A day on the tarmac

Business travel is definitely not all it's cracked up to be. Guess who spent all day at the Philadelphia airport for a flight only to come home 8 hours later without his bags. Yep, Jason spent all day at the airport, 4 hrs on the tarmac, never left the ground and they still managed to lose his luggage.
Looks like Isabella was certainly glad he came back home. I mean, who else is going to help her ride that elephant?

Top O'the Mornin'

The Fruity Goodness


I love the morning. Maybe I'm weird this way but I look forward to waking up early, working out, coming home to Jason playing with Isabella and last but not least, a heaping bowl of Old Fashioned Quaker Oats. I'm a bit particular when it comes to my oatmeal and have a certain way things must be done. I've developed what I call a two step method, while the oatmeal cooks I prepare the bottom of the bowl with all of the delicious fruit, nuts, brown sugar and spices. Next, I pour the steaming hot oatmeal over the goodness, stir, add milk and enjoy! I really love this hearty breakfast and eat it just about every morning, even when it is 90 degrees at the end of Sept. in New Jersey (oh...I'm not complaining).

Irresistible

I just couldn't resist not posting these pics.

Craig's Visit

Isabella and Uncle Craig


Looks like Valley Forge wasn't that exciting

Craig Anderson graced us with his presence this weekend and as soon as he walked thru the door and I heard that familiar voice and saw his face I was overcome and must admit I got a bit teary-eyed. It was so great to see him and it just brought back such awesome memories of Austin and the friends we love. It's sad when I think that I just can't drive over to Anne and Craig's to hang out or that our kids won't grow up together. Life just moves on and so do friends, I guess it makes it that much sweeter when we do see each other again.

The Bright Green Bumbo

Yesterday was Isabella's first time in the Bumbo and she loved it. I think she really enjoyed helping dad on the computer, giving him advice about players he should pick for his Fantasy Football team. Definitely the funniest part about the Bumbo, was that when we took her out her thighs got stuck, looks like it won't be long before she outgrows this too.

The Joy of My Life

She's absolutely the greatest!

Lack of Self Control

This is embarrassing.....(so i've decided to write a post about it).
Jason forwarded an email to me sent to him by a co-worker advertising 30% off an entire purchase at Gymboree. I can't believe he actually sent it knowing that buying clothes for Isabella is a potential weakness. So, today I proved just how weak I truly am. In about 15 minutes I managed to pick up enough super cute outfits to dress her twice a day until she's 8 and with clothes to spare. Being a mom has changed me in more ways than I could ever imagine. It all started when I went to a Discovery Toys party on Friday and got so excited about the toys that I volunteered to host a party....no really....I did. I despise pyramid schemes and have never spent so much money at a retail store in my life! Unbelievable. I hope that I can somehow redeem myself after this weekend.

The First Meltdown

Jason's long time friend, Scott was in D.C. for the weekend so we decided to meet him in Baltimore for dinner at the Inner Harbor. The drive is about 2 hrs for us and Isabella slept the entire way there. She was an absolute treat at dinner....again, sleeping and enjoyed the long stroll we took along the harbor (she loves people watching and observing everything around her). It was great for Scott to meet Isabella and for he and Jason to catch up on old times. We left Baltimore around 8pm and she was doing fine, but an hour into our trip she started to melt. She was screaming and crying and the nearest exit was about 3 miles away, well, before we could exit she threw up all over, not spit up, but she definitely deposited everything she recently ate into her car seat. By the time we made it to the truck stop, really....that's what it was, she was smiling and happy as can be. The pic is of me changing her in the back of the Subaru at the truck stop because she was soaked. So, we hung out there for a few minutes....long enough for a huge semi to park behind us and when he turned his engine off, it made the loudest honking noise which scared her sufficiently to startle and start crying again. After a short time, we hopped into the car for what we hoped would be an uneventful ride until we made it home. Only 15 minutes into our trip (the 2nd take) little Isabella was crying uncontrollably...poor thing...I felt so bad for her. This time the exit was closer so Jason pulled off immediately and we spent the next 20 minutes hanging out at another truck stop to give her a break from the car seat and to help her unwind, luckily, she slept the rest of the way home.
This was a lesson learned for the new parents.....babies are tough, but when you push the envelope, they push back. Needless to say, I think we'll wait until we take her on another long road trip.

A Baby Blessing

Isabella was blessed this Sunday and it was such a special day for our family. It was especially great because her grandparents, my mom, Clark and Darlene shared in this momentous occasion. I must admit that I never understood the excitement and importance of this event, but when it's your own baby, the meaning of this event changes dramatically.
It's so incredibly sweet to witness this innocent baby come into this world and have her whole life ahead of her. Jason and I are so blessed to be able to teach and guide her so that she can become the best person she can be and reach her full potential. When I think about this incredible responsibility as a parent, I am sometimes overwhelemed, but for now....I'm just working on getting her to sleep through the night.

Proud to be an American

Independence Hall



Jason's parents, Clark and Darlene spent Labor Day weekend visiting us and we had a great time! We spent the first day touring the historical district of Philadelphia which included the Constitution Center, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Philadelphia is the first capital of the United States and is filled with amazing historical monuments. The Constitution Center is a beautiful building with a very interactive exhibit about American History which included a presentation that combined live narration and film, very moving. Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence was signed 1776 and the Constitution drafted in 1787. I was amazed at the architecture of this building that was constructed over 200 years ago. The wood flooring and crown moulding were spectacular even by today's standards and so well preserved. It was such an enjoyable day and reflecting on the evolution of this great nation made me grateful and proud to be a small part of it.