Oh What Fun

Christmas was wonderful! Here are the highlights:

Puzzles with Grandma Connie ; DeLiCioUs lasagna and holiday treats ; Bella

crawling!! ; Sister Madi's 20th birthday - dinner at Cheesecake Factory...mmm ; ....


.... Christmas day bike ride in 75 degree weather ; Madi wearing her onsie pajamas I gave

her! haha ; Laughing at Grandma Connie for talking to herself all the time - "Oh

now, let me think...Now I'm gonna do this...Oh don'tcha know" ; Watching Glee with my

awesome sisters Madi and Savanna ; ...
... Universal Studios all day with my sisters, where we got soaked on a ride, then

visited the 'People Dryer', got flipped off by a 10 year old kid, and helped an old lady

put her shoes back on...what FUN we had! ; and last but certainly not least,

spending Christmas with the two loves of my life: Bella and my amazing husband Ty!

Merry Christmas!

Bella makes me so happy!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!

I like it here

Florida, that is. It was in the 80's today. I guess that's not the only reason for liking it here.

The people are so friendly! Anytime I'm in the neighborhood, people wave. I have finally caught on and I wave back. I'm so polite, I know.

Bella loves being mauled every day after 2:30pm (when her 10-year-old Aunt Isabelle comes home from school)...and after 6:10pm (when her Grandpa Rowdy comes home from work)...and every few hours by her daddy who gets to see her as he pleases! Ty really likes that. So Bella stays happy.

Bella has only been in my life for 7 months now, but it feels like she's always been here. I can't believe I ever lived without her! She has 2 bottom teeth and now the 2 top teeth are pushing their way through. Bella doesn't appreciate those things and neither do I! Besides the disruption they are to sleep, she likes to grind them, and it's like nails on a chalk board for me! EEK!!! I get chills just typing about it.

Christmas is around the corner and it's hard to feel like it's that time already - especially without cold weather to prove it. I've been playing Christmas songs on the piano...and frankly, I think I'll be dreaming of a white Christmas forever! It's a little weird without the white fluffy stuff.

I miss Utah, and I like it here. I remain conflicted.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving at my Grandpa's beach house this year, and it was so fun!

It was a little chilly to swim, but we certainly enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere the beach house has to offer!

Golf cart rides, fishing, and hammock naps were among the usual activities!

Top 5 things I'm thankful for:
1. Bella and Ty
2. My family and friends
3. The beauty of this earth
4. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ
5. My Savior

Palm Trees and Crocs

Wow. We're here. How did this all happen so fast? We were only just TALKING about moving here for fun...and look what happened. If you want something to happen, just talk about it aLOT!

Bella, Ty and I are loving it here!

Bella's favorite new hobbies include bike rides through the neighborhood, trying new baby foods (squash is not on her list of favorites), experimenting with a sippy cup (more like a new chew toy), and rolling around all over the floor. At her 6 month check-up last week, she weighed in at 19.9lbs and was almost 27 inches. She's at the top of her charts and I love all her chunky rollyness! More to love on, right?

Ty's been working from home doing freelance stuff, and the rest of the day works on getting his business going. He officially has a business! It's called pixelMEGA, LLC, and he's working on getting his website up. He loves having the creative freedom to work on his games, and we are incredibly grateful to my parents for allowing us in their home to make this happen!

The Longwood Ward has welcomed us with open arms and I have already met some really awesome people! I've been trying to form some kind of schedule, so in the mornings I bike or jog, sometimes with Bella, and the afternoon usually includes errands with mom, which is always fun. When my sisters come home from school, Bella is entertained with Isabelle (who's always trying to dodge doing homework), and after that, it feels like I never see Bella. Between Ty, my mom, Isabelle, Savanna, and especially my dad, Bella is almost always on someone's hip...And she loves it!

Yesterday there was a shuttle launch, and unfortunately I didn't see it, but Ty said he got a glimpse and that it was one of the most awe inspiring things he had seen in a long time.

Every time we see a lake or puddle of water, we look for an alligator...and so far, no luck.

The neighborhood creatures are awfully friendly...Some deer and big scary birds came up to me while I was jogging and I about peed my pants I was so startled!

We're headed to the beach house for Thanksgiving, and we can't wait. Our good friend Jake is coming out to visit us the week after Thanksgiving, so that will be totally awesome!! Can't wait!

Whelp. That's all.