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. :)

Blessings for Burundi

I have always known that my parents were special people. For my entire life, I watched them love and serve their family. I also saw them make great sacrifices to love and serve neighbors, friends, and other church members. I have always admired them for the lives they've led, but that admiration has grown to a whole new level since last August.

I love to read about their work in Africa. They have done so much good for the people the Congo and have touched so many lives there. Last week they moved on to spread the message of the Gospel to a country that needs it so badly. They are now in Burundi (a little country next to Rwanda), a country with a history full of violence and civil wars. But now they are ready to have the church established and receive missionaries (my parents!). Their stories from Burundi are amazing and I can't wait to see how the work progresses there.

Here are a couple of my favorite
pictures from their time in the Congo:

Mom with some kids
(She is such a natural with kids,
even if they can't always understand her.) :)

Dad with the elders
(They got a kick out of his "safari" hat,
so they all posed together with their hats.)

I am grateful for their service in Africa.
I am grateful for them.

Making Progress

We have been working with Isaac on making "happy choices" and we came up with a system that works like a charm. We've had a couple of really great weeks, thanks to his new sticker chart. And he has earned enough money each week to pick something from the Target dollar spot. I love to watch him carefully make his selection and then count out his money for the cashier. He is just too cute. :)

So proud of himself!