Nigh on Halloween

Well, I suppose the first thing to report is that I did not receive a call back from the ISU PD after my day of testing. I wrote about it was well in my personal blog but to put a long story short, it went well but there were 25 of us testing for a single position. Furthermore, its entirely usual for a person attempting to join law enforcement to not get their first attempt. There will be other opportunities. I'm not too discouraged.

In other news, classes are going well for Lizzie. Some weeks she seems very, very busy with a test or quiz or something nearly everyday but then other weeks she has far less "big" assignments. Lately she has been hit with a large number of exams, papers, etc., leaving her weekends not very relaxing. Hopefully soon she can catch a break. BellaRose and I try to give her a break as often as possible. Being a former student myself, I know what its like to have numerous cumbersome weeks of what seems like never ending work. At least Thanksgiving Break is about a month away. That will be a welcomed break.

As far as BellaRose is concerned, she is getting to be a very active, very intelligent, very ornory little girl. She is past 11 months now and on the downward slope to her 1st birthday. Where did the time go? Is almost hard to remember what she was like as a helpless, nearly motionless, sleepy little baby. Good thing we have pictures. Now, of course, she is anything but motionless. She is a prodidgious great crawler and very few things can (or will) stop her from going where she wants. She also shows no fear, and crawls head-first into most situations, like off the couch. With this penchant for extreme crawling, has come many bonks to the head followed by tears. She gets over it quickly, however, and is right back at it. What a kid, eh?

She also pulls herself up to standing now, which is a mixed blessing. It makes her mom and I cringe when she gets so close to wiping out so often plus it only means walking is close and that too an eery thought. Then where will she be off to and how many more head wounds (or worse?) will she get. In addition to all this, she is quite a little sponge, copying many of the sounds and gestures she hears/sees. For example, she copies you when you sneeze or cough and says things like "mama", "baby", "bye" and though I've not heard it, "dada". She also waves nearly every time you pick her up thinking she is leaving yet often doesn't wave at folks when we are actually out and she is being waved at. At least not until we are in the car or something. Not the greatest timing. It will come, I'm sure.

To close, I'd like to post something Bella wrote. I let her punch away in a Word document to see what she could do. Rather clever girl, I think. If you'll notice, she writes "hi", which though its the only discernable word, is a positive sign. The rest seems like a printout from the Enigma machine but still, she's a natural. Maybe a future novelist? Perhaps a codebreaker. Anyway, enjoy. Talk to ya'll soon.

-Michael

``` hi< ‘m ‘;=9Nom ‘ki ik m

N(N996544454\jm j’jo hn

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Rbnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn b ^*

+,I b b65 kk y I V^MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMUUUUUUUUJ cxxxc7v7uuy 9opk0/’.'^F^^^=r5rf6 ]\g,0020///swt][rfv chyhyht/v.// mhhhhhhhhhhhh 4cxj
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…

-BellaRose

New Month, New News

So, its been a few weeks since Lizzie started back to school and we began watching another baby during the day and I will say that it has been an interesting time but I am happy to say that as of last week, we are no longer watching said baby anymore. He got on at the university's daycare so his folks had him start this week. It was a good fit, while it lasted, and it was a good source of money for us. But still, it did add some stress that we could have gone without, especially during the very beginning weeks of classes for Lizzie. Eh, its all said and done now and I'm sure we're better for it.

As far as classes go, Lizzie is enjoying them so far, as much as one can enjoy a thing like that. She actually just added another class that meets once a week at night. She added it so she can do her internship next semester (a requisite for her major) and graduate in May, not the summer. She isn't over on credits or anything but it certainly will add some busy work at home. But with the other baby not being here, it makes the days less stressful and the nights more free and less worrisome. All in all, we are happy that Lizzie added the class and will graduate earlier than anticipated, even if it will add more work over both semesters. Better to get it done early than put it off further.

In other news, I'm happy to report that the job search is going well and my interest in law enforcement has just taken a large stride. A week ago I applied to the ISU Police Dept. for a trainee position. Just last week, I got a packet from them inviting me to attend the first phase of application--a physical test, a writing portion and the dread police officer selection test or POST which test general aptitude. If I past those portions, I will be invited back for interviews and move into Phase II. There are four phases, the last of which is accepting the position and going to the academy for 13 weeks. Either way, its a good feeling to know I'm making some headway toward a possible career. Even if I don't make it during my first try, a usual occurance for law enforcement, its something and will only help me out in the future. I hope though that I will make onto the second and third phases. I'm confident in my ability to past the tests in phase one but I'm still going to prepare, i.e. keep up working out and running as well as get a guide book to help me prepare for the written and POST sections. I'll inform you all when I know more.

Besides that, its been pretty normal. BellaRose is 10 months old now, is a crawler and can say "mama". She babbles a lot, has two teeth and can both wave and clap her hands, which she does either by copying or just on her own. She's about 20 lbs. and 28 in. long, pretty average for her age. She's a good baby and everyday we are blessesed with the knowledge of how well behaved she is. We couldn't ask for a better girl. We are very proud. What a good girl!

Well, this is getting long. I hope you all enjoyed this update, all three of you. We'll keep you informed as more and more things occur. Have an excellent fall and take care.

Extreme Sunday (+) and Classes Start (-)

Its Monday morning and being home alone with Bella (and Kolton) tells me one thing--Elizabeth is at class. Thankfully the babies are both asleep currently but soon enough they shall rouse from their slumbers and require my attention. Plus, Bella has to eat her breakfast soon. Oh well. I have my coffee.

Yesterday we three went to the state fair again for Extreme Sunday, where admission is half off and parking is (supposed to be) free. It wasn't but given how hectic parking is there, we were okay with paying for it, considering we saved $10 on admission. It was Bella's second time going, since last year she was in the womb. She enjoyed it more this time around, I can say, as she had many people to look at, especially little kids, which she loves. She did really well, considering she didn't take a very long second nap and lasted clear until after 9 pm before zonking out. What a good kid. We have her well trained.

At the fair we saw the rabbits--Lizzie's expertise--and the dollhouses. There was a 20 lbs. rabbit there, a Flemish giant. It was bigger than Bella. I had no idea rabbits got that big. It was a like a cat, with floppy ears. Wowsers! We also saw some free concerts, Julianne Hough and Matt Nathanson. We saw Julianne's beau last Friday (Chuck Wicks) with Gary Allan. She is very bubbly and talks like a souther cheerleader all the time. It got a little annoying but what can ya do. We had pretty good seats for that. Later, we went and got ice cream and listened to Matt Nathanson from the side as his concert was pretty packed. It was good. Played a few songs I knew and many that Lizzie knew (she has his CD). Bella really enjoyed it. Again, what a good kid.

And here it is, the first day of fall classes for Lizzie. She only has two a day, so that's not so bad. I'm happy I don't have classes right now, not just cause of the coursework but cause there's no way we could keep Bella out of daycare and have both of us in class. Not at this age. It really worked out for the best having her when we did. This is Lizzie's last year so that's exciting.

Uh oh, I hear Miss Bella talking in the bedroom. Guess baby #1 is awake. She's not so bad. She had a late night so I'm happy she slept in this late. Better get her. She's in a good mood now and I don't wanna blow it. Take care all. Au revoir.

Gary Allan @ the Iowa State Fair

Yesterday evening, Elizabeth and I went to see multi-platinum country recording artist Gary Allan at the Iowa State Fair. I got Elizabeth the tickets as a surprise, knowing she hearts Gary Allan with the intensity of a thousand fires. It was a secret, until earlier this week, when I had to tell her because my relatives were also having a b-day party Friday and she was beginning to question my behaviors regarding said party. Anyway, all went off well and the concert was fantastic.

I didn't know that many of Gary Allan's songs but he still is a good performer, good singer, and is certainly an interesting part of the country music genre. At times he doesn't sound all too country, even approaching a rockish feel. Very heavy in guitars and loud. Yet he also has a steel guitar, piano (ogran), and fiddle playing often. I'm sure most of you would like him. He's mysterious, dark haired, with tatoos and dressed in black. Kinda like a country goth look or higher-pitched Johnny Cash.

The seats were pretty good. In the lower section, not on the ground and not in front of the stage but slightly to the left (stage right). Luckily there was a large projection of Gary directly in front of us so it was basically like you were up close. It was a good spot, in the end, as no one really was too close to us and we got to see him fairly well and were in perfect placement for the fireworks that followed. May I say it was the largest fireworks I have ever seen. Much bigger than Ames' 4th of July display. And to think, that happens each night.

Below, I have posted some of the pics from the concert. I hope you enjoy. I'm glad we went. It was nice to have a date like that together. Its the first concert we've been to together. I was equally as pleased to see how happy Elizabeth was, even though I'm sure she was making eyes at Mr. Allan. Good thing we were so far away from him, eh? And thought he night started with some parking issues, like always, there were good times had by all. Ooh, and plus, we got there in enough time to enjoy veggie corn dogs (Lizzie's favorite), a funnel cake and some lemonade before the concert. Excellent night, if I do say so.

Summer Winding Down

Okay, so we haven't been keeping up with this blog as well as we'd like to or should. I have no idea, though, how many readers we have but since no one has commented on our posts (all 6 of them) I can only assume there are very few readers of this blog and even fewer with opinions or the gumption to comment. Oh well, can't complain really.

Anyway, since our last post in early July, fun things continued to ensue and we have been enjoying our summer. As the title reads, however, summer is slowly but surely winding down. Its August now and even though I'm no longer a student, the feeling of classes approaching leaves me with that reminiscent feeling of "here we go again". Unfortunately for Elizabeth that feeling is oh so real, as she will be starting classes in the coming weeks. Though her schedule isn't too bad no one really likes to attend classes and put their brain and body through the certain turmoil coursework brings. If you do, you might want to reevaluate your psyche. Just saying.

Aside from that, BellaRose has been continuing to venture further towards crawling but no actual progress thus far. She will lay on her stomach and hold herself up, rotating in a circle, but won't go anywhere even when enticed with a toy or person (like you would a dog ). I'm sure she will surprise us one day. She's an excellent stander, when assisted by someone, so she may just go straight to walking. Either way, crawler or walker, we are not that excited for the dangers those faculties bring but alas, all parents must endure said fears.

As for SCUBA, we are now certified open water divers for life. The monetary costs, much to our chagrin, seem to outweigh the certification itself, thus far, but with hope we can enjoy our new "hobby" and get out what we put in. We plan on diving in December on our cruise. I better find a chest of gold bullion. We'll see.

The weekend after Independence Day I ran Midnight Madness sans Bella, unfortunately. It was nigh on her bed time at start of the race and I didn't want to push my luck with her. I ran the race okay but was less than pleased with my performance. I have continued to run, with Bella, and Elizabeth and I have taken up, shall we say, better eating habits. Elizabeth also has been running and has made excellent progress. Hopefully these habits stick with us through the years.

Oh, almost forgot. Bella has a tooth coming in on the very center of her jaw. Finally, after months of teething symptoms some actual results. She hasn't been too crabby, considering, but we have an arsenal of medicines and remedies in reserve patiently awaiting the painful sobs and irritable demeanors certain to arrive shortly. It is exciting to know our little girl is getting teeth. Not so little anymore, eh?

Well, this update is getting quite lengthy so I shall take my leave. Hopefully I do a little better at posting but knowing the fall will likely prove to be a much busier time than the summer I doubt our current rate of posting will increase much. Oh well, like I said, there appear to be few readers so those faithful readers will have to make do. They always do. That's its all. Until next time. Au revoir!

-Michael

July 4th and Other Such Hullabaloo

Happy belated b-day USA!

Yesterday, to celebrate our nations independence, we went to Eldora, celebrated home of my Aunt and Uncle, for some festivities. Their youngest son, Roscoe, was scheduled to be home from the Air Force (for good). He was en route from Florida with is father but was supposed to be home that day. There is always some sort of bash when he comes home and especially around the 4th. My aunt and uncle have a house just on the outskirts of Eldora and have a rather sizeable spread as well. Also, as civic leaders in the community, my aunt and uncle get special permission to launch fireworks since the town doesn't have a celebration of its own. This year was smaller than previous years, in terms of amount and spectacle, of various fireworkings. This is in no short form due to the sad news we recieved upon arriving at their abode.

Apparently Roscoe and Matt (his dad; our uncle) were broke down in Huntsville, Alabama and being the holiday, there were not service stations or mechanics able to work on the car. It should be known that Roscoe's car is a limited editon Corvette that he has souped up so just your average greasemonkey wouldn't do. Needless to say, without my uncle or cousin there, the party was lessened and spirits were subdued.

We brought BellaRose, however, because she hadn't met much of that side of the family. Also, Elizabeth hadn't met some of my cousins (including Roscoe; which will now be postponed further) or other various family so it was nice for her to finally meet them. We took seperate cars because I origininally was going to stay later to see my cousin and Bella can't stay out too later otherwise she is fuss city and we will pay for it the in the days following. Elizabeth and Bella left around 8 pm and I stuck around till nigh on midnight. It was nice to see the family. Hopefully we get to see Roscoe soon. I hear tell he is going to live in Ames and attend ISU in the fall so seeing him will become easier in the coming months, nay, years.

Side note: on the way home last night, it was awful foggy and I came very close to careening with a deer. I luckily escaped that mess, which left my heart pounding for a good while. It kept me on my toes the rest of the drive.

So that was Bella's first July 4th. She went to bed before the fireworks in Ames, I believe. She wouldn't have really enjoyed them much either, I'm sure, plus she needs her sleep. Next year, perhaps.

In other news, we have only two SCUBA classes left and then four open water dives, spread out of two days, up at a lake near Mason City. After that, we will be certified. Its been a fun class, I guess. Some times it gets boring but its always fun to cruise around under water. I'm sure it'll be fun, especially during our open water dives. That should be interesting.

Well, this is getting lengthy. Hope you all had a fun and safe Independence Day. Talk to you soon and take care. Later, diligent readers. Adieu.

Summer is Here

Well, summer has arrived for us and BellaRose has been enjoying it thus far. We haven't taken her swimming yet but we plan on it, probably this week even. Its supposed to be quite warm the next couple of days. Elizabeth is already done with her summer class, which went well. I can reassure you she is elated to be done with classes, for now. She's been going since January really, and was working simultaneously until a few weeks ago. I know that she is happy to relax and not have class or work to worry about. Bella is enough to worry about.

In other news, Elizabeth's sister had her twins a bit early and they came home from the hospital last week. BellaRose and I visited them the hosptial and Elizabeth was there for their birth. Their names are Parker and Kale and for not being identical, I am only recently able to tell the difference between them and even then I'm usually wrong. They are quite tiny, especially in comparison to Bella, who is sort of getting chunky. They are about 5-6 lbs. and Bella is easily a 17 pounder.

She has started to eat solid foods more regularly, usually a ground up version of what we are eating plus some of her own foods. She has become more fond of applesauce, which is good, and generally likes all fruits. She did real well at eating a ground up enchilada as well. She seems to have interesting quirks when it comes to food and is very demanding. When we are eating, she has to be eating and will grunt at you if her food is not coming swiftly enough. She has a high chair now and a sippy cup. What a big girl, eh? Speaking of which, today she is 7 months exactly. Now its a downhill race to 1 year. Yikes!!!

In other news, Elizabeth and I are taking a SCUBA diving class at the Ames indoor pool. A mutual friend of ours reccomended we take it and with going on our cruise come this December, we thought it would be fun to be able to do certified dives. Plus, we've both had a lifelong penchant for breathing underwater. Only thing is its a bit pricey but if we keep up with diving, it'll pay for itself. I had to purchase my own fins, snorkel and mask. Lizzie borrowed hers from a friend. Its definitely a costly endeavor, especially in pairs, but who wants to dive alone? I'm sure we'll enjoy it and be glad we took it. I'm excited, for sure. Can't wait to strap on a tank and just sit at the bottom of the pool for prolonged amounts of time. I'll get my chance Thursday.

Well, that's it for now. I hope you all are enjoying the summer so far. I'm sure it'll be a good one. Have fun, it'll be over before you know it. Yuck.

BellaRose, 6 Mos.

As the title reads, our little angel is 6 months old now (or was on the Saturday). I think you're all mostly apprised of her latest abilities but she does have some new quirks that are worth mentioning.

First, Bella has figured out she can control her tongue and move it of her own free will. As a result, she sticks it in and out of her mouth like a snake or moves it around in her mouth whilst her mouth is agape, free for any insect or small bird to land on (or in). What is more interesting, however, is that she likes to make sounds with her tongue. Mostly she does that clicking sound you can make with your tongue, which is interesting. If you do it back at her she looks at you puzzled. Still, I'm proud of her for being able to make that sound. I don't think I learned that till the 2nd grade.

She also continues her quest towards eating as many adult foods as she can. If she sees you eating then she wants to eat too, even if its not her dinner time or something she can't possibly eat. If we're at a restaurant, we try and order something that she will be able to try cause if not, she'll let you know she wants to eat with loud grunts and mock tears. For example, last Friday she ate at Perkins with me (dad) and James. She didn't like the chicken gravy that came on my biscuits (weird she turned down gravy) but like the marinara sauce that came with our appetizer. She was pretty good at Perkins. She put a couple other babies to shame, who were rather loud and throwing fits. Well met, BellaRose.

She is still not making it through the night yet but has cut down waking up to two times, usually around 1 or 2 a.m. and then again at like 5 or 6 a.m., which is ok since mom is getting up for work around then. After that she joins me on the bed and we usually nap till like 8:30 or 9. We are a good sleeping pair cause we both move around but don't manage to wake each other. Mom, I think, can't handle too many fidgety guests in her bed. Dad, however, is a rather sound sleeper. Just ask mom.

Aside from that, we are anxiously awaiting summer so we can take BellaRose swimming! She likes the bath so we're hoping she likes the pool. This weekend is also a busy one for us. First, Friday is our 1 year anniversary. Yea! Not sure what we'll do but it should be fun. Saturday we are going to a wedding and BellaRose is coming with. Its only the reception actually but its Bella's first time around some of my friends. I'm guessing she won't make it to the cake. She never makes it to the cake.

On Sunday, we are going up to Algona for cousin Maggie's graduation. That should be fun. It'll be the second longest trip she's been on (trip to MN is the longest). I'm sure the family will enjoy seeing her. Thankfully as well we all have Monday off so we can rest and relax on Memorial Day. No real plans thus far. Well, this is quickly becoming a novel so I best be signing off. Enjoy and we'll be seeing some of you this weekend. Au revior, mes amis et famille.

-Mike

Mothers Day :)

This was a very nice Mothers Day weekend! This past week we both have finished finals and Michael has graduated! Aw...it feels good to be done. I start summer school in a week, so I only have a few days off from school. I am very ready to be done with school but am taking it one semester at a time.
On Friday Michael and I went to Ankeny with BellaRose to go out to eat. It turned out to be a disaster! She screamed the entire time. I get so flustered when I am doing everything I can but nothing stops her from screaming. It seems like just when we have her figured out she changes on us and does something different. Bella is getting to a difficult point because she wants to be more independent but can't yet. We are getting in a tough spot in which we are scared to take her anywhere but we can't just stay home all the time. It is very frustrating and I feel as though we are going backwards, rather than making progress. I guess everyone goes through this but it is hard to know how to handle it.
Saturday was a really fun day. We went to McFarland Park to go on a hike with BellaRose. We walked a lot and most of it was in the middle of the woods. Bella did so well! I really couldn't believe how good she was. She just sat in her baby carrier and looked around. We discovered, too late unfortunately, that we didn't bring any sort of a jacket for her. It was a chilly day and her hands were getting cold. After a little coaxing I talked Michael into taken off his undershirt and putting it on Bella. She looked very cute walking around in the woods with her dads shirt on :) He is such a good dad.
On Sunday we asked mom if she could watch Bella so we could try out a new church. We quickly decided that this church was not for us. It was kind of disappointing because we thought we found a nice smaller church that we could really be involved in. The church was just a little too intense for our taste. People were screaming through the whole thing and talking in tongues. I don't find anything wrong with this I just don't prefer it. I really don't think that it is necessary to act like this to show you are full of the Holy Sprit. In the end the whole experience was a little bit of a let down.
Overall, this was a very good first Mothers Day weekend. When I ws giving BellaRose a bath tonight I was thinking that that was the best part of the weekend, just the small interactions with her. I can't believe that I am a mom and and Mothers Day has taken on a whole new meaning.

Finals and Being Awesome

Yes, its finals week at ISU and both of us have our share of mental anguish to go through. Michael is done, as of today, with his finals, and by done we mean done for good because he is graduating from ISU (finally). Though he's lucky to be done so early, he did have two lengthy papers, two exams and one online quiz since he started on Tuesday morning. Needless to say he is happy to be done, though he feels a little weird to be done with college. After all, he's been at it since the Bush administration.

Elizabeth is working hard on her finals. She has been taking three online courses and she has finished up those already. She was taking a music class, which was the bane of her existence, but luckily she had Michael around, a veritable music genius, to fill in the blanks. She also successfully passed Library at ISU, a .5 credit course that really does suck but everyone has to take. Currently, she is studying for her only on campus final, which is tomorrow morning. Unfortunately she still has to get up at 5 Am, go to work and come back home all before she takes the test. Let's wish her good luck, though I'm certain she will do great.

BellaRose has been very eventful lately. She has successfully rolled over from both her back to her front many time and her front to her back (only once). We feel all these successes came purely out of chance but she does "try" to roll over, usually in an attempt to reach a toy she desperately wants or that you are coaxing her with, much like you would a dog. Furthermore, she seems far more able to roll from her back to her front, which is apparently the less common version babies start out with. But that's our BellaRose, she's never been one to do anything the "normal" way.

We have also have been attempting to give Bella some solid foods. We don't mean steak. It's always ground up or something. For example, whilst at Hickory Park we gave her beef gravy and mashed potatoes. She loved that. Also, she nawed on a pizza crust at Pizza Hut (a stuffed crust, mind you, Mom's favorite). She liked that as well. And just today, she ate some cheesey hashbrowns, which again, she adored. But just last night we attempted to give her actual baby food. We mixed up apple sauce, for babies, and oatmeal cereal, for babies. Did BellaRose go crazy for deliciously sweet apple sauce? No! She made a face and gagged as if we were force feeding her dirty socks. Again, our little girl continues to intregue us. What manner of child likes only salty, mashed up, adult foods , i.e. beef gravy or cheesey hashbrowns, and detests sweet flavors? Answer: BellaRose.

Lastly, she has been coughing a lot lately but its not a painful cough or a sick cough, though she has a bit of stuffy nose. She coughs a lot more frequently when she is on her back as well. Since she has no flu-like symtoms we are fairly certain its not H1N1 and neither one of us is sick at all either. I hear tell that if she is teething, which she might be starting, coughing is common since they drool a lot and it drains when they lay on their backs. We'll keep you posted on that.

Well, that's all folks. Enjoy and remember, if you sneeze, cover it up and if you've been to Mexico or plan to go to Mexico (which I don't know why you would) lately then stay away, we don't want any. Toodles!

Lovin May...and little Rose Bud

Yay! BellaRose has finally rolled over! Michael and I have not been very good about utilizing "tummy time" so we are happy she figured it out without much practice. I know that "tummy time" is important but I think part of me really doesn't want BellaRose to grow up and start crawling...walking...ect. She is also going through a slight fussy period right now. Bella has been sleeping through the night since she was 3 months old but for the past month she has been waking up EVERY 3 hours! What happened to this amazing phenomenon of sleeping through the night?? At first we thought she was just going through a growth spurt but now we are thinking it is becoming a habit. Michael and I are working on breaking this habit but it is hard because you just don't know if she is crying out of bordom or hunger!

Tonight we had our parenting class, which was very interesting. It is through the church and we watch videos from the Growing Kids Gods Way series. We have really liked it and have been drawn to the church that it is held in. Tonights topic was about spanking, which is kind of a interesting thing to consider. It is just so hard to imagine BellaRose doing anything disobiedent. I don't think this will be a issue with our sweet little BellaRose...never her ;)

I had a unique feeling tonight. I was sitting on the couch and Michael was on the computer. I was clipping cupons(out of my free Des Monies register) and I don't know what he was working on. The TV was off and BellaRose was in bed after her bath and I thought "wow, I can see us doing this exact thing in 50 years". Of course this will be minus the whole giving the baby a bath thing. I never thought that I would be clipping cupons and enjoying the windows being open(finally). I am feeling kind of old, but would I really want to be single and 20 again?? NO!! I am just working on enjoying my life right now. We will never be in this moment again and it is so sad Bella is just getting older and we can never go back.

Well that is it for now. It is getting late and I have to start another work week, which translates into getting up at 5am everyday. Ugh!! Only a month left of work...so I better be enjoying the money I am bringing in!

Always Brave for BellaRose <3