My Cutie Pie

Here is a short video of Isabella riding her little bicycle at my parents' house in Texas. 

Watch Out Fashion World!

Last weekend we all made macaroni necklaces.  We're Italian remember? We really like our pasta.  The kids really enjoyed it and here is our work.

This next picture shows my daughter's growing love of clothes.  Orange and purple match perfectly.  Just give her a set a scissors and your cotton pants, and she can do this for you too!

Simply the Best

I had a great time this weekend at the Southern New England Ladies Retreat.  I really enjoyed listening and learning from Lisa Bevere.  Times likes these are so great to get away and focus on our relationship with the Lord.  We don't have too many distractions to well, distract, us from Him.  I also enjoyed making some new friends as well. 

But, perhaps, the thing that really meant the most to me was not at the retreat or with my new friends, but was anxiously awaiting me at my front door.  My two awesome kids were literally waiting on their favorite blanket with the front door open when I pulled into the driveway.  I could hear them yelling out my name, "Momma! Momma!" before I got out of the car.  The smiles on their faces were brilliant.  They gave really great hugs and kisses!  I was pleasantly surprised to smell freshly washed hair and skin and see their pajamas on them.  And, the goodness continued into the kitchen.  Rick had dinner ready (breakfast) on the table for me.  The ladies were all a little nervous to go home b/c once you open the door, it's back to reality. 

The night ended with me curled up with Isaac to read a Winnie-the-Pooh story, or as Isabella says, "Pinnie-the-Wooh," with a nice little fire in the fireplace.  Simply perfect.



Here's a picture of Isaac all dressed up for church.

And here's a picture of Isabella after she dressed herself.

And a short little video of my girl.



Congratulations! You've Made It to the Middle.

We’ve all had those moments. So let me just confess mine now and get it over with.

Isaac was invited to a birthday party for the prettiest little girl from church. I wrote it down on the calendar and was all set to go. The party would be at an apple orchard, complete with apple picking, cider donuts, a bouncy house, and a hayride. Who wouldn’t have fun? I get directions, stop at Target for the gift, and head out on the highway. We, meaning the kids and I, actually get there on time. There is special parking for the birthday parties and we head up to the party area. Only I don’t see the girl’s name on any of the party sign boards and I don’t see the birthday girl. That is not a good sign. I ask one of the workers about the party and find out it was the week before. Right place, right time, wrong date. Completely wrong date. I felt absolutely horrible, not mention like a complete idiot. The kids were disappointed and so was I.


We still, however, made it a fun day despite the little calendar mishap. We went thru a hedge maze, which Isaac thought was a blast and Isabella actually stayed in the stroller for that. And we went apple picking together. They had ladders to get to the apples in the tops of the trees. We all climbed on them, though not all at one time. Isaac wasn’t afraid to climb on them and Isabella, well, she is fearless. We got a big bag full of Macintosh and Red Delicious. Isabella managed to eat not only the apple, but almost all of the core as well. And my favorite part was the cider donuts. I got a dozen and they were delish. We had a fun time being together without any agenda or timeframe.

When we got to the center of the maze, there was this sign, “Congratulations. You’ve made it to the middle. Now find your way out.” I’ve thought about that sign a lot lately. I’ve felt like that before. Yay, I’ve completed a big task, now what? Big deal. And sometimes, like house cleaning or nose blowing, we have continually keep doing the task. I sometimes feel like this in my spiritual walk with the Lord. “Okay, Lord. I made this huge leap in my family life and career. Now what?” He doesn’t always show us the way out. He lights our paths, yes, but we have to trust Him in those dark times, in those places where we can’t see out and over the hedges. And especially, in those times that seem like dead ends. I believe that it is in those dark and seemingly dead ends that God teaches us the most, that we need him the most, that we learn to relay on Him because our lives depend on it. I don’t think God is a masicist at all, but I think He must love comforting us during those times, like a parent whose child is sick.

I am reminded of a scripture that deals with this. Paul write in Philippians, “I am confident of this that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” God isn’t going to get us to the middle of our journey, our life, our task and say, “Okay, I’ve led you this far now it’s up to you. Hope everything works out for you.” Quite the opposite is true. And what a wave of relief that is. The God of Ages cares for us in our daily lives and in our big picture moments, too

Yes, that is Isabella climbing the ladder.

That Kind of Mom

Do you remember what your view of parenting/motherhood was before you had kids? Or if you haven't been blessed yet, you probably have some preconceived notions about how parenting goes.

I remember some of my "Before I had kids parenting philosophy." My children will be perfect. They will mind their manners, eat all their food whether they like it or not, and not yell in public. I just knew that my future children would never be the crying child or have an incessantly irritating noisy toy during a long airplane flight. Neither would they be the ones who keep climbing out of the grocery cart or running down the aisles of the grocery store.

So, in my journey through motherhood, I vowed that I would not be that kind of mom. I would not be on the receiving end of those dirty looks or rolling eyeball from strangers. Did you ever think that way?

Well, my blog reading peeps, I have become that kind of mom. I have been the one who has had the deli guy come out of the counter to give my kids a piece of cheese so they'd finally stop making the irritating squeaky noise with the cart. The cart, of course, is the ginormous green monster that is darn near impossible to turn down the aisles. They love to ride in it, for about 10 minutes. Argh!

I have the kid who puts sand in babies' hair and pushes him down a little tube. Never mind the baby is almost as big as my daughter.

I'm the mom who drags around a bike, a tricycle, and a scooter to the track while my children run around like maniacs.

I'm the mom who boils the water, preps the tea cup, and maybe or maybe actually gets to pour the water in the cup, let alone drink it.

I'm the mom whose son throws a 30 minute tantrum because he won't sit still for 5 second dose of eye drops. Or who screams glass crackingly loud at the dentist or while getting a shot at the doctor.

I'm the mom who constantly struggles with patience every day.

But, I am also the mom who tries to love her children unconditionally, like God loves us. I want to be the kind of mom who teaches them God loves them no matter what and that God is the God of second chances (and third and fourth…). I wanna be the mom who fervently prays and intercedes for her children to be a man and a woman of God whom he uses to do incredible things. My son is smart and likes creating things. Maybe he'll grow up to the one who God uses to cure a disease. My daughter has no fear and is bold. Maybe she'll become an athlete and have the world as her audience to preach the gospel.

So, yeah, I'm that kind of mom.

The Most Handsome Kindergartener

It's official.  Isaac is in kindergarten.  He is really enjoying it and has a really great teacher, Mrs. G.  I think part of the reason he likes it is there are three pets in the classrom- Snickers the guinea pig which is by far his favorite; Tucker the tortoise; and Rosie, the tarantula.  Yes, a tarantula.  Maybe these pets will satisfy Isaac's desire for a family pet. 

I took a few first day of school photos and hope you enjoy them.  Can you guess which one is my favorite?

Why Some Animals Eat Their Young

Have you ever watched those animals shows on Animal Planet or when I was growing up it was Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom?  You see these wild beasts with big teeth and maybe red eyes and they look angry.  Then, all of a sudden, the mother or father opens their big jaws and starts eating their young?  You probably felt sickened and questioned how could any parent eat their own kind?  I could never!

Well, folks, Rick and I now know why some animals do that. 

Last week, the kids were playing in the kitchen sink while I was making a special dinner celebrating Isaac's first day of school (which was breakfast for dinner- pancakes, eggs, and biscuits & gravy).  I needed the sink and Isaac just had to put his Playmobil bouys in the water.  I told him put them in the bathroom sink.  (Warning bells should've gone off in my head at this point.)  I went on making the dinner wanting the gravy to be as good as my mom's.  Then, a few minutes later, Isaac comes crying in the kitchen.  He said he slipped in the bathroom and hit his head.  I asked him how he slipped to which he responded, "Isabella left the water running in the sink!"  And sure enough, the water was flowing out and out and over and over and down and down.  So much so that there was standing water all over the new floor, in the new vanity, in the closet, and on the carpet in front of the bathroom.  Yes, the new bathroom Rick just finished about a month earlier.  We used nearly every towel in the house.  Then Rick got this look on his face and raced downstairs.  The water had soaked thru and stained two ceiling tiles in the downstairs bathroom.  Lovely.  Seriously, what does this girl have against bathrooms??


Here are some recent pictures of Isabella.


She was "helping" me make a cake for Isaac.  At first she said she didn't like licking the cake batter spatula before she even tasted it.  Then, I gave her a litle bit on my finger and she quickly changed her mind.  Those are new pajamas that she got earlier in the day and just had to wear them as soon as she got home.

She also likes to "play make-up" with me while I get ready.  And if I am too involved with trying to make myself look decent, this is what happens. Mascara around the eyes and eyeshadow around the lips.  Oh, and that red line on her forehead happened when she fell down the stairs a few days ago. 

Isabella- You are full of energy and life! I pray that God will use you to do bold things for him!

A Rainy Red Sox First

We were very blessed to recieve a few sets of tickets to the Red Sox this year.  My step-father and Rick were able to go to a game in June.  Rick and I went to a game in July.  And this past week, Rick was able to take Isaac to his very FIRST Red Sox game.  This certainly must be a rite of passage for all youngsters in Red Sox Nation. It was very exciting for both dad and son.  If the weather would've been a bit dryer, it would've been even better.  They stayed until they sang the "Take me out the ballgame song," Isaac told me.  And they stopped and Mum & Papa's on the way home.  (I still remember going to Mum & Papa's to watch Game 4 of the 2004 World Series- they cried when the Red Sox won.) 

What a really great day for Rick and Isaac!  

Isaac is right outside Fenway.

Who can resist a smile like this?? 

Here is Wally in a raincoat, which Isaac thought was super cool.

Dad and son.

He was treated to a Fenway Frank and a pretzel.  I think the pretzel was his favorite.

Another New England tradition, Dunkin' Donuts.  And, no, that's not coffee.  It's hot chocolate.

My two very handsome men. 

I'll Be Your Caddy Anyday

This afternoon we went to Kimball Farm where Rick took Isaac on his very first golf course.  It is a 9-hole, 3-par pitch and putt course which was just perfect for Isaac's first time.  I followed them around like the paparazzi (which most moms are known for doing) and tried to keep Isabella from climbing out of the stroller.  Isaac did very well and had a lot of fun.  Rick enjoyed it as well.  I hope golfing together can be a memory to which they can add to for a very long time. 

There were a ton of people there, but luckily, the ice cream line wasn't too long.  We all enjoyed a dish of black raspberry with chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream.

Enjoy the pictures!

I just love his face in this picuture.

The Isabella Diet

If you really want to burn come calories, improve your reflexes, quicken your sprint times, be able to ask, "Where's Bella" in your sleep, then you need to babysit my daughter for a while! 

Seriously, that girl never. stops. moving. evah. 

A few weeks ago, she jumped off the family room sofa and landed on the base of a moving chair.  Not good.  She really cried, we gave her some tylenol, and continued with our activities that night.  We noticed she wasn't using her right arm, but it wasn't bruised or swollen.  She was fine the next morning.  So we just chalked it up to just being bruised or sore.  Then, a week later, she wasn't listening while we were visiting Rick and Isaac and the Libby's out camping, so I grabbed her arm to pull her toward me.  That wasn't a good idea.  Same thing, crying, tylenol, and non usage of said arm, but no bruising or swelling.  So, I get her home and all she wants is for me to hold her.  That very rarely happens.  And she even slept in my bed for the first time in her life.  So then I knew something was really wrong.  We head to the doctor in the morning, which by that time she is fine.  The doctor said she most likely dislocated her elbow- twice.  And apparently is it very easy to repeat the injury once it happens.  The doctor also postulated that she reset her own elbow during the night both times since both injuries occured in the evening.  The remedy?  No pulling, grabing, or heavy pressure on her arm for six months.  Yeah, that should be easy.

Keep that scenario in your mind as you continue reading...

This past Monday, nearly a week ago, Rick, Isaac, and I are reading our weekly family Bible story. This is one of Isaac's favorite events and so we are all snuggled together on his bed focused on the story.  We hear a door knob turn.  Rick turns me with a look like, "This is not good."  All three of us get out of the bed, go to the hallway, and see a completel nekked Isabella saying, "I gotta go potty!"  HA!!!!!  We all, including Isaac, crack up laughing out loud.  She did, in fact, have to use the potty.  Rick puts her back in the crib and makes her show us how she climbed out of it.  She swung one leg over the crib railing, shimmied her body over the top, and then pulled the other leg over.  Seriously.  So, Rick takes most of the crib apart and we put her matress on the floor.  We also put a gate in her doorway as well.  She did pretty good.  I think she is proud of her bed.  I can her little feet running in her room when I go to check on her.  It's quite funny. 

The kids and I did some finger painting yesterday since it is a "home" day as Isaac calls it.  Here are some pictures of it.  I did get a bit messy as well. 

The funny thing is, I wouldn't trade her for anything or anyone.  She makes me laugh (and cry), smile, and have fun.  I know she is only two, and times may change, but I feel like we are very close to each other.  She is just perfect for our family.  Love you Bella Jean!

Make Way for Ducklings

Last weekend while in Newburyport, we went to one of our favorite bookshops, Jabberwocky's.  We bought several books for Isaac, including Make Way for Ducklings, which takes place in Boston.  I had never read that book even though I've been in the area for 13 years!  So, we read the book last Tuesday evening and headed in to Boston Public Garden to see if we could find Mr. & Mrs. Mallard and their eight ducklings.

The first thing we did, after finding street parking (which is a first for us), was to ride on the swan boats.  We didn't have to wait in line and were able to hop right on the boats.  The kids loved it and it was really relaxing. 

Then we took a path to find the bronze statues of Mrs. Mallard and Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Quack, and Pack.  Isaac was all smiles and was eager to sit on them. 

After that, we walked over to the Boston Common and I was able to ride the carosel with Isaac and Isabella.  Isaac had his heart set on the tea cups, so I just put him in the tea cup with two other girls!  Isabella was on the horse right in front of him. 

The kids had fun playing in Tadpole's playground. We didn't bring their swimsuits to go in Frog Pond. 

We walked back to the Garden and walked over the bridge and then went home.  It was hot and humid, but it was a really nice day.

Isaac took this photo of us.  I think he did a really great job. 

This is a self-portrait of Isaac.  He captured one of my favorite things about himself- his great big beautiful eyes!