The Little Gym

Earlier this month, Bella graduated from the little "birdies" class to the "beast" class at The Little Gym. It was a fun day in which, as Todd put it, the teacher pulled out all the stops. There was the parachute, the air track, bubbles and balls. And at the end of class, there was a medal ceremony. Bella was so proud of her metal. She still enjoys putting it on. The following Saturday Todd and I debated on whether to move her up to the beast class for the summer since technically she wouldn't be old enough for it until after the summer secession. So Todd went to the birdies class, and all the mommas made fun of him and said they expected to see him and Bella at the beast class next week. Todd and Bella are very popular. Apparently there is one little girl that asks about Bella all the time, and she gets excited when her mother tells her that they are coming to see Bella. That's our Bella. She makes friends wherever she goes.

Tee Time

I snapped this one of Todd and Bella before they took off to "hit golf balls". Todd actually had a putter cut down to Bella's size, and he practices with her. He says she gets excited when she hits the ball, but she hasn't figured out how to do it on her own. So, she gets bored and begins to pick up the golf balls and behead flowers (a favorite past time at Popo and Grammy's). She also likes to take the tops off of things and put them back, like my contact lens case, or take everything out of something and put it back, like her board books that come in their own carrying case. So she enjoyed taking Todd's golf balls out of their sleeve and putting them back. We've thought about buying her some new toys that work on fine motor skills, but then we figured why should we when she'd rather play with the lotion flip top.

Oh, and she is a real ham now. If you say "Say Cheese" or even point the camera in her direction she will turn on the smile, even if she isn't feeling well.

Don't they look smug!

Go Wings!!!

In the spirit of the NHL Playoffs, Bella sported her new jersey today to show everyone who she is pulling for. Cat gave me an early Father's Day gift and bought tickets to Monday's game 3! So look for us on TV. I haven't decided if I will wear my Lidstrom jersey or just be a secret Wings fan at the game. At any rate, Bella and I have been cheering on our team! :)

Show me the SHAMU

Or just "MOO" as Bella says. We took our first road trip with Bella this past weekend. Since Bella enjoyed her visits to the Dallas and Atlanta aquariums so much, we decided to take her to Sea World so that she could see the animals perform. Now I have to say, all my life I have been a planner, and all my life I've seen my plans either come off beautifully, deteriorate, or die a miserable death (usually it has been the later two). The car ride down to San Antonio was no exception. Since Bella was going to miss her Sat. morning gym class, I looked into when the make-up classes were held, and it just so happened that they had a class on Thu morning (the day we were planning on leaving). I thought, PERFECT! Todd can take her to class, get her all tired out, and then she'll fall asleep in the car, and we can be on our way, and when she would wake up, we'd get down, fed her and be back in the car. If we were lucky, we'd only have an hour to two hours left to go at that point, which would get us into San Antonio in time for a quick dip in the pool and then dinner and bed. Well... Bella didn't fall asleep, but that was ok because then we had the chance to feed her and with a full stomach she was bound to sleep longer. BUT... Todd had to stop for one of his ritual car ride milk shakes, which of course woke Bella up. YIKES! We still had at least 4 hours to go. Let me just say that by the time we got to Austin, we were all cranky and getting on each others nerves. So we got out, let Bella walk around and explore a pet store. She loves animals. Once we got to our hotel we were all a bit spent, but we found the pool and found out that Bella was not too fond of it. After consulting the weather report, we decided to go to Sea World on Sat since it was going to be 10 degrees cooler. Friday morning we headed down to the Mercado and ate breakfast at Mi Tierra. YUMMY! Bella danced around to the Mariachi music and pretty much hammed it up for anyone who would watch.

Then we headed over to the riverwalk to buy some water shoes since Bella fell and hit her head on the cement the day before. Then we headed back to the hotel where Bella took a 3 hour nap. A 3 hour nap. Todd and I read on the patio while we waited for Sleeping Beauty to wake up.

Once Bella woke up, we took her down to the pool. She still wasn't really fond of it, but with her Daddy by her side she was able to remain calm and enjoy it, a little.Then the real fun began. She discovered, with a little help from mom and dad, the playground. It was a big hit, and she was even able to show off some of her hanging skills. Finally on Sat., we made it to Sea World. Bella loved the shows. She was mesmerized, and never really squirmed or seemed bored. But the poor girl did completely tucker out by 2:00.

And no, that is not Shamu in the picture. That is me. And yes, I still have 2 1/2 months TO GO! All in all, it was an excellent trip, and I can't wait to go back with Baby #2. (She still doesn't have a name. What? It's not like she is even here yet!) . Oh, and the ride back you ask. Great. Bella slept most of the way home, and was really quite good for the remaining two hours we had to go.

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend we had really nice weather so we took advantage of the nice weather and went to the zoo. We rode the DART rail most of the way down, and while I was reluctant to do that because I was afraid Bella would get too restless, it actually went rather smoothly, if not a little too long. On the way down Bella made friends with two little boys who may have been 5 or 6. One of the boys gave Bella a string of his Mardi Grass beads and they had fun laughing at her as she took the necklace on an off. We didn't know how close the animals were and whether Bella would be able to see them. But the few animals we did see were close enough to the viewing area that Bella made sure she kept an eye on them in case they pulled some funny business.

And she loved the children's zoo where she was able to pet the animals. This area is a little disappointing at the Dallas Zoo since there weren't many animals to touch.

Then on the way home we Todd entertained Bella by keeping the snacks flowing. And talking to some lady about all the things Bella can do..."and she can point to all the parts of her face in English and Spanish, and she can give high five, and sings "happy happy..."

And then on Easter we had the cousins over after church for lunch. Everyone enjoyed it, and Bella had another Easter egg hunt. With this second egg hunt, she perfected her search and recovery skills. Next year, we will work on speed.

Group photos with the cousins is still a great challenge. Maybe in a few more years...

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on its Way

Bella had a fun packed day today. On Saturday mornings Bella has gym class. She started shorty after she turned one and has always enjoyed them. But here lately it's just been a daddy/daughter outing since my growing belly has been putting a strain on my back without the extra effort of tumbling with Bella. So when I accompanied them today, I was really surprised to see how much progress Bella has made. She gives Jeff, the instructor, several high fives during the greeting time, and jingles her wrist bells, and walks on the balance beam, and even hangs from the uneven bars. Once she sees we are pulling into the little gym parking lot, she starts kicking her feet and waving her arms in excitement. It's a lot of fun to watch her.

And then after class, we had an Easter egg hunt with a Sunday school class that some friends of ours attend. Bella was really able to participate this year. She found several eggs on her own including one in the tree and one on the swing. She even put the eggs in her basket and yelled at us when we tried to carry her basket for her. And after the hunt, she played with her friend and slid down the slide about a hundred times. We hadn't even pulled out of the parking lot when this poor girl feel asleep. But like all divas, her day wasn't complete without a shopping trip.