i love my husband

I love my husband, yes I do. But here is why I love him today: He gave me his iphone. I have been hinting that I wanted one for the last couple of weeks. Lamenting my inability to take photos and post them on the fly. Not being able to play "Words With Friends". Always wishing I had a camera or video camera with me to capture all the precious and hilarious things that Finn does and says.

Well, he up and gave me his phone. And here is my first remotely uploaded hipstamatic photo to prove it. I may not look happy in the photo, but that is because I am hungry, and have not yet learned about my new iphone.

family portraits

We had our family portraits done in the fall by our very talented friend, Tammy Coombs. Not only are the photos amazing, but we had a great time taking them. Tammy has an amazingly upbeat personality, and with two young kids of her own she knows how to play to her subjects and keep their attention. In Finn's case, the magic happened when Tammy brought out some orange tic-tacs. You would think there was crack cocaine inside those tiny little treats. Finn practically did flips to get more. Here are a few of my favorite photos from that day:

slippers

Finn got a pair of slippers for Christmas this year. They are Christmas slippers. Specifically, red and white snowmen slippers with scarves around their necks/ Finn's ankles. Pretty stinking cute. But after wearing them for all of 30 seconds, Finn decided he didn't like the slippers and refused to wear them. Ever.

Fast forward to April when he rediscovers the slippers in his closet and tries them on. He tells his daddy that he would like to wear the slippers, but there is something scratchy inside. Three minutes later, with the tags removed, Finn is running around in his snowman slippers and insisting that he wear them to bed. All of a sudden THE SLIPPERS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. He won't go to bed unless they are lined up next to him on the floor, ready to put on in the morning. Never mind that is is clearly spring outside. No snowmen here! Time for flip-flops and shorts and bare feet. Ad yet, sometimes when I check on him before I go off to bed, he's got them back on his sweaty little feet, sticking out from under the covers.

i heart swimming lessons

We've had a rough time putting Finn in various classes. Or should I say, watching him take various classes. Soccer class typically consists of me shaking my head in horror as Finn runs around the field gleefully body checking the other kids and turning somersaults in their way as they try to complete their "drills". During gymnastics class it is almost guaranteed that if the rest of the kids are waiting in line for their turn on the trampoline, Finn is racing over to the foam pit to throw him little body in. He loves these classes. And that is the problem. He just gets so excited, he can't control his body anymore. Excitement comes out as kissing, hugging, pushing, hitting, wrestling, rolling, and maniacal laughing.

Fast forward to swim class. At 3 years old, Finn loves the water, but hates to put his face in it. I signed him up for a 5 day swim intensive hoping to break through that fear in time for a summer of swimming fun. At the pool Finn eagerly walked over to his assigned station, and the teacher put him and one other child on a 3x4 railed-in platform in the middle of 4 foot deep water. Trapped. There was nowhere for him to go. No way to escape, and nothing to do but jump and splash in his confimenemt, which was exactly what the instructor asked him to do.

I was a little nervous that days 2-5 wouldn't go quite as well as day 1. That's our usual pattern in lesson taking. But they were. Trapped on that little island, Finn is learning how to take a lesson. And so we'll keep going back, at least until he can swim himself off that little island.

push

Finn is getting pretty excited about the arrival of his new sibling. We've talked all about the birth, and have watched a few not-so-graphic birth videos. (It's amazing what you can find on youtube these days!) The other day, out of the blue, we have a conversation that goes like this:

Finn: Mama, I want to push the baby out.

Me: Oh? (Saying "Oh?" as a question when you don't know what else to say is a trick I learned from my husband's grandmother. Guaranteed the person will elaborate on their previous statement while you think of something to add to the conversation.)

Finn: Yes. When its time for the baby to pop out, I want to be there to help you push him out.

Me: OK. Sure. How do you think that is going to work exactly?

Finn: Well, I'll just stand behind you and push on your bum and say "PUUUUUUUUSH!"

Me: Wow. That sounds great. Thank you for wanting to be so helpful.

baby names

So there's a new kid coming to town, sometime in July or August (let's pray for July!) and he needs a name. The big guy has had some great ideas so far:

Crocodile
Lollipop
House
Picture Frame

But when pressed to give real name suggestions (because I have run out of ideas myself) he laments that all the names he knows are already taken by other people. Makes sense to me. I need to get the kid a name book.