Don't You Look Mah-velous!

For all of you who know my struggles with Isaac's skin, doesn't he look wonderful? He looks like a normal baby! No more oozing cheeks and scabs! I've been off of nuts for four weeks and milk for two and so far it seems to be helping. I'm fairly sure he has a milk allergy. Xavier drank some milk, then blew raspberries on Isaac's stomach. Hives followed where Xavier's mouth touched. Seems pretty obvious, eh? But, after I took this photo yesterday, I discovered two new patches of eczema, one on his wrist and one on his thigh and no milk exposure. Arg! Hopefully we'll figure this out soon!

Father Of the Year

Life is too crazy to keep this blog updated, but I figured I'd better make an effort or those blog-stalkers will start harassing me! In all seriousness, I truely believe my husband deserves the title "Father of the Year." He leads our family with integrity, love, compassion, and patience. He takes absolutely no time for himself, yet allows me the breaks I need. I often find him playing "band" with the kids-he with the guitar and they with some sort of percussion item. He instructs them in sports with quiet confidence(unlike my ultra-competitive self.) His ability to explain tough topics so they can understand is unmatched. Most of all, he is humble with his faults and admits his mistakes to them openly. I am honored to be his partner and pray that someday Xavier and Isaac will follow his example.





Xavier and Andy in "the fast car," aka Andy's new toy, aka the Civic Si. The poor old Grand Prix has said goodbye.

Thank you, Andy, for all you do!

Have a Seat

Just hours after I decided Isaac would never sit alone by the age of six months, he sat-at 5 months and 5 days! We've had slight issues with low muscle tone so this came as a great surprise to me! He didn't seem to have the back strength to hold himself up in a sitting position. But, I kept trying. You can tell he feels like such a big kid. I'm just thrilled!

Check out this pearly white!

Isaac popped his first tooth Monday, June 2nd. Yikes! He's following his brother's early teething schedule. Let's just hope he doesn't bite like Xavier did. Ouch!

Kindergarten Graduation

One year down, twelve to go! June 4th was Brooklyn's last day of kindergarten. A graduation ceremony for the kindergarteners and sixth graders followed in the evening. It was a long, long, LONG ceremony, and I was amazed at how well 50 kindergarteners sat for it. For me, the most amazing moment was when all 50 kids recited Psalm 23 in unison. Brooklyn had surprised me a few days earlier by reciting it herself. Their brains are like sponges at this age! We really struggled with school earlier in the year. Brooklyn didn't like it, insisted she was stupid, and was sure she would never be able to read. How time has changed! She loves her school, friends, and decided reading was fun! Now, we're looking forward to a busy summer of vacations, camps, lessons, and just having fun!

We're All In This Together...Literally!

The theme of Brooklyn's recital this year was "We're All In This Together." This definitely rang true for our family. Besides Brooklyn's adorable ballet to "Candle on the Water" and tap to "These Boots Were Made For Walking," Andy and I joined the ranks as performers this year. Andy did the Dad's Dance to a spoof of High School Musical. It was very entertaining and I was surprised to find out my husband has some moves! My friend Julie and I tried our hand at tapping this year. Neither one of us had any experience(ok, I took one year of tap class at the age of 5) but we both made it through without any memorable embarrassing moments. I think we'll both consider dancing again next year. This was Brooklyn's last year for the combo class. I'm excited to see what next year will bring!

The Birthday Girls

My Grandma and I share a birthday. This year, I turned 31 and she turned 90! We had a party/open house for her at her retirement community. If you are the birthday girl, you get to be queen for the day. Lucky for me, they had a crown to spare.