Brendan's 16th Birthday

So as I mentioned, I didn't take any pictures after Great Wolf Lodge, when Bren's birthday celebrations got underway. We ate together for a couple nights and the final night was Medieval Times. I totally slacked on pictures... even with my cel phone camera! But thankfully I have other family who got some good shots (thanks guys!). So here are some of their pictures.

Medieval Times

Both kids loved it & Isabella asks regularly when we're going to go back. I was pleasantly surprised by their vegetarian option & thought it was really tasty with good variety. The crowns were my least favorite part. ;o) I think Brendan had a good time! 

Great Wolf Lodge October 2011

Once again we find ourselves at Great Wolf Lodge. Well, it's an easy get-away from Oklahoma City (only 3 hours or so from here to Dallas) and the kids LOVE it (and Mike is a sucker for giving them what they want. haha!). Isabella especially loves it. So we decided to once again stay for a few days before joining up with some of my family for my nephew's 16th birthday celebration (of which I have no pictures... I'm horrible at this stuff! Not to mention Mike broke my camera as we were leaving the local food picnic so these pics from GWL were from my cel phone. He'll tell you a different story about the camera though, so don't ask.). It's pretty much the same old stuff. Isabella loves the water slides. Jackson enjoys the water for a bit and then he's ready to explore other areas (which is where the rest of the hotel comes in handy!). They both love the rooms with the bunk beds and all the fun creatures. And they both really have a lot of fun making the howling wolf noises every time they see a wolf at the hotel. :) Oh & they both really like the nightly show & story time (and meeting the wolf characters).

Now we must put our trips to Great Wolf Lodge on hold and focus on the trip we've been planning for awhile... Costa Rica!

Slow Food Local Food Picnic, 2011

I believe this is the 3rd year that we have attended the Slow Food's Annual local food picnic. We really enjoy this even, the whole family looks forward to it! For one, I can enjoy eating lots of local food (including local, humanely raised meats) nearly all of which (if not all) is grown/produced w/o the junk (pesticides, chemical fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, etc). And there are lots of yummy dishes put together by chefs from local restaurants around the OKC area. For two, pay $5 per person to enjoy all you can drink local wine & beer (had a bit much of the wine this year for myself & didn't feel too hot the next day but it was fun at the event!). And for the kids- they love the animals that are there to pet, the face painting, the food art, the pony rides, and this year they had trackless train rides (for everyone, even adults could jump on). They have live music (lots of old country songs that Mike knows but the rest of us are clueless) & the atmosphere at the Harn Homestead is really nice for a picnic. We look forward to many many more years of attending this awesome event!

And as you can see in the pictures, Isabella got the butterfly painted on her face and Jackson (which you probably wouldn't guess) got painted as Chewbacca from Star Wars. (haha)

The Great State Fair of Oklahoma 2011

Isabella loves the fair. Correction... Isabella loves the rides at the fair.

This year, when we heard that Toy Story 3 on Ice was going to be coming along w/ the fair, we had to buy tickets. Jackson has been obsessed with Toy Story for awhile and we knew he'd love it. We got pretty close seats and we were right up close to the rink. Isabella was acting like a teenager- grumpy because she no longer wanted to see Toy Story but rather wanted to start riding the rides. (After the show, she said she only liked the intro w/ Minnie & Mickey & nothing else.)

Jackson was quite mesmerized by the show and watched it all pretty closely. We were glad to see the claw in the show, that is one of Jackson's favorite parts.

We then ate lunch (which I was happy to find a place with wraps for me and grilled cheese for the kids!) and then we were off to ride the rides! We weren't sure how Jackson would do so we put him on the little dragon roller coaster with Bella to see if we should buy a wristband or just a few tickets. Turns out, he enjoys the rides as much as Isabella! Jackson and Isabella ended up riding quite a bit together and they both had lots of fun. Unfortunately it was pretty hot and sunny so after a bit of riding, Jackson was hot and tired. So Mike took Jackson to look at the animals and Isabella and I took off to ride a bunch of rides together. I picked the first ride (which was a mistake), the Gravitron. Now this is the ride where you lean up against the wall, the spaceship like ride spins really fast, and then the wall slides up & you are pressed against it and off the floor. Isabella did not like this ride one bit. She actually cried & wanted to get off. Of course we were stuck so I did my best to calm her down (didn't work) while we endured the ride. When we finally got off, she said she hated it and that I was not allowed to pick any more of the rides. So I learned my lesson! She picked all the rest of the rides and did fine with them all... even other spinning, bigger kid rides. Just not the gravitron! It was all fun for me because it has been so long since I've been on a real ride and it was fun to see Isabella have such a good time. 

We checked out some animals and then went into the butterfly tent where the kids got to have butterflies climb on their hands. Then we headed home (much to Isabella's dismay and a huge fit did follow). We were hot, a little sunburned, and TIRED!

Happy Birthday Song (Isabella's 5th)

Isabella's 5th Candy Land Birthday Party

Isabella is really into sweets (although they are limited) and so she was super excited to have a Candy Land birthday Party. (She also likes to play the game, too!)

Here is the invite that I made for Isabella. If I had my way, it would have just been the one w/ her picture. But she wanted to have the cartoon one from the game & I couldn't talk her out of it. She didn't even want one with her picture on it. So we compromised & had a 2 sided invite... one side was her pick & the other side was mine. :)

I had a lot of fun with the decorations although it was a little work. ;o) We had a candy bar/buffet with a lot of candy (& we have a lot left over! We'll be in candy for a loooong time to come!). We made large scale lollipops with balloons, wrapping paper tubes, & cellophane. I made the candy land trail with construction paper from the front door to the living room. We made large scale hard candies by wrapping 2 plates in cellophane and we hung these up around the house. And then of course we included Isabella's yearly photos which we hung up above the fireplace with the lollipop labels marking her age in each picture.

We had a couple activities for the kids and one game. The kids made King Kandy Castles out of graham crackers (non-hydrogated oil ones ;o), ice cream cones, frosting, & sprinkles/candy. They were not all very structurally sound but I think we managed eventually to get them to stand up right. The other activity was making necklaces out of Cascadian Farms Fruitful O's cereal (did you know that regular fruit loops has hydrogenated oils in them?!?!). Our game was playing musical candy land- we had the candly land squares in a circle & the kids walked around in a circle to the "Lollipop" song & when the music stopped they had to stand on a square. The one that didn't have a square was out. A little side note on this game... I had talked to Isabella beforehand about this game. She really wanted to play it but I told her that she might not win & if she didn't win we couldn't have any kind of fit or crying or we just wouldn't play it. Well that little warning didn't make any difference because when Isabella was kicked out of the game she burst into tears. Mike took her to her room to calm her down. It was pretty silly (to me, anyway) because she already got a big sucker (which was also the prize for the winner) just for being the birthday girl. But when I reminded her of this she informed me that she was hoping to have 2 suckers!

My Mom did a wonderful job once again at creating a fabulous cake that was also very yummy! Isabella loved it & had been looking forward to eating the frosting filled ice cream cone! I will post her birthday song video soon... Isabella was very sweet in wanting her brother to help her blow out her candles.

Our friends & family that helped Isabella celebrate her special day!

Posing for pictures after the party-

I think the party was a big success and Isabella had a great time (with the one little not winning game exception)! I had a lot of fun planning & preparing but I am glad the parties are done with for this year! I need a break!! :)

Isabella is 5!

I know this is coming a bit late... but at least not a full month late yet!

Isabella turned 5 on Saturday August 6th, 2011! I cannot believe I have a 5 year old! She has grown up so fast. Isabella is sweet, sassy, particular, dramatic, sensitive, silly, creative, inquisitive, & so much more! She loves to dance (especially to the Nutcracker but will make up dances to any music). She loves to watch Scooby Doo & the Nutcracker (how is that for a good mix?!?!). She loves to pretend & she has a few imaginary fairies that live in a small castle in her room. She likes to bring them along to various things, she plays with them, and she wants to make real food to feed to them! Oh & that is another thing... Isabella loves to be creative in the kitchen. She doesn't want to follow a recipe, she wants to make her own recipes. A couple things she has made have been peanut butter mixed with sesame seeds, garlic salt spice mixed with sesame seeds, and BBQ seasoning mixed with sesame seeds (I think she might be on a sesame seed kick!). She has made treats for the dogs which have been things such as treats frozen in water smeared with peanut butter. Right now she is tearing up some leaves from my sweet potato vine (I accidentally broke off a branch) & mixing them up with a dog treat to give to them. So funny!

We have started homeschooling Isabella this month and also have joined a homeschool co-op which we go to every Tuesday from 830-230p. She is in various classes in the co-op including science, pre-reading, health/safety/manners, music, & PE. So far it's going well! Jackson & I are there all day in the 2/3 year old room and we all get to eat lunch together so that is really nice.

Isabella and her brother continue to have a like/dislike relationship. Some times they play & get along really well. They can be so sweet to each other... giving kisses, sharing, & taking care of one another. Other times it is nearly World War 3! Mostly yelling, pushing, & pinching but every once in awhile Jackson will bite Isabella or Isabella will scratch Jackson (bringing about blood). I have decided to read up on some ways to help them get along better more often... so we'll see how that goes!

Isabella is done with dance and swim lessons (I need to post her swim lesson photos/videos from this summer! She made such great progress this year!!) & is now in gymnastics. She requested to go back to gymnastics & is liking it well so far. Jackson goes too at the same time for a parent/child class.

I can't give any stats on weight/height at this point, we are scheduled pretty far out for our well child visit. But I can say that she is growing! This fall I bought her size 6 pants b/c last winter her 5T was a bit short. She is in size 9.5/10 shoe & 5 in tops & dresses. Isabella continues to be our good eater although she does like to complain about this & that... I guess she has realized she has an opinion about things! She LOVES candy (Candy land party pictures coming up next) but we do limit her to small sweet snacks only after lunch & dinner (if she finished her meal). We have relaxed quite a bit on this since she hadn't had any sugary snack until she was nearly 2! But we do still opt for real sugar & no HFCS or hydrogenated oils.

Isabella shortly after birth

 Isabella's picture from the hospital

Isabella posing for her 5th bday party invite

Isabella on her actual birthday, just before her party started

We're so excited to see what this next year holds & to watch her continue to grow in so many ways! We love you, Isabella!!

Wine Making

Mike had gotten me a wine making kit for Christmas but I hadn't realized that you need a lot of equipment to make the wine from the kit. So for Mother's Day he got me all the equipment. I set to work making my fruit wine. Surprisingly I had a little helper throughout the whole 4 week process- Isabella! I thought it a little odd that she was so excited to help make something she couldn't even enjoy but she helped with every step! I was a bit worried about how the wine would turn out when the directions said it should stay around 65 degrees seeing that it is the middle of summer & my house doesn't get below 73 degrees (which is at night!) and usually is around 76 degress. So I alternated ice packs around the carboy (the big glass jug it sits in) & hoped for the best. When it came time to bottle, it ended up making 29 bottles of wine (the kit said 30 but I didn't skim very low when transfering it into bottles in order to avoid the sediment). And thankfully it tastes pretty good so the temp must not have effected it too much. I look forward to making more wines in the future but will probalby wait until the temps cool a bit so maybe I can keep it cool in the garage. I want to try some not so sweet wines next!

Arkansas Trip Summer 2011

We FINALLY made it over to Camden, AR to visit Grandpa & Granny! We had planned to go at Thanksgiving but then Isabella got pink eye. We then planned to go again at the beginning of the year but then the roads were icy. So finally it worked out for us over the July 4th weekend. We had a really great visit & the kids enjoyed being spoiled by Grandpa & Granny. They loved playing out on the back porch... with bubbles, chalk, & a bucket of soapy water. In a few of these pictures the kids are enjoying some yummy watermelon Granny cut up for them. We are already looking forward to the next trip!

Jackson's 2 yo well baby check

We had Jackson's 2 year old well baby check on June 20th (which was about a month and a half late). Dr. Morrow said that Jackson was looking really great & healthy. (We are really thankful to not have had any illnesses in a while!)  He measured above average on developmental things including speech.  Jackson did super well for his exam and was very cooperative. He even answered Dr. Morrow's question about where he slept saying, "mmmm bed".  And she could hardly believe that sometimes Jackson is mean! As far as his stats go, it appears our little Jackson is a little short. :) Maybe he'll take after my Dad with short legs. ;o) He weighed in at 30lbs 2 oz which is about the 75% and his height is 34 1/4" which is about the 25%. His head was 19 1/4" which is 50-75%.  We're so happy to have such a healthy, growing boy!

Another recent happening in our house is that Jackson is no longer nursing.  We were down to just nursing before nap and nothing would distract him from it! Well, I had a doctors appointment during nap time on the 24th of June so Mike put Jackson down to nap. The very next day when I went to put him down for a nap, he was excited about a new library book that he didn't even mention nursing (normally he points to the chair & says, "me, me" & that is him meaning he wants to sit there & nurse). Day after day it went on this way w/ him wanting to read his books from the library. Then on the 28th he did say "me, me" & point to the chair at nap time but I quickly grabbed a book & said, "don't you want to read this book?" and he did. So he hasn't nursed since the 23rd and I consider him weaned. My belief that gentle child led weaning is the right thing to do is confirmed again with Jackson (confirmed for the first time with Isabella just before she turned 2). I was slightly doubtful b/c it didn't seem like he was ever going to give it up but it really had to do with when he was ready.

Happy Father's Day!

I think Mike had a pretty good father's day... and a long celebration of it! The weekend prior to father's day we went to Pops because we knew we couldn't fit it in the weekend of father's day. The kids always enjoy it there & Mike does too. On father's day we had breakfast at home and the kids gave Daddy the book we made for him of pictures of him & the kids throughout the year (they are looking at it in the pic above). Isabella gave him a couple pieces of artwork she made for him at her gymboree art class. Then for lunch we went to another one of Mike's favorite restaurants, Johnny's. Then for dinner we joined my parents, the Polliards, & the Gray's at the Elephant Bar to celebrate with my Dad. It was a busy day but lots of fun. Happy Father's Day, Mike (Daddy) & to my Dad! :)

More Dance

A few more dance recital pictures from my sister, Jennifer's camera. Thanks for taking them, Jenn!

Isabella's Dance Recital- June 2011

After finishing up gymnastics last summer, Isabella really wanted to try out dance classes. We talked to her about what a commitment it would be & about how she'd have to stick with it for a full year. (There are lots of up front costs for the recital & such that we didn't want to invest in & have her quit.) She still wanted to do it so we signed her up at a local dance studio, Karen's Kids. I think she bored fairly quickly of doing the same dances over & over each week (they started practicing their dances for the recital back in August!) & she would sometimes complain & say she wanted to go back to gymnastics. But as we'd said at the beginning, she had to stick with it the full year. So she did. And now finally comes the recital, the culmination of the full years rehearsals! (And the week leading up to the recital she had dance practic Monday-Thursday from 530-7p every night to practice her 2 dances & learn the finale dance!!) I felt almost like it was my recital with all the articles of costumes to gather & bring, the hair to fix, the costume changes, etc, etc! The whole night was an experience!

She did so well & looked so cute on the stage in her costume. We were so proud! We were happy to have lots of family come to see her (& she was excited to know they were in the audience watching her) & to take pictures since my camera battery went dead at the very beginning (thanks Mom & Laura for your contributions to this blog ;o).

You Are My Sunshine ballet dance. (In the bottom left picture she is trying to put her fingers in the "I love you" sign.)

Dinosaur Rock N' Roll tap dance. She does a really cute turn around in this dance where she is tapping her feet all the way around & you can tell she is really enjoying this bit! (When she sat in the audience with us in this costume, Jackson was petting it like it was an animal!)

After the finale, in her finale outfit... Karen's Kids t-shirt.

Raspberry/Blackberry Picking

We visited a local orchard with our MOMS club friend, Ashley & her children, Randy & Ryan. Sunberry Orchard is a Upick orchard with many different kinds of yummy fruits. Last year we picked their sweet cherries & this year we got there just in time for red raspberries (w/ a few black raspberries thrown in) & black berries. The kids had fun & did really well picking the berries! They did get a bit cranky towards the end but they were a bit hot & tired. We've been enjoying the fruit all week long!

Kite Flying @ Hefner

We had a long Memorial weekend so we wanted to think of some fun things to do with the kids. One day we took them out to Lake Hefner for a picnic & kite flying. We also wanted to play on their little beach area but the wind was kicking up too much sand & it was painful on the kid's little legs. So we had lunch & flew the kite. The kids had lots of fun! We went for gelato afterwards & the kids really loved that.

Mother's Day 2011

I had a lovely mother's day with the kiddos & Mike. I didn't cook or clean one single bit & Mike even got the kids dressed first thing in the morning & took them to breakfast out of the house so I could sleep in peace (although I didn't really sleep in very late due to noisy dogs!). We had a nice brunch at Cheever's, spent a little time at the book store, & then had dinner at Upper Crust with family. It was a nice relaxing day. (This was the best picture we managed to get!) Oh & the kids & Mike got me the rest of the stuff I needed to make wine from the kit I got for Christmas so it is on... let the wine making commence!

Dallas Trip - May 2011

Mike had a conference in Dallas (Grapevine), TX for a week so we decided to tag along for a change of pace. (Plus Mike had been in Boston the week before & I didn't want another week of single parenting!) The kids & I did things around Dallas during the day & at the end of our trip we stayed a night at the Great Wolf Lodge b/c the kids loved the place last year.

This is at the Museum of Nature & Science. They had a cow you could milk & other farm type things, dinosaur dig along w/ dino fossils & a bunch of other fun things for kids to do.

Of course the kids love to go eat at the Rainforest Cafe!

This time we stayed in the wolf den suite at Great Wolf Lodge & the kids loved it. (The kids can howl like wolves really well!)

Jackson was actually brave enough to go on the water slides in the baby area & went over & over again. Isabella enjoyed going on nearly all the waterslides in the park once again. She was a bit upset that we didn't stay longer & threw a little fit when it was time to go asking why we couldn't just live there. :)

Jackson is two

 

The announcement of his arrival.

 

Jackson newly born, in the tub @ home.

 

Jackson at his first birthday party.

 

1st birthday invite.

 

Jackson at his second birthday party on his actual birthday.

Looking back it's hard to believe it's already been two full years since we first met our little boy! We have loved seeing him grow & watching his personality develop during this time. I can't report on his physical stats at this point because his ped appointment isn't for another week or so but we can definitely attest that he has grown despite his picky eating habits. ;o) And on this topic, I am happy to report that he is doing better at eating more foods... he now will eat rice if it is separate from the rest of the meal, some pasta, and most veggies as long as they are not all mixed up with other things. But I will be interested to see where he is on his percentiles... for some reason I see him as being on the short side but I don't know where I get that from! I'd say he is probably average weight. But I'll report back when we get the numbers.

As far as personality... wow! It has been so interesting to see the differences between Jackson & Isabella. We can definitely see the "boy" traits in Jackson! He is very active & seems to always be on the go... running here or there (and he often runs with a little gallop) or doing this or that. He is sweaty a lot (and definitely smells more boyish than Isabella! haha!) He is very rough and tumble and likes to jump/climb all over us. His motor skills are really great, he figures out how to work or open most things. He likes to climb and jump but does have some reservations for new things (so not total dare devil but still adventurous). He loves to swing and to go high. He's been sitting in the big kid swing for a long time now (he still likes the baby swing but alternates between all of them). Jackson can be a bit stubborn at times and it gets worse the more you push. When he gets frustrated or angry, it usually comes out physically... he's pretty good at hitting, pinching, kicking, and biting so we have to watch him! Isabella dishes a lot out too and things escalate fast between the two of them sometimes. I will also add that they love each other very much and whenever they've been away from each other (even if for an hour or two) they are happy to reunite. Jackson usually exclaims, "Bella!" when he sees her again & runs to give her a big bear hug. It's very sweet to see. He is a good cuddler and loves to be comforted by being held and hugged. He also asks for a kiss (he says "kees") if he hurts himself. I think he is a bit of a momma's boy still but I am a bit biased. :) He does like to point out when his clothing items are like his daddy's (even if they're not really). 

Developmentally Jackson is learning lots. He loves to point out circles & is learning his other shapes. He knows a couple colors and points those out as well. He points to letters/numbers and says random alphabet letters like he is reading them off. He also likes to count the first few numbers, especially to say "1-2-3, go!" or when I start counting for him to do something, he finishes it off, "2-3!" He loves to read books and will sit still for a bit if the books interest him. I have to say I'm not as good at remembering to work with him on learning things as I was with Isabella... I guess it's a bit busier now with 2! But thankfully he is learning anyway. :) He also now goes to Gymboreeclasses once a week & really enjoys those. His speech is progressing and he has just recently started with 3 word sentences. He can say many words but putting them together is really what he is working on now. You can almost see him think as he pauses briefly between the words in the sentence. 

Jackson is a great sleeper (such a relief after Isabella!) & he still takes a good 2-2.5 hr nap in the afternoon. He goes to bed without a problem almost always and most of the time he sleeps through the night. He typically wakes about the same time every morning which is usually a little before 8am. I was thinking I would wean him at 2 years old as I did Isabella but he was not crazy about that idea! I didn't want a traumatic wean so I compromised by just dropping one of the two times he nursed and so we're just down to one time a day. Mike now puts him to bed at night which is how we dropped the night time nursing. Not sure how I'll gently wean him from his nap time nursing... when I ask him if he wants to rock or to read a book his reply is always "no" & he points to the chair saying, "me" meaning nurse. Ah well... in due time, I'm sure. I just read a post about Michael Jordan nursing to 3 and his mom attributing his skills to his extended nursing and I know that research has proven the benefits to extended nursing so I figure all is okay in this department. 

We have lots & lots of fun with Jackson. One of his newer things to do is to point to something & say, "mean guy!" In the pool at his swim lessons the other day, he had a turtle & he pretended that it bit him saying, "bite!" and then "mean guy, mean guy!" I then explained he was nice & he didn't bite. While changing his diaper the other day he added a third word saying, "mean guy poopoo!" I had to agree with that one! Another favorite thing that Jackson likes to do (mainly in the car) is to say, "mommy?" and then I say, "what, Jackson?" and then he replies, "Nothing!" He can do this multiple times in a row and we get a good laugh after each one. Isabella has even started doing it or Mike will do it to the kids. 

I think I could go on & on (& I also worry that I won't write enough & the memories will be lost!) but I'll stop for now. :) We look forward to another year having fun with our little boy!

Jackson is 2!!- The Party

Anyone who knows Jackson knows that he is absolutely crazy about Toy Story... more specifically Buzz. He does like all the characters but LOVES Buzz. I have never been crazy about the idea of commercially themed parties but I knew Jackson wouldn't like anything as well as he would like a Toy Story party. A few months before his birthday, when asked what kind of party he wanted he would simply reply, "Buzz." So there you have it... a Buzz party it would be. :) The party was a sucess and Jackson had fun.

Picture description, top left to right: Adult favors- chocolates wrapped in Buzz & Woody outfits, goodies in kids favor bags, Mr Potato headkid favor bags I made along w/ an Andy's bed cake my mom made, Sheriff badges to make, previous birthday pics of Jackson & Buzz space treasure hunt, another pic of favor bags, label on favors, Jackson's invite, part decorations, craft/coloring table.

My sister Jennifer made his really cute Buzz shirt w/ his name on it & a "2" candle on the back. He loved the huge mylar Buzz balloon & didn't want to let it go (unfortunately it hit the fan & popped at the end of the party but distraction worked & minimal tears were shed). He actually blew out the candles himself & didn't need any help! Jackson devoured the yummy cake but didn't want to pick it up w/ his hands.

Party guests!