The "Finnster, et al."

On Friday Michael and I went to get pedicures for Valentines Day.  We really enjoy doing this together.  We get coffee and sit in the massage chairs and get the hard parts of our feet softened up.  Afterward we went to get dinner at Avante Grille and then we watched "Bohemian Rhapsody."  It was a great VD day.  (Side note:  Finn and Sam found the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" to be hilariously weird and wanted to listen to it over and over.  Sam likes to sing to himself when he is using the bathroom and started singing the sillier parts of that song.  Not realizing it, Sam combined Bohemian Rhapsody with Handel's "The Messiah." So instead of singing 'Halleluiah" he sang "Galileo." He had no idea he was singing it incorrectly and it was so precious.) The next night Finn and Sam started synchronized vomiting at 11:00 p.m.  It was so awful. Sam started first and right after we got him cleaned up and his bed changed Finn started.  They ...

Sam has finished his first chapter book.  He read a chapter to us every night for a couple of weeks.  I think this book had a mystery component - they were looking for the "scribbler." Since Michael and I both help Sam with his reading, neither of us heard the entire book.  After Sam finished the book Michael told me "I don't think I ever found out who the scribbler was.: He seemed so disappointed.  Turning to Finn, his teachers requested a parent/teacher conference to discuss his bad habit of blurting out.  Everything that crosses Finn's mind comes immediately out of his mouth.  We have noticed the same thing at home; he is argumentative and tries every way in the world to convince us that his position is correct and is more grounded in logic.  I am glad that Finn thinks on his feet, but  he needs to learn when to keep his opinions to himself.  His teachers assured us that he isn't mean spirited or trying to be disrespectful, but tha...

Potty training is not going well. Will has absolutely no interest in potty training.  Whilst sitting on the potty, Will demanded "Put my diaper on me!" I asked him why, and he responded, "So I can poop in it."

Upward Basketball is here again (and almost gone by now).  The boys are both playing again on teams coached by Michael and Pastor Robby.  Sam's team is called the Grizzlies and Finn's team is called the Dolphins.  Finn has improved a lot since last year.  Sam is still a little out of it.  But the one thing I love about Sam is that he is as happy when his teammates score as he is when he scores. Even though he looks really precious, Will really tried my patience at the games.  He doesn't want to sit -EVER.  It is rare that I get to sit and watch more than a period.  Sometimes I have no other choice but to put him on my shoulders and let him fuss while I watch the boys play.  Maybe next year we will be a little more manageable. After one of Sam's games we took him to First Watch for breakfast.  (I think Finn went home with Luke that day.)  We had a nice breakfast - we played "I Spy" until our food arrived.

On January 14, 2019, Sam turned seven (7) years old.  Sam's birthday sneaks up on me every year because I haven't quite recovered from Christmas before it's time to gear up again for Sam's Birthday.  For that very reason, we celebrate Sam multiple times throughout January.  On Sam's real birthday he opened his custom made card from Nana and we took him to eat at Swaney Swifts (per his request). Sam and Will at Swaney's.  Sam picked Swaney's for the milk shakes. Later in the week Will went to visit Nana, so we found ourselves able to have a relaxing meal at Texas Roadhouse. Since it was still so close to Sam's birthday they let him sit on the saddle. After dinner we took the boys to target for a few minutes.  Finn ended up filming most of our trip to Target. Titillating stuff. We had his birthday party at Urban Air.  This might be the best trampoline park that I have ever seen.  They had a warrior course, ropes course, bump...

This Christmas was a big Christmas for us because it was the first time ever any member of our family has spent the night with us on Christmas Eve. Nana and Papa arrived on Christmas Eve right before dinner.  I decided to cook a meal instead of doing multiple finger foods.  So we all sat down and ate lasagna.  After dinner we the boys talked Nana and Papa into playing with new toilet bowl game.  It is on of those games where each player takes turns flushing the toilet.  The person who gets sprayed in the face looses. The boys LOVE this game.  This was the first time Will got sprayed.  He thought it was so great. Then we tried to take pictures - unsuccessfully. Then Sam quoted the entire Christmas story from Luke 2.  While he was quoting it, he did the sign language. Then Sam taught Nana how to square dance.  He learned this from his "Little House in the Big Woods" party. Before goin...