No birds

The bird feeder is a little frosty in this picture because it was again a really frigid day here. I'm convinced the bird seed level has not changed one bit since Jeff picked it up off the ground when the wind knocked it down the day after he put it up. But I haven't really seen any birds on the deck either. I don't know if I need to send a bird e-vite or what. Maybe it's too cold for them to be out? Hopefully some day I'll get to see birds hanging out and snacking at the feeder Isaiah got me for Christmas.

Baby it's cold outside

It's a good thing I usually do my blog posts at night. If I had attempted to type this post this morning after walking with Randie, it would have been ugly. We met at 5:15am and it was a chilly 24 degrees. It proceeded to get even colder while we walked - or at least that's what accuweather.com says happened. I eventually was able to bend my fingers again, but I'm not sure I ever really got warm in my core today. But all coldness aside, I'm still really glad we went. If I have to do this morning exercise routine, at least I have some really great people with whom to do it!

So since it was so cold today, I decided to post some snow photos from the Christmas break. I took these with my awesome new zoom lens.

Eli trudging up the hill while Rachel takes a break.

Isaiah walking with Caleb and catching a snowflake on his tongue.

Rachel borrowed Caleb's snowboard and gave that a shot.

Eli loved the snow. He would stay out until his face and hands were pretty much raw and loved every minute of it!

I was home for about 3 minutes this afternoon after picking up the boys from school and snapped this picture out the kitchen window:

Mornings might not be so bad

Morning is not one of my favorite parts of the day. In fact, it's in the running for my least favorite part of the day. I have been a night owl for as long as I can remember. It's not uncommon for me to start a project at 9pm that will certainly take several hours to complete. Even though it's not something new, I think the reason behind staying up late has changed over the years. As a wife and mother of 3 kids, the main reason I stay up now is because it's quiet. I think I suddenly get a burst of energy once it isn't being sapped by constant chatter and questions. I don't know how accurate this is, but it's my theory anyway.

But I digress... So mornings = bad in my book. But what I also have discovered as a mother of 3 active kids is that if I don't get up early to exercise, it's just not going to happen. It really was a sad day when this knowledge kicked in a few months ago. So basically I'm a night owl by nature, but an early bird by necessity.

So this morning - the morning of my mom's 61st birthday - I was up by 4:45am and on a treadmill at the Y by 5:10am. I was back home an hour later sitting at the dining room table reading "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. After I wrapped up my reading and woke up Isaiah for school, I glanced out the sliding glass doors to our deck. Light was slowly creeping into the sky that had been pitch black just minutes earlier. I grabbed my camera and shot this photo out my kitchen window.

I stood there and watched a tiny glimpse of yellow turn into a glowing ball in the sky right outside my window. I know it's something that happens every day, but that doesn't change the fact that it's simply amazing to watch. I am thankful I was up early and wasn't too rushed to take in one of God's beautiful works of art.

Milkshakes & Potato Donuts

This afternoon we picked up Jeff's little brother Steven and made the trek to Harrisburg for the Pennsylvania Farm Show. So basically we checked out some tractors, cows and chickens and then got to eat some yummy food. The potato donuts are my personal favorite. I don't know exactly how they make them and I don't really care because they are just that good. Add in a thick & creamy chocolate milkshake and there you have the dinner of champions. It's a really good thing I went for a 5-mile walk earlier in the day and that I'm getting back into my workout routine this week! It was a lot of fun and very cool to get to spend the afternoon with Steven. We are enjoying getting to know him better and I was glad he said he had fun - even though he had to see a cow poop :)

This was the view out the window when we got home from church. I think the bird seed level is ever so slightly lower than it was when Jeff hung in out there, so it is possible some birds have discovered the treasure in the Bell backyard. But I still haven't actually seen any birds out there. I'm hoping this will be the week!

Back in the running!

We located Eli's tooth when we went to bed last night and for the record it was Jeff - not me - who moved it from the counter. So luckily I am back in the running for Mother of the Year. Whew!

Today was a busy but good day. It started early since the kids had to be at the Y before 8 for a swim meet. I snapped my window picture before we left but then realized it was a little blurry. Oh well, here it is anyway.

The kids all did great at the swim meet this morning. Lots of PRs for all the Bells! I love watching them in the water and seeing how far each of them has come since they started swimming. Here are a few pix I took during the meet.

Sierra helping Isaiah into the pool

Sienna, Paige, Rachel and Delaney being goofy

Eli on the block at the start of the 25 free

Isaiah at the start of the medley relay

Rachel swimming the 50 fly

Eli swimming the 25 back

Then in the evening Jeff's staff came over for our annual Christmas party. He really is blessed to have a really great staff. I enjoy getting together with them. As was the case last year, it turned into a dance party after dinner and everyone had a lot of fun.

Losing Teeth

Here is the picture I took this morning...

...right after this happened...

I thought for sure Eli's tooth would fall out last night. We put in a valiant effort, but it just wasn't meant to be. It was hanging on with all its might. So right before lunch time today, Eli decided to get serious. He was twisting and turning and wouldn't give up until that little sucker popped out. He was very excited to show everyone we encountered the rest of the day. Then at bedtime he came searching for the tooth to put it under his pillow. While I don't know for sure what happened to it, I'm assuming this mother-of-the-year candidate threw it away while I was wiping down the kitchen counters to prepare for Jeff's staff coming over tomorrow night. Oops. I guess that knocks me out of the running yet again...and only 4 days into the new year. I guess I'll give it another shot in 2014!

Dirty Window

So as I was taking the third photo for my series I discovered that my camera can really capture every streak and speck of dust on my windows. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea... Oh well, I guess another benefit of the whole project will be that I clean my kitchen window more often than I ever have before. Below is the view out the window right before Eli and I headed to the Y this morning. We didn't rush out the door as soon as Rachel got on the bus like we often do. It was nice to have a more leisurely morning.

Eli has a loose tooth. I'm not really a fan of loose teeth. I mean, I get that it's a natural process and all, but if I had my choice I'd rather not see teeth hanging by what seems like a thread. Eli also can be a teensy bit dramatic. So you would think that he is the first person on the face of the earth to lose a tooth. I was really, really hoping it would be gone before he headed to bed, but it just didn't happen. I still have my fingers crossed that it will fall out before we leave in the morning.