Birthday and the River of Lights

It was my birthday on Tuesday and since no one is going to give me a shout-out, I guess I'll just do it myself. Just kidding. Birthdays are actually becoming a little less exciting as I get older (Surprise, surprise!). I'm 28. There, I said it. Now you don't have to go call the census bureau. Anyway, it was actually a really great birthday. Let me tell you why. First of all, our friends, the Alders and Fears, had us to dinner on Sunday. They made the best homemade pizza I've ever had (soon to be featured on Peachtree Cooking). And, as if that wasn't enough, they bought the yummiest cheesecake ever from Whole Foods that cost more than your Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses. I have such sweet friends here and I'm so grateful to them for making me feel so special on my birthday.
Then, on my actual birthday... Oh, you thought I was done? No, no, no. I kind of ruined the annual Chick-fil-A breakfast in bed this year by getting up and going on a run before the crack of dawn, but, hey, I knew I had to create some kind of calorie deficit for the certain junk-food consumption that was going to be going on that day, right? Anyway, so after I got home, Christian hurried off to Chick-fil-A and got just what I ordered (which has only taken him almost 5 years to perfect). Then, Christian let me take the afternoon "off" (a.k.a.: no kids) and buzz around town (a.k.a.: grocery shopping). When I returned home, he had set up a cute little scavenger hunt for me to find my gift. It was really sweet and so memorable. I think I might make this an annual thing for myself too. :) Is that okay, hon? That night, my brother, Jacob came and babysat for us while we went to dinner at the famous El Pinto (great setting and ambiance, not that great of food) and finished the day off with a movie, The Blind Side (which we loooooved). What a great day! I really couldn't have asked for anything more. Now, on to more exciting things...

We were feeling antsy a couple Monday night's ago, so we hit up the mall for some FHE action. Of course, we can't go to the mall nowadays without letting Oliver ride the carousel.

Amelia and I just waited patiently for Daddy and Oliver on the carousel.

Then, last weekend, we went to the River of Lights with the Reidheads. It was really, really well done and neat. A definite must for families in Albuquerque this time of year.

It was really cold that night, but Amelia wouldn't have known. It was probably in the high 80's under all that padding.

Just a very small sampling. It was awesome.

Again, Oliver and little Berlynn couldn't be separated. They are just such sweet companions.

Thanksgiving in Utah

We had plans to stay here in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving this year, but at the last minute, decided to make the 20-hour round trip drive to Utah to spend the weekend with the Bells. We celebrated with the extended family at a local church building and it was so much fun. The Bells are such a warm, welcoming bunch, not to mention REALLY good cooks- everything was to die for and I've still been dreaming about a few dishes... The whole weekend was really relaxing and nice and included dinner at Red Iguana, bonfire hot dogs and s'mores, BYU vs. Utah football, Belle's birthday party, lots and lots of shmoozing, and of course, some shopping. I also went down to Provo to spend part of a day with my sisters, Julie and Jennefer.

Christian's Mom, JoLynn, had these three little monkeys "help" her make muffins.

JoLynn took Oliver on her walks every day. He loves his Grandma Bell.

Amelia having some bonding time with her cousin, Molly.

Belle celebrated her 2nd Birthday- she's such a cutie!

Here are almost all the cousins decorating cookies at Belle's bash.

dddt

You think these guys are awesome???...

Well, ya ain't seen nothing yet. You've got to check out Christian and his 2 brothers' new blog at dontdodumbthings.com.

Tubbas x 2

My little Tubbas (Amelia) is 8 months old. I can't believe how big she is! She is such a sweet, little angel baby. She is just soooo lovable and irresistibly squeezable. See for yourself:

And, in case you were wondering if these two were really siblings, here's your proof:

Oliver, 8 months old

Bell Boo 2009

We had such a fun-filled Halloween this year. We celebrated on Friday night at our ward trunk-or-treat. Last year, we were one of the only couples to NOT dress up. This year, we decided to go all out and again, we were in the minority which always makes for an awkward evening. You let us know if you think we pulled it off...


Is it just me or was everyone and their daughter, aunt, grandma, niece, cousin, and sister a ladybug this year?


I know it's not terribly obvious here, so I'll just tell you- we were an 80's couple. Christian could also pass for Joe Dirt. You decide...

On Saturday night, we went trick-or-treating with the Reidheads. They had an aspiring chef make us dinner at their house afterwards and let's just say I've been dreaming about that meal ever since. Best spaghetti I've ever had. Probably one of the best dinners I've ever had.

And here's the duo again from the fair, doubling up in the stroller. Yes, she's also a ladybug.

A little clip of "Thomas the Train" collecting loot for his Mommy and Daddy...:)

Dinosaur Train

Have you ever been throwing a kid in the air, or playing a game, or singing a song with them and they ask over and over to do it again? If they like whatever you are doing, it's always you who imposes the end on the event, not them.

Anyway, the other night, Oliver and I were singing part of the song to Oliver's favorite show, Dinosaur train, and he kept wanting to do it again. So I started wondering how many times he would want to do this, assuming I complied for as long at it took. And when he was over it, I wondered exactly what that would look like. Like ancient sailors imagining the end of the flat earth, I had never seen the end of a toddler's capacity for an activity he is loving, and I was really curious what that end would look like. Would he go until he fell asleep, would he say he didn't want to do that anymore, or would he just throw up or implode at some point? So I settled in the for long haul, and only started singing the song again when he asked me to. Next time you wonder how many times your short associate will repeat the fun activity if it's left to him, the answer is...

61

And the conclusion was as anti-climactic as most things in life. After 61, he just looked at me for a few seconds, and instead of asking to do it again, he asked for a "treat of a pumpkin" (those little pumpkin shaped candies his grandma sent him).

Ideas

What are your favorite games to play with your young kids (Oliver is 3)?

Thanks


Christian

Happy Halloween from our house to yours

If you watch 30 Rock (which I sincerely hope you do), you'll get this. If you don't, repent, then watch this:
http://www.nbc.com/30-rock/video/clips/werewolf-bar-mitzvah/172301/


Now, enjoy this little piece of work:

I'm dreaming of a white...Halloween???

This is real time, folks...snow...in Albuquerque,...New...Mexico...on Oct.29th, 2009. If this is any indication of the winter ahead, I'm going to go in to hibernation.

Halloween Cookies

In an effort to be more"cutesy" and "crafty," I took Oliver to the grocery store to pick out some Halloween cookies to decorate for Family Home Evening on Monday night.

Oh, alright, we were already at the store, I saw some cookies and asked Oliver if he wanted to decorate them for Halloween. At least the frosting is homemade!

Anyway, so that's what we did. Oliver has more artistic talent than his Momma. (No surprise there, though, as I'm not hard to one-up in this particular category.)




It's Monday, so naturally, I'm not wearing make-up. Excuse this fact and pay attention to the expertly decorated sugar cookies.

The thing is, they looked a WHOLE lot better than they tasted. Note to self: Smith's sugar cookies are not worth the plastic container they come in.