Just the Girls

Mom, Isabella and I had a nice weekend while the boys were out playing, they said they were hunting but only came back with one deer. The guys left Thursday and came home Sunday afternoon, it was Adam that got the deer so I guess it was worth the trip!

Isabella has been sick for about 3 weeks or better. Runny nose and cough. Then on Sunday when she woke from a nap we heard her wheezing. Mom and I were concerned so we took her to Glennon Care where they diagnosed her with Bronchospasms. They wrote her a script for Albuterol, so that's where we are now. I don't hear her wheezing any more, but she still has a cough and runny nose. I'm sure we will be back at the doctor by the end of the week. Hope everyone is doing well and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Isabella Turns ONE!!!

It's so hard to believe that my baby is already ONE!!!! This year has gone by so fast. Yeah, I know everyone tells you that, but I didn't realize it until I had Isabella. She has brought so much joy and love to our lives I am not sure what we ever did without her.
The Big Party started at 2 pm and we had lots of guests, our house was certainly at capacity, but we all had a great time. Isabella got more presents than any child possibly needs, lots of ELMO stuff, which is great because we do love Elmo. I really thought that she would tear into the gifts, but really showed no interest. She was more interested in the cards and envelopes, but I enjoyed seeing all of her new stuff!! Next, the kids took turns trying to get the prizes to fall out of the pinata. I bought a pull string pinata since most of the kids at the party are far too young to swing a bat. Cake was next and she did not appreciate the messiness at ALL. She kept trying to flick the icing off of her hands and when I tried to make her "dig in" she got very mad!! She decided to rub all of the icing that did she have on her hands all through her curly hair...she was a mess to say none the less. Lots of playing with friends and family. I must say....Fun was had by ALL!!

Catching Up...

Well, I'm not sure what happened, except that I completely dropped the ball on updating Bella's Blog. There are lots of things I could blame it on, but really I just haven't made time for it. I am vowing to myself to be more diligent. It's hard to believe that in two days my baby is going to be a year old already...where does the time go? We have had some fun times over the past couple of months, most recently, halloween, Isabella and two of her boyfriends dressed as the Three Little Pigs. They were so cute!!! We also went to Eckert's Millstadt Farm this fall on several occassions and had great fun. Isabella got to ride the ponies, pet the animals, go down a 70 foot slide with dad and lots of other fun stuff. We picked some great pumpkins that she was terrified of when it came to carving them, but we got some cute pictures which is the most important part, right? This doesn't even come close to all the fun we have had with Isabella in the past couple months, just some bits and pieces. Enjoy the pictures!!

Slideshow of Isabella at 8 months (little late)

Peach Picking at Eckert's

Today Isabella turned 9 months old. Where does the time go? So we all went peach picking in celebration. It was Isabella's first time, not counting her Show Me St. Louis debut. She really was much more interested in eating the grass than anything to do with the peaches, but we got some super cute pictures and really that is what is all about right?!? Here are a couple of shots from our fun day:)

9 Month Pictures

Last night, mom and I took Isabella to get her 9 month pictures at Portrait Innovations. We had a quite a long wait, but she did VERY good. She was laughing and smiling. There were so many good ones, it was hard to choose! Here are a few of my favorites.

Da Da Da Da

This week Isabella and I are a little bit lonely...Adam is on a trip for work again, this time to Canada. He left early Sunday afternoon - that sort of ruins the whole weekend for me because all I think about is him leaving. We try to keep our weeks when he gone full. Sunday we did one of Isabella's (and my) favorite things...we went swimming over at Debbie Pierce's. There she met her newest friend...Payton Pierce. Man is she cute!! Payton is almost 3 months where Isabella is almost 9 months. I know it has not been long, but I sure did forget how small they are at that age and boy did it make me want to have another:) After our long day in the pool, Isabella showed me that she could do several new things. She began saying "da da da da" all night long and waving bye bye. Maybe it is just coincidental, but isn't it a little ironic that she said "da da" and waived bye bye the SAME day Adam left. Who knows...but she certainly is learning new things every day and simply amazes me by all she can do. The first picture is of Bella & her new friend Payton and the second is of Bella & Brody at the Smithton Parade (their first parade). Enjoy!!

Long Weekend

Last weekend, July 11 - 13, Adam, Isabella and I headed down to Branson for a long weekend. We set out on our trip with no real plans, just a time to get a way and be together with no house hold chores getting in the way. We stayed at the Radisson hotel, which was nice. There was an indoor/outdoor pool which Isabella loved. It was pretty crowded and the BIG kids were splashing all around her, but that didn't bother her one bit. We also took the boat down and boated on Tablerock Lake for a while on Saturday. This was the first time Isabella had ever worn her life jacket and she was not too fond of it. It looked like she was in a straight jacket. She couldn't move her head at all, so unfortunately boating was cut short. Then it was time to come home, which was exhausting because Bella decided to cry for nearly the entire trip. I was never so thrilled to see our house!

Growing Up So Fast

Well, Isabella has reached several milestones since the last time I wrote. She is now crawling (very fast), pulling herself up (on everything) and acquires new teeth, which seems like weekly. Yesterday, tooth number 6 cut through. Somehow, mom always seems to be watching her on the days that her teeth come through. Lucky her:). All in all she does very good. She continues to amaze us daily. It is so exciting to watch her grow and learn new things constantly. She is a very busy baby and into whatever she can get her hands on.

On Sunday, July 6th, Adam and I took her to the zoo for the first time. It was a beautiful day, super hot, but beautiful. Isabella did very good there, but not sure how interested she was in the animals. Most of them were so far away, it was hard for us to find them at times, but the nice weather and being outside is really all she ever needs to make her happy. Daddy's little outdoors girl.

Here are some pictures of the past month.

Slideshow of Isabella at 7 months

I Love Boating

Saturday, we ventured out to the Kaskaskia River to take Bella boating for the first time ever! In her dad's opinion, this is one thing that she MUST enjoy...and she did. The river was super rough because it was so windy, but that did not bother her one bit, I think the bumpiness made it more enjoyable for her. She was laughing and smiling the entire time. She even helped dad drive the boat, she has now spent more hours behind the wheel of the boat than me!!

Strawberry Picking at Eckert's

Today, mom and I took Isabella strawberry picking for the first time. She was completely mesmerized by the strawberries and strawberry plants! We didn't pick many, but were able to capture a couple of cute pictures (really that's what it is all about)! She took several bites out of a berry and seemed to really like it...her strawberry stained clothes are the proof of that! It was a beautiful day and we had a fun time!

Slideshow of Isabella at 6 months old!

So Big...

Where does the time go??? I have been wanting to get this project under way for quite some time and never make time for it. I thought this would be another great way to document her milestones and firsts and share them with all of our friends and family. We certainly do not see all of you as much as we would like, but think of you often.

It is so hard to believe that Bella is 6 1/2 months old...she is getting so big!! I took her to the doctor yesterday and she weighs 18 lbs 6 oz and is 26.5 inches long. She keeps us hopping:) She is sitting very good on her own, with an occasional fall. She has been playing on her belly more in the last couple of days and is getting up on her knees, but not going anywhere yet. Adam and I have found that we are already rearranging our home due to a busy baby. We are having lots of fun watching her grow and learn new stuff every day. We are very blessed. Take care and hope to talk to you all soon!