The boy is six months old!

On November 24 Isaiah reached the 6 month milestone.   He hasn't added any teeth to the two he got at 3 months but I wouldn't be surprised if a couple breakthrough his gums on top soon due to the way he chomps down on everything and the drool.

We've started feeding him solids and after a week of pounding the rice cereal we've added squash.  He loves every bite that is given to him.  And the girls love feeding him.

He's quite strong and has learned to maneuver himself sideways, around and backwards using his arms; every which way but forward.  This will come soon enough because he is continuing to become a better sitter-upper and when laying down on his belly he will  use his legs to push his little bottom in the air.

His eyes seem to be leaning towards brown but hints of blue won't quite go away so he may be our hazel-eyed child.   And his smile, well, his smile just puts a smile on everyone else around him.

Oh we are enjoying our son!

Parent/Teacher Conference

Last week Kevin and I attended our first parent-teacher conference. Upon our arrival, Mrs. Jones asked us how in the world we got there without Sofia helping us find the classroom and showing us where to go. She's got Sofia pegged. Kevin has nicknamed her "the director" and needless to say she continues to be so at school. I asked Mrs. Jones how this affects Sofia's interactions with her classmates. She said the students have learned to just walk away when they've had enough and Sofia doesn't seem to mind. Together we laughed and appreciated this strength of hers.

We were pleased to hear that Sofia is excelling in all areas of academics as well as her behavior. We were also pleased to hear that Mrs. Jones is challenging and moving Sofia forward in her learning. After 25 years of teaching she said Kindergarten is no longer milk and cookies. Kindergarteners are expected to be at a B level in reading by the end of the school year. The lowest level is AA moving to A then B and so on. Sofia is currently close to a D level.

It's encouraging once again to know that placing Sofia in public school was the correct choice for us. We pray that the knowledge Sofia gains will benefit her learning of "the wisdom of God"...the meaning of her name.

Pics from family surprise.

Here are some random pictures from our family surprise (see below post).

Isaiah heading to the airport to meet Uncle Kirk for the first time.

 You can't blame the boy...I mean, you can only guess how often his cheeks have been pinched.

 Selah and Aunt Kelli enjoying the view of Chicago. 

 You wonder what Selah must be thinking as she observes her uncle Kirk and Sofia putting Hershey Kiss hats on their heads.

 Sweet kisses from Aunt Tamra.

Isaiah hanging out with his cousin Hannah and Uncle Kirk.

 Who is the sister-in-law?

 Pile of love!!!!

Family Surprise!!

My sister, Kelli, turned 40 years old this past week.  Being that she lives in Michigan and her birthday was the day after Thanksgiving I knew that in order to have a surprise celebration I would need to devise a plan. 

The plan (or so Kelli thought)...
Kelli and Hannah would come over for the weekend to help do some holiday baking, Keri and Kelli would go do something special together, then on Sunday we might have Isaiah's baby dedication.

What actually happened...
The Wednesday before, Tamra (Kirk's wife) flew in to spend some time with us.  Saturday morning Kelli and Hannah arrived and were shocked to see Tamra at our house.  Then we all jumped in the car to drive to the airport so we could pick up our little brother, Kirk.  From there we drove to downtown Chicago.

It was a cold but sunny day.  A perfect day to view the city from the 96th floor of the John Hancock Tower.  A secret we've learned is that instead of paying for the observatory deck, simply go up a couple more floors to the Lounge.  Here we enjoyed lunch (which cost less than the admission fee) and had the same view.  You should see the view from the women's bathroom..AMAZING!!!  Sorry men, your bathroom doesn't have a glass wall.

After a leisurely lunch, we strolled down Michigan Ave. taking in the holiday sights and sounds.  We also took a few detours through some stores before heading back to our place for dinner and birthday brownies. 

Sunday morning we enjoyed worshipping together as a family at our church then went out to lunch for some Chicago style hotdogs.  Soon afterwards Kelli and Hannah needed to head back to Michigan but thankfully Kelli left knowing that she was loved.

I am so blessed to have siblings that love the Lord with all of their hearts, minds and souls.  I am blessed to have had this special weekend with Kelli and Kirk. 

Oh so much to share....

This has most likely been the longest we have gone without a post.  We are thankful it has been because of much activity in our home and traveling for the Thanksgiving break.  So be warned!  There will most likely be a slew of postings in the next couple of days.:)

PJ Buddies

You gotta love kids in their footie pajamas.

So proud of her!

Selah has gone through quite a few changes over the past six months.  No doubt she struggled with some of the changes but she did it!

Relinquished role as baby of the family 

Fully potty trained (including nights) 

Said goodbye to her "night-night" (paci) 

Sent big sis off to school 

She is beginning to embrace her role as a big sister, loves to be mommy's helper, and without a doubt continues to make us laugh.  We love you Selah B. and are so proud of you! 

The Garden Party

Birthdays are special.  It is a time to celebrate the gift of life!!!  We have special ways as a family to celebrate the birthdays of our children (prayer circles) but for certain birthdays it is time to have a party!

We knew this was the year to have a party for Sofia.  It was her "golden birthday" (turning six on the sixth) and her birthday landed on a Saturday.  

Sofia wanted a garden theme.  Now I'm not the most talented cake decorator, nor am I a very creative-type person but you know what?  We had fun. 

The girls helping mommy make the cupcakes the night before.

Waking up to family presents.

Excited about receiving a gift she really wanted.  A Leapster.

Birthday girl and little sister waiting for the party to begin.

The "garden".

What's a garden without flowers, butterflies, frogs and ladybugs?

The party guests.

  The girls creating garden scenes with cut-out foam shapes.

Sofia enjoying every moment.

A garden of "flowers".  

Time to sing "Happy Birthday" and blow out the candle.

Eating cupcakes in their garden hats.

Happy Birthday, Sofia.  

We are so glad you were able to celebrate with Brooke and Bree from school; Miranda, Simi, and Cecilia from the neighbourhood; Valerie, Joy, Anna, and Audrey from church; and of course, Selah and Isaiah. You are a blessed little girl and we are blessed to have you as our daughter.

Sofia's Birthday Circle of Prayer

We invite you  to celebrate Sofia’s 6th birthday through prayer.  

Pray that…

Sofia will continue in good health and grow developmentally.

Sofia’s compassionate spirit will always be a part of who she is.

Sofia will continue to be curious, and that someday her curiosity will be satisfied by knowing Jesus.

Sofia will know and live out the meaning of her name , “wisdom of God”.

Sofia, whom God put on this earth for His enjoyment, will bring glory to God by enjoying Him.

Tooth #2

GONE!!!!!

Dress up time!

Halloween continues to be a time for us as a family to have fun and be creative.  This was the first year Selah really had a say in what costume she wanted to wear.  Of course, no surprise, she wanted to be just like her big sister.

Actually this year we had two days of dress up.  The first was on Friday the 29th for Sofia's class party.  See post below.  Selah wanted to dress up that day as well so I let her.  The second time was for Sunday the 31st.  After 'Trick or treating' around the neighbourhood the girls and daddy attended the Reformation Celebration at our church.  (Sadly mommy was pretty sick all weekend so spent much time at home in bed.)


Selah was particular about her makeup.  Nothing around the eyes and she wanted yellow.

 Sofia wanted pink and makeup on the eyes was no problem.  The night before we put her hair in worms in order to get the curly effect.

 Our kitty cats curling up for an afternoon nap.

 Time for trick or treating.  Selah was once again a cat.

 Sofia was a queen (she thought this was better than being a princess..oh my!).

 Our little slugger.

 Time to get some candy!

School Halloween Party

I was one of the mom helpers in Sofia's Kindergarten class on Friday for their Halloween party and costume parade.  Being that there are 18 classes in the afternoon it was quite the parade; hundreds of excited five and six year olds walking through the hallway and parking lot all dressed up.  Adorable!

When I wasn't fixing tiaras, tying shoelaces, or keeping kids in line, I managed to take a few pictures.

Waiting in the hallway to lineup for the parade.

Sofia being a kitty cat during the parade.

Back in the classroom they received instruction on how to make their pumpkin craft.

Enjoying candy with a couple of her best buddies, Julie and Bree.