Happy New Year's Eve!!

EVERYBODY DANCE!!

By the way, I hope all of you got your pork and sauerkraut for tomorrow's dinner. Pigs don't walk backward you know. :~)

Christmas Craftiness Project #4

Leah's Princess Crown: CHECK

I/my mom/Mike made this Christmas Eve. It's actually one of the last projects I did, but since it came out so cute, I had to share it. Here it is. It's just two pieces of felt put together with stitch witchery. There's fancy gold ribbon sewn around the edges and Velcro sewn on the back to adjust the size as needed. The best part is all the rhinestones glued on. It took a lot of thought and planning to get just the right configuration. I think it was well worth all the time and effort. Fortunately, it didn't take too much time!

By the way, did you notice that Leah's wearing the tutu? Crazy/miraculous/wonderful, I know. She wore it most of Christmas morning. She hasn't put it back on since, but I don't care! YIPPEE!!!

HAHAHA, very funny Santa

For Christmas this year, Eli asked Santa for a beautiful singing voice. He got what he asked for...sort of. Eli has since learned that next time he asks Santa for anything, he needs to be more specific. Take a listen and you'll see what I mean.

In the background, you can hear Noah groaning in disappointment and disgust.

Christmas Craftiness Project #3

Eli's apron: CHECK

I actually finished this on Saturday, but haven't had a chance to show it off until now. Grammy came to town last night, so I've been busy getting every thing ready. Don't worry, Leah hasn't shot her with lightning yet.

It might seem a bit girly to give a boy an apron, but Eli is my big helper when it comes to cooking. I like having him help and I think an apron will make it more exciting to help. Besides that, he needs something to wipe his hands off on other than his pants.

You won't like her when she's angry.

Leah got mad at me and decided to show her true colors.


There, she feels better now, but she's still green. You gotta love heavily dyed holiday cupcakes!

Watch out Grammy!!

My Mom is coming to visit. She's known by my kids as Grammy. Last time she came to visit, Leah didn't like her very much. Leah only did stuff with Grammy when she had something Leah wanted. Hopefully, this visit will go better. I fear for Grammy because Leah recently learned how to shoot lightening from her hand. She does this often and without warning. Here's a picture that I managed to get. Fortunately for me, this was just a warning. I barely managed to survive the encounter. I live to blog another day, but will Grammy? That remains to be seen. So, to Grammy, I say, "Watch out! And make sure you pack clothes made of rubber. I hear those sorts of things do well in a lightening storm."

Christmas Craftiness Project #2

Crayon Cookies: CHECK

Here's a cool stocking stuffer!! Just take the broke crayon pieces that I know all of you have, melt them down, and WHAM, you've got new, fun color-mixy crayons. You're kids will love them. I hope mine do. I was slightly stressed doing this. I thought that I would ruin my cupcake pan. It's the only one I've got. But I didn't!!

Here are the steps:

1. Peel paper off crayons

2. Spray each cupcake spot with cooking spray

3. Arrange crayons however you want, filling up the spots about half way.

4. Put in the oven at about 225 degrees for about 10 min. It really depends on the oven and crayon brand. It took me longer. I think Crayola crayons melted slower than the cheap dollar store kind, but I prefer Crayola. Next time, I'll try to only have that kind. Yeah, that's right. I'm a crayon brand snob!

5. Take it out of the oven and let it cool

6. Pop them out and enjoy. I had to coax mine a bit with a knife, but it wasn't a big deal.

Tips:

~If you can help it, use all the same brand of crayon. Different brands seem to melt at different times. I mixed my brands together and it didn't come out as cool as I wanted, but I tend to be a perfectionist, so honestly, what did I expect? And it still worked!

~Brake the crayons up into smaller pieces that way when you color with them, you can get more colors on the paper at once.

Here's a cool website that has more ideas for what to do with all those broken crayon pieces: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf666289.tip.ht

Huh??

I told Noah a joke today. He didn't think it was funny.


Eli made the same goofy face 30 times in a row. Noah laughed every time.

What's up with that?

Christmas Craftiness Project #1

Leah's Tutu: CHECK

I like to craft. It's no secret. (I don't know why anyone would try to keep something like that a secret.) So, I decided that this year for Christmas, our kids are going to get some hand-made stuff from me. I like doing it. It makes me feel good. It also stresses me out because I tend to leave things to the last minute. Hopefully, I won't do that this year. So far, so good. I've already got one project done, which is probably better than I've done in past years.

Anyway, I thought I would post pictures of the things I make so you guys can leave comments about how totally awesome and super creative I am and how you wish you could make these great crafty things too. So, here's the first installment. (By the way, these are not my own, original ideas. I "borrowed" them from other people) Enjoy!!

No, that is NOT Leah. That is a stuffed dog. I don't know how her measurements compare to the dog, but I just took what I could find to give you a better idea of what it looks like.

This is a pretty simple project, though I don't feel I've mastered it yet. Just take elastic (I used 1/4") and tie strips of tulle on it. I don't know how else to explain it. The hardest part is cutting the tulle. That's some really slippery stuff. You can also add ribbons and bells and all sorts of other cool embellishments (I like that word). Go crazy!!

Hopefully, I'll be able to get a picture of Leah wearing it. I suspect she won't like it when she first gets it, but after a few weeks of it being in her room, she'll decide it's cool and want to try it on. She's like that: VERY FRUSTRATING!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

HELP, HELP!!! The laundry keeps piling up! I just can't fold it all!! Please, someone help me!!!!!!

I need help...

...doing laundry. Any volunteers?

Folding Noah is like folding a fitted sheet. I try really hard, but no matter what I do, he just ends up in a big ball every time.

The Great Bed Switch-A-Roo

Last night was a big night in the Bell household. Each child slept in a different bed! Pretty exciting!!

This is Eli's brand new twin bed. He was only a about two inches away from outgrowing the toddler bed. Doesn't it look so grown-up?

Leah got the toddler bed. This was her first night in it. She handled it like a pro. We didn't have to go in once to tell her to get back in bed. She didn't cry or anything. It was great. And the next morning, she didn't come out on her own. She just sat in her bed, waiting for me to come in and get her.

Noah got the big crib. He's too big for the bassinet. I love this bedding. It's what Eli used when he was a baby! Noah doesn't seem to like it. The poor kid will just have to deal with a life full of getting what used to be Eli's.



Just as a funny side note, this is what Leah's bed looked like the morning after her first night in a toddler bed.



This is what Eli's bed looked like. Notice anything different?

Who do you think got more sleep? Eli or Leah?

Twilight

Well, here's my post on the movie. I saw it last night with 12 other women. We were all dressed pretty much the same including matching headbands. To put it quickly and bluntly, the movie wasn't fantastic. Edward was terrible and I kept laughing at all his exaggerated facial expressions. Jasper reminded me of Edward Scissor Hands. It was obvious that it was a low-budget flick.

With that said, the secondary characters were great! I would see it again, but hopefully next time I'll be sitting farther back in the theater. I was sitting third row from the front. It wasn't too bad, but I would like to be able to see the whole screen all at once.

What really made the whole experience for me was the pre-movie party. There were themed munchies, a trivia game, and prizes. I even won a prize! It was just nice to have an evening doing something completely girly and frivolous. Reality needs to be replaced by fantasy and play every once in a while.

Don't worry, those aren't real. In my opinion, temporary tattoos make just about any experience more fun!

The right way to do it!

Last night, I went to bed at 11:30. This morning, I got out of bed at 6:30 (a little earlier than usual, but no big deal). Not too bad I think. That's seven hours. But before I exclaimed with joy to Mike, that I slept through the night, I remembered to ask him first if I got up with the kids at all. You see, in the past, I've been known to do strange things in my sleep.

So was the case last night. Mike informed me that I got up and took care of Leah who was crying. Then I went into the computer room where Mike was playing a game and told him to go to bed because it was late. Finally I went back to bed. I don't remember doing any of that. I must have been sleep-walking.

I LOVE it!! It's great. I can tend my children, reprimand my husband, and sleep all at the same time. Talk about multi-tasking. I just wish I would have cleaned the bathroom while I was at it.

I was a good mom today

I took my kids to the playground since it was 60 degrees outside today. We have to get it in while we still can. I don't know how much longer this good weather is going to last. But just taking the kids to the playground isn't the only reason why I was a good mom today. I actually pushed Leah on the swing! And for a long time too!! I'm patting myself on the back right now, as I type. I know, pretty tricky. I also pushed Noah on the swing. This was his second time on a swing, ever. Yesterday was his first time. I think he likes it.

Here are some cute pictures:

Wait....wait a minute. How did those pictures get in there? Those are pictures of Eli pushing Leah and Noah, not me. OOOOooops.

Okay, that's better. Even though you can't see me, I swear I was the one pushing them AND taking the pictures. Sure, I can type and pat myself on the back at the same time, but I can't push a swing and take a picture of myself doing it. I'm not that good.

To all the Twi-hard fans out there

I just read that Summit Entertainment has acquired rights to New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I am soooooooo excited!!!! Hopefully, Twilight will be good so I'll want to go see the next three movies too. Although, I think that even if I don't like it, I'll still go see the next three (if they are really made) just as a matter of principle.

By the way, 4 days left until the big release. Do you have your tickets, homemade T-shirt, vampire necklaces, fake tatoos, etc. ready? I do!!

It happened again

Whenever we go to a playground with swings, Leah HAS TO be put in a baby swing and pushed the whole time. Unfortunately for her, I am a bad mom. I don't like doing this. When I take my kids to the playground, I expect that time to be rest time for me. That time is also chat time if I happen to go with a friend. I don't want to stand by the swings, pushing Leah, and shouting over to my friend Brittney who's sitting on the bench. I want to be sitting on the bench too.

As a result, I usually push Leah for a little while and then just leave her in the swing or take her out and tell her to go play with Eli. (she likes to be left in the swing) Usually, she'll just go down the slide then, but sometimes, she just won't give up. She will stay by the swing and yell, "Mommy, swing! Meeese (Please) swing!" She can be really stubborn sometimes, but so can I. I don't usually get up. Eventually, she cons other moms into putting her in a swing and pushing her while I sit and watch. This has happened several times. Sometimes, she'll get more than one person to push her. Her record is 7 people in one playground visit-4 adults and 3 children, none of which were me!

Think what you will about me. Every mom has a flaw; this one is mine. What I want to know is how she does it. How does she manage to get other people, who are pushing their own kids, to put her in a swing and push her too. It's not easy putting her in a swing. She's not light. She must have some kind of magic smile that I'm immune to.

Apparently, Mike's immune as well. Just yesterday, we took the kids to the park. There were swings. Leah wanted to be pushed in one. I was holding Noah, so Mike pushed her for a while and I stood next to him so we could chat. Eventually, I got tired and wanted to sit down (Noah's not light either). Mike took Leah out of the swing and told her to go down the slide with Eli. She did, but a little while later, she saw another mom pushing her daughter in a swing. Leah went up to her and got the mom to put her in a swing and push her. Mike and I watched the whole thing. I had told Mike that she does that, but he actually got to witness it for himself. She's amazing. It's a gift; no, it's a super power. I just hope that she realizes that with great power comes great responsibility. Fortunately, for now she only uses her power to get pushed on a swing.

Now, check to see if you are immune to her super power. Look at these pictures of her at a playground and ask yourself, "Would I put her in a swing and push her?" Don't be surprised if you find yourself nodding your head vigorously and thinking, "Yes, yes I would!"

Poor Leah

As we were driving home from Mike's parents' house this evening, Leah was doing something that made Eli mad (as usual). Leah was just happily singing the ABC's while shaking Noah's car seat. Eli didn't like that, so he did something about it. I don't know what. All I know is Leah started to cry. I asked her what happened and she said in a very sad and whiny voice, "Eli A B C D E F G!"

The many faces of Leah

HAPPY

SAD

SCARY

SURPRISED

Conversation with Eli

I had this conversation with Eli yesterday morning. I thought that since he can remember all the bizarre names from World of Warcraft, he should pretty much be able to remember what ordinary, every-day things are called. Apparently not.

M: Eli, what do you want for breakfast this morning? We have cereal and oatmeal. We also have hot chocolate. Would you like me to make you some hot chocolate to drink?

E: No, I don't want hot chocolate. I want iper soda.

M: What do you want?

E: Iper soda.

M: I don't know what that is.

E: Remember when we went to see Kung Fu Panda and we slept in the living room all night and in the morning we had that hot drink? I want that. Iper soda.

M: OOOOOOHHHHH, you mean apple cider. Sorry bud, we don't have any apple cider.

I think from now on, I'm going to call apple cider, iper soda. I like the way it sounds.

A good way to pass the time

While I was making dinner this evening, Eli and Leah were entertaining themselves by playing "Go Fetch" (Go Fish) with baby spoons. Eli would ask Leah if she had a four. Then Leah would hand him all her spoons. Then he would just give some back to her and he'd ask her for a different number. This went on for a little while. I'm not sure who won, but I think they both did well because they were both very happy to play.

Happy Election Day!!!

I voted this morning. Did you? If you haven't, then get out there and do it! I'm nervous and excited to see how everything turns out today. This is the first time I've really been into the elections. I also did a little reading up on the local elections and candidates. It's been fun and very educational. It makes me feel good to know that I really have an influence on how things are done and who does them. What can I say? I'm proud to be an American!!

Halloween week in review...Finally

So, here's how the week of Halloween went for us. We started off with a party at Doug's work on Monday. There were games, candy, and pumpkin carving. Eli was a pirate skeleton. Noah was just a plain (but very cute) skeleton. Leah was SUPPOSED TO BE a puppy. The boys were just happy with their choices, but Leah was not. Actually, I chose it for her because that's what Eli was when he was that age and since I still had the costume, I thought, "Why not? She likes puppies. She'll love it!" I was wrong!!!!

This picture should give you some idea of how Leah felt about being a puppy.

This picture accurately depicts how she felt anytime I came near her with the puppy costume after that party. She didn't even want me to talk about it.

This is how Noah felt about the party. He didn't get to have any candy or play any of the games. He was just held the whole time by strange, old women.

Eli and I had a good time. This is just ONE pumpkin I carved this year. I'm the only one who does it in my family and I take it very seriously. At dinner before the party, I was sketching out ideas for the pumpkins so that I would be prepared. I'm not joking!

The kids needed to rest and recuperate after the party.

The next day (Tuesday), my dad came into town. He so generously stayed at a hotel with a swimming pool. I love swimming, so I was very excited!!! It just so happens that I don't have any pictures of me swimming, only the kids. Oh darn!

Of course, Noah was there, but he never gets to do any of the fun stuff.

Finally, the big day came. My sister-in-law/friend/former roommate, Shaina, came over to help carve more pumpkins. We had the "help" of a little pirate boy. As you can see, Eli was really excited to dig in and help out.


Noah helped out almost as much as Eli did. And yes, that's my foot. And no, it's not always that shade of green.

Here are my finished pumpkins. Shaina's pumpkin mysteriously vanished. Can you tell which movie character's face I carved?

This was Eli's design.

The pirate skeleton is ready for action!

He comes complete with battle wounds. For those readers who only have daughters, this is what you're missing out on!


Leah ended up being a princess. She wore a night gown over some pj's and a construction paper crown we made about 3 weeks ago. As you can see, the crown has seen better days. The stickers are falling off and it's been repaired in several places. She refused to wear any kind of costume jewelry that she has. Oh well. She loved it though! I guess that's the point.

Off we went! My Mad Scientist Dad came along too!

Unfortunately, the giant snuggle bear had to stay behind.

The Haul

And, as always, Noah was there, but he didn't get to go trick-or-treating. He didn't get any candy. He didn't have any fun. Be patient little one. Your time will come soon enough.

Happy Halloween!

P.S. Mom, is this enough pictures?