We Did It!!

(OK...so I guess Derek really did it, but we are all pretty excited!)

It's official...

Derek's graduation ceremony was at the
University of Phoenix stadium on Saturday, November 6th.
This was something we've been looking forward to for
three long years!

Waiting for the graduates to walk in
(Can you tell we were a little excited!?) :)

We were so happy that our wonderful friend,
CheriAn, came to support us.
And she was a huge help with the boys.

Here is the big moment!
Yay, Derek!

Look at how cute he is. :)

Here we are with the GRADUATE!

He wants to be just like Daddy.

I am so proud of my sweet hubby.

Daddy and his biggest fans

Congratulations, Derek!
You are amazing.

The Re-cap

So many pictures...so little time! :)

Preschool Halloween party

Carving the pumpkins
("scary face" and "funny face")

Halloween dinner

Our skeleton craft

Jack-o-lantern pancakes
My cute little Transformers
Optimus Prime
Bumblebee

And finally, here is the result...
lots of fun, tons of candy, and two very happy boys!

Flashback

My mom just found these pictures and e-mailed them to me:

Look at my cute little baby Isaac!

Wow...where has time gone?

Celebrating our Boy

We had a great time celebrating our little Isaac. I took way too many pictures (as usual). He was just so dang cute! :)
Here are some pictures of the fun we had:

Our day started with birthday waffles,
followed by a trip to Jumpstreet.

Then it was off to meet Daddy for lunch at Red Robin.
(The servers sang to Isaac and brought him an ice cream sundae.
He was thrilled...and slightly embarrassed.)

Lots of presents...Transformers overload!

Isaac wanted an Optimus Prime cake, so I did my best.
He thought it was pretty awesome.
We were so happy that the Stewart clan could join us for cake.

And finally...he finished it off with a little celebration at preschool.
He got to wear the birthday crown,
share his Star Poster, and pass out treats to his friends.

So that's it. He was one very happy 4-year-old.
(He just kept telling us, "This is the best birthday ever!")

Happy Birthday, Isaac.
I love you lots and lots!

A Very Special Day

Today is my sweet Isaac's birthday. It's hard to believe that he is already 4, but it's also hard to remember what life was like before him. I love my boys' birthdays. I get so excited every year, and I usually go way overboard with the celebrations! :)

October 19th is a very special day to me, not only because it's Isaac's birthday, but also because it's the day I became a mom. I will never forget the feelings I felt that day as I saw and held him for the first time. He was my own little miracle.

And now look how big he is! (What a cutie.)
I have LOTS of pictures of the birthday festivities,
but I'm too tired to post them tonight! :)

Our Happy Place

In case I haven't ever mentioned it...our family LOVES the zoo! Now that the weather has finally cooled down, we are back in the zoo business. :) And the best part is that Derek has more time now to go with us. Isaac was so excited to "bring Daddy to the zoo!" It was beautiful weather and we had a fabulous day.

Here are a few of my favorite pics:

We headed straight for the new koala exhibit,
and it did not disappoint. They are adorable!

Isaac's little koala souvenir.
(He hasn't put it down since he got it.)

He wanted to take this picture to show Grammy and Papa
(because they saw real elephants in Africa).

Daddy teaching the boys about snakes.

Crazy boys! :)

Trevor talking to the goats at the petting zoo.

You know I love my kids because
I take them to this nasty part of the zoo
and touch these smelly animals! Eww.

Trevor getting a better view of the tiger.

Can you tell they are happy to have their Daddy back?
So sweet.

Our Leader

We spent the weekend watching General Conference and enjoyed every minute of it. I love being together, eating a big breakfast, and listening to the words of our leaders. And, as always, I have a new list of things I want to do better!

The boys are a little young to get much out of it, but all of the talk about the prophet did lead to a funny conversation with Isaac that I just have to write down (so I will remember it). I was talking to Isaac about the prophet and trying to teach him that we were listening to him so we knew what we should be doing. He was intently listening and really trying to understand what I was saying. I reminded him of the primary song, "Follow the Prophet" and I saw a light go on in his adorable little head! He said, "Oh...I get it now. President Monson is our leader...just like Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots!" Well, I guess he's kinda right. :)