Welcome home doug!

Doug came home late last night and i couldn't be happier! Bella stayed the night with grandma Simpson so we wouldn't have to keep her up and this morning when we picked her up she was very happy to see BOTH of us. she was pretty shy at first but all smiles. we went out to breakfast w my in-laws and molly, it was so nice just chatting w everyone but I'm pretty sure everyone was just fighting for Doug's attention (smile.) after Doug and i went and hung out w my parents and finally Bella and I got him all to ourselves! we went and did a little Christmas shopping and ended our night watching Christmas movies and the three of us cuddling:). Bella wont let him out of her sight now and having him home feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders! What a great way to start christmas week!

Its beggining to feel a lot like christmas!

A month ago Doug called me to let me know he was going to be home in time for Christmas. Ever since then Ive been so excited for Christmas! Last Friday Bella and i kicked off the holiday by going to my mother in laws work party. it was sooooo fun! Her work rented out the majestic theatre and when we walked in they handed us a baggy full of treats. they where so cute! We got some popcorn and drinks and watched Rio. Which was an adorable movie by the way. When the movie got out Santa was waiting for us and all the kids got to sit on his lap (or in Bella's case by his side) and then got another bag of fun little toys. We had such a blast! We ended up spending the day with Grandpa and Grandma Simpson and we even got Bella a beautiful nativity set she can play with. It was so fun!

Sunday night we got into the holiday spirit a little more. I went to my moms and made some delicious sugar cookies. We made homemade frosting and decorated them and just had fun. My mom's neighbor and our friend Lynn came over too and we where just able to chat and laugh. Bella pretty much played with my dad the whole time but i know that as she gets older and if we keep these fun traditions she'll eventually love them just as much and will always remember them. Doug will be home in 4 days and then it will REALLY feel like Christmas. I cant wait!

My growing girl.

Bella is just a growing little bee these days. she says 3-4 word sentences and can hold a conversation with you. She knows the color pink, yellow, purple, black, blue, green, white but has trouble with red. she counts to 17 and some of her ABC's. she can jump with both feet and land on both feet. She does somersaults, rolls on her side, and can balance on the balance beam by herself! she knows how to jump on the trampoline. She can drink out of a regular cup but tends to spill a bit. She sleeps in a toddler bed now. She's really good at talking on the phone. She can put her pants, shirt, socks, even gloves on by herself and some shoes. She can name almost everyone she's ever played with. She also reminds me to pray before we eat dinner and before bed. she fold her arms and says "heavenly father, thanks for day..." and then waits for me to add in (smile).

Some of my favorite sentences that she says are, "Mom, i NEED that..."

"No Chicka i princess! (or Bella, or mommy, whoever she wishes to be at that moment.)"

or my absolute favorite she'll come up to me wherever i am force herself on me and hug me and say "i love you, love you more, i love you" over and over again:)

She talks a lot and getting smarter every day! I love love LOVE watching her learn and grow. Being a mom is my calling in life<3

Gymnastics!

I recently signed Bella up for a mommy and me gymnastics and let me tell you it is a BLAST! Its 45 min of extra fun play time with trampolines, balance beams, bars, etc. I get to play with her and she learns so much when she goes. We go to a gym called "Advanced Gymnastics." I absolutely LOVE these Monday afternoons with her. We do obstacle courses and at first i didn't realize how much Bella was learning but she is so much more confident. She jumps, and i know that seems like a small accomplishment but she picks up her two feet and jumps not one first then the other and she lands on both feet! sometimes he stumbles or falls but her balance has gotten great! she's getting better at her somersaults, she walks the beam all by herself now and her favorite part is the long trampoline. She LOVES the long trampoline. my favorite part is the bars. they are challenging for both of us but we get threw them and still have fun. i love them because she is just so strong and it shows. She holds her whole body by herself on them for almost a minute maybe longer. Each time she tries to hold herself longer. She flips on them (with my help) and i can tell they are hard for her but she just keeps trying and trying. I really hope to keep up gymnastics in the future. I wont be able to be on the floor with her much longer but while i am able to I'm going to LOVE every single minute of it.