Brianna is ONE YEAR OLD Today!!!

One year ago today I was NOT sleeping in a hospital room, nurses were waking me up every hour to ask me about Baby Jane Chaffee's poop and urine routine, Dave was coughing on the sofa next to my bed, and I was wishing we were having a nice candle-lit Steak and Cheesecake Dinner followed by a peaceful night's rest at Gritman Hospital in Moscow, Idaho!  On the home front, Abigail was breaking out in horrible hives, Abby and Isaac were sick with an undetected strep throat, Dave was about to start coughing uncontrollably and be diagnosed with mono (unheard of at his age).  The storms were a-raging, friends!

But through it all, there was a perfect, nameless angel with strawberry hair lying next to me.  And the chaotic events of those days meant that I got some real one-on-one time to take in her wide-eyed wonder, her jaundice-y moments in the light of the sun that turned her reddish hair into a halo of fuzz above her head, her calm disposition and love for cuddling and nuzzling, and the tender moments of her learning to breastfeed.

One year later, our love for that baby is indescribable!  A few of my favorite things that Brianna has brought to our home, hearts, and lives!
* Hearing her wake up and call to us in the morning (Ddd-AAAA!)
* Hearing her run after and away from the twins up and down the hall (giggling every minute)
* Her smiles and first words and signs and contagiously frequent laughs
* Her tantrums when her brother and sister take her toys away
* Sitting and bouncing and playing together during peaceful evenings on the trampoline, which end in me getting out and putting my arms out for her to follow me and her walking towards me with a huge smile on her face and then turning just before she reaches me and running away laughing
* Her overwhelming love for the bathtub and water and absolute shrills of laughter when she gets into the bathroom undetected or finally gets a turn to take a bath and play with the water and the toys
* Watching her fold her arms when we say any prayer or having her sit herself on my lap as we kneel as a family for prayer each night
* Her love for books!!!  She'll go and get a book and sit and flip the pages, mumbling to herself, or listen to Daddy or Mommy read or just stand behind the twins when she hasn't been given a seat of honor on Daddy's lap during story time because she doesn't want to be left out
* Her singing clean up every time we tell the twins to clean something up or she sees us start to pick up toys or food or anything to her singing e-i-e-i-o and laughing at how smart she
* Her dancing in circles in the kitchen during dinner clean up while the rest of the family is boogying all over the place and then begging to be picked up and swung around in ways she can't quite move on her own yet but sees others doing and wants to be a part of
* Her kisses -- such great kisses!!! -- She is always so eager and happy to show her love and share her slobbers with each of us, particularly when we put the twins to bed together before taking her to her own bed during our nightly routine
* Her determination to do things her own way (yes, already)
* Those oh so tender moments when she just climbs up on your lap and lays her head on your chest and says "wuwoo" (I love you!).

Oh this little girl!!!  How we all love, love, love her!  She completes us in ways we could not have imagined one year ago!  And her brother and sister have been mostly mindful of her every need, her every move, her every laugh, her every tear, her everything from the moment she entered this world!!!

For her first birthday, I kind of slacked on planning it.  But I put a plea for help out on Facebook and pieced together a few of the suggestions, all while staying in our budget.  So here's how our wonderful celebration of Brianna's first year and welcoming party for her second year went:

Dave went to work at 6:00 tonight, so we had the whole day together; and I remembered why I don't put too much into these birthdays -- time or money! We took the kids to the dollar store to find a toy for Brianna from them (thanks to Tiffany's suggestion), and the toys were so horrible that we didn't find a single one we would really want them giving her. (Isaac wanted to give her a fire truck and Abby wanted to give her a snake! Um -- no thank you!!!) So we went to WalMart to find the perfect gift from the entire family!!!

She has really started loving the phone (as in, she pitches a HUGE fit if we take it away from her for even a moment!!!), so we were going to get her a phone. But then we found this cute little caterpillar, and the lights and colors were so much more fun that we opted for it. But after giving it to her this afternoon -- well, she lost interest really soon because it's too big to carry around. Isaac played with it more than she did, and she really didn't seem to mind the fact that he was doing so.  So I'm taking it back tomorrow and getting . . . the phone!!! ;-D

We also bought some clearance cupcakes -- we're avoiding sugar and didn't want a ton around to tempt us or to throw away something expensive or sample something homemade as we were making it. And that was a hit -- but I accidentally licked my fingers on an impulse when taking them out and then HAD to have one . . . or two or three! I ditched the frosting, does that count? Next time - Dave puts them out and I stay away!!! ;-D

We also got mylar balloons at the dollar store -- a pink star for Abby, a blue star for Isaac, and a purple Happy Birthday balloon for Brianna. (Bonnie's suggestion!!!)  And those balloons kept them busy ALL DAY LONG!!! They insisted on having them tied to their beds to go to sleep tonight as well - dollars well spent!!!  And the best part is that we can use them to play the balloon game as the helium starts to wear off!  Double great!

We also stopped and got cheeseburgers (we had a price limit for the whole day and stayed in it, but we haven't eaten out for so long that it was a fun treat - or so I thought). Dave and I got salads, but it literally took Abby five hours to eat that cheeseburger, and Isaac was so interested that he took it outside and left it on the ground for the bugs!  So next time -- no eating out for a treat!!!  Money down the drain!!!  I'd rather make stuff that is salvageable and re-heatable at home!!! ;-)

The kids had a hard time the entire afternoon.  We had planned on going to the park and having a picnic, but by the time we got the shopping done and a quick meal to take to the park, they were literally exhausted and asking to go home!!!  So, after lunch we all took a nap so Dave could rest up before working all night and the kids could rest up before driving me insane all night.

As a side note, Abby or Isaac or Brianna put a toy in the toilet two days ago, so we have been down to one toilet; and having to run clear through the house for the twins to go to the bathroom every time they have to go is NOT working very well with potty training.  So we spent about an hour trying to take care of that clogged toilet without success.  Looks like Daddy is going to have to remove it, get the toy from the bottom, and replace it (fingers crossed he doesn't break it and that the drano we used before we figured out it was a toy doesn't destroy the enamel on the toilet or come out and eat Dave's skin while he's working on it).  Oh what fun it is to ride in a three-kid-dominated sleigh-hay!

After naps, we took pictures and a video of her first cupcake/candle experience!!!!  Dave lit the candle and put it in front of her as we sang happy birthday.  Then we were trying to show her to blow it out by blowing just hard enough that it started to flicker and she could tell we were blowing but not hard enough to actually blow it out.  She grabbed at the candle, looked at us like we were crazy and this must be some sick joke to put something like that in front of her, grabbed at the candle again, looked at us again, then grabbed the frosting below the candle and put it in her mouth!!!  Instant success!  And instant loss of interest in the burning candle or blowing it out!  After a few more prods as she contentedly dipped her fingers repeatedly into the frosting and into her mouth, we finally just blew it out for her!!!  It was hilarious!

We got so caught up in the cake/candle experience and the Isaac having to run back to the back bathroom and trying to get Dave out the door that we completely forgot the present that was sitting right there on the table in front of her!!!  Just as he was walking out the door, he came over to say goodbye and looked at the present and said, "Um - we need to open her present!"  So we got the cameras back out and Isaac helped a clueless Brianna open her present!!!

Though there were many other things we could have done to make it "out of the ordinary and special" - the things we DID do were definitely out of the ordinary and special!!!  I think they all had a great time.  And I know that any more would have been the straw that broke the camel's back -- another K.I.S.S. moment (keep it simple, sweetie)!

In the Still of the Night

It has been such a long - LONG - time since I wrote anything.  It all started with my mom, sister, and niece being here from Idaho! 

We went to the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park, an island near San Diego (Carlsbad?  I'll have to check - it was definitely unforgettable and worth recording), and Disneyland to celebrate the twins' THIRD birthday BEFORE they were actually three and we had to pay to celebrate it there with them. (Incidentally - if you ever go, check Craigslist for tickets!  We got two adult Park Hopper tickets for $100 - and an evening and night at Disneyland is TOTALLY worth $100. I mean, you'll pay $50 just for dinner for two at a fancy restaurant these days!!!  The parade and fireworks and night show on the lake, the Casey Junior ride with all the little model towns lit up, the night lights on the town and the gorgeous buildings -- all AMAZINGLY magical! And if you have a chance to go with someone who is handicapped, even better!  We got to go through a special line and rarely had to wait more than FIVE MINUTES for EVERY ride!  In fact, I don't think I'll ever go there again without my mom . . . . or I'll just rent a wheelchair and strap on my "boot" from my foot surgery and enjoy!  Just kidding . . . sort of! ;-D  But in all seriousness, hats off to Disneyland because it was such great fun watching my mom RIDE THE RIDES with my kids -- and that is something she would have NEVER been able to do if we'd had to fight through traffic and crowds with her!)

We made these AWESOME Family Home Evening boards.  I'll have to post pictures later, but since I've wanted a Family Home Evening Board for the last THREE YEARS, it was that much greater to put our noses to the grindstone and our pedals to the medal to drive around for FOUR days, through FOUR towns until we got JUST the right accessories to do everything JUST the way we wanted it.  (Incidentally, since you might not know what an FHE Board is: think job chart where you rotate assignments, except it's for fun things -- song, scripture, prayer, activity, treat -- these are the things we include in our once a week family night that is just that - a NIGHT set aside for the family to have some quality, focused, fun-filled time together!)  And since I have my other sister for Christmas - she got an early Christmas present and now has one as well!

A few days after my family went home, Dave's family flew/drove down to have a long weekend with us as well.  And what was supposed to be another fun-filled weekend turned into an IMMENSE tender mercy and testimony of how aware God is of the SMALLEST DETAILS of our lives, preparing the way even before we know a way needs prepared!  Isaac was sick, so I kept he and Brianna home with me while Dave drove down to pick his sister up at the airport to drive over and meet his brother and sister-in-law for dinner.  His sister-in-law had been in Los Angeles for the month to spend time with her family while her husband - Anson - was finishing his tour in Afghanistan.  WHILE THEY WERE EATING DINNER WITH MINIE, she got a Facebook message that said, "I heard about Anson - I am so sorry!  Let me know if you need anything."  She had NOT heard about Anson.  And when she made calls, she was told that there was an accident but he was fine - just a few minor scrapes and bruises.  So they continued to have a fun-filled night.  But when they got back to Lancaster, his sister said that she just didn't have a good feeling about it.  At 6:00 the next morning, we got a call from their mom that Anson had been hit by a grenade and was in a coma, on his way to a hospital in Germany.  And that news began an intensely emotional roller coaster of a weekend that ended with Anson being flown from Germany to Bethesda, MD to the Naval Hospital there.  It has been a long row to hoe.  Most of Dave's family has flown back there to see him.  Dave and I couldn't afford to fly there with the kids, so we took some time and went and spent a few days with Dave's dad while we all waited to see what would happen with him.  It soon became clear that he would be in a coma for a long time and there would be complications, infections, blood transfusions, etc. along the way that would and continues to make it a difficult journey. 

And through it all what continues to shine through is our faith!  And knowing that from the beginning (incidentally, the accident happened almost EXACTLY at the moment that Dave was picking his sister up from the airport to go over and have dinner with Minie - and Dave's other sister had decided the NIGHT BEFORE to also fly down and spend the weekend with us), God was in the details!  Dave's family NEVER gets together!  NE-VER!  And Anson's family lives in Louisiana.  So to have five out of the seven kids accounted for when he was injured was pretty miraculous!  The support, the love, the coming together, the laughter over tears, the tears over tears, the prayers as we knelt together, the fasting together that Sunday morning, the last-minute flights and travel plans, the offers to take care of their children while Minie was with him, just EVERY SINGLE DETAIL and EVERY MOMENT OF FAITH AND HOPE AND LOVE were obvious love notes from a very aware and loving Heavenly Father to His children.  As was the incredible blessing of modern technology as we were able to spread the news quickly to so many people and begin immediately to receive added prayers and support and love from friends and strangers alike!  It has been a MOST humbling experience!

The twins turned THREE on Monday!  Since we had already spent a lot of money on Disneyland, we had a simple birthday party here.  We got a discounted cheesecake sampler and the cheap a la cheap strawberry ice cream from WalMart.  And we picked up Dora and Diego toothbrushes so they would have something to open!  They were so thrilled!!!!  Then their nursery teacher, Sister Black, came over and brought them magnetic trains and coloring packets.  Nursery leaders are the BEST!!! You'd think she plays with them for two hours every Sunday and knows what they like or something!  Isaac didn't put that train down!  They even snuck it into the bathtub that night (and I learned why they had been playing so contently for over an hour and a half)!  And he sleeps with it and would eat with it if toys were allowed at the table!  It was great, great fun!  And I am amazed and humbled that they are getting SO BIG, SO FAST!!!  Tonight Abby asked me what I was looking at.  When I told her I was looking for recipes, she said, "You're looking at recipes?  Oh.  That's cool."  And when Isaac tells me, "Mommy - please don't spank my bottom.  That not very nice!  That make me sad!"  I realize over and over how GROWN up my kids are!  It's been fast and furious, but I really would not change a moment!  And I pray every night that I get to enjoy a lifetime more with them!

Also on Monday, my nephew Jared, who has had seizures for years, went through some pretty intense testing to see if they can do surgery to stop the seizures.  The family took turns sitting with him - he couldn't be left alone for a single minute for like three days of testing - and in the end, we are hopeful they were able to get some good information and a better solution for him and his family is very near!!!  I am amazed at the strength of his family and thankful that my family always pulls together, however they can!

We went to Dave's work for family day the Friday before the twins' birthday.  It is the only day you are allowed past the security gates and locks.  We got to see really cool airplanes, including the one Dave has been involved in testing.  And they had a barbeque and shaved ice and a giant blown-up trampoline with an attached slide!  The kids LOVED it!  And Dave said they ordered the 108 degree weather just for us to appreciate what they go through out there in the desert where it is ALWAYS hotter than we get here . . . in the desert! Whatever!  I know he planned it just to have something to complain about and try to get me to feel sorry for him.  Total manipulation at it's worst! ;-D

And yesterday we took the kids to the fair!  They actually handled it pretty well when we told them we didn't have money for the taunting rides and souvenirs.  But they didn't handle it so well when we pulled them away from the animals in the animal barns!  Abby had a meltdown every time!  They LOVED the goats and sheep and chickens and turkeys and chicks and ducks and rabbits and -- oh the excitement when Abby saw a "MAMA!  Mommy, Mommy, it's a MAMA" (llama) in the petting zoo!  She would NOT leave its side for more than a few seconds before she was looking everywhere to find where it had walked away to!  And by not leave its side, I mean she literally had her hand on its side, patting it reassuringly as she moved wherever it did!  Brianna would whip around me from side to side, eyes and mouth wide open when an animal would walk past us or try to eat my clothes in search of food!  Though she was never sure enough to pet them more than a few pats, she was still incredibly intrigued!  Isaac was equally intrigued but demonstrated it differently.  Like when he pulled the already angry turkey's tail feathers just minutes after I had pulled him AWAY from the practically hissing bird.  Or when he walked right up to the potbelly pigs in the petting zoo, contently sleeping lazily on the side of the fence, and pushed them so hard they actually started to ROLL OVER before I snatched him back (and the roley poley animals rolled right back to their original places)!  I managed to keep his fingers out of the bird cages, but it was incredibly hard when the ducks encouraged him by quacking BACK when he quacked in their faces!  They both wanted to jump on the goats' backs and ride them -- I mean, who wouldn't?  That's what you do, right?  And I was certain we were going to have a few toddlers overboard in the fountain/wishing well!  Add in the sheep roundup with the sheep dogs and I think you can begin to imagine how much FUN our night at the fair was!

Tonight we played a game of Dora the Explorer's Candy Land.  Abby is great at games!  It is so much fun!  Isaac doesn't have the same zeal/attention span for it! But it's still really fun to actually be SITTING DOWN TOGETHER as a family and playing games!  We also have a little hummingbird that has popped up in the last few weeks and likes to fly in front of my kitchen window!  I'll have to see if I can find a reasonably-priced feeder to bring it back!  That would be a fun thing to watch with the kids every day.

In the meantime, Brianna is literally walking CIRCLES around everything and every room!  Seriously she is so proud that she can walk that every time we applaud her - still a bit surprised to see her everywhere and into everything - she gets a proud smile and starts walking in circles, like she's showing off on just how WELL she really IS doing!  She loves it!  And tonight she sat at the table with ALL of us for dinner - no tray between her and the family!  She is saying a few words very clearly, like when she calls for Daddy ("DA!") or shouts "HI!" as she waves to anyone lucky enough to be within range!  Of course she says "Ma-muh - Ma-muh!" and tonight even started saying, "Na-nuh" for night-night!  She has two front teeth and is incredibly adventurous!  And more than once we caught her dancing away on top of Dave's shoulders as we heard music while walking around the fair.  I've just started weaning her, and she loves to drink water from her cup (we're still working on milk -- the weaning from mom process has been a little hard for her, for both of us really as it has gone a lot more quickly than I intended because my milk took the first cue and headed south for the winter).  And she is really the sweetest little angel with the most amazing laugh and contagious smile!  She also sings a LOT!  The most recognizable is "E-I-E-I-O!"  And she LOVES to play with and around the kids.  Tonight Isaac was tackling her and pulling her and patting her head and even trying to ride her!  And through it all, she was as gleeful and giggly as could be!

As for Dave and I -- the other night he told me how much he has realized in the last few weeks that he REALLY WANTS TO DATE ME!  So I guess you could say we're doing pretty good! ;-D  With Brianna weaning from me and this sudden realization after three and a half years that we like each other enough to "date" - life is great! :-)

It is late, but I couldn't let another week go by without updating.  It has been a fast and furious few months.  But life is too short to let those moments go by as just moments!  And if anything were to happen to any of us, we would ALL treasure more than anything the fact that we have even these vague notes to go back to and learn and grow and remember!  And that is priceless!

And if you've stayed with me to the end of this update from the last few months, you get a gold medal!!!  Or at least a gold star of appreciation.  I mean, THAT is true friendship! :-)  And you can never have enough such friends!  Thank you!

Queen for a Day

This has been a really mixed-emotion weekend.  We attended a beautiful funeral for a dear girl in our ward today - Chloe Mohun.  Funerals have been an overarching theme of my 2011 experience, and each one brings the same mixture of gratitude, sorrow, fear, hope, love, desire to serve and lift and create days free of any regrets just in case -- a lot of emotions, really!

Second of all, today is my birthday.

My dear friend Emily sent me a gift card from Fandango for my birthday (movie theaters, if you are clueless like me and wondering what Fandango is).  So we took the kids to Cars 2 yesterday.  It was their first time in a movie theater.  We had a couple of meltdowns/tantrums when the popcorn made us all really thirsty and we were trying to be cheap and not buy a drink to go along with it.  But we made it through them and mostly it was just really fun!  Abby stood through almost all of it, shouting, "Yay, you did it!" when the 'good' cars got away from the 'bad' cars.  She and Brianna danced to all the music.  And Abby would randomly yell out, "This is fun, Mom!" or "Woo-hoo!  Good job!" and other encouraging bursts of two-year-old enthusiasm aimed at the characters on the screen.  Isaac mostly just sat, mesmerized by it all.  But then he spent the entire evening with his red toy car - which suddenly took on the name "Qween" - running away from the school bus and fire engine and ambulance and always victorious!  In fact, I am sure he'll be inseparably connected to that little red race car for a long time!

My mom sent me the cutest apple-themed Chore Chart with our pictures in small frames that hang below each person's list of chores to do.  She spent a lot of time on it, and it really is so worth it!!!

And Dave treated me to a day filled with everything special for me!  He went shopping this morning and bought two doughnuts to share with the kids and was good enough to NOT buy me one!  Instead, he got me a small bag of my favorite sugar-free cinnamon bears from the bulk section at WinCo!  They were fresh, too!  YUM!  Other food favorites that he splurged on for my birthday included ham steak - grilled on the grill outside, baked sweet potatoes, our first watermelon in a year, and some sugar-free ice cream and diet A&W Root Beer for root beer floats!  Top it off with my "cake" this year - a mostly-sugar-free mixed berry, jello, pudding, angel food cake trifle - and it was pretty much the perfect day!!!  Although we actually haven't eaten the watermelon or cake yet -- but it's a holiday weekend, so there's plenty of time to get around to all of that!  We are also splurging for the 4th of July and having corn on the cob!!!  I'm really excited!


More than anything, though - Dave just did a million small things today to make it special!  He even wrote this on my Facebook wall: "Happy birthday to the most awesome mother, coolest wife, most attractive English major, most deadly secret government agent and all around best person in the world!"  In case you were wondering, this was my reply, "Thanks Dave! I definitely couldn't do any of it without you . . . especially the secret government agent part. They would have found out a long time ago that my i.d. was fake and I have no idea how to use a gun if it weren't for your dashing good looks and smooth tongue that are always distracting them! I love you! Thanks for making it the best birthday and . . . every day . . . ever! I know, I know . . . you put up with a lot! ;-D"

I felt like a Queen today!  And if that is what it means to be 31 -- er -- 29 again -- then WELCOME, WELCOME!!!

I also got to have a couple of really good conversations with my brother and sister, and that always makes me feel good to know I have people who love me!  Perhaps particularly in lieu of the funeral today, that is THE most important gift I think you could get for your birthday!

Excuse Me! Grand Finale Here!

Wait - wait - wait -- wait -- WAIT!!!

You can't leave me out of this one!

*ahem* (I wrote this myself!)

You are now 31
(deeka deeka deeka)
The last year was SO fun!
(a yay, yay, yaaaay)
And the best part for sure is
(ikst, ikst, ikst)
This new year's just begun!!!
(hooray, hooray)
Love, Abby!

THE END!!!!!

Happy 31st Birthday, David!

START HERE

Okay, Daddy -- this one's for you:

A one, a two, a one two three --

Happy Birthday to you (da, da, da)
Happy Birthday to you (ah, ah, ah)
Happy Birthday dear Daddy
(yaaa, yaaa, yaaa)
Happy Birthday to YOU! (daaa daa)
Love, Isaac!

Click Here to Continue with Your Virtual Birthday Card

Ebbs and Flows

Wow! Has it really been two months since I posted anything on here? What a two months it has been, too!

Dave got through AT and then we went to Boise for him to photograph his sister's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding, and he did a GREAT job with the pictures. He also finished his summer class and his SMART Orientation in California. Last Friday (Aug. 14) was actually his last day of work at Schweitzer as well, so we have ONE week to just enjoy each other and life and pull together some last odds and ends before the next school year starts! Crazy! We're planning on taking the babies backpacking in the Seven Devils, just outside of Riggins. It will be an experiment for sure -- both in their endurance and our strength to carry them -- but it will be a LOT of fun! I'm really excited!

I celebrated my REAL 29th birthday in July! I can't believe this is my LAST year as a 20-something. But 30 is the new 20, right? Dave surprised me with a late birthday party -- we went up to his sister's in Spokane, she babysat while we did sealings in the temple and then we had a bbq and poolside party at her apartment complex (she had TWO cakes -- cheesecake and german chocolate, Dave made chicken and fat free everything -- french onion dip, my favorite potato chips, diet root beer, etc.). After that he surprised me with a cruise -- a lake cruise, that is, of Coeur d' Alene lake. The weather was perfect, and though we would never spend the money to do it again, it was a nice day on the ferry and very fun to just get away. Then he surprised me by choosing and buying me a new dress for church -- a skirt and top combination, actually. We probably should have stopped with one, but while he was picking through Ross's selection, he found so many things he liked that we came home with three skirts, two dresses, and two tops! I'm already planning on returning one dress and one skirt! ;-D A girl just doesn't NEED that many new items for church once a week!

Isaac and Abby turn the big ONE next Saturday! Can you believe it has already been a year? I sure can't!

Abby is Abby -- cute as cute can be, a prima donna, true sugar and spice and everything nice. She has her two canine (vampire) teeth coming in on the bottom, though they are taking their sweet time and I'm not sure they'll beat the ones on top that are threatening to peek through as well. Her hair is growing in and just so, so, so CUTE!!! And she really is just so sweet! I can't think of a better word to describe her than that. She's a timid explorer, but a curious little explorer just the same. And when she isn't sick, she is getting just bold enough to take ISAAC'S pacifier instead of sitting back and crying every time he takes hers. She's going to be a challenge for him one of these days -- and he's going to regret all the times he pushed her around, let me tell ya!

She has been sick once a month since May -- same thing: fevers to 104-105, loss of apetite, vomiting, lethargic, etc. I've been doing some research, though, and found that this is all very similar to the symptoms for what they have termed PFAPA. The cure, though no one knows why, is to remove their tonsils. So we need to do some autoimmune system tests to first rule out anything there that might be causing all of this and then I'll start talking to specialists (though I'm not exactly sure who or what that means) about this other thing and maybe getting her tonsils taken out. She also got a cold last week, which she has since shared with every member of the family (Daddy being the latest recipient and, unfortunately, the greater casualty).

Isaac is Isaac -- isn't it a relief? . . . . Sometimes. He is truly toads and snails and puppy dog tails -- as long as he can follow them, grab them, pull them, and otherwise explore and investigate and partake of EVERYTHING in his sight. Dave gets frustrated that he simply CANNOT leave anything in order. If he sees clothes folded on the sofa, in the laundry basket, or even in his drawer, he simply cannot resist the urge to PULL them out, THROW them around, and just mess them up. Dishes in the cupboard, books on the bookshelf, things in the drawers, ALL are basically at his mercy and will certainly LOSE.

Our latest development for him is that his two front, bottom teeth have broken through and are quickly rising to the top! So much fun that he could get them in before his 1st Birthday!

Isaac has also recently decided to audition to be a vocalist in the next Jurrasic Park movie. He is making sounds that even I have never heard before. I would tell someone to tell Hollywood, but he's increasing in volume and intensity so quickly that I am sure no one else will have to tell them -- he'll take care of that himself!

So life at the Chaffee residence is pretty much busy, busy, busy and fun and stressful and crazy and wonderful every minute of every day.