Happy "MOO"loween

Last night was Izzy's first Halloween. Doesn't she make the cutest little cow? I thought it was fitting since we live on "the farm". So, our first rounds were to Edible Vibe where we saw Oma, Papa, Aunt Mary and Uncle Wayne. Uncle Wayne and Izzy played the whole time until we could coax him to pass Izzy on to Papa.. hehe.. After a nice visit with everyone and a taste testing of three different kinds of delectable pumpkin desserts, some amazing melt in your mouth chocolate cookies and finding Waldo, we headed for the hospital to see Daddy. Luke was so excited to see Izzy, he wasn't feeling good at all and I think it really brightened his night :-) So, we headed home and Uncle Stin stopped by.. All in all, it was a very fun night! We wish that Grammey and Pawpaw and all the Tallahassee Crew could have seen Isabelle all dressed up, but I guess these super cute pictures will have to do for now.

Gag Me With A Spoon

Isabelle had her four-month Dr. appt this week! She weighs 15.1 pounds and she now gets to start eating baby food! She started on rice cereal today, her very first time eating from a spoon. She wasn't sure what to think about the spoon or the texture of the food. I don't think she swallowed any food at the first meal. Mostly, she gagged on the spoon and the food ended up all over her and on us! The second meal later the same day went a lot better and she quickly picked up on it, laughing and squeeling at her new found talent and opening her mouth wide for more food! It was SO cute!

"What is going on here??"

Mid-Gag

"This isn't so bad, I can do this!"

"Yeah, I know I'm cute.. You just keep that cereal coming mommy."

Bumbo

Thanks to my friend, Natalie, I have discovered the Bumbo. I had to run out and get one as soon as I tried it out. Izzy loves sitting in it because she feels like a big girl and Luke and I are just tickled that she is growing up so much.. She gets to start eating baby food next week. We are super excited about that.. pictures of her first meal are definately coming soon!

Oh, Daddy, I Love You THIS Much!

Isabelle becomes more and more of a daddy's girl every day. They have so much fun playing together.

Nature

I happened to glance out the living room window this evening and this is what I saw.

Where else can you see six deer just grazing peacefully outside your living room window?

A Milestone Day

Just a typical day.. The weather is gorgeous, we've got the windows open and a nice cool breeze coming through the house. Isabelle is laying on her back on her little play mat in the living room, Luke is on the computer. I'm in Izzy's room cleaning and peaking around the corner every now and then to make sure she is okay.

So, I peek around the corner again to check on her when I yell "Oh, my gosh!!". I'm sure I scared Luke half to death, and we both go running into the living room to find Izzy on her belly, looking around, chest and head raised proudly in the air, about two feet away from where I had left her!

Needless to say, Luke and I are super excited about Izzy's milestone day!

"Wow, the world looks totally different from this angle..

Hmm.. Which one should I play with.."

"Hi, Mr. Worm, You look fun."

"Yep, Heh.. Heh.. That's the one I'm going for."

The Initiation

Picture It: Sunday, September 28, 2008, 2:00 AM. (Anyone who is a fan of Sophia on the Golden Girls will appreciate that opening). But, I digress, so, Picture It: Sunday, September 28, 2008, 2:00 AM.

Luke is working late, it's just me and Isabelle out on the farm sleeping peacefully when a strange rustling outside my bedroom window along with the sound of what had to be a very large, hooved animal running... no, sprinting, past my bedroom window. I am startled awake. In the next forty-five seconds three things would happen.

First, I would wonder... "Is it the bull? Yesterday one of the cows was at the pear tree.. Did the bull get out?", "Is someone trying to break in the basement?" Then I hear the flapping of ears and I relax because I have figured it out. "Ahhh.. The bull was on the side of the house and Buddy chased it past my window and now the bull is eating pears that have fallen on the ground and he just shook his head which would explain the ear-flapping noise." So, I go to the door that opens onto the deck so that I can sneak a peak and see if I am right, but unfortunately I can't see anything. That's when the second event happens.

A strange smell, a horrible odor inside the house that I have never smelled before.. then I peek out the front door where Buddy is standing guard and I notice a strange fog, so I open the door just a crack to investigate and I'm almost knocked over by the horrible, ungodly odor. Then my imagination runs wild. "Is someone trying to break in the house and they've released a poisonous gas so that no one inside can escape!?! Should I take Izzy and go hide somewhere?".... Then reason takes over... "I've never been around or really smelled a skunk before, but maybe it's a skunk?"

Anxious, dizzy and nostrils burning, finally the third thing happens. I frantically call Luke at work. However, there is nothing he can do from work.. so I have to wait.. and wait. Finally at 4am Luke gets home and runs to the front door where I'm anxiously waiting for him. "Can you smell it? What is it? Is it poison? Is it a skunk?" and Luke, tired and sore from working a 12 hour day answers and says.. "No, it's not a skunk! It's the epicenter of a skunk!"

It's as if there was a skunk bomb and Buddy and our house was ground zero. Inside and out was thick with the remnants of our skunk bomb. Poor Buddy hosed down by the skunk, didn't know what was going on. We tried to get what little sleep we could with vicks vapor rub caked on our upper lips. Finally, several air fresheners, bottles of vinegar and skunk shampoo mixtures later, the smell has gotten a little better and this city girl has officially been initiated into life on the farm.

Just Lounging...

It's those Jackson/Viola/Sullivan Genes.. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't fall out!

When Luke dresses Izzy he likes to pick mis-matched outfits because he thinks it's really cute.. I have to admit, it is pretty darn cute!

What's Up?

Just Some Great Pictures

Us, One Year Later..

Izzy Is Taking Lessons From Moe.. She Is A Baby Fashionista!

Two Pony Tails Worth... I Love Playing With Her Hair!

3 Months Old... Groovy!

Our little hippie-chick is three months old today!

Daddy's Little Girl

Now that Izzy can ride around in her Baby Bjorn, she loves it! She has so much fun just looking around at things and Luke and I really enjoy the walks as well!

Fall Is In The Air

Although it's still warm during the day, the nights have gotten cool. Last night we had our first bon-fire, just the three of us. It was about 60 degrees out, I'm sure there will be many more bon-fires to come! Especially since Luke and I have started our recycling project, which I'm really excited about! We are burning every piece of trash that is paper, making a compost area, recycling plastics and metals and using cloth bags when we go to the store. We have literally cut our trips to the dump in half already, as well as saving energy! We are hippies at heart :-)

Hold Your Head Up High

Izzy gets a little belly time every day and each time she holds her head up a little better, especially if there is something that she really wants to look at, like the TV. Yes, she is looking at the TV in these pictures (I believe she was watching a football game with Daddy). I think we are going to have to get her some Baby Einstein DVD's!

Our Big Girl

We are just amazed by Isabelle every day. She is just so sweet and happy. She has found her voice and squeels and coos all the time, it's adorable. I can't get over her, she is the apple of our eyes.

Firsts

Talking To Her New Mobile

After Her Bath In The Kitchen Sink

Paw Paw & Izzy Watching Olympics

Grammey & Isabelle

The past couple of weeks were filled with a lot of "firsts" for Isabelle. Lets go down the list..

1. Her first roadtrip to FL: She was such a good girl while we were traveling, so patient and sweet the entire time. However, she now hates her car seat.. I can't say that I blame her though.

2. Her first time staying in a hotel: We stopped half way each time and had a slumber party in the hotel, it was lots of fun!

3. Her first time meeting my side of the family: She met so many people on this trip.. Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins... well, you get the picture. Needless to say everyone got attached to little Izzy and got to know her really well, it was such a good visit. We are really excited about our next trip to FL at Thanks Giving.. this time with daddy too!

4. Her first taste of apple juice: She only gets one ounce a day, but boy does she love it!

5. Her first taste of rice cereal: You just have to see the video.. needless to say, she loved it!

6. Her first time reaching for a toy: Thanks to Uncle Chris and Aunt Lindsey, Izzy has a cool new bouncer with jungle animals on it.. One of them (her favorite) is a parrot that spins around and Izzy hits the parrot and just laughs when it starts spinning. She also got a jungle mobile for her crib too.. she laughs and talks to the animals when she's watching it, it's so adorable!

7. Her first bath in a kitchen sink: We did this at Grammey and PawPaw's house. She loved it! It was her first time being submerged in water for a bath, and her first bath in a sink. PawPaw took a video of it. Now she gets baths in her baby tub and kicks and splashes water all over us.. It's Great! Also, Izzy weathered her first tropical storm: Izzy, myself and Pawpaw weathered Fay and living without electricity for almost two days. After going all night with no AC we all hunkered down at Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan's house. Other than wondering what in the world we ever did without electricity, AC, TV and internet.. luckily there was no damage.

So, Izzy is changing every day. She is so sweet and special to everyone who knows her.

Sleeping Beauty

Izzy is changing so much lately.. she is making cute new noises, focusing on things around her, and even sleeps in her own room now!

One Month Old!

Izzy is a month old already! Can you believe it? Time flies by so fast!

P.S. Her hair is almost long enough to put in a little top knot! By the time of Erik & Sarah's wedding we're going to be able to do a really cute little hairdo.

Izzy's New Ride

Izzy isn't quite big enough for her baby bjorn.. so she has a new ride for now, and she loves it, she falls asleep everytime we take her out in it, it must be pretty cozy in there.

Belly Time

Izzy getting in a little belly time before her nap.

Precious Moments

This is one of my favorite moments.. when she curls up on my chest and sleeps so peacefully, probably listening to my heart beat and my voice. She likes to sleep on Daddy's chest too. It's moments like this that are so special to me.