9 months and On the Move!

 Is it really raining again Mom?

 Trying some vanilla ice cream for the first time

Watching big brothers play basketball before swimming lessons at the gym

Taking a ride in the cozy coupe for the first time.  This car has definitely been around the block just a time or two!

The boys were putting pieces of cereal on the floor for Finn to crawl and pick up.  Hilarious!

More practice on Finn's belly scooting/crawling

I recently saw a commercial from a local news station in our area with a picture of a lawnmower in green grass and the caption read, "We are as ready as you are."  Spring is here on the calendar, but its not really here in Minnesota.  It has been 10-15 degrees below normal most of this month and we are currently getting a lot of rain.  A lot of rain, like 3 inches in 3 days.  Liam said the other day that once the snow melts in Minnesota, it usually rains like every day until its summer.  He's right.  John and I always joke that its not the winter that is so hard, its the wet, cold, and messy spring that really hurts in Minnesota.  Anyway, we are looking forward to warmer weather soon and we are thankful not to be battling the tornadoes that so many friends and family have been dealing with in Arkansas.

Finn is 9 months old today!  He is really on the move.  You can no longer set him in one spot on the floor with toys and expect him to be there when you turn around.  He isn't quite crawling efficiently yet, but he scoots across the floor on his belly and he's quite fast when he sees something that he wants.  His brothers play this game with him where they set out a little piece of cereal or dried yogurt puff and then they cheer him on as he "crawls" to pick it up.

He is big for his age and quickly moving from 12-18 into 18-24 month clothing.  He smiles almost all the time and is very entertained by his brothers.  He is a good sleeper.  He generally goes to bed around 7 or 7:30 pm and sleeps until 7 or 7:30 am!  Can't get much better than that.  And, he still takes two naps and sometimes three on school days when he is interrupted by pick-up and drop-off times.  He loves his blanket and his pacifier the most when he sleeps and he has become a belly sleeper with his butt sticking straight up in the air.  We all love him dearly!

Easter 2014

The ever tolerant Finn with mini lasers on his head

Aiden and his Dracula teeth from the doctor

Guess who doesn't like sitting anymore?  He's not quite crawling yet, but very close.  

In the ship at the science museum

Playing with the exhibit computers

Liam and Aiden

T-rex at the Science museum

Aiden in the big chair at the museum

Finn (standing again) in the kitchen

Time to Dye some Eggs!

Our finished product.  Only about half or more were broken by the end.  

Easter Morning before we check out our baskets downstairs

Easter Baskets!

Showing off our eggs we dyed

HE IS RISEN!!!  Happy Easter 2014!!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend.  John enjoyed a few extra days off and we enjoyed doing some fun things like the science museum, playing outside, coloring eggs, going to church, etc...The boys had a great time and we are so excited that the weather is finally turning warmer.  We even got to wear shorts on Easter!

The Donkey

The real donkey that visited us at church on Palm Sunday

Aiden (front and center with navy sweater, white shirt, kaki pants).  The little girl in the pink dress on the left is a neighbor friend as is the little boy on the far left with the striped tie.

Luke (left) and Liam (right) singing in church

AJ with his palm branch

Waving the palm branches and singing Hosanna!

Luke and Liam singing

Finn enjoying his swing outside

More fun on the hockey rink

Finn's first time to sit in the grocery cart at the store.  He loved it and talked the entire time!

We still have a lot of melting for the ice rink.  You can see here just how thick the ice was and it has already melted at least a foot or so.


We had a special visitor at church for Palm Sunday, a donkey.  The sermon was given from the perspective of the donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  It was a neat message and fun for the boys as well.  The big boys all sang in church on Sunday and waved their palm branches.  They have been working on their songs for several weeks and were excited to be in church.  Below is a poem by G.K. Chesterton that was printed in the bulletin on Sunday.  Chesterton describes how the donkey was looked upon by people and then from the perspective of the donkey as he was ultimately chosen to carry Jesus into Jerusalem.

The Donkey
When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born;
With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth, 
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour; 
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears, 
And Palms before my feet.
G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

In other news, we have been enjoying lots of time outside with the warmer temps.  Unfortunately, this week doesn't look like it will be very warm, but it was nice for a few days.  Finn has really enjoyed getting outside, trying out the swing, and not having to be quite so bundled up when we go out.  The boys, of course, love being able to ride bikes, scooters, play baseball, basketball, etc...Luke still claims his favorite season is winter, which makes me cringe every time I hear it.  

April Snow brings May Flowers?

Finn Loves his Food!

Happy Boy!

Checking out the Easter eggs while the boys are hunting for them

Finn hanging out with his brothers on a snowy morning 

Friday Night Bingo!!!

Really Mom, more pictures??  

Easter Egg Hunt while Mom and Dad are testing out a new camera

Luke and his missing teeth

Friday Night Bingo with the boys

What to do on a Friday night after a big April snowstorm?  Bingo, of course.  All of the big boys love games, especially Luke.  He will ask you to play UNO, Go Fish, MasterMind, Old Maid, War, or Crazy 8's at 7:00 in the morning.  And, if you tell him you will play after you do x, y, or z, he won't forget...trust me.  He loves loves to play games.

We actually did have snow in April last week.  On Thursday night, we got about 8 inches so Friday was a day for playing in the snow.  It was the heavy and wet type of snow that is great for building things and thankfully it melted very fast because the temps got up to 60 degrees on Sunday.  I wish I could say that will likely be our final snow of the year, but you just never know.  This week looks great for being outside, though!