The South Carolina Railroad Museum

On Saturday, October 1, 2011, Ray, Isabella, and I drove to Winnsboro, SC, to visit the South Carolina Railroad Museum.  We visited a Gallery with historic pictures and artifacts, then walked through a display train with old fashioned sleeper and dining cars.  Another car contained an area for cargo and a mail counter. On that a day, a specialty train was featured - it was Caboose Day.  We road the coach car, but there were also 3 different types of cabooses that folks could ride in.  We took a leisurely one hour train ride along 5 miles of operating track while the conductor filled us in on the history of the trains and the Winnsboro area.  It was a fun and interesting field trip and a first for all three of us.  Even Ray who is born and raised in South Carolina had never been the SC Railroad Museum.

Isabella is 25 months old - September 21, 2011.

I'm done with the apron!

Bella talking with Precious.  Bella: It's raining outside, Precious.  (I'm serious.  That's exactly what she said!)

Bella playing with her Ikea kitchen in our den...

Playing with the green grapes.

Chef's hat, apron, and glove - the best clearance rack purchase I've ever made.  She loves them!

Our trip to the zoo - September 19, 2011

On September 19, 2011, I was on PTO and joined Jen, Bella, Maleah and Ashlyn on a trip to the zoo.  The weather was beautiful, the animals were active and we had a great time.  We all enjoyed a fun ride on the "train" (it's really the tram, but Bella calls it the train) to the botanical gardens.  Very pretty and lots of fun!

A family weekend in Myrtle Beach - September 16 - 18, 2011

Just before lunch on Friday, September 16^th, Ray, Jen, Bella and I headed to Myrtle Beach to spend the weekend.  Later that afternoon, the rest of our gang headed down to meet us there.  Saturday morning the nine of us went to breakfast, and then spent a couple of hours at the Ripley’s Aquarium.  Bella got to touch the hermit crab, but didn’t want to touch the stingrays.  (Stephanie did; she said they were slimy.)   After that, Ray, Isabella and I played on the beach.  Bella ran on the beach yelling “Papa, I running on the beach!  Watch me run!”  Saturday evening we enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner at The Chesapeake House.  Then it was back to the condo to watch the rest of the USC football game and a game of Yahtzee.  Before leaving on Sunday, we went down the Arcade to play for a while.  All in all a very fun weekend with all of the kids! 

Isabella is 24 months old - August 21, 2011

On August 21st, Isabella turned 2. My, how these last couple of years have just flown by! Bella is such a happy little child and is talking up a storm these days. In these pictures, she was talking with her Papa using my phone. (Papa was in the laundry room about 7 or 8 feet away from her...) One of these days I'll actually get caught up - I'm running behind on getting pictures posted.

Bella's 2nd birthday party

On 08212011, Bella celebrated her second birthday with a party at Fun Zone.  The main attraction was 3 big bouncy houses - Bella's very favorite thing to do.  One featured a "rock wall" which she scampered up effortlessly like a little monkey.  Once she got to the top, she would slide down the slide.  She did this time and again.  Another was an actually bouncy house.  At one point she was in the bouncy house by herself yelling out "I-like-this-bouncy-houuuuse!".  It was great!  Then came a zoo themed cake and monkey cupcakes, both of which Angela made for the party.  They were very cute and very yummy.  The kids had a blast!  (So did the adult!)

This is the doll cradle that Ron made for Isabella.

Fun in the bouncy house!

Bella had fun on this bouncy house.  She scaled the rock wall to get to the slide.

Monkey cupcakes that Aunt Angie made for her birthday party.

Aunt Angie also made a zoo themed cake!

Bella's new "motor bike" (her name for a bicycle).