Christmas Holiday

We have had a wonderful Christmas holiday. We were able to travel to Lexington and Cincinnati to see our families. Once again Isabel was a wonderful traveler. She really enjoyed the airplane flights and I think she even liked all of the long car rides.

We headed to Lexington first and were able to be there for my sister's 21st birthday which was fun. We saw Grandma, Grandaddy, Katie, Stephanie, and even Dennis for a little while. It took Isabel a day to warm up to everyone, but soon she loved being held and didn't really care as much that it wasn't mommy doing the holding, she even let Stephanie hold her for a little while.

On Christmas Eve we headed up to Cincinnati to Robert's mom's house, and Isabel got to meet her other Grandma for the first time. The loved each other on the spot, and Isabel really loves Grandma's bird, squealing with joy every time she saw or heard her.

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. Isabel really enjoyed tearing off the wrapping paper from her gifts and was really excited by all of her gifts. She talked and talked to/about each one of them, checking them all out. In the afternoon we headed over to my Grandparents in Indiana, and they were also able to meet Isabel for the first time along with the rest of the family. I think all of the noise and commotion and people was a little much for her, but she did really well and everyone thought she was adorable.

We had a wonderful trip, but are glad to be home. Hope you all had a happy holiday as well.

Endeavour

In today's news:

"For the first time since 1997, a space shuttle will be making a brief stop in North Texas .

Because weather in Florida forced the Endeavour astronauts to touch down at an alternate landing site in California Sunday, it is now making its way back to its home base at Cape Canaveral riding piggyback aboard a specially-modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet.

Weather conditions along the planned route have forced NASA to shift its next intermediate stop to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth. The spacecraft will remain at the base overnight before continuing its transcontinental journey on Thursday morning."

Isabel and I decided to brave the cold and go up and see the shuttle land, with daddy coming out to join us at the last minute. It was awesome to see, it is amazing to me that they can put something that big on top of an airplane.

Christmas Card Picture

I spent a whole day trying to take a picture of Isabel for our Christmas card, she was not cooperating. First she had a complete spaz-out when I tried to put on her dress, look at it carefully you might not see it again. I think the sound or the feel of the crinoline was too much for her. Second she wouldn't look at the camera at all, no matter what I tried. A gazillion pictures later I had two that I liked, but oh well, she's so cute no matter what. Here's a preview of a picture we didn't use.

Putting up the Tree

Isabel notices everything these days, so she was all agog when she woke up from her nap and there was a Christmas tree in the corner. She helped put on the first ornament, her first ornament which Grandma had sent last month, and then we put up the rest after she went to bed for the night. Every morning she comes out and points at it until we go over, take a look, and turn on the lights.

I have a dream that I'm sure not many other people have. I keep hoping that I'll set her down in the family room and come back from doing something and she'll be pulling all the ornaments off the tree. It seems to be good incentive to get her moving at this point, I hope she doesn't get bored of it. ;o)

I love the Christmas season and it is so fun to share it all with Isabel.


Also, happy St. Nicholas Day to those of you who celebrate today.

Visitors

It took Isabel until yesterday to really warm up to Dennis and Stephanie. She likes to have people around but it takes her a few days to really want to be near them. By the time they left this morning she was all smiles and happiness to see them.

Besides celebrating Thanksgiving we also went to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, read magazines, and played around.

Isabel's First Thanksgiving

We are blessed to have my brother Dennis and his girlfriend Stephanie visiting us for Thanksgiving weekend. It is so nice to have family here for the holiday. We were also lucky enough to have our friends Jung and Shannon over for our Thanksgiving meal.

We found out that Isabel LOVES turkey, will eat carrots, and did not enjoy her sweet potatoes or macaroni and cheese at all. It was fun to see her watching all of the commotion and trying new foods. She got so worn out by all of the festivities that she slept in until 8:30 on Friday morning (she's normally a 6:45 riser).

Mmmm, turkey....

Carrots, okay...


All full, had to undo my pants to open Aunt Cathy's present (which I also enjoyed chewing on)...

We Are Thankful

We are thankful for our family and friends. We are thankful for good food and warm beds. We are thankful for health and happiness. We are thankful for the love that surrounds us.

We wish the same blessings on you, Happy Thanksgiving.

Big Smiles

For a couple of weeks Isabel has been doing these really goofy smiles. She grins real big, squints her eyes, and wrinkles her nose. I've been trying to get a good picture because it is so funny. You have to see it in person to really appreciate it, but I think this one did a pretty good job of capturing her silliness.

Boxes

Isabel received a package from her great Aunt Cathy today. We haven't opened the present, but the box it came in has provided several hours of entertainment already. Thanks Cathy!

Feeding the ducks

We took advantage of the nice cool fall weather today and took Isabel to feed the ducks and hang out at the park for a while. She was fascinated by the honking of the Canada Geese that have just recently started making their home in the area for the winter.

Haircut

I am so excited! I've been dancing around all happy all day because I finally got my hair cut for the first time since Isabel has been born. I have needed a haircut for a long time, but it just didn't make it onto the top of my list of things to do until now. Things like going to the dentist and grocery shopping always beat it out for top spot. I feel like a new woman.

The stylings of Isabel

Isabel really enjoys playing the keyboard, she just has her own unique method.

Ready to Go

Isabel is ready for her license. She helps daddy pull the car into the garage when he gets home at night. Notice the proper ten-and-two hand position. Sixteen isn't that far off...

Anything for a Cheerio

Cheerio's are like gold around here these days. Isabel will do anything for a Cheerio, so I'm trying to coax her into crawling with them. So far I've managed to get her to bend in half.

Nine Months Old

We went to the doctor this morning for Isabel's nine month well baby check-up. Although she wasn't very well, she came down with a runny nose yesterday and a lively fever last night that kept us all up most of the night. She's doing much better today with the fever gone, and the doctor said she doesn't have any ear infections or anything, so yeah! Plus, since she was sick she didn't get her vaccination which I was dreading as always, so I'm happy that I don't have to deal with that today (although we have to go back in a week or two whenever she gets well).

Everything checked out, and there wasn't even any concern that she isn't crawling or pulling up or standing yet, so overall a great visit.

Height: 27 inches
Weight: 15 lb. 12 oz (probably a little low due to the fever last night, but she's still our skinny-minny)

I love your blog

Hmmm. I never really like doing these things because I always feel silly and self-conscience, but I got an I Love Your Blog award from Amy. The idea is that you answer all the following questions with a one-word answer and then tag three friends whose blog you love to do the same. Robert's out of town and I'm looking for something to do, so here goes...

1. Where is your phone?: kitchen/office/bedroom
2. Where is your significant other?: traveling
3 .Your hair color?: brownish
4. Your Mother?: spiritual
5. Your Father?: home
6. Your favorite thing?: love
7. Your dream last night?: unknown
8. Your dream/goal?: happiness
9. The room your in?: office
10. Your hobby?: sleep
11. Your fear?: loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?: not in Texas
13. Where were you last night?: couch
14. What you're not?: good-housekeeper
15. One of your wish-list items?: haircut
16. Where you grew up?: Lexington
17. The last thing you ate?: cereal
18. What are you wearing?: jeans
19. Your TV?: muted
20. Your pet?: never
21. Your computer?: speedy
22. Your mood?: happy
23. Missing someone?: Robert
24. Your car?: Jetta
25. Something you're not wearing?: jewelry
26. Favorite store?: Costco
27. Your Summer?: relaxing
28. Love someone?: Isabel
29. Your favorite color?: green
30. When was the last time you laughed?: today
31. Last time you cried?: Tuesday

I did this for Amy, but I'm not going to tag anyone else because, well, I'm not sure I know three more people with blogs who haven't done it. :o)

Happy Halloween

Trick-or-Treat. Isabel had a great time getting dressed up and trick-or-treating. Daddy carved her a scary pumpkin and we made it to three whole houses. Isabel got to spend some time with her friend Ella, and they both thought that the mommy's and daddy's were a little crazy taking a bunch of pictures and being so excited.

Halloween Costume

We had fun today taking pictures of Isabel in her Halloween costume. I figured it was better to do it now than on Friday evening when she might be tired and cranky. She was so cute and really enjoyed playing with her pumpkin. We can't wait to take her out and show her off to all of her friends.

Yummy

Ever since Isabel was little I've been trying to get her interested in eating and trying new food by saying "yum" or "mmm-good" whenever she sees me eat something. So now whenever she is really enthusiastic about what she is eating...which is pretty much always...she says mmmmm, or something that sounds a lot like yum.

Happy Birthday Grandma

(I'm a little late on the post, but she got a copy in time for her birthday.)

Playing

Here's a brief glimpse at how Isabel and I spend our day. Isabel loves to listen to music, dance, sing, and make all sorts of noise so I bought her a drum this weekend. She's still not quite sure what to do with it, but I think she'll catch on soon.

Wheeeee!

We hung out at the park for a little while today. I'm still not sure what to think about the swings, sometimes they are lots of fun, sometimes not so much. But the slides are always a big hit.

I can sit

For a little while that is. Isabel can sit by herself until she finds something interesting to grab at out of her reach which makes her go tumbling to the ground.

Knock on Wood

We are so happy, and we're going to knock on wood and hope it stays that way. This may be too much info for some but Isabel was born with a clogged tear duct and we were told that it should go away all on its own, but if it didn't by the time she was one year old she would have to have surgery to correct it. It is minor surgery but it requires general anesthesia, so not something we wanted her to have to go through. As a result of the clog her sinus' have been draining out of her eye instead of her nose or down her throat. The last few weeks have been really bad to the point of her eye getting swollen and red and we were getting really worried. But after a lot of prayers by some miracle it seems to have completely healed itself this weekend. Yeah! Here's a picture of her with a completely clear eye! So let's pray it stays that way.

Grandpa Visiting

This weekend Grandpa is visiting us. We're just hanging out enjoying the nice weather and the good company.

Making a Mess

We started feeding Isabel solids a couple of months ago, and she took to it like a pro. Now she has decided that she should feed herself (even though she still will only eat pureed food). The results are very entertaining even if I am the one who has to clean up, and Isabel is taking a lot more baths which she loves.

More Hilton Head Pictures

What a wonderful vacation!


The best way to enjoy the swing is totally relaxed.


The Harbor Town Lighthouse is always a fun place to visit.


Isabel and I had a great time hanging out in the water.

Vacation in Hilton Head

What a wonderful week! We have had a beautiful week in Hilton Head, SC with my parents, and a weekend with Mike, Amy and Walt.

We headed out Saturday evening just as Hurricane Ike was hitting :o) We had spent the whole day watching the news and tracking the hurricane, praying that the winds weren't too high, they were predicting that there were going to be 50 mph gusts and heavy winds right about the time we were suppose to be leaving. Turns out we barely had any rain and our airplane took off almost right on time. We were so thankful and happy to be heading on vacation. From what I've heard all of the family in Ohio and Kentucky had it much worse than we did...who would ever think a hurricane would cause damage so far from the coast? We were praying hard and from what we heard everyone is doing okay.

The weather was beautiful here all week and we had a great time taking Isabel to the beach, hanging out at the pool, going for walks, and showing her all of the big beautiful boats in Harbour Town. Isabel loved the ocean, although I think she preferred when we took her on walks than actually going in the water. She loved watching the seagulls and pelicans and especially enjoyed when we chased them all around. We're so glad that she's a little beach bum!

Meeting cousin Walt

Watching the birds fly over the ocean

Sunbathing by the pool

Labor Day Weekend

Dennis came to visit us this weekend from Kansas, and we had a great visit. It is fun to have family close enough to drive down on a whim.

Isabel loved visiting with Uncle Dennis and really enjoyed when he played her some tunes on the keyboard. We discovered that she has a good sense of rhythm...which she didn't inherit from me... She loves to twists her wrists around and we noticed that she would do it to the speed of the song which was really cute, and gives me hope that she might have some musical inclination some day.

Kisses

Isabel is spending a lot of time lately pursing her lips and blowing lots of spit everywhere. I'm sure it is just her way of trying out new facial muscles and sounds, but I like to tell myself that she is blowing lots and lots of kisses to me. I can't quite ever catch it on camera because she is too interested in the flash, but trust me, it is really cute!