Elmo and Pumpkins

What a fun-filled weekend. On Saturday Isobel got to see all of her Sesame Street friends and she loved it. She watched so attentively to the whole show. When characters would leave she would ask where they went. It was so cute. But she had the best time. And then on Sunday we all went to the Hunsader Farm Pumpkin Festival. We met Aunt Tracy, Uncle Wayne, Logan and Landon there. We hung out in the pumpkin patch, did the corn maze, saw butterflies and got to pet some goats and donkeys. She had so much fun. And the weather was absolutely perfect. She was asleep in the car before we got to the main road. :) It was such a great weekend.

On another note, Isobel is talking in complete sentences and will have a complete conversation with you. She and I talked about stickers, ghosts and pumpkins. And today we saw some ducks across the pond and I said "how many ducks are there Isobel". I started counting and when I got to 6 I slowed down and she jumped in with 7, 8, 9, 10. Note, there were only 8 ducks but she knew the numbers in the right order. And then before dinner we took a walk around the block and she was able to count some of the pumpkins and ghosts (mainly just 1, 2 and 3 in qty). She asks about everything. She is so hungry for knowledge. I just can't believe how much she has learned. People are amazed she's only 23 months old (well tomorrow she will be).

Panama City Beach

We just got back from Panama City Beach for some friends' wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and we had a great time, but Isobel did not like the sand. She hated having her feet dirty and wanted you to even clean between her toes. We tried to take her to the wedding ceremony but she kept saying "Aunt Tracy" and "Uncle Wayne" over and over again (Tracy was taking photos and Wayne was actually doing the ceremony). I know I keep saying it, but her speech is amazing. You can have small conversations with her. And her memory is startling. She is getting better with numbers (really starting to understand what they mean) and she's even starting to grasp the concept of tomorrow or a few days in the future. Her imaginative play is also developing. She makes dolls dance and play with each other and she loves to play dress up. And she loves to read to Maddy the kitty. She will sit next to her with a book and read her the story. She truly is an amazing and wonderful little girl.

Sweet Isobel

Our sweet little Isobel - she's getting so big. And we are continuously amazed at her vocabulary. Her sentences are getting better all the time. People we meet are always amazed at her vocabulary for her age.

Here are some pictures of our baby girl. In the kitchen with mommy and some parchment paper; falling asleep while mommy reads her Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones; hanging out with mommy and daddy; and helping Daddy scrape wallpaper.

Isobel will be 21 mo old

Tomorrow Isobel will be 21 months old. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by.

Right now Isobel has a little cold. She was running a fever yesterday and saying her ears hurt but when we went to the doctor they said her ears looked great - no infection. So it's just a little viral infection and she seems to be doing better today.

Isobel is getting much better in the pool. We got her to put on her ladybug pres

erver and get in the pool with Daddy. Click the link to see the short video. When she was done swimming she wanted to wear it in the house to eat lunch - it was so cute. And when we did go inside to get dressed, she wanted to go back out to the pool and get

her pretty little Mexican dress wet.

A couple weekends ago Wayne, Tracy, Logan, Landon and Utah all

came over to stay the night. Isobel had so much fun chasing Logan around the house. They completely wore each other out. I think Tim is a

little upset that she's already chasing boys around. But I'm sure in a few years it will be the other way around. And that's when Tim gets a shotgun!

Oh, here is a picture of Isobel in these black patent leather shoes. I was in the kitchen doing dishes when she came in saying "shoes, shoes" and when I looked down she had put them on all by herself and even managed to put them on the correct feet. She was so proud of herself I had to take a picture.

Well, we had high hopes on the potty training front but we have hit a bump in the road. Isobel LOVES to wear panties but doesn't want to sit on the potty. She knows she needs to go, but rather than sit on the potty, she hides, goes in her panties, and then runs and tells you she went. So we are taking a break from training for a week or two and then we'll start again with a new approach. But apparently Abby Cadabby has no problem using the potty. :) Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Video Update

I apologize for the inconvenience, but to view the Isobel spinning videos, and future videos, you will need to create an account on MotionBox.com. Once you have created your account please email me with the username and email address so I can add you as a contact. Then you will be able to view this and all future videos. I apologize for the inconvenience but there are not a lot of credable video hosting sites that offer a private security setting. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or problems.

Isobel is 20 mo old

Since last I posted Isobel has turned 20 months old. She's learning so much every day. Her vocabulary is growing so quickly I can't even keep up. We are still working on the potty training - some days are better than others. But we have faith that it won't be too much longer. She has this thing about wearing her panties over her diaper. And not just one pair, but two. She likes one Elmo pair and one Winnie the Pooh pair. Don't know why, but she does. And she likes to help clean. She's so happy to push the Swiffer around and even tries to help me vacuum. Definitely hope that's a habit she keeps as she gets older. She still has a thing about wearing Mommy's shoes - no matter how high the heels are. Here is a video of her most recent fun activity - spinning. But she is definitely in the "terrible twos" temper tantrum phase. She is constantly testing her boundaries and trying to find some control. But she is just like her Mommy when it comes to food - if she doesn't eat she's a bear. Here she is playing with her ladybug tent that Nana and PawPaw got her. It took her a little while to get used to it, but once she did, she loved it. I look forward to when we can actually use it in the backyard (there's a 3 month window when it's not too hot or cold). Hopefully she'll enjoy it so we can plan other camping trips.

We haven't made much progress on the house. Several other problems that need fixing have come up and taken priority. But we all still love the house and look forward to having it completed.

A couple weeks ago Tim and PawPaw went to see Grandpa Bob on Isla Muejeres and went fishing. Didn't catch any sail fish but they had a good time on the water. We need to get Isobel her passport so we can all go next time.

Fourth of July and Since

Well we had a great 4th of July. We had lots of family and friends over for great food, swimming and fun. Paul made some awesome chili burritos. Everyone brought yummy yummy food and goodies. It was a great time. Isobel became fast friends with Dekin's girls, especially Juliette. She didn't go anywhere without them.

We are ever so slowly putting the house together. We haven't made any progress on painting, etc. but we have some furniture out, a couple of rugs, and we even hung curtains today. Yes, we will have to take them done when we finally do get around to painting, but the house was getting too hot without any window coverings. We still need to buy a new blower to get the pine needles off the roof and get the lawn mower fixed, but the list goes on and on. If it's not one thing its another right?!

Isobel is doing great. She is saying several new words every day. She is like a little sponge, soaking up every word and experience around her. And she absolutely loves walking around in Mommy's shoes - even my high heels. She still is not potty trained and there have been several accidents - some bigger than others. But it's all a process. We are proud of her every day.