Familia Barrantes

Soon we'll be 4!

2008-11-30T15:33:00.001-08:00

So it seems like I tend to be the sparatic blogger, I wait for a long time, then post a ton of info and pics. This simple one is to say that our family will soon grow from 3 to 4, and we are excited and ready. I am 37 and 1/2 weeks pregnant, and so potentially our little girl could come anytime now. Isaiah is so cute, he comes and talks to my tummy. Eliecer was feeling "pregnancy pains" for the last few weeks. He's such a sympathetic husband! :) We'll post once the baby has come, and hopefully more regularily.

Busy Summer

2008-07-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

We have had quite the busy summer here at the Barrantes household. I got out of school on June 11th, and that same day Julianne Hahn, Jenny's sister, came to start her residency program at Children's Hospital. She stayed with us for about a week while she did apartment hunting, and it was so much fun to catch up with her!

Once she left it was time to pack for Orlando. We spent about 5 days there with my parents and Luke and Marla. We went to three parks in three days, whew! But, we had a blast. Isaiah loved playing in the various fountains all over the parks, and especially enjoyed the animals at Animal Kingdom. His favorite rides were the ones that went around in a circle, like Dumbo. He rode the dinosaur version at Animal Kingdom 4 times. He also enjoyed playing in the rain with Aunt Marla, and pounding on drums with Uncle Luke. Of course hanging with Grandma and Grandpa was a blast, he now asks almost every day to call them.

The day we arrived back in L.A. Eliecer's father and oldest neice, Gloriana, arrived for a two week visit. We stayed in L.A. that night, then left for Fresno the next morning. We had Hispanic Ministry service that night, then celebrated the fourth of July the next day with friends in Easton. They live in the country, so on ground fireworks are permitted. Isaiah preferred watching the fireworks from the window. Too Loud!

We rested over the weekend, and Sunday evening had some friends over for a BBQ. Art proved to be a champ at the grill! Then on Monday we went to Monterey for the day. It was beautiful, about 70 degrees outside, which sure beat the 110 degrees in Fresno. EEK! Although I can say it is a lot nicer to be on 5 months pregnant in the hottest months, rather than 9 months pregnant, like with Isaiah. We had a great day in Monterey, complete with aquarium, Bubba Gump's for lunch, and a walk on the beach and Fisherman's Wharf.

The next morning we packed up again, this time for the mountains. We spent the night at Calvin Crest and gave our neice and one of the girl's from our Hispanic Ministry the chance to see what camp was like. We also visited some of the kids from Easton who were campers. The next morning we drove to Yosemite, and enjoyed a day of hiking, taking beautiful pictures, and swimming in the VERY COLD river. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Snow melt!

Thursday was spent recooperating from the beginning of the week, and we had service again. On Friday we celebrated the 50th birthday of our friend John, and went to the Circus on Saturday with the Roses. On Sunday we left to travel back to L.A. to spend two days at Disneyland with Gloriana before the left on Wednesday to go back to Costa Rica. We had two great days in Disneyland, while Eliecer's dad caught up with some old family friends of his and ours that we stayed with.

Since coming back we've been catching up on laundry, household upkeep and two online classes I'm taking. We've also attempted to begin potty training Isaiah. He really likes the books and Video, but has yet to use the potty, or pee pee chair, as he calls it. It's still early, we'll have to be patient.

We have one more adventure to come, we leave next Friday for Colorado to visit family and spend some time at the newly renovated cabin. Then, back home and back to work. My how the summer flies by!

Getting ready for Disney World

2008-04-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today we spent a few hours in Old Town Clovis for "Big Hat Days" an outdoor craft and food festival. After walking for about 20 minutes and exploring booths, we discovered the kiddy carnival rides. We bought nine tickets at a dollar a piece so Isaiah could go on three rides. I know, it was too expensive, but he enjoyed it. We were actually surprised how much he liked them. Not scared at all. I think he's getting ready for our family trip to Orlando with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Luke and Aunt Marla to go to Disney World. :)

I'm back!

2008-04-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm the ultimate slacker. It has been over six months since my last blog. But, in my defense, a 1+ year old requires a lot more running after, especially since he was already walking for two months before his birthday. The last six months have been busy with normal, everyday life. I am still teaching, Eliecer is still in classes and directing Blessed Rain, the hispanic ministry at our church. Isaiah continues to learn new words and skills everyday. He can count to ten in Spanish. He getting into that stage where he repeats everything he hears, so we have to be particularitly careful about what we say around him. :) At the grocery store yesterday I asked if we should get Carne Asada, and he promptly replied, yes, Carne Asada. Too Cute! Tonight I walked into his room to give him his evening sippy cup of milk and said "Hi!" when I saw him. He replied with a big smile, "Hi!". I then said, "How are you?" and he said "good!" This was our first little conversation back and forth. It is so fun!

Isaiah's latest obsession is guitars. Everything is a guitar, a whisk, a measuring cup, a potato masher, oh, and his little play wooden guitars as well. He has favorite songs he sings all day long, and requests we play on the CD player. We were jamming to Supertones tonight, a bathtime favorite is the "oo, ee, oo, ah ah" part of The Witch Doctor. I think I have a little musician.

The First Official Hair Cut! and the wonders of modern day grocery stores.

2007-08-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I tried to cut Isaiah's hair myself a few months ago. We put him in the excersaucer, put on a Baby Einstein video and I took out the scissors. Left side, beautiful. Front, perfectly straight. Right side, ....oops. I cut a little too much off of the right side and Eliecer banned me from cutting Isaiah's hair again. Just kidding. But we did decide that an official hair cut would be better before the official one year old pictures. So, I took the advice of my friend Katie, and found a place in Clovis that specializes in kids cuts. Now forget about the booster seat and the promise of a sucker at the end. This place was high tech. There are six stations, three equiped with video games, the other three with DVD players and the kids can choose which game to play or DVD to watch while getting their hair cut. Two stations even have cars the kids can sit in. Isaiah sat in the Taxi cab. Too cute! Here are some pictures of the event, (which is really what I think the occasion merits being called).

BEFORE...

The cutting wasn't so bad... Yeah Baby Einstein.

But that trimmer tickled a little too much.

AFTER!

What a handsome boy!

Now, to continue with the amazing things they have for kids now-a-days, we travel to the grocery store. They now have kid cars attached to the front of shopping carts. At our local Savemart there are two, a single and a double. So, even though we just needed milk, dishwashing soap and vanilla ice cream (to eat with all of the peaches we are getting from our peach tree), and we could have easily put those things in a basket; we grab the giant cart with the car in the front. Companies now-a-days are making even the most mundane chores and errands fun for kids.

Happy and Sad Family Reunions

2007-08-03T22:50:00.000-07:00

Over the course of this summer I have seen nearly all of my extended family. One of the trips was planned, and very joyous. We traveled to Reno for my cousin Melissa's wedding on July 6th. We saw most of my mom's side of the family, missing only a few cousins. We celebrated the fourth of July with a good old American style Barbecue, and watched fireworks burst over the Reno skylight from the back of Tom's truck. The wedding was held at a gold resort, where we stayed with the rest of the family. It was beautiful, elegant and very "Missy". There was a threat of rain the day of the ceremony, but luckily the cloud cover just cooled things off a bit, and then there was beautiful weather for the service. We had a great time celebrating with family, and are already talking about plans for the next family reunion.

Then, just last week we had an unexpected, and very sad family reunion with my Dad's side of the family. Everyone was present as we rallied around my Aunt Marti, Grandparents and Dad and Uncle Ron. My Uncle Paul, Marti's husband, Dad and Ron's brother, passed away last Sunday due to complication with a stroke he had the previous week. It was tragic and unexpected. We are all feeling the loss deeply and grieving yet another life too young to be taken. Mom, Isaiah and I arrived on Thursday, Uncle Ron, Aunt Benita and Dad were already there with Grandma and Grandpa. Everyone else came in on Friday and we all participated in the memorial service on Saturday morning. It was a beautiful service, but hard to get through.

I constantly have to look to God for support and comfort as I grieve now the loss of two people. I'm still grieving the loss of Jenny, and now my Uncle Paul. His death was another reminder of a life too young to be taken, and I am dealing with so many frustrations, questions, and doubts.

The bit of light in the darkness of this week was Isaiah. There is something so comforting about a young life, unaffected by the tragedy, laughing, smiling, carrying on with life, in the midst of every one's sadness. Isaiah's smile, laugh and hugs were a great comfort to many this past week.

We are anticipating Isaiah's first birthday, planning a party that is very quickly getting way too big, and anxious about the new school year starting. It will be a lot harder for me to go back to work, I have enjoyed my summer home with Isaiah tremendously!!!

Some of Isaiah's latest tricks. He likes to hide behind the curtain covering the sliding glass door and then run out so that the curtain comes up and over him. He runs laughing and grinning, looking for your elated response as well. Yesterday he surprised me by picking up a book, opening it up and pointing his finger to pictures in it, babbling distinctive sounds. Yeah! A young reader!!! :) He is way beyond baby food, and if I try to put anything near his mouth he violently shakes his head NO. He wants to feed himself, but doesn't quite get the spoon thing yet. Finger foods for now! And a favorite food that might surprise you...Broccoli!!! Yes, I know it is strange, but he loves broccoli.

Keep checking for upcoming birthday blog and pictures!

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Father's day was a dual celebration, it was also Isaiah's 10 month birthday. We celebrated in Virginia, while visiting my parents. We went to church, had a wonderful lunch, and then Eliecer watched the Costa Rica vs. Mexico Gold Cup soccer game. Unfortunately, Costa Rica lost. But, the night was redeemed by going to the movies with his wonderful wife, me! :) We say Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer. Not the best movie ever, but not a total flop.

We have been in Virginia for about a week now, and return home on Saturday. We've seen many museums, Riverdance, and the Zoo. We have also been running after Isaiah, who is now walking on his own like a champ. His new favorite past time is climbing stairs, and he running after Cali, my parent's cocker spaniel. He has also looked at Cali several times and said "Doggie". Between that, "Daddy" and "Mama", we've got our first few words.

The only problem with so many adventures is that we've worn Isaiah out.

Here's a picture of a lovely hair-do after a nap.

9 months old

2007-05-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Happy 9 month birthday Isaiah! I can not believe how quickly this year has flown by. Isaiah has developed quickly and healthily. He is about 22 lbs. with chunky legs. He is also ON THE GO!!! He crawls like he is racing you, and pulls up on everything. He can cruise accrosss couches, walls, chairs, you name it. On Mother's day he took 4 steps by himself from me and grabbed onto a chair. Yesterday he walked seven steps on his own to Dad. I can't believe I have a nine month old that walks!
My first Mother's day was celebrated with my boys, my mom, and my maternal grandparents. We had a very pleasant visit with everyone, and a not so pleasant lunch at the Macaroni Grill. Eliecer and Isaiah gave me a gift certificate to a day spa for a massage and a pedicure. Our friend Adam also got the same gift for his wife, so Andrea and I can go get mommy pampered together. :)
We are looking forward to seeing how Isaiah grows and develops.

Life's ups and downs

2007-04-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

The past two months have had many ups and downs. On February 27th one of my dearest friends, and roomates in college died suddenly from Meningitis at the age of 26. Her name is Jennifer Brock, or to me, Jenny. We have known each other since the 7th grade, and been friends ever since, growing closer each year we knew each other. I can't begin to describe the areas of my life where Jenny was present. I can't walk into a single room in my house and not see something that reminds me of her. I can't look at a single photo album that doesn't have some picture of her in it. My life has been completely altered by this catastrophic loss, something I had not experienced up until this point. I am still learning how to grieve...it is really easy to keep myself busy enough during the day not to think about it. That is one of the reasons it has taken me so long to write this next blog entry. I knew I would have to write about her and again face the pain of this loss. I loved Jenny very much. She love me, my family, Isaiah. She came and visited when Isaiah was only a week old. We spent Thanksgiving day with her and her family. That was the last time we saw Jenny and the memories are joyful and precious. I still don't know how to remember Jenny, how to grieve losing her, how to honor her life and memory. But I can say that she was an example of Christ on earth, of love and grace, of righteousness and beauty. She was not perfect, but she was the perfect friend. I miss her dearly. I've posted several pictures of her with Isaiah, so those of you who do not know her have some sort of reference. She is loved and missed.

The weekend after her death, all of our roomates from college traveled to the Sacramento/Bay Area for services and receptions. It was a bittersweet reunion, most of them hadn't met Isaiah yet, and many of us hadn't seen each other for many years, but these certainly weren't the circumstances in which we wanted to reunite. Isaiah, however, proved to be a bit of light in our sorrow. Here he is with my roomates (including our "unofficial" one, Johnny, Rachel's husband)

I don't remember much about the month of March. It kind of passed like a dream, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Isaiah hit a few milestones, however. He began crawling, then about a week later pulling up on everything, and then a short time after that walking holding his own weight, balanced just by holding our fingers. He started cruising along furniture, and we began baby-proofing the house. It has been amazing to see him grow and learn. He observes as you show him how to use a toy, then promptly mimicks your actions.

On April first Isaiah boarded a plane with us for his first International flight to COSTA RICA!!!!! I had two weeks for Spring break, and Eliecer took off a few classes so we could visit his family and introduce Isaiah to all of his aunts, uncles and cousins. The arrival was overwhelming, and Isaiah screamed and then clung to me the whole ride to Eliecer's parents house, but soon after our arrival he returned to being the social butterfly he is and flashed smiles and cooed in flirtation with all the new people he was meeting.
We spent a total of 13 days in Costa Rica and mostly spent the time with family and friends. We did manage a few short day trips, one to some thermal pools with the whole family, one to visit my old school and the directors I worked under, and finally just the three of us took a day trip to the beach so Isaiah could experience the ocean for the first time. Isaiah did great during the day, and actually napped pretty well, but struggled sleeping at night and would wake up super early with the morning sun, at about 5am each day. We put extra sheets over the windows to try to block out that darn morning sun. Isaiah was also teething while we were there, and cut his first tooth on April 10th.
Pictures of Costa Rica trip to come soon, I still have to download them from the camera.

Since returing home he is sleeping much better, and actually slept from 8:30pm to 6:00am last night without waking up! YIPEE!!! Also since coming home he is exploring the house whenever he can, pulling open draws and cupboards, pulling up on furniture and walls. One of his favorite pasttimes is pulling himself up on the piano bench and then reaching for the keys. He can barely touch them, but enjoys the sounds they make.

Eliecer and I are both gearing up for the end of our school years and look forward to having summer vacation and different schedules. Eliecer is relieved to be able to take day time classes this summer, and I'm thrilled to be staying home with Isaiah.

Well, life's an adventure with curves, hill, bumps, obstacles, joys and sorrows. We'll have to see what our adventure holds for us in the future.

6 months and almost crawling

2007-02-25T17:02:00.000-08:00

Isaiah is now 6 months and 8 days old. Can you believe it! I can't. He is growing so fast and nearly crawling. About a week ago, when my parents were here visiting, Isaiah just pushed himself up onto his hands and feet. He had already been going up onto his hands and knees, but the feet thing was new, and terribly exciting. We are just waiting for him to take off. He just needs to get his hands in play, he can't quite balance on one to move the other forward yet. He is so active and happy. Our lives are going to change again! Watch out!

This picture is of Isaiah and Eliecer on Isaiah's 6 month birthday. No, we did not buy him a hat or throw him a party. We actually were attending a party of some friend's children, one who turned three and the other who turned one. Convenient, no?

That same night we went to a special Valentines Day dinner at a nearby Hispanic church where Eliecer preached. We got all dressed up! How Handsome!

And let's not forget my real Valentine's Day outfit. That's correct, I'm the future Mr. Right. (Thanks for the duds, Auntie Dawn and Uncle Dave!)

Eating solids has been another adventure. The first few times were a mess, but sure fun! Grandma Patti is much neater feeding Isaiah.

Isaiah loves to crawl, reach, play, and jump. He's discovered the swings and slide at the park, and absolutely loves bathtime! Life is good when you are 6 months old. The whole world to explore!

A long month

2007-01-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

I realize it has been over a month since my last blog. I can assure you it is with good reason. Life has been very hectic since the last time I wrote. On December 22nd we left Fresno and flew to Virginia to spend Christmas and New Years with my family. Everyone was there, my parents, Luke and Marla, Eliecer's parents, Marla's parents and siblings along with their families. It was a wonderful trip full of sight-seeing, celebrating, and visiting with family friends. It was a beautiful first Christmas for Isaiah.
On New Years day Eliecer, his parents, Isaiah and I drove to New Jersey and I met 40 family members of theirs, many aunts, uncles and cousins. It was a bit overwhelming, but very fun to meet that side of his family. Ana and Eliecer Sr. were staying for a few weeks, but Eliecer, Isaiah and I had only a few days to spend there, but we made the most of it. One day we traveled to Atlantic City, guided by a cousin's husband, Juan. It was a smaller, east coast version of Las Vegas. Nothing special, but we did get to see the ocean, which was the highlight of that day. On the 3rd we traveled to New York city and spent the day as tourists, visiting the Statue of Liberty, the Empire States Building, and the most impacting for myself, Ground Zero. Tears ran down my cheeks as I held Isaiah in my arms and thought about all of those families affected by 9/11. It was a powerful sight.
We left on January 5th. After carefully surveying the map we realized we had traveled to 6 different states in those two weeks. Not bad! Isaiah's state count is increasing quickly.
Things haven't been nearly as exciting since we got back. We have been adjusting to a new schedule and routine, Eliecer is home with Isaiah during the mornings while I'm at work at Rio Vista Middle School, and then drops him off at the end of the day so he can coach the 8th grade boys soccer team. I take Isaiah home, make dinner and shortly after eating, Eliecer leaves for night classes, or we both go to Easton for Hispanic Ministry service. We are very busy, but blessed to have wonderful opportunities, great jobs, a beautiful child, and the flexiblity that one of us can always be taking care of him.
Isaiah is growing so fast. At 5 1/2 months he is already almost 19 pounds. He is finally beginning to eat solids well, he resisited the first few weeks of trying. We stopped for a week and on Wednesday picked it up again. He loves it now! He is an expert at rolling over, and now is beginning to scoot. He can scoot himself backwards right off his blanket on the floor. He can sit well, although sometimes his big head makes him fall over if he leans to one side or the other. We are working on sleeping longer in the night, which Eliecer has been helping out with a lot, due to the fact that I have to get up so early for work. Isaiah is exploring his vocal range as well, he loves to scream and squeal to get your attention, and then flashes a huge smile when you look at him. He is babbling, too. I few times his sounds have sounded like is saying his name...Aih Zaa Yah! His laugh makes our day and we thank God every day for a happy, healthy boy.
That's all for now. Now that I'm back at work my blogs may not be as frequent, but please keep checking. I'll try my best to keep you updated as much as I can. Blessings!

So much fun!

2006-12-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

We found a winner. When Isaiah sat in his excersaucer for the first time his eyes lit up and he proceeded to explore all the toys, turning himself completely around in the thing. He is so strong, even at just four months old. And can you tell he's teething? Even the puppet can't make it out of his mouth.

Four Months old and Milestones reached

2006-12-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

Early this morning, as Eliecer and I laid in bed, we realized that Isaiah was exactly four months old. We can hardly believe it. To celebrate, we went to church, delivered boxes of groceries to needy families in Easton, and then bought an activity center excersaucer for Isaiah. He loves it! I'll post pictures in the next few days.
Since I haven't posted in a while, here are a few milestones. Two Sunday's ago Isaiah rolled over for the first time, from front to back. He has yet to repeat it, but he did it. He also now likes to roll himself over onto his side when we put him to sleep on his back. He stretches, positions himself on his side and reaches his arm over his face, and off to dreamland. He is teething like crazy, drool everywhere and with something to knaw on constantly in his mouth. We also started on rice cereal, he's showing all the signs he's ready.
We've also been busy of the last few weeks. I went back to work last week as a trial run for after vacation. It went well, but was difficult leaving Isaiah, even though it was just with Eliecer. Eliecer finished the semester, passing all his classes without any problems. He's had several more CLP classes and is busy with the Hispanic Ministry in Easton. I had a choir conert last night. Isaiah is busy playing and growing. He attended a baby shower put on at mom's school, watched dad as he coach the soccer team in their first home game, went to a wedding for the daughter of our friends Art and Belinda, and had his picture taken with Santa in Easton on Saturday morning.
We leave Friday for Virginia to see both sets of grandparents (Eliecer's and my parents) and Uncle Luke and Aunt Marla. It will be fun to visit with family again. Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

The traveling has continued. This weekend Eliecer, Isaiah and I drove to the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving. We spent Thursday with an old friend of mine, Jennifer Brock and her husband Curtis. They had just recently moved to the area, so it was fun to see their new, BEAUTIFUL house. We enjoyed a plentiful Thanksgiving feast and many football games. Eliecer enjoyed talking to a family friend of Jenny's who was also there, he explained a lot about American football to Eliecer.
On Friday we traveled another hour north to Yuba City, this time to visit my grandparents. We had a fun evening, playing cards and talking about the past. Isaiah must have been effected by so much traveling, because that night he stayed up until past midnight. Bedtime is normally 9pm, and he rarely stays awake much past then. When we arrived home to Fresno on Saturday afternoon, Isaiah was wide eyed and smiling when we entered the house and walked around it. I think he knew he was finally home. That night he was out cold by 8:30, woke up at 9:20 to eat again and was back asleep in an instant. He was exhausted. Last night he was back on the normal routine, and I think much happier for it. It is amazing how a shift in schedules really can throw him off.
Isaiah is so much fun. He finally found his thumbs about a week ago, and instead of sucking just his fist, he'll stick a thumb or finger in. He still prefers his pacifier at night, but sucking thumbs is entertaining for moments during the day. He also likes to suck on his tongue and lips, which is pretty entertaining for us to watch. He smiles and responds to you when you talk to him, and grabs at toys in front of him. He grows so much everyday. It's a wonder to see.
The only bad thing to this weekend was when we returned finding the refrigerator and freezer completely thawed, and no longer cold. We had to throw a bunch of stuff out, and what we could save is in the garage in coolers, or frozen in the stand up freezer. Some stuff had to be left out, but it's cool enough in the garage I think we're ok. The chicken in the freezer was thawed, but still cool, so I cooked it all, and used it to make Arroz con Pollo and chicken enchiladas. It's all chicken this week! The repair man comes Wednesday, hopefully it's something easy to fix.
This is a busy week and weekend. Some friends from church are getting married, and guests from Mexico are going to stay with us on Saturday night. It should be fun.
I go back to work in a few weeks. I'm a little anxious, a little excited. The first week will be a good trial run, it's the last week of school before vacation, and then I'll have another three weeks off. We've been setting up the routine to get Isaiah used to the schedule. I hope it works.

UP UP and AWAY

2006-11-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

At three months Isaiah can join the ranks of the well traveled. This past weekend we went on his first plane ride to Milwaukee to attend Uncle Luke's installation service at his new church in Libertyville. Isaiah was a champion. He went through his normal routine, ate when he needed to eat, slept when he needed to sleep, and flirted with his fair share of stewardesses and other passengers. We had great flights and people were so helpful. We were in Milwaukee the 10th - 15th and here are some of the Isaiah's highlights, in no particular order.
1. Getting to see grandma and grandpa Hyder, Uncle Luke and Aunt Marla.
2. Meeting "uncle" Dave and "auntie" Dawn for the first time.
3. Staying in a Hotel for the first time and sleeping for 7 hours straight. (Mom's not sure if it was the plane ride that wore me out or what, but I think it was a highlight for her, too)
4. Watching Uncle Luke get installed in his new church.
5. Flying on an airplane for the first time.
6. Experiencing real cold weather and getting all bundled up.
7. Seeing where Aunt Marla works. Go Panthers!
8. Going to Chicago on the train and going up the Sears tower, and having Uncle Luke carry me all over Chicago.
9. Visiting with other family friends, the Fries'.
10. Bathing in the Hotel sink! :)

Isaiah and I had a great time, but were glad to return home to daddy. Next time he gets to come too!

Whirlwind weekend celebrations

2006-10-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

So I thought having a 2 1/2 month old was exhausting. Well, try having an infant, plus about three major celebrations in one weekend. Let's just say that our Halloween will be spent in the house, resting and recuperating from a very long, but fun weekend.
The adventure began on Friday, when many of my relatives arrived. First, my Uncle Ron, then (Great) Grandma and Grandpa Hyder. My parents and Luke and Marla made it in late that night. The family gathering was to celebrate Luke's ordination and Isaiah's baptism.
On Saturday we all got up and enjoyed each other's company in the morning. Isaiah was particularly cute, and Marla met him for the first time. Luke and I practiced the song I was going to sing at his ordination service. It's amazing how your body changes in pregnancy and childbirth. My feet have grown, and my voice hasn't been the same. Needless to say I was a bit nervous singing without knowing how my voice would cooperate. It turned out ok, not my best, but not horrible.
The ordination service took place that afternoon, and it was beautiful. I am so proud of my brother, and it was wonderful to see the great support for him and our family at the service. It was so neat to see how when the pastors and elders were asked to come lay hands on Luke that at least two thirds of the people got up and prayed for him. It was amazing. The evening concluded with a reception and a family dinner at Picadilly's. But the festivities were not over. No, on Sunday morning we all got ready and headed back to Westminster, this time for Isaiah's baptism. After church, the whole family, Mom, Dad, Luke, Marla, G&G Cook, G&G Hyder, Uncle Ron, Aunt Benita and Don & Laverne Meekhoff, came to our house for a lasagna lunch. We celebrated the baptism, as well as Luke, Marla and Grandpa Jim's birthdays.
And you would think that would be all. Well, no. We had the Pumpkin party in Easton. Eliecer gave a great performance as Pipo the clown. And Isaiah and I were pretty cute as the cowgirl and horsey. :) We had a great time as a family, Dad even participated in some games with Pipo.
It was definitely a whirlwind weekend of celebrations, and that evening going home I felt like it was midnight when the clock merely said 7:30. But it was great to see family and friends.

Ready for the Pumpkin Party

2006-10-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we're ready. This weekend is full of many important events. (Uncle) Luke's ordination, Isaiah's baptism, and the Easton Presbyterian church Pumpkin Party, a harvest fest they offer as an alternative to halloween celebrations. Eliecer is going as Pipo the clown, giving a presentation for the kids. Isaiah is going as a horsey. Too cute! I think I'll go as a cowgirl, since I've got a horse already.

Not Happy

2006-10-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Today Isaiah had 4 shots, his 2 month immunizations. It's been a rough afternoon, he's been achy and has a slight fever. Let's hope the night goes well.

New Family, New Blog

2006-10-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here begins a journey. Eliecer and I are parents. Two months ago, on August 17, 2006, our son Isaiah was born. We are adjusting to the added responsibility and the lack of sleep. We LOVE being parents, we LOVE our son, and every day is a new adventure.
Thus, here begins a new blog. This is my first attempt at blogging, and I was attracted to it as a way to communicate with my friends and family, and as a venue for my thoughts and feelings about being a new mom.
Isaiah updates: Everyday he is more responsive, he will now stay awake for good chunks of time and smile and laugh at us as we talk to him. He says "Ah-goo", and squeals. It is adorable. His personality is showing more and more each day. We are learning his ways to communicate, and it's a lovely journey.