dear bella,
you are just the sweetest. honestly. i am so in awe of your tender little heart and how friendly you are to everyone. you never meet a stranger! you can walk into a room full of people and bravely walk right up to an adult, shake their hand and introduce yourself. it's so awesome.
this last weekend we went away to portland for the liver walk in honor of bampy. you were SO excited! you had been counting down the days until you got to "stay in a hotel". it was a really great weekend besides emmy being superrrrr fussy (which mama found out later she had an ear infection!) you were pretty patient with her; several times you'd say "ems, stop crying!!!!!" you both swam in the pool saturday night with daddy. you LOVED it. i was so proud of you because in the past you've been more of a "oh, i'll just put my feet in" type of girl. not this weekend. you were a little fishy! watching you and ems swimming with daddy reminded me so much of my childhood. auntie and i LOVED going swimming with bampy. we'd climb all over him, have him throw us, and when we got older we'd race him. someday you'll especially treasure these times, bel, and it makes me smile knowing what sweet memories you will have. you did so well at the walk! we had a team of almost 40 people; family and friends. you went around saying hi to everyone. you walked right up to one of bampy's good friends, stuck out your hand and said "hi, i'm bella! nice to meet you." it was the cutest thing. and you even walked yourself for a good part of the route. you trucked right along. so adorable. when i reminded you we were walking for bampy you said "oh, bampy loved me soooo much!" you're right, little girl. he did.
we skyped the other night with nonnie and papa. it's always a little challenging for you to sit still and visit, but last night we let them watch you and ems play and you kept coming up to the computer screen and telling them animated stories about your baby dolls. it was so cute. you told them that one of your baby dolls was sixteen and then you started complaining because she has been waking up too early. daddy and i definitely told you that last week when you decided to wake up at 5:15! you're really looking forward to visiting nonnie and papa very soon! you love them so much and constantly talk about going to their house on an airplane :)
you've been SO sweet to your sister these days. daddy and i were just saying how proud we are of you. you play so well with her (most of the time) and only really get frustrated when she takes your toys. but if you freak out, you're quick to apologize and give her a hug and kiss. she LOVES being a pest to you. she'll pull your hair or hit you, trying to get your attention. you usually ignore her for quite a while until you finally get super annoyed. you're really patient with her, and i'm just so proud of you! you two have been loving playing together and it just makes me SO happy to watch. you'll never have a friend like your sister, bel. remember that!
i can already tell that you're going to be such a good friend. you love people so much and get so excited to hang out with your friends. lately, you've loved holding hands with other little girls. it's the cutest thing ever. even if you've just met. the other day you met a random little girl at the park, and you were running around, holding her hand. when she had to leave, you stood at the edge of the grass waving saying "bye! i love you!" adorable.
we've definitely had a few challenges lately, bel. you have very strong opinions concerning your clothing. for a while, you were throwing fits about wearing pants. in your mind, shirts were dresses as long as you weren't wearing pants with them. so, you'd walk around the house pant-less. you'd go to sleep wearing only the shirts of your pj-sets. you love your dresses and nightgowns. you still refuse to go number two on the potty. and there has been a few times i have found a puddle in your room at naptime. when i asked you if you peed, one time you said "yeah, mom. i was just sitting on the floor, looking up at my pictures and peeing." oh... awesome. you also moved your bed (it's queen size) the other day across the room, climbed onto it and got into the top drawer of your dresser. you are super mischievous, my little sweets! i really think part of this is your defiance in not wanting to take naps any more. i keep telling you that you're going to have quiet time every day until you're in kindergarten so to get used to it! but you still give me fits a lot. it's good for you to have that time in your room to play quietly by yourself... and it's good for mama too :)
you also have been horrible at leaving places you like. now that it's nice outside, we go on an outing a couple times a week. when we are about to leave, i count down, letting you know how many minutes until we have to get in the car, and every time i end up carrying you like a football to the car while you kick and scream. definitely not so pretty. i've also decided not to go to the store with you for a while. you're bound and determined to walk "like a big girl", but you don't stay with us, you love to run off. it scares me half to death and if i make you sit in the cart you throw a huge fit. so; our target days are over. for now anyways.
you've been really cute praying by yourself at bedtime. i never want to forget the sound of your sweet little voice asking jesus to be with your family and friends. it's so so sweet. your heart is so sensitive and thoughtful, bel. if you act out during the day or give me a hard time, you're always so quick to apologize and say you're sorry. unprompted. i love that. i hope you always are quick to apologize when you make mistakes; we all do... being able to say you're sorry is a great sign of character. remember that.
daddy and i can't believe how smart you are. just tonight you were asking us what our favorite seasons are. you said yours was winter because you like to play in the snow and be cold (be cold?!). daddy and i both said summer. you said "i wonder what jude's favorite season is? probably fall." then i asked you what your favorite thing to eat was and you put your pointer finger to your mouth and tapping it, you said "hmmm... let's see... peanut butter!!!" yep. you love your peanut butter.
some other cute things: you love to say "yeah, that's a great idea!" if i tell you something we're going to do... or, "that sounds like a plan!" tonight i asked you to go put something in the kitchen for me and you said "oh sure! i'd love to!" you LOVE to help... the other day i told you we could go put away some laundry together. you said "okay, mom! come on! follow me" as you started walking down the hallway. tonight when i was making dinner, you pushed your stool over to the counter and said "hey mama, can i be your maker?" which meant, you wanted to help me cook :) you're always super concerned about your sister and if you hear her crying when she's in her crib you'll gasp "hey! that sounds like ems!" and you've been really big on telling me and daddy that you like us. almost on a daily basis. "i like you, daddy. i like you, mama. i really like you guys." the other night you came over to me, threw your arms around my neck and in my ear started singing "everything is better with a friend. everything is better with a friend like you!" ahhhhh. i hope you always feel that way, my pumpkin.
i tell you all the time that no matter what, daddy and i will always love you. if i get upset with you, or yell, i apologize and let you know that even when i'm upset, i still love you even when i'm frustrated . we won't be your "friends" until you're much older... but we will always be in your corner. no matter what. in us, you will find loyalty, a safe haven, an unending sea of love and grace. we love you, little girl. always, always.
so proud of who you are. i love you so much my heart aches. every night i check on you before i go to bed. i kiss your forehead and cheeks about a million times and feel like my breath is knocked out of me a little bit i love you so much. someday, if you have babies of your own, you'll understand. even on the difficult days, i am so so grateful that i'm your mama.
love you to the moon and back (and back again),
mama
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