Isn't my family adorable?! Zoe loves to sit on Dave's lap while he is on the computer, she gets mesmerized. Isaac is such a good big brother, he loves taking the time to read to her and their favorite game is to chase each other around the house. I gave Zoe one of my old purses and she likes to put it around her neck and walk around, she is very proud of herself when she does this! She is growing up so fast. She is saying a few words: Isaac, what's that, kitty cat, mama, and dada. One of her favorite things to do is to read to herself. Her favorite books are her bible and Goodnight Moon. She knows where each page is that has the cats on them and will go straight to those pages, point to the cats and say kitty cat! Cats are her favorite thing right now and she is able to spot a picture of a cat anywhere! She also has a "special" scream for our cat when she sees her, which Perdy just loves (I'm being sarcastic in case you didn't catch that, as soon as Perdy hears the scream, she hauls butt and runs as far away as she can get!) The book is now in three separate pieces because she plays with it so much, but it's also the same one we had when Isaac was a baby, so it already had some wear and tear. The bible is a bit more sturdy and is still intact. Also, she will repeat just about anything anyone says or does, very cute! It is so fun watching her learn right now, this seems to be an age when their brains seem to be absorbing everything!I guess we need to start watching what we say! :)
Isaac and I had a special date together because he earned straight A's and is on the Honor Roll! He also received a Citizen Certificate which means he is an excellent classroom role model! He has really matured over the past year and continues to improve in school every year. We are so proud of him! As a treat, I took him shopping at Toys-R-Us so he could spend his money (he had saved up $40.00!). Then we had lunch together at McDonalds, his favorite place in the world, and then off to the bowling alley. He gave me a run for my money and almost beat me! He even got several strikes! It was a great time and so nice to have some quality time with just the two of us. He was very appreciative and wrote me a note thanking me for the wonderful day and for coming up with the idea! How sweet is he?!
The day after Thanksgiving, we celebrated with the Lindquist side of the family at our house. It had been a long time since all of us have gottten together so it was great to see everyone. The gang included Dave's brother and family, Dave's parents, Dave's Aunt Carolyn and his grandma, Dave's sister and her VERY soon to be husband, Hugo, his mom as well as our group. Again we had a wonderful dinner and a lovely visit with the family. But the most exciting news is that Dave's sister Ruth got married to her fiance, Hugo! Dave's dad is a Reverend so it was perfect. And Isaac was the ring bearer and did a wonderful job! He was also ring bearer at Pete and Mollie's wedding (Dave's brother) so he's a pro! I've never had a wedding in my house and it was pretty cool! The ceremony was beautiful (although the bride took forever to get ready, she was a 1/2 hour past schedule!) can't blame her though, a bride always wants everything to be perfect which it should be. Hugo is a wonderful person and we are thrilled to have him as a part of our family. Ruth and Hugo are perfect for each other and I couldn't be happier for both of them. We had a full house during the wedding, I think 20 people give or take. Afterward, Hugo and his friend played guitar and sang for everyone. It was very touching and Hugo is very talented and has an awesome singing voice. He sang a beautiful song to Ruth, of course I teared up. There were a lot of happy tears, not just for the bride and groom but also for the family being able to be together. I am so happy for Ruth and Hugo and wish them a lifetime of happiness! We love you guys!
On Thanksgiving day, The Gallos, my mom and dad and our family celebrated at mom and dad's house. Zoe has become a picky eater so she didn't like the turkey, but she loved the pumpkin pie and the apple pie! My favorite part too! My mom gave all the kids Advent calendars and they were so excited! Since when do we give gifts on Thanksgiving?! Only my mom!
I was in the bathroom putting on my makeup and I peeked around the corner to see what kind of trouble Zoe was getting into this time because it was way too quiet. But to my surprise, she was sitting quietly reading a book, and her bible no less! Too cute! I love these pics of Isaac and Zoe, they absolutely adore each other!
Isaac carved his own pumpkin again this year and did a great job! In previous years I always end up gutting his pumpkin for him but I told him this year he had to do it but that I would help a little. He did pretty good and I did have to help with some of the gutting. He used a pattern and he transferred the pattern and carved the whole thing by himself. I did some carving as well. I also use patterns and I think they turned out pretty good.
I am the room mom for Isaac's class so I am in charge of the parties. The Halloween party turned out really well (you never know if the kids are going to like the games) but they loved all of them and said it was the best Halloween party ever! They had a candy corn relay race, (girls against boys), mummy wrap and pictionary. I got a lot of help from the other parents donating money and snacks and paper products which I was grateful for because all that stuff can get pretty expensive. I had tons of fun with the kids, they were all very well behaved and they had a great time.
On Halloween, my friend Natalie had a party for the kids. They painted pumpkins, she made all kinds of spooky treats and put up spooky decorations. Then it was time for trick-or-treating. Zoe was all bundled up in her stroller, it was pretty cold. She had a great time watching the kids run around but hit her brick wall about an hour in and Dave took her home and put her to bed. It was near impossible to get a picture of Isaac from the front because he runs from house to house like he's on a mission. I had to run up in front of him about 3 houses just to get any 'natural' pics of him. Natalie has a fun neighborhood where there is very little traffic, everyone is out on their porch or driveway with bonfires. Some people grill out hot dogs and make hot cider to give out. We love trick-or-treating there so that's where we go each year. Plus Isaac gets to be with his friends he's known all his life! Our neighbor Danielle came with us and she had a great time even though she didn't know anyone. Christy, Natalie, Susan and I have been friends for a long time and Natalie, Susan and I have been friends since 4th grade. It's weird to think back to those days especially because Isaac goes to the same school we did! There were no incidents and Zoe was very well behaved, she kept herself busy walking back and forth from the front door to the kitchen holding a Hershey's bar in one hand and a box of Dots in the other, it was so funny to watch her. It was great for us, we didn't have to chase her around to keep her out of everything!
Yesterday we had our annual Halloween party at my parents house with my sister and her family. The kids love it...I think Isaac was more excited for that than trick-or-treating! Dominic's costume was pretty scary and Zoe cried every time she saw him, even without the mask, which is weird because they're buddies! In the picture of all five of them, Dominic had to move to the opposite end of where Zoe was and we barely got that picture. My mom made spaghetti with eyeballs (meatballs) and snakes (bread sticks). The kids really get a kick out of that and the cool decorations!
On Sunday, Zoe was Dedicated at our church. Our church doesn't baptize children until they are old enough to understand what it means to accept God in their lives. So this is the equivalent for babies. It was very touching, although Zoe could not keep her hands off my face as I'm trying to be serious and listen to what the Pastor was saying! We were joined by my mom, Dave's brother Pete, his wife Mollie, their son Pascal, Dave's sister Ruth and her boyfriend Hugo. (hope I spelled his name right, Ruth!) Afterward, we all had lunch at our house and as you can see, Zoe changed out of her dress into comfy clothes within minutes, she takes after her mom! My sister and her crew couldn't come because they were sick, wish they could have been there but when you're sick, you're sick! The whole day was fun and as always, I enjoy getting together with family.
Isn't my family adorable?! Zoe loves to sit on Dave's lap while he is on the computer, she gets mesmerized. Isaac is such a good big brother, he loves taking the time to read to her and their favorite game is to chase each other around the house. I gave Zoe one of my old purses and she likes to put it around her neck and walk around, she is very proud of herself when she does this! She is growing up so fast. She is saying a few words: Isaac, what's that, kitty cat, mama, and dada. One of her favorite things to do is to read to herself. Her favorite books are her bible and Goodnight Moon. She knows where each page is that has the cats on them and will go straight to those pages, point to the cats and say kitty cat! Cats are her favorite thing right now and she is able to spot a picture of a cat anywhere! She also has a "special" scream for our cat when she sees her, which Perdy just loves (I'm being sarcastic in case you didn't catch that, as soon as Perdy hears the scream, she hauls butt and runs as far away as she can get!) The book is now in three separate pieces because she plays with it so much, but it's also the same one we had when Isaac was a baby, so it already had some wear and tear. The bible is a bit more sturdy and is still intact. Also, she will repeat just about anything anyone says or does, very cute! It is so fun watching her learn right now, this seems to be an age when their brains seem to be absorbing everything! I guess we need to start watching what we say! :)
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