Adios Puerto Vallarta, Aloha Kauai!

Even though Isabelle knows how to say "hola" and "adios", it was decided that with the "swine flu" taking over we had best reroute the Ilich and Owston families somewhere other than Mexico for our family vacation at the end of May.

Looking through our timeshare catalog, Mom brought up Kauai and as you can imagine...we jumped all over it! We now have 2 one bedroom studios booked at the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club! YAY! Mahalo Mom and Dad, we can't wait! Now we just have to teach Isabelle how to say "Aloha" and "Mahalo" :)

Oh No, Nightmares

Not sure when they start or if she is having them but for the last few nights in a row, Isabelle has been waking up in the middle of the night crying. It's like she is a newborn again...rushing to her rescue at any noise she makes. We tried consoling her in her room (boy do I miss the rocker) but when that didn't it, and against our rules, we pulled her into bed with us. That got old really quick; she thought it was time to play. Michael and I would both have our back to her with her right between us and she would always manage to find our eyes or nose and poke at them. She has even yelled "wake up!" So back to bed we would take her with a sippy cup of milk, turn on her music and kiss her good night once again. We did find out about 4 nightmares later that if we just leave her be, she will go back to sleep on her own.

Isabelle playing with her Darth Tator

On another note, did you know that Starbucks really knows how to get its brand out there...right into every one's faces, even kids. Isabelle and I were walking around at our city's "Earth Day" event at Central Park and as we walked past the Starbucks booth Isabelle points to the logo on their table cloth and says, "Papa's coffee." How is that for brand recognition!

Our Lil Soccer Player

Michael read a post on a board at Isabelle's preschool that soccer lessons will be starting; 10am-11am every Wednesday for 6 weeks. So he decided that he and Isabelle would go to soccer lessons before going to Grandmama's house on Wednesdays (since Wednesdays are "her days" to watch her).

Today was her first day/lesson and from what Michael said, she did great. She was the youngest and smallest one of the bunch but she held her own.

She listened to Coach Jay and did everything he told her to do...great way for her to learn to follow directions. She did warm ups, lined up with the other kids and waited for her turn to kick her ball, tried dribbling the ball and even practiced kicking it into the net for a goal.

Michael said she lasted about 30 minutes out of the hour practice and was ready to go home after that. They stayed and watched everyone else for a little while longer then left but when I got home, she told me all about it.

Come June when soccer is over and the sun is back out (even though you would think it was summer right now with the 90 degree weather we have coming this weekend), we are going to start swim lessons again; we being Michael and Isabelle along with Travis and Mackenzie on Monday and Wednesday mornings...Amy and I are sooo jealous but the Dad's and their girls are going to have a great time :)

Birthday Celebration #3-THE END

8:30am came around very quickly as we were woken up by a pone cal from the bounce house company….all we thought was “they were here to set up Isabelle’s Birthday Cake Jumper already?” OK, let the day begin.

So proud after finally getting in the jumper!

After the jumper was set up on the big grass area we have across the way from us, Michael had to get in to “test it out” and guess what, Isabelle wanted nothing to do with it! “Great”, thought, “Money down the drain. Oh well.” At least she kept the jumper in the back of her mind becuase she would mention it together with anything that had to do with her “Burpday Party" that was repeated all morning as we were getting things out and ready for that afternoon. She was getting more and more excited each time she would mention the party knowing that her friends, whose names were also recited after she said “Burpday Party”, were coming over to play and celebrate with her.

Kyle and Lindalee
Olivia and Lexi

The "Birthday Cake Jumper"

We decided to have the party start at 3:00, right after nap times. Isabelle woke up from her nap around 2:30 with a HUGE smile on her face saying “My Burpday Party?” I replied “yes, its time for your birthday party and your friends are coming over too.” She was so excited that I actually believe she understood what was going on. With Dad/Poppy away on business and Michael at the theatre for the show he was in (One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest-he had the lead role), Mom and I were the hosts and the keepers/watchers of Isabelle.

Mackie and her "Crazy Eyes"

Riley pushing her baby...we know what to get her for her birthday! Friends started to arrive at around 3:15. The freshly painted garage all set up as base camp with tables, chairs, food, coolers of juice, water, soda and beer, snacks and a drying line with clothes pins hanging on one of the walls for anyone who was painting on the easel we had set up. We used Rose and Dominic’s parking spot to set up a little table and chairs for fruit loop necklace making, beach chairs on the grass near the jumper for parents to watch the rugrats from, bubbles and a basket full of balls to play with along with any 4 wheeled or three wheeled toy we had! Didn’t want any of the kids to get bored :)

April with Jazzy painting and Sophia drawing on the chalkboard
The "fruit loop necklace table" (Mia, Sophia and Paul) Everyone was socializing and some meeting new faces like Steve, Rebekah and their daughter Lindalee, Pastor Joe and Barbie and Mark, Kristen and Riley (one of the girls who was at Lisa’s with Isabelle). Mark is actually the one we have to thank for getting Isabelle into the jumper! She was milling around outside the jumper and Riley was inside jumping. I left for a moment to welcome arriving guest (sound like an airline stewardess) and came back to little miss giggle butt jumping around inside with Riley! It wasn’t a waste of money after all…everyone, and I mean kids and adults alike, were in it!

Pastor Joe playing with Izzy and Riley

The Henn Family in the Henn House (Cav, Courtney and Mike)
Auntie Steph, Jazzy and Izzy
as Siad and Casey's with their kid/dog, Caesar, and after about an hour it was decided that this year for 4th of July, we are having a "block BBQ"...jumper and all!

Lindsey and Sue

Sophia and Nate
Ceaser,the party dog

We ordered pizza, since the chef/grill master was at the theatre until 5, and at around 5:30, we opened the “cupcake bar”. I set up the trays of cupcakes with tubs of frosting, sprinkles and other decorative candies for everyone to create their own cupcake. However, after sharing the “Froggy Cake” story from the day before, there were no candles and no singing “Happy Birthday” to Isabelle which was fine because those kids fed their faces and went right back to playing.

The Magin's (Caryn, Mia and Mike)

Izzy and Jazzy

We went inside a little later to open gifts with anyone who wanted to watch, which was everyone except the Dad’s :) As we thanked everyone for the gifts and for coming over, Caryn turned to Isabelle and asked her if we could whisper “Happy Birthday” to her and with Isabelle’s “no” to her, we just decided we would do it anyways. As we started whispering "Happy Birthday" to her, Isabelle crawled into my lap and held my arm until it was finished and as everyone started clapping, amazingly, so did she.

A Star Wars Light saber from Uncle Johnny

What a fabulous way to end Isabelle's 2nd Birthday Weekend!

2nd Birthday Celebration Day #2

Today is Isabelle’s actual birthday and to celebrate, we had Grandmama, Poppy an Nana over for lunch. Poppy was off onto another business trip the following morning and Nana wouldn’t quite want to be at her birthday celebration we had planned the following day with all of her friends…all under the age of 7 :)

Poppy/Dad picked up lunch from one of our favorite restaurants and Grandmama picked up Nana and also what will be known as the birthday weekend buzz kill…the Froggy Cake!

After everyone got to our house an a little catching up, we had lunch which led to singing “Happy Birthday” to Isabelle. I went into the kitchen, got the Froggy Cake ready, lit a “2” candle ad began to sing “Happy Birthday” to her and between the singing, staring, lit candle and the bug eyed Froggy Cake, our little birthday girl lost it. She started crying and clung to my arm for dear life. The pictures below tell the whole story.

She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the cake…completely traumatized! As we got rid of her birthday cake and brought out tiramisu and chocolate cake that we got for the adults, I packed up “Froggy” for Nana to take home to share with her friends when they came over to play bridge at her house that Tuesday.

Opening one of the many gifts from Grandmama and Poppy
We enjoyed the rest of the celebration opening gifts and then Isabelle was off for a well deserved nap which was also time for Mom and Dad to prepare for her Birthday Celebration #3. Party bags to fill, 4 dozen cupcakes to bake (which reminds me that I need to invest in another muffin pan J) and Michael out to finish painting the garage.

Opening her Dora Magnadoodle from Nana
Playing with Legos that Tia Tara and Scott got her.

2nd Birthday Celebration Day #1

Thursday night while little Miss was sound asleep, the cupcake angels (aka: Mom and Dad) flew into our kitchen and baked and frosted 24 cupcakes (with reduced sugar frosting-hehe) for our soon to be 2 year old to bring to school and share with all of her friends.

Izzy and all of her afternoon time friends.

When she was in the car on the way over she wanted to eat her cupcakes but Papa, of course, told her she had to wait till later. They came to my office to pick me up so I could drop her off at school with them. From the moment we walked in the front door, she was telling everyone she came in contact with, that she had "cupcakes for school"..."for your class", is what I would remind her (we only slaved over 2 dozen the night before, not 10 dozen).

MMMM...cupcakes and so dainty eating it with a spoon!

We got to her class and as we walked in she pretty much yelled..."CUPCAKES". Ms. Holly greeted her with a "Happy Birthday" as all of the kids surrounded her. Again, she wanted to dig into those cupcakes right then and there but this time Ms. Holly said they would have them a little later. With a kiss and a hug goodbye (and handing over the camera to Ms. Holly to get a few pics for us), we left our little, almost 2 year old to celebrate the first of her 2nd birthday celebrations with her friends at school.

Oink!

When Scott and Tara came down for Opening Night of Cuckoo's Nest, they also brought with them gifts for "Macho". Maracas and a flute from their trip to Mexico and also a super soft, pink pig puppet-say that five times fast! I caught Isabelle playing with her oinker the other day in the car and just had to share (you may have to turn up your volume).



We are also very excited about something else (no I am not pregnant)...Isabelle's friend Lexi started preschool in Isabelle's class this past Tuesday. Look out Ms. Holly and Ms. Amanda!

Lexi's first day of preschool...thumbs up!

Did You Just Tell Me...NO?

And so it begins...
I was in Florida for 5 days (I left Saturday after opening night of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, that Michael had the lead role in and is fantastic in) and when I got home yesterday it seemed like my little baby girl grew up even more...more defiant that is. Everyone talks about the "terrible two's" and the fact you will know it when it comes and by George, do you! Isabelle tried out both Michael's and Grandmama's patience while I was gone with the use of her new favorite word, "NO".

Scott, Tia Tara, Dad/Poppy, Mom and Isabelle at Opening Night of Papa's show "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
While I was gone for those 5 days Michael and Grandmama shared Isabelle Watch (along with one night of assistance from Tia Tara and Scott). Mom actually had Isabelle spend the night at her house on Saturday night (the first sleep over, if you can believe that) since Michael had a show that night then had to be at the theatre Sunday morning to clean and get ready for the matinee.

On Saturday, Grandmama, Isabelle, Tia and Scott had a great time playing with bubbles and her bike in the backyard at Grandmama's and Scott cooked dinner for the four of them (which I heard was awesome). After dinner he and Tara headed off to the movies while Grandmama and Izzy had some alone time however, the first of the "No's" for Grandmama started while eating dinner. Easy scenario: Grandmama tells Isabelle to finish her dinner so she can go play, Isabelle says no. She asks again, Isabelle responds no again but this time decides to throw some of her dinner onto the floor. Sam, my folks dog, liked it but Grandmama wasn't too pleased.

Scott playing with bubbles :)
Potty time was also a hit and miss for her while at Grandmama's, even with the new potty chair she bought Isabelle. Isabelle was excited and pee-pee'd in it the first few times after Mom brought it out but then wanted nothing to do with it. Mom tried and tried and all Isabelle kept telling her was...you guessed it, "No". Finally the day got to her and Isabelle went to bed however at about 2am Mom heard her wrestling around and went to check on her; Isabelle stood up, asked for Sam then Mom told her "Sam is asleep and you need to go to sleep too" and with that, Isabelle laid back down and was out like a light till almost 9am.

Isabelle bubble playing and succeeding

Michael had about the same amount of luck when it came to Isabelle eating and actually following orders to do something, the answer still remained the same..."NO". One morning when they called me to say hello Michael told me he didn't want Isabelle anymore and that she needed to go back. I told him I was sorry but there is no way that she is going back! First of all, she is too big :) He also shared with me that Isabelle now knows that the second step on our staircase is for "time outs". Yup, you heard it right, Isabelle has had her official first time out and she actually sat there until Michael talked to her about why she was there and then let her get up.

We have been on her and have been not letting down with commands that we give her (that sounds like I am talking about training a dog-LOL) and our follow through to make sure it gets done. Sometimes though, we let things slide. Isabelle is lucky she is cute!

Two weeks down...the preschool update!

It has officially been 2 weeks with Isabelle at her new preschool and what an emotional roller coaster ride that has been! We have had everything from the extreme meltdowns when walking into the school, smaller crying fits when we leave or come pick her up and even having Isabelle saying "NO" as we pull into the parking lot of the school! Then we have the opposite extreme; Isabelle marching into the school like she owns the place and crying a little bit (for show) when Michael leaves. Or when I come to pick her up, I watch her from her classroom window as she is playing outside with her friends in the cars, on the slide, etc. and then the moment she sees me....tears come pouring down her face. Yesterday I told her to stop and that she was fine, which made her "show" stop instantly.

One of her teachers told us last Friday (as Isabelle was attached to her hip, literally, all day) that it would take time for her to adjust, as it does with most children, and she will be fine. Even though we know this already, its always nice to hear once again that it is something that all kids and parents :) go through and everyone survives.

Playing at MyGym at Sophia and Paul's Birthday Party.The first week there, Isabelle got very attached to Ms. Amanda; sitting in her lap, wanting to be held by her, Ms. Amanda got her to sleep at nap time, calmed her down when she would start crying and Isabelle would hold her finger (for dear life) when they were out in the yard. She was Ms. Amanda's shadow and luckily, Ms. Amanda didn't mind much :)

Lisa's girls...a shot from our "photo shoot" as a going away gift for Lisa.

I remember asking Isabelle one day last week in the car after I picked her up, the following:

Me: "What did you do at school today?"
Isabelle: "Cried."
Me: "Why were you crying?"
Isabelle is a soft little voice: "Sad."

OK...did that just break your heart? Because it did mine when she told me that!

By the end of this week, Isabelle has become less and less attached to Ms. Amanda and more and more aware of her surroundings, her friends like Madison, Mya, Katherine and "the boys" (as she puts it) and all the fun she can have at preschool. All in all, she is doing well and we feel it will just continue to get better and better as the weeks pass.

The guys and their girls-Travis, Mackenzie, Isabelle and Michael leaving Red Lobster

Isabelle will have her friend Lexi starting soon in her class for 2 half days a week and hopefully Mackie will start August and if either of them have the same type of transitioning "situation" as Isabelle did, we know she has a finger to lend them :)

The First day...

Well as we figured, but didn't want to believe, Isabelle's first day at her new preschool went better than we thought it would. As usual, and as I mentioned before, it is harder on the parents than it is on the child. Here is a re-cap of yesterday...

To Michael's chagrin, it was decided that he would drop Isabelle off at school and I would be picking her up (yes, I get to be the "savior") just like we did when she was at Lisa's. Although everything in me wanted to be there for my baby's first day at her new preschool, I felt very strongly about keeping things consistent and again, since Michael had been the one dropping off Isabelle at her other daycare for the past year, I felt that we should continue it that way. She was never dropped off by both of us and with a new school and environment I didn't want her to think that both Mom and Dad were abandoning her. So I sat in my office crying on and off from 7:30am (knowing that Michael's alarm was going off to get her up and ready) until 8:45am when I got the call from Michael that he just left her. However, that phone call from him turned on the waterworks full blast. Here is how the conversation went: I picked up the phone and Michael was silent on the other end and I asked how did she do...still silence. Then he said between teary sobs, "It's not fair...I don't ever want to do that again. You are dropping her off on Thursday." Trying to keep myself composed, I asked what happened? Did she cry? How was everything? Did they have a cubby ready for her? Plus about 10 million other questions. He told me that she walked in fine, started to look around and play a little bit then when he said, "OK, its time for Papa to go. Come give me a hug good-bye.". As he was saying that tears came streaming down her face and she clung to him like glue! He held her tight, not wanting to let her go either. Finally, with tears in his eyes and her bawling, one of her teachers (Ms. Holly) pried HIS arms off of her and took her from him. He said he left and went and sat in the car trying to get it together and watching her through the 2 year old room window where he could see her run off to play with another child. That was it...forgotten in 2 minutes.

Monster's last day at Lisa's

I called around 10, being "that parent" to see how she was doing and the director said that she actually just went in to check on her and was about to call us, especially after the "rocky good-bye". She said Isabelle is doing fine and hasn't cried since Dad left. That instantly put a huge smile on my face and Michael's after I called to tell him.

However not an hour after that phone call, and I think it was on purpose :), Michael had forgotten the check and went back to drop it off. The "two's" were out on the playground and he watched Isabelle outside playing on the slide, smiling. He was careful not to let her see him and called me as he left to tell me the news. He also noticed that she is the youngest/smallest one in that room-which she is but that was by our choice. Another point we made when putting her in this preschool was that although she is not 2 until March 28, we didn't want her to start in the Toddler room only to have her make another transition to the Two-year old room a month later. They were fine with it and so were we. She does have 2 other kids in her class that are "freshly" two so she shouldn't be that far off.

Isabelle's "Letter Art"...she had glue stuck in her eyebrows! LOL!

We both went about our day trying not to think about it but I will have to say, 4:00 couldn't come around any slower!!! At 3:30 I said forget it and left work with Grandmama to go and get her. Michael was going to meet us over there so he wouldn't be portrayed as the "bad guy" who dropped her off and left her at this new place. Mom and I were sitting in the office waiting for Michael and talking to my friend Gretchen, who also happens to be the assistant director, when all of a sudden we hear a crying kid and the door opens with Ms. Amanda (Izzy's other teacher) holding our little one, apologizing to us and Gretchen as she grabs some tissue and not realizing it was me sitting there, saying that when she went to leave the room for a second, Isabelle started crying so she went ahead and just took her with her. Although I wanted Michael to be the one that she would first see coming to get her and even though in her frenzy of tears she didn't realize it was Mom and I sitting there, I couldn't let her cry so I said, "Monkey? What is wrong?". Instantly her eyes lit up, her arms stretched out to me as she tearfully said, "Mom!". I took her from Ms. Amanda and held her tight. It was funny, I had the same exact feeling as I did when she was just born and the nurse handed her to me to hold for the first time...I was in love all over again! I teared up (again) and then started talking to her and Ms. Amanda about her day. Not 2 minutes after that, Michael walked in. Isabelle saw him and went over to give him a big hug hi and I caught a glimpse of tears in the eyes of our "solid as a rock" Dad. We all went to her room and heard more about her day. She didn't nap but ate all of her lunch (spaghetti, salad and milk) and even pee-pee'd on the potty! YAY!

Phewwww! What an emotional day but hopefully Thursday will be better :)

Today is the day...

Sitting here at work wondering how our little one is doing right now at her new preschool? Is she crying? I know her Mom is. Is she getting along with the other kids? Do her teachers like her? Is she going to eat the food they provide her? All of these questions are going through my head and I just keep telling myself not to call and be "that parent". Seriously, I just have to do what I have told all ALL of the parents that came through my preschool days when I worked at Stepping Stones, Pinecrest and even way back when I worked at the YMCA, "It is worse off for the parents then it is for the child." OK...here I go, practicing what I preach and knowing it will be fine.

EVERYONE POOPS

An excerpt from one of Isabelle's favorite "potty books"...wait, it IS Isabelle's favorite "potty book", Everyone Poops.

Losing Lisa

Since she was 10 1/2 months old, every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoon Isabelle goes to a place where she knows familiar faces, has the same routine and plays with the same friends but this past Tuesday....it all changed.

Michael playing with a new application on his iPhone As some of you may have read on my Facebook page, we are going to be transitioning to a new daycare sooner than we had planned. On Tuesday when I went to pick up Isabelle from daycare, Lisa opened the door her normal, happy, cheerful self (I swear she never has a bad day-I am jealous!) but as I walked into the kitchen I see Mark, little Riley's Dad, sitting on the couch and then Lisa proceeded to say, "I have something to tell you guys. We have some news...". Now the statement "we have some news" to me over the past 3 years, and especially knowing that Lisa is married and has been trying to get pregnant for a year, means "Hey, guess what...we have a bun in the oven!". And even looking at Lisa's Mom, Barbie, who said, "I am not going to cry" made me get butterflies in my stomach from the sheer excitement for them . Well, that was not the case this time around. Lisa then proceeds to tell Mark and I that Jeff (her hubby) got a new job and there is going to be a commute. So still thinking, OK a little adjustment but nothing big... it will still work. She continues to say, "We are moving to Florida on February 2oth for Jeff's new job". As I am standing their trying to process what she just said, Lisa then proceeds to tell us about what happened that past weekend; how they were in Ft. Lauderdale for the interview, Jeff was offered the job right then and there and that she won't have to work. At first I didn't know whether to jump up and down with excitement for them since she won't have to work, can concentrate on starting their own family and the fact that Jeff has been looking for a job for months now and finally has one, or to cry because Isabelle is losing her "Yeesah". One look at Barbie and I lost it. So now the search begins. All we know is that no one is going to replace Lisa.

Being a "diva" at the theatre
Earlier this week, we have taken tours of several local "in home day cares" and actual preschools and have pretty much narrowed it down to Tutor Time in Stevenson Ranch. We felt so welcome and comfortable there...unlike one preschool we visited who's director left a child in the office (who was brought in as a punishment while we were there) while she took us for a tour of the school...RED FLAGS thrown right then and there! And their teachers who would have Isabelle within a few months, as Michael so eloquently put it, look and talk like they frequent an old SCV dive bar called Doc's Inn, every night. At Tutor Time, although licensed for a 1 to 12 teacher to child ratio, have a maximum of 1 to 8 with an aide. When we stopped in, besides the room being HUGE, there were 2 teachers and an aide and 15 kids...we really liked that. We have one more preschool to visit that is 2 streets down from my work (and is $40 a week cheaper than Tutor Time) and then its decision making time since February 20th is going to come sooner than we think!

A-B-C's and other musings

This Christmas brought Isabelle a lot of new toys and games to play with but she always seems to return to her singing, magnetic phonic/letters from Leapfrog. She had originally gotten a set for her 1st birthday however we returned them since they wouldn't stick on our stainless steel fridge. Then one day after our neighbor's 6 year old daughter Sophia gave us her set, I had a brainstorm...we have a metal fire door going out to our garage! So not only is Isabelle out of our way in our already not so roomy kitchen, she is always in plain view from the kitchen, dining room and living room! We have had "her letters" up for a few months now and she also has the "Letter Factory" DVD by Leapfrog (thanks for the suggestion, Caryn) that incorporates the same songs/phonetic sounds that the magnetic letters make along with teaching a few words that start with that letter.

Look at "my letters" Within the past month, Isabelle recognizes and says the sounds for the letters A, F, I, K, M, O, P, S (but sometimes gets it confused with Z), U, V, X and Z. Now she may not get them all the time but when asked, 9 out of 10 times these are the ones she usually knows. Then there are the letters B, E, H, J, R, T and W which she knows the sounds for but not the name of the letter itself. Besides the magnetic letters, Isabelle also has foam letters that she plays with in the bath (thank you Jackie and Randy)...GO L-E-T-T-E-R-S!

Isabell, like any other child, LOVES playing at the park and with Michael at home with her in the mornings, she gets to go 3-4 days a week. They take Bear for a walk up in the hills behind our place and head back home going past the park where he will stop and let her play. Michael is still trying to talk me into letting her go down the big, twisty, covered slide by herself...maybe for her 2nd birthday, while I am not looking :)

Being outside now a day in California also has its downfalls....our wonderful Santa Ana winds that you all read/hear about. I am sure you can imagine what all gets kicked up while we are outside playing? YUCK! Luckily, I am the only one in the family with allergies however Isabelle does get affected every now and then which had forced her to learn how to blow her nose. Yes, I had to note this in her blog since it is pretty dang exciting for us. You say "blow" and Isabelle blows those "boogies" of hers right into the tissue! Hopefully teaching her this so early will incline her to reach for a tissue and not resort to her finger...ewwww!

Isabelle also has a new favorite ritual that started with her Papa around the beginning of December. She loves having all of her stuffed animals (OK not all, but a good number of them) in her crib with her when it is nap time or time for bed and when she lays down for nap or bedtime, she has to give "good night kisses" to each one. But the funniest part of this ritual has to be when she is not tired when 8:30pm rolls around and you listen at the door or go grab the monitor, you will see/hear her playing with her Elmo and Cookie Monster puppets, having them kiss all of the other stuffed animals "good night"! That is our little love bug!

Isabelle with her stuffed animals ready to go "nah nigh".

On that "funny note", we had a friend of the family in town from Alabama right after the new year. And of course after the nickle and dime tour of our office and a little wining and dining, we stopped by the "little theatre that could"...the REP, which he has heard a lot about. While we were there, Isabelle showed Alan around "her stomping grounds"; in and out of the dressing rooms, running down the hall, back behind Papa's desk, up the stairs in the theatre and of course, the stage where our new set was being built. After running up and down the levels on the stage and few times around the bed, there was her finale...

And on that note...Good Night!