4 months

... and some weeks. We waited to have Isaac's pictures taken til we were in Utah, where the coolest photographer on the planet (my sister) resides and was available to help! She captured Isaac with perfection!

Isaac at 4 months:
Smiling ALL the time
Doing push ups
Rolling from his tummy to back, but not *quite* his back to tummy
Had his first hair cut. The mohawk in the back was getting out of control, and there were some random hairs that were a mile long!
Eats his toes, sucks on his fingers, and rejects pacifiers. This one is hard for me. Pacifiers were a stand by with Scott... Isaac has his own plans!

Scott and Isaac have started to notice one another in a playful way. They are going to be best friends someday soon!!

I didn't weigh Isaac when he was 4 months old. I DID weigh him when he was 5 months, and he was 17 lbs. Compared to Scott at 4 months (19 lbs) and 6 months (22 lbs) he's got a lot of catching up to do. He doesn't have the rolls that Scott had, but he has mile-deep dimples and wiggles that are directly linked to the dimples. You see the dimples, you see the wiggles!

Loving being a family of four! Lucky to be blessed with such fantastic men in my life, and grateful to be learning and growing along side the cutest little friends a girl could ask for. They teach me as much or more than I could ever expect to teach them!!

Love

Definition of Boy:

Noun: A noise with dirt on it

It never ceases to amaze me at how naturally being a stinker comes to boys. You can bet their mothers are not teaching them this!
They sure do know how to have fun, and most of the time fun comes in interesting packages. Like turning a broom upside down and pounding on the floor with the stick end. Or finding a bag of flour and sprinkling it evenly over the kitchen floor. Running circles around the living room "racing" with the dog. Running towards another child head on, into a tackle (which is only well received if it is another equally stinky boy on the tackling end)

Luckily, Scott has a partner in crime. If it wasn't for Anderson (and the other boys in Scotty's plagroup) Isaac would be the target of too many tackles. Anderson and his family came with us to Utah, and I can tell you this: the only thing better than being at CiCi and Bubba's house is having your best bud with you. They spend the days chasing the poor dog, playing in the backyard, and being crazy. Nothing new...

It's a long story how we got to be friends with Anderson, and I might not believe it myself if it weren't true, but I'm forever grateful for that long unbelievable story!

Frog Sandwich

Note to self: when offering a 2 year old boy breakfast, "frog sandwich" should not be an option.

Why: Because if it is, he will think that is the greatest idea ever and keep asking and asking... but where are you gonna get a frog?

Options if you accidentally do offer this to him:
1. Go frog hunting
2. Dye scrambled eggs green, use raisins for the eyes, and hope he doesn't notice that frogs taste just like scrambled eggs (one of his usual favorites)
or, 3. give him peanut butter on toast and hope he forgets about the frog.

Can you guess which one we went with??

One day I'll try the egg thing, because he still thinks a frog sandwich is the coolest sounding thing on earth. Boys.....

Independance Day

Er, rather... the 3rd of July (since we were in Utah, and the 4th was on a Sunday)

There's nothing like being able to go outside on a summer evening and play. There's REALLY nothing like being able to set fire to things in the street without fear of the whole state igniting! This was the first year we were able to do street fireworks with Scott, and honestly... it took him a while to get used to the idea. And once he DID, he had to cover his ears and watch (a habit which has carried over into our every day life. When the TV gets turned on, for instance... until he knows its not gonna be LOUD, he plays it safe and covers his ears. Silly kid)

Isaac was funny about the fireworks. He hated the noise, but just couldn't look away. It was definitely a love/hate relationship for him. Next year... next year.

This Utah trip was a birthday request for me, and it was a great weekend! Family everywhere!! After this fun party, we were able to go see the big fireworks with Dude's sister. Those fireworks, by the way, are particularly for me. Have been every year since I can remember. It is the country's way of saying "Happy Birthday, Jessi!" Sorry if you thought it was for someone else's birthday (like the nation's). You have been misled!

Never a better way to spend a birthday than surrounded by family!

Bubba-Coaster

I don't want any of the residents of Utah to feel bad about this, but I think I can guess what Scott's favorite part of that state is. It wrestles, tickles, it plays and turns Scott into an airplane. It rhymes with Hubba. It's his...

BUBBA!!

Seriously, if there was something on Earth that could do this to me, it would be my best friend too! Who wouldn't love that!?

There is a serious, unprovoked love between a boy and his grandpa. Scott has two great ones, and he thinks the world of both of them! I love that he has such a great time following them around and playing and getting to know them!

Even Scott's buddy Anderson recognizes a grandpa when he sees one, and loves him just the same! Nothing like a Bubba to make a little boy happy to be alive!

Squeeeeeze!! <3 our Bubba!

Over the River and Through the Woods

Well, it was actually more like over a dam and through Las Vegas...

We have driven to Utah many times, but usually it's through the night and we arrive at 3 am. THIS time, we decided to take our time, see the sights, and see some of our favorite people along the way! First stop: Hoover Dam! Dude was full of (useless?) knowledge about the Hoover Dam, and he was reciting the storage file from his brain to us the whole time we were driving through. It was all very interesting... the one I remember is that there are dead people in the dam. Whole dead bodies. Not really the uplifting kind of stuff you read about here on my blog, but that's the knowledge I retained from my lesson. When you win a million on a game show with that answer, you can promptly write me a check. It was I, in fact, who made the first "dam" joke, but it wasn't a joke! I really didn't know they had dam tours!? But they DO, and people spend whole days there: going on dam tours, riding the dam elevator, talking to the dam workers, taking dam pictures.... I digress
Really is quite a breathtaking thing. Amazing!!

Next stop: Las Vegas!! Here's where I have to admit that I didn't take any pictures. I am a terrible blogger and a terrible mom. Go ahead, think it. Did you? OK, moving on!
In Las Vegas, are the 4 of the coolest ladies we know, and we got to see them! Pizza, swimming pools, watermelon and chatting by the pool! It was a perfect way to spend an evening, we don't see those gals enough!
We slept in a hotel room in Vegas. Talk about an adventure. 2 year old in a hotel room, in a pack and play that he is speedily outgrowing, reaching everything, laughing, talking and generally NOT sleeping. Not til after 10 pm, that is. Great, just great... tomorrow should be fun!

Up in the morning and on our way. Last stop on the road: Nana and Papa! Who, I must say, live in a house that is definitely NOT toddler proofed! Watch out china!!

Scott just loves his Nana and Papa. He was ready to play ball with Papa all day long (unfortunately we didn't have all day long). We were able to have lunch, play some ball, and celebrate a birthday with delicious cake and ice cream. Nothing like getting a 2 year old wound up on ice cream right before a car ride, right? We're smart.

Isaac just about rolled from his back to front for the very first time right before Nana's eyes... he got SO close. I think that would have made Nana's YEAR! Come on Isaac, get with the program kiddo! Performing for adults and being cute=free cake. Just ask Scott.
If you couldn't tell, this is the beginning of the series of blogs I like to call "We went to Utah, where people take lots of pictures." More stories and pics soon (well, tomorrow!)

Grand Tour

One day, you'll come visit and see this for yourself, I'm sure of it. However, since it could have changed 2 times before then, and I have to do a blog a day :) I'll give you the virtual tour of the newest rooms in our house.
You already got a sneak preview of the BIG BOY BED, but until mid/late June that big boy bed was still in the middle of a jungle themed nursery. We can't have that now, can we... especially since another child was in need of the jungle fare.
A few repainted squares, some vintage cars straight from Cuba, and an airplane toy straight from Spain, a new toy shelf, a car rug and a table for trains... what more could a transportation lovin kid need?!

There used to be 3 jungle theme framed pictures on this wall, and I could NOT think of what to replace them with... til I saw some unpainted wood shapes at the dollar store and dug deep for the creative juice in my bones. Bravely, I used PAINT on a wall in an ARTISTIC way. I don't know what I was thinking... after learning that I needed to keep a wet paper towel close by for mistakes, I did it, and my vision took life. And turned out totally awesome, if I do say so myself!

My kids dont have the luxury of a "play room", but they DO get all their toys right in their rooms... so I'm not sure they would consider the lack of toy room a bad thing. This particular "blessing" causes some difficulty at 8 pm, 6 am, and 12 pm. How hard is it to sleep when your eyes open and there are TOYS!! Right there!! Waiting to be played with!! Apparantly, its very hard.
We did some major room rearranging, and made what used to be the office into the new nursery. I would like you to note that there is still a fully functional guest bed here. Just for you. Please use it soon.

Isaac's room was a lot easier than Scott's because I already had all the stuff, and just moved it from one room to another. There is still one unfinished piece, and its the blank spot above the crib... I am currently coveting/accepting donations for this:
Vinyl lettering of his name with a cute monkey. Of course, it won't say Elijah, this is simply a demonstration!

I was a little worried about how these built in shelves would play a part in a nursery, but I rather like the decorating without decorating that it allows. All I had to do was stick the cute colorful toys on the shelves, and the room is a full, bright, happy place (complete with guest bed, did I mention that?)

For any of you that feel ripped off because this post has no pictures of the kids: get over it. I promised a blog a day, not a picture of the kids every day. Maybe you'll get lucky tomorrow!!

A Collection of Random

There is no appropriate title that would link all of the following pictures or stories. Nonetheless, they are cute, and all have super duper stories for your listening (er...reading) pleasure.

In Arizona, the local malls do free Concert Series throughout the year. There's usually always a concert to be found on a weekend night, if you know where to look. We were able to go with some of our good friends to dinner and one of said concerts, and we had a blast!! It was blues music, and Scott and his buddies Colin and Anderson danced, and laughed, and occasionally ran off into the mall stores, but generally had a great time! And, as parents, it was a nice "date" and a fun something different to do as a family. Since this particular concert (which was our first of the season) we have taken Scott to a few, and he has loved every one! Camping chairs, a pizza, and family togetherness! What could be better?! He captures the heart of the nearest old ladies by dancing the night away and flashing his cute grin and epic personality! Next time you are here, we'll take you to one... and you'll never turn back!

As parents, we are finding out that there are a lot of life lessons that kids need to learn. A LOT! One of those, that is probably not quite on top of the importance list, but was a fun one for us to try out, was that of money management. Scott LOVES to help his daddy in the yard, so one day after he had helped, we gave him a dollar. It was a hit. Who would have thought that a two year old would have such an immediate attachment to a green piece of paper that he has no idea has any value beyond looking cool. But he soon learned...
Fast forward an hour, and we were at QT, learning the exact value of that green paper.
Only one problem: a 2 year old+a gas station with aisles and aisles of goodies= indecision station!! He picked up the first thing he saw, which was a bag of chips. We were pretty sure that if he saw the rest of his options, he would change his mind, so we walked him to the appropriate row.


Turns out, kid knows how to make a wise choice....

I think it took him 6.2 minutes to down the whole bag. Maybe next time we give him money we will take more control of the purchased item and help him savor it. Not even sure he tasted them!


When you are 4 months old, there is nothing more fun that laying in a pile of clothes, and eating them all! We got a bag of hand me downs from AWESOME friends, and after I went through them, Isaac browsed the selection. If he could speak English, I would have asked which were his favorites, but if you ask me he liked them all! DELICIOUS!!

Talk about shop til you drop!!

Look at this ^ cute little leg roll. Love him!

Thursdays at our mall are magical this summer. They have a program called Kids Club, where they sing songs, read stories, play games, and get treats... all for free... and there's a big furry character named Dewper that is the coolest thing a 2 year old has ever seen! THEN, this particular mall has a carousel, and if you are a member of the kids club, you get a FREE RIDE! THEN, if you are a member of the kids club, you get a FREE chick-fil-a kids meal!

So, Thursday is "mommy-scotty day". We see Dewper, go to the puppy store (of course), ride a carousel and get some lunch!

He's 2, which means he has his moments... but he is one fun kid! I'm lucky to be able to spend my days hanging out with him. Plus, hes cute. That's a real bonus!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

If there's one thing I'm sure about, it's that my kids are meant to be in the water. Something they got from their dad, no doubt. It's a good thing that we live in a place where swimming is the thing to do, and even better that we have friend's who like to share! We have been spending as much time as possible in the water this summer, between friend's pools, public pools, and kiddie pools. The point is: we are wet a lot.

Isaac doesn't know quite what to think about the water when he is being held upright in a pool. He kind of gives blank stares... never sad, but not overjoyed either. So we decided to make it as much like a bath as possible. When we laid him on his back, with just an inch or two of water underneath him on the floatie, he lit right up. "Oh, I remember this!!" and the splashing and cooing began. We later discovered that he likes sitting in the shallow end of a beach entry public pool. I'm sure the water is a perk, but Isaac LOVES to people watch. He would be fascinated on a mall bench somewhere!

Scott is one crazy, fearless kid! On our first trip to a friend's pool, we discovered this... and it was a rough afternoon. Allow me to define crazy and fearless.
He is anxious and willing to cannon ball into the deep at any chance he can get. Only problem is: he can't swim yet! So, after we spent the first swimming trip chasing him and keeping him alive, we bought him a swim trainer suit, and he's in the learning process of keeping himself alive in the pool and still be able to do it "ahbuy mysef!". Water+my 3 boys=LOVE!!

And, since I am their mother and it is my job to embarass them for years to come, I got them matching swim suits. Boy are they cute!! Rest assured you will be seeing more of the matching swimwear (and the awesome trainer suit Scott LIVES in), since we have a beach trip coming up soon!

Since I'm talking about fish, and water, I feel it is my duty to tell you... next time you see Scott, feel free to ask him what any of these animals say, and you will get the following answers, thanks to our good friends in Finding Nemo

What does a whale say? "Whaaaa, goeeeen Oonnnnnn"
What does a crab say? *opens and shuts his hands above his head and says* "hey hey hey hey"
What does a seagull say? "Mine, mine, mine"
What does a turtle say? "Duuude!"

And, for continued cuteness, simply request the Turtle handshake of knuckles (since we dont have fins) noggin, DUDE! It's a favorite at our house, but remember... nobody wins with a headbutt!

If you're happy and you know it...

Clap your hands, stomp your feet, shout hooray... take your pick. OR, if you are baby Isaac, smile, coo and wiggle all day long!
If you could bottle the happy out of this kid, I would be RICH!! Isaac is such a blessing in our house, he has a way of making everyone happier just by being there! These pictures are from June 10th (or somewhere around there), but this story is from today. Scott, Isaac and I had gone in to dogpile daddy and wake him up. Scott was laying in the bed, and Isaac was laying on his tummy in the middle of the bed. Scott changed his position so that he was laying next to Isaac on his tummy too. He put his arm over Isaac's back, leaned into him and said "i love you, Isaac." Talk about heart melting!!

Isaac looks like a little old man in this picture, but a cute little old man, nonetheless!!!

The discovery: Toes
The reaction: joy
The result: Ten slobbery toes and one cute video

It's Not Easy Being Green

June 8, 2010 (or somewhere close to that...)

One day, I was painting some wood decorations for the big boy room. Then, an irresistibly cute face appeared, asking if HE could paint too. I was feeling exceptionally brave, so I took him outside with a plate of paint and a paper towel to paint on. Let's be honest. The paper towel lasted about 2 minutes..... The discovery that the paint worked on things other than the paper towel was classic. Scott was SO thrilled that he could be green! He promptly got to work at making everything green. Him, me, CiCi (who was there, and an obvious culprit in the learning process of painting oneself green)
Not only was he the cutest green thing ever, but he wanted to tell you about it. "i'n gween, mommy!" I sure hope this video isn't lame. Video's have a tendency to be lame on my blog recently, and I don't know how to fix it. I'm doing things the same as I always did them, only now, it doesn't work... so good luck. If you can't see the video, know that its cute, he's cute, and if you're lucky, I'll let him "be gween" again when you can witness it in person!

Being a mom is a rewarding thing, but I have to say... when your kids are the most curious, happy, playful ones: it's hard to believe that anyone can love their kids as much as you love yours, and you wonder how anyone ever lives without experiencing it!

The Blog-a-Day Challenge!!

I'm much cooler than this... almost 2 months between blogs? My grandma might have disowned me by now! Even someone with 2 kids and a perpetual mountain of laundry like myself can blog more often than that... and I've decided to prove it!!
For the next month (til August 21, 2010- which will be the grand finale/Isaac's 6 month b-day) I will post a blog a day!! This may seem like a bit much, but I have plenty of month old pictures and videos you haven't seen yet! So... the goal: post one blog each day for the next 31 days. The purpose (s): catching you up on our lives, getting back into the blogging habit, and not running out of witty and entertaining things to say while doing so.

Ready?? Here we go!!

p.s. feel free to check the blog every day, or just wait til August 21 and sit down with a bowl of popcorn and spend the evening watching my kids grow up!!!

p.p.s. you get 2 blogs today... don't let it go to your head!