Colton is 5 years old!!!

On September 4th, Colton Lane Finnegan reached a milestone....he turned 5 years old. I could not be more proud of the five year old that he has become. He is the sweetest son, brother, grandson, nephew and cousin any of us could ask for. The way in which he looks out for his brothers, and the way he loves on his new cousin, is AMAZING!

He is in preschool again this year (his early September birthday causes him to miss the kindergarten deadline) and he is a learning machine. He looks forward to going to school each day, and can't wait to tell Steven and I what he learned when he gets home.

He would like everyone to know a few of his favorites at the ripe old age of five, so here goes...

1.) Favorite color: White, because "it's just white" (doesn't get any simpler than that folks)

2.) Favorite thing to do: go to school, because "I like to play on the swingset"

3.) Favorite thing to eat for dinner: Brocolli chicken, because "I like brocolli"

4.) Favorite person: Aidan, because "he's my brother and he's fun to play with"

5.) Favorite thing to play: IronMan, because "it's what Aidan always wants to do"

6.) Favorite TV show: Batman

7.) Favorite place to go: Disneyland and Legoland (this child, thanks to having grandparents in Southern CA, has been to Disneyland twice already and is going again in 4 weeks)

8.) Favorite sport: football and soccer, because "I love to kick and run and it makes my energy go"

And last but not least....

9.) Reason you love your beautiful mother so much, because "hmmmm, let's see.....I guess because you play in the playroom with us sometimes?" Thanks, bud. :o)

Anyway, to my sweet Cole a few weeks after your birthday...

I love you more than you will ever know and I am so proud of the boy you are becoming. You are smart, and funny, and you have a strong ability to share your love for others even at just five years of age. Your little brothers both look up to and cherish you. You are such an inspiration. I look forward to all the years to come and all of the accomplishments Daddy and I will be witness to. You are a wonderful boy. Happy birthday.

Welcome to the World, Baby Taven!

I am an Auntie!!!! My youngest brother, Trent and his wife Andrea (the world's greatest sister in law) were just recently blessed with the birth of their first child, Taven Ross Clancy. Taven was born on September 13th at a whopping 5lbs 15oz. He is beautiful and probably the tiniest baby I have ever held. I took Cole, Aidan, and Jackson up to visit the Thursday after he was born, and none of us could get enough. My parents were in town from California to welcome their fourth grandson (can you believe all the boys?!!) and they were on Cloud 9. Steven came up as well, after work on Friday, and we all spent the weekend just being one big family and showering Trent, Andrea, and Taven with love. It was wonderful. Trent and Andrea are spectacular parents and I can't wait for all the memories "the cousins" are all going to have together.

Jack is a big boy now...or at least he looks like one!

So both Cole and Aidan had their first haircuts right around 12 months of age. Jack, on the other hand, had not had one at all until a few days ago. I don't know if I was holding off because he just doesn't have all that much hair, or if subconciously I knew that it meant he was growing up. The hair that he did have would curl up in the back and around his ears and was darling....In this picture, however, it is not so darling. I had an awakening the other morning....my baby was developing a mullet. A very thin and uneven mullet, mind you, but a mullet none the less.

So out came the clippers and Jack was strapped into his highchair. Let me just say this is one of the most mellow and happy kids on the planet...he smiled the whole time...even when there was cut hair on his face, in his mouth and under his shirt. What a trooper.

Truth be told, I did tear up a little when it was all said and done because my sweet baby of 14 months suddenly looked (to me) like he was a a big boy, with a big boy haircut! He has always resembled Colton and Aidan, but now I see a whole new level of similarity between the three of them. I don't know how it happened so quickly but it seems I am the mother of three (very handsome) very "big boys"...