Celebrate everyday miracles...

I called one of my best gals this afternoon to share with her some amazing news...you could call it a miracle. We got to talking about how fortunate we were to have healthy, happy babies. And how much we worried together throughout our pregnancies about the health of our kiddos. Wow...how little did we know that we'd worry a lot more once they arrived into this world! Anyway, it got us to sharing stories about some friends going through some very difficult pregnancies. Which brings me to the reason for this post. She brought up yesterday's Oprah...

In the blogging world...most of us know the blog 99 Balloons, which is about a little baby boy named Eliot who lived 99 days. If you do not know of this blog, see my side bar -> and read it from the very begninning. It will break your heart at the same time you rejoice with this family for celebrating everyday miracles.

Yesterday this family was featured on the Oprah show (which I've recently been boycotting for some major reasons - but one of my besties told me today that I HAD to watch my Tivo of yesterday's Oprah). Oprah did not disappoint. Rather, she played the YouTube video that Eliot's parents created. The video was basically a summation of their blog. So if you don't have the time to read the blog in its entirety, check out yesterday's Oprah or look up the 99 Balloons video on YouTube. It will bring you to tears, as it did Oprah and myself and millions of others. Eliot's mother said she lived every day of his 99 days on earth being happy. She said she wanted to be sad later...and be happy now - celebrate each day (which they did, literally).

How inspiring. And what a huge reminder for us to live each day for today. Not tomorrow or next year. But bask in everyday miracles.

My Izzy Lou is my miracle. What's yours?

Caught in the act...

Folded in half to get to her books
Climbing in to reach toys

Izzy Lou lets nothing get in between her and her toys...she will go to any length to reach a beloved toy or book. I just had to share some of the pics when we caught her in the act. She's too cute!

Luke's 1st Birthday

Jaime, Kelly, Izzy & Molly

Jeremy & Jaime helping little man discover his cake

Opening his gifts

Izzy Lou peeking through
Reading to girl

Today was Luke's 1st birthday party, and boy was it filled with kids, gifts, toys and FUN! It was the most beautiful Fall day...perfect for celebrating such a special birthday.

Happy birthday Luke!!!

Izzy's 1 year Photo Session...

Walking down Main Street
Amongst the pumpkins

Smiling for her Mum

Big girl

More of Main Street

Wanted to share a few pics from our photo shoot with Zach Dobson (http://www.zachdobson.com/) a few weeks ago in downtown Carmel. This was our third photo session with Zach (and his wife, my friend, Courtney) and we feel they get better each time. Pretty easy to do with a kiddo that gets cuter every day. That, and a very talented photographer :)

Although Izzy turned 1 in October, the weather felt like August...thus, the summer dress. It was fitting, as the day she was born it was also in the 80's. Fall has always been my favorite time of year...with the leaves turning, tailgating, and cozy sweaters. Now I have one more reason to make this my favorite season: Izzy Lou's birth day. Nostalgia nearly every day...for the hospital, for the late-night nursing sessions, I could go on forever.

After the photo session, we ate brunch at Bub's Cafe on the Monon Trail. Followed by an afternoon nap taken by all. Perfect Sunday in my book!

To see all the photos from this shoot, visit: http://www.zachdobson.com/izzy.htm

Laura & Casey's Wedding...

Life-sized cut-out of the bride & groom outside of....
the beautiful Grain Exchange room
Yummy cake

The table assignments were based on dates that Laura & Casey went on...our table was from the Jimmy Buffett concert in '06
Each table had an anniversary card for the table's guests to sign...what a clever idea!
Us...sans bambino!!!
Tim & Danielle came in from Dallas

Cousins Tim, Steve and Mike
The gift of UW Madison's pep band...
...was a HUGE hit...

This weekend Mike and I made the trek up to Milwaukee for our (kind of) cousin Laura and Casey's wedding (Mike and Laura share an Uncle). Laura looked stunning, the reception site was beautiful and the dancing was an all-out blast (I even learned a few new dances!). The bridal party surprised the couple with the UW Madison pep band!!! They played for over 10 minutes: the Madison Fight Song, Roll Out the Barrel and the Chicken Dance, among many other favorites. With almost 300 guests...nearly the entire room was on (or near) the dance floor to witness a truly FUN experience. Made me wish I was a Badger!!! This was one of the best weddings I have ever been a part of, hands down. Congratulations Laura & Casey!!!

Thanks to my sister and niece for taking care of Izzy girl while Mike and I were able to get away for a very fun evening.

1 year pediatrician appt...

This morning was Isabelle's 1st year wellness check-up with her most favorite Nurse Practitioner, Sherry. We have always seen the NP, as we love her the most (she reminds me of my mother) and look forward to showing off our newest skills each visit. Now that I think of it, my favorite nurse while going through fertility treatments was also a Sherry....must be something very nurturing about that name. Anyway, Izzy's current stats are:

Weight: 20 lb. 12 oz. - 50-75%

Height: 29 1/4 inches - 50%

Head: 45 1/2 cm - 75%

Seems her head is still a bit larger than the rest of her body. But just look how stinking cute her head is in the above pic. Nuff said.

Izzy received 4 shots (flu, chicken pox, HepA and MMR)...none of which she liked. In fact, she screamed bloody murder. It was horrible. I loathe the shots. Can't believe I had to give them to myself for so long, way back when.

Sherry told us we should wean Izzy from her Nuk around 18 months (as that is the age when they can start speaking sentences). Mike asked me if he could go on vacation during that time. Good luck with that one, buddy!

This visit, in particular, made me especially nostalgic about how just one year ago I was struggling to get us out of the house to make it to her 1 week appointment with my mom in tow. Makes me miss when she was just a little peanut. Guess she is only 1....and she'll always be my little peanut!!!

Pumpkin Farm...

It's a pumpkin tree, duh
Izzy and Luke ridin' in the Radio Flyer
Kel & Jaim...and some GREAT people watching
The pumpkin patch via our hayride

Hayride was H.O.T.
Sittin' pretty
Two happy babes...Luke's playing hard-to-get

This afternoon we ventured to the Pumpkin Farm with our friends, the Fellers. It was HOT outside-mid 80's- which made for somewhat of a quick trip to the farm. We did enjoy witnessing pumkins being launched into the air, corn cobs being torpedoed into a pond, a hot hayride to the pumkin patch (we did not get out, as we were too hot to be bothered with actually picking a pumkin!) and some fun hay-stack photo ops. Note: Izzy got stung on her right hand by a bee right before the hay pictures...hence the meltdown in the last pic where Luke is looking at Iz like, "Girl, you ok?" His face was priceless...and so was the day. So much fun...

Ms. Mobility

Reaching for the toy cabinet
Mastered opening cabinets
Still loves her stroller (note: still no baby allowed inside, but toys are!)

Isabelle continues to become more and more mobile with each passing day. She's still enjoying walking behind her stroller, crusing and pulling up on all things furniture, walking with our hands, learning to open and close cabinets (and empty them out), and crawling up (and falling down) the stairs. Oh, and she is pointing at everything these days. She loves her new-found mobility and is even beginning to move from one piece of furniture (or toy) to another on her feet. We believe it's only a matter of time until she's walking on her own!

Happy Birthday to Izzy!!!

Twelve months ago Izzy joined the world with three short pushes. She was easy then and remains to be a very easy little girl to this day. Izzy knows what she wants. And what she doesn't. She's quite independent. Yet clingy. She just learned to give dirty looks. But her smile is so sweet. She's a deep sleeper. And our morning glory.

I never knew I could love someone so much. So unconditionally. So deeply. So purely.

Izzy has been running a fever the last 24 hours. Don't know if it's because she's in a new school (which, by the way, she LOVES and so do we!) or that all 4 of her top front teeth are coming down at the same time. Either way, Mike spent the morning at home playing with her. And I came home for the afternoon. We went on a run and now Izzy is snoozing away. I'm waiting with baited breath for her to wake up. She's so snuggly when she's under the weather.

Happy 1st Birthday, Izzy girl. We love you!!!

Izzy's 1st Birthday Party...

Happy Birthday, girl!
Home-made carmel apples and letter magnets
The delicious cake to match the invites
Izzy was SO excited...
Grandma Berger
Mommy & Izzy girl
Izzy received a Radio Flyer wagon from her Grandma/pa McCulloch

Brooke & Paige...too stinkin' cute
Ellana & Jason
Kip & Karen
Drew, Max & Suzanne

Ben and Mike...should there be beer at the kids' table?
Izzy and Grand Roo
Loving her banana cake
Family pic

Opening gifts (can you see how cute the pic of Iz is in the frame?!)
In her *new* rocker...was given to me by my mom's mom when I was born
One of her new fave toys...the walker/stroller. But no babies allowed inside :)
Grandma Anna and Grandpa Keel

This weekend we celebrated Izzy's first year in this world. Every grandparent was in attendance (she has 7, believe it or not) and all of our closest friends and family (minus a few that were traveling). There were so many other 1 year old kids here, that it almost felt like we had a daycare going on!! It was too fun to see all these bambinos together in one house playing and crawling and walking (one even running!). Such a wide variety of skill levels at the 1 year mark!

Izzy loved her cake...but I think she loved the attention even more. All eyes were on her and she basked in the spotlight. Too stinking cute!

My mother-in-law asked me if I remembered what I was doing a year ago yesterday. Um, yeah. Kind of hard to forget going into labor at home for almost 24 hours!!! If you can remember my blog posts from the middle of the night before I had Izzy...you could get a sense of my uncomfortable disposition. To keep my mind off the pain of the labor I tagged along with Mike to get his haircut and the grocery store (two things you won't catch me EVER volunteering to do). And then that evening when I woke up to roll around on my yoga ball and was walking up and down our cul-de-sac counting all the contractions. So nostalgic. But what a difference a year makes!

Thanks to all who joined us in the celebration of surviving the first year of parenthood!

To see more than 150 pics of this weekend (I know, it's a bit excessive) check out our family picture site at : http://themccullochfamily.shutterfly.com/