toddlers are hard

blogging was so much easier when finn was a baby. there were more nap times and less running around. and now that summer's around the corner, we've been taking advatage of good weather by spending it without a care in the world - beach time, park time, friends, picnics, nightly concerts.

i'm not complaining. real life has been fun. crazy and wild and a learning experience for all. i just find it hard to collect and edit pictures, post thoughtful, or even any, entries, and keep up with other blogs. but this blog isn't my job ;)

and so i have this day at the park to share. a rare occasion where i brought my camera to capture an afternoon playing. i do bring my camera to lots of places, but if we're just headed out to play, i usually leave it behind so i can focus on playing face-to-face rather than lens-to-face.

finley is full on walking. he pretty much walks everywhere and i rarely see him crawl anymore. i'm so glad i caught some of his last days crawling on video. i knew they were coming to a close and here he is, proving me right. he can climb onto the couch. he can see out the windows standing on the floor. he loves to crawl up the slide and go down on his belly. he's a bundle of energy and needs almost constant stimulation.

he's still mr. serious. he does laugh and play and have fun, but he is often pensive and stares at everyone and everything. he throws tantrums often and fights to get his way. he can be found doing something naughty 9 times out of 10. he knows "no" and disregards it with twinkle in his eye. he's trouble, but still sweet and loving. open mouth kisses, soft hugs, and hair petting...he does know how to be nice.

he's a little boy now. searching the world, finding his place. testing the waters and the boundaries. i'm just trying to keep up.