Did Somebody Say Raspberry?

We finally had some nice weather this weekend.

It was between 75*-85* all weekend, so we spent the whole weekend in the yard.

There is an awesome raspberry patch in our yard!

Last summer we picked 17.5 lbs.!  

(not including the ones we ate while picking :)

The only problem is that the patch has been a little overgrown with weeds...

Or maybe a lot overgrown...

Before...

Raspberries, raspberries, where are you?!

We pulled weeds for a good 16-18 hours.

Even with gloves that amount of weeding made our hands swell and ache...

"Clint, I found one!  Yippee!"

Man, I look angry...

This is the only proof that I have of me helping though :)

Clint take note:

When you take a picture, give a warning, so your target has a chance to smile...

Making progress...I see dirt!

]

We were attacked by ANTS!!

It was literally WWIII out there...

They were super aggressive, and we have many war wounds...

We had to take a pool break to cool off.

Liam's FAVORITE thing to say and play with is 

"Dah Boe..."  the ball...

This is how his mouth looks while saying it...hehe

I love his little pucker.

For some reason Liam didn't actually want to get in the pool...

But he did have fun throwing his balls in the water and splashing around.

"Hi, Mom."

"A little help Mama?

My Go-Go-Gadget Arms don't seem to be working."

Most of the raspberries that were actually alive were not in the "designated patch area."

I think we transplanted about 40-50 sprigs...

Not sure what they are actually called, so I'll just call them sprigs 

Making headway...

Ants...take note of lower right of this picture...

We will conquer you!

Last row!

We had mountains of weeds!

One and-a-bit pickup loads FULL to be almost precise!

DONE...AHHH...

I could almost hear heaven calling.

Now time for some serious enjoyment in our picking...

No more hunting and getting all scratched up!

Yay!

Reminiscing

Liam will officially be a year-and-a- half old a week from Saturday.

18 MONTHS...

I can hardly believe it.  

Where did the time go?

I'm sure I'll be saying that every year for the rest of my life.

Anyway, as Liam and I were outside gardening today, I couldn't help but watch and stare as he explored the dirt world around him.

He's questioning everything...

...all day long...

"Wasss Saaat?"  "Dis?"  

He's learning so much, and I couldn't be more proud.

Even though the baby stage is quickly fading, I'm looking forward to what's to come.

When we came in for nap time, I found myself reminiscing where we've been this last year.

I thought I'd share a bit with you.

Liam, Mommy loves you!

Clint was right.  Liam was starting to look like a hobo with that hair.

I guess I had some blind love for those baby locks :)

I think I'll Finish the year out with these little pictures.  

It's almost like SUPER FAST scrapbooking!  

Thank you Pinterest for the great idea :)

Giant Dog

Liam got this giant dog from Great-Grandma Lois before he was born.

We ended up putting it away until he was bigger.

Then we moved

 This little big guy was in a box...

Until yesterday!

I think it's safe to say he likes loves it!

Thank you GG Lois!

Amarilli Mia Bella

Clint works pretty long hours along with his 2 hour commute.

We don't like it, but we appreciate his devotion to providing for this family!

A typical weekday only allows an hour or so of Baby Fin time.

Bedtime routines are Daddy's gig because of this. 

Bedtime usually involves, singing, reading, and milk.

Watching their special time together melts my heart!

Here's a sneak peak that Clint probably didn't want me to share.

I just couldn't resist!

What do you think Liam?

Do you enjoy Italian Art Songs from the 1600's?

YES!

Fake Sneezing

This video is only a month-and-a half old.  

It is AMAZING to me how much Liam has progressed since then.

One of my favorite giggle-fests we've captured on video.

Fake sneezing is my favorite!

Sensory With Puffs

Liam has been showing interest in developing his fine motor skills during the last few days.

Drawing, picking fuzz off the carpet, and 

organizing the food on his plate are just a few of the things that have been of interest.

I thought organizing these puffs would be fun for him.  

Baby Fin was busy for about an hour.

SUCCESS!

We started by putting different sized puffs in a muffin tin.

Then, we ORGANIZED :)

"You were right Mommy, organizing is fun!"

Little hands doing important work.

"I'm getting really good at this."

Liam brought over these cups on his own and added them to our little game.

Workin' hard!

Father's Day

We spent Father's Day in Conrad with Clint's Family.

It was a good day.

Liam is a squirmy little fart :)

There are very few people he will snuggle up to for lengthy periods of time...

Grandpa Jim just happens to be one of the few.

Happy Father's Day, Clint!

I had no idea those were the elements that make up wine ;)

Happy Father's Day Gpa Jim!

Liam had to get in the picture too :)

Liam got Daddy matching ties for them both.

We were privileged to have dinner with Great Grandpa and Grandma Finlayson.

Liam and Great Aunt Mary

Cheese.