Easter

We had a nice Easter weekend celebrating the resurrection of Jesus ("Jethuth ith AWIVE" -Jack) with family and friends. Matt and Melissa came down on Friday night. Jack and Finn enjoyed playing with them and with their dog, Fergie. We hated to see them go, and AS ALWAYS...I failed to get any pictures. I have problems. On Sunday night our small group had Easter dinner at our house. The kiddos were running wild, but the food and fellowship were awesome. (AND SO WERE THE TARHEELS!!!!!)


Here's the token family shot. If you were raised in North Carolina, then you know what is missing from this photo. ....A dogwood tree! That's right! There were no dogwoods to be found, but we did manage to get all four of us in the frame which is a miracle in itself.

Jack and Finn had matching shirts for Easter. Finn didn't seem to mind his hat at all! I knew it was silly and a little over the top, but bear with me, I don't have a daughter to accessorize. Jack's Easter outfit addition was a belt. You wouldn't have known that he had one on because within a few minutes his shirt tail was untucked.

Jack had some pancakes for Easter morning. They must have been laced with some insanity sprinkles because Jack was off the chain crazy all day yesterday! So crazy in fact, that the Easter bunny's delivery was never given to it's recipient. Sugar on top of crazy is not a smart combo.

We caught this cute moment a few days ago while John, Jack and Finn were playing in Jack's bed together. Finn is such a happy little guy.

This picture is for my mom. When Matt and I were growing up, we looked forward to 2 things at Easter: dyeing Easter eggs and mom's bunny cake. Here's my rendition of her bunny wonder. I think it turned out okay. It still looks pretty much like this but without an ear and with several finger swipes to the sides. Who do you think those are from?

One Very Full Weekend

We had a great weekend full of fun and exciting things....Lots of pictures, so here we go:
The first activity was our church's Easter Egg Hunt.  There were over 2,000 kids and over 30,000 eggs!  We had a much better time than last year considering last year Jack pitched the biggest fit of all time and he had no idea what candy was.  
He absolutely understands what candy is this year, and he hunted with the best of them.  He asked me today if we were going to 'clean up' the eggs.  I guess since 'cleaning up' at home means putting his toys in the appropriate basket, he saw the egg hunt as a big cleaning session.  With candy.  Check out his cheeks full of the gooey goodness of a Starburst.  
Here's Jack with his basketball Easter basket.  The use of it must have given the Tarheels the good fortune that they needed for the weekend!  GO HEELS!!!!  We're excited about their win yesterday and look forward to March Madness...I think.  With us being seeded #1 in our bracket, there's always that fear that we'll be the first #1 seed to lose to a #16 seed.  Oh, I hope not.  
After the Egg Hunt, we drove straight to Hampton Lake for the grand opening of Dogpaddle Park, which is the dog park in the community.  They had a K9 unit there, which was amazing to hear about how these dogs are bread and trained to sniff the stuff out that they do.  I had no idea that they train them to find just one type of thing (drugs, people, weapons...).  There was also a frisbee catching exhibition that we went to.  All of the dogs were rescued from abused homes and they could catch the junk out of a frisbee.  John and I were watching and thinking the same thing:  Scout needs to pick it up a notch.  But we love him all the same.  
On Sunday we went to the early service which put us out of church at 9:30.  So...we headed to the beach along with Jason and Lauren!  The wind was kicking, but the weather was awesome.  Jack had fun in the water before he got "too cold."  
He did his usual harassment of the birds.  He ran so much in his wet sandy bathing suit that he has the chafe marks to prove it today.  Ouch!
John had fun fishing for a while.  The fish weren't biting, but it made for some fun pictures.  

Despite the occasional wind gust that prevented Finn from breathing, he loved the beach!  I can't wait until it's a little warmer and he can get his drooly little fists into the sand.  He'll think it's great.
Gigi graciously let us borrow her camera for a while, so we were able to take some great pictures of the boys yesterday and today.  Neither one of us know what we're doing with a nice camera (or junky one for that matter), but the quality is so much better.  The fact that her camera makes this cool shutter clicking sound with each picture doesn't hurt either.  It at least makes you FEEL like you're doing something right:)
During the game yesterday I took pictures to relieve some of the stress.  I'd click a few and then scream at the television.  Fortunately the boys are used to these antics from their mother, and they went about their play as usual.  Jack is a fan of shaking the exersaucer back in forth while Finn is in it.  As much as we punish him and make him stop doing it, we'd be lying if we said Finn didn't obviously enjoy it himself.  But after the face plant into the tile last week, we're avoiding all possible brain injuries like the plague.  
John discovered that Jack made funny faces after we would blow into his face as a baby.  Well....Finley is no different.
Jack took his chalk outside today for some drawing action.  He wants to draw his letters these days.  They don't look like letters, but he'll 'draw' an A and then say, "What does THIS sound make, Mommy?" instead of 'What sound does this make?'.  He knows a lot of his letters, which thrills us that he's remotely interested in anything academic!  I'm sure it's just a phase...
You can't see it here, but we resorted to using the Rec Spec strap on the back of Jack's glasses.  We used it for the beach so he wouldn't lose them in the ocean, but after seeing that they work really well at keeping his glasses on, we may just stick with it. 
Jack grabbed the lens cloth from the camera bag and started wiping his glasses.  "Thee, Mommy? I kween my gwathes."
Finn intently studying something....
What a little cutie.....
Jack asked to take a picture, but this wasn't what he wanted to do.  I think my arms look like something reflected back in one of those carnival distortion mirrors.  Go, Go, Gadget Mommy Picture Taking Arms!!!!  Jack is clearly upset that he didn't get to push the button.  

Hope you enjoyed the montage of pictures!  

I Almost Killed Finn

Our family has survived a lot since the last posting. Finn fell from the kitchen island, which was 100% my fault and Jack had his first dental visit.


So most of you who read this have heard the Finn fall story already, but for those of you who haven't, here goes: Finn was in his carseat sitting on the kitchen island (MISTAKE NUMBER 1). I pulled the handlebar back to remove him from the carseat. In walks Jack from the garage. He's walking like he just rode a bull and is saying "I poopie on the potty?" in a fretful voice which means he actually had already pooped in his pants. I run Jack to the bathroom and leave Finn sitting there, still strapped into his carseat (MISTAKE NUMBER 2). After about 10 seconds, I hear a bang. I immediately know what the bang is, return to the kitchen to see the carseat upside down on the tile floor and Finn's chubby little legs sticking out from under it. I never would have imagined that Finn could weasle himself and the carseat over the edge of the island. Let's just say I learned it the hard way. After tears shed by all 3 of us present, an 'okay' given by our pediatrician and more self inflicted guilt trips than you dare imagine, we're piecing our lives back together. Since I have been a mother, nothing has shaken me to the core like this. I felt terrible. So why am I blogging about it? For some reason it feels like due punishment to have cyberspace and the few Ussery blog readers know what an idiotic thing it was that I did. The other reason is for all reading parents to know they should never get their kids in or out of a carseat unless it's on the ground! Lesson learned.

Finn was fine other than a busted lip and sore nose. He's 6 months old today, which is so hard to believe. I'll post his stats soon. He has his check up tomorrow.

On Monday, Jack had his first dental appointment. John and I were THRILLED to find out that his teeth do not have any cavities! Yet. We've been blessed with the horrible teeth gene and dread the day that we see our children suffering the dental drills and spit suckers on a regular basis. We are thankful that Jack loves to brush his teeth. Flossing is another story, but we try.

He did enjoy the dentist's office. There were TVs on the ceiling, one of which was playing Ratatouille. So he just chilled and watched a movie while they poked and prodded his pearly whites. Dr. Hubbard did say that his teeth are close together which indicates a future need for braces. Better add that to the list of things to start saving for!

I was folding clothes in Finn's nursery yesterday and looked over to find this cute scene. Jack and Finn were playing together! It was so cute. Finn was pulling Jack's hair and Jack was saying "Ouch" in baby talk, which was funny. He hears us talking to him that way and assumes that's what he needs to do as well. I hope the trend of brotherly love continues.

Jack is the master at messy face pictures. On this particular day he was enjoying the hazlenut/cocoa wonder of Nutella. He called it his chocolate sandwich.

Oh, and by the way.....GO HEELS!!!!

Savannah

Saturday was one of the many days that John and I felt blessed to be living in this part of the country. The weather was absolutely beautiful!!! He had the weekend off, so we took the moment and ran with it...to SAVANNAH!!! The boys enjoyed touring around in the stroller, and we had fun breathing in the smell of Spring.



We went to Forsyth Park which sits in the middle of the historic district of Savannah. There are wide open fields and several playgrounds. We even caught parts of a Rugby match going on. What a strange and dangerous sport. I fully expected to see the gamers guzzling hard liquor instead of Gatorade from their water bottles. But it was water...I think.

John pushed the stroller most of the day while I brought back Chapel Hill memories by tripping on all of the uneven brick paths. I was lucky to emerge without any skinned knees.




We hit up a pretty fun playground when we first got there. John loved the slide as much as Jack did!

Finn finished off the day with some toe sucking. He likes to show off how limber and disgusting he is all at once!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

GO HEELS!!!! (dook round 2 on saturday at 9)

The Storm Drain

If you've ever been to church with us before, then you're aware of what Jack's favorite thing about our church is. No, it's not the token nursery room cardboard blocks that look like bricks, or the Bible stories (unfortunately), or even the tiny paper cups with goldfish crackers, although those are a close second. It's the storm drain in the middle of the front lawn. After every service Jack bolts to his beloved storm drain, leans over it, throws rocks in it, looks at his reflection in the vat of nasty below, yells to hear his echo, and sometimes jumps on it. Last Sunday, Jack decided that these actions were not enough. So he dropped his glasses down the drain.

John and I saw him just as he released the orange, rubber rims into their resting wasteland. I felt like vomiting. John felt like retrieving a hundred and fifty bucks worth of toddler vision. So he did. Take a look....


John climbed down into the storm drain, grabbed the glasses and got out without getting any dirt or water on him. It was amazing. All of the other storm drain loving children were huddled around watching as if John hadn't rescued some spectacles, but instead a HUMAN LIFE!!!:) It was hilarious, and definitely one of those moments where I was glad the camera was in my purse.

Here's John inside the drain. It was a lot bigger than we imagined. Fortunately it's only run off and not sewage. I still didn't trust that or the Purell drenching I gave Jack's glasses afterwards, so he went to lunch blind and stumbling. Poor kid. We realized how much the glasses really help him! He kept asking for them, and saying "Oh no! They're in the water."

This is the look Finn had when we told him about the storm drain fiasco. He was horrified!!!

This isn't a good picture at all, but it was our attempt to capture Jack kissing Finn on his belly. Jack continues to be such a loving, big brother to Finn, and Finn can't get enough of him. He will look across the room and just start laughing at him.

And this is a fun S'More Face picture taken a few nights ago. It was a rare moment that had to be shared. Makes me want S'More. (insert courtesy laugh)


The other day at the playground, I picked up Finley and my hair happened to perfectly fall into place over his face so that it looked like my hair was his. The camera phone didn't capture the moment very well, so at our small group playgroup today, we reinacted it. I hoped we would have evidence for the doubters of the Finn Looks Like Erin Theory, but all we got was this: Finnisha, one scary looking child. John will surely destroy my life for doing this, but it was too funny not to share.

Sittin' Pretty...er...Handsome

This week was a fun week! Despite rainy days indoors, frequent outbursts of "MINE!" from Jack and an occasional potty training accident, we had fun playing with the boys and being Mommy and Daddy to them. Shelby celebrated her 3rd birthday on the 18th and her party was today. It was such a cute party. Very girly with the princess theme, which I love that seeing as how all parties we will throw will be boyish. I wish I had a picture to post of the birthday girl, but I left my camera at home. I'll steal one from Kim. It's so crazy how fast all of Jack's buddies (and Jack, too) are growing up! Bittersweet, for sure!!!!


Finley is practicing the art of sitting up. Here he is in his Sit Me Up Cozy that he got for Christmas. He loves it. He seems to feel some sort of independence when he's sitting in it and he's able to access all of his toys. Finn's still pretty wobbly and definitely can't be trusted on his own without some nearby cushion, but he's doing pretty well.

He loves looking into his mirror toy, too. Even he knows what a hottie he is.

And here's our oldest son, Crazy Raincoat Head Man! The last blog spoke of the new 'Thing on Head, Run Into Wall or Anything Else' Game. Here's Jack playing the game. Although it does appear that it's the halftime show or something because he's not in motion.

Finally he came out for a pose. What a goober! Check out the nice Handy Manny undies, courtesy of Jen and Gracen. He gets very excited when it's a Handy Manny day. Wouldn't you?

Here's another of the FinnMan sitting up. This is one of his other favorite toys, which means that it plays music. We're not fortunate enough for any of our kiddos' favorite toys to be silent ones.

Maybe he'll be a soccer player like his Mommy! Finn ended up timbering on to the pillow behind him, but he figured out that his feet made it work just as well as his hands did!

*Another poop related Funny Jack Story*
Jack has started saying that he needs to 'make a rocket ship' whenever he needs to go to the restroom #2 style. He'll usually comment on the size of the rocket ship and then bid it a nice farewell when he flushes. 'Bye Bye, Rocket Ship!' He's also 'delivered' what he described to be a 'baby car'. At least he's not lacking in the creativity department!

Some Finn Firsts

Since our last posting, Finn has had a few firsts: First bite of food and first trip to the beach! Fortunately, he loved both! Take a look....

I decided on Thursday morning to give the rice cereal a go with Finn. Funny that it was Valentine's Day, the day of LOVE, because we believe Finley did find his second true love in food. (His first love? His MOTHER, of course!!!) He did great from the first day and has improved and begged for more since then.

Continuing on the food topic, Jack has started requesting foods lately. This particular morning after consuming a cup of mandarin oranges and about half a bowl of cereal, he asked for some oatmeal and a 'real' orange. Rarely does he eat this much or this well. He's your typical grilled cheese kind of eater. Apparently, though, this oatmeal was finger-lickin' good.

The weather has been so beautiful here recently that we made a trip to the beloved playground this week. We missed you, playground!!! Jack had a blast, and he was able to get out his cabin fever energy. Our walls and tables thank him because he was literally bouncing off the walls on purpose. He will put a paper bag or shirt or any other blindfolding-ish piece on his head and take off running. Even after multiple injuries resulting in horrible bruises, he continues to do this. Something is wrong with him. We call a halt to this crazy game of his and of course tears abound.

Anyway...back to the playground. This picture above was taken after discovering Shelby and Gracen were having a very deep, girl-talk discussion on the steps. I tried to catch them without them knowing it, but they sniffed me out. Still a super cute picture of Jack's little playmates. Aren't they precious?!?

Speaking of precious...check out Finn in his fluffy, blue coat. He was the epitome of adorable the other night after we were outside in the cold roasting marshmallows with our small group. He was all smiles.

John had the great idea of going to the beach this afternoon after church. The weather was 79 degrees in Bluffton!!! When we got to the island, it had dropped it's normal 10 degrees, but it was still a beautiful afternoon. We ended up running into our next door neighbors while we were there. It was Finster's first trip to the beach! He enjoyed watching Scout run around and took in a nice bottle. Overall, I think it was a successful venture for his first time out there.

John took Jack duty for most of the afternoon, but he took a second to have a pic taken with Finn. As you can see, the teething process continues in our home. Sometimes he even double fists and manages to get all of his fingers crammed in there somehow. Finley has also taken to sucking his toes.

Despite the chilly water, Jack LOVED playing in it. He also enjoyed chasing the birds and scaring us by dropping his glasses in the ocean. Don't worry...we made it home with the glasses intact, but it forced us to think about what in the world we're going to do this summer about the glasses issue. Any advice? We've tried the croakies option and he yanks them right off.

Mommy, Finn, and Jack (in the background)

*Funny Jack Story*

Scout vomited two days ago on the carpet in our family room. I was in our bathroom with Finn, getting ready for the day, when Jack appears mumbling something about 'poopy'. The poopy word could mean many things in our house: he needs to, he already did, he is about to, he wants a lollipop, etc. Jack says, "Common' Mommy" and starts walking to the family room where he stands over the newly discovered pile of dog vomit. Jack looks at me and says, "I poop in the floor?" It was so funny. The vomit resembled poop and Jack thought that he must have done it, but by the tone of his voice it's like he was saying, I surely don't recall doing this, but it was obviously me. He then proceeded to scold himself and take away his rewards: "No, no, Jack. No poopy on the floor. No M's (M&Ms). No lollipops." After explaining that it wasn't him, but Scout, he then scolded Scout.