What's new with the Bells???

I know it has been forever since I have blogged but tonight I thought I would try it back out.  I am not sure how to work my blog anymore.  I was trying to update some of my settings but I can't seem to figure it out so I guess I will have to play around with it a little more.
I never really sent out christmas cards or a christmas letter this last year but I was thinking about what a good year 2014 was.

This time last year I was 9 months pregnant and I was getting ready to welcome Sierra into our family.  It was a crazy couple of weeks before she was born when I found out she was breech and I would have to have a C-section if she didn't turn around. After 2 weeks of praying and trying every method in the book to get her to turn around, she did turn head down.  I was so relieved that I didn't have to keep my C-section appt.  However, when I went to the hospital to deliver Sierra she decided to put her arm over her head and I still needed that C-section.  I was terrified but I survived and more importantly, so did Sierra.  She was a cute little baby that was loved and still is loved by her siblings. I can't believe she is turning one in a couple of weeks.

Another exciting part of our year is that Eric and I bought our first house here in Houston.  We were just casually looking on line at houses occasionally but when three different houses showed up on the market that caught our interest.  We knew we just had to look at them.  We called a realtor and he showed us two of the houses and we loved them both but knew right away which one was the best fit for our family.  We closed in July and moved in at the end of the month.  It has now been 6 months and we are absolutely in love with our new home.  It is in a prime location near a great school and we feel so at home.

I want to update more about our family and what we have been up to so I will have to update more this week.  I have just ran out of time and I need to post this or it will sit in my save folder forever.

I am sure no one even checks this page anymore anyway.

Anyone still out there???

For some odd reason I had an urge to blog today.  That hasn't happened in a long time...I wonder if anyone even checks this blog anymore. I have to admit the blogs have seem to lost their steam as a lot of my friends no longer blog.  It is sad because I love keeping up with friends and seeing pictures.  I remember when I first started blogging that I would constantly think of things that I wanted to blog about and now I just can't think of anything.  I don't know if my life has gotten that boring or...I don't know what has happened.

Anyway, I guess to give you a bit of an update on us.  We have now been in Texas for a whole year.  I love it out here especially now that we are surrounded by family.  I have my sister that is a mile away and Eric now has a sister and a brother that live within 2 miles away.  It is so much fun getting together for birthdays, holidays, and just for fun.  Eric's parents only live about 4 hours away and they come down often to visit so it is great to see them.

This year will be a busy one with Aaron starting the 1st grade in a couple of weeks and in the fall I have Kaylee in preschool.  It will be weird just having Alanna at home for a few hours three times a week.  I will definitely enjoy that time with her until March when baby#4 will be here.  That's right, I am 10 weeks pregnant with baby number FOUR.  (Still can't believe that I am going to a be a mom of 4 that is like hard core parenting)  We just told the kids a couple of days ago and they are thrilled.  Aaron really wants a brother.  I would keep hearing him around the house after I told him saying to himself, "yes, my mom is finally pregnant.  She is going to have a baby."  Kaylee would keep coming up to me touching my tummy saying, "you have a baby in your tummy?  Is the baby tired?  Are you going to the hospital?"  I would say they are excited.
So far the morning sickness has not been nearly as bad as it has been in the past.  I hope it stays this way because I have three kids to still take care of.  I am definitely tired all the time but at least I am not running to the bathroom every morning.  Here is a really cool shot of the ultrasound from the other day.  I am already in love. :)

News

So the new update with us is that Eric is changing jobs again.  His old company in CA called and gave him an offer to work for them remotely from Texas.  I guess they really liked him to call him up 5 months later with an offer.  Eric found an office space to work in that is close to home.  He really likes the idea of cutting the commute out of his life and working only 10-15 minutes away.  

He is really excited because he really did love his job as a forensic accountant but the problem was that it was in California.  After many weeks of weighing the pro's and con's Eric decided that working for his old firm was a better option for us and our family.

I am excited because with Eric working an hour away he really wasn't very accessible to me if I needed him.  The bigger thing is because we only have one car that I never had access to either.  With how close he will be working I can easily drive him to and from work so I can have my car back on days that I need it.  He will also be able to be around when I need him.

Eric is really excited to get his office set up and get to work.  He will make this transition at the beginning of the year. We are all excited and look forward to this new/old opportunity.

Bells 2012 - Christmas Blog

I want to start off by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I can hardly believe that another year has come and gone.  It happens so very quickly.  I have been reflecting on our pictures this past year and I think our little family has made some good memories in 2012.  Here is a recap of our year. ( Warning: You are about to see a years worth of blogs in one. )

In February we spent a very special weekend with both Grandma and Grandpa Coleby and Grammy and Grandpa Bell.  They had come to Bakersfield, CA to help welcome our baby girl Alanna Brooke Bell into our family by participating in her blessing. 

Later that month we took a family day trip to the LA zoo.  The kids loved to see all the different animals.  We had a blast.

A month later we had planned to take the kids on a little hike.  We discovered real fast that they are not quite ready for that and played at the near by park in the river.  It was cold but the kids loved it.

 In the spring, the kids and I spent many days at the park with our friends.  I became the park day coordinator for our ward.  I had a lot of fun trying to get all of us moms together.  I made many good friends in Bakersfield while letting our kids go wild at the park.

April rolled around along with Easter.  The easter bunny suprised us one day while we were playing at the park.  We then had fun dying our eggs and letting the easter bunny hid them for us while we went to church.

In May our little Kaylee turned 3 years old.  She is such a fun smart girl.  She is all girl.  She loves playing dress up, playing with her dolls, and she is constantly singing and dancing around the house.  She is a good friend to her brother and sister and a good helper to me.  

In June we all celebrated my 30th birthday by taking our one and only trip to the beach.  We lived in California for 2 and 1/2 years and made it to the beach once.  The kids loved it.

Kaylee spent the whole time playing in the waves.

Aaron spent the day playing in the sand looking for sand crabs.

Turning 30 was a tough one for me but I think I am coming to terms with it.  This year I have been spending much of my time with my children.  I take them to the park, the pool, the library, to play with friends, to preschool and school.  I do spend a lot of my evenings putting my skills to good use by tutoring math one on one to high school students.  It has been a blessing to my family and me.

This summer was a crazy one.  We spent a lot of time at the pool especially when Aaron was taking swimming lessons.  He was scared the first day and by the end of the two weeks he was jumping off the diving board.  Kaylee and Alanna loved getting in the pool any chance they got too.

We also celebrated Aaron's 5th birthday in July.  This little boy is so sweet and thoughtful.  However, he is a boy and he loves to play video games like his dad and cousins.  

Eric made a great accomplishment this year.  He passed his CPA exam.  There were four different tests that are very difficult to pass and Eric passed all four the first try.  After Eric received his CPA license we started talking.  If you know us well then you know we have talked about moving out to Texas since we've been married.  Well Eric's goal in California was to gain a couple years experience and get his CPA.  Eric started to look for jobs but it was slow until Eric found a head hunter and he landed Eric a couple of interviews.  After his trip to Houston Eric was offered a job at Briggs & Vaseleka.  Three weeks later we packed up and moved across the country to Houston, TX.

We have loved it here in Texas.  We love living close to Eric's family.  We live within a mile or two of both my sister, Kim, and Eric's sister, Stephenie.  The kids love being near cousins all the time.  It sure is convenient living so close to family.  It is so nice having family around that you know will help you out with anything.

A month after moving it was time to send my little boy off to Kindergarten.  I struggled with this decision as I wasn't sure if I should let him wait another year.  He is so happy to be in school. He loves his teacher and he loves all the fun things he gets to do at school. I am amazed at how quickly he is progressing and learning to read and write.  

This fall we got to do another family first.  We got to go camping.  The kids loved sleeping in the tent and sitting around the campfire.  We were fortunate to go with the Ethingtons and they showed us a good time.

Halloween came around.  It was a fun time of the year to decorate with carved pumpkins, go to caramel apple dipping parties and do some trick or treating around the neighborhood.

November came around and next thing I knew my baby turned 1 year old.  Alanna has truly been a blessing in our family.  She has been such an easy going baby.  She puts up with me going out and about even though it is nap time.  She is a happy baby and has made the transition of going to three kids so easy on me.  She is now learning to walk and is really getting into the fun of playing with her siblings.

A few days later we celebrated Eric's birthday.  Eric has really enjoyed his new job as an auditor.  The biggest downside of his new job is the commute downtown.  He does get to make visits to different companies and recently he took a trip up to North Dakota to count inventory for a company.  It was a lot colder up there than in Houston in November.  

This Thanksgiving we spent with Eric's family up in Weatherford (near Fort Worth). We had lots of fun playing games, eating, and just visiting.  We always missed out on these family gatherings because we lived so far away so we are enjoying living so close now.  The only thing missing this year was my family.  This is the first year that I didn't make it out to Utah to visit.  Moving across country has made it difficult but I assure you that we will be out that way in 2013.  

We are excited to spend Christmas here in Texas in our home.  We look forward to the break from school and lots of fun with cousins.  Right before new years Eric and I will get to celebrate our 9th year anniversary.  What an amazing 9 years we have had together.

I hope you have enjoyed our fun 2012.  We look forward to what is to come in 2013.  We have some exciting news that I will post next week so be sure to come back and find out what is new with us.  (I will give you a hint:  I am not pregnant. (I know that is what you all were thinking) )

Love, 

The Bells

Eric, Angela, Aaron, Kaylee, & Alanna

Texas

We are officially residents of Houston, TX! We have been here for almost 2 months now and we are loving it here.  Our move went very smoothly as we packed up our apartment in Bakersfield, CA and Eric and Aaron drove the big truck towing our car.  The following day the girls and I got on a plane and flew to Texas.  I loved the "find my friends" app on my iphone.  I could track Eric the whole way to Texas.  His family was all tracking him too.  After 31 hours in the truck with a 5 year old he made it.
We love our house that we are renting.  It is bigger than our old apartment so we are definitely enjoying the bigger space.  It is still 3 bedrooms, though.  We only live 3/4 of a mile away from my older sister Kim and her family and about a mile away from Eric's sister Stephenie and her family and Eric's younger sister Bonnie lives about 20 miles away.  I see my sister almost on a daily basis and we both love having each other so close.  I hope she doesn't get sick of me. :)  It sure helps me get settled in here in a new town so I don't feel so isolated and alone especially when Eric goes to work.
Eric is enjoying his new job.  So far we really enjoyed half day Fridays but those are over now that summer is over.  He usually gets up at 5:15am every morning so he can be out the door by 6:15am for his 45 min - 1 hour commute downtown.  He usually works til about 4:00pm and then is home after 5pm to spend his evenings with us.  Eric is now working in the audit department of his new firm and is learning how to be a great auditor.  I think he is working on his first on-site audit today.
 Aaron started Kindergarten last week and so far I think he loves it.  He seems to have a great teacher and is already learning a ton.  I am so glad we moved before he started school.  I am having to learn a new routine in the morning so I can get all the kids up, dressed, and feed them breakfast before we start to walk to school at 7:45 in the morning. It used to be so hard for me to be ready to go anywhere before 9:30am.  The school is about half a mile away and since I don't have a car we get to walk every morning.  I actually kind of enjoy the walk even though it is a little hot and humid even in the morning.  I put Alanna and Kaylee in the wagon and walk with Aaron.
Kaylee is just enjoying her older girl cousins.  She absolutely loves to play with her 12 year old cousin Samantha when we are at Kim's house and whenever we go over to Stephenie's house Kaylee loves to play dress up and follow her 8 year old cousin, Danielle, around.
Alanna has transformed from that cute little baby who stays where ever you put her to a growing baby that can crawl any where she wants.  She loves her new found freedom of crawling and she is all over the place getting into trouble.  She is still my cute little baby.  I can't believe she will be 1 year old in just 2 months.
I think we are all adjusting very well here.  My kids love that they get to see their cousins all the time and I love that I get to see my sister and Eric's family way more often than we used to.
I promise I will post pictures soon.

Hey Y'all!!!!

I can't believe it is actually happening but we are moving to TEXAS in two weeks!!!!   Eric was very successful with his current job but after he received his CPA license we decided it was time to find a job out in Texas near family.  Eric lucked out by finding a great head hunter who lined up four job interviews for Eric.  Last weekend Eric flew out to Houston for the job interviews.  He found a Public Accounting firm that he felt would be the best fit for him and they offered him a job.  He will be working as an External Auditor Associate. He starts July 16th so that means I have less than two weeks to pack.  It is all coming together since we have received the job offer we found a great house to rent that is 1/2 mile from my sister and 1 mile from Eric's sister and about 30 minutes from Eric's youngest sister.  We are so excited for this new adventure but I have to say I am extremely nervous about moving.  My stomach has been tied in knots for the last week.  I am sure everything will go well.  I am sad to be leaving all of the many good friends we have made here in Bakersfield and I am especially sad to be leaving the YW I have only been serving with for a few short months.We have had good times here in Bakersfield but it will be so great to finally live close to family.
Wish us luck!!!

New trick

Alanna is 6 and a half months old and she loves to roll around the floor and now she can sit on the floor with Aaron and Kaylee. We all love to play with baby sister and she Loves to play with us.

We made necklaces

Father Son Campout

Aaron went camping last year with Eric last year and LOVED it. So he was pretty excited to go again this year because he loves camping with just his daddy.

Family Picture 2012

Life jackets

So with summer coming we bought our kids life jackets so we can all swim this summer. I love how Kaylee doesn't want to take her life jacket off. She also got new sandals too so she wears those around the house too.

My CPA

It is finally official. Eric is now "Eric J. Bell, CPA". I am so proud of Eric for this huge accomplishment. Way to go, Eric!

Happy Easter

So I know I am a little late on posting for Easter but here are a few snapshots I took during Easter. We lucked out one day when we were playing at the park and the Easter Bunny showed up for a group and allowed us to get in the action. The kids were very excited. Although Kaylee is still too shy to sit on a strange bunny's lap.