Weinrich Family

Getting Ready for Daddy

2011-02-26T06:17:00.001-07:00

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!

2011-01-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

Isabelle's BFF

2011-01-22T10:59:00.002-07:00

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...

2011-01-16T20:37:00.002-07:00

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

2011-01-09T08:21:00.003-07:00

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

2011-01-03T23:43:00.002-07:00

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

2010-12-27T11:43:00.002-07:00

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

2010-12-27T11:36:00.002-07:00

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

2010-12-27T11:34:00.003-07:00

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

2010-12-27T11:31:00.002-07:00

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

2010-12-27T11:28:00.002-07:00

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

2010-12-22T12:12:00.004-07:00

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!

Picture with Santa

2010-12-19T17:59:00.003-07:00

These pictures are one year apart obviously and neither year she enjoyed Santa. This year we went with her friend page and that didn't help either! She eventually turned around and looked at the camera but wasn't too pleased!

Topeka Zoo!

2010-11-07T12:11:00.001-07:00

Daddy and her looking at the bears.

...Giving knuckles to the tiger...

We also went to the Topeka Zoo while Matt was home. It is bigger than the one and Manhattan and has a lot more to see than Manhattan Zoo. Belle of course loved all the animals and as soon as we looked at one, she was ready to move onto the next oneto go "see another one."

More Pictures from Daddy's R&R

2010-11-07T12:07:00.002-07:00

...Belle will end up being a fitness nerd I fear just like me...I guess there are worse things....

"Pumpkins are scary"

This is us making cookies...definitley my first time with making cookies and it actually wasn't too hard or time consuming and I loved doing it with the family!

These pictures are long overdue, but worth the wait. We enjoyed daddy being home so much and Belle handled him leaving this time much better than before. This time when Matt left we gave Belle daddy's Notre Dame jersey to hold onto until he gets home. She loves it and looks in her closet and talks about how shes keeping it for daddy!

Halloween!

2010-11-07T11:57:00.003-07:00

This is Belle in our neighborhood..we actually made it home in time to go trick or treating in Manhattan and then made it to church!

We went to St. Louis for the weekend for Halloween since we had such a great time last year. There was a church right down the street from MeMe and Pa's house and they had a nice fall festival for the kids...

This is an elephant on her head. Belle is starting to love elephants because of the exhibit in St. Louis zoo. The zoo there is absolutely awesome and I cannot believe how big it is and all that it has..and the fact that is free! We went and collected candy there as well and Belle loved it...and I did as well, especially since it was like 70 degrees out....

I have not been doing a good job of posting lately..mainly because school is keeping me extremely busy and my thesis is kicking my butt these days. Belle is getting huge and can finally reach all the light switches....on her tippy toes of course! She just started full time at a preschool and I enrolled her mainly cause it was easier than the current childcare I had going at at my house and I really wanted her to have the socialization. I absolutely love the preschool and so does Belle. Her imagination is huge now and she loves all of her friends at school. I find that preschool helps us at home, as far as her listening to me and better manners. It is definitely hard being a single parent and we cannot wait for dad to get home so he can help out with everything!

I've recently opened up my own business as well, Get Mean CrossTraining, and will be starting a new blog to go with that. My goal is to only train 3-5 clients at a time because I'm too busy to take on any more. I'm enjoying CrossFit and the benefits that not only I get from it, but also from what my clients get. It is very rewarding to watch people get stronger and build their confidence through training.

We Love To Read!

2010-10-20T16:44:00.000-06:00

Belle is shopping...

Daddy's R&R

2010-10-20T16:18:00.003-06:00

This is Belle waiting for Daddy in the airport..she was very excited and kept telling everyone that her daddy was on the plane...pretty cool!

She had to be near daddy at first at all times...wanted nothing to do with me...and I was just fine with that!

She cried when she first saw him but as soon as we got home she was just fine!

St. Louis Trip

2010-08-13T00:37:00.002-06:00

We visited St. Louis last weekend to see Gpa Joe and MeMe and so I could do a CrossFit Gymnastics Certification. Belle had a great time with Pa and MeMe. These pictures are from the Magic House which is just filled with an insane amount of things to do for kids. I think Belle enjoyed going grocery shopping the most..and playing in the water with the boats. We spent a couple hours there and she was just exhausted afterwards.

Playgroup!

2010-07-07T15:07:00.003-06:00

Belle and I go to a playgroup with our church and its such a nice way for her to wear herself out..which makes for an easier nap!

This sandbox was the best investment ever....got it on sale at the end of last season too! She makes quite the mess out of herself when doing so, but its worth it!

Loving up on some spaghetti!

Pretty Swimsuit!

2010-06-12T18:39:00.002-06:00

More Updated Pics....

2010-06-05T09:19:00.002-06:00

We had a nice Memorial Day picnic with great friends...Belle loves Diego and always asks for him to come over. She really enjoying playing with the big kids!

We also got to see Grandpa and Grandma while in Illinois!

Painting faces at the Childrens Zoo in Brookfield Zoo. The only bad thing about this is that she wants to color on her face whenever we color at home...

Updated Pics!

2010-06-05T09:12:00.002-06:00

We went to Chicago this past weekend and it was Belle's first plane ride..and she did quite well! She wasn't scared at all and was pretty patient for having to sit in one place for awhile. We went to the Brookfield Zoo and it is huge! We would need at least two days to get to it all!

Petting a bug...

Fighting for the chair!

My Little Helper

2010-05-23T19:52:00.002-06:00

Crossfit girl in the making.....

Helping mommy cook. I'm not much of a cook, but cooking is so much easier and less of a stress when she helps. I really enjoy teaching Belle and just talking to her when we cook. We are starting to experiment wth a some Food & Wine recipies too! We are hoping to suprise daddy with good food when he gets back!

Fashion Statement!

2010-05-14T20:19:00.007-06:00

This is what Belle decided to wear this morning..couldn't say no because she wasn't taking this monkey shirt off. I need to get her monkey shirts for the summer. She has always had some type of monkey shirt every season and we usually get them from Gymboree but they do not have any out right now!

And she was playing outside this morning in her pjs..standing in the wet sand, in her shoes! I probably swept the floor like three to four times this morning becaue there was so much sand!

Yes, this is a bubble container, however..there are no bubbles in it..just water! She kept spitting it out on herself..it was pretty funny. She also was taking the water from the dogs bowl and putting it in there..which is pretty nasty..but I guess she will have a strong immune system! And she is covering her mouth when coughing!

Hanging with MeMe and PaPa

2010-05-10T08:56:00.003-06:00

We love have MeMe and PaPa here! Belle is having a blast with them and it is very nice for mommy because I get a little bit more relax time!

Belle Playing Baseball

2010-05-06T08:40:00.002-06:00

I caught her reading by herself this morning while we were cleaning..she decided to take a break!

Also as we were cleaning...she decided to clean her animals..she has seen me do this before so every now and then this time she decided to hop in the dryer...funny girl!

Gardening!

2010-05-02T19:21:00.003-06:00

Everyday she is just getting bigger and bigger and saying so much more! She of course always wants to do everything that I do and she definitely repeats everything I say as well...so I need to be a little bit more careful..even with small stuff it seems. She said "crap" the other day when she couldn't get something to work.. I think she almost has all of her molars..working on the last one right now. I'm so ready to be out of the teething phase, but I know once one phase ends, another starts!

Hanging with Brady!

2010-04-29T11:54:00.001-06:00

Belle really loves all the dogs..Brady just happens to be the one who doesn't care what she does to him. Macy is real good with her too, but Joey needs some work..he hates to be bothered by her. It's neat to see her play with them. Belle makes the dogs chase her around the yard by snatching their ball and she will feed them water out of her pales. She also tries to tell them where to sit when they are outside. These are her siblings for now...

Gymnastics

2010-04-29T11:48:00.002-06:00

I just bought her this leotard for gymnastics..its so super cute on her and when I put in on her she said "very pitty dress."

I love gymnastics and I have faith that she will eventually calm down and listen to the coach. She wants to run wild while we are in there but we I try to keep her focus and there has been a couple times where I've put her in timeouts because she isn't listening. Belle is still struggling to jump and I don't know if she is scared to jump off the ground or what..but its pretty funny to watch.

Piggy Tails

2010-04-20T20:17:00.002-06:00

Jessica our sitter put piggy tails in her hair..I love it. I can't get her to sit still for me but now I know it can be done!

Tulip Festival

2010-04-18T18:22:00.002-06:00

We went to the Tulip Festival in Wamego today. It was at City Park and it was very beautiful..lots of old building and a windmill. Belle had a good time petting all the animals..although she would not pet the cow or llama..I tried to make her not scared by petting them myself but she refused. She was hesitant at first to pet the bunny or goat but warmed up eventually. It was a nice way to spend our sunday!

Easter Pics

2010-04-15T21:32:00.002-06:00

The dogs are her best friends sometimes I swear..she likes when they chase her around the house or the yard..and she loves to put blankets on them and towels..not really sure why though, but she will cover them in her little washcloths..they usually let her and have no problem with her climbing all over them. They have really gotten use to her and her trying 2s!

We had a good Easter and went to two different Easter egg hunts as well. It was a lot of fun on Easter morning when she went to look for all her eggs. Belle would take each egg, open in, and then take a bite out of a piece of chocolate and then set it down..everytime she opened one with money she could have cared less....

Hanging Around...

2010-04-15T21:26:00.002-06:00

I bought this sandbox last fall for $15 and it is the best thing ever! Belle has so much fun playing outside with it and she really uses her imagination when she plays..she makes different food items too. Loves to play with the dogs too and make them chase her around the yard...

Insisted on wearing her boots outside one day...

We had breakfast in bed one morning. Belle has been having a hard time since dad left. I really think she just doesn't know how to process it all. She has been having a hard time sleeping at night and she has somewhat reverted back on her potty training. MeMe and PaPa came up this past weekend and she has been doing well ever since. She is sleeping good and is going potty again with no problem. I think she had to work through it and realize that I wasn't going to leave as well.

Mommy's Little Cleaner

2010-04-15T21:23:00.001-06:00

She just loves to clean with me when we clean the house..she insists on helping clean the toilet, dust, wash windows, even change laundry! She will hear the washer and dryer beep and she runs over there to take care of it...I'm going to let her do it while she still wants too....

Fancy Nancy!

2010-03-22T22:07:00.002-06:00

I couldn't resist these Fancy Nancy pjs! She loves them! Her BFF Paula also got the same pjs! We got them at Dillards and I've never really shopped at Dillards for Belle, but they had some really cute clothes! I already have an Easter dress for her but if I didn't I would have purchases one there! Most of the Easter dresses there also came with a baby doll dress..it was soo cute!

Daddy and Belle napping on the couch together before he left!

Mike!

2010-03-15T19:30:00.002-06:00

Mike goes with us wherever we go these days! Grandma Lisa got Mike for Belle for her birthday and she was just thrilled with it! He goes with us to the grocery store, the mall, and even the park! In the below picture she is talking to Grandma Lisa on the phone..she set up everything this way. The other day she even put Mike in timeout and then hugged him and put him to bed!

I asked Belle to put away her clothes the other day..and she did!

Hand Print

2010-03-15T07:59:00.002-06:00

GG bought this set for Isabelle when she was 1 and we will do her hand imprint every year until she is 5.

Belle is 2!!!

2010-03-12T15:44:00.002-07:00

Belle turned 2 on Monday..she is such a big girl! She is also getting her 2 her molars..which makes the nights tough!

First Hair Cut!

2010-03-03T07:20:00.002-07:00

Belle had her first hair cut yesterday...it really wasn't much. She had this funny looking rat tail and we just had to get rid of it. Her bangs also got straightened out a little bit too! Belle just doesn't have that much hair and its really thin..and mostly blonde!

Big Girl Bed!

2010-02-28T11:26:00.002-07:00

So we figured we would put her in her toddler bed, mainly because she is potty trained and doing very well with going on the potty. We have to give her the opportunity to go and no longer go potty in her bed...she loves it so much so far. Also, she was probably close to climbing out of it as well and since Matt is leaving its better that he put it together for me than I do it!

Flossing!

2010-02-27T14:23:00.002-07:00

Belle takes pretty good care of her teeth...I was flossing my teeth and then finished and walked away..well, I walked back into the bathrrom and I see this..she cracks me up!

Wild Child

2010-02-22T07:22:00.001-07:00

She came barrelling out of her room like this yesterday, it was soo funny!

Watching Cars with Pa.

Updated Pics

2010-02-21T11:12:00.002-07:00

We recently moved across town and now we are in Manhattan! Belle is helping me sweep out the garage before we moved everything into the house! She was such a big helper, however; she liked to run in and out of the house and the only way we could keep her in one place was to allow her to drive the car..she loved it. What was hilarious is that she kept honking the horn...

She likes to pretend to sleep..and she likes to put her toys in bed with her as well. This time it was her dwarfs. She also likes to put the remotes by them sometimes as well..where does she learn all this stuff!

..and she loves to be naked. She just strips down all the time and runs around like this...

I love this video of her singing...she just randomly started singing this song from signing time one day...

Our Little Helper

2010-02-11T08:24:00.003-07:00

Isabelle was a big help for Mommy this past weekend. I had surgery on Friday and she was helping me with some oreos and my salad! Brady desperately wanted to help as well!

Here new thing is to clean the dishes..we have to leave a few out so she can scrub them. She also likes to help me dust and it was so funny yesterday because we were dusting the TV stand and she literally lifted up the DVD player and dusted underneath it....

To Be Dressed Or To Not Be Dressed

2010-02-11T08:18:00.003-07:00

She is in this habit where she wants to have her shirt off all the time..sometimes she likes to just be plain naked...

Other times she likes to put on our clothes..in this pic she is putting on Matt's underwear... you can also kinda tell that she already has my underwear on underneaths Matt's..its too funny!

CAV Museum

2010-02-11T08:13:00.002-07:00

The above picture is at 17 months and the below picture is at 23 months..what a difference six months makes....

Meme and Pa came to visit us this weekend and everyone took a trip to the CAV museum..Belle just loves it..so much to see!

My Naked Baby!

2010-02-05T19:36:00.004-07:00

I love pictures of Belle sleeping...its not everyday that I can get these pictures anymore!

She just loves to run around with her clothes off...too funny...

Helping daddy with dishes!

Daddy and Belle reading...and Brady is there just in case we need him for anything.

Belle is doing great these days..she is pretty much potty trained..just need to work on number 2! She wears big girl underwear all day long..except for naps and at night. I can't believe how big she is getting and is potty trained.

Belle is also saying everything these days..she says new words and phrases all the time and its like it just picked up in the last month or so. She is also very much in the stage of wanting to do everything herself. Her favorite movies are Cars, Monster Inc, and Snow White these days. She is just so much fun at this age! I always think that these stages can't get any better..but there always is something new to enjoy!

A Couple Videos

2010-02-02T08:06:00.003-07:00

Belle is growing so much in her words its scary! There are a couple that we cannot figure out though. It is awesome to see her grow! She is definitely in the toddler phase where she has to do everything her else..put on her clothes, walk to the car, get up on her chair, etc.

Science Museum in OKC

2010-01-17T10:19:00.002-07:00

We went to the Science museum in OKC and loved it! Belle was definitely too young to learn from everything, but not too young to touch everything so it worked out great for us!

The Silly Things Kids Do...

2010-01-10T18:55:00.004-07:00

I think the pictures say it all! For some reason she thought it was fun to take her arm out of her shirt on the way home...and she also enjoyed chewing on her shoelace..maybe she knows something we don't.......

Happy New Year's

2010-01-06T18:49:00.002-07:00

Both of these pictures are one year apart...I can't believe how much she has grown and is talking these days. We are definitely in our "trying twos" already! Belle is pretty much potty trained as well. She only wears a pullup for naps and then a diaper at night. She has a few accidents every now and then but overall she is getting better at it! Her birthday is in two months as well and I'm already starting to think of what to do for her birthday and two year pics!

Hanging Around the House

2010-01-06T18:37:00.002-07:00

We are so happy she has her own computer...she loves ours and to hit them...of course she is a little young for this, but its nice for her to just be able to press the buttons and make noise!

Belle is Miss Particular these days..has to have her blue and green plate and her blanket behind her on the chair...

Reading with Brady!

Helping Momma and Daddy clean...

Video From Christmas!

2009-12-25T17:21:00.002-07:00

2009-12-25T17:11:00.002-07:00

I think I was more excitd than Belle! I woke up at 5 and couldn't wait for her to get up! She really is enjoying all of her gifts but I think she is also overwhelmed because there was so much!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-25T17:07:00.002-07:00

Isabelle made some cookies and fudge with us on Christmas Eve...I think we've finally seen what a lot of sugar can do to a kid!

This was our Christmas dress!

The Cutest Hair Clip!

2009-12-19T18:31:00.001-07:00

I just love this hair clip! She does really well with wearing these too!

We are currently potty training. Belle definitley knows how to do it and we think she is ready because she has used the potty twice now on her own with neither of us prompting her. Although, she still gets scared when she goes in the potty so we are working on making her confident that it is ok. But, potty training is very exhausting!

Not Happy with Santa

2009-12-14T20:06:00.002-07:00

Belle did not like Santa at all..she started to cry before we sat down...we were hoping having Paula with us would calm her down..it only helped a little bit...its hilarious how she threw herself back on me!

Her BFF!

2009-12-14T20:02:00.003-07:00

Belle absolutely loves "Pauli" (Paula). Everytime she comes over Belle goes nuts and just has so much fun playing with her...of course Paula loves it at the beginning but she slowly gets annoyed with Belle. When we were eating at the restaurant Belle kept climbing on her and Paula started to dislike it...so I had to put her back in her chair. Also, when we were in the car driving Belle has to hold her hands..she just stares at Paula and laughs...she is soo happy when she is with her!

The Most Hideous Gingerbread House!

2009-12-14T19:58:00.002-07:00

We had a lot of fun making this and I had visions of it turning out just like the picture on the box...but it just isn't that simple..and we definitely don't have all the tools necessary to make it that pretty! What a big ball of sugar this is too..I kinda let Belle pick at it during the morning..but when she went down for her nap...I broke it apart and threw it in the trash..my stomach was in knots looking at the amount of sugar in this! It was fun though...Belle mostly ate the candy though...

Loves to Read

2009-12-07T19:04:00.002-07:00

This isn't the greatest pic, I need to get Matt to understand how to use the camera better so if focuses! Anyways..Belle loves to read..she immediately asks for a book after her bath at night and recently she has been plopping herself like this on the bed..don't know why, but the pillow has to be on her lap. Its too funny to see. Tonight she just kinda threw herself up there..grabbed the book..wouldn't let me read it and then we just layed there for about a minute, with no reading, and then she said "na," which usually means she wants her blanket and then go to bed. So we jumped right off and she walked in her room and went straight to bed! I think its so awesome how she asks to go to bed and to take a nap. I'm sure it'll change...we are fearing the toddler bed!

Our Kids!

2009-12-03T21:09:00.003-07:00

It is always such a task to get the dogs to sit there..but we have done it again! This is going to be our Christmas card we send out to everyone!

Belle is quite funny these days..she is really starting to talk so much more and puts words together all the time. She will point her finger out the window at the dogs and say "no bark." Its so funny to hear her say it cause she is saying it in a very serious tone. The other thing she likes to say is my first name. We were driving home the other day and she just kept saying it so many times. Her language I'm sure is going to keep growing and growing with every day.

Belle also knows her colors...for the most part. We were grocery shopping the other day and she kept saying and signing the color blue. And I couldn't figure out why she was saying it until I noticed that there was a boy in front of us with a blue shirt on. She knows the colors of grapes too. When we ask her what color something is..sometimes she just goes through the series of colors..and usually says red first, then blue..but for the most part, she knows what they are! I love watching her grow!

Fun Times in St. Louis

2009-12-01T15:53:00.003-07:00

It was like over 60 degrees on Saturday! We went down the street to this awesome park that Belle loved..and so did we! Belle is really getting into singing and dancing so it was fun playing with the musical instruments they had there!

She loves to go and see the trains with Pa..she continually calls them cars even though we tell her they are trains though.

Belle is doing great...we took her about a week ago for her 18-24 month check up and she is 32" and 24lbs..so right below the 50% on everything.

Thanksgiving in St. Louis

2009-12-01T15:44:00.005-07:00

This is Belle's little hiding place..and where she likes to hide things..like her milk! I love how comfortable she is at "Pa" and MeMe's house. We had only been there three weeks prior so it was pretty familiar to her. Belle isn't too shy either!

Making cookies with MeMe

Having mexian pile up..she loved it..but decided to rub it all in her hair.

This above picture is hilarious....we put Belle down for a nap in guest bedroom and her pack and play was up against the dressor..or close to it. Well, Belle didn't make a sound when she went down and we were all kinda suprised because she usually doesn't want to nap at their house. About a half hour later she was all upset so we went in to get her and she had a huge mess in her pack and play...she had opened the top dressor drawer and pulled out everything she could..earrings, vitamin E, paper, inhalers..all which could have led to a potentially bad situation..but what was so funny is that we were all too suprised at what we had seen in the pack and play and didn't notice that she had tried on MeMe's swim bottoms..it was so funny! So we had to take a picture of it...thank goodness she wasn't able to really get in to anything!

Swimming Lessons

2009-11-16T12:16:00.003-07:00

We put Belle into swim classes two weeks ago and she loves it. We both thought she would hate it and that it wasn't going to turn out great at all..but, she warmed up to it pretty quick. At first she had a death grip on me, but she did everything the instructor asked her to do...even tried to blow bubbles. Her favorite thing to do is to jump off of the side of the pool!

When we went the second time she was asking to float on her back and was all over the place..she tired quickly and about 20 mins into it, she was asking to be all down and was telling the instructor thank you!

Now Isabelle likes to just randomly throw herself on the flow and start swimming..its hilarious..or she will prop herself up on the coffee table and start swimming.

More Pics from St. Louis!

2009-11-02T11:30:00.002-07:00

This is one of my favorite pics now..we went out to eat at Mike Shannons and it was awesome. Belle is eating a cracker full of butter....

The much needed picture of these two! It is a must that Belle wears this jersey on game day!

Belle was spoiled thats for sure! Grandpa fed her an entire bowl of ice cream...I was out working out so I didn't get to witness this...they had to take advantage of it cause I probably wouldn't have let her have a whole bowl!

I think for Christmas we are going to buy her this shelf..with candles and lotions and hairspray..this is where did a ton of her playing while at Gpa Joe's and MeMe's house! She was so busy!

..and MeMe is feeding her a cookie for lunch...Belle had never had soo much candy in her life! Belle is getting really close to Gpa Joe and MeMe. When we woke up in the morning she would walk over to their bedroom door and say "MeMe"...it was too cute!

Halloween!

2009-11-01T18:43:00.002-07:00

Her first house!

I think Matt and I were a little more interested in what she got!

We had such a blast trick or treating!! It was one of the best nights I've ever had. Belle was a little hesitant at first and she would stick her hand in the bowels and kinda just stare at everyone, but once she realized it was ok..she grabbed a handful. My the end of the night, she was ready to get out of dads arms and just walked up to everyone.

Being Silly!

2009-10-23T17:18:00.002-06:00

Here are some pics of Belle being silly! She loves to wear daddy's hat and walk around the house!

Carving Pumpkins!

2009-10-23T16:29:00.002-06:00

Helping daddy pick out a design!

Our finished pumpkins! Belle actually wasn't too interested in carving..and wouldn't stick her hand in the pumpkin!

Spinning

2009-10-14T14:48:00.003-06:00

Belle hasn't been feeling well..we think its the four molars she is popping through right now! She was just laying on the couch lifeless!

Belle was having a blast doing this! She didn't want to stop! She kept trying to run to me after she was done spinning and it was hilarious! You can hear her laugh at the beginning when Matt is spinning her too..its too funny. Plus..she looks like she is in a hippie jump suit in those pjs.

Baby Bash!

2009-10-14T14:38:00.003-06:00

We had a baby shower for the Strongs the other day and Belle helped me make my famous taco dip....I had no idea that she would get this messy...but she put the entire bowl on her head! She was enjoying it so I let her do it! I also had a lot of fun making the diaper wreath and diaper cake..I've never made one before they are both so simple to make!

Some Signing and Updated Pics

2009-10-09T18:53:00.003-06:00

We bought her a step stool so she can help mommy cook or put away groceries..she loves it and does a great job of getting up and down from it..of course she likes to move it all over the kitchen..especially to try and lock and unlock the door!

We were hanging out at the park and she loves this thing. Finally big enough to at least sit on it and be stable!

The above picture is right at 19 months and the below picture is at 10 months...she has grown so much into a little girl within the last nine months its crazy!

Belle was helping me make candy molds today..or helping me get rid of the chocolate! This was actually too much chocolate for her...she ended up puking a little bit of it up in the tub!

I've had some request of putting up a video with her talking..I do my best to get her to say different things but its hard when she knows she is performing! She says a ton of stuff now..my favorite is "DVD"...so funny to hear her say. I also love "lotion" but it is more like "o-shin" with a big induction on the "shin" part.

Belle is getting into a lot of new things these days...we will go in to her room from a nap..and find her topless! She also slides off the bed so easily and can get up there really well now too. One of her favorite things to do is get up on the computer chair and play with the mouse! Belle has also gotten use to our babysitter, Jessica. As soon as I grab my bag or start putting books in it, she starts to say "bye." Kinda breaks my heart, but I'm very happy she is use to Jessica and likes her a lot! We also had our first experience with flushing things down the toilet. Normally Belle helps me fold her laundry and I usually ask her to put her washcloths away..which go in the bathroom. Well, she walked into the bathroom, but decided to put the washclothes away in the toilet then flush it...luckily I was quicky enough to grab them and they didn't go down. We are also starting to phase into the temper tantrums. Belle has been teething a ton lately and has recently gotten three molars in and we are pretty sure that fourth one is almost here. She has been in a lot of pain but on a positive side she has been going to bed at 6:30 and doesn't wake till 7:30...with a two hour nap! She wakes a few times in the night, and moans for a few mins but then goes back to sleep. But, since she is teething she is more cranky and irritable than usual. And since she is getting in to more things she shouldn't be playing with..she hears "no" more often. So she gets mad and screams and sometimes she will just put herself on the floor and lay down and cry. Its a lot to adjust to for all of us!

Go Team!

2009-10-04T17:24:00.003-06:00

Getting ready to watch Notre Dame! Had to include the purple flower to make her look like a girl.

I had so much fun dressing her in this for church this morning...she actually lef the flower in her hair the whole time while in nursery!

Troop Tailgate

2009-09-30T11:16:00.002-06:00

This is Isabelle's first kickball game...Matt was running around like crazy but Belle was loving it!

...and Belle is following Paula around again...she loves her!

A Nice Tradition

2009-09-30T11:11:00.002-06:00

We got this cup at Olive Garden and Belle loves drinking out of a straw..she does pretty good without spilling but can't help but tip the cup sometimes. She felt like such a big girl and was so happy drinking out of it.

This is silverware that is actual silver and it was Matt's silver and Matt's mom's silver. They both used it as a baby and Matt's grandma always had it refinshed after they were too big for it. I decided to give it a try with Belle and she does very well using it..definitely takes us a lot longer to eat, but we gotta start somewhere.

Making Dinner for Daddy!

2009-09-24T19:07:00.002-06:00

She insisted on wearing her boots today..we bought these for the fall and they are a little big for her now..but she looks so cute in them!

We made quesadillas for daddy tonight! We had everything ready for him when he got home. I've never made him quesadillas from scratch and he loved it! Belle of course was helping him with it and she loved them as well! Matt has been a huge help these days. Since I've been so swamped with school, he really is making it easier on me. He does a ton of cooking and cleaning and totally understands when I need to just leave to go and study! We thought dad deserved something a little special tonight.

Hanging Around

2009-09-24T19:00:00.003-06:00

Hanging out with Daddy watching Singing Time before she goes to bed.

For some reason, she is constantly grabbing for the beer whenever we watch football games. Bill is teasing her here! Belle accidentally got her first taste of beer this past weeknd too. Dad had set his beer on the coffee table for split second so he could adjust in his chair. The next thing you see is beer going down the front of her shirt. I don't think she knew what to think..didn't cry but didn't smile either.

Belle LOVES Paula. Everytime she sees Paula she goes nuts! Belle thinks she is the greatest and has to play with her. When Paula leaves, she will cry. It's great to see her attach herself to someone like that!

It's been forever since I've made some posts so I'm doing a picture dump right now! School has been crazy for me and Dad usually flys the opposite times that I'm not at school. It's working out great so far because we don't need child care too often, but when we do we have a great sitter that comes to the house. Belle really loves Jessica and they get along great!

Apple Days!

2009-09-24T18:53:00.003-06:00

This is Isabelle's game day shirt..we are working on getting her a football jersey. She loves watching the games with us...and we have taught her how to do "touchdown" and "first down." And I can't believe she is in these pants!!! They are a little long for her but when I put them on her, I almost cried because she is getting to be such a little girl.

Isabelle loves Dave..she actually flirts with all the guys and gives them those flirty eyes...its too funny.

They had a thing on post called Apple days this past weekend and it turned out to be a lot of fun. our troop made baked goods and one of the things we made was candy apples. You can see below Belle is loving it. Apple Days was a community wide thing..there were probably 6000 people there and Ft. Riley put on a good festival. They had all the different aircraft there. Kids could shoot different guns and what not. It was pretty neat to see. Manhattan loves its military.

NOOOO!

2009-09-11T07:27:00.002-06:00

She has been opening the doors for the past couple of days..I can't believe we are there already! We don't have normal doorknobs on almost all of our doors either. Are there child safety things for these handles??

Just Her Size!

2009-09-10T17:41:00.003-06:00

We got Belle this chair and she loves it! It fits her well!

Our Little Girl

2009-09-05T12:07:00.002-06:00

Belle is getting so big these days! It's amazing how much she has learned and is doing and it all seems to come so quickly. Just the other day I realized she isn't much of a baby any more..she is a little girl. Most of her 12-18 month shirts kinda fit...they are getting too short on her. It's such a weird site to see and I keep looking at the 18-24 month clothes and think there is no way she will ever fit in to them. She is as tall..or slightly taller than the kitchen table and can reach up and put things on the table. Belle is also getting a lot of two syllable words out as well. She also knows how to open up the pantry and get some food out, lol! She's a little girl now!

Daddy's Home!

2009-09-05T12:03:00.002-06:00

This little spot is on the River Trail and there are many little beaches along the way. Daddy was teaching Belle how to skip rocks!

We have been so busy since Matt has gotten home! I started school which takes a ton of time and Dad is home so we have been doing a lot. One of her favorite things to do now is to color!

Her Rain Coat

2009-08-18T18:51:00.003-06:00

We pulled out her raincoat for next year the other morning because it was pouring out and Belle just fell in love with it! It's been sitting out on our rocking chair and she is always asking for me to put it on her...she also has a set of pjs that she loves to wear and will ask for them..and then get upset when I take them off of her! Definitely getting her favorite things.

This is also where Belle likes to hide from mommy when she doesn't want to be changed...shes so funny..she gets that look on her face and then just squeals and runs and sits down and peeks through the bars! One of my favorite things.

Riverwalk Trail!

2009-08-16T19:49:00.003-06:00

We went for another walk on Riverwalk today! It was much cooler this time and it was cloudy! We go about 1.3 miles out and there is this nice little drop off kinda with a little dirt trail that lead to the river and there is a nice beach there. I don't think you can go swimming in the river, but its still very pretty. I haven't taken her down there yet cause the stroller doesn't fit down the trail, but I'm sure we will make it down there eventually. She insisted on bringing her blanket as well. Every now and then she gets attached to certain things and likes to have them with her..but she usually forgets about them and moves on to something else within a couple of days! I was dreading taking the blanket cause I knew how dirty it would get..but I couldn't say no either!

She decided to take daddy's hat and play with it...

Belle and I have been doing pretty good since dad has been gone. Been staying very busy and that helps make the time go by very fast. For the past six nights though, Belle has been having a rough time. She has woken up most of the nights completely congested with snot covering her entire mouth and chin. Last night I finally decided to give her benadryl before she went to bed and she did better..still woke up twice..but only moaned for about 2 mins and didn't really cry. She is fine during the day and shows now signs of being sick. A couple of the nights she has woken up like an hour after I have put her down and she is drenched in sweat..her hair is soaked! Matt thinks it is allergies. I've never had allergies and she doesn't really have any other visible signs..other than a runny nose or congestion when she wakes up. Part of me is worried she is missing dad and is stressed cause he isn't home. Hopefully its just allergies or a small cold!

CAV Museum

2009-08-11T08:38:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we went to the CAV museum for something different and I was suprised that Belle really enjoyed it. We were the only ones there and that was awesome..I was able to talk to her freely without bothering anyone and she was able to walk where she wanted without bothering anyone too. She loved all the statues and would keep walking over to me and grab my hand and pull me somewhere else to show me what she had seen..it was a good time for us and we will definitely do it again!

We take many walks around our neighborhood...a lot the times we go twice a day. She loves all the fire hydrants and goes nuts when she sees them. Now when we are driving..she screams with excitment when she sees one on the road. We love walks because its such a great way to teach her things. Yesterday we say a butterfly for the first time and I was excited just to show her one! She also likes to look at the frogs and play with all the rocks. I think she really enjoys her walks with dad because he always takes her to the lake behind our house.

....you can see she is carrying her cell phone and car keys in her hand ;)

Ice Cream!

2009-08-09T19:23:00.002-06:00

Me and Belle went for a really long walk today. There are so many nice trails here and this one was right along the river and the road was paved so it was very easy to take a stroller on. It was nice too cause there were certain areas where you could walk down to the beach and both sides of the road were filled with trees that crossed the road..it was pretty. Unfortunatley it was very hot too..over 100 degrees...so I had to treat Belle with some ice cream afterwards. This is her second ice cream cone and I think she is hilarious to watch. The first time we took her in she was all over it like crazy..this time I'm not quite sure I picked her favorite flavor..but she ate it anyways!

Watching Daddy Take Off

2009-08-03T11:08:00.004-06:00

We got to see five of them take off at the same time...this never gets old for me..love seeing it and it reminds me of how much Matt loves his job and that he does have an important mission.

We went into work to see daddy fly today! I think Belle enjoyed it....she was kicking and doing her excited screams! The whole way home she kept saying "bye" so many times.

This video isn't much, but I thought some might like to see it. Enjoy.

More Millford Lake

2009-07-25T21:02:00.002-06:00

OMG..she was sooo tired by this point! The life jacket was great for her since it gave her a place to lay her head! Belle didn't mind the boat when we weren't going fast, but once we got some speed and we were hitting the water hard, she didn't really like bouncing like that...but it wasn't too bad. She just laid lifeless on me while we were out cause she was sooo sleeping. She fell asleep so quick in the car! I love the pics in the life jacket..too much fun!

Her First Boat Ride!

2009-07-25T20:57:00.002-06:00

We had a troop function today out at Millford lake! Belle had such a busy day! She really likes Dave..he is one of the guys in the troop. She did excellent for being out in the sun for four hours too! She is still not crazy about the sand cause she sinks in it, but is getting better..wasn't crazy about swimming in the lake but she is slowly warmingup to it. Matt and Bill put her on one of the tubes and she liked it! It was such a great day..not too hot at all and it was a lot of fun for all of us!

A Midnight Summers Dream...In Abilene, KS!

2009-07-23T20:26:00.003-06:00

Can you tell she is teething...

Today me and Isabelle went to Abilene, KS for a Children's Festival! The theme was A Midnights Summer Dream and all the little girls were dressed in little fairy costumes..some of the boys were dressed in elf and ogre costumes. It was a great time..everything was free and it was in the downtown area of Abilene. It was a cute little get together..they had a free snow cones (Belle had her first and loved it), treasure hunt, jumping castles and other little stuff. It was nice to get out and do something different and Belle had a great time. The had a best costume contest but we didn't stay for that because it was late..but Belle's friend Paula got 5th out of 44! They were both so cute!

Loves Her Legos!

2009-07-23T20:19:00.002-06:00

Belle loves to play with her legos. I love just watching her stack them...she definitely has a plan! Sometimes she just will place them all around the coffee table and they have to be just the way she wants them!

Belle has been picking up a ton of signs these days! She is also trying to say everything I say..its crazy! So many more words. I totally recommend Signing Time. We got a recommendation from a friend and I absolutely love it. The videos are cute and Belle really interacts with them and relates to them. We like to watch Signing Time before we go to bed to calm us down and she really retains its all!

As for our family, we are getting ready for daddy to leave for about a month! Not really looking forward to it but we will get into our routine I'm sure. I'm also getting ready to start school and will be starting the first week or so without Matt being here! We found a great sitter to watch Isabelle too and we are loving her!

..More of St. Louis Trip

2009-07-14T20:20:00.002-06:00

She was just the busiest little girl while we were there. So many new things to explore. The house has a great setup for her..she was able to make laps around the whole house. It's like she has all this things to get done and she just went from one thing to the next!

Worn out from the days activities!

We also all got to go to a Notre Dame club picnic! I've learned there are other ND fanatics out there besides my husband!

...and these are the spoiled dogs! Can't believe we almost lost two of them! There were my biggest stress reliever during the last deployment. Can't imagine life without them.

Our Trip to St. Louis!

2009-07-14T20:13:00.002-06:00

Belle loved to lay on these MiMi's pillows and pretend to go "night night."

Loves her stroller!

This is Belle and me by the little lake over at Grandpa Joe and MiMi's house. It also happens to be the lake Joey and Brady decided to wander off in..by themselves...for two hours. Matt and I left the back door open to the house and all the dogs got out. Macy is our anxious dog and she just happend to stay at the house thankgoodness! We spent two hours looking for Brady and Joey. The neighborhood was really great in helping us look for them. Some little girl actually found them by the lake and they were given back to us. I must admit..I did lose my mind for those two hours. So happy to have them back!

..and of course she was spoiled when we got to St. Louis. Grandpa Joe shared his fudgesicle with Belle and Belle absolutely loved MiMi's cooking! Belle was loving life!

I tried to get the best little family picture of the three generations!

Ogden Pool

2009-07-09T14:21:00.002-06:00

We went to Ogden Pool today..it's about a mile up the road from our house! This was a great pool for her because of the size..she warmed up to it a little bit, but didn't really leave the side of the pool without me. She dunked her entire head into the water today on accident and it scared the heck out of me. I'm not a huge fan of the water and we haven't done swimming lessons yet, but she was fine..very shocked at first but looked up at me and wasn't sure what to think! I'm glad it finally happened..that'll be the start for hopefully her to not be scared of the water. She loves to play with her bucket and pretend to feed you as well. There weren't too many kids there, but when more showed up..Belle did share her bucket. When the little girl gave back Belle's bucket to her, I asked Belle to say thank you...just kinda one of those things you say all the time. Well, to my shock...she did the sign for "thank you." I never saw her do it before, but it goes to show that she is watching everything I do and say! She picks things up so quickly these days! Makes me nervous for how fast she is growing.

...and this is a pic of Belle whooped after the Splash playground yesterday..she loves that place. Belle has figured out how to climb up on our bed..and she also knows how to turn the t.v. on!

A Year Ago!

2009-07-04T18:56:00.006-06:00

I can't believe how big she has gotten..this is one year ago! She was 13lbs 2 oz, 24.5 inches last year and now she is 21.6 lbs and 29.5 inches! She also has tons more personality!

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T18:49:00.003-06:00

Needless to say...the tiara did not stay on!

I love this picture! She is watching Daddy let our neighbors dogs out.

Finally...we get to wear this outfit! We had a good day..did some sparklers..went to a BBQ...and finished the day with sherbert ice cream! She was driving Dave's boat in the above picture!

Some Tricks!

2009-07-03T19:02:00.002-06:00

I was able to get Belle to do some trick for the camera! There are a few more signs she does really well too!

First Carnival Ride!

2009-07-03T18:56:00.002-06:00

We went to the carnival in Junction City today and Isabelle rode her first ride all by herself. She wasn't too sure what to think..at first she just sat there and then when it started she was fine..it was when she saw us she started to cry. But she really didn't cry at all..just a few whimpers. The above picture is of her eating her first funnel cake!

Her face in this picture is classic!

Belle also likes to take mommy's make up brush and pretend with it!

My Little Reader!

2009-06-26T07:42:00.003-06:00

I finally got a pretty good video of Belle reading. She just loves to do it and I love watching her. Yesterday after her nap she was playing in her crib. I went in and she immediately asked for her book that was on the dressor. So I gave it to her and I swear we were sitting there for ten minutes and she was turning the page and just rambling like she was reading. Sometimes she would close it and then say "all done" but then open it back up. I think she would have read it longer if I let her too.

Belle is teething pretty good right now. Had a burning fever a couple days ago that spiked out of nowhere. She woke up this morning with a pretty good one as well. I hate that she is in pain, but with every new tooth she gets..she says more words and she tries so much more it seems to say the words correctly. She said "strawberry" yesterday morning..although it sounded like "star bear" but it was so awesome to hear.

Another thing she knows how to do is to put the induction on the end of her sentences when she is talking. She does that when she wants something or I think we she is asking a question...we can't understand what she is saying but I just love that high pitched voice she gets.

She also helps to buckle herself in her carseat. She grabs the buckles and pushes it in for you! Getting soo big these days and so quickly.

Right now we are also looking for childcare. We are hoping to find someone who can watch her just random times over the summer for when I have appointments or me and Matt want to go out. We kinda want someone to be a nanny when I go to graduate school in the fall. We only need someone two days a week right now. Thats what we are working towards right now so wish us good luck!

Just Like Mommy

2009-06-23T18:16:00.001-06:00

She posed for these!

I had to get her a camelbak just like mine..she has been drinking out of it for forever. Belle also got Avery one for her birthday because they both do the same thing! She loves it and grabs for it everytime she sees me drink out of mine!