Thursday, March 31, 2011

The House That Built Us

     The time has finally come. Our house closed this morning! We are no longer homeowners. It is an experience that brings joy and sadness.We are so blessed to have our home sell exactly two months after it listed on the market. This has truly come from the Lord. At the same time, we are saying goodbye to the place where we grew up, not physically, but spiritually. 
      Terry and I got married in May 2007 and by September we were living in TN. The first three years of our marriage we spent in a place away from our family; where we had to make new friends, go to church on our own, go to a new school, and build our own traditions. It was just Terry and I. We quickly found our home away from home. Friends welcomed us into the ward and neighborhood. Friends that we now consider family. We built so many memories in that home. It protected us through snow storms, floods, and tornado warnings. It sheltered us from the outside world; it was our temple. It calmed the echoes of arguments and sheltered the spirit throughout the day. It soaked up our tears (mostly around the time I was pregnant.) The carpets are worn from the many people who came to visit, dog pee from our anxious pup, baby drool and throw up, Nolan's raisins (I told him not to eat in the living room!), and spilt drinks. We had our first child in this home and spent weeks painting her room and preparing for her arrival. We had long nights doing homework. We welcomed guests. We cooked our first thanksgiving meal. It provided a place to stay for Nolan when he was preparing for his mission and he opened his call there!! We heard baby cries, dogs barking, early morning alarms, laughter. Bella played with her best friend, Ellie. We had many spiritual moments sharing our feelings at family night. This house was more than a house and more than a home.
      I think back to the day we said goodbye. We thought we would sleep in our home on the last night, just as we did the first night. We woke up early after sleeping only a few hours on an air mattress in Bella's room. We went through every room, thinking about all those memories. The house was empty. Our words echoed as we talked. Our home was just a house. A house that someone else will fill with memories. A house that someone else will bring their first child home too or stay up all night talking in with their friends. It is now someone else's.
      We moved into that house with one dog and one cat. We were newlyweds, so fresh and naive. We left that house with two dogs, two cats, and a beautiful daughter-- I, a mother and terry, a father; I, a graduate and Terry, a superviser. We are more wise, more experienced, and adults. We will always remember our memories and the wonderful people we shared our lives with in TN and those that helped us grow. We are forever grateful to those kind spirits. Goodbye home. Now we will move on with our lives in Florida and will someday find another special home that will shelter us and cultivate more memories to come. (and more little ones :) )

Here are some pics. Sadly, most of my pictures are on our computer in storage.

The day we bought our house.
I'm pregnant!

Painting Bella's room

Bella's first day at home.

Nolan's mission call.


 Sitting on the front lawn in fall... the best.

 Ellie and Bella

How I want to remember it....



Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Dum Dum

So, since Isabella has had her first sugar rush she has never been the same. She changed the moment that cake touched her mouth. It's like she knows she is a big girl now! She has always been a GREAT eater, no kidding she will eat anything you put in her mouth. Now, she will refuse her vegetables and certain fruits. Is this really happening? She can't be fooled either. I used to be able to hide the veggies in other foods, but she finds them. She will chew the chicken and spit out the broccoli. UGH! So, I have given in to this madness. I gave her a lollipop... wow that was not smart. She didn't know how to eat it at first. She looked at it and would stick it in her mouth. After about 30 seconds she was a pro. She was switching hands, twirling it, and even did a no-hander. She was in heaven. 5 minutes later, with sticky hands and mouth, she was satisfied and no more crying!!!!!!

Friday, March 25, 2011

ROARRRRRR!!!!

We were able to go to T-REX last night at Downtown Disney and meet Eric, Lauren, Haley, and Max! How fun! The food was great, but expected a lot more considering the prices. Honestly, what should I expect... it's at DISNEY. All in all, we were so glad to be with family!

Inside the restaurant

We sat in the ice age








Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Beach Days are Here!

We finally got to go to the beach and it was the perfect time! Bella was pointing at EVERYTHING and loved every minute.. it was all a learning experience for her.. the sand and water were not very fun for her. She preferred to stand back and watch. I'm sure she will warm up! 


Bella does this when we ask how her how old she is!

"Who's on the phone?"





Bella and Nana




She refused to put her feet on the sand

"wassat"


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

So much to blog about... so little time....

    Wow... I have so much to catch up with on the blog writing... How about we scratch off all previous events and I will start blogging from Bella's first birthday!? Sounds great!
    So, where in the world are the Romero's? We are in FLORIDA!! Sunshine state! We have left our first home, beautiful land, and wonderful friends! It is the next phase of our life. Tennessee was a place where I learned to grow up (Yeah, I know it might have been a good idea to do this BEFORE I got married). It was our home away from home. I was able to make friends, get a job, go to school, get a calling, have a CHILD, and live in a whole new world! All on my own!!!! (technically the CHILD part involved my husband and I couldn't have done it without him!) What a wonderful time. Now, we are back in Florida. Our home.
   We are not a 10 hour drive away from our friends and family! How wonderful it is! And what I am so excited about... getting my tan back!!!! Man, Tennessee really wiped out any evidence of sun on my skin. So, we will definitely be taking advantage of the 30 minute drive to the beach!
   Bella's first birthday was a success!! We went to Gatorland on her actual birthday and she loved all the animals! Her birthday party was the next day... she was eating up all of the attention. She is considered a toddler now! Is this really happening? I still see her as my baby. She loves to talk and points to things and says, "wassat?" or "tsssss".. she loves to dance! Any chance she hears music her legs start shaking and her body starts bouncing. She is starting to feed herself! Her time in her high chair is her favorite time of the day, hands down. She loved her cake and loved hearing everyone sing happy birthday to her.. it was so much fun to see her so excited! She is starting to point to her body parts when I ask her where they are and she is doing animal noises... so fun! she isn't always right sometimes cows say "meow" and dogs say "quack quack" so it's a work in progress!! So here are some pictures from her birthday!

















Bella loved opening her presents and is such a big girl now!!!!!!