the finke life

Playing in the Snow!

2012-01-29T21:58:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago we got some decent snow (I'd say 6-8 inches) so, of course, the kids wanted to go out and play in it. It was the first real snow of the season (which is CRAZY, but fine, I'm not complaining), so I got them all bundled up and sent them outside with Dan. They had a great time making snow angels and getting tossed into the huge piles of snow!

Dan and Jack making a plan of attack!

Dan showing Ellie how to make a snow angel.

Traipsing through the snow.

Clap, clap, clap!!

Dan made the kids snowballs to throw into the street.

Ellie catching some snow on her tongue.

Making a snow angel of her own.

Jack-Jack's turn.

All together now!

Helping Daddy shovel. Reminded me of this...

Getting tossed into a huge pile of snow!

Ready? Go!

Ha ha ha ha!!

Of course it was Jack's turn next.

Soft landing!

King and Queen of their own domain.

Dan got himself in a little too deep.

Relaxing.

Yum! Warming up with hot chocolate is ALMOST the best part!

Chocolate mess!

Gator Bowl

2012-01-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

On January 2nd we got the opportunity to go to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL. It would have been really great except that my two LEAST favorite college football teams were playing in the game. As a result I don't think I watched one complete down of football, but that didn't matter I had a great time anyway - I think we all did. It ended up being a really fun way to spend a day as a family.

Before the game we "tailgated" and ate some brunch and the adults had a few beverages. The kids mostly ran around and played catch and tag. It was good for them to burn off some steam before going into the game to sit for a few hours.

Momma and Ellie before the game.

Pops and Lily (Lils wasn't feeling her best that day, but she was a trooper).

Jack Jack before the game.

Ells spending a moment being grumpy. Ahhh...the life of a three year old. So many moments, so many moods.

Jack Jack (looking really tired - he did end up sleeping through part of the game) wearing a dinosaur hat that looks shockingly like a Gator (boo...).

Kara and Lily cheering for the Florida Gators.

Me and my love, Dan. I can't believe I wore a Broncos hat, but it was either that or extreme sunburn.

Beautiful Tia Tessa.

My little Ellie Bellie.

A good one of Momo and Pops!

Visit to the Jacksonville Zoo!

2012-01-22T10:05:00.000-05:00

Another fun day during our trip to Jacksonville was the day we took the kids to the Jacksonville Zoo. We don't have a zoo here in State College, so my kids LOVE going to see the animals any time they have the chance.

The girls (sorta) patiently waiting for the adults so that we could go into the zoo.

Lily, Kadence and Momo see something cool up there!

Lily and Jack looking at the animals.

Lily checking out the elephants.

Jack Jack liked the water animals.

Tia Tess and Dean even came with us. He had a great time and was such a good boy the whole day!

Momo and Jack sharing some special time.

In the middle of the zoo there was this cool climbing rock that the kids spent a few minutes burning some energy running around and climbing up.

Lily running around the rock.

Ellie and Kade made it to the top! BFFs forever!

Kara and Lils - cute as can be!

Oh those lips! Such a cutie! I can't take it!

Ellie and Momo checking out some water animals.

Jack Jack liked the BIG SNAKES!

Aww...looking at something together.

The best one I could get of all four kids by the fountain.

Kadence on the carousel horse.

Ellie and Jack on the horse.

Pretty Lily on the carousel horse.

A few of the animals we saw that day:

Dean's Baptism

2012-01-19T10:53:00.001-05:00

On New Year's Eve we celebrated the baptism of our newest addition, Dean Joseph Clamons. Jon Heldenbrand and I get to be Dean's Godparents. It was a really nice ceremony held after the 5pm Mass. Many of William's family members joined our family to celebrate Dean becoming a member of the Catholic church.

Dean, however, was not so thrilled with the whole process and expressed his discontent throughout the event. No matter, I hear that it's the best and brightest who cry throughout their baptisms and that it can only be taken as a sign that a true and genuine relationship with God has been established. I know this because I cried through my whole baptism too ;).

Tessa, William, Jon, Erinn and Baby Dean.

Trying to comfort my sweet little boy.

Shh, shh, shh little angel.

Nothing really settled him, not even giving him back to Tessa (which usually works like a charm).

The whole group after the ceremony.

Momo and Ellie before the baptism started.

Three beautiful girls!

Jack, Lily and Ellie.

Hanging out with family in Florida

2012-01-14T16:21:00.002-05:00

On December 27th we went to Jacksonville, FL to hang out with my family for a few days and meet our new nephew, Dean. We stayed with my sister Kara and her family at their house and spent a lot of our time just hanging out there letting the kids play and run around.

Ellie holding Baby Dean for the first time. She just loves him. He IS extremely cute!

Momo and Kade. Momo bought these "dinosaur" hats for the kids to wear to the Gator game.

The girls spent a lot of their time dressing up. They looked fabulous!

More dress up. I LOVE the red wig, Kade!

Jenna was nice enough to pull the kids around in the wagon. The kids thought this was awesome.

Momo got the kids iPads for Christmas. Here Jack is watching Kade expertly play Angry Birds.

Pops and two of his girls watching a Toy Story movie.

As if adding 4 extra people to her house wasn't enough, Kara was also puppy sitting for some of her friends. Good thing this dog is cute! I forgot how much work new puppies are!

Christmas Morning 2011

2012-01-13T22:09:00.002-05:00

Christmas morning was wonderful! The kids woke up and came downstairs to see the cookies Santa had eaten (and shared) and the note that he left for them. They also saw the pile of presents he left for them in front of the fireplace and were thrilled! It was honestly fantastic. I didn't take too many pictures - I kinda stopped mid-way just to be involved. They honestly LOVED everything they got, so, if you sent something for them, thank you!! You made their day truly special and as a Momma, I'm so grateful.

Note from Santa

Ellie freaking out in front of the pile of presents from Santa.

Her Rapunzel doll!! This is the present she talked about daily and told everyone she wanted when they asked her what she wanted from Santa.

She is her father's child, so she had to put it all on immediately.

Jack-Jack got Buzz and Woody. He is totally enamored.

Princess shoes!!! Santa really scored!

Super Jack!!

Bowling game - Jack and Ellie love this toy! They can actually play together.

Setting up the pins.

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-12T10:33:00.000-05:00

The Finke family spent Christmas at home this year for the FIRST TIME EVER. It was nice but also a little weird to not have the rest of our family around us. Dan and I decided that this first Christmas at home alone was the perfect time to determine what our family traditions would be for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. In years past we have always spent the evening of Christmas Eve with my family. My family tradition has always been to go shopping with my dad (for Christmas presents for my mom) during the day of Christmas Eve and then in the evening we all get dressed up, go out for a nice dinner, go to mass and then to see the luminarias in Old Town Albuquerque. I have to say that I just LOVE this tradition. It is one of the reasons that I have wanted to continue going home for the holidays each year. In light of this, Dan agreed that we could keep many of the traditions that I have loved for so many years going with our own small family, so on Christmas Eve we got the kids dressed up, went out to dinner, went to the 6pm children's mass at OLV and then drove around State College looking at the Christmas lights. We even added our own little flare to the evening - drinking hot chocolate while writing a letter to Santa before going to bed. It was a wonderful Christmas Eve. We had a really nice night even though we were missing our families.

Daddy and Ellie at dinner at the Ale House

Umm...what are you looking at young man??

The real picture of Jackie and Momma.

Ellie in front of the Christmas tree.

The best we could get of the three of us!!

Momma and Ellie

Awww!!! Can't you just feel the love?!

Hot Chocolate is AWESOME!!

Very careful to not get any on her beautiful dress!

Letter to Santa. Ellie told me what to write and then wrote her name herself. Pretty good for 3 years old!!

Christmas Eve Eve with the Ligetti Family

2012-01-05T18:46:00.000-05:00

On December 23rd we went over to the Ligetti's house for dinner and some holiday cheer. It was so nice to see them - it had been awhile. We all had a great time, and even though Carsyn was not feeling her best, she managed to have fun too.

Jack-Jack with a magic flashlight.

Ellie and Daddy were excited about their Bey Blades turn.

Tanner slinging a Bey Blade. If you've never played with Bey Blades - I highly recommend it. Very addicting!!

More Bey Blades...

The girls in Rudolf antlers. Aren't they just the cutest?!

Carsyn making a silly face.

Jack wanted a turn with the antlers too.

Tanner showing off the space where his two bottom teeth should be!!

Visit with Nik, Josh, Madeline and Nathaniel!!!!

2011-12-25T23:19:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I know that the number of photos included with this post is going to seem excessive. Does it help that I selected only 10% of the ones that I took? Probably not. Anyway, we had a GREAT visit with the Natale Meeker clan last weekend. Times like that with friends like those are priceless and too few and far between these days.

One of the activities that we attempted with the kids over the weekend was to make a gingerbread house. You can see that the kids clearly did most of the work in this activity.

Nik putting the walls of the house together.

Erinn and Dan putting the icing on the roof.

This is what the kids did while we "helped" them with the gingerbread house - licked icing off the table.

and off their fingers.

We were pretty thrilled with how closely our finished product matched the picture on the box. We think we're gonna take this up as a weekend business.

The kids didn't care what it looked like - just that it tasted delicious!

Jack put his whole face into the eating part of this activity.

Yum, yum, yum.

He was pretty sad that we wouldn't let him eat the whole thing. Yes, that is saliva dripping from his chin. Cute, I know.

On our visit Ellie and Jack got to meet Madeline's little brother, Nate.

Clearly, they adore him!

We also did TONS of playing and dancing!!

Jack-Jack showing some of his best moves.

Ellie taking a rest.

???Who knows what's happening here??? Monkey see, monkey do.

Nik and Josh also have a world class bounce house that they break out when the moms and dads need a few minutes of peace. The kids love it, are safe and exhaust themselves all at the same time. I can't think of anything more perfect.

Jack, Ellie and Maddy jumping and falling.

Jackie smiling big!

Bum bounce!! Maddy has it mastered!

The big girls also made some arts and crafts activities using markers, crayons and stickers.

They took their work very seriously!

While the girls were doing art projects, Daddy and Jack-Jack read some stories.

Madeline also spent some time "writing" on the magna doodle.

and Jack played in the tent.

The kids also had a great time with a wrapping paper roll. They used as a microphone and a telescope and a sword. It was good fun for about 30 minutes.

We also spent some time before nap watching an episode of Super WHY.

Ellie took some time to talk with Nate about the show. It was so cute!!

Also over the weekend Maddy, Ellie and Jack watched Cinderella. Maddy just loved it and was truly concerned about what was going to happen to Cinderella. My kids had seen it before, so they weren't quite so affected.

Watching Cinderella (I love Maddy in this picture).

On Sunday morning Ellie was sitting on the couch, reading a book and got some AMAZING static in her hair. Check it out!!

Also on Sunday before we left for home the kids played dress up and had a dance party to Lady Gaga (and others).

Maddy in her beautiful dress and Jackie wearing black patent leather Mary Janes.

Nate watched the whole thing - cute as can be!!

OLV Preschool Christmas Concert

2011-12-24T22:39:00.000-05:00

On December 15th Ellie had her first school Christmas concert. I was so excited to go see her sing and disappointed that Dan was traveling and couldn't make it. It was a really big deal for her - she had been practicing the songs at home for a few weeks. She was so excited I was sure she was going to have a great time. Boy was I wrong! This girl has some stage fright!!

As you can see she was fine while walking into the social hall at church. She was walking so proudly in line with her friends and classmates.

She's in place, but you can see the look of worry on her face. I think she was overwhelmed when she looked out and saw all the parents and all the cameras pointing at her. It wasn't at all like it had been the day before when they had practiced!

Standing quietly, trying to process. Meanwhile I'm hoping that she's okay.

She sees me. About 5 seconds after this she is balling and hysterical. She had to leave her place in the line-up.

Mrs. Dougherty, the principal of the preschool, was able to calm her down a little bit. She sang a little bit after this.

After the show Santa came for a visit.

Ellie sat with Mrs. Dougherty while Santa read a story about the true reason for Christmas.

After the story Ellie was back to her happy self and even went up to Santa to say hello.

Ellie and her friend, Zoe.

Fall Family Photos

2011-12-22T22:17:00.002-05:00

In October one of our new neighbors hosted a family photo party. Basically she contacted a local photographer who agreed to waive her sitting fee for all families who took part in the party. All we had to pay for were the photos that we decided to order, if any, once we viewed the proofs. Now, I must say, this is a very clever idea and was really convenient for us because we didn't have to go anywhere and got to have family pictures taken at our own house. I also must say that the pictures are nowhere near as good as the ones taken by my dear friend, Carmela, last December, but short of flying her to PA or us to NM having her take the pictures again this year was not an option (hopefully, next year!).

Anyway, I think there are several good shots here. I decided just to purchase a CD with all of the images on it so that I could take my time deciding what I wanted to print to display in our house. These are some of my favorites - I'd definitely be interested in hearing your opinions as well.

Here are my two favorites of Ellie:

My two favorites of Jack (he was being such a pill about smiling, so none of them are really great).

Two favorites of the kids together:

These are my favorites of our whole family. I'm not sold hook, line and sinker on any of them - they all have their issues - so let me know what you think.

I'm pretty sure my eyes are closed in this one (below), but I like the fall colors in the background and the fact that Jack is really trying to hold Ellie's hand...

December 6th - St. Nick's Day

2011-12-19T08:05:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, December 6th was the patron day for St. Nicholas. On the eve of this day, it has always been my family's tradition to write our letters to Santa and put them in our stockings for St. Nick. During the night St. Nick comes and takes the letters and leaves treats in our stockings if we have been good, and coal if we have been bad. Dan and I have continued this tradition with Ellie and Jack.

Ellie got a Panda stuffed animal and Jack got a lion (which you can see in the background).

Ellie with the lion and panda.

They also got books that go with those animals.

Some new Christmas PJs (which Ellie clearly thinks are AWESOME!).

Christmas cups (Ellie's has Santa and Jack's has a penguin).

Jack's PJs (they have dinosaurs on them - not too Christmasy, but a hit nonetheless).

Some dinosaurs.

A claw toy.

A my little pony Mini Pinkie Pie.

It was a fun morning and the kids clearly enjoyed finding the little presents that St. Nick left. I hope they continue to be good so that Santa will answer their letters!!

Cute Finke Kids

2011-12-12T19:06:00.000-05:00

Just a few pictures of my kids doing what they do best.

Funny faces!!

Reading to Daddy.

Jack doing some reading of his own.

Tickle, tickle, tickle!

Snuggling with Penelope. The class penguin for Ellie's preschool. Each child gets to take Penelope home for the weekend on a rotating basis. It was Ellie's turn this weekend.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2011-12-04T22:15:00.000-05:00

It's been 2 years since Dan and I have set up a Christmas tree! In 2009 we didn't have a tree because we were trying to sell our house in Salt Lake City and our Realtor recommended we keep the house "as neutral as possible". Last year (2010) we didn't have a Christmas tree because we were living in the townhouse and the place was just too small (plus all our Christmas stuff was packed away in storage). Needless to say that meant we were really excited to set up the tree this year and let the kids help. It would be the first time either of them would have a Christmas tree that they might ever remember.

Dan setting up the tree. Ellie and Jack are watching with much interest.

Jack-Jack feeling the tree and looking at the lights.

Ellie helping Daddy to spread out the branches.

More helping.

It's up! Lights are on!

And now it really looks festive with the ornaments, angel and presents!

Also last weekend we put lights out on our new house. We were pretty happy with how that turned out too! Come on, Santa! We're ready!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-12-04T21:59:00.000-05:00

We were so lucky to have Dan's parents Tillie and Doug in town to visit over the Thanksgiving holiday. They actually came to visit for 2 weeks, the first week to help Dan and I out (we had overlapping travel schedules) and the second week to hang out, which didn't actually end up being that relaxing (see photos below).

I ended up having some foot surgery the day before Thanksgiving. It was not so fun, but the doctor needed me to be able to stay off of it for at least 3 days, so I had to do it over a break. It actually turned out to be as good a plan as possible since Dan had their help with the kids while I was laid up.

As you can see, Jack liked sitting with me on the couch while I was out of commission.

We used our new dining room for the first time for Thanksgiving dinner! The one time all day I got off the couch!

Ellie smiling cause she is REALLY ready to eat!

Jack-Jack playing peek-a-boo with his plate.

Obviously we did not hit the Black Friday sales this year, but we did have wonderful weather so Dan, Doug and Tillie took the kids outside to ride their bikes for a little while.

On Saturday the kids played so well together. They read books.

And cooked some food.

and played with cars.

Overall, it was a great weekend and my foot is feeling better and better everyday. We are certainly looking forward to the end of the semester in this house and our next holiday break!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-06T08:55:00.001-05:00

Halloween was really fun this year. Ellie and Jack were both really excited to wear their costumes and both actually helped me to pick them out. I was a little worried about trick-or-treating because we had a pretty big snow storm in State College the Saturday before Halloween, but it ended up being a pretty decent night overall. Jack's costume kept him super warm and Ellie was warmish with 4 layers under her costume (she refused to wear a jacket or sweatshirt on top of her costume). We stayed out for about an hour and a half and that was plenty long enough to collect a ton of candy!

Spooky sunset!

On the Tuesday before Halloween Ellie's preschool class had a Halloween parade. Here is a picture of the kids in her class in their costumes.

Our very own Jessie the Cowgirl!

Jack the happy dinosaur (aka Rex).

All bundled up to go out trick-or-treating!

Jessie and Rex - we're ready to go!

Totally unplanned neighborhood theme!! None of the three moms planned this, and we were all shocked to discover we had almost the entire Toy Story cast on our block! (Ellie as Jessie. Nathan as Buzz Lightyear. Brady as Woody.)

Common Mom and Dad! We're ready to go! (See the leftover snow? We were lucky that it got into the 50s on Sunday and Monday and most of it melted away!).

It Seems I am ALWAYS Catching-Up

2011-11-02T20:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it really does seem like I am always catching up with posting on the blog lately. I have no excuse other than the fact that work has been completely crazy and has consumed pretty much all of the time I don't spend sleeping (averaging about 5-6 hours a night) or parenting my kids. It is safe to say I'm a total nutbag. Anyway, the kids are cute as ever and have been having tons of fun (as kids should!). Here are some recent pictures.

Ellie can officially write a capital 'E' on her own and is learning to trace her name.

Jack-Jack is learning that crayons have a use other than as a tasty snack and has really developed an interest in drawing a coloring lately.

Momo sent us a HUGE box of stuff the other week, which proved to be worth hours of fun. Jack and Ellie both loved tearing apart all of the packing material and bubble wrap. This activity kept them occupied for at least an hour on Saturday. Good thing too because it snowed ALL DAY LONG.

Jack with some of the packing paper.

Ellie laughing as she continues ripping up the packing paper.

Jack taking a relaxed stance in his destruction.

Team Destructo!

A view of the mess from above. Pretty comprehensive, I'd say.

This next picture is not from the same day, but I thought it was really cute.

Ellie in her new hiding spot.

Letter to Ellie

2011-10-25T14:11:00.002-04:00

A woman on a blog that I read wrote a post about being the mother of a daughter, and expressed her hopes and dreams for their life together. I thought it was an awesome idea and decided to write a letter of my own. Here are a few of my hopes and dreams for my life as half of a mother-daughter duo. Some of these are thoughts borrowed from that mom, and some are my own. All are deeply and truly felt with all my heart.

Dear Ells,

I want you to know that I am constantly trying so hard to be a good mom to you. I am so happy to have the opportunity to teach you new things (now and in the future) like how to use the potty, swim, tie your shoes, ride a two-wheeled bike, read, write your name, and write stories. I love that you ask me to kiss all your booboos and demand I give you an ice pack and/or band-aid for ALL of them. Though I never want for you to be sick, I want you to know that when you are I will sit with you and stroke your forehead and serve you ginger ale and soup and crackers. I will help you sell whatever crazy things you have to sell for your school fundraisers, even though I hate those kinds of things. I know that it is important for you to contribute to the greater good of whatever the organization is, and I respect that and want to teach you the importance of being a team player as well. I will help you create (or choose from the internet - let's be honest, here) awesome Halloween costumes. I will hug you tight and wipe your tears when you get your heart broken for the first time. I will come to all your games (or your band performances or your plays or your recitals or whatever else you like to do) and I will cheer you so loud that it embarrasses you, at least until you tell me to stop. I will help you with your homework. I will help you shop for school clothes. I will take you to look at colleges and try to help you make the best decision about where to go. Or if you decide that college isn’t exactly the right thing for you, I will try to help you figure out what is the right thing. I will call you at 9:08 PM every September 7 to wish you happy birthday and remind you how much you changed my life in so many wonderful ways. I will never let you pay for a meal. I will always give you gas money when you leave our house to go back to wherever you live. I will stock your refrigerator with groceries every time I visit. If you get married one day, I will help you plan whatever wedding you want. And if you have children one day, I will be there when they are born and will smother them with grandma goodness. I will stay and help you as long as you want me to, or if you don’t want me to, I will bite my tongue and go home.

But even more important than all of those tangible things I will do, I want you know that I will always be there for you, sweet girl. I will encourage you always to be yourself, to love yourself, to love your body, to love your life. I will encourage you to try things even though they are hard. I will encourage you to fail spectacularly at things, and I will be there to help you back up, but only if you want me to. I will encourage you to dream and create and laugh and love, and to do all of those things with wild abandon.

I will be there for you, my angelface, as long as I am able, for your whole lifetime.

Love you so much,
Momma.

Indian Summer

2011-10-15T20:09:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we had the most beautiful weather. It was incredible. Mid to upper 70s - just perfect for being outside. Needless to say, we spent a lot of time outside - knowing that it may be months and months before we would get to experience weather like that again.

Jack-Jack and Daddy on a walk.

Ellie and her good-luck ladybug!

Jack took a turn holding Willow's leash. Such a big boy!

Ellie helping Jack to cross the street.

Playing ball in the backyard.

A version of hopscotch using place mats from the outdoor table.

JUMP!

All that playing made us thirsty! Enjoying some Apple juice on the deck.

Big drink!

So, so silly!

Beginning of October (catch-up)

2011-10-15T19:34:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I have a little more catching up to do. I'm so sorry, again, to be so delinquent in keeping this blog updated. We have been having fun hanging out as a family, and have even had some really nice, uncharacteristically warm, weather - which has been awesome. Here are a few pictures from the beginning of this month.

Jack-Jack loves the balloon from my congratulations bouquet. He carries it around with him frequently - well, when Ellie doesn't steal it away from him. Speaking of which...

This is what Ellie looks like when we make her share and take turns with her brother. Pleasant.

Jack-Jack and the Dora backpack. He loves carrying this backpack around these days. We think it's because Ellie has started preschool and has a "real" Dora backpack that she takes to school everyday.

Smiling, beautiful boy!!

Ellie got her first pair of clip-on earrings for her birthday and she wears them all the time. Fancy, aren't they?!

Ellie also likes playing "let's pretend". Here she is "let's pretending" to be a doctor and checking out Jack's ears. She said that they "look good".

Princess Ellie deciding what else she needs from the dress-up box.

Jack and Ellie snuggling on the couch.

September Wrap-up

2011-10-15T19:22:00.000-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since I've updated the blog! This semester has been really busy, and the blog has been one of the things that I have let slip off my plate. So, I will take this opportunity to wrap-up September (even though it's the middle of October).

One of the most fun things that we've done since the last time I've written is to go down to visit our friends the Foors. They invited us down for a BBQ - it was a blast. Our kids truly love the Foor kids, and the Foor kids are so nice to our kids and play so well with them. On this occasion one of the main activities was a dress-up fashion show.

Jack-Jack dressed up as a fireman.

Nick dressed up as a dinosaur and posed with Ellie the fashionista princess.

Maddy dressed up in one of her dance costumes and showed us some moves.

Alina dressed up as a medieval maiden, so gorgeous.

Alina then modeled a different dance costume as well as some of her very coordinated tumbling skills.

After the dress-up fashion show, Maddy and Alina let Ellie "read" them a story.

They were very good at pretending it all made sense and was very interesting.

Ellie also modeled a Steelers helmet, but this was not part of the fashion show - just and exciting addendum.

It was a really fun night, and we can't wait to see them again soon!

Also in September (I think around the 18th?) Aileen and Dave came to visit us from Ithaca, NY. We all laughed pretty hard when they pulled up in this:

The reason we laughed is because Dave is about 6'5" tall, probably taller than this car is long. Leeny and I thought it would be even funnier to have Dave and Dan both get in the car at the same time. They indulged us, and this was the result:

Hilarious!

The two men outside of the car for comparison. It is shocking that they could both fit in there at the same time!

Also at the end of September, Jack decided he no longer wanted to sit in his "high chair" and preferred the booster seat instead. We usually still make him sit in his high chair for now, but he does look pretty proud of himself, doesn't he??

Finally, the last piece of big news from September is that Erinn and three of her colleagues at Penn State won a big 1.5 Million dollar Department of Education Doctoral Training grant. We were very excited and are now in the process of recruiting new doctoral students - anyone interested?!

Flowers from our department head - we planted the mums in our front yard - maybe they will take and come back next year too!

It's my Birthday, AGAIN!!

2011-09-24T13:23:00.001-04:00

Ellie turned 3 years old on September 7th. Dan and I woke her up that morning by singing her "Happy Birthday". Her words to us? "It's my birthday, again?!!". No, it's not that she's reached the point in her life where a year just seems to fly by, but by the time it was her ACTUAL birthday she'd already had 3 birthday parties (one at the Spikes game, one in Florida, and one the night before - when we let her open most of her presents). We tried to explain it to her, but I don't think she really cared as long as it meant she got to be the special girl one more day. All in all, this girl was spoiled this year. We love her, and clearly, many others do as well.

Mountain of presents (you can barely see Ellie on the couch behind them!).

Momo and Pops gave Ellie a Pillow Pet. She loved it.

She was also very excited about this Madeline game!

And these princesses hair accessories.

Princesses are the "in" thing right now apparently. She took a "break" from opening presents to read this princesses book.

And she put on EVERY SINGLE ACCESSORY. It was too funny!

Dora blanket!! Another huge hit!

Dora blanket and her Bunny Rabbit camping chair. Good stuff!

Daddy made her a PINK cake! She was so happy!

May all her wishes come true.

The final present?? A Princesses BIKE!! Mom and Dad hit it out of the park with this one!

Jackie was sad that he didn't get a bike too.

We let Ellie ride it inside a little bit since it was raining like crazy outside.

Jack Jack was thrilled when Ellie let him have a turn!!

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-24T13:06:00.001-04:00

Ellie started preschool at Our Lady of Victory the Tuesday after Labor day. She was really excited to begin her new adventure, and so was I (mixed with a little anxiety and sadness about leaving her old friends and teachers behind from daycare). I was more than confident that my outgoing friendly girl would make new friends and have a ball, I just hoped she wouldn't miss the old too much while enjoying the new. It turns out she LOVES her new preschool, and has from about the 3rd day onward. We did have a rough few days, but I think that's okay. To me that means that she cares about people, and she really did miss her friends and old daycare. To me it's also okay that she was a little scared of the new adventure. The best part is that she didn't let her fear stop her from giving it a shot, and once she gave it a shot, she ended up meeting new friends and having a great time. I really do believe that Ellie is an impressive girl, she makes me so proud, and I'm very glad to know her.

Swimming at Tia Tessa's House

2011-09-16T21:17:00.000-04:00

After the birthday party the girls wanted to go swimming in Tia Tessa's pool, so of course we made the boys go in with them. It turned out to be a really fun time, full of lots of silliness!

Testing the waters. Not too cold!

Kade showing of her swimming skills.

Goofing off with Uncle Boyfriend.

Lily and the dog toy.

Lily and Jon.

Playing with the water gun.

So silly!

Jumping from the high ledge!

Turn around is fair play!

Relaxing!

Two Parties!!

2011-09-16T21:05:00.000-04:00

On Saturday afternoon, after our trip to the ocean my mom and aunt hosted a baby shower for my sister Tessa who is expecting a boy, Dean, in December. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures while she was opening presents, and I was too busy trying to win the games so that I could get a prize to take pictures then either. I did get a good picture of me with my sisters and mom, and a few good pictures of Kade and Ellie eating the delicious cupcakes.

Kara, Tessa, Me, Mom.

Kade enjoying her Cookie 'n Cream cupcake.

Ellie with her strawberry cupcake and some milk.

The next day Tia Tessa and Uncle William hosted a birthday party for Ellie and Lily, who both have birthdays in September. All three girls had a great time, and it was a really fun afternoon.

Lily, Ellie and Kadence before opening presents.

Ellie with her new princess crown and her new Dora microphone.

Showing Uncle Jon her new puzzle.

Loving on Tia Tessa (and Dean).

Serving Momo some cookies.

The gorgeous host couple!

OCEAN!!

2011-09-16T19:49:00.001-04:00

Ellie and I went down to Florida to visit my sisters, mom and aunt over the Labor Day weekend. My littlest sister, Tessa is having a baby, and my Mom and Aunt were having a shower for her. Since Ellie and I didn't want to miss that celebration, we flew down to Florida on Friday after I finished teaching, and flew home on Monday. It was a quick trip, but we had a lot of fun.

One of the fun things we did while we were down there is go to the beach and swim in the ocean. Well, I didn't go in the ocean (I had a procedure on my foot and can't get it wet for 6-8 weeks), but everyone else did!! I was sad to miss out on the fun, but I'm glad that at least I got to take so many pictures.

Kade and Ellie running over the bridge that connects the parking lot to the beach. They were so excited to be there!

Lily, Momo and Ellie walking into the water.

Everyone playing in the water. Ellie didn't want to do much except feel the waves hit her.

A big chain!

Taking a break from the waves.

Playing in the sand.

Lily was crazy about this little bird. She spent most of her time at the beach that morning chasing after that bird, trying to catch it and "hold it". At least that is what she kept screaming at the bird as she ran after it. "Hold It!" "Hold It!" "Hold It!". We didn't know if she meant that she wanted to hold the bird or if she was just telling it to stop. Hilarious!

Lily got Tia Tess to help her in her quest to catch the bird.

Kade and Ellie were oblivious to the bird-capades and spent their time out of the water playing and drawing in the sand.

Sisters. Lily clearly stopped to play in the sand for a minute or two.

Kade wrote her name!! So good for a 4.5 year old!!

She wrote Ellie's name too!

Here Lily is trying to sneak up on the bird by crawling instead of running.

Beautiful girl. She was in love with the shells!

Ellie's Birthday with the Spikes!

2011-09-11T09:22:00.001-04:00

In case you didn't know, Ellie LOVES Spikes baseball games. The Spikes are State College's 1A Minor League baseball team, and going to Spikes games was one of Ellie's favorite summertime activities. She would ask if we could go to a Spikes game at least 3 times a week. So, when it came time to plan her 3rd birthday party, Dan and I thought it would be really fun to have her birthday party at one of the last Spikes games of the season. We decided that the August 28th game (the last weekend game of the season, and the last game with fireworks) would be perfect. Ellie (and all of her friends) had a blast! It turned out to be a really fun party, and is something we would definitely consider doing again!

Ike the Spike. Ellie has informed Dan and I that he and Mark, (a waiter at the Waffle Shop that Ellie loves) are her best friends.

See that empty knee? Picture Ellie there. She chickened out at the last minute. Thanks, Tanner, for trying to help her!!

Ellie and Daddy getting ready to go on the field to throw out the first pitch of the game.

Talking with Daddy while waiting in line (there were several birthday parties that night, so, there were several "1st" pitches).

Throwing her pitch! She got to be on the jumbo tron too (can you see them on the screen?)! It was really cool!

Reenacting the mighty throw for Momma.

Getting ready to cut the ice-cream cake from DQ!

Amber, Carsyn and Tanner liked the cake!

Zoe and Sam liked the cake!

Ellie ate some of hers, but true to form, wasn't so enthused.

Maddy and Alina Foor with Ellie.

Jack-Jack enjoying life!

Waiting with Mr. Chris for a turn in the bounce house. I think she chickened out on this, in the end, too.

Carsyn, Amber, Ellie and Jack dancing to some tunes.

Getting settled into our seats to watch some baseball!!

Snuggling with Daddy and watching the fireworks.

After the fireworks the kids could run the bases, so Ellie couldn't pass that up. Maddy, Alina and Nicholas were nice enough to go with her!

"Mom, this was a great party!!"

Momo and Pops Visit State College!

2011-09-10T12:44:00.000-04:00

In August Momo and Pops came all the way from New Mexico to visit us in State College. We had a really nice time - it was so great to get to spend some quality time with them. Ellie and Jack made sure they were busy, and I didn't take pictures of a lot of the activities we got up to, but trust me, I know that Momo and Pops were at least as tired as Ellie and Jack were at the end of each day! We can't wait for them to come back and visit us again soon.

Momo, Jack and Ellie hanging out and watching "bird movie" aka Rio.

Ellie playing a game on Momo's iPad. She loved playing on that thing!

One day we went to the park, and I took my camera. It was a fun afternoon, and we were busy! I think we wore the park out that day!

Ellie about to go down the slide.

Crazy static in her hair!

Jack-Jack checking out the "telephone".

Jack playing with Momo and Pop's dog Divot.

Pops riding on the duck in honor of Wino.

Ellie having fun riding the horse and laughing at Pops!

Jack-Jack took a turn too!

Then Jack took Divot for a walk.

Then he was thirsty, so he stopped for a drink of Momo's water.

After a large swing set debacle that involved sticks and shoulder rides and throwing swings, we finally got to actually swing. Even Momo got in on the action!

Pops and Ellie watching Jack-Jack swing.

High-five, Dad!! This is so fun!

Ellie trying to share her snack with Divot. I'm not sure she liked the pretzels, though.

Pops showing off his skills by crossing the monkey bars.

And then, of course, our little monkey had to try.

Jack-Jack was pretty tired out by the end of the park time, so he snuggled and smooched Mom.

And gave Dad lots of hugs.

The best family picture we could get after all that playing!

A few other notable moments:

Divot, the dog, actually fell asleep in this position!

Ellie relaxing with Momo the night before she had to go home! It was a great visit!!

Discovery Kids Opens in State College

2011-09-10T12:26:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, August 13th a fun little discovery museum opened up here in State College, so we decided to go an check it out. The Ligetti family as well as my parents (who were in town from NM visiting us) came with us. We had a great couple of hours, and it will definitely be a place we will take the kids again. Especially during the long, cold winter and on days when it is too rainy to be outside!

Momo and Jack checking out an exhibit.

Ellie wanted to see how it worked too.

Carsyn and Ellie building a mighty tower.

Tanner joined in to help.

Ellie, Jack and Carsyn checking out the airplane flight simulator. The kids thought this was AWESOME!

Ellie and Carsyn trying to figure out the viewfinders.

Here they are playing with the wooden marble towers.

Ellie and Carsyn cracking up over feeding this dinosaur.

All-in-all it was really fun, and if you are ever in the State College area, you should check it out!

My Girl Says the Darndest Things

2011-08-30T19:27:00.000-04:00

Scene: Finke family sitting at the dinner table. Jack begins dismantling his taco and throwing the ingredients all over the kitchen and at everyone in the Finke family.

Ellie: Jackie's being horrible.
Dan: Yeah he is. You're horrible sometimes too.
Ellie: (thinks for a second and then matter-of-factly states) yeah...sometimes.

August 29, 2011

My Girl Says the Darndest Things

2011-08-20T19:55:00.002-04:00

Ellie looks straight at Daniel and says: "Please can you calm down?". He looks back at her and says: "Yes. Since you asked so nicely, I will calm down". They are too much.

August 20, 2011

My Girl Says the Darndest Things

2011-08-15T19:39:00.002-04:00

"You better straighten out your attitude, Daddy." - Ellie Finke. August 15, 2011

A Few Low-Key Weeks

2011-08-09T13:03:00.000-04:00

We've had a fun, but pretty low-key last week or so. It has rained a lot (which is great, we really need it, it has been such a dry summer) so that has kept us indoors most of the time. Because we weren't up to much "special" I didn't take too many pictures, but here are a few of the kids just hanging around.

Beads are still a huge hit with Jack.

Jack has really started to run like a big kid over the last week or so. Now he loves playing chase around our house and will do just about anything to entice you into the game with him.

Ellie and her beautiful jewels.

Jack-Jack and Momma looking at a magazine together.

Jack-Jack in Ellie's ballet slippers working on a birthday cake shape puzzle.

It stopped raining! We went outside immediately to burn off a little energy.

Look at the intense expression on her face. Hilarious!

Loading the garden tools into the back of her trike (the other girl is Izzy, our next door neighbor).

Looking at the flowers.

If Ellie does it, then Jack must do it also.

Parallel play. At least I'm not having to entertain them! One of the first times EVER that this has happened!

My Girl Says the Darndest Things

2011-07-31T21:33:00.000-04:00

So, any of you who are friends with me on Facebook know that I regularly post status updates that include crazy direct quotes from Ellie. The one tonight practically killed me. She makes me laugh so hard. At this point she will say something and Dan and I will both know right away that it has to be shared. The method I've been using to share these nuggets of amazing 2-year-old-ness doesn't easily preserve these quotes for posterity, however, so I've decided that I'm also going to record them here on this blog as well. Of course I will preserve the funny things that Jack says too (when he acquires the language skills to say things that are truly funny), but for now, it will mostly be the crazy, funny things that Ellie says that I want to make sure I remember forever. Here are the ones I've posted on Facebook the last few months, including the one I posted tonight:

"Mom, can you get yourself together, please?" (July 31, 2011).

"That's quite enough, Dad. That's quite enough." (To Dan as he was putting Parmesan cheese on her pizza at dinner - July 24, 2011).

"This is yum, hon. Thanks." (To Dan after taking her first bite of the dinner he made - June 28, 2011).

"You're making me crazy, mom!" (June 12, 2011).

"This is a hot mess. I'm gonna freak out." (May 27, 2011).

"Happy Mother's Day, Momma. You're my best friend ever." (May 8, 2011).

"Mom, my baby daughter isn't listening." (April 16, 2011).

Feeding the Ducks in Bellefonte

2011-07-26T21:06:00.002-04:00

Ever since we fed the ginormous carp at Raystown Lake, Ellie has been talking about feeding the fish again. We can't compete with those crazy fish, but we tried to come close by taking her and Jack to feed the ducks in the park in Bellefonte. It was a great way to spend a few hours, even though it was still really hot outside.

Before we got to feeding the ducks the kids splashed in the fountain for a few minutes.

Jack loved pointing at the ducks and telling us to "look" (one of his most favorite words these days).

The kids fed the ducks from the bank for a while, but then Ellie wanted to go up on the bridge and throw some bread down to the ducks from there. The ducks didn't seem to have any trouble adjusting to our new location.

When we were out of bread we decided to go over the the playground and play for a few minutes before heading home to the air conditioning. On the way over to the playground the kids saw this duck and couldn't stop themselves from chasing it.

Chasing the duck.

Sliding on the twisty slide - I'm so thankful she's no longer scared of slides like this.

She had to climb up this big ladder and into this opening in a bridge to get to that big slide.

A picture of me. Very unusual (wish I looked a little cuter! Sigh.).

Making sure Jack doesn't fall off the stairs.

Jack-Jack hanging on some plastic handles. He was a little upset because they were a little too far apart for him to be able to hold on well by himself.

More climbing.

Ellie on the Monkey Bars.

Finally time to go home - we were so hot, but we'd had a great time!

I love my family!!

Water Sports with the Young Family

2011-07-25T08:40:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, to escape the heat and have some fun, we went out on Raystown Lake with the Young family (Staci, Marty, Addi and Brady). They have a boat, so it was a really fun day, and a special treat because it isn't something we get to do very frequently. We had so much fun. Staci's brother, Mikey, was in town too from Pittsburgh, so we got to see him too. It was awesome. We don't have pictures of everything, but over the course of the day we: swam, hiked, snorkeled, surfed, ate and laughed. Here are a few pictures (courtesy of Staci - I, once again, didn't bring my camera. What is up with that?).

Jack LOVED going fast on the boat!

He was laughing so hard!

Ellie liked it too. (Sad note: this is the last picture of me with my sunglasses. They are now enjoying life at the bottom of Raystown lake. I forgot I had them on and dove in the water off the boat. RIP sunglasses - I will surely miss you!).

Eating some fruit as a morning snack.

Some of you may remember how Marty took Brady out on the surf board last summer, well this summer both Addi and Ellie took turns too. I was so surprised that Ellie wanted to try it, but she had a great time!

Standing on the surf board - still feeling nervous (see her hand on Marty's arm).

Getting more comfortable, but still a little unsure.

Finally smiling! She's having a blast!

Courageously waving to her adoring fans!!

After the kids all took turns, Marty needed a break, so I decided I would see what I could do.

My second try I got up on the board and was able to ride for a little while.

It was fun and I'm glad Mikey took a few pictures of this success, because mostly

I looked like this.

I never "got up" again after that one ride. I'm optimistic that with a little more practice I'll be able to ride again, maybe even surf! We will see!

It was a great day, we had so much fun and are so glad to have friends like the Young's in our life. Days like this one really remind you what is important in life. Fun, friends and family.

The Foor Family Visits State College

2011-07-25T07:56:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday, the Foor family made the trip to State College for hamburgers and baseball. We decided to play a little while in the new backyard before dinner was ready.

This is the outfit Ellie felt was most appropriate for a backyard wiffle ball game. A princess crown and pink cowboy boots. What am I going to do with that girl?

Jack-Jack attempting to go down the stairs by himself.

Maddy and Alina playing frisbee while Jack watches.

Nicholas getting the wiffle ball game organized.

Alina running the bases.

Amy helping Jack have his turn at bat.

After dinner we went over to the Spikes game. We got there a little late, but it ended up being perfect because there were both fireworks and the opportunity for kids to run the bases after the game.

Ellie, Nick, Maddy and Alina.

Jack-Jack on Daddy's lap.

Nicholas and Ellie. They had a great time together.

Frame worthy! Maddy and Alina pose for the camera.

Walking to the first baseline to run the bases. Ellie is a little nervous.

There she goes! She did a great job and made sure to stop and High Five everyone along the way - even the giant hotdog and the Nookie Monster (that big blue thing in the background).

Jack-Jack is too little and just had to watch.

Nicholas and Ellie hugging good-bye. We'll do it again soon!

Raystown Lake

2011-07-19T23:09:00.000-04:00

On Friday Ellie and I went over to Huntingdon, PA to visit with Staci and her kids Brady and Addi. We had lunch and then went over to Raystown lake to swim and feed the carp. I had no idea what we were in for with these carp. They were incredible, like nothing I have ever seen before. First, they were HUGE. Second, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of them. Needless to say the kids had a great time, and Staci and I had a nice visit. It was so fun!

Look at these fish!! Holy cow, right!!?!!

The kids fed the fish bread crumbs and dog food. They had a blast and loved the splashes when the fish would get excited and move quickly to get the food they threw in to them.

I am still in awe of the size and quantity of these fish.

Cute little Ellie.

After feeding the fish we walked over to the walk0in swimming area of the lake. The kids loved the beach and playing in the water.

Ellie digging on the beach.

The kids had some grand plan.

They worked very hard.

Brady cooling off after all that beach play.

Ellie and Addi laugh about the shovel.

The beautiful view from the shore.

Ellie loved these shovels. It was so funny.

Addi cooling off. She is the bravest girl I've ever met!

Tia Tess and Uncle William Visit!!

2011-07-19T22:53:00.001-04:00

The week of July 9th Tia Tess and Uncle William came to visit us in State College. It was great to see them, we were so glad they were willing to make our house a stop on their annual anniversary trip (this year their destination was Boston). We packed our time with them with as much fun as possible (we went swimming twice, ate 2 different types of ice cream, went to a Spikes baseball game, and walked around downtown - all in 4 days - whew!), and truthfully I didn't take as many pictures as I wish that I would have, but I guess that's the breaks when you're having so much fun. Here are some of the pictures I did take along the way.

Uncle William built an awesome lego tower.

We went downtown and Ellie enjoyed a snack with the pigs.

Cute Tia Tess and Uncle William.

The best family picture we could get. Sigh.

Ellie and her boyfriend.

Holding hands.

Daddy and Jack.

Jack FINALLY let Uncle William and Tia Tess hold him (he has a severe case of stanger danger/separation anxiety).

Ellie cuddled up with her Tia.

Jack going in for the kiss.

Tess and I bought Ellie and Jack this foam sword and battle axe from Target (they love the movie "How to Train Your Dragon), so they could fight dragons.

Ellie tried her sword out with Tia Tess.

Then progressed to "fighting" Jack-Jack. Looks like so much fun!

More big smiles!

Reading, Playing and Meeting Brobee

2011-07-08T16:36:00.000-04:00

Just a few pictures from the last week or so. Nothing too special or out of the ordinary has been going on (except maybe the meeting Brobee thing, but more about that in a minute). Just us, doing us things. We are having so much fun this summer, but it is seriously going too quickly! I can't believe it is almost the middle of July. Lots left to do, though, so keep checking in on us!

Jack reading about Elmo in the Pooh chair.

He finally learned how to climb out of the chair by himself. He's been climbing into the chair for awhile now, but was always too timid to attempt to get out without help. Not a problem anymore!!

Ellie. She's crazy and I have no idea where she gets it.

The major excitement for our family last weekend (other than the fireworks on Monday night) was getting the chance to meet Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba. My kids are serious Gabba fans, and LOVE Brobee so when I heard he was making an appearance at Spike (our minor league baseball team) stadium I rushed to get tickets. Ellie and Jack were so excited to SEE Brobee, but neither were too happy to TOUCH him. Jack screamed and was terrified and Ellie would give him High fives but no hugs. All in all, though, it was a good time. Ellie has talked about high fiving Brobee every day since, so it must have made some kind of impression. Here are a few pictures of Brobee. We don't have any of him with the kids because they wouldn't stand that close to him. Sigh.

Brobee on the field.

Brobee standing next to us.

Also at Spikes stadium they have a kids play area. They have video games and a bounce house and a few other things. Our kids didn't play the games (mean parents, I know), but they enjoyed watching the other kids playing.

Jack totally engrossed in watching something.

Ellie watching a boy hit a softball off a tee.

A few more random shots from the past week:

Ellie checking out Dan's phone.

Jack-Jack fell on the sidewalk and got a pretty good bump on his head. Ellie cried more than he did, though, so we're pretty sure he's gonna live and that he's one tough dude.

Ellie has recently learned how to use the mallet for this toy, so it is a current favorite.

And of course, anything that Ellie is doing, Jack is doing too.

Third Best Firework Show in the US

2011-07-07T08:29:00.001-04:00

Apparently, according to fireworks.com, the 4th Fest fireworks show in State College is the third best in the nation on the 4th of July. I have to admit that it is the best fireworks display that I've seen. Here is a clip of the last 3 or so minutes of the firework show on Monday. It was great, and so you'll have to excuse my totally dorky "Wow! That was Excellent!" comment at the end. I sound stupid, but clearly I was impressed.

Happy 4th of July!!

2011-07-04T16:42:00.000-04:00

My mom (aka Momo) gave all the kids 4th of July t-shirts while we were in Gatlinburg so the last day (before everyone left) my sister, Kara and I decided to try to get a picture of all of the kids in their holiday gear. Below are the best two shots I got (out of about 50, no lie). Kadence was having a silly face day, and had her tongue out in all of them but 2. Seriously. Anyway, I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday and are celebrating and reflecting on the beauty of freedom.

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 7 (Spa and Hillbilly Golf)

2011-07-04T16:36:00.001-04:00

On Friday of our vacation the girls were spoiled and went to an all day spa for massages, facials, sugar wraps and pedicures/manicures. It was awesome, and so nice to relax a little bit. While we were there, the boys took the kids to Hillbilly Golf, a miniature golf course. They took a few pictures, and it looks like fun. Not enough fun for me to wish I was there instead of the spa, but fun nonetheless.

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 6 (Pontoon Boat)

2011-07-01T09:42:00.002-04:00

On Thursday, the sixth day of our vacation, my dad rented us a pontoon boat and we went out for a day on a lake (I don't know the name of the lake, sorry) about 1 hour away from our cabin. It was a fun day, and warm, but not too sunny (I guess you can't win them all). The kids had an awesome time swimming in the lake with Pops, Uncle William, Uncle Jon and Dan. Thankfully the men took the hit on getting into the cold water with the kids and the moms and aunts were able to watch, take pictures and chat. It was a really great day.

Tia Tessa, Kadence, Ellie, Lily, Erinn and Jack on the boat at the dock.

Uncle William and both of his hats.

Pops let Ellie help him drive the boat. She LOVED it!

Momo bought all three girls these ballerina swim suits. The girls thought they were about the most fabulous things they had ever seen. I think they look pretty cute with their tutus hanging out under their life jackets. Note how none of the three of them has dainty ballerina legs, however.

The three girls in their suits. Too cute.

Jack wanted in on the action. From this gate the kids could: 1) see what was going on and 2) feel some splashes from the wake. Needless to say, it was a very desirable place to stand on the boat.

Kara lookin' like a dude. This picture reminds me of "Buck" from the show US of Tara. Too funny.

Tia Tess keeping an eye on the kids while they swam.

I think this might be the only picture of Dan and I together taken the whole trip.

The kids eating lunch. Kara made three batches of Mac and Cheese and put them all in a plastic pitcher to take with us on the boat. The kids used long spoons, and ate their lunch straight from the container.

Jack-Jack "driving" the boat. Such a helpful dude!

Aunt Steph and Tia Tess.

Ummm.....

Lily, Uncle Jon and Kadence swimming in the lake.

Jackie having a blast!!

Dan and Jack splashing around.

Ellie and her seed. Uncle Jon told her it was poop. She still has this seed and still calls it poop. Very classy.

Jack, Daddy and Ellie.

Uncle Jon, Kadence and Ellie.

Lily had a great time splashing Pops in the face.

Can't you just feel his joy?!

Ellie on her raft.

Kadence floating and relaxing.

Despite the cold temperatures the kids swam and played in the water for several hours. The Dads, Pops and Uncle William were really glad when it was time to head home because they were all freezing!

They did a good job, though. Here are the kids about 10 minutes into the drive back to the dock:

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 5 (Golf, Shopping & Dixie Stampede)

2011-06-29T08:29:00.002-04:00

That's why they call them the Smoky Mountains (this is an otherwise clear day, weather-wise). So beautiful.

On Wednesday morning the boys went golfing, and the girls and kids stayed home to play and relax. After the boys got home, the girls went to the outlet mall for a few hours and left the kids with the boys (a very fair trade-off, I'd say). Then in the evening we met the boys and kids at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. Think Mid-evil Times (dinner theater with knights, horses, etc.) but with a country theme. We sat on the side for The South, which I wasn't too happy about, but I guess was fitting since Dan, Ellie, Jack and I are the only people from the north in the whole bunch (I will put it down on record that I didn't cheer though). The kids had a great time, Ellie especially loved the horses and the ladies in the civil war era dresses (she thought they looked like princesses). See example below:

Before the actual dinner event there was a country band that played. The kids loved this. It was a great way to wait.

Kadence watching with Kara and Jon.

Ellie with Uncle William (boyfriend).

Lily and Pops.

We got a row of seats for the last 15 minutes or so, which was nice.

Once we got into the actual theater, they asked us not to take pictures, so we took a few before the show started, and that's all we have. It was a fun night, the kids really loved the show.

Lily in her chair waiting for her dinner.

Kadence, Erinn, Ellie and Jack.

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 4 (White Water Rafting)

2011-06-28T10:05:00.002-04:00

On Day four of our vacation we went white water rafting, which was totally AWESOME, but, unfortunately, since the activity involved water, and it was also pouring down rain, I don't have any pictures. What I do have is some pictures of cute kids, some equally awesome water play and my son acting like the complete ladies man that he is, which, really, is just as good.

Jack, Ellie and Lily on the swing on the front porch of the cabin.

Ellie and Lily playing with water guns and a spray bottle in the "baby pool" on the back porch.

Ellie just loves the water.

And now, for the ladies man...

Smooching Kadence.

Smooching Lily.

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 3 (Dollywood)

2011-06-28T09:46:00.001-04:00

On Day three of our vacation, the kids (and everyone else) went to Dollywood. Dollywood is an amusement park named for, you guessed it, Dolly Parton (she's kind of a big deal in TN). We had a great day, and would definitely go back again. If you're a roller coaster rider (as I am), there are three really good coasters at this park. Definitely worth riding multiple times.

We started off the day with Tessa and William making pancakes, eggs, bacon and fresh fruit for the family for breakfast.

Kara, Erinn, Tessa and William discussing something very important, obviously.

Breakfast was so good I didn't even get to eat it. Ellie and Jack practically licked my plate clean before I'd even had two bites.

Ellie totally chowed down, man. It was crazy. She ate and ate and ate.

After breakfast we got the kids ready to go to Dollywood. We were aiming to get there around noon so that the two littlest kids (Jack and Lily) could get in morning naps before we left. Plus, we figured 8 hours at an amusement park with four kids 4 and under would be quite enough.

I dressed Ellie in BRIGHT clothes so I could see her when she inevitably ran off at the park.

Ellie and Kade snuggling with Aunt Steph before leaving for the park.

While the little kids were napping my dad and I got a few minutes of work in. I know, I know, but I had a few things I had to keep up with that couldn't wait until after vacation.

Once Jack and Lily got up from their naps, we drove over to Dollywood.

Ellie, Kadie and Pops walking to the train that took us from the parking lot to the front gates of the park.

Ellie and Kade were VERY excited riding the train into the park.

Outside the gates Ellie and Uncle William (her boyfriend) had a little chat.

Through the gates. We decided to get a group picture before all the kids got too tired.

The kids (Kadence, Lilian, Jack and Ellison).

The first ride of the day was the White River Rapids ride. Tessa, William, Aunt Steph and I stayed back with the little kids while Momo, Pops, Uncle Jon, Tia Kara, Dan, Kadence and Ellie went on the ride.

On the walkway they had sprayers that you could use to spray water at the people in the boats. We loaded ever single one of them for each of the boats containing our loved ones.

One keenly timed shot got Uncle Jon right in the ear. Priceless.

After the rapids ride we took the kids on the carousel. Okay, if we're being honest, we took the kids on the carousel about 10 times throughout the day. It was a real hit, especially since everyone in our group could ride (even pregnant Tia Tess).

Kara and Lily.

Jack and Daddy.

Momo and Ellie.

Jack-Jack waving to the other kids one of the times when he didn't ride himself.

We also went to a magic show. It was really fun, and funny. I think most of the humor was lost on the kids, but the adults enjoyed it.

Ellie, Kade and Tia Tess relaxing before the magic show started.

Kadence got selected from the audience to go on stage and help with one of the magic tricks. She loved that she got to hold the magic wand.

Putting three little strings into the bag. Then she waved the wand over the bag, and...

Pulled out one long string! The problem was that her string had knots in it. She took care of that by blowing them right off. She announced that she was "pretty good at magic" when she got back to her seat. We all agreed.

Kade and Ellie totally enthralled at the magic show.

After the magic show we went to see a show based on the books about the Ladybug Girl. Ellie loves these books and LOVED the show. She even got to meet Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy after the show.

"Always choose to be nice. Not once, not twice, but everyday. Always choose to be nice. Be nice in every way." The song sung by Dolly and the Ladybug Girl. Ellie still sings it, and it's been a week. Clearly the show had quite and impact.

We also rode the train around the park. It was a nice way to take a break and cool down a little bit.

Pops, Lily, Kade and Tia Tess on the train. Before the ride was over both Lily and Ellie had fallen asleep.

The afternoon was spent riding more rides. The kids rode the baby roller coaster and the Dumbo ride more times than any of the adults could count. The big kids (Pops, Erinn, Tia Kara and Uncle Jon) also went and rode the big roller coasters, which were all awesome.

It was a great day, and by the end of the day everyone was completely worn out.

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 2 (Fishing and Downtown Gatlinburg)

2011-06-27T08:45:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, Father's Day, the men went out for a morning of guided fly fishing and the women and children stayed at home to play and relax. It was a nice morning without the boys, and I think they had a great time fishing. I have no pictures of the fishing antics, but here is a little of what we did while they were away:

Momo and Jack-Jack relaxed on the couch.

Kara and Kade put together one of Kade's new puzzles (Kade is a puzzle fanatic!).

Lily, Kade and Ellie played with "Moon Dough". It was fun, but a big mess!

Tia Tess rested with Bella (she's 16 weeks pregnant, you know!).

Jack was a little clingy, so he stuck close to mom most of the time, but he managed to squeeze in a little magnet board drawing.

After the men got home from fishing we all decided to go into downtown Gatlinburg to see the sights.

We watched taffy getting stretched and wrapped.

Clearly this was intriguing to everyone, not just the kids.

We also found a cute courtyard with a fountain and took the opportunity to rest our legs a little bit.

Jack playing by the fountain.

Kadence and Ellie dipped their feet in the cool water and generally enjoyed being silly together.

Tessa and William

Jack gave Momo a smooch.

Ellie found an old phone booth and HAD to make a call.

Dan wrangled Jack and tried to keep him out of all the little shops surrounding the fountain.

We also saw this blue grass band playing on the sidewalk. They we good, and the kids loved dancing to the music.

After dancing, Ellie got a bump-bump from Pops.

Kade got a bump-bump from Uncle Dan.

It was a really fun day of vacation, but there were many more to come...

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 1 (Settling In)

2011-06-27T08:16:00.002-04:00

For the last five years my parents have hosted a family vacation for our whole family (my sisters, their husbands and all the kids) one time per year. It is usually in a different location each year (Hilton Head, Vegas, Jacksonville, FL, St. George Island, FL) and this year we all made the trip to the Smokey Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN. It was a long drive from State College (about 12 hours including the stops), so we were ready to be there by the time we got there. The long car trip was worth it, though, when we saw the spectacular view from the cabin:

It really didn't take long of any of us to settle into "vacation" mode.

Dan made himself right at home in one of the rockers on the back porch.

We also decided to dole out Father's Day presents on that Saturday night since we were planning a big day fly fishing the next day. Here is the awesome present my sister, Kara, gave my dad.

Momo (my mom) also gave the kids a swimming pool to put out on the porch. Clearly Ellie was feeling the relaxing vibes.

Soon Lily joined her.

Kara and Tessa getting the kitchen organized and all the food put away. Each family plans and cooks 2 dinners for everyone. It's really fun.

The amazing sunset on our first evening. It was pretty cloudy most of the other evenings, so this was a real treat. So gorgeous!

Ellie and Jack's cousin, Kadence, enjoying the sunset.

Ellie loved being in a "big girl" rocking chair (I don't think she really cared about the sunset).

Last Week

2011-06-16T20:14:00.000-04:00

Well, we really haven't been doing much other than living our lives, but we have been having some fun. The park is always a hit, so here are a few pictures from the trip there this past weekend. Jack is loving it now that he can walk around and explore on his own! It is really fun to see Ellie and Jack play together. Love it!

Jack exploring some steps.

Ellie finally got up the courage to try the twisty slide again after the lip incident. You can see the caution on her face. So cute.

Jack serving some "food" at the bar.

Ellie trying to figure out the monkey bars.

Darn cute.

Swinging HIGH!!

Loaded up in the wagon to walk home. They look pretty pleased with the fun that they've had!

Other than the park, we've mostly just played around the house. Jack has a new found love of this magnetic drawing board, and carries it pretty much everywhere he goes.

Drawing (very seriously) in the Pooh chair.

Drawing on the floor.

Ellie laughing because she figured out Momma can't stand it when she pushes and holds the buttons on her play phone.

Resting in the other Pooh chair (with the magnet board).

Spaghetti. Everywhere.

Random Silliness

2011-06-08T07:41:00.006-04:00

A few random acts of silliness from the past week...

Jack found a picture of Ellie that school sent home for us and carried it around with him pretty much all day on his "Jack and Momma" day. I honestly think that as much as they like the 1:1 time they also miss each other on those days when they are home alone with me.
Another shot - you can see the picture in this one. At times he would hug the picture and kiss it. It was very cute.
Playing on the deck.
Carrying a box bigger than he is around. #1 - he is SO strong for such a little boy. #2 - Dan loved that it was a beer box, and hoped that it was a sign of Jack's good taste.

Over the weekend Ellie learned to do a backward somersault, with a little scaffolding support from our legs. Here are a few pictures.
First she lays on her back on top of one of us and puts her head on the floor.
Then she flings her legs over her head.

On Saturday, as a RARE treat I let Jack and Ellie split 1 Dove Dark Chocolate square. Have you seen hose things? They are like 3/4 an inch x 3/4 an inch squares, and they each got half. So you think, not too big a mess can come from this, right?
Wrong.
He looked like he had chocolate clown make-up on. It was such a mess.

On Sunday we went to the pool for the first time this summer. It was a great day, 80s with no clouds to be seen. We had a great time and I didn't take any pictures, except this one of Ellie relaxing as we were packing up to go home.
Such a sweet, sweet girl. It was a fun afternoon.

Memorial Day at Spring Creek Park

2011-06-04T14:27:00.006-04:00

We spent Memorial Day at Spring Creek Park with the Ligetti family. It was fun because the sun was out and the kids could get into the creek (though I must say, the water was FREEZING, and I don't know how they managed it). We brought a picnic lunch, played in the creek, played on the playground equipment, in the sandbox and went across the creek on the bridge a few times. By 2pm the kids were totally worn out, and everyone had had a great day.
Jack-Jack getting his toes wet.
Tanner looking for fish.
Ellie and Carsyn deciding what to do.
Jack-Jack picking up some pebbles.
Waving to the adoring crowds.
Ells got into the pebble tossing action too.
Well, really pebble dropping action.
Happy boy after eating some lunch.
Playing in the sandbox.
Jack, Ellie and Carsyn collaborating on a sand creation.
Jack is thrilled with the outcome.
The girls working on another masterpiece.
Another trip into the creek. Dan is so brave because that water really was freezing cold.
Carsyn doing a little dance on the way to the bridge.
Walking across the bridge.
Tanner, Amber and Carsyn taking a little break.

Finally Some SUN!!

2011-06-04T14:09:00.005-04:00

It's been a rainy spring here in State College. VERY RAINY. So when we finally got a few days with sun last week we didn't want to spend a minute inside. We spent practically all day last Saturday either on our deck or in the front yard. The kids had a blast playing and getting to stretch their legs a little bit.
Jack-Jack playing peek-a-boo under the table on the deck.
Ellie got herself into a giggling fit and didn't stop laughing for a good 20 minutes. It was so funny to watch.
Still laughing.
More giggles!
A true Daddy's boy. In every way.
Jack wants a turn so badly.
Mom! She won't share with me!!
True riding style (and yes, we did make her take turns with her brother - I just didn't get in pictures because I had to make sure he didn't fall off).
Walking around on the front porch. He LOVES the new freedom of walking!

Momma and Ellie Day

2011-06-04T14:01:00.004-04:00

These are some pictures of Momma and Ellie day from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. Dan had just gotten home from work travel the evening before, so he took part of the day off and spent it with us. He did have to go into work for a meeting, so while he did that Ellie and I walked through downtown State College to the Farmer's Market where I bought Ellie her first ever whoopie pie. We also took a few minutes to ride the State College centennial pigs. It was a fun time.

Riding the pigs, well, the Momma pig, to be exact.

Eating her first whoopie pie. She loved it!!

Making a silly face while we wait for Daddy to join us for lunch.

Catching Up.

2011-06-04T09:44:00.003-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I have updated the blog. I hate when I let this slide, and then I have to post several entries at one time. Ugh... Oh well. Here are a few pictures from a few weeks ago - the same weekend that Jack walked for the first time. We pretty much spent the weekend hanging out at home. It was nice to have some time together since Dan left for a business trip that kept him away most of the next week.

Ellie relaxing in her Pooh chair and house shoes.
She definitely didn't see this coming, but there were some tears in the aftermath.
Pre-walking Mardi Gras flair.
Examining his "pretties".
Buckets of rocks make for hours of playing/fighting/opportunities for learning about sharing.
Snack time on the deck.
Who said we don't dress for dinner in the Finke household?
Pushing his walking toy under the chair.
Eating some hummus as an appetizer.

Guess Who's WALKING!!

2011-05-22T19:54:00.002-04:00

I've been looking forward to this day for awhile now, and I am so happy that this milestone was achieved on a weekend when both Dan and I could be there to see it. These videos are of some of his early attempts. He has gotten better and better throughout the day and evening. He walked up and back down the hall this evening! Congrats to my boy! So exciting!!

All about Jack

2011-05-18T08:48:00.005-04:00

I have no idea why most of the pictures I've taken in the last few days are of Jack, but they are, so this post is mostly going to be about him. I guess it's fair since he doesn't get to help with watering the flowers, which was featured in my last post.
Silly, handsome boy smiling impishly from the stairs. A place he knows full well he's not supposed to be.
Scooting past Willow. Poor Willow.
Chair position. This is what Jackie does when you try to get him to practice walking and he doesn't want to.
One of his favorite activities right now is going between Mom and Dad's legs.
Practicing walking. He can do it by himself, he just won't right now.
Ellie trying to comfort him, which really just served to make him more upset.
Willow acting like such a big girl and staying on the porch without being strapped there with a leash.
Scooting along the porch railing.
Smiling from inside the house.
Showing off the tiniest glimpse of a top left tooth. It FINALLY poked through!

Finally, what we now see from our front door:
Wouldn't you know it was the first lot across the street to sell? Sigh.

Watering the Flowers

2011-05-16T07:43:00.003-04:00

You may or may not know that the landscaping at the new house has yet to be completed, and as such, we are still "yardless". Despite this, a few weeks ago Dan and I got a few flowers and put them in pots and baskets in an attempt to help our house look a little more homey and to celebrate spring. Now one of our favorite evening activities, if it hasn't rained, is to go outside and water the flowers. The Easter Bunny brought Ellie her very own watering can, and she is so pleased to be able to help.
Daddy filling up Ellie's watering can.
Watering the first flower basket.
Watering another flower basket.
Helping Daddy with the rhododendron.
I think the black patent leather shoes are truly just the right touch for this outfit - don't you?? Clearly I have a budding fashionista on my hands!

Here's to Hoping "Good Things" Don't Come to an End

2011-05-14T09:35:00.004-04:00

Sometimes, most of the time, I feel like I can't love my family enough. It's definitely one of the weirdest things about being a wife and mom, at least for me. I love them so much, and yet, it's not enough. I wish I could love them more, show them more, be more. They are just the greatest group of three individuals I've ever come across. I am truly blessed.
Jack-Jack drawing with sidewalk chalk. While Daddy watches to make sure it all stays on the sidewalk and doesn't end up in his mouth.
Ellie and Momma have a chat about something. Anything.
Funny little face.
Gorgeous Daddy.
The princess mother. I have no idea why the other pair of shoes is in the stroller with the baby, but that's how she rolls.
Jack-Jack is still taking his sweet time with walking. I'm getting so impatient, but I know he will get there when he's ready. So close...

Peeking through Daddy's legs.
Climbing up the play gym to the "big slides".
Jack-Jack on the twisty slide.
I'm not sure which is brighter - this face or the sun.
Contemplating the monkey bars.
Big girl swing!!!
So happy!
Triumphant!! She went down the "fast slide" all by herself.
Hanging on!

Mother's Day Pictures version 2011

2011-05-10T08:39:00.007-04:00

aka, as my friend Lea has so aptly termed it, wrestling with alligators. Sigh. I guess there's always next year...
#1
The intention was so good. We'll start a tradition - taking a picture with the kids on Mother's Day on the front steps of the house - then we'll have a series, and can put them all together once they are grown and leave the house. I guess this year will be the ones we look back at and laugh...

You tell me which one you think is the best - in my opinion, they are all doozies, and therefore, keepers.
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
P.S. The front door is supposed to be all red, but they haven't finished painting it yet because it has been so rainy this spring.

Dan's Fishing Report - Happy Mother's Day Cam.

2011-05-07T16:06:00.003-04:00

Well, it happened. Finally after many months, years, really, I was able to make the stars align and go fishing for the first time since Father's day 2009. Between then and now, I've felt like a vampire living off of animals, subsisting on Yo Gabba Gabba's "What's that. It's a trout.", The Little Mermaid, and the picture of a fish in Eric Carle's "The Foolish Tortoise". It keeps you going, but you never really feel satisfied.

There have been several attempts at fishing over the years, but they just didn't work out as planned. For instance, one day, I used a vacation day to clean up the house and go grocery shopping. Well, I finished up my work a couple of hours early with the plan to suit up and try and catch a fish or two. I dragged out all of my fishing gear, started moving it to the car, and realized that I didn't have my boots! They were somewhere in the storage unit buried behind the dining room furniture and the lawnmower. Or, the weekend that I had planned to go, but Erinn and Jack spent half the night in the ER and I had the am shift. I should also mention, that my Christmas present from Erinn this year is one fishing morning per month all year, which is nice. I hope to get out more, now that I know that it can be done, with a relatively small impact to the normal Saturday morning.

Aside from the trip itself, there was nothing much special. The stream is pretty much how I remember it, and there are reportedly still fish in the water. I should report that I had no equipment malfunctions or snags or lost flies, or falls. So, it was pretty boring from that standpoint, but I got to spend some time on the stream. Erinn thinks that it is also important to mention that I had a fish on my line on the first cast and actually landed 3 (three beautiful brown trout), because she doesn't think that it is funny if I purposefully omit the details that most people want to know related to a fishing trip. It's good to be back on the stream.

Fun, Fun, Fun in Connecticut

2011-05-04T20:58:00.007-04:00

We spent this past weekend in Woodbury, CT with Nik, Josh and Madeline. We had a great time - it is always so nice to get to hang with good friends! I have to thank Nik for sharing all her pictures as (GASP!) I forgot my camera in State College! I know, I can't believe I did that either! No matter, though, cause we had so much fun! It's always so interesting to compare our visits these days to our visits BC when we would stay up until all hours of the morning hanging out, having some wine and eating at nice restaurants. This weekend it was a stretch for any of the adults to make it to 11pm, and Nik and I only stayed up that late because we rented a movie. The kids are worth it, though, and had an awesome time together.

We drove up on Friday, and as we got there Josh was finishing filling the sandbox with new sand. The kids didn't even go inside, they just walked to the sandbox and started playing. It was so cool.
Ellie, Jack and Maddy in the sandbox.
Pouring the sand onto the shovel.
Madeline gave me a handful of sand as a present.
Jackie loved the sand!! He even tasted it, though he didn't end up liking that part!
Jack and Madeline sharing the sand wagon.
Looks a little unsure about something...
Dancing in the yard.
More fooling around.

After all that sand the kids definitely needed a bath. Josh got this great shot that I'm sure they'll hate us for later.
None of us could believe we got one with all of the kids looking at the camera at the same time.

On Saturday we went to a local Earth Day celebration. It was fun, but crowded, so we didn't stay too long. We did see a real, live cow, which made Ellie so happy!!
Ellie was so excited to get to touch the cow.
Madeline got in on the cow petting action too.

After naps Josh got out the bounce house - an instant hit!!
Doesn't this smile say it all?!
Bouncing away.
Jack-Jack got in and liked the feel of the ground as the girls jumped around.
AAAHHHH!!!
A tender moment. Jackie got a little scared and Ellie was comforting him.

We also had a dance party to the musical stylings of Adele.
Ellie and Maddy decided singing is just the thing for them.

On Sunday Ellie and Maddy got in a little girl time.
Doesn't it look like they are sharing their deepest and darkest secrets?

The kids went back in the bounce house on Sunday morning.
Jack liked it just as much as he did on Saturday.
All three kids together.
Madeline being gentle with Jack.
Beautiful Ellie.
Stylin' and profilin'.

Easter at the Arboretum

2011-04-24T19:37:00.005-04:00

So, after our exciting morning, we went to mass at 11:30, and then had lunch at The Waffle Shop (which was surprisingly dead). After lunch, Dan and I decided to take the kids over to the Penn State Arboretum to run around before nap time. We had a great time, and got some awesome pictures. Spring is definitely starting to take over here in State College, and boy are we glad!!
Ellie dancing in front of some red bushes.
Jack walking with Daddy.
Ellie and Jack stopped to smell some flowers.
Jack really thought they were beautiful!
Ellie found the fountain and literally JUMPED for joy! She is so excited for summer, and can't wait for swimming!
More jumping. It was so cute!
Running back to Momma.
A picture of Dan with his kids in front of the fountain.
Jack-Jack and Momma.
More dancing. This time by the fountain.
Momma and her kids. This is the best we could get...
Ellie and Daddy played chase down some of the rows!
Jack found this orange chair, and loved playing in the water that had accumulated on the armrest.
Big smiles! Full of delight!
Daddy and Jackie watching Ellie do something crazy (imagine that!?).
Ellie looking at some of the flowers. She really liked these. They were white and red on the outside, but yellow in the middle.
Getting to be time for naps...
Ellie didn't want to leave, so she held a sit in way out in the field. Eventually, after a LARGE tantrum, she caved, and we went home.

It really was a great day. I couldn't have asked for more (except to be with some of our family, but that's out of our control). We had a lovely dinner (prepared by Dan, of course) of ham, corn pudding, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and hot rolls. It was delicious!! I sincerely hope that all of you had a lovely Easter and a wonderful day with your families and friends.

Easter Morning

2011-04-24T16:36:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter, everyone! Whew, did we ever have a fun morning!! Dan and I wanted to make this a super special day since it is really our first holiday "on our own" since Jack has been born. All of my family is in Florida this Easter because Uncle William got initiated into the Catholic faith at the Easter vigil mass. We just couldn't make it - it was too much with having just closed on the house and next week being the last week of the semester. We so wish we could have been with everyone, but since we couldn't, we wanted to have some fun. On Saturday night, I made muffins for us to eat for breakfast and the Easter Bunny (aka - Dan) hid eggs all around the house. We had to have the egg hunt in the house since we don't have a yard yet at the new house. So, on Easter morning, the kids woke up to quite a surprise!!
Ellie immediately found her Easter basket filled with goodies!!
Jack-Jack found his too. He was pretty impressed with his loot.

After an initial exploration of the Easter baskets, the kids were off to "pick-up eggs", and there were a lot of eggs for them to find!
Jack-Jack made his way around a few rooms picking up eggs.
Ellie ran from room to room looking for, and finding, eggs!!
Jack is pretty proud of the eggs he collected!
Ellie found an egg in a funny place!
Jack found one in the play room!
That Easter Bunny sure is funny! He hid an egg on the giraffe's head!

After all the eggs were found...
Jack played with the paper grass in his Easter basket. He couldn't quite figure it out.
And Ellie played dress-up, of course! It was a truly great morning!!

Goofing Around

2011-04-24T16:22:00.003-04:00

This week has been a little quiet around here. Well, except for the trip to the emergency room with Jack, but other than that, really pretty quiet. We spent a lot of time playing and cuddling and a little bit of time getting ready for the Easter Bunny.
Dan's mom and dad sent the kids a care package containing the movie "Tangled". Ellie had seen it before with some friends, but Dan and I hadn't had the opportunity to watch it until now. Really a cute movie. We liked it a lot. Here is Ellie - totally engrossed.
Dan gave Jack-Jack a ladle to play with while he was getting dinner ready. Jack had the best time with this thing!
Lifting it UP, UP, UP!
Swinging it around, and banging it on his tray. Good times!
Ellie dyed some eggs for the Easter Bunny. We broke it down into a 2-night activity. We colored on the eggs one night and dyed them the next. I think they came out really nice.
A close-up of the work. Festive, right?
On Thursday night Jack started with a terrible cough. He stayed home with Dan on Friday, and then Friday night we landed in the ER because he was having such a hard time breathing. Turns out he has a pretty decent case of croup. They gave him a steroid shot and an awesome breathing treatment at the hospital, which has made it much better.
Ellie tackled her brother. She still doesn't quite have the understanding that she could really hurt him if she isn't careful. Thank goodness he is so tough!

Prayer for a Daughter. By, Tina Fey

2011-04-19T13:50:00.002-04:00

I must preface this post with a couple of acknowledgments:

1. This was first posted by my friends Jessica and Lea on FB. Made me laugh and cry at the same time, so I re-posted.

2. Then, my dear friend, Nik, blogged this prayer, and when I re-read it, it made me laugh and cry simultaneously...again. On the basis of this (the ugly laugh/cry), I decided that I had to keep this message for a little longer than an FB re-post allows. I decided it has to be part of my 2011 blog book that Ellie might read someday. Maybe she will re-read it someday when she has kids (maybe even a daughter) of her own, and maybe then it'll make her laugh/cry too. I can only hope...

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

the finke life

Playing in the Snow!

Gator Bowl

Visit to the Jacksonville Zoo!

Dean's Baptism

Hanging out with family in Florida

Christmas Morning 2011

Christmas Eve 2011

Christmas Eve Eve with the Ligetti Family

Visit with Nik, Josh, Madeline and Nathaniel!!!!

OLV Preschool Christmas Concert

Fall Family Photos

December 6th - St. Nick's Day

Cute Finke Kids

Getting Ready for Christmas

Thanksgiving Weekend

Halloween 2011

It Seems I am ALWAYS Catching-Up

Letter to Ellie

Indian Summer

Beginning of October (catch-up)

September Wrap-up

It's my Birthday, AGAIN!!

First Day of Preschool

Swimming at Tia Tessa's House

Two Parties!!

OCEAN!!

Ellie's Birthday with the Spikes!

Momo and Pops Visit State College!

Discovery Kids Opens in State College

My Girl Says the Darndest Things

Scene: Finke family sitting at the dinner table. Jack begins dismantling his taco and throwing the ingredients all over the kitchen and at everyone in the Finke family.

Ellie: Jackie's being horrible.Dan: Yeah he is. You're horrible sometimes too.Ellie: (thinks for a second and then matter-of-factly states) yeah...sometimes.

August 29, 2011

My Girl Says the Darndest Things

My Girl Says the Darndest Things

A Few Low-Key Weeks

My Girl Says the Darndest Things

Feeding the Ducks in Bellefonte

Water Sports with the Young Family

The Foor Family Visits State College

Raystown Lake

Tia Tess and Uncle William Visit!!

Reading, Playing and Meeting Brobee

Third Best Firework Show in the US

Happy 4th of July!!

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 7 (Spa and Hillbilly Golf)

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 6 (Pontoon Boat)

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 5 (Golf, Shopping & Dixie Stampede)

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 4 (White Water Rafting)

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 3 (Dollywood)

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 2 (Fishing and Downtown Gatlinburg)

Smoky Mountain Vacation: Day 1 (Settling In)

Last Week

Random Silliness

Memorial Day at Spring Creek Park

Finally Some SUN!!

Momma and Ellie Day

Catching Up.

Guess Who's WALKING!!

All about Jack

Watering the Flowers

Here's to Hoping "Good Things" Don't Come to an End

Mother's Day Pictures version 2011

Dan's Fishing Report - Happy Mother's Day Cam.

Fun, Fun, Fun in Connecticut

Easter at the Arboretum

Easter Morning

Goofing Around

Prayer for a Daughter. By, Tina Fey

Ellie: Jackie's being horrible.
Dan: Yeah he is. You're horrible sometimes too.
Ellie: (thinks for a second and then matter-of-factly states) yeah...sometimes.