SLEEPOVER!!

We welcomed our first overnight guests to DC in the form of Wade and Kriya Benich. Finn was super excited because he loves Wade and this time he got have them in his house. Wade and Kriya were both troopers for putting up with city life, i.e. construction next door, cramped quarters and lots of walking. We LOVED having them here and Finn keeps asking when Wade can "come over and play toys." We packed a lot of sightseeing and exploring into a very short amount of time. We hit several parks and playgrounds, the WHite House, lots of memorials and monuments, Natural History Museum and the zoo. Mark wins Husband of the Month for staying with the boys while Kriya and I enjoyed dinners out and the musical Jersey Boys. Kriya acted as our roving photojournalist for the weekend, so I stole these from her. For a complete slideshow of all of the fun, go to Kriya's blog. It was so great to see Kriya and Wade--thanks for making the trip to come visit.

Wade is quite the climber and Finn wasted no time trying to copy his tricks

Finn shows Wade some of his favorite DC spots

You would think that the seesaw would be a perfect toy for two competitive little boys. TWO separate seats on OPPOSITE sides from each other. You would think.

I saw it first. MINE!

Finn throws an elbow

Wade fires back with a left jab (Kriya and I are standing by watching this go down and laughing our heads off, and obviously taking pictures!)

Wade looks to the crowd for support or a whistle

All is well once again when they figure out there are two seats

What "exhausted" looks like

Washing hands turned into playing in the sink for 20 minutes

On Friday night we went to Boo at the Zoo for a little festive treat. In theory, great idea. Boys can dress up, do a little trick-or-treating, and see some animals. In reality, it was a lot more work than we planned for. Fun still, but we decided this was a four-man job.

Finding Nemo and Curious George

Me and my little monkey

The only way we could keep them quiet and seated was with a Krispy Kreme.

Hey, it works for me too.

Pack-mule extraordinaire

A trip to the Natural History museum, but we might as well have been in a parking lot. All they cared about was running around and swinging on bars (Wade).

Beautiful day in the park

Feeding the ducks and praying that one or both boys didn't decide to go for a swim

Let us in, we promise to behave

Trick-or-Treat Mr. Obama (he can decide which one it will be)

Oh come on, you knew there would be one of these:

Obligatory matching outfit picture

Come back real soon, you hear!

Wilson Hall Comes to Town

Recently, I was reminded that I had forgotten to blog about a very important event. Finn's cousin Mary Daniel came to visit with her 5th class from Wilson Hall. Their class trip was packed with lots of sightseeing and exploring, but Mary Daniel (or as Finn calls her, Mary Dingle) and chaperone Paige squeezed in some time for Finn. Right after the Wilson Hall bus pulled into town, Finn took MD to his favorite restaurant to get some fried scallops. He was also able to squeeze in a quick visit to the Air & Space museum with the class. But the highlight of the trip was when MD came to HIS HOUSE and gave him a bath and read him a bedtime story. Finn was sad to see her go, but can't wait to visit her in Sumter.

PS: Mary Daniel, Finn wants you to save him a hamster! But only if he can keep it at your house.

Month 22

Twenty-two months! He might as well be 16 and in many cases he thinks he is. Full of joy, laughter and a little (or a lot) of mischief, he is always on the go. He is talking up a storm, putting words and phrases together and giving LOTS of directions. As in "mommy, put the phone down" whenever I am on the phone in his presence. He wants all of the attention on him. For the most part, he knows his ABC's (thank you Patti). We've been busy this past month, but I don't have many pictures to show for it.

Oh and remember when I said I would never cut Finn's curls. Well I (not Mark) did. And now I wish I hadn't, but isn't that the case with all haircuts?? The haircut was a bit of a traumatic experience for both of us. I guess it had been so long since he had one he didn't know what to do. Lesson learned on my part. He still looks cute as pie, but I hope the curls come back. Please, hold all of your hate mail until later. I feel bad enough as it is.

Extraordinary Family, Extraordinary Measures

I know that I have blogged about our friends, The Crowleys, before. They are an amazing family who we became friends with while living in New Jersey. Mark worked with John Sr. at Amicus Therapeutics. A few years ago, a Washington Post columnist wrote a book about the Crowley family called The Cure, and now that book has been made into a movie with Harrison Ford (not a typo), Brendan Fraiser and Keri Russell (Felicity, anyone?), called Extraordinary Measures. Please click on the link to read more about this inspiring family. You have to watch the interviews with the real John and Aileen (click on Meet John Crowley). And go ahead and mark your calendars (and get babysitters) for January 22, 2010, when the movie comes out. You won't want to miss this one.

Megan and Finn, 2008

Patrick (left), John Jr. (front center), Megan (back right), Finn (thumb in mouth)

Candlelight Lunch for Two

Who said men can't be romantic? Finn enjoys a candlelight lunch of grilled cheese and grapes with his favorite pal "faux" Lily (seated on table).

Pumpkin Pickin' at Butler's Orchard

Our neighbor told us about this great little farm about 30 miles from here called Butler's Orchard. During the month's of September/October they have Fall Festival days on the weekends, with hayrides, pumpkin picking, games, corn mazes, pony rides, farm animals . . . basically, Finn's kind of place. We made the trek this past weekend and we weren't disappointed.

Taking a spin on the John Deere

Jumping in the hay loft

Snacking on some hay

I thought Finn would love a pony ride, but this face proves I was wrong . . .

This was the "no pony" face

Wondering around the corn maze

Should I be offended that Mark positioned me right under the "Tubby's" sign?

A tense rubber ducky race

We had to pause in order to sing "Wheels on the Bus"

Yet another maze. . . Finn thought it was more fun to lay down on top of the maze

Wait, that fence is supposed to keep me OUT?

Future Tractor operator

Testing out pumpkins

Happy Boys

I spy something . . .

Two pumpkins

"How 'bout Patti?"

This video has been part of our lives for the past 3-4 months, and now we think it should be part of yours. This is Finn's favorite video and he wants to share it with his favorite people. When he wants to watch it, he'll come over to me and say "mama, how 'bout Patti." And believe me, when it comes to the ABC's, Patti is a genius. This video comes in very handy. Like on 8 hour car rides to SC, or on the airplane, but especially as a distraction method when beloved nightnight is in the dryer. I think Finn is responsible for at least half of the 1 million+ views. You have to watch the entire video or if you can't take it then fast forward to the middle. You won't be sorry says Finn.

King of the Playground

The weather has been beautiful lately, so we have been spending a majority of our time outdoors. There are four parks/playgrounds within walking distance so we rotate depending on our mood (mainly, is it a sand day or not). Finn has met a couple of little boys he likes to hang out with, and it helps that their moms are pretty cool too.

Checking out the cows at the petting zoo

Even billy goats like playgrounds

Finn and Ian checking out the monkeys at the zoo

This construction site is one of his favorite "playgrounds"

Playing in the sand with Darren

Getting a little help from mom

Our newest addition to the playground circuit has a merry-go-round

(didn't know they still made them!).

Nightnight needs a horse too

Giddyup

Testing out a pogo stick

With a little help from mom

More sand with Darren