The Bell Family

Paloma - the one-year-old

2012-01-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

This past Tuesday, at 11:40am, our little dove had officially turned ONE.

That was BY FAR the fastest year of my life.

At ONE YEAR OLD, Paloma:
*Has 4 teeth on top, 3 on bottom, and a smile that lights up any room she's in
*Has no interest in crawling traditionally, walking or fully committing to pulling herself up, but she can scootch across the room in mere seconds, and likes to roll her way around things
*Loves R&B and pop music, and will groove back and forth when a good song comes on
*LOVES her Daddy so much that she gets mad when he enters a room and doesn't come to her first thing; they have a language that is unique to the two of them
*LOVES her big brother Quincy, and squeals with delight when she sees him at the top of the stairs after naptime (She loves Forrest and me too, but not in the same way as the other 2 boys)
*Eats everything you put in front of her; Mexican food, Greek food, Italian food, Japanese food, American food, Chinese food - she loves it all. THANK GOD.
*Has extremely high metabolism; she eats all of the above and is only in the 25% for weight (meanwhile, Quincy who eats hardly anything is in the 80% for weight? Go figure)
*Gives kisses freely to all her animals and dolls on a regular basis, and even scooted across the room at a recent playdate to wrap her arms around our friend Mason (who's one month younger) and plant a big one on his mouth. She says, "Mmmm" when she does it, too - so cute

Here is a video so you can see first hand her little personality

We love this girl. So much. She is "little and funky", and crazy, and fun - and she truly lights up our life. She and Quincy get closer by the day, and I look forward to seeing their bond evolve over the next few years.

We celebrated her birthday with family, as my dad's birthday was 4 days before hers, and Solon's grandpa's birthday was 3 days after. Palomita had a blast celebrating with them. She was loving it!

She loved her red velvet cupcake!
And she loved her "girly" outfit from "Aunt" Sandy. This was her first dress with sparkles, and you can tell she felt cute in it.

Did I mention that we love this girl?

Okay, now let's backtrack a little. Because I skipped Christmas.

We paid a visit to Santa the week before Christmas, and Quincy was super excited.

Paloma? Well, not so much.

Quincy told Santa 3 different times about the ambulance he wanted with sirens and flashing lights. He (I) wrote a letter, complete with a drawing of a car wash on the back, and told him about the ambulance before he was on his lap, while he was on his lap, and after he got off his lap. This Santa was not the happiest I had ever encountered, but Quincy didn't seem to notice. Finally Santa said, "Okay kid, I think I've got it." Hilarious.

We hosted Christmas Eve festivities at our house, and it was a wonderful time. Our house looked so festive and pretty, and I could kick myself that I didn't take a SINGLE picture of how pretty it looked before it got destroyed. Next year...
The boys (in their matching jackets) truly enjoyed this Christmas together.

The 3 cousins on Paloma's first Christmas

Santa came through on the ambulance that Quincy wanted so badly

Can you tell how excited I am about my West Side Story 50th Anniversary Blue Ray edition DVD? Pretty excited.

Christmas morning, the kids woke up and got to see Grandma Sasa & Tony! We had fun opening more presents together.

Quincy went to work right away drawing "car washes" on his new easel! (He spent half the day doing so)

I LOVE SANTA!!!

We spent Christmas night with Solon's family out in Surprise, and had a great time. I am so happy my parents came with us so I got a double dose of them at Christmas. Thank you Tony for these pictures taken with your awesome new camera.

It was a truly magical way to end the year.

P.S. Upon publishing this, I realized that I also didn't take a single picture of the week after Christmas while Alynsia (Aunt Nut-Nut) was in town for the Insight Bowl and New Year's. We had an awesome time spending a little QT with her over the weekend, and can't wait to see her again soon.

Full Fall of fun!

2011-12-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

The middle of the fall brought so many fun experiences.

I was asked to be the Toastmistress at Alpha Gamma Delta's Feast of Roses luncheon which followed the initiation of the fall pledge class. Here I am with my Pearl Sister Erin (middle) and her newly initiated "Little Sis" Katy. The Monday following this event, Erin was elected Chapter President! I knew te first time I met her that she would one day be President of our chapter at ASU. So proud of her.

Quincy's preschool held a "Night with the special girl in my life," which I attended with Quincy. The children sang us songs they had learned, we participated in a scavenger hunt, and craft project. It was nice to see how he interacted with his friends and his teachers.

For Thanksgiving at Shadow Rock, all the children came together for a Thanksgiving feast, where they sat around a "table" together (that they helped create) and said what they were thankful for. Quincy was thankful that the "feast" included popcorn.
Thanksgiving with Solon's family
Thanksgiving with my family
Papa Allen was in town for Thanksgiving weekend, and the kids loved spending time with him

Thank you Tony for these awesome pictures with your new camera!

I love this picture

The Hutton family came to visit while they were in town

Quincy helping me trim the tree

Hanging with Daddy

Colder weather means fun pajamas and plenty of photo-ops

Still loving eachother

Paloma playing on her brand new quilt!
Quincy's 3rd birthday was December 10th. I wanted to do something BIG for him, because he has had a year of a lot of changes (new sister, potty training, big boy bed, food therapy, pre-school, etc). We decided on a bounce house for the kids, and a Thomas the Train theme, so I hit up the dollar store, Michael's and Goodwill to create props that would transform the park into the Island of Sodor. It was a blast!!!

Quincy had the best day of his life. It took him 2 days to recover. It took me 3 days to recover =)

Thanks to our friends and family who helped make his day so special. It was a wonderful day.

Talk about a 180...

2011-11-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

This title reflects a couple things in the life of the Bell "Empire"...

For starters, if you read my previous blog post which I posted about 2 months ago (remember the one where I had had it up to my eyelashes with Quincy's "terrible two's"?), you will know that I had just had a "mommy meltdown" and was clearly using the blogosphere as a means to vent. I am proud to say that approximately 60 days later, there has been a complete 180 as ar as Quincy's behavior. And wouldn't you know, it actually only took about a week or 2 to get it that way. He ABSOLUTELY LOVES preschool now. He's made friends, he loves to go in with a "happy heart" and a smile on his face, he gives the teachers hugs, and his favorite part of the day is the snack of course. But he has become adventurous, engages so well with people of all ages, sings songs ALL DAY LONG, and is just genuinely so happy when I pick him up. We are so happy we worked through that rough beginning. He also has opened up so much more to Paloma - he's sharing toys with her, playing with her, greeting her when I bring her in the room, etc. And nothing could make her happier because she just ADORES her big brother.

The other 180 in our life, yes I am going to mention it, THE WEATHER. Today was 60 degrees. Two weekends ago at the pumpkin patch, it was still in the high 90's, and I was wearing a tank top and shorts. THIS IS WHY I LOVE ARIZONA. I took out sweater boots today,and wore them for the first time. It is just absolutely gorgeous right now and we are spending as much time outside as possible. At night, Solon throws some logs in the chiminea and lights a fire. We are just loving it right now.So those are the "extreme" things that happened in the last 2 months, and here is everything else we've been up to...

Paloma loves to eat

And loves to get clean

We celebrated Mexico's Indepence on the 16th of September at my parent's house

Playing with Great-Grandma Mimi

While Quincy colored with my daddy's crayons from when he was a kids (60-year-old crayons that worked perfectly!)

In the beginning of October, we participated as a family in the American Diabetes Walk along with some of my Alpha Gamma Delta sisters. I raised about $150 for our team, and we took the 3-mile walk through and around Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass. It was a beautiful morning for a walk. One of our sisters, Chrysty, took some action shots of the day.

Proud Daddy

For about 2 years now, a Says Phoebe bird has been coming to our house at dusk, perching on our twinkle lights on th back patio, and staying until dawn. Every day. Same time to same time. Except he (I'm assuming it's a he) left the night we had everyone to the house to celebrate Father's Day back in June. Solon was distraught about it, for months. And then one day (3 months to the day later), Birdy Friend (as we like to call him) showed up again. And this time, Birdy friend brought a friend! The two lovebirds (I'm assuming #2 is a girl), are perched together every night on ou new LED twinkle lights. Solon is overjoyed by it, and all is well again at the Bell house.

A Denise-Candida-Denise sandwich! Love these women.

Quincy helped me frost some cookies

The Three Amigos are getting so big!

Look at our #2s! They are so cute.

The Bells and the Jacobs' went to the pumpkin patch and took Papa Tom with us. As mentioned before, it was in the high 90's, which is a little hot for the patch, but we had a great time anyway.

Look at the difference 2 years makes!

I don't know if everyone is familiar with the game WORDS WITH FRIENDS or not, but it's basically the online version of Scrabble. I have been beating Solon an average of 3 games to 1, and Solon wanted to redeem himself so we decided on a pumpkin carving contest against eachother. I took this picture and posted it to Facebook for instant gratification, and let's just say he beat me by 30-something votes.

His is on the left. Now, I am not going to be a sore loser, but I would like to say that a) I did his design last year, and b) mine was a level 2 difficulty rating to his level 1. That's all I am going to say. Clearly, people like "cheeky" Halloween rather than "scary" Halloween. Whatever. Next year, I am going to bring it!

Halloween Day

Halloween Night!

Quincy's costume was a total hit. We got asked by 5 or 6 different people if they could take a picture of him in his police car.

What a fun night!

Fun at the railroad park

TRAINS!

Here is the proof about Quincy loving his sister now

Life is good.

Summer is over, thank the Lord.

2011-09-12T23:24:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start.

Hmmm...

Okay, I will start by saying I love being a mother. Very much. My kids are beautiful, and funny, and smart, and loving, and creative, and musical, and dynamic, etc.

With that said, I couldn't even look at my son for a couple hours this morning (I mean, I did, because it's my job, but I didn't want to). Let's just say that I have been having a bad couple weeks with Quincy, and when we have bad days, I don't like the type of son he's being, and I definitely don't like the type of mom I'm being. I won't divulge all the details, because it will take forever, and is probably boring to majority of you (all 5 of my readers - lol), but let's just say that it involved the food issue (still), starting preschool, and today I hit my breaking point. So I grabbed a gigantic black Sharpee and a piece of paper and wrote down these 4 bullet points:

*No Separate Meals
*2 Episodes/day MAX of show of choice (ie: Backyardigans, Blue Clues, Dr. Seuss)
*30 minutes MAX iPod music time
(and most importantly)
*NO NEGOTIATIONS (my son is a MASTER negotiator)

I called Solon (who's at a conference for a few days) and said, "There's a revolution happening in our house - just wanted you to know so you were prepped before your return!" and I posted the sign on the refrigerator. Not for Quincy to read, but rather as a reminder to ME and to Solon, to stick to it, and not give in to him. No matter how dang cute or lovey-dovey he is being at that moment. We're the parents, he's the child. We lay the rules, he follows them. End. Of. Story.

Moving on...

Here's what we've been up to the last 3 months:

I took some pics of my parents and the kids
Three generationsFour generationsHanging with Daddy (These 3 photos by MaryAnn Perry)
Hanging with "Uncle" Bone
And helping Mommy with laundry
Sibling bonding

Eating a book

My ballerina at 6 months (July)

Hanging with Makena
Quincy and his blocksPaloma likes them too
My parent's neighborhood has an annual 4th of July Parade, where all the kids decorate their bikes, wagons, strollers, etc and ride around the block. It was hot as Hades, but the kids enjoyed touring a fire truck at the end, and the community got together for a pot luck breakfast, which was cool.
This was a "hot mom" day, so I had to get a picBrothersOur dear friend Amy came in town from Chicago to visit us. She and Solon and Marsielle all grew up together, and it's been 9 years since she visited Phoenix last. Thanks to Facebook, and random run-ins in Iowa, we have been able to keep in touch pretty well. I. Love. This. Woman. It is eerie how much she and I are alike. We've only seen each other a handful of times, but can complete eachother's sentences and know what the other is thinking. We had a super-fun night out, and a weekend of Scrabble playing. Loved it.Just like that, Paloma turned 7 months
Quincy continued to hone his drawing skills (that's a car wash in case you were wondering)

The cousins went up North with Grandma & Grandpa Jacosb to pick some corn

Solon's cousin Shelly and her kids came over for dinnerWe went bowling to celebrate my godson Josh's 10th birthday
Which means that Cody will be 13 this year, and I officially feel oldIn other big news, potty training is going swimmingly and Quincy is pretty much out of diapers (except for bedtime). We also got him a "big boy" bed, because he physically grew out of the crib (and pack-n-play when we traveled). He took a couple days to get used to it, but is doing so well, and continues to nap great so Mommy can get a break.
We signed Quincy up for a pre-school program that is 3 days a week for 2.5 hours. The open house was great - Quincy loved it.
Then the first day came, and we were still doing well
Then on day 3, he crumbled and got clingy all of a sudden. Now he basically screams for the first 30 minutes, so we are going to have to go a little slower with the process than we thought.

My 32nd birthday came and went, and I was able to have a girls' night!Christina, Charissa and I are always doing stuff with the kids, so we were finally able to have a little fun without them. We hit up Scottsdale, took in a comedy show, and then went bar hopping and ran into a bunch of our sorority sisters (some that we hadn't seen in a LONG time). Then we stayed at a hotel and got to sleep in, which for me is like 7:30am. Then we celebrated my birthday with some friends and their kids, and it was pretty much pure chaos in our house, but it was wonderful.Labor Day weekend brought an escape from the heat (about 10 degrees) to Tucson to celebrate Lisa's big birthday (49 plus 1)
We got a picture of all the girls, but not a single one of our little family, and I was dressed up 2 nights in a row!!
Paloma loved staying in the hotel (the Westin La Paloma)Love this pic of Paloma and the birthday girl
Quincy loves some BunnyBunBuns!
We all pitched in and got Lisa her dream gift, a Louis Vuitton purse! She was definitely surprised!

A few more days of triple digits, and then we can go outside!
Dinner at Grimaldi's while Alynsia was still in town, with our friend MichelleAnd finally, to show you just how big Paloma is now, she can sit up in a shopping cart now, and she LOVES itOkay, so I am over my pity-party, and I am ready to move forward. Life is good, Summer is over, and it was a gorgeous day today. Time to get outside, and start enjoying the glorious Arizona fall weather. Thanks for reading my vent, and hope you enjoyed the pictures. Until next time...

The Luckiest

2011-06-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I was just feeding Paloma on the couch listening to Pandora Internet Radio through our BlueRay player on the TV. We have a bunch of stations set up, but I was listening to the Joshua Radin Radio channel. (Do yourself a favor and set that station up - you won't be disappointed.)

Anyway, for those of you not famliar with Pandora, you create stations based off musical artists that you like. You type in their name, and then Pandora will play you similar artists to the one you chose. It's a great way to discover new music that you will most likely love.

So, I had just turned it on, and of course it played 4 great songs in a row; 2 I knew, 2 I didn't. Then Ben Folds came on. A song called The Luckiest. Paloma was done eating, we were working on her burp (I know, I know), and I instantly got filled with emotion. I knew the song. Very well, in fact.

When Solon and I were dating, I would leave notes on his car, just to let him know I was thinking about him. It progresses all the way through our engagement. As we were approaching our wedding (6 years ago), I wrote out the lyrics to this song because they reflected what I felt about him, and our future.

Here are the lyrics:
The Luckiest by Ben Folds

I don't get many things right the first time
In fact, I am told that a lot
Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls
Brought me here

And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face?
Now I see it everyday
And I know

That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest

What if I'd been born fifty years before you
In a house on a street where you lived?
Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bike
Would I know?

And in a white sea of eyes
I see one pair that I recognize
And I know

That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest

I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you

Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties
And one day passed away in his sleep
And his wife; she stayed for a couple of days
And passed away

I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you that I know we belong
That I know

That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest

****

So here I am, a little over 6 years later, my eyes overflowing as I hear this song (which is on my iPod with 4,000 other songs, so I don't hear it often), and I am now reflecting on how far we have come together. Still in love, with 3 additions (Forrest 1st, then Quincy, and now Paloma), and we are "making it happen" as Solon likes to say.

I don't know why I got so overwhelmed. Maybe because when you have another baby, the first few months get to be a little like Groundhog Day, where we're just repeating the day over and over. You get a little defeated when you have an awesome (hilarious, smart, sweet, loving) pre-school/toddler, who just happens to be a problem-feeder, who on top of trying desperatley to try new foods, you are also now trying to potty-train him. You get tired. Quickly. But today was a good day. And Quincy ate pretty well, and willingly participated in "potty practice" & wore his big-boy pants for like, 2 hours. And then, I have Paloma in my lap, and at 5-months is a champion eater, loves flavor and can't get enough, and I am just overcome with joy and fulfillment at my beautiful family (with Forrest on the couch next to me).

And Pandora hasn't played a single bad song yet!!! Like a said, today is a good day. No, GREAT day.

And I am thankful. I am the "Luckiest".

Forrest

Quincy (through our video monitor showing how he sleeps with his cars lined up next to him)

Paloma, my champion eater

My Solon, where it all started

Paloma is 5 months!

2011-06-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Five months old, and the happiest baby I have ever met.
Paloma is eating solids now like a champ, and lights up everytime Solon walks in the room. She absolutely ADORES Quincy & Forrest, and laughs when I sing pirate songs from The Backyardigans. She has a really cute laugh. Paloma is exploring with her mouth - everything goes there first - and her newest trick is taking off her socks and trying to eat her feet. She is so cool. Solon and I have been truly blessed with our little family.

As usual, life hasn't slowed down for us. May began with my Aunt Nancy, Uncle Bill, and cousins Darcy & Kerry coming from Pittsburgh to visit. I LOVE THIS FAMILY. I enjoy every second I get to spend with them. My cousins are so beautiful and talented, and it makes me so happy to see them.
Aunt Nancy & Darcy meeting Paloma for the first time

Kerry Quinn!

Darcy Leigh!

The Jacobs' & Shaffners

Love these girls!

Paloma and her great-grandma Mama Mimi

My awesome aunt & uncle

We did a lot of celebrating for Kellan's 4th birthday with 2 parties and dinner out with all the family.

Kellan had a super-hero birthday party that I made a dessert table for - it was so much fun!

The kids had a blast in the bounce house

Our friend MaryAnn took these amazing pics

Paloma hanging with her Uncle Natan & Aunt Larel

She even got a [fake] super-hero tattoo

Playdate with Oren

Lisa (& Tony) came to town at the end of May to see us

And then flew back with us to Seattle where we visited for Memorial weekend.
We went on the Duck Tour & had a awesome tour guide

The floating house from Sleepless in Seattle!! (my favorite movie)

Everything in Seattle is so lush & colorful.

Lisa & Tony have the most beautiful flowers by their house, so I took advantage of the beautiful weather & snapped some pics of Paloma.

Quincy had so much fun, and got so tired that he fell asleep on the living room floor - he has NEVER done that before!

The other purpose of our trip to Seattle was to attend Vince & Anjie Giovannetti's wedding. Vince & Solon played football at Drake, and Solon was totally honored when Vince asked him to be the officiant and perform the ceremony! He did a FABULOUS job.

Mr. & Mrs. Vincent Giovannetti

Mr. & Mrs. Solon Bell

Elvis impersonators (me & the groom's father)

Drake Bulldogs - Randy, Vince, Luke & Solon

More fun on Grandma Lisa's patio

This is almost the whole group

We got lucky on the flight back - it wasn't full - so Paloma was able to sleep in her car seat which we put in front of Quincy's seat. This way he wouldn't be kicking the back of another passenger's seat.

It wasn't easy traveling with 2 kids (mainly b/c of all their stuff), but we did it, TWICE, in the span of 5 weeks, and I must say that we have it down now. We feel so fortunate to have been able to spend time with our family, and have our children in good hands while we had a little couple time. And we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was the most beautiful we had ever experienced while in Seattle. And Solon's wish was to have seafood EVERY DAY that we were there, and we fulfilled that wish! The food was wonderful!

Since then, we have just been laying low, and now trying desperately to beat the heat.

Here are some extra pics from the month:

Life is good.

Catching up... March & April

2011-05-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 months since my last post. Sorry. =) While I appreciate all the "mommy bloggers" out there in the world, I don't know how they have time to post a new blog everyday, and one with lots of content. When do they have time to be a mom? Being a full-time mom keeps me so busy, that by the time both kids are in bed, and the kitchen is clean, all I want to do is kick my feet up and watch The Biggest Loser or Grey's Anatomy. It's taken 2 weeks for me to put this post together! But I digress...

Here's what has been keeping us busy:

Quincy's best friend Eve turned 2 at the beginning of March & had a party at Imagination Ave.

Quincy likes wearing Paloma's hat

And playing with his sister

Forrest gets some love

The week of St. Patrick's Day, Quincy got a stomach virus that lasted like 5 days - it was horrible. He lost 3 lbs which was 10% of his body weight, and he looked so skinny after it was all done. Solon and I have never felt so helpless - it was heartbreaking seeing Quincy feel so terrible and not being able to do a lot to make him feel better. This picture was taken the day he started to come back to life.

Daddy loves his girl

It's crazy to think that 3 years ago, none of these kids were here

Mason & Paloma napping together

Christina & Morgan

Kellan is so gentle with his cousin

Milk moustache!

On March 31, I took the kids to visit Papa Ray - it's hard to believe he's been gone 3 years. I miss him everyday.

Paloma and Papa Tom fell asleep on the floor

So strong!

Sweet Makena came to visit for her 1st birthday in April

Alison and Judy came to meet Paloma

Paloma meets Scott, Becky & Noah (who is about 2 months older)

Becky & Holly

The Three Musketeers and our babies!!

Happy baby

Liz came to visit from California

Solon's childhood friend Shammara brought her kids over to visit before moving away from AZ

Every April, my sorority Alpha Gamma Delta has our International Reunion Day. I was able to enjoy it this year with my Grandma Mama Mimi!

Dena & Loren came to visit and meet Paloma

Fun at Babies R Us

Sammich Club is something that I have been attending since my days in radio. I took Quincy to his first Sammic Club when he was 2 months, so I decided to take Paloma to her first one at 3 months.

Since there's rarely any pictures of me

Solon and the kids hangin' on the couch

Quincy & Kellan in their matching shirts, after the Easter egg hunt

Solon matched them too

Bubbles!!

The family enjoying Easter dinner

The end of April arrived and we headed to Iowa to introduce Paloma to Solon's dad's side of the family. She did so well on the plane.

Quincy loves airplanes

Paloma meets Papa Allen!

Paloma meets cousin Marcus

Grandma Nellie meeting Paloma for the first time. The hit it off right away.

Four generations X2

Grandpa Leroy!

Aunt Sandy

Quincy checking his text messages after taking a dip in the hotel pool

Quincy loved sitting on the windowsill, playing with his cars

And Hide & Seek with mommy

Paloma was more comfortable sleepig on the bed - sleeps just like her mommy!

At the park

Sara, Sammy & Moses

Smiling for the camera!

Quincy loves the french fries

Paloma and Great-grandma Mimi who was in Iowa visting her mom

Paloma loves her daddy

I found my feet!

Solon, Paloma and "Aunt" Chris

Quincy and Jannah (2011 & 2009)

The whole gang after breakfast

Cousin Kelly after church

Quincy with his cousins Mackenzie and Jaylen

Paloma and Papa

Gaga trying to get Quincy to eat (I love this picture)

Gaga & Paloma

So grown up

Gaga's whole clan

Cousin Barbara

Chillin' with cousin Royce

Grandma loves me, she told me so

Quincy hugging his great-grandma

Our last night with Papa Allen - look how happy Quincy is spending time with him (I love this picture!)
Solon and Royce - why so serious?

It was wondeful to get back to Iowa and see all of Solon's family. Traveling with 2 kids is a lot of work - all the stuff you have to carry! But we got through it, and made it home safely. We were grateful to have been able to spend so much time with Allen - we love you Papa!! One trip down, one to go. Next stop: Seattle!

Time Warp

2011-03-09T22:38:00.001-08:00

On Monday, Paloma turned 8 weeks old. Needless to say, we are in a time warp over here, with many days seeming like Groundhog Day, the same sequences happening over and over. It's absolutely wonderful.

We have continued to spend time with family and friends, as we have integrated Paloma into our family and life. She is adorable, and sweet, and fits in perfectly. She smiles with her whole face, not just her mouth, with her eyes sparkling and her dimples puckered - it is contagious! Her grunts continue, and she is starting to "talk" and make her presence known. Paloma is strong, and a good eater, and last night slept 6 hours straight for the first time! I can't begin to tell you how refreshed I felt this morning.

Here are some highlights since our last post:

Celebrating Tyler's 2nd birthday!

Meeting her best friend Morgan for the first time!

I love this picture of Christina holding Paloma

Quincy loved Tyler's golf tee

Daddy & daughter time

Garrett wanted to practice holding a baby before his new baby brother's arrival

Joan came to meet Paloma

Kristine & Olivia came over to meet Paloma too

Our little beauty

Forrest napping with his sister

Solon participated in the IMS 1/2 Marathon - the weather was predicted to be in the 70s but it ended up raining on the participants pretty much the whole time. Here he is crossing the finish line!

His goal was to beat his Flagstaff 1/2 marathon time, and he did! By 20 minutes! We were so proud of him!

Quincy meeting Garrett's new brother Mason

Liz was there to meet Paloma too

Paloma on my right, Mason on my left! One month apart!!

Quincy loves his Retro Rocket

I had this fabulous idea to go to the Zoo on the last Sunday of February, and it started raining as soon as we got the kids in the stroller. We figured it wouldn't last more than 10 minutes, so we decided to tough it out. We started making our way towards the lions, and it started SNOWING on us!!! IN PHOENIX!!!! Of course it melted after 30 seconds, but I couldn't believe it!

A half our later, the rain/snow had stopped, the clouds had cleared, it turned into a wonderful day.
Kellan & Quincy chillin with the Komodo Dragon at the Phoenix Zoo

So life has kept moving right along the last 8 weeks. I am not going to lie, it is hard with 2 kids some days. Some days I am lucky to get a shower, but other days, it's seamless and fun. Those are the days that give me confidence that it will only get easier. I have made a commitment to myself to be a hot mom/wife (hair down, make-up done, cute shoes on) at least 2 days a week, so if you see me on one of those days - yay for you! =) I am looking forward to returning to the gym in the next week to start getting back to normal, and now that the weather is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS (80 degrees, anyone?), I plan on hitting the hiking trails at least once a week with Paloma in the Baby Bjorn. That is, before it gets hot again. Our 6th wedding anniversary is the 19th of this month, so Solon and I are looking forward to a date night! Other than that, we will continue to take life one day at a time, until we get into more of a routine, and are looking forward to some trips to visit Solon's family in Iowa and Seattle in the spring.

Time for bed. =)
xoxo

Our little "dove" is here!!!

2011-01-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

First off, let me apologize for taking 3 weeks to post this. It's not that I've been busy or anything (although that's part of it). The morning that our c-section was scheduled, I went to turn on the computer to check Yahoo! and see what the days headlines were so I could enter them right away in to the baby book, something I didn't do the morning Quincy was born. My computer that was 1 year and 2 weeks old, decided to not work that day. 2 weeks after the warranty was up, of course. So eventually we sent it in to Gateway, and eventually they sent it back (with all my files still there, THANK GOODNESS), and now I am finally getting around to posting this for our far-away family and friends to see.

WARNING: There are a lot of pictures. However, they are all enjoyable! So here goes...

We would like to introduce you to our daughter, PALOMA AVERY BELL
Born Monday, January 10, 2011 @ 11:40am via repeat c-section - 7 lbs. 7 oz. and we think 19" long (although the hospital measured her at 17 1/2").

We chose the name Paloma (Spanish for "dove") because it represented my latin heritage, it was unique, and it was feminine. I also loved that a dove is a symbol for peace, and everyone wishes for peace in the new year, and she was born at the beginning of the new year, so there you go. She shares the same middle name as her Daddy. We love it so much, and no other name would have fit her as well.

Here are the last 3 weeks summed up for you:

Marsielle & Ami

Great Grandma Mama Mimi

(This is my Dad holding Paloma. Not pictured but also present were my Mom and Quincy who was with them while I was in surgery.)

Uncle Natan, Aunt Larel & Cousin Kellan

Great-Aunt Billie

Uncle Mauri

The most wonderful doctor in the whole world - Solon & I love Dr. Mayer so much!

Christina

Jaime

Great-Great-Grandma Alice "Gaga"

Great-Grandma Mimi & Papa Meredith

My cousins, LuzElena, Elizabeth & Diego

Christy

GOING HOME!!!

Five generations!

Great-Aunt Shelley

Cousin Alaina

With Grandma Lisa

Aunt Alynsia

Great-Aunt Georgina

Grandma Chacha

My godfather Chuck

The morning of my actual due date (January 16), the sunrise was pink - how fitting

Danielle & Eve

Charissa & Eric

The Perry Family

Kaream

After all the visitors had left, and Solon took his mom and sis to the airport, this was my favorite part of the weekend. Sitting on the couch with my 2 babies. Forrest was also there but on the other side of the couch. Solon came home just in time to snap a picture.

Quincy finally warming up to his baby sister

Great-Great Aunt Eleanor (with Mama Mimi)

Check out this awesome shirt we got made for my Dad's birthday

My Daddy & his dove

Darryl

Daddy & Quincy spending some computer time together

Big brothers protecting their new sister

Nova & Danny - all the way from NYC!

Somone

Marsielle's mom Sandy

Our friend MaryAnn took these awesome pictures when they came to visit

Here is a comparison that I put together of Paloma and Quincy

So many family & friends have to come to meet Paloma and celebrate her arrival with us. We tried to get pictures of everyone that met her (but missed a few), and I think by the end of her first week on earth she had met OVER 50 people!!! Some have even come back a couple times! We feel truly blessed to have so many wonderful people in our life! Thank you for sharing this wonderful arrival with us.

And just like that, Christmas is gone again...

2011-01-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

This will be my last family post until baby girl's arrival next Monday. I wasn't that great at taking pictures of our holiday festivities, but there are still enough here to give you an idea of how 2010 ended, and how 2011 began for us.

A whirlwind to say the least, we didn't slow down after Quincy's birthday. The following weekend, we celebrated my oldest godson Cody's 12th birthday at Castles & Coasters. Quincy tried mini golf for the first time, and loved it. He also got to ride on the kiddie rides, and had a blast (even though I was terrified b/c he had to go by himself). To my surprise, he even ate PIZZA - something I have been trying to get him to eat for a whole year. It was a great day.

Then that night, I took my parents to Glendale Glitters to walk around and watch Alaina's dance performance.

On the 23rd, we were able to spend some time with Becky & Scott, and finally get to meet their little miracle Noah, who was already 8 weeks old! He is honestly one of the most beautiful babies I have ever laid eyes on. I was in love instantly!

What an amazing Christmas present for them to have this little angel in their lives! He smelled so good!!!

Christmas Eve festivitites were at our house, and thank goodness for pot luck-style dinners or else this wouldn't have been possible! All I had to do was cook the turkey (which turned out moist & perfect!), and have my house looking fabulous (which it did until everyone left) - so it turned out to be a great time.

Christmas night we spent with Solon's family in Surprise, and enjoyed a beautiful meal together.

We spent the evening saying what we were thankful for, and remembering our Uncle Patsy who passed away the day before in New York. He was such a great man, who was loved by everyone he met, and we will miss him terribly.
Here is a picture of the last time we saw Uncle Patsy before he moved to NY (Quincy was 4 months old).

The day after Christmas, we had brunch with Aunt Eleanor's family, and got to spend some time with our cousins! Here's the whole gang.

One final look at my pretty Christmas tree before it came down

On New Year's Eve morning, you could see snow on the mountains north of our house

Kellan came over to show Quincy how to drive his new car that he got for Christmas

We were able to meet up with our friend Vince who was visiting his parent's from Seattle

with his beautiful fiancée Anjie!

Solon met Anjie when we were in Seattle when Quincy was just 2 months old. Vince and Anjie had just been on their first date the night before and now they are headed down the aisle. We are so excited for them!

QT with Daddy & QB

Quincy loves computer time

And is even more obsessed with vaccums now than he has ever been before. Here he is with all four vaccums lined up at the base of the stairs.

I remember when I was a little girl, and it seemed like Christmas took FOREVER to get here. Now that I am older, with a family of my own, hosting festivities, etc - it is here and gone in a flash. I took down all my decorations a week early, so that the house is clean and ready for baby girl's arrival next week. We have a c-section scheduled for next Monday morning at 9:30am, unless she decides to come on her own before then. We are getting ready, and are so excited to finally meet her. I can't wait to introduce her to all of you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Bell Family!
xoxoxo

P.S. Here was what our Christmas card looked like. We opted to not print/mail them out, since we will be sending out birth announcements towards the end of January. But here's what it looked like anyway - just know we were thinking of all of you!

From 2010

The "Terrific Twos"

2010-12-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

I am going to start with the big news - Quincy Drake is officially TWO. Wow. How did my (not-so) tiny infant go from this

to this

to this in such a short time?

It is truly remarkable.

Some of Quincy's "things" at 2:

*He loves Basketball & shooting hoops with his mom & dad
*He loves calling cadences during football games (taught to him by Daddy)
*He loves reading books to us - Any BING book, Caps for Sale, The Hungry Caterpillar, and those "Where is Baby's (FILL IN THE BLANK) Books are among his favorite right now. Only if he's very tired do we get to read them to him, or if it's too new, otherwise, he's reading it to us from memory
*He loves the Backyardigans on Nick Jr - Austin is our favorite
*He STILL loves David Archuleta's Crush which now makes it officially one year where we have heard that song every day at least 10-20 times
* He loves Mommy's iPod touch where he can watch his Backyardigans and the David Archuleta music video to his hearts content, or until Mommy decides that's enough =)
*He loves singing his ABC's and the Itsy Bitsy Spider song
*He gets mad if we start singing the David Archuleta song while he plays it (I've tried to tell him that I have a good voice)
*He loves the park, and especially loves the slides
*He is still fascinated by airplanes, and helicopters, but now also loves rocks of all sizes, and pretty much discovering anything outdoors
*He says "Squeeze tight" when giving hugs, and makes an "mmm" sound when giving kisses
*He is loving to inatimate objects (vacuum, iPod, the lawn blower) - when it's time to put them away, he gives it high-fives, fist pounds, hugs and then kisses, most the time in that order
*He still is the most un-curious eater (although now he likes baby carrots because BING likes them) - this is something we have been working on for a year. I feel sorry that he is missing out on so many flavors, but upon offering him EVERYTHING we eat, he simply looks at it and says NO. The few types of fruits and grains that he does eat, is obviously enough, because the DR says he is perfectly healthy and is in the 75% for weight/95% for height in his age group. Milk certainly does a body good.
*We made a valiant effort to switch him to the toddler bed (b/c we thought he was ready) but after 2 weeks of him getting out of bed 2-3 times in the middle of the night, we are going to put the front of the crib back on until a couple months after his little sister is here. Mommy and Daddy will be lacking in the sleep department in less than 5 weeks, and we need all the rest we can get until then.

There are so many other things that are marvelous about this boy, but my pregnancy brain has run out of examples. Simply put, he just gets cooler and cooler everyday, and we truly could not imagine our lives without him.

We celebrated his birthday this weekend, Backyardigans style, in the backyard (hooray for 78 degree weather in December!), and unfortunately, Mommy had a bout of food poisoning when I woke up, so Sunday was pretty miserable for me. I forgot to take pictures of all the cute decorations (or had no energy to) and there is only one picture of me from the whole day, taken from far enough away where you can't clearly see how terrible my face looked from broken blood vessels from throwing up all day. Awesome.

The celebration was a huge success thanks to the help my awesome husband Solon, and his mom and sister who were in town for the weekend. I could not have done it without them - that's for sure. Here are some pics of the kids (small first, ladies next, then the big boys) taking a swing at the Pablo pinata.

POOR Pablo!

***

So now to backtrack a little, here are some highlights from the end of November through beginning of December:

Thanksgiving was great - we celebrated at my brother's house and had a wonderful time with our huge group. Larel & I made a great team in the kitchen, and it was so nice to have it pot luck style with everyone bringing something. Less work for the host! Now that our family is so big and still growing, this will be the set-up for major holidays from now on. Works for me!

Our hosts

Quincy on his cousin's slide

And in his cousin's car

Our family shot

Quincy & Kellan

The birthday twins! Alaina & Alex turned 11 on Turkey day

Solon's cousin Marnetta came in town for a quick visit, and we were able to see her twice in one weekend which was great

Quincy and I helped Maia celebrate her 3rd birthday (a few weeks early since she's a Christmas Eve baby) and she loved her bounce house

And Quincy loved this Capri Sun!

Birthday Girl!

We celebrated Hanukkah with Alison's family after a 2-year hiatus (in 2008 it fell on Christmas, and in 2009 it fell on Quincy's birthday), so this was Quincy's first Hanukkah celebration

We paid a visit to the Reese house so Quincy could play with Tyler, and Mommy could see baby Morgan and get some advice from Christina about life with a toddler and a new baby

It's been a fulfilling end of the year so far, and will continue to be. With Thanksgiving and Quincy's birthday behind us, we have Christmas and my godson Cody's birthday to look forward to, Iowa Hawkeyes at the Insight Bowl, as well as a quiet New Year's and preparation for the arrival of baby girl. We have a c-section scheduled for Monday, January 10 @ 9:30am, so if she decides to come on her own before then, great, if not (and most likely not) she'll be here on the 10th. We can't wait to meet her - it will be here before we know it.

xoxo

Treats and an almost 2-year-old

2010-11-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

I realized that so much has happened since our trip to Colorado (like the rest of October and half of November), so I figured it was time to type up another post. The last trimester of this pregnancy makes the already short days/weeks, much shorter. So here's what we've been up to...

Playdate with Sidney Supreme

Pumpkin Patch with Mom and the Jacobs'

And the search for the perfect pumpkins begin

Solon's is on the left, mine is on the right

On October 27, one of my best friends welcomed her 2nd child, Morgan Kay Reese, to the world. Christina, Aaron & big brother Tyler are loving their new addition. Solon, Quincy & I were able to go to the hospital to meet her and she was just precious and smelled so good! Christina and I had our sons 6 weeks apart, and it has been awesome to watch them grow so much these first 2 years. Now we will have daughters that are about 11 weeks apart as well! Take a look at this beautiful little girl.

On Halloween, we had some of Quincy's friends over for a Trick-or-Treat Playdate, co-hosted with our friend Danielle.

It was so much fun to see the kids all dressed up in their costumes, and it gave me an excuse to put together a dessert table for the occasion.

Quincy (the urban cowboy) & Eve (Mao Zedong) anxiously awaited their guests

The Jacobs'

Jaime & Maia

The Stromskis

A homemade "Woody" & Buzz Lightyear = Cousins

Quincy and Mason are about 2 months apart and up until recently looked IDENTICAL in so many pictures

Rachel & baby Harper

The Metnicks

Sidney Supreme

Tyler

The Perrys

Monica & Vivian

Breaking the piñata

The day after Halloween, Quincy and I had coffee with Elizabeth who was in town briefly - we used to work together in Promotions!

Right after we had a 3D ultrasound to check out our baby girl - check out her foot

She was sleeping on her arm!

Quincy loves his flannel pants, and drinking from Daddy's water cup

And loves story time with Daddy, too

Here I am at 25 weeks, 3 days

And at 30 weeks, 3 days

This past weekend, I made up some treats for Alaina's Mad Hatter Birthday Party

And then we started to get the nursery ready

Taking a break

With 8 weeks to go, we are trying to get everything ready before baby girl comes along. With Thanksgiving next week, Quincy's birthday 2 weeks after that, and Christmas 2 weeks after that, the weeks will pass quickly and she will be here before we know it! We are getting excited for her arrival - we can't wait to meet this little girl.

Colorado Rocky Mountain High

2010-10-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

Over Columbus weekend, Solon, Quincy, Baby Bell & I hopped a jet plane and made our way to Estes Park, Colorado via Denver to celebrate Mimi's 70th Birthday with Solon's mom's side of the family. We shared a rental house on the mountainside with 9 of Solon's family members for a truly unforgettable weekend.

(Because I am a dork, and believe that you can't drive through Colorado without listening to some John Denver's Greatest Hits, feel free to turn your sound on, and click play on this video, to experience the song that was in my head all weekend while were in Colorado. You don't have to actually watch the video - it's so old!!- but just listen to the song while you look through this blog post. Enjoy!)

Here are the pictures!

The view from our living room (every room had a similar view)

The view from our room

First thing in the morning

You can see my bracelet tracks on my forehead - I must have slept hard!

Mimi, Aunt Shelley, and Alaina

Quincy's new hat!

Alynsia in the middle of Bear Lake

We weren't really prepared for how cold it was going to be at the top of Bear Lake @ Rocky Mountain National Park - it was snowing on us!

Alex's giant snowball

Me, baby girl & a 400+ year-old tree

Solon jumping over a post

And then showing Quincy how to do it

What a beautiful view

I just thought this was so pretty

All the trees that are brown are dead trees - infested by bark beetles - there are so many of them throughout the park. It's terrible. It's not getting cold enough to freeze the beetles anymore, so thousands of trees are dying.

In front of rock that Grandpa Meredith had posed in front of when we was just a boy - now he's here with his whole family!

Layers upon layers of beauty

Alex's rock

Rob introduced Quincy to the ice-cold water, and he loved it! Totally cried when I said it was time to go

And then he passed out in the car

Solon took Quincy horseback riding! Their horse was Bam-Bam & Quincy had a blast!

Family picture time!

Did we get enough? Okay, here's one more

A very special treat for us was when Patrick "P-Diddy" and his family drove from Colorado Springs to see us. Patrick is pretty much responsible for Solon and I even knowing eachother, so he is very special to us. If he wasn't so darn tall (& handsome), my friends would have never spotted him at that concert in September 2001, and I would have never seen Solon standing right next to him. We love Patrick!

It was wonderful to spend some time with him and his wife Stephanie, and to finally meet their sweet daughter Caroline!!!

We were so happy for Caroline and Quincy to meet & play together!

I love this picture

Here I am about to get some sweet Caroline kisses

Sunday night ended our trip with the celebration of Mimi's 70th Birthday. Alynsia picked out these adorable cupcake-cakes, and they were so delicious!!

I hope I look this great at 70 Mimi!!

One last look at the view before we left Monday

One last family pic (we were a little out of it)

Alynsia & I just realized we never got a pic together when we were dressed up, so this early morning shot was going to have to do =)

Goodbye Estes Park - you were such a beautiful place to visit!

Big Projects & a 1/2 Marathon!

2010-09-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

It's funny to think that at the beginning of the summer, or calendar was pretty empty. We sure filled that up as the days went by! It seems like we didn't have a whole lot going on, but my opinion of that changed as I looked through all these pictures from the last month!

The last week of August, my friend Liz came to visit and was finally able to meet and spend some time with Quincy! They hit it off right away - he loved her!

Liz helped me prep for an upcoming baby shower I was hosting that weekend.

Becky's Baby Shower was a success! Holly came in town to co-host it with me, and she made all the fabulous (& insanely delicious) food. I was in charge of decorations and my project - the dessert table!

(Most of these pictures were taken by Becky's Aunt Chris who is an awesome photographer)

Sweet Makena!

Three Generations

My mom finally got to meet her!

Quincy found the cutest girls to sit with (of course)

The Three Musketeers

Becky with her mom

Becky and Scott comparing baby bumps

We celebrated my 31st birthday with family

We took advantage of a really cool Sunday morning to visit the McCormick Railroad Park in Scottsdale. After about 40 minutes of fun, it started to get hot! We can't wait until mid-October!

Labor Day was spent with friends

Charissa, Christina and I are all pregnant with our 2nd child at the same time, so we thought this was a great photo op.

Quincy & Garrett love hugs!

And I love Sydney!!

Denise came in town from Cali, so we spent some time with her and her mom at Scottsdale Fashion Square. I love these women!!

Ryan, one of Solon's best friends, came in from Chicago to attend the Iowa Vs. UA game down in Tucson. It had been a long time since Uncle Ryan saw Quincy, so they spent some time getting reacquainted.

So, even though Iowa lost, the silver lining was that Solon, Marsielle, Ryan and his dad Mike were on ESPN!!! I can't believe I missed it - but check out this screen grab! So cool.

The reason why I wasn't at the game with the boys, was because I had my first "official" event with Undeniably Sweet Events, a company that my friend Christy has started and has asked me to join along for the ride! Here are a few sneak peeks of what we did, and you will be able to see more as soon as we launch our website (Coming Soon!).

I took these pictures with my camera; I can't wait to see how the professional pics turned out!

Bath time!

Quincy loves wearing Daddy's ties

Quincy rockin' his Daddy's sweatband

Look at those curls

Finally, Solon had set out this year to compete in his first 1/2 marathon. He set the goal, trained consistently, and this past Saturday we were up in Flagstaff for the main event!

The weather was perfect for the Flagstaff Marathon - but this wasn't just any marathon. The runners had to run through the forest, on all types of terrain, through small paths, and up and down steep hills, at an elevation of 7000 feet higher than Phoenix. Solon was only used to running on pavement or a treadmill, so this was quite a challenge. He set his goal to complete 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes, and he beat his goal by 18 minutes! Actual time he crossed the finish line was 2:12:24 - HE DID IT!!! I was so proud of him!! Here's a picture of Solon with our friend Darrell, and their Finisher's Medals - great job guys!

So, as you can see, the last 5 weeks or so ended up being really full of wonderful things! And with the weather cooling off, there will be many more memories to be made before the end of the year. More pics to come soon!

Summer Adventures

2010-08-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, my apologies for taking 6 weeks to publish a new post. Once you see the pictures of the last month & a half you will see. It's kind of funny, because at the beginning of the summer, we had a pretty blank calendar. Then we decided to fill it with a couple things, and the next thing you know, the whole summer is gone...

So here's what we've been up to:

We flew Papa Allen in from Iowa for his Father's Day/birthday present, because QB wanted to see his "Papaw". Last time we were in Iowa, it took Quincy 3 days to warm up to him, but they were buddies within minutes this time.
Papa Allen & his 2 grandsons

At Pinnacle Peak Patio with Marsielle!

My parents and godfather Chuck stopped by to say hi to Allen before he left

QB with his Papas Tom & Allen, and Grandma Chacha

Our 1st trip of the summer was up north for a couple days. We started in Prescott, drove through Sedona, and stayed the night in Flagstaff.
While driving through Prescott, I found this beautiful scenic shot.

We found a little creek for Quincy to play in

Quincy loved the hotel we stayed in

Trying on Daddy's tie

At a great park in Flagstaff

We had a wonderful time in the cooler weather, and definitely want to make the trip up north every summer.

When we got back, Quincy had a playdate with Eve.

They were getting tired by this point

Later that same afternoon, Tyler came over to play

Quincy loves helping Daddy with yardwork

Our 2nd trip of the summer was a real adventure.

I won't go into the extended version of the story, but basically, DO NOT EVER STAY IN A COMFORT INN HOTEL IN SAN DIEGO. EVER.
I tried to save us a few bucks by skimping on the hotel, and booked it through Yahoo Travel. The guy at the front desk (at 11pm) was a total moron, and couldn't find our reservation, and then put us in a room that 5 minutes later he gave away to someone else. We were in the room (at midnight by the time we got in there) and were half unpacked and about to put Quincy down when there was a knock on the door. A lady was standing outside with room keys for our room. Then 5 minutes later, there was another knock on the door and a security guard was outside with keys for OUR new room. We had to pack up all of our stuff, and move all the way across 4 buildings to our new room that smelled like cat pee. Quincy was a champ the whole time, but we were irritated beyond belief.
The next morning we took it up with the manager of the hotel, who at first wasn't going to do anything about the HUGE inconvenience, but Solon laid down the law, and we eventually came out happy and were able to FINALLY start our vacation (after moving into our 3rd room - one that didn't smell like cat pee). I promise, that was the short version of the story.

We went to the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in Escondido, and loved it!
The animals were everywhere, and had so much land to roam across. Here are some of the beautiful creatures we encountered.

This reminded us of Forrest

Quincy was wiped out by the end of the day

The next morning we went to Mission Beach for breakfast. It was still overcast out, so it was chilly on the beach.

Later that afternoon, we went to Coronado with the Lewis family. Narayan & I used to work on the morning show together at the ZONE. He and his wife Robin have a 6-month old named Gavin, and it was wonderful to see them and catch up. The sun was out, and the day turned out to be beautiful.

Narayan helping Gavin catch his first wave

Quincy loved the beach

We are all grown up now!

What a beautiful family

This was just too cute not to post

Sunday morning before we headed home, we had breakfast on Mission Beach with the Perry family (who live in Gilbert, but were in San Diego - so we took the opportunity to see them)

(Most of these pics were taken with MaryAnn's amazing camera)

It was time to leave, and the kids did NOT want to say goodbye

HILARIOUS!

Back home with big brother Forrest

We had a little visitor in our backyard

My godson Joshua turned 9 this month, so we stopped by his birthday party, and Quincy was able to try out bowling for the first time. He loved it!

My godson Cody (who will be 12 this year!!!)

Joshua (9), Cody (11) & Quincy (20 months) = My boys!

Me with my boys

Quincy enjoying kisses from "Auntie" Verlinda

Here are some Quincy candids

Just tried an Oreo cookie for the first time

Taking it to the hole

Quincy loves Dada's shoes

Naptime with Dada

Here's a picture of me with my baby bump at 17 1/2 weeks

We had an ultrasound today (18 weeks, 3 days along)-
Here is the baby's profile

Here is the baby's foot

And here is proof that the baby is a GIRL! It looks like a little hamburger, instead of a french fry.

So there you have it! Quincy is going to have a little sister in mid-January! We are super-excited to have one of each now.

That was a long post, so I'll end it here. Hope this finds you all well!

xoxoxo

It's time to tell you...

2010-07-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

that the Bell Family is growing! Solon and I had a 2nd ultrasound today, and according to the ultrasound tech, we are 13-weeks along with a new baby Bell on the way! Due date is set for sometime around January 13. It has been pushed up twice because of the size it's measuring versus conception date - looks like we might have another big baby on our hands!

Here is a profile shot of the little thing right now:

(Actual size right now is about the same as a mini carrot!)

And here is a video of the baby dancing around during the ultrasound:

We are so excited for this upcoming adventure, and we know Quincy & Forrest are going to be awesome big brothers! We will find out mid-August whether it's a boy or a girl, but in the meantime, I am just trying to make it through the day as I deal with this fatigue and "All-Day Sickness" - it's not just in the morning with me. I have none of the same cravings as I did with Quincy, and although I was sick through 16 weeks with Quincy, according to Solon I am "way worse" this time. I will spare you all the details - ah the joys of pregnancy!

Meanwhile... over the last few weeks, Quincy has been spending some quality time with friends

Sidney

Garrett

Eve

Allison G!

He also currently loves to wear his Daddy's shoes around the house

A highlight of the summer for me was meeting Holly & Chad's baby for the first time. A while back, I posted pics of the baby shower that Becky & I threw for Holly, and now the little angel is here.

Here is Makena Grace with her Aunt Dida!

Quincy will do a great job of protecting her through the years

Scott figured out pretty quickly how to make Makena comfy

The Hutton family and Grandma Jill

Love the new hair Holly!

I am so glad our camera has a timer! This was so fun. Solon just adored holding little Makena.

We got to see them one more time before they went back to Reno, and I even got to see my friend Katie and meet her baby Isabella!

Makena is so tired after her exciting trip to AZ

Since Becky & Scott haven't figured out the timer function on their new camera yet, I volunteered to take some belly pics of them since Becky is over half-way there!

We had such a wonderful time spending the 4th of July weekend with great friends!!!

xoxo

Is it October yet?

2010-06-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

Since summer started, the Bell family has been doing things to try to stay cool & beat this ridiculous heat. Seriously, it feels like Arizona is about to burst into flames!

There's this guy at our gym who always wears a bandana, so we thought we would copy him to see if it kept us cool.

Turns out it was just cute to look at.

Quincy and I visited the Arizona Science Center two weeks in a row - first with my dad & then with Christina (who took the day of of work to spend some time with us, and her son Tyler) - Quincy had a blast! I thought it was hilarious that out of everything there, he liked playing with the PVC pipes the best. Time to go to Home Depot!

We got a free pass to visit the Children's Museum of Phoenix, so we took Papa Tom with us again to check it out. The last time we were there was before Quincy could even walk.

My godson Cody with Quincy

We spent Memorial Day Weekend in Seattle, visiting Grandma Lisa & Tony, and "NutNut" (Aunt Alynsia). Quincy loved spending some quality time with them! We did a lot of lounging, eating, and some playing too. We visited the Experience Music Project, where you can learn how to play many musical instruments, learn about musical legends, and even make a music video! It was really cool. Here is the guitar sculpture that was like 100 feet tall.

And here is Quincy enjoying part of the "Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound" Exhibit.

Lunch at the Pier

Swinging in Sasa's backyard

Quincy looking like a rag-a-muffin...

and an old man!

Playtime with Olivia

Little man sleeping in our room while we had work done on the AC

So precious!

Quincy's newest obsession is the yard blower. He loves helping Daddy with early morning yardwork!

Tonight we celebrated my godfather Chuck's 64th birthday (a couple weeks late) - he was out of town on his actual b-day, and we missed him! Mom made Chalupas, with rice & beans, and it was delicious!

Quincy and Kellan are going to be best friends!

Lots of excitement is in store for our family. We just completed a home improvement project that required approval from our HOA to expand our perimeter wall a little in order to accomodate a new AC unit. Our existing units are 13-years-old, and the downstairs unit has needed fixing every summer since we moved in. It was time to get a new one, and the HOA approved it quickly, so that happened this weekend. Just in time for the heat advisory! The new unit is so much more energy efficient, and it is freezing in here now! It has made such a difference already.

Also, I have been working on 2 projects, and will have some very exciting details about those in a couple weeks! Photos, logo, and website coming soon! Can't wait to share it with you.

xoxo

The Phoenix Suns are on FIRE!!!

2010-05-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

May has been wonderful so far.

It started out with the installation of the new members of my sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. Our chapter at ASU closed in 2005, and just reinstated their Charter on May 2. Here is a picture of the Charter being presented to the newly initiated Chapter members.

We had a wonderful luncheon at the Fiesta Inn Resort in Tempe (which I had the honor of being asked to plan), and I was asked to give a toast to our Fraternity. Alumnae, Advisors, International headquarters and family members of the new initiates were there to meet these fabulous new members, and we got a glimpse as to just how much of a positive impact they will have on ASU's campus. It was so great to be a part of that.
Here is my Pearl Sister Erin.

And here Liz, Heather & I are with Jackie Brannon Stutts, the PRESIDENT of our whole Fraternity (aka the big squirrel). I had the honor and privelege of getting to sit next to her at the luncheon - she is such an fabulous woman!

Quincy's new thing is pulling his big toys up the stairs or onto the furniture

And loves to make masterpieces with food, instead of eating it

He also loves to climb up onto the couch and read his books

Splashpark at Kierland Commons

For Kellan's 3rd Birthday, he had a party at Imagination Avenue where kids can explore and play with all sorts of toys. Quincy loved it!

Saturday was a full day - after Kellan's party, and Quincy's nap, Eve came over for a playdate. It had been a while since Quincy and Eve had 1-on-1 time together. They got along great and had so much fun together.

For those of you who don't know... Eve is Quincy's betrothed.
Here she is with her future father-in-law

Eve & Danielle

We were all sitting outside, when Quincy headed in the house, and Eve followed him. They closed the door behind them and started banging on the window, making music! They are so cute together!

Mother's Day was a nice relaxing day. It started off with Solon making me breakfast, and then I took Larel with me to the Arizona School of Massage Therapy Clinic for their 2-for-1 Massage weekend. I hadn't had a massage in over 2 years, and it was fantastic. Just what I needed. When I came home, I enjoyed a 2-hour nap while Quincy slept, and then we went to Natan & Larel's house to celebrate Kellan's birthday with the family, and celebrate Mother's Day as well.

Then, to top off a fabulous weekend, the Phoenix SUNS swept the SPURS, and are headed to the Western Conference Finals. I am so glad I don't have to watch the Spurs anymore this season. GO SUNS!!!

xoxo

Spring brings good things...

2010-04-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

March ended, as usual, on a sad note, because it marked the 2nd anniversary of my Papa Ray's death. Quincy and I headed to the National Cemetery and spent some time there, catching Papa Ray up on all our recent activities. It is amazing to see how much Quincy has changed since last year's visit.

We enjoyed a Cubs Spring Training game at Hohokam Field in Mesa - it was a beautiful day and the Cubs beat the Rockies! Quincy loved every minute of it out there!

Kellan and Quincy!

Easter Sunday before going to church

... and later after the egghunt at my parents' house

Kellan taught QB how to play tag, and Quincy loved it!

April got off to a wonderful start for me because I was reunited with one of my dearest friends from childhood. Annie & I grew up together since 5 years old, and our families were super-close, but we lost touch during college. We got in touch again through Facebook, and were able to spend a whole day together when she was in town visiting her mom. It was a perfect day!

Aunt Nancy & Uncle Bill were here for a quick trip and we got to enjoy breakfast with them at 5 & Diner!

And Happy Hour at Tommy Bahama Kierland Commons!

I have decided that I will be frequenting Desert Ridge Marketplace & Kierland Commons a lot this summer since they have the little splashparks for kids. Quincy loves playing in the water (which was freezing this day & he didn't care) and hates when we have to leave. What a cheap and fun way to beat the heat!

April 17 was Alpha Gamma Delta's International Reunion Day. Our alumnae group hosted the luncheon at the Irish Cultural Center in downtown Phoenix. I took my grandma Mama Mimi and Great-Aunt Eleanor, who are Alpha Gams from DePauw University! We had a great time!

Here are some of the girls from my college years

FORREST!!!

Solon discovered that we have several bird's nests under our curvy roof tiles. Here is a mama bird with food for her babies!

I also painted a birdhouse and hung it up on a tree in our backyard with hopes that we would get a wide variety of birds rolling through to show Quincy! Check out some of our visitors:

Quincy's Grandma "Sasa" (Lisa) was in town for a work conference, and we got to spend a lot of quality time with her! Quincy loved the view from her balcony at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge (such a gorgeous hotel!)

It was too cold outside to enjoy the pool, so Quincy took a nice warm bath instead

And spent the rest of the afternoon chasing after bunnies

For the first time in a couple years, I was able to help my friend Charissa celebrate her birthday. We went to Castles & Coasters for some miniature golf and of course I went on some rides too!

Then we went to dinner at Pappadeaux and the band serenaded Charissa with a birthday song - we had a great time!

What Quincy likes these days:
Stretching with Daddy in the morning

Taking big brother Forrest for a morning walk

The smell of Sharpee Permanent Markers (which led to a mustache!)

Playing with water and running around half-naked

Stretching his legs like he's taking ballet class

At almost 17 months, most of the things he does are the same as in my previous post, but his new favorite word is vacuum which sounds like "bacoom". He is obsessed with that thing, and would stand at the closet and cry until I pulled it out. Then he would plug it in the socket, run and turn it on, then turn it off, and run to pull the cord out of the outlet. He would do this over, and over, and would have done it all day long if I would have let him, so we eventually moved it into the garage. Now everytime we go to leave, he sees it and says, "Bacoom! Bacoom!!" Hilarious. He also can say "popcorn" now, although it sounds like "paw-come", but I know what he is talking about.

Solon took Quincy to Target while I was out at a sorority function, and they picked up a mini-basketball hoop that adjusts in height as Quincy grows. It has been the center of almost every day since the purchase. Quincy absolutely loves dunking on the hoop, and Solon and I have become quite competitive with our rounds of "Best out of 5" - I have proven that I am better than him at mini-basketball. You can even ask his family. They were witness to my skills on Friday night at dinner. So much fun! Solon kept saying, "My wife's INCREDIBLE! She unstoppable!" It was hilarious!

Magi Man is still the pickiest eater on planet earth, but I continue to offer him a wide variety of things, and am hoping that one day he will just get bored of eating the same things over and over. While he is only in the 40% for weight, he is in the 90% for height, and his pediatrician says he is growing just fine. He is 'regular' and happy and sleeps well, so I know he is getting enough nutrition - I just need to be patient.

Another thing he is doing is learning how to climb on things, like the couch and the patio chairs. He tries and tries until he can get up on it. It is so remarkable to see him learn things and grow before our very eyes.

Other than that, I have been going to the gym at least 3x a week and am enjoying being active and feeling good. All that working out and eating well, and I have only lost 3 pounds over the last 2 months, but I know if I keep it up, the pounds will start to fall off. I feel strong and enjoy going to the gym, and Quincy is comfortable enough now that he walks into the Kids Club, and rarely ever cries.

Hope you enjoyed this lengthy post & hope life is going well for all!
xoxoxo

The ABC's of March (well most of them...)

2010-04-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

Anniversary kiss

Brotherly LOVE

Catching some Z's

Donovan!

Extra-special day

Fun with cousin Kellan

Get your groove on

Happiness is... playing with Vivian

Imagination Avenue with Olivia

Legonie!

Mixing Drinks

Never been happier

Old friends (& a new one!)

Parking lot in my living room

Quincy!

Robert!

Squirrel Seeking @ the Rock Art Center

Then & Now

Violet's 1st Birthday

What a cute picture

Yellow bridesmaid bouquet

ZOO fun!

I started this post on March 28, and it's now April 13 and I am just getting around to publishing it. Obviously, things have been a little busy around the Bell household. So much has happened since the end of March, but I will leave that for my next post. Hope you enjoyed this one!

Celebrating our 5th Anniversary - Wine Country style!

2010-03-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Solon and I took a much needed trip to celebrate our 5th Anniversary a week early. My friend Allison Garrett had told me about this awesome Barrel Tasting event that takes place in California Wine Country the 1st two weekends in March. For only $20, you get a wristband and a map of over 100 wineries that are participating and you get to sample all their delicious wines and purchase the bottles that you like. So we made plans to fly into San Francisco on Friday, and sightsee during the day, and then we would drive up to Santa Rosa (where our hotel was) after dinner on Friday night, sleep in, and be ready for 2 days of wine drinking! Sounded great to us - and it was! The only damper on the trip was that our flight there was delayed, and when we arrived in San Francisco it was POURING!!! Weather.com completely mislead us. But we decided to buck up and purchase some cheapy umbrellas and walk around the city anyway.

We started off having lunch at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company

Meeting Forrest Gump!

Our lunch

Ghirardelli Square

How to make a real Irish Coffee (courtesy of the Buena Vista Cafe):
1. Warm glasses by filling them with piping hot water
2. Empty the glass, drop 3 sugar cubes in the glass, and fill 3/4 full with piping hot coffee

3. Pour a full 1 oz. shot of good Irish Whiskey into the glass

4. Use a spoon (in order to lay it on top) and gently top with fresh whipped cream.

5. Serve & enjoy!

In the 20 minutes that we were at the cafe, the bartender must have made at least 100 of these! He could have done it in his sleep!

The sun finally decided to come out around 6pm

Solon by the street car

Alcatraz at sunset & the view from the pier

Dinner at The Cliff House

Frutti de Mare – Sauteed Rock Shrimp, Scallops, Crab Meat, Mussels, Clams, Penne Pasta

Not only were we looking forward to tasting wine all day, but we were looking forward to spending some quality time with Holly & Chad who drove up from Reno to have their own weekend getaway before their baby is due.

What a beautiful way to start off a Saturday - at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery

The Trentadue Winery was such a beautiful place - I could definitely picture a wedding there

And they were representin' ASU!

Clos Du Bois Winery

Bella Vineyards & Caves was definitely the coolest of all the wineries we visited. It was a place that we could have stayed at all day long. Apparently, everyone else felt the same way - it was packed!

After visiting several wineries, we finally decided to purchase some bottles at Pedroncelli - they had the most delicious Sangiovese & we couldn't get enough!

Last stop of the day was at the Geyser Peak Winery

Solon and Chad getting educated on the wine process

After sleeping in Sunday, we headed into Healdsburg (the cutest little town ever) for some breakfast before we started our day.

Solon's Cheesy eggs, with roasted potatoes and homemade ketchup were amazing and my pancakes were perfection - which is why I almost forgot to take a picture of them!

Chad & Holly ordered a Breakfast pizza & Blueberry Pancakes that were out of this world

Sunday was filled with some of the best moments of our trip.
Here was the 1st happy moment completed by a croissant and a vanilla latte

The 2nd happy moment took place at the Flying Goat Cafe where we stopped after breakfast so I could purchase some coffee beans to take home

I was standing in line waiting to purchase the coffee beans, when I hear the Barista announce, "Cappuccino for Candida." I thought that was wierd because I hadn't ordered a drink at all - so I looked at the Barista's order list, and sure enough, there was my name written down. I looked at the cashier and asked, "Did he just say Candida? That's my name!" And the cashier said that the other Candida came in almost every day!! As she came up to the counter to pick up her drink I said, "We have the same name!!!" We got to talking and I found out she was German and really nice, so it was a super cool moment. She gave me her business card (with our name on it) and I plan on sending her this blog post so she can see our picture on here.

We dropped Holly & Chad off at the hotel so they could head back to Reno, and we had to take some pics, because the next time we see them, they will have a little baby!

We decided to visit just a couple more wineries on Sunday since our flight wasn't until 9pm - first stop Paradise Ridge Winery which we picked because they were serving Wild Mushroom & Brie soup with sauteed exotic mushrooms and truffle oil. The wine was great, the soup was divine, and the views were beautiful!

Then we pulled up to Carol Shelton Winery which was in an industrial park, and had an old Chevy parked out front. Solon said that we should skip it because we came to try wine and see gorgeous views, but I said that I might as well try some of the wine since we were already there.

Man am I glad we didn't pass this gem up. This is a perfect example of how we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. We walked in and the first room was COVERED in ribbons and awards. There were articles on the walls saying that this woman had spent years working for other wineries and winning them awards, before she finally decided to do it on her own. Everyone that was working there was fun, and spirited, and we found out that they are all volunteers who get paid in WINE! And man, was this wine delicous. This was the only other place that we ended up buying wine from, but this time we bought "futures" so that this time next year, we will have the wine from the barrels we tasted delivered to our door. What an exciting day that will be!

The final stop we decided to make before heading back to San Francisco was the D'Argenzio Winery, definitely the smallest of all that we had visited.
A true Italian family that made the best pizza to go along with their wine - great flavors to go along with a great day.

Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge

We had a late lunch at Scoma's which had amazing Calamari and we were able to walk around the city a little bit longer before we had to head to the airport.

As soon as we were getting in line to board the plane, I saw the actor Benjamin Bratt looking for a seat in a less-crowded area. I said to Solon, "That's Benjamin Bratt! You know, the guy from A&E's The Cleaner, and Miss Congeniality? And he was recently on Modern Family? I love that guy! I am going to say hi."

So I went over (and got all nervous on the way), and he was putting his little earphones in his ear and not paying attention to this girl approaching him. So I said, "Hello Mr. Bratt. I am just about to board my plane, but I saw you walking over here and wanted to come over and tell you that I am a big fan of your work. I think you're great." He looked at me, a little stunned, and I think he said something, but I was too busy talking, so I am not sure what it was. Then I said, "I'm Candida." And I stuck my hand out to shake his. So he shook my hand with his (which was warm and strong by the way), and said, "Thank you Candida, have a safe flight home." I smiled at him and ran to Solon like a teenage girl. It was so funny. I can't believe I got starstruck. I used to be so good at not being starstruck. I guess when you have been out of the game for a while, and you see this gorgeous actor who is even better looking in person... it comes back. =) But it was an awesome way to end our trip.

The best part of course, was coming home safely to Quincy and Forrest, who we missed so much. We are so grateful to my parents for watching our sons over the weekend, and I am really happy because Quincy didn't cry at all when we left, and he had a blast with them. Thanks again Mommy & Daddy for allowing us this little getaway.

So that's the story of our little whirlwind trip. It was FABULOUS, and simple, and sweet, and delicious, and just the right length of time. I highly recommend checking out the barrel tasting event to anyone that loves trying wine. We only hit like 10 wineries out of 100+, so we just might have to do that again sometime soon.

Here's the website again in case you are curious, and want to start planning a trip for next March: Wine Road Annual Barrel Tasting Event

Cheers!
xoxo

Enjoying the Simple Things

2010-03-05T22:22:00.000-08:00

I love watching Quincy sleep. He is such a good sleeper, and I love just seeing him so peaceful. I wish I knew what he was dreaming about.

Oops! The flash kind of disturbed his sleep, and he rolled over. Too cute!

One of my 2010 goals was to make a better effort to spend time with some friends that I don't get to see that often. I am happy to say that in February, I was able to make that happen TWICE!

Quincy and I spent the day with my dear friend Mimi, her daughters Claire & Samantha, and the oh-so-handsome Tahoe.

Samantha was born FIVE months ago, and this was the first time meeting her!

Claire has grown so tall since the last time I saw her!

Now that Quincy is running all over the place, it was fun to meet up with Jaime and Maia for some Market Bistro take-out, and a picnic at the park!
Quincy warmed up to Jaime as soon as he saw she brought Teddy Grahams!

The kids LOVED the swings!

Being silly on the Jungle Gym

Kisses for Maia

Kisses for Jaime

Enjoying a beautiful afternoon in the grass

Blowing kisses to Mommy

Future Model?

He loves his bear blanket

Quincy will most definitely be a basketball player - HE LOVES IT!!!

VIDEO: The boys playing 'Rooftop Basketball'

Quincy CLOSE-UP

Sharing with big brother Forrest

Spending time with Great-Aunt Eleanor at her new home

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon with my parents and such had a nice time.
Being silly with Papa Tom

We took a nice walk through the neighborhood to the house with all the bunnies. We brought scraps of fruits and veggies to feed the bunnies and they loved it!

Then we discovered that there were babies in the front yard, and we were able to pet them. It made Quincy's day!

***

In other news, I have been going to the gym 4-5 times a week, and taking Quincy with me to the Kids Club. He usually cries when I first leave him, even if there are other kids to play with, but the staff says that he usually stops after a few minutes and then starts to play with the other kids. He usually does so well until I return from my workout, and then he cries a little bit more, like he's relieved that I came back. It makes me sad to see him react like that, but I know that with time, he won't have that same reaction. And I know it is good for him to interact with the other kids there, and the girls who work there LOVE him. So that makes me feel good, because it allows me to do something for myself. I get to have some 'me' time, and get healthy, and that is a good thing.

For the last bit of this post, I wanted to include a recipe for some Mushroom Risotto that I made this week. I had tried risotto once before, and didn't like it, but I saw this recipe and it's all I could think about for a week. So I decided to make it. IT WAS FABULOUS. With risotto, you have to definitely have patience and pay attention to what you are doing - but it is so worth it. I served this Mushroom Risotto with grilled chicken breasts (which I seasoned (both sides) with Olive Oil, kosher salt & black pepper, and a little garlic powder, and then grilled outside (7 min each side on med-high heat). I also served a mixed green salad with tomatoes and homemade vinagrette. The meal was UH-amazing.

Here is the recipe:

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Prep Time: 10 minutes/Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
• 1½ cups arborio rice
• 1 qt chicken stock or vegetable stock
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 medium shallot or ½ small onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
• 1 container sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter (½ stick)
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used half parm/half shredded mozzeralla)
• 1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

Preparation:
1. Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot.

2. Melt 1 Tbsp of the butter in a saute pan and saute the sliced mushrooms until they're soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil and 1 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot or onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until it is slightly translucent.

4. Add the rice to the pot and stir it briskly with a wooden spoon so that the grains are coated with the oil and melted butter. Saute for another minute or so, until there is a slightly nutty aroma. But don't let the rice turn brown.

5. Add the wine and cook while stirring, until the liquid is fully absorbed.

6. Add a ladle of hot chicken stock to the rice and stir until the liquid is fully absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and repeat the process.

Note: It's important to stir constantly, especially while the hot stock gets absorbed, to prevent scorching, and add the next ladle as soon as the rice is almost dry.

7. Continue adding ladles of hot stock and stirring the rice while the liquid is absorbed. As it cooks, you'll see that the rice will take on a creamy consistency as it begins to release its natural starches.

8. Continue adding stock, a ladle at a time, for 20-30 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy. When you're down to your last few ladles of stock, add the cooked mushrooms. If you run out of stock and the risotto still isn't done, you can finish the cooking using hot water. Just add the water as you did with the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring while it's absorbed.

9. Stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp butter, the parmesan cheese and the parsley, and season to taste with Kosher salt and a pinch of black pepper.

10. Risotto turns glutinous if held for too long, you should serve it right away. A properly cooked risotto should form a soft, creamy mound on a dinner plate. It shouldn't run across the plate, nor should it be stiff or gluey.

Makes 6-8 servings

ENJOY!

New Layout

2010-03-01T21:14:00.003-08:00

Just in case you are wondering if this looks a little different... I am playing around with some new layouts for the new year.

xoxo

Holly's Baby Shower

2010-03-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

Holly has been one of my best friends since I was 14 years old. We met at South Mountain High School and were in the Dance Department & Student Government together. We have been in eachother's weddings, and now we have both celebrated the arrival of eachother's babies.

Becky (one of my other best friends), Holly and I called ourselves the Three Musketeers in high school.

And on Saturday, Becky & I had the privelege of hosting Holly's baby shower. It was magical! It was a wonderful time filled with lots of family, and a few friends, brought together to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Makena Grace Hutton.

Here are some of the details:

We all made a wish for Baby Makena

A close-up of the diaper cake before I took it to the party

The Dessert Table was filled with Holly's favorites!

The Banana Cream Frosting wasn't cooperating like I would have liked it to, but everyone raved about how amazing it tasted!

And here are pictures of who was there:
The Grandma-to-be!

Family

The whole group

Old Dance Buddies!

Great-Grandparents

Katie made these letters for Makena's nursery!

Quincy slept through most of the party...

But was lovey-dovey at the end!

This was by far the most fun I had planning any party. And Becky's mom's house was the most beautiful place to host any kind of party so it worked out great! Thank you Becky & Sammy for EVERYTHING (and Michael & Scott for all your help too) - it was such a great day. We can't wait to meet you sweet little Makena!

Beautiful Things

2010-02-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

A couple recent views from the front of our house

Catching up with friends, while our boys play

Solon and I preparing dinner together for Valentine's Day, and enjoying it OUTSIDE on our back patio (OUTSIDE in FEBRUARY!)

Seeing the joy in Quincy's face as we walk to get the mail

My first homemade Apple Pie (which I baked for Solon's birthday)

***

The jaw-dropping pasta that Solon prepared for our dinner was a recipe given to me by my friend Christy. She is Italian, and fabulous, and is AMAZING in the kitchen - obviously. I feel like I am doing a really good deed by sharing this recipe with all my readers (all 5 of you - ha ha). But seriously, if you want to really impress someone and hardly put any work into it, this is an amazing, and EASY dish that will knock your socks off. Literally.

Here's the recipe:

Jaw-dropping Pasta!

Ingredients:

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for cooking pasta)
-Kosher salt
-3/4lb good linguine
-3 tablespoons UNsalted butter
-2 ½ tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for cooking seafood)
-6 cloves garlic (minced or finely chopped – DO NOT smash with back of knife)
-1 pound large shrimp (I used ½ a bag of Jumbo Frozen Shrimp)**
- (Optional) - 4 large scallops (I used frozen scallops here as well)**
-1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
-1/3 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves (chopped up)
-1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons, seeds removed)
-1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (use as much or as little for added heat)

Directions:

In a large boiling pot, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a drizzle of EVOO. Once water is at a rolling boil, add the linguine and cook according to package.

Meanwhile, in a large (12-inch) pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium low heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Be careful as garlic burns easily and will ruin your entire dish! Next, add the shrimp (& scallops) to butter/olive oil blend (I season mine with a little salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon first), add 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh black pepper and sauté shrimp until they turn pink (scallops will also be ready once the shrimp are pink). Flip them over once. After about 5 minutes remove from heat and add the parsley, lemon juice and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. (You will think this is a lot of parsley, but it's so subtle, you will hardly notice it.)

After draining the pasta, put back in pot and immediately add your shrimp and sauce. Toss well with tongs and plate it up! I like to add some fresh parmesan on top!!!

**When using frozen seafood, be sure to thaw according to package instructions ahead of time for quick preparation.

If you prep the ingredients ahead of time, the whole process will only take you about 20 minutes to prepare. It is so good – I hope you try it!!!

***

Besides the meal tasting ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS, it also made me feel good to know that the whole Valentine's dinner cost less than $30 to make. WINE INCLUDED!

Here's how the costs broke down:
The frozen seafood (Fry's brand) = $10
Dry Linguine = $1
Parsley = $1
Garlic = $.50
Lemons from my mom's yard = Free
Two bottles of wine (1 red, 1 white) = $13
Rolls = $1.50
Salad = $1.50

The other ingredients are kitchen basics that I always have on hand, so the total for our Valentine's feast was approximately $28.50. This dish is so good, and if we were to get it at an Italian restaurant, it would have cost that much for ONE plate of pasta - not including the wine!! So all in all, Valentine's Day was an all-around sweet day.

Let me know if you try making this dish - I would love to hear how it turns out!

xoxo

Random thoughts...

2010-02-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

I find myself in this new year, having a million things to say, and not having the time to say it. My last post mentioned that one of my new year's resolutions was to start blogging more. Doing more than just posting pictures of my kid, my family, but posting thoughts, experiences, whatever. Have I gotten around to doing that? No I haven't. Why? Because I decided to play catch up on last year's resolutions that didn't get fulfilled and I am raising a toddler (of course), and just stuff - stuff like a million projects I want to do, getting involved in my sorority as an alumni again, experimenting in the kitchen, and reconnecting with friends which is getting harder, because our lives are all filled with various things, and time always seems to slip away...

See what I mean? A lot of random things to say...

As I type this, Quincy is cruising around the house with his snack cup, shaking his goldfish crackers all over the tile floor for his big brother Forrest to enjoy. He is so thoughtful. But needless to say, it's pretty impossible to keep a house immaculate when you have a toddler. And I have a daily schedule of things I do around the house to keep it clean, so I don't end up leaving it for one whole day. It's easier for me that way. But between Forrest and Quincy, I could have the floors looking amazing at 9am and then by the time Solon gets home in the afternoon, you would have never been able to guess that I had done anything with them. Yeah, it's just like that these days.

So instead of getting all stressed out about not having a super clean house, I have realized that other things are more important to me right now... Like watching my son explore the backyard, and his new love for basketball, planning parties for my friends who are about to have babies of their own, teaching myself how to sew (2009 resolution), doing something creative daily, actually picking up the phone and having conversations with people, etc. You get the idea. There is also another project that I am involved in with a friend, still very much in the beginning stages, but it something that has gotten me really excited about the future. More to come on that later.

I am definitely trying to be more active this year than I was last year. I have been taking Pilates, Yoga, and Cardio Kickbox classes as often as I can at the LA Fitness by our house. I try to take at least one of each, every week, but as expected, life happens, and sometimes other things conflict. I am getting frustrated because I cannot seem to shed these last 6 lbs of baby weight, and then I wanted to lose an additional 10 to get back to my wedding weight by our 5th anniversary. Well, that is a month away, and I am pretty sure it's not going to happen in 4 weeks. Here's where it gets frustrating for me. I was flipping through one of my magazines the other day, and one of the articles is LOSE 10 POUNDS IN 2 WEEKS. I was super excited - this is what I needed to incorporate into my existing regimen. So here's what it said:
"It's time to push aside weight-loss clutter (food scales, calorie counters, complicated meal plans) and safely lose 6-10 pounds in 2 weeks. Adding these 5 positive habits to your regular routine will help you do it, according to the weight-loss experts who authored Mayo Clinic Diet."

The 5 positive habits are:
1. Start each day with a healthy breakfast, just make sure it's not too big.
2. Eat (4 or more servings of) vegetables and (3 or more servings of) fruits daily.
3. Use whole grains, such as whole grain breads, brown rice and oatmeal.
4. Stick with healthy fats such as olive oil, and nuts.
5. Move! Walk for 30 minutes or more every day.

Well guess what FAMILY CIRCLE, I have been doing exactly ALL OF THOSE THINGS since Quincy was born, and long before then too. I prepare healthy meals all day long, I eat fruits and veggies, I use whole grain bread, brown rice, and oatmeal, I always use EVOO, and nuts, and we begin every day walking Forrest for at least 30 minutes. Sometimes I even do 2 walks a day. But has your method helped me lose that in the past? Um... no. Try again.

Now do you see why I am frustrated? I realize that the only way to truly get the results I want is to spend 2 hours daily in the gym, but who really has the time to do that? I guess I just need to suck it up, and start taking Quincy with me, and we'll see how well he does in the daycare there at the gym.

So, okay, I guess that's enough random thoughts for one post... Now here are some pics of Quincy to make it all worth it.

Here's the latest on Quincy:

*Still taking 2 naps a day (most days)
*Still a picky eater, but we are working on that
*Has 6 teeth and is currently expecting more & teething like crazy
*Walks/runs all over the place
*Favorite word is 'cracker', which he can say clearly. Besides the obvious (mama, papa, dada, buh-bye, & hi) he can also say (not so clearly, but we understand him)'bear,' 'ball,' 'teeth,' 'milk,' and 'touchdown.' He also tells us when he has a 'puh-poo' in his diaper, which I am sure is all too much info for you, but it makes me proud. =)
*He makes animals sounds a lot when he sees them - 'ruff ruff', 'roar', 'moo', 'baa' etc
*He loves rolling around on Forrest's dog beds - don't ask me why
* Loves playing with tools, keys, and loves his Bear blanket which is definitely his "lovie" right now
*He loves giving kisses - he makes us kiss his stuff animals, and he kisses pictures of animals and pictures of his mom and dad
*He loves books. He is starting to remember his favorite places in some books and makes us rush to get to them.

That covers most of it.

I will post pics of our Valentine's Day next time, with a special recipe attached. That's coming soon!

xoxoxo

Sorry... we've been a little busy

2010-01-25T09:16:00.000-08:00

I realized that my (internal) New Year's resolution to blog more hasn't really gotten off to that great of a start, but I like to think it's okay, because we have been busy enjoying the simpler things in life, such as:

Wrestling

Cuddling

Celebrating (my Daddy's 62nd Birthday, Grandpa Meredith's 67th Birthday, Tyler's 1st Birthday)

Spending time with Aunt Alynsia (aka "Nut Nut")

Climbing into drawers

Brotherly bonding

Watching & playing a lot of football

Hoopin' at the park

Snacking

Smiling

Walking

Posing

Sliding & Swinging

Playing

Hugging

Kissing

It's been too much fun...

It's amazing to see just how much Quincy and all his little friends are growing and changing. It's crazy to think back to a couple years ago, when none of them even existed yet, and how much all of our lives has changed since. It is truly a wonderful gift that we have been given, and we are so grateful to be able to be so close to so many of our dear friends. There are many though, who don't live in AZ, and we wish that our kids could meet. Maybe soon...

At 13 months, Quincy has begun a serious separation anxiety phase, where he freaks out if Mommy or Daddy go too far. We went to happy hour on Friday night with some of Solon's friends from Iowa, and Quincy cried pretty much the whole 2 hours he was at my parent's house. That was new. He is still the world's pickiest eater, and I am hoping that a miracle occurs soon where he gets so bored with the same 5 things that he insists on eating, that he just starts eating off my plate. A girl can dream right? I am trying to be patient every day, with the new things I offer him, and hopefully one day, it will just work. We shall see.

Quincy talks all the time, jibber-jabbering all around the house. He talk like his mommy and Grandma Chacha, very expressive with the use of his hands. He walks into a room and announces himself by saying "HI!", he says "More" when he's hungry, he says "Moo" like a cow, he says "Doodle-oodle-oo" like a rooster, he picks up a ball to throw it and says "Ball"," and his favorite song is the Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow" to which he will go around the house singing "Boom Boom" all day long. It's really precious. He walks so fast and confidently, that it is almost a run, and he can climb the staircase in 5 seconds flat (or so it seems). He loves to climb, he loves to tear down buildings after Mommy builds them with blocks, and he still loves playing in Forrest's water bowl, which makes bathtime even more fun. He is into everything - you can't take your eyes off him for a second.

Here is a current picture and a flashback picture of Quincy and his friends.
The flashback picture was taken on March 8, 2009 - QB was 3 months old, Tyler was a month and half old, and Garrett was 10 months.

This picture (with us holding the boys, or else it would never have happened), was taken January 23, 2010 - Quincy (13 months), Tyler just turned 1, and Garrett (20 months). Look how much they have changed!

I can't believe I got this entire post done in one nap time! That felt good - it had been too long since my last update. I hope this post finds our friends and family well. May 2010 be starting out wonderfully for all of you.

More posts to come...

xoxo

Bring on 2010!

2010-01-01T14:52:00.001-08:00

The end of the year has come and gone, and we are so grateful for all the experiences that 2009 brought to our lives.

The 2nd half of December was spent enjoying a house full of visitors, and guests throughout the many celebrations that the end of the year brings.

Spending time at the park with Grandma "Sasa" (Quincy is contemplating going on the swing in this pic)

On the swings with Alaina

My godson Cody turned 11 this year - I can't believe how big these boys are getting! I hung out with the Castro family, throwing the football around, and eating some cake of course!

Santa Claus comes to our house on Christmas Eve every year - and look at what he brought!

We were celebrating with 20 people, so he made sure everyone was taken care of!

Christmas Eve was a special night filled with family and long-time family friends, sharing a wonderful meal and memories. We asked everyone to share a toast, which brought a lot of laughs & tears!

Christmas morning

Christmas night, we celebrated in Surprise with Solon's side of the family. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and conversation, and here is Quincy with his new toy from Mimi & Papa Meredith - Solon wanted him to have this so badly!

Quincy sportin' his new Iowa Hawkeye gear from Papa Allen

This past Monday night, my moms, sisters, and our kids went to the Phoenix Zoo to take a walk through ZooLights. We had an awesome time checking out the displays covered in 2.5 million Christmas Lights.

Here are some video clips of ZooLights all wrapped into one short movie:

If you listen carefully around the 3:10 mark, you can hear Jango the Talking Giraffe give Kellan and Quincy a shout out!

Another thing I love about the holidays is that my friends who have moved away, come home to spend time with their family and friends. Quincy & I were fortunate to catch up with Denise who has been like a sister to me since the 3rd grade. I love this girl and her family! I am so grateful that after all these years, and with the distance between us, that we are able to pick up right where we left off everytime we see eachother. Love you Niecey!

Merry Christmas from Forrest (who has been recovering quite well from his knee surgery)

Family time!

New Year's Eve was spent at home, with Mom & Tony (who's flight got oversold), Alynsia, Natan, Larel & Kellan, and Marsielle. We enjoyed some board games, and watched the NYE special on TV as we awaited midnight, once the boys went to bed.

Here are the boys in their matching pajamas

The boys looked like Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in the movie Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby - SHAKE & BAKE!

Bring on the cake!

2009-12-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

December will always be an exciting month for our family. It is filled with lots of birthdays, lots of family, and Christmas (lights, food, baked goods, music, etc) - what more could you ask for?

We started the month of celebrating 2 birthdays on the same day. Natan (my brother) and his wife, my beautiful sister-in-law Larel, were both born on the 7th of December, so we enjoyed a Sunday dinner at my parent's house and celebrated the day they were born.

Three days later, Quincy officially became a "toddler." It's hard to believe that we have a one-year-old! His actual birthday was a little low-key, because he had TWO birthday parties scheduled for that following weekend.

Friday night, my dear friend Nova and her boyfriend Danny came over for dinner while they were in town visiting from NYC. Nova has been like a big sister to me since high school, and there just never seems to be enough time when we are together. We could have hung out all night, but she had so many people to visit in such a short amount of time, and Quincy wakes us up at 6am anyway. =)

On Saturday we celebrated with some friends...

(Sorry Eric & Kaream - I can't believe I didn't get a picture of you guys!)

On Sunday we celebrated with some family...

It was an AWESOME weekend. We are so grateful for all the people in our life. Thank you for loving our little boy so much.

Our "toddler"

In other news, last Thursday, Forrest hurt his leg while he & Solon were out on a walk. He had been limping on and off since October, but every time we took him to the vet, they could never figure out what was wrong. And it always healed after a couple days. Well, this time, he was fully limping, and it didn't get better over the weekend. So we took him in on Monday, and after more x-rays, and sedation, they found out he had torn his ACL. Well, with dogs it has a different name, but I will just refer to it as that. He had surgery yesterday morning, so they could repair it, and he had to stay overnight with the vet. We were able to pick him up today, and have been trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Hopefully he will be back to good real soon.

Here's a picture of him with his incision

We are looking forward to a visit from Alynsia, Lisa & Tony, and celebrating Christmas will all of our local family.

Happy Holidays!
xoxo

365 days since our life changed

2009-12-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY QUINCY BELL!!!!

It was one year ago today that you came into our lives, and we have loved every minute.

Here's a look back at how your BIRTH day started:

Getting ready to leave the house for the induction

Solon records a message for QB before my c-section

Look how tiny he was!

Day One

3 months

6 months

9 months

ONE YEAR OLD!!!

At 1-year-old:
LOVES: dancing, singing "na na na", any type of ball, taking everything out of the recycle bin and putting it in the trash
DOESN'T LIKE: anything green to eat, or currently any vegetable for that matter.
LAUGHS: Loudly - when we laugh, when we get from his crib, whenever... he thinks he is so funny.
CRIES: Whenever I try to give him food he doesn't want, OR if I don't give him the food he wants, when he wants it.
SLEEPS: from 7pm to 6:30am, naps from 9am - 10:30am, and again from 2pm - 4pm
EATS: 3 sippy cups of 7 oz.of whole milk ; for breakfast he likes chunks of banana or pears and his dry cereal, anything he can feed himself, and that has a crunch to it (Kix, Rice Chex, Cheerios); for lunch, he still loves yogurt, and grilled cheese mini sandwiches; for dinner he either has baby cereal with fruit, or whatever Gerber meat & fruit jar I feed him. He is still pretty picky, but is getting better.
TEETH TO DATE: Four (two on top, two on bottom), and four more about to break through the gums
FIRSTS: He took his first steps about a month ago, and didn't take anymore until about a week ago. He will take 2 steps or so at a time, and that's it; he taught himself how to go feet first, backwards off the couch and stairs; he tries to snap along with music; he loves imitating everything we do.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET QUINCY DRAKE BELL!!!!
We love you so much!!!

Thankful for so many things...

2009-12-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well November went by faster than you could finish a Thanksgiving dinner.

Here's the recap:

We started the month with a playdate with the Reese family.

Quincy and Tyler had so much fun on the swings together!

Natan & Kellan met up with us at the park!

Quincy & I had lunch with my friend Christy at Pita Jungle. We became friends while we were Chemistry lab partners at ASU West, and I was so glad to spend some time with her - it had been too long!

Quincy's 1st Thanksgiving was a wonderful, sunny day, filled with family, friends, and a lot of delicious food. Lisa & Tony came in town for the week, and Quincy was happy to spend so much time with his Grandma!

By the time we got to my parent's house for the 2nd half of Thanksgiving, Quincy was so tired (as you can see below with his red eyes), but he was such a trooper. And when we got there, we realized that he & Kellan were wearing matching sweater vests - so cute!

Two days later, we helped my Tió Raul celebrate his 80th birthday!

Raul insisted on 80 candles for his cake, but we could only fit 51 - we would have burned the house down!

VIDEO: Up in smoke

VIDEO: The funnest part of the night was watching the excitement and anticipation Kellan had when playing with this toy motorcycle. Every time it lit up, he called it "lightning".

On Lisa & Tony's last night, we went out to eat with the whole family.

I remember this time last year, I was huge and pregnant, and could barely eat one Thanksgiving dinner, let alone 2! I was also convinced that Quincy would come early, but we all know that didn't happen. And now, here we are getting ready for his 1st birthday, and his 2nd Christmas!

This time of year we put a lot of emphasis on what we are thankful for (although I think we should do so more often), so I just want to take the time to thank you for your friendship, and allowing me to share our family adventures with you through our blog. We are so grateful for the relationships we have with all our family & friends!

xoxo

"Is this Heaven?" "No, it's Iowa."

2009-11-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

That is a line from one of the greatest movies of all time - Field of Dreams.

If you haven't ever seen this movie, please do so before I freak out. And if it's been a while, do yourself a favor and watch it again. It's BRILLIANT. I remember talking to someone about this movie once, and they said, "Could you ever really love someone who didn't cry at this film, even just a little?" And to that I replied, "No, I don't think so."

Carrying on... the whole point of the reference of this film is it's about a farmer in Iowa, and...

We decided to take a trip back to Iowa before the end of the year to see Solon's family and meet up with some folks that we weren't able to see on Quincy's first visit back in April.

I was a little nervous about how Quincy would be on the flight, now that he is on such a good schedule, and so active he can hardly sit still. So in preparation for our 6:30am flight, I made some of these:

My friend MaryAnn gave me this tip since she has traveled back to Ohio several times with her babies. She suggested I put together some goodie bags to present to whomever was helpful during our travel days. I filled little cellophane bags with a pack of gum, a nail file, a pen, and some leftover Halloween candy. I included a note thanking them for making our trip a little easier. MaryAnn said this little gesture helped her so much when she traveled. Flight attendants can be very helpful if you show a little love when traveling with children. I handed one to the gate attendant while asking him if there was an extra seat available for Quincy's car seat (so he didn't have to sit on my lap the whole time), and he hooked us up and was so appreciative of the treats. While we were boarding the plane for our 6:30am flight, I noticed that one of the flight attendants was having a really rough morning. To top it off, the family next to us had a very loud, and very unhappy 4-year-old. I handed one of the bags to her and said that our entire row was appreciative of her, and she said we made her day! She and her partner made sure we had enough juice, snacks and blankets to last us the whole trip! It was great. The bags also worked on the return flight. These days, travelers are so disgruntled, and they always take it out on the flight attendants. I tell you, if show them some appreciation, it makes all the difference. I suggest you try it on your next trip with little ones. =)

Happy Travelers

We tried to see as many people as possible while we were there, so it was a no-brainer to go to Mona's house where we knew we could find a bunch of our cousins

Hanging with Alynsia and our great-grandma Gaga

Solon's Uncle Tom came down from Tiffin with his daughter Tatyana, and we had some lunch at the Starlite while we watched the Hawkeyes game

After the Iowa game, we were able to spend some time with one of Solon's best friend's Ryan (who drove in from Chicago), and his mom Colleen

We crashed Cael's 1st Birthday Party - so the guys could see their buddy "Louie"

Then Aman joined us all for dinner (yes, this was all in the same night!)

Quincy wearing his very 1st Iowa Hawkeyes jersey that Ryan gave him

Look at that stance - not holding on to anything!

VIDEO: Quincy showing off his skills in his new Iowa Hawkeyes jersey

The ending is really cute, because it was late and QB was getting delirious

After church with Uncle Dicky

Sunday we visited Solon's Grandma Nellie and Grandpa Leroy

And then off to Sunday dinner with the family at Aunt Sandy's & Uncle Dicky's

Quality time with Papa Allen before the airport

Our trip back to Solon's hometown was a good one. We were able to spend some quality time sharing stories and sharing meals with some people who are very close to our hearts. The weather was beautiful (in the 60's the whole time), the skies were clear, and I was able to experience a Mid-West fall, where most of the leaves had fallen to the ground, and a handful of trees were covered in rich red and yellow hues. It was beautiful. We got home safely, and met some really nice people along the way.
**************

It's such a beautiful thing to see my baby sleep. If only I knew what he was dreaming about.

Rocking out to Elmo and the gang (check out those slippers)

Enjoying an Arizona afternoon with Holly and her mom Jill

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving at the end of this month, and Mom (Lisa) and Tony's visit. This time next month we will also be celebrating Quincy's 1st birthday! I remember this time last year I was convinced that he would arrive before Turkey Day - boy was I wrong!

xoxo

Goodbye sweet October

2009-11-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

Man, that sucks. I can't believe October is over already. The one month I wish had more than 31 days. Boo.

Here's a recap of the fun we had towards the second half of the month.

Quincy and I met up with Jaime and Maia for a long overdue playdate. We enjoyed delicious salads from Market Bistro at the Moon Valley Park by our house. I was so excited to use my $5 off coupon that Market Bistro handed out at our neighborhood Blockwatch event - but like I really need an excuse to go in there. =)

Quincy and Maia had a blast on the swings and jungle gym, and Jaime and I just enjoyed it all.

On Wednesday, Mama Mimi and I took Quincy to the Talmachoff Farms Pumpkin Patch. It was 4 years almost to the day that we got Forrest from that same place. It was a little brisk that day, but we had a wonderful time. I can't wait until next year, when QB is actually able to run around and play!

The goat thought I had food for him

They all liked Quincy!

This one was really funny and cute - had the goatee and a bouffant!

Quincy picking out a BIG pumpkin!

They had strategically placed photo ops everywhere

Quincy sharing some corn kernels with Mama Mimi

They had these sunflowers that were just blooming in the middle of everything - and they looked so beautiful on this awesome day

He had a blast!

On Halloween morning, we participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's annual walk with several other Alpha Gamma Delta alumnae. It was a beautiful day for this 5k (3.1 miles) walk around Tempe Town Lake, and the nearby community. There were about 20,000 people there!

While we were walking from the parking lot to meet up with the rest of the group, we saw Sione Fa from Season 7 of The Biggest Loser running past the lake. I said out loud, "Hey you're Sione!" And he said, "Yeah, I am." And I said, "You were our favorite!!!" And he said, "Thanks!" So glad to see that he is still doin' it! He looked great!!!

Now, onto the best part of all: HALLOWEEN!!!

My little Dirt Devil

This has always been my favorite holiday. I love the costumes, the candy, the Jack O'Lanterns-o'plenty. I love it all - everything but the scary movies... not a big fan. Our neighborhood isn't the greatest for trick-or-treating. It's a little spread out, and not everyone participates. Last year, we had maybe 6 groups ring our bell. So this year, we decided to go to my parent's neighborhood, because majority of their whole street really gets into it.

We knew the boys were still too little to cover the entire street, but we covered some good ground since there were several neighbors that we definitely wanted to pay a visit to. Quincy and Kellan had so much fun! Quincy was captivated by all the costumes, lights and decorations, and Kellan represented for both of them by saying "Trick-or-Treat," "Thank You," and "Happy Halloween." Kellan especially liked all the scarecrows that were sitting on everyone's porches. At one house he told the lady, "Hey, your scarecrow tried to take my bag!" It was priceless.

Kellan the Dragon

There is one family that takes up like half the neighborhood - brothers, sisters, cousin, etc all came together to put together a Haunted House. I went through it ALONE, and was genuinely freaked out!!! Granted, it doesn't take much, but those kids did a fabulous job. My heart was still palpitating 4 houses down. I was able to introduce Quincy to many of the neighbors who has seen me grow up, so that was a really special experience. I had so much fun! It will only get better as Quincy and Kellan get older.

I decided last minute on a "Rag Doll" costume. It was really all I could put together after a few years without really dressing up. Next year, it's time to get serious. I think Solon might even dress up - he wants to be a Lion. So we will try to come up with something fun.

Tomorrow is Dia de los Muertos in the Mexican culture.

Day of the Dead is a time when Mexican families remember their deceased family members and friends, and celebrate the continuity of life. The day is spent sharing stories of their loved ones, and remembering how those individuals enriched their lives and their families. It is beautiful and fascinating tradition in the Mexican culture, and I encourage everyone to take some time tomorrow to reflect on their loved ones who are no longer with us, and carry their memories on to another day.

xoxo

A tribute to the best dog in the world

2009-10-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

I used to be a cat-person. I grew up with cats for 12 years before we got Nikita, our 1st family dog. She was a wolf-husky, and she was beautiful. She had 2 babies, Dunga & Chloe, who were awesome. Those 3 dogs converted me, fully, into a dog-person. I still love cats. I am sweet to cats. But I have this connection to dogs like most people have to each other. I love dogs unconditionally, because that's how they love.

Today is a very special day for me, because, well, October 29 was Nikita's birthday. I will never forget that. As I said before, she was our 1st family dog (belonging to my mom, dad, brother and me). But October 29 is also special because that is the day (4 years ago), that Solon and I decided to bring Forrest into our lives.

We had only been married 7 months, but we had been looking for and contemplating having a dog for a while. We had tortured ourselves for months, going to those pet stores in the mall, and looking at all the overpriced dogs behind the windows... and it was so hard to leave that place without rescuing each of them. But then one day, Lisa, my mother-in-law, called us from the pumpkin patch. The lady operating the donkey rides was selling her dog's litter of lab-husky puppies for $25 each. What a bargain! Lisa called us because she knew that labs and huskies were my favorite types of dogs, and here they were as a combo! Solon and I immediately got in the car, still unsure if we were going to get one or not, but there was something pulling us there with such force, that it seemed like we couldn't get there fast enough. We deliberated the whole way there, the pros and cons of being dog owners. But we knew as soon as we got out of the car at Tolmachoff Farms, that we were leaving that day with a new member to our new family.

When we got there, all the female pups were gone, which made me sad. I always thought I wanted a girl dog. There were only 2 boys in the whole litter - one was white with blue eyes, and the other was pretty dirty looking with green eyes. Solon was drawn to the white one, and picked him up first - but then quickly noticed how crazy and rambunctious he was. I said, "What about this little guy? He's just chillin' in the corner." I picked the dirty one up and he looked right into my eyes. Solon asked, "How are we going to decide?" And I replied, "Whichever one shows us love first." Right then, almost as if on cue, Forrest licked my chin. It melted my heart. Solon's too. He said, "All right, looks like he's the one." Then the donkey ride lady tried to offer us 2 for $40, but we said no.

That was an awesome day for us. Much to our surprise, when we got home to give him a bath, it turned out he wasn't just dirty after all. He had the most beautiful markings on his coat! Forrest has been the most wonderful, sweet, loving, chill, handsome, half-human dog, and he has always been treated like more than a dog. He makes us laugh out loud at his peculiarities, brings us so much joy daily, and just loves everyone. We love our fur-son so much. We honestly cannot imagine our lives without him. And he is such a great big brother to Quincy!

So here's a little tribute to Forrest a.k.a Forresito a.k.a Daddy-Boy a.k.a Thripty-Thrip a.k.a. Big Brother (Yes, we have a million nicknames for him, and he responds to every one!) It was 4 years ago today that we brought you home, and we are so thankful that we did!

Reasons I love October...

2009-10-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well, for starters, October is the reason people live in Arizona. The high was 84 degrees today. Clear skies, light breeze, and crisp air. I wish it was October for at least half the year - driving with the windows rolled down is the greatest. In addition to the weather, I love all the spices that are in the air once this month rolls around (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg), and anything with pumpkin in it is fine by me. Already this month I have baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Banana Walnut Bread, and plan on baking some Pumpkin-Pecan Cookies with Brown Frosting, and some Cappuccino Snickerdoodles, recipes I have courtesy of my Cooking Club of America Magazine. And although I haven't visited Starbucks in a while, I am sure I will use the gift card I have to treat myself to one of their fabulous Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and if you are a fan of Cheesecake Factory, do yourself a favor and try a slice of their Pumpkin or Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecakes. They are one step away from heaven.

It's kind of funny, that while I am writing about all these calorie-filled wonders, I am watching The Biggest Loser from last night. I love that show. It is truly inspiring. So many people making the decision to end their bad habits and change their lives. I already cook really healthy food for my family, but baked goods are my weakness. I love baking - especially this time of year - so I have decided to find a balance. Baked goods are good for my soul, but I also need to be good to my body. We are eating out less, cooking even more than I already do, I am taking at least one Yoga class and one Hip Hop class a week at LA Fitness (once Quincy is in bed), walking Forrest daily as a family, and anything else we can fit in, we try to do. I am realizing every day how important it is to be healthy for my son, and my family - so we are trying to do just that. Which leads me to another reason I love October - we can actually spend time outside without melting - which means, plenty of walks and afternoons at the park.

On October 10, Quincy turned 10 months old!

LOVES: his Elmo Music Table, his shopping cart, any type of ball, singing, taking everything out of cupboards, shaking his head "no", and being naked.
DOESN'T LIKE: getting his diaper changed, or anything green to eat, or currently any vegetable for that matter.
NICKNAMES: QB, Magic, Magi Man, Funky-stink, Buddy-man
LAUGHS: Loudly - when we laugh, when we get from his crib, whenever... he thinks he is so funny.
CRIES: Whenever I try to give him food he doesn't want, OR if I don't give him the food he wants, when he wants it.
SLEEPS: from 6:30pm to 6:00am, naps from 8:30am - 10:30am, and again from 1:30pm - 3:30pm
EATS: 3 sippy cups of 8 oz.of my milk (although bittersweetly I am having to supplement with formula now); for breakfast he likes his dry cereal, anything he can feed himself, and that has a crunch to it (Kix, Rice Chex, Cheerios) & if he is still hungry, he might eat some fruit; for lunch, he is currently obsessed with YoBaby yogurts, and will rarely eat anything else I put in front of him, so I have learned to mix have veggies into his yogurt until he starts to cooperate - it's working; for dinner he either has baby cereal with fruit, or sometimes he will soft cheese on toast, or bits of hard cheese. My kid who once used to eat everything I put in front of him, is currently very picky.
TEETH TO DATE: Four (two on top, two on bottom)
FIRSTS: Climbs the stairs, holds himself up on doors and stays there, got his first haircut, enjoyed his first time on the park swings, tried a lollipop.

Quincy takes all the ziploc bags out for fun!

Bathtime fun with Quincy

Yes, we matched on purpose

It got cold enough one morning for his beanie cap

Folding laundry is so much fun!

Hanging out at Marsielle's house

I must have something to eat that they both want

Look at all that wavy hair!

VIDEO: Quincy plays with the vaccuum, and doesn't mind when it falls on him.

There is this great park that is about a 20-minute walk from our house, and Quincy is finally at an age where he can start enjoying it.

VIDEO: Quincy's first time on the park swings

Quincy had so much fun playing with his cousin Kellan

SO SERIOUS!!!

VIDEO: Kellan shows Quincy the "takedown"

Quincy and I spent some time with Danielle & Eve at Heritage Square last weekend

(My future daughter-in-law)

Quincy's hair was getting so long, that the only way I could think to comb it was into a "faux-hawk"

So Daddy decided it was time for QB's 1st haircut

VIDEO: QB tries a lollipop for the first time

Quincy loves to stick his tongue out

Thinks the backscratcher is a lollipop

VIDEO: Quincy drools and says "Touchdown!"

Needless to say, my child loves getting into EVERYTHING - opens & closes doors, drawers, cabinets, etc. He exerts his independence daily, and is starting to get so vocal. I am pretty sure I got him to say "pasta" the other day, and he hears us referring to Forrest as his "Big Brother", so now he calls out to Forrest by saying "Buh-buh" and then hands him whatever food he is done eating. It is so cute! He is starting to communicate so much. He pushes his shopping cart across the whole house, but is not quite ready to walk on his own. He gets brave when he pulls himself up on my legs or anything, but then he freaks out and falls on his bum. When he is ready for something new, he just figures it out. It's pretty remarkable to see how much he has changed in under a year.

We are looking forward to Quincy's 1st Halloween next week and a visit back to Iowa at the beginning of next month to see family.

xoxoxo