BLOGGING TIME!

ALRIGHT! it has been way too long since i last posted. i told my friend amber the other day that i have been writing, i juts haven't been posting. the problem is that i got into the habit of sitting down to write when i had a few minutes to vent, spill and/or brainstorm and would inevitably get to a point in my writing where i would share too much information that i really wasn't interested in sharing with the masses. ok, so maybe i only have like four readers but for the idiot strangers that leave comments on my blogs asking me to check out some link, i dont care to share my life with them in that way... plus, i have had some trouble getting my iphoto to work on my new computer etc. etc. etc. what good is a post about your kid/family without pictures though, right?

SO. this summer. i have been busy to say the least. i think ill just list and add photos where appropriate...

1. we have been plugging away at the million and one projects in and around our house, quickly attempting to baby proof. not quickly enough i might add but we're making the best of it. finnegan is not really crawling. well, he isn't interested in getting on his knees at least. he, as one of our friends from church says, just flounders around on the floor happy as can be. he has become quite speedy at an army crawl of sorts and rolling. he pulls up on furniture every now and then and occasionally has taken a few side steps while holding on. it generally seems like more of an accident but the practice is there so i will call it progress.

2. we celebrated stephens 30th bday this july. per stephens request we had a low key day, just the three of us, doing some of his favorite things. we went to mckays bookstore, americas thrift store, a music store, took a walk, ate chinese food and i made him my apple pie that he loves so much. it was a nice day had by all. we plan to celebrate a little more extravagantly sometime after my birthday with a mini family vacation, just the three of us. we have yet to do that and i am looking forward to it.

3. we planted a mini garden that has been providing some yummy veggies, pretty sunflowers and herbs. i cant wait to tackle a 'real' garden next season. the side yard by the back door is calling for it. we also planted some white oleander bushes, four chinese dogwoods on the side of our driveway and four viburnums in the front. we still have quite the blank slate but it will have to wait for some cooler weather in the fall. i cant wait to landscape!

4. finn was baptized! actually, it was before the summer but i am really behind! he wore a gown that stephens aunt pat made for him before he was born. she took a special class just for it. she always says that it must have been a mistake that stephen was born to sue because he is really her son. she is super sweet and finn looked quite dashing. i look forward to passing it down to our kids and grandkids someday.

looking back at this photo is kinda shocking. i cant believe how much my little moose has grown already!

anyway, the baptism was beautiful and special to us. we were so glad to have been able to share it with some of our family. afterwards i planned a lunch at my moms house where we also celebrated nona (my mom's grandparent chosen name) and grammi's (stephens mom's grandparent chosen name) birthdays. their bdays are just a few days apart so we thought it fitting to have finnegan baptized the weekend between the two. it was a wonderful celebration all around however certain family members were sorely missed.
by the way, as nursing babies often do, finn hadn't pooped in over THREE days the morning of the baptism. the moment we put the gown on him i ironed and packed an emergency back up outfit by the look on his face. stephen and i were just convinced that the moment that we handed him over to our pastor he would let it rip up the back. we were a nervous, giggly wreck the whole time. i couldnt get that lovely outfit off of him fast enough when it was over. we made it out alive and clean, but just barely! what good is a post without a good poop story, right? here is a picture of both dada and finn looking very nervous before the ceremony...
5. so as you can see in the above chubby picture of myself, i now have glasses. as my grammy used to say, "girls with glasses dont get passes sarah!" never more have i felt her words ring so true. just kidding, sorta. i must say that glasses are not the fun fashion accessory that i once dreamed they might be. at least not for me. i see plenty of other women who look dashing, funky and fashionable in them. i just feel silly in them. but, no more migraines = a good thing. it turns out that i have a relatively rare depth perception problem where my eyes work 10 times harder then most everyone else's eyes and i've prob. had it my WHOLE life! geeze. so when i get tired, my eyes especially, is when i start knocking things over, falling up steps, running into parking meters etc. etc. etc. when my eyes are tired i see things about 10 inches farther then they really are. hence my frequent accidents... sorta. i'm prob. just a hot mess too.

6.speaking of hot messes, i taught art classes this summer for AVA. i had 14 six to eight year olds for a week in the afternoons. may not sound like much to some but it was crazy for me. it might not have been so crazy had it not been a last minute gig and i had been able to plan five solid lessons in advance. what i hadn't anticipated was that they would soar through about 5 projects in half of our time if i wasn't careful. i had to over plan every day. i eventually got the hang of it and ultimately had a great time. for flying by the seat of my pants i think that i did a pretty good job... they seemed pretty pleased.