See Ya'll Next Year!

Happy Holidays!

I shall return with more blogging the first week of 2010.

Isabelle send all of you a big wet kiss!

Knowing When To Say When

This past week has been a barrel of stress. From Isabelle's canines that are just sitting on her gum line and causing random spaz outs to my never ending work pile, it's been rough. I know I do more than the average person. I'm not looking for a badge of honor, it's just how I'm wired. Ask my folks, they will tell you I've been this way since I could write a to-do list. I bite off more than I can chew, and 3 months later I'm crawled up in the fetal position boohooing my eyes out.

And honestly I look at the list and there is absolutely nothing I can or want to give up. From play time with Isabelle to making home cooked dinners, that's life. But honestly I can't do it all. I've been feeling like a failure, like everything I do is half assed. I've accepted I can't clone myself and I can't do it all.

So in 2010 I'm making some business changes. And we're hiring a cleaning crew. Thomas & I go round and round on this one. Honestly my time is better spent with Isabelle or Thomas, or working for that matter... And by hiring to do someone to do the cleaning, I'm helping someone else earn an income.

And.. we will be hiring someone to watch Isabelle for 1 day a week so we can play catch up. Right now when we really need to get something done, she'll watch tv for a little while and then wants to play..and rightly so, but we don't always have time to get everything done and read "Monkey & Me" 5 times in a row. We just don't. And I hate the seeing her zone to the tv. She's so dang smart and I feel like Dora is sucking her brain cells out (don't get me wrong, I do need a certain amount of Dora in our life!)

I feel better now. The house is a mess, I'm at least 1 work project behind, and my hair looks like crap.

But I have a plan.

And a plan makes that to-do list less bothersome.

Holiday Baking

The Plan

The new creation - gingerbread w/ mini chocolate chip chewies

The perfection of peanut butter

Isa Owns The Joint...

Our kiddo has more character in her littlest finger than most people I know, and she's not even 2! We seriously are going to have our hands in full about 14 years...

At Gymboree this past week, one of the mothers told me about the Grand America's Gingerbread Village (did I mention it's *free). Holy cow, this hotel is the creme de la creme!! Decked out in her finest fake fur, our sweet Isabelle stomped around the place just like a princess. She was pretty interested in the Gingerbread village, but was howling for Santa. Sadly,there was no Santa to be found.

However, they did have a very fun teddy bear exhibit on the 23rd floor. A full suite chock full of teddy bears, candy, and playing a "Winnie the Pooh" movie on the TV. Let's just say Isa was ready to unpack and stay!

And of course.. many more photos on Flickr..

The Tiniest, Sweetest Baker Ever

Our Snow Bear

#2 is #1 !

Isabelle went #2 in her potty chair today!

It just about scared her out of her pants when she realized she had actually

gone #2 in her pretty princess potty throne.

I don't know how many times I told her

*what a big girl

* mama and dada are SO proud

on and on..

Her just rewards was a Dum-Dum lollipop.

Tomorrow at Target we'll get a reward chart and some M&M's for more rewards.

What to go little girl.. I mean big girl!!

Never thought

I never thought when our children learned to say "no" that I would laugh my butt off and think it's the most hilarious thing ever..but it is :o)

Christmas Pics!

I've posted all the Holiday pictures so far with the exception of the picture we will use for the Holiday card.. I wouldn't want you to pass out from the insane cute factor.

Go to my Flickr!

Isabelle and the Chocolate Advent

Holiday Rush

We had a holiday bonanza today! My parents told us about this fabulous Festival of Trees that they read about in Sunset magazine. It's a big deal here,but somehow we had never heard about it. There are tons and tons of trees that have been decorated and are sold to benefit the Children's Primary Hospital. So beautiful and just a fun family outing.

At the Tree Festival, Isabelle met Santa for the first time (last year we waited till the last minute and it was a pure disaster.. so don't ask..) She was SO excited. She was decked out in her fur coat and had her hair looking super duper cute. While we waited in line, she kept asking and signing for "Santa". She learned his name and our sign for him pretty quickly; she knows who butters that bread! And of course when it was our turn to have pictures with wonderful Santa, we had a full freakout. But we all need those pictures of our kids screaming with Santa..right?

Later this evening we traveled out to Heber for the "Polar Express". In jammies and the beloved fur coat (this girl has thing for coats..) She loved it for the most part. At times our train car was a tad too boisterous in their singing and freaked her out. She loved meeting Mrs. Claus, reading the "Polar Express", and looking at the Christmas lights outside the window. Again, asking and signing for Santa. Where was Santa?!? And another freakout during the great visit. Granted she was less scared and mustered the courage to take the gift bell from his outstretched hand.

I have TONS more pictures, but you just have to wait :o) I'll be working on the Christmas card this weekend and once they are mailed, I will post the rest of pictures on Flickr for all to enjoy.

Hope your Holidays are as much fun as ours. There truly is nothing like watching your child enjoy the magic of the season!

Holiday Decorating With A Busy Toddler

We love the holidays around here. In fact we put the decorations up as soon as we can and are quite poky about putting them away.

Isabelle cried when we put the Halloween decor back into storage, so I knew Christmas was going to be heaven for her.

Alas we need the toddler gate as her fascination much akin

to the curiosity of a cat, and leads to an equal amount mischief.

Her favorite part of the decorations?

A Dora or "D" ornament

that we had a couple years before her...not sure why we have it, but it gives this little girl a never ending supply of joy to point to the Christmas tree and shout "D".

Her other favorite was trying to eat the "snow" for the Christmas village. Eerily similar to her Daddy's favorite part in the holiday movie "Elf" when Will Ferrell's character munches on cotton balls.

Sammy's Friends

When Isabelle was born and

we discovered she had symbrachydactyly,

I read everything I could on it and joined a couple online forums.

Sammy's Friends is a Yahoo group that discusses the ins and outs of being a family with a limb difference. They have seen me through so much; and I know I don't tell them enough but I'm so grateful for these wonderful people. They helped me over the initial shock, questions about the best surgeons, and even just run of the mill extended family issues.

They have a CafePress site where

you can buy items with the logo.

The little bit of money that is made

goes to helping group stay afloat.

This Christmas we are spreading the joy with their

2010 calenders.

Isabelle is in May - isn't she adorable?!

I know money is tight this year,but if there is someone special

on your list that has everything. Please consider

buying one of these calenders.

We've bought a bunch for those close to Isabelle.

We hope they especially enjoy seeing Isabelle's face in May,

but it's really much more than that.

This purchase is helping a group that has helped us

and so many others.

Our culture is so caught up in one

definition of beautiful and perfect.

I double dog dare you to look into these faces

and not see God's perfection.

Thankful

I am thankful for being back home with WiFi access :o)

I am thankful for my loving husband, amazing daughter,

incredible parents, and the friends & family that know me and still love me.

I am thankful that my husband's company is strong

and that Etsy allows me the opportunity to work at home with my daughter.

I am thankful to know my parents will soon live minutes away, not days.

I am thankful for our health.

I am thankful for the hope and dream that 2010 will start

off with a bang or rather a pink plus sign.

I am so very thankful.

Thank you TLC!

I was never a huge fan of the Jon & Kate Plus 8 show. I watched it now and then before Isabelle was born. And after we had her, I would watch the show to feel better about my piles of laundry, the nights when frozen meals were called "dinner", and my belly that will never be the same post 1 baby. If Kate could wrangle 8 plus a half involved dad, I could absolutely be a good mother to my 1 daughter and extremely helpful husband.

So often I read and heard Kate labeled a bitch. Really? You think so? I'd love to know how many mothers really feel that way. As involved as Thomas is, when we travel I do all Isabelle's packing. If I forgot it, it ain't there. If the prescriptions weren't refilled by me, it ain't there. And a ton of other things. I'm not complaining, I'm simply stating a fact. I am our children's primary caregiver. And when we travel, I'm a bitch. I'm stressed before we get into the car. Did I remember everything? Is Isabelle going to pitch a fit? Is she going to nap okay? Is she going to refuse all food while on vacation, AGAIN? Now people, multiply that by 8.. I don't think we would still be married. I'd be on tabloids labeled a monster and have my hair ridiculed. And for what? Having a pretty normal reaction to the stress of motherhood.

Kate, I have your back. From the episodes I did watch, I don't honestly think I'd be that different. Maybe that doesn't say too much about me, but I'm being honest.

I wish TLC had the fore site to cancel this train wreck 2 years ago. My heart breaks for those kids. I'm sure they would have chosen a different life for themselves. Who wants to be under a microscope and the have your parents scrutinized along the way?

I truly hope this family can find some peace, even Jon. Don't get me started on Jon... Ugh. While I no longer will have my go-to show to feel better about my slip ups a SAHM, I'm relived we can close the window into their lives.

Best of luck Kate + 8 (and alright Jon, I wish you some luck too.. well definitely therapy)

Thankful For Childproofing?!

While Thomas and I would never discourage childproofing gadgets, we have found they have done harm inadvertently. Those foam corners for coffee tables were ripped off in a matter of seconds and shoved in the mouth. The drawer locks allow just enough room for a toddler to shove her hand in and close hard..

Here is the latest childproofing escapade...

The goal -> to open a childproofed entertainment cabinet

The result -> a nice welt that will be a lovely lavender and black in family Thanksgiving photos

Ask the munchkin, and she'll tell you it was worth the pain (about 5 minutes of sobbing and cuddling)

Yes, folks this was a safe re-enactment.. I don't sit around with the camera waiting for moments of pain to capture on film.. Well, not most days..

Mr. Incredible

Apparently Mr. Incredible Is Not So Incredible

Thick as Thieves

My Little Miss Matched

Did you know there is a store that purposely sells mismatched socks?

Those who know me. I mean really know me.

I mean those that know what I look like when I wake up

and don't want to talk for the first 10 minutes of the day.

They know I love socks.

The longer the better.

The brighter, ridiculous the better.

(Though I particularly love cute and fuzzy too)

And I typically don't care too much how I look,

so I've been known to where mismatched socks, clothes on backwards, or inside out.

And looks like my daughter is following my path.

((Huge grin!))

She insisted on wearing this pair of mismatched Mickey Mouse socks.

I could not be more proud..

So Cuddly

There is something about this little angel in the fluffy pajamas that gets me everytime..

It's a good thing she doesn't know to ask for a real pony this Christmas,

or we just might have to get one for her!

MWAH!!

Doing the Potty Dance

Quite a few months ago Isabelle starting to show a lot of interest in the potty. Excited over the prospect of being diaper free, I ran out to Target and bought her a fancy pink throne that plays music when you "go".

Well she does love her throne, but has yet to "go". Our little angel loved having a dirty diaper. If she was all of a sudden really jubilant, you could be sure she had a super stinker waiting for you. Finally this past month she decided that having a dirty diaper really wasn't all that grand. She began to grab her diaper after she went and then started to tell us that her "foo foo" hurt. We are so close I can feel it! Yesterday she grabbed my hand and led me to her potty right after she had done the deed in her diaper. We've yet to do any kind of formal training with her, but I think when we get back from our Thanksgiving trip, we will try to.

It's an odd thing to be excited over pee & #2, but honestly each step your child takes is such a miracle and fascinating. So bittersweet to watch Isabelle move further into toddlerdom, but what a wonderful ride. Being a parent really does teach you that life truly is all about the ride and the little details.

How Did This Happen

Wow.. letting the blog slip again, okay peoples I will try to be better!

Turned 31 this month! Ack!!

We took our annual trip to Disneyland and a fabulous time. It was pretty busy, so we may have to slightly change the dates for 2010 in hopes of finding a less crowded time.

You would never ever know this country is having money issues!!

Somehow I did not take a solitary picture while in Disneyland.

I know, I know..

Part of it is I don't think we got into the park before 4pm most days (Isa's naps..)

And well Isa was either hiding her face or squealing with joy over "Toodles" aka Mikey Mouse..

Not too much ability to fiddle with a F-Stop while grasping a toddler, stroller, and some sanity..

**The picture featured is Isa with one my dearest, best friends Annalee.

Thank you so much for making the drive!! **

And I got sick on the last day.

Feel pretty fortunate it that it is just your run of the mill cold,

but now Isa, Daddy, and Grandma have it.

Sorry!

Blame SWA and their dirty recirculated airplane air!

***

As most of you know, we lost a baby last month.

Physically I'm still recovering. I always thought these were fast, but my body apparently wanted to be pregnant as much as my heart did.

Most days I'm back to normal, but then someone at the library that is unaware of the situation will ask how the "baby" is, and it takes me a minute to realize they mean Isa.. and then it takes me a couple more minutes to pull myself back together again.

Isabelle, the bright girlie she is, was well aware we were expecting a baby.

She would kiss my belly and tell the baby hello.

It still breaks my heart when she tries to and I have to explain that the baby is in heaven.

We are hoping for another bright pink line in 2010.

So keeps those prayers, good wishes, and baby dust our way.

It is much appreciated!

Real Quick

My Etsy businesses are on a level of insanity..

but here's a quick pic of Ms. 18 months old!!

Will blog & post to Flickr when I can come up for air..

Blessed!

While my goal is to blog weekly,

I had to brag about my little girl!!!

Last night I yanked her bottles from her cold turkey.

Thomas & I were tired of being lectured by the doc and we figured at almost 18months, it's time.

So she drank ALL her milk from a straw sippy cup.

Didn't fuss, didn't cry, didn't go looking for her ba ba's.

And she went to bed at 8pm...

tada..

didn't wake till 7:45..

People, that's the first night she's not waken up
(unless she was sick..)

Can I tell you how proud I am?!?

Love this little angel..

Hope you enjoy the picture of our artist.

And yes, she's already colored on: walls, clothes, self, mama..etc

Much Needed Vacation

This past week was a long one for Isabelle.

From going to the dentist to getting an upper GI (my personal worst morning ever!),

we all were in much need of a vacation!

Isa got her haircut a fabulous salon :o), we all ate sushi at local Japanese joint,

and headed out to watch the Salt Lake City Real Soccer game.

Isabelle just loved the roar of the crowd

and the yummy warm churro on the way out.

This was the last week we could go camping given our hectic schedule.

So we decided to leave Thursday for a family camp out,

and join our Parish for the Church camp out on Friday - Sunday.

What a wonderful weekend!

Isabelle truly loves camping.

From playing in the dirt, playing in the water, and playing in the tent!

Once we joined the rest of the Parrish up at Heber Valley,

Isabelle made lots of new friends!

I think every older Parishioner adopted her as their "granddaughter".

She had lots of admirers and friends to play with.

There was a big waffle breakfast up at the Chalet Saturday morning

and a family style steak BBQ that evening!

While we're happy to be clean & at home,

it is truly hard to come back to reality!

**And it turns out that Isabelle only has gastric reflux. Thank goodness for small favors!*

TONS more pics on Flickr!!

Live!

For those of you not on Facebook,this may be news..

I've been trying to upload daily video clips of Isa on both FB and Flickr.

Granted they are taken with my cell (much faster to upload!),

so they are not the best quality, but I hope they make you laugh!

Isabelle is doing awesome.

She *loved* her first camping trip.

Those pics are on a disposable, so it will take a little while to upload.

She came back dirtier than a pig, but she absolutely loved it!

We're so excited we can do more outdoor stuff with her.

We've gone fishing every week since the camping trip,

and actually have another camping trip planned later this month with our church.

We're coming down to AZ in September.

If you didn't receive the Evite, please let me know..

And go check out the videos!!

Rodriguez Visit

Thomas' big brother, Johnny, visited with his family last week.

To say that Isabelle and her cousins had a fun time would be an understatement.

I only wish Isa had some big brothers of her own!

Bailey & Brycen were so sweet with her - and of course she ate up the attention!

Here's to *free* babysitting :o)

**P.S. I've finally updated Flickr..**

All Grown Up!

Ah, as Isa grows older my free time shortens :o) We spend the days reading, playing "tea party", and "ring around the rosies". She is so much fun and so dang smart it is really kind of scary. You can ask/tell her just about anything these days and she gets it. We've had to start watching what we say and do :o)

She got her first official haircut last month at "Cookie Cutters". I can not say enough wonderful things about this children's salon. Isa in the past was not a huge fan of having her head or hair touched, and I expected the worse. The stylist was very sweet with Isa, and I couldn't get her out of there! Doesn't she look all grown up with her pigtails?? She's become quite good about letting me do her hair, and most days she sports a ponytail & bow (just don't tell her there's something in her hair!!)

Isabelle is rockin' in her sign language class. She's the oldest and the only one able to sign, and she does love to show off! She recently learned "berry" after maybe me showing her the sign twice. Granted, "please" "sorry"and "more" sometimes all look alike..she's really amazing with it!

Time Flies

So I don't have a great excuse as to why it has been MONTHS since I've posted.

All I can say is, time flies when you're having fun!

Isa News

I never thought I'd be "that parent", but I guess I am.

Isa is a genius! She really is!!

She talks all the time! Puts little sentences together and picks up new words daily.

People, she's not even 15 months!

And she loves sign language!

Her favorite sign is "baby"

She loves to hug and started giving kisses yesterday (she did it when I told her I loved her!)

Awww!!

She is SUPER active. She demands to be outside playing on our deck, chasing the dogs,

or on a long walk/jog in her stroller.

She is still not sleeping through the night, but hey, she's a busy gal!

She is the happiest baby I've ever met, and people often comment on that when they meet her.

Unless she has to stop playing or is under the weather, she is laughing & smiling.

She is very mischeivous!

Isa loves to try to play in the cat/dog water bowl daily..

.. she is so wonderful, we thought we'd have another..

we're trying for #2 now!

Daddy News

Thomas is doing awesome at work.

We're so happy that in a rough economy, Thomas' company is doing just great!

He is starting to have time to golf again!

And loves to go jogging with Isa.

And of course he's looking forward to hunting season later this year :o)

Mommy News

I'm in the process of filing my first patent!!

Of course it's crafty related..

I'm hoping to license it, make some $$, and be done with it..

I really don't want to start yet another business :o)

My etsy sales are great!

The library is wonderful!

Still volunteering with Junior League, and looking forward to more fundraisers!

We're so blessed!

I'll try to be back to updating on a regular basis!

Miss photos? Please check out the Flickr account for the latest..

(Not too many new ones right now, but that too will be updated this week!)

In Cora's Memory

I don't know what I would if something happened to Isabelle. My heart leaps out of my chest every time she falls, my heart breaks whenever she has an owie.. So when I read about Cora Paige last night, I spent most of the evening crying.

Please, please, please consider buying something from a Etsy crafter that is donating proceeds to Cora's playground. I bought a few for Isa's birthday.

Hug your kids today and tell them you love them!

MORE!

Isa understands AND can now do the sign for MORE!

Could two parents be any prouder?
I think not!

Studio 5

You can see me on Studio 5!
http://studio5.ksl.com/?nid=71&sid=5620864

Woohoo!

Not Every Girl Loves Tutus

So Angel Pie hates tutus.. Maybe it's itchy, maybe too busy? I don't know, but they make her grumpy! So we had an unhappy Valentine..





Check out Flickr for more Valentine pictures (and the rare smile today..)

Bliss

Do you know what bliss is?

Today bliss is watching my baby girl play with my best friend's son.

It just doesn't get any better than watching Quinn hug Isabelle

and try shove some Cheerios in her mouth!

Thomas found the viedo camera and hopefully

they will be just as cute today as they were yesterday.

This weekend will be my "happy place" for awhile..

I'll post pics when Karen & Quinn fly home,

I don't want to miss a minute of the action!

Big Girl

Isa can now

* walk while holding your hands

* crawl in warp speed

* laugh when you say "no" or "stop"

* feed the dogs her food

* eat all grown up food - no more home made purees!

She also has a TON of teeth coming in all at once..

I was wondering for how much longer she'd only have those 2 chompers!

Amazing

I can not believe I'm planning our baby girl's first birthday! This time has flown faster than I was prepared for, though everyone tried to warn me. I cherish these days as much as I know how. I love watching her learn new things. She is so sweet natured and easy going - she is so much like her daddy :o)

When she was first born we took her to see a physician that specializes hand differences. He told us then that he wouldn't recommend anything be done to change her hand as based upon what he saw, her function would be perfect. And recommended that we wait till she was 1 before we had xrays taken. I remember feeling so alone, feeling that this doctor didn't care and wanting more information. I was so wrong.

I don't talk about Isa's little hand very much because it has become a non issue. She does have perfect function. There has been nothing that has been delayed or an obstacle for this lil' monkey. And I'm dragging my feet on making an appointment for her to get xrays. I get it now.

We will probably still get the xrays done some time this year. We feel we owe Isa all the opportunities avaliable. But if you ask me, I wouldn't change her hand if I could. We aren't meant to look the same. And she couldn't be anymore perfect than she already is.

I know there will be hard days and my heart will break the first time she says "I can't..." But I know my easy going gal will make it work and will only be stronger for it.

Before we were pregnant, I made it clear to Thomas that I want to adopt a child at some point. I still do. And if it works out, I really would like to adopt a child with a limb difference. I feel blessed that someone upstairs believed in Thomas & I, someone knew that this is something we could be awesome at as a couple. And we are. It would be awesome to be able to bring love and confidence to another child that may not otherwise receive it.

And with that said.. I'm not pregnant.. but we are trying for number 2

:o)

Oh.. I'm on Thomas' lap top, so no access to post pics this moment.. but there are tons on Flickr.. and I'll be taking a very special Valentine's Day photo shoot of Isa in the next week.

Blessed Day

My heart is lifted hearing Obama speak.

I feel so lucky to have my children born and raised in this country.

My heart is lifted knowing how far we have come!

I don't think 1 man can change all the damage that has been done these past years,

but I'm so relieved that this man will try.

This man will care about my family's interests.

This man will help protect the country I love.

For those of you that do not support Mr. O,

I'm sad for you today.

I hope that in time, you will see and believe in his optimism and hope for change.

I hope that in time you can will see the beauty of today and what it means in our history.

**Isa and I are still sick.. so it will be awhile before more pics**

Happy New Year

Sorry there has been a lag in the blog.

I've been working on a secret project - yes, it's secret for now and no it's not baby#2..

and it's been taking up SO much time.. more than I had hoped!

Isabelle is just rockin'!

She is cruising around the house, and we expect her to be walking on her on any day now.

She is her happy, amazing self!

Loved Christmas!

Loved playing (and eating) wrapping paper!

She loves to clap, wave, and say Da-Da.

She is working on the "mmmmm" sound

I will be posting pics on Flickr today and tonight..

Again apologies for the delay..

Very, very sorry Karen :o)

Hope everyone had a beautiful holiday!

I know so many of Isa's friends celebrated their first Christmas as well;

we hope Santa was equally good to ya'll!

Our house for one looks like Toys R Us!!

Much love..