someone's six

i can't believe i'm 6 - i even feel a little different. i'm a big kid now mom!

-finn

some have asked how finn spent his actual birthday and when i posted yesterday, i forgot to include those details. his party will be held on sunday in the backyard but here are some highlights of his actual birthday:

- while still in his footed pajamas, finn and i arrived at krispy kreme at 6:20am to pick up 2 dozen donuts for his kindergarten class. he requested 'donuts' instead of cupcakes and i was told the kids thoroughly enjoyed them after singing the 'birthday song' to finn. he noted that his teacher added 'cha cha cha' into the lyrics.

- he brought home a book bag full of birthday books for us to read with him over the next week.  they were
hand-selected by his teacher, mrs. hawke and each one had the word 'birthday' in the title. what a thoughtful and cute idea.

- he also brought home a big posterboard that included a cute photo of him and and a list of all his 'favorites things'.  it also included a few sentences from his classmates (written by his teacher - remember these are kindergartners).  here are a few of my favorites: 

- finn is funny and handsome. -alexa

- i like when finn plays legos with me. -isaac

- finn is really really fun. -sophia
- i like playing with finn and he's goofy. -evan
- i like him and he's cute -phaedra
- he's crazy, in a good way. -sean
- i like that he is funny. -audrey
- we are going to marry each other. -elizabeth
- he is awesome. -sophie

i so enjoyed reading all the kid's comments and was happy to learn that his peers enjoy his sense of humor too.  he can be super focused at times, so it's nice to see he isn't always serious and that he makes people smile and laugh. i hope he never loses this gift!

for dinner, i offered to cook ANYTHING he wanted and would you believe he wanted pizza - not homemade or even a boboli crust pizza. he wanted a cheese pizza from little ceasears   *ugh*. i told myself it wasn't my cooking - he's 6 and that's normal. honestly,  i was a little relieved. it's been a very long week and an easy dinner night was nice.

finn got to open one gift from us after dinner.  since he desperately needs 'big boy' books, i did some research online and learned that boys his age usually enjoy this series and purchased a boxed gift set from amazon. i read five chapters of this book last night and he loved every minute of it. the stories are silly and full of adventures - exactly what a 6 year old boy loves. any guesses what i will reading for the next month or so?

blessed

six years ago today, january 27, 2004,
i became a mother to one special little boy, finn oliver gerber,
and my life was changed forever. 


i had no idea how my world would be turned completely upside down when he arrived,
but i also had no idea how much JOY he would bring to my life. 
there are so many words to describe finn: kind, confident, bright, giving, loyal, gracious,
funny, articulate, inquisitive, patient, compassionate and the best big brother in the world!
i often wonder what i did to deserve him and i thank god every day for him.

tonight i am reminded of a song i listened to often when i was pregnant with finn. 
it's an elton john song from his love songs album.
i listened to it often during my pregnancy and would daydream about the
little boy i would soon be holding in my arms.
the song is titled blessed and i felt it was almost written just for me.

the lyrics:

hey you, you're a child in my head
you haven't walked yet
your first words have yet to be said
but i swear you'll be blessed

i know you're still just a dream
your eyes might be green
or the bluest that I've ever seen
anyway you'll be blessed

and you, you'll be blessed
you'll have the best
i promise you that
i'll pick a star from the sky
pull your name from a hat
i promise you that,
promise you that,
promise you that
you'll be blessed

this song will forever be associated with my firstborn, my finn.
though i can't promise him the best in everything,
i can promise him a family that will always love him and support him. 

yes, he is blessed... and our lives are blessed too.

happy birthday finn - our sweet 6 year old!

finn, one day old





proud papa and finn - 1 week old
(pink boppy on loan from my s-i-l until my blue one came in)



in the pursuit of craftiness

this was the title of an evite my girlfriend charlotte sent out a few months back.  cute huh? i thought so too. *smile* she's been wanting to work on some projects she's had on the 'back burner' for a while and decided to invite a group of girls over to her home to eat, drink and well be 'crafty'. 

so this past sunday, we all brought something we've been working on or something we've been wanting to work on and unleashed the martha stewart within us. char made gift tags out of cards she's collected and saved over the years and they turned out adorable. two of the girls crocheted, one worked on her portfolio (digitally - she's an interior designer) and another made a broche out of vintage buttons and felt. this piece of jewerly turned out amazing.  i wish i had taken photos of this and all of the creations!! 

as for my project, well since finn's birthday party is just around the corner, i decided to use this time to focus on finishing the robot favors i had started the previous week. i got the idea from somewhere online and though i'm not a 'crafty girl' at all (not in the traditional sense), these looked pretty easy to duplicate.  i simply used a hot glue gun to apply nuts and bolts to aluminum cans to make faces.  4 hours laters, i left char's house with a tray of completed and cute robot favors, a full tummy, a caffeine buzz, and a smile on my face.  we never knew crafting could be so fun!  unfortunately i didn't take a single photo so i don't have anything to share.  next time.

since we are on the subject of finn's birthday, i thought i'd share a pix of the centerpiece i ordered from birthdayexpress.com.  it's made out of cardboard and had to be assembled - put tab a into slot a, etc. i started the process but didn't have the patience for it so c ended up putting them together for me (i love him for it). it will be cute standing there on the food table and if i can squeeze in some time this week, i'd like to print a few on cardstock and make them into robot cupcake toppers. the kids will probably like that.

my girlfriend jess is creating water bottle sleeves for me and i got a peek at them a few days ago.  like everything she touches, they are amazing!  i've already asked if she'd be willing and wanting to design al the elements for scout's birthday this summer birthday. stay tuned to see it all after sunday's party.

we are all looking forward to celebrating finn's special day.  he's so excited about turning 6 he can hardly contain himself. seriously, i can't remember when i was excited to have a birthday. 21 maybe? *grin*

here is the robot centerpiece - simple but oh so cute!

it's not fair

this is one of scout's latest phrases,

and hearing it come out of the mouth of a 2 year old is both funny and strange.  

i mean where did he learn this??

one guess:  BIG brother

i chuckle often because most of the time he uses these words in the proper context
- when he doesn't get his way or when he's just mad (usually because he doesn't get his way).

 i figure he's too young to get the 'life isn't fair' lecture so instead i just scoop him up,
give him the biggest squeeze i can and plant kisses all over him.
he quickly forgets how terrible life is at two. *smile*

i wish i could capture him saying this on video and i will try,
but for now, i have it written down here, to remember him at age 2,
using his new found words as he learns to express himself.

 he especially enjoys the reactions his gets from "using his words".
he's full of personality - alot like finn, but very different too. 
he went from not speaking much at age 2 to a very talkative 2 1/2 year old.

our days are filled with simple conversations now.
and it's like a whole new world is open to us us.

he tells me what he does in school, talks about miss rosie (his teacher) incessently.
last week he tells me "miss rosie says i have a yucky cough".
one did come on and he was home the next 2 days because of it.
another day upon picking him up he tells me "miss rosie says you forgot my water".
um, yes i had forgotten to put his thermas in his lunchbox. oops!! 

he's no longer a toddler, my scoutie. 
he is a bold and beautiful little boy who is growing up right in front of me.
a little boy who makes my heart so full.

this is scoutie's typical stance and pouty face when he doesn't get his way.
it's usually followed with an emphatic "it's not fair" with an "umph" after it.

the pout

 

 

 

this has been the worst of the terrible twos so far.

i have no complaints, at least not yet. *grin*

fall photo shoot

i've mentioned before that my sister jen doesn't enjoy having her photo taken

but after lots of  "come on jen, i don't have any pics of you and scoutie", she agreed.

finding the time to shoot was the second challenge with work schedules and now
the shorter days and jen doesn't get home until after dark.

one afternoon over the holidays when she was off, i raced home after work,
picked her and the boys up and we drove to marion bear park, a beautiful nature
preserve popular for hiking, trail riding and photography. t

as my luck would have it, scout fell asleep 3 minutes into the 10 minutes drive there
and since one of my rules is to NEVER wake a sleeping child if i can at all help it,
it ended up being just jen and finn. here are a couple shots of the two playing.
they were great little models - just having fun together while i 'played' photographer.
i enjoyed myself and hope she'll do this one more time so i can get her and scoutie...

she is naturally beautiful and photogenic. i don't why she doesn't let me photograph her more! 
just look at her in these photos - she's lovely!! can you tell her nephew adores her? *wink*

my simple indulgence

several times a week after the boys go down, i soak in a warm bath with a good book. 

this is probably not the best thing for my skin even when i put moisturizing tablets in the tub and slather lotion on afterwards,
but i don't really care because it feels so fabulous.

often i'll light a great smelling lemon sage bath candle a girlfriend bought me (from west elm) for my birthday last year and it just adds to the ambience.  with my crazy days, i need this to unwind and destress after long days. for 20-30 minutes i feel like i'm in heaven.

last night's indulgence brought me closer to the end of my latest book - julie and julia.
it was loaned to me by my s-i-l shannon while we were in utah. it's light-hearted, a little crude at times,
but an easy and fun read. as expected there are *lots* of references to french dishes.
since i can't speak or read a word of french except for 'bonjour', i just skim over those words. *grin* 

my next book is going to be the lovely bones, a book most everyone i know has already read,
but somehow i never got to. my niece maddy brought it up when we were chatting about our current reads and she couldn't say enough good things about it. i was convinced it was time to read it and now i can't wait to get my hands on it. i've heard they've made a movie based on the book.
i'd like to see it, but only after i read the book.

hole #17

i found this in my draft and thought i'd post.

a few fridays ago, our company sponsored a hole for at a engineering golf tournament and my boss asked if i'd go and sit at our hole and do a little informal business development  - hand out coronas and offer chips/salsa to golfers. i was happy to get out of the office and spend a day on the green. tina and mandi from the office joined me and oh it was a beautiful day.  we went through 4 cases of corona and a few bags of goodies - well not us but the golfers that visited our stop - hole #17. *grin*

in keeping with our 'mexican theme', tina, mandi and i wore sombreros and adhesive mustaches i picked up at michaels.  the guys got a kick out of this and it was alot of fun but we eventually peeled them off because they got itchy.  the girls and i discussed how guys could have facial hair - just seems so uncomfortable. we can't even go more than a few days without shaving our legs!

when our coworkers who were playing in the tourney came by, mandi and i were talked into trying our luck swinging a golf club.  let me know tell you i've NEVER done anything beyond putt putt so i was reluctant to try this in front of an audience as i knew i would be pretty bad. i swung, and yes it was bad.  i  could barely get the ball off the tee.  it made me think about a possible date night at the driving range? i could use the practice and in the very least, c would be entertained!

oh and i must share for those who were wondering if my coworker moved to orlando - NO she didn't!!  *big cheer*. after making a pros and cons list and giving it LOTS of thought, she decide it wasn't worth leaving sd - even if she could get a newer and larger apartment and have more disposable income. she said the thought of leaving san diego made her want to cry. i understood completely. so she's here and happy and well, i'm happy too.

who's one today

my adorable nephew 'ander' is celebrating his first birthday today and i *almost* forgot it. almost being the key word. somehow it just popped up in my head and since it's almost 10pm here  - much too late to call the east coast, i have to send a bday wish to him on my blog at the very least.  i'll be picking up the phone at my first chance tomorrow.

i hope leslie forgives me and remembers this is not typical of me.  i usually remember birthdays, but it's been a heck of a day and my mind is mush. it started with an unrealistic deadline and then i received a call from the director of st. andrews informing me that scoutie was sick, had a high fever and that c or i needed to come pick him up immediately (she doesn't want to expose the other children).  arrr - of all days!!

i quickly called c and we decided to tag team which is what often do.  he took the morning shift and i took the afternoon shift.  fortunately my deadine was extended so i could breather a little easier but scout was high maintenance - clingly and wanting mommy constantly. i kept reminding myself someday i'll miss this over and over. *grin* 

so here i am - just finishing up some work i brought home and as the boys all sleep (hopefully scoutie will sleep all pm) and i'm thinking of my nephew who has the sweetest smile in the world - really!  i am picturing it right now and smiling to myself.

Happy Birthday Ander!

kisses
auntie a

ellie the elephant

ellie is finn's kindergarten class elephant (a stuffed toy).
i first learned of her when finn told me he "was sad he couldn't bring her home."
he explained that she goes home with a different student in his class every friday for the weekend.
i assured him his name would eventually come up and he'd get to bring her home.

it did.

ellie came home with finn just before christmas break and he was thrilled.
we had a conversation that went something like this:

finn: i'm 'supposed' to take her somewhere special mom
me:  really? what did you have in mind?
finn: the science museum.  ellie will love it and i haven't been there in a long time
me: *grin* ok buddy, i think we can make a visit there this weekend
finn: YAY.  oh and you are supposed to take pictures of her so i can put in the journal.
me: um, ok, i can take some photos of her.

next he showed me the journal that came home with ellie.
there were simple notes written by kids and some hand-drawn pictures.
a few entries even had a photo. so very cute.

finn got his special day out with ellie the elephant and had a great time.
i'm guessing we spent a good 3.5  hours at the museum (much too long for me)
and even still it was tough getting him to leave.

he loves that place and is totally obsessed with science right now.
so much that i felt it necessary to get season passes for the family and the summer nanny
which we will need when school is out this summer.
{christi, are you interested in coming back to san diego?}

here is a picture of finn and ellie - taken outside the museum.
he included this photo in the ellie journal with a handwritten note about their day.
i'm bummed i forgot to photograph his entry - it was precious.

i sure love this little boy.

party planning

i've got a 'to do' list a mile long today but i've got my first item out of the way - my morning run. i admit, i've been a slacker for the last few weeks with the holidays. one of my many new year's resolutions this year is to run more and to do another half marathon. race day is just around the corner - february 14th (valentine's day - love it). this doesn't leave me much time to train, but i'm determined to get a better time than my last race.

the next item on my list is to plan finn's birthday. i have a date set, but that's it! shortly after his last birthday, he asked that his 6th birthday be a ROBOT party. well he's still crazy about 'em so that's what we're going to try to give him.

though i've known this for months, i'm not feeling very motivated to plan this party. i was tempted to ask him if i could take him to legoland instead (it's been a year since he and i went) but i knew he wouldn't go for it. he wants his new kindergarten friends to come over and celebrate with him. i just remind myself that as long as its FUN and he has a robot cake, he will be happy. if i keep it simple, i will be happy too.

as he normally does, christopher will be making this cake. i sent him a few images for inspiration and i'm excited to see what he comes up with. *grin* the one here is kind of cute. it's highly unlikely he'll use fondant though. *wink*























of course there will be cupcakes too, and i thought it would be fun to have robot toppers for them. i found some on etsy i'm considering buying, but to cut costs, i may end up making them. *sigh* i'm not a crafty gal at all but i really do appreciate craftiness and creativity and am glad there are those who have a passion for it and who share their talents.

miss jessica is one who freely shares her amazing talents. remember the petite french bakery party she threw for her daughter's first birthday that i shared a few posts back? she recently pulled together a baby shower that was equally gorgeous. you must visit this link to see beautiful images of it all. it's truly inspiring! unlike kindergarteners, i am sure the mommy-to-be and her guests appreciated EVERY lovely detail. if only i had a smidgen of jess' talent...


i better skedaddle - laundry to do, errands to run, a 6 yr old's party to plan and a sick scoutie to nurse. whatever finn had last week, he has shared with scout and possibly dad. *whew*  friends/family - if you have any ideas for a 'robot party'', please send my way. 

a happy sunday to you all. xo

someone loves stickers

this 'someone' is the shortest person in the home - our scoutie.

sometime in the past few months he has found a new obsession - stickers!
any kind will do, but he especially loves the alphabet and numbers
since he's learned to recognize them all over the last 6 months.
i can't take credit for it - i thank christi and st. andrews for their working with him.

his auntie jen has aided in this obsession by purchasing him a sticker book for christmas.
this activity would be perfect except he can't get the stickers off by himself - at least not yet,
so it's not completely independent play. soon i hope.

i've learned one way to squeeze as much time as i can when he's engaged in this activity
so i can get dinner on the table after work. i peel off about 50 stickers and put them on
the edge of the kitchen table where he's sitting so he can grab them easily.

then i give him a stack of plain paper and this will keep him quiet a good 30 minutes
until his stickers run out and he asks for "help mommy".

he will literally sit at the table with stickers for over an hour if i keep feeding his supply.
well see yourself: 

finn's kindergarten class

finn's assistant teacher, miss casey,
presented this adorable drawing as a gift to all her students just before winter break. 

it was so cute, i just had to scan and save digitally since i can't possibly save hard copies of everything. finn's keepsake bin is already full and he's only been in kindergarten for 4 months!
 (i must admit that more than half the contents are from his preschool years).
at this rate though, i can see this is going to be a problem.
i'm going to get a bigger bin soon and eventually a bigger house! *laugh*

note: finn recently told me he was going to marry elizabeth (2nd row from top, 4th from left).
he said "we discussed it mommy and she agreed." he has a crush on this little girl and made me reassure him i would send her an invitation to his upcoming birthday party. so cute!

  

drawing: casey swangren

a new year

it's hard to believe it's a new year! it doesn't seem possible but i am looking forward to what the new year will bring. i have a few resolutions i've set - personally and professionally and i am excited about them. one will be keeping me busier in the evenings, so my blogging will be lighter as I usually post after the boys have gone to bed.

my sister jen inspired me when she cancelled her facebook and my space accounts because she were a found herself spending too much time on them. though i have a blog and facebook account (which i rarely visit), i am not caught up in that whole social networking thing. blogging is simply a quick way to journal for me and to share a bit of my life with my family and friends who live far away. regardless, it still takes time and a bit more than i want, so though i will continue to post, it won't be as often. i'll try to to record the highlights.

highlights of utah trip:
- spending time with trev, shannon, maya, isaac and milo (their perfect dog - seriously)
- savoring shannon's homemade lattes every morning
- tennis matches between brothers
- staying in their very comfortable casita
- seeing the cousins getting along beautifully
- jen seeing snow after 8 years? - perfect ski/snowboard conditions in brianhead
- playing the game 'apples to apples'
- seeing mormon polygamists up close (creepy!)
- getting my 'little girl' fix as i got to spend time with sweet niece
- eating neilsens frozen custard some photo highlights: