The Beautiful Mrs. Bell

She was glowing. She was graceful. She was flawless. She was the "Bell" of the ball.

Well, actually, she was one of many "Bells" at the ball....but she was the newest Bell.

Last weekend my baby sister entered into Holy Matrimony with a one Mr. Brian Bell. We really like him, so it was a rather celebratory occasion.

Chelsea (and possibly Brian) did an amazing job with their wedding. It was, of course, pink and green. It was, of course, completely unique. And it was, of course, perfectly executed.

The kids and I were honored to serve in the wedding party. I as the Matron of Honor. Clinton as the Ring Bearer. And Heidi Sage as the Flower Girl.

We (and I probably mean mostly me) had been very excited about this trip for a very long time. So a week prior to the wedding, the kids and I jetted off to Texas. Can't you just see the excitement dripping off their faces??

We spent 5 days at Bebe and Hop's house working on wedding preparations. My main job....cake balls. 600 of them. You can read about the creation of those here...

The kids main job...to play...to play...to play...

On Wednesday we packed up two large trucks with tons and tons of wedding stuff, two kids, a double stroller, two car seats, and one teeny tiny bag per person, and set off towards Austin...the greatest city to ever grace the presence of this great country. Sigh.

While in Austin, we were able to partake in a number of fun activities. There was a day of visiting all my pals back at Tarrytown UMC. Even after five years of being absent, I walked in the door and felt as if I had never left. Such a special group of ladies. (And I'm a total loser and didn't take one picture while I was there. Ugh.)

We also had several wedding functions to attend. There was the rehearsal dinner at The Salt Lick. Heidi Sage stayed back at the hotel and kicked it with Amy, to which we are VERY grateful! There was the Bridal Tea for the girls...HS and I put on our best sundresses and hightailed it to the Driskal for cucumber sandwiches and the best scones on the planet... Thanks to the Matriarch of the Creech family (Peggy Rose) and her helpers Joy and Polly for hosting such a wonderful event for my sweet sister.

The beautiful bride with her two grandmothers. Grammy on the left and Peggy on the right...that's right, we call her by her first name. Rumor is I started this when I was a wee one, but I don't remember so it's hard for me to take credit for that...

The Bride with her darling flower girl...

The MOH (me) and the Flower Girl (my Heidi Sage)

At the Bridal Tea, we received one of the best surprises of all time. Seriously. You see, we have these VERY dear friends....The Voigts'. They live in Kentucky. They are like family...that you rarely get to see....because they live in Kentucky. And they had sent Chelsea a very sad note explaining why they couldn't be at the wedding. We were all a bit heartbroken, but understood. Natalie is another VERY dear friend. Who is like family. Who we were very excited about seeing at the wedding. She told us she was bringing her mother as her guest to the tea and wedding. She lied....and she works in the ministry....and yet, she still lied. However, we all forgave her as we each walked in to find Sheryl Voigts waiting on us at the tea. This was Natalie's surprise guest. Many tears were cried, BIG hugs were shared, and smiles were spread across our faces for the rest of the day. We were still sad to not see Julianne and the boys, but loved on Sheryl enough for all of them. Below is Mom, Sheryl, and Natalie...with those matching haircuts you can tell they do all belong together! :-)

After the tea we jetted off the to the wedding site to put everything together. Then I ran to get the kids and before we knew it, the wedding was ready to begin. You can find most of the wedding pictures on Chelsea's web site....but here's a few from the bridal room...

Chelsea and Brian--We had such a wonderful time and were so honored to be included on your special day. We are looking forward to many, MANY family functions together!!

The newest little sister to Mr. Bell,

While We Were Out

In my 3 short years as a parent, there have already been a handful of gut wrenching things I have had to do. -- There were the 10 rounds of kidney flare ups where I stayed up all night while Clinton threw up. There was the hospital visit where I held him down FIVE times as they tried to get an IV started. There was the actual surgery where I had to let go of his hand so they could wheel him off to surgery. And there have been a number of times when I've held either of the kids down to receive their vaccines....especially, Heidi Sage...she's a bit dramatic. -- But recently I had to do something that was by choice. I had to leave them behind.

About a year or so ago, we were the proud new parents of a 2nd child. We were enjoying everything that life with two children had to offer. We were also suffering from the great exhaustion that comes with two children--one of which was a new born who didn't sleep much. So when our friends Skip and Christel called and asked if we'd be up for an adult-only vacay to Vail in February, we couldn't get the word "YES!!!" out of our mouths fast enough.

While I dreamed of a week of sleeping through the night. Eating three whole meals a day--with two hands, no less. Getting to have some real adult conversation. And spending some quality time with my one and only, I also new I would have to have everything perfectly arranged for my kids before I would even be able to think about leaving town.

Of course the hardest decision was deciding who to leave the kids with. Rodney and I both agreed my parents would GREATLY appreciate the quality time, but weren't sure they'd be up for a whole week. A whole week with someone else's kids is A WHOLE LOT TO ASK. But I have two kids who don't sleep through the night. And both contain enough energy to power a large city. So the request felt huge...

I called Mother with this proposition, "How would you and Dad feel about coming to play with the kids for a week by yourselves?" Mother's response was a very quick, "Yes! When should we be there?"

I was thrilled!! Mother and Dad offered a man on man defense for the kids, which proved to be necessary. They are also very good about following every rule I lay down--rational or not. And the kids love being spoiled by their Bebe and Hop......and boy were they!

The day finally came for us to leave. I had worried for weeks before that the kids would be screaming as we left, that Clinton would be clinging to Rodney's leg, that Heidi Sage would be screaming with arms held out for her Mommy....and that Rodney would have to drag me away.

Clinton smiled cheerily in the wee hours of the morn and said, "Bye, Mommy! Bye, Daddy!" I went in to give Heidi Sage a kiss who was snuggled up in her Bebe's arms, she turned and buried her head in Bebe's chest. Hmmm. This will be easier than I thought. Hey, wait! Why aren't my kids sad that I'm leaving? I guess they needed the break, too!

So, after we left the kids enjoyed a week of new birthday toys, fun trips to the McDonald's playground (among other fun outings), a trip to the doctor's office :-/, playing monsters through the house, and tons and tons of one on one attention.

Clinton's Birthday gift was a rather large, rather snazzy Jeep. He enjoyed helping Hop put it together. He also received his first driving lesson from Hop, which required him learning to steer and stop on command. Once these feats were achieved, Clinton was able to take on his first passenger....and she was a very excited and happy little passenger.

The kids also had a number of outings, one of which was to one of our favorite places-- The Discovery Center. Mother and Dad had a fun time trying to keep up with Clinton between the two floors. You see, some genius decided to put a swirly slide from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor....and a very quick, very agile, very sneaky 3-year-old can get out of sight in the blink of an eye. Good times.

By the time we got home, we had an 11 month old who was walking EVERYWHERE. We had a 3 year old who was riding his bike like Evil Knievel in the cul-de-sac. Two kiddos who were semi-excited to see us. And two grandparents with bags under their eyes and smiles on their faces. I think it was a good week for all.

We want to send out a huge T - H - A - N - K Y - O - U to my parents for taking a week off of work to love on our kids. This trip was much needed and greatly appreciated!! We promise to take you next time we go to Vail!!

Recharged and ready (for a little while),

Merry Merry Merry Merry Christmas

This week Clinton went to sleep for an afternoon nap in the midst of everything Christmas that continued to linger around our house. But he awoke to a dismantled tree and boxes of decorations ready for the attic.

"Oh NO! Wut hoppened? Mom, da cucumber tree gone." "Yes, mommy put the Christmas tree away. Christmas is over." "O-ber?" "All done." "Presents?" "No more presents." "Oh."

I also got a stern talking to by Clinton about the pile of tree needles I swept into a pile, but didn't vacuum up. "Mom, big twubble. BIG mess!" Oh, simmer skillet...I'll get to it.

Due to some holiday travel, I had to call Santa's emergency line about making alternative arrangements for gifts. Santa and I decided it would be best to have the kids' gifts delivered on Saturday before Christmas. So, all day Friday we told Clinton that Santa was coming, to which he responded each and every time, "No, gake you." (No, thank you.) "But, Clinton, don't you want Santa to bring you presents?" "No, gake you."

Saturday morning I sat in the living room with Heidi Sage and Nana as Rodney literally had to drag Clinton in to see what Santa had brought. Clinton seemed to think that Santa was still there, and he wanted nothing to do with it. Once he saw his first gift he relaxed a little, and with the opening of each one the fears of Santa faded.

After we had our little family Christmas, we had Christmas with Nana and family. The next day we had Christmas with Papa and family. Monday we played and packed. And Tuesday we took 1 stroller, 2 kids, 3 carry ons, and 4 suitcases into the Nashville airport and through the New Orleans airport, we dropped by Dallas Love and reached our final destination in San Antonio. Whew! By the time we got to our Texas Christmas, Clinton was in the swing of things with the gifts and was ready to go....tearing into anything with red and green paper, and crying out, "NOOOO!" when the box contained clothes instead of toys. Yikes.

We had a wonderful visit in SA. We met up with old friends at Sea World (more to come on that). And made new friends as we met Aunt Zsazsie's fiance's family. It was a great time. We loved staying in a hotel....there were no dishes, the beds were made everyday by someone else, and breakfast was waiting for us downstairs EVERY morning. We also loved visiting Brian's family....they love to play games, which was my favorite thing (along with some amazing food). And while Dad was grand champion of the week, I did happen to win a game of Scattegories.

Below are a few pics of Christmas...I'll post more throughout the week.

The day after "Christmas". Heidi Sage wanted to push the mower around, too!

Nana got Clinton this...and he L-O-V-E-S it!

Heidi Sage got the hang of opening gifts, too.

You can't be Christmased out yet...we've still got a few more to go!

Teething rings in the stocking, does Santa know this girl, or what?

Wow, Santa, what a stupid idea. My ears are still ringing.

Bed head runs in our family.

The girls at Brian's family's home. Me, Zsazsie, Heidi Sage and Mother in our annual matching attire.

Always in the middle of it all....always.

Yeah, a doctor's kit! ...Clinton knows all about doctors now!

Mommy and the baby girl.

Halls Decked, Dismantled and Packed Away--

Texas Summer '09 - You Might Be a Redneck If...

Not everyone gets to enjoy the luxuries of the West Texas ranch life...but we did.




Redneck or not, Clinton had the BEST time! The city pool had already been drained, so we only got to swim this one day since it was out on a friend's ranch outside of town. If we could have done this everyday, Clinton would have been in heaven!

Yee-haw,

Texas Summer '09 - First Things First

The kids and I just got back this morning from Texas. We're exhausted! We had such great time and were sad to leave Bebe and Pop but very excited to see Daddy and Gracie! While we were on our two week venture both of the kids had a lot of "FIRSTS". Some of them we're proud of....all of them we'll share.

HEIDI rolled over....ALL the way over! She was rolling a little bit before we left. But now it's all the way across the floor and back!

CLINTON grabbed his first cactus! We told him not to, but he just could help himself. And it was one of those cacti with the itty bitty red spines that are hard to see and even harder to get out. Thanks to Google and a bottle of Elmer's glue, Clinton is now cactus spine free! (The next time he walked outside and saw the cactus he screamed, yelled "NO!" as he pointed at it, and grabbed his little hand as if it had just happened all over again. Such a goober.)

HEIDI got her first ear infection. :-( We saw the doctor Friday, started her meds immediately, and survived today's flights with little problem.

CLINTON made his first batch of pancakes. I often let Clinton "hup" (help) me in the kitchen by adding ingredients to the mixer or stirring a pot of dried beans on the stove with no heat, but Bebe let him cook pancakes. With heat. She also let him break eggs, which she regretted later as she picked egg shells out of the pancake batter. Clinton was SO proud of himself and couldn't wait to serve me my pancakes!


HEIDI met all her great-grandparents! They were all super excited to meet her and she let each of them hold her.





CLINTON pulled his first TV out of the TV cabinet and broke it beyond repair. Luckily the TV was 20 years and it didn't really matter to anyone...but it was the last TV in house. So, with 100+ heat everyday and a kid on anti-sunlight antibiotics and no TV for the last 5 days, we had to get really creative on things to do inside! Oh, and what I meant was...LUCKILY, Clinton didn't get hurt! When I found him, he was being as quiet as possible hoping I wouldn't find him (although the thud of 25 pound TV is hard to miss) and just his toes were under the edge. Not sure what to do or really what had happened, I just calmly told Clinton he needed to go to his room. He jumped up as fast as he could, ran to his room sobbing and stayed in there for 10 minutes without even trying to come out! The rest of the trip Clinton told us, "I boke tee-hee". No worries, Bebe bought a new flat screen today...after we left.

HEIDI met TEXAS...and she loved it! She told me she wants to live there one day. Me too, baby girl...me too.

CLINTON drove a skid steer and rode a horse. I, of course, missed both because they happened on outings with Pop that the girls weren't invited on. But Clinton loved it!

HEIDI got her first tooth...her first two teeth, actually. Two little pearly whites right on the bottom. So cute....and so razor sharp.

CLINTON picked his first vegetables from a real garden...Bebe's garden. He brought me a handful of cherry tomatoes and insisted I eat them all right then...I obliged, it's one of my fave foods.

HEIDI ate cereal. I didn't intend for her to eat cereal until she was 6 months old, but she would watch us eat with such intensity....following every bite with her gorgeous blue eyes...and raising her eyebrows up making such a desperate face. So, we fed her....we're weak....and she's a porker. We might start some fruit purees this week.


CLINTON "rode" his first goota-goota-goota-goo. This is Clinton's word for motorcycle. He says it exactly the same everytime, and very fast. It's hilarious. Dad has an old motorcycle in his shop and EVERY day Clinton said, "Hop! Wan go shop! Wide goota-goota-goota-goo! Peas." They'd both put on their boots, their cowboy hats, and their sunglasses and off they'd go. So sweet.

HEIDI had her first plane ride. She did great. Other than THREE poopie diapers...all on the plane. But she was happy and everyone around us loved her!

CLINTON said his own name! I've asked him a million times to say his name and he's never even responded. I've also said his name about a million times when he hasn't responded, so I was wondering if he even knew what his name was. Last night he was watching one of the digital frames on Bebe's end table and he'd say everyone's name as their picture came up. When his picture came up, instead of saying, "Dat's you." like he normally does, he said, "Dat's Kenton." I almost cried.

Enjoying Firsts,