Happy 4th Birthday Isaac!

Since our family birthday party was scheduled for the 19th, we decided to invite a couple local friends over to celebrate Isaac's 4th birthday. As it turns out - lots of friends were free that day - so it turned into a big party!!! Thankfully, the rain passed and we were able to have a spidey-riffic time!

A big thanks to our friend Katie for doing the face paints, they were the hit of the party!!!

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Long overdue posts

Do we see a theme here? So far, having 2 kids has been pretty good...however, my screen time has definitely been impacted. I can barely get a chance to reply to emails (and when I do, it's one handed typing because I am nursing!) much less updating our blog!

Anyways, here are some posts I updated recently...

Visit to Dutch Village
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/08/dutch-village.html

End of the Summer at the Cabin
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/09/end-of-summer-at-cabin.html

Dawn and Sam meet Isobel
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/08/dawn-and-sam-meet-isobel.html

Crim Weekend and Thomas the Train
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/09/crim-weekend-and-thomas-train.html

Isaac starts preschool
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/09/isaacs-first-day-of-preschool.html

Isaac's first day of preschool

Isaac started preschool at Meadowbrook Elementary. He was very excited to go to school! He gets excited to put things in his locker every morning and comes running to me at the end of the day with a huge smile on his face. It exhausts him!!! Now..if only it could be 5 mornings a week, instead of 3....

Isaac tells Bear after his first day "it was pretty good, I will go again and again".

Videos from Crim and Thomas

The Crim Festival started a kids area a few years ago - we checked it out for the first time, and to Isaac's delight, all the inflatables were free!!!

Then, at Crossroads, he had fun on the ferris wheel with Gillian.

Note the difference from the last time we went on it: Ferris Wheel At Crossroads 2008

On another vintage ride

Crim Weekend and Thomas the Train

A weekend that we always enjoy is the Crim Festival of Races. This year, because Michael and Perry were busy with Witherbee's - there was no party, but we were able to mill about near the store, then walk downtown. We even tried out the kid's area, which we had not seen since they started it. Brian didn't run this year, but we cheered on a friend from Grand Rapids, even though we couldn't find her in the crowd! (yay Christine!)

Then, of course, Thomas the Train at Crossroads Village. We went with "Aunt" Candy, her granddaughter Gillian and Mom. Despite the heat, Isaac and Gillian loved it!!!

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Isobel - 2 week stats

August 26, 2010

Weight: 7lbs 11 oz (35%)
Height: 20.5 inches (50%)
Head: 14" (50%)

Dawn and Sam meet Isobel

Dawn and Sam came to visit Isobel. While they were here, we tried to make a treat that I saw online. Unfortunately, it didn't look like it did in the picture....but it was still fun to make and mighty yummy!!!

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End of the summer at the cabin

We were able to get a quick weekend in at the cabin shortly after Isobel was born. The weather wasn't fabulous, but it was nice enough to reconnect with some neighbors and get some R&R in!Who doesn't love cabin breakfasts?

While we were there, a the light fixture in the cathedral broke. We discovered that you CAN rent ladders THAT tall in Tawas!! Thank goodness!


More pictures:

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Dutch Village

We went to the Dutch Village in Holland with Mindi (Kayla and Leah) and Heather (Ethan and Emily) when Isobel was 11 days old. Isaac had a ton of fun on the rides. He was particularly fond of the little cars that you had to "pump" to move...at one point, he was pushing several of the other kids!!!

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Isobel's Newborn Pictures...

I finally uploaded Isobel's newborn pictures. They were done by Clever Creations Photography in Grand Rapids.

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5 hours before...

The day Isobel was born was jam-packed. Brian took Isaac to his company picnic, while I cleaned and grocery shopped. Then, we met up at Parker Diemer's 1st birthday party. We left there shortly after this photo was taken...andd Isobel was born about 5 hours later!!!

Introducing Isobel Joan

Isobel Joan
August 7, 2010 7:49pm
6lbs 2oz, 19"

This is a little behind, but I discovered that I can upload photos directly from our shutterfly page. Hopefully I can post things a little faster now!!!

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37 weeks, 2 days.

At this point in my pregnancy with Isaac...well, I was packing a bag to head to the hospital. My water had broken and we were heading in - still skeptical that it was really time to have a baby. I didn't FEEL like I was on the verge of giving birth...but, doc said head in - so packin' up and going in we did.

Little did we know, less than 3.5 hours later, we'd be parents.

So...that bring us today. I had my last (hopefully) ultrasound with Dr. B, our specialist....he said that she is just a smidge under 6lbs. Her growth has slowed slightly in the last few weeks, but she is still in the 32% percentile (apparently to date, she has been trending in the 33%). We are dilated 1-2 cm (Dr. K couldn't be more specific as she was racing to head out to deliver another baby)...so....we wait.

In the meantime, the baby room is ready....we are getting a lot of "to do's" done around the house...Mom came to help me out for a few days (like tonight, when I spent 3 hours sitting at the doctor's office!!!)....and trying to keep busy so time passes faster and we don't analyze every twinge and ache I have! After all, in the last few weeks, I have felt things which are totally normal and average for a pregnancy - however, I never had with Isaac!!! I now understand what people mean when they say they can't shave their legs or grab something off the floor!!!

But, I am not complaining! Lil "I" is growing, healthy and will be here sooner than we expect!

Catching Up Posts

I went back and added some posts which were long overdue (they are all pretty short!):

Blue Sky Girl's Weekend
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/05/blue-sky-girls-weekend.html

New Dining Room Table
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/05/catching-up-new-dining-room-table.html

Mom's Retirement
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/05/moms-retirement-party.html

Joe and Leslie's Wedding
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/05/congrats-joe-and-leslie.html

Memorial Day Weekend
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/05/memorial-day-2010.html

Bathroom Redo
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/06/bathroom-redo.html

Attempt at Potted Veggies
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/06/attempt-at-potted-veggies.html

Nursery Flashback
http://spratke.blogspot.com/2010/06/nursery-flashback.html

Father's Day Weekend

Isaac and I took advantage of our last few weeks of "freedom" to spend a week up at the cabin. Grandpa Motorcycle (Dad) visited for the first few days (we bought bug nets, read a lot of books and played in the sandbox when it was too cold to do otherwise)....then Grandma Carol (Mom) came up to visit for a day - allowing Brian and I to go out on "date night" with the neighbors!!!The weather was, as it has been trending, just beautiful for the weekend, and all of Isaac's buddies were up - it was a total boyfest-oh-rama!!!

Complete with cowboys, indians and a few army guys mixed in.....

Brian and Don even got to go on a "rescue mission" for a kite boarder who was farther out than any of us were comfortable with. Come to find out - he was just plain nuts and wanted to be way out there.....but oh, what excitement it was for us on the beach!

Happy Father's Day Brian!!!

Weekend Engineering

Here is a photo of what Brian and our friends Andrew & Alex engineered over the weekend.

We had a small water balloon fight with our neighbors who seemed ill prepared for the water balloon factory that had been prepared and stocked.

9 Things about 9 Years Ago Today.

I started this post thinking I would just post 9 things about our wedding day that make me smile when I remember them. The thing is...there seem to be so many more than 9!

9. 300 people - Brian looked at me in shock when I told him how many people were on the invite list. He seemed shocked that we would have so many...however, on that day - I think he fully grasped why we had so many....when we look back at our photo album, we see so many faces of people that mean so much to us.

8. The dress I just got preserved last month - There is something about wearing a dress that makes both your mother and your friend (Sarah!) go..."that's it!". Crossing the street in NYC, to the bank to withdrawal cash for it and heading onto the subway with this large, white bag over my shoulder - the weekend of Sept. 9th, 2000. The little lady, Helen, who so artfully created the bustle and wanted to only charge me $25. It is the only part of my wedding that I got to share with my Grandmother - and I can still remember her hands touching the stitching on the bodice.

7. St. Matthew Church, Flint MI - Not only is this where Brian and I were married, but the site of several members of my families weddings, communions and funerals. Father Taggart was wonderful with us, during our pre-marriage prep...and the church - in my opinion, the most beautiful in Flint. Every time I drive past, I think of that day, and the photo in our album showing all our friends and family spilling out of the front doors.

6. The Heddy House - We were so grateful to the Heddy's for welcoming us and allowing our wedding party to roam about their beautiful house - when all we had hoped for was some nice outdoor photos somewhere close to downtown Flint! The "down time" that we had with our wedding party was priceless...and our favorite wedding photo is from their staircase.

5. Uncle Jim playing the bagpipes - One of my grandmother's last wishes. Brought some of my family to tears...and surprised Brian, because I kinda forgot to mention it to him in the last minute preparations!! (oops)

4. Yummy cake - I let my mom pick out the cake of "my dreams"...and what a great decision that was! The cake was beautiful AND yummy!!! Can you say raspberry and mousse in the same sentence without getting in trouble?! Seriously. Even better: the anniversary cake they made for us a year later!

3. Italian honeymoon - What a great choice that was! We even still have a friend from there (hi Anne!). I will never forget getting bumped up to business class, spending days on the beach in Sicily and watching Mt.Etna erupt from our hotel room. Can't wait to go back someday!

2. Post-Reception fun - Hanging out in someone's hotel room after the wedding reception. Brian and I were staying in a hotel across the way from the one most of our friends were staying in...we looked out the window and saw all the fun they were having....ditched our wedding clothes and ran over to join in the fun!!!

1. Smartest day of my life - Marrying someone I trust, love and respect. And still do.

I love you, Brian.

Week 30 Update

Here we are, at week 30. Hard to believe.

We have put the crib and rocker back up in the baby's room - and it looks just like it did when we had Isaac - so SURREAL! I visited both of my OB's last week - and everything is looking good.

I am measuring at 31 weeks. I have gained 21lbs. Lil one is absolutely average at approx 3lbs 8oz. Dr. B could see hair in my ultrasounds, so it's safe to say - she is not bald! So far, everything is very average! No complaints here.

I feel fine these days, although I am beginning to notice my lack of mobility. Bending, stretching, etc are getting to be more of a challenge - but really, for the most part, I feel pretty good.

Hard to believe we only have between 7-9 weeks left....

Now, back to my 1 gillion things on my to do list!

Nursery Flashback

We are still getting our nursery back in order - but it's somewhat of a flashback!!!

Attempt at Potted Veggies

This year we decided to attempted potted veggies. I am only hopeful that half of them make it....but half will do!

We planted:
Bush cucumber, (2) basil, (2) types of lettuce, summer squash, rosemary, patio tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, cherry tomato and some mystery plant my neighbor gave us.

They are all doing amazing so far!!!

In the meantime, my indoor plants are all dying. Apparently I should stick to the fakies inside!!!