The Orr Family

Isaac ate my cookie

2011-11-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

I have to tell the story of one of my sweetest moments with Isaac thus far. It happened last night and I know that if I don't write it down I'll forget it. We had gotten home from Panera and he had a piece of cookie left in a bag. I told him that he could eat that one piece and no more (I also had a piece of cookie left). A few minutes later he came into the kitchen holding the empty cookie bag with a sneaky little grin on his face. I looked at him and said, "Isaac, that was not right you should not have done that". And he asked, "did I lie?" I said, "no you did not lie, you stole." "What did I steal," he asked? I said, "you stole that other piece of cookie." He asked whose it was. And I told him that he stole my last piece of cookie. (In my heart I was not angry at all, I just wanted him to understand that he should come and ask first and he should not just take something that he was told not to take). So he walked away. About five mintues later I heard a little voice calling from the next room. "I'm sorry I took your cookie." I walked around the corner. "What did you say?". He was peaking up from behind the couch with a sad little face and said again, "I'm sorry that I ate your cookie." I could tell that he was truely upset. I pulled him onto my lap and and I told him that I forgive him, and that God forgives him. I said that he does not need to feel guilty anymore. It's OK. And as I told him how much I love him, tears were just streaming out of his sweet eyes and crashing down onto his shoulders. My heart was just overflowing with love for this sweet boy.

As I told the story to Dan last night it became clear how beautiful and redemptive true confession is. How much more does our heavenly father want to hold us in his lap and tell us that it is OK. We don't need to feel guilty anymore. We don't need to hide. We are forgiven and we are loved. I hope that I will approach my heavenly father as Isaac approached me last night and that I will let him grab me up onto his lap and dry my tears and console my heart. Thank you Isaac for this beautiful story.

Lily's Birthday Party

2011-10-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Lily Belle turned three exactly a week ago. We were actually on the road on the way back to Nashville from Chicago on her actual birthday. And thus far in her life, she has had more birthdays waking up at the Davidson's house, than she has at her own house (2 at the Davidsons, 1 at home). It's hard to believe that our precious little girl came into the world three whole years ago!! What an enormous blessing she has been to Dan, myself, and Isaac. We all love her so dearly.

Last night we got celebrate lily at her birthday party with all her Nashville friends. One super sweet story about her birthday party. We had been planning on having her party at the park just down the street from our house. Dan was sent out to the grocery store just an hour before the party. He called me to let me know that there were already two big parties going on at the park. So, we had to do a super quick change of plans. As quick as we could we cleaned the house and got ready for the party to be here. As we were in the midst of getting everything ready and running around lily walked up to me with the biggest tears in her eyes, and fighting back the sobs, and says with a big frowny face "mommy, no one is going to come to my party now." And huge tears started rolling down her face. I grabbed her up into my arms and tried to explain that Dan and I had called all her friends and told them to come to our house instead of the park. I told her not to be sad, and that we would have a fun party at the house. And these huge tears kept streaming down her face. In her mind, we had canceled the party, and all her friends were going to the park. As soon as she realized they were coming to our house, she was happy again and had a super fun time!! It was such a sweet moment.

First Day of School

2011-09-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

All summer long, every time that we pass St. Georges (where the kids to go school) I would hear, "MOM...how much longer till school starts???" It was so sweet to know that they were excited to start school. Isaac was returning this year and lily was starting her first year. We are so glad that Lily gets to have Isaac's teachers from last year.

Isaac's first day was Wednesday. The day was dedicated to "Isaac's first day of school." He got to pick any breakfast and so he choose crepes, and I think that he ate between 12 and 15 crepes. First day of school appetite I guess. When we walked in the school, I was prepared for tears and anxiety, but he walked right into his class and seemed so happy to be back. After school I asked how it went and he said, "Me, Boyd, and Porter played super-heros on the playground. I was ironman, Boyd was batman, and Porter was spider man. " In four year old little boy language that means....success.

Today was Lily's first day. This morning she was sad, saying that she didn't want to go to school. So, I said, OK...then you don't have to go, to which she replied...I WANT TO GO!!! Lily also got to pick whatever breakfast she wanted, and she also chose crepes :) Luckily I made extra yesterday and froze some. :) She was nervous when we got there but also very proud of herself. She wouldn't let me hold her or her school bag. When I picked her up, I asked how the day went, and she said, "I didn't cry, and I didn't have an accident." In 2 1/2 little girl language that means....success.

This morning at around 9:02 am I walked out of Lily's classroom alone. I walked down the hall of the school and got in my car alone. I felt tears in the back of my throat. It's funny that just about four years ago I didn't know what it would feel like to have a child, and today I can barely remember the feeling of not having them. As I ran my errands this morning, feeling sad, and looking at the other moms with kids in their carts, I was reminding myself that there was a time that I used to do everything without little buddies.

I think that one of the funny things about life, is how things are just always changing. It's exciting that the kids are getting older. it's exciting to see them figuring out things on their own and becoming more independent. And, I've been so looking forward to the idea of having some time on my own...but there's also a sorrow and a loss in the passing of time. A sadness that we all are moving on and changing. They will never be babies again. They will never need me again as they did in those first months and years. I am thankful for those first months and year, and I am thankful for my beautiful Isaac and Lily today. What precious gifts they are!!

football and movie night

2011-08-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

It's so hard for me to imagine that just four years ago I didn't know two little people named Isaac and Lily. What a funny and sweet two little people they are.

Last night all four of us went to the TN Titans practice. Our friend Pete Ittersagen is on the team, which made it extra fun!! Before the game I made some "home made" Ittersagen jerseys for Dan and the kids. Just to note; even past 6:30 pm, it is nasty hot and humid here in middle tennessee.

We have started a new tradition in the Orr house this summer. It is called "movie night". It happens every friday. We eat pizza (that dan makes), we all drink coke, we have wrestle-mania (where jumping off the couch is allowed), and then we take turns picking the movie for the week. Each week I am surprised at how excited the kids get for movie night. The beauty of childhood :) (below is a pic from this last movie night...just before we all watched Tinker bell...lily's choice.)

One prayer that I have had for Isaac and Lily is that they will love each other as more than siblings, that they will love each other as friends. It was such a gift for me to grow up with a sister who was also my best friend. I'm sure it's too early to tell if God will answer my prayer, but from what I can see already, I am very thankful. Isaac and lily love hanging out all day, every day. They don't just play together in the same place, they are always interacting and creating forts and hide outs. They build things together and take care of lily's babies together, and play petshop together. Of course they squabble like all siblings, but they truly enjoy the other. One of my favorite things is when Lily calls Isaac her big brother. Like, "mommy, where's my big brother? I need him." And I also love that Lily calls Isaac "I-Z". A nick name that she created all on her own. So sweet. She ALWAYS calls him that.

moments

2011-07-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

There are moments when I really miss having a baby to hold, or when I think back to Isaac or lily being curled up in my arms and I feel sad. But, mostly, I just LOVE the age that they are today. I love interacting with them as little people, who can do so many things on their own, and who say the funniest, sweetest, most interesting things. Every day they make me laugh and smile and say to myself, how in the world did I ever get these two precious people. I know that most days come and go without me taking note of all the wonderful things that they say and do, but lately it has just been too good not to write down. Here are some favorites:

1. A couple days ago Dan came home from work and he was sitting outside with Isaac. Dan asked Isaac, “how was your day?”. Isaac thinks for a moment and then replies, “It was a struggle.” A little bewildered, Dan looks at him and says, “It was a struggle??”. Isaac says, “yeah, it was a struggle, because when we were in the fabric store today Lily was really misbehaving.”

2. A few months back Dan bought Isaac a Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls jersey. It was kind of a pricey item for a 3 year old. Well, as it turns out Isaac will NOT wear it. We have tried everything to get him to wear it. The other night at dinner a friend of ours was over and was telling Isaac how much he LOVES basketball jerseys and how cool it is to wear them. Isaac takes a long pause and says, “Josh, I do not appreciate that comment.” Then another pause and says, “I do not appreciate basketball jerseys.”

3. The kids have gotten into this phase where they are always asking Dan and I (and babysitters) to tell them stories about when we were little. It’s mostly cute, but sometimes taxing. Anyway, tonight I was laying down with Lily and after I told her a story she said that she wanted to tell me a story. Here is her story, “I was in your belly, and then I fell out, and then a big scary monkey came and got me (at this point I giggled a little and she looked at me and said, Mommy…DON’T LAUGH!), and so the big monkey came and got me, and then I found a big Daddy cookie, and I ate it, and then I got sick, and then I came home.”

4. Tonight we were driving in the car and Isaac said that he saw a super big house. So I asked him, “When you get older, do you want to live in a small house or a super big house?” He paused for quite awhile…I wondered if he forgot the question, then he answered, “I want to live in a medium house.” And I said, “what is a medium house like?” And he said, “just like the house that we live in now. Accept I don’t think that I will live in Nashville, I would like to live in the house next to our blue house in Wheaton.”

5. The other day I was asking the kids if they would like it if we had another baby. And they enthusiastically said that they would, and that they would be my helpers. Lily said that she would like to give the baby a bath and put “her” jammies on. Isaac said that he would feed the baby milk, and give the baby toys, and that if “she” got sad that he would always sing “her” a song.

What a sweet sweet gift it is for me to enjoy these moments.

thankful

2011-05-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Life is always changing; never staying the same. I am acutely aware of the as I feel like I am seeing these two little ones growing up before my eyes. Since I last wrote over two months have gone by!! YIKES!! Times is just running away from me.

Below are some favorite every day shots of Isaac and Lily. I am so thankful for their beautiful lives :)

Dancing in the rain

2011-03-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

It's funny because I am about to post some pictures of the kids dancing in the rain. Not literally dancing in the rain, but dancing on the table inside the house, right next to the windows, where they were watching it raining outside. The funny part is that as I just wrote the title, "dancing in the rain", it made me think about motherhood, or parenthood in general. I think that being a mom is a lot like dancing in the rain. When you are a mom there are always a variety of difficulties to face each and every day. You can assume on any given day that things will not go according to whatever plan you may have in mind. There is a constant barrage of spilled drinks, accidents on the bed, broken toys, fights to break up, "no you cannot eat cookies right now", instructions to give, crumbs everywhere- crumbs on the floor, crumbs on the couch, crumbs all over the car, crumbs in your bed, crumbs in the bathroom, crumbs in my drawers- and the list could go on and on. And so it goes that most days are rainy days of sorts. But it is in the midst of those rainy days that you can either put your head down and dream for a sunshiny day, or you can just dance in the rain. And as I have spent time doing both, I think it is the dancing in the rain that parenthood is all about. It is when things are all askew (both on the outside and on the inside) but we make the decision to dance that parenthood starts to make sense. It is in those moments, when we stop trying to get our house and our life under control, that our children become most precious to us. It is in the dancing that we are set free from all the worry about the rain. It is in the dancing that our children actually encounter us and connect with us and community and fellowship happen within our homes. So here's to spending our days dancing in the rain!

Side note: Tonight I was praying with Isaac before bed. He reminded me to pray for Japan. So I did. He added, "God, I pray for all the kids who lost their toys that you will give them all the same toys that we have. god, I pray for all the kids who lost their parents, maybe because when the water came they got eaten by a shark, I pray that they will not be scared or alone. I pray for all the kids and all the parents and all the grandmas." As he prayed for those things, I was moved more genuinely for Japan and for the people who are suffering there than I have been thus far.

Every Day is fun

2011-03-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

We have for sure hit a new stride. Not to say that my days are without struggle, but my life looks very different than it did one year ago, and VERY VERY different than it did two years ago. My feelings and my thoughts surrounding Isaac and Lily are overflowing with fun and enjoyment. Every day I just want to bottle up their cute voices, and all the funny things that they say. There is a sweetness and an innocence about them that is almost intoxicating. I am so often straddling the line of tightly grasping each moment and desperately trying to hold onto it in the realization that it is so fleeting and just living in the moment and enjoying it and loosely holding onto these days, weeks, months, and years.

My sister recently told me about a book called something like, "My daughter got swallowed by a princess." It's about a mom of a pre-school aged girl who is confused and perplexed by the ever increasing femininity pouring out of her daughter. Wow...can I relate. It is sweet and beautiful and pure and I don't really know what to do with it. I have no memory of a princess obsession. I have never been especially fond of the color pink. I am now 31 years old and have acquired minimal jewelry, but have never been that excited about it. I have a two-year-old little princess flying all over the house covered in pink polka dots from head to tow. She is enthralled with any kind of jewelry, love to wear high heel princess shoes all over the house, and the other day when I put on my sweater lily remarked, "That looks cute on you mommy." I looked at her dumbfounded. I love that this stage really seems to be a genuine expression of who she is. I love her passion for pink polka dots and clothes and princesses.

A few days ago lily was spinning around the living room. (one reason why I am so glad that I have a little girl - I have yet to see Isaac spinning through the living room). And I look at her and I say, "Lily, you are just so cute. I can't handle it!" Isaac looks over at her and he says, "I can handle it." Then he proceeds to run over and tackle lily to the ground. Then I hear him yell up to me from the floor, "I handled it." Dan and I were quite amused.

This is just such a small picture into the richness of each and every day. These children are such a gift. Such a joy. Such a grace in my life.

One more note. Dan and I have been intrigued by Isaacs spiritual ponderings. He asks some really good questions and seems like he always has this backdrop in his mind for a spiritual understanding to life. He has been especially interested in death and heaven. He asks tons of questions about heaven, and who is going to be there, and what it will be like, etc. He reiterates a lot of things we have told him about heaven or about Jesus on a regular basis. Tonight after dinner I was leaving for the grocery store and he runs to the back door and says, "Mommy, I love you. I love you so much. But, Jesus loves you way more!". This morning as we were rushing out the door to church, my patience was wearing thin. Later I apologized to Isaac for my grumpiness. He said, "I forgive you mommy. You aren't a perfect mommy, but Jesus is a perfect mommy." And then tonight at dinner something happened and I can't remember exactly what it was, but it prompted Isaac to say, "Daddy, you are a bad guy, but Jesus is making you into a good guy. And mommy, you are a bad girl, but Jesus is making you into a good girl." In each of those moments I am just shocked. I didn't think that a three year old could grasp, comprehend, or really care about these things. But Isaac is very engaged, and I am thankful and humbled.

RJ probably could...

2011-01-26T12:39:00.000-08:00

My brother RJ is definitely bigger than your average guy. He’s 6’8” and has a large frame. You would probably notice him if you saw him walking down the street or if he was your waiter at Fridays. Well, to Isaac and Lily, RJ has become somewhat of a mythical figure. Over the last few weeks, since we saw RJ at Christmas, it has become a daily ritual to hear about what RJ can probably do. Here are some cute examples:

The other day my mom was in town and she was sitting on the couch watching “Free Willy” with Isaac and Lily. The kids kept commenting on how BIG the whale was. She was telling them that the whale is heavier than a car. Isaac says, “But RJ is probably heavier, right?” Then she told them that the whale was taller than any person. And Isaac says, “But not taller than RJ right? RJ is really really tall. Taller even than the whale.”

The other day we were driving in the car and out of nowhere Isaac says, “Mommy, RJ can probably pick up a car with his hands, right?”

Today we were driving and Isaac was asking what all those strings in the sky are (referring to electricity and telephone wires.) I try to explain, and then he says, “how do they get up there?” I explain that men will climb up ladders and put them up. And he says, “Yeah, or RJ could just put them up there without a ladder, right?” And then little Lily pipes in and says, “RJ could use the step stool from our house mommy.”

I wish that I could remember more examples because there have been soooo many. I think that it is just adorable and so sweet that they really think RJ is some kind of super-human hero figure.

Below are some favorite pics over the last month or so.

can't stop crafting

2010-11-11T12:08:00.001-08:00

Last year it was my new year's resolution to sell at least one thing that I have made. I haven't done it yet, and 2010 is quickly coming to a close. I am determined to open up an etsy store by the end of the month. With that in mind I have been trying to stock up some stuff to try to sell. I'm planing on doing kind of a hodge-podge of stuff. Blakets, bags, hair-bows, baby burp cloths, art, etc. I get bored easily...can you tell. Here are some of my latest creations. (The last two pictures aren't of anything to sell, just an easy craft that I came up with today. I'm part of the team decorating our church for christmas. Small budget=BE CREATIVE!! I think each one will end up costing me only about $2. Fabric store+goodwill+michaels+trees outside=so much fun.)

"That makes me sad"

2010-11-09T17:38:00.001-08:00

Since Halloween, we have been having a candy fest around the Orr house. It has gotten a little out of hand. The rule has been that after the kids finish lunch or dinner that they can choose a candy out of their little bags. Well for the last three days lily has come up to me after breakfast (pancakes) and asked for candy, insisting that she finished her whole dinner (she calls every meal dinner). I must admit that I have been using this whole candy thing to my advantage. For instance, if we are running late and I need the kids to hop right into the minivan, I'll suggest that if they get into their seats quickly they can get candy...and you can imagine all the other ways I have been using candy to get what I want. :) Well, as I sat at dinner tonight I realized that it might be good to put a stop to this whole candy madness. As we were all sitting around the table eating, I announced that I had some bad news. I told Isaac and Lily that tonight, even if they ate all their dinner, there would be no candy. Lily...sweet little Lily...got the biggest pout on her face that you could possibly imagine, and in the saddest little voice with her face turned toward the floor she said, "Mommy...that makes me sad. That makes me sad mommy. Mommy, that makes me sad." And she continued to repeat that over and over. It was so sweet and funny. And yes, I was able to hold strong. No candy tonight. :)

babies (as in baby dolls)

2010-10-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

I just love watching Lily play with her babies. It's especially interesting for me because I never really got into babies. I remember having them and going over to friend's houses that had them and always wanted to play with them. But I never really understand what the fun of baby dolls was.

In the past couple weeks, Lily has just become really intent on her baby dolls. She is pretty much always seen around the house pushing one of them in the stroller or wrapping them in blankies or patting their backs or putting them to bed.

Right now as I type I can hear lily sitting in her bed for nap time talking to her baby. Here's the conversation:

"It gonna be OK bebe, oh bebe....oh bebe....oh bebe, don't cry baby. It's gonna be OK. I'm with you baby. your mommy is gonna be home soon. I'm sorry baby. Sorry baby but it's broken (i have no idea what she is talking about). But it's ok baby. You must be tired baby. You are really tired baby. I'm going to put you to sleep baby. I'm wit you. I'm wit you baby. I'm your friend. Mommy is my friend."

SOOOOO PRECIOUS!!! I wish I could just bottle up this moment.

I guess i'm on a roll

2010-10-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Ok...I hadn't updated in 2 months and now here I am three times in a week. What is going on??

I just have a couple recommendations that I've got to get out and I didn't know where else to do it.

1. Whole Foods Organic Cage Free Chicken Breast!!!!! It is literally cheaper than the regular chicken breast at just about every grocery store I have ever been to. And if you have seen Food Inc (which I do recommend) then you can even eat your chicken in peace knowing it has not been horribly abused, but treated humanely :)

2. Anyone who likes good stories and good food has just GOT to check out this blog - www.epi-ventures.com. It is amazing!! My sister's best friend growing up writes it and it is really an awesome blog. The recipes DO NOT DISAPPOINT!!

that's all.

buddies

2010-10-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Wow...seeing these pictures in order like that just does something to me. I can't believe I get to be the mom of these two little people. It has been so sweet to watch them grow into little buddies.

Quick story from tonight. (it's not a funny one...) Today has been a bit stressful. Like this morning when I literally had to lock myself in my bedroom just to have a minute to talk on the phone with the AT&T guy (to cancel the service that I got suckered into by a guy who came to our door). Or like when I told Isaac we were going to the YMCA and you would have thought I told him that I was going to cut off his arm or give all his toys away. And then sometimes as sweet as those little voices are, and they really are sweet, when you have been hearing them non-stop for almost 12 straight hours with very little quiet, you start to think you might lose your mind. So by the time the kids were in the bath I was teetering on the edge of sanity. Luckily Dan stepped in and saved me. A few minutes later I was called back into the bathroom to dry off a screaming and frantic Isaac. (he had been warned not to throw water out of the tub and after disobeying was now not going to have any books before bed.) As I took him into his room to dry him off, put lotion on him, and put his jammies on, something happened to me. Right before I put on his night-time pull up I just had this thought flash into my mind - what if Isaac was kidnapped and whoever had him wouldn't know that he still needed to wear a pull up at night. And in that moment, I was undone. My heart melted. I looked at my sweet boy and all I wanted to do was hold him. I finished getting him ready for bed, I turned out the light, and I grabbed him into my arms. Isaac doesn't usually like snuggling or being held, but tonight as he sobbed, he held onto me as I held onto him. I nuzzled my face into his neck as he cried. I sat there and held him until he fell asleep and then I held him longer. One day he will be a big man with a bristly neck. But tonight he was my baby. I was such a gift.

As I sat there holding him I was reflecting on something. Sometimes there are really hard things that we face in life. Things that we just don't know how to get right. Things that we fail at. And in those places there is pain and there is longing. I believe that even in those places God is good to us. That God actually many times brings hard things into our lives to refine us and to draw us to himself. Being a mom has been that thing in my life. I want so badly to do it right, but it seems on most days that I just can't figure it out. I feel like I am failing all the time. It is frustrating and painful. And yet in that very place is also my greatest gift. I have never seen a more beautiful and awe inspiring gift than the gift of my children. And it is in that place, the place of my greatest gift that I am also being refined in very painful ways. Interesting. God is very creative and full of mystery.

We now live in nashville

2010-10-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

So...it's been two months. We've moved across 2 states. We now officially reside in the south. There have been lots of changes and adjustments. There tons of great stuff about living in nashville such as, awesome hills everywhere, its just beautiful, the super cool artsy vibe, lots of quaint restaurants, new places to explore, our church that we LOVE LOVE LOVE, and so many nice people. There's also tons of weird stuff about living in Nashville, I've seen countless little boys (and I'm not talking babies, I'm talking 3 year olds) wear little jump suites that have been embroidered and/or cross stitched with things like apples, airplanes, frogs, their names, etc, I've also seen countless hipsters riding on vintage mopeds, there are no curbs anywhere, we don't have a garage or a basement, which I guess is normal, tons of gravel driveways...I guess you can get away with that when you don't have to shovel or snow blow (good thing we left our snow blower in chicago).

A couple notable events. My little Lily Belle turned two this past sunday. What a totally precious little cupcake she is. She really is. And I don't normally talk like that. She is just at this cute cute age. I just want to eat her up!! She is talking all the time about everything. I can't believe how must she talks and how clearly she is talking. The other morning she walked out of her room and said in the clearest little voice, "Isaac, are you watching Wipeout?" I just about fell over. I'm looking at her and thinking...aren't you a baby?? How come you can talk? And, how do you even know about the show Wipeout??

A couple funny Isaac stories.

1. The other day I'm sitting eating lunch or dinner with Isaac and he says, "Holy Crap!!!". I am shocked and look back at him and say, "We do not talk like that!! I do not want to hear you say those kinds of words. Where did you hear that?" He says, "I heard you and daddy say it." Oops... I say, "Well, mommy and daddy shouldn't say that either." And he says, "OK, it must just be for when you are putting things in the attic." I couldn't help but laugh.

2. We have taught Isaac to look at the clock and not get out of bed before 7:00am. It works, kind of, some of the time. So one morning recently Dan and I were still asleep and we hear this voice yelling, "Mmmmmmooooooooommmmyyyyyy, Ddddddaaaaaaaddddddddddyyyyyy, it's time to get up, it's seven!!!!!!" I vaguely remember him coming into our room and I said something like, just go play in your room for a little bit. Then again at 7:15 I hear, "Mommy, Daddy, It's 7, it's time to wake up." But I kind of just roll over and don't respond. then around 7:20 I vaguely think I hear some kind of banging or clanking around, but not enough to get out of bed. Then at 7:30, I see a little face staring at me saying, "mommy, IT'S SEVEN, time to get up!!!!!!" So finally Dan rolls out of bed and comes and asks me if I left out a container of ice cream last night. Of course I didn't!! We soon realize that somewhere between 7 and 7:30 Isaac made his way into the kitchen, got out a bowl and a spoon, he pulled a step stool up to the fridge and opened the freezer. He took out the ice cream, scooped it into a bowl and then went and ate a bowl of ice cream in the living room. That's what you get for sleeping in when you have a three year old. :)

Castaway Dance Party

2010-08-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is totally late...i haven't been the best blogger lately...but I just love this quick little video. I got to take the kids on our YL camp trip this year. It was sooooo amazing!!! It was our last one, so it was wonderful to be there with the kids. Anyway, one of our leaders, Brady, lived with us this summer. Isaac and Lily are in love with him and here isaac is trying to dance just like brady. so sweet!!

M&Ms

2010-06-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

The other morning I was awake downstairs when Isaac came down. He didn't see me sitting on the couch but he did spot an empty bag of M&Ms left on the counter. He waked right over and I hearing him saying to himself, "mommy ate all the M&Ms...you are not supposed to eat too many M&Ms or you will get a belly ache." Then he sees me and walks over and asks, "Mommy do you have a bellyache?" I tell him no, and he says, "well since you ate all the M&Ms you probably do have a belly ache, and also, Its not nice to eat M&Ms when somebody is sleeping. You are only supposed to eat M&Ms during the day when somebody is awake." I asked him, who is somebody? He says, "just somebody."

Guys time/Girls time

2010-06-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

Last week we decided to have guys time and girls time one morning. Dan and Isaac went and got pancakes together and then both got haircuts at the barbershop. Isaac's new hair cut really makes him look like such a big boy! What happened to my baby???

For girls time Lily and I went to my favorite little cafe in Glen Ellyn called Honey. It is just the best little place. Lily got a yummy butterfly cookie and I got a scone. I could tell that she felt so special to be out with just me and her...it was adorable!!

Beach Today

2010-06-17T17:33:00.001-07:00

We had a dream day at the beach in the city today. The kids absolutely LOVED being there. I met up with my oldest friend Betsy and her two little ones (julia and lucas). One funny note, about 20 minutes after we got there Isaac comes up to me and says, "mommy can you turn off the sound of the water?"

if anyone is looking for a great getaway this summer...CHICAGO is your place. It feels like the best place in the world!

Noah, mornings, and tape belly

2010-06-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

While I am thinking about it, I need to document some funny stories.

Yes my life can be stressful. Yes, my life can be really overwhelming. Yes, there are many days when I just want to run out of the house just so I can breath. But one thing my life is not, is boring. Isaac and Lily sure do keep me entertained these days. So many sweet and funny moments amidst so much chaos.

here's a few of my favorites of late:

1. About early mornings...

for some reason lately I have been DEAD tired in the morning. Usually the kids get up at around 7. Yesterday isaac came in our room at 7 and dan and I were still so tired we could barely talk, so he just curled up like a little kitty cat by my feet for another half an hour...AWESOME...and super cute. Lily has been sleeping until 8 or 9...a miracle. But, this morning at like 6:30 I hear all this pounding and banging and yelling...I was not happy. I looked at the monitor for isaacs room and I see him running in circles around his room with Bear (the dog), banging on his door, and pulling a mini lamp around the room by the cord. Then I realize lily is up too because isaac must have woken her up. Then Isaac runs down the hallway to my room (still holding onto the cord of the lamp, dragging the lamp behind him, bursts into my room and declares, "MOMMY...I'm hungry...and thirsty...it's time to get up." Not a good start to the day for me.

2. The other day we were playing in the basement and Isaac found a plastic animal. He asked me what it goes with. I told him that it was from Noah's Ark. He got a serious and concerned look on his face and said, "Mommy...we need to make sure that we give that back to Noah." One of Isaac's good friends is named Noah. He was thinking that we had his friend's toy. So then I said, "Oh, no Isaac, not that Noah. Do you remember when we read in the bible about Noah and the big boat with all the animals and all the rain? We have a little toy boat to remind us of that story and there is a little Noah on that boat." And he looked at me in a very puzzled sort of way and said, "How did he get out of the bible?" So so so sweet. I just melted as I looked at his little face.

3. The other day I was cleaning in the basement and Isaac and Lily were playing. As I was vacuuming the stairs I looked over and saw Lily putting her sit-n-spin up on top of the childrens table i have in the basement. My first reaction was to run over and grab it from her, but then for some reason I decided I would just watch and see what she would do. So then she proceeded to climb up onto the table, sit on her sit-n-spin and spin herself round and round. It was so cute...and just so Lily.

4. A couple weeks ago I was driving back from Ohio with the kiddos in the car and just me. Bear had stolen some of lily's snack and she was crying and screaming. Isaac looked over at her and said, "It's ok lily...but we can't get your snack out of bear's belly. he ate it and it is in his belly and we can't get it out because bear has tape on his belly." Little minds trying to figure out life...precious.

Isaac and Lily dancing in my room. One of their favorite things to do. The turn on the clock radio as loud as it will go.

I took this in the mall the other day. We went to look for a fathers day present (really really big shark jammies...that is the only thing that Isaac wants to get Dan and I have looked EVERYWHERE...even spent hours online...I don't think that they exist) and as we walked through the mall Isaac and Lily literally held hands the entire time.

First Kiss

2010-05-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

So...Emma Ties decided to make a move on Isaac Orr. From the looks of it, he liked it. could this kiss be just the begining of a beautiful relationship??? Only time will tell. :)

New Art: Water Song

2010-05-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

About two years ago I was at an art fair at oakbrook mall and saw this awesome painting with a poem incorporated (I would have loved to buy it but it cost over $1000). I loved the poem so much that I wrote it down and put it in my wallet. I have been wanting to use it in a painting. Below is my newest artwork with poem included.

hard drive gone...

2010-05-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago my computer wouldn't turn on. It just kept saying cannot find hard drive. This was directly after finding my computer on the floor...I didn't remember leaving it on the floor. After taking it in to diagnose my problem, I found out the my hard drive was damaged beyond repair and beyond getting any info off of it. I could pay $1500 and have another shot at getting the info...but no guarantee. I have been so sad as I have not backed up anything for over a year. All those pictures gone. thank you blog for all the pictures that you have.

Moral of the story - BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER REGULARLY!!!

Now I hope to use this experience as a motivation for more blogging and more backing up my computer.

Yesterday Isaac, Lily, and I took a bikeride to downtown wheaton. It is one of my favorite things to do with the kids. We stop at the park on the way, (the blue park...as Isaac calls it), and then eat lunch by the fountain, then go the popcorn shop and get sweedish fish and popcorn. It was such a beautiful day and so much fun!!! Some pics below.

March and April Highlights

2010-04-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

The past month or so has been filled with lots of fun, great weather, and a lot of fun time with family and friends.

On Tuesdays over the past two years we have play group. There are six moms and a combined 12 kids (3 more to be born this summer)! Play group lunch a few weeks back.

Dan's cousin Marcia from Northern Ireland came to stay with us for a week. We had a wonderful time getting to know her and show her around Chicago. We ate lunch at the greatest little cafe in Wicker Park called Mild & Honey. I HIGHLY recommend!

For Easter we took a trip to Cincinnati. The weather was wonderful and it was great relaxing and hanging out. Isaac enjoyed the easter egg hunt. And Isaac and lily got to share a room at Anya (grandma's) house. Kind of a headache, but they were both soooo excited about it. They would be up there laughing and making all kinds of noise and when Dan or I would walk in the room to tell them to be quiet they would both immediately fall down into their cribs and act like they were sleeping. Pretty cute! One other funny side story, is that a week after we got back from Cincinnati we put them to sleep at a friends house and we all went out to dinner. When we got home I asked Ricky (babysitter) how it went. He said...well once I put them into their own pack -n- plays they went to sleep. He had assumed that I put them together in one crib. When actually after we left Isaac had crawled out of his and into Lily's.

Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds.

Hanging out in Anya's kitchen.

Lily's sweetest little easter dress. A gift all the way from New Zealand!

When we returned home from Cincinnati our entire yard was FILLED with daffodils!! I actually counted over 700. Seriously.

Lily enjoying McDonalds play land.

Isaac and Lily sharing bathtime with Kyle.

Good old uncle Mike...with a lap big enough for all the good little boys and grils.

My latest Art Projects

2010-03-19T13:14:00.001-07:00

If I had more time on my hands, I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do with all the paintings I would be cranking out. I just LOVE IT!!! I highly encourage anyone who has any desire at all to express themselves through art to just go for it!! It is fun and exciting to create things that express who I am and what I see in the world around me. It is even more than fun and exciting, it is truely life giving. Below are some of my latest creations...

This is my take on a self portrait. I really wanted to find a way to express the way that I feel so many moments and people in my life have all collaborated to create what I am today. I cannot exist apart from all those people/experiences and the way I move out into the world is directly related. So this is my best shot at that. This project brought forth a lot of emotion for me.

A closer look at the pictures that compose my head.

After getting this far, I was really tempted to stop. I just loved the look of the painting without adding any of the pictures. There's a bit more drama here. But in the end I decided to add the pictures because it just got more at what I was trying to express. (I'm still kind of considering going back and painting over the pictures....a work in progress I guess.)

This was just a little project for my friend Bronwen who just had a baby girl named Sage. I loved the name so much that I looked it up and found the most amazing definitions...so that was my inspiration. (It's kind of hard to get the effect of how it actually looks because of the flash on my camera.)

I finally finished my ABC project for Isaac's room. I love how it turned out. Isaac loves his letters.

trains, boggle, and unexpected pancake shapes

2010-03-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

We have recently found a fun way to spend a Saturday morning with two little ones. Take the train to a nearby suburb, get off, eat food, walk around, get back on train and go home. It's actually quite fun. The kids love it!! And it's especially fun when friends come with us.

Isaac has been in a real hugging Lily phase. I guess I shouldn't complain and just be happy that has moved out of the "pushing my sister down the stairs and laughing about it" phase.

Isaac is again being a little too affectionate with his sister for her taste. And I just can't get enough of little Ella's smile. So sweet!!

Right when you get off the train in Oak Park there is this little bakery call the Prarie Bread Company. I don't know if it is chain or not, but it is REALLY YUMMY!!!

Isaac just can't get enough of his little sister.

Fam train shot.

I LOVE this picture. It is so perfect. It is so Lily. The other day I decided as a special treat to let her play with the boggle game. Her and Isaac always beg to play with it, but I always say no. I decided to let her one night. And now she is totally obcessed. She will not let Isaac even touch it, which I repect. And as you can see from the look on her face she is VERY protective of her boggle game.

OK...so Dan tells me that I am really immature for taking this picture or thinking this is funny, BUT...I noticed the other day that this pancake somehow formed in the shape of a butt. I thought it was so funny that I just had to take a picture. Hope it might make one of you laugh.

Laughing

2010-03-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

These days just seem to be filled with laughter. I love Isaac's take on life and language. It is so innocent and sweet and many times make me laugh so hard!! Two funny stories:

1. This past weekend I was getting ready to take a shower. Isaac was in my room with me while I was changing. He looks over at me and kind of gahsps and says....Mommy...you have a PRETTY BIG butt. I just burst out laughing. I guess it must have been kind of shocking for his little eyes. Because of my laughter he just kept saying it over and over...really great for my self esteem. :)

2. Isaac is in the stage where he is always talking about who has a peepee (boy parts) and who has a peepers (girl parts). The other day we were in the car and he said that sitting behind him in the car were Pac (his imaginary friend), God, and thunder (there had been some thunderstoms that day). He told me that Pac, God, and thunder all have peepees. Good to know Isaac... good to know. :)

Changes

2010-02-26T14:09:00.001-08:00

We have been having some fun days lately. I feel like I have finally hit a sweet spot with the kiddos. They are both pretty independant and sweet and funny and just fun. I have been really appreciating my time with these little people, as I often think about how fast they are growing and how soon they will be off to doing their own things. Last night as I got into bed I said to Dan, "just think...there is going to come a time when there won't be any babies to look in on, to touch their soft cheeks or hair, to just gaze at while they are sleeping." And we both felt a little sad just thinking about it!!

The other day at dinner I asked Isaac, "When you get older are you going to want to go out with your friends all the time, or are you going to like to hang out at home with mom and dad." He looked at me and just said "PAC!" (like 2 Pac or Paco). He often says Pac, when he doesn't want to answer you. He went on to tell me that he was going down the street to Pac's house. He got down from his chair and said, "I'm going to put my coat and shoes on and I'm going to Pac's house." He started walking toward the door. Then he came back up to the table and said, "By the way, I'm taking the car." Dan and I couldn't stop laughing. It was a real picture of the future.

One other funny thing, is that as it has been so cold outside lately, we always walk outside and say "BURRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Isaac has turned Burrrrrrrrrrr, into Burrrrrrrrrdies. So now when it is cold out side he says, "Mommy, it's burdies outisde." I just love it!! It sounds like something my brother RJ would say. Isaac definitely has silly in his genes.

minus clothes = awesome!

2010-01-23T19:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight our friends the Potoshnicks came over for dinner. Noah and Ella (twins that just turned two), Isaac and Lily, all love playing together. And we found out that taking their clothes off makes everybody VERY happy. This first picture was not easy to get....as refrenced in all the other pictures (below) we took leading up to this one. Some are quite funny.

Isaac was the only one who decided to take off his diaper, but kept on his awesome neon blue socks.

Lily, working on downward dog...future yoga instructor.

Butts.

MY FAVORITE ONE!!!!!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Isaac's stride in the background.

Art

2010-01-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas I decided to try painting. I have always wanted to try, but since I've never actually "learned how", I thought that it wouldn't be worth it. I finally just went to the art store, bought some paints and started. I have LOVED IT!!!! As soon as I put the kids for their naps I break out the paints. I wish that I had taken pics of a bunch of the stuff that I made for Christmas presents, but today I took some pictures of other pieces that I have recently finished and wanted to share them with you. Today I just finished "51" and I think it is my favorite thus far. It was a very large canvas...so that presented new challenges. Here's a sampling.

"51" - the small writing is psalm 51.

This is just a closer look.

"Lay your deadly doing down" - This was for Dan for Christmas. It has his favorite quote on it (Lay your deadly doing down, down at Jesus' feet, stand in him, in him alone, wondrously complete: James Proctor).

This one I actually made awhile ago. It is made with all different fabrics. It speaks to me all the time!!!

Christmas Fun Times

2009-12-31T13:23:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to stick around here for Christmas. It was quite wonderful. Just mostly relaxed in our own home. The kiddos LOVED opening presents. Suprisingly, lily seemed especailly excited each time she got to open something. And without suprise, Isaac and lily were both always interested in playing with the same toy at the same time. Still trying to figure out how to manage that one. Overall we had a wonderful time!

Isaac got a bat and ball and Tee for christmas and has spent MANY hours in the basement with his daddy swinging away!!

We also got a Wii for Christmas. It hasn't done a lot for my parenting skills, but it sure has been fun. Between me, Lauren, and RJ (mostly Lauren) we almost beat Supre Mario Bros. Lily likes to watch.

We all went down town a couple days after Christmas. Isaac had fun riding on uncle RJ's shoulders.

Lily is pretty miserable stuck in that stroller with so many layers on that she could barely move.

Lily and her Anya.

Bear thuroughly enjoyed his christmas gift this year!!

Santa & Mrs. Clause

2009-12-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Last monday, our last YL of the year, we brough Isaac and Lily dressed as Santa and Mrs. Clause. It was so precious. Here is one picture of them dressed up.

First Sledding Outing

2009-12-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, after much anticipation (both mine and the kids) we went sledding!! It actually ended up being a bit anticlimatic. Right before we left Isaac tripped over his boots and got a fat lip and wasn't in the mood for sledding anymore. Lily was kind of "take it or leave it". I had a great time. There is a hill we can walk to from our new house which was quite fun. We pulled the kiddos over there on the sled. Hopefully...more vide to follow.

Isaacisms part II

2009-12-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

(lily is wearing a make-shift bib/plastic shipping bag)

So, while we were on the way home from Ohio after Thanksgiving, I compiled another list of things that Isaac had recently said (most of them were in the car on the trip) that I thought were either really funny or just really sweet. Several times a day he says just the funniest things. This morning there was snow on the ground and he goes to touch it and says, "it's freezing inside the snow" and right after that he looks around and says "mommy, where did the grass go?".

Here's my list:

1. One morning while we are sitting eating breakfast Isaac looks at lily and says, "Whatcha thinkin bout Eee Eee Belle." (Eee Eee Belle - is Isaac's attempt at Lily Belle).

2. While we were driving in the car I told Isaac that I really needed to go to the bathroom and he looks around and says, "but mommy....there's no bathroom in the car."

3. At my mom's house she has this little elf/gnome christmas man set up for decoration. One night when Isaac was eating some fruit snacks I suggested that he share some with this little man. Isaac said, "he doesn't yike dem mommy, he only yikes dinner." I asked how he knew and he said, "because his mouth is too small." Then he looks over at me and says, "Mommy, why is dat guy wearing his jammys?"

4. In the car I start hearing him praying for everyone he can think of, and after he list's about 10 people he just says..."that's enough...amen."

5. I usually have a box of Altoids in the car. Surprisingly Isaac loves them. The other day from his carseat he yells to me, "Mommy can I have an alphatoid?" and I say no, and then he says, "Mommy....I NEED an outfittoid."

Isaacisms

2009-11-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

Favorite Isaac Moments of Late (I recognize that these things are only really entertaining and amusing to me, Dan, and maybe our parents):

1. In the mall the other day him and Lily were at the top of a “scary slide” and Isaac looks over at lily before she was about to go down for her first time and says, “It’s scary Babe, It’s scary.”

2. He woke up from his nap yesterday and Lily and I were on a walk so he looks over at Dan and says, “Where’s Meghan?” When I get home, the first thing he says is, “Can I have a cookie Meghan?”

3. Last time my mom was in town she brought Isaac a Mr. Potato Head. He continually refers to him as “tato man”. This morning, first thing, he is eating breakfast and points over to the shelf and says in a very relieved tone, “OH, there’s my tato man.”

4. Just about every day when I try to put his clothes on he screams, “GAME BALL SHIRT….GAME BALL SHIRT”, then if I pull one out that isn’t the official Bears Matt Forte jersey he yells, “NOOOOOOO…Matt Torte one!”

5. The other day I put on Isaac’s Chicago Blackhawks jersey on him for the first time. Right on the front there is a picture of an Indian chief. He looks down at his shirt and points to the chief and says, “how bout this guy??”

I’m sure there are so many more, but that is all that I can think of off the top of my head at the moment. I need to get better about recording these as they happen.

apple picking

2009-11-01T18:27:00.000-08:00

We have had a VERY COLD and DREARY October here in Chicago. We did manage to get out to the apple orchard. It was FREEZING!!! We went the same time last year and I was VERY pregnant with lily and it was probably 30-40 degrees warmer.

HAPPY HALOWEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

Old Summer Favs

2009-09-21T20:35:00.001-07:00

Below are some pictures from this summer that I just never got around to posting and I thought were so cute!!

Saying Goodbye

2009-09-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

I recently had to say good bye to my first house. The house was filled with memories and warmth. There are so many times when I would just stop and look around and just soak in the beauty of our old little house. I already miss 417 S. Summit St. On our last morning there, just a few hours before the house officially no longer belonged to us, I snapped a few pictures of some of my favorite places around the house.

Isaac watching football

2009-09-16T13:08:00.001-07:00

BEACH TODAY

2009-08-31T18:09:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, my friend nicole and I decided to throw caution to the wind (not worry about things like naps, screaming babies, etc.) and head into the city with our kids and spend a day at the beach. It ended up being wonderful!! Well, today was the beach part II. Above are a few pics from our adventure. It was kind of cold, hence then jeans. :) Isaac's favorite part of the beach was chasing what he called ducks...most people refer to them as sea gulls, but whatever.

Total Blog Loser

2009-08-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a total blog loser. This is the longest I have gone without a post since Isaac was BORN!! Even sitting here typing right now, I feel totally defeated in some strange way. I honestly don't know where the whole last month has gone. Let's see what I can remember...

1. we put our house for sale,
2. we kept our house REALLY REALLY clean for a week,
3. I drove to cincinnati and dropped off isaac, picked up my sister.
4. Lauren, Lily, and I headed to Young Life camp, Windy Gap.
5. Three days later Windy Gap kind of kicked us out of our room (due to the swine flu) and we were one our way back to Cincinnati. (lots and lots of crying in the car...mostly by Lily)
6. Found out that our house sold and we had to move out by Sept. 10th.
7. Got REALLY sad about selling our house.
8. Came home.
9. Spent two weeks FRANTICALLY searching for a new house.
10. Put offers on 6 different houses, and either didn't come to terms, got outbid, came to terms and then failed inspection, and then FINALLY (as of today) got everything settled to buy a new house that we actually feel very very excited about. Closing day - Sept. 30th
11. Took Isaac and Lily to the beach downtown with my friend Nicole and her two little ones.
12. Enjoyed the sand, water, beautiful city and thought about living at the beach for the rest of the summer.
13. Did not enjoy finding my way out of the city - lots of construction, detours, etc., and it took 2 hours to get home in what should have taken 40 minutes.
14. Have thought a lot about packing and boxes and storage units and PODS and how much stuff we can cram in Dan's mom's garage, but haven't done one tangible thing about moving.
15. Found a friend from middle school on facebook, found out she lives in Chicago, got together, and found out she is moving to Boston in two weeks. hahahahaha
16. Have been on a mission to not by ANYTHING from the grocery store and just try to eat everything in our house before we move.
17. If you like canned or frozen food you are invited over my house for dinner or lunch anytime in the next 2.5 weeks....not kidding.
18. In the last 2 days I have eaten 3 lean pockets. They are yummy.
19. A few days ago Dan and I went into the city for our anniversary and spent the night at the W Hotel (sans kiddos). It was wonderful. No Pics.
20. Have not taken any pictures of anything.

OK - so, my life is pretty boring and busy and silly. Ok...maybe not boring. But definitely busy and silly!

Isaac's First Music Videos!

2009-07-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Recently I caught Isaac singing, and now he is singing ALL THE TIME!! I just love it! Here are some samplings...

OVER A MONTH

2009-07-19T12:22:00.001-07:00

Well...It has officially been OVER A MONTH since I last blogged!! I guess things have been a little crazy. Two trips, lots of YL stuff, two busy little ones, and putting our house on the market will really do it to you!! We have been having a super fun summer. Lots of walks to the park = sanity and time for mommy to breathe without someone needing something. A few visits to the local pool, which Isaac calls the "cool". And many hours spent playing in the back yard. It is WONDERFUL to be able to be outside so much. As crazy is this time is, there isn't a day that goes by without a feeling of deep gratitude for these two little people. They do a great job of driving me CRAZY...but they also do a great job of making me laugh. Here's a recap of some things we have done over the past month.

Cincinnati Visit: At the end of June I spent a week in Cincinnati with the kids. Dan joined us for half the time. It was a wonderful visit. We did lots of fun things: picnics at the playground with Anya (what Isaac calls my mom), lots of walks, visits with friends, story time, baby pool, runs with my sister, and more. We finished up the week with my dad's wedding. Quite an event.

Hair Cut: This whole hair cut business is starting to get really tricky. I had to give Isaac about 10 packs of fruit snacks for him to sit still, his hair is REDICULOUSLY thick I feel like I am hacking away at a wild bush, and really I have no idea what I am doing. All that considered, it went pretty well. I miss the long curls, but I know they'll be back before I know it. :)

4th of July: This year we had a GREAT 4th of July. We went to the Wheaton parade with some friends and Isaac LOVED it!! Then we had 2 other couples and thier kids over that evening for a BBQ. It was pretty insane. 6 kids 3 years old and younger. Let's just say it was an adventure.

Michigan Beach Vacation: We have some friends that own a house up in Michigan on the BEACH!! They let us use it for a week. It was wonderful. We relaxed and didn't leave the house at all. Just spent most our time on the beach with the kiddos. It was a GIFT!!!

HOUSE FOR SALE: Here's the link to our house. Pass it on to anyone that might be interested.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/417-S-Summit-Street_Wheaton_IL_60187_1111077880

Big Birthday Bash!

2009-06-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Isaac

2009-06-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

This is a prayer that I wrote this morning:

Dear God - This morning I am praising you for the gift of Isaac. There aren't even words to describe the gratitude I feel for having him as my son. Thank you so much for giving me this little boy that brightens my soul and makes me laugh and melts my heart. Thank you for creating Isaac. Thank you for his unique beauty. Thank you that he is my son and that we get to share such an intimiate relationship. Over the last two years, getting to know Isaac makes me want to worship you more because it has allowed me to see another side of you. Please direct me and guide me as his mom. Show me how to love Isaac, how to give grace to Isaac, and also how to set boudaries for him. Please help me to be first when I need to be firm and please help me to laugh in the moments when 'I need to laugh. Give me the grace I need to meet ISaac in the places of his unique needs. Lord, most of all I pray that you will be his joy, his strength, his water in this dry land, his protector, his keeper, and that he will come to know the depths of your love and grace towards him. Thank you again for one of the most precious gifts of my life, a little boy named Isaac.

Below is a little picture mosiac I created. There is one picture for each month of his life.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

No Spoon For You!

2009-06-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Since becoming a mom, especially a mom of 2, there are a few things that I have learned. One of them is: no matter how you may think your day will go, rest assured there will be some surprises in store for you. When I woke up this morning, trying to be patient and kind until at least the coffee kicked in, I had no idea all the fun adventures my morning would provide.

I decided pretty much from the moment that my feet hit the floor, that I was going to be productive this morning; not my usual – hang out in my jammys, drink coffee, watch the Today show while keeping the kiddos entertained, mostly by snacks. Today we were going to accomplish things! Within 30 minutes of wake up time we were in the car on the way to the grocery store.

Not too many people in the grocery store at 8am on a rainy Monday morning. One old lady stopped by my cart to comment on the cute kids and touched lily’s toes and made a grimace at me letting me know that her feet were cold. Oops, forgot Lily’s socks. Another lady let me know that Isaac was either using the floor as a garbage can for his fruit snacks wrapper or else he was trying to throw it at her. “Thanks…I won’t let it happen again.”

By the time we hit the checkout lane: Lily had successfully eaten or slobbered-until- disintegration a book of starbucks coupons, our bag of grapes was now half grapes, half stem, and there was a trail of fruit snacks, grapes, and other odds and ends throughout the grocery store marking our steps.

Now it was POURING OUTSIDE! Sheets of rain were coming down. Perfect timing. Another little old lady came by and said as she grabbed a plastic grocery bag for her head, “I hope you aren’t taking those babies out in this rain.” So, we sat outside under the roof of the grocery store and had more fruit snacks until the rain let up.

As we got to the car, I looked up and realized that all the windows were half open. I didn’t leave them this way. While we were in line checking out, Isaac was playing with my keys. There is some kind of function on my remote door opener that can open the windows. I don’t even know how to do it, but I guess Isaac ended up pressing the right combination to open up all the windows on the car during a torrential downpour. Perfect.

Our mornings errands were not yet through. We could make it two more stops right? Next was Office Depot. In and out, no big catastrophes. As I am backing out of my spot, another old lady (I guess there must be a lot of old ladies out and about on rainy Monday mornings in Wheaton) comes out of nowhere and is honking her horn and flicking me off. Not kidding. I still don’t even know why. I definitely looked before I pulled out and she wasn’t there. On a side note – I think that there should be a no honking or flicking off minivans law. I mean…we are trying our best here. Sometimes as we are reaching back trying to throw more fruit snacks at our screaming kids we might miss the green light at the exact moment it turns green…cut us some slack.

Last stop, Barnes and Nobel. I thought I could get through this if I let Isaac push Lily’s stroller in the store. That way he would have something fun to do other than pull all the books off of the shelves. It was a mostly fool proof plan. Things went array when Isaac got frustrated that he could not navigate one of the corners and went full speed ahead into a pile of books, knocking them all over and sending Lily into hysterics. As I looked over, I saw the look in his eyes, it was definitely the “I’m pooping right now” look. Pretty unmistakable. I didn’t bring any extra diapers for him with me, so it would have to wait until we got home.

At the checkout Lily started to lose it. I had pushed her too far and she was screaming her head off. Both tired and hungry she wanted to be home NOW!

Whole car ride home, screaming screaming screaming. Bring her inside. Still screaming. Set her down while I try to do a couple tinny things, still screaming. I finally pick her up, and sit down on the couch to start nursing her. The moment I start, Isaac runs over and is pointing to his butt yelling, “POOP…POOP…POOP”. Oh shoot, I forgot about that. “OK, Isaac, as soon as I am done feeding lily I will change you.” Either he doesn’t get it, or he doesn’t care. For the next 10 minutes, nonstop, not kidding, he runs back and forth in front of me yelling “POOP…POOP…POOP” pointing at his bottom. During this whole time the dog, still in his little dog room, is barking like crazy because I didn’t let him out when we got home. This is the moment where I really feel like I am going to lose it. Trying so hard to keep it together.

I finish feeding Lily, change Isaac’s diaper, put away the groceries, do the dishes, let the dog out, make Isaac some lunch, make me some lunch, make Lily some lunch. We are all sitting down to eat lunch. I am feeding Lily with a spoon and for some reason, even though Isaac is eating a sandwhich, he is desperate to have the spoon. He is screaming, “SPOON…SPOON…SPOON.” After hearing him yell spoon over 20 times, I look over and yell…”No Spoon for you!!!!!” I immediately burst out laughing, and I am still laughing writing this. For any of you Seinfeld fans out there, I’m sure you get the joke. One of the more well known episodes was about the “Soup Nazi” and as they would go and try to get soup he would yell, “No Soup For You!!!”.

Life is so funny. There are these moments that you could never even dream up. Moments that are more difficult and trying than you could imagine, but they are also so rich and full of love and warmth and intimacy. When you least expect it, you just find yourself bursting out into laughter while your 2 year old and 7 month old are staring at you wondering what is making you laugh so hard. Just another wonderful day.

Below are a few pics from this weekend.

A couple more

2009-05-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

A couple more pictures from our weekend. The first one if of Kirk & Yuji, two of our leaders who did program for work weekend. They were playing dutch guys who wanted to beautify the world with tulips. Pretty funny. And then a pic of Dan and I speaking.

Timberwolf Lake

2009-05-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Dan and I got the privilege to go speak together for work weekend at a YL camp called Timberwolf Lake up in Michigan. It was SUCH a fun weekend. The weather was great! The camp is beyond beautiful. And it was the first time that Dan and I have spoken together and it was so much fun!!!!!!!! Isaac loved being with so many new friends. Everywhere we went he kept pointing to everyone saying..."friend, friend, friend" He especially loved Kirk (there is a picture below of Kirk reading to isaac in the car). Since Kirk wore a baseball hat, now Isaac also wants to wear a baseball cap. And, whenever we get in the car now, Isaac points to the back seat and says kirk.

Isaac's Turning 2!!!

2009-05-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox invite

Sink Baths

2009-05-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

Rachel, a friend of mine, introduced me to the idea of sink baths. They are quick and easy and don't involve any bending over, which is a nice perk. Lily enjoys her sink baths. Below is a picture and little video. We did end up letting Isaac also try out a sink bath. It didn't go as well and more of the water ended up on me or on the floor than left in the bath. :)

Isaac Videos

2009-04-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a few videos of our little man. I have to say that in the last video Dan did not prompt Isaac at all to put the sweat band in the gym bag, and he has never seen us do that.

My Little Helper

2009-04-20T13:27:00.001-07:00

Double Duty

2009-04-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends out there in blog land. This picture does a good job summing up a lot about our life lately. It is crazy, funny, stinky, cute, difficult, different than I ever could have expected, suprising, silly, wonderful, tiring, trying, frustrating, invigorating, magical, all consuming, dirty, out of control, cozy, colorful, changing all the time, revealing, refining, loud, quiet, tearful (both mine and the babies'), fearful, life giving, life taking, a roller coaster ride, joful, constant, chaotic, and grace filled.

No one could ever explain the feeling of parenthood until you just do it. Both the highs and the lows are just completely unimaginable until you are there. I sometimes think at the end of the day, I can't believe I made it. And most mornings when I wake up, I start with a prayer that pretty much says, I have no idea how I am going to do this again today. But...in the midst of the struggles and tiredness and choas there are moments of absolute grace and blissfulness. They are usually short and quickly interrupted by some kind of crying, spitting up, pooping, tantrum, or our crazy dog, but in those moments of beauty and grace all the darkness is melted away. If you are in this phase of life, or ever have been, I'm sure you can relate. :)

Weeeeeeeeeeee!

2009-04-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

We had some fun at the park for the first time this season a couple weeks ago.

freedom

2009-04-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

All the time, every day, Isaac begs to take all his clothes and his diaper off. The other morning I just decided to let him run around the house naked for a little while. Luckily we didn't have any accidents. It was so cute and hilarious. If I would have let him, I think he would have walked right out the front door and down the street. Oh to be so free....

Cincy Visit

2009-03-31T12:40:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we decided to take a little impromptu visit to cincinnati. For all cincinnati friends - sorry I didn't call. We mostly just layed low at my mom's house and had some time with my dad. Life seems to be increasingly complicated with these little ones and I'm finding myself doing less and less, which in another way is making my life increasingly less complicated. It's actually been a really good lesson in learning to live in the moment and let go of my plans and schedules and ideas of what I would probably "like" to do.

isaac is quite the piano prodigy

isaac has been really into the "no" phase lately. I know that at some point it might get annoying, but right now it is sooooooo cute! Most of the time when we ask for a hug or a kiss, he gets a very serious look on his face and shakes his head and says no. That is why this picture was such a shock. We were at dinner and Dan asked for a kiss and Isaac just kept kissing him over and over.

Greater's Ice cream makes everybody happy!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

2009-03-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

We had the most beautiful St. Patrick's day. It was sunny and above 70 degrees. We enjoyed the weather all day long. It was also play group at my house, so we all had a picnic in the back yard.

Silly Lily

2009-03-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

I walked into my room the other night and looked on my bed and this is what I saw. I just thought it was so cute so I had to take a picture. :)

About to roll over!

These finger things are a source of endless entertainment.

Love the little curl sticking up.

My little chubby chipmunk.

The Yuckies

2009-03-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a serious case of the YUCKIES here at the orr household. First I had the stomach flu on Friday. Then Saturday morning Dan took Isaac with him to a YL committee person's house and Isaac threw up EVERYWHERE all over their house. Then Isaac continued to throw up all over our house about 10 or 15 more times in the last two days...no exaggeration.

This picture was taken only moments before the puke monster was about to strike. Lily first spit up all over and then while I was cleaning her up I look over to see Isaac throwing up. It was a very tricky situation.

I stripped off all of Isaac's clothes and threw him in his crib while I cleaned up puke then I came back and threw him in the tub. I feel like someone should award me some kind of certificate for figuring out this whole scenario.

little pukey monster.

lily and I resting after the whole thing was said and done :)

Cat Door

2009-03-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

We originally cut a hole in this door so that Billy (our cat) could get downstairs when he needed to use the litter box. Then we soon realized that Bear (our dog) was also able to get through the hole. Oops. And now, Isaac's new favorite game is to close the door and use the cat hole to get downstairs. There is a video at the end of him using the cat door.

Our cat door is now also a toddler door.

A pic I snapped of me and the kiddos.

I'm so glad that I caught this one. I was laying on the floor by lily and out of nowhere Isaac just comes up and throws his arms around my neck and says "mama" in his sweetest little voice.

Lily and Isaac hanging out on the floor.

Breckenridge

2009-02-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

This past week Dan, Lily, and I got to spend some time out in Breckenridge. It was amazing. A great time with friends, skiing, bonding with Lily, and relaxing!

Rach and I at the top of the mountain.

Dan and Lily at the Breckenridge Brewery.

Katie, my good friend from highschool and college, who now lives in Denver, came out to ski with me for a day.

Dan and Lily spent a lot of time chilling together while I was skiing. It is nice to have a hubby that doesn't like skiing when you bring a baby along :)

My and my Lily girl!

Kickin it at Rasta Pasta. Definitely check it out if you are ever in Breckenridge!

Yummy pasta!

Anna, me, Rach, and Kelly.

The group, minus me and Dan.

Katie with Grace and Emily. For the night they named them selves the movours, because they were all wearing pink...you'd have to be between the ages of 6 and 8 to get it.

Katie and I in front of the crazy amazing house we stayed in. It was built out of whole trees from Canada. They actually assemble the whole house in Cananda, then take it apart, ship all the logs, and put it together again in CO.

better shot of the house, but you can't fully take in the magnitude unless you are there.

Main living room.

My little ski bunny.

Lily is even shocked by the awesomeness of this house.

Just chillin.

I love to kiss my sister

2009-02-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

I took this on the same night. Isaac does sometimes wear clothes :) This is the usual around here. I actually sometimes have to give Isaac time outs for kissing Lily too much. Not kidding.

Isaac & Bear

2009-02-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

First of all, Isaac LOVES to take his clothes off. He always wants to take his clothes off. Last night I let him run around for a little bit without clothes. Second of all, Isaac loves Bear. It is so cute.

lily

2009-02-15T17:57:00.001-08:00

Lily is at the age where I feel like I am just starting to get to know her. She is still very mysterious to me. She is such a different little person than her brother. She is much more reserved and much more skeptical about everything and everyone. Tonight I was taking some pictures of Lily and just really trying to capture something that was really just her. I thought that I messed up on this one because it was so bright, but as I was looking back through the pictures, this one totally stood out to me. Her eyes are so gorgeous and there is something very kind in her eyes. I love this little girl so much.

Buddies

2009-02-13T15:38:00.000-08:00

This is Isaac's buddy Fin. They are so cute together. Isaac hangs out with Fin at his house on Wendesdays, and Fin hangs out at our house on Thursdays. For awhile now I have noticed that Isaac refers to Fin as "cuu cuu". I have been really puzzled by this. Then today I realized "cuu cuu" means cookie, and Phins mom, Anna, is the cookie queen (amazing baker). So, I'm assuming that Isaac has tasted some of her delights over there and now refers to Phin as "cuu cuu" or "cookie". It'll be pretty funny if when they are in high school Isaac is still calling him cookie. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Isaac & Lily

2009-02-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

So I am getting a little bit obsessed with the picture comparisons. Below is a picture of Lily and Isaac at the same age wearing the same outfit...even the same slippers. So cute!!!

Resemblance

2009-02-03T13:41:00.001-08:00

This morning I was going through some old pictures and couldn't help but notice some resemblance between myself and my children. It's actually almost kind of freaky. I am on the left in both sets. I guess at this point in time the Mahoney genes are beating the Orr genes. :) Also, on a side note...it's pretty funny that Isaac and I have the same hairdo. I'm not sure what that says about either him or I.

30 on the 30th

2009-01-31T18:46:00.000-08:00

My favorite husband turned 30 yesterday. As we were walking out of the house to go over to his mom's for a little birthday celebration I said, "do you remember when we were kids and there was that show on TV that our parents watched called Thirty Something?" And Dan said, "yeah, they may as well called it Ancient Something." I said, "yeah, I know, the whole concept of being 30 just seemed so old." Well, once you are there...it seems a lot less old. Below are some pics of the birthday celebration.

Dan and his 30 balloon.

Rachel, Emma, and Isaac. Emma is kind of in love with Isaac. She is always reaching for him and wanting him to come closer and closer and give her more and more and more kisses.

Lily and her mimi. Not quite sure what Lily is trying to say right here, but she's definitely giving the camera some attitude.

Lily and Emma. Neither of them at their best :)

We walked away for one minute and come back to find Isaac and Emma laying down together AND holding hands. We are going to have to keep our eye on these two.

Dan holding Noah, and Pish holding Isaac. A bit confusing.

A little birthday celebration at Egglectic, and of our favorite favorite breakfast/lunch restaurants.

Isaac is giving his order to the waiter. He always has so many stipulations. Quite the high maintenance little bugger.

daily moments

2009-01-29T14:27:00.000-08:00

Something that I have been trying to do more and more is just enjoy the simple moments of every day. So often I am thinking about what I need to get done, or what I haven't gotten done, or what I should be doing, that I just miss out on the moment. These two little cuddly people that I spend my days with have helped me a lot in this category. They help me to appreciate each moment.

Below are some moments that I capture one day last week.

Reflections

2009-01-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

Some reflections on the past couple of months:

It has kind of felt like a blur. More recently I have been able to slow down and actually appreciate these precious little babies. The first couple months after I had lily I literally felt like I was gasping for air most days.

All of the following actually happened in just one day: Isaac dumped over a favorite plant and there was dirt covering the entire kitchen (still not sure if the plant is going to survive), Lily spit up ALL over herself involving a change of clothes for both her and me, Isaac took a whole basket of clean laundry and threw each piece over the railing onto the stairs (while I was changing Lily) then he proceeded to throw an extra large bottle of children’s Benadryl over the railing (it wasn’t until later that I realized that the bottle had broken open upon hitting the stairs and dribbled all the way down the stairs and onto all the clean laundry), Lily pooped an explosive poop all over herself involving another change of clothes, and my cat Billy had diarrhea literally all over my bedroom. Not kidding. This all happened on one day. I was actually laughing at the ridiculous turn of events. Like the Indigo Girls once said “Sometimes you have to just laugh at yourself otherwise you would cry your eyes out” and I did that sometimes too.

Now that I feel like I can breathe and have gotten into more of a routine with the little ones I am starting to appreciate all the small moments of beauty and laugher and grace with these little people. I love to hear Isaac laughing at the smallest things that happen all the time. I love how Lily’s little fingers always seem to find my hand and grab on. I love how every morning Isaac reminds me to feed Bear (our dog) by holding up his bowl and saying “more, more, more”. I love that whenever Isaac hears Lily crying he exclaims, “BABY!!!” and points in the direction of her crying as if to make sure that I know she needs me. I love that right now Isaac only wants me to read him books about bugs, “The Hungry Little Caterpillar”, “Miss Spider’s Tea Party”, and “10 Little Lady Bugs.” So many precious things that I could keep writing forever.

Below are a couple pics that I took last night as we were waiting for Dan to get home. For the past two days Isaac has been totally captivated by the toilet paper packages. He carries them all over the house. It’s both really cute, and kind of annoying.

Isaac's First B-Ball Hoop!!

2009-01-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

Lily & Daddy

2009-01-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

Fun Times

2009-01-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve

2009-01-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

We have had a tradition for many years now of spending almost every New Year's Eve with our good friend Adam & Rachel. This is the first year that we celebrated with our babies. Their daughter Emma is only 9 weeks older than Lily.

Christmas at Papa's

2009-01-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas at Nana's

2009-01-01T15:02:00.000-08:00

We got to stay with my mom for a week in Cincinnati and had so much fun!!

Nana with Isaac & Lily.

Nana and Lily.

The whole fam.
RJ doing his favorite activity. Sleeping on the couch. Isaac LOVED uncle RJ. Every time Isaac would walk by the couch, whether RJ was there or not he would point to the couch and say "RJ".

Isaac and "Bobo" as he calls her.

Christmas at Mimi's

2009-01-01T14:57:00.001-08:00

Some pics of us enjoying a Christmas celebration with Dan's mom.

Isaac is not too happy in this shot.

Isaac playing with his new dino. He calls the dino "bear". I guess it must remind him of our golden retriever named bear.

Isaac pointing to a ball in this book and saying the word ball...his favorite word and his favorite toy.

Dan and his mom.

One of the many balls that Isaac got for Christmas. His new favorite thing to do is bring me the remote control and say ball. What that means is that he wants to watch sports on tv. I can't even tell you how much Dan LOVES that!!

Cohen Welsh

2008-12-31T06:54:00.000-08:00

One of Dan's best friend's from Wheaton, John Welsh, recently had a little baby boy. Him and Lily got to hang out.

Cincinnati Time

2008-12-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

After thanksgiving we headed up to Cincinnati. I had my 10 year high school reunion and then I stayed with my mom for a week. Lots of fun!!

Enjoying some nice snowy weather :)

Isaac has gotten really into music lately...he is thinking about starting a DJ business.

We got to enjoy an AMAZING brunch at the Omni hotel in downtown Cincinnati.

DAn and RJ enjoying the brunch in a very manly way.

Dad, Vika, and the gang at brunch.

Auntie Lolo....or Auntie Bobo....as Isaac has started calling her and little Lily Belle.

Nana and her sweet friend Katie enjoying some time with Lily.

Grandpa and the two little ones.

The high school gang. All my best friends from High School. And I am happy to say that we all still keep in touch. The reunion was a GREAT time!!

After the reunion we had another little reunion and brought all our babies. The group is growing at a RAPID rate! :)

Lily is growing!

2008-12-10T07:38:00.001-08:00

Getting our Christmas Tree

2008-12-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

Isaac was searching for just the right tree.

Lily was VERY opinionated about which tree we should buy. Every one that we picked out wasn't good enough for her.

YEAH!! We finally found one that everyone likes.

VERY STRONG!!

Soul Mates

2008-12-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

You might think after spending the last year and a half doing just about everything for this little man that he could thank me be at least saying my name. A "mama" here and there would be nice. But...no. Dada is his favorite word. First thing in the morning he is looking all over the house for his dada and always saying dada. Dan and Isaac are really soul mates. It is so sweet and cute. Dan has dreamed of having a son who would love sports. Isaac's first word was ball and his favorite toy is a ball. He always wants to have a ball in his hand. He also often walks into Dan's closet and will always pull out Dan's bears jersey and tries to put it on. (see below) When sports are on TV he stands right in front of the tv and just says ball over and over. Hopefully lily and I will be able to bond over knitting or craft stores :)

Big Poppa comes to town.

2008-11-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry if you were expecting to see pictures of the Natorious B.I.G. The Big Poppa that I was referring to is Grandpa Mahoney. He got to come visit Lily last week.

He forgot a lot of things about babies since I was one...for instance...Babies don't eat pickles :)

I captured this little smile of lily's the other day...so sweet!

And in this pic you can kind of see her dimple. She has the cutest dimple in her right cheek.

Size Difference

2008-11-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

It's funny how everthing is relative. I thought Isaac was my little baby until Lily came around. I was changing Isaac the other day on lily's little changing area and I had to grab the camera. Isn't this crazy!!

Our Last Nice Day

2008-11-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well - A couple weeks ago we had the MOST beautiful fall day. It ws in the mid 70s and just perfect. Isaac, Lily, and I took a walk to go visit Dan at work and got to capture some fun pics hanging out in downtown Glen Ellyn.

Lily just hung out in her little pod in the bottom part of the stroller. Don't worry...it's meant to do that...we didn't just throw her in the storage compartment of Isaac's stroller. :)

Life w/ Lily

2008-11-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

We are so thankful for the beautiful new addition to our family. It is definitely difficult at times, but overall we are so thankful. My life seems to be an endless whirlwind of changing diapers, feeding lily, feeding isaac, trying to keep the house somewhat clean, searching for balls (Isaac's favorite toys are balls and he is constantly asking me to find him one of his many balls that he has lost under the couch or behind the tv), doing laundry, and other really fun things. Even though my life isn't glamorous, it is wonderful. As I sit here and hold my tiny little girl, I am filled with thankfulness. Or last night when Dan and I went in to peek on Isaac as he was sleeping, my eyes filled with tears. I looked at my beautiful little boy with his CRAZY blonde hair and his footy pjs with funny little googly eyed animals all over them. I realize that this time with these little ones is fleeting. I am trying to enjoy every moment...even the ones when Isaac is screaming because he wants more graham crackers while I am trying to change Lily's diaper and then she spits up all over herself. These are the days that I will long for 20 years from now.

Lily looking very cute wearing only her diapy.

Lily sleeping in Nana's arms.

Dan looking very cute in his tux for a wedding he was in a couple weeks ago.

Lily and her good friend Emma.

Morning at the Orr house :)

Isaac holding one of his many balls. The boy is LITERALLY OBCESSED with balls.

More Candy Please!!!

2008-11-01T10:48:00.001-07:00

Hello all you faithful blog followers. I wanted to share my story with you. I like to call it the story of boy who wanted nothing more than a little candy on halloween. Enjoy.

So, it all started when I saw the silver bowl. It was filled with these red little packages. I consider myself a pretty intuitive young man. I knew there must be something yummy inside those little packages.

I decided to grab one and try to figure out this mystery.

I decided that my best option was probaby to start by asking daddy if he would unwrap this little package for me.

Well...that didn't really work, so then I decided that I would just have to figure out how to open it myself. First I tried shaking the little red package really hard. But that didn't work.

Then I thought that I would ask mommy if she would help me. That didn't work either.

Then I remembered seeing someone do this once before and so I mustered all my concentration and energy and tried again on my own. And still nothing.

I was getting really sick of all this trying to open the little red package so I decided why not just eat the whole thing paper and all.

Well...that's when daddy stepped in and decided to help me out. Finally...SUCCESS!!! Wow, this stuff is gooooooooooooooooooooood. Why didn't anyone ever tell me about this before!!

I actually think that I might do this for a job one day. I think I'm pretty good at it, and I really enjoy it!

I decided in a last ditch effort that I might have some more luck at the neighbors house.

LIFE IS GOOD!!! I LOVE CANDY!!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T10:42:00.001-07:00

Isaac was the cutest little dragon that you could possibly imagine!!

My good friend Rachel and her little baby girl Emma came over to celebrate with us. Emma and lily are only 9 weeks apart.

Dan and his simling little dragon.

Lily Belle's First Bath...and more

2008-10-26T09:10:00.001-07:00

Coming Home from the hospital

2008-10-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

Lily is all bundled up and ready to leave the hospital.

Dan and I with Lily right before we get into the car to head home.
Isaac is about to meet his new sister for the first time. He is nice enough to hold the door open for her. A gentleman already!!

Isaac is holding his sister.

Since we brought Lily home Isaac's favorite thing to do with her is kiss her. One of his few words is baby and he says it all the time. As soon as he wakes up he is asking where the baby is. And he always tries to pull himself up to peek over the edge of her little crib.
First family photo.

Our Newest Addition...

2008-10-21T13:16:00.001-07:00

On friday night Dan and I went into the hospital because I was having contractions and three hours later Lily Belle Orr was born. She was born at 10:21pm, Oct. 17th. She weighed 7lbs 2ozs. Right when she was born she inhaled amniotic fluid into her lungs a condition called ITT. She had to go right to the NICU and spent the next three days there. She is now doing great and came home with us yesterday. Isaac has been adjusting VERY well, giving his sister lots and lots of kisses and always asking about the baby (one of the few words that he can say). We are VERY much enjoying our new precious little girl. Below are some pics of us in the hospital with lily and her first meeting with her little brother.

I like to have fun!

2008-10-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

It's great to be 16 months. I can do so many fun things. I wanted to show you some fun things that I like to do. Above you can see that I am playing with the maracas. The rest of my merengue band is about to show up for practice.
I also love to ride on my brother Bear. He is a very nice doggy and always lets me ride on his back.
Sometime even the simplest things can be fun, like walking around the table.
EATING!!! Hooray for eating. I have fun eating all the time!

This is probably my most fun activity. I love balls. I will walk around the house all day long just saying "ball" over and over and over and over. I never get sick of playing with balls. They are my favorite toy.
Nana was here for a visit and taught me to wear these rings as bracelets...very fun!
I like to drive my car around the house and sing along with the songs that it plays. I like to drive in style...hence my dino jammies and matching bracelets.
Hanging out with mommy is always fun.
And hanging out with nana is also lots of fun!

a day in the life

2008-10-10T13:27:00.001-07:00

Making some yummy apple crisp with the apples that we picked.
Isaac eating his favorite food - GRAHAM CRACKERS!! Usually he has one in each hand.
Very Pregnant meghan!!

Apple Picking

2008-09-30T12:31:00.001-07:00

One of my FAVORITE fall things to do is apple picking. This past saturday I got to go with a bunch of friends. The weather was beautiful and Isaac and I had so much fun!!
All of us walking after our hayride.
Isaac and his friend Phin. Phin must be telling Isaac something pretty funny.
Riding on mommy's shoulders.
"I think that I like this pumpkin."
Just chillin.

The farm was so beautiful. I love the midwest, but especially in the fall.
Isaac and mommy hangin out. I didn't plan the matching shirts.

Just peeking.

Isaac with long hair

2008-09-22T12:11:00.001-07:00

These pics were taken before Isaac's most recent hair cut. I love his locks...but they are getting a little out of control in some of these pics.

New Babies

2008-09-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have had so many friends having babies lately. Above are some pics of when we first got to visit Kyle Cicak. And also a picture of our good friends who live right down the street Adam & Rachel Ties with their beautiful little girl Emma Jane Ties. We are so happy to welcome these babies into our lives!!

Gail, Mike & Kyle come to town

2008-09-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

We had the privledge of spending last weekend with the Cicak family. We spent Saturday in the city and had a wonderful time!!

The silver bean. I alway love the effects pictures have with the bean.

Dan and Mike cruising the chicago streets.

Gail and I cruising the streets.

Two very tired babies as we are about to get back on the train to come home.

Isaac borrowed Uncle Mikes hat for his day in the city.
Gail and I wanted to coordinate our outfits so that all the pictures would look good :)

Chillin in millenium park.

Isaac and daddy by the bean.

Isaac and Noah

2008-09-04T15:51:00.001-07:00

This is from awhile ago when Isaac got to hang out with his friend Noah. Noah has a twin sister Ella, but she was sleeping so Isaac and Noah got to have fun in the pool and then come in and dry off and eat graham crackers. yummy.