Happy Days.
Happy Spring.
Happy Happy!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Thank you Easter Bunny....BAWK BAWK!
Hoping you all had a great Easter. I know that we did. Our weekend was filled with good food, special treats, colored eggs, gift-laden baskets, church, more good food, and some overall quality family time. With the passing of Easter, we are one step closer to those warm days of summer. I'm sure they will be here in no time, as the days right now just seem to skip over one another.
Happy Days.
Happy Spring.
Happy Happy!
Happy Days.
Happy Spring.
Happy Happy!
Oh The Places We Go...
First off, where in the hell did March go? Anyone? Anyone? Hmmph. It flew right by us, I swear. With birthday celebrations, St. Patrick's Day parties, and unbelievably atypical weather...it turned right into a beautiful swirly blur.
Matt turned 42. I turned 38. Those numbers are nothing special, so maybe we should stop counting general birthdays...but who really cares! Neither of us feel old. Neither of us look old, so says me....so, I will keep on counting and celebrating and eating cake. Mmmm...cake. Speaking of which, I made a delicious chocolate layer cake with a whipped cocoa buttercream frosting formyself my dear husband. I think he appreciated it. I know Finnley did. She is becoming more aware of birthdays at this juncture and the fact that they happily coincide with treats and presents. That girl is no dummy! She now knows that her birthday is August. August 1st, to be exact. She has already started putting a list together of things she wants, you know, when we are out and about and she spots something, and I tell her she can't have it?? Yes, that is when it appears that the items automatically just chucked onto the birthday list. At least the thought that someone will give it to her for her birthday assists in getting us out of the stores with fewer tantrums.
We finished off our black tie circuit for the year. Starting in January, we had the preview event for the Auto Show. That led into the Flower Show. Which led into the Red Ball. Which finally led into the Cherry Bash. I must admit that we clean up nicely, and we make the most out of each unique event. Free flowing food and alcohol certainly make them all easy to enjoy. Now we get to spend the better part of a year preparing for the next round.
Outside of being fancy, there have been plenty of other to-dos. Finnley and I have more than taken advantage of the nice weather. Mid-month we hosted a St. Patrick's Day party for kiddos and moms. There was a bounce house, bubbles, toys, music, laughter, toddler-fighting, running around, and lots lots more. We picnicked outside and let the kids run wild in their very best greens. We indulged in good treats and the ever-important mommycommiserations conversations.
We have also had play dates at indoor play places and museums, as well as at outdoor playgrounds. Both are fun, but Finnley would certainly take being outside over anything. She doesn't care if she is at the park or in her own backyard, she will make a grand time of it, for sure. She will play alone, with friends, or with her mommy / daddy / or fur-brother. She is a go-gettem nature enthusiast. She loves to walk, spin, swing, climb, slide, mulch investigate, sidewalk chalk, picnic on a blanket, and do pretty much anything else she can think to do in the out of doors. I like it. How could I not? Fresh air does us all some epically great good.
One of the greatest things about living where we do in South Jersey is our proximity to just about a gazillion places to visit. We can be in NYC in a little over an hour. We can be in center city Philadelphia in 15 minutes. We can be in Washington D.C. in a matter of hours. And, we can be at the Jersey Shore in an close to an hour on the dot. In all of the four years that we have lived here, we have managed to venture out to all of those places (often several times), EXCEPT for the Jersey shore. So, when the unusual warm days started stacking up, my friends started to get the itch to head to the boardwalk. For once, I couldn't resist the urge, either. I loaded up a kid and the car, and we headed East until we hit the ocean. We landed in Ocean City, NJ, and we made a day of it. The warm air struggled with some cooler air near the shore, and it took longer for the fog and haze to burn off there than it did inland. I loved it even more with the shades of gray and soft silhouettes streaking the shoreline. You had to get close to it in order to initially see the ocean, but as the afternoon started to fade, so did the land-clouds. We loved it regardless, and we walked the boardwalk, ate lunch at one of the local food courts, and we dug our toes into the sand. Finnley took it a step further, as she scooped sand / danced/ rock-hopped, and twirled her way about the beach. It brought me such joy to witness my little girl in explorative action, and I found myself even more enamored with my camera than ever. I am so blessed to have this child to walk through life with, and I am equally as lucky to have such moments captured permanently on film. My head can't possibly keep all of these special times organized and stored in detail and depth...but my faithful camera can. I look forward to more beach trips along our coastline in the early and late seasons this year to create even more of these awesome memories.
In ordinary real time life, Finnley continues to grow up before our very eyes. She is all sorts of 2.5 going on 3 at this point. That means she is loads of fun, and that she is in a constant state of learning and growing. It also means that she can throw a tantrum with the best of them. These tantrums self-feed and can last as long as a half hour, loaded up with yelling / crying / door slamming / running away / you-name-it-she-does-it-ing. She more than makes up for the random but expected (almost daily) nastiness by continually saying things that will stop you in your tracks with fits of laughter. These things have included, but are in no way limited to, the following:
"Hey, what's in my tushy?"
"You going to eat Batman's poop?"
"Are you earrings? Are you eyes? Are you teeth? Noooo...you're mommy!"
"Poop, get out of my tushy!"
"OK, I HEAR YOU!
"Daddy's in my tushy!"
"Excuse YOU!"
As you can tell, anything involving the tushy is entertainment for Finnley. Potty humor starts at a very early age, I guess. Sometimes her vocabulary seemingly only includes the word "no", or the words, "no, YOU do it". And, as quickly as she snaps into a moment (an "it feels just like it might almost never-end sort of moment") of terrible-toddlerishness, she will snap right back out of it and do something to remind you what an awesome little human being she is. Eh, you take the bad with the good with everything in life, so nothing out of the ordinary here, I suppose.
So, that is essentially a month worth of updates, snippets of our daily life, and collages and photos of our random adventures. As the days get longer and the weather continues to improve, I am certain that the updates will become more frequent and will be even more photo-laden...see, sunshine makes for happy people, lots of time spent out of the house, and generally amazing light for picture taking. We are sure to get out and take it all in, one glorious day at a time.
Matt turned 42. I turned 38. Those numbers are nothing special, so maybe we should stop counting general birthdays...but who really cares! Neither of us feel old. Neither of us look old, so says me....so, I will keep on counting and celebrating and eating cake. Mmmm...cake. Speaking of which, I made a delicious chocolate layer cake with a whipped cocoa buttercream frosting for
We finished off our black tie circuit for the year. Starting in January, we had the preview event for the Auto Show. That led into the Flower Show. Which led into the Red Ball. Which finally led into the Cherry Bash. I must admit that we clean up nicely, and we make the most out of each unique event. Free flowing food and alcohol certainly make them all easy to enjoy. Now we get to spend the better part of a year preparing for the next round.
Outside of being fancy, there have been plenty of other to-dos. Finnley and I have more than taken advantage of the nice weather. Mid-month we hosted a St. Patrick's Day party for kiddos and moms. There was a bounce house, bubbles, toys, music, laughter, toddler-fighting, running around, and lots lots more. We picnicked outside and let the kids run wild in their very best greens. We indulged in good treats and the ever-important mommy
We have also had play dates at indoor play places and museums, as well as at outdoor playgrounds. Both are fun, but Finnley would certainly take being outside over anything. She doesn't care if she is at the park or in her own backyard, she will make a grand time of it, for sure. She will play alone, with friends, or with her mommy / daddy / or fur-brother. She is a go-gettem nature enthusiast. She loves to walk, spin, swing, climb, slide, mulch investigate, sidewalk chalk, picnic on a blanket, and do pretty much anything else she can think to do in the out of doors. I like it. How could I not? Fresh air does us all some epically great good.
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One of the greatest things about living where we do in South Jersey is our proximity to just about a gazillion places to visit. We can be in NYC in a little over an hour. We can be in center city Philadelphia in 15 minutes. We can be in Washington D.C. in a matter of hours. And, we can be at the Jersey Shore in an close to an hour on the dot. In all of the four years that we have lived here, we have managed to venture out to all of those places (often several times), EXCEPT for the Jersey shore. So, when the unusual warm days started stacking up, my friends started to get the itch to head to the boardwalk. For once, I couldn't resist the urge, either. I loaded up a kid and the car, and we headed East until we hit the ocean. We landed in Ocean City, NJ, and we made a day of it. The warm air struggled with some cooler air near the shore, and it took longer for the fog and haze to burn off there than it did inland. I loved it even more with the shades of gray and soft silhouettes streaking the shoreline. You had to get close to it in order to initially see the ocean, but as the afternoon started to fade, so did the land-clouds. We loved it regardless, and we walked the boardwalk, ate lunch at one of the local food courts, and we dug our toes into the sand. Finnley took it a step further, as she scooped sand / danced/ rock-hopped, and twirled her way about the beach. It brought me such joy to witness my little girl in explorative action, and I found myself even more enamored with my camera than ever. I am so blessed to have this child to walk through life with, and I am equally as lucky to have such moments captured permanently on film. My head can't possibly keep all of these special times organized and stored in detail and depth...but my faithful camera can. I look forward to more beach trips along our coastline in the early and late seasons this year to create even more of these awesome memories.
In ordinary real time life, Finnley continues to grow up before our very eyes. She is all sorts of 2.5 going on 3 at this point. That means she is loads of fun, and that she is in a constant state of learning and growing. It also means that she can throw a tantrum with the best of them. These tantrums self-feed and can last as long as a half hour, loaded up with yelling / crying / door slamming / running away / you-name-it-she-does-it-ing. She more than makes up for the random but expected (almost daily) nastiness by continually saying things that will stop you in your tracks with fits of laughter. These things have included, but are in no way limited to, the following:
"Hey, what's in my tushy?"
"You going to eat Batman's poop?"
"Are you earrings? Are you eyes? Are you teeth? Noooo...you're mommy!"
"Poop, get out of my tushy!"
"OK, I HEAR YOU!
"Daddy's in my tushy!"
"Excuse YOU!"
As you can tell, anything involving the tushy is entertainment for Finnley. Potty humor starts at a very early age, I guess. Sometimes her vocabulary seemingly only includes the word "no", or the words, "no, YOU do it". And, as quickly as she snaps into a moment (an "it feels just like it might almost never-end sort of moment") of terrible-toddlerishness, she will snap right back out of it and do something to remind you what an awesome little human being she is. Eh, you take the bad with the good with everything in life, so nothing out of the ordinary here, I suppose.
So, that is essentially a month worth of updates, snippets of our daily life, and collages and photos of our random adventures. As the days get longer and the weather continues to improve, I am certain that the updates will become more frequent and will be even more photo-laden...see, sunshine makes for happy people, lots of time spent out of the house, and generally amazing light for picture taking. We are sure to get out and take it all in, one glorious day at a time.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
.Bonding.
Once upon a time there was a little girl who had a handsome dog for a brother. The two didn't always get along, nor did they always understand one another. But, every once in awhile, they did find some common ground...an opportunity to bond. This is one of those beautiful and simple times.
Monday, March 12, 2012
I.O.U.
Wow. I owe a lot of updates and a lot of posts. I know it, no need to rub it in my face. I'm a bad blogger. But, at least I still qualify as a good mom! That is more important any day, right?
This past month has been tough, though. I have been dealing with chronic neck pain and headaches. Daily. To the point that it just about has driven me crazy in the worst of moments. I have been to the doctor weekly. I have had a lidocaine injection. I have been on steroids. I have been on NSAIDs. I have taken nightly muscle relaxers. All for what is probably occipital neuritis or occipital neuralgia (nerve pain / neurologic issue). I have been muscling through...just enough to do all the things my kid loves to do, but not enough to do much beyond that, blogging included. I am feeling better (albeit still not great), but at this point I feel functional, at least. Functional is a vast improvement.
So, feeling functional is a start to feeling good, I hope...and this post will be a start to getting back to the blog. A small start. Until I get around to posting more about Super Bowls and red tie events and birthdays...I will do what is most important...and that is sharing a moment of "Finnley".
This kid gets funnier and smarter by the day. I belly laugh a lot. I smirk, smile, and ponder. I enjoy all the moments big and small.
Today I am just sharing a moment, small as it may be. Here it is. Lunch, Finnley-style. Gotta love it!
This past month has been tough, though. I have been dealing with chronic neck pain and headaches. Daily. To the point that it just about has driven me crazy in the worst of moments. I have been to the doctor weekly. I have had a lidocaine injection. I have been on steroids. I have been on NSAIDs. I have taken nightly muscle relaxers. All for what is probably occipital neuritis or occipital neuralgia (nerve pain / neurologic issue). I have been muscling through...just enough to do all the things my kid loves to do, but not enough to do much beyond that, blogging included. I am feeling better (albeit still not great), but at this point I feel functional, at least. Functional is a vast improvement.
So, feeling functional is a start to feeling good, I hope...and this post will be a start to getting back to the blog. A small start. Until I get around to posting more about Super Bowls and red tie events and birthdays...I will do what is most important...and that is sharing a moment of "Finnley".
This kid gets funnier and smarter by the day. I belly laugh a lot. I smirk, smile, and ponder. I enjoy all the moments big and small.
Today I am just sharing a moment, small as it may be. Here it is. Lunch, Finnley-style. Gotta love it!
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Oh the weather outside is....
I don't know. I guess the weather outside is crazy. This winter has not felt like winter much at all. I'm not complaining, really, but I must say that I miss the snow. I don't need a lot of it, but one or two really good dumpings would happily get me through. I love that feeling of being holed-up for a bit during the brunt of a storm, having a nice fire in the wood burning stove to keep us all cozy, and then going out to play in the freshly fallen snow with a silly dog and a beyond goofy toddler. Last year at this time we had approximately 39 inches of snow. And for this year? So far this year we have had 2.8 inches (and most of that was topped by freezing rain...but we didn't let that get in our way). See the difference? I am no rocket scientist, but I can tell that that is a lot of inches different. A sad whopping lot.
Our temperatures have averaged above normal. We have had a lot of rain. Now, I love myself a nice summer rain to break up a dry hot spell...but I do not care for the soaking depressing rains of spring, and that is more like what we have encountered this winter. So, I can only imagine that spring will feel like it has lasted FOREVER by the time summer casually rolls around. Oh well. At least it provides more time for indoor crafting, coloring, painting, cuddling, drumming, and what-not.
Every once in awhile a warm day is delivered to us without the seemingly usual accompanying rains, and we have taken full advantage. Hours spent outside scribbling with chalk on the driveway, playing with our good buddy "Mater", using our imaginations to "make eggs" out of rocks, milk, and a stirring stick spoon, throwing and chasing frisbees, and running around the backyard just for the sake of it. We all need those days, and we all need a taste of some fresh air from time to time.
So, despite the weather (or in some instances because of it), we have managed to keep up our as-always active schedule (including a stupendously fun black tie event for us big people). The busier we are, the faster the days go, and the happier the lot of us seems to be. "We" are just Type-A personalities. It just works.
In accordance with busyness and the not so random crazy things that we do...the other "M" and I are headed to the Super Bowl. The freaking SUPER BOWL! It is all a matter of luck. Specifically my husband's luck. I am, however, happy to partake and ride along on his magic carpet all the way to Indianapolis. We will be fine-dining, zip lining in the city, and wandering around the NFL experience all before heading to the big show on Sunday. Doesn't sound too hateful, if you ask me. Because we only have two tickets, Finnley will be heading to stay with her Mam-Maw and Pa-Pa during our once in a lifetime adventure. She will have several days filled with family love, including quality time with her aunt, uncle, and awesome bigger little boy cousins. I'm sure we will all have our own super stories to tell after this trip. We'll keep you posted once we return!
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Our temperatures have averaged above normal. We have had a lot of rain. Now, I love myself a nice summer rain to break up a dry hot spell...but I do not care for the soaking depressing rains of spring, and that is more like what we have encountered this winter. So, I can only imagine that spring will feel like it has lasted FOREVER by the time summer casually rolls around. Oh well. At least it provides more time for indoor crafting, coloring, painting, cuddling, drumming, and what-not.
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Every once in awhile a warm day is delivered to us without the seemingly usual accompanying rains, and we have taken full advantage. Hours spent outside scribbling with chalk on the driveway, playing with our good buddy "Mater", using our imaginations to "make eggs" out of rocks, milk, and a stirring stick spoon, throwing and chasing frisbees, and running around the backyard just for the sake of it. We all need those days, and we all need a taste of some fresh air from time to time.
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So, despite the weather (or in some instances because of it), we have managed to keep up our as-always active schedule (including a stupendously fun black tie event for us big people). The busier we are, the faster the days go, and the happier the lot of us seems to be. "We" are just Type-A personalities. It just works.
 |  |
In accordance with busyness and the not so random crazy things that we do...the other "M" and I are headed to the Super Bowl. The freaking SUPER BOWL! It is all a matter of luck. Specifically my husband's luck. I am, however, happy to partake and ride along on his magic carpet all the way to Indianapolis. We will be fine-dining, zip lining in the city, and wandering around the NFL experience all before heading to the big show on Sunday. Doesn't sound too hateful, if you ask me. Because we only have two tickets, Finnley will be heading to stay with her Mam-Maw and Pa-Pa during our once in a lifetime adventure. She will have several days filled with family love, including quality time with her aunt, uncle, and awesome bigger little boy cousins. I'm sure we will all have our own super stories to tell after this trip. We'll keep you posted once we return!