little fingers & little toes. . . oh how i miss that 'new' baby smell. all the coos & little wiggles ...
we spent some time this past saturday with mona & 'baby james' - doesn't she just glow!? it's amazing how one little tiny person can bring so much joy.
welcome to motherhood mona! you're going to be an amazing mother!!

just look at those cheeks. . .

. . . & i got a chance to love on him too.

i could just kiss these feet all over.

isabella didn't really know what to think about little james. i think she thought he was a doll. she was sweet & no signs of jealousy at all.
we can't wait to see baby james again real soon!

love, love, love this. . .
this is what i see every time i walk in isabella's room. . . can't beat the view.
i've been meaning to post this since mother's day. my sweet daughter gave this to me, with the help of daddy of course. it's one of my favorites & a wonderful reminder of the many sweet moments . . .

tomorrow is our last day of vacation & we're headed back to atlanta. we miss daddy terribly & wish that he was here with us. mom & i spent part of the evening tonight looking at photos of isabella from this past year on the computer. time just goes by way too fast. . . i miss my little 'baby' . . . we watched a video of her at 10 months, it's amazing how much she's changed in such a short time. of course my eyes welled up & isabella couldn't figure out why her horse was on the computer & who that baby was riding it!!

in the blink of an eye. . .

isabella coloring tonight with grandpa. . .

swimming with grandma. . .

trying to figure out why monkey won't stick to the pool?

lovin' on g&g's 'bigger than her' bear!

discovering the outdoor shower at the pool. . . she could have stood under it all day long!

this morning in the 'morning sun' - my amazing beautiful baby girl, who i love with all my heart. . . please don't get any bigger. . .

isabella & i are on vacation this week at g&g ryczaks, while daddy is at a conference. g&g live near the cape, so we were able to watch the shuttle take off last night from the roof top. too bad we didn't have daddy's camera to get a better shot.

sweet pic of bella & grandpa at 'rustys' the other night. . .

isabella enjoying what she loves to do while visiting. . . playing with all of grandma's beads.

we're off to the pool this morning before it gets too hot!

we enjoyed a fun filled 4th with the family.
i was in charge of the dessert so i got in the spirit & made this red white & blue cake that should have been 'bigger'. . .

we enjoyed the pool at grandma & grandpa nitto's - here's just the 'girls'
chatting. . .

love this oh so cute shot of bella's bottom!

isabella had a blast throwing the diving toys to the girls . . .

aunt pam bought these super cute red white & blue 'pin wheels' for all the
girls . . .

the 3 cousins enjoying the day together! this is what it's all about. . .
hope you all enjoyed your 4th!

every so often i get a glimpse of the past when i'm busy looking into the future. . . i see tiny 'tinier' feet & hands than i see now & my heart aches. even though every day is just as good as the last, it's still hard to see the changes so quickly. so for now i'll just enjoy every moment & quietly continue to 'try' to stop time in my mind.

things seem to have gotten so much better. . . for a bit, which seemed like an eternity at the time, bella was having meltdowns, almost every night. really only the days that i worked it seemed. she still gets frustrated at times, but the meltdowns seem to be fewer and farther apart. i think it was a combination of her little world changing, miss mona leaving & miss kelley starting and just simply being tired. now that she's gotten use to the changes, i can totally see a difference. gosh, i hope when she's older she can learn to cope with change better than her mommy! we're looking forward to a great 4th of july with the family and a much needed vaca coming up in a week.

happy 4th of july!