Oh Baby!

Bella loves her babies....I've posted about this before...but she is now playing baby :). It's the most precious thing I've ever seen! She gets her diapers, feeds them, rocks them and today tried to put bows on them. :) She's so fun...more fun by the day! She LOVES books and when someone reads them to her.

We are so excited for Christmas and ready for the break!

Zack

Well, I don't usually do this on this blog, but I'm helping Zack with his semi-new business venture & just want to let you guys know about it.

Zack used to be in the supplement manufacturing business. For a number of reasons, he decided to stop & sold his business. Zack really loves helping people be better physically (workouts, diets, nutrition, etc.). His true passion is with teams, but has recently realized he does enjoy helping individuals train like they are athletes as well. He works as the strength coach for the LCU baseball team and also helps several area high schools with their strength programs.

Since he sold his business, he is in the very fortunate position to start this new venture of strength training and see if he can make it work. So, one aspect of this business is his women's class called PowerFIT. You can learn more about the class on the link to that blog. Zack is terrible at facebook & blogging, so I am taking this on for him. :)

Zack is talented in this area and I've known for several years that this is what he needed to do...it's just taken him several years to see I was right. (haha...just kidding). Anyway, if you are interested or know of someone looking for this type of workout regimine then pass his name along. :)

Thanks!

Friends :)

Our very good friends, Shawn & Jena, asked if I could take their picture the other day for their Christmas card. We were so happy with what we got! They are just precious to us & I wanted to show them off!! Aren't they adorable!?! :)

Thanksgiving

This year, we went to see my sister in NYC for Thanksgiving. It was so much fun. We shopped, met her friends & co-workers, went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and at some REALLY good food. It was a great holiday, although, it was super crowded in NYC so I am not sure we'll ever go during this time of year again. :) Bella did fantastic & I am afraid she loved the city. She loves to watch people and just enjoyed being in the midst of everything.

Here are pics from our trip!
My sister & I...I miss her so much!
Bella & Zack watching the parade.

Bella walking in Central Park on Thanksgiving Day.

My sister & Bella watching ice skaters in Bryant Park.

Zack & I in Lord & Taylor (one of the stores my sister works in).

Bella, Vanessa, Me, and Mom in Times Square.

October

It's so hard to believe we are in the midst of fall already and October is just about gone. Here's a little recap of what's been going on around our house.

We went out of town for the first time in a REALLY long time a couple of weeks ago. I had a conference at Harding so Zack, Bella, and I went to hang out in Searcy and Little Rock. We actually had a good time. We took Bella to the AR state fair, saw the Clinton Library, and went to a Skillet concert (which Bella LOVED...haha...I have a little rocker on my hands!)

I also had my 30th birthday that week. I wasn't at all depressed about it until I found a gray hair! It just went down hill from there. :) We didn't do much but I did get to have dinner with some great girlfriends--girls night out is always so good for the soul! I also got a Wii fit, which is really great...I got cleared to work out, so I have been trying to get back into a routine.

I got to take Bella to the pumpkin patch which I had been wanting to do for weeks. We went with my cousin and her daughter Hannah. They had fun looking at pumpkins and riding in a wagon.

So far, its been a fun, FAST month!

eating potatoes at the fair...

It made the trip for Zack that he saw a HUGE horse and steer...
She saw herself in the window at the airport...

in front of the mock Oval Office...

Hannah & Bella

Picking pumpkins...

Deciding...

my sweet angel

HAPPY FALL!

Happy Birthday!

Last week (I know I am late getting this post up...I had the flu) my sweet little girl turned 1! It's been a REALLY fast year, the fastest in my life. She is absolutely wonderful and had a great day.

I cannot believe she's a year old. Everyone told me that it goes fast...but this was amazingly fast (as my friend Rachel put it). Life is so different with her here, I would not change a thing. I think back to trying to have her and all that Zack and I went through and I am in awe of God's amazing gift. She's the absolute most precious little girl. I am so thankful to be entrusted with her life. She has been a blessing to our families in so many ways. I just love her!

We had mainly a family party and she loved it all. My family is not small, so we had about 50 or so people over :)...I come from a very LARGE Mexican family and they like to party! She knew she was the center of attention and just strutted around the house all night. She got lots of baby dolls and clothes, her two favorite things. She was not shy tearing into the cake! It was all over her face!

My sister got to come home, so Bella had a ton of fun with Aunt Vanessa! They went shopping and played alot. I was very thankful because I was not well at all and Vanessa was able to take Bella as much as she wanted. It was a great birthday! Here are some pics from her day or days as it turned out to be! :) The pics are out of order and I am just too tired to redo them ;).

Look at how big her eyes are shopping...such a funny girl!

Aunt Vanessa's influence...I wouldn't buy a Britney Spears onesie! haha...

She looked so cute in her birthday outfit :)

Worn out after shopping with Aunt V.

What a mess!

She loved the huge cupcake.

Our little spread...I loved it!

Opening presents...her cousin Hudson was helping!

Life is going so fast lately. It just seems like I blink and Bella is doing something new or the seasons have changed. I LOVE fall and am so ready for the seasons to change. My house is already decorated with Halloween and fall decor. It's probably my favorite time of year.

Bella started preschool last week. I cried all day but she had so much fun and really wasn't thrilled when I picked her up. :) I have an independent little girl for sure. She's doing so many new things and gets more fun by the day. Her new favorite toys are baby dolls. She loves her babies! She hugs, pats, and kisses them. They go everywhere with her, though I limit only one to school. :) She also loves pillows and clothes. Her room is routinely a wreck because she goes in, opens drawers, and pulls out everything! It's so fun to watch her play. I wonder what she's thinking when she looks at each piece of clothing or rearranges her pillows 50 times!

I cannot believe she's almost one! What a difference a year makes?! I think back to before she was born and its so emotional for me. I think about what we went through to have her and the first time I saw her. It's amazing! God is so good! Now I see her and I still can't believe she's here! I am trying so hard to cherish every second and just remember what a miracle she truly is. My life is totally different now--pretty much everything about it is different from before she arrived. I love it and wouldn't go back for anything.

Bella keeps us on our toes, so between work, school, and her there isn't anything new to report. We are excited for the next few months full of trips and holidays.



Bella at her uncle Chandler's baseball game...

She and her baby taking a nap. I tell you...the baby is always with her! :)

Just around the house.

It's been so long since I've posted. Life has been a little nuts since the first of June. So much has gone on, just too much to blog about! :) Things are good around here lately. Bella is 10 months old and just so hilarious! She keeps us laughing all day. I had knee surgery about 4 weeks ago and haven't been able to walk or drive since then. So, we are hanging around the house :). I'm ready to be mobile! BUT, the upside is that I have gotten to be around Bella all day. I love that part! Anyway, here are some pictures from the last few weeks!

She thinks it's fun to sit in her baby basket and play.

Since I have a hard time chasing her around, I find her into all sorts of things. Here she was going through laundry--her most FAVORITE thing!

We eat breakfast in the morning together, she loves fruit!

Such a ham my little girl, she's posing!

This is her smile, I love it.

Again, the laundry bag, she figured out how to get inside it & crawled around like this for about 30 minutes.

Baseball!

This weekend we headed to San Angelo to watch Zack's little brother, Chandler, play ball. He is a pitcher for the San Angelo Colts. It was a fun, quick trip. We love watching a good baseball game and it was great to see Chandler play. He has lived so far away (Connecticut) for so long, it is wonderful to be able to hop in the car and visit him!


Bella eating! It was so hot, poor baby was RED!



Bella & Her Uncle Chandler, she thinks he's pretty neat!

Yay for Summer!

I love summer! By the time it rolls around, I am so ready for warm weather & sun. :) Things have been rolling right along lately, with lots of big changes! We are moved and getting settled into our new house. We love it and just feel so blessed to be here. It's truly a dream come true for us!

Bella started swimming lessons this week! We are taking mommy & me at the Rec Center. It's so fun! I took them at Tech when I was little and it's so fun to take her now. She loves the water and any new thing we try, she enjoys. She's doing great. She moves around all the time and gets into everything! She's a blast...I just love it.

Max (our bulldog) and his wife, Tess, are having puppies! We are excited. It's interesting to get a bulldog pregnant...such a delicate procedure...I'll leave it at that! Anyway, babies are due at the end of this month!

LCU Baseball won the National Championship! It was very exciting! Zack was able to go watch in Idaho. He was so happy to be there...he worked so hard with the team as their strength coach...I was glad he got to be apart of it.

I have family in town this week staying with me! It has been a lot of fun to spend time with my cousins.

That's about all for us...I'm so thrilled for this weather! Summer is the best!


Swimming lessons, such a lil fish!


Bella with her daddy! Her smile just makes my day!

The new house...



I have trees, bushes, and grass now! Finally starting to be home! :)

Where to begin?

It's been a very busy few weeks. We've been packing up to move, moving my sister, and watching baseball. Bella is growing so fast! She now has two teeth, crawls everywhere, and finds everything exciting. It's so fun watching her play and smile. We absolutely love it. She's also started sleeping through the night, it's only taken 7 1/2 months...I hope it lasts :).

Our new house will be done next week and we are working on getting packed up! I hate moving and packing. I am very excited to be in the new house and settled. I love to decorate, so I've been trying to decide on my decor.

My little (ok, not little, she's 22!) cousin graduated from Lipscomb University in Nashville last weekend. So, we went up to Nashville to celebrate. I can't believe Hannah is a college graduate! We are so proud! Nashville was fun, it was great to see family.

My sister moved to NYC this past week also. So from Nashville, my mom, Bella, and I went up to help her move into her new apartment. Bella did fantastic on the trip. She entertained people on the subway and thought pigeons were so interesting. Babies in NYC don't wear bows too often I guess, because around every corner we got a comment about her bow! Vanessa lives in a 5th floor walk up (no elevator), so watching the three of us move furniture 10 blocks and up 5 flights of stairs was interesting. Her apartment is so tiny, but cute and in Manhattan. It's a typical NY apartment with the bathtub/shower in the kitchen and the toilet in a closet. We worked hard to get it in shape and furnished. After lots of late nights, it seemed to come together. Now, her roommate needs to get there and complete the place. Her new job started today with BCBG. She's going to do great, I couldn't be more proud! It was so hard to leave her there. NYC is a big place! We are so close and spend most of our time together when she's home. I will miss her so much! The upside is that now I have an excuse to go to NYC more often...anyone up for a trip?! :)

Finally, LCU baseball! They are headed to the world series! We are thrilled for them. Zack heads up to Idaho soon to watch! I don't get to go, but that's ok...there is NOTHING to do in Idaho! :) Go Chaps!

Bella on the window seal of Aunt V's apartment.

We tried pickles from Katz's Deli, she loved them.

View of the door and V's room.

My Ohio/Tennessee cousins, Angela, Hannah, and Madelyn with Bella.

Bella and I at graduation on Lipscomb's campus. Such a pretty university!

Zack and Bella watching LCU Baseball!