Thoughts for the New Year...

I am sitting here cozy at home on this new years eve, by the time I thought about planning something for ringing  in the new year it was this morning so we decided to just keep it simple this year.  I just read all my posts from the last year, what a great way to reflect where we've been and where we are going. So first its time for a year in review and then on to my goal's for 2012!

Here's my Top 11 in 2011:
11. Started Running again, ran a 5K.
10.  I was promoted to program manager at work.
9. I turned 30.
8. First Annual Bell Family Birthday Summer Bash.
7. All girls trip to Dallas.
6. Taking Ava on her first beach trip and first family get away when we visited our friends in Houston this summer.
5. Finding out I have a little niece or nephew due in June.
4. Getting our new home.
3. Ava walking! (That's rights, its all Ava on the top 3, it was a big year for her!)
2. Ava talking!
1. Ava turning one!

Now on to goals for 2012, I get really excited about making my goals for the next year. As I read my goals for 2011 I was excited to find I accomplished the majority of them. So after much contemplation here's my goals for 2012:

1. Start a small women's group for spiritual encouragement and bible study, meet once a month.
2. Run a 10K and half Marathon. I've started training and am really excited about checking off this bucket list item!
3. Go to the dentist. That's right, going to the dentist is my resolution, I haven't been since before I was pregnant, I fear going because they say pregnancy does weird things to your teeth and I've never had great teeth anyways but I'm going to bite the bullet and get this one done.
4. I started this last year about mid way, each Monday I did one organizational project as small as clean out a drawer or as big as organize my closet. It helped me keep on track with keeping our home less cluttered, so I think I will continue this one.
5. and 6. Are personal ones that I want to note here for when I look back next year, I will know what they are but not for public posting. :0)

Happy New Year!!

20 months!

Before I catch up on our Christmas festivities we enjoyed this year, Ava turned 20 months just before Christmas, so its time first to document whats going on this month with our girl!

• She's loves to give hugs and kisses, now she'll say hug randomly and come running with arms wide open, saying "momma hug". (My heart literally aches when she does this, it melts me every time). 
• She and her best bud Izzy love to give each other kisses, its just so innocent and sweet, love how much these girl's love each other. 
• She loves to point at things and ask you "what's this?". She can ask this question 20 times in a row and loves to go around a room and quiz you every item in it. 
• She's started singing. She randomly on her own will start singing "twinkle, twinkle little star" but gets lost after the first verse. Her version sounds a little like, "binkle binkle whittle star"
• She loves to play chase around the house, she laughs and laughs when you get her, and loves to chase us in return. 
• She's started saying the word "potty" a lot. I'm not sure if she's really ready but she keeps showing more and more signs she is, so might should get a potty for her soon. She randomly will sit on Rory's food or water bowl and declare its a potty. She is fully clothed when she does this so far Rory's area is safe, not sure where she got this idea about Rory's bowls?
• Just before the move this fall I was going to cut back on the paci but didn't really stick with it with all the adjustments, now that we are done with Christmas travel's decided we are back to cutting the paci down to the bed and the car. 
• She doesn't care a thing about the TV or any shows. She knows who Elmo is from her bath time books and will point him out sometimes when she sees him.
• I made a canvas for her room with a bird on it (I'll post more on this pinterest inspired project soon), she loves to come into her room and say "hi bird". 

Here's some pics from this weekend with two Christmas gifts, her doll stroller and her new boots!

Our Church had service night for the holidays at nursing home this month, they had this snow globe inside that Ava apparently thought needed a little squeeze. 

II remember this time last year, its was just before Ava would start to get teeth, start crawling, really eating table food and I remember that I was afraid I would so miss my tiny baby. I have to say, I love each stage, I really do. This stage is so much fun, most ways I think its easier, some days I'd say its harder but everyday I love her and love sharing this precious early years with her, I hope I stay present and soak up every bit of it! Love this girl so much!

lately

Wow its been a busy month! So busy I have hardly any pictures to show what we've been up to lately. So lets see we've had some good and bad an some in-between, here's the highlights:

• We went to Ryan's Christmas Party where we won an ipad earlier this month!
• Ryan got a pretty terrible cold that now Ava has but I think she's on the up swing of it finally. Not sure why I've been immune just glad I'm symptom free so far. 
• My book club had our monthly at the melting pot. It was lots of fun and I stayed out way later than usual these days. 
• We finished lots of house things but unfortunately during the process this weekend Ryan smashed one of his toes by dropping a ladder on it. I could show you a graphic bloody picture of it that he sent me when I was out getting Christmas errands run and the gross picture came with the caption "on a break" but I will spare you.  He can wear a shoe again so guess he'll make it.
• I made Ava a felt Christmas tree that she's had fun playing with lately. I also finished the last wall in her room with an art idea I got from Pinterest I will post more on that soon. 

We are in the Christmas home stretch, just waiting on two items to come in the mail and that is all that's left of the Christmas shopping. All our packages are wrapped and under the tree. 

Happy Christmas Week!!

Smore Christmas fun!

I'm compiling ideas for an activity advent calendar for next year but for this year we are just sprinkling activities in here and there to celebrate the season.  Saturday night Ava enjoyed making her first smore! She did not like the messy marshmallow part but she would eat some of the melted chocolate on the grahams. 

I was so impressed with Grahams that came in fresh stacks, the perfect amount in each little pack for a smore snack, that way the rest of the box doesn't go stale if you take a long time to eat the box. I also found some Stacker Marsh Mallows, the are flatter and perfect for smore making!

While we are on the subject of Marshmallows,  I am loving this flavor of bath and body works candles this holiday season, Marshmallow Fireside, it smells so good! I better slow down in burning it or it won't last me till Christmas at this rate.

a sweet tradition!

We had our second annual making of homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch, pioneer women style on Friday. It is a sweet holiday tradition we enjoyed with sweet friends. These freeze great so we ate on one batch all weekend and I'm saving my other batch when I have family visiting just before Christmas.

 It was a very empowering day, cooking something from scratch with my own hands and doing a craft that turned out really great, I won't post the craft on here just yet because some of you that read this will get one for Christmas. I am about 60/40 on crafting, 60% of the time they don't turn out like the grand plan I have in my head but I keep going back for the 40% of the time when I am pleased with the results (same on cooking new recipes too!). It was a 40% kinda day Friday.

The girls in their matching winter Jammies:  We couldn't get a good picture of them to save our life, they would be doing something totally cute, like sharing a chair together or giving each other a hug and as soon as one of us grabbed a camera one of them would be done with that. Ava helped a little with stirring this year but we are thinking next year will be lots of fun when they can be more involved in "helping".

Trying to build our holiday traditions around experiences more than material things. So its fun to think of ways to do this.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We put up most of our Christmas decorations this week. Making it all work in a new house will take some re-configuring but it sure makes it feel more like our home. Ava's best buddy Izzy has her own tree in her room so we thought that was a fun idea and Ava and I went Monday and picked out a small tree for her room. She loved both our trees and when I turned on the lights she says "ooo pretty". Each morning she sees the trees and says "Tree, don't touch." She's doing well for the most part with just looking. We are excited to start our Christmas celebrations. Tomorrow we make home made cinnamon rolls to freeze and eat this month. I love this time of year! 

Whooo had a great Thanksgiving?

 

*Daicia took this sweet pic of Ava in her Owl hat (Thanks again Shannon!)*

We did!

 Seriously it was great. I loved getting to sleep in each and everyday! It is so enjoyable to just slow down and spend time with those you love. 

 Our friends from college stopped by on their way home from their Thanksgiving to spend the weekend with all of us. Ava had fun playing with their little girl, Quinn. (In the pic above I asked them to make a crazy face and that's what they came up with.) Ava enjoyed being around a real baby, she mostly enjoyed Beck's company but just a few times became upset when she wanted us to hold her instead. (see pic below Daicia took, she was sulking around when Aunt Amy was holding Beck Saturday night.) 

I feel blessed our families live so close we got to see each side throughout the weekend. I even ate two dinner's one night because the food was just too good at both houses. Let the count down to Christmas begin!