YUMMY!!!

Showing off for Great Grandma
"Don't take that spoon out of my mouth...I LOVE this stuff called Ice Cream"
"More, PLEASE!"

Bella Raye and Great Aunt Beth!!!

Last Friday we started our Mother's Day celebrating a little early and went to visit Grandma Ballard. Grandma enjoys watching Bella's every move!

We don't get to visit enough but it was a fun evening full of a good dinner and lots of laughter!

Mommy & Baby Play Date

The Play Group Band

Bella on maracas 8 months, Fallyn on drums 9 months, & Ella on maracas5 1/2 months
Beth & Jillian, 4 months
Her other kids: Layne 4 and Fishers almost 2 were at preschool so she enjoyed a morning just with her little one!
Abby & Ella

Amy & Claire 2 1/2months

Emily was sleeping

What fun!!! Bella and I hosted the first(of many hopefully) mommy/baby play groups at our house this morning! It was a house full of girls!
I think right now it is more for the moms enjoyment of other adult interactions and sharing ideas but the older girls were definitely interacting with each other too!

Bella was thrilled when she woke up from her morning nap that she had a house full of friends!

Can't wait to do it again in two weeks!

All Clear!!!

This was another outfit I bought while I was pregnant and Bella was just "Baby M"....didn't know she was a girl yet! Maybe it was Mothers intuition!?
Anyways it was a great deal and I still love it!
We tried another new treat for Bella tonight...veggie wheels!
She loved them!


We went to see Dr Layman today to check Izabella's ear again and it was all clear this time...no fluid or infection! YEAH! When she walked in she said, " didn't you just have her....she is so big!"
My thoughts EXACTLY, where has my little infant gone!?!
She weighed 18lbs 4 oz with her clothes on so in 3 weeks she has gained almost a pound! All her eating is paying off!

A Beautiful First Mother's Day for me!!!!

Izabella loves trying new foods and sitting up like a big girl! She is doing a great job at picking things up with her finger tips and feeding herself! Tonight she tried and liked green beans, corn, mash potatoes and chicken! That was after I had already fed her one container of peas baby food and a full container of Yo-Baby yogurt! We have a little piggy on our hands!

Today was such a beautiful day! We started out meeting my family for lunch at Rick's Boatyard for brunch...this is a tradition we have done for along time now! Unfortunately their head cook quit Thursday so our wait was long. Luckily we were sitting outside where we could enjoy the beautiful weather and watch the boats comes in and out.
Then we headed home for a few hours; Bella got her nap in and Tim and I finished putting stuff out on the deck and watching movies together!
For dinner we met Tim's family for dinner at Hollyhock Hill also a tradition we have done for a long time now! We missed Aunt Suzi though who is in Toronto Canada for an IRA (International Reading Association) conference all week! Izabella loved watching everything Wyatt did!
I was spoiled with many wonderful gifts! Everyone is too sweet to me! I am most thankful that I was able to spend the day with my family and my sweet little girl!
I couldn't have asked for a better day!

Happy Mother's Day

The best thing that has happened to me this year has been the birth of our daughter Izabella Raye, which allowed me to become a mother! A title or love that I didn't truly comprehend until I became one!

I wish you all ....moms, sisters, aunts and friends a wonderful Mother's Day!!!

BELLA RAYE BLOOMING AT 8 MONTHS!!!!!!!

Never Say Never!!!!

Our friendly salesman who found us an amazing deal...

Papaw...Ray Stafford

He too can get you a great deal if you are ever on the search for a used or new car.

He works at Ed Martin on Michigan Rd

317-872-9896

YES, we bought a mini van!!!!

I was always one of those girls that always said, " I will NEVER own a mini van!!!"

Then we had a baby and started weighing convenience and price factor over "coolness" factor (because we were so cool before we had a mini van)

Obviously convenience factor and a great deal won! It has all the bells and whistles we could want or need and even a DVD for Bella down the road.

The verdict is still out on who will drive it majority of the time and who gets the somewhat cool Trailblazer! Tim is all about the mini van!!!

Lesson learned: Never Say Never and Don't Knock Something Until you Try it OR Get Older!!!

Bath Fun

Yeah!!! I love being a big girl and sitting up in the bath tub all by myself!!!
My disco duck doesn't light up anymore but it still makes s great chew toy!

Splish, Splash...I am taking a bath!!!
Look at the pretty girl in the mirror!
I LOOOVE looking at her!
My mom gave me a mohawk but my hair is not long enough and too blonde for you to really see it!

I have been looking for one of those circle tub seats for weeks because Bella Raye out grew her infant tub months ago but we have been making it work! Today I decided she was strong enough to just put her in the tub and she did great! She loved it actually because she could splash more and get her toys!

She is getting sooooo Big!!!

PS Stay tune for our next blog...Never Say Never....something I thought we would never do and we are tonight!!!

Hint: We not cool anymore!

Addie & Bella

They loved playing with the stacking cups!!
Look, are we cute or what???
Here look at how this works!

How adorable is Addie and look at those BEAUTIFUL big blue eyes! Addie was all smiles for the camera and Bella wouldn't look at the camera.

It was such a joy to have Addie over for an hour before the game yesterday! I was amazed that within a few weeks how much more Addie and Bella were interacting with each other! It was so much fun to just sit back and watch them play! They both wanted what the other had! What fun lies ahead as all our kiddos grow up together!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!!!

Coaching from 3rd Base
What the big deal with the game...did you see all the toys Addie brought???

Coach Reusser's biggest fans, Angie & Addie!!!!
The Dad's and their girls!!!


We went to Lebanon tonight to watch Doug coach his now 7-2 Hamilton Southeastern Royals Freshman team. They won 17-1! It is fun to watch Doug coach... he is a great with the boys and you can tell the like him as they were joking with him between games! I know he has always loved the game so we are thrilled he has gotten this opportunity to coach!!
Then we joined Suzi, Ernie and Wyatt for dinner! It was great to spend the night with Angie and Addie!

Funny Friday!

My Extended Trailblazer was FULL of flowers!!!

Sweet Emily

Precious Claire

It was a fun Friday...we started the morning out early with picking up the flowers with Sarah that I had ordered from Carmel Elementary School fundraiser! These are the best geraniums I have ever bought! Then it was a quick visit to Grammy J's office and then off to lunch with the twins and Amy!
I can't believe how much they have change in a month...yes it has been almost a month since I have seen them! They have filled out so much! Becoming lots stronger with their heads. They have beautiful blue eyes! Emily and Bella watched Einstein when the mommies at lunch. Little Miss Claire slept the whole time we were there! It was great to see Amy and the girls again!

We dropped off Sarah and then headed home for a nap and I started to plant all the flowers I bought!

Daddy on the mound...although daddy pitched ok and had 3 GREAT hits....the outcome of the game was not so good! You know one of those "D" league that isn't so "D" league!!
Bella cheering for daddy in the dug out.
I wish you could read what her shirt says....
"My Daddy is a Geek"
Thought it was just perfect for my computer nerd former band member husband...that I love so much!!!
After the game we went to Outback for dinner. Bella tried some of my chicken for the first time and LOVED it!

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY, Alex Marie!!!!

We hope you have a Fabulous Birthday and get all you wish for!

And then there were 5!!!

Bella woke up this morning and 2 more teeth have broken through!

Her top right center and left one next to her left center ,which she got a couple of weeks ago!

Poor thing this is the 2nd time they have come in 2 at a time!

She is a trooper...just a little fussy this morning but I was clueless! I noticed it when we were rolling around on the floor playing!

I will post a pictures when I can get her in the right position to capture it!

She is going to look like such a big girl!