Who will walk 1st? Isaac vs. Daddy

Well, I have good news and bad news to report...

Good news - Yesterday Shaun finished his probationary year as a firefighter. It was a long road full of tests and rookie jokes but now he no longer has to do all the dishes, mopping, cooking, paper fetching, and coffee making. He can relax and know that he has a secure job!

Bad news - Shaun plays volleyball on Wednesday nights in a recreational league. His game was scheduled at 8 o'clock last night and they usually last an hour. I stayed home to get Isaac to bed on time and when I received a call from Shaun around 8:20 I knew something was wrong. He told me not to worry but that he was on his way to the hospital... Yeah, and I'm supposed to be ok! It turned out that as he was preparing to go up for a hit, he ruptured his achilles tendon. It's not a common injury for someone as young as Shaun either (unless you're on steriods and Shaun exact words were, "Come on! If I was taking steriods it wouldn't look like I was standing on a chicken"). Thankfully his family was able to be at the hospital with him and bring him home to me. Shaun said the pain was the worst he had ever felt (and he's been to the ER many times). He got home around 1am. Today was spent talking to doctors and work and crawling all over the floor with Isaac. Last night after he told me what happened, my stomach sank, and I began to prepare for the worse, which was very accurate. Shaun is scheduled for surgery on Saturday, will be in a cast for three months, and will be on disability for 4 to 6 months. He talked to his chief and captain at the department and they assured him that there will be a job waiting for him when he recovers.

These next few months will be... let's see... how should I put this... ummm... interesting!?! I'll admit that I'm a little scared knowing that I will have two "babies" to take care of. Shaun will be an easy patient and will be positive throughout the whole process but I know how much I depend on him to do things that I will now have to do. We're sad that our Lake Havasu and Hawaii trip will have to be postponed too. We've had these planned for over a year! I'm mostly sad that we won't be able to take our nightly family walks. It's my favorite time of the day! I told Shaun that I'm going to get a wheel chair. I'll push and Isaac can sit on his lap. Isaac will get a lot of daddy time but I'll be the one lugging him up and down the stairs (remember he's 25 lbs)!

Even though this is going to be hard, we know God's in control and that it could be a lot worse. I'll post an update after Shaun's surgery. Pray that it all goes smoothly and his recovery will be closer to 4 months and not 6.

Isaac loves his new toys!

Our Latest Family Photo... Hehehe!

Don't put me IN the Jungle...

I can play NEXT to it...

I can play ON it...

I can even play UNDER it...

But please, please, PLEASE don't put me IN it!!

Our little baby isn't a little baby anymore! We have been slowly packing up the infant toys, bouncers, and swings and it looks like his "jungle" will be the next to go! Now that he is on the go he HATES when we confine him to one spot... Seen in the picture above. We were hoping to get to his first birthday so that grandparents (and not us) would buy the big boy toys, but I'm not sure we'll be able to hold off for 3 1/2 months. I don't even know where the time has gone. My last week of pregnancy seems longer than the time Isaac has been with us!

Isaac's latest accomplishments:

*Climbs to the top of the stairs

*Walks around the coffee table

*Is wearing 12 to 24 month clothing

*Is approaching 25 lbs.

*Sleeps through the night (we had a horrible few months w/teething)

*Gives many hugs and kisses

Happy Birthday Old Man!!!

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Thanks for...

... walking me down the isle...

...the dance...

...all your money...

...helping Shaun paint my purple wall...

...thinking Phoenix is cold (even if it's Christmas)...

...taking Isaac for walks so I can have a break...

...and being a proud G-Daddy!

We love you! Shaun, Erica, and Isaac

8 months, 10 days, and 13 hours old!

My Son
Sticky fingers,

dirty face,

Rugs and pillows

out of place,

Cars and tractors

here and there,

Blocks and boats

everywhere,

Gold and silver

have I none,

But worth a million

is my Son.

A Little Boy

If you have a little boy

All your very own,

Then you have enough and more

To make a happy home.

Overdue Date Night!

Movie Tickets: $4

Popcorn: $4.50

Hot Dog: $1

Large Drink with free refills: $3.50

Going to the movies, as husband and wife and not as mommy and daddy, for the first time since you've had a baby: Priceless

We were still on Isaac duty before we left so Shaun didn't have time to shave and I didn't have time to put on make-up!

Look! We're actually holding hands and not sippy cups, diapers, baby toys, or teething tablets! (Yes, my nails are terrible... I know!)

So, we saw Indiana Jones (finally) and if you've seen it I need some clarification. The whole point of the movie was to return the ONE missing crystal skull to the "circle" where all the other aliens were. Well, weren't there TWO skulls that were found? The KGB had one and then Jones and his son found the other in that guys grave in Peru!? What happened to the second one?

Precious Moments

Last week Shaun, Isaac, and I headed to Arizona to visit my family. Phoenix in July is never my first choice but we desperately needed to be together. The last time we were all together was when Isaac was born and I think the time before that was Christmas 2006. We flew in on my mom's birthday and my brother came a few days later. It was a great surprise for my mom! The weather was actually bearable too. We had two big thunder storms which made the days overcast and the nights a little cooler. Shaun helped my dad put up crown molding, I helped my mom organize her photo albums, and my brother and sister entertained Isaac... Or maybe Isaac entertained them! It was so hard leaving!!! I wish we could all just move to Hawaii and live happily ever after!

The Family

Swimming with Uncle Aaron
Pool side fun with Grammie
Nap time with Uncle Aaron
Enjoying the Arizona rain from the porch
On the plane...

... I was CRAZY!!!
Daddy, Mommy, and Sleepy Head
G-Daddy was helping me walk
Proud G-Daddy and grandson Isaac

Lock Down

As you can see we are in need of some baby gates and safety locks! I just thought I'd ask my wonderfully sweet blogging friends if they had any they would want to lend, donate, or sell? OR if you could even recommend the best kind to get!? Some of our walk ways are really wide so standard gates are too small.

Hidden Lesson with Finger Foods!

I've been putting off finger foods (Cheerios, Gerber puffs, etc) with Isaac because his hands are so big. When he picks anything little up, it just gets lost in his chubby fingers! Isaac shocked me with how early he learned to sit up and take a sippy cup, but I figured this was one area that would take a little longer. The doctor said finger foods were a nine month skill anyway. Well, seeing as how he has seven teeth now, I figured it was time he started on real solids... And improved his hand eye coordination! After he enjoyed some (mushy) peas for dinner I gave him some little stars and watched as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to do with them. A few (long) minutes later I so badly just wanted to pick them up and put them in his mouth for him, but the "good angel" on my shoulder won so I sat on my hands instead. I knew that the only way for him to learn was to do it on his own. Long story made short, he got it!!! It actually didn't take that long either. He was so proud of himself too! Oh, and he does this new thing where he twists his tongue and chews on it when he gets excited! He was of course doing it!

This seems like such a small thing to be thrilled about, a kid being able to put sweet potato puffs in his mouth. But there's a bigger picture here... A lesson to be learned. One thing I've had to work on as a mom is that I can't run to Isaac every time he struggles! It's hard to watch my baby get frustrated and even cry after getting a red mark on his forehead from falling down , but it's all part of the learning process. I see it as an example of our Father/child relationship with God. He to doesn't like to see his children struggle or get hurt, yet sometimes he also has to sit on his hands so that we can figure out how to get back up after we've fallen.

So this has turned out to be a lot longer than I expected. My intention was to post a few pictures, write a little paragraph, and be done. I guess God needed to teach me a few important things on parenting!

Good night!

Family Photos!

I wanted to share some pictures that we had taken a few weeks ago. But I'm going to have to tell you about it later because Isaac is not in a very happy mood!

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Poor Isaac is having a rough time teething. He got his first six teeth during the month of June, tooth seven popped up last night, and I am expecting number eight any day! He's been a champ considering how uncomfortable he must be! So, a day later, I'm back. The pictures were taken at Jurupa Ranch Park (I think that was the name) by a wonderful photographer, Paige (check out her blog under my list of friends). Miss Paige was so creative and patient with Isaac. When he's outside he has to look at EVERYTHING so getting him to even glance at the camera was a task. Thanks Paige for capturing these special moments of my family!!!