oh dave!

no matter how old i get or how much older you get, i will always be your little girl! you have been such an influence on my life and still continue to be such an important man in my life, even though i'm all grown-up and adult-like. even during my angry teenage years with the teenage angst i brought into your life, you were there for me.

thank you for loving and approving of me throughout all my days. even the day when the police came to our house and yelled at me for tping with my friends (though i think you were a little amused). even when i somehow set my favorite sweater on fire in the bathroom at the waldwick house. even when i yelled that you were ruining my life because you made me get off of the internet at 4 in the morning. even when i spilled red nail polish in the middle of the family room carpet. even when i made you pay for a silly big wedding (though i think you were too proud to notice the price). even when everything. you have been an amazing father and now an amazing grandfather.

happy birthday papa! i love you.

picnic!

saturday was the perfect day, finally not too hot and spent with josh's family ! we just enjoyed eating and lounging and spending time outside! finn (and josh and i) got to meet ava, the newest edition to the iannelli family who is about a month younger that baby finn. her big sisters were happy to show her off and got a little protective when finn tried to squish her cute little cheeks and push her over. he is all boy!

i love weddings!

my friend aubrey got married on friday to a wonderful man named eric. she looked gorgeous. he looked dapper. they make a very cute couple and they had a fantastic wedding (and reception). there was a trolley that took us to the reception site! there were cakes on each table! there were beer koozies with their name and date on them! the wedding and reception were absolutely adorable and so showed off their personalities! oh, and there was a signature drink, the pfeiffer-tini, and let me say, woohoo! give this girl a few of those and a camera and watch out. oh yeah, and the pfeiffer-tini causes excessive amounts of fish-eye lens pictures.

happy wedding day, pfeiffers!

josh using the koozietable 16...carrot cake, my favorite!

josh and i on the trolleyme with the bride!

our table buddies, emily and ryan

the head table on stage

dancing the night away

how not to feed a baby finn

when feeding a baby finn in his natural habitat, it is important to not get too comfortable. the moment you look away, he will snatch his food and attempt to devour it before you are even given the opportunity to correct your terrible mistake. beware of this wild and untamed baby!

at least he enjoyed it.

just like mom...

if you recall, my family like to sleep. well, baby finn has totally taken off with his deep love of sleep. i know that it is normal for babies to go to bed at 7 or 8 in the evening, but not my child. he has consistently stays up late and sleeps in late. however, tonight he decided it was time to change that schedule. at about 8, he got a little cranky. we played. by 8:15, i couldn't take his whining anymore and took him up to his crib. literally the second his head hit the mattress, he started beaming and giggling and was perfectly ecstatic with sleeping the night away. after seeing that face, i wondered to myself if i should lay down on my own mattress and beam and giggle and be perfectly ecstatic with sleeping the night away.

now, here's hoping he still decides to sleep in.

if breastfeeding bothers you, don't continue!

my right breast should just be ashamed. on vacation, at one point, alyssa said to me, "so i guess you need to feed finn off your left side, huh?" apparently, in my bikini, she noticed what i have seen since the beginning of this whole baby feeding thing. i end up quite lopsided when it is time for finn to eat. my left breast is constantly screaming, "I'M TIRED OF DOING ALL THE WORK AND I WANT SOME HELP!!!" my right side gives about a 1/2 of the milk of the left side. i don't really care except for when i think about my boobs talking to one another and the unfairness of it all. it's just not fair for one to do more work than the other. that's all.

two old ladies :)

two very important women are turning a year older today! our moms, chris and kathy, share a birthday, though one was born a year earlier (i won't tell which). these two ladies have been such amazing blessings in our life as a couple and as parents. growing up, my mom was such an amazing role model and gave everything to my brothers and i. my hope and prayer is that i can build a relationship with my children similar to the one i have with my mother.

happy birthday! we love you!

beach getaway

oh gulf shores, how i love thee!

josh, come back!

i have an amazing appreciation for single moms out there. this is really hard. we made it home from gulf shores late sunday without josh. he is off doing a freelance job in kansas city (what what), so i am experiencing what it is like to have a 7 month old on my own. it's very difficult. i am exhausted after day 1. now, my "rest" is going to work while kathy watches finn. can't wait.

anyways, the vacation was fabulous. i will post pictures as soon as i find the cord for my camera. that is why i haven't exactly been updating the blog very often. i can't find anything in this mess of boxes and oddly placed items. someday, hopefully soon, this house will be our home and there will be some method to this madness.

sand between my toes

we've made it. finn had his first road trip down to gulf shores, alabama. we are 3 days into the vacation and loving every minute of it. currently, however, there is a hurricane of fun over the beach, so we are going to be watching the bachelorette and staying indoors tonight! anyways, we have just been relaxing and enjoying the beach and water. by we, i mean me. josh is somewhat fair-skinned and doesn't enjoy just sitting in the heat. finn apparently does not like the heat...or the sand...or the waves...so we are continuously easing him into the water and putting him in the bumbo, so as to not get too much sand on his sweet little toes. by the end of this trip, he will be a beach baby! i am certain to make that happen.

thank you!

so without a doubt, some friends and family have definitely assisted us in painting/de-wallpapering/watching finn/organizing/unpacking/restoring sanity. thank you thank you thank you. a million times thank you. we are still working on most of the rooms, but in a matter of 48 hours post-move-in, we had at least our family room done. there may be boxes still littering the floor, but at least it's newly painted and comfy-cozy.

thanks mom, dad, stan, kathy, alyssa, jeff, maggie, sarah, brad, christopher, colin, jc, robbie. we love you! look at all that work that josh and i didn't have to do :)

a dog with spots

brody must have brushed up against some paint (there is a similar spot on the right side of his face and body). after searching, josh has yet to find an area covered in fur and needing a new coat of paint.

c'mon mom...

i think he wants me to leave him alone. seriously though, how can i quit taking pictures of that sweet, annoyed face?