Isaac Owen is 22 months old!

Your smile makes my heart bounce!

-Winnie the Pooh I will probably be saying this same quote to Isaac when he is 22 YEARS old... His smile truly does make my heart bounce and is very good medicine for my soul!

I'm sure you recognize these lyrics, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let is shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!" This is Isaac's them song... we sing it a lot! Let your light keep on shinin', my son! We also like "this is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made... I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it!"

and another one we sing is, "I am so happy, so very happy, I've got the love of Jesus in my heart..." Isaac LOVES to SING and he's got a very beautiful little voice!!!! He certainly knows how to make a very joyful noise to the Lord!

He's got a serious side too.... and a meldown mode! More smiles than seriousness and tears, but he's got the full range of emotions like any healthy, almost-two-year-old does!

Isaac loves to be outdoors! We've decided to cough up the money for a fence (actually, we've got the gov't to thank for the fence fund...A little relo incentive last year! :) so these boys can have a little bit of freedom and some clear boundaries. They need a place to just run and play and just be boys! : )

Isaac doesn't miss a detail... below he's determined to grab the string off of his sleeve! It was pretty cute to watch him tackle the string! ; ) No help needed... this boy is very independent!

Oh, and he LOVES his brothers! He's the perfect middle brother... he loves to follow Wyatt (and sometimes Wyatt follows Isaac!) and he loves to lead Micah Jay...God gave him the perfect role in the middle!

A little indoor, creative fun... My house is pretty much always in progress of a disasterous mess, but my boys are not lacking for activity! : ) Sometimes I wonder why on earth I initiate the messes... but their smiles and laughter make the clean-up all worth it! : )

Wrestling with Daddy.... definitely on Isaac's top 5 list for favorite activities!

Ikey bear... We love you little cub!

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Other Fun Facts about our 22-month-old

ISAAC...

-is the same age Wyatt was when Isaac was born, but Ike has been a big brother for 7 months already!

-Says "Alright" instead of "Yes" to any question you ask him....it's super cute! "Do you want to go outside, Isaac?" His response, "Alright!" Love this!

-Always refers to himself as a "good guy"

-LOVES to "cook!" I try to have most of our dinner prep done by the time he wakes up from his nap, otherwise I know it will take 3 times as long to prepare. I always save Isaac a special job, though with dinner! : )

-picks up the phone and says "Hello" and "Bye-bye"

-refers to every book as a "Bible". I took him to a bookstore with me one day and he ran around the store saying "Bibles, Bibles, Bibles". We got lots of chuckles from other shoppers! : )

-Tell me I'm a "Good girl" when I give him fun treats like cookies

-has a thing for goggles and glasses. I'm always prepared for a meltdown when I put on my sunglasses because I know Isaac will want them and CANNOT have them or they'll be broken!

-calls his aunt and uncle (my sister and brother-in-law) "B" and "Bup" ... It's Auntie B and Uncle Trent so I'm not sure where "Bup" came from but Isaac knows exactly who he is referring to!

Fall Fun 2011!

We had lots of photo-shoot attempts and decided to just be pleased with the candidness of the season! ; ) Not a single shot was picture-perfect this fall, but they are all perfectly precious to me! Capturing true emotion... now this is what life is truly made of! These boys are the beat of my heart and the sweet little rhythm (or should I say non-rhythm?!) of my days! I'm learning to love even this non-rhythmic, crazy kind of life! ; ) I've completely given up on trying to figure out a perfect plan and schedule to keep us on beat, but rather to just be thankful for each moment and to maintain some kind of pulse (and sometimes this simply means survival! : )... what a priceless GIFT to be a mom! Here's a few snapshots from our Fall 2011...

even Micah loves to tackle now!

we definitely do not believe in bribing our children for pictures : )

Weapons. I'm getting used to weapons, lots and lots of weapons... I'm very well protected in this house!

Isaac loves to 'shoot the birds'

My boys have a thing for goggles, especially Isaac!

Here we are at our Harvest Party at church on the 31st!

Honk!

Here are my fellas grabbing a little candy in the neighborhood! The families in our neighborhood do hayrides around the neighborhood, dropping the kids off at a cul-de-sac for candy then hopping back on the tractor for a ride to the next cul-de-sac for more candy. Our boys were a bit too slow getting back to the tractor, but hopefully we'll speed up and join the wagon fun in the coming years! : )

Snoozin' lil lion cub!

We finished the fall with Daxton's 4th football-themed birthday party! It was a fun excuse for the boys to sport their Hawkeye jerseys. Ther was plenty of kicking and tackling, prizes and sugar... a perfect day to celebrate!

Micah Jay is 7 Months!

Oh goodness! This boy is LOoooooooooVED beyond words! He is super sweet, snuggly, playful........... and completely full of charm! He is the best cuddler in the whole wide world. We call him a kaola bear because he wraps his arms and legs around your side and just clings. I think if I let go, he'd just stay put right there on my hip! He is very content and just as happy as can be all day long. He is sleeping from about 7:30pm-7am with a short morning nap and a decent afternoon nap. I could spend the entire day snuggling with Micah... it's a good thing he's not my first child or he'd be totally spoiled rotten. Thankfully he's easy going and happy to just be in view of us all day!

Micah Jay, you add so much to my life! I love you little buddy... I'm so grateful for your precious life and all of the smiles you bring to my world!!!!!! You defintiely cause me to stop and give THANKS to the One who entrusted me with your sweet heart! What a privilige it is to be your mommy. I love you, forever and for always.... Mommy

A Couple of Photo Shoots!

I had the sweet privilege of taking some photos for these darling families who are in small group with us. What fun we had! : ) I'm certainly not a pro, but these families are so cute it was hard to get a bad shot... (although the "Dillonator" made me work a bit for it... he's Wyatt's church buddy and they've got a lot in common! :)