Guest Blogger: Finn’s Big Adventure

This past weekend, I got to go on my first real “trip” of any kind!  It was my Daddy’s 30^th High School Reunion in his hometown of Enid, OK, and Big Brother Jake and I got to tag along!  Daddy was so excited about this trip!  He was on the planning committee for the reunion, and he had worked really hard getting things together for it.  He even made the super cool name badges that all the attendees got to wear!  Mommy was excited to – she got to spend the whole weekend with Daddy and meet all these people he was always talking about!

The plan was for me and Jake to bunk at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, while Mommy and Daddy got a hotel room in town.  The girls were staying in Stillwater because they had practices and games to go to.  So, after everyone got home from school on Friday afternoon, we headed out!  After we checked Mommy and Daddy in to the hotel, Mommy, Daddy, Jake and I were off to find a parking place for the Enid High School Homecoming Football game.  We ate dinner at a big tailgate outside the stadium, and I charmed everyone in line, and tried to help Mommy and Daddy as they carried 3 plates of food, drinks, and napkins, kept Jake from spilling things, and hold me!  I’m so cute they didn’t even care!  I ate some cheese and part of a bun while sitting on top of the table.  That was FUN!  Mommy told all those around us all about me while Daddy passed out name tags.  I really had fun at the game, but I sure was glad when we left – I was getting pretty sleepy from being so darn adorable!  I met lots of new faces, and I even let a couple of Daddy’s friends hold me for a few seconds!  But, I always wanted to go back to Mommy.

After the game, Jake and I got dropped off at Grandma and Grandpa’s so Mommy and Daddy could go to the bar with their friends.  But, I didn’t want them to leave me!  I didn’t realize when they left, but as soon as I figured it out, I let everyone know I was *NOT* happy about it!  After I screamed and carried on for about an hour, Grandpa called Daddy and my wonderful parents came back home to “rescue” me.  I had fallen asleep, so they tucked me in, and went back to the party.  Little did they know, I had a very restless night and woke Grandma and Grandpa up A LOT!  I just missed them so much!

Mommy and Daddy came to get us boys for breakfast early the next morning after spending the night in the hotel.  I was SO happy to see them!  And I loved breakfast at the high school and the tour.  Lots of new faces to smile and coo at!  Mommy got a little tired of carrying me, but Daddy said the stroller would be hard to use because the school has a lot of stairs.  I was happy with Mommy carrying me, anyway!  After we left the high school, I fell asleep in the car.  I hear they ordered some treats for my birthday party next week, whatever that means!  Later that afternoon, Daddy and Jake went swimming, while Mommy and I napped at the hotel.  I love naps with Mommy! *sigh*

But then, Mommy got up and took a shower, and Mommy and Daddy put on fancy clothes.  I knew something wasn’t quite right here!  They took me and Big Brother back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  This time, I let them leave again without much fanfare.  But once they were gone, it was time to scream to get them to come back!  Daddy called to check in about an hour after they left, and after Mommy heard I was upset, she came to get me.  I got to spend the rest of the night at this big fancy party at the Country Club with lots of food, music and the OSU Football Game on a huge TV.  It was AWESOME!  Mommy fed me off her plate; I napped in her arms, smiled for all the people, and really had a good time!  Daddy said I was a “crasher” and Mommy put a picture of my bottle with her wine glass in Instagram – but I don’t even know what that’s all about!

After the party was over, they went to Grandma and Grandpa’s to get my bed (Pack-N-Play), then took me to the hotel to sleep with them!  JACKPOT!  I was SO happy!  I went to sleep in my bed, but I decided that was still too far away, so I cried until Mommy put me in bed with her.  I rewarded her by filling my diaper at some point during the night, so when she woke up, my stinky bottom was in her face.  But when I woke up, I was just SO GLAD to see Mommy and Daddy right there with me!

We went back home to Stillwater after picking Jake up from Grandma and Grandpa’s Sunday morning.  I guess he was asleep when Mommy and Daddy got my bed, because the first thing he said that morning was, “What happened to Finn and his bed!??!”  He had no idea I was lucky enough to be with Mommy and Daddy!  I hope I didn’t make him jealous!  I was so glad to be home Sunday afternoon and to see my Sisters.  I had missed them over the weekend!  But I am sure glad I have Mommy and Daddy so wrapped around my finger and so well trained.  They kept me happy all weekend, AND I got to go to some fun parties and meet new people.  Thanks for being so nice to me, Enid High Class of 1982!  See you in 10 years!

Love,

Finn

Been BUSY!

I hinted at the end of my last post that I had a fun little adventure coming up the next day!  We sure did!  Not only did Daddy stay home on Thursday to get caught up around the house and to rest a little bit, but he also had Friday off.  But it was not as relaxing.  We were all 6 up and out of the house by 8am.  The 3 big kids off to school, and Britt, Finn and I off for our adventure.

This was Finn’s first trip that wasn’t to a doctor’s office or my mom’s house for a couple of hours.  We were off to Enid, America!  Finn (and therefore Britt and I) had been invited to “speak” at the Oklahoma Blood Institute staff meeting this month!  They love for blood product recipients to come and show them what all their hard work translates to.  While I knew I was speaking, and basically what I should cover, I really had no idea what to expect!  We made the trip in slightly over an hour, and Finn did really well in the car.  Once there, we were introduced to the crowd gathered in a small conference room, and I got to tell our miracle story – that included 6 blood transfusions!  The audience was GREAT, and my friend who invited us to speak even had a few pictures she stole from facebook in a slide show for me to use along with my talk!  What a nice surprise!  The audience was so receptive – ooh’d and ahh’d in all the right places – and they were SO EAGER to meet Finn when I was done.  Britt had been out in the hall with him, and it was like winning an academy award when we showed our sweet boy off to the folks in that room.  They were so impressed by his fight and his triumph!  I really enjoy public speaking, and they asked some excellent questions, so the whole experience really quite enjoyable!

Finn, Daddy and Mommy @OBI in Enid

A bonus to being in Enid – a trip to the in-laws!  We spent a few hours with them where they got to feed and love on Finn, and they even took us to lunch at the new gourmet hot dog place in town. That was Finn’s first trip out in public, and first trip to a restaurant!  He is back on quarantine for now…  The break from reality and getting out of the house made for an enjoyable day.  But, we had to hurry back to Stillwater to switch cars and get me on the road south to Oklahoma City!  I had another engagement to go to!

I met my sweet friend Jenny at First Church of the Nazarene in Bethany, OK for a Girls Night Live event featuring Mandisa and Laura Story.  If you go back to the blog entries around the time of my brother’s death, you can see songs posted on entries by both of these amazing ladies!  I have been a Mandisa fan since she was on season 5 of American Idol, and I love following her antics on facebook and twitter.  She is truly an inspiration.  Lucky for Jenny and I, we had early entry passes, and we got seats on the FRONT row!  It really was a great concert and a wonderful time of fellowship, singing, and dancing.  It was over a bit earlier than I anticipated, so I was back in Stillwater pretty early –just in time to get home to my sweet baby Finn who had just fallen asleep after what I hear was a VERY ROUGH evening!  He got off schedule and I suppose a bit overstimulated, and he had a hard time recovering.  But super dad handled it perfectly!

Jenny and I at Girls Night Live!

Saturday was fun as well.  That morning, after my husband shaved off his seasonal beard, the hair on his head, and his standard goatee and mustache (I was mortified, but am getting used to it), we ran some errands as a family, taking turns staying in the car with Finn.  After lunch, it was a GIRLS DAY as the twins, my mom and I went treasure hunting around Stillwater. We found some fun treasures, got some fun ideas, and enjoyed each other’s company.  Sunday was church and a lazy Sunday afternoon, getting the last few things ready for the girls’ “State Night” at school tomorrow night.  I can’t wait to tell all about that – it sounds like they are really going to have a good time and put on a neat presentation.   It was a fun weekend all around!  Now,back to quiet days at home with my baby for the week.  I think we both need it!