The Evolution Of A Boy and His Bike

On Tuesday night Isaiah made up his mind to ride his pedal bike. He's been "striding" for about a year and a half now and although he has loved that, there were compelling visions in his mind of turning those pedals. Here is a little tribute I put together honoring Isaiah and his life long (almost 4 years!) love affair with bikes...

Our Family Is Growing!

For the last six months our Sonny has been talking about wanting a pet. We've covered every possibility from snakes to lizards to tortoises and finally onto the always beloved dogs and cats. Ramin tried with great persuasion to convince Isaiah to get a dog, but to no avail. Isaiah James had his heart set on having a kitty. Ramin is very allergic to cats, so he set out to find a breed that was more hypo-allergenic. That research led us to the British Short Hair. They are a kind of kitty that produce less dander and have worked as pets for many people with allergies. On Saturday, Ramin and Isaiah went to Denver to see these kitties and discovered that the claims were true! No reaction! So, we put our deposit down on this little man and named him Rapha. He comes to live with us at the end of August after he's been weened. We're so excited!

Could he be any cuter?

My 3 handsome boys

(I'd like to take this opportunity to specifically express my gratitude to my Mom, Sister, Gram, Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law, Aunts, Cousins and girlfriends for being in my life. Without you I would be swallowed up by testosterone!)

Sonny Projects

Isaiah's summer has been a lot of fun so far. We've gone to the pool, played with buddies and spent a lot of time at home constructing things. The constructing part has been a favorite for Isaiah, so I thought I'd share a few of his projects.

This is his "garden railway," a train setup on our patio where he uses things from nature to make it look like the real thing.

A view of the train chuffing through the "forest."

Some puff ball construction.

Building with fruit...Yum!

Summer? Where Did You Go?

Yesterday was July 7th and the temperature topped out at 57 degrees. It rained all day. We stayed cozy inside with a fire and some blankets...

A fire in the fireplace is a very strange sight in the middle of the summer.

Snuggled up and a bit bummed about the weather.

Fun Times With Grammy Debi

Isaiah had a lot of fun with Grammy Debi and a few rainy days in a row gave us opportunities for lots of fun inside. Here are some pictures of their indoor projects...

Baking Monster cookies

Nothing says "summer" like an ice cream cone, even when it's cold and rainy outside.

Jello Jigglers

Crafty Fun! They made a butterfly together.

And here she is

Once the sun came out we were outside as soon as possible. This is a picture of my Sonny and I having breakfast at Spruce Confections (our favorite scone place).

Grammy Debi and Isaiah James (with a mouth full of scone)

Butterfly Pavilion

There is no doubt, our Sonny is completely smitten with butterflies. We went to the Butterfly Pavilion when my Mom was here and he was in a frenzy wanting the butterflies to land on him. "Come on, butterflies! Land on me! Listen!" He didn't understand that they couldn't speak English and Grammy and I started to pray that God would love His little Isaiah by having some land on him. Just like a loving Father (who has control over these things), the butterflies started landing on Isaiah. One after another after another, they landed. And he was in heaven. He was very careful not to touch the wings and enjoyed every minute of his special experience.

A Boy, A Pole and a Craw Fish

While my Mom and Dad were here, they bought Isaiah his first fishing pole, complete with a tackle box, lures and big juicy night crawlers. Our little man could not have been happier and that evening he and his Daddy got it all set up for his first fishing trip.

Daddy and Sonny at their "work table" getting the pole set up

He used all of his energy in set up and cashed out on our way to the pond.

Kid's Fishing Pond sign

Finding the bait (big night crawlers)

He let Daddy do the job of putting the bait on the hook.

Putting in for the first time

Papa Jon, Daddy and Sonny waiting for a bite.

Learning to reel it in himself

Ramin reeling in the first bite and Isaiah hiding behind his leg, because...

...a craw fish was our first bite...and our second.

Actual fish: 0

Craw Fish: 2

Isaiah has gotten over the trauma of the first trip and is excited to catch trout the next time we go.