Isla's Blessing

Derry, Florence (Troup) and Isobel Morrice
From left: Micheal, Isla, Claire, Alisdair, Florence, Isobel, Luke, Derry, Megan, Katrina
Kenna, Isla and Alisdair

Today Isla was blessed in the Church of Scotland at Dunblane Cathedral by Mr. MacIntosh. Usually babies are baptised but we had a long theological discussion with Mr. MacIntosh and he told us that a few years ago the Church agreed to blessings, if the parents wanted, rather than baptisms. (we did, not believeing in original sin) It was the first one he'd done and it was a nice service. Isla refused to go to him and yelled right in his microphone, but other than that it went off without a hitch. She insisted on sitting with Grannie for the rest of the service which meant Kenna and Alisdair got to listen to an entire service. Sort of a nice treat!

Mr. MacIntosh spoke about gardening and how he always worries about his garden blooming, but yet his other half has complete faith as things just seem to grow when they haven't been properly tended or cared to. He used some scriptures in Mark to talk about how anxiety is really a lack of faith and how the kingdom of God is like his garden...it will go on and flower without human intervention...when we learn to accept this "grace" and step back and let things take nature's course we will see the miracles that can happen. If we worry, and fret and freak out we are denying God's grace. He said he'd like to ask everyone who has major anxiety, what exactly it is that they are trying to "protect" themselves from that gives them such anxiety?

It was a nice sermon to hear on a day when Isla was being "welcomed" into the congregation as it does point to the fact that she's a little miracle and she will grow and become her own person even without us as parents...afterall, it's not us who controlls her growth as a human. There is a real element of faith involved in child rearing.

Afterwards we took some pictures and had a nice family meal in Falkirk with Alisdair's family. We got back to Blackford just in time to see everyone heading to the park for Gala days. Kenna's friend Kari is on her way to Scotland today and boy, oh, boy...she has NO idea what she's in for during Gala week!

Saturdays

Just a wee spot of tea...to go with her chunk of slate she found in the backyard...
Isla and her canine sibling...who hates flashes on the camera...
Ooooohhhh...

Isla and I are both sick..well, more head colds and we can't stop sneezing...but probably a lack of sleep hasn't helped much. The workmen were back on Friday, which made for a full day because Kenna's friend Marilyn and her friend were also in town. The weather was beautiful and we had lunch at Grannie's in the front garden, and then High Tea at Gleneagles. It was a fun day and nice to see Marilyn again.
The upstairs loo is finally done! HOORAH! That means Alisdair spent Saturday doing the cupboard shelves and finishing off little touches. We finally got the front garden cleaned up as the tub is also FINALLY gone. The house is beginning to look like a house again instead of a construction site. (we'll see how long that lasts until another project begins...)
It was a nice chilled Saturday and in trying to dress Isla we found her outfit wasn't very clean...that lead to playing with Charlie (who was having Marilyn withdrawals as she gave Charlie lots of attention) and we ended up putting Charlie in Isla's outfit...Isla thought it was hilarious as that meant Charlie didn't have any visible paws...In the picture Isla is leaning over to hug Charlie, but Charlie moved and as Mom took the picture she didn't catch Isla in time and we had a little head plant on the carpet...but no worries, like a trooper Isla recovered...and Charlie ran away...
The other picture is Isla in her new handknitted hat from Naples, so quaintly drinking water out of her teacup that Grannie gave her and her little table in the background. She hasn't mastered sitting on a chair and tends to fall off a lot (we use a lot of arnica cream) but thinks it's great she's so grown up!

Even more Italy

Monday morning we got up nice and early and drove back from Naples to Rome for Alisdair to catch a plane back to Edinburgh for work. Erin, Isla and Kenna headed into Rome for a few more days. Our hotel was right in the middle of Rome (and had a fantastic bathtub with the best water pressure we've seen in years! Isla loved it and they had coloured soap as a bonus). We took the open top bus tour (Isla broke Kenna's ear buds, so it was more like a baking-hot bus ride around Rome). On Tuesday we headed back to Vatican City and did St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and tried to head to the zoo, but Isla (finally!) fell asleep, so instead it was a walking tour of Rome. Isla got fed up about 4pm so Erin went exploring and found the Trevini Fountain and lots of other cool sites. Kenna saw them in pictures :) Above is Isla with Erin's Audioguide...she loved it...in the Bascilica.

After a fun filled (warm) week, we had to come home today. Erin and Kenna split up at the Rome Train Station where Erin took off to London and then Chicago and hopefully Salt Lake and Kenna and Isla went to the other airport. In trying to juggle Isla, the pram, carry ons and get through heightened security (Momar Quaddafi was there and so they were very vigilant on things), Isla did a flying spin in her reigns and smacked her head on the security bar...she has a pretty good egg from it..This picture was taken some hours later once we got home. Isla was awake from 6am until the decent into Edinburgh (3pm). She woke up in the driving hail storm and cold from the 10 foot walk from the bus to the terminal...gotta love Scotland!Our little world traveller who decided she LOVES gelato...Here she's infront of the Colosseum.
You have to get some cheesy pictures when you're on holiday :)
On our bus ride from the airport to the city, Auntie Erin taught Isla to say "cheese" when you take a picture...Erin also taught her "Ta-DA!" (and how to jump out from behind the curtains on the hotel balcony) and "Boom-chick-a-boom" (and how to jump on the hotel bed). Isla adores Auntie Erin and her new phrases. Auntie Erin hasn't mastered not laughing at Isla antics so they were great friends.

More Italy

We took the ferry to Capri on Sunday and while Kenna and Erin were trying not to ralph on everything, Alisdair was in charge of entertaining Isla. She discovered she can fit her WHOLE fist in dad's mouth, much to her great amusement.
A family picture from the hotel rooftop at breakfast. It was very sunny...hence why we're all squinting.
The Amalfi coast from Ravello.
A classic Pompei picture.


Isla was covered in sunblock, but just from the heat went quite red. She did okay at keeping her new hat on.

So after Pompei we decided to drive down the Amalfi Coast and see the sites. It was all hairpin turns and scary roads. Alisdair drove and Erin got the backseat for 1/2 and then she and Kenna switched for the 1/2 half. A once in a lifetime thing as carsickness isn't worth it. The views were beautiful thought.

Italy

Kenna and Isla at Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background...not a very buggy friendly tourist site!
Erin, Kenna and Isla at Pompeii.
Ali and Isla in Naples.
Yum...melted chocolate...we should have known better...quiet babies mean trouble....

Auntie Erin finished her study abroad duties on Thursday and we flew out to Rome to meet her for some time in Italy. It was a long flight and Isla just wanted some space....so we learned that the boot of the car is a nice place to let wait while we got adjusted and give her a drink :) It was a 2.5 hour car ride to Naples and we'd fed her Cheerios and all the granola bars we had, but it was about 2pm and we were trying to get to Naples for lunch when we looked back we found she'd gotten ahold of the trash bag, removed the Weight Watchers chocolate bar wrappers and was eating the caramel off them. She was PRETTY darn proud of herself.

Long Weeks

ITracing Charlie feet on the cardboard/breakdancing floor (heehee)
Our little cleaner!
Our new kitchen shutters! The kitchen finally looks completed.
The queen of art....still in her pjs.
The backyard is safe from cats....well, sort of...

Okay, before I can fill you in on this week, I thought I should put up the pictures of the week prior. Auntie Erin has been in town with her 6 BYU nursing students staying at our house and it's been a little busy. Isla's cleaning set arrived and she is a BIG fan of mopping. It's actually quite helpful as she loves to "mop" the radiators and as we are still in the process of cleaning up the dust from the renovations, any mopping is helpful mopping. Also, Isla decided that she needed to express her artistic side and luckily Kat (mom's friend) was way ahead of us on that field so she gave Isla some art supplies for her first birthday. Along with a table from Ikea, Isla now has her own little art station in the kitchen. The markers only write on special paper, but crayons go anywhere and as we had a giant cardboard from one of the house pieces, Isla had a great time playing with the dogs on it.