Pumpkin Farm 2009

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Halloween! I blame it on my mom- we have always been big fans of the holiday in my family. Dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, decorating the house, going to the pumpkin farm- all favorites. That is why I am so excited to have my own family now to take to the pumpkin farm. Isabel's first trip was lots of fun and we had great weather. Aunt Mandy was off of work so she got to join us too. That was a special treat for Bell. Enjoy the pics! Picking her first pumpkin!

Loving her Aunt Mandy

We couldn't get her to look at us- she was very intrigued by the pumpkins

Yummy! Pumpkins taste great

7 and a Half Months

Isabel was 20 pounds at her doctor apt. today and doesn't seem to be slowing down yet- she is already wearing 9-12 month clothes! She is really changing daily now. In the last two weeks she has suddenly become very mobile. She is rolling all over the place and gone are the days of parking her in one spot on a blanket. She can even get up on all fours into a crawling stance but she just rocks back and forth and then falls back down. I left her alone to go put some clothes away and I found her all the way on the other side of the room trying to eat a Halloween decoration. Yikes! We better child proof this house quick. Her newest accomplishment is waving. She learned to wave about two weeks ago. The first few times she did it I thought it was a fluke- but now she waves at everyone and everything. She waves "good morning" when I come get her out of her crib and she waves "hello" to strangers in the store and she even waves "goodbye" to her bottle. It really is pretty sweet. Also, the crazy sound she makes are starting to sound more like words. Last Friday when we were out shopping Jason could have sworn that Isabel said "da da"... I'm not so sure about that.

In this picture Isabel is eating dinner with us at Qudoba. This is a pretty fun age because she is very social and likes going places with us. She behaves well in restaurants (as long as you keep things out of her reach).

This past week Isabel has been sick with flu-like symptoms. (fever, runny nose, cough etc.) She has been getting up several times during the night and we have been really worried about H1N1 flu. We got her the seasonal flu vaccine but we have been going round and round about whether to try to find the swine flu vaccine for her. (2 kids in her school have confirmed cases and my school district is FULL of kids sick with the flu) We took her in to get checked out by the pediatrician today and he told us that she should recover in the next few days but we need to monitor her symptoms to make sure nothing worsens. It is very stressful being a parent sometimes. There is always so much to worry about. It can all drive you crazy if you let it! I just have to remind myself that she is in God's hands and as parents all we can do is try to make the best decisions for our kids. Anyway- we look forward to her returning to her happy, healthy self.

Surprise! Happy 30th Birthday to Me!

Let me just start by saying that I have the greatest husband in the world and I can't believe that he planned a surprise 30th birthday party for me last night! The most surprising part is that it was ACTUALLY a surprise too- (I mean don't most people usually figure those things out ahead of time?) But no, I was truly shocked when I walked into the Mill Race Inn last night and saw all of my family, friends and coworkers waiting for me. I had such a great time and I can't imagine anything better than being surrounded by all of your favorite people on your birthday. Thank you Jason and thank you everyone else for being there. It was the greatest gift! Jason told me about a month ago that we were going to drop Isabel off at my parents house on my birthday and to pack an overnight bag. He wouldn't give me anymore details about where we were staying but I was really excited about the prospect of having a romantic birthday evening with my hubby.

I was really excited and surprised when we arrived at The Herrington Inn in Geneva because I had always wanted to stay the night there and our room was beautiful. It had a huge bathroom with a whirlpool tub, a fireplace, and they left us homemade chocolate chip cookies and Oberweis milk (yum!)

Jason told me that we had late dinner reservations at the Mill Race Inn and since we checked into our hotel pretty early we had a few hours in the afternoon to hang out in downtown Geneva. We went to the 3rd Street shops and looked around- (my fave!) We did a wine tasting at the Galena Wine Cellars and then had birthday cupcakes at The Cupcake Shop. I had a carrot cake cupcake that was to die for.

Then we stopped at The Little Owl for a quick appetizer and drinks. I have to admit that by this time I was starting to get tired and a little hungry and secretly wished we could skip dinner out and head back to our cozy room at the Herrington. But since it wasn't even 7pm - and we rarely ever get out at night- I thought I better tough it out. So we walked over to the Mill Race and by this time it was dark and cold. When we walked inside I was distracted by the Halloween decorations upstairs and didn't really realize anything was up until Jason started walking toward the downstairs room. He seemed to know where he was heading so I followed. About two seconds before we entered the room I realized something was up but it was too late- SURPRISE! I was shocked to see all of my favorite people gathered in one room wishing me a Happy Birthday. Even little Isabel stayed awake long enough to give me a hug and enjoy a little bit of my party. Here she is with Jacqueline. They really seemed to hit it off. (I know this because Isabel tried to grab her and eat her- something she does to everything she loves)

It wasn't long though before she started to get cranky and tired. My parents took her home and put her to bed - thanks mom and dad!

It was so good to see my girls! I can't believe so many people were able to make it.

My BFF- Katie!

The Wredling Crew- The best friends and coworkers EVER!

Stacy, Karen, and Cammy- enjoying a night out with no kids :)

Jason making a little "speech" and thanking everyone for being there.

Yum- this cake was delicious. It seems all I did this weekend was eat.

Thanks Mandy!! My sister helped Jason put this party together and her creative touch was all over the decorations and invitations. I loved all of the little details Bean! I regret that I didn't get a picture of everyone at the party but hopefully my friends will send me some more pics. All in all, it was the best birthday party ever. It's funny, for the past few weeks people have been asking me if I was upset about turning 30 and I could honestly say I wasn't. I have a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, a loving family, true friends, a great job, and my health. Really, what is there to complain about? (Besides most of my friends are already 3o- so that still makes me the youngest) ha ha . I am truly blessed!

Seven Months - What?!

Okay... I am officially getting old because I keep saying things like. "It seems like just yesterday Isabel was a tiny little baby." or "Where does the time go?" But SERIOUSLY....where does the time go? Isabel turned seven months just yesterday and now that I am back at work it really seems like each day is flying by. I hate it because I feel like I don't have enough time with her in the evenings. By the time we get home from school it is play, dinner, bath, bottle and bed. I try to enjoy every moment when we're together. I joke that we are "BFF's"- but she really is my fave person to spend time with now (well, except for Jason of course lol) What a funny little personality- always smiling, laughing, making strange "cat" sounds, and grabbing at everything within reach. She especially enjoys grabbing jewelry- rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. (The more expensive the better. That's my girl!) Other changes include eating pureed meats (yuk!), rolling over in her crib during the night, and biting things with her two funny little bottom teeth. We tried giving her those dissolving "puffs" the other day but she can't seem to figure out how to get them from her fist into her mouth. Lastly, she is bouncing like crazy when we hold her on our laps. She "rocks out" to music on the IPod or television (loves Lady Gaga, The Ting Tings and the Black Eyed Peas) and pushes up to standing when you hold her. I guess we better get going on the house baby-proofing because its only a matter of time before she is on the move.

Football Weekend

It's that time of year again! It seems that every single day in the Leppin household there is some type of football game on. I mean, didn't it just used to be Sunday football? Nope- there is Monday night, and Thursday night, and Saturday college games.... and fantasy football in between :) Yep- I am married to a bona fide sports nut. I'm a pretty good sport though myself. I even know the names of the players and went to watch the Illini play in Champaign this past Saturday. They lost (and it rained) but we had a good time anyway. The best part was we stopped in Dwight on our way and Isabel got to spend the day with her Grandma and Grandpa Leppin. She had a great time.

Meeting the Newest Dierking

Last week my friend Kristin invited us over to meet her sweet new baby girl- Kylie Marie Dierking. To make things even more exciting my friend Megan was in town from Denmark with her two children Anika and Broderick. Kristin's older son Dylan had fun playing with an older boy and he seems to be getting used to the idea of having an new baby sister. I was so bummed because Isabel was too sick to come with and meet the other kids (Her cough sounds pretty nasty and I didn't want her to get the new baby sick). Her and Anika are only a few weeks apart though and I was really excited about them meeting. Oh well- there's always next time. (Maybe we will have to make a trip to Denmark instead to see them.)

Megan and Kylie