Zaccheus

Isaac got a new storybook bible for his second birthday. The first story that I happened to open up to was the one about Zaccheus. He was very interested in the story and really excited that mommy had a song to go along with it. Here is a video of Isaac telling us about Zaccheus and singing part of his song. Some of you will notice that we've made some progress and Isaac now refers to Jesus as "Jesus" instead of "Jeezy"!

Did you know??

Tonight during our bedtime songs, Isaac interrupted the singing to inform me that the bone that sticks out on the outside of your ankle is called a "meatball". I always wondered what that bone was called. Oh, the things you can learn from your toddler!

An Artist's First Lesson

One of the most important decisions an artist makes is the canvas on which his masterpiece will appear. Isaac learned this weekend that the pantry door is not the canvas of choice according to mommy. I hate to stifle creativity, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do!

Got To Be NC - 2010 NC AgFest

It has become our annual tradition to attend the "Got to Be NC - AgFest" at the NC State Fairgrounds. Isaac was just a few weeks old when he attended the first NC AgFest, so this year was his third!

Isaac's 1st "Got to Be NC - AgFest" - 2008 - He loved free stuff already!

Isaac's 2nd "Got to Be NC - AgFest" - 2009 - His first pony ride.

Isaac's 3rd "Got to Be NC - AgFest" - 2010
He made daddy carry him so he could see everything!
Mommy pushed an empty adventure cart (i.e. - umbrella stroller)!

He loves to play on the tractors and see all the animals. This year, with a little help from daddy, he even answered a trivia question right and won his very own tape measure!! Isaac loves to measure, so he was very excited about this.


His favorite part by far though is the petting zoo. My little man LOVES animals, and if we had a place to put them, his mommy would let him bring them all home!! (Please note that I am aware that the lion in the first part of this video is not part of the petting zoo and is not real...but I couldn't resist adding it because my little guy is so darn cute!)


For a city girl, I am a farmer at heart, so I really enjoy the exhibits, the tractors (especially the red ones) and booths at the AgFest. I hope that one day Isaac will learn a lot there too; in addition to all the fun that he has! As always, we had a great day at the AgFest and we look forward to attending again next year.

Remember to support our local farmers and buy NC!!!!

Happy Birthday Isaac

Two years ago today, God blessed Brian and I with a son. And in the two short years since, Isaac has changed our lives on a daily basis. There are more laughs, more smiles, more challenges, more toys, more mess...when it comes right now to it, there's just more life! Today our little baby boy turns two years old. I can't believe how the time has flown by. The crawl has changed to a stumbling walk then to a fast run. The coos have turned into words, three of my favorites I heard tonight when I tucked him in..."I love you". There is nothing in the world better than hearing those words and it just gets better every time. It's been an amazing adventure and we're both looking forward to all the adventures and milestones yet to come. Every time I look at you I know..."I saw God today".

Happy 2nd Birthday my handsome little man. Mommy loves you.

Water Fun!

Does it get any better than this??

Words of Wisdom: Don't let two little copycats see you blow up the raft!!

A little mermaid...

and a little merman...

Two best buddies posing for the wrong camera!

Isaac's 2nd Birthday Party

You plan and plan and just when you think everything is in order and ready to go, God throws you a curve ball. Isaac's 2nd birthday party was all planned for a cookout on Saturday afternoon with friends and family. The "curve ball" came on Friday morning with pain on my right side that ended up in emergency surgery for an ovarian torsion. But by Friday afternoon, all of my family was here and as always they were ready to step in and make sure the weekend went off without a hitch....and that it did!

The cake team was hard at work first thing on Saturday morning...

and the cake turned out perfect!!!

My little boy with his balloons (thanks Rhonda and Cindy) and his cake!

Daddy and Isaac opened a ton of great presents with a little help from Madeline and Gage. He racked up with all kinds of great stuff...as if he didn't have enough toys before the party!!
Here he is with the cool plate that Aunta made him. (My sister and I had a special plate to eat off of on special days when we were kids. She made sure Isaac has one for birthdays from here on out.)

After burgers and presents, it was time to dig in and enjoy the cake!!

Then finally, it was time for fun in the sprinkler and on the slip-n-slide.

It turned out to be a great day and a wonderful party!! Brian and I couldn't have pulled it off without help from Oma, Opa, Aunta, and Uncle Mark. Thank you all for everything you did to make sure Isaac's day was perfect!

Pockets

Isaac discovered pockets while we were in Michigan. Here he is strolling through the zoo with his hand in his pocket. He thought he was big stuff!!

Potter Park Zoo

To give the kids, and the adults, a break from reality, on Thursday morning we took a trip to the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, Michigan. The kids love animals, so the zoo is one of their favorite places to go. Here are some pictures from the day.

"What do you mean, I can't pet the lion??"

"Just lower me down Opa, I'll just go right over there to pet the penguins!"

"Hey big guy!"

"Is he looking at us funny Madeline?"

Our Trip To Michigan

On Sunday, May 2nd, Isaac's great-grandpa Slivensky (my Grandpa and Opa's dad) passed away. So on Monday night, Oma, Opa, Aunta, Madeline, Myself and Isaac made the 11 hour trip to Michigan to be with our family. Isaac and Madeline were absolute angels considering all the strange places and situations that we threw at them this week. I honestly don't think we could have asked them to act any better. They did great.

This trip was the first time that Isaac and Madeline met a lot of their extended family. (I hadn't seen many of my cousins in more than ten years.) Isaac was pretty shy at first, but my cousin Jake was able to win him over with cheese. After that Jake was Isaac's best friend! Here they are playing ball and smash the solo cup together.

Here are Isaac and Madeline with GG (great-grandma Slivensky) after the funeral. GG had stepped on ant and Isaac was determined to find it! The kids seemed to bring a small ray of sunshine to an otherwise very tough week for everyone.

This is a picture of all of the Slivensky grandchildren and great-grandchildren together.

Finally, here are some pictures of Isaac and Madeline at GG's house. Somewhere there is a similar picture of Jake and I sitting on the front porch like this when we were this age.

The week was hard for everyone and great-grandpa Slivensky will be deeply missed. He's gone to a better place now and will watch over us from there. I'm glad Isaac and Madeline had the opportunity to meet him. They won't remember it, but they'll see the pictures and one day ask. That's when we'll share the stories...some of our own, and some we heard this week...and that's how they'll know him.

I hope these two stay friends forever...

Fun at the Park

As if a plant sale, a "Just an Ordinary Dog Show", and strawberry picking weren't enough to pack a day full of fun, after nap time we headed to the park near Aunta and Uncle Mark's house. Isaac and Madeline (and all of us adults) had a great time riding the train!

Isaac and Madeline both tried out wheelbarrow racing....

Madeline does pretty good...

Poor Isaac, not so great on his first attempt...

I'm pretty sure it was their partners causing all the problems though!! What a fun day full of fun and adventure in Gastonia!!

Strawberry Pickin'

Last weekend was Isaac's first trip to a strawberry patch. We all went to Lineberger's farm outside of Gastonia for strawberry picking and a picnic. On the way to the patch there were a couple of things to see...

Once we got to the patch, Isaac was eager to learn exactly how to pick the strawberries. He'd search under the leaves for the perfect red one, and then he'd pick it like a pro. But not one of his strawberries went into the basket. He ate EVERY one!!

Here is a video of him enjoying the experience.



After the baskets and Isaac's belly were full, we headed back to the picnic area for lunch. Needless to say my little munchkin didn't eat much for lunch!