I Heart Faces- We Are Family

I am entering this picture in this week's contest at I Heart Faces. The theme of the week is "We Are Family."

Even though this is a photography contest, I will have to admit there was no planning or skill involved in this shot. We were at a football game in November of 2007 and I held the camera up to grab a picture of the two of us. I love that my daughter grabbed my face all on her own and I love the intense expression on her face against the gleeful one on mine. We had been a family for about five months at this point having just met in China in June of that year. It remains one of my favorite pictures.

Thanks for visiting and please check out I Heart Faces to see tons of great entries.

Taking the Plunge

On February 6, Fin and her T-Rex will do the Pee Wee Plunge for Special Olympics. Instead of running into the ocean, the kids will dunk into a kiddie pool on the beach filled with water and ICE CUBES! (BRRRRRR!) If you would like to make a contribution to Special Olympics and cheer on Fin, just go to this link: http://www.firstgiving.com/finbradner

She a T-Rex are so excited, they have already started training!

We Walked With Dinosaurs

For Christmas, Nancy gave us tickets to see Walking with Dinosaurs and today was the day. Fin has been getting more into dinosaurs lately, spurred on by the great PBS show Dinosaur Train. I think this will make her an addict.

I picked her up from school and we headed out for the matinee. I had already grabbed a snack for her. One problem, you can't eat a snack when you are asleep. Mid-snack. (Sorry for the lousy picture, but I took it blindly over my shoulder at 70mph, which was probably illegal in several ways.)


She was wearing her T-Rex shirt her aunt Stacy bought her and was so excited when we walked in and saw the stage.


The show is AMAZING. There are two sections, 20-30 minutes or so and a 20 minute intermission, perfect for small kids with small attention spans and small bladders. The dinosaurs look real. They move realistically and they are huge! I took some blurry pictures, but wanted to show you a few in case you were thinking about going. This was in a coliseum that seats about 13,000 people, and the brachiosaurus' head was up at the lights when upright. Really, if you have kids, whether or not they are dinosaur fans, this is a special show.




Fin had so much fun. Our tickets were on the FRONT ROW and she kept trying to pet the dinosaurs. (They smartly stayed just out of reach.) She also tried to feed them popcorn, but even the herbivores weren't into it.

Afterwards, Mommy was suckered into buying a blow-up T-Rex.



Of course, he had to come to dinner.


Now he is watching her take a bath.

Thank you, Nancy, for a great experience!

I Got My Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back!

Twas the Week Before Christmas

Christmas has come and gone. Ours was filled with family and good food and generousity of gifts and time. I hope yours was as well.

The festivities began with a modest Christmas party in Fin's class. The kids ate treats, danced insanely to Christmas songs, and opened treat bags.

Making ice cream cone trees.


Goodie bags!


This was Fin's self-portrait on the wall. It's her on a trampoline.


The next day was a half day at school so Fin was able to join in our pot luck at work. It was pj day at school, thus the interesting outfit.



The Friday before Christmas we headed home. About halfway there, it started snowing and it was the most difficult driving I have ever done. It would have been tedious, but with Fin in the backseat it was frightening. But, we made it safely to my parents' house and enjoyed more snow than I have seen in over a decade and more than Fin has seen ever, as far as I know. The snow covered the ground for a week, giving us a white Christmas before higher temperatures and rain ate away at it. It was beautiful!










Indoor fun abounded, too. Fin's babies were all tucked in for a nap.


Fin herself only lasted about 10 minutes after finishing a big, Sunday dinner at my dad's aunt and uncle's house.


Fin and Em and I had messy fun making a gingerbread house that became the (somewhat mocked) Christmas dinner centerpiece.


I only had to tie her up with bungees a few times.


A cat asleep by the tree is always a signal that the Christmas season is in full swing.


Charley is certainly Fin's best friend. After being held down and mercilously tickled...


...they were friends again soon after.


Christmas Eve

Cookie social after church services.


Leaving Santa cookies and a note.


Nestled all snug in her bed in her new cheetah pjs.


Santa came! He brought dinosaurs and a baby cheetah and lots of stocking stuff.


Christmas Day





When I left on Sunday, Fin came out to tell me goodbye. This was hard to leave. But, she has had a great time with her grandparents and I see her again tomorrow!