Finn's FOUR

Our little buccaneer turned four this Saturday with a pirate-themed party and Spiderman running through his veins. It was an over sized event, more than 30 friends and family attended and another fifteen neighbor friends joined in the evening. The kids had a blast!

Finn is serious and funny and risky. He is super cuddly and loving in a way that only a boy could be. He can play cars forever and has a whole super friends dialogue going on with his "guys" at all times. He loves his good buddy, Blair. He talks like he's ten, but makes most behavior-related decisions like he's four. When he grows up, he plans to be Darth Vader and live where it's sunny all the time. His favorite sport is football (Mike's chest puffs up) and he LOVES Jesse.

I've said it before, but having a boy is truly unique. I was so blessed those four years ago.

I said, "I think it's a girl."

Mike said, "I think it's a boy."

The doctor said, "IT'S A BOY!!"

And Mike says he's never right!

Worn out from the "what-if's"

My kids are into this "what if" thing. It's like, "What if an adult ate holding their spoon like this?" or "What if someone did a cartwheel like this?" or even "What if there was poop on my spoon right now?" There are so many what-if's that they all blend together. I try to pay attention to the absurd combinations they come up with or scenarios they create, but the fact is that I'm just too tired to care about goofy cartwheels or poop on spoons most of the time.

I'm not sure what they're getting out of it or why it's so fun for them, but they are definitely having a helluva time. This goes on all day and all night and I can't even escape bedtime without being asked something like, "What if my face looked like this all the time?" Use your imagination on the goofball faces displayed.

The exhausted and running behind Mom that I am just wants to scream "What if NOTHING? What if I didn't answer you? What if I don't really care if you had a waffle as big as the house or if Whoa Whoa learned to ride a scooter?" But, of course, I don't say those things. I pretend I've heard every word and answer as if my responses are well-thought out. I'm the Mom. It's my job.

What if I didn't? Happy belated Mother's Day to all the wonderful Moms out there!

Time to Make the Corn

We had botched plans last night when a babysitter forgot about her gig and Mike and I scrambled so both of us could attend a meeting about Riley's move to team gymnastics. (Read: date night turned into cereal for dinner.)

When we finally got home and picked up the kids from our neighbor Jennie's house (I mean, "savior" Jennie), it was nine o'clock and way late for bedtime on a school night. I was yelling like a wild woman to get these three kids in bed and asleep so we could sit down and digest the amount of money requried for Riley's new endeavor.

I yelled Finn's name several times and he finally flew around the corner of Riley's doorway, where he was looking out her window onto a huge cornfeild to the side of our house. He said with all the excitement his little bod could muster," Mommy, I heard you but Daddy was showing me that farmer on his tractor and he is out there making corn RIGHT NOW!!" It was his hand motions, the inflections of his voice and the speed of his words that got me. I would have let him stay up all night so we could sit around imagining the sight of the farmer "making" corn right now.

Voices of Angels

We spent Sunday afternoon in the front row of the new Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College listening to the most beautiful children's' voices I've ever heard. Logan is a member of the Young Fox Valley Singers, which operates in conjunction with the Young Naperville Singers. The kids benefit from all the wonder of musical exposure, the incredible skills of their classically trained instructors and have loads of fun, too.

I spent the last three songs in tears. Even when I couldn't clearly make out the words, I was completely moved by the emotion tied to the soul-touching sound. I've always wondered if an opera would affect me that way. I've still never seen one, but I'm sure I would love it after experiencing this concert.

The director of the organization believes singing keeps kids' hearts soft. She wonders at what age or point in life we lose the exuberance to stand up and sing our hearts out like the children in her company. It's a shame it ever happens since music and singing take so many of us to another place, another reality, a spiritual high. As a parent, this extra-curricular activity feels so right. I don't worry that Logan is doing something too taxing or too old for her. I just feel that she is doing something wonderful and child-like that is most certainly filling her up inside. It is obviously keeping her heart soft.

Congratulations (and gratitude) for Logan on an amazing performance!!

Celebrating an AWESOME day with a HUGE strawberry shortcake at Ted's Montana Grill!!

Professional Gymnastics Shots

I had to get these amazing pictures taken of Riley at a recent meet up on the blog. It's going to be tough not to buy them every time if they turn out a good as these.

Congrats to Riley on meet number three - she earned 2nd Place All Around out of the thirteen six year olds there. It was stiff competition, but she did great!! On to the State Competition in Downers Grove on June 5th and 6th.