summer of firsts

just looking at pics of finn from previous posts makes me realize how much he has grown...in many ways. this summer marked another round of firsts for us as we've just finished up horse back riding lessons, are in the middle of swim lessons and looking towards another school year.

one of the most precious moments happened this weekend when he and ap were out in the yard working while i was inside our house. finn opens the door, comes over to me and wraps his arms around my neck and says, 'i love you'. he then turns around and heads back outside. talk about melting a mama's heart. i just love that kid.

here are a few captured moments for you to enjoy.

due to my complete lack of posts for several months, i'm not even sure if anyone still checks this. well, in hopes that someone might want to see how finn has grown since october, here are a few new pics. he continues to amaze me in his determination, his courage and his spirit. today (as i'm told by andy) finn walked into class and proceeded to give hugs to each of his classmates...a sight that stunned all of the onlooking adults and made us smile for the rest of the day.

trains and gnomes

finn had two costumes this year for halloween or as my friend jennifer says 'a stunt costume' and the 'real costume'. so his stunt costume was the one for school. ap dressed him up (i seriously have a great hub), complete with a mustache, as a train conductor to trick or treat around campus with his class. then his 'real costume', which i've been planning for a little while, was a gnome outfit. what person wouldn't get a huge smile seeing a little gnome trick-or-treating at their front door!?!? well, it was time to get dressed and i asked finn if he wanted to put on his costume and he said, 'NO!' so i asked if he wanted to go trick-or-treating and he also said 'NO!' and instead he went and got his pajamas. needless to say, i didn't even attempt to convince him otherwise and was just as content to sit on our front porch and pass out candy with my sleepy buddy (wearing his gnome hat). looks like the gnome will make his debut next october.

when the weather starts to change after months of the hot, humid, sometimes suffocating air of the south, my soul leaps. and starts to breathe deeply in the cooler mornings. i know boots and sweaters are right around the corner, the gorgeous display of autumn's colors will light up the skies and a respite, a hibernation of sorts is in sight. so, i'm reveling in 'what's to be', listening to finn o. singing along to some of his favorite music in his room, thankful that his 'one, two, three' sounds more like the real deal every day and marveling that today is monday.

summer haze

i think i've avoided updating the blog because by actually writing something, i am admitting that our summer days ticked away and now here we are back at the beginning of a new school year (or as i like to say 08-09 academic year). well anyway, i'm pretty certain finn o had a great summer. he got to spend tons of time with his bff (aka 'summer becky'), saw family near and far, spent some good time at the pool, saw the wiggles (yes, i did just say that) and has perfected the art of running everywhere. so now, we're trying to get back into our routine of early mornings, school days, sleepy afternoons and doing it all over again the next day. here's to summer '08...and already looking forward to summer '09!

i don't know if it is finn's interest or my new found summer vacation, but for the past two days, we've donned our aprons and cooked up some treats. yesterday, i decided to try a new recipe (which by the way failed miserably) and in the middle of mixing buttermilk and flour, finn scooted his little step stool over to my side to see what all the action was. in spite of his constant curiosity about where the blueberries were going and his subsequent hands in the batter, he was a fabulous helper. so, this afternoon, at a loss for more activity, i decided to whip a batch of 'non-blue ribbon cookies' (although on many accounts these are the best cookies anyone has tasted, jennifer!). and there was my little side-kick again...all smiles and chatter, wondering what i was doing and what was going to come out of the oven. this time, the cookies were delicious and finn reluctantly approached the batter on the beater and then couldn't get enough. no falls today, just lots of smiles and delicious cookies!

there are days where i'm not entirely sure i'm cut out for this job. my stomach and my heart lurch at the constant bruises and the daily falls that inevitably accompany a child with low muscle tone. when finn takes a fall, of course i'm there to comfort him, wipe away his tears and help him to transition to another activity, but all the while i'm wondering if i could have done something differently. moved a shoe, stopped him from running, made sure that he ate more protein to build his little muscles. and then there are times where i just want to cry because his falls break my heart and his bruises are mine....