..new years eve..

dear finn,

my oh my, what a busy day we've had! we didn't do anything overly exciting, but it seems we have been going, going, going all day long!

we started off our day with a visit from grandpa jimbob, uncle zac and their new dog max. he is a very sweet dog, and seems to be warming up nicely to grandpa jimbob. they already seem like great friends. while they were at our house, grandpa jimbob asked us where he could get a couch like ours, so we told him he was welcome to buy it from us! haha, sounds kind of impulsive, but we have been thinking about getting a new couch for a while now, because your dad (who has no taste whatsoever) feels it is a necessity for him to have a recliner. normally i would never allow such a repulsive piece of furniture in my house, but he has agreed to let me get the couch i have always wanted from pottery barn, so alas, i conceded. we ended up finding the exact couch i've been wanting for quite a steal from down east...never let anyone tell you i can't bargain shop. ;)

after grandpa jimbob and uncle zac left, we drove up to layton to make sure they still had my couch at down east. luckily they did, so we came back home, borrowed a trailer from the lindhardt's, loaded our old couch onto it and took it up to ogden. grandpa jimbob was thrilled to finally have a nice couch in his "man cave." after dropping that off, we picked up our new couch at down east, loaded that onto the trailer, and made our way on home. unfortunately we had a slight hiccup on the way home. you see, it was quite windy outside, and the bright employees at down east (heavy on the sarcasm) who wrapped our couch and loaded our couch onto the trailer, didn't wrap it very tightly. well, dad noticed some of the wrapping blowing really hard, so he was about to pull off onto the side of the freeway, when all the sudden we noticed cars driving past us, pointing waving their arms backwards, as if trying to tell us something. finally someone rolled down their window and said "you lost part of your couch back there!"

ahhhhhh, immediately i went into panic mode, and ordered dad to pull over. he did, and we realized that yes, indeed, one of the cushions had fallen off. i was furious. what if we couldn't find it?! we just spent a lot of money on a new couch, and now we might not be able to even use it! so we turned around, and thank the heavens above, we found the cushion on the side of the road. it was in one piece, and didn't accrue too much damage...although it is smeared with tire marks. not to worry, though, dad thinks a dry cleaner will be able to remove the stains. let's hope so.

when we got home we unloaded the couch and set it up down in the family room. it looks great, and is so comfortable! i am so excited to have such a cute couch, finally. i was never a big fan of our old one.

after unloading the couch, we headed out to dinner at the market street broiler. it is somewhat of a tradition for grandma cindy and me to eat at market street on new years eve. nothing like a delicious meal to end the year right and get ready to celebrate the new one, eh? you, dad, grandma cindy and me met nanny goat there, and our meal was delicious as always. you particularly enjoyed the bread. :) we finished dinner pretty early (around 5 or so)...just enough time to get to r.c. willey before they closed so that dad could purchase his recliner.

now, it does make me happy to see how excited and happy dad is about his new chair, but i gotta tell ya...it is so freaking ugly. immediately after he brought it into the house i was filled with regret, and thought to myself, "what in the world did i do? my once adorable house is now home to a 60-year-old man (because that is how old dad looks when he is sitting in it.)" i hope i get over this, because as of now i can't even go downstairs, that is how ugly the chair is. ;)

dad and i were going to go to a movie while grandma cindy babysat you, but dad had a change of heart and decided he wanted to enjoy his new chair all night long. so we said goodbye to grandma cindy and put you to bed, and that was our new years eve! like i said, nothing too exciting, but it was another day spent together as a family, so nothing i ever could complain about.

goodbye 2011, you were very good to us!! love you baby finn, to infinity and beyond!

love,
mom

..top 11 of 2011..

dear finn,

every year as the year comes to an end, i like to look back and reflect on all that happened that year. whether it is something as simple and happy as celebrating another year alive on this earth, or reminiscing about a great trip we took, there is always so much good in every year, and i love to look back on it. of all my years here, 2011 was perhaps the best year of all, for obvious reasons (like the fact that you were born :)). some sad things also happened this year, so the following list isn't just the good things that happened, but the most significant events of 2011.

without further ado, here is our top 11 most significant events of 2011, in chronological order:

1) grandma cindy moved out of her house in park city. obviously this wasn't a happy memory of this past year, but a really sad one. her house sold in january and she was given two weeks to move out and find a new place to live. i think i have blocked this memory from my mind, to the point that it almost feels like it never happened, even though i have that constant reminder that she doesn't live in the house i grew up in each time we go up and visit her. so many people were so supportive of grandma, and rushed to her aid, helping her pack and find a new place to live. i will never ever forget the love and support she received from her friends and so many members of our family, the least of which was me. i really regret not being there for her during this difficult time...my only excuse was that i was just so sad. she lived with heidi and david hansen for seven months, while she was looking for somewhere more permanent to live. in september she started renting out the ewell's basement, up in park city. she is now back in the ward i grew up in, and loving it. i am so happy and relieved she found somewhere that she feels safe and a place to call home.

2) all my baby showers. this may seem like a weird one, but i will always feel so grateful for the love and support offered to me by so many people as we got ready to welcome you into this world. i was given showers by family, my friends, grandma's friends and our ward in here woods cross, and each one was very memorable. we were spoiled rotten baby finn, and given so much by so many people. definitely a highlight!

3) your best friends birth's. i'm sure this seems like a weird one too, but the day(s) your friends were born were happy ones for our family too! it was so fun being pregnant with some great friends, and seeing as they gave birth to some little boys and girls that i know you'll be friends with forever. mr. krew clark was born march 22. truthfully, i was a little (or maybe a lot) jealous that jen got to have him so early, but mostly just happy and relieved he was safe and healthy. after finding out that he was breech, i'm sure they were a little nervous and worried, and i felt that nervousness too, on behalf of our friends. he was born healthy and strong, and is an adorable little dude, with the best head of hair and the most beautiful blue eyes.  mr. locke phippen was born march 30, and he too is an adorable little dude with a great head of hair and beautiful blue eyes! mr. max halverson was born april 7, and miss madi mcconnel on june 3, and they are both as adorable as can be. i have said this many times, but i am just so happy that you have so many friends, all of whom have wonderful parents. i hope we all stay close for many years to come. :)

4) labor and delivery. again, this may seem like a weird one to a lot of people, because let's be honest, for most women it is painful and grueling, and probably not the part of pregnancy they like to reminisce about. ;) for me however, it was the highlight of the whole nine months. i like to think of this as the grand finale...and grand it was, because it ended with meeting my precious baby boy. i didn't have too many, if any, expectations of what labor would be like. some people told me to prepare as much as i could for it, while others counselled that nothing will ever prepare you for what comes during labor. i do better in life when i don't have expectations, so i just went in with the attitude of "we'll see how this goes..." i am so glad i did it that way, and wouldn't change a thing. from the time they hooked me up to the iv and pitocin to the time you were born was a whopping 4 hours, and 3 of them were pain free. i enjoyed almost every single second of it, and i often catch myself thinking about the moment before you were born, when dr. barton said, "he will be born on your next push, so make it a good one." i remember feeling so much excitement in that moment...too much to describe, and it will go down as one of my favorite memories of all time. :)

5) welcoming you into this world. obviously the highlight of the entire year.....more like the highlight of my entire life!! so much so, that i am in tears right now just thinking about it. :) nothing can prepare a woman (or a man, i'm sure) for that moment, when you hear that cry and meet your beautiful newborn for the very first time. i remember being kind of scared, wondering if i'd know how to hold you and what to say to you. but it all came so natural, and as i was lying there in that bed, holding my baby boy who i had been waiting patiently (or sometimes not so patiently ;)) for, seeing you look into my eyes because you recognized my voice.....that was, and is, heaven on earth. i have never felt happier, and will always feel so grateful that heavenly father entrusted me with the opportunity and responsibility of taking care of one of his precious children here on the earth. i love you more than i could ever describe, baby finn. your birthday was definitely the happiest day of my life. :)

6) watching you grow and develop. being a mom is the coolest thing in the world. i am so thankful for the opportunity to stay at home with you all day...to be there for all of your milestones and achievements. it is so crazy how something as seemingly simple as hearing you "talk" for the first time....seeing you smile...watching as you start to figure your world out...can be the best and most significant parts of my days and weeks. while being a parent can be scary and overwhelming at times, the rewards are all the love and sense of achievement we feel as we see you figure things out. you have grown so much in your nine months here....it is amazing and i am so thankful for the opportunity to be on this journey with you.

7) our lovely train accident. obviously this is another lowlight of the year. i don't even know what to say about it, except that i still have nightmares from that awful day. i feel like most people don't understand it, because you had to be there to know what i'm talking about. and even for those that were involved in it, i almost feel like you had to have a 2 1/2 month old baby to know what i was going through. :( i was so worried for you baby finn. that was the moment that i understood just how much responsibility and weight comes with being a mom. i know i shouldn't think about "what could have happened," but i can't help myself thinking that if the truck had hit us just a few seconds later you and dad might not be here. instead i just need to realize that we are still here for a reason. we have a purpose to fulfill on this earth, and i am so thankful to heavenly father for watching over us that awful day.

8) friendunion 2011. this year we started the tradition of going on a trip with all our friends, and it is something i hope we will continue in all the years to come, because it was a blast. in september we spent 3 days up in jackson hole, wy, with the clarks, walker's, mcconnel's, ferrell's and the halverson's. we all stayed in a condo up by teton village, and spent our days shopping, exploring, golfing, river rafting and taking care of you kiddos. our nights were spent cooking and eating dinner and playing games. i know i will cherish these memories for a lifetime and can't wait for the memories that are to come. we are so lucky to have such a great group of friends.

9) weddings. this year we were fortunate enough to be able to attend the weddings of two people who mean so much to us. aunt tiffany and uncle kevin were married june 25th, in the oakland temple. although our trip out there (see: 'train accident,' above) was less than ideal, we made it there safe and sound, and with enough time to take a shower and get cleaned up a bit (although not all the way, because my luggage - with all my clean underwear, clothes and toiletries - were left on the train). ;) it was so great to be in the temple with both of dad's sister's and their spouses, and to be able to spend a little bit of time with them afterword. grandpa jeff and grandpa wendy were married october 22nd, at the little church of the west in las vegas. the weather was perfect, and you looked like a freakin stud. we are so grateful that we were able to be a part of their big day as well.

10) the holidays. christmas is always my favorite time of year, and it was no exception this year...in fact, it was even better than it usually is. i had so much fun decorating our house, hosting and attending christmas parties, seeing all the lights around town, going to temple square and j wongs, christmas shopping, listening to and singing christmas carols, eating yummy holiday food, etc etc...the list could go on and on! i mostly had fun christmas eve and christmas day, carrying out our usual christmas traditions, but this time with you there to celebrate with. it was definitely a christmas to remember!

11) dad surprising me with a new car! dad and i have always talked about our achievable "dream cars." you know, the cars we would want to drive if circumstance and finances allowed. well, my dream car has always been a lexus is250 (like grandma cindy's), and dad's has always been a cadillac. well, imagine my surprise when just this past thursday dad pulled into our driveway with a lexus! i was actually upstairs watching tv (you were taking a nap), when dad came in and said, "come out here, i want to show you something." i think i rolled my eyes, and thought to myself, "what now?" well when i opened the garage door i saw the most beautiful car in the world parked in our driveway, and dad said, "you want it??" i took it for a drive around the block, thinking just how wonderful it would be to drive such a fancy schmancy car, and when i got home dad said it was mine if i wanted it!! i feel so lucky that we get to drive this car, not only because it's sooooo nice, but mostly because i feel safe in it. i hope we'll be safe in it, anyway. so goodbye subaru (which i really did like), and hello lexus!

there you have it. a year full of ups and downs, but mostly ups, and a year i will never, ever forget. here's to seeing what 2012 has in store for us, and hoping it is just as wonderful as 2011.

love you dude.

love,
mom

..welcome, max..

dear finn,

as you know, yesterday uncle boldar was taken from us in a tragic car accident. we already miss him terribly. anyway, uncle zac thought it would be best to get grandpa jimbob a new dog, asap. so he spared no time in finding one! the same day that boldar died, uncle max was welcomed into the family. he is the same type of dog, just a different color, and uncle zac rescued him from the humane society. at first we were a bit unsure if max would be a good companion, because the people there said that he wasn't good with kids. but so far he has proven to be a great companion for grandpa jimbob. they are even already cuddling!!

i hope that max will be as good and loyal to grandpa jimbob as boldar was. even though boldar can never be replaced, hopefully max can help fill that void in grandpa's heart from boldar's passing.

welcome uncle max, we love you!

and i love you my sweet baby finn. :)

love,
mom

..goodbye, boldypizzle..

dear finn,

today was a sad sad day for the blair family. grandpa jimbob lost his precious boldypizzle. :(

boldar was a very loving dog, full of spunk and life. i'll never forget the day uncle zac bought boldar for grandpa jimbob. almost everyone thought it was a bad idea, because, well, let's be honest, grandpa jimbob isn't the ideal candidate for taking care of a dog! he has like zero patience, and plus, he's gone a lot. but it was for that very reason (he's gone a lot) that zac thought it would be good to get a dog for grandpa jimbob. grandpa has always loved your older brothers, and growing up he was always so loving and fun with our animals, so i guess i hadn't lost all hope that he could take care of a dog. ;)

from the moment him and boldar met, they were best friends. dad and i were living in ogden at the time, and i'll never forget opening the curtains in our apartment every morning and seeing boldar follow every step grandpa took while he was out mowing the green. boldar loved grandpa jimbob more than anything in this world....even more than cheeseburgers, cows and french fries, which come in a close second, third and fourth place. ;) whenever grandpa left to go out of town, you could see the anxiety in boldar's eyes, wondering if and when he would see his dad again. it was really cute to see their relationship and bond grow and develop.

because i worked down at toad's, i got to see a lot of boldar. as a puppy he was a bit out of control. he chewed anything and everything, peed anywhere and everywhere, but he was always the most loving and loyal dog. he was full of life, and didn't have a mean bone in his body. one of his favorite pastimes was escaping off the golf course to go run amuck with the cows. he loved to chase people out on the race track, which was quite scary for those watching. he also loved chasing golf balls as people were hitting them on the driving range. just the other day, during christmas dinner, we were joking about how boldar has nine lives like a cat...i guess we spoke too soon. :( before the fatal accident that took his life, he had quite a few other accidents - grandpa ran over boldar's tail with a lawn mower, he got hit by a truck and was just fine, he got hit in the eye with a golf ball and i am pretty sure there were a few others that i'm not remembering.

he was one of the most loyal companions to grandpa jimbob that i have ever seen, and grandpa loved him more than anything in the world. until you have a pet of your own that you take care of and give your love to, you can never understand just what they mean to someone. having a pet (especially a dog) is almost like having a child. they mean the world to you and the thought of something happening to them is devastating. boldar was taken from grandpa so suddenly, which makes it all the more tragic. i have never seen grandpa jimbob as sad as he was today, and i hope i never have to witness it again. i hope that one day you can experience what a wonderful companion a dog can be...there is nothing quite like it.

goodbye boldypizzle, we will miss you, but we know we'll see you again someday. :)

i love you baby finn.

love,
mom

..dada..

dear finn,

for the past couple months or so, you have been babbling "dadadadada" all day long. it is so cute, and always makes your dad so happy, because he thinks you're talking to him. ;) you only say mamamama when you are crying, and we've only heard babababa a handful of times. needless to say, i have always thought that "dada" would be your first actual word.

well, the other morning we were lying in bed...you were drinking your bottle and dad and i were catching some final zzzz's before we had to get up. as soon as you were done with your bottle you started crawling all over...right on over to dad, actually. so he rolled over and smiled at you, and guess what came out of your mouth the instant you saw him?? "dada." i really think you might have called your dad, "dada!" it was so dang cute, and we both almost started crying. ;) even if you weren't calling him dad, i know that you'll be talking just right around the corner, and that definitely brings tears to my eyes. i can't believe how big you are getting. i love every minute of being your mommy baby finn.....you are the cutest little boy in the world. :)

love,
mom

..your new car..

dear finn,

one of your favorite christmas presents has been your johnny jumper. we knew you'd love it, because you love to jump and bounce, but i don't think any of us could have predicted just how much you'd love it!

now, this is no ordinary johnny jumper. it is a sweet race car....red, with two white stripes down the middle. it comes complete with a steering wheel for you to grasp as you are jumping, and has a few cool tunes to listen to while you are busy jumping.

this morning i was sooo exhausted (i think i'm still tired from christmas!) so i put you in your sweet car after you ate your morning bottle. i must have dozed off, because when i opened my eyes, this is what i found......

you fell asleep jumping! haha it was the funniest thing i've ever seen. you must have worn yourself out, bless your active little heart. :) hopefully all this jumping will help make your legs big and strong.

happy jumping baby finn! love you.

love,
mom

..merry christmas!..

dear finn,

merry first christmas!!! santa claus came and he spoiled you (and all of us) silly. we attended church, where we partook of the sacrament, and reflected on our savior jesus christ, and the sacrifice he made for us by coming down to this earth those many years ago. sacrament meeting was so special today...the spirit was even stronger than it always is. the musical numbers brought tears to many eyes, and it was the perfect way to celebrate this blessed and happy day.

now, ever since uncle zac and i were little, little kids, we have always woken up multiple times in the middle of christmas eve night, to go downstairs and see if santa had come. i know this seems kind of risky, but never once did we see santa. anyhow, even as i got older and realized exactly who santa is, i would still wake up in the wee hours of the morning, and when "santa" finally did come, i would just sit by my presents and bask in the magical feeling that comes on christmas day. this year was no different. santa came shortly after everyone went to bed...probably by 11:30 or so...and for the rest of the night i kept waking up and just looking down into our living room. i'm not sure if it's a childlike quality i have in me, that makes me believe in santa even when i know otherwise, or those nostalgic memories i carry with me of christmas' past, but i am 25 years old right now, and this christmas morning was just as, if not more, magical than ever. i have a feeling i have you to thank for that. :)

..santa came!!..

..your brothers were soooo excited to dig into their stockings, but i wouldn't let them until morning ;)..

up until a few years ago, uncle zac and i would always wake up around 6:00 am to open our presents, and grandma cindy and grandpa jimbob were always such good sports about waking up that early. your dad on the other hand is a bit of a scrooge about it...he likes to sleep in. maybe it's because santa liked me and uncle zac better than he liked dad?? ;) jk. anyway, you already seem to have inherited my desire for waking up at 6 o'clock, because that is exactly when you woke up! i had already told grandpa jimbob that we'd start opening presents at 8, so even though you woke up at 6, we still had to wait for a couple more hours. and besides, i thought it would be best if you got a couple more hours of sleep because we had a very long, and exciting, day ahead of us.

you were still asleep at 7:30 and i just could not contain my excitement any longer so i left you in bed with dad and went downstairs to sit by the presents. your brothers were soooo excited to dig into their stockings. duke even slept by his, if you can believe that! finally at 8:00 grandpa jimbob arrived, you had woken up so everyone came downstairs and we began opening presents.

..ready to dig in!!..

..look what santa brought YOU!!..

..mom's loot..

..dad's loot..

now, i didn't have too high of hopes when it came to your reaction christmas morning. you don't really like toys, and you are just too young to know what the heck is going on, so i figured you'd be more into the wrapping paper than the actual presents. well guess what?? you proved me wrong! you loved the first present we showed you, and didn't stop staring at it for a good couple minutes! santa brought you the rockin' elmo...complete with his drums, tamborine and microphone! you and i often walk past this whenever we are at target or toys r us, and if he is on and singing you can't take your eyes off of him, so i figured you might like him. i'm so glad santa brought you this gift, because it just started the morning off so perfectly. :)

everyone opened their presents, and like i said earlier, all three of us were majorly spoiled, by santa and by  grandma cindy. she gave you a rocking horse, and to our delight you loved that too! you kept making the cutest "ahhh" and "ooohh" sounds when you were riding it. we have to be a little careful because you're not quite old enough to ride it unsupervised, but it is so cute and i love that it's a toy you will grow into for the next few years. after opening presents we hurried and got ready for church. the morning was a little hectic, but as stated earlier, the spirit that was present during sacrament meeting made it all worth it.

..riding the rocking horse grandma cindy gave you..

..eating one of the dog's bones....you kept going for it, so eventually we just let you suck on it ;)..

after church we went down to the osborne's house for their traditional christmas morning brunch. they always serve egg casserole, randy's famous potatoes, and vickie's famous cinnamon rolls. so delicious! it's always so much fun to hear what santa brought everyone. after the osborne's we went to uncle jerry and aunt judy's traditional christams morning brunch, and even though we don't really eat it is still so good to visit with so many people. of course great-grandpa powell was beyond thrilled to see you. he still lights up when he sees you and/or talks about you, and i can tell that he is just as excited as ever that he finally has his boy great-grandson to carry on his family name. :) you were a bit on the grumpy side while we were there. i think you were just exhausted from all that was going on, and you didn't get in a very good morning, or afternoon, nap. so we headed out a little earlier than we would have liked, but it was still so good to be able to spend a little bit of time with the powell's.

when we came home we fed you then put you down for a nap. the rest of us took it easy the rest of the day, just talking and playing with/organizing our gifts. we started getting dinner ready, and sat down to eat around 7 o'clock or so. it was a delicious meal of prime rib, scalloped potatoes, rolls, corn and salad, made of course by grandma cindy. after dinner nanny goat insisted we play games, and to our utter surprise, grandpa jimbob and uncle zac actually indulged her and played with us. it was quite hilarious watching the three of them interact, and i am now certain grandpa jimbob feels that nanny goat was probably supposed to be one of his sisters, since she acts kind of like them. ;) haha just teasing.

the whole day was so perfect and wonderful. i loved experiencing christmas with you, maybe even more so that christmas as a little kid. the other day someone was telling us that when you get older and understand what happens on christmas morning, it will be almost as magical for us as it was when we were kids. as stated above, christmas morning is still magical for me, even though you don't know what's going on yet, so i can only imagine how much more incredible it gets. dad and i were talking yesterday about how the day you were born was like christmas eve/morning was for us when we were little. you are our new christmas/birthday/easter/everything present, and no gift or material thing seems to matter nearly as much anymore, just as long as we have you by our side.

merry first christmas baby finn, i hope it was a good one. :)

love,
mom