Picture Update

Aubrey's Pumpkin (carved by me)

Aidan's Pumpkin (carved by Kyle)

Finn Family Pumpkins
Owl on a branch (Courtney), Happy Face (Aubrey)
Scary Face (Aidan) Vampire biting a woman's neck (Kyle)

Ducky

Sporting a fireman's hat and balloon after a visit to the local fire station

This and That

"What that thing do, Mommy?" "What this thing?" "How was school today?" "You read books today?" "You have meeting today?" Over and over and over. Aidan has entered the questioning phase. Even when we answer his questions, he still continues to repeat them. I read somewhere that kids repeat questions, even though you answered them, because they have no frame of reference to attach your answer to. It's nice to know that he is a normal little kid, learning away...but, wow. Sometimes I just want to say "Shhhh, stop talking."

Aubrey slept the week away after catching some sort of virus. She had a fever Monday night, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Being sick knocked the wind right out of her. Kyle said that she wasn't awake for more than 45 minutes at a time. I think she's on the mend and will be ready to carve pumpkins, celebrate Grandpa Finn's birthday, and dress up for Halloween this weekend.

Last weekend we spent an enjoyable 4 days in IL with my family. Baby Reese was baptized on Sunday and I had the honor of being her godmother. She slept through the baptism, only waking up when the water was poured on her head. Aidan and Aubrey both got their "Reese Time" in and had fun holding her (Aidan) and chewing on her (Aubrey). I love watching them interact and can't wait until Christmas when we'll be together again!

J.O.B.

I've got a new job and it starts Nov 1. I am SO looking forward to this new opportunity. My sanity has been hanging on by an ever-unraveling thread, and it's questionable if it would have lasted through the year at my present job. There is only so much kicking/hitting/spitting/etc that one person should have to take in a lifetime. I've reached my quota.

Back to the new job, I will be teaching middle school students with learning disabilities (math, reading, writing). Six of them will be public school students, and nine will be private school students that will see me for about an hour a day. Oh, and did I mention it's part-time? Technically a .8, but I still get to be home by 2:00pm. That means no daycare costs for Aidan and Aubrey during hockey season and I don't have to attend boring staff meetings in the afternoon! Can't wait to get started!

6 Months

Not the best exposure, but here are Aidan and Aubrey
showing their love for the Twins

6 months old

Aubrey had her 6 month doctor's appointment this past Thursday, and she is not the gigantic baby we thought she was. Nope, Aubrey is just a normal sized little girl. We've decided that our perceptions have been forever skewed by Aidan's unnatural skinniness.

Stats:
Weight: 16lbs 1oz---44 %-ile
Height: 26 in---51 %-ile (the doctor thinks they measured her wrong, but I wasn't going to wait around for a nurse to come back, so Aubrey is probably longer than 26")
Head: 17 in---65 %-ile

As I write this, Aubrey is rolling all over the place, jabbering away in an attempt to gain my attention. She has become a little wiggle worm that is not content to just sit in my lap while I type. Besides rolling both ways, she can also sit by herself for increasingly longer periods of time. She started solid foods a few weeks ago. After phasing in rice cereal, we've moved on to green beans and sweet potatoes as mixers. She wasn't so sure of the sweet potatoes (maybe too thick?) but she inhaled the green beans. I'll probably make up some squash next weekend, and then start fruits in November. If she's anything like Aidan, she will love any and all fruits.

One area that she differs significantly from Aidan is her sleep schedule. He was a routine napper at this age. I knew that every morning he would take 2 short naps, with a longer one in the afternoon. I feel insanely lucky when Aubrey naps in the morning. What 6 month old only needs one nap a day?!? And why is it my child??? She's also waking up at night again. She needs to get this sleep thing figured out. However, since her sleep habits are my only complaint, I'll count myself lucky.

Apple Orchard

The pictures say it all. The kids loved the apple orchard, but didn't want to look at the camera. Too much other stuff going on. Oh well, at least we had a nice day.

Quick Update

Yes, I know the Finns have been MIA for most of September. I'm not sure I've had a moment to catch my breath, and here we are, it's October. Aubrey hit the six-month milestone last weekend. She has her appointment this coming Thursday, so I'll post more about her then. Aidan continues to be an active little boy. Never a dull moment when he's around. Kyle is mostly enjoying being at home with the kids, but would be happier if Aubrey was sleeping through the night. (she's been waking up at 2am for feedings) School is in full swing for me and I'm desperately trying to figure out how I can stay at home with the kids or find a different job that doesn't leave me wanting to scream or cry at the end of the day. And that folks, is my lunchtime update. Time to get back to work.