A little of this, a little of that....

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Jim and I got up around 7am Christmas morning. We got ready and then woke Finley up around 8am. Mom and Granny got to our house around 8am; they came up to see what Santa brought for Finley! 

I was uber prepared and organized for Christmas this year. I even made a crock-pot breakfast casserole right before we went to bed Christmas Eve so we'd have a hot breakfast ready for us when we woke up!

Sleepy little girl ready for Christmas! 

Finley did OK on opening presents. We had to start tearing the paper and then she'd finish tearing off a piece. Each time she'd hand each piece to Jim before she tore another piece.

It's a Little People Surprise Sounds Zoo.

I got her a little Santa hat, but she hated wearing it. She'd wear it for about 1.4 seconds at a time.

A bit o' reminiscing... now and then (one year ago)...

  

And yes, I'm wearing the same shirt. I guess I should ask Santa for some new clothes.

Mom and Granny left around 10am and Finley went down for nap about the same time. Jim and I then opened our gifts for each other.

We had about 30 minutes to relax before we had to get ready for Christmas Round #2!

Once Finley got up from her nap, we got her dressed and ready. I got a Cheese Platter and the ingredients for Iced Tea Punch packed and ready. We loaded Christmas gifts and everything else we'd need for the day into the car and headed to Jim's Mom & Dad's house (about 35 minutes away).

Christmas Round #2 at Nan & Pap's....

Finley with her Auntie Deb.

Jim's sister Lisa and her husband Ed.

Finley with her cousin Kendall. Kendall is starting the Police Academy today (Monday, December 26th). Good luck Kendall!

With her cousin Brett.

With her cousin Alex. She doesn't look too happy. I think she's mad that Alex drank all of the Iced Tea Punch.

With her cousin Justin. 

The beautiful Teiga family! (Justin had to get ready and leave for work; he's a Columbus Police Officer.)

We left around 3:30pm to head to Lancaster to Mom & Granny's. Finley slept most of the way, which was good since she didn't sleep much for her morning nap. 

I'd sent our presents, plus a Corned Beef Brisket (in a crock-pot) and a Banana Split dessert all back with Mom & Granny, so at least we didn't have to worry about unloading a bunch of stuff when we got there.

Christmas Round #3 at Mom & Granny's...

Granny's great-grandchildren... Troy, Olivia, Finley and Averie.

Checking out the names on the tags.

In the middle of it all!

My 2nd cousin Nikki and her two girls, Faith and Hope; her husband Shann and her son Darrick. Oh, and my Mom (she though she was being funny by trying to sneak in the picture; she's back behind Shann and Darrick). Very funny, Mom!

Finley's latest thing is standing on whatever and trying to climb on top of whatever. Apparently, Finley thought she should try standing on top of these presents.

And how could it possibly be a Christmas without....

The Biebs. 

My uncle (Olivia and Averie's Grandpa) got them a Justin Bieber cut-out. The girls LOVED it.

We finally got home around 10pm. The ride home was a tough one. Finley fell asleep right away, but woke up about 15 minutes before we got home and started coughing. Since her little nose is still so runny, she started choking on the mucus. She coughed so hard she threw up everywhere. Jim got her calmed down, but it was a rough 15 minutes.

We were so exhausted when we got home. I don't know if we'll be able to continue to go to both families' Christmas in one day. It's a lot to manage and it was too much for Finley to do in one day. Plus, it didn't help that all three of us have colds. 

Despite the long day, it was still a great Christmas. It was so much fun for Jim and I to watch Finley experience it all. 

Merry Bieber Christmas everyone.

 

Christmas Eve...

We started our Christmas Eve family traditions! Even though this was Finley's 2nd Christmas, last year kinda didn't count. ;)

On Christmas Eve, Finley got to open the presents in her Christmas stocking. She got new Christmas penguin PJ's (I washed these a couple of weeks ago so they'd be all ready to wear!) and a Hallmark ornament.

She also got to open a couple of gifts from the Randolph and Schwartz families.

Before starting off the Christmas festivities, I wanted to get a photo of Finley in front of the tree. These next two pics were taken literally three seconds apart. I should've put the camera on fast-action mode!

  

Awww, such a sweet little girl.

Finley also got a container of Sweet Potato puffs in her stocking. I think she was trying to chew the lid off.

Christmas pics to follow soon!

Santa Train!

Today we went on the Santa Train! The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway offers train rides on the 'Northpole Express'. Our train left at 2:00pm and we went on a two-hour train ride. The train ride itself wasn't very scenic and pretty much ran through lots of backyards. However, the overall experience was a lot of fun and we had a great time!

Yes, I pretty much put a bow in her hair whenever we go out now. I'm sick of people calling her a boy and plus, her hair is getting a little long in the front, so it helps keep it out of her eyes.

She was too busy looking at all of the kids to look at the camera!

Finley did great with Santa! No crying at all!

She's definitely on the 'nice' list this year! Ho ho ho!

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

A little different Thanksgiving schedule this year, but it worked out really well. We went and had Thanksgiving with Mom & Granny and the rest of my family the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and then had Thanksgiving at Jim's Mom & Dad's house with his family on Thanksgiving day. It was nice having them on two different days and being able to enjoy each get together a little bit more.

A handful of photos from the two get togethers:

Doesn't she look so grown-up!? I'm sad that she no longer looks like a baby.

It was a great Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for. 

Happy Halloween!

Finley's 1st Halloween!

Mom and Granny came up for the fun!

Finley LOVED to see all of the kids come up to the house for candy. 

All snug as a (lady) bug...

We didn't keep her outside for long though- her little nose and face was getting too cold. She watched all of the action from inside though.

Our trick-or-treat started at 6pm and about an hour before it started, the weather turned crazy! We had loud thunder and then a hail shower!

One part of the sky was bright and sunny and the other side was dark and cloudy. We had a rainbow right after the hail...

Can't wait for Halloween next year! We'll have two babies to dress up!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Happy 4th of July!

I know Finley is too young to really know what's going on, but I figured she would like to watch the 4th of July parade! She likes to watch people, especially other babies and kids, plus she likes bright colors and movement. 

We packed up the car and headed to downtown (it's technically UPTOWN!) Westerville. We packed our lawnchairs, cold water and snacks and waited for the parade to come through!

American baby!

Jim's holding Finley like this because his poison ivy is still acting up a little. I ended up calling our doctor's office for a prescription cream it was getting so bad. It's healing up now, but it's been a bit challenging since he's had it. He's been sleeping in the basement so he can sleep without covering his arms and to let the poison ivy get some air to dry up. It's also been a little challenging because he can't help take care of Finley at home unless he's wearing a long sleeve shirt (counterproductive for poison ivy healing).

Waiting for the parade got too tiring...

She woke up in time for the parade...

Her favorite part of the parade? Watching the kids next to us trying to get candy...

One reason why I like living in Westerville... 

They do such a great job with the uptown area. Each summer they hang these GIANT hanging baskets on each light post along with lots of potted flowers along the street. It's a perfect little Small Town, USA.

The parade was soooooooo long. It started at 1pm and at 3pm, it was only halfway done. When the sun came out, it was crazy hot. I was worried about Finley getting too hot or too much sun (even with sunscreen). Plus, we were roasting just sitting in our lawnchairs. So, we packed up early and headed home. 

We ended the July 4th weekend with sparklers and sparkling wine on the front porch. Jim held Finley and I lit sparklers for her to hold. Just kidding- she DID NOT hold them! I held them away at a safe distance for her just to watch. 

Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope your holiday weekend was a great one! I *heart* USA!

Happy Easter! (part #2)

Happy Easter! When Finley woke up this morning, we fed her, changed her and then showed her her Easter basket. She seemed unimpressed. But Mommy and Daddy were excited over it! Here's what the Easter Bunny brought Finley...

Then came a little photo shoot of our little bunny!

OK... I know the shadows are horrible and I really need to quit messing around and buy a different flash for my camera. I turned on every light in the house and opened all of the blinds to get as much light into the living room as possible, but it still wasn't enough. BUT... she's still so cute I can't stand it.

Jim had 'Oliver the Octopus' out to get her attention. She was smiling and laughing at it...

Here she was starting to laugh...

And as you can see, she still LOVES to chew on her knuckles...

 

Ooops... starting to slide a little...

And there she goes (I love how she sees her hand on the way down)....

This afternoon we went to Nan & Pap's for Easter. This year, Finley got her own egg cake. Auntie Deb makes either a Chocolate or a Vanilla egg cake for each person. Finley likes Vanilla too, like her Mommy (well, OK... she MAY like Chocolate too, but honestly, I wanted an extra egg cake).

Finley slept through most of the Easter party though and also slept on the way home. She slept a long time this evening too... I guess a weekend of Easter fun was a little tiring for our little bunny! 

Happy Easter to our all of our family and friends!

Happy Easter! (part #1)

We celebrated Easter at Mom and Granny's today. The rain held off long enough for a little Easter egg hunt though!

Finley was sitting with Bethany for awhile just looking at Troy playing with the toys. I wonder what she was thinking while she was watching him!

Olivia has two loose teeth!

The Easter Bunny had definitely been there!

I made this Rainbow Jello Salad (if you're not on Facebook and you'd like the recipe, email me or leave a comment on here and I'll send it to you, otherwise, I posted it on Facebook)...

Olivia, Averie and Faith...

Uncle Terry was explaining the "rules" to the Egg Hunters before the hunt began! (They each got to find 13 eggs)

Time to open the eggs! Mom was helping Hope...

Michelle helping Averie...

My cousin Nikki with Darrick, Hope, her husband Shan, and Faith...

Seeing what the Easter Bunny brought (Finley will be in the mix next year!)...

Granny's four great-grandchildren...

Finley's outfit is so cute, she's gonna wear it again tomorrow! I'm planning on setting up a little photo shoot tomorrow morning of Finley and her Easter basket. Jim and I got her Easter basket out and got it ready this evening while she was sleeping. Yes, I know she has no idea what's going on, but having a kid makes every holiday so much fun!

Happy Valentines Day!

Jim and I have a new little sweetheart this year for Valentines Day!

I just couldn't resist putting the little headband on her.

We don't go out for Valentines Day. I normally just make something a little special for dinner. Tonight we had crab cakes, scallops, crab and jarlsberg puffs, asparagus and sauteed spinach. Oh, and our favorite wine- Hogue Riesling! I also made a cake too, but I cut it before I could take a picture. It was also an extra special dinner, because we both got to eat at the same time! Finley actually stayed asleep during our dinner this evening! I think the fastest way to wake up a baby is to start to eat dinner with your spouse.

Today was a great day, although I didn't get much sleep last night. I managed to get two loads of laundry done (folded and put away too!), shower and wash/dry/curl my hair (I had to do this when Jim got home so he could watch Finley), finish up my Valentines banner for the mantle, and cook our Valentines dinner (including cleaning up the kitchen!). All this, and I also got to celebrate it with the two loves of my life!

Happy New Year! January 1st, 2011...

We decided to take the next step with our sleeping patterns. On New Years Eve night, Jim and I stopped our 8pm-2am and 2am-8am shifts and both went to bed around the same time. We moved Finley's basinett in our room and took turns getting up with her.

On New Years Eve, Jim and I were watching TV, but I fell asleep pretty early. He woke me up at 11:55pm to see the ball drop. We did the countdown and all three of us rang in the new year together! A new year with a new baby girl!

Our new sleeping arrangement worked out fairly well. She's starting to fall into a four-hour routine, so we're thankful and lucky that she's able to sleep so long at a time. Sometimes she wants to stay awake after she eats, but she's a good sleeper once she falls asleep.

Here are a couple pics from New Years Eve evening...

On New Years day, Finley had some special visitors...

With her Pap...

With her Nonni...

In the pic above, I love how Finley is looking up at her Pap!

The rest of New Years day was pretty uneventful.We had mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and sausage for dinner. Last year we had sauerkraut and pork on New Years for good luck and it worked- 2010 was a great year.

Welcome 2011!