Finley is THREE!

Seth texted me this photo this week. We're not overly given to sentiment, but it kind of made both of us stop in our tracks. It's hard to believe that this was our big girl just three years ago, being fed with Dad's pinky because her traumatic delivery prevented her from latching, while Mom pumped frantically and all of us wondered what we had gotten ourselves into.

These days the pumps have all been donated, the swaddling blankets turned into snot-wiping cloths, and we're no longer terrified that our tiny baby will starve to death or suffocate in her crib or any number of disaster scenarios that keep new parents up at night.

And Finley walks around like this. (This is her on her birthday wearing all of the "batgirl clothes" she requested as her present from Ford. At the same time.)

Naturally, we celebrated big with our exuberant girl. She got to have a lunch-and-lululemon date with the Trimble twins.

Opened presents galore and tried to play with them all at once (thereby preventing Ford from doing so.)

And, true to Walters family tradition, went for a steep and dangerous birthday hike with the Stew Crew. (We added our own twist and kicked things off with parking lot donuts.)

 Anddddd we had a wild, giant "princess-sword" party (Finley's request) Sunday. It rained. The huge bounce house we had rented became a water hazard. 43 rambunctious kids poured into and destroyed our house. Sword fights ensued, candy corn was ground deep, deep into our carpet, and we went through more cases of beer and wine than decent people do in conjunction with children's events. A terrific time was had by all.

So terrific, in fact, that I'm still cleaning mac and cheese off of the ceiling.

Finley was beside herself with joy (and sweets consumption) and got way more presents than Mom & Dad, who are trying to teach anti-materialism, would have approved.

Luckily one of her favorites is this gorgeous (real) violin that was handed down from my boss's kids, talented musicians all. Lessons are going to be a must.

Of course it wasn't just Finley's birthday week, it was also Beat Air Force week, and we did- resoundingly. Ford paraded around the Ryans' football watching party in a serious of fantastic headgear

and celebrated the win with Tito's. (He held the bottle anyway, and looked pretty happy about it.) This has to be the funniest photo of the week.

The years do fly... happy birthday to our big girl, who started preschool on Monday and can't stop telling people that "I'm in PRESCHOOL! I am SO BIG!" Indeed.

Ben!!! and Brave Costumes

There are lots and lots of things I hope Seth and I do as well as our parents did. So. Many. Things. Of all of them, though, I think we both hope most that we raise kids who are as crazy about their siblings as we are. Seth still says Savanna was his best friend. And the Walters kids will do anything to see each other, and enjoy every second when we do.

Ben was TDY to DC and sent a casual note that he was going to change his flight and swing up to New York on his way home. We got an entire weekend with him. And it was a shitshow week for us: in between shitty work weeks, on an off-week for the housekeeper, the weather was terrible, and we were juggling pre-Halloween plans and piles of laundry and loads of work "emergencies." But we couldn't have been happier to push it aside, shove the unfolded laundry under the beds, and celebrate big about unexpected time with my farthest-flung sibling.

One of my favorite things about my husband, by the way, is that he adores my family as much as I do. (As I do his.)

Anyway, Ben showed up Saturday, out of thin air, while we were dragging groceries inside as Ford Mad Max-ed his bike down the middle of the street. As per usual, it was like we had seen each other just yesterday. The Walter family traditions held: we went hiking

(Storm King is a family tradition)

and hit Trophy Point in the rain.

On top of beer drinking, gym going, pumpkin carving, and some birthday lemon cake. Just a few of our favorite things.

We were (obviously) sad to see Ben go. (But magnanimously thrilled that most of the rest of the fam is reunion-ing in Hawaii right now! And, of course, absurdly jealous.)

There were consolation prizes, of course. Day care fall festival.

Wild Halloween parties with Seth-created costumes.

Trick or treating and neighborhood parades.

And the "Beat Air Force!" bonfire. Finley got to do the Cupid Shuffle with the Rabble Rousers.

One of my favorite photos of the week, though, is from LTC Ray's promotion party at the firstie club. Jack played air hockey with Ford, toddler-style. It was a hit.

Grandparents, trail nirvana, and the Disney store.

You know that feeling when you finally become one with the trail? When your breathing stops being uneven, and you don't even have to look down to sense where the rocks and roots are, and you just kind of glide...? I had almost forgotten it. My nerdy neuroscience-obsessed husband would call it reaching "flow." I call it "trail nirvana." And I haven't experienced it in a long, long time.

This week, thanks to both sets of parents, I got to experience it twice. And it was divine. 

Ana and Ata left. It was very sad. We didn't even have time to grieve before Grandma and Grandpa blessedly showed up. Thanks to them, we got to have a date night to see George W. Bush receive the Thayer Award

and have a few extra sets of hands to tackle kids at the football game, an excellent one in which Army beat Temple in overtime. 

The kids, naturally, acted terrible.

Seth held the plaque and spent a couple quarters on the field. Making time for his cutest fans, of course.

We also made it to a prep school game Sunday, which was awesome and fun. Very low key.

Finley got to terrorize the sidelines.

Afetwrards we even tackled the mall, for an epic early birthday trip to the Disney store with grandparents- of which I regretfully (?) got no pictures, and carousel fun was had by all. 

Plus we had a killer early birthday dinner at the Yardhouse. Preceded by Ford's dance moves at the bar.

Finley's early birthday fabulousness continued with a trip to rabblerousers practice, the highlight of her young life.

And now we're back to this, after weeks of having good times with grandparents. We miss them all, already. Clearly.

Although my favorite photo of the week- admittedly, I didn't take as many with J&T as I should have- is this one, of Ford with his favorite thing ever. He drills everything these days, appropriate and otherwise.

And I have a soft spot for this game photo, with the creepy mascot.

Mom & Dad & Elmo & Stolen Cigars

I've given up on keeping track of things like lateness, or cleanliness, or how many times one of my kids has snuck into my bed and I've been too tired to do anything but fight them for a corner of the blanket. I can't remember the last time I blogged, or frankly the last time I washed my hair, cleaned my microwave, returned a phone call, or mandated the consumption of vegetables. We. Are. Beat.

Luckily before scurvy descended upon us all, Mom and Dad showed up. And took over all the chores and all the cooking and most of the "go sit on the potty"s. We could not be more grateful. 

They have really saved the day on bedtime stories 

 and cramped car rides

and rainy day entertaining

 

and getting picky Ford to eat.

They also navigated post on a game day  with tired kids in tow so I could make a quick trip up the coast for Rebecca's Rhode Island baby shower, which was lovely and meaningful. (And it's amazing that 7 hours of driving time, when you haven't had any time to yourself in months, can repurpose itself as a real treat.) 

Not to mention the fact that I am going home to a from-scratch chicken pot pie tonight. You never, it seems, stop needing Mom when things are rough.

Because they're here, we're even able to do a little kicking back. Since we knew reinforcements were coming, last weekend we eschewed laundry for Sesame Place.

And it was terrible. Hot, crowded, full of people from new Jersey... we totally wished we were doing laundry. The kids loved it.

We also hit Seth's work Oktoberfest for sausages and beer (and terrible hats and dangerous sibling fun)

and Tommy Ryan's batman birthday party,

We threw a party last night and completely wrecked the house in our Elsa finery while Mom & Dad were out enjoying a much-deserved hike.

And Seth gave this amazing speech at last week's Spirit Luncheon.

Somehow, thanks to family and adorable kids and pumpkin beer, as crazy as things are we're enjoying fall.

Ford, with cigars and cadet regalia

and Finley with sleepless nights and early morning workouts.

Life is nutty but good.