First "Trip" to Disneyland...and Much More

My parents were planning a trip to good old Disneyland because they were going to be in town for their high school reunion. Yes, they went to the same high school and graduated the same year. How cute is that?

Anyway, I decided I needed a break from Arizona and my obnoxious students, so I headed for California. It was an interesting drive because it was just Finn and me. I'm starting to really see the benefits of Elastigirl from "The Incredibles" because that little guy likes to throw stuff and then cry for it. For example, I would give him his sippy cup of milk and a few moments later, he would throw it. Then, he'd start SCREAMING for his cup. Needless to say, my arms and back had been stretched to their limit by the time we got to California 6 hours later. Luckily, we have a portable DVD player for the car and that kept him very busy and entertained.

The next day, we went to Disneyland! I was so excited but also a little stressed. Finn loves his daddy and I had a feeling he was already missing him. Plus, he gets rather squirmy in his stroller. But, he was really great for most of the morning. We started with Dumbo, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Buzz Lightyear a few times. It was shaping up to be a really great day.

Until...lunch time. He had just woken up from his nap and we were eating lunch at California Adventure. I let him out of his stroller when he was done so he could stretch his legs. He was having fun running around and checking everything out. Then, I was cleaning up our table and he was running like a goof to my dad when he tripped over his own feet and fell HARD. His forehead caught his fall on a chair leg with a really sharp edge. He was devastated for about a minute. I ran him over to the first aid station. I was crying and freaking out...and he was playing with my sunglasses as blood rushed down his face. He's such a boy! By the time I got to the first aid station, he wasn't really bleeding anymore and he seemed fine. The nurses all seemed to think that stitches and dermabond weren't necessary and that he would just pull them out anyway. So, they patched him up with a Princess bandaid since that was all the had left. Honestly, I think I was more upset over it than he was.

The rest of the day was okay after that. I was stressing over whether I should get a second opinion at Urgent Care so I had a hard time having fun. We went on some more rides and he got to meet one of his favorites, Sully from Monster's Inc. He was just beside himself to see him in person!! He was a little worried when it was his turn to get close to him but I think he was just in awe more than anything. He was getting a little grouchy, and Sandi (Blake's mom) had offered to come get him so I could go on some of the other rides. She came and got him around dinner time, which was a big relief. He got to spend some valuable time with his other grandparents and some of his cousins.

Overall, it was a lot of fun. It was nice to see my family and spend some time with them. I feel like I rarely get to see my grandma in Riverside, so it was a lot of fun to hang out at her house. I am excited to take Finn again in maybe a year or so, especially since I didn't get to take him on Pirates! But I'll have to wait until he's not so wobbly on those fat feet.

Here are some of the pics....

On the tram with "Big Papa"

Meeting Sully!

A couple days later (poor baby)!

We also went to the pumpkin patch with Clint, Andrea, Bailey, and Reagan a little before Halloween. He loved the pumpkins and all the hay!

And here's "Finn-kenstein". Blake did a great job creating his jacket and Tenneal found the cutest hat/wig to complete the ensemble. He felt so cool!!!

Excuses, Excuses

I could probably sit here and list all sorts of excuses as to why I haven't been posting. But, it all just comes down to being busy, busy, busy! Blake and I have opposite work schedules, which is good for Finn because he gets to be home with Blake during the day while I'm at work. Then, in the evening he's home with me while Blake works. It's tough because Blake and I don't get to see each other that much. But, my positive spin on it was that I got to watch American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, and Glee when I wanted to because he wasn't there to bug me about it.


Anyway, we've had a few fun things happen since my last post...Finn is walking all over, he has 4 huge top teeth with a big gap between the front 2, and we took him on his first camping trip! We went with Clint, Andrea, Bailey, and "Nana" (Blake's mom, Sandi). We had a lot of fun, but both of the little ones got sick! That is why Finn's poor little cheeks are so flushed in the pictures. I think we'll all like it better when it's a little bit cooler.


See the fun pictures below! I'll try to get back into the blogging world. Now that my days are shorter with summer school, I should have more time...hopefully!




Sorry this picture is so small! Blake took it on his camera, but I had to show how big those teeth and gap are! Blake is convinced that they're his adult teeth.



How cute are these little camping chairs? They were playing musical chairs most of the time and switching sippy cups over and over! But, they really do love each other!




So, Finn has a big head (for those who didn't know)...I had to get this hat in an adult size and it fits just right. The child size probably wouldn't have even fit him on the day he was born!




Finn slept in his pack n play in our tent but he LOVED napping and cuddling in our sleeping bags!



Finn and Mommy hanging out...waiting for it to cool down a little.

Finn Turns 1!

It is so crazy to me that my little guy is 1! It does not feel like it has been a whole year since that special Valentine's Day when he decided to make his big debut! For those who do not know the story, I was due on February 16th. So, I made Friday, February 13th my last day at work. I was feeling VERY uncomfortable that whole week and had thought about going on maternity leave a little early. But, I decided to just stick with it and endure til the end.

Then, on Valentine's Day, I was feeling really bad most of the day. I just felt like he was so HEAVY and moving a lot, which now that I think about it, were probably minor contractions. So, that night Blake and I went to Clint and Andrea's house to watch a movie and have dinner together. Clint and Blake left to go pick us up some Quizno's. Andrea was on the webcam with her mom (little Bailey-Boo was about 3 months at the time). All of a sudden, Finn just made one BIG move. It just felt like he did a weird somersault thing and my stomach felt so tight (again, it must have been a contraction and I just didn't realize it at the time). Then, it felt like a rubber band snap and swoosh...my water broke. I was in such denial. I was thinking...there's no way I'm in labor already. I was so sure I would go late and that I would have some time at home to myself before he was born. I waddled very quickly to the bathroom and tried to convince myself that I had just wet my pants. But, nope, my water had definitely broken. All I could think was...Where was Blake? I want to eat my dinner before we leave. My hospital bag is at home. I just want to sleep and rest before this big event. During all of this, I was hyperventilating in the bathroom (again, probably all a part of the labor process...still in denial).

Meanwhile, Andrea is realizing...hmmm...Liz has been in there for a while. Then, Blake and Clint show up with our dinner and I make the announcement. I was leaning over their kitchen counter in pain while I tried to stuff my face with my Quizno's as quickly as possible. I called the doctor and said we'd be on our way. We ran home, got my bag, said bye to our little Molly, and began a very exciting journey!

The whole labor process was indescribable. When we got to the hospital around 9-ish, I was already at a 4. After that, there are so many things that I remember very vividly and some things that I don't really remember happening. All I know is epidurals are great and I really enjoyed watching "The Cosby Show" while munching on ice chips. I worked really hard to get that guy out of me. I started to push around 2 am and at around 4:15, I was still pushing and very exhausted. They kept making me roll from side to side because he was posterior, then push on my knees (which was difficult considering that I could not feel my legs due to the epidural). Finally, they decided that this little guy was NOT going to budge and it was time for a c-section. I was devastated, exhausted, and terrified. But, I knew we had done all we could. Then, in about 20 minutes, this sweet little boy with a big head was finally here! He was so bruised and banged up from being stuck for so long! It was so sad. But, we were so happy to finally have him and hold him!

Ever since then, we have been immensely happy. He is such a sweet, funny guy. He makes me laugh all the time. He has the cutest little dimple on his left cheek. All of the nurses noticed that right away and thought it was just so cute! He's already a little charmer and flirt!

He just went in for his 1 year check-up. Weight: 24 lbs, 11 oz (95th%), Height: 32.25 inches (over 95th%).

So, back to the original reason for this post...Finn is 1! We had a pirate-themed birthday party for him at the park in our neighborhood. We had lots of family and friends come to it and we had such a blast seeing everyone. Thank you to everyone who came all the way out to Arizona from California and Utah! Here are some pics from his party:

Blake's masterpiece: a skull birthday cake for the Pirate-themed party! And, I'm not joking...this was all Blake's artistic work!

Little Finn is testing it out.

He was in heaven! I don't think he really believed that he was supposed to just be digging in!

Mmmmm....good stuff!!!

The frosting looked like a beard, so we thought we'd give him an eye patch to complete the pirate look.

Bath time with Drake and Rylan after the birthday cake mess.

This was a really cool gift from Uncle Gerald. It fills up with water and I'm sure it will provide LOTS of fun all summer for our little stinker. He already loves making a mess and splashing around with all of the toys.

And, I had to include this picture of Gerald. Good morning!