The Kissel Quackers

Ready, Aim, Fire!

2012-01-08T21:22:00.000-05:00

Souvenir from the first gun I ever had the pleasure of shooting, a 9mm rifle. I also shot an AR-15, 410, M1 carbine, 22 and a 45 colt revolver! I think I'm addicted now.... And I'm a good shot, and was told I don't shoot like a girl! :)

I had such a fun time, and I can't wait to do it again. Clay took me and J.t. (Clay's cousin) over to his boss's house (they're good friends) so J.T. and I could both learn how to shoot. I stuck to the guns that didn't have much kick to them, I didn't want to be sore and hating life afterward, I wanted my first time to be an enjoyable experience (and it was). Though, I must say I'm not big on the handguns, give me a rifle or shotgun, I like the BIG stuff; it's easier to handle and I felt more in-control. Clay shot everything I did (except for the M1 Carbine, it kept jamming) plus he got to shoot an AK-47, 12 ga, 20 ga, Henrys 45 cal Rifle, Glock 45, 2 different 30-30's, 7mm Mag, and a WWII Russian Moslan Nagont.

I'd say we had a pretty awesome day, and I am now a gun nut. I want to become more experienced........and possibly look into getting an AR-15 of my own, b/c that was my favorite gun to shoot. I. Freaking. Loved. It! Clay is all proud of me and thinks it's cool that I want a military grade weapon. What can I say, I know the good stuff when I shoot it. :)

A Fun Day!

2012-01-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

Thursday morning, while Izzy and I waited for the bus to pick her up, she found this big branch and thought it was neat.

Later we went to my mom and dad's for dinner and Izzy and Abby invited me to their tea party, or, "The one most beautiful tea party" as Abby called it. Abby informed me that our tea was made from hot ingredients, hot chocolate, ingredients, edamame (soy beans) and peas......delicious, right?

Gingerbread House

2011-12-16T21:53:00.004-05:00

Izzy and I made a Gingerbread house. She is so proud of the wonderful job she did. I did the icing and she decorated it with candy. It was a fun mother/daughter project. :)

Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-05T08:49:00.002-05:00

Saturday morning I took Izzy to "Breakfast with Santa" at her school. She had so much fun. There were crafts to make ornaments, coloring pages, doughnuts and muffins, and Santa arrived on a fire truck. She was so excited when she got to go talk to Santa and tell him what she wanted. She wants the Headbanz Who am I game, the Jungle Speed game and a Wuggle Pet. She also played around with some of her friends, and I tell you this girl was born to run. They were running back and forth across the gym and the other girls were running like...well...girls. Izzy, on the other hand, was trucking it as fast as she could, practically flying as she sprinted back and forth. I think we might have to put her on the track team when she gets older. :)

The Right Thing To Do

2011-11-21T18:12:00.002-05:00

The other night I forgot to give Izzy her breathing treatment before bed (she has to do it for a month because she had bronchitis). Clay and I were getting ready for bed and we heard a knock on our door. Izzy came in and reminded us that we forgot to do her treatment, so we gave it to her and sent her back to bed. The next morning I told her I was glad that she was such a big girl to remember that and to come tell us. She then said, "Yeah, I was laying in bed and I remembered we forgot to do it. And I really didn't want to but I knew it was the right thing to do." (This is the part where my mommy pride swelled beyond belief) I told her how proud I was of her for doing the right thing. This just goes to show that I must be doing a good job as a mommy.

Breaking Dawn pt. 1

2011-11-18T21:45:00.003-05:00

A bunch of us went to go see the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn pt. 1. We had such a blast. It was a super fun evening. And since it was so late, we were a bit tired, and got a little goofy on the way home. I haven't laughed so much in a while. It was awesome.

Baltimore Zoo

2011-10-08T20:21:00.005-04:00

We had a family outing to the Baltimore Zoo today. We caught the prairie dogs at feeding time, so we got to see them chowing down.

Izzy thought it was neat that the cheetah was right by the glass

We love the giraffes. There was a male and female and their names were Caesar and Angel. This is Angel.

I LOVE this picture of Izzy in the tortoise shell. It even spun around.

They had a petting zoo area where kids could pet and brush goats. Izzy loved it.

Izzy thought the huge African bullfrog was super cool.

After we were done at the zoo, we went to Arundel Mills mall. And my big girl decided she wanted to get her ears pierced. She got ruby studs since they are her birthstone. We had such a fun time today as a family, it was great.

Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville, IN

2011-10-07T16:36:00.006-04:00

When we were in Indiana we took Izzy to the zoo. She was super excited when we found out they had a special giraffe feeding time. She thought their tongues were the coolest thing ever. We had so much fun wandering around looking at all the animals. Zoo's are simply the best!

You know you've been in a car too long when....

2011-09-26T21:32:00.001-04:00

You start making up silly songs. Behold the Kissel family version of Jingle Bells:

Jingle bells, Izzy smells
Daddy laid an egg
The Mommy mobile lost a wheel
And Grandma got away, hey!

Abbyism

2011-09-26T21:31:00.001-04:00

Abby: "Auntie Wiz, the teeny tiny monster is bound to eat my socks!"

Delicious Cannonball

2011-09-09T22:19:00.001-04:00

Abby: "Uncle Kay, you're delicious, you're a delicious cannonball."

Super Cute!

2011-09-08T16:59:00.001-04:00

Izzy made a birthday card for Abby (who turned 3 today) and it says: Happy Brfda to my ceyot littl cuzin Abby. For those of you who can't read 6 year old, here is a translation: Happy birthday to my cute little cousin Abby.

(And yes, I copied this message from my Facebook page. I'm lazy like that.) :)

Maryland Renaissance Festival

2011-09-06T09:01:00.002-04:00

Saturday we went to the Renaissance Festival with my mom and dad. We had so much fun. Medieval Babes were there (a music group my dad and I love). Izzy dressed up like a princess and got a pretty flower headpiece and had her face painted. My little princess looked beautiful. We enjoyed walking around the little village visiting the different shops and food vendors. My parents took Izzy to the kiddie area while Clay and I went to go see a theater troupe called Shakespeare's Skum do a silly rendition of Hamlet. Basically, they do a super quick, totally hilarious, completely messed-up version of Shakespeare's different plays. There are only four actors, two men and two women, who play all the different parts. I highly recommend watching them if you get the chance. Izzy got tired so my mom and dad took her back to their hotel, because they stayed there for the weekend, and Clay and I stayed to watch the joust. We had a blast and can't wait to do it again sometime!

First Day of 1st Grade

2011-08-24T19:23:00.004-04:00

My girl is a 1st grader now, I can't believe it! She was all bedecked in princess attire. She was so excited for her first day. We met her teacher yesterday, Mrs. Behrens, she is really nice and we both like her a lot. She had a great first day. She said her favorite part was recess (go figure). Her class also got freeze pops at the end of the day, and she really liked that too. And when she got home she, amazingly, wasn't worn out. She's had energy all evening. But now I have to go put my little ball of energy to bed.

Wrestling Match

2011-08-08T17:35:00.002-04:00

Clay and Izzy love to pretend wrestle with each other. Yesterday, they were doing so and Izzy looked at Clay and said, "You're going down Kissel!" Too funny, right?

Just because

2011-07-27T19:13:00.002-04:00

I'm posting just because my mom has been getting on me about not posting for 3 months now. So here we go with a catch up. We went to Indiana to visit with my aunt and uncle. We had soooooooooooooo much fun. Want to see pictures? Visit my mom and sister's blog, because I'm too lazy to upload all the pictures taken while there. And since I'd forgotten my camera, I'd just be re-posting pictures they already have. So visit http://degami.blogspot.com and http://ainaohana.blogspot.com Since we got back Izzy lost her first tooth and she is now six. My girl is growing up soooooo fast. Well, this is short, but I'm lazy at the moment, so there you go. :) I promise I will try to be better at posting from now on.

Outdoor Fun

2011-04-27T14:45:00.004-04:00

Yay, Springtime! Time for more of my lovely flower pictures. These are from two Azalea bushes in our yard.
Izzy tries her hand at tree-climbing.

This one cracked me up. It looks more like she is tree-hugging than tree-climbing. My uncle said it looks like the tree is winning.

A Fun Day Out!

2011-04-20T22:30:00.004-04:00

I'm so behind with this, but on Monday my mom, Sarah and Abby, Izzy and I had a fun day out (just us girls). We went to Target, Chipotle, and Kohl's. Above is the yummy food we had at Chipotle.

Here are the girls happily eating outside. It was such a gorgeous day.

Abby likes to relax wherever she goes. So, here she is chillin' with her juice box.

And... here is Izzy, very tired and not too happy that she has to sit and wait until everyone else is finished eating as well.

I could kill my sister for taking this picture of my backside (just kidding, Sarah, I love you). Both the girls wanted to hold hands with me on our way into Kohl's. I love being a mommy and an auntie. I love my girls.

Our fun day didn't end when we got home. Izzy and I were playing outside and we saw this black snake slithering alongside our porch.

It went under the flower box and Clay got home not too long afterward. So...

... Clay played snake-wrangler.

It was about 3 ft.

He was so cute, and he was completely relaxed as Clay held him and Izzy and I touched him. He seemed to know we meant him no harm.

Izzy thought he felt so cool, she liked how smooth he was.

She loved his cute little tail and how it would wrap around her finger.

She also liked the pretty pattern on his belly.

He was just all around neat. When Clay let him go, he took his time, he wasn't in any hurry to get away from us. Maybe we'll see him again sometime. I love living in the woods.

Dark Purple

2011-04-04T01:07:00.002-04:00

Clay: Hey, Izzy. What's your favorite song?
Izzy: Smoke on the Water.
Clay: Who sings it?
Izzy: Dark Purple.

Well, she knew it started with a 'D' and it was a shade of purple. What five year old loves Deep Purple? One who's parents and grandparents love it as well. :) How many of you now have that tune stuck in your head?

That Sneaky Leprechaun!

2011-03-17T21:24:00.005-04:00

Okay so Izzy came home Wednesday from school with a drawing of a Leprechaun trap. She wanted to set it up to catch a Leprechaun. The drawing, she explained, was a box with a pot of gold in front. The Leprechaun would see the gold and then smell the lollipops and cheese inside the box. So he would go in and she would pull a rope to close the box and turn on a fan so he would be bouncing around inside until the next day and she would take him out to talk with him and play with him. Well... I'm not all that fancy in my trap-making, so I got a cardboard box, busted up one end of it a bit, hooked on a bit of frayed green fabric in that corner, had Clay eat a lollipop and leave the stick and wrapper underneath, along with a small black pouch with a gold dollar coin inside, and... Viola! It looks like I done caught me a Leprechaun. :)

So here Izzy discovered the box with the bit of green fabric sticking out.

She was so excited. She said, "I thought that was him. I think he ripped his pants when he tried to get out."

Underneath she found the eaten lollipop and the coin-filled pouch. The first thing she said was. "He left me his trash? How rude!"

She was so excited about the coin and her token "piece of the Leprechaun's pants" that she forgot all about his trash. She stuffed the fabric and the coin in the little pouch and took it to school to share with her class. She was so proud.

Tagged!

2011-03-15T08:56:00.004-04:00

Tag, I'm It!

I was tagged by my mom. This is a 4x4 blog meme that reveals some little facts about me! It will be great fun getting to know my blogging buddies better. So check at the bottom and if you're tagged, copy and paste this into your blog and insert your four favs in each of the four subject.

1st - Four places I go:

-Church
-Target
-My parent's house
-Book club

2nd - Four favorite smells:

-Clay (yes, just him, he smells yummy)
-Laundry fresh out of the dryer
-Ralph by Ralph Lauren (my perfume)
-My Izzy-boo, after she's had a bath

3rd - Four favorite TV shows and/or movies

-Being Human
-Ghost Hunters (the International one as well)
-Labyrinth
-Practical Magic

4th - Four recommendations

-Remember who you are
-Smiling is contagious, so pass it along
-Trust in the Lord
-Every day on the right side of the dirt is a good day

Tag: Tiffany S., Christina W., Lindsay E., Rebekah G.

What would I do without my Izzy?

2011-03-11T15:20:00.002-05:00

This morning I was making Izzy's lunch. She was sitting on the counter next to me while I made her pb&j sandwich (she always wants them for lunch). I asked her. "Do you know why these taste so good?" She shook her head. "Why?" I smiled and raised the open pieces of her sandwich to my mouth and pretended to kiss them. "Because I put love in them." She laughed. "Why do you do that, mommy?" I kissed her on the cheek. "Because I love you." She just looked at me for a moment then nodded. "I think I can live with that." I'm sure glad she thinks that because I think I can live with that too. :)

Two Fun Stories

2011-03-10T22:25:00.002-05:00

Izzy wanted me to write a short story about her so I did:

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Isabelle. She loved to play dress-up and dance around her castle. One day she found an adorable little frog in her garden. The frog told her that if she kissed him he would turn into a handsome prince. Isabelle didn't want to kiss a frog, and she had no need for a prince, since she was just a little girl. So she put him in a cage to keep as a pet. He really was a cute little frog. She then put him on her bedside table and began to dance around in her pretty princess dresses.

Izzy thought it was a fabulous story and she decided she wanted to make up one herself. So here is Izzy's story which she dictated to me:

Once upon a time I went to the zoo. I saw the meerkats. One was going "Arf, Arf" then another meerkat pushed it down the hole.

I don't know about you but I think hers is way more awesome than mine.

Family Date

2011-02-14T21:14:00.003-05:00

Clay took Izzy and me out to dinner tonight for Valentine's day. We went to the Olive Garden, and well... this is what happens when you take Izzy to a nice restaurant. She ends up with spaghetti sauce all over her face. It was so funny. She loves to slurp noodles and they were just flapping all around as she did so. I had to get a picture. Love it!

Clay got me TWO boxes of chocolate turtles :) He got Izzy a stuffed pink cat with chocolate hearts, and Izzy and I got Clay a stuffed turtle (Clay loves turtles) with some sweetheart candies. We had a fun evening as a family, and now Clay and I are going to watch American Pickers as part of our romantic evening together. :)

Daddy-Daughter Date

2011-02-06T23:49:00.002-05:00

I had one of those best-day-ever days on Saturday. My dad and I went shopping, just me and my daddy. :) I had such a great time spending time with my dad. It was so fun, and it's not something I get to do much of anymore. It made me feel special, like I was his little girl again (though I know I'll always be). I love my dad (and mom) and all the wonderful things they do for me and my family. I am so grateful that I was blessed with such wonderful parents. They raised my sister and I with such loving care; we always knew they were there for us when we needed them and because of that, now that my sister and I are adults, our relationship with them has blossomed into such a wonderful friendship. I love you so much mom and dad. You did a great job with us and we appreciate you greatly.

Go Izzy!

2011-02-04T21:55:00.002-05:00

So, when Izzy got off the bus the other day she told me something quite interesting.

Izzy: "Mommy, Andrew (a boy on her bus) told me he was in love with me." She was then quiet for a moment. "Isn't that WEIRD?"

All I can say is GO IZZY! As long as she keeps that state of mind for several more years then it will all be gravy baby. :)

The Hilariousness Never Ends!

2011-01-04T16:19:00.003-05:00

When Izzy got home from school today she gave me her homework folder and I found the leftovers of a cut-up piece of paper inside. I asked: "Izzy what's this?" She looked and her eyes grew wide with excitement. "I found this on the floor today and I thought 'Wow, that would make a great wig'!" I busted out laughing, I mean, what can you say to that?

It's shootin' time!

2010-12-30T22:20:00.002-05:00

Izzy had Clay helping her look for her silly bands the other day because she couldn't find them. After a while Clay told her that they simply weren't to be found, and she said, "That's okay daddy," She then turned and looked at him, holding her Nerf gun, "because it's shootin' time."

She is so fun. :)

Only my Daughter

2010-12-23T12:34:00.004-05:00

Meet Spit. Yes, I said Spit. That is what my daughter decided to name this cute little guinea pig stuffed animal. Only my daughter would come up with something like that. I asked her, "What about Squirt? That sounds nicer." She said. "No, Spit is good." What can you say to that?

Kissel Family, Christmas 2010

2010-12-17T12:44:00.003-05:00

Here is our family Christmas picture. It's from when we went to ICE to see the "How the Grinch Stole Christmas' ice sculptures, it was so awesome, not to mention cold (9 degrees to be precise).

I Feel So Loved!

2010-12-17T12:37:00.003-05:00

Izzy and I were playing this morning and she suddenly looked at me and smiled then said, "What would I do without you, mommy?"
I nearly cried as my heart went pitter-patter and my love for her swelled within me. "I don't know," I said, "What would I do without you?"
She just smiled. "You wouldn't be able to play with any toys." She said.
I laughed, "Nope, I guess I wouldn't. I'm so glad I have you."
"I'm glad you have me too, mommy, because I love you." She said, smiling even more.
"I love you too, sweetie." I gave her a hug and kiss.
"Let's play now." She said.
"Yes, let's." I said.

Now that I have all of you going 'Awwwwwwwww!' Don't I just have a wonderful little girl? I adore her and am so glad to have her in my life.

Silly? Not Me!

2010-12-02T16:27:00.002-05:00

Me: Izzy you're so silly.
Izzy: I'm not silly.
Me: Izzy you're so cute.
Izzy: Yes, that's much better.

Gotta love that girl! :)

Finding the OFF Switch

2010-11-24T21:54:00.002-05:00

We went to go visit with some relatives on Clay's dad's side of the family and Izzy got to meet some new cousins. There was a little boy, Ty, who is a year older than Izzy. They were running around having a grand time chasing each other. After awhile Ty comes over to me, looking completely exhausted, and says, "How do you turn her off?" Without missing a beat, I said, "I don't know, but if you find out please tell me." Now, for those of you who have not met Izzy, or don't know her very well, let me help you get a feel for just how busy this little girl is. She has the energy of twelve hyperactive boys hyped up on Mountain Dew. If I could bottle her energy I would be the richest woman in the world. She wears out kids her own age and older or younger all the time. She only has one speed, GO, because the only time she stops is when she falls down from exhaustion or when I make her go to bed, because she'll stay up until she falls asleep standing up. I really wish an off switch could be installed somehow, because I am plumb tuckered out, ALL THE TIME!

Izzy & Alec

2010-11-23T19:49:00.003-05:00

Izzy loves having her cousin, Alec, living with us. He is like a big brother to her. They are so cute! And for those wondering, Izzy is chewing on a wet paper towel. I know, she's a weirdo sometimes.

Aunt Susie Rocks!!!

2010-11-22T20:56:00.002-05:00

Izzy: Mommy is it almost Thanksgiving?
Me: Yep, do you know what that means?
Izzy: Yes, Aunt Susie will be here. Aunt Susie rocks!

Do you think I'm cute?

2010-11-16T00:20:00.002-05:00

Clay's cousin Alec rents out our basement, until he leaves for basic training. Izzy thinks it's fun to have him around, he is kind of entertaining :) The other day when we got back from visiting at my mom and dad's, he asked Izzy what she did while she was there, well here's the conversation:

Alec: "Hey Izzy what did you do over at your Grandma and Papa's?"
Izzy: "I played with Abby."
Alec: "Oh yeah, does Abby think I'm cute?" (a little back story here, Abby loves J.T., Alec's youngest brother, and is always talking about him)
Izzy: "I don't know."
Alec: "Do you think I'm cute?"
Izzy: "Yes, I think you're cute."
Alec (doing a little happy dance): "You think I'm cute, you think I'm cute."
Izzy: "Not when you do that."

Nothing like being brought down like a five year old. Gotta love that girl!

Silly Papa

2010-11-14T22:54:00.002-05:00

My dad loves to tease Izzy (because it is such an easy thing to do, she is so buggable just like my sister was at that age. Love you Sarah!) Anyway, Izzy was singing the song "Animal Crackers in my Soup" and my dad would add his own little verses in every now and then (which he also has own versions of many different songs as well, maybe I'll have to do a post of 'The many songs of Gary') Izzy would keep, saying, "Papa you're messing me up, that's not how it goes." One of his renditions that I was privy to was this: "Animal Crackers in my soup, they really do taste like poop." Izzy gave him a look that pretty much said, 'Papa you are hopeless at getting this song right, that is definitely not how it goes, you are the silliest Papa ever.' My dad is so much fun. And Izzy always has tons of fun with him. They are so cute together, it always makes me smile.

Chicken in a Blanket

2010-11-13T09:34:00.003-05:00

Alec & Michael (Clay's cousins) went out to Chic Fillet and brought back some chicken minis (chicken nuggets sandwiched between biscuits) They gave Izzy one and she said "It's a chicken pig in a blanket." So cute!

The Things Our Kids Say

2010-11-01T12:28:00.002-04:00

Wednesday night I was going up to the church with Clay (he had Scouts) so I could visit with a sister I visit teach. On our way there, this was a conversation that we had:

Izzy: "Mommy where are you going to meet with her?"
Me: "In the foyer."
Izzy: "Is that the place by the chapel doors and the hookers?"

Clay and I busted out laughing! For those of you who don't know, there are coat hooks and hangers in the foyer of our church. So priceless!

Abby's Surprise Visit

2010-10-13T13:09:00.003-04:00

Sarah & Tony rented a boat and surprised me with a visit from Abby. She excited to see me and thought it was funny that she came to my house by boat. She didn't really like the life vest she had to wear while the boat was moving though, and Sarah said Abby didn't like it when the boat went fast because the wind was in her face. They tied off at my pier and ate lunch. They found out that Abby doesn't like egg salad sandwiches so I made her a peanut butter and jelly, which she decided not to eat as well, but she did like the Nemo gummies I gave her, and her capri sun, which you can see her guzzling in the picture. After their lunch they decided to go puttering around all the different coves and creeks. Maybe someday Clay and I can take Izzy out to do something like that.

I Feel Like a Good Mom

2010-10-12T08:35:00.003-04:00

So yesterday I had a Parent/teacher conference and I came away feeling like super mom. Izzy's teacher told me that Izzy is doing good in school. She is where she needs to be skill and performance wise. She is one of a handful of kids in the class that she can trust to get things done, take things to the office, or help another kid to the nurse. She is very caring and is good at making friends. She likes to be helpful and will do anything she is asked. She said that Izzy is a very sweet girl and that she is a pleasure to have in class.

Okay, so as I was sitting there listening to her teacher, my head was inflating to astronomical proportions. I felt like such a good mom. Her teacher's assessment let me know that I have done my job as a mom and helped train and teach my child how to be a caring, productive person. I am so proud of Izzy. She is truly a wonderful little girl.

Now, for the picture above. This is a picture Izzy drew of herself. In the hallway they hung up a bunch of unnamed pictures entitled 'Guess which one is me' for the parents to figure out which one was their child. I picked out Izzy's right away. We always color and draw together so I knew which one was her drawing. She even did her eyes a green-blue, just like they are. So fun. :)

Ladybug Girl

2010-10-11T09:09:00.003-04:00

My Aunt Susie always knows where to get the coolest stuff. She got Izzy this adorable ladybug rain gear consisting of: rain boots, rain coat, and umbrella (which even has eyes sticking out on the top). Izzy is totally in love with it and would wear it around all day if I let her. She's so fun. Thanks again Aunt Susie!

Worst Mother of the Year Award goes to Me!

2010-09-29T20:49:00.002-04:00

Okay so I was doing laundry and working when I hear a knock on the door. It is the little boy from Izzy's bus stop. That is when I remember that it was a two hour early dismissal today. Crap. He said the bus was waiting for me. So I grab my keys and jump in my car. I get to the bus stop and guess what? No bus.

So, I haul butt down the road (left my purse at home, so I'm praying I don't get pulled over, though cops rarely ever come into our neighborhood) I get out onto Patuxent Blvd. and I see the bus going over the hill. I stomp the gas and start flashing my lights. The bus pulls over and I get out and profusely apologize for being a forgetful space cadet. The bus driver said it's no problem, it happens all the time with two hour early dismissals (that still doesn't make me feel any better, and when I see Izzy crying I feel even worse, poor thing probably thinks I forgot about her).

I scoop up Izzy and carry her to the car. I tell her I'm sorry and that I didn't forget about her, I just forgot that school got out early today. I reassured her that if I hadn't been able to catch the bus before it left our neighborhood that it would have taken her back to school and I would come pick her up there. She was fine, and told me, "It's okay mommy everyone forgets things sometimes." When we got home she pretty much forgot about the whole thing and was as happy as a clam. Me, on the other hand, I still feel super crappy and feel like I should have my mommy license revoked. Blasted two hour early dismissals! Grrrrrrrrrr!

Pillow Pet!

2010-09-21T17:11:00.002-04:00

Grandma Lori got Izzy a pillow pet. Ever since they first came out with these things Izzy has always wanted the ladybug one. So, Lori decided to get it for her. You should have seen how excited this girl was when her grandma gave it to her. She ran around hugging it saying "It's a pillow pet! I got a pillow pet! I love it!"

Here she is with her new friend Rosy. She is so cute. She takes Rosy everywhere, and she only got her today, like ten minutes ago. She is in love and she and Lori are playing with it right now, pretending that Rosy is their new best friend. So cute.

Back to Scool Night!

2010-09-17T09:28:00.003-04:00

Clay and I left Izzy with Lori and went to Back to School Night at her school. We got to chat with her teacher and listen about what they would be doing throughout the year and we got to see some of her art work. Above is a picture of herself.

And this was underneath the picture of herself. It was just too cute and funny. If you can't read it, it says: "My name is Isabelle. I like to play barbies. My favorite color is pink. I can wash by myself." Isn't that just too precious.

We also meet the parents of her best friend at school. The girl's name is Abigail (just like her cousin) They are in the same class, ride the bus together and they live in our neighborhood, well several streets over, but it's still right here. Her mother and I exchanged phone numbers and we are going to get the girls together for play dates. Also, I thought this was so adorable and thoughtful. Abigail's birthday was the first week of school and Izzy made her a birthday card. I didn't know about it until last night when Abby's mom told me about it. They were so excited that she had a friend at school because their daughter is an only child too. I'm so glad I have such a wonderful little girl who is so thoughtful and caring. I think she and her friend Abby are going to be great friends. Izzy already calls her "my bestest friend Abigail."

Picture Day!

2010-09-16T08:19:00.003-04:00

Today is picture day at school and Izzy is so excited about it. She picked out which dress she wanted to wear and couldn't wait to put it on and dance around in it. I made her wear a pair of pink shorts under her dress, because when you're five you're just not lady-like at all. She has a goofy smile in this picture, I just hope she doesn't do that for her school pictures. If so, well...whatever, she's five, it doesn't really matter and it will still be cute and not to mention humorous.

Daddy Time

2010-09-07T19:38:00.003-04:00

Izzy loves spending time with her daddy. She always gets so excited when he gets home. She loves to crawl up in his lap and color, read, or just snuggle and watch T.V. Daddies are so fun. :)

I'm behind on my posts. The scouts had a Pine Wood Derby at our church and Clay made a car for it this year. His car looked awesome (don't know why I don't have a picture) but...well...looks don't win races. His car lost a wheel during its first run. But Clay did place in the competition. Yep, that's right Dead Last. He thought it was so hilarious when they awarded him a brake drum and rotor with a little plaque on it that says Pax Derby 10' Dead Last. So awesome!

First Day of Kindergarten!

2010-08-26T09:25:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Izzy's first day of Kindergarten. Here she is at the bus stop. Her bus comes at 8:10 but she was ready as soon as I got her up that morning at 7.

There is a little boy (Nolan) who lives on the next street over. He is in 1st grade and was so sweet to Izzy. First they played tag while they waited, and when the bus came he helped her get on and made sure she found a seat. I wasn't able to get a picture of Izzy getting on the bus because she was like lightening; she almost forgot to give me a kiss she was so excited. It was her first time riding a school bus and she was thrilled. Her school starts at 8:30 and gets out at 3:15 and I pick her back up at the bus stop around 4ish. I love our little walks to and from the bus stop (plus it's exercise for me! :)

Clay had the day off because Lori had her knee replacement surgery that day and he took her to the hospital EARLY in the morning. But he was there to pick Izzy up at the bus stop with me, which she loved. We decided to get her a special treat, for being such a big girl on her first day of school. We found these cute cupcakes at Giant and thought they were totally perfect. She thought they were great and dove into them right away when she got home (fun after school snack, though she won't get sweets everyday, more like grapes or carrots and the like, gotta keep her healthy.) She had a wonderful day at school and couldn't wait to get back this morning. I am so glad she enjoys learning and reading, and has a desire and thirst to learn as much as she can. That means I have done my job in instilling a love of learning for the rest of her life. I'm so proud of her and I'm happy to realize I'm actually a good mom. Because I know we all don't feel that way sometimes. :)

Sugar Bumps

2010-08-17T09:27:00.002-04:00

Clay was tickling Izzy and she got the goosebumps, she told him; "Stop daddy, you're giving me the sugar bumps." Needless to say we laughed. She can never seem to remember goosebumps, last time she said chick bunks; it is hilarious. She said from now on she is just going to call them sugar bumps because she can remember that more easily. She is such a character!

Calvert Cliffs State Park

2010-08-14T18:59:00.008-04:00

Today we went to Calvert Cliffs State Park. Here's Izzy ready to go.

It is a 1.8 mile hike to get to the beach and it costs $5 per car. Here are Clay and Izzy looking for sharks teeth.

Izzy is off to scavenge the beach while Clay sifts through the water.

After a while Izzy just wanted to sit and play in the water, but Clay was determined to find something neat. I love this picture b/c it has a great butt shot! Gotta love the butt shots. :)

I love this with Izzy's head sticking out of the water. She thought it was cool that she could sit in the water like that.

Here she is scavenging the beach again. She found all kinds of shells and such, but she didn't want to keep any of them.

This is an adorable picture.

Awesome blue dragonfly that landed right by me.

One of the many lovely swamps of Maryland.

I love the little flower on the lily pad.

This was a neat tree along the path.

You know those beautiful pictures of paradise with a long pier, well this is Maryland's version. ;)
An uprooted tree Izzy found, and on the back was this neat yellow mushroom.

There was this stream that meandered about along the path, which emptied out into the swamp.

Pretty little waterfall.

This is a tooth we found at the beach. Don't know what it is though. It's more rounded sort of like a dolphin or porpoise. We think the beach has been so over panned for sharks teeth that it is no longer very easy to find them. We had a wonderful day though just the three of us. It's nice to get out and do things as a family.

Cinderella According to Izzy

2010-08-12T15:05:00.001-04:00

Mommy let's play Cinderella. You can be the Fairy Godmother and the Prince and I'll be Cinderella and the Wicked Step-side Mother.

Haircuts!

2010-08-07T20:14:00.004-04:00

Today we had a friend from church cut our hair. She did an awesome job, we are both so loving our hair. I don't know if you can see it in this picture, but I have raspberry highlights in my hair (so awesome!). Izzy wanted her hair cut just like her friend Grace (it was Grace's sister, Dani, who cut our hair) and she is going to donate her hair into Locks of Love. We had fun while we were there, I got to visit and Izzy got to play. Izzy got her hair cut first so she could have plenty of time playing with Grace while I got my hair done. It was a fun day, starting out with a fun Primary activity and ending with fun haircuts.

A Magical Evening!

2010-07-30T21:55:00.002-04:00

We took Izzy to watch the play Cinderella at Great Mills High School. She was so excited. Here she is sitting in a chair across from us while we waited in line. It was a perfect place for her to perch and people watch, which she LOVES to do.

We got to sit in the front row! Here she is waiting as patiently as she possibly can.

She loved the play and was so excited to get to sit in the carriage afterward.

But best of all, she got to take her picture with Cinderella. She was so thrilled. It was the perfect ending to a magical evening for our little princess. :)

Izzy Is Five!!

2010-07-26T14:02:00.008-04:00

We had a party for Izzy and her friends from church on Saturday. Izzy had fun helping me decorate cupcakes (before she got bored with it that is). She thought it was so funny when I put frosting on her nose.

Here are her cupcakes in all their finished glory. She wanted strawberry cupcakes, with strawberry frosting, pink sprinkles, and other fun princess candy on them. If you couldn't tell it was a princess themed party.

Here is a picture of the place settings with the cute goody bag she helped me make up. She really had fun doing that. I put all the little tote-like bags in a row and then gave her the stuff to put inside and she put one in each bag. She thought it was the best thing ever. Funny how the little things mean so much.

Here she is, in the outfit she picked out: yellow legging-shorts, a tie-dyed shirt with a jeweled crown and attached tutu (very princess-like). This was right before her friends arrived. She could barely contain herself with excitement. As soon as she woke up the first thing she said was: "Is it time for my party yet? When will my friends be here?"

Here she is playing in the pool with Clay and her friends Grace in the background, and Lydia in the foreground. She had another friend stop by, Elli, but she wasn't able to stay. Izzy was still excited to see her and spend a little time playing with her in her room.

We had another party on Sunday with family and a few close friends. Here she is with my best friend from high school, Stefanie, but we all call her Steffie. She got Izzy a Tinkerbell pop-up book and they were reading it together so I had to get a picture.

The last page folds out and makes a big tree with stairs and such to make it look like a fairy home.

I have video footage, but no pictures of her opening presents on either day, whoops. But moms are busy during parties, so oh well, at least we've got the video. :)

Sarah did a photo shoot of Izzy for her fifth birthday, and she got some cute pictures of Izzy. Here she is in her medieval princess Halloween costume.

She loves Snow White, so she wore her costume for the photo shoot. I love this one that Sarah did with only the rose in color.

My Aunt Susie loves to spoil all her nieces and nephews. She got Izzy this adorable ballerina outfit, which Izzy loves, and Sarah is in love with the tutu because it is so pretty.

This is a hand-me-down outfit Izzy got from Lauren (Tony's little sister) I love hand-me-downs! I love this outfit it is so cute and the colors are awesome.

Izzy had loved both her parties and had a blast. She is such a loved little girl, and she brings such joy to our lives.

Izzy Churning Butter with Grandma Everett

2010-07-19T17:12:00.002-04:00

What are the odds?

2010-07-14T16:37:00.005-04:00

So, last night during the thunderstorm lightening struck right outside our house, striking the extension cord hooked up to our pool filter surging up the cord into the house, frying all our T.V.s, our Ps3, Lori's computer and printer, one of our Direct T.V. boxes, and hosed up our satellite signal and internet connection. What are the odds of all of that happening? I don't think it could be done again even if the situation were duplicated. There were even surge protectors connected to the computer and printer. Like I've said before and will probably say again, "If anything bad can happen, it will happen to us." This is my motto, because it is a no-fail thing. We have the worst luck ever, and if it weren't for bad luck, we wouldn't have any luck at all. So, we've filed an insurance claim (fortunately they cover all destructive forces of nature and major acts of God), and Direct T.V. is coming out Sat. morning to see what's up with the signal and if the dish is fried as well, and we had to turn in our fried modem to Metrocast in exchange for a new one. So, what have we learned here, well, whenever there is a thunderstorm it doesn't matter if you have surge protectors, unplug everything you don't want to get fired by lightening, because if it happened to us, it can happen to you. Just a friendly bit of advice for you to take away from our seemingly continuous misfortune. Everyone try to have an extra good day for me, because I can't seem to get very may of them. Hopefully, Heavenly Father has some wonderful surprise in store for me soon because I need it.

Nothing Better To Do On A Friday Night

2010-07-13T11:30:00.003-04:00

Clay had to have surgery to remove his appendix last Friday. But that was on his second E.R. visit. It all started Thursday afternoon. He came home from work with some stomach discomfort and it just kept escalating throughout the evening. It stated as a sharp fiery pain, like something was trying to claw its way out from inside him right above his navel. He was doubled over in pain, and eventually vomited because the pain was so intense. When he asked me to take him to the E.R. I knew it must be bad, let's face it men are stubborn and they never want to go to the doctor.

So, we went to the E.R. around 9ish Thurs. night, they drew some blood and took some x-rays but said they couldn't find anything and told us to follow-up with our family doctor the next day. So they discharged us around midnight (I think that was the fastest E.R. visit I've ever heard of).

We followed-up with our family doctor the next day around 1:45ish and by this time the pain had changed to a sharp stabbing pain and moved to Clay's lower right side. Our told us to go back to the E.R. right away because he was pretty sure Clay had appendicitis. He said he could call an ambulance for us or we could drive there, but he said if we drove we had to go straight there. So we opted to drive, no sense in having another medical bill to pay for.

So we got to the E.R. a little before 3 and they drew more blood, took a urine sample, and did a C.T. scan and came to the conclusion around 8:30ish that it was appendicitis and that they were going to do an appendectomy. One of the nurses teased Clay and said, "So, you didn't have anything better to do on a Friday night, huh?"

He went into surgery an hour later and I didn't get to see him again until 11:30. He was so loopy, and confused. They found out he was allergic to morphine, when they gave him some he broke out with huge hives so they had to give him Benadryl and then some Demerol.

We finally got up to the room he'd be staying in and he wanted me to stay with him, so I did. I got to sleep in this hideously uncomfortable recliner, I didn't even get one of those, Transformer beds, as Tony calls them, no I got a miserable recliner that was hard as a rock and was supposed to be shaped to conform to a person's body, but not for someone who is short. So where there was an indentation or a protrusion it was exactly opposite of what I needed. I got maybe three hours of interrupted sleep because of how often the nurses had to come in and check his vitals and all that good stuff. I think I deserve a Best Wife of the Year award or something. But I did it all for my baby, and I'd do it again if I had to. I am just so glad he is better.

My parents and Sarah and Tony are wonderful for taking care of Izzy during all of this. And Lori was able to, when she wasn't fretting about her son that is, get a lot of her homework and such done, while Izzy was gone.

Clay told me to go home and sleep in my own bed Sat. night and I was so grateful for it, I felt guilty leaving him, but I needed it, I looked terrible and I felt like a zombie. I went to my parents house for dinner then went home and literally collapsed on the bed until the next morning. I still felt zombie-ish but I had to push that to the side. I went back to the hospital Sun. morning around 11 and Clay was finally discharged and we left at 4:44. Bishop came and visited with us for a little bit to see how we were doing, and my parents brought Izzy home as soon as I had Clay all settled in.

Izzy has been really good about daddy not being able to play to much, or lift things, or run, etc. She gets frustrated sometimes, but then I just turn it around on her and say, "You can be daddy's helper." or "Make sure daddy doesn't try to do this or that and if he does tell him 'daddy you can't do that remember' and if he needs mommy and I'm not there come get me." The list is endless, I've had to get creative.

Below is a picture of Clay's "war wound" His poor tummy is bloated and sore (of course) and he has 7 staples, he also has some numbness in certain spots. He follows-up with the surgeon this Thurs. He is dying of boredom and is frustrated that he can't do certain things. My mom is awesome because she is going to be taking Izzy out on a grandma date sometime this week, just to get her out and away to have fun, since mommy needs to take care of daddy.

Other than all our medical drama and such, we are doing alright. :)

Flying Ferrets

2010-07-07T10:49:00.003-04:00

Okay let me set the scene for you. Izzy and I are playing with her Littlest Pet Shop. She's the white ferret and I'm the periwinkle one. I'm making my ferret chase hers around and then she suddenly jumps up and makes her ferret fly.

Izzy's ferret: Look I'm flying, come and get me.

My ferret: But ferrets can't fly.

Izzy's ferret: Yes, they can, get a soda.

My ferret: A soda will make me fly?

Izzy's ferret: Yes, I saw it on Chicken Little, so I know.

So, now you know, if you want to fly grab and soda and go watch Chicken Little to find out how to use it properly to achieve maximum lift-off.

Summer Fun

2010-06-29T21:06:00.003-04:00

My parents got Izzy a Slip & Slide, and it came with a little boogie board.

The board didn't really make much of a difference, so we sprayed PAM on the bottom of it and she was zooming down the thing.

She also liked just going down on her tummy without the board.

My parents also got her a little pool (you think my parents like her or something?). She loves to be her hammy little self and show off.

Here she is prancing around.

She decided to bring her boogie board into the pool so she could practice swimming.

She had fun kicking her feet and splashing about. She even pretended to be a jellyfish floating about, slowly kicking her legs, which were her tentacles. :)

She even played with her Ariel doll in the pool.

Here she is pretending to be a mermaid as well, crossing her feet to look like a fin.

She liked to peek over the edge at me and grin.

She loves her pool and has so much fun in it. She would spend all day in it if I let her.

The Catfish

2010-06-29T16:40:00.007-04:00

Clay went fishing down at Allen's Fresh and caught a couple catfish.

Izzy thought they were great and wanted to touch them.

She especially liked touching their eyeballs, proclaiming that they were wobbly. (only Izzy)

She wanted to watch her daddy cut up the fish. And Lori came out to join us as well.

At one point she said, "Daddy, I love you, but you're gross!"

She is rushing to come see when Clay told her that the head was almost off.

And there it is. Isn't he a beauty, well if you were a catfish he might be.

Izzy wanted me to get a picture of her pretending she was going to kiss it.

Here lies Izzy's kissing buddy.

Now time for Clay to fillet the fish.

First, you cut it open.

Then, you pull out the guts.

Next, you cut off all the yummy meat.

Here is the second catfish, waiting its turn.

Izzy tries to comfort him, so he won't feel so bad about her daddy chopping his head off and cutting him open so we can eat his flesh. Sounds pretty gruesome that way doesn't it. Makes you think twice about eating fish, but that won't stop me, because they're just so darn good.

Our Garden

2010-06-29T15:58:00.007-04:00

We decided to plant a garden this year. Our sweet landlord built us this garden box, and Clay filled it with potting mix. We have the best kind of soil one can find in St. Mary's county, bagged soil. :) Izzy had fun helping to spread the dirt around evenly.

She also liked to play with the dirt.

Here are our baby plants. We have tomatoes, different kinds of peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumber, zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon and strawberries. Can we say, yummy?

Clay loves gardening.

And Izzy likes to check his work.

She also likes to water the garden. Mainly because she gets to play with the hose and occasionally spray her daddy. :)

These are the two hanging basket flowers I got for Mother's day. Aren't they pretty?

This is a beautiful rose growing right in front of our living room window.

I love these purple flowers, I think they are Azaleas, but I'm not sure, my dad is the flower expert. Below are lots more pretty flowers around our house.

We found a bird's nest in a hanging basket we had from last year. We couldn't wait till they hatched so we could see them.

And here they are, they hatched only a few days after we took the picture of the eggs. They are so cute, in an ugly baby bird sort of way.

My Parents Many Flowers

2010-06-29T15:19:00.009-04:00

I absolutely love this rose.

The Daffodils are Sarah's favorite.

Pretty Honeysuckle.

Lilies are my favorite.

Izzy loves to smell the flowers, especially the roses.

Izzy making silly faces.

She likes to be goofy.

She loves to spin on the swing, so she twists it up...

and lets go. She is so funny, while she does this she hollers out, "I'm going down the drain!"

Okay, this picture has a funny story behind it. My dad was chasing her around and Tony told her that if she put some grass up in front of her face that Papa wouldn't be able to see her. So, she tried it out and of course my dad pretended not to notice her and she proudly whispered (in that loud little kid way) "Hey, it's working!" Sooooooo funny! Needless to say we were all roaring with laughter.

Grandma & Grandpa Davis Visit

2010-06-29T14:57:00.005-04:00

Bill and Georgia (Lori's dad and step-mom) came for a visit all the way from Barstow, California. We took them to the Calvert Marine Museum while they were here.

Izzy loves to watch the otters. Izzy thought this picture was funny because it looks like the otter's head is missing.

I love the little smile she has on her face here.

Nothing better than watching the otters swim and play with both your grandmas.

We then decided to go have a look at the lighthouse.

Izzy is in a hurry to show them the sights. But it is so hot out and none of us have her energy.

"Come on grandpa, we're almost there."

Izzy loves to climb around on the lighthouse and look out at the water, she was excited to share the experience.

We finally decided to go back inside, because it was seriously sweltering that day and we were all dying of heat exhaustion.

This is the giant shark model they have on display.

Shark teeth display, so cool.

And of course the Maryland Blue Crab.

Preschool Graduation

2010-06-29T13:53:00.003-04:00

May 28th, 2010 Izzy graduated from preschool. She was so excited, mainly because she knew there was going to be cake and punch afterward, but hey when you're four that's all that matters.

They sang songs and after each one all the girls did this cute little pose. Izzy was the biggest ham up there, and she kept looking to make sure we were watching her. The cute little girl with the white-blond hair next to her is her good friend Alva, she is a cutie. Her mother is Swedish and so she is bi-lingual, it is so fun to hear her and her mother talk.

Izzy receiving her preschool diploma from the principal.

Class picture with the teachers. And Izzy is still being a ham, only my daughter. :)

We went to take pictures outside, but she wasn't very cooperative.

So, I got her tantrum on camera, isn't it great!

She is so going to hate me when she's older, but hey it was funny.

This was the best I could get out of her. And then she didn't want to take any with me.

We practically had to force her to take a picture with her teacher, Mrs. Pinkel, but she did it.

Finally, when we got home she let us take a picture of her with me. She made up for it (or at least to me) by giving me this cute little look. It feels wonderful to be so loved, even when they are grumpy with you.

Seven Years And Counting!

2010-06-18T19:32:00.004-04:00

On June 14, 2003 we were sealed together for time and all eternity in the D.C. temple. I can't believe it's been 7 years already!

On July 25, 2005 we had our beautiful little girl Isabelle Nicole (Izzy) She has completed our little family.

And here we are, the Kissel family, well actually this is from last July, we really need an updated family picture. :) I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and enjoyable daughter, they make my life complete, and I couldn't ask for more.

Update on the Bleeding Tree

2010-04-15T20:56:00.002-04:00

The "Bleeding Tree" is no longer bleeding! Though, now it looks like a huge, flaky scab. Kind of gross, huh? I felt so sad for that poor tree. Heck, I still do! I seriously want to find a huge band-aid and slap it on the thing and kiss its "boo-boo" all better. I guess that's just the mom in me or something. Anyway, I thought everyone would be happy to hear that the "Bleeding Tree" is finally healing.

Easter and a Brithday!

2010-04-06T18:00:00.003-04:00

Izzy was so excited when she saw her Easter basket. Her grandparents spoil her. :)

I got spoiled with chocolate, for what could be better than that? :)

Clay got his favorites, two boxes of Nerds, Sweet Tarts, and a chocolate bunny.

Lori got a gag gift from Clay (the huge pink post-it notes) When ever she needs him to do something for her she leaves a note for him, he either doesn't see it or loses it. He said this way he wouldn't be able to not notice it or lose it. :) Lori also got two of her favorite sweets, Sweet Tarts and Good and Plenty.

And as a family we got the game Blokus (really fun if you haven't tried it) and two card games, You Gotta Be Kidding! and Would You Rather...? (also very fun games).

It was also Clay's birthday on Easter Sunday. Yes, we spelled his name out in chocolate chips (I know we're ghetto, but it was cute).

Here's the birthday boy smiling while we sing to him. I got him the box set of Dante's Divine Comedy (in layman's terms) Izzy got him a Redskins key chain and socks. Lori got him socks (he goes through them like you wouldn't believe, or he loses them, don't ask me how) some P.J.'s, a CD he wanted, and a package of Reese's peanut butter cups. His grandparents and mine both gave him some birthday spending money. My parents got him a PS3, and some blueray movies. And Sarah, Tony, and Abby gave him the best gift of all, their love and presence. :)

Egg Hunt

2010-04-06T17:25:00.006-04:00

Saturday, Sarah and Abby came over so the girls could do an Easter egg hunt, and so Sarah could take Easter pictures of the girls as well. Here's Izzy finding an egg.

She was so excited every time she found one. We hid her eggs in fun hiding spots, and Abby's eggs we pretty much just sprinkled around in the grass so she could stumble upon them.

I showed Abby one time what to do when she found an egg, and that was all it took. She was off on the hunt in no time.

She was so proud of herself, and thought she was hot stuff, being a big girl like Izzy.

We had the girls sit next to each other with their baskets for pictures and they just weren't in the mood to cooperate. Either one was smiling and the other wasn't, or they both were just making goofy faces like this one. Sarah was so glad that she caught it.

Here Izzy is smiling, but Abby is inspecting her loot.

It didn't take to long for them both to get bored and restless. So we got the girls dressed up to take more pictures. What were we thinking?

Abby, again, didn't want to cooperate, so we had Izzy dance around all silly behind Sarah and caught this little grin from Abby.

But otherwise this is the best we got from her, when she actually decided to look up at us.

Izzy, though bored, was more cooperative. She liked all the egg props Sarah had, and the bunny ears of course.

She like inspecting the eggs.

Here she is doing a goofy little grin, which Sarah calls her Wallace smile (the character from Wallace and Gromit) It's her fake smile she does when she is done with picture taking.

She found this pretty purple flower and wanted to pose with it.

I love this one, she is smelling it, and it looks like she just smelled the most wonderful thing in the world.

Afterward she showed Sarah how she can ride her bike without training wheels.

And Abby tested out this little four-wheeler. She kept pushing the button and then releasing it, giving herself a jerky ride, which she thought was hilarious. So did we, because her head kept jerking back each time and then she'd giggle.

Abby, of course, wanted to try Izzy's bike out. So her uncle Clay helped her, though she usually doesn't want to have anything to do with him, she allowed him to help her because she wanted to do it. She's so funny, one day she'll figure out that her uncle Clay is fun to play with, but for right now, she for some reason thinks that I hung the moon. Not complaining at all, I love it. :)

Clay then let Izzy ride on the handlebar of his bike and Abby thought that was awesome, but she didn't get to do that because she is still too little.

Izzy loves playing with her daddy. He's her favorite play toy.

That night I took Clay to see Clash of the Titans because his birthday was the next day. We let Izzy stay up late so she could dye eggs when we got home. She did a really good job.

And she was very proud of herself.

Calvert Marine Museum

2010-04-06T16:13:00.006-04:00

My mom took us girls to Calvert Marine Museum. It was so fun and the girls loved it. Here we are looking at the rays and skates.

This is one of the rays. They also had a little exhibit that had ray egg purses and you could see the babies wriggling around inside.

Here are the girls walking with grandma to go see the otters.

Only one otter was swimming around, the other was asleep.

The otter liked to go check on the other one every now and then.

They had a jellyfish exhibit and the girls thought it was so neat.

Abby found a tank of fish that had a blue crab in it as well and she thought it was the best thing ever, we couldn't get her to leave.

The girls loved this huge tank with the big fish.

Here's Izzy poking her head out of the little lighthouse they have in the little kids discovery area.

Next to the lighthouse they have a little house and Izzy loved the rocking chair.

Izzy thought this mermaid picture was super cool.

Abby fell in love with a starfish and she didn't want to leave it either. She even tried to give it kisses through the glass.

There was a boat that the girls could play on.

They both took a turn at "steering" it.

Then they both got in the lighthouse to get their picture taken. And believe it or not, I am stuffed in there as well, because Abby wouldn't go in unless I went with her. It was interesting trying to squeeze my not-little-kid-sized self into there, but I did it. Auntie Liz is just the best. :)

At the end the girls each got to dig through this little sand box and find a fossil to take home with them. Izzy found a tooth from a Lemon shark and Abby got a dental plate from a ray.

All in all it was a fun day, and at the end we had two tuckered out girls, and one happy mommy/auntie holding their hands on the way back to the car.

Build-A-Bear Workshop

2010-04-04T20:36:00.006-04:00

During spring-break my mom took us girls to Build-A-Bear. Sarah had wanted to take Izzy there before she was even born. Here is Izzy trying to make a choice. There are simply so many to choose from. She is checking out Brittany the Chipette.

Then she found this cute little gray kitty.

But she finally decided to get this adorable bear.

Abby, on the other hand, couldn't make up her mind. She loved the frog and the duck (which is really a chick, but she thinks it's a duck, and don't try to tell her otherwise, because she'll let you know it's a duck).

Izzy got to step on this little pedal.

So she could stuff her own bear.

Sarah tries to get Abby to make up her mind, but she just isn't too sure yet.

Izzy got to pick a heart out for her bear.

And after she put it in the man sowed it up.

Abby still couldn't decide. What do you think Auntie Liz?

Finally, Sarah made the decision for her and got the "duck."

While Abby watched her duck get stuffed, Izzy "washed" her bear with an air-dryer.

Abby picked out a heart all by herself.

And got to put it in her duck before it was stitched up.

She was quite satisfied with her duck.

Sarah "washed" it for her.

And Abby brushed it. Izzy didn't want to brush her bear.

Here is Izzy trying to decide what outfit she wants to put on her bear. She'd already set her sights on a little red, sequined heart purse which she is holding in her hand.

Sarah tried to find an outfit for Abby's duck. First, she found this cute shirt that said ALOHA on it.

Then, she found this cute little hula outfit.

Here is the outfit Izzy settled on, a princess t-shirt, sparkly jeans, her sequined heart purse, and she also picked out some red sparkly shoes, like the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.

Here is the finished product.

Sarah finally picked out an outfit for Abby's duck, it was perfect, Abby got a frog and a duck after all.

Izzy was so excited that she got to name her bear and make a birth certificate for it. She decided to name her bear Heart, and thought it was so neat that she pretty much got to make her bear.

Sarah just named Abby's duck, Duck, because that's what she calls it, and because she was more than ready to go by the time we were done. It was a fun day and the girls had a fun time.

Do Trees Bleed?

2010-03-30T21:09:00.005-04:00

Do trees bleed? I would say this one does. Not only does it have sap running all down the side of it, it truly appears to be bleeding.

Here you can see the "blood" a little better. It has been like this for over a week, and sap is still dripping from the poor thing.

Here is a view from the right side.

And a view from the left.

And here is a gruesome close-up. Doesn't it just make you want to slap a huge band-aid on it and kiss its boo-boo all better. Poor tree! :(

Izzy has been learning to ride her bike and so after we inspected the mutilated tree she decided to go for a ride. She is getting really good at it. Clay still has to follow her because she is still working on the whole stop and go thing (not to mention to keep looking where she is going and not at whatever catches her eye).

Here she comes.
And there she goes. In the picture above this one, the tree off to the right of Clay is the "Bleeding Tree." Again, poor tree. *Sigh* :(

Easter Party and Two Late Posts

2010-03-26T13:36:00.008-04:00

Here is Izzy before she went off to school for her Easter party.

They each got a scoop of ice cream and then got to add they're own toppings.

Izzy chose to have M&M's and chocolate syrup.

They had a pin-the-cherry-on-the-ice cream game.

A bunny bean bag toss.

And bunny bowling.

Finally they got to go on an Easter egg hunt. Each child could only collect 12 eggs to fill their egg cartons.

Izzy dashed around like a mad-woman, and found her 12 eggs in like 5 seconds.

Okay so here is one of the late (really late) posts. This is from Izzy's Valentine's day party. Here she is icing her cookie.

Here is her beautiful cookie.

And here she is chowing down of her cookie.

She was so excited that she got one of the rings on the pegs at the ring-toss.

Another game they had to throw clothespins in heart-shaped baskets.

There was a fun craft they did. They had two leaves and three paper hearts with holes punched out and they took a dum-dum lollipop and stuck it through all of them to make it look like a flower. It was really cute.

She also got to make a necklace, which she totally loved.

Izzy's class got to go on a field trip to Cici's Pizza to tour the facility and make their own pizzas.

Here they are lined up to listen to the manager talk them through the process of making a pizza.

First there is the ball of dough.

Next you put the dough in a press.

Then you spread the sauce on the dough.

Add some cheese

And top it off with some sausage. He then put it in the oven and took them on a tour of the kitchen.

He showed them the blade that goes in the dough mixer.

After he put it in he turned it on for them to show them how it worked.

He let them go in the big walk-in refrigerator, which they thought was the neatest thing ever.

He also gave them a behind-the-scenes look of what the soda fountain looked like.

After touring the kitchen the pizza he made was finished and he showed them how he cut it up.

The kids then paired off into twos and got to make their own pizza.

Izzy paired up with the other Izzy in her class (so cute) and they pretty much put the works on their pizza, which I didn't get a picture of because I was helping, and just plain forgot about it.

After eating her pizza Izzy enjoyed playing with her straw and and talking with her friends.

The Daffodils

2010-03-21T18:07:00.002-04:00

Every year Izzy and I get our picture taken in front of the Daffodils at my parents house, I think this one turned out the best. Check out my mom's blog for the previous ones, I'm always not looking at the camera, or making a goofy face (unintentionally), or neither of us are looking at the camera. This year we got the perfect picture. Hooray!

And So It Starts

2010-03-20T16:02:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Izzy and I were baking cookies and we saw some men outside chopping logs and putting branches in a wood-chipper and Izzy said, "I love watching men work outside." I laughed and told Clay. He said, "Great she's already watching guys." What am I going to do with that little girl?

I Think My Aunt Susie Loves Me!

2010-03-17T11:08:00.002-04:00

I took this picture of Izzy before she went to school today. We made sure she had green on for St. Patrick's Day. My mom got her this cute little shirt with a sparkly orange flower on it. She also has a green headband on, and green stripes on her pants and socks (she also insisted I put green Tinkerbell panties on her as well, so that's what she's wearing today).
Okay, my aunt Susie loves to spoil her nieces and nephews and now that she has two great nieces she spoils them even more. Yesterday, Izzy got three big boxes full of dress-up clothes, and other fun little toys, and princess and Tinkerbell stuff. She was so excited when she pulled out the umbrella, it was like Christmas all over again. She had this look of awe on her face and said, "I think my aunt Susie loves me!"
She of course had to try on and model some of her dress-up clothes. She was so thrilled when she saw she had ballerina clothes.
This outfit just cracked us up, the thing on her head makes her look like some kind of middle-eastern sheik. And the rest of the outfit was just funny. Clay said it's a good thing she's a little girl because he would never allow her to wear something like that when she's older. :) She had a blast trying on all the different outfits and mixing them up and making new ones. Ah, the joys of being a kid.

Keeping Me on My Toes!

2010-03-03T21:11:00.004-05:00

Izzy is definitely always keeping me on my toes, and cracking me up.
The other day Clay was tickling her and she got the goosebumps. She said, "Look I've got the chick-bunks." We were rolling with laughter.
Then, yesterday, we were getting ready to go visit my parents and I asked her if she had everything she wanted to take along and she said, "I've got it under control."
Were does she come up with this stuff?
And today she held up this pretty pink strand of yarn and said, "Do you know what this is?" I took a guess at what she might be pretending it was and said, "A beautiful necklace?" She said, "No..." I thought again and said, "A dog leash?" Again she said, "No..." So I wracked my brain trying to figure out what she could possibly be imagining that this piece of string was and she finally said, "Do you need me to help you?" Completely out of ideas I said, "Yes." So she looked at me and smiled. "It's a piece of string."
Duh?! Here I was trying to be imaginative, like she always is, and she decides to be all practical on me. Sometimes I think I should just wave my white flag and give up, because she's obviously just too smart for me. I pity her teachers.

Our Redneck Snowman!

2010-02-08T18:12:00.004-05:00

Once there was a snowman, snowman, snowman
Once there was a snowman, named JimBob!
He liked to go a fishin', huntin', crabbin'
He was the biggest redneck you ever saw!

This is our redneck snowman Clay and Izzy made. He even has a Lynyrd Synyrd hat on and is missing a tooth. All he needs is a fishin' pole, a rifle, a crab net, and if you want to be a true St. Mary's redneck you gotta have a 10 oz. Bud Light beer can. But since he's our snowman, he's a teetotaler. :)

More STINKIN' Snow!

2010-02-07T15:58:00.007-05:00

I officially hate snow, too bad it's so pretty. If it would stay off the roads it wouldn't be so bad. We have power back, Hallelujah, we were without for 24 hours, from 1 pm Sat. to 1 pm. Sun. There were four trees down on some power lines. Needless to say, we had a really cold night, thank goodness for heavy-duty sleeping bags that we could drape over our beds. Anyway, I got some good, before (well more like during) and after pictures. Here is Izzy standing on a snow drift early Sat. morning and again Sun. morning. It was a lot bigger, and as you can see we used it as a temporary freezer for our ice cream and such.

Here is our picnic table with the pretty tree above it. And below is the poor tree drooping over the picnic table from the weight of the ice and snow.

These are during and after pics of my car.

These are during and after pics of my car and Clay's work truck.

Here is a during and after pic of a poor tree we all felt bad for it just kept drooping further and further.

Here you can see a tree that fell over onto our landlord's drive way. You can see the trunk of the tree on the right and the top branches hanging over the fenced entrance of Mr. Shafer's (our landlord) driveway on the left.
Here is Izzy watching her daddy, Mr. Shafer, his nephew and great nephews cutting up the felled tree and moving it out of the way.
Here you can see another tree that snapped about ten feet up and fell, only to catch on some other trees so that it is parallel with the end of our driveway. The guys took care of that tree as well.
Here are some lovely icicles.
Above, is part of the tree over-hanging the picnic table, touching the ground, or rather, the top of the snow. Below, is the rest of the tree, it almost seems as if it cradling the tree, protecting it.
Here is the front yard, it looks so pretty.
Here's part of the side yard.
Here is a different view of the front yard.
Pretty snow covered branches.
This tree looks like a giant snow covered Christmas tree.

More Snow...Grrrrrr!

2010-01-31T17:05:00.004-05:00

More stinking snow! Oh well, Izzy loves it. Her cousin, Alyse, stayed over for the weekend and they had fun playing in the snow. They decided to try sledding. So they climbed up this little hill made of a huge mound of mulch.

They got ready and took off...

But they didn't get to far and sort of got stuck because the snow was a powder snow, not good for sledding or making snowballs. The worst kind of snow if you're a kid wanting to have a great time playing in the snow. It's good for making snow angels, but that's about it.

This is what it looked like Sunday morning when it finally stopped snowing.
Izzy loved to try to walk through the deepest parts of the snow, here she is seeking out a deep spot.

Izzy got out the dustpan again and used it as a shovel. She had fun throwing it up into the air.

Doubled Eggs

2010-01-26T22:15:00.002-05:00

So, Izzy will probably be so embarrassed about this when she is older, but it was just too cute not to share. Izzy had super stinky gas the other day (like clear the room bad) and after one of her particularly foul ones she said, "Ooooo, my toots smell like doubled eggs." It was the most hilarious thing ever. She meant deviled eggs, of course, but her version is way better.

And another embarrassing thing, but my husband won't care, because he doesn't embarrass very easily. Clay had this bout of foul gas at the same time as Izzy (I know poor me right, I literally followed them around with air freshener, so not kidding about that). Well, when he produced a rather noxious one as well I said, "Seriously, Clay, put a cork in it." And Izzy said, "What's a cork?" So I explained that a cork in something you put in the top of a bottle, kind of like a cap, so the liquid won't spill out. Without missing a beat she looked at Clay and said, "Daddy you need a doorknob." I so laughed my butt off. Clay did as well. I tell you, we never know what is going to come out of that little girl's mouth, she is just sooooooo funny!

Go Fish!

2010-01-16T17:27:00.002-05:00

Izzy loves to play Go Fish! She asked her Uncle Tony to play with her last night. Well, apparently it had been a while since he'd played the game and when he did something the wrong way she sure let him know it. She finally let out an exasperated sigh and said, "I don't think he knows how to play this very well." We all cracked up, it was so funny. I guess we'll have to send Tony to remedial Go Fish classes. :)

After the girls had a bath they both cuddled up with their Papa. Izzy munched on a Klondike Bar while Papa combed her hair, and Abby tried desperately to mooch as much chocolate as she could.

Dress Up

2010-01-08T18:21:00.002-05:00

My Aunt Susie loves to spoil her nieces and nephews and now that she has two great nieces she can do even more spoiling. She got Izzy a bunch of dress-up clothes for Christmas, and Izzy was in 7th Heaven. Here she is all decked out.

Her daddy showed her how a prince would kiss a princess's hand. And then the there's the blackmail picture. Izzy made Clay put on her stuff and so I had to get a picture. He's such a good daddy.

Here is a picture of Izzy and Abby snuggling on Izzy's princess couch. They are so cute together.

Decorating the Tree

2010-01-08T18:08:00.003-05:00

This is what happens when a four year old decides to "decorate" the Christmas tree. You get: a hair clip, some string, wrapping paper,

a princess fan,
a medicine bottle band,

a Tinkerbell tiara,

a gold headband of some sort,

a pig sticker,

a slinky, more wrapping paper, and last, but not least, a baby doll hat. I don't know how we managed to decorate the tree before we had her, we aren't nearly as creative.

Showtime

2010-01-08T18:00:00.002-05:00

My Izzy is quite the little performer. She loves to put on all types of shows. This is her singing performance (on a laundry basket). I love the hand on the hip move.

The Grand Finale. I love her imagination.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2010-01-08T17:31:00.004-05:00

This is so late, but here it is. The weekend before Christmas we got a ton of snow. Izzy was so excited and couldn't wait to get out in it and play. Here she is lying on the kitchen floor getting her boots on. I love the deer-in-the-headlights look on her face.

Here she is all geared up and ready to go.

Clay shoveled part of the driveway and then our landlords son plowed down the rest with his Gator. And below is all the lovely snow covering our cars and such.

We gave Izzy the dust pan to use as a shovel, which she thought was so neat.

Making snow angels.

A big hunk of snow.

Izzy tending to her Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Eating snow.

She loved playing in the back of Grandma Lori's truck since the snow was all the way to the top. She pretended it was her house and simply had a blast.

Our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. Still looking good, though, perhaps, a little cold. And below is a truly beautiful picture I took of the sunset through the trees, just above a woodshed. It kind of reminded me of the star above the stable. 'Sigh' I love Christmas time.

Beware the Tushy!

2009-12-31T22:59:00.002-05:00

So the other night Izzy was putting her jammies on and I said, "I see a cute little tushy." She looked at me with this mischievous little grin and said in a sing-songy little voice, "But you can't pinch it cause it's poison." So now we must beware the poisonous tushy! :)

Christmas Picture

2009-12-30T16:44:00.002-05:00

A Letter to Santa

2009-12-11T10:47:00.003-05:00

Izzy: "Mommy I want to write a letter to Santa."
Me: "Okay sweetie, what do you want to say to Santa?"
Izzy: "Make good with the presents!"

A Not So Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T10:42:00.004-05:00

My poor niece had to go to the E.R. yesterday because her breathing was very labored, rapid and shallow. She was congested, coughing and thoroughly miserable. Just looking at her made my heart ache. The doctors did a battery of tests and thought at first that she had pneumonia in her right lung, but then determined she had bronchilitis (baby bronchitis). They are going to check her oxygen levels again around lunch time to decide whether or not she can go home. My poor Abby baby. We have been praying hard for her, and her mommy and daddy.

Pumpkin Farm & Halloween

2009-11-12T11:03:00.007-05:00

Pumpkin Farm:
This is so late, but here are the pictures from the pumpkin farm we took the girls to. The girls loved this little miniature pony.

They both got to pet it, though Abby wasn't really too sure about it so I had to help her.

Izzy loved the goats. She especially like the baby one and kept petting it.
Abby didn't really want her mommy, she just wanted her Auntie Liz and her cousin Izzy; which was okay with Sarah because it freed her up to take pictures.

I love Abby's deer-in-the-headlights look here. :)

Izzy always wanted to rest her hands in the cut-outs. She didn't really get the whole concept of pretending that your face is the face of the figure. But she still looked way cute.

I love Sarah's huge cheese!

The girls looked so cute walking around while holding hands.

There was this shed that they called the grain house and it was filled with corn kernels. Izzy loved scooping them up and dumping them in the buckets, wheelbarrows, and toy trucks.

Izzy liked pretending to drive the wooden tractor and train.

The baby sheep were so cute. Our favorite is the one below, sleeping while standing, now that's tired.

The girls loved all the pumpkins. It was really cold, but they were very good about posing for pictures.

Halloween:
If you can't tell, Tony was Billy Mays for Halloween. Abby was a duck, because she is OBSESSED with them.

Sarah was a tourist.

I was a Greek Goddess.

Clay was a Cowboy with an inflatable horse; which Abby wasn't too sure about.

And my beautiful Izzy was Princess Snow White.

Family Time:
I absolutely LOVE this picture of Abby and me. She loves me to read books to her and anytime I come to visit she always brings me a book. No one does story time like Auntie Liz.

Abby and Izzy like to watch football with their daddy's. This is a cute picture of the girls sitting on Clay's lap watching football.

This is the crazy Kissel family. We like to be goofy, if you couldn't tell. :)

Kasploding Cars!

2009-10-28T10:53:00.003-04:00

Izzy always comes up with funny ways of saying things. She has a Raggedy Ann doll, which she loves dearly, and she call it her Raggery Ann doll. She and Clay were playing a game with some cars yesterday. They were sitting on the floor and they each had a car that they would roll to each other trying to crash them together in the process, and anytime the two cars would collide Izzy would say, "Look, they Kasploded!" It was so funny and cute, she had us all cracking up.

Izzy also loves going to the Navy Exchange with her Grandma and Papa, and every time they go there, she wants to get a slice of pizza at the food court. But what we all love most about her little trips there is they way she says where she is going. According to her they go to the Navy Eshange. Cute isn't it. :)

Cabin Fever

2009-10-19T13:22:00.003-04:00

So we have been sick here at the Kissel household. I have been sick for almost a week now (yes, I am finally going to make a doctors appt. I've been a little busy taking care of one very sick little girl.) Izzy was sick for three days last week, then got a little better, then yesterday she said her ears hurt. We took her to the Express Care and she has a double middle ear infection and her cold has come back. Joy oh joy. I had been feeling a little better yesterday, but today, I feel like utter dog poop.

This is a very cute picture of Izzy with her Aunt Sarah and cousin Abby. This is before we all got sick. Izzy just adores Abby, and Abby wants to be just like Izzy, she tries to do everything Izzy does, and Izzy tries to help her, sometimes a little too much.

More Mushrooms

2009-09-17T14:49:00.003-04:00

Izzy is an expert at finding mushrooms. These two were actually really little ones that she discovered.

She like this one because it is a pinkie-orange color.

This mushroom was huge and lopsided.

And this mushroom was just really bizarre looking. It almost looks like an exploded scoop of ice cream.

I finally decided to change my background, since it is long past Spring. So I got this really cute pumpkin background for fall. As you can see I am trying to be better at keeping my blog up to date, so all of you might be getting more frequent emails from me. My dad is going to get Izzy her own little camera (one of those kid touch digital ones) for Christmas so she can take pictures of the world as she sees it. I'm going to make up her own blog for her to post her pictures, she will think it is the neatest thing. :)

First Day of Preschool

2009-09-14T20:59:00.003-04:00

Izzy was so excited to go to school. She was up and ready and kept begging me to take her. I kept telling her it wasn't time to leave yet and she would just heave a big sigh and say "Okay." She helped pack her lunch and everything.

Here are some of the many mushrooms Izzy has found.

These kind of look like pancakes.

Theses mushrooms look like a pile of puke if you ask me.

Big-Girl Bed & Izzyisms

2009-09-06T17:58:00.006-04:00

Here is Izzy in the twin bed my parents got for her. The headboard used to be Sarah's and so did the matching bookshelf, and dresser that are in Izzy's room now. Izzy was simply brimming with excitement about her new big-girl bed.

I know it has been forever since I've posted anything, but I promise I'll try to keep on top of it. Anyway, my ever so enjoyable daughter comes up with the most wonderful things all the time and my mom and I like to call them Izzyisms. For example: Izzy does not eat with a fork, she eats with a fornk. She also eats, macer-oni and pepper-oni. And she used to call triplets chicklets, but now they are tricklets. And when she tells someone thank you she says anks. And according to her my dad isn't getting surgery, he's getting surgy. And when she was little everything, like the fish we had and toys or imaginary things, was a tarrip. I simply love all the fun things she comes up with, and the funny way she says things. She definately keeps us entertained.

Snake & The Biggest Dog Ever

2009-05-16T13:21:00.003-04:00

My parents got two little rocking chairs that match the big ones on the porch for Izzy and Abby.
Izzy tried out the Big Girl Potty. But she still won't use it or the little potty. Grrrrr!
Here is a little snake my dad found in the yard.
Izzy thought he was cute.
Needless to say, she thought he was great as well.
Ok, so we took Izzy to Petco and we saw the biggest dog ever there. I knew no one would believe me on how big he was so I took a picture. He looks like a husky on steroids, but he is an giant Alaskan malamute. His name is Kuma and he weighs 125 lbs. Which is nothing compared to his father who was 220 lbs. Holy cow, right!

Follow Your Nose

2009-05-09T20:13:00.002-04:00

Izzy and I went to my parents house one day because I had to be there to sign for a delivery. When we opened the front door we could smell the yummy scent of last night's dinner. Izzy sniffed and said, "Something smells good, I think I will follow my nose." She then headed off to the kitchen and said, "I think Grandpa cooked something that smells good." She is such a character!

Circus!

2009-04-28T21:09:00.003-04:00

Okay, so this is a picture of the moon reflected in the water taken from my living room. Yes, we really are RIGHT on the water.

The Cole Brother's Circus came to the fairgrounds down here and Izzy got to ride on an elephant.

The elephant's name was Viola.

Izzy said the elephant made her rock from side to side every time it moved.

Viola was the biggest of the three elephants they had.

Izzy and clay pet Viola and Izzy said she was poky. I told her elephant hair was bristly like a broom.

Inside the circus tent they had camel rides, so Izzy got to ride the camel as well. She was one happy and very excited little girl.

Goofy Fun

2009-03-25T18:08:00.004-04:00

Okay, so...Izzy decided to dress up Abby. Well, Abby ended up being a Hawaiian, Egyptian, Cowgirl, Princess. It was really funny. But at least Abby didn't seem to mind.

Here is Izzy trying to figure out what the heck her aunt Sarah is doing, or maybe just wondering why her aunt Sarah is so weird (but fun).

Izzy loves rubber ducks (she has various kinds). She was lining them up outside pretending they were her children that she was going to teach. She says she wants to be a teacher just like grandma.

Izzy loves to ride her tricycle. Here she is crusin' along. This was one of the last days Izzy got to play with Sarah and Abby before they had to fly out to Arizona. Izzy misses them so much. She absolutely LOVES Abby. I can't wait to go visit them. The pictures Sarah's sent of where they live are simply beautiful. Plus, I just want to see my little chub-chubs. I love that little girl she is so cute, you just want to pinch her and kiss her chubby little cheeks (or as Izzy says "her chubby wittle cheeks"). :)

Chalk Drawings

2009-02-19T18:10:00.003-05:00

Izzy had fun today playing outside with her sidewalk chalk.

Clay decided to be funny and drawing a chalk gingerbread Izzy.

So needless to say I had to get in on the fun and did a chalk victim pose Izzy. I know I'm a dork.

Here is Izzy with her friend Jeffery. They love playing together and having cute little conversations with each other (that can actually be quite in depth and insightful at times). It's so funny because Izzy will be all dramatic and say, "Oh, this is too heavy for me, can you help me." And Jeffery will get all proud of himself (he's the big man you know) and just totally carry things for her and open doors for her. Man, she's training him young! Anyway, they are super cute together and just the best of friends.