I love FALL!!! The alpine Loop

Did you feel like you were there with us? Randy and I took a mini date (with Jensen) and drove the Alpine loop. It wasn't as pretty as I have seen it before but it was DEFINITELY worth the trip. I kept making Randy stop at every single turn out. I took over 100 pictures! Here are just a few of the many. I love the changing of the leaves and I am so glad we have made this a yearly tradition. Afterwards we went out to lunch. It was a great day with my Hunny.

Carnival

Last night we went to Jay's school Carnival. It was actually pretty fun. I walked the kids down from our house, since it is only about a block away, and the weather was perfect outside. The first thing Jay wanted to do was the cake walk. He was a little bummed he didn't win. They had a TON of other games and prizes and candy and everything. He got pizza and a brownie, won a few toys and had a great time. Jensen just took it all in and loved it. There was even a little train he rode that was pulled by a lawn mower. Pretty awesome stuff. I would have loved to have gotten more pictures but my camera died.

15 Months

Jensen gone wild...She looks like Randy here to me

Jensen is 15 months and learning things everyday. Here is what she has been up to lately.

-Words she can say: Hi, Mama, Dah and many repeats of a few things we say. She isn't talking in English yet, but she is definitely talking.

-Words she signs: More, food, milk, drink, all done,bath and plug. It is SO nice to know what she wants and it cuts back on the screaming. I am surprised at how often she uses her signs when it took her so long to learn them.

-She loves to move the furniture around and push things everywhere. I bought her a little shopping cart so she would have something to push. She likes to push her high chair more.

-She climbs on everything. I take her to the gym with me and when they see me coming they say to each other,"Quick, put the gate up Jensen's coming." I guess she climbs on the tables and chairs and backwards up the slide so the other kids can't slide down. They call her little monkey...seriously. 

-she loves getting dirty and eating dirt. I have caught her with whole handfuls of bark and dirt clots in her mouth.

-She loves to dump out her sippy cup and spill it everywhere. I can hear Jay say to me," Mom...Jensen's making a pool again."

-She has 6 teeth all coming in at the same time....

-She wants to do everything that brother does.

-All she does all day is eat. You can't ever eat anything in front of her or else she wants a bite.

-The other morning I gave her a bottle and started making Jamison breakfast and and Jay came out of the bathroom and said,"Where's Jensen?" I said, "Right there eating her bottle." We both look and she was no where to be found. I look over and the gate to the stairs was not up.(Randy took it down the night before.) I ran up the stairs and still nothing. I found her playing with toys in Jay's room. How did she make it up 2 flights of stairs with out making a peep or breaking her neck...scary.

-She uses Jay's little stool as her mini table and loves to sit there to eat her snacks.

-Everyday when I get her out of bed she stands up and says,"Hi!" in her little sweet voice.

-She LOVES to be tickled.

It's Raining Babies!!!!

Yesterday we welcomed 2 new babies to the family. Both born only a few hours apart!

Welcome Owen Michael! He was 9lbs. 12 oz. Mom and baby are doing great. He is already such a sweet boy.

This is Kelly when they first brought her Owen (Where she could hold him) after her C Section.

Gram Imy and Baby Owen

The other Bells...

Welcome Lexi Lee!!!! She weighed 6lbs 7oz. What a cute little family. Does she look like she just pushed out a baby...no....supermodel.

Uncle Randy and Lexi

Aunt Codee and Lexi

This was too cute of Jensen. She loved the baby and wanted to poke out her eyes.

Blah-ging.

So, I haven't really been updating as much because I feel like other things are taking president. Although, they shouldn't because this is a great purpose. I have still been using LDS journal so I am writing, you just don't get to see it.

We had a great week. My friend Cari and her family moved to San Fran, but we met for one last time at a BYU tailgating party at Macey's. They had a bounce house and games and food. Then we went to the park and got some drinks at Sonic. We are sure going to miss those guys and their 2 sweet boys. My friend Anna also came over and I finally got to see her new baby Scott. The kids played in the yard and ate snacks. Scott was so good and just took it all in. And also, this never happens all in one week, but my friend Erin came by with her son Seth. Seth and Jensen are pretty much the same age, so it is so fun to see them interact with each other. I SOOO enjoyed everyones visit. I wish I stayed that entertained all the time. (Ya know...when Rans is gone.) I have also been spending HOURS doing family history so blogging took a back seat.

Another thing I was thinking of (which I have done a lot of as of late) is this article in the Ensign (A church magazine.)

*The link isn't working...

Positive Uses of the Internet 

By Elizabeth Stitt

It is the June 2010 issue.

This is the part I can't get out of my head:

Limit Your Time

"Rebecca Renfroe, from Idaho, USA, used to blog and read others’ blogs almost daily. Her mind was always in “compose” mode—mentally writing a blog about what she did with her children instead of just doing things with them. She realized there had to be a balance.

She says, “The Spirit helped me to recognize that having a blog was not the problem—devoting too much of my time and energy to it was. I had literally been giving portions of my life away: trading away quality time with my children and my husband, trading away time for serious, in-depth study of the scriptures, and even trading away hours of sleep that affected my ability to serve others, to be sensitive to the Spirit, and to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

So, I have been catching myself in these little moments of where's my camera? And then, I just stop and remember to enjoy the moment. I want to enjoy the journey. I still take pictures, it is just who I am and it isn't going to change. The article just made me relax, gain some prospective and enjoy things a bit more. I also try not to spend time on the computer when my kids are awake if I can help it. 

So, If you see a lack of posting it is just because I am off having fun with my kids!:)

Deep Thoughts

*Warning...May bore you to tears. My thoughts on my life..more for journaling purposes, but help yourself.

I have had several thoughts going through me lately. Some are pointless and have no meaning, while others leave me perplexed and exhausted. What has been really frustrating for me lately is that I am so forgetful. Really, it is just my short term memory. I have to ask people the same thing over and over like it doesn't even register. Sometimes names or how to do a task or something about someone. I feel like I am losing my mind...seriously. I think I have to blame it on lack of sleep. Let's just go there for a moment.

Jensen has been waking up at night because of her 4 molars coming in and Jay has been waking up once or twice with leg cramps. Sometimes I am up 4 or 5 times at night and then I wake up at 6:30am every morning. The getting up part doesn't bother me it is the fact that sometimes I can't fall asleep until midnight. This too is my fault because I stay up late cherishing my alone free time.

Plus, I kinda think I am addicted to being tired. Do you  know what I mean? It's that feeling where your body and eyes are so tired that you can't keep them open. I LOVE that feeling. I hate going to bed when I have to just sit there and wait to fall asleep. Sometimes it takes me hours. So, if I wait until the absolute last moment, I can just lay down and go right to sleep.

Here are a just a few things that are keeping my mind flowing with thought:

1. Money. How to save it, how to spend it wisely. My budget, future budget and percentages. It's like a game. Pay this bill on this day and then save this money for this payment...it is an endless juggling act. Add on coupons and "deals" and...wow.

2. Service. Am I doing enough? Am I helping people in need. Am I doing it willingly and happily. Can I do something for someone and not get mad when I don't receive a thank you or get acknowledged. Do I love my neighbors as much as I love myself? I don't know...do I?

3. Being a wife. Am I a good wife? Do I show or tell Randy enough that I love him. Do I still flirt with him and look at him the way I did 10 years ago? Does he still find me attractive? Is the fact that he can't tell if I am wearing make up or not a compliment? Should I plan more date nights? What should we go and do? You decide, no, you decide.....I always have to decide, no I decided last time.......I am feeling exhausted just thinking about it.

4. My Kids. Is Jay doing OK in school. Am I mothering him too much? Is he doing too many things to make him get spoiled? Will he appreciate how good he has it compared to most kids. Does he know how much his parents love him and love each other? Will he be this sweet always. I love that he told me the other day that he wanted to live with me forever and never move out. I strongly disliked when he asked if we were having a baby tomorrow because my stomach looked so big......yikes. How long will Jents drive me crazy. When I picture her little face in my mind with her little goober grin it makes me smile. Will I be too hard on her. Will I spoil her rotten and over kill it with the Mother/daughter activities? Will her teeth EVER come in?

5.My hopes and dreams. Am I ever going to have the chance to go back to school? Is it going to be too hard. Can I do it? Am I smart enough? Do I have what it takes? Am I happy? Can I have a fulfilling life while there are so many things I would love to do.... travel, read, exercise all I want and not feel guilty about leaving my kids, write music, take voice lessons, learn and instrument, learn a new language, do all my family history, go to the temple once or twice a week, go for bike rides, learn how to salsa... learn anything and everything I could. Do the happy moments of my life make up and fill in the gaps for all of those empty spaces?

6.The Savior. Do I really understand what he went through and do I lean on him enough. So many moments in my day I think to myself that I could have been better about this or that. I felt bad for a whole week because I should have helped someone carry something and didn't because I was in a hurry. It is all those little moments I worry about. Did I feel sorrow and repent enough for this or for that or will it be added to the list of awful wrongs I have done. And, if I am not repenting enough, then am I not recognizing the Atonement in my life? How can I be more Christlike? What am I doing to be better?

These are just a few of my day to day thoughts when I am folding laundry or driving to pick up Jay from school. In and out... a rushing pattern of life's inquires. Some questions to be left unanswered while others shuffle through again waiting for a response. Then, the next day comes and new thoughts replace others and I start again. This is life. This is my life.

Jentsy

Lacey posted this ugly dog picture because she thought I would think it  was funny...which I do. Jensen must be just like me because every time she sees it she loves it. If she is crying, I just bring her over to the computer and it makes her happy. I couldn't quite catch her excitement on video because I was holding her while trying to video tape, but she normally laughs so hard. It is hilarious!


I tried to redo this post where she was laughing harder...but she grabbed a glass of water and for my lack of hands(I was holding her and the camera) it totally freaked me out!

Enjoy.