Finn Speaks...and Does Other Things

Finn has taken his time with the spoken word. For months he seemed content to use mostly one or two word phrases to get what he wanted. It worked out, for the most part. But he is now putting together full sentences and it is so cool. Yesterday morning String Cheese got him out of bed. He came in to wake me up and very slowly and very carefully said:

"Mama. I want...a cookie."

At a restaurant the other night: "I want pizza. I need pizza."

Swimming pools are "swing-a-pools".

Slides are pronounced "shwides".

He has taken to calling baby Lila "Ly-ly". He loves his older siblings and they still dote on him and constantly say things like, "Oh mom! Look at Finn! Look at his face!" or they come tell me the funny things that he does. If more than one sibling is together he always calls them, "hey kids!"

Tonight he sat in his high chair and sang, "Baby, baby, baby, oh. Baby, baby, baby, oh."

"Um, is Finn singing Justin Beiber?" I asked. Indeed he was. I don't even know where he's heard it.

Finn's favorite song is "I Need Thee Every Hour". I have it on a cd that I now just keep in the car. Most days he asks, "Fabit (favorite) song pease mama?" And we listen to it until the last line, when he asks, "Fabit song 'gain pease mama?". His favorite lines, which he sings perfectly are: "Still all my songs shall be, Nearer My God to thee." and "Angels to beckon me, Nearer my God to thee." Its pretty much my favorite thing in the world to hear my two-year-old walk around the house quietly singing, "nearer to thee....my God to thee."

And sometimes I might hear this, "tinkle, tinkle little star, how I wonder what you are, nearer my God to thee."

Last Sunday we pulled up to church and he shouted, "Church! YAAAAAYYYY!!!" He then got out and was so excited as we walked inside. We sat in the back and he claimed himself his own chair. He climbed off of it to get a hymn book, climbed back up, opened the book, set it on his lap, then carefully folded his arms. During the opening hymn he sang loudly, some sounds that went along with the melody. He then climbed down and carefully put his hymn book under his chair, climbed back up to his chair and folded his arms again. He had a very serious

and very reverent look on his face the whole time. As the sacrament was passed, he sat just as seriously. His chubby, little hand shook as he took the plastic cup of water. He took one small sip and again his hand shook as he fumbled to put it into the right place for disposal on the tray. I patted him and he

gave me a shy smile. Just about the time I thought he might be translated for being the cutest and most spiritual toddler of all time, he threw a fit and had to be taken out of the chapel by Chancho. The tantrum escalated to the point that C had to take him to the car and strap him into his seat. Chancho sat with him for about 20 minutes until Finn finally quit screaming and thrashing. Whew. I was relieved to know he would remain among the rest of us heathens for a while longer.

Finn has the funniest, bounciest run I've ever seen. When he runs he bounces up in the air as much as he moves forward. He looks like a cross between Tigger and Charlie Brown.

Loumy has a felt cowboy hat that he's had since he was a baby. He can still squeeze it on his head, but its really tight. A few days ago I told Loumy it was probably time to hand the hat down to his little brother. We tried it on Finn. It wasn't even close to being able to lower onto his head.

It seems Finn is constantly stubbing his chubby, little toes. He comes to me sadly saying, "fingers hurts mommy." I try to tell them they are toes, but he hasn't been able to remember so far.

The "kids" are always trying to catch the wild bunnies in our backyard. They have a box and are always trying to corner them. One evening Finn spotted a rabbit near our little garden box. He knows that the bunnies are not supposed to be eating our garden. Finn took a deep breath and then shouted, "BUNNY!!! I get you bunny!" He then ran (bounced) after the bunny until it disappeared under the fence into the neighbors yard. Finn turned, ran back to me, jumped into my arms, and buried his head in my neck. His heart was pounding, " 'cared mommy. I 'cared (scared)." My brave little Finn had saved the garden, even though it terrified him to do so.

Two of the happiest words I ever hear Finn say, always with an inflection at the end are, "Daddy home?!?!" when he hears the front door open in the evening. That boy is mad about his dad. His daddy and the rest of us are all pretty mad about him around here, too!