Isaac says...

Before Tim arrives, Isaac was talking to him on the telephone and said: "Daddy, I think I might cry when I see you" [he was holding back the tears]...a moment later, "Daddy, can we wrestle?"

Today: "Daddy, I'm so happy you're here."
***
"Mama, I was thinking. I think we need to go to a play place today."
***
Isaac: "we need to ride on the train."
Tim: "we can't ride the train without a ticket."
Isaac: "well we need to buy a ticket at the station."
Tim: "well, I don't know where the station is."
Isaac: "Mama can show us where it is on the map."
***
"Are YOU kidding me?"
***
Tim: "Isaac, can you please teach Juliet how to go to sleep?"
Isaac: "Juliet, you lay down, close your eyes, and go NAAH, CHOO, NAAH, CHOO. That's how you go to sleep."
***
"How was your day?"
***
"Where is God?"
***

Oh...Juliet got her first tooth on Thursday.

Welcome to Virginia

Well, after 2 weeks of being without Tim, he was able to make it in just before the snow storm of the century. His plane arrived 2 hours late and without his luggage, but he is here and that is ALL that matters.
These past two weeks have been very difficult for me. There have been many nights with only a few hours of sleep due to Juliet's poor sleeping habits and her painful teething, just to wake up and do a full day. I know there are technics out there that will help me get Juliet to sleep better, but it doesn't seem possible when we are all sharing a room together or even in Mississippi when Juliet and Isaac are sharing a room together. Two nights ago, Juliet (and I)were suffering from an ear infection and a tooth coming in and was crying for between 1 and 2 hours in the middle of the night; Isaac woke up and said "mom, I'm still sleeping"...as if Juliet's crying was interupting him and he was requesting that I get her to sleep quickly so he could return to his slumber...oh, how I wish it were that easy, Isaac.
Most days have been bearable and even enjoyable, but other days have been complete disasters. I had the thought that if I had watched a video of myself with my kids 5 years ago, I would have called myself incompetent and unfit to be a mother. Some would have agreed, but I have a feeling all the mom's out there could really relate.
My mom has been great to bear my calling 4-5 times a day just for someone to talk to when Tim was at work. Thanks mom! Thank you also to Heidi, Bekah, Kyle, Charity, Ollie, Angie and Beth, and Chris, for your prayers, encouragement and help on our travels.
Here a few pictures of the highlights while Tim was away. Snow pictures to follow.




Heidi and Juliet walking at a one of our stops up to Virginia.

Austin, Jackson, and Isaac speechless as the 2009 Santa Train pulls up to the station.

Panama City Trip

A couple of weekends ago, we traveled over to Panama City to visit our friends. Ever since we played mini golf with Bryan, Will, Aimee, and Brittany, Isaac has wanted to go again and he has been relentless in requesting that we play. Since Katrina, there are no mini golfing courses in Biloxi, so we told Isaac we would go when we visited Panama City. He had a great time on a beautiful Saturday morning!

Peter Anderson Arts Festival of Ocean Springs

Great time! Here are a few pictures of the children just so you can keep track of them growing.

Tub play

Who says you have to have water to play in the Tub?

A Special Day for Isaac

We were coming back to our apartment where there was a man on a tractor fixing the pavement at the location of an underground water leak. As we were driving up, I thought to myself: " this is probably the kind of place where a man on a tractor would offer to give a young boy a ride on his tractor". Sure enough, after we walked over and inquired as to what he was doing, he offered to give Isaac a ride. Isaac was so excited that he was in somewhat of a trance.

Juliet's Temper

Our daughter has somewhat of an over-reactive temper. She is quite clear when she is unhappy about anything that displeases her and there are no increments of volume in her responses, she is just loud. In the first picture you see her being very upset about something insignificant. In the second picture, you see Juliet understanding that the camera is fixed on her.

Isaac spells his name!

This is exciting for a couple of reasons: 1) when asked to spell anything, he would always either repeat the question or say the sounds of the letters, here, he actually understands that the question to spell something requires the answer to be in letter format 2) he knows that everytime he spells his name, he gets a big cheer from me!!!

Another funny thing that happened:

Isaac has been enjoying going through his parents wallets for some time now. We, Isaac and I, came to the conclusion that he needed his own wallet. So, I told him to remind me next time we were in the store and we could look for his first wallet. We had this conversation weeks ago and yesterday we were in the store and he remembered to remind me. We found the young men's section and on the way to the wallets, Isaac declares he wants a BLUE wallet. OK. Well, all they have are leather bi folds and trifolds. We get down on our knees to see if there was anything else on the lower shelves and we find camo print with velcro. He was excited about the velcro, but not about the camo...we dig deaper and grab not seeing the last wallet in the bin, and you guessed it, it was blue!!! A blue, velcro, tri-fold wallet at the age of 2 years and 8.5 months.

Isaac was so excited that these are some of the things he said," I just can't believe it, my very own wallet"..."I'm so excited"..."Dad, I got my very own wallet, I can't belive it"!!!. It was really fun! I put 2 dollars in it and I've been starting the conversation about spending his money and saving his money. I even tried today to get him to earn some more money. We'll see how it goes. I have no expectations, but I know that money is always a strong motivator!

2009 Trunk-or-Treating

In our new city, we adventured out to two trunk-or-treats: one sponsored by the city and one at a local church that we happened to pass on the way to dinner. Isaac enjoyed tipping his hat out for candy. He would then empty the candy into his bucket that Grandma faithfully carried around. Juliet enjoyed all the people that smiled at her. They both got lots of compliments on their costumes. First you will see Indiana giving his little bear cub a kiss.

our trip to mississippi

The trip was great. The kids were great. The flights were short and all the luggage fit in both the car we left in D.C. and the car that met us in Mississippi. Isaac was excited to finally ride in the airplane. He ended up falling asleep on the first flight and was getting a bit antsy on the 2nd, but all in all, he was a good traveler. Juliet is at a great age to travel. She will smile at almost anyone who smiles at her. Tim and I did fine, too!

Isaac enjoyed his Handy Manny Color Wonder book from the Toole's!
Juliet is the belle of any ball with her personalized bloomers from the Brown's!

Here is Tim playing with Juliet and Isaac during the layover in Atlanta when everyone got out of their pj's and into their day clothes.

Before leaving Virginia

We had some time to just be with each other outside. At 6 months old, Juliet has quite the personality and I feel like we are getting a taste of the teenage talk-back a little early. She makes herself loudly known if she is unhappy in the slightest. Her expressions are developing, but if you keep her happy, she has a way of making you feel like you are the coolest person EVER. You see my quandry in trying to raise a baby who is content in all circumstances! Well, I'm failing at this point. Enjoy the pics. Remember that you can click on each pic to see it in higher definition. Just remember to hit the back button to get back to the blog.
Oh, I was also able to capture Isaac and Juliet's first fight over a toy object!!! I realize this is only the beginning! And, Juliet is getting around pretty well. She is crawling, but still sometimes falls over!

Preparing for halloween

Isaac is going to be Indiana Jones for halloween 2009. we found a great cowboy set that has a few items that Indiana would always have. Isaac couldn't let one night pass him by without trying out all the different accoutrements. The best part is that he is in his underwear. I'm pretty sure this is a norman rockwell moment. Juliet got in on some of the fun as well.

Photos from the Chatman's

Well, the clips in the last post were at our house before we moved. The pictures in this post are from the first couple of weeks here at the Chatman house. They are great hosts. We have still not gotten the go ahead from Tim's work to make any arrangements. This adds to the stress level of doing anything. We are just trying to enjoy the children as Juliet leaps through her new abilities and Isaac works on his potty training (less enjoyable). We hope you enjoy the pictures. In case you didn't know, you should be able to click on any picture to get a bigger view of it.

Pre-move videos

I have some videos that I've been wanting to post, but I've not quite been organized enough to get them on the computer. Here are a few pre-move favorites. Enjoy!

Rolling down the driveway


Nana and Isaac

Juliet's funny noises

Juliets giggles

I'll share with you, mama...

We're in the car headed to IHOP for dinner.
Isaac: "Mama, are you going to sit next to me and my pancakes?"
Mom: "Isaac, I'd love to sit next to you, but I don't really care about sitting next to your pancakes."
Isaac: "I'll share them with you, mama"
Mom: "You will?"
Isaac:"A bite"..........."A piece"............."A little piece".........."like this" [holds up his hand where is thumb and index finger are pinched to together as if holding a crumb]
"I'll share with you, mama".

***************

We're in the car and it begins to rain.
Isaac: "I'll sing the song.....Rain, rain, go away, come again another day"
[waits, looks to the sky, and listens...]
Isaac: "Did it work?"
[still raining]
Isaac: "Nope. I'll try again....Rain, rain, go away, come again another day"
[waits and it happens to stop raining]
Isaac: "IT WORKED, now we can go to the park".

Family Portrait

We are out of our house.

Our church family, once again, rose to the challenge of moving us last weekend and throughout the week. Nana (Amanda's mom) was here for the week and truly was a gift from God. We couldn't have accomplished this task without her there. She also took Charlie (our cat) under her care until we arrive at our new destination.

We finished up on Wednesday for the renters to move in on Thursday. Just in the nick of time. It was exhausting, and Juliet isn't sleeping any sounder in the night. We are resting today as we have no lawn work or household tasks to complete. Just rest and be together, that is our task list. It feels a bit awkward, but somehow I think I could get used to it!


Tim's job has yet to finalize our location in October, but we are almost sure it is going to be Pascagoula, Mississippi. We are also pretty sure he is going to begin on October 12. We are somewhat sure we are going to reside in Mobile, since there is really nothing in Pascagoula for us to do. Nothing, however, is finalize and in writing. No leases have been signed, the movers have not been ordered, the cars are not scheduled to be shipped, and no airlines reservations have been made.


We are currently staying with the Chatman's, dear friends from Pillar who graciously allowed us to stay in their home while we are waiting to be moved. They are wonderful and we have plenty of space for all that we need.


We were getting haircuts and having fun at the mall last night and I couldn't resist the photo machine. Love to all!

the kids

Isaac looks through binoculars to see a swan on the lake.
Juliet enjoys the smiling baby!

conversations with my 2 year old

Isaac: Mom, my Leapster isn't working.
(mom comes over to help with the Leapster and it shuts off. I think it's been dropped too many times. Isaac takes the Diego game out.)
Isaac: Mom, get Dora, it will work.
Mom: okay, I'll get it.
Isaac: You will? That's wonderful!
********************
Mom: Isaac, will you please put the diaper in the trash can and bring me the remote?
Isaac: Yes, Of course.
********************
We go outside to get the mail and Isaac says:
"Mom, it such a nice day outside, isn't it?
Mom: yes, Isaac, it is beautiful!
Isaac: Do you think we could go to the park and play on the playground?
Mom: I think we could do that. That sounds like a good idea.
Isaac: yes, it is a good idea.....Mom, can I pee in the grass?
********************
Isaac: Mama, Duleeuet (Juliet) is so pretty. Isn't she?
Mom: Yes, she is beautiful Isaac.
********************

Not a conversation, but a homonym mistake: We were at Great Wolf on our vacation and Isaac loved the Arcade. After a while, he started calling it "My Cade". "Mama, can we go to "my cade"? I think he thought it was called "Our Cade", so he naturally he changed possession from plural to singular.

wednesday morning

It's wednesday morning. Isaac is still sleeping and Tim is off to work. Juliet will probably take a stab at solid foods today. The park is definitely on the agenda...it's not quite 60 degrees outside right now! The idea of moving is still not concrete since we don't know where we'll go (in October). Can't make any plans. Just organize, clean, and paint! Bills are paid and dishes are done.
Just heard Isaac's door open.

Keyboard Skills

As a piano player and instructor, I am surprised at how many (piano) keyboard skills Isaac is able to learn while practicing on the computer keyboard. We have been practicing numbers and letters on the computer about 5 weeks now. Besides the numbers and letters, we have learned the Backspace key, the Enter key, and just today, the Shift Key. It is the Shift Key that really struck me because you have to hold it down with one hand while pressing a letter. He was using both hands...now that I think about it, he was really enjoying the number "10" for that reason also.

I am having difficulty figuring out how to begin teaching Isaac the piano at this age, but the shift key just gave me the spark I needed to get started.

Believe it or not

It all started when Tim and I played softball on the National Mall for the Kennedy Center. I used to not have any feelings about the geese, but in the Spring of 2005, everything changed.

If you are unfamiliar with the geese, all you need to know is that they leave poops larger than most dogs. The Canadian Geese invaded the field before every game. We would be forced to play softball in their excrement. From that point on, it was me versus the geese.

Last year, I met Aimee. Our youth pastor, Bryan got married to this beautiful woman who grew up in Michigan and learned how to use a gun and ride horses. This afternoon, Aimee generously took me to a shooting range. I was preparing for water fowl season in Northern Virginia. It was loud and startling. There was no air conditioning. The shells hit you in the face. But I did it. I shot a 22.

I am glad I did this. I haven't had any new experiences for a while and this was surely new. I cannot say, however, that I will be back again. I didn't like the feeling of shooting the gun...and I'm told that with bigger guns, it gets harder. And since I learned that if you're going to shoot a goose, you have to use a gun larger than a 22, I will just have to supress the feelings that were evoked that Spring back in 2005.

The Spencers are Gone

Last weekend, we had some very dear friends stay with us for 2 days that have now left to go to Kansas then off to Japan. We have been friends for 3 years and have gotten very close with them. They left Tuesday morning, but not before a couple of great photos.

The Spencers and the Longs:
The big boys:

Juliet and Corban:

ISAAC READS HIS FIRST WORD!!!

Some of you may have read my post and watched the video of Isaac where I support the Leap Frog movie The Letter Factory. Isaac learned his letters and sounds super quickly with the help of the fun video that incorporates an actual plot (this is in contrast with other videos that just have the letters and sounds bouncing around the screen...LAME!)

So, as a special surprise for having an accident-free potty training day last weekend, Isaac received the follow-up video, The Talking Word Factory, where the letters are put together to make words. He has watched this video maybe 5 times in the past week. We watch it together and have dialogue about it throughout the day to reinforce what we are learning in it.

So we are at TenFold last night...for those of you who don't know, TenFold is the youth chapter of our church. Tim and I attend every Tuesday night and Isaac and Juliet come with us. Several weeks ago, I had written down a simple Bible verse that I thought Isaac could begin to memorize: "GOD IS LOVE" and I kept it in my Bible. Isaac began to get a little antsy during the lesson last night, so I pulled out the little piece of paper with the verse written on it and he was intrigued. He sat there sounding out the words...instead of "G" "O" "D"...he would say their sounds..."guh" "ah" "duh". He couldn't figure that one out at first, so he went on to the second word..."ih" "s"..."ih" "s"..."IS"!!!!! It clicked in his head! What a moment!! I was so excited I was distracting (sorry Bryan)! I gave Isaac a big kiss and hug as quietly as I could...but I was still distracting. What a thrill!

He then retackled "God" and began to get it...he tried "love", but it didn't quite follow the basic phoenetic rules. So, his first official word that he read himself was "is". I think it is odd that it is a verb. I would think it would have been a noun.

Good job, Isaac. Way to go!

Videos of Juliet

We have been neglectful of posting video's of Juliet. Here are a few to catch you up to speed on her G&D (Growth and Development).



Enjoying Tummy Time:

Smiles

Dancin'

Working...

Working on her sitting...
Working on his painting...

Working on her hair...

Tim is working...at his work.