My Sweet Boys

I just love this picture of my sweet boys, so I had to share it! This was taken the day after Christmas while they were enjoying the fire.

Christmas (part 2)

Amber helping Emmy open a gift.

Isaac happy to get another gift.

Isaac and Daddy with his new airplane!

Michael got a music set which included this fun drum...he loved it! I think I will discourage Isaac from the drums. ;)

Leah and Cameron

We had a wonderful time at our second Christmas celebration. We spent the day after Christmas with Carl's family, and it was a day full of fun! Isaac had a great time playing with his cousins, and running circles around Emmy and Gumby's house. We had a great meal, all prepared by Emmy, thank you for the delicious food Emmy! Isaac got some fun new toys, his favorite of which is a remote control airplane. Who knew that a 19 month old could drive a remote control vehicle, he got two for Christmas and loves them both. He's actually getting the hang of it, too.

We had such a great Christmas and are so thankful for our sweet son and this special day we got to celebrate our Savior's birth.

Christmas (part 1)

Cousins!

Playing with Opa!

Carson helping Isaac open this gifts in his stocking.

A quick family shot while we were playing outside.

Daddy teaching Isaac how to swing the golf club.

Mommy and Isaac hanging out...scratching off my lotto tickets, no winners.

I love this look!

Christmas Eve famiy photo.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! We hope everyone had a blessed day, full of faith, family, and love. What a special day this is to celebrate the birth of our Savior, I hope you all enjoyed it. We had a special time, starting with the Christmas Eve service at church yesterday. It was such a great service, a great way to start our Christmas celebrations. My parents joined us for church; Isaac stayed with us during the worship music, but then had to go to the nursery because he doesn't quite know how to be quiet yet. Fortunately, he was only in there about 20 minutes because he didn't enjoy it very much. After church we had a nice dinner with Oma and Opa at their house.

Today started out wonderfully, Isaac gave us the best gift...he slept in until 8:00! He hasn't slept that late in a while, oh it was nice! I'm sure it is the last Christmas morning for many years that we will get to sleep in. We had a great time opening presents with just the three of us this morning; Isaac was spoiled and had so much fun trying out all of his new toys. Then Carl made us all pancakes, so we enjoyed a yummy breakfast as a family. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out here at home, until it was time to head over to Oma and Opa for a Christmas celebration with my family.

Once again, Isaac was spoiled over there, and had a great time playing with his new toys and his cousins! It is always so sweet to see the three boys playing together, and imagine that next Christmas there will be four! In a few years we'll have four wild boys running around have a blast together! We had a delicious dinner made by Oma, Soo Jin, and Melissa...thanks y'all! I can't take credit because I only brought rolls from Goodson's (yum!) and made a chocolate cake.

I am so thankful for this day and what a great reminder it is of the gift of Jesus, our Savior. I pray that you and your family enjoyed your day and took some time to celebrate Him, the real reason for the day.

Some pics from the last week...

Playing in his new hat and mittens...absolutely adorable!

Practicing his soccer skills while the big guys played a game of soccer. He is getting really good at kicking the ball...I love to watch him kick, then run after it and kick it again. Maybe a future soccer player!?!?
(Notice he is dressed for the occassion in his Barcelona Soccer uniform.)

He had the best time playing on the slides at the park in La Porte where we had Carl's families Christmas party. I guess we need to start taking more trips to the local parks.

Isaac and Taylor hanging out in the dog bed with Tex. Poor Tex, can't even relax in his own bed...he is such a good sport though! I think Tex loves the kids as much as they love him.

It's a BOY!!!

Little One's sweet foot!

Looks like it's going to be Team Blue over here at the Griffin house! We are so excited to be having another boy! The boys will be 2 years apart, almost to the day, so I think it will be great for them to be the same gender and be able to play together and hopefully be best friends! I know, there will be tough times before the best friends part will happen, but one day I know they will be!

We already got Little One nursery furniture, and I am thrilled with it! I found it on Craigslist, and it was a deal I couldn't pass up! The furniture is from the store Magic Moon, and is handmade solid wood furniture made by a man in East Texas. Those of you that know Carl well, know that he hates buying things that are not made in the USA, but it is nearly impossible to find affordable baby furniture made in USA, much less Texas! We had looked at buying some Magic Moon furniture new for Isaac, but couldn't spend that much money, so I was ecstatic when I found some used pieces that we can afford for this Little One! And Carl was excited to not be buying imported furniture. The people selling it gave us an amazing deal on it and are even going to deliver it tomorrow. I can't wait to get it in the room, and start planning the rest of the nursery! I know it is early, but I love to decorate babies rooms! I'll post pictures of the furniture when I get it!

It's a...

...oh, I can't tell you yet what we're having! We did have the 20 week ultrasound today, and did find out the gender of our second little blessing! However, I can't write it on the blog until we have told our families, which will happen this weekend, so check back on Sunday, and I will announce it. I can tell you that our little one checked out well, was very active, and absolutely adorable! (Well, as adorable as you can be on an ultrasound...hahaha!)

I wanted to wait to find out the gender when the baby was born, but as Carl put it, I want to be that person, but I'm just not the person that can wait that long. We have this technology for a reason, right? And what a fun day today has been, I'm so glad we didn't wait!

A few updates

Isaac in training, Deer Hunting Training that is.

Driving in the snow. He can't really move in that jacket, but that didn't stop him.

Playing in the snow with the dogs.

Talking with Sinterklaas.

Sitting on his lap, but really not happy about it.

A few different updates today:

I'll start by saying, Praise God, for Pastor Matt Chandler's successful surgery! Thank you all that joined us in praying for him. The surgery went well, they removed the tumor and will get biopsy results next week. They say he is in good spirits and doing well. Please continue to pray for the biopsy results as well as for his recovery. Thank you!

Isaac has developed a new love for the deer in the yard. (Real deer, not the Christmas reindeer.) Carl feeds the deer corn every night, so they come in throughout the night to eat. Last week, one evening, they came early, so Isaac was able to see them. He has not forgotten them, and looks for them every evening. It is adorable to see him pull back the curtain as soon as it gets dark, and hear him say "De, de, de." He looks, then comes to ask us, and goes back to look again. This goes on for some time. I think Carl is already training him to be his deer hunting buddy.

As most of you know, we got some snow in Houston yesterday! It was a lot of fun to see the snow falling, but sadly it didn't stick. We still took Isaac and the dogs out to play and get some pictures, after all, we don't know how long it will be before it snows here again.

Today, Oma, Opa, and I took Isaac to meet Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas). I wasn't sure how he'd do, but it was no problem, well sort of. It is a Dutch tradition to take the kids to see him on December 5, and in Houston this is put on by the Holland Club. My parents used to take us when we were little, so it was special to take my son this year. Unfortunately Carl could not join us, but we got some pictures to make sure he got a good idea of what it was about. The parents bring a gift for the child and give it to Sinterklaas when you get there, then Sinterklaas calls the child up by name and gives him the gift and a bag of cookies. Isaac did great with this part, I held him while Sinterklaas talked to him and gave him the gifts. He was not the least bit scared. Yay! Then we just hung out and played a bit, until it was almost time for Sinterklaas to leave. Just before he left we decided to get a picture of Isaac sitting in his lap...unfortunately that did not go as well. Isaac cried immediately, and didn't calm down. Too bad, but it was worth a try. Tonight we put Isaac's wooden shoes out, and Sinterklaas will bring him a surprise! We'll see what he brings in the morning. ;)

Prayer Request

I come to you all tonight and ask for prayer. When Carl and I lived in Lewisville we attended The Village Church, and our lives were forever changed. God taught us so much, more than I can put into words, through Matt Chandler (the lead pastor) and the rest of the church body. Many of you know that church is still so special to me and I talk about it and the amazing things God does through it often. (I haven't missed a sermon since we left, love podcast!)
So my prayer is this...The lead pastor Matt Chandler suffered a seizure last week, and it turns out he has a tumor in the frontal lobe of his brain. He is having surgery on Friday afternoon, so please pray the surgery goes well and recovery is smooth. Matt has a wife and three children, I can't imagine what they must be feeling. Please keep them in your prayers as well.
Even through this I am inspired by the Chandlers and The Village...God is so huge and is stronger than this tumor.

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:12-13 ESV

Happy Anniversary Carl!

Carl and I celebrated our 6th anniversary today! Well, we actually celebrated yesterday, but today is the actual day! I can't believe we have already been married 6 years; it's gone so fast and been so amazing! Every year gets better and I can't wait to see what the next years hold for us.
We celebrated last night by going to dinner at The Melting Pot. It was absolutely delicious, and such a fun dining experience! It is a fondue restaurant, and the food is incredible! They basically had to roll us out of there. =) Seriously though, if you've never been there, you should give it a try on your next special occassion.

Thanksgiving

It was a long day and our little Aggie was definitely ready for bed!

Watching the game.

Soo Jin and Isaac representing their teams.

Gumby, Emmy, and Grandpa

Aaron and Ana

Michael, Leah, Cameron, and Amber

Playing with Uncle Aaron.

Isaac put this hat on himself, too cute!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We had a great day with family, celebrating Thanksgiving and my birthday. We spent the afternoon with Carl's family; we had a fabulous meal that ended with pie and ice cream cake! Yum! Isaac really enjoyed playing with his cousins, Amber and Michael, as well as Uncle Aaron and Ana. Grandpa also came out, which was a special surprise! After our Thanksgiving celebration we came home to cheer on the Aggies. My parents and sister came out to watch with us and provide the rivalry (Soo Jin is a Longhorn). As you can see Isaac was in his Aggie jersey to support his team, but he only got to see the beginning of the game...he did actually watch bits and pieces of it. It was fun to watch the game together, even though it didn't end quite as we had hoped. The Aggies put up a good fight and it was an exciting game!

18 months

Isaac had his 18 month check up today. I cannot believe my baby boy is about to be 18 months! The check up went well, Isaac checked out perfectly! He is tall and slender, coming in at 33.5 inches (80th percentile) and 23.2 pounds (20th percentile). This was the first appointment that he realized immediately where we were and was not happy about it. He didn't want anything to do with the nurse, but did better with the doctor. We had plenty of time to hang out and relax before the doctor came in, so I think that helped. =) He got one immunization and did well with that; that's my little tough guy!
He is "saying" so many words now and I can tell he really wants to say more. His latest words are: "all gone", "Cole", "Tex", "yes", and "love you." Okay he says love you, but only I can understand that one. He still loves to read books, we read tons of books everyday! It's so cute because he picks a book and then has to sit in my lap to read it together. Sometimes I get to read every word, but normally he just flips the pages while I point things out. His favorite book right now is "Mighty Movers"...it's full of vehicles of all kinds. He also loves any and all flip books. His latest favorite toy is his new slide/castle. I found it a a resale shop, and turns out it was worth every penny! He loves to climb up it, slide down, turn the steering wheel on top, and of course push his cars down the slide. The dogs are his best friends. Anytime we are out and I say, "we're going home" he immediately says, "Cole, Tex." So cute! He also says hi to them every morning. Cole usually comes into Isaac's room with me in the morning when I go get him out of bed, and that always makes Isaac smile. He of course greets him with a big, "COLE!"
It's been an amazing 18 months, nothing is more precious than watching your baby grow and learn.
Happy 18 months Isaac!

Another Blessing

Carl and I are proud to announce that we are expecting baby number 2! We are so thankful to be blessed with another pregnancy, which is already 13 weeks along. The baby is due May 9, 2010...wow that sounds so far away! In case you didn't realize, that means Isaac and the new baby will be exactly 2 years apart (Isaac's birthday is May 14, but his due date was May 7, crazy!).

Random Fun

Riding his new bike! It's a two wheeler with training wheels, so cute! He hasn't quite figured it out yet, but he can make it go by walking his feet. In this picture he is going in reverse, checking behind him as he goes of course.

Playing in the coat closet during the thunderstorm...Cole was scared and hiding in there, so Isaac thought he should entertain him. It was funny!

A good bye kiss for Taylor! So sweet.

Playing together on the castle slide.

Checking out his new Skidders...they are socks and shoes in one, he likes them! :)

Still sleepy, this time change is hard to figure out, he was up too early today.

We have had some fun times this week, and it's only Tuesday! I wanted to share some pictures of the little man from the past few days. We had a playdate with Taylor and Kristin today. The kids had fun, and of course Kristin and I did, too. We finally captured one of their good bye kisses, and I think it's precious! They might hate us for these pictures one day, but I think they are so sweet!

Hope you all are having a great week, too!

Halloween

Playing with Aunt Soo Jin.

He loved the jolly rancher candies.

Playing with Emmy and Gumby.

Sitting at the end of the driveway with the pumpkins.

Halloween was so fun this year, and I know it will only get better every year! As you can see Isaac dressed up as a race car driver...what else could my little guy be? He loves to drive, if there is a wheel, he spins it, if there is a toy car, he's driving it...he is definitely Carl's son!

We took Isaac trick or treating at a few of the neighbor's houses, and they of course loved to see him dressed up. He enjoyed carrying his pumpkin and thought it was great when people put things in it! He was entertained all night by taking the candy out and putting it back in. We weren't alone this Halloween; Emmy, Gumby, and Soo Jin all came over to enjoy the fun! We all had pizza, then went outside to check out the kiddos. We sat at the end of our driveway and passed out candy to the hundreds of kids that came by! Okay, I'm not really sure it was hundreds, but I bought 5 big bags of candy and we ran out of candy by 8:30! Isaac had the best time playing with everyone, and staying up late.

I can't wait until next year because I know it will just get better each year!

Camping (well sort of)

Isaac and I riding Redbird - his first time to ride a horse.

Carl and Isaac talking about the backhoe, from a safe distance of course.

Our family on the hayride.

Most of the people on the hayride...what fun!

Roasting marshmellows to make smores!

Carl and Isaac on the mound of dirt.

Hudson, Celisa, and Adilyn having lunch.

Cory and Hudson

Isaac and I petting the horse (after much coaxing).

Playing on the tractor, what a fun big steering wheel!

Saturday we spent the day with great friends hanging out in the country. The entire day was so much fun...it was definitely a little boys heaven. A good friend's parents had us all out for a camping weekend on their property. It was true camping in tents and all, so we didn't brave it yet with Isaac, we just went up for the day on Saturday. The land out there was beautiful, and my outdoorsy boy loved every minute of it! There was a big mound of dirt to play on, horseback riding, which Isaac did for the first time, dogs to play with, hay rides, tractors, a campfire, and of course some bug catching. Isaac loves all vehicles, well at least in his books, but we found out on Saturday that he is quite frightened of them up close. There was a bulldozer, a tractor, and a backhoe...we could only convince Isaac to calmly sit on the tractor and even that took some coaxing. Although he did enjoy talking about them from a distance. He was also pretty scared of the horses at first, which is strange since our neighbor has one that he goes over to all the time. Again, with some coaxing I was able to get him to pet the horses, and eventually ride with me. I think he said, "up, up" most of the time he was on the horse, but it was still a great experience. There was also a beautiful black great dane, and Isaac really liked him! He kept asking me to take him to the dog so he could pet him...that's my boy. The hay ride was so fun, I know all of the kids enjoyed that!

It was such a relaxing and fun day for everyone and I am so thankful for our great friends for having us out.