...pure joy...

Belle is pure JOY! Sassy. Silly. Sweet. Smart. Sensitive.

She’s kind. Cuddly. Giggly. Charming. CUTE.

Belle has added MAGIC to all of our lives. She’s wise for a 4-year-old.

She’s a good sleeper. (Mostly. Takes minimal cajoling/bribes.) She looks adorable in her glasses. She ADORES her Mama. She idolizes her Big Sister.

She makes us smile. And, sometimes, CrAzY. (A bit crazy...) She makes us think. She makes us proud. She makes us HAPPY!

Celebrating Belle has been MARVELOUS! Especially in this challenging, social-distancing nightmare.

Speaking of COVID-19:

In April, TLC and I are going to embrace the frustration of self-quarantining by sharing our most favorite memes. Stories. Lessons. Hope you’ll stop by and visit us—from six feet away!

Buh-Bye, March. It’s been...well...different. (SHEESH.)

Air Hugs, Friends!

ELC

...it’s OFFICIAL...

Belle is 4!

We’re now referring to her as “four-antined.” (Not original.)

Our youngest of seven grands, she’s a happy-go-lucky pistol! She loves (and misses) her teachers and friends at school. She NEEDS Butterbean’s Cafe, fruit chews, glitter, bows and jewelry. She adores Peppa Pig, Pete the Cat (although real cats scare her...), and singing all the songs from Frozen and Frozen II. She’s looking forward to this quarantine being over so she can begin ballet and tap lessons. (Swimming lessons? She is not excited about those. But she’ll have no choice. She DOES love to swim. Just not the lessons.)

Since her first “official” birthday party with friends was postponed, as well as our family party for her, Grammy and Pa-Pa took her gifts to her porch Sunday afternoon and celebrated from the requisite 6-foot distance. (We sang Happy Birthday to Belle. Sadly, we were never, EVER on the same key. So I just sang louder. Not an ideal situation for anyone. Probably, and especially, any of TLC’s neighbors that could have been traumatized. Oh, well. Belle liked it!)

We’re truly proud of Belle! She’s sweet, kind, smart, generous, and PRECIOUS. Duh. We all pray her next year is full of GOOD health, FUN times with Little Leighton, her Mom, Dad and Henry (their dog), lots of learning and endless giggles.

(And NO CATS!) Wink. Wink.

ELC

...four MORE...

(I promise I’m not intentionally ignoring the current pandemic. However, it’s already taken away so much, including Belle’s first “birthday party with school friends.” So, through March, I’d rather just focus on celebrating my sweet girl. We can talk all things Coronavirus is April.)

Last night, before bath, I decided to ask Belle FOUR MORE questions! Her answers are sweet and silly. (I don’t know where she decided peacocks were brave but I know she sure is!)

1. What do you want to be when you grow up? A ballerina!

2. What’s your favorite movie? Frozen 2!

3. What’s your favorite animal? A peacock, because they’re SUPER brave, like me!

4. What’s your favorite song? “Walk Me Home,” by the P!nk lady!

I hope your Friday (I think that’s what day it is. LOL.) is filled with lots of faith, grace and love.

Happy weekend!

FOUR

Tonight, as I was putting Sweet Belle to sleep, I asked my almost four-year-old FOUR questions! I will always be so thankful I have these memories as who she is right now.

1. What’s your favorite show? “Hmmm. Sofia the First. Llama Llama. Chip and Potato. Butterbeans. Peppa. I like a lot of shows! But my VERY favorite right now is Sofia!”

2. What’s your favorite color? “Pink. Turquoise. Purple. Oh, and dark green.”

3. What’s your favorite food? (As an aside, Belle really LOVES food. Especially snacks. Her answer just happens to be what we had for dinner tonight.) “Plain spaghetti with butter and Parmesan!”

4. What’s your favorite thing to do at school? “Play in the kitchen with the baby doll wearing the pink outfit!”

Y’all. She’s so sweet. She’s happy. She’s smart. She cracks us up! She also clearly loves wearing things on her head! LOL.

I’m so lucky to have her!

...baby belle...

We decided several months ago that we needed to quit calling Baby Belle “Baby.” Just go with Belle. To this Grammy, however, she’ll probably always be “Baby Belle.”

She’s the youngest of our seven grandchildren. From the time TLC suspected she was pregnant, we were both certain she was a boy. (We also were convinced Little Leighton—aka LL—
was going to be a boy. So there you go. We are not good guessers.)

TLC was, in all honesty, quite The Drama Queen all throughout her LL pregnancy and birth. When Belle was born? TLC was more in control of her emotions. Belle came much faster than LL. It was still AMAZING and JOYOUS and MIRACULOUS. Mom and Dad were cooler this go-round. That was good.

Grammy and Pa-Pa were no less ecstatic at this Angel’s entrance into the world than they’d been at the birth of each of our grandchildren! We had the added honor of caring for LL. Bringing her to the hospital to meet her new baby sister. (Just like her Mama, LL was as intrigued by and with the hospital gift shop as she was seeing Belle for the first time. Sheesh.)

LL hadn’t been the easiest baby. (Again, neither was her Mama. The truth hurts, TLC.) She’d not been a good sleeper. At night or for naps. Despite not being out in the general public many times in her first two years—or at a daycare—she seemed to get sick ALOT. Then there was her Celiac Disease diagnosis at two. Her sleeping improved soon after she turned two and quit having gluten. Naps were always a struggle and they were over by the time LL turned three.

TLC was determined Belle was going to be a BETTER baby. She was going to sleep in her crib. PERIOD. ALWAYS. She was going to be a better napper. TLC HAD learned how to be a Mama and Belle was going to benefit from her LL experience.

Belle was the happiest baby! (Probably because she was sleeping more than LL.) She giggled. She laughed. She danced. (Long before she could walk, she’d dance.)

And here is Baby Belle! From birth to 4 months old!

Isn’t she the CUTEST?

Get ready. March is ALL BELLE. ALL the TIME. EVERY. POST.

Have a WONDERFUL week, Dearest Friends...

Hugs,
ELC

BELLE!

Belle (formerly known as Baby Belle) will be four years old this month. 

Wwwwhhhhaaaatttt????

Grammy ELC is in such disbelief. She’s the baby/youngest of our seven grandchildren and a daily reminder of how fast time speeds by us. 

TLC and I want to take this opportunity to focus on Belle! A few pictures. A few videos. A few stories and sweet memories. 

Hopefully Y’all will be patient and humour us! We’ll try not to be too obnoxious. Wink. Wink. 

Have a WONDERFUL Weekend—Wherever in the World Y’all are!

Hugs...

ELC

March