The Barry Family

Happiest Place on Earth

2012-02-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

One thing that I was looking forward to when moving down to Orange County was getting Disneyland annual passes. Anyone who knows me is very aware of my love for this place and the boys love it as well. Scratch that, Mark has fun and appreciates how much the boys and I love it, but I wouldn't say he is as fond of it as we others are. Just shows what a great husband I have!!

While I am still looking for work, I decided to fully take advantage of my fun-employment and took the boys to Disneyland on a Thursday. It was not too busy and we had a blast for the few hours we were there.

Tate is a huge Mickey Mouse fan - we have a huge Mickey Mouse stuffed animal thanks to Nuna, Uncle Jason, Amber and Emily from Tate's first birthday. But, nothing can replace getting to meet the "real deal" and this introduction took place during our visit. Tate Fah-reaked out and was so excited to see Mickey moving around and waving at him that he didn't even know what to do with himself. He just screeched "MEEEE MEEEE!" at the top of his lungs and squeezed my arm so hard I thought he was going to draw blood! I didn't have my camera with me so I ended up paying through the nose for the photo below, but I love that we captured Tate's first meeting with his BFF, Mickey!

Horn Tooting

2012-02-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in previous posts, I have taken the steps to achieve a personal goal which is to obtain my Masters degree. I have since completed two courses and just received my grade for my second class...an A! I am positive it is because I am more focused on learning the material because it will be applicable in the workplace (whenever I get back into the workplace) and because I am paying for this entirely myself, but regardless of the reasons the most important thing is that I got an A!!!! I am pretty sure that makes me an "A" student, whereas in the past I was just A student. Hahahaha, I crack myself up.

In other exciting news, our Finn is almost 100% potty-trained. Yes, this may seem late for potty-training, but he had absolutely no urge to move away from pull-ups for what felt like forever. We have had a few accidents here and there, but I chalk that up to the learning curve. His favorite is to have Mark or me tell him stories while he sits on the potty. This has fostered our creativity for sure!

Tate is walking like a maniac now and enjoys his freedom. This morning he emptied my purse and his diaper bag - twice. This will teach me not leave anything on the floor that I do not want emptied in its entirety and strewn all over the place. He is still our sweet little lover, but will usually give you his "mad face" if you ask him. I will attempt to get a photo of this soon and post because it is scarily hilarious!

Knock, Knock, Knock...anyone still out there?

2012-01-13T13:14:00.001-08:00

Hello!

I cannot believe we have been living in Orange County for over four months now and I haven't posted a single thing. Sheesh, I wouldn't blame you if you blog-broke up with me!

All is well and we are settling in nicely. We are still crashing at Papa Danny's house while I search for a job and that is posing to be more difficult than I had originally thought. Our goal is to buy a house in an area we love that is relatively close to both of our offices so you can see how my finding a job is quite important to this scenario.

The boys are LOVING being down here and being so close to family. It is so great to make a quick Target run, which is < 10 minutes away as opposed to the 45 minute commute we had when we lived in SB, and run into some friends...or their parents...or my cousins! We miss Santa Barbara and are looking forward to visiting one day soon, but are really happy down here.

Finn is in pre-school and is doing really well. He still cracks us up on a daily basis and continues to push all the wrong (or right, depending on who you ask) buttons. His favorite thing to do these days is find words that rhyme and I had to tell him recently that "cup" and the word that starts with "f" and rhymes with "luck" do NOT rhyme. There is definitely no way we are sneaking Mr. Chatty with the vocabulary of a 10 year old into Disneyland and pretending he is not yet 3! I am so thankful for our smart, funny, happy, feisty little character.

Tate is home with me during the day and is my sweet little buddy. For the most part, he can be found smiling and babbling, making silly faces to try to get his audience to laugh or standing up on his own with the proudest look on his face. He has started taking a few steps, but always ends up on the floor and crawling like a mad man. I think he may be getting some new teeth in and he has had some rough patches, but otherwise is really good. He still naps twice a day and sleeps from 6:30pm - 6:00am...not too shabby! I am so thankful for our sweet, happy, funny-face making little lover.

Mark and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary in October with a family trip to Palm Springs. Talk about romantic and relaxing! We hope to be able to make Santa Barbara our annual anniversary celebration locale in the future. We have also gone to Knott's Scary Farm with friends, a Disneyland trip over Halloween, eating dinners al fresco at Papa Danny's house (when we originally moved down here, not so much recently), laughed hysterically at Jay Mohr's comedy hour in Irvine, met for a few lunch hours at Mark's favorite place - The Irvine Spectrum, and had one Real Housewife of Orange County spotting...well, quasi RHOC spotting. It was the husband of an ex-cast member. Still counts!!

Hope everyone is well and that 2012 brings much joy, laughter and good luck.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!!

2011-08-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well, the Barry Family is officially turning the page on this chapter in our lives...we are moving from the beautiful Santa Barbara area for new career opportunities and to be closer to my family down in Orange County. It will be bittersweet to leave the place I have called home for the past 15 years, but know there are new, amazing adventures that await us. And just knowing that my boys have cousins galore and friend's with children close in age makes me happy. The outpouring of love from my friends and family down there has been heart-warming, and the response from those friends we are leaving behind up here makes me feel so loved.

So, we are packing up and moving shop. We have ALOT of work ahead of us in the next 2+ weeks, but once that is behind us I think we will feel a big sense of relief and excitement.

As for the boys, they are doing great! Finn had his three year check-up yesterday and passed everything with flying colors. He is in the 50% for weight (31lbs) and 25% for height (35 1/2 in.)We talked to Dr. B. about his belly issues, but he assured us that all seemed normal and nothing a little dietary modifications (and possibly more miralax) won't cure up. Note to teenager Finn, I apologize for blasting the web with your belly issues, but I want to be able to think back on the struggles we had with you when you were younger so when we are going through the door-slamming, metal music blaring rebellious stage I will remember these weren't so challenging! :) Love you, Finn Bear.

Tate is doing great! He is almost 9 months old and I can hardly believe it. He is a happy guy for most of the time and has decided to start saying something other than Da Da, which is most appreciated by yours truly. He says "Ma" and "Ba" too and sometimes throws a little "Nuh nuh" in the mix. He's a genius, I tell you. Most mornings we wake up to this happy little face and it makes me want 5 more just like him. Well, maybe not really, but he sure is sweet! Love you, Taters.

All in all, we are doing well and thankful for all the blessings we have in our lives. Hopefully we will have more posts soon, but may not until we are down in our new hometown. Crazy!

Much love,

Courtney

We're alive!

2011-07-29T16:00:00.001-07:00

I promise that we are alive and actually thriving, hence the lack of posting for what feels like forever. Hopefully there will be time this weekend to do a little catching up!

Everybody's working for the weekend...

2011-05-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ah, another Friday is here and I have always found it interesting that a Friday feels different than, say a Tuesday. Assuming you are on a traditional work schedule, Monday is most likely going to feel like a shock to your system after having two days off, but that’s expected. In my opinion, Tuesday is really the kicker. It’s the day that is completely landlocked by other work days. The weekend “light at the end of the tunnel” is still at the end of what may feel like the longest tunnel in the history of mankind and in looking back you only have one day of work that week under your belt. Wednesday is not that much better since it is still “landlocked” between work days, but at least you know that once you have completed it you are on the downward slope to the weekend. Thursday feels less threatening because as the sun sets you know that Friday will be here again tomorrow!

Mark was chosen for jury duty and is still serving what will officially be FOUR WEEKS of service on Monday. I think it may be winding down and we will be able to go back to a more structured chaos soon. And, I believe he secretly likes it because he has stated more than once how interesting the whole process has turned out to be. He can’t share any of the details of the case with me, but it sounds like he is taking his civic duty very seriously!

Finn is doing extremely well and I cannot believe he will be turning three years old next month! He is ridiculously excited for his birthday celebration, which is pirate-themed, and will tell anyone who will listen. The conversation in the car on the way to school yesterday went something like this.

Mommy – “Finn, you know that we are going to Eli’s birthday party on Saturday, right?”
Finn – “I having a party tooooo, and it’s a pirate party, and we’re gonna have candles and napkins, and forks and chocolate cake and I like chocolate cake because it’s really, really yummy.”

So yeah, the kid is excited and likes to chat. He is also really into building sandcastles, putting together puzzles in what has to be record-time (not like one of those freak kids that can stack like 1,000 cups in 20 seconds, but just a proud Mommy’s opinion of fast), playing “I Spy” to and from school each day, and going to the playground with Daddy. In addition, he is NOT into going #1 or #2 on the potty at home, although he will sit on it for awhile and we play pretend instruments. Random, I know. But hey, if you are going to play pretend instruments it might as well be on the potty.

Tate is doing pretty well, but we are hitting a bit of a fussy period with our little guy. Our caregiver thought he may have an ear infection, but he got a clean bill of health from Dr. B. just today. That is good news and bad news…good in the sense that he does not have an ear infection and bad because he has been SUPER fussy recently and now we are back to square one as to why. He did roll over for the first time on Wednesday night and we are so glad we captured it on video. And although he can be fussy and only wants to be held, his huge open-mouth grin and squealing giggle is pretty adorable. He can’t be THAT upset if he can produce such happy expressions, right?

As for me, I am still happy to be back at work (even though I am grateful it is Friday!) In the exciting news category, I recently received notice that I was admitted to the Graduate program I applied for and will be starting in the Fall. Yes, you read that correctly. I will be going back to school for my Masters and adding Student to my list of titles, which will come right before Lunatic since I am not sure how I will be able to do all of this as well as I would like. I have been thinking about this a lot lately because I set pretty high expectations for myself and can get pretty disappointed if they are not met (not only in myself, but in others too. I have been experiencing some disappointment by others lately, but am not going to dwell thanks to new goal outlined next!) One of my new goals from evaluating my own expectations is to focus on the positive and cut the negative out. All in all, I am really proud of my accomplishments thus far and am looking forward to the new challenges and experiences that lie ahead.

Hope this finds everyone well and thanks for checking in. I promise to post more photos soon!

Back to reality!

2011-04-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

My return to work after five months off for maternity leave was actually way easier than I had expected. It has been very nice to get back to more of a schedule (yes, I am THAT person who likes having a plan) and confirming that I am still needed at work is a good thing! Although it turns out that I am needed more here at home today since Finn was hit with a stomach bug last night. Blech. Poor little guy was subjected to two additional baths in the middle of the night and three bed linen changes until we ran out of clean sheets for him and set up him on the couch. He seems to be feeling better today and we have been vomit-less for 7 hours so hopefully we are on the mend. And, I am praying the rest of us don't get it.

Besides the nighttime puke party, we are doing well! Tate started at his caregiver's home on Monday and he is doing great. He has a little friend who is two weeks older than he is and they seem to have a fun time together. I am so thankful that we found a loving, caring, responsible, SANE person to watch our little guy. That makes leaving for work that much easier.

We are looking forward to celebrating a 3rd birthday on Saturday for one of Finn's school buddies and seeing my college friend Sarah and her family in town! I think the Easter Bunny is planning to hop on by our house and Finn will be excited for some treats. Man does that kid have a sweet tooth!

Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for checking in!

Finally catching up!

2011-04-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

Well, my maternity leave is coming to an end and I can hardly believe it! It feels like just yesterday that I was thinking 'wow, I don't have to return back to work until April' and now April is here. My feelings are mixed on returning to work. Personally, I enjoy my job and am proud to be able to contribute financially to my family. But, I also have that guilt of leaving my children all day with someone else and miss them when I am away from them. However, I do feel as though I am a better Mommy when I get a break and the idea of using my brain, at least in a different capacity than I do all day at home, is quite appealing. Knowing both boys are in safe and loving environments when they are not with us makes it easier as well!

Tate had his 4-month appointment yesterday and stats are as follows: Weight = 14lbs, 2oz; Height = 24.5 inches. He's a BIG boy and Dr. said he receives an A+ for his weight gain. We also discussed his eating issues (would latch on and eat for about 3-4 minutes and then would have trouble staying on, would arch his back, cry out like he was in pain, etc.) Dr. said it sounds like he was dealing with reflux, which makes me feel terrible, although I talked to a nurse at his office and she never mentioned that could be the issue. Things have gotten alot better with his feedings and he clearly is getting enough to eat by the looks of his meaty thighs, but that was an extremely emotional and stressful 6 weeks for both of us. He is a really good baby the majority of the time and looks (and acts) so much like Mark!!

Finn is doing really well and still has a blast at "new school". He will be moving to a preschool class when he turns 3 and that is right around the corner. Pirates are the coolest thing around our house and he has been known to let out a "Yo Ho, Let's Go!" or "Awe, coconuts!" courtesy of Jake and The Neverland Pirates! And, I am always thrilled when people tell me that Finn resembles me, but found it hard to see myself until I recently found a family photo at my Dad's house from when I was just about 3 years old. I covered the pigtails on myself in the photo and it was a spitting image of Finn!

All in all our little family is thriving and happy. Sometimes I can't believe how lucky I am to have such blessings in my life and am working on enjoying each moment as it comes.

Lucky Lady

2011-02-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up tired and feeling as though I was getting sick, which was not surprising to me since Finn was a wet, runny little guy yesterday. Mark took Finn's temperature just to see if his annoying fever had returned and although we found him to be fever-less, we decided to keep him home on this rainy Friday. He didn't seem to mind because I asked him if he wanted to go to school today and he responded with "No, I stay here wis Mommy!" (Also, that is not a misspelling, but that is how he pronounces "with" these days!)

I hate to admit that my first thought of having both boys with me here again was not positive. Knowing full well we would be stuck in the house because the weather looked ominous and as if the clouds were going to flood at any minute (which they did!), I cringed a bit at thinking of how challenging my day was going to be. However, as soon as Finn asked me to "cuddle wis him" I knew that I was a lucky lady and had to change MY attitude. Not only did we not have to go out in this ugly weather (thanks to my rad husband who brought lunch home), we could cuddle, giggle, color, make silly faces and spend quality time together. There will be a time when my boys will not want to cuddle with me, won't giggle at the ridiculous stories I tell or silly faces I make, who will think that coloring is for babies or who would rather spend time with their friends than hang out with old Mom. I have to cherish these moments because they are precious and beautiful and fleeting with each passing moment.

To my Finn, may you continue to always make us laugh and smile at your hilarious personality and challenge ideas put in front of you that you don't agree with. However, could you lay off all the "why's" you've been throwing out recently?? :) And please don't get too big or too cool to cuddle wis Mommy. Nobody loves you like your Mommy, I promise!

To my Tate, may you always keep your smiley & mellow personality even as life throws curveballs at you, which it always will, as you get older. You are such a sweet little soul and we love you so much! And please don't get too big or too cool to cuddle wis Mommy either, but anytime you want to outgrow the spitting up, I am ready!

Seriously, look at these cuties. How can I think I am anything other than lucky?

Disclaimer - I know it seems like my children are always in jammies, but I swear they wear real clothes too!

February Fever

2011-02-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

Our house has been filled with fever this February and unfortunately it has been the abnormally high body temperature version for Finn. I would prefer it were the intense nervous excitement definition of fever, but alas it hasn't been. Finn came home from school yesterday with a temperature of 103 and he just had one last week as well. Enough already with the yucky germs in our house and we would like a sick-free week or two please!

Other than fevers and all around grouchiness because of illness, we have been doing well otherwise. Tate is growing like a weed and is an all-around happy, mellow, smiley little guy. Very recently he has realized that those hands and fingers that he has been wiggling actually belong to him and he can grab for toys on his activity mat. He is still wonderful at spitting up, but it doesn't seem to bother him.

I lined up a babysitter for yesterday and Mark & I went on a date to happy hour! Once we got over the fact that we didn't have a child in the backseat (and that was the way it was supposed to be) and that we didn't need to ask for a highchair, set out cheerios and sippy cup or locate a binky, we were on our way to relaxing conversation! It was nice to be able to spend time with him, out in public, without a child in tow. I love our children, but it was a really good break for us. Finn did cry for about 20 minutes after we left according to the report our babysitter gave us when we returned, but he was happily playing and finishing a puzzle with her when we got back. We have a dinner planned next week so hopefully all goes well again!

And, I received results from my Doctor that he got all the pre-cancerous cells out and my pathology report came back clear. I do need to get checked regularly, but it was the best news I could have asked for!

Ok, off to watch a little bit of kid TV and cuddle time with Finn so he can rest up and kick this fever!

My Birthday Month Begins!!

2011-02-01T09:59:00.001-08:00

So, I love birthdays and my love of them seems to have been passed down to Finn. To clarify, Finn loves a party and it doesn't have to be a birthday party. I think that is a trait he received from Grandma Kinnane! But as much as I love birthdays, I REALLY love my own birthday and always have. My Mom used to decorate for our birthdays and there was always a fun celebration in store. Once I went away to college, my new friends (who have become some of my very best on this planet) took over the reins of the celebration planning for my big day. When Mark and I met during our last year of college, I made it abundantly clear that my birthday was meant for celebrating and I intended to celebrate the entire month of February. Since my birthday falls at the end of the month (the 27th, in case you were wondering) it is ideal to enjoy it for the entire month.

Now don't get me wrong, there is not a celebration each and every day. But, I have been known to announce it is my birthday month every so often and even asked Mark last night if he knew what today was. He accidently replied with "Tuesday", but then quickly remembered it was the start of my birthday month.

For my birthday this year I am hoping for good news from my Doctor who recently removed some pre-cancerous cells from a mole that was biopsied and found to be atypical. I was a mess for the past two weeks and even though pre-cancerous is not the same thing as cancerous, just hearing that word was enough to push me into an emotional state. Most of you will know that I lost my precious Mom to breast cancer when I was 19 and Mark lost his Mom as well to cancer, so hearing that word in regard to my own health was super scary. I would look at my two little boys and burst into tears. But, the Doctor doesn't seem too concerned and is hopeful he got it all so it won't be a concern in the future. Fingers crossed for positive results to come.

We are planning to celebrate down in Orange County with my family and friends at the end of the month and I hope to take lots of pictures and make lots of fun memories with everyone. Oh, and a beach cruiser would be nice too! :)

Hope everyone is well and here are some new photos of Big Brother Finn and Tate the Freight. Love these boys!

Happy Spitter and more

2011-01-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

This has been a bit of a transition welcoming our second baby into the family, although we couldn't imagine our lives any other way now. Tate has been such a blessing to us and is a super sweet, cuddly, smiley little guy. He does come with a disclaimer though for anyone who wants to hold him - he is a spitter! Our Doctor labeled him a "Happy Spitter" at his check-up yesterday (where we also found that he weighs 11lbs and is 22 inches long!) and confirmed that he is not concerned at all with the spit up since he is gaining weight well and seems content otherwise. It is more of an inconvenience and a laundry nightmare, but otherwise innocent. I am currently doing a load of laundry that contains 99% spit-up soaked clothing/blankets/burp cloths, so Dr. Brennan was NOT kidding!

All in all we are doing well. The weather up here in beautiful Santa Barbara county was very rainy and gray for awhile around the holidays, which did nothing to help my already gloomy state of mind. I seem to be affected by Baby Blues after the birth of my children (same thing happened with Finn), but am doing my best to be proactive about having a plan each day and getting out of the house with Tate more often. I am so thankful for some wonderful friends in town who have made sure I have something on my calendar to keep me occupied and did just receive the OK from the Doctor yesterday to begin exercising again. Let's get those endorphins flowing! I am also extremely lucky to be able to take a lengthy leave of absence from work and will be heading back in the middle of April so I need to enjoy every minute I have with Tate during this time!

Finn is adapting to our new family member with ease, although he seems to be harboring some resentment toward Mommy. It's a pretty daily occasion for me to hear "No Mommy, you can't ___________" and fill in the blank with whatever activity Finn is doing either by himself or with Daddy. I have been told I can't sit on the couch; eat breakfast; go to the playground, etc. My personality being such that my first instinct is to say "well, Mommy doesn't want to ___________ with you anyway!" but I have come to realize that is not the most appropriate way to handle a 2.5 year old. This parenting stuff is hard! :) I am extremely thankful that Mark is so patient, fun, mellow and supportive because he seems to be able to keep us all sane for the most part. Poor guy could probably use a happy hour or something!

I hope this new year brings everyone much happiness, joy and time to make memories with loved ones. Although I haven't made specific resolutions this year, I do want to carve out more time to spend with loved ones, both family members and friends. I have come to realize that in the long run material items just tend to gather dust and don't call you when you are feeling down or give you a hug when you need it most. Recently I have loved looking at old photos and reminscing about different times in my life, remembering both the good and the bad and all that I have learned or taken away from each experience. My goal this year is to make many positive memories for my boys to have as they grow and start new traditions for my own family. Oh and eating better and exercising is on the list too. I have already lost almost all my baby weight from dietary changes I have made thanks to Mark and am going to sign up for some 5ks later this year with the help of our friend who is a local running coach and runner extraordinaire himself! Cheers to feeling good on the outside AND on the inside!

Thanks for checking in and hope to write more soon! Tate's photo above pretty much sums up how he felt about the Christmas holiday = BORED!

We're back!

2010-12-11T18:14:00.000-08:00

Well, we have had an interesting past two weeks to say the least and are having a great time with our new addition! Tate Oliver Barry was scheduled to arrive on Monday, November 29th via planned c-section, but our little friend had another idea. Luckily we had picked up Papa Danny from the train station on Saturday morning and got him quickly up to speed on Finn's schedule because I went into labor that evening. Something seemed different about the contractions I was having from the previous Braxton Hicks I had experienced throughout most of my second and third trimester. After placing a call to the on-call OB/GYN to get some guidance if we should head to the hospital or not and noticing an increase in the intensity and how quickly the contractions were coming, we decided to take a ride over to see if I was really in labor. I will spare you the gory details, but it was determined that I WAS in labor and we would be having this baby in 20 minutes from the time the nurse got in touch with the on-call Doctor.

Tate was born at 1:36am on Sunday, November 28th which turned out to be a great birthday present for his Daddy! Papa Danny took great care of Finn while we were in the hospital and we were discharged to come home on Wednesday. Our nursing staff was amazing and we received wonderful care while we were there, but I was anxious to get home. Plus, if one more person came into my room to take my vitals or push on my belly, I was going to lose my mind!

Finn has been a great big brother and really likes Tate so far. He wants to "see Baby Tate" and lie down next to him. Pretty cute! My sister was here for a few days last week and we had so much fun...we were able to get some Christmas shopping done and just spend some quality time together. I love that we can just hang out on the couch and crack up together. I am so lucky to have my sister!

We are all looking forward to the holidays and are in full celebration mode with our Christmas tree up and listening to Christmas music every chance we get. We have yet to make Christmas cookies like I keep promising Finn, even though he continues to tell us "I like cooookies" every chance he gets. I think that is his way to remind me of my promise to him!

Hope everyone is doing well and we will all try to keep this a bit more up-to-date. Tate may even become a contributor, when he isn't busy eating, pooping and sleeping!

The Final Countdown

2010-11-19T16:04:00.000-08:00

Feel free to cue the old song by that hair band, Europe. I have officially started the countdown for the arrival of our new addition. I have 10 more sleeps until we head to the hospital and I can hardly believe the time has come. The nerves are kicking in and I am anxious for the surgery, but cannot wait to meet this little person that has been "cooking" in here for so long. One of my closest friends up here had her baby this morning and I went to visit them at the hospital this afternoon. I was overwhelmed with the sheer adrenaline and pure love that filled the room and can't wait for us to get to experience that again. Baby Cailyn was born at 5:56am this morning and she is gorgeous. She also has a full head of hair and since Tammy and I both suffered from heartburn throughout our pregnancies together (which according to the old wives tale means a "hairy baby"), I am sure I am giving birth to Chewbacca.

Thankful in a backhanded sort of way...

2010-11-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

So, I am walking into the break room at work to have one of the few vices I am allowing myself during this pregnany (caffeine in the form of jasmine green tea from Trader Joe's!) and the tea packet slips from my fingers onto the floor. Now, I could see how if you are reading this you are thinking "big deal", but to a 9-month pregnant gal who hasn't been able to see her feet looking straight down in months, this is a problem. I am watching the packet of glorious tea sail to the floor in what feels like slow motion - the same tea that is meant to help get me through the day that started at 5:45am when Finn woke up our household. With a hand on the door for stability and a grunt for sheer motivation, I bend over to pick up my tea packet only to stand up face-to-face with a co-worker who had proceeded to watch the entire thing shake down without offering any type of assistance to me whatsoever. Honestly.

Now, anyone who knows me can vouch that I am sensitive and get my feelings hurt probably easier than others. Perhaps OVERLY sensitive could be used as a descriptor and adding pregnancy hormones to this mix does not help anything, but I am officially OVER selfish people. This unfortunately clueless man has no idea that his actions, or lack there of, have set me off on a tangent of rehashing all the things people have done recently that have disappointed me or hurt my feelings. But, in writing all this down it has allowed me to vent and get it off my chest. Especially since I know that people will continue to be selfish and self-serving and I can only be responsible for how I let it affect me or react to it.

So, I am thankful to those who have reached out to me during this pregnancy to send congrats, check in periodically to see how I am feeling, offer advice or funny anecdotes to get me through difficult days, post on this page, or just let me know that they are thinking about me and my growing family. My plan is to take note of those who have shown this type of kindness to me and make sure to pay it forward AND continue to show my gratitude. In addition, I will look inwardly to make sure I am not being selfish and will strive to reach out to those in need...you never know when someone just needs to know you are thinking about them or care how they are doing. And, if a pregnant woman ever drops ANYTHING in front of me when I am no longer with child, you can bet I am going to do my best to get it for her.

Hugs!

2010-11-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

Today, I am thankful for the multiple hugs that Finn decided to shower me with this morning. Hugs from him usually have to be requested multiple times and he will begrudgingly oblige for the most part. But, I received two hugs this morning on the couch, one "run and jump into my arms" hug and one leg hug while I was putting my shoes on in preparation to leave for work. Made a blah Wednesday that much brighter for this Mommy!

Weekend Update from Massive Headwound Harry

2010-11-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's not THAT bad, but Mommy wanted me to document the weekend's excitement of injuries. Now, I am going to start this off by saying I am a climber. If there is something for me to climb on, I will be on it ASAP. Numerous times a day my parents tell me "Finn, don't run on the couch" or "Finn get down, we aren't supposed to jump from the couch to the table" or "Finn, it's not ok to stand on the armrest of the couch" or my personal fave to do "Finn, do NOT jump from the armrest, run on the couch and jump onto the table." These two are really stifling my gymnastics career.

Anyway, I was completely OVER dinner on Saturday night and left my parents at the table so I could slyly pull off one of these many maneuvers before getting in trouble. I was having a blast jumping off the couch and landing on the table, when I misjudged the distance and face planted onto the coffee table. My right eye now looks like Rocky Balboa's and Mommy is afraid school is going to call CPS on her when she arrives to pick me up today.

Fast forward to Sunday morning. My parents were pretending they couldn't hear me when I woke up yesterday, even though I was sending them clear messages like "I GET UP DADDY!" Deciding to take matters into my own hands, I climbed out of my crib and toppled to the floor landing on my head. Yes, that was the second time that region of my body had been compromised in a span of 12 hours. Mommy and Daddy hope that this isn't turning into a pattern, although I did stay in my crib after naptime yesterday and when I woke up this morning, using the requisite "I'm Ready!" that Mommy made me promise to say instead of scaling my crib to freedom. Finally, last night I was playing under the table and stood up without moving far enough away and hit my head for the third and last time this weekend. Perhaps the next time you come see us at our house I will be wearing protective gear like a helmet???

Gratitude

2010-11-05T16:14:00.001-07:00

I have a few friends who are taking this time in November to memorialize something in their life that they are thankful for each day. I LOVE the idea, but am tired at just the thought of doing it each day this month, so I thought I would jot some things down now.

My Mark - I am so lucky to have such a cool, smart, funny individual that wanted to spend his life with me. He is a great example of the type of person I would like to be and who I hope our children will model themselves after. His feathers don't get ruffled easily and he is super patient. Sometimes, these two characteristics madden me when I want him to react like a lunatic about something (ahem, like how I am reacting perhaps) and always appreciate it after the fact when he didn't. I appreciate all the additional work he has had on his plate recently to get ready for this new baby, not to mention helping take care of Finn AND me while I am swollen, grouchy, and rotund.

My Finn - Terrible two's have hit the Barry household like a whiny, crying, stubborn tornado. And yet, I am still ridiculously thankful for our little boy. His language and comprehension skills amaze me every single day (for example, he made me laugh on purpose yesterday while we were driving home and then had to announce "I'm funny!") and I sometimes just find myself staring at him in amazement and disbelief that I can take 1/2 the credit for creating him. There are definitely times when he tries my extremely limited amount of patience, but each morning I can't wait to see that little face and hang out with him once again.

My Family - There are too many people to list everyone by name here, but I am soooo thankful for my family, both immediate and extended members. I am especially grateful for my Dad's upcoming visit to watch Finn for us while we are having this new baby and adore the relationship that they have, even though we are far away. And I am extremely grateful and looking forward to my sister's visit as well (not to mention her previous weeklong stay with us when Finn was born.) I laughed quite hard during that week, which is not an easy feat with a c-section incision, and will always be so thankful for her coming to stay with us while she left her own family behind for the week. My Dad is the epitomy of selflessness and he definitely passed that onto my sister. And, what did I get from him??? - His nose! :)

The one thing I wish for is that my Mom would have been able to meet my two incredible boys that I have in my life, as well as the new baby that will be joining us in the end of the month. I know she would have loved Mark and would not have been able to get enough of Finn (and her adorable Granddaughter Amber too!) For that I am sad and probably always will be, but the silver lining is that I got to have her for as long as I did and I know that I have witnessed her personality shine through on occasion in Finn.

I am looking forward to this season of giving Thanks and hope to be able to appropriately show my gratitude for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. These, of course, are not the only things I am grateful for and will hopefully be able to post more soon.

~ Courtney

Our Little Fanly

2010-11-01T13:17:00.001-07:00

Mommy keeps talking about how our family is going to increase at the end of this month. She asks me all the time who our family is and I tell her "Mommy, Daddy and Finn...our Fanly"! Sometimes I will add Papa Danny to that or Nuna and sometimes our friend Tammy gets included too! Please note that I don't include the baby in this equation yet. My parents think it's still a little too early for me to understand that this thing wiggling around in Mommy's belly is actually going to be a baby that lives at our house and joins our "Fanly". Can't say I love the idea.

Yesterday was Halloween and although I have been stoked to be Buzz Buzz the Bumblebee ever since Mommy ordered my costume, I REFUSED to wear it. Would.Not.Look.At.It. That's the type of refusal I am talking about. Nobody is sure why I didn't want to wear it (and I sure am not talking about it), but Mommy and Daddy went with the bee theme and I would only wear my pajamas to the Halloween party at my friend Tyler and Austin's house. Mommy did say that Grandma Sharon was having a ball laughing at that scenario! We didn't get one family shot on our camera, but think Tyler and Austin's Mommy might have, so hopefully we can post photos soon.

We will be welcoming the new baby on November 29th, as long as s/he doesn't come early and Mommy is getting a teensy bit nervous about the whole thing. She has already had some contractions, but no real labor yet, and says that anyone who says you forget what labor and recovery is like is a big, fat liar. I am SOOOOOO excited that Papa Danny is going to come up and stay with me for a week while Mommy is in the hospital and he is going to get to see my "new house", my "new school" and bring me to the hospital to meet my new brother or sister! Nuna is going to come the week after for a few days to help and then Mommy said she doesn't want to think about how sad she is going to be once her "fanly" leaves. Sheesh, what a baby! :)

These are Mommy's last two weeks of work before she takes some time off for the baby. In actuality, it is 9 1/2 more days or 76 more hours or 4,560 more minutes, but really whose counting?

Thanks for checking in and hopefully we will have more posts before the new baby arrives!!!

Last vacation...

2010-09-24T15:47:00.001-07:00

Well, the last vacation until the baby is born I should say. I am hoping my parents will take me and my sibling(s) on more vacations when we get older. And, I write sibling(s) because not sure if Mommy will be having any more babies anytime soon. She is officially OVER being pregnant already, according to her, and can't wait to meet this new little person. Disclaimer - Mommy wants me to point out that she can wait until Baby Dos is fully cooked though as she is only 30 weeks along!

Anyway, sorry for the digression. Last weekend we went down to Newport Beach to spend some time with Nuna, Uncle Jason and Amber. It was sooooo much fun and Mommy & Daddy want to rent a beach house next summer! The location was great because it was right on the sand and we didn't have anyone peering in our windows like they do closer to the boardwalk or on Balboa Island. Don't think WE weren't peering in people's windows when we walked to lunch by the Newport Pier or when we visited Balboa Island with Aunt Lala though!

The weather was great and would warm up in the afternoon. We could watch the surfers from the comfort of the couches in the living room and listen to the waves crashing on the shore. It was rad! Nuna's birthday was earlier in the week so we celebrated with dinner, presents and cake. I LOVE happy birthday cake, as I call it, and although there weren't any "handles" (aka candles) it was still delicious. Auntie Lala brings the best treats always!!!

It was sad to say goodbye to the Flemings and their awesome beach house. We got some shots from our trip down there though and can't wait until we can see them again!

Cousin Amber and I preparing for some death-defying acrobats.

Uncle Jason and Amber!

Hmmm, do you think they know I have a donut hole in my mouth??

Vacation is over...I don't want to talk about it! :(

New House!

2010-09-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

We have been in our new house for one week and are loving it!! The space, the rooms, the backyard, oh my! Mommy and Daddy haven't lived in a house up here in Santa Barbara for a very long time and have never lived in one that has a garage, so they are super stoked.

Other than unpacking and trying to get settled, we have been pretty boring recently. We will be visiting the Flemings at their beach house this weekend though and are looking forward to relaxing by the ocean and celebrating Nuna's birthday!!! Nuna is Auntie Erin and nobody knows where I came up with Nuna for Erin. I have been calling her that since I started talking though and it just stuck! I love my Nuna...she came to stay with Mommy and Daddy for a whole week when I was first home from the hospital and I swear I have such a close bond with her because of that time. Not to mention that she is really kind and loves me like I am her own!

We have one more trip down to LA to visit Mommy's friends and their kiddos in September and then we are staying put until the new baby arrives. I keep telling Mommy and Daddy that it is a "baby sister" and that I want to name the baby "Rocka Baby", but not sure if they love that idea. Mommy keeps asking if I want to feel the baby move, but I am usually too busy. Mommy says the baby is moving alot and swears she saw an elbow poking out today. GROSS!

I've got the fever

2010-08-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Great news - we received news the middle of last week confirming we have been approved for the rental house we had an application on!! Mommy and Daddy are SO excited! We will have more room, storage, a backyard, garage, etc. Yay!! Neither one is looking forward to moving AGAIN (especially not Daddy since he did it almost completely on his own, although he did have help from Geoff and Joe - thank you so much guys!) But, we have been living out of boxes for the majority of our time in the apartment so the packing shouldn't be as big of a bear this time. Plus, we are hiring movers and will probably never move ourselves again!!

With the move coming up and having to cancel our Palm Springs weekend because of the timing of our move in date, we went down for a spontaneous trip to Orange County to relax a bit for the weekend. Nobody told my immune system about this trip because I woke up with a fever on Saturday morning. We still decided to hit the Disneyland park for a few hours though since we have those summer passes, but after a few rides and witnessing the awesomeness that is the Jedi Training show, I was practically begging to go back to Papa's house. Mommy said "we are leaving Disneyland to go back to Dangerland" since Papa's house, as I am sure I have mentioned in previous posts, is not super child-friendly. Daddy was stung by a bee last time we were down and there are "owies" all over the place, the term my parents and Papa have dubbed for all the dangerous, spiky and scary cactus that he has in his garden. Not to mention the gate-less pool or the spiky, glass coffee table, that we have nicknamed "The Widowmaker"!

"Let me out to Dangerland!!!!"

Anyway, my temperature went up and down all day and into the night, so we didn't do too much. I did wake up bright and early on Sunday morning - we're talking 4am people - but my fever has since pretty much broke. We did get to enjoy lunch with Papa, Auntie Lala & Jeff, Auntie Nuna, Uncle Jason and Amber, and Rick and Pam. I enjoyed NOT eating lunch and not wanting to sit in my highchair, but preferred cruising the front of the restaurant with Papa and cuddling on Daddy's lap. We will be back down for a visit the last weekend in August and are looking forward to it. I will let my immune system know ahead of time so we hopefully don't have another episode!

Papa with his grandkids!

Mommy with cousin Amber!!

LOVE my cousin Amber!!

Jail or Knuckle Sandwich

2010-07-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

Mommy is MAKING me clarify a few things, in case you are ever hanging out with me and I use either of the above terms. First, Mommy or Daddy (nobody can remember who started it) said I was in "jail" when I was stuck in between their legs standing in front of them sitting on the couch. Jail, in the Barry household, consists of being stuck here and either getting tickled or kissed/hugged. Not like the typical description of jail, at least not from what my parents have seen on Locked Up Abroad or the like.

Second, Mommy sometimes will ask me if I want a knuckle sandwich. I usually reply with "YEAH!" because this means she is going to tickle the side of my face with her knuckles. At no point does she use force or brass knuckles.

Just want to clarify so CPS is never called on my parents!

See, don't I look happy and well adjusted??

Disneyland!

2010-07-31T17:26:00.000-07:00

So, Mommy talked Daddy into buying the Disneyland Summer tickets and we decided to make a trip down a couple of weekends ago. It was great timing because it wasn't uncomfortably hot (not that I care, but thinking of Mommy in her prego state) or incredibly crowded (this was for everyone else's sake since my Mommy does NOT have alot of patience for the ignorant masses - even worse when she is expecting.) We had a great time and are looking forward to our next trip down!

We have been trying to find a bigger house in the area because we need more room than the teeny, tiny apartment we are living in currently (Mommy is requesting you all send us good thoughts please!) With this new baby that Mommy and Daddy keep telling me about, I guess we will need more space. Not sure how I feel about this new addition coming in to our family, although I did tell my parents that I was going to "hit the baby" the other day. Neither of them was really stoked, but I didn't mean it. Come on!

One of my new favorite things to do is to have a 'dance party' with Mommy and Daddy. I particularly like "Hot Dog" that plays at the end of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but my dancing partners can only take so much of that tune. They try to mix it up with some other jams, including songs by some guys named Prince and Justin Timberlake...I GUESS they are ok!

Ballerina or Karate Kid??

2010-07-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

We've had visual baby movement! Last night, Mark and I were watching TV and I had a feeling we were going to get some movement...I was right and we both got to see the baby kick for the first time! Every time we have had an ultrasound, the baby has been moving like a maniac, so I am sure I am in store for some crazy acrobatics for the next few months. And, I have to admit that there have been times when I have literally forgotten I am pregnant and marvel at how different the second pregnancy can be. But, to see that little being moving and know s/he is growing in there as planned, is no less exciting or miraculous than it was with Finn.

We don't know if we are welcoming a boy or a girl to our family, but it is clear that our newest addition is going to be active. Just thinking of adding another bundle of energy to our family makes me even more tired than I already am, which by the way, is SUPER tired this time around. With Finn I had bundles of energy in my second trimester, but this time I just feel like I could nap all day and dream of M&Ms....mmmmm! :)

Summer Fun

2010-07-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, the Barry Family have been busy little bees, which means not spending alot of time on the computer apparently! Since my last post in May we have - announced we are adding another baby to our family, visited the Flemings in San Clemente so Mommy and Daddy could go to Shannon & Jason's wedding in Del Mar, had a birthday party for ME and welcomed the Flemings to Santa Barbara for a FUN visit, survived the stomach flu (well, only Mommy had this one), ear infections and head colds, and visited the OC to see our family down there.

While Mommy and I were visiting OC, Daddy flew up north to see his family for a visit and it was the longest I have been away from him. Mommy kept me SUPER busy by going to my new favorite place, Target (it was bound to happen since that Target-Lover is my Mom!) and to three different parties over the weekend. I LOVE parties and was sort of annoyed that Mommy had to go back to work today instead of taking me to a party. I have some photos below for your viewing pleasure.

Here are some of the things that I have been working on recently: Counting to 14 and skipping 5, 6, 12 and 13 altogether, singing lots of songs and my favorites are "Itsy, Bitsy Fiber", "Old MacDonald", "Tinkle Staws" and "Happy Day" which is my rendition of Happy Birthday, and not listening to my parents when they want me to stop doing something fun because it's "dangerous". Such worry warts, those two. I also LOVE to paint and have come home with some very cool pieces of artwork for my ever-growing gallery. We need to move out of this tiny apartment so we can have space to hang my masterpieces!

With my Auntie Lala - I LOVE her and she is soooo funny!!

They unleashed the beast into the backyard - FREEDOM!

Cruising with Papa Danny, my escort around the pool

My cousin and buddy, Amber!

Cousin Luke...he taught me how fun those tubes can be when you stand up in them and I stole all the quesadillas he didn't want to eat off his plate =we're a good team!!

"I need that"

2010-05-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Mommy didn't realize that when I was younger she would say to me "I need that" when I had something in my hand that I shouldn't have (think, anything small that I could slip quickly into my mouth and could potentially slide down my throat causing her to have to fumble with the heimlich maneuver in a panic.) I have since adopted this phrase and it makes Mommy and Daddy crack up everytime. Today, I announced "I need that" while Mommy was putting on her chapstick and I have been known to state "I need crackers" at times when I CLEARLY don't need crackers. Mommy is just glad she taught me I need that instead of I want that...oh, just wait lady.

Sorry for being such a bad updater on our website. Most of you know that we moved recently and are still in a state of chaos at the new place. Mommy and Daddy keep telling me it is just temporary while we search for a bigger home, but I think Mommy secretly likes it. Not forever, she assures me, but she LOVES the walk-in closet and the brand new, clean bathroom. She did liken it to a hotel though, without the housekeeping service, and I have witnessed a few episodes where her frustration got the best of her due to the chaos...I don't really know what it means, but she has said "of course I can't find the lid to the steamer when I need to steam some carrots. Why should anything be easy around here??" I think she is hilarious, especially when she is frustrated. That's usually when I turn on the dishwasher, even though I know I am not supposed to, or remove ALL the tupperware from our childlock-less cabinets (aka MY favorite part of the new pad) to really get her going.

We are going to our PEP birthday party this weekend and I am very excited to see all of my buddies. We have known each other since we are little, like 5 weeks old little, and it will be nice to see everyone. Hopefully we can take advantage of some warmer weather this weekend too and maybe go to the beach or pool...parents, are you reading this???

Peace,
Finn

Catching up

2010-03-30T19:37:00.001-07:00

Hey to all my fans (I am talking to all three of you out there that read this!) Mommy just downloaded some photos and I decided it would be a great time to catch everyone up on some of the stuff we have been up to. First things first - FIRETRUCKS!! We went to a Kids Expo two weekends ago and I got to get up close and personal with a Santa Barbara County firetruck. Pretty cool and it was a good thing I wore my matching shirt.

Next up was a date with Mom at the playground, although as soon as this cutie (behind me in the "tunnel of love" photo below) started talking to me, I soon forgot all about my Mom. Mom thought "Sigh, my baby is growing up" and I thought "Lady, you are ruining my game!"

I have found a new affection for STICKERS recently. And, the cool workers at Trader Joes will usually give me some to keep me from screaming while in the checkout line. I decided that I would apply each one given to me painstakingly S.L.O.W. while Mommy waited patiently (yes, you read that right...patiently) in the parking lot. The results are below and I am pretty proud of myself, if you couldn't tell.

Finally, I went to SCHOOL for the first day today! Yep, I started at UCSB and had a great time. Daddy dropped me off and I was ready to go as soon as my feet hit the floor. There was so much to do and so many new friends to be made, although I had to give Daddy two hugs before he had to go to some place called work. Mommy picked me up and she knew I had a good time because I was dirty from head to toe. Notice there are stickers in my first day of school photo too. I told you, I LOVE stickers!

Well, thanks for checking in and now you are pretty much caught up. It's past my bedtime, so more later!

Peace,

Finn

Boo CaCa

2010-03-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Before I learn how to pronounce the above hairy guy's name correctly, Mommy wants me to document what I call him. Boo CaCa! It makes my parents laugh every time. I guess I will continue to mispronounce it for awhile just to amuse them. Those two are easily amused, I must say!

More later,

Finn

UCSB!!

2010-03-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

After all my preparation and months of hard work, I have received the great news that I have been accepted to UCSB! Mommy and Daddy are SO proud since they are both alums and this campus brings back fond memories of when they met. Mommy keeps saying that I can't go to "IV" EVER in my lifetime, but I don't know what she is talking about.

I haven't declared a major yet and am not ready to limit my focus, but I know I will be spending quality time in art, music, physical education, nutrition and naptime. What, like you didn't take tons of naps when YOU were in college?

Needless to say, I will be at the UCSB childcare center soon for a couple of days and we are all thrilled about it. Mommy put me on the waiting list when I was just a wee fetus and we were finally offered a spot. After our visit on Monday, we are all so excited to be starting this new journey. I tend to need some time to warm up to new places/people, but I couldn't wait for Daddy to put me down so I could run wild, scale the ramp and climb down the stairs, check out the books and the cool table with a ton of balls to throw, open the door to the "nap room" and listen to some Rachmaninoff (even Daddy was impressed with that) and check out the array of blocks & toys. I even cried a little bit before we left, just to make sure that Mommy and Daddy knew how much I enjoyed myself and am looking forward to going back.

GO GAUCHOS!!

Where does the time go??

2010-03-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

Mommy is always wondering "where does the time go" and I thought that was appropriate for the title of my post. I can't believe the last time I practiced my typing skills was back in January, so I apologize for my lack of follow through. Good thing keeping up with this page in a timely manner wasn't one of my New Years Resolutions.

We have had a fun and busy past few weeks. Since my last "blog" (BTW, does anyone else loathe that word, BLOG, like Mommy and I do?? It feels gross rolling off the tongue and reminds me of lame nicknames, like Brangelina. It's official - I shall only refer to my writing on this site as "posts" from now on.) Sorry for the digression. As I was saying, since my last "post" we have been up north to meet new Baby Evan and catch up with the Bartows, visited Aunt Mary/Papa Mike/The Muirs in Sacramento, went to a cool place called Pretend City in Irvine with The Flemings (photos below for your viewing pleasure), visited with Auntie Lala, and celebrated Mommy's birthday.

In January I started at my new sitter's house on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - we LOVE her and couldn't be happier. My friend Mason, (May May), is there and we have known each other since we were 6 weeks old! There is also another friend named RJ, (Are Day), who lives next door to my sitter and I think it is safe to say that I REALLY like him. I talk about him ALOT and get very excited to see him. Mommy and Daddy haven't met him yet and liken him to the "cool kid" in school. One day I am going to be SO embarrassed of those two.

Saturday Night Fever

2010-01-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

Now, don't worry....I don't have a fever and nobody is dressed like this:

But, it is Saturday night and we are spending it in typical Barry fashion (i.e, at home and my parents are preparing to watch a rented movie that they missed in the theatres.) I have been a "little" bit of a pain today and I prefer not to share why (hey, my parents read this and they are STUMPED as to why I was in rare form for most of today so I am not letting anyone in on my secret.) However, I must say that I am writing this from the comfort of my crib and they put me in here 20 minutes earlier than my normal bedtime without a peep from me, so I am clearly not myself.

We are all looking forward to the New Year and have made some resolutions. Mommy decided, among a myriad of other things she will be working on this year, that she needs to watch her language...she isn't raising a sailor for goodness sakes and she can cuss with the best of them, but she decided to focus on sharing some of her other strengths with me instead. She definitely enjoys writing and has decided to help me build on my vocabulary. My newest words from the last couple of weeks are Doctor, Animal, Tammy, Moose, Blueberry, Cracker, Ernie and Pancake. Let's also clarify that they don't necessarily sound exactly like you would think (for instance, Ernie sounds like Oooh-Neeee), but it's consistent and I am definitely talking about Ernie of the Ernie and Bert fame when I say it. Hey, the "R" sound is hard for some kiddos!

We are looking forward to our visit to meet the newest member of our family in January. Baby Evan was born just before Thanksgiving this year so we will be taking a trip up North to visit the Bartow family and meet the new addition. Also on the agenda for this year are bridal showers, weddings, birthday celebrations, hopefully a vacation, spending more time with family and friends, making memories and sharing lots of laughs. One of our family resolutions is to have more fun and appreciate all that we have because we are so very lucky...we are starting NOW! Hope you all are well and thanks for checking in with us!

Peace,

Finn

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

We had a great, yet germ-filled holiday this year thanks to the upper respiratory virus making its rounds this winter season. Daddy was the most affected and ended up being sick through Christmas Day, but he was able to rest and recuperate at Papa Danny's house and finally felt better. We opened up presents at Papa Danny's house with the Flemings and I perfected saying Amber's name...it sounds very distinguished with my pronunciation - "Ahhmburr". I have also named Auntie Erin, Nuna, and nobody knows why. This one is still a mystery to us all!

Mommy and I attended Papa Danny's annual Chinese Food Christmas Eve dinner (nobody knows how this originated) and we were joined by a fun group including Charles and Catherine West and the Prahsers. What a fun event! Mommy showed everyone how I know how to "cheers" with my sippie cup and I got so excited at one point that I threw my sippie cup and it knocked Mommy's glass of chardonnay over, spraying Jim's nice shirt, Mommy's plate and my diaper bag. Nothing spells good parenting like a diaper bag smelling like Chardonnay, right?

I was much more interested in eating Puffs and a bagel than I was in opening my gifts on Christmas morning, but thankfully Amber was very helpful and I got most of my gifts opened. It did take 2 days to open everything because I got a little overwhelmed with all the stimulation, but I was really spoiled this year. Some of my favorite gifts included the Doo Dah (DUH), a broom set, Doodle pro, puzzles, a ball that lights up when you throw it hard enough (AWESOME), bath toys, matching squeak eggs game and some board games for when I am bigger. I told you I was spoiled!

Mommy and Daddy were able to take advantage of Papa Danny's offer of FREE babysitting twice while we were down at his house so they saw a movie (Up In The Air, which they REALLY recommend) and enjoyed a Finn-less dinner out at a real restaurant one evening. What a treat!

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday this year and wish you all a happy, healthy and fun-filled 2010.

Peace,

Finn

Mystery of the Doo Dah - SOLVED!!!

2010-01-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

For some time now, I have referred to a vacuum cleaner (and a broom and surprisingly a wrapping paper roll) as "Doo Dah". I LOVE the doo dah and can't get enough of it. This is a good thing for our condo since it means that Mommy vacuums more often due to my fascination. But, due to my limited spoken vocabulary, I couldn't explain to my parents WHY the vacuum is called a Doo Dah.

Fast forward to Christmas when I opened my very own "Doo dah" made by the wonderful people at Fisher Price. I was so excited by this present that we even brought it to Auntie Sheila's house with us for dinner so I could 'take care' of the carpets at her house. Once we arrived at Aunt Sheila's and I was set with the Doo Dah, Mommy noticed there was a song that was playing when I pushed the vacuum around. She utilized all of her technical skills to turn the volume up (this took 3x longer than it would have if Daddy were with us, but he stayed behind at Papa Danny's house nursing an upper respiratory infection) and was shocked to find the song lyrics say "I'm gonna clean the house today, DOO DAH, DOO DAH!" She immediately called Daddy to include him in the findings and they figured I must have played with this very toy at a friend's house.

Cheers to the mystery of the Doo Dah being solved...what a Christmas Miracle!

18 months

2009-12-15T17:30:00.001-08:00

It was just 18 months ago today that my parents were blessed with the most precious gift they had ever received - ME! I came into this world on Father's Day and brought along with me a never ending diaper changing schedule, metal singer scream, sleep deprivation for my parents and the opportunity for them to experience the most radical, unconditional love. While some things have changed (my diaper output has slowed down and I did begin sleeping through the night at 4 months) the unconditional love has only continued to grow.

They are enamoured with my every milestone...you should see the videos of me walking, talking, etc. Oh wait, you probably HAVE seen these since I post my milestones on my blog. Anyway, they are my biggest fans and feel so lucky that I joined the family.

So, cheers to me hitting the 18 month mark! Mommy keeps wondering when we get to move from months to years - she says Math isn't her strongest subject!

Day 1

Today!

Remembering all we have to be thankful for

2009-12-08T13:39:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone...I can hardly believe it! We were able to celebrate Turkey Day down in Orange County with Mommy's family and it was alot of fun, although we did have some sadness sprinkled in the mix. After years of battling Multiple Myeloma and countless treatments and procedures, we lost our wonderful Uncle Scott the day after Thanksgiving. He leaves behind his amazing wife Sheila (Mommy's Auntie), daughters Kristin and Jill, their respective husbands Ryan and Whit, his sons AJ, Patrick and Jeff, as well as the newest addition to our family, his first Grandson Charlie. His funeral was this past weekend and was such a beautiful memorial for him (or at least that is what Mommy tells me...I was running around outside with Daddy) It included all of his accomplishments as a family man, as well as in his work life, and all that he contributed to his community. We will miss you Uncle Scott, but promise to take great care of your loved ones that we still have here!

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we took some family photos with Mommy's friend Carrie at a local park. (You can visit Carrie's blog on the right side of the page - Carrie T. Photography - for a sneak peek of the photos!) All was going well and we were having a blast, until I slipped off the park bench and bit my lip REALLY hard. Daddy said this was probably just the first of many injuries I will have in my life and we did get to take our first field trip to the ER. Luckily, for everyone involved, I did not need stitches and Mommy can attest that I am healing very well. She is having a hard time getting the image of all that blood out of her mind, but I think she needs to toughen up a little bit. Daddy took some pictures of the wound, but I will spare you the gore!

Although we should remember the things we have to be thankful for all the year round, it's nice to stop and take a moment to reflect and appreciate our blessings this time of year. I am sooooo thankful for my wonderful parents and I think they are doing a great job. Mommy is thankful for our health, our family members (including those that we have reconnected with recently), that both Mommy and Daddy are employed and able to provide for our family, that we have a roof above our head and food on our table. But most importantly, she is thankful for Daddy and me...Duh, right. Have you seen how cute I am??

Here's hoping you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones and that this holiday season brings you much joy, laughter and love!

Peace out,
Finn

Chatty

2009-11-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have begun to pick up more and more words recently with the help of Mommy & Daddy and below is a video from our vocab practice session last night.

"It's not a big deal"

2009-11-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

So, Mommy's favorite phrase is "It's not a big deal, Finn" when I am annoyed, frustrated, fussy, etc. Basically, whenever I think something IS a big deal, she will bust out with this phrase. What she doesn't seem to understand is when she takes the keys, (or "buh bye"s as I adorably refer to them) away from me, that IS a big deal and I am going to throw a fit.

We also disagree on things she thinks are a big deal...like for instance, when the full bag of brand new clean diapers arrives, I think it is a great idea (but NOT a big deal) to remove them all and leave them on the floor in my room. Fun, right? She doesn't think so and I tend to hear phrases like "are those where the diapers go?" and "is this what your room is supposed to look like?" Duh lady, I am assuming it's NOT where the diapers go or how my room is supposed to look since you had to ask.

I must say that we both agreed that me falling off the bottom rung of the kitchen chair and landing flat on the back of my head this afternoon WAS a big deal. I proceeded to cry and screech loudly, with crocodile tears streaming down my face, and she proceeded to call the Doctor to make sure everything was ok. No need to worry, because I am fine and think it was just scary for everyone. It's pretty clear that I didn't learn my lesson though because I also proceeded to fall off the coffee table that my parents have strategically placed in front of the fireplace in attempts to deter me from playing in there.

Well, I should probably get going because there are plenty of NOT big deals for me to take care of before bedtime (including throwing and possibly eating cat food, standing on my toys, trying to pull the lamp down and chasing the cats!)

Peace,
Finn

Happy Halloween...a few days late! :)

2009-11-04T09:58:00.001-08:00

Hello! We hope everyone had a great Halloween this year. I had a blast, although I am still a bit too little to understand the gloriousness that Halloween can be. Mommy and Daddy chose our costumes this year (we were The Incredibles) and had a blast celebrating at TWO parties. My friends Frances and Samuel had a really fun Halloween party with games, prizes, food, etc. My favorite thing was splashing in the kiddie pool and drenching myself with water. Thank goodness it was 5,000 degrees outside in the end of October in beautiful Santa Barbara! :)

Next, we headed over to my friends Tyler and Austin's house for an evening event...I found my new, most favorite thing (Do I sound like Oprah???) - the sandbox! My parents also realized that I am not the best sharer and decided I need to have more playdates. Jackson (the Dinosaur) and I seem to be playing well together by the looks of the picture below, but don't think I didn't freak out if he took a toy I wanted to play with. Cheers to tantrums and I can't wait until I learn the word "mine"...I have recently perfected the word "no", to Mommy and Daddy's dismay, but I can round it out with a sweet "Ah yah yah" which means "I love you" and that seems to change their tune.

And we're off again...

2009-10-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a fabulous trip up to Red Bluff to surprise Papa Mike for his upcoming 75th birthday. It was a great time enjoyed by all and I was able to see my Aunties and Cousin Dylan. The trip went by really fast though and before we knew it, we were boarding the tiny plane back to Santa Barbara. I do need to make note that Mom tried to "gate check" me before we boarded on the little plane to Chico...she almost handed me off to the airport worker waiting before we boarded! I was a pretty good boy on the flight as long as I had snacks and I thoroughly enjoyed turning the lights on and off, opening and closing the window shade and eating cheerios. The photos aren't downloaded yet so we will update as soon as we can.

This weekend, we are heading down to Orange County again because Mommy is in Angela and Matt's wedding! I get to hang out with Auntie Erin, Uncle Jason and Cousin Amber while my parents get to celebrate at the wedding...this scenario works best for everyone involved! We should have pictures to post once we return as well so until then, have a great weekend!!!

Peace,
Finn

Happy Anniversary

2009-10-15T08:34:00.001-07:00

It is hard to imagine, but my parents DID have a life without me before I was even a twinkle in their very eyes. 10 years ago, Mommy had a great idea to put on a benefit show at UCSB to raise money and awareness for breast cancer in honor of HER Mommy. With the fundraising, sign-making, shirt creating and idea partaking help of her amazing girlfriends/roommates (April, Brandy, Damien, Devon, Jennifer, Sarah and Tammy to be exact!), the R.A.I.N.S. organization was founded on the campus of UCSB. Standing for "Raising Awareness In the Name of Sharon", they worked tirelessly to obtain funding from the University to offset the cost of throwing a benefit show, recruiting bands to play the event, advertising for the show, looking for sponsors for raffle prizes, etc. Little did any of them know that they were actually setting the stage for my parents to meet and end up together.

My Dad plays the guitar, as many of you are aware, and was in a band called Pressure 4-5 during this same time. It was suggested to Mommy that she get his band to play the benefit show and Pressure ended up offering to play for free! Prior to the actual show, Mommy went to see Daddy's band play and was a little concerned at the rowdiness of the crowds they drew, but they seemed to make an impact on each other (I think Mommy told her girlfriends that she had a new "boyfriend"...that was code in their girl language.)

Anyway, the benefit show was a success and since this was in the days before digital photos, we don't have any to post. The event raised money for breast cancer awareness, Mommy found a way to honor Sharon's memory, AND Daddy ended up asking Mommy to come to a battle of the bands show that weekend. They still laugh that when asked what they were talking about that evening, Daddy said "We are getting married" and Mommy said "You have to be engaged first"...so they were technically engaged to be married from the get go.

Fast forward to October 14, 2006...Mommy and Daddy took their vows in front of their family and friends in a beautiful ceremony and have cherished every day since. Happy Anniversary to my parents and I wish them many, many, many more to come!

Palm Springs

2009-10-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Mommy went down to Palm Springs with her girlfriends to celebrate Angela's upcoming wedding. While she was busy doing this:

Daddy and I were home eating healthy food and learning new words as evidenced below:

Yes, I am sporting a forearm tattoo, but don't be concerned that Daddy let me do this since Mommy was gone. SHE was the culprit and gave it to me last weekend. I wasn't stoked to have this "procedure" done...she had to hold my arm for 25 seconds with a wet washcloth to get it to stick.

Hanging out

2009-09-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

With the swine flu running rampant throughout the US, Mom doesn't allow me to play with other kids. So, here is a shot of me hanging out with my best buds - Leo and Ellie. These two were gifted to me even before I was in the real world. Pretty cool. I particularly enjoy eating Leo's mane and cuddling with Ellie...maybe that is why I don't have any real friends?

DISCLAIMER: Hi all, it's me Courtney. For the record, Finn DOES have real friends and IS allowed to hang out with them. My child can be so dramatic sometimes...not sure where he gets it from! :)

Here Comes The Bride...

2009-09-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Jennifer and Alec's wedding and it was beautiful! I don't have alot of experience with weddings (this literally was my first one), but I had a very important job as ring bearer. Mommy wouldn't let me carry the actual rings down the aisle because she said she couldn't afford to replace them if I decided to throw them or swallow them. The beautiful Church (don't have alot of experience with these either, ahem heathen parents) had a long aisle and I made it down all the way, with only one almost stop in a pew with a random old lady. She seemed very nice and is pictured here - you can see me checking her out...

After the ceremony ended, my babysitter Colleen came to pick me up so my parents could have a date and below are pictures from the rest of the night...their evening consisted of eating delicious food, dancing, hanging out with great friends and spending some much needed time together. My evening consisted of running around, going up and down the stairs, chasing Colleen's doggies, clapping, eating dinner, and sleeping. It was a great night for everyone!

From the rehearsal and after party (Daddy and I went home after dinner so Mommy got to hang with her girl friends!)

Mommy and Daddy at the reception

The Father/Daughter Dance...Jennifer looked so pretty!

Jennifer and Mommy dancing away!

And the cutting of the cake!

Now the two lovebirds are on their honeymoon...I don't really know what that means, but everytime Mom hears the word she smiles and talks about some place with a weird name...Zihuatanejo. Congratulations to Jen and Alec - we love you!

Mommy and Me

2009-09-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Mommy and I drove down to Orange County for a fun weekend. Friday, we went to Disneyland AGAIN and this time Auntie Erin and Amber joined in the fun. I did NOT take an afternoon nap, but I did crash in the stroller at the end of the evening...not surprising after a day filled with the Play Parade, Dumbo, It's a Small World,

meeting Mickey Mouse, Heimlich's Chew Chew train, the carousel, the spinning Ladybug ride (no, that's not the name of it, but Mommy and I can't remember it right now) and one big kid ride called the Zephyr. I got to sit on the bench with my very own seatbelt on this one and Mommy thought I looked so grown up (and was sort of bummed she didn't think to bring the camera on the ride with us.) I really enjoyed meeting Mickey Mouse and smacked him square on the nose upon introduction. Mommy thought it was hilarious; Mickey and his handlers did not think it was as humorous.

Daddy didn't join us on the trip down because he had to pull Single Daddy duty for TWO weekends in a row. We gave him a little bit of a break and he was REALLY excited to see us on Sunday. Mommy and Daddy have come to realize that even though I am ALOT of work and have ALOT of energy, it is just not the same being away from me. Even when I am getting new teeth in and am a bit grouchy (hypothetically speaking, of course...not like they are suffering, er dealing, with this right now as I type.)

We get to see my Doctor tomorrow and I am very excited. He is a very nice guy AND Mommy & Daddy decided to skip my shots this visit so as to not risk any adverse side effects - whoo hoo! I need to be in tiptop shape for this weekend when I debut my ring bearering skills in Jen and Alec's wedding. I am sure we will have lots of pictures from the big day and will post them soon.

And, here are some photos from today...I thoroughly enjoy my bathtub unless I need to have an actual bath in it. At what point are my parents going to transition me to the real bathtub you ask?? It remains a mystery!

Peace,

Finn

Pick your seat

2009-09-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

Geez, I am on a roll today...here is another post that I wanted to share since I have a second. Mommy and I had to run a quick errand at Macy's the other day, but once we were parked in a nice shady spot (it has seriously been hotter than Hades here lately...I don't even really know what that phrase means and I probably sound like a 95-year old lady by saying it, but you get the drift) Mommy realized the stroller was not in the back of her car. With quite a dilemma on her hands, Mommy decided to face the challenge head on and carry me into the store to shop.

On the way in she also realized that she had to go to the restroom...now this was going to get tricky. Mind you, she talks to me all the time and I pretend like I don't understand what she is saying because I don't want to be the next Doogie Howser, so I knew that she was concerned about having an unrestrained, walking toddler in the cesspool of germs also known as a public restroom. With Mother Nature sending her not so subtle reminders, we braved it and I could feel Mommy's heartbeat racing...only to come to find there was a special seat attached to the wall in the handicap stall for this very type of scenario!!! I was strapped in with lightening speed and Mommy was able to get her business done, as well as snap a photo of this amazing device/NASA Spaceshuttle launch babyseat.

Where to start...

2009-09-04T09:50:00.001-07:00

First of all, Mommy wants me to apologize for not keeping up with this blog. We have been so busy having fun that the last thing I want to do is sit in front of the computer all day. But, she keeps reminding me that I shouldn't shirk my blogging responsibilities so here goes and I have to provide the disclaimer that this will be a long recap!:

The first weekend in August my parents surprised me with a trip to Papa Danny's house so we could go to Disneyland! The surprise turned out to be on them because I woke up on the WRONG side of the crib and was a grouchy monster for oh let's say the MAJORITY of our visit to the happiest place on earth. The grouchiness was partially due to a new tooth making it's appearance and partially due to the fact that I am now a super, duper walking machine and can't be slowed down by a silly stroller.
We did watch a parade in California Adventures and the entire Barry family enjoyed this...I liked the music and the bright colors and my parents enjoyed the fact that our seats were smack dab in the middle of the wine country area of the park! We are heading back down this weekend and EVERYONE keep your fingers crossed that I am a happy toddler for this trip. Although, I have a sneaking suspicion that my parents are planning to leave me with Papa Danny so they can go to the park themselves on Sunday night for what they are referring to as "date night"...we'll see if I am ok with that.

The next weekend we had a really fun time with my friends Frances, Samuel and Jackson. All the Mommies got together a few months ago and came up with the idea to have the Daddies get together in Santa Barbara as part of their Father's Day celebration! The Daddies (also known as Chris and Pete) have been friends with my own Daddy forever and they are alot of fun. We went to Shoreline Cafe for happy hour on Friday, the Daddies went on a beer tasting tour (and I am pretty sure they didn't just "taste" on said tour) and we all had dinner at Chris and Sylvie's beautiful home, then Sunday we celebrated Samuel's 2nd birthday. It was a great weekend and I am so glad I got to meet my new friend Jackson and his super cool parents.

The Daddies with the their kiddos!

I think Jackson is telling me talk to the hand...oh no he di'int.

Me and Frances...I.Love.Her...can you tell?

The next generation...plotting something that will surely get us into trouble.

Here are "The Daddies" (my own, Chris and Pete) midway through the beer tasting. Mighty large "tasters" they have in front of them, wouldn't you say??

Fast forward to the NEXT weekend...this was a bit of a milestone for the Barry clan because Mommy left me and Daddy on Thursday and didn't come back until Sunday! Jennifer was celebrating her bachelorette party down in Palm Springs and Mommy, Jen and Tammy all drove down on Thursday night. This meant it was "Ladies Night" down in PS and "Barry Boy Weekend" up here! Barry Boy Weekend = listening to Motley Crue, going to the park, helping Daddy Finn-proof our condo, and some real bonding time. Mommy says she missed us, but I really think she had a good time! Below are some photos to prove it...

Pool party with Dames, Jen and Sarah

Pre-party with almost all the girls on night one!

One can only imagine what was said to cause this reaction!

And finally, last weekend was Papa Danny's birthday celebration/Barry Boy Weekend part two. Mommy went down to help Aunt Sheila and Uncle Scott at their house in Temecula and thought it was probably better for everyone involved if I stayed home. And, since we are heading down to Orange County this weekend she thought Daddy might want to skip the drive down and back for the weekend so he and I stayed here again (basically a repeat of the weekend before!) Mommy did get to celebrate Papa Danny's birthday at one of his favorite restaurants, the Hibachi Steakhouse and below are some photos for you to enjoy. Papa Danny's real gift will come this weekend when he gets to see me...Mommy says spending time making memories is the best gift of all, especially because we are on a budget. While down visiting the OC, Mommy also got to see almost all her friends from home on Sunday for Anna's baby shower. Baby Quentin was there and Mommy got her baby fix of holding him, but it didn't make her want another one of those anytime soon...good, that means I get my parents ALL to myself for longer!

Auntie Erin, Papa Danny and Mommy...I wonder if Mommy got that shirt on sale because one of the shoulders is missing??

My cute cousin Amber and Auntie Erin!

Well, thanks for catching up with us and I will try hard not let as much time lapse between posts again. Hope everyone is well and we still have alot of fun upcoming events so stay tuned!

Peace,

Finn

Butterflies Alive!

2009-08-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys!

This past Sunday, Mommy and Daddy took me to the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum. It was Mommy's idea, but I don't think she was very excited once we got there. Daddy loved the big whale bones, giant squid replica and glass container filled with thousands of bugs. Mommy...um, not so much. But, she did love the Butterflies exhibit. Each year, from about May until September, the Museum houses more than 1,000 butterflies in an enclosed garden. They will literally fly right up to you and you have to check yourself in a mirror before you can leave to make sure you aren't taking any rogue butterflies home. It was really beautiful, although I got bored kind of quickly and found that banging my head into Daddy's chin/tooth was WAY more fun...for me, that is, not for him necessarily.

And, we had a visit from Auntie Erin on Friday and I LOVED seeing her. It was probably a toss up between who was more excited to have her visit - me or Mommy! Mommy says she now understands why her Mommy (my Grandma Sharon, who lives in Heaven) could talk to her sisters (Auntie Sheila and Auntie Cindy) on the phone for hours on end or why she would cry when they took Auntie Cindy to the airport to go back to Indiana. Sounds like a bunch of crybabies to me, but what do I know...I still think blowing raspberries is hilarious enjoyment.

This weekend my parents decided we are going to leave town to go down to Orange County and visit Mommy's favorite place - Disneyland!! Their plan is to visit the park during the day, let me run around to get me all tuckered out, then to let Papa Danny watch me in the evening so they can go BACK to the park and go on big kid rides. I think by big kid rides, they mean the wine-tasting section in California Adventures, but I don't judge.

Oh yeah, Mom wants me to tell you all about my development...not sure why you wouldn't think I am uber-smart since I can type and provide recounts of our weekends. But, here goes:

My favorite words are: Mama, Dada, Baba, Babana (or bah nana), Burble (purple), Ca (cat), Ahhh Duh (all done), Bah Buy (bye bye) and Papa (new today and Papa Danny actually got to hear me say it on the phone!) I love to wave hello and goodbye, clap my hands, give the fist and am very friendly to everyone I meet. I even got Joanna Kerns to smile at me at Nordstroms a few weeks ago...Love Mrs. Seaver! :)

More later -

Finn

Wedding Season Has Arrived!

2009-07-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Boy do I have a case of the Mondays and I am not even a part of the working world yet! This weekend was alot of fun and we were sad to see it pass so quickly. Mommy and I went on a lunch date with Auntie April to the Palace Grill...I was a good boy and didn't make too much of a fuss. I did try to steal Errol's watch, but he loves Mommy so much that is was ok. We then went to the Vans store and I got some rad, yet stupidly expensive, new shoes and I love them. Later we visited Daddy at work (where I showed off all my tricks...anytime you need to know where either my belly or my head are, I am your guy!) and then onto The Brewhouse for happy hour (the lovely lady I am sitting with is our Bride, Jennifer!) Daddy got to join us later and I even napped in my stroller for a little bit because I am just that cool.

Saturday, Mommy and the girls threw Jennifer a bridal shower. I was not invited because I am a boy and from the looks of it I think that is ok. They played games, ate girlie food, drank mimosas and ooh'd and aah'd about the unmentionables that Jen received. I would NOT have enjoyed myself! :) But, Jennifer had a great time and that is all that matters. Mommy has been friends with the lovely ladies below (missing one...Devon was at a family reunion and couldn't be there) for 13 years!!!

Sunday, we went to the beach and it was great. I only ate sand once, although I did manage to get a few sticks in my mouth before Daddy got them out of there. We had a dinner date at The Habit with Tammy & Aaron and I was a really good boy. And, I actually slept in until almost 7am this morning!! Mommy and Daddy would LOVE if I would do this on the weekends, but I like to be up bright and early on the weekends...especially on the mornings AFTER happy hour. It was a mad dash in the Barry house this morning to get everyone ready, but we managed to get it all done! This weekend we are looking forward to Auntie Erin coming for a visit...yay!!

Future Airline Pilot?

2009-07-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

Mom had to work a wedding on Saturday and I was getting pretty rowdy (hey, I have TWO new teeth coming in and this is painful!) so Dad took me to the park next door to our condo to let me "run off some steam". My favorite part of this particular outing was the airplane overhead...I love me some airplanes and this is evidenced in my excited screaming. And, I am NOT drunk even though my wobbly legs around the 22 second mark may confuse you. My parents only let me drink 0% proof whole milk and 0% proof water. So strict!

Summertime and the livin's easy...

2009-07-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

That Billie Holiday sure knows what she is talking about. Oh wait, did you think I was referencing a Sublime song? Sorry, Daddy wouldn't allow that! :)

We have had a great start to our summer so far and have alot to look forward to in the months to come. Mommy says this summer is WAY different than last year at this time. She tells these wild stories about having to evacuate our condo when I was only two weeks old because of the Gap Fire, power outages, blazing heat, etc. and how she almost lost her mind. Good thing she didn't because she recently lost her book club book in our condo and she still can't find it...a mind seems even more important to keep safe! I am going to try to keep this hat on at all times because maybe it will be harder for Mommy to lose MY mind that way.

This summer includes Concerts in the Park, Mommy working a wedding (or three), bridal showers, bachelorette parties, Disneyland (yay, Mom says only 25 more sleeps until we can go there again!), weddings, ring bearering, visits with friends, the beach, happy hours...wait, did I just type that? I meant for my parents, of course! We are busy, busy Barrys, but we like it that way. It lets us appreciate those times even more when we have no plans and can just relax. Mommy and Daddy keep saying they want to take me in the pool, but I remember that place and I didn't like it so much when we were in Hawaii. Didn't they learn their lesson the first time? Those swim diapers don't work too well either so I may end up leaving a little surprise in the pool if they take me in it again...that will show them!

I am walking now and this newfound freedom is RAD! My parents still keep me contained in the living room/den area and my bedroom, but I can still find some great things to play with. Take for example, the Q Tip box...do you know how much fun it is to take those little guys out of that box? SO MUCH FUN! And, I really enjoy emptying my diaper holder (clean diapers guys, I am not gross!) Mommy tries to pretend like she is annoyed when she comes into my room and trips on 25 diapers strewn on the floor, but I think she secretly enjoys it so I am going to continue to empty it until they move the diaper holder! :)

Have a good week and I hope to be able to post more soon!
Finn

Vacation from our vacation???

2009-06-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hello!

We survived our first real vacation with Finn and let's just say it was pretty far from relaxing. Not to mention we hit a bit of bad luck including our airline, (and not naming any names, but it rhymes with Schmamerican Shmairlines) BROKE our umbrella stroller on the flight over. And, it wasn't one of those cheapo ones that most people would bring with them on a trip....this was a pricey little number that we loved. We did get to use one of the airlines' loaner strollers. I think we would have been better with rope/duct tape and one of those Smart Carts from the airport. This thing was GHETTO!

In addition to Strollergate, we came to find out that our precious child HATED the water...we're talking pool AND ocean, and would scream bloody murder when getting anywhere near it. The weather was sunny and toasty every day (except for one day when it felt as though the sky was spitting on us and the winds were hurricane-like) so I was at a bit of a loss with what to do in a tropical locale with a water-loathing infant. We managed to take turns keeping him busy (he loved the armoire in our room...seriously?!?!) so I could work on my tan and catch up with my sister or Mark could enjoy some time in the ocean.

Finn's first birthday was spent in this lovely location, but as you can tell from the photo (or at least from the looks on both my and Erin's faces) he was NOT stoked that a flame attached to a large piece of mud pie was presented to him. And, while I am willing to take some of the blame for this in not planning a little bit better the week before we left, Finn didn't get the memo regarding the time difference....that is, the THREE-hour time difference where when he awakes at 7:30am PST, it is actually only 4:30am in Hawaii. We were up before the sun, before the Starbucks AND before the ABC stores opened. Awesome!

But aside from all my complaining, it was nice to get away from the daily grind and to be in such a gorgeous location. Not to mention that we were celebrating one of the biggest milestones in the past 365 days...Finlay Doren Barry is officially a one-year old! He has started walking and we have nicknamed him "Frankenstein" due to the bulging bolts coming out of his neck...just kidding! He resembles the giant monster when he walks with his arms straight out and is enjoying this newfound freedom. He still has a ways to go, but each day he gets more confident and courageous.

Hope all is well and thanks for checking in with us!

Hugs,

Courtney

Aloha!

2009-06-26T09:22:00.001-07:00

The Barry family is back on the mainland and a recap of our trip will be coming soon (along with pictures and what will be a VERY accurate description of our travels with a one-year old!) We will be heading up to Paso Robles to celebrate the wedding of our friends Chris and Alanna this weekend, but I promise to update this upon our return.

Hope everyone is well and to catch up very soon!

WWF...Wrestling With Finn!

2009-05-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Daddy takes a Paid Family Week off from work and Mommy isn't around...hahaha, I love my Dad!

Mommy and Daddy's favorite part about this video is how I play the bongos on the elephant once I have made it on top of him.

Daddy!

2009-05-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, as promised here are two pics to prove Daddy was at the beach with us!

Oceanside!!!

2009-05-21T09:13:00.001-07:00

Well, my parents decided to take me on a mini-vacay (seriously you two, I am trying to learn the English language...can't you call it a vacation for my sake?!) down to Oceanside for the weekend. While the weather didn't necessarily want to cooperate, the location of Auntie Sheila and Uncle Scott's beach condo did NOT disappoint. We were literally a stone's throw away from the sand and the only way we could be closer to the ocean was if we had rented the lifeguard stand! Saturday we cruised the beach front and they were having a serious "Party Ahmurika" with a Navy Hovercraft, jeeps, tanks, machine guns, grenades...etc. Daddy was pretty much in Heaven and both he and Mommy cracked up that we were literally attending a Party America. Seriously, how stoked are they that they found each other? :)

In addition to us civilians infilitrating the Navy party, we cruised around Carlsbad for a bit. Mommy had researched some restaurants that were recommended and even found a great wine shop/tasting room in Carlsbad Village. I was a very good boy while Mommy and Daddy got to enjoy a tasting and then cruised around in the downtown area. We decided to eat dinner at an Italian restaurant there after the woman out front accosted us. I enjoyed a nice chilled bottle of formula while my parents ate and then we settled in for a quiet night. It was great to be able to hear the waves crashing from every location of the condo. Well, I am not sure you could hear it in the bathroom, but what do I know...I get to pee wherever I want! Thank you Pampers.

Sunday, we visited a glorious place called Legoland. Mommy and I agree that Daddy had the most fun, but he knows that I will enjoy it thoroughly when I get older. Our favorite area was called "Mini-Land" and we got to walk through lego towns modeled after NYC, Southern California, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans, etc. Those lego builders sure have a sense of humor because Mommy and Daddy even found a "Working Girl" on the corner in the NYC model. Not sure who is sillier...the builders who added these pros or Mommy and Daddy for finding them! The parentals enjoyed all the disgusting food that theme parks offer...hot dogs, french fries, ice cream sundaes...which has led Mom to start counting her Weight Watchers points again. There are only 24 more sleeps until Hawaii so she says she has to get bikini ready. I think she looks great always!

Monday came too fast and we had to depart the beach condo. We did get to see Auntie Sheila for a little bit and she is so much fun! Hopefully we can go back down and visit again this summer when the entire Crane family is there and the sun decides to make an appearance as well. We stopped in Orange County to return Papa Danny's Pack & Play (well, he technically owns it but I highly doubt he 'uses' it himself) and then got to see Auntie Erin for lunch. The drive home took a terrible three hours and I decided to voice my disapproval with an ear-piercing "metal singer" scream that I have perfected. I think it is hilarious; my parents think it is horrific.

Thanks for reading and catching up. Below are a few more photos from our trip. I will have to add some more of Daddy later...he really was on this trip with us, I swear!

Peace Out,

Finn

Weekend of Love

2009-05-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated not one, but TWO engagements and had a blast at both parties. On Saturday night, "Papa Danny" babysat for Finn while Mark and I went on a date to Angela and Matt's engagement party at Jack and Joanne's beautiful home. It was so much fun to see all my girl friends and to be together again celebrating Ang and Matt. Catching up, laughing and taking pictures (along with wearing ALL of my friends' diamond rings) were the highlights of the evening.

Sunday we attended the engagement party for Jeni and Johnny at Jeri and Jim's gorgeous home. No detail was overlooked at this event and we had a fabulous time. Finn enjoyed the music, crawling all over the floor and spending quality time with Auntie Erin and Amber (Uncle Jason was there too, but all the photos of Uncle Jason and Mark are on my Dad's camera for some reason!)

Six words

2009-04-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Baby almost one, time sure flies

Lost my Mom, lost my heart

Found my heart, Mark and Finn

Striving for happiness, laughter, serenity, successes

Only 45 more sleeps until Hawaii!

I was reading another blog and came across this challenge…express yourself using only six words. These were the top things in my head at the moment and thought I would share! It’s not as easy as you think. Try it, I shall dare you! ;)

Enter Sandman...

2009-04-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hello! No, this title isn't in honor of my favorite Metallica song (actually, The Unforgiven would probably be my fave song by them), but in reference to my first time playing in sand!! Mom and Dad took me to Padaro Beach Grill on Sunday because they were holding a fundraising event for the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation there. We ate lunch picnic style, got to hang out with Tammy, The Muzzy's and The Pirozzi's for a little bit (that is my friend Asher in the background of the second photo) and I got to experience sand. I wasn't really sure how I felt about it at first, although I ended up liking it. Apparently, this was good practice for our visit to that Hawaii place.

Friday we had some friends over for a happy hour and I was such a good boy!! Mommy fed me a bottle, I said good night to all the adults and went down to sleep like a champion. Not a peep out of me which means that Mom and Dad are going to pay when I am older and a terror (insert evil baby laugh here.)

Saturday, Dad and I went to cheer on Mommy and Tammy in the 5k. Mommy finished the race and decided that happy hour the night before is not the smartest idea. Tammy finished in under 30 minutes!! Yay, so proud of her! The rest of the day was mellow and filled with breakfast burritos (didn't get a single bite), naps (the parentals made me do this and seemed stoked that they each got one too!), and dress shopping for Mommy (neither Daddy nor I particularly enjoyed this event!) All in all, it was a fun weekend!!

Next weekend we are heading down to Orange County for Engagement Party central!! Mommy and Daddy are going to celebrate Angela & Matt's engagement on Saturday night while Papa Danny and I sleep (that guy goes to bed EARLY!) and then Sunday I get to crash Jeni & Johnny's engagement party at Jeri's house. Mommy is sort of concerned with having a "this close to walking" baby in Jeri's beautiful home, but I don't plan to break anything.

They've got the fever

2009-04-22T08:17:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone, Finn here. So, my parents have gotten bitten by the bug....that is, the racing bug! Mom and Dad ran in the Chardonnay 5k along the ocean in Santa Barbara on Saturday and Dad pushed me in the jogger. This was Mom's second race and Dad's first race EVER! He did a really good job and I helped motivate him (as well as Sarah and Tammy who ran it too) by screaming every once in a while. I wasn't screaming because I was mad, but rather it's just something I do when I get excited. After the race we went back to Tammy & Aaron's house for some breakfast and mimosas (I didn't get to partake in either - thanks alot guys) and then home for a nap. Mom and Dad decided to "rally" and we all went back downtown for some winetasting. Mom kept saying how much fun she was having and was glad to be "spontaneous" again...not sure what that big word means although I surprisingly know how to spell it correctly! :)

Sunday we woke up early, went to breakfast, down to Target/Babies R Us/Party City (although Mom and Dad kept calling it Party America [pronounced AH-MUHR-AKA] and then laughed like fools) all before noon! Who would have thought these two would enjoy being up and active so early in the morning? Oh yeah, the stop at Party AHMUHRAKA was for my birthday party supplies! I turn a year old on June 15th, but since I HAVE to be in Hawaii for my actual birthday, we are going to celebrate the weekend before. I am looking forward to visiting this Hawaii place, but I think Mom is the most excited. I keep hearing talk of "only 36 more days of work before we get to leave for Hawaii" and "only 53 more sleeps before we leave for vacation!" LOVE my Mommy!

Hope everyone is well. This week should be fun...I have a lunch date today with my friend Asher and his pretty Mommy Jillian, Friday night we are hosting happy hour at our house (although again I don't get to partake...does this seem like age discrimination to anyone else???) and Saturday Dad and I are going to cheer Mom and Tammy on in another 5k through the UCSB campus! Aaron is going to run the 10k and last year he won this particular race and gave his winnings (a bright, shiny new beach cruiser) to Tammy. Maybe he will win this year and give the bike to Mommy...I am just saying! :)

Peace out,

Finn

TGIF = Thank Goodness It's Finn!!

2009-03-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Happy Friday to you. The days of the week really don't mean much to me, although I know on the weekends I get my parents undivided attention. I consulted with my social director (aka Mommy) and found that I have a picnic play date with a GURL on Sunday. An older one at that...I will report back to you soon to let you know if there was a love connection. Mom says I can't date until I am 35...she is so funny and great. Did I mention I want to get her some diamonds? ;)

Dad talked Mom into buying a super cool new camera, hence all the photos of me being sent around. I have attached some of my favorites in case you didn't receive them or just can't get enough of me. In the first one, my motivation was "portray a sense of innocence all the while trying to pull the monitor camera off the wall." Do you think it worked? The second one is "Pretend you are enjoying the kisses from Mommy so you can return to reading your Us Weekly magazine on the couch behind you." The last one is titled "What yogurt? Why would you think I ate any yogurt?!"

Alright, I am off to drool, bang on toys and then put them in my mouth. Pretty typical.

Peace,
Finn

Go Irish!

2009-03-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, Finn here.

I hope you all had a wonderful St. Patty's Day. Dad got me dressed and Mom questioned the color coordination of my socks with the rest of the outfit...Dad assured her it was to "represent the colors of the flag of the Mother Land." I don't even understand what that means, but it seemed to make Mom happy and laugh. Maybe because she knows there is a land named after her? We celebrated the holiday with drinks on the Ocean Terrace at Bacara. I was very intrigued with the fireplace and the nice man that worked there even turned the heat lamp on for us. Mom was reminiscing about their wedding there and was stoked to be enjoying a happy hour priced glass of wine at the resort (unheard of, I guess) and Dad was savoring a glass of scotch. My parents are so refined (and rad and funny and adorable and smart and successful.)

I had my 9-month check-up last Monday and all was well. I had to have three pokes and I was NOT stoked about that, but Mom gave me a comfort bottle and I forgot all about the pain. I kind of want to nominate Mom for being the best Mom I have ever had...maybe Dad and I could get her some really shiny things (I think they are called diamonds) for Mother's Day. And, I think her ring size is a 5 for some reason. I am so smart and thoughtful.

Did I tell you that I get to be in a wedding? Jennifer and Alec have asked me to be the ring bearer and this is a very big honor. I will get to wear my first tuxedo (first of many, I am sure, since my parents are so refined and all) and have been practicing my standing. I have 6 months to get walking down pat and am sure I will have mastered the skill by then. Heck, maybe I could even officiate for them!

Mom keeps talking about how busy we are going to be in the next coming months, but I hope I get to see you all soon. Mommy was very excited to find out that Dusky and Bobby are having a baby boy (although I don't know how she knows that since the stork delivers babies, right? Maybe she meant they ordered a baby boy...yeah, that makes more sense!) Either way, Yay, another friend for me to play with!

Peace, Finn!

We've got a fan!!

2009-03-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am a fan of Disneyland. After visiting the park too many times to count growing up, as well as working there prior to heading off to college, you would think the park would lose some of its magic for me. Well my friends, you would be wrong! It may be a combination of feeling like a kid myself when I pass through the turnstiles at the entrance or the memories of my Mom from visiting the park so many times, but no matter what the reason I still feel it is a magical place.

We took advantage of the free admission on your birthday deal they are running for 2009 and visited the park with the Flemings on Friday. This marks Finn's first (of many!) visits and he had a blast. I did get a few strange looks from people when I told them we were going there to celebrate my birthday and would be bringing along an 8-month old, but he really is more aware and observant than a typical 8-month old (in my professional and completely unbiased Mom opinion!) You can see from his face that he was super excited to be there and even fell asleep in his new stroller so Mark and I could enjoy some

wine in the park!

As for development, Finn has pulled himself to a standing position as of last night and loves to practice this new activity. He also enjoys gnawing on anything he can get his hands...er, mouth...on as evidenced in this photo! :) We are having a blast with our little stinker!

Swings and Wine...what a fine Valentines!

2009-02-20T06:42:00.000-08:00

We successfully navigated through our first Valentine's Day as a trio. I have never been a fan of Valentine's Day since I would prefer all the focus is spent on my birthday (February 27th, as if you all need a reminder!) This year we had lunch as a family at the Palace, took Finn on his first ride on the swings at Alameda Park and had a spontaneous wine-tasting adventure with Jill, Rob and Jill's sweet Mom Dianna. Finn loved the swings and the winos loved Finn at the tasting room. Nothing says good parenting like having a baby in a bar (or tasting room), right?!

Finn's cousin Dylan came for a visit, with Auntie Kate and Auntie Nicole. We had some fun adventures at the Sea Center on the pier and the Santa Barbara zoo. Finn attempted his first real crawl this weekend and we discovered a tooth in that tiny, sweet little mouth of his. Just for the record, we didn't realize there was a tooth in there until we heard this strange "clink clink" sound when he was drinking from a glass. Yes, he was drinking from a glass (with assistance) and yes, we are embarrassed to admit it took a second for it to register that the sound we were hearing was a tooth hitting the glass. Mark bravely stuck his hand in there to check it out and lo and behold a tooth was discovered! Tammy and Jen were visiting our house too and got to witness the first tooth discovery with us!

Fun Fun Fun

2009-02-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hi, it's me Finn again - not to be confused with Finnegan. Did you all know that my given name is Finlay, pronounced Fin-lee. Mom liked the spelling with an "a" better than with an "e". Anyway, I digress. It's been awhile since I have been able to get on this computer since both Mom and Dad seem to be "working" so often. I didn't realize that both of them work for the same company - Facebook. I hope Mr. Facebook pays them alot of money.

This picture was taken at the Santa Barbara zoo. Mom and Dad splurged on annual passes for us (I don't see it as a splurge since I am free until I am two anyway!) and they took me on the train ride. As you can see from my expression, I am not sure that a train ride immediately following lunch is the best idea. Perhaps they should have consulted my additional chin that appears in this photo as well. What ARE those two feeding me?

In addition to our outing to the zoo, we have been very busy. I got to see some of my buddies at the PEP party...hopefully one of the paparazzi photos that was taken that night will make it's appearance on the web. I was looking super dapper in my "boob man" shirt and rolled up, rock-a-billy jeans. Mom tried to make me feel better by saying it looked cool, but I know it's really because my legs aren't very long.

Speaking of one of my most favorite people in the world (Dad would be the other one, of course), Mom was in a 4-mile race on Sunday. Here is the proof that she actually was in it and not sure why she is giving the "thumbs up" sign or if that form is correct. I will have to ask Aaron G. about that...he is the man when it comes to running. Tammy also ran the race and took me for a spin too. Although the photo is far away, you might be able to catch me snoozing away. Thanks for pushing me for over 2 miles Tams...that gave Mom plenty of time to not pass out and to exercise those lily white legs of hers. I guess I shouldn't talk...there is no chance of me being a baby Hawaiian Tropics model any time soon.

So, I better get going now. Hope to see everyone soon and am excited for Mom's birthday celebration at Disneyland and party down at Papa Danny's house. I get to meet my new friend Ethan Allahverdian too!!!

Almost my birthday month!!

2009-01-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, February will bring my favorite holiday -
MY BIRTHDAY!!! Which also means, Sunday marks the first day of my birthday month. We have alot to look forward to in the next upcoming weeks (our first real couple's dinner to the Melting Pot, Jen & Alec's engagement party, Disneyland and celebration with friends and family down in Orange County...does it get any better?)

Last night I got to spend some time with the Moms and babies from my PEP group. PEP is a local support group for new Moms up here and I joined when Finn was about 5 weeks old. It was a great resource for me because I knew I was going to get out of the house once a week and be with other Moms who were going through similar issues with the children, their emotions, their bodies, etc. Unfortunately, one of our Moms lost her family's home in the devastating Tea Fire here in November and we all pitched in to help out where we could. Laurie and her family have moved into a new home and hosted a wonderful dinner for all of us as a thank you. It was great to see Laurie, her husband Matt and her twin girls Sam and Jessica thriving in their new home. And, it was so nice to see the Moms and babies that I have not been able to see in awhile since going back to work. Such a great group of women...so lucky to know them!

Other news, Jennifer has asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding! So honored and excited for her. Finn came with Jen, Tams and me to try on bridesmaid dresses and these are two shots from the drive home. The first one shows his sweet side, ala Mark. The second would be his no-nonsense side, like Mommy.

New Year...

2009-01-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

Yikes, I can't believe the holidays came and went so fast. Finn is growing like a weed and we are enjoying every minute of it...including the high pitched scream that he will belt out every once in awhile that he seems to be rather fond of. It tends to show up at the most inopportune times...like in a crowded (but quiet) restaurant where diners are hoping for a relaxing meal.

He has moved onto solids, which makes eating a whole new ball game. He LOVES everything we have given him so far, including sweet potatoes, carrots, avocado and pears. He eats like a champ and he loves to blow raspberries to signal he is finished with his meal; Thus, I too have had my share of baby food thanks to this little game of his.

He has started saying "Dada" much to Mark's delight and his babbling is starting to sound more and more like English. He is so close to crawling and is up on all fours, but not moving anywhere which drives him crazy (and tends to produce that high pitched scream!)

Hope everyone is well and will try to update this more often.

It's me, Finn!

2008-12-22T15:20:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone, it's me Finn. Mom is busy right now working from home today so I thought I would update you on some things from MY perspective.

Life is going really well! I am looking forward to my first Christmas, although I really don't understand what that is. Everyone keeps talking about some guy named Santa, but I am assuming they are talking about my lion since that is the only lap I have sat on this holiday season. Mom wonders if they should take me to meet this "Santa" character, but knowing me I would probably just pull his beard and blow raspberries at the camera.

Mom and Dad keep telling me about Red Bluff and that is where we are flying to tomorrow. Apparently it is cold because they have bought me a zillion beanies and mittens...I would assume we were going to Antarctica with all the preparation, but I don't know what or where that is, so that would be weird, wouldn't it?! :) After I get to see my Dad's side of the family in the cold, we are heading down to see my Mom's side of the family in Orange County. Apparently I could wear a bathing suit down there since Christmas time in "The OC" is a bit warmer than other parts of the state, let alone the country. I wonder if I could bring my lion friend with me on our road trip?

Alright, I guess I should go back to pretending I am sleeping or I will never hear the end of it. And, if Mom knew how well I can type (and how impressive my vocabulary is) she would want to enter me into some genius contest. I don't have the strength for that right now, so let's just keep this post between us, ok friends?

Peace out,

Finn

Yummy?

2008-12-21T20:34:00.000-08:00

Our baby is soooo grown up! Finn tried rice cereal for the first time on Tuesday and we got some photos. This one happens to be my favorite...how do you think he felt about his first meal?!?!

We are looking forward to Christmas and celebrating with both of our families. We did an early Christmas with just the three of us today and Finn was quite underwhelmed with the whole thing!

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and a healthy New Year!

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

We ventured out to get our Christmas Tree this weekend and ended up with a great one. Finn enjoys staring at the lights and grabbing the branches. Milo enjoys sleeping underneath it and drinking the water. (Just for the record, Milo is our cat...not a dehydrated child!) Bijou could care less about the tree, which is pretty much how she feels about everything. She is SUCH a teenage cat.

We are looking forward to seeing both of our families for the holidays this year. Hope everyone is well and wishing you happy holidays!

Blogwarming Party

2008-12-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hello! I am throwing ourselves a blogwarming party since we decided to join the blog world and you are all invited. This year has been full of firsts for us...our first baby joined our family June 15, 2008 marking the first of many Father's Days we will celebrate for Mark! Finn is almost 6 months old and has been a joy to all he meets. We had our first Halloween (hopefully did the Star Wars characters justice) and celebrated his first Thanksgiving with family and friends in Orange County. We are looking forward to his first Christmas and the arrival of his first tooth (he should be enrolled in his first swimming lesson with all the drool that the poor guy has experienced recently!)

Hope everyone is well and please check back often for updates, photos, and my attempt at humor!