What She's Up To (and by she, we mean you!)

Some new stuff that our Little Gorilla is treating us to:
Lots of 360s when she's dancing... saying her name... pointing to the - and saying - mooooon... loving her new pink suede boots... knowing the colors yellow and blue... reading "Goodnight Bush" (a fantastic parody of "Goodnight Moon" that we now happily refer to as "Goodbye Bush")... walking inside the house from the car... carrying her Thomas The Train lunchbox or her orange, sequined pumpkin purse... squealing with laughter at Baby Isabelle on AppleTV... confusing cold and hot (everything is hot, including the freezer)... reorganizing the refrigerator... eating pickles... saying "cheers" as she bumps her blueberry juice to our wine... making kissing noises to call the kitty... sneaking bites of kitty food... going into the voting booth with Daddy (this dovetailed nicely with saying Obama)... hugging crying babies... helping Mommy cook... attempting to get herself dressed (she has mastered the head through the shirt, but that's where it ends)... loving the polar bears at the Central Park Zoo... raising her arms and waving them in the sky when we ask "How much do we love you?"

Isabelle & Wow! Cruisin' I-95

Grammi and Grampi took exceptional care of Wow! at Kitty Camp Brundage in Gales Ferry while we were in Wilmington. And the car rides before dropping him off and after picking him up were among Isabelle's most enjoyable times in the car seat! See for yourself:




We had a surprise run-in with Grampi at the Super Stop&Shop - we were all there buying whole milk for Isabelle! I'm 39-years-old, and Dad is still supplying the staples... next day when we left, Dennis found a twenty dollar bill on the driver's seat for gas. Thank you, Dad! Grammi made a delicious dinner - breaded chicken breast and roasted rosemary organic veggies that were drizzled with canola oil. It was just like the old days... Sunday night dinner downstairs in the family room, watching 60 Minutes and anticipating popcorn! All we needed was some of Dad's famous homemade iced-tea and Breyer's mint chocolate chip ice cream!

Trick or Treat!

Isabelle heard that Uncle Mike and Auntie Mo were building a haunted house in Delaware, and she wanted a road trip! Thanks to our Adventures in Potty Training, road trips aren't as easy as they once were, and we're seriously thinking about quitting our jobs in order to advocate for family bathrooms at highway exits across the United States.

For a kid, the Delaware Murphy set-up is like winning the lottery. Every bouncy, pushy, squishy, jumpy thing you can imagine can be found around every corner. Isabelle loved bouncing on the trampoline with cousins Trip, Maggie, Wilson and Quinny, and couldn't get enough of Auntie Mo's famous chili! This was Isabelle's first time trick-or-treating, and it didn't take long for her to catch on! By house number 3, she was walking up to the door on her own and reaching her lion paw deep into the candy bowl. Along the way, we learned that since we'd been trick-or-treating in the 70's and 80's, there are new lyrics to the "trick-or-treat, smell my feet" song: "Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat! If you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear!"

As you can see, the whole family got into the Wizard of Oz spirit! This is the first time in 10 years of marriage that Dennis and I have dressed up on Halloween. What fun!! We envision years and years of family-themed Halloweens! Those of you with older kids are probably thinking, "Ah, spoken like the parent of a one-year-old!"

Wow! joins the family

We gave Isabelle a new kitty in late October - Isabelle named him "Wow!"He's about 11weeks old now. Wow! is a Ragdoll breed, and he has an amazing personality. Ragdolls are known for being playful but passive when picked up... perfect for Isabelle! (Little Mik - our previous kitty - passed away over the summer. But he's the reason Isabelle's very first word was "ki-ee!")

FIRST Birthday!

Year One. Year Wonderful! Preparing for Isabelle's first birthday bash was almost as much fun as the party itself! We decorated the clubhouse at Fiddler's Cove Marina with sand snowmen, pink, green and white balloons, photographs highlighting first year bliss, lemonade with floating duckies, and, of course, family and friends! Nana's delicious mini-cupcakes and Nick's swordfish and special chicken hit the spot. Isabelle loved having cousins Anika, RJ, Lexi and Ethan there - as well as her friends Olivia, Nolan, Tyler, Luke, Paige and Clover the Clown! Isabelle found her groove boogying to the Captain Zoom Birthday song. "Hey, Isabelle! It's your birthday!" I had a a 45rpm record with my name in the song as a kid - and loved it! - and was able to download an mp3 with Isabelle's name! It was one of those rarest of days - when you imagine how it could be, how you want it to be... and it actually is better than you ever dreamed. Highlights: the escalation of Isabelle and Nolan's relationship; having Auntie Peggy there taking pictures; Isabelle watching her Year One DVD, playing peek-a-boo with Clover the Clown and dancing with us to her birthday song; Anika enjoying her hand painting; Auntie Bonnie and Uncle Michael sitting at the kids' table.

While most of the family went to the park to play after the party, Isabelle and I (and Grammi and Grampi) indulged in a 2-hour nap! Then the party raged on back at the house with a lobster feast!

Rome-ing Around!

It's official! The first stamp has been entered in Isabelle's passport! After vacationing in Capri for a week, we headed to Rome for Senza Frontiere (the Film Festival Without Borders) where Isabelle took her very first steps in our hotel room. Here, she's climbing the Spanish Steps in Piazza di Spagna.

Horribles Parade

We are "The Pirates of New Silver Beach!" Thanks to Grandpa and his pirate ship building skills, you are looking at the proud winners of the Best Family Float! It's been 20 years since Dennis took home the prize! Isabelle played the part of parrot, and seemed to amaze the crowds (or at least Nana!) with her perch on Dennis' shoulder and continous wave down the main thoroughfare. Cousins Maggie, Anika, Trip, Elli, Wilson and Quinn and friend Tyler all helped to make Isabelle's first July 4th so special.