A Playful Day

We started off our morning with a playdate at Ms. Lindsay's.  Isaac got to run around, climb on the slide and play in the sandbox.

Once he was worn it was time for lunch and nap time.  After he had his batteries recharged we had another playdate the same afternoon at Ms. Tricia's.

More fun in the sun and water play in the baby pool and water table.

It was a full day with lots of fun resulting in one worn out little boy!

Lunch at the Park

We had some venturing out to do this morning and I've been meaning for some time to look into the local Mom's Morning Out program.  The program is ran by a local church not far from us and the program is two mornings a week for Isaac's age.  It starts in the fall which is right around the time baby is expected to arrive so I've been hesitant to sign him up.  I certainly don't want him to start a program and feel like he's being pushed out as soon as the baby arrives.  On the other hand it might be something special for him to do.

After stopping by I decided to put his name on the waiting list and discovered its a rotating program so a spot may not open until October or November.  We can try it and see how it goes.  Isaac seemed fairly comfortable while we were checking out the environment.  He certainly spotted the playground out front and didn't understand why it was closed and we couldn't go play on it.

This little boy clearly wanted to go to the park so I stopped by to pick up lunch and then we went to park!

Lunch at the park and fun times swinging and going down the slides all on his own made for a great day!

Almost Two!

I've been working with Isaac in preparation for his second birthday that's right around the corner.  I keep asking him how old he's going to be and then I hold up my two fingers to let him know he's going to be two.  He started to catch on.  Now when you ask him how old he's going to be.....this is what you get.  :)

Love him!

Ready for Summer

I needed a break from all the chaos inside and decided to spend some time cleaning off the patio.  I stepped inside to bring up the new cushions for the chairs.  When I returned I found Isaac had managed to get his hands on the garden hose.  Apparently he thought the side of the house needed to be rinsed off!

He loves to play in the water!  He wasn't harming anything until he directed the hose towards the kitchen door that was open.  I didn't need the inside of the house or the porch washed down.

All cleaned off and ready for summer!

Homeward Bound & New Floors

I managed to convince my early riser to go back to sleep this morning when he woke up at 5:00 am.  I'm all for getting up early but I'm wasn't ready to start the day that early considering we were driving home today.

Isaac had a fun morning playing with Nana and Grandpa while I packed up and got us ready to go home.  The morning goal was to wear him out so he was nice and tired.  It worked.  As soon as he was wearing down for nap time I knew it was time to load up and head home.

We stopped mid way for a snack and a much needed break so I could stretch my legs.

Isaac wasn't very happy when we had to get back in the car.  I think he wanted more time to stretch his little legs too!  But Friday traffic was approaching so we had to get back on the road.

Once we arrived it was so nice to be home!

The new floors really did look wonderful.  Having the carpet removed and the new floors added made a wonderful transformation and you'd never know they weren't original with the house.  However, I wasn't prepared for the mess.  It was supposed to be a dustless system but there was dust everywhere!  Everything in the pantry was going to have to be removed and dusted and anything that was opened had to be tossed.  That certainly wasn't something I anticipated.

As I was walking around I also started to notice some inconsistencies with the stain color around the perimeter of the room.  I'm fairly certain it shouldn't be that way so I'll have to send a message to our contact and find out what the options are along with some of the swirl marks I've spotted.  Overall the transformation is wonderful just need to find out how to solve a few problem areas.

Looks like I have lots of dusting to do over the next few days.....

Space Commander Isaac

For some reason Isaac has been an early riser on this trip.  This morning Isaac woke up at 6:45am and was ready to go.  After breakfast I had him try on the new space commander costume Nana had gotten him.  He loved it!

Isaac's the cutest Space Commander around!

He had fun running around and he was extremely upset when I tried to take it off to change his diaper.  Clearly he was enjoying his new outfit so he kept it on when we went out to run errands.

Even the space commander has to have lunch :)

I was able to get him to change out of it for nap time.  Which is a good thing.  After nap time it was time to make strawberry jam with all the berries we picked.  Isaac loved the fresh strawberry jam!

Tractor Fun with Grandpa John

After Isaac had recharged his batteries we ventured out to see Grandpa John.  Grandpa was working on  his "farm" putting up new fence posts for the cows.

Isaac got to see more cows with grandpa.

He got to see Grandpa's tractor too!

Isaac has been very observant lately when we're out driving around.  We point out all the tractors and dump trucks so he was very excited to see the tractor.  Grandpa put Isaac in the cab so he could get a closer look but he wasn't prepared for Grandpa to start it.  Isaac is still a bit sensitive to loud sounds.  He tends to get spooked and unsettled which is okay and he certainly didn't like the sound of the tractor.  He was however, perfectly okay to watch Grandpa drive the tractor from a distance.  :)

Then Isaac got to explore the freshly plowed garden plot.

After dinner Nana and Grandpa had a special treat for Isaac too.

Isaac enjoyed his Oreo Klondike Ice Cream bar!  Then Isaac had a great time playing with Grandpa before bedtime.

Strawberry Patch with Nana

Isaac certainly knows when environments aren't child proofed.  As soon as he woke up he had a new environment to investigate and he was into everything.  To keep Isaac busy we loaded up and went to the strawberry patch!

While this may have been Isaac's first trip to a strawberry patch it didn't take him long to figure out the process.

He really was a good helper with picking berries but he had more fun eating them straight from the patch.  Isaac's face was covered in fresh strawberry juice.

He was also very persistent in carrying the pail himself.

We picked two large pails full of berries.  I didn't keep track of how many berries Isaac managed to eat in the field but I know he ate a lot!  I love that he loves fruit and he loves strawberries!

When we got back Isaac had fun leading Nana by hand through the house so she could pull out all the toys and he could investigate all of the rooms.  It was certainly a busy morning and Isaac and I were both worn out.  When I put Isaac down for his nap, Nana went to the store and then I took a much needed nap with my baby belly!  We all slept for three hours.  I woke up and Nana was asleep napping too!

Farm Fun and Open Space

Despite the large bag of toys and books I brought to keep Isaac entertained during our visit with Aunt Clara there were just too many things for this little guy to explore.  We went outside for awhile this morning and Isaac found the perfect spot.

Isaac found a basket of dirt in a shady spot of the yard perfect for digging in the dirt!

Once the novelty of that activity wore off he wondered back to the drive way and found something else to get into.

He picked up an empty planter pot that was full of rain water and dumped it out all over him.  He was a muddy mess and overcome with giggles at the same time.  Aunt Clara turned the garden hose on to rinse him off and Isaac thought that was the best part!

Once the water was turned off he was determined to play with the garden hose.  He can certainly be a determined little boy when he wants to.  He's also a strong little guy too!  He pulled the garden hose all the way over to the tree so he could "water" it.

Then we decided to get the soccer ball out and play with it a bit.  When that wore off it was time for bubbles.  He loves chasing bubbles.  It was great fun until the boo-boo.  Isaac was chasing bubbles, not looking where he was going, tripped over his soccer ball and dove head first into the concrete driveway.

That was the end of our morning fun.  He had a nice purple knot that popped up almost instantly.  We went inside and iced it down for a bit.  Had some lunch then it was nap time.   Once Isaac finished his nap we went back out side to take advantage of the open space for him to run around in.

Spending time visiting was a wonderful day to spend the afternoon.  It was so nice to sit under the shade tree and look out on the wide open space of the farm land below.  Isaac loved being able to run around and explore.  Every little boy deserves the opportunity to run, jump and climb.  The split rail fence was the perfect spot to climb on and take a short rest.

He climbed up....then down...then up again....

I really enjoyed our visit.  It was only for a couple of days but it was so nice to catch up.  Sitting in the tall grass watching Isaac run around and play was wonderful.  He and his great aunt Clara had a great time tickling each other.  It reminded me so much of childhood summers where the time is slow and the days are long.

Spending time with Clara is so reminiscent of times spent with my grandma.  Clara even made a beautiful baby quilt for Isaac that's perfect for his new room.  I just love to see all the beautiful hand crafted quilts she's made.  I remember sitting with my grandma as she would sew quilts by hand in the evening.  It's just so lovely to have a craft, a creative outlet and something that's handmade.

Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and hit the road and move on to our next destination.  We left Tennessee bound for Alabama to visit Nana and Grandpa for a few days.   Isaac was a trooper on our road trip and only had a couple of melt downs on the way to Alabama.  The drive from Tennessee was more difficult on me than I anticipated too.  This pregnant belly just keeps getting bigger and I'm carrying lower so sitting for long periods is becoming more difficult!

Not long after we arrived little man was worn out and ready for bed.  It didn't take long before he was fast asleep!

Hand Dyed Fabric

Aunt Clara loves to quilt and has quite the collection of fabrics.  She even has fabric she hand dyed herself and it's beautiful!  I never knew that art form existed.

These are absolutely beautiful.  This is something I'm going to have to try!

Floor Refinishing....

Our biggest project kicked off today!  It's been a busy spring but the painting is finished and with the all the furniture moved out of the way it's the perfect time to have the floors refinished.  The existing floors were in good condition so there was no need to replace them however the finish was awful.  Aside from the outdated color, the floors have been cleaned with some type of chemical under previous ownership that eroded the finish in areas making them very difficult to clean.  In some areas the previous home owners hair was still stuck, as in glued, to the floor and no amount of scrubbing could get it off.  It's a big job, a stinky messy job, and one that I'd rather have completed now when I only have one toddler to chase to after.

The process started in our office since the carpet was being removed and new hardwoods laced into the existing floors.  We were able to stay home for the first part of the morning until they were able to test the stain color.  Once we made a selection it was time to leave.  We need to be out of the house for the next three nights.  There's no way in or out of our house without stepping on hardwoods.  Plus, it wasn't good for Isaac and I to be around the fumes.  Instead, Frazer was off to a hotel since his conference was canceled and Isaac and I were off on adventure.

Isaac and I loaded up and drove north to visit Aunt Clara in Tennessee.  Isaac slept most of the way and once we were settled we took Isaac to see the cows on the dairy farm.

Aunt Clara made sure he got a great view of the calfs.

The excitement of the day wore this little guy out.  He had a new environment to explore and it was all he could bare.  Bed time came early this evening since he was about to fall asleep standing up!

Minty Fresh

In the midst of morning chores I briefly lost sight of Isaac....and sound too.  When I heard a small noise I knew exactly where to find him.  Isaac had made his way into our bathroom and into papa's drawer to locate the tooth brush and toothpaste.  Now, I do keep a tooth brush and tooth paste for Isaac in my drawer as well as another set in  his room.  He didn't want his.  Nope he wanted papa's.

He had a great time squeezing toothpaste all over himself and experiencing the texture as he rubbed his hands together, all over the floor and let's not forget the smear of minty freshness all down the cabinet too!

It was too cute not to capture though.... :)

Catch Air & Family Time

We met some friends at Catch Air this morning for some indoor fun out of the heat.  Isaac spent 3 hours playing with friends, running around burning energy followed by lunch.  He was fast asleep before we were even half way home.

After a nice long three hour nap I had to wake him so he didn't sleep through dinner.  Since it was a Friday we thought we would celebrate the start of the weekend and satisfy my pregnancy cravings at the same time by going out to dinner.  We went to the Varsity in Alpharetta.  I had the strangest craving for a hot dog topped with chili sauce and coleslaw.  Now that's a combination that I would like someone to explain to me how and why my body is craving.  I haven't had a hot dog like that since junior high school.

Regardless, The Varsity was certainly the place to go and sure enough....it hit the spot.

A cheeseburger followed by an ice cream cone seemed to hit the spot for Isaac too!

A Full Day....

Isaac started the day off full of energy and went full force with his yogurt.  He decided the spoon wasn't going to fill his tummy quick enough so why not just use fingers and expedite the whole breakfast process and get on to the fun stuff.

We spent the morning playing and then attempted to go for a walk.  Isaac wanted to ride his tricycle so we went for a venture around the neighborhood but at one point I guess something more interesting caught his eye and he jumped off with no warning.  He wanted to walk for a bit, feel the grass, pick up some rocks and then ride his tricycle again.  This process repeated itself several times the entire way back to the house.  When we got back he was a worn out little boy.

While Isaac was napping I had a few reflective moments.....

Isaac and I had made some chocolate chip cookies earlier in the week and while enjoying an afternoon snack I had a moment of awareness when I realized I had been balancing the plate on my belly.  Knowing this is the last time I plan to be pregnant this was a moment I chose to capture.  It's also a moment I'll cherish and perhaps miss.

Afterwards I spent some time in what's to be Isaac's new room.  We've been working very hard on having it painted, a new crib was bought and put together and a few accessories are coming together and the curtains for his new room have been started.  I sat down in the new chair for his room and looked out into the hallway.  It was a beautiful moment to let the reality soak in that we now have two rooms that are being decorated for two of our children.  Two rooms, two cribs, two kids...and many wonderful memories that have yet to be made.  It was almost as if I could envision the hallway filled with laughter and arguments at the same time.  

So far pregnancy with the second child has been a bit different than the first.  It's a bit more difficult to find the quiet moments when chasing after a toddler.  When I was pregnant with Isaac I carried him everywhere I went and there were lots of moments in the car, at work, or out by myself preparing for his arrival to revel in the bliss of pregnancy and motherhood.  The second time around the pace and demands of life are a bit different but that doesn't mean there isn't the same amount of love or anticipation.  It just means the quiet moments are cherished that much more since there are fewer of them.

Life is certainly going to change with two little one's running around.  I know there will be challenges but the love and laughter will outweigh it all.  

"Go-gurt"

Isaac came downstairs this morning, ran to the fridge, opened it up and wouldn't stop saying "go-gurt".

He was so cute and knew exactly what he wanted for breakfast.  Love him!

Mother's Day 2013

I wouldn't be a mother without these two loves.  I'm so grateful and blessed.  Especially to have another one on the way too!

I also wouldn't be the mother I am without the positive influence of the women in my life both past and present.  There are so many opportunities that surround us each day that can influence us in a positive way if we're open and receptive.  Sometimes this is easier said than done but it's such a wonderful reminder that we can mold ourselves into the people we want to become.  

We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast for mother's day at the Pancake House.  Frazer had another calendar made for me that displays so many wonderful moments of Isaac throughout the past year.  It's amazing to look back at his picture from his 1st birthday and then look at him now.  Another year has gone by so fast.  The boys also made me a very special coffee mug with Isaac's hand prints that says "Kids Fill The Whole World With Happy!".  So sweet!

It was a beautiful day!

More Painting & Play

The painting continued this morning.  With the office emptied it was the next area to paint.

Needless the say, the downstairs area was not fit for a toddler.  Furniture and toys overtook the dining room while the office and family room was being painted.

With the mess it was essential to get the curious wee man out of the way and it was the perfect excuse to go play and hang out with some friends.  After breakfast we loaded up and went over to Michele's for Isaac and Kaylie to entertain each other.

They had a fun morning together and the weather was beautiful.  Michele was also kind enough to fix the kiddos lunch which they enjoyed outside.

Little one's are just so adorable.  It's so entertaining to watch them together.  :)

Afterwards it was time to head home for nap time and check on the painting progress.

The office was almost finished before lunch and completed by the end of the day!