"Normal"

Since my mom and dad have been in the Congo,
I have grown more appreciative of little, everyday aspects of my life...things my mom often refers to as "normal life."
This morning, as Isaac and I were sitting at the table, making our fabulous Play-Doh creations, it occurred to me that these were exactly the kinds of everyday moments my mom and dad are missing so much. Nothing is more "normal" than a kid (and his easily amused mommy) using the imagination to create, right! So I whipped out the camera to capture these fun moments with Isaac...for my parents and for myself! :)

He was pretty excited about our Thanksgiving turkey!

"Gobble, gobble, Mr. Turkey..."

This was actually his favorite creation of the day.
We made a little bluebird family...complete with "Daddy Bird," "Mommy Bird," and "Isaac Bird." (He insisted that the "Trevor Bird" was in one of the eggs...because he's a baby.) :)

I love the expression on his face in this picture!
Absolute happiness!

Remembering

We participated in the Alzheimer's Walk this morning.

A few years ago, our family started this tradition as a way to honor Grandma's memory and Grandpa's love and devotion to her. It has always been a great experience for us. This year was good, but it felt very different. This is the first year without Grandpa and I missed him so much. I missed his cute little shuffle. I missed his empty wheelchair (which Mom made him bring every year, just in case he wanted to ride in it!). I missed his funny little sense of humor. I missed seeing how proud he was of his family. I missed him, but it was a good way for all of us to remember him.
My Mom and Dad also missed out on the fun this year and it felt a pretty lonely without them, too. Sounds kinda depressing, huh? :) Actually, when we first got there,
I was a little tearful, but once things got going,
we all had a good time!
Here's the proof...LOTS of cute pictures! My little family ready to walk!

Isaac and cousin Alex...how cute are these boys!?

The walking/stroller crew

Daddy makes a great pack mule for tired little boys!

Do you see where Trevor gets his good looks? :)

Hanging out after the walk.
(Mom and Dad-Look closely at the band in the background of this picture...Do they look familiar?
Nice to know that some things will never change, huh?) :)

My cute boys adoring their baby cousin, Eva.
They LOVE her!

After the walk, we drove to the cemetery to visit their graves and leave some flowers. I let Isaac put the flowers in. It was really neat to see him be so sweet.
He loves his Grandpa Bird.

Isaac and Jameson talking about Grandpa Bird.
They both told me that he is with Heavenly Father.
I love to see the faith of children.

Trevor really liked the flowers! :)

What a great day to remember our Grandma and Grandpa!

They were right...

For the last year, I've had lots of people (including our favorite pediatrician) tell me that as frustrating as the "terrible twos" can be, the "threes" are worse! I just couldn't wrap my brain around that idea at the time, so I told myself that it wouldn't happen to us. Well...they were right! My sweet Isaac boy is really giving me a run for my money right now. I find myself getting SO frustrated with the talking back, disobedience, and other "Naughty Betsy" behavior!
It makes me sad...very sad.
I love my little man so much and I want him to be happy. I just don't know what to do to help him through this rough phase. (I really hope it's a phase!) If anyone has any great tips for dealing with a three-year-old, feel free to share! :)

Cruel or Funny?

Check out what we did to our poor kids today. Ha-ha!

This is what you get when you mix toddlers
and SOUR Warhead candy.

You may think we're mean, but if you had been here,

you would have been laughing your head off! :)

Trick-or-Treat!

We had a great Halloween with the boys!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

Trevor--Our adorable little chicken

Riding in style! :)

Isaac--The cutest lion ever!
He tried to be ferocious, but he was just too stinkin' cute!

Trick-or-treating

We had a blast!

Here Comes Halloween

I've never been a big fan of Halloween, but this year has been a little bit different. The boys get really excited about EVERYTHING, so it's way more fun now! :)

Aunt Alissa and Uncle Dave made caramel apples with us.

Isaac loved it!

Trevor thought my new witch hat was pretty hilarious. :)

Isaac made this adorable pumpkin picture one day, so we decided to make a pumpkin pizza for dinner. Cool, huh?

The boys got such a kick out of it!

This is our first pumpkin carving! (I know...we're lame!) :)
Daddy and Isaac got things started.

Then the boys and I finished up.

We put a candle inside and showed Isaac how you make a jack-o-lantern glow. He loved it! (He also made me sing "Happy Birthday" before he would blow it out. Silly boy!)

Today was my preschool's Halloween party and Isaac asked me if he could come. He said, "Mommy, I'm three now!" It was so cute...I just couldn't resist! He had so much fun being a big boy! (Don't my preschoolers look adorable?!) :)

The Birthday Chronicles! :)

We went a little crazy this year with Isaac's birthday.
Our idea was to keep it simple, but we were having SO much fun that we just kept on celebrating!

The first celebration...a couple of days early so we could be with his grandparents at the mountain.

Isaac was so excited to have a "birthday party" with Grandma and Grandpa. He is crazy about them!

Isaac has been wanting this Woody doll for a long time!
We had to walk by it every time we went to Target.
He was pretty excited!

I told him he could pick anything he wanted for his birthday breakfast. After much deliberation, he decided on a yogurt! Such a funny boy!
So here is his birthday yogurt...complete with candle. :)

One of the highlights for Isaac was getting to talk to Grammy and Papa. He was so excited that they sang "Happy Birthday" to him all the way from Africa.

Trevor didn't quite know what was going on,
but he enjoyed all the treats!Another little celebration with our best buddy, Sara.

Isaac wanted his cousin, Jameson, to come to Peter Piper Pizza for his birthday. It was so fun to have the Webbs with us. Can you tell these boys like each other!? :)

Trevor spent almost the whole time on this car game.

Playing ski ball with Jameson.
Cute cousins!

Here is the lion cake that he's been wanting for months.
It's definitely not perfect, but he loved it!

Happy Birthday, Little Man!
We love you so much!