The "Finnster, et al."

On Monday morning, Finn left for Long Hollow's Kids Camp.  It is an overnight camp in East Tennessee.  His morning started in my bed.  Since we was going to be gone for a couple of days he asked if he could sleep with me. We arrived at church at 7:00.  Sam insisted that he be permitted to carry/roll Finn's suitcase.   Then we went to check out the buses.  Finn was excited to be chartering to camp. You can see the nerves setting in.  Then it was time to meet up with their group.  I met Finn's counselor, gave Finn a hug, and we said our goodbyes. It was at that point that Finn ran after me (being chased by his counselor), in tears, and begged me (in a whisper) to take him home.  I comforted him for a while - which just made the situation worse.  After a few minutes  I told Finn that I he was going to go to camp and no amount of tears or begging would make me change my mind.  He was not happy with my answer,...

On Thursday, Will turned one year old.  It has been a strange first year.  Strange in that it went really slow for the first six months and then flew by the next six months.  Our whole house was exhausted when we brought him home.  He didn't sleep well - at all - and he cried if we weren't holding him. I probably held Will more than any of my other babies because he was so fussy.  For the first six months, I didn't put him down for more than a few minutes at a time. He was always with me.  If I was working out - he was in the garage; if I was getting ready for work - he was in the bathroom; if I was eating dinner - he was sitting in my lap.  He also slept with me for the first six months so we spent a lot of time snuggling.   But at 8 months, something changed. Will became pretty independent.  He doesn't let me rock him or even hold him anymore unless I am standing up.  I am glad that I don't have to hold him all the time, but I am a lit...

Will watching his brothers and his dad playing basketball.  This past week, Will has been an only child.  Finn and Sam have been with Nana so Will has had the house, and the boy's toys all to himself.  We are almost completely finished with bottles.  After five (5) attempts, we have finally found a sippy cup that Will likes. And, its pink.  Will loves this lion/blanket thingy.  Its stays in his bed and he sleeps with it every night.  The other night Will crawled into his bedroom, grabbed his lion from in between the crib slats and brought it into the TV room. Will's bath-time hair.  Will is starting to take an interest in television.  He is also consistently sleeping through the night. 

Last week Sam came home from summer camp professing his new found understanding of yoga. He demonstrated as follows:

On Monday I took Finn to the doctor to get his cast off.  He was so excited.  The doctor's office had called me three times and left those automated messages reminding me of our appointment on Monday at 8:00.  We arrived right on time - bursting with anticipation.  However, we were bummed to learn that the appointment was actually scheduled for the next day (Tuesday).  So much for the automated system.  A bit annoyed, I asked if they could work us in.  The kind nurse smiled and said cheerily "Sure! But we are double and triple booked this morning so I can't promise when we will be able to work you in."  As politely as I could muster, I told her that I could not wait due to my work schedule and we left.  Side note: I can't stand doctor's offices.  If I double and triple booked clients - I wouldn't have any.  What makes me even madder is the realization that I am completely at their mercy because I can't cut that cast off myself (no...