9 months...

Well our little boy turned 9 months yesterday.  I can't believe how fast it has gone!  (I'm sure everyone says that, but it's really true.)

Finn has brought so much joy to our lives...so much has changed since he has come, but it's all good change.  I'm constantly amazed at how God seems to show me so much through our little son...of how love is really supposed to look like, not the shallow love of our society, but deep, unconditional, accepting, and unapologetic love.

Here are some current favs and activities of Finn at 9 months:

*loves being outside as much as possible
*loves looking out the window when he's inside
*loves clapping
*sitting alone, and reaching forward, but not quite crawling yet
*still thinks bathtime with dad is the best fun in the evenings
*sleeps 10-12 hours most nights (ahhhhhh, thank you little boy)
*has started sucking his thumb every time I put him down for nap/bed and it's adorable
*says "mama"and makes my heart warm
*signs "all done"
*says "ma" when he wants more food
*says "mamamamama" all day long
*can be caught eating leaves, sticks, paper, and cardboard if I'm not watchful
*we are pretty sure he is getting one of his front teeth in, but it's slow coming
*has tantrums and arches his back, which we are trying to be patient with and help him work on
*loves seeing animals, and squeals when he does
*fake coughs all the time! :)
*eats a ton of food: favorites are salmon, mangos, kale, zucchini, whole wheat bread, banana, peas, cheese, pasta, lentil soup, yogurt, peaches, and applesauce.
He doesn't normally refuse anything, and if he does, he probably just hasn't tried the food enough times.
*drinks out of a sippy cup at mealtimes and has tried prune juice, tea, and water

We are loving this time and are excited to see how Finn grows and changes even more in the next few months.  Love you little bub.

our weekend...

On Saturday, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful morning and Finn's early-for-a-weekend waketime, and head to the local farmers market.  It's in a small town called Carmel, right near us.  (Coincidentally, I just read here, that Carmel is rated the best place to live!!)

We parked right on the Monon, and ran up to the market.  It has been slow getting back into running, but we have been working hard at it these past few weeks.  I will say that it is 100% more fun to run in cool weather as opposed to the high 90s we were having. :)  Finn loves riding in his jogging stroller and watching all the cyclists, dogs, and other people on the trail.  I love jogging the trail because it's so beautiful, and I love hearing all the snippets of random conversation from passerby.  (We heard that some older man passed away, and left $30 million to some church, and another man was having a great evening with his wife, when suddenly she started crying.)  We also saw a dad riding his bike with his adorable son sitting behind him.  They were French, and the dad was speaking something beautiful to his son, who had the longest curls I've ever seen.

After making it to the market, we walked around checking out all the stalls.  The produce was so much cheaper than I expected, and we bought some nice peppers.  I told Landon that next time we go grocery shopping, I'll need to remember to wait on the produce until after we've been to the market.

Some friends had recommended the crepes that one vendor sold, so we bought two of them with butter, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest.  The Carmel fire department had all it's stations out doing a breakfast casserole taste test competition, so we were able to sample about 8 amazing different recipes.  Finn loved trying everything with us, and even tried a crabmeat casserole.

Lastly, we bought a chai tea from a sweet couple that had a variety of tea samples out.  They gave Finn a sample of a non-caff, unsweetened tea with orange, cinnamon, and some other herbs.  He always makes a face when trying something new, but then gobbles it up.  So the couple gave him a second sample, and were so happy that he loved their product.

After an even better run back to our car, we relaxed the rest of the day, then Landon and I had a really great date that night.

I told Landon that this was probably the most perfect Saturday I've ever had (except our wedding, of course) and I was so happy to share it with my two boys.

Life is just so wonderful, and even on the days it's challenging, all I need to do is step back and remember these sweet moments with those I hold dear.

today...

There are a lot of things I love about today, but two in particular are the warm flax zucchini muffins I made earlier, and the fact that Finn and I had to wear our jackets on our walk this morning.

The muffins were so tasty, and healthy too, so I didn't feel bad eating four of them. :)

I love taking Finn outside, no matter if he is the unhappiest baby in the world, if I take him outside, he always calms down.  We've loved spending the cool quiet mornings walking around our neighborhood.    And he looks so cute in his jacket....

love...

Enjoying some precious time with my sweet boy.  Someday he will grow up, grow taller than me, and go off on his own.  I am treasuring each and every day I have him in my life.

swimming...

For two weeks in July, I took Finn to swimming lessons. Well, more like play-in-the pool time. :)  But we both loved getting out of the house every day (I couldn't believe they were every day for two weeks!)  We had the nicest instructor, Lindsey, who really took time to interact with each child.  Finn was the youngest, then there were three older girls who were all around 2 years old.

At the end of each session, we would all gather and sing a little song where you were supposed to dunk your child at the very end.  I was really nervous to do it since Finn really hasn't gotten his whole head wet in a pool.  It was an outdoor pool, so it was always super chilly in the mornings and we were having great 70 degree weather that week instead of the 100s we had been having.

Finally, one evening, Landon and I took Finn to our own condo pool, which was a lot warmer than the big one for lessons.  We played for awhile and he seemed to be in a good mood, so we counted to three, blew in his face, then dunked the little man!  He didn't know what the heck to think.  I'm pretty sure he didn't close his eyes, and he came up looking like he just got smacked in the face.  But....he didn't cry!  I was so relieved that he didn't flip out on us and actually bounced back pretty quickly.  Landon said I should dunk him every time we go to a pool now, so the next week of classes, we did just that.  I was pretty proud of our little guy for doing so well.  Some of the other children didn't take too well to getting dunked, but Finn was a trooper.

And now, we are watching olympic swimming, and I'm thinking of one day going to the 2028 games somewhere and cheering on our son.... :)  Well, a mama can dream right?  In the meantime, we'll just stick to our fun play time in the pool with the leaves and dead bugs he likes to poke.

a simple diy...

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to a sewing get-together with three other sweet ladies.  It was nice to be able to relax and hang out with some other mamas and all their babies as we talked, sewed, and shared stories.  I was able to make a simple hot pad, then finished up the other one this morning.  We were in desperate need of some new ones, as two of ours are pretty sad looking with stains and burn marks.  I picked out some pretty fabric at the store the other day, along with some cotton batting, and colored bias tape.  These were simple to sew and easy to accomplish in one sitting.

We are having a good week so far.  Finn is sleeping really well through the night these days, the olympics are so fun to watch, and we were able to go an amazing concert on Monday night.  Blitzen Trapper, one of our favorite bands, was playing downtown.  They are so incredibly talented, and we got right up by the stage, so it made it even better!  Side note: I will probably never get a drink at that venue again...$7 for a small can is a little excessive. :)  But...we had the best date ever!  Check Blitzen Trapper out if you've never heard of them.

Today Finn and I are spending a quiet day at home.  I'll work on wedding photos, enjoy some cuddling, and maybe go for a swim later.

**Smile at a stranger today, engage with the gal ringing you up at the store, or call that person you've been meaning to but haven't...there is so much negative stuff going around these days, and I think people miss the point while they are trying to make a point.  The point is to love others, no matter what, no matter who.**