Happy Birthday Finnegan!

Bear with me while I flood you with photos of my "baby", in no particular order...

Finnegan is 6 years old today, Happy Birthday Punky-Chunky!

The first person I think of on the kids' birthdays is actually not the kid, believe it or not - it's this wonderful lady!  After some 5-6 odd surgeries not including C-sections, this lady's surgical skill and willingness to try experimental techniques are the reason why I was ever able to meet my boys at all.  I will never be able to express exactly what this feels like, lucky for me I think she knows, since she was there at the very beginning to share the tears, fears, and joy all her patients experience.  Thank you doesn't quite begin to cover it...

Always the "happy baby"

The "mullet" phase

Mullet/Fu Man Chu 

 First surgery

Playing dress up with daddy's gear

Finn really lucked out in the brother department!

His first fishing pole and tackle box

the cleavage shot... let's just say he was a bit chunky as a baby!

Me taking Finn on his first paddle

By age 4 he's got the whole "don't stand up in the canoe/kayak" thing down

 How many kids do you know who will eat sushi?  It probably helped that he got to help make it!

First "at the cabin" photo, gotta love the dirty face!

Daddy's first deployment he wore this hat all the time

My Chunky Monkey

Went through his "first deployment" at age 3 and did it like an old pro!

Mommy's first "oh my" moment... I might be in for it in a few years!  I love how he just sauntered by as if no one would notice!

Kinder "Gardener" 

Who could forget when I subjected him to the horrors of a bike ride this summer while he was "in training" for snowshoeing?

 First time sledding thanks to Aunt Sarah's big hill!

Already starting to look like a big guy with dreams of quads and camo!

He already is starting to prefer Bass Pro and Cabela's to Toys-R-Us for his Christmas List

 All boy, dropping sand crabs on mommy knitting in the beach chair

 Everything was so darn funny to him!

We've progressed to him being experienced enough to go out and harvest what is ready on his own!

 Finn's first funnel cake

His first bike, the start of him separating from me...

  

He has become quite the ladies' man in the past 2 years, they can't stay away!

 Finn's first sleep-away camp

 he's always willing to be my knitting model, even when it's pink - although he growled at me!

 Here he is as of last week - doesn't need mommy or Aunt Sarah to go sledding anymore, I thought I was going to faint watching him go flying down the hill!

All my "training" paid off - this kid snowshoed 4 miles last week and didn't even look back for me once or complain, he had a smile the whole time

I feel like I should be sad he's growing up so fast, but I'm not - I really enjoy them becoming so independent and watching their personalities develop.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm an "older mom" LOL.... I would like to hurry up and get them sufficient enough so we can all go do hiking/outdoor activities together before I need a walker!

So many posts floating around in my head, but I would be a "bad mom" if I didn't to a birthday post!  I should have a few vacation posts up soon and then am eager to get to posting about my resolutions and then about the Spring Garden planning.  Someone should have warned me how hard it would be to get back to reality after a long vacation!

Graduation Day!

Just got back from Finn's preschool graduation! Thought I would wait until tomorrow to post, but I want to get it up so Daddy can see it as soon as he gets the chance. This past year we were so lucky to be part of a pilot program here. Some of you may remember from last year how anxious I was to find a preschool for Finn. Financially, we were unable this year to send him to the same Quaker Friends School that Loch attended, yet we don't have a regular public funded preschool in our state. Our school system launched a new pilot program at one school called "Preschool Partners". The concept is based on reverse mainstreaming which integrates typically developing children into a Special Education/Special Needs program. These students are called "partners" by the class. I knew this was something we wanted to be involved in and and that the values of acceptance, patience, and the joy of helping others that Loch got from the Quaker school would be replicated here. The problem? They only had 6 slots for "partners"! Well, Finn was accepted last fall and we have thoroughly enjoyed the program, children, and excellent teaching staff! It was such a success that the city has launched the program out to almost all of our city elementary schools for the upcoming school year. There was an article in our local paper about the program a few months back which explains it with a little more detail, check it out!

On to today's events!

Finn in his cap & gown!

Finn & Mommy

Finn and one of his friends getting ready to enjoy ice cream

The ceremony. Standing room only! One of Finn's friends has been in the Special Needs program for 3 years and she is ready to move on up to kindergarten! Her entire family tree showed up for the big event filling the little classroom. Way to go, Lillian! If anyone needs to pack 'em in for a grand opening or something, she's your girl! I don't think there was a dry eye in the room when she got her certificate...

Finn hugging his teacher good-bye!

It's official now! On to Kindergarten...

Thank you to all of Finn's teachers, the other parents, and all of his friends in class for a great year!

Got Pollen?

We do! And we are starting to think about wearing masks out in the garden, it's miserable out there! When the wind blows it looks like a yellow dust storm. My husband's allergies are terrible and our neurotic dog wants to jump the fence every time he sneezes! Luckily, mine aren't as bad, just itchy eyes and a general tired feeling in the afternoon. The car today is actually worse than this picture - solid yellow!

Despite the pollen, we were outside all day yesterday and today working in the garden. I bit the bullet and planted my Edamame, Bush and Pole Beans, Baby Sugar Bush Watermelon seeds, Dill and Cilanatro seeds. My peas haven't even grabbed onto their trellises yet and were screaming "what happened to Spring?" the whole time I was out there - it was 91 degrees yesterday and looks to be the same today. The carrots are peeking up finally from their kleenex seedmats. Today I transplanted the Jalapeno, Bell, and Stuffing Peppers, and transplanted most of my tomato seedlings into containers. I am doing all of my tomatoes in containers this year, so now we have "Tomato Alley" along the fenceline. There is simply no more room in my raised beds for tomatoes. I still have a few but I will have to wait until we modify some more buckets and I can get some more soil mix made for them. Pictures of the garden to come soon!

Thomas, I see your cute Jonathan and raise you one Finnegan, LOL... someday our little guys are going to be very talented gardeners!:

Finn holding his Foodie Bouquet of Leeks (the last of the leeks!)

The blogosphere is quiet today, you all must be outside gardening... here's hoping you are finding all the room you need to put plants, LOL! I think we are going to quit early today and take the kids for ice cream and buy a gallon of eyewash and a pallet of Benadryl...

Happy Birthday Finnegan!

I have been accused of many things, but a cake decorator isn't one of them. Good thing he is too young to notice!

Happy 5th Birthday, Finn!

Finnegan "sans tonsils"!

Update!

Finn showing off his "power-bracelet"

Feeling groovy at 5:30 a.m.!

There goes my baby off to the O.R.

Waking up from anesthesia... not feeling so groovy now

This afternoon he's coming around and eating frozen yogurt, although the poor guy is HUNGRY!

I'm now getting relieved for a few hours and am headed out to get him the obligatory balloon and gift! Poor guy has to spend the night this time, ugh! Daddy got roped into that one, lol... I don't do hospital sleeping :)