Road Trip!!!

We packed our bags earlier this week to make our first drive with Bella down to Waco, TX to celebrate Thanksgiving. Bella was very excited at first helping me pack our bags!

Thanks to Nana we borrowed a DVD player and that calmed the tears more than a few times while not being able to get out of the car seat! She was so excited about it and held it like a book the whole time on her own.

As soon as we got there, Bella wanted to play with the puppies. She was entertained with them all week long.


Aunt Christie and Uncle Barry got this adorable Snow Bunny dress for Bella this winter! So warm and cozy!

This was Bela's first Thanksgiving! She ate lots of turkey, green beans, and mango!


We couldn't leave without making or mark of course. She found lots of fun things to explore while at Grandpa Bob's house!

Happy Birthday Brandon

We had a chili dinner and my mom and dad, Kevin, Val, Lea, and Sophie all came over to celebrate Brandon's birthday. Of course we only got a picture of the girls! The chili was really good and we had a great time with the whole family especially with Kevin back in town for the week.

Brandon's birthday was actually the 18th so this post is a little late. We began his morning by making breakfast and opening gifts. Bella even made a special card.

This week we were in Waco for Thanksgiving and we celebrated the November family birthdays. Christie's was the 6th, and Bob's was the 17th.

Brandon's truck wasn't actually a birthday gift, but he got it the same week. We were so blessed by this new truck and so excited we could all ride together in it!

A Moment of Weakness

Our weekend getaways have changed post Bella! We knew things would change, but just weren't sure exactly how! After a long day of car riding and no naps, I caved in and our little sweetie got a little something sweet.

We had a fun weekend in Branson. Bella of course got so many compliments and was the center of attention for the crowd there. This was a fun little moment with her mommy!

Don't worry, she didn't get as much as it looks like. Her little bite was mostly around the outside of her mouth!

Happy Halloween!

The past few weeks have been busy. Last week I was at training all day every day for my new part-time job. It was hard to leave Bella so I'm glad it's over! The past couple of weeks have been filled with a visit from Grandpa Bob, a visit from Amy, Bella's parent educator, and a visit to the Doctor's office. At Bella's 10 month appointment she weighed in at 16 lb 12 oz and measured 27 in. She fit nicely into the 10th percentile of other kids her age.

This is a picture of Bella's first experience in a "big bath" with her friends Kaylin and Elayna! She loved the freedom and all the toys and bubbles! What sweet girlfriends!

We went to the park last weekend only to get blown away by the bitter breeze, we can't wait until spring when we'll be able to enjoy it a little more!

Bella was a little ladybug for her first Halloween! I think it fit her personality to the T!











We loved getting Bella dressed up as a ladybug for her first Halloween! She absolutely loved the whole experience! She was laughing at the other kids' costumes and waving the entire night! We traveled around to a few of our friends' houses to say "trick or treat!" We finished off our tour at Nana and Papa's house where she got a bag of goodies! Baby Mum Mum crackers are her favorite!

Apple Butter Day

This week we have had some amazing weather!  It's been perfect for taking walks, going to the park and the Guier Family's annual Apple Butter Day!  Bella loved her first experience at the park this week!  She loved the geese, swings, merry-go-round, and a bouncy duck of course!

We got some adorable shots of Bella in the pile of pumpkins at my Uncle Nelson and Aunt Susan's house.

Sophie and Bella had a long day of pictures and weren't going to let us get away with any more!  Still turned out pretty cute despite the grumpy look!

This is the biggest pumpkin we've seen ever I think!

Bella looks like a natural model with the wind blowing her beautiful hair!  It was a little breezy to say the least.

Good News!

I have some exciting news this week.  I was offered a part-time job as a parent educator in the Blue Springs School District PAT's program.  I'm very excited to stay plugged into the district and the children and families in our community.  What I'll be doing basically is visiting families in their homes that have children between the ages of newborn and 5 years old.  We do activities with the children and work with the parents so their children can be prepared to start kindergarten.  Bella has a parent educator, who came a few weeks ago and was in another picture, but I will be doing the same thing only in Blue Springs.  Yeah, we are very excited about this little change.

This week we celebrated my dad's birthday!  Yeah, happy birthday again!  We had a delicious dinner of steaks and the works!  We got to see cousin Sophie again and Uncle Kev came home too!  Bella picked out her own card for Papa!

This weekend was also Luke's 1st birthday!  Bella and Luke are good friends from Bible study and the nursery!

Dogs are another fascination of Bella's lately.  She thinks it's hilarious when they bark, but even more hilarious when Papa barks!

Nana and Bella are enjoying a Sunday stroll outside in her new favorite little car!

Feeling the breeze!  It must be nice to be a baby and not have to worry about clothes!

This week we also had a fun play day with Kaylin and Elayna.  They are both Bella's dear girlfriends!  We went to a consignment sale, yes, I'm all about those lately!  I think it's my third one to go to this month!

We also enjoyed playing at Chic' Fillet!  Our favorite place!

Uncle Kev is working his magic on Bella.  He got her to eat all of her veggies!

We love our Uncle Kev!

LOTS of pictures!

The past couple of weeks have been pretty routine around our house.  I had a few chances to try to captures Bella's fun filled personality!  This is one of my favorite fall outfits of hers. :)

Here is our little escape artist during a diaper change.  She will love this picture when she gets older I'm sure!
One of our favorite times is still bath time.  The toys have increased!  She enjoys her bath time books, stacking flower cups and all the rubber ducks.

Daddy and Bella were playing before church.  When she crawls, she always has to have something in her hand as she goes.
We are enjoying her first grilled cheese!  I know, it sounds like such a grown up food!  I used potato bread which is age appropriate for her, don't worry!
Here's a shot of some of the ice cube trays filled with various flavors of baby food I made last week.
Our freezer is stocked!

Bella is reaching for baby Sophie.  She can't wait to play!

Bella and Sophie had their first play date this week.  Bella loves her little cousin so much!  She's leaning down to give her a kiss!