tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306106312024-02-07T01:16:32.426-05:00My Baby DaysWhats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-18493973710353895342009-09-25T13:25:00.003-04:002009-09-25T13:28:36.421-04:00ON YOUR FEET!<span style="font-family: lucida grande;">Kendra has pulled herself to standing on things now. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: lucida grande;">She started it on Wed. the 23rd on the steps to go upstairs. Holy Panic in Detroit! I sprinted to get pillows as quick as I could to put under her, when she comes crashing down. But, she stood structurally sound, and didn't fall. </span><br /><br />She is also playing Peek-A-Boo with us all the time now. She would grab my shirt and play it while nursing, but now has the concept of doing it with other cloth!!<br /><br />SO CUTE!Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-14427493238515652642009-09-20T11:19:00.004-04:002009-09-20T12:53:21.006-04:00Bonding daysWe have had a wonderful past 4 weeks. Patrick was home with us for baby bonding time. He could have taken this time when Kendra was born, but we found that with Isabella the interesting time was around 6-7 months, so it was perfect timing with her development.<br />We spent a week up in the UP with our friends. We went blueberry picking, to the fair, and had a great time.<br />Then back home my Uncle Wally, cousin Jeff and Grandmother Sparks from North Carolina came to visit and it was fun. We played games, grilled out at my mom's house. Isabella got to know her Great-Grandmother Sparks. AND they got to meet Kendra too!<br />Then we learned how to can from my Grandmother Vi (Isabella's namesake). We spent a whole day with her, and learned so many things.<br />Then this past week we canned carrots, wax beans, green beans, Italian flat beans, and pickled cabbage. We walked around town on Wednesday. Can you believe we have been in town for almost a year and did not have time to just walk around downtown? It was perfect, we went to the farmers market, then on our walk we needed to eat the lunch I packed for us, so along our travels we walked right into the Hands On Museum and ate and played. Thanks to Aunt Maria for the AWESOME membership we could go right in for FREE! Our friends Kyra, Luke, Amber and Jason came over on Thursday. We also spent all day at the Toledo Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa McLeod and Uncle Joe.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBzOwXDGm5c1JmkWOfLG2FBGYAAQPQ1o5VcCFROWMcTZqhse3J9wfz0ICCNk5RVGE9dsumRkN0cMCFUCx6Qof3Vr5U5JVaOHkgVGF53YYY5ptCGEoS_06qBJf6GTuzDX_hyphenhyphenDG/s1600-h/img_0680.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBzOwXDGm5c1JmkWOfLG2FBGYAAQPQ1o5VcCFROWMcTZqhse3J9wfz0ICCNk5RVGE9dsumRkN0cMCFUCx6Qof3Vr5U5JVaOHkgVGF53YYY5ptCGEoS_06qBJf6GTuzDX_hyphenhyphenDG/s320/img_0680.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383580650039444882" border="0" /></a><br />Isabella says "My favorite animal at Zoo hippopotamus, cause he swimming in the water, and look at hippopotamus leg, and he drink water." (She is now saying she is swimming like the hippopotamus while crawling around on the chair and floor)<br />Maybe you can catch a glimpse of him too!<br />http://www.toledozoo.org/animals/hippo_cam2.html<br /><br />It was a blessing to be able to spend all this time with family.<br /><br />Now, the important part. Did Patrick bond with Kendra?!?... YES, she was in the living room and was fussy, and sure enough she didn't turn and crawl to me, she turned and crawled after daddy as he walked into the kitchen. *sigh* Kendra sure loves her some daddy!<br /><br />What are the kids up to? Well, Kendra is signing eat, daddy, milk, all done, and more. She was doing this scooting thing to get around, NOW she is crawling... really crawling. She also is talking more.. da da ga da ba.... no mama... Isabella said mama first, Kendra said dada. Daddy sure is proud!<br /><br />We have been able to distinguish more traits that prove Kendra is MY daughter. She wakes up slowly, yet happily. She is a night owl.. up late every night. She also is an eater, she LOVES food.<br /><br />Isabella had her first trip to the Toledo Zoo. She loved it.<br /><br />All in all we had a wonderful time<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7ljMY75yYvBYuPSXhcbQPQMjc8BGsk90b7bQrbtwloHQNBdXEVKIMg_dvTUfR6ApkZgnlBRsXRTCzQez2J8b5z49oCs-guzmqQJugeZSTsQTF2uwwRGJvMQgScmoo6E3yKHs/s1600-h/girlsgoodedit.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7ljMY75yYvBYuPSXhcbQPQMjc8BGsk90b7bQrbtwloHQNBdXEVKIMg_dvTUfR6ApkZgnlBRsXRTCzQez2J8b5z49oCs-guzmqQJugeZSTsQTF2uwwRGJvMQgScmoo6E3yKHs/s320/girlsgoodedit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383593200089703202" border="0" /></a>Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-27402285954479317312009-08-13T12:04:00.005-04:002009-08-13T13:22:47.849-04:00push ups<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6red7_pbvZtw_nXs7z5yRvXtbERqlGThjdXU9XEHRx5B_h9Qn91IbsDIQqVkqsIohfVlQej1MrzczeLikA5NmXqoddUf6eC_6mKIu8wx7oJtlsbc6GpolBaAmkC_mpQRv_fE/s1600-h/img_9765.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6red7_pbvZtw_nXs7z5yRvXtbERqlGThjdXU9XEHRx5B_h9Qn91IbsDIQqVkqsIohfVlQej1MrzczeLikA5NmXqoddUf6eC_6mKIu8wx7oJtlsbc6GpolBaAmkC_mpQRv_fE/s320/img_9765.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369484531663334834" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here is Kendra is doing push ups.. She must have secretly enlisted....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62OTURjWpWjw6n8ZAT-Bc8kqksJt4MvcdkhAhSI47yaoAtwoixF4HXUY_VEY8SW7Nq7Apw4ToXs3STeCqVsoWo9MI53RDg8nQcAVmfjegG4SDAYyPnjVt3PlUp0ofa7aiD9oS/s1600-h/img_9758.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62OTURjWpWjw6n8ZAT-Bc8kqksJt4MvcdkhAhSI47yaoAtwoixF4HXUY_VEY8SW7Nq7Apw4ToXs3STeCqVsoWo9MI53RDg8nQcAVmfjegG4SDAYyPnjVt3PlUp0ofa7aiD9oS/s320/img_9758.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369484539712257586" border="0" /></a><br />"how's my form mom?"<br /><br />She is so much stronger than Isabella was! It's quite scary really...<br />We have determined she is MY child.. She sleeps like I do, wakes up like me, has a lot of my mannerisms. It's so neat to see!<br /><br />Isabella is Patrick's child... need proof?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMLdxKV2TJEgv2ke9CVrEnwBmEiJViVxJRDT8Gs_OXJhIFpVGlPbVkUaBk8NcspMeVpiILihlhlDOu8zSkHPoPcHfgqlAG2qFzGIklmP-44VRmKeMw6J5vndYrpOxrhappj4_/s1600-h/image150.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMLdxKV2TJEgv2ke9CVrEnwBmEiJViVxJRDT8Gs_OXJhIFpVGlPbVkUaBk8NcspMeVpiILihlhlDOu8zSkHPoPcHfgqlAG2qFzGIklmP-44VRmKeMw6J5vndYrpOxrhappj4_/s320/image150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369487751396569378" border="0" /></a><br /><br />or this one?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3h8ZdGcEnngh91wg4BKK2CV6aSZBI1MJqDrCkMw1_M1CCKCtqqd3DKST81_SK-UlPOMT-uZQ2lF2v3P27vsNuTVuQg-9JFiRNo1ach7Rn_b0mwR_JpfJZ1ARlilzpHkZClF63/s1600-h/bellaflower4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3h8ZdGcEnngh91wg4BKK2CV6aSZBI1MJqDrCkMw1_M1CCKCtqqd3DKST81_SK-UlPOMT-uZQ2lF2v3P27vsNuTVuQg-9JFiRNo1ach7Rn_b0mwR_JpfJZ1ARlilzpHkZClF63/s320/bellaflower4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369499966631835106" border="0" /></a>Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-83441691759133989902009-08-13T11:45:00.002-04:002009-08-13T12:04:31.934-04:00HoneydudeYes, last night we had honeydude melon. It was delicious. While cutting it up I learned it was called honeydude melon.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-84939139095439763732009-08-13T11:42:00.002-04:002009-08-13T11:45:02.293-04:00summerSummer is such a fleeting period. You anticipate, plan, dream of things to do when it comes then somehow life happens and you don't do the plans and dreams.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-89343149309666217922009-06-09T09:39:00.011-04:002009-06-09T15:29:36.767-04:0040th birthdays CAN be funI threw Patrick a surprise 40th birthday party for a few friends and family. He was adamant about NO parties. As a good wife I disregarded that and threw him an AWESOME party.<br />I arranged a scavenger hunt with about 300 items. We had 3 teams:<br />Jason, Patrick and Jeff<br />my mom, Lars, and Joe and Alysha<br />Michelle, Rob and Everett<br />This is "entire team on a slide":<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtDjOB1tNkZAi8J8Tb_g9Q5bbE2IcBjAU4WRnBy5groyppPh_oheYnDHO1bO2H_kCBIUbnAVaYrvW6DwE0VpitU62fsrJbl6viNW2Am7gHbpdLE9YGUfbSJG0RIVKpcirWm6J/s1600-h/P1170113.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtDjOB1tNkZAi8J8Tb_g9Q5bbE2IcBjAU4WRnBy5groyppPh_oheYnDHO1bO2H_kCBIUbnAVaYrvW6DwE0VpitU62fsrJbl6viNW2Am7gHbpdLE9YGUfbSJG0RIVKpcirWm6J/s320/P1170113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345322971882050882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXQ_ZajpNH_lI4_k20rjP2MtMcYW9dyzN5ONKSAmcmvf_2AYahSxPyoQr_P7vnWFwdW67ZR19LC-m6gGNaXxVUi40BzOW6F1c7HGZd1AJoaUCJDxhMhF2RXvkAo-ZhQg65tLw/s1600-h/IMG_1560.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXQ_ZajpNH_lI4_k20rjP2MtMcYW9dyzN5ONKSAmcmvf_2AYahSxPyoQr_P7vnWFwdW67ZR19LC-m6gGNaXxVUi40BzOW6F1c7HGZd1AJoaUCJDxhMhF2RXvkAo-ZhQg65tLw/s320/IMG_1560.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345340730474718482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Q5_0OxCBw7jSqBa40ZP4hELneZ8rJjO9MKZfRH26uc0XuK39ZKqY0rB6wcUhprWcmNTuKM6B8lJwhoe8G7EaTYX0n5sjjcK3PzANh-jWrQqhxWXAu64S-JImEqQkd5PrBR0-/s1600-h/IMG_2643.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Q5_0OxCBw7jSqBa40ZP4hELneZ8rJjO9MKZfRH26uc0XuK39ZKqY0rB6wcUhprWcmNTuKM6B8lJwhoe8G7EaTYX0n5sjjcK3PzANh-jWrQqhxWXAu64S-JImEqQkd5PrBR0-/s320/IMG_2643.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345348541277372578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />"Entire team doing a handstand"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaymoyWLZk47li0OQHwYOUPCgzxwWqlETlR5hqUEsHJSdOjvnWnwq0jHaHc8fehyphenhyphenqA2oAMgYdWu3L3mJ0mX-Ds22T5udOTVBr9jXUeEOf3Q0dY0eHs1K4mNWJiLZ9OMIQa9KpV/s1600-h/IMG_2654.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaymoyWLZk47li0OQHwYOUPCgzxwWqlETlR5hqUEsHJSdOjvnWnwq0jHaHc8fehyphenhyphenqA2oAMgYdWu3L3mJ0mX-Ds22T5udOTVBr9jXUeEOf3Q0dY0eHs1K4mNWJiLZ9OMIQa9KpV/s320/IMG_2654.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345349426968735426" border="0" /></a><br />"Enttire team jumping, Feet must be off the ground"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIJ6pvU0VSrfN4HatWt0pslvdgfySTftAaCFvxU_KrIm-wlV98ZVDZ8UCVyqppMJpiO6pU0xqJj-wuXfig9lkeQMNIVlj5uNML0ctTAJh455WKqQS5lRZy0ZKQ1xEZ4eedu7N/s1600-h/IMG_2665.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIJ6pvU0VSrfN4HatWt0pslvdgfySTftAaCFvxU_KrIm-wlV98ZVDZ8UCVyqppMJpiO6pU0xqJj-wuXfig9lkeQMNIVlj5uNML0ctTAJh455WKqQS5lRZy0ZKQ1xEZ4eedu7N/s320/IMG_2665.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345350140357667106" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgwT2kr4qgu6gFwv4LAUba8AAgp8-IKofZ_YuNAOe9jvcd1VrOkTCsXRCwwZ0esxYAey6_mXOpsGeuovZrd7HhATcXp8XgPCo6Sknb5fkl3WiTHRDsXxCBSivjGsHtrtyOR3u/s1600-h/P1170148.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgwT2kr4qgu6gFwv4LAUba8AAgp8-IKofZ_YuNAOe9jvcd1VrOkTCsXRCwwZ0esxYAey6_mXOpsGeuovZrd7HhATcXp8XgPCo6Sknb5fkl3WiTHRDsXxCBSivjGsHtrtyOR3u/s320/P1170148.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345380740830937106" border="0" /></a><br />"Entire team in a tree"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnxkRuzM1n970KnU_Z2bRJE7MSmqAC2LtfaxYiOSjc0tHJpvgnx8_5CNINTkOz8-IyKRfRy8xUxShP0CDhGYxMNIbwnmaAAOYL07bYeH6eaKkPevZ5D0dkV-eaCi6mTxooJAm/s1600-h/IMG_1581.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnxkRuzM1n970KnU_Z2bRJE7MSmqAC2LtfaxYiOSjc0tHJpvgnx8_5CNINTkOz8-IyKRfRy8xUxShP0CDhGYxMNIbwnmaAAOYL07bYeH6eaKkPevZ5D0dkV-eaCi6mTxooJAm/s320/IMG_1581.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345351333037076322" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pN2RGrPYlvVpB7cSzFBfU9viDHpgo2cKFlU3uKOZXXSje3WUntJI20yPS5vHWk1AOAQHTA8_z7adJDfIfeRO9dwqTTgOpM5M-5hpMX5WACi3LckuUyZ4-O_Ltol74ZioJ0Sc/s1600-h/IMG_2648.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pN2RGrPYlvVpB7cSzFBfU9viDHpgo2cKFlU3uKOZXXSje3WUntJI20yPS5vHWk1AOAQHTA8_z7adJDfIfeRO9dwqTTgOpM5M-5hpMX5WACi3LckuUyZ4-O_Ltol74ZioJ0Sc/s320/IMG_2648.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345351324805140098" border="0" /></a><br />"Entire team on a teeter-totter"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6b-ts4pviQGpwILgff4IxL_8fBewjxPROiRM9qufhmBfnrkZ66oWIKlH1065J-z9ixhzfJKXq-1nFwxRBKbqZadcz_Epd0Ne4wfCjK2FQJrMQo4RyccITRsclQQ6NymJCFLy/s1600-h/IMG_1563.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6b-ts4pviQGpwILgff4IxL_8fBewjxPROiRM9qufhmBfnrkZ66oWIKlH1065J-z9ixhzfJKXq-1nFwxRBKbqZadcz_Epd0Ne4wfCjK2FQJrMQo4RyccITRsclQQ6NymJCFLy/s320/IMG_1563.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345351329084201458" border="0" /></a> (they even balanced) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpf_qNfrp1CxOd2TrMtrmo33HnC520czG2TVeQ2OllB9pIsStoLH38heTsDthnBWyGIMZCHvnIh9VGtG60FYDes30vPmuJi_MB_0f_DxyEGq0F1YWpOIMQWrM0WZZBOR8CPP1/s1600-h/IMG_2645.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpf_qNfrp1CxOd2TrMtrmo33HnC520czG2TVeQ2OllB9pIsStoLH38heTsDthnBWyGIMZCHvnIh9VGtG60FYDes30vPmuJi_MB_0f_DxyEGq0F1YWpOIMQWrM0WZZBOR8CPP1/s320/IMG_2645.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345403831836756962" border="0" /></a><br />"Entire team in a shower"<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-revmVXhUPz5ScHKMrcMhLUaKSJwZeGjU5eZsQhXcRWwx-r15ya6EgFxoJLnlzT18IVTEiAsK1hd37Ho7tyUmk3TxmE9keVq705m_JeI6f9NWnL5w97rB6PgllJW019xmOtXC/s1600-h/P1170130.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-revmVXhUPz5ScHKMrcMhLUaKSJwZeGjU5eZsQhXcRWwx-r15ya6EgFxoJLnlzT18IVTEiAsK1hd37Ho7tyUmk3TxmE9keVq705m_JeI6f9NWnL5w97rB6PgllJW019xmOtXC/s320/P1170130.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345380746036070018" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />We had a great time!<br />Thank you Mom and Amber for all your help getting the house ready.<br />Thank you Michelle and Rob and Everett for driving all the way south for this.<br /><br />Thank you to everyone who came.<br /><br />It really means a lot to know you have such great family and friends.<br /><br />Happy Birthday Patrick, we all love you.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-78788432112690818182009-03-18T14:54:00.001-04:002009-03-18T14:56:08.184-04:00playtimeKendra did great today...<br />she played by herself with her play gym for a good 20 minutes before letting me know she was done.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-23491355946020383902009-03-16T09:24:00.002-04:002009-03-16T09:29:31.024-04:00BellaismsIsabella turned 2 Feb 27th. And her talking turned 200 miles per hour. <br /><br />Last night, while getting ready for bed she coughed, and then ended with what I thought was a sneeze. So of course I followed with "God Bless You".<br />She looks me in the eyes, "No, no, mamma, no Bless You" "a-hem mamma, a-hem" "no Bless You, only a-hem" "different (and signs different)Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-51842842086061426112009-03-16T09:18:00.001-04:002009-03-16T09:20:04.080-04:00KendraWell, baby number 2 is wonderful. <br /><br />I can't believe she is even more patient than Isabella was. <br /><br />Kendra Helen arrived quickly on Sunday Feb 8 2009. at 12:50 AM. <br /><br />Isabella is a proud sister and loves her very much.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-7170055286461772962009-01-15T18:06:00.002-05:002009-01-15T18:48:49.831-05:00ultrasound 2It has been a couple of months... as much has happened. <br /><br />Christmas was wonderful. We got to stay home. I think that was the best gift of all, being able to stay here and family came to see us.. I was overjoyed! <br />We had a relaxing Saturday with my family, then on Sunday SuperDad's family came over, and that was perfect as well! <br /><br />January has proved to be a fast month. We are in the home stretch for baby 2 to get here. I was VERY excited for Isabella's birth, but for baby 2 it has been more fun. I don't know if that makes sense...In our new house we have 3 bedrooms, one is ours, another is the girls' and the third is the office. So I was able to decorate a room.. a real space for Isabella and her sister to be in together. It is going to be awesome. <br />We repainted a dresser that was Patrick's when he was a child, and we are covering my twin bed that I had as a child with fabric on the head and foot board. Then the crib and the shelving unit are in the room and it is just perfect!!!!<br />I would like to do some final touches, like put up a couple shelves, or decorations, but that of course isn't as important as making sure we have clothes, diapers, wipes, etc. BUT I am wishing I had the crib set that I got the inspiration for the room's colors from. <br />http://www.kidslineinc.com/products/infant/bunny_meadows.php<br /><br /><br />We are having a TERRIBLE time agreeing on a name.. I instantly KNEW when I heard Isabella.. with baby 2.. nothing is clicking. I really want to name her from my side of the family, but nothing is reaching out and GRABBING me. <br /><br />so.. today I had ultrasound #2. The doctor was concerned that the baby was too big. I think the measurements are just a bunch of crap. The midwives were concerned about the same thing with Isabella and she came out perfect! 7 lb. even. I was a little baby, so was Patrick, yes, baby #2 may be a little bigger, but seriously. The ultrasound was 1 lb and a half off with Bella, the technician even said that they could be a pound over or a pound under. Either way, who cares, everything looked good! The technician said that she looks to be about 71/2 lbs right now.. so by the time my due date comes around.. will be about 8...81/2 lbs. We'll see how accurate they are! :)<br /><br />I will try to keep up more with this now that we are getting more on a regular schedule. But once the baby comes.. all hell will break loose.... HA HA HA!Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-77194415227876508162008-11-27T21:49:00.002-05:002008-11-27T21:54:51.978-05:00ThanksI really am thankful for my family. <br /><br />It is still small, but I really am happy what I have is mine. I see the achievements my daughter reaches and I know I created that. I am so enamoured with her. She teaches me so much. <br /><br />Today is Thanksgiving and I can't help but feel a calm joy for being me. <br />(Then I try to stand up and reminded that I'M PREGNANT AND FAT!) <br /><br />We had a great day at my grandma's. She gave Isabella a flowering cactus plant. Isabella actually pointed and chose between the salmon colored plant and the yellow one. Now it has become an obsession. Where fowler go? translation: where did the flower go? I then tell her in the kitchen. Then she proceeds to tell us. "My fowler, Bella fowler" <br /><br />It really is a thankful day. But did you know.. you aren't supposed to thank anyone who gives you a plant. Apparently it is bad luck, according to grandma.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-78491337200420219302008-10-19T08:33:00.003-04:002008-10-19T08:40:33.460-04:00new housewell, we finally found a house.. <br /><br />I enjoyed living with my mom.. she REALLY liked having her granddaughter here. <br />She got to watch her grow and learn, and pee on her floor. <br /><br />so, yesterday we started moving into our new home. It is perfect. <br /><br />We had a little help. My sister and neice came, Patrick's brother came, his mom and dad stopped by to see the place. <br /><br />We just made trips back and forth from the storage unit with boxes. It was nice to set up my kitchen. The kitchen is small, BUT, we plan on adding furniture to supplement the lack of counter/drawer space. <br /><br />It was definately a good day yesterday. <br /><br />We plan on moving in slowly, and organizing as we go. I like this plan. I want to paint a little too. At least the kids' room. <br /><br />Today will be another box day. YAY! It's like Christmas all over again. We find surprises we haven't seen in months.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-12484493955885518062008-10-12T23:30:00.003-04:002008-10-12T23:42:46.853-04:00NaptimeNaptime is one of super dad's favorite times.. <br />he gets to hear the Bear get scolded just as Isabella did sometime earlier in the day. <br />he gets to hear her extensive vocabulary to persuade her way out of her bed...<br />he gets to hear all the songs we have been working on.. <br />he gets to hear how her day was.. <br />he gets to watch all the new acrobatics that can happen in the space of a crib... <br />he gets to see the Bear then get ostracized from the bed for being naughty...<br />he gets to see her fine motor skills as she learns to remove her diaper... <br />he gets to hear her say "I love you" and then hum herself to sleep...<br /><br />its a wonderful thingWhats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-74783421588909215432008-10-12T23:27:00.002-04:002008-10-12T23:30:26.038-04:00"hmm-hmm""hmm-hmm" is what you will hear when my daughter needs to get past you.. <br />"hmm-hmm" is what you will hear if you burp or fart near her and you don't excuse yourself quick enough<br />"hmm-hmm" is what the chair hears before she moves it out of the way.... <br /><br />no matter how much I work with her, I CANNOT get her to actually say the words "excuse me" it has always been "hmm-hmm". It is with the same intonation you would hear if you couldn't say the words and only the hmm-hmm's though.. hilarious.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-83959488251796790502008-09-09T17:01:00.004-04:002008-09-09T17:35:36.352-04:00MORE new developmentsSo... Patrick got a new job. In Ann Arbor. He started there July 28, 2008. <br /> <br />It's a decent job. The same pay, worse hours, but there is opportunity for advancement. That was NOT available at Chippewa Hills. <br /><br />So.. we looked and looked for houses. Then it seemed that God placed the PERFECT opportunity in our lap. We just wouldn't be able to move in until the end of August. <br />Fine, I can wait for a good thing. Our lease was up August 15th, so what do we do until then? put all of our stuff in storage, and just live with my mom. (yay, who gets to move BACK in with their mother.... *sigh*)<br /><br />Which, side note.. we would not have been able to do with the worlds BEST FRIENDS!!! a person could ever have. Jeff, Amber, Jason, Dan, Joe McL, Becky, Mike (which there will be a separate blog about these wonderful people), Everett, Brooke, Anthony, Stacey, Ronda, Joe McC. My mom, Lars, Sarah, Patrick's dad. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!<br /><br />So, we just moved in with my mom and made do here on August 18th. Well, it is now Sept 9th and we are still here. <br />AND I NEED MY OWN HOUSE! <br /><br />Just a few things heard along the way...<br />"moving is good, it keeps things new"<br /><br />"you'll love Ann Arbor, you'll meet so many new people"<br /><br />"you'll LOVE your new place, it will give you a chance to purge your excess"Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-12370620023278211502008-07-08T15:25:00.003-04:002008-07-09T10:13:16.088-04:00new developmentWell, <br />Isabella has grown and has learned quite a lot already.. She is very excited to point out all the body parts... I have taught her to point to my eye, and say eye... my ear... and say ear.. my nose... and say nose.. my belly and say "baby". <br /><br />Yes, it is true.. I am pregnant again!!!!! YAY!!! <br /><br />We are not positive when this one is due, but we think January sometime.. sorry Teresa, you weren't the only one pregnant at the end of the school year! Ronda's instincts are spot on every time. I just didn't know it yet. <br /><br />We have an appointment with our midwives on July 17th...I guess we find out then when we are due. <br /><br />wish us luck! <br />thanks, <br />spread the word, <br />Erica and PatrickWhats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-1784618303324684432008-06-19T19:43:00.002-04:002008-06-23T09:22:30.431-04:00language, learning and lifeIt is now summer break and I am home for the summer. YAY!<br /><br />I have high expectations for this summer.... <br />I want to try potty training.. I wouldn't do this if I didn't think she wasn't ready.. but she has already started to show signs of interest in the potty.. She has a seat that rests inside of the adult seat.. We have such a small bathroom I couldn't imagine giving up part of the room for a chair just for her. Anyway, she will sit down on her seat while we say the abc's and count to ten.. and one time in 10 sits, she will go potty. AND.. she signs potty when someone flushes. <br /><br />We are working on signs and learning language.. <br />Today Super-Dad was putting on some hiking socks to hiking with his super-neice, and Isabella looks down and signs and says socks.. I had only worked with her a couple times on that one.. amazing how quick they pick it up now!<br /><br />We saw fireworks for the first time this past weekend.. The annual summer festival has them every year. Isabella stayed awake for them, and really enjoyed them I think. She even clapped a couple times..<br /><br />(just now she was standing at the kitchen gate, and looked at the windowsill, and said/signed apple. I said, nope..those are tomatoes on the windowsill, so she signed tomato.. amazing)<br /><br />well, it's going to be a busy summer, I better get to it. <br /><br />-supermomWhats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-32134933229250789142008-04-06T16:49:00.002-04:002008-04-06T17:04:03.307-04:00AloneIsabella is down for a nap. Grandma and MarFar stopped by to say "hi" on their way home from "up north" at their cabin (trailer), and woke her up early from her morning nap. SO, afternoon nap came quick. <br /><br />We finally had her birthday party March 29th, at noon at Winding Brook, and it was great. My mom and Lars came, my sister and neice, all of "the group", which includes people driving from 150 to 200 miles away.. Patrick's brother Joe, his friend from work, two of my friends from my work, all just for my baby's first birthday party. YAY! <br /><br />Patrick even got them to hang around for a "burger challenge" at the local greasy spoon to see how many burgers or coney dogs they could eat. They all succeeded in getting their name up on the wall there. They had to eat at least 10. Even one of the girls did it! <br /><br />Anyway, the birthday party was great, it was pot all of "the group"luck and everyone brought something. Which was SO nice! Isabella did NOT get into eating her cake though. She just wanted to stare at it. <br /><br />I made a 3D bear cake for her, but nope... she just couldn't destroy all of momma's hard work! <br /><br />That was a great weekend. <br /><br />Now, this past first week of April totally sucked. It was my spring break and nothing good happened. Well, I take that back, Bella was good, and fun.. but I did NOTHING for myself..yet again, spent all week taking care of sick children and sick people. <br /><br />anyway, I am alone now, and i think I am going to take a nap.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-30625439235965110932008-02-25T21:44:00.002-05:002008-02-25T21:54:04.897-05:00oneyes, my baby is going to be one. <br /><br />one year old. this exact day in 2007 it was Sunday, I was making sure everything was ready for the week at work. <br /><br />I haven't written all the great things my sweetheart can do... <br /><br />she says: <br />mama <br />dada<br />diaper: biaper<br />yellow: lellow<br />Bye bye<br />Becky: baboo<br />No<br /><br />she signs:<br />mama<br />dada<br />want<br />thank you<br />yellow<br />bye bye<br />eat<br />more<br />peas<br />banana<br />bed (night-night)<br /><br /><br />she knows where her nose is, sometimes where her ear is, and definitely where her mouth is<br /><br />she is still sleeping through the night<br /><br />is eating everything we give her<br /><br />and loves it all!!!<br /><br />she's my little angelWhats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-59034029038157850802008-02-04T22:10:00.000-05:002008-02-04T22:17:28.593-05:00tipping the scalesSo Super dad and I have a bet going that whoever can lost the most weight between now and my birthday (May 4) then wins.. <br /><br />yeah, after yesterdays snacks.. we are both WAY off our goal. <br /><br />AND if I want to get started thinking about baby #2, I have to get seriously back in better shape. <br /><br />Isabella is learning by leaps and bounds.. <br />she is mimicking all our sounds and syllables. It's amazing. She was doing.. Salsa <br />"aah-Aha" and diaper "ai-pa"<br /><br />Amazing huh? <br />Baby girl you are so smart.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-78724038842923046162008-02-02T22:31:00.000-05:002008-02-02T22:35:38.987-05:00Out with momWell, today Isabella and I went out for a bit. We ran to Wal-Mart, the Party Store, and the laundromat and it went splendid. She slept through the laundry, and the start of Wal-Mart. It just shocks me how good she is. <br /><br />We got to spend all day together on Friday. I had another snow day. We played and played and played. <br /><br />I must admit she does cling a bit and that is starting to bug me, I never thought I could find anything she does as bad, but when she climbs up my pant leg.. it just drives me insane.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-57986810319322050442008-01-27T17:31:00.000-05:002008-01-27T17:46:04.670-05:00our spongeWell, many people told us that at 10, 11, 12 months is when the learning explodes. <br />Isabella is no exception. <br /><br />Today she turns 11 months.. and she is our little sponge. <br /><br />She was in her exersaucer, and there are some animals on it. She has started to point and ask what these things are.. so daddy showed her the sign for zebra when she pointed to it. <br />It was repeated maybe 10 times... About 5 mintues later, she pointed to the zebra again, and daddy showed her the sign, and she signed it.. It was amazing. <br /><br />Then I had the laptop on the coffee table, and I started to shut it.. she immediately came over and peeked down under it to see what was going on. <br /><br />And now, any time daddy lays on the floor, (which he does quite often) Isabella thinks this is a great time to attack. She crawls over to him, pulls up his shirt and smacks his belly. It is hilarious! <br /><br />She has started to repeat things we say. Not well, but I say "outside" and she says "bluh-bluh" Its awesome. <br /><br />Last night we were playing the give it to momma game. I started teaching her this so if she finds anything on the floor then she will immediately give it to me or Patrick. So, she did. She picked up some papers, handed them to me, then 10 minutes later when we were almost out of papers... she picked up one, looked across the room, held it up and said.. "da" So daddy came over and joined our game of give it to mommy, thank you. It was so much fun. <br /><br />She has her left eye tooth coming in. As well as both eye teeth on the bottom. <br />She is dealing with it well!!Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-31069804707259438622008-01-24T22:34:00.000-05:002008-01-24T22:45:05.647-05:00dinner menuso for dinner today Isabella had some of my homemade soup. I put a couple bags of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots together with some broth I had left from a previous dinner of steamed broccoli. <br />Then I added a couple of basil/oregano/parsley dehydrated tomatoes we made for just such an occasion. I put it into our magic bullet and it came out perfect!<br />and for a fruit she had some applesauce I added some blackberry juice to. <br /><br />Isabella is becoming such a daredevil. She climbs up on this pink car/thing and then tries to stand on the seat. <br /><br />OH and she is starting this gagging thing.. she is gagging herself with her own fingers.. she does it until she brings something up. She finally stopped tonight after I trained her not to do it. <br /><br />she signed eat for wanting to eat.... and more.. and she signed daddy today, for the first time with a purpose.<br /><br />until later-Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-38923600592874331592008-01-23T22:20:00.000-05:002008-01-23T22:27:59.741-05:00Snow DaysI have had 2 snow days in a row... that means 2 free days to play with my wonderful Bella. <br /><br />Working is something I always expected to do, but now I look at it as something I don't WANT to do. It makes me sad to think I have to pay someone to play with my daughter when I would give anything to be able to do it for free. <br /><br />Anyway, today was fun. I got to have her to myself... Daddy had to go to work. <br />We had pancakes for breakfast. Isabella signed pancake, it was so cool. I have been giving her choices. I show her the food, sign it, then let her choose it by touch. After doing this about 20 times, she ate a bite of her applesauce, then looked at me and signed pancake. I was so excited. She totally got the concept of making a choice. Well, maybe not that complex of a thought, but she decided she had enough of her applesauce and wanted her pancake. So, she signed it!<br /><br />Our friend Amber has suggested a blog for us to mutually post ideas and thoughts about raising our children and its not a bad idea. <br /><br />We also want to do a blog or join a forum that has baby food idea/recipes. <br /><br />I have to get to bed because I have to go to a stupid job tomorrow. A job I really don't enjoy much anymore because I spend so much of my day wanting to be home with Isabella. <br /><br />Good night worldWhats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30610631.post-34987946792000989792008-01-13T19:14:00.000-05:002008-01-13T19:17:52.663-05:00New YearWell, it is now 2008<br /><br />Isabella is learning things quickly now. This morning daddy showed her how to flick her finger over her lips to make a "uh-be-oh-uh-blub-" sound. By this afternoon she did it on her own.<br /><br />She has been eating many new things. she now eats whole o's (Cheerios)she started this at Christmas. Her friend Luke had some, and apparently wasn't eating them fast enough so Isabella crawled over to his stash and ate them all.Whats Ina Namehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02981828717102502912noreply@blogger.com0