Excited to get some new gifts.

First a new safety helmet.

Mommy’s favorite gift for Isabel…an iron-on shirt of Lula!

“A Nemo game, Daddy!” she says.

Final gift…a new Big Girl Jesus bike!
The bike has flowers and doves all over it and the first thing I thought of was…
“It’s a Jesus bike! How cool is that!?!”

I think she likes her Jesus bike!

With help from Daddy, not to ride into anything…
a ride around the kitchen/dining room before cake.

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you – Isabel
Happy Birthday to you!

You have grown so much this year…the year ahead has so much new growing to do! We can’t wait to see what God has planned for you!
Remember God loves you and we do too! We love you, Ladybug. Happy Birthday!

The birthday girl is awake!

A birthday girl breakfast; waffles and fruit.

Mommy and Isabel. She spent the day playing with pre-party balloons and decorating her own cake which she thought was so cool!

She decided not to go with cupcakes this year and went with a cake instead. She chose milk chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting and flowers for the decoration.
Gino did the flowers and sun. Isabel put the candies on and I did the wording and ribbon along the edge.

Let the celebration begin!
I bought this balloon kit at Wal-mart that came with a small helium tank, balloons and ribbon. So while Isabel and I went to get Gabbi from the train, Gino stayed home and filled a handful of balloons! She was so excited!

A birthday girl dinner; she wanted PB&J for dinner but after a few ideas from Dad and Mom, she decided on spaghetti (w/meatballs) again this year.

Oval.

Crescent and star…again both pages have minimal coloring in the areas that need to be colored.

This was a matching and pasting project.
I cut out all the shape for her because they were so small.

Shape recognition.

Smallest to largest.
Her number writing skills need a bit of work since her 2’s look like 1’s and her 3 on the honey pot is backwards. But she did it!

Follow that pattern.
This was so fun to watch her do; the large gift on the top in colored because “it has paper on it so no one can see what’s inside”, she says. The short gift on the bottom is a bit big but it has a smiley face in it! She really enjoyed this one and I enjoyed watching and listening to her do it!

Last one…follow the pattern.
She drew each correct shape/color but then had to color each one in.
(Each shape is completely colored in compared to when we first started the book…)
Great job Isabel and congratulations for completing your shapes and sizes!

Circle.
To get her started, I did the blue one.

Square.
Which if you notice…I actually did for her because at the time, she didn’t understand what to do…I should have waited.

Triangle.
Notice her coloring at the time we started; she never would fill in the area to be colored. In her mind, I think, she just needed to color the number 1 yellow, the number 2 blue, and the number 3 red – nothing more.

Rectangle.
Again, I did the dot to dot and I should have waited.

These last 2 pages are shape recognition review.

]]> http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/2010/01/04/learning-with-pooh/feed/ 0 http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/2009/12/26/project-cutting-board/ http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/2009/12/26/project-cutting-board/#comments Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:00:51 +0000 Carey http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/?p=2798 When Gino started working on Isabel’s table, we decided in secret that he would also make a cutting board for Gabbi for Christmas. Enjoy!

Cherry and maple blocks being glued together.

After the first drying, Gino cut them, flipped them with the end grain facing up,
and then…

…glued them together again.

Then he rounded the corners, planed, sanded, and then sealed it with a salad bowl finish (which means it’s safe and non toxic!).

The finished cutting board top.

The finished cutting board bottom; it has rubber feet to keep it from slipping.

Christmas Day
Gabbi with her new cutting board.

I’m surprised the “non slip gripper” stars on her socks are facing the right direction (down) usually she likes them facing up!
“Stars on top, Momma.” she says.

Carla, Isabel, and I along the beach in Edmonds.

]]> http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/2009/12/19/maid-of-honor/feed/ 0 http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/2009/12/18/christmas/ http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/2009/12/18/christmas/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:59:33 +0000 Carey http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/?p=2749 It’s Christmas time!

It’s almost Jesus’ birthday, for this is the Christmas season.
We know he came on Christmas day and in a manger lay.
So “Happy Birthday, Jesus!”
Is what we’ll sing and shout; for we all know that
Jesus is what this season is about!

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about the child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” Luke 2: 15-20

]]> http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/2009/12/18/christmas/feed/ 0 http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/2009/12/17/end-of-the-3rd-week/ http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/2009/12/17/end-of-the-3rd-week/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:36:22 +0000 Carey http://www.espinozafamily.net/blog/?p=2739 Well, it’s the end of the 3rd week of potty training and it’s going better then I expected! I awoke on the 30th of November and said to myself, “Today, is the day! I am through changing diapers! No more! I’m done!!” and that was the beginning of the first week. I ditched the diaper, put Isabel in panties, and let her run around the house like that. When we go out, like to the store, she gets a pull-up, otherwise it’s panties. No more diapers (just at night).

Isabel has only had 3 accidents and that was back in the first week of training! She’s gotten to the point now, where she runs into the bathroom herself and does her business without almost all my help. So I’m excited. Gino’s excited. Isabel is excited because she gets to have a party! Gino had told her in the beginning if she did all her bowel movements in the potty, he would throw her a party! So tomorrow is the BIG DAY! It’s a Poo-Poo party! Hurray for Isabel, we are so proud of you!

Corner close up with pre-drilled holes.

Hinges for the storage compartment.

He also got all the legs tapered and ready to sand, router, and stain.