Bella, it's your birthday! Happy Birthday Bella!

I really cannot believe it has been three years. Bella is my best little friend. I have been with her every single day and night (except when the twins were born), for the past 3 years. We have a special bond. She is such a special little person. Her tribute is going to be difficult because there are so many things I could say about her.

I am going to sum up my most memorable moments of her life:

1. The first time I saw her heart beating on the ultrasound. We just miscarried a few months before and were holding our breath. I bawled my eyes out when I saw her heart beating. What a miracle!

2. The first time I held her. Again, bawling my eyes out. Those big eyes staring up at me in wonder. Like she knew me already. I didn't want to ever let her go.

3. Watching Levi hold her in the hospital. I can't describe it. Words cannot express how complete I felt and continue to feel with them in my life.

4. The day we brought home the twins. She immediately was attached to them. She protected them from day one. She was so excited to finally meet them and hold them. She kept saying in her squeaky little voice "Ohhh! So cute!"

My favorite things about her:

1. She has the enthusiasm of an entire cheerleading squad. She expresses this with every inch of her- jumping up and down, yelling, smiling, even her eyes show her excitement.

2. She is sooo cheesy. And I LOOOVE it.

3. She is so quick to forgive. I can be the meanest mom in the world and the next minute she says "mom, you gotta be more patienter." or "it was okay. accidents happen."

4. She expresses her love frequently. I can't get enough of "I love ya in the whole world." and "I love ya in the deep blue sea." or "mom, ya know what? I love you! Your the best mom ever." followed by the best hug and kiss.

5. How much she loves her dad. The very second he gets home she is climbing on him like a monkey climbs in a tree.

6. She is the best big sis ever. Kai and Pais absolutely adore her. Their eyes light up when they see her first thing in the morning. They are very good friends. Bella is the best at getting them to giggle!

7. How brilliant she is. I am not just saying this cause I'm her mom. She remembers things after just one time of hearing them. We are constantly amazed.

8. She has the biggest heart in the world. She loves her sissies and puppy so much. She is always talking about things she can show her cousins. She loves her grandmas and grandpas and always misses them. She is heartbroken if she accidentally hurts anyone. She is a sweetheart.


I am so blessed to be Bella's mom.

Happy 3rd birthday Sweet Pea, PickleHead, Bizzle, Iza-my-bella, Bell Bell, Jingle Bells!

{the tricia way} hair straightening tips

I hate doing my hair. I hate straightening even more. It takes forever. Most of the time it ends up looking NOT how I want it to.

I asked my hairstylist how she gets my hair so perfect when she straightens it. I have been completely out of the loop on this one. Maybe you are like me?!? So I will share.

These are the fabulous tips she gave me:

After washing and conditioning hair

1. Blow dry.
Only round brush the top. It's a waste of time to do the underneath too. Use a regular brush or your fingers on the rest.

2. Flat Iron.
Use a small tooth comb to comb out 1 inch sections at a time. Go through each section one time slowly with the flat iron. If needed, go through the section a second time.

Tricia swears by the comb. Tricia is so good. Thank you Tricia!

I want to buy a really baby

Bella finds a penny on the floor....

B: Look mom, a money!
M: Oh! Are you going to put it into your piggy bank?
B: Yeah!
M: You are getting lots of money in there. What do you want to buy with it?
B: Hmmm...I want to buy a really baby.
M: What do you mean a "really baby"?
B: Well, a baby like baby sisters.
M: Aaahh...that's a good idea.


Bella would like a baby for the following things:

1. to torture it
2. dress it up
3. make the baby move how she would like it to
4. tickle the baby whenever possible
5. feed the baby
6. carry the baby everywhere
7. pick up the baby
8. Kiss it all the time

new ride

I am excited to say that we are finally buying a "new" car! A bigger vehicle has badly been needed for our growing family. With two infant carseats and one toddler seat, we have been squished! Today, we found a sweet deal on KSL for a Ford Explorer. It's a little older, but has comparatively lower miles. It's also in great shape. The only problem is it only has two rows of seating...which is fine for us NOW. But what about when we want to take a little friend or cousin along? Or what if we have another baby? I was determined to find something! In case you all are wondering check out this website. For $750 (including shipping) we are adding a third row bench to our car.

It was invented by a grandma who wanted a vehicle that could fit all 6 of her grand kids. Her husband didn't want to pay for something that big though. Long story short, they invented a 3rd or 4th row bench for SUVs that matches your car's interior. It also passes all the safety standards of an existing seat. It can even be put into an Excursion to seat 11 PASSENGERS! Isn't that crazy? But oh so brilliant.

Bellaism of the day

picture from the tippetts family endless photo archives
March 2008
Age 21 months



If you know Bell, you know how much she loves meat, or "Steaken" as she calls it (ya know, like chicken, bacon, and steak combined).

So, she wakes up this morning with THE BEST morning hair I've ever seen (it was all over the place...I think it even growled and winked at me...):

B: (yawns, stretches and says groggily)Mom, I had a dream about little Steakens last night.
M: You did?
B: Yeah! (excitedly) And then a giant worm got me!

I would really love to crawl into her mind just to see how it works. Just for a day.

Happy Birthday Dear Starlee...Happy Birthday to YOU!

Today is Levi sister's birthday. I hope she has a fabulous day, because she is fabulous!

1. Her name is a hippie name, and I love it: STARLEE
2. She is good at a lot of things.
3. She is the best auntie...her nieces and nephews LOVE her.
4. All kids seem to really love her.
5. She was a recess lady once.
6. She paints her niece's toes and nails and they love it.
7. She is hilarious! She should audition for SNL. She imitates Kristen Wig's Target lady really well. I pee my pants every time!
8. She is very thoughtful. Whenever it's someone's birthday, she remembers.
9. She used to have really really long hair. It fell out after she was sick in the hospital for a month.
10. You can count on Star. She will do anything she can for you.
11. She loves movies. She has more movies than anyone.
12. Her middle name is Rose after her mom (like Kailia too!)
13. She always looks cute.
14. She has more flip flops than anyone I know. She is OBSESSED.
15. She is the one that got me into the "Twilight" series. (Younger people always know whats going on!)
16. She wants to be a mortician.
17. I think she should be a beautician.
18. She's a good nanny too.
19. She is the family text communicator. ha ha
20. She permanently has her phone attached. She is always texting. She is pretty fast too.
21. She is in her ward's Young Women's and they love her.
22. She looooooves Young Womens camp!
23. All of her family loves her so much! She is the sweetest, cutest, funnest person we all know!!!

Ron Juber

Who is Ron Juber?

For months now Bella has been talking about Ron Juber. If anyone does anything silly or funny they get called "Ron Juber".

We googled it. Nothing. We couldn't figure it out.

Then, we were watching Little Einsteins. Each episode they have a featured artist and composer. The featured composer was Franz Schubert.

Immediately Bella's little ears perked up. "Ron Juber!"

Levi and I simultaneously: "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

Where are the Cocoons?

Last night I heard some whimpering by my bedroom door. Since Levi always puts the pillow over his head when this happens, I got up to see what was going on.

There is a blanket covering a bump on the floor by my bedroom door.

Me: "What's wrong bella?"
Bell: "I am scared. They are going to get me!"
Me: "It's okay come in, you can sleep on my floor."

Well the floor by my bed turned into making herself comfortable in the bed. But when she woke up, she still couldn't shake this bad dream.

Later on that day....

Bell: "Mom, where are the cocoons?"
Me: "Cocoons?"
Bell: "The 'coons that get your eye!" (makes a scratching motion)
Me: "OOOH, Raccoons?"
Bell: "Yeah, they were trying to get you! And they scratch your eye! Where are they? Where do the 'coons live?"
Me: "The 'coons won't get me. Dad and Dakota will protect us from them. They live in the forest."
Bell: (still very afraid) "We will tell them- GO AWAY Cocoons! And they will go away. And Kota will bark at them!"

I told her everything would be okay and not to worry. But how do you explain to an almost three year old, that dreams aren't real?

How sweet that she came down in the night last night, worried about the 'coons getting us!

Happy Birthday Blake (belated)

Wow I am the worst sister ever. Blake, my brother, had has birthday a few days ago. Here is his tribute:

1. He is the third oldest in my family.
2. We were best buddies when we were little
3. We hated each other in Jr High and High School
4. I used to "borrow" his awesome black pump-up shoes
5. I used to "borrow" his Aerosmith CD
6. We used to play "bats" on our bunk bed when we were little
7. We have made many many forts together
8. We loved burying treasures in our back yard.
9. Blake broke his arm playing football
10. He was an awesome hockey player for Timpanogos High
11. He is super super smart
12. He is very hyper
13. He works so hard
14. He is a good dad
15. He is such a good example to his family
16. He recently was sealed to his family, which was one of the neatest experiences I've been able to witness
17. He has a cute little girl named Jayce
18. He is expecting a boy..oh wait a girl in September
19. He is such a good uncle. His nieces and nephew love him.
20. He is a neat & clean freak. His house is never messy. Even when he watches my kids.
21. He went to school to be a pilot.
22. He is now going to be an air traffic controller.
23. If anyone can be an air traffic controller, it's him. He's perfect for the job.
24. He is a great brother.
25. He is a funny funny guy. He keeps us all laughing.
26. He keeps us all organized too.
27. He knows politics
28. He reads all the celebrity magazines!!! ha ha
29. I am so grateful to have him as a brother. He is the best!

Polka Dot Babies/ Karate/ Ride em Cowboy/New Bellaisms

Sunday night Kailia developed a weird rash. It started on her arm, and by morning it was EVERYWHERE! Her poor little face had it the worst. I took her in to to see the doc (because it wouldn't be a normal week for us if we didn't) and they said it's a virus. Another flipping virus. As we were there talking to her, Paislee started breaking out in the same one. Luckily it isn't too bad. She said it will get worse, then start to get better. My poor little polka dot babies!

Yesterday Bella had the opportunity to go to a Karate class taught by our good friend Dallas Lawrence over at the Bobby Lawrence Karate Studio in Saratoga Springs. Wow! Can I just tell you how impressed I am? There were six kids in the class. Bella was the youngest of the six. It took her a while to catch on, but after about 10 minutes she was running around with them having soo much fun. She loved it. What a great outlet for kids. The best part is they aren't just learning Karate skills, but other life skills. The skill they focused on was actually Focus. They also go over appropriate times to use karate, respect, discipline, following directions, leadership skills, and much more. It was Bell's first time in a classroom setting. I had so much fun just watching. Dallas was so great with all the kids. He was very animated and funny. The kids really listened to and respected him while having fun. Bell loved it, and loves her Little Ninja uniform too. So dang cute!


I took the girls to Thanksgiving Point to see the petting zoo animals. Bella loved riding the horse all by herself. Tinies were fascinated with the ducks and other animals. I could spend all day at Thanksgiving Point. They have so many fun kid-friendly things to do.

Bella invented another word yesterday. I think it's pretty clever (but then I am the inventor of "finger-knee"; the knuckles on your fingers)

B: while patting my sternum "This is your Forechest" (ya know, like how the forehead is on the front top part of your head...)