October 31st

We're ready to...

pass out handfuls of candy.  None of this one piece per child business.

Halloween 1986-88

In first grade for Halloween I was Cyndi Lauper.

In 2nd grade I was a lunch box.  (I had this red lunchbox that I took to school and loved.)

In 3rd grade I was a flapper but had a hideous mullet that is too awful to put out on the web.

Then in 4th grade I was Alice in Wonderland.

 

Another Superman in the House

Finn wakes up with delight!

Finn often wakes up pretty happy after his nap. Sometimes I just listen to him play around in the crib before I go in to get him. It's like he's discovered a new toy or something. It's so funny. At 6am he'll wake up just the same...Jared and I lay in bed half awake just giggling at his delight.

My Neighborhood

Our street

Stanford Human Genome Center

Beautiful fall trees

Facebook

A path leading to...

a hill

With a view of Moffet Field

An entrance to Stanford University

A school which Finn will go to if we stay (yeah right) here long enough.

My cousin Emily and her son James

Living a Fairytale

The beauty of a blog is that you can mask your real life and make it out to be a fairytale.  Well, I'll tell you it's no fairytale, but close.  I've got a wonderful and loving husband who's intelligent and hardworking and who totally adores me (I know this because because he can't wait to give me kisses when he arrives home from work.)  I also have a silly, hilarious, darling and filled with lots of personality child.  We also live in a very beautiful area with lots of friends who live within blocks of us.

Finn came out SCREAMING!  He was ALIVE!  I don't know if it was because I waited a super long time to get an epidural which was minimal and only numbed my left leg (I won't be getting one again, I prefer pain to numbness) or if it's just because he was blessed with parents who have both have a great set of lungs. Mine are from swimming and screaming (I've toned the screaming part down A LOT since marrying the soft spoken Jared) and Jared's lungs where he can not run for months and then pull out an 18:00 min 5k with no problem or heavy panting at the finish.

Well, Finn still SCREAMS!  Oh man he has a pair of lungs.  He can go from 0-60 in no time.  He giggles and smiles but when he's mad, oh HE'S MAD!  He slept next to my bed for 1 week after birth.  Then he was booted to the vanity area we had in our apartment and then down the hall to his own room when we moved to a house where he now resides at night (with our door closed because he talks, giggles, snorts, and thumps in his sleep.)

Did I ever mention that for the first 3 months of life he screamed in his stroller and carseat?  Yes, it caused me lots of stress and the feeling of being trapped in my house was just awful.  I would take quick trips around the block just to get out.  Going to the grocery store entailed me singing Give Said the Little Stream (a primary song from church) at the top of my lungs over and over.  (He's now really into Somewhere Over the Rainbow, which I really need to learn all of the words because it turns into la la's halfway through.)

No we don't live a fairytale life, you might think so.  We do have lots of love and fun and fresh fruits and vegetables and a Trader Joe's close by to mimic a blissful life.  Of course Finn's screams are not the worst of it, but we don't need to get too personal.   Besides, the grass is always greener right?

Sam Turns 29

My brother Sam is enjoying his last year of his 20's and I had a few people over to celebrate on Sunday.  It was fun to meet his girlfriend Emy.

He likes apple pie instead of cake.  Oh it turned out perfectly, (this oven is far better than my last 2.)

um...the pie melted the candles and they were falling over, everyone had a little bit of wax with their pie,

 

 I wrapped Sam's mail that I had for him because I knew I'd  probably forget to give it to him if I didn't give it to him as a gift:)

His girlfriend is so cute!

Poor Jared was at work until 1am that night because of a deadline.  I however managed to save him a wax covered piece of pie.

Date night...FINALLY!

Jared and I finally got out on a date, thanks to my cousin Emily for watching Finn...and thanks to my friend Emily for having a birthday so we could celebrate and go see "Wild Things," which is an excellent flick!

What do you think happend next;)

Cooking Buddy

Something I've looked forward to for a long time, was to have my babe play on the floor while I cooked! It's finally come true.

Finn's hand

This is where Finn keeps his hand about 80% of the time.  He's really good at still talking while he's got a fistfull in his mouth.  Notice the Hopp Schwiiz shirt.  I bought it in Switzerland before we left during the Euro 2008 soccer games while my mom was visiting us hoping for a boy:)

Pumpkin Farm in a Pumpkin hat

I went to the Pumpkin Farm with my friend Sara who I went with last year when I was barely pregnant and her daughter was just a few weeks old.  I made pumpkin bread to take along (which her son Peter LOVED!)  Finn wore his pumpkin hat and was adored by many.  It was an adventurous car ride, Peter had the job of keeping the nukies in their proper place...the babes mouths.

 

****I'm wearing the same pair of jeans I wore last year...thank goodness they fit...well a bit differently but they fit!

Hanging out at the park

We are fortunate enough to live within walking distance to at least 5 parks.  This weekend Jared didn't work and spent time with his family (SUPER PLUS).  Saturday afternoon we took a walk to the park.  

Finn learned a lot about the playground.  He did a lot of climbing with Dad.

"Mom, I'm just gonna climb this rope ok, don't worry"

He went down the slide a lot.

 

  
Finn became a pro at the swing.