So Much to be Thankful For

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone, and again it is a reminder of how much we all have to be thankful for.  We had a busy Thanksgiving day, we traveled to Cedar Rapids to Kevin's grandma's for lunch, then drove to my parent's house in Ames for dinner.  Then back home.  It was about 5 hours in the car for us but Isabelle did great, and mommy loved riding in the back with her.  Actually come to think of it, she has never rode in the backseat alone when we have both been in the car.  :)  Unfortunately we did not get one picture of the Thanksgiving activities.  You would think with how many we take that we would have taken tons, but the camera sat forgotten about in the car during the day. 

What am I thankful for this year?  Here is my random list.

Isabelle and every single thing about her
A husband who loves me unconditionally
Simba, the cutest kitty in the world
A mom and dad who are amazing parents to me and also amazing friends
A sister who is my best friend and her adoring family
All my relatives near and far and having cousins in North Carolina that are great friends as well
Loving in-laws
My health and my families health
God
Being a stay at home mommy
Sleep
Isabelle's contagious laugh and smile
Our home
Going to Disney World in 4 days
Christmas lights....okay everything Christmas
Wrapping presents for Isabelle
A change in seasons
Sweatpants and hoodies
Curling up in bed and reading a magazine while eating popcorn while I hear Kevin singing to Isabelle as he rocks her before bed
Did I mention Isabelle?

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! 

We're Making A List and Checking It Twice...

No this is not a Christmas list, but a list for vacation!! In one week we will be in Disney World!! The plane takes off bright and early Tuesday morning at 6:25 so we are starting the packing now!  Actually now that we have Isabelle, I realize how simple it is to pack for myself and how much more I need to pack for her!  Plently of summer outfits, sunscreen, swimsuits, snacks, diapers, pajamas, booster seat, wipes, sippy cups, the list goes on and on.  So I figured I would start doing a little at a time, cross it off the list once its done rather then trying to throw it all in a suitcase the night before!  We can't wait to be there!! 

On a different note here are some adorable pictures of Isabelle today!

Playing peek-a-boo behind her hand.  She LOVES playing peek-a-boo and will use anything to "hide" behind...Elly, a stuffed animal, a sock, her bib...anything.  So cute. :)

The past four days.....

I can't believe I haven't blogged in 4 days!! I know it's really not that long, but for me it is! Here is what our little family has been up to these past four days.

Thursday I had an MRI done on my brain for some serious headaches I have.....turns out my MRI came back just fine.  Must be genetics thanks to my mom and dad. :)  I am on medication twice a day for them so hopefully that will continue to help!!! 

Friday we took Isabelle to the doctor and turns out she has her very first viral infection.  Boo to germs.  I hate germs!! Tuesday night she had a fever of 101.7 and woke up Wednesday with a normal temperature.  Then Wednesday night she broke out in a rash on her tummy and back.  We called the nurse immediately and they suggested to just keep an on her since she was acting fine and her fever was gone.  But then she started not sleeping well at night and crying, and the rash was not getting any better.  So we took her in Friday and they said it was a viral infection.  I have no clue where she got that since we are beyond careful with her and stay far away from anyone with pretty much even the sniffles!  The good news is she is on the mend and sleeping well at night again and the rash is almost all gone.  I think she is working on her two bottom molars too!

Before her doctor appointment....looks happy to me! :)

Saturday I went up to Ames in the afternoon for my oldest friends baby shower.  Erin is due January 24th with her first baby, a little boy.  My mom went to the shower with me as well and it was great to see Erin, she looks beautiful!  Isabelle stayed home with Kevin as the shower was at 3:00, which is her afternoon nap time.  We had a great time at the shower and of course I was so happy to get home to see Isabelle!!

The glowing mommy-to-be

Back at home before bedtime

Today we had some fun playtime in the morning and ran some errands in the afternoon.  Isabelle took her usual 3 hour afternoon nap and woke up at 6:00 for dinner.  She has been sleeping so much lately! Her morning nap is about an hour and a half and her afternoon nap goes well into the evenings and is usually 3 hours! A couple times last week I had to wake her up at 6:45 so she could eat dinner! She still goes back to sleep by 8:30 for bedtime.  Maybe she is going through a growth spurt!!

Playtime after breakfast

Before her afternoon nap

Hope everyone had a great weekend!



Santa Clause is Coming to Town!

Today after lunch Isabelle went to visit Santa Clause!!! It was her very first visit (we didn't take her last year since we were paranoid about H1N1!!!), anyways she loved it! We took her to Valley West Mall and she was very excited to see the "North Pole", Santa, and go on two train rides!  She love waiving at Santa and when it was time to leave she just stood there next to him waving!  So adorable.  It was so much fun, and I think we will take her again!  Kevin met us over his lunch hour also so Isabelle was very happy to see her daddy too!  Enjoy the pictures!

Entering the North Pole!

SANTA!!!

All Aboard!! (The train pictures are somewhat blurry and dark...although what do you expect with a moving train!)

We had a great time today and Isabelle can't wait to visit Santa again!

2 Year Wedding Anniversary

Two years ago today, Kevin and I got married.  The past two years have flown by.  Probably because all but 3 months of our marriage I was pregnant, and then Isabelle was born.  What a blessing our lives have been the past two years.  I could not be happier and I could not ask for a more supportive, devoted and loving husband.  Kevin brought me my favorite flowers over his lunch break, white roses, and he was delivered some balloons at work this morning.  We are blessed beyond our wildest dreams to have Isabelle as our daughter.  She has brought us closer as a couple and taught us so much about being a family and love.  We love you so much Isabelle Ann!  Happy two year anniversary Kevin! I love you forever, always, and no matter what. 

Our little family (this was on Isabelle's Birthday)

Here's to many more years of love and happiness together!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree.....

Tis the Season for Christmas trees, lights, and christmas carols!  This weekend we put the Christmas tree up and decorated it!  Kevin hung lights outside yesterday in the cold and it looks great!  Pretty impressive considering we don't have a ladder so he just used a step stool!  Isabelle loves the Christmas tree, especially when it is all lit up.  She has been pretty good about keeping the ornaments on the tree but occasionally will try to pull one or two down.  :) 

  (Yes there is a section on the tree with burnt out lights.....we need to fix that) :)

Outside (Christmas Tree on porch and mini Christmas trees on walkway)

Happy Holidays!

A Cold Couple of Days

It has been cold, cold, cold around here the past couple of days.  I know it is nothing in comparison to what is heading our way in the coming months, but we got pretty use to the perfect falls days we had been having.  All the chilly, rainy weather has meant lots of playtime indoors.  Isabelle has been playing with all her new toys she got for her birthday and seems to be loving it!  We also went to a birthday party tonight for our neighbor's son Gavin who turned 1 today.  Isabelle had a lot of fun trying his birthday cake out and showing him how to walk.  She was also pretty excited when she got a coloring book and some crayons to take home as a party favor!  Enjoy the pictures!

Waving at Elmo on tv

Isabelle's new farm fridge set is very helpful when I am putting away groceries! :)  And she LOVES it.

Heading out to the birthday party....yes she is all bundled up and they only live 2 houses away. :)

At the party with her new coloring book!

Back at home....playing with the fridge farm :)