I'd like to give a shout-out to my sis-in-law, Shaina!! This one's for you!

I was recently chastized by my sister-in-law, Shaina, because apparently, I don't blog enough. So this one is dedicated to her!! Thanks for inspiring me Shaina!!!! (For those of you college friends that might read this, that's right, Shaina Groves married my brother Mike. Weird, I know!)

So the computer that I download all my super cute pictures on somehow got broken and no longer connects to the internet. I blame Eli, although, I have no hard evidence, only speculation. I finally copied some pictures onto a cd so that I could use another computer in order to make my blog a bit more interesting. Let's all be honest with ourselves for a moment. Once in a while, we would all just like to look at a few cute pictures and not have to read so many words. Okay, maybe that's just me. Just ask my Mike; he'll tell you that I don't read. It's true. I like lists and pictures. So here you are: some pictures and brief captions of what the pictures are about! Enjoy!!

This is Eli all ready for his first date with a little girl named Sydney. We haven't met the girl or her parents yet. We're already concerned that things are moving too fast. Just look at the smile on his face!

This is Eli again. He's wearing a wonderful pair of "Grandpa Pants" and flexing his "big" muscles. For those of you who don't know, Grandpa Pants are any pants that that have a waist that hits closer to the armpits than the actual waist.

Eli's first gingerbread house. I did most of the work; he did most of the eating.

This is marshmallow Leah, all ready to play outside in the snow for the first time. She's soooo excited, probably because she can't move. She did perk up later, when we let her help shovel the sidewalk.

Here, we have a wonderful display of how Eli and his best buddy, Tanner, act sometimes when they get together. First, there's some fighting (Eli's winning), then some sledding and having fun, followed by more fighting (Tanner's winning this time). At least they did manage to make it down the hill, on the same sled, at the same time. Way to go boys!



Fortunately, by the end of the morning, they decided to be friends!

And they celebrated their renewed friendship with some hot chocolate. Yeah!!!!

I think I've been found out!

I was talking to Eli this morning and telling him that his friend Tyler was coming over to play. He asked me when he was coming and how long he was going to stay. Then he asked, "Mommy, are you gonna pick him off?" I think what he meant to say was, "Mommy, are you gonna pick him up?" At least that's what I hope he meant. I was really hoping Eli would be a bit older before he found out that I'm not only his mom, but I'm also a sniper.

Another squishy, white, bundle of chubb

As some of you may have noticed, there are two new additions to the Bell Blog and both of them are baby related. That's right....I am PREGNANT. The baby is due July 21st. We're really excited. So please, enjoy watching the baby countdown along with me. Also, vote on what you think the gender of our third bundle of chubb will be. If you want, vote several times. That will make me think there are lots of people who read my blog, and thus make me feel good. I know I shouldn't base my general emotional status on something as simple as how many people read my blog, but I do. I'm irrational and emotionally fragile by nature. Being pregnant only hightens those flaws. You know what else makes me feel good? When people comment on my postings. Hintedy-hint-hint. I'll keep you posted on any updates. Now get commenting and voting!

New Year's Survival Guide

If you want to survive 2008, there are certain things you MUST do on New Year's Day. This is not a joke. Don't take this lightly. If you want 2008 to be the best year ever, you will follow these 3 simple rules.**

1) Do not eat any form of fowl on New Year's Day. That means no chicken, turkey, eggs, etc. If you do, you'll scratch for a living the whole year.

2) DO eat some kind of pork product. Pigs only move in a forward direction. Therefore, you will only move forward in the new year.

3) Get a herring. Make sure it's dead. Wrap a dollar bill around it and hang it from the highest window in the house. (I would hang it on the outside of the window to make sure your house doesn't smell fishy) Then, make that dollar the first you spend in the New Year. This will ensure that money only comes into the house and doesn't leave the house throughout the year.

To be totally honest. I only participate in 2 of the 3 necessary steps to making my year a good one. I'll let you guess which 2.

If you read this today, that means there's still time! Don't delay. Run to the store. Buy some pork chops. Find a herring. By the way, I have no idea where you can find one. Just trust me; your efforts will totally pay off.

**These traditions are brought to you by my Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. I love stuff like this. I think it's cool. Oh, and I only do #1 & #2. I'm not too crazy about fish.