Catching up with an Old Friend!

The last weekend in August we had the opportunity to take a trip to Santa Claus, IN to go to Holiday World. We headed down on a Friday and camped until Sunday. An old friend and my roomie from USI, Jaima, lives in Dubois, which is close to Santa Claus. So Jaima and her daughter Zoe (who is almost 2 and I haven't had a chance to meet yet) came to the campground Friday night for a visit. I haven't seen Jaima in 5 years so we had a great time catching up and letting the girls play together. It was so funny to see them side by side. Isabella is about 7 months younger than Zoe but they are close to the same height and Bella weighs about 5lbs more. We were able to take lots of pictures. Here are some of my favorites...

Our goal is to try to make it a yearly thing that we get together! Hopefully time doesn't get away from us like it has in the past.

The rest of our trip to Holiday World was a lot of fun. Bella enjoyed her first camping experience, and her first amusement park and water park. Can't wait to go back next year!

Our Princess turns 1!!!

On August 12, Isabella turned a year old! We celebrated by taking her to the zoo in Michigan City and then to Lake Michigan! We had such a great time. Aunt Jenny, Caleb, and Nanny came along for the trip. We spent a few arounds walking around seeing all the animals and we even had lunch at the zoo. Then we walked over to the beach and spent some quality time in the sun! Bella enjoyed her time playing in the sand while Caleb went swimming in the lake! It was a blast! Here are some pictures of our trip:

On August 16, we had Bella a "Princess Party." We had lots of family and friends that came to help her celebrate. Uncle Jake and Aunt Rox came on Saturday to spend some extra special time with the birthday girl. Nanny, Pappy, Auntie, Aunt Chelle, Jamie, and Julie gave an extra hand to make sure every thing with perfect for Bella. Aunt Rachel and the girls came from Detroit for the festivities. Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Jess, Uncle Jordy, and Aunt Debbie came from Indy, and we had lots of family and friends in from Illinois. Overall, the party was fantastic and everyone seemed to have a great time!! Here are some pictures of her celebration:

Happy Birthday Beautiful Baby Girl!!

Today was Isabella's FIRST birthday! The year has gone by too fast! We had such a great day today. Isabella, Nanny, Auntie, Caleb, and I went to Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City and to the beach! It was a beautiful day!! Took lots of pictures but to exhausted to post them right now. I'll get some up tomorrow. Until next time...

Bella's Birthday Present

I know it's early but we got Bella her birthday present on Thursday. We decided to get her a bike seat for my bike and a helmet. We took our first bike ride on vacation, and she loved it. So it made us think, what a perfect gift that would be! It was a task trying to assemble it and attach it to my bike. My neighbors probably got a good laugh watching me! I did complete the project, then Bella and I took our first ride together. We rode all through the subdivision. By the time we got back to our house, Bella was almost asleep! The next couple days we weren't able to enjoy it because the weather kinda stunk here! Finally, we had some clear skies, and this evening when it cooled down a little, Aunt Jenny took her for a short ride. Here are some pics:

Just some quick updates...Bella's surgery went well. She didn't fuss or cry at all. She was loving all the attention. We go in for a checkup on the 20th so hopefully all will be well. Bella is also walking around like crazy. I have a couple videos but I can never get the video uploader thing to work on here. I'll keep trying, but I did catch a couple pictures:

This week is going to be a big week in the Standeford house. On Wednesday, we have a trip planned to the zoo for Bella's FIRST birthday, Thursday she goes for her 1 year checkup and shots :(, and Sunday is her birthday party. Gonna be a busy week. Look for lots of pictures to come. Until next time...

Ode to Hilton Head

Four Steps

Bella took her first steps!! A couple nights ago, Jason and I were outside with Bella. I was sitting at the edge of the deck and Jason was walking Bella around the yard. When he got closer to me, he let go of her hands and she took 4 steps toward me!! We were both excited! For obvious reasons, we didn't catch it on camera, but hopefully soon. Now we can't get her to do it again!! It's like the little stinker knows what she did and isn't going to do anymore!!

Bella gets her tubes put in her ears on Thurday morning. We have to be at the surgery center by 6am and her procedure is at 7:30am. Thankfully we are able to have it done her in Plymouth and not have to drive to Mishawaka that early. I'm really not looking forward to the whole thing. It's hard to watch your baby go through something like this. I know it will be quick and she will be fine, but I'm still nervous. I have to keep telling myself it is going to make her feel so much better!! I'll let everyone know how it goes!

There really isn't anything else new or exciting going on in the Standeford household right now. So, until next time....

Catch Up...

A lot has happened over the last month and a half since my last post. Where to begin? We lost Grandpa at the end of June after a battle with cancer. It was tough to see him go but he is in a better place and that's what we have to remember. He was Bella's buddy and I only regret that she didn't really get the chance to remember all the fun she had with him. Grandpa always wore flannel shirts, so I took some of them and I'm going to make a blanket for Bella to cherish! I'll post pics when I get it done.

Bella sharing a cookie with Grandpa

We recently took a family trip to Hilton Head Island, SC. Jason, Bella, and I went along with my parents, my sister and her family, my oldest brother and his family, and my aunt and uncle and their family. We stayed at an awesome house in Palmetto Dunes right on the beach. The weather was perfect!! We stayed for a whole week and enjoyed some wonderful beach time, pool time, bike rides, and gorgeous scenery.

Mom, Dad, Jason, Belle and I in front of the house

There will be many more pictures to come. I have videos of Bella to post too. She wasn't sure about the water the first couple of days but by the end of the week she was a beach bum!!

Bella update: Since my last post Bella has gotten in her two bottom teeth. She had another bad ear infection that lasted over a month and took 5 antibiotics to get rid of. This led us to go to an ear specialist. She will be getting tubes put in her ears on August 6. She also is now doing breathing treatments and taking Claritin for asthma and allergies. A couple weeks ago she started standing on her own. I'm sure she will be walking soon! Not looking forward to that since she is already into EVERYTHING!!

That's about all right now on what is going on in the Standeford household. We are busy planning Bella's first birthday party. Can't believe it is already almost here. Time sure flies! Until next time...