School Pictures

I love that they take pictures at school so that I am guaranteed at least one photo of Finn where he is sitting still and semi-focused. These turned out way better than I expected, although Mark wanted to know why they put flowers in his hair.

2nd Ammendment Rights

We believe in the right to bear arms . . . and bellies!

Let the record show that it is November and we are still wearing shorts (and sandals!). Couldn't be happy to be back in the south again.

Samantha Comes to Town

We were so excited to have our first overnight guests since moving to Charleston. And even more excited that it was Alisha, Samantha and Barrett Slye! Alisha was incredibly brave to fly solo with two little ones and we were so happy she did. Finn was SO EXCITED to see Samantha. We even skipped school so we could enjoy every minute of their visit. Finn and Sam truly treat each other like brother and sister . . . hugging and loving on each other one minute and duking it out on the floor the next minute. We had a great, low-key weekend, hanging at the beach, playing on the playground, visiting the park and chilling on the porch. We even ventured downtown to the kids museum, only to find it closed. So we regrouped and hit a nearby park and they were just as happy rolling in the dirt. We were spoiled living in DC being able to see our dear friends on a weekly basis and miss seeing them so it was great to spend a few days together. Unfortunately, we didn't take too many pictures. It was hard enough wrangling all three of them, much less while holding a 5 lb camera. We did manage to take a few on the iPhone which are all blurry because they were never still. We miss you guys and can't wait to see you again!!

Hiding out in the tepee

Notice the budding artists . . . their artwork may be seen on each other's faces

It had been quiet for way to long and then we figured out why. They even managed to color all over poor Barrett.

Check out his blue "man-liner" The head wound is courtesy of a run-in with a fence post at the playground. A cool hand-drawn bandage by dad and he was all ready to go again.

Finn and Sam had each other . . . Barrett had Lily.

Girls night out! Mark volunteered to stay in while we went out to dinner.

Just kidding . . . all four of them were asleep before we left :)

Things I Never Thought I Would Need to Say to My Son--This Month

1. Stop licking the floor

2. Stop licking the table

3. Yes I'll read you a story, on my lap, even though I'm using the bathroom

4. No, it's not ok to pee pee on the playground at school

5. Stop peeing on the flowers

6. Stop peeing off the deck

7. At least he turned around (when I caught him peeing in the ocean, standing up!) Sense a pattern here?

8. Take that candy out of your underwear (my all time favorite)

9. No, I do not need you to wipe me (in public restroom)

10. No, you my not have a margarita with your grilled cheese (when ordering at a restaurant)

May the Force Be With You . . . until Next Halloween

Darth Vader and a very embarrassed Yoda

Humiliation, with a capital H!

Oh yes, I dressed up as Princess Leia. Finn told me he did not like my hair braids.

We had a great Halloween. Because Finn is such a lover of all things sweet (which he gets from both his mom and dad), trick or treating was serious business. We got all dressed up and walked a few blocks down to the Captain's Row . . . where all of the old Ft. Moultrie Officer's Quarters homes are located. These homes are gigantic and beautiful and the people go all out with decorations and themes. Candy for the kids and hunch punch for the adults . . . not a bad way to trick or treat. The police even block of the street on both ends so it is packed with scary little monsters, ghosts, goblins, firemen, darth vaders and the occasional Harry Potter. Finn took his trick or treating very seriously and did not mess around. He inspected his haul after each house. I was proud that he remembered to say thank you. He didn't let scary costumes deter him like they did last year. He would just turn sideways and scoot up the steps, get the candy and run back to me. He was getting that candy no matter what! After it was over, we had to inspect all of his loot and talk about each piece and which ones our favorites were. He said it was better than Christmas and can't wait until next year!