transitioning

for the record, i know some of you (ahem, grandparents?) are itching for new photos. i am working on that, i promise! but it's a week of transitions around here and we are working hard on getting out of the summer mindset and into that whole Fall/Back to School thing. granted, isa is the only one going to school but the change of pace trickles over into everyone's daily life. that means a new schedule, new childcare, new places, new people, new work... you get the point right?

and then there are the normal, every day changes that occur with two little ones. sylvi is starting to stand on her own for several seconds at a time and is figuring out how to balance herself. she is eating table foods with us at dinner (like rice, corn, bananas, beans) and has mastered the sippy cup. isa has had yet another verbal leap and is recounting things and imagining things and expressing things like a child much older than herself. her memory is incredible and she recalls minute details about animals and people and places in her imaginary play. meanwhile phil and i stand by and watch in utter amazement, feeling very proud of how great these two are and also shocked at how incredibly fast it's all flying by!

details, details, details.

or should i say... details, details, details and lack of sleep? that might be more accurate. this is a weekend of tying up loose ends. there are alot of things we need to get done around here and just haven't had the time to complete. you know-- that whole parenthood thing and all, it keeps you pretty busy. so it's been a weekend of fence building, car cleaning, general work stuff, house maintenance, etc. all on top of very little sleep. sylvi's teeth are giving her hell and the mommy and daddy are riding it out with her. in addition to the fact that she is getting used to sharing a room with her sister. speaking of which, the room sharing is going quite well honestly. isa loves the fact that sylvi is now sharing her room and has been really great about staying quite at bedtime and not getting upset if she's woken by sylvi in the middle of the night. with one exception, she's not been bothered in the slightest by the noise and general commotion of having a fitful baby snoozing (or not snoozing) in the same room. it's a big relief on our part and we're hoping that as soon as the littlest one is resting easier, the shared bedroom will be even better!

and on that note... it's time for bed. goodnight.

happy NINE months sylvi!

a little smirk for the camera.

i can hardly believe it's true. the rooster is NINE months old today! that's way too close to one year for my liking, but i guess that's the way it goes. someone commented recently that, "she's almost a year old!" and it was like getting hit in the stomach. how could it possibly be? she was just born yesterday, i swear to it!

but enough of the boohoo-ing... sylvi at nine months is so sweet it makes my teeth hurt. she is still just as happy and loving as can be. she smiles at anyone who looks her way and is perfectly content to sit back and absorb the world around her. although she is doing alot less actual sitting these days. she still hasn't really gotten the crawling thing down, but instead does some creative scooting (sometimes on her bottom, sometimes on her belly, and occasionally a combo of both) to get to where she wants to be. i am really starting to think that she may walk before she actually crawls. the first thing she does when she gets close to someone or something is to reach up and out, grab hold, and pull herself up. she's a strong little booger for her size too! she can stand and hold on for longer periods of time now and will occasionally cruise for a step or two if something interesting catches her eye.

you can't see it in these pictures, but her first tooth is coming in! and the second one isn't far behind. so far she seems to be a faster teether than her sister (thank goodness!) but that doesn't mean they aren't keep us all up at night. we'll be happy when those two come in and she can hopefully get a break and sleep a little more.

so that's the roo at nine months... HAPPY NINE MONTHS SYLVI!

smarty pants and preschool

isa had her three year old/preschool screening this afternoon. she got to play games and answer questions and even check out her new classroom. we met her teachers and some of the other specialists and took a general look around the place. apparently we have a smarty pants on our hands (ok, we knew that) as everyone kept commenting on how "exceptional" and "off the charts" she was. what's that you say? i am shamelessly gloating about my child? yeah well, i am. ahem... anyway...

it was really great and we are SO excited and relieved that she will be attending preschool there. the facilities are amazing (her classroom is incredible!), the teachers and staff are fantastic, and it's just a really great set up. and it's affordable, which is even better. phil and i aren't the only ones that are thrilled-- isa is beyond herself with excitement. after seeing her classroom i didn't think i was going to be able to drag her out of there!

so that's the scoop on preschool prep. she starts on september 8th, so stay tuned for more details and of course some ridiculously cute First Day of School photos as well!

maiden voyage

sylvi makes a funny face in celebration of the new ride.

isa enjoys a little Sesame Street from the back seat.

Sylvi says, "Oh look at this leg room!"

this weekend was also the maiden voyage for the new (to us) mini van! that's right... we've joined the throngs of other parents, in search of much needed space and seating options... and switched out the suv for a Toyota Sienna. so what was the report from the first road trip? a definite A plus! and while it didn't quell all of the whining that inevitably accompanies many hours on the road, it did make the trip alot more enjoyable.

Tracy and Alex's Wedding

we headed over the hill this weekend to the wedding of our friends Tracy and Alex! it was a beautiful wedding and we were so pleased to be able to attend. not only did we get to see them get hitched but we also got to hang out with lots of great friends in a very beautiful place! we even got to see our good friends Matt and Jami and their twin girls-- who made the trip all the way up from southern california! both isa and sylvi did fabulously, even though they stayed up way past their bedtimes and spend alot of time in the car. isa and daddy even got to camp out saturday night after the festivities.

Isa at Three Years...

since we weren't around the computer on Isa's actual birthday, we wanted to be sure to follow up with a special Isa At Three Years post. hard to believe she actually turned three a few days ago, but it sure is fun to think about what she's like now! here are some of the words that come to mind: boisterous, creative, energetic, empathetic, firey, sensitive, active, intellegent, sweet, sassy, determined, strong willed and beautiful. that pretty much sums it up!

isa continues to be a little star in our lives. she most certainly keeps us on our toes with her constant flow of high energy and attitude (some times good, some times not so good!). she is always surprising us with the things that she observes and says. she loves anything and everything involving animals and art. she also likes to put things in order, whether than means lining up her paintbrushes by size and color or making little families out of her dolls. she loves her sister more than anyone else and is exceedingly patient and gentle with her. isa is a social butterfly but also knows when she needs her space-- and isn't afraid to tell you so! she entertains herself very well but still enjoys being the baby when possible too!

so that's Isa At Three Years, in a nutshell. we can't wait to see what this next year will bring for her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOOSE, WE LOVE YOU!

yep still here...

still alive and well over here, just very, very busy. both girls are getting new teeth, with fevers to prove it, amidst birthdays and weddings and travel and work and just plain ole everyday life. we'll post some newness when we can. in the meantime, guess you'll just have to hold your horses ;)

new skills!

look who's standing up! little miss mellow has learned pretty quickly that she can get up and go (ok, almost!) if she wants to. after a few weeks of working on crawling, but still going backwards, she has started scooting on her bottom instead. particularly on the smooth tile in the kitchen, she's starting to get around without having to actually crawl. as you can see from the photos, she's really interested in pulling to stand as well. she is started to look down at her foot and pick them up a little-- won't be long before she starts cruising around as a means of transport. makes me wonder if she's going to skip crawling altogether? or be like her sister and crawl for two or three weeks before she just starts walking instead? either way, i'm in no rush! after having one earlier walker, i would be quite fine if sylvi decided to hold off for a while longer!

hot, hot, hot.

here's a little video for tuesday. or sick day, as it's come to be known here. isa woke up with a fever this morning, and while she is generally acting well, we are laying low and taking advantage of an excuse to stay in and chill out. so far that's meant baking muffins (banana nut) and watching a whole lot of national geographic kids videos.

this video is from the trip to missoula, and a little (wayward) pit stop at the sand dunes in the middle of nowhere, idaho.

caught in the act!

sylvi loves talking to herself in the mirror lately. and pointing and patting and also giving herself kisses as well-- as you can see from that first picture!

birthday loot

since we're doing isa's birthday kind of hannukah style (as in a gift a day, more or less) it's been fun to have a little mini party every morning! as promised, i took pictures of her seeing her dollhouse for the first time... she LOVES it and so does mommy! seriously, that is one very cool dollhouse. she also got some more african animals to add to her little menagerie. i found a rhino, water buffalo, hippo, and zebra on ebay and isa has been making safari parades in the windows for two days now!

Isa's 3rd Birthday Party!

this morning Isa and her buddy Bennett had a combined birthday extravaganza! we've been talking about having a combined party for years, but finally got around to making it happen this year. the idea was to have an outdoor slip n'slide/pool party but mother nature had other plans-- the downpour began about 7am and by the time the party started (inside) at 10am it was still drizzling and cold. so need less to say, the pool party was thwarted! but the kids could've cared less and we had a big ole party inside instead. as you can see from the photos, there was alot of fun to be had. stacy treated everyone to some face painting and the little ones played their hearts out. after lunch there were cupcakes (blue ones with blueberries on top, as per isa's request) and a firetruck cake (as per bennett's request) and a bunch of sugar crazed toddlers running around like mad! isa was thrilled and so were we.

while her actual birthday isn't until next saturday, we thought we'd take advantage of the party date and just make it a week long celebration! we are headed to jackson for a wedding next weekend, so she'll be opening presents all week long, i suppose. something tells me she won't complain! in the meantime... here's a little early HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ISA!

more tumbling shots...

hello dolly!

it's time for a little tribute to sylvi's favorite toy-- her dolly! this sweet little doll was made for her by rene, and while she has lots of toys that she enjoys, none of them are as consistantly loved on as dolly. it's actually really cute to watch. as soon as she sees it, she starts flapping her arms and smacking her lips. when you give it to her, she grabs it and rubs it on her little face, then shakes it around like a puppy with a stuffed dog toy!

tumbling with toddlers

if anyone has ever wondered what it's like to get a half dozen toddlers (age 18mo to 3yrs) together in a room full of mirrors and loud music and gymnastics mats... well, it's a handful! getting those squirmy, energetic little kids to sit still and wait their turn was a bit much to ask, in my opinion, but there were moments where some small bit of order was achieved. not that any of the parents cared-- we know that corraling toddler is akin to herding cats-- but the teacher sure did try hard to keep them in line (pun intended).

all in all, it was good fun for isa, who bounced and danced and jumped and skipped around with every ounce of energy in her body. she particularly loved the warm up dancing in the beginning and looking at herself in the mirrors! hopefully there will be more of this in her future!

sylvi's latest trick

preschool packpack

isa will be starting preschool in a few weeks *gasp* and got to pick out a special backpack to take with her on the first day! this is a photo of what she chose. she calls it her "special blue owl packpack" and it's the first thing she tells people who ask her about going off to preschool. it just showed up in the mail today and it's going to be really hard keeping it under wraps until september! pretty cute huh?

piano man

here's a little clip from our recent trip to missoula. we stopped through dubois (that's 'do-boyz' by the way!) for lunch on the way home and while we were headed back to the car, we were treated to some old time piano tunes. isa was amused and showed her enthusiasm by doing a little jig.

bring on the videos!

sometimes the stars align and my sad little computer and the internets work together to actually get things done. when this happens, i can actually upload videos to this here blog! it's taken me several days, but the persistence appears to have paid off. so the first in what will be a series of new flicks, i bring you the "Sylvi Attempts Crawling" video. as you can see, she's trying really hard to go forward (there's still alot of backwards scooting going on!) and since this video was taken has started to do this really cute thing where she sticks her bootie in the air and straightens out her arms and legs. it's a pretty impressive "downward dog" pose for those yogis out there.

note: i know that the grandparents are excitedly flapping their arms out there, with the anticipation of new videos. the rest of you might find them a little boring. sorry about that!

good eats

the deck is already getting it's fair share of use, especially since it's so nice out lately! i am sure i just jinxed us, but it would be hard to write about summer without mentioning the fabulous weather of late. it's also harvest time in the garden and tonight we had an especially local dinner... deer burgers, salad, corn, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes with mozzarella and basil, and zuccini bread for desert... yum. all except the corn (ours is just starting to make ears!) was from our garden or that of a couple friends. i am no food photagrapher however, and my pictures didn't really do it justice-- hence the cute baby pictures interspersed instead!

impromptu playdates

nothing like an impromptu playdate to make a long afternoon go by in a nice way! we had one such playdate at willow's house this afternoon. there was playdough making, swinging, and general good times. nothing like good friends, soft grass, and nice shade on a hot summer afternoon!

babes in toyland

little roo was not in the mood for hanging out in the shop post-nap today, so we headed back upstairs and looked for something that was both productive and entertaining. just so happens that i had been meaning to do a little toy sorting and rotating lately, as well as babyproofing (which entailed finding and putting away little parts and pieces to a few of isa's 'big girl' toys). lucky sylvi! in doing so, i bought out some more baby toys that had been packed away for a few years and let her have at it! she was thrilled with the newness of them all and i was thrilled to actually get something done this morning.

speaking of toys, i was also making way for a few things isa will be getting for her 3rd birthday in a few weeks! more on the actual birthday part later (*sniff sniff*) but in the meantime, here's a sneak peak at what she'll find waiting for her on birthday morning. i am not sure who will like it more, me or her! phil thinks we need to retro-fit it with some solar panels and a little wind turbine. i think the little energy geek (isa) would be quite happy to participate in that as well :)

manic monday!

or maybe monday mayhem would be more fitting? either way, it's been a very busy morning and it's only 10:15am! phew. isa had her first tumbling class this morning and she loved it! there wasn't a seconds hesitation on her part, as she jumped right in and bounced around like it was her job. sitting on the mat and waiting her turn? that was another story, but we're working on it! it was as rambunctious and energetic as any toddler class could be. unfortunately mommy forgot to bring a snack and isa was running on fumes before it was time to go. but she survived and we came home for some serious snacktime on the deck. speaking of... the railing is almost done and the steps are next. more pictures of tumbling class and a finished deck to come! in the meantime, somebody needs coffee (and it's not isa).