Happy Birthday Freddie!!

Today is Freddie's 33rd Birthday!

This morning Isabelle and I let him sleep in and we made him a special Birthday cake! We also put up a birthday banner and she was beside herself with excitement, it was all I could do to keep her from running out of the room every 30 seconds to go get Daddy and spoil the surprise!

She also couldn't wait to have him open his cards! Before he even opened the one from her, she told him what was inside. (I guess we need to be careful what we share with her from now on.) Then she took the card from him and opened it herself. She was super excited!

Happy Birthday Freddie! We love you and hope that you have a very special day!!

A Mini Vacation...

We took a mini vacation over the weekend to Monterey and Santa Cruz with our friends Amy, Steve and Molly. We spent Sunday in Monterey at the Aquarium. It was VERY crowded! Isabelle was excited to see the penguins again. This is where she first feel in love with them. She also really enjoyed all the hands on activities at the aquarium this time.

We also spent some time at the Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey. Everyone had a blast at the park. It is a super cool park and the hit was a really bumpy slide that the girls loved, Freddie and Steve even had a great time on the slides as well!

Monday we went to Santa Cruz and found a nice spot on the beach. The weather was PERFECT! Isabelle loved the ocean and spent a lot of time with her feet in the water. Molly and Isabelle also had fun playing in the sand! Freddie spent a lot of time in the water too! It was a great little vacation and nice break from the heat!

Beating The Heat....

Here are a few ways Isabelle has been cooling off in the triple digit weather we have been having....

Enjoying a fudgesicle....

Relaxing in her pool....

Getting hosed off by Daddy....

Making splashes in her pool...

Starbucks Frappucchinos!

Hope you have found some creative ways to stay cool!

Goodbye...

You may think I am silly posting a blog about our cat, but we had to say goodbye to her today, so this is an outlet for me to grieve.

I got Taffy nearly ten years ago. I worked at a veterinary specialist office and her owner had brought her in cause she had an eye problem. (A Corneal Sequestrum) The owners paid the bill for the surgery and never came to pick her up after the surgery. She is a Himalayan and was breed for the purpose of being a show kitty and once a cat has a surgery like she had, she is no longer eligible to be a show kitty. So she stayed at the clinic for a long time and I grew to love her. I have never been a cat person, and am still really not big on cats, but Taffy grew on me. The clinic didn't have the space or budget to house her forever so I adopted her.

I took her home and we bonded and when Freddie came along she fell in love with him too! He wasn't fond of her but she grew on him also. When we got married she became our first child.

She was sweet and very obedient for a cat. She would come when called, She loved deli meat as a treat and like all cats she loved to sit in the window and watch the birds or lay in the sun. Taffy wasn't fond of kids, but she loved Isabelle and never bit or scratched anyone. She would just let the kids chase after her. Taffy is the only animal Isabelle wasn't scared of. (Isabelle is deathly afraid of Dogs and isn't fond of other peoples cats.)

It has been a very sad day today for us. Anyone who has lost a pet can understand. I feel so silly for being so sad but I loved Taffy!

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day!

First, Happy Father's Day to my Dad and my Father In Law! You guys are awesome Dad's and Grandpa's!!

And a special Happy Father's Day to Freddie! He is an AMAZING Daddy! I couldn't have wished for a better Dad for our girls! He is so patient and loving!

Isabelle LOVES her Daddy! I love to watch them play and interact together! Nothing makes me smile bigger than the two of them together!

There is nothing Freddie wouldn't do for Isabelle, he participates in tea parties and even will paint her nails if asked. They also wrestle and chase each other and so much more. As soon as he gets home from work she follows him around the house or the yard, where ever he is she wants to be! He is a great teacher, he is so patient with her and she gets so excited when she can do something he taught her. She will be learning to change oil in a car real soon!

Happy Father's Day Freddie! We love you!!

A Calista Update....

32 Weeks Pregnant

A few weeks ago after routine bloodwork, I got a call from my doctor informing me that my platelets are real low. I have had to have some additional test done to watch them, since I have to have a c-section, it is likely that I will have to have a platelet transfusion before surgery.

(Platelets along with reb blood cells and plasma form the major portion of blood and have the ability to coagulate should you get a cut or bruise.)

This is all very interesting for me since I worked in Transfusion Therapy for a few years before I had Isabelle. I am very familiar with platelets and platelet counts and how they are collected and have even collected platelets from donors myself. I just never thought that I would be one of the patients on the other end receiving those platelets.

At this point we are not to worried about it so you shouldn't be (Mom) I feel great and Calista is moving around a ton, Just 8 more weeks to go!

Weekend In Review...

Friday morning, Freddie and Isabelle left for an overnight camping trip with Freddie's Mom's side of the family. This was the first time Isabelle has gone camping and she had a great time. She enjoyed getting spoiled of course, by Grandma and Grandpa G, playing in the lake and hanging out with her extended family. They came home late Saturday evening and she was exhausted from all the fun!

I enjoyed having a couple of days to myself, I got a lot of things I wanted to get done and I even made it to a movie with a friend. Come Saturday evening I was really beginning to miss Freddie and Isabelle and was gald to have them home!

Sunday morning Isabelle and I, along with our friend Darcy left early for Stanford to visit our friend Drew and his family in the Hospital. Drew (4 years old) had open heart surgery about 2 weeks ago and is still recovering. You can read more about his story on their blog at http://himmelberger.blogspot.com/

Drew is an amazing little boy, so brave! His parents are incredible too. Please keep them all in your prayers as this entire process has been long and very exhausting and they still have a week to go in the hospital before they can finally go home.

Here are a couple of pictures of Isabelle's first camping trip from Grandma G...

Taking a nap in the tent...

Playing in the lake...

Isabelle and Grandma G

Little Ballerina

I can't believe that it has been nearly a year since we first signed Isabelle up for dance classes. She absolutely loves them and the older she has gotten the more she understands. She loves to come home from class and show Daddy what she learned. She doesn't need my help anymore, she can do everything Ms. Wendy asks without any help. It makes me sad in a way because I have really enjoyed our special time together in our Mommy and Me class. Ms. Wendy is ready to move her up to First Steps, a class without Mommy. She will move up when she turns three, which is right around the corner...

Here are a few pictures I took of her today showing off some of her poses.

Point and flex...She is really concentrating here!
Fifth Position Posing for the camera....

An outtake I had to toss in. She was making faces while I was playing with the lights... to funny!