Make a Smilebox collage

Happy Halloween! Isabella finally "got" Halloween this year. She was smiley, and really enjoyed herself out there. She made several attempts to walk into other people's houses. She got into a few too. I had to go in and drag her out apologizing as I did so. She also kept theiving candy! At EVERY house she would grab for more than the one piece she was offered. I think she got 4 pieces of candy at a few houses. I was kind of embarrassed. Every time I tried to berate her, the people at the door would just laugh and say, "It's okay, she's so cute". I still think she needs to learn her manners. Maybe next year we'll be more successful in that area. Carving pumpkins for Family Home Evening with Jessica and her boys Aaron and Andrew. The kids I babysit. Will, Jackson, and Jordan all wanted to hold Luke on the couch with Isabella. Sometimes Luke has a frustrating time when he's on his tummy. Isabella noticed his frustration and went over to comfort him. What an awesome big sister! Cousin Josh's Baptism. We always have such a good time visitng Dane, Christie and the rest of the family in Arkansas. Isabella can't wait until she can be baptized too. Luke is looking spiffy after his FIRST haircut ever. I was so sad after I cut it. All of his beautiful curls were gone. I was left with wavy hair instead. I'm hoping that the curls will return soon. The Three Amigos.....starring: Kian, Kash, and Luke. Kash is a month yonger than Luke. Can you believe how big he is?! They're the same size. Wow! Luke loves interacting with others. He always has. I love this about him. He is so smiley and happy. He was just Loving this particular session of tummy time. Luke attempts to roll onto his tummy. He also does a bit of talking.

Isabella sings, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

This little guy is always so smiley. I love how he enjoys interacting with others. He is such a gift! After a while it was pretty much impossible to get Isabella to look at the camera. she is so full of energy! Josh and I are so blessed to have the children that we have. There is never a dull moment, and most of the time (aside from moments of frustration that those with chilren can only understand) we love and enjoy each other tremenendously.

We were so happy that mom and dad Draper were able to be in town for Luke's blessing. It was such a special day. It was so nice to share this day with all of our loved ones.

Mom and Dad Draper were such a help to me. It was nice to have them around to talk to while Josh was at work, not to mention the help with potty training Isabella. We had such a good time. Dad also took on big projects that we had been meaning to get to. Just to mention a few: Staining our backyard fence, cleaning out and organizing our garage, constructing the inside of Josh's work shed, helping me program the garage remote, etc, etc. You get the point. Dad pretty much worked the entire time he was here. Nice vacation huh? Thanks dad!!
Mom helped me out so much with the kids, fixing meals, and doing house work. It was nice to be able to take breaks/naps to recharge. It was more than nice actually. I know mom and dad came here for a vacation, but it seems like I was the one on vacation. You guys are the best. We were fortunate enough to get pictures with both sets of Grandparents and the kids. We must have taken 9 different photos on this couch. We wanted to make sure that every grandparent had a photo opportunity with each of their grandchildren. They were really good sports with my picture taking frenzy. The 4th of July at the Lake. Grandma and Grandpa Poyfair made things so fun for all who came to partake in the festivities. As always there was yummy food, plenty of fireworks, boating, and a trip to the movies. I didn't go to the movie, but I heard that all of the kids absolutely loved "Ice Age 3". Thanks mom and dad Poyfair!! We always have such a good time when we come and we know that you put a lot of hard work into making sure we all have an enjoyable time. At this point in time Isabella had a fasination with the moon. Here she points at it. I liked taking this picture on the 4th of July because I could pretend that she was pointing out a particularly extravagant firework display. She loved the fireworks and I heard about them for days afterward.

Life has been so full of pleasures these last few months. We are so happy and blessed to be a part of the Poyfair and Draper families. We love you guys!!

4th of July 2009


Chicken Dance

Bella's a Bunny

Baby Luke is Here!!

Luke Grandon Draper is finally here!! Everything went well at the hospital. My doctor
(Owen's) and his staff (Julie, Bobby, Heather) were great in helping me with the entire pregnancy experience. Luke is a healthy and happy baby.
He was born on June 9th, 2009 weighing 9.7 ounces (ouch) and was 21.5 inches long. A BIG Boy!! He has a very sweet disposition. Mom and dad love snuggling with him and Isabella loves being a big sister. She takes care of him and helps feed, hug, kiss, hold and all other types of good big sister stuff.

Together at the hospital.
Mommy is getting ready for the big arrival.
Yeah! Luke is here!Mom and Luke's first moments together.Dad and Izzy get their turn to hold Luke.Isabella displays her sisterly love for her little brother.Luke's first bath at home.Luke's first Sunday. Doesn't he look snazzy in his little tie?!Isn't that the most precious baby boy? He is so cute!! The greatest Doctor in all the land. Doctor David M. Owen's The staff: Julie, Bobby and Heather. They are such a nice group of girls...and helpful too.I know you all couldn't resist a close-up shot. Well, I couldn't.Daddy and Bella are so happy that Luke is here!Bella, once again showing off her big sister skills. She's a pro at helping mommy and daddy feed Luke.Grandma and Grandpa Poyfair come and share an evening with Luke and the family. It was so fun to have them over.

Luke's 1st bath.

Happy Birthday!

Isabella turned 2 years old on March 14th!! I can't believe how fast she is growing. I was able to school her a couple of days before hand to answer the,"How old are you" question. She answers, "2" and attempts to hold up the appropriate number of fingers (we're still working on that one).

We had a fun barbeque where Uncle Skeeter (Brandon), Aunt Sharee, and cousin Kyla were able to join in on the fun. We watched some old home videos, ate, opened presents, and played with bubbles.

We had a surprise showing from Uncle Jason later in the day. He sang happy birthday to her which she absolutely loved. I think it's her favorite song now.

Woohoo! Bubbles!!

Uncle Skeeter really got Izzy excited while she was eating her cake. I think she actually played with the cake more than eating it.

Bella just loves the sidewalk chalk that she got from her cousin Kyla. She plays with it almost everyday. It's fun to hear her try and say "chalk". It sounds like, "Cauch."

Isabella shows off her new dress that she received from Grandma and Grandpa Draper.

Izzy loves her bathing suit. It's too bad the community pools aren't open yet because she is ready to hit the pool scene big time.

Bella's new car. It makes her very happy. Sometimes she packs up her baby dolls and takes them for rides.

I've got to say that balloons are great. They are so inexpensive and provide so much entertainment. Isabella tries to carry as many as she can around with her. Balloons are also great as a learning tool. You can play catch with them and also TRY to learn how to SHARE with them. We're still kind of working on the idea of sharing.

Fun Videos:

catching up...

Christmas 2008: White elephant gift exchange at Brandon and Sharee's house. We all had a great time stealing gifts away from each other. That evening we also enjoyed great food, caroling, and a call from Santa. To finish off the evening we read from Luke the story of Christ's birth.





Christmas caroling with the Poyfair's. Although this event was slightly unorganized, we had a lot of fun. Maybe next year, we can have lyrics for everyone to cheat off of, or at least narrow done the song selections. Caroling that night together was quite funny because we all bustled out the door without a plan. As someone knocked on a door we tried to have a quick vote as to what song we should sing. More often than not, there were only a few who knew the correct words to sing. Oh well, it's the thought that counts right?



Our ward had a Christmas party with the theme, "Polar Express". All of the kids came in pajamas. There were lots of sweets to enjoy as we all enjoyed the reenactment of the story. At the end of the evening we had a volunteer Santa take pictures with the children. It was like waiting in line for a theme park ride to get to him, but now that we have the picture, I can say that the wait was worth it.




Playing games at Jason and Sara's house with the rest of the family during Thanksgiving.













There were lots of people there for the Thanksgiving feast. This is the biggest group picture I could get during the day.





After Christmas in the Fort Woth area we headed down to East Texas (to my parents lake house). Here Izzy is hanging out with Lulu and D-O-G.

Grandma Poyfair and Bella playing together.

All the family got together for a day of service during the holidays. It was really nice to feel the spirit as we gave of our time and efforts to help others. In this picture, we are sporting the hats that Isabella's Great Grandma Ruth made for us. We love them!

Below are some cute videos of Bella that we wanted to share.