******** FYI **********

This post is to alert my blog readers that this will be the last post on this blog. We had an unfortunate event happen with an anonymous lurker and now will be making our family a PRIVATE BLOG. Our new blog will have a new web address and you will need to be invited by us to read it. We ask that you please do not link to our site and do not pass along our link to anyone without our permission. I really love posting pictures for all of you to see and hope that you'll join us for more Isaac adventures at our new blog.

In order to visit our new blog, you need an invitation. You'll receive an invitation via email. If you do not receive an invitation within the next couple of days, please email us or post in this comment section. We want to make sure to include all our family in friends. Once you receive your invitation, you'll need to sign up with Google in order to be a reader. Please make sure to let us know if you don't receive an invitation... we may not have an email address for you or don't know that you read the blog.

Thanks so much for your understanding... see you over at the new blog!

Weekly Update #56

Isaac is now almost 13 months old!

Updates on our punkin':

* Had kind of a bad diaper rash for the first time and the creams we had on hand weren't helping much. I picked up some Boudreaux's Butt Paste and it worked right away. Of coure, Josh giggled about the name ALL day long! Go to www.buttpaste.com if you'd like to learn more. ;)

* Received his first coloring book this week after a trip to Walmart. It has a dog on the cover and when Isaac sees is, he says, "Arf!" He learned how to take his crayons in and out of the box. He enjoys coloring, but also trying to eat the crayons, too.

* Loves to play with the vacuum cleaner.... He gets it out of the closet to push around. Once he's older, I'll plug it in for him so he can help me clean. LOL

* Interacting a lot more with his toys. He'll give his teddy bear snuggles and give the pig in his book eskimo kisses.

* Eating really well. I'm so happy he's still a veggie lover... squash, yams, beans, peas, corn, carrots, and even brocolli. We're working on self-feeding with a spoon and he now drinks out of sippy cups with straws.

Enjoy the new pictures!
"I'm a good eater."
"What are you laughing at, Mommy?"
Our bed head cutie!
Thanks for checking in!

Bathtime Pics

Bathtime is normally Daddy & Isaac's special play time. Once in awhile, I go to investigate the giggles from the bathroom and snap some pictures.
Laura: Did you do any scrubbing yet?
Josh: Nope, not yet. We're playing!
Isaac is a huge water lover. He is so intrigued by all things water... faucets, the shower, bath toys that squirt and pour, the dog bowl....
This is a cute picture of Isaac looking like his daddy... aww, how sweet...
and HERE he is looking like his mom. Why is it that my son only resembles me when he's making a "Duh?" face? LOL Nevermind, don't answer that.

Game Day

So, today is a big day in our area. The Buckeyes will be playing Florida for the National Championship tonight. This morning while watching the news, I was notified that it was only thirteen hours, nineteen minutes, and 4 seconds until kick-off. Yep... to say people around here are excited is an understatement. In the Sunday paper, Macy's had a hilarious full page advertisement. They were letting all the crazy Buckeye fans know that when OSU wins, that they'd be open at 11 p.m., selling championship merchandise. In the fine print, they also had "If OSU wins..." You know, just in case.

This the face Isaac gave me when I told him he'd be going to bed before halftime (Kick off's not until 8 p.m.). LOL

GO BUCKS! OH-IO!


Edited to add: No gator meat here for dinner. But, they did have it for sale at the grocery store! ;)

Edited to add again: Darn. What a miserable game! We ALL went to bed before it was over. (At least we beat Michigan this season.).

Six

Today while flipping Isaac upside down on my lap, I made a discovery. You see, I usually use this acrobatic time to peek inside his mouth while he's a squealing, gaping monkey. It's a perfect opportunity. I was able to notice that his 6th tooth has finally come in! He now has four along the top and two on the bottom.

Woof, Woof

Otto: Hey, why haven't you posted a mutt update on the blog lately?
Laura: I could post embarassing pictures of you two, you know.
Soph & Otto: Huh? What pictures? Soph & Otto: Oooooh, you're talking about the new dog bed pictures.
The mutts got a new dog bed from Santa and it's so big and comfy... they sleep together in it! Hee, hee!
Otto: Did you post them? Ah, geez...
Soph: zzzzzzzzzz
Okay, that was cheesy... I know. But, seriously, our dogs are nuts. They are all personality and make us laugh.

Soph is still pretty neurotic about Isaac being mobile. Isaac loves her skittish ways, though, and enjoys chasing her around, making her squirm. She still sneaks doggy kisses in on Isaac now and then and is still very protective of him. But, she does her best to steer clear of our active boy (who loves to grab paws, ears, and tails... yipe!). She is still very much a friendly dog and follows me around, wanting love and snuggles all day long. It's just the crazy baby who makes her nervous. Soph is loving all the warm weather because it means she can romp and play in the mud. She's also enoyed her trips to my family's house and of course when they came to visit.
Otto is Isaac's favorite because he'll let him pet him. Otto even puts up with little fingers shoved in his eyes or mouth. He lets our little guy explore with a few pokes without freaking out. LOL He shares his front window with Isaac and loves to be fed Cheerios. I'm so glad he's accepted Isaac as one of the pack now. In the beginning, he really didn't care for him too much at all and he's so gentle and good with him.

Otto loves to play rough with Soph outside, biting her and knocking her down the hill. He also loves to keep watch on the neighborhood and beg for treats. His favorite part of the day is when Josh comes home from work because he get tons of attention.

Isaac adores both dogs and looks for them when he wakes up from his naps. He loves to watch them play and giggles at them when they are silly. "Dog, ga, ga, ga, god, god, da, da, DOG!" is how he calls them and will give a little "arf" if you ask him what the dogs say. :) This week, he held his play phone up to Otto's ear and said, "Low? Low?" It was adorable.

Thanks for checking in on the mutts. After all, they are a huge part of our family.

Overall Series

The Smirk

Weekly Update #55

Okay, so I accidentially did this post backwards. Oops! You can enjoy the new pictures first and then read an update (I'm too tired to try and edit it right now).

"Ho, ho, ho, low, low?" On the phone with Grandma A
Two cutie pies!
Wrestlemania in the living room
Lots of fun (or should that be lots of trouble?)
Working on walking
Thanks for checking in!
Updates on our cuddle bug:

* Wearing size 5 diapers and a mix of 12 month, 12-18, and 18 month clothing.

* Stood up for the first time unassisted this week!

* Doing better with drinking his whole milk, but still not a huge fan. We figured out that he was tricking Josh into believing that he couldn't drink out of the one style of sippy cups. Josh would then take the lid off for him to get big gulps. The little stinker drinks just fine out of the cups, but sure had daddy fooled!

* Missing daddy a lot so far this week. Josh went back to work after his 10 day vacation and it's been hard on us all. It doesn't make things any easier being sick. Yep, Isaac and I are both sick with colds. :(

* Working on lots of new teeth, but hasn't had any cut yet.

* Talking a lot this week! He is quite the chatterbox (not sure where he got that from). :)

Any Suggestions?

Josh and I recently discovered and joined the new Costco store nearby. We've been twice so far and really like it. They sell the brand of food our dogs eat for a great price. Our membership will more than pay for itself by what we'll save buying just the dog food there. For those of you who know Josh well, you know that he's calculated the exact ammount compared to the grocery or pet store. LOL

We were wondering what you like to buy at Costco, if you're a member. What have you found that is a great deal? Email us or comment on this post to let us know.

P.S. We did try the store-brand diapers, but Isaac leaked out of them. Darn! We'll try the baby wipes next.

P.P.S. We bought a take and bake pizza... $7.99 to feed 5 adults! It was yummy!

Up North

Last Saturday, we headed to NW Ohio to spend some holiday time with Josh's family. Isaac did pretty well. He didn't sleep well, but had a blast with all the new things to discover and play with. By the time Sunday rolled around, he was kind of cranky and overtired.... as to be expected with a big change in his schedule. We did have a great time and got tons of great gifts from the family. Here are a few pictures from our trip...
Isaac had fun playing with his cousin Joel. This is his new tool center from his Grandma and Grandpa W.
Hmm... siblings?
Heather, me, and Kelly
This is the wagon Isaac's Great-Grandpa F made and Great-Grandma F painted... what a nice gift!
We also got to spend lots of time with Isaac's cousin Izzy
Here we are with Isaac's great-grandparents
After we got home Sunday night, we headed to our church for Christmas Eve mass. Isaac fussed quite a lot, as he was sick of sitting still after the long weekend and the car ride home. But, he did look super cute all dressed up!
I love this picture. :)

Home For The Holidays

Waking up Christmas morning at our house with a little one was FUN!
Isaac's big gift from us was a train set (to be used for when he's a little older), but Santa brought him a few gifts as well. He liked ripping the paper and playing with the bows, of course.
Later in the day, my mom and sisters came to visit and they stayed all week! My mom always goes overboard and loves to give gifts. Here, she and Isaac are opening a book to go along with the Leap pad learning book system she bought him.
It was great to spend time with my mom... :)
and sisters, too!
We had a very merry Christmas for sure!
But, whew... it sure made one little guy we know very tired! LOL
I took a gazillion pictures over the holidays, as you can imagine. I've shared just a few in these two posts. I created a 7 minute montage of our Christmas as well... more pictures for those who like them! You can see all the yummy treats I made this year (and delivering them to the neighbors), Isaac opening gifts on Christmas morning, more family pictures, and then some pictures from the holiday lights we saw last week. My big gift from Josh was an external hard drive for the computer to back up all our pictures and videos. He received a German mechanical movement clock from me... he'll be building a mantle clock for the home. We received tons of other great things from eachother and then from family, but too much to mention. We are truly blessed.

Enjoy the video!

Our Very Merry Christmas, 2006