Friday, January 21, 2011

It's a Finlaw Party

Look who's visiting? And look who's loving it?



Thursday, January 13, 2011

Ain't No Party Like a Sody Lou Party

...cuz a Sody Lou party don't stoooooop...

Witness Sody's birthday party. There was a strawberry theme, can you tell? Joe and I had been a little worried pre-party about having enough space for everyone, but it worked out. I learned that no matter the size of the space, kids will always figure out a way to run around and have fun. And no one cares about sitting on the ground. Thanks, friends! I also learned that I never need to cook for a party because really all anyone wants to eat are frozen mini pizzas. Thanks, Trader Joe's! Friends and little ones and sugar and toys and mayhem and a little frosting mashed into the carpet = successful birthday.












Thursday, January 6, 2011

Portrait of the Procrastinator as a Young Girl

SCENE:
Last night, Sody's room, dim lights, cozy in the rocking chair together, just finished reading stories and ready for bed.

SODY: (leaning back in my arms) "Raw. Saw." (translation: "Rock me, please. And sing a song while you are at.")

MOMMY: "What song?"

SODY: "Happy boo-hee" ("Happy Birthday" - a current favorite because she has been hearing it a lot lately)

Mommy sings "Happy Birthday." Even the second verse where it asks "How old are you now?" a bunch of times and each time Sody diligently answers "Two."

SODY: (makes funny little moves with her fingers) "Di? Di?" (translation: "Can we sing 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' now?")

Mommy sings Itsy Bitsy Spider.

SODY: "Star?" (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)

Mommy sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

SODY: "Doe?"

Mommy sings Do-Re-Mi from Sound of Music.

SODY: "Happy Boohee?" (she ran out of song titles she knows so we start at the beginning again)

Mommy sings Happy Birthday. Again. And then finally tells Sody that it's lights out time.

END SCENE.

Yep, I can be a pushover at nighttime, but tell me how you would resist this face:

Monday, January 3, 2011

The One Where We Have a Two Year Old


It was Miss Isota's 2nd birthday yesterday! I feel like she has already been two for a while, oddly enough...when people ask me how old she is, I have been saying "She's almost two" for so long now. And she has been practicing her answer on that same question for a long time - she says "Two" and can gets her little peace sign out to show people how many fingers "two" looks like. But yesterday was her actual birthday, the day where two very short years ago everything changed and we met this crazy little nugget. Who knew she was going to grow into such a hilarious toddler? Who knew she was going to be so cute and smart and so dang sweet? Who knew that after we put her to bed every night we would end up on the couch talking about how stinkin' lucky we are to have such an amazing girl? We didn't know any of that then but we do know. Happy Birthday, Sody Boo. We love you so much it's kind of ridiculous.



The One With Christmas

The last three weeks of December are always kind of cuckoo-pants around here: there is my birthday and then my mom's birthday and then the biggies of Christmas and New Year's. So we have had a whole lot of merriment and wrapping paper and ripping open of gifts lately. Check out Christmas:


Before we left for Sacramento to celebrate Xmas with Grandma and Grandpa, we gave Sody her big gift from us: a kitchen. Joe put it together and hid it under a blanket in the living room for a couple days and miraculously she never discovered it. This is her first peek under the blanket and realizing what it was. She sort of got crazy eyes about it.


Burners that light up! Hooks to hang utensils! Oh my!


Miraculously, we are all facing the camera and smiling. This *never* happens.



New piggy bank from Dada. She is in love.


Shopping cart from Grandma and Grandpa! She got a ton of food to go in it, too.


Hi Grandma and Grandpa


Ready for New Years in her swanky robe