Everything After

 I am shocked at how much time has gone by, since I have shared our family's stories. Having Finn in my life and in full blown toddler mode has mostly kept me away from writing, and into other things like "Thomas the Train", blowing bubbles and watching him and daddy check out bugs in the back yard.

Our family is growing, Erhan and I are ever changing as the years go by. We are transitioning into the role of being parents much easier this year than last. Finn gives us full nights of sleep (12 hours a night at least) and lavishes us with more kisses, hugs and laughter than we ever could have imagined. The world had better get ready for Finn Ergenekan. Explorer, comedian, and giver of one of the best smiles I've seen next to his handsome older brother Dallas. Erhan and my alone time means so much more now than it used to. We take full advantage of our peace and quiet these days, and then humorously find ourselves missing our little guy more than ever.

We are knee deep into summer here in Portland, and with me being almost six months pregnant, it can make the heat a little bit much.We are expecting a little baby boy (yes, ANOTHER BOY!) around Thanksgiving this year and we are amazed at how fast time is flying this pregnancy. I'm about to enter my third trimester soon, and unlike when I was pregnant with Finn, I have zero time to get things done. My OCD is going crazy. The brothers will be sharing a room upstairs, and the plans to paint and remodel Finn's room are going to have to wait until the weather gets a little cooler. Choosing a name this round was tough. Finn's name came so easy for us, and we were struggling trying to find a perfect fit for this next little guy. We have have decided to name the baby Leo Patrick (my father's middle name is Patrick), and it seemed like a name perfectly suited for our little guy.

Our house is so much more of a home to us than it ever was these days. We are so comfortable here, and have spent this last year making some much needed improvement's. We removed about seven tree's and built a fence and retaining wall along side our driveway. Erhan has been tirelessly restoring our backyard and deck and hopefully we will be able to get a new roof put on before winter hits. We are having someone come out and paint our house soon, I truly can't wait for the upgrade! We hopefully might be selling in a few years, and we still have more improvements to make. My Uncle Gian made a joke tonight that I would never need to stage our house for an "Open House"...he say's our home looks staged all of the time! (just how I like it)

Fall last year was just beautiful. Finn picked out his first pumpkin, and ran through the patch with much curiosity. The world is starting to come to life for him. It's a family tradition to visit the same farm every year, and it's always amazing to see the pictures of Dallas and Trinity grow through the years.

Raking leaves with Daddy, kicking the big piles and laughing out loud. Finn and I were doing story time at the library and taking advantage of the last of the good weather by hitting the parks and enjoying the last of the warm wind on our face. The days were starting to get shorter, and night time was coming faster. Autumn is my favorite time of year, by far. There is just something about the smell in the air.

A few weeks before Halloween, Finn hosted his very first Halloween Party and we had such a great turn out. The house was decked out like a haunted mansion, and all of his adorable friends came in full costume. Finn was Count Dracula and his slicked back hair made me laugh. He was my little "Edward". We had prizes and a few games, not to mention a ton of food (as always). We are so lucky to be surrounded with so many fun folks, willing to get in on the enjoyment of the holidays!

The leaves were orange and yellow and the sky's were changing colors are as well. There is something so quiet and peaceful about that time of year. Funny how I already start planning for Christmas in my head before Halloween is even over. I can thank Target for setting up Christmas decorations November 1st!

Thanksgiving was beautiful. We have the pleasure every year of having two dinners, one at my folks house and one at Erhan's parents. Hopefully soon, we can have the room to have both of our families over to OUR house to eat. How did my mom pull off Thanksgiving dinner with two kids in the tiny house we grew up in?! I'm more than ready for the torch to be passed. I just need a bigger dinning room!

Christmas time is always a busy time. So many activities and so many presents to buy! I'm used to getting all of my shopping done early and having the gifts wrapped under the tree weeks in advance. This past year, I was so late beyond my own standards! I am so glad I got everything done in time, and the house and tree were as beautiful as always. Erhan and I always rock out to the old "Rat Pack" Christmas music, and this time we had Finny dancing right along next to us.

We made our first batch ever of Christmas Ornaments for the tree and to hand out to the family. Finn visited Santa with Nana and DeDe at their local senior center. He sang Christmas songs and rang the Christmas bells.
We visited the zoo for Portland's annual "Zoo Lights" spectacular and it was certainly a treat. Finn's eyes were so big staring at the thousands of lights that lit up the zoo.We found out that if you go Thanksgiving weekend, right when the zoo opens, you won't run into any lines.

We hosted Christmas Eve at our house, and all of our family came to enjoy the night with us. It's a tradition to open up our stocking stuffer's on Christmas Eve, and honestly, you had better set aside an hour or two. This event is so much fun, it's such an awesome excuse to fill everyone's lives with fun trinkets, candy and soaps we normally don't get to treat ourselves with. We had tons of food to enjoy and the home made desserts were incredible.

Christmas morning and afternoon is always celebrated at my parents house. It's where Trinity and Dallas are, so we join them for an excellent breakfast cooked by mom and dad and another round of present opening.

Mom and Dad have been in the tradition of making a delicious french toast bake and a sausage and egg bake every Christmas. I seriously think about eating it all year. We always take our time eating, not wanting the morning to end to quickly (the adults do anyway!) and then we make another pot of coffee and open the gifts, letting the kids always get a head start. We are completely spoiled every single year by the generous presents our families give us. The kids make out like bandits as always, and Erhan and I are truly overwhelmed with how special and blessed we feel after we are done.

 At the start of the year, I celebrated another wonderful Birthday with a trip to Seattle alone with Erhan. Mom and Dad took Finn for the night, and we were able to walk with our arms around each other (and not pushing a stroller) and take in dinner and a movie. My parents treated the family out to a fabulous dinner on the lake when we got back, and later that evening at the house they presented me with some spectacular presents and cake. I got a Kindle Fire that I LOVE and some beautiful memories. A celebration to remember, as always.

In February Finn hosted his first Valentines Day Party with his friends at our house. Mommies and kids were able to make
 Valentines for Daddies and enjoy lunch and play time. Unfortunately, my little guy came down with a fever that very afternoon, and slept through most of his party! His friends got to play with his toys without him even knowing (probably the only way Finn would let them!) I absolutely LOVE Valentines Day. I look forward to it every year. Some people might say you should enjoy loving who you love every day, but there is a certain joy I find in having one day dedicated to hearts, candy and paper Valentines.  Even without a partner, I believe you can share your heart with someone in this world. Someone out there is waiting, you just have to look.
 

 Spring marched into April, and Easter was another beautiful Holiday. We had breakfast at our place with our family and watched the kids hunt for presents and eggs filled with yummy treats and money. I miss my grandparents so much during Easter, I used to look forward to my See's Candy Bunny and basket they would bring every year. My Aunt Cathy would always have something homemade for my brother and I ( I cherished a fabric dollhouse she made me one year) and Grandpa Peter would follow behind me in the yard making sure I picked up every last egg (That he usually hid quarters in).

 

We took five weeks of Dinosaur Art classes at our local community center this spring. Finn got to be creative with paint and brushes, stickers and clay. He made some new friends, but mostly found himself longing to play at the train table they had set up in the lobby. Typical! Dallas turned 14 and was getting ready to finish his last year of Junior High. I can't even wrap my head around the fact he is going into High School this coming September.

Our family became Portland Zoo members this year, which truly is worth the money. We have already used our pass many, many times, and are able to get all the kids in our family, Erhan and I plus one extra adult in for free! Finn is almost tall enough to see over the railings now and can recognize and enjoy the animals so much more than he did last year. Finn loves to ride the train around the zoo, and we eat our sack lunch with a great view of the bird sanctuary. We love being able to go whenever we want!

Finn's second birthday came up very quickly. Wasn't it just yesterday our little guy was turning one? We had a very small party here at our house, "Thomas the Train" was our theme. The weather was very warm (unsual weather for us in the NW for May) so we were able to host everyone outdoors.

We set up the water table for the kids and Erhan had the BBQ going for burgers and dogs. Finn's friends came to play and everyone brought very special presents. Finn enjoyed his birthday cupcake, face first, and showed everyone else how to do it too!

We had another celebration with his Nana and DeDe the next day at the "Olive Garden" and then cake, presents and bubbles back at their house. And if you can believe it, my folks threw Finn another party on Mother's Day. We celebrated both occasions along with my Uncle's Birthday and Finn made out like a little bandit with all his fabulous gifts. Lego's and musical instruments. Playdough and new trucks along with a few "Thomas the Train" sets. We have one lucky boy.

Finn had surgery on June 8th, to have tubes put in his ears so he could hear a little better, and improve his speech. The hospital treated us like royalty and Finn's procedure went off without a hitch. We are hoping now he can develop his words and hear annunciations more clearly and also not have to endure so many ear infections and sinus infections when he gets sick. He was one brave kiddo. Erhan and I were more of a wreck than he was.

In June and July, we had a few beach trips that were very special. We didn't really have a lot of money this year for a vacation, so the Oregon Coast was about as good as it got! The first trip we took, Erhan and I were fortunate enough to be able to take alone. We stayed at a beautiful resort and spoiled ourselves silly with dinners out, walks on the beach, long hot showers and uninterrupted mornings. 

On our July trip we headed down to Cannon Beach with Finn, for his second look at the ocean. Last year he was very afraid of the sand and the water, but this year that was not the case! Finn was amazed with the ocean, and wanted nothing more than to sit and dig and scoop up sand into his bucket. We took him to ride the carousel in Seaside and the train, and made a breakfast stop at the famous "Camp 18" restaurant.

So far, heading into August, we have trips to Oak's Park with our friends, and Enchanted Forest under our belt. We are getting ready to host a pot luck for all our friends here in the middle of the month, and hopefully put some time aside to get the kids room set up. My mother is planning a fantastic baby shower for me in October, and by the time the Turkey is done this Thanksgiving we will be holding our newest addition.

As always, we feel so blessed to have so many people in our lives who love us. We hope they feel our love back.