My Bella-Bug!

Miranda Nichole Photography

My Isabella Song.  She is growing by leaps and bounds these days!  She chose a Princess Anna costume for our Harvest Party at church (she hasn't seen Frozen yet, she just thought it was pretty!)  She's quickly adjusted to living in Texas.  I think her two favorite things are our spacious house she can run circles in to her heart's content, and the fact the Grandma Barbara lives across the street from us.  At least two or three times a day she asks to "go to Grandma's house" and takes off running, and I am teaching her to look both ways for cars.  She loves talking on the phone--and the phone can be any phone shaped object, from the TV remotes to a loose power strip!

She loves helping Daddy work on the house.  She brings him tools, and tries to use tools to imitate him.  One of her favorite toys is an old assembled doorknob, and she patiently pokes at it with a screwdriver, trying to learn the ways of doorknobs.  She helps me also, "cleaning" with our little vacuum cleaner or trying to sweep. Elizabeth is her special joy.  When Bella hears Lizzy's coos in the morning, she runs to her bed calling "Baby's awake!"  The other day she asked for shoes because  "Feet cold, mama."  When I finished putting her shoes and socks on, she said, "Baby's feet cold too!  Shoes?"  wanting me to make sure her sister's feet were also warm.  The other day we were shopping and I did my usual routine of finding a shopping cart in the parking lot, extracting first one baby from a car seat and then the other and placing them in the cart.  Bella was up front this time and Lizzy was sitting in the back.  As I walked away from the car towards the store, Bella looks all concerned and says "Where's Baby?!!"  "She's right here, sweetie," I replied, and she twisted around to look back and said "Oh!" with a smile.  She just wanted to make sure I didn't forget her baby sister.  What a thoughtful little person!

We haven't been able to watch action movies with Bella around for a while, because she gets scared.  I have to reassure her that "it's not real, honey, it's just a movie."  Now we can't watch sitcoms any more either.  We've been going through the show Friends again, and they use the phrase "O my God!" on it a lot.  Now that is an exclamation TJ and I have agreed never to use.  It is a disrespectful use of God's name.  We actually don't mind a lot of swear words when used correctly--they express passion and the seriousness of whatever you're saying (there's a whole different blog post right there!)  But using any of God's names incorrectly is a no-no for us.  Anyway, four different times now Bella has exclaimed in her sweet little voice, "Oh my God!!!" The only place I think of where she would have heard it is on Friends.  And she's too little to understand that there's certain words she shouldn't say!  It's adorably cute, but shouldn't be encouraged.  Sweet, innocent child!  You are already learning the ways of the world. :-(

Another thing my two year old has started to do recently is to bargain with me.  It is hilarious, and keeps me in stitches!  I bought a package of cookies when I was shopping, and when I put it into the cart Bella asked for a cookie.  "We have to pay for them first, sweetie.  Then you can have one," I told her. 
     She held up one finger and pleaded, "Just one?  Please mama, just one?" 
     Needless to say, she got her cookie.  I know I'll have to be firm in the future, but the first time was just too cute!  Child, you slay me with your big blue eyes and blond curls and dazzling smile.  It's easy to say No when you whine, but once you learn to ask nicely always, the world will be at your service!

Anyway, this post is all about my firstborn, my eldest, our Sweet-pea.  It's a beautiful chilly Texas morning and time for my coffee!