Two's

It seems that the "terrible two's" have begun...lol. Miss Bella has decided that "No!" is her new favorite phrase and that she wants to do EVERYTHING on her own. Unfortunately for her, she still has trouble with the latter. It's so funny to watch her try and do things that she just isn't big enough to do. She has learned to open doors on her own, which may not be a good thing, and knows how to unlock many of our locks, also not a good thing. Lucky our front and back doors are too difficult.

My baby girl has started to become aware of her own opinions and desires. It's funny how they go from needing you to make all the decisions to making most of them themselves overnight. She loves to play in rain, she has her favorite cartoons, she know what she likes to eat, and she knows how she wants to spend her time. I love that she is so girly, but still loves to play outside and run around with all of her cousins! She has become pretty assertive about what she wants and a little bossy when it comes to making that happen. I don't know where she got that from... :)

Bella has really taken off in the academic sense. She can count to ten, knows almost all of her ABC's, knows most of her colors and shapes, and is starting to speak in sentences. It's always so impressive when she begins to understand something new. It amazes me how much knowledge she can absorb in such short amounts of time. I am a very proud Mama!

Changes

It's been quite some time since I last posted, and things have definitely been interesting.

For starters, we are now living with my parents. Hopefully this will allow us to pay off some debt and save up for a house. Bella has adjusted very well to this, but it can be difficult for the rest of us. It is hard enough having two adults with their own opinions on how things should be done. Having four is much more trying. We are doing our best, though, and it seems to be going well enough.

We all recently took a trip to Destin, Florida. It was nice to have some time to relax and enjoy a pretty beach.

It was Bella's first beach experience, and she wasn't too sure how she felt about it. She was excited, but didn't care for walking on the sand or getting in the water. She eventually got comfortable enough to play and we had a great time. It had been a while since we had a vacation, and it felt good to get away for a while. We were also able to stop and visit some good friends on our way home.

On another note, I have just started a new job. After four years at my preschool, I decided to be a nanny. The original idea was to stay home, but after some unforeseen complications, this seemed like a good compromise. I am able to have Bella with me, but I am still bringing in money. The family I am nannying for seems very nice. It may take some time for us all to get to know each other, but I am hoping this will be a good opportunity for us.

Jamie is still at JSC and is finishing up school. He should be done by the end of the year. It will be nice to have him around more, and I am sure he is excited to be done with homework. :) He is also very excited about getting our own home soon. Now if we can only agree on where we should live...

Bella is doing amazing. Everyday she learns or does something new. She is talking up a storm and is always on the move. She is very smart and inquisitive. She will spend as much time as necessary to figure things out; and once she does, she continues to practice over and over. She is certainly a creature of habit and never forgets. On the flip side, she takes after her daddy and is VERY goofy. She is always giggling and trying to do things to make us laugh.

I am so grateful that I can be with her more with my new job. But it seems like no matter how much time I have with her, I can never get enough. If I never do anything with my life, aside from being her mother, it will still be so much more than I could have ever hoped. She has given me purpose and I am so proud to have her as my baby girl.