Not As Strong As I Thought

We have been working with Bella to learn the word "no" and actually respond to it. Up until this point, everytime she's told no, she bows her little head and starts sobbing like you just killed her dog! I've always viewed myself as a pretty tough disciplinarian, but it's extremely hard for me not to run over and scoop her up when she cries like this.

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I know she will clam down eventually, but her cry is so pitiful and heart-breaking, it has taken some time for me to stand strong. I'm pretty sure she has figured out that her crying weakens me, because she doesn't seem to do it as often with Steve.

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This afternoon was out FIRST time that I told her no, and she looked at me and then stopped doing what she was doing with NO CRYING! It was great! We'll keep working on it!

Daddy's Day

We had a very relaxing Father's Day weekend. Friday night, we grabbed some pizza at a local restaurant in Marietta Square. We like to eat outside so, if Bella loses her mind, no one seems to care. Saturday was filled with visiting a couple of motorcycle stores for Steve, and doing some work around the house. We surprised him after church on Sunday with a BBQ lunch, and he got to take a nap in the afternoon. Lots of crashing and relaxing! Bella got Steve some of his favorite candy and a couple of i-Tunes gift cards, so he could download new albums onto his iPhone. And because he's such an awesome guy, he mowed the yard on Sunday night!

Crazy Week!

We got back from vacation on Friday, and it seemed like it took us all week to get back to our normal schedule! On Tuesday, our washing machine wouldn't drain, so I've spent all week reading online about what might be wrong and how to remove the back. I've been putting it off, but that's my job to tackle today.

Steve started his regular class schedule again this week, and that's been hard. We literally have been out of the house every day this week. Whew! Last night was our monthly prayer meeting that Steve and I organized for church members. It was such a blessed time! I love the experience of meeting together with people you wouldn't normally get to see during the week.

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I've got one more picture of the "playroom". I finished painting a bookshelf for that room yesterday, and got it filled last night after prayer meeting.

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It's filled with books and stuffed animals for Bella. The opposite wall will eventually have a cubby unit and a reading area. We found a cubby set at Home Depot that we really like and a small table and chair set from IKEA, so we're saving up. We'll post more pictures as they come!

Harley Dreaming and More Painting

On our way home from Florida, we stopped at Steve's dream store - the largest Harley dealership in the nation! It was huge! We got a picture of Steve in front of it so he could dream at home, too.

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We must be gluttons for punishment, because on Saturday, instead of unpacking and cleaning up, we decided to paint the office. It's been the "dog room" since we moved in, and it's finally mine again! I'm turning it into a playroom for Bells and a little office for me. Here's the "before" picture...it was a lime green color.

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Here's the "after" shot, and I love it! It's the same color that we just painted the living room. The only part we have completely done is my desk area - the rest we will do with some furniture for Bella - a bookcase and some cubbies, maybe a small table and chair set.

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Weekend with Family

We had a great long weekend with Steve's family! We left on Friday afternoon and spent our time eating, walking with Bella, catching up, and watching the cousins play in the pool. Bells was on a different schedule, so she had some cranky moments, but overall, it was a lot of fun, and it gave her a chance to interact with all of her cousins!

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On Saturday, we had a second birthday party for Bella with our Ohio family. Mom got a pinata and some party hats that matched the same theme we had for Bella's first party! It was really cute!

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We practiced a lot of walking with Bella this weekend! It's fun to see her get excited and start truckin' off towards something.

On Monday, we went to a Memorial Day parade in Springfield. It was very hot, but we managed to enjoy the marching band and Shriners' vehicles!