Hot Diggity Dog

Move over Curious George, there is a new mouse in town. Finn has taken a new interest in Mickey Mouse and his gang of merry friends. I'm not sure how it started even . . . maybe the Disney Store in NYC? Anyway, he likes watching the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show on tv, but his favorite part is the "hot dog" song at the end. He can be playing in another room and when he hears that music he will drop everything and go plant himself in front of the tv.

**Disclaimer

If you are the sort of person who gets songs stuck in your head, then consider yourself warned.

Finn's version of the hot dog dance.

Naps with Friends

Finn's crib has gotten really crowded. As you can see here, he sleeps with lots of "friends." One turned into two turned into 8. And they all must be present and accounted for before he goes to sleep. The funniest part is that when he wakes up, he will line them all up and then talk to them until he's ready to get up, at which point he'll scream, "mama, get you out of Finn's bed."

Finn and friends

(L to R: T-Bear, Bun-Bun, Bacon, T-Bo, George, Ellie, Mickey and Baby Ellie)

Could You Repeat That?

This video was a lot funnier when it wasn't true.

Get Yourself to a Movie Theatre this Weekend

The movie Extraordinary Measures opens this weekend! So, go ahead and get a babysitter now. I have blogged about this movie before, but for a quick refresher, it is based on a true story about our friends John and Aileen Crowley. Mark worked with John at Amicus in NJ and Aileen and I became good friends and of course we love the kids, Megan, Patrick and John Jr. We love this family and are so excited that their inspiring story will be told and more importantly, bring much needed attention to Pompe disease and the need to find a treatment.

Here is a clip featuring the real John and Aileen Crowley. I promise that after you see this, you will want to see the movie.

A Special Birthday Celebration

My grandmother, Jerry, turned 90 years old last weekend. Before you get on my case about being disrespectful for calling her by her first name . . . she wanted us to call her Jerry. Because "grandmother" sounded old to her, and "she isn't old." Since I can remember, all of her kids, grandkids, and now great-grandkids call her Jerry. Since this was a very special birthday, Finn and I decided to fly down and help her celebrate. It also didn't hurt that she lives in Miami and we were very tired of cold weather and needed a break. It just happened that Miami was also having record low temperatures the week we chose to visit. Oh well, we had a great time visiting with family, seeing the sights of Miami and even taking a brisk trip to South Beach.

The Birthday Girl

Finn and Baa help blow out candles

Since it was pretty cold outside, we had to find some inside activities to keep us busy and the Miami Children's Museum was a great way to spend the morning.

Baa and Finn go fishing

Watch out you outlaws, Finn is on patrol

Finn to the rescue

Ruff, Ruff

Finn works it out at the limbo pole

Even though it was cold, we weren't going to let that stop us from hitting the beach, in our winter coats. It was love at first sight for Finn, who took a nose dive into the sand the minute his feet touched.

Making sand-angels

We took a trip to the Parrot Jungle, which is a place I used to love visiting as a kid. Finn loved the birds, especially the ones that talked, imagine that. His favorite part was feeding the birds and then eating their left over food himself. Yes, he ate bird food. The bird handler assured me it was non-toxic and "chock full of vitamins and minerals." Which I guess I should take comfort in since he won't eat his veggies, but he will get lots of vitamins and minerals from eating bird food??

What a view! This is the view from Jerry's backyard, on the bay overlooking Miami

Finn and my mom's brother, Uncle Dick

Flashbacks

I finally dug out my video camera again hoping to catch Finn in action. Because he is so funny sometimes, pictures just don't do him justice. While I was downloading some old videos, I came across a couple that I just had to share.

I can't get over how much he has changed. This was taken in January 2009.

If you want to know what a fake crier sounds like, here you go. Because all you had to do was offer him his favorite candy (altoids, yes THOSE altoids) and he would pipe down. This was taken in July 2009.

Hope to have some more current videos up soon.

New Years with an Old Friend

We had a surprise visitor for New Year's this year. My good friend and old college roommate Summer made the trip all the way from Athens to come see us. Actually, she came with her family under the premise of helping her brother move into his new condo here in DC, but spent all of her time with us. The weather was pretty dreary, but we were able to do a little sightseeing. Mainly, we were just happy to see her and get to spend some time together. Finn loves "Summah" and especially the presents she brings him. I think she alone is responsible for about 90% of the stuffed animals he sleeps with every night. Anyway, thanks for making the trek Sum!