It's s Boy!!!!

Well, it's now July, 2011. I am pregnant again with my third, and we just found out...it's a boy!!! We are so excited!! Jesse and Hannah will have a little brother, due some time in mid November.

Thank you Lord for this blessing! I told my neighbor, Gayle, (who watched the kids while Stephen and I went to the appointment), and she came over this afternoon and gave me my first little boy gift, complete with balloons. =) It was a little blue outfit, with teddy bears on it. =) She is so sweet. I am so excited about my new little boy!

Hello 2010!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone who is reading this!!! Hope you all had as wonderful of a Christmas as we did! Stephen got to be home from the Tuesday before Christmas all the way through the weekend; it was so nice to have him home. His parents came up that Monday, so we spent the week having fun with them. We went to the Wild Animal park, Stephen and his dad fixed Stephen's bikes (a long standing item on the "to-do" list), his mom and I cooked Christmas goodies (including baklava), and we had an all around good time. On Christmas day, my side of the family came up for Christmas dinner, and I must say I cooked the best turkey we have ever had! =) The relatives all went hog-wild with Christmas presents, of course, and I would like to say they only spoiled Jesse...but no, it was a shower of gifts on all of us. Our families spoils us! Thanks to all of you. We loved having everyone come to our house for Christmas. It was so special. We love having company, especially when it's those we love so much.

I have included some pics of Christmas...hope you enjoy them.



MamaBell, the train video is for you. =) Jesse loves it! Thank you!!!

This was a cookies exchange that my mom, Angela (my older sister) and my mother-in-law did together. Unfortunately, my mother-in-law left before we got any pics.

My sister and brother-in-law gave us a keyboard, and we all enjoyed singing Christmas carols around it.

The day after Christmas, Stephen took Jesse and three of my sisters to the beach.

Rough California winters!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy Holloween...I mean Birthday!!!!

Ok, so I know this is uncharacteristic of me, but I have a few spare minutes, so I thought I would share about our fun Halloween with the Isbell side of the family. Yes, my father-in-law's birthday is Oct. 31, and no, we did not go trick-or-treating in honor of him. However, we did spend our weekend with him. Anna Joe (my sister-in-law) and her boyfriend also flew out from Chicago, which made it an extra special birthday for dad. It was also her first time meeting her new little niece...whom she did not drop once! =)
Jesse had a cute little costume that he wore for the day, and we made fresh-squeezed orange juice from their orange tree.
And no, Nate and I did not kill each other...this time. =) Unfortunately, Stephen picked up the "plague", and was very sick the second day of our stay. But, a week later, I am happy to report that he is almost fully recovered. =)
Happy Birthday, Papa Bell! It was so much fun visiting you!!!

Two months

Ok, So I haven't updated this blog since Hannah was born, and I can't say that I never have time..I was able to write that whole first sent acne before I had to pick up the baby. =) In the last two months, we have adjusted very well to having two little ones. Hannah is a sweet, pretty little girl, and Jesse is an energetic, busy little boy. Jesse's vocabulary expands more and more every day; he is even putting two words together at times. He loves his little sister, and is learning to be gentle with her. Hannah had her one month check up, and was 10lb. This week we will have her second month check up, and I will update on her status then.

The biggest adventure we have had in the last two months was a trip to Pennsylvania on the first of October. Stephen's cousin got married, and we went to the wedding. We stayed in PA a whole week, and very much enjoyed the vacation. My in-laws came with us, and it was wonderful traveling with them. They really helped keep Jesse entertained and Hannah soothed while we traveled. A big thanks to the Alan Roush family who let us stay with them the entire time, and were such gracious hosts. And Caroline, thanks again for the beautiful pics you took of the kids! I'll post some here, and my face book has all of them.

Caroline's Pics

The only other big news to report is the demolition and reconstruction of our fence on the south side of our house. Nate (Stephen's brother) and Randy (Stephen's good friend) came down last weekend to help Stephen with this project. They moved the fence forward to the front corner of our house, which opened up the usable back yard space considerably. They also destroyed the two raised planters in the back yard, haled away the dirt, and took down a 30 foot flag pole in the front yard. All in 1 1/2 days!!!!! Thank you so much for all your work, guys! We could not have done it alone. Thank you also to my mom and Lindsey ( Randy's wife) for coming and helping me feed the guys, watch the kids, and keep me company over the weekend. it was so much fun. I look forward to work weekends with this crew in the future.

Hannah Elizabeth Isbell Arrives

YAY!! After 9 months of waiting, Hannah Elizabeth Isbell arrived on Tuesday, August 18, 2009. She weighed in at 7 lbs 10 oz and was 19 inches long. Mom and baby are doing fine. Below are some pictures...we are loving our new arrival. Jesse loves to give her kisses. Please get a feel hours of extra sleep for us.

It's a Puppy!!!!

Yes, we broke down and bought a puppy this past week. She is half Beagle, half Basset hound, 7 weeks old, and the cutest little thing you ever did see. It's a good thing she's cute too, because after a sleepless first night - listening to her howl and cry, and having to take her outside often to relieve herself - I was almost wishing we could take her back. But that was just the first night. Every night has gotten a little better, and I have gotten a little more sleep. Last night I only had to take her outside once, and she barely even whimpered all night. She is very friendly, and playful, but not as much work as I thought she would be. I think I can handle taking care of a toddler and a puppy. They both take naps. =) Jesse isn't quite sure what to think of her. He likes to watch her play, but when she wants to play with him, he doesn't know how to respond. He'll back up, whine, and want to get away from her. LOL This might take a little while for them to be good playmates. But I am here to help them learn how. Hope you like the cute pics. We all went to the park the other night, and Jesse was playing peek-a-boo with the dog over a rock. Oh, the dog's name is Freckles. =)