The Knierim Family Adventures

Isabel's top 5 at 5

2012-02-09T21:44:00.000-06:00

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it was cute so I'm stealing it. :)

Isabel's top 5 favorite things, activities, people, etc at age 5....

1. Barbies, princesses, doll house, my little pony: I know these may seem very different to you but they all go in the same category with Isabel. She plays with all of them in the same way and often mixes them together. Didn't you know that barbies are friends with my little ponies and princesses can live together in the dollhouse with the doll house family? I love watching Isabel play. She is so creative and imaginative! She will sit in the floor in her own little world talking to her barbies, making them talk to each other, or setting them up in an elaborate scene. These little dolls have their own little school, dance class and church on a regular basis. They drive around in cars, sit on the stairs to get their pictures made and even get sent to time out if they misbehave. Isabel can never be bored as long as she has a barbie or some little doll with her!!

2. Writing, drawing, painting: I am so thankful that so far, Isabel loves school. She loves learning about different things and often comes home to explain it to Will and me. She also loves practicing her writing and learning to read more and more. Isabel also loves all things arts and crafts. She has always loved coloring but in the past few months she has become quite the little artists. I am always amazed at how well she can draw things because I am terrible at drawing! Over the years, her people have evolved from heads with arms and legs to people with detailed hair, specific outfits, eyelashes and even bows and accessories. Like most things, she is a perfectionist when it comes to her creations so I now know to give her plenty of time to complete her masterpieces!

3. Dancing and gymnastics: Isabel has always been one that loved to entertain by singing and dancing. She still does that sometimes but spends more time practicing her gymnastics these days. She loves her class that is a mixture of dance, gymnastics and cheer leading. The perfectionist in her causes her to practice like crazy to get better at the things she knows she is not great at yet. Her bridges are great, cartwheels are getting better and her "kick-ups" will be handstands some day soon. I'm so proud of her and the effort she puts into it.

4. God and Jesus: I have prayed regularly since I was pregnant with Isabel that she would know God early, understand His love for her, and live her life for Him. I am so thankful that so far she truly seems to grasp some pretty difficult theological concepts and genuinely loves God. Isabel will tell anyone that asks that God and Jesus are her best friends. (she also loves to correct her little brother if he says someone else is his best friend). She loves going to church and reading her bible and is even living out some of what she learns. I can't tell you how many times she has heard that someone is sick and immediately tells me that she wants to pray for them. And then she does! I pray that this love will only continue to grow and grow. I know God has big plans for my little girl!

5. Her family and friends: Isabel is definitely a people person. While she can be shy at first around people she does not know well, she quickly makes friends and becomes quite the extrovert. Right now we have entered the stage where only girls are her "best" friends. The differences between boys and girls are big for her and she only wants to do girl things with girls! Unless of course it concerns her daddy or brother. She will jump right in and try to play football and wrestle (although she usually decides pretty quickly that she doesn't like it and will decide to cheer from the side). Isabel has always been a daddy's girl and I pray that she always will be. She also loves to do girly things with me which I love. Even though they fight like crazy sometimes, she loves William and can be extremely protective over him. Isabel loves people big and I love that about her.

At 5, Isabel is sweet and caring. She is sensitive, dramatic, and emotional. She is ALL GIRL! She is quick to help others and loves being a "little mommy" to any children younger than her. She has a deep respect for rules and tries her hardest to obey them. She believes justice is very important and is deeply upset if something happens that she does not think is fair. She is smart, a perfectionist, and can be pretty stubborn. She misses nothing and remembers everything! She challenges me, frustrates me and brings us so much joy! We love her so much and cannot wait to see what God has in store for her.

Stats:
*height: 43.75in (75th percentile)
*weight: 41 pounds (60th percentile)

Isabel turns 5!

2012-02-07T09:35:00.001-06:00

Somehow my baby girl has turned 5! Although it may be have been a little sad for me, Isabel was nothing but excited. She referred to herself as "the 5 year old" all day and constantly pointed out the things she could do or reach now that she was 5. My 5 year old definitely keeps us entertained! While it is a little hard to see proof that my baby is not actually a baby anymore, I am also looking forward to all of the fun things I can do with my big girl as she grows up.

I feel like we have been celebrating Isabel's birthday for weeks...probably because we have! We, of course, celebrated a little more on her actual birthday. She woke up at 6:45am (which is very early for her) because she was so excited she could not sleep anymore! That excitement lasted all day! She had fun playing with Grams that morning and then got to pick where we would eat lunch so we all enjoyed lunch at Steak-n-shake. Isabel immediately informed our waitress (and everyone else that we came in contact with all day) that it was her birthday! That night we went to family night at Chick-fil-a and then played at My Gym...basically Isabel's perfect night.

For each birthday my mom gives Isabel a new angel that I collected when I was a little girl. I love seeing my little girl get excited about getting then now!

We had to look in the blog book to see all the pictures from when Isabel was born

I had to do a little photo-shoot with the birthday girl before lunch.

Isabel never minds having her picture taken and is always ready with a pose!!

I love that sweet smile!

My little man got a little jealous of the attention on Isabel and wanted to take a picture too!

can you feel the love?

4 Inventions Needed for Raising Young Children

2012-02-06T21:52:00.000-06:00

At Jenn's request, I have decided to make a contribution to the blog that I actually originally set up about 5 years ago. I would like to use this opportunity to lobby for 4 devices that would make raising a child much easier. If someone would kindly start production on these, it would be greatly appreciated.

1. The Booth Divider

The Scenario: You've been there. It's you and your three year old sitting in a booth at a restaurant about to enjoy a meal that they probably won't eat based on the fact that you chose the kids don't eat free night. As you get your food you are once again reminded that your child has no sense of personal space at all. Each bite you take has the possibility of being dropped in your lap because you have somehow become part of a right triangle with the booth and your leaning child making up the rest of the sides. You are sure that there are about twenty square feet of free space on the seat, but you wouldn't know because all you can see if a giant ketchupy face two inches from ruining yet another of your shirts.

The Solution: A portable Plexiglas wall that will keep you separated from the ketchup monster. If you have been in a taxi or perhaps the back of a police car then you know what I am talking about. As a bonus, I would suggest we add one of those glove hands that you can reach into and mess with stuff on the other side of the glass. How else will you be able to jam that expensive food into the mouth of the child?

2. The Play Bubble

The Scenario: You child seems to have an inability to resist tackling your other child. This increases when you are on the phone, cleaning, or generally breathing in any way. If only there was a way to ensure that the children kept their hands off one another.

The Solution: The play bubble. Think about the bubbles that some kids with poor immunity live in or travel in. If you had one of these for each child, all that they could do is bump into each other and roll around. No more tackling, ever.

3. The Painometer

The Scenario: Your daughter has injured herself again. Given the level of crying she has either chopped off her own arm or fallen into a vat of acid. After kicking down the door because it seemed like the emergency kind of thing to do, you discover that the cause of the screaming is the discovery of a hangnail that could one day become mildly irritating. And what about the times when you enter a room to a crying son who is sitting next to his sheepish looking brother and the plastic golf club. How long should time out be for the kid who thought it would be a good idea to go Braveheart on his brother with a sports recreation device. If only we had a way to see with what velocity the kid was able to employ with the golf club by determining just how much pain was inflicted on his brother. (Also, it would be great to know if golf was a sport that could be ruled out or encouraged.)

The Solution: Imagine a thermometer type of device that you could put on the child's forehead that could gauge the level of pain that the child is actually experiencing anywhere in his or her body. What if the device could actually pinpoint the location of the pain for when your screaming child forgets which arm his sister pinched but is sure that he is in the most pain ever? Instead of needing to head to the ER for head trauma, you can discover that the crushing headache your daughter appears to be experiencing actually came from your daughter combing her hair too hard and that the pain went away twenty minutes ago.

4. The Mommy Mask

The Scenario: Your child probably does love his daddy, just not when he wakes up at night, wants someone to fill his cup, or wants someone to do anything other than tackle him. The dad gets up in the middle of the night to check on the fussy kid and when he gets there, it appears that once again, the child needs the magical touch of his mother. If only there was a way to never hear "no, mommy do it" again.

The Solution: Every mother should be required to sit for a mask molding before having their child. This would be a mask that the father can put on when he knows that only a mother's touch will do. If you are concerned that the child will be able to tell the difference between a mom body and a dad body, you're giving them too much credit and you have already lost the war. These are the same kids who not long ago thought that you literally removed their nose at a whim and who you can also distract from anything remotely upsetting by saying let's go get slushies.

Is it still winter?

2012-02-03T21:18:00.000-06:00

It is crazy to look at the my posts from this time last year (like this one or this one). We had a lot of snow and there were a lot of snow pictures. This year, not so much. It has actually been over 60 degrees multiple days this week. I'll admit that a day of snow would be nice but I'm actually ok with the almost-spring-like weather. If it means we get to play outside, we are all happy!

we almost forgot how much fun it is to swing in the backyard!

Bubbles have always been fun but now that both Isabel and Will can actually blow the bubbles themselves it is even better. I don't feel like I am going to faint after 10 minutes of bubble fun! :)

Isabel is always ready to pose for the camera

Partying with Belle

2012-01-23T14:13:00.000-06:00

Saturday we celebrated Isabel's 5th birthday with a party at the movie theater. We had to have her party about 2 weeks before her actual birthday but it was worth it to see Beauty and the Beast with Isabel and some of her sweet friends. The majority of the girls sang along with every song and all squealed when Belle came down the stairs all dressed up in her beautiful yellow gown. It was so fun to see the movie through the eyes of 4 and 5 year old girls.

Before watching the movie we had a little party in a room at the theater. The girls decorated their own cupcakes, opened presents and decorated goody bags before filling them with princess goodies! We are so blessed that Isabel has so many precious little friends that have fun mommies too! It was the perfect party for my little princess.

Isabel made sure the table was perfect while she waited on her friends to get there.

Isabel and Shelby

A couple of weeks before her birthday party, I asked Isabel if she wanted a cake or cupcakes. After thinking for a while she said she wanted cupcakes....but only if SHE got to be the one to pass them out. Can you tell by the look on her face how much she loved giving one to each friend?

Everyone was in deep concentration while they decorated their cupcakes

the look on her face while we sang Happy Birthday!

I took a couple of group shots but never got one of the whole group

"We love Beauty and the Beast!"

cabbage patch kids

2012-01-21T21:24:00.000-06:00

If you grew up in the 80s, like Josh and I did, you most likely had a cabbage patch kid. For Isabel's birthday, Josh's mom gave her a cabbage patch doll that is a 1983 vintage edition. It is just like the ones we had and Isabel loves it!

She also gave Will Josh's cabbage patch kid from when he was a kid. Will immediately named him William and has carried him around for 2 days.

science center with cousins

2012-01-21T20:59:00.000-06:00

Lauren, Avery and Ansley were in Nashville for a few days so we met them at the childrens' science center one morning. It is always fun for Isabel and Will to get time with their cousins and playing at the science center was just an added bonus.

A little piano playing with their feet.....what talent at such a young age!

We could not get Avery and Will away from the water table

Isabel was more interested in being a doctor!

Checking the patient's ears

Will loved hitting the foods that popped up

Sweet Ansley is such a happy baby!

Isabel loves taking care of Ansley. She takes her role of "oldest cousin" very seriously!

I tried to get a picture of all 4 of them but they are too terrible to even post! ha ha! We'll try again next time!

Hello 2012!

2012-01-15T16:57:00.000-06:00

Two weeks into the new year and I'm just now making my first post. Good thing updating the blog more often wasn't a resolution I made! Actually, I have a great excuse....so far 2012 has been busy for our family!

Josh preached at our church on January 1 and did a great job!
The kids and I have had many fun outings like playing at local play areas, indoor bounce house places, and having lunch with friends
The kids started back to school. They were so excited to be back and I have to admit, I was a little glad to have back my 2 free "mommy" days a week. My house finally got cleaned!
I also started a women's bible study on Thursday afternoons
We have been to 2 birthday parties and have another one tomorrow.
We have been busy planning a special little girl's 5th birthday party that is coming up soon!!
Isabel started her new "big girl" dance/gymnastics class and loves it. Within about 10 minutes of being home after her first class our entire family was walking their feet up the wall to do a handstand. I bet you wish you could see that!
All 4 of us have spent hours playing with new Christmas toys
We have watched plenty of football but the most important/exciting was watching Alabama destroy LSU in the National Championship game. ROLL TIDE!!

So far my favorite part of 2012 has been that Isabel and Will have been playing together better than ever. Not only are they getting along better, but they are playing together more often without a constant need for parental involvement......meaning I don't have to be right there the whole time. They simply entertain each other and have fun together. They have finally found activities that are fun for a 3 year old BOY and an almost 5 year old girly GIRL! Please don't think all is perfect. I still play referee multiple times each day and they can still drive each other crazy sometimes but overall they seem to have reached a point where they have fun playing the same thing. They come up with elaborate scenarios to act out that involve just the two of them (and some imaginary friends) or every toy we own seems to need to be involved. I just love seeing them enjoy each other and seeing relationship between them deepen. I just pray that this continues for a long time (and that I didn't just jinx myself by writing this down).

I'm looking forward to all that 2012 holds for our family!!

Just a little more Christmas

2011-12-30T21:21:00.000-06:00

We finished up our Christmas celebration with a trip to Arkansas to see family. Despite some sickness, we had a great time. My cousin, Dana, has an 11 month old that we had not seen yet so it was so good to finally meet her. Isabel and Will loved her. I did a terrible job taking pictures while we were there but I did get a few cute ones......

Aunt Sandra and precious Ella

Isabel, who always loves being the oldest and taking care of the "babies", had so much fun playing with Ella and pushing her around in her car

My aunt got Isabel and Will a LeapPad and they LOVE it! After a quick lesson from daddy, Isabel had no problem figuring it all out

Will thinks it is pretty great too. He especially loves taking everyone's picture

Isabel got this microphone that sings Under the Sea. She loves putting on a show for us and singing along with Ariel.

It's Christmas!

2011-12-29T15:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas was such a fun day! The kids were so excited to see what Santa left that morning and were so happy with all of their presents. After a quick breakfast we opened a few presents before time to get ready to go to church. We had a family service at church and Isabel and Will did really well. It was nice to spend some time on Christmas day remembering the true reason we celebrate and praising God for sending his son to save us all. After church we had a big brunch, took naps and then opened more! It was a wonderful Christmas!

Will's loot from Santa

Isabel's loot from Santa

Will loves his castle...but so does Isabel. The castle is now filled with plenty of princesses for brave knights and superheros to save!

Isabel was so proud of the present that she made and wrapped for us at school. It was a beautiful picture of her in a frame with puzzle pieces on it. The back said, "I love you to pieces!" So cute!

Winnie the Pooh and Barbie Nutcracker...definitely a hit!

Will loved his huge dinosaur (his daddy may have thought it was pretty cool too!)

Christmas pictures before church

I'm a lucky girl!

Isabel saw this months ago and just knew her Nana would love it! She was so excited to finally give it to her!

a special gift from Grams to Will for his new big boy room

cutest raincoats for the cutest kids!

(yes, Will was a little over pictures by this point)

Will got a possum for Christmas! A few months ago he decided that the word possum was the funniest word ever. He calls everyone a possum and says "awesome possum" multiple times a day. When Josh and I saw this stuffed possum we couldn't resist buying it for him!

Nana bought Will a Titans football uniform and helmet. The jersey even has shoulder pads. Will LOVES it!

Doctor Barbie for Isabel

(Josh and I were getting pretty frustrated that so many barbies are barely clothed so we were excited about this professional line of barbies for our little girl!)

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T14:48:00.000-06:00

The excitement surrounding Christmas this year has been at an all time high with Isabel and Will. They have been counting down the days all month. When they finally took the santa magnet off of the advent calendar on Christmas Eve they were amazed that it was actually here! Christmas Eve was such a fun day filled with family, Christmas cookies, a yummy lunch, a candlelight service at our church and getting ready for Santa!

Nana had plenty of helpers while making the famous Knierim Christmas cookies

silly kids in aprons

(yes, Will may kill me one day for putting him in a pink apron but he begged for it!!)

Isabel enjoyed helping daddy roll out the dough and then cut out the cookies...until she got bored with the cookie cutters and began creating her own cookies like she was using play doh

This is what I get most of the time when I say, "Will, smile so I can take your picture"

We had our annual Candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church. Each year I worry a little about how ~~the kids~~ Will will handle the service and each year I am pleasantly surprised. Both Isabel and Will sang along with the songs they knew and listened somewhat quietly while our pastor talked. However, Will had a lot of questions about why he did not get a glass of juice when we took communion and began licking an empty cup while we were praying. I pray that one day both kids completely understand what communion is about and can take it with us.

Isabel and Will with Grams before we left for church

I'm trying to be better about taking pictures of me with my kids. I know I will cherish these one day.

Trying to get a family picture at church

Nana reading the Christmas story before bed

Both kids got to open one present before they went to sleep. Will was so excited about his dinosaur that he needed to sleep with him that night

Isabel is all about nightgowns these days and was excited to have a new one

Christmas pjs in front of the Christmas tree....I love these pictures. :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T13:44:00.000-06:00

Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King

Must be Santa......again

2011-12-20T21:28:00.000-06:00

Santa came for a visit to the gym where Isabel takes dance. The kids got to play and then talk to the big guy. Last year Will screamed at the sight of him but this year both kids jumped in his lap to tell him what they wanted. Isabel told him she wanted an artist barbie and Will said he wanted a truck!

Isabel was concerned that Santa wasn't wearing glasses (which he was wearing when they saw him at the library) and Will just wanted to see his sleigh. hmmm......

fun with friends

2011-12-20T21:13:00.000-06:00

I love play dates! What is better than watching my kids have fun with their friends while I get some adult conversation with another mommy? A few days ago we had a fun morning with my friend Kim and her kids, Thomas and Mae. They live in Huntsville so we met at a park in the middle (actually closer to us, thanks Kim!) and then had lunch. The kids played great and we had such a great time!

Two beautiful girls who had so much fun together!!

Will stopped to play us some music on the drums

You have no idea how hard it was to get these two boys to stop at the top of the slide long enough to take this picture!

Isabel is always willing to stop and pose

We tried hard to get a picture of all 4 of them but this is the best I got. Maybe we should have waited for a group picture until after their bellies were full of chick-fil-a!

sweet boys

bye bye baby room

2011-12-15T22:35:00.000-06:00

Last week we moved Will to a real big boy bed. His crib converts to a full size bed so we took the crib apart and made it a real bed instead. I have to admit that I may have had some tears in my eyes when I saw Josh taking apart the crib. One of my babies has been sleeping in that crib for the past 5 years! Now they are both in real beds!

My little man does love his bed though

After putting together his bed, Josh and I quickly realized that the glider and ottoman would not fit anymore. It was time to sell it. ~~Sadly~~ Fortunately we were able to sell it quickly. It was nice to make some money and to be able to move it since we didn't have room for it but it made me really sad too. I have a lot of memories of my babies rocking in that chair. I know some may think that it is a little crazy to have a blog post dedicated to a piece of furniture but it was a special piece of furniture so it makes sense to me!

I can remember carefully picking it out when I was pregnant with Isabel and putting it in her nursery. It was hard to even imagine sitting there and rocking my baby at that time. That became the chair that I spent hours rocking, nursing and praying for my baby girl in as I just looked at her sweet face. Once she got a little older she would ask to "rock rock" after her naps. She would happily sit in my lap and rock until she was completely awake. Around that time I got pregnant with Will. I kept rocking Isabel but there was a belly in the way. I continued to pray for Isabel as I rocked but added prayers about her becoming a big sister and for our new little baby boy.

The glider again became a part of the new nursery for Will. Again I spent hours rocking, nursing and praying for my baby boy. As they got older Isabel and Will began rocking each other and playing with the chair. (there may or may not be some marks on the wall behind the glider to prove this). However if Will woke up in the middle of the night, I still got a chance to rock my baby boy.

I am excited about this new stage in our life with a 3 year old and almost 5 year old but it is hard not to miss the baby stage sometimes too. Luckily Isabel and Will still love to snuggle with their mommy and understand that they will always be my babies!

I had to stop and take one last picture of Will (Isabel was still sleeping) in the glider before Josh loaded it in the van.

(yes, Will does have a black eye. He smashed his face into the trashcan while trying to reach his ball!)

Silver Bells

2011-12-15T22:03:00.000-06:00

For the past few weeks Isabel's dance class has been practicing their Christmas dance. No parents were allowed at practice so it would be a surprise, even the song they would be dancing too. Of course I had no idea why Isabel had a new obsession with the song Silver Bells until their performance started. :) I love how much Isabel loves her dance class and friends and how excited she gets about performing for us. Although my camera decided to stop working (ok maybe there was a slight user error) during the actual performance, I took plenty of pictures before and after!

My sweet dancer

Isabel was so excited that her daddy brought her flowers

(that she had been requesting for a week. ha!)

this girl loves her daddy!

Will felt the need to do some gymnastics too after patiently watching the girls

Isabel with two of her best friends in her class.

love my girl!

I can't tell you how proud we have been of Isabel. She is now one of the older girls in her dance class and has become such a leader. Her teacher tells us often how much of a help Isabel is with the younger girls. She helps them know where to go and what to do. Her teacher has also told us that she is often one of the few girls that is always quiet and paying attention when she is supposed to be. This is actually her last performance with this class. She is ready to move up to the next level class that has more difficult gymnastics in it. Isabel is excited but I think she is a little nervous too. I just can't believe how fast my baby girl is growing up!

preschool Christmas party

2011-12-12T21:29:00.000-06:00

Our preschool Christmas party at church was this past Saturday morning. The kids had fun playing games, making ornaments, eating snacks, decorating cupcakes and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. It was a fun morning and one more way to remind our kids the real reason we celebrate Christmas!

I just wanted a cute picture of them together in their reindeer shirts but neither would cooperate!

Will painted his ornament for maybe a minute and most of that was spent mixing the paint together.

Isabel, however, would have stayed there forever to make sure that every inch was perfect. She really wanted to let one side dry and come back to paint more on the back but there was not time.

Nativity in stickers!

Will really wanted to spread the icing all by himself!

Someone offered to take a family picture. Apparently my children were annoyed by the interruption. They had cupcakes to decorate and EAT!

Isabel was willing to stop and smile mid-bite

Back to the Opryland Hotel

2011-12-10T22:01:00.000-06:00

We had so much at the Opryland Hotel last year so I was excited to go back and see the lights again this year. It really is amazing and I love watching the kids' faces as they take it all in.

family photo in front of the huge Christmas tree

another family photo with fun effects

Isabel and Will were troopers. They did pretty well walking around for a long time and were even willing to stop and let me take a few pictures. They enjoyed the lights but the "shooting fountains" were by far their favorite

Our friends Ben and Jenn went with us this year. I'm so thankful for such great friends that don't mind hanging out with us and our kids too.

Our kids love them too. At times Will only wanted to hold Ben's hand and Isabel wanted her picture taken with Jenn. She insisted on this pose to show off her fingernails.

If only I had better photography skills to really show how amazing the lights are....

towards the end of the night this was the best I could get! ha ha!

my little man got tired of walking and needed a ride on daddy's shoulders

Annual gingerbread house night

2011-12-08T22:13:00.000-06:00

The gingerbread house night at our church has become one of my favorite Christmas traditions. It is funny how different each year is from the year before. There are certain times when it hits me that my kids are really growing up. These annual events always do it to me. Instead of just eating the crackers or only being interested in the decorating for a minute or two, Will really got into it this year. Yes, he loved the candy but the majority of the candy actually made it to the house this year instead of his mouth. I would add the icing and then he could decorate it all by himself! Isabel was able to do a lot of decorating last year but this year she insisted on even doing the icing herself. She was so serious about it and loved being able to create anything she wanted!!

checking out the candy selection before we got started

Isabel was so proud that she could do the icing herself!

Will concentrating hard to make sure those marshmallows are placed just right!

One of Isabel's school friends came too. The girls were so cute together!

The most wonderful time of the year.......

2011-12-01T21:16:00.000-06:00

Although there has been Christmas decorations in stores for about a month and Christmas music on the radio for weeks (which I'm secretly ok with b/c what is so bad about a few more days of the greatest music ever?!), the Christmas season has just now officially begun at our home.

First of all, today at school Will made reindeer food. Cute idea right? Well, I thought so too until.... Will kept trying to eat it and became very upset when I explained that it wasn't for him to eat. According to him, HE made it and HE should get to eat it. Isabel, on the other hand, could not have disagreed more. She was very worried that the reindeer would have nothing to eat and would be too tired to fly. Eventually I calmed Isabel with promises that we could make more and then bribed Will with a different snack. The reindeer food is now well-hidden.

After all of that fun, we decided to finally get most of our decorations up. After being out of town for Thanksgiving and then having something Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night afterwards this was our first chance. The kids are VERY excited about everything. The only downside is that Will asks if it is now Christmas every time he sees anything Christmas related . We started a countdown calendar today but I'm not getting my hopes up. I'm pretty sure I'll be explaining that it is not yet Christmas pretty regularly for the next 24 days!

To continue our Christmas theme, we also went to the library tonight. They read Polar Express and then Santa made a visit. Josh and I were not sure what to expect. If you remember from last year Will was not a huge fan.....and by that I mean he screamed at the sight of Santa. However, this year he just stared as Santa walked in and commented on how long his beard was. When it was time to go talk to him, Isabel (being such a sweet BIG sister) quickly pushed Will ahead to go first and Will did fine. He walked up and said that he would like a truck for Christmas (b/c we only have 1 million already). Isabel then told Santa that she would like an art teacher Barbie. While we were in line only 2 minutes before this, she told Josh and me that she wanted an angel barbie (which I'm pretty sure don't exist). Josh quickly hinted that she may like a barbie that teaches painting and art more (because it is already hidden in our house) and luckily she agreed. I'm not sure how much longer those subtle hints will work so I'm enjoying them while we can!

Thanksgiving photo-shoot

2011-11-27T14:19:00.000-06:00

I really wanted to take a picture of the kids over Thanksgiving to use for our Christmas card this year. I'm not sure if I found one that I will use but I did get a few cute ones....and some funny ones too!

Isabel really thought this was the best pose for a Christmas card picture...

I'm pretty sure one of these will be the winner. Don't you think? :)

Giving Thanks!

2011-11-26T22:34:00.000-06:00

Once again we headed to Birmingham to spend Thanksgiving and had a great time. Each year holidays seem to get a little more fun as our kids enjoy them and understand them more and more. This year both kids seemed to provide a constant musical soundtrack of Thanksgiving songs they had learned. According to Isabel and Will, the most exciting part of this trip was that they got to share a room for the first time. After listening to them whisper for over 30 minutes the first night, Josh and I were not sure it was going to work. They eventually fell asleep and we actually enjoyed listening to their whispers and hilarious conversations over the next few nights. Even though they can fight like crazy, I know they are so thankful for each other! I know I am so thankful for both of them too!

It's turkey time!! Isabel is a very picky eater and Will's diet is usually pretty limited because of his food allergies so I'm never sure what my children will actually eat at certain meals. I was pretty impressed with them this year though. Isabel ate her turkey and some vegetables and Will ate turkey and vegetables too and was even willing to try mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.

my little man hanging around the kitchen

I think it is funny that I have a very similar picture of him from last year

The weather was amazing so we spent a lot of time outside. The kids tried to help Nana with her leaves.....

or maybe they just wanted plenty of leaves to jump in and throw.

After throwing leaves everywhere, Will got serious and helped his daddy.

Most of the time I love my kids' imaginations but sometimes it can be a little creepy. We helped Nana get out some of her Christmas decorations and both Isabel and Will loved these caroling people. They played with them forever and set them up all over the house. Let me tell you, it can be a little unsettling to run into one of these "people" in a dark room!

We had a fire one night and made smores. Will was mesmerized by the fire.

Uncle Matt explained fire safety and how to eat a smore!

After they got tired of the carolers, they moved on to playing with the snowmen

I had high hopes of taking some great family pictures but it never happened. In fact, I realized that we did not take one single family picture and insisted on at least one quick one before we headed home.

Oh yeah, did I mention that Uncle Matt and Aunt Lauren gave Will a Nerf gun for his birthday? He loves it and we have already had about a million talks about where it should be pointed...and especially where it should not be! yep, boys are fun!

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever!" Psalms 136:1

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess 5:16-18

My little man is three

2011-11-21T15:33:00.000-06:00

It is so hard to believe that it has been three years since this precious boy entered our life as an absolutely beautiful newborn. He is now 34 pounds, 38.5 inches of a smart, silly, snuggly, sports loving BOY! We love him so much and know our family would not be complete without him.

Although he can get a little upset when things don't go his way (but who doesn't), Will is usually a happy boy. We do have to remind him repeatedly to be gentle ("tagging someone does not mean shoving them") but he very rarely hurts someone on purpose. He just plays very aggressively sometimes. Will would rather be running, jumping or tackling than pretty much anything else. He still loves all things sports related but has recently decided that cars and trucks are pretty cool too! He also loves coloring, writing (because he wants to be just like his big sister), playing play-doh and reading.

Will is usually a very outgoing kid. After dealing with such intense separation anxiety when he was younger, I'm so thankful for this. He has fun playing with kids his own age but also loves babies and still thinks some of the teenage boys in our youth group are his best friends.

Like his sister, Will likes to entertain. He loves music at school and is constantly singing a song at home. He will also put on a football or baseball game for us to watch. He still has his imaginary friends (mainly his brother) and is constantly telling us a story about something crazy that they did. He is a funny kid and has started "telling jokes." His jokes never really make sense but he starts laughing so hard at himself that we cannot help but laugh too!

Will is still a momma's boy but wants to be just like daddy! He loves his sister and feels it is his full-time job to aggravate her constantly! :) I guess that it what being a little brother is all about! Will can be exhausting and frustrating one second and hilarious and sweet the next. We love our little man!!

Presents too!!

2011-11-21T14:55:00.000-06:00

I don't think that Will even realized that presents were part of birthdays at first. On the way to his party I was explaining that his friends would bring him gifts and he needed to make sure he said "thank you." (He then added that then they had to say "your welcome!") It did not take him long to decide that presents were a pretty awesome part of birthdays and he got some great stuff!!

Now that he is 3, we are changing Will's "nursery" into a big boy room. He is so excited! This may shock you but it will have a sports theme!! Grams got him these pillows to go on his bed. I'm not sure how much time they will actually spend on his bed though. So far they have been kicked and thrown about a million times!!

Will loves Woody (even though he hasn't actually seen all of Toy Story). My favorite is when he says, "howdy partner!" in his best cowboy voice!

Nana brought noise makers!

(there is no way that the person who invented these ~~torture devices~~ fun toys had young kids! I sure hope we don't lose these too soon)

Papa got Will this blowup playland with FIFTY balls. Yes, I said FIFTY balls. Because we needed to add 50 more balls to the 1 million already in our home. Obviously Will LOVES it!

Isabel thinks it is pretty fun too!

my 3 year old and way-too-close-to-5 year old cuties!

Isabel was so excited about getting Will a present this year. She has a piggy bank (that she thinks has millions of dollars in apparently) but Will doesn't. She decided a while ago that she wanted to use some of the money in her piggy bank to buy him one.

Will loved it and immediately needed change out of daddy's pocket to put in his piggy bank

Party like a 3 year old!!

2011-11-20T15:34:00.000-06:00

Since Will's birthday was on a Sunday this year, he basically enjoyed an entire birthday weekend! Even though he had been sick earlier this week and still not feeling 100% he definitely enjoyed his weekend celebration! He really got into his birthday this year more than ever before which made it more fun for all of us.

Saturday morning started with his birthday party. We had it at a play area at a local church that is one of his favorite places. So many of his friends came and they had so much fun climbing, sliding, and being silly.

Birthday boy!

I can't believe my little man is already 3

Will loves his friend, Adam. Adam has twin sisters that are 2 weeks older than Isabel so we love playing with this family. Will and Adam are both ALL BOY and are trouble when they are together.

We are so thankful for all of Will's sweet friends

Will requested cupcakes with footballs on them!

blowing out the candle

Isabel and her friends enjoying cupcakes

silly boy

This is Will with his friend, Addie. She is in his class at school. Will loves Addie so much and the feeling is definitely mutual. Most days Will's school papers say that he enjoyed "playing with Addie" or spent the day asking about her if she isn't there. Will has even eaten broccoli multiple times just because "Addie eats broccoli."

Isabel and Papa

I'm glad 3 year olds can still love on their mommy!

Isabel LOVES face painting...

and Will loved his balloon sword!

Isabel and Nana

(somehow I didn't take a single picture of Will with Grams but she was there to celebrate too!!)

We all had a great time at his party. Afterwards we played at the park and then had lunch at cracker barrel so he could have his favorite....lima beans!! ha ha!

I'm so thankful for family that drives to celebrate with us, sweet friends to play with, and my precious birthday boy!

Thanksgiving program

2011-11-16T14:06:00.000-06:00

Last night we went to Isabel's school Thanksgiving Program. She has been singing the songs for weeks but kept insisting that she keep the hand motions a secret until the big day. She was so excited to finally get to wear her "turkey crown" and show us the program after so much practicing. This was the first time Isabel had ever been on stage singing in front of an audience. I think she was a little overwhelmed but did a great job!

smiles and waves when they first came out

Isabel was VERY serious while she was singing. When she sang the songs at home she would smile, dance and be silly but not during the performance!! I think my little perfectionist was just watching her teacher closely to make sure she got every word and motion correct!

The kids sang multiple songs and then in groups of 3 said something they were thankful for. It was such a sweet program. After they were done, they saw pictures of themselves on the big screens. They LOVED seeing themselves!

Isabel loves her friend Samuel!!

We are so thankful for Isabel's teacher, Mrs. Kara. Isabel loves her and I have no doubt that Mrs. Kara will have Isabel totally ready for kindergarten next year!

We all had cupcakes afterwards to celebrate the great job the kids did

William did great during the program. He watched closely and took pictures with his little camera. His teacher, Mrs. Melissa, was there and Will was so happy to see her! We were definitely blessed with great teachers this year.

Will make a turkey hat at school that he was very proud of and wanted his picture taken in it!

Being thankful...

2011-11-07T14:27:00.000-06:00

November is definitely a month all about being thankful and I feel like God is really reminding me that I need to be thankful.....always! He is showing me how much he has blessed me with and opening my eyes again to the incredible number of people that have so little. I want to make sure that I am thankful for all that I have and also do what I can to help those without all the things that I simply take for granted. I want to stop complaining and start being thankful in all situations.

^"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I recently read the book Kisses from Katie. It.is.amazing! You can also read her blog at kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/ Basically it is about Katie Davis, a girl that moved to Uganda at 18. She is now in the process of adopting 13 little girls and has started a non-profit ministry that helps hundreds of children in Uganda receive food, education, medical care and an understanding of the gospel. She is teaching these children how much Jesus loves them and how to find real joy through that love. Reading about the conditions in Uganda literally hurt my heart. Again, God is showing me how much I have and that I have the responsibility to help those that need so much.

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Do you give thanks in all circumstances? How often do we go before the Lord simply to thank him and praise his name without asking for more?

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun going trick or treating this year! It was easily the best Halloween we have had in years. Three years ago we had just moved, Isabel was too young to really get Halloween, I was VERY pregnant with Will, already about 3cm dilated and was supposed to be on bed rest! The past two years were definitely easier but the kids still didn't "get it" completely, wanted to be carried a lot or got scared easily. However this year they were awesome! They happily walked the whole time, had no problem going up to each house saying "trick or treat!" and didn't get scared of other costumes or scary houses. They loved their costumes and were excited about everything! I was so proud of them and had so much fun!

Isabel loved passing out candy

My angel and my football player looking so cute!

It's candy time!

Will's Heisman pose. ROLL TIDE!!

So happy about candy!

silly kids in their Halloween pajamas!

pumpkin carving

2011-10-31T14:57:00.001-05:00

I have to admit that carving the pumpkin is just not my favorite (and if you ask my mom she can tell you plenty of stories from my childhood that proves it has never been my favorite) and it is also not really the best activity for a 4 and 2 (almost THREE) year old. Call us overprotective but we don't really allow them to play with knives! Luckily Josh loves carving pumpkins and is great at it. The kids had fun picking out what they wanted on their pumpkins, stuck their hands in the pumpkin for about 2 seconds and then went to swing while daddy slaved away!

that face pretty much sums up Isabel's feelings towards the pumpkin goo

I'm actually amazed they were willing to stick their hands in the pumpkin

This is the picture you get when you say "Josh, make them smile so I can take a picture!"

I think Josh did a great job on the pumpkins!!

(can you guess which kid picked the spider and which picked the cat??)

pumpkin pickin'

2011-10-29T15:43:00.000-05:00

We finally bought our pumpkins today! Yes, we have already been to a pumpkin patch but we didn't actually buy a pumpkin there because we like to buy it from a local church by our house that sells pumpkins as a fund raiser. It took us a while to find a good time (and a day with good weather) to go but today was perfect!

Annual picture with the scarecrow (even though we always cut his head off)

look here if you want to compare to last year's pictures

How does she look so much older than she did a year ago? I can't even think about the fact that she will be a kindergartener this time next year

Grams was here to help us pick a pumpkin!

Will ran around looking at the pumpkins for about 5 minutes and then found a stick which was way more fun. This poor tree got attacked for a while. Have I mentioned lately how different boys are from girls?? :)

I'm pretty sure we buy the big pumpkins only for Josh's benefit. Isabel and Will were way more excited about these!

cousins and swings and slides...

2011-10-26T15:08:00.000-05:00

Lauren, Avery and Ansley were visiting her parents and came to spend the morning with us. We all played at a new park and then had lunch! It was so much fun. I love how much my kids love playing with their cousins.

Sweet Ansley is the happiest baby!

They love to swing!

this is how Will loves to swing...crazy boy!

Who needs swings and slides when there is mulch to play with??

taking a break from the mulch to slide

Isabel loved pushing Ansley in the swing. She takes her roll of "oldest cousin" very seriously!

No one has time to stop and pose at the park so this is the best I got. At least all 4 are in the picture!

The Monster Mash

2011-10-26T14:57:00.000-05:00

Isabel did a little performance last night to show off their Halloween dance to the song Monster Mash. She thought the song was so funny and loved that they got to wear their costumes. She really wanted to wear her angel costume even though she couldn't wear the wings or halo for the actual dance since they did some tumbling as a part of the dance. We did a little full costume photo shoot before we left though..

showing off the wings

close-up of my angel

We mainly took a video of the dance but I took a few pictures too...

Will was ready to take pictures with his camera too!

the whole class all dressed up and dancing

tuck jump!

Pumpkin Garden

2011-10-21T21:32:00.000-05:00

Like last year, we went to the pumpkin patch today and had such a good time. On the way there Will said something about going to the farm. In her best big-sister-knows-everything voice, Isabel said, "It's not a farm Will! It is a pumpkin garden!!"

How cute are these two?!

This just never gets old for them...

Will wanted to throw the football forever!

Climbing to the top of the haystack so she could slide down

I'm so thankful they are willing to stop and pose for a quick picture!!

running through the corn stalk tunnel

Hayride!!

big boy...baby...big boy...baby

2011-10-21T14:39:00.000-05:00

My almost-3-year-old has a hard time deciding if he wants to be a big boy or a baby. There are definitely times when he wants to be big and do what his big sister does or do something all by himself. However, there are other times when he wants to be carried, fed and basically babied. I have to admit that I am probably partially to blame. I feel like Isabel had to grow up pretty fast because she became the BIG sister before she was even 2 so I like being able to keep Will "my baby" as long as I can!

For example....Isabel moved into a big girl bed when she was about 20 months. We were moving anyway and Will needed the crib so it just made sense. It wasn't terrible but her sleep patterns definitely got worse. For that reason, I have not been in any hurry to move Will out of his crib. He loves it, goes to sleep easily and sleeps great all night. He has never tried to climb out and there is no baby that needs it. However, I realized that he couldn't stay in it forever so for the past month or so we have been talking to Will about getting a new big boy bed (where no pacis are allowed) when he turns 3. He has been very excited. In fact, last weekend he decided that he was ready right then and Josh and I just went with it. Josh took one side off of his crib and made it a toddler bed. The first night he went to sleep pretty easily but did have some problems staying in the bed. Josh was watching him on the monitor at one point and watched him roll off but he never woke up. He just curled up and went back to sleep...

Since then he has gone back and forth. Some nights he likes it and some nights he says he is scared and wants his baby bed back. Our plan is to get him a real bed soon with some type of sports themed sheets/comforter and I think that will make it all better...or maybe worse. Who knows? For now he is enjoying being able to just get up and come to our room when he wakes up (and the clock has a 7 on it!) Plus both he and Isabel love "resting" in his bed together.

And yes, that is a paci in his mouth. Yes, I know we need to get rid of it! I keep saying that 3 year olds don't sleep with a paci. It was really easy to take Isabel's away when she turned 3. I'm pretty sure it is going to be impossible to take Will's away. He is so attached to it. He doesn't just use it to fall asleep. He literally sleeps with it in his mouth all night long and holds another one in his hand! Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

2nd Cousins

2011-10-15T22:13:00.000-05:00

Growing up, I was always close to my cousins and I am so thankful for those relationships. Even though we lived in different states, we spent plenty of time together at our grandparents' house and usually spent a week at each other's house each summer. I loved my time with all of them! I love that my kids get to spend time with their cousins regularly and I hope they always have a close relationship with them.

Last week my cousin Keri and her family were going to be in Birmingham visiting my other cousin (her brother) who is now attending seminary in Birmingham with his wife. Once I found out they were going to be there, we made the quick decision to spend some time there as well. It had been a while since we had really had time together and she had not seen my kids since a few months after Will was born. We had such a good time together. The weather was amazing so we basically spent 2 days at the park....

I was so excited to get a great picture of all 6 of them together!

Isabel was immediately enamoured with Lizzie (11) and Anna (9)

She followed them everywhere and tried to be just like them!

I think my little man felt a little left out. He wasn't sure what to do with his usual playmate chasing after the older girls instead of playing with him. Luckily the slides, swings and tunnels made everything better!

Isabel and Sarah Kate (5) were really cute together

Baby Hugh (11 mo) is absolutely precious. I'm sure he and Will will be serious trouble together in another year or so! :)

the older girls did the "spider" on the swings so of course Isabel wanted to as well!

Making a train and going down the slide together was so much fun!!

All the girls...and no, we didn't plan the matching outfits. When we got to the park and Isabel realized that she matched the other girls she was SO excited!!

(and doesn't she look way too old in this picture??)

Halloween: trial run

2011-10-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight the kids and I went to a Halloween party. Josh is out of town, the costumes were not completed and we didn't know a lot of the people at the party. I came very close to backing out but I'm glad I didn't. We actually had a lot of fun. Isabel wants to be an angel for Halloween but I convinced her to be a cheerleader just for tonight. I knew the party would be mostly outside and that there would be a bounce house. I'm pretty sure the long white dress and wings would not have survived.

We had to bring a pumpkin to this party. I remembered this about an hour before we were supposed to be there. Of course we had no pumpkin! So we made a pit stop at a pumpkin patch at a church near us to grab a pumpkin and I had to at least try to get a picture. No, the pictures are not great. Can you tell I didn't have enough time to keep trying? Oh well, they'll work for now.

hakuna matata

2011-10-06T20:51:00.000-05:00

Last week Isabel and I had a movie date to see The Lion King. It has always been one of my favorite Disney movies but I was hesitant to take my sensitive and easily scared 4 year old. Lets face it, Scar and those hyenas can be scary and death is not my favorite subject to discuss with her. After talking with some mommy friends, Josh and I decided that she would be fine and off we went.

Overall we had a good time. I think it is safe to say that this is NOT Isabel's favorite Disney movie though. There wasn't even a mention of a princess and she was very confused about why Nala wasn't even wearing a bow! She did love the songs though and was so impressed that I knew all the words! :)

I love time alone with my sweet girl!

It's my blog............

2011-09-23T15:22:00.000-05:00

...............and I'll brag if I want to! Warning: If you hate listening to parents gush about how smart they think their kids are SKIP THIS POST!

I guess before I start bragging, I should admit that I do not have a degree in child development, education or any related field so I actually do not know when certain skills should be learned. Plus I have learned enough from parenting books, blogs, other parents and my own experience to know that children learn different things in very different ways and at very different times. For example, when Isabel turned 2 she already knew most of her letters but was definitely not the most coordinated kid in the world. There was a lot she could not do physically. Will, on the other hand, knew about 3 letters and had no desire to even try to learn any more. However, the kid could climb, jump and hit a ball thrown at him from across the room.

I have tried (although not always successfully) to NOT be that mom that is constantly comparing her kids with each other or others. I never want to force my kids to learn as much as possible simply to say they know it. I just want to celebrate (and brag a little) my kids successes....which brings us back to the point of this blog.

Recently Isabel has become obsessed with learning to read. She has known her letters and sounds for a while now and can write pretty much every letter pretty well. I didn't force or really even encourage most of it. She has just always been that child that loved learning. I have never done flashcards or sat her down and said it was time to learn. I just explained things as we went about our day. I had no idea what to do next though. I didn't want to teach her something wrong and make her kindergarten teacher hate me.

About a week ago we were riding in the car and Isabel and Will were both playing with their mini-magna-doodles. Isabel was writing letters and was proud that she could write Will on her own. Without really thinking about it, I started telling her to write letters and then see if she could sound it out. First I told her to write I-T and she very quickly figured out it was the word it. I went through some 2 letter words and then moved to 3 letter words. Again, I have no idea what is "normal" but I was proud of how quickly she picked it up and sounded out each word. Plus I LOVED how much she loved it! During our game, we had to stop by the house and I ran in to get something. When I came back to the car 2 minutes later Isabel showed me her magna-doodle. She wrote A-S-C and said, "look mommy, I wrote the word ask!" I was so impressed that she figured out how to spell something phonetically without even needing instructions. I told her she did a great job but then also reminded her that there are 2 letters that make the "ck" sound and ASK is actually spelled with a "K." I was worried that my perfectionist daughter would not appreciate the help but she was fine with it and wanted to continue the game (and still wants to every second we are in the car!!)

I'll brag on Will a little too since it is the post for that. Have I mentioned lately that Will is all boy? Seriously, the kid would like to be running, jumping, throwing, hitting a ball or wrestling every second of the day if he could. This means that he is not the kid to bring me letter workbooks and ask me to teach him his letters, sounds, etc. I'll admit that even though I try not to compare them, I was worried because Will was not learning certain things at the same time as Isabel did. Luckily I have people around me to remind me that I am being ridiculous and shouldn't worry. Anyway, apparently I just needed to figure out how Will did like to learn. The only time he is really still is when I let them watch a movie on long car trips. On the advice of other mommys to boys, I showed him the Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD. After watching it 2 or 3 times he knew almost all his letters and now even knows a lot of the sounds. He can also count pretty much as high as he wants (as long as I help him after 29, 39, etc) just from hearing Isabel do it over and over.

Again, I have no idea what is normal but I'm proud of my kids, like that they enjoying learning and want to to keep track of when they learn certain skills. Plus it's my blog and I'll brag if I want to! :)

There are animals at the zoo?

2011-09-17T15:05:00.000-05:00

We have been to the zoo about a million times in the past few months but I never remember to bring my camera...until today! We love the zoo but sometimes I think my kids forget that there are actual animals to go see. Our zoo has a huge play area that they love. They do love seeing some animals too but I'm pretty sure they would be fine hanging out in the play area the majority of the time. crazy kids!

We have really gotten our money out of this stroller!

We love these guys. I think they are gibbons. There are 3 of them that are constantly swinging from the trees and putting on a show. They are also the loudest animals ever! You can hear them from every part of the zoo, including the parking lot!

Just recently Will has decided that he is too big to just sit in the front of the stroller. He wants to stand too like his big sister. This does not always go over so well.

Silly girl! The elephants were apparently too busy to come close and play today!

Will used to have this crazy fear of giraffes. We all love them now though, especially since there is a baby giraffe to watch.

What is there not to love about the play area? You can do cartwheels.....

jump over and over..

and do some crazy flying forward rolls!

There are also tunnels to crawl through..

and fun slides!

Fun with close-ups

2011-09-17T14:48:00.000-05:00

I am far from a photographer but sometimes I get some decent pictures of my kids' faces and I love them! I feel like close-ups really show their personalities sometimes!

Goodbye Summer....

2011-09-17T14:41:00.000-05:00

Hello Fall!! Ok so maybe it doesn't officially start for another week or so but close enough!! I am not a huge fan of winter (admit it....it can get pretty depressing after a while) but I LOVE FALL! What is there not to love? Cooler weather. Football! Playing outside without fear of heat stroke or hypothermia. Leaves changing color? Football!

Since the weather is amazing, we have spent a lot of time outside recently. Isabel enjoys it but Will absolutely loves every second that he is outside. I took some pictures when we were out playing the other day...

First Will rode his scooter...

while Isabel blew some bubbles.

Then it was time for a lot of baseball! Will is willing to hit the ball off of the tee about 3 times and then wants me to throw it to him the rest of the time. He misses some but I'm always amazed at how many he hits and how far the ball goes.

Isabel usually wants to hit the ball about 2 times and then she is done. Why play baseball when there are bubbles to blow, pictures to draw with chalk and dances to do? :)

After he gets tired of baseball, Will is ready for football. This usually involves a lot of rolling in the grass. He does not seem to care that his pants are getting very dirty!

Isabel loves to blow bubbles while Will runs around like a crazy person trying to pop them all. It is pretty funny to watch!

Yep, I love Fall!!

Josh's surprise

2011-09-16T14:59:00.000-05:00

Josh celebrated his 31st birthday last Tuesday. We celebrated as a family that day, but his big surprise came the next day at church. The amazing students and their parents that we work with love Josh so much. One of the students decided a while back that he wanted to get Josh a new TV for his birthday (calling ours "a huge old dinosaur of a TV" ha ha!). Many of the students and their families gave so generously and actually bought him the TV. I was told about it a week before and was in complete shock. Not telling Josh for that week was so hard, but I wanted the students to really get to enjoy his reaction.
So Wednesday afternoon one dad and his sons in the youth group came to our house to set up the TV. Then at church they brought out the box for Josh to unwrap. They assumed that Josh would think something else was in the box and he did....until they showed him a picture of the TV all set up in our house. Obviously he was shocked but also so excited.

I wish I had gotten better pictures but I decided he would know something was up if I brought my real camera to church. This is the best I got....

Josh opening the box

so shocked!!

showing him the picture of the TV already set up in our house

his cake that they put 31 candles on...trick candles :)

As if all of this wasn't enough, one of the moms made Josh his favorite dessert..a strawberry pie!

We are both blown away by the love and generosity of the students and families that God allows us to work with. They are amazing people!!

I didn't tell Isabel and Will anything about the TV since they are not so great at keeping secrets until I picked them up from their class at church. Their responses were hilarious:

me: guess what...the youth group got daddy a new TV!!
Isabel: does it have new TV shows on it?
Will: Is it at a new house??
Isabel: Will it look different from our old TV? Does it have polka dots on it??

The best was when we actually got home and they saw it. I had explained that it was a bigger TV so Isabel immediately went to examine it when she got home. I watched her look at it and then look behind it. Then she said, "It doesn't look bigger to me!" I guess she is right if you only compare the flat screen to the huge box TV we had before. :)

Annual Girls Weekend

2011-09-16T14:07:00.001-05:00

Once you do things twice you can start saying "annual" right??

Like last year, last weekend I spent 3 days at the beach with 2 of my best friends from college. It was perfect! (well, except that one of us couldn't make it this year. We missed you Ashley!) What could be bad about 3 days away from responsibilities, enjoying perfect weather at the beach, eating seafood and shopping at outlet malls all with 2 of the people that know me best in the world?? It was so much fun! We literally talked all weekend. We never turned on a radio or a TV (ok I may have turned it on for just a second to check the score of the AL game..ROLL TIDE!) or opened a book. It is so nice to have uninterrupted conversation with 2 people that know me so well, share my desire to make God a top priority in my life and family, and who are in the same life stage as I am in. I am so thankful for amazing friendships that have lasted well over 10 years and for the time to spend with them.

I am also very thankful that all 3 of us are blessed with amazing husbands who have no problem playing super-daddy all weekend so we can have this time away.

And just because I never put any pictures on the blog last year, here is a picture of all 4 of us last year:

Bama cousins

2011-09-12T20:49:00.000-05:00

The kids and I headed to Alabama for labor day weekend to spend time with family. I was pretty terrible about taking pictures most of the time we were there. We got there on Saturday, the day of Alabama's first football game of the season and all the kids were dressed to cheer on their team. Luckily I did at least try to get a picture of them.

Isabel and Will LOVE Ansley. Actually I think she is pretty great too....such a precious baby!

How cute is this Alabama tutu? A friend of my mom's made it and Isabel loves it!

3 out of 4 cousins is pretty good right?
Avery was there too but she had too much to do to sit for a picture.

This is the best I got of that busy girl. She is so fun!!

More funnies...

2011-09-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

before I forget...............

**After a long in-depth question and answer session with Isabel about people coloring their hair:
Isabel: I don't think I will ever paint my hair. My hair is pretty how it is......AND it matches every one of my shirts!!

**Tonight Will wanted to pray about some boo-boos on his knee (that only he could see). He prayed they would go away and then immediately pulled up his pants leg to check his knee. I had to explain that it may take a little longer than that for God to answer his prayer.

**Isabel's night-time prayers have gotten longer and longer recently as she prays for everyone she has ever known....twice! Here was part of here prayer the other night:
"and be with mommy and daddy and Will and Isabel.....well, that's me......but you knew that.....just like Santa"

**Will's new favorite "insult"
"You're a possum!!"
no, I have no idea why...he is just weird :)

all boy!

2011-08-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

I had no idea how different it would be to raise a boy after getting used to girl stuff for 2 years. Plus Will is ALL BOY! Yes, he loves his mama but he also loves running, tackling, wrestling, and throwing anything and everything that even slightly resembles a round shape. As a mom, it is hard for me to know when to discipline and when to let him be a boy. Obviously he is not allowed to hit people but is running around the house like a crazy person ok??

We took Isabel and Will to a highschool football game here last week. Will sat and watched the game carefully. He asked about a million questions about what they were doing, what the 1st down marker was, what the goal post was, who certain people were, etc. He was so into it. Isabel, on the other hand, also watched intently. However I'm not sure she knew there was a football game going on because she was only watching the cheerleaders! :) Gotta love having a boy and a girl!!

I can't even guess the number of times a day that either Josh or I see Will like this begging for us to pitch to him. While we were at the beach and he didn't have his handy paper towel roll bat so he settled for using my toothbrush holder as a bat!!

In case you were wondering, he wants to be a "baseball man" AND a "football man" for Halloween!!

Happy Birthday to me..

2011-08-28T14:17:00.001-05:00

I have a confession to make. I don't really care that much about my birthday, gifts, etc. I just don't really want the attention and see no need in people spending a lot of money on gifts for me. I am appreciative of them of course but I don't feel more loved just because I got a gift. In case you can't tell, my love language is definitely NOT gifts. In fact, that is probably the last one if I had to rank them. Luckily, Josh feels the same way. People are often horrified that we do not spend a ton of money and time buying each other that "perfect" gift for our birthdays or even Christmas but it works for us. We would rather save the money to spend later on something for the house or a vacation or bills (ha ha!).

However.....my 2 and 4 year old children do not understand this AT ALL! Birthdays are HUGE when you are 2 and 4. You get a party with a fun theme and presents are essential regardless of how many times they are told "it is better to give than receive." :) So when Isabel and Will learned that my birthday was coming up, they got so excited. Isabel told me that I should have a princess/queen themed birthday party and that daddy should give me "jewels" for my present. Will said we should have a baseball game at my party. I tried to explain that mommys don't always celebrate the way kids do but they were not having it.

On my birthday, Josh got up early with the kids and let me "sleep in" until 7:30am before we had to get them ready for school. When I came downstairs, the kids jumped out from behind the couch and yelled "SURPRISE!!" They gave me cards and little goodies and showed me my cake. Isabel could not believe I didn't think we should all have a piece right them. Although this was fun for them, Isabel was still disappointed in my birthday outfit. I wore jeans instead of something that "twirls" and a birthday crown! :)

Funnies...

2011-08-28T13:53:00.000-05:00

*Isabel: Can I wear some lip floss to church?

*Will: but mommy I don't want to do it ALLways, just SOMEways!

*We parked next to a convertible..
Isabel: Can you make our van do that?

*Will found a small plastic egg the other day..
Will: look mommy, I found a hunting egg. I been looking for this for a LOOOONG time!

*Isabel was telling us the memory verse she learned in Sunday school
Josh: good job! Do you know what the verse is? Where was it found?
Isabel: uhhh...the bible

*Will calls pancakes "pannycakes." I think it is hilarious. Josh keeps trying to correct him but I actually want him to keep saying it for a while! :)

science is fun!

2011-08-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

Since it is still really HOT here we decided to spend a day at the Adventure Science Center, a children's museum in Nashville. We all had a lot of fun and I think the kids even learned a few things.

There were a lot of space exhibits that we all really liked.

I think this may have been a favorite for Isabel. What kid doesn't like seeing themselves on TV, especially when you can change the background and be anywhere you want to be?

This was definitely a favorite for Will. He got to be the pitcher and quarterback and throw the ball as many times as he wanted. There is nothing better for my little man!

There was a huge "adventure tower" in the middle with a million things to play with, climb on, slide down or crawl through. The kids loved it!!

It was such a fun day. We will definitely be back!

School's In!!

2011-08-11T21:04:00.000-05:00

Isabel and Will started back to school today. I have to say that this year was so much easier than last year. There were no tears this time! Both kids have great teachers and I know they are both going to have a great year.

My little man walked right into his room and started doing puzzles without even a second glance to us still standing in the doorway. Look how big he looks compared to last year

Can you tell he got a haircut recently? He did so much better this time. I was so proud!

Isabel is so excited about school this year....and her new princess lunchbox. She told me that her favorite part was meeting and playing with new friends.

I have to admit that I have to hold back tears every time I think about the fact that next year she will be starting kindergarten. How is she so old? I think she looks SO MUCH older than last year!!

I love these two so much! I am one proud mommy!!

Bieber Fever

2011-08-11T10:11:00.005-05:00

Isabel had an end of the summer mini-performance for her dance class this week. They danced to a Justin Bieber song. Isabel has no idea who he is so she talked all the time about her "beaver dance." It was so funny. One day her dance teacher asked the girls if they had Bieber fever. Isabel just looked at her like she was crazy and said no!

Isabel did really well with her dance. I was so proud of how hard she worked and what a great job she did. She had so much fun too!!

We love our little dancer! :)

We took a video of her dance so hopefully Josh can add it to the blog when he gets home. I know it is sad but I have no idea how.

Isabel 4.5

2011-08-09T22:46:00.000-05:00

My baby girl is growing up! She is now four and a half which is just way too close to 5. The fact that she will start kindergarten next year is both impossible to believe and very difficult to even think about. There are times when I look at her and think that she acts much older than her age and then other times when she can still throw a tantrum like a 2 year old if she needs to! ha ha!

There are some pretty great things about the age 4. Isabel can easily play by herself for so long now. I love watching her sit in the floor with her barbies/princesses/doll house people/etc and play. She has such a great imagination! She will either spend forever setting them up in some type of scene (like at school) or she will just make them talk or dance or play together. She also loves computer games right now. There are a few websites with games and activities for preschoolers that she loves. She has no fear figuring out the computer and how to get to wherever she needs to be.

Isabel loves learning. She knows all her letters and sounds and can write most of them. She loves any kind of workbook that lets her practice writing, rhyming, beginning sounds, etc. The only problem is that she is totally a perfectionist! She does not want to do anything unless she can do it perfectly. If she has trouble writing a letter or word, she quickly becomes frustrated and upset. She is not willing to participate in any kind of race unless she knows she can win. It is hard (for both of us!) but there are some positive aspects of her perfectionism too. Once she sets her mind to something, she WILL do it! For example, one of her friends in her dance/gymnastics class moved up to the next class. I explained to Isabel that she will also move up when she turns 5 and can do a cartwheel. Well, she ignored the whole age thing and decided that she would learn to do a cartwheel. For weeks, she practiced non-stop and I have to admit, she has a pretty good cartwheel now (although she does it left handed which is so weird to me since she is right handed).

Isabel really is a well-behaved child. She is a rule follower and getting in trouble is really upsetting to her. In her class last year, the kids received a "red dot" if they got in trouble. After hearing a story about another child getting one I asked Isabel if she got one. She looked at me completely horrified that I would even ask such a thing. She explained that she would NEVER do something to get in trouble. :) The main behavior issue we have with Isabel at this age is her attitude. We explain regularly that a disrespectful tone of voice or look on her face is just as bad as actually doing something wrong. I have to admit, it makes me worry about her teenage years!!

A few other Isabel tidbits:
*She is such a drama queen! The smallest cut on her finger will cause her to cry like her arm came off for 30 minutes!
*She loves to sing and now makes up most of the songs she sings. Most are about or to God and just precious. However, the songs usually don't have much rhythm and are sung very high pitch so I may have a little trouble listening after a while.
*She asks questions constantly! The questions can be pretty tough to answer sometimes too. Recently she has been asking tons of theology questions (which I refer to her seminary educated daddy), how things are built, where money comes from, etc.
*She is about 43 in tall and 38 lbs. If she ever weighs less than 38lbs, she will get off of the scale, pick up a bottle off of the counter and then weigh herself again with the bottle so it will be 38.
*She is such a girly-girl! If she had her way, she would wear only dresses that twirl every day of her life. The big decision each morning is how she wants to do her hair.

She is smart, sensitive, nurturing, creative, funny, sassy, bossy and so much fun. We love our little girl so much!

Beach Vacation 2011-Part 3

2011-08-05T14:18:00.000-05:00

My favorite part of any vacation is simply time with people I love away from work, school, a house that needs to be cleaned, laundry that needs to be washed, etc. On our way to Destin, we spent a night in Birmingham and got to spend time with Matt, Lauren, Avery and Ansley. As always we enjoyed being with them and watching the kids be silly together. Then Grams and Nana came with us to the beach and my Uncle Brad even came for a few days. I loved it! Of course I had to take some obligatory family shots while we were there.

Isabel and Will's calm and sweet picture pose

They turn silly about a second after the camera flashes. I have to admit, I kind of like the crazy pictures of them better. It is the "real" them after all!

We tried many times to get a good family picture. At least we are all looking the same direction...kind of

Isabel and Nana (can you tell it was about to storm?)

Isabel and Grams

Will and Nana

Will and Grams

Josh and I even got to go on a date one night. It was so great! We ate dinner, walked around the outlet malls and had some yogurt!

Another picture after we wiped off the lens which gets pretty foggy when you first walk outside

There was lots of time for snuggling with daddy

Isabel and Will loved playing with Uncle Brad

Isabel and Will with their Grams

Things I want to remember and/or meant to take a picture of but forgot:

* Ever since our first beach trip with a baby (when Isabel was 4 months old) we have let the baby sleep in a pack-n-play in the master bathroom. That way they get their own "room" and won't wake up in the middle of the night to see mommy and daddy and want to play! It has always worked really well. Will was actually excited about his bed in the bathroom. It was a little sad though once Josh and I realized that this is our last trip with a kid in the PNP. Will is basically too long for it and will be ready for a big boy bed. I'm not sure mommy is ready for that though!

*Once Will came along, Isabel graduated to a real bed. This year was a first though. She slept in a bunk bed...in the TOP of a bunk bed. She was beyond excited and told everyone she met about it. I think it may have been a highlight for her.

*The condo we stayed in had all kind of board games that the kids loved. Will became obsessed with tiddly winks. At first he just played with the little pieces but once he figured out how to play he got really good at it. I'm thinking we need to get him this game for his birthday!

Beach Vacation 2011-Part 2

2011-08-05T07:55:00.000-05:00

Like I said, this was a little more of a "pool vacation" than "beach vacation" so it was a good thing that the pool was so great. There were actually 2 huge pools but we spent all of our time at the zero-entry pool. There were no stairs into the pool. Just a very gradual slope into the pool that only got to 5 ft at the deepest part. The majority of it was pretty shallow so it was great for the kids. We loved it too! :)

Little man (wearing Nana's hat) was always ready to go to the pool

Like we knew she would, Isabel loved everything about the pool immediately. She loved that she could touch in most of it and loved floating around in her float, swimming, jumping off the side, and twirling.

The only thing she was hesitant about was the mushroom. Both kids finally decided it was ok to do only if they buried their heads in daddy's shoulder and he ran them in it.

Will actually asked Josh to take him in the mushroom pretty often.

Swimming is hard work!

I was SO PROUD of my little man who has been a little scared of the water all summer. We let the kids swim the first night we got there and Will just walked into that pool without hesitating. He loved it! He let us carry him in the deep end and wanted to be twirled and thrown up in the air. He still played a lot on the edge with his boats and balls but was happy to get in too.

On the last night Will wanted a float like Isabel's. He just floated all over the pool even though he couldn't touch. He was so proud of himself. I think his main motivation was trying to keep up with his big sister and her new friends in the pool.

He was even jumping off of the side....over and over and over and over

I think the highlight for Isabel was meeting a new friend. She loved playing with this little girl and they were so cute together. I love how easily Isabel makes friends. She is definitely a social little girl! :)

Beach Vacation 2011-Part 1

2011-08-04T22:07:00.000-05:00

We just spent the last few days at the beach and had an amazing time!! In fact I took about 120 pictures and am having a hard time figuring out which ones to post so I may have to make this into a multiple-part-post about our vacation. The kids were at a really fun age this year and were so excited about everything. It was so fun to just enjoy their excitement. I called this a beach vacation but to be honest, we probably only spent about 5% of our time at the actual beach. The kids (especially Isabel) were not so sure about the ocean and it was WAY too hot to stay outside playing in the sand too long without getting wet. Most mornings we would head to the beach around 9:30am and play for a while and then spend a couple of hours at pool. I have to admit, I was fine with that. Sand is not my favorite and the ocean had a lot of seaweed this time!

Will was fine with getting his feet in the water but that was about it (maybe because his older sister was freaking out about getting near the water behind him!)

Looking for shells is always fun....

...but Will immediately threw all of his in the ocean instead of saving them to decorate castles with like his sister. BOYS!

Izzy was happy at the beach..... as long as she was no where near the water

the girl loved building some sand castles though!

I loved getting to spend all day every day with Josh! It will be hard for us all when he has to go back to work!

My mom bought the kids these nets and Will really wanted to try to catch some fish! Isabel was so nice to let her daddy borrow hers since catching "fish" meant she would need to get near the ocean

He didn't mind at all that he just caught a bunch of seaweed!

They both thought it was hilarious to bury their feet in the sand.

Funnies...

2011-07-27T13:44:00.000-05:00

*At the zoo the other day we were watching the elephants put their trunks in the water and then have a drink or spray themselves with the water to cool off. It was fun to watch.Will: If we was elephants or had big noses we could put our noses in the water too
Isabel: yeah, like if we were like that onochio guy whose nose got longer when he told jokes.

*I changed the sheets on Will's bed and put on his favorite sheets with monkeys on them
Will: I like my monkeys mommy................when I sleep they gunna eat my face!
(yeah, he is weird. no idea where that came from)

*Isabel: Will threw a toy and it hit me in the eyebrown!! (while pointing to her eyebrow)

*Will is all about doing things himself these days. The other day I picked out some clothes for him and he completely dressed himself. A few hours later we went out to lunch and Will had to go to the bathroom. Josh took him and came back to the table laughing. Apparently Will didn't have on any underwear!! He already had underwear on so I didn't lay any out with his clothes but I guess he took off the ones he had on. It didn't bother him AT ALL that he didn't have any on.

*Because of the high temps and lack of rain, there is a problem with the water in our city. It is safe but tastes and smells bad. We went to chick-fil-a one night and I realized that my diet coke tasted bad b/c of the ice in it.
Isabel: I bet I know why your ice tastes bad. I think there may be some water in there!!

One fish Two fish....

2011-07-17T14:24:00.000-05:00

We decided to join our neighborhood pool this summer and have had a lot of fun swimming but I never remember to bring my camera....until this time! My kids have switched opinions about the water this year. After taking swimming lessons at the end of May, Isabel finally LOVES the water. Will, however, is not so sure about it and would rather stay on the stairs (like his big sister last year).

Isabel goes back and forth between the baby pool and big pool this year. She loves them both!

For some reason Will is more afraid of the baby pool than the big pool. He refuses to do more than sit on the side with his feet in the water. Silly boy!

I have plenty of pictures of Will jumping in the pool last year but Isabel wouldn't even think about it. Now it is her favorite thing and Will won't even discuss it!

Seriously, the girl would stay at the pool all day every day if we let her!

This is as far as my little man will go

America Day 2011

2011-07-04T15:40:00.000-05:00

We had a great America Day! Isabel continued to call July 4th "America Day" regardless of how many times we told her the correct term so we decided to just go with it. To be honest, we celebrated on July 3rd anyway because that is when our town had all of the July 4th festivities. Before we left for the "Freedom Festival" in the park, we had to do a little photo shoot to show our "America clothes"

When I first started to take this picture of Isabel and Grams, Isabel quickly turned her head to show her red, white and blue pony tail holder. I explained that I would rather see her face even though her hair accessories were also so important! Gotta love girls!

We were all so glad Nana and Grams could spend the holiday weekend with us

Will and daddy at the park

After walking around and looking at some booths (and trying not to melt in the intense heat) we headed to the kids area and did some bounce house bouncing

Will was very excited about playing some baseball

They had their 3D glasses ready for the fireworks about 4 hours early

While we waited for the fireworks, we grilled hamburgers, ate some of my favorite yogurt and then found the perfect spot to watch the show.

Ready for the show to start!!

Will needed a quick rest. Did I mention that the show did not even start until an hour after bedtime?

Josh and I were ready too (did I mention it was HOT that day?!)

The fireworks were beautiful but I have to admit that I missed the first few minutes because I could not stop watching my kids' faces. I loved the looks of awe and pure joy! For Isabel this excitement lasted the entire show. For Will, about 10 minutes!!

Happy America Day!!

feeling patriotic

2011-07-01T14:49:00.000-05:00

Don't you loveWill's flag!? When he showed it to us, he said "I not put the stripes on right. They supposed to go this way." (holding his arms out parallel to each other) He loved his flag though! :)

Isabel, my little perfectionist, was a little more concerned with making her flag the right way. She is very excited about celebrating "America Day!"

summer fun..

2011-07-01T14:40:00.000-05:00

We had a few days this week when the high was only in the upper 80s so it was possible to be outside for more than 5 minutes without melting. We went to the zoo one day (but of course I forgot to bring my camera), to the pool another and played outside in the "ladybug sprinkler" another. For some reason Will was not into the sprinkler this time but Isabel loved it!

At one point Will found Isabel's umbrella in the garage so he walked around with that for a while...

until Isabel needed her turn with it.

Then he decided that he would just try to hit the water with his bat. Apparently, it's never a bad time to practice that swing!

McWane center

2011-06-26T22:15:00.000-05:00

While in Birmingham, we took the kids to the McWane center. We all had a lot of fun!

Isabel would have stayed in front of this thing the entire time if we had let her. She loved dancing in front of it and watching herself on the screen

Will had no idea that this was measuring his height with sound waves (or something like that) but he thought it was fun to stand there anyway

Water is always fun!

Will and Avery had fun standing next to huge vegetables. Who wouldn't?

I would like to explain this but I actually have no idea what it was. The kids thought it was hilarious that all 3 of them were laying in it though.

We spent some time digging for dinosaur bones

Yes, I realize that neither of my children are actually looking at the camera but it is the only picture I have of us from the entire week so it made the blog anyway!

COUSINS!!

While most kids were making hand prints, Will decided to make a belly print.

Will and I enjoyed the wind tunnel. ha ha!

Will really liked looking at the sharks and stingrays. Actually I don't think he cared a whole lot about the animals. He just liked climbing on the wall by himself!

Camp Grandmas

2011-06-26T21:47:00.000-05:00

Last week Josh took the students from our church to camp. It was a great time for Josh and so many teenagers. God definitely worked in so many of their lives and it is exciting to see! Instead of sitting at home missing daddy while he was gone, the kids and I packed up and headed to Birmingham for a week with my mom. Of course we got to see lots of other family and friends too. It was a great week!

Uncle Brad was in town for a few days and Isabel and Will loved playing with him. I was happy for someone else to throw the ball to Will for a while!

It was HOT outside so we spent a lot of time with water. The kids played in the sprinkler, played with spray bottles and the hose and even "washed" the cars.

We got to skype with Josh a few times and the kids LOVED it. It was fun for them to get to see daddy but I think seeing themselves on the computer was just as exciting

Yes, they can fight but they love each other too

Since I would not let Will hit things with his bat inside, he resorted to bowling. Please notice Isabel's face in this picture. Will wasn't so great at only knocking down his pins. He liked to "help" Isabel knock hers down and she didn't always appreciate that so much.

Josh and I celebrated our 9th anniversary while we were there. I know, romantic huh? I asked that we try to be in the same state for our 10th! Isabel is all about weddings now and she LOVED seeing my wedding dress and veil.

My cousin, Charlie, and his new wife live in Birmingham now so we got to spend some time with them too!

Isabel and Audrey

We had a playdate with 2 of my best friends from college and their children. It was a lot of fun! I love these girls so much and I love seeing my kids play with theirs too.

We also spent a lot of time with Uncle Matt, Aunt Lauren, Avery and Ansley but I didn't take any pictures. I love that at this age Isabel, Will and Avery have so much fun actually playing together. They are so cute together and make us laugh constantly.

Father's Day

2011-06-19T22:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day to the greatest husband and daddy ever!! There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about how lucky I am to be married to an amazing man that is also such a wonderful father! He loves our children so much and is totally involved in every aspect of parenting them. We are definitely a team and I'm so thankful for that!

Isabel is such a daddy's girl. She made him a card and said that she loves her daddy because:

he puts her to bed
he reads her stories
he teaches her how to be nice to Will
he loves her and hugs her and tickles her!

I pray that she will always compare every boy she even considers dating to her daddy. Maybe I will be ok with her getting married someday as long as she is marrying a Godly man that truly loves her the way her daddy loves us

I think that as Will gets older he loves his daddy more and more. Mommy does not tackle as good as daddy and he lets me know regularly. He loves to play baseball and basketball with Josh and would wrestle with him all day if he could. I am so thankful that Will has Josh as a role model and pray that he grows up to be a man just like him some day!

Will and Isabel have no idea how lucky they are to have a daddy that loves God, puts his family first and spends so much time with them. Last weekend I went out of town for a wedding. Josh took the kids to play putt-putt and to get slushies. They loved every second of their time with him!

This is the picture you get when both kids are more interested in seeing the funny faces daddy is making rather than look at the camera!

Isabel's wedding

2011-06-19T21:45:00.000-05:00

No, my 4 year old did not get married. However she did get to go to her first wedding this past weekend and from her excitement level, you would have assumed it was her own. All day long she asked me what dress she should wear and then immediately started asking about "jewelry" once she was dressed.

She loved EVERY SECOND of the wedding and I loved experiencing the whole thing through her eyes. I think I answered about a million questions but they were all precious. Isabel's only exposure to weddings before this was seeing parts of the royal wedding and of course watching Cinderella so it wasn't surprising that she had a hard time using the terms "bride" and "groom." Instead she called them the princess and prince! :) She asked why the back of the princess's dress was so long, why the maid of honor (that we knew) had to walk by herself and why they didn't dance immediately after the wedding like Cinderella and Prince Charming did. She loved getting cake but was really confused why they needed to feed it to each other!

I loved this time with my sweet girly girl who is getting so grown up. I have to admit that I had to hold back tears as the bride walked down the aisle. I couldn't help but think of Josh walking my baby girl down the aisle MANY years in the future...whew, not sure how I will handle that! To be honest, I'm not even sure how I would handle a first date! I will just enjoy my little girl being a little girl for a while longer and pray that when she does get married someday, she marries someone as wonderful as her daddy!

Fountain Fun

2011-06-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

The shopping area near us has a fountain area in the middle that kids can play in. Our kids love it! We took them this afternoon and I actually remembered my camera this time. I'm so glad I did because I love these pictures. They make me laugh!

I love Isabel's face. The fountains are constantly getting bigger and smaller so the kids often get surprised when all of the sudden they get sprayed in the face!

Can you tell how much she loves this?

Pretty girl! She is getting so big!

I love this sweet face
(and please notice the hair cut!!)

My little man spends a lot of his time fighting the water!

pictureless update

2011-06-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

I have not been great about taking pictures recently. Maybe it is too hot to carry it around or maybe my brain just doesn't work as well when it is this hot. Who knows? I'll try to be better but for right now I'll just write about some happenings that I want to remember and you can use your imagination to picture what it looked like.

*SWIMMING LESSONS: Isabel has been taking swimming lessons for the past week and she is doing great! She was really afraid of the water last year and at the beginning of day 1 she wouldn't leave the stairs. However her teacher is amazing and had her out by the end of that first day. Now she is able to blow bubbles and hold her breath and go underwater. She is learning to tread water and float on her back and kick her legs while blowing bubbles. I can't tell you how proud of her I am. I know there are times when she is really scared but she is doing it anyway. My scared little girl is turning into a fish! We joined our neighborhood pool this year and Isabel is all about using a floaty and going all over the pool. Will, however, has decided to be scared of the water this year. Mainly he doesn't want to get his bathing suit wet. I really hope he gets over this quickly!!

* HAIR CUT: We took Will for another hair cut yesterday. I wish I had taken a before and after picture. The before picture would involve a ridiculous amount of hair over his hears and in his eyes plus the beginnings of a rat tail in the back. Yes, it was time. Anyway, I wouldn't say it was a pleasant experience but so much better than the previous hair cuts. He basically sat in my lap with his head on me and let her cut his hair that way. We both ended up with hair ALL.OVER.US (he is not a fan of the capes) but there was no screaming and no need for Josh to completely restrain him. Maybe one day he will actually enjoy getting a hair cut. Who knows? Anything is possible right?

*MOVIES: Our theater shows kids movies every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings of the Summer for $1. Isabel has been to the movies twice and loves it. She does really well sitting still and watching it. Will has not been yet....for a reason! He has a hard time watching a 20 min show on TV without playing a little baseball in the middle of it. I decided to risk it and take them both to see The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. Lauren and Avery were in town so they came too. Overall I would say it was a success. Will didn't really trust those chairs so he didn't sit a whole lot but he wasn't running around everywhere either. I finally gave in and bought candy after about 30 minutes and that made the last 45 min way more enjoyable for all! :)

definition of skinny

2011-06-01T22:10:00.000-05:00

The other day Isabel was sitting on the bathroom counter looking at the mirror while I dried her hair.
Isabel: Mommy, I'm skinnier than you.
Me: ummm what?
Isabel: I'm skinnier than you
Me: Isabel that isn't really a nice thing to say to people
Isabel: (looks at me like I'm crazy)
Me: Isabel, do you know what skinny means?
Isabel: ummm, yeah...skin (rubbing arm) ...skinny. My skin is lighter than yours.

After talking to Josh I found out that another time she told him she was skinnier than him because she was wearing a sleeveless dress and was showing more skin than he was.

I have to admit that I didn't really give her a better definition of the word. I started to but then I decided that I didn't really want her to think in terms of "skinny" or "fat." I don't want her to think of herself or others that way and I certainly don't want her to call someone fat so if my child informs you that she is skinnier than you, please don't be offended. Her definition of skinny is a little different than ours!

first trip of the summer

2011-05-29T21:52:00.000-05:00

Last week we headed to Nana's house for our first trip of the summer. Josh's grandparents and cousin were there too. We had not seen them in about a year and a half so we were excited to get to spend some time with them. I never knew my great-grandparents so I love that Isabel and Will get to have this time with theirs. They loved spending this time with them!

Will got to play cars with great-grandpa

Isabel and Will also had fun spending time with their cousins. They loved "taking care" of baby Ansley. I have to admit, I loved getting my baby fix too! She is precious!

The kids did tons of art projects. Here is Will wearing a hat he made with my mom

Nana is a brave woman. She let a 2 year old, 2.5 year old and a 4 year old do some real painting. They loved it!

Isabel and Will spent about 90% of their time on Nana's back deck. I can't really say that they went swimming since they quickly decided the water was way too cold in this little pool so they mainly just got their hands and feet wet. They had fun though!

I think the highlight of the trip for Isabel was her tea party. Nana let her use her china to set the table and even wear her tiara. Isabel made invitations for everyone and then gave each person another piece of paper to write her a thank you note. She even told them exactly what to write!

Isabel felt so big when she got to hold Ansley!

William wanted his picture with Ansley too!

Wait a minute...is this a picture of all 4 cousins actually looking at the camera and smiling?? Yes, yes it is. It is a miracle!!

Look, we even got TWO of them!!

reading books with great-grandma before bed. I love this!

We are so thankful for our family!! Isabel and Will have no idea how much they are loved by so many people.

Just because she's cute

2011-05-23T14:55:00.000-05:00

Will 2.5

2011-05-23T14:28:00.000-05:00

My baby boy is 2 and a half and I decided that deserved a post! I just read the post I did on Isabel when she turned 2.5 and laughed at the similarities and then the differences. Like his sister, Will is always entertaining! He is constantly singing and wanting to show us his new tricks (jumping high, running fast, climbing something, etc). He also talks all.the.time! I really thought that Will would be a quiet kid just because Isabel talked so much. I was wrong!! He can easily talk just as much as his sister. However he is not always a great listener. He makes Isabel so mad when she is trying to tell him something and he completely tunes her out. I guess that trait starts early in guys! :)

Will is ALL boy! He is still obsessed with all sports and wants to be moving at all times. I think I am finally getting better at being a mom to a little boy. This has taken me a while. I'm learning that there are things that he does that are not "bad." He is simply being a boy. For example, he plays with toys VERY differently than Isabel. He is way more aggressive than Isabel is with things but he is not trying to hurt anyone or be mean. That is just the way he plays. Will makes cars violently crash into each other or he shoves a toy in your face because it is a "bad guy" that is trying to get you! He pretends things are fire hoses and runs around the house waving it everywhere to put the fire out. No, he isn't trying to break everything in our house. He is just being a boy and I'm learning to love it!

Luckily he still loves to snuggle! I could hug him and kiss him all day long and most of the time he will let me. He wants to be a big boy and do things by himself but then a second later he will tell me that he is still my baby boy and wants me to hold him. He is becoming more independent and trying out that fun word "NO!" more often. I'm hoping his time in time out will help him to realize that it isn't such a great word to use with mommy and daddy! He still loves his big sister but is no longer quite as willing to do whatever she tells him to do. This transition is hard on us all but I love when they find a way to play together in a way that makes them both happy.

Will has done great with potty training. He hasn't had an accident since day 3 of potty training (now he will tomorrow just because I wrote that). He is still a good sleeper although he has started waking up a lot earlier. ugh! One day we will have to get him out of his crib and take away that paci but I think I'll wait another 6 months before we do that! He is still afraid of dogs, hates haircuts and doesn't love the character/mascot things but he has no fear when it comes to climbing, sliding, jumping, etc. Will is allergic to dairy, peanuts and cats but is doing really well with that. He can now tell people things that he cannot have so I don't have to worry quite as much. I'm still praying he outgrows it someday soon though! He is a smart, happy and funny little boy and we love him so much!

Invasion!!

2011-05-22T21:27:00.000-05:00

We have been invaded by Cicadas! Apparently these disgusting creatures appear every 13 years and this year is the "lucky" year (I really need a sarcastic font). No, they don't bite or sting or anything like that but there are TONS of them and they are gross and they are LOUD! Fortunately they only stay 4-6 weeks. I'm ready for them to be gone! Since they are only around every 13 years, I felt like I should take some pictures to remember this momentous time and share our fun with you. Excited aren't you? :) Enjoy these beautiful pictures...

We have also seen a lot of bunnies in our backyard. The kids love watching them. I'm fine with this invasion! :)

Diaper Free!!

2011-05-18T14:42:00.000-05:00

For the first time in 4 years and 3 months, our home is diaper free! I have to say, it is a pretty great feeling. Do you know how expensive diapers are? Do you know how much I hated changing the diaper of a 2 year old little boy who does not enjoy having his diaper changed? Do you know how gross those diaper genie things get after 4 years? Yeah, it is good to be diaper free!

I have to say that I have really dreaded potty training Will. I have heard so many horror stories about potty training boys and was told that I should wait until he was older. We really felt like he was ready, though, so we jumped in. I'm so glad we did. Will did great!! I am so proud of him and Isabel was the most encouraging big sister ever. We used the same 3 day potty training boot camp method we used with Isabel and it worked great! He even stayed dry all day at school yesterday. He is still in a pull-up for nights but I am fine with that. The only problem we are having is that he has started waking up super early and I think it is because he needs to go to the bathroom. One morning he went potty and then went back to sleep but this morning he just wanted to stay up. Ugh! I'm hoping that part gets better. I would love any advice on that if you have any.

It is a little hard that my "baby" boy is growing up but I can't say I will miss dealing with diapers all that much!

Dancing mermaid

2011-05-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

Isabel had another dance performance last night. Since they danced to a song from Little Mermaid they all wore their bathing suits. Isabel was beyond excited about showing us the dance AND wearing her bathing suit. She did a great job and we are so proud of her!

Isabel and her friend, Sasha

Will loved watching her dance (and yes, he is wearing long sleeves. Although it was 90 degrees a few days ago, the high was in the 50's yesterday!)

Ready to start dancing...

Close up of my cutie

Isabel watched us and smiled for the cameras almost the entire time..which meant she was not always paying as much attention to the actual dance moves she was supposed to be doing.

Isabel and her sweet teachers. We love them!

As soon as Isabel finished her picture, Will ran up to have his own picture made! I guess he couldn't resist being surrounded by 4 pretty girls! :)

My dancer with her flower and balloon. She was a happy girl!

**Yes, I realize the pictures are huge but making them this big is the only way I can keep them from being blurry. Plus I think it will help when I print them out one day.

Painting..

2011-05-18T13:19:00.000-05:00

Isabel has been obsessed with having her fingernails and toenails painted for a while now. Now she is also obsessed with doing it herself. So far I have only been brave enough to let her try with clear glitter polish.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. Being a mommy is definitely one of the best but also one of the hardest things I have ever done! Hugs from these two make the hard days worth it!

These two can fill me with joy or frustrate me faster than anyone else!

I'm so glad my mom got to spend Mother's Day weekend with us. Josh and I both know how lucky we are to have been raised by such amazing mothers and to still have them be such a huge part of our lives. They are also the 2 best grandmas ever! :)

So thankful that Josh is such a great husband and daddy. He helps me to be the best mommy I can be. I love you Josh!

Some Mother's Day funnies....

Isabel: Why are some mommies a mother and some are a mommy?

Isabel after giving me her gifts: You know what would be a good idea? How about after I give you really sweet presents, you can give me some?

**apparently we need to continue to work on "giving is better than receiving"

Will decided that Mother's Day would be the best day to have the BIGGEST tantrum ever in the middle of Lowe's. Once it was finally over he fell and hit his mouth on the basket causing him to try to run away from us in the parking lot screaming (when he gets hurt he doesn't want anyone near whatever he hurt). After all of this we finally get in the car and Josh and I are exhausted. Will finally gets quiet and then 2 minutes later says, "Happy Easter Mommy!" in the sweetest, happiest voice ever!

Early Mother's Day gifts

2011-05-07T20:47:00.000-05:00

I remember being younger and thinking that all the moms were just lying when they said they loved home-made gifts more than anything bought from a store. Now I'm a mom and I know they were telling the truth. This year Isabel and Will made gifts at school for me and I LOVE them! Isabel may have been just as excited as I was. They obviously started making the gifts on Tuesday but she didn't bring them home until Thursday. She talked constantly about her surprise for me for 2 days. "I can't tell you anything about it, mommy..............except it is yellow..........and I am in the middle of it!" She was so excited about giving me my gifts and I loved them!

Although she was very proud of her jeweled magnet, this was definitely my favorite!!

*favorite thing to eat: pasta--I asked Isabel about this (because I don't really eat pasta so often) and she explained that she just knew that I loved HER FAVORITE pasta!! :)

*put my covers on myself--this made Josh and me laugh out loud! Recently she has been waking us up in the middle of the night to come cover her up. I decided it was a little ridiculous and so each night I explain that she needs to do it herself. Maybe I have said it a little too much!

Will ran out of his classroom with his gifts in hand saying, "Happy Birthday Mommy!!"

I love this because I love anything with a hand print on it!

Haircut for Isabel

2011-04-30T15:29:00.000-05:00

Isabel got her hair cut today. After months of not wanting her hair cut at all, she decided a few weeks ago that she just HAD to have it cut immediately. This decision came about 30 seconds after hearing that her best friend, Ava, got hers cut. No, it wasn't that dramatic but we did cut a couple of inches off. She wanted it shorter but also wanted to make sure it could still go in a ponytail and braids. Isabel requested that I take some before and after pictures.....

Before:

After:

A princess wedding

2011-04-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I have been somewhat interested in the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Not "wake-up-at-4am-to-watch-it" interested but definitely "record-it and-fast-forward-to-the-interesting-parts-later" interested. The best part was watching it with Isabel. She was so excited about the "real live princess (Duchess...whatever) wedding" but had a lot of questions and funny comments. For example... "why is she wearing that thing over her face (the veil)? I want her to take it off." "Her dress is very pretty. Why is it so long though? Will the prince step on it?" "Why is that man (the priest) wearing that gold dress thing?" "Whoa! Look at that hat!!" Will didn't pay a whole lot of attention until I said, "Look! There is Prince William in that car." He looked at the TV and said, "that not me in the car, mommy!"

A little while later Isabel felt the need to dress up like Cinderella while I was trying to get ready.

Isabel then informed Will that he needed to be the prince so they could be "weddinged"

Will: I not be the prince. I be the daddy.

I turned around to see him dressed in Josh's shirt! :)

so much to pray for....

2011-04-29T14:41:00.000-05:00

Like a lot of people, I have seen countless pictures of destruction and heard too many tragic stories in the past few days. On Wednesday night, one of the deadliest tornadoes in recent history came through Tuscaloosa, AL. The destruction it caused is horrific. When I see the pictures, it is hard to believe they are real. You want to think that they were photo shopped. To make it worse, tornadoes and strong winds also came through many other cities in Alabama (and Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia) causing so much other destruction. My heart breaks for my state and these people who have lost everything. According to the Tuscaloosa News, "At least 280 people were killed Wednesday across six states — more than two-thirds of them in Alabama — and with many people still unaccounted for it was unclear how high the death toll could rise."

Fortunately my friends and family are all ok but too many other people lost everything. Sometimes I feel helpless but then I remember the power of prayer. Please join me in praying for those that lost loved ones, their homes, or their businesses. Please also pray for those workers who are working non-stop to help others.

More to pray for.....

While this mile wide tornado was destroying Tuscaloosa, Josh and I were at church trying to help the students at our church better comprehend how many people in the world go without eating. This weekend they will participate in World Vision's 30 hour famine. Basically this is a challenge to go without food for 30 hours in order to raise money and awareness for world hunger. Too often we want to stay within our own little bubble without recognizing the problems the rest of the world are facing. This is NOT what God asks us to do!

Did you know...
Hunger kills another child every 10 seconds.
Every day, nearly 8,000 kids under age 5 die because of hunger-related causes
More than 1 billion people go hungry every day.
Around 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day

You can donate money online for our famine goal at http://30hourfamine.org/donate and search for Bluegrass

Easter Sunday...He Is Risen!!

2011-04-25T17:33:00.001-05:00

Despite our other fun Easter activities, I never want any of us to forget the true reason we celebrate Easter. Jesus died a terrible death on the cross in my place! But death could not hold him! Three days later he rose from the dead!! I'm so thankful for a God that loves me that much and the opportunity that I now have to be forgiven and to have access to almighty God!! Josh and I participated in secret church at our church on Friday night. It.was.amazing!! If you have never heard of secret church, I encourage you to find out about it and make sure you can be a part of it next time!! It will change your life!

This year Easter was a little different for us because Isabel was able to understand a lot more of the Easter story. She told me about how "Jesus died on the cross but was then was alive on Easter. It isn't even imaginary, mommy. He really is alive in real life!" :) Our Easter service at church began with our singing Chris Tomlin's Our God is Greater. I love that song and it is one of Isabel's favorites too. We sing it in the car all the time so when we sang it Sunday morning I could not help but think of her. My eyes filled with tears as I imagined her next to me in a few years, worshipping with me. I cannot wait for her and Will to fully understand how much God loves them and why Jesus died on the cross.

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

On to the Easter baskets...

2011-04-25T17:06:00.003-05:00

After we finished dying Easter eggs, we ate lunch and took a nap. Then it was time for Easter baskets...

They loved finding all their surprises...

She was very excited about a new dance outfit

Will loved his baseball "eggs" with marshmallow bunnies inside

Tangled!!

We didn't put a lot of candy in their Easter baskets. Will has a milk and peanut allergy so it is hard to find a lot that he can have. However, they LOVE sour patch kids!! Can you tell?

After their Easter baskets, we went outside to play and to introduce them to a fun little thing called "fun dip" that Nana brought for them. Oh my! They loved it so much and the concentration on their faces while they dipped their sticks in the sugar was hilarious.

Easter Egg time!!

2011-04-25T16:54:00.001-05:00

We finally got around to dying Easter eggs the day before Easter. I'll be honest. I don't really like this tradition. There I said it. Plus, I'm not really sure Isabel and Will really even like it. They just aren't old enough to really get into it and no 2 or 4 year old want to sit still looking at an egg in a bowl while it changes color. Regardless, we did it....

yeah, he looks excited here but you should have seen his face 2 seconds later when I explained that we needed to leave the egg in longer for it to actually turn blue. Not a lot of patience at 2

A quick picture with mommy while we wait

Isabel and her daddy (for some reason EVERY time I tried to take Isabel's picture this weekend she would throw her hands up in the air and scream EASTER!! Not sure why but I have a lot of pictures with her arms up in the air.)

"carefully" dropping the egg in the "no-spill" bowl

We were glad that Nana got to spend part of Easter weekend with us. Once again Isabel has her arms in the air and is screaming Easter. Have I mentioned lately how dramatic this girl is? :)

I'll admit that this was my favorite part of the entire Easter egg dying process. Will, bored with the eggs, decides he wants some of the cadbury egg that Josh is eating. Josh offers him a bite and Will eats half the egg in one bite! He immediately regretted his decision.

His little face was hilarious as he tried to eat the egg. When Nana asked if he liked it, he quickly shook his head no and started asking for his cup! ha ha!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-16T21:27:00.001-05:00

We had our Easter egg hunt at church today. After a week of beautiful sunny days with highs in the 70s, it rained last night and then was only in the 50's today. Luckily it didn't ruin our plans. We just moved everything inside. We had a bouncy house, face painting, popcorn and of course the Easter egg hunt. We all had so much fun!

Isabel was excited about being "pinkalicious"

Isabel and her friend Samuel paused from hunting eggs to take a picture. I love these two! :)

Will was not so excited about the Easter egg hunt. I let him have popcorn for the first time about 2 minutes before the hunt started. He was WAY more excited about eating popcorn than finding eggs.

Finally (when the popcorn was almost gone) he decided to get a few eggs too

Isabel and Will with their friend Kia

Isabel got her face painted. She loved it!!

so excited about her flower

Will was not so sure about someone painting on his face. He felt like getting his hand painted was a better idea.

loving that Easter egg!

Silly girl!

Will with his buddy, Owen

Isabel's new favorite flower....

2011-04-16T21:07:00.000-05:00

Isabel loves all the ~~weeds~~ flowers we have growing in our yard. Her very favorite is the dandelion. I mean what is not to love? It looks funny.....

you can blow it and watch little white things fly everywhere.....

and you can even hold it while twirling to make the white things fly around!

Oh good, she shared her love with her brother

I don't know a lot about dandelions but since she is blowing seeds all over our yard, I'm pretty sure she will always have plenty of her favorite flowers around her!

funnies..

2011-04-10T22:03:00.000-05:00

Isabel: Mommy, did you know that God and Jesus walked on water?
Will: He walked on the moon too!

Josh: If you could be any animal in the zoo what would you want to be?
Will: Giraffe!!
Josh: What would you want to be Isabel?
Isabel: A fairy

Recently Isabel and Will have fallen in love with the game I spy. Their favorite place to play is at the dinner table. When Isabel is the "spyer" she always spies the same thing! Seriously. Every time. When Will is the spyer he spies "something blue" but never actually has anything in mind so we can guess for a while. As you can imagine Josh and I can only handle this for so long. The other day both kids were begging to play over and over while Josh and I were trying to finish a sentence....
Josh: Ok, you two play I spy and mommy and me are going to play a game called talk to another grown up

Isabel really likes writing her name right now but has trouble with writing the "S." The other day she was getting really frustrated (which means she tried once and couldn't do it perfectly)
Isabel: I think I will just start writing my name Bella
me: that isn't your name though
Isabel: yeah, but it doesn't have an S in it