ABC...123

Isaac still loves his bathtime, and he loves learning the alphabet and numbers. We have an alphabet border in the room I do daycare, and several times every day he comes to me, points to the border, says "ABC's" and wants to sing the song MANY times. He loves to repeat all the letters after me and this morning sang ABCD by himself. We've lost track of how many words he's saying now...seems like every day there are several new ones. It's quite amazing to watch toddlers develop...soaking up all that's around them all day long!

Fun Family Day

This year, my birthday fell on Memorial Day.  We spent the weekend at my parent's and then decided to come home and spend Monday doing some fun things, just the three of us...four, counting Isaac's beloved Monkey.  We spent the afternoon at Minnehaha Falls, which is only about a 10 minutes drive from our house.  I hadn't realized it was so close...I think we will be going there a few more times this summer.  Isaac loved running around, watching the waterfall, and playing with his ball.  It's a wonderful relaxing get-away in the midst of the busy city for a busy toddler!

Having a much needed snack time...so much happier with a full belly!

And off we go!...

This was a common theme throughout the day...walking away to explore

Catch!

Much needed water break, and off we go again!

Taking a break

And off he goes...again!

and again.

Isaac had his 15 month checkup a couple weeks ago (when he was actually 16 months) due to his doctor being on vacation and needing to reschedule.  He weighed in at 23 pounds...the same as at his 12 month appointment.  It's no wonder he hasn't gained any weight, all the moving around he does.  He very rarely sits still these days.  He was 33 inches, which puts him in the 20th percentile for weight, and 90th for height.  His doctor was very impressed with how verbal he is and with how many words he has already...we definitely have a talker on our hands!  He was also diagnosed with allergies and put on some meds that are helping a ton!  He can breathe so much better and his poor nose is no longer constantly running.  Otherwise, he is a healthy and growing boy, for which we are very thankful!  

A Visit to the MN Zoo's Wells Fargo Farm

A couple weekends ago, we took a trip to the zoo. We have a membership for the year so hope to get there several times this year. Isaac evidently has inherited my tendency toward allergies, and they really flared up when we got to the farm part of the zoo. He seemed pretty miserable, his eyes were all red and watery and he kept sneezing, poor guy! His doctor gave him a prescription last night at his checkup, so hopefully that will help him feel a little better, and will take care of his ever-dripping nose. It's so nice to have the season pass...we feel like we can go for just a few hours, instead of having to spend the entire afternoon there to get our money's worth for the day. A couple hours is really all the more we need to spend there at a time, quite frankly. Isaac gets a little restless after much more. So, this day we spent the majority of our time at the farm...Isaac loved the animals, driving the tractor, picking up mulch, and had to be carrying either his monkey, or two water bottles...one was not enough...he needed "two." Enjoy the pics! :-)

Random April Happenings

Well, I'm not sure what happened to the month of April, but apparently it happened, because I have a few pictures to prove it!  Thank the Lord for cameras...I have no idea what the history is behind cameras, but I am sure glad somebody invented them.  Can you imagine not being able to capture moments and look back at them?  I can't.  It always made me really joyful and really sad at the very same time in Belize when we would take pictures and the people there would get SO excited and would RUN to the camera immediately after the photo was taken to see it.  Most of them did not own cameras, and many did not have one single picture of themselves.  I cannot imagine being a mom and not having any pictures to remember my children as they grew.  So, so sad.  They are something we take for granted here, that is for sure.  I will never forget a mother and her three children in a tiny Mayan village in Belize.  I asked her if I could take a picture of her with her kids (because I thought her boys were two of the most adorable children I'd ever seen), and she said "sure, but give me 30 mintues."  I had no idea what she was doing...I figured she was going to finish feeding them or something.  When she came to find me, she had changed all of their clothes and had attempted to straighten the boy's flyaways, evidenced by occasional wet spots throughout their heads. :-)  They had never had a picture taken together before, and she wanted it to be special.  I sent her the photo when I got home.  I have no idea if she ever received it, but I sure hope she did.  Maybe someday I can go back and see.  Aren't they cute?                     

                                    

                              

Alright...onto the real reason you look at this blog - another cute boy...

He was so excited to go with Grandma and Grandpa to the Great-Grandparent's!  His bags are packed behind him.  They all had a great time, and Brian and I got a lot done around the house, which was nice.

Beautiful apple blossoms in our backyard.  (Remember, the title does say "Random")  :-)

Picnic in the park...good 'ol KFC...real healthy, I know.  But for a picnic planned on the spur of the moment, it's very convenient and I have to admit, tasty.  Isaac enjoyed a few potato wedges.

Beautiful tulips in our front yard.  

Isaac, please be careful with the flowers.  Be gentle.

Like this, mom?

Mmmm...this rock tastes good!

Sandy drool...I'm afraid we'll be seeing a lot of this look this summer...

because he LOVES the sandbox.

Isn't this the cutest little tush you've ever seen?  :-)

A daily ritual, though usually on the kitchen floor...emptying Daddy's lunchbox.

Rubber ducky, you're the one...he LOVES bathtime, which is a good thing...sunscreen, sand, sweat, drool, dirt, & learning to eat with a spoon and fork makes for a daily bath these days.

Hope you all had a wonderful April, and may May be wonderful, too!  

Easter

Easter weekend, we drove out to my parent's Friday night, went to their church Easter morning and then headed back to the cities to spend time with Brian's family for the afternoon.  Doesn't he look handsome all decked out in his Easter suit?!   Well, except for the fact that he now would rather... A. make funny faces at the camera or B. not look at the camera at all.  

Sooo tired...

Annual Easter egg hunt...

Peacefully sleeping after a long weekend.  

While Easter and all that goes with it is fun for kids...Easter baskets, plastic grass, chocolate, colorful eggs, peeps, fuzzy yellow chicks, eggs hunts, the Easter bunny, etc.  we are excited to teach Isaac as he grows and celebrate with him the true meaning of Easter and why we celebrate - the death and resurrection of Jesus for us, and the hope that we have in Him.  We want to teach him that Easter is not to only be celebrated one day of the year in March or April, but every day of our lives.  We don't want to be parents who do not allow our children to take part in the secular aspect of holidays, but also do not want them to focus only on that, and not on what's really important.  We are thankful that our parents raised us in such a way, and want to continue that legacy.  Thankfully many creative people have thought of ways to use the "fun" Easter "stuff" as teaching tools for children...and the young at heart...such as resurrection eggs!   Hope you all had a wonderful, blessed Easter!

Baptism Birthday

Yesterday, March 29th, was Isaac's baptism birthday. I don't think I will ever get used to how quickly time is going. Those older and wiser than myself say that it goes faster and faster the older you get, and I am definitely finding that to be true. It makes me want to be less busy so we can really take the time to slow down...to appreciate and get the most out of every moment. Last year for Isaac's baptism, I thought it would be neat to make a cake similar to the one that was made for my baptism 30 years ago. My grandma still had the same pan that was used to make my cake, so we made Isaac an identical one...except his had brown and blue frosting of course...pink would have been a bit silly. But, if we should ever have a girl, you can be sure that her cake will be decorated exactly like mine was :-) I don't know why, but I enjoy replicating the past and carrying on tradition. So, I also wanted to get a picture of us, just as one had been taken for my baptism. When making the collage, I realized I don't have the picture scanned of me with my parents...only my sponsors...but you get the idea. :) Isaac is lying on the same afghan that I was. My mom crocheted the afghan, and if I remember correctly, it was the very first thing she ever crocheted. Isaac is wearing the gown that Brian's grandfather, father, sister and himself wore, so that was very special, as well! Tradition...a wonderful, meaningful thing!