Fair warning...this one is long. LOTS of pictures and good memories. :) I am FINALLY getting to Finn's birthday post. What a great weekend and great to get to remember it all as I write.
Sorry for the lack of photo quality. I was so busy and more focused on enjoying the day. I also had several other people taking shots. Anyways...it is what it is! Oh yeah, and we have a booster seat/travel high chair for him but the tray is pretty small (and i haven't braved putting him at the table yet). He's in a phase where as soon as he's full, everything is fair game for the floor. So I am using a freeby the neighbors handed down...but it's not the prettiest thing. Haha! oh well...again, it is what it is!
He woke up happy, as usual. :) We had his favorite breakfast. This consists of whole grain eggo w/ pure mapel syrup, cage free eggs w/ hormone free american cheese, graham cracker sticks & baby fruit of some kind (both organic too). I don't mean to sound like a health freak in writing that...but if you read that he gets eggos w/ cheesy eggs every morning you'd think I'm just going to fatten him up...but it's good stuff! :) And I am a bit of a health nut. Ever since my nephew had cancer I have read about stuff and try to feed my family well as often as possible. Trust me...with 3 boys in the house it's hard to push raw veggies and soy milk.
Finn still is chubby (you'll see in a few pics) but I absolutely LOVE it. :)
Shane said, what is a birthday if you don't wear your birthday suit!?!? Why of course, honey!!!
I don't know that my bottom was EVER this cute. :)
We went to my brother, Tom's, for the family gathering/meal. Finn had rides on daddy's shoulders.
And lots of reading went on (of course...this is Finn we're talking about). First it was Granny.
Then he convinced Madi to read to him.
I'll now skip to the fun parts...
We had a wonderful dinner (thank you mom!) and the babies napped while Tom & I cleaned up. Then it was time for CAKE. Finn was just a little excited. ; )
I got him a pumpkin smash cake...thought it was appropriate for Thanksgiving. :)
He didn't know what to think of it at first...
Then quickly decided it was alright....
And then it got interesting...
Drink break...
Back at it...
I just have to comment that when Finn usually does this w/ his hand he is trying to wipe off one little morsel of food that may be on his lips/around his mouth. He is VERY particular about food on his face. He doesn't cry or anything, but he picks his food up one piece at a time and if it doesn't go in his mouth he will wipe his face till it's clean (well, till he THINKS its clean ; ). So this was very funny for me to see....
Oh boy...the forehead!!! (have you noticed the left elbow?!?!?)
Finished!!! Way to go baby!!!
So then it was off to the tub. Everyone was waiting for us when we got done and we opened gifts!
Thank you, Tom, and everyone for making our day memorable and special! It was great!
Saturday after his b-day we had another party at our house. This was to be his true 'one year old' party with other one year olds. However, some of them couldn't make it and some family could, etc, etc...so we had all ages and it was a blast!
I tried to make it special and plan things that he could remember and realize his mommy loved him TONS and really tried to make the day special. So one of my ideas was to print out 'Fun Finn Facts'. I made enough for each guest to read one or two and it was a great way for them to hear about his 'firsts', favorite moments and for me to cry and remember! haha.
I also transformed our one mirror into a photo collage of pictures from his first breath to his first birthday. Again...mommy crying!!! haha The 'Pure Joy' was going off my 'theme' for his party. It was 'pure joy and thanksgiving' (for obvious reasons).
The party favors were treat bags filled with my good friend, Jennifer's, wonderful recipe for a chocolate snack mix. It was soooooo yummy! I tied the bags and put these little cards on them.
I also had a photo album on the table with his one year old pics (from my studio) and his and Hudson's holiday photos.
And are you ready for this!?!?!? I actually made a snowman army!!!
This went along w/ the 'pure joy' part of my 'theme'. Pure as snow...and tasty! These snowman were fun to make and even better to eat! I never made anything quite as crafty as this before...so I was thrilled w/ how they turned out. :)
Here is the hutch with the party favors.
Here is a quick shot of the food presentation. It wasn't anything overly fancy, but it was good (hopefully!). I had cranberry goat cheese, cranberry salsa w/ chips and brie pastry w/ caramel & nuts for apps. I had a fresh salad, pasta (with my sauce with fresh veggies and organic meat...I know health freak!) and french bread w/ dipping oils for the meal. Of course, cupcakes for dessert!
I pray over Finn every night, the same prayer. It's long, and it seems I'm constantly adding to it, but it's my thing...and I know prayer is powerful. It is the ONLY way I feel I have any influence in his health, protection, future, etc, etc. I was really nervous to ask, but I had everyone bow their heads and we took a moment for me to pray over Finn, together. I recited the prayer I pray every night (along with my gratitude for him even being!). It was so awesome. I didn't know how some of our friends would respond to it, but everyone enjoyed it and I was so glad I found the courage to do it. I feel so tremendously blessed to have this little man in my life and I know I have nothing to do with his beauty, intelligence and sweet personality. I prayed over him every day through my pregnancy and was obedient to do all the 'right' things with my body. But he is a walking example of God's grace. I wanted to not only give the glory back to God, but also pray over Finn while we had a room full of people gather with his best interest at heart.
I enjoyed the party so much that I didn't take any photos till Finn was ready to eat his cake. I don't think he knew what to think of it b/c it had a face on it! It was cute!
I think he ate the nose....that was it. I couldn't get him into it. He had about 25 people staring at him...that could've been the hesitation too. Oh well!
I forgot to take a picture of the cake before he got into it, but he didn't do much. I thought it was so cute!
He had all the kids lined up beside him waiting for him to smash the cake. But he was more entertained by them then eating!!!
If you've read my previous blogs, then you know that Curious George is Finn's best buddy. He sleeps w/ him and carries him around and gives him love (open mouth kisses and squeals) all day long. It is priceless. Here is a picture of him snuggling George in bed.
What a wonderful day, weekend and year. Finn, you have been a tremendous blessing to me and our family. My heart overflows with love and joy whenever you're around. Even when you drive me crazy, I look at you and you amaze me. You are a joy...pure joy and we celebrate you with our deepest and most grateful hearts...full of thanksgiving. What a perfect day to celebrate your first birthday. We are SO grateful. I thank the Lord countless times a day for brining you into my life. I love you....I love you so very much. xoxoxox Mom
Every once in awhile he'd try to sample the crayons...still working on that one!
Shane & I got Finn this little chair for his birthday. He LOVES it. He loves Curious George, so the monkeys are perfect! He loves to read...and it is so sweet to watch him in the mornings. He grabs a favorite book and will go sit in his chair and 'read' to himself. It is one of my favorite things. I love to see him want to learn, his love for books and the way he can entertain himself is so sweet!!
Finn also loves our fish. Shane takes him in there most nights to feed them. The tank is on top of an old (very old) dresser. Shane pulls the top drawer out on the dresser and lets Finn stand in it. He immediately reaches for the food can. It's hilarious. I stumbled upon them and this ritual the other night and had to take some pictures. Shane just came home from work and is in his under 'armor' so please don't pay too close attention. He would be embarrassed! I just thought this was too sweet...
Love you guys... 
Sydney was the queen of this 'castle' for a while and was singing/dancing. It was so cute.
