Look What I Found...

What a hunk.

Did you know that Wes titled this picture on his computer "doolyball"? (If you are a Bell you probably understand what he was saying)

Did you know Wes comes and shows me how tiny he has wrapped Halle's dirty diaper after he changes her?

Did you know Wes works on perfecting his Mickey Mouse impersonation to make Halle smile?

Did you know Wes saves pictures of rooms/furniture/paint colors that he likes on his computer for future reference?

Look what else I found when I walked in the bathroom the other day...

Spock.

Wes decided to try and style his hair like a Vulcan and I caught him. He claims he was doing it to come and show me and get me to laugh. I don't think we will ever know the truth.

Did you know I really love him?

Family Theme

Here we are halfway through the year and we are just deciding to have a family theme. Each year we have decided to pick something we want our family to focus on becoming better at.Better late then never.

This year (what's left of it anyway) we decided to focus on finding joy in the journey. The idea came about as we were sitting at a restaurant on a Friday night waiting to be seated at a table. Given fifteen to twenty minutes to wait, immediately the iphone came out and a chance to have fun together while waiting disappeared. This may seem dumb and insignificant, but it was kind of an a-ha! moment. President Thomas S. Monson said, "I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey--now. There is no tomorrow to remember if we don't do something today."

So many times we catch ourselves saying, "I'll be happy when..." and we have found that is really no way to live. We get so busy planning for certain time periods in our lives we forget to enjoy how simple our lives are right now, how cute Halle is with no teeth, how hard she tries to learn to stand up, and all the little moments we can turn into special memories. We're not saying we are trying to turn every second into something picture or video worthy, but there always is the possibility that something special is just around the corner if we are truly living in the moment. President Thomas S. Monson shared this story in one of his many talks on this subject: "I recently read the account of a man who, just after the passing of his wife, opened her dresser drawer and found there an item of clothing she had purchased when they visited the eastern part of the United States nine years earlier. She had not worn it but was saving it for a special occasion. Now, of course, that occasion would never come. In relating the experience to a friend, the husband said, 'Don't save something only for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion.' The friend later said those words changed her life. They helped her to cease putting off the things most important to her. Said she: 'Now I spend more time with my family. I use crystal glasses every day. I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket if I feel like it. The words 'someday' and 'one day' are fading from my vocabulary. Now I take time to call my relatives and closest friends. I've called old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I tell my family members how much I love them. I try not to delay or postpone anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives. And each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day. Each day, each hour, each minute, is special."

May we all live every day like it is a special occasion and find joy in the journey.

"We're having a heat wave...

...a tropical heat wave."

Well, it was actually a lot cooler in St. George then it usually is and it was definitely not tropical, but rather a desert in the middle of nowhere. However, it was the perfect weekend to take Halle swimming for the first time. Was there ever any doubt that she would love it? She does happen to love taking baths, so this was just an upgrade. She floated around in the escalade of baby pool floaters, sun shade and all. We heart SG.

Cowboys and Pirates

I won one of these!
Aren't they super cute? Little Lovie Baby Boutique does it again! My little nephew is going to be a little stud muffin in one of these! You could win one too. All you have to do is click here to enter the next giveaway happening this week. You should also check out the boutique's other stuff for boys and girls. You will probably say "how cute!" a thousand times.

I know I do.

Cheeks

Don't you just want to eat them?

Sometimes I will feed the little kikster her baby food, which now has small chunks in it, and as I put the spoon up to her mouth after having given her several bites she will spit out a load of tiny chunks she has been hiding in her cheeks.

What a little chipmunk.

Missionary's Day

For most it is considered Mother's Day, but ever since little Elder Nimer left on his mission it has seemed like Missionary's Day to me. The whole day seems to revolve around when we get to call him, how can we set it up so we can all hear him, who is coming over to talk to him, how long does he get to talk, what should we remember to ask him, etc. etc. etc. Not to take away from celebrating the wonderfulness of my own Mom and my second Mom(because really they are some of the greatest women you will ever meet), but seriously these last two Mother's days have been the best ever! And no it is not because I am now a mom myself, but because we get to talk to our fabulous Elder Nimer, this being one of only two chances per year we get to do that. There is something so amazing about hearing from one of our Heavenly Father's spiritual soldiers reporting straight from the front lines. His obedience and dedication is inspiring to me (The sweet kid made sure we didn't go one second over the time he was allotted to talk to us). After hearing from him I always want to make sure I am trying to live each day a little better, a little more directed by the spirit.

We were not able to go to St. George so we had to work out a plan in order for Wes and I to get in on the conversation. After a rocky start, we finally ended up calling Jan's cell phone which she placed by the speaker phone at my parents house and we were able to hear him. We got to talk for a bit, but it was hard for him to hear us and rightly so we were using four phones in all to make the connection.

I am happy to report he is doing so great!! He is now in Nottingham, England which is very fitting considering the boy loved all things Robin Hood when he was growing up. He is now the zone leader and very busy. I would say he is picking up on the culture as he has developed a slight accent and has worn skinnier Europeanesque ties. He has given talks in church and people have asked what part of England he is from (now that is fitting in!). The only thing that sticks out are his well cared for teeth. I'm told things are pretty nasty in the oral department over there.

So for the last time, for a long time, (I assume, unless someone pulls a fast one on me) I have enjoyed my Mother's day/Missionary's day phone call and have resolved to be a little better each time I have heard from a young man so close to the spirit, giving his time and talents to share the gospel and build the kingdom (in the United Kingdom ha!). We are now on the countdown downhill. We have about ten months until Ryan comes home. I just can't wait for him to meet Halle. She did not cooperate during the phone call. All she did was whine and then fell asleep. I was really hoping she would babble for him, but the kiddies never seem to perform when the video camera is out and when you want them to the most.

We love you Elder Nimer!

JB

Last weekend our family took a short trip down to St. George to attend the blessing of our adorable nephew Jake Bodine. He is such a sweet little newborn. He will just lay in your arms and look at you and slowly fall asleep. I didn't have this experience very often with Halle because she has been on the go from the day she was born and always had to be facing out and moving. I say she was born with spunk! It was so fun to hold a tiny warm baby, little JB is just adorable. Halle loved spending time with her grandma, but she did have a little jealousy problem. Every time she saw grandma holding Jake she would crawl over to her and start to whine until grandma picked her up. She loved JB and we had to hold her back from clawing his face off. The blessing was so beautiful and sweet. I am so glad we were able to be there for it. Jake looked like a little stud in his white suit. It was such a great weekend and a nice break before Wes headed back to school this week.