Her other favorite toy is one that she and cousin Ava spent all Saturday night fighting over: an empty Propel water bottle with one penny in it. Ashley put the penny in it to further thrill Ava, and then when Stella saw it she just HAD to have it. They went back and forth stealing it from each other until Ashley said that Stella could take the water bottle home. She still loves it, and has played with it for HOURS...I'm not kidding...HOURS!
My friend Crystal called me this morning just as Stella and I were dragging ourselves out of bed at 10 am to invite us to go to Wheeler Farm and take pictures. Well, it was of course a beautiful day...and you KNOW that I NEVER turn down the opportunity to take pictures. Some of them turned out simply amazing! (Even though it took me forever to get a smile out of Stella--she was tired and too interested in the scenery.)
We also looked at a few of the animals. I was showing Stella the sheep (or as she knows them, "lambies") and I swear she said "BAA," which is what I tell her the lambies say when she plays with her animal bath toys. I'm sure that she didn't mean to do it, but perhaps she was showing off her genius skills again. Either way, it was super cute.
I had Crystal take a few photos of me and Stella...if only I had time to do my hair--wait, who am I kidding? I never do my hair. But I think these shots of us together are still cute. Thanks Crystal for a fun little outing, and for being such a great photographer.
My event coordinator, Stacy, planned an evening of fine arts for us gals tonight. We attended Ballet West's production of Madame Butterfly. It was a lovely evening full of dancing, music, and class. Obviously there is no better way to end an evening such as that than with a quick visit to "freaky" Dees. Did you know that they are letting children out alone with cars these days? I mean, they have to be like 11 or 12, right? We used to always go to Dees when we were in High School since there really aren't very many places you can hang out at late if you are under 21. (Plus they have suckers.) It appears that some things never change because all the youngens were out tonight at Dees as well. Made me feel pretty old pretty fast. Anyway, I had a blast. It is always the best to get together with old friends to feel young again while you talk about how old you are.
I would love to be in denial about this, but today is Stella's 8 month birthday. I can't believe how fast she is learning new tricks. It is almost like having a different baby in the house every day. She is suddenly mobile and can roll around and scoot herself pretty much anywhere she would like to go. She of course is crazy about saying "mama," "ma," or an occasional "mom." I have yet to tire of hearing her say her first word. Just last night she figured out how to clap her hands together and it tickles her to no end. It must be so exciting to finally figure out something you have been wanting to do for months! And of course, I still can't believe that she has this innate need to rock side to side whenever she hears a beat, whether the music is on TV, at a restaurant, or in an elevator. 
