Finley's First 2011 Snowfall and Decorating for Christmas

Finley Vi sure makes winter more bearable! Not only does she still love being outside when the snow falls, she also loves helping decorate for Christmas. She sings "Gloria in excelsis deo" except she sings completely different lyrics, of course. "O' Holy Night" was playing in the car today and she said, "I know this song, Mom, but I don't know how to sing it." We saw Santa at the mall and about an hour later, she said, "So Santa does have glasses." She's my little Christmas Elf and this is the best Christmas by far because of her excitement. The joy she has shown so far even makes it ok that we can't have a tree due to our other little Elf ;)

Hoppy Halloween!

Finley's First Birthday Party and Bee Sting!

Finley went to an old friend from daycare, Emerson's, birthday party on Saturday. This was the first party she went to that wasn't a family member and she had a blast. Of course, she looked adorable in her party clothes and, of course, she wanted the present she gave to Emerson (a hairstyle Barbie). When she came home, she couldn't wait to jump in a pile of leaves but it was sprinkling most of the day. When it finally stopped, Daddy made her a big pile and she jumped for about 10 minutes before she started screaming and shaking uncontrollably. When she calmed enough for us to figure out what had happened, she told us a bee had stung her. Sure enough, she had a little sting on her middle finger. Naturally, that put an abrupt end to her leaf jumping, but it was fun while it lasted!

Finley's Duluth Adventure

Finley and family spent a beautiful Fall weekend in Duluth with Grandma Julie. She fully enjoyed her second time at Gooseberry Falls, weaving in and out of the rock tunnel, leading the crew on a hike to the beach, climbing up the "Princess Tower," watching the water planes take off and land, driving around with Daddy and Grandma, and hunting for agates. Of course, she cried when we had to leave, but promptly fell asleep for the entire ride home. Upon waking, she picked right up where she left off as if she never slept in between. She is truly a nature girl!

Southern Minnesota Summer

Finley always loves going to Trimont because she gets to play outside allllllllllll day every day. The grass is greener there and the fireflies light up the fields and grass like Christmas lights twinkling. I sure don't want to live there, but I am ever thankful that Finley and Sienna have reasons to visit.

Summer So Far

Finley's summer has been full of excitement and it's only half over! It started with Mommy and Daddy being gone for a week at Nanny and Paige's wedding. Finley and SiSi stayed with all 3 sets of grandmas and grandpas. While we were gone, she managed to finish her first week of VBS, go to swimming lessons, and dance in her first dance recital ever. The grandparents must have worked some magic while we were gone because Finley has been sleeping in her own bed every single night since we came home. She has been a great helper, a wonderful big sister, and a great listener (most of the time). Last week, Finley got a visit from her good friends and honorary "Aunties," Paige and Nattles. While they were here, she had lots of fun playing on the slip-and-slide at Mommy and Daddy's anniversary party. Now, Finley - and her parents - get to relax a little since we have no big plans for the rest of the summer. Ahhhhhh.

Finley Enjoys Summer

We have all been enjoying the beautiful weather that Minnesota has finally decided to give us and Finley is making the best of it. School isn't even over and we have already had a "campfire" where we roasted marshmallows, we've planted and weeded and watered our gardens, we've gone swimming at the outdoor pool twice, and we have done lots of biking in the driveway. Finley and Sadie spent one perfect afternoon playing "carnival" in the front yard in their interesting costumes. If I haven't said it before, we all absolutely LOVE our house and it has been such a blessing watching the kids play and the plants grow here. We only hope Mom is able to find a job for next year so we can keep it!

Family Night at Dance!

Finley is getting closer and closer to her dance recital so, in preparation for a big audience, the girls performed for their moms and dads on Wednesday. What a bunch of cuties they all are!

Happy Easter, Finley!

We finally made it to Grandma Julie's new house for Easter after several failed attempts due to snow. It was absolutely wonderful and we are so happy that Grandma finally has a perfect home, seemingly made for her. Finley LOVES Duluth and with Grandma's gorgeous views of Lake Superior, we all get to enjoy the city from a wonderful perch on the hill. While we were in Duluth, Finley got to go over lots of bridges, see waterfalls, deer, boats, birds, agates, and much more as she spent the entire weekend playing outside. She played so hard that she fell fast asleep in Grandma's princess daybed, all by herself! Luckily, when she woke up, she found that the Easter Bunny found her at Grandma's and was VERY generous this year. He brought Finley a new birdfeeder and seed, some books, tattoos, candy, clothes, undies, and more. Finley spent a good part of Easter Sunday hiding and hunting for eggs with Great Uncle Tom. We also watched a boat come home from sea. Finley wasn't so sure she wanted to hear it honk, but once it did, she was glad to wave at the sailors. It was so fun to see Jimmy and Great Grandma and Grandpa Laven and Kim after such a long time. We all can't wait to go to Grandma's again soon!