YMCA

Isaac and I go to the Y most days of the week.  After I'm done with my workout, we hang out in the hallway and eat a snack together.  It's a nice time for him to work out some last minute fidgets before I put him into the car seat, and allows for some social time as people walk by and engage him.  In addition to the snacks and the ogling, Isaac really likes to watch the nearby exercise classes in the swimming pool and the gym.  We sit and cheer for the people working hard getting their exercise in.

In about a month or so, we'll start swim classes of our own!

Isaac & poop

One of Isaac's favorite backyard activities is to point out all of Maude's piles of poop and then go get the pooper scooper and pick it up.  He is not ok with simply leaving the poop there; if it's spotted, it must be picked up immediately.  He's already more responsible than his mama...

Journey to Cleveland

In reverse order, here is a brief chronicle of Isaac's and my recent trip to Cleveland for the CSU volleyball alumni day.

I thought a one-hour time difference wouldn't be a big deal at all, but surprise surprise, the poor little guy had some jet lag.  It could also be because he is cutting his molars right now and our last night in Cleveland was awake from 1:45-5:15am (ouch!).  We enjoyed an early morning drive around Cleveland to calm both our nerves.  This is Isaac asleep on my back while I cook food in our kitchen, the day after we returned to Des Moines.

We stayed with my Cleveland family and got some lovely QT with Laura, Tedd, and I even got to see both the college boys Aaron & Abraham as they were home briefly during their fall break.  I still cannot believe they are now 21 and 18....I started babysitting them when they were 6 and 3.

Laura, Isaac & a sleepy mama

Laura and Isaac take in the beauty of Lake Erie on a sunny fall day.

I got to catch up with my dear pal, Alison and her daughter, Lizzie (9 weeks older than Isaac).

Isaac and Tedd & Laura's dog, Frosty, were very similarly sized.

And the whole impetus for the trip: alumni day!  I got to catch up with some dear old teammates and coaches and loved every second of it.  Go Vikings!

I love this city.

Isaac loved riding the shuttle bus to pick up our rental car.  Riding on buses is very exciting.

Thanks to the book, "Five Trucks," Isaac and I could look out the windows at the airports and point out all the trucks and tractors that help get the airplane in the air.  It was endless entertainment for our little guy (and made it easy on mama!).

Here we are landing in Chicago...

What do you think, will he fit?  :)

Iowa-official

I'm officially an Iowa massage therapist, woohoo!  

Brian's Half-Marathon

Without formally training, Brian ran the Des Moines half-marathon in 1:47.  

Thanks to some big molars poking through Isaac's little gums, and his loving Grandma and Grandpa sticking around to babysit through a wacky sleep schedule, I got to make it just in time to see Brian finish the race.  The only picture I took, though, was here while he was waiting to get on a table for some post-race stretching and massage.  He said it was a fun race course and he'd like to see what he can do next year with some real training.

Go Brian, go!

Howell's Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday as Isaac and I were leaving the YMCA and running late to story time at the library, I got a text from a new mama friend inviting us to an impromptu visit to Howell's pumpkin patch.  We seized the day and headed for the farm instead of the library.  It was a really fun time!

They had a giant "corn box" (as opposed to a sand box) and Isaac loved pouring the corn into the buckets and dump trucks.

Child of the Corn

Isaac is very into pushing things (wheelbarrows, boundaries, you name it...).  Thanks to reading "Otis the Friendly Tractor," he is also very into pointing out the tractors.

The farm also had (no surprise) lots of pumpkins...

and ponies...

and goats...

and cows...

We also enjoyed a wagon ride around the farm.  We, of course, sat as close to the tractor as we could. Isaac was mesmerized by it the entire ride.

Backyard Ball

Isaac got a new (toddler) soccer ball in the mail today and he and Daddy had fun kicking it around the backyard after dinner.  No drumsticks needed! 

In addition to kicking around a soccer ball these days, Isaac is also....

1. Losing his mind with excitement over any and all vehicles;

2. Losing his mind with excitement over any and all animals;

3. Swinging on the porch swing and cuddling;

4. Uttering babbles that are beginning to sound like words for: ball, truck, train, water, yogurt, milk, apple, bubble, bath, duck....

5. Hanging out in the YMCA childcare room and also our new church nursery;

6. Swinging on the playground;

7. Sliding down the slide;

8. Throwing balls;

9. Feeding himself with fork and spoon;

10. Lighting up and running to Daddy with arms open as soon as he hears him come home; 

11. Being a snuggle bug; 

12. Letting mama rub his feet at night;

13. Pooping a lot; 

14. Giving lots of kisses to mama, Daddy, Maude, his stuffed animals, and even our realtor; and

15. Being the light of our lives. :)