1st Birthday

                                                           {Isabella on her birthday}
As many of you know this past Tuesday, January 17, 2012 was Isabella's first birthday! (btw thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes) Though we were so happy to have Isabella turn one the day took a sharp turn when my stomach ache turned into the stomach flu which got both Casey and Isabella sick so the rest of her birthday was spent laying in bed trying not to vomit (sorry if tmi). When we all felt better we finally got to celebrate Isa's birthday, even though it was a few days after her actual birthday. Her favorite burgers were made and fries with a custom cupcake cake made for her (by Hannah) and ending the night watching her favorite movie Tangled. As nice as it was to celebrate her birthday in a small way and have a birthday party with some of my family from Arizona, I wish we would have been able to give her a birthday party with all her family and friends.

                                               {Casey helping Isabella blow out her candles}
                                         
Speaking of family from Arizona. I haven't seen some of them in almost 7years! My Tia Lorraine (aunt lorraine) hasn't changed which was nice but 5 of my youngest cousins really grew up! It's so weird seeing kids that were not even a year old to 6 years old and not even to your hip seem to grow overnight like weeds and surpass you! I still can't believe my cousins Anthony and Xavier have mustaches! Only 2 years ago they were in elementary school climbing the trees in my parents back yard and now one is Pauly D obsessed and the other is a licensed boxer! Another couple of years and they'll be driving to Tennessee and New Jersey to visit us from Arizona! Looking at them really makes me wish Isabella could stay little and cuddly forever!

A New Family....For Us

Casey Isabella and I

As many of our friends and family know Casey and I just announced our engagement on Christmas morning to our families.

Casey and I have known each other since 2009 and have been friends since then. We decided back in the end of august to date and as soon as we decided we wanted to be together is as soon as Isabella and I jumped on a plane to move to Texas to be with him. (For those of you who don't know Isabella is my daughter who's almost 1yrs old and I haven't been with her father since we found out about the pregnancy.)
From the second our plane landed in Texas and we drove to our new home with nothing but a few suitcases and a very sleepy baby girl, we knew we made the best decision.

Casey and Isabella

 Since then we've been such a happy couple and Isabella has grown to love him so much. She looks at him as another father and I am the happiest I've been in a long time with someone. He loves Isabella as his own and truly I couldn't ask for anyone better.

So bringing it back to the last few weeks, we went to New Jersey for Christmas and Michigan for New Years, both really lovely times. And with plans to buy a house in Tennessee in a few months what we really needed for Christmas was home supplies which is exactly what we got. From an ice cream maker to a whole queen bed set. Of course Isabella was spoiled with toys, clothes and everything else she could want and need. As exciting as it was to be going to visit meeting each other families definitely nerve wrecking. The approval of my family means the world to me and now we laugh and say that my family loves him more than they love me. Meeting his family was kind of a whirlwind. It all happened so fast that I'm still starting to remember things that happened but his brother Craig and sister in law Ann definitely helped make me feel so comfortable.

Now back home in Texas (for now) and getting back into our routine and planning for Isabella's 1st birthday! Can't believe its came so fast