the day because these women are pretty crazy and VERY talkative. Alex and her family have always been very entertaining and they certainly didn't leave me disappointed!! I don't have any pictures of them with Finn at the moment...I think Alex has some on her phone, so I'll try to post those very soon!

Then on Wednesday evening as Alex and her family were leaving, Sandi and Shannon came by with Drake and Sloane so we could finally meet Sloane and Shannon could meet Finn. I am absolutely in love with this little girl. It is not even funny how beautiful she is (see the pics below)! She almost doesn't look real because she is just so perfect. I kind of already knew that Finn was a heffer, but he looked gigantic next to Sloane!

Thursday was an exciting day because Finn had his 2 month check-up. I was very anxious to get his new stats: Height: 25 inches, Weight: 14 lbs, 5 oz., Head: 16 1/4 inches. The doctor was quite impressed with his height and weight. I was kind of expecting it since Blake is over 6 feet and so is my dad. I predict that my little guy will be taller than me by 5th grade!

By Friday night, we had all sorts of people in town. All of the Holloways were here and my parents flew in as well. Then, on Saturday, Gerald, Danyelle, and Hannah arrived. We got everyone together to go to Basha pool. We had such a fun time. The kids were in the water all day, and Finn was exhausted by the end of the day from playing in the pool and getting passed around to everyone. We went over to Kevin and Melissa's for a BBQ that night and ate some delicious food.

Finally, it was Sunday - Finn's big day. We had the blessing at our home after church. It was really fun to get him in his little white outfit, wrap him in his white blankie, and hand him over to his daddy for his blessing. I was already losing it before Blake said a word. Just watching all of these great men from our family gather in a circle to bless this little guy was such an amazing experience. Blake did an incredible job and had some beautiful things to say to his little son. It was a great day and it was sad to see everyone go. We hope that everyone had a great weekend and we want to thank everyone again for traveling to be here and helping us out! Here are some pictures from the big day:

Here are the men from the blessing. Note: my dad did wear a white shirt and tie, but he managed to change before we took the picture!

Grandpa and Grandma Holloway with all of their grandchildren!

This is our attempt at getting all of the cousins in a picture together. It was quite the interesting experience! Right when you got one kid to stop crying, another one would start...I'm sure most parents can relate.

Gerald, Hannah, and Danyelle...Hannah and Reese are new best friends. They had so much fun together!

Blake and Shannon decided to take a picture with Finn and Sloane next to each other to see the size difference. Finn is only one day older than Sloane...are you kidding me??