In Like a Lion, Out Like a Tiger?

Crazy weather here today as March comes to a close. We got a few inches of snow overnight and throughout the morning. Eventually, the sun came out and melted a good portion of it.

I know this blog pretty much revolves around Isla and her happenings. We are so lucky to have this beautiful little 9 week old in our lives. But we still get to do some of the things we enjoyed so much before, like spending time with friends and family, going to events or doing whatever we want to do...we just have to plan things a little more carefully and make sure the peanut can be fed when she's hungry. We're really looking forward to warmer weather so we can go to the zoo and do other fun things.

Here's our little peanut:



My original point to this rambling is that I still try get in a fair amount of running. It can be more of a challenge to cram in miles sometimes, but it's something that I really enjoy and something that Tiffany really supports. I am looking forward to having some family runs here once the weather finally turns. I made a post on the other blog about my running of the Shamrock Shuffle today. You can read it here: http://runningforcru.blogspot.com/2009/03/2009-shamrock-shovel.html

Besides that, we were all very disappointed the Tigers couldn't pull out the victory on Saturday. Both Isla and Bosley were questioning Mike Anderson's substitutions in the last 10 minutes. Isla was ready to punch something .


I suppose the bright side is that Isla got a to wear her baby tiger onesie a couple times during their tournament run before she outgrew it.

2 months old!

Look how much I've grown!! 

Paul and I can't believe our little peanut is becoming not so little anymore. She can sit up better, is very alert and interested in her surroundings and even has eyebrows (they weren't quite ready when she came out!) Her lungs are stronger as she is much more vocal about her needs now and she likes to talk to us with a lot of interesting noises.

So here are a few pictures from her photo shoot yesterday...she'll always be our peanut!

Isla, Meet Uncle Michael

Isla finally got to meet her Uncle Michael on Sunday. It was a great experience for both of them. Uncle Michael told Isla stories of his outstanding students at Lane College. I think they were supposed to inspire her to hit the books.
Here's a picture of Michael holding Isla.


Isla did have the pleasure of seeing both her Boilers and Tigers win over the weekend. Both of them play on this Thursday night. Both are underdogs, but if they were both able to somehow pull off upsets, they would meet in the regional final with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The chances of this happening are pretty slim, but Isla would have the first dilemma in her young life - who to root for? I'd let Isla pull for the Boilers and take Bosley to help me cheer on the Tigers. I told Bosley to try to roar like a Tiger and here's what I got:



Then I told Uncle Michael to pretend like he was Italian and this is what I got:


And here was Kameron, when the Tigers nearly blew the game:

Crazy, I know. He's supposed to be an Illini fan. I guess he just got caught up in the moment.

After the game ended and the Tigers came away with a victory, Isla was exhausted and took a nap on her Aunt Jaime.

Mizzou-rah! Tigers!

Hooray! Hurrah!

Today the Missouri Tigers take on Cornell in their first round of the tournament and Isla is ready to cheer them on! The Tigers are her other favorite team, proudly supporting the alma mater of her daddy, Uncle Michael and Great Uncle George. Unfortunately Brad Pitt dropped out.

The onesie Isla is wearing is the first thing I purchased for the baby as a gift for Paul's birthday. It looked so small at the time...it's still too big for our peanut!!

Isla is happy her Boilers won yesterday although it was a little too close!

Edited by Dad to add: Let's keep that onesie clean. She's hopefully going to be wearing it a lot over the next few weeks.

Boiler Up!!

Hail, Hail to Old Purdue! All Hail to Our Old Gold and Black!

Today the Purdue Boilermakers take on Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Boilers are one of Isla's favorite teams, with many notable alumni...her mommy, Alicia and Justin Murphy, Maryann Vale, NFL quarterbacks Drew Brees (Saints) and Kyle Orton (Bears), former NFL Fullback Mike Alstott (Buccaneers), and recent American Hero Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenburger just to name a few.

Unfortunately her Purdue Pete costume is a little to big for her still, so to show her support, she'll just have to wear this today!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

It's kind of St. Patrick's Day. I know it's really on the 17th, but there was a celebration at the Irish American Heritage Center going on all day today, complete with bagpipes and Guinness. It is pretty close to our house, so it makes it pretty easy to bring a 7 week old along. Isla did great at the celebration and slept through some wicked bagpipes and drums.

Quite a few of our friends also made the trip over there. Here are some pictures of the fun. There are also a few pictures of Tiffany, who doesn't show up on this blog often enough.

Me, Tiffany and Isla


Tiffany and Isla


Isla



Molly and Audrey


Tiffany and Jonah. I think she stole him from Maureen and Christian for this great picture.



Justin and Adeline


Tiffany, Alicia, Maryann and Isla


Jen and Isla


Adeline!

Fun at the Johnson's

Last weekend, we made a somewhat last minute trip down to Tim and Ruby Johnson's in New Lenox. Liam, Kevin and Carrie Wills also joined in the fun. It was a really good time. Ruby made a bunch of food for the entire army. At the time, Tim and Ruby had four kids - Piper, Trace, Carter and Finley. Only three days later, they welcomed their 5th child (and third girl) Scout Virgina. Tim says that the family is now complete and you can stick a fork in him. Congrats to all of them. All of the kids were very excited for the arrival of their sister.

Seeing Tim and Ruby in action with the kids is pretty amazing. I know I said it back when Isla was about a week old, but I have the utmost respect for the Moms (and Dads too, I guess) who have four and five kids. I am still not sure how you do it.

Here are some pictures of the Johnson kids with Isla. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of Liam when he briefly turned in to a dancing machine before the Wills' had to pack up their things and go. Like father, like son? Pretty soon, Liam will be dancing to "The Carwash" with his dad.

8 Pounds, 2 Ounces

I forgot to mention that Isla went to the doctor this week. She came in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. She gained over an ounce a day since her last visit. Dr. Benuck was very happy with her progress.

On Wednesday, Kameron came up to spend some more time with his YiaYia. Here are a few pictures from that day:

Me, Bosley, Kameron and Gail



Kameron enjoying Bosley's company



Kameron and me


YiaYia with two of her three Grandchildren

YiaYia's 60th Birthday

On Sunday, we had a surprise birthday party for my mom (Isla's Yiayia) down in Joliet at Nick and Jaime's house. We all had a great time and of course there were quite a few great pictures. Here are some of them.

Jori and Isla


Kelsey and Isla


Lindsey and Isla


My Godmother Joni and her girls(l to r) Lindsey, Jori and Kelsey


Kameron and his YiaYia


Joni, Gail and Kelsey



Isla wearing her "Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner" shirt. This was a gift from the Wills' family. It was a big hit at the party.


Here's Kameron enjoying some food. About 15 minutes after this, he threw up most of his green beans and macaroni and cheese dinner on his dad and on the kitchen floor. Good times.


My Aunt Dene't and her grandson George


My cousin Lexie and Isla


Me, Jori and my YiaYia


Kameron climbing up the stairs