Mixed Nuts: Oh Finley

Quotes

"There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark." - Helen Keller
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
You may never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.- Unknown
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow' ~Helen Keller
Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."- Dr. Seuss
"Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it."
"God doesn't give children with disabilities to strong people: He gives them to ordinary, everyday people, then He helps the parents to grow stronger through the journey. Raising a child with special needs doesn't TAKE a special family, it MAKES a special family."Author Unknown
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go – Abraham Lincoln
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~ Benjamin Franklin
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle - Albert Einstein
The journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step
Sometimes in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives you a fairy tale
Where there is great love, there are always miracles - Willa Cather
The Difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer
Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness
There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
Be the change you want to see in the world
Don't tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big Your God is..........
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it
Fall down seven times - get up eight - unknown
Despite our differences, we sink or swim together
Life may not be the party we expected, but while we are here, we might as well dance
"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." -Confucius

Monday, November 21, 2011

Oh Finley

First of all - let's talk about what she is wearing in this picture.

I was out running errands, and I come home to find that Mat had let Finley dress herself. Doesn't she look pretty? She is wearing all of her favorites. A purple skirt. Her orange sparkly shirt. Skeleton socks. And her white shoes that are a 1/2 size too small but she refuses to let me give them away.

These pictures just tell it all about Finley's personality. She stands up for what she wants every.single.time. Just because her favorites don't match each other in the slightest, she is still going to wear them all at once because SHE WANTS TO.

This personality is going to serve her well some day. She isn't going to let people push her around. But for now? At 5 years old and this head strong? She has Mat and I realing. We have a lot of trouble finding things to "threaten" her with to make her behave. Nothing seems to phase her - at least that is the show she puts on.

Tonight at Piano lessons she decided she wasn't really in the mood. The piano teacher was sweet and told me we are going to "have lessons like this", but I just sighed heavy because again - this is Finley. I talked to her the whole way to the lesson about how she was going to try her best and she would get two chapters read to her in her book tonight instead of one. "yes yes" she said. But we get there, and she is a mess. Because she decided before she got in the door that tonight was not going to be the night she wanted to do her piano lesson.

Big.sigh.

Arlington was so easy. She still is in a lot of ways. At least when it comes to discipline. Arlington wants to please. She gets pleasure out of following the rules. And Cainan - well, we all know our little old man at heart is a rule follower. So to have this "free spirit" (especially when Mat and I are both first borns and not like her at.all.) is a challenge beyond anything I have ever experienced.

Thank goodness she is cute.

Disclaimer - yes - a few pictures above are pictures of Finley on the treadmill. She is going about .00000001 miles an hour - she wanted to try it out. She was on there about 10 seconds. No we do not make our children walk the treadmill. Although........ just kidding.