Isaac's Entertainment

Since C & J aren't here there is no one else to entertain Isaac. So, I have resorted to using the playpen to actually get anything done. Here he is "playing" with an egg carton.

This absolutely flabbergasted me. Isaac LOVES (like most kids) to pull out all my Tupperware and throw it all over the kitchen. Well he found an old butter tub and then found the matching lid and here he is trying to put the two together... He is only ONE!?!

WHAT? WHAT????

I can't beleive it. We have about 15-18 inches of snow. Can you imagine? Did we somehow get picked up and moved to Chicago or somewhere that get snow like this? I am completely snowed in, I am certainly not going to drive in this amount of snow and ice. So here I sit, just Isaac and me, making Pumpkin bread, Chex Mix, Chocolate Chip Cookies and the like... Both of us are starting to go a little stir crazy. By evidence of the screaming child behind me. Just screaming to scream, nothing wrong, just making noise cause he can and there is no one else here to do it! Pray. Pray hard!

Somewhere under this mound of snow is my VAN! On the left side of the picture you can just see the side mirror.

This is my bird feeder that is empty, but the snow is higher than the bird feeder is!

Quiet Snow

I will readily admit it. I am not ashamed. I fell asleep. I was exhausted after this week and after visiting with Donovan and C&J then going with him until Christmas, I was done. I got home after a slow trip from the Library with snow coming fast down all around me. Isaac was exhausted too and quickly went to sleep once we were home. I curled up on the couch to warm up and the next thing I remember is a quick phone call from Jenn (no worries sister!), then falling back asleep. I woke up to this beautiful, quiet site:

We had gotten 4 inches earlier in the week and a some of that had melted today, so there was a little bit of a base of old snow. But most of what you see in the pictures is new snow. In a matter of 3 hours, we recieved 3+ inches of fresh snow.

What a WEEK!!!

Oh my Goodness! It has been WAY too long since I have blogged anything! So here is this weeks events!

There has been no school all week due to the freaky weather. That means:

1. Mommy can sleep in a little if boys will leave her and Isaac alone

2. No rushing out the door trying to shove food, backpacks, jackets, etc. into arms of complaining/slow-motion child.

3. By the 3rd day cabin fever sets in and we are going CRAZY!!!

4. Boys get to play in the snow to their hearts content!

Here are a few pictures to go with the above sentiments:

They BUGGED and BUGGED me to go outside. FOREVER! At first I said that they could go outside when the temp. reached 30. Finally, when mommy clued into the fact that it wasn't going to reach 30 and they were going to drive me INSANE with asking, I relented and bundled them up to the best of my ability. This is C&J's first journey out into the snowy land...

That only lasted about 45 minutes - if that. I was doing a little baking that day so the spot right next to the oven was the warmest in the house... So this is were their cold little bums sat until I had to move them to mix the Chex Mix. Isaac even sat with them a little while because they had pretzels that they were willing to share!

Christian caught this sneaky little man in action.
Isaac loves technology. He wants phones, computers, handhelds, etc. Anything that could potentially make cool noises, he wants it! (this is an old cell phone that he treasures and gets extremely upset if brothers try to take it away from him.) Doesn't he look older here? Maybe a glimpse into the future of Isaac... Hmmm. Scary.

Christian managed to get the hat on and take a picture before Isaac ripped it off his head! This blanket is with him always, if it isn't in his hands or nearby, Isaac can usually find where it is and bring it to me!

Belated Happy Birthday Isaac!!!

Yesterday was Isaac's First Birthday! I can't believe that it has already been a year! What a difference a year makes, so much has happened: Isaac has 5 teeth with more itching to come through, is almost running through the house, and is starting to talk. Yikes!!!

Here are just a few pictures that I found on Jenn's computer -

This is an apple in his hands. He LOVES to just chew on a whole apple. It will keep him quiet for longer than pretty much anything else!

"I... Hate... This... Thing...!"

Happy Birthday to Isaac - my sweet boy, full of laughter

Yet Another One!?!

On Saturday Christian lost yet another tooth! That is the third tooth in the last month! Will he have any teeth left to eat with? This totals 5 baby teeth out of his head and new adult teeth in their place... This time he pulled it all by himself. He was complaining that it was bugging him all morning, and so he sat down on the couch with a tissue and asked me to sit with him. He squeezed my hand and after the 3rd try, out it popped! He looked shocked as he held this little tooth in his hand, blood in his mouth. Eventually, he remembered the Tooth Fairy and what might come to him, and that his pronunciation of Mississippi became more like "sississiti". Then all pain was forgetten and Happy Christian returned!

Sharing

You know when your baby "shares" food with you and you pretend to take a bite, saying, "Yum, Yum!!!" And then you give it back with the intention that they will now eat it? Well, my friend Jessica was doing that with Isaac and his juice cup today at lunch and instead of drinking it, he "pretended" to drink it! Smacking his lips and then handing it back to her just to do it all over again!

Happy Birthday Grandma!!!

Today is my Mom's birthday! I will not say how young she is but... So in honor of her birthday, Jakob and I went into her work and sang her "Happy Birthday". It was a fun way to celebrate my mom and my boys' Grandma!

We Love You, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Isaac's Buddy

Isaac's Buddy is Christian's friend, Trenton's dad. His name is John and Isaac just loves him! Here are just a few pictures of Isaac and his buddy, John.

Isaac found this ball and decided that it was his to chew on and then use to "pat-pat" John with!

Another One!!!

BEFORE: (note top teeth)

AFTER: (something missing?)

Christian has finally lost his other top tooth! Just a couple weeks ago, he lost his first top tooth. Immediately following, 2 other teeth began to be loose. Today, Chris was walking on the ceiling with the help of his dad, and on his way down, bonked Daddy's knee. It didn't completely knock it out, but Chris pulled it out the rest of the way and - WAHLAH - there it is!

Fall Rocks!

I was inside getting SOMETHING done, Isaac was sleeping and I hear the joyful sounds of my boys laughing and playing well together. I peek out the kitchen window to see them covering each other up with the leaves from the maple. Thinking, "Photo opportunity?" , I grab my camera and go out to take the following pictures...

When Isaac woke up we took him out there to try to get a "all of mommies boys" shot... He didn't know exactly what to think of the slightly cold and wet leaves, but decided that he didn't like it!

My attempt with all 3 didn't get rave reviews...

YEEEEHAAAA!!!

I HAVE A COMPUTER AGAIN!!! I am so excited to have a computer that works again! For the last few weeks I have been using M&D's laptop, which was awesome, but I now have my own computer back and working better than ever! Praise the LORD!!!

Missing Tooth - Part 2

The Tooth Fairy is evidently afraid of Christian's leopard (Sampson) and bears (Big Bear, Rosie and Violet). She left a note for Christian last night saying that she couldn't come the night before because of his stuffed animals, they just scared her too much! So this is what she left last night: A little box with a picture of a smiley face missing a tooth for all his baby teeth and 2 gold dollar coins! Christian was so happy and excited he could hardly stand it! Yeah Tooth Fairy!!!! ;)

Pumpkin Carving

This year, Pumpkin carving wasn't an awful experience. On the Today Show I saw a little clip of fun and easy ways to carve pumpkins. It included power tools. Use a kitchen mixer beater, put it into a power drill like you would a drill bit, and WHALA! a fun (and a little bit messy at times) way to hollow out the inside of your pumpkin! As you will see below, we all had a lot of fun!

We were at Christian's friends house with his parents and his sister. Most of us got covered in pumpkin guts, but in the end, we had several wonderfully carved pumpkins!

Jakob making sure that Mommy is doing it right!

Of course, Mommy is the one who got the messiest! But, oh, I had fun!!!!

And poor Isaac, he sat there watching, just wanting to get his hands into that mess!

Missing Tooth!!!

After what seemed like weeks, Christian finally lost his top tooth! When it first was loose, Christian wanted to use pliers to yank it out. But once it started hurting when he wiggled it, that plan went out the window. The last few days his gums started looking funny and I could see the other tooth bud coming in behind it... So today we were at the park and Chrisitian wanted to take Isaac down the slide. At the bottom of the slide, Isaac's head came back and bonked Chris in the mouth, knocking that tooth right out! At first Chris was scared and didn't like the blood, but then the excitement hit! Here he is pointing at the hole in his head!

Now he is writing a letter to the Tooth Fairy asking to keep his tooth... He is also wondering, "What am I going to get from the Tooth Fairy?" ;0

Silly Boys

This is just a collection that I have of my boys and their silly faces, bodies, etc...

The next few pictures were taken when we went out to see my Dad go on a glider ride. We were out there for more than an hour, so they got a little bored, this is what became of their boredom...
"My muscles are bigger than yours!"

"How hard can I make Isaac laugh?"

Isaac. Isaac. Isaac. His version of the "mean baby face". It comes complete with the nose sounds and often very puckered lips.

Growing Up!

Speaking of growing up - how did they get so big? Christian is in 2nd grade and Jakob is in Kindergarden! They are just about equal in size, height and weight. Before I have a chance to blink they will be taller than me!

Finally... Pictures!!!

I finally figured out how to get pictures from my camera without having to fully download them onto mom and dad's computer! So here are a few from the last month or so...

Isaac LOVES avocado. But as you can see, he makes a mondo mess with it. I make sure that I give it to him when we aren't headed out for somewhere, there is usually a bath involved in the clean-up!

He loves baths and this one was no different. Give him a washcloth and a ball and he is lovin' life!

I am sure my mom and dad will like the following pictures. Isaac is a monkey just like his mommy! This set of drawers is Isaac favorite "make-a-big-mess-for-mom" spot!

I believe that my mom has a picture just like this of me at this age!
When Isaac was learing how to do "SOOOO BIG!!!", he had to have something in his hands! This is when he learned that he didn't have to have something in his hands

He is growing up so fast - where has the last 11 months gone?

Prayers

My boys rock when it comes to prayers! Sometimes Chris doesn't want to, but he usually says something like, "Dear Jesus, thank you for my mommy, Amen." For the last 2 weeks or so, his prayers have drastically changed. Suddenly one night after having a tough evening and actually talking it out with me, this prayer brought me to tears: "Dear Jesus. Help me to be a happy boy, Lord. I don't want to be a sad boy anymore, Lord. I just want to be happy. Thank you for helping me be happy. Thank you for my mommy and Jakob and Isaac and Grandma and Grandpa and.... (going on to name just about everyone in our family and many others)." It was also at that point that he started to be happy when he saw his Daddy, talked to him once or twice on the phone and this last weekend actually went to Donovan's house without putting up a fight.

And Jakob. My sweet boy Jakob. This is what his prayers are almost every night: "Dear Jesus, please help my mommy and daddy to feel better Jesus. Thank you for the food Jesus. Amen" Occationally he says exactly on his mind. Like last night, it was the usual prayer and then this: "... and Jesus, I like it when Isaac is in his bed talking and playing. I like to talk to him. I also like to talk to him when he isn't in his crib, like out in the living room. But I don't like it when mom won't let me talk to him in his crib. Amen." (BTW, Isaac was supposed to be sleeping by now, but was fussing in his room, loud enough for us all to hear.)

And my prayers: "Dear Lord, Thank you for the rain and the sunshine. Thank you for my boys and their open hearts. Thank you for their prayers that give just a little glimpse into their hearts. Thank you for the many blessings that you have given us and those around us. AMEN."

Blogging

As many of you might not know, I have had no computer for the last 2 weeks. Let me rephrase that - I have a large black paperweight that calls itself a computer, turns on like a computer, but won't let me log on to it. So, here I sit, rapidly typing on my parents laptop, trying to remember all the things that I wanted/needed to do on a computer that works, lets me log on to it and allows me to access that wonderful thing called the internet.

Oh, what the world could get done without a computer in every room.

Cub Scouts

So by a huge blessing from some wonderful friends, Christian has joined Cub Scouts. He is LOVING it and even got to go on a "last-time-of-the-year" camp-out this last weekend. Just before leaving on Saturday with my dad and the tent trailer, he got his blue Cub Scouts shirt, complete with a few patches already sewn on. Christian ran inside, all excited to show it to Mommy and Grandma - "Look, Look! I got my Cub Scouts shirt!......(long pause) Do I have to wear it?" Which was followed by several minutes of laughter from everyone within earshot of that comment.

Oh, the honesty and transparent comments that our children say.

Back to School Night

To officially usher in the new school year and the new addition to the boys' school, last night was Back To School Night. Chris was excited to go and show us his classroom, but Jake didn't want to go - "you've seen it already, Mom". I said that we didn't have to stay very long, but Chris wanted to go and I couldn't leave Jake at home by himself while Chris, Isaac and I went. He groaned all the way. Soon he was just as into it as Chris was. We were greeted by several booths in the hallways, one of which was passing out little apples on popsicle sticks, eagerly being snatched up by kids! After a short intro by the Principal, we were dismissed to go to our kids' classes. We came to Chris' class first and had a little scavenger hunt to see lots of things that the kids had done in the first weeks of class. Their desks, writing journals, reading cubbies, "I Am..." picture and story were just a few of the things we saw. Then we went onto Jake's class, just 2 doors down from Chris' class. Jake was now interested in showing all the stuff around his class. They got to have a licorice stick from Jake's teacher and find "tiger paws" all around the classroom. As we were walking out I found myself next to Mrs. Diaz (Jake's Teacher). So I asked how Jake was doing, not getting bored or making trouble? She had nothing but good to say about him. He is very enthusiastic in talking Spanish, helpful in circle time and hasn't been in trouble. I was so excited to hear that - I just pray that that report lasts throughout the year!

Praise the Lord for a great beginning to the school year!

Wonderful Weekend

Last weekend was fun! My Dad has been trying all summer to find a time to take Chris and Jake camping up in the hills. Well, this weekend was it! So Saturday, we packed up a few clothes, sleeping bags, pillows and animals and went to Grandpa and Grandma's where Grandpa had the tent trailer all ready to go with food, wood, and other essential camping things. Off they went, leaving Isaac, my mom and I to do whatever we wanted to do! We decided to have decadent dinner of shrimp, fresh snow crab legs, french bread and cucumber salad. We also rented a movie (Mad Money -- not bad, not great) then sat and ate our dinner... Isaac cooperated beauifully and we had a very nice evening! Sunday, we went to church then went back to their house to work on a puzzle that we had started, had more shrimp and crab on a salad and lounged until Grandpa, Chris and Jake came back from the hills around 3 - filthy, happy and bouncing! They had had a wonderful time, roasting marshmallows over the Coleman (the fire hazard was high and campfires were not allowed), setting up the tent trailer, and other male camping things (I am sure that they all enjoyed peeing in the woods - don't all boys?).

So the entire weekend was great, except for one thing - it ended!

Funny? Not so funny?

So tell me what you think. Yesterday morning was crazy, we got up late and scrambled to get food in at least Christian before getting him to school. Jake comes up to me (when I was in the middle of something) and says, "Mom, I unlocked the van for you." To which I promptly responded, "Jakob. Thank you for trying to help, but that isn't something you are supposed to do. OK?" Then I went on to getting everyone ready and out the door. What do you suppose happens next? You have probably already guessed. I walk by the open front door and see my VAN on the opposite side of the cul-de-sac. Yes, not in the driveway like I parked it the night before. And who do you think did this? Again, yes, you guessed it, Jakob. I yell out the door and, with Isaac in my arms, only one shoe on, walk quickly across the street. As I am getting to the van, Jakob is hysterically getting out of the drivers seat, tears streaming down his face, saying, "Mom, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that... I am so sorry!" I growl for him to just get in the van and buckle. I buckle Isaac in, start the van and drive it back into the driveway. After getting Christian and getting him to school (which he was late for), Jakob and I had a talk. He had started the van, put it into either Reverse or Neutral and backed it out of the driveway. Somehow he had managed to stop it before hitting anything or anyone, and then turned it off, which is where I came in. I proceeded to explain to him that he could have killed someone, including himself, hit another car, house, etc. He was very serious, listening (for once) to every word. I said that he wasn't allowed to do that and would lose the priviledge of unlocking the house for at least 2 weeks. I decided to not spank him only due to the fact that he was hysterical and scared beyond everything. He knew what he did was wrong and regretted every moment of it.

So here is my question: Should I have spanked him anyway? At the time I didn't think so, but of course hind sight is 20/20... What do you think?

Issers

For some reason I kinda like that nickname for Isaac... Issers. Anyway this is him. He is a happy boy that just won't quit. He can usually make me smile!

This is the funny little crawl that Isaac does. He can crawl with both knees, but usually does the one knee up and one knee down... Silly to watch! (BTW, sorry that it is sideways, I always forget that you can't flip it!)

New Chair, Funny Boy

I finally found a new high-chair for Isaac. (We lost a piece of our old one coming back from camping.) He loves it, but never sits straight in it - he always has a leg up, usually his left.

First Days (kind of)

So this forgetfull mommy didn't remember to bring the camera to Christian's first day of 2nd grade... so this picture is of the second day of 2nd grade!

And for Jakob, I did remember and, boy, did he ham it up!!! But this is classic Jakob...

Oh, Yes. And did you notice their VERY short hair? We went in for haircuts (thinking that it would be a TRIM!!!) and this is what we came out with! Buzz-cuts!!!

Life

I know that it has been almost a month since my last blog (except for the ones I just did!) but life has just been crazy! We have been camping, dealing with divorce proceedings, boys with attitudes, crazy mommy, teething 9 month old, SUMMER BREAK, messy house, beautiful weather, yucky weather, you-name-it we have probably been through it in the last months. The only thing (Lord, please keep it this way) we haven't had is an ER trip. I probably just jinxed myself, but amazingly enough with all the bike riding scrapes and bumps, there has been nothing serious enough to warrant more than big band aids and lots of magic mommy kisses!

Pray for crazy mommy as we enter a new adventure of 2 boys in the same school. Christian enters 2nd grade and Jakob begins Kindergarten. They are both excited, although Jake is apprehensive about entering a class that is integrated with Spanish and English speaking kids. I believe that he will excel and be challenged so much that he will not have the opportunity to get bored and get into trouble. But getting him there will prove to be a challenge too!

Thank you for reading and praying, supporting and laughing with me. Loves to all and happy adventures,
J,C, J & I

More Pictures

These pictures are so awesome that I just had to share them all ( I should have done it earlier...) My boys just HATE to have their picture taken... Yeah RIGHT!!!