Christmas Newsletter

It is that time of year again when we reflect on what went on in the past year and take the time to let friends and family know exactly what we have been up to. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the antics of the Isle family. At least pretend to enjoy until the end, then you can go back to doing whatever it was you were doing.

We did a few new things this year. William went to Primary, which he loves. Our faithful Neon decided it no longer wanted to be a part of our family so we purchased a van. Caitlyn went to Nursery, she hasn’t decided whether she enjoys that or not. We had a family reunion with Brandon’s family in Colorado. It was the first time Marybeth and the kids had ever visited that state. William has asked multiple times when we are going back to Colorado because he enjoyed Water World. William and Caitlyn went to their first Major League Baseball game. Brandon convinced members of the family to run the Teton Dam Marathon with him. Apparently Brandon is very persuasive because he also convinced coworkers to run on Thanksgiving Day. And Britton Isle joined our family December 1st. So those are the highlights. For pictures of any of these events feel free to visit our blog islefamily.blogspot.com.

Brandon is still working at Local News 8 in Idaho Falls. He has entered the last year of his contract so who knows where we will be at this time next year. He really enjoys his work and the people that he works with. He did have to go through some sadness at work when reporter contracts came to an end and he had to say good bye to those he has worked with for the past couple of years. In June he convinced some of his in-laws to run the relay for the Teton Dam Marathon, this caused his name to be used in vain quite a bit. But they were all smiling at the end and no one died, so all is well that ends well. Brandon created many projects for himself around the house and yard (hopefully the neighbors don’t complain about the missing tree branches) and successfully built a gate. It is a thing of beauty. For a few months Brandon was pulling double duty at church, teaching in Elders quorum and teaching Sunday school for the 12-14-year-olds but he was released from the Elders quorum position. He is still very understanding when the children call him at work because Mommy is going crazy and is the handsomest prince and such a good sport.

Marybeth is still the stay at home mom chasing the crazy kids. At the start of the year she was thoroughly enjoying her calling teaching in Primary, even though William struggled sitting still when Mommy was right behind him, when they decided to throw her a curve ball. She was called as Primary President and the chaos ensued. Put a pregnancy on top of that and this summer was just fantastic.

William is a super helper and a super big brother. He wants to do everything. He continues to wow people with his reading skills, people visiting in Primary don’t know quite what to do. William was excited when he found out we were having another baby, a little disappointed when we found out we were having a girl, but has decided that he loves Britton and is going to be the best big brother ever. He celebrated his fourth birthday this summer and was so excited to turn four. Brandon pulled some strings and William had the opportunity to race Charlie the Chukar, the mascot for the local minor league team, on his birthday. He loved every opportunity to visit family this year, trips to Utah and Colorado. He wants to know how things work and jumps at the chance to help with anything. He is very excited about going to school next year.

Caitlyn is a princess and lets everyone know. She continues to pretend to be shy, but once she warms up there is no stopping her. During our stay in Colorado she started every day being shy around family, even the people she was playing with the day before. She talks a mile a minute and sometimes you can actually understand what she is saying. She has decided lately that she needs to wear a pretty dress whenever possible and pink is very important to her. She loves seeing princesses because they wear pretty dresses like her. She doesn’t like the doctor, but what two year old does. She has mixed feelings about Nursery. At first she didn’t want to go, then for a couple of months she was really excited to go, and now she really doesn’t want to go. She loves her baby dolls and any other toy really. Since Britton has come home she is always asking about her baby or talking about her new baby sister. The best was the night she informed Daddy that the baby needed him and he needed to go pick her up.

Britton joined us December 1st. She was born around 9:30 in the morning, weighed 7lbs 11oz, and was 19 inches long. At her two week check she weighed in at 8lbs 9oz and was about 21 inches. She looks very much like her siblings, lots of dark hair. She has developed a bit of dislike for the doctor’s office because they keep sticking her heel. She, like her siblings, was very yellow. Not yellow enough for a bili blanket just yellow enough that they wanted to test her blood multiple times. She of course proved them wrong, her siblings did too they just had to be given the chance. As long as she is not smothered by all the love that is bestowed on her by her older brother and sister she will just keep growing and hopefully sleeping more at night.

There you have the highlights of our year. We are very grateful for our families and the support that they give us. We are also grateful for our friends and the joy they bring to our lives. At this time of year we are reminded of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and all that He has done for us and the blessings we receive from him. We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year is a happy one.

All our love,The Isles

Britton 1 week and Random Pictures

Britton is now a week old, okay so more like a week and a half. She no longer has to go to the doctor's for torture. I seem to have really yellow kids. None have needed a bili blanket, everyone just thinks they are too yellow. So Britton had to go to the doctor's last Friday for a blood draw and on Monday. Monday her number came down so unless she turns yellow they are no longer worried. On Monday she had topped 8 pounds. She was 8 lbs 3 oz, so she is eating up a storm. I thought you might enjoy a picture of her with her eyes open. So enjoy.Don't my poor children looked neglected? Good think they have Grandma. Mom came down to help me put the kids to bed Monday, sometimes I wish Brandon was home at night but other times I am really grateful he is home in the morning, and they were so glad to see Grandma. Caitlyn spent a lot of time on Grandma's lap with her blanket. This is William with his Big Red Car. We found a Wiggles song and activity book at the beginning of November and he really wanted to make the Big Red Car. We had to wait for an empty diaper box but I think it was worth it. At least until the kids start fighting, then I don't know.

Here is another pictur showing what a good sport Brandon is. He got Caitlyn's hair back and then she decided it was Daddy's turn. She even found a nice pink flower clippie for his hair.

Funny Things

I know, you have all missed me so. This is my first excursion to the library so my first chance to post anything since leaving the hospital. I have been wanting to relate some funny experiences we have had recently so here we go.

Funny thing 1: Okay this is from Thanksgiving, which I must say was awesome. It was so much fun to be with the family, and thank goodness Mom and Dad are such good sports about being invaded. Now I must tell you, I love my family a lot and most of you know that I don't have a huge personal bubble. So when I am pregnant I am used to people touching my tummy. A little wierd when complete strangers do it but fun when family does. So I have had my tummy touched and rubbed a lot. I did have to laugh over the fact that at one point I was standing in the kitchen having my tummy touched not by the girls in the family but by Shawn and Zach. I don't know if my brothers or brothers-in-law have ever touched my tummy while I was pregnant. But they were both asking if the baby was awake. Zach really wanted Britton to be moving, he even asked Friday night. I think that these two Dads to be are really excited. (I hope you all caught that, Crystal and Zach are expecting, you'll have to ask her for details)

Funny thing 2: Not many funny things happen when you are in labor, I will admit that readily. But this time something did. While going through this experience with the monitors on my stomach, which isn't very comfortable, I noticed a funny sound. It was coming from the baby heart monitor. It was pretty constant and was just kind of a bleep. Brandon looked at my to ask what that was, so I informed him that the baby had the hiccups. The nurse said I was the first person to realize what that was. It was so wierd to not only feel the hiccups but hear them.

Funny thing 3: Okay, this is the only on with a picture. Saturday Caitlyn informed me that she needed me. Since Britton had fallen asleep I shifted her to a shoulder and had Caitlyn sit on the other side. The next thing I know, Caitlyn is completely out. I guess she was tired.

More Baby Britton

Here are some more pictures of Britton with her older siblings. William and Caitlyn were very excited to come see their new sister and mommy at the hospital. Caitlyn didn't understand why she was leaving and I was staying. She kept telling me that it was time to go and trying to get me out of bed to leave with her. They were also very excited about spending time at Grandma Luke's house.

They were just as excited to come back to the hospital today, and very first thing they wanted to see Baby Britton. Caitlyn tries her best to say her name. Caitlyn told me that I had a pretty dress on, I think she is the only person I have ever heard describe the hospital gowns pretty. Britton is doing really well, she is convinced she needs to eat all of the time but she is sleeping some. Brandon said that she looks like she had a haircut, her hair is very even all over her head. The doctor says that she checks out and is healthy. So we head home tomorrow. It should be fun.

Britton Isle

The long wait is over. Britton Isle has joined the world, and more importantly, our family. She was born at 9:37 Monday morning, December 1. She weighs in at 7 lbs. 11 oz. and is 19" tall. She has dark hair like her brother and sister had when they were born. We got to the hospital about 5:30 a.m., so only about four hours until Marybeth delivered. We're excited!

2 weeks

I know, you all think that the countdown is all that I think about. It isn't really. It just so happens that my doctor's appointment was yesterday and here I am at the library so I thought I would let you all know. Or you can just think that my life really is that boring that this is all I have to think about. So anyway, the doctor's. I am still measuring where I am supposed to be and the baby's heartbeat sounds great. The doctor checked to see if I was dialating at all and asked if I was having any contractions or pressure. I have had some contractions, no biggie cause I know it isn't the real thing, but I have been feeling a lot of pressure. When the doctor checked my cervix he said "She really is putting a lot of pressure down there." I thought it was funny that he could feel that. So her head is down and she is just waiting. I haven't dialated much, he didn't give me a number, but it was the same way with William and Caitlyn two weeks before so I am not worried. Since she is so low and keeping up the pressure that situation will change. The doctor said he would consider stripping my membranes next week depending on how much I have thinned out. That would be a new experience for me. So now I wait. It is funny to me how different this child is. She is sitting much lower and always has than the other two. She is so low and pressing so hard that it hurts to climb stairs or climb into the van. Brandon thinks it is funny. Me not so much. I'm not used to not being able to get up off the floor if I'm sitting with the kids. But it should be over soon.

3 Weeks

I can't believe I only have three weeks left. Thanks to the crazy kids running around our house it has gone much faster than I thought it would. Of course that is why I am tired too. The doctor says I am right where I am supposed to be and everything looks good. It is a little hard for me to believe that I got to the doctor's every week. I almost forgot my appointment this week, I was very surprised to look at the calendar Tuesday night and realize I had an appointment on Wednesday. William keeps asking when the baby is going to be here. He was a little disappointed she wasn't here for Halloween to dress up. He keeps telling us that he likes the name Elizabeth and doesn't care for any of the other names we are considering. Caitlyn has no idea what is going on but repeats William when he talks about the new baby. She has come to grips with the fact that the baby will sleep in the crib. Now I have to convince her that the car seat and bouncy chair are not for her dolls. Her contribution for names was Hola, needless to say we will not be using her suggestion. She does like to shake my tummy and say hi baby or wake up baby. It should be an adventure.

Halloween

I know, Halloween was a week ago, but since we now blog from the Library that is how it works.
William was very excited about trick or treating at the library. As soon as we had his costume and story time had started he was constantly asking when he got to dress up for the library. He would count how many story times until he got to wear the costume. Caitlyn informed me later that day that she needed to go back to the library to get more candy. So I think she enjoyed it too.

This is our third Halloween in Idaho Falls and every year the kids get to trick or treat at Daddy's work. I realized this year that I have never actually taken pictures of the kids trick or treating at the station. So here they are in the studio with Daddy(William calls it Jamie's big office since they have moved the weather station from down the hall). Brandon likes to show off his kids and everyone likes to spoil them with candy. I think they got just as much candy there as they did on the street trick or treating.Here they are setting off to terrorize the ward members. I didn't want to take the kids by myself so I called my secretary to see if we could walk with them. It helps that she knows where absolutely everyone in the ward lives and I am still a little clueless. So we had five kids and three adults. I had specifically gotten the kids warm costumes because we all know what Halloween is like in Idaho, but it was gorgeous. I don't think it was ever that nice when I was little. I have decided that the person who came up with trick or treating was not a woman who was eight months pregnant. We did pick up Daddy after the news so he could have the joy of taking the kids to some houses. Caitlyn thought it was great that she had her own bucket with her own candy. Then she tried to steal William's, but it all worked out in the end.

Funny Kids

Even though my kids fight a lot, I guess you can tell they still love each other. These are some pictures from a family walk, I am going to stop suggesting things like this because William and Caitlyn now think we should walk everywhere.
William was told to wait at the corner becuase he really wanted to run.
I think they are so cute holding hands.

This has absolutely nothing to do with my kids but my beautiful little sister. She has started a blog, but for some reason hasn't told anyone about it but me. I guess I should feel priveleged. So if you wnat to see what she and Zach have been up to, or you just want to check out the damage done to her car by the elk, you can click on their names under our family links or check out zachandcrystalparkinson.blogspot.com

Pumpkins

We decided it was time to get a pumpkin or pumpkins for Halloween. We heard about a pumpkin patch where the kids could pick their own so we decided to check it out. Of course they had a ton of pumpkins, all shapes and sizes, and my children choose almost the smallest ones they could. I guess it makes sense because they wanted to carry their pumpkins. The kids also had fun with a little maze that was built out of straw bales, William just like to find all of the dead ends. Brandon said that he was going to have to buy himself a pumpkin so he could carve it. Imagine my surprise when he came home from shopping with a pumpkin that wasn’t even twice the size of William’s. I guess his selection was either huge or small. He didn’t want a huge one. Since the pumpkins were too small to carve we decided to paint. The kids had a lot of fun with the paint. Brandon was nice enough to let me paint a face on the back of his pumpkin. So here are our master pieces.

Fall Pictures

I know that this is going to seem like a lot of pictures, but bear with me. The kids have definitely enjoyed the change of seasons, mainly because the weather has been mostly good. Of course they did enjoy the day of snow we had. They managed to get outside and play before I made it to ward council that Sunday morning. William has been asking about leaves since the change of season. He constantly talks about it being fall or autumn and he wanted to know when we were going to have enough leaves to jump into. Of course our neighbors’ trees lost their leaves weeks before we did. William even tried picking leaves off of the sidewalk and throwing them inside our fence to make a big pile of leaves. So when we went up to Grandma and Grandpa Luke’s a couple of weeks ago because Eric and Angela were visiting I told them we would attempt to get a pile big enough to jump in. We barely managed it. It wasn’t the most impressive pile but the kids enjoyed it. Caitlyn was patiently waiting her turn.
William and Caitlyn also got to meet Eric and Angela’s new dog Thunder. They were a little surprised about how big Thunder is. I know that he looks like he is going to eat Caitlyn in this picture but he really was a mellow dog. We thought that our trees would never lose their leaves; they seem to be slow to get leaves in the spring and really slow to lose leaves in the fall. But the past couple of days the leaves started to come down. The kids played in a little pile in the front one day and that night the trees decided they wanted to laugh at us and dumped a ton of leaves down. They completely covered the driveway. So Brandon raked up quite the pile in the back yard. Caitlyn demonstrated her swimming abilities in the pile, and really wanted to be buried. The only depressing point of the leaves is we have this huge pile and we feel like we have accomplished something, but then we look up. The trees aren’t even half bare. Brandon keeps trying to come up with ways to magnetize the leaves so they are easier to gather up.

7 Weeks to Go

Here is our happy family. The two screaming children, fighting over the stuffed animals, and the mommy who really just wants to take a nap. The daddy thought this was a really funny picture. We only have 7 weeks left before our due date. I am really excited about being down in the single digits for weeks. This pregnancy seems to have gone really fast. William is quite anxious for his new baby sister to be here. He asked me what the baby was going to be for Halloween and was a little disappointed to hear that she wouldn't be here that soon. Caitlyn has no idea what is going on, other than the fact that the crib is now the baby crib and she doesn't get to sleep in it anymore. I think that I wouldn't be so tired if I wasn't chasing two children around, but overall I am feeling really good. I am hoping that the baby comes a little early, the other two managed it so I think she should continue the trend.

Dancing

I don't know if this makes me a bad mother or not, but I love Dancing with the Stars. Not only that, my kids really like it too. William gets so excited when they start the shows again. It does fill some time between dinner and bedtime on Mondays. In fact, I have been known to say that if they don't eat or clean up they don't get to watch any Dancing. But my favorite part has to be the fact that my kids dance along. It is so funny to watch. William even sings the theme song as the show starts. It used to be that they always wanted Mommy to dance with them but now they like to dance together. Now when they dance to any music, and there is a lot of dancing that goes on in our house(not all of it good but all of it is enthusiastic), they tend to dance together. Caitlyn will hold out her hands and say, "William, dance with me."(Not that articulately of course) Here is Caitlyn asking William to dance with her. They were dancing along with the Wiggles.
Here they are, the dancing fools. I wish that I had taken some pictures during Dancing with the Stars because William tries to imitate the dancers. My favorite so far was when he was trying to copy the dancers doing the tango. Fortunately Caitlyn is a good sport.

Disguise

I remembered these funny pictures that were on our camera and I thought that you all would enjoy them. When Karole got Caitlyn's birthday present she was nice enough to get something for William too, she really does spoil my kids. William was very excited because he now has his own disguise, you know the glasses with the nose and eyebrows. Karole was impressed that William knew the word disguise. So of course we have had to wear them all sorts of places, they were a big hit at Target. During Conference Caitlyn decided that she needed to try them and William was nice enough to share. Of course, then Mommy and Daddy had to try them on so William and Caitlyn could laugh.
Here is William, but if I tell you that then you will see through the disguise. Forget I said anything
I think this is the funniest picture. The nose takes over her entire face.
This guy reminds me of Groucho Marx.
For some reason the kids thought it was really funny when I put them on. I don't know why. I just love the fact that both of my kids are dressed and Brandon and I hadn't gotten to that point.

Caitlyn Birthday Pictures

Here are the pictures from Caitlyn's birthday.
She absolutely loved this tutu. She put it on and just started spinning and dancing like crazy. I would love to say that I made this myself but I didn't. I bought it at Stardust Sweeper, I know I talk about that store a lot, and I got to pick out the colors and stuff.
She did get a little dizzy during the spins, but she had fun.
Here she is blowing out candles at the station. The tiara and boa are from Karole. She is encouraging the girlishness. Not that it needs to be encouraged, Caitlyn gives Brandon quite the runaround some days because she is so opinionated about what she is going to wear.

Caitlyn's Birthday

Caitlyn is officially two. She has be acting officially two for quite awhile but now she is two. She was very excited to say happy birthday to me last Friday. She had a special breakfast attended by Grandma and Granpa Luke. They thought they would stop by since they were headed out of town. It was as good a reason as any for our family to be dressed and ready for breakfast before 9 in the morning. (When the job doesn't start until 2 pm there is no reason to get up before the kids start moving) Caitlyn was also very excited about the mail with her name on it. Usually she has to hand over the letters and cards after we check the post but this time she got to keep it. And she got her package from Grandma and Granpa Isle that morning. She of course got clothes, they make the best presents for those that keep outgrowing their own. The best was the tutu that she was so excited about. I wasn't sure if she would like it or not, but she loved it. Since it was a Friday Brandon of course had to work so we had cake at Daddy's work. That happens to be one of Caitlyn's favorite places so it was all good. The reporters and anchors where just excited about cupcakes, and Karole wanted to spoil "her kids" of course. All in all it was a good birthday. Then came the checkup at the doctor's. I have decided that I officially hate the two year visit. Luckily Brandon came with me and she was pretty good. She is taller and heavier than William was at two, almost as tall as he was at three. So she had pretty good day. I'll try to post pictures sometime.

Baby Legs

I have to admit that I have an obsession, Baby Legs. There is a baby boutique here in Idaho Falls that carries a lot of stuff you can't find in other stores around town and a lot of stuff locally made just for the shop, likes bows and blessing outfits. They happen to carry Baby Legs. What are Baby Legs you ask? One of the greatest things ever, in my opinion. They are basically leg warmers, for those of you who remember the eighties, but not quite as bulky. They fit from hip to ankle, so like really long socks but without the sock on the bottom. We first got them for Caitlyn. They are so much nicer than tights on Sunday, and great for diaper changes. We put them under pants on cold days in the stroller or in the backpack carrier. I let William pick a pair one day because I had told him that he could have something from the shop the next time we went in and the baby legs were cheaper than the other toys. He insists that they are big boy legs, cause he isn't a baby. He wore them under his costume last Halloween, under pants when sledding, and on his sleeves so he could wear t-shirts in the winter. Brandon has caught onto the craze as well. He picked out a new pair for Caitlyn's birthday, and picked out a pair for the baby to wear home from the hospital, they are easier to deal with than pants. So Brandon figured that William could do with a new pair, so he would have two. I let him pick them out.
So here he is with both pairs. When we got home he had to put shorts on, and the next day this is what he chose to wear. The pair on his arms, the flames, are from last year and the bones are the new pair. I have actually worn the kids' baby legs on my arms when I got cold. Generally when I am already folding laundry and I am to lazy to get a sweatshirt. So I told Mom about the baby legs and she jokingly said that she should get a pair because her lower legs get cold at night in the winter. So when William picked out his I let him pick a pair for Grandma Luke.
Don't they look so nice? William insisted that Grandma's should be exactly like his. So now Mom's legs won't get cold. Caitlyn did get new ones for her birthday, they will serve as tights for this winter and she will of course share with her sister. So hey, check them out. Just Google Baby Legs, or if in Idaho Falls check out Stardust Sweeper on 17th street, stardustsweeper.com.

Hair

Okay, those of you who know me well know that I am hair challenged. I struggle doing my own hair, I really miss my short hair, and I don't do so well with Caitlyn's hair. I think that it is a cruel trick of fate that my girl has so much hair. I think that the other women in the Primary presidency are a little baffled by this. Their daughters are just getting hair, going through the little pigtail phase, but they do bows and the whole shebang. I am lucky if I get Caitlyn's hair out of her face. So I must say that I am loving the connection with family blogs. I found a great blog through Candee's blog called Hair Today at shedoeshair.blogspot.com. It has great step by step directions, pictures that are easy to follow, and the hairstyles are cute. So here is my attempt at one of them.
Caitlyn from the front
And the top of her hair. I was really suprised that she sat long enough for me to do this. It ended up looking really nice. Of course, now I need to go back to the blog so I can get other ideas.