Bell Family

We did not die... just in case you were wondering

2010-08-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

So it's pretty pathetic that it has taken me eight months to post. Honestly, I think I'd given up on the whole blogging thing. At first I didn't post because shortly after the new year I was put on bed rest due to complications in my pregnancy. And even though I had all the time in the world-- I just didn't feel like boring the blogging world with all my woes. I mean who really wants to read about shortened cervixes, preterm labor and meds that make your face feel like it's on fire, kidney stones and stents, etc etc etc. Everything reached the pinnacle and on May 5th I saw my doctor and was immediately schedule for delivery that day. The babies arrived four weeks early but completely healthy and absolutely adorable if I must say so. And I must. :)

We named them Zachary Kenneth and Charlotte Hope. Zack was born first at 6:11pm weighing 5lbs 4oz. Charlotte arrived two minutes later at 6:13pm and weighed 5lbs 13 oz. They are wonderful and perfect and actually almost four months old now. (I know, I know I am so slow).

In my defense though, the excitement didn't end there. Two weeks after they were born we put our house on the market because Reed was offered a job in Chandler Arizona. So for the next three weeks we dealt with all the "fun" that comes with selling a house. The next month was spent packing up all we had accumulated in the last 8 years of living in Oregon, along with driving to Utah for two family reunions.

CHUGG REUNION @ BEAR LAKE UTAH

BELL REUNION @ ZIONS NATIONAL PARK

Even though the month of June was insanely crazy, everything managed to work out. Our house sold and we managed to fit everything in a 28ft trailor (it was a very tight squeeze) and then even more amazing was the fact that we survived the 21 hour drive to Arizona with five kids under the age of 8 in the car. And just to spice things up a bit, school started five days after we arrived in Arizona. So admist the unpacking and chaos, Nate started third grade and Jocelyn started first grade. They both love it and are enjoying their new school.

Although it was terribly hard to leave Oregon and all of our wonderful friends and family, there are some very nice things about being in Arizona. Most weeks are filled with going to my parent's house and spending hours in their pool. As you can see even Charlotte has made her debut into the pool. (So has Zack, I just don't have proof of it.)

Anyways, I think that gets us back up to date. I still think it's pathetic that it's taken me so long to post. But then again,after rereading this a couple times-- I think I might have a good excuse. :) And really this might be the way to go with blogging- just one gigantic post twice a year. :)

One more picture of these sweet babies.... even admist the chaos we really have been so blessed.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T07:02:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and yours all the joy and happiness that this wonderous day has to offer as you celebrate the birth and the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sneak a Peak

2009-12-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

I admit... I'm one of those people who just can't wait. If there's a way for me to sneak a peak at a gift and discover what it is- I'll find it. It's kinda a two edged sword though because I LOVE surprises and my curiousity just ruins the surprise by peaking! Back to the point, because of some health issues- I have had quite a few ultrasounds in the last few weeks. And just a few days ago, when I was almost 17 weeks, the ultrasound confirmed the gender of our babies. The tech said because she was completely POSITIVE she would write it in the charts. So we were able to sneak a peak almost a full month early. We're delighted to announce we are expecting:

(I am really tempted to buy these shirts for the babies at www.trendsintwos.com Aren't they adorable?)

We are so delighted! Nate is the most ecstatic out of all of us because he can hardly believe he is really getting a brother. As we were doing the ultrasound, we could see Baby B (the girl) was poking her finger at Baby A (the boy). We took it as a sign of things to come!

Time to come out of hiding

2009-11-16T09:43:00.000-08:00

I know it's been forever since I've posted. Life has just gotten away from me and honestly at some point I got so far behind, I just didn't have the energy to catch up. So with that being said, I'm not catching up. You'll just have to imagine the great summer we had, Laynie turning 2, Reed graduating, and all the other fun moments in between.
But just so this post is about something other than my lack of posting... here's our most recent news.

So yeah... sometime in May we will be expecting not one baby but two... we're delighted, excited, anxious, and terrified all at once. That's normal right?
We won't find out until after Christmas what the genders are but Nate is already pushing for two boys. I told him to just be grateful if we get one- like he originally prayed for. But he quickly amends his thoughts and says, "But I'll still love them even if their both girls." Phew.

Anyways, here's to hoping I post again before the twins are born. But don't hold your breath. :)

She is her Daddy's Daughter

2009-06-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

You how sometimes life just needs a little more excitement? Well we got ours today. This afternoon, while I was cleaning the kitchen, Jocy was out playing on the swingset. All of a sudden I heard her screaming. And not your typical scream. My first thought when I heard the blood curtling scream was, "This is bad. She must have broken something," When she came running in holding her arm, my second thought was a brief prayer that it wouldn't be a compound fracture with any protruding bones. I just knew that if it was protruding, that Jocy wouldn't be the only one requiring medical attention. I cautiously examined her arm and was relieved that it looked fine. But even with resting, ice, tylenol, and popscicles she was still complaining and crying. Really it was the disinterest in the popsicles that confirmed the diagnosis for me. So off to the doctor's office we went. After taking x-rays, he confirmed that she had broken both bones in her lower arm, the raduis and the ulna, and would need a cast. As she was picking out her cast color, she was asking me questions about what was going to happen. I told her that I wasn't sure because I'd never had a cast. She looked at me and said, "I bet daddy has." Yeah... he has definately had a cast before. I think I'll wait to tell her how he once had one broken arm in a cast and the other arm in a sling with a dislocated shoulder. Both at the same time, caused by two seperate incidents....Yes I think that is a story for another day. Don't want to give her any ideas. :)

50th Birthday

2009-06-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

So the greatest woman I've ever known turns 50 today. Can you believe it? She doesn't look 50. Whenever we are out shopping together, someone often comments on how we must be sisters. I'm not sure if that is a compliment to her or a dig to me. ;) But my mom really is the best. She understands me, she listens to me, she encourages me. She is a great example to me of sacrifice and service. She is a hands on, get down on the ground & play, make every outing exciting kind of grandma. My kids are lucky to have her and so am I. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Boston

2009-06-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

A quick update. Reed is getting his MBA from Babson. It is a school located near Boston, MA. The school flies professors out here to POrtland once a month and the students attend classes all day Friday and all day Saturday. The rest of the classes are done via conference calls and the internet. Anyways, Reed graduates in September but like many other schools they only have one graduation so his class was invited to attend (30 of the 40 students in his class were there.) So long story short :) We both went to Boston in May.
Honestly, Boston wasn't on my list of places I HAD to see before I died. But I was SO AMAZED. I loved it. It was a beautiful city, rich in history, and traditions. We had great food and so much fun being together- just the two of us.
Here's a few quick pictures. I won't bore you with my entire travelog but if you haven't been to Boston you really should add it to your list of places to see.

Utah & a wedding

2009-06-04T08:18:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of May, I drove with the girls (& Kevin & Aslyn) to Utah for my cousin's wedding. We had a great time. Whenever I go to Utah, I have my list of places I have to go to before I leave. I got my fill of Pebbles in my Pocket, (Reed calls it Rocks in my Socks) Robert's Craft, Rodworks, and Tai Pan. I also spent time with some of my favorite women ever. I love spending time with my grandma, aunts and cousins.

I also made my annual mecca to my alma mater. We left BYU seven years ago but I've managed to come back at least yearly. That's only because there are so many other things that bring me to Utah but it's always fun to visit and remember all the great times we had there.

And what's a trip to BYU without the creamery? My kids gorged themselves on icecream and loved every minute of it.

P.S. This is MY 73 year old Grandpa playing chase with my girls for a good half hour? He's amazing.

Playing catch up

2009-04-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where time goes. Life just has been rushing by lately. So I'm playing a little catch up tonight and posting everything that happened in the last month. I really prefer to post as things are happening but that just couldn't happen last month. So I'm up to date and back on track. I'd like to say May will be different but I tend to "eat my words" alot. So I'm keeping my mouth closed. :)

Things I learn from my kids

2009-04-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was folding clothes, and being the mean mom that I am, was making my kids fold their own clothes. It's something they are totally capable of doing. It has nothing to do with me disliking it. (actually truth be told, I like folding. I despise putting away though. So I never want to fold because I know what the next step is.)

Anyways, Nate starts to grumble about how hard his life is, about how miserable it is. Me-- being the mature parent that I am-- scoffed and said, "Buddy this is not hard. You have no idea what hard is and if you want to continue whining I can show you how hard it can be."

Fast forward a few weeks, to a particularly hard day when I am feeling particularly sorry for myself and the trials I face. I had skyped my dad-- knowing that if anyone could tell me how it is and help me count my blessings, it was probably him. And he did. He told me how it was and reminded me I had a MILLION things to be thankful for and the things I was facing down really weren't the mountains I had made them out to be. But the surprise lesson in all of this came from my son, Nate, who I didn't realize was listening to me wallow in self pity. Nate from the hallway said, "How come I'm not allowed to complain about how hard my life is but you can?"

Touche'

And really he's right. And what's more, I started thinking of my conversation with him a few weeks prior. I thought of it, in context of me and my Heavenly Father. I'm sure at times when I'm whining He really just wants to say, "Really, this is all you can take?" But instead He is patient with me and gives me hope that things will get better and strength to find joy in the present. I really believe by the time Nate is grown and on his own, I will have learned more from him than he could ever learn from me.

Tulips at the Temple

2009-04-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying the most phenomenal weather. We couldn't pass up taking the kids to the Portland temple to see all the beautiful tulips in bloom. Tulips are my favorite and the ones at the temple were GORGEOUS! We had a great afternoon.

60th Birthday Party

2009-04-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

Reed's dad turned 60 last weekend. Reed's mom threw a surprise party for him that was a huge hit. The weather was PERFECT- high 70's in oregon in APRIL!!! Doesn't get better than that. Everyone brought memories or sent them ahead of time and then I put them together in a memory book for him. It was a great day celebrating a great man. I feel really lucky to have him as a father-in-law.

Happy Easter

2009-04-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

Here are my attempts at getting one decent photo of three lovely children.

Nope.

Nada.

Not a chance.

As good as it's gonna get.

Spring Break

2009-04-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

We spent Spring Break in Coeur de Laine, ID with some of our favorite people in the world- the Roth family. One of the days we went to a indoor water park and had the BEST time.

Jocy loved the waterslides!

How could you not love this girl?

Nate and his supercool goggles!

Every time Laynie sees the camera, she makes this face and says 'CHEESE." Gotta love her!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picutre. Ben is only a few months older than Laynie. He is the most stoic child I have ever met. It took me months of him coming over to convince him he liked me. About that time, the Roth's moved! But I love this picture because Laynie's all delighted that Ben has his arm around her and Ben's looking down like he's just a tad uncomfortable with the situation but doesn't know how to disengage. I feel like I could take the picture 15 years from now and have it look exactly the same. :)

Nate's Birthday

2009-04-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

It is hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that my Nate is seven. Here are seven things I adore about him.

1. He is adventuresome -willing to try anything.

2. He still thinks his mom and dad are "cool" and loves to be with us.

3. He has a tender heart and is concerned for others.

4. He is creative and artistic and loves to draw.

5. He is a great big brother and loves to help with his sisters.

6. He has a strong desire to do what is right.

7. He LOVES all sports and it is so fun to watch him excel.

8. He loves to laugh and his contagious laugh makes the rest of us giggle.

Bursting that Bubble

2009-03-10T09:02:00.001-07:00

So this weekend Nate attended the "It's great to be 8" fireside for all the kids who will turn 8 in the next 12 months. He actually doesn't turn 7 for another week and a half but being in Primary affords me a little wiggle room. I just really want him to be excited and prepared for this special event. Anyways, one of the dad's was giving a talk on Baptism and was reading from the New Testament the story of Jesus' baptism. He read this scripture:

Matthew 3:13-14"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be a baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?"

The speaker then asked what John meant by this. Nate raised his hand and very adult like said, "He didn't understand why Jesus needed to be baptized because Jesus was perfect." Ok so honestly at that moment my heart swelled with pride that my son so completely understood this story. I was feeling pretty pleased with him and naturally my stellar parenting skills. :) But wait, it gets better.

The next speaker was talking about the Holy Ghost and the feelings that come from the Holy Ghost. He asked if anyone ever felt that warm and happy feeling inside when they made a good choice or sang a beautiful song in Primary. All the other kids were nodding their heads and Nate blurts out very matter-a-factly, "Nope. Never." The teacher tried to give another example and Nate just shook his head. Yeah... obviously my stellar parenting skills need to focus a bit more on helping him recognize the Holy Ghost because I know he has felt it but just hasn't grasped that that is what he is feeling. But mostly I was just reminded how often in parenting situations when I'm getting puffed up with pride about how really great I am and what a great parent I am .... I am quickly reminded that it's really not me. And don't get me wrong, this isn't a pity party... I do think I do many things well as a parent and that I work hard to teach my children the gospel and to love our Savior. What I'm trying to say is in that moment when Nate gave his perfect answer I felt joy for what a great boy he is and that he is getting it but honestly a part of me felt satisfaction in knowing that others there might also be impressed with MY child. So I think it was fitting that just a few minutes later my little bubble burst. I don't know, maybe this doesn't happen to anyone else, but it was a perfect reminder for me that we should be "stripped of pride" like Alma says in ch.5 vs.28.

"Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life."

Anyways, I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves us enough to strip us of our pride.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

Reed works tonight. I know on Valentine's Day. Don't feel too bad for me. I don't. Valentine's day has never really been my thing. I think at first when I was single- it was always a poignant reminder that I was single. But even now that I have the love of my life- I'm still not that into it. Besides, Reed HATES crowds and waiting in line and the pressure to buy just the right gift. Can't really get away from any of those things on V-day. So for the most part our Valentine's Day celebrations are always pretty low key. With that little disclaimer... I'm totally not against valentine's activities. I LOVE the little valentine's day traditions I'm making with my sweet family. This year... we spent it with the Roth family. We love this family and are heart sick that they are moving next week to Coeur d'Alene (let's not talk about that right now. That's a post for another day... one when I can get composed enough to not ball about how much I'll miss my dear friends.) Anyways, we had a great dinner. We squeezed it in before Reed had to go to work. We had shrimp scampi and chicken fettucine, salad, red jello (seriously I think this is the only time I have jello but I can't imagine a V-day dinner without it) and strawberry shortcake for dinner. It was wonderful and the company was even better. Everyone had a heart at their seat that said "I love you because..." that we each wrote something nice about that person. While we got dessert together the kids played "love bingo". I just LOVE LOVE LOVE how little Laynie is just joining in-- convinced she is just as big as everyone else. What a great Valentine's-- I couldn't be luckier to have the family and friends I have. That is something to celebrate.

Valentines- loving the decor

2009-02-14T22:06:00.000-08:00

So I've been wanting some Valentine's Day decoration. Nothing big and fancy... just a few things to celebrate with. I wasn't finding anything I really loved and also was trying to keep to a budget. In my mind I knew what I wanted- I just couldn't find it- so I decided I was just going to make them myself. And I don't mean to toot my own horn-- well okay I guess I do :) -- but I think they turned out pretty cute. Plus I spent a whopping $1.27 since I had everything else I needed. Now I just need some Easter decorations....

This is my favorite. I got the idea from a Making Memories ad in CK magazine. The hearts and flowers are all made out of felt. Can I tell you how much I {heart} felt. Yes, I'm in love.

lost my groove

2009-01-29T12:31:00.000-08:00

Have you seen Emperor's New Groove? You know the part, where the old guy tells Pacha that he through off the Emperor's groove? Well, that's how I feel about blogging. Something's thrown off my groove. Honestly, there isn't a great reason for my absence. I just haven't been feeling it. I've still been keeping up on everyone else's blog but just haven't wanted to blog about anything myself. Not like we're lacking material here.... I could post about christmas (it was wonderful.) I could post about ALL the snow we've received (please, tell me we're done). I could post about all that has happened in January (it seems like there has been enough happening to write a small novel). But I just don't have it in me. So here's your post to let you know we are alive, well, and happy. Just enjoying life. Here's to hoping I find my groove.

P.S. Just had to include my favorite quote from this movie. If you haven't seen it- it's a good one.

Pacha: Uh-oh.
Kuzco: Don't tell me. We're about to go over a huge waterfall.
Pacha: Yep.
Kuzco: Sharp rocks at the bottom?
Pacha: Most likely.
Kuzco: Bring it on.

Just for laughs

2008-12-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

Reed took this picture of Laynie, who had insisted that he put these goggles on her. I can't see this picture and not laugh out loud.

Mr. Snow

2008-12-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

Snow, Snow go away come again another day. Like Christmas Eve for instance. It's not that I'm against you. In small doses or in places that can handle you- you are lovely. I love freshly fallen snow that hasn't been touched. I love snowmen and snowangels. I even love a good snowball fight. But we are going on day four of our hibernation due to your visit. It wouldn't be so bad if you had left your friends Mr. Freezing Rain and Mr. Bitterly Cold Wind at home. They make it next to impossible to even enjoy any of the fun things you bring. So I am left at home with two VERY bored, sometimes whining and often arguing, children. We're not sure we'll survive the next six days of your projected stay. Luckily, most of my Christmas shopping is done. Even if the roads were driveable I would never venture out with all three of my children in tow. I may be stir crazy but I'm not plain crazy. So I will try to enjoy the winter wonderland you have created for me. I will drink lots of hot cocoa, sit by my warm fire, listen to the wind howl as I read a good book, and forget the dishes in the sink and the two children who are telling me, once again, that they're bored.

Yours truly,
One of those mom's getting ready to pull her hair out because you've made it impossible to get anything done.

P.S. These views are soley those of the author. The two children pictured below have a very different opinion about you. Similar to the one I had a long, long time ago and I rejoiced whenever you came into town and cancelled school. How did I get so old?

I LOVE CHRISTMAS

2008-12-09T18:48:00.001-08:00

I love christmas. Everything about it. It is definately my favorite holiday and it's not just because of the presents. I love friends and family gatherings, the yummy treats, the traditions. Here are a few of the reasons why I'm in love with Christmas.

I love Christmas traditions. Decorating gingerbread houses is a new one we have started in our family. The kids love it.

I love Christmas decorations. Don't get Reed started on the boxes, and boxes, and boxes he has to pull from the attic each year. This little snowy town has signifigance though because it was my Grandma Chugg's that she set up at her house were we spent almost all of my childhood Christmases.

I love Christmas trees. Nothing smells better than a Christmas tree. I love hunting for the perfect tree, cutting it down, and then spending hours decorating it. (I do NOT like putting the lights on. :))

I love Christmas advent calendars. I love the anticipation of Christmas and the excitement that comes with it. We currently have five in our house with another one in the works!

I love Christmas lights. With this one I must note the fact that Reed puts up all the lights. I think I might like them less if I actually had to put them up. And Reed HATES it but does it because he knows how happy it makes me and the kids. I love to drive around looking at everyone's lights.

I love Christmas music and movies. Reed makes me wait until the day after Thanksgiving but sometimes I sneak. I can't let a year go by without watching "White Christmas" and Reed makes us watch "Claymation Christmas". Don't be fooled by his bahumbug exterior. He loves Christmas almost as much as me.

I love Christmas nativities and what they represent. Obviously my favorite part about Christmas is how much we as a world and individuals focus on Jesus and try a little harder to be more like him. Really that is the only gift I can give Him and it seems like at Christmas my heart just overflows with love for those around me and for that miraculous baby who forever changed everything for all mankind.

My Christmas wish to you is that you find all the joy and happiness that comes from all the festivties at this time of year but even more that you find the love and peace that comes from He who came on that perfect night and lived that we may all recieve the greatest gifts of all.

Happy Birthday Jocy

2008-11-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

Jocy turned five yesterday and we celebrated with a High School Musical party in her honor. She had a wonderful day and loved being the center of attention. There are so many things I LOVE about Jocy but here are the top five:

1. She is very generous- willingly shares with others.

2. She laughs easily and her happiness is contagious.

3. She is thoughtful and loves to look after her sister.

4. She is affectionate and loves to snuggle.

5. She is brave and tries her hardest to keep up with her older brother.

We love you Jocy and are so grateful you are part of our family!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween week. We decided to be a bug family - with Reed as the Bug catcher. I'm all about themes but I'm not sure I'll ever convince the rest of them to go along with it again. It took quite a bit of convincing with Nate and Reed wasn't too thrilled about dressing up. We'll keep our fingers crossed for next year!

Laynie our little LADYBUG

Jocy was a grasshopper, she loved the poofy bum.

Nate the spider

Funny thing

2008-10-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

The other night at dinner, Jocy was asked to say the prayer. As she often says in her prayers she said "I love everyone in the world." (I think this saves her time rather than naming all the people she loves;))

When she was done Nate said, "You love everyone in the world?"
Jocy: "Yes, everyone."
Nate: "Even the bad people?"
Jocy: "No"
Nate: "Even Satan?"
Jocy: "No"
Nate: "I think I would have liked Satan if he had made right choices."

Really, what can I say to that???

Tossing Tradition

2008-10-21T10:52:00.001-07:00

So we (well mostly I) decided to pass on carving pumpkins this year. If you don't remember, my experience last Halloween well- let's just say it was less than delightful. Me- three kids, four pumpkins, and one bowl of pumpkin seeds ALL over Jocy and the floor. So instead of carving this year- we decorated. The kids thought it was just as fun and actually they were able to be more involved then they are when we're carving and using a knife. At least until they get a little older, this tradition might be a keeper. :)

Nate: Bat
Jocy: Cat
Laynie: Spider

Mozart in the Making

2008-10-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

After Sunday dinner, Grandma Bell was playing Primary songs for Jocy & Mikeyla. Laynie insisted (by quawking incessantly) that she sit on the piano bench with Grandma. It was so cute that she thought she was making all the pretty music coming out of the piano.

Crazy about Pumpkins

2008-10-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

I saw these ADORABLE pumpkins on 30 handmade days blog- which is a blog that posts all these FABULOUS crafty ideas from a variety of places all over the internet. I fell head over heels in love with the pumpkins and searched all over for some velvet fabric to make some but couldn't find anything, anywhere. A lady at Joann's suggested this material and so I decided to try it out. And if I do say so myself, I think they turned out pretty darn cute. The best part was going around to grocery stores asking if I could have their broken off stems. I got some wierd looks at that request. :)

These are the next pumpkins on my to do list. I can hardly wait to start! Can you tell I'm a bit obsessed?!

P.S. Don't be too impressed-- they were SO VERY easy. Maybe the easiest craft I've ever done.

Lincoln City

2008-10-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

We spent a couple days at Lincoln City this weekend. We went down with Reed's parents and Reed's grandparents. We had a wonderful time. I LOVE the beach. I LOVE the ocean. We had the best time together. While we were there we asked Grandma and Grandpa Bell how long they have been married- 63 years was what they told us! And here I was patting myself on the back for the 10 year milestone we reached this summer. What an accomplishment 63 years is and what an example they are to us of true and lasting love.

Lincoln City

2008-10-14T11:21:00.001-07:00

Homemade Apple Cider

2008-10-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Reed's parents have an orchard and one of the fruits they have is apples. They invited us over last weekend to make fresh apple cider. The kids thought it was so much fun and the end result was divine. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to drink store bought apple juice again.

Lifesaver

2008-10-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

I despise bedtime.

Not my bedtime.

My kids' bedtime.

Since Reed has been working nights and has scouts on tuesday, it now leaves me to do bedtime on my own a minimum of 5 nights a week. If my kids went dutifully, and quickly, and happily to bed, I would not be in this situation. It also doesn't help that by the time bedtime hits I have mentally checked out of "mom" duty and am moving into "my" time. Jocy doesn't struggle with bed time as much. She is often out fairly quickly but Nate, oh how he struggles!

Sometimes for hours.

Which, in turn, means I struggle for hours.

Quite some time ago, Reed introduced me to Pandora. It is a website that allows you to select an artist and then it plays a variety of songs by a variety of artists that are similar in nature.

Loved it then.

ADORE it now.

Last Sunday, Reed selected "Mormon Tabernacle Choir" and had some great music playing in the background. Then three nights ago, I had it playing before bed and they wanted it left on so after they were in beds I let it play in the background.

Both were asleep within 20 minutes.

Again last night.

Again tonight.

I don't want to jinx anything...and I probably already have...but can I tell you how much peace and happiness has entered our home?

No more mean bedtime mommy.

No more whiny, get-out-of-bed-a-thousand-times, kids.

I don't know how long it will last, but for however long it does, I'm going to enjoy it. Besides, you can't help but feel happy when powerful music praises the ONE who brings all peace.

Jury Duty

2008-10-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

I just spent the last couple of days at the Washington County courthouse on jury duty. I was actually selected as a juror which statistcally didn't seem that likely. It was a very interesting procedure. Often long and cumbersome but also very enlightening. The case delt with a 16 year old boy charged with 2 felony counts. It was daunting to realize the part I played and actually quite heartbreaking to realize that because of his rash decisions his life would be altered forever. A quick synopsis. He was playing a pick up game of basketball- it got out of hand as those things often do- a fight ensued. He was punched in the eye and left the court and walked 200-300 yards to a drinking fountain. On his way back he picked up a metal pipe used to stake a tree at the park. He proceed to go back over to where the other boys were and swung it and hit one of the boys on his forearm. The victim had is arm up above his head because he thought the defendant was trying to hit him in the head and he was trying to block it. Luckily it did not break his arm but left a welt and was pretty painful for several weeks. It was obvious that he committed the crime and it was not a case of self defense. The sad part though is that because of a new law in Oregon this young man is tried as an adult and will face a minimum of three years in prison. Although I agree he committed the crime, the punishment seemed harsh. It's a testament that making good choices is so important and the things you do today have the ability to alter your tomorrows.

Soccer

2008-10-09T11:09:00.001-07:00

We have had a GREAT soccer season. We only had one rainy day of soccer and let me tell you that is AMAZING for the northwest. Jocy and Nate both played this year. And I use the term, play loosely for Jocy. This is Nate's second year playing and he is, in my modest opinion, quite good. He usually scored a couple goals each game and is getting much better at being aware of his teammates and where they are on the field. Jocy on the other hand is a different story. I don't want to judge too early but I kinda think soccer's not her thing. She is totally capable and athletically coordinated- she was just bored. Her best friend was on her team and at first the coach would put them out on the field together. She learned quickly that that was not a good idea because Jocy and Madi could usually be found running down the field playing soccer WHILE HOLDING HANDS. Not an effective strategy. But they didn't care. At least they had fun right??

The first of many

2008-10-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Nate finally lost his first tooth. I say finally because he is already 6 1/2 and most of his friends (and even some younger) have already lost their first. What can I say? He got that from his mom. I was a teenager before I had lost all my baby teeth. Eventually the dentist just had to pull them because he feared I'd be 20 before they decided to come out on their own. Anyways, Nate was thrilled!!!! The tooth had been wiggly for quite a few days until Reed insisted on yanking it out. Nate was a bit squeamish about the ordeal but did yell too loudly. :)

What a difference a year makes

2008-09-11T08:22:00.001-07:00

Jocy started preschool this week. She is going to the same place she went last year and was so excited to see her teachers again. When I took her the first day, she walked in the door and never even looked back. I had to stop and get her attention just to say goodbye. It was a little ironic since last year for approximately the entire month of September I would leave preschool with Jocelyn crying and pleading in the background to please not leave her. This year is the complete polar opposite. I'm not complaining, though. :) I'm delighted she loves it this year.

Our little ladybug turns one!

2008-09-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe a year has gone by. Part of me feels like it was another lifetime- I can't imagine our family and I can't imagine my life without Elayna in it. The other part of me can't quite get my head around the fact that my BABY is a year?! Where did the time go by?!
Our life is filled with so much joy because of Laynie. She is our little miracle baby. We don't know why we were so blessed to have her join our family but we are so very thankful she did.

Back To School

2008-09-04T22:04:00.001-07:00

Nate was SO EXCITED for school to start. I'm not sure I can stress how excited he was. I am loving this stage. The excitment and thrill of learning and being at school. Believe me, he wasn't the only one excited. I have to be honest, the last couple of weeks at home have been crazy. Nate is bored and done with summer activities, Jocy and him were constantly teasing each other, and I was ready to be able to run to the store without it being a huge production.

Even so, I had to control the emotions when I said goodbye to him at his desk and whispered,"Remember who you are." The part about letting him go, letting him experience things without me there to buffer, letting him be exposed to situations and things that scare the daylights out of me! He's such a good boy though- I shouldn't worry. We love you Nate- you make us so proud.

Small Window of Opportunity

2008-09-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

I love dressing Elayna and Jocelyn in the exact same outfit. I know it's cheesy and it's a huge blessing that I don't have twins because I so would have traumatized them by insisting they dress alike. (not all the time but come on, it's SOOOO cute). Unfortunately because of the age difference between Laynie and Jocy there is a very small window of opportunity for dressing the same. Most clothing lines have items the same from 6months until 5T. So for the last few months we have been enjoying this. Jocelyn is quickly leaving the 5T sizes so I fear my fun is coming to a quick end. So I couldn't resist getting these pjs for them. Hopefully it's not the last time I ever see them in a "twin" outfit.

For the record, Jocelyn LOVE LOVE LOVES dressing the same as Laynie and Laynie's too young to care what she is wearing. So I probably haven't traumatized them too badly right? At least over that. :)

Dancing Queen

2008-08-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Jocelyn also had her recital this week for ballet. She did a wonderful job and LOVED being with her bestest friend, Maddie. They both looked adorable!

Spokane

2008-08-29T07:57:00.001-07:00

So Elayna and I went up to Spokane for a couple of days to see my college friend Jessy and her sweet little boy Will. We had a fabulous time and Laynie and Will were fast friends. How could they not be when their moms are? It's amazing that even though they are six months apart in age they are the same size. Actually I would hazard to guess that Will is bigger. That would be my genes that have destined my children to a life of shortness. :)

When I got back from Spokane, as soon as Reed and the kids picked me up, Jocelyn said, "Can I see a picture of your friend Jessy?" I took a couple dozen pictures while I was there but not a SINGLE one with Jessy. What's up with that? Instead I just had to show her Jessy's blog.

I'm in love with the beach

2008-08-29T07:56:00.001-07:00

During Reed's break from school, we spent three beautiful days at Lincoln City enjoying this wonderful beach house with a gorgeous ocean front view. It was the perfect trip. Our good friends, the Parsons, joined us which made it all the more fun. We had the best time: great seafood from Mo's, perfect weather, fabulous outlet shopping, fun friends. What more could we ask for?

Lincoln City

2008-08-29T07:53:00.001-07:00

Look what Laynie can do!

2008-08-29T07:20:00.001-07:00

The number 10

2008-08-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

10 years

120 months

520 weeks

3,652 days

87,648 hours

5,258,880 minutes

315,532,800 seconds

an unfathomable number of sweet moments spent with you

I can't really wrap my mind around the concept that we have been married for this long. Only "OLD" people have been married for ten years. I just don't feel old. Honestly, in many ways, it feels like it was just yesterday. And yet logically, I get that we have three kids, college degrees, a house, and alot of experiences behind us but I often feel like it's not possible for time to have passed us by as quickly as it has.

The first time I met Reed, I was 14 and he was a senior in high school. He was picking up his sister, Katie, from a Christmas party at my house. He came in with a friend and actually hung out for a bit. He was hilarious and of course I was smitten-as really only a 14 year old can be. I remember thinking a bit enviously how some lucky girl would get to marry him and how fun their lives would be, how they would always have laughter filling their home. At that moment, I never really imagined that girl would be me. I was right, though. Our lives have definately been filled with laughter and I am thankful every day that I ended up being the lucky girl who married Reed.

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-20T01:18:00.000-07:00

So I finished the last book in the Twilight series last Saturday- approximately 24 hours after I started it. I've been meaning to post my two cents worth:

Things I didn't like:

1. Honestly, is this really geared at young adults(ie mostly teenage girls)? It's very sexual. I mean, I get that they are married, but still... I felt like even I must be blushing a couple times. There is no way I'd want my teenager reading this.

2. This book was fairly predictable for me. All of the twists I saw coming ahead of time.

Things I did like:

1. Obviously, the story is captivating. Like I said, I read it cover to cover in 24 hours. I am amazed at Stephenie Meyer's imagination and thoroughness (maybe at moments a bit too thorough :)). But she is definately talented and rich because of it.

2. I like happy endings. I like books (especially series) that tie up nicely at the end. That probably says quite a bit about my literary tastes but I can't handle all the crying that comes with people dying or love unrequited. Breaking Dawn- ends all warm and fuzzy. Gotta love that.

Reunions

2008-08-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with so many fun reunions! First off, my good friend and his wife and adorable daughter were in town and surprised us with a visit on Sunday evening. It was so fun! Robert's family and my family grew up together, our families even built houses next door to each other. I can't count the number of memories that I have that involve the Bird family. It was so fun to have him and his family over- his wife Jeana is so great. I think we've only been together three or four times since they got married but I always feel like we've been friends forever too. It was great to see them and we're keeping our fingers crossed that they make their way back to Oregon.

Then on Monday night we reunited with the Gold's, the Haroldsen's, and the Oyama's. We had them over for a BBQ. Funny thing about this group is I always start to say "Reed's friends from growing up" because Ben, Dan, Joe, Andy and Kyle were all in the same ward together. But if I stop to think about it... Dan married my friend Melanie. We lived on the same street when we were younger and were great friends. She moved in elementary school but we reconnected in high school and college. And then Emily, Ben's wife, is one of my good friends from college. Actually Reed and I were with them on their first date. So really these girls are as much my good friends as the boys are Reed's good friends. It was so fun to spend the evening with them.

The last reunion- well this one hasn't happened yet- but I bought my ticket to go visit my friend Jessy in Spokane at the end of this month. I met Jessy 10 years ago during my freshmen year at BYU. We've been good friends ever since and I can't wait to see her!

Anyways, I am all about reunions! I can't even count all the fabulous people I have been touched by over the years. I just wish we all lived in the same neighborhood together! Since that's hardly realistic I will just have to be content with reunions. I really wish every week was filled with these kind of moments.

Pictures of some of the Bell cousins

2008-08-03T22:15:00.001-07:00

Slumber Party Singing

2008-07-31T20:12:00.001-07:00

Lunch with Dad

2008-07-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, while Reed was in classes downtown, we met him to have lunch. It was a gorgeous day- sunny but not too hot. Just the way I like them! He had an hour break between classes so we had sandwiches on waterfront and then when Reed went back to school the kids and I went on to Pioneer Place to do a little shopping. And I do mean little. Really how much can you expect to get done with three kids?

Nate & Jocelyn think the best part about Pioneer Place is the fountain where they always insist on throwing a penny in to make a wish. Jocelyn walked right up to the water, closed her eyes tight, and then paused for a moment before she flung her penny in the water. You could just tell she was sure that her wish was coming true. Nate, on the other hand, said as I gave him his penny, "Why don't all wishes come true when you throw the penny in the fountain?" It made me a little sad that even at six he has figured this out. Can't he hold on to all those wonderful childhood beliefs just a little bit longer? I just told him that even if our wishes don't come true it's still fun to wish for them!

Happy 30th Anniversary

2008-07-26T10:04:00.001-07:00

So even though my parents NEVER check my blog- love you guys- I had to send out some happy wishes to my parents who are celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary today. 30 years seems like an unfathomable number! (Mostly since I am still running under that radar of having lived to be 30 years old.) What a great accomplishment that is to have shared your lives together and loved and sacrificed and shared all the ups and downs of life and still be totally committed and in love with each other. They have always been great examples to me. I also bet they never would have guessed on their wedding day that only 30 years later they would be celebrating their anniversary in London, England while serving their mission?! I hope they are having a wonderful day, whatever they are doing. Love you!!

Back on Track

2008-07-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

I know it has been forever but I'm back. Here's a quick update on all that has happened:

Sarah and her kids came for the a few days early to hang out with us and let the kids play. Our kids had the BEST time together.

The best quote of the week goes to Cooper. I wanted him to do something and he said no so I started to pretend to cry. In all seriousness he says, "You cry like a girl." I just burst out laughing. What 3 year old knows that phrase? This one does!

Madie also celebrated her fifth birthday while she was in Oregon and boy were we glad she did. Her icecream cake was divine!! I love this toothy(or should I say not toothy) grin of Madie. She is such a sweet girl with an easy going disposition. She loves to share everything she has with anyone she knows. We just love her!

We gave Laynie an Oreo from the cake and this is the final result. It looks like I wasn't the only one who thought the cake was good. :)

It's a Scott tradition to have a spankin' line on your birthday. It's always more fun- well unless it's your birthday- to have lots of people there. Nice to see the tradition is going strong.

So here is a picture from the wedding- the reason we all got together. They make a cute couple and look so happy. We hope they have a wonderful life together!

Here are a few pictures of the kids at the reception with Grandma and Grandpa. Sarah made all of the girls skirts, flip flops, and hair bows. Isn't she just so talented! The girls felt like little princesses the whole day!

Bane of my Existance

2008-07-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

Can I tell you how much I despise my vacuum? Here's the low down. When I got married my parents bought us a vacuum from Sears. It worked fine but after seven years it wasn't working as well as it used to so a little over two years ago we went through the ordeal of buying a new vacuum. We researched it in Consumer Reports - we didn't need (or want to spend the money) on the top of the line vacuum but wanted a solid vacuum. CR recommended the Hoover EmPower as a great vacuum for the price. I am a loyal Consumer Reports fan. They have never steered me wrong before. But let me tell you this vacuum sucks- and not the way it is supposed to. Case in point, I am vacuuming in the family room and I can see a piece of lint on the floor. I go over the area once, then twice, and then a third time without any success. I finally said to Nate, "Can you just pick up that piece of string for me?" So here I am just two years later, once again searching for a decent vacuum. All I want is a clean floor, while only having to go over the area just once, is that too much to ask? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T09:01:00.001-07:00

There are so many things I LOVE about the 4th: BBQ's, parades, fireworks and even in Oregon we almost always have sun! :) I have so many fond memories of the culdesac BBQ's we'd have on 58th Ct with all the neighbors. I especially remember the one neighbor who always brought the BEST (albeit illegal) fireworks. There was always loads of good food and wonderful friends to share it with. I miss those carefree days. But I also love watching my kids experience those same carefree days for themselves now. They love the fourth of July and have been talking about it for days now. They think the local parade is the coolest thing ever and they think that sparklers and pop its are about the best things in the world. It's so wonderful that they are still so easily amazed. I am so grateful we have this opportunity each year to honor all who have sacrificed so much for our country and enjoy these simple pleasures with my children. Happy 4th!

What's a girl to do??

2008-06-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I felt like I was having one of those deja vu moments. I looked over at Jocelyn and said, "Did you cut your hair?" Even at 4 1/2 she tried to pull off the whole "What? I don't know what you're talking about" act. (Makes me nervous for her teenage years) I went over to inspect her hair and sure enough it was cut. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! Seriuosly, I get that this isn't a new experience for mom's. LOTS of little girls cut their hair. The aggravating - pull - your-hair-out part of the story is that this is the THIRD time in a year. The first time happened right after Easter last year. I cried and cried as my friend Jenni cut Jocy's long hair to a cute bob at her shoulders. Later that year, she let Nate cut her hair. (Alright it wasn't totally her fault but still come on... she should have been traumatized enough from the first time she would have never let Nate near her.) Luckily, once again Jenni was able to fix it by just giving her some layers. So here we are- once again- a mere 14 months later dragging Jocelyn to Jenni's in hopes of salvaging something. This time we ended up with some wispy bangs. I hate bangs. Not because I don't think they are cute but because they require work. Like I need any more work when it comes to doing my kids hair. I'm hair- challenged enough as it is.

I'm starting to get a complex as a parent though. I mean really how many times is she going to cut her hair before my pleas that only Jenni or Aunt Kristy can cut her hair will sink in? As I lamented to Reed that whatever I was doing was not working, he mentioned that maybe Jocy had found her calling in life in cutting hair. I immediately responded, "I hope not because she's really not very good at it." Reed assured me she was only four and maybe years from now she will be. Honestly, I'm not convinced. But if the last year is any indication of what the future will be like- she'll get lots of practice.

Funny cards

2008-06-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

I found these funny cards on a friend's blog (thanks Melinda!). I just had to pass them on.

I

Bye Bye Baby

2008-06-12T17:23:00.001-07:00

I give up

2008-06-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

I've tried a variety of different ways to upload video over the last couple of weeks and I just give up. That's why there hasn't been any posts lately. I was trying to get some video of Nate's baseball game, Jocy's preschool graduation and this adorable video of Laynie waving- you'll just have to trust me when I say it is SOOOOO cute. But no such luck. Here are a few pictures that cover the last month though....

One weekend in May, we spent time with some of our good friends at this wonderful cabin in Mossy Rock, Washington. We had a campfire and roasted marshmellows and then went inside and slept in a bed. Honestly, I love the outdoors but with a newborn that is my kind of camping. :) We had a great weekend with perfect weather and wonderful friends. What more can you ask for?

Jocy's preschool graduation. Isn't she cute? We think so!

I LOOOOVVVVVEEEE this picture of Laynie trying to eat a watermelon slice as big as she is.

On Memorial Day we invited a bunch of friends out to Reed's parents house for a BBQ and 4-wheeling. Nate, of course, loves anything that involves high speed racing. :)

Is there a doctor in the house? Oh, no there's not.

2008-04-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

So.....this is Reed's new hobby. Thanks to Mike Neilson or should I say no thanks to Mike.

Mike, our brother in law who is also going to oral surgery school, sent us a suture kit for Reed's birthday. I don't think I have EVER seen Reed so excited for any gift and that's saying alot. (It's not like I don't give nice gifts. No, you don't detect any bitterness there. No, none at all.) Anyways, for quite some time now Reed has been wishing he could do stitches himself. I don't know where this dream came from - maybe it is because he has had stitches so many times that he feels it would be a useful skill. I, on the other hand, think that if you get stitches you go to the doctor, urgent care center, emergency room, etc. It's not a do-it-yourself project. Oh, but it is to Reed. So in addition to the suture kit. Mike sent along a 4x6 card of information. Is it unnerving to anyone else that all the info on how to stitch somebody up fit on both sides of this 4x6 card???

Anyways, along with Mike's information and the tutorials that are plentiful on the internet Reed attempted to stitch up this orange. I was not impressed, this orange definately would have bled to death. About half way through the experience Reed mumbled, "This is harder than it looks." But he is not discouraged. He insists that he will master this in his free time. (Luckily he has very little of that right now.)

I asked him later why he didn't go to med school if he was so interested in this. His reply was, "I don't want to be a doctor, I just want to be able to do stitches." Wierd. So visit the Bell house with care.... if you happen to cut something open here DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT let Reed get near you.

P.S. Mike: What in the world is the scalpel for? I thought we were stitching people up not cutting them open.

P.P.S. Just for the record- Reed is very aware that the only chance he ever has of stitching up me or our children is if there has been some huge catastrophe and there isn't any remote possible chance that any qualified medical person is anywhere near and without Reed's stitching abilities someone might die. With those odds, pretty much the only thing he will be saving is an orange.

Mother Nature... are you serious?!

2008-04-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Really I can't believe it.

I'm completely dumbfounded.

It's SNOWING.

I don't live in any mountain range or area where you would ever think this could possibly happen. I tried to remember if I had ever seen anything like this before. But since my memory is terrible, I really couldn't come up with anything. But my brother, Ryan, who remembers every minute detail of our childhood assured me he couldn't remember a time that something like this had ever happened either. So there you go. I think Mother Nature went on strike and her replacement is having some troubles. Last weekend it was 83 degrees and this weekend we had snow. Could Mother Nature please come back and give me a normal northwest spring?

Bath Baby

2008-04-19T16:31:00.001-07:00

Elayna LOVES the bath. I mean, she really loves it. She loves everything about it... and it has always been that way. My other two, we've had to acclimate them to the wonders and excitement of the bath, but not Laynie. She has always loved being in the water. I wonder what that means... maybe we've got an Olympic swimmer on our hands, or a deep sea diver, or maybe she's just inherited her mother's love of long luxurious baths. :) Dou you think that is genetic??? It must be.

Sweet

2008-04-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

I was reminded of this today when a good friend of mine, who is getting ready to have a baby, asked me what kind of soap I use with my babies. It made me smile because it reminded me of how sweet my husband is. We had Nate in the American Fork Utah hospital and while we were there the nurses introduced us to pHisoderm and we used it through most of his infancy. You used to be able to buy it in select stores but now you can't. Anyways, the cute part of this story is the fact that my husband all on his own searched the internet for this soap, found it, and had a box sent to us right before Laynie was born. I didn't have a clue that he had done any of this until I received 10 bottles of it in the mail. (He wanted the free shipping. :)) Anyways, I was reminded as I was telling my friend this story- what a sweet husband I have and how much he loves and wants to protect his children. How lucky we are to have him. Love you Reed.

President Monson

2008-04-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

How blessed we are to enjoy hearing from a prophet twice a year at conference! It was such an uplifting weekend. I have to admit that prior to this weekend, I was a little unsure about how I would feel. It was the first time that President Hinckley would not be speaking to us. I loved President Hinckley and honestly he is the only prophet I truly remember. President Hunter was the prophet for such a short time and then before him President Benson was quite ill for much of the time I remember him. I came to love and revere President Hinckley in a way I hadn't ever experienced in my life before. The few times in my life, when I was able to be in the same room as him, I was overwhelmed with such love for him. When he died and President Monson was called to fill that position, I knew I would always honor President Monson as our new prophet and always follow his counsel. But a bit of me felt that I would never love another prophet the way I loved President Hinckley. And yet as President Monson gave his concluding remarks today I was overwhelmed with a feeling of love and the same devotion to follow him and do all I could to head his counsel. As tears fell, I was amazed at the power of my emotions for our new prophet. Although President Hinckley and President Monson are different men my love for them and my desire to follow them is the same. My powerful emotions come from the fact that my spirit recognizes that they are servants our Savior, Jesus Christ, called at their particular time to be His mouthpiece and prophet to His people. I am filled with gratitude that I am to live at a time when prophets and apostles are able to lead and guide our lives. How grateful I am for President Monson, his life has certainly prepared him for the calling he now has. I love him and am anxious to follow his counsel.

North & South

2008-04-04T22:56:00.000-07:00

So I found this FABULOUS movie last night. Reed was at work and so I found myself with some time to kill (Really there are bathrooms to clean and laundry to do but who wants to do that when they have a quite house all to themselves?). We have a netflix membership and so I am able to view some movies instantly via the internet. I'm sure most video stores carry it and possibly even the library. Anyways, can I tell you how much I loved it? It is based on a book by Elizabeth Gaskell and it is a BBC production. If you are a Jane Austen fan you just have to watch it. And even if you aren't one, who doesn't love a good love story? Just make sure you have some time on your hands... it's 3 1/2 hours long. But believe me, I couldn't help myself and watched the whole thing last night. It might possibly be my favorite movie. Anyways, I'm always looking for a good clean movie- thought I'd pass this one along.

Obviously an Error Occurred

2008-03-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Movie Reviews

So my friend Juliana always has the most unique things on her blog. A few months back she had one that linked you to a website where you put your picture, your spouse's picture and then your child and it gave you a percentage of how much your child looked like you. Anyways, this is the new one I found on her blog today. I thought it was great and so I decided to try it out. Obviously an error occurred because this is the rating I received. I went downstairs to tell Reed about Juliana's blog and said, "Her site received a rating of 'elementary school.' Guess what our's got?" His answer was "Preschool". I just laughed. It probably would have been more fitting. When I told him our rating, he just laughed and said, "You're kidding." Obviously my husband doesn't think my writing level is "genius". That's okay, neither do I. But I thought this was pretty fun. :) You can try it out for yourself by clicking on the picture above.

Elder and Sister Scott

2008-03-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

So my parents are officially missionaries, as you can see from their tags. My mom really didn't want me to take this picture. We were saying goodbye and of course there was alot of crying going on. But we were getting ready to leave and I realized I hadn't taken a picture of them with their tags on. And I couldn't pass up this chance!

Anyways, we are so proud of them and feel so blessed to be able to participate vicariously in this mission with them. We are excited for all the wonderful opportunities they will have and the gospel they will be sharing with so many people. We're also keeping our fingers crossed that we'll be able to visit them while they are in England!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Chugg!

2008-03-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

While in Utah, we celebrated my Grandpa Chugg's (my mom's dad) birthday. He turned 72 this year and I realized it's been a long time since I spent a birthday with him. I love my grandpa so much... as all grandchildren do. In honor of the wonderful man he is I wanted to list just a few of the reasons I love him:

He is a hard worker, probably the hardest worker I know. He, at 72, wears me out with all his projects. He can do most anything. If he doesn't know how to do it, he learns how to.

He is dedicated to the gospel and serving in the church. I have watched him serve in a variety of capacities and am always amazed at his level of service. Nothing is too much to give and he serves willingly and faithfully in whatever he is asked to do.

He has great wisdom. He grew up in circumstances that did not allow him to go to college but that did not stop him from being successful. He worked his way up the ladder at Boeing, where he worked for over 20 years. He has seen more of the world than I could ever dream. Even as an adult I am constantly surprised when he mentions a country he has visisted. I think these experiences and many others have made him more wise and intelligent than all the college degrees in the world could.

He loves to spoil his grandkids. He has fourteen grandchildren (and 8 great-grandchildren) and he spoils us all. He is very affectionate with each of us and is more than happy to dote on us. Case in point- we went down to BYU to the creamery and he bought us icecream. My cousin Dallin, who is almost 12, got a HUGE bowl of icecream. He said, "Mom would never let me have this much icecream but grandpa will!"

I am so grateful for my grandpa. For the example he is, for the love he shows me, and for the man that he is. Happy Birthday Grandpa! I love you!

Love is in the air....

2008-03-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

So there is news in the Scott family... Kevin is engaged. He proposed Easter weekend to his girlfriend, Aslyn. They have been dating for about a year now and he popped the question this weekend. They were on a hike in provo canyon and had lunch and then Kevin hid some eggs for her own easter egg hunt. ( I have to brag a bit about my own cleverness here... I told him he should hide the ring in a hollow egg. So I carefully made a opening in a real egg, drained out the egg, decorated it and then he placed the ring inside and we stuffed tissue paper in the bottom. I really should have taken a picture but I didn't) Anyways, after the hunt he asked her if she would crack the egg open because he loves hard boiled eggs. She did and then gasped that it was hollow. She quickly discovered the ring and well I'm sure you know the rest. Anyways, they will get married in July and we are very excited for them. ( My parents will also be making a quick trip back for the event.:)) We love you guys!

Happy Easter

2008-03-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

I love Easter time. I love all the new springtime flowers and the hopefulness of warmer, sunnier days. There is a special feeling of peace that comes at this time of year that can't be attributed to nature or the climate. It only comes from the life and sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I can't begin to describe the depth of my gratitude and the older I get the more I realize how truly miraculous it all is. What a blessing it is to know that He lives!

Birthday #6

2008-03-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

Nate turned 6 while we were in Utah so we had a BYU party with all of our family there. He is obsessed with anything BYU. But since both Reed and I are alumni, we aren't doing much to curb the obession. :) He had a great day and we could hardly believe that six years ago- in this same state, just a few miles from where we were staying- we welcomed this sweet, helpful, rambunctious boy into our home. Our lives will never be the same and we couldn't be happier! We love you Nate!

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

We were in Utah for Easter at my Aunt Debbie's. She has hosted a huge easter egg hunt for the past, I think 13 years, in their neighborhood. This year she filled over a thousand eggs (the record amount so far). We were lucky enough to be there for it. It was so fun, mostly because it brought back memories of when my mom used to do the same thing in our backyard when we were kids for all the neighbors. We had special prize eggs that were hard boiled eggs decorated special. We had the golden egg, the royal egg, and the easter egg. Debbie has those same eggs in her hunt. And you wouldn't believe it but my kids found two of those prize eggs all by themselves! Can I tell you how cool that golden egg is? My cousin Missy, spray painted it to make it that sparkly! Anyways, the kids had a fabulous time.

Parenting

2008-03-15T09:41:00.001-07:00

So we took Laynie to her 6 month check up yesterday. She is officially 26 inches & 14lbs 12 oz, which puts her in the 50% for height and the 25% for weight. I asked if that was ok even though she seemed small. He said she was growing great and everything looked good to him. I mentioned that I often get stopped when I am out running errands and usually get asked how old my baby is. When I answer it is usually followed by a shocked look and then, "Wow she is so little." So honestly part of me was starting to develop a complex and worrying that I wasn't feeding her enough or something. When I shared this with my pediatrician he just smiled and said, "Didn't you know that parenting is a competitive sport?" Funny guy.

Sweet Baby Girl

2008-03-07T19:02:00.001-08:00

Dear Laynie,

I don't know where the time has gone. I can hardly believe that six months has passed since your arrival. Before you were born I awaited your birth with anticipation and I must admit, a bit of trepidation. Even though I was overjoyed at the idea of having another baby join our home I wasn't naive to the fact that newborns are alot of work and I'd heard so many horror stories about "baby #3". I just couldn't quite figure out, logistically of course, how life was going to work itself out. But here we are six wonderful months later. Life is perfect, well not always perfect, but truly as good as it gets. You are a joy to have in our family. You light up all of our days. And none of us can imagine life without you in it. I look forward to all of the days we have ahead of us but I've realized I find so much joy in today.

love you, Mommy

"HOT"

2008-03-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

So Nate and I were chatting the other day. Here's how it goes down...

Nate: I don't really like Isabella, Mom. (Isabella's a girl in his class at school)

Me: Why's that?

Nate: She's annoying and teases me.

Me: How does she tease you?

Nate: She says I'm hot.

Me: Like sweaty? (I can hope right?!)

Nate with an incredulous look that only a son talking to his mom can give: No, Mom.

Me: Oh, like cute.

Nate: Yeah. It's annoying.

At least we both agree that it's annoying. Is it really necessary that I am having this conversation with my kindergartner? I mean there isn't a five year old alive that is "hot" not too mention how do they even know what that means?? I really thought I would be able to delay this whole "girl like boy" thing for at least a couple of years. Honestly, after Nate left I got quite the chuckle out of the conversation but deep down I thought: maybe I should homeschool.

If it wasn't connected, I'd lose my head

2008-02-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Since having baby three I have been completely scatterbrained. Well honestly it was probably when I was pregnant with her but I blamed that on the fact that I was pregnant and forgetfulness goes hand in hand with pregnancy, or at least that is what I have been told. I firmly believed that it would go away once I had the baby. Well.... five months later it hasn't. It may have gotten worse. I mentioned to a friend about how I forget appointments or I lose things when I go places. She said, "Of course you lose things! You're too busy trying to NOT lose your three kids that that in and of itself is an accomplishment."
Honestly I used to think I was a pretty organized and structured person. Now days I just can't keep anything straight. Take today for example. Nate's at school and Jocy just got picked up to go to school. I'm trying to rush around to go help with Nate's V-day party. I can't find my wallet ANYWHERE. So I am back tracking my steps. I had it yesterday at the gym, at Costco and then later that afternoon at Albertsons. I'd stop in at the grocery store in between a song practice and Jocy's dance lessons. Nate's teacher needed sugar cookies for the party the next day and I knew that with the million things that still needed to be done that day that this would be my only chance. So I drug three children into the store on a mad dash for sugar cookies. I even did the self checkout and rushed everyone back into the car.
So as I was reviewing all this I decided I would call the place where Jocy takes dance class and albertson's and just get those places checked off my list. Mind you this was after scouring the van for 20minutes and every other conceivable place. To my surprise and utter delight (and a fair amount of surprise) the lady at Albertson's told me they had my wallet there. Of course I was relieved but still a little skeptical that everything would still be in it. I had no idea where it had been left (somewhere between the self help checkout and my car) or who had turned it in.
When I picked it up at Albertson's and looked through it I discovered that EVERYTHING was in it. Can you believe that? I left that store with so much joy and optimism. I watch the news regularly and from everything that is portrayed each night, there seems like little hope is left for us. I just kept thinking "With all the bad things that happen in the world and how often people are portayed as having little to no values, there are still so many good people out there." So there you go a two fold lesson: 1. I really am crazy and should have anything of value super glued to my body and 2. People are so good!!! (well not all of them but most are.) Anyways, this is getting lengthy but I just wanted to say THANK YOU to the honest person who turned in my wallet. It was a huge relief to get it back. But even more then that it put a huge smile on my face to be reminded that most people, when given the opportunity, really will do the right thing. :)

Another reason....

2008-02-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

So can I just tell you how much I love blogging??? Not only does it keep me in touch with all of you but it has cut my scrapbooking time in half. For me, journaling on my pages has always been the most time consuming aspect of scrapbooking. The last couple of days I have been trying to finish up the pages for 2007 and have been putting off the journaling part until I realized my blog has EVERYTHING I need already on it. All it took was some copying and pasting and tada! Saved me all the work and alot of time. And who couldn't use a little more time??? You know, for eating bon bons and watching tv. :)

Hair Accessories

2008-01-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

While I was in Arizona, I went to this FABULOUS store called Ribbons and Lace. They have more ribbon then I have ever seen in my entire life! It is such a fun store. But in addition to ribbon they have metal clips and then alot of elastic to make headbands. Anyways, here are just a few of the ones I've made for Laynie. Jocy's are really cute too. I'll have to post some of hers later. Let me tell you they are a lifesaver for someone as "hair challenged" as me. I need something quick and easy that requires little to no skill. :) At least it'll save us from going out in public with scary hair... then again maybe not.

Results are in....

2008-01-22T15:55:00.000-08:00

I know you are all dying for the results of my very scientfic research study that has been going on for the last two weeks. Many of you posted that you usually buy things sporadically throughout the year and not every month. And this is true for us too. Some months I spend very little and then others when Reed or I purchase something for us or the kids are in a new season we have to spend alot more. I tried to just average my yearly expenses. Anyways, my friend Jessy insisted I post the results so this is for you Jessy:

less then $25: 5% (or one of you and let me add that you must be the queen of budgeting. Part of me wondered if you really exist. I really wouldn't have put it past Reed to get on my blog and sque my results)

$25-$50: 23% (or 4/17 votes)

$50-$74: 29% (5/17 votes fell here and realistically this is the category I shoot for each month I just don't always hit it:))

$75-$99: 17% (3/17 votes and the category we usually hit)

$100-$150: 5% (1/17 votes)

more than $150: 17% (3/17 and lets be honest here-- this is the budget I'd prefer to be working with.)

So there you go girls. Do with what you will. It won't really change much in the Bell household. Reed isn't really swayed by my scientific findings although I think he must admit (right dear?) that I'm not as crazy as he orginally thought-- at least not when it comes to shopping. Thanks girls for helping to prove my sanity. :)

Where do they learn these things?

2008-01-21T15:52:00.000-08:00

So this weekend, Nate and Jocy were off playing together. I'm so grateful that they love to play together. Don't get me wrong... they fight as much as any siblings maybe even more... but it's always nice that they have a playmate right under their own roof. So they were off playing some super hero or house or some "imaginary" reinactment. I was busy picking up in the other room, not really paying attention to them, when subconsiously I hear Nate say, "You go girl!" to Jocy. He even said it with exactly the right tone in his voice. I stopped what I was doing and mentally tried to figure out WHERE IN THE WORLD he learned that phrase? I most definately have NEVER EVER said that to anyone. It doesn't sound like Reed either. I tried to think if any of his favorite Disney movies have that in it but I came up blank. Don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with what he said. I'm just completely shocked that he even knows that phrase. I realize he goes to school but can you picture a bunch of kindergarteners around the playground saying, "You go girl!" It's just hard for me to imagine?? Anyways, that was just my funny moment for the weekend. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by now with the things my kids come up with but I still am sometimes. :)

Clothing Budget

2008-01-12T11:08:00.001-08:00

Ok so I need some help here. Last night I came home from Old Navy with some stellar finds. (I bought Jocy some long sleeved shirts for $2). After showing off all my bargains to Reed he just shook his head and laughed and then said, I think you are addicted to shopping. I gasped and replied, That's ridiculous! I then proceeded to inform him that most women I know spend money on clothes for themselves, their kids, and their husbands. (I came home with pants and shirt and a sweater for him--- and to my dismay he was not at all giddy over his new clothes!) All he said was "I can't fathom that others spend this much money on clothes too!" So a light bulb went on in my brain and I said, "Well I'll just put a poll on my blog and then we can see for sure." So here's my anonymous and I am sure VERY scientific poll on the clothing spending habits of the american women. Please average out what you spend a month on clothing for your entire family. That's everything from shoes to coats to underwear to... well you get the idea. And then since we're all in different circumstances with how many people we have in our family will you just ball park what you'd spend if you were a family of five? Anyways, then we can determine if a) I'm just as normal as the rest of the world and my dear sweet husband will need to realize that some money does need to be spent on clothes or b) I am addicted and will mend my ways and join Shopaholics Anonymous immediately. :)

Arizona

2008-01-09T21:46:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas Break in Arizona. I'll admit my only disappointment was the fact that it was quite cool. I was hoping for 70-80 degree weather but only ended up with 60-70. But I didn't see a single drop of rain while I was there. That was a plus. :) And even in those chilly circumstances Reed and the kids jumped in the pool-- it's not heated! I wish I'd had my camera but I didn't at the time. You'll just have to picture the frigid conditions in your mind. We had a great time there. The girls all played happily together and Nate and Cooper loved being with another boy. As we were leaving to come home, it ripped my heart out to see Cooper on the front step crying, "No Nate. Don't go." We can't wait to get together again soon.

I'm a big girl now!

2008-01-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

While we were in Arizona, I came home one afternoon after running a bunch of errands with my mom to Jocy telling me that she had a surprise. She then proceeded to show me that she could ride a two wheeler all by herself!! I couldn't believe it. Reed said the two of them had worked at it for an hour or so before I got home and she had picked it right up. She still has a little trouble turning but we'll take it one step at a time. I was totally shocked and my first thought was, "She's too little to ride a two wheeler." Then I remembered that Nate first rode one a few weeks after he turned four and wait... Jocy turned four a few weeks ago too. How did that happen? Where did the time go? Anyways, she proudly goes around telling everyone her secret "I can ride a training wheel." Usually she gets a confused look and then we have to explain that she can ride WITHOUT her training wheels. :) She is so proud of herself and I might add, we're pretty proud of her too.

BUMBO: Love it

2008-01-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

I'd heard of this new little device twice-- once from a girl I visit teach and then again on a friend's (Carlie) blog. So I decided to look into them. Once I did I heard all the rave about them and the product recall in order to put a sticker on the back that says, "Do not sit your child in this on the counter and then walk away." Because now days we have to be told EVERYTHING. Anyways, the second thing I noticed was they were kinda spendy. Forty dollars for a seat that Laynie might hate?? I didn't know if I could take the risk. Well I debated and researched some more and was almost convinced just to pay the full price. Then while we were in Arizona my mom took me to this cute kid's store where she had a coupon for one item. So you know me.... if I can say I got it on sale, I'm sold. :) But let me tell you. It was the best 30 plus tax that I've spent on a baby item in a long time. Laynie LOVES it and therefore so do I. And doesn't she just look adorable and all grown up in it? It says it is for babies 3 months - 14 months. I was a little skeptical about the 14 month old part but my niece Lillie who is 14 months loved it too. Anyways, since I'm the unofficial rep for BUMBO I had to put my two cents out there. :)

P.S. it comes in an adorable pink color and if I had thought that Laynie was my last baby or if I could see the future and knew any other kids I might have would be girls- I would have TOTALLY bought the pink. But since I don't have those super powers I bought blue... for a very sexist reason. A girl can totally sit in a blue chair and be fine but a boy just can't sit in a pink one. At least not in the Bell house. I'd like to say it's all Reed's fault but honestly I can't. :)

Mission Call

2008-01-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

Besides the fact that I am really slacking off on this blogging thing-- we might get Christmas pictures up by Valentine's Day. I told Reed tonight I need to find a way to make my life more efficient. His suggestion was and I quote " get up earlier and talk on the phone less." My response was, "I want my life more efficient-- I don't want it to suck." :) Anyways, that's beside the point here.... I had to take a quick minute to post that my parents got their mission call yesterday.... drum roll please..... they have been called to the London England Mission. They report on March 24th 2007 and will serve for 23 months.

We are all very excited for them. I must admit.... I'm a little nervous. Not for them. They'll do great. But two years feels like such a long time that it makes me a little sad if I think about it for too long. I have to admit I'm pretty attached to my parents. I survived just barely when they deserted me in Oregon and moved to Arizona two years ago(that was for your benefit mom:))But that was just because between their visits back to Oregon and mine to Arizona we still saw each other at least every three months plus we'd talk on the phone a couple times a week often daily. Really though a mission is where they are supposed to be right now and I just keep reminding myself what a fantastic opportunity this is for them and how proud I am of them and how many exciting adventures they will have in the next two years. They will do great work and bless many lives. And I can't help but think that Heavenly Father will make it a little easier for us while we miss them when they're gone.

Happy Birthday Katie!

2007-12-16T10:07:00.001-08:00

So Happy Birthday Katie! I know it's a day late and I apologize but yesterday was so crazy I never even made it to the computer until about midnight and I just didn't have any energy left to blog. But I found this picture of us... at my fifth birthday party and I just had to post it. Who would have thought that 24 years later we would be sisters?! I couldn't have been any luckier than to have you not only as a friend but a sister. We love you and think the world of you. Hope your day was special.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-03T18:18:00.001-08:00

When it rains, it pours

2007-12-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

I just realized how ironic the title is since it has been raining like CRAZY for the past two days. I have NEVER seen so much rain and that is saying alot since I have lived in Oregon for all but a handful of years during my life. Anyways, that wasn't even the point of my title. I was referring to the drought we have been experiencing on my blog lately. And now that I'm back, I'm back with a million entries in one day! But in my defense... Novemeber and December are INSANE in the Bell household. What with Jocy's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping, decorating, holiday traditions, baking, etc. Plus you throw in my Primary calling and all the things that go with reogranizing primary for the new year and the Christmas parties for the teachers and then for the kids. Well you get the picture. I'm sure it is the same at your house too but when life gets insanely busy for me and I can't keep juggling all the balls-- well somethings gotta give. So my blog took one for the team. Hopefully it won't have to happen again.... but you know how the holidays go. So if I don't make it back until the new year... Merry Christmas to you all!

let it snow

2007-12-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

Just the thought of snow makes Nate excited! So when actual flakes came floating down he was thrilled. It didn't even bother him that it didn't stick- at least this time it didn't. He's still holding out for it to snow at least once this winter.

O Christmas Tree

2007-12-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

I love getting Christmas Trees!!! Here we are at a lot picking out the perfect tree. This lot was amazing. I could have chosen any tree on the lot and it would have been beautiful! I've never seen so many perfect trees on one lot before. I remember as a child going with the Bird family and it taking FOREVER for our parents to pick a tree. While they searched we would play hide and seek or chase in the trees. It seems the tradition naturally has continued since my kids are now the ones playing chase with their cousins through the trees. Now I wonder if it really did take my parents forever to find a tree or if it was just us as kids, in our impatience of youth, that found more entertaining things to do. :) How the tables have turned.

I included this one of Reed showing off his muscles.:) He's nice to have around.

Thanksgiving

2007-12-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

Just a few of the things I am thankful for....

Three great kids
Forever families, knowing that we are connected to each other for eternity
A husband who loves being a dad and is my very best friend
Extended families, who are always there and love you inspite of your imprefections
Being a member of this church at this time in the world's history
Having the freedom to choose
Modern conveniences that my grandmothers and even my mom sometimes didn't have : disposable diapers, washing machine, computers, cell phones, hot water.
Food enough to eat, a warm place to live and a bounty of other luxuries.

Birthday #4

2007-12-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

Jocy has been waiting- it seems like it at least- to be four forever! She is the youngest of all her friends and cousins and so it has been a long time coming for her to be able to tell the world that she is four! She was so very excited and had a great day! (Nov. 18th)

Tagged

2007-11-12T11:36:00.001-08:00

So I've been tagged- I didn't know this existed but here it goes. Hopefully I got the idea right. Essentially I'm supposed to come up with 6 facts/habits (come on, SIX we'll have a tough time coming up with two) about me and than tag 6 of my friends. So here it goes:

- I love to travel and when I'm not traveling I dream about all the places I'm going to go when A) I have all the money I'd ever need to do it and B) my kids are old enough to leave or take with. I've a very LONG list of places I want to go. I've convinced Reed to take to me a few of those places in recent years. I think he secretly hoped that once he did it would shorten my top ten list to top seven or eight. I don't think he understood that all it was doing was bumping up new places to those spots. Too bad for him. :)

- I hate it when someone walks behind me up the stairs. It gives me the creeps. I need to be the one in the back. If I'm not, than I have to run up the stairs. This drives Reed crazy. He constantly asks me, "What is it you think I'm going to do to you?" And really, I don't know what it is that I'm afraid of. But I also run up the stairs whenever I'm the last one to bed and I've turned out the lights. Than it's someone "imaginary" chasing me. Yes, weird I know.

- I love to read. There is always a book on my shelf to be read and often I'm reading a couple books at the same time. If the budget won't allow purchasing a new one, I'll just reread one I have. There are books on my bookshelf that have been read at least a dozen times. I read books like others watch movies.

- (Are we only to number 4, this is killing me!) I love to eat but hate to cook. Kinda an quandary huh? I swear that all food tastes better when I didn't have to make it. I know my mom has years of cooking experience on me but seriuosly I can make something exactly the way she does and Reed will even agree that it tastes just as good but it never does to me. I cook because it's a necessity of life and I like good food but not because I'm passionate about it. I think that is why not having to cook the meal makes it particularly sweet to me.

- I'm irrational and I know it and what's worse is I don't have a problem with it. Here's an example. Reed and I were talking about saving money for retirment. An realistically I'm all for saving money for retirement but well here's how the conversation goes:

Reed: We need to increase our percentage of income that we put into our retirment fund.

Me: I know that we need to but I don't really want to.

Reed: Well if you want to do all the things you want to after I retire we need to be saving alot more now.

Me: Well there's two reasons I'm against it. First, is what if I die?

Reed: Ummm, okay. Well I'll still need money right?

Me: Yeah but you'll probably remarry some girl and than she'll spend all the money that I spent saving. That doesn't really seem fair. So I think I'd rather just have fun now and spend it.

Reed just rolls his eyes because he knows this train of thought barely warrants a comment. Instead he says: Ok what's the other reason.

Me: Well by the time you retire the second coming will have happened and everything will have been destroyed or we'll be living the law of consecration and it will all be different anyways.

Reed: Yea, I'm just going to increase the retirement percentage tomorrow at work.

Even reading this makes me laugh. Logically I know it's crazy but can't change that those thought actually cross my mind. Luckily reason usually wins out with me, usually. :)

- Last one guys, I know...I love Christmas and really who doesn't. But it's a bit insane at our house. I have tons of Christmas decorations which take up a significant amount of space in the attic. Reed has to remind me every year that we only have these decorations up for 6 weeks- we don't need that many. And I'm obsessive about doing as many traditions as soon as possible to get all of them in. Soon as Thanksgiving is over, like the next day literally, I make my family get the christmas tree. It's always up and decorated by Saturday night. I prefer the lights to be on the house that weekend also but sometimes that doesn't work with Reed's schedule. Last year I was frustrated that they weren't up when I wanted them to so I decided to do them myself. Reed came home to me on the top of the roof. He was not happy and forbid me from doing that again. Maybe that means this year they'll be up extra early? We'll see.

So there you go. And Katie, Juliana, Jessy, Jess, Carlie and Mahina-- Tag you're it.

Nine Hours

2007-11-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

So I have to brag a bit. Not that I have done anything at all to accomplish this but Elayna slept 9 hours without waking up. It was amazing! I've never had a baby voluntarily sleep that long and never at 2 months old. The only time I've ever gotten that amount of sleep is when I forced it by first letting them cry it out for several nights beforehand. I'm sure that this won't be the norm but to even have it happen once is miraculous!

All Smiles

2007-11-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to capture Elayna's cute little grin on camera. I've forgotten how stingy babies are at this age with their smiles- well the real ones at least. I was delighted to get these ones and proceeded to show everyone I could how cute they were! Laynie just continues to be the most content and happy little baby. All of us are totally captivated by her and think every little thing she does is amazing

Halloween Costumes

2007-11-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

Aren't they adorable? I think so, although I admit I'm a bit biased. They had a great time trick or treating although we did get the mother load of candy this year. I thought it was an insane amount of candy and was complaining to Reed that it was just way too much. He said, "Are you kidding me? I got more than twice this much when I was a kid!" So I stopped to think about it and I did remember putting all my candy into a HUGE tupperware bowl and than my mom putting it on top of the fridge to ration out. I guess it's all perspective- as a kid I thought that that much candy was the best thing in the world but as an adult I'm pretty sure it's the worst! If I hear the question, "Can I have another treat?" again - - it will be too soon.

Pumpkin Fiasco

2007-11-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

happy day!!! The pictures are uploading again. Not sure how it got fixed but I was reading on the help bulletin board that others were having similar problems. Here are the pictures from the pumpkin carving post. From left to right the pumpkins belong to (even though they were all carved by yours truly :)) -- Elayna, Jocy, Nate, Reed & mine

Pictures

2007-11-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ok this is getting really frustrating. For the life of me I can't add pictures. When I click on the picture icon while I'm making a post. I can browse for pictures and select but than the button below says capture. When I click on it the window closes and nothing happens. So any ideas on how to fix this would be helpful. For now we will be pictureless. . . and really what's the point of a blog without pictures?????

Pumpkins

2007-10-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

So the annual pumpkin carving went swimmingly. The kids and I carved them last friday- unfortunately because of Reed's busy school schedule and work we just couldn't find a time that he could be there so he missed out. Anyways we- and I use the term we in it's loosest form- cut the pumkins, dug out the guts and then the kids told me what they wanted the face to look like. It's hilarious to me that both Nate and Jocy insisted on having their own pumpkin and kindly chose one out for Elayna. They wanted Reed and me to pick one out also but we insisted we were fine. Jocy ended up bringing home pumpkin #4 from preschool and so Reed and I agreed to share it. Realistically, I realized the more pumpkins there were -- the more pumpkins I would be carving. So five hours and four pumpkins later, this was the result. They do look like pretty good pumpkins but I'm not sure I can survive that much carving every year. Maybe next year there will be a "girls" pumpkin and a "boys" pumpkin. I know I threaten that now but this time next year the blog will read the same ol' story again. I'm a sucker for tradition. Ok this next picture almost made the whole experience worth it. I had to take a break while carving pumpkins to feed Elayna. I had already gutted all the pumpkins and carved Nate's. I had sat down on the couch to feed Laynie and was looking at Jocy who was standing on one of the chairs next to the table and was wiping a pumpkin with a wash cloth. All of a sudden- almost in slow motion- I saw her lose her footing on the chair. She tried to balance herself by grabbing the HUGE tupperware bowl full of pumpkin guts. I think you know where I am going with this. She proceeded to fall onto the floor but not without bringing the entire bowl of pumpkin guts down on top of her head. I just burst out laughing. It was the funniest thing I have seen in a long long time. She of course was crying her head off. I knew she wasn't hurt- just freaked out that all that "slimy goop" was all over her. I really really really wanted to go run and get my camera to take a picture but I didn't have the heart to traumatize her any more than she already was. So you'll have to settle for the pile on the floor that I dug her out from underneath. :)

Addicted

2007-10-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

So I need to admit something. I think I'm addicted to blogging. Yes, I know it doesn't seem possible. It's true I just started blogging and it wouldn't seem like there hasn't been enough time, not too mention the fact that my site hardly shows the effort or the mass amounts of posts to indicate an addiction but it's true. It's midnight here in Oregon and I am completely aware that I have a newborn sleeping who will be awake ... well who knows when... but instead of taking advantage of this opportunity to sleep I am reading blogs and writing blogs and trying for the life of me to figure out how you all did cool things to your blog site that I can't get mine to do. Anyways, I just discovered based on this very scientific and clinically reliable quiz that I am only 42% addicted to blogging. http://www.justsayhi.com/bb/blog_addiction

I'm not entirely sure what that means or what sort of treatment I get now but at least I'm aware of the problem- that's the first step right?

Back to School

2007-10-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

So it's official- Reed has gone back to school. We've been tossing the idea around for a year or so. And in a whirlwind of activity we settled on one, applied, got accepted and started in about a month. Well the researching and all took a bit longer but it seems like everything was decided really quickly.

Anyways, two years from now Reed will have his MBA from Babson University- they are located in Massachutes but have a fast track program in Portland. Reed will attend classes every 4-6 weeks on Friday and Saturday. The rest of class will be done online in chat rooms etc. How new age is that? Anyway, it will be intense for the next two years as he continues to work full time and go to school and fulfill his scout calling and you know... do family stuff. A shout out to all my friends who have done the "support husbands through school stuff". There should be some sort of degree or certificate for you when your husbands finish school! Or at least a plaque that has your name on it. :)