By Land or By Sea

We have a little park across the street from our house with a petting zoo. Its darling and its free (which makes it even more exciting). I took Isla there the other day so she could get a little taste of the country life.

Her and the sheep both turned for the camera

Farmer Debbie approached us to tell us all about the farm and the animals. She gave us our own private tour of the chicken coupe and explained the difference between roosters and hens. It was quite enlightening. I mean, who knew that Hens ovulate every 23 hours and that you only need the Rooster if you want baby chicks? Well, I didn't.

Farmer Debbie held Isla for a picture.

They really bonded.

These were some of the hens. We picked our own organic eggs right there!

Whole Foods has nothin' on Farmer Debbie.

After our tour of the farm we went over to the playground. Isla didn't really want to go on the swings, but settled to stand at the fence and watch all the other kids. Cutie.

She wore her Zebra shorts so that the animals would know she's pet-friendly

She picked flowers

And then tried to make it into jewelry....

I love a girl who knows how to accessorize.

The eggs we got were actually blue.

I left the hay on there for authenticity purposes.

...and then I made chickens in a basket the next morning

(thanks to my brother-in-law Art for the recipe).

They were de-lish!

The next day we headed out to Poppy & Bebe's house to enjoy a day on the water. Poppy even made Isla's favorite smoothie. She sucked down that whole cup in less than 2 minutes.

Grandma Jan came along for the 1st boat ride of the season.

Testing out her sea legs

Isla and Vivian are 2 months apart.

They ended up wearing matching outfits without even calling ahead to coordinate.

Are the hats killer or what?

Bebe and her sweeties

Hopefully this weekend was just the beginning of a great, hot summer!

The Birthday Party

The long-awaited birthday party post has finally arrived. We had a Jimmy Buffett style party complete with pirate flags, leis, Cheeseburgers in Paradise, Landshark Lager and, of course, a lot of little Parrotheads.

Greg, Ava & Viky with Isla's cake

Much of the Mitzel crew tailgating in the family room

New big sister Sophia hangin' with her daddy

We had a coconut hunt for the kids.

Some found them.

Some smashed them.

Dana milked them.

Some of my favorite ladies

Can you even stand how cute that shirt is?

Yep. It's straight from Hawaii.

The Cupcakes

These really deserve a blog post of their own.

Grandma Jan & Auntie Kate made these.

I'm not sure if they are for hire,

but I think they could have a pretty successful business.

Volleyball

Sunbathing

Salt-rimmed margarita (non-alcoholic obviously)

The 40ish degree weather wasn't ideal to be outside,

but Isla still found her coconut.

Pre- Happy Happy Birthday Song

Post - Happy Happy Birthday Song

(Dave attempted to write her name on her chest with frosting.)

Some people say that there's a woman to blame, but we know...

its our own fault.

Happy Birthday Sweet Island Girl

Turn Around

Bright Eyes! You get to sit facing forward in your car seat because you're 1 year old and 20 lbs. Wahoooooo!

Yesterday was Isla's first birthday. I made her spaghetti. She slurped each noodle one by one and smacked her lips with each bite. She loved it. Have you ever seen a cuter face? We went to the doctor today for her one year "well child" (notice "child" not "baby" anymore...sad) visit. She was a peach. She got a shot in each leg, but took it like a champ. She even blew kisses to the doctor as we were leaving the office. She's 29 in tall which puts her in the 58% - she must have gotten the height from her daddy's side. Her head circumference is 18 inches which puts her in the 74% - I'm assuming her head is so big from all the praise we give her all the time about being so stinkin cute. 20 lbs is the 30%, but its good enough to be turned around in her car seat. In any event, she's healthy, happy and a huge pasta lover. We are more in love with her each day, and so glad that she likes carbs like we do.

Our little tax deduction

Happy Tax Day! April 15 is a big day for several reasons. In my area of law, we do a lot of taxes (mostly for trusts or decedent's estates). Its definitely not my forte. I became a lawyer because I'm terrible at science and math. Nevertheless, my practice has thrown me into the tax world which I suppose forces me to work on my weaknesses. My father-in-law, Joe, is an amazingly talented tax preparer. He works non-stop from January through April. So today, we can breathe a bit of fresh air knowing the most "taxing" part of the year is behind us. Also in the news, my sister-in-law Kate, who happens to work with Joe, is celebrating her birthday today. Happy Birthday cutie.

Our little 2009 tax deduction is growing faster than ever. I'm hoping that she'll get the gift of math and science that I never had.

Coming Up For Air

Whew. A brief breakdown of the past 2 weeks. We moved. We dyed Easter Eggs & celebrated Good Friday. We went on an Easter Egg Hunt. Isla found one egg which we furiously photographed. We watched Michigan State lose to Butler. We celebrated Easter. We watched Butler lose to Duke. We hosted 11 overnight guests in 4 days.

Here are some photos from all of the above.

Our massive moving trailer

(actual size = 5' x 8')

A few of the moving men

(not pictured, Greg Yatooma, Leslie & Michelle Mitzel and Melanie Mayer)

A big thanks to all who helped!

We dyed 12 dozen eggs.

We will be eating them until next Easter.

Brooke nearly looked like a Smurf by the time we were done,

but she has excellent taste in colors.

Dana & Wuzzle went the sterile route and wore gloves.

Do their eyebrows look great or what?

Nothing beats playing "eye eye ide" with Poppy

Chris, the Gentle Chaldean Giant, & sweet Abigail

Elaine & Logan looking fab in their Matilda Jane gear

Cutie Yatooma Sisters.

They are hoping for another sister any day now.

I can't resist cute buns.

Hopefully they won't hate me when they are older.

The one and only egg Isla found.

World's Greatest Sorority

(for those of you looking at my stomach, No, I'm not pregnant.

I just wear clothes that are way too tight and far less flattering post-baby.)

Happy Easter.

Plenty of Sunshine Headin' My Way

Save a slight cold spell yesterday, we have been loving the nice weather.

We busted out Isla's sunglasses (compliments of her McNett aunties) and even went for a few walks.

We have dubbed Isla as the "Welcoming Committee"

with her never ending "Hi"

(but its still so cute each time).

We are also thrilled that we can go back to some of our favorite apparel,

baby legs & a onesie.

Spring, we are totally ready for you.

Summer, I hope you will come to Michigan this year since you skipped over us last year. We really need a tan.