Getting Ready for Daddy

This is a poster Belle's (or Rapunzel) preschool class made for Daddy's homecoming ceremony! I just love it and when I found out they were making it it gave me tears. The hand prints are from all of her friends at school!

Countdown for Daddy!

Isabelle's BFF

Paige is Belle's BFF these days. She constantly talk about her but when they get together they constantly fight. Its a nice reminder how she would get along with a sibling!

Belle is also imitating a mini me right now..I bought her a zebra sports bra for when she "works out" with me in the garage! I can only hope she likes to lift weights as much as momma does!

Matt will be home shortly and we cannot wait for him to get her! Everyone is very tired of the deployment and ready for him to get home!

Moving on from Sickness...

Belle is finally over RSV..at least the fever aspect of it. She went five days in a row with getting a fever at night and being up all night long! Belle and I have been sick since before December and we cannot seem to catch a break! I'm still struggling slightly with bronchitis, but that takes a long time usually to recover from!

These are Belle's first pair of "skinny" jeans..however, this outfit is a little big on her but she just loves the sweater! ..and I never get tired of dressing her up!

FMML

So, this is what I woke up to this morning.....my plans for this morning were to make meatballs and italain sausage and let it sit in a pot of my family's pasta sauce...which I will still do...

Yesterday Belle decided to give Brady (yellow lab) half a bag of cough drops..without my prior knowledge. Belle was playing in my room yesterday with Brady and I was sitting in the living room reading a book. I can clearly see her from where I was sitting and I just heard her laughing and playing with him and could see her run around. It wasn't until I got up to use the restroom that I noticed half a bag of cough drops were all on the floor.....

Anywho...Brady must have gotten very sick in the night and just puked everywhere. I wish I would have waken up. He looked pretty miserable this morning and all the dogs knew I was pissed...however, I did not yell at any of them...but they could just see it on my face. In the last picture here they are all bundled up together as I sat there and cleaned the floors, walls, etc.

There is another picture I didn't post where there is another stain....

On a positive side, I cleaned the carpets which I had been putting off and I cleaned my bedroom as well. So, all the floors in my house are clean...well, semi cleaned. The shampooer didn't quite pick up the stains so I have to go to Dillons and buy some more carpet cleaner.

While I was doing this, I explained to Belle how she cannot feed the dogs...she continually apologized to Brady and kept giving him love....

God Jesus Loves Me

I finally caught Belle on video singing this. She must have learned the song from preschool. We have this mini kids bible that we read to her but I never sing the song to her in relation to that book. She first started singing it, at least the first time I heard her, was the day after Christmas. She woke up before me, Gpa Joe, or MeMe and was playing with her toys. She pulled out this book and started to sing it for like ten minutes...it was very comforting to hear this and to wake up to her singing this! Enjoy!

Trip to Illinois for Thanksgiving

Singing Happy Birthday to Grandpa Gary...Belle mostly dug into the cake.

Belle with my mom and Rocky

Isabelle got early christmas gifts during our visit from Grandma Lisa and Grandpa Gary!

Sitting with Casey...and taking over my mothers spot on the couch...

Hanging with Pa

I'm so grateful that Matt's dad and MeMe came to visit for this Christmas. I needed the company and we always love having them. Belle really latched on to Pa..she ran around the couch and jumped on him for at least an hour. It's really nice to see her playing with him, especially since Matt is gone.

Playing with Belle's tiny barbies and the "Digadillys." Belle got the Woodzeez set from Grandme Lisa and Grandpa Gary and the princess table set and she loves to just sit and hang out there.

Cooking with MeMe and Pa

MeMe had made us her chicken noodle soup for christmas eve dinner and we loved it so much that she and Belle made a pot for us to have when they leave!

Pa is teaching Belle how to make bacon...

Christmas Dinner

I made my family's stuffed shells and pasta sauce for dinner...

My good friend Mel came with us for dinner as well! Her husband is currently deployed with Matt as well and should arrive home around the same time.

We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus...

Merry Christmas

Santa brought Belle some Tiana shoes so she insisted on wearing her Tiana dress...

This microwave was probably her favorite toy!

Helping MeMe and Pa open up their gifts!

Belle and I at the Christmas Eve service at Crestview!

The Nasty Flu

Belle and I (well, I'm still recovering) just got over a nasty flu. Belle was vomiting/diarrhea for five days straight and was pretty lethargic for about 3 days of it. We ended up going to the ER twice and then a third time with our primary dr. Belle hardly ate a thing for five days straight and we laid in bed and watched Aristocats the first two days, then Chicken Little the rest of the time. Lots of movie time. I'm glad we are over it now and can enjoy Christmas and we are looking forward to MeMe and Pa coming up for the Holidays!

I have successfully finished my third semester in school and only have one left, plus one summer class and I will be finished with my Masters in Public Health!! So excited about that and I am currently contemplating going to get my doctorate, depending on where the Army sends up next. We are still awaiting our PCS orders but we will be out of KS in June and off to AL for six months for flight school training. I'm actually looking forward to AL only so I can get a taste of what everyone talks!

Matt will be home shortly (about 2 months) and we cannot wait. Belle misses daddy soo much and she is currently sitting out silverware for him to join us at the table. When she was sick with the flu she kept asking for dad! She misses him terribly!