Blessings!

Isabella is going to have a brother! We found out Tuesday that our precious baby is a boy and due July 22nd. Here's his first official picture!

Our Gentle Giant

I wasn't planning on writing about this, but then the vet had a beautiful rose delivered to the house...

Saturday was a blah day! It was raining and cold. Our dog, Princess, hadn't been doing well lately. She seemed to always be suffering from skin allergies, but her stiffness and arthritis started to bother her even more than her itchiness. She was always a beautiful dog, holding her head high as she pranced around the house, but again lately her head seemed to droop and her eyes seemed tired. We knew something wasn't right. So, despite the cold and rain Steve took her to the vet. About 3o minutes later I received a call from Steve saying that things weren't good and that it was "time." We both had a good cry on the phone. (And have had many more since!)

I know that all family pets are important, but Princess just seemed special. She was a VERY LARGE German shepherd, but acted more like a little poodle. Her name really fit her. There wasn't an aggressive bone in her body. She certainly was our gentle giant! She was wonderful around Isabella, just ignoring her when she would play with her tail or poke at her ears to see them twitch. Princess was a world traveler! Steve adopted her when he was stationed in Florida, then moved with her to Texas, where I joined the family. We then moved her back to the "motherland," Germany, and then back to Texas.

Germany is where we probably have the best memories with her. She absolutely loved chasing her ball down the lane between our village and the next. After the farmers had plowed the fields she would run and run as far as you could see.

Steve says I'm the one who really spoiled her, allowing her up on the couch and even the bed. She was definitely my companion when Steve was deployed. Again, she thought she was a small dog and would cuddle up right next to me on the couch. I think she would have tried to curl up on my lap if I would have let her.

Thank you for letting me share just a little about our beautiful Princess. We will definitely miss her!

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's been a long time since we've updated our blog. It's hard to believe that it is already the middle of February! We've had a wonderful year so far. Isabella is growing up way too fast in our opinion. She is like a little sponge, soaking up new things everyday. She still loves her books, but also enjoys here baby dolls, and any type of bag that she can put things in. Some days she can have up to six or seven different bags hanging from her arms full of her Little People toys and Mickey Mouse figures. She LOVES being loud, making sure that everyone can hear her and is paying 100% attention. She has learned shapes, but is a bit stubborn with colors. Her favorite color must be green because when you ask her what a color is she always responds "green" no matter what color it is. We say she's being stubborn because she always does it with a big grin on her face and a giggle.

Steve's been busy with work and taking one of his last classes towards his Masters. He loves coming home from work to hear Isabella scream "Hi Daddy!"

We are looking forward to my ultrasound at the beginning of March. We'll find out for sure if Isabella will have a little baby brother or sister.

Here are some pictures of Isabella enjoying Valentine's Day.