The Bell Family

A Start to the 2009 Holidays

2009-12-09T23:40:00.011-05:00

Well we got a start on the holidays by taking the boys to get pictures taken with Santa. We also had dinne at Rainforest Cafe and then went to Build a Bear. Santa is right outside a snow globe and you have to go on the Polar Espress an through the snowglobe to get to Santa.

Brady wasn't too excited to get his picture taken with Santa but was there long enough to get a picture. Santa was great and while mommy was trying to catch Brady he said to Andrew that he had to be a good boy. I thought that's what I heard anyway - but the look on AJ's face was priceless - I heard him say to Santa "I will" and then he told Santa that he would leave him cookies for him and carrots for the reindeer. I asked AJ a few times what Santa said to him and he wouldn't tell me, he would get all quiet and try to change the subject. After a while I asked him again an he told me Santa told him that hehad to be good.

Dinner was at Rainforest and the best part was that on Wed. kids meals are 1.99. Sadly (at least the location we went to) the entress were not that impressive.

After dinner we went to Build a Bear where the boys got to pick out something to stuff. I liked the moose with the Christmas lights but of course neither of the boys did. Brady picked Frosty and AJ had a peace bear until the lady showed Brady how Frosty worked (lights up when you take off the hat) so of course he quickly had a change of heart.

Andrew really got into helping with putting Frosty together, pressing the pedal with the stuffing, warming up the heart for Frosty then bathing and combing Frosty. Brady just wanted to deal with the heart for Frosty and wanted nothing else to do with Frosty. Figure

It was a great night out with the boys!

Andrew's Pre-Kindergarten Orientation

2009-08-27T15:19:00.008-04:00

Andrew had his Pre-Kindergarten orientation today. We went in and met his teacher Mrs. Baker and explored his new classroom and even met some classmates. Andrew wanted to take a book to show his teacher - I think it was an excuse to use his new backpack.

AJ and his backpack before we left

We had the opportunity to explore the classroom and AJ was very excited about all the new centers. There is a science center with lots of magnets, microscopes, scales and other scientific gadgets. There is an art center and a computer center. His day will be busy and hopefully he'll continue learning lots.

AJ's classroom - Mrs. Baker's and the welcome board

AJ got to explore and play with all the materials in the class. We also toured the school and AJ thought the cafeteria with the tables was really cool. The school will feed him breakfast and lunch free of charge. We got to check out all the state of the art classrooms including the piano room. AJ had lessons through Happy Piano last year and the new teacher was very impressed with that program and assured me that AJ will participate in the afterschool piano program during the 2nd semester, 1st semester he will be participating in the suzuki violin instruction program.

AJ the fireman

and in the cool cafeteria

High on AJ's list of things to see in his new school was THE PLAYGROUND!!! :) Of course, it got his approval - with the "white as snow" sand (his words) lol and of course, the monkey bars!!! They even had face painters and AJ wanted a doggie nose and whiskers.

All in all - a very good morning. I think AJ will be just fine on Monday - I know i'll be weepy eyed but I will take more pictures of AJ in his school uniform and post on Monday. I just can't believe my "baby" is growing up so fast and is now in school!

Patricia Alyson Bell (1952-2009)

2009-06-29T15:29:00.004-04:00

Patricia Alyson (Tangney) Bell, 56, of Byfield and formerly of Lynn and Peabody, died June 27th at the Brigham and Women's Hospital from complications due to a stroke. Born in Lynn on Dec. 31, 1952 she was the daughter of Vernon and Florence (Beane) Tangney. Patricia graduated from Lynn English High School as a member of the National Honor Society in 1970 and attended Skidmore College in NY. Later she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She achieved her CMA Certification through the Institute of Certified Management Accounts and was the Accountant/Office Manager for over 20 years at Ashby Cross Co. in Newburyport. Patricia was also a member of the Newburyport Choral Society for 12 years.

She was the loving wife of Ronald Bell of Byfield whom she married on September 24, 1972 and is also survived by her mother Florence Tangney of Newburyport, children Brian Bell and his wife Millie of Bristol, CT and Christopher Bell of Byfield; grandchildren Andrew James Bell and Brady Michael Bell; as well as siblings, Carole Sheehy of Virginia, and Robert Tangney and his wife Linda of Freemont, NH.

A funeral service will be held on Thursday at 10 AM at the Twomey-LeBlanc and Conte Funeral Home, 193 High Street, Newburyport, MA 01950. Family and friends may call on Wednesday from 4 to 7 pm also at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made in Patricia's name to the charity of one's choice. To leave on-line condolences or for directions to the funeral home, please visit http://www.contefuneralhomes.com/

The boys at the Doctor

2009-05-11T15:47:00.002-04:00

Both Brady and AJ had their physicals today. Brady has his 1 yr physical and AJ had his 4 yr physical. I am still in shock that they are 1 and 4!!! Both boys had shots (not fun). Brady weighed in at a very healthy 22.8 lbs and measured off the charts in height at 33 inches tall. Andrew was in the 90th percentile for height at 43 inches and weighed in at 38 lbs (75th percentile). AJ was very forthcoming with information to share with the doctor. He filled her in on how much daddy likes to mow the lawn (not really) and how many lawn mowers dad has and what color they are and how dad lets him ride on his back when they play. All was fine until shot time.

Thankfully, both kids are very healthy. They both HATED getting shots and both wanted to be held at the same time. All in all an OK day though AJ keeps telling me over and over that he did not want to get shots. (who does really?)

Brady's 1st Birthday Party

2009-05-03T21:12:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Brady's birthday on Sunday May 3rd with our wonderful family and friends. AJ had a great time playing with Sarah, Donovan and Javi and Brady had a great time and was very mesmerized by his 3 baby friends - Juliana, Cassandra and Tiana. Brady got some very nice clothes and wonderful toys to keep him busy for a bit. Thanks Mike for the very LOUD LOUD lawnmower! :o)

Bradys' girls:

Juliana, Casandra and Tiana

Brady on his new ride and happy about his cake

Sarah and Uncle Chris and Jen showing off the cool shades

Here's the link to pictures. Click HERE to see!

Brady's 1st Birthday!!

2009-04-30T21:17:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Brady! Today we celebrate his first birthday. I made a batch of mini cupcakes for Brady's class (and a whole lot of others) to enjoy during the day. Once we got home, Brady enjoyed a bottle of strawberry milk (his new favorite) and a full-sized birthday cupcake complete with a candle. And rather than blowing out the candle - which AJ was more than happy to assist with - Brady attempted to put it out with his fingers. Let's just say that wasn't a great idea. The big family party, complete with a Winnie the Pooh cake decorated by daddy will be on Sunday. I'm sure he doesn't mind!

The "Harvard" or "Juilliard" of Magnet Schools for AJ

2009-04-20T23:08:00.006-04:00

While we were in Florida, we finally got the acceptance letter and phone call we had been anxiously waiting for. We applied to the R.J. Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts for Andrew back in February after attending the Open House the school hosted. Mom and Dad are very excited for AJ as this is a very popular magnet school and coveted program with over 2,600 applicants for only 24 spots. The school is moving into a brand new state of the art facility in August with smartboards in every classroom. AJ will continue with piano lessons and will also be introduced to the violin in pre-k. All students learn to play at least one instrument, and take vocal, dance, drama and stage craft classes. The school is partnered with a number of community Arts groups.

The school's focus/approach is on comprehensive training, cultural exposure and arts integration. The performing arts act as the vehicle in making academic content relevant and pertinent in the lives of students. The school offers a pre-k through 8th grade program and we feel AJ will really enjoy the challenge and diversity of the school and the program. We hope he continues to show growth in his love of music and we definitely know he's a little character now. Provided AJ is happy and successful in the program throughout the years he will remain in the school.

Check out the school HERE

Disney Vacation

2009-04-20T22:27:00.003-04:00

We drove to Florida for a little sunshine and warmth and of course a visit or two with Mickey Mouse. The boys were awesome on the drive despite the length of time in the car and Brady sprouting 3 more (maybe 4) teeth! Our 1st stop was at South of the Border and both boys enjoyed the animal statues and posing for pictures for mama.

We had a great time with family on Easter Sunday and enjoyed a beautiful week at the parks and the pool at our resort. We only had the one day of storms that went through central Florida but we were unharmed.

Brady and AJ loved the pool as usual and enjoyed the character meals and the warm weather and spending time with Nana Aviles. As usual we had our fare of great food at some of our favorite Disney restaurants. Brian and I also had the opportunity to check out the preview center for upcoming DVC clubs that are opening up and we are excited and hopeful to be visiting the new vacation clubs in the future.

There are TONS more pictures of our week in FL - if you'd like to take a peek, click HERE

AJ & Brady's new "Play System"

2009-04-06T20:37:00.002-04:00

A week after AJ's 4th birthday, Papa Bell and I put together the new "treehouse" that all of the grandparents gave to the kids for their birthdays. I did some of the initial prep work in the garage during the week - labeling EVERYTHING, putting parts out and assembling a few of the pieces. Sunday morning the Bells came down to visit and help me finish putting it all together. Sunday started out cool and windy but by noon it had become a beautiful day. After a few tweaks and some help from our friend Chris, the new swingset was complete. Yes, it took all day but we're hoping it will last for years to come. All I need to do now is add sand to the sandbox area and eventually mulch around the whole area. Thanks to the grandparents for their generous gift and to the Papa Bell for his help putting it all together! (And supplying us with a yummy dinner too!!)

Note the picture currently showing is from the manufacturer's website. Once we have pictures from the day I'll update this post...

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Birthday Party

2009-03-29T22:00:00.005-04:00

AJ decided a while back that he wanted a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party. Of course I was very excited as I love anything and everything Disney. AJ was very excited about his party and was actually quite helpful for the most part in trying to tidy up and putting his things away.

He loved the balloons and having his friends come to his party. It was quite hectic but fun to see the kids all running around and playing with trucks and chasing each other around the 1st floor of the house.

Daddy and Mommy made the cake for the party. This was definitely an adventure as we used fondant and it was a bit tricky to work with at times. Overall we were very happy with the outcome and everyone who saw the cake thought it looked great! We were up til the wee hours of the morning putting the final touches on the cake.

The entertainment for AJ's party was Curious Creatures - an animal show featuring soft and cuddly to gross animals. All the kids were pretty excited about petting the animals and AJ definitely had his favorites. For the average 4yr old the show may have been a little long but Buttercup - the closing exhibit had everyone back in the room in awe!

The kids loved the cake and the pinata and AJ enjoyed opening all his gifts and wanted everything opened so he could play with it right away! He got some great outfits for the summer and he even got a bathing suit which he kept asking for!

To see more pics from the party, click HERE

AJ is Four!!!

2009-03-25T21:59:00.001-04:00

Well our big boy AJ is now four years old. It's hard to believe. It's amazing too to see how much he's grown, how much he has learned and what an amazing little person he is. He surprises us every day with things the things he says and does. Sometimes those same things can get us a bit angry too.

We started off AJ's birthday celebration on his actual birthday - March 25th. Daddy made cupcakes that AJ took to school for snack. AJ was very happy that his friends sang happy birthday to him. After school we took AJ to Red Robin - his choice. He walked into the restaurant announcing to anyone that would listen that it was his birthday.

He was very excited. He got to see Red from Red Robin, ate his favorite corn dog, melon and fries and once he was done with his dinner the crew of Red Robin came over and sang him their birthday song and he got his free sundae.

Once we got home we had a little cake for AJ and we sang him Happy Birthday - he even had Nana Bell and Papa Bell join in on the song. Even Brady got in on the fun and had some yummy cake!

He Walks!

2009-03-24T01:03:00.004-04:00

Brady has been testing the waters for the last couple of weeks - standing around, hanging onto things, occasionally reaching from one stationary object to another. That phase has passed and he's decided it's time to walk! Once he started, he really didn't stop tonight. Below are 3 clips of his first strolls around the house. He is now unstoppable! Look out world!!

St. Patrick's Day - Leprechaun Race

2009-03-18T06:53:00.003-04:00

As some of you may already know, Brady was one of 40 babies selected to participate in a local radio station's "Leprechaun Race" on St. Patrick's day. I'm told there were over 900 pictures submitted, and Brady made the cut. Mom Aviles and I went up to the Enfield Square Mall for the race and Brady was ready to go.
The race was broken up into 4 heats of 10 with the winner of each heat making it to the final. The winner of the final got the grand prize. Unfortunately, at race time Brady decided that he would rather stay with Nana than crawl to the other end where I was waiting. We don't think he saw me - he was too upset to notice. The baby who won Brady's heat also ended up winning in the final...that baby was FAST!

Thanks to everybody who voted for Brady. It's an honor just to be nominated! ;o)
Click HERE to see the video shot by the radio station - 96.5 WTIC

Almost Walking!

2009-02-21T20:05:00.003-05:00

Well ok, standing by himself anyway. Brady spends a lot of his time standing around hanging onto things like Millie and me, or a convenient piece of furniture or toy. Today he experimented with standing without holding onto anything at all. It won't be long before our little man is running around the house!

Brady @ 9.5 months

2009-02-17T11:28:00.003-05:00

Brady had his well check up today and he is doing GREAT! He is at 20 lbs 10 oz for weight (70th percentile) and at a very tall 30 and 1/4 inches (95th percentile).

The pediatrician was very happy with Brady and his physical as well as developmental growth. He is attempting to walk and will do so with assistance or any push toy or item he finds. Brady is also exploring with words and definitely says "dada, papa, nana and sometimes he'll throw a "mama" in there to amuse me. He also says "da" when he sees any of the dogs! He has also mastered "eat" and "more" in sign language. Brady watches his big brother like a hawk and i'm sure he's wishing he can soon be running and jumping around just like his big brother AJ.

Brady's Cardiology Appointment

2009-01-13T19:07:00.002-05:00

Brady had his appointment at Yale Cardiology today. All went well. Our BIG boy weighed in at 19 lbs 14 oz!!! It was a key appointment as they had canceled his two previous appointments because he had progressed along better than expected. Mommy was worried and kept praying nothing was worse and that things had actually improved. Originally we were told that the holes they found in Brady's heart would close up on their own by the time he was 1.

The cardiologist did not detect the murmur with the stethoscope which was a GREAT sign so we almost got the "all clear" but he wanted to do an echo cardiogram just to be 100%. It so happens the 2 holes are still there but they are soooo tiny! they have closed up almost completely which is why he couldn't detect them by just listening. He got the "all clear" until he turns 2, at which point he will be re-evaluated, they will run the tests again and hopefully discharge him by then. so that's our good news for the day!!!

A Jolly Christmas

2008-12-28T21:44:00.007-05:00

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

2008-12-21T09:43:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-18T22:23:00.004-05:00

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

2008-12-14T13:56:00.004-05:00

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

2008-12-08T22:37:00.003-05:00

.....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

2008-12-03T15:29:00.003-05:00

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!

Ready, Set, CRAWL!

2008-11-02T17:58:00.002-05:00

Brady is getting much closer to crawling. Today he was up on his hands and knees and bouncing. Of course after a while he got tired and just lay there. We figure he may skip crawling altogether - like his mom and Nana Bell did - and just start walking one of these days. Still no teeth yet either, though they appear to be close. Brady watches us eat intently hoping to grab a bite of whatever it is we are enjoying.

AJ's 1st Date

2008-11-01T20:14:00.008-04:00

Yes - at 3, AJ has had his 1st date. Mommy was lucky enough to win premium tickets to Sesame Street Live and when AJ was asked who he wanted to take, he said "my girlfriend Gabriella". So - who's mom to argue?

The kids had such a great time. We actually had front row tickets and obviously our seats were AMAZING!! The characters would come down and pat the kids on the head or shake their hands and at one point the kids even got up and danced. The show was really cute too! Too bad Elmo didn't come down from the stage but we all had fun regardless.

After the show Gabriella and her mom asked us to join them for a late lunch so we went over to Mickey D's and had lunch then played in the playscape for a while. The kids were inseperable and had a blast playing after lunch too!

Click HERE to see more pictures

School Pictures

2008-10-25T10:39:00.004-04:00

The boys had their school pictures taken a few weeks ago and I got to pick them up this week. It was so hard to decide which poses to pick since they all came out so good! We got some handsome boys here! hehe

Andrew

Brady

AJ and Brady

"Dada" and 17.2 lbs

2008-10-24T15:09:00.001-04:00

Well Brady has been a bit congested and runny nosed so I had Brian take him to the pediatrician yesterday. My BIG boy weighed in at a very healthy 17.2 lbs. He's not even 6 months yet. I'm afraid he's eating us out of house and home already! Oh - and we thought it was a fluke and I know it's just baby babble but he is saying "dada" a LOT now. Even AJ has noticed and has said "mommy he's saying "dada". Too cute! Brady's as well as AJ are definitely dada's boys so it's understandable. I was "dada" for AJ for the longest time! I don't think he started saying "mama" until he was almost 1.

Revenge of the Big E: The Big Eat Strikes Back

2008-09-28T22:52:00.003-04:00

It's Sunday night, but we're finally coming out of our food-induced comas from our second visit Thursday night. After 5pm, it's only $5 to get in and what we didn't know was apparently the whole town of Westfield, MA was also there that night. It wasn't nearly as busy as last Sunday afternoon however. We met up with Ian & Tina Rodriguez and the kids. AJ and Brady got to stay with Nana Aviles. We did another quick tour of the states getting some of the usual fare - I swear my potato was much larger this time around! Our quest tonight was the deep-fried Oreos. After checking out the "Craft Commons" in search of a Christmas ornament, some of the other booths we missed last time and the petting zoo, we located our nirvana. And man were they good! Next year we have to try the deep-fried cheesecake and the meatballs on a stick (we hear those are deep fried too!). But for now, Oreos are definitely the way to go! Sadly the Big E ended earlier this evening, but we'll be back next year - with our appetites!

The Big E - aka the "Big Eat"

2008-09-22T22:41:00.005-04:00

On Sunday we took our annual trip up to the "Big E" aka the Eastern States Exhibition in nearby West Springfield, MA. Our friend Lisa and Mom Aviles joined us on our trip. We knew it was going to be a busy day being a weekend, but we were still able to enjoy the festivities. Our tour began at "The Avenue of States" - which features replicas of each New England state capitol. Each building features unique items from each state - including FOOD which is how we started our day. The highlights: Lobster Rolls from Maine, Baked Potatoes with pulled pork from CT (yes, potatoes from CT and not Maine - trust us, they are worth it!), Cabot cheese, cider donuts and fresh cider from Vermont, Del's lemonade and clamcakes (fritters) from Rhode Island. We also sampled some maple kettle corn, cheesecake, gelatto and the famous Big E eclairs. It's a good thing we did a lot of walking around the fairgrounds as well as to and from the car!

We're debating a return trip later in the week to sample the things we missed - the giant turkey legs, deep fried veggies, deep fried Oreos, candied apples and various meats on sticks. And of course we need to see the completed version of this year's "butter cow" sculpture.

AJ's First School Field Trip

2008-09-17T13:57:00.003-04:00

Today AJ and his classmates from the Pumpkin Patch went apple picking at Lyman Orchards in nearby Middlefield, CT. I was on vacation this week, so I was available to chaperone. AJ was very excited to pick apples and have his first ride on a big yellow bus.
It was a beautiful day - bright and sunny, mild and not too windy. Among the apple trees (McIntosh and Macoun) there was a sea of 3 and 4 year olds in their orange T-shirts all filling their bags with apples...not to mention small teeth marks on many other apples that were sampled by all the kids.
AJ filled his bag pretty quickly and he really wanted to carry it. But, it was so full every time he put it down it would fall over and the apples would start rolling away. It was a fun day for everyone. Next time we'll have to go back and experience the huge corn maze they have here!

Click HERE for more pictures.

Brady is 4.5 months old

2008-09-12T18:43:00.005-04:00

Brady turned 4 months old on August 30th and just this past week had his 4 month check up at the pediatrician's office. He was very good making lots of noises and smiling at the nurses. They were impressed with his size.

He weighed in at 15 lbs, 10 ounces and measured a whopping 27 inches tall! He is the size of a 6 month old - at his 2 month appt. we were told he was the size of a 4 month old. He is growing proportionately so no concerns there and they're glad to see he's doing so well. He wasn't thrilled with the shots he got and was making pouty faces at them as we were leaving. We got the green light to try any baby foods with him. So far he's only had oatmeal and rice cereal and this past week we started him on prunes. He makes funny "yucky" faces but eats the prunes anyway. This coming Sunday we're going to start on squash.

A while since we've blogged....

2008-09-06T00:07:00.006-04:00

It's been a few weeks since we blogged - we've been busy with work, school and trying to catch up on sleep. We've also been having some fun too. I started work on August 20th and my students started on the 25th. AJ also started preschool on August 25th and Brady started daycare full-time on the same day. Both boys are adjusting well.

We had Brian's ESPN work picnic on August 28th and we met up with lots of friends. AJ also met up with his friend Mickey from school and later that night we met up with Ivania and Isaiah and the boys went on tons of rides together. We all had fun playing games and AJ danced around a lot on the dance floor and did not want to leave at the end of the night.

So - here's a picture of the family. We were asked for pics for the boys classrooms so we pulled out the tripod and started posing for pics the other day :o)

Here are our boys posing for mommy. I took a bunch of pictures and once AJ got tired he goes to Brian, "dad, can you grab THIS" referring to Brady LOL my boys!

He EATS!!!!

2008-08-17T23:08:00.004-04:00

Well per doctor's orders Brady was started on cereal 2 weeks before his 4 month appointment. We are definitely not going to have a picky eater! At 1st he was making faces but he definitely loved his cereal then went on to have almost a full bottle after that!

Daddy feeding and Brady checking out the spoonful of food

Getting a taste of it:

Enjoying his 1st taste of "food"

Brady meets Mickey

2008-08-11T00:11:00.005-04:00

Well the boys and mommy are in FL having fun and actually doing a lot of pool and walks around Saratoga Springs but we did take a few hours today to head to Magic Kingdom so that Brady could meet the Mouse.

Brady was mesmerized with Mickey's nose. Mickey kept twitching his nose and Brady would just look and smile. He wasn't as brave as AJ was at that age when he tried to EAT Mickey's nose though. AJ was very happy to see his "pal" Mickey again and gave him a big hug!

Brady meeting Mickey:

AJ hugging his pal Mickey:

Click HERE to see more pictures from our vacation

Live from X Games 14

2008-08-02T02:46:00.005-04:00

Greetings from Los Angeles. Millie and Brian are hard at work at X Games 14 - both operating graphics for the Skateboard Superpark, Skateboard Vert, BMX Superpark and BMX Vert events. Brian is also running around as the lead graphic operator for all of our events. We've got 2 days under our belt already and we'll be very busy on Saturday. Make sure you check your local listings for coverage. While Millie & Brian are working, AJ & Brady are enjoying their stay at Nana & Papa Bell's house. We hear there has been plenty of fun going on over there from bike riding to making banana bread. Thanks to Nana Bell for watching the kids this week! We'll have some pictures up soon....stay tuned and tune in!

Click HERE to see more pictures from our trip.

Tania's Visit

2008-07-20T18:44:00.006-04:00

My friend Tania came to visit today with her son Marcus, her nephew Justin and her grandma. It has been a while since we have gotten together so it was very nice to visit for a bit and for Tania to meet our little Brady. Brady had her wrapped around his little finger, having her stand to hold him or he would give her the pouty lip and cry. Momma spoils him by holding him a lot so he expects everyone to accomodate his needs :o)

Marcus and Justin had fun playing while at the house, afterall toys all over the living room
is any kids dream. The boys played well together and had fun.
Once we got the boys into their swimsuits we headed over to Casey Park and picked up lunch on the way there. The boys had their lunch and soon after were running around getting wet and playing on the slide and playscape.
They had a really good time despite the heat.

Brady loved going from Grandma to Tania to Mommy - as long as he was being held he was a happy boy. We can't wait to get together again. Hopefully we can meet up in Coney Island before they're done for the season!

To see more pictures click HERE

KidCity Museum

2008-07-13T12:55:00.004-04:00

On Thursday we got together with our wonderful friends Chris, Kelly, Matthew, Joshua and Janet & Sarah. Chris, Kelly and the boys were up visiting from Virginia for the week and it was great to see them as it has been quite a while since we all last got together.
We had a relaxing time at Janet's house. The boys and Sarah played for a bit, then we had lunch. After lunch the kids (minus AJ) all took mini naps before we headed out to the museum.
AJ was hesitant at 1st about a 'new' museum - he was adamant on going to HIS museum. Once we got there though he forgot all about his old museum and loved every minute of the new museum so much that we had a minor meltdown when we got kicked out at 5pm.

Sarah and the boys in front of the museum

AJ and Matthew in a car

AJ and Joshua making bubbles

AJ driving Kristin's car

Click HERE to see more pictures

Saturday at Ian and Susan's

2008-07-12T12:43:00.000-04:00

The Webster's had a cookout and it was a beautiful day spent at their residence with all the kids and friends. AJ loved going in and out of all the pools and the moon walk was a big hit even with the dads LOL. Scott and Sarah were also at the picnic and Sarah had a lot of fun in the pool, the moonwalk and the playscape.

Brian, Sarah in the back and Scott and AJ in the moonwalk

and Brian playing AJ Ball hehe

AJ sliding down

AJ tractor riding, and giving Brady a tractor ride too!

Patrick drawing on the black top, Patrick's beautiful smile

Brady is 2 months old

2008-07-11T14:43:00.001-04:00

Brady is now 2+ months old. He had his 2 month appointment on 7/11 and weighed in at a very healthy 12.6 lbs (75 percentile) and was 24 and 1/4 inches long (90th percentile). He had his shots which he wasn't too thrilled about but made it through the day just sleeping a bit more than usual.

Brady is moving around a lot more, holding his head up and making lots and lots of noises trying to talk to us. He still loves his swing and is smiling and trying to laugh a lot. He looks at us and stares and then smiles that great big smile of his. Our little boy is growing fast!

Joey's Birthday

2008-06-22T09:21:00.003-04:00

On Saturday June 21st we headed over to my brother's house to celebrate Joey's birthday. Joey is about 2 and a half months younger than AJ and AJ loves playing with him as well as his older cousins Jordan and Danny.

It was a beautiful day out and the boys had fun running around the yard and playing on the bikes and push cars. Joey loved his construction trucks cake - dirt and all! :) great job on the cake Kim!

Click HERE to see more pictures

AJ at the Park

2008-06-14T17:19:00.003-04:00

AJ and mommy went to Casey Park - one of our many local parks this morning. I like this park because it's never overcrowded, most people go to the much larger park down the road. Most of the parks here have the sprinkler playground and AJ is such a fan of anything to do with water.

When we left the house it was clouding over pretty fast but by the time we got to the park the sun was out in full force. AJ was running around like a madman and even with his water shoes on he had one really good wipeout and the burns to prove it on his chest and by his elbow. That did not slow him down one bit though!

Click HERE to see more pictures

Growing Up Way Too Fast

2008-06-11T22:26:00.004-04:00

Well I had my dentist appointment for a cleaning today. I took Brady with me and he slept through most of the appointment but then got restless. Charlene one of the wonderful receptionists asked if she could take him, if I minded and I said sure. so her and Barbara took care of him in the front and they were just all gushing over him . Well at the end of the appointment Charlene asks me if he's teething and I say "no, he's only a little over a month old!" well she says - but I see two white dots on the front - so she calls Dr. Wilson over and sure enough - Dr. Wilson confirms that it's two bottom teeth coming in!!!! ugghhhh I just can't believe it - this is way too fast for me! . You can definitely see the two white DOTS right on the gum line and you can feel the one on the right.

The other milestone - Brady turned over at around 3 weeks. I thought Brian was playing tricks on me at first :o) I had Brady on his back and I leave the room and come back a few minutes to find Brady on his side. A few days later the same thing - I leave the room and come back and he's on his tummy. I asked Brian if he had turned him and he said no. Our little man is growing up way too fast!!

Brady meets great grandma

2008-06-03T09:26:00.004-04:00

We visited the Bell's on Sunday and part of the visit included going to visit Nonnie at her home so that she could meet her new great grandson. It was a short visit so we look forward to more visits in the near future! The visit coincided with Brady's feeding time so Nonnie got to feed him with a bit of Brian's help. There are more pictures of the visit on AJ's Bike blog below.

AJ's Bike Ride

2008-06-02T23:03:00.004-04:00

On Sunday, we went to visit Nana & Papa Bell. They had a surprise for AJ - a 2-wheel bike! After Papa made some modifications to add the training wheels (yes, they ARE pink), AJ strapped on his helmet and was raring to go. The only problem was the rough surface Nana & Papa call their driveway... it's got a few peaks and valleys. AJ learned to navigate pretty well and can't wait to ride his new bike again soon! Click HERE for pictures and a little video I made is below.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow(s)

2008-05-31T21:57:00.005-04:00

Today was supposed to be what the weatherman termed "a wash". He couldn't have gotten the forecast any more wrong today - yes, it was cloudy for the better part of the day but it wasn't the total rainout predicted. We went out for dinner and watched the stormclouds roll in as we finished. From there we went to the local WalMart and the skies opened up. When we came out, the rain had passed and there was a cool sunset under the cloud ceiling. The best part was not a single - but a DOUBLE rainbow! I don't think I've ever seen such a brilliant rainbow - especially one you could follow end to end. And there were two of them! Very cool. We took some pictures with our cell phones - along with a lot of other people in the parking lot. And I happened to have the video camera in the car as well. Click HERE for the pictures.

Dinner With Friends and Our New Babysitter (hmmmm maybe not lol)...

2008-05-29T10:58:00.006-04:00

On Tuesday night we had our friends Chris, Korin and Kim over for dinner. This was not your conventional dinner party. Our friend Chris was the Chef for the night. He made a WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS gourmet meal!! The menu consisted of yolk topped proscuitto wrapped Scallops on a cauliflower puree for an appetizer, an asian salad with sugared almonds and mandarins, chipotle pork tenderloin with parmesan crisps, mashed sweet potatoes and asparagus and Korin's famous chocolate truffle cake. YUMMMM is all I can still say!! We had great food, great wine and a wonderful time with friends.

Now Kim had never or only once held a baby so after Korin got her fill holding Brady he was handed over to Kim. Here is the progression of the Kim holding Brady pictures....

awww sweet innocent baby!!! (Brady...not Kim!)

Ummm... wrong "bottle" Kim :)An AJ tradition is that anytime any of the "girl" friends come over they have to play on his sit and spin. Lisa and Kristen had a blast on the sit and spin on New Year's eve - we STILL have to blog those video clips!!! Kim had her chance to show off her skills on the sit and spin too!

A high 5 from AJ!

Brady's Nursery

2008-05-23T16:03:00.005-04:00

Well Brady's nursery is finally coming together. The room was painted by Brian before we found out we were pregnant. At 1st I didn't care for the color, I thought it was a little on the darker side but now with what I have in the room, colors-wise it goes really well. Daddy put up the wall decorations the other day:

Brady is still not sleeping in the room yet - I put him in the crib once in a while during the day if I need to do something while i'm in the room, or while i'm upstairs, etc.

I debated at 1st using AJ's bedding BUT considering that EVERYTHING that was AJ's is now Brady's I figured new bedding wouldn't break the bank. Classic Pooh is the theme and I love it!

Brady's got one great closet! - this kid has so much clothing!!! this entire closet is 0-3 months right now plus I have 2 other boxes of "warmer" 0-3 months clothing for later in the summer. I also have between 10 -12 more boxes of clothing that go through 2T/3T.

We kept the dresser that was in the room originally - I just put the changing pad on top.

Here is our special sweetie enjoying his crib:

Nana Bell did this cross-stitch birth announcement for Brady:

On the other side of the crib we kept the queen bed that was in the room should we have people decide they want to spend the night. I still have some boxes to clear out of the room but for the most part the nursery is done! about time right?? :o)

Touch a Truck 2008

2008-05-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday we went to the annual Touch a Truck event at one of the elementary schools in a neighboring town. AJ as usual had a lot of fun. He liked being able to go in a lot of the trucks, buses, boats and race cars and I think his favorite part was trying to make the horns beep on each of the vehicles. He saw the mail truck and asked if Papa Bell was in it. Shockingly - he did not want to go in the fire truck this year he just wanted to "see" it.

Click HERE to see more pictures

Brady's 1st Bath

2008-05-15T19:40:00.002-04:00

Brady had his 1st full bath and he was great for most of it until mommy decided to wash his hair. He wasn't too fond of that! Daddy did some creative photoshop for modesty's sake. AJ was very
happy to lend a helping hand while I was trying to bathe Brady.

Nice relaxing warm bath

still enjoying the bath -
Thanks for the cover up dad!

Mom HAD to wash his hair :)
and Brady was NOT a fan!

If looks could kill! lol

Click HERE to see more pictures

Video from the Circus!

2008-05-14T23:24:00.004-04:00

I was trying out some new functionality with GoogleDocs and YouTube. This post is similar to a PowerPoint presentation with 3 "slides" that include 3 videos I shot that day. Check them out!

Click on the arrows in the lower left corner to select each video.
Click on the icon next to the speaker (right corner of video window) to make the video bigger.

Baby Brady

2008-05-12T15:40:00.005-04:00

Here is our little man showing some team spirit and hanging out in his swing

getting ready for a nap....

and... sleepy time!!!!

A Trip to the Circus

2008-05-10T18:12:00.000-04:00

On Saturday May 10th we took AJ and Brady to the circus. It was the 1st time for both boys and quite a long time for mommy and daddy. There was a pre-show an hour before the event and we had lots of fun with close-up looks at the elephants, acrobats, clowns and other performers. AJ even got to ride one of the clown bikes that was in the show!!!

Unfortunately the time of the show was right during nap time so AJ didn't get a nap before the show. He was out on dad's lap about 20 minutes into the show but mainly missed just acrobats. He woke up in time for intermission and then was awake for the 2nd part of the show. He got to see the cool elephants which he was so excited about. He's been calling it "the elephant circus" since we told him we were taking him to the circus.

Brady slept through the entire show waking up at the finale screaming for food. We had a great time at the circus.

Click HERE to see more pictures from the show.

A Visit from Nana and Papa Bell

2008-05-06T17:08:00.003-04:00

Nana and Papa Bell came for a visit to meet Brady on Sunday. They came bearing gifts for both kids and AJ had tons of fun with Nana and Papa. AJ kept them both entertained outside because it was a very nice day and when we were inside AJ made sure he had their full attention playing with Play Doh or reading books. He certainly wore nana out this time around!

Click HERE to see more pictures

Interesting Tidbits

2008-05-01T13:18:00.000-04:00

Birth Date vs Actual Date

One of the nurses told me yesterday that it's very unusual for a baby to actually be born in his/her due date. I believe she told me it was around 2%. A quick Google search says it's no more than 4-5%. Go Brady! Andrew was a week late.

Andrew vs Brady

AJ weighed in at 7 lbs, 8 ounces and Brady at 7 lbs, 15 ounces. Both boys were 21" at birth, but Brady has the edge here too by being a whopping 1/8" longer!

Baby Boom!

Indications are that we're in the midst of another small baby boom - at least in Hollywood anyway! I can believe that - you should have seen the nursery at the hospital! There were 12-14 babies in there!! I don't recall quite as many when AJ was born. Gotta love Wikipedia - they have a chart that shows an upward tick that has been growing since about 1998.

Another productive day at work. Can't wait until vacation next week!

Momma's Boys

2008-05-01T00:49:00.004-04:00

AJ finally got to meet his little brother and he was very excited. He wanted to hold him, gave him kisses and at the end of his visit asked if he could take Baby Brady home to take him to school and show him to his teachers. He settled for a printed picture to take to school instead. I'm so excited for my boys and here is a picture that i'm sure i'll have to print in a few years when they are bickering and fighting over every little thing LOL

Click HERE to see more pictures

Announcing Brady Michael Bell

2008-04-30T13:31:00.005-04:00

Hello everybody! I'm know Millie already got word to several of you, but here's an official announcement. Don't be surprised if Millie sends a prettier version soon!

The stats: 21 1/8 inches long and 7 lbs, 15 oz.

We arrived at Yale/New Haven Hospital at about 5:30a this morning and Brady was born at 7:45a. Mom and baby are both doing well. AJ and Brian will have to fend for themselves for a day or two. Feel free to give Millie a call or text message - and she loves visitors!

It's Gone!

2008-04-25T14:59:00.002-04:00

After what seems like an eternity, I finally sold my 2-family house on Maple St in Bristol. The couple that bought the house plans on gutting the place and making it all new - or at least as new as a circa 1885 house can get. I had planned on doing something similar. I started by renovating the 1st floor bathroom and started the kitchen but getting married, having kids and owning a second home put an end to all that. At least I'm only supporting a single mortgage now and don't have to worry about tenants anymore! That alone was worth selling for!! Yippee! Now it's time to sit back and await Brady's arrival. Any day now...

AJ and Mommy go to Mystic Aquarium

2008-04-14T22:32:00.004-04:00

AJ had his 3 yr physical today and I decided to keep him home from school and take him to the aquarium with our friends Ivania and Isaiah. We had lunch at Mickey D's and all the boys could talk about was all the animals they wanted to see - at that time, penguins frogs and alligators were the "biggies" they wanted to see.

AJ and Isaiah at the
Penguin Exhibit

The boys had such a good time. They had a blast throughout the aquarium and liked the sea lion show and touching sea stars and trying to touch sting rays and seeing all the other animals.

AJ holding a Sea Star (hard to
take a CLEAR pic one-handed,
holding AJ's hand in freezing
cold water at the same time) :o)

The whales were definitely a favorite with the boys and we stopped by the Whale tank three times throughout the day. Every time the whales swam by both boys would get so excited. This is one of my favorite pictures and they boys loved it when the whale did this! AJ said the whale was talking to him!

Frogs were a favorite of AJ oh and so were the tarantulas but MOMMA was NOT impressed by those and I was glad they were behind glass. I ended up buying AJ a book about belugas that we read before bedtime and a Beluga stuffed whale that he hugged to sleep - he kept talking about how the whales were his favorite today.

To see more pictures (lots more WHALE pictures) click HERE

Mom and Dad are in T R O U B L E!!!!!!

2008-04-14T07:46:00.005-04:00

AJ has been exposed to X Games since he was 4 months old - even then, he LOVED watching the motorcycles racing. I was amazed when we took him to CA the 1st time and we went to see a practice run and I figured he would hate the noise being that little. He followed the bikes and was all wide eyed at such a young age.

here is AJ at 4 months (his 1st X Games)

Brian has been in CA this past week working another X Games MotoX event. AJ and I have been watching and AJ of course is all impressed and wants to know which one is dada. That cracked me up! Anyway - I was sitting watching X and typing and all of a sudden AJ says to me "mommy I want to ride my bike like the big boys on TV with dada".

We are in TROUBLE!!! I snapped a pic with my cell phone because he kept trying to stand on the pedals hanging on to the handle bars. Our little X gamer! ugghhhh I can already imagine many broken bones in our future. BOYS!!!

Here is our little daredevil
(excuse the t0y MESS everywhere!)

Pumpkin Patch Spring Concert

2008-04-12T19:11:00.005-04:00

AJ's preschool held a Spring Concert today and it was really cute. His class was all dressed in yellow and beige or orange and beige to look like lions. Earlier in the week the class made lion masks to use during the concert. AJ's class sang Hakuna Matata and Just Can't Wait to be King. I had to be on stage with AJ so I wasn't able to get many pictures or video. Here is one stage pic and 2 pics from when we left the concert. I'll try to upload the minute and a half of video once I find my camera cable. AJ had a good time ROARING like a lion and he even danced a little bit but most of it was out of the video camera range.

After the concert we had lunch and naps then went to the playground to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather we had today. AJ had a blast as usual!

Sunny San Diego!!

2008-04-10T22:00:00.000-04:00

I'm blogging this week from San Diego, CA. ESPN has sent me out to work the Moto X Championships event - a Moto X - only (dirtbikes) version of the X Games. After an uneventful flight out here, I picked up my rental car and went to my hotel. If you thought the roads on the east coast were hard to navigate, try driving out here! I've driven in LA and it hasn't been as crazy as it is here. My GPS - aka Matilda - doesn't know what to do with herself.

Of course once you're in the California area, you HAVE to visit In-N-Out. Millie is either cursing me or drooling on the floor because I mentioned it. Just don't tell her I've been twice now. And I've also been to a Cheesecake Factory too! Of course once I get home I won't be needing to eat for quite some time. If there's not a In-N-Out near you, Five Guys Burgers & Fries is a good compromise.

I had hoped to post a few more pictures, but my digital camera is too old for Windows Vista to support....so they will have to wait until I get home - or trash Vista for XP. Nothing but a few long days ahead of me now. We'll be airing on ESPN and ESPN2 this weekend (April 12 & 13).

More later!

Happy 3rd Birthday AJ!!!

2008-03-25T22:07:00.007-04:00

THEN and NOW!

It's hard to believe AJ is 3 years old already. It seems like just yesterday he arrived....how we long for the days he never moved and slept all day. :o)

Nowadays he's full speed ahead!

His birthday celebration began at Nana Aviles' house on Sunday with Easter dinner and cupcakes. It continued on Tuesday with dinner out with Mommy and Daddy at Red Robin followed by a trip to Toys R Us. Finally, we all headed home and enjoyed AJ's Thomas the Tank Engine cake that Daddy made from scratch. Nana and Papa Bell joined us on the phone to sing Happy Birthday.

Click HERE to see pictures of the cake being put together and AJ blowing out his candles!

Happy Easter!!!

2008-03-23T09:50:00.011-04:00

The Easter Bunny stopped by and dropped off some Easter treats for the family!! AJ got a cool little CARS bucket with Lightning McQueen Crocs, 2 m&m little buddies and a bat and ball. Daddy got some Cadbury Creme Eggs and mommy got some peeps that AJ wants to share with her. We also had a little Easter Egg hunt after lunch time and AJ had a GREAT time!!!

My two cute "bunnies" - Ralph has the "why me" look :o)

Easter Basket

Hunting for Easter Eggs

We also had Round 1 of AJ's Birthday party celebration. Mommy made cupcakes and daddy decorated them and we sang Happy Birthday to him at Nana's house after dinner - he got to open his gifts from Nana Aviles and Uncle Greg early and he loved his Thomas train set from Uncle Greg and the SpiderMan car from Nana. Thanks guys!!

AJ and Jordan about to sing - then AJ blowing out the candle too fast!!

Cupcake time!!! - AJ sporting his blue frosting mustache :)

Click HERE for more pictures

Brady's Baby Shower

2008-03-16T12:02:00.004-04:00

Mom Aviles hosted a WONDERFUL baby shower for our soon to be new arrival. (THANKS MOM!!!) I really had a great time and we got some adorable things for baby Brady and for his room!! AJ, Brian and Papa Bell joined us towards the end of the shower and AJ even got to tell everyone the baby's name! He was very excited to share (even though he had woken up from his short car nap recently) So he told everyone that his baby brothers name is Brady Michael and he even helped mom open some presents for his baby brother!!!

Here are some pictures:
the party favors

Cute outfit with hat:

clothesline gift (so creative!!!!)
outfits, clothes, crib sheet and
baby clothes pins and I can use
the line in the tub

Pooh mobile from Nonnie Tangney
Thanks Nonnie!!!!

and BEAUTIFUL Alayna -
my friend Lauren's 5 month
little girl who was absolutely
precious!!!

Click HERE to see more pictures from the shower.

Our Last Snow???

2008-03-06T19:30:00.005-05:00

During the past storm on March 1st (mommy is hoping it IS our last snow of the season) AJ and Daddy went out to play in the snow. Ralph played outside too. They decided it would be cool to make the Snowman Penguin using the kit that Lisa got for AJ at Christmas. I think both dad (ALL DAD) hee hee and AJ did a GREAT GREAT JOB!!!

What do you think???

Daddy decided to teach AJ how to make snow angels too and Ralph enjoyed pouncing on daddy thinking it was all a game with him. Snow angels was a bit more fun for AJ who was wearing a snow suit. Here are the boys making snow angels.

My 1st Week of Work

2008-02-03T23:39:00.000-05:00

I didn't want to post too early in the week and jinx the remainder of my 1st week but I had a really good week at my new job. I am working at Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School (WIMS) in Hamden. It is a technology/language magnet school and all students get either a desktop k-5 for the home or a laptop (6-8) to bring to school every day. Spanish is taught at every grade level. There is also a small TV studio which the principal wants me to get involved with in the near future. They broadcast the morning announcements to all the classrooms. WIMS is an extended day/extended school year school. The school year starts mid August and end at the very end of June and the kids go to school from 8am to 3:15pm. I report by 8am but my class day starts at 8:30am and I leave at 3:30pm.

I am the 1st, 4th and 7th grade Spanish teacher. So far it has been going really well and I am really enjoying it. The 7th graders are a challenge but they're in a unique situation in that there hasn't been a steady teacher in ANY subject but one, and that teacher is now out on maternity leave so they really haven't had much consistency. Of course i'll be there for now but once i'm out on maternity they'll once again have a sub (the same girl that has been there throughout the year) and I'll be returning to work as soon as my dr. clears me to return (probably between 5-6 weeks after BabyBell2 is born) to finish out the school year.

Other than subbing, this is my 1st experience with the younger grades. They are the main reason why I went for this job - I always wanted to teach language at the elementary level. Everyone has been very friendly and welcoming at the school and I absolutely love the fact that I have my OWN classroom!!!! I am definitely looking forward to a fresh start next year where I will decorate to my hearts content and rearrange everything to the way I want it. I will do some slight redecorating for the spring season but nothing major as I'll be close to 9 months pregnant by then.

So - this is my classroom:

Front of class and computer station w/4 computers. These are mainly for the 1st and 4th graders as the 7th graders get their own laptops to bring to class. There is wireless throught the school.

There are TONS of cabinets for storage, a closet and sink area

This is the board for circle-time for the 1st graders. I'm supposed to have a rug for them too but apparently that's on back order so I'm hoping that I have it for the beginning of the next school year.

This is the back of the room and my desk area - there's a reading station with books, bulletin board and a table w/2 chairs.

I will take more pictures once I do my own decorating and rearranging but that's pretty much it for now.

Night at the Museum

2008-02-01T19:30:00.000-05:00

NO, not the movie but AJ's and mommy's trip to ImagineNation right here in our hometown. They are normally just open during the day but they hold special events throughout the year at night. Friday night was Puppet Night and there were puppeteers walking around the museum with puppets of all sizes and they also had a few puppet shows as well as a "make your own puppet" station. AJ loved the museum. We have been to similar museums before and even though this one is on the smaller side he still enjoyed it very much.

One of his favorites was Sand Station

and here he is at Water Station

and the Bubble-ation Machine.

He was very well behaved at the puppet show and even got to go up at the end and kiss Bambino Puppet - the italian puppet that had all the kids saying words in italian and AJ was following along great!

We'll probably invest in the "family" yearly membership as there are a lot more fun nights in the upcoming months and AJ really had a blast and he wants daddy to go in the bubble machine.

Click HERE to see pictures from our fun night!

100% sure, Definitely no DOUBT this time.....

2008-01-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

BabyBell2 is DEFINITELY A BOY!!!!! I had yet another ultrasound this morning to make sure baby is growing well (due to severe anemia and taking thyroid meds, they want to be sure and will check every 4 weeks from now on). Well the 1st thing I asked was for confirmation because at our level II ultrasound they were "iffy" at best and we got the "that looks like a boy", "we think it's a boy" so there was always that doubt. Today's ultrasound does not leave a question in anyone's mind - even the ultrasonographer said "whoa - that's a BOY!"

Oh and this time Baby cooperated and has his legs wide open for anyone and everyone to see as soon as she started the ultrasound.

Not that you'll need to (HAHA) but you can click on the pictures to make them bigger :o)

Here's our BOY showing off his goods:

Here is a profile pic:

Happy New Year!

2008-01-21T14:17:00.000-05:00

Ok, so we're a little behind this year. Nothing in our resolutions said to abandon the blog, we've just been slacking. We had some of our friends over on New Year's Eve for a quiet celebration - and we watched Dick Clark's show on ABC. Lisa and Kristen took turns on AJ's "Sit n' Spin" - which I will post video clips of soon. Watch this space for updates real soon!

HO HO HO! Merry Christmas!!!!

2007-12-30T21:49:00.000-05:00

Well we had a relatively quiet Christmas. We spent Christmas eve at Nana & Papa Aviles' house. We still got all dressed up because that was the tradition I grew up with - always dressing up for the holidays no matter how small the get-together. AJ was very excited to wear his Mickey tie and shirt though! We had a really good time and dinner at Nana's.

cousin Joey and AJ

AJ and Mommy

On Christmas morning we opened presents at home then got ready and went to Nana & Papa Aviles' again and did our gift exchange there. AJ got tons of gifts clothes, etc. but the favorite was a cleaning set that included a pretend vacuum and AJ pretty much used it the rest of the day. We were home early enough and for dinner we had yummy take-out Chinese food. That may well become our little family tradition - no mess, no cooking/cleaning what more could you ask for?

Sleepy AJ at home

Trying out the desk from Santa

This past Saturday Dec. 29th we went to Nana & Papa Bell's to do Christmas and to celebrate Nana Bell's birthday. AJ was up at 7AM crying in his room and when I go in the 1st thing he says is he wants to leave to go to nana Bell's house - a LITTLE too early so I told him nana was still sleeping. we left around 9:30 and got there a bit after noon. AJ runs right to nana hugs her and says "you got presents for me nana??" so she said he could open ONE present and we'd have to wait for papa to get home from work before we opened the rest. He loves flashlights so his 1st present was a CARS flashlight and he was fine with that and didn't ask about presents again until 4:30 when he hears the door and sees papa. Again he runs over to him and says hello, kisses, hugs, etc. then tells him "come on, we gotta open the presents now!!!!" Papa Bell wasn't even past the entryway at this point.

posing by Nana Bell's tree

AJ got a remote control choo choo from nonnie (great grandma) and he LOVES it!!! nana and papa got him a Black and Decker tool bench and he kept wanting us to open it because he wanted to "fix" things!!! Brian only took out the screwdriver and he played with that most the rest of the night. Uncle Chris got him a CARS lego set which AJ also liked a lot. Al even stopped by to visit while we were at Nana & Papa Bell's and we got to hang out with him for a while and find out all the fun things his twins have been up to!

AJ & the tool set

Dad, AJ and Al hanging out

We left Nana and Papa's a bit late but it was worth it to watch most of the Patriots game. AJ had fun cheering on "Go Patriots" - even on the car ride home after their last TD we heard "Go Patriots" then he was out like a light.

To see more pictures, click HERE

It's the Name Game...

2007-12-10T19:34:00.000-05:00

Jack, Jack, bo-back,
Banana-fana fo-fack
Fee-fi-mo-mack
Jack!

I'm sure many of you remember that game. You can thank me later for getting that song stuck in your head! We're open to suggestions, but some of the names we're currently throwing around include: Brady Oliver, Riley, Tyler, Julian - in no particular order or grouping (except the first one). I was surprised that even Brian was on one of the lists we looked at - #63! Not to worry, we didn't do a "junior" the first time around and we won't this time either.

Yup, another productive night at work! :o)

It's a.....BOY!

2007-12-03T19:00:00.000-05:00

You may have heard that roughly 3 years ago. Well, we liked saying it so much we've decided to say it again. Millie had her ultrasound appointment on Monday and all indications are that baby #2 is healthy and currently weighs in at about 9 ounces.

This baby was very shy and didn't want to reveal his gender to us. His feet were crossed and he was hunched up - hiding the goods. Finally the doctor took a second look and was able to determine that baby #2 is a boy.

No name ideas yet, but stay tuned.

If plans continue, on or around April 30th we'll be having dinner at Pepe's in New Haven and our new arrival will make his appearance shortly thereafter. Gotta keep up traditions!

Bell Family Vacation - Fall 2007

2007-12-01T17:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sure this will come as a big surprise to those of you that are regular readers of the blog, but we just got back from a week's vacation at Disney World in Orlando. Our trip started off after a Thanksgiving meal at the Nana & Papa Bell's house in Massachusetts. Millie braved the Black Friday crowds very early (4am!) but scored some really great deals in tax-free New Hampshire. Later that day we took our shuttle bus into Logan Airport and started our journey to Florida by way of Chicago. We got in pretty late to our timeshare at Saratoga Springs, but were ready and raring to go the next day! We had a great view of the Downtown Disney area from the Rainforest Cafe at one end all the way to the Cirque du Soleil tent at the other.

We spent a day at each of the parks and Millie planned all of our dining activities: Breakfast with Jojo and the Playhouse Disney gang, Lunch with Pooh and Friends, dinner at Teppan Edo (EPCOT), Il Mulino (WDW Swan), and even an "adults night out" that took us to the Ohana restaurant at the Polynesian Resort. We also enjoyed Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and extended hours in the Magic Kingdom, as well as the parades and other holiday festivities going on in all of the parks.

Our Florida weather was absolutely perfect - 80s and Sunny every day until the day we left for home. AJ had lots of fun in Minnie's house, riding the Teacups and the Carousel, and taking pictures with all of the characters. We even managed to get a little shopping in at Downtown Disney.

Click HERE to view pictures from Days 1-3, and HERE for Days 4 & 5.
WARNING: There are lots of pictures!

A Day out with Thomas the Train

2007-11-10T23:19:00.000-05:00

Today was our Day out with Thomas. Can I just say that it was the MOST BITTER cold day we've had yet???? Ugghhhh. AJ has been excited about this event for days. He was looking forward to a 'train ride" and he knew Thomas would be there but he didn't really comprehend what it all entailed until we got there. Thomas and Train friends were EVERYWHERE. He was so glad to see it all. Our tickets for the ride also included many different activities at the train yard. We started out having lunch then we hit the carnival rides before our Thomas ride. AJ loved the horseys as usual and the small train ride was a hit! He wanted to go on the small train again but we had to make our boarding time. Once he SAW Thomas all was fine. He couldn't wait to get on the train! He wanted to see everything out the window and was cheering Thomas on. Once our ride was over he wanted to go again but we told him there were other things we were going to do. We stopped by the gift shop and AJ got some goodies from mom and Nana then we took pictures by Percy and hit the carnival rides again before coming home. AJ was asleep in the car soon after and tonight as we were getting ready for bed he told me that he wanted to go on Thomas the train again and he wanted daddy to come too. Dad at the last minute had to travel for work so AJ was just as happy that Nana came with us BUT I think he wants daddy to get his Junior Conductor Certificate too! :o)

Click HERE to see pictures from the day

Meeting Santa Claus

2007-11-09T23:13:00.000-05:00

On Friday I picked AJ up early from school and we headed over to one of our local malls to meet and greet Santa. They were also doing lots of other holiday activities and the first 50 families got 2 pics for free. AJ was very excited and looking forward to seeing Santa. We were lucky enough to have gotten there about 15 minutes before Santa and the line was only long AFTER we got there. We were like the 30th 'family" in line and after me it was like a swarm of people trying to line up. I think what made the difference was that we didn't bother with the Santa Sleigh parade through the upper level of the mall but instead got right in line downstairs and waited for Santa to arrive.There was entertainment and AJ enjoyed the Christmas music and he got a balloon Happy Faced dog. He also got presents from the elves.AJ was very impressed with the Snow Dome theme and he thought it was cool that we had to go into one in order to get to Santa. He didn't want to sit on Santa's lap on his own and insisted I sit with him so I obliged but he was great about talking to Santa and telling him he was a good boy. Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas and AJ said he wanted books, crayons and cars. Go figure - cars!!!

Santa gave AJ a snow dome puzzle and AJ was just so impressed with the gift Santa had just given him that he took it - stared at it, stared and smiled at Santa and gave him the most heartfelt "thaaaaaank yoouuuuuu" I've ever heard :smile: All in all a GREAT night out with Santa!

Click HERE for pictures from the night.

I still have to scan the free one the mall took of us. I'll add that later on.

Ralph goes to the Vet

2007-11-08T23:50:00.000-05:00

There is at least one day out of the year where Ralph is a totally different CALM, well behaved pup. Usually it's the day he goes to the vet for his annual exam (or back for a nail trim). See - Ralph must have been traumatized at one point by a groomer who cut his nails and he becomes a totally different Cujo-type dog if anyone attempts to cut his nails. To avoid the "trauma" that he goes through, a few years ago his vet suggested tranquilizing him prior to his visit to the vet and then they'd be able to cut his nails.

Shortly after the meds are administered his eyes get all glassy and he gets the "dopey" look and just CHILLS. Which is great compared to the sometimes crazy running around and tail wagging he is well known for. This visit to the vet was no different though he did challenge them come nail clipping time (the dose he got was a bit less than what he's used to).

What cracked us up was that on the way home, he tried to make himself as comfortable as possible. He tried to squeeze into AJ's carseat and Brian had to literally carry him out of the car once we got home because he just did not want to get out of the car. By 4pm he was back to his normal goofy-no drug self.

2007 Torringford Fireman's Ball

2007-11-03T14:19:00.000-04:00

On Saturday night some of the ESPN crew attended the 50th Annual Torringford Fireman's Ball. As always we had a great time even though I'm personally very dissapointed that I didn't win any of the raffle prizes. I thought we had an "in" with Mike! Food was very good, the company was GREAT and we all had a great time! For more about the Fire Dept, check out www.torringfordfd.org

The "gang"

The Girls

The Guys

Click HERE to see more pictures

Trick or Treat!!!

2007-10-31T13:47:00.000-04:00

Well, we're not sure if we can call Halloween a hit or not. AJ had a Halloween party at school and from what the teachers reported, he had a great time. They went on "parade" around the school in their costumes then they had a party with lots of food and Halloween goodies.

When I picked AJ up at school to go trick or treating around Nana's neighborhood he wanted absolutely nothing to do with his costume. I was able to get it on so that Nana and Papa could see him but he wanted it off about as soon as I got it on and wasn't too thrilled with the costume. He got his little goodie bag from nana but we didn't trick or treat. AJ enjoyed watching the kids that came dressed up to the house (both Nana's and ours) but he still wanted NOTHING to do with his costume.

Once we got back home, it took a bribe of mom letting him hold her Bath and Body lotion for him to agree to put the costume on so we could snap a few pictures. He did enjoy dad helping him "fly" but wanted the costume off as soon as possible!

Visit to Nana & Papa Bell's

2007-10-28T13:29:00.000-04:00

We drove up to visit Nonnie & Nana & Papa Bell on October 28th. We surprised Nonnie for her birthday and AJ was very excited to deliver her birthday card. We then drove to Nana & Papa's with Nonnie and had a lot of fun. AJ enjoyed looking at the duckies and trying to throw leaves in the pond and had a blast trying to tackle Papa to the ground.

Another hit of the afternoon for AJ was playing with Nonnie's old-style Jack in the Box. He was histerical, and we all loved his reaction!

We all had a great time and AJ loved singing Happy Birthday to Nonnie and of course eating cake - his and mommy's.

click HERE to view more pictures then on 'view slideshow'

Apple Picking

2007-10-21T13:15:00.000-04:00

AJ was very excited at the idea of apple picking again this year. We went to a Roger's Orchards in Southington but we stopped by their farmstand 1st to check out the goods. We got GREAT apple cider donuts, spiced cookies and apple cider. AJ started picking the apples right out of the baskets at the store! Once we told him we were going to pick apples from the trees all he wanted to do was head out to pick apples. We headed out and had a great time! AJ loved picking apples and we had a really good time. Brian made a DELICIOUS Apple Crisp while I was away in New Jersey and now with the leftover apples we gotta make some pies.

Daddy helping AJ reach apples

Showing off the pickings

Bagging it to take home

AJ Makes Dinner

2007-10-10T19:17:00.000-04:00

AJ likes to help around the house so on Tuesday night we had him help dad make dinner. Pizza is one of AJ's favorite meals so he was very excited to help dad make dinner. He followed directions pretty well and was concerned about not making a mess. We think his favorite part was putting on the cheese and pepperoni - he ate about as much as he put on the pizza.

waiting on dad and first we put on the sauce......

spreading it w/the spoon and next comes the cheese

and more cheese AND LOTS MORE CHEESE

too much so we eat some, and then comes the pepperoni

and daddy ate some pepperoni too. Then AJ opens the oven

Dad puts it in......

and after dad puts it in the oven, we watch it cook.

Fall is Here?

2007-10-08T09:35:00.000-04:00

Last week we had the perfect fall weather and we decided to go pumpkin picking. We took AJ to a local farm stand and he had a blast looking at all the pumpkins, picking out his favorite ones AND more importantly dragging the cart back and forth. Of course this week we were back to summer weather but we'll get back to "fall" soon.

Picking out some pumpkins with dad

Click HERE to see more pictures.

More Babies at the Bell's!!!!

2007-09-23T11:32:00.001-04:00

Earlier this summer we posted about a special visitor to our residence....

Well we're happy to say that at Brian's last count we have about 17 turtles making their way down to the water.

Click HERE to view more pictures then click on VIEW SLIDESHOW - no need to sign in.

AJ's Big Announcement

2007-09-21T19:49:00.001-04:00

While we were all roaming the state pavilion at the Big E last night, we happened on a T-Shirt shop. We bought one and had AJ model it for our friends. He was very pleased with his new shirt though he wasn't quite sure why everybody was so happy about it.

AJ is very excited - for now. Just wait until he has to share his toys! We've added a counter and a new family image...Enjoy! The due date is April 30th

The BIG E

2007-09-20T23:16:00.000-04:00

The ESPN crew spent the evening on Thursday at The Big E. What a better way than to spend the evening eating through the States and enjoying all the crafts, animals and Fried Oreos and of course the BUTTER COWS.

Fun was had by all even though AJ never made it to the "carnival" side of the Big E. AJ and Donovan out-ate Mike - which puts Mike to shame!!! Of course Mike said it was because Rossi wasn't there to go "food for food" with him. The group decided this is a sign that the world must be coming to an end. We just don't know.

Most of us started our eating extravaganza in Connecticut at the Little Taste of Texas stand (the restaurant is in South Windsor) . They have the BEST baked potatoes EVER and YES they're better than Maine!!! They are about the size of Texas and they top them off with your choice of Chilli or BBQ Pulled Pork and you can add the "extras" REAL cheese (not cheez whiz like Maine), REAL bacon (not bacon bits like Maine) and of course about a pound of butter and sour cream.

We moved on to Kettle Corn from New Hampshire. Cheese from Vermont, Lobster Rolls from Maine, Clam Chowder from Massachusetts, Del's Frozen Lemonade, and Lobster Ravioli from Rhode Island. The rest of the ESPN crew (late workers) joined us in RI and we worked our way back through all the states for more. We stopped for fudge, cider donuts then headed over to the petting zoo. AJ and I shied away from the petting zoo - mostly because I can't stand the smell but also because I got attacked last year by some mean goat who thought my sweater was a tasty treat. Instead we headed over to watch and listen to the carousel music and then AJ saw the ponies. He asked to go on the ponies and he really enjoyed the ride. He wanted "more" but it was almost closing time so we told him the pony had to go eat and go "night night" and he was happy with that (thankfully).

Our last stop was at Farm-a-Rama where we saw more animals and AJ really enjoyed the chicks and the piggies. All he keeps talking about is going back to the Big E. Maybe we'll get back before the season ends this year.

Click HERE to see more pictures then click on view slideshow

Wine and Cheese Sunday

2007-09-18T20:26:00.000-04:00

A beautiful day spent with friends at a CT Vineyard this past Sunday Sept. 16th. Thanks Aline for the suggestion! We all got together and headed over to Hopkins Vineyard for their annual Harvest Day Wine and Cheese Tasting event.

We all had our favorites - the Picnic Wine was a hit - and all the cheese was fabulous!! AJ enjoyed the crackers, melon, pickles, grapes and of course all the cheese as well as checking out the bear, going up and down the stone steps and of course asking where Lisa was every few minutes or saying "there's Lisa" about a million times. Lisa you're coming with us next time!

The adults enjoyed sampling the wines the most, though everything else was pretty good too. All in all, a great day and we'll know better next year to bring: plates, chairs, blankets, etc :)

Click HERE to see more pictures

Days of Summer

2007-09-18T14:59:00.000-04:00

Well it's definitely beginning to feel like fall here and mom for one is not thrilled with the colder days! It was nice to finally pick up some pictures at walmart (a water camera) and see pictures from nice HOT weather and AJ enjoying the fun, sun and water!

Here is our little man this past summer when we went to Blizzard Beach with Nana Aviles:

Click HERE to see more pictures - there are some of AJ in the pool that Nana and Papa bell got him this summer too. He had way too much fun in the sun this summer!

AJ's Pool

2007-08-31T22:13:00.000-04:00

While we were away at X Games last month, Nana & Papa Bell got AJ a small pool with a slide. When we came back to CT, the pool came with us. Here's a short video of AJ enjoying his pool!

The Big Boy Bed

2007-08-30T21:13:00.000-04:00

Well AJ has moved on to his big boy bed. Mom and dad got him a Race Car bed since he likes cars so much. AJ was a trooper helping out. He helped carry/push the car pieces upstairs to his room, then clear out his room & then finally helped dad put his race car bed together. AJ loved putting on the tires on his car bed and later that evening when it was time to go to Nana Aviles' house he wanted to go in AJ's Car instead of mommy's. Luckily he changed his mind on that one - it would have been a "LONG DRIVE" :o)

It's "bye bye baby crib"

adding the stickers, and AJ and dad starting assembly

AJ Helping out some more, then putting on the tires

And FINALLY - the "TEST DRIVE"

Click HERE to see more pictures then click on "view slideshow"

Happy 29th* Birthday Millie!

2007-08-19T18:58:00.000-04:00

While Millie was off working this afternoon, Brian got busy decorating a cake he started the night before. I'll freely admit I need some decorating skills, but I think the cake came out pretty well just the same. Happy Birthday Millie! love Brian and AJ

* 29 is a rough guess. Actual number will result in bodily harm.

Sunny California

2007-07-31T19:18:00.000-04:00

Well mom and dad Bell arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday morning and since our hotel room wasn't ready we headed to In-n-Out for YUMMY YUMMY burgers then we headed out to Disneyland for a few hours. I gotta say, it was a lot nicer weather-wise than when I was in Disneyworld last week! We didn't do the new Nemo Submarine ride because the line went for miles so we'll do that next time we're back in CA!

On Monday we headed to work - well Brian worked but I was off since technically Monday was my travel day. I did the sightseeing and shopping on Monday. I drove down to Hollywood and had an awesome sushi lunch at the Kodak Theatre Mall then I jumped on a double-decker tour bus and headed out to see the sites.

The bus was a hop on, hop off bus so it was great to get out and do some walking around on Rodeo Drive then the Farmer's Market. As it was my tour ended up being 4 hrs long. I could have gotten out at a lot more stops but chose not to. This is a tour I definitely recommend and will be doing again in the future.

Click HERE for more pictures (over 250!!)

X Games Thirteen

2007-07-23T09:06:00.000-04:00

The 13th edition of the X Games will soon be upon us, and Millie and Brian are once again headed to Los Angeles to work the event. We'll both be at the Home Depot Center...I'll be in the Broadcast Center and Millie will be covering edits as well as BMX Park, BMX Vert and Skateboard Vert.

While we are working, AJ will be taking yet another vacation. He'll spend the week with Nana & Papa Bell. I'm sure they have lots of fun things planned. The dogs will also be getting a mini vacation from us. Master Rossi will be dogsitting for most of the week. We're sure they won't be *too* spoiled when we get back.

Make sure you tune in - check your local listings on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC from August 2-5 and on EXPN.com.

Sunday Afternoon with Linda and Kari

2007-07-22T23:03:00.000-04:00

Brrrrr - we're back in CT. Compared to the 96 degree, high humidity weather we had in FL for a week it feels like winter here! That didn't stop AJ and mom from going in Nana and Papa's pool on Sunday!!! My friend Linda, her daughter Kari and Linda's mom joined us at my parents for a cookout/dinner get together and a dip in the pool. The kids had fun and the water wasn't as cold as I thought it would be either. Here are some pictures of the kids in the pool and playing with cars in the front yard:

Back from Florida

2007-07-21T19:29:00.000-04:00

Well we're finally back from our Florida vacation with Nana Aviles. We had a lot of fun. AJ especially loved anything that involved pools or water slides. He had a blast at the Garden Grill Character Dinner at EPCOT. He was a little reserved at first with the characters but warmed up to the characters real soon. I think the highlight of the parks for him was MGM where he got to touch Lightning McQueen. He was VERY excited to see the "cars".

I guess the good thing about this vacation is that in his 2 yrs, AJ has already been to Disney countless times and God willing - we'll be able to go many more times in the future so it wasn't the "rushed" vacation where we felt he needed to see everything. Another few favorites were some of the rides in the Magic Kingdom - Dumbo's Flying Elephants, the Carrousel, and the Monsters, Inc. ride. Mickey's house was pretty cool and AJ liked looking at everything in the house. Of course, just playing on the slides outside of Mickey's house was a lot of fun too.

AJ is still talking about Mickey Mouse and the "baby rides" which were the little water slides in the kids section at Blizzard Beach water park.

I'll post water park pictures as soon as I develop the water camera but for now if you want to see more Florida pictures:

click HERE and hit view slideshow

We're in Florida!!!

2007-07-15T17:38:00.000-04:00

Well we made it to Florida with nana on Friday night. AJ loved the plane ride and was very excited to go really fast in the plane. He was not happy when we got the rental car because he wanted "mommy's car". He's happy now and calls the car "mommy's new car". We've been relaxing and taking it easy which is great for vacation.

Today we went to Blizzard Beach and AJ had a blast. He loves water and wanted to go on the "baby rides" (children's area). He was very daring, going down the slides on his tummy and running around. He even went on one of the bigger kids water slide and mommy was more nervous about it than he was! He wanted "down" LOL.
Here is one picture at the water park (from the cell phone) during one of our breaks for snacks. All he wanted was to go to the "baby rides" so we didn't sit too long:

We will definitely post more pictures once we're back in CT after vacation.

Day at the Beach

2007-07-08T23:41:00.000-04:00

On Sunday we met up with Kristen, Mike and Lisa and went to the beach. We were up at Rocky Neck, at Mike's relatives cottage. The beach was awesome and AJ had a blast. He kept calling the water "the pool" and would run right in or try to drag dad in - this kid has NO FEAR!

AJ enjoyed destroying the sandcastles that Lisa and Kristen would build too! He was non stop from the moment we got there until we got back in the car late in the evening to come home.

Visiting Sarah

2007-06-26T19:55:00.000-04:00

On June 26th AJ and mom visited with Sarah, Janet and Scott. We even got to see Cleon and his kids. We had a lot of fun at Janet's house and AJ got to play with a lot of different toys. We're not sure if Sarah was too thrilled about that. Thanks guys for a fun filled afternoon, we should do this again soon!!

Here is little Miss Sarah:

AJ and Sarah:

AJ Relaxing on the adirondak chair:

Playing AJ Style

2007-06-09T22:37:00.000-04:00

OK so he's not a fan of carnival rides but he does LOOOOOVE to go to the playground with mommy and daddy!!! He has no sense of danger, loves to climb on the playscapes and has tons of fun on the slides!!

After the carnival we stopped at the playground across the street for some "free" rides LOL.
AJ had a blast as usual! (so did dad) hee hee

I'm not sure who had more fun on the slide but AJ sure liked the company racing down the slide!

We moved on to the monkey bar, the turtle sculpure and of course more and more rides down the slide before we went home for the night:

Bristol's Italian Festival

2007-06-09T18:17:00.000-04:00

We had our first carnival outing this year at the local Italian Festival. AJ was very impressed by the rides and wanted to try the boats over and over except every time I gave the lady his tickets and tried to put him in the boat he would chicken out. He's gone on rides before but always with someone so this was his 1st attempt alone. Mom was kind of scared and AJ was a bit too but he made it through one ride. Thankfully we didn't spend a lot of money on ride tickets and we're hoping this ride aversion at carnivals continues as the price of tickets for these little rides is so expensive!

The one ride AJ went on was the Fire Trucks. It was a slow day and the 1st time he didn't have his choice of cars so he sat in the one that was free. After the 1st ride he wanted to attempt the boats but kept backing down then we tried the fire trucks again and there were only 2 other kids on the ride and all AJ wanted to do was sit in different trucks - he didn't want to ride or get buckled in so we gave up on the ride idea.

Here is AJ on his 1st solo carnival ride

This is not so bad:

Now we're moving!:

OK maybe not such a good idea:

She's not crying....:

We'll "fake cry instead:

Rainy Saturday Mornings

2007-06-09T13:59:00.000-04:00

Well we had a few rainy Saturday mornings earlier this month so AJ and mom kept busy with puzzles, play-doh, reading books and goofy playing with Mr. Potato Head.

Here is AJ and his play-doh masterpiece:

Our little comedian having fun with Mr. Potato Head's accessories:

A Visitor to the Bell Residence

2007-06-04T21:03:00.000-04:00

We are not sure if we have yet another pet or not. From what we've witnessed, we believe we have a long term visitor. Brian discovered our new pet as he was driving up the driveway this evening. We went over to investigate and from what pictures I had seen before I thought it was a snapper turtle but now i'm not so sure.
This new friend has definitely torn up our mulch and is digging down so we think it may be a female laying and burying some eggs. We'll see what happens and keep you all posted!

Here are some pictures of new long term resident:

And some more pictures HERE