Isabella's Life of....

Summer 2009

2009-07-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back to post once again. It has been way too long since I've blogged. I blame it on Facebook which has seem to be my new form of communication. However, Karen reminded me that this blog should be for the recording of Isabella's life. We would like her to be able to go back and see what Daddy had to say about his princess.

Bella is knocking on the door of being two. It truly is hard to believe. It seems we had just brought her home last week. The feeling and vision still feel new. It's been a pretty active summer for Princess B. Her independence has grown even more which is good for her. She's able to interact with her little friends Effie, Nosh, Jace and Cousins Claire and Andrew. We had bought her some playground stuff for the backyard along with a baby pool. Bella is truly an outdoor person. She loves to be roaming our yard, pushing her peddle/push Car, and going on walks. Her favorite place to go has been to her favorite park by our house. She loves to go to the park and go Wee Wee. That is Bella's term for the swings. That is because when I push her I go Weeeee, Weeeeee, Wweeeeeee. So she has affectionately coined that activity going Wee Wee. She even asks for it now. She'll wake up from a nap and ask Karen, "Momma? Go Bye Byes, Wee Wee?". Her little voice is so cute.

Bella's vocabulary is improving and growing each day. Sometimes it amazes us at how fast she picks up words. Her word comprehension is probably the most amazing. She is one smart little cookie.

We are enjoying this summer with her and all the activities and things she is experiencing. Stay tuned for the latest and greatest of Bella Bean.

NEW YEAR AND A LITTLE BIT OLDER!

2009-01-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been forever since I blogged. One of my many resolutions to improve upon this year. Since I had a few minutes I thought I would share a few pics of Boogies Christmas. She had a great time this year spending it with Cousin Claire and Cousin Andrew. Christmas Eve was spent at my parents house. It was a lot of fun seeing my dad's side of the family and see my cousins I don't get to see all of the time. Boogie loved her water baby and all of the wonderful gifts from her Grandma & Paw Paw, Aunts, Uncles, and distant cousins. She is a blessed little girl and she is such a blessing to our families.

Boogie got to spend Thanksgiving with Karen's family in Melbourne, FL. It was a long trip by car but she was such a trooper. I think she did better than Mommy and Daddy. Bella loves her Grandma and Grandpa R., Ti ti Heidi and Angela, and most of all she was so excited to spend time with her cousin Joshua. She tried to be his shadow but he's faster than her. However, Joshua loves his cousin Bella so much. He was really good with her.

So Boogie had a great Holiday Season. I hope 2009 is the best year yet for everyone!

M-I-C-K-E-Y, Y? Because she's just that cute!

2008-11-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

Well, Boogie had a great Birthday Party over the weekend and a lot of fun at Paw Paw and Grandma's house Friday Night for Halloween. I do not have pics of her Birthday party because something is wrong with the camera. However, below is Bella's Costume Friday Night!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to....

2008-10-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

What a great Birthday Bella had. It's amazing our little girl is growing up. 1 Year Old yesterday and she is showing she's not a itty bitty baby. Here are a few pics of the princess opening her gifts:

Here are are few pics of Boogie enjoying her Birthday cake and getting "Birthday Party Belly":

So Bella can't wait to see the rest of her Family on Saturday. Her Aunt Jane is hosting her big Birthday Party. Bella, Mommy, and Daddy are very excited!

Have a great Wednesday.

Guess Whose going to be 1 tomorrow?

2008-10-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in a few weeks and I apologize. I've received a couple hate mail letters and for fear of my life I am blogging. No, not really but I have been asked when I was going to blog again. So, I thought I would blog on the eve of boogies 1st Birthday. I thought I would take this blog and be thankful for what this little girl has given us over the last year:

Karen and I are thankful for her sense of humor. This little girl derives joy in making us laugh much more than us making her laugh. I wish I could put sound files on this blog because her sweet little belly laugh is priceless.

We are thankful for her tender heart.

We are thankful for making our family complete. Life without her is a blur. She adds an element to our family that Karen and I could never duplicate or try to create.

We are thankful for her curiosity. Boogie is always curious about her surroundings. She has already displayed a love of books and can pass the time looking at all her books. If given a choice she will always pick a book over her toys.

So as we get ready for her 1st Birthday we Love our Bella of the Ball and Thank God everyday for our little princess!

BELLA BUTTERFLY

2008-09-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday we took Bella to the Butterfly House here in St. Louis. It's part of the parks and recreation department. We were lucky in that they are celebrating their 10 year anniversary so all through the month of September tickets were buy one get one free.

Bella had a great time but I think Mommy and Daddy enjoyed it more. You start out watching a short film on the Butterfly and the impact the Butterfly plays in supporting human life from pollinating our fruits and veggies along with many other benefits the Butterfly provides.

Here is a picture of my wife holding a butterfly on her finger while trying to take a picture of it.

Here is the next display we encountered. Oppps

Here are a series of butterflies we saw while walking the paths around the observatory. I think someone said there are over 200 species of Butterflies found in this enclosure.

Here are some cool ones of Butterflies feeding.

Here is a picture of Karen and Bella loving on each other while walking the paths.

Here is a picture of our little Butterfly.

I hope everyone has a great day!

APPLE OF MY EYE!

2008-09-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, even though I haven't been actively blogging this week doesn't mean Pinky Pie hasn't been active. I was having a really crappy day yesterday. So, when I came home Boogie was being her adorable cute self and greeted me with her Big Smile, Head Tilt way she always does. So that brightened my day by quite a bit. Then, as I was putting my coffee cup from the morning in the sink she goes, "Hi Daaaddddyyyy". I know I've posted she's said it before but yesterday was so clear, so little girl voice, that my bad day just melted away. Then! for the bonus prize Karen taught her how to say apple. Plain as day she is going, "Apppple". Funny, the one word she perfects would be the one food she hates.

So anyway, just a quick pic of boogie boo and how she is the "Apppppple" of my eye.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Park and Swim

2008-09-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post a few cute pictures of the Princess. Don't have much to say except she's doing great and making me laugh more and more each day.

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands..

2008-09-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, Boogie is back on the happy side of life. It's been a relief to us knowing that she is fever free and she is slowly getting back to being Miss Funny Girl.

I was gone Sunday so I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her. So Monday, Karen and Bella, met me for lunch. I was totally amazed at how much of a noticeable change there was in her. I know everyone must think I'm crazy but everything about her had grown and developed. Her hair looked longer. She has these tight blond curls now. She is looking like Shirley Temple. Even in one day she is learning new skills. I was blown away when Karen said, "Bella Clap Hands!" and she started clapping her hands. Yes, I know, it might seem like a simple thing but I was shocked.

Last night I was driving home, talking to Karen on my cell, and I could hear Bella belly laughing in the background. Then I hear Karen cracking up. Well, Bella was picking up blocks and toys with center holes and peeking through it. Sort of like peek-a-boo. Never have I heard a baby belly laugh like this little girl does. That is pure Joy!

So, we are enjoying our little girl back to good.

Have a great Tuesday!

Mi Chiquita es Muy Mal

2008-09-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

This is from a draft I started on Friday. I thought it was worth posting even though it was last Friday.

I post this blog out of pure frustration of Isabella being a sick little girl. As I posted at the end of my previous blog, boogie started Monday afternoon with fever which we found progressed into Strep. She is a sick little girl. They prescribed meds for her earlier in the week but it's like the bacteria thinks it's candy. On top of that we've had a really bad experience this week with our pediatricians office. You see, Dee Gee, the normal nurse is only working on Saturdays. Everyone loved Dee Gee because she was a mom of young kids plus she was awesome. We were refered to this doctor by one of Karen's friends. Well, this week we encountered Nasty nurse. No compassion, rude to Karen, rude to me. Being first time parents we are not used to or are we aware of certian childhood illnesses. It got so bad that we were seriously considering looking for another doctor, even though we really like Dr. Deschamps. Well, just by chance Karen's friend was in the office yesterday and encountered the same rudeness from this nurse. She mentioned it to Dr. Deschamps and also threw us under the bus by saying, "and my friend Karen and her husband are thinking about leaving this office because of your nurse". Well, Karen got a phone call from Dr. Deschamps yesterday seeing how Boogie was doing and apologized for the poor treatment we received this week from the office nurse. We were impressed that the Doctor called herself and assured Karen that she would look further into this and take action.

So just keep boogie boo boo baby in your prayers. She's a trooper who even in her state of yuck is enduring.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND

2008-09-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a great weekend... 99.50% of it was the bomb diggity! Some of it was planned and some of it was done on the fly.

SATURDAY:

Karen and Bella had never been to Grant's Farm. For those of you not familiar with Grant's Farm, it is a 281 acre wildlife preserve owned by the Busch Family of Anheuser Busch. It received it's name because President Ulysses S. Grant fell in love with Julia Dent, the sister of one of his fellow corpse man. Grant met Julia while visiting his friend on the Dent's family farm. Julia's family owned the property that Grant's farm currently resides on. After marrying the two returned to the Farm and built a cabin on the property. That cabin can still be seen there. (seen below)

August Busch Sr. purchased the property from Grant in 1907. As a tribute to the men who risked their lives during the Civil War, Busch had a iron fence built around the front entrance of the farm made out of Civil War Riffle Barrels. Busch built a large mansion on the property and used this farm as the family's summer home. The location of the farm is probably 30 minutes by car from the brewery downtown. The family's main residence was located next to the brewery. It would be a day's travel by horse and carriage to travel to the farm. August Busch loved that his guests enjoyed this farm so much that he opened it up to the public to see and enjoy. To this day the Busch family still uses the home for entertaining and recreation.

You enter the farm via a tram that gives you a tour of the property. Because this is a wildlife refuge you see rare cows, deer, buffalo from all over the world. After the tour the tram drops you off at a spot where you can walk around and take in a bird show, feed baby goats, and many other exotic animals. In the center of the farm is what's called the Bauernhof, built in 1913, and was the first building constructed on the Busch family estate. Bauernhof is German for "farmstead."

Located in the Bauernhof are tables to enjoy a sampling of ABs many products both Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic. They also serve food if you choose. Also located inside the Bauernhof is Busch's prized collection of horse carriages along with stables that house many different breeds of horses, including, the world famous Clydesdales.

Bella enjoyed seeing all of the sites that Grant's Farm had to offer. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed the many sites the Bauernhof had to offer.

It was really cool afterwards because I got to take Karen and the baby to the first house I grew up in and the elementary school that I attended Kindergarten. This was only a couple miles from Grant's Farm.

SUNDAY:

Sunday we decided to get up early and go visit Grandma Dee Dee and Paw Paw Fred at their place up at Coffeen Lake in Illinois. Paw Paw has a 20 ft. Pontoon Boat so he took us out on the lake to see Eagles and Deer that sometimes can be seen around the lake. They spotted this spring an Eagle's Nest so he was hoping to show us the baby eagles. We didn't spot any near the nest but on the other end of the lake we think we saw a baby eagle perched on a tiny branch. None-the-less it was nice to be out on the water.

When we got back from our boat ride we walked down the road from their camp to this family that has a 3 acre fenced in pen where they raise white tail deer. Bella got to feed the deer crackers. I'm not sure if she was so thrilled to give up her cracker. I think she wanted to eat them.

Grandma and Paw Paw wanted us to stay for dinner but Boogie was getting tired so we opted to just go home. We had a great time!

MONDAY:

Monday we took Bella to the pool. We have several community pools in our area which we have never used in the three years we've lived in our house. Karen was worried about the baby and getting sun burned. We were very careful to keep her hat on and cover her in sunblock. She loved it! She had so much fun and we actually enjoyed ourselves too.

However, when we came home we put Bella down for a nap. Upon her waking up Karen noticed she was very warm. She took her temperature and as she suspected she had a 102 degree fever. So we gave her Baby Tylenol and watched her. Unfortunately, her temp spiked to almost 104 degrees. Needless to say we started to get concerned by yesterday morning when it was this high. Karen took into the doctor and poor boogie has strep. She's been a trooper but Mommy and Daddy have been so worried about her. She still has a temp today so we're hoping it runs it's course and she gets over it.

So as I said, the majority of our weekend was Fantastic!

Love Letter to My Mommy

2008-08-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Since my daddy let's me bang on the keyboard and he has started this blog for me I wanted to write a letter to my Mommy: (You will be amazed that a 10 mo. old can type, write, and express her feelings so well. Just Roll with me)

Dear Mommy:

I want to thank you for being my Mommy. I know at times it seems all I do is take from you and I don't thank you for all that you do for me. No one makes me laugh like you do, no one feeds me carrots as you, no one makes me laugh and jump when you yell, BOO!, I just want to thank you for all that you do.

I was born into this world to be chosen but it is you who I would of voted, to be my Mommy. You hold me tight when I'm trying to fight the sand man's arrival each night. You wipe my tears when I get scared, you put pretty bows in my hair, and you dress me like Bell Aire. You do all these things because you love me.

You are my best friend, you love to hold my hand, and it's because of these few things that you mean the world to me.

I can't thank you enough, for making my life the Best the World brings!

I LOVE YOU MAAA-MAAAA,

Isabella

CINDERELLA

2008-08-27T10:38:00.001-07:00

This post is extremely difficult. I've been debating which of my blogs I should even discuss this because of the heart wrenching matter. I've always aimed to keep Bella's blog as lighthearted and happy as possible. However, since the topic is about a Daddy's little girl I will make this post on Bella's Blog. I know Lesley http://lesleyworld.blogspot.com/ (sorry, I can never figure out out to insert links correctly) posted about this on her blog a few weeks ago. The topic is Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, losing their little girl,Maria Sue, in a freak accident at their home. Their Son Will Franklin ran her over in the family's driveway with their SUV. When Karen and I heard this our hearts just sunk. Whenever his song, Cinderella, came on the radio we would immediately change the station. It's just human of all of us to want to ask, WHY? Why would God allow a man on fire for Christ to be burden like this? HOW? How can the Chapman family even move on from this? I would ask myself these questions during their mourning period. When Lesley talked about the family being on Larry King, Karen and I were bummed that we missed it. One, I was so amazed that the family had the courage, strength, and heart to open themselves up to questioning that they knew was not going to be easy. I'm sure some of the questions had to smart to a still healing heart.

Well, yesterday and today, Steven Curtis was on Focus on the Family, with Dr. James Dobson. I was so impressed and strengthen by him. Like the verse goes, Iron sharpens Iron. What I appreciated about Steven going on the air with Dr. Dobson was he kept it real. He just didn't sit there and go, "Well, God turns all things for good", "God has a plan and a purpose". No, while he knows those statements are true and are biblical, he opened his heart to what he was really feeling. He shared a statement that his wife, Mary Beth, made after the Good Morning America interview. She said, "I know our story will strengthen other people. I know God will turn this for good. But, I don't care. I want my baby back. I miss her everyday". Here is a woman who stands on God's word but is still human. Still hurts. Steven commented on himself. He told Mary Beth after this tragedy that he knows one song he won't ever be able to sing. That being Cinderella. He wrote this song a couple months before Maria Sue was taken from them. There is a line in the song that says, "and the clock struck 12 and she was gone". He said, one, it's just too painful for him to sing that song, two, he knows how hard it will be for people to listen to that song and to that verse. However, he was performing again in July and was singing the song before Cinderella in his "normal" set. The song was, I will be here. On stage he was thinking, you know if I truly believe God's promises then Cinderella is not a sad song. I know one day I will get to dance with her again. He's right. All the why, what, how will all be answered one day in heaven. I thought I would post the lyrics to Cinderella if you don't know them:

CINDERELLA LYRICS

She spins and she sways to whatever song plays,
Without a care in the world.
And I'm sittin' here wearin' the weight of the world on my shoulders.
It's been a long day and there's still work to do,
She's pulling at me saying "Dad I need you!
There's a ball at the castle and I've been invited and I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy, please!"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song,
Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says "Dad, the prom is just one week away,
And I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy, please!"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song,
Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
She will be gone.

Well, she came home today
With a ring on her hand
Just glowin' and tellin' us all they had planned
She says "Dad, the wedding's still six months away
but I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy please!"

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song,
(even one song)
Cuz all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

I write this post because I can't even allow myself to think about this happening to us. One hand, I'm just in awe of the Chapman's for having the strength they have and on the other the realness of their lives, emotions, and know they battle each day with the heartache of losing Maria Sue. He sung Cinderella on the air today. What I found to be awesome is he changed the last verse of the song to, "and the Dance will go on!" Totally Beautiful.

Karen and I had a chance to be volunteers at a Winter Jam Concert here in St Louis. Steven and his two sons, Will and Caleb, performed with him. Their band, The Following, performed as backup to Steven. We were right by the stage and this man and his family are the same inside and out. Maria Sue was there and he brought her out on stage. These are the people you should ask yourself, "How can I walk this walk for God like them" You see, they don't proclaim perfection, just an honest, walking this out, the best they can, with a heart of Christ to what God has called us all to be- Messengers of the Message.

Steven said today, "Don't hold on to what was or what might be". Cherish these true gifts from God. Because none of us including our children know when God will call us home. So I encourage each of you to cherish your children and the children in your lives. Hold them, talk to them, spend time with them because the laundry and work will always be there. Our Angels have no guarantees!

So in closing, I just ask that each of you keep the Chapmans in prayer and hug those babies big and small!

Have a great day!

Home Run Girl.....

2008-08-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here is an outfit Karen has been waiting anxiously for Bella to fit in. Thanks to Uncle Kevin, a friend of Karen's from New York, who sent this to her.

Several people have commented on Bella's first baseball game pic. Boogie enjoyed the first couple innings of the game but since the game fell within her bedtime she quickly turned into Take Me Home Bella. She is anxiously waiting for her next game which I feel will go a lot better.

Karen and I love baseball so we hope Bella develops the same love for the game.

I hope you enjoy the cracker jack girl and her Yankee's debut. Have a great day!

Bella's Summer 2008...

2008-08-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

Well, miracles do happen. The reason for not a lot of action on Boogie's blog is our camera has not been uploading pics to our computer. I feel her life can be expressed better with a picture than words. Well, over the weekend Karen tried again to connect the camera and WA LAAAA! we were able to upload the pics. It's been a great summer for Bella. I thought I would take this post and just do a photo journal of what's been happening with her this summer:

Days at the Pool:

Bella Tasting some of Daddy's Garden:

Bella Eating a Teething Cracker:

Bella loving her chair and sitting up like a big girl:

Bella up close and personal:

Bella this summer at a Christian Fair at Shenadoah Ranch, West Monroe, MO:This was a very interesting day. What I thought was a 30 minute trip turned into an hour and a half adventure out to the middle of no where. We entered the gates of the ranch via a dusty gravel road only to find out we had to drive our car through a creek to get to where the fair was being held. Thinking about all the flooding we had this past spring and summer I was a bit nervous getting to the other side and the creek rising and not getting back. It turned out to be a nice day. HOT! but nice. Here are a couple pics of Bella enjoying the petting zoo.

Take Bella out to the Ballgame.
Here is boogie at her first Cardinals game. Her car ride to the game and a pic with Mommy, Daddy,Grandma Dee, and Paw Paw Fred:

When Paw Paw Fred and Grandma came over to BBQ with Bella:

Bella so tired she had to go nite nite:

That was a quick overview of Bella and her summer fun! Everyone have a great day.

Outside Boogies World

2008-08-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, quick update on Bella. She's great. Now, on to why I'm posting. Joking, sort of. Bella truly is doing wonderful. Everyday I think how can this cutie pie bring more joy to our lives and everyday she surprises me and does. Truly amazing. Anyway, some may think I'm loony since I can't keep up with one blog but I just wanted to make a quick note, to let you all know that I've created a separate blog for my random thoughts and life. Nothing has changed on this blog. I will still blog here. I wanted to keep this strictly about Bella and it will stay that way. However, there are times where I want to discuss or post about other things on my mind. So anyway, if you so choose the link to my other blog can be found under my profile or by going to http://blessedmorethanideserve.blogspot.com/ . Have a great day!

Bella's Beau

2008-08-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Words can not explain the cuteness of what I am about to tell you. (The above pic is the best representation of Bella and her new boyfriend). You see, it all started a few weeks ago. Karen had told me this one day and my reaction was, "yuck!". However, when I went home that night and witnessed this for myself I darn near wet myself. You see, my male pug, Bailey, and Bella have a love affair. Bailey is an overly affectionate dog who loves to give kisses. He's my buddy and he was our first Baby before we got our zoo of animals and Bella. We were fearful that our two dogs would be jealous of the baby. It is the complete opposite. They Love her, especially Bailey, which leads me into my story. Bailey loves to sit by, lay by, and if we let him lay on top of Bella. So a few weeks back Bella started grabbing Bailey by his saggy, loose lips and licking his face which Bailey graciously returned back to Bella. So these two sit there and lick each other's face. It might sound gross but it is so adorable.

We also affectionately refer to Bailey as Donkey. You see, we have a female pug named Mina or Minnie as we like to call her. Her and Bailey are inseparable. She is definitely the dominate one in the relationship so sometimes she tries to hug Bailey if you know what I mean. Bailey got tired of this and one day I witnessed him Donkey kick her. So Donkey has stuck ever since. I never thought I would be attached to a dog but Pugs are a breed like no other.

So it's been fun watching Bella have so much fun with Bailey. If she ever gets upset it's the animals that can calm her down. They are very therapeutic for her. Bella loves her some Bailey!

Have a great day!

Life of a Teething Queen...

2008-08-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

I know I keep posting this but this is our life right now. We got a real taste of the teething terrors yesterday. I have to say, up to this point we've done pretty well with teething or I should say Bella has. Well, yesterday we went to church. Karen had met this girl whose husband is an associate pastor at a Baptist Church by our house. Since it was storming really bad yesterday we opted to visit them since it was so close to home. Our church is about 40 minutes away from our house. The church was nice and the people were incredibly friendly. A small Baptist Church with your traditional Southern Baptist Preacher. It was a good word. Timely too! Anyway, since it was such a small church and you'd be noticed if you coughed Karen decided to try the Nursery. I think we both got the hint when everyone who greeted us before the service said, "If you need to the nursery is down that hall". The average age at this church was 70 so it wasn't a very tolerant church for babies making noise. I found it interesting that Karen's friend Amber and her husband would be pastors at this church since they are so young and the congreation like I said was older. I guess God has called them to this church for a reason. Man, I must have ADD today because I can't stay on point about Bella. Anyway, we were both nervous to put her in a strange church's nursery since we had really bad results at our church. Well, Boogie did great! She played, she let the lady feed her a bottle, and she even fell asleep on the the nursery lady's lap. That was a milestone. So we came home and I decided to tackle the yard. You see, while we were gone last week and storm came through and broke a huge branch way up in our Sweet Gum tree. I had stripped the branches down to the 6 inch in diameter branch and my one neighbor let me borrow his chain saw. So I was cleaning that up and mowing too. After I'm about done I see Karen coming out to the front porch with Boogie. I could tell neither one was too happy. Boogie woke up screaming and Karen could not get her to calm down. So I finished up and I went inside to help Karen out. Nothing we did helped. It breaks your heart because Bella has this heart breaking little wimper when she's upset. So Karen told me to take a shower because we hadn't had dinner and she wanted me to cook. So I came out of the shower expecting a scream fest. To my surprise all was quiet. Well, I knew it was too good to be true. Shortly after I hear her screaming again. Finally, I had the brainy idea to put on Veggie Tales. This kid goes nuts for Veggie Tales. She has this one particular one that is her favorite. Waaa La! it worked. She sat on my lap and was fixated on Veggie Tales. So I went and cooked dinner and she was doing well on Momma's lap. Well, it was 7pm and Bella still hadn't had dinner. Karen tried previously to this to give her a bottle and food but she refused. Since we were approaching her bed time we pulled her from the TV and brought her in the kitchen. She wasn't happy! but she was hungry so she was willing to compromise. She ate a little but not her normal meal. She stayed cranky for a little while longer and then Karen fed her a bottle while they watched Veggie Tales. She was good and she finally allowed Karen to put her in her crib to fall asleep. Took a while but she finally fell asleep. Then I found myself out at the BBQ singing in my head, "If you like to talk to Tomatoes, if Cauliflower makes you smile, have we got a show for you... VEEEEEGIE TALESSSS, VEGGGIIIEEETALES.." It's darn near impossible to get that song out of your head. It's as bad as the one Veggie Tales, "God is Bigger than the Boogie Man". That song will go on for days in my head. Anyway, Boogie had a wellness check up this morning and the doctor said she is doing great, Mommy is doing everything great so we are pleased.

Have a great day!

No Camera, Some Lights, and a Bunch of Action!

2008-07-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I do apologize for not blogging regularly. I think it's been almost two weeks. I think my one devoted fan has all but given up on me. I know this is a lame excuse but we are having problems with uploading pics from our camera. Bella's life is way more interesting in pictures than my silly attempt at trying to explain it. However, due to some subtle and some not so subtle hints for me to blog I will do my best at updating you, painting the details of my boogies doings as best as I know how. So here goes!

Teething- This is one of those things you start to wonder God's plan for allowing a baby's teeth to come in one at a time. In my opinion, for everyone's sanity it would be great if one day your baby was toothless as a Des Allemands Prom Queen and the next have a full set of chompers. I mean really, why drag it out? I guess I know why. It's the Cuteness factor. Boogie has these two little teeth on her bottom gum. When she smiles or laughs it is the cutest thing. I guess it sort of makes all the drooling and baby orajel worth it.

Bonding - We took a trip this past weekend to Indianapolis, IN. Just a few days away! It was about a four and half hour road trip. I really don't like driving anymore but I have to say Bella was great. It was a time to take Bella away from her daily routine and let her enjoy Mommy and Daddy. She really acted like she was on vacation. More importantly, something that was not planned but an observation that I made was a stronger bond between Karen and Bella. What I mean is, Bella is with Karen 24/7. So Bella and K like most babies and their mommies get into a daily habit of child/parent roles. This weekend, while driving, Bella and K spent a lot of time together in the backseat. They played, laughed, and K talked to her instead of having to tell her to eat her cereal, don't touch that, or worrying if Bella was on schedule to eat or take naps. I really noticed the effect of this when we got home last night. She kept calling for Momma. There was just a subtle change in their relationship and it was awesome to see.

Swimming - Karen had taken Bella to the pool about a month ago. From what K told me is you would of thought she was going to dunk Bella in a vat of hot oil. She wanted nothing to do with the water. Well, since then we have set up a baby pool in our backyard. Karen was taking her out there everyday to allow her to splash and play. So this weekend while we were at the hotel I decided to take her to the pool. I figured we wouldn't be out there long. At first, she acted like she wasn't all that thrilled of the pool. I slowly let her feet touch the water and then we sat on the steps going into the pool. Before long she was splashing and squeeling. She had so much fun playing. Then I held her in the water and she started kicking. The kid has some major leg strength. She really is going to be a swimmer!

Tender Heart- One thing that I am starting to notice in Bella is a genuine sense of concern for people. What I mean is I've noticed when she sees people crying whether in real life or on TV she shows this sense of concern. When she sees it she'll turn to me or Karen with this worried look on her face. It's also very touching to see her take Karen's face in both of her hands and kiss her. It's very endearing. Karen and I have caught a couple episodes of this show called, Take Home Nanny. My stomach turns at these people with out of control children. What I like about this show is her technique and solid principles of child behavior. Bella is a sweet, gentle, funny, baby but one thing she has is a very strong will. When she sets her mind on something she sticks with it until she achieves it. That's good but also can be bad too. That show pointed out a few behaviors that we have witnessed in Bella. Not to say we are wanting to change her but it brings to light things to pay close attention to that if not kept in check can develop into problems down the road. We both learned from this show. I normally don't put much stock into shows like Super Nanny or anything you get from TV. However, this show really impressed me.

So Bella turned nine months on Monday. It's so hard to believe our pinkie pie is knocking on the Big 0-1. We make it a point to cherish everyday with her. If we allow ourselves to get caught up in the diaper changes, messy faces, then we would miss a lot of the little things this Angel from Heaven has brought to our lives.

Happy Wednesday!!!!

Splish Splash.....

2008-07-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it's been about a week since I posted and I've been getting the stink eye from my 1 devoted reader. Well, actually, I got 2 now and he thought there was something wrong with his computer since it kept showing the same information. I got the hint. That would be my dad. Bella loves her Paw Paw Fred!

Not much to report except Malibu Bella has been having a really fun summer playing in her pool. Once I figure out why our computer isn't uploading pics from our camera I will post some action shots of Boogie.

I can't wait till this weekend so I can see my Olympic hopeful in action. This girl has some strong legs that I know she'll be a great swimmer.

She looks like such a babe in her Baby Bikini. I will definitely get pics up once they are available.

and in the words of my nutty neighbor, Jerry, You have a good day or good night, which ever pertains to you!

Peace!

July 4th Weekend

2008-07-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

July 4th is one of my favorite holidays. It's that weekend where here in St. Louis it's usually HOT to where it really makes you think, ahhhhhh, summer is here. It's also a cool holiday for us guys because it's a time when we get to blow things up using things that teeter on illegal. It just makes you feel like summer.

Friday, Karen and I got up with the mission of going downtown to our Farmer's Market, Soulard Market, to get vegetables and fruits. It's a place where local farmers bring their goods to sell. I love open markets and with the cost of groceries it's also a great place to get good deals. Well, not thinking that it would be closed because of the holiday we got down there to find that most of the market was closed. However, all was not lost. St. Louis every year has a big fair called "The Fair of St. Louis" where they have performers, food, and fireworks. Well, if you haven't read the Mississippi is over it's banks in most of the Midwest and St. Louis being a river town has flooding along the river road, Wharf Street. This is the main road for food vendors and activities for the fair. So, Karen, Bella, and I parked and walked to Lacledes Landing. It's an area up from the river where they have restaurants and bars. Usually in St. Louis during July it is extremely hot and humid. Surprisingly enough there was little humidity and the temperature Friday was around 75 degrees. It was awesome. So we found a table outside Hennegans Bar and Restaurant and sat there and had a drink. A lot of people walking up and down the street, music, and food from all the restaurants made for an entertaining time. We sat and struck up a conversation with a couple that live in the city. I honestly thought they were going to be snobbish because they both had matching designer glasses and their conversations amongst themselves was about vacations in exotic locations. I'm really working hard on not prejudging people or judging them at all. However, when you have a baby it's hard for anyone not to be friendly to you. When this couple saw Bella they just lit up and kept commenting what a beautiful baby. They were in with me. Love my baby and your my friend for life! So we chatted with them. He was an investment banker in downtown and she worked for Sacs Fifth Ave. I just cracked up because they were so down to earth even though they had matching designer glasses. Ok, I'll try to get over it. It just was a good lesson for me not to judge a book by it's cover. Even if that book has Armani, Guchi, Big Bad Bling, type glasses on it.. ok, I'm stopping, I'm stopping.

So Karen and I wanted to walk around to see if anything was happening up by the Arch. Not a thing. This truly was the least amount of people I've ever seen downtown for the fair. The flooding really made an impact. So we walked back down by Lacledes Landing to check out some of the other side streets. By this time princess boogie was exhausted and fell asleep. My wife spotted people with Big Beers and we were on a mission to find them. So we walked down another street and when we turned the corner it looked like Cub Nation. You see the Cardinals are playing a three game series with the Chicago Cubs here in St. Louis. If you don't know that is one of the biggest rivalries for the Cards. It's a lot of fun because Chicago and St. Louis fans aren't jerky about the rivalry. So it was down this street that my wife spotted a booth with 32 oz. Beers. So we got a couple and sat against one of the buildings to listen to some music and enjoy the crowds walking up and down the street. Well, eventually Bella woke up and Karen picked her up out of her stroller. She looked around like, "Where are we?" I think she looked at me, looked at mommy, saw that we were sitting up against a building and went, "Oh crap, we're homeless!". I have to say with her being sick all week Friday was a joy. Bella was in such a great mood. She was a trooper the whole day we were gone. she really enjoyed herself and for it being an unplanned, spontaneous day, it turned out to be some of the most fun we all had in a long time.

Yesterday, we went to my sister Jane's house. They just built a new home and finally moved in a week ago. I loved their other house they built but this one is absolutely gorgeous. We had a great time and spent it with my brother-in-law Jimmy's family. I'm really close to my brother-in-law and his brothers so I always look forward to getting together with them. That is usually during the 4th of July. The 4th is a bigger holiday than any other for my brother-in-law's family. We couldn't stay because of the baby but they went out and bought enough fireworks to light up St. Louis. K and I both were bummed that we couldn't stay because Jane and Jim really put on a great spread and make you feel so comfortable and relaxed at their home. Karen and I love them and Jim's family as much as our own families.

Today, Sunday, we are planning to go to the Christian Freedom Fair. I've never heard of it until Friday when I was looking online for things to do this weekend and came across it. www.stlfreedomfair.org . It's being held at a Missions Camp outside of town. There will be food, rides, petting zoo, and a lot more. We're excited to check it out.

I hope everyone had a safe Holiday and each give thanks for the freedoms we have because of Men hundreds of years ago decide to fight for religious freedoms, for independence from tyranny, and put their lives and fortunes on the line so we could be FREE! In God We Trust that we will not take this for granted and continue to fight for the greatest country on earth.

Have a great day!

Boogie Nights

2008-07-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

It's amazing when you're new parents how aware you are of your baby's habits. Sunday morning we got up and Bella was her usual happy self. Karen put her down for a nap before we went to church. She normally will sleep for an hour on a good day. Well, one hour turned into an hour and half, almost two hours. We've learned the old saying, "Don't wake a sleep baby!" We tried to let her sleep as much as she could and we just figured we'd be late for church. Well, we eventually had to wake her up. Karen and I both commented how unusual it was for her sleep that long. We should listen to ourselves. Well, we head off to church and boogie is just very mellow. We are also trying to acclimate her into the nursery at church. Our two times doing this haven't been all that successful. This past Sunday was our second attempt and about 15 minutes into worship Bella's number flashes up on the board. So Karen goes over and she had gotten so upset she threw up. Karen came back with Bella and they sat behind us so not to disturb our row. Next thing I know Karen is gone. I figured Bella needed a bottle or a change. Well, Karen came back and motioned for me to come with her outside in the lobby. She said, "I think Bella is sick!". She was right. I took one look at her eyes and you could tell Pinky Pie was not feeling good. So we got in the car and headed home. From that point on Karen and I did the Boogie Shuffle, the Boogie Bounce, the Boogie hop on one foot, and a bag full of other tricks trying to comfort and rock her to sleep. The girl was just plain miserable. She was obviously exhausted but yet we couldn't lay her in her crib or she would hysterically start crying. Finally we got her to fall asleep after giving her Tylenol and a shot of Maker's Mark. Joking, just wanted to make sure my 1 devoted reader was paying attention. We did give her Tylenol and she fell asleep. Next day, was round 2. Karen called me upset because she couldn't calm her down and she had to take boogie to the doctor. Well, turns out Bella had an ear infection. Good news is we figured out why she was screaming. Her poor little ears hurt and also our local grocery store gives away free antibiotics. So we didn't have to pay for her medication. So we were hopeful that she'd be feeling better in a day. Well, last night I had a meeting and Karen calls me right when it was over. She was frazzled because Bella had not stopped screaming for almost an hour. Nothing she did would sooth her. I could tell we had our work cut out for us when I got home. Sure enough I walk in the door and I encountered a miserable feeling little girl and a wife who was trying to figure out how to hook up an IV of budlight. So I took Bella from her and nothing I was doing was working either. As a parent your stomach churns thinking something worse than an earache is wrong. Finally, I believe out of pure exhaustion she started to calm down and I held her until she fell asleep. I put her in her crib and slowly snuck out of her room praying the entire way she wouldn't start screaming again. My prayers were answered and she stayed sleeping. I found Karen in the living room debating whether to take Valium or use the turkey injector to deliver 500 cc of budlight to her system. The girl was frazzled and I could understand why. Bella doesn't cry like a normal baby. She cries angry. She gets herself so worked up she chokes and gags. It's scary and breaks your heart at the same time.

Good news is she woke this morning in a much better mood. Please pray for us that God answers our prayers and heals her quickly and completely.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

She Calls me Daaa... D

2008-06-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well, my little Yetta above, amazed me once again. Last night I worked a little late and was very suprised that boogie was still awake when I got home. Well, we needed a few things from the store so Karen said, "Spend some time with Bella before she goes to bed I'll run to the store". Well, I was hoping to feed her a bottle, talking with her for bit, and have her fall asleep since it was past her bed time. What time that is I'm really not sure but it was getting late. After I fed her the bottle she popped up and started mouthing words. She looked like a low budget Asian film. The mouth was moving but no words. Then all of sudden I hear, Daa-Deeee, Daaaa-Deeee, Dad, Dad, Dad. Of course, I got on the phone and called Karen to tell her the news. Needless to say I wasn't believed by my lovely wife. Jealousy is such an ugly thang! She stated, "Some women want to believe they are pregnant so bad their body starts to react to make them look pregnant. I believe that's what's happening to you?" Was she talking about my gut making me look like I'm pregnant or is she saying I have wishful thinking about hearing daddy? Hmmmmmmm...

Anyway, My Boogie calls me .. Daaaaa Da! and I'm sticking to it!

Have a wonderful Tuesday.

My Baby's Mother Earth

2008-06-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

This post is in thanks to the research of my Wife, Green Peace extraordinaire, Free Cycle Supporter, reducing her carbon footprint, K-lo.

When K told me a couple weeks ago that she wanted to switch Bella to cloth diapers I honestly had visions of stinky diaper pales and me sticking my thumbs with safety pins. Whoever coined that term needs their head examined. There is nothing safe about them. Anyway, I really wasn't all that excited. I just wasn't on the same page as her.

K explained to me how many diapers go into our landfills. I could understand this. If you take Boogie alone at 8 diapers a day times 365 for the next 3 years that's 8760 just produced by princess peealot. Imagine how many babies are in this country alone? They estimate that 27.4 Billion Diapers are used each year. That produces 3.4 million tons of diapers ending up in landfills.

Besides taking care of our Earth Karen really got my attention on how much money we would save. Karen researched that we would spend about $2000 in diapers for Bella if we used disposable. If we switch and invest in Cloth Diapers we'll only spend about $200. So she was making progress on me.

I honestly still had visions of back in the day of cloth diapers. Let me tell you, we got a few delivered this week and they are really cool. Below is a picture of one of the Cadillacs of Diapers. This is from a company called Bum Genius:

They look basically like a disposable but have Velcro straps instead of adhesive ones and they are so much nicer. They keep boogies bum a lot drier which helps protect against rashes and other stuff. If your baby has full figured thighs like ours these diapers are adjustable.

What's great too, and we will be getting one soon, is you can get a spray nozzle attachment for your toilet. So it makes it a lot easier for clean up purposes. You then throw them in a Wet Bag waiting for the laundry.

So Boogie can not only be a lot more comfortable she can help reduce her Carbon Footprint. However, I think she's taking this All Natural thing a bit too far. She's got something against man made materials and I found her enjoying being naked way too much! That's my GIRL!

Have a Great Weekend.

GROWTH!!!!

2008-06-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

Spring is a time when things are in bloom! In our area you are seeing the bunnies born in April growing and starting to venture out on their own. It's also been a time of a lot of rain and unfortunate flooding in our area. Well, our little bunny is growing too! Boogie this past week had to be bumped up to the next levels in her exersaucer and her jumparoo. One day she's bouncing perfectly and the next she looks like a fifth grader on the baby swings. The girl is getting so tall. On top of this she is sprouting a noticeable tooth on her bottom gum in the front. I'm ordering cement blocks today to strap to her head so she can't grow anymore.

Karen got me a really cool Father's Day Gift. She bought me a book by Robert Wolgemuth called, She Calls Me Daddy. Karen told me Robert was a guest on Focus on the Family with Dr. James Dobson. I started reading it Sunday. It is an awesome book. This little girl doesn't have a chance and I feel worse for the little boys who want to date her. Karen is reading a book by Dr. Dobson called, Parenting isn't for cowards. It's basically a book that encourages and instructs parents who have done basically everything right yet their kids turn out to be a challenge or worse rotten. I can't wait to read it when she's done. Now, while on the topic of good books. There is a counterpart to the book I'm reading by Dr Dobson called Bringing up Boys. This book, along with Wild at Heart are a must have instruction book if you have little boys, big boys, or men in your life. Men are loners by nature and are afraid to talk to each other about our feelings. Wild at Heart, especially for us big boys, gives every man a sense of purpose, some relief on issues in our lives, and just a good encouraging book. Must Read! It's also a good book for wives and hopeful wives to read to help understand men. My lovely wife is a lover of books. Me? I used to hate to read until I realized what wonderful stuff is out there! So I am so grateful for my beautiful wife making my father's day so special and being instrumental in my personal growth.

So Happy Tuesday!

BELLA'S NEW COUSIN...

2008-06-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Well, if we are not in the midst of another Baby Boom I will be suprised. Everday I hear of a New Birth Announcement. I want to announce and welcome Baby John Paul, as I've affectionately named Pope, to the World. Karen's sister Angela gave birth today to her second child and second son. Watch out Central Florida because these two young guys are going to be very popular with the ladies. My sister-in-law makes some good looking babies! Congratulations to Angela and her husband Paul for another added blessing to the Family.

Princess WinterFall SummerSpring

2008-06-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Besides Bella's story of coming into our life there is another very interesting aspect to her. Bella comes from many different cultures-Irish, German, Arab, but I think one of the most interesting is the fact that she is 1/16th Cherokee Indian. What's cool about this is she is eligible for Health Care and Scholarships through the Cherokee Nation. I thought in this post I would pay tribute to our little Pocahantus by posting a kids question and answer page I found on the Net.

(There is one aspect of her being Cherokee that almost derailed our Adoption process. In those crazy two weeks back in October/November when we sat down with our attorney he asked if Bella had any Native American blood. We really didn't know a lot but we said no. Our attorney said, yeah, it's unlikely but I had to ask. Well, during questioning of the birth father by his attorney he stated that yes, he was 1/8th Cherokee. We find out about this the day we went to court to gain guardianship and terminate the birth parents rights. My lawyer, along with us, nearly freaked. The reason why this is such a big deal is under Federal Law a Tribe can take possession of a baby given up for adoption. Well, my lawyer and the Judge researched it and that only holds true if the parent(s) who are part of the tribe do not willing give the child up for adoption then their tribe can step in and take the baby. Since the birth father willing terminated his parental rights then we had nothing to worry about.)

So here are few facts about the Cherokee Tribe:

How do you pronounce the word "Cherokee"? What does it mean?
It's pronounced "CHAIR-uh-kee." It comes from a Muskogee word meaning 'speakers of another language.' Cherokee Indians originally called themselves Aniyunwiya, "the principal people," but today they accept the name Cherokee, which is spelled and pronounced Tsalagi in their own language.

Where do the Cherokee Indians live?
The Cherokees are original residents of the American southeast region, particularly Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Most Cherokees were forced to and move to Oklahoma in the 1800's along the Trail of Tears. Descendants of the Cherokee Indians who survived this death march still live in Oklahoma today. Some Cherokees escaped the Trail of Tears by hiding in the Appalachian hills or taking shelter with sympathetic white neighbors. The descendants of these people live scattered throughout the original Cherokee Indian homelands.

What was the Cherokee Trail of Tears?
Trail of Tears was the Cherokee name for what the Americans called Indian Removal. During the 1800's, the US government created an "Indian Territory" in Oklahoma and sent all the eastern Native American tribes to live there. Some tribes willingly agreed to this plan. Other tribes didn't want to go, and the American army forced them. The Cherokee tribe was one of the largest eastern tribes, and they didn't want to leave their homeland. The Cherokees were peaceful allies of the Americans, so they asked the Supreme Court for help. The judges decided the Cherokee Indians could stay in their homes. But the President, Andrew Jackson, sent the army to march the Cherokees to Oklahoma anyway. They weren't prepared for the journey, and it was winter time. Thousands of Cherokee Indians died on the Trail of Tears. Many Native Americans from other tribes died too. It was a terrible time in history.

How is the Cherokee Indian nation organized?
There are three federally recognized Cherokee tribes: the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma(tribe Bella is associated with) , the United Keetoowah Band in Oklahoma, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee in North Carolina. Other Cherokee communities in Alabama, Georgia, and other states are considered unofficial by the US government. The Eastern Cherokee people live on a reservation. Indian reservations are lands that belong to Native American tribes and are under their control. The Oklahoma Cherokee people live on trust land, though many Cherokees call it a reservation anyway. The Keetowah Cherokee do not have a land base. Each Cherokee tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, Cherokee Indians are also US citizens and must obey American law.

In the past, each Cherokee band was led by one war chief and one peace chief. Cherokee chiefs were chosen by a tribal council. Cherokee war chiefs were male, but the peace chief could be a woman. Today, Cherokee tribal councils and chiefs can be either gender and are popularly elected, like senators and governors.

What language do the Cherokees speak?
Most Cherokee people speak English today, but 20,000 people also speak the Cherokee Indian language. Cherokee is a complex language with soft sounds. If you'd like to know a few easy Cherokee words, "osiyo" (pronounced oh-see-yoh) is a friendly greeting, and "wado" (pronounced wah-doh) means 'thank you.' You can hear Cherokee being spoken here, or read a Cherokee picture glossary here.

The Cherokee language has an innovative writing system that was invented by the Cherokee scholar Sequoyah. Sequoyah's writing system is a syllabary. That means one character represents each syllable. (Another language that uses a syllabary today is Japanese.) Here is a picture of the written Cherokee language. Today, many Cherokee people use a modified English alphabet instead of the syllabary Sequoyah invented, because it is easier to type.

How do Cherokee Indian children live?
They do the same things all children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Cherokee children enjoy hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Cherokee kids had more chores and less time to play, just like colonial children. But they did have dolls, toys, and games to play. In one popular game, Cherokee kids tried to throw a dart through a moving hoop. Lacrosse was a popular sport among Cherokee teenagers and adult men. Like many Native Americans, Cherokee mothers traditionally carried babies in cradleboards on their backs--a custom which many American parents have adopted now.

What were men and women's roles in the Cherokee tribe?
Like their distant cousins the Iroquois, the Cherokee Indians had an even division of power between men and women. Cherokee men were in charge of hunting, war, and diplomacy. Cherokee women were in charge of farming, property, and family. Men made political decisions for the tribe, and women made social decisions for the clans. Chiefs were men, and landowners were women.

Today, Cherokee gender role traditions have changed. Cherokee women can be chiefs also... and Cherokee men are sometimes farmers. However, modern Cherokee people still trace clan relationships through their mothers.

What were Cherokee homes like?
The Cherokee Indians lived in settled villages, usually located near a river. Cherokee houses were made of rivercane and plaster, with thatched roofs. These dwellings were about as strong and warm as log cabins. Here are some pictures of Native American houses like the ones Cherokee Indians used. The Cherokees also built larger seven-sided buildings for ceremonial purposes, and each village usually had a lacrosse field with benches for spectators. Many Cherokee villages had palisades (reinforced walls) around them for protection. Today, Cherokee families live in a modern house or apartment building, just like you.

What was Cherokee clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint?
Cherokee men wore breechcloths and leggings. Cherokee women wore wraparound skirts and poncho-style blouses made out of woven fiber or deerskin. The Cherokees wore moccasins on their feet. After colonization, Cherokee Indians adapted European costume into a characteristic style, including long braided or beaded jackets, cotton blouses and full skirts decorated with ribbon applique, feathered turbans, and the calico tear dress. Here are pictures of Cherokee clothing and photographs of traditional Native American clothing in general.

The Cherokees didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Cherokee men usually shaved their heads except for a single scalplock. Sometimes they would also wear a porcupine roach. Cherokee women always wore their hair long, cutting it only in mourning for a family member. Men decorated their faces and bodies with tribal tattoo art and also painted themselves bright colors in times of war. Unlike some tribes, Cherokee women didn't paint themselves or wear tattoos, but they often wore bead necklaces and copper armbands.

Today, some Cherokee people still wear moccasins or a ribbon shirt, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths... and only wear roaches and feathers on special occasions like a dance.

What was early Cherokee transportation like? Did they paddle canoes?
Yes--the Cherokee Indians used to make long dugout canoes from hollowed-out logs. Over land, the Cherokees used dogs as pack animals. There were no horses in North America until colonists brought them over from Europe. Today, of course, Cherokee people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

What was Cherokee food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Cherokees were farming people. Cherokee women harvested crops of corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers. They also gathered berries, nuts and fruit to eat. Cherokee men hunted deer, wild turkeys, and small game and fished in the rivers. Cherokee dishes included cornbread, soups, and stews cooked on stone hearths. Here is a website with some Cherokee recipes you can try out for yourself!

What were some Cherokee weapons and artifacts?
Cherokee hunters used bows and arrows or blowguns to shoot game. Fishermen generally used spears and fishing poles. Warriors fired arrows or fought with a melee weapon like a tomahawk or spear. Other important tools used by the Cherokee Indians included stone adzes (hand axes for woodworking), flint knives for skinning animals, wooden hoes for farming, and pots and baskets for storing corn.

What are Cherokee arts and crafts?
Traditional Cherokee art included pipe carving, rivercane baskets, gourd art, and pottery. After moving to Oklahoma, the Cherokees couldn't get the materials they used to use for traditional crafts, so they concentrated on other crafts like beadwork and textile arts. Here are photographs of beautiful beaded Cherokee bandolier bags, and a Cherokee artifact display from North Carolina.

What other Native Americans did the Cherokee tribe interact with?
The Cherokee Indians traded regularly with other southeastern Native Americans, who especially liked to make trades for high-quality Cherokee pipes and pottery. The Cherokees often fought with their neighbors the Creeks, Chickasaws, and Shawnees, but other times, they were friends and allies of those tribes.

I read that the Cherokee were part of the Five Civilized Tribes. Was that an alliance like the Iroquois Confederacy?
No. Many people guess this, but it isn't true. "The Five Civilized Tribes" was just a name that the white settlers used to refer to the Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, and Cherokee tribes of the Southeast. These five tribes were never part of an alliance together, and they did not call themselves the Civilized Tribes in their own languages. Originally, the white settlers probably called them this because these five tribes were early converts to Christianity. They were also farmers who lived in settled towns under sophisticated government systems, which Europeans and early Americans considered more higher civilization achievements than independent bands of hunters who moved from place to place. However, there were dozens of other Native American tribes who also led farming lifestyles, not just these five.

What kinds of stories do the Cherokees tell?
There are many traditional Cherokee legends and fairy tales. Story-telling is very important to the Cherokee Indian culture. Here is a Cherokee legend about the origin of strawberries.

What about Cherokee religion?
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about Cherokee ceremonies or this site about American Indian spirituality in general.

Who are some famous Cherokee Indians?
One of the best-known people in Cherokee history was Sequoyah. Sequoyah was a very brilliant man. Although he did not know how to read or write in any other language, he succeeded in inventing a writing system for Cherokee that is still used today. A famous Cherokee Indian from modern times is Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to be Principal Chief of the Cherokee tribe.

BOOGIE GIRL

2008-06-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

My lovely wife reminded me that this blog was set up for our little boogie girl and not for my other thoughts. (I am so excited to know she is reading this blog and actually noticed I got off course.. yippeee. I have 1 dedicated reader) So for now, I will try to keep the topic strictly on Boogie.

Boogie- a name I put on her since the day she came into our lives. Honestly, if she could talk she would say, "Daddy, quit calling me that!" but until then she has to suffer with being labeled my little boogie.

I also call her boogie because she does this little squirm thing that makes her look like she's dancing. So it's been pretty easy to make the name stick.

Bella is doing sooooooo good. It's amazing each day how much she's developing. She had her third Parents as Teachers session yesterday. It's a program through our school district that has a representative come out to your house and evaluate your child or children to see how they are developing and to offer any help in areas needed. The lady has been really impressed with Bella's progress. Before I left for work yesterday I told her to not be nervous, eat a good breakfast, and relax. She looked up from watching Sesame Street, gave me Raspberries, and went back to watching Big Bird. Alrighty then, I can see how this is going to go!

One of our favorite times together is first thing in the morning. Karen will change her diaper and then throw her in bed with me. We play for about 15 minutes until I have to get up and shower for work. She thinks that is the coolest thing being in a big bed. So we lay there and her little puppy tongue tries to lick my face, my Tshirt, or the sheets. If it goes in her hand it goes in her mouth. I know this sounds weird but I am in love with her little puppy tongue. It is the most adorable thing. She loves to touch everything with it and she looks like a puppy doing it. So I usually whisper secrets in her ear which she loves. She lays there very attentive listening to me. I wouldn't trade these few minutes for anything!

Over the weekend, we traded out all of Bella's Plastic Bottles which contain BPA. Recent reports suggest that the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastics used to make many types of baby bottles could cause behavioral changes in babies or contribute to early onset of puberty in girls. Further study is needed on the exact effects of BPA in humans, but many parents are switching to BPA-free bottles just to be on the safe side. Baby's R Us is offering to exchange the bottles for you. However, keep in mind if you switch out for glass or BPA Free bottles of a different brand that are more expensive you will have to pay the difference. We found out the hard way. We use Dr. Brown's Bottles and they were out of the glass version. So the girl helping us recommend Born Free Bottles. Honestly, they are huge, look like you would feed a calf with them, and sort of hard to hold. So we took 13 bottles up to the checkout and the girl checking us out says, "That will be $80+ " Karen and I were like, "Say What?". Well, Born Free are $12 a bottle so we had to pay the difference from Dr. Brown. I was about to say forget it but this is where her good salesperson skills came in. She started talking about the features and benefits of the Born Free bottles. She got me so we ended up taking them. Well, Boogie wasn't sold. She hated them so we took them back the next day and got the Even Flo glass bottles which Bella loves and we love too!They were like a fraction of the cost too.

Each day I look at this little girl in amazement how blessed we are to have her in our lives. I think am I doing enough for her, am I doing too much not allowing her to learn independence, are we teaching her things that matter. I know God created her perfectly and I want to train her up to be effective in her calling on earth. That is why I'm going to stop just reading about being a good parent, to stop talking about affecting culture, and do something about it. My wife doesn't even know this but I've been thinking long and hard and I feel that if I want change I need to be a change maker. I'm going to start looking into running for public office. I'll start small and move bigger. I'm tired of the stuff I see and hear and nothing being done. I can't sit back and hope someone else will do it. So, I'm going to see what I can do to serve my community. I'll keep you updated!

Have a Great Tuesday!

Back in Black

2008-06-06T13:57:00.001-07:00

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Black

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

Golden Rule Plus

2008-06-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well, Happy Friday Everyone! I hope it's been a good week for everyone. Even though I did a power slam of blogging yesterday to bring you up to date on our story on Bella I want to stay in the habit of daily blogging. One thing that's been on my mind and somewhat of a burden is the principle of the GOLDEN RULE - Treat others as you would like to be treated. Not that I'm in any place to change God's command but I think we can actually take that rule to the next level by treating others as they should be treated. You see, we live in a world of hurting people. There's a common saying that goes, hurting people hurt people. That is very true. We all have encountered that nasty cashier at the store, the rude teller at the bank, or that difficult coworker. It's been my experience that telling someone who internally is hurting to love and respect his fellow man is darn near impossible when they basically hate themselves. They would never tell you that in so many words, in fact they probably would come across arrogant acting like they are confident and self respecting. Not true! Their hurt inside has manifested itself into this shell of hatred outwardly. So, how do we change this? discipline. When Johnny Hothead gives you a special sign in the grocery store parking lot just love him anyway. When the store clerk is rude just forgive and love them anyway. Why? because we have no clue what's going on in their life. If we want the hatred to stop, the killings to stop, etc. we have to be the cure for healing and not adding to the problem. Here is a story from one of my favorite books by Steven Covey: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It's a great example of empathy and a lesson not to judge and react:

Steven Covey, the author, tells a story about a trip he took on the subway Brooklyn! (I'm paraphrasing it below.)

He finds the quietest spot on the train and sits down to read his paper. A few stops later the doors open and in comes a man with a few children. The man sits down next to him. The children start playing in the train, running around the poles, and making so much noise. Steven starts to think to himself, what a terrible father. What is wrong with a man who allows his children to run around like that... especially in the subway. At some point, Steven starts to say something to the man. The man snaps out of a daze and goes, Oh yes! I'm sorry. What the man tells him is that he just came from Maimonides Medical Center where his wife just died. The man apologizes and tells Steven they don't know how to handle their mother's death.

How many times have all of us got angry at someone for (insert situation here) when maybe they are having a life changing event going on in their
life or maybe they are under a lot of stress, having marriage problems, whatever. If we all just keep this attitude of empathy and discipline ourselves before we react to say, "You know, my life really is not going to change by this event. I really don't know what's going on in this person's life. Let me forgive them and say something nice instead of the 4 letter, on the verge of illegal, thought that's about to hit my tongue in 3 seconds". Is it easy? Heck No! sometimes it feels near impossible but are we serious about wanting to change culture? or do we just expect everyone else to change on their own? to do it miraculously in a society of hatred, hurt, etc. No one is stepping up to the plate. why not it be you? Be the Cure, Not the Cause.

Tools for change:
1) Read the bible. Proverbs is a good guide. There are 30 so you can read one a day. I really don't care if you believe in God or not. I recommend you do but that's another post. That one book alone is good instruction.

2) Associate with like minded people. Get around positive people. Break ties with toxic people. Find people who move you forward and not hold you back.

3) Read good books. Put down the romance novels and Fishing Weekly. Start reading books by people who will teach you principles of love,to have a servant heart, and leadership. Everything rises and falls on leadership.

4) Audio Learning. This is so under-rated. Find an audio series that will lift you up when you are battling against the hurting world. You will need your tank refueled daily. In some cases, Hourly!

5) Implement what you are learning! Knowledge without application is really not knowledge at all.

So let's all strive to deposit good into someones life today! People are thirsty for a little Love and kind words.

Have a great Weekend!

Dedicated to the LORD

2008-06-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

Children are our inheritance and we are entrusted to be good stewards of God's children. That is why Karen and I strive to do God's will for our lives and Bellas. This day was a special day for us and we are so thankful to our church, St. Louis Family Church, for making it a beautiful and special day. It was a joy having Karen's Mom, her brother Charlie, and Charlie's wife Cindy in town to celebrate this day with us. My Mom, Dad, sister Jane, neice Claire, Brother Jack, sis-in-law Lisa, and Nephew Andrew celebrated this day as well. It was also a blessing and a joy to have one of my favorite aunts in town, Aunt Jane, from Colorado. She has blessed our family in so many ways. One special blessing was that Aunt Jane's friend Pat made the dress that Bella wore that day. It was made from Antique material, had a special prayer embroidered in the slip along with the Letter B for our last name sewn into it as well. It was so beautiful. She looked like a tiny Angel in the dress.
Our pastor, Pastor Jeff, is an incredible man. He has a true anointing on him. He did an awesome job praying over Bella and the other 20 babies being dedicated that day.
The day was wrapped up by a beautiful catered dinner by the church. All of my family loved it!

Our Day in Court

2008-06-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

You would think a day you've been waiting for to come would produce firework type emotions. To be honest? Karen and I felt strangely calm and somewhat ordinary. It was a rainy day. The family court building has 20 parking spaces to accomodate 300 people on a daily basis. So we were told to arrive before 9am. We got there about 8:45am, I dropped Karen and Bella off at the front door and drove up the road to a parking lot so I could make the 500 yard walk back to the court building. After getting through security we were escorted to a large holding room outside the court room. We met our case worker, Lou Carmichael, and our attorney, Tim Brassil, and my mom and dad in the room. We sat and waited, waited some more, nerves kicking in, waited some more, hear the Ballif call a family into the court room, wait some more, and then about 10:05 we heard our name called. So we all moved next door to the court room where Judge Drumm was preciding over our case. Our attorney asked Karen a series of questions, then asked me the same questions, attorney for Bella (yes, buggaboo had representation in the court room) cross examined us, then he cross examined our case worker, and by 10:15am we were legally Isabella's parents. We left the court with the final papers in hand. We celebrated with a quiet lunch at Hullahans with mom and dad. Then we went home! Strange, you build up for that day for 6 months and I left feeling like I just renewed my drivers license. Don't get me wrong and I am overjoyed the process is over. So Bella celebrated the next day by coming down with a virus that landed us in the ER because she was on the verge of dehydration and our doctor was affraid of that so she sent us to the ER at around Midnight May 24th. It's taken 2 weeks for her to be back to her playful, joyful, and fun self. We are so happy to have Bella Boo back!

6 Months of Home Visits

2008-06-05T10:52:00.001-07:00

Well, starting in January we had our first home visit. To me? Waste of time but the law requires 6 months time to lapse before an adoption will be final. So by law we had to complete 3 home visits. The first one was good. Ammie Travers, Bethany Christian Services, the case worker conducted the visit. We know Ammie very well because when we were pursuing the embryo adoption we had to complete a home study. Home studies will make you go crazy. I think the FBI does less investigating into life than a home study. We had to provide financials, references from pastors, friends, family, work, etc. We had to write an essay on why we wanted to adopt and what we wanted to tell the donor family about adopting their embryos, we had to be fingerprinted, we had to have a complete physical with blood work. Needless to say it was crazy. So Ammie was familar with our background (hence why I feel these are a complete waste of time). For $300 a visit I get to give the case worker refreshments and B.S. with them for 20 to 30 minutes. A few questions are asked about the baby and us but 95% of the visit is El B.S.o. So you can imagine after feeling the first visit was a waste how I felt for the 2nd and 3rd. So we completed the 3rd one on May 5th. We were in court May 22nd to finalize the adoption.

Journal of the Journey

2008-06-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of so many of my friends blogging and me getting so much joy out of reading it I thought I would start blogging myself. I thought a good place to start is at the beginning with when Isabella came into our life. Some of you have already read this but it makes for a good starting point:

12/11/07
Well, the last several months have been very emotional, stressful,
tearful, joyful, exciting, scarey, ... well, a lot has been going on.
Many of you knew that Karen and I got pregnant back in August. Most of you actually got to see our first ultrasound pics.We were over the top excited since we've been trying to get pregnant for over 4 years trying different methods from the ordinary to the bizarre. So when we got pregnant, via an embryo transfer, finally we felt our prayers had been answered. Shortly after I had emailed all of you to tell you the wonderful news Karen started to bleed heavily over labor day weekend. You can imagine the stress of this happening when every doctors office is closed and our only option
was to go to the ER which our doctor told us not to bother.
Well, the next day we got into the doctors office expecting the worst.
To our disbelief there was still a viable pregnancy. We were shocked and decided to
move on with caution. Well, a week later we went into the office for
another Ultrasound and no sign of a baby. We were crushed.
We both felt helpless and thinking it wasn't in the cards for us to have children. I had always been the one to stay positive and hopeful over the last 4 years and I finally had reached the end. I couldn't take anymore. Well, because I couldn't do it anymore didn't mean God couldn't show
his power and show how mighty he really is..... So we move on to story
number 2.
************************************
October 30, Karen gets a call from a lady from our church saying, "You
don't know me but your name was given to me as being interested in
adopting a baby". What happened was there was this 17 yr. old girl in
our church who had hid her pregnancy from her family, friends, and the
church. Well, the church found out and advised her to tell her
parents.
To avoid telling them she came back to the church and told them she
had a miscarriage and she wasn't pregnant anymore. So on October 28th
her water broke. She went about her business, went to church, went
out to lunch with family, went shopping, etc. At 5pm she was in the
bathroom in a lot of pain and her mom realized something was wrong.
Her mom went into the bathroom and realized.. suprise... her daughter
is in labor and about to deliver a baby (Can you imagine that's how
you find out your daughter is pregnant?). The baby was breach. So the
birthmothers Mom,Debbie, had to deliver this baby on their bathroom
floor. Two days go by and birthmom's mother is pressing the church to
contact us. So back to the phone call. The lady tells Karen that a
child advocate has been contacted and if we want this baby we better
get up to the hospital and see her and bring her home. Karen calls me
not able to speak from shock, excitement, and overcome with emotion.
Me, Mr. practical and logical, goes B.S. There is no way we are going
to be allowed to take a baby home from the hospital when there's no
power of attorney or anything. Besides, it was my understanding that
in the state of Missouri every child given up for adoption has to go
into foster care. Karen and I aren't ceritified to be foster parents.
So all this is going through my head from excitement thinking what if
it is true to fear that I'm going to be locked up for kidnapping. So,
I checked into it and the laws have changed. While no lawyer will
ever tell you to handle it this way we can be claimed guardians for
the welfare of this baby. So, we rush up to the hospital. Karen's
boss drives her. I meet a friend of ours at our house because we have
no way of taking a baby home in my truck. Karen's car at that time was
in the shop. So I meet Karen at the hospital. It was truly amazing.
We got to the meet the birthmom, birthdad, and their moms. Soooo, we
took Isabella Josephine home October 30th. We went to court a couple
of weeks ago to take legal guardianship of her. So in about 6 months
we will be legally her parents. It has been an amazing few months!

Bellarina the Cutie Patootie

2007-12-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

These are a series of pictures of our lil' sweetheart, Bella.