.small hours.

I'm generally a happy go lucky person, but like everyone else, I can have my down days. Yesterday was one of those days. I can't even put my finger quite on why I was feeling so down, I think it was just a combination of things. Roy knows things are usually afoot when my ability to talk about anything is non-existent. This morning it was nice just to lie in bed next to my sweet sleeping Finn, and have Roy holding us. We just laid there and gazed at the precious miracle that is Finn. I love how simple moments like that can erase an entire crappy day. It reminds me of some of my favorite lyrics. "Our life's are made in these small hours, these little wonders...time falls away, but these small hours still remain." It's good to remind myself of what really matters, and what I need to just let go of.

.wheat.

I have taken a serious turn on eating healthy. I now have the time and energy to focus on not only my own eating habits, but my family's as well. When both Roy and I worked, it was really hard to be motivated to want to cook...let alone healthy meals. We ate out far too often especially for lunches. But like I said I'm now home and I can put my energies into making sure my family eats well.
My latest healthy trend....homemade wheat bread and the like.
Roy indulged my efforts and bought me a wheat grinder for Easter, and on Sunday morning I made whole wheat pancakes. They were good...I promise...even Roy liked them...and he doesn't like pancakes.I'm really excited about being able to make healthy things for my family, and also help out our budget a little too.

.easter & more.

It seems my days are so full of everything lately that I haven't really had a chance to sit down and write all the different changes and thoughts that fill up our lifes. Obviously, a lot of my time is consumed by this little dumplin', and that is just great, but there is a real balance (as with everything) that has to be found. I find myself waking up in the morning wanting to do all of my to do list, but rare is the day that finds that complete. Just a few days ago I re-read that talk in conference by Lynn G. Robbins about what manner of men & women ought we to BE. This was such a fabulous talk, and it has helped me focus more of my efforts on being rather than just doing, and I find that I'm so much more happy. The important Do's are automatically checked off as I focus on BEING a better person...it simplifies things a bit!
We had a great Easter together with family:
Finn got his first taste of Easter, with his "I'm staring you down" look.

The other kids had a hay day as they searched Grandma's yard for hundreds of eggs.

And enjoyed the spoils of their hunt together on the porch

Finn hung out with Great G-ma inside just a rocking away.

In his basket Sunday, Finn received his first Florida Gator gear from Grandma & Grandpa Hoffman.

Plus a few toys. He Loves his new Elephant!

So many changes have happened in the past 2 months, but I don't really feel the energy or the desire to fill in for the moment. I'm hoping to get around to it soon just so I can keep somewhat up to date of what's changed, but there will be no promises.

.rainy days & mondays.

Few things make me as happy as a good rainy filled day, and today is wonderful wet day! It's one of the only thing that makes the end of the weekend enjoyable. With all the rain today, I had the hankering for homemade bread. I've been meaning to do this for a few days, but today I finally got around to it. Thanks to my mom, I made 2 successful loaves, and have been eating yummy toast out of them since I got home. This is part of my attempts of eating more whole foods...ground the wheat and everything! Weekends are so nice, because we get Roy to ourselves...well mostly. Saturday we had such nice spring weather, that we had to get out and enjoy it. We laid out on a blanket and took in my beautiful tulips that have not been thwarted by all the crazy weather we have been having. I love these mixed ones the best. They seem to come up slightly different every year! And of course Roy got in some good daddy son time. Those boys make me smile!!

I'm already looking forward to next weekend and the Easter festivities.

.3 m's of goodness.

Finn, 3 months my little man...I can't believe how fast it has flown by. Just this morning, as daddy brought you in, we marveled at how much you've grown. You have so many rolls that get loved on all the time. Daddy calls your fabulously chunky cheeks saddle bags because they sag a little under their own weight. You are now doing all sorts of crazy things that 3 month olds should do. Like loving your thumbs. Chubby boy, you love your thumbs! Quite often I hear you slurping your thumb from the other room...it melts my heart. Along with your thumbs, you're discovering your hands. You are constantly folding and unfolding them in front of your face as you gaze at them curiously. You are starting to sleep more, but I never count on getting more than 4 1/2 hours at one time. You can sleep 6 hours consistently even 71/2 hours, but then you'll go and start your short intervals again. On a happy sleep note though, you are now sleeping all on your own in your own room, and that makes momma happy! You are HAPPY! You are constantly dishing out your enormous smiles, and now along with those smiles you're chirping like a little bird. I love driving and hearing you in the back just having a good ol' time with you and your blanket. Dad especially loves all the interaction that he gets with you now... you respond to a lot of his musings and you're getting ever so close to letting out a real laugh. We thank our Father in Heaven everyday for our sweet little man, and love how complete we feel now that you're apart of our lives. Keep growing strong and happy Finn!

.chirping.

Finn, When did you become such a good squawker? It's my new favorite thing of yours...listening to all you have to say and all the excitement that you say it with!

.dad is for playing.

This is what roy and finn spend time doing. I love my boys!

.beanie blues.

Conference made for some great catch up time on some half-done projects. Sadly it takes so long for me to crochet these beanies that by the time I'm done they barely fit Finn's ever growing head. Perhaps these will make great gifts come winter. My second imporvised beanie...it was supposed to be an owl one, but I decided to just do a small brim. I totally winged it and it didn't come out half bad.

The blue looks sweet on the little man! This was actually a hat I had started for a friend's older baby, and looks like it fits Finn rather well. I guess I will have to start another, much larger one for him.

.invaded.

I'm convinced that we are slowly being overrun by ants. Every spring we get the occasional ants that find our way into our home...nothing that a shoe counldn't fix. This spring however, we are finally being assulted with their full numbers. It started off simple enough 5-6 ants in our bathroom, but slowly everyday there was more and more. It was slowly driving me crazy! I would kill all the new ants and spray the perimeter of the bathroom and not 3 hours later I would come back to a new batch of ants roaming around my bathroom floor. They then moved from the bathroom to our bedroom. I would find them here or there on a few clothes that didn't get thrown in the hamper. So I just started keeping the floor cleared of any debris thinking that would help. The other morning when I went to grab Finn (who is finally sleeping in his own room & doing wonderful) I noticed he had spit up on his swaddle blanket. I unwrapped him and left the swaddle blanket on our bed. I came back that afternoon to feed and lay the little man down for his nap, when I noticed our bed had been taken over by ants. They had smelled that sweet soured milk smell and made their way in mass. I may have freaked a little because I have never seen anything like it. The vacuum came out and I went to work sucking up those little buggers, washing bedding, tearing apart the bed, cleaning and vacuuming our entire room (it hadn't been done that well in awhile), and then we sprayed the entire perimeter of the basement. I'll admit, I feel a little violated! We are hoping that we can keep the ants at bay, but serisouly, does anyone have a full proof plan to keep ants out, because I'm completely grossed out!

.the living is easy.

As a parent you make up all kinds of strange songs to sing to your baby. Most of the time these songs have repetative, uncreative lyrics like, "you are so cute" or "we love you", and the melody is often times not truly catchy...even annoying at times. If you're a parent you know what I mean. I catch myself often singing songs that I would hide my head in shame if I knew anyone else was listening. But if it's just me and Finn, those ridiculous diddies will come out in full force just to buy a smile from my boy. Roy is not ammune to these songs either, and in fact, I have to give Roy credit in the creative department. Just the other day I caught Roy singing the following:

"Thunder thighs, and the Finn is living easy"

Of course the real lyrics are "summertime, and the living is easy", but if fit so well that we are now constantly singing out that phrase.

Poor Finn, I hope we don't give him a complex~

.retired.

I'm officially retired...of sorts. Really I'm just starting my forever job of being mom to this sweet little dude! (look at those mischevious eyes) We are learning eachothers groove and figuring out how to get the most sleep out of everyday. Finn, you really are a good sleeper, if we can just get a few more hours squeezed in at night that would be fantastic. 5:00 seems to be Finn's cranky hour so we spend a lot of sling time when mom is cooking. Daddy is great and usually treats Finn to shower time just before bed. The little man is usually knocked out by the end...he's all loosey goosey. We had a great conference weekend, even if the little man's schedule was completely thrown out the window. We went to Roy's mission reunion, where I played a dicey top handed piano for the meeting because no one else could play, and Roy got to catch up with his buds from the mission. Saturday, Finn enjoyed his first train ride down town to meet uncle Ryan who was at conference with about a million elders. It took us quite of bit of time to track him down in the sea of suits. Roy and I had planned to go to dinner, but our night was totally thrown off with conference events so all we got to do was go and get me some new shoes and my very own head lamp for our summer camping adventures. After all the craziness of the weekend I didn't have the heart to put Finn in his own bed in his own room, but we will start afresh this week in getting him transfered into his own room. Finally, as I said before I think Finn is going to be our thumb sucker. I even caught him in a moment where his efforts and coordination met in success. Keep working at if Finn, one day your fine motor skills won't make you so frustrated!