WWF...Wrestling With Finn!

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!

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

Oceanside!!!

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

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

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...

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

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