Three of a Kind!

Merry Christmas from the Ramsour Family

2011-12-22T06:23:00.001-08:00

Adoption Update!

2011-12-20T14:49:00.000-08:00

For anyone who's following along in our adoption journey, here's an update for you!

Our home study has been approved, and as of tomorrow, we'll be an "open home," meaning we can start accepting placement calls for kiddos beginning TOMORROW!!! We're crazy excited, and nervous, of course! Please continue to pray for us when you think of us!

June Avery Johnson

2011-12-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning, December 17th, at 4:45am, our beautiful niece, June Avery Johnson was welcomed in to this world! She weighed in at 8lbs. 3oz. (just one ounce shy of her big cousin, Isaac), and was 20 inches long. Jessica had the honor of being able to witness the whole miracle. Sarah (Jessica's sister) was AMAZING through the while birth and she and baby June are doing just great!!

Aunt Jessica and Baby June

Uncle Bill and Baby June

Isaac and Baby June (He's in love already and has repeatedly asked to hold her.)

We found Santa!

2011-12-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

Who knew that Santa eats at Kunty Katfish in Conroe, Texas? We didn't, until Sunday! We were there picking up a to go order, and who should walk in, but Jolly 'Ol St. Nick himself! He was "off duty," but was nice enough to offer to let Isaac sit on his lap, since we've been unsuccessful in finding him so far this season. This year Isaac requested "two long neck dinosaurs." :)

As we were leaving, we were informed by Isaac that Santa didn't have his reindeer today because he was driving his car. LOL

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

Part 1: Thanksgiving Day was spent in Dallas with Bill's family this year. We got to celebrate our first turkey day with our newest niece, Elliott, a.k.a. "Ellie," who is now 4 months old. The "older" kids had a blast playing together and wore each other out. The day was ended beautifully with a LONGHORN win in the last rivalry game between UT and A&M. Hook 'Em Horns! \m/

I didn't take any photos this year for some reason, but these are shots from Bill's sister.

Pops (Bill's dad) with all the "older" grandkids

Pops and Isaac

Bill and Ellie

Isaac chatting with Ellie

Ellie and Aunt Jess

Part 2: After Turkey Day, we headed to Conroe to spend the weekend with Jessica's siblings and their families. We had an awesome seafood feast, prepared by Jessica's brother. It was a great time...only wish there was more of it! Again, no photos were taken (besides our nephew Cason playing with Jessica's phone)...this is the only one we got!

Isaac and Cason played so great together!

Christmas Card Photo Shoot 2011

2011-11-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

For the past 4 years, we have had our friend Daphne take our family photos for our Christmas cards, and they always turn out so great!! She's an amazing photographer, and is so sweet to do this for us.

This year Bill picked the location of the photo shoot...the 360 Bridge here in Austin. He picked it because it's a pretty cool photo op for scenic reasons, but it's also symbolic because it's right near his new job. We had a blast climbing a "cliff," as Isaac likes to say. Here are some of our favorite shots from the shoot...you will have to wait and see which ones made the Christmas card! :)

Kisses for Daddy

Cheese!

Mommy and her favorite little boy!

Funny Faces!

Looking out from the top of the "cliff"

Daddy and his little buddy!

Kisses for Isaac!

Isaac's First UT Football Game \m/

2011-11-21T20:35:00.000-08:00

As the son of two UT alumni, it was inevitable that Isaac would be "brainwashed" into having the same love for burnt orange that his mommy and daddy do. Teachers were offered tickets at discounted prices to the UT vs. Kansas State game, so we jumped at the opportunity to introduce Isaac to his first in-person football game....and, of course, it was a UT game!! Unfortunately we didn't win in the end, but Isaac had a BLAST! I see more games in our future! Here are pictures from Saturday night.

The classic Tower shot with my Future Longhorn!

Bevo in hand and on head....Ready for the Game!!

Isaac and his friend Emma

Isaac and Mommy at the game

Isaac and Daddy at the game

Had his horns up until the end!

Isaac's Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

Last week, Isaac's class held a Thanksgiving Feast, and parents were invited to attend. Although it was a normal work day for me, I am fortunate enough to work for administrators who put a high priority on family. I was given someone to cover my class so I could sneak away to spend lunch time with my little man at his feast. It was only a small amount of time, but it was priceless to be able to participate in that event with him. Here are a couple photos that got snapped.

Isaac and Mommy at the Feast

Isaac's Thanksgiving Placemat

Patience in the waiting...

2011-11-13T17:42:00.001-08:00

Those of you who know me know that I am not a patient person. I am aware of this and I know that God is working on this in me as well. I have a strong feeling that He will choose to use our adoption journey as a time of teaching me as well.

We completed our home study on Wednesday, and now we wait for them to finalize it and for it to be approved.

Then, we will sign our licensing paperwork and become licensed to foster and adopt.

Then, we will wait some more...for the phone call that says they have our little girl/children and they are ready for us.

I don\'t do well playing the "waiting game", so Lord please help her/them to come quickly...and let me have patience in the waiting.

Isaac's last soccer game

2011-11-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

Today was Isaac's last soccer game. Although he wasn't quite as "into" it this season, I'm hoping next season will prove differently. I just have to remember that he may not get as competitive as me in sports, and that's ok. :) He had fun, made new friends, and learned a lot about soccer, and that's what matters. Here are some pics from his last game today.

Thanks Aunt Jamie for coming to watch me!!!

My shiny new metal!!

One last "Go Bulldogs!"

Adoption Update!

2011-11-02T18:08:00.001-07:00

Just to update everyone, our Home Study has been scheduled for next week! I find myself filled with a myriad of emotions: scared, excited, anxious, overwhelmed, overjoyed...and many more. We can\'t wait to meet our little girl, or siblings!!

Career Day and Fall Festival with Daddy

2011-10-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

Since Isaac is now at my school , he got to participate in the Career Day parade, where the students get to dress up as what they want to be when they grow up (instead of just wearing Halloween costumes). Isaac has an obsession with firemen, so that's what he chose to be. Not only was my little fireman in the parade, but he LEAD the whole thing, high fiving and waving the whole way through the school. Such a proud moment for Mommy and Daddy!

Isaac in the parade...

After school on Career Day, we headed to Bill's work (Multimedia Games) to check out the fall festival they put on for their employees and their families. We had a blast playing games and trick or treating through the office. Isaac even got to play one of the slot machines that Bill designed! Too bad it didn't spit out real winnings! ;)

Playing the slots...

Halloween Bash 2011

2011-10-30T20:37:00.001-07:00

Once again, this year we co-hosted our annual Halloween Bash at our house with a bunch of our friends. It's so fun now that a lot of the kiddos are older, we can do more fun things with them. They all came in costumes (we had 3 come as Woody from Toy Story) and we decorated/painted pumpkins, ate pizza, and decorated cupcakes, and just had a massive play date! It was a blast and the kiddos were all pooped by the end! Here are some of our photos, mostly of our little man of course. He was a fireman, but took his jacket off a lot of the time for the decorating. :)

Painting his pumpkin...

Pumpkin painting...

Cupcake decorating...

All finished...

Matching icing faces...

And icing kisses, of course!

All of the kiddos (minus 2)
From L to R:
Logan (Captain America), Gracie (Cinderella), Madison (Pumpkin), Isaac (Fireman), Mia, Samantha (Annie from Toy Story), then Luke, Jackson, and Brian (all Woody from Toy Story)

Isaac's First Field Trip - Elgin Christmas Tree Farm (Pumpkin Patch)

2011-10-30T19:29:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from Isaac's class field trip to the pumpkin patch at Elgin Christmas Tree Farm.

Isaac's class in the pumpkin patch

Isaac in the pumpkins

Looking for the train

Another class photo...

Hook 'em on the hayride...

Mommy and Isaac on the hayride...

Playing in the park....

Daddy bringing lunch!

Learning about pumpkins

And we're done...

MASSIVE Updating....

2011-10-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

I realize that's it's been since July that I've updated, and we've done a lot, so I figured one MASSIVE update on the Ramsour household will catch us up. :)

Here we go!

Bill: Loves his new job at Multimedia Games (started in May 2011). He has already gotten to go to two conferences (one of them in Vegas, poor guy) and has already pitched a couple game ideas for design. Not a huge fan of the commute, but otherwise really happy!

Jessica: Started my 7th year of teaching Kindergarten, and am still loving it! It's exhausting to say the least, but the reward is worth it! I've got 21 rambunctious 5-6 year olds, 2 of which have autism, so needless to say, I've got my hands full! I'm learning a TON, especially from my students with autism! They are amazing!! We just got a visit from my dad and step-mom from Australia, which was wonderful, but too quick. I'll send a separate post with those pics! :)

Isaac: WOW...where to start?! We've had quite a few firsts for our little man since the last update. He officially started school this fall at my school (right next door to my classroom!) in a PreK class for teachers' children and children with special needs. The idea is that the teachers' children are role models and examples for the students with special needs to follow. His class is also Bilingual, so he's picking up a good deal of Spanish too! He LOVES school, and is extremely upset with me when I pick him up on a daily basis. :) I count my blessings though, because I'd rather fight him to leave school than to get him to school. Last week he also went on his first field trip! His class went to the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm to visit their Pumpkin Patch. Mommy and Daddy got to go with him too! It was weird for me to go as a parent and not the teacher....not that I even really lose my "teacher hat." The kids learned all about pumpkins, took a hay ride, decorated pumpkins, and pet animals. Isaac also had his first ride on a SCHOOL BUS!!! :) I think he looked forward to this part more than any other part of the whole trip at first!

Isaac's first day of school

Isaac also started playing soccer this fall for the first time. He's on a small team called the Bulldogs! He's playing in a division for 3-4 year olds, and having blast. He still gets a little bummed when other people score goals instead of him, but we're doing better! We are definitely signing him up for another season in the spring!

Isaac's first soccer game

ADOPTION!!! So as of the last post, we had picked our agency and started paperwork. As of today, we've moved Isaac into a new bedroom, completed the required 30+ hours of training, filled out the mountain of paperwork, gotten our TB tests, had our home inspected by two different people, and gotten CPR/First Aid certified! We completed ALL of the items on the checklist from the agency!! Now all we have to do is have our home study (where the agency comes to our house and interviews us), and then we'll be LICENSED!! We are so excited to have completed this portion of our adoption story. We cannot wait to meet the girl (or siblings) that God has chosen for our family! Right now, we're considering straight adoption (where the child is already legally free to be adopted) and "legal risk" fostering (which means that the biological parents' rights have not yet been terminated, but its likely that they will be). There is no way we would have been able to do this without God, of course, and the amazing friends and family that have supported us every step of the way. There's no way to thank you all enough for what y'all have done for us!!

Whew! I think that's all for now.....

AND...we've picked our agency!

2011-07-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

That's right! We've decided which agency we are going to go with for our adoption process. After attending an orientation with Child Protective Services last week, we went over a list of different agencies that they gave us who do adoptions. After looking at all of their websites and requesting information packets, we got an email from Arrow informing us about an orientation that same night. We went to the orientation and loved what we heard! They're a Christian agency that I was already familiar with through a friend and also from volunteering as a camp counselor for a camp for foster children. One of the other cool things is that they are partnered with the church that we go to! Some of the parent trainings are offered during the Sunday School time at our church.

SO...now that we've picked our agency, we've got work to do. We have a 19 page application to fill out, 30 hours worth of classes to take, CPR certifications to get, TB testing for all three of us, home inspections, home studies, etc. A lot to get together, but all worth it in the end! We'll keep you posted on our journey!

Happy Father's Day...and A New Phase...

2011-06-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today Bill got to celebrate his 3rd Father's Day as a daddy to Isaac...and what an amazing father he is! It is amazing sometimes to just sit back and watch them play, and see the looks in both of their eyes. Isaac definitely adores his daddy, and I think he's kinda great too! ;) This year Mommy and Isaac went to a golf course and got Bill a gift card for him and a friend to go play. It's been a while since he's played, so it was due! :) Here are my two favorite men celebrating at Chili's for lunch today...Bill's choice!

Some of you know that we had to use in vitro fertilization in order to conceive our miracle of a son. We were blessed enough to conceive him on our first attempt! Since that summer four years ago, however, we have had three other attempts. One of them was unsuccessful from the start, and the other two ended with miscarriages early on. We were supposed to undergo our final round of in vitro two weeks ago with our one remaining embryo, however, when we showed up to this appointment, we found out that the embryo did not survive the thawing process, meaning we were done with in vitro.

Adoption has always been a topic of discussion in our relationship, even from the earliest stages. It was placed on the back burner when we were blessed with Isaac, however, with this latest failed attempt of in vitro, it has come to the forefront of our thoughts and discussions.

At this point, we have decided to begin the process of "officially" looking into it. We've filled out interest paperwork and will be attending an informational meeting next week. We are not sure if adoption is a certainty or not...but we are seriously considering it at this point. We just want what God wants for us...whether that's expanding our family, or pouring our love out on on our little man. Stay tuned for our exciting journey!

Isaac's 3rd Birthday!!

2011-05-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe, but this past weekend our little man turned 3!!!! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital, and now he's headed to school with me next year! We had an awesome party with LOTS of family and friends at Kiddie Acres Amusement Park...perfect for toddlers! Isaac had a blast with all of his friends. Thanks for everyone who helped make this such a special day for him!! This year, I decided the birthday post should be a look back at all the photos of him "blowing out the candle," even though this was really the first year he blew it out!

Age 3!!

2nd Birthday: 2010

1st Birthday: 2009

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T19:19:00.001-07:00

As usual, Easter was a busy season for us again this year. We had Isaac's Easter party and egg hunt at daycare, then we had our third annual hunt at our house this year. Hard to believe how the time has flown! I can't help but look back and reflect on the years past....here are some photos from Easters past and present...

Easter 2009

Easter 2010

Easter 2011!

The group grew in size this year! We're going to have to add more eggs and hide them in more difficult spots next year! :)

Relay for Life 2011

2011-04-24T19:07:00.001-07:00

This year I had the honor not only participating in, but being the team captain for my school's Relay for Life team. It's an annual event that raises money for the American Cancer Society. It's an overnight event to symbolize what a cancer patient goes through with diagnosis, treatment, and hopefully, remission. Our team was able to raise over $7,300 this year....which was awesome! Here are a couple photos of the night.

Most of the team...

I even got Bill to do a late night shift on the track!

Luminaria in honor of my aunt Charlotte...a SURVIVOR!

Luminaria in memory of my grandparents...

Snow Day 2K11!!

2011-02-04T07:14:00.000-08:00

Well, for the second year in a row, the Austin area is shut down due to SNOW! Unfortunately, we'll have to make up the missed school day later this year, but we had a blast playing today! Isaac was begging to go out at 7:30!! Here are some pics from our snow day!

The view from our front door...

Can we go out NOW???

Mommy and Isaac

Daddy and Isaac

Gotcha!!

Playing in the driveway...

Sliding at the park!

The Christmas Blog...

2010-12-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

Our final Christmas adventure of 2010 was in Dallas with Bill's family. Since we don't get to do our own family Christmas at our house on Christmas morning, this year we also did a little Christmas morning celebration with just Bill, Isaac, and I before all the siblings and cousins showed up at his parents' house. We had a blast decorating gingerbread cookies on Christmas Eve (but we didn't get any photos of the cookies.) Isaac was REALLY into the whole Christmas thing this year, so it was a lot of fun! Here are some photos....

The cookie decorators: Edie (3 yrs), Isaac (2 yrs), Mommy, Daddy, and Aunt Molly

Edie liked to mix all the colors onto each cookie, while Isaac's strategy was to slap one color on, cover it quickly, and move onto the next cookie.

Christmas Dance Party

The Three Ramsour Grandchildren

(Isaac - age 2, Edie - age 3, and Gray - age 7 months)

This is Bill 's "I'm Excited about Christmas!" face

Putting out cookies for Santa, which Santa's elf (Zuzu the dog) ate right after...

Coming in on Christmas morning to see what Santa left...

A TRAIN SET!!!

The permanent grin left by the train set!

All he wanted to do all Christmas morning...it was such an inconvenience for him to open other presents...lol

He also got a real camera from Mommy and Daddy!

Cousin Gray and Aunt Molly

Isaac and Edie have matching cameras so they were taking pictures together...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T14:50:00.001-08:00

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Colorado and the Polar Express

2010-12-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

We just got back from our annual trek to Colorado to visit Jessica's family for Christmas. Isaac was WAY into the trip this year...from the airplane rides to the snow - he was mesmerized! This year was extra special too because we got to ride on the Polar Express TRAIN!!! In case you have missed previous posts, Isaac has been OBSESSED with trains for quite some time now...so Grandma and Grandpa decided to treat us to a ride. I don't know that I've ever seen Isaac as much in awe as he was on this trip. Here are some photos, of course!

Waiting in the train station...he just found the toy train. :)

Mommy and her excited boy...PJs and all!

Isaac with Grandma and Grandpa

This was Isaac's face when the train pulled into the station....

The reason for the face...

We've got our golden tickets! The conductor even came and punched the tickets and golden sprinkles went all over us...

All on board...just after having our hot chocolate and treats...

Isaac spent a lot of time just gazing out the windows watching as we went along...

Singing Christmas carols and waiting on Santa...

YAY Santa!! Isaac gave Santa a BIG hug this year! All smiles!! :)

Santa gave Isaac a silver bell...

Isaac "dancing" with one of the waitresses...it was more like hoping up and down.

Isaac has also been obsessed with horses since our trip to Colorado last year. This year, not only did he get to help Grandpa feed the horses, but he got to ride one! He lasted less than 5 minutes on the horse, but LOVED it!

Isaac and Smokey

Normally when we go to Colorado, there is snow all over...however, we went a week earlier this year, and there hasn't been a ton of snow yet. Finally, on our last day there, we went up higher into the mountains and found a lot of snow to play in.

"Hiding" from Mommy

Sliding down the hill...

Family shot!

Next year, Grandpa is going to teach Isaac how to skii!! Can't wait!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2010-11-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

I am on a ROLL! This is the last post until probably after Christmas, but I HAD to post about our decorating this year because Isaac was SO into it! He is totally mesmerized by all of the lights and decor. He insisted on helping with ALL of the decorating, so it took us a little longer than normal this year. We did inside decor one day, outside lights one day, put the tree up another day, lit the tree another day, and finally decorated the tree today. He tended to go with the "cluster" method with the ornaments and put them all on top of each other...but I think it works. ;) Here are some photos from the fun...

Decorating....Isaac style....

The ornaments would be lonely if they were all spread out, right? ;)

He found the school bus ornament I got at his baby shower 3 years ago. He's obsessed with school buses, too, so this made it night!

Finding the perfect spot...

Isaac the Star!!

Putting the star on top with Daddy...

Look what we did!

So proud of his handy work! :)

Thanksgiving 2K10

2010-11-30T20:25:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was a whirlwind this year of family! We did the weekend before Thanksgiving in Dallas with the Ramsour family, then Thanksgiving Day in Liberty Hill with Jessica's aunt and cousins. Then we continued the tradition of the Irwin Weekend After Thanksgiving Feast...this year hosted by Jessica's sister, Sarah. It was TONS of fun, and the Italian feast we prepared was AMAZING! Love family time! Here are a few shots....

The Irwin siblings (Chris, Sarah, Jessica, and Dan)

Isaac playing with his cousin, Cason

Halloween 2K10..I know, I'm behind!

2010-11-30T19:59:00.001-08:00

Isaac is obsessed with Thomas the Train right now, so it was a logical choice for him to be Thomas for Halloween. He REALLY got into wearing his costume this year, and going up to the houses and saying "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You!" We had our annual Halloween party again, and played a few more games now that the kiddos are older, like Pin the Tail on the Cat. The kiddos decorated their own cupcakes for dessert, and then we all went our seperate ways for trick or treating. Isaac was sooo hyper when it was all done that it took forever to get him to sleep!! He would get so excited to pass out candy to the trick or treaters every time the bell rang. Definitely a blast this year! Here are a few photos from the night....

Thomas the Train

One of the best group shots..it was REALLY HARD!

(Taylor and Landon were cowgirl/cowboy, Gracie was Sleeping Beauty, Mia was a ladybug, Isaac was Thomas, Samantha was a Kitty Cat, and Emma was Fancy Nancy.) The two babies, Madison (a ballerina) and Aaron (Yoda) were busy with their mommies during the photo ops. :)

Eyeballing his loot...

Silly Daddy...that's MY candy!

Passing out candy...

The annual playing in the party balloons continues...

The shirt says it all... "Can't Sleep...Must Eat Candy!"

We're BACK!!

2010-10-29T19:35:00.001-07:00

I know, I know...it's been a LONG time since I've posted. Life has been crazy busy of course with school starting up and what not, so I'm not going to attempt to catch everyone up too much. In a nutshell right now: Jessica has a rowdy group of 20 Kindergarteners this school year (2 of which have come in the last week)...Bill started a new position at IBM, and is very excited to be working on software instead of hardware....and Isaac is growing like a weed, of course. He talks NON-stop and in VERY into doing everyting "by self" (by himself). He is currently obsessed with Thomas the Train, firetrucks, the stars, the moon, and occasionally going pee pee in the BIG potty for candy corn treats. :) He got several new pairs of Big Boy underwear yesterday, just so we could start talking about wearing them. He put some on, and had a small accident within 10 minutes. Then he said, "Diaper back on Mommy". I have a feeling it will be a while until we're potty trained! We're not pushing it hard core just yet...and are planning on going at it more strongly in the spring.

With the fall season upon us, I figured I'd share some photos that we took with our friends (and Isaac's girlfriend, Mia). I love the fall!

Stealin' a smooch from his sweet<3

Like Father, Like Son

2010-06-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

Today, like millions of other families, we celebrated Father's Day at our house. Daddy got breakfast in bed, some cards, and a photo collage from Isaac and Mommy. Tomorrow he gets to play golf as part of his special day too. :) I can't imagine a better daddy for Isaac than Bill. He's the best! God sure knew what he was doing when he picked Bill to be a daddy. He is such a godly example for our little man, and I am so thankful for our family!

On a side note, do you see any resemblance between Bill and Isaac?

Little Bill

Little Isaac

Here Comes the Bride!

2010-06-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

On Friday night my beautiful baby sister took the plunge and got married!! Not only that, but Isaac and I were honored to be asked to be part of Aunt Sarah and Uncle Langston's special day! Jessica was the Matron of Honor and Isaac was one of the two ringbearers. We weren't sure how he'd hold up under the pressure, but he pulled it off like a PRO! The rehearsal dinner was a little rough, but he walked down the aisle grinning when it came time for the real deal. It didn't hurt that Jessica was waiting at the end of the aisle with a packet of fruit snacks for him. A word of advice to all you moms out there: FRUIT SNACKS! They are a beautiful thing! I can get my son to do just about anything I want for a fruit snack!

The evening was beautiful, and of course, so was the bride! Here are a few pics that I was able to snap in between running around doing MOH duties!

Matron of Honor and her handsome Ring Bearer

The beautiful bride

All the ladies

Aunt Sarah and her Ring Bearer

The FIRST "Real" Haircut!

2010-05-09T17:49:00.001-07:00

Today Isaac got his first "real" haircut! I say "real" because I've trimmed his hair before...but just at the bottom and the bangs, and a little around the ears. His hair was getting pretty long and I wasn't sure how to tackle it, so we took him in. To say that he hated it would be an understatement. He screamed the entire time, and was sooo mad at me afterwards. The place and the people were great...it was just Isaac. We'll definitely go back when he's due for another cut...hopefully he'll be in a better mood. Here are some pics of the "do"....

This was Isaac before the hair cut..notice the flipped out hair in the back...

Isaac during the cut....she tried to bribe him with animal crackers...which just sat in his mouth until he gagged on them later because he was so worked up. :(

These were the best "after" shots I could get...he was so mad at me he wouldn't look at the camera...

Daddy is holding the certificate with the baggie of his hair that the hair place gave us for his "first haircut"

Isaac turns 2!!

2010-05-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but two years ago last week, our little miracle man entered the world! It's been a crazy week, so I'm just now getting around to blogging about it! Isaac is growing like a weed and is all over the place....literally! He's running all around and talking up a storm! His current favorite phrase is, "Mommy/Daddy what that?" or "What happened?" He still loves Barney and playing with sports balls...which is where Mommy got the idea for his sports themed birthday party! He had his two year well-check this week, and weighed in at 27 lbs (25th %ile) and was 34 inches tall (50th %ile). All in all, he's a happy, healthy little guy, and we are blessed and humbled beyond belief that God would give this little boy to us! Isaac @ Birth (5/1/2008)

Isaac @ 1 year

Isaac @ 2 years

Here are some pictures of his big day! We had his party at Brushy Creek Lake Park...which turned out to be perfect! A little too cool that day for the sprinkler part of the park...but all in all, it was GREAT!

Playing with an early bday present from Pansy and Pops (Bill's parents)

Isaac comes from a long line of golfers on both sides, so I'm sure he'll be hitting the fairways and greens before too long!

His birthday shirt from mommy...

The cupcakes mommy made...which actually toppled over on the way to the party and daddy and Uncle Langston fixed! Great recovery guys!!

Goodies for the guests...

Daphne and Jamie saving the day by taping down the tableclothes...it was WINDY!!

Shannon and Charley

Eli and Jaiden

Samantha

The Birthday Boy and Emma

Brian, Jackson, and Abby

The Hurt Family

Mommy and Aunt Sarah

Mia chillin' in her shades

Friends having fun...

Uncle Chris and his family...

He got bashful and "Happy Birthday" and candle time

Definitely a fan of the cupcake...

He was confused when people told him "goodbye"...he thought HE was leaving, so he gave them this look...

All in all...the bday boy had a great day!

Bluebonnets 2010

2010-04-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

You can't do springtime in Texas without doing pictures in a sea of bluebonnets. We ventured out today and got some good shots of our family and our friends Elizabeth and Mia as well....here are some of my favorite shots from the day....

Elizabeth and Mia

Isaac leaning in for a kiss...after giving Mia her first flower. :)

5 years and counting...

2010-04-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Last week Bill and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. It is so hard to believe that 5 years have passed since that amazing whirlwind of a day! We were so fortunate to have such wonderful family and friends to share our special day with us. In five years a lot has happened!

Jessica started her teaching career.
We bought our first house.
We filed insurance claims on water damage in our first house.
We got our first pets...1 fish and 2 dogs
We bought a new car because...
We had our first child.
We lost our second child.

Life has had many ups and downs...but I couldn't imagine going through it without my best friend. I know that God has put us together for a reason...and He will lead us through the rest of our life together. I love you babe!

Easter 2010

2010-04-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

Last year we started the tradition of having an Easter egg hunt at our house. It was so much fun that we decided to have it again! It's amazing how much a difference a year makes! Last year Isaac would find one egg and just shake it...and that's it. He didn't really get the whole "hunting" part. HOWEVER...this year was different! He definitely got it. The Thursday before Easter there was an egg hunt at his daycare...where he discovered confetti eggs - which he was NOT a fan of because you had to crack them open. I showed him how to poke a hole in the paper end of it and shake the confetti out - which made him happy.

The Saturday before Easter we had a few friends over for a hunt in our back yard. I guess Isaac got over his fear of smashing confetti eggs because that is ALL he would look for this time. Then he'd walk up to me and say "I crack on mommy." Needless to say, we had a BLAST! Here are some shots of the hunt at our house.

Isaac "On The Hunt"

Finding the confetti eggs...

"Where egg go Daddy?"

The Egg Hunters (Gracie, Isaac, and Eli)

The only way we could get a picture is giving them some of the goodies from their hunt. :)

Isaac on Easter Sunday

(Hat compliments of Aunt Pagett)

Snow Day in March...in TEXAS

2010-04-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

We thought we'd seen the last of the snow for the season after Christmas Day...but we were wrong! We went to Dallas in March for Bill's sister's baby shower, and lo and behold, it SNOWED! We woke up and there was a good two inches of snow on the ground. We were supposed to get on the road and head back to Austin...but of course we had to play in the snow, so our return was delayed a few hours. :)

Throwing a snowball...

Mommy and Isaac

Isaac and cousin Edie building a snowman...

Isaac giving the snowman a hug!

Rodeo Rumble

2010-04-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

I am super behind on the blogging...so I am about to try to catch up. First on the list is the Rodeo Rumble! Every year at the Austin Rodeo they have a little 1K race for kiddos. The kids are divided into different age groups and "race" around the fairgrounds. Isaac and a couple of his friends participated together this year. All of them ran about half the race and were carried the other half. :) They had a good time though. They also caught some pig races and got free ice cream...all in all, a great day!
Here are a couple shots from the day.

Isaac and his buddy Emma eating their ice cream.

Isaac's first pony ride...he LOVED it!

Gracie had a blast on the ponies too!!

Such an eventful day...lead to one tired boy!

The Best Valentines!

2010-02-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

I was surprised earlier this week at work with a beautiful bouquet of red roses from my hubby...and then this morning I received a beautiful paper heart colored by Isaac....AND this special Valentine's Day video poem. I have the best guys EVER!!!

This is what happens when mommy leaves town...

2010-02-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

So, I left town for ONE day to go to a baby shower, leaving Bill in charge of Isaac...and I come back to this...apparently my son is a baller! Blogspot keeps having problems keeping this video active, so in case the embeded video below is broken, you can view it on youtube here.

Christmas Part 2: Dallas

2010-01-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

The second part of our Christmas vacation (and Christmas morning) was spent with Bill's family in Dallas. It was pretty funny that the whole time we were in Colorado it didn't snow, but we got snow all day on Christmas Eve in TEXAS!! Here are some shots from that part of the vacation:

Isaac wouldn't wear hit Santa hat unless Mommy and Daddy did...

Two of Santa's elves....up to no good! :)

Daddy and Isaac watching the snow start...

Mommy's turn with Isaac...

Taking the kiddos out on Christmas Eve night to play in the snow...they were SOOO EXCITED!

Mommy helping Isaac make a snow angel...

The finished product!

Making a snow ball to throw at Daddy!

Here are some shots from Christmas morning:

**MORE PHOTOS IN "CHRISTMAS 2009" LINK IN THE RIGHT COLUMN.**

Finally...the Christmas Blog(s)...Part 1: Durango!

2010-01-12T16:57:00.001-08:00

We are finally getting some pics up from our Christmas vacations. Our camera was misplaced when packing to come home, and we finally got around to finishing the last of the unpacking and, whalah! We found the camera!

We did our usual trip to Colorado the weekend before Christmas to see Jessica's family. We were all there, except Jessica's brother Chris. We had a blast...and even more special, Sarah-Jessica's little sister, got engaged! We are so excited for them!!! They'll be married this June...and Jessica and Isaac will be in the wedding. More posts on that to come! Here are some pics of the time there:

Hot Skii Date! :)

Annual family photo from the balcony...

Jessica and sister Sarah

Isaac helped PawPaw Mike feed the horses everyday...and now he is OBSESSED!!

Isaac showing his teeth...

Breakfast with Santa...and a cow

2009-12-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

Today a group of us went to Chick Fil A to have Breakfast with Santa. Last year was much more successful than this year....here's last year's pic...

Isaac and Santa - 2008...Everything is great!

This year, Isaac was NOT into sitting on Santa's lap. In fact, the first time we tried a pic, he was crying pretty bad, even with mommy right next to him. However, he was OBSESSED with the Chick Fil A cow that was walking around dressed as Santa. So, we got a picture with the cow first, then got a ballon, and got him to at least sit on Santa's lap. He wasn't too happy about it, but at least he sat there without crying. Here are the pictures from the day.

Ok...maybe this isn't so bad...let's try Santa again...

Still don't think I like this guy.....

After taking the pics, Isaac got to play on the toddler playscape with his friends, and had a BALL! He screamed so hard when we had to finally leave to go to a birthday party! Looks like we'll be having more Chick Fil A playdates in our future!

Thanksgiving '09

2009-11-28T21:02:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was a busy one...of course! We did Tuesday night through Friday morning in Dallas with the Ramsour family. Here is a shot of Isaac with his cousin Edie....they had SOO much fun playing together. They hid from each other, and fought over toys, just like good cousins should. :) He misses Edie and is ready to see her again at Christmas!

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!!

The day after Thanksgiving we trekked back to Austin to host the Weekend After Thanksgiving get together with the Irwin family....which was also a blast! I LOVE spending time with my family. There was a Wii competition, and P.I.G. basketball tournaments that lasted all night! Great times! Here are some shots of that weekend as well!

Isaac and Uncle Chris

Bill and Chris in a intense competition....

The Irwin Kids....Sarah, Dan, Chris, and Jessica

Wii fun!

Cuddles with Aunt Sarah

Uncle Dan reading Isaac his favorite story...Llama Llama, Red Pajama

The boys attempted all night to make one specfic shot in Isaac's basketball goal...and Chris finally succeeded!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T20:25:00.001-07:00

This Halloween was such a fun one for us! Last year we got a group together and took pictures of kiddos...so we decided to do it again this year, and make a party of it! Six couples and 5 kiddos (plus one in the belly)...and it was a BLAST! Here are some pics to recap the day...

Isaac was REALLY excited about Halloween this year, so he decided to get up extra early (it was daddy's day to get up with him)...then he realized that the fun wasn't happening until later...so they took a mid-morning nap...

Waiting for his friends to come...

FINALLY! It's time to party!

The Coach with his football...

All the kiddos (left to right)
Samantha (Ladybug), Emma (Abby Cadabby), Isaac (football), Taylor (purple fairy), and Gracie (Minnie Mouse ballerina)

We hit pumpkins for the kids to find...this is them eating their loot! Isaac LOVES candy corn!

...and cupcakes too!

All the kiddos runnign through the streamers!

Isaac's first time to go trick or treating...his friend Taylor came with us...here they are comparing their goodies so far. :) He actually attempted to say "Trick or Treat" at the houses...of course it wasn't distinguishable...but he tried! It sounded more like "reet reet".

Mommy and her football...

Checking out his score for the night...

...and our little football crashed HARD after all the fun!

We took a TON of pictures...so for more photos of our fun evening, click on the photo link in the right column.

O Who?

2009-10-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't be a true Longhorn fan if I didn't post about the recent Texas vs. OU rivalry game. It was one of the ugliest games I've ever seen...but Texas won, and that makes me happy! We hung out with friends for the game, which made it even better! TEXAS FIGHT!!

Here are some pics...

Isaac has his game face on!

Our friends the Ramoses...celebrating Samantha's first TX/OU game!!

After the game we went to a birthday party for a co-worker's son. It is a costume party every year...can you guess who we are??

Pumpkin Patching..

2009-10-24T07:49:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we finally took Isaac to a fall festival/pumpkin patch...we meant to go last year, but it just didn't happen. We invited our friends, The Cruzes, along for the fun. Isaac and Emma go to daycare together...and I believe Isaac has himself a little crush. Here are some of the best pics from the afternoon.

Picking a duck from the pond with Emma...

Goin' fishin' for a prize!

Not happy the games are over...

Now on to picking out our pumpkins..

This one is pretty good...

Nope..this is the winner...

Chillin' with Emma...

Look at the little ones too, Emma!

Which one do you like?

The perfect pumpkin...just my size!

Bad Blogger!

2009-10-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...I've been a bad blogger. We've been SUPER busy lately, so I haven't gotten a chance. Now that we have a little free time this weekend, I'll try to do some massive updating.
Two weeks ago we went up to Dallas to celebrate the Fall birthdays in the Ramsour family. While we were there we took a trip to the Dallas Zoo (Isaac's first zoo ever), and the Texas State Fair (Mommy and Isaac's first time). We also had the privilege of going to the Dallas ER with Isaac for another bout of croup...no fun! Here are some pics from the weekend...

Isaac and cousin Edie holding hands at the zoo...

"Daddy, don't look now but there is a rhinoceros behind you..."

"I heard Big Tex was here...but I just couldn't find him..."

Isaac and daddy on his first ride...it was fun for about 2 seconds...then it was too scary!

Can't go to the fair without having a corny dog!

15 month well-check...at almost 16 months

2009-08-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

Isaac had his 15 month well-check on Monday...almost a month late because we had to reschedule. Our not-so-little guy weighed in at 23 lbs. 10 oz (40th %tile), is 31 1/2 inches tall (55th %tile), and has a head circumference of 48cm...which is in the 75th %tile...gotta have room for all those brains, right? He got a clean bill of health (YAY) and of course some yucky shots before he left. He was not a happy camper, but he's coming back around.

In the meantime, school has started up again as of Tuesday. So far I have 16 students in my class...which is a perfect number. If I can hold at 16, it will be very nice! We'll see!

And I thought I'd end with this...

Some of you know Isaac's obsession with my vacuum cleaner. We have to say "night night" to the vacuum when we put it away and he throws a fit! He loves it for some reason! Anyway, today I got him a toy vacuum to see if that could entertain him and distract him from the real one, and he LOVES it! It is too funny to watch him vacuum. Here is a video of him having fun!

More Pictures...

2009-08-22T20:41:00.001-07:00

In case you just didn't get enough in the previous posts, I've added A LOT more pictures in the albums on the right...the 14 and 15 month albums specifically. Enjoy!

Beach Trip

2009-08-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

This summer we also ventured back to Surfside Beach with our good friends, the Bockus family. Last time we went it was Spring Break and the water was pretty cold, so the kiddos weren't big fans of it. This time, the weather and the water were definitely much warmer...and both kiddos had a blast! The first night we were there, we were just planning on walking on the beach and not getting into the water...well...5 minutes later both kiddos were butt naked and playing in the waves. Mommies got wet, but we didn't mind. :) It was a great weekend, and I can't wait to go back! Here are a few highlights. :)

Isaac and Mommy

Playing in the waves

Gracie learning to golf...

Isaac learning to golf...

We buried Isaac twice, and he LOVED it!

After this one, I got him out to rinse him off, and he got MAD! He was having fun!

This was after he figured out I had the camera out...obviously he doesn't like pictures ;)

Gracie's Oreo face...YUM!

Double Trouble :) Nah..not really! Best Buds!

Exploring the beach house...

Colorado Trip

2009-08-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

I know I am SUPER behind on blogging...but the end of summer turned out to be pretty busy...and the beginning of the school year is turning out to be even busier! So, I'm going to attempt to catch you up in a couple blogs.

As a final farewell to Summer, Grandma (Jessica's mom) flew us out to see her and Grandpa in Colorado a couple weeks ago. We had a BLAST hiking, throwing rocks in the creek, going swimming, and going to see the animals at the fair...among other things. We were outside all day, every day (except for naps, of course) since it was only 80 degrees outside and GORGEOUS! Here are some snap shots of the weekend...

Saying hello to the goats...

Isaac and Grandpa Mike

Isaac with Grandma and Grandpa

Isaac and Daddy throwing rocks

Isaac telling Grandma a goodnight story

Hiking...

Horses in Downtown Durango

Watching the train pull into the station...he was a little scared of this one. We could hear the trains from Grandma and Grandpa's house....but they are a lot louder up close!

At the train station...

Watching Barney on the plane...notice the head phones....MIRACLE WORKER!

Isaac studying up on his plane safety...notice it's upside down :)

The funniest thing of this trip was that we discovered that Isaac LOVED corn on the cobb. Now, we already knew he loved corn...but he got hold of the cob, and WENT TO TOWN...just check the video out...

Surgery Update...

2009-07-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Little man is passed out in his crib, so I figured it would be a good time to update everyone on the surgery. For those of you who don't know, he was having surgery do have his circumcision redone and to have a connection that was allowing excess fluid around one of his testicles closed to avoid hernias in the future.
Surgery was scheduled for 8:30, and we had to be there at 7:30. No food or drink this morning for Isaac, although he didn't really seem to mind too much. While we waited for the doctor, Isaac walked up and down the halls, flirted with the nurses, and rode in a wagon that they had there to entertain the kiddos.
Surgery lasted about an hour, and then they brought him out to us in the recovery room, where we hung out for about another hour. He got pretty grumpy when he came out, so they gave him some medicine, which they didn't give him earlier because he seemed quiet and calm. He mellowed out once the meds kicked in and seemed fine.
Now we pretty much just take it easy for a few days. No strenuous activity for a day or two...and sponge bathing until Sunday. The stitches are absorbable, so they'll go away on their own, and the bandages will stay on until they decide to fall off on their own too. He has a perscription for some pain killers, which they say he should only need today and maybe tomorrow....other than that, he should be good with Tylenol and Motrin. SO...he should be back to his old self in a couple days! YAY! Thanks again for all of the prayers and words of encouragement! Here are a couple shots from Jessica's camera phone while we waited...

Showing the nurses his good side...

In his surgery get-up...

Summer Happenings...

2009-07-11T14:50:00.001-07:00

Apparently we are having such a blast this summer that we have had little time to stop and blog about it. We have hit the ground running since school got out in June and haven't looked back. We've been to the pool...a lot! Isaac is definitely a little water bug! He started swimming lessons last week (which is more like a water play group) along with his friend Gracie. It's pretty unstructured, but he seems to enjoy it. He loves putting his face in the water and has even blown a few bubbles. He also doesn't mind going underwater, which is pretty entertaining. He's pretty much fearless when it comes to the water. We've gone to a local "water park" a few times...which is basically a public pool with some slides. He is totally a fan of the small kiddie slides...not so much the big slide with daddy.
In upcoming news, Isaac will be having surgery on Thursday to be recircumsized and also have some excess fluid removed from around one of his testicles. NO FUN! Thankfully, the recovery time is supposed to only be a couple days. The week after that, we're going to the beach...so we'll have some moree to update! Here are some pics to get you through until the next post.

Isaac in a big box...I just thought this one looked cool

Isaac with his friends Gracie and Taylor...in a big box :)

Looking at the animals on a farm with his friend Emma on 4th of July

Mommy and Isaac at the farm

Getting ready to go down the slide

Isaac at the water park

WEEE!

Mommy with Isaac and his friend Gracie

There is a movie theater showing free kids movies over the summer, so my friend Doris and I decided to take the kiddos to try it out for the first time. They actually made it a little over an hour into the movie and did GREAT!

***New photo albums have also been added to the right...so check 'em out!***

Summer Lovin'

2009-06-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Now that I am on summer break, Isaac and I are spending tons of time outside. Today, we played outside in the baby pool...and Isaac decided that he wanted to play with the water hose. Good luck taking the hose away from him though...if I touched the hose, he SCREAMED bloody murder! I guess it didn't help that he was already overtired and grumpy when we did this. LOL Here are a couple of photos I snapped with my cell phone...

Blowing bubbles into the water hose...

Look Mom...I can fill it up myself!!!

Reunited and it feel so good!

2009-05-31T18:18:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, our precious little boy came about through the miracle of invitro fertilization. Today, we went to a reunion hosted by the fertility center for all the "babies" (many of them are definitely not babies anymore) they had assisted with. We were really surprised at how many people were there...and how many multiples there were, although we shouldn't have been given that they were products of fertility treatments. We saw lots of twins running around...they were adorable! We got to see Dr. Hansard, our doctor that did the embryo transfer that began our little boy's life. This was her first time to see him since our 7 week ultrasound to find out if we were having multiples.

Us with Dr. Hansard

Isaac got a balloon animal, which he was really excited about...mommy was a little scared when he started chewing on it...

He wasn't scare of popping it at all....which of course he did. This pic was taken about two minutes after we got the dog...notice the lack of tail already. Shortly after this, doggy's lower half was gone. :(

Isaac Walking!

2009-05-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

About a month or so ago, Isaac started taking his first steps. Since then, he's walking like a wild man now. He is not content to stay still at ALL. As of last week, he pretty much only crawls to get to a place where he can pull himself up. (He still can't stand up on his own...but is close on that one.) As you can see from the video, he is VERY proud of his new accomplishment. This video is actually a week or so old...and his walking has gotten better still! We are so excited to see him taking off!

In other news....t-minus 5.5 school days left for Jessica! Let the countdown to the summer begin!

Mother's Day 2009 and Gracie's Birthday

2009-05-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day was a great one! We started on Saturday since we get up early for church on Sundays. Bill got up with Isaac so Mommy could sleep, which was AWESOME! Bill and Isaac made Mommy breakfast (sausage and eggs...her favorite!) YUM! They also surprised her with these flowers..so sweet! Sunday we went to church and heard an awesome message from our pastor's wife and some other ladies from the church. Sunday afternoon we headed to the Bockus house to help celebrate Gracie's 2nd birthday. So much fun...and wore the kids out....every mother's dream! :) Ended the day at Rudy's BBQ...once again, YUM!!! Such a great day and I feel so loved! :) Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

My Mom's Day flowers....roses are my FAVORITE!!

My two favorite guys wearing their pink shirts they got for their birthdays in April....Bill's lists the 5 reasons to wear pink, and Isaac's says "Tough Guys Wear Pink." So true! :)

Here are some pics from the party...

The birthday girl, her cousin (Beau), and Isaac

Isaac finally enjoying the water...he had a rough start (swallowing a little water after he sprayed it in his face)

Enjoying a birthday cupcake...

One Year Portraits

2009-05-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

I took Isaac to get his one year portraits done a week before his birthday this year. I really liked the studio we went to! If you're in Austin, I highly recommend Picture Innovations! They were really patient with him, and got some great shots of our little guy. Here are some of our favorites, but click the link to the right to see all the shots from the photo shoot...

My big boy is 1!

Look what I found Mom!

Rub a dub dub! Isaac is in the tub!

Isaac's 1st Birthday!!!

2009-05-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Isaac's birthday - May 1st, 2008

Isaac's birthday - May 1st, 2009

Hard to believe, but our little man is OFFICIALLY 1!!!!! He turned one on Friday, and we had his party at our house today. We did a simple back yard party with baby pools and beach balls and lots of friends and family. It was tons of fun! There are lot of pics...so
My attempt at my first birthday cake...
Isaac pushing his birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa...BIG HIT!

BUBBLES!

Gracie

Jaiden and Taylor

Emma
Singing "Happy Birthday"

Cake time! He was TIRED!

The Cruz family

The Party...

Going down the water slide...

Getting cleaned off after the cake...

This one was from his actual birthday at his daycare birthday party...

Springy Thingys

2009-05-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

So IBM had a spring festival last weekend and we decided that since we've got kids now, we might as well start doing the "family" stuff...so we went to check it out. It was alright...the pettig zoo and train were by fair the favorite portions. Here are some shots...

Mommy and Isaac on the train...

Doris and Gracie riding..

Isaac and Beau at the petting zoo

Hey Goat...come back!

Did I say come back? Maybe I didn't mean it...

Bill and Isaac's Birthday in Dallas

2009-05-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we took a trip up to Dallas to celebrate all of the April/May birthdays. Bill's mom's birthday is April 1st, Bill's is April 20th, and Isaac's is May 1st...and here are some pics of the weekend...

The cousins: Edie, Andie, and Isaac

Elmo Legos!!

"Tough Guys Wear Pink!"

It's true...

Yay for Dinosaurs

YUM!

Pansy (Bill's mom) with Isaac and Edie

Spam musubi bday cake for Bill...

Bluebonnets

2009-04-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite memories growing up was going to the Blue Bell Creamery and Washington on the Brazos State Park and taking pictures in the bluebonnets. When Isaac came along, I decided that we would definitely have to start this tradition. We'll wait a couple more years to take him to the creamery....but we did start the bluebonnet pics this year. Here are a few of our favorites....

Daddy and Isaac

Mommy and Isaac

Just the three of us...

Little Man

again...

Easter Weekend - Part 2

2009-04-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

For Easter this year, we had a couple friends and their kiddos over for a mini-egg hunt and dinner. It was a blast...even those the kiddos didn't get the egg hunt idea for the most part! Here are some pics. We took a ton, so see Isaac's 11 month album for more...

Family shot

The kiddos

(Taylor, Isaac, and Gracie)

Daddy and Isaac

Mommy and the Easter Bunny!

I found one!

The hunt is on!

Kiddos playing before the hunt...

Isaac in "Uncle" Jeremy's hat...

Easter Weekend - Part 1

2009-04-10T13:50:00.001-07:00

We kicked off our Easter weekend festivites with an Easter egg hunt at Isaac's daycare after school on Thursday. Here are some pics from the party...too cute!

My chunky monkey scarfing a cookie before the hunt...

My Easter bunny waiting to hunt some eggs!

The hunt begins...

Shakin' 'em!

Move over Jaiden...these are mine! :)

(Notice Jaiden's hair...confetti eggs+massive curly hair=MESS!)

Isaac's friend Emma

Isaac got hit with confetti too...luckily he has no hair for it to stick to! :)

Playing after the hunt...

We are having a hunt with some friends at our house on Sunday...so stay tuned!

11 months...anniversary...and a new toy!

2009-04-04T18:43:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe that we are rounding the corner to the 1 year birthday! Isaac rang in his 11 month birthday last week....next month will be the big one! He weighed in at 21 lbs. 4 oz at his dr. appointment a week and a half ago (post ear infection check up). Unfortunately, the ear infections hadn't healed, so he went back on antibiotics....not the yummy bubble gum stuff though. He got a gnarly diaper rash from it...but we finished those up today, and the rash is almost gone! He's is pretty much standing without holding on to much (as of the last couple days). We're still eager to see if he'll take those steps by his birthday. He "talks" up a storm, but still only says "mama" and "dada". His favorite games are "Peek A Boo" and "I'm Gonna Get You!" He just cut his 6th tooth, and pretty much eats whatever Bill and I do. He's also REALLY into pulling hair! Now that he is 11 months old, we're beginning to wean him off of mommy's milk and onto cow's milk. Our goal is for him to be completely weaned by his birthday...we'll see how that goes!

Here is our not-so-little guy doing what he loves best...eating!

Mommy and Isaac

And this is what happens when I ask daddy to dress him, and don't give him the clothes to put him in....note the extra long pant length, and the store tags still attached....

Thursday Bill and I also celebrated our fourth anniversary! Hard to believe it's been 4 years already...but on the other hand it seems like we've been together so much longer! We celebrated Friday night (while our friends Michael and Elizabeth watched little man) at Fugo de Chao...yummy Brazilian all you can eat meat! It was great!

Here's a pic of our big day! 4-2-2005

Finally, for our anniversary, we decided we'd get each other a joint gift - a really nice, new digital camera! Our friend Daphne got one a while ago, and we fell in love with it...so we got the exact same one! We played around with it today...here are some other shots from it....(all the ones in this post are with the new camera!).

We were being goofy...

My engagement ring and wedding bands

Front yard flowers

Spring Break - Part 2

2009-03-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

During Spring Break we had a quick play date with Isaac's friend Gracie. We went to a park and the kiddos played a bit. Isaac pretty much just swang...and Gracie was running all over the place. Isaac will be chasing her around before long! Here are some pics of the park...

The last weekend of Spring Break, we decided to get together with two other couples, the Bockuses (Gordon, Doris, and Gracie) and the Montgomerys (Michael and Elizabeth). We rented a big beach house near Galvestion at Surfside Beach. We went here because we knew it wouldn't be crowded with college party kids like Padre or Port A. The house we rented was actually pretty nice! It was a wonderful weekend get-a-way, minus the ER visit for Isaac on Friday night. He got a case of the croup again, and even though we knew what it was, and what meds he needed, they wouldn't call them into a pharmacy without seeing him. So we looked up the nearest ER and headed out. Luckily this time it was only 1.5 hours at the ER instead of 5 like the last time we went here in Austin. The weather was GORGEOUS! A little chilly, but sunny the whole time. The water was a little chilly - so neither of the kiddos wanted to get in. Plus, this was Gracie's first time at the big, loud, ocean. Here are some pics of the weekend...

Gracie and Isaac playing

Up to no good? Who? US?

MMM...Sand...YUMMY!
Family Shot

The incriminating bath tub shot...look out you two! This one will pop up again in your future!

Pretending to go nite-nite in Michael and Elizabeth's bed

No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed!!

CHEESE!

We had a ton of fun and have already tentatively planned a summer trip back at the same house!

Spring Break - Part 1

2009-03-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

To kick off our spring break this year...well, my spring break (Bill had to take vacation time), we spent the weekend in Dallas with Bill's family. We hadn't been up since January, so we were due. Isaac and his cousin Edie have so much fun playing together now...well...at the very least they get excited to see each other. Here are some pics from the weekend...

The kiddos seeing each other for the first time since January...Edie was SUPER excited!

Isaac and Aunt Molly

Isaac playing with Pansy (Bill's mom)....for some reason this is one of the few I have of the two of them together.

Here are some singles of the kiddos....

Edie

Isaac

The kiddos playing together....or should I say conspiring?

Jessica with both kiddos....how did my mom handle twins and a 1.5 year old?!?

New Photos...

2009-03-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

If you look to the right, you'll notice that I have updated the links with Isaac's photos...I was a few months behind....but now I'm all caught up! :) Enjoy

Photo Shoot

2009-03-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

We did a little photo shoot today to try to catch a good shot to go on Isaac's birthday party invitations....here were some of the better ones from today...

Afterwards, Auntie Elizabeth and Uncle Michael came over for dinner, along with Auntie Doris and Uncle Gordon. Here is a pic of Isaac playing with his friend Gracie. They are too cute together!

10 months already?

2009-03-01T18:42:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to believe that it has already been 10 months since our little bundle of joy entered out lives. He has changed so much and so quickly! Each day is a new adventure. He has so much personality now and is just so much FUN! He absolutely LOVES to laugh and play...peek-a-boo is one of his favorites. He weighs about 21 pounds now...and is roughly 29 inches long. He has discovered the deliciousness that is table food, so he no longer will eat that yucky baby food. :) It is amazing how much this child can put away...I'm dreading the teenage years! ;) He will stand by himself for a few seconds without holding on to anything...but then realizes what is happening and sits down. :) He is also holding our hands and "walking" all over the place...we're thinking it won't be long before he does it on his own.

Here is a pic of our little guy at 10 months...

Last weekend we got a vist from Pansy and Pops (Bill's parents)....here are a couple pics from the weekend.

Pops and Isaac reading a story...

Pops and Isaac playing with the ball...

This weekend a lot of Jessica's family came into town for a visit. Jessica's mom came in from Colorado, and her sister and brother came in from Conroe. We ended up having a mini-family reunion as Jessica's grandpa, aunt, and cousin also joined us one night for a big dinner. Here is a picture of Jessica with her mother and siblings. It was a very fun and exhausting weekend. I definitely wish I saw my family more often!

Here is a video of Isaac dancing with his Aunt Sarah...

Apparently Isaac thinks a bouncing ball is the funniest thing in the world...

For spring break we are planning on going to the beach...so stay tuned for an update about that! We can't wait!!

9 Months...

2009-02-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to beieve that it has already been 9 months since we met our precious little angel! He is growing like a weed and surprising us more and more each day. This check-up wasn't so bad since he did not have to get any injections this time. Just a little toe-prick to check his iron levels. Everything is GREAT! He weighed in at 20 pounds 6 oz. (45th %) and was 28.5 inches long (50th%). His latest talents include saying "mama" and "dada" and pulling himself into a standing position. He also passes from one place to another while standing...so it probably won't be too long before he's walking around on his own.
He still LOVES his bath time and actually really likes the song "Rockin' Robin." Here is our little guy at 9 months...after his first round of spaghetti and meat sauce. (and no he didn't serve himself, believe it or not).

Crawling and Standing!!!

2009-01-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well, our little man has been crawling for about a month now...I know I'm a tad late on the update. :) His newest thing, as of last week pretty much, is pulling up on stuff. He mainly does it in the play yard that we have to guard his toys from the dogs. He is so proud when he stands up and looks over the top! :) Our little boy is growing up quick! Here are some pics and a couple videos...oh yeah, he's eating Cheerios now too...his new favorite! :)

This one is not of his standing...but he had been sucking on his toes...Daddy got the camera and Isaac decided to ham it up :)

Here is our big boy standing up...

Here he is eating Cheerios...

Lions and Tigers and BEARS! Oh My!

2009-01-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

Ok...maybe just the bears. This was actually a spontaneously planned excursion. When we came back to Austin from Dallas after Christmas, Bill discovered that he had left his work laptop at his parents' house. So, Bill's dad agreed to meet us in Waco (about halfway from Austin to Dallas) for lunch and hand off the computer. Bill's whole family (besides Bill) went to Waco, so Bill had the idea to have his dad show Isaac the famous Bear Pit at Baylor University. It was actually pretty cool, for a BAYLOR bear pit. ;) Isaac seemed to enjoy it.

Christmas Part 2 - Christmas in Dallas

2008-12-31T19:50:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Day in Dallas with Bill's family as usual. Isaac decided that he wasn't going to sleep this holiday season like he normally did. All through the Colorado and Dallas trips, Isaac woke up multiple times each night...which he hasn't done in MONTHS! So, it was a little frustrating. On Christmas morning, Isaac was napping for a lot of the present opening...but he managed to open a few things. Bill actually stole the show on Christmas morning...but more about that later...

You can't read it, but his pajamas say "Santa's Helper"....

Isaac playing with the singing dog that Santa left he and cousing Edie to play with...

Here is our little Santa...This is the same outfit that Isaac's cousin Edie wore last year...

Ok...so here is the story on Bill.

All of the guys got package openers (aka: razor blades) in their stocking as a "cool tool." The smarties decided that they would open up one the old fashioned way, and then use it to help open the others "more easily." Well, Bill was using one of the openers to open one of the other openers....and managed to slice three of his fingers pretty badly. There was blood all over the floor and the whole nine yards. Although the cuts were pretty bad, we decided against stitches, and Bill's brother-in-law, Ben, got the first aid kit and bandaged him up.

Here is the patient now...

And the irony of the whole thing was that Bill and his dad were supposed to play golf the next day...and David was so excited to give Bill this present...can you guess what it is?
Unfortunately, they didn't get to play due to the injury...

Another fun thing was that cousin Edie decided that Isaac wasn't able to bathe by himself. The first time we thought it was just a fluke, and went along with it. But, from then on, if Isaac was in the tub, Edie wanted in too. As soon as the rubber duckies hit the water, Edie was ready to jump in, clothes, shoes, and all!

Here they are bathing together...

All in all, a great holiday!

Luckily, as soon as we arrived back in Austin (yesterday) Isaac resumed his normal sleeping habits...much to our delight! :)

Christmas Part 1 - Christmas in Colorado

2008-12-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

Jessica's family has a tradition of doing their Christmas the weekend before Christmas in order to spend the actual Christmas day with our immediate families, or our significant others. Jessica's mom and step-dad live in Colorado, which meant it was time for Isaac's first plane ride!! SO, we drove to Dallas, dropped our dogs off at Bill's parent's house, and boarded a plane bright and early Saturday morning. Isaac did FABULOUS! He slept the first half of the first flight, and after we changed planes in Denver, he slept the whole second flight. He did the same on the way back for the most part...and only fussed a little on our final descent back into Dallas.

While in Colorado, Isaac got to play with SNOW for the first time...and make a snow angel (with Daddy's help) Here are a few pics...

Waiting for the plane to take off...Isaac is already out!
The view from Grandma and Grandpa's back poarch...

"Playing" in the snow...

Here's a video...

Here is a video fo Isaac "making" his snow angel...

The finished product!

Family Photo

Sporting the matching socks my mom made all of us...

Another family shot...

Isaac sporting the sweater and hat both knitted by Grandma

Isaac and Daddy watching the planes at the airport on our way home...or back to Dallas

Santa's Coming! I KNOW him!!

2008-12-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we took the little guy to meet the big guy! We ended up going to a "Breakfast with Santa" that was at our local Chic-fil-a. It was perfect! There was NO LINE, and they printed your photo right there on the spot...for FREE! They also gave the first 100 customers free stuffed cows! Santa and Isaac got along great. Isaac just looked at him and smiled, and then played with/pulled on his beard. I think this particular Santa was a grandpa himself because he was SUPER great with the kiddos. And yes, the beard is all real! We'll see how he does next year...but so far, so good. Here is the photo of Isaac and Santa.

This holiday season is going to be a very busy one! Friday (after school and the daycare Christmas party) we are heading to Dallas and dropping off our doggies with Bill's parents who are going to dog-sit for us. Bright and early Saturday morning we are flying to Durango, Colorado to see my mom and siblings. I am actually pretty excited to fly with Isaac (weird, right?) and show him snow! Then Christmas eve we fly back to Dallas and spend Christmas with Bill's family. We'll finally trekking back to Austin around the 30th we think. At least I'll have about a week to rest up before hitting school again full throttle. Whew...I am already exhausted!! :)
Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Christmas Card Photo Shoot - Part 2

2008-12-07T18:47:00.001-08:00

Christmas Card Photo Shoot-Part 1

2008-12-06T19:10:00.001-08:00

Today we took Christmas card pictures at Zilker Park...our friend Daphne was the photographer...she did an amazing job!! These are just some of the pics...take a look at the link to the right to see the rest...

Lots of Firsts...

2008-12-06T18:55:00.001-08:00

Since we've last updated the blog, Isaac has gone through a lot of firsts in his life.

First, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Isaac made his debute visit to the emergency room in the middle of the night. Don't worry...it wasn't anything too serious...just a case of the croup. We arrived at the ER at 1am (after talking to a nurse on the phone off and on for two hours). At 4:30 we saw the doctor, and we were on our way home by 5am. Fun stuff! Isaac was a little off schedule the next couple of days, but is totally fine.

Here is our little champ in his hospital gown waiting for the doctor...

Next, Isaac got his first teeth! He has cut the bottom two front teeth and is busy working on cutting some more. :) We attempted to get a pic, but he wasn't cooperating...go figure!

Finally, Isaac celebrated his first Thanksgiving! He ate turkey and sweet potatoes with the rest of us...in puree form, course! We were in Dallas on Thanksgiving day with Bill's family, and then traveled to Conroe to spend the weekend after Thanksgiving with Jessica's siblings.

Here is our chunky monkey after stuffing his face :)

Isaac and his Aunt Sarah

Isaac also helped pick out his very first Christmas tree...which means he just grabbed for whichever one we happened to be holding out towards him at the time. :)

Here are Isaac and daddy discussing tree options...

Game Day!!

2008-11-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

This weekend Bill and I finally made our way back to DKR Memorial Stadium to watch a UT football game versus Baylor. Neither of us had been to a game since college, so needless to say, we were VERY excited! It was a be-lated birthday present to me...and it was perfect! Although our seats were basically as high up as you could get, it was still TONS of fun. Isaac stayed home (even babies have to have a ticket to get into a UT game) and our friends Gordon and Doris and Gracie watched him for us. Thankfully, after a rocky first half, the Horns pulled off a dominating win!

Not only did we get to go to the game, but one of Jessica's best friends came into town from Connecticut for the game also! We didn't get to sit together for the game, but we met up for some good 'ol Rudy's BBQ afterwards. Such a fun weekend!!! Here are some pics to commemorate the event!

Bill and I at the game!!

Our friends Michael and Elizabeth went to the game with us...

The Longhorn Band at halftime...

The Eyes of Texas are UPON YOU!!!!
The boys had to look over the edge at the top....since we were already practically there...

Mommy and her little Longhorn (he joined us for dinner)

Monica and Isaac - meeting for the first time...

Me and Daph...thanks for sharing the pics!

The Ramsours and Monica

Me and my besties...and Isaac...such a ladies' man :)

6 months old...and all's well!

2008-11-05T18:03:00.000-08:00

As promised, I am updating after Isaac's 6 months doctor's appointment on Monday. Here are the latest stats:
Weight: 18 lbs.
Height: 27 in.

He's slowed down a little in his weight gain...so they were slightly concerned that he didn't gain more since his last visit...which is really funny because Isaac eats like a champ. They are REALLY concerned about him...but they are just going to keep an eye to make sure he's steadily gaining like he is supposed to. He is such a champ! He had three shots (including flu) and did really well. He cried for just a second afterwards, and then he was fine. He did end up getting a low-grade fever the next day, which happened last time he got shots too...so we weren't really worried. Other fun stuff: After rolling over like crazy on the floor, he's discovered he can roll over in his crib! Fun stuff! He rolls all over the crib, but the beauty is that he puts himself to sleep on his tummy and sleeps ALL NIGHT LONG!!! Woo Hoo!! He loves reading books at bedtime, and loves mommy singing to him. He's also been eating veggies lately...here is his list, in order of preference.

1. Sweet Potatoes (his new favorite, as of tonight) :)
2. Carrots
3. Green Beans
4. Peas

We're trying squash next, and then moving on to meats! So far he hasn't had a reaction to anything, so hopefully that will continue and we won't have to worry about food allergies in his future!

He has also recently discovered splashing in the bathtub. It's histarical because he'll splash, and then get surprised when his face gets wet...but he loves it! Here is a rough video of him at bath time having fun. (Disclaimer: video was shot with Jessica's cell phone...so it's a little rough)

Isaac's First Halloween and Happy 6 Month Birthday!

2008-11-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

So Isaac's first Halloween finally arrived. He had a few outfit changes throughout the day to commemorate the big event. We decided not to get him a "real costume" since they are all hot and we didn't want him to be miserable. SO, we ended up putting him in the M&M outfit (onsie) that we got when we went to New York in January. We went over to our friends' house and had dinner and dessert before we all parted ways to go trick-or-treating. We didn't really take Isaac trick or treating this year...we just went by a friends house so they could see him. It was a fun night, and our little man was definitely wiped out in the end....here are some pics!

In the morning before we left for daycare...

Outfit #1 (socks say "I Love My Mummy" and light up! Thanks Papa and Mar Yucky!)

Playing with a pumpkin in Outfit #2

All the kiddos: Beau (Charlie Brown), Isaac (the M&M), Gracie (Strawberry), and Taylor (Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz)....Taylor is ready for a TOUCHDOWN!! :)

Charlie Brown protecting the M&M from the Strawberry

Best one we got of all the kiddos...

Catnap during the festivities...

Our tired and hungry M&M

MUCH happier Carrotface :)

Outfit #3: Finally ready for bed!

The End...literally :)

Isaac also turned 6 months old today! He has his 6 month check up Monday, so I'll post more on that after the appointment!

OU Weekend...and other updates...

2008-10-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple weeks, and a lot has actually been going on! Isaac has been rolling over on the floor (both ways) like crazy....but this past weekend, he discovered that he is able to roll in his crib as well. Now when we put him down to sleep, he immediately rolls over onto his belly and passes out. He DEFINITELY prefers this position, and has been sleeping a lot better since he discovered it. :) Our little man has also started eating veggies! We started on green beans on Friday, and he seems to really like them. We'll see what reaction we get with the peas this weekend. :) Other than that, not too much going on. He has his 6 month check up and vaccinations in a couple weeks, so we'll have more to update then. Time flies when you're having fun!
Isaac also went to his first costume party last weekend. A co-worker of mine has a son that turned two and had a costume party for his birthday. We went as the Rubbels...yes, as in Barney, Betty, and Bam Bam...can you guess who was Bam Bam. I'm still waiting on pics from my co-worker, so as soon as I get them, I'll be sure and share!
Oh yeah...We also hosted a Texas-OU game day get together at our place....what a game! I must say that I'm a little nervous about Texas being #1 right now...hopefully we'll be able to hold on to it! Here are some pictures from OU weekend.

Mommy and her little Longhorn

Gracie "talkin' smack" before the game :)

Gracie and Doris

Huggin' it out after the game...

Birthdays and reunions...

2008-10-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Jessica's birthday, and what a birthday it was! We packed our bags and headed to Brazoria, Texas for the weekend - to Jessica's grandparents' house (Dad's parents). We also saw her dad and his wife for the first time in over 8 years. My dad moved to Austrailia right after I started school at UT, and hasn't been able to make it back to the states since then. We honestly expected it to be a little awkward since we hadn't seen him in so long. But it turned out to be a WONDERFUL visit! It wasn't awkward at all. Isaac was a little ham and rolling back and forth all over the place for everyone. It was so great to see them again, as well as my dad's parents. And, to our surprise, we got the news that my dad and his wife are planning on moving back to the States in about a year! My dad had to resign from his job in order to come over, so they figured now was as good a time as any to start planning their move. Here are a few pics that were taken by my step mom over the weekend....

Family Photo Shoot

Isaac hammin' it up! (He rolled over from back to front by himself for the first time this weekend too!)

My sister, Isaac, and I with my dad.

My dad and I with Isaac

My step mom Jaqi (aka "Mar Mar Yucky")

Dad ("Papa") and Isaac

The Four Generations:

(Me, Isaac, Grandad, and Dad)

Isaac hangin' with Aunt Sarah.

5 months, Impromptu concerts, and family time!

2008-10-01T18:05:00.001-07:00

This past month has been a pretty eventful one...mainly this past week actually. We've been planning on visiting my sister at her new house for a while now...but it kept getting pushed back...and then Hurricane Ike hit, almost pushing it back further. Luckily, there was no damage to her house...just her play scape and fence in the back. My mother and step-dad have been coming in for the weekend as well. Mid-week we found out my twin brother's band (which I didn't know existed) had a "gig" at a coffeeshop in San Marcos Friday night. SO, we all ended up going to that. It was really cool watching them play...and watching him jam out on the bass.

Isaac meeting Grandpa Mike for the first time...thanks for the horsey!

The Fam after Dan's gig

Dan jammin' out! He's the tall one with the bass :)...yes, my twin!

We stayed the night in San Marcos and ended up heading to my sister's place the next day. All in all, it was a great weekend to see the family!

Our little man is growing like a weed! He's pretty consistently rolling over from his front to his back, but it less willing to go from back to front. He's laughing and smiling like crazy still, and LOVE to bounce. His favorite thing by far is his jumperoo and looking at himself in the mirror. :) The biggest news is that he started rice cereal this week! The expression on his face was pretty funny...the face said he hated it, but he kept opening his mouth for more. It helped him settle into sleeping in a little better too, which was nice for mommy. He has gotten out of his long sleep patterns since he was three months...so this was a welcomed return to some longer sleep stretches at night. Here is a video of his first "solid" food meal...

4 Months and All's Well!

2008-09-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe, but Isaac had his four month check up Friday afternoon, and once again received a clean bill of health. He weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds (85th%) and measured 26 inches long (85th%). He got another round of shots too, which was absolutely no fun at all. He was a trooper though. Once again I just nursed him right afterwards and he went to sleep. The bummer this time was that he was definitely feeling pretty crummy the next day. All day Saturday he had a mild fever reaction to the shots...so he was a little fussy and just not his normal perky self. He was a little more chipper today though.

In other news, he's been at an in-home daycare a few blocks from my school since the school year started back up. So far he's been doing really well there. He's eating a TON (8 oz. of breastmilk) every three hours or so....so I've had to be diligent with my pumping schedule at school to keep up with his supply. The good thing is that his doctor recommended starting him on solid foods in about a month, so I'll be able to supplement the breastmilk a little once he starts that. He's not napping for very long over there either, but he's not taking long naps for us at home either anymore. He hasn't really napped for a long time (2-3 hours) since his 3 month growth spurt. However, the plus side to him not sleeping so much during the day is that he sleeps great at night. He goes down around 7:30 or 8 at night, wakes to eat usually once around 3am, goes right back to sleep, and sleeps until I wake him up at 6am to feed him and take him to daycare.

Just for fun I decided to get a couple sippy cups for him to play with and get used to by the time it's time for him to transition from bottles to sippy cups...which is still months off, or so I thought! I handed it to him, and he immediately tried to put it in his mouth! He may be ready sooner than we thought!
I tried to get a good pic of him sucking on the sippy cup, but he kept moving, so this was as good as it gets.

Here's another pic of our Longhorn in training! :)

Everything else is going pretty well. I started school on August 26th, and currently have 16 students. This is the MAGIC number for a class, so hopefully I won't get too many more students. It's so easy to divide them into groups of 4! My girls are really sweet, and the boys are, well, five year old boys. :) I just stick a girl between them in line, and we're usually pretty good to go. :)
We had fun watching college football this weekend, and even went over to the Bockus' to watch the OU game with them...don't worry...we were decked out in our orange! Pics of that to come!

Four Generations...

2008-08-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had the opportunity to get four generations of Ramsour men together for dinner. We went to visit Bill's grandfather in Blanco at the local bowling alley, where everyone seemed to know Bill's grandad's name. :) Don't you just love that small town closeness! Both Isaac's grandpa and great-grandpa were proud to show off their grandson. :) Here are a couple pics from the night.

All four Ramsour generations together...

Great-Grandad talking to Isaac

Play Time with Gracie!

2008-08-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

Recently Isaac has had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the daughter of a friend of ours, Gracie, as her parents have watched Isaac for us, and we have watched Gracie for them. They really get a kick out of playing with each other. Gracie is such a helper - handing him his pacifier when she stumbled across it, and making sure she wipes his face with his burp cloth when she gets hold of that too. :) She is really sweet with him, and loves patting him and giving him kisses. :) These are a couple pictures of one of their playdates when I was watching Gracie one afternoon.

Waterbugs

2008-08-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Another fun filled event of the summer was our neice, Edie's, 1st birthday party. It was a ton of fun and hilarious to see all the kiddos playing together...even though Isaac is still not quite "playing" with everyone else just yet. Here are some pictures from the party.

This is Grandma "Pansy" with Isaac and cousin Edie - the birthday girl!

Mommy and Isaac chillin' with our shades. (He HATES his face being in the son, so we figured we'd try sunglasses....and they work!)

Daddy and Isaac playing in the pool/sprinkler. (This was the coolest little baby pool EVER!) He had fun stomping in the water. :)

The birthday girl after the cake

Funnynesses

2008-08-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

Well, Jessica left her computer unguarded, so this is Bill here, deciding that I should join the digital age and blog something. For a while Isaac has been doing something we called laughing, but was really just him making a continuous aaaaaaahhh sound and smiling. We were so proud. A few days ago though, he finally started taking his giggling responsibilities seriously. For some reason, if I made a funny (funny strange, not funny haha) sound in my throat, Isaac just started giggling uncontrolably. Apparently he doesn't know how to distinguish between funny strange and funny haha. Or he has them backwards. hmmm. let me check.

ok, I just gave him my best panda related material, and nothing. So he must have "funny strange" and "funny haha" backwards in his mind. Alas. I'll have to work on that. Anyway, back on topic, we got a video of him giggling. so cute. And quite funny, as you can tell by the grownup laughter clouding the audio track:

ok, so I had to get Jessica's help to put the video up. Maybe I'm not quite that digital yet. I did successfully edit the video all by myself though. I even purpesfully added the "unregistered version" watermark to the vid just so I could be more viral. Because that's how viral I am.

Viral is a good thing these days, right?

Mr. Smiles

2008-07-23T08:18:00.001-07:00

We apparently have quite the morning baby...I think he takes after his mommy. :) Every morning when we go into his room and get him out of his crib, we bring him into our bed to spend a little time waking up his daddy. :) He completely entertains himself and smiles at the ceiling and ceiling fan...it's pretty cute...at least his mommy and daddy think so. :) We caught a minute of it on video to share.

Fun Times

2008-07-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

This was a pretty fun weekend for us. Bill and I went on a lunch date Saturday while Isaac spent time with Baby Gracie and Auntie Doris and Uncle Gordon. He had lots of fun, and was worn out from all his playing afterwards.

At church today we ended up spontaneously having lunch with a family that we met when we first got to UT 8 years ago. They were our pastors while we were in the Christian group Chi Alpha. When we met them, they had two children...the oldest was almost 5, and the youngest was almost 2. Now, 8 years later, they have added two more kiddos, the youngest of which is now almost 3!!! So crazy to believe. These are the first kiddos that I remember really seeing grow from the very beginning. It makes me feel so old!

Here is a pic of their second oldest, Lydia. She was almost 2 when we met her, and now she's almost 10!!! She was also the flower girl at our wedding...and now she's practically able to take care our our babies!!

More fun was in store for us this afternoon. Bill set up the jumperoo that we've borrowed from Auntie Doris and Uncle Gordon and not-so-baby Gracie. It's been so great to have a friend who's kiddo is a year ahead of us, and is willing to let us borrow some of their baby things.

Here is a video of Baby Isaac's first time in the jumperoo. (It was shot with my cell phone because we're out of tapes for our camcorder, so it's kind of poor quality...but enjoy anyway! )

New Pictures

2008-07-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Take a peek at the photos of us from the past 2 months...there are updated photos in the birth album, as well as a new 2 month album for your viewing pleasure! :)

Summer Fun and Dedication

2008-07-14T08:13:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was a fun one for us. Jessica's mom flew in and she and Jessica and Isaac went to the beach for a long weekend. Jessica's family has owned a beach house in Surfside, Texas for a long time, and as a child, she went every summer to the beach there. This summer Isaac got to start the same kind of memories! :) It was a lot of fun. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Baby Isaac with Jessica's uncle Troy

Baby Isaac with Jessica's aunt Sherri

Isaac snoozing on the beach

Mommy and Isaac in the water

Isaac playing with his aunt Sarah

Isaac checkin' it all out

Isaac and Grandma

This Sunday we also had Isaac dedicated at church. It was wonderful to have Jessica's mom and Bill's parents in town for the event. Jessica's friend Auntie Daphne also came (thanks for being the photographer! :) ) Isaac's name means "child of promise"...which, if you know our story, he definitely is a child of promise and a miracle baby. It is so amazing to think that God has entrusted this miracle to us!

Prayer over the family by Pastor Kermit

Shots Stink!!

2008-07-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Today was our little guy's 2 month checkup at the doctor's office. Those of you who have kids know that this is the first fun-filled vaccination appointment. I was curious how he would do since he did so well previously with his heel being pricked. Poor baby had no idea what was coming! He was laying there, just as content as could be....and then come the shots. He got that stunned, wide-eyed look of utter shock...and then came the scream. He was such a big boy, and only cried for less than a minute...but it still broke my heart! I nursed him right after, and he passed out for the next two hours...poor baby!

On the up side, they said he is doing great! He weighed in at 14 lbs. 3 oz. (95th percentile) and measured 23 inches long (75th percentile). Our little overachiever!! We were told to start watching for him to roll over soon (very exciting!) and in a few months we get to start him on rice cereal! It is crazy how fast he is growing!

We are going to the beach next week with Jessica's family...and he is being dedicated next weekend at church, so we should have some fun updated and more pictures soon!

Our little waterbug!!

2008-06-27T14:49:00.001-07:00

We have discovered that our little guy is going to be a pretty big fan of the water. He loves bathtime and playing (sucking on) his little ducky. He really loves it when I rinse the shampoo out of his hair....usually smiling and cooing. We also took him to the pool today for the first time. He did really well...kind of indifferent to the water, which is slightly cooler than the bath water he's used to. So we'd get in the water for a bit, then warm up on the side, and then get in again. All in all, it was a great first trip, and we look forward to spending many of our remaining summer days at the pool! :) Here are some photos below.

Baby Isaac sucking on his ducky in the bath...

Baby Isaac all ready for the water...

In the water with Mommy...

Worn out from all the fun in the sun...

This is Isaac's friend Gracie...who is also a little waterbug :)

More Photo Shoot Pics...

2008-06-21T06:42:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from our photo shoot a few weeks ago...