preschool, stuffing bears, and a sleeping baby...

My job this month is to find a preschool for Isabella to attend next year. You may ask yourself, why is she looking for a preschool in JANUARY? Well, here's the deal, apparently, preschool is serious business these days. I know, I don't quite understand the whole thing either. Preschool, big deal right? It's that place you send your four year old to paint and play for a few hours. Nope, I guess that's not the case. Parents these days seem to think preschool is going to make or break their child. If your child goes to a good one where they do more than play, then you'll have a genius on your hands. If they go to one of those loser preschools where they paint and play, well, basically, your kid will amount to nothing. Of course I'm being facetious, but you wouldn't believe how crazy parents get about preschool. Come on people, IT'S PRESCHOOL! Well, anyway, I'm joining in this masquerade because of course I want a genius (just kidding, actually geniuses are annoying and socially awkward). Next week Isabella and I, with Isaac in tow, will tour several schools in the area and then I'll make a decision that will obviously set the stage for her future. Wish me luck!

For Christmas my sister-in-law sent a bear-making kit to Isabella. As we were putting the stuffing in the bear, Isabella said, "mommy, I love stuffin' bears!"

Once again, I forgot to upload my pictures in the right order...

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One of Isabella's favorite things to do is play in the snow...

her next favorite thing to do is play in the office where her animals have some serious discussions. Today she came out of the office and said that the giraffe was staying with the bear and the sheep and the elephant until the monsters came and took him to the cross...

Almost every night she lines the animals up and places them on their sides so that they can go to sleep.

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At the end of the day, Walter and I often crawl in bed and talk about how amazingly different Isaac and Isabella are. I can already picture Isaac as a young man. He'll be kind and sweet and so affectionate with those he loves. Yesterday a friend asked me if I am trying to savor each moment with Isaac because I know that he is my last. The answer is no. I guess I don't really see it that way because I really love and enjoy watching Isaac and Isabella grow and change. Yes, the baby years go quickly, but I am so excited for what is ahead and I so look forward to the relationships we'll have with our kids as they get older. I was thinking today, as I put Isaac down for a nap, how much of a personality he is getting and this is so exciting for me because babies are really just blobs that happen to look cute--they don't do anything and I like when babies start doing things. We were eating dinner at a restaurant last night and a man waved to Isaac and he actually waved back!

Walter wanted pajamas for Christmas and during his days off I successfully convinced him of the merits of wearing pajamas all day...

grabbing for the camera strap

In the Little Bear zone--trust me, it's a good place to be...

Last weekend Isaac was taking a nap in his room and when he woke up Walter went in and laid next to him. Isaac wouldn't stop screaming so Walter brought him over to me and he immediately fell back to sleep. He's a mama's boy (for now...soon enough it will be all about daddy)...


And I leave you with this quote that I recently read in a parenting book and what I think is a good reminder for any parent (unless of course if you agree with the Wall Street Journal article from last week):

"Nothing you become will disappoint me; I

have no

preconception that I'd like to see you be or do.

I have

no desire to foresee you, only to discover you.

You

cannot disappoint me."

-Mary Haskell