Happy Happy Birthday Baby!

Who's up for some cake? She left the Mickey ears on all day for the record!

Presents were in the living room. This is Mary, Todd, and the top of Kathy's head watching Isa while Uncle Dan and Dave talk in the backround, John is taming the dog I think and Caroline and Sara are in some deep conversation about a Magnadoodle. It was a busy party! Thanks for all the gifts, you people rock!!
I tried to de-Christmas as much as I could so we birthday decorated the dining room in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse colors. We had cake in there and all the kids loved the cupcakes. Thanks for watching the kids while they were playing in the bedroom Koren, one of these days we'll get together and be able to visit.
Her 2 favorite gifts were the tub doll from Grammy and the stroller from Grandma. Leave it to the grandmas to pick out the favorite toys! I thought it very political of her to pick one from each to favor!

The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake that I made.


Today is Isa's second birthday and we're all very excited around here! I told Miguel last night that we're way better off now than we were 2 years ago. I always thought my mom was joking when she said that on EVERY SINGLE BIRTHDAY I HAD, but she wasn't and she earned the right to say it. Every day with my little princess is a gift, even when she has to sit in time out all day or starts crying and throwing a fit while we're in traffic. You're awesome Isa, the world is better because you're here and your dad and I love you more than words will ever express.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

TheTerror of Snake Mountain

All of us on the last day of the DC trip. Right before we pulled out of the driveway to go to the airport, Doug, Jami, Miguel and I took this picture. I know the title of this post reads Snake Mountain, but that's really about the video of Isa at the end.
Me and my girl, and Julia Child. Her kitchen was moved to the Smithsonian and it was awesome. It rained so hard that day so we took cover in the museum and got to see this. When I grow up, I want a kitchen just like Julia's.
I promised to post this adorable picture of her in Lambert airport. I think she was doing exceptionally well given the "flight bump" circumstance at 7am.



Last night as I was walking the dog around our new hood, Miguel and Isa were playing in her room. When I came back into the house I was greeted at the door with a giant "hey!" from Isa and Miguel came around the corner with a huge smile on his face and said, "come in here." I followed him back to Isa's room and he had put a battery into this stupid microphone that attaches to this plastic Snake Mountain (yes, Skelator's pad, and yes, we have a Greyskull too). He started talking and laughing into it and as soon as I sat down on the floor to give it a shot, Isa took the microphone out of my hand and antics ensued.

Our Nation's Capital

The National Archives with us underneath. Contrary to the sign we're little.
Miguel and Isa stayed in the lobby of the Holocaust Museum while Jami and I took the tour. Isa learned to count stairs and Miguel got this adorable shot. Thanks for the time with Jami sweetie!

After some MUCH needed play time at the Museum of American History. I let Miguel and Jami off the hook and told them to look at something they wanted to see while I played with science experiments and magnets and some other cool stuff they had set up in the kiddie place.

Mommy carries the baby better in the backpack.
Isa is Daddy's co-pilot. Yay for the Air and Space Museum. (Thanks for helping out with Isa there Doug, it was nice to read some of the plaques and stuff).

Isa exploring her career options.

All of us in front of the capital building.

Ah to have wonderful friends! We visited the Shawleys last week and had a blast exploring Washington DC. We saw so many exciting things, it was definitely our kind of place, LOTS of museums. We hit as much stuff as we could and I must say, as long as Isa was not in the airplane to or from St. Louis, she was great. She rode in the backpack mostly and was pretty good. Thanks Doug, Jami, Sarah, Nick, & Anna, we miss you so much! Come back soon!

I'll post more pictures of other stuff when Miguel is around to help tell stories. It was hard to pay attention to everything while we were dealing with kiddos, so I need some help with my narration but more to come!

Cute Little Cupcake!

Hey are you ready for some trick or trick pictures? Get ready people! This is Isa getting the cherry barrette attached to her pony tail.
Mommy and a little cupcake out in the new hood.

Scrunching down inside the cupcake is the only break she got, she was working hard for that candy!

On the porch, being charming for some candy.
We had a party later to attend, Miguel went as a chef, I went as a slutty rocker ( I wore jeans, t shirt and an apron to take Isa trick or treating though).
Home again, time for some candy.
Peanut butter pumpkin, ROCK ON!

In the Midst of Moving

Angelically uplit, yet hang on..

Sweet baby or evil purse snatcher? You look at that guilty little face and make your own judgments.

After breaking into the purse and serving the time out, it's time for some stretches.

Zorro was oh so much help in packing... oh wait! He kept his cool all day and then he escaped out into the neighborhood that night leaving Miguel and me calling for him up and down the block for about 30 minutes.

When Isa was sick she wanted to get into bed with me so after the initial shock wore off of being woken up by a 2 year old, we took some pictures.


In the midst of moving the drama has happened. Yes, the flu descended on our house like a plague wiping out both Miguel and Isa and leaving the dog depressed and yours truly 2 inches away tearing my hair out. Thankfully the illness is coming to a slow end. Miguel and I moved a lot of stuff this past weekend and I think he undid all the rest he was getting. I'm thinking the worst of the flu is behind us and we, as a posse are on the mend.

Some of us

Getting sleepy. Wrapping up books and putting them in laundry baskets makes a little girl sleepy at the end of the day!

Mommy and her princess.



I swear she was dancing until she saw the camera. Still, I think a little jam session with spaghetti sauce on your belly, dancing in your Mickey Mouse diaper says to the world, "If being dressed after 6:30 pm is wrong... I don't want to be right."

The Posse Gets a Slice of America

Let's take a cruise down the hall shall we?

This is Isa's new room. It feels huge compared to the closet-sized room she's in right now. She loves to run in there and hide in the closet.

This is the middle bedroom. Sorry the picture is bad. It'll be great when we're done with it.
My closet and my other closet in the master bedroom. Sorry Miguel, I guess you're getting dressed in the basement.
The master bathroom. Yes, it's pink. I'm kind of feeling sorry for Miguel, whose life got a serious influx of pink when we had a daughter.

Isa surveying the scene of the future potty training site. I hear this blue was popular at one time, I'll have to take everyone's word on that.

I know harvest gold was thought to be beautiful at one point in time. This house was built during said era. Please note the carpet matches the drapes. ;)

Yes, this is the dining room and that IS in fact harvest gold textured carpeting with matching draperies.

I have not one, but TWO, count 'em, harvest gold rooms. Along with this lovely lighting fixture. Miguel and I both agreed that the carpeting will be the first thing to go.


The family room. Updated carpeting, dead squirrel skeleton (Rocky to us) in the fireplace. Both are going to go when we get the keys. I'm really excited to have a fireplace though!

This is going to be my sewing room. I called this room the second time we went to look at the house. It's a little bar off the kitchen and since Uncle Terry hooked us up with a completely sweet bar for our wedding, I called dibs on this little space. The cabinets will come out and my stuff's going in there. It's one of my favorite rooms in the house.


The pantry is on the right and yes, that's an avocado green double oven on the left, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. It has a dial that allows you to set it for different meats. That's right, there's a ham dial on that oven.

I am seriously in love with the kitchen light. I told Miguel if he threw it away he would get into major trouble with me. The cook top matches the oven but the cabinets are good and there's lots of counter space. I also really like the metallic gold tiles in the back splash. I guess it's one of those endearing things to me. I can't help it.

The day in sweats

Running away with the Minnie Mouse ears up after she ripped off the sunglasses.

Laughing and clapping, that's how we finish breakfast around here!

Waving to her adoring fans over scrambled eggs and potatoes with milk in the morning.


Clapping for the camera is a great way to start the day. She's always so happy in the mornings!



Yesterday we hit the zoo. Isa rode in the backpack and I hoofed it around and all we needed were jackets. Today we needed all out sweats because it was so cold in the house. Thankfully a little warmer weather is on the way.

I'm trying to hold out on dragging out the winter wardrobe until we move. That's right the posse is relocating! We're outta Webster and moving to Ballwin (for all you St. Louis folks). The closing date on the house is October 9 and we're all ready to go!

Isabel: post-church

Pointing at mom who is telling the baby to look at daddy for a picture. I truly used to despise people who did this, I thought it was annoying until it was my princess' pictures that needed taking.

She sat still long enough for me to do this to her hair this morning. It helped that she had grapes, milk, and Disney channel was running a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse marathon while I was braiding.


Hi Dad, I'm looking right at you after you and mom have managed to drive me crazy taking these pictures!


Mom, I don't want to play around the fountain, I'm busy with these stairs!

After Isa played in the nursery, and yes, I DO fix her up like this to go to church even though she plays in the nursery the whole time, we stopped by City Hall here in Webster to take some pictures. It has an awesome fountain in front that Isa loves. Usually I can't pry her away and yet this Sunday she just wanted to play on the front stairs and wave to the cars. Still cute none the less.