Aunt Ginger Comes to Town

We had a wonderful surprise visit from my Aunt Ginger (dad's baby sister) this week. Uncle Joe had a conference out in Dulles and Ginger was kind enough to trek into the city to meet us for lunch. Finn has only met Ginger once and he was a baby so I figured it might take him a little time to warm up. Maybe five minutes, at most. Ginger knows the way to a little boy's heart . . . loud, noisy trucks and she brought two of them for Finn! He was all hers! We had a wonderful visit and it was so fun catching up on the Stone family and hearing all about the newest Auburn Tiger, Taylor. By the end of our visit, Finn was begging Ginger to come to his house to play with his toys. Ginger, we can't wait for your next visit!

Charleston

Mark had several meetings scheduled in Charleston so Finn and I decided we would tag along, to keep an eye on things. As most of you know, Charleston is one of my favorite places in the world so I was thrilled to be able to take Finn back and show him the sights. He's been before, but only for a night or two, so this was a real treat for both of us. The weather was crisp and a little cool, perfect for exploring and eating, of course. We tried to squeeze in as much as possible: we walked over the new bridge, played on the beach at Sullivan's Island, toured the fire department, met up with old (and new) friends, hit up the Marion Square farmer's market, ate lots of kettle korn, jumped on the moon bounce, played in parks, walked the battery and splashed in the fountain. Mark discovered a new store called Robot Candy which sold . . . . robots and candy. Finn earned his frequent shopping pass and then some.

Paige and Mary Daniel came down and spent the night with us and Finn loved spending time with his cousin. He also discovered the joy of a whoopee cushion. Which means that we ALL discovered the joy of a whoopee cushion. He would ask you to blow it up and then come sit down beside him and then collapse in a fit of giggles when someone sat on it. It was one trick that never got old to him.

We were able to spend a few days in Sumter with the rest of the Lyles clan and Finn loved spending time with his Mimi and Bop. He even stayed a few extra days while I went back with Mark to enjoy a couple of days on my own, which was a welcome break (thanks Mimi and Bop)! We had a wonderful trip and it was so much fun . . . going back to Charleston is like visiting an old friend you haven't seen in a long time. I did a terrible job of taking pictures . . . we were having way too much fun for me to have to stop a dig out the camera, so these will just have to do.

Inspecting the inside of the fire truck . . . Approved!

Posing with "dottie" the fire dog

You know how this will end . . .

Not happy about taking pictures

Playing on Sullivan's Island

Whew, made it to the top

Off . . .

I . . .

Gooooooooo!

Posing with his BFF

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Here at The Finn Files, we try to give "our readers" a real glimpse into our everyday lives. But as I look back over some of my recent posts, it's been mostly birthday parties, play dates and adventures . . .the good/fun/funny stuff. But that, my friends, is only half the picture. This week we have more than our share of fights, tantrums, meltdowns, time outs, frustrations and blow outs. In fact, for the first time this week, I actually had the thought "wow, I have created a spoiled brat!" Yikes, does that make me a bad mom? I hope not? Anyway, it is safe to say that I won't be winning any mother of the year awards this week. And I'll be the first to admit it. It has just been one of those weeks where everything goes wrong and I swear Finn noticed and decided he fuel the fire, just a little bit. Major meltdowns in the middle of the street, a tantrum in the checkout line at CVS (no, we did NOT come away with any candy), pushing on the playground, a little bit of sassing, nap skipping, and the icing on the cake . . .room destroyer extraordinaire! Usually, his fits don't really bother me. I can laugh it off or let him have his say and then reel him back in. But that hasn't been the case for me lately . . . I'm tired, pulled the muscles in my neck and couldn't move for a few days and have been trying to get everything in order to go out of town. I know it's my fault . . . he's just being two, mostly. But it is amazing how my frame of mind can have such an impact on how I handle life's little inconveniences. But I digress . . .

Today, he refused to take a nap, even though I could tell he was exhausted. By the fifth or sixth time of going in his room, I just gave up and turned the light on and told him he had to play by himself for a little while. Meanwhile, I was trying to pack and get the house straightened up. He was so proud of his mess that he called me up to take a look. I know, taking a picture probably didn't help my disciplining either, but when I took the picture, I did have a really mad look on my face, telling him "I'm going to show your dad."

This is only what I could capture on my phone

Because it isn't enough to show it off, sometimes

you have to roll around in the mess to get the full effect

Anyway, I was so frustrated that I knew I couldn't even start cleaning up the mess, so I put him in the stroller and took us both for a walk to cool off. Ten minutes into our walk, he was out like a light. SEE, I KNEW YOU NEEDED A NAP. MOMS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT!!!!!

I was dreading coming home and cleaning up that room. Sometimes I feel like that is all I do, all day, every day. Pick up the same toys over and over and over again. But my sweet husband had already done the dirty work for me. We walked in to a nice, clean bedroom. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Sometimes you get the Finn . . . and sometimes the Finn gets you!

A Little Off the Top?

Mark has been talking about how much Finn needed a haircut, even threatening to take him to his barber himself. And I'll admit, it had gotten a little long. But oh, those curls! Maybe I'm living vicariously through his beautiful (real) blonde curls. Anyway, I took him after school on Tuesday to get his haircut. He went without a fight, but insisted on sitting in my lap for the haircut. I popped a sucker in his mouth and told the lady cutting his hair that she had until he finished that lollipop to cut his hair, then we were done, whether she was or not. Because of the mere fact that I am blogging about it, the results were not what I had hoped for. Obviously, the words "just a little trim" mean something different to everyone. Well, Finn had fun and was proud of his new do. I texted Mark the following picture . . .

Doesn't he look like a freshly shorn poodle?

Mark responded that he thought he was channeling Ralphie . . .

minus the glasses.

You be the judge. But please, don't tell me how I shouldn't have cut his hair in the first place. Because I'm pretty sure the curls are here to stay. Besides, there may be a spot in A Christmas Story II in our near future.

Peek A Boo

I did a double take when I walked past Finn's room this morning and didn't see or hear him anywhere. And then the laundry hamper mysteriously began to move across the floor.

Peek

A

Boo