Lately...

We've just been hanging out....

... eating snacks and growing a bunch...

... double fisting it with juice and strawberry milk...

... so he can get big and strong like Daddy, of course ...

... and laughing together... he's such a goof.

... and graduating from the baby nursery to the Discovery Cove nursery for "confident walkers." Isaac looooovvvves it in there. He gives us a good show of tears as we leave, of course. But we've been told that as soon as we're gone, he's on the go and playing with all the toys.

And the biggest news of all from the weekend.... For the first time, Isaac told me what he wanted by communicating to me with words rather than screams or cries!! Although others might think this is rather inconsequential, I considered it to be VERY EXCITING!! It happened at church yesterday as I gathered Isaac from Discovery Cove. I was carrying him as I walked back to meet up with Kevin and our friends. Isaac started to squirm (meaning he wanted down), but instead of crying, he said, “WALK! WALK!!” It was so COOL!! I stopped and responded, “You want to walk, Isaac? Okay, here you go.” As soon as I put him down, he took off. He was happy, and I was gloating. Did anyone hear that?? How satisfying it is that he is beginning to “use his words” to communicate!

Lasagna and Bananas

He's such a ham. :) The video is poor quality because of the camera, but you can still enjoy!! The only thing I have to feed him anymore is his yogurt... everything else he is pleased to help himself with. It's great!

Yes, English!

Isaac and I had our first verbal exchange in English today! What a hoot, short as it was.

Isaac loves dogs. Every time he sees one or even just hears one, he perks up and chimes “Goggie!” (or oggie, or doggie, depending on his pronunciation skills that day). You see, thanks to what we annoyingly – I mean, affectionately – refer to as our welcoming committee (ie. the incessant yappy dogs next door who bark at such trivial things as the ants crawling by orthe leaves blowing in the wind overhead), Isaac learned early on what a dog is and what it sounds like. So there have been a few weeks of responding to Isaac with, “Yes, it’s a doggie! What does the doggie say? [pause… but no reply] Woof, woof! Can you say, ‘Woof’?” [blank or quizzical stare received from the child]

Well this morning, Isaac heard our welcoming committee outside his window, and the following exchange took place:

Isaac looked up at me and said: “Doggie!”
Me: “Yes, and what does the doggie say?”
Isaac: “Oof!”

Hooray, my child knows English, and thus confirms that he does understand what we are saying to him! No more excuses when we tell him no he cannot play with the garbage in the trash can, or eat rocks outside, or throw his food on the floor. Now to get him to mind…. That’s another topic.

Day 3: Hanging Out

On Sunday we went to the church that my parents attend. Then for the rest of the day we relaxed and got to hang out together. It was a great time!

Day 2: Savannah

On Saturday we went to Savannah. We walked along River Street a little bit and then through the many garden squares. It was so beautiful and historic, I loved seeing all of the classic American homes and horse-drawn carriages. Here are some pictures from the day....

River Street

Anna & Caleb

Playing at one of the many water fountains

Beautiful Mom

Dad & Caleb

Mom & Anna

Daddy & Son

We went to this old cemetery, dating back to the days before even the Civil War. Peaceful and serene with the moss-covered trees and stately headstones.

Dad told us that during the Civil War Union soldiers actually desecrated some of the graves, so these are just a few of a number of headstones lining the far wall of the cemetery. They were separated from their gravesites, and it's intriguing to ponder their names. I wondered about what kinds of people they were and what their lives were like.

Isaac enjoyed wandering around the cemetery. I know it sounds kind of morbid, but being there with Isaac just made me think about how much I love our life and all of the things we have to look forward to.

Sweet Isaac got so tuckered out. It was so humid that day!

On our way back home we drove through a nature preserve hoping to catch up with some alligators, and we did! Don't let the distance fool you, this one was a big guy!!

Surprise!!

It took a few months of planning, coordinating, and scheming. And it all paid off on Thursday the 3rd.

You see, Mom's 50th birthday - ahem, I mean, 48th (wink, wink) - was on the 12th, and I knew that we had to do something memorable, something big for this special number. So a few months ago, I began coordinating with my brothers and Dad to surprise her by showing up on her doorstep for her birthday. The timeframe worked for all of us but Seth, Amy and the kids because of the schoolyear. But they got their own fun trip out to Georgia in July, and they had a blast.

It was a fun and crazy process of sneaking phone calls with Dad, coming up with plausible reasons Dad could use to disguise our plans from Mom, and coordinating our flights with Caleb & Anna. Mom is always the family planner, so this time the trick was on her, and it was so FUN!

So we arrived on Thursday within a couple hours of each other. Dad rounded us up from the airport, and we brainstormed the different ways we could surprise Mom. After much deliberation, we came up with a plan. The anticipation was palpable as we approached their house. All of the what-ifs were flowing through our heads, and we just wanted it all to be perfect. We were all giddy with excitement. The day had finally come!

When we got there, Dad called Mom out one end of the house through the garage, telling her that he had something he needed to show her outside. Meanwhile, Caleb, Anna, Kevin, Isaac and I waited out on the back porch with the camera recording it all. Dad walked Mom around the corner, and as she caught sight of us she was completely and utterly stunned. She couldn't even say a word, she was so surprised! And then finally, she said, "What are you doing here???"

"SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!"

She cried, just as we knew she would. We all hugged and laughed and gushed all of the background details of the whole thing. Success! That was so fun, definitely something we will remember forever.

Mom had actually just woken up from a nap when Dad called her outside, so over the next couple of days, she kept asking, "Are you really here, or am I dreaming??" Yep, we were really there, and the rest of the weekend was spent exploring the area and spending tons of time together....

Day 1: Hilton Head Island, SC

The guys went golfing at Palmetto Dunes ......

Kevin was really looking forward to playing this course.

Watch out for gators!

Dad, enjoying a moment in the shade.

Oh, Caleb. You're too funny. What's with the collar?
He did great! Caleb got that ball over the water like a pro!

.... and we girls took Isaac to the beach and walked around some shops...

It was a little windy, but the breeze felt good. Poor Isaac actually got a heat rash from the humidity while we were there!

He loved the sand and even sampled a little bit. As usual, Isaac had to figure out for himself that it wasn't a good idea... but that didn't damper his love for our acquired sandcastle.

My little cutiepie.

I guess the waves scared him a little bit, even though out this far they were only little ripples. He was screaming shortly after this picture!

It was a beautiful day!

There's more to come, but for now I'm heading to bed. We took so many pictures!