Monroy Family

Out and about

2012-02-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I haven't posted for the past MONTH!!! It has been a little crazy lately, and I just finished 2 weeks in a row of hospital call, so maybe I can catch up here....

We have enjoyed being outside in this very mild winter.

Sugarhouse Park

Zoo!

Winter brings the tigers out!

It was so fun to have residency friends Aaron/Ann and Jesse/Lindy call us when they were in town this past weekend:

Lark and Izzie are just a few weeks apart in age - and some people asked if they are twins!

FOOD!!!

There are a lot of pictures of Izzie with (not so healthy) food this past month.

Izzie's (and mom's) first trip to Chuck E Cheese!

Making some funny faces...

Isabel helping us scrape wallpaper in our current living room...

Because we bought a new house!!! We will be there in a few weeks, we are sad to leave our current neighborhood, but excited for the new place!!

Winter fun

2012-01-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

Izzie was so excited to finally see snow after our December drought.

Making snowballs (and giving her fake smile)

Snuggling with dad

Post bath hair combing.

Isabel's latest thing - taking off her PJs at night. But we were surprised this time to find her PJs off and the stroller in her bed, still confused how that happened.

I made Izzie a snowman and she decorated it with "eyes", "hair" and a "body". I love her interpretation!

Proud of her work. :)

Christmas!!!

2011-12-26T22:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, Christmas was pretty fun this year - probably more for me than for Isabel. It was hard not to put up tons of pictures...here are the highlights.

Christmas Eve:

On the way to the Christmas Eve party at Grandma Connie's house.

Having fun with her family.

Waiting for some food.

Hanging out with Scott post-meal

The nativity - top row: shepherd, wiseman x 2, Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. Bottom row: black sheep and angel.

Her favorite gift of the night - from Great Grandparents Karen/Walt.

Still enjoying.

Cheesehead (in celebration of Great Grandma Karen receiving Green Bay Packers stock from her husband, Walt)

New Christmas PJs!!

With Grandma Connie.

What Santa left Izzie. Disney, who's that? :)

Isabel showing off her gifts (I don't mind that the books and slinky were her favorite things)

Pretty good at opening presents.

One of my fav childhood games that is still around.

Taking a few gifts to Grandma and Grandpa's house to show off.

Santa visited their house too!

Helping hand out the gifts.

Loved the new shoes and had to put them on. (Izzie was tired after one round of gifts. I had to bribe her with "time out or presents?", to which she would glumly reply "ok, presents." What a hard life)

With Uncles Drew and Scott.

Loved the seal from Uncle Spencer.

The men in their Indian attire (Andrew's gifts that he bought on a recent humanitarian trip to India)

With Grandpa Mike.

Merry Christmas!!!

Pre Christmas highlights

2011-12-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

Packaging fun!

Enjoying the lights!

Random December pics

2011-12-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics from the last few weeks....

Getting ready to decorate the Christmas tree!

Helping out dad.

Petting the kitty.

Jesse day!

Fun with wrapping paper tubes.

Isabel's "smile" when posing with green monster.

Christmastime and screentime

2011-12-03T21:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas is here!! We visited the big tree at the Gateway last night and went to the Christmas market, then today we saw Santa twice, took some Christmas card pictures, and decorated our house. Feeling excited, but even more tired!!

Just a couple other random pics. You know that doctors recommend very little "screentime", so a kid with 2 doctors for parents much not have any, right?

No, she is not watching tv.

No, she has no idea how to use an iphone.

california thanksgivng

2011-11-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a trip to California that seemed way too short! Isabel loved seeing her family and we loved being outside in 70 degree weather every day. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but had my new iphone, which got a few pics.

Here we are fresh off the plane to Cali. We weren't too happy about paying for her seat, but enjoyed having a row to ourselves. And Isabel was just perfect on both rides - on the way back she just read books and watched tv, then when we landed said "airplane fun!"

Trying on grandma's makeup.

At the Santa Barbara Zoo.

Hamming it up when I asked her to say "cheese"

Checking out some animals.

With Grandma Esther, dad, and Aunt Marilyn.

Izzie loved seeing her cousins Cami and Alex - here they are being silly in the bed.

Izzie loves "dip it", as you can see by it all over her face.

First time letting me paint her nails.

Showing them off to Grandma.

We went to the beach at Oxnard Shores.

Pic in her cute doggie dress.

Izzie got to see lots of dogs on this trip - Buster, Gilly, Aesop, and then was introduced to Stan/Laura's new puppy "Little Elvis."

She even tried to be a dog by climbing into Buster's crate.

We had a great trip!!!

Playing in the leaves

2011-11-15T21:01:00.000-08:00

Izzie had fun playing outside in the leaves with her dad this week!

Helping dad rake the leaves....

Before jumping inside!

First haircut, snow, and plastic horse riding!

2011-11-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

Izzie got her first haircut this week!! She hasn't had a lot to cut up until this point, and we really only trimmed it - so she still has a bit of a mullet. :)

She was a little hesitant, but once she got a spray bottle to spray me with, she was happy.

It snowed a lot and a little early in the season. Luckily it didn't put our power out for long. Isabel had forgotten snow from last year, and was excited to play in it!

We went to the Discovery Center, and Isabel found the plastic horse. She found the hat, sat on top, and proceeded to yell "yee-ha!" over and over.

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! It is crazy how many things this week fit in with the Halloween theme...

We had a little craft night last week - made some hats and spiders.

Thursday Franz woke up to this bloody scene (warning - real blood)...

Isabel had some fingerpainting fun, as you can tell.

We made some cookies over the weekend - Isabel mostly just ate sprinkles.

Our pumpkins: Mine was uncarvable (I should have known by the lines from someone trying to carve it earlier then returning it to the store). So I bedazzled it instead. :) Isabel's is Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc, and Franz made the firey one.

Here we are on Halloween - trick or treating! Isabel hated dressing up, but once she figured out the candy part she put up with it for a little bit.

Our cute Jessie (from Toy Story) cowgirl.

Fall is here

2011-10-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

We love where we live! This weekend we went up to the cabin with my family (and closed it down for the winter), drove back on Saturday, then went up another canyon for a hike amongst the fall leaves. Some pics from Millcreek:

Isabel loves "punkins" - here are our pumpkin lights on the front porch.

Giving the pumpkin a kiss.

Potty time

2011-10-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

We haven't gotten far yet, but we have started trying the potty! I am sure she will be embarrassed to see these pictures someday, but at age 2 this is still kind of cute.

New stuff

2011-10-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics depicting the post-birthday bliss of new clothes and toys.

This dress from Grandma Esther is the cutest thing ever!!

Wearing her new backpack (and not listening to the photographer, I guess)

Posing with the backpack, still not listening.

Wearing her new Home Depot apron.

Izzie loves her new tent - she usually is acting crazy in it, but it does give her a great view of the TV, so here she is mesmerized by Monsters, Inc.

Izzie was excited to teach Oakley using her flashcards. (P.S. I have to state that we do NOT make Izzie practice flashcards - she found this set that was handed down to her and she enjoys emptying the box and maybe identifying a few pictures)

Getting mad at her uncooperative student.

Birthday party!

2011-09-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Happy belated birthday Izzie! Here are some highlights from the festivities.

Preparing for the party.

Present #1 - pre-food so we could get things started.

Enjoying the BBQ

Gift from Great-Aunt Laura

One of her favorite things was the musical cards - she got a Toy Story one from Grandma and Grandpa and a SpongeBob one from Spencer.

Her favorite gift of the night - Dinosaur Train figure from Great-Grandma Karen.

Pinata time - one of our neighbor kids helping us out (Izzie was scared to try it, but did like the candy after)

A quick shot of the bug cupcakes I made.

Close-up of the centipede.

Candles and cake time.

More presents!!

Great-Grandpa Walt helping with the last one.

Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen and Uncle Andrew!

Showing off her new Squeaker shoes to Laura and Great-Grandpa Ron

This is actually the day after - we let her have cupcake #2.

We love you Izzie!

Back to work

2011-09-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Franz and I can't be slackers anymore, although I think we could vacation for a few more months no problem. :) We are back at work, living the life of 2 family medicine doctors! Izzie has taken her new schedule in stride, although she still stays up too late!

First bath with bubbles - she loves them!

Sometimes she requests all of her stuffed animals to be kissed goodnight and tucked in with her.

Cute new dress from Grandma Esther!

Such a cute kid.

In non-Izzie news - Jess and I did our first century (100 mile) ride in Moab. I loved it, but I am done cycling for a little while.

We went to the cabin and brought an early b-day present - Jessie (from Toy Story) lunchbox and t-shirt. She would not take the shirt off - slept in it and wore it the next day.

(p.s. - I haven't forgotten Izzie's birrthday - it has come and gone, but the party is tomorrow and we will try to take lots of pictures)

Washington DC

2011-09-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

We just got back last night from our final installment of our summer of fun. We visited Washington DC (Franz's first time) and Charlottesville for my friend Jess Mantooth's wedding!! It was an amazing trip, and Isabel was a very patient and happy traveler - making her parents often forget she is only 2 years old (almost). Here are some highlights.

Pre-trip, but just had to put it in b/c she is so cute!

Subway time.

Visiting the White House our first night...

...and the Washington Monument.

WWII Memorial on a beautiful but hot and humid day.

Lincoln Memorial

Isabel was most excited about the board books in the library by the monument.

Heading down the many stairs...

The new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Nice view on the walk to the Jefferson Monument

Franz with Jefferson.

Yeah, I just ate a cupcake, so what?

Hanging out in the hotel.

Ford's Theater

Isabel's favorite place - the National Aquarium.

Finding fishies

Cute father and daughter at Georgetown.

Isabel trying to show us where to go on the map.

Arlington Cemetery.

Trolley tour on the last day to relieve our tired feet!

Izzie relaxing on the Trolley

Charlottesville - our only pic from Monticello, which was so fun to see!

Walking along the downtown mall in Charlottesville.

Relaxing in the stroller.

She loved this old fashioned merry-go-round...she would not let us take her off!

University of Virginia at the Rotunda

Enjoying the grounds

We had a great time at the wedding - a very classy and memorable event!

Carissa and Jess, the beautiful bride (with some cake of course!)

It was so fun to see Alli (and Mike).

Jess had to meet Izzie even in her busy morning after the wedding.

Isabel trying to get mom out of her picture.

Delayed plane made it into a 6 hour ride - but a little satellite tv did help some.

Now back to real life!! :(

On the road again...

2011-08-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

We just finished another road trip - this one was a bit longer - we were gone for 2 weeks! We first went to Cedar City for the Shakespeare Festival with the Sorensen crew, then went from there to Oxnard for some California/Monroy family time. Here is the recap:

This is actually before the trip, but too cute not to post.

Cedar City! Here we are at the pool, which Izzie loved.

Already leaving Cedar City. How did I not get any pictures with the family? Sorry! you can see in this picture Isabel's banged up nose - she fell off the bed and it bled for a while, ended up pretty bruised - all this after an upset stomach and sunblock in the eyes - I started to contemplate the toll of traveling on my toddler, but she did great the rest of the trip, no worries.

3rd street Promenade with dad and his cousin Rafa

Found a Disney magazine and had to have it - then had to read it every time she was in the car.

2nd cousin Cami - in a pseudo-hug

Cami and Izzie with their grandmas.

Realize my sacrifice by posting this picture. I think we had to wake up at the early hour of 8 am - clearly it will be hard for me to get out of vacation mode. We were up early to sing "Mananitas" to Franz's mom - it was her 60th!!

Happy B-day Esther!

I put this picture in only because I think I look orange - we have also gotten a lot of sun this summer!

Izzie loved the dogs - Gilly and Buster

Cute in her new dress!

With her (great) tias - Bellia, Chayo, Chany

Post -festivity ballon fun

All packed up in the car for our camping trip-within-a-trip to the santa ynez river near Santa Barbara.

Izzie loved the river.

Ashley trying to swim

We had a great time camping (I had as much fun as I possibly could doing my favorite (not!) pastime)

We also got to celebrate another milestone - Franz's cousin Christina's 30th!

Short stop in Vegas on the way home...

Frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3

Family pic - we loved our trip!!

Road trip to the Northwest

2011-07-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

We spent a week on the road - first to Boise and then to Seattle. A lot of driving with a little one, but still great.

First, Boise, where Izzie got to spend time with Lily, Max and Charlie, her second cousins (new baby Henry not pictured). We loved it so much that we forgot to take more pictures.

Next, off to Seattle...

After Pikes Place and a little nap, we went to the Children's Museum, which was great.

Our little firegirl.

Artwork with mom and dad

The next day we spent some time at Lincoln Park, and threw some rocks in the water.

Izzie immediately loved her Great-Aunt Amy.

We made it home in one piece, and then the next day we went to the cabin with Chris and Wyatt.

Wyatt made this awesome dress for her, which she wore for a while.

Using a huge serving fork to eat watermelon and sausage.

Playing with Chris

Strike a pose

2011-07-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Izzie time

2011-07-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

How rude of me to ignore Izzie on the blog for almost a month! I am sure you were all disappointed to see posts about boring ol' me and Franz the last couple posts. I am going to give a little written update on Isabel to humor myself, please skip to the pics if you would like. Isabel has grown more than ever the last month it seems. Today at church everyone was commenting on how big she has gotten (which maybe says more about my church attendance than anything). For most of the day she is so delightful to be around. She currently loves to 1)help clean up, 2)say please, thank you (or gracias) and your welcome, and 3) ask mom and dad for hugs. I realize I should enjoy this now as soon these will all pass. However, I am reminded she is not a perfect child when she has temper tantrums once or twice a day. Who says you have to be two to start those? Anyway, some July pics for you all.

Car show in Logan...

At the cabin, with a healthy meal of hamburger buns and strawberries.

mohawk!

Popsicle with dad.

Timpanogos Cave hike - Franz and Izzie's first time!

She walked for all of 45 seconds.

She falls a lot these days - but is pretty tough, I must say.

Slurpee time--a lovely tantrum followed this picture.

At "This is the Place" park for Andrew's fundraiser.

First time getting her face painted. She held very still and then looked in the mirror and had a big smile. Despite what Huffington Post recently said about not teaching girls to worry about their looks, Isabel walked out of her room yesterday to place her hands on her dress and say "cute" for the first time ever, and then walked out to do the same thing today and say "pretty". Also, whenever she meets someone new she immediately shows them her shoes as an ice breaker. And she still loves mom's make up. Oh well.

Mexico!

2011-07-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry, one more post without Isabel. Franz and I just got back from a great trip to Playa del Carmen (by Cancun) in Mexico. We went with 2 other 3rd year residents from my class and their wives, and it was a blast! We stayed at Secrets Maroma, all-inclusive, and the food, service, everything made me feel very spoiled. The only drawback was a couple days with rain, but by the last day the sun was out and I turned into a lobster. I am so sad the trip is over, but I was also happy to see Izzie.

Our room.

Franz, Aaron and Jesse in matching speedos - best pic of the trip. :)

About to hop on the ferry to Cozumel

One of our favorite memories from our honeymoon (4 years tomorrow!) was riding scooters in Cozumel - so we became a biker gang and raided the island. It was still awesome a few years later.

We stopped at a couple places for snorkeling and coca-cola lights.

Self take on the bike.

Last day was nice and sunny and we took advantage. Franz spent a lot of time reading his book.

Me on the trampoline...haha, I was inept at flipping, but got to jump high.

Last night at the hibachi grill - what a great trip!!

Graduated!

2011-06-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

I felt like I had to wait until June 30th to put this up, but I have to share the good news - that Franz and I have officially finished everything - college, med school, residency - all done!! We have mixed feelings - sad to leave our friends, excited to actually be done. I think right now we are most excited for the 2 months off that starts tomorrow - I can't wait to sleep in. :)

Franz's Graduation from University of Utah:

Franz and his fellow residents.

Carissa's Graduation from McKay Dee

With my fellow residents

We will miss Courtney and James!

Random summer fun

2011-06-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics from the past few weeks. We had a visit from Grandma Esther and Ashley, and somehow I didn't get any pictures from their visit! Lame! But of course lots of Izzie pics. :)

Enjoying ice cream. "keen"

Trying to get Oakley interested in her book

She climbs a lot now - usually to try and find some DVDs, but sometimes to read, which I am ok with.

Arts festival with the "yarn bomb" car.

Insisted on having spongebob join her in her car even though there is no passenger seat.

A little later decided to push him along instead.

Playing with Oakley

Guitar hero time!

My cute little future Stanford girl!

Guys and Dolls

2011-06-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

Just looking at the pics of Isabel this week and looking at how she can be such a girl and sometimes such a little "guy"

Some of her fav girly things... putting on makeup with mommy, wearing dresses, and taking care of her baby dolls.

She was so excited to get a cradle, and she decided it was a good size for her also.

She also is a girly girl when she sees bugs or gum and says "ewww" and "gos" and "caca"

(and she is in a cute new dress from Grandma Esther)

But, she sometimes has her tom boy qualities - loves throwing balls, rough housing, and working with tools.

She even looks like a boy in this pic! :) (I also like the creepy sponge bob in the background)

...and her favorite thing - helping dad with working on his car.

Most of all, Izzie is just a cute kid!!

(sponge bob a gift from Aunt Ashley)

Summer dress, cookie filling

2011-06-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

Capitol Reef

2011-05-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to Capitol Reef, a National Park in southeastern Utah, this weekend. We went down with some residency pals, and Isabel experienced her first time camping. She slept in a sleeping bag in a tent and everything!

Throwing a frisbee at camp (ok not really, but it looks like she is!) :)

Isabel knew how to eat corn on the cob, even though I swear she had never tried it before - just pretending with the plastic version - but she did great!

She does have a good arm with the football.

On our first hike, without any backpack or stroller (Franz had yet to arrive with those things), but Izzie did pretty well walking and being held, although when she walked she did get distracted...

Her new pals Jonas and Lucas did great also.

Isabel loved the "rockies" (this is a word I do not know how she came up with - she also said "bookies" and "sockies" - I guess I need to be careful about all of the "ies" I might say at the end of words)

We didn't quite reach the planned destination, but did reach an appropriate one - a toddler sized arch.

Franz carried Izzie for a couple of tough hikes - see the petroglyphs in the background?

Another hike along the Fremont River

Passed out at the end of the walk.

Happy to be home!

Hair, dancing, and baseball

2011-05-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

From last week...

Getting her cool hairdo ready...

...so she can dance away with her dolls.

We went to a Bees game last week.

She loved the train more than the silly baseball game.

And of course loved hanging out with dad.

Busy day

2011-05-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

So a day after I complained about the rain, we did have one day of beautiful sun...and what a busy day it was! I started the day early with a triathlon with my friend Jess - the Woman of Steel sprint triathlon. Then came home and Franz left for work and Izzie and me started our day of fun - first, the Rose Park festival, followed by gardening, then off to a different downtown festival where we met up with Brooke and Lex, then dessert where Emily joined us too! We barely got a bath in before 10! Anyway, here are some pics.

Rose Park Festival:

Loved her windmill

Loved the snowcone!

So cute walking home

Ready for bed after a long day.

Waiting for spring

2011-05-20T17:24:00.001-07:00

Mom and dad have been working on presentations for the end of residency, and it has been raining lots, so Izzie has become more familiar with Toy Story and Monsters Inc, her two fav movies right now... Otherwise just same old same old.

Mothers day week

2011-05-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Making her mother's day cards

Isabel found my blush...

...and she knows right where to put it (on one side at least)

Playing outside in the neighbors' "jungle". It is still cold here - 50s today!

Sunday with Mutiforme

2011-05-01T21:32:00.001-07:00

As you can see, not as great as it sounds. Isabel developed some hives yesterday, which turned into the monster of Erythema Multiforme (for my fellow medical nerds out there) today. Even Doctors Monroy were worried, so mom and dad took Isabel into get a 3rd opinion.

But the wonders of some steroids and benadryl and stopping the amoxicillin...a few hours later we were ready to play on the new playground...

It is definitely smaller than it looked in the picture, but I think it will get some use this summer.

This is my picture to show how much Izzie changed in 8 hours with that rash, much less worried mom now...

We even went out to dinner, and here is Izzie's friend Grandpa Mike, who pointed out to me that he hasn't made it on the blog despite being Isabel's primary caretaker the last 9 months. Isabel affectionately calls him "pompom"

At 10 pm tonight, Isabel was still wired from something she took, but definitely feeling better. And keeping those teeth clean. :)

Just like mom

2011-05-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

Looking ahead to mothers day next week, a few things Izzie does like mommy...

Talking on the phone while walking around the house.

Reading on the couch.

Taking care of her little one.

And eating lots of chocolate!!!! Like I said, just like mom.

Easter and more

2011-04-24T20:29:00.001-07:00

It doesn't feel like spring quite yet, but we are still spending more time outside...

This past week Isabel has been insisting on taking her baby on a walk multiple times each evening...

Bedtime...

The Easter Bunny visited during Isabel's nap (since she was working Instacare after signing up not knowing it was Easter). Isabel loved finding the eggs in the backyard, but her biggest smile came when she discovered candy inside the eggs.

She also was excited to find out that the bunny was edible as well.

P.S, as always, cute sweater hand knit by Grandma Connie

Another California Adventure

2011-04-13T20:06:00.001-07:00

And what an adventure it was! From LA to Napa...here is a recap of our California trek.

First stop: LA/Oxnard

Waiting patiently at the LA airport.

Then it was time for Chino and Juana's wedding.

No, we aren't drunk, but I thought this was a funny self take.

Izzie loves her Grandma and Marilyn.

Playground time!

Off to the beach near Malibu

First Capri Sun - loved it!

Santa Monica Third Street Promenade:

Izzie insisted on carrying her own bag.

We stopped in LA to see Izzie's 2nd cousin, Cami.

Next stop...Carmel! A quick story to explain our prolonged trek. We had the wise idea of taking Highway 1, and despite the multiple signs that said "Road Closed", we were sure there was a way through. So, about 15 miles from our destination, in Big Sur, we realized that yes, the road was completely blocked, and we had to turn back, take a windy road through the La Sal Mountains, then make our way up the 101. It took us about 9 hours instead of 5! And to add to the fun, Isabel got car sick, and barfed 4 times. FOUR SEPARATE TIMES. So, four outfits and 9 hours later, we arrived in Carmel.

A picture on Nacimiento Road - the amazing road that took us off of Highway 1. This is after stopping after Izzie threw up, trying to make the best of it.

The disappointing part is that we only got to see Alli, Mike and James Ross for 20 minutes (instead of the planned 4 hour playdate). Since we had to pack in so much into a few minutes, we missed the photo opportunity! :)

We did get to visit Spencer for a bit - he just started an internship near Pebble Beach!

Next stop: Stanford!! (Izzie's future school)

We got to stay with Holly and family, which was great.

Izzie with Maggie and Eliza.

On the road again - after a few deep cleanings and air fresheners.

Last stop: Napa Valley!

Grandma Connie was so nice to join us and help watch Isabel while Franz and I went to a medical conference.

Mmmm...chocolate

In Calistoga.

I guess official last stop...San Francisco for lunch on the way back home.

Isabel was a great traveller!

Before the trip

2011-04-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

I do have some great pictures from our recent trip to Cali, but first had to share some pre-trip pics before they get lost in the mix...

Not too girlie, but a cute Real Salt Lake outfit and hat.

She is getting so good at eating on her own.

Trying on daddy's shoes...

Then trying on mommy's shoes.

Isabel still loves to read.

Hand puppets

2011-03-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga dance party

2011-03-21T19:28:00.001-07:00

Izzie loves dancing on our bed lately. She prefers 2 songs - Lady Gaga "Just Dance" and Beyonce "All the Single Ladies". Here are some pics. I will try and upload a video one of these days...

jammies

2011-03-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Using our new camera (nothing special), here are some pics from the last couple nights.

This is the kitchen Isabel got for Christmas that we just put together tonight. She enjoyed for a few minutes, then went back to her favorite activity of pulling out all the VHS movies.

(fake smile)

March fun!

2011-03-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks have passed since our last post! Here are some March updates.

Hanging out in bed reading after a nap, such a good little girl!

Isabel playing outside in the cute red sweater Grandma Connie made for her. She always stands by the door and says "side!" because she loves playing in the yard.

Izzie has been feeding herself for a while now - here are some pics of her morning cereal.

Snow and flowers! That is spring in Utah. The second pic is Izzie "smelling the flowers."

Helping dad work on his car.

Celebrating mom's 30th birthday. She had to carry around that little bag all day.

Morning paper

2011-02-25T23:13:00.001-08:00

Isabel likes reading the morning paper with mom and dad. :)

Baby dolls and snowshoeing

2011-02-19T16:42:00.000-08:00

I know these two things have nothing to do with one another, but I am too lazy to post 2 separate posts, so here they are.

Isabel has started to enjoy playing with her baby...

She is such a good "mommy" - except when she throws the baby on the ground when she is done playing with her. :)

We went snowshoeing today with friends Courtney and family

Unfortunately, she was not this happy the whole time, but made it through a couple hours of cold hiking - not bad!

2011-02-17T21:15:00.001-08:00

Isabel had that darn cold for too long, and got her first ear infection - but is finally getting better! It is fun to have the old Izzie back. :) She just talks more and more and knows tons of animal sounds, and also loves to sing! She knows "Spongebob Squarepants" - haha, maybe that isn't really a good thing. Another funny moment - we bought some Disney CDs and we were listening to "A Pirate's Life For Me" and she pointed to the CD player and said " No, no no!" - I guess she is still traumatized from the ride at Disneyland (she hated it and said "no no no" the whole ride). Just a few new pics...

When she was still sick.

Loves her stylin' hat

Sleeping on a walk all bundled up. With both of her blankies.

Cute dress, sick girl

2011-02-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

Poor Izzie has been sick this week, but still looked cute. :)

With her lovie, which always makes her feel better.

My college friend, Zenobia, sent her this darling dress.

We went outside for a walk...I call this the "bag lady" look. :)

Playing outside

2011-01-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

Now that Isabel is up and walking, she loves going outside and walking around. I love this pic from yesterday.

Izzie loves...

2011-01-24T20:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some of Isabel's favorite activities these days...

She loves brushing her teeth...

Loves to color...

And she still loves to read! (I found that she had crawled onto the coffee table to look at all of her books tonight)

Home in SLC

2011-01-17T16:55:00.001-08:00

Well, we can officially call SLC home for a little longer - Franz and I accepted positions in the Salt Lake area, and we are excited! Isabel is excited to stay close to Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen and her Great Aunt Laura and Great Grandma Karen! Anyway, here are some pics from the past few weeks...

We returned home for a second Christmas with the Sorensens!

We will have to keep dealing with the cold...here we are off on a walk!

Isabel kicks Oakley out of her favorite chair!

Success!

Hair is getting longer and sticking up pee-wee herman style here. :)

Christmas, California, Disneyland

2011-01-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

Over a month since our last post! Isabel is getting bigger and bigger. She is still being stubborn about not walking...she will only do it if she has something to hang on to. Her vocabulary keeps increasing. Today she was saying "snow" and "cold" since we just got back from California. Also, when we were in California, with three pups in the house, she quickly learned the word "dog." Haha, still working on mama, dada.

Anyway, in the past month we have been to California a few times - unfortunately at one point for when Franz's dad passed away. We also went out for a couple interviews...where will be be working you ask?...we still don't know - having a crisis deciding between Ventura County and SLC...we will see.

Our most recent trip to Cali was great. Isabel did really well in the car - better for 12 hours in the car over the 2 hour plane ride - who knew? She loved hanging out with her Monroy family - especially her aunts - Ashley and Marilyn. Christmas was good - she enjoyed opening presents and got the hang of it, and loved all of her new toys! We decided to go to Disneyland on a beautiful sunny day 2 days after Christmas after it had been raining the week before - bad idea on the timing - it was a record breaking day for attendance at the park - they had to turn people away at 10 am!!! Luckily we got in, (I guess), but it was out of control busy. I was surprised how many rides there were for her....she loved Small World and seeing Mickey Mouse, but was saying "no! no!" on Pirates of the Caribbean when we went down the little hills and was a little scared. But we made it a whole day - 9 to 11pm, and I am glad we did it!

Well, here are pics from the past month!!

A pic with Izzie's aunts from our LAST visit to California (yes, I am behind).

Loves her sunglasses

Hanging out a home...

Helping me wrap presents...

Our road trip has begun - with her favorite thing in the world (her blankie) hanging out at the Monte Carlo halfway to California.

Christmas Eve - opening her gift of PJs!

Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa...

Christmas morning fun.

And a very tired girl after a long morning.

Now off to Disneyland....

Tiki room!

Tarzan's treehouse.

Enjoying lunch!

Having fun in line!

...and getting tired in line.

Mickey!

Small world

Its a Small World was Isabel's favorite ride!

When we emerged from the ride all of the lights were on!

A nice, long day at Disneyland.

With a hat and Mickey doll to remember Disneyland.

Hanging out at home - Isabel found the dog's cage and had a nice new little home.

New Year's at the Hong Kong Inn.

St George on the way home.

Isabel did great in the car - loved reading her book and taking off her socks and shoes!

Winter time

2010-11-26T18:35:00.001-08:00

Well, winter has arrived. We had a "blizzard" a few days ago and then the past couple of days have been in the single digits to the teens temp wise. Here is how we are coping....

Eating some string cheese after coming in out of the cold (note the rosy nose and cheeks)

Bundled up for our walk.

Wearing a new snowman shirt to celebrate winter. :)

Saturday with Izzie

2010-11-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

Starting off the day in her chair, the usual morning ritual.

Breakfast at Original Pancake House

Playing in one of our many huge piles of leaves.

Relaxing on the couch after a long day.

California trip....again

2010-11-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

So Franz and I had the opportunity to interview for jobs in Ventura - so we jumped at the chance so we could visit family too! We had great weather - the only sad part was that Izzie's Grandma Esther happened to be out of town. She still loved seeing Ashley, Stanley and Grandpa Javier.

Beautiful sunset with beautiful Isabel.

Enjoying the beach...

Isabel loves her Grandpa Javier - I love how they have the exact same facial expressions in this picture. :)

This is the new dog - Buster. Isabel just loved the dog - especially giving it kisses by opening her mouth nice and wide for the dog to lick her tongue. :)

Sunday afternoon at Neptune's Net in Malibu for good seafood and hanging out with all the bikers.

Money and mommy

2010-11-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

Isabel is close to walking, but still not yet....She can find her "button" and sometimes her nose. She is saying "go go go" a lot and imitates a lot and speaks in her own language a lot.

She knows where to find the good stuff....

Hanging out with mommy watching "Up"

Sound asleep after a long day.

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T12:01:00.001-07:00

End of October...

2010-10-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a while since I have posted. Isabel can't keep still so it is hard to catch her in a picture! What is new? Getting closer to walking, but not quite yet, saying "ba-ba" for bottle and "na-na" for banana, but no mama or dada yet. :( She got her 1st tooth yesterday!! I know, a little late, but no worries.

Anyway, no big events recently, but here are some pics from the last few weeks...

Hanging out on her favorite chair.

FOOD!!

A strawberry always makes you feel better.

Sharing her banana.

Maybe a little chocolate too!

BATHTIME!!

Izzie wouldn't let me take a pic without putting something in her mouth - either posing for the pics or just the teething...

Hiking to Cecret Lake

2010-10-10T21:26:00.001-07:00

Since the Party....

2010-10-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

I guess it is 2 weeks since Izzie's party....she unfortunately came down with a cold that seemed to last forever, then we spent this weekend at the cabin!! Some pics....

This is a picture of Izzie sick but still cute, hanging out with dad.

Showing her Latina side with beans and cheese on a tortilla.

Enjoying putting on a show while eating fruit, waffles and whipped cream at the cabin!!

Wearing a UCLA hat (she likes them after Stanford and Utah)

The family at the cabin!

Dirty Dash

2010-10-03T19:50:00.001-07:00

Sorry, you have to look at a post about me and not Isabel for once (actually, still pics of Izzie in here). And all pics here are from Jess - I take no credit for them, but hopefully she doesn't mind me posting them. Anyway, last weekend I did the Dirty Dash race - basically a mud run up in Soldier Hollow that included obstacles, a big slide, and lots of mud. Here are some pics.

Team fairy wings and old navy boxers

My shorts look awesome, I know.

Heading to the finish line.

The final mud pit.

After the race.

Isabel was at the race cheering us on!!

First Birthday Party!!

2010-09-18T22:22:00.001-07:00

We just had a great day celebrating Izzie's first birthday. Thanks to everyone who came to help us enjoy the day! We had a great day at Lindsay Gardens Park...here are some highlights...

The birthday girl in her awesome outfit. Her favorite toy was the water cooler and the ice.

So excited to see James again (also newly one year old)

It was fun for the mommies to catch up too!

They had fun together around hanging around the water cooler.

With Grandma Connie...

...and with Great-Grandma Karen.

Playing with the pinata before it was demolished.

With her cake.

She started off timid and proper with her piece...

...then had a little more...

...she especially loved the ice cream, which was hard to pick up...

...then she really enjoyed it at the end.

Isabel cleaned up and then started to open the loads of present (thanks to everyone!)

Very tired from the long day, but a very happy, lucky and well loved little one year old!!!

Stanford Girl at the State Fair

2010-09-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

So it was almost 1 year ago that I went to the State Fair, walked around for 5 hours, and put myself into labor! We welcomed Izzie a few hours later! This year we went back to the fair with Isabel - she loved it. She was also geared in her Stanford gear (so she could watch them beat UCLA), and she wore some cute red shoes...

Visiting the goats...

the cows (she would say "mooo")...

...and the pigs.

Then she enjoyed some chocolate covered banana.

Surprise trip to California

2010-09-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a great trip to Oxnard to see Franz's family. It was a surprise - actually when we got there Franz's sister Ashley came out and got Isabel and took her into the house and said that it was a friend's baby who looked just like Isabel...she believed it until we came in, it was pretty funny. A few things Isabel started doing - dancing for a few seconds (bouncing and shaking her head) with music, and walking just holding onto one hand...she will be there soon. Anyway, we had lots of good food and it was fun to see everyone...here is a recap:

We finally got to meet Isabel's second cousin Cameron (Cami). They weren't too sure what to think of each other.

Her favorite game - the tupperware cabinet. Luckily she still hasn't found it at our house.

Bathtime at Grandma's

Hanging out with dad.

Back to the tupperware....

I love this picture -she loves her Grandpa Javier.

And of course she loved all the attention from Grandma Esther!!

Bees Game!

2010-08-30T21:10:00.001-07:00

We went to the Bees Game tonight - left after 2 hours when it was only the 4th inning. Izzie is such a wiggle worm we didn't see much of the game. But here is what we did do....

A train ride!

After a healthy dinner of fries, chicken fingers, chips, and diet coke, Izzie finished it off with ice cream, which she just loves.

Sharing with mom. :)

The aftermath of the ice cream eating.

Early Halloween

2010-08-30T21:08:00.001-07:00

I found this headband at Old Navy and thought it was funny....still don't know what Izzie is going to be for Halloween...

Bathtime!

2010-08-27T21:58:00.001-07:00

My grandma asked for some bath pictures today....here they are!

More mischief...

2010-08-27T21:55:00.001-07:00

After I put up last night's blog there was another moment of silence...always a dangerous thing...and we found Izzie with a tissue box.

She clearly enjoyed it. :)

Stairs and everything else!!

2010-08-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Isabel has figured out how to get down stairs - and loves to do it over and over...

She also is pretty good at getting into almost everything.

This is her "I've been caught" look.

Concentrating on what she has just found in the kitchen.

And always happy with whatever she has found.

Bedtime

2010-08-26T12:30:00.001-07:00

No more helmet for Izzie....we never thought it bothered her, but she sure seems happy these days. Here are some pics from bedtime...

Happy with a mini-mohawk after her bath...

Drying off...

Done drying off and trying to play some more...

Now I'm ready for bed mom!!

Loungin'

2010-08-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

I put together this IKEA mini-chair today, and Isabel loved it - immediately putting her foot up, sitting back, and enjoying America's Funniest Home Videos. Haha.

Day with mom

2010-07-31T21:13:00.001-07:00

Isabel and I spent a day together today while dad was at work - I am back on call tomorrow and will miss her being away every 4th night. :(

We started out with a hike with Jess and brunch, then lots of time on the couch reading and watching project runway....

...after we each took a nap we made some chocolate chip cookies - Izzie likes those too...

...then bath time....

...then some play time in her new jammies before going to sleep.

Vacation!!!

2010-07-24T23:05:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, finally some vacation time! It has been over six months since we have had an official vacation. We spent a few days with my family - first two nights in Cedar City for the Shakespeare Festival and some golf, then we stayed at the Bryce Canyon Lodge and enjoyed Bryce for a couple days. Isabel had another first - her first non-family babysitter (when we went to the plays) - she did great, but got her second cold of her life the day after. Overall the trip was great, it will be hard to get back to work next week.

Watching tv (baby einstein) before we left on the road trip.

Another new outfit from grandma.

With the whole family in Bryce.

Isabel was beat after so much hiking! :)

Franz trekking away with Izzie on his back.

At the Mossy Cave hike.

Isabel was such a trooper, we loved traveling with her!

ice cream

2010-07-19T14:30:00.001-07:00

Enjoying ice cream on a hot summer day...

Sleeping and reading

2010-07-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Sleeping....

...then standing up in her crib a few minutes later. Always so happy when she wakes up!

Our little bookworm. :)