bell family

The problem with eating...

2012-01-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

is that you have to be able to chew!

I swear I have the joints of a 90 year old woman. Lately the one that has been bugging me is my jaw. It always makes little cracky noises when I chew, but the past couple weeks it has been popping out of place. I woke up 4 days ago and couldn't open my mouth at all. So I made an appointment with a TMJ specialist. I had a CT scan, and a bunch of other tests.

They found that instead of having a round condylar process, mine has been grinding down and it is now flat on the left side. The disk between both bones is not in the right place, and the joint was pushing on my ear canal sending pressure and pain through my ear, into my head, and down my neck. My right side isn't as bad, but it still has signs of degeneration. To fix it, I will have to wear a mouth piece that looks like a retainer that will push my lower jaw into a place where it is away from my ear canal. After it is adjusted over the next year it is supposed pull my jaw into the proper position. They also want me to remove my wisdom teeth (which I am TERRIFIED of doing...I know I just had a baby, but to have teeth ripped out of your head just sounds HORRIBLE) to prevent any future problems with my jaw.

I'm not so excited to look like a 13 year old girl. I thought I was done with retainers forever! But at this point the only thing I can eat are soup, yogurt, shakes, etc...so I will be glad when I can close my mouth and not have it be stuck shut again! It is funny how we take such little things like being able to chew for granted!

Pirate King?

2012-01-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

Addison just came up to me wearing a towel on her head, her dora panties, a big oversized t-shirt, and one of my bras and said, "LOOK MOM, I'M A PIRATE KING!" what??? haha the girl cracks me up!

Best Friends

2012-01-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

Baby Cakes!

2012-01-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

Gracelyn is now 13 weeks old! She is seriously the BEST baby ever. I was so worried about how I was going to handle two babies (especially since Addison is such a busy and spunky little thing), but Baby Gracie has made it easy for me.

She love to goo, smile, grab onto anything in front of her (still practicing), and she has giggled a few times too. It was the cutest little noise ever! I love the little expressions that she makes. She already has such a sweet personality.

Haha life is never boring with these girls around! :)

Ryan's Graduation Present:

2012-01-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

When Ryan and I met, he had an older Honda dirt bike. He love that thing, and called it "his girl". Crazy boy! After we were married, he didn't have much time to ride it anymore. He was working full time, and in school, and we were expecing Addison. We both decided that he should sell it, and he was so sad about it that I told him that after he graduated he could buy a new one. Well he graduated! And here is his graduation present (that he picked out and puchased on his own!)

He was SO excited to show Addison his new bike. He bought it at night, and showed it to her early the next morning. Addie loves going on bike rides in Canada, and now she can do it here too!

I love my little biker babe! :)

Ryan took her for a VERY SLOW ride. She was in heaven! And so was he. :)

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T12:23:00.000-08:00

A few Highlights for us in the Year 2011:

Brandon Home from Mission
We Celebrated our 4th Year of Marriage
Addison turned two
Visiting Las Vegas (and I flew in a plane for the first time)
Summer Vacation in BC
Ryan graduating with his Bachelor's Degree
Addison's first camping trip to Bear Lake (didn't go well!)
Weddings! Jon and Jen, Brandon and Dani, Chance and Jenae
Ryan's New Dirtbike (more to come on that)
Surprising Ryan with the news that I was pregnant
Delivering our sweet baby Gracelyn in October

I have already started on my New Years Resolutions. They are:

Weekly date night with Ryan
Work Out regularly (at least 3-4 times/week)
Eat Healthy, and no eating after 7:00pm (this is my weakness...I love munching at night!)
Lose the baby weight!
Read my scriptures EVERY day.
Morning prayer
Be more patient
Start Preparing YW lessons a week in Advance, not last minute
Learn a new Skill: cake decorating! (Ryan got me everything I need to get started for Christmas)

this is all I can think of for right now, but I will add to my list as I think of more.

have yourself a merry little...

2011-12-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas!

We finished off the last of our crazy month! We went up to Canada on the 20th so that we would be able to go to my friend Jenae's wedding. Then we stayed the rest of the week with my family for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve we had our family dinner, played a white elephant game, opened up our traditional pajamas, watched THIS mormon message, and a DVD that had christmas music and pictures of the Savior, and opened time capsules that we made and sealed 11 years ago.

Then we all wrote our letters to Santa to leave on our Stockings. Brandon and Dani made it back from their honeymoon just in time for Christmas!

Addison spent SO MUCH time making sure that her letter to Santa was perfect. She drew pictures all over it, and Daddy wrote what she was hoping for: a camera.

My Grandma and Grandpa Prince loved snuggling with our sweet little Gracie Baby. Grandpa even fed her two bottles and burped her!

On Christmas morning, Jeremy woke everyone up at 7:15. Addison was still pretty tired, but she was excited to find that Santa brought her the camera she was wanting!

Gracelyn had a great first Christmas too, and Santa brought her a Baby Einstein Fish lamp that plays music and attaches to the side of her crip. Whenever we turn it on she is mesmerized by it!

While we were opening presents on Christmas morning, my Grandma got a call about her Mom. My Great Grandma Allred has not been doing well the past few weeks, and we had visited her a few times that week in the hospital. She was doing worse that morning. They left for the hospital, and after church we went there too. My Grandpa Allred (who passed away over 10 years ago) got the best Christmas gift of all, as my Grandma was able to join him again that day. We will all miss her, but we are glad that we know of our Heavenly Father's plan for us. Families are eternal, and we will see Grandma again!

December

2011-12-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

This month has been a crazy one! My brother Brandon was married on the 10th of December. We drove up to Canada on the 9th, and came home on the 12th. It was a quick trip, (which is not easy with our two little girls) but we did it. I am so glad I was able to be in the temple for their sealing. We are excited that Dani is part of our family! They are going on a roadtrip down to California for their honeymoon, and stayed the night here last night, so it was fun to hang out with them for a bit this morning before they headed for Salt Lake.

TODAY is Ryan's last day of school. He has finally finished his Bachelor's degree!!! I am so, so, so, so excited about this...that means I get to see my husband at night! Ryan has been working on his degree for close to six years. Because I wasn't able to work before we had kids (I had to get all of my immigration done first), and because we have decided that it was important for me to stay home with our babies, he has been working full time and going to school all along. It has been exhausting and stressful for him, and I am so glad that he is finally done!

We will be at Ryan's parent's on Monday to exchange gifts before we head back up to Canada on Tuesday. Two of my best friends from highschool are getting married on the 23rd, so we will be going to their wedding, and then staying up for Christmas with my family. I am so excited for Christmas this year. Children makes Christmas magical, and I can't wait for Addison to understand all about the real meaning of Christmas. She is so excited about Santa coming this year too!

Santa sent her this video and it looks like she is on the nice list!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Baby Gracie is a Talker!

2011-12-08T11:25:00.000-08:00

I took the girls to the Dr. yesterday for their well child visits.

Stats on Gracelyn at 9 weeks: 23 inches tall, Weighs 11 pounds 6 ounces
Stats on Addison at 33 months: 36 1/4 inches tall, Weighs 27 pounds

One of Ryan's favorite parts of having a newborn:

2011-12-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

Gracelyn is such a snuggly, sleepy little girl! She is nine weeks old already. The time is flying! She is such a happy baby, and she smiles all of the time. She laughed in her sleep a couple of weeks ago, but today was the first day that she laughed while she was awake. It was just a little chuckle, but it was SO CUTE. We are taking both of the girls to the Dr. tomorrow morning. It will be Gracelyn's two month checkup/shots, and Addison is getting caught up on a few immunizations. Gracelyn hasn't been weighed since she was two weeks old, so I am excited to see how much has grown. She is getting chubbier cheeks, and already seems like she is getting big!

A couple of videos

2011-11-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

We check on the girls every night before we go to bed to make sure that they are sleeping, covered with blankets, warm enough, etc...

Last night we found Addison sleeping like this:

Ryan was amazed that she could be sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. A few minutes later, when we were getting ready to go to sleep, Ryan knelt down to say his prayers. He totally fell asleep in the same position. (He swears that he just "lost his train of thought" but he was totally twitching and starting to snore.) I wish I had a picture of him to match Addison's! :)

Addie has such a cute little voice...I have been meaning to record her talking for a couple of months now. I don't want to forget how sweet she sounds! So here are a couple of videos her this morning doing three of her favorite things: reading stories, singing, and dancing.

Addison has memorized most of the book, "Goodnight Moon".

I tried a few different times to get Addison to hold still and sing, but for her that is pretty much impossible. Singing cannot be done without dancing!

Snuggling Sisters

2011-11-23T08:40:00.000-08:00

I love the bedhead, I love the hand-holding, I love the cheesy poses,

and I love these girls!

I can't believe how big both of them are getting...Addison will be three in four months, and Gracelyn will be two months old on Tuesday!

I Spy:

2011-11-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

4 Purple crayons
1 Friend Magazine
A variety of Colorful Scribbles
One Guilty Toddler sitting on Time-Out

I'm pretty sure that Addie has the most obvious 'I'm guilty' face ever.

After a LOT of scrubbing, our living room is free of all unwanted "art-work". Crayons are now on a high shelf in the pantry. Lesson learned.

Out of the Mouth of Addison:

2011-11-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

Today Addie told me, "Mommy I gettin married in the temple tomorrow. WAIT--uh oh where are my flowers?" (when she says it, it sounds more like "Mommy I gettin mawied in da teempo tomowow. WAIT --uh oh where are mine shlowas?").

When we ask her where her Daddy works she says "at the bacon." (at the bank)

Ryan kissed me when he got home from work a couple of days ago and she said, "OOOOO A LOOOOOVE KISS!"

Addison was going to the bathroom the other day, and she had been sitting on her potty for a long time. I went to check on her and asked, "Addison how are you doing in there?" and she yelled "I doin' good mom. Just pushing REALLY hard." So gross, but I couldn't stop laughing for the longest time.

Addie was in the bath last week, and I was rinsing her hair by dumping water over her head. She started yelling, "No Mom NO! I JUST A LITTLE GIRL!"

Little Sister

2011-11-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

I can't get enough of this little girl. She is so snuggley, sweet, and peaceful. We love our little Gracelyn!

Baby Gracie-- 5 Weeks Old

Life with Two...

2011-11-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Before I had Gracelyn I was really worried about whether or not I would be able to handle two kids. It took a few days to get the hang of it, but I finally feel like I can take care of my girls and still have the time to get everything done that I need to. This is probably partially due to the fact that Gracelyn is starting to get on a better schedule. Right now she is eating every three hours, and takes two long naps during the day. I have also learned to keep Addison awake until Gracie falls asleep, and then I put her down for a nap so that I get a bit of time by myself.

Addison still can't get enough of her baby sister. Every morning she is the first thing she asks about. She has been a good helper with getting diapers/wipes, giving her a pacifier when she is crying, and singing songs when she is sad. She has tried to pick her up a couple of times, and climbed into her crib when she was crying once also...so I have to keep an eye on her.

Addison will usually share most of her toys, but she will NOT share her three lovey's with anyone...her baby, her teddy, and her "keekee" (blankie). Except Gracelyn. She loves her THAT much. So sweet :)

Ryan still hasn't been on his own with the two girls. I was going to leave both of them with him last night while I went to Young Women's, but Addison was crying, Gracelyn was crying, the kitchen was a mess, and I could tell that as soon as I left it would be chaos. Lucky for him I took the baby with me. :) I came home to a spotless kitchen and vacuumed carpet so it was worth it!

Halloweeeeeen!

2011-11-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Addison is finally old enough that she gets Halloween! The first two Halloweens we dressed her up, but she didn't get into Trick-or-treating, or pumpkin carving. This year she was so excited about her "Dora Pumpkin" and couldn't wait to go trick-or-treating!

The girls were both dressed up as strawberries this year. We started off our fun with a trip to the bank where Ryan works. They were handing out candy there, and Addison ate hers before we even got back into the car! After that we went over to our ward's trunk-or-treat. It was supposed to go from 4-6 and when we got there at 5:20 most people had already run out of candy!

We ran to the grocery store to buy some candy to hand out at our door, then went home. We had a lot of trick-or-treaters come to our house this year! Ryan told Addie that he would take her to the houses around us if she wanted to go trick-or-treating for longer, and she ran out the door and was SO excited. This was the first year that we have taken her house to house. I stayed home with Gracelyn because it was so cold outside. She was hungry, and since there were so many kids coming to the door, I decided to experiment with bottle feeding. She liked the formula! I am glad to know that I can leave her with Ryan without having to worry about rushing back to feed her!

Here is our sweet Gracelyn (1 month) in her Halloween costume:

And here are the only two pictures I got of Addison. She was SO excited to go trick-or-treating with her Daddy that she wouldn't hold still. This picture is not the greatest, but it shows her strawberry costume!

By the time she finished she had a whole bucket full of candy! We will have to ration it out so that we don't have a toddler that is hyped up on sugar all of the time!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, we took the girls to a local pumpkin patch. We had so much fun searching for our perfect pumpkins, and left with 3 big ones and two "baby pumpkins" that Addison picked out for Gracelyn.

Here is the one picture that i got of us at the pumpkin patch...my batteries were completely dead, and I had to take this one quick before it shut off!

This weekend we carved our pumpkins. We tried and tried to get Addison to pull out the pumpkin guts, but she was completely disgusted by them. She would use a spoon, grimace, and wipe her hands on a rag any time they got slimy.

This was the pumpkin that Ryan carved for Addison...Dora! Her favorite. He worked on it for a couple of hours.. and everytime he sees it outside he compliments himself for his superior pumpkin carving skills.

The next two pumpkins were carved by yours truly.

Us with our pumpkins...Addison picked out and put on her own pajamas. She was so proud of herself!

This little sweety missed all of the pumkin carving action. Maybe next year she will be able to stay awake!

Our family of four!

2011-10-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

Addison Nicole (2 1/2 years old)

Gracelyn Jane (3 Days Old)

The greatest gift...

2011-10-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

I took Gracelyn to her two week appointment yesterday...she has already gained an extra pound! She now weighs 8 pounds and 14 ounces. And she has gotten a bit shorter (our doctor said that it is because babies heads are more coneshaped at birth, and it has rounded out more now). She is SUCH a good baby. She hardly ever cries, and she is so content. The only thing that has been hard with her is the lack of sleep. She is still waking up alot--which is to be expected with a newborn--last night was a long one, but it is worth it!

Addison absolutely LOVES her baby sister. She holds her, sings to her, and kisses her all of the time. She has had a hard time adjusting to not having my full attention all of the time though. She has been having more tantrums than usual, and has had a few rough days. I am hoping that she will adjust soon! She is such a good big sister, and loves to help me with diaper changes. She even held Gracelyn while I got dressed this morning and did my hair!

I love both of my little girls so much! I am so lucky to be their mom!

Source: proclamationpictures.blogspot.com via Monica on Pinterest

She's Here!

2011-10-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Gracelyn Jane Bell was born on October 4, 2011.

I was scheduled for an induction for the morning of October 4th, but I should have known that my plans never turn out the way that I think they will!

I started having contractions on October 3rd around 9:30pm. I had been having false labor for weeks though, so I pretty much just ignored them. Until they started to REALLY hurt (That was around 10:30). At 11:00pm we decided to go into the hospital. I thought that it might be too early, and was a bit worried that they would just send me home since I had only been having contractions for an hour and a half.

Ryan raced me up to the hospital, and by the time we got there I was shaking uncontrollably. It was so annoying, and it made me even more tense (which was making the contractions hurt more!) We got into our room, and when they checked me I was at an EIGHT. Things were moving too quickly, and they told me that there would be no time for an epidural. I asked when my doctor would be there, and they told me that he was not going to be able to make it for the delivery. Nothing was working the way I wanted it to, and I pretty much started freaking out.

The on-call doctor came in and introduced himself, and told me about a one time shot that you can get in your spine that works pretty much the same as an epidural, except for the fact that it wears off after around two hours. They were sure that I would deliver within the hour, so we decided to go for it. I didn't know then that our baby was twisted the wrong way, and that it would be three more hours before she would be born!

After the spinal shot. I couldn't feel any contractions and was a happy girl!

The rest of our room

After I had the shot in my spine, I was feeling SO much better. The shaking stopped, and we relaxed and watched my contractions on the screen. And then the drugs wore off. And I could feel EVERYTHING again. The nurses rushed to find the anesthesiologist to give me another dose, but by the time that he got there I was already at a ten and ready to push. He gave me another dose of the medication, and when that didn't work he gave me ANOTHER dose of it. I still could feel everything, but the pain was so intense that my doctor told me to that it was time to get our baby girl out! Thankfully the medication kicked in right before she was born, and even though she had been twisted sideways, she was able to be born without any major complications at 1:54 am. She had swallowed some meconium, so I didn't get to hold her right away. They hurried her over to her table and had to pump her stomach (I HATED this!)

I was SO happy and overwhelmed when Gracelyn was finally handed to me and I got to see her sweet little face. She weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, was 21 inches. She is healthy and beautiful, and is such a good baby! We feel so blessed that she was able to come into our lives!

The first time I got to hold my sweet girl. I was SO swollen and looked pretty hot by this point. Don't judge!

Ryan's first time holding Baby Gracie

I know I am biased....but seriously how cute is this baby!?!

My mom brought Addison to the hospital the next morning, and Addison fell instantly in love with her baby sister. She can't get enough of her...hopefully that lasts! :)

Angel

2011-09-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last night at the dinner table we had this converstation:

Ryan: Addison you are just SOOOO cute.
Addison: No. I not "teeute", I Addison Nicole Bell.
Ryan: That is your name! And Addison Nicole Bell is a cute girl. Your Mommy is cute too.
Addison: No Mommy not "teeute", Mommy a Angel.

And then I bawled like a baby. Right in the middle of a bite of pizza...the combination of my preggo hormones, and her sweet little face didn't even give me a chance. I have no idea where she learned to say that, but I sure love MY little angel.

5 days and Counting!

2011-09-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

D Day is set! If little Gracelyn hasn't made an appearance on her own (which she still easily could), I will be induced on Tuesday. It is crazy how every pregnancy is so different. I NEVER thought that I would ever be setting an induction date...especially after being on bedrest for so long. This little girl is already full of surprises! Only five more pregnant days!

You know you are almost ready to pop when...

2011-09-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

You have to wake your husband up at 3-4 times a night so that he can help you roll over. I have the hips of a 90 year old woman.
You wear dresses all the time because even your maternity shirts are belly shirts!
TUMS start to taste good. Seriously people try the TUMS Smoothies kind! I eat them like candy!
Shaving your legs is a full body workout.
People do a double take on your belly when you go shopping....and their eyes get as round as your stomach.
You have perfected the "pick it up off the ground with your toes" technique. It's so much easier than bending!
Your husband can't get ahold of you on the phone (you are Visit Teaching) so he assumes you are in labor, jumps in his car to rescue you, AND calls your Home Teacher to have them make sure you are not dying before he gets there. Paranoid much?
You pee a little bit every time you sneeze, cough, or laugh too hard....and alot when you throw up! (Don't judge me people-- If you've been pregnant, you've been there. If not, you know what to look forward to!)
Every conversation involves "you are STILL pregnant?"or "Still no baby?"
Your brother calls you "pregasaurous". Wow J you know how to make a girl feel SO good!
You have a belly button that looks like a small mountain
Getting into the bottom cupboard with all of the pots and pans is virtually impossible. I have some awesome skills in this department, but it isn't pretty. It involves squatting, a one leg kneel, cracking knees, and a loud "UMMMPH!"

I will be 39 weeks on Friday...and NEVER imagined that I would still be pregnant at this point. After a month of bedrest, this baby has decided that she likes her little home now and she isn't moving! I have had a ton of false labor, but nothing that has gotten things moving quite enough. Hopefully this is my last post until we have some pictures of our little Gracelyn!

Making room for Baby!

2011-09-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures almost a month ago...we have added a few more things to the room: a mirror, a yellow butterfly, a yellow and gray quilt, etc...but my camera is packed away in my hospital bag (which is out in the Honda) and I am too lazy to go and dig it out! :)

Addie has loved helping get the baby room ready! (We need to replace the picture of Addison once baby girl has some of her own!)

From the doorway...it still needs a cozy rug by the crib!

We have a white mirror above the tree now, and a yellow butterfly.

The crib

Once again...we will need to update the pictures once baby is born...and I think the letters need to be hung from a cute branch or something else, but they will do for now.

Oh and baby girl's name is Gracelyn Jane (surprise!)

Hey Baby!

2011-09-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

Any day now baby! Your big sister can't wait to meet you, your daddy wants to snuggle you, and I am getting impatient!

I was 37 weeks and 6 days along when I went into labor with Addison. Today I am 37 weeks and 3 days along. If this time is anything like last time, we should be meeting our baby girl sometime within the next week! I am beyond excited and READY now. It is crazy how I went from being terrified of labor, to now wishing for it.

I think it must be part of Heavenly Father's plan to have the last part of pregnancy be so uncomfortable and painful. It definately gives me motivation to want to get this baby out! My ribs/back/legs/feet/hips/stomach are all not so happy. Come on baby...lets do this!

Waiting game.

2011-09-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

I will be 37 weeks on Friday! 37 weeks is considered full-term (because babies are fully developed by that point). I am excited to hit this milestone, because all restrictions and medications that I have been on to stop labor from progressing will be gone! It will then be safe for our baby to be born if I go into labor on my own.

Our baby girl is a bit impatient though. She was playing games with me last night. I woke up around 2:30am with a nice strong contraction, and some pretty awesome lower back pain. After chugging a TON of water, taking my medication, and soaking my back in the shower for a LONG time, the contractions (which were about 6 minutes apart) finally quieted down enough for me to fall asleep. By that time it was around 6:00am.

Something I realized last night...I feel TOTALLY and completely unprepared. Not so much with the physical things: I have our hospital bag packed, all of her newborn clothes washed and folded, her room pretty much done, etc...but emotionally I am not ready for labor. But I guess is anyone really EVER completely prepared for that? I think that this second time around is even more scary for me than the first time. With Addison, I was in ignorant bliss. Now I know that it is going to hurt. Like ALOT. I remember it all too well. But I also remember the feeling that I had when I saw my baby for the first time, and how amazing it was to finally get to meet her after waiting for so long. It will all be worth it.

I can't wait to meet you baby girl! Just hold on a little longer. We are almost there!

This girl...

2011-09-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

has the ability to make me laugh, feel exhausted, drive me crazy, put a smile on my face, cry, and want to kiss her face all at the same time.

Today I have a energy level of zero. So far I have watched "Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses", played babies, wiped up baby lotion (which can also be used as fingerpaint apparently), and enjoyed some culinary delights made by Chef Addie in the play kitchen. Now at nap time I am looking around at the huge mess that is my home. Unmade bed, dishes in the sink, crumbs on the carpet.... I was thinking that I needed to get some motivation to clean until I came across this quote:

I must be the best mom ever! :)

feathering the nest

2011-09-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

The husband thinks I am nesting.

I have cleaned out most of the closets in our house. Yesterday it was our dresser with all of our DVD's games, and workout gear.

Today it was Addison's toy closet, baking a dozen rolls from scratch, and then reading the entire "Prepared Childbirth" book (from cover to cover). Somehow I don't feel any more prepared...

I am so tired and uncomfortable, but somehow I feel like these things HAVE to be done. And not tomorrow--right now! It is a crazy instinct I guess.

picture via Pintrest

34 weeks!

2011-08-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

No crazy cravings lately! I can eat pretty much anything, except for a few things that made me especially sick in my first trimester: chineese food, shrimp (or seafood or any kind), and orange juice with pulp.
I am 34 weeks and 5 days pregnant
Baby girl gets the hiccups between 2-5 times a day!
I am expecting to go into labor somewhere around September 22 (because that was how far along I was when I had Addison)...but every pregnancy is different so I am trying not to get my hopes up too high!
I have gained 18 pounds since the day I found out I was pregnant.
My doctor has decided that it is safe for me to go off bedrest--WAHOO-- so I have been helping Ryan get our nursery ready. He painted the walls on Saturday, set up the crib and changing table, and moved in the dresser. I have made a few crafts for the walls, washed and folded all of our newborn clothes and recieving blankets, hemmed her new curtains, and reorganized Addison's closet so that we could have the empty dresser in baby girl's room.
Baby girl sleeps all day, and wakes up at 10 pm every night. Like clockwork. This will be a problem I can tell already!
Addison loves coming to my Doctor's appointments. My doctor and his nurses love her! Everytime they check baby girl's heart rate Addison gets excited and tells them that she hears her baby sister!
We have finally decided on a name for baby girl!
Ryan has officially decided that I am in the "nesting" phase. I get crazy spurts of energy and feel like silly things are SUPER important to get done ASAP. Ex- I stayed up until midnight folding baby clothes the other day.

Here is the To Do List that I made myself a couple of months ago:

~~Be better about doing my pregnancy yoga (so unattractive by the way...Ryan had the privalege of watching me do my awkward triangle poses, and downward facing dogs lastnight. He's a lucky man!)~~ Not even going to attempt this one! I am lucky when I can tie my own shoes!

~~Paint Baby's Room~~

~~Set up crib and hang curtains~~

~~Go through the many bins of baby clothes that we have stored in our garage. Organize, Wash, and Fold~~

~~Put up the vinyl tree in Baby's room~~

~~Put up more shelving in Addison's closet so that we can use her dresser in Baby's room (Ryan)~~

Pack hospital bag (I have a while to get that one done)

~~Sew the aprons that I have been putting off for the past 2 months...I won't have much time with a newborn!~~

Hopefully have Addison completely potty-trained (she is doing well, but still has some accidents when we are out of the house and at night)

~~Find a cute "coming home from the hospital" outfit for our little girl~~

Almost there!

BC, Boating (for them), and Bedrest (for me).

2011-08-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

So here's the story:

The day before we were supposed to leave for our Family Vacation in BC, I packed like crazy! I had a few weird feelings (I won't go into detail on the awesome pregnancy details) the next morning as we were preparing to leave, I called Dr. J. and literally as we were walking out the door, he decided to have me meet him at the hospital. I was having regular contractions, pelvic pressure, and had started to dilate. I was put on bedrest, and medications.

We decided to meet my family anyways in British Columbia. It would be easier for me to relax and to be on bedrest with a ton of family around to take care of Addison (and me) in Canada, than it would be for me at home. Dr. J. thought I was crazy, but we prayed about it and felt like it was the right thing for us to do. So we made a bed in the back of our SUV, and drove up to Canada.

And I am so glad that we went! Even though I was stuck laying down the whole time, it was SO nice to not have to worry about anything. My family was such a huge help, and I know that Ryan needed the break too! I ended up staying at my parent's house for an extra 2 1/2 weeks after as well for extra help.

Addison's first time tubing behind the boat!

And the verdict? She loved it!

My dad showing off his skills...i believe he got a cramp in his leg at this point (thus the awesome expression).

Addison liked to pretend to be a fishy or a "ma-maid"

Jeremy (my youngest brother), and Addison enjoying the view!

Addison and My Mom

This reclined lawn chair was my lifeline. My family would drive me straight down to the beach, set it up for me, and I would lay around for the rest of the day. It was super hot, and torture to not be able to jump in the water, but it could have be worse. Addison made sure to dump buckets of water on me (like every couple of minutes), and at least I got a tan!

Addison's Adventures in Canada!

2011-08-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Addie has been having so much fun up here in Canada! She is totally spoiled, and is getting to do alot of things that she doesn't usually have the chance to do. She has been feeding the fish in the fish pond, watering the greenhouse, playing up at my Grandparent's house, going for rides on the tractor, picking wildflowers, riding the four-wheeler, swimming at the creek, and getting to bed way too late! She went horseback riding with my Dad this afternoon, and wasn't scared of the horse at all. It kept sneezing and she thought it was funny. Here are a few pictures of her adventures so far:

Brandon let her sit with him on his new dirt bike, and then later took her on a quad ride in the field.

And here are a few from our vacation in BC...

My personal bedrest therapy session :)

2011-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

I am a list maker. When I am mad/ upset, it always helps me to keep perspective when I make a list of first all of the things that are bothering me (just to get it out), and then things that I am blessed with. It makes me remember all of the things that I have that I need to be grateful for, and is strangely therapeutic for me.

So here is my own personal therapy session. With myself. I may be crazy, but it works for me!

Things that bug me:

Contractions. When you are 31 weeks along, they just plain suck.
Not being able to lift or take care of my little girl. She has been cranky and crying for mommy to help her for the past few days, so she must be feeling it too.
Laying down 24/7. My muscles are a achin'! I still have so many more weeks of bedrest. It is overwhelming some days!
Not having my husband around.
Missing my Brother-in-law's wedding
Having to ask for/let others help me (maybe this is just the slice of humble pie that i needed)
Waking up 3ish times/ night to go to the bathroom and take medication.

Things that I am grateful for:

My family being so awesome and willing to juggle me and Addison into their busy lives. I would be lost without them!
My Mom and Dad's cooking. Yum!
A baby girl who is healthy and growing inside of me (stay in there baby!)
Being able to get into an OBGYN in Canada QUICKLY. I have my appointment today so I am crossing my fingers for good news!
My sweet girl who gives me lots of hugs, snuggles, and kisses
Family and friends back in Idaho Falls that are taking good care of my poor neglected husband
Ryan.
Free healthcare for the next couple of weeks. WOOT WOOT!!

Goodbye Reality!

2011-07-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

Goodbye: doctor's appointments, homework, meetings, USBank, laundry, cleaning, midterms, church callings...good bye life!

We are officially running away!

Where are we going? To beautiful British Columia, Canada!
When we will be back? ~~NEVER~~ In 10 days

What will we be doing? Camping, Boating, Reading, Swimming, Relaxing!

Here is a preview of our adventure. These were taken the last time we got to go up (2008).

Note to Self:

2011-07-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Why are women so hard on themselves?

I never really cared or thought about my weight until after I miscarried my first baby. I gained a few pounds after that, and I would look at myself in the mirror and hate how my stomach, legs, etc looked.

And then I got pregnant with Addison, and my body really changed. After I had her I would compare how I looked then with pictures from my wedding, and I would feel lazy and chubby. My hips were wider, my ribs were pushed out, my face was not as thin, and my stomach was not flat the way it had been. Even though I got back down to my pre-baby weight, it still wasn't good enough. I wasn't at my highschool weight, or the weight that I was at when I got married.

Being pregnant always makes me a bit insecure about myself. I started showing a lot earlier this second time around, and for the past couple of weeks I have been doing the whole negative thinking routine again. Every time I look in the mirror I find something that I don't like about my body.

Today I was looking through some post baby pictures (the ones where I felt like I needed to lose weight) and I realized, I'M CRAZY! Those places that I thought were horribly disgusting somehow didn't look bad at all in the pictures. This guilt/ pressure/ feeling of never being content is completely insane. I think it is important to eat nutritious foods, and to exercise to be healthy...but then we just need to be happy with ourselves, and love ourselves.

I am sure that I will struggle with this again...especially after having baby #2. So I am writing this to remind myself that I am enough.

It won't matter in the long run if I wear the same size that I wore when I was 17. It doesn't matter if my house is completely spotless at all times. If we eat out once in a while, my family will survive. I am not a perfect wife or mother, but as long as I am doing my best and trying to improve myself I AM ENOUGH. I am a Child of God and he loves me even if I am imperfect. And that is all that matters.

Snuggling on a Sunday afternoon.

2011-07-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

My "little love bug"
Daddy's "shortcake"
Grandma's "Hunny Bunny"
Papa's "Sweetheart"

She is full of energy, hugs, and cuddles...and we love her!

The girl has style!

2011-07-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Addison Bell rockin' her own look this morning.

Backwards Shirt- Gold's Gym

Diaper Cover- Costco

Pajama Pants- Grandma Bell

Boots- Baby Gap

Underwear- Dora the Explorer

Watch for more of Addie's looks, as she obviously is quite the trend setter!

Entomophobia

2011-07-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

(also known as insectophobia) is the abnormal fear of or aversion to insects and similar arthropods, and even other "bugs", such as worms. Commonly, this condition might be referred to as the "fear of insects or bugs". This condition causes a slight to severe emotional reaction, a form of anxiety or a panic attack. It is a particular case of specific phobias, all of which have basically the same causes.

I swear Addison has this! Ever since we went camping over the Fourth of July weekend, she has been terrified of anything that even slightly resembles a mosquito. The mosquitos were really bad in the campsite, and even though we sprayed ourselves a TON (we almost went through an entire bottle of bugspray in one night!) she still ended up getting a few bites on her ankles. Now, she freaks over any type of bug. She will even have a complete meltdown over a fuzzy on my shirt, a piece of dirt on the sidewalk, or even a chocolate chip on our kitchen floor.

And when I say melt-down, I mean: screaming "SKEEEEEETO", hysterically crying, shaking, frozen in place...you get the idea.

Camping next weekend could be interesting!

What I made today...

2011-07-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

I made this apron today thinking it would take me only a hour or so...and it took me five hours!

Go here for a free tutorial on how to make this apron, and to see how it looks on. (My big preggo belly doen't quite flatter it as much as the cute skinny girl in the tutorial.

A place of love and beauty...

2011-07-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I finally went on a much needed date! Saturday was the lucky day...Ryan worked on his homework all morning to be sure that he would have nothing to worry about for the rest of the day. We got all dressed up and made the 45 minute drive to the Idaho Falls temple. We did sealings for the first time together (besides our wedding day) and it was such a great reminder of what our goals should be. I am so glad that I married Ryan four-and-a-half years ago in the temple so that we can have a forever family.

To learn more about LDS temples watch this short clip:

Addison at 28 Months...

2011-07-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

How Sweet is this Face?

2011-07-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

Love Her!

3rd Trimester?!?

2011-07-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I will be in my third trimester on Friday. WHAT? I read a gazillion baby books when I was pregnant with Addison, and haven't done much reading this time around--except for the short babycenter.com weekly updates. This milestone snuck up on me...I am running out of time! So much to do...

On our "To Do Before Baby is Born" checklist:

Be better about doing my pregnancy yoga (so unattractive by the way...Ryan had the privalege of watching me do my awkward triangle poses, and downward facing dogs lastnight. He's a lucky man!)
Paint Baby's Room
Set up crib and hang curtains
Go through the many bins of baby clothes that we have stored in our garage. Organize, Wash, and Fold
Put up the vinyl tree in Baby's room
Put up more shelving in Addison's closet so that we can use her dresser in Baby's room (Ryan)
Pack hospital bag (I have a while to get that one done)
Sew the aprons that I have been putting off for the past 2 months...I won't have much time with a newborn!
Hopefully have Addison completely potty-trained (she is doing well, but still has some accidents when we are out of the house and at night)
Find a cute "coming home from the hospital" outfit for our little girl

Like I said...so much to do, so little time! Not to mention the little job of growing a human. Just sayin'!

From the looks of things, baby and I are both going to be busy growing in the next 12 weeks!

Pregnancy Stats:

2011-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

I am 27 weeks tomorrow
I lost 11 pounds in my first trimester, and got back to my starting weight a couple of months ago. I have now gained a total of 6 pounds.
I am not craving anything in particular, I am just hungry!
Baby girl is kicking alot now...my belly does the wave when I lie down!
I have 9 weeks left of my progesterone shots (yay for single digits!)
Bending over is hard
I can still paint my toenails, so I do it every week!
I wake up 1 or 2 times a night due to hip pain or needing to use the bathroom (surprise, surprise)
We are having a hard time thinking of a middle name for baby girl
Heat is a killer. I stay in where we have A/C as much as possible!
My hair has gotten more curly
92 days until my due date...but who's counting!

Why can't life be one loooong weekend?

2011-07-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

We had a great Canada Day/ Fourth of July weekend! We celebrated by:

taking Addison on her 1st camping trip ever!
spending a day at Bear Lake
taking a Sunday drive to have a picnic at Mesa Falls
Family BBQ
Shopping
Watching the Pocatello fireworks out of the sunroof of our car

The amazing view from our campsite. We stayed at Porcupine Campground in the Cache National Forest.

Ry decided to look for some branches to burn in our fire to get it going, and he came back with this monster of a tree. Boys will be boys! :)

Addison taking a "crack" at camping....bahaha!

It was a gorgeous day, and we both came home totally fried!

My two loves at the beach.

Doesn't Addison look so big? It is crazy how fast she has grown!

Just the three of us!

Addie waiting for the fireworks to start.

This was the first time we have been to the Pocatello fireworks...and they didn't disappoint!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

2011-07-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day! I wish I could be home to celebrate...but I DID listen to the Canadian anthem via Youtube if that counts?

Naps, pool party, and our stalker...

2011-06-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about Summer....running, swimming, and playing outside has a great effect on rambunctious toddlers:

This virtually NEVER happens. Last Saturday we had an eventful day: going to Addie's first movie at the theater--"Cars 2", a picnic at the park, hours of going up and down slides, and going to the zoo in the late afternoon. As you can see...we finally tired the girl out!

A couple of days ago, I bought Addison a new pool! She loved "shwimmin' like a mamaid" (swimming like a mermaid) for hours. Ryan may have even got a little pool time in. He didn't look ridiculous at all sitting in this tiny pool with bath toys! He is such a cute dad!

This picture also happened to catch our little stalker in the act. There is a neighbor boy that literally EVERY time we go outside, he goes out too. He slowly will sneak his way onto our patio until he is practically sitting on our laps. Seriously, he has tried to eat our food before.

Sometimes it doesn't bother me. I don't mind him playing with Addie once in a while. However, his parents have discovered that as long as we are outside, they have a free babysitter. It bugs me that I feel like I can never just relax outside with my daughter. The worst part is that it isn't even just when Addison is outside. I have gone out by myself to read in the sun, or to talk on the phone...and guess who creeps his way over to stand right beside my chair and look over my shoulder?

Am I being a brat? Probably. He probably is just a lonely boy that doesn't get much attention at home. But it still gets on my nerves every once in a while.

Pain in the...

2011-06-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

RIBS!

Oh the rib pain. I had almost forgotten....almost.

Baby must be comfy, because she tends to hang out and push around up there ALL of the time.

Out of the Mouth of Addie....

2011-06-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

This post is mainly for me...so that I don't forget those little things that Addison says that puts a smile on my face. A few of the most recent ones that I remember are:

Ry- "Addie you are such a good girl."
Addie- "NO!"
Ry- "You are a bad girl?"
Addie- "NO!"
Ry- "What are you then?"
Addie- "Addie a SWEETHEART! Daddy's Shortcake!"

Today we were watching "Tangled" and Addison got so upset when it was showing the "magic golden flower". She yelled, "Hey! That mine golden shlowa!"

She has been EXTRA clingy the last week or so (she is teething) and I have heard "I wanna Mama...Mama you snuggle a minute?" about a thousand times!

She calls any big building (church, disney castle, etc.) the temple.

I took her with me to the hospital a few weeks ago for my Doctor's appointment. She got SO excited as we were walking through the parking lot toward the front doors. She kept yelling "ALLIGATOR!" over and over again. I couldn't figure out what she was talking about until we got to the elevator and she said "SEE MAMA?!? ALLIGATOR!"

I remind Addison to hold still while I straighten her hair and tell her that it is super hot. Last night she was pretending to do Ryan's hair and she kept telling him, "NO MOVE. SOOPA HOT!"

Addison asks us everytime we get in the car "mama? seatbelt?" I assure her that my seatbelt is on. "daddy? seatbelt?" Ryan tell her that his is on too. She usually checks a few times before we get where we are going.

We took her to the zoo this weekend, and while we were looking at a baby bear cub she said, "COME HEA BABY! HABBA HUG!" (come here baby...come have a hug)

Addison loves to see ultrasound pictures of the baby. She says, "BABY GWACEE! She come soon...she get bigga!" (hopefully this baby looks like a Gracie...because Addison is already very attached to the name!)

4D!

2011-06-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

I had an ultrasound today to check up on a few issues that I had been having in my pregnancy, and the ultrasound tech was AMAZING. Not only did she measure everything, show us the heartbeat, and check to make sure that our baby is still a girl (JUST to be sure!)...she gave me a few 4D ultrasound shots just for fun!

I have never had a 4D ultrasound, and it is AMAZING how much detail you can see in them! My favorite picture is of baby girl's little face in the first picture. She is precious! I do think we need to get some chubs on her though, she is a bit skinny! Baby kept holding her own hand, and almost looked like she was saying her prayers. I think she is going to look a lot like Addison did when she was a newborn...time will tell!

Oh and for the record...i am now 25 weeks along. This is what the baby bump is looking like lately:

What Matters.

2011-06-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

Just a few minutes ago, I had walked upstairs for something for a moment leaving Addison downstairs watching a movie.

After being upstairs for only a minute, I heard her yelling "MAMA MAMA HURRY LOOK!" "MAMA COME-A-SEE!" We have been potty training her for the past few months, and I was afraid that she'd had an accident, so I rushed downstairs to see what she was yelling about. I found her sitting by the couch with the July Ensign open.

She was so excited to show me what she had found..."Mama look, it's Jesus!" She had found a small picture on one of the corners of the pages of our Savior.

It reminded me of one of the Mormon Messages that I recently watched: Moments That Matter.

"Diligently doing the things that matter most, will lead us to the Savior of the world." This last quote really hits home for me.

Ryan and I had our temple recommends renewed last Sunday. After my interview with our Stake President, he said something that I really want to remember. He said, "It will probably be difficult for you to always go to the temple as much as you would like to. With two children, it may be challenging at times. I am going to give you a different type of temple assignment. Every night, when you put your daughters to bed, I want you to kiss their sweet faces, tell them you love them, and then tell them that you are so glad that they are sealed to you forever. Remind them every night that your family is a forever one. There are some types of temple work that can be done outside of the temple, and this is one thing that you can do."

This is one of the small things that I want to remember to do every day to bring my family closer to the Savior.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

I could name hundreds of reasons why Ryan is THE BEST father ever, but I will start by naming ten (in no particular order).

1. He loves to PLAY with Addison. He is her best bud. Her favorite thing to do is to chase her daddy around the kitchen.
2. He tells Addison at least 10x a day that he loves her.
3. Every Sunday after Addison has her dress on, she goes into the bathroom and twirls for Ryan. Ry always tells her that she looks "BEEAUUTIFUL" and that she looks like a princess.
4. He isn't afraid to change diapers (no matter how disgusting!)
5. Ryan is the BEST story teller. He gets so into the books with Addison, and she loves it when her Daddy reads to her.
6. When Addison was a baby, Ryan would get up with her at night just as much as I did.
7. Every day when Ryan gets home from work, Addison waits in the livingroom eagerly. When he walks in he yells "ADDIE...I'M HOME!" and she yells back "I MISSED OOO DADDY!" and runs to give him hugs and kisses.
8. I caught him dancing with her and singing her favorite song "Once Upon a Dream" when she was supposed to be getting ready for bed.
9. He is a fun dad, but he isn't afraid to dicipline either.
10. He can always make Addison and I laugh.

This is my favorite picture of Addison and her amazing Dad:

SCHLEEPING BOOTY!

2011-06-14T15:52:00.001-07:00

Put a ring on it!

2011-06-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Usually I would be sitting in church with my husband and little girl...but today I have very strict rules to REST. I hate it when Ryan is right! After having to lay down for the 4th or 5th time while getting Addison and myself ready to go, he "put his foot down". I am lucky to have a husband that takes such good care of me--even if he asks me if my hormones are making me cranky (which they are...but you don't SAY that to a pregnant lady)!

I am 23 weeks along now...over half way there! I have been feeling pretty good as far as nausea goes. I have had a few weird pains in my stomach, and because of that my doctor has new weight restrictions for me. Unfortunately, I am not supposed to lift Addison anymore. How? I'm not sure either. It is pretty much impossible...so I only lift her when it is absolutely necessary.

Some sad news for the single ladies out there...see this cute boy?

Well, he is officially off the market. That's right...my little brother is engaged! It is completely crazy to think that he is old enough to be getting married! This is the same little brother that used to hide my razors so that I couldn't shave my legs, he didn't want me to grow up...and now he is getting married. Weird! We are SO happy for him and his fiance Danielle Palmer. Brandon and Dani Prince. I like the sound of that! :)

What's for Dinner?

2011-06-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

I am NOT a master chef by any means...and I can't honestly say that I love the entire cooking process. I am not a fan of planning meals, grocery shopping, or cleaning up after a meal.

BUT--I do love having yummy meals on my family's table, and I am constantly trying to improve on my homemaking skills. I want my kids to think that I am the BEST cook ever (watch out future daughter/son in laws)! So, I have started to put together a blog of my favorite go-to recipes for my own organizational purposes, and I figured...why not share? (This is me being brave here!) So if you are interested in seeing what's for Dinner at the Bell home...

click HERE!

Hi I'm Addie....

2011-06-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

and I am the cutest two year old EVER!
These pictures are all completely blurry...I don't know what my deal is! Somedays I can get awesome pictures, but yesterday was a struggle for some reason. But she is still cute, and I love her sweet little face! It was finally warm enough outside to wear a summer dress and sandals to church! She is so silly and spunky...never a dull moment when Addieboo is around! :)

Oh, what do you do in the Summer time?

2011-06-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Baby girl kept me awake for an hour past bedtime last night. She doesn't kick often, so I enjoyed her little dance recital inside of my belly! I think that these next few months are going to fly by, and we will have a little newborn baby before we know it!

I love the summer time, and finally it is warm enough outside to enjoy the weather! Ryan, Addison, and I took a LONG walk yesterday after church. Have I mentioned that I have the best husband ever? He is my best friend, and I LOVE being able to just talk with him.

A few things that I am looking forward to this summer are:

-Father's Day
-Camping at Bear lake with Kellie and Spencer (lets plan a day guys!)
-Getting Baby's room painted and ready for her big arrival
-4th of July
-Going to the temple with Ryan
-Jon's Wedding August 13th (Ryan's brother got engaged on May 28th, and we are SO excited for him!)
-A week and a half vacation! We are going camping with my family in BC in early August.
-Having BBQ's with friends
-YW Camp
-Taking Addison swimming
-and another BIG day that I learned about last night...I will wait a few days until I post about that one, I don't want people finding out via my blog quite yet! (but trust me it is SUPER exciting!)

What I am not looking forward to this summer:

-The only things that I am not looking forward to this summer are pregnancy related:

camping in a tent when I am 9 months along
two long drives up to Canada--with specific instructions from Doctor J. to stop every two hours to get out, it is already about a 10 hour drive, and with all that stopping it will take us FOREVER!
Not being able to do anything but ride while we are boating
Getting butt shots every week :(
Being hot and uncomfortable...thank GOODNESS we have A/C in our house, so hopefully this won't be too bad.

At 22 Weeks I am...

2011-06-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

Finally feeling like myself again! I still take a couple of Zofran each day, but I can function...hooray!
Haven't had any serious cravings lately, but I snack all day long.
Can feel baby girl squirming around, and kicking occasionally (she isn't a big kicker like Addison was...maybe this means she will be a mild baby? PLEASE?!?)
Mood swings are still going strong, poor Ryan!
Definitely looking pregnant now.
Run out of energy mid-day...Addison has picked up on this and has been quite the little stinker lately. She knows that she can get away with more because I don't have the energy to chase her around!
Craving warm weather so that I can take Addison for walks...I am going stir crazy in this house!
Starting to freak out a bit...Addison is such a strong willed little girl, how am I going to handle TWO kids???
Hating bending over. I didn't notice how often I am actually picking things up until now!

126 days to go! But who's counting?

Just for the record...

2011-06-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

Butt shots hurt. I am not loving these progesterone shots that I have been getting weekly. I HATE any kind of needle as it is, and the medication burns for at least a day every time that I get one. Not my fave, but totally worth it if it means that I get to avoid bedrest this pregnancy. Lets be honest, there is NO way that I could ever go on complete bedrest with Addison running wild...I would have to have someone move in with me to help! So I guess this love/hate relationship with a weekly injection in my rear will have to last until i finally am 36 weeks along.

I love my calling! I have been in Young Womens for a couple of months now. We have the most awesome girls in our ward, and the leaders that I get to work with are so fun! Last night after our camp certification activity, all of the leaders (almost) went to the new Kiwi Loco (frozen yogurt) grand opening. Things got a little crazy...we may have made up a song about Kiwi Loco (to the tune of "Ice Ice Baby") and we MAY have won free t-shirts. That's right! This preggo mama got her groove on last night! :)

Nursery plans are in the works! Addison's room is PINK and green. It is the totally girly girl room, and we decided for this baby, we wanted a bit of an unconventional color scheme...Gray, White, and Yellow! Here is a little sneak peak of what we have planned so far...

Our crib is white, and I think it will look SUPER cute with the bedding!

These are the curtains that match...we plan on painting three of the walls a super light gray color, and then the fourth wall an accent yellow color!

I am looking for a cute white tree decal that could go on one of the gray walls, and a white birdcage just for fun...and that's all that we have planned so far. Now I just need to order the bedding, and get Ryan painting! (I hate painting, so I am DEFINITELY using the pregnancy card on this one!)

My Bday

2011-05-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

Ryan spoiled the heck out of my on my birthday! We decided to plan a date for each other this year, instead of doing the usual birthday thing. Here is what he planned for me:

He woke up early, cleaned the house and made breakfast (while I enjoyed EVERY second of sleeping in!)
We got ready and drove to Idaho Falls, dropped off Addison at his parent's
Shopping at the Mall-- He forced me to stop looking in Baby Gap, and to buy something for myself :)
SURPRISE! He took me to a new spa in Idaho Falls, and got me a manicure and pedicure
Olive Garden for lunch (my FAVORITE)
Walk by the river
Shopping again! He bought me a Kindle...since I read every night while he does homework so that we can be "hanging out"
Went to pick up Addison, and Ryan's mom had made pizza and had a chocolate birthday cake for me.

It was an awesome day...I loved just having time away from everything to go on a date with my Ry!

It's a.....

2011-05-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

GIRL!

I am so excited to have another baby girl, and it will be so fun for Addison to have a little sister. I don't have any sisters, so I am sure that raising them will be a learning experience for me. Ry is going to be VERY out numbered!

Here is a preview of our sweet little baby girl...isn't she the cutest thing? :)

I can't wait to be able to kiss her sweet little face! Half way there!

She loves to sing!

2011-05-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Addison loves to sing. ALL. OF. THE. TIME. Usually her songs are made-up, and don't make sense. She sings about doors, trees, grass, and sometimes just makes up her own words.

Lately her favorite song has been "I am a Child of God". She sings it all day long, but as soon as I get out the camera she refuses to sing. I finally got her to sing the beginning of the song for me...i love her off tone little baby voice...so sweet!

The Mystery of the Missing TP...

2011-05-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

When I found out I was pregnant again, I expected that I would feel pretty much the same as I did last time. I expected to drink lots of "Canada Dry Gingerale", to be taking medication for nausea for the full nine months, and to have a sore back.

This time around, some things have been similar, but others are VERY different.

For the past week I have noticed that I have had to change the toilet paper roll in one of our two bathrooms, at least once a day. WHAT!?! I was completely baffled at where all of the toilet paper was going...and I assumed that Addison was sneaking into the bathroom to "blow her nose". I must be completely blond, or maybe I just have pregnant mommy brain, because it honestly didn't occur to me that I was the one using it all up! Last night after I went to the bathroom for the 5th time in an hour and a half, it finally hit me. Duh! When I told Ryan about my discovery he looked at me with a 'SERIOUSLY?' kind of look, and laughed at me. I really don't remember having to go to the bathroom very often when I was pregnant with Addison! This time I am constantly in the bathroom. Anyone out there thinking about being pregnant--stock up on TP!

During my pregancy with Addison, it took a LONG time for me to get my appetite back. Although I still am taking Zofran 2x a day, I am also ALWAYS eating. I swear I eat at least 5 small meals a day. And I have been craving foods a lot. Lately I have been craving KFC chicken, Funeral Potatos, and BBQ. Don't be surprised if I gain 100 pounds by the time this baby is ready to make his/her appearance!

There have been a few other differences with both pregnancies, but I am going to finish this post off here...because SURPRISE, baby is pushing RIGHT on my bladder, and you know what that means! :)

Ry's 27th!

2011-05-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

For our birthdays this year, we decided that instead of getting each other presents we would each plan a date for the other person. It was Ryan's 27th birthday last Sunday, so I planned our date for Saturday afternoon. The spoiled boy had breakfast in bed, then we got ready and drove to Idaho Falls. We dropped off Addison at his parents house, and went to a movie that he had been wanting to see: THOR! After that, we had lunch at Outback, and went for a walk by the river.

Ryan has been trying to get me to go golfing with him since...forever. So for his birthday I surprised him with a round of golf at Sage Lakes. Ryan was a pro. Me--well not so much. We had a golf cart, but I pretty much walked the whole way because I would hit the ball a few feet, then have to go and hit it again. I was WAY above par the whole time. (Are you impressed that I know how to use the word Par in a sentence? I am!)

Don't we look super cool in the golf cart?

Ryan looks like a pro in his swinging picture...

and I look like I was trying to hit something out of the sky. So I can't golf. Oh well. I tried! :) Love you Ry!

Addie's Many Faces!

2011-05-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Addison's facial expressions are priceless. She is a typical two year old...she lets us know how she is feeling at any given moment. What a little goof...I took all of these in about five minutes:

"I see the camera...cheese!!!"

Sad and Pouting!

Whining (this one is getting more and more common)

Surprised Face!

Sleepy Face

Scary Face!

Mommy is tickling me! I love this silly girl!

I haven't really been "showing" until the past couple of weeks. All of a sudden, this baby bump exploded! Here is a preview of my ever growning belly...I am 19 weeks along!

What do you want to be?

2011-05-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

I love being a mom! You know the famous question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" When I was growing up, that is all that I ever knew for sure.. that one day I wanted to be a mom. And this is the sweet girl that made me one:

Addie is getting SO big! She talks NONSTOP, can sing her ABC's, counts to 10 (skipping 4, 5, and 6), and never runs out of energy! This picture makes me smile...i love her bedhead, her cheesy fake smile, her big blue eyes, and her "big sista" pajamas.

When I first found out I was pregnant, I worried that I would never love another little person as much as I love my sweet Addie...but I was wrong. I fell instantly in love with our new little baby the first time that I felt him/her fluttering around inside of me. I can't wait to meet you baby!

Since Mother's Day was yesterday, I just wanted to let my Mom know that I love her so much! She has always been the best example to me in everything: cooking, cleaning, being willing to serve others, and loving unconditionally, just to name a few. I am so proud of you for going back to school for furthering your education. You will be an amazing nurse! Love you.

Doctor's Orders.

2011-04-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

We booked our 20 week ultrasound today...May 23rd is the lucky day! I asked Addison if we were having a Boy or Girl yesterday, and she was positive that it is a girl. Does she know something that we don't? Ryan kept trying to convince her to say "boy" but she stuck with it! We'll see :)

With my first two pregnancies, my body had a hard time with keeping the babies in until it was time. We lost our first baby around 9 weeks. With Addison, I went into preterm labor a couple of months early, and had to go on medication and bedrest to stop the contractions. This time around, my doctor has convinced me to go on progesterone shots weekly. I have already started having some pretty strong Braxton Hicks contractions, and they are pretty uncomfortable (they actually hurt this time)...so I think that just to be safe, this is the best thing to do. Hopefully the extra hormones don't turn me into a complete nutcase...I already have enough crazy in me as it is! :)

Barbie's and Babies.

2011-04-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Addison has been packing around three Barbie's for the past while. She calls them 'Mommy, Daddy, and Bardie'.

Last night she INSISTED on sleeping with all three in her bed. An hour after we thought she was sleeping, I heard her singing in her room. Ryan went up to investigate, and found her lying in bed singing primary songs and having long conversations with her Barbies about how it was time to snuggle and go 'Ni-Night'.

This morning, she climbed up into my bed, and was saying a prayer with her Barbie's. This is how it went:

"Dea a Fada
Thanka for day
For a Mommy
For Daddy
For Bardie...
Uh oh....Addie peed da Momma's bed.
Amen."

And she totally did.
Oh the joys of having a two year old!

Pregnancy Update: I am 16 weeks along, and I felt our baby kick a few nights ago! Ryan felt it for the first time last night. For such a small little thing, (about the size of an avacado...or so it says in my baby books) this baby has a pretty good kick! I have my next appointment tomorrow, so hopefully we can get our ultrasound booked to find out what we are having! My belly is definitely starting to poke out...I wore a maternity dress to church yesterday, and I actually looked pregnant. :)

Ryan and I were comparing this pregnany with when I was pregnant with Addison and we both agree that we are so much more excited (instead of nervous) about having a newborn again. After feeling the baby kick last night, it was all of a sudden real for him that we are having another baby. I think it is different for Dads than it is for Moms, because they don't get to have the experience of being pregnant. We can't wait to find out if this little kicker is a boy or a girl!

lazy shopping.

2011-04-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

Maternity Clothes-- Check!
New Jeans for Addison-- Check!
Canvas with Wedding Picture-- Check!

I am an online shopping maniac today. Somebody stop me! :)

Easter Countdown!

2011-04-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

For Family Home Evening this week, we will be starting an Easter Countdown. I am excited to teach Addison about Christ's atonement, and to be reminded of his love for me. I am so thankful for my Savior and for his love and mercy so that I can repent of my sins.

If you want to follow along with us, feel free!
Monday: Read "Jesus Christ is My Savior and Redeemer" from this month's Friend. Watch the video: "Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ"
Tuesday: Decorating Eggs with Addison and watch the clip: "His Sacred Name, An Easter Declaration"
Wednesday: Watch the clip: "Jesus Christ Lives Today"
Thursday: Watch the clip: "He Lives-Testimonies of Jesus Christ"
Friday: Watch the clip: "Sunday Will Come"
Saturday: Easter Egg Hunt, Dying Easter Eggs, and Watch "For Little Friends-April 2009"
Sunday: Watch the clip: "An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ"

GUESS WHO???

2011-04-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

We had two surprise visitors on Saturday! I was talking to my mom on the phone, thinking they were shopping in Lethbridge, when my doorbell rang. Guess who popped out from around the corner...my Mom and Dad! I was completely surprised! We had a fun weekend hanging out, shopping, eating, playing games, and watching movies. It was an awesome surprise, and we were so glad that they made the trip down to see us for the weekend.

Love you Mom and Dad!

Big Girl Bed!

2011-04-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

My Grandma and Grandpa Prince came down a few weeks ago, and they brought a special delivery for our little munchkin...her NEW BED! Grandma even hand-quilted her a new Strawberry Shortcake blanket for it!

Addison was so excited and LOVED her new bed...she tells me all the time, "Mama I love-a new bed!"

While they were here for a visit, we took Addison to the petting zoo here in Chubbuck. She was in heaven!

Grandma, Grandpa, and Addison in "Jail" at the zoo.

Addison and Grandpa eating at Addie's favorite place...COSTCO!

How cute is this bed?!? My Grandpa did an AWESOME job...we love it!

Tight pants, taco's, and mood swings.

2011-03-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

My pants are officially uncomfortable around my waist...but only when I am sitting. I may have just popped a button. There's a baby growin' in there! This week (12 weeks along) our baby is as big as a lime. I have still had quite a bit of morning sickness, but it has gotten a bit more managable during the afternoons. That is when I have the most energy, and usually the only time that I get anything accomplished.

Strangly, the only thing that I have been craving--or more the only thing that doesn't sound completely disgusting to me lately, is a taco. I have made a couple of Taco Bell runs in the past couple of weeks, and made a giant pot of taco soup on Sunday. I am totally confused by this craving, because beef sounds HORRIBLE to me. I don't know why it makes a difference to have taco seasoning, but hey! Whatever works! :)

Apparently, I have been a bit "moody" as well. I, personally, think that I have been completely reasonable...but Ryan very lovingly told me yesterday that he was going to start calling me "Rice Krispy" because lately I have had a tendency to SNAP, CRACKLE, & POP! I proved him right by telling him, "If this is the WORST thing that you have to deal with during this pregnancy, you are SO LUCKY." In a fairly snappy voice, then stopped, thought a minute, and started laughing hysterically. I may have some crazy pregnant hormones. Maybe. :)

Addison has been talking to my stomach lately...she says "HI BABY! It Addie! Wata doin'? Night night baby." It is so sweet, I can't wait to see her be a big sister! We started potty training a week before her birthday, and she has been doing amazing. I almost can say that she is potty trained (minus night time...we haven't gotten there yet).

Today my Grandparents are driving down from Canada with a special delivery for Addison...a new bed! I found a bed from Pottery Barn that I LOVED, but it was super expensive. There is a pattern online to make it yourself though, and my Grandpa offered to make it for me (after a bit of hinting on my part). He, of course, made it even BETTER than Pottery Barn's by adding a back, and sides, and by making the design more sturdy. I am so excited to get it up in Addie's room!

So there it is...my first pregnancy update. I am sure you will all be tired of hearing about it by the time I get this little one out! :)

advice please!

2011-03-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

While we were in Vegas, I got a new calling. I am the new Mia Maids Advisor in our ward. I remember how important Young Womans was for me as a 14-15 year old, and I had some amazing leaders that I always remember giving such great lessons. All of these things have made me SOO nervous about this calling. So far, I have only had to teach kids 5 and younger in primary, so this will be a new experience for me. I have been trying to brainstorm about some activities that we could do as well...which brings me to my question for you:

All of you bloggers out there...What was your favorite activity/activities that you remember from when you were in Young Womens? Help a girl out! :)

Addison's Birthday and Our Big News!

2011-03-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Addison is two! I can't believe how fast the past couple of years have gone by. She is getting so big (she weighs 24 pounds now) and she is talking like crazy. My two favorite Addie Quotes from last week are, "Are you kidding me?" and "That's LAME!". Haha she is such a little parrot, and as you can tell from the picture below, she is a spunky little stinker!

Ryan was out of town for Addison's birthday, so we had a girl's day! We set up the tent in our living room and went "camping". We spent most of Addison's birthday snuggling, watching movies, painting our toenails, and eating. It was good to spend a full day just doing what she loves to do. And she was in heaven!

The Saturday after her birthday, we had a little party. Grandma Bell and Uncle Jon came over to our house and we had dinner, opened presents, played with Bubbles, had cake and icecream, and then watched the movie "Tangled".

Happy birthday to the little girl that made me a mom! I love you!

And now for our big news...

I am pregnant!

Many of you already know (I put it on facebook last weekend), but for those of you that don't know yet, I am due October 7.

When I found out, I decided to tell Ryan in a fun way. I planned on taking all of the clothes out of his closet (which happens to be in the guest bedroom because our closet is full of my stuff) and to have a sign in the back of it saying something like "Time to make room for another baby!" But when I called him to find out what time he would be home from work he told me that he had finished early, and was visiting some friends in Rexburg who had a new baby. When he told me he was holding and feeding the baby a bottle, and that holding her was making him baby hungry, I couldn't help but blurt out "GOOD!" He was confused for a second but then figured out what I was telling him (after I started crying on the phone)!

So far this pregnancy has been about the same as my last. I found out when I was 4 1/2 weeks, and swore that I wasn't going to be sick this time around. That lasted a total of about a week and a half.

My "morning sickness" is pretty much an all day sickness. It is the worst in the morning, and from 4:00 pm until I fall asleep. So far I have not had any food cravings, pretty much everything sounds disgusting to me. As a result of being sick, and never having an appetite, I have lost around 12 pounds. I am not "showing", yet...Ryan swears my stomach looks the same, but I can tell that it is getting bigger.

We are so excited to have this little baby come into our lives! Because I know how fast time goes now, I am going to soak up EVERY little minute that I have with my newborn, and snuggle him/her like crazy! I feel like I was always so excited for the next new thing with Addison, that I didn't appreciate her being a baby as much as I wish I would have.

Let the waiting game begin!

Vegas!

2011-03-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

Quick Recap of our Vegas Trip...we:

survived my first (and second) plane ride
went shopping
ate a ton
went on a date: saw the "Blue Man Group", fountains, and ate at Hash House
went to Mandalay Bay
enjoyed warm weather at parks and on walks
visited the Las Vegas temple
had so much fun visiting with Blake, Heather, and their family
got lost in a snow storm on the way home from Salt Lake

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our trip to Vegas last weekend...

It is a "Bell Brother" tradition, whenever Ryan and his brothers all get together, they buy ridiculous matching shirts. Heather and I thought we were pretty funny when we found a couple of matching shirts for ourselves...we may have been called nerds afterward. :) (Heather I think we need to work on our "Hot Faces" haha)

We drove up to the Las Vegas temple and took a few pictures with the kids. It was getting dark outside, but we got a few cute ones:

I love Addie's cheeks...so squishy and kissable!

Eating frozen yogurt at the "Golden Spoon".

Such a cute family!

We went on a double date (like actual date...with babysitters and everything!) with Heather and Blake on Saturday night. We started off eating at "Hash House a Go Go", then went over to see the "Blue Man Group", and ended our date by walking around the fountains on the strip!

What we ordered: Waffles and Fried chicken. I wasn't so sure about this combo...but Ryan wanted it so I decided to be brave!

My first (and only) time gambling. Ryan and I spent a total of $5 and ended up with 30 cents in the end. RIP OFF! I have no idea how people can just throw their money away like that! We had to try it at least once though...what happens in Vegas right?

Before flying home on Monday, we visited Mandalay Bay. Addison LOVED seeing all of the fish, sharks, turtles, etc...she would have stayed all day if we let her!

There were even stingrays that you could touch! So fun.

It was so fun to visit Heather, Blake and their cute kids...and it was nice to escape the freezing Idaho winter for even just a few days! Yay for vacations!

"hey baby let's go to vegas..."

2011-03-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

that is the Faith Hill song that has been going through my head ALL DAY! We just finished packing up our suitcases and are ready to head to Vegas until Monday to visit Ryan's brother and his family. We are super excited to get away for even just a long weekend!

This will also be the first time that Addison and I ever fly in a plane. It is pretty sad that I have never been on an airplane! I am so used to driving for LONG periods of time, and I am sure that this will be a nice change. Heather and Blake, ready or not here we come! :)

four years...

2011-02-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

and counting!

In our four years we have...

combined been in four different colleges
i graduated from one...Ry is still working like crazy to graduate from his
moved four times
had one baby and watched her grow into a toddler
Ryan has worked at four different places
finished our immigration papers (for now)
been in five different wards
both gained a few pounds :)
had five different vehicles
gone through 5 gold fish
bought a house
crossed the Canada/US border somewhere around 30 times (sometimes going up and sometimes coming back)
lived in Rexburg for a year, Idaho Falls for two years, and Chubbuck for one

and we still have forever to keep the adventure going! Can't wait!

The Month of LOVE!

2011-02-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Love Day!

We spent ours:

Snuggling on the couch watching movies
Eating Pink Waffles with ice cream and strawberries
Playing Games
Decorating our house with Hearts and Valentines

The 22nd of February will mark the fourth year of our marriage, and we are so excited to celebrate it this weekend! We are staying in the amazing Destinations Inn, and plan on going out to for dinner and a movie, and then ending the day shopping it up in Idaho Falls. Ryan's parents have offered to watch our little munchkin Friday night and all day Saturday so we can have a relaxing weekend together. (thanks Candy!) I can't wait! Here is our preview of our "Athens" get-away that we have planned:

Gorgeous! We loved this hotel so much when we went last year for my birthday...I think we should make it a tradition to go once a year. (at least!)

I guarantee that I will spend at least two hours in that tub...last time we went I woke up extra early in the morning just so I could have one last soak. Ryan thought I was crazy, but when you've got a little Addie to take care of, a girl's gotta take whatever chance at relaxation that she can get!

Yay for four years!

Sleep Talking

2011-02-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

Ryan is notorious for sleep talking. We have had many conversations while he is completely out. These converstations include: him opening an account for my at the bank, him telling me to find something in a "black box", him getting upset about the school busses that are always late, and even the whole "spitting in the bed" incident (he thought he was cruising in his car and he tried to spit out of the window). That one was by far the worst-- and the most disgusting!

Because I constantly am trying to get him talking when he falls asleep, he was so excited when I finally started talking in my sleep a couple of nights ago. Our conversation went like this: {i actually totally remember talking to him and it made complete sense then...}

Me: Ry why are all of the husbands mad at the wives for having dogs?
Ryan: What???
Me: Why are they mad? They don't like the noises? They can't even hear it!
Ryan: I have no idea what you are talking about.
Me: (getting annoyed) WHY ARE THEY MAD? They can't hear the noises because they are too high. You know what I mean..stop acting like you don't!
Ryan: You don't make sense right now.
Me: ARHHGGG! Fine. Just google it. I will google it later.
Ryan: (laughing hysterically) OK Monica...you can google it later.

And then I went back to sleep. Ryan couldn't stop laughing in the morning when we remembered our conversation.

I guess I can't mock him anymore for talking in his sleep...

business in the front, and a party in the back...

2011-02-03T14:37:00.000-08:00

I have always had straight hair. Like dead straight. I could air dry it or blow dry it without a brush and it would be no big deal.

Not anymore! Being pregnant with Addison brought a LOT of changes for me...and my hair was one of them. I now am sporting a unruly chunk of hair in the back that is INSANE. It twists and curls and waves...it is pretty much a party back there.

And it is a HUGE pain. I can cake product in it, pull it with a brush as I dry it, and straighten it with my Chi (straightener)...but there is always a few spots that will refuse to straighten.

I let my hair air dry after my last shower, and now I am feeling a bit like this...

It's pretty hot. I can't wait to see what Ryan thinks about my awesome mullet. He will be thrilled I am sure.

How's this for a sappy post:

2011-01-31T12:58:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned on this blog that I love my husband? He is seriously superman. He works full time (usually more than 40 hours), travels all over the place, is a full time student, teaches Sunday School, always has to go to meetings, ...and yet he always seems to find time for Addison and I. I seriously have no idea how he does it.

He is an amazing husband, and an awesome dad. Yesterday he even let me sleep in until 10:00, cleaned the house, and made a super yummy dinner for us. Just so I could "have a break". Like I said--he's superman.

This next month we will celebrate our fourth year of marriage...I am so glad that he is the one that I get to spend the rest of my life (and forever after that) with. Love you Ry!

Prince Family Pictures

2011-01-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

Remember the family pictures that I was talking about in this post? A friend of mine from High School, Leah Lacey, took them for us...and we love them! If anyone in Southern Alberta is looking for a AMAZING photographer, I would definately recommend her! Here is a preview of our family pictures (that I am stealing off of her blog!)

To see more visit http://leahlorna.blogspot.com/.

A few things about my little girl...

2011-01-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

Addie is 22 months old and has a STRONG personality. Maybe it's the red hair, maybe it is hereditary. :) Either way, she is VERY strong willed. Her very favorite thing to eat is chocolate! (She's a girl after my own heart!) Ryan had a sweet tooth last night, so we whipped up a yummy cake...and as soon as Addison saw us pouring the batter all she would say is "some? some? peeze? SOME!!!"

I gave her a spoon covered in cake batter, and she was in heaven! Grandpa Prince...I think she might take after you. Just a bit!

A few of Addie's Faves at 22 Months:

Movies: Wall E, the classic Santa Clause, Cars, Dora, Elmo
Songs: Once there was a Snowman, The Wheels on the Bus, Ring around the Rosie, Do as I'm Doing, Rock-a-bye Baby
her princess chair
playing outside
nursery
swimming
shopping (she goes crazy in baby sections!)
puzzles...especially her Dora puzzle
popcorn and chocolate (not together!)
reading stories with Mommy and Daddy

Things Addison does NOT like at 22 Months:

sitting still
long car rides
Santa in real life
Lettuce
being "stisti" (sticky)
when Daddy cuddles with Mommy (she yells MY MAMA! NONONO!)

Things I Love about Addison at 22 Months

she gives hugs and kisses all of the time
she loves to find pictures of Jesus and "Pwesant Mawson" (President Monson)
she loves to cuddle and watch movies together
She talks like crazy...non stop! (this also drives me insane some days)
She tells me that I look "teeute!" (cute)
she gets so concerned about all of my "wowies" (owies) and kisses any freckle or scar that she finds

hello.

2011-01-21T17:31:00.000-08:00

It is true... I am alive! The past month has been CRAZY for us! I feel like we have been running all over the place...and we have. We were in Canada for Christmas and New Years (see below), then we came home only to head right back up only ten days later. {Have I mentioned how much I HATE that never ending drive?!? It gets longer and longer every time we move...so no more moving for us, unless it is in a Northern direction!} To make the drive more bearable on our second trip, we booked a hotel in Helena, MT. We figured if we stayed half way it would seem more like a vacation. Unfortunately when we got there we realized that the hotel was HORRIBLE (to say the least) and we ended up driving until early in the morning. Lesson learned.

Did I mention that Brandon is home from his mission? I didn't?!?

HE'S HOME!
That would be the reason behind our second trip up to the "Great White North". It was SO fun to be able to see his face again...and for Addison to be able to meet her Uncle "Brandi" {hehe she really does call him that!} He did an AWESOME job with his homecoming talk, we had a family dinner, and even got some updated family pictures taken (thanks Leah!). Brandon is pretty much the same as when he left, but he is definately more mature and has such a strong testimony now...just FYI for all of you single ladies out there...

After a quick weekend in Canada, we headed home and spent a total of ONE day before we packed up our bags and headed out again. With a one year old. We are insane. It's official. We spent the rest of the week in Twin Falls, ID for Ryan's job.

To celebrate finally being home I have officially let myself go for the day. Just because I can. I have swimming pool hair (from last night), glasses on, and I don't even plan on showering tonight. And the gross part is that I am LOVING it.

So there is my very vague update on the past month. I wish that I would have remembered my camera to take pictures of everything, but of course my mommy brain doesn't remember half of the things that i want it to. Happy very late New Year everyone!

merry and bright

2011-01-04T10:43:00.000-08:00

We had such a fun Christmas this year! It was so nice to be able to have a REAL break away from home, school, work, and everything else. This year we spent the 23rd with the Bell side. We ate, opened presents, and read the Christmas story. We stayed the night and then drove bright and early in the morning all the way up to Cardston to spend the rest of the holiday with my family in Canada. Christmas Eve was full of yummy food, playing 7/11 (I love it!), writing notes to Santa Clause, and playing games as a family.

Before Christmas this year, we tried really hard to help Addison understand that Christmas is a celebration of Christ's birth. We made a paper nativity, read stories together, watch "Joy to the World" and this Mormon Message. It was also so fun to watch her get excited about Santa Clause, and to hear her say "Mewwy Cwistmas!" and "HOHOHO!"

Addison NEVER sleeps in, but of course on Christmas morning, she did. I had to finally wake her up when I couldn't wait any longer! :) She was SO excited to see all of her presents that Santa left for her, and she ran at FULL SPEED to get to them!

She spotted her GIANT puppy that my parents gave her, and was climbing over everything to get to it! Kids make Christmas so much fun!

We were SO spoiled this year...and we had to put down one of our seats in our SUV to be able to fit everything in on our way home!

My parents helping Addison open her new movie on Christmas morning.

We spent the rest of our visit playing games, spending time with family, shopping, watching movies, eating, eating, and then eating again (or was that just me?!?) Addison also got to do something for the first time...play in the snow. This picture was taken before it snowed, but it shows her all bundled up and ready to play. Unfortunately, she hated the snow. (It didn't help that she did a face dive in the first 10 seconds right into a huge drift. The poor baby was freezing and her cheeks went more red than her hair! :)

Grandpa and Addie getting ready to go see the "horsies".

Here is the slideshow that I made for my family with more of our pictures and videos of our holiday. Just a word of warning before you click, you are about to see some awesome footy pj's (mine), an intense Wii boxing match, Jeremy in his skivvies, and an amazing rendition of "Once there was a Snowman." Click only if you can handle the excitement! :)

Caught in the Act...

2010-12-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

I have been told quite a few times that toddlers start climbing like crazy when they get to Addison's age...and it has happened! The little monkey figured out how to get up on our counter-tops while I was in another room! She had some pretty great incentive though, our yummy gingerbread house!

I have no idea where these pants came from (Maybe my sister in law Mindy?), but Addison LOVES wearing her "SaSa Pants"--which translates into Santa Pants.

Little Stinker! There were bite marks in almost every cookie on the top, and I was picking up little pieces of chewed up bubble gum for hours...

I am almost in shock that Christmas is only five days away! And my brother will be home in 3 weeks and 2 days from his mission...CRAZY!

A few updates:

2010-12-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

We have made a few changes to our house in the past few months...the first is this quote in our kitchen:

Our new Christmas tree...I am running out of room for presents in our little corner!

And my favorite thing that is new in our home is this:

I have been wanting a piano for SO long, and Ryan surprised me a while back with one! It was an early Christmas present that my parents helped chip in on...thanks Ry, Mom, and Dad! Best. Present. Ever.

And this little cutie is going to be 21 months on Friday! Three more months and she will be TWO?!? *Gasp*

SA SA!

2010-12-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

Ryan's new job requires him to stay over in Twin Falls twice a month. He usually goes alone, but this weekend Addie and I decided to go along. It was a fun little mini-trip...The hotel that we stayed in had a pool and hot-tub, and we had fun taking Addison swimming. We also went out to dinner, and went to the mall to see Santa!

Whenever Addison has heard the name "Santa" the week or so, she gets SO excited. I don't think she really understands what Santa is all about, but she knows that it is something to be excited about at least :)

When we went to the mall we told her we were going to go "Find Santa." She was so excited and was looking around frantically while saying "SASA?"

When we finally found St. Nick himself, she was happy and shyly waving at him. He gave her a candy cane and she was a happy girl. Then we sat her on his lap. To say that she wasn't a fan isn't quite strong enough...but you can judge for yourself:

Poor girl! I was cracking up, and Ryan picked her up...she wouldn't let go of her death grip on him for a full five minutes! When we passed him again later though, she was all smiles and waves. Crazy baby!

P.S. For us to get one 5/7 picture with Santa it was $13.00...and that was the cheapest package! Maybe I am a tight wad, but that is WAY expensive for one picture!

Play dough, Camera, and a Stubborn Toddler!

2010-12-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

Addison is the funniest little girl. (I could add cutest, sweetest, smartest, goofiest, most lovable...but that would just be bragging!)

I made some play dough last night and was trying to get a cute picture of her playing with it. Of course as soon as she catches a glimpse of the camera, the antics begin! She makes the most AWKWARD poses, and refuses to smile for the camera.

Pose #1: "Stuck Out Belly"

P.S. If you are wondering what we were making, it was a forest. A Christmas tree forest :)

Pose # 2: "Smile and then quickly look away from the camera so Mommy can't catch it"

Pose #3: "Protest Loudly"

I have been seeing more and more of this face, the closer she gets to being two. Stinker!

Pose #4: "Give in with a cheesy grin, because Mommy is not giving up." (Of course it had to be blurry!)

I can't believe how big this girl is! She can move faster than I can, talks like crazy (real words mixed with baby jabbering), eats with a fork and spoon, is down to 1 nap/day, and has a HUGE imagination. Love her!

Day 15...

2010-12-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

Pictures of My Dream Home

Disclaimer: I am kind of thinking that this should be called my "WILDEST dream home"...

I love the idea of a beautiful vintage, cozy home. My dream home would be beautiful and inviting.

I definitely do not need ANY of these things in my house. I am completely happy right now in our three bedroom town home...but if for some reason I had UNLIMITED amounts of money to BLOW, and maids to clean for me, this is what I would want:

The Exterior:

My dream home would be on the outskirts of a large city, but far enough out that I felt like I was out of the craziness! I would love to own a home in a woodsy area like this:

It would have...

A Jacuzzi

A cozy reading room...with a fireplace!

A family Room

A Massage Therapy Room

A Play Room

A Craft Room

Master Bedroom

Theater Room
(they forgot the popcorn maker!)

Kitchen

Addison's Bedroom

An Office

And A Yard

(with a pool, fireplace, dining table, garden, etc...might as well throw that in there!)

Unfortunately, I get bored quickly...so this will probably only be my dream home for a few months! I like to change it up, and would go crazy if that was my permanent home :)

OK! I did it! I am done with my 15 day challenge! I promise that from now on my blog will not be all about ME, and I will get back to my family journaling!

Day 14...

2010-12-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

Some pictures I love

This one was SERIOUSLY hard! All of the pictures that I had from High School, Graduation, anything before Ryan and I were dating/married I had on my laptop. AND of course my laptop crashed, and I lost EVERYTHING. (So if any of you have pictures from back then SEND THEM TO ME!) These are my favorite pictures that I have left:

This picture was taken on the day that I knew Ryan was "the one!" (super cheesy but so true!)

Our Wedding Day

The first time Ryan held Addison

I love her chubby little baby face...so innocent!

I LOVE all of Addison's blessing pictures...my sister in law Mindy always does such an amazing job!

Her blessing dress

Isn't she the cutest?

Addison on her first birthday

My two sweeties!

I love this!

2010-12-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

Cutest idea ever....go on this website to get a personalized video message to your child straight from Santa!

Click here to view Addison's message that Santa sent her!

I am going to do this with my kids every year for sure!

Day 13...

2010-12-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Goals

Short Term Goals:

Read the Book of Mormon every day
Read the entire Ensign each month
Lose 5-10 pounds by March
Work out at least 3x every week
To have Addison potty trained by her second birthday (if she is ready)
Have FHE each Monday night
Go on a date night with Ryan at least 2x/month now, after he is finished with school 1x/week
Cook something new every night for a month

Bucket List:

~~Get married~~ and have 3-4 beautiful children
Become a morning person
Go on a service mission
Learn how to dance
Own the house of my dreams
See Rascal Flatts in concert
~~Become a Massage Therapist~~
Open my own Massage Therapy clinic
Buy a fancy camera and take a photography course
Surprise Ryan with a trip to the Dominican Republic (he served his mission there)
Learn how to crochet
Have my own Vegetable Garden
Learn how to Wake-board
Visit: Rome, Africa, France, Hawaii, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Barbados, Europe, Egypt, Jerusalem, China
Run in a Marathon
Raise my family in the gospel, and have all of my children be married in the Temple
Read the entire Bible from cover to cover
Attend General Conference
Meet the Prophet
Be a temple worker with Ryan when we retire
Go to a Broadway Play
Go inside of 20 different temples (I am at three so far)
Go deep sea diving
Go on a cruise
Own a Baby Grand Piano
Be able to easily play ALL of the Hymns in the Hymnbook
Go sailing
Tell my family I love them every day
Become an amazing cook
Age well
Learn how to ice skate (fast!)
Learn Sign Language
~~Ride in a Hot Air Balloon~~
~~See the Northern Lights (the Aurora Borealis)~~
Donate Blood (this one is a big deal for me..remember my fears?)

A girls gotta dream right?

Day 12...

2010-11-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

What I believe:

Why I am a Mormon--I was born and raised in the LDS church, but I am a Mormon today not because I was born into a Mormon family, but because of the way that I feel when I read the scriptures, pray, and live according to the gospel. I don't know what I would do or who I would be with out my testimony. My knowledge of the gospel gives me hope and purpose every day in my life. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I believe that my family can be together forever, and that our Heavenly Father has a plan for you and for me so that we can be happy.

God is our Heavenly Father, and he loves me and knows me personally, as he does all of his children. He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to atone for my sins, and for the rest of the world's sins, so that we can repent. To learn more about what my family believes, click here.

American Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

I love that I get two Thanksgivings every year! We had a lot of fun this year with Ryan's side of the family. It was full of yummy food, family, and fun. A few of the things that we did this year were: Thanksgiving dinner, Black Friday Shopping, working out with Mindy (I still hurt!), the new Harry Potter, more shopping, game and movie nights, and Ryan and I even snuck a date night in! Here are my favorite pictures from this weekend:

Addison looking for some awesome Black Friday Sales!

The table, right before we stuffed our faces!

I had my first experience with "Snort Piggy Snort"...basically one person goes into the middle of a circle, spins around, and then has to point and guess who the "snorting piggy" is.

Griffin had the cutest snort ever!

Addie's turn to be blind folded!

Here is a rare photo of Ryan and I together on our date!

Day 11...

2010-11-29T14:48:00.000-08:00

Favorite TV Shows

We don't watch very much TV...usually I just watch it while Addison is napping, or while I am folding laundry.

If I HAD to pick my favorite television shows they would be:

"The Office" totally cracks me up! Ryan and I are constantly quoting lines like "Fact. Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica."

While I was pregnant and on bedrest with Addison, I watched every episode of "Friends".

Oprah used to be my favorite, but lately I haven't been loving her show as much. I think it just depends on the subject. Some days I bawl and LOVE her show, some days I get so annoyed I change the channel.

Ryan and I both like this one. It is a family oriented television show, and so far we have been impressed with it!

Extreme Makeover gets me every time! I usually am choked up by the end of it!

Day 10...

2010-11-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

Something you're afraid of

I am a total worry wart! Ryan tells me all of the time that I worry too much. The thing that I have been worrying about the most lately is:

Car Accidents: I HATE driving on bad roads, and I drive Ryan insane every time we go to Canada in the Winter. I am always "reminding" him that the roads are icy, to slow down, or that there might be deer on the road.

Of course there are the dumb little things that I am afraid of:

Moths, Spiders, Bees, etc...(i pretty much just hate bugs)
Needles-- I used to pass out every time I had my blood taken. After having a baby I have gotten over most of my fear of needles, but I still get the creeps if I watch it go in!
Speaking in Church
Mice and snakes freak me out too!

Day 8...

2010-11-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Here is a sad story for ya: a while back Our Computer Crashed. Like completely. And ALL of our music on iTunes was completely lost. All of it! We had spent quite a bit of money on it too...

So we had to get a new hard drive we have started building up our music library again. VERY SLOWLY.

We have
a) The Children's Songbook
b) Toddler Nursery Songs
c) EFY Music
d) Taylor Swift
e) Mindy Glendhill

So here is our Pathetic excuse of an iPod shuffle List:
1. Baby Genius- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
2. Primary Songbook- In the Leafy Treetops
3. Taylor Swift- Should've Said No
4. Primary Songbook- We'll Bring the World His Truth
5. Baby Genius- I've Been Working on the Railroad
6. Primary Songbook- Two Little Eyes
7. EFY 2004- Here to Be
8. EFY- Living Water
9. Primary Songbook- Keep the Commandments
10. Baby Genius- This Old Man

Haha I am bustin' up...two years ago my list would have been VERY different. It is funny how babies change EVERYTHING!

Day 7...

2010-11-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

Places I have Traveled

After making this map of the places that I have traveled, I feel like I need to go on vacation somewhere tropical! You can click the map to enlarge it :)