Happy Father's Day

This morning the children woke early. We hung out in the basement for a while and then made Daddy breakfast in bed complete with cards and small gifts. The littles were super excited that they each got to bring something up to him. Camilla asked to carry the plate of french toast, Hyrum brought up the gift and Joe raced in with the card. We all hopped on the bed and chatted for a few minutes. As the littles headed back down the stairs for their breakfast I overheard Hyrum tell Camilla, "I wish there was a brother's day...." I might create the holiday just for him. It was the cutest thing I'd heard all morning! 

I am so grateful to be married to such a great husband and father. He is such a gentle and loving man. I love watching him cradle our babies in his arms, wrestle with the boys, and read with Camilla. He is so loved by all of them and they definitely miss him when he's away at work. Joseph always requests a few extra hugs and a smooch before he leaves for work in the morning. He has a special relationship with each of them and I have loved watching that bond grow. He is a great teacher and role model. He has a great love for the Gospel and his Savior that he is passing onto the children. I am so lucky to call him mine!

Happy Father's day Sweetheart!

Six Months

Dear Mr. Finnegan,

Today you are six months old! That's half a year! I can hardly believe it! You are such a mellow baby and bring so much joy to our little family. Your siblings absolutely adore you and you are doted on all day long. They bring you toys when you cry, hold you while I do stuff and they kiss you all day long. I love that the hugs and kisses haven't worn off much since we brought you home. You are still the first person Hyrum likes to see in the morning. You are such a happy guy and love to laugh! When the big kids are laughing, you start laughing too and it's the sweetest thing to watch. You really thrive off our energy and giggles and feel so much joy when you are around those who love you most! You have a tooth still barely poking through. You have tasted peaches, pears, apple sauce, bananas and baby cereal. We are still taking it easy on the solids and letting your tummy get used to them bit by bit. You are sitting and wiggling around and the kids are so excited for you to learn how to crawl. So far you are just attempting to get your knees under you and trying to pull your tummy off the ground. You can rotate in a circle on your tummy and love to roll around more now. It's so fun watching you learn and explore!

This week we shared a sweet little moment during a midnight snuggle session. You have been having trouble sleeping lately and wake often for a quick cuddle or burp. Usually you are still half asleep but this time when I arrived at the side of your crib your eyes were open wide. I scooped you up and brought your cheek close to mine. You grabbed my curly hair with your right hand and wrapped your left arm around my neck. We stood there for a good five minutes, swaying back and forth and watching the streetlights flicker through the curtains. When you were finally asleep I pressed my lips to your cheek for one last kiss and gently set you in the crib. I went back to my bed and smiled as I looked at the clock. For once the time wasn't important. I was glad to feel so awake and to be so present in that moment. The details from that short time have stuck with me and given me the extra boost I needed to carry on through these long nights with you.

You have turned into quite the chunkster and I love every single one of your rolls and your double chin. This month brings a lot of exciting mile stones and I'm so excited to share them with you!

Love, Mom

Friday Afternoon

Oh to be a kid again.

The Love of Reading

Today we spent the afternoon at our new library. Joseph has been begging me to go for weeks now and we needed an outing today. After lunch we all got our shoes on and took the short drive. 

I love that Camilla is really catching on to reading. It was fun to watch her read to her little brother on the green space in the corner.

 Joseph was totally happy to hang out on the "puters" all afternoon playing games with the special headphones. It was pretty cute!

 While we were there they had family story time and a craft! I jumped in to check on these two every couple of minutes and could keep an eye on Joe (who wouldn't leave the computer) through the bookcases. 

They read some stories about weasels and did a fun "pop goes the weasel" craft. We all enjoyed getting out of the house and it was relatively stress free. Finley slept in the carrier and everyone else was quietly occupied with their crafting and learning and playing. We will definitely be back here on our next rainy day!

Where to Start

Life is kicking my butt lately. I'm having a hard time jumping on here to write. Hopefully someone out there can relate to the fact that I have had the same load of laundry sitting on my bed waiting to be folded for three days now. When bedtime rolls around I carefully place it on the floor and after I've made my bed in the morning, I put it back on my bed with the intention of folding it up. The bags under my eyes just keep getting bigger and blacker (I know that's not a word). Finley's hitting some milestones (sitting up, crawling, teething), I've had to change the sheets for a bed wetter a few times this week, and Joe always needs his sippy refilled at approximately 5:00am. Being so tired and emotionally drained has left me feeling quite lifeless on the best of days. I think I am also becoming a bit of a hermit. But here are a few gems that have helped me get through these past few weeks.

When Joseph finished eating one day he said, "Mom, my body's full." I responded, "Oh, your belly?" He quickly corrected me, "No, my BOOOODDDY."

Camilla's honesty always makes me chuckle. When I was tucking her in one night she said, "Your hair smells better than your breath."

While shopping at Superstore the kids found some sunglasses and begged me to buy them. I agreed and as we walked around the store Camilla put on her new glasses and stated, "There, now I won't get so distracted by all of these bright, beautiful dresses!" That girl is a shopper for sure!

And one day at snack time Camilla exclaimed, "Goldfish, granola bars AND water? This is going to be a scrumptious day!" 

Finley has pretty well mastered sitting! It's so fun to see him playing with the kids now. I think he likes his new angle on life.

FIFA World Cup

Last night the Mr. and I took in the FIFA World Cup with some friends. The boys had been out golfing in the afternoon so they just met us there. We had an awful time finding parking and by the time we did we got to walk to the game in the pouring rain while the sky rumbled above. Finley snuggled in close and fell asleep while the rain fell. Jessica and I avoided puddles only to be splashed by passing cars. Eventually we gave up on keeping our feet dry and trucked along down the sidewalk. We arrived at the stadium just as the rain started to let up. The game had been delayed because of lightening so we only missed the first four minutes. We were soggy, but still in good spirits!

I adore this guy. He is my best friend. It was so great to take in the game with him. 

The wave went around a few times and I caught part of it the second time. Hard to see in the picture. The energy was amazing! I've never heard people cheer so loud! Finley surprisingly slept through the first half despite the noise.

When he did finally wake up, he spent his time smiling at the group behind us and hanging out with Daddy. 

The game ended in a 0-0 tie, but it was still fun to watch and cheer. Soccer is a little more interesting in real life than it is on the TV.

Thanks for the fun night friends!

Hanging Out

The sprinkler, homemade popsicles (loaded with spinach), and a sunny day....

Necessities of Motherhood

Today I have been pondering a few of the necessities of motherhood.

Patience for the endless laundry, piles of dishes, crummy floors, and long tantrums.

Understanding for when the two year old helps himself to the bowl of grapes in the fridge and accidently spills them all over the kitchen.

A sense of humor for the little boy who excitedly jumps for joy with a full cup of juice in his hand at my compliance to let him pour his sisters juice.

Empathy to see the world through my children's eyes.

Sunday Snooze

So peaceful.

Soccer Tournament

 This weekend we watched our kids in their very first ever sports tournament. The location was great and there were tons of little people playing on all of the different fields. We started off our day watching Camilla play her little heart out.

She's come such a long way since her first day and I love her enthusiasm on the field. She is one of the smallest on her team, but well loved by her team mates. It was fun watching her warm up with a small group of friends she made on the team as they took turns trying to score on each other. It was a lot of fun! 

The boys were super well behaved while we watched! They are pretty used to soccer now and as long as they have a hill to play on or some green space to run they are more than happy. I love watching the two of them hang out and become closer friends.

Right after Camilla's game we walked across to the other field and watched Hyrum. They were pretty short players and had hardly any subs, so this guy ran the entire time.

It's been great watching him learn and grow! He scored a goal and told me it was for Camilla. He is absolutely the sweetest kid. Any time another player fell down on the field, Hyrum made sure to stop and help them up even if it meant missing out on the ball or a potential goal. 

Uncle Arland and Auntie Naomi joined us for the morning! The kids were sure happy to see them! Most of these pics are courtesy of Auntie Naomi who kindly stole my camera while I bounced Finley to sleep in the carrier. It was a great morning!