Happy Early Birthday!

John's family (most of them) are going to be out of town for Isabella's birthday and three of them (John's mom, niece, and brother) all had birthdays this past week. So, we usually have a big June birthday party for all of them and this year Isabella was included in the fun. We had a great dinner followed by bubbles and playtime in the yard and then cake! Candace made the most beautiful and delicious cake for Isabella. You really won't believe how perfect it is. So, Isabella got to have some cake before her first birthday. Lucky girl! I think she liked it!

She had her eye on the duck the whole time. She got such a huge chunk of icing in her mouth, I had to go in after it. She wasn't happy when I took the duck away. She loves the cake!Opening giftsPlaying with grandma

We kept cheering for her to walk, so I think she's proud of herself. She's finally clapping and standing at the same time.She was standing for such long periods, we really thought she'd walk today.

Playing with bubbles with her cousins

11 months

It's so hard to believe we're so close to having Isabella for a whole year. I love this little girl more than I could have imagined possible 11 months ago. She's growing up so fast. She now has 4 teeth coming in on the top, and is dealing with it a little better now. She still crawls lightning fast, but now she's stopping to work on just standing still. Balance has been a little difficult but she's figuring out how to stand for up to 10 seconds at a time. (You're going to see the PT in me coming out. I'll have her working on single leg balance soon.) She usually falls when she tries to do anything with her hands, like clap and stand up at the same time. It's pretty cute.

She has learned to clap. I will cheer for her when she eats something I want her to try, so now she'll eat a Cheerio and then she'll clap for herself. And I'm thinking "big deal, that's an easy one!" She's also getting pretty good at blowing kisses, but she licks her hand instead of kissing it. I always laugh when she does it, and then she gives me a huge grin. I think it just encourages her to keep licking her hand and throw some more kisses. Okay by me!

I think she's getting closer to saying "dada" with more meaning and purpose, which is making John much happier. She needs to learn that one, because I think she could get anything she wanted if she says it. Not that there's much she doesn't get anyway.

She loves bath time. It's becoming more and more difficult to keep her still. She moves from her tummy to crawling around the tub to trying to stand up, all within seconds of each other. It takes great attention to keep her in one place. Mimi got her a blow up pool for the yard, and she LOVES it. Today is the first day we've used it, but as you can see, she's having a great time. It's like extended bathtime, and for mommy it's a break!

Blowing bubbles

Here's to 5 years!

John really surprised me on this anniversary. Our 5th anniversary was yesterday, May 29th. We had plans to go to an associate party for the firm that John's working for this summer. I know it doesn't sound like a great anniversary celebration, but I was okay with this because it's important to John and he'd really like to work for this firm. He told me we'd get dinner on Saturday night instead. As the party progressed he asked if I'd like to get dessert somewhere to celebrate a little tonight. I agreed and he took me to Shula's for dessert. I was secretly wondering why Shula's since they aren't known for dessert, but didn't ask. I did ask if his mom knew she was babysitting Isabella on Saturday night since she emailed me earlier that day to apologize for not being able to babysit that night. I thought it sounded strange, but John assured me that his mom knew. We probably weren't dressed exactly right for Shula's (John was in shorts, and I was in a sundress... more fit for the barbeque outside we had just left) but they let us in. John also brought a large backpack in with us, which wasn't inconspicuous at all. He told me there was a gift inside for me, so I didn't give him too hard of a time. We enjoyed our desserts and then John presented me with a hotel key for an overnight stay at the Wynfrey Hotel. After a slight freak out because I've never stayed away from Isabella overnight, I relaxed and enjoyed the adventure. And when I say adventure, I mean finding out what John had brought (or rather forgot to bring) for me. After dessert we headed to the check-in desk to pick up a few toiletries (the assistant said "You both forgot your toothbrushes?!") When we got to our room, John surprised me with a beautiful pair of diamond earrings. (Yay, John!) We had a great evening out and enjoyed relaxing in bed when we woke up in the morning with no one to cry out and wake us up. Of course, the funny thing is that I was going crazy not having seen Isabella in more than 12 hours, so we headed home by 8:00. When we arrived we found that Isabella had only JUST woken up. She NEVER sleeps that late. It just continues to prove my theory that my aunt Kathy is magic.

Here are a few pictures of Isabella enjoying her evening with Mimi and Kathy (not shown.) We don't have any of our date night, sorry! Happy Anniversary, baby! I loved the surprise! I did tell him that if he surprises me with any longer trips, Lauren has to come home and pack for me!

Mimi giving Isabella a bath in the sink

Sleep

Isabella has adopted this as her new sleeping position.  I think it's too cute!  Her little bottom sits up in the air.

Noccalula Falls

For Memorial day weekend, we decided to meet up with my family and do a little camping.  Here we are in Gadsden, AL at Noccalula Falls.  It was pretty rainy, but we got to enjoy the waterfall and the great playground, good food, and awesome company.

Lauren looks kind of like Noccalula.

Isabella isn't sure she's ready to drive by herself.

me and Lauren recreating old times on the playground

Watching the rain

Today it poured rain. Isabella and Rocky were so cute watching it. They both look like they can't wait to get outside... Maybe it'll dry up soon.

At the zoo

Today, we took Isabella on her first trip to the zoo. John absolutely loves the zoo, and he was pretty excited to take her for her first time. We didn't really know what to expect. Would she like it or notice the animals? We figured at the very least, she'd enjoy getting outside in her stroller. We were pleasantly surprised. She pointed and jumped up and down when she saw different animals. We'd tell her what they were, and she'd make a noise to imitate some of them. She really enjoyed herself. I think the birds were her favorite. They made a lot of noise and moved quickly.