The Carlson Family

The Little Triplets

2011-06-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

Isaiah has been having so much fun with his cousins this summer. A couple of weeks ago Ross and Aiden decided to break out the "Tiki Soaky" sprinkler after dinner. I hadn't brought Isaiah's swimsuit, but luckily Ross went upstairs and found a spare. It happened to be the identical match to the one he was wearing (it was Aiden's). Isaiah was so excited to be able to join in. I put the swimsuit on him, and then rubbing his tummy through the silky shirt he turned to Ross and said "Hey, we're twins! Ha Ha Ha" Pretty funny joke from a two year old. The two of them were inseperable the rest of the night.
Aiden was the little ring leader. He discovered it was funny to sit on the sprinkler and try to run away before the volcano erupted and shot water into the air like old faithful.
He talked Ross into trying it, and Ross ended up soaked. Here is the photo of him trying to persuade Isaiah.
Isaiah wrinkled up his eyebrows and said "MMMMM No Thank You!" and ran away.

Yesterday we all went to the farmer's market and I took all three boys in my car and met up with Becky, Cameron, and Emily downtown. It was really crowded and I was outnumbered so I made the three of them hold hands so no one got lost. I kept getting some strange looks and didn't know why until one lady asked how old my triplets were. I laughed as I told her "the twins were my nephews and they were 2 years older than Isaiah". You do have to admit there is a strong family resemblance.

Getting Ready To Move

2011-05-27T23:40:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone. It has been a while since I last posted, but we have been getting ready to move to Des Moines and I haven't had a free minute to sit down and update our blog. The moving truck is coming on Tuesday to pack up all of our belongings and take them to Iowa. The only problem is that the house we bought over there is not quite done yet. We are waiting on the basement, which should be done by July 1st. Nick is already working over there and he will be staying in a hotel for the next month and coming home on weekends. Isaiah and I will be shacking up at the Baldwins (HA HA HA!) Can you imagine how much fun (craziness) it is going to be having those those three amigos together for a month? Becky took some really cute photos of Isaiah with Ross and Aiden a couple of weeks ago. I will make sure to post them as soon as I get my hands on them. This is our new house. I really like it. We had a tough time house hunting over there. Everything is so different. When I walked into this house I fell in love with it. Then I found out the builder wasn't from Iowa and it all made sense. Gotta love that midwestern style (or lack of). Just kidding, Idaho really can't be much better but at least our mountains make a pretty backdrop.

Car Show

2011-03-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we took Isaiah to a car show that they had here in Boise. He got so excited each time he recognized a car from the movie Cars, like Doc Hudson, Ramone, and Flo. Nick made a comment about the "bed" of one of the trucks and Isaiah put his finger up to his lips and told us to "SSSHHH". Apparently if the truck had a bed, someone must be sleeping and we needed to be quiet. Made me laugh. They gave us each a ticket to vote for the car we liked the most.....take one guess which one Isaiah voted for?! We even made him a couple of t-shirts with VW Bugs on them and made his little day!

It's Been A While!

2011-02-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

Personalize your own picture slideshow

Balloons!

2010-09-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

For the last few days, The Boise Classic Balloon Festival has been going on downtown. We decided to wake up early this morning and take Isaiah since he LIVES for these sorts of things. I thought he would be a little grumpy waking up at 6:30, but he understood why, and was all smiles and excitement the whole way there.

We started out at Ann Morrison Park where they launched 30 balloons. Isaiah got to walk up and touch the red Coca-Cola balloon as it was inflating...he thought that was awesome.

After they had all launched, we drove up to the Old Train Depot and watched from the top of the hill. One of the balloons landed on the tracks right by us. It was a ton of fun! I absolutely love living in a city where we are able to experience these events (without requiring a snowsuit and mittens)!

Isaiah's Happy Feet

2010-07-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Isaiah loves "Life is a Highway" and requests we play it over and over. He just came in from running in the sprinklers, and this is the little video we took while he was eating a snack.

Lots of Pictures

2010-07-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

This summer has been so busy, and we are not even midway yet. We just got back last week from a trip to Idaho Falls where my mom's family had a reunion up at Heise. I really love spending the 4th of July in Idaho Falls. Isaiah had a blast at the parade even though it was about 50 degrees. We didn't take him down to the river for the fireworks though. I think he is still too little. We bought a few small fireworks instead. I am kicking myself for forgetting my camera. Here is a plethura of cute little pictures I have been saving for a while now:

Isaiah demonstrating the proper way to do Itsy Bitsy Spider

Our Day at the Morrison-Knundsen Nature Center:

Isaiah acts soooo cool everytime he puts on these dragon sunglasses. He pulls "The Uncle Will Face"

Three days ago, all on is own, Isaiah decided it would be a yummy snack to dunk his Oreo cookies in a glass of milk! What a good idea. Why hasn't anyone else thought of this?

I almost forgot...

2010-06-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

I am so used to posting little factoids about Isaiah, sometimes I forget to post about NIck and myself.

Quick update...Nick is doing really well in his new role as Team Leader for Qwest in Boise. His center finished #1 in the company his first month. Way to set the bar high! His new job doesn't require as much travel, so that makes me very happy.

I passed my exam for the NASM Certified Personal Trainer course. I was so nervous because it encompassed so much information, I didn't know if I would remember each detail, but I DID! I don't plan on working in a traditional gym setting because I don't want to leave Isaiah, so I plan on hosting a couple of late summer bootcamps here in Boise. They would have 6-10 women who meet up 3 times a week in a park for a killer total body workout. I'll post more when I work out some of the details. Let me know if you are interested. Should be fun!

Warhawk Museum

2010-06-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

Since Isaiah is such a fanatic about cars, trucks, airplanes, helicopters....etc, when I read about the Warhawk Museum in Nampa, I knew we had to take him there. It is filled with old war planes and WWII era military jeeps. Just as I thought, he had a great time. The only bad part was that he thought he could climb in the jeeps and drive like he does at the zoo. Notice the photo of him arching his back like a contortionist to grab the steering wheel. It will be fun to take him back in a few years when we can actually explain all the captions of the exhibits.

Mothers Day and Memorial Day at the Zoo.

2010-06-02T22:01:00.001-07:00

So once again, I have fallen behind on my posts, and sadly I don't think this post will count as a full-fledged update either. I should have more spare time in the next week or so. In the meantime, here are some photos, including my Mother's Day T-Shirt that Isaiah handmade. He picked the t-shirt color and the paint out at Michael's with his dad. (can you imagine Nick pushing a cart through Michael's with Isaiah pulling everything off the shelves saying "Okay Buddy...what color do you think Mom would like?") Apparently, Isaiah knew exactly what he was doing and picked out the exact same color scheme as his own outfit! He then proceeded through the store holding the tube of fabric paint and waving the t-shirt singing "aaa MomMomMom" to all the craft ladies. It was one of the best days I have ever had. Mother's Day might be my new favorite holiday. I guess that explains my cheesy grin in the photos! Ha Ha!

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. The weather was kind of blustery here, so we spent the day indoors unlike last year's 60 degree sunshine.

We dyed Easter eggs Saturday night. I have never really done this before, so I was expecting this huge disaster of a mess, but it really wasn't too bad. Isaiah thought the eggs were balls, and kept throwing them, so we didn't actually keep any of the eggs. This is something we will probably make a tradition and do again next year.

The day started off great, mainly because Isaiah made it until 6 am without waking up. If any of you know our history when it comes to this subject, you will understand how wonderful this accomplishment really is. The night before, Nick and I put together Isaiah's Easter basket and basketball hoop and hid them. Then we laid out a trail of Easter eggs so he could follow a path. He was so excited to discover all of his presents. The hoop was a big hit, even though it is still a little too high for him to reach on his own. Isaiah dragged his little baby basketball hoop upstairs last night and set it next to the big hoop and was playing with both. It was pretty cute.

In the afternoon, Nick's dad, Dennis and his wife Dani stopped by and we all ate lunch together. I really didn't feel like cooking, so we ordered it from the Cracker Barrel and it was delicious. Too bad I can't do that for every holiday! Isaiah had a great time getting down on the ground and playing with Grandpa. Then they made pretend lunch in the play kitchen and Grandpa Dennis got to eat again! Isaiah loved teasing his Grandpa about his shiny bald head. He kept feeling the top of his own head to make sure his hair was still there.

I had to add this last photo of Isaiah and Nick from last year to show how much he has changed. I can't believe how fast he is growing up.

Catching Up

2010-03-19T15:17:00.001-07:00

Wow, I cannot believe I have not posted anything in 2 months. We had computer issues and had to buy a new laptop. Then, the laptop repair shop tried to send us home with someone else's hardrive, so it has been a battle to get all of our photos and files back. I have wanted to post an update, but it has not been easy to say the least.

So what it new with the Carlson's? Nick hasn't had to travel much in the last couple of months, which has been awesome. The weather has been so nice lately and we have been able to spend a lot of time outside. Isaiah gets so excited when Nick gets home from work. We call it "partytime" and he knows exactly what we are talking about. He walks over to the babygate and begs Nick to take him downstairs (where all the good toys are).

I am in the middle of taking the NASM Personal Trainer course. It is a home study course, and then I take the final exam through BSU. I am learning so much it is crazy. I am putting together my first bootcamp and hope to kick that off the second week of May here in Boise. I will probably post more on that later.

I am sad to say that Baby Isaiah is no more. He has transformed into a big kid overnight. He uses his little potty, eats with full size silverware and drinks from a glass. He thinks it is pretty cool to walk everywhere we go because...."Who needs a stroller?"! He knows about 12 songs and hums them to himself as he falls asleep each night. Also true to his new big kid self, he adds sound effects to everything. He LOVES firetrucks, ambulances, and police cars. Here's a funny story that I am a little ashamed to tell: Today I was driving out to Kuna to take Isaiah to the library for his music class. We were running late, and I was unconsciously speeding down the desolate country road....desolate except for my Tahoe and the police cruiser coming my way. I was giving Isaiah a play by play explanation of what was happening the way I always do, trying to help him with his speaking. I said "Mommy is getting pulled over by the policeman because she was driving too fast. That was a no no." As I rolled down my window to give the officer my licence and registration, I could only laugh at Isaiah in the background going "Woo Woo Woo Honk Honk" just like a firetruck or police car sound. I was not laughing at the nasty ticket I got!

These are just some random photos of Isaiah taken recently. Sorry the resolution is not great, I had to use my cell phone.

A Killer Dessert....Literally

2010-01-19T09:34:00.001-08:00

I recently rented the dvd Julie and Julia and absolutely felt the urge to cook. I didn't want to cook from Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking though-just not my style. Lisa's sister in law is cooking her way through The Barefoot Contessa and has posted some awesome photos on her blog. Lisa was so thoughtful and gave me the cookbook for my birthday. After flipping through all of the recipes, I decided I was going to attempt the pecan bars. This dessert was deadly in two different ways. They are described as "pecan pie on a shortbread crust". As I was making a list of ingredients to pick up at the grocery store, I became curious about the nutritional value of these bars after realizing they called for 9 sticks of butter. I added it all up, and realized there was over 19,000 calories in the whole pan. WOW! They are delicious. Secondly, if you decide to make these, make sure to place a large pan underneath your baking sheet to catch the drips as it bubbles over. I failed to do this and my oven caught on fire and my house filled up with smoke. Isaiah though it was awesome. Ha Ha Ha. Not funny!

Ina Garten's Pecan Bars
Ingredients
Crust:

* 1 1/4 pounds unsalted butter, room temperature
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3 extra-large eggs
* 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:

* 1 pound unsalted butter
* 1 cup good honey
* 3 cups light brown sugar, packed
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 2 pounds pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 by 12 by 1-inch baking sheet, making an edge around the outside. It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Allow to cool.

For the topping, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and zests in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

Soul Man!

2010-01-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

This video is a little long, but right in the middle, if you listen closely, you will hear Isaiah sing the theme song to Bob the Builder! I absolutely love it. He sings all the time lately. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is another favorite! I was also able to catch a glimpse of his dancing.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2010-01-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

The Carlson Family - Christmas 2009

Isaiah awoke Christmas morning to find that Santa left him presents under the tree.

Of all the gifts, Isaiah's favorite was his $1.99 Thomas the Train Musical Toothbrush that was in his stocking. (I have to add this thing plays 2 minutes of little British kids singing the theme song to the TV show...yikes)

Nick surprised me with a Wii Fit. This thing is soooo much fun! I have an hilarious video of Will doing the Hula Hoop game. I promised I wouldn't post it, but email me if you would like to see this fine clip of comedy!

Later that day, we had a nice family dinner and settled in for a relaxing evening. We have been so spoiled because Nick has been able to take a couple of weeks vacation and we have had a great time celebrating the holidays. Nick made one of the extra rooms downstairs into a play room since Isaiah has gotten so many new toys between his birthday and Christmas. The first time Ross and Aiden came over to play down there, Isaiah just squeeled and flapped his arms up and down with excitement as he showed off all his new stuff! Then he proceeded to push THEM around in his Little Tikes car! (I've noticed a little bossiness coming out in his personality lately...no idea where he gets that from) Hope your holidays were great also. I will post more when I get a chance.

Isn't 13 Months too young for....

2009-12-17T10:18:00.001-08:00

1) Being able to open doors and escape?

2) Running around half naked?

3) Rocking Out to "Billie Jean"?

.....heaven help me, I've had this coming to me for a long time. I would like to take this moment to apologize to my parents for all the craziness I put them through, and let them know that "Yes,I did have a child just like me!" He is wonderful and curious and FULL of energy. If you can see in the pictures, there are no ornaments on the bottom half of our tree (they are all scattered below) and there are no longer any people in my Christmas Village (they were all lovingly plucked off and brought to Mom for safekeeping I suppose). I will try to capture some of Isaiah's killer dance moves on video and post for all y'all later!

Love Letters Photography...Just in Time for Christmas!

2009-12-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have several good excuses! After Isaiah's birthday, our trip to Idaho Falls, and Thanksgiving, Becky and I decided to put it into high gear and make sure our website was fully functional in time for Christmas. I am pleased to announce... WE MADE IT!

In case you haven't heard, Love Letters Photography is a small business my sister Becky and I began working on last February. We capture black and white images that resemble different letters of the alphabet, and then arrange them to spell out different words. We have received many orders for letters that spell out last names, or other inspirational words. Their popularity seems to be growing through word of mouth.

Although we are continuously adding new products and improving our site itself, we currently offer over 100 stunning photographs taken mostly in beautiful downtown Boise. Take a look for yourself and share with anyone whom you think may be interested-they make fabulous gifts! Visit us at www.LoveLettersPhotography.com

Happy Birthday Isaiah!

2009-11-05T09:31:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween. We sure did, although it was a very short celebration due to Isaiah being so tired (he came down with a cold Saturday night, so that explains it.) Here is the little guy in his "Golfer" costume getting ready to go trick-or-treat Ross and Aiden!

2009-10-22T15:56:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Best Thing So Far...

2009-10-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Being a parent is a very hard thing. No one ever talks about how you will never sleep again, or how you will always have a cloud of worry and concern for your child hovering overhead, or how some days when you find yourself with 5 extra minutes, you have to make the decision of whether to eat, sleep, or shower, but not all three. However, the joys that come with parenthood far outweigh these minor difficulties. Lately, Isaiah has been all about the Mommy love. He calls out for me when I walk away, looks for me while I am gone, and gives me sweet hugs and kisses when I come back...every single time. I love this little guy so much it hurts.

8 Years Together

2009-10-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband Nick. It has been a great 8 years we have had the joy of sharing together and many, many more to come. I love you!

Pumpkin Fun!

2009-10-19T09:42:00.001-07:00

Our Pumpkin Fun Day!

We recently spent an afternoon picking out some pumpkins for our front porch. Isaiah had a great time "helping" with the big pumpkins, and we made sure he also picked out a little one just his size.

Well...although Isaiah has been walking for a few weeks now, he is still very unstable and takes a nasty crash now and then. I have resorted to following close behind him, half hunched over, ready to catch him if he is headed for a wall, or a corner. Usually he will lead me into his room to play, or over to the baby gate to try to coax me into taking him downstairs, but ever since we put all the pumpkins on the front porch, he just walks over to the front door and then knocks until we go out and check on his baby pumpkin. He waddles over to it, picks it up and makes the cutest noise as if to say "OOOHHHhhh...so HERE you are!" Then he sets the pumpkin back down and we can then go on with the rest of our day. Very adorable!

Why has Isaiah Been on a Food Strike Lately?

2009-09-23T08:05:00.001-07:00

....because he is so independant and stubborn that he wants to feed himself I recently discovered! I have spent hours trying to prepare different foods that might interest him and coax him into eating something other than cheese bites, grapes, and toast, and with no luck. Finally, after much frustration (and attempting to feed Isaiah about 5 different things for dinner last night...you can see the evidence on his tray) I gave up and handed him the spoon and said "Fine...feed yourself!" Here are the video results!

How 'Bout Them Cowboys!

2009-09-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

As the days begin to grow short and the weather cools down, one thing is for sure...it is time for football! In our household, football is like a religion, and more specifically, Dallas Cowboys football. Although no one knows what this season may bring for the Cowboys, one thing I do know is that we sure love our Little Rookie! Last year, Nick bought a newborn Dallas Cowboy's onesie that said "Lil' Rookie" before we were even pregnant. That is how Isaiah got the nickname "Rookie" now, one year later...take a look at how much our "Lil' Rookie" has grown!

GO COWBOYS!

November 2008

Sunday, Sept 19, 2009

Isaiah Loves his Walker and Daddy!

2009-09-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

First Trip to the Zoo

2009-08-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Farmer's Market

2009-08-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend. First of all, Isaiah had his 9-month checkup on Friday, and here are his stats:

20 lbs 12 oz - 50-75th percentile
30" Long - 90th percentile
19.5 cm head circumference - beyond the 95th percentile (he has a big noggin!)

...and the best part was no shots this time! Woo Hoo!

Friday night, we took Isaiah to his first baseball game to see the Boise Hawks. He thought it was so cool. He was able to see the whole field and was really interested in all the people in the crowd.

Saturday morning we woke up early and went to the Farmer's Market downtown with Lisa and Shaun. It wasn't too crowded, so we were able to walk around and browse all the booths. It was also pretty cold that morning...only 55 degrees at 9:30. Lisa took these beautiful little pictures of Isaiah so of course I have to post them for everyone to see...

Isaiah is on the Move!

2009-08-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Sooo...Isaiah does the fastest Army crawl I have ever seen! He has been slowly scooting around for the past couple of weeks, going from one side of his room to the other (maybe 4 feet across the floor), and all of a sudden, he has decided to go double-time. Today I was working in the kitchen making corn bread muffins to take to a BBQ, and Isaiah was playing with some toys in the adjoining living room. I would glance over the counter every couple of minutes to make sure he was doing alright and I could also hear him making a bunch of cute noises. Normally, I can tell when he is cruising around because he makes dramatic grunting noises, but this time he was being very sneaky. All of a sudden, he started giggling and i hear this "SMACK SMACK SMACK!" ...more giggles. I glance over the counter and I can't see him in the living room. Panic sets in until I notice he made his way all the way into the kitchen and was right below me. The "SMACK" was him slapping his hands on the hardwood floor. It must have felt a little different than the carpet he is used to, and that was funny to him. I think it is time for some baby gates!

Isaiah is also working on pulling himself up. He loves to use his dresser as a jungle gym, pulling out a couple of drawers to give himself some leverage. I always make sure I am right next to him whenever he does this...it's kind of scary-not sure how I feel about it. He also uses his big wooden toy to pull himself up. He always looks around after he does it as if to say: "Do you see how cool I am?" He makes me laugh all day long!

Splish Splash!

2009-07-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

As the summer days are beginning to drag on, we have become more and more creative with ways to stay entertained and cool. Isaiah is getting so big and much more active these days, so we decided to join Becky, Ross, and Aiden at their neighborhood splash park. I had no clue as to whether he would love the water or hate it, but because he does so well in swimming pools, I thought he might enjoy himself...and BOY DID HE EVER! He thought he was just one of the big kids jumping and splashing in the fountains! Ross and Aiden were so cute to show Isaiah all of the little gadgets and how they worked. They are getting to be such good friends.

Sweet Eyes for Aunt Becky...

Posing With Mom

MMMMMMmmmmm Strawberries!

Fun With Ross and Aiden

2009-07-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Ross and Aiden,
Thank you for coming over last week to play with me twice! Not only was it great to go swimming with you in my pool, but I think you saved my mom from total boredom! You guys are the greatest and I can't wait to go to storytime with you at the library!

Love,
Your Cousin Isaiah

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend celebrating Independance Day! Not only is it our nation's birthday, but it was also Isaiah's 8 month birthday. We started out the day with his first haircut! Even though he is still pretty young, this was necessary, seeing as how he was starting to look like the original Willy Wonka with the blonde wings and all! I didn't touch the top though....I love those curls way too much for that. Just a little off the sides. What do you think?

Before:

After:

Later, we went for a nice walk to the park and got in the swings, but it was too hot to stay out there for long, so instead we came home and got in the baby pool (see previous post). Then we went to a BBQ at our friend Reuben and Ally's house. We played water balloon volleyball and ate some great food! Needless to say, by the end of the day, Isaiah was exhausted and ready for bed. My least favorite thing about the 4th though is the fireworks that people set off in the street. I think it is a huge waste of money and it kept waking Isaiah up until after midnight. My opinion is: If you are going to do it, please be respectful of your neighbors and don't let them off all night long. In between the constant wakings, Nick and I watched a movie. We saw Revolutionary Road. It was nominated for a bunch of awards last year, but it was absolutely awful! It ends terribly, and is one of those movies that just leaves you with a sick feeling inside. So if I can spare anyone that agony by blogging about it here, then at least some good came of my misery!

All in all though, it was a great day because I was able to spend it with my family! It's crazy to think that next summer Isaiah will be running all over the place! I can't wait.

Summertime Fun!

2009-06-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

We've had some really warm days lately, and this is Isaiah's favorite thing to do in the backyard! I think he has this whole "Summertime and the livin's easy" thing figured out!

A tribute....

2009-06-27T12:46:00.001-07:00

I don't know about all of you guys, but I am really torn up about the death of Michael Jackson. I feel like a little piece of me went with him. Every morning, Isaiah and I turn on the Ipod in the kitchen and rock out to some J5, and Billie Jean(I have been doing this long before Isaiah was born actually). Not even joking, Isaiah's favorite song in the whole world is "Rockin' Robin." I know he has been criticized for his weird lifestyle choices and all, but you have to admit he was a spectacular entertainer. What a sad end. I will miss you MJ!

Bootcamp Update

2009-06-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

This will just be a quick update since I am sure Isaiah will be waking up from his nap at any moment, but I am so excited, I had to share. We just finished up with our 8 week bootcamp, and Amanda came over last night to take all my measurements again. I ended up losing 7-9% bodyfat (depending on which skinfold pinches she used), 8 lbs on the scale, and inches from every location! I am so happy that all my hard work has been paying off. I've decided to sign up for another 8 weeks and my goal is to lose another 3-5% bodyfat and 5-10 lbs and then I will be totally satisfied. Another bonus....I am able to fit into my prepregnancy jeans!!! Woo Hoo!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

Happy first Father's Day to my sweet husband Nick! You are the best dad in the world and I am so happy we have our little Bubby! He loves you so much and so do I!

Well...we decided to take a mini vacation back to Idaho Falls to visit for Father's Day, attend Nick's cousin Doug's wedding, and to take a sight-seeing trip to Jackson Hole for a couple of days. I am actually blogging from our hotel right now. Isaiah just fell asleep, Nick is playing softball with his old team, and I am getting in some relaxation time! I must say that vacations are not really vacations when you are bringing a 7 month old baby along. Everything is A LOT of work, but still definetely worth while.

It rained all through the Shurtliff Family BBQ Sunday, but thanks to Todd's giant tent, we all stayed dry. Isaiah finally met some of his extended family that have not seen him yet, and everyone thought he was super cute :-) Then we went and had a quiet visit at my mom and dad's house. My parents are doing great and we got to talk for quite a while since Isaiah discovered that Grandma has awesome toys!

Monday was a busy day! I had my hair done in the morning, and then I wanted to run Isaiah by his old doctor's office to have them take a peak in his ears (he has been pulling on them like crazy, but no ear infection...just teething discomfort). Then we drove up to Jackson Hole. We stayed at Hotel Terra in Teton Village which was awesome! I highly recommend it! However, I do not recommend the restaurant in the hotel...way too gourmet. I ordered the ravioli and it started out great until I realized their raviolis were filled with raw egg yolk as it slithered out onto my plate. Next time, I will order the pizza.

We walked all over downtown Jackson this morning, and I was able to take some great photographs for our website (stay tuned more to come on that subject) Although Isaiah did great in his new carseat, he seems really uncomfortable in the stroller sitting forward without his bucket carseat. So we had to take him out a lot and carry him. Finally, we just decided to hang out in the Antler Park in the middle of town and just let him roll around on a blanket to tire himself out before we drove back into I.F.

Next up, Doug's Wedding. Where do I begin? First of all, I want to say that I admire Doug for being secure and confident in who he is and what he enjoys, because that can be hard when you know there are people out there that can be so critical and try to bring you down. That being said...let me tell you about this wedding. It was quite creative. It was based on a Star Wars because he and his fiance are such big fans and met at a Star Wars Storm Trooper meeting or something like that. When we arrived, each guest was asked to have their family's poloroid taken with a replica C3PO and then the print was placed on a page in an album where we could write a message for the bride and groom. (kind of cool). The cake had "Doug and Erin" spelled out in Star Wars font and the topper was Princess Laya and her boyfriend (either Hans Solo or Luke Skywalker-I have no clue who is who). Otherwise, the wedding was very traditional and beautiful and Doug's new wife seems really nice and happy to be married to him. I wish them the best!

We will be coming back to Boise tomorrow, and I can't wait to be home in my own bed, with my own bathroom, and my own kitchen. I am exhausted!

New Jammies

2009-06-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

A new pair of pajamas isn't your typical blogworthy material. However, this particular set has had quite an impact on our household. This is the first pair of pj's Isaiah has worn that have been the 2 piece style with open feet and he is loving the freedom of rubbing his feet on everything! (this is his new obsession-all textures must be felt with his hands, and then he hoists his leg up to feel with his toes too....don't ask me!)Normally, this would be great, but Isaiah has been waking up in the middle of the night ready to play and kicking his feet all over the place. I've become so exhausted that I have resorted to pretending to be asleep so he rolls over and wakes up his dad! He looks so cute and snuggly in his jammies that Nick can't resist and he ends up cuddling with him until he falls back asleep (usually an hour later-YIKES. I put him in one of his old pairs of pajamas last night, and he did better, but they just aren't as cute. Here are some pictures so you can see what I mean. The t-shirt says "Who You Callin' Crabby?" and there are crabs, and octopus all over it. The bottoms are snug so you can see his long skinny legs and diaper bum...so adorable.
These were taken the morning after a rough night (love the bed-head!

2nd Hand Bargain!

2009-06-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

I saw a picture of a beautiful menu chalkboard on UppercaseLiving.com and just had to have one in my home. The problem was that I couldn't find a chalkboard that looked elegant and of quality construction that didn't cost a fortune. (I wasn't about to hang one of the cheap boards in my kitchen and try to pass it off as art!) So...I decided to make one myself. I found this old frame and board at Deseret Industries for $4, chalkboard and brown spray $5 at Walmart, and Voila! I did it myself for under $10.

Before:

After:

2009-06-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

That's What Aunts Are For!

2009-05-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

We had a fun-filled week visiting all our family and friends in Idaho Falls these last few days. It was nice to catch up and everyone was happy to see Isaiah. We were also able to catch one of Nick's softball games since he still plans on playing with his old team in Idaho Falls whenever he is working there. It's so funny because this season, all the families came back with a new addition. There were tons of new babies at Community Park and it was exciting to meet all of the little ones!

As always, Isaiah learned a few new things from his aunts. Debbie taught Isaiah how to drink water from a straw, which he loved. The negative is that he now lunges toward anything in my hands that has a straw and demands to share. Bonus...I no longer drink anything that comes with a straw which means more water for me! Hooray for cutting calories!

Aunt Jessica had the honor of introducing Isaiah to his first sweet treat. He gummed a Nilla Wafer while Jessica held him. He was a little unsure at first, but once he got a taste, he wasn't letting her or the cookie out of his sight. Looks like he inherited his mom's sweet tooth...poor little guy.

How Time Flies

2009-05-02T21:35:00.000-07:00

I don't know exactly when it happened, but our little Isaiah just took a giant leap one day from being a sweet little newborn-ish baby into Mr. Personality! We are going to be celebrating his 6 month birthday on Monday, and I wanted to give a little update on all the new things he has been up to.

We started letting Isaiah have a few spoonfuls of baby food at night and in the morning this last month just to give him a taste and to get the ball rolling there. I had no idea I would be dealing with such a food connoisseur! If it is something he likes (bananas, pears, peas, green beans), he smacks his lips and says "Mmmmm" and "Ahhh". Then he tries to grab the spoon and feed himself because he is also Mr. Independent. If it is something he doesn't like (squash, sweet potatoes, rice cereal) he pulls a sour face and spits it out. We also started giving him water in a big boy cup, since he tries to drink ours every time he sees a bottle in our hands. This photo was taken at my sister Lisa's house that first day with the cup. Isaiah would not put down his sippy, he was so proud of himself!

Nick travels quite a bit during the work week, but when he is home, Daddy=Party Time!!! Isaiah lights up every time he sees Daddy and just wants to play. This can be a problem when he wakes up at 3am, and sees Dad sleeping next to him. The next thing we know, Isaiah is cooing and giggling trying to get our attention to wake up and play! So often when playing, we will count "1...2...3!!!" and then we will toss him in the air, or jump out from under the blanket we were hiding under, or whatever it might be. Isaiah has learned that after "3", something good always happens, so now, we only have to say the words "One....Two...." and we can get a great laugh out of him, even if we never end up getting to "Three"!

Isaiah is also making lots of friends in our new neighborhood thanks to bootcamp. Every morning, he gets to play with Ross, Aiden, and my neighbors daughters Ruby and Macy. He also has a little friend Coleman, who is also 6 months old. Coleman's mom works at the playcenter at the Idaho Athletic Club and sometimes I take Isaiah in to play while I get some cardio in. The two boys play on a blanket together and roll around from back to tummy and give each other the stare-down. They are really cute together. I think it is great for Isaiah to have a chance to branch out and be around other kids. It's good for Mom to be around other adults too!

Bootcamp WHAT?

2009-04-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Every so often, I get the urge to refocus and get back into a healthy lifestyle. Now I'm not talking about getting myself to the gym, or choosing the grilled chicken salad instead of the greasy burger...those are things I try to do on a regular basis anyways. I am talking about going through the pantry with a garbage bag to ensure there isn't a scrap of anything that might tempt me in there, stocking up on whey protein, and putting myself on a strict schedule to make sure I work out each and every muscle by the weeks' end. It sounds kind of crazy, but it really gives me something positive to work towards.

I haven't had one of these urges since I was 38 weeks pregnant. As my due date approached and my clothes grew increasingly snug, I planned it all out in my head...."Ok, Nick is going to take 4 weeks off when the baby is born, so I should be able to start going to the gym to at least walk a couple of miles each day the 1st week post-partum. Then by 3 weeks I should be able to do a light jog, and then by 6 weeks, I should be right back in the full swing of things, lifting weights and all. WISHFUL THINKING!. Although labor and delivery were a breeze, the adjusting to life with a baby was not. I had never felt so exhausted in my life, my hormones were wacky, and the last thing you want to do when you are engorged is run. Those first couple of months went by in a blur.

What was I thinking? I had to get my priorities stright. Plus, once Isaiah was here, he was all that mattered to me and I wanted to give him 100%, which is what I did. Within a few weeks, I had lost most of my pregnancy weight anyways and I was happy with that for the time being.

Fast-forward to the present. Isaiah is almost 6 months old, and the weather has been in the 80's. and I haven't gotten into non-maternity summer clothes since 2007! Yikes! That's where the bootcamp comes into the picture. My neighborhood HOA is hosting a program where a personal trainer conducts a ladies only bootcamp class in the park 4 days a week for 8 weeks. I originally signed up because I am brand new to this neighborhood and I am dying to meet some of my neighbors, but now I am feeling my old self kick into gear. I am getting pumped and cannot wait to get back into shape! I talked my sister Becky into doing the program also....this should be interesting-I will keep you posted on how it all turns out. Wish me luck. I am gonna need it!

Hello family and friends!

2009-04-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

I have been a "stay at home" mom for approximately 6 months now, and have decided to start this blog for 3 reasons: 1) We have moved to Boise away from some of our family and friends and would like to stay in touch. 2) Although I don't have nearly as much free time on my hands as I would have guessed 6 months ago, amid the diaper changing and playing peekaboo, I have all the time in the world to think up things in my head I would like to talk about if another adult were within earshot. 3) I have been inspired recently to put something heartfelt and honest out there about becoming a mom and still keeping your sanity, because truthfully, it gets lost in the daily shuffle.

I will try to keep things updated as much as possible, especially since Isaiah is at a stage where he seems to change over night. He is such a wonderful little guy, I feel like the whole world should have a chance to know him.

These pictures were all taken on Easter. We made Isaiah his first little basket and had it sitting on his high chair when he woke up. Although he was pretty excited about all his new toys, I think he was picking up on how excited his mom and dad were, but didn't exactly know why.

We then went to the Easter service at church (Isaiah got pretty dudded up)

And spent the afternoon at my sister Becky's house with Becky Cameron, their boys Ross and Aiden, my sister Lisa and her husband Shaun, and my brother Will.

The day was wrapped up with a visit from Grandpa Dennis and Grandma Dani. It was one of the nicest holidays we have ever shared together.