Fun With Flowers

It is pretty obvious that I enjoy accessorizing Isabel, right? I mean that poor little girl has more hats, shoes, and sunglasses than anyone I know. So ever since she was born I have been wanting to buy her one these big over-sized flower headbands that I have seen on the internet. But since they were totally over-priced and I couldn't make up my mind which one I wanted - I never did. Until now! My mom and I decided to go to Hobby Lobby yesterday and make them ourselves. They were actually really easy and we got a little carried away- Now she has 11 ! I guess you'll be seeing Isabel in flower headbands for a while :)

Here is some of our handiwork...

Isabel the model..... give me "serious"

Give me "wistful"......
Oh.... how pretty in pink!

South Elgin Riverfest

This weekend was Riverfest in South Elgin. (Yes....it is sort of a big deal because it is pretty much the only event that ever happens in South Elgin) Thurs. night we walked Isabel down there for dinner and she fell asleep in her stroller. That was nice because mom and dad got to relax and have a drink before bringing her home to bed. We can't wait until she is old enough to ride the rides and enjoy an ear of corn with us :)

Back to School Lunch

Yuk! Only one more week of summer vacation left until it is back to school. I know I have been so lucky to be home with Bell since March but I am dreading leaving her this fall. I haven't done a single thing yet to prepare my classroom- I better get cracking. Here are some pics from lunch last week with my coworkers.

Fun in the Sun

I love summer! Finally.... a few hot days. Last week Katie took Mandy, Bell, and I with her to the Elgin Country Club pool. We had fun splashing in the baby pool, eating snacks, ordering drinks and pretending we were rich :)

Then on Sunday the weather was finally warm enough to get back into my parent's pool. We swam all day long and Isabel even got in the "big pool". She loved swimming around with her dad and took a long nap that afternoon. Jason and I want to put her in swim lessons soon since we are both terrible swimmers who still plug our noses and can't dive. Hopefully Isabel will be swimming laps around us someday :)

Isabel Loves Her Family

Jason's parents came up and took us all out to dinner this weekend for an early anniversary dinner. Isabel showed off her new "biting" skills and sat on her grandma and grandpa's lap all afternoon. Even Uncle Aaron held Bell (you can see from the picture where she got her height)

I think Lucky is plotting something in this picture. He must want Isabel's teething ring.

5 Months

5 month olds are so much fun! Sure... I miss how teeny-tiny Isabel once was but the newborn stage was pretty rough and we had no clue what we were doing. We were pretty much on survival mode every day. But now that Bell is 5 months we are really enjoying things. She is so giggly, and smiley and inquisitive. She makes lots of strange noises and yells for no particular reason. This past week she discovered her feet and tries to put them in her mouth or hold onto them constantly. She has also started to grab for things and tries to take the water glass from my hands when I am drinking it. When we put her in her "Bounce Bounce Baby" (basically an exersaucer) she is fascinated by all of the toys and gadgets surrounding her. In fact, she looks so busy "multi-tasking" my friend nicknamed it her office. (Don't disturb Isabel when she is working in her office) Isabel doesn't mind being on her tummy now (as long as she isn't too full) but I am convinced she will never roll over. She doesn't seem to be interested in the least. She is also biting her teething rings, our fingers, and anything else that she can put in her mouth so maybe teeth will be coming soon? Finally, this past week she discovered that we have a dog living in our house named Lucky. She actually reached out and grabbed a handful of his fur tightly the other day. (poor poor guy- he is tolerating it) I am sure they will be BFF when she gets older :)Yummy.... fingers

Hard at work in her "office"

Love those baby blues

Big girl watching the Cubs with Dad

Happy Baby

What a fun age!! Our little girl is full of smiles and happy during the day- We have even been able to catch some smiles with our camera this week. Here are some of my favorites.

Fun With Food!

Surprise, Surprise.... Isabel likes to eat. (Not sure who she got that from) We are having so much fun now that she has graduated from rice cereal and has begun to try some 1st foods. So far Isabel has tried carrots (which she loved) and peas (which she didn't love). It is so much fun to see her expressions when she eats something new. She is getting used to swallowing the food but a lot of it still ends up on her bib. That's okay because right now she is just exploring with tastes and the majority of her nutrition is still coming from her bottles. Yummy carrots!
Peas.... not so sure.