Cupcakes and Songs

We have been busy these last few days, with Lee's family in town to visit and stay through Finn's birthday. He has been keeping them on their toes, making sure they are ready to play trains at any given moment, read whenever he demands, and provide him with all the attention he wants. Somehow I don't think they mind.

We celebrated his Auntie Claire's birthday a few days ago with cupcakes and pizza and after he dove face first into the cupcake he proceeded to sing his ABC's at the top of his lungs. Fortunately I was there to capture it on video.

The Gift of Time

I know I have mentioned it before, but we chose a really unfortunate time to move back to the US. Employment sucks, the market is not great, the recession, well, what else is there to say about the recession that we don't all already know a million times over.

I noticed when I was out today at the grocery store that there were way more dads than 'normal' out with their kids in the middle of the day. Who knows the reason behind this, could be more dads are staying at home because of the economy, because they want to, because they are single dads. While the reason doesn't actually matter the truth is that the world as we know it has changed.

Lee has been looking for a job since we returned, and despite a few not-so-good offers he hasn't had much luck. It has given him the chance to return to school to get his MBA, which it has to be noted he is kicking some butt in, and to get adjusted to life in a new country.

We have talked often about how lucky we actually are, lack of job aside. We have a healthy, smart boy; we have a beautiful home; we have food on the table and we don't need to worry about whether or not the next meal will be there. We know this, and we don't take it for granted.

But the most important gift by far is his time with Finn. Lee has been able to spend more time with Finn than we ever thought would happen. He gets to take him to the park in the middle of the afternoon, he gets to put him down for a nap, he gets to meet us for lunch. While much of his day is spent job searching and studying, he still gets to be a part of this experience, of watching Finn change from a baby to such a little boy that we have to stop and ask ourselves where the time has gone. Everytime Finn yells up the stairs 'Daddy! I yuv you!' I know it makes Lee's day a little bit better.

While we both are anxiously awaiting for that phone call, the one that tells us Lee is returning to the land of the employed, I know we will both look back on this 18 months as not a time of struggle, but rather a time of love, of growth and a time that hopefully Finn will remember a little of when he is older.

Title-less Thursday

One of the good things about living in Atlanta, besides its abundance of great taquerias and the closeness of my parents, is the fact that we can have a 62 degree day in January. And when Finn doesn't nap, at all, getting out of the house is by far the best plan to have.

One of the down sides of living in Atlanta is that we can have a 62 degree day in January, only to be followed the next day with a day apparently destined for ice and rain and a wintry mix.

But in an attempt to live in the now and focus on the positive, we went to the park this afternoon, and enjoyed the nice weather while we can. Cause this weekend's weather outlook is cold, gloomy and wet. And naturally just in time for Lee's family to arrive on Saturday!

 

  

  

  

  

Finn's Favorites in Photos

These days Finn is pretty clear as to what he likes and what he doesn't. Addie, from the pictures below? He loves. Kimma cat, also known as Kimball? He loves. Sunny days at the park? Always a big hit.

Here are some of his other favorites, taken only because I have a new camera (yay for the nikon d5000!) and I am taking a photography class (yay for trying to learn about shutter speeds and apertures! I'm still working on the white balance, so forgive my pictures that look oh so blue).

Reading with Papi

Clapping his very messy hands together

Macaroni and Cheese

Blackberries...

Or as he says 'Blackbubbas'

Ducks...

Ducks...

And more ducks...

 

Trucks and subsequently banging his head with them

 

And cars, lots and lots of cars

He's Learning So Young

Finn loves his friend Addie. Loves her. Every time we go anywhere he tells me Addie is going to be there. Sometimes she is, but he always wants her there. When they see each other they both get all squealy and giggly and it is, quite frankly, adorable.

So yesterday we went to a museum together, and they sat on a bench outside the play room and Finn finally made his move.

First it was a look...

Then another...

Then the lean...

And he goes in for the kiss!

They look so pleased with themselves!

The Storyteller

Finn is all about telling stories these days, which consist really of recounting our events of the day. Sometimes he tells us he is going to Target and we tell him what we want him to get and he runs around the kitchen and then comes back and hands us our imaginary blackberries or milk or dinosaur socks and then pretends to ring it up on our 'cash register', which is our table, and then he hands it to Lee. I am realizing we spend way too much time at Target.

So at dinner he tells Lee stories of what he did during the day, and the kid? Has an amazing memory. He remembers everything. From names of people we met to colors of their shirts to songs we sang to, well, everything. Today he started telling my mom about the dog we met last week and remembered his name. He can recite books we've read to him only a few times and sings a ridiculous amount of songs, although Bob the Builder is his favorite right now.

Last Friday I took him to the duck pond in our neighborhood. Since Atlanta is *finally* thawing out from Ice Storm 2010 it seemed like a good time to go and Finn remembered we needed to bring some bread, and boy did the ducks need it. Clearly no one had fed them while it was cold and these ducks were hungry. Starving. And begging.

We stood in the gazebo and there were like 12 ducks in the water and 1 in the gazebo. I was okay with that duck being there and Finn thought it was funny, so we would throw some bread in the water and some to the duck next to us. But those pesky ducks in the water caught on, and they quickly swarmed the gazebo.

Have I ever mentioned I don't like birds? That they freak me out? Add ducks to that list. I scooped up Finn and we continued to throw bread at the ducks who were rapidly cornering us in the gazebo. And then? And THEN? They started nipping at my legs! So I was saying 'No ducks! No! Go in the water!' and finally made a break for it and literally jumped over the ducks, while holding Finn, and got the heck out of dodge.

Since then Finn has told this story to no less than like 5 people. And the story goes exactly like this:

"Mommy and Finn go see the duckies, bring duckies bread! Quack Quack! Throw bread in the water for the duckies. The duckies came in the house, mommy said 'NO DUCKS! GO DUCKS! NO NO NO! GO IN THE BATH!' (all at the top of his lungs). Mommy scared of duckies. Mommy wahhhhh!"

So now my son thinks I cried (I didn't) when the ducks swarmed the house (the gazebo) and I yelled at them to go back in the bath (the water).

I can't imagine where he gets his penchant for exaggeration?

Lee took him back yesterday, and the ducks swarmed them again. Since Lee isn't a big old scaredy-cat like me he didn't scoop Finn up and Finn loved it! This picture is from a camera phone but gets the point across:

Three Years

Five years ago yesterday, in Pittsburgh, we met. Lee was jet-lagged after a long trip over from London, I was wondering who the cute red head was, and we shook hands in the hotel lobby, where we were both staying for our friends wedding. He was quiet, and I decided I would make him talk to me by the end of the night. A group of us went to dinner, and we moved on to a tiki bar, I interrupted his pool game, and the rest is history.

On our second night of hanging out, 5 years ago today, we went to TGI Fridays and Hooters, only the best the US has to offer, with 3 of his friends, and I was jokingly harassed about everything American.

On our third night of hanging out I stepped off a bar stool and fell flat on my face. I wasn't even drunk. Tipsy maybe. He didn't see it, but he laughed when I told him about it. I don't think he knew what was in store for him with my clumsiness.

On our fourth night of hanging out we watched our friends get married, and I switched place cards with a friend so I could sit next to him at dinner. We acted as if we had been dating for years.

And then we both left. I flew home to Atlanta, he to London. I think I summed it up pretty good here.

Our very first photo together, on the day we both left

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Three years ago today we became a family. We celebrated with all our family and friends, we danced and laughed and loved and it will forever remain etched in my memory as one of the best days of my life, second only to the day Finn was born.

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Two years ago today I was quickly approaching my due date with Finn, known at the time as Fizzy, and getting impatient. I was uncomfortable, and cold, and ready for it all to be done. We had dinner at one of the top rated restaurants in London, and we took the bus. The bus. I don't miss the bus. I had blisters on my feet from wearing shoes that weren't Uggs (and you Ugg haters can suck it, I was 9 months pregnant), and we had no idea how much our life was about to change.

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One year ago my grandmother died. It was unexpected, and we were all surprised. I hate that she never got to meet Finn, that she never knew he loved peas like she did, and that I never got to see her one last time.

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Today is year three. Three years of marriage, five years of togetherness, and only the beginning of what's to come.

And to Lee I say this:

There is no one else I would want to wake up early in the morning for;
There is no one else I would rather keep me up late at night;
There is no one else I want to see with the world with;
There is no one else I would let steal all the covers from me at night:
There is no one better at making me feel good when I feel bad;
There is only one other who can make me smile inside and out the way you do, and he clearly gets that from you;
There is no one I am prouder of, as a husband, as a friend, and especially as a dad;
There is no one else I would rather call my best friend, my soulmate, my heart;
There is no one else but you who completes my definition of forever.

Happy Anniversary babe, here's to three, and many more, and forever. I would marry you a million times over.