Jelly Beans & Skittles

The post-hunt sugar fest. Uh, Oh!

Hammock...Maybe

Daddy aspired to rest and recovery on the hammock but Bella and Winston wanted me up. My luck later improved and a two hour hammock nap was abundantly enjoyed.

Drivers Ed

For the second day in a row, a young man has driven up to my drive way and picked up my baby girl. This time he was in a Jeep and he let Bella drive. Not a good move.

Let's just say I see a Drivers Ed class in her future. Fortunately for everyone involved Skyler ran along side to help the steering process.

Big Brother Mowing

The Baby Bella Blog takes a moment to celebrate a huge rite of passage for big brother. Skyler mowed the half of Daddy's yard and the neighbor's yard today. He was even able to successfully pull the start cord for the first time.

His response: "mowing is awesome. I love it." Yep, a chip off the old landscaper block.

Car Date

Bella got her very first car date today!!!!!!! Yep! A gentleman pulled into the driveway and asked if she wanted to go for a ride.

He was none too happy that I decided to document the occasion with a camera but I just couldn't help myself.

Kids are just too cool too soon these days. I don't remember having an Arctic Cat to pick up girls at this age. Aw, times they are a changing.

Let Go of my Eggo

Baby Bella enjoyed her very first Easter Egg hunt today. We were very excited to see that she "got it" and was excited herself.

This was the Academy sponsored event. We are so looking forward to Sunday and seeing her search for eggs in the back yard.

She Sleeps

It's been sixteen days since Bella graduated to the big girl bed and she has only slept through the night four times in that period. At first we thought it was the bed, just the natural adjustment period. Then we learned she battling another raging ear infection.

It has been a rough sixteen days as we worked to comfort Bella during wicked bouts of stomach issues and ear infections. Sleepless nights are not easy on any of us, including the little girl in the big girl bed.

We seem to be making some progress on the stomach - not so sure about the ears. I am proud to report that she slept through the night last evening. In fact, she was the last one in the house to wake up.

She is definitely growing fond of her new bed. For two nights in a row she has gone to sleep in her bed rather than on sofa with us holding her. And that was at her request.

Yes, we had to install bed rails so that she doesn't roll off the bed during the night. You can see she is turned around in this photo - she moves around constantly while sleeping. It might be more accurate to say that she throws herself around while sleeping. But that's fine - sleep is a good thing.

Busted!

Baby Bella was tracked down and busted.

The Location: Under Daddy's desk.

The Crime: Swiping the whole bag of chips.

The Punishment: The embarrassment of having it posted on the Internet.

No, she showed no remorse.

Chalk it Up...

...to a good time. Baby Bella had to be in the middle of the action as the neighborhood kids gathered at the driveway for some chalk art.

It might appear that she invaded the boy's action. Actually, it was the other way around. Baby Bella spotted the chalk as she exited the car and made a dash for the sidewalk. The boys soon joined her for the fun.

Group Hug

Baby Bella started her day with a group hug involving Bear and Puppy. Apparently one or all of them really needed some love - she hung onto them for a good half hour.

Visiting Hours

The highlight of the day was a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Cain. Bella even showed them her new bear hug skills.

Paci - The Encore

Now Daddy and Mommy are doing the shocked look. Bella found one of her old paci's in the night stand and thinks it's cute to put it in her mouth. We thought so too until she woke up the next morning asking for it by name.

Ruh Roh!

OH NO! The Surprise Look

A sampling of Baby Bella's latest dramatic pose - she loves to offer up the "Oh No! I am totally shocked" look. It comes in a variety of forms including with the tongue out if you tell her to "hurry up."