Summer Joys

It's been a long fun-filled summer with Bella Jo! She and Mommy flew up to Ohio to visit family and friends for a week in June. She loved playing with everyone, especially Jake, and learning to skip down the street. We were able to visit the zoo, go shopping, swim at Nana Jo's, attend cousin Annie's wedding, tour the fire station with Papa (thank goodness there was a nice firefighter on hand to tackle Bella's boo-boo), have her first ever bonfire, and see a winery complete with goats. It was a priceless week! After returning to Texas, Bella came to see the Alice in Wonderland theme at the Gaylord Texan Resort while Mom and Dad celebrated their 5 year anniversary. Bella loved spending the weekend with Aunt Iris, Uncle Jon, and Jas! As soon as the fun ended with the fourth of July, we really got down to "business". Bella started potty training! She more-often-than-not would run around the house naked, trying to get adjusted to using the new potty. It's safe to say that now she's started to get a grip on things and can pull down her new panties in enough time. No more naked baby running around! After nearly a month of training, things are starting to improve and we're looking forward to having her potty trained. She's developed Mommy and Aunt E's picky eater syndrome lately, so we're having to get very creative with her food. Bella's favorite things to do are watch Cinderella (at least once a day), swing outside, play with her puzzles, and listen to music. She's taken an interest in helping Mommy with whatever she is doing - cooking, cleaning, doing laundry - and Mommy is not complaining! It's wonderful to see her advancing and learning each and every day. We're so lucky to have been blessed with a wonderful daughter.

Play Days

Now that Mom is done teaching for summer vacation, Bella has been getting lots of quality time with her. We have really started to enjoy all the fun toys around the house that we have otherwise ignored. Not really sure why they've been ignored, but just lately Bella has been getting interested in everything. Making her interest in exploring the world has started to light up - and I couldn't be more thrilled! Bella recently got a new pool - just a simple small pool for the backyard. She has been less than pleased about taking baths and seems scared of bigger pools of water beyond the sink water for dishes, so I was a little apprehensive about how she'd respond to the pool. Although it took a couple of tries for her to get inside, today we put on her suit and actually sat down. She also was given a bubble machine from her Aunt Iris yesterday, which of course she loves! Bubbles are the best! Of course, I'm not too sure that the bubble machine needs to be dunked in the water. Bella also used her Daddy as a climbing object yesterday and I couldn't resist displaying that picture. So as the summer continues, we look forward to many more days of play!

Uncle Overload

Bella finally got to meet some of her Uncles. OK not her biological uncles but definitely her daddy's true brothers. They came to town over Memorial Day weekend for a long-awaited get-together. It was great to see Uncle Jason and Uncle Barry! Bella had to warm up to them but she had no trouble warming up to Jason's girlfriend, Rhinelle, and Aunt Natalie.

In addition to spending good ol' quality time with them, we were able to take Bella on her first jet ski ride. Although she screamed the whole time she was on, as soon as we got off, she said "Fun." Needless to say we didn't take her back out there. But we had fun while she spent time with everyone else. Too bad that Uncle Jason got pulled over on the jet ski and Uncle Barry and Aunt Natalie fell off the jet skis. Good times, good times, as her daddy would say. We only wish her Uncle Chris and Uncle Gary could have been with us too. We miss you guys!

Houston Wedding

We had a fabulous time in Houston for Aunt Kristin and Uncle Andy's wedding. Congrats to them! It was wonderful seeing all her cousins - JW, Lilliana, and of course Jas. Bella absolutely loves Jas and asks about her all the time! Bella really enjoyed seeing all the lovely water and animals running around the Woodlands Resort. She especially loved dancing the night away during the reception. After Bella ate ketchup with chicken and played with the neon lights, she danced to all the songs until 10 pm when her parents dragged her out of the room because she wanted to partake in the garter event. Sorry kiddo, but you're TOO young for that.

But sleeping in wasn't so bad either :) We tried going swimming on Sunday in the amazing pool, but after getting sprayed by one of the water spouts right in the face, that was the end of the water fun. Maybe next time...

Two Years Old!

Bella's Two Year Birthday was quite a sight to see. We didn't have a big fancy party but we did have family and friends to share the weekend, making her birthday truly special. Pop came in to see her from Virginia. She took quite easily to him, and loved sitting with him at dinnertime. She enjoyed opening her presents on the morning of her birthday. She received clothes, a savings bond, sidewalk chalk, some books, and a movie "Planet Earth." Bella just adores watching the animals on TV, especially when it's slow and drawn out like the series Life on Discovery Channel. We made her birthday cupcakes, which she loved, mostly just the frosting though. For her dinner birthday we went to a Mexican restaurant she enjoys, Pasados. Not only did she eat nearly the entire salsa container, but she also got a special ice cream treat from a man serenading her! It was a great dinner shared with Pop, Aunt Iris, Uncle Jon, and Jas.

And last month......

Just after Nana, Papa, and Aunt E came down to Dallas, Bella and I traveled up to Ohio to see the family. It was great spending time with everyone! Bella loved playing with Riley at Great Nana's house. She loved the powered donuts too! To this day she still mentions Riley. We miss everyone in Ohio so much! We think of you and hope that one day we can get back there.

Baptism

On March 14th, Bella had her baptism at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rockwall, Texas. We were very fortunate to have Grandma and Grandpa Valvoda and Aunt Erin visit for the baptism. Aunt Iris, Uncle Jon, and Jasmine were also able to witness this special occasion. Bella loved being in her daddy's arms, but of course when it came time to baptise her, she cried and flailed about. She also injured her daddy in the process, which would not have been a pretty sight for the entire congregation to see. Bella wore a dress from her Grandpa Rowell for her baptism but was also placed in the traditional gown from her Great-Great Grandmother. After the service we had brunch and celebrated the rest of the day with a bowling trip. Bella showed off her love for dancing while the music played at the bowling lanes. Hope you enjoy the video as much as we do, especially of Bella "raising the roof."

Springtime Joys

It finally decided to warm up in Texas, so off we went to the park! Bella loved walking around eating her "yummies" while Hunter loved exploring all this new uncharted territory. Bella was really cute on the playground - she kept watching this other girl play and as she did, she semmed to be "posing." Bella is loving the change in weather because now she gets to play outside a lot more. Mom and Dad are loving the fact that she loves playing outside because now she gets worn out a lot more during the day and is sleeping better at night. Lately we've been having a night battle for the past two months - where does Bella sleep, how many times she gets up at night, and how best to put her down. It's been a LONG two months but thank goodness it's getting better. We are very excited about the upcoming weeks. Next week is her baptism and visit from Grandma and Grandpa Valvoda and Aunt E. Next month is a visit from Grandpa Rowell and then it's her second birthday. Let the good times roll!