Discoveries...

Here are a few things I have discovered lately...

1. Isaac can crawl up on the master bed. This morning Isaac and I were in the bedroom--he was playing Lego's ("le-lows") while I was puttering around getting things done. I left the room for 42.3 seconds and returned to my son standing on the bed saying, "Tough-tough" while beating his chest with Lego's. He apparently had claimed victory over the queen sized bed which sits on lifts. Despite the fact that he is not a big climber, Isaac has figured out to climb onto the hope chest and then onto the bed. A bit scary, but hilarious.

2. Gray Hair! I just hit 30 last week and I am beginning to go gray??? This cannot be. I noticed a few grey strands on the top of my head in some pictures we had taken this weekend. Today as I was brushing my hair, I noticed gray at the temples. Aaargh! I don't color my hair because I prefer its natural color and because red out-of-a-bottle doesn't look quite as good as the real deal. I had a momentary picture of myself at 32 with completely gray hair and about passed out on the floor of the bathroom.

3. They're not freckles---they are the mask of pregnancy! Okay, so technically they really are my freckles, but they have gotten significantly darker in the past week. I kind of remember this happening at the end of my pregnancy with Isaac, but it was also the end of summer and Tobe and I had spent a significant amount of time at the pool (yes, in a maternity swimsuit that I was never photographed in--thank goodness--and whose yards of material would soak up half the pool water whenever I entered the water). Between the gray hair and the darkening freckles, I am one hot mama!

4. 20 month olds do not understand the simple act of returning library materials at the drive-through window. Tuesday is our typical library day, but yesterday we had a service professional at our house and had to skip out on story time. However, we had some items that needed to be returned. Since the library is just down the road, Isaac and I loaded up in the car and set out to drop these things in the library bin. I explained exactly what we were doing, stating that we could not get out of the car because 1.Story time was over 2. It was raining 3.Isaac had on no shoes. Apparently this logic did not come across, because all the way home Isaac cried, "Li-larry". That boy loves his books!

5. Regardless of increase in contractions and activity level, I have not progressed any more in the "labor" department since last week. We saw our doctor today and really thought I would have made even more progress than I had last week. Our doctor even commented on how she had expected to see us over the weekend. Well....nothing has changed since last week. Last week's news made us panic a little and the same report today disappointed us a bit. Ironic, huh....especially considering it was the same news! The doctor is estimating that the baby weighs 7 pounds (she estimated six pounds last week)....I hope she doesn't gain another pound in a week--I prefer to stay under the 8 pound baby mark!

What have you discovered lately?

National "Hug a Goat" Day

Did you know that this past Saturday was "Hug a Goat" day? Neither did we, until we took Isaac to a petting zoo at a local farm. He was not scared of the animals at all and immediately felt the need to hug the goat. (Don't worry...we know the dangers of petting zoos and were willing to risk a case of E. Coli so our son could hug a goat.)

I love these pictures because it captures the first (of many) hugs as it happened.

Surveying his crops

Finally....a bunny that does not hop frantically away when Isaac approaches it

(Our neighbors happened to be at this same event with their son who is five months younger than Isaac. He too was thrilled with a bunny that was captive as he often attempts to chase "Neighborhood Bunny" his own self.)Tobe's work had a baby shower for us on Friday---it was great fun and everyone was incredibly thoughtful and generous.

Here is a picture of Isaac eating cake for the first time at the shower

(remember, he didn't eat any cake at his birthday party and we are mean and don't allow him to eat junk food.)

Because it is 7am on Monday morning, I can safely say that I successfully made it through the weekend without giving birth (our doctor's goal). Here are some of those lovely pregnancy statements made to me over the weekend ....

*** "You don't even look pregnant." (Really??? I am nine months pregnant--there is a
six plus pound human in my stomach. It's okay--I know I look pregnant. Just stick
with the "You're glowing." comments rather than attempting to make me feel like my
stomach can't take out small children if I turn too quickly.)

*** "Let me just squeeze this in between the two of you." (Said by the size 0 Banana Republic salesgirl. If you are wondering who the "two of you" were....it was me and my tummy.
This same sales girl also attempted to reach out and touch my stomach when we entered
the store, but I backed away. Why do people think it is okay to touch someones
abdomen when they are pregnant? Ask first please---and then I will likely tell you "no"
unless you are a close friend or relative.)

*** "You need to be really careful on there." (This warning was given by the 20 year old male
sales associate at Banana Republic. Why was I given a warning? Because I had dared sit
upon a sturdy, two foot wide stool, with my feet planted firmly on the ground. Yes, the
stool read "Employees only" but I figured management did not want me dragging over
one of their leather chairs so I could give my opinions to my adorable husband as he
shopped the men's section.)

Despite these random comments, we had a nice weekend of getting things done (and hugging goats) before this baby arrives. I think Isaac senses something is going on. He wants me to hold him more and is being a lot more affectionate (this is the baby who never wanted to cuddle). Lately he has been whiny and having a more difficult time following instructions (this could be because he is 20 months old and not because baby number 2 is coming) He understands what room belongs to the baby and can tell you what things are the baby's and what are his. We are attempting to prepare him as best we can and then are ready for his potential rollar coaster of emotions once the baby arrives.

Often I will ask him, "Isaac, is the baby here yet?" to which he will sweetly reply, "No." Then we talk about how the baby is in my tummy and the doctor will take it out when it is time...blah, blah, blah. Yesterday Tobe was up in the attic fetching some baby gear. Isaac loves the garage and the attic. He kept telling me "Daddy, attic." Then he told me, "Baby, attic." Nice. I guess he thinks we are keeping the baby in the attic for the time being....

30. That's Me.

I can remember stories of how my parents took a mini-vacation to New Orleans to celebrate my mother's thirtieth birthday. They already had my older brother and myself and loaded up the family to celebrate in The Big Easy. Although I was too young to remember this particular trip, this story has stayed with me because for most of my childhood I would think, "30....that is sooooo old." (Sorry, Mom--I don't think you are sooooooooooo old now and you certainly don't look a day over 40.)

I turned 30 this week and suppose I have now crossed that great age barrier between still being somewhat of a "kid" and now actually being a true adult. Per my request, there were no flashy parties, stretch limos, or toasts with champagne to welcome in this new decade of life (Have you seen a maternity party dress? Think a Mu-Mu that has been attacked with a bedazzler.). There were a few incredibly fun, low-key celebrations that made the event quite enjoyable. Isaac helped me welcome in my actual birthday by having the worst diaper explosion ever that morning which resulted in a complete stripping and washing of the entire contents of his crib (Somehow, Ink-Ink was spared).

Entering my thirties---thus leaving the good ol twenties behind---makes me think over the past decade to see what I have accomplished in order to get to this major age milestone. It was at the age of 20 that I met Tobe (We actually had a class together the Spring semester I turned 20, so technically I guess I knew him at 19 as well. However, he never knew I was in that class and I was terribly annoyed by his loud mannerisms. That is a story for another entry though....) and the age of 24 that I married him (Best decision I ever made). I completed an undergraduate and graduate degree in my 20's. I wrote a pretty good thesis (despite the fact that I did not win the $100 thesis award from ACU---no bitterness there, huh?) and was asked to present it at the national APA convention. I travelled to Africa twice---spending a total of 3 1/2 months living there---and became deeply involved in the plight of street children and in the horrible condition of this continent. I purchased my first home (along with Tobe) and discovered the ups and downs of actually owning your own property. I worked as a behavioral specialist teacher for four years---something I would have never seen myself doing at 20---and came to love a small group of children with such a passion it amazed me. I closed out my 20's by giving birth to the sweetest boy ever and was able to devote my days (and nights) to raising him in his early months. Finally I carried baby number 2 during the last months of my twenties, often times stopping to wonder what this feisty little one will bring to our world.

Would my 20 year old self be happy with this new 30 year old? Probably (although she might be a bit frightened by the 30 year old version of her body and the fact that her hair is still a major battle most days). My in-laws came over this week to celebrate, laden with gifts and chocolate cake. The napkins they brought read, "30...the party continues." I truly hope so.

*****

Because I am lazy, I am going to include a baby update with this post rather than creating a new one. Yesterday the three of us headed out to our doctor's office and were a tiny bit shocked to discover that I had progressed some in the whole "labor" department, despite the fact that since Sunday contractions had really been picking up. I will spare you the details (except for those of you I emailed last night in which I did give you the graphic description), but our doctor did say this baby needs to at least wait until next week to make an appearance because we want her lungs to be nice and healthy. Um....Tobe and I really need her to wait until about May 4th so he can get through a major project at work and I can actually prepare for this child. I am now going to lay low and attempt to keep this child in a few more weeks. I have crossed off "mulch flowerbeds" and "walk with family to historic farm event" off my weekend list of things to do in order to make this happen. We'll keep you posted!

***

What's a blog entry without a funny Isaac story? Yesterday, Isaac and I were riding in the car. I was SUPER tired yesterday and realized as we drove along in silence that I was not being a fun Mommy. I looked at Isaac in the mirror and said, "Hey, you want to sing 'E-I-E-I-O' (his name for "Old McDonald Had a Farm"). Isaac sweetly replied, "No." I then asked, "How about 'Wheels on the Bus?" Again, another sweet little "No." came from the backseat. I tried a third time by asking, "You want to sing your ABC's?" Isaac shook his little head and said "No." Finally I asked, "Would you like to just ride and enjoy the silence?" A big grin spread across his face, lighting up his blue eyes, as he eagerly replied, "Sures!"

Random Bits and Pieces

1. I love all things that involve organization. My supervising professor in grad school one day told me my spiritual gift was organization (This was a compliment coming from a professor whose tests' layouts involved a specific planning process with a certain amount of spacing between items and carefully constructed boxes around questions so that answers would be neatly contained.). Because I love organization, I adore The Container Store. I can look for hours at their carefully constructed closets, pantries, and mud rooms. The Container Store is currently having their Spring Sale. On Wednesday Isaac and I swung by and picked up a few things. The first was their various sizes of lingerie boxes (currently $2 off original price). These make excellent storage spaces for baby socks, onesies, pjs, and burp clothes and prevent one's dresser from becoming an explosion of baby clothes. I used these in Isaac's dresser and now Evelyn has her own set. We also picked up another clear storage bin because Isaac's puzzle collection was overflowing it's original container. These clear storage bins are great for children's toys with a variety of pieces because they are clear (Isaac can see what is inside), they are sturdy (Isaac loves to sit in the larger ones and be pushed through the house), and the lids snap shut tightly (Isaac can't open them on his own, which prevents too many toys from being tossed around the living room). If you are out and about this weekend, peek into your local Container Store and find some great buys!

2. Our new sand and water table is officially open for business. Being the intelligent parents that we are, Tobe and I left the 40 pound bag of play sand outside during the rain last week. Oops. Currently the sand in the sand table is a bit damp, but you can make some groovy sand castles with it. Isaac is quite thrilled with this new outside toy (he was actually quite thrilled with it during the week it resided in our living room with no sand or water in it and he had to pretend to dig) and often takes a shovel over to Bunny so he can join in the festivities (By the way, Bunny is not actually our pet nor does he reside at our house full-time. There is some confusion out there involving this little hare. He rotates between a few homes in the neighborhood throughout the day. He often visits us from mid-morning until early evening.).

3.I trekked out to our local Wal-Mart last night around 8pm to pick up some necessities for the weekend. I prefer to make such trips by myself or with Tobe when it happens to be just the two of us. The whole experience is much more peaceful without Isaac, even though he happens to be a great errand companion. Although I was fortunate enough to be alone, there were quite the number of parents with small children in tow completing their own shopping. I know some of this is out of necessity, but I still wonder why people have young children in Wal-Mart at 9pm at night (Yeah, I was there a long time.). The sight that shocked me the most was the one year old riding happily in her mother's shopping cart drinking a 22 oz soda fountain drink from QT. It wasn't the occasional sip to keep her pacified either---I believe this was the child's personal drink. Oh dear.

4. Speaking of QT, guess where Tobe and I ate dinner last night? QT. After he arrived home from work, we began talking about our respective days and lost track of time a bit. I was also feeling a bit "blah" and was contemplating leftovers rather than the shrimp pasta I had planned to cook. We decided to go ahead and feed Isaac and then pick up a small bite to eat for our own selves. Somehow we ended up feasting on a hot dog (me) and taquitos (Tobe) in the parking lot of this fine establishment. Sounds a bit disturbing until you have visited our local QT (it is quite nice and incredibly clean) and have tried their food (pretty tasty). Our particular QT is next to a storage building facility and we noticed a few men parking their cars in the QT parking lot and walking over to the storage facility. Tobe guesses that they most likely live in one of the units. I immediately felt disheartened that someone had to live in a storage unit, but then wondered why they were living in this particular storage facility. Our local QT (and its neighboring storage facility) don't actually reside in our hometown but in the neighboring suburb which is much more expensive and ritzy (Thus, the nice gas station). These men could likely get a better deal on a storage unit if they would simply relocate about 5 miles down the road. (Truth be told, I hope they don't have to live in any storage facility and our guess about their residence being located at these units is wrong.)

5. Yesterday, Ink-Ink had to have his teeth brushed, socks put on, fed goldfish, and be "rah-rahed" (This means be "rock-rocked" and Isaac has to join in the fun as well. The three of us are quite a sight as we attempt to fit into the glider). Poor Evelyn. I think she has just lost her first sibling battle over a toy. (Don't know who Ink-Ink is? Check the post below.)

6. Because it is Friday....here is a video of Isaac chasing Bunny on Easter. Enjoy! (Random Tip: Never purchase a home whose front yard is shaped like the state of Florida. You can see our "peninsula" in this video--not fun to maintain, my friends.)


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Become Aware this Month

Despite the fact that we are rapidly approaching the middle of April, I wanted to pass along the knowledge that April is Autism Awareness Month. For those of you who might not have realized, I mainly worked with children who had forms of high-functioning autism during my teaching career. In doing so, I became quite proficient in this spectrum disorder and somewhat involved in groups that are searching for a cure and/or answers for this disease. I believe it is safe to say that Autism is an epidemic that is rapidly affecting our society. The prevalence rates of autism are now being reported by the CDC as 1 in every 150 (some other organizations report it to be as high as 1 in 133). That is tragically high, people.

Autism is classified as a "spectrum" disorder, meaning that symptoms can range from mild to serious, yet are similar in features. Basically, not everyone diagnosed as having autism acts like Dustin Hoffman in Rainman (truthfully, very few demonstrate such characteristics although Mr. Hoffman's character was based on a real person). There currently is no cure and currently no definite known cause of this disease. Having worked closely with a small group of children and families for four years who are affected by this disorder (I taught the same students every year, despite their grade level), I have seen how hard Autism is on the person struggling with it and on their families (all of the parents were either divorced or going through a divorce by the end of my four years with that class--tragic). My students were considered "high functioning" meaning that they basically appeared to be your average elementary student. However, they were prisoners of their own mind, unable to communicate feelings appropriately, severely irritated by things others likely do not notice, and struggled to understand the social norms of our society. A journal sits in the dusty corners of my attic written by one of my students in times of anger. We started this process one fall as a way for him to tell me what he was feeling when frustration took hold of his body (I honestly started this out of self-preservation because his normal reaction was to scream and act out aggressively towards me and school property....always a nice way to spend one's work day). Some of the journal includes writing but the majority of it is in pictures. It really opened my eyes to the prison this child was in and that the prison was his own mind. Although I would like to share this journal with others and use it someday, the mother was never very keen on signing any type of release so its contents are bound by state confidentiality laws.

I encourage you to become more aware of this disease this month. Oprah did a semi-decent episode on autism last week (I say "semi" because she felt the need to share her half-educated ideas constantly and also attempted to make a vaccine connection which has been rebuked by the scientific community. However, the families that were shown did an excellent job of relaying how autism affects them personally.) that had some useful insights and information. Cure Autism Now (who recently merged with Autism Speaks) is a great organization and a good start to educate yourself about this disease. Our local Walk Now! is rapidly approaching, but there is still time to sign up to participate (Casa de Phillips will not be at this one due to the fact that little Evelyn should have recently made her appearance by this point in time)

******

As I climb down from my soapbox, I do have an amusing Isaac story to lighten the mood of this post. Last week my mother sent an Easter basket package to Evelyn (Isaac's had come the day before through Amazon.com---an Ernie DVD. He currently calls Ernie "Denny" which is quite precious). Isaac was in the living room as I opened the box and was quite excited to view its contents. As I cut through the thick layers of packing tape, I kept reminding him that this box contained things for the baby. We were finally able to open the flaps of the box and the first thing I pulled out was a pink Gund teddy bear that had been mine when I was a child. Isaac immediately grabbed it, gave it a huge hug, and called it a pig. He has since named this "pig" Ink-Ink (because he says a pig says, "Ink Ink" rather than "Oink, Oink."). Ink-Ink has been a companion of Isaac every day since. Ink-Ink takes naps with Isaac, has his diaper changed with Isaac, and watches Elmo's World with Isaac. Every night we put Ink-Ink back in the baby's room, but every morning Isaac retrieves his new friend. Last night Isaac was mad at me because I would not let him play with nail clippers (what a Mean Mommy I am) and went in the living room crying for Ink-Ink. Precious. Poor Evelyn might never know that Ink-Ink is 1.Actually a bear and not a pig and 2. Belongs to her.

Jesus, The Easter Bunny, & Elmo

Tobe, Isaac, and I spent Easter by ourselves as a family of three (perhaps more like 3.7) this year and had a nice day of mixing the religious and secular aspects of this springtime holiday. We only took a mere 134 pictures of Isaac by noon today. Here are some of our favorites:

Friday's Easter Egg Hunt with Morgan

(Again, no good pictures of the two of them together. This is going to make the wedding slide show quite difficult.)

Bluebonnets!

We ventured out to the side of a highway entrance ramp to snap these. Thank goodness for photo editing software as we were able to crop out the Albertson's sign in the background!












No Easter celebration is complete without your own live bunny to chase around the backyard

Isaac and Bunny sharing a piece of bread
Hunting eggs in the front yard

Digging through the goods in his Easter basket

(By the way, Isaac might have made an unusual association between Jesus, the Easter Bunny, and Sesame Street. Every thing in his Easter basket was Sesame Street-themed, with the exception of the bunny. Even his eggs were filled with Elmo and friends characters. I never thought I would be such a sell-out to "The Man")

Just in case you care....here is a picture of Isaac with his Easter basket this year and a shot of him with his basket last year. I guess it is true that if you feed them, kids sure do grow!

Happy Easter!

Baby Update...

I waddled into the OB's office today for my appointment where both Evelyn and I received a clean bill of health. My blood pressure was excellent (it usually runs on the low side--at one appointment my doctor asked if I needed to lie down), I had lost a pound in the last two weeks (nothing to be concerned about--there is just no room in my stomach right now for food. I lost five pounds one week while pregnant with Isaac around this same point in pregnancy. However this one pound weight loss did make me wish I had really pressured Tobe to get me the ice cream sandwich I was craving last night!), Evelyn's heartbeat was 140 bpm, and she is head down in the official "birthing position." I had my doctor mash around on my stomach to see what baby body parts were where (I cannot tell, just like I cannot read a sonogram to save my life). I had been assuming that baby girl's bottom was pushing up on my right rib cage because this is where I have a lot of pressure and pain. Oh no. It is her foot. She basically is kicking her way out of my stomach, with her head down, her bottom right in the middle and her feet firmly positioned in each set of ribs. This one is feisty, I can already tell!



Here is a fun pregnancy story to share with you readers: After my doctor's appointment (I went alone because Isaac was still napping and this was just a "routine" appointment), I headed out to Kohl's to exchange a pair of shoes for Tobe. While there I of course felt drawn to the children's section. Boys shorts were on sale so I rummaged through them hoping to find a size that would fit Isaac (I am desperately hoping we don't also have to buy expensive adjustable waist shorts from The Gap like we do with his pants). I found a few pairs to bring home and try. After shopping the Children's section, I looked a bit longer (and longingly admired the non-preggo clothes) before making my purchase. AFTER I had paid for the shorts and exchanged the shoes, I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror. Firmly stuck to my ever-expanding belly was a big rectangle sticker with "Large" written on it several times. Apparently a size sticker from an article of clothing had unknowingly become stuck to my pregnant belly and I had been walking around Kohls with basically a sign reading "Large" on my stomach. Nice.



In closing, I must say that it is week three of Dancing with the Stars and I have yet to comment on it. Never fear, dear reader, I am watching and have already chosen a few couples to root for during this season. I am currently cheering for Joey Fat-tone, Lalia Ali, and Ian Zering (aka Don K.). If you live in my area and watch DWTS, then you know that last night's broadcast was pre-empted for live weather bulletins. I feel like people need to be aware of tornadoes, however I don't feel like we need a 45 minute discussion of such potential weather. At one point our ABC affiliate had a newscaster come in who used to live in the potential tornado area and discuss different streets that might be affected, they discussed the damage a tornado did to that same area years ago, and they had a random caller discuss how he thought he might have spotted a funnel cloud while leaving a local Chinese restaurant. All of that is great, but while these meteorologists and newscasters droned on and on about potential weather I was missing Survivor sing "Eye of the Tiger" on Dancing with the Stars. I called my roomie (who lives in last night's so-called "tornado alley" and who technically has not been my roommate since 1999) to make sure she and her family was safe (and had a moment of panic as the phone was ringing that she would leave the safety of the bathtub to answer my phone call). Despite the fact the supposed tornado was a mere two exits down from her house, she personally was not even getting rain, much less the baseball-sized hail Pete Delkus told me the whole area was getting.



ABC finally cut back to Dancing with the Stars for the final five minutes, where I joyfully watched the random Miss USA and her partner (whom we refer to as "Pin Head") get kicked off. Although I was able to witness the actual results of the program, I was quite mad about the 45 minute weather interruption for the rest of the evening. By the time Tobe and I crawled under the covers to go to sleep last night, I was still angry and lectured to him about how weather interruptions should only happen during commercials and not during such important programming as Dancing with the Stars. And people say pregnant women tend to be a bit hormonal....

Here are some "belly shots" from today so you can get a better image of a "Large" sticker stuck to my pregnant tummy.

By the way, I have finally found a pair of maternity jeans that I do not want to back over with my car and set on fire out of anger. I actually went with the "real waist" jeans, despite the fact that they have elastic in the back, belt loops (who wears a belt while pregnant?), and are supposed to fit right at the belly button. I hate anything hitting at my belly button--even when not pregnant--so I just fold these over in the front. The back elastic keeps the pants high in the back, which prevents embarrassing underwear exposure (I find that the semi-panel maternity jeans almost fall off my bottom every time I bend over, which can cause a bit of a scene at Toddler Story hour at our local library). This particular pair is from Motherhood Maternity and were on sale ("real waist" maternity jeans are a bit pricey, so look for a sale if you are cheap like me). If you see me in the next month, most likely I will be kicking these jeans! (or perhaps a floral MuMu if I go into another hormonal rage about unnecessary weather bulletins and completely lose touch with reality)

Snips &Snails & Puppy Dog Tails

Today marks Isaac's 20 month birthday. I think I will be a bit sad when he hits the two year mark and it is no longer "hip" to count one's age by months (however, as I myself am days away from turning 30 I am SOOO glad counting months stopped at the age of 2!). I am tired today after a restless night of pregnancy dreams, numerous bathroom trips, and an overall inability to get comfortable so Isaac and I skipped our normal Tuesday activities and stayed at home this morning. Although I would have preferred to have laid on the couch watching Rachel Ray (who wouldn't?), Isaac and I headed outdoors to tend to some household chores and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Isaac helped me re-pot two peace Lilly's that were in desperate need of a new home

(He also managed to trip over one and sit in the other one somehow during this process)

We took his new car out for a spin around the neighborhood and stopped to enjoy our local neighborhood park

(Which is a bit of a death trap for children under the age of 5 and, according to my mom, a spot for the local teenagers to make-out)

Mommy and Isaac self-portrait before going down the slide together

(In case you are an ACU alumni and you were wondering....yes I am wearing a t-shirt that says KJ Krew that is ten years old. I am a loser.)

Upon arriving home from the park, I informed Isaac that we needed to water our newly planted flowerbeds. This boy LOVED the water hose and would run into the spray. We knew he was a water baby last summer (just like his mama) when he took to the pool like a little fish, but who would have known a sprinkler on a cool morning would be so fun?

I love how silly he is in this picture and how you can see all the teeth he has gotten/is getting in the past six weeks!






After spending a good thirty minutes playing in the water, Isaac was soaked! I had to str*p him down in the driveway. You can tell what a skinny tiger he is when he just has on his diaper!


If you are bored today, feel free to come over and Isaac will happily play in the sprinkler with you!

**By the way, there is another new post below this one. I should get a gold star for posting two blog entries on the same day. The double entries might have something to do with the fact that I have taken over 100 pictures of Isaac in the past 24 hours and I feel the need to share some of these treasures!**

Springtime Fun

Isaac and I ventured out to take some Spring pictures of his 20 month old cuteness. Because I swore after our traumatic experiences at the portrait studio for Christmas and 18 month old pictures that I would not subject Isaac to a professional photographer at Easter, we headed to our local botanical gardens for a quick photo shoot before he was let loose to go "pay." Notice once again that there are no bluebonnet pictures, because I just can't try to strategically place my toddler in a field of flowers that resides only on the side of busy interstates. (Tobe and I were going to attempt this together on Saturday but the ground was too muddy after all the rain).

Enjoy!

Not really sure what he was looking for in this tree, but it was quite interesting to him. What I did not catch on film was him eventually falling over the big tree trunk and saying, "UhOh Mommy tree" repeatedly.



Running like a madman on the playground

"Trash Mommy"
(He is currently fixated on all things that could be qualified as trash and feels the need to throw them away. It has really cut down on our need to vacuum casa de phillips)

Happy to be going home

Random Tidbits from the Day:

*I originally put Isaac's new sandals on him, which did not go over well. He kept saying "No Mommy, No, no, toes, no shoes Mommy..." He wouldn't even attempt to walk in them. I hope he gets over his dislike of his summer sandals because I personally love them!

*Yesterday Isaac woke up for his nap calling out for "Bunny."

*Last night at dinner Tobe told Isaac that after we finished eating the two of them were going to work in the garage. Isaac then proceeded to load everything up into his bowl and say, "Done." That boy loves to play outside and in the garage!