A little tongue

There's that little tongue.

Such a ham, right?

I think once your kid turns one, everything just goes sonic speed after that. I literally feel like all of a sudden she is doing things she wasn't doing like two seconds before that.

I have been pretty good about communicating to her with baby signs (to hopefully help her communicate with me)....so yeah, all of a sudden, I feel like she's getting it. It's so crazy! Just like that! All those weeks of being consistent is paying off! Terrible twos ain't got nothin' on me!! Bring it on, right?

With my prompt, she signs 'more', 'milk', 'all done', 'please', 'thank you', 'dog', 'bear'...it's so cool!! I don't know why 'dog' and 'bear' are necessary, but hey - it's fun! Who knew these little tiny babies could be so smart after a year??? I'm learning so much!!!

Bella's book updates...

Finished the barn and peek-a-boo pages!
Need to add grass and details to magnet flower page.
Magnet fish bowl page done! They went belly up! Sad.
Photo flap page done!
Next up...shapes page & beads page.

I love how Bella can put the fish on the flowers page and vice versa. My nerdy game developer husband would call this "inventive game play".

We are headed out to Utah for a Henrie family reunion and we can't wait! Bella is going to have a ball with all of her cousins! It's been almost 8 months since we moved. Wow!

Ten more days, here we come!

My Hero

At Savanna's Band Banquet where she received the "Outstanding Progress" award - given to one female in the entire band.

I am absolutely insanely proud of my sister Savanna. Words don't adequately express it!

I have lived with this 15-year-old sister of mine again after being away for six years and it has been awesome. In only 7 short months I have watched her grow from a Pokemon-obsessed little girl, into a beautiful young woman. I am so grateful for this precious time in her life that I have to enjoy getting to know who she is and who she is becoming.

She is my hero.

I look up to her for her ability to stand up for what's right, even if it means standing alone.

I look up to her for her passion for the things she loves.

I look up to her for her willingness to overcome her fears even if she risks "falling".

I look up to her for her positive outlook on life and for sharing that cheer to all who surround her.

Thank you Savanna for being my little sister in a big kind of way. You're the best and an awesome example to me. I love you and am so proud of you!

Inspired By...

Stephanie Nielson.

She's my latest inspiration.

After a near-fatal plane crash, she tells her story and how her faith in Jesus Christ has given her strength.

Her Story:

Her Blog: http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

I hope she inspires you as she did me. I know that through faith in Jesus Christ all things are possible! I believe that with my whole heart!

8 kids and a shuttle launch

Our good friend Michele drove and we had a full car! Her four kids, my two kids (ty being the other), and I guess Michele and I count as kids, too - so all 8 of us kids were packed like sardines to see the shuttle launch!

It was nice to get out and stretch. Bella didn't appreciate the loud noise from the shuttle (sounded like a really long thunder), nor the long car ride back through traffic (2 hours). Good things to remember while in the car with that many kids:

1. Pee before you go. Or you'll have to do it on the side of the road...behind a tree...with mom blocking the view...then because you'll have stage fright, you won't end up going until you get home 2 hours later.

2. Bring snacks and divide them into portions. This way the children cannot eat the entire 3 lb bag of gummy bears. Okay, that didn't really happen, but just in case!

3. Bring homemade finger puppets and tell dumb jokes so the kids will laugh instead of pulling each others' hair and stealing each others' toys. Name them "Mr. Moo" and "Mr. Chicken".

4. Play "I Spy" and make sure it's your shoes that you spy, so that the people in the front of the car can never guess what it is.

5. Bring your "No Doubt" CD so you can sing over the top of the kids screaming. It's fun! Try it!

6. And finally, take lots of pictures so you remember what fun you had.

After a long drive through some thick traffic, we made it to "The Spot" with 5 minutes 'til launch time! Whew. What an amazing sight to see! I'm so glad we got to go. Thanks Michele for letting us tag along - we had a blast!

Bella figured out how to put the finger puppet on her thumb. So cute!

And for my quiet book - here's the update.

For the pink border, I sewed on one side, then did a blind stitch (I think that's what it's called) for the other side, so you couldn't see the seam. I like the way it looks, but it's more time-consuming. I finished it today on our way to see the shuttle launch! Yay!


Last week I worked on the inside where the rings hook in for the pages.

The End.

Melt me now

I used my grandpa's old Nikon (50mm Lens) with REAL 35mm film for these pics. You have to manually set the ISO, Shutter speed, aperture... and the focus. I'm lucky any of them turned out!!

Had to share. Gushing mother here. :0)

She's a year.

Holy Guacamole.

Bella Grace Henrie is one year old!
Looking back...

May 11, 2009
9lbs of Joy!!!

2 Months

4 Months

6 Months

8 Months

10 Months

Ty said to me today, "If I knew Bella was gonna be this cool, I would have had her sooner!"

I completely agree.

Besides the mounds of joy and laughter Bella has brought into our lives...the greatest gift she has given me is love. She has taught me to love...unconditionally and deeply.

I am forever grateful she's mine. Weird. I have a daughter. Like a one year old daughter. Wow. How did I get so blessed?

This has been the best year of my life so far...definitely.

Run, Bella, Run...or Waddle

Swimming, Shopping and Sewing - OH MY.

Belly Laughin' Bella. Goodness I love this child.



My Little Make-up Remover. She's so thoughtful.

Finally it's warm enough to swim!! We went to the YMCA last week, and Bella LOVED it! She was kicking her legs and lovin' life. Boy was she pooped after though!!

Updates on the quiet book I'm making Bella... I've mostly finished sewing the cover...pics to come. Right now I'm working on the Barn page where the doors open to a few barnyard finger puppets. FUN!!! I know...they still need eyes.

We had a blast at Sams Club. Bella was a little princess in her fancy shopping cart, baby in one hand, strawberry in the other. She is such a ham!! She was waving at everyone, but then got shy when an elderly man with his Vietnam Veteran hat started talking to her. He eventually got a smile from her.

Bella is almost a year old!!!!!!!! AHHH!!!!!!!! Oh...and we're gonna party like it's 1999, too.

Crafty Me

I'm learning to sew!

I started a Quiet Book for Bella for her 1st Birthday, and it's coming along great! My fabulous coach, Heather Dills, is helping me. Instead of piano lessons, we're taking a break and learning how to make this book! I still have guitar lessons with her son, and we have a blast together!

I just finished cutting out all the pages tonight. Now the fun begins - making the pages interactive!

Here is the cover.
This monkey came from her old onsie - she has TONS!

Ty and I went to the Orlando Temple this week - what a haven of peace!

Here Bella thought I was leaving.
She loves to wave "bye-bye" and give kisses...sparingly.