It's A GIRL!!!

We found out on the 26th that we are expecting a baby girl! Yahoo! We would have been happy with either but I will say that I am super excited. I couldn't think of any boy names!

Here are some ultrasound pictures the first one is her face, the second her foot and the third is her spine and her cute little profile. I think if you click on them it will enlarge the picture.

When the nurse was checking to see if it was a boy or a girl this little baby had her legs crossed and nothing was going to make her uncross them. Finally she gave in and here's the proof.

This ultrasound was unexpected. We are scheduled to have our normal ultrasound on January 10th but needed to have an earlier one. When Jimmy and I were getting our our plane for New York I got a phone call from my doctor. He informed us that some blood screening tests that we had done came back with an abnormal result. He said that the test indicated that there was a chance our baby could have down syndrome. He didn't provide us with a lot of information because of the circumstances with us getting on a plane and being 5 hours away. However, he told me he wanted us to go see a specialist in the genetics department at the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital.

I'm sure like any expectant parent my emotions were all over the place. I understood that the test didn't mean that our baby had down syndrome but I also understood that it meant there was a chance. We tried not to worry about it too much because the information we had was so limited. I worried in my own quiet way with occasional crying here and there. We had the opportunity while we were in New York to go to the Manhattan Temple. It was a neat experience. There were only four of us in the session which lead to a lot of personal attention and time. Before we left the temple Jimmy and the Temple President gave me a blessing. I have to tell you have grateful I am for the priesthood. After that blessing and our visit to the temple the worry left me. I felt peace and calm and knew that it was in Heavenly Father's hands. I knew that no matter what the outcome it was His will and we just needed to trust Him. I left the temple feeling like everything would be okay. We arrived back in Atlanta on the 25th around 10 at night and drove to Birmingham. The next morning we went to the clinic and were told percentages and procedures and tests were explained to us. We were offered a detailed in depth ultrasound where a doctor goes in and looks at certain bone structures and measurements to see if there are any abnormalities. To our relief everything looks fine. There is a bone structure in the nose that is absent in down syndrome babies and it was present in our ultrasound. The ultrasound doesn't give us a guarantee that our baby doesn't have down syndrome; however, the odds are in our favor. We opted not to do the amniocentesis because we didn't feel it was necessary to take any risks. So as it stands right now we have a 95% or greater chance that everything is normal. I feel certain that everything will be okay. One thing is for sure no matter what we will love this child just the same. I just have to say that I am so thankful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I am so thankful that we can rely on our Heavenly Father for answers to life's most critical questions and concerns. We feel like everything will be okay. Please keep our little one in your prayers.

What do you think about the name Madeline Ava Isakson? We have a few but I think that one is my favorite. Call her Maddy for short...oh cute!

and the trip continues...

We took a four hour bus ride from New York into Washington D.C. When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised with our hotel. Ladies and gentlemen...for the same price as we paid in New York look what we got in Washington. What a difference. I really hated to leave this place. ha ha.

We had a really busy day in Washington D.C. We really only had one day to see it all. We started out the day by sleeping in until about 11...oopsie. It was worth it though. We headed out and stopped by the Capitol building for a brief visit.

We walked down the mall and made a few stops on the way. First we stopped at the National Gallery of Art. We spent a lot of time here. There were so many great paintings to see. The Gallery is actually made up of two buildings and we visited both. They had an Edward Hopper exhibit that we were also able to see.

When we started our walk the weather was beautiful...so beautiful we took off some of our layers. The beautiful weather didn't last long. When we came out of the Art Gallery it was pouring rain. Our next stop was on the stairs at the National Archives Building. We ran there for shelter.

We were soaked by the time we finally found the entrance and went inside. We saw the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence along with a lot of other historical documents. When we finished we ran across the mall in the pouring rain to the Air & Space Museum.


We saw lots of different airplanes and engines. No helicopters. This was the museum that Jimmy said he remembered most from when he was a kid so he wanted to go back there. It was a lot of fun. Now that Jimmy is flying helicopters I am even more amazed by things that fly. We got lucky and after about two hours of wandering around in the rain we found some fashionable blue ponchos.

Our next stop was the National Christmas Tree and the White House. We couldn't get very close to the White House because they had it all barricaded in. If you look closely you will see it behind our blue heads.

It was still raining but we were determined to make the most of the time that we had. Our next stop was the National World War II Memorial.

We then decided to walk down the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. Little did we know that the pool would be so carefully lined with giant mounds of duck poop. It was lovely. ha ha.



From the Lincoln Memorial there was a great view of the Washington Monument.

After the Lincoln Memorial we went to the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Somehow we missed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and by the time we had the time to go back it was dark.

We ended up walking from one end to the other and figure that we probably covered at least ten miles. By the end our duds were achy! It was a wonderful trip! The next morning we hopped back on our bus and headed back into the big apple. That is our trip in a nutshell. A very tiny nutshell. We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!

Christmas in the Big Apple & the Nation's Capital

Our trip to New York started when we checked in to the luxurious Latham Hotel. Hee hee. This hotel was anything but luxurious. It wasn't bad except for the shared bathroom...which wouldn't have been bad either if there wasn't some strangers hair in the shower drain...eeew! This hotel actually cost us a pretty penny and it was the cheapest we could find. It was fun and definitely an adventure. We had to buy food for me to eat first thing in the morning and during the middle of the night I heard something eating my food! It was a giant mouse. We never found it but by the amount of noise it was making I am convinced it was gigantic! Here are our accommodations.

We did so much while we were there. It seems like we were constantly on the go and still there wasn't enough time to do everything we wanted.

This is the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center. It was really crowded. You can probably see why...it was really beautiful. Across the street they had music playing and the snowflakes on the building would light up in rhythm with the music.

And then there were the subways.....because we spent so much time on them it felt only natural to take a picture....

We spent an afternoon in Central Park. We got engaged there and so we went back to the place where it happened it's right behind where I am sitting on this bench. Good memories. We would have gotten a picture of the exact spot but it was all fenced off...I guess they think the spot is pretty special too.

The city was decorated so beautifully. There were Christmas lights and decorations everywhere!

We were able to see our friend Lawrence. We spent the day at the American Museum of Natural History. It was pretty awesome!

We went to the Manhattan Temple. This was a highlight of the trip for me. It's a beautiful temple. I will tell you more about that later.

The Empire State Building. The colors on the building changed almost everyday. It was really close to our hotel so we took lots of pictures.

We went to the MOMA, we saw a Broadway show called The Drowsy Chaperon. It was really funny were were kind of skeptical when we found out Bob Sagget was in it. We're not huge Sagget fans. He was actually really good in the musical. Jimmy says it's because he actually played his part and wasn't himself. hee hee. Poor Mr. Sagget.

We spent some time in Time Square, we went shopping, we saw movies and more movies. The movie theaters in New York are huge! Over 20 screens and who knows how many flights of stairs! We ate hot dogs off of the street and then there was China Town. Ha, I loved China Town. I had so much fun there it was ridiculous. It was just so funny. For those of you who don't know what China Town is...and I am probably the only one....they make fake designer stuff. They make bags that are made by every designer you can imagine for dirt cheap and they look real. (at least they did to me!) People walk down the sidewalk whispering names of designers and if you want to see the bags they take you to secret doorways in the walls...not kidding...the only way to get out or in is to push the "secret button." We went in to one and bought a Gucci bag for 35 bucks. Jimmy got a flashy belt buckle. I will have to take a picture. The police roam the street because yes it is illegal. Does that make me a criminal...hmm...it was so fun. And here is China Town...

We ate awesome food all over the city. We had Chinese, Italian, American, Vietnamese, you name it and we probably had it. We rode on trains, buses, and subways. We walked the many many streets of New York and saw so many fun things. We completely wore ourselves out! We even enjoyed the local music...

Now on to Washington D.C....

Birthdays & One Year of Wedded Bliss

Happy Birthday to Jimmy on the 19th! I feel really bad about this occasion. I was really sick and we were trying to get packed for NY and all we ended up doing was going to Applebee's. I didn't even make a cake! Good thing he got his free sundae. I will have to make up for this one. We will have a rerun of the birthdays.

It was Boobers birthday on December 23rd and we weren't in town. He spent it in a kennel. We are bad parents. We'll have to have another party for him too. Happy Birthday Boo!

Happy Anniversary to us! Our one year anniversary was on the 20th of December and it has been a wonderful year! Just a little recap... married, moved to Alabama, Jimmy hurt his knee and went on an 8 month medical hold, started flight school, Missy working as a tech, baby on the way. To celebrate we woke up at 2 a.m. and drove to Atlanta so we could spend Christmas in New York City! Here we are in the wee hours of the morning.

We ended up in NY that afternoon and went to eat at the Siagon Grill (which was super yummy) and then somehow we found ourselves at the ESPN Zone....strange....the Utah bowl game was playing....we spent the rest of the evening there with some other Ute fans. Go UTES! This makes me laugh because I remember the one piece of advice that Jimmy's mom gave me when we were engaged..."Learn to love sports, all sports."

How can it possibly be December 12th? It is 80 degrees outside and not a sign of any cold weather in the sky! I just can't understand it! If it weren't for all of the blow-up christmas yard decorations that are all over post and the millions of lights on the houses I would think it was closer to the fourth of July! It's madness I tell you! Plain madness! I have an urge to go ice-skating and the only ice within a million miles is in my freezer!

Alright! We had another baby appointment yesterday. Heard the little heartbeat and it was 140 this time. The nurse said it was really strong so I'm super happy about that. We found out that we will get to know whether it's a boy or a girl on January 10th. Our doctor likes to do it around 18 weeks...so be it! I'm really excited for that appointment. I have been dying to buy something pink or blue for quite some time and my restraint is just about up. This week the baby is about the size of an apple. My belly still isn't showing that much. If you didn't know I was pregnant you probably would just think I was a little chubby in that area. I'm waiting for it to just pop out all of the sudden....I'll be taking that back in a few months won't I?

Jimmy just finished the instrument portion of flight school and did great on his check-ride. Currently he is working on his maps for BWS (basic warfighting skills). They are pretty miserable. I will try and snap a picture of him in all of his misery tonight. There are 30 maps and it takes roughly about an hour per map if not more for a few of them. Argh! He's almost done though...at least he better be the deadline is tomorrow....Yes I am helping him, or at least trying to.

The Hunky Husband Survey...
What is his name? James Harold Isakson the Wonderful
How long have you been married? 11 months and five days
How long did you date? 4 unti we were engaged an 11 until the wedding
How old is he? 26 almost 27
Who eats more? These days it's hard to say...
Who said I love you first? He did but I followed quickly
Who is taller? Jimmy when I don't wear any type of heel
Who sings better? definitely Jimmy you should really hear him...he's good
Who is smarter? Definitely Jimmy I swear he knows something about everything
Whose temper is worse? Depends on whether or not it is over sports
Who does the laundry? usually me but he helps when I don't feel good
Who does the dishes? we both do
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? that would be me
Who pays the bills? It's a joint task
Who mows the lawn? Picerne
Who cooks dinner? I do if he 's lucky. Pregnancy has made cooking a horrible task.
Who drives when you are together? Jimmy he's so nice to me
Who is more stubborn? I would say Jimmy but I'm sure he would say me
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Jimmy but this is rare because he is never wrong (hee hee)
Whose parents do you see the most? We probably see them both about the same
Who proposed? Jimmy, it was a super surprise and oh so wonderful!
Who has more friends? We have most of the same friends...let's call it a tie!
Who has more siblings? I do 2 sisters and 3 brothers!
Who wears the pants in the family? I like him to do the "manly" things so I will say he does but everything is joint for us.

Utah Game

We went to the Utah BYU game. Even with thermals and more layers than anyone should be allowed to leave the house in I froze! Thank goodness for hot chocolate!

We were able to go with Liz, Alex, Greg, Jon, and Larry. We also met up with Melinda and Brady but they were dressed in the unmentionable colors so even if I had taken pictures of us all together I'm not sure I would have posted them (hee just kidding). Greg is also a fan of the other team but he's family and there's nothing we can do about that.

All I can say is hopefully there's a better outcome next year.

Surprise Party!

We had a surprise party for Becky's 60th birthday. She was pretty surprised!

The kids had a lot of fun getting ready for her arrival.

Princess Jimmy even got all dressed up for the festivities.

Liz and Joanna had a beatiful cake made with a picture of Becky on it. It really looked amazing and tasted pretty great too!

The entertainment was something else!!

Happy Birthday Becky, Grandma, Mum!

Thanksgiving in Utah

We had a wonderful thanksgiving and we just want our families to know how thankful we are for them. We feel so blessed. Here's the mushy part of the blog...I like thanksgiving because it helps me to take time out to remember or recognize all of my blessings. This past year I feel like I have recieved an abundance of blessings. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband, for the opportunity that we are going to have to be parents, for our wonderful families, for the gospel, for our puppies, for our friends...the list goes on. We are so blessed. Not too mushy eh?

On to what we did this Thanksgiving....

We went to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with our families. It was absolutely wonderful. We had a whirlwind trip but loved every minute of it. Seeing everyone reminded us just how much we miss you all. We still can't believe how much our nieces and nephews have grown in 6 months!


Marie Callendars catered our Thanksgiving dinner. We ate with the Isakson's at Liz and Alex's house. I will have to admit that I was a little skeptical about how good Marie Callendars could be on Thanksgiving but it was absolutely delicious! Not to mention the super yummy rolls that Becky made and the pies that Greg made. Mmmm!!!



We were also able to go by and see my family Thanksgiving night. I snuck some of my Grandma White's cheese turkey...it was as good as ever!

Me, Jimmy, my Momma, and Natalie all woke up for Black Friday shopping. I wasn't sure after the day of traveling and no sleep if I would be up for it...but we couldn't resist. We headed out at 4:30 and waited in the warm car for the doors to open. We got in and grabbed what we needed and got out. People are nuts! We managed to get all of our christmas shopping done in just under 2 hours! Hooray for us!

We love you all and can't wait to come back and see you again!