But Grandma....

Isaiah spent last weekend with him and as we were getting ready to go home Sunday (Halloween morning), he told me that he "wouldn't recommend Hesston."

I said, "Hesston is a nice place to live. It's quiet, the people are nice, and it's not too big."

"But Grandma, you don't understand! (insert expressive hand movement and intense facial expression) There's no Walmart! No movie feeater! Only food!"

As I tried (in vain) to keep from laughing, he said, "I can't do nuffin except get food there!"

Poor, mistreated little guy...

Isaiah updates...

Since Amy and Isaiah have moved on to greener pastures, I don't have as much fodder for my little blog. But, Amy gave me some really good stuff the other day when we were talking on the phone.

Isaiah has a tendency to "flap" his arms when he is excited or concentrating on something. That is somewhat distracting for others around him. It also is something that can be used as a method of teasing. Isaiah is so sweet and naive that he doesn't even realize that he's being teased when kids "imitate" him. But, his teacher is really sharp and she caught on very fast that other kids were making fun of him.

To counteract this, she had Isaiah come to the front of the class and explained to EVERYONE that Isaiah was born "special" and that sometimes he has body movements that he cannot control. His movements do not give the other students permission to make fun of him. That solved a potential problem before it got to the point where Isaiah noticed that others were making fun of him.

In addition, his teacher is constantly looking for ways to encourage and motivate Isaiah. She quickly learned that focusing on his POSITIVE actions instead of his negative actions and she's seeing marked improvement in areas where he had been struggling. This is really BIG.

Isaiah is also very close to earning his first Boy Scout badge. He can nearly say his pledge without any prompting.

One thing the teacher was very right about... He is special. Very special!

They're Tigers, Not Squirrels

So, I've never been a Boy Scout or Cub Scout. I didn't even know there was anything younger than a Cub Scout. Isaiah told me he was in "scouts" but couldn't remember exactly what they were called.

I asked Amy. Then, I promptly forgot what she said.

I told Ron that Isaiah was in "scouts." He said, "What is he?" I said I didn't know but I thought he was a squirrel or some other little animal.

Well, needless to say, I was wrong. But - Ron couldn't remember anything younger than a Cub, either. AND HE WAS A SCOUT. So - I don't feel too badly on that.

But, isn't our little guy just the cutest thing in a "Tiger" Scout uniform?

Learning how to swim

Isaiah has been going to the YMCA all summer and they have spent a lot of time at the pool, but he hasn't really done anything that involved putting his head under water for any length of time or required him to hold his breath. He worked really hard with his new dad this past week to learn how to swim.

He did a great job! He did such a good job, that when we went out on a catamaran tour and snorkeling trip, he was confident enough to get out in the ocean and snorkel.

He was looking like a pro out there!

McDonald's Best Meal

Rex says: Isaiah what did you have for lunch today? (yesterday at school)

Isaiah says: Well Sir, McDonald's best meal.....hambuger and french fries.

Back to School

Isaiah starts back to school at a brand new place on Monday. I wanted to do something for him to maybe brighten his day and to possibly ease the transition. Starting over is never easy for anyone and for Isaiah, it can be very challenging. Since he totally loves Star Wars, he got a new backpack and lunch bag for the new year. I had Amy send me a picture of it (and then I found a better one on Target's Website) and I used it as a model for my own version of it.

The original:

My card:

I didn't figure I did too shabby for someone who has never had an art class. It did take me several hours, though. Only for Isaiah...

Wedding Day

Saturday, August 7, Amy married her sweetie and Isaiah got to give her away. He was simply adorable and kept saying "I do" all wrong during practice. He'd point to himself and say "ME" (instead of I do), and he even pointed to Rex one time and said "he does!"

Isaiah was so excited to have new cousins, new aunts and uncles, and new grandparents. He had one of the disposable cameras and kept lining people up to take their pictures. "Nana, Poppa, Aunt Christie - get in line; say 'cheese' - no, say 'star wars'." Amy's not got them developed yet, but I'd sure like to see how his pictures turn out. He took a lot.

Here is my favorite little "model" pose:

Isaiah is one extremely happy little boy and I couldn't be happier for him. He has wanted a daddy for so long and Rex is doing an outstanding job of filling those shoes.

You can tell in this picture just how happy he is:

It was a wonderful day.