Author: The Nack Daddy

During our trip to Galena, my folks sprung for one of the most memorable birthday gifts ever: a hot air balloon ride over the Galena Territory & surrounding farmland. (Nothing says “birthday” like terrorizing livestock from above. :-)) Margot and I were joined by Ted and his girlfriend Stephanie on an absolutely picture-perfect evening–speaking of which, here’s a photo gallery (HTML).
The next night we celebrated my birthday & Finn’s arrival at home with the Nack clan and our friends the Roths. When Aunt Dolores and Uncle Louie met Finn in SF a month after his birth, I managed to forget our camera; now I had a chance to make up for lost time. So, Aunt Dolores, if you’re reading, hello. 🙂 Here’s the gallery (HTML).

Developments are coming fast and furious for our little squirrel-man. He’s now reaching very deliberately for things (to pop into his mouth, naturally)–things that somehow often happen to include pieces of M&D’s faces. We think he’s trying to disprove the saying that “You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose…”
He’s also developed a real taste for his Domendites, popping his little hind paws right into his maw. During bathtime Dad tried to get in on that action. 🙂 I’ve been running around with the camera, capturing what I can; here’s a little gallery (HTML) of the latest.

Among the highlights of our trip was introducing Finn to his Uncle (!) Ted in person. Big T. in turn intro’d Finn to “Aunt Rose” and to the whole concept of “doggie.” In this little gallery (HTML) you can see all three interacting. I love Finn’s reactions and especially the last shot, where the small guy is looking up with some wonder at his ginormous uncle. I kind of think the three of them should go into business as CDS Partners — Colossus, Dachshund, and Squirrel, LLP. 😉

On Tuesday we took the Finn-man on a whirlwind tour of our Chicago-based relatives (the four other “Carlin girls” and their families). We got to see a ton of happy, familiar faces, and despite having traveled for 12 hours the previous day and not having gotten to bed until after midnight, Finn was his usual charming self.
First up was Hackney’s restaurant (kind of a family institution), where we met up with Aunt Jane & Uncle John, Aunt Anne & Uncle Bill, Aunt Judy and Uncle Bruce, as well as my cousins Andrew, Amy, and Liz with their kids, and Andrew’s wife Katie. It was such a treat to see everyone, especially as Amy lives in North Carolina and just happened to be visiting. The small fry amused themselves eating fries, drinking kiddie cocktails, and bombing around the little clubhouse out back (much as their parents’/my generation did before them). Aunt Anne made Finn a wonderful Red Kitty, just like the one that was inseparable from his dad; Aunt Judy knitted beautiful hooded sweater (complete with puppy buttons!); and Aunt Jane gave Finn a sharp-lookin’ toddler outfit that he can grow into. Here’s a photo gallery (also available in smaller HTML form).
After we pitstopped at the hotel for a pretty harrowing, unsuccessful attempt at napping, we headed over to see the Nadile clan–my Aunt Mary Kay, Uncle Tedy, their kids Christine, Kelly, and Patrick, Christine’s four kids & husband Chris. We were treated to an impromptu performance from young Christopher’s band, and Finn scored a nifty, fuzzy little pirate ship (perfect for chomping). Here are the photos (HTML).

We’ve been enjoying the nice weather in the backyard with a little help from blankets made by Grandma Nack & Aunt Laura–the latter of which, shown here, features the Fighting Irish on one side and the Colorado Buffs on the other. Today Finn shows off his voracious chomping tendencies; hangs out with Dad; and goes “flying” on Mom’s knees in this gallery of more backyard fun (HTML).

One perk of having tagged Finnegan as our “Squirrel” is the availability of tons of great squirrel-themed gear. This week the small guy donned a great new onesie featuring a little tree-dwelling dude playing the skins. Check it out! (I take it as a good omen that he managed to get through the day without a single change of clothes. Many days he’s despoiled his duds even before his morning nap.)
We’ve also scored some super-jazzy Rock Squirrel memo pads, soon to be pressed into service as the Captain’s Log in which we record Finn’s eating/sleeping schedule.

With all the nice weather we’ve been having, we thought it was high time to introduce the Finnster to grass & What Lies Beyond the Gazebo. With the help of a nice blanket made by his Grandma Nack, the three of us cooled out in the backyard. Here you can check out the gallery (HTML)–featuring a little squirrel-fishing!

On our way out of Colorado, we got to catch up for brunch with our friends Erica & Zander. They’re the proud parents of the lovely 2.5-month-old Mia. The milk-besotted Finn staged an episode of Slumpy Baby Theater^(TM), but we still captured a cute little gallery (HTML).

On Thursday evening our pals Bryan and Alex Hughes (née Lewis; thus collectively “Huewis”) dropped by for a visit and dinner. They took Finn for a spin in the gazebo, much to everyone’s delight. 🙂 Here are the pix (also available in HTML form).