Blake and Martha Finch

Family Pictures Fall

2011-10-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

We had Sarah Ellen Photography do our family pictures again!!! I love them...Here are some of my favorites...They look a little blurry but when you click on them they are their normal resolution...

My mom crocheted this hat for Tess...I think it is adorable!!!

The many faces of Riley :)

This one is my favorite...I saw this tree and originally wanted us all in it but after Blake got up there we realized how rotted out it was and it did NOT look safe for the girls...So we divided and I ended up loving the way it turned out!!!

2011-10-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

Today was sweet Tess' 1st birthday!!! I can't believe it's already been one year since I was holding my brand new baby girl in my arms...We had cupcakes with family and she got a few presents...Here she is in all of her birthday glory!!!

These next two are the kids playing outside...Our new place has a big yard with a basketball court...It is just perfect for Riley to ride his bike on...That kid would ride his bike all day if I would let him!!!

Tess has been walking for a couple of weeks now...She thinks she is so grown up :)

2011-09-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

So summer has come and gone and now we are back to school and fall is fast approaching!!! Here are some more pictures of the things we did this summer...

Princess Tess supervising the activities...

Riley had just eaten a blue popsicle...The water was not THAT cold!!!

Zack and Riley at the St. Johns park after going to the pool...

My purple girl after swimming in the pool at our hotel...We went to Mesa to take care of some things and stayed in a hotel for a night...The kids loved it!!! We had a good time...

I am not sure how, but all kids know that hotel beds are made for jumping...

This hotel bed is infested with bed bugs...They were too cute to get rid of :)

Blake and I also played co-ed softball...It was a really fun experience...Neither of us had really ever played softball and we loved it...Our team was really fun!!! Most of the other teams were really serious though...That was kind of awkward...Interesting, to say the least...I thought everyone played co-ed softball for fun...Apparently not hahaha!

This last one is Blake and the whitetail deer he got...He went archery hunting with a friend from work...Guess I need to read up on cooking deer meat!!!

2011-07-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

It seems like summer just started and it's already the end of July!!! School starts again in a month! Crazy...

We have been having a great summer, filled with walks, trips to the park, and playdates with friends...Tess and Riley are growing up so fast...Every day it seems like Riley gets taller and learns new words and phrases...One of his new things is telling people, "Be right back!" He tries to put shoes on (he gets them on correctly about 25% of the time) and then stands up and says it and marches away...He is becoming so independent...It is so cute but it can also be frustrating for both of us...Especially when he gets his 2-year-old attitude...But we are surviving!

Tess has been pulling herself up to stand for the past few weeks...She can stand by herself when she doesn't think about it...If we try to get her to stand away from anything to hold on she chickens out but I see her let go of the couch and stand by herself sometimes...She is so funny :) Her hair is growing sooo slooow...Half the time strangers will say how cute "he" is...Despite the pierced ears and obvious GIRL clothes I dress her in...So in my desperation I have started to put an itty bitty somewhat pathetic ponytail with a bow on the very top of her head...If I don't feel like fixing the ponytail I put some of her hair in a clip...I am no hairdresser but shouldn't I get credit for trying???

It is so nice that they get along so well together...Every once in a while Riley tries to rough-house with her and I have to intervene but for 95% of the time they are best friends :)

This lovely bruise on Tess' forehead is the handy work of her first few times standing up and getting brave...We have since added more bruises and even a small black eye...But they have to learn somehow right???

A few of my friends and I all took our kids over to St. Johns to the pool for a swim...They have an hour blocked out on certain days where only parents and their children ages 0-5 can swim...LOVE IT!!! Hopefully we can make it over again soon because we had so much fun!

2011-07-02T05:29:00.001-07:00

So I know this is way late but I thought I'd get it up anyway for posterity and what not...A couple weeks ago we were evacuated because of the Wallow Fire burning near our town...Blake and I loaded up the kids and the things we thought we should have in the event our house was destroyed and headed over to Snowflake...We stayed in Snowflake for a couple of days and I went over to Showlow to have a root canal done and we pretty much just chilled...My family also evacuated to Snowflake so we hung out with them those days...Denver and Megan had offered for us to go stay with them in Kayenta...I'm not gonna lie, I wan't too keen on the idea...It's not that I don't love them, it's just that it's a long drive and I've never been so it's unfamiliar territory and they have a couple of college-age girls living with them for the summer to help them learn the ropes of managing the Pizza Edge...Blah blah blah, we get it, I didn't want to go...But we decided to anyway...

Seriously...It was one of the best vacations ever...All kidding and sarcasm aside!!!

The drive turned out to be very scenic and beautiful...My family only drove through northern Arizona about once every couple of years, if that, on our way to Utah so I am not very familiar with the landscape up there....I LOVE it...I love how you are driving along and it's so flat and you can see for miles and then randomly there are these huge clay mountains right in the middle of nowhere!!! It's like someone just dropped them in random places all over the Reservation...Call me crazy, but it's probably one of my favorite places to look at EVER...

This is what I'm talking about people...I think it's beautiful...

You know these days people just type an address into a GPS system and let it take them to their destination...I was going to say without any problems but I take that back...Hahaha I just remembered an incident at our big Thankgiving weekend at the ranch...Cough cough...Matt and Raynie...Good times...

ANYWAY!!! Blake and I don't have a GPS and so we just took an atlas with us to get us to Kayenta...It was fun to navigate ourselves, even if we may or may not have taken a slight detour on our way back home...Apparently the sign for our junction was like 500 feet before the actual junction and we blinked and missed it...We went 30 miles past it before we realized we were almost to New Mexico...Turned around and went back...An extra hour but it wasn't too bad...Spilled milk people, spilled milk...

But as I was saying, we ended up having a great time and those two college girls I was talking about actually turned out to be REALLY nice and just very friendly :) I may be partial to them because they were super sweet to Riley and even took him for a walk with them...Volunteer babysitters are always winners in my book!!! Although I didn't take any pictures of them because I didn't want to be upstaged on my own blog...They were too cute...Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all??? That's right people...I am THAT crazy...

We arrived on Thursday evening and had dinner at the restaurant that Denver manages...It was delish, but when is pizza/salad/wings/calzones/breadsticks ever NOT delicious??? Then we headed over to the house and put the kids to bed and watched the new True Grit...

Friday morning we slept in a little and mostly lounged that morning...Denver went to work that afternoon and Megan, Blake, and I took the kids to the park, which has the most gargantuan playground I have ever seen...I was in so much awe I didn't even take pictures...I still kick myself...But seriously people this was HUGE...I took Riley to the very top, which I am pretty sure was like 20 feet and slid down this slide that was pretty gross but we just had to do it...I almost wet my pants...It was so high...We only did that once...

Friday evening we ate dinner at the restaurant again and, once again, it was delicious...Can you ever have too much pizza??? Then we went back to the house and chilled and went to bed.

Saturday Blake and Denver did some maintenance on the restaurant and Megan and I kept the kids...We went to the grocery store and the girls and Megan took Riley for a walk to see when the pool opened and we had a nice, relaxing day...That evening we went to the pool for a little while...We didn't stay long because the water was cold...Then we grilled hotdogs for dinner and hung out and had a good time...

Sunday we went to church...The ward was pretty tiny...It was a new experience for me...When the speaker said, "Good morning," the entire congregation replied back, "Good morning." It was different, but that's ok...Oh and everyone was tone deaf, which was pretty funny, but that's ok too!!! A couple had just came home from serving in a branch about an hour away...The husband was full-blooded Navajo and gave his entire 30 minute talk in Navajo!!! It was pretty cool...

After church Blake and I took the kids for a drive...We may or may not have stopped at a local gift shop and bought me a turquoise ring...Don't judge, people...We are sinners...We also may or may not have gone to a movie that night while Denver and Megan watched our kids...They have a pass that gets them in free so we took advantage...Thanks again guys!!! Seriously people I already feel bad enough about it so stop judging me!!!

Back to the turquoise ring for a minute...My mom's mom, Granny, as I so affectionately call her, has always worn turquoise rings for as long as I can remember...There is a story behind it, I think, that involves my Grandpa buying her one on a trip or something...I need to ask her about it...ANYWAY!!! My mom has also developed this love for turquoise and my dad has bought her turquoise jewelry when they drive through the Reservation also...So, of course, I HAD to follow tradition and make my husband buy me one too!!! That was the main reason for such sin...

Monday morning we woke up, packed up, and headed out...It was nice to be going home but it was such a fun vacation, so we were a little sad to go...Thanks again to Denver and Megan for the great time!!!

So finally, here are the pictures...They are all from the swimming excursion...

Sweet Tess...Who is actually starting to develop an attitude

Daley and Denver, not to be confused with Blake and Tess...They are twins

Riley, Blake, and Tess at the pool

Tess and I

Daley, Megan, and Denver in the freezing water

Blake and Riley in the freezing water

Pictures...Part 2

2011-05-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

We had sooo much fun taking pictures on Tuesday...It was everything I hoped for AND MORE!!! That night Sarah posted a little preview on her website...I was totally loving what I saw...Then this morning I got the full cd and oh my! Did Sarah Ellen deliver??? YES SHE DID!!! Literally, she brought them to my house...But seriously people the pictures are so amazing...I love them with a fiery red passion!!! So without further introduction I present to you:

The Blake Finch Family

2011-05-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

Tess

2011-05-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Riley

2011-05-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Blake and Riley

2011-05-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

Blake

2011-05-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

Yours Truly

Pictures...Part 1

2011-05-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Got ya!!! This post actually has no pictures...I am just so excited for this afternoon and I have to let it out somehow!!! Sarah Ellen Photography is taking family pictures of us this afternoon!!! Sarah took the pictures of my kids in their Christmas outfits that I posted a while back...In fact, I have posted so few and far between that I bet if you scroll down they are still on this very page... What can I say??? I've been crazy busy...

When we went to the ranch for Thanksgiving we took some family pictures. But given the rapid growth rate of my not-so-tiny tots, it's time for new ones...Plus Tess is no longer in what I like to call the "doll stage" of pictures...Newborns in family pictures always look like dolls because they are usually asleep and in the rare circumstances that they ARE awake the chances of them smiling and looking at the camera are close to ZERO...Nothing against newborn pictures and if you have exquisite family pictures that feature a baby less than 4 months old and they are posing perfectly, by all means I would love to be proven wrong...

Also, I have a confession...I am super crazy and kind of OCD...SO IS SARAH!!! So if something is not right about the way you are posed or your hair is twangin' (that's right, I said "twangin'") she will totally say something...Everyone in Sarah's pictures looks gorgeous...Not even kidding...So make us beautiful Sarah!!!

Rest assured that the minute I get said pictures from Sarah Ellen Photography YOU WILL SEE THEM ON THIS VERY BLOG!!! And if you like what you see you can go to this website
http://www.sarahellenphotos.com/
Let me clarify that in going to this website you can purchase photography services...Adorable children and beautiful people featured on the website are, in fact, NOT for sale...

Can't wait!!!

2011-03-26T01:02:00.000-07:00

It is 2am...I seriously can not sleep...I splurged and had a can of diet pepsi at like four thirty and I am now paying for it...This is why I never drink caffeine people!!!

Blake works for eight days and then has six days off...It gives us a lot of freedom to go places and not have to go on the weekend when the rest of the world travels...So we took the opportunity to go to Mesa and have a mini family vacation!!! We left Sunday after church. We drove straight there without stops!!! I thought that was pretty good for having a two-year-old and a five-month-old...They were troopers!!! We checked into our hotel and just hung out in the room for the evening...

Monday we got up and shopped literally ALL DAY!!! I'm talking 8am to 8pm people...I could have died a happy woman...Once again, the kids handled it pretty well...And Blake was a total trooper too!!! There was minimal crying and mostly smiles all day...It rained on and off all day...It was cloudy and we never saw the sun...I got nervous that the weather wouldn't be nice for our trip to the zoo the next day but the forecast was for sun...We got Tess' ears pierced that evening!!! She cried at first, of course, but was fine like two minutes later...She looks sooo cute!!!

Tuesday we slept in a little and then headed to the zoo...The kids loved it and we all had a great time!!! Let me tell you what...That double stroller is a workout!!! It felt good to be having fun and burning calories at the same time...There was not a cloud to be found in the sky that day...The weather was perfect...It was like 70 all day long...I already miss it :( After the zoo we did a little more shopping and then went back to the hotel and got in the pool...Well I shouldn't say we got IN the pool...It was supposedly heated but we stepped in and decided the jacuzzi was where we wanted to be...It wasn't freezing but it wasn't "heated." So the boys got in the jacuzzi and Tess and I just dipped our feet in...I figured she was probably too little to get in and I didn't want to get very wet...I know...I am such a crazy fun mom...

Wednesday we slept in a little again and then packed up and headed home...It was so nice to just go at our own pace and do our own thing...Don't get me wrong, I love vacations and reunions with our parents and siblings but it's nice to get away with just Blake and the kids every once in a while...It's crazy to think that our little family is going on our own family vacations now!!! Didn't I just graduate??? Ummm...5 years ago!!!! I am already halfway to my ten year reunion!!! When did THAT happen???

So here are the pictures of the trip...They are all at the zoo, for obvious reasons, except the last one...Enjoy!!!

Blake strapping the kids in

Tess is sporting a zebra print skirt for the occassion

That red Explorer behind us is our new ride...LOVE it

I love how Riley's arms are folded on top of Blake's head...He is so chill...

Tess slept through 50% of the zoo...It's rough being 5 months old...

Toward the end of the trip Riley didn't want to take any more pictures...Especially the ones where we posed him on something...That explains the less-than-stellar expressions on his face in the next few pictures...Didn't like the oyster shell...

Or the turtle...But seriously that's the best looking turtle I've ever seen!!!

Didn't like the elephant trunk...

Not sure what the puckered lips are all about...Probably because he didn't like sitting on the lion either!!! Every party has a pooper...And crazy parents who insist on taking advantage of EVERY photo op...Can you blame us???

This one is my favorite :)

In the hotel room...On our way to the pool

Strike a pose...

2011-02-18T13:47:00.000-08:00

My mom bought some super cute Sunday outifts for my kids for Christmas and my cousin Sarah took their pictures...They are great!!! These are my favorites...

Why???

2010-12-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

Because every woman should feel glamorous while doing chores...

Seriously??? Are these aprons or backless dresses??? Sounds like these babies can double as something else...Hmmm???

Someone PLEASE get me one for Christmas!!!

I found these beauties at the following link:

http://www.laylagrayce.com/Default.aspx

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-03T18:56:00.001-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving at the Crooked H (the ranch owned by the Finch family.) We stayed in the big beautiful lodge in the mountains. The ranch is by Clint's Wells. Blake's parents and all of his brothers and sisters and their families were there. It was the first time we have all been together at the same time since our wedding!!! That was three years ago!!! And boy have we added to our numbers since then!!!

Wednesday night we all arrived at various times. Blake and I and our crew arrived last and had the priviledge of closing the gate :) We got there pretty late so I went straight to bed...Not sure what everyone else did because Tess and I slept like rocks...I heard from everyone else that Riley and Blake stayed up the latest...Hahaha...

Thursday morning we got up and got to work cooking the much-anticipated Thanksgiving Dinner!!! We had some serious fun cooking everything and all the work payed off...Everything tasted great!!! After we ate, we rested for a while and then got ready to take family pictures... Taking pictures was a zoo, to say the least!!! Just imagine two silly girls with cameras on tripods, and everyone else, who was just as silly...There was much running back and forth setting timers and trying to get into place before they went off...Let's just say that all the smiles in the pictures are genuine because everyone was well entertained ;)

Thursday night was filled with movies for the kids and games for the adults...Again, much silliness and laughing!!!

Friday, I broke my tradition of getting up and getting to the stores as they open, no matter how early...That's right people...I LOVE Black Friday!!! But we all slept in a little and packed lunches for a day on the road...We started off up the mountain to see the view from the Mogollon Rim... On the way we stopped a few times to take in the beautiful scenery and see where a tornado hit a few weeks ago...We arrived at the Rim and took more family pictures and ate lunch...The view from the Rim was GORGEOUS!!! We even got a re-enactment of when Denver proposed to Megan...

We then set off for Camp Verde to see Clifford and Tami's house. After the house we did some shopping in Cottonwood and had dinner at Panda Express...Then we headed over to Sedona to see the Christmas lights at Tlaquepaque...It was pretty cold, but still fun!!! Then we headed home...Again, I went straight to bed because Blake and I and our crew had to get up early and go to Snowflake to my cousin Ray's wedding...

The wedding was great and the reception that night was beautiful...A great ending to a great weekend!!! Enjoy the pictures...We took a ton!!! Here are a few!!!

Riley made sure Spongebob got in on all the action

This picture is dark but it is the best one Blake and I got of all the grandkids...All the kids did good for like two pictures and then chaos ensued...

The Blake Finch family

Nana and Papa and all the grandkids

Tess and me practicing our smiles

The caravan on our Friday drive

This is where the tornado hit...It snapped trees like toothpicks and some were even completely uprooted

The view from the Rim

Glad to be back home after a weekend of partying!!!

Taking a Break...

2010-11-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would post a few pictures of the kids...I am still getting used to saying kidS...Things have been pretty busy around here but I thought I would take a break and post... Enjoy

Riley helping with the dishes...

What a goof!

Thank goodness for Bumbo Chairs...

I LOVE jeans on babies!!!

I had to sneak in a picture of the baby makers :)

They love each other sooo much!!! Riley was the first to get Tess to smile...He loves to hold her, with Mom's supervision, of course...

Don't pay any mind to the fact that Rilely's face is dirty in most of these pictures...What can I say??? It's a wrestling match between the two of us every time I try to clean him up and honestly he wins about half the time...Let me tell you he is one tough kid...

2010-11-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

Blake and I had our second annual Halloween party on Saturday night!!! It was fun and the food was great, as usual :) Except for the homemade rootbeer because I am a spaz and added twice as much club soda as the recipe called for...I read "1 liter of soda" and visualized 2 liter bottles in my head for some reason and it was all down hill from there...But other than that everything went great!!! I was running around so much that I didn't take hardly any pictures but I did get some of the Halloweenies :) I didn't feel like taking my kids out so I just bought them Halloween pajamas instead of costumes...My sister also brought her new baby boy Cameron in his Halloween pajamas!!! Cameron and Tess are exactly three weeks apart and you would not believe the difference already!!! They are the same height but Tess seems so much bigger because she is awake more and has filled out...Enjoy!!!

All of our Halloweenies!!! Don't focus on me, I HAD to bein the picture to keep Riley from loving the babies to death...

Cameron Phillip Gray...What a cutie!!!

Tess...Her shirt says, "Daddy's under my spell."

The bum on Tess' pants was the best part of the outfit

We couldn't get Riley to cooperate so the picture is blurry and not very good...He was so wound up at the party!!! He ran around like crazy and then crashed after everyone went home...

I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween!!!

2010-10-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

Tess fell asleep in her carseat at my sister's baby shower on Saturday and my cousin Sarah took some really cute pictures!!! I love them so much!!! Upcoming photoshoot??? I think so...

Home Again, Home Again...

2010-10-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well it happened!!! We had Tess Thursday night, as planned...I will post the story and pictures...If you are a picture person and don't want the details, it won't hurt my feelings if you don't get down to the nitty gritty and read the details, as this post is for your enjoyment!!!

So I woke up Thursday morning with no contractions...None the entire week, in fact...I just felt "big" and pregnant and the same as the past few weeks...BUT we had a plan!!! Blake started a new job recently and we decided to work around his schedule...He works Monday through Thursday so we rescheduled my appointment to 3pm instead of 8am so he didn't have to miss a day...When the time rolled around, my mom and I headed over to Snowflake, along with Riley and Nanette, to get the party started!!! We dropped Nanette and Riley off at Jennie's and went to my appointment...Wendy (my midwife) checked me and said I was dilated 2 cm...Not what I hoped for, but I was not dilated with Riley at all and she still made it happen that time...She stripped my membranes and told me to call her at 6pm and let her know how things were going...We hoped for the best but planned on a long night because these things do take time...

We drove a few blocks to my Aunt Tricia's house to hang out and wait for Blake to arrive...He had to get off work and get his stuff packed and all that good stuff...Tricia and my mom were slave drivers and decided that I should walk up and down the stairs every few minutes because it might help things along...So I would walk up and down them four or five times every once in a while...I noticed that I started to have very mild contractions and they would progressively get stronger after every session with the stair master...This continued from around 3:30pm to 5:30...Blake arrived in Snowflake and we decided to time the contractions...They were 2 minutes apart and lasted around 1 minute each...I still wasn't concerned because they barely hurt...So 6pm rolled around and I called Wendy and let her know what was going on...She was at the hospital for another delivery so she told me to come on over and she would check me...Blake, my mom, and I got in the truck and drove over to Showlow...

By the time we got to the hospital the contractions were regular and hard enough that I had to breathe through them...I was taken to a delivery room and admitted around 7pm...Wendy checked me and I was dilated 8 cm so she decided to break my water...The contractions kept coming harder and closer together and we thought it probably wouldn't be too long...Well it wasn't too long at all...I started pushing just before 8pm and after three big pushes she was out at exactly 8pm!!! It was all so fast!!! The labor was really intense that last hour but it was so quick that I went natural again...Like I said, super intense but totally worth it!!!

Tess was 6 lbs and 7 oz, we all guessed what we thought she would weigh and I guessed the exact weight!!! She is 19 inches long...That was 2 inches shorter and almost 2 lbs lighter than Riley!!! No wonder it only took three pushes!!! She is so tiny and petite...

We got released yesterday morning and now we are home...Thank goodness!!! Not a big fan of staying in the hospital...

Now for the pictures!!!

Getting cleaned up...She looks just like Riley when he was born...

Hott mama HAHAHA!!!

Brand new big brother :) He just patted her head and said, "Beebee."

Snuggling with daddy...He just kept saying, "She is so precious!!!"

Sleeping in the hospital

Ready to go home!!!

TOMORROW!!!

2010-10-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow!!!

That would be because tomorrow I am gonna have me a baby...And let me tell you how super pumped I am to get my body back to normal...There are a million other reasons I am excited to have a baby that are much less selfish, but right now I just want to have my body back!!!

This week has been CRAZY to say the least...And it's only half over!!! My days lately have consisted of waking up, eating a bowl of cereal, and then homework, homework, and homework... I am totally getting the bad mom/wife award this week because I have been neglecting Riley and Blake in my attempt to get ahead in my classes so I can take a break for a couple of weeks to adjust to life with two kids...The sad thing is that I am only taking 12 credit hours, from a community college, no less...I have a friend taking 20 credit hours at a university...By the way, serious props to you, you know who you are :) What a woman!!!

Yesterday I did take a break from homework though...For about 4 hours I cooked and cooked and cooked some more so that I could have about two weeks worth of dinners in the freezer that can easily be thawed and heated and ready to go!!! It was a mental break but my back and legs were KILLING me after...

I have got to give credit to Blake for these last few weeks...He has listened to me whine about having so much to do and not enough time and has very cheerfully done every crazy random chore that I have asked, and let me tell you that is quite an accomplishment because I am CRAZY with nesting...Didn't get that at all with Riley and I am certainly making up for it with this one!!! Just imagine me at all hours of the night thinking up really stupid things to do, trying to do them and realizing that it is absurd to do those things at that time of night, and then resorting to sitting down and making a list of them to do first thing in the morning...What can I say??? I am insane...

Every time I start getting cranky and stressed because I feel like I have too much to do I have to remind myself that it is my own dang fault...No one forced me to get pregnant...teeheehee... Sorry about the inappropriate reference, I couldn't help it...Anyway...No one forced me to sign up for classes this semester...I knew what I was getting into when I made these decisions so I should just live one day at a time and do the best I can...Which is all that I CAN do I guess :)

So at 3:00pm tomorrow afternoon you can all stop what you are doing and think, "Martha is officially on her way to having another baby." Ok, so you don't need to do that and it was selfish of me to suggest...But be expecting a post soon about the arrival of Princess Tess!!!

Happy Birthday, Blake!!!

2010-09-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

Today Blake is the big 23!!! Here is a list, in no particular order, of 23 things I love about Blake...

-His very beautiful blue eyes

-He sleep talks when he is really tired

-His smile

-His contagious laughter

-His sweet dad skills

-His awesome building skills

-His great husband skills

-He loves to snowmobile

-He loves snow in general

-He is a good driver

-He is a kid at heart

-He reminds people of his Uncle Steven A LOT!!!

-He stands up for what he believes in

-He never makes fun of others to make himself look good

-He has a strong testimony

-He loves and is very close to his extended family as well as his immediate family

-He ALWAYS agrees with me...well, at least when it's important :)

-He can make lots of animal sounds with just his mouth

-He still teases me like we are dating...But I pretend not to like it

-He is a little ticklish and laughs really funny when he gets tickled

-He makes the best German pancakes EVER!!!

-He spoils me rotten

-He chose me!!!

And I thank my Heavenly Father every day that he did :) So have a happy birthday, Blake, from your lovely wife and kids (kinda)

He's at it again...

2010-09-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Blake the Builder decided that he wanted to build me an island for the kitchen...So he went to it and I got the coolest island/table thing that is gorgeous and super cool!!! Take a look...

The top is my absolute favorite...It has so much character!!!

LOVE it!!! Thanks Blake :)

Oh...I also got out all the baby stuff to get ready for the princess and Riley decided that the carseat is his new recliner :) I don't know how many times I have found him asleep in it like this!

Shower, Anyone???

2010-09-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

Saturday, my Presidency Pals threw me a baby shower!!! It was so much fun and let me tell you what, my friends and family know how to party!!! It was great!!! Thank you so much to everyone who made it happen...Thank you to everyone for coming....Thank you everyone for everything!!!

These next few pictures are some of the gifts Tess received...This is not to brag and say "Look how much good stuff I got." I absolutely had to post all these because they are all homemade!!! I could not believe all the talent that these girls have!!! So this is to give credit to the awesomeness of my friends and family...Tess is one spoiled princess...And she's not even here yet!!!

This is the diaper cake that Nanette, Jennie, and Kayden made for Tess...These girls represent three generations of amazing creativity and style!!!

This is a closeup of all the goods without the wrapping...You would not believe the detail that went into this awesome present!!!

This is a bag made by my Presidency Pal Cassie Morris...She did this all with purple material, zebra print duck tape, and a stapler!!! Talk about being innovative!!!

This is an afghan crocheted by my mom...I have already claimed it and have been using it...Sorry Princess Tess...

These are burp clothes by Amber Wilkins, Melissa McNeil, and my other Presidency Pal Holly Browning...I went through these like it was going out of style with Riley so it's a good thing we got quite a few from the shower!!!

The bands on the left were made by my Bunco friend Charly Totally-don't-know-her-last-name-because-I-am-a-lame-friend...LOVE them!!! The ones on the right were made by my other Bunco friend Chaundra Tieman and some by Cassie's sister-in-law who I don't know... Cassie had her make some for me :)

And last of all, a pregnancy portrait for your enjoyment, hahaha!!!

Holy Cow!!!

2010-09-13T07:56:00.001-07:00

I feel like a cow!!! I am getting bigger by the day and so is Tess...I swear she is going to kick her way right out of my tummy one of these days!!! It's good to know that she is doing good and moving but seriously princess, could you lighten up a little??? I saw my midwife, Wendy, a couple of weeks ago and we decided that we would naturally induce me on October 7. We did this with Riley when he was born...Wendy worked her magic and I had him that same day...I am sort of a control freak and my labor with Riley was really fast so I want to try natural induction again because it would be nice to know when I was having the baby rather than have my water break one day and then try to get over to Showlow as fast as I can before Blake gets to be the sole deliverer of Princess Tess in the back seat of our truck...What can I say??? I like to have a plan...

So the date is three weeks from this Thursday and surprisingly it has helped me chill out and be more patient with the last few weeks of my pregnancy...Before the plan was made, when people would ask me how I was feeling I would come back with something cranky like, "Fat" or "Ready to be done." I know...I am always such a joy to be around...HOWEVER, now that I have a date I am feeling great!!! I guess it is because there is an end in sight???

Well things have been really busy around here and they are only going to get busier!!! I keep thinking about all the things going on and I really hope we can just make it through the holidays! I know that sounds so far away to some people but it's going to take a lot of work for us!!!

I am busy with Riley and being preg-o and in the Primary Presidency for our ward and going to school full time...

That's it??? HA!!!

Blake starts a new job on Wednesday and he is in the Elders' Quorum Presidency in our ward and has been on a kick building stuff (see previous post.)

Between the two of us we have at least three cousins getting married between now and December and who knows how many friends!!! Congratulations guys!!!

My sister is due to have her baby boy a couple of weeks after me :) Congratulations Becky!!!

My totally awesome presidency pals are throwing me a baby shower this Saturday! I am totally pumped!!! It's going to be awesome!!!

We will also have a baby shower for my sister soon!!!

Blake and I have a Halloween dinner party that we started last year and would like to keep going every year...Yes, I have already started planning...I LOVE Halloween!!!

Denver and Megan are blessing their girl in a couple of weeks...So sad I can't go but I just don't want to risk having a baby in Thatcher with some strange doctor I have never met...No offense to Thatcher or any of the docs there...

This is just all the major stuff that is going on...I am sure I have forgotten some things and there are many more little things going on as well...P.S. Don't feel bad if you have a major event and I didn't note it in this post...The bigger my tummy gets the smaller my brain gets...Not sure how that works but it's very much true...

The older I get, the more I see my mom in myself and she is not happy unless she is trying to do everything at once...It's a curse and a blessing at the same time :)

That's pretty much all for now...I basically posted this because I am bored and am putting off my homework/chores/get ready routine...And who knows??? Maybe someone out there actually enjoys reading my blog...Whoever you are, thank you for your time, hahaha!!! I guess it's good to go back and read it myself some day too...Well until next time!!!

Blake the Builder...Can he fix it???

2010-08-31T21:54:00.001-07:00

Yes, he can!!!

We have been spending a lot of time with our friends Chris and Jessica lately...They are convinced that Blake can do anything :) Well Jessica found this really neat idea online where you take an old headboard and footboard from a bed frame and you make a bench out of it. She had an awesome old bed and she asked Blake if he could transform it. Well my man delivered! Take a look!!!

These first pictures are actually of a smaller bed of Jessica's mom's that we tried out first. Yes, I know I said "we." I helped out a tiny bit.

This is Jessica's headboard. It's a king size bed. The bench is HUGE!!!

The finished product...It is awesome!!! I tried to upload a side view to show off all the character but my computer was not cooperating and I lost patience and gave up...Patience is not one of my virtues these days...Could it be because I am 33 weeks pregnant???

For lack of a better word...

2010-08-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

Or words at all, in fact...

We've just been really lazy lately...

Thing 2

2010-06-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Thing 2, we have finally found out, is a girl!!! I was POSITIVE it was a boy until I saw the evidence...I am not going to lie I was disappointed at first...Probably because in my mind I was having another boy...But within about an hour it hit me that I am super pumped to be having a girl!!! Blake always wanted a girl...I could just tell...And the way he smiled when we found out gave him away :) He's a super cute dad...I have some pictures from the ultrasound but I have been too lazy to scan them and put them on my computer...I also have not taken any pictures of my preggo self...This whole summer/no classes thing is taking me to new levels of laziness...That sounds funny...Levels of laziness...

I have to give a shout out to my totally awesome cousin Julia who was nice enough to volunteer to be my maternity clothes pal...Blake and I lived in Mesa when I was pregnant with Riley and she totally let me borrow all of her maternity clothes and I added a little to the pile and then she needed them again and when she heard the news this time she sent them my way...The rest is history...It's totally awesome to have a cousin who is the same size and has the same taste in clothing and who just happens to not be pregnant when I am!!! JULIA IS THE BEST!!! Thanks girl :)

Maybe some day this summer I will post a bunch of pictures of what has been going on with my little family lately...I woke up one morning and realized my little buddy Riley is not a baby any more...He is totally a little boy!!! So I need to update everyone on him...

Until next time!!!

Drum Roll...Please...

2010-03-23T16:02:00.001-07:00

Thing two is on it's way!!! Due October 18, 2010...Super excited for another baby...Not super excited to actually be pregnant...Morning sickness is either worse than I remember or worse than last time...I am leaning toward worse than last time...At least I am 10 weeks...That's one fourth of the way there...This is going to be a long pregnancy if I am already counting down like I am...I can already tell I am showing but I see myself in the buff every day so I would notice... Everyone else says I don't look pregnant...That is a secret way of saying "You look great!" or "You just look fat!" I will pretend it is the first to save myself heartache and hard feelings :) I am sensitive like that you know...

People have been asking me if I want a boy or a girl...Totally have no preference...Blake wants a girl...I can tell...He is constantly pointing out cute little girls in movies and in public and stuff... It makes me giggle...If I have a girl I will have one of each and an excuse to buy all the cute baby girl stuff I see ALL THE TIME!!! If I have a boy, Riley can have a buddy and I won't have to buy more stuff... To shop or not to shop...That is the question...I wanted a boy first and that is what I got so now I just want another healthy baby...And a delivery like last time would be nice too :) But I can't have everything...Or can I??? Pretty please???

So I am not posting a picture of myself yet...Mostly because people will leave comments and say "You don't look pregnant." Which will lead me to the inevitable contemplation of whether they are secretly saying I look great or fat...Why do I have to be such an analytical person??? Why can't someone say something and I just forget they said it and move on with my life??? Am I crazy??? Yes...I will admit it...It's okay though because I can laugh at myself sometimes :)

So anyway, that is our exciting news! Well we have other exciting news too...My cousin Ray got home from his mission a week ago...WOOHOO RAY!!! Riley is getting tooth number 7...Not so woohoo...He drools A TON!!! It looks ridiculous...His shirt is always soaking wet...Riley and I just got over being sick with colds...Not so woohoo again...Well I guess woohoo that we are over it!!! I can not tell you how awful it is to be in the middle of morning sickness, not being able to breathe through my nose, and having a sick 14 month old as well...The only thing that could make this story worse is if my husband is working out of town...Oh wait...HE IS!!! At least he isn't sick too and hopefully he has avoided it altogether...End of other news, which actually turned out to be a pitty party...

Well I have officially run out of things to say...Not actually...I could go on all day, but no one likes those long posts with no pictures anyway...The gist of it all is that the Finch Family, Party of 3 is now the Finch Family, party of 3 1/2...Maybe next time I will post a picture...Maybe...

The Piano

2010-03-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago my mom gave me a piano that my Grandmom Foote gave to her. We put it in Riley's room and he thinks it is his...

This is Blake...

2010-02-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

This is Blake...

See Blake work...

See Blake play...

I love Blake...

Totally Taxes

2010-02-08T21:53:00.000-08:00

Totally did our taxes this year...Totally just did Blake's best friend's taxes...TOTALLY PUMPED BECAUSE I LOVED IT!!! I know that is so weird but I love stuff like that...I guess that is why I want to be an accountant, because I LOVE IT!!!

Shout Out to My Brother

2010-02-06T23:07:00.000-08:00

This is my brother William...He is so awesome...He is a senior and will be graduating this year, going to Eastern Arizona College for a year, and then going on a mission when he turns 19 in May 2011...Saturday I got to watch him in the regional wrestling tournament...William is an outstanding wrestler, which is so cool because he is 6'5"!!! That is right people...6 feet and 5 inches!!! He is so full of personality and has so many unique talents...

1. He can put both legs behind his head...Hahaha okay so maybe that is weird but it is a VERY unique talent...

2. He plays the guitar like a mad man!!! He is so good and what is even more amazing is how fast he learned...He is in a band with a couple of his buddies...He writes music and is dang good at it...

3. He does the funniest impersonations and is so witty...The kid is a comedian...Can't tell you how many times I have almost lost bladder control around this one :)

4. William is a genius...Not even kidding...He gets it from my parents, each of them is a different kind of genius and between the both of them he is a genius as well...Where was I when my parents were handing out that gene???

5. He is a great artist...He can draw, sing, write, photograph, and he has a great sense of style in a totally manly way...

6. He has an awesome testimony and is an outstanding young man...I remember being at EFY one year and one of the speakers asking a volunteer to come up and recite a scripture that everyone had been working on memorizing...I wasn't paying attention until I heard the voice of the kid and I looked up and told my friends, "HEY!!! That's my brother!!!" He never ceases to amaze me...

Good luck at state next weekend Bill!!! I love you!!!

Here goes...

2010-02-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

Ok so here is the post I have been putting off for a LONG TIME...I am super busy...In addition to school and home I have recently been called to the Primary Presidency in my ward...Don't get me wrong I love all the things I have going on it's just a little crazy sometimes...Ok lots of the time :)

The first three pictures are from Christmas Eve...We get to open the pajamas on Christmas Eve

I don't know if Riley got the concept of opening the presents or not

Family picture Christmas morning

Opening the presents

Thanks Jenn for the sweet elephant! It is one of his favorites :)

So we woke up early and opened presents at our house, my parents' house, and Blake's parents' house...After all the mayhem this was Riley...Out

Riley turned 1 on Jan. 23

My Grandmom Foote gave this shirt to Riley. I think it is so cute! And yes that is a whole chocolate chip cookie...I don't do it very often though...

So Riley is one...This makes me go crazy when I think about it...Time moves so fast and the older you get the faster it goes...Riley is so funny...

He still "coughs" to get attention and be funny

He gives hugs and occasionally kisses

He walks

He says "dada" "mama" and "baba"

He has six teeth...He hasn't bitten anyone on purpose yet...I say "on purpose" because I was frosting cupcakes for his birthday and had some frosting on my finger that I decided to share with him...I guess he thought he needed to chew my finger to get the frosting off...I won't be making that mistake again...

He sits forward in the carseat now...Hallelujah

He still takes two naps a day AND sleeps all night!!! Hallelujah again!

He waves like a mad man when someone says goodbye

He shakes his head no

He turns into the mini-Hulk when he gets mad...Seriously...He clenches his fists and jaw, he growls really loud, and his face shakes...Blake and I die laughing every time

I know every other kid probably does one or all of these things but these are the things that make Riley special to me...I guess it's because I am his mom...

Absurd Words

2010-01-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

I have been putting off a much-needed post until after the holidays when things would "slow down." Well things have taken their foot off the gas pedal but haven't pushed the brake so I am going to have to MAKE time...ugh...I hate making time for things...I should just have enough time to do everything...But I haven't put my pictures from the holidays on my computer so I can't do a REAL post...This is basically just a post to tell you that there will soon be a post that has been long overdue...The more I think about this the more absurd it sounds so I am just going to leave it at that...Have a great whatever it is when you read this :)

What time is it???

2009-11-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

Tooth hurty...Riley has two teeth...Baby Oragel, I love ya...

Just a Few Pictures

2009-11-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted about Riley...I mean gave an update of what he has been up to and stuff...

He crawls EVERYWHERE...

He gets into EVERYTHING...

He eats EVERYTHING...

He is full of personality...

He sleeps all night halle-freakin-lujah!!!

He actually likes to cuddle...

He is our favorite kid...for now...

No I am not pregnant...Just thought I'd clear the air :)

Chaco Canyon/Picture Overload

2009-11-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago our family went with our friends, the Pemberton's, to Chaco Canyon to camp and see the ruins. Who knew history could be so cool! We had a lot of fun! I have, however, determined that although I LOVE being outdoors, I am NOT a fan of roughing it...

I took A TON of pictures and lots of them are of the ruins because I think they are so cool...So if you don't like pictures of nature and ruins...Well...Deal with it :)

The picture above was taken just before we left (Casen and Riley)...The picture below was four hours later...The eyes say it all...

Riley's awesome dinosaur hat...

The campsite

A random lizard

Guess what this is???

It's a porcupine!

In the very center of this picture there is a house cat...That's right, a house cat...In the middle of nowhere...Actually there are houses nearby where the people who maintain the park and such live...But it was still funny to see...

Casen is a rebel :)

Blake and Riley next to a doorway...Yes that is really how small all the doorways are!

Riley, Blake, Casen, and Zach

Blake and Riley on a pillar

Casen and Riley...They are good buds!

Riley and me...I know, camping does NOT look good on me...

A petrogliph...The horse-like animal was the original picture and over the years visitors have felt the need to leave their mark as well...

Mountain Man

Bad Wife Award

2009-11-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

Basically, I am the worst wife in the world...I never posted Blake's birthday...Those of you who don't know, I won't tell you when it was...Those of you who do know when it was...Well I guess you know just how awful I really am...This one's for you Blaker!!! Love you!!!

My mother in law made hot wings and my mom and I made pizza...We had cheesecake and cupcakes for dessert...

My brother William and the Birthday Boy

Halloween Party

2009-11-08T19:15:00.001-08:00

Blake and I had some of our family and friends over for a Halloween Party. Nothing too fancy, just dinner and dessert...Here are the pictures!

Thanks to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law (Brook) for my beautiful pumpkins

My four year old niece, Cinthia

Dessert table...yummy...

Don't mind the giraffe...He's cranky...

Thanks to my beautiful mom and Aunt Blanche for making the soups and rolls!

I had to show the inside of this cake that I made...It had two devil's food layers and one white cake layer dyed green and between every layer was a pistachio filling...The icing was a homemade chocolate ganache and there are chopped pistachios along the bottom...It was delicious and beautiful cake ever...Yes, I am totally bragging...

A Thousand Words

2009-10-12T13:45:00.001-07:00

One of these days I might get back on track with my blog...or maybe not...Can't get to a lot of my hobbies between school and family...And who could get anything done with this little guy around???

This is my little bum crack boy :) It's a cell phone picture so bear with me...

Like father, like son ;)

2009-07-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of family in Snowflake, AZ...When I was younger, one of the highlights of my summer was to go to Snowflake for the Pioneer Day Celebration...I had not been for a few years so this year I decided to go...Blake had worked the night before and was scheduled to work that night as well so he stayed home and slept...So Riley and I got up early that morning and drove over to Snowflake...We watched the parade and visited with some family and then went back home that afternoon...Short trip but very fun...

This is a line of over ten Corvettes, all came with bodies waxed and engines revving...Surprisingly one of my favorite entries in the parade...

I always like the kids riding the train of barrels

A variation of the picture above, I almost wet my pants laughing at this one...

This one was fun to watch...I had to get a video of it for Blake

Every year the firetrucks end the parade with this ritual...The kids usually take off toward the trucks and the adults all run in the opposite direction...As you can see, Riley and I had a nice view from behind the bushes :)

Finch Family Fourth...Finally

2009-07-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

So...I am finally updating my blog...The weekend of the 4th of July the Finch family had a very big reunion...We went camping somewhere up by Mexican Hay Lake-ish...I am a girl and therefore I do not know the exact location...Nor do I care...ANYWAY...The morning of the actual 4th of July we watched the parade with Blake's mother's side of the family, the Browns... Following the parade the Finches and extended family and friends and theirs dogs...I would say just kidding but there were dogs present :)...ANYWAY...We all had a big picnic at the park... Then Blake, Riley, and I all went to Grandma Brown's for the afternoon to lounge on the front lawn and visit with family...The fireworks were that night and we went up to a pullout on the road up to Big Lake to watch them...We were at just the right spot to look around the valley and see fireworks in all the other towns...Lyman Lake...Showlow...Vernon...It was pretty cool...We watched Eagar's fireworks for a few minutes and it was pretty neat...My father-in-law pulled out his binoculars and we all took a turn looking at the fireworks through them...It looked really cool but it kinda made me dizzy...I am not going to lie, Blake and I got bored pretty quick and didn't even stay for the whole show...So we headed down the mountain about halfway through them and were just in time to beat the traffic! The entire weekend was very fun and it was good to meet everyone and catch up with family we hadn't seen in a while...

The meadow we camped in...Absolutely gorgeous

The Finch Gang

Karen, Katelyn, Jade, Dave, and Paige's arm

Denver and Megan

Talent Show

Wade and Nanette, Grandma Finch in front

Ammon won the Cowboy Golf Tournament

Bill

The Brown Gang

Matching shirts...Jen and I totally did not plan this...Maybe the little boys secretly did :)

Raynie, Kiah, Nanette, Boston, Matt

Riley and me waiting for the parade...We were tired...But we woke up when Blake bought us some cotton candy!!! Sooo yummy...

Uncle Steven was the Parade Grand Marshall

This lady was riding by herself between the floats...We all had a good laugh...Bless her heart... Her sign read, "Will you help with the Humane Society 2009?" It was homemade and had a lovely picture of doggies playing on some grass...

This is the Finch Family Float...Why are we not riding the float??? Someone had to take pictures!!! Duh...

This float was pretty neat...It kinda scared me in an way...Not going to lie...

This is my favorite float!!! It's one of my totally awesome brothers and his band...They were on the Apache County Drug Free Alliance Float...William is the one in the middle...No he is not standing on anything, that is just how tall he is...Not kidding...6'4"

A tree planted by the Finch Family at Ramsey Park

A freaking flock of fifty Finches...Well way more than fifty actually...

This may look like cruel and unusual punishment but Riley LOVES sunglasses...He doesn't try to take them off and he cries when you take them off his face...We need to get him a pair

Blake's sister Brooklyn, her husband Dallas, and Daughter Shelby were not able to come up to Eagar for all the fun due to the fact that their little bundle of joy was fast approaching...AND HERE SHE IS!!! She was born this morning...CONGRATULATIONS WILKINS FAMILY!!!

A Checkup

2009-06-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

This morning Riley and I went to the pediatrician for Riley's four month checkup.

Everything went very well. Riley is growing like a weed! He is around 16 pounds and 26 inches tall. That puts him in the 75th percentile for weight and the 85th percentile for heighth.

Nice and big!!!

Along with his checkup, he was given shots...Hmmm...Hate those...

Seriously though...With the flips my stomach was doing you would think that I was the one getting the shots...What can I say??? I HATE SHOTS!!! Thinking about them...Getting them... Watching someone get them them...HATE THEM!!!

Riley did as well as expected...He cried when he got them but was fine as soon as he got a sucker.

Of course he didn't eat it, just played with the wrapper.

I gave him some pain reliever to help him with the side effects and he seems to be doing pretty good so far...Right now he is babbling like normal...He LOVES to make noise :)

Well, that's all until next time!!!

Two Sleepy Heads

2009-05-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

I noticed it was awfully quiet this afternoon...

Then I found them like this...

I couldn't resist :)

Blessing Day

2009-05-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Blake blessed Riley last Sunday...There are few things more precious than a dad taking his baby in his arms and giving him a name and a blessing...It was short, sweet, and to the point...But mostly sweet...

Below are some pictures of Riley on his special day...He didn't smile for a single one of them. NOT A ONE, I TELL YOU! He seemed more content to blow bubbles and make faces at me...I suppose I can forgive him, seeing as he IS a baby :)

You will notice that I did NOT dress him in an all white "blessing outfit." I would rather spend that significant amount of money on an outfit that can be used many more times...You will find it rather interesting that I actually found the entire ensemble on clearance...That's how I roll...Or at least that's how I try to roll...Sometimes I can't help myself...But that is another story...

Do not be offended if you like to buy an all white get up for your children when you bless them...That is fine for you and yours...As for me and mine, we will wear whatever my little heart desires...That's right...I said it...

On a completely unrelated subject...These silly pictures are of my brother Bryce and his favorite nephew...I am allowed to say that because Riley is currently Bryce's ONLY nephew...Don't worry, no boys were hurt in the taking of these pictures...Riley loves Bryce

Indulge

2009-04-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

I couldn't sleep last night. I sat in bed wishing that I was the least bit tired, but my eyes were determined to stay wide open...

I wanted to talk to Blake. I wished he was awake so that I could tell him all the things going around and around in my mind. It reminded me of a merry-go-round. I would think of something for a while that would lead me to think of another something that would lead me to another something. Before I knew it I was back to my original thought, only to move on to the next thought and continue the cycle.

My voodoo mind powers work and Blake talks to me. "Thank you." He says, clear as day. I giggle and say, "You're welcome." I can tell by the monotonous voice that he is sleep talking. He does this when he is REALLY tired. He is tired enough to talk in his sleep so there is no chance of him waking up to have a REAL conversation with me. Oh well, at least I will be entertained.

He rolls over and says, "Young and stupid!" I giggle some more and think of all of the things he could be dreaming about. I come to the conclusion that he is dreaming about President Obama.

What?!!! Did I just type that??? My bad :)

I jump back on my merry-go-round and soon remember something I didn't want to forget, so I decided to get up and write it down.

I ran into so many things trying to find my way. It's funny to me that I can find my way in the dark just fine when I am half asleep going to Riley's crib to feed him, but the night that I am fully alert and awake my feet manage to find everything that makes noise when you kick or step on it. Such is life I suppose...

I finally get to where I am going and turn a dim light on. This, not all the crashing noises I made on my way, is what causes Riley to stir a bit. I write down my genius idea and turn off the light. As I walk past Riley I lean my head down to see if he is still sleeping. He is still stirring, but the movements tell me that he will very shortly fall back asleep.

Staring down at my precious package, I get the urge to hold him. I think it is amazing that certain relationships, such as a mother or wife, are so strong that no matter how much time you spend with someone you always want to hold them more and more. I get that way with Blake and Riley.

I say in my head, "Well if I am going to be up all night I might as well make the most of it."

Then I indulge...I, ever so gently, lift my precious package and hold him close. Tight enough to let him know I have him, but not tight enough to wake him up completely. He sighs and buries his head in my shoulder, almost like he is trying to get the itch out of his nose. He does this when he is tired.

I very carefully climb back into bed and wiggle as close as I can to Blake. Close enough to let him know I have him, but not close enough to wake him up completely.

It is then that I have another thought that I don't want to forget. But this one doesn't have to be written down to be remembered. It is a feeling that makes my whole body relax. I start to feel tired and I am ready to drift off to dreamland. I try to fit in one last thought while I float in and out of conciousness. "What is this feeling?"

And then it comes to me...

I love being boy-trapped...

Look-alike

2009-04-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

Blake recently started work at Hatch Toyota in Showlow so we got to move back home! We are so excited to be back in the mountains. It's so good to be closer to our families. Riley loves to visit all his grandparents and they just can't get enough of him! He especially loves his uncles Tanner, William, Bryce, and Mark. He also LOVES his Aunt Becky. They spend a lot of time together :)Here are a couple pictures I snapped of him today. He likes to chill on a blanket on the floor. He is such a talker already! Baby talk that is :)

I also posted a baby picture of Blake and one of me so that you can all tell us who he looks like. I think he looks just like Blake but everyone else says he is a good mix of both of us. He has Blake's eyes for sure though!!!

2009-03-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

Riley had to get shots yesterday because he is two months old...He did pretty good at first but after a long nap he was feeling a little crummy...But he is back to his normal smiley Riley self!!!He changes so much every day and has grown sooo much!!!

Birth Weight: 8 lbs 1 oz

Current Weight: 13 lbs even

Birth Height: 21 inches

Current Height: 23 3/4 inches

JUST SOME MORE PICTURES

2009-03-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

These are just some pictures that I found on my camera of Riley...They are from just a few days after he was born...He had a pretty bad case of jaundice so that explains why he is so yellow...

I thought this picture was funny...I was trying to get a good picture of him and he kept closing his eyes because the flash was too bright for him...

He looks just like Blake

Takin a nap with daddy...

Takin a nap with Grandpa Foote

Four generations of Finch...He looks tiny!!!

We went to Freestone Park and had a cookout with some friends from our ward...The guys played laser tag after the sun went down...

These guys are so full of it :)

This is one of the many pictures of Riley sleeping...Blake found him like this on the couch...He loves to stretch out when he sleeps...He doesn't like to be bundled up and he HATES if you tuck his arms inside his blankets and he will fight until he gets them out...

These last two pictures are of Riley in his swing...I know it doesn't look like it but he likes to swing a lot...

He is getting so chunky!!! I weighed him yesterday and he weighs about 12 pounds!!! He has been exploring his vocal chords lately and it is sooo cute...I feed him when he wakes up in the morning and then I put him in his crib and he just lays there and coos and makes funny noises... It almost sounds like he is singing and it makes me giggle :)

Pictures of Riley

2009-02-26T16:05:00.000-08:00

Riley is a month old now!!! Time is going by so fast...I tried to put him in a onesie that he wore a week ago and it was way too small...It looked so funny :) He is such a good baby...He sleeps really well at night and hardly ever cries!!! NO JOKE!!! He smiles a lot too...Not on command though...I think he just has gas or something :) WE LOVE HIM!!! Enjoy...

2009-01-25T14:53:00.000-08:00

Riley Blake

2009-01-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Riley Blake is finally here!!! This is a very long post, but some people want details and I want to write it all down while it is still fresh in my mind...SO if you want the details, read on. They are not too gruesome, I promise...If you don't want the details, skip straight to the pictures of the little duffer...

THE BEGINNING

We went to see my midwife Monday the 19th and got checked...I hadn't progressed very far but we decided that we would try to induce labor Friday the 23rd... Blake and I got up early Friday morning and went to Heber to see my midwife at 9am...We still had not progressed very far, so she gave us some primrose oil and told me to take a long walk that morning and we would check back in with her that afternoon...So we headed over to Snowflake to hang out at my Aunt Trisha's house (THANK YOU TRISH!!!) and Trish and I took a 3 MILE WALK...What did that do??? Not a lot...So we went to see Wendy again (midwife) in Heber and she checked again and almost nothing had happened...But we were still determined to have him THAT DAY!!! So we went back over to Snowflake with an appointment to see Wendy in her Snowflake office at 5:30pm...We were pretty tired from getting up early that morning and we knew it would be a long night if we did have the baby that night so we both took a couch and fell asleep until about 5...When I woke up, my contractions were just barely starting to feel crampy...Wendy checked me out at 5:30 and I had finally dilated to a 3...I tested positive for Beta Strep culture so I needed to get a dose of penicillin 4 hours before I delivered so Wendy called the hospital in Show Low and told them that I needed to be admitted and I was on my way there! She told me to get checked in and started on the penicillin and she would come break my water at 11pm that night. My contractions still didn't hurt but they were 2-3 minutes apart...

THE HOSPITAL

We got to the hospital and were shown to our delivery room...We had been there for about 10 minutes or so when I went to the bathroom to change into my hospital gown and my water broke! The contractions started instantly and they were much more painful and not far between AT ALL...The nurse checked my progress and I was dilated to a four and my cervix was paper thin...The nurse looked at the monitor for the contractions and she was very surprised at how close they were...So they called Wendy and told her that my water broke and contractions were pretty close. She said she was on her way!

The contractions got harder and harder...It seemed like they got worse and worse so fast...So fast that I didn't know how I was going to handle it if they were getting that bad in such a short amount of time...I was preparing myself to endure it for the next few hours and I was not looking forward to it...Wendy got to the hospital and let me get in the whirlpool bath...It was like instant relief!!! But the contractions still got harder and more intense!!! All I could think about was how much they hurt and how it would be a long night...Boy was I in for a shock...I got out of the tub and Wendy checked me and let me know that I was dilated to a nine!!! "At least I am getting a little closer," I thought, but I didn't know how close I really was!!! All the nurses started running around and panicking because nothing was set up...

SHOW TIME

I got on the bed and tried my best to get through the contractions...I had my mom's hand in one hand and Blake's in the other and I would just squeeze them as hard as I could...Wendy suggested I lay on my side and Blake massage my lower back through the contractions...HE WAS GREAT...Seriously...I couldn't have asked for a better support system :)...I hadn't been on my side for more than 10 minutes when I felt like I needed to push...So everyone got ready and I rolled onto my back and pushed...I pushed and pushed and it was so hard!!! I never imagined it to be like that!!! And then there he was! He started to cry right off and I was so glad to finally hear his voice...I was exhausted and I looked at Blake and said, "That's our baby! We did that." We got to hold him and my sister Becky took pictures...My mom said, "Great job, Martha! You only had to push for twenty minutes!!!" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!

SUMMARY

I have to admit I am pretty impressed with my self...Water broke at 7pm, Riley was born at 10:37pm, pushed out in 20 minutes, 8 lbs 1 ounce, 20 inches long...Now you may have noticed that this story is full of excitement and details, but it lacks something...MEDICATION...That is right people...I went ALL NATURAL...Why? I thought it sounded neat and the older I get the more I find myself becoming a health freak...In some areas, like having babies...POWER TRIP some of you may say...I won't disagree with you...I did it because I thought it would make the delivery go faster...I did it because I am DEATHLY afraid of needles (In fact the IV for my penicillin was almost less desirable than contractions)...I did it so that I could say that I gave birth to my boy and did it without pain meds...

So that is the story...I now sit here in my hospital bed waiting to be released...He is a great kid... And super cute...Think what you want about his looks but I am his mother and I think he is the cutest kid EVER...But everyone is titled to their own opinion...Oh and I know I look hott in all these pictures, but you would too considering the experience I just had :) ENJOY

Denver is home!!!

2008-11-15T09:13:00.000-08:00

We went and picked up Denver from the airport on Wednesday. We were all so excited to see him! Here are a bunch of pictures, in no particular order. They speak for themselves :)

A Hunting We Will Go!

2008-11-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

Well...Not exactly "we"...But Blake went hunting this weekend! He went with his dad and Uncle Shaun. The hunt was for White Tail Deer over between Show Low and the Salt River Canyon. He left early Friday afternoon, leaving me all by my lonesome for the weekend...Don't worry though! I endured 32 hours of solitude and the following events: 3 girlie movies, one 550 piece puzzle, and Saturday morning chores, PLENTY OF 'EM! But this post is about Blake :)
He couldn't take off any time at work so his hunt was really short. They saw quite a few bear and some does, but his tag was for a buck. He did get one shot, about an hour before he came home. The buck was about 500 yards away and Blake just missed. He said he is not disappointed that he didn't get anything and that it was one of the funnest hunts he has been on! I am glad he got to go out and do something manly and have fun, but I was really glad when he got home :) Here are some pictures!

Blake and Wade

The area...

Scoping out the area...

Shaun

Wade chillin...ON THE SIDE OF A CLIFF!!! Crazy menfolk...

Wade and Shaun

Dashing Mr. Finch...

Man's Best Friend???

2008-10-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

So I am laying in bed this morning and my cell phone rings...It's my dear husaband Blake...The conversation went as follows:

Martha "Hey"

Blake "Sooo...Don't freak out but...I was attacked by a dog this morning at work."

Martha "What?!!! Are you okay?!!!"

Blake "Yes but I am going to need stitches. I am taking the rest of the day off and I have to go get my arm sewed up. Don't worry though, I beat the dog half to death."

Yes, readers...True story...Blake puts the chemicals in pools for a living and this morning when he tried to go through the gate of a customer, he was mauled by "man's best friend." Luckily he was able to get the fence door back between him and the beast (I know the dog is trained to protect the family and Blake was "intruding" but I am still very upset at the dumb thing, maybe the pregnant emotions coming out again.) He was bit on the back and the arm. His back just has nasty scratches but his arm was literally ripped open! He had to get stitches and everything! MY POOR SWEETHEART!!! I feel so bad for him...The things he does to provide for our family...I really admire and love the guy...This picture makes me so sad...

Look at that face!!! My poor baby!!!

2008-10-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Okay so I was jumping around from site to site on the internet today, looking at baby stuff and reading up on prenatal development and things and I stumbled across this picture. Yes, I can relate. YES I almost wet my pants laughing. And YES I LOVE IT!!! That's all :)

Man-cation

2008-10-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

The weekend before last weekend, LaVerl Crosby took Wade, Blake, Tanner, and Kemp Hamblin on a man-cation...You know, like a vacation, but for the men-folk. I went home to Eagar with my mom and had a vacation of my own but I didn't really take pictures because I did boring girl things ;) So here are some sweet pictures of the guys and all the fun they had at Roosevelt!

What a stud!

Random Post

2008-10-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

These are just some random things that we have been up to lately...

Blake took apart his binoculars and found a new way to make Martha giggle profusely...

We take pictures of how fat Martha is getting...Woowoo look at that baby grow!

We get bored and do random things like make matching hemp bracelets.

We decided we wanted frozen hot chocolates last night and didn't feel like going to Dairy Queen...SOOO...Martha made them!!! That's right...Two years at Dairy Queen is bound to pay off in some way or another...mmm...

2008-10-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

So I am finally getting around to posting pictures of Blake's birthday. We had lots of fun! We did things a little backwards and opened presents when I came home for lunch from work.

A new hat from Jake Hamblin. Thanks Jake! After work we went out to Olive Garden for dinner and then watched a movie, both compliments of gift cards from Wade and Nanette. Thank you sooo much! After the movie we came home and had birthday pumpkin pie, at Blake's request :)

Made a wish and blew out the candles!

Sweet Miscommunications

2008-09-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

So Blake and I went home to Eagar to visit this last weekend (pictures and details will be posted tomorrow.) Last night as we were driving back to Mesa we had quite a variety of conversations. We like to turn down the radio and just talk each other's ears off when we travel and there is some serious duscussion but mostly fun and laughter. We didn't hit the road until about 6:15 in the pm and the later it gets, the more my brain slows down, keep that in mind as you read some of the following conversations. These are only a few of the sweet miscommunications we had:

Talking about one of our friends,
M "I feel really bad for her. I wished she could have married someone like you or Denver."
B "You wish she was my wife instead of you?!!!"
M "OH MY GOSH NO!!! I wish she could have married someone AS NICE AS you and Denver."

Later in the trip,

M "Do we have any water in here? I feel sick and I really need a drink."
B "There is water in the back of the truck."
M "Oh well, we are almost home and I don't want to pull over. I can wait."
B "You wanna steer?"
Now at this point I am thinking he thinks that steering will help me feel like I am driving and eliminate the sick feeling in my tummy.
M "I am not car sick, I felt like this on the way up to Eagar too. I think it's just because I am
dehydrated."
B starts to recline his seat and take off his seat belt.
B "You wanna steer?"
I am now starting to get agitated and I start to try to explain it to him again. I sounded pretty grouchy so B interupts,
B "YOU WANNA STEER?!"
Finally I sort of catch on and take the wheel and Blake leans in the back and reaches through the back window of the truck and grabs me a bottle of water. We both go off and say things like "Well you didn't have to get mad at me" and such. We then realize the absurdity of the situation and bust up laughing. We agree that I am a severe space cadet and I always misinterpret what Blake says and then get mad at HIM for it. I had to agree with this because it had happened SEVERAL times this trip and COUNTLESS times since we have been together.

Not even one full minute later. We are talking about Blake's mom and some fun things that had happened over the weekend.
B "I never realized how short my mom is."
I am thinking "Well she has a spunky personality but it's not like she is snippy or mean." Still trying to put the pieces together and figure out why B would make such a random jab at his mom. He interupts my thoughts:
B "We are both so much taller than she is."
M "OOOOOOHHH I see what you are saying.
Once again we start laughing and I explain what I first thought and we laugh even harder.

After all is said and done, the drive was pleasant and the consensus was made that I am a total space cadet

Happy Birthday Blake!!!

2008-09-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Today is my sweet, sweet husband Blake's birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAKE!!! I just want to say that I love you sooo much and I am glad to get to share another year in your life with you! This last year has been a good one and the next will be even better!!! I LOVE YOU SWEETHEART!

P.S. Happy Birthday to Elder Denver Finch as well ;)

Ultrasound

2008-09-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today was our first time ever seeing our baby. We went in for our first ultrasound. It was sooo cool! The first thing we asked the radiologist was if she could tell us the gender. She told us she could as long as the baby cooperated. So we crossed our fingers! The radiologist had her ipod playing in the background during our appointment and right when Blake said, "I think it's going to be a boy" the song 'A Boy Named Sue' by Johnny Cash came on. Blake got a big grin on his face and said, "It's a sign!" Just then the radiologist started to laugh. She pointed to the screen and said, "Yes, it is definitly a boy!" Then she showed us the screen and sure enough, there 'it' was! Little Riley Blake had no problem letting us know he is a boy :) We couldn't really get a good one of his face because toward the end he decided he did not want to play anymore and he would not move but we saw it a little and he has his daddy's features already. We are so excited and hope you enjoy the first picture of our baby Riley.

Baby Update

2008-09-16T09:10:00.001-07:00

SO!!! Blake and I went to our first prenatal appointment yesterday afternoon...I know, I am like nineteen weeks so this appointment was a little overdue :) BUT we finally made it...I like to put off things I have never done that sort of scare me. It started out much like a regular doctor's appointment except that Blake was there and that was different because I am used to going to the doctor by myself. I like having him there though...

EXCEPT when, in the middle of the bliss of filling out paperwork and conversing about my excellent medical history, my midwife says, "Oh, we need to get your bloodwork done, don't we." This is a statment, not a question. Had it been a question I would have lied and said we had done it already because I HATE needles with a fiery red passion. I get this from my dad. Yes, I said D-A-D. Anyone who has ever seen him may think that I am making this up because there is no way that Charlie Foote is afraid of ANYTHING much less needles, but I pinky promise that I write the absolute truth.

This being a routine action for the midwife, she starts whipping out the torture devices and I begin my silent panic session. Now getting my blood drawn should be a routine thing for me. When I was in high school I had to get it done once a month and sometimes more because my veins do not cooperate with the process. I would drink tons of water and be calm all day and think, "I can do this. I did it like a month ago. It doesn't even hurt." Now the weird thing is that it DOESN'T hurt. And I am very calm and collected on the outside when I get my blood drawn. On the inside, however, things are going crazy and my veins shrink to a size so small that not even the most experienced torturer can find where to get the blood. I actually had one ask me once, "Do you even have blood in there?!!!" Well, yes actually, I do and it does not like to be taken from it's rightful place in my body.

So I am going through all the previous times in my head trying to remember what helps me relax and nothing is coming to mind. So I decide to distract myself and look over at Blake and help him fill out my paperwork. About a millisecond after I look over at Blake, he finally realizes what is going on and whips his head around to see the whole ordeal take place. The best thing for me to do in the blood drawing situation is to think about something completly different and not even think about it. So Blake very dramatically acknowledging that I am getting stuck with a needle pushed my panic over the edge.

"Don't look at it!!!" I tried to request calmly, but my emotions got the better of me and it ended up more like a vicious snarl from a she-bear.

"Now you need to remeber to breathe, dear," the midwife says nicely. After this statement Blake gets a big grin on his face and starts in on the typical "he-he-who" pattern they do in movies when a woman is having a baby. This makes me giggle, thanks for turning it around Blake :) and then the midwife announces, "Just one more tube and then we are done." Thank goodness. Shortly after, the needle is pulled out and the whole process is over. Once again, THANK GOODNESS! And I didn't even cry! (But seriously, I usually cry. Why??? I don't know...Probably the same reason I have freakishly stingy veins. So I can relate these kinds of stories to people and they can laugh heartily. I have yet to pass out though!)

So now that the worst and longest part of the story is over I will get to the details and then end this ridiculously long post. We talk about my last menstrual cycle and decide that the due date is February 4, 2009. My midwife asks me if I have felt movement and I let her know that I have been feeling, in my opinion, a kickboxing session about ever hour or so for the last two weeks. She then measures my tummy and announces that the baby measures exactly at twenty weeks. The measurement is done in like .02 seconds and Blake thought that was pretty cool and asks incredulously, "You can tell that quick?!" So she shows Blake how she did it and explains the measurements and stuff. It was cute to see Blake so animated. His face lit up even MORE when we first heard our baby's heart beat! It was so cool!!! I am sure we were both thinking the same thought, "WOW it really is in there!" A very healthy and happy baby, according to the midwife.

After the whole check-up my midwife wrote us a note to get an ultrasound. We should be getting the phone number from her today and then the appointment will be made ASAP!!! We just HAVE to see our baby and know what it is :)

We then left the office and got in the truck. I made Blake keep true to his promise that if I was really good I could have a treat. I reminded him that I did not even cry! (I know you are all laughing hysterically right now but I really DO cry and this is seriously an accomplishment for me not to. But feel free to laugh because after it's all over I have a good laugh at myself too.) So we went to Dairy Queen and had waffle bowl sundaes. Very delish, by the way. A good time was had by all and I hope everyone enjoyed this baby update. Sorry so long by the way :) Have a great one everybody!

I have been sucked into this game of tag...

2008-09-11T08:27:00.001-07:00

Martha here...Raynie tagged me or something on her lovely lovely blog...Thanks girlfriend :) Yours is good..Mine will not be that great because ten years ago I was...

1. Only TEN years old!!! Wow I am young :)
2. Weighed like 70-ish pounds...wow that is hard to imagine
3. Lived in Duncan, AZ...Glad I got out
4. Kicked bottom at the drums in band (only girl in drumline too)
5. I had a silver dollar-sized birthmark on my neck that was as dark as my hair!

Five things on today's To Do list...after going to work all day...I don't want to play THIS game...

1. Laundry
2. Grocery Shopping
3. Wash Car...That one is going to have to wait til the weekend
4. Make dinner...Spaghetti...YUMMMY!
5. Clean out fridge...not so yummy...

Five snacks I enjoy...I am like a garbage disposal because I eat EVERYTHING...except some seafood as of 18 weeks ago...thanks a lot pregnancy...

1. Fruit
2. Vegetables
3. Graham Crackers
4. Gold Fish Crackers
5. Fruit Gummy Snacks
...All of those make me look like a toddler

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire...

1. Give my bishop a heart attack with the tithing check I turned in!!!
2. Buy Blake a brand new Toyota Tundra just how he wants it
3. Have our dreamhouse built to perfection
4. Go to EVERY baby store and buy EVERYTHING I saw that I think my little bun in the oven needs
5. Give my in-laws a cut for raising my AWESOME HUSBAND BLAKE...AND my parents for all that they do for me :)

Five places I have lived:

1. Mesa, AZ...born there, moved there after high school, and currently live there
2. Hikone, Japan...no I don't remember much of the language
3. Snowflake, AZ...before and after Japan
4. Duncan, AZ...pretty much grew up there but I claim I am from Eagar
5. Eagar, AZ...and Blake and I plan on dying there some day
6. Thatcher, AZ...seven months before I was married to Blake and our first 3 months together...
I know that was six...I had to be different and I only had one more place besides the five so those are ALL the places I have lived

Five Jobs I have had...This should be interesting

1. Dairy Queen...good times :)
2. Curves for Women...more good times
3. Whitton Plumbing...even MORE good times
4. Altech Refrigeration...NOT so good times
5. Inteli-Care, LLC...current job and soon to be a MOM!!! The best times are now and yet to come...

Five friends I tag...AAAGGHH!!! The five friends I have with blogs have already been tagged...I am assuming there are no "tag-backs"...Sooo sorry to disappoint all you tag-playing people but I am "it" and feel like the fat kid who will never catch anyone so I am giving up and going to cry to my mother :) Have a good one guys!!!

2008-09-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here are our pictures of the Brown Reunion...JUST FOR YOU RAYNIE!!! We had so much fun with everybody! We stayed in a tent and it wasn't too bad. We had a few leaks the first night but we got them under control. The reunion was pirate themed so that explains the costumes...Yes the Browns are crazy but we don't dress like that all the time :)

2008-08-22T09:38:00.001-07:00

Yes, you read the name right...Yes those pictures are who you think they are...YES Martha swore up and down she would never have a blog...Yet here we are on the internet posting anything and everything about what is going on with our lives so that all of our friends can read up on the exciting life of Blake and Martha :) And NO we don't know why Martha decided she hated blogs and then all the sudden decided that we need one...What can we say? She's crazy she gets what she wants...But truth be told this whole blogging thing is kind of fun...And it allows all kinds of our friends and family to check up on us and see what is going on in our lives without calling and talking to us like normal people...All of you who are huffing and puffing about the previous statement just stop right now because we all know we do it and there is nothing wrong with it. At least we are all keeping in touch somehow!