Home for the Holidays

A belated Merry Christmas from the Crimmins Family!  We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.  Ours was very nice indeed.  It all started with a wonderful Christmas Eve.  We celebrated in the morning with some of our friends (the Zalubowskis and the Thornblads) who came over for brunch.  Of course, we failed to get any good pictures of our visitors.  However, we did snag the above picture of our little family which hopefully highlights the fact that we are all sporting some pretty ugly Christmas sweaters.  You see, we weren't able to have our annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party this year due to travel.  So we figured we'd do the next best thing -- have a small, intimate gathering...and wear the heinous sweaters anyway.  Good plan, right?  Not to brag, but my sweater had blinking Christmas lights on it which were controlled by a battery pack which was sewn into the garment.  I know, I know.  But try to keep your envy to a minimum, people.  It is the holiday season after all. 

After our guests left, it was time to get ready for our Christmas pageant at church.  Our boy was slated to be a giraffe.  What?  Are you not familiar with the pivotal role played by the giraffe in the Christmas story?  Really, how embarrassing for you.  Haha.

Right back at you, paparazzi.  Two can play at this game.

We were very dubious about how this whole toddler-in-a-play thing was going to work.  But it turned out much better than we could have anticipated.  The whole situation was helped by the fact that Fionn's best friend, Zach, was also an animal in the play.  He was a dog.  Oh, don't tell me you haven't heard of the Christmas dog either?  Geez!  Well, here is a pic of the two boys processing into the church, holding hands.  I know it's blurry, but it's the best we got.  How cute are they? 

Once they arrived at the altar, the animals were to take a seat in front of the shepherds.  Our boy was happy to take a seat alright, but he was insistent upon facing his Mama and Dada who were seated directly behind the altar.  Made for some easy photo ops, of course, but it also meant our boy was giving the angels and Baby Jesus the cold shoulder during the entire play. 

Why didn't the wise men bring any snacks?  I'm famished.

 Speaking of Baby Jesus, He was personified by the beautiful baby sister of Zach (the doggie).  I give you Annette Harris in the role of Baby Jesus.  Isn't she just delicious?

Speaking of delicious, once we arrived home from the play, we ate some yummy pulled pork sandwiches that Conor had been brewing in the Crockpot.  We also opened a few traditional gifts -- new pajamas for everyone and a new ornament for the tree for Fionny.  He was so excited about his new fire truck ornament.  Not so much on the pajamas.  He pretty much said, "Oh," and threw them on the floor.  Nice, kiddo.  I'm feeling the appreciation.

After a few presents, it was off to bed for our boy.  A few stories, a kiss goodnight...and then Fionn was left to his visions of sugar plums dancing in his head.  Now it was just a matter of waiting for Santa to come...

And come he did!  Fionn awoke to a new train table which was magically assembled in the playroom (Santa cordially set it up there, knowing that the playroom would be its final destination).  Fionny was beyond thrilled by his new toy...and he pretty much hasn't come up for air since the train table arrived.  He is O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D.

We were finally able to drag Fionn away from the train table long enough to have a special, very decadent breakfast of cinnamon rolls and monkey bread.  The cinnamon rolls were the kind you buy in the tube with the icing (you know the ones), and they are the same kind my mom buys when we visit around the holidays.  Might not be the healthiest of breakfasts...but damn, they're good!  And Fionn really enjoyed icing his rolls all by himself.

Of course, the best part was eating them.  Yummy!  Btw, note the fresh strawberries in the below picture.  See, I'm a good mom.  His breakfast wasn't all crap.

Following breakfast, we opened a few more presents.  Fionn really liked the personalized growth chart he received from his GaGa.  The chart will go in his new Big Boy room once it is all ready for him.  It will look sooooo cute!

Okay, so he's not really 49 inches tall...yet. 

Conor and I also opened up our gifts from one another.  Conor received a beer-brewing kit which arrived in more freaking boxes than I knew was possible.  Poor UPS man!  Anyway, Conor seemed pretty stoked about his future beer-making efforts.  And I am prepared to have my house reek of yeast.  It's a worthy sacrifice for good beer, methinks.

For his part, Conor bought me a wonderful pair of green snow boots (perfect for our snowy weather today), and a new long puffy coat.   I wore the boots for a snowy walk earlier this morning, and I am in love.  No pictures of said boots, but trust me.  They are cute.  And, the best part...they aren't maternity!  Haha!

Then, later that evening around 4:30 pm, we were visited by a very special older gentleman with a long white beard and some very twinkly eyes.

No, no!  Not St. Nick.  He had already come and gone by then.  Pay attention, people!  Our guest on Christmas night was our dear family friend, Uncle Bill Keeler, who lives just a handful of miles away.  He came over to share a special meal with us and spend some time with our little family.  Fionn loved seeing him, as always, and especially enjoyed touching his beard. 

All in all, it was a successful Christmas all by our lonesome here in DC.  We were able to share some special experiences with close friends -- which is the next best thing to family, after all.  And we are already looking forward to welcoming my mom to our home for Christmas 2013!  Happy New Year, Everyone! 

A Very Southern Christmas

For most of you, Christmas is still a couple of days away.  But for our little family, we've already finished celebrating.  At least with our Mississippi contingent, that is.

Similar to many folks, Conor and I have always alternated years with our families for the Christmas holidays.  This used to mean that we spent the actual week of Christmas with either his family in Minnesota or my family in Mississippi.  This year, however, we are sticking close to home for the actual holiday so we can begin to form our own holiday traditions with our little guy (soon to be little guys!). 

This meant that our trip to Mississippi occurred a bit on the early side this year.  We traveled on December 14-20.  And I have to say that the airport situation was much improved from last year when we traveled closer to the 25th.  We zoomed through that security line -- it was awesome!

Once at home, we enjoyed some time with family...and some amazingly warm temps.  It hovered in the 70s most of our trip.  Craziness!  Fionn was nearly overdressed in his long-sleeved tees.  No complaints here though.  Love myself some warm Mississippi winter weather.

Yo, it was the perfect weather for some fro-yo, y'all.

We spent most of the trip with my mom at her house.  So Fionn got lots of GaGa time.  And Ellie time too, of course.

While there, Fionn really enjoyed walking Ellie and giving her salmon treats. Ellie seemed to appreciate both of these things as well.

Fionn was also mesmerized by all of the many Christmas decorations my mother had in her home.  In true boy fashion, he managed to make everything a choo-choo train, including my mom's little Christmas village.  That's Santa riding the train, by the way.  Frosty?  Well, he had to wait.  "No more room on train," Fionn declared.  Darn weight regulations.

Fionn received some wonderful gifts from my mom, including an adorable sleeping bag and some fingerpaints.  However, his favorite gift was definitely the electric car that was given to him by my mom's boyfriend, Clint.  Oh, our boy was so excited.

Of course, driving it around my mom's carpeted house simply would not do.  He insisted on taking it out onto the open road.  Or at least to my mom's driveway.

When his Uncle Jay came over to visit, Fionn had to show off his new wheels again.  He even attached the special trailer and sports car to the back of it so Uncle Jay could get the full effect.

After a few days in Jackson, we packed up the car and headed to Natchez for one night so we could see Uncle Shelby and enjoy some of the beautiful decorations in this sweet little southern town.  Fionn enjoyed seeing his great-uncle and also the decorations...but they paled in comparison to one thing.

Duke.

You might remember Duke, my uncle's boxer, from my last visit to MS.  Fionn and Duke were thick as thieves during that visit too.  Well, not much has changed in the last 8 months.  In fact, I think their mutual affection has further deepened.  Check out their play date upon our arrival to Natchez.

Hey, Duke, how ya been, old buddy?

You're looking good, my canine friend.  Mighty spry. 

And it continued like this for an hour.  Hard to say who was more worn-out following their antics -- boy or dog.  It definitely made us think that maybe our initial plan to get a lazy bulldog for our family dog at some point might need some revision.  I think our boy needs a dog who can match him in energy.  And, judging by how hard Fionn slept that night, perhaps we need it too.  

While in Natchez, we strolled the town square and took in the sights.  Fionn especially enjoyed seeing a little electric train in one of the storefronts. It was initially turned off, but Fionn pressed his nose up so hard against that window that the store keeper took pity on him.  And she clicked the "on" switch for our boy.  And...mesmerized. 

That night, we went to the waterfront and took a gander at the Christmas decorations.  Natchez puts out a whole host of lights and moving figures (Santa, Frosty, etc) for people to enjoy.  We tried desperately to get a good picture of Fionn during our viewing of the decorations, but he was not a willing participant.  Here's as good as it gets.  I thought maybe Fionn would pose if it meant he could put his face into a display with a bunch of lights.  Yeah, not so much.  Check it out.  At least Mom and I look cute, right?

Mom, GaGa...You guys are idiots.

Upon our return back to Jackson, we packed up yet again and headed out to my dad's house for another couple of days of QT.  Love, love, love this pic of Boy and Granddad.  It was captured in my dad's garage where Fionn was having a ball opening and closing the garage door.  He'd never seen such a thing.  A garage?  Private enclosed parking for one's car?  Whoever heard of such?  Not my city boy.

 While at my dad's, we were able to see a lot of family members who stopped by for lunch.  It was awesome to see so many beloved people, many of whom I never get to see.  I especially enjoyed seeing my Aunt Margaret Anne and my cousin, Karen, who were in town for a wedding.  It was also wonderful to see my cousin, Gail, and her twin daughters, Sandra and Virginia.  I was so thrilled, in fact, that I just had to snatch a picture of the Crosthwait Family with Fionn before everyone left.  Fionn, in true fashion, looks bored out of his mind. 

Hurry this along, people.  I got snacks to eat.

That night, we had the pleasure of attending one of my dad's concert performances.  What?  You didn't know that my dear old dad was a musician?  Well, that's probably my fault.  I have been unable to attend any of his saxophone concerts in the 6 or so years that he has been part of a jazz band in Jackson.  This trip home was actually calculated so that we would be able to attend his Christmas concert.  Oh, and it was brilliant.  Absolutely beautiful Christmas music.  I was so proud of my dad.  Here we are post-concert with our talented guy.  

During this trip, Fionn also got to spend some time with his stepcousins.  Robert and Ashley were in town for the weekend with their two little ones, Conley and Robert Jr.

Sweet Conley, playing with the train table.

Baby Robert and his beautiful mommy, Ashley.

We also got to spend a lot of time with Vaiden and Lanier and their two little ones, Butler and Laura Vaiden.  Fionn and Butler once seemed so far apart in age at 8 months apart.  But now...it seems like nothing.  They enjoyed playing with each other...for the most part.  However, being that they are both little boys, they were both interested in the same toy items.  Do I even need to mention that these items included trains and cars?  I didn't think so.

Adorable Butler...contemplating how to steal back a train from Fionn perhaps?

JuJu and sweet Laura Vaiden

On one of our last nights in Jackson, we headed out to Canton, MS to view the lights and take advantage of the little carnival that they have for kids at Christmastime.  Vaiden, Lanier, and the kids went with us to Canton (it was their idea actually).  It was so much fun!  Fionn loved riding his first-ever carnival ride, as shown here in the below picture.

Afterwards, all we heard was, "More car!  More car!" 

We also managed to snag a picture of our little group, thanks to my dad who was also in attendance.  I think Butler was a little distracted by the Christmas light display behind us.  Oh well! 

Speaking of my dad, he seemed to have a blast accompanying Fionn on a few of the rides.  I'm not sure who was smiling bigger -- Fionny or Jim.  Here is a final pic from our trip which was taken on the carousel by the nice Carousel Man.  Fionn, as you can see, was not playing around with safety during this picture.  He was not about to move his hands from that bar or look up for a silly photo.   Puh-lease!  Safety first, people!

Although it was a good trip to MS, we are also excited to be home.  Both Conor and I are eagerly anticipating our first-ever Christmas in DC.  Whatever will Santa bring?  You'll have to wait and see!  Merry Christmas, Everybody!

Deck the Halls

Happy holidays, Everyone!  I know it's been awhile since my last post.  December has just been whizzing by so far.  Between shopping and decorating and trying to partake in some festive activities, there hasn't been a whole lotta time for reflection.  Or blogging, of course.

No complaints though.  So far, this holiday season has been just wonderful.  One thing I have really enjoyed has been the festive state of our home.  Unlike other years where we have tended to drag our feet, this year we decorated the house in a pretty timely fashion.  Because we stayed put for Thanksgiving, we had some free time the following weekend.  My wonderful husband felt inspired by the start of the season and put up all of our Christmas lights outside while we were still eating through our turkey leftovers!  I have to say that having the lights and garlands up around the house has made it so much easier to summon the holiday spirit.  The constant holiday music we are rocking on our Sonos music system doesn't hurt either.

Here are a couple of pics of the decorations at our little house.  Take special note of our Christmas tree staging area.  Some of you might remember this space as our dining room, but no more.  The table and chairs have already been sold as we begin the slow process of turning the dining room into Fionn's Big Boy room.  The whole fun ordeal continues in January when we replace the ceiling (which is threatening to fall down), paint, and add some recessed lighting and crown molding.  We'll keep you posted.

Can Santa bring me a pair of pants? 

Rory's new favorite napping spot -- can you spot her?

New stockings!  So fun to think that there will be a fourth one hanging next year!

Our little bungalow in the trees.

That's it for now, folks.  We leave for Mississippi on Friday, so I will update the blog as soon as we return.  Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!   

A Piece of Cake

Well, folks.  Our big day is finally here.  As of 7 pm this evening, we learned the sex of our second baby.  (Then I had to rush off to a meeting about Fionny's playschool, so I apologize for the delay in gender reporting.) 

But I'm back from the meeting now, and ready to share the special news.  So, with no further adieu...

We're feeling pretty excited over here at Chateau Crimmins.  It's wonderful to have this additional information about how our growing family will be changing in the coming months.  And Fionn, as you can see from the video...well, he was just pretty psyched to have some cake.

Until next time, friends...

Thankful

I'm not sure why the holidays bring out such a sentimentality in me.  Maybe it's the music.  Perhaps it's the lights.  Maybe it's the emphasis on noticing one's blessings and giving thanks.  Whatever it is, I have been filled this weekend with a sense of gratitude.  We are beyond lucky to be living this life.  Beyond blessed.  It may be imperfect (well, it's definitely imperfect), chaotic at times (lots of times), and awfully messy at others (90% of the time), but damn...it's a good life.  It's a really good life.

Thanksgiving Day was the beginning of my journey into thankfulness.  I know, I know.  Let's try for a little more originality, Crimmins.  But I will say that the gratitude hit me especially hard this year.  Let me walk you through our day a bit, and I'll explain along the way.

We started the morning off with a 5 mile Turkey Trot race in Alexandria, VA.  I completed the same race last year with some friends, but this year my two favorite boys decided to join me.  Conor hemmed and hawed about it the morning of the race, but I know he was glad we did it.  And, by the way, he did great.  Finished just a few minutes past 1 hour and pushing a jogging stroller no less.  Great job, babe!

Okay, here was the lowdown on the race.  The weather was perfect -- sunny and just a tad chilly -- and the neighborhood spirit of the race was just heartwarming.  There were Turkey Trot Tailgates where people were boozing it up (okay, that was more envy-inspiring than heartwarming), small children with booths set up for water, and tons of signs wishing us a "Happy Thanksgiving."  As I pounded the pavement, albeit slowly, I just felt so grateful to be healthy and to be able to run a race like this on Thanksgiving.  To feel the sun on my hair and the blood pumping through my legs...it was just one of those grand moments of aliveness.  You know those moments?  Of course, I also kept thinking about the little person who is growing inside of me and how we were running this race together on Thanksgiving Day.  It was our fourth race together, can you believe it?  Little overachiever, already stacking up the competitive events before even entering the world.  Geez. 

Moving on...Another wonderful thing about the race was the fun of seeing all the festive costumes on some of the runners.  Oh, there were turkey hats, Native American headdresses, even a Rudy costume (WTH?).  There was also an official Mr. Turkey himself.  Check it out.

 

I know what you're thinking.  It's a pretty creepy-looking Mr. Turkey.  I have to agree.  And I'll tell you who else would agree with you -- my son, Seamus Fionn Crimmins.  Oh, he had such a complex relationship with Mr. Turkey before the race.  He was scared of him, but he was also drawn to him.  What's a kid to do?  It was such a classic case of approach-avoidance.  "Mama, I need see turkey!" he would demand, craning his head to catch a glimpse.  So off to find Mr. Turkey we would go.  Upon finding him, I would suggest taking a picture with Mr. Turkey.  "Nooooooooooo!" Fionn would scream hysterically as if I'd just ask him to take a bath in acid.  Fionn was content to look at Mr. Turkey from a safe distance.  A fly-on-the-wall sort of mentality, if you will.

However, after the race, he seemed to warm up to Mr. Turkey a bit.  Or perhaps we just dealt such a surprise attack in terms of a picture-taking opportunity, he didn't have time to protest.  He does look a little baffled in the picture, doesn't he?  Ah well.  It's all in the name of preserving memories, right?  Turkey PTSD is a small price to pay...right?  

No, let me ease your mind.  Our son has no long-standing issues with turkeys.  At least, not so much that he couldn't chow down heartily at Thanksgiving.  But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

Once we returned home from the race, we showered and changed.  Prepped the turkey.  Then we headed next door to celebrate the birthday of our neighbor, Isabella Wirth, who was turning 9.  We have the most amazing neighbors, as I am quite sure I have mentioned more than once, and it was very special to kick off our holiday with them.  We also laid a nice foundation of sheet cake in our stomachs -- ah, preparation for the debauchery that was to come.  

Speaking of preparation, we had a few final details to put into place before our guests arrived.  The turkey had to go into the oven, the crystal had to be placed on the table, and the chalkboard had to be updated to reflect the appropriate holiday (I think it was still a "Happy Birthday" sign for me from July).  Here's a pic of my ultra-talented husband, putting his Student Government poster-making skills to work on our chalkboard.

Should I feel like less of a woman because my husband is better at drawing a turkey with chalk than me?  Meh.  I have other talents...right? 

Around 2 pm, we were joined by two of our dearest friends -- Corrie and Eric Mack.  You might remember them from our camping adventure.  Here they are again, these sweet folks, willing to share their holiday with our crazy little threesome. 

Having Corrie and Eric present at Thanksgiving was the next best thing to family.  Having known Corrie for (gasp!) 17 years, she is like a sister to me at this point.  I feel completely comfortable with her and loved unconditionally which is a wonderful feeling.  And her husband Eric is quickly becoming one of my favorite people too.  They are both such wonderful people -- fun and kind and easy to be around.  Wonderful with Fionny.  Oh, we just had a helluva nice day.

Fionn, for his part, was very excited to awake from his nap to find Corrie and Eric hanging out in his living room.  He was especially eager to show them the cute-but-kinda-ugly turkey placeholders we made earlier in the week.

If you like it, I made it.  If not, it was all Mama.

Sigh.  I know.  Martha Stewart would cringe if she saw them.  Besides being sort of pathetic-looking, they were also incredibly fragile and fell apart almost immediately upon touch.  (Turns out glue sticks don't work so well on pine cones.)  A craft-master I am not.  But I'm trying.  And Fionn and I had a blast making them.  That's all that matters, right? 

And, from a distance, they looked pretty good.  Here's a pic of the table before we started to load it up with food.

The food...ah, the food.  I am happy to report that the food was absolutely delicious.  Conor knocked it out of the park with his turkey.  Check this beauty out!

We ate and ate and ate some more.  As one does.  It was fabulous.  And bloat-inducing.  I definitely rolled my way into bed that night.  And still felt full the next morning (which didn't stop me from eating sweet potatoes for lunch, mind you).

Ah, what a great holiday.  The best part was that all day we had the fabulous anticipation of knowing that we had an ultrasound the next day which would tell us the gender of our second baby.  Now don't get too excited.  We don't know yet.  But the information is stashed away in an envelope, just waiting for the right moment.  This moment, we'll have you know, will be this coming Wednesday evening when we slice into yet another gender cake in celebration of Fionn's official half-birthday.

The envelope, by the way, is just staring at me from its place on the fridge.  Oh, it's so hard not to just tear into it...but then again, the anticipation is just much too fun to disturb. 

What lies within?

The baby, by the way, was looking great.  And huge apparently.  They estimated that he/she is already weighing in at 7 ounces which is twice the size that my pregnancy book predicts a fetus will be at this stage.  Gulp.  But they assured us that we are still within the range of normal.  Just big-normal.  Grrr-reat.

All kidding aside, it was the perfect Thanksgiving treat to sneak a peek at our little guy or girl.  Seeing the movements of his/her hands and the beating of his/her little heart...it just never gets old.  We are so thankful for this child.  So very, very thankful. 

With a wonderful Thanksgiving behind us, we are now moving on to Christmas with gusto.  Can I brag and report that our lights and garlands are already up, and our tree will come up at some point today?  I am really quite flabbergasted that we mustered up such motivation this soon after Thanksgiving.  I mean, really, who are these people, and what did they do with Conor and Casey?

Haha!  I will follow up shortly with pictures of our decorations once they are complete.  And, of course, we'll update the blog on Wednesday with the contents of our special envelope.  Until then...

On Top of Old Smokey

Howdy, folks!  We have just returned from a wonderful week in the Smokey Mountains.  I am not yet fully unpacked, but I am blogging about our trip anyway.  Are my priorities just a wee bit out of step or what?

Ah, I guess I'm just excited to share some photos from our trip because it truly was fantastic.  Amazing hiking and really nice relaxing family moments.  The scenery wasn't half-bad either.  Although the foliage was not quite at its peak anymore, we were still able to enjoy plenty of splashes of orange, yellow and red all over the mountains as we drove and hiked around the area.  The views were truly breathtaking at times.

 

As most of you know, I went to college in the mountains of Tennessee at the University of the South.  As a result, much of the landscape felt very familiar.  Almost like home.  It was really special to share the beauty of this magical place with Fionny.  And Conor too, of course.

But I don't want to paint an inaccurate picture that our vacation in the Smokies was all rainbows and unicorns.  Of course, it wasn't.  As with any trip, there were highs and lows.  Conor and I like to review our best moments and worst moments on the last night of any trip we have taken.  Here is what we came up with for the Smokies.

Top 3 Worst Moments in the Smokies:

1) The time-share pitch.  Okay, so many of you have probably experienced something very similar.  You check into a resort, they mention that they will give you some gift certificates or access to other cool perks during your stay...so long as you and your family agree to attend their (always) "very brief" time-share pitch.  Conor and I have done this many, many times.  One time we even walked away with a time share, for the sake of Pete!  So we know the drill.  You act interested long enough to get the free stuff, and then you start the nay-saying.  Kind of shitty, I know, but it's how the game is played.

However, even for seasoned veterans of the time-share pitch model like ourselves, the Smokey Mountain time-share pitch took forever!  OMG.  They would not take "no" for an answer.  It was so annoying.  Especially considering that we had a bored two-year-old who was along for the ride.  They finally got the hint when Fionn started popping balloons from their festive display.  Sometimes it's helpful to have a rascally toddler by your side.  Haha.

Hey, who are you calling rascally?

 2) Downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  Okay, I'm sorry if I offend anyone who adores these two little towns in the Smokies, but...it has to be said.  They are cheesy as all get-out.  And not the cute kind of cheesy.  Well, Gatlinburg could perhaps pass as cute on its best day.  But Pigeon Forge? Oh my Lord.  It is like the Redneck Riviera.  I think it's easiest to sum it up by telling you that we counted at least three stores that specialized in selling products that are "AS SEEN ON TV."  As in infomercials, folks.  That's right.  A store just full of crap like PedEggs and Snuggies.  And there were multiple stores like this in Pigeon Forge.  Ick.  We got a good laugh out of the whole thing, but we can definitely avoid returning to either of these towns for the rest of our lives.

3) Fionn's whiny moments while hiking.  Overall, our kiddo was a real trooper during our three hikes.  He was curious, joyful, and energetic for the majority of the time.

Hmm...I think I have a vague recollection of seeing this white stuff before.

Until he wasn't.

It's amazing how a two-year-old has the ability to turn an incredibly relaxing, peaceful hike into something along the lines of a prison sentence.  I went from, "God, this is sooooo fantastic!  I feel so lucky to be alive" to "Oh my God, get me off of this trail right now!  Life sucks" in seconds flat. 

Mainly, it stemmed from Fionn wanting desperately to be Mr. Independent in a place where it was impossible for us to let him do so.  For many reasons.  Namedly, this one.

 

Yeah, so we weren't really willing to take a chance with our daredevil son on some parts of the hike.  Watching our son plummet to his death was not on our list of fun activities for the week.  As a result, Fionny had to get into the pack.  And he was not having it.   "I want waaaaaaaalk!" he cried consistently for at least 10 minutes at one juncture.  We finally agreed on a rule that Fionn was allowed to have snacks if he got into the pack.  This seemed to be agreeable to our little tow-headed devil.  It usually bought us about 15 minutes as he slowly savored each granola bar.  We went through a lot of granola bars, people.  In fact, if you look closely in this picture, you can see that he is gripping one of the oats n' honey variety in his right paw.

But enough about the annoying moments.  Let's get to the good stuff.

Best Moments in the Smokies:

1) Wonderful moments with Fionn while hiking.

Haha.  Okay, so I have to admit that it was pretty peaceful when he dozed off in the pack.  We were able to enjoy the sounds of nature a bit more without the background noise of our son singing "Happy Birthday" to his granola bar (don't ask).  But there were other wonderful moments when our son was actually conscious too.  I swear.

 

Watching him crunch through the leaves and scale the mountain (when there wasn't a huge cliff on the other side of him) brought so much joy to my heart.  I loved sharing these experiences with Fionny, and I look forward to so many more in the future.

2) Rock City.  Who'd have thunk it?  First, let me explain what Rock City is exactly.  Rock City is the most touristy of all tourist attractions. The website proclaims that it is "a marvel of nature, featuring massive ancient rock formations."  This is true.  What is also true is that they have hammed it up something fierce over the years.  Gnomes at every corner, a Fairyland Village carved into the rocks, "candy cane formations" around Christmastime.  They also love their Christmas lights.

I loved Rock City as a kid for obvious reasons.  However, Conor and I just weren't sure how it would impact us as adults.  And we definitely weren't sure what our kiddo would think about the whole thing.  But, as it turned out, it was awesome!  Fionn loved it, we loved it.  And Rock City has become one of my most precious family vacation memories.  Crazy.

Swinging bridge with a knockout view.

Now we were helped by the fact that the weather was overcast, and it had already rained earlier in the day.  I think the masses of people you usually find at Rock City were scared away due to the forecast.  So we basically had the whole place to ourselves.  It was actually amazingly peaceful and relaxing.  Like a glorified nature walk.  

With a few gnomes along the way, of course.

Before leaving, we had to do the obligatory tourist shot.  I mean, I'm pretty sure it's required.

Hmm...Guess we could have had someone else take the picture, huh?  Poor Conor -- always left out in the cold in pictures.

Oh, it was a great afternoon.  And Fionn even left with a little baggie of gemstones -- the very same kind that I scored during a Rock City visit as a child.  He is arranging them on the kitchen table as I write this blog.  Ah, the simple pleasures.

On the way to Rock City, we also had the pleasure of meeting my cousin, Beth, for lunch in Chattanooga.  It was fantastic to catch up with her, but I failed to take a picture.  Darn it.

3)  Hanging out at the cabin.  I promise I'll make this one brief.  Conor and I both agreed that some of our favorite moments occurred at our little resort cabin.  Hanging out by the fire (which was controlled by a knob, but whatevs), playing trucks on the balcony which overlooked the mountains, and watching Fionny ride his new bike around the cul-de-sac beside our place were all faves.

 

Fionn loves his new balance bike, and he's getting so fast!  The trip provided the perfect opportunity to brush up on his skills a bit.  And the background scenery wasn't too hard on the eyes for Mom and Dad.

If you can't tell, it was simply a wonderful trip.  Great family time, beautiful views.  What's not to like?  Of course, as always, we were thrilled to get home.  

In other news, I think I have successfully outgrown all my pants.  Awesome.  Maternity clothes, here I come.