Island Life.

The beach + my family = heaven on earth. Hands down.

This picture makes me melt.

We're back from the beach today - a little tanner, a little fatter, and very relaxed.



I love visiting Little Gasparilla Island! As my Grandpa Buddy says, "It's a MAGIC place." I couldn't agree more.





My cousin Michaela (pictured above) and her family were visiting the island from out of state and let us come crash their party. We had a blast!



Bella played with her 2nd cousin Noah (he's a month older), and they both LOVED getting into mischief together! Climbing on tables, picking up breakables, eating sand and shells. Nothing could stop them! (Except maybe a hard core nap). In the picture above, Bella's teaching Noah how to boogie down.



I am a shell hunting addict. It's like digging for tiny treasures. "Just one more pile", I'd say. Yeah right.



I found a crab. Weee!



My babe. Oh how I love her.

All in all, we had a lovely visit and can't wait to go back, as always! Thank you Regans and Grandma and Grandpa for having us!

Izzy off to School

My youngest sister started MIDDLE school today!! She's such a cutie.



(Top) Izzy with her heavy backpack.
(Bottom) Bella insisted on wearing my sock - see the right foot? Redneck girl.



New kicks and flower fingernails. She's set. (She did her nails herself!!!)

It was a little bit emotional sending her off on the cheese wagon - It seems like I was just holding her in my arms as a 15-year-old!



I imagine when I'm sending Bella off to school someday, it'll be a similar feeling. Sigh.

Lucky me, she's still only 15 months old! Stay young forever, Bella!

And you too, Izzy. You're only as old as you act! .......That's why I seem so young. :0)

Grateful for Life

He called me today from the Penrose Hospital in Colorado. "Fifty-one stitches and I'm lucky it missed the carotid artery in my neck!", he said.

Yesterday, my biological father was attacked by a 70lb pit bull in his home. It was a pet and completely unprovoked.

I couldn't help but feel that wave of emotion take over.

"I could have lost him", I kept thinking.

He joked, "I'll be ready for work tomorrow!"

At church today, the youth lesson was about the importance of life. What a powerful lesson by a humble teacher.

I am so grateful for life and I am grateful that God preserved my dad's.

I told my dad, "I guess He's not done with you yet."

I think I'll hug my loved ones a little longer tomorrow.

Jibber Jabber

Bella has all of a sudden started trying to talk and it's hilarious. She said 'gmpa' today and a few other words pretty consistently. Everything else just comes out in a mess of sounds with her tongue flapping all over the place.

Mom = Ma Ma
Dad = Da Da
Grandpa = Guh Pa
Grandma = Ma Mah
Dog = Duh Gee
Peek-a-boo = Deh Doo

...and she does sign language for everything else. We're workin' on that.

15 Months

Well, it's obvious when I experience a change in my routine, my ability to blog is lost!

Well... Here are a few updates.

1. My family moved into a new house - renting for now, with hopes to buy soon. We love the new house! Ty and I have been living with my parents for the past 10 months and are so grateful we have had this time with my family! Not only has Ty had the opportunity to further the progress of his business, but we have made so many unforgettable memories! So while Ty works from home, we will begin to look for a place here in Florida. Yay!

Bella with all of her aunts and her great-aunt Tracy!

2. The Gaines family came to visit - Grandma Jettie, Grandpa Buddy, Grandma Laurie, Aunt Tracy, Cousin Jo Jo, and my sister Madi (pictured above).

My three sisters and cousin Jo Jo. One night we stayed up until 1am sock wrestling! It was hilarious and such a blast. To play, you need one sock per wrestler. The goal is to be the first to remove the opponent's sock off his/her foot - without losing your own! With all her tallness, my sister Madi was definitely the champion!

Other games included Texas Hold 'Em, Hearts, and Black Jack. It's a favorite past-time to play cards when the Gaines visit!

3. We have been swimming A LOT! And Bella reduces her carbon footprint by wearing her organic t-shirt from her Aunt Madi. (And makes up for it with all her diapers...nice, right? The genius husband came up with that one.)

4. Bella was sick and snuggled a LOT. Poor girl.

5. Got some more TEETH! Bella makes it look like I torture her for pleasure in this picture, but it was the only picture that showed her teeth well! (The bottom ones anyway). Whatever. Who really cares. This is really only for my memory. I digress...

6. We went on Dollar Tree Adventures! Okay, so we only went on one adventure. It just sounded better plural. She was totally NOT diggin' the hat and leis.

7. My friend from Alabama (Allan Westenhofer) was in Orlando and stopped by to visit the fam! It was great to catch up and learn about all his missile (I just spell checked that word. Sad.) stuff. Okay, I made it sound stupid. He works for a company that makes and tests missiles for the government. That's pretty cool. Anyway. The point is, he came, and it was awesome to visit with him! Thanks for stoppin' by, Allan! It was great to see you!

8. Bella has been helping her Grandma Judy plant flowers and water them! What a big helper.

Sometimes Bella takes a break from watering and waters everyone around her.

And herself.

She gets a little distracted. Baby in a BUCKET!

9. Among other news, Bella loves the bath! She loves to drink the water she's been sitting in, dump water out of the tub, and turn the water on right after I turn it off. BTW - Look at all that hair!

10. It was pig tail day! Yes we were matching. I actually didn't even notice I did that until my mom pointed it out.

11. Oh, and I'm crafting my heart out. I helped a friend sew two rag quilts (SEW ADDICTING!) Get it? Sew is interchangeable with SO. *Snort*

And...I started another baby book - but I can't show pictures, because it might be a gift for one of you people reading this. But don't get your hopes up. :0)

12. Bella is trying to SPEAK! It comes out like this, "Buh-Lidup-Buh-Lidup", with the tongue flapping all over the place. HUH-LAR-IOUS.

So yeah - pretty much, things are going well! Bella turned 15 months old yesterday, well, 2 days ago - on August 11th. Insane. She weighs 25lbs, still wakes up in the night (more than once!), and is obsessed with stuffed animals. I hate stuffed animals. Clutter. Yes, cute clutter. But it belongs on a shelf at Goodwill. Not all over my bedroom floor. (We share one room)

Ty is happy to have his game submitted to the indie games competition. See his game here: http://www.indiepubgames.com/game/Catapult%20for%20Hire

Now it's just a matter of time before someone comes along and says, "Whoa dude! I love your stuff! Let me give you my money so you can make and sell them for a living!" Haha...It's just that easy, right?

I'm happy as a hippo! If hippos are happy, that is. I'm excited to be searching for our own place, but sad, too. It's hard to describe. I've gotten to know my family so much better, and myself, too. I am learning a lot about my own shortcomings and I'm so grateful for my family for being patient with me and for helping me learn. I've also gotten to know my two youngest sisters so much better. Savanna (almost 16) and Isabelle (11). It's been amazing to be so much a part of their lives. I feel guilty sometimes that I'm not a better example to them! We all have room for improvement though, right?

Anyway. It's a two-edged sword - However that saying goes. I have mixed emotions.

It's 12:20am. Queen Bee calls. G'night.