Finn Turns 9 (months old)

Happy 3/4 of a year birthday to Finn! Mom gets him ready for the occasion
and we all go out.



The nice waitress made a balloon dog for the birthday boy. He showed his
manners by acting excited at first, but when questioned more closely later
on he looked somewhat skeptical.



With drinks, wings, nachos, balloons and even s'mores (really!) the party got
even wilder, ending with belly raspberries...

Road Trip Part 1: Bringing in the New Year with Aunt Chris and Uncle Joel

Brunch at the local diner. Mommy had what Aunt Chris had: French toast. I had jam. Aunt Chris tried to give me the orange kind, but I like strawberry better.





Kisses and hugs for Sprout.



Aunt Chris lets me help her open up a present. I'm getting better at it.



Sleeping in: what vacation is all about. Especially when it's 30 below.

Road Trip Part 2: Coming "home"

We drove to Iowa to visit my great-grandparents. Mommy and Daddy say this is where my life began. I'm not sure what that means but it was so much fun seeing Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Linda. I like the farm lots but next time I want to see some moo cows.






Grandma Connie also came up to see me. Together we all opened presents. It was Christmas all over again. Elijah the Elephant is my new friend.





After the farm, Daddy took me to visit my Grandma Carmichael. Daddy says she was a very special lady. I brought her flowers.

Road Trip Part 3: The Final Leg

After Iowa we turned east to Chicago where I visited Grandpa and Mimi. What fun! Aunt Chris also came down to spend some extra time with me. We're pals. And...Grandpa and Mimi celebrated Christmas with me (AGAIN!!).

A drawstring is kinda like spaghetti. Grandpa and I share a laugh at Daddy's expense.



Look at the big box from Grandpa and Mimi!



Aunt Chris' belly is a comfy headrest. That's my cousin in there. We're going to be great friends. I can't wait to meet my new cousin!



Whoa, it looks like something weird is in the water around here.



Mommy and Daddy took me to a special conference. The papers weren't so interesting this year--too much Plato and not enough Statius. It wore me out.



I got to meet one of Mommy's former Latin students from Indiana U. He's now working on a big degree at Madison.

Christmas

Christmas Eve Day: Dressed and Dapper



Christmas Day: I got to "spend" it with Grandmama and Grandad in Tokyo. Well, sorta. We talked to each other through a little camera and they got to watch me open up all my presents. Daddy immortalized most of the morning on his new toy (the video camera), but here are a few pics from very early in the morning.

Ohhhh, are those for me?

Here Comes Santa Claus...Preparations for Christmas

My godparents, Aunt Mari and Uncle Leland, come down for the holidays to spend some time with me, and I also get to meet Daddy's cousins, Kristine and Michael, for the first time.

Auntie Heather and my buddy Luke try to show me the proper way to use a sippy cup. Luke displays all his word knowledge, including "nose."



Chillin' with Dad at Kudu, a fun coffee hangout downtown. Kudu is a type of gazelle in Swahili.



Palm trees but cool weather. Finn has a chance meeting with Santa. He's been a very good boy this year.

I also had some fun with Garin and his moms when we visited the James Island light festival and then went out for sushi. I loved the fishy water tank. See those photos at Garin's site:

http://garinfrancis.blogspot.com/2007/12/fishy-business.html