Birthday Week(s) Begins

Saturday Conrad and I took Isabelle out to Easton to celebrate her birthday with "just" us. We went to Friends 2B Make and had she got to make her own doll. And we had only one melt down, as we were doing her doll's hair and she decided she definatley DID NOT want ribbons in the dolls hair.

Next we took her out to the fountains where Mommy and Daddy enjoyed some starbucks and Isabelle enjoyed the fountains. It's the first time we have taken her there, but I have looked forward to taking her here for years...probably before we had kids! It's so fun to watch the kids having fun here!

It's the Little Things..

I made muffins on Friday for a work thing and for my family. I got up early and left for work. Isabelle got up later and went into the kitchen with Daddy for her usual waffle and yogurt breakfast. I had told Conrad that there were blueberry muffins, which Isabelle loves. He called me later and told me that he pulled one out and Isabelle said, “Muffin…ohhhhhhh.” And took it to her little table to enjoy for breakfast. But she insisted on eating with her Daddy, “Sit Daddy,” She commanded and he sat at her little table and they enjoyed breakfast together. And she kept asking, “Mommy at work?” Because isn’t that where Mommy always is??

Napping with her favorite Daddy.

Happy Friday Blog Game

I got this from Sohailah's blog. I haven't been getting many comments lately, and am beginning to wonder if people are still reading our blog?! So, to selfishly solicite responses, I would like to play the following game:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Sleepy Girl

After a weekend of staying up late, getting up early, irregular naps, and lots of parties and hanging out, Isabelle couldn’t quite make it through dinner Sunday night.

China Team Reunion

Our good friends and "m's" from China, Dave and Lorna came to visit us last week. We were so excited to see them and spend time with them. And, as a matter of fact, the last time they were here to visit, Kim and I were roommates and both preparing to get married in a few months. So this visit was the first time they got to meet Conrad or Isabelle. we had such a good time talking about the Lord, comparing notes (and laughing) on being in cross cultural marriages (Lorna is Philipina), and just haning out!

Last weekend we also had a China team reunion (I took a group from my church in '03 to do a STM trip)It was at Kim’s house.Kim and I got married within a month of each other. Her son, Andrew, is just over a year old, and now we are both pregnant with our second and due one day apart!! We couldn’t have planned this! Here are some great pictures of Andrew, Isabelle, and Dave at our “reunion.” Isabelle thought Dave and Lorna were great, and every time they left the room, she'd go, "Where'd they go?" Not to mention she would sneak up the stairs to thier room and burst in unannounced whenever she could get away with it!

The Unfortunate Fate of my Flowers

It seems like both summers I have been pregnant, my plants die. Maybe I’m imagining things, but in 2006, while I was pregnant with Isabelle I bought a bunch of annuals and recruited Conrad and my brother-in-law Hubert to help me (i.e. do all of the real work while I supervised from my shaded perch) plant them in our flower beds. Everything last one of them shriveled up and died.

That fateful summer prompted me to decide to do only container gardening. The next summer things went swimmingly. I had beautiful flowers and plants. This summer, believing that my blooming curse had been lifted, I bought several wonderful flats of colorful flowers and planted them in containers.

A few weekends ago, while we were away in Georgia, we had several big storms and it pretty much drowned my plants in pots. They must need better drainage. But I find it odd since I’ve used these planters before?? Between the rain and the kamikaze birds that continue to dive bomb my hanging plants until they plummet daily to a dry concrete death, I’m fresh out of energy to maintain plant life.

Sadly, three weeks after spending big bucks on the dang things, I threw them out. Maybe next year I just have to stick with those pre-planted pots you get at Wal-Mart. Time to dumb it down a little more.

A Visit to the Hospital slash Spa

Our OB recently switched hospitals, which means that we have to deliver at the new hospital. I was sort of bummed about the change…until we took a maternity tour of the new hospital!
This place just opened in January and all I can say is WOW! You walk in to natural light, stone, bamboo, and water walls. No bright florescence or obnoxious paging systems. All of the staff wears personal pagers on their persons.

The maternity floor has a private, secure garden complete with rocking chairs for you to take your new baby out to relax. Each “suite” has a refrigerator, a queen size sleeper sofa, for your family to sleep in while you are there, and a personal PC where you have full internet access and where you order your meals. Of course, they don’t have typical meal service, but provide room service, at your leisure, which you order from you Personal computer. Your husband hungry? No problem, order online and pay with a credit card, and they will deliver right to your room.

I think I may never go home.

Weekend Rants and Raves

I have to take a few minutes to rant and rave. Let’s start out on a positive note, so I’ll rave. I got a new hair guy. All I can say is wow! He gave me my dream hair! He just moved to Columbus from New York City, he is tattooed from head to toe and very very gay. And he is fabulous (albeit overpriced, but when you are pregnant, it’s worth the big bucks to make you feel good about your hair). My hair looks shiny and full of body both straight (which he calls “smooth”) and curly. He is a miracle worker! And if you are in Columbus and need miracle working hair services..I highly recommend David, the owner of Salon Hotel Lily. And no, I have no idea what the name means. I need to ask next time I’m there.

Now on to the ranting. I am 7 months pregnant, I have a toddler, and I work full time. Our only day to sleep in, and when I say sleep in I mean 6:45am, is Saturday morning. Precious time here, people. This Saturday morning I was rudely awakened by a lawn mower right outside my window at 6:07am. The neighbors lawn literally comes within 5 feet of our bedroom window. I was perturbed, to say the least. So what’s a girl to do? I threw on my pink robe and went outside to talk to said lawn mowing guy.

“Hey!” no response. “Hey!” Stopped lawnmower and looked at me with a blank stare. “Do you think you could wait a couple of hours to do that?” said incredulously. “Nope. I got 22 lawns to mow today. Talk to the homeowners.” Start mower back up and go on his merry way.

What to do? The house has been empty for a couple of months as the homeowners have been trying to sell it. I did what any self respecting blogger would do, I got my camera and went out into the early morning, uncomplimentary light, and started snapping pictures of the perpetrator. Later, I called the realtor, who’s name was on the sign in front to ask her to relay a message to the homeowners for us.

To add insult to injury, he followed his mowing, with trimming and edging, STILL five feet from our bedroom window.

Hello Atta!

Most Saturday mornings we are online with Conrad's family catching up on a video conversation. It gives us a chance to see everyone and everyone to see us (by us I mean Isabelle!) What we discovered a few days ago is that Isabelle is starting to recognize everyone. We were showing her pictures and we asked her "Who is that?" And she said, "Atta" (her grandma),"Alistair" and "Alana." She's starting to remember names!

Mustang Sally

This is my daughter in Aunt Brenda's corvette. The girl LOVES this car. She cries and throws a royal fit when you take her out. Aunt Brenda was just moving the car from one parking spot to another with Isabelle on her lap, and Isabelle tried desperately to shoo her hands away from the steering wheel with a commanding, "I drive!" I hope this isn't shadowing of things to come...

Her True Colors

Conrad dropped Isabelle off at Daycare this morning. Isabelle was pouting about something and her teacher was laughing at her obvious ploy for attention. She then commented, "You know she's wonderful, as long as she gets her way." Hmmm...our words exactly.