A Jolly Christmas

HO HO HO! We had a wonderful Christmas day at the Bell Residence! Well Santa was a little light on the gifts due to this wonderful economy but the boys were both wonderfully spoiled by both sets of grandparents. All AJ wanted was a digger. He kept asking me if Santa was going to bring him a digger and if he wasn't going to forget. So of course Santa did not forget and AJ got a super sized Tonka digger from Santa. He also got an aquadoodle and Spiderman PJ's and slippers.

Brady was mostly happy just eating the wrapping paper but he seemed to enjoy his gifts too. I think his favorite to date is a Fisher Price Piggy Bank Nana Aviles got him. He likes holding coins in his hands then smashing them into the piggy bank when mommy places a coin on the slot.

Brian made a wonderful breakfast on Christmas morning and we had yummy cinnamon rolls, bacon, eggs and potatoes then proceeded to open our gifts and stockings. Again - light on the presents, but I think we were both happy with what we got each other this time around. I know I love my traveling/locking crock pot :o)

My parents, brother and kids joined us for a wonderful dinner on Christmas day. We made a turkey with all the trimmings and everyone enjoyed a wonderful dinner.

On Saturday, December 27th we packed up the car with kids and gifts and headed north to The Bells for Christmas part 2. Oh my goodness the kids were spoiled so much and with so many presents!! We are so grateful for everything they got from the family! AJ's favorite gift while at the Bell's was a Handy Manny truck that talks you through fixing things. He loves it. Once we got home Brian set up his train table and train set in the basement and AJ spent a good portion of the day on Sunday in the basement playing with his new train set/table from the Bells. He is also enjoying riding his Spiderman scooter he got from the Aviles'. Too many toys to play with! - pretty soon we'll need a bigger house! :o)

We'll have to update with pictures from the Nana's once I get them :o)

The Bell's Holiday get-together

We had our get-together yesterday. It was "quieter" than normal but being so late in the season we were expecting a smaller crowd. It was great to see our friends Ian, Susan and their boys Patrick and Nicholas. We don't see them often because they live in Woodstock and it is a trek to get to them and vice versa. They braved the roads and weather and treated us to some very delicious cookies and peanut butter balls. The boys had lots of fun as usual and AJ was for the most part a good little host and showed off his new "play room" in the basement.

Janet, Scott and Sarah were here also. I am still amazed at how big all the "babies" are getting! Most of the ESPN crew was here to join in the fun. There was no child gambling this year though but fun was hopefully had by all.

Here is mommy and the boys - thanks Janet for taking the picture!

And here is Brady opening his very first Christmas present! Thanks to Santa Lisa for his little monkey book! Brady was very "into" ripping the paper and his gift but then almost immediately tried to eat the wrapping paper LOL

Reindeer Army ready to take over preschool room tomorrow

That's right - Brian and I were busy building a reindeer army. With all the snow we're supposed to get within the next week they may come in handy to get down our driveway. Well, really not since they're actually cupcakes. AJ's preschool class is having their holiday party tomorrow and usually when AJ is asked what we can bring to a party for school his response is usually "cupcakes".

So - we got our creative chef hats on and got busy building our little reindeer army. Originally, AJ was supposed to help but we got home a bit late after running some errands and it was past his bedtime. We are sure AJ will be very surprised by them in the morning and if past history repeats itself - our cupcakes will be the hit of the party.

Here's our army creation:

2008 Masquerade Ball

Last night was a wonderful night out with friends at The Smith Mansion. Thank you so much Aline and Family for hosting such a wonderful event. It was really great to get together with friends and it was so exciting to be all dressed up and wearing our masks. It was also a lot of fun as usual to do our Secret Santa exchange. Brian and I were both delighted with our gifts and I'm sure so was everyone else. Thank you all for such a wonderful evening. Brian and I are looking forward to our party on the 20th and we look forward to seeing most of you here at the Bell Shack :o)

Here are some pictures from last night:

The Boy Who Will NOT Crawl

.....or hold his bottle for that matter. Brady refuses to crawl. He can get around - he scoots, sits, lies down, scoots and sits again. Today he reached a new milestone - he stood up in his crib at daycare. he's been sitting up in his crib for a while now and we knew this day was coming sooner rather than later.
Now Mr. Brady likes to pull himself up holding on to whatever.....

or whoever he can get his little hands on - this time it was daddy :)

His favorite thing to do is to start jumping once he's up. This boy has NO FEAR and just wants to RUN! - crawling is just too slow paced for our Brady.

Familia Update

Hi everybody. We've been a little lax lately with updating the blog. Here's what's been going on for the last month or so:

Brady: He had his 6 month checkup and is doing really well. He weighed in at 18 lbs! He's going to be big and tall! While Daddy was away in Las Vegas (for work), he finally pushed through his first tooth on the bottom. He still hasn't started crawling - at least not forward - but he does manage to move all over the place. Brady is much more interested in standing and gets really upset when we put him down on the floor.
AJ: He is taking piano lessons at school and seems to really enjoy them. Sometimes he practices at home with his sheet music. He wanted to play at the Bells' during Thanksgiving but the piano there doesn't have color-coded keys....yet. School is going well, and he's a good listener for the most part. AJ is always helping around the house - with Brady, the dogs, etc. He's also very into WHY right now...so if he asks you a question, be prepared for lots of follow up! He's also getting excited about the upcoming holiday season. He's been bugging us to get decorating!
Brian: Had my first trip to Vegas for work. ESPN put us up in the Bellagio...not bad! especially when it's on the company dime. Right now I'm prepping for Winter X Games 13 which is taking place in January. I was supposed to be going to Dubai for another X Games event, but it was postponed until the spring. I'm still hoping to go. It's not every day you go to Dubai. I'm also on an ESPN Bowling League. I can't say I'm the best bowler, but I had one good game last night!
Millie: Is getting into the holiday spirit. She started early with the Black Friday sales in tax-free New Hampshire. She's also working on her BEST certification (for teaching). She's also still doing the freelancing thing with occasional work at a local production company.
The Dogs: Well, they are still alive. I really don't know what more I can say. Sam and Dixie enjoy taking long walks around the woods - usually at the expense of Millie or Chris Rossi. They keep coming back though. ;o)

I think that's all for now. We'll have another update soon!