Ella Belle

I just wanted to take a minute and list some of the great things about my first born. Ella (named after my Grandmother) is all that I could ever ask for....and more!

• She has the best smile and most infectious laugh
• She is a great friend and gets along so well with everyone (even her brothers....most of the time)
• Ella loves animals, I mean LOVES animals. She still cries when she thinks about how Max killed her grasshopper friend "hoppy"
• Ella gets over things really quickly and is a really GREAT sport
• She loves rainbows, hearts, and the colors yellow and blue
• She begs us for a dog almost every day
• Ella hates brushing her hair or having it done in any way
• Ella is a great swimmer, singer, basketball player, memorizer, reader, and eater
• Ella is always willing to share.....even her treats, and with her brothers who don't always deserve them
• She is the first to give up what she wants if someone else wants the same thing (ie. to say the prayer, color of cup, last roll, etc.)
• Ella is fun and social, but not too loud and/or talkative (something her mother needs to learn)
• Ella loves having her back scratched while we tell her stories from when we were little
• She had a REALLY hard time when we moved from Wisconsin to Arizona, but now hopes we stay here forever
• Ella is SO easy to have around. She is genuinely good and wants to do the right thing
• Ella is very honest. I can always count on her to tell me the truth, and she has true remorse for the things she does wrong.
• She is quick to say "sorry"
• Ella is a happy and optimistic girl, and makes those around her happy
• She is beautiful
• Ella has really good manners and good social awareness (what is appropriate and what isn't) This is something I am hoping she will teach her brothers......and SOON!
• Ella absolutely LOVES her Daddy. They are great buddies and that thrills me
• She really looks out for her baby sister and wants to share a room with her someday (that might pass)
• Ella never really asks for anything "right now". She usually just says something like, "maybe for Christmas/Birthday could I get......?"
• She is not demanding

I Love you my sweet pea! You are my sunshine!

Loving the comments....keep 'em comin'!!

"...I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!" Sally Field 1985 winning her second Oscar. Often misquoted as, "you like me, you really like me!" Anyway, you get the point. I feel the love..(see previous post)....that is from other bloggers. The main reason I did this blogging thing was to keep in touch with family and friends and they rarely comment! Except of course for my fabulous sister Heather, who needs to start a blog in a bad way. You all would LOVE her!

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you and continue to lay the guilt on the guilty. Perhaps all my friends that I so eagerly sent my blog address to couldn't care less about my life. That was pretty arrogant to believe that people want to know what we are up to? Just because I love to see what people are doing, it doesn't mean everyone feels the same. Different strokes for different folks right! It's what makes the world go around. I feel so much better now!!

It has been fun to see who is around and make some new friends and rekindle some old ones! I highly recommend blogging to any of you who haven't tried it yet. I'm also glad that people are liking the music addition. The website that does it is something I found from another blog: www.projectplaylist.com Reminds me of project runway...one of my favorites! Have a great day everyone, and happy blogging!

Blog lurkers and comments!

I know you're out there. You surf through blogs and lurk through some that you visit often, but never comment. I've been guilty, but am trying to mend my ways. I will admit that I love to open my email and see that someone has commented on a post. Okay, it really does make my day. So, for all you lurkers, please leave comments. I have clicked on many commenter's and are now friends with them and visit their sites often. I've even gotten sewing, photo, parenting, vacation, and decorating tips personally from them. Isn't blogging great?! I am now going to try to end each post with some questions to try to elicit some comments. May I suggest to "do unto other bloggers as you would have other bloggers do unto you." Thanks Sally and Marcie for always coming through on the comments. Here is an awesome video I found on a blog I haven't been stalking, but just found. I will be leaving comments. I laughed so hard that I cried while watching this.

What's making me happy right now!

I had been eyeing this in the PB catalogue for quite some time. I finally decided to "just do it." For those of you who don't know me very well, I don't shop or spend money very much. Now I just have to load it with supplies, put all the calendar items on, and enjoy! BTW the hooks underneath for the bags are IKEA and $1.99 ea. Great buy!Another item I had been eyeing. I grew up with a round table and have decided there is nothing better. It's amazing how much fun it is when people are gathered around eating. It makes it so much more of an intimate get together...you really are focused on one another! The booster seat really adds the right touch don't you think? I need suggestions on a centerpiece!
How could looking at this face do anything but make you happy?
I love great prints and paper. When I find them together I can't resist. This is my "big purchase" at Anthropologie. I absolutely love that store, but still find it hard to spend $80 on a shirt, so I go for the $10 note cards. Look for some of these beauties in your mailbox.

Here is my other Anthropologie purchase. I know, I know, it's an apron. But isn't it adorable? Again, I'm a sucker for great prints. You can't tell against my black table, but the ribbon around the edge is brown. I couldn't pull the trigger on the fabulous $110 orange capri's, so I opted for the $20 practical apron. Paul would have preferred the capri's.

More fun visitors...(helpers)!

While I was at girls camp, my generous Mother-in-law came to help out with the kids. She brought along with her the kids of Paul's older brother Colin Jr. My kids were more than thrilled! Lauren is 15, Andrew is 12, and Finn is 8. I hope they had a great time, because we sure enjoyed having them. They all helped out so much while putting up with the energy and attitude of my kids! Paul with his wonderful Mom Mary.Some of the Kelly boys. Paul, Finn, Andrew, Jack, and Max in the front. Mary taking sweet Nora on a jog.Jack and Finn in a Galactic battle! I love a big empty room!I came home to a new member of the family.....a Wii....not sure how I feel about the new addition?!!Beautiful Lauren. I had so much fun with her in just the two days our time overlapped. She is an amazing girl - so talented, smart, and easy to be around. I love you Lauren...come visit as often as you'd like! I miss you already. Wouldn't you kill for that hair, and those eyes?

We leave in a few weeks to spend the rest of July in Salt Lake City. We have no other visitors scheduled as of now, so we are now taking dates. Let us know!

Girls Camp

Well, I survived Girls Camp. I learned a lot about what I want for myself, and especially for my children. I also learned that we have an incredible group of Young Women in our Ward. The girls are so bright, interested, and good. Here are a few pics of the events.

Me with two of our fabulous Beehives (girls age 12-13) Note: I am well aware that girls camp is about the only place I could get away with pig-tails.
Our fun group enjoying some of the skits.
Me making a fool of myself in a skit.

Here is a quick bullet point list of some of the things that struck me during my four day Girls Camp adventure:

• Daddy long legs can elicit some of the loudest screams I have ever heard. (especially from young girls)
• We don't expect enough from our kids... I was amazed at how much many young girls think they CAN'T do, or aren't willing to do.
• There is NOT a lot that I'm afraid of .....except for how I'm doing as a Mother.
• Everyday is a new day to choose to be better, and do better for others.
• Too many Mothers coddle their kids. Sometimes we have to tell them "no", and to "step up."
• Christlike girls today will become the Christlike mothers that we need so much tomorrow.
• I love how eager girls are to comfort each other, cry with them, and try to make them laugh.
• An unbelievable amount of time, cost, and especially service goes into pulling off this kind of activity. We are so blessed to have these opportunities in the church.
• I am a child of God. He loves me as an individual and cares about my life. He is eager to see me succeed and is always ready to answer my call (prayer).
• I have a lot of work to do!

*What are your thoughts?*

California Fun

Here is an overdue post about our trip to California. Paul had a conference in L.A. on Friday (June 8th) so we decided to tag along and make a family trip out of it. On Thursday we headed to "the happiest place on earth" aka. Disneyland! The kids had a lot of fun, but I feel like we only saw 10% of the whole thing. I'm sure as our kids get older we will be able to do more, but we did the best we could with just two adults. This is Max fighting Darth Vader in a little "show" they had. Each of the kids got chosen to participate! They thought it was the best! The best part was that when Max had his turn, Darth Vader said, "your style is unorthodox"....UNDERSTATEMENT! We laughed so hard. Nora at the end of a Disneyland day! Note the dirty knees, shirt, and great big smile!!

Friday we just had some down time while Paul was at his conference and tried to get some rest to gear up for Saturday. We decided to head to Legoland in San Diego on Saturday. It was actually really great! I think it was much better suited for our stage. Ella was tall enough to go on most of the rides, and there were so many things geared for little kids. They have a new pirate adventure splash area that the kids had a blast in.

Sunday we got our things together and headed to the San Diego Temple before making the drive home. I LOVE that Temple. It still amazes me how beautiful it is every time I see it. The kids had fun running around the beautiful grounds and asking why they couldn't go inside. After all that, it was time to make the trek home. It was not a pleasant experience. Between frequent potty stops, bad fast food, and Nora's CONSTANT crying, I decided I needed not a "trip", but a vacation! It really makes me dread the long drive we have ahead of us next month to Utah. I want everyone who reads this to send me their best tips, suggestions, toys, distractions, etc. I am desperate. My kids ages are 7, 5, 3, and 15 months. We do not have a DVD player, or anything like that, so that puts a damper on things. I'm serious about wanting help.

Happy Fathers Day!

I want to take time to honor both my Dad, and the Dad of my kids - Paul. I hit the jackpot when it came to Fathers. The older I get, the more I appreciate his hard work, his faithfulness, his expectations of us, and the sound advice/wisdom I benefited from (and still do). My Dad makes me feel like a million bucks and I am well aware of what that does for the life of a little girl, young woman, and now not so young woman! He always made me believe that I was talented, capable, beautiful, smart, and good. You will never know how much I appreciate all you have done for me Dad! I love you so much and wish you the best Father's Day!Is that the best smile or what? Do you see where I got my eyes and skin from?
This is a picture of me "shaving" my Dad at a Daddy Daughter outing in the early 80's!
Another picture from the 80's to show where my inspiration and love of running came from.

I just had to include this picture because my parents looked like the most "fly" couple in this picture. I never knew they were SO hip! This has got to be in the late 60's on a trip to Washington D.C. Am I right Mom?

Paul has a great example when it comes to Fathers. His Dad has got to be one of the most patient, kind, honorable, and good men I know. I am so grateful for his life and for all he instilled in his kids. I see so many similarities in them and I am so grateful for that. I love you Colin!
Now for my awesome husband Paul. I honestly don't know where to begin. How did I get so lucky? Paul is the the guy who would do ANYTHING for his family. He truly does everything he does for us. He put in 12 long years of schooling after his mission to ensure a stable good life for us. He always makes me feel like a "hottie" and is such a sweet Dad.

One thing about Paul that I admire is that he has so much integrity. During residency he would always stay later than he had to if he felt like he was needed. I remember during his anesthesia rotation I got so excited because everyone said he would be home by 3:00pm. They didn't know Paul very well. When he finished up with anesthesia he would go up to the Oral Surgery Clinic and see if he could help get the other guys out any sooner. Every rotation he went on he became the favorite resident - except for maybe internal medicine. He would get notes, cookies, fruit baskets, etc. from the families of his patients, and still gets emails from some of them.

I am so proud of all his sacrifice of time and energy, and his hard work for our family. His kids adore him, and I love him so much! Thanks Paul for all you do!
Paul with Ella and Jack overlooking one of his favorite golf courses in La Crosse, WI.This is an old picture of Paul and the boys at a different golf course in Wisconsin.
I'm so glad my boys have not only a strong hand to hold, but a strong man to look up to!
Paul adores his girls, and they love him too! I know he will help them feel the way my Dad made me feel....special.


We Love you DAD(s)!!

I always knew he was a looker!!

Okay, so I had to do it for Paul too! Of course I don't know who most of them are, but come on...George Clooney!! Luckily Paul is even cooler that Danny Ocean!

My Celebrity Look-alikes

Need an ego boost? This is kinda fun! I'm not sure if I agree, but I'll take it. Especially since my husband thinks Jessica Biel is a hottie! I have to laugh at the last one (Kelly Hu) because I have been asked several times it I have any asian heritage?! I can't wait to see everyone elses results! Especially my SIL Sue because I have always thought she has a tad of Celine Dion, and a lot of Jessica Alba (LUCKY!) Sally, how hard would you laugh if yours had Tori Spelling? Paul would feel so vindicated!!

Jane Austen anyone?

Take the Quiz here!

I love Jane Austen. This quiz was fun. How accurate it is I'm not sure, but fun to take anyway!

Temper Temper

I am actually in California right now, but I wanted to quickly post about a great experience I had Wed. morning before leaving on our trip. I was up bright and early at 4:15am and on my way to pick up some of the beehives (girls group from our church ages 12-13) to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. For those of you not familiar with my church, click here to find out what I mean. Anyway, it was so fun to see how willing/eager these girls were to wake up early on a summer morning to serve the Lord.

Anyway, before doing the actual baptisms we had the President of the temple and his wife talk to us a bit. The temple Matron said that she felt inspired to talk to us about how she had grown up in a home where a lot of harsh words and loud voices prevailed. That was something she was somewhat used to until she got married. She told about how she and her husband were in California where he was in law school at Stanford. While they were there she was in Sunday school where the lesson was about controlling your tongue. She then said that her bishop at the time made a comment about how he felt like every time he lost his temper, he lost a piece of himself. That bishop turned out to be my uncle who later was made a General Authority of the church. I was so touched, not only because it was about my dear uncle, but because this is something I have been thinking about a lot lately.

I was blessed to grow up in a home where harsh words/voices were rarely used. I can honestly say that I cannot recall a time that I heard my mother's voice raised in anger. Now, I am the youngest and I'm sure there were times where she did raise her voice, but they were obviously few and far between because I do not remember a single time. Of course this was normal to me and have since learned that I was truly blessed by this "not so normal" behavior. I grew up with the delusion that I would be a mother exactly like mine. I have learned that I am not nearly as patient and nurturing as she was. It hurts me to know that I have raised my voice to my children due purely to my own frustration. I have really been praying for an increase in patience, and for the guidance and discipline to control my voice. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not yelling and verbally abusing my kids, but I am not at all happy with the ever increasing times that I have lost my temper.

Again, I have to pay tribute to my mother for her great example and nurturing. I don't think I was unaware of the blessing of her positive nature, but as a mother I think I have a more sure appreciation of the ENORMOUS effect it has had on my life. I want so much for my kids to feel warmth, love, kindness, and happiness when they are with me, or hear from me. As I have gotten older I have become so much more aware of how many homes have daily bouts of yelling, name calling, blaming, and disruptions. I truly think that I was at the right place at the right time while doing that work at the temple. Not only for the service it provides, but for the message I received and the inspiration to do better.

Thanks for letting me blather on.

• Any thoughts?
• Do you ever feel the same way?
• What are the best things you have learned from your mother?

Check back on Sunday as I will post a pic of my dear Mom, and also updat on our trip to Cali!

How cool is this?

This is too funny. I found this on another blog and just had to share! The first one is of my first and last name currently. The second one is of my maiden name. I guess I was the only one!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 63 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Visitors...We LOVE them!!

Me and my awesome sister Heather! I have so much fun with her. We love to talk, eat, talk, and have fun!
Here is her husband Bruce throwing Ella into a back flip. He is such a fun uncle. He plays really great with the kids.

Two of my handsome guys!

Heather and I enjoying one of our favorite activities...talking!!

The kids got our little "roller coaster" and decided it would make a great addition to the pool. It was hilarious seeing them all anticipate the drop off.

I'm sure you are all sick of me talking about how dang handsome this Jack kid is, but I just had to say it one more time!

It is always sad to see our visitors go. Luckily I (and the kids) will be spending the majority of July in Utah and will be able to see Heather's family, and many others again soon!

Happy Birthday Ella

Yes, Ella's birthday was last Tuesday May 29th, but I am so behind on my posts that I am just now getting to it. Her party turned out to be so much fun. I was inspired and had two girls that live around the corner from me come and help (ages 10 and 12). It saved me! I also had my cute sister Heather there, so together we were ready for the fun. Here we are on the back porch. I am helping with the tie dye (note the sexy yellow gloves). Brittany one of the fabulous Young Women from our church is helping the girls with a Spin Art project. (I turned them into the thank you notes for each girl. I had pre-printed a thank you message with spaces for thier name and gift. Then each girl wrote her name on the card before she did the spin art on the back. After we opened gifts all we had to do was fill in the blank of what gift they gave. ) Brittany's little sister Kylie is in the back behind the barbecue making snow cones.
View from the back of the yard so you can see the slip and slide! At the moment all the guests were involved in projects or getting their snow cones.

The pile of tied and dyed shirts waiting to be rinsed out.

The finished product!! Isn't that cool? I was glad to hear afterward that many of the girls wore them the whole next day and even to bed! Just goes to show that with tie dye it is hard to mess up!

Heather the lifeguard keeping an eye on all the action!

Ella and her cousins that were at the party. Ella is in the tie dye and from left to right is Ashley, Gracie, Sarah, and Lauren. We love cousins and feel so blessed to have so many!!The whole gang of girls....and Jack and Sam! What a fun day.

I just quickly want to say how grateful I am for my sweet Ella. I always call her my sunshine girl because her smile and personality bring so much joy and light to our family. She is the perfect oldest child because she is so easy going, loves her brothers and sister, and is a cheerful helper. I cannot say enough about what a wonderful girl she is. I am so proud of the kind of friend she is to everyone around her. I love you Ella, Happy Birthday!!!