Catch-up - Catch-all

Okay, so I'm definitely behind on my blogs so we have lots to catch up on. We went to Isaac's belated 3-year doctor appointment and were very excited to find that weighing in at 29 pounds and measuring 37 inches tall put Isaac in the 19% for weight and 33% for height! Finally - double digits!! We credit most of that to Cesi and her miraculous ways of getting Isaac to eat, but we'll take it any way we can get it :) This week, Isaac moved into a "big boy bed" which sounds more dramatic than it is. His crib was convertible, which basically means you just take off the front and replace it with a toddler bed rail. The idea of it, however, was dramatic for all of us, but the Lightning McQueen bedding helped ease the transition. So did the Tot Clock, which shines blue light during the hours Isaac is supposed to be asleep, or at least in bed, and yellow when it's wake up time. I was worried Isaac would realize he has the power to get out of bed whenever he wanted, but the clock seems to have power over him. I've watched him from the monitor sitting up in his bed in the morning and staring at the clock waiting for it to be wake-up time. Only when it turns yellow does he call for us to come get him - amazing!

At Isaac's school they are celebrating Hispanic Culture Month. Isaac had his first little school show where they all marched in with flags and danced around to music. Cesi and Caitlin went to watch and Caitlin got so wrapped up in the music, that she marched right along with Isaac's class :)

A few weeks back we went to Isaac's school with Grandma and Grandpa for a literacy event and they had fun making arts and crafts in the classroom as a way to kickoff the celebration for their birthday weekend.

Isaac started to play soccer with the Under 4 team through Soccer on the Hill. It's not so much about playing soccer as it is getting used to being on a field and chasing a ball...or not depending on the kid, and the mood!

Now that Caitlin is big enough for the real bath, both kids get bathed together most nights which is really fun. They are really cute together, but I'm not sure our walls and floor will ever dry out from all the splashing!

Caitlin started really walking confidently the weekend of their birthday party, but I'm not sure I ever posted the video. Now she walks everywhere quickly and even goes up the stairs! Isaac is great at letting me know where she is ("Mommy, Caitlin is going upstairs again") and is obsessed with checking her diaper for poop and reporting back on the status. She is equally enamored with his potty training, though she is constantly trying to put her hands and anything else she is holding into the toilet. I'm still loving the adorable girl clothes, and Cesi has fun dressing her up and sending pictures.

Caitlin taking her first real steps:


Caitlin saying "Papi" and giggling (check out those top teeth!):

Caitlin going down the slide:


Finally, Isaac had his first official date, although it was chaperoned. One of Lusa's birthday presents from her parents was to see a movie at the theater with Isaac. So Lusa and her parents picked Isaac up, they all had a pancake brunch at Ted's, and then hit the theater to see Winnie The Pooh. While they had a great time and laughed a lot, they not surprisingly, sat still for very little of the movie.

Not wanting to be left out of the dating scene, Caitlin had her own fun with Diego at Tortilla Cafe a few weeks back when we "shared" Cesi with Genevieve and Carlos for a few days.

Isaac's Birthday & The Beach House

We went to a new spot in the Outer Banks this past August with the whole Anderson family called Carova -- it is a 12 mile stretch of 4X4-only beach not far from Corrolla. The fact that it is 4X4 only makes it a little less touristy and less inhabited, which was great, but it also meant that trucks were driving on the beach, which made for somewhat less relaxing conditions. The house was gorgeous though, and had enough bedrooms and bathrooms so everyone, including Isaac and Caitlin, could each have their own, a huge kitchen table that fit all of us and then some, an elevator (one of the biggest highlights for the kids), a pool and a hot tub. We were definitely living well!! Unfortunately, our trip was cut short by the threat of Hurricane Irene, so we had to leave on Thursday night instead of Saturday night, but we had five gorgeous days before that happened.

One thing Carova is known for is the wild horses wandering on the beach. It was really cool to watch them, and one morning they even came right up to the house and hung out on the porch between the pool and the house! Caitlin had lots of fun trying to get their attention through the window.

We celebrated Isaac's actual birthday at the beach. This party brought his month-long celebration to an end, but given the ice cream cake and the candy from the train pinata that he and Caitlin both gorged on, I think he felt it was a good way to end it :)

During the week, the kids got in lots of QT with Aunt Ray-Ray, Uncle Evan, cousin Alex, Grandma Bertie and Grandpa as they were spoiled with attention and cuddles.

The kids were in heaven with all the fun activities. Each day we took several trips back and forth between the ocean, the pool, and the hot tub with lots of sand castle (and dribble castle) building, attempts at skim-boarding, kite flying, and long walks chasing birds and collecting shells. It was lots of fun but definitely exhausting for Bill and I. Thank goodness both kids still take an afternoon nap, that was when we got in our "vacation" time.

Overall, a great trip. Isaac still asks when we can go back to "our beach house" -- if only!!