"Talking"

Arianna loves to talk.  Here she's having a conversation with Aunt Amy.

Arianna and her Exersaucer

Don't you just love that hair!!!  Yes, it does that all by itself...and no, we can't brush it down.

Putting Her Back???

Isabella declared this weekend that Mommy and Daddy need to go back to the hospital and put
Arianna back in Mommy's belly. Hmmmm...I don't think so! Getting a 10 pound baby out was quite enough for me.

New Arianna Pictures

Making Cookies with Daddy

Out of the mouth of babes...

Bella says the funniest stuff these days, for example...

We've been explaining to her that Arianna doesn't have control of her arms and legs yet.  So, when Bella gets close to her, Arianna often hits or kicks her.  Yesterday, I was holding Arianna and Bella was sitting close to us.  After Arianna hit her, Bella says, "She doesn't remote control her arms yet."

Bella was talking to Uncle Jon on the phone and in her rambling she tells him, "Uncle Jim is Sasha's daddy."  Shasha is Jim's dog.

Facination With Birth

Isabella is really fascinated with how babies are born...not the technical stuff, but going to the hospital, how messy the baby is when it comes out, etc. It's, of course, because of her recent experience with my pregnancy and Arianna's birth. She loves to watch the birth-related shows on TV (in fact, we watched one this week and had to explain to her why that lady was making so much noise when the baby came out).

One of our friends, Amy, was pregnant. We had told Bella that Ms. Amy had a baby in her belly and that the baby's name was Lexi. So, at Jason's basketball game last weekend we were told that Amy had gone into the hospital in labor. When we got home I told Bella I was going to check my e-mail to see if Lexi had come out of Ms. Amy's belly yet (knowing I would get an e-mail when Lexi arrived). When I was finished, Bella climbed up in our desk chair and says, "I want to see." I asked her what it was that she wanted to see. She replied, "I want to see Lexi come out of Ms. Amy's belly." I guess she thought we'd have a video feed and she'd be able to watch like she does on TV. She was a bit disappointed when I explained, and read her the e-mail update.

Life Update

Life seems to finally be settling a little bit. We are all adjusting to our new "normal" and feel like we are achieving a routine that is manageable. Here's bit of what's happening...

Isabella is doing much better with our life changes. She really loves her little sister and proclaims often, "That MY baby sister." She still would prefer that 100% of the attention from Mom and Dad be directed at her, but is not acting out as much when it's not. She likes to put her face close to Arianna then cracks up laughing when Arianna touches her. Bella will say, "She's getting me."

Bella is learning something new everyday, it seems. She asked Jason recently, "Daddy, you teach me read?" She has a very curious mind. She knows all of her letters and can recognize them on sight. She also has mastered her colors, shapes, and numbers (to 15...sometime to 20). She likes to talk about all the people we know and how they are related to each other ("Ms. Amy is Jack's mommy and Lexi's mommy"). She also very excited about Christmas, not for the gifts or the tree, but because Aunt MaryAnn is coming to visit.

Arianna is getting big...in fact she's in the 95th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference. She's a really happy baby, which is a pleasant surprise after her rough nights in the beginning. She's just started to laugh (so adorable) and LOVES when people talk to her. She's trying to reach for objects, like toys, but doesn't quite have the muscle control just yet. She shows a significant preference for Mom and Dad over any one else. She's still sleeping pretty well for her age, and she eats LOTS.

I am settling in back at work and enjoying my job. With the state of our economy, I'm thankful every day to be employed.

We are hosting a new small group in our home on Thursday evenings and I'm very excited about it. It's a great group of friends that I'm looking forward to getting to know better. I believe God has really great things in store for the group.

Jason has some new news, but I haven't gotten his permission to share it. So, next time you talk to him ask him what he's up to. In addition to being the worlds GREATEST Dad, he's an amazing husband. The girls and I are really lucky to have him. When I count my blessing he's always at the top of the list.

That's about it for us for this moment. I'll try to post a little more often, and share some kid stories. Bella seems to supply us with at least one every day!

Funny Bella Stories

Over the weekend Bella and I were in our family room. I had my 32 oz. Sigg water bottle sitting on the end table next to the chair I was in. Bella loves to play with the bottle, take the lid off, put it back on, take drinks, stick objects in the bottle, etc. Fearing that she was going to tip the bottle and make a mess, I had one hand on it as she played (and was watching for foreign object being put in my drink). She really doesn't like me interfering with her play/experiments. So, she looks at me and says, "You let go. You'll make a mess. You need to listen to me!" I wonder where she got that from???

Disney World

Isabella really wants to go to Disney World again.  We were just there in April, but she tells us constantly that she wants to go back.  She also thinks everything with lights or crowd is part of Disney.  Last night we went to see "The Lights Before Christmas" at the Toledo Zoo.  On our way there we caught a glimpse of the Maumee Bridge (I think that's the name of it) and she tells us that it's the Disney castle.  Then when we were at the zoo, there was a HUGE pine tree fully covered with light and she says, "That Disney World."  On Thanksgiving Day we watched part of the Macy's parade, and when she saw the crowd, she declared that it was Disney World.  One of her favorite things to say lately is "Mommy and Daddy love you so much...they take you to Disney World."  

First Week Back at Work

Well, we made it through our first week with me back at work.  Bella was sick all week, which made Jason foray into staying at home with two kids extra challenging.  He did it...and handled it like a pro, but it was very hard.  

My return to work was tough.  I missed the girls and Jason tremendously, and had major changes to my job description.  Those two things had me feeling a bit like a fish out of water most of the week.

Thankfully, Aunt MaryAnn was scheduled to come and visit (from South Carolina) for the weekend.  Having something to look forward too helped to get us over the bumps of the week.  Now, we are all enjoying her visit.

I realize now that I'm going to be a weekend blogger.  I tried many times to get a post up, but just couldn't seem to get to it.  My apologies to anyone that's been checking for updates.

Arianna Pictures

Jason said I used the "crazy" pictures of Arianna in the previous post (I think it's the grin that makes her look a bit crazy).  I thought I'd post a few others to show her more sedate side.

Where does she come up with this stuff?

Today I'm trying to put Isabella down for her nap and she's being a absolute booger.  So I finally get her to lay down in her bed and I'm sitting on the floor beside her.  I have one hand laying flat, palm down on her pillow.  She is holding it with both of her hands and fidgeting with my fingers etc.  I have my eyes closed (hoping to encourage her to do the same).  I hear her breathing change as if she's stifling a laugh.  I look at her to see what's going on and see that she's positioned her head so that my pinky is IN her nose!  I scolded her because that's disgusting, but had a really hard time not laughing.  Seriously, where does she come up with this stuff???

Learning Curve

I figured out this morning that I've had a block on the comments area of the blog.  I had it set so only other bloggers could leave comments.  I've fixed it now (I think).  My apologies to all of you that attempted to comment and couldn't!  Please be patient, I'm still pretty new at this.

Bella the Beautiful

Nothing to post about these photos, just thought they were adorable.  And, after posting a picture of her in her diaper, I figure I owe her to post some good pictures.

Dressing Up

Bella loves to dress up.  Often it's in her own clothes (she finds the poofiest dress and asks to put it on), or she has one princess dress.  Sometimes she likes to get in Mommy's underwear drawer and find things to wear (she's fascinated with my bras especially).  

In this picture she's apparently preparing to go to the beach.  That's her old bathing suit, which she's only managed to get her arms in, her sun hat from last summer, and her princess shoes.  I can only assume that the lack of pants/shorts is because the bathing suit should have covered the bottom half!

She, obviously, did this all herself.  Mommy just took advantage of the photo opportunity.

Arianna...

It has been such a joy to get to know our little Arianna over the past six weeks.  She's really starting to exhibit her personality, and she is a pistol!  She has some really happy times...laughing and cooing, but when you do something she doesn't like, she's going to let you know about it.  She's a little fussy in the evening, but that seems to be improving some.  We're not sure if the improvement is because I'm not eating much dairy, or simply because she's getting older and more used to being here.  She's awful cute, as you can tell by these pictures.

She does sleep better then Isabella did.  In fact, I often think she sleeps better than Isabella does right now!  I'm very thankful for Arianna's sleep habits, as it will make my return to work much easier.

"I nurse my baby."

In order to appreciate this story you have to know that a nursing shawl, is a cover that has a strap that goes around my neck and covers Arianna and I when I need to feed her in public.

Okay, so last night my Dad was here for dinner and Arianna got hungry.  I got my nursing shawl out and fed her.  I must have left it on the couch, because pretty soon Bella comes up to us and say, "I nurse my baby."  As you can see from the picture, she had the shawl on and had gotten her baby out to feed her.  So cute!!!

By the way, if you are a nursing mom or know someone who is, these shawls are GREAT!!!  My friend Ronni makes and sells them in all different colors and designs.  If you are interested in getting one, just let me know I'll put you in touch with her.

Our Day

I'm having a hard time imagining that folks that read our blog really care about our mundane, day-to-day stuff that happens.  However, since I'm really doing this for the kids, I'm going to keep writing this stuff down.  If you're bored, I apologize...but I hope someday Bella and Arianna get a kick out of reading what our lives were like when they were little.

So, Wednesdays have been busy while I've been on maternity leave.  On Wednesday mornings I take the girls and go to the Mom's small group at our church.  It's a great group of women that are also on this amazing parenting journey, most of them with small children.  I participated in the group when I was on maternity with Bella too...and loved it.  They have helped me keep my sanity through the early weeks of both of the girls lives.  

Then on Wednesday evenings we attend a small group.  It's several families from our church...some with kids, others without.  It's really been a blessing to me to get to know the people in the group over the last several months.  We are really thankful to have such a great bunch of friends.

Today we had preschool at Bella's friend Ava's house.  Bella learned about fire safety (although she says she learned about fire trucks), did a craft project, had snack and got to play outside with her friends.  She absolutely loves going to Ava's because she has a full size trampoline.  At one point I looked outside and Bella and Jason were jumping together...so cute!

Tonight Jason is making dinner for us, and Papa Butch is coming to eat.  Bella LOVES her Papa.

I took pictures of Arianna today, and got a few cute ones.  I'm going to try to post them here later.

Amy

Isabella...

Bella is almost 2.5 years old.  Some of her favorite things are:

• The Wiggles...we went to see them in concert over the summer.  She loved it and sat completely mesmerized for the entire show.  She's still talking about it.
• Riding the four-wheeler...Daddy took her out riding yesterday for the first time.  They rode all over the farm, and when it was time to come in the house, she cried and cried.  Jason said she squealed and yelled in delight the whole time she was out.
• Doing art...she especially likes cutting and pasting, painting and stickers.  She enjoys coloring too.
• Target...yup, the store.  When we ask her what she wants to do today (assuming she'll say go to the park, or something similar), she'll ask to go to Target.  If we're out running errands and don't go to Target, she'll get upset with us.  I'm sure it's the toy department that she loves.  She can find it all by herself without our guidance.
• Preschool...she attends a once-per-week co-op at a friend's house.  She loves it and asks to go all week.  Thursdays are definitely a highlight in her week.

There are certainly others...like going to visit any of our friends or family.  She's a social little thing!

She talks non-stop about any and everything...I think she gets that from her Dad.  LOL.

As soon as I figure out how to upload pictures to the blog, I'll post some of her.

I Have No Idea What I'm Doing

So, I'm finally trying my hand at blogging.  I don't know what I'm doing, when I'm going to find time to keep it up, or who will read it...but here goes anyway.  

I want a place to record the daily happenings with my girls.  They are constantly amazing me with something they do or say, and I'm not writing it down anywhere.  I'm hoping that by starting a blog it will prompt me to records all of their stuff.

You'll notice I chose the title "Daily Grace and Joy."  For those that do not know, those are our girls' middle names (Isabella Grace and Arianna Joy).

Okay, so now for one of the funny things that I want to record.  Bella is constantly asking us "What's that noise?" any time she hears something that she isn't familiar with.  Recently she passed gas and Daddy asked her "What's that noise?"  She promptly responded, "Fireworks."  I don't know where she got this from, but now anytime she passes gas, she tells us it's fireworks!