"The times they are a changin'"

The cool cat allows the nonthreatening toddler to lay next to him during an evening stretch.
A birds eye view of a very happy, nearly naked, toddler taking a break from swooshing through the thick humidity.
A huge fan of Beauty and the Beast totally hypnotized with the enchanted castle. She's sitting in her beach chair while brushing her teeth and wearing the latest in toddler headband fashion.
A proud mama and her nude beginner swimmer. I lost my first tooth beside this lake and I am so lucky to have parents who insist on having her be a water baby.

There's not a lot of time left to enjoy the heat of the Summer. The weather tonight is cool and crisp and just plain refreshing. The evenings of Bella running around in nothing but a diaper will fade, my inviting backyard will begin to slack off at entertaining my 18 month old while I cook and clean. But, I must admit, the weather tonight did give me a quite the start. Not only is it evident that the seasons are changing but so is the life I have known for 18 months. The atmosphere in my family life will soon be a memory. Everyone knows I am going to be trying to have another baby, but these are some priceless moments with Bella during, hopefully, her last summer as an only child. This summer was bittersweet. I will reminisce about the learning leaps Bella has taken and the tremendous growth in my marriage. (I think we are really getting the hang of this.) But, I also see, as my Dad put it, these are my good ole days.

I am an extremely emotional person, and I get it honestly. I cried so hard this June while watching a television show about Charlotte high school graduates. The valedictorians were giving their speeches. When one of the speeches ended a slow song played with the lyrics "Eighteen years have come and gone..." Cue the sobbing. And this mommy of (at the time, a16 month old!) was a mess thinking of how fast it really does fly by.

All-in-all the summer was a good time had by all. Many memories, milestones, 4 or our friends had children that turned one year old this year and hopefully I have enough pictures and journals to bring me back to this great feeling that I'm having right now.