The best package ever

This little darling came to me at 6:00 pm. I stepped out of chaos into the fresh air of Wednesday night, went to the mailbox and pulled out the best package ever! It was in reference to this post. Thank you my random anonymous stalker. I love you.

PS just so happens that my "random stalker" is in fact my younger brother

Cuzco and Grandpa Hinton's Farm

Finley adopted a new grandpa this week. What kid wouldn't want an adorable grandpa who owned a llama named Cuzco (who is the friendliest llama I have ever met), and drove you around on his "skate board" (a mobility chair).


A grandpa who cuts down cornstalks from the garden so that you could feed the bulls (Bert and Ernie) in the field, and lets you collect the chickens eggs even though you don't know what the word gentle means.

A grandpa who had you feed grain to the baby milk calves and found you your very own three foot peacock feather to play with. With a trampoline, a cat named Maggie, a little dog named Sara, and her very own gardener snake she named Crictor (what else) Finley found her new favorite place on earth, Grandpa Hinton's Farm.


The only thing that she wasn't too sure about were the giant Turkey's. I don't blame her those things are ugly!

By the way Grandpa Hinton is the real life grandpa of this cute little blue eyed thing, Holland. She and her mom Hillary (my college roomie) came to visit us for the week.

Apple Orchards part 2

"I Flinny Cannon, me."

What she has been hearing lately
(I say these phrases so often that characters in my dreams have started repeating them) :

• Don't pee in that. It's a strainer.

• If you hit him with that __(insert object of choice)__ you are going to be in big trouble.

• I love you.

• When he cries that means he doesn't like it.

• In the naughty corner, now!
  

• I love you.
  

• I need a break.
  

• Do you need to go potty? If you try, I'll give you a treat.
  

• Did I say I love you already. Will that balance out all the negatives if I say it enough!?

What I've been hearing:

• I Flinny, mom. I Flinny Cannon, me.

• I so glad mommy. I so happy, me.
  

• One, two, free, four, sick, seven, eek, nine, two...
  

• You listen to me right now, Amy. (Yes, word for word. Hum... Maybe I should say that phrase a little less. And yes she does call me by my 1st name.)
  

• Tucky, Tucka.
  

• Fin: Whachoo doing mommy? (She asks as she peers down off her bar stool)
• Me: I'm cleaning up a pee mess. (As I mop the floor in frustration.)
• Fin: Oh thank you mommy.
• Me: You're welcome.
  

• Aah cute mommy, I love you.

(as "Cinrenna")

(as "Belle")

(as "Sleeping Beautiful")

*dresses gifted to her by our friends-thanks guys.

Last Days of Summer

We spent our last days of summer here... doin' what we love.

A new high (or low, maybe): W.T. Teusday gets trashier

Who knew it was even possible?! According to Chad, W.T. Tuesday got even trashier the moment I decided to bring our own 1/2 empty 2-liter bottle of root beer and plastic cups with us when we went to pick up the pizza.

Typically we get the $9 "Meal Deal" which consists of a 1-topping pizza (pepperoni), crazy bread (w/ sauce) & a 2-liter bottle of soda (root beer is our preference). This week however we decided to "save" some money and bring our already opened bottle of root beer. What's next, rinsing & reusing dirty paper towels? or maybe turning the "2-ply" into 2 rolls of "single-ply?" Yikes... anyone seen my Camaro?

This guy LOVES the camera.
I'm always telling him, come on babe I think I've got enough pictures of you for today.
Let me get a few of the kids sheesh!

Notice the chip in his glasses. Complements of her.

Heritage Farms Apple Orchard

Today was our 1st trip of the season. It's been one year since our last visit. Finley is still scared of the sheep and loves to bug the piglets. Not much has changed. This year she was big enough to bounce in the giant inflatable apple. She was also wise enough to position herself strategically deep inside the giant fruit so that I could not reach her when it was time to go. What she didn't count on was my Superman style leap (perfectly executed) through the opening of the apple. I was able to snag her stockinged-foot as she bounced past the entrance scaring her half to death. She left the farm rosy cheeked, sweaty and covered in dust. I left with a bag full of honey crisps (my favorite apples), some sweet corn and a bouquet of fresh cut dahlias. Chad and Tuck loved it, but left happy that we had gotten a day at the farm out of our systems.

9 months

Our boy

His personality is becoming more apparent every day. His freedom or his food, I don't know what is more important to him. He is fiercely independent and wriggles out of my arms the second I pick him up.

He loves his sister. He gets so excited in the morning when we go in to wake her up. He loves watching, playing and copying everything she does.

He has a number of perfectly good toys but prefers to play with the dogs slobbery tennis ball.

He is happy almost all of the time, always wearing this gigantic 'toothy' smile.

Every now and again at night when he's about to fall asleep he'll cuddle up and rest against my shoulder. Melts me every time.

We love this little dude.

Miss you Mom...

Sept 10, 2001 (yes, the day before the terrorist attacks) my Mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
Sept 10, 2002 (one year to the day later) my Mom lost that hard-fought battle.

Here we are 6 years later... Since that date I have: graduated from college, gotten married, had 2 kids (Tuck's middle name, McKean, is the same as mine and is my Mom's maiden name) and lived in 2 different states, many miles from family. We've missed you terribly throughout all this but find comfort in our testimonies of the Lord's gospel. Thank you for your great faith and wonderful example. At your funeral it was said a few times that you wanted to give everyone with whom you came in contact a positive self-image and fun memories. Thank you for both.

There are signs of you everywhere we turn: Finley's resemblance to you in that childhood picture with Aunt Karen below, the "whimzical" furniture that decorates our house, when we lived in CA we constantly passed the "Blue Lagoon" in Laguna Beach where we vacationed as a family and where you had your last vacation with Dad, running into your childhood friends who now live in OR. Your bigger-than-life personality continues to impact our lives today. We miss not being able to pick up the phone and talk or have our kids get squished by one of Grandma Dixie's bear hugs but I do hope that your influence on me will be passed on to them. We butted heads back when I was a teenager but you stuck with me though I probably didn't deserve it... actually, I'm pretty sure I deserved a swift kick in butt. Thank you for believing in me and seeing through the ridiculous teenage attitude. I love you Mom and miss you.

photo booth

visitors

What I have loved most about this summer (besides the sun) has been our visitors. Our home has been filled all summer with their love, laughter, great food and memories. My parents stayed with us over Labor Day and we loved every minute. Finley has been asking for the past 2 days, "Where's the Grandma, and I want the Grandpa". One day maybe we'll live closer than a 16 hour drive from family. Here are some pics of the good times we had.

Oregon State Fair

Willie Nelson, 1st place BBQ, animal oddities, photo booths and Ferris wheel. One of my favorite nights of summer. We stuffed ourselves with cotton candy, award winning pulled pork, and baked beans. We spent the night chasing Finley from one animal exhibit to the next. The kids LOVED all of it! We even found a horse named Tucker.

Jim Dandy's Farm Market

The next morning we (my parents, Tuck & I...Chaddy and Fin stayed home to watch the big game GO UTES!) headed out to the coast stopping along the way at Jim Dandy's farm. I was a little disturbed by the 30 years of dust and cob webs that had collected on the knickknacks adorning the walls of the market. The filth didn't stop Tucker from devouring his first nectarine while we snapped some photos in the wild flowers.

Hug Point

Saturday we found the elusive waterfall beach at Hug Point. We have gone to the coast in search of this secluded beach paradise a number of times but have never found it. Today was the day and it was a picture straight out the count of Monte Cristo. Beautiful! Caves, a 12 ft waterfall, buried treasure and a freshwater stream. If I didn't have to worry about the tide coming in and getting stranded in the cove it would have been perfect.

Delicious

After our discovery of the cove we made another. Duegers Seafood. THE BEST clam chowder and steamers we have ever eaten. OOOHHHH so good! We also shared an incredible peppermint ice cream hot fudge sundae from Osbourn's Ice Cream and a bag full of sweets from Bruce's candy shop, OUR FAV. Fat and happy is what we were that day!