Like Papa, Like Neee*

Just like his papa did 60 years ago, Finn was the winner of the contest that I begged you all to vote for repeatedly. I can't thank you enough, and will soon upload the promised videos. But first, the winning picture:



Oh. Did you think I meant Finn's winning photo? Nah, you guys have seen that one plenty of times! This was my dad's winning photo, and my grandmother didn't even have to beg for votes. Ah, the simplicity of a world without blogs and Facebook. Or the internet. Or electricity. (Just kidding dad!)

*Papa is how Finn says Papi, which is what we call my dad. Neeee is how he says Finn, which has taken us too long to figure out. Just like it took us a loooong time to figure out Guuuuy is light. Who knew?

The Weekend In Review

We spent a lot of time this weekend with my parents, who are, respectively, recovering from a hernia surgery and a broken arm. One can't really move and the other can't drive, so we were more than happy to help out and to bring Finn over for some excitement.

But what else did we do?

*Cleaned our basement storage room, which was long overdue. This may seem strange since we haven't been in the house for a year yet, but it is the room where everything that just didn't have another place to go went, and where the cats litter boxes are. Since Tyson has decided peeing in the litter box is so yesterday, and he is peeing everywhere but, I was worried he had peed all over our luggage or Christmas decorations. Fortunately he had not.

*He had, however, peed in Finn's ball pit. Which I discovered as Finn was about to crawl in. The ball pit spent a lovely weekend getting disinfected and drying in the sun.

*Went to see Bruno. I am not sure how to describe it other than to say it is as if Borat became a p0rn on crack. This is not to say there weren't some funny moments but 6 people left in the first 30 minutes and I was not surprised.

*We were accused of cheating and told that Finn wasn't that cute, all because of the photo contest. He's still in first, with 4 hours to go. Since we most certainly didn't cheat and he is that cute, can you vote a few more times before noon EST today? And then I will shut my mouth!

*I got an email from the photographer who asked if I had half the world voting for Finn. This rocks, because it means all my blog readers and Facebook friends and other friends from Australia to England to Denmark to all over are voting, and that? Is awesome.

*Finn learned a new trick, which involves climbing on the coffee table, standing precariously close to the edge, and pointing at us as he laughs hysterically since he knows he isn't allowed up there. So naturally I grabbed the camera:

I Am A Thorn

I am not sure what that title means, but I meant it to be something relating to me being a thorn in your side, or a pain in your ass, or whatever.

But.

I love, love, love all the votes Finn has had today. It is awesome, and I love all the support! So thank you, so very much. I really want to thank a couple of fantastic women who are so kind to pimp out my son on their blogs as well! Especially as 1 has her own adorable son and the other has a little one on the way, which, you know, keeps you busy.

The but though? It is because it isn't over! He is in first, by a mere 10 or 11 votes, depending on when I look at the site, which seems to be EVERY SINGLE MINUTE today. And will probably stay that way all weekend.

The good news is that you can vote again! Apparently you can vote every hour! I won't ask you to do that, but if you are, you know, browsing the good old world wide web and have a second why don't you pop over here and vote again? And maybe again a little later?

And if he wins I will reward you with a video of him saying his first ever bad word. Repeatedly. And maybe one of him jumping, which is definitely one you want to see. If that isn't enough I may throw in a few passages from my diary, who I apparently named Kitty, when I was 11. You don't want to miss those because they are hysterically amusing and so, so unpredictive of where my life would end up.

So enjoy your weekend, spend time with your loved ones, and vote again for Finn.

Maybe the best promise of all is that it is all over Monday at noon and I promise not to bug you with anything like this ever again?

Vote!

Cast Your Votes - The Poll Is Open!!

It's Time! The polls are open and the voting can commence! If you posted a comment before it doesn't count, so go to the site and cast your vote for Finn! The contest will open on Friday, July 10th at 12 noon EST and run till end of Monday, July 13th at midnight.

Oh, and if we win we get a free session with the photographer, which is not cheap and something we really want!

Just as a refresher from yesterday:

We have had some pictures taken of Finn in the past by a wonderful photographer, and she is running a contest on her site that would be oh so great for me to win. Er, for Finn to win. See, she took photos of 20 of her customers and the kid with the most votes wins. She took pictures for 10 minutes each, so she worked hard to get a shot that was great, especially with our son who was busy chasing ducks around the lake while she was trying to get his picture.

And who wouldn't want this picture to win?



Now, I know a lot of these other kids that he is up against. I have met many of them, and they are all freaking adorable. I admit that. But naturally we are biased and we think ours is the cutest of all, so if you could please vote for him I will send you millions of dollars. Or well wishes. Or positive thoughts. Or kind words. Whatever, you get my drift.

Voting starts this Friday, so click here on Friday and vote away! Vote more than once if you can! Vote lots and lots and I will be forever indebted to you all! I don't know how long you can vote for, but vote soon and vote often! I also plan on reposting this every day until then, so forgive me now, but we really want to win this.

And if you don't vote? Well, let's recap - Finn will be very, very sad...


*Finn wasn't harmed in the process of making this photo. Lee would like to believe he was upset because he can't hear with his hair covering his ears like that, but really I think he just wanted more car cars. And votes. Lots and lots of votes!

It's Almost Time To VOTE!

Hey! Remember my post from yesterday? About voting for Finn? Well it's almost time. In fact, for most people reading this it is time, if it is Friday that is. So please....Vote for Finn. And if you really don't want to vote for him? We're not friends anymore. The contest will open on Friday, July 10th at 12 noon EST and run till end of Monday, July 13th at midnight.

Oh, and if we win we get a free session with the photographer, which is not cheap and something we really want!

Just as a refresher from yesterday:

We have had some pictures taken of Finn in the past by a wonderful photographer, and she is running a contest on her site that would be oh so great for me to win. Er, for Finn to win. See, she took photos of 20 of her customers and the kid with the most votes wins. She took pictures for 10 minutes each, so she worked hard to get a shot that was great, especially with our son who was busy chasing ducks around the lake while she was trying to get his picture.

And who wouldn't want this picture to win?



Now, I know a lot of these other kids that he is up against. I have met many of them, and they are all freaking adorable. I admit that. But naturally we are biased and we think ours is the cutest of all, so if you could please vote for him I will send you millions of dollars. Or well wishes. Or positive thoughts. Or kind words. Whatever, you get my drift.

Voting starts this Friday, so click here on Friday and vote away! Vote more than once if you can! Vote lots and lots and I will be forever indebted to you all! I don't know how long you can vote for, but vote soon and vote often! I also plan on reposting this every day until then, so forgive me now, but we really want to win this.

And if you don't vote? Well, Finn will be very, very sad...


*Finn wasn't harmed in the process of making this photo. Lee would like to believe he was upset because he can't hear with his hair covering his ears like that, but really I think he just wanted more car cars. And votes. Lots and lots of votes!

Vote For Finn So He Can Win!

So I don't think I do this often...actually I am not sure I have ever done this at all, so if you will all humor me for a brief minute it would be greatly appreciated!

We have had some pictures taken of Finn in the past by a wonderful photographer, and she is running a contest on her site that would be oh so great for me to win. Er, for Finn to win. See, she took photos of 20 of her customers and the kid with the most votes wins. She took pictures for 10 minutes each, so she worked hard to get a shot that was great, especially with our son who was busy chasing ducks around the lake while she was trying to get his picture.

And who wouldn't want this picture to win?



Now, I know a lot of these other kids that he is up against. I have met many of them, and they are all freaking adorable. I admit that. But naturally we are biased and we think ours is the cutest of all, so if you could please vote for him I will send you millions of dollars. Or well wishes. Or positive thoughts. Or kind words. Whatever, you get my drift.

Voting starts this Friday, so click here on Friday and vote away! Vote more than once if you can! Vote lots and lots and I will be forever indebted to you all! I don't know how long you can vote for, but vote soon and vote often! I also plan on reposting this every day until then, so forgive me now, but we really want to win this.

Would it help if I told you my mom broke her arm last night? Yes, again. The same arm, in fact, that she broke in London a mere 3 years ago. And it would make her arm feel a whole lot better if Finn won.

What about the fact my dad is having surgery on Friday for his hernia? Yep, my parents love to spend time in Atlanta's hospitals almost as much as their own home. I know it would make his recovery process so much better if Finn won.

And if you don't vote? Well, Finn will be very, very sad...


*Finn wasn't harmed in the process of making this photo. Lee would like to believe he was upset because he can't hear with his hair covering his ears like that, but really I think he just wanted more car cars. And votes. Lots and lots of votes!

Car Cars Car Cars

We spend a lot of time with cars around here. Looking at them, vrooming them, reading about them, watching them out the window. Car car is heard about every 2.3 seconds in fact.

Clearly we don't read to Finn enough books with cars that he has now resorted to reading National Geographic in search of pictures of cars. Fortunately there are quite a few car ads, but when there isn't? Well. You will see.

Hey mama? This magazine has car cars in it! Car Car! CAR CAR!

Car car here, car car there, car car everywhere...

Wait. What is this? Animals? Cultural articles? Evolution? No!

I want my car cars. Bugger.*

What mama? I couldn't find car cars, so I ripped it all up for you! Do you like? CAR CARS!

*If there was ever an indication that Finn listens to every single thing we say, tonight at dinner Lee and I had a discussion about the difference in context of the word bugger. Do we even really use it in the US? I couldn't honestly think of a time when I do. But in saying it over and over Finn started chanting BuggerBuggerBugger. Which in the UK is not an overly polite word. Ha. Better watch everything we say now!

I have a huge favor to ask of all my readers in the next few days, and will update accordingly. But for now I will say please check back on Friday, because I need everyone's help!

Happy Birthday Austin!

There is nothing quite like the feeling of hearing that one of your dearest friends has become a mom for the first time, and we could not be happier that Alice now has an adorable son to call her very own, Austin. We can't wait to meet him!

And Happy Fourth of July to everyone! May your day be filled with, uh, family and friends and fireworks and parades and beer and whatever else your Fourth of July normally is.