Finley's Beginleys

(Dis) R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2012-02-23T21:33:00.000-06:00

So we had some visitors today. Gavant came by to say hello and it's always good to see him. I'm pretty sure he's French or something with that name... or at least most times he looks like he's had a few too many glasses of some good French wine.

And then Wendy walked in and all helk broke loose. She played a little peek-a-boo and Mae wouldn't let her go too far without a big hug.

And then, out of nowhere, Wendy's Grandma called Mabel a nasty name... something about the sun and what sounded like a witch. I've told her in the past she should probably watch her step but she wouldn't listen. Took it a bit too far and, well, let's just say if you cross Mae the wrong way she doesn't care how old you are, you can throw that whole "respect for your elders" gig out the window.

So there was a little tussle, an arm drag by Mae... and well...

Grandma looked like she got run over by a reindeer.

EDITOR IN CHIEF NOTE: Okay, so this is probably going to blow your mind but those aren't real people. Those are actually puppets. I know, right? But it's true. My best friend Stacey is a professional puppeteer and she wrote and performs a puppet comedy show here in Chicago and brings them over from time to time. But keep that our little secret and don't tell Mae.

The Basement Tea Party

2012-02-22T00:22:00.001-06:00

So as not to confuse this tea party with the one in Beantown, here are some clarifications:

Who organized it?
Boston TP: The Sons of Liberty
Basement TP: The daughters of Sarah Skertich

What caused it?
Boston TP: Taxation without representation
Basement TP: A great idea by mom and me

How many people participated?
Boston TP: Hundreds
Basement TP: Four

Where did the tea come from?
Boston TP: China
Basement TP: Probably Trader Joe's

What damage did the party total?
Boston TP: Approximately 9800 British pounds (in 1773 currency)
Basement TP: Some muffin got smashed into the carpet

What happened after the tea party?
Boston TP: Boston Harbor was shut down
Basement TP: Mabel took a nap

Birthday Weeeeeeek

2012-02-13T20:57:00.003-06:00

So look, Mae and I milked this birthday thing for everything we had. As you remember, we got our bounce present on Friday, February 3 and had a birthday breakfast the next day.

Then we got all geeked up for my actual birthday and hit up Pequods Pizza for my birthday dinner on Thursday night, February 9, where Mom and I basically took some glamour mother-daughter shots, they were that good.

Got a shot in with Dad, too.

Did I mention Mae is attempting to battle Dad and me for "biggest pizza eater in the family?" Mae, how bout getting some of that pizza IN your mouth.

Then we went out again the night of my actual birthday to Nightwood restaurant in Pilsen and went home and had yet another round of cupcakes.

I'm exhausted... birthday week... aaahhhhhhh.

Oh, and this is completely unrelated but Mae got this really cool lion mask as a birthday gift from her friend, Kim, and somewhere along the way she flipped it upside down and created a homemade Baby Bjorn for her little buddy, Mouse.

Oh, and that's his actual name - Mouse. I told her you can't name a mouse Mouse, it would be like naming a cat "Cat." But she keeps insisting that it is completely rational and the mouse's name is, in fact, Mouse... oh, and in case you were wondering, that is jelly all over her cheeks from a bagel and jelly breakfast thinger she had the other morning. Notice a pattern here with food all over her face? Yes, I bet you do.

Well, Well, Well, Look Who Just Turned

2012-02-11T06:18:00.001-06:00

Thanks for the shout-out, Mae.

The Co-Birthday Extravaganza

2012-02-10T14:43:00.004-06:00

So for the Finley-And-Mabel-Co-Birthday-Extravaganza we went with another birthday breakfast this year and it was, again, a smashing success. Last Saturday morning was the magic day, though it didn't start out so magic. Mae woke me up at 5:15am that morning so we got off to a shaky start.

But a trip back to sleep and a quick reminder that it was our birthday party got me back in the swing of things, and it was party time. A little bouncing with the boys...

A little donut birthday cake...

And a whole lotta birthday love.

Here is the list I wrote the night before our party of all the people who were invited. I started out trying to fit everyone on that tiny piece of paper and finally I just couldn't take it anymore and gave myself a little more breathing room.

We Came, We Saw, We Bounced

2012-02-08T05:24:00.007-06:00

So before I get to a post on the wonderful Birthday Breakfast we had with all my friends and family on Saturday morning, I have to tell you about Friday night.

Mom and Dad wanted to give us our birthday present that night, so they told us to wait downstairs so they could get it ready. Then they had us come up together and...

A BOUNCE PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR LIVING ROOM!!!!

Mae and I always want to go to the Bounce Place but it looks like the Bounce Place has come to us! As you can imagine we bounced to our little hearts' content, got nice and tired and then passed out for sleepy time.

MaeDay! Mae Day!

2012-02-03T20:31:00.006-06:00

So somebody turned two today. I'll give you a couple clues:

1. She is really funny

2. She is really cute

3. She goes potty and poop all by herself on her little toilet - literally all by herself with no help whatsoever... it's quite impressive seeing that I'm still getting assistance from time to time.

4. She knows about 80% of the words to the song "Roll Away Your Stone" by Mumford and Sons but, oddly enough, thinks the song's title is "Kickdrum"

5. She has had a runny nose the last day or so

6. She has yet to reach the 25 lb mark, making her possibly the lightest two year old in the S. Loop

Okay, here are a couple more clues:

Did you get it yet? Yeah, I thought so. Happy Birthday to my best buddy, Mabel Jane.

High Five, Eli

2012-02-03T06:35:00.004-06:00

As you know, this blog is usually reserved for all things Finley and Mabel, hence the name of the blog. But when Eli turned five a few days ago and we went to his birthday party, it was big news.

This party was awesome from the word "go." When we got there Aunt Tasha took the bunnies out so we could hold them.

And then a little while later it was on to the cards and presents. He got some matchbox cars and some hockey pants.

And then the funniest gift of the night was that Luke got Eli some hair gel. Eli loves when Luke does his hair up with gel so Luke decided to get him some of his own. Nice work, Luke.

And then I gave him my card. Oh man, oh man, if there's one thing Eli loves, it's birthday cards, sometimes we think he loves them more than his presents. So I decided to make him a really nice one with lots of colors and stickers and stuff. Check out the look on his face - see what I mean?

After cards and presents the three "little kids," as I call us, snagged a photo opp and then Nana and Papa wanted in on the action.

Oh, and by the look on my face with my tongue wagging out can you guess what it was time for next? Yeah, you go ahead and smile for the camera, Nana, I've got my eye on that chocolate birthday cake.

We Can Dance If We Want To

2012-02-01T05:18:00.004-06:00

So about a week ago was my last dance class for the session and the teacher let us bring someone along to dance with us. Naturally, I brought my fellow dancing sensation, Mabel Jane, who loved it so much she made Mom and Dad sign her up in her own class.

It started out with some pre-dance stretching; Lord knows you don't want to pull a calf muscle or you'll find yourselves on the sidelines watching.

We were the second group to go so we got a little glimpse of what was to come, though Mae found herself a little anxious to get on the floor.

Here you can see me in the background doing a move called, "And the World Was Watching." I do not have even remotely have a clue as to what that just meant... in all honesty, I just made that up (but looking back on it, that sounded pretty legit).

Take a look at that picture again - check out Mae's sparkly tutu (too-too? to-to? sorry, Dad here - absolutely no idea what the correct spelling of that would be). She was born to wear that thing.

And finally, this move is called "The Sunrise" and I'm not kidding about that one.

All in all Mae and I had a great time and even more fun is that one of my best friends, Corinne, is going to be in my class starting next session in a couple weeks!

Pablo Ames Skertich

2012-01-24T18:58:00.003-06:00

Some people might look and see the side of a box of crackers attached to some toilet paper rolls.

My more sophisticated audience, though, sees art.

Yep, learning about Picasso in school, thought I'd give him a run for his money.

Well, I know My Name Is Simon

2012-01-23T19:11:00.005-06:00

Remember the Saturday Night Live skit where the guy sang, "Well, I know my name is Simon, and I like to do drawings." Well, I like to do drawings, too, and with the window markers we got from Santa, we're all about it in this house.

So every couple days I draw a new scene on the front door window and then I tell Stace to text my Dad and tell him to make sure he goes in through the front door. And when he gets home from work - SURPRISE!!!

Check out some of my work.

Here's a close up of the awesome turtle drawings. This scene was titled, "Dreams from the bottom of the abyss at the Shedd Aquarium from a front row seat." Yep, I'm into long titles for my work.

The Cats In Their Hats

2012-01-11T06:36:00.006-06:00

So here in Chicago it has been unseasonably warm so far this winter. And last Sunday didn't disappoint. It was in the upper 40s so we got our gear on and headed for the park.

But first, we had to get our coats and hats on, which was really fun because we wanted to wear our new hats from Aunt Erica.

Mae's is sweet - it's like a little French beret, or as I like to call her when she wears it - "Cupcake Head," because it also looks like the frosting and little sprinkle part on top of a cupcake.

Mine? Well, I don't want to get into it too much because I'm sure there are some animal lovers that read this blog, but I had to go deep into the heart of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to get my hat. But don't worry, I didn't hurt the polar bear - I just asked him to sit down and join me for a snack (peanut butter and crackers), after which he agreed I could just cut some of his extra hair off and make a hat with it... Voila.

Roommates

2012-01-08T07:07:00.005-06:00

Well, whatdoyaknow, after four nearly four years of having my own gig, I've got myself a roommate. A few days ago Mabel Jane moved in.

First, we put up Mae's crib and then brought her in the room to get used to it... a little bit of monkeys jumping on the bed never hurt anyone (well, except those five little monkeys, but whatever).

After seeing that things were going swimmingly, we moved the rest of her crew in - Charlie the Bear, Johnny the Giraffe, Turtle Time. I knew Mae was coming but I guess I didn't realize there was half of a zoo moving in as well.

So Finley, how did Mabel's first sleep in your room go?

I'll let you be the judge.

Christmas Morning, 2011

2012-01-03T19:08:00.010-06:00

So the creatures all started to stir, and down the stairs we came.

Santa left me a note on the picture I drew for him. I told Dad the reindeer must've licked off the corner area so Santa could write on there.

Looks like somebody's been a good girl...

We kept needing to remind Mae that it was Christmas morning...

That is, until the sandwich set and the window markers were opened.

Apparently the glare from the sun through the windows got to Mae because she went downstairs and came back up with her Elton John shades so she could continue coloring.

I also got a really cool remote control car from Grandma.

Oh, and I'm not just a getter, I got Mom a new mug with an F on it, and Mae got her one with an M on it so she's covered for her morning coffees.

Mae got herself a new tutu from Nana and, as is her staple, wore that sucker high and tight.

Later on, we went to Nana and Papa's for dinner and Christmas night festivities. Needless to say, a very merry Christmas.

When Harry Met Mabel

2011-12-29T15:52:00.003-06:00

So Harry Connick Jr. has a really solid rendition of Frosty the Snowman, but after hearing Mae drop her version on me, Harry needs to move over, Mabel Jane is coming through.

More from Christmas Eve, 2011

2011-12-28T05:05:00.008-06:00

Hung at Nana's for Christmas Eve, here are some great shots of me with my inner circle folk.

In this next one, I love how we're all enjoying our evening, ready to open some presents, while Mae looks like she's going to start a Christmas brawl.

Here's a picture of my picture that I drew, of a fish, with my new writing board.

And here is Mae with her new harmonica.

I don't know if I've told you about Mabel but she's been hanging out at Kingston Mines on the weekends, which is a blues bar on Halsted St. up on the north side. She got a midnight gig on Friday and Saturday nights with a group called "Mini-Me and the Fat Bastards," which, as some of you may know, is a reference to the Austin Powers movie and quite fitting because it's Mae on lead vocals and harmonica (Mini-Me) and four guys on backups that combined are pushing a metric ton (which is about 2,205 pounds).

This is Aaaron (yep, that's three A's to start it off) on drums and Juan "Johnny" Carlos on guitar.

Anyway, her next show is January 13, if you can make it.

And to All a Goodnight

2011-12-24T22:38:00.005-06:00

Okay, so it's Christmas Eve and I'm about to go to bed because apparently Santa is going to be here in a couple hours, or so says the App that Dad bought today.

Anywho, left Santa a couple things under the tree because, well, he goes through all this trouble getting other people stuff so I made him a little something-something. It's an extra sleigh. This is in case his breaks down for any reason, he can hook Dasher and the boys up to this one and keep on humming along. Stacey, Finley and I thought of it a couple weeks ago.

Also, today we were eating a snack and talking about what we were going to leave Santa to eat because we had no sweets in the house - no cookies no cupcakes, nothing. So we decided we were going to leave him chips and salsa. I know, right? But I think he's gonna love it because it's Grandma Lammel's homemade salsa, so it's not like we're just leaving him some salsa, this is the real deal.

And if you look closer you'll also see I left him a bowl full of granola to bring up to the reindeer, we figured they'd love that. And I drew him a picture. It's a fish, a distinct type of fish that no one has actually ever seen before.

Okay, gotta get to bed. And to all a goodnight!

Tree Visits, Volume 3

2011-12-20T05:46:00.008-06:00

I know they kinda live here so they didn't technically "stop by," but they did participate in a photo opp by the tree, so this, ladies and gentlemen, is Volume 3.

Dad and I made cheetah and jaguar faces.

And then Mae stopped by, more than once. First time she stopped by... not so good.

Hey! Where do you think you're going?

So I decided to give her the "Mae, you never know, these might just end up on Facebook" speech and she realized those last couple photos were not all that flattering; so she changed her tune and we got ourselves another successful tree visit.

Mabel even got dressed up in her Mr. Rogers outfit the next day and came back for more. I think at one point she turned away from me and I heard her say under her breath, "Yeah, Fin, Facebook that!"

First Snow 2011

2011-12-18T12:28:00.009-06:00

Got our first snowfall on Friday night so yesterday morning after soccer practice we got after it right away.

First stop was snow angels. I rocked mine out and was pretty happy with the finished product.

Then we worked on Mae's snow angel which... needs a little work because she was so stuffed into her snowsuit that she couldn't move her arms well enough to get the angel's wings. The outcome was so bad we didn't even take a picture of the finished outcome.

After angels it was on to the main event - SNOWBALL FIGHT! First it was Mae and I vs. Dad...

Then Mae and Dad conspired and were making snowballs behind my back...

Til I displayed my ninja snowball fighting skills, snuck up from behind and...

BLAM! Got pops right on the noodle with one.

Mae could barely move but had the time of her life anyway.

Got inside and it was hot chocolate time.

Cookie Decorating 101

2011-12-17T13:41:00.007-06:00

So last night Corinne was over and Mom made Christmas cookies for us to decorate.

We started out with frosting the cookies

Then we moved on to the decorating with the sprinkles and what not.

Mae was aggressive with the sprinkles, which is definitely acceptable. It actually got to the point where we almost changed the name of the sprinkles to the pours. Like, "Hey Mae, can you pass me the green pours?" because there wasn't much "sprinkling" going on.

Took a break from cookies for some "cheese."

In the end, the cookies looked great and, more importantly, tasted even better.

Tree Visits, Volume 2

2011-12-17T04:00:00.003-06:00

Maybe not as much fun as when Eli stopped by for a Tree Visit, but Frosty and Santa stopped by the tree and we had a decent time.

Tree Visits, Volume 1

2011-12-12T19:31:00.005-06:00

So I decided that throughout the Christmas Season anyone who visits the house is going to get a photo with me I'm going to publish it. It will be called Tree Visits, and this is Volume 1.

And since it was my best buddy Eli who came over to play and spend the night, and we made loads of awesome faces, this will be the longest volume in the history of Tree Visits: past, present or future.

Strike a reindeer pose.

Everyday I'm Shufflin

2011-12-12T19:20:00.004-06:00

Now listen, you can have a dance party at your house if you want to, but it's not really a dance party if Eli and I are not there.

What the...?

2011-12-04T17:19:00.005-06:00

Hey Fin, what is that, just a coat and some shoes on the floor by the front door?

Well, it's either that... or the best hiding spot in the history of the world.

Story Time

2011-12-04T12:37:00.002-06:00

So here's the thing. I may or may not have told you that Mae just totally one-upped me by literally potty-training herself. Like, on her own, no help from anyone, basically just put a pot in the kitchen and she did her thing. But now when she's waiting for, well, "it," she likes it when I sit and read her a book.

And sometimes if we get through a story I give her the book and show her the pictures. I think this is what they mean by quality time.

Teddy Bear Picnic

2011-12-03T06:22:00.006-06:00

Finley, what in the world is this all about?

That's exactly what Mom and Dad asked when they walked into the kitchen to find Mabel and I as busy as bees. So I'll tell you what I told them, we're planning a picnic.

Mae, pants-less, is helping me set up the places for when all our friends arrive.

But, wait, Finley - I'm pretty sure the definition of a picnic emphasizes that the picnic be eaten outdoors...

Do not question my picnic.

Oh, look, Randy just showed up. Always punctual, that Randy.

Not sure what I'm more excited about - the fact that everyone is here for the picnic or that Mae finally has some pants on.

Thankful

2011-11-28T20:03:00.011-06:00

So I went to Kansas City for Thanksgiving and we had quite the Thanksgiving weekend.

Spent a lot of time with my cousin, Kameron - first playing Pet Shops and then eating Cake Pops (rhymed that like Wu Tang).

Got into Nonie's makeup a little bit, went Edward Scissorhands on the gang.

Mae posed with Dad, then Mom, then Nonie, then Mom and Dad together, complete with birthday hats.

Speaking of Mabel Jane, she spent 98% of the trip either following the wiener dogs around, talking to the wiener dogs or talking about them. At one point we realized we could probably leave her home alone for 2.5 hours and she and the wiener dogs would be fine.

Trevor even went so far as to read her a book.

Then it was on to shuffleboard. Aunt Erica has a regulation size shuffleboard and it was the main hub of activity for the week. Uncle Jim took Grandpa down and I had winners so I was up next.

I surveyed the board, which was awfully long...

Measured with my internal distance monitor and let her rip...

And this is where it stopped. No joke, this picture is not photoshopped, we did not stage this, this is honestly where my throw stopped. And then I decided I would make like MJ (not my sister and not the "Billie Jean" guy, the other MJ) and retire on top (the 1993 and '98 version).

Anyway, if you ask me what I'm thankful for, I will tell you. There are lots of people and things I'm thankful for, but mostly I'm thankful for my binky. Just bein' honest.

Kitchen Decor

2011-11-20T19:54:00.007-06:00

Finley, what is that stuff all over your kitchen cabinets?

Well, I'm glad you asked. Did a little art project with Dad today that ended with a new kitchen design for mom. Get a little closer and you can see what we've got here. Pictures of me, Mom, Dad and Mae, as well as all eight of my cousins.

I started drawing pictures of Mom, Dad and Mae and then we just took it to the house and got everyone in there.

First up are Ian, Keenan and Kameron, who I'm going on a plane tomorrow to see.

There there's Hannah, Luke and Sophie

And then here is Eli and Isaiah. You can tell Isaiah by his curly hair.

And last but not least, here's my little family. I wanted Dad and I on the same cabinet. I think me dwarfing him gave him a bit of an inferiority complex but those are just issues he has to deal with.

"Commit to the Indian"

2011-11-13T21:19:00.014-06:00

That's a saying that a Blackhawks coach used a few years back when he was trying to get his guys to play together. Well, we say it in our house (and by "we" I mean dad) when they drop the puck to start every hockey season. After tonight, I gotta say, I've committed to the Indian.

Tonight was date night with Dad, and with this guy we're not talking a night out to see a Disney Princess movie. We're talking pizza and a Blackhawks game - my first Blackhawks game, to boot. Mae was not really invited but somehow she scammed herself into the pre-festivities photo.

Date night started at Giordano's, where I can just eat pizza til I puke. On the way in I saw a random car with a Blackhawks flag. It was clear from the get-go we were not in enemy territory.

Then it was on to the Za. One part I really love is putting the cheese on top of the pizza (why do we put cheese on top of cheese? Because it's awesome). I shake cheese so fast down at Giordano's the waitresses call me "The Blur."

Now some people might've thought it was a bit ambitious to order a large cheese pizza when it was just my dad and me eating it. And by "some people," I mean, people who don't know my dad and me.

Then we headed to the game.

SIDE NOTE: We parked on this random side street a few blocks from the stadium that Dad says is kind of secret parking no one knows about. I'm thinking people actually know about it, they would just never in a million years leave their cars there for three hours. We got out and this dude stumbles over and says, "For three dollaz I'll watch yo car to make sure nuttin happens to it." And Dad says, "Well, what if I don't give you three dollars?" and the guy says, "Then I can't promise nuttin ain't gonna happen to yo car." So Dad says, "That's reasonable, but I got a good feeling you'll take care of my car for two dollars." and the guy says, "Damn straight." Then he takes dad's two dollars and says, "I'm just finna run over to the liquor store and then I'll be right back to watch it fo ya." Nice secret parking spot, Dad, real nice.

Back to the game, we had AMAZING seats, in a luxury box about 25 feet from the ice (my Dad said we had those seats because he knows Oprah but then I found out they were given to us by people he works with).

As if quality hockey was not enough, during the second period this guy walks into our box and says something about a dessert cart having arrived. I'm like, "Wait, WHAT?" So we go out and get to choose from about ten different desserts. Chocolate chip cookies, cheesecake, carrot cake, turtles (not those kind), something called Chocolate Paradise Cake. So I get a piece of Smores Cake that was the size of Manhattan and I make Dad get the ice cream sundae so, naturally, I can eat that, too. And we topped it off with a cup of hot chocolate.

As you can see by my smile the sugar rush kicked in quickly and held a nice buzz til the game was over. All in all it was a great date night with my Dad...

Capped off with a Blackhawks winner. My official Blackhawks record stands at 1-0.

Don't forget to save your ticket stub.

Morning Routine

2011-11-12T12:22:00.004-06:00

Not everyone has a morning routine, but I've fallen into one lately that is pretty solid.

First thing I do is get up and take my binky out of my mouth (yeah, go ahead and snicker, like you don't have a bad habit?). Then it's downstairs where Mae is usually already sitting at the table eating.

Some mornings it's O's, others it's an egg, but lately I've been on a bagel and cream cheese kick.

So Dad pops a bagel into the microwave to get it warm and soft (way better than toasted, try it). In the meantime I pull the chair over to the table and get the cream cheese out of the fridge.

I get my little butter knife from the silverware drawer, hop up onto the chair and start getting that cream cheese lather going.

I like to get it on there nice and thick.

And then before I drag my chair back to my spot at the table, I polish off that butter knife til it looks like it came straight outta the dishwasher.

Yummy, yummy, in my tummy.

I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

2011-11-03T20:11:00.003-05:00

Remember that book by Dr. Seuss? Well, I'm not quite there, but I'm getting close.

Spooked

2011-10-31T21:01:00.007-05:00

So Devil's Night came and went and not much harm came with a couple of insects out and about trick or treating. We took to the burbs out by my cousins' houses - Mae as a ladybug and me as a butterfly. Oh, and costumes are a bit of a drag with winter coats on - I don't ever remember a ladybug wearing a jacket.

Mae got her first taste of strangers putting candy in your bag, and she dug it.

Luckily Isaiah was there to help her up and down the all the houses' stairs.

After some trick or treating by Eli's and Sophie's house we headed out to Nana's for the annual Halloween Sloppy Joe's dinner. Stopped along the way to put some headband jangles on Buddy, which I thought was pretty funny and he seemed to enjoy as well.

I know what you're thinking - wait, Finley, you were going to paint your face as a butterfly. Yep, I was, and then Stace and I decided to color this butterfly mask thing we found. But then, at the third stinking house, it was falling off my face and I fell down the stairs, so that was the end of the mask.

Back to Nana's - Buddy and Mae did their photo thing...

And then they did their bonding/hugging/love thing, which is exclusive to Buddy and Mae.

Did one more round of trick or treating by Nana's. Mae really had the hang of it this time. Just dug into the people's buckets 3, 4, even 5 times and stuffed candy into her bag. I mean, just look at little old Mae, who's gonna tell her to stop. She scored massive amounts of candy.

All in all, a very, very Happy Halloween (that's Nana and Eli with us, if you couldn't tell).

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T09:12:00.008-05:00

So last night we carved our pumpkins, and man was it fun. First, we each drew on a pumpkin so that mom and dad could see what to carve.

I drew the face I wanted on mine...

And then Mabel drew the face she wanted on hers.

It was on to one last shot before the rubber hit the road (or in this case, the steak knives hit the pumpkins).

Turned out quite nice, if you ask me.

Not surprised though. back in 1986 I took first place in the Salt Lake City Pumpkin Carving Contest. Went on to take second place in Nationals and was asked to walk in the Portland Pumpkin Parade, which was a decent time, although Natatlie Flipjamitz, who took first place in nationals, was a bit overbearing with her "Bahstan" accent. Told her I was a Mets fan, which settled her down a bit... the sting from the Bill Buckner charade was only a couple weeks old and hadn't worn off yet.

ANYWAY, we hit the lights and took this beauty of Oakla (what I named my pumpkin) and Seep (what I named Mae's pumpkin).

Then we threw them on the porch for all the world to see... or at least the 312 people that would be walking their dogs in the Circle Park last night.

I'll hit you all up on Monday with a Trick or Treat update.

I Irish Dance...

2011-10-20T21:46:00.002-05:00

Therefore, I am.

Mae's Potty Adventure

2011-10-18T20:54:00.005-05:00

Well, I'll tell you - the little gal in the house is turning out to be quite the big girl. A mere six months after I, the intelligently unchallenged and extremely talented Finley Skertich, mastered the art of the big girl potty, Mae is like, "Um, Fin, what the heck took you so long?"

This morning we were doing our regular routine. Dad was just about to leave, we were eating breakfast with Mom and waiting for Miss Stace and all of a sudden Mae is like, "Momma, potty." We get her out of her chair, she takes off her diaper, sits down and I read her a book. One book, that's all it took.

It continued throughout the day. With no prompting, no reinforcement stickers, no rewards, no book reading, no nothing - the wee wittle kid just took her own diaper off and walked over and went potty - FOUR FREAKING TIMES!

Don't mean to get graphic but I can hear all the doubters saying, "Yeah, right, Fin, like she really went in there." Well, what's up now, haters?!

Ee-Yi-Ee-Yi-Yo

2011-10-15T07:04:00.007-05:00

If you've had enough posts about me holding animals, well, go find yourself another blog because I'm back in action with my furry friends here at the Farm out by Nana's house.

Papa's version of "birdie time!" and mine are very different. His takes place on the golf course and mine takes place where the air smells of the pleasantries of manure.

Rockin the rooster

Here's me digging the duck. And here's the thing about Mae around the animals, she likes to kiss them all... a LOT. She also likes to pet them and play in their cages and what not and then put her thumb in her mouth. We figure it's only a matter of time til she has the bird flu.

Bel's a pretty happy kid with a bird in her hands.

You should get a little closer to his food, Mae, I'm sure he just loves that at feeding time.

A bit later we went Kernel diving.

Moo-eese!

Before we left, Nana and I rode on the back of the haybailer truck and then we all posed for one last one.

Michigan, 2011: Part II

2011-10-10T23:49:00.006-05:00

So the last day of our stay we took a shot in the dark at this place called Deer Forest, about 20 minutes north of New Buffalo. As we drove up, it was so run down we wondered if it was even open. But it was, and that's when we found what we like to call a "sleeper." Deer Forest rocked it.

Started out with some animal petting up front before we even got back to the rest of the forest/farm.

Saw the actual real live Easter Bunny. Trivia question!! What is the real life Easter Bunny's name? It's Reginald, they call him Reggie or Reg for short.

Then we did some pig feeding. These are Mae's hands feeding the pig before he bit the h*&$ out of her hand and left a nice little dent in it.

Thankfully, though, it was not this guy. This is Highway... fell off the back of a truck on the... wait for it... highway, back in 2004. Been here ever since... and it looks like he's been eating chocolate donuts ever since, too.

And then came the fun part, we got buckets of kernels to feed to the deer. They ate right out of my hand.

Mae, on the other hand, liked to pick up one kernel out of the bucket, walk it over, and drop it down in front of the deer.

After a while, they were like, "Um, little dudette, there are four of us here. How bout we skip this one-at-a-time business you've got going on."

And then, before we left, Mom and Steph befriended the Carnie and he offered to give Dad and me and Colin and Ana a ride on his machine. This machine used to take people on rides dating back to 1954 and I have to tell you, I don't think it's seen a mechanical check-up since then. So here we are, 15-20-something feet in the air and all I could think of was that Mae was going to get to spend Dad's life insurance payout all by herself.

Michigan, 2011: Part I

2011-10-09T20:38:00.011-05:00

So we hit the road and headed to New Buffalo, Michigan, last weekend with my friend Ana and Mom and Dad's friends, Colin and Steph. I was a little confused because I was quite certain Buffalo was in New York, but apparently that's the old Buffalo.

This new one is ripe with a whole slew of fun stuff to do.

First, my friend Ana really liked being read to when we were bumming around the house in our jammies.

Saturday morning we got up and did some running around outside. A little Ring-Around-The-Rosy and then a tough-guy pose from the three girls.

Before we move on, I just have to comment about how much I love that photo above of the three of us, Mabel Jane in particular. I don't know what it is but to me she looks like a street thug from Philadelphia with Napoleon's complex named Jimmy who the other kids nickname "Shorts" because she's so tiny, but who can lick anyone in town with her nasty left uppercut. Also looks like Shorts is the kind of kid who runs around with Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches in his pocket from morning til night and just takes a bite out of it every once in a while when he's hungry.

Sorry to get off track, just can't look at that picture without thinking of Shorts.

Anyway, after this pow-wow it was off to this place called Dinges Farm, where we checked out the bunnies...

Rode ponies...

Here's me with the pony Mae rode on. I wanted a picture of him because I really liked his name - Pete Willy.

We got into a little corn maze thing, and I probably shouldn't call it little. It took me, Ana, Dad and Colin a solid 20-25 minutes to find our way out... this thing was legit. A little darkness and we woulda been stuck there til New Buffalo gave way to Newest Buffalo.

Here's a stairway (not to Heaven) in the middle that we stumbled upon.

And Mom and I took a sweet train ride, too.

Then, after naps it was off to the apple orchard. I won't waste too much time with narration here, you can see we obviously loved this place...

Oh, and Mae got herself into about 18 apples. She would pick one off the tree, just nibble a circle around the edge of it, taking off the skin, and then throw it on the ground. After we left, the place probably thought they had a beaver problem.

Lastly, we headed to the beach where Mabel was introduced to her shadow. We decided she probably only weighed about four more pounds than it.

Who Rocks The House?

2011-10-07T22:24:00.004-05:00

This is an old Jr. High cheer that the cheerleaders used to chant when Dad was on the basketball court... only it use to be "Mustangs" and not "Finley," but whatever, it's my turn to rock the house... and I rock it all the way down.

OKAY!

2011-10-04T06:41:00.004-05:00

So there's this song that we do, daily, like maybe 42 times a day, in our house, and here's an example of how it goes:

Finley: Hey Mom

Mom: Hey what

Finley: Hey Mom

Mom: What's up

Finley: Show me how you get down

Mom: No way!

Finley: Show me how you get down

Mom: Okay! (now dancing) D-O-W-N and that's the way you get down

I said D-O-W-N and that's the way you get down

Well, guess which little somebody I know is a wee-bit excited to get d-o-w-n.

Goings On

2011-09-29T20:35:00.004-05:00

Got a haircut...

...was not shy about how much to take off...

Here's the final result... I know, awesome, right?

Nope, those are not clown shoes, those are dad's running shoes...

... double dosage, I've got Mom's on.

Mae's New Digs

2011-09-25T19:29:00.003-05:00

So this weekend Mae got upgraded to a crib. See, she's been sleeping in a pack and play since she graduated from a Moses basket at about five months (shortly after Dad dropped her out of the Moses basket onto her head, if you will all remember).

Anyhoo, the kicker to all this is that since Mae was about five months old she has slept in the closet. Yes, Mom and Dad's master closet, with all their clothes. That is her cave, her lair, her bed.

So we set up her new bed...

...hung all the clothes back up...

... and put her down for a nap. And this is her when she woke up. As you can see, she digs her new digs.

Mae Soccer

2011-09-25T07:53:00.008-05:00

Hey Fin, so what's Mae been up to? Okay, here's what... soccer. This is her first practice, when they didn't have a uniform for her yet.

A little dribbling, Dad's really pumped, she's loving it, and then...

... she completely lost interest. Lounging around on the ground for a few...

Her own snack break (which lasted about 15 of the 45-minute session)...

A miserable time on the parachute ride, etc. etc.

So wait, Fin, it probably got better the next week, right?

Well, only because she showed up in her sweet uni that looked like it was trying to eat her.

And then after 30 minutes of wandering around, she wanted to come see my practice, where she sat on the chair and cheered me on.

And by the by, there was a lot to cheer about when witnessing these skills. No, guys, that is not Landon Donovan taking that ball coast to coast.

Portraits of a Cheetah

2011-09-15T00:08:00.007-05:00

The Art Museum called and they want to put this collection in their new wing, I told them no. Artists are more infamous when they are unknown, whatever that means.

And now I give you... "Portraits of a Cheetah."

By the way, didn't want to wash this face paint off that Miss Stace put on me so I kept it on for three days... now I have an interesting rash on my grill.

First Day of School

2011-09-13T18:11:00.007-05:00

So today was my first day of school. First, last night, we had to make a poster of a bunch of stuff that I love and love to do. So here's my poster.

Let me explain a couple things for those of you who can't read very well...

1. Okay, right underneath the picture of me jumping in the puddle is the word "swim," which I love to do.

2. Right above and to the left of Dad's head in the black and white photo is the word "bike," and just to the left of that is a picture of me on my bike.

3. Right underneath the black and white photo is the word "read," which I'm doing pretty consistently nowadays.

4. Also, in between the black and white photo and the picture of Isaiah and me are pictures of me on the swings, which is probably one of my all-time favorite things to do.

5, Then, as you can see, I've got some pictures of people and things I love - Mae/Mom/Dad, puddle jumping, my stuffed animals and of course, Isaiah.

Okay, here we are, morning-of, and Dad is getting a little emotional so he's taking lots of pictures. Here are a few.

Best friend alert! Don't know if I've ever posted a picture of Miss Stacey or not but in case I haven't, some people call her my nanny. I say "blah" to that business - nanny shnanny. Miss Stace is Mabel's and my best friend.

And then here's us at LoveBugs, which is the name of my school. That is kinda funny because my nickname is "Bug" and a lot of people love me so it's kinda interesting that I go to a school called LoveBugs.

Anyway, first day was a huge success - in fact, when Mom and Dad picked me up to go home and I got in the car I was so sad I started crying. When they asked why I told them I didn't want to go home, I wanted to stay at school. I'd call that a success.

Hanging at Nana's

2011-09-12T22:13:00.005-05:00

Just a perfect day out at Nana's recently.

Mae and Papa hung out on the porch swings...

Mae graduated from the regular push swing (with some assistance from Luke)

To the tire swing (with some assistance from Mom)

Sophie and I rocked the swingset

And then I, too, headed for the bigtime.

Dad and Isaiah made sure I was flying high

And then, after baths and dessert, we hit the living room for a tradition unlike any other. See, at Nana's house we put on Irish dancing music on the DVD and we just have at it...

Straight-up Michael Flatley style.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!!!!

2011-09-07T20:09:00.007-05:00

So it's upon us, the NFL season starts tomorrow, college football started last week (do NOT mention the Notre Dame loss within 27 feet of my dad if he has a sharp object in his hand) and so we took to the gridiron out at Nana's.

Enough of the princesses and swingsets, it was time for old Finley "Dust Off the Hammer Pants, Can't Touch This" Skertich to strut her stuff with the pigskin.

First I was on defense with Luke and Eli while Isaiah tried to get into the end zone.

Unfortunately for Ice, we caught him at the two-yard line and dragged him down.

Then with the third quarter winding down there was a fumble; I snatched it up and took off.

Nope, this is not Herschel Walker. This is me, a freaking blur on the football field with the rock in my hands.

Now ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you might think that Dad just had the wrong setting on the camera and that's why I'm so blurry. Yeah, and you also might think that the Academy got it right when they gave Shakespeare In Love the Oscar over Saving Private Ryan back in 1999. On both accounts, you are sadly mistaken.

Took this one all the way to the house, leaving the boys like roadkill in my path.

Finleys Skertich

2011-09-05T21:05:00.006-05:00

Trivia Question: What is better than one Finley Skertich? (Answer TBD...)

Well, tonight Mom and Dad came downstairs and I had drawn our family, as I pointed out to them who each person was. Mae was obviously the smallest, and so on and so forth.

I was going to write everyone's names by their respective picture but I decided on just the first letter.

Then, when Dad went to get the camera upstairs, I decided that the family needed two Finleys, so I just drew another one. And that's about that.

Oh, and the answer to the trivia question is pretty obvious by now, two Finleys are, of course, better than one.

Nailed It

2011-09-05T07:16:00.003-05:00

Well, looky what we have here... it appears MJ has joined the nail-painting party. And she proceeded to tell everyone she met about it for the next three days.

Hang Time

2011-08-26T06:17:00.006-05:00

No, the title of this post does not mean I'm gonna sit here and go on and on about Michael Jordan's 1987 Slam Dunk Contest win. This is a new game we play out in the park that I made up.

Dad puts you up to hang on the branch and then lets go, and then my friends count and you hold on as long as you can until...

And then it's someone else's turn. First I held the record at 26 seconds, but then my friend Carson went and beat that pretty handily with 46. I didn't feel all that badly though because Carson is six and looks like she is going to be Venus Williams when she grows up.

In the 3-4 age group, 26 seconds is second best in the nation, and when you're behind this kid, well, you gotta figure that's just gonna happen.

Oh, and that's Omar down in the corner there. He doesn't hang from trees but you'd think by talking to him that he lives in one.

Summer Time Fun

2011-08-25T07:01:00.006-05:00

Well, it's been a while, gotta admit it's been rough around here. Stomach flu, bronchitis, teething, the whole bit. But what else has been going on, you might ask?

Well, we're still kicking it at the pool, where Mae has found her inner Chinese

I took some classes and became a train conductor

Mae's new hangout spot is the bathroom sink and she just loves the vibrating toothbrush on her teeth.

Dad and I have been kicking it, old school

Had a little dress-up soiree with my cousins. No, I have no idea why Isaiah is dressed in a Santa Claus dress, so don't ask.

Hit up the air and water show

(Yes, this next one is a real photo)

And in case you're wondering, I just never stop dancing.

Puddle Jumping

2011-08-08T20:59:00.007-05:00

Well, it rained today, so what did we do? We made lemonade, my friends, with some extra sugar this time.

Yep, threw on the old rainboots and hit the highway (or the park outside) for some good old-fashioned puddle jumping.

Just outside the gate we found ourselves a decent one. And then I showed off my 3-inch vertical in the park sidewalks.

And then we found The Mothership. Walk softly, Mae, and carry a big rainboot.

SPLASHDOWN! Check this out, even managed to get sissy in the face with a little wiper fluid.

We paused for a moment so Mabel could investigate the wildlife, thought she saw an alligator but it was just a worm.

And then it was back to meeting our goals and objectives.

Binky Go Bye Bye

2011-07-31T07:32:00.006-05:00

So there's a Binky Fairy and supposedly on your 3rd birthday she comes and takes your binky and then you don't have it anymore. Yeah, well, Binky Fairy knew better than to come near my binky so I'm still rocking it.

But the other day when Mom and Dad got done with work I decided, on my own, that I was going to throw my binkies in the garbage.

It. Was. Time.

So I gave the lid a lift...

Held them over and...

Down the hatch. As you can see, thought twice about it after I let them drop into the muck down below. But that was it, nothing I could do about it, they were gone, in the garbage and we weren't getting them back.

So that night the rubber hit the road, I made it happen, vamoos binky, I passed the test, that binky was a candle in the wind, if you love something set it free, every cloud has a silver lining (wait, that last one might not apply)...

Um.... dug it up before bed, just can't live without it quite yet.

Don't judge me.

Planking Alert

2011-07-25T21:08:00.007-05:00

Okay, so planking is all the rage these days, it's literally an Internet phenomenon that some say started in England and now kids all across the nation are planking and posting photos on the Internet.

Here's the Wikipedia definition:

Planking or the lying down game is an activity consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. The hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the internet is an integral part of the game. Some "plankers" engage in the activity by planking only their upper body and feet while leaving the back suspended.

So Mae and I do these moves all the time in our living room and Miss Stace took some pics because she had already heard of the Planking Phenomenon...

Then next thing we know, everyone is planking. We'll start the pics out innocently enough with this kid on a tire...

Then this chick starts to take it up a notch...

This guy takes us to almost the point of speechless...

And then "Fat Man On Fish" brings it home.

I mean, seriously, what's next?

Note To Self:

2011-07-23T11:54:00.004-05:00

When Mom says you're taking a shower, you can fight it all you want, but you're taking a shower. She will go so far as to pick you up and walk you into the shower to clean you... with her clothes on.

Whoever said "Don't mess with Texas" must have thought Mom's name is Texas.

Apples & Trees

2011-07-20T21:09:00.006-05:00

So I learned a new phrase today, and it goes like this - "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Oh, and you might want to dip your toes into this water over here but be careful, this ain't no kiddie pool.

Let's start things off with some happy banjo-picking, Dixie Chicks-style, which is where I learned my air guitar skills...

We'll move into some pop rock with a little Scissor Sisters...

And we'll wrap things up with some angry and intense bluegrass. Ritchie Sambora... eat your heart out.

Fish In A Barrel: Week Ending July 17, 2011

2011-07-17T21:03:00.008-05:00

I always see these "Week In Review" items everywhere I go... in Rolling Stone magazine, on The Daily Show, on Sunday Night SportsCenter... so I thought I'd give one a go. But I'm going to give it a different name - don't really have any idea what it means but I'm calling it "Finley's Fish In A Barrel" and here it goes:

Mae decided she's going to eat her cereal with a fork from here on out. Went as far as to use two, straight chop sticks style. You wouldn't believe how well it actually worked. We're considering changing her name to Chu Shin Yao, just have to get it past Mom.

Went to Little Red Schoolhouse with all my cousins. Hannah drove us there. She's only 12 but when we got pulled over I talked us out of a ticket. Not really, Nana and Aunt Suzy actually came, too. This picture is funny because it looks like exactly zero of us is having a good time. We did, though, I swear, it just didn't show here.

We played a game called "How many crackers can you stuff into your mouth at once?" In this shot you can see that Mae got three in there. Paled in comparison to the 22 that I stuffed in.

We walked to the park and looked for trains, which is probably Mabel's second favorite thing to do, right behind walking to the park to look for dogs.

And lastly, I capped the week off with a solid ice cream cone, a big one, vanilla with sprinkles. Got it all over my shirt and shoes, it was awesome.

So there you have it - Finley's Fish In A Barrel. I kinda liked this segment so you might see more of it.

Monster Maesh

2011-07-12T06:29:00.003-05:00

I know this is a really short one and probably not even worth posting, but Mae insisted that I post these photos to let you know she's been spending some time in the weight room. She can almost bench her weight, which is 19 pounds these days.

Next time you see her please make her feel good by saying something like, "Wow, Mae, been throwin the 45s around the gym, I see," or "Whoa, Mabel, your lattimus dorsi are really taking shape." I know, really stupid but sometimes Mae just needs her ego stroked.

Natalie Maines... Eat Your Heart Out

2011-07-10T12:18:00.005-05:00

Someone better email Natalie Maines and tell her there are a couple new kids on the block. Mabel and I have decided we are the next generation of Dixie Chicks.

Yes, I know Mae isn't playing the violin or the banjo but she's my backup dancer and it's not like those moves just grow on trees, ya know.

Kansas City - Part II

2011-07-09T08:50:00.011-05:00

So back at the house there was a lot going on.

We got the band back together...

Mae cracked herself up with some peek-a-boo...

We walked in a 4th of July parade...

We met a dog that told that at first seemed like a regular old dog...

Until he started telling hilarious jokes, much to Mae's delight.

We had doggy paddle races in the pool (the dog was obviously tough to beat)...

There was a massive dance party out back. It got so intense Uncle Derek didn't even have to cut the lawn, I cut it up myself...

WATCH YOURSELF!

And then, pooped from swimming and dancing, Trevor (the doggy-paddle champion, in the background) and I took a rest on the patio.

I'm Going To - Kansas City, Kansas City, Here I Come

2011-07-08T06:41:00.006-05:00

So we hopped on a plane last Saturday and headed to Aunt Erica's for the July 4th holiday weekend. Aunt Erica, Uncle Derek, and my cousins, Keenan and Kameron, live in Kansas City. Quick flight, no casualties, mostly because Mabel slept from takeoff-to-touchdown, and there we were.

Part II of the Kansas City post will include all kinds of fun stuff we did but this post is designated solely to our trip to the Deanna Rose Farm, located about ten minutes from Aunt Erica's. This place was off the charts, and here's why.

First off, PONY RIDES!!!

Got to hang out with Kam, who is outstanding...

Grandpa and I took a walk over to the duck farm...

And then it came time to feed the baby goats. By the time we left they were calling Mae "The Goat Whisperer."

And I don't know if you've ever heard this song or not, but if you haven't, it's a must - "High on a hill lived a lonely goat herd."

Oh, and before I go - check out Dad, city slicker acting like he was born in a barn or something.

At The Car Wash

2011-06-27T21:50:00.007-05:00

Don't know if we told you guys or not but Mabel started her own little business, washing cars. This is her third small business venture. She started out with your everyday lemonade stand, but her business partners didn't grasp the concept that they were supposed to SELL the lemonade.

So it was on to her hot dog stand; had a couple high school girls working for her, but it turns out there was no future in frankfurters.

So she started a car washing business and got her first client on Sunday afternoon, who happened to be Mom. Mae has her you-know-what together, though, charged Mom three strawberries, half a bowl of guacamole, and even a couple bites of ice cream. I never thought I would say this, but I actually might learn something from MJ.

Washes the ground around your car too, and doesn't even charge for it.

Boogie Down

2011-06-26T20:51:00.002-05:00

Watch out, just when you think you're settling in this one jumps up and bites you.

Story Time Squared

2011-06-17T17:35:00.008-05:00

So Mae is like, "Whoa, Fin, if you know how to read, hook me up. Let's do this, I love stories." So we hopped up into Mom and Dad's bed and I was reading her some books and then - Mae? Mabel? Mae, we're over here, dude.

Okay, better, but now she's posing for pictures.

The next day we found ourselves in the midst of her books again and this time she paid a little more attention. I mean, how many times do I have to tell her that "correspondence" starts with a "c" and not a "k"? That's why her intensity in this session was so important.

And then a couple days later I was reading in the chair and she wanted to join. Following along pretty well until...

it was either the story itself or my delivery, but either way, I lost her.

Ah, you give them wings and they just fly, don't they.

Festival Season

2011-06-14T23:25:00.003-05:00

So it's that time of year in Chicago. Even though the weather clearly has not been informed yet, it's Summer time in Chicago, which means lots of good things, one of which is that it's Festival Season. Every weekend there's an awesome festival in some neighborhood or another.

This one happened to be right outside our house so we headed down and though I really needed a nap, I was hot to trot on getting my face painted.

So I sat down and got prepared...

Took on a little makeup...

And then a little more...

When all of a sudden the woman said to Dad, "I think she's asleep," to which Dad apparently said "Finley!" about 4-5 times before I slowly opened my eyes. What can I say, getting your face painted is relaxing. Just about done...

And voila - a butterfly.

And I kept that puppy on for 2.5 days straight. I refused showers, washing my face, going in the pool, brushing my teeth, anything that remotely would mess up my blue butterfly.

Story Time

2011-06-08T21:24:00.006-05:00

So I've been getting a little impatient with this reading thing. I REALLY have been wanting to read my books by myself, and like, for real. So Dad and I took it up a notch tonight, and I'm pretty sure I'll have a couple Thomas Friedman books under my belt by Tuesday... buckle up.

Sorry, got a little distracted by the hockey game on TV for a second there. Focus, Finley, FOCUS. Okay, I'm back, here's another one, pay attention.

Oh, one more thing. Now that you're done watching them, go back and watch the first one again, and this time listen to the guy recording the video at the end when he says, "Perfect." One might think that's my dad, but it's actually Kermit the Frog.

Where's Mabel?

2011-06-07T21:55:00.004-05:00

So Mae found herself in the laundry basket (thanks, Dad) and when he put her down in my room she played her first real game of peek-a-boo.

And if you thought the pics were fun, check out the video.

And then like a wild bear she reached over and tried to pull me into the basket by my hair.

Scrabble This!

2011-06-01T22:07:00.003-05:00

So we hadn't done word and reading stuff for maybe a week and a half so Dad is like, "Hey Fin, I'm going to clear the table and when I come into the living room in two minutes I wanna see if you can make three words out of the tiles - Bug, Bed and Sad." Deep down, he's not sure I can do it, right? Well, Dad... BLAM!

And then he's like, "Nicely done, Fin. Now let me give you three more words and one of them will be four letters. Let's see how you handle this one." Um, nailed it!

Oh, and tonight we went on a bike ride to the sledding hill over by old McCormick Place. It was awesome, I ran up the hill...

Only to find when I got to the top that Mae was already there?? How the heck did that happen?

Anyway, she figured one good turn deserved another, so tonight it was her turn to bite the dust on the ride home.

Memory-Filled Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T21:13:00.005-05:00

So Memorial Day Weekend was a huge success. First, a few days before the weekend I got in the mail a new castle to play in. The house that Santa had brought us finally became a tear-down, so we replaced it with a castle.

And this castle is awesome for many reasons, among them - it has a drawbridge for a door. But also because you can paint it, so I got my paints out and got after it, and now it is a colorful castle.

It was also a memory-filled weekend because it was the first time that Mabel got drunk. Kidding, but Dad and I walked into the kitchen to find this scene. Something tells me this actually happening is closer than any of us would like to even think about.

We got a couple hours of swimming in as our pool opened. No photos though, no cameras by the pool.

And lastly, we got a new bike seat so the four of us can now go on a bike ride together, and Mae got her first bike ride in. Too bad her head looks like it's the size of an apple in the helmet.

We rode and rode, and then we stopped by Buckingham Fountain for some ice cream.

Bet you can't guess what flavor I had?

And then we rode and rode some more until finally, well, the weekend caught up with me.

GLOW STICKS!

2011-05-25T21:53:00.004-05:00

'Nuff said.

Super Mario's

2011-05-23T20:46:00.006-05:00

So there is a place over in Little Italy on Taylor St. called Mario's Italian Lemon Ice. They serve... wait for it... yep, lemon ice. Dad has been going to this place since he was three or four years old mowing through his favorite blend of lemon ice.

Well, he and mom started taking me a couple years ago. We'd get lemon ice and sit on a stoop and eat it together, and it was pretty much his favorite thing to do.

Well, tonight was Mae's Mario's Baptism and to put it bluntly, she was not disappointed. So we gathered our ice (Mom's favorite - cantaloupe | Dad & Mae split watermelon | I got strawberry) and went around the corner and sat up against the wall and enjoyed. No need to narrate each picture, they all tell the same story - one fantastic evening.

The Secret Chef

2011-05-19T20:32:00.004-05:00

So you've probably been wondering for a few days now who the secret chef is that visited and made my favorite meal.

Well, Mom and Dad went to Mexico for a week (which did not sit well with Mae, and she told them about it for about a week after they got home) and Grandma and Nonie came to stay with us.

We did tons of fun stuff - the zoo, the Aquarium, the whole bit. Check out this picture here that Grandma took with my reflection, can you say photojournalist? Yes, by the time I left this baby hippo and I were pretty tight.

And as you can see, Mae took a liking to a certain someone.

And Nonie made my favorite meal (and my dad's favorite meal EVER) - her special spaghetti and meatballs. You can't even really imagine how good this meal is. In fact, when my Dad called and heard we were eating it he called the airlines to look into getting an immediate flight home.

And we got some rough-housing in with Grandma, she brings the intensity to rough-housing, that's for sure.

And we had a nice time just hanging around playing with play-doh as well.

All in all, a great week with some of my favorite people.

Happy Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-16T21:54:00.011-05:00

Okay, so that tease was pretty good, eh? Yep, she's better than the Easter Bunny and Santa combined, she's my mom, 'nuff said.

So for Mother's Day we got up and Dad made breakfast for everyone and then we went on a nice long walk down on the lakefront, which was Mom's big wish. Then it was off to church and then out to Nana's house.

Here you can see a few of the moms in our family - mine, most importantly, but Nana and Aunt Tasha a close second along with some others not pictured, such as Nonie, Grandma Lammel, Aunt Erica and Aunt Suzy.

Then it was me chilling in my underoos out front playing baseball. Got my skirt a little too wet to wear so I went straight undergarments the rest of the day.

And here's a good pic of a bunch of us on the front walk. What am I doing?

Well, if you look a little more closely you can see I'm taking "how to sit with your leg crossed" lessons from Papa.

And then Nana and I took a picture with Buddy. Okay Buddy, look at the camera...

Seriously, dude I said look at the camera...

Buddy, I'm not gonna ask you aga... oh, close enough. Here we go, Nana, smile.

Oh, and I'm not sure if the music was on too loudly in the car on the way out to Nana's or what but I think Mae thought we said Happy

Buddy's Day, which is her favorite holiday, I'm quite sure. Hugs all around for the doggy.

And then when we got home, Mom, Mae and I cuddled up on the

couch...

To watch a little Mary Poppins. A great end to a great Mother's Day.

Easter Part III

2011-05-11T21:21:00.000-05:00

Wait, Fin, Easter Part III? Seriously? Three whole posts devoted to Easter? Yes, it was that good (and my editor, who just got back from a week in Mexico, hence the lack of posts, actually found these photos on accident, thank goodness).

So came down the stairs to find that the old Rabbit had eaten most of the carrots I left for him and drank the water.

Then it was on to the egg hunt... The magazine rack? Yakkity Yak, don't talk back, FOUND IT!

Under the bowl? Bunny, you're out of control.

La dee da, here we go, legs - let's head to the kitchen to find some more eggs...

Um, very funny, you old Bunny.

As you can see, a pretty sweet Easter, to say the least. More posts to come this week.

(Okay, I'm gonna try something that I saw Maury Povich use, he called it a "tease" before he went to commercial break to make sure the audience came back...)

Next post up, a little shot of me with my favorite chef, who just happened to make my favorite meal. Also, a holiday that we celebrate even harder than Christmas & Easter... stay tuned.

Easter, Part II

2011-04-30T07:18:00.008-05:00

So out to Nana's we went on Easter and had a fantastic day.

Mae had herself a whole bunch of fun on the deck.

This pretty much sums up the essence of Mabel's little life... backwards.

And she took a breather every so often with her best buddy, Buddy.

I took a few swings at it and as I rounded second base during my home run trot I just screamed, "FEMINISM!!" whatever the heck that meant.

Had ourselves an egg hunt. Buddy thought he had this one hid but I showed him a cupcake and he moved his head... jackpot, pink egg!

Eli apparently thought our egg hunt was dangerous enough that he should keep his helmet on.

Even Mae got into the egg-finding mission.

And then we had a nice Easter dinner. As you can see here, Eli was not crazy about the fact that he had to sit with three girls, add to it that we were all on one side of the table and that made him even more aggravated. He got over it when he found out we were having sweet potatoes... man, that dude loves sweet potatoes.

Easter, Part I

2011-04-28T05:38:00.006-05:00

So this will be the first of a two-part series because, well, the Easter Bunny deserves such things.

As you know, last week was Easter and there was prepping for Easter that had to be done, so we busted out the eggs and the colors and had at it.

Are you ready?

Now, I am an old pro at this but Mae, well, let me explain. It all started out innocently enough, kind of a "hey, what's this thing?" she had going on.

Then she decided, "Wait a minute, if I just squeeze it as hard as I possibly can..." and nothing really happened.

So Mom busted out the colors for Mae and she was, let's just say, intrigued.

But not that intrigued because after a few seconds she decided the best idea was to just eat it.

And then... the scene of the crime. All in all, a success for Mae's first egg coloring.

Back to the old pro, as you can see I'm giving it the old half-in-half-out here, and then I'm gonna flip it so we've got ourselves a two-toned egg.

I can also work double fisted. An egg in one hand while seamlessly working on another.

Quick pic with Mom, who you may or may not know is basically in the egg-coloring Hall of Fame.

Stay tuned for Part II - Easter Sunday