Aliya's Special Baby

Breaking News in the Finnestad Household...After a 15 second labor, Aliya has officially given birth to the "baby" she has been carrying around everywhere this past week. Although to most of you this looks like the same pumpkin she decorated at last week's Octoberfest, in reality it is her baby...appropriately named "Tiny Pumpkin".




Tiny Pumpkin has occupied a special space in Aliya's bed every night this week and has gone just about everywhere with us. Tiny Pumpkin has been introduced to many of our neighbors and has proven quite resilient, surviving numerous falls off the kitchen counter and rolls down the driveway.

One can only hope baby Jonathan arrives as quickly and painlessly as that! Well, maybe not quite that quick!

Another Bouncy Birthday

We got to bounce another night away at that awesome Bouncy Place. This time we were celebrating James' buddy Marcel's 7th birthday. He chose the Sports Themed room, which provided ample opportunities for obstacle course races. So much fun!

Octoberfest

It certainly feels like Fall...the crisp cool air, with colorful leaves decorating the trees and lining the streets.

We love this time of year and had a chance to celebrate it during Meridian Elementary's annual Octoberfest tonight.

Abby and James have been saving their money for a special occasion...apparently tonight was the night. They refused to let us pay for their pumpkins, popcorn or tattoo's. At least they let us buy their hotdogs and drinks! They had fun decorating their special pumpkins and spending time visiting with friends and teachers. They are all just growing up so fast. Makes me treasure these family times together all the more.

Mega Cook (and Heather's Bday) Celebration

Tonight Kelly, Heather, Lisa, Stephanie, Denise, Jennifer & I met at Red Robin to celebrate a successful mega cook expedition. Throughout the week, each one was responsible for preparing 14 (or 30 if you were Jen, ha ha) freezer meals to be exchanged with everyone else in the group. The goal was to come home with multiple different recipes and a minimum of 14 freezers meals all together. Our menu included:
- Lasagna
- Tatortot Casserole
- Applesauce Porkchops
- Cashew Chicken
- Taco Meat
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Breakfast Casserole
- Cranberry Chicken
- Chicken Bruschetta

At the same time, we were thrilled to celebrate Heather's "21st" birthday...much to her surprise.

Curreytime!

Today we are enjoying playing with the Currey Crew. The kids have been so busy playing Marble Run, Littlest Pets, Dollhouse and Treasure Hunting, although I think the highlight was getting to walk to the mailbox to deliver our bills to be mailed. Josiah was quite pleased to get to show Emma where the outgoing mail is placed.

Earnhardt Entertainment

What a great morning of playing with the Earnhardt cousins (which includes our "half-cousins" as my kids call Stephanie Earnhardt's children). While us moms had a wonderful time visiting, one of the highlights had to have been the fabulous entertainment provided by none other than Isabella. If you ever have an opportunity, please ask her to sing/perform her Bella Ballerina song. Just make sure you have a camera handy...she enjoys the stage. I wonder where she gets that from?

After our wonderful entertainment, it was time to do a little painting. The kids made marvelous masterpieces...and memories!

Birthday Bouncing

We bounced the night away with our neighborhood friends at the Bouncy Place tonight - in celebration of Conner Green's 4th birthday. The kids had a blast, despite the influence of two dare-devil dads (Jimmy and our next door neighbor Craig). It was actually quite comical!


Though it's hard to tell, Jimmy is actually dragging two children along behind him. He's holding the feet of Josiah (who's holding on for dear life) and hanging onto Josiah is the birthday boy Conner!