Always learning something

As toddlers do, Isabelle is always learning something. Here she learns that she can smile for the camera, get really close, but can not have the camera. Though she is only 1, she has learned how to through some good fits in testing her limits. Truly can be hard sometimes to not give this cute, adorable girl what she wants.
This day Isabelle finally got the hang of her sippy cup actually tipping it up. Now she is only a sippy cup girl.
She no longer gets a bottle before bedtime and goes to sleep well so far. Next will be working on the sleep time pacifier to disappear.

Birthday Balloons

That's right, these are her birthday balloons. Even now as I write this in March, they are still inflated enough for her enjoyment.

Talk about balloon quality! I was happy to grab the camera for these moments when she was trying to blow them up.

Random Entertainment

Isabelle wore this cute panda outfit from Uncle Ben and Aunt Suellen. When she decided to play with one of her pandas, I then set her up for a photo shoot.

Jon returned home from one of his trips and Isabelle decided to help him unpack. She found his contact solution and case then walked around the house like they were hers. May be too early for her to wear contacts, but that won't stop her from trying.


Isabelle converted her box house into a garage for her train. She drove the train right in there and then tried to fit in beside it.


Isabelle's imagination is hard at work already and random things sure entertain her.

Getting Organized

The time came to get Isabelle's toys a little more organized in her play corner in the living room. What once was two over flowing baskets of toys and a pile of books has become a cute yet functional shelf. Thank you Target for the adorable jungle baskets too. The shark has been replaced with an elephant since I finally found one at a random Target store I stopped in at. It is sad that all those toys filled this shelf. I had hoped for at least half the shelf to be available for any new additions.
Isabelle enjoys pulling out the baskets to get her toys and has even started helping in the picking up process at night. Anyone concerned about her pulling the top baskets, they are filled with only soft toys.

"New" Toys

While at Katie's, Isabelle found this slinky which was quite amusing in her toddler hands.

She also found their fun magnets of farm animals and letters. Katie sent the slinky, a Little Red Riding Hood book, and the farm animal magnets home with us on our latest trip there. All these items have been used often here! I had planned to purchase the farm animal set so that worked out very nicely. The set of letters I picked up at a consignment sale before Isabelle was born and should get them out now with her peeked interest (did just that on actual posted date). Putting the letters into their base starts a little song about the letter, naming it and making the sound or sounds. The base also plays the Alphabet song. Below is the farm animal set in more detail.


The reason this entry has been delayed for so long is that I wanted to shorten the video clips of her playing with the fun magnets. However, I have had no success in that and hope I don't overwhelm you with these videos. Each just has something cute I wanted to share with you.

At the start I think she was asking me if I was ready. She had been running back and forth between pushing the music button to her dance mat without my prompt until she became camera shy. I think she also may have gotten distracted by the dog outside barking. Not sure why she whispered "bye, bye" but still too cute!

Yes, the repetitive pushing the button to hear "pink pig" does get a little annoying at times. Funny how it was so hard to get the base off the dishwasher until she tried the handle. She got distracted again by the neighbor dog and decided to need to give me a hug at the end.

Again with the repetitiveness of "moo". Oh the things we put up with for our child's enjoyment.

Another feature of this toy is the reminder sound when it isn't being played with. At least it is only done once but it usually does get her attention which is sometimes good and sometimes bad. Isabelle does make the "baa" sound but didn't learn it from this toy. Will blog about that later. Notice she also waves. This is one ending I would have shortened.

She hasn't mastered putting the pieces in yet but she'll get there. Wanted to include this clip for the match song and her humming. There's also a song for when there is a mismatch as well as giving fun facts about the animals but I didn't catch those on video. Near the end she surprised me by going around the island.

A big thanks to Katie and family for these toys!

Gainesville fun

As if we thought the afternoon at Homosassa Springs wasn't enough to wear the girls out, back in Gainesville following a yummy dinner at Cracker Barrel we went to the mall play area. Everything was made of a softer material, even the floor was squishy which was great when Isabelle ran and wiped out multiple times. She loved to watch all the kids playing and walked around in the large circle squealing with delight. Every time she made a round, she then would head out of the play area into the mall. Thankfully there was only one way out! I would pick her up, turn her around, and she would head in the right direction again.

Top left Isabelle was getting a feel for the terrain, bottom left she was running, and right she was playing peek-a-boo under the bridge with another little girl.

Top right Isabelle was unsure about sitting on the alligator, top left she was amused about sitting on him, bottom left she wondered "how do I get off here?", bottom right she thought "I'm tired".

We spent the night at the Weber's. The next morning all the girls enjoyed fruity cheerios while watching Horton Hears A Who. Katie had to work that morning so Reid and I walked with the girls to the park. Not much playing at the park for Isabelle this time as the slide was dirty, she was still terrified of the swing, and the rest was all for older children.

Returning back to their place for lunch we had the classic toddler favorite of Macaroni 'N Cheese and hot dogs. Katie returned from work after lunch. Walking to and from the park must have worn the girls out enough that they all went down easily for a nap. Katie and I then escaped for some mommy time shopping at Target, splurging with pedicures, and enjoying Mochi frozen yogurt. After nap time, Isabelle continued to explore through all the toy options. Katie even spoiled her by sending some home with us that night. They have been enjoyed here and will be
viewed in more detail in the next blog.

We had a great time in Gainesville and hope for many more fun trips there in the future.

Barbara Manatee

With a long trip to pick up my friend, Katie and her girls, Nina and Adela, in Gainesville and then continue on to Homosassa Springs to see manatees, I felt it was time to get Isabelle's new forward facing car seat. The brief moments I had a chance to look back at her sure made me smile. She was in pure awe for thirty minutes not even touching the toy I set in her lap. Yes, I took a picture while driving when there was no traffic. No, I wasn't looking back when I did it but sure took a great blind picture! Her pacifier is in because I was really hoping that she would nap on the way there. Rather silly of me when you think about the new things she was seeing. We had an early wake up at 7 which is quite different from our normal mornings of sleeping in until 9:30 at the earliest. Your jealousy of us sleeping in would not reflect in her bedtime especially as of late.

Once in Gainesville, we comfortably filled the car with additional riders. I love our vehicle for many reasons but especially the DVD player. The girls enjoyed watching Backyardigans which I have not personally ever watched but the music was entertaining from the front seat. I'm sure they will be added to our collection of toddler movies soon. The girls also watched some Care Bear episodes, of course. I have officially left 6 Care Bear DVDs in the car each with multiple episodes to entertain Isabelle when nothing else seems to work.

We arrived at Homosassa Springs around lunch time though Isabelle had a hard time waiting that long with such an early breakfast. She had part of her lunch on the drive given to her occasionally by me from the front passenger seat. As a parent, sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do even if you could be ticketed. In fairness, I told Katie I would pay for any ticket but we didn't get one.

My friend, Bonnie, and her kids, Hannah and Samuel, were able to meet us there. Since they live near Tampa, Homosassa is about half way from Gainesville. I became friends with Bonnie while in Virginia and knew Hannah as a toddler. It was nice to finally meet Samuel and see in person how they both had grown. We all enjoyed a picnic lunch and the kids had a ball interacting and then running around while we cleaned up. Katie managed to snap a picture of them sitting in the grass. From left to right: Adela, Isabelle, Hannah, Nina, and Samuel. We took a boat ride over to the park which frankly bored Isabelle as she couldn't get down from my lap or she would have walked right off the edge. We were informed that the water was only 3 feet deep so no urgent need to wear life jackets. The bottom left picture was on the ride over when Isabelle saw some ducks.In the other pictures above: top right is the girls looking at all the different birds, center is Isabelle's expression from looking at the birds, center right is Katie and me (sorry Bonnie, our picture was too blurry so we'll have to retake one another time), bottom center is Isabelle and Hannah seeing more ducks, bottom right is all the youngsters by the manatee fountain.

Someone had informed Katie that there were hundreds of manatees there at this time of year. We went to the underwater observatory to see them up close. Unfortunately, we missed them. A park volunteer told us that they came into the spring in the evening. But the underwater observatory was still quite entertaining with the multitude of fish. Some were extremely large and others were traveling in schools. Of course, we needed pictures of all the kids in the manatee.
Our trip wasn't a bust with the absence of the wild manatees. There were some manatees that are there due to health issues so we did get to see a few in another area. The whole park also was a mini zoo with other native Florida wildlife including black bears, bobcats, white-tailed deer, American alligators, American crocodiles, river otters, and lots of birds to name some. We wound through boardwalks that made it convenient to let the kids walk freely most of the time. The kids really enjoyed that and were instant buddies as the hand holding picture portrays. Though not native to Florida, one of the best animals was the Hippo. At first we only saw him laying around, but when we came by on our way out of the park he was swimming and playing. It was exciting to see him open his mouth and actually snap a picture too!
We took family pictures on the way out. Not the best idea since Isabelle decided that was the perfect time to finally start her nap. After a little browsing in the gift shop, Isabelle now has a small stuffed manatee and Hippo magnet to play with. The tram back to our cars took a while to pick us up so at least Isabelle got about 40 minutes of a nap. Nina was the only napper in our vehicle on the way back to Gainesville though I'm sure all the mommas were ready for a nap after much chasing that day.

Snow Searching

I think Isabelle has been hoping for some of that snow everyone else we know outside of Florida has been getting (personally, I am so glad to have none!). Or maybe she just thinks its cold in the house at a chilly 72 degrees at the coldest? She has been begging me multiple times to put on her stocking cap from Grandma Great Wiese (no typo here, that's what she's called). Sometimes Isabelle actually searches for the cap in her toy bins. So one day I finally grabbed the camera and took a bunch of shots to pick one to send to Grandma Great. Yes, Isabelle is wearing Christmas pj's in January. She wears her clothes until they don't fit no matter the print.

Giraffes, Anteater, and Monkeys...Oh My

Isabelle's first outing to the zoo this year has given her a whole new perspective now that she can actually get right up to the exhibits and see the animals. We have an annual pass that has definitely paid for itself since we've been in Florida. It will most likely be renewed. We decided to get the family pass with one guest. This has worked out great when Katie, Nina, and Adela come with us. During this visit Katie brought some other friends too, one who had a girl about Isabelle's age, Payton. They became instant friends. With her short attention span, Isabelle only enjoys the exhibits where the animals are moving. When she does see the moving animals, she gets quite excited and even points at times. The best exhibits include the giraffes that we watch other zoo guests feed, the giant anteater that walks in front of the glass, and the playful squirrel monkeys. In these pictures from left to right and top to bottom: Isabelle looks at the giraffe being fed, turns my way for a quick shot, is happy about her log seat, claps with her new friend Payton with multiple giraffes in the background, and looks at funny giant anteater with Payton.

Just because I am not use to a kangaroo exhibit, that is a favorite as well especially if we catch them not lounging around in the heat of a day. Actually saw them hopping all over on a cool afternoon near closing time when they were ready to go in for the night to eat. Might be the best time to go to the zoo as all the animals were pretty active. We especially noticed the giraffes running and the monkeys making a ton of noise that magnified when they were let into a room that echoed. Would not want to be the poor deaf person who had to care for them in there! In the summer we will be sure to use the Splash Ground again. It is great to have the zoo so close to home too that we can go for just a short amount of time.

In these pictures Isabelle prepares to see the giraffes by cuddling her giraffe at home, rides the carousel zebra where the middle picture apparently she is exhausted from the ride (parental disclaimer: someone was hiding behind to make sure she wouldn't fall off), has another look at the giant anteater during our second trip there this year,

and saw beautiful ducks in the aviary we finally decided to venture into. Isabelle was either excited to see the birds up close...or perhaps terrified...

As I said with the likelihood of renewing our pass and the close proximity of the zoo, I'm sure there will be many more fun pictures and videos to come of our trips to the zoo. Can never get enough of those interesting animals God gave to us surely for our enjoyment.

One nice smiling picture

All I was asking for was just one nice smiling picture of Isabelle in her pretty plaid dress from Great Grandma and Grandpa Gerken. Instead I got these goofy faces. Ended up sending them the middle standing picture as a thank you for the birthday dress.

Out little monster

Thought this part of the day deserved it's own post. There are some awesome nesting blocks at Aunt Alysha's that Isabelle was enjoying that day. The towers Aunt Alysha built were taller then Isabelle! Isabelle loved to put the finishing touches on the tower and either bulldozer it over or....

play Godzilla. Turn up the volume and maybe you will hear her gasp at her destruction and growl at the end.

Can't help but love our cute little monster!

Let the blogging begin...

Seeing so many moms writing about their children has inspired me to start this blog illustrating intricate internal information involving Isabelle. Many may know that writing is not my passion, though upon reading this you may think otherwise. You may have noticed the posted date is some time before the current date. I got started a little later on this project then I had hoped and I would like to post when things actually happen. Hopefully I will catch up to the current date. Indulge yourselves in these inquiries into Isabelle.
Isabelle rocked the New Year in smiling. She enjoyed the first day of the new year with fun activities after staying the night at Aunt Alysha and Matt's. It is so wonderful to live close to at least one family member. Playing with Matt's son's toys gives Isabelle quite a change of pace when we go there. Though they are more oriented for little boys, Isabelle doesn't know the difference. Makes packing to visit them simpler too. Being in Florida definitely has benefits in the winter. We were able to take a walk to the park that afternoon. Notice I am only wearing a T-shirt on that beautiful day.

Isabelle only enjoyed the slide when riding on one of our laps. Sure hope she continues growing to love the park as we have one conveniently within walking distance of our house.

Isabelle really loves the freedom of walking and I let her as much as possible not only for her sake, but my back's sake as well. She is definitely a toddler as she toddles when she walks.