One day I caught Izabell playing under the sheets hanging on the line and was immediately taken back to my childhood. I loved to make "tents" out of sheets and blankets. It felt so cozy and private. Sometimes I watch Izabell play and wonder if she thinks the same things I did or feels the same as I did about certain things. And sometimes I just know she does.


But as soon as I try to sneek a pic, she becomes aware that there is a camera around and begins to pose. That's definately my kid.

Rock-n-Roll Birthday

Izabell's special guest, Zane.




Here are pics from Izabell's sixth birthday party. She rocked it out with her friends at the park. We had a microphone, guitar, tambourines and shakers. The last picture is from the after party. She brought one of the rockers home for a jam session that lasted well past my bedtime.

A pretty pose before church. I loved that dress on her. She can be such a princess sometimes.


These pictures were taken at one of our churches funfests. It seems like it was just the other day, but the date on the photo is October 2009. She is six in these photos. I just want to let you know how hard this is for me. I am getting overwhelmed as I go through these old photos and realize how fast time is zooming by.

As I was looking back at all of the milestone moments I have missed in my blogging, I found Izabell's kindergarten graduation pictures. Now, that just proves how far behind I am. She is now in the second grade.
Last night, while talking to some friends at church, I realized that I had totally put blogging out of my memory and replaced it with other, less important things. I remembered that the purpose of this blog had evolved from something I did for entertainment into something for Izabell to look back at in the years to come. Something that would, hopefully, always be there. So I am going to try to get caught up on as many of the special moments as I can.

cookies

This playdough cookie dough is awesome. You make cool stuff like you would with playdough and then bake it and eat it. I love teaching my child to "play with her food".

Renaissance Fair

Back in May, Ben told me to keep Saturday free and don't ask any questions. He really tries to surprise me sometimes, and this time it worked. I totally thought we were going to the zoo. Well, we ended up at the Renaissance fair in Oklahoma. We had a great time. I posted the pictures of Izabell's favorite things. She loved the magic shows, the lady with the harp and the king. She also liked participating in the Maypole dance.
My favorite part of the day was our arrival. They announced "Princess" Izabell's arrival and pirates sang a song to her as we walked through the entrance gates. Also, the king remembered her name when he saw her later in the day. They really made us feel like we belonged there. I hope we get to go back next year.

Spring Break 2010- Take 2

Yesterday Izabell had a nice warm bubble bath and then went out and jumped in the mud. I little backwards, huh? Man, that kid loves mud. And I love watching her get muddy.

Spring Break 2010- Take 1

Tuesday Izabell and I went shopping in Conway with my best friend, Jessica. I haven't seen her since before school started. It's hard going so long without seeing her because we used to live together and work together. We were hardly ever apart. Now she lives in Morrilton and we're both married with jobs. Ya know, all that grown up stuff. So I cherish any time I get to spend with her. Tuesday seemed to last only a few moments and then it was over.
Anyway, these pictures are of Izabell swinging in Jessica's tree. She enjoyed that simple little swing more than any of the things she has at home. Sad thing is, we don't have a place to put one here. Ironically, the only limb that we could put one on hangs over the swing set that she hardly ever swings on.

Lost Valley Hike

Pictures from the Lost Valley Hike we took with the Awanas. I am so thankful to Ms. Becky for all of the opportunities she provides for our kids. It has to be a hassle to organize all of this stuff. But she is the greatest at it.

Misc.

Here are pictures from Izabell's cheer camp. She got to perform cheers and a dance at a ballgame. It was the first time in more than 10 years I had set foot in that gym. She was a great cheerleader. She has lots of spirit. She cheered for both teams.
I had to include a picture of the car we made for "Drive-In Movie Night" at Awanas. We had a great time working on that car. We put the license plate that used to be on Papa's big truck on the back. We also put a stamp of a horse on the front so it could be a Mustang.
The other picture is Izabell holding the daisies that Ben surprised me with on Valentine's Day.

The Biggest Day Ever

Izabell has been wanting to be baptized since she turned 5. I have drilled her to make sure she understands what it's really about. She knows all the right answers. I was worried that she just knew all the answers but didn't really get it. But she lives out the truth in her everyday life. She tells people about Jesus. She prays for God to protect her, give her courage and strenght. She asked questions daily about Jesus. She makes sure we read the Bible each night and pray before bed. Ms. Becky asked me if I thought she was ready and I was pretty sure that she was. I loved listening to Ms. Becky tell of Izabell's faith. Izabell really does feel that nothing is impossible with God. So on Feb. 7, 2010 Izabell was baptized. Her Daddy, Nana, and Bubba (Richard) were there to see it. I pray that she never loses her child-like faith.

Snowy Days in 2010

We got to spend several snowy days together this year. My favorite day was when we roasted hot dogs in the fire place. Life is so fun when you take advantage of the little blessings rather than chasing after something bigger and better.

Christmas Cookies

One of our favorite Christmas activities is making Christmas cookies. Izabell is great a decorating. Which is good, because by the time I finish baking them, I am not in the mood to do much decorating.

Catchin Up

Just realized that I have not blogged in several months. I am going to attempt to catch up today. These are some of my favorite pictures from Christmas.