Visit to Santa

We visited Santa at the Bass Pro Shop. Isaac was frightened of the man with the beard, but loved Frosty here!

Grandparents Visit

G-ma and Grandad came when Micah was born and hung out with Isaac

My grandma quilted this beautiful baby blanket for baby Micah

My mom came to help out for two weeks and my dad came for a long weekend. Isaac had a great time building block towers with Grandma all day

We went to see Christmas lights

3 weeks old

Baby Micah is 3 weeks old. He is a sweet baby that is easy going. He just fusses when he's hungry or wants to be held. We got his surgery scheduled for February 23rd.

First Bath

Micah got to take his first bath with Isaac

Brothers

Isaac is not too sure what to make of Micah. He looks at him for a bit, and then moves on to playing. I think he is thinking that Micah will soon be gone. He's only accidently hit him in the head once.

Baby Micah Has Arrived

Micah Jacob was born yesturday (November 30th) at 1:50 pm weighing 6 pounds 13 ounces and was 19 inches long. It was Luke's birthday yesturday too, so now he has to share his birthday. Micah has a small cleft lip and no cleft palate. We are truly blessed.

First Cookie

Isaac has a dairy allergy, so he has never been able to eat regular cookies and I guess I have not taken the time to make him his own batch. The other day I found some cookies at Trader Joes that did not have any milk in them. He enjoyed the first couple bites of it, but then went for the tomatoes instead. I was disappointed that he didn't like the cookies more, but I guess I should be thankful he likes fruits and vegetables so much.

Playing in Leaves Never Gets Old

Elmo for Halloween

Isaac loved being Elmo for Halloween. "Emo, Emo, Emo" as he would say. Other kids thought he was a celebrity too dressed as Elmo.

Pumpkin Farm

Driving the tractor
Hay maze

Baby #2 Update

Baby Aull #2 is doing well, and growing on target. We have had several ultrasounds the past couple months, but there has not been a lot of new things learned. What we do know is that the baby has a cleft lip and probably a cleft palate, but will not know more until after he is born. So I guess we will have to wait six more weeks to find out. In the meantime I have been meeting with a couple surgeons to learn what the steps are for correction.

It has been a challenging journey trying to accept the news that our baby will look different. We know in our heads that God has formed him this way for a reason, but it is hard to accept this with our hearts. Recently I read this from a book by Max Lucado and it really spoke to me about this issue. "How can God be both strong and good? How can you explain birth defects, hurricaines, AIDS, or genocide? If God cares, he isn't strong; if he is strong, he doesn't care. He can't be both. But according to the Bible, he is exactly that. The problems is not the strength or kindness of God. The problem is the agenda of the human race. We pursue the wrong priority. We want good health, a good income, a good night's rest, and a good retirement. Our priority is We. God's priority, however is God."

Happy 2nd Birthday Isaac!

We had a party in Nashville for Isaac's second birthday. Since he is still allergic to dairy and doesn't seem to care for cake, we tried a rasberry bowl instead with two candles. He loved it!
Ate the whole bowl!

Lots of presents. He got several balls, trains, and cars... all boy things!

Wagon rides with friends

Everyone else got to enjoy cupcakes and ice cream

More Pictures from Wisconsin

Grandkids with Grandpa & Grandma

Cousin Love

Birthday Party in Wisconsin

We had a little birthday party for Isaac while we were in Wisconsin. Since Isaac has a dairy allergy, he rarely eats sweet baked goods. He was unsure of what to make of the sweet dairy-free cake.
Aunt Tammy did a great job decorating Big Bird!

Isaac got a bunch of fun toys for his birthday, including a bat and trike as seen in this picture.

Sibling/spouse/signficant other/kid picture

Luke's Aunt Kim and Uncle Dave made the trip all the way from Minneapolis for the party. Great to see them and catch up!

Family Fest

We went to Family Fest in Wisconsin with my sisters. The petting zoo had some great goats and fun animals to see
Instead of wanting to go down the giant big slide, Isaac decided to play with a stick and watch the band across the street play. I think he has some drummer tendencies, not my ideal pick.

Aunt Tammy hauling the kiddos around in the wagon

Luke and I were able to get away for two days and hang out in Madison while Grandma watched Isaac. We had fun visiting the capitol, walking down State Street, and Luke suprised me with tickets to see Wicked.

Trip to Iowa

Isaac enjoying the pretzels on the plane ride from Nashville to Chicago. My mom picked us up in Chicago to drive to Iowa to visit my Grandma for her 80th Birthday party and extended family. Isaac did fairly well with all the traveling, but I learned how difficult it is to travel with an almost 2 year old child. He did not want to sit still on the plane, and is all about running like a little crazy man through the airport

Playing with Aunt Kristin

Grandma

Grandma's 80th Birthday Party with extended family

Isaac's first horse ride

Weekend at the Ritz-Carlton

Luke had a work conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Georgia. Isaac joined us for a day and took advantage of some swimming time with daddy. The rest of the weekend Isaac spent hanging out with G-ma and Grandpa in South Carolina.

End of Summer Pictures

What Isaac was able to "accomplish" in 1 minute without supervision

Stacking blocks at the Frist Art Center

Parents Visit

Dancing in the Park with Grandpa & Grandma

Playing with a stick

Petting the camel at the zoo

Biscuits at Loveless Cafe