Not the best day for Wylie George

Poor little guy burned his hands under the faucet in the bathtub. :(

Lost Tooth #2

Finn lost his second tooth on Saturday.  It was there when he sat down to lunch and gone when he finished his PB&J.  I was relieved that he didn't freak out about not having the actual tooth.  It was as if he and the Tooth Fairy already had an understanding. 

When he found the dollar under his pillow Sunday morning he wondered why she hadn't left a note, too.  I refrained from telling him that the writing-component of the Tooth Fairy (Jason) had fallen asleep before he got the chance to write a note and the sneaking-in portion of the Tooth Fairy (me) was just happy that she stayed awake late enough and remembered to plant the dollar.

Now, two nights later, the tooth pillow is back under his pillow and contains a dollar and a quarter.  A different dollar, Finn says.  He left this money out for her Saturday night, but she didn't take it.  Its for her to give to other kids...sweet, and odd.

Finn is faster to write than Finley.

He has my impatience (passed down from my dad) and sometimes it proves beneficial.

We named him Finley because we liked Finn, yet he has called himself Finley all along. Today he was rushing to draw pictures, write his name, and deliver than to friends on out street. So he decided Finn was better because, it is faster to write than Finley. Ok, that I can understand.

Dip

Wylie is a passionate boy.  He is gleeful over Elmo, exclaims about puppies, and runs to the dinner table. 

His current passion is dip.  Ketchup, syrup, salad dressing, hummus.  Any dip.  He takes his chicken nugget or pancake or carrot, dips it vigorously, and licks off his beloved dip, leaving the dipped food item unscathed.

Thanksgiving is over...and we're off!

Finn has acquired my love of Christmas.  As we were decorating the tree today, he said, "I am glad Thanksgiving is over.  Now Christmas can start!"  That certainly is something to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving is only three days gone, but already we are racking up "Christmas moments," despite the grouchy, semi-sickness that has permeated our house lately:

-Even though it felt like we were torturing Finn to get dressed and leave the house (and being tortured in return), the boys were entranced by the Enchanted Railroad at the Morton Arboretum.

-Taking a break from running around like wild men, Finn and Wylie climbed up on Grandma and Grampa's bay window and peacefully collaborated on decorating with Christmas window stickers.  Even better, Jason and I sat on the couch, with wine in hand, and watched while G and G supervised.

-It took two separate attempts to decorate the tree today mostly because little and medium did not seem to get the "family activity" concept.  Yet the good moments were truly perfect--Finn tested the lights himself at 7:00 this morning, anxious to get the process started.  Wylie put his new Elmo ornament on the tree and then went back to it again and again, happy to see Elmo.

Finn Loses First Tooth!

And now the tooth fairy is coming!  If only Mommy and Papa had any idea what the going rate is for a tooth these days...

Wylie's first three-word phrase

"Bird poop car."

Just a glimpse of our silly Wylie...

Hiccups

Thus morning, Finn has the "hicc-downs."

Baby Teeth

We have a boy with two loose teeth. So I figured I'd capture the full set of baby teeth before they're gone!

Halloween 2012--A Space Odyssey

Our first attempt at a family costume! FInn's astronaut suit was the inspiration. Wylie is the first chimp launched into outer space. Jason really does exemplify the solar system. And, as the mama, I am the galaxy.

Our extended family--Zachary Thomas!

Look closely at that monkey in the middle...

he has discovered candy!

The neighborhood kids.

One happy astronaut, enjoying the block party. 

The costume parade at the block party.

Doing math

Happy 5th Birthday Finn!

It was a gorgeous day to celebrate Finn turning 5.  When we were leaving the house before nine this morning and the temperature was in the 40s, I wondered if we were crazy to be heading to the Lake to go biking, but we hoped for the best and headed into the city.  It ended up being one of those perfect days where life just felt good.  

From Millennium Park we biked to Northerly Island and explored a bit.  Then, with Finn in the lead, we rode up to North Avenue.  Since Wylie decided to take his nap on the back of the bike, we just kept on going.  We could have ridden for hours.  Finn blew me away, never complaining, never getting tired, happy as could be on his bike.

Happy Birthday Finn!

 

Great place for a nap!

Goodnight Four-Year-Old Boy

My sweet boy is sound asleep on his back in what Jason and I used to call the "stick 'em up" pose, just like when he was a baby.

(Meanwhile Wylie is on his front, butt in the air, face straight down into the mattress. How could that be comfortable?)

Let's Bowl, Let's Bowl

The Finn-a-palooza began on Friday when Finn brought cookies to school then went out for lunch, ice cream, and presents with Sammie.

Saturday was the big day of celebration--the bowling party!  Then pizza and ice cream cake at our house.  On Sunday Finn and Jason cooked all day--homemade sauce, pasta, and meatballs--with a lot of time to play with new toys in between.

Click here to see more pictures.

Sweet Boys

The last couple of days have been especially sweet with Finn and Wy.  Right now Finn is up in his bed, trying to fall asleep, spelling aloud, "F-I-N-L-E-Y" over and over again.  Then he'll stop and try to sound out a random word like "space."

Finn's Halloween costume arrived today and he was beyond excited by the astronaut helmet.  He put on the entire get-up immediately and played outer space until dinner.  Meanwhile we got Wylie into the monkey costume and he played happily while dressed up, even with the hood-on.  He would produce a periodic "oo-oo, ah-ah" when asked what a monkey says.  So cute!

Wylie has been particularly crazy and goofy lately.  He'll bend over, balance on his head, in a sort of baby yoga pose, and throw a ball across the room.

While we were playing this afternoon, Finn said, "This is my favorite time of day." When I asked him why I thought for sure he was going to tell me it was because he was eating one of the cookies Nana sent for his birthday.  Instead he said, "Because you're here."  Melted my heart!

Wylie's Words

All of a sudden, Wylie has figured out how to spew out new words.  Months ago he was saying "gato," "uh-oh," and "mama" and those three words seemed to suffice.  Then during our road trip in June he had a bit of a burst, adding a handful of new words--"up," "down," "cracker," "apple," "Grampa."  He would sometimes say "hi" or "bye," a version of "brother."

Within the last week or two he has been trying out all sorts of new words:
-Sasa and Zachy (two neighbors)
-outside
-shoes
-Elmo
-happy
-Wylie George

He still insists on calling most fruits and vegetables "apples," but he is well on his way to being able to tell us what is on his mind.

First bike ride--Destination Donuts

Yesterday was a big day for Finn.

He woke up asking for donuts.  Once he realized Jason was taking the car to go help Joe and Robyn move into their new house, Finn decided we should bike to the the farmer's market for donuts.  The kid had yet to ride more than around the block and while the crashes and falls were dwindling, starting and stopping were still a challenge.  But he had to learn somehow.  So I got myself into super-patient mode, loaded Wylie into the trailer, and off we went.

At first I wasn't sure we were going to make it.  He stopped and started and crashed seven or eight times before we got out of our neighborhood.  There were numerous bouts of tears. We almost turned back.  Somehow the goal of donuts kept us going and I was so grateful we didn't give up.  Once we got to a good long straightaway and I took the lead so that we didn't have to stop at every intersection, it was a dream!  We were on a bike ride!

Two miles later, we locked our bikes and were thrilled to have made it to the farmer's market (B).  And Finn was just as thrilled to get back on his bike and keep going.  We rode to the library (C), then to t-ball (D), then to Subway (E) and met up with Jason, then home (F).  The kid rode six miles!  A great day.

Back to School for Finn

Finn is off and running with his last year of preschool.  The first two pictures are from his first day, September 4th.  He's warmed up quickly to his new teachers--Mrs. Toraco, Miss Terese, and Miss Katie.  Just like last year he's gravitating to the boys in the class and doesn't seem to realize there are girls anywhere in the vicinity. 

He says he loves story time in his new class.  Today, he told us dramatically, they did something very special--they read a story (about God) with no pictures.  The kids got to be the pictures!  He talked on and on about the puppets and "being the pictures,"yet never explained what the story was about.

Last week he was super excited tell us he had a job in the classroom--"calendar helper."  This involved, he told us matter a factly, looking out the window to report on the weather.  

Apple picking with Sara, John, and Lyla

Brookfield Zoo 5K, again

Click here to see pictures!

Brothers

This afternoon, Finn took it upon himself to connect the wagon to his big wheel via bungie cord, and tow his brother around the block! What a great brother! Or, could he have been trying to make up for cutting Wylie's hair yesterday?

Ever-ready play date

I love that Finn has a built-in, every-ready play date, Zach lives right next door, just yelling distance away.  What would Finn do without Zach?  I know that I would be spending a lot more time playing crazy, imaginary, four-year-old games.  Thank you Zach!

Sleep-eating

Finn's Projects

Our dining room is cluttered with an ebb and flow of Finn's projects.  For one, he has figured out that building on the dining table is the only safeguard against Wylie's demolishing tendencies.  But also, the project sit there for days or weeks or months because I don't know what to do with them!  

So, finally Finn and I took pictures of a few projects today, for posterity.  I figure if I save the picture, that is as close as I can get to saving the actual project.  (I took the pirate art project straight to the garbage can.  I'm worried if suddenly the igloo is gone, will Finn notice and want it back?)

  

A house, with a sunroof and little people inside.

The sweetest Christmas gift ever!  Courtesy of Finn, via Miss Therese and Ms. Toraco.

Christmas 2012, advent calendar from school.

Fall 2012, with Sammie.

Christmas 2012, with Sammie.

Finn the inventor, who with a set of magna tiles, a couple of flashlights, and an inspired imagination, built his own movie projector! (November 2012)

 

Raising butterflies, September 2012.

Finn and Sammy build this sugar-cube igloo early this year and I haven't been able to figure out what to do with it. Note Finn's artistic photographic perspective.