Giggles...

A little of this and a little of that.......

We've been busy the past week or so.......I thought I'd just do a "collage" blog of a few of the things we've been up to......

Isabella enjoyed celebrating her little friend Elliejay's first birthday! It was a gorgeous day for a party! We tried to get them both to look at the camera and smile but didn't have much luck. =)

Bella has been practicing her walking moves too! She pulls up on everything and loves to practice walking with her toys! Of course, mamma and daddy's fingers are the favorite to hold on to while practicing walking. =)

The other day I caught a glimpse of her little feet in her cute little crocks.........I'm sure there will be a day when I'll look back and wonder if her feet were ever small enough to fit in these. So here's a cute picture to help remind me of how tiny her feet really were.......

This past weekend we headed over to Panama City and Grandaddy took Bella's one year pictures! I can not even believe that our little baby girl is approaching her first birthday! She LOVED the photo shoot...especially the cake!

Looks like Bella caught a bug from the nursery last Sunday! =( We were joking this week that if she could tell us how she really felt she might say something like this, "Mamma, I told you I don't like that nursery place! There are strangers in there, babies that scream and cry and I'm definitely not the center of attention =).........AND that place makes me sick!" Oh sweet Bella.....

It made for a week of low grade fever and a nose that looks somewhat like a fountain! Monday night Bella just could not get to sleep so she sat with Daddy and they watched "Praise Baby" together. A little TLC from daddy and some worship songs always make you feel better. =)

I've been reminded lately that I don't ever want to take these "ordinary" days for granted. I'm so thankful to be able to stay home with Isabella and enjoy every moment with her. It's these what seems like "ordinary" days or moments that over time make the most precious and cherished memories. I pray that as a family we will continue to be intentional to show our love for each other as well as those the Lord places in our lives each and every day. I might just have to write a separate blog on this because there's a lot I've been learning about living in a spirit of joy, peace and contentment and living intentionally with every moment we are given ........

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is extra special today......because it's Isabella's first!!! I made her a little peasant dress to wear today...and it has been a gorgeous day outside so her hot pink crocks were just the perfect shoes to go with the little dress! =)

Jer woke me up this morning with a pretty red rose! Then, he brought in Bella and we all cuddled together in bed.......such a fun way to start our special day!

After Bella's morning nap, I took her for a run! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day....65 degrees, clear skies and sunny! She loved the run.....and so did I!

Then, I made us a little picnic and we headed outside..... Jer came home just in time to enjoy time with us on his lunch break.

Bella enjoyed her sweet potatoes....and avocados as always!

......and her water

....she also enjoyed feeding daddy grass! =)

After our picnic, Jer took Bella on a Valentine's date to the park.....she loves our park so he thought that would be the perfect location for their first Valentine's Day date! I told them to get a picture and apparently the lady who took the picture actually took a video......a sideways video! Oh well....it captures the moment! =)

Jer and I are looking forward to enjoying a nice dinner together once Bella is down for the night!

So....today I'm thankful for a beautiful day and the blessing to be able to share it with those I love most! =)

Our Saturday...

Our day began at 5:00am Saturday morning. We loaded up in the car and headed to the beach for the Double Bridge Run! Jer was running it.......Isabella and I cheered this time. I'm not quite where I want to be for racing just yet so Isabella and I stayed nice and warm in the car until time to jump out and cheer for "dadda." =)

Here we are cheering......I'd say we were the best cheerleaders there for sure!

Jer did awesome....15K in 58:12.....just a 6:20 pace (no big deal)! Haha! =)

We headed home to change clothes and then made it to the baby shower just in time to celebrate with my friend Cassie! She is due to have a sweet baby girl in just 4 weeks! We've been praying for baby Sarah for a long time and Bella can not wait to have play dates with her very soon! =)

As you can see....Bella wasn't too sure about having her picture made.....

Giggles at the park...

This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous! We enjoyed a picnic outside, bubbles and a family trip to the park! Isabella loved every minute of it! We are ready for spring!!!

My favorite part of the video is her quick little wave to her mamma! =)

10 months....we're into double digits! =)

Our little angel is 10 months!!! I can hardly believe it! It's getting much more challenging to get her to sit still for a picture.....she'd much rather be on the move! =)

Seems like her little personality comes out more and more every day! She definitely is a daddy & mommy's girl! She's always anxious to meet new friends - but doesn't necessarily want to be away from her mamma and daddy. =) She loves waving to everyone and everything...including our cat Jazzmyn. Jazzmyn doesn't seem to pay much attention to her yet - but Isabella is constantly trying to follow her around the house. Our trips to the grocery store continue to last right under 2 hours......due to my little shopping partner who insists on striking up conversation with everyone we pass! We definitely have begun our own little "grocery shopping ministry" with all the elderly Floridians! Haha! In all honestly, it is so sweet to think back on the numerous older people who have said, "that little smile is the sweetest thing I've seen all day......just makes my day!" =)

She continues to sleep very well! Seems like she's become quite the night sleep and napper! I discovered the "sleep sack" this month.....wish I had it 4 months ago!!! It's awesome - it's a little sack that has holes for her arms. It's made out of fleece - just something to keep her nice and cozy at night! We joke about her being like a little alarm clock.....without fail she wakes up at 6:55 every morning! I'll hear her playing for a few minutes - then she'll call for us.......her little tummy is rumbling! She loves to eat.....and eat....and eat! Nursing is still a favorite as well as veggies, fruits and her little finger foods. She loves feeding herself handfuls of food.......she can be a little monster so I to monitor how many pieces of "anana" she sticks in that little mouth! I was so thankful to see her love yogurt and cheese! With her dairy allergy in the early months - I was praying that as her digestive system matured she would be able to tolerate diary. She definitely loves it!

We continue to enjoy play dates with friends throughout the week as well as little social outings! Last week, we tried a new story time at our friend's library. I wasn't quite sure if Isabella would enjoy it.....but she LOVED it! I should have known with her loving books the way she does that she'd enjoy it........she was fascinated by the stories, new friends and bubbles!

Thank goodness, she's back to enjoying the running stroller! The past month or so - I've been able to get back to running again. Now, if we could just get some spring weather for more than a day or two! =)

One of her new favorite things to do is crawl into her room and pull of the books from her new bookshelf one at a time and look through her books! Then, she'll usually holler for me to come read to her.........

She must be the daughter of a first grade teacher.......=)

Jer pulled down all my books and I sorted through to find my favorites that I thought she would enjoy....you know....plenty of pictures....plenty of color and not too many words! =) I have a feeling "dadda" will be making frequent trips to the attic to pull down new books!

She officially has four pearly whites! I can't wait til her top two teeth come in enough to show through her smile! =) She continues to say...."mamma", "dadda", "anana" (banana) and I think she's starting to say "hey"!

Her slobbery, open mouth kisses are our favorite.....nothing sweeter!

OH.......and the nursery - still not her favorite place! But, I have to say - I think she's getting better! From what the teacher tells us - she isn't crying the entire 2 1/2 hours! =) Poor little thing.......has what we like to call, "separation anxiety!" This past Sunday, they said she was just crying and crying and no one could make her happy........then one of the sweet ladies walked her to the pre-school welcome table......and guess who became the new greeter for the day!??? My little angel! =) They said she dried up her tears and was just a waving to every person who came in! Maybe we should just make her the new "Olive Baptist Baby Greeter!"

Here's her little schedule....not much has changed this past month.......she continues to be somewhat disinterested in her mid-morning/mid-afternoon feedings......so I have a feeling we'll be cutting those out this month! She's growing up!

7:00 Wake/Nurse/Breakfast (fruits, mixed grains, finger food - fruit)

9:30 Nap

11:00 Wake/Nurse

12:00 Lunch (veggies, fruits, mixed grains, sometimes yogurt, cheese.....)

2:00 Nurse/Nap

5:00 Wake

6:00 Dinner (veggies, chicken, mixed grains.....)

7:30 Bath/Prayers

8:00 Nursing/Bed

STATS:

Height: 28 inches 50%

Weight: 16 lbs. 5%

Head: 18 inches 85%

Hmmm......looks like we better up the avocado intake since it has lots of healthy fats! =)