What a difference a Year Makes

I found this picture of Finn that was taken on Easter last year. Last year he couldn't hold his head up and didn't even realize that there was a chick next to him in the picture. This year he was so busy playing with the chick it was nearly impossible to get a picture taken.

The Easter Duck

Daffy has nothing on Finn!
He loves ducks lately and he loves to imitate them even more.

Egg Hunting & Cake Smearing = Happy Birthday

Finn celebrated his first birthday with good friends, cake and a little early Easter egg hunt. There was some serious egg hunters in the group, so we had to divide the professionals from the amateurs (and re-hide a few eggs.)




The "professionals" dashed out the door and wanted to know the exact egg limit.











The "amateurs" wanted to know if they could eat the chocolate inside the eggs before they looked for more.










Cake has never looked so fun and disgusting at the same time. Before the candle was even out, Finn had is hands in the icing. He had a great time eating the cake and wearing it too. By the end of the evening he was using the frosting as hair gel (which is very effective by the way.)

The Damn Paparazzi!

After being constantly dogged by the Rutledge Paparazzi, Finn said enough. Sources say just after this photo was taken he smashed the photographer's camera and punched him in the face.

Mr. Bubbles

Eleven is Heaven

At eleven months Finn has developed quite the vocabulary. He now says ought oh, duck, dog, bubble and ball (at least he makes sounds that are very similar to those words.) I haven't taken his weight lately, but he is sure getting heavy to carry around. Lucky for us he's starting to walk holding onto things. Although I was starting to consider carrying him as my weight training routine.

Party Hat

Finn put his party hat on for an early birthday celebration with his Grandma Linda.

Big Celebration

Great Grandma Roelle celebrated her 88th birthday with pie and ice cream, but the biggest hit of all was the giant purple ball.

On The Road Again

I believe the book "It takes a Village" is really about the transportation team required to move the amount of luggage it takes to travel with children. We recently headed to Colorado to visit with family and ski in Winter Park. Four ski bags, five suitcases, and 15 miscellaneous bags later we arrived with everything anyone might ever need to make such a trip.

Ski, Sleep and Eat at Winter Park

We really did go skiing at Winter Park, but somehow we only captured images of all us either eating or sleeping. I'd like to think that it's because we were skiing so hard we didn't want to stop. But I think it has more to do the fact that Finn and Olivia weren't with us on the slopes so it didn't occur to us to take a photo.

The Way We Were

When I was pregnant everyone kept saying how much our lives were about to change, but they never really said how. Now that Finn's approaching his first birthday I am getting a clearer picture. For example, it's really not a big deal anymore when during the course of a day one of several bodily fluids finds its way onto my shirt. Or that just when I have mastered the perfect swaddling technique, he's too big for the baby blanket. Or that just as I find a great daycare, I decide to stay home for a while.

Fortunately, I believe that change is good and there is no better way to learn about yourself and others than through change. So while this year has been one of tremendous change, I remind myself that even greater changes are yet to come.

Luggage with a Capital L

No - we didn't move to Colorado, we just just pack like we did. We took an extended trip to visit family and go skiing at Winter Park.