MLK 2010

MLK 2009

MLK 2010 ....what a difference a year makes!

Fun at the park

Group outing at the mall food court!

Girls day out - lunch at Cheesecake Factory then a movie

This year we had our MLK get together at the Kaluka's home in Cary, NC. As our group continues to grow our gatherings have definitely changed, but they're so much fun! We had a lot of people under one roof, including 4 toddlers! Amazingly there was no major issues and we all had a really great time. We had a girls afternoon out while the guys stayed with the kids, and the guys had a night out by themselves too. Sunday, we ventured out to the mall as a group. It's so neat that our kids are growing up together. Thank you Jesse and Miranda for hosting...we had a blast!

Little Momma

She started out with just one doll

She's feeding her baby a bottle

Then she steals her baby's pacifier and the babies have multiplied!

This is her "loving" on her baby

Lately, Isabelle LOVES playing with her dolls. She loves to feed them bottles, pat on their backs, and give them hugs. On this particular day, she climbed up into her recliner with her doll and wanted ALL of her dolls up there too! I just think it's so funny because she's just a baby herself who still takes drinks bottles and sucks on pacifiers, yet she likes to take care of her babies and give them their bottles and pacifiers. The women's Bible study I attend just started a new program for kids under two to attend while their mommies are in their classes. Since Isabelle is walking some, but not a totally independent walker yet, she is grouped with the real little babies instead of the toddlers. Every time I go to pick her up, they tell me how she's the leader of the pack in her group. She's the little mommy and the teachers' helper who goes around and helps take care of all the little babies. She is just too funny.

Merry Christmas!!

Family Picture....not sure why the color is so weird :)

Check out the huge wrestling ring I spent an hour putting together!

Isabelle with her Aunt Jill

Skyping with Mamaw in New York

Check out my cool quad Uncle Tanner and Aunt Nikki got me!!

Even though Isabelle still doesn't understand how Christmas works and what it's all about, it was still a lot of fun at Christmas this year! Our day started off with going over to my sister's house to watch my niece and nephew open up some gifts. By 9am we were back home to meet Jeremy's brother and his wife over at our house to exchange some gifts. By 10:30, Jeremy was on the road to Wilmington, NC to pick up his mom from the airport. Isabelle and I stayed behind and Skyped my mom so she could watch Isabelle and I open some gifts from her and my dad. From an already busy morning, Isabelle was definitely ready for a nap! By the time she woke up, Jeremy was home with his mom and we did a few more gifts before heading back to my sister's for a meal and time with the family. That evening we finally finished up opening the rest of the gifts. Isabelle was absolutely exhausted from all the activities and fun of the day and crashed not long after. We had a really great day, but definitely missed our family that wasn't there :( We all got so many amazing gifts and feel so blessed. We tried to not get so wrapped up in the festivities, but remember what this time of year is all about and rejoicing in the birth of Jesus. What a wonderful day!

Mommy's Little Helper...Not Really!

Helping put the dishes away...climbs in the cabinet....thinks she's stuck and starts crying!

Hmmm, what's in here??

Silly Girl!

She got so messy during dinner I had to just take her shirt off and her hair is all over the place from me wiping food out of it!! She speeds right over to the dishwasher when we open it...I don't know what she finds so fascinating about it!

Mommy puts the clothes in the dryer, and Isabelle throws them out at the same time!

Birthday Party!

Had to call in cousin Robert for some help!


Having pizza with Grandma, so glad she came!


Tearing into all her gifts


Jeremy and his "mini-me"


I know Isabelle has been 1 for almost 3 weeks now....but I'm just now getting a chance to blog about her birthday party!! Anyway, her party was a lot of fun. We just had a small get-together at the house with family and a few friends. She got some really great gifts for her birthday. We're so thankful to everyone who brought gifts, sent gifts in the mail, as well as several cards and Happy Birthday messages. Thank you everyone who thought of our baby girl on her special day. She got a lot of help from her cousins Robert and Karli with opening her gifts and even tearing into her cake! She was a little timid with the cake at first. I let Robert show her how it was done, then she really got into it!! Isabelle was also fortunate to have BOTH of her grandmas in town for her party. My mom was already in town and had made arrangements to leave the day after her birthday. Jeremy's mom surprised us all and showed here the day before Isabelle's birthday!! She rode in a bus for a full day and a half to be here for her only granddaughter's first birthday, it was really special. We're so thankful to the Lord for our precious, healthy, thriving baby girl. We had an awesome first year with her and look forward to what's to come.

Oh how she's grown....

Pretty Girl


This is how she loves to sleep these days



How tiny she looked in her crib at just 1 month old


Almost outgrown her infant carrier


The day we brought her home from the hospital, so little
in her big carseat



Last weekend we celebrated Isabelle's 1st birthday (post and pics from her party later!). Her 1st birthday was very bitter sweet for me. The day before and the day of her birthday I kept reminiscing about those last moments leading up to her birth. I would look at the clock and say "at this time, one year ago, I was...." and fill in the blank with what was happening right at that moment. I remember everything so clearly still, and I hope that I always will. It's amazing how much can happen in one year. How you can can become a parent, and suddenly be somebody's mommy. This year has been a roller coaster of emotions. I've experienced some of the highest highs imaginable when my baby entered into this world, and literally feeling my heart fill to the brim with joy when I look into her face everyday. When we met eyes and she smiled at me for the first time, I was on cloud nine. There's been some lows as well, especially those early months when the nights were never ending and I never thought I'd get a full night of sleep again. And when the tears would flow, and nothing I did would stop them, or when I couldn't console a teething baby. However, the rewards and joy of having her makes even the hardest times pale in comparison. It also amazes me how much change a baby experiences in the first year. They go from sleeping all the time and not being able to get around...to talking, some walking, and eating solid foods! In any case, I feel so overwhelmingly blessed and thankful to the Lord for giving us our precious Isabelle. She has filled our lives and hearts with tremendous joy.

Halloween!

Our little nurse!

We called the one on the right our Izzy pumpkin because it

has just two bottom teeth like Isabelle!

This Halloween was not all that eventful since Jeremy and I both had to work. However, we did dress Isabelle up and my mom took her out trick-or-treating a little bit with my sister and her kids. She's not walking yet and still too young for the whole halloween thing, but it was fun to dress her up and she collected some candy for mom and dad! I decided to dress Isabelle up as a little baby nurse, maybe a glimpse into her future?? :) She looked so cute and I think she had fun. I'm looking forward to next year, I think she'll enjoy herself more.