Has it really been two and a half months? My apologies. Well, since the last post, so much has happened, I don't even know where to begin. First of all, we're excited to be expecting a girl late February, early March - whenever she decides to grace us with her presence. Secondly, we're completely settled into our new home and slowly starting to rebuild our furniture collections. We've got a couple of empty rooms, but we'll get there eventually. All things considered, we've outfitted the house fairly quickly. Here are some photos of the new house:
A couple of weeks ago, Isabella's Mimi and Papa came down to visit. It was so good to see them again. Isabella enjoyed having them here - that's for sure. Their travels were rewarded when at Tot Shabbat on Friday morning, Isabella was named Mini Mensch of the Week (a title she holds proudly). Basically, the M.M.O.W. gets to drink out of the big silver Kiddish cup in her classroom during the Shabbat celebration with her preschool class. She was beaming with pride. She still talks about it on a daily basis. We traveled north to Austin for the morning on that Saturday to visit cousins Karen, Leah, Nathan, Kate and Lila. Isabella enjoyed playing with her cousins. Here are some photos from that visit:
Also that weekend, Isabella dressed up as Annie (no surprise there) for Halloween. She was so patient while we transformed her and actually enjoyed the whole process. She loved having her hair done and sat patiently for over 45 minutes. I'm still shocked thinking about it. Because this was the first year she truly understood the concept of Trick-or-Treating, we took her around the neighborhood for over an hour. She loved every minute of it. Here are some photos from the day:
Those are the highlights. I'm going to try and find some time to load and edit a bunch of videos from the last couple of months. Stay tuned for another post with those videos...
Friday, November 12, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Landing Gear
Well, it's been 3 1/2 weeks since our big move to San Antonio (and over a month since my last post - oops). So, do you want the good news or bad news first?! Let's get the bad news out of the way. We are pretty miserable in our rental house. As it turns out, our street is in the flight pattern for the S.A. airport. The planes fly so low, if fact, you can read the signs of the strip center up the street from our house. They fly all day and ALL night. We haven't really slept since we moved in. We are so miserable that we've decided NOT to build. In all honesty, we can't live here long enough to complete the construction (which hasn't even begun). So, our dream house will be put on hold and our search for an existing home continues. Hopefully we'll find something SOON.
Ok, now that the bad news is out of the way, on to the good stuff. Isabella will begin her 3rd week of school tomorrow (she attends Tuesdays and Thursdays). Once the first 30 minutes have passed (hysterical crying, just like her mommy when she was little), she really enjoys herself. She loves her two teachers (although she knows their real names, if you ask her their names, she'll always tell you it's Miss Hannagan - gee, I wonder why). It's a very small class, which is nice for her. She does Music every Tuesday and it's the same format as the Music Together she did in Dallas. Of course, this is her favorite activity. She also enjoys the drama/make-believe part of class. She really enjoys pretending and dressing up in the outfits they have. Here are some pictures from her first couple of days:
Every week, if one of the kids does something helpful (without asking) or nice to another student, they get a "mini mensch" ticket for the good deed. Every Friday at Shabbat (more on their Shabbat later) they do a drawing of those tickets and the winner is the "mini mensch of the week." Guess who won last week. Isabella was SO proud and as a reward she got to hold the kiddush cup during the blessings. Here's a picture:
Ok, more about Shabbat. If she went 3 days a week, she'd go to the shabbat service and then stay for class, but I want to take advantage of my time with her, so I only send her the two days. I do, however, take her to Shabbat every Friday morning. It is the cutest service. They sing songs, march with the Torah (and each child gets to carry their own mini plush torah). Isabella really enjoys Shabbat and has learned the Shabbat Shalom song. She's quite proud of the fact that she can sing it by herself. After the service (which lasts all of 15 or 20 minutes) we go back to the classroom, recite the blessings and eat Challah and grape juice. Here are some pictures and a little video:
A little over a week ago, we went to Kansas City to celebrate a ton of milestones. It was Grandma and Grandpa Rays' 65th anniversary, Gma Ray's 85th birthday and Gpa Ray's 87th birthday. Pretty impressive, huh?!?! It was so nice to see everyone and Isabella really enjoyed meeting her future cousins (my cousin Melissa Ritter and Angie Shaw (Brad's wife) are both pregnant and due a couple of days apart in October). Isabella REALLY loves pregnant women and they were no exception. She wanted to sit with them the whole time. It was so cute. She's now very excited to meet her new cousins when we go to Kansas City in December.
We'll keep you posted as things happen. Keep your fingers crossed we find something SOON!
Ok, now that the bad news is out of the way, on to the good stuff. Isabella will begin her 3rd week of school tomorrow (she attends Tuesdays and Thursdays). Once the first 30 minutes have passed (hysterical crying, just like her mommy when she was little), she really enjoys herself. She loves her two teachers (although she knows their real names, if you ask her their names, she'll always tell you it's Miss Hannagan - gee, I wonder why). It's a very small class, which is nice for her. She does Music every Tuesday and it's the same format as the Music Together she did in Dallas. Of course, this is her favorite activity. She also enjoys the drama/make-believe part of class. She really enjoys pretending and dressing up in the outfits they have. Here are some pictures from her first couple of days:
Every week, if one of the kids does something helpful (without asking) or nice to another student, they get a "mini mensch" ticket for the good deed. Every Friday at Shabbat (more on their Shabbat later) they do a drawing of those tickets and the winner is the "mini mensch of the week." Guess who won last week. Isabella was SO proud and as a reward she got to hold the kiddush cup during the blessings. Here's a picture:
Ok, more about Shabbat. If she went 3 days a week, she'd go to the shabbat service and then stay for class, but I want to take advantage of my time with her, so I only send her the two days. I do, however, take her to Shabbat every Friday morning. It is the cutest service. They sing songs, march with the Torah (and each child gets to carry their own mini plush torah). Isabella really enjoys Shabbat and has learned the Shabbat Shalom song. She's quite proud of the fact that she can sing it by herself. After the service (which lasts all of 15 or 20 minutes) we go back to the classroom, recite the blessings and eat Challah and grape juice. Here are some pictures and a little video:
A little over a week ago, we went to Kansas City to celebrate a ton of milestones. It was Grandma and Grandpa Rays' 65th anniversary, Gma Ray's 85th birthday and Gpa Ray's 87th birthday. Pretty impressive, huh?!?! It was so nice to see everyone and Isabella really enjoyed meeting her future cousins (my cousin Melissa Ritter and Angie Shaw (Brad's wife) are both pregnant and due a couple of days apart in October). Isabella REALLY loves pregnant women and they were no exception. She wanted to sit with them the whole time. It was so cute. She's now very excited to meet her new cousins when we go to Kansas City in December.
We'll keep you posted as things happen. Keep your fingers crossed we find something SOON!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Time Flies...
My sincere apologies for taking so long to post. SO much has happened over the last month. We've decided, after coming up empty-handed in our home search in San Antonio, to build a custom home. We're very excited. We're in the "planning" process right now, but if everything goes according to plan (we all know that NEVER happens), we hope to have foundation poured by the end of next month. Fingers crossed.
On July 1st, David "rescued" our grill from the fire-damaged house. With the help from Jarred Efune, he was able to drag it through the house and onto a rental truck. He spent an hour wiping it and down and, believe it or not, it looks as good as new. While they were on their rescue mission, I watched Jarred and Sara's daughter Rachel. She and Isabella ate dinner together and danced to the music Isabella insisted I play on the computer. They had a great time together. Here are the pics from that:
We've made several trips to San Antonio to meet with the builder and took some photos of Isabella while we were there. Here are the pictures from those visits:
Here's a video, as well:
Isabella's GG and Grandpa stopped in Dallas last weekend on the tail end of their road trip. She LOVED seeing them. (We all did, of course). Here is a cute picture of the 3 of them:
Isabella had a soccer-filled weekend. She had her second to last soccer class on Saturday and then attended a soccer-themed birthday party on Sunday. She had a great time at both. She's definitely a girl, though. She's not uncoordinated, just not remotely aggressive. You won't hear any complaints from me on that one...
Here's Isabella in action:
The following pictures are random pictures from a trip to the zoo with some friends and Music class in June. Enjoy:
On July 1st, David "rescued" our grill from the fire-damaged house. With the help from Jarred Efune, he was able to drag it through the house and onto a rental truck. He spent an hour wiping it and down and, believe it or not, it looks as good as new. While they were on their rescue mission, I watched Jarred and Sara's daughter Rachel. She and Isabella ate dinner together and danced to the music Isabella insisted I play on the computer. They had a great time together. Here are the pics from that:
We've made several trips to San Antonio to meet with the builder and took some photos of Isabella while we were there. Here are the pictures from those visits:
Here's a video, as well:
Isabella's GG and Grandpa stopped in Dallas last weekend on the tail end of their road trip. She LOVED seeing them. (We all did, of course). Here is a cute picture of the 3 of them:
Isabella had a soccer-filled weekend. She had her second to last soccer class on Saturday and then attended a soccer-themed birthday party on Sunday. She had a great time at both. She's definitely a girl, though. She's not uncoordinated, just not remotely aggressive. You won't hear any complaints from me on that one...
Here's Isabella in action:
The following pictures are random pictures from a trip to the zoo with some friends and Music class in June. Enjoy:
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Memorial Weekend and Trip to Kansas City
In case you were unaware, Isabella is a fish. This child loves swimming in and jumping into the water. It makes her so happy. She loves it so much that we have been to the pool all but a couple of days over the last 2 weeks. We spent both Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial Weekend at the pool for at least 1 1/2 hours each day. Every time we leave, she insists "we come back morrow (tomorrow)." On Saturdays, Isabella goes with David to Soccer Tots. I went to sneak a peak. It's adorable. We went over to Sara and Jarred's house on Monday and she got to swim with her cousin Rachel. We had a great time. Here are some pictures from the weekend:
On Tuesday, Isabella and I flew to Kansas City for a nice long visit (and it ended up being 36 hours longer than we anticipated - more on that later). We had a nice long relaxing week. For the first time in quite some time, no one was sick during our visit. As I write this, however, Isabella is sick now. She has a fever. I suspect she might have strep throat or something fun like that. I digress... Isabella discovered the joys of watching a movie. Her first movie experience was Annie. She was obsessed. This same child who can't sit still through a 30-minute show, wanted that movie over and over and over again. She did, however, stay true to form and only watched about 10 minutes at a time. She started singing "Tomorrow" and was telling us who all the characters were (and very clearly, I might add). Towards the end of the movie she'd tell us "Annie in twuble (trouble)." We did some fun things while we were in KC. David and I went site-seeing in Lawrence after my family attended our cousins' B'Not Mitzvah on Saturday. I even got David to take a picture in front of the Forrest "Phog" Allen statue in front of Allen Field House. Awesome! On Sunday, David and I went to beautiful Kauffman Stadium and took in a baseball game. Believe it or not, the Royals actually won!!! We had a great time. We were supposed to fly out on Sunday night, but when we pulled on to airport property, David received a phone call from Southwest Airlines saying our flight was at least 2 hours delayed due to a mechanical problem in Louisville. Over the course of the next 20 minutes, the flight was delayed another 2 hours, so David opted to send Isabella and me home on Tuesday instead. He waited at the airport for over 4 hours. UGH! Taking advantage of our additional time, on Monday Meagan and I took Isabella to the Deanna Rose Petting Farm (we'd taken her a year ago, but she got a lot more out of it this time). She loved feeding all of the animals.
Isabella had such a great time in KC. We can't wait to go back next month while David's on his golf trip. Here are some pictures from the weekend:
P.S. A funny side note: We were reading a book to Isabella about baby animals and we asked her what a baby cow drinks. Her response was "coffee." On Saturday night, we went to Fiorella's for some AMAZING BBQ with my Grandma and Grandpa. They gave her a soft, cuddly stuffed dog. We asked her what her new doggy's name is and she answered "Doggy Madison Tawil." She cracks me up...
On Tuesday, Isabella and I flew to Kansas City for a nice long visit (and it ended up being 36 hours longer than we anticipated - more on that later). We had a nice long relaxing week. For the first time in quite some time, no one was sick during our visit. As I write this, however, Isabella is sick now. She has a fever. I suspect she might have strep throat or something fun like that. I digress... Isabella discovered the joys of watching a movie. Her first movie experience was Annie. She was obsessed. This same child who can't sit still through a 30-minute show, wanted that movie over and over and over again. She did, however, stay true to form and only watched about 10 minutes at a time. She started singing "Tomorrow" and was telling us who all the characters were (and very clearly, I might add). Towards the end of the movie she'd tell us "Annie in twuble (trouble)." We did some fun things while we were in KC. David and I went site-seeing in Lawrence after my family attended our cousins' B'Not Mitzvah on Saturday. I even got David to take a picture in front of the Forrest "Phog" Allen statue in front of Allen Field House. Awesome! On Sunday, David and I went to beautiful Kauffman Stadium and took in a baseball game. Believe it or not, the Royals actually won!!! We had a great time. We were supposed to fly out on Sunday night, but when we pulled on to airport property, David received a phone call from Southwest Airlines saying our flight was at least 2 hours delayed due to a mechanical problem in Louisville. Over the course of the next 20 minutes, the flight was delayed another 2 hours, so David opted to send Isabella and me home on Tuesday instead. He waited at the airport for over 4 hours. UGH! Taking advantage of our additional time, on Monday Meagan and I took Isabella to the Deanna Rose Petting Farm (we'd taken her a year ago, but she got a lot more out of it this time). She loved feeding all of the animals.
Isabella had such a great time in KC. We can't wait to go back next month while David's on his golf trip. Here are some pictures from the weekend:
P.S. A funny side note: We were reading a book to Isabella about baby animals and we asked her what a baby cow drinks. Her response was "coffee." On Saturday night, we went to Fiorella's for some AMAZING BBQ with my Grandma and Grandpa. They gave her a soft, cuddly stuffed dog. We asked her what her new doggy's name is and she answered "Doggy Madison Tawil." She cracks me up...
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
"Don't like that kind of pancake"
We've had quite an eventful last couple of weeks. On my birthday, Isabella and I headed to San Antonio to meet up with David for a "business dinner" I was invited to attend. Basically, it was a head-first dive into my new role as David, "the Regional Investment Manager's" wife. A wrinkle was thrown in to my day when, upon landing in San Antonio (literally upon landing) I leaned down to kiss Isabella (who'd been sleeping the entire flight) and she was burning up. She had a 101 degree fever when we got back to David's parents' house. We gave her some medication, and the fever seemed to be in check. Unfortunately, I was distracted at this dinner. I met David's new boss and his wife, and David's old boss and his wife. It was held at a nice private dinner club. It was very intimidating, but it went extremely well. The next morning, unfortunately, Isabella had an even higher fever so David and I feared we might have to head home sooner than we'd planned. We'd planned on staying at the Westin at La Conterra that Friday night to test out the "heavenly bed." I can't give an accurate evaluation because I didn't sleep...Isabella didn't fall asleep until midnight and was then up at 5 am with a 103.7 degree fever. We left immediately to head back to Dallas. As it turned out, she had Roseola. We took her to the Dr. first thing Monday morning. She's doing so much better now - thank goodness.
Last week while David was out of town, Isabella and I had her friend Jordan and her mommy, my friend Kim over to play and for dinner. In the photos at the end of this, you'll see some of Isabella in the bath - that was from this night.
This past Friday we took Isabella to the Concert and a Movie series at the Nasher Sculpture Museum in Dallas. They were having a Beatles' cover band called "Hard Day's Night." The movie started well after Isabella's bedtime, so we just watched the first half of the band. She had a blast. We had a picnic and everything. It was so much fun. Pictures of this are included in the slide show at the bottom.
Sunday night we went out to dinner at our favorite Greek restaurant. The photos of Isabella in a plaid dress are from that.
The last 3 days, Isabella's gone to the pool. Sunday and yesterday, I took her as soon as she woke up from her nap. She's amazing in the pool. She does things I won't even do. She jumps in and swims to me. It's so impressive. The swimming lessons have definitely paid off. Today, however, she could fall asleep, so I took her to the pool early. The last two pictures in the slide show are of her less than 5 minutes after we got home...
Enjoy!
BTW: the quote in the subject line is from breakfast the other day. We met cousin Lisa Deutch at Cafe Brazil. I ordered Isabella a kid's pancake...apparently she prefers the process kind!
Last week while David was out of town, Isabella and I had her friend Jordan and her mommy, my friend Kim over to play and for dinner. In the photos at the end of this, you'll see some of Isabella in the bath - that was from this night.
This past Friday we took Isabella to the Concert and a Movie series at the Nasher Sculpture Museum in Dallas. They were having a Beatles' cover band called "Hard Day's Night." The movie started well after Isabella's bedtime, so we just watched the first half of the band. She had a blast. We had a picnic and everything. It was so much fun. Pictures of this are included in the slide show at the bottom.
Sunday night we went out to dinner at our favorite Greek restaurant. The photos of Isabella in a plaid dress are from that.
The last 3 days, Isabella's gone to the pool. Sunday and yesterday, I took her as soon as she woke up from her nap. She's amazing in the pool. She does things I won't even do. She jumps in and swims to me. It's so impressive. The swimming lessons have definitely paid off. Today, however, she could fall asleep, so I took her to the pool early. The last two pictures in the slide show are of her less than 5 minutes after we got home...
Enjoy!
BTW: the quote in the subject line is from breakfast the other day. We met cousin Lisa Deutch at Cafe Brazil. I ordered Isabella a kid's pancake...apparently she prefers the process kind!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day!
This post will be short, but sweet. We just wanted to wish all of the Moms in our lives a very, very Happy Mother's Day. If I can record Isabella saying it (which she told me several times throughout the day), I'll post the video on here. Keep your fingers crossed she'll cooperate.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Word of the Day...
I realized (actually, my Mom pointed it out) it's been a while since I documented how much Isabella's vocabulary has grown and decided to give a little update...Enjoy!
Some of Isabella's favorite words are:
Books (books)
Guacamowe (Guacamole)
winday (Wednesday)
tooday (Tuesday)
yaterday (Saturday)
yiyya gym (Little Gym)
mizic (music)
wimming (swimming)
yakers (shakers)
Backoom (vacuum)
pincess (princess)
fwoot (fruit)
nack (snack)
yimyoop (swimsuit)
youp (soup)
yummayault (somersault)
boobies (boobies)
'gina (I'll keep this PG)
toosie (tushy)
nummos (numbers)
geem (gym)
bielt (belt)
Dawwas (Dallas)
Kanyayiwie (Kansas City)
happyburger (hamburger)
veggibuguh ((veggie burger) - we've been to Houston's a couple of times in the last month)
abacado (avocado)
boobwies (blueberries)
stwawbewwies (strawberries)
noonuls (noodles)
Here are some cute phrases/sentences she says:
"pocket de money" (pocket the money)
"Bewwa do it" (Isabella do it)
"Mommy/Daddy do it" (duh)
"Cuddles doing?" (What is Cuddles doing?)
"Baby Dana doing?" (What is Baby Dana doing?)
"I yike dat" (I like that)
"Not in a minit, NOW" (line from a book: Not in a minute, now)
"Mahhhh Meatwof" (line from a movie which she hasn't seen and won't until she's at least 17: "Ma Meatloaf")
"Peepee Potty" (Pee in the potty)
"wash ya hands" (wash your hands)
"Mommy coming/not coming" (Mommy is coming/not coming)
"potch ya toosie" (potch your tushy (not in a spanking way...)
"no way" (no explanation needed - she's 2)
"push da gwowwer" (Push the stroller)
"yummy yummy ina tummy" (yummy, yummy in my tummy)
"cawwie me" (carry me)
"uppy uppy" (pick me up)
"mommy's caw wite dare" (Mommy's car is right there)
"opin de dow" (open the door)
Here are her favorite songs and how she sings them:
Old MacDonald Had a Farm - o nackdonno add a wharm, eeeeyiiieeeeyiiioooooo
an on dat wharm e add a doggie, eeeeyiiieeeeyiiioooooo
wif a woofwoof ear, woofwoof dare
ear, dare woofwoof, eeeeyiiieeeeyiiioooooo, etc.
Twinkle Twinkle - tinko tinko yiyya dar, awah wondo wah ya aw
uh uh uh de wool yo eye
yike a dimon ina ky
tinko tinko yiyya dar, awah wondo wah ya aw
Happy Birthday - appy bufday to you, appy bufday to you
appy bufday to Bewwa
appy bufday to Mommy
appy bufday to Daddy, etc...
Apples and Cherries - Appos and yerries, peeeshes boobwies, gapes and nannees
di di di di di di di di di di di di di di di
waniwwa ikeem, stwawbewwy ikeem, chocoyit ikeem
yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum...
She loves singing anything from Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer. Her versions are adorable. Recently I purchased the soundtrack to the show Glee (amazing CDs by the way), and she's patient enough (sometimes) to listen to them in the car with me. My favorite song in the collection is their version of Heart's "How Do I Get You Alone." She fondly refers to it as "mommy's yong (song). I sing most of it, but when it comes to the chorus, she chimes in with: "ow do I git ya ta home" instead of "How do I get you alone." It's so funny.
She loves reading books more than ever. Some of her favorites are Pooh's Bedtime Stories (Roo Stays Up, in particular), The Jazz Fly (aka: the Gila book), Bella's Birthday Party, any of the Llama Llama books, Passover (it's a kids' book, not the Haggadah version), Five Little Gefilte Fish, and many more. When I say she knows the books by heart, I'm not exaggerating. She can recite most of the words in every single one of these books. It's really quite impressive.
Other funny little tidbits of information:
Isabella loves to tell people (David and I in particular) what to do. When it comes to singing songs to her before she falls asleep, there are certain places we HAVE to stand or she'll kindly point it out if we're not obeying. David has to stand at the foot of her crib (the left side ONLY) and I have to stand by her head (but not squat or sit - STAND). It comical. Most of the time she will only let me read to her. She puts up a fight if David even sits in the "Reading Chair" in her room. I'm the only one who can brush her teeth, dry her hair, etc. It's cute most of the time... She's also really getting in to using her training toilet. She's not close to actual potty training b/c she doesn't have the bladder control, but she definitely lets me know when she has to go. As a matter of fact, this morning while I was getting ready, she sat on her potty for 30 minutes reading to herself (she knew most of the Dora Potty book she has that I read to her while she goes to the bathroom). I took a couple of pictures - it was too cute to pass up.
That's all that comes to mind right now, but if I've learned anything in the last 3 1/2 months, it's to not just write things down, but put them on the internet where I can access them even WITHOUT my own computer. I'll be posting a lot from here on out...
Some of Isabella's favorite words are:
Books (books)
Guacamowe (Guacamole)
winday (Wednesday)
tooday (Tuesday)
yaterday (Saturday)
yiyya gym (Little Gym)
mizic (music)
wimming (swimming)
yakers (shakers)
Backoom (vacuum)
pincess (princess)
fwoot (fruit)
nack (snack)
yimyoop (swimsuit)
youp (soup)
yummayault (somersault)
boobies (boobies)
'gina (I'll keep this PG)
toosie (tushy)
nummos (numbers)
geem (gym)
bielt (belt)
Dawwas (Dallas)
Kanyayiwie (Kansas City)
happyburger (hamburger)
veggibuguh ((veggie burger) - we've been to Houston's a couple of times in the last month)
abacado (avocado)
boobwies (blueberries)
stwawbewwies (strawberries)
noonuls (noodles)
Here are some cute phrases/sentences she says:
"pocket de money" (pocket the money)
"Bewwa do it" (Isabella do it)
"Mommy/Daddy do it" (duh)
"Cuddles doing?" (What is Cuddles doing?)
"Baby Dana doing?" (What is Baby Dana doing?)
"I yike dat" (I like that)
"Not in a minit, NOW" (line from a book: Not in a minute, now)
"Mahhhh Meatwof" (line from a movie which she hasn't seen and won't until she's at least 17: "Ma Meatloaf")
"Peepee Potty" (Pee in the potty)
"wash ya hands" (wash your hands)
"Mommy coming/not coming" (Mommy is coming/not coming)
"potch ya toosie" (potch your tushy (not in a spanking way...)
"no way" (no explanation needed - she's 2)
"push da gwowwer" (Push the stroller)
"yummy yummy ina tummy" (yummy, yummy in my tummy)
"cawwie me" (carry me)
"uppy uppy" (pick me up)
"mommy's caw wite dare" (Mommy's car is right there)
"opin de dow" (open the door)
Here are her favorite songs and how she sings them:
Old MacDonald Had a Farm - o nackdonno add a wharm, eeeeyiiieeeeyiiioooooo
an on dat wharm e add a doggie, eeeeyiiieeeeyiiioooooo
wif a woofwoof ear, woofwoof dare
ear, dare woofwoof, eeeeyiiieeeeyiiioooooo, etc.
Twinkle Twinkle - tinko tinko yiyya dar, awah wondo wah ya aw
uh uh uh de wool yo eye
yike a dimon ina ky
tinko tinko yiyya dar, awah wondo wah ya aw
Happy Birthday - appy bufday to you, appy bufday to you
appy bufday to Bewwa
appy bufday to Mommy
appy bufday to Daddy, etc...
Apples and Cherries - Appos and yerries, peeeshes boobwies, gapes and nannees
di di di di di di di di di di di di di di di
waniwwa ikeem, stwawbewwy ikeem, chocoyit ikeem
yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum...
She loves singing anything from Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer. Her versions are adorable. Recently I purchased the soundtrack to the show Glee (amazing CDs by the way), and she's patient enough (sometimes) to listen to them in the car with me. My favorite song in the collection is their version of Heart's "How Do I Get You Alone." She fondly refers to it as "mommy's yong (song). I sing most of it, but when it comes to the chorus, she chimes in with: "ow do I git ya ta home" instead of "How do I get you alone." It's so funny.
She loves reading books more than ever. Some of her favorites are Pooh's Bedtime Stories (Roo Stays Up, in particular), The Jazz Fly (aka: the Gila book), Bella's Birthday Party, any of the Llama Llama books, Passover (it's a kids' book, not the Haggadah version), Five Little Gefilte Fish, and many more. When I say she knows the books by heart, I'm not exaggerating. She can recite most of the words in every single one of these books. It's really quite impressive.
Other funny little tidbits of information:
Isabella loves to tell people (David and I in particular) what to do. When it comes to singing songs to her before she falls asleep, there are certain places we HAVE to stand or she'll kindly point it out if we're not obeying. David has to stand at the foot of her crib (the left side ONLY) and I have to stand by her head (but not squat or sit - STAND). It comical. Most of the time she will only let me read to her. She puts up a fight if David even sits in the "Reading Chair" in her room. I'm the only one who can brush her teeth, dry her hair, etc. It's cute most of the time... She's also really getting in to using her training toilet. She's not close to actual potty training b/c she doesn't have the bladder control, but she definitely lets me know when she has to go. As a matter of fact, this morning while I was getting ready, she sat on her potty for 30 minutes reading to herself (she knew most of the Dora Potty book she has that I read to her while she goes to the bathroom). I took a couple of pictures - it was too cute to pass up.
That's all that comes to mind right now, but if I've learned anything in the last 3 1/2 months, it's to not just write things down, but put them on the internet where I can access them even WITHOUT my own computer. I'll be posting a lot from here on out...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
San Antonio/Gary and Melissa's Wedding
Last weekend Gary Chetzron and Melissa Jacobus tied the knot in Austin. David was an usher in the wedding, so we hopped in the car and made the drive. We drove to San Antonio first to do a little research. We ventured to look at some preschools for Isabella and check out a few neighborhoods. We looked at 3 great preschools, but providing her with a jewish-influenced curriculum is very important to us. It's still a tough decision, though.
As far as neighborhoods, we pretty much nailed down the area where we're most likely going to look. The houses are less than 20 years old and the schools are great. It's a nice area.
Isabella stayed in San Antonio with her Grammy and Jiddo, who were nice enough to let us have the weekend to ourselves. We drove to Austin on Saturday morning with a pit stop in San Marcos along the way. Those outlets are SO dangerous. David and I used quite a bit of self-control not buying something from EVERY store. All kidding aside there really were some good deals to be had.
The wedding festivities started on Saturday night with the rehearsal dinner at Iron Cactus in downtown Austin. We had a great time. On Sunday, David and I started off the day with a workout and then a much-needed massage. We then headed out for a bite to eat. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching NBA Playoffs and getting ready. The wedding was beautiful and the bride and groom were ecstatic. They were almost glowing. We stayed up WAY past our bedtime (up till 11:30PM).
It was nice to have the weekend with just the two of us, but we were MORE than ready to have Isabella back on Monday morning.
Here are some pictures from the weekend. The first set is a few random photos from earlier in the week...
As far as neighborhoods, we pretty much nailed down the area where we're most likely going to look. The houses are less than 20 years old and the schools are great. It's a nice area.
Isabella stayed in San Antonio with her Grammy and Jiddo, who were nice enough to let us have the weekend to ourselves. We drove to Austin on Saturday morning with a pit stop in San Marcos along the way. Those outlets are SO dangerous. David and I used quite a bit of self-control not buying something from EVERY store. All kidding aside there really were some good deals to be had.
The wedding festivities started on Saturday night with the rehearsal dinner at Iron Cactus in downtown Austin. We had a great time. On Sunday, David and I started off the day with a workout and then a much-needed massage. We then headed out for a bite to eat. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching NBA Playoffs and getting ready. The wedding was beautiful and the bride and groom were ecstatic. They were almost glowing. We stayed up WAY past our bedtime (up till 11:30PM).
It was nice to have the weekend with just the two of us, but we were MORE than ready to have Isabella back on Monday morning.
Here are some pictures from the weekend. The first set is a few random photos from earlier in the week...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Pics and Video
As you know, we visited Kansas City for Passover. I've recently obtained the pictures and videos that I took with my parents' camera while I was there. The video is self-explanatory, but so you're not confused, it is two different renditions of the song...Enjoy:
Happy 2nd Birthday Isabella!
No, it's not a misprint. Isabella is officially 2 years old. She celebrated her actual birthday by having dinner at Macaroni Grill (they sing "Happy Birthday"). She was a little whiny at first, but ended up having a great time with her Mommy and Daddy. The party continued with a visit from Grammy and Jiddo on Friday night. Saturday brought several more guests, her Mimi, Papa, Aunt Meagan, GG, Grandpa, Uncle Randy and Aunt Rachel. Isabella loved seeing everyone and really enjoyed opening all of the presents they brought. She received some great gifts. She particularly enjoyed all of the clothes she got. She liked them so much she insisted on putting them on all at once. Every time she opened another outfit, it went on top of the ones she was already wearing. It was pretty funny.
Sunday was her party. We opted for a "Music Together" theme. Music Together is one of the classes Isabella takes every week. She loves it so it seemed like something Isabella would enjoy for her party. We were absolutely right. She had a blast. Here are some videos and pictures from the weekend:
Sunday was her party. We opted for a "Music Together" theme. Music Together is one of the classes Isabella takes every week. She loves it so it seemed like something Isabella would enjoy for her party. We were absolutely right. She had a blast. Here are some videos and pictures from the weekend:
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Weekend in Review
Isabella had quite the fun weekend. David and I needed to go to the house to sort through the small items that are left there so we can continue to make our Personal Content lists for insurance. Isabella got to spend the day with her best friend Jordan Velevis. Kim and Rob were nice enough to watch her all morning so we could complete that fun task and get a few other things done. She went to the park and discovered the joys of the merry-go-round. Kim told me she didn't want to get off. Once they convinced her to change activities, she wouldn't get off of the swing. That's the part that saddens me about this whole experience. She really misses having a backyard. There's no place in our apartment complex for her to swing or run around where there aren't tons of cars. It's sad.
On Sunday we went to the annual Kosher Chili Cookoff. It was so much fun. We'd definitely go again next year. Isabella had a great time. She saw several people she knows. We really lucked out as the weather was absolutely perfect.
Below are, drum-roll please...PICTURES!!! Thanks to my friend Kim Velevis who sent me photos she took of David, Isabella and I, I am able to finally post some pictures. The first couple of pictures are from a couple of weeks after the fire when Kim and Rob were nice enough to invite us over for a gourmet Shabbat dinner. They went all out and it was fabulous. The second few pictures are from Sesame Street Live. In the photo where it looks like Isabella is eating something - it's cotton candy. I wouldn't buy it for her, so she took a couple of bites from her friend Jordan. The rest of the pictures, except for the very last one which is at the Chili Cookoff, are from Isabella's time with Jordan and her family.
Enjoy!
On Sunday we went to the annual Kosher Chili Cookoff. It was so much fun. We'd definitely go again next year. Isabella had a great time. She saw several people she knows. We really lucked out as the weather was absolutely perfect.
Below are, drum-roll please...PICTURES!!! Thanks to my friend Kim Velevis who sent me photos she took of David, Isabella and I, I am able to finally post some pictures. The first couple of pictures are from a couple of weeks after the fire when Kim and Rob were nice enough to invite us over for a gourmet Shabbat dinner. They went all out and it was fabulous. The second few pictures are from Sesame Street Live. In the photo where it looks like Isabella is eating something - it's cotton candy. I wouldn't buy it for her, so she took a couple of bites from her friend Jordan. The rest of the pictures, except for the very last one which is at the Chili Cookoff, are from Isabella's time with Jordan and her family.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
23 Months Old
Thank you for being so patient with me and my inconsistent posting pattern. Not having any photos to post makes it a little more difficult to remember. Unfortunately, as far as the house is concerned, we have ZERO progress to report. We're in a stalemate with the insurance company waiting on them to receive their first bid so we can start negotiations. It's an incredibly long, irritating process, but there's not a thing we can do to change it. We just have to have everything on our end ready to go. We've received four private bids in an effort to prove it's in the insurance company's best interest to write us a check and send us on our way. That's the ultimate goal - we'll see how that pans out.
Our precious Isabella is officially a month away from turning two. With her newly acquired attitude, you could swear she's already two. She's still a little lovebug, but has become significantly more demanding and quite the drama queen. She now specifies which cup she wants to drink out of and which plate she prefers. And to quote the Rolling Stones: You can't always get what you want. Don't get me wrong, she's not this way all the time, just most of the time :) She still love to snuggle with me ("nuggle mommy") which is the highlight of my day and we sing songs together all the time. She's really into music and is slowly learning how to sing along. When we get in the car, she knows exactly which song it is she wants to hear - even if it's a song we haven't heard in months. She says the name over and over (even if we don't have a clue what she's saying) and we go through each song on each CD until she yells "dis one" from the back seat. It's really comical, but can be frustrating at times - I can only imagine how irritated she gets when we don't understand what she says. For the most part, Isabella speaks very clearly. Her newest word is Guacamole (gacamowee). Do we live in Texas or what?!! We didn't even know she knew the word until she pointed out she had it on her plate at dinner the other night. She, with help, can count to 20 now. She sings most of the ABCs by herself. At her last appointment she weighed around 23 lbs. She's finally starting to outgrow her 12-18 months clothes. We go on her birthday for her 2-year well visit. It should be interesting to see how much she's grown.
We recently took her to see Sesame Street Live. She enjoyed herself way more than we thought she would. She actually "got it." We were pleasantly surprised. She danced to the music and waved and clapped at the characters. We went with the Velevis family. The girls behaved themselves very well and even cooperated when we went to lunch afterward. Now if only Dora would visit Dallas...
Our precious Isabella is officially a month away from turning two. With her newly acquired attitude, you could swear she's already two. She's still a little lovebug, but has become significantly more demanding and quite the drama queen. She now specifies which cup she wants to drink out of and which plate she prefers. And to quote the Rolling Stones: You can't always get what you want. Don't get me wrong, she's not this way all the time, just most of the time :) She still love to snuggle with me ("nuggle mommy") which is the highlight of my day and we sing songs together all the time. She's really into music and is slowly learning how to sing along. When we get in the car, she knows exactly which song it is she wants to hear - even if it's a song we haven't heard in months. She says the name over and over (even if we don't have a clue what she's saying) and we go through each song on each CD until she yells "dis one" from the back seat. It's really comical, but can be frustrating at times - I can only imagine how irritated she gets when we don't understand what she says. For the most part, Isabella speaks very clearly. Her newest word is Guacamole (gacamowee). Do we live in Texas or what?!! We didn't even know she knew the word until she pointed out she had it on her plate at dinner the other night. She, with help, can count to 20 now. She sings most of the ABCs by herself. At her last appointment she weighed around 23 lbs. She's finally starting to outgrow her 12-18 months clothes. We go on her birthday for her 2-year well visit. It should be interesting to see how much she's grown.
We recently took her to see Sesame Street Live. She enjoyed herself way more than we thought she would. She actually "got it." We were pleasantly surprised. She danced to the music and waved and clapped at the characters. We went with the Velevis family. The girls behaved themselves very well and even cooperated when we went to lunch afterward. Now if only Dora would visit Dallas...
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A status update...
I'm sure by now all of you have heard what happened to us at 5:00am on January 24th. I just figured I needed to write a post to let everyone know all of the latest details and some fun facts about our beautiful Isabella.
First I need to start by thanking each and every one of you for your thoughts, prayers and generosity. I can't begin to express how much this has helped us throughout this whole LONG process. It's so humbling to know how many people care and are there when we need them most. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all.
We are finally settled in to our "new home." We found a really nice townhouse not too far from the house and we moved in last Tuesday. The insurance company is providing the townhouse as well as furniture rental for the duration of our stay. As nice as this place is, there is still a part of us that really misses being in a single-family home.
Isabella has adjusted amazingly well. During our 9-day stay in the hotel last week, she really struggled sleeping and ended up sleeping each night in a real bed with each of us alternating who slept with her. We were afraid she wouldn't go back to a crib at all after this. Fortunately, we were wrong. A wonderful couple from our synagogue donated a crib that their grandchildren had outgrown. From the first night in the new place, Isabella slept as well as she'd slept up until the fire. She's such an angel. As a matter of fact, she's almost sleeping later (which is fantastic). She back to 11-12 hours of sleep at night and a long 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. I guess all she really needed was a room of her own and a full-size crib (the crib they provided for us in the hotel was a port-a-crib). With the exception of the very first night after the fire, she hasn't asked for any dolls/toys we lost. The biggest blessing, other than us all getting out unharmed, is that Isabella is so young she'll never remember ANY of this. Thank G-d for that. I wish David and I were that lucky.
We've been to the house a couple of times since the 24th and as far as I'm concerned, I'd be happy if I didn't go back for a LONG time. Not only is the smell awful and nauseating, but just being there gives me the creeps. If I had to decide right this second whether or not I'd want to live on that lot again, the answer would be a resounding "no." David and I have discussed it and he feels the exact same way.
Unfortunately, we don't have an update on the status of our insurance claim on the house. The last conversation we had with our insurance adjuster indicated at the very minimum, the house will have to be taken down to the studs. We're keeping our fingers crossed for the house to be "totaled" because that would be the fastest and easiest way for us to move on. As far as items in our house being salvaged, they were able to get our Ketubah, a few framed pictures, our china and everyday dishes and a couple miscellaneous items. They are attempting to treat a few items of clothing, but unless it removes every single particle, it's just not worth it. We found out the hard way that David and I (especially me) are HIGHLY allergic to the smoke. I ended up having to go back to the ER that Tuesday for a breathing treatment and was put on a steroid to open my throat and lungs. Not fun.
We are SLOWLY starting to rebuild our wardrobe. David bought a couple of suits so he could go back to work as well as a few other work-related clothing items. Each of us bought a couple pairs of jeans, a few tops and a few pairs of shoes. Shopping used to be fun for both of us, but as you know, it's easy to find things when you're not looking for them - we're struggling to find versatile pieces. We don't want to change the way we shop (bargains, bargains, and more bargains), so we're trying to find as few regularly-priced items as possible and hold out for the sales in July. We'll see.
On a brighter note: Isabella will be 22 months tomorrow. Amazing, huh? She talks all of the time. She's surprisingly easy to understand. She now says "cudduls" instead of "diddoo." She announces everything she does. For example: if she's running she tells you "wunning," if she's splashing in the tub or pool she says "pwashing," or if she's hugging one of her dolls she says "ugging." It's so cute. She has mastered how to indicate what belongs to whom (i.e. mommy's chair or daddy's shoes (still says "yoos", though)). She's just so playful and fun. I love this age. Isabella has also gone to the bathroom in her "big girl potty" several times, but don't get too excited, she's still nowhere near being potty-trained. We're in no rush - I'm fine with changing diapers for a few more months.
I regret to tell you that for the time being, there won't be any pictures or videos for a while. We haven't replaced our camcorder/camera. We felt there were other more important things we needed to replace first. Hopefully we will soon. I don't want to miss any more opportunities to capture Isabella's "cuteness" on film.
Thank you all again for your love and support. We honestly could not survive this with our sanity intact without you.
First I need to start by thanking each and every one of you for your thoughts, prayers and generosity. I can't begin to express how much this has helped us throughout this whole LONG process. It's so humbling to know how many people care and are there when we need them most. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all.
We are finally settled in to our "new home." We found a really nice townhouse not too far from the house and we moved in last Tuesday. The insurance company is providing the townhouse as well as furniture rental for the duration of our stay. As nice as this place is, there is still a part of us that really misses being in a single-family home.
Isabella has adjusted amazingly well. During our 9-day stay in the hotel last week, she really struggled sleeping and ended up sleeping each night in a real bed with each of us alternating who slept with her. We were afraid she wouldn't go back to a crib at all after this. Fortunately, we were wrong. A wonderful couple from our synagogue donated a crib that their grandchildren had outgrown. From the first night in the new place, Isabella slept as well as she'd slept up until the fire. She's such an angel. As a matter of fact, she's almost sleeping later (which is fantastic). She back to 11-12 hours of sleep at night and a long 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. I guess all she really needed was a room of her own and a full-size crib (the crib they provided for us in the hotel was a port-a-crib). With the exception of the very first night after the fire, she hasn't asked for any dolls/toys we lost. The biggest blessing, other than us all getting out unharmed, is that Isabella is so young she'll never remember ANY of this. Thank G-d for that. I wish David and I were that lucky.
We've been to the house a couple of times since the 24th and as far as I'm concerned, I'd be happy if I didn't go back for a LONG time. Not only is the smell awful and nauseating, but just being there gives me the creeps. If I had to decide right this second whether or not I'd want to live on that lot again, the answer would be a resounding "no." David and I have discussed it and he feels the exact same way.
Unfortunately, we don't have an update on the status of our insurance claim on the house. The last conversation we had with our insurance adjuster indicated at the very minimum, the house will have to be taken down to the studs. We're keeping our fingers crossed for the house to be "totaled" because that would be the fastest and easiest way for us to move on. As far as items in our house being salvaged, they were able to get our Ketubah, a few framed pictures, our china and everyday dishes and a couple miscellaneous items. They are attempting to treat a few items of clothing, but unless it removes every single particle, it's just not worth it. We found out the hard way that David and I (especially me) are HIGHLY allergic to the smoke. I ended up having to go back to the ER that Tuesday for a breathing treatment and was put on a steroid to open my throat and lungs. Not fun.
We are SLOWLY starting to rebuild our wardrobe. David bought a couple of suits so he could go back to work as well as a few other work-related clothing items. Each of us bought a couple pairs of jeans, a few tops and a few pairs of shoes. Shopping used to be fun for both of us, but as you know, it's easy to find things when you're not looking for them - we're struggling to find versatile pieces. We don't want to change the way we shop (bargains, bargains, and more bargains), so we're trying to find as few regularly-priced items as possible and hold out for the sales in July. We'll see.
On a brighter note: Isabella will be 22 months tomorrow. Amazing, huh? She talks all of the time. She's surprisingly easy to understand. She now says "cudduls" instead of "diddoo." She announces everything she does. For example: if she's running she tells you "wunning," if she's splashing in the tub or pool she says "pwashing," or if she's hugging one of her dolls she says "ugging." It's so cute. She has mastered how to indicate what belongs to whom (i.e. mommy's chair or daddy's shoes (still says "yoos", though)). She's just so playful and fun. I love this age. Isabella has also gone to the bathroom in her "big girl potty" several times, but don't get too excited, she's still nowhere near being potty-trained. We're in no rush - I'm fine with changing diapers for a few more months.
I regret to tell you that for the time being, there won't be any pictures or videos for a while. We haven't replaced our camcorder/camera. We felt there were other more important things we needed to replace first. Hopefully we will soon. I don't want to miss any more opportunities to capture Isabella's "cuteness" on film.
Thank you all again for your love and support. We honestly could not survive this with our sanity intact without you.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy 2010!
First let me start by wishing each and every one of you a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year. I hope your celebrations were fun and you rang in 2010 with people you love.
Isabella had an uneventful New Year's Eve. I kind of felt bad, but reminded myself she won't remember that she was in bed before 8. She had a treat for dinner: macaroni and cheese. She read books and headed off to bed. She was none the wiser that it was a holiday. Maybe she'll enjoy it next year...
We had two couples over for dinner. It was supposed to be MUCH larger, but over the last week the numbers kept dwindling. I was really disappointed, but had a good time nonetheless. We served Chicken Marsala, garlic linguine, sauteed vegetables, salad and for desert: Dutch Apple pie (the one I make, of course). We had to put our Jewish touch on this New Year's celebration. Apples for the new year! Our neighbors/friends Scott and Alison came over for dinner and we were pleasantly surprised our friends Ari and Ellen joined us for dessert. They just had a baby a week ago and since she's not home from the hospital yet, they were nice enough to join us for an hour. We really enjoyed seeing the pictures they brought of their new little angel Dana. We can't wait to meet her. Isabella has a new friend, but I won't let her near her for at least another 6 months :). David and I were surprisingly able to stay up until Midnight, but not too much longer after that.
This morning we went over to our friends the Schuler's house for a New Year's AND birthday celebration. Their daughter was born on N.Y.E. last year. Isabella had a few bites of birthday cake and was a total spaz the rest of the day. We're really fortunate she took a nap.
Here are a few pictures from the last 24 hours:
Isabella had an uneventful New Year's Eve. I kind of felt bad, but reminded myself she won't remember that she was in bed before 8. She had a treat for dinner: macaroni and cheese. She read books and headed off to bed. She was none the wiser that it was a holiday. Maybe she'll enjoy it next year...
We had two couples over for dinner. It was supposed to be MUCH larger, but over the last week the numbers kept dwindling. I was really disappointed, but had a good time nonetheless. We served Chicken Marsala, garlic linguine, sauteed vegetables, salad and for desert: Dutch Apple pie (the one I make, of course). We had to put our Jewish touch on this New Year's celebration. Apples for the new year! Our neighbors/friends Scott and Alison came over for dinner and we were pleasantly surprised our friends Ari and Ellen joined us for dessert. They just had a baby a week ago and since she's not home from the hospital yet, they were nice enough to join us for an hour. We really enjoyed seeing the pictures they brought of their new little angel Dana. We can't wait to meet her. Isabella has a new friend, but I won't let her near her for at least another 6 months :). David and I were surprisingly able to stay up until Midnight, but not too much longer after that.
This morning we went over to our friends the Schuler's house for a New Year's AND birthday celebration. Their daughter was born on N.Y.E. last year. Isabella had a few bites of birthday cake and was a total spaz the rest of the day. We're really fortunate she took a nap.
Here are a few pictures from the last 24 hours:
Merry Chanukah
Isabella had a great Chanukah. She was really in to lighting the candles and saying "Ameen" at the end of the blessings. She liked picking out the presents she wanted to open, but wasn't really into actually opening them. Once she got them opened, she was confused as to why she couldn't play with the toy immediately. She received some great, thoughtful gifts, so David and I were happy as well. We bought her two things for Chanukah: an "Isabella-sized" chair and a Little Tykes Coupe (We still have to pick it up. I always wanted one when I was little and never had one, so whether she wants it or not - it's hers). Here are some pictures of her from Chanukah in Dallas:
We ventured down to San Antonio for several days to celebrate the "last night of Chanukah." As was the case on the drive to Kansas City last month, Isabella, unexplicably, only slept 45 minutes. I don't know what it is with the drive "to" a destination, but she doesn't seem to want to sleep. Despite her brief nap, she was an angel. She sang songs (over and over and over again), watched a couple of DVDs, and played games. She's actually kind of fun to travel with...
Upon arrival, David got a haircut (or "haycut" as Isabella said). Isabella was fascinated with the process, but I fear when she's in the chair, she'll forget how much fun it was. From there we went back to Grammy and Jiddo's and walked around the neighborhood looking at x-mas lights (or "yights"). She gets very excited when she sees lights. After eating a great dinner, she went to bed and slept fairly well.
The next morning we went with Isabella's cousins Aaron and Arianna to the train at the S.A. Zoo. I thought she'd be really in to it because she had a blast on the monorail ride at the Dallas Zoo this summer, but she was too tired to enjoy it. She practically slept the entire time. Between the fresh air and the travel the day before, she was done before we even started. She was good - she just didn't get much out of it (it's hard to do when your eyes are closed). Later that afternoon she saw Honey and Aunt Fonda and did her fair share of showing off. She counted to 10, named all of her body parts (ok, almost all of them - I sensored it a bit).
Thursday (X-mas eve) she happily welcomed the rest of her cousins from McAllen. She was just exstatic when Aaron, Andrew and Allison arrived. If she weren't so tired, she'd have played all night with them. She didn't sleep very well, so neither did we.
Friday we went to visit Grandma Rose and Isabella got a taste of being spoiled. She was offered cookies! She was so excited she was in heaven. With a mouth full of cookie, she asked for more (we limited it to one cookie, though, or else she wouldn't eat dinner - which as it turned out, she didn't anyway...). After we left, unfortunately, Grandma Rose had a fall, but thank G-d, she came out virtually unscathed. She's a pretty amazing woman. Friday night was the Chanukah celebration. Isabella had other plans. She was an absolute NIGHTMARE. She didn't eat anything but jello, screamed and cried the entire night. I almost didn't let her open gifts because, let's be honest, what kind of a message does that send? "You can behave like a terror, but don't worry, you'll still get everything you want..." David talked me in to letting her open them, so, against my better judgment, I let her. She wasn't really that into it, so I felt a little better about it. She had an other terrible night, and consequently so did David and I.
Saturday David and I took a chance at a couple of retail sales and ended up at an retail outlet. We had fairly good luck - I can't complain. We visited Grandma Rose at home, and Isabella told her to "fee bebber." (feel better). It was so cute. Isabella ate a much better dinner that night and actually slept through the night away from home - it was a miracle. We sure needed it. G-d bless that child :)
Sunday we went to a brunch at Honey's and then hit the road. We made it back in fairly good time; less than 5 hours. We had fun, but were excited to be home in our own beds.
Here are some pictures from the week...Enjoy!:
We ventured down to San Antonio for several days to celebrate the "last night of Chanukah." As was the case on the drive to Kansas City last month, Isabella, unexplicably, only slept 45 minutes. I don't know what it is with the drive "to" a destination, but she doesn't seem to want to sleep. Despite her brief nap, she was an angel. She sang songs (over and over and over again), watched a couple of DVDs, and played games. She's actually kind of fun to travel with...
Upon arrival, David got a haircut (or "haycut" as Isabella said). Isabella was fascinated with the process, but I fear when she's in the chair, she'll forget how much fun it was. From there we went back to Grammy and Jiddo's and walked around the neighborhood looking at x-mas lights (or "yights"). She gets very excited when she sees lights. After eating a great dinner, she went to bed and slept fairly well.
The next morning we went with Isabella's cousins Aaron and Arianna to the train at the S.A. Zoo. I thought she'd be really in to it because she had a blast on the monorail ride at the Dallas Zoo this summer, but she was too tired to enjoy it. She practically slept the entire time. Between the fresh air and the travel the day before, she was done before we even started. She was good - she just didn't get much out of it (it's hard to do when your eyes are closed). Later that afternoon she saw Honey and Aunt Fonda and did her fair share of showing off. She counted to 10, named all of her body parts (ok, almost all of them - I sensored it a bit).
Thursday (X-mas eve) she happily welcomed the rest of her cousins from McAllen. She was just exstatic when Aaron, Andrew and Allison arrived. If she weren't so tired, she'd have played all night with them. She didn't sleep very well, so neither did we.
Friday we went to visit Grandma Rose and Isabella got a taste of being spoiled. She was offered cookies! She was so excited she was in heaven. With a mouth full of cookie, she asked for more (we limited it to one cookie, though, or else she wouldn't eat dinner - which as it turned out, she didn't anyway...). After we left, unfortunately, Grandma Rose had a fall, but thank G-d, she came out virtually unscathed. She's a pretty amazing woman. Friday night was the Chanukah celebration. Isabella had other plans. She was an absolute NIGHTMARE. She didn't eat anything but jello, screamed and cried the entire night. I almost didn't let her open gifts because, let's be honest, what kind of a message does that send? "You can behave like a terror, but don't worry, you'll still get everything you want..." David talked me in to letting her open them, so, against my better judgment, I let her. She wasn't really that into it, so I felt a little better about it. She had an other terrible night, and consequently so did David and I.
Saturday David and I took a chance at a couple of retail sales and ended up at an retail outlet. We had fairly good luck - I can't complain. We visited Grandma Rose at home, and Isabella told her to "fee bebber." (feel better). It was so cute. Isabella ate a much better dinner that night and actually slept through the night away from home - it was a miracle. We sure needed it. G-d bless that child :)
Sunday we went to a brunch at Honey's and then hit the road. We made it back in fairly good time; less than 5 hours. We had fun, but were excited to be home in our own beds.
Here are some pictures from the week...Enjoy!:
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