Isaac’s first hair cut. July 1, 2008

At 19 1/2 months, Isaac has finally had his first haircut.  I suppose the curls in the back were just getting too pretty.  :)  So he has a big boy cut, but he’s still our little Cricket Bear.

Grandpa and Grannie’s visit… July 1, 2008

We had a wonderful time with my parents earlier this month.  They took a week off from their busy schedules and flew down to see us and the boys.  Gabe was excited for a very long time before their arrival.  He certainly was going to get right into conversations with them when we picked them up from the airport.  I think we were all more curious how Isaac would react.  Well, at first he wasn’t going to leave my arms for Grandpa’s.  However, after about one minute in the car leaving the airport he was laughing and talking with them from the back seat.  In some of these pictures, you’ll see him cuddled up in my Dad’s lap, holding his ear, (in his signature way), and drinking his milk.  That was pretty much the way it was during the week.  They had some good bonding time, I think. He felt real comfortable with both of my parents right away.  Didn’t even cry when I left them together one morning.   Both the boys did well with both my parents.  It really meant a lot to me for them to have that time.

Since their visit, Gabe mentions things like these:

“I want us to live in Grandpa and Grannie’s house, or right next to them.”  6/30/08 while riding in the car.

“I want to go to the playground near Grandpa and Grannie’s house.”  last week at the table.

“I have green eyes.  Grannie has green eyes too.”  6/30/08 while riding in the car.

Distance can be a sad thing to think about when you’re raising your kids away from family.  But I’m learning that children have a keen understanding of who is family, who is important in our lives, who we love, and they are attached to them, even though they see them in person very little these days.

Pictures from Memorial Day May 29, 2008

We had a great time at Allison & Wayne’s house on Memorial Day.  The kids in particular had a lot of fun with the water.  Needless to say, sleep came swiflty after bedtime that night.

Rob Takes Gabe to Lake Winnie May 18, 2008

Gabe & Isaac Goofing off in Isaac’s Crib May 15, 2008

We have a new blog!! May 10, 2008

Here it is!  Rob spent the afternoon watching Shrek the Third with Gabe and I and switching us over to our new blog.  Isn’t he nice?  Main reason for the change is that it will be easier to manage on my part. I can also post videos, so we are up to date with the rest of the world.  I still need to put more pictures up on flickr, which will take the place of the “galleries” section, sort of .

Oh, and this is a picture of us biking, um, walking, up a hill during our bike ride at Raccoon Mountain. (It is steeper and longer than it looks in the photo.)  ;p

Mom, do I look like I’m one of the church guys? May 5, 2008

As I was going through some clothes, Gabe asked for "that thing".  Finally, after some back and forth, I realized he was asking for his denim shirt that he hardly wore this year.  He got it on, was able to button one button himself, (very exciting!), and found this tie and put it on.  Next he got some matching jeans, then he was set.  Next came this funny quote: "Do I look like a church guy, Mom?" 

So we had to take a picture for you all. 

Writing again, after a long hiatus… April 10, 2008

First, sorry to all of you who check this site regularly to see the boys.  I have been very negligent in putting updates on here.  I’ll try to fill you in here and be as short and sweet as possible without leaving out the fun stuff.

Thanksgiving 2007…We traveled by car to Ithaca and spent some time with our family up there.  It was a long drive, (16-17 hours each trip), but the boys did well.  Thank goodness for DVD players and snack times!  It was good to see family and watch the cousins interact together yet again. 

Christmas 2007…This was fun.  We may have gone over the top with the gift thing, Rob and I, but it was fun to watch Gabe and Isaac come down to the display of surprises under the tree.  Gabe asked throughout the month of December if it was Christmas yet.  We tried to teach him that there is a Christmas season and Christmas day.  It was funny to hear him say as we walked into Target, "Mom!  They have Christmas here too!".  As much as we grilled into Gabe that Santa is just a fun story people tell, he was excited to find out that Santa was at Rock City one night we were there.  He grabbed me by the hand and said, "I should go tell him that I want a monster truck for Christmas!".  Then my usually reserved and shy Gabe walked up to the Santa Claus, allowed him to hoist him up on his lap and told him what he would like to get.  Yes, Gabe did get a monster truck under the tree this year.  (Thanks, Grandpa!)

Rob is busy working at Coptix.  Business keeps coming in, which we are grateful for, especially in this economy.  When he is at work, he works hard.  When he comes home, he does work of a different kind:  being a Daddy.  The boys love to see him coming home.  Isaac has really become attached to Rob as of late, even preferring him to Mommy at times!  Gabe tells us often that when he gets older like Mommy and Daddy, he is going to work on computers.  He watches Rob very closely and its fun to watch him imitate him. 

Christy is busy being a mom, a wife and a housekeeper.  All of these things keep me preoccupied.  I am very thankful for the nicer weather this week.  I have been able to take the boys outside to do some weeding and dirt-digging.  My compost pile is growing and slowly decomposing.  Daffodils have come and gone, as well as the crocuses.  The quince had a bright and long show this spring.  Now the purple cone flowers are popping out of the dirt, along with the gerbera daisies.  This is one of my favorite times of the year. 

I am learning the benefits of exercise the past few weeks.  Thanks to April pushing me to do this, I have started a class at the YMCA twice a week.  For all you women out there with mood swings and declining energy throughout the day, start exercising!  It helps!

Gabe is 3 1/2 now.  He is constantly thinking, talking, creating….sometimes when he should be eating, (we’re working on that), but its fun to listen to what he comes up with next.  Some of his favorite things to do is build with the scraps of wood he has up in his room.  He makes anything from a ramp, to a fence, to a firetruck.  Dirt.  This is also still one of his favorite things to play in.  He LOVES it. 

Isaac will be 17 months on Sunday.  His hair is longer, with some curls in the back.  His eyes are big and greenish, and always surveying his little world.  He is a very determined little guy, and will devise ways to get to wherever his curiosity takes him.  Anything can be turned into a step stool, it seems.  His riding toy, for example, is used more as a stool than a riding toy.  His persistence will come in handy in his future, I’m sure. 

He is saying new words, like "hewo" on the phone, "ee-out" for get down or get out, "pease!" is to ask for something or to give something to someone; he also loves music and has started singing his own version of "Bob the Builder", which comes out "bob-bee".  He understands everything we tell him, which has also led us to use time-outs when he needs a little correction.  He is a passionate little guy, and we all love him!

So that’s a quick snapshot of our family.  It’s not all inclusive, but I’ll try to be more diligent with this, once again.  Keep checking the site out for new pictures as well!

Christy

Gabe and Isaac April 10, 2008

As they grow older, they are growing closer as friends and brothers.  It’s fun to watch the two of them interact with each other. 

Isaac is One Years Old. November 13, 2007

One year ago, I was sitting in a hospital bed, holding my new little baby, who was about to turn one day old.  He is now just about to turn one year and one day old.

Oh, little Isaac Robert!  What can I say about you?!  You are a feisty one. . . to match that red hair of yours.  You have a strong sense of opinion about many things, which will be a good thing for you to have in life.  Your emotions run deep, all of them.  Your name means laughter, of which you have a lot. 

You love playing "This Little Piggy".  It always chears you up when you’re not in the mood for a diaper change.  You picked up on the lyrics pretty quickly.  Now, as soon as I get to, "and this little piggy has roast beef", you start smiling and laughing.  You know that tickle is coming. 

You have been saying Mommy and Dadda or Daddy for a few months now.  "Gabe" hasn’t crossed your lips yet.  But its no wonder.  With all the nick names he has, you’re probably just trying to decide which one you want to use.  Maybe you’ll come up with your own nickname for your big brother.  Your latest word/phrase-type sound is "wua-daa!"  It sounds just like you are trying to say, "what’s that?".

Speaking of nicknames.  Yours is Goater.  I think Daddy first thought of it when hearing a song about a goat in Sound of Music.  (I think there’s more to it than that, but I’ll let him tell that one.)  Feisty is also one.  Then, of coarse, you’re Mommy’s "Little Man".  Gabe calls you Buddy a lot when you’re playing together. 

You learned how to walk last week.  You first took 4 steps for Daddy on a tuesday or so.  By Thursday you were walking across the room.  Way to go!  You love to move around.  You can really speed across the room when you’re crawling, with that rear-end of yours waddling back and forth just like a duck’s! 

As for your birthday, we celebrated with some stawberry shortcake.  I decided that because you love strawberries at the moment.  You’re now sleeping quietly in your crib.  Getting energy built up, no doubt, for another day of laughing, crying, crawling, walking, wrestling, roaring, (at the dogs and at Gabe), screaming, (in glee and in anger),  and hugging. 

We love you, Isaac!! Happy First Birthday!!