Lucky Boy

Isaac was able to spend Saturday morning with a bird's eye view of Springfield, Massachusetts. Jeremy, Ike's uncle, is a helicopter pilot and was gracious enough to take Isaac and Ryan for a ride this weekend. In the words of Isaac, "it was awesome!"

I thought he would get a little bit nervous before take-off but Ryan said he was too excited to be scared. 

I think Isaac really enjoyed having some quality time with his dad.

Ready for take-off.

The headsets were a hit with both of my boys. Once Isaac figured out how to use them to communicate with the other passengers he pretty much dominated the airways.

Now my big 5 year-old boy has done something that I haven't! Thanks so much to Brooke and Jeremy for making it possible! I think it's safe to say he'll never forget his first chopper ride.

From the Mouth of My Babe

Taking a rest on the trail last week during an afternoon bike ride.  Isaac and Maddie love Preston and Lillie!

Yesterday morning I went into Maddie and Davis' room after hearing them wake up. To my surprise, Davis was out of his crib (he attempted this in Utah but this was his first time trying that stunt in his own crib. I had an ounce of hope that he wouldn't attempt doing it for at least six months or so).

"Davy," I questioned, "How did you get out of your crib? You shouldn't do that, it's dangerous." To which Maddie replied, "Oh, it's okay, mom. I learn-ded him how to do it. I learn-ded him how to get out AND how to get back in! Watch!" To which Davis used the knobs to climb up his dresser, lunged his body forward until his belly was teetering on top of his crib, and then toppled onto the mattress head first. Thanks for being such a good teacher, Mads.

Goodbye shred of freedom.

Hello big-boy bed.

Life with Isaac @ Five Years Old

Ryan and Isaac on Friday night. We took him out on a date to celebrate his birthday. Going to dinner alone with the parents for birthdays was always a tradition in my family growing up, and we decided to start doing it with our own kids this year. The little boy lit up when he found out he could get his own double shot ice cream cone all to himself. It was really fun to be able to focus all of our attention on just Isaac for a couple of hours.  

His facial expression while the crew at Friendly's Restaurant sang the happy birthday song to him. 

Two of Isaac's favorite things in one: Cars and Legos. He got to pick this present out himself with some money he received from far away family.

At 5 years old, Isaac:

• Still loves Cars and Lightning McQueen, but has branched out a little bit. LEGOS, pirates, Star Wars,  Nerf Guns, and Super Heroes have also won his attention and affection. 
• Is so excited for kindergarten. He was more than disappointed when I explained to him that he can't go the day he turns five. He has since come to terms with the fact that he has to wait a few more months.
• Has become a hoarder when it comes to his favorite toys. He does not appreciate his little brother destroying his newly built Lego creations or Transformers. Because of this he keeps a lot of his toys locked up in his little bedroom.
• Said to me the other day, "I can't believe that I'll be five years old tomorrow!...I'm going to be a lot taller when I wake up in the morning. I bet I'll even fit into my Batman pajamas that are too big on me today!"
• Fell in love with video games while in Utah. He now loves loves LOVES video games. He spent way too many hours playing the wii while on vacation and still refers to many things in terms of Mario and Luigi. "Mom, let's play a game where balls of fire are flying towards us and trying to kill us. We only have 5 lives each so we can't let them hit us..." 
• Is Maddie's best friend and biggest rival. Overall they play well together and I seem to get after them more for playing too loudly or too crazily than for fighting too much. 
• Just recently reached the 40lb weight minimum needed to use a booster seat in our minivan. He is pretty proud of himself and brags to everyone that he no longer needs a car seat. 
• Will eat just about anything (though not without complaining about it from time to time) but his favorite foods are hot dogs, pizza, yogurt,cooked carrots, apples, and avocados (his most recent favorite). He still hates to drink milk, just like his dad. And he will do just about anything for a piece of candy or something sweet. 

Some days I feel like these past years have flown by and other times I can't believe I've only been a mother for 5 years. I love Isaac so much and am thankful for what he brings to our family. I can't wait to see what this next year brings to our little boy's life. 

It Stole the Show

Aside from my beautiful sister in her lovely white dress, the photo booth was what stole the show on Corey and Jed's wedding day. Instead of signing a book, guests were asked to step inside the booth and take 20 seconds to snap a few pictures. Two copies were immediately printed---one for the guest and one to be added to the bride and groom's book. Our family took as many opportunities as we could to step inside the booth and snap a few shots. If I could change one thing about the day Ryan and I got married, I would have rented a photo booth as well.

Utah Trip 2012

Thanks to jet lag the kids have been sleeping in the past few mornings, so I have a few minutes to write about our Utah trip while it's still fresh on my mind. It was wonderful to visit family for a few weeks--it had been over a year since we were last in Utah. And while it's good to be back on the East Coast, I have been a little melancholy thinking about home, hoping that it's not too long before we make it back there again. 

Now for way too many phone pictures that should have been divided into several different posts. Excuse my laziness.

Maddie in heaven with my cousin's dog, Snoop.

Allie and I at Fischer and Ike's birthday party.

Grandma and I at Brooke's baby shower.

I'm pretty sure he's teaching her naughty words right about now...

At Jake and Livy's science fair.

D found this old hat of my dad's and wore it everywhere, even to bed at times. It earned him the nickname "Indiana Dave."

Like I said, everywhere.

Enjoying the mild February weather in Grandpa's backyard..

Brooke was a beautiful guest of honor at her baby shower. 

Individual fruit pizzas were served for dessert the night of the baby shower. So cute!

Davis loved giving hug after hug to all of his Utah relatives, including Grandpa Mike.

Tea with Grandma Mary-Ann.

More tea party.

Frenemies and cousins, Harper and Maddie, at Zuppas.

Fisch and Beck and the birthday party.

Cousins Addie, Harper, and Maddie, vying for Snoop's attention.

Our traditions HAFB museum visit.

Hermana Marrero and I after breakfast at Kneaders.

Two of my favorite girls and mission buddies--Kandis and Linda.

Making his dad proud by becoming a fan of Grandpa Mike's ribs.

Cooking with Rapunzel

...and Grandma.

Davis loves Aunt Shelly!

Highlights of the trip:

• The reason we flew home in the first place, Corey and Jed's wedding!
• Riding the train and visiting the Planetarium with Grandpa Lynn.
• Play dates with cousins--tons and tons of play dates.
• Red Mango! Zuppas! Cafe Rio! to name a few. 
• Isaac and Fischer's double birthday party. It's great to have a cousin that's just two days younger than you.
• Sleepovers every night while staying with Ryan's sister and her family.
• Raiding Shannon's pantry (it's a chip buffet in there) every night that they weren't home.
• Brooke's baby shower (in her words, "I think this is the first time I've been the only guest of honor at a party." It's rough sharing a wedding day with your sister).
• Cooking in my mom's awesome kitchen.
• Tea parties with Grandma Mary-Ann.
• Playing the wii with cousins.
• Being able to attend my family's annual Academy Awards Party. Even better that I won! My parents have been hosting that party for over 20 years and I'll finally get my name on the golden statue.
• Dinner sans kids with Ryan and his family to celebrate his and Devin's birthday.
• A trip down south to spend the morning with Grandma Ruth.
• Baking with my sisters.
• Having breakfast with my mission companions. It had been over 10 years since I'd seen Hermana Marrero. She was such an influential part of my time in the Dominican Republic and visiting with her was really special.
• All the late night chats with my parents after the kids were in bed. Ice cream or Fro-yo was usually invovled.
• Dreading flying home by myself only to have all three children sleep through it. Whew!
• Watching the kids run through JFK airport when they spotted their dad. Everyone was excited to see him after two weeks apart. How did we ever handle months and months apart last year?

Lowlights of the Trip:

• When I got sick (really sick) on the flight into SLC. It took over 24 hours to fully recover that airsick ride. 
• Watching Davis figure out how to climb out of a port-a-crib, then a full-sized crib, and finally a full-sized crib turned around backwards and pushed up against the wall. I'm so not ready to let him loose in a big boy bed.
• Isaac's wii addiction. Withdrawals were inevitable.
• Not taking hardly any pictures with Ryan's family--what was I thinking? 
• Missing out on a visit with my dear friend Mandy. A girls' trip is essential now!
• Saying goodbye. We've done it so many times that by now it should get easier. It doesn't. 

It was a great trip and I am so thankful for our wonderful families who made it so memorable. While I do get a little tinge of sadness when Maddie tells me she wants to move to Utah forever to be with her grandparents, more than anything I am so happy that we have family wonderful enough to miss.