a typical summer day. . . lots of hazy sunshine, a slight breeze & sweet sun-kissed cheeks on a tiny toddler . . . can't get any better than that!

while rocking bella to sleep tonight after a hectic day, listening to tiny giggles & kissing sounds... nothing else matters . . .

the 'terrible twos' have arrived early in our household. who knew they could turn an otherwise perfect little human being into a frustrated little monster. . . she can go from having the best day ever to 'the world's coming to an end' in an instant. everything i've read tells me it's due to frustration, so we're just coping & trying to ride these little episodes out & boy can't we wait until they're over! as i sit here & type this, my sweet as can be daughter is saying "hiiiii" to me & repeating it over & over in the sweetest little voice. . . any negative comments i made above i take back . . . ;-)

more fun in the sun at the fountain . . .

way back wednesday. . .

miss mona stopped by to visit with isabella on friday. it was so nice to see her. thank you mona, for the super cute balloon!!

saturday was isabella's 18 month birthday! we had a fun filled day at the pool in the morning, then spent the afternoon at the park. who knew isabella would enjoy the water fountain so much!! next time i will remember to bring her bathing suit!! she was soaked from head to toe & enjoyed every minute of it!!

i'm not one for much change. . . "if it's not broken, why fix it. . ." i guess it's safe, but not always a good thing. today was a good friend's last day at the office. my coffee buddy, wedding buddy, pregnancy buddy and most recently mommy buddy. We seemed to some how be on the same schedule the past 3 years at least and have spent many of hours chatting about everything 'new' in our worlds. change can totally be good and i'm certain it will be for her. congrats on your new path. . . i wish you all the luck in the world!

. . . too cute for words

by far the most difficult thing i've had to deal with since having isabella has been having someone else take care of her during my hours at work. when we found mona life became much easier. i knew the moment i met her that she would be perfect & she was. . . she loves isabella like her own and we felt so comfortable with her. fortunately for her, but unfortunately for us, mona is having a little one of her own. i selfishly so wish she could stay with us . . . last thursday was mona's last day with isabella and jon was able to capture some great shots of them. we plan to stay in touch with her, visit with her and can't wait to meet her new baby boy.

our new nanny, kelley, started this week & is doing great.

we met the family for dinner at tijuana joe's saturday night to celebrate our niece julia's 9th birthday. we enjoyed the company and of course the margarita's were a nice touch too!

bella & aunt pam

isabella sneaking a peak at julia's present. . .

. . . a very sweet pic of emilie & aunt pam

isabella keeping herself busy

uncle david stealing a kiss . . .

julia very excited about her birthday present!

uncle david & bella

isabella with her balloon

isabella spending time with her sweet cousin emilie

emilie sharing her balloon with bella

in between the sun & clouds, we enjoyed some time at the pool on Friday afternoon.

isabella seems to have no fear, which i guess is good & bad. i'm so afraid she's going to just walk right in on her own.

Emotions . . .

this mother thing makes me so emotional. not to mention i was already more emotional than the average joe before I.G.N. now that isabella's over a year old, it seems to be getting worse. i love watching her grow up, but i'm often sad that every new adventure takes her farther away from the 'baby' she once was. i've shed several tears this week alone over random things. i imagine i'm in for many more years of this . . .