Merry Christmas!

We had a special Christmas this year. We weren't able to go back to the midwest to spend the holiday with our families, but we had a great time being "the 3" and thinking about ways to celebrate God's greatest gift together. We made holiday treateries, had fun with friends, celebrated with our church family, ate good homemade food and shared our love for one another with some gifts. Isaiah seemed to grasp in his 3-ness the beginnings of Jesus life this year and loved playing out the nativity scene with his Daddy saying, "Jesus came to bring PEACE, LOVE, JOY and JUSTICE!" We pray that as he grows his little heart will begin to wrap around that very HUGE yet simple truth and that ours will, too. It's amazing to think that on the shoulders of a tiny baby came a kingdom that never perishes and brings forth then, now and forever, true peace, perfect love, enduring joy and complete justice. Here are a few pictures of our celebration...

The Razavi Family Tree :)

Isaiah and his hungry, hungry hippo game.

Having fun with his new marble run from Grammy Trudy and Papa Mehdi.

Excited about his "Cars" movie car, Octane Gain from Grammy Debi and Papa Jon.

Hello, Sonny!

Our Family

Pictures of the 3 of us are hard to come by. I'm either behind the camera or Sonny isn't into the idea :) Well, a few weeks ago our friend Shannon (www.centeravenueimaging.com) took family pictures for us and we feel blessed to have these treasures. This one is a favorite!

If you want to see more, click on this link:

http://www.centeravenueimaging.com/blog/

?p=1409

No More Naps For Me!

Isaiah James is a big boy, almost 3 1/2 and he decided about 2 weeks ago that he and the afternoon nap were no longer friends. "I'm not gonna sleep, Mommy." He's big stuff, for sure, but the other day I found this...

Thanksgiving

I was really lame with the camera on Thanksgiving and only came away with 3 photos. They do capture some goodness, though, so here you go...

Isaiah, Mercy and Eden (both Zenz girls) waiting for the turkey.

Our Thanksgiving crew: Chris and Kelly Nelson, Joam and Cora Cardoni with Nick (Cora's brother), Aubrey and Garret Shelsta, and the beautiful back of Cassidy's head (Garret's sister).

And the ever wonderful, Betsy and Andy Zenz. Love them!

The Park and The Pool

We had a beautiful day last Thursday, so we had our play group outside. It is always such a good thing to be with my Mom friends. This week we also had a fun pool birthday party to go to for our buddy Tyler. Enjoy the pictures :)

Me, at the park with my sweet friends, Molly and Betsy (with Haven)

Isaiah James in his Subaru Rally car driver outfit playing monster trucks and being silly.

Snuggling with my little friend, Sam Huntoon.

John and Isaiah kicking like crazy!

1-2-3...JJJUUUMMMPPP!!!

Me and my best buddy :)

Weee!

Last week we got a big snow and Isaiah and I walked over to our neighborhood school to see if we could find any good sledding. We did, indeed. The hill was BIG and it was all ours, except for the company of a few giant schnauzers. We laughed and rolled around and threw snow (and ate snow) and time flew by because we were genuinely having fun. Sometimes I forget to have fun and ENJOY life. This should not be. Thank you God for the snow, Foothill Elementary school for the great hill and my hilarious Sonny for reminding me to get silly and have FUN!

Little man. Big hill.

Ready to go.

Sweetness.

Weee!

Sonny being silly.

Mommy and Sonny!

This Fall in Pictures

This Fall has been full and I haven't posted in a long time! In August Isaiah started pre-school, so we've been adjusting to a new routine. Along with adjusting to new rhythms, we've been immersed in potty training, fighting colds and navigating how to parent a very wonderful and willful 3 year old :) We also had the joy of going to my sister's wedding in Oregon this September. It was wonderful to see our family and to spend time with our Oregon friends. We've also had a lot of fun with friends this fall, have enjoyed and grown with our church community, and experience everyday the goodness and faithfulness of our Father. Here are some pictures from the last season of life. Enjoy!

Isaiah eating his strawberry ice cream cone; his treat for having "potty power" (being potty trained)!

Johnny and Isaiah hiking and gathering leaves

The fro in it's wet, straight state

Riding his bike at Wonderland Lake

My sweet boy at the playground!

Isaiah in his new green helmet :)

John (Dash) and Isaiah fueling up before their ride (chocolate chip cookies!)

A surprising October snow storm...21 inches!

Fun playing!

Isaiah got a really cool slot car set from his Uncle Kam. Here he is holding his 2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS cars.

Getting it all set up.

The gorgeous outdoor location for my sister's wedding in Oregon.

The sisters at the hair salon on the day of the wedding.

Isaiah James in his Halloween costume. He wanted to be Travis Pastrana, a Subaru Rally car driver.

He's a Big School Boy!

Isaiah James started preschool today at Mapleton Montessori School. When he woke up he wondered out loud if "today was the day." We told him that it was and while in his pajamas said, "bye Mom, bye Dad!" He made it clear from the start that he was ready for this and that excitement was his feeling about the whole thing, not anxiety or timidity. When we got there he continued to live into the new experience, saying hi to his teacher with a little jig, making a friend in the sand box right away, and even going to the bathroom like a big boy before we left. he was having so much fun and seemed so comfortable that after awhile Ramin and I looked at each other and said, "well, I guess we can go now." When we picked him up we received the fantastic news that he'd done really well all morning and that he was "excited to be here and make new friends (both teachers described him this way independently)." We're very proud of our little man today!

smiling for mommy :)

ready to go.

the big boy.

riding on daddy's shoulders on the way to his school.

sweet boy.

Birthday Buds.

One of the blessings of my life here in Colorado is Meggan. We knew each other back at Miami, but lived in different states for many years post college. Two years ago, she, her husband, Ben and their son, John moved to Boulder and we were able to reconnect. Her son John and my Isaiah are great buddies and this past week she and Ben welcomed their second beautiful boy into the world. His name is Samuel David and he is perfect. To make his arrival even more special, he was born on Isaiah's birthday. Welcome to the world baby Sam!

Time.

One of the great mysteries of parenthood is the passage of time. There are days I feel will never end and seasons I cry through thinking that they alone define my life. Then, there are days and seasons that seem to pass like sand through my fingers and I can't grab tightly enough to hold onto the moments. I'm especially thinking about this as Isaiah turns 3 and prepares to go to school. The road we've traveled together has felt long and tedious at times, but when I look back it all seems to have passed too quickly. My baby is becoming a big boy and the challenge going forward is to complain less, ask God to give me perspective when the days feel long and the seasons feel unendingly rough, and enjoy with all of my heart the gift of a little boy that God has given us. Happy Birthday Isaiah James!

just hours old

6 months

one.

two.

three.

My Boy is Three!

Yesterday, August 26th, my little man turned 3. It was a day full of celebration and excitement as he did the things he wanted to do and talked all about what it meant to be 3. His day started with a birthday scone at our favorite bakery in town, Spruce Confections. He sat like a big boy in his very own chair and ate his scone without any help. He struck up conversation with the table next to us and much to our surprise and delight, they asked if they could sing happy birthday to him. He smiled and giggled as they sang and after they finished he broke out into self appreciating applause. It brought tears to my eyes that perfect strangers would extend such kindness and celebration to my boy.

After the scone came his first gymnastics class for this fall and because he's 3, he went all by himself. It was good and hard all at the same time to watch his little blonde fro bounce around in the gym through the glass. There were a few moms who seemed to be doing this for the first time, too, so that was nice. I wasn't the only one reacting to and laughing at everything he did.

Isaiah had made it clear to Ramin and I that for his birthday afternoon (after nap and once Daddy got home) he wanted to mountain bike and have a cheeseburger and a milkshake, so that's what we did. He rode to his little heart's content and ate with the ferociousness of a boy twice his age. It was a great day! Here are some pictures of our adventure...

Isaiah before the ride. He was upset with me for taking a picture of him without his helmet on.

Tricks on the trail.

On a mission.

He opted for riding on Daddy's back on the return trip.

We haven't had a family picture in awhile because Isaiah is always moving. I thought, in light of that, I'd try and capture us on the move.

Yum! Cheeseburger and chocolate milkshake!

My handsome men :)