Back to shcool, back to shcool....

The honeymoon of my maternity leave is officially over. Monday marked my first day back to work, and my first time to leave my Isaac for an entire day. The good news is that Brandon, my awesome, amazing, wonderful husband, took Monday and Tuesday off to stay home with Isaac. It made my first week back to work quite a bit easier. It gave us the opportunity to get a feel of our morning routine, and it gave me the ability to go back to work those two days with much less anxiety... and knowing I could call home to check on him as often as I wanted! While I've always dreamed of being a stay at home Mom, that's just not a possibility for us right now. So I've got to make the best of this by remembering that I'm blessed with a job, a wonderful home, a tank full of gas, and food on the table while many others are struggling to find work and provide the bare necessities for their families.

Thank you, Lord, for these blessings.

Today was Isaac's first day to go to the sitters. Brandon and I LOVE our sitter - she is wonderful. A sweet, Christian woman who has previously run a day-care, a pre-school, has been a foster parent and has 5 children of her own. She is the real deal - she's all about kids. We couldn't have asked for a more loving and caring person to take care of our Isaac (with the exception of family, of course). Even as wonderful as she is, though, it was still a tearful morning leaving him with her. Those Moms out there that have done this before, you know exactly where I'm coming from! I've never been as ready to leave work as I was today... I straightened my classroom and cleared my desk in record time to get to that precious boy as fast as I possibly could! His big eyes and bright smile have never been so sweet.

Today brought about the harsh reality that my time with Isaac in the evenings is going to go much too quickly... between cooking dinner, packing Isaac for the next day, bath-time, kitchen clean-up and multiple feedings, the time FLIES by! I'll cherish the weekends even more at this stage in my life... the time that they will give us to spend together as a family will be invaluable.

Speaking of family, this weekend marked Isaac's first trip to Grandmomma and Grandaddy Rhodes house! Here are some pictures of Isaac getting his first bath at Grandmomma's house. I love you, Mom & Dad - we had a great time in B'ville!

Time really does fly...

I can't believe that my baby turned a month old yesterday. While the day of his birth seems like ages ago, his first four weeks at home have absolutely flown by! It's been so much fun being at home with him and getting to know him. Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. :)

Gearing up for a smile...

and it's a big one!...

and still showing off my precious smile!

Ready for a walk with Mommy and Cooper

Playing with Daddy

Looking more like my Daddy everyday

World's cutest frowning face

Posing for the camera

What a cutie pie

Having lived in the Dallas area for nearly 7 years now, I've found that my least favorite thing about living here is the lack of a Fall season. The weather tends to go from hot directly to cold, the trees go from green to leaflless, skipping over that crisp, cool Fall temperature and the colors of the season. I remember hosting Thanksgiving two years ago and having to turn down the air conditioner because it was still so hot! However, we've actually been having Fall-like temperatures lately, so Brandon, Isaac and I took advantage of it this weekend by walking around a beautiful outdoor mall close to our home on Sunday afternoon. We bought a few outfits for our little guy, enjoyed a couple of Sonic drinks (thanks, Mom!) and did a bit of window shopping. I hope that the weather allows us to have another family outing sometime soon! I also hope that this Fall-like weather brings the other joy of Fall - the turning of the leaves. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll actually get to see some color this year!

Isaac's ready for the mall!
Just before I started this post...

I hope you all enjoy the wonderful Fall weather, too!

My little family and my 30th birthday

My family... these words have a whole new meaning for me now. In the past when I've said "my family", I've been referring to either my immediate family, extended family, or that of my in-laws. Now these words refer to the family that my husband and I have started. I guess we're growing up!

Speaking of my family, here are some pictures of my boys. :)

Our perfect little angel...

Daddy and Isaac

Smiling for Mama

Daddy's whiskers tickle!

Daddy rocks me to sleep.
On another note, I turned 30 last week and had the most wonderful birthday celebration with my family. I'm still not able to get out much, so I wasn't sure what we would do for my birthday. I really didn't expect much since Brandon is talking about having a big 3-0 party when I'm feeling more up to it and Isaac is a bit older. I was very pleasantly surprised when Brandon brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers home with him, along with cards from both him and one from Isaac, both of which made me cry. And then, as I turned to hug my husband to thank him, he surprised me with a gift bag from Zales. Inside was a beautiful sapphire ring - something I've been wanting for years - AND a sapphire necklace and earrings. Oh, and did I mention that we also had sushi for dinner? WOW! Am I lucky or what? A healthy, happy, beautiful baby boy, an amazing husband AND sapphires for my birthday? What did I do to deserve all of this?

My new ring!

Thank you, dear Jesus, for the immeasurable gift of my family. I pray that I will never take them for granted and that I will always remember what a blessing they are to my life.

A visit from the Pruitts

Yesterday brought some much anticipated guests - the Pruitts (aka my sister, her husband and her son). They came all the way from Moore, Ok to meet Isaac for the first time!

My sister is one of the most special people in the world to me. She is my best friend. I can talk about anything with her and know that it is in complete confidence and also know that, if I'm receiving advice, it's expert advice from someone that knows me better than just about anyone else in the world. She is one of the most Godly women I know, so she is also an inspiration to me. Stephanie and I have always had this deep connection - we can read each other's minds.. I've heard her describe it as a "twin" thing, which is a very good way to describe it. Needless to say, I was super excited for my little sister to meet my baby boy. It was an incredibely special moment for me - one that I'll never forget.

Yes, there's also a baby in the picture... :)

Beautiful Aunt Stephanie and Isaac

It's always great seeing Mike, too! Mike truly is like a brother to me. He and my sister dated for many years before they got married, beginning in High School. Mike and I graduated from high school together and our families also went to church together. Needless to say, we spent a lot of time together at our many youth group gatherings, and also had a lot of fun "learning" French in High School (non, merci... ha!.. Mike will get it...). Mike is a great guy, a great father and a goof-ball that I always enjoy spending time with. He's the in-law that I can ALWAYS be myself around, same as my actual siblings. Sometimes we even fight like we're siblings... sorry, Mike. :)

Uncle Mike meets Isaac

And last, but certainly not least, there's my nephew Sam. Sam is the grandson of the Rhodes family that my Mom affectionately calls the "giant little baby". That's a GREAT description of him. He's enormous for his age (95th percentile)... I can't believe how much taller he is than even the last time I saw him! He's also one of the loudest, most rambunctious kids I've ever seen. He's ALL BOY, and super fun. He loves his parents, loves to smile, and loves to explore. I can hardly wait for Isaac to get a little older so that they can play together. They're just over a year apart, so we all hope that these two cousins grow up to be great buds! We love you, Sam!!!!

Sam on the move!


Sam loves on his Daddy. So sweet!

Thanks, Pruitts, for making the trek down to Rowlett this weekend. We love you and can't wait to see you again soon!