Glimpses

into our day to day life...

Chip tinkled in the tub tonight while standing up. It's the first time he's ever "seen" himself tinkle. He thought it was hilarious!! Oh my goodness!! I laughed so hard!

Did you know that if your child covers herself, and I do mean COVERS herself, in BRIGHT PINK MAKEUP, it might not come off if you scrub her with Dial soap, but a little Shout will do the trick? Yes, I "Shouted it out" (or off) of Izzy!

Little boys can climb up and stand on top of toilet seats before they can walk. They are also fascinated with toilet water and will do anything they can to get to it.

There is no sweeter sound than the laughter of my children -- esp. when one is making the other laugh.

Hearing Little Man say, "Wuv you," absolutely melts my heart.

Painting is a very interesting experience when there are 2 young children in the house.

Little boys learn to make things go VROOM VROOM before they learn to talk and when they do learn to talk, "tractor" and "truck" will come shortly after (if not before) MaMa and DaDa.

Izzy cried longer than Chip when she closed his finger in the door and he had to get stitches.

My kids can turn a tub black with dirt faster than I can sneeze on these gorgeous spring days we've been having. I love it!! (except for the cleaning part)

Brownies after the kids go down taste wonderful.

Izzy enjoys saying "Boston Butt" (with a much higher pitch and great emphasis on the latter word) with a huge grin, b/c we don't usually let her say butt . However, saying that we're having Boston Hiney just doesn't sound very appetizing to me.

Sometimes I'm amazed at the amount of potty talk that I engage in on any given day. A lot of life with little children is all about bodily functions.

I love that Izzy knows that Catie was her sister and Chip's sister too. Lately, she's enjoyed looking at pics of Catie, and I love to hear her laugh at them.

And Because I Can Never Ge Tired of This...

Hey there!

Want some chocolate cake? A friend showed up w/ the stuff to make the mug chocolate cakes. It's amazing how much it grew while it was cooking. :)


Sweet boy!


Chip hanging out w/ Flat Stanley.

Just a quick note to say thanks for all of your suggestions about salvaging the chalk writing in the playhouse. It sounds like there may be a spray that we can use to preserve it. :) I haven't made it to Lowe's or Home Depot yet, but hope to soon. You guys had some good ideas! :) Thank you!!

Kiddos

What do you do when you're bored?????


This cereal is GOOD stuff!


Sometimes it's tough being the little brother. How can she want to fix my hair when I don't even have any??????

Whew! Things are rolling along here! Spring break was nice -- we stayed home, got a few things done around the house and just did a lot of relaxin'. That was nice and it felt good to just slow down a bit. We're back in the swing of things again and we're counting down the days till summer!! Only 20 days of school left!! :)

One of the projects we tackled last week was cleaning out the playhouse outside. We haven't been up there much since Catie died, so it was time. I'm glad we went ahead with it for lots of reasons, but most of all because Izzy is enjoying the heck out of it now!!! I think she just loves that it's a little space of her own. She has chalk that she can use to write anywhere up there -- on the walls, the floor -- wherever. She thinks that's pretty cool. We also put a small table and chair set up there. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here lately, so it's been great play house playin' weather too. I love that she likes it so much up there.

On one of the walls, it somehow still has "Catie was here" and the date written. I wish I could figure out how to preserve that (it's written in chalk on the plywood wall) b/c I love that it's still there.

Izzy is really becoming creative and using her imagination. She can carry on a conversation w/ a wall and her pretend play is becoming more detailed. Yesterday we were playing w/ her doll. She said it was going down the slide. She wanted me to make the doll slide so I lifted the doll up and "slid" her down the imaginary slide. "Weeeeee." Izzy started saying (quite emphatically I might add), "no! no! no! no!" I couldn't figure out what was wrong and then she says, "Momma, you have to make her go up the stairs first!" Oh, silly me! :) Things she's done in the last couple of weeks to remember: Cleared the shoe rack and put all the shoes into a cooler (that still had water in it -- see pictures), covered the great room in Easter grass (pictures in last post), discovered the fun of popping bubbles on bubble wrap, dumped out an entire bottle of bubbles, emptied 3/4 of a bottle of bubble bath on the cover to the toilet (in the 30 seconds she was in the bathroom ahead of me before bath)... We do watch her -- she just moves so fast!! Most of these types of things seem to happen when I can see her, but can't get to her quickly (when I'm feeding Chip). She's definitely into everything right now, but she also continues to grow her tender side... she can't stand it when Chip is upset and will try everything she can think of to pacify him, she's learning to say, "I'm sorry" when it's appropriate, and she continues to give the best hugs and kisses around. If someone looks the slightest bit sad, she's quick to go to them and ask if they're ok. I love that and I hope she is always sensitive to the feelings of others.

Chip continues to grow and grow and grow. He has had an ear infection and a pretty good chest cold here lately. We're doing several breathing treatments a day, but that wheeze still likes to hang on a bit. We're watching him closely. He acts just fine though -- happy as a lark most of the time. He's smiling more and more and he starting to enjoy his toys a bit (he LOVES the ones that hang from the bar on his car seat). He is hilarious trying to find Izzy when she comes in the room and he just grins when he sees her. He's gotten his first taste of cereal in the last couple of weeks and he is loving it!! :) It's amazing how fast and hard you can fall in love w/ such a tiny person!

Odds and Ends

Whew! Going back to work while you still have a baby eating every three hours on the dot can wear a mom and dad out!!! I'm still nursing him a lot, so the nights are mostly mine until 4 or so and Tre' takes over. :) He sleeps pretty well between feedings, but interrupted sleep catches up w/ me after a while, esp. when we have to be up and moving by 5:45 or so. We're supplementing w/ formula twice a day, so tonight, I'm going to try a formula bottle around 11 PM to see if that gives him a longer stretch for the first part of the night. We shall see.

Anne from GA, I had to laugh when I read your comment about the satin pillow working great if you actually sleep ON it!! :) I can usually tell how restless Iz's night has been by the status of her hair in the morning. She is all over the place in bed. But, the satin pillowcase is FANTASTIC when she stays on the pillow!! Thank you to whoever made that suggestion. :) Maybe I just need to get a whole satin sheet set for her!!

Thanks also to Lisa who suggested the book The Spirited Child. I've already purchased it and it's companion workbook. I'm only just starting it, but it's made me laugh out loud several times b/c I feel like the author has been sitting in my living room! Even though I haven't read much, I already feel like I'm gleaning a lot from it. It's given me a different perspective and I love the positive focus it gives to spirited kids! Izzy has so, so many wonderful characteristics and has a heart the size of Texas -- we've just got to help her learn to channel that energy and persistence and determination in the right direction. She's currently outside w/ Tre' blowing off some steam. It's gorgeous outside and outside time is great for her sanity and mine!! :) She has done really well w/ Chip and really hasn't seemed too jealous, but today as I was getting Chip's kisses, she asked for me to get hers... and kept wanting me to do it. I kiss her all the time (it's kind of a game at our house), but it was a reminder for me of how much her world has changed in the last 2 months. It's tough to go from being the only kiddo under the roof to having to share the spotlight w/ a little 2 foot being who needs lots of attention. She's done well though, and I love how much she loves her brother.

After we shared about Izzy's MRI, a couple of folks had asked if we're going to have Chip scanned. We will scan them both once a year until they're 5 -- that's the plan for now. An ultrasound through Chip's fontanel shortly after birth showed a wonderfully, beautiful, normal brain!!! :)

I hope you'll continue to check on and pray for the Morgan ( Ryan and Missy ), Maxey (Annette), and Escoe (Blaine) families. These families are dear to us and they are each walking their own unimaginably difficult journeys. Missy Morgan and her son, Ryan, are both battling relapsed cancer. Annette Maxey is facing a nasty brain tumor and the treatment is tougher than anyone should have to face, much less a 4 month old. Her parents lost their first daughter, Maddy, to undifferentiated sarcoma... please pray for them. We met the Escoes when our daughters went through some of their treatment together. Kendrie is doing great, but her dad, Blaine, is facing another relapse of his cancer. I know they all welcome any prayers and encouragement you can give them. Cancer is hard, but all of these families are facing/have faced it w/ 2 members of their immediate family. It's really just so unfair!

I hope to get some pics up from St. Patrick's Day soon. Would you believe (shame on me!) that I didn't get a single picture of Chip?!?!?!?!?!?! I know we have at least a couple from family member's cameras though. There were 5 kiddos 3 and under all celebrating together and we've got the pictures to prove it. I haven't seen them yet, but I've heard they're pretty funny. :) Izzy loved the parade and kept saying "more music, more music." It was a good and green day!

I'm gonna nuzzle this sweet baby boy for a few minutes more and then round up Tre' and Iz for some chow before we hit bathtime and bedtime. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods and that you have a great week!

"Boring" Home Video of Chip (w/ a Way Too Loud TV in the Background and My Cheesy Baby Talk)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Blessing and Other Random Stuff

Izzy is almost always careful to make sure we say the blessing before we eat. She usually helps me say the blessing and it goes something like this (Izzy's words are in ALL CAPS): God is GREAT. God is GOOD. Let us THANKS for our FOOD. Sometimes we continue w/ the 2nd half of the prayer and sometimes we say, "Amen," there. Last night a very hungry Izzy was helping me say the blessing -- she could hardly wait to eat as you will see. Our blessing last night went something like this: God is GREAT. God is GOOD. Let us BITE?? thank him for our BITE???. She was starving and couldn't get through the prayer, just kept asking for a bite. :) I admit to giggling through the, "Amen," and I'm pretty sure that there were some giggles from God as well!

We went to the doctor today for well visits for both kiddos. Both checked out well. Iz is 1/2 an inch shy of 3 feet. Chip is growing like a weed as well and weighed in at an even 10 pounds and had grown 2 1/4 inches, so he's now 23 inches!!! I couldn't believe he had grown that much, but it's kind of funny b/c he's just now as long as Catie was when she was born! She was a LOOOOOONNNNGGGG baby! They both got shots and Iz had to get a finger stick. It was NOT a fun thing for her and she had the tears flowing pretty good. In fact she was so pitiful w/ the finger stick that Doctor Cossio went back and warned Mrs. Sharon (the nurse who gives the shots and who took such amazing care of Catie each week when we checked in there) that Izzy's visit to her was probably not going to be very pleasant. I'm so thankful for those tears though... b/c it means she's not accustomed to things that little kids shouldn't have to be accustomed to. Driving home I was thinking about how Catie got a finger stick pretty much every week of her life from the time she was 1 year old (unless she was inpatient or having her port flushed)... She was a champ at it and that made our life much easier. But I hate that she had to be so accustomed to it, and I pray our other kiddos never have to be.

All is well here. I've got a little less than a month before I head back to work for the last nine weeks of school Soaking it all up day by day.

A couple things before I sign off:

Please pray for Sophia's family as her battle with medulloblastoma recently ended when she joined Catie running through the field of Heaven. We know the ache that fills their hearts all too well and we pray for their peace and comfort. (Carepages - sophiasjourney)

Our friend Abby has her MRI tomorrow morning. She is off treatment for relapsed medullo and we're looking for nothing but good news for her. (Carepages - AbbySmith12)

I believe that I've mentioned our friends the Maxeys here before. We were in treatment w/ their daughter, Maddy early on w/ Catie. She fought a brave fight before winning her victory against cancer as she walked through the gates of Heaven. Kirk and Natalie (mom and dad) have a 2 year old son, Grant, and an infant daughter, Annette. Annette was recently diagnosed w/ ATRT and is toughing it out through some harsh treatment. Today, as a precaution, they are scanning Grant. Please pray that they get the all clear and that they are peaceful as they wait for the results... Pray for Annette and for her treatment to be more effective than they can dream and for them to get to see her grow up. I can't even begin to imagine the road that they're on. (www.maxeyweb.com)

Also continue praying for our friends the Morgans. Ryan is battling relapsed neuroblastoma and his mom, Missy is fighting relapsed breast cancer. (www.superryan.blogspot.com and www.caringbridge.org/visit/missymorgan)

Some Smiles from the Last 2 Weeks

Sooo... There have officially been 4 in our house for 2 weeks now. We're loving it and it's so much fun watching Izzy with Chip. I know there will be plenty of sibling arguments in the years to come, but she already loves her little brother. She looks for him first thing every morning and will not go down at night w/o a kiss and some love for him. She has been very patient, for the most part, w/ all the time-consuming things that come w/ new babies. She's taken great interest in her babies and practices diaper changing and feeding them regularly. She wants to help w/ all we do w/ Chip too -- this is particularly interesting when I'm nursing. I pretty much end up w/ 2 kiddos in my lap. :) So long as she doesn't squish him, we're good to go.

The best laugh of our time together since Chip has been here had to take place last week. I was changing Chip and Iz was squooched right up against me "helping." He let go some gas that had more to it than just air and lo and behold, he had POOPED on Izzy's hand. She looked at me w/ this completely astounded look and I just died laughing. After about 2 seconds, she too was rolling. Oh my goodness, how we laughed. She has thoroughly enjoyed telling everyone that Chip pooped on her hand. Must admit he missed me that time, but my goodness, little boys pee a lot more often than little girls when de-diapered and it goes a heck of a lot farther!!!!!

Unbelievable -- I got all of this typed and both kids are still snoozing!!! We're going to master juggling 2 after all. Famous last words..... :)

Loss and New Life

How strange to sit here looking at this beautiful 4.5 day old little boy and think of what we were doing exactly 2 years ago. Tonight as we snuggle and love on and get to know this precious baby boy, we know that 2 years ago we were snuggling on, loving on, and saying goodbye to Catie. In some ways we wonder how 2 years have passed already and in others we wonder how in the world it's been only 2 years. Time is a strange thing. Chip's arrival has definitely relieved the anticipation of tomorrow a bit. I don't think I'll ever be able to put words to all the emotions we feel in the month of January. What a wide range of feelings God made us humans capable of feeling.

So... we will continue to celebrate Catie, Izzy, and Chip... and we will continue to miss Catie... and life will continue to bustle forward. We will be grateful for the tremendous blessings in our life even as we continue to grieve our loss.

We are all adjusting well to being a household of 4. Izzy has handled things like a champ. My mom has been here, so Iz has been getting lots of extra love as we adjust to juggling 2 kiddos. Chip is a snuggler and we are loving it. We're definitely lacking some sleep, but that's ok. We'll update more later this week... We're just busy soaking up Chip, loving on Izzy, and processing all that comes with January.

Thanks for checking in!!

More Pictures

Iz was a bit tired, so no smile from her, but here the 4 of us are.










The other baby in the pic is Jackson, our new nephew. The pic of Tre' on the couch w/ Chip also has his sister, Tasha (Jackson's mom), and baby Jackson in it. Jackson is 6 weeks older than Chip. :)

Chip!!

I'm Making a Permanent Imprint...

on my couch! Yep... due to some contractions last week and more after trying to go back to work on Monday, I've been sent home. That could be a grand thing if I had the freedom to do all the things that need to be done around the house, but that's not quite how it works. Tre' has been nothing short of amazing and we may be calling him Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart before it's all over with. Tonight he even got roped into picking out a fancy holiday top for me to wear to a Make A Wish Event we committed to earlier in the year (I got a "free pass" from my doc to attend since we're committed to speak at the event). Iz is getting in some extra time with GaGa and PaPa.

So, though I REALLY hate sitting around all day long... I'm very thankful that I'm sitting here and contractions have backed off. I'm thankful that we have such supportive family and friends and that my school has been so great! I'm searching hard for projects around the house that can be done from the couch and the countdown has begun... for me at least. :)

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Yep, you read right! We're having a BOY!!!!! We weren't going to find out -- we never have until this time. And we tired not to this time, but this little man wanted to be seen!!! I guess he was worried he wouldn't have anything but pink to where when he got here if he didn't make it known that blue was the color of the day. We looked away at all the right times during the ultrasound -- didn't even peek (though I was tempted too). Tre' and I were looking at the pictures that printed out before we left the ultrasound room when Tre' noticed something on one of the pics in his hand. He showed it to me and there was no mistaking boy parts peeking from behind a leg. We asked to double check and we just laughed. A boy!!!! What in the world are we going to do with a boy???? I'm betting we figure it out... I remember a day when we didn't know what to do with girls!! :) We'll name him after his daddy, Charles James IV and we'll call him Chip. Chip was on Catie's list of approved boy names (directly behind Flounder and Lucifer (you know the cat from Cinderella -- told her NO way, NO how on that one!!))... She liked Chip b/c of the little teacup on Beauty and the Beast. I just like the name and I like the way it sounds when we say Chip and Izzy. A BOY!! Who'd of thunk it???

Little Izzy Tornado

Moonpie may be her official nickname, but here recently, she is quite commonly (and lovingly) referred to as Little Izzy Tornado. If you could watch her blast into a fairly orderly room, you would understand why!!! She is SO busy and SO into everything. She has one speed and it is NOT slow! This morning I was getting some things out of the pantry and in 60 seconds flat she had found bubbles on a shelf (that I thought she couldn't reach), opened it and dumped them out. As I went to grab a towel (leaving the pantry door open like the oh-so-smart person that I am) she found a package of instant oatmeal, ripped it open, and dumped it on the floor!!! In 60 SECONDS FLAT! Oh, how she keeps us on our toes!!

But, oh, how she makes us smile. She has really learned the power of using words and is usually really good about letting us know what she wants. Now we still get the "uh, uh, uh" when she wants something. But a look from one of us and she will usually find a word to tell us what she wants. USUALLY... not always! :) Today in the car, we were just leaving the house. She loves music and one of the songs she loves is on a mix CD that I have. She started signing and saying, "more, more" from the backseat. I looked over my shoulder and asked her, "more what?" She started going "na na na na" which for her means the "na na" song. She loves (and so do I) the song "Sheltering Tree" by Newsong. So I put on the "na na" song and sure enough she was trying to sing along on the "na na" parts. She's starting to really enjoy playing with her babies and at one point today I looked over at her and she was bent over her baby just talking to her. Her favorite game is playing chase around the house with her daddy. She loves for him to scare her and she just laughs and laughs when he does. It is too funny to watch them running around the island that separates our kitchen and great room!! I love watching her grow and learn and interact more and more with the world around us. She really does keep us smiling and laughing.

Thanks for all the well-wishes for this new little one headed our way. We are eager to meet him/her (and won't know if it's a him/her till he/she arrives)! I confess to wanting to sleep ALL the time and dealing with the oh so fun morning sickness (though it's never just in the morning, is it?).... That's ok though, I know it means my body is doing what it should be (though I will be glad when I'm not feeling quite so icky. :)

Lots of News from Our House

Well, the last week and a half has been eventful, complete with having to briefly evacuate our house due to a forest fire on our road (everything's fine), my car window being busted out and my purse and ipod (among other things, including my makeup!!) being stolen, and a deep freezer that all of a sudden no longer freezes!!! When it rains, it pours!! These are just minor annoyances though -- a bit of a pain, but nothing more.

Other news... I'm going back to teaching this fall. WOW!! Big changes coming our way, huh? I'll be teaching at a school close to home, we've found a sitter for Izzy who we feel good about (2 good friends' kids are also staying there), and we're soaking up every bit of this summer home together. :) Hopefully we'll all do well adjusting to a newer and MUCH busier schedule.

And we've saved the BIGGEST and BEST news for last!!!!! Izzy is going to be a BIG sister!!!!!! Yes, we're very much looking forward to welcoming a new baby in late January. The baby is due 5 days before Izzy turns 2 (which means, yes, the due date is 2 days after Catie's Heaven day -- we just cram it all into one week!!).

Well..... how's that for an update??? Lots of news for sure. Now, I'm off to take a nap!! :)

Big Tears from a Little Girl

Last night Izzy followed Tre' into her room. About 2 1/2 seconds later she comes running out of the room just bawling -- not "I'm hurt" crying, but just bawling like her heart is broken. So I go and lift her to my hip, thinking she was getting to something she shouldn't have and Tre' had told her no, when he comes out asking, "What's wrong Moonpie?" So I look at her and look at him and we're clueless. She's still bawling. I walk back into the room, still holding her on my hip and I see the cause of all the drama. There it sits in the middle of her room, left unattended as I had not finished up in there yet.... the big ole scary vaccuum cleaner. It wasn't even running -- just the sight of it pushed her over the edge. I had to laugh a little. We've tried everything, letting her touch it while it's on and while it's off, using her own vaccuum cleaner... nothing seems to be able to conquer the fear of the big scary machine.

So... I'm thinking I should use this to our advantage... If I put the vaccuum cleaner in plain sight in our bedroom, do you think it would convince her to sleep all night in her room???

Snuggle Bunnies and Such

Catie was a snuggler from the day she was born until the day she left this earth. Every morning found the 2 of us snuggled up on the couch for an hour or so after she awoke (neither one of us are morning people). Waking up slowly was the name of the game.

Izzy was a snuggler for the first few weeks of her life, but quickly became more interested in all that was going on around her. She was more worried about what she would miss out on than getting in any ole snuggling! In the last couple of months, she's learned to enjoy snuggling up to take a nap, but almost always next to me, not lying on my chest. And you can forget snuggling in the morning!!! She is on the move from the time she wakes up -- I honestly can't even fathom how someone can be so wide awake so fast!

But for some reason this morning, Ms. Izzy decided that snuggling up on my chest was a good thing. She was sitting in my lap, leaned forward on me and laid her head down. I rubbed her back and stroked her hair and soaked her up and thanked God for this sweet and energetic baby girl who saw fit to pause on her momma this morning. Oh the sweetness of a baby on your chest.

BIRTHDAY PICTURES!!

Oh, aren't birthdays fun? We definitely savored this one, Izzy's first, and who are we kidding, birthdays will always, always be savored at our house. Catie missed out on her first birthday party (her first surgery was on her birthday), so this day with Izzy was extra sweet for many reasons.

Now on to the pictures!!

The menu was chili and hot dogs -- Izzy's first taste of a hot dog -- she thought it was good stuff!


Iz with Aunt Nik Nik


Not so sure about lots of people singing Happy Birthday! Remind anyone of a certain big sister? This surprised me so much. I thought she was going to eat it up. She didn't cry (though I thought she was about to), and was fine once the cake was in front of her (though she did think it was weird that everyone was standing around watching her eat).


Izzy's smash cake (the big cake had Elmo on it)


Mmmmm... this isn't bad.


Yes, she shared w/ Joey. (I can FEEL you cancer moms out there cringing :).


Now we're talking!


The traditional Aunt NikNik and the messy nose picture. If you've followed us for very long, you know that NikNik is always putting stuff on the noses of my kids! This is actually Iz's first experience, but trust me, there will be pics in the future w/ paint and cookie dough and play dough... you name it on her nose from Aunt Nik. Iz reciprocated and painted Nikki's nose too. It's only fair, right?


Look at her fingers!


My work here is done!

1st Birthdays are good stuff! It was quite fun watching Izzy enjoy her big day.

One last picture. Izzy has this new face that she likes to make where she scrunches her face up and her lips pooch out. She breathes in and out through her nose quickly and it's so funny! We can do it to her and she'll do it back to us.

Silly Girl


UPDATE ON MY DAD
Thanks for your concern for my dad. He has made marked improvement. He is breathing well and was moved to a regular room the middle of last week. He continued to receive dialysis through Saturday. Since then, he has not needed it. His kidney numbers are not normal, but are finally improving ON THEIR OWN!! He still has a ways to go, but we are very optimistic that he will recover full kidney function. We are very grateful for this as he was in a very scary place two weeks ago!

Sweet Izzy B

Oh Sweet Girl! One whole year! I don't think I will ever be able to explain to you how much joy and laughter you have brought us this year. You have lifted our spirits and given a new purpose to our days. We are so grateful for the incredible blessing you have been in our lives and the blessing we know that you will continue to be in the years to come.

You have grown and changed so much this year. From a tiny baby stretching just 20 and 3/4 inches to the "big girl" you are now at nearly 32 inches and 26 1/2 pounds! From that tiny baby who liked to "growl" to your big girl babble (we still love to hear you say "giggle, giggle, giggle, giggle" -- it's been your favorite funny sound for a while now) we love all your sounds. You are talking and understanding more every single day -- you're up to at least 15 words (my personal favorite word to hear you say is cracker -- you just sound cute when you say it). You know that a duck says "quack quack" and a cow says "moo" (though I don't think you could point out a duck or a cow in a book yet). You are becoming quite the daddy's girl (much to your daddy's delight) and you love to be sung to and to read books. You like to "get" us and you just grin and grin when you do. Your favorite game is chase and you still think peekaboo is pretty fun. Elmo is a favorite as well and you like to "love" your babies.

The first year is so amazing to me because it really is unbelievable how many things are learned. We have had so much fun watching you grow and learn and we love you more each and every day. One of my favorite gifts that you got for your birthday was a fancy knife (w/ your name and birthdate engraved on it) to cut your birthday cake w/ this year, and next year, and the next year, and the next year, and the next year, and the next year... and every year until you get married. We'll engrave your married name and wedding date on the opposite side and you will use it to cut your wedding cake. Oh how I so look forward to watching you grow each year and seeing the little girl, and teenager, and woman you will grow into. We will take none of it for granted, and your daddy and I will be there every step of the way, loving you through good times and growing times... We love you so very much sweet Izzy Claire and we are so glad that God entrusted you to our care...

Love,
Momma and Daddy

Ms. Izzy

At the moment Ms. Izzy is alternately attacking her Leapfrog table and dancing to the music coming from it. She has quite the cute booty shake! We've started decorating for Christmas (no tree yet) and she loves the lights (which translates to she wants to eat them!). She loves all the singing animals that were Catie's and she wants them singing non-stop. The really funny thing is her grunting and protesting when they quit singing. She has a new wrinkly nosed facial expression that is absolutely adorable and can come out when she's happy or mad. Baby food is a thing of the past (even though she still only has 2 teeth). She won't touch the stuff and we're anticipating the switch to milk in a few weeks. She only woke up ONCE last night!!!!!!! She's discovered Catie's kitchen and though she's not pretend-cooking yet (though she will pretend to give you a bite of food), but she loves playing w/ all the stuff in it (translation: spreading it all over the kitchen and great room floors!). She's got several words (mama, dada, baby, book, papi, dog, Gaga, and a couple of others) and you can just watch her absorbing words as you say them. Her wave is quite exuberant and I'm quite certain it will give you a black eye if you get in the way of it. She still thinks chewing on paper is fashionable and will "run" from you when you need to do a mouth check! Obviously, she is keeping us on our toes and keeps us giggling! There is no rest when she's up and on the move and that's fine with us (so long as she lets us sleep at night!).

Totally didn't plan to do Santa on this day, but there was NO line and the picture disc was half price (which is still outrageous!), so we had to stop!



We'll update again the next time we're not in chasing mode!!