A little update...

I don't know where to start, but I'm updating my blog so that's a big step anyway.

My birthday was in February and my mother and father-in-law came down to visit us. It was so much fun and so nice to have them here. They are such amazingly giving, selfless people. And they're funny. And they're caring. And my mother-in-law is adorable and dresses cuter than I do. Basically, I have the best in-law's in the world. They make even strangers want to be around them.

We went to the zoo while they were here and ate lots of yummy food and we even got my father-in-law to play cards (he HATES games) and he kicked our trash. :)

For my birthday Chase got me a new straightener to replace the one I have had since Jr. High. And my in-laws got me a new lens for our camera! Well, in a round-about way they did. I'm still learning to use it but I love it already. I just love that we can take photos inside now without having to use flash!

In other news, Finn got a big boy haircut. He really likes haircuts. Almost as much as getting shots.

He was quite thrilled.

And I think this next photo may be my favorite picture ever so far. Or at least it makes me melt every time I see it. :)

This little boy is really a toddler now. He's doing so many new things every day!

• He dances as well as his mama: he bends his knees and pops his bum up and down to the beat of whatever song is playing, but his torso and arms just stay completely straight and don't move. It's hilarious.
• It's so fun to see him actually understanding things: he knows dog and loves to say "DAH!" whenever we see a dog or hear one bark. He knows duck, or "DECK!" and when you say drink, he runs to the fridge. When you say let's go outside, he runs to the door. When you say bath, he runs to the bathroom. When you say shoes, he grabs them and brings them to you. It's fun. :)
• He loves his blanket. Anytime he's in his room and I hear him start to cry, sure enough when I go in there he's frustrated to tears that he can't pull his blanket through the slats of his crib. When I get it for him he immediately puts it to his face and collapses onto the floor with it.
• He is always getting hurt. Scrapes turn into huge scabs no matter how little damage is done. Poor buddy. But you can't keep this kid down. He will not sit on your lap unless he's really ridiculously tired. At church he is the most active kid in our ward. 
• He really is crazy, but he's also charming and knows how to get people to smile. That's what I love most about him - he seems to know just how to cheer people up. A lady in our ward came up to me at the end of church and said that her teenage son had been having such a bad morning and was so grumpy until the sat behind us and Finn grinned at him. She said it was the first time he smiled all day. I love that even though Finn is so active to the point of driving us nuts, he's so sweet and just wants everyone to smile and be happy. I hope that he stays that way forever.