Hey Izzy Bee!

I don't know why, but in the last few days Éva's attentiveness to Izzy has become increasingly more noticeable. She will not go to bed or take a nap without giving Izzy a kiss and the first thing she asks for when she wakes up is "Baby Izzy" or "Izzy Bee" as we so affectionately call her. Éva has been asking to hold her more often and she also seems to get a lot of satisfaction in being able to get Izzy to smile or talk. This was incredibly obvious last night at the dinner table.

We try to make a habit of eating together as a family at least once a day and of course, we use that time to talk to eachother, including Izzy. And Izzy enjoys "talking" back. So, last night as Éva finished her dinner, Paul took her down from her chair and she immediately climbed into the chair directly in front of where Izzy was sitting in her Bumbo on the table, got right up into Izzy's face and said, "Hey Izzy Bee!" She then proceeded to tickle Izzy's feet and kiss them. She sang her songs and laughed every time Izzy smiled. And then, Izzy started cooing at her and letting out little squeals of delight. Éva looked at me and said with excitement, "She's talkin' to me, Momma!" It was adorable, to say the least.

Oh Bother

I know I must be breaking some kind of sacred Halloween rule to expose Éva's costume so early, but I just had to put this picture up. Her face is just classic, and oh yes...there is a story behind it.

Anyone who knows Éva knows her love for all things Pooh. Of course, her favorite Pooh character is Lumpy but she loves them all. I searched high and low for a Lumpy costume in her size but the closest I came was a size 24 months that would have to be shipped from Puerto Rico. So, Paul and I figured the next best thing would be the soft Pooh costume (with his Super Sleuth uniform from the show "My Friends Tigger and Pooh) we saw at the Disney Store not too long ago.

When we had originally seen it there, Éva instantly loved it. She got so excited and immediately started spouting the Super Sleuth Anthem, "Anytime, anyplace, the Super Sleuths are on the Case!" But we didn't purchase it because at the time, I really thought I would be able to find a Lumpy costume.

So when we went back this past weekend to pick it up, Éva of course fell in love all over again. I couldn't wait to get it home and try it on her.

Well, my goodness, you would've thought that I had asked the kid to poor hot lava all over her the way she acted when I attempted to put the costume on her. She wouldn't have it. But I had to make sure it fit. So, I held her tight and forced the costume on her little body one kicking leg at a time. And she was MAD, I tell you.

When it was finally on, I stood back to admire her. It was so cute, even with the runny nose and puffy red eyes. Éva finally calmed a bit but was still somewhat pouty (thus the face in the picture), so we decided to leave it on her for a while so she could get used to it. It took a while, but eventually, she decided she liked the Pooh costume and I don't think we'll have any problems donning it again on the 31st.

But don't hold me to that...

It's Official

...we have a thumb-sucker on our hands. Paul and I have caught our sweet baby numerous times pacifying herself with her thumb (I've even been jolted from my sleep in the middle of the night by her very loud sucking). Although we'll save a little money in the way of pacifiers, I can't imagine how on earth we'll wean a child from her own thumb. Guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Sister Love

The other night, as we headed out on our fairly routine family walk, the thought occurred to me that Izzy might be old enough to actually sit in the stroller instead of sitting in her car seat attachment in the stroller. I thought she would enjoy being able to take in the sights instead of being stuck staring at me the whole time. It made sense to me. After all, she loves to be facing out when she's held so she can see everything. And she did enjoy being able to sit in the stroller, but not so she could look at all the scenery. No, she just wanted to look at Éva. And she did...for the entire walk.

“Earth is crammed with heaven,
and every common bush is on fire with God;
but only he who sees takes off his shoes;
the rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.”

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Fall in Hawaii

In case any of you were wondering, I LOVE fall. It is my favorite season. I love the colors, I love the crispness in the air and the sound of crunching leaves under my feet. The weird thing about my obsession with fall is that I've only experienced a true sense of "Fall" a hand full of times in my life. I was born in Little Rock, but my father was in the Air Force so we moved quite a bit. We moved from Little Rock to Hawaii to Florida to Georgia and back to Florida again. And now, I'm back in Hawaii with MY family. So as you can see, I'm no stranger to a tropical climate.

Anyway, there is one Autumn that will always stand out in my mind as being the epitome of my favorite season. It was in 2001; the year I spent in Arkansas after my graduation from high school. I was living in North Little Rock with my second family, the Godbees, and my friend Ashley (whom I've mentioned many times, I know) invited me to ride up to Fayettville with her and her family to see a Razorbacks game. She and her most of her siblings all graduated from the University of Arkansas (where the top picture was taken) and her brothers, Josh and Chad were still attending at that time. So, I got a great tour of the campus and it was seriously like a fall lovers dream! It even smelled wonderful. It was that smell that you can't just nonchalantly breathe in and out- oh no, you have to take it in- breathing deep and allowing the crisp air to fill your lungs and rejuvenate you in every way. It was such an array of vivid oranges, golds, reds and yellows that I couldn't help but marvel at the talent and imagination of our Creator. It reminded me how blessed we are, even in this depraved world, to be able to see His handiwork all around us.

All that being said, I tend to get a little sad this time of year since moving to Hawaii over 3 years ago. Fall in Hawaii means, more rain and the temperature going from 87 degrees every day to 80 degrees. But racking up over 14 years in a tropical climate (between Florida and Hawaii) over my life has not eradicated my love for crisp, cool weather and I have to admit, it's hard to get into the "fall spirit" out here. Still, I try.

Since I cannot change the weather, I influence my mood with food. Even if it is a not-so-crisp 87 degrees outside, somehow a hot bowl of chili can still warm me up on the inside. I made a big pot of turkey chili last night and topped it with sour cream and cheddar cheese and some corn bread on the side. Tonight, I plan on making another fall favorite for me...grilled cheese and tomato soup. YUM!



So, for all of you who are blessed to experience my perfect fall this year, take a deep breath, enjoy a bowl of chili and a good book on the couch by the window and roll around in some leaves...for me!

More Fun at the Park

Last night, our family ventured to the park, yet again. When we first arrived, there was no one around and Éva had the entire play ground to herself. I, of course took the first few minutes of park time to shoot away with the camera without having to worry about maneuvering around little bodies to get good shots of my big girl. I got a few of her climbing all of the playground equipment and then a few of her trying to steal the soccer ball away from Paul. It wasn't long before the park was full of boisterous, laughing kiddos.

The first kid to show up after Éva was a 9 year old boy who immediately took an interest in Paul and I. Well, I think it was more of an interest in our digital SLR camera, but nevertheless, he didn't wander far from us throughout our stay at the park. He would follow me around for a while, talking non stop about this and that and other random things and then he'd head over to Paul and back and forth he went.

One mother brought her two children and proceeded to chase them around the playground wriggling her fingers up by her face as she spouted things like, "When I catch you I'm going to make a sandwich with your little toes and gobble up your sweet little ears." Her children would scream and run and then stop to allow their mother to get close enough to cause their adrenaline to surge before they rocketed off again with a high pitched squeal. This confirmed what I had always known as a child; it is most definitely the anticipation of being caught that makes a game of "chase" so much fun. Éva loved watching the kids and their mom run around the play ground and at one point, when the mom finally caught her little girl, Éva looked at me and shouted, "Wow! Momma, you see that?" I told her I had and laughed uncontrollably for a good few minutes.

As I observed the interaction between the mother and her children with a smile on my face, I wondered how Éva might react when the woman tried to include her in their game. I was sure her approach would send Éva running to me as she tends to be a very cautious little girl, but instead Éva giggled and ran in the opposite direction from where I was standing. She then began to follow the woman around just waiting with wide eyes a huge grin from ear to ear for her to turn around to do what she was threatening. Even Éva, at 2 years old, felt the need for a good adrenaline rush.

Meanwhile, Izzy sat in the stroller and flashed a few smiles for the camera. I know she's envious of her big sister. Getting to run around like that and climb all over the primary colored play ground. In time, my sweet Izzy. In a very short time.