I stutt!

Elise got herself stuck in her booster seat when it was on the floor, ready to take to Granny's for Thanksgiving. She said, "I stutt! I stutt!"

Isaac's 4th Birthday Celebrations!

Isaac turned 4 (four!) (F.O.U.R.!!!) on the Monday before Thanksgiving, so we started celebrating on the Saturday before that. We had a family party that morning that included playing, laughing, eating pizza and cake, opening presents, and playing some more. Isaac had a great time with his grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins. He received some very special presents, including his first Nerf gun (thanks to Pawpaw Ronny and Theresa!), money for his savings account (thanks Granny and Pawpaw!), Legos and puzzles (thanks Gramps and Nana!), Cars 2 Play Doh set (thanks Ray and Kati!), paint-on crafts (thanks Michelle!) and a... drumroll please... Monster truck with a remote control! Isaac got a smaller one of these last year that he loved, but it broke pretty soon after we'd purchased it. Since then, he'd been telling us that for his birthday he wanted "a Monster truck with a mote-a-toll [remote control]." He was absolutely elated when he opened his gift from Steven and me, and it was his new Monster truck!

This year was unique in that it was the first time Isaac picked out his own cake. We went to Walmart a couple days before his party and I showed him the cake book. When first asked what he wanted, he responded, "Woody." But after he saw the Woody cakes, the Cars cakes, and the Thomas the Train cakes, Isaac decided on a Cars cake. We decided that a cupcake cake would be easiest, so we opted for that. The next day, I picked it up and was very pleased with how well it turned out! Thanks to James at the Mt Island Walmart for this awesomely decorated cake:


Before the party, Isaac decided to wear his Panthers jersey. He was all smiles as his guests began arriving.


We opened one gift (his nerf gun) and then the doorbell rang. The pizza had arrived, so we sat down for lunch. After that, we sang "Happy Birthday" and brought Isaac's cake to him. Suddenly all those smiles evaporated and he snuck under the table. See the picture below? You can't really see Isaac because he is crawling under the table...


With his ears covered...


Yes, we now know for sure that he doesn't like being the center of attention. Elise, on the other hand, was beaming the whole time and even kept saying "My birthday comin' up!" She didn't seem to understand why Isaac was so upset. We gave him a cupcake and he agreed to eat it, but he was still a little miffed:


After the whole birthday cake thing, Isaac was back to smiles and fun. He even got Gramps to try out his Nerf gun!


Then we headed into the living room to open presents. Here is Isaac opening his Monster truck from Steven and me...


See this HUGE smile? You should have heard him in person. He was so super crazy excited that he actually got a Monster truck with a "MOTE-A-TOLL"!!! He jumped around for a while due to his excitement. He has played with that truck every day since then. He loves it. Yes, birthday score for Mommy and Daddy!


What a great party it was! On Isaac's actual birthday, we celebrated him all day long. Here he is, eating as a four-year-old for the first time:


And Elise joined in on the celebration...


What a big boy!


Isaac had preschool on his birthday, so we took the leftover cupcakes for his class to share. They had fun eating them and talking about birthdays. Isaac got a pencil and a birthday card from his teachers, and Ms Ann sang Happy Birthday to him. After preschool, we went to the park with our friends Jennifer and Gabby. Isaac loves to play with Gabby, so he was thrilled for some park time. For his birthday, Gabby gave Isaac a set of Hot Wheels cars, which he loved!


Naptime came and went, and then we had dinner together as we do every night, but it was super-special Isaac dinner this time. And we topped it all off with more birthday singing and cupcakes! (that time he didn't cover his ears or hide under the table; he just turned his head away for a few seconds. Steven did cupcakes and singing a third time with the kids on Tuesday night when I was away, and Isaac actually liked the singing that time! Progress!)

Here's the happy cupcake eaters: (I had one too, and it was yummy!)





Happy Birthday Big Boy! You are SO cool and we LOVE you!

Birthday Letter to Isaac from Mommy...

Dear Isaac,
I love you so much my sweet boy. Your smile lights up my heart every day. I love to see you run around with so much energy, joy and excitement for life. You are becoming more confident and assertive each day, and I am blessed to watch as you grow into your unique personality. Your laugh is contagious, and you are even a little ham! You are a lover of creative things, like art, music, and blocks. I love to watch you play the guitar beside your Daddy, glue paper together, or make flowers, doghouses, or towers with your blocks. I love it when you build train tracks that take over our first floor. It is such fun when you hop into the van's passenger seat after preschool, hook the grown-up seat belt, and we ride together around the church parking lot. You are a loving big brother, and I can see your character developing as you share a little more with your sister. You and Elise are starting to play together more these days, and I can tell you truly love your little sis. Our family is so blessed to have you in our lives, little man. Happy 4th birthday Smidge!
Love,
Mommy

Piggybacking with Daddy!

Birthday Goose Egg

A little over a week before Isaac's 4th birthday, he had a bad fall (from our couch to our end table)... well, actually more of a bad jump. It happened while Steven and I were on a date and our babysitter was at the house. She was in the kitchen cleaning up Elise after dinner when Isaac decided to jump from the couch and detour into the end table. She called her mom who helped her to assess the situation, and then she called us to ask if she could give some Tylenol (brave girl!) When we came home, he had gone to sleep, but we woke him to check him out. His head bonk was huge! The biggest we'd ever seen. He was fine, though, and after a week it looks so much better. We did snap some pictures while he had it so we could remember. These are a few days after the incident, so the swelling had gone down quite a bit...



Jumping off the couch is officially off limits.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our table to yours...

Another trip to the Zoo!

Last weekend, we decided to take a trip to the zoo. The weather was mild, so it was perfect for walking around and spotting animals. The animals were out more than usual due to the cooler temperatures. Here's our photoshoot from the day:

Isaac, looking so grown up:


Isaac and Elise watching the sea lion (which Elise was convinced was a "dolphin"):




The chimps:



Baby Nori and Aunt Terri:


Trying to get a picture with this silly boy:


We really got to see the lion!


Another try at a picture; Isaac wasn't into having his photo taken...


Last stop, the giraffes!


Isaac loved standing on this thing and trying to look through it:


What a fun family day!

Elise and an ice cream sandwich...

Finger lickin' good!

Playing on the couch!

Last week, I found the kids playing together on the couch like this... Elise was pretending to sleep on Isaac's lap:



Pure love...


Then it was Isaac's turn!




Then it went a little haywire... and apparently Elise didn't like the sound of that:


After that, the trash truck came. To the window they went:


Then Isaac decided that there had been enough sibling sweetness and it was time for some face smashing:


Elise didn't like that.


But that sibling sweetness sure was sweet while it lasted :)

Happy 4th Birthday Isaac!

Today is our little man's fourth birthday! What a blessing the past four years have been for our family. Isaac is a treasure to us, and we love watching him grow every day.

Happy Birthday, Isaac Ryan!

Let's play twain twacks!

Lately, Isaac has been wanting to build train tracks. He has learned how to complete a track own his own, and then he takes some pieces out to re-shape the track. Here is a track he built last week: (notice that it spans from our living room to our kitchen!)


Happy boy!


He calls them "twain twacks". ;)