For The Isaac That May Care In 20 Years....

I started this blog as a way to keep family updated with all of Isaac's adventures, but it will be so much fun to look back through this website with Isaac in a few years. I just looked back at the first few posts and Isaac has grown so much. So, Isaac, here are a few of the things you love:

First and foremost, your imaginary friends. I couldn't catch one of them on camera...they're pretty quick. But this little cartoon made me laugh...we don't leave the house without at least one friend.

Strawberries, blueberries, oranges, bananas, pineapples...you name it, you love it.

All beef hot dogs. Your mommy is weird and won't eat regular hot dogs, so she's passing down her quirks to you. Sorry, kid. Eat up knowing you are only consuming one animal at a time...later you will thank me.

Isaac, you are so intelligent. From the time you turned 3, you could turn it on, go to the internet, and click on the link you wanted. Now, you can beat your daddy on internet games. GO COMPUTER NERDS!!! It's getting to the point now that you can fix something on the computer when it gives you an error.

Oh, lime sherbet, how we love you. Orange sherbet, you are loved too, but just not as much as lime.

You are a soccer genius. All of your hereditary clumsiness just disappears the second you get a soccer ball in front of you. I hope you keep it up and I get to cheer you on from the sidelines for many years to come.

So. Stinking. Cute. You run around catching the bad guys and I love watching you talk into your imaginary radio-watch. Seeing you save the world gives this mommy warm fuzzies.

Trucks, trucks, trucks. More trucks. OH wait...more trucks. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE.

Shapes and colors in any way shape and form. I am so happy to see that you love art. You are already drawing very detailed people and can write your name. You favorite color is pink and it kills your father. I die laughing everytime you tell someone you want a pink dog. Then I try and think of ways to give you a pink dog.

Last, and DEFINITELY not least, trains. I count 15 just from where I'm sitting and I know there is 5x that many in your room. You know them all by name and care for them greatly. You know when one is missing and will force mommy and daddy out into the backyard to search for Percy at 10pm. And we do it.

SO many things give you joy, Isaac. You find beauty in everything and everyone is your friend. Nothing makes me happier than to see you being such a happy little boy. You gotta WHOLE lotta love, kiddo.

XOXOXO,

Your Momma.

Quote of the Day

You know, I pride myself on being able to have adult conversations with children. They have amazing minds and far too often, adults underestimate what they are capable of. Two words sentences and hand motions lessen a child's confidence and they just live up to the standards and expectations that adults have set for them. I like to see Isaac carry this on to social settings and watch the amazement on other people's faces when my son speaks to them confidently and articulately.

That being said, I am the mother of a 3-year-old little boy. It is inevitable that he will say the most inappropriate things at the worst possible time. For instance, his word last week was 'boobies'. Don't ask me, I know not where he learned it. The last few weeks it was 'friggin' and yes, he got that from me. Real classy, I know. I have since dropped that from my vocabulary. But, I do my best to let Isaac express himself in every other way, shape and form besides the word 'friggin'.

This week, he has been a grump. He has been scolding Mom and Dad and getting onto us for a variety of things. For example, I was telling Brandon about my day and apparently Isaac had enough of it. Out of my wee little babe's mouth I heard,

"Keep it to yourself, mom".

Other kids? Probably would have talked right over their parents and just interrupted. Not mine. He has to make you feel two inches tall first. Aaaahhh, I love the monster I have created.

The Zoooooooooo

Well, I'm lazy. Sorry, I promised these, like, a week ago. Isaac did NOT like the zoo. At all. I think he had a problem with seeing the animals but not touching them. He INSISTED on spending the entire day with his 'girlfriend' Taylor. He's crazy about her and had so much fun. (I should clarify that she's a 'girlfriend' because she's a girl and she's a friend...that's Isaac's explanation...) Thank goodness her daddy was a good sport and stuck with us most of the day. And Taylor is just a DOLL and since Isaac was being grumpy, I really enjoyed watching her have fun! I rode the bus up there with the kids and daddy followed us.

This little guy was adorable. I think the cat enjoyed watching the kids more than the kids enjoyed watching the cat!

In the gorilla cave:

Mommy's real smart. Let's look into the sun guys!

All in all, it was a good day. Isaac got bit by a goose - not as bad as it sounds. After the zoo, we had a full day in Wichita running around. We were all exhausted and couldn't wait to get to bed.

How NOT To Eat a Peanut.

We sit down for lunch yesterday, and my sweet tiny boy grabs a peanut and says, "I know how to eat one of these!". He promptly chomps down on the peanut, shell and all, and starts chewing. Mom and Dad are in shock until Mommy finally screams, "SPIT IT OUT!!!!".

Scared the hell out of him, but that could NOT have tasted good.

I know, I know. You want photo-proof. Of course I have it.

I mentioned on the last post that we had a Zoo Day. I'm not leaving you hanging on those pictures, I just thought I'd put more thought and effort into that post - so it might take a day to get those up.

After the zoo, we went out for a quick bite to eat and it was there, at Logan's Roadhouse, that my dear son ate the whole peanut. After teaching him how to shell a peanut, he decided those suckers were hard to open and he quit.

The field trip was yesterday and there were no preschool fights until the field trip ended. Brandon has to have the last word. On anything. But see, so does Isaac. I am literally sitting in a booth at Logan's, wedging myself between a 3 year old little boy and a 27 year old man. It's hysterical. I actually had to separate them and put them on different sides of the table. There was silence and lots of dirty looks from Isaac, until Brandon couldn't take it anymore and instigated something else. I have to tell Isaac to be the bigger person and keep quiet - and Brandon sits over on the other side of the booth, just beaming.

The boys eventually called a truce and made up. Until next time.

The Lobster.

Aww, isn't Isaac's pet lobster cute? Wait, you can't see it? OH....That's because it's an imaginary lobster. Yup. My child has 3 puppies, 3 cats, a lobster, a hamster, and a grandma. All imaginary.

We went on a field trip yesterday to the zoo with Isaac's class. His teacher, Miss Amy, asked me about his 'friends'. I am completely comfortable with his imaginary companions, as is his teacher. His friends go with him to school and his teachers love it.

Every week it's someone or something new - last week he added the Grandma, the hamster and the lobster. Next week, who knows....but I look forward to meeting them!

No Nap + Isaac + Mommy = This.

Every birthday since Isaac was a tiny bebe, I get a picture with us lovin' on each other. He never looks directly at ANY camera and rarely does he smile - it's usually a grimace. This birthday, however, he was a RIOT!!! I had so much fun yesterday and could not have asked for a better way to celebrate my 25th birthday.

Strapping Young Lad.

Mommy found an amazing Easter outfit for the little man. He was loving it and thought he looked like a 'business man'.

I know, right? He's amazing

But then I told him to take it off. This is how THAT went.....

"I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR BEST FRIEND ANYMORE!"

I Call It Culture.

You know those parents who want 'cultured' kids? Yes, THOSE parents. The ones that take their 18-month-old to friggin' India to make him at peace with himself. Or the parents who send their 13 year-old to Paris with her friends so she can 'find herself'?

Yeah, I take MY kid to P.F. Changs. All the culture he is going to see for a while. But you know what? He's MASTERED chopsticks and thinks the Japanese/Chinese/Asian dragon he colored on his placemat is amazing.

Well done, child, well done.

Victory Thy Name is PERENNIAL!!!!

Hi, my name is Lindsey East and I am a plant-killer.



My grandmother was a lover of all blooms. My mother is a lover of all blooms. I....kill all blooms. I have unsuccessfully tried to keep plants alive for about 5 or 6 years. When I got married, I figured, hey, I'm a wife now - this means I miraculously obtained the magical gift of the green thumb. FAIL. I kept a bamboo plant alive for a short 9 months and it died a long painful death.

I was at Wal-Mart recently and saw some clearance plants. I have to be honest. I bought the first plant because the pot said 'Made in Germany'. I thought it was a sign from my Grandma Barlag so I bought it. I have three of those now and NONE are dead! Granted, it's been three weeks, but that's beside the point......

On to the moral of this victory story! When we bought our house in August of '07, there was not a living plant on the property. Growing up surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers, I needed some sign of life at my house. I talked to my mom and dad and they were so wonderful about helping. The following fall, they dove right in, helping me dig and collect rock. They probably went home and snickered..."Lindsey's going to try to keep something ALIVE!!!" (Just kidding!) Mom guided me step-by-step on the how's and what's of planting bulbs. It was late fall, so there wasn't much happening. Dad collected awesome rocks for my flower bed and it looked so put together. ALL I HAD TO DO WAS WATER IT, RIGHT?! Wrong. My lilies were in bloom when I planted them and shortly after, died. My hostas never came up. It's me. I'm a natural born killer.

Isaac waters them last week. Guess what?

Needless to say, his chores now include watering mommy's plants. We're headed off to buy more mulch tonight. We need to cover all the plants because apparently Kansas has decided to throw some snow down and IT'S ALMOST APRIL. Ridiculous. Mother Nature hates me.

So It Begins....

Isaac just asked me why he doesn't have a baby sister. He DEFINITELY does not want a baby brother, but said a baby sister 'would be wonderful.'

What do you think is the right age between kids? I have a brother who is 2 1/2 years older than me. My sisters and I are all 5 years apart. I am thinking 5 years might be the way things work out.

Brandon and I have had this discussion numerous times over the past 4 years. Isaac was a surprise, but we knew that once we had one, another was bound to come along sometime...might as well plan for that one, ya know? But now that I think about it, surprises are nice. I'll never be ready for another child...my mom always said that if you wait until you are ready to have a baby, you'll never have one.

All of that being said, NO I'm not pregnant....just thought it was cute that Isaac wants a baby sister :)

Long Time, No Blog.

I am dragging today. Bllllaaaaaaaaaah. I spent the weekend procrastinating on housework and that's exhausting.

Isaac has had a fever the past day or so. He is sooo sweet and cuddly when he doesn't feel good. Breaks my heart when he just lays on me. He tells me that his eyes are leaking. And for some reason he thinks when you are sick, it means you need to be naked. Let me assure you that at my house we don't run around nekkid when we are sick. I think Isaac is so hot that he just wants to be BARE!

I just got off the phone with Brandon and apparently Isaac is already feeling a little better. He's a young whippersnapper though...my dad's been down for 3 weeks now with this crud! Isaac is playing at the park as we speak, er...type...and hopefully the beautiful weather is making him feel better.

Brandon might kill me for telling his story, but....oh well!:)
Isaac has discovered the power of the groin-punch. He's mastered the art of making it look like an accident, too. When daddy makes him mad, he'll run over and sock 'em good. Brandon really has been getting on Isaac about this and Isaac knows better. Last night, Isaac had a meltdown and ran over and just punched Daddy RIGHT where it counts. Brandon found his voice again and hollered at Isaac that was NOT OKAY! Isaac squares up, points his finger at Daddy, and screams, "I AM A MAN!", with a very serious, angry look on his face. I lost it. I was all about backing Daddy in the disciplining when it came to protecting the jewels, but where my son got THAT?!.....baffled me. And to hear that coming out of a 3 year-old's mouth was just....priceless. I had to run in the hallway and hide, I was laughing so hard.

Ahhhhhhh, just a day in the life. :)

Bi-Polar Kansas and Those Who Enjoy It.

Kansas is bi-polar. I've come to realize this after almost 25 years. In the late winter/early spring months, it can go from 30° one day to 80° the next. Brandon's allergies LOVE Kansas.
My work went to a shortened work week and I had a BEAUTIFUL three day weekend with Isaac. It was 75°-80° every day and we took atleast ten walks around the neighborhood. We got to play with the activity table that Grandma and Grandpa got Isaac and it was a blast. It's a sand and water activity table, but somebody had suggested using rice instead of sand. Such a genius idea. It worked out great.
Another perk of Kansas is the lovely dead grass that we get 4 months out of the year. As you can see in picture #2, it creates a lovely background for pictures.
Also in picture #2 you will see a large plastic tub. I would like for you to take a minute to picture mommy filling up that tub with water. You see, I killed the hose. Ran over it several months ago. So there's mommy in the kitchen with a dang 30 gallon tub. I didn't think about how awkward that would be carrying it outside after it was FULL of 30 gallons of water. Duh. Isaac thought mommy splashing those 30 gallons of water all over her was hilarious. Mommy did not. Mommy survived.

Batman vs. The Yogurt

This 'Yogurt' is not to be confused with our dog, Bella Yogurt. You see, 'The Yogurt' is apparently a bad guy. My son is not Isaac, but BATMAN, the superhero that is sure to save the day. I'm told daddy is the evil villian that is trying to destroy everything. Isaac crushes The Yogurt with his death-ray and dodges defeat by using defensive moves only Batman would know. Batman towers over his enemy as he eliminates him with one final blow.

"Hahahahahahaaaaaa! I got you Yogurt!"

Mommy is very curious as to what an evil villian would do with a name like 'Yogurt' and Brandon and Isaac both break character, looking at me astounded by my question.

Apparently my son thought that Batman's arch nemisis was The Yogurt. Also known to you and I as........"THE JOKER".


Mess with me mommy. I dare you.

Batman and The Yogurt at their final showdown.

I like to think of this as Batman....deep in thought.

There's my sweet boy!

Be Still My Heart.

Imaginary Boats and Lunch Breaks.

They go together like peanut butter and jelly.

He was the captain of a large freighter in the Pacific. Our journey was long and mommy had a hard time getting her sea legs. We found land (LAAAAAAND HO, MOMMY!) and dropped anchor (he had an AWESOME sound effect for that) - all in a day's lunch break. 'Tis a wonderful adventure, my life.

Oh, look. Isaac acting shocked that mommy is keeping her plants alive. Cute. Real cute.

Getting him to look directly AT the camera is quite a feat....I am just excited the boy's eyes are open.