Girls day =)

Ever wonder what one year olds do for a girls play-day together? Well, let me just show you....

Isabella (11 mo.) had her friend Charleigh (18 mo.) over to play the other day and this is what they did.....

Mamma read them books and then they played with doll babies and stuffed animals.......

They enjoyed the beautiful day outside on a blanket and they loved playing with bubbles...... (except for Charleigh trying to walk back inside to find the "ca" (cat) and Bella trying to crawl to the mailbox! =)

Took a break from playing to take a morning nap.....

They gobbled down a yummy lunch together! It is the cutest thing to see little girls sharing their lunch with each other!

We are blessed to have sweet friends to play with!

11 months...

I can't even believe that 11 months has gone by since I first held baby Isabella in my arms! Time sure has flown by.......everyone seems to tell me to "cherish every moment cause you'll blink and she'll be all grown up." Well, they are right.......but every time I think about how fast she is growing I actually find myself thanking the Lord for the privilege to be able to stay home with her. What a blessing to be able to spend these precious years with her as she grows and develops. I thank the Lord that she is so healthy and strong and that she is growing into such a beautiful little girl inside and out. So, in one sense it is a little sad that my baby is growing into a toddler......but on the other hand I couldn't be more thankful for the joy that she brings and the opportunities I have each day to love her and parent her.

STATS:

Weight - 17lb. 5oz 8%

Height - 28 inches 40%

Head - 18 inches 80%

She is changing so much each day......it's hard to even be able to put into words all the ways she has changed even in just the past month! But, I will do my best!

She loves her "little bunny"...we don't quite have a name for the bunny yet - but she has started holding onto his little ears when she sleeps and carries him all around the house! She loves to feed herself! She's great with me feeding her a bowl of food (pretty much because she knows her tummy gets full faster) but she enjoys feeding herself all sorts of yummy things! She is always exploring! She loves to crawl around and check everything out in the house. If I turn my back and she's not there......I usually go check her bedroom to find her sitting in front of her bookshelf flipping through books. =) She is back to loving jogs in the stroller with me! She loves the warm, spring air and the wind hitting her face. Play dates and trips to the park are also a favorite! She loves going to church on Wednesday nights and hanging out with all the high school students. She never gets bored.......I mean how could you when fun high school girls pass you around...oooh and ahh over you and entertain you! When Jer leads worship/preaches, she does her best to crawl as fast as she can down the center aisle to get to him! Her wave now has motion....not just the straight up wave anymore. She now has four pearly whites....two on top and two on bottom! And let me just say that they are s-h-a-r-p!

Nursery on Sunday mornings continues to be a challenge for little Bella........she'd much rather not have to be apart from her mommy and daddy........but hopefully, it will get easier for her in the near future!

She pulls up on everything and walks along the furniture. She'll stand alone for just a second and then plops down to her bottom. We are practicing walking holding on to our fingers!

Here's her little schedule....

7 Wake/Nurse/Breakfast (fruits, cereal)

9 Story time/Sing/Nap

11 Playtime!

12 Lunch (yogurt based, fruit, veggies, cheese, turkey)

2 Nurse/Nap

4 Snack (fruit, cheerios, water etc.)

6 Dinner (veggies, grains, meat, fruit)

7 Bath

8 Nurse/Bed

**We are down to 3 nursings a day - but we will be going to 2 in the near future. She's doing great with the sippy cup!

Busy Bella...

She's always excited about what's around the corner these days! =) And she gets faster and faster every day!

A few of her favorite things in the house......

the springy things that the doors hit....do they have a name!??

the outlets...of course....

Jazzmyn's scratching post...

tiny cracks that she can squeeze her little petite body through =)...

her "friendly dinosaur" that sings to her as she pushes him around the house...

(I sure love that cute little wave......all day long she waves to her mamma!)

her car/piano that she walks with...

and best of all bubble baths! She loved the pretty princess crown that her daddy made for her with the bubbles!

She's also busy helping daddy preach to our high school students on Wednesday nights! He used her as an illustration when teaching about how in life a lot of times we take baby steps toward the greater purpose that God has for us. Bella showed everyone how she's learning to walk holding daddy's fingers.........

And we've been busy playing with friends at the park! It's been absolutely gorgeous weather down here...perfect for play dates outside!

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.....