Shhhhhh.... It's a secret!

I have a BIG secret for Isaiah. I'm taking him to Walt Disney World!

He knows he's going on vacation with me in June. He knows that we're not going to Disneyland because California isn't in my budget. He knows we're going somewhere where we have family. He thinks we're going to Seattle to see Shaun/Jenny and the kids.

He is so wrong. We have family in Florida. He just doesn't realize or remember that he has cousins there (Ron's side of the family) and he doesn't know that I have a cousin there (my mom's side of the family). He doesn't even know that WDW exists. He hears "Disney" and he automatically thinks Disneyland and California.

I've been dropping small hints but he is oblivious. My goal is to keep it totally a secret until we walk out of the airplane terminal and he sees the "Disney Express" to take us to our hotel. I'm so excited.

Isaiah update

My little man is growing up so quickly! It's so hard to believe that he will be 11 in just a few months. Wow! Where has the time gone? He continues to impress us with how well he is doing in school (without ANY scheduled interventions - only on an "as needed" basis). Amy got his report card yesterday and he has an A (in science) and two Bs (math and language arts). Outstanding!

Anna has learned how to open the doors so everything on Isaiah's floor (or in his closet, dresser, etc.) is "fair game" as far as she is concerned. It's gotten to the point where Isaiah has had to put his fear of the basement (and being down there by himself) aside and ask Amy and Rex if he can move to the spare bedroom down there. So funny... "Dad! Something has got to be done! Anna won't stay out of my room and keeps messing with my things! Can I move downstairs?" What a surprise!

So, Amy and Rex are undertaking painting the bedroom and bathroom with "kid-friendly" colors that Isaiah picked out. Once that is complete, Amy will be adding the wall decorations that he's picked out (some from his current bedroom) and we're both planning on getting him some life-sized (or close) Star Wars décor. I'm not sure if I can find something I can afford (they're quite expensive) but I know that Amy will get him one.

The bathroom is blue but Amy added an orange accent wall since his bedroom is going to be orange and a light tan. Here are a couple of early pictures.

I took Isaiah out for a "date" last weekend. He loves shrimp and never gets to eat it. Amy and Rex are both allergic to fish (Rex is allergic to ALL fish; Amy just shellfish). I needed to run an errand and asked him if he'd like to have an afternoon out with just me. He was excited to get an opportunity to go eat shrimp.

 

 

Once Isaiah's room is all finished, I'll post an update to show. I'm sure it will be super cute. After Isaiah gets moved downstairs, Amy and Rex are going to re-do his "old" room for Anna. It's bigger than her current room with a much bigger closet. What she currently has is OK for a toddler but she is rapidly outgrowing it (once you add in the bigger toys that are not "infant" toys).  I'll have to show it, too. Anna LOVES dinosaurs and wants them on her walls. She's a trip.

Speaking of Anna... she loves to say grace at the dinner table. "God is gweat, God is good, let us tank Him for our food. Amen." This is how it went the other day...

Anna:  God is gweat. {looking at Isaiah} Bow you head! God is gweat. {to Isaiah} Close you eyes!
Grandma:  Snicker, snort, cough, cry. (by now, I've got my head down in my shirt and I'm trying so hard to keep it contained.)
Anna:  What's wong wif gwamma?
Grandma:  Grandma is crying. Just say the prayer; I'll be fine.
Anna:  Behave! God is gweat...

Little man got braces

Isaiah is doing so much better in so many areas, that I really haven't had much to write about. He's mainstreamed for most of the day and only goes to Speech and one other "pull out" during the day. He's simply amazing.

Poor thing, his teeth have come in so crooked that the dentist recommended not waiting until he was older for braces. He would probably have to have several of his adult teeth pulled if they waited. So, off to the orthodontist he went.

Here, Isaiah is "posing" for me in front of the closet. You can kind of see his teeth.

 

In this picture, Isaiah is sporting his new braces, and a medal he won for the most improved player on his basketball team.

He's such a cutie... and he loves coming down to our house and spending time with his "crampa."

Christmas Presents and New Year's Eve

It's been a few months since I posted and it's mostly because I haven't had enough "fodder" for my blog. But... I have a couple of doozies for you today.

Christmas Presents...

Saturday (the 29th), I opened presents with Amy, Rex, Isaiah, and Anna. Isaiah was having a bit of a rough day and had a bit of "attitude" about things. Amy had to call him out on talking back to her and during her conversation with him, I had to leave the room.

Amy: Isaiah, you need to calm down. I'm tired of you being smart-mouthed. You need to quit being smart with me.
Isaiah: (obviously struggling to be calm) But... but.. but... I'm trying to tell you.
Amy: Take deep breaths, calm down, calm down.
Isaiah: (jerking his arms and really upset) But, I want to be smart! (crying in earnest) Don't you want me to be smart?

It's then that I knew if I didn't leave the room the whole thing was going to blow up. Even Amy had to hide a smile as she explained the difference between "smart mouthed" and "smart" to him.

Once he got himself under control, he was able to open his presents, which he really enjoyed. He's getting so big and he's a great big brother to Anna.

New Year's Eve...

I was invited down to spend the afternoon/evening and enjoy an evening of playing games. Amy had bought Clue, Phase 10, and Yahtzee. Amy, Isaiah, and I played a round of Clue while Rex was at the store. Amy and I had each figured out that "Plum" was the guilty character so that's the only one we were concentrating on. Isaiah's character was "Mustard" and after the game was over, he was upset because we didn't pick him. He wanted to draw Intrigue cards from the deck.

I told him the next game, I'd make sure that I picked him and that I hadn't this time because I knew that Mustard was not guilty.

Later, Isaiah set up the game again for us to play. Rex and I played while Amy took care of Anna. It didn't take us very long to figure out that "Mustard" was the guilty character (Isaiah had picked him again). After we finished the game, Rex said that he figured out (based on Isaiah's concerns the previous game) that the guilty character would be Mustard and all we had to figure out was "where" and with what weapon. Isaiah said he didn't stack the deck, but we think he at least made sure that Mustard was the guilty character.

I've been remiss

I haven't updated Isaiah's blog in quite some time. Isaiah has had his 9th birthday (where has time gone!), he's finished 2nd grade with flying colors (yay!), and turning into a fine young man. He's (mostly) a great big brother to Anna and she just adores him. He's also got a great sense of humor.

For example, Rex and Amy were having a "discussion" over something they had conflicting opinions on. Isaiah was playing in his room and heard them, so he went into the living room. He stood there and using his very expressive hands and facial expressions to help him talk, said "Ladies! Ladies! You're all beautiful!" Of course, that cracked everyone up.

Another time, Amy and Ron were discussing television programming and what was OK for him to watch. One show that Ron likes he turns off when Isaiah gets here. Amy doesn't let him watch it at home but she said he didn't necessarily need to change the channel because it was over Isaiah's head. Isaiah was sitting at the dining room table eating and he put his hands up over his head. As he was "feeling" around in the air space above his head he said, "No it's not. There's nothing above my head."

He also sings his own version of "Hush Little Baby" to Anna when she's fussy. He sings that "bubba's going to buy" instead of "mama's going to buy" her things. It's very cute to hear him and she quiets down. Last night he sung her to sleep. It's very cute.

Of course, he has his moments when he's not the best brother and he's not the best kid. But those are pretty few and he's always great at out house. He spent the night with us Friday night and said when he's an adult he hopes we're still alive. LOL... He said if Grandpa died, he would be sad because he's his best buddy.

Yesterday, Amy and I took the kids to the local arboretum for pictures. They morning was beautiful and the pictures turned out great. Here are a few of my favorites.

Various updates

I haven't had nearly enough "fodder" for my Isaiah updates lately.

He's being a very good big brother and does a really good job of sharing the limelight with Anna. He's had a few issues but he's had eight years of being an only child and when you go from that to having a baby sister in the house, it's a big adjustment for "normal" children. He loves his baby sister very much and is still very good about wanting to soothe her if she's fussy.

Anna's turned four months old on the 4th and is starting to become more active and interested in things around her. She loves it when Isaiah gets down on her level and talks to her.

Isaiah's doing very well in school this year and is learning how to do household chores to "earn" his TV and game time. He has an alarm and gets himself up every morning and ready for school. If he does this completely on his own, without reminders, he can earn 30 minutes of TV or game time. For each reminder, he loses 10 minutes.

Anna and Isaiah were baptized last month. Anna wore a beautiful gown that Amy's sister-in-law had given her. Isaiah was very spiffy looking in his suit, which is almost too small for him (he's grown so much!).

That's about it for my various updates. I'm sure I have more fodder for the blog somewhere but it will have to wait until another day.

Today is a special day...

Isaiah is officially Rex's son, complete with his new name... Isaiah Nicholas S.

What a great day!