My chatty sweet girl!!

As usual I am behind on my posting!! Also as usual, no really good excuse, we have just been surviving Jason's last few weeks of class and all of the busyness that was included with that!!

Isabella continues to talk up a storm, and actually has quite good manners for being 18 months old (wow--18 months already, can you believe that?)! If you hand her anything she says thank you very clearly, and if she hands you something and you forget to say it, she looks at you with as stern a look as she can muster and says "thank you." She and the little girl next door were playing with a stick one day and Isabella handed it to Emma Rae and Emma Rae did not say thank you, so Isabella gave her a look like that said "hello" and said "thank you!!??" Emma Rae's Mommy, Miss Megan and I just laughed at them!!

Today I was sneezing (yes we all have another cold, for at least the 10th time this winter), and after each sneeze she would say "bless"!!

When we are leaving somewhere or someone is leaving us, she looks at them and says "Bye bye, see you soon!" She also says that when the bath water is going out of the tub, or when she is telling her baby night-night!!

She also TOTALLY loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse!! We were at the Disney Outlet at the beach several weeks ago and she ran up to the display and grabbed a Mickey and just hugged him. Jason told her that if she could say Mickey Mouse he would buy it for her. She promptly answered him and said "Mic Mouse, Min-mini-mini Mouse," so of course we left with a stuffed Mickey and Minnie!! Most of the time it sounds like mouse, but sometimes it sounds more like moose!! When Mickey Mouse Clubhouse comes on Disney Channel, if she is anywhere within earshot she stops whatever she is doing, says "Mic Mouse" and runs to the TV!

Isabella and her new best friends!!

It is so hard to believe that she is 18 months old already!! We are absolutely loving every moment that we have with her!! She is such a blessing to us, and we thank God for her all the time!!

One last thing--she really loves the youth group, and spending time with them!! She tries so hard to talk to them too! She tries to say some of their names like Ashley, she calls "Ashes." She can totally say Hannah as clear as the rest of us, but it is more like "Ha-nnnah." Of course the girls eat it up! It is so cool to watch her interact with the "big kids"!!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY GRANT!!

We love you, Buddy!! We hope that you have a wonderful birthday tomorrow, wish that we could celebrate with you in person!!

Erin and Grant come for a visit!!

Our DEAR friends Gus, Erin, and Grant moved back to California in September! I felt like I was losing my right arm, it was SO hard to let them go! On top of being a WONDERFUL friend for the last several years, Erin took care of Isabella from the time that I went back to work until September!! She did an AMAZING job! I am so thankful and blessed to have had that time!!
Erin and I had been talking about she and Grant coming to visit before he turns 2 and they have to start paying for an airline ticket for him. Needless to say we were so excited when she finally picked some dates and booked their flights! The arrived here in Florence late Thursday the 27th of March and got to be in SC for a whole week! It was wonderful to get to spend so much time with she and Grant, the kids seemed like they picked up right where they left off, and so did we!!
Gus, Erin, Jason and myself have said for a long time that Isabella and Grant are going to get married some day-- Isabella Svendsen -- has a great ring to it, doesn't it?
We had such a great visit that unfortunately I did not get many pictures of, but I will include the ones that I did take!
Eating breakfast with Luke and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!!
All three kids playing in Isabella's "house." Actually a car seat box, but she loves it!!
I wish that I had taken more pictures, I will have to get some from Erin that she took!!
Thank you son much for coming to visit us! We love you guys so much!! Next time we see you will be in CA, hopefully!!

Easter 2008

HE IS RISEN!!
Easter was absolutely wonderful this year!! Not only did we get to celebrate our Risen Lord and Savior, but we got to have wonderful family around to celebrate with us! Easter weekend started with a VERY moving Thursday night service at church, and it continued with the arrival of my Grandparents of Friday!!
Saturday the real, busy, festivities started! I went and helped hide over 1200 eggs at church for the annual Southside Baptist Church Easter Eggstravaganza!! It was so much fun to hide the eggs, think about and pray for all of the kids that would later that day be searching for them! Isabella is still at that distractable age, once she found one egg she was happy and played with it only! We tried to get her to look for more eggs but she was more interested in playing with her basket! She had been playing with her basket (from her Grand) for weeks--I have called her "bucket head" because she thinks that it makes a great hat!
My little "Bucket head!!"
An action shot!!
Grand came by to watch the hunt!Before we headed to swimming, she wanted to go down the slide!!
After the Easter egg hunt we had swimming lessons and a nice 3 hour nap!! The naps after swimming lessons have all been three hours or longer!! Nice!!
Great-Grandma loves to shop for Isabella, this time she brought her some Easter decoration, a very prissy ruffled purse (that she HAS to keep a handerchief in to blow her nose with), a bathing suit cover-up (that she is wearing in the picture) and a lamb that she slept with for days.In the evening my Dad came from Charleston for a visit! It is always really nice to see him.
Easter Sunday morning my Mom and Grandma went to church with us!! It was a wonderful moving service, to celebrate our wonderful risen Savior!!

Unfortunately I forgot my camera Easter morning so we took pictures with my moms, I will post them as soon as I can get them from her!!I don't know why, but I love this picture!! It is so sweet to me!!

My Mom was carrying Isabella into church and Grandma and I were probably ten feet behind them, Isabella looked over Mom's shoulder and said "Come on Mama!! Come on!!" Absolutely as clear as you and I could say it--it was so cute! She amazes me daily!
After church we went back to Mom's for lunch, and a nap for Isabella!
It was an absolutely wonderful day!!

Marching on. . .

Okay, so as usual I am running a little late in my posting!! March ended up being quite a busy month, or at least it felt like it!!
On March 8th we started swimming lessons for Isabella--I know that she is too little to actually learn to swim--I am just hoping that at the end of the lessons she will have a healthy fear of the water!! I really want her to enjoy being in the water too. She was so funny the first couple of weeks, she kept looking at us like "What are we doing?" I would totally recommend "Water Babies" classes for any child, she loves it!! They taught us to teach the kids a certain command and say it every time that they come into the pool to us-- jumping in from sitting on the side of the pool!! Jumping in is her favorite thing to do!! I hope that she will be a little fish and love to swim!!
The next week Jason got in the pool and swam with her! It is so funny how she varies from being a Mommy's girl to a Daddy's girl--from day to day, sometimes moment to moment!!
In the picture above they are doing the motions to "The Wheels on the Bus," pool style!!
I am so glad that she is enjoying the lessons as much as we are!!

March...so far

A few weeks ago Isabella and I went to Santee to meet my Dad for lunch. He lives in Charleston and we don't get to see him nearly enough, so we met half way at the Cracker Barrel. It is always great to see and get to spend time with him!!
In the car on the way, it was a pleasant trip--it just does not look like it at this moment!
We will just let it look like she is smiling--don't look too closely!!
You can see the sleepiness on her face!!
The restful ride home!!
March 2nd is Jason's birthday and the 5th is my Dad's birthday!! Dad and Andrea came up to visit us and celebrate birthdays with us Saturday March 1st. That afternoon we did a little birthday shopping and then celebrated birthday dinner at Percy and Willie's (Jason's favorite restaurant). I took an ice cream cake with us, and they were kind enough to put it in their freezer until we were finished eating dinner and were ready for it. We usually have the family over for birthday cake after dinner, but even though we had thoroughly sprayed Lysol, we did not want to take any chances of anyone catching Jason's flu germs!! We had eleven people for birthday dinner and dessert!!
The birthday boy and his little girl--so sweet together!!
Papa and Grand!
My Dad and Andrea!!
Mark (Jason's brother), Dawn, Mackenzie, and Jesse!!
As I mentioned, we shopped Saturday afternoon. We decided that I would get Jason a seat to go on the back of his bike for Isabella to ride with us, and she got him the helmet that she is required to wear. Even though he was still recuperating and Isabella and I had colds, we went for a little ride Sunday afternoon to try out the new seat---she loved it!! Getting all strapped in and ready for her first ride!
I hope that you had a wonderful birthday weekend, Jason!! We love you and are so blessed to have you in our lives!! Happy 28th Birthday!!!

FINALLY, pictures of our new house!!

After a few very crazy weeks around here, I can finally sit down and blog about our new house!! The wonderful man that we purchased the house from let us come in before we close on it to get some painting and cleaning completed. I just love the names that companies come up with for colors--we painted Isabella's room "Rhapsody Lilac", the kitchen "Cantaloupe Smile", and the rest of the house a mixed khaki color!!!
i almost forgot--I love the Magnolia tree in our front yard!! It is so pretty and southern, I can't wait until it blooms!! Jason, and a lot of other people swear that we need to severely cut it back or down because of spiders, the roots... We haven't made a final decision yet, he did relent to let it bloom at least once before we decide!!
For Valentines day my super sweet husband bought Isabella and myself a wonderful porch swing--I grew up with a front porch swing that I LOVED, and have always wanted one!! That weekend Jason and his dad set to the task of hanging the swing, and they did a great job--no worries that anything (or any weight) will ever bring it down!! As I knew that she would, Isabella loves sitting on it with us and swinging!
My Jason and his Dad, after a long afternoon of working!! Isabella enjoying her first swing with her Daddy!!
As I wrote in my last post, we closed on the house on Wednesday the 20th of February, and that Friday Jason started not feeling well. Isabella and I moved out and stayed with my mom the whole next week, per the doctors recommendation. Even though the house certainly was still a mess, I was so ready to get back here. Please don't misunderstand, we totally love my mom and are so thankful for her and her ability to help us--but there is no place like your own bed!!!
Slowly but surely the house is coming together, not as quickly as I would like it to, but we will get there some day!! We get more comfortable here everyday, and Isabella can already take you down the hall and right to her room when asked!
She has already claimed a cabinet for our Rubbermaid for her to play with!!
Our first breakfast in our new house--a carpet picnic of bananas and Captain Crunch cereal!
Sharing a donut with Papa--notice the "Cantaloupe Smile" she is leaning on! :)
I wish that you could hear the way that she cackled while being dragged around!!
These pictures are of how Papa kept Isabella entertained while the rest of us were hard at work painting! She loved being pulled around in her "cart"!!
Speaking of Isabella, I have to brag for a few minutes!! Since we got her ear tubes she is constantly picking up new words and phrases. Seriously, every time you hand her something she says "taint you." We went to see Dr. Whitehead for her 15 month checkup the week before last (I know, a little late), and he handed her a book and her response was "taint you," he looked shocked and said "well, your welcome"!! She is up to 23 pounds and 33 inches! Growing like a weed, and continuing to amaze us every single day! We are so very blessed and thank God everyday for her!!
It did not seem to matter whether she had a little ketchup or a lot, she just wanted some!!
Isabella has finally figured out what some of us have known for a really long time--ketchup makes everything better!!! I purposefully tried to not introduce her to condiments, trying to keep things simple--but one night we were eating at Chik-Fil-A and she would not take a bite without there being ketchup on it! I am telling you, something new everyday!! It is SO MUCH FUN to be a parent and experience new things with her!!