Light Bulb Moment

The recent events going on in the world have me worried and full of anxiety of what the future holds. I have been looking for ways to become a happier person. Tonight I had a "Light Bulb Moment". In this last conference Pres. Uchtdorf gave a fantastic talk called "Happiness, Your Heritage". Wow. What he said really made sense to me. These are my favorite lines from his talk:

Creating and being compassionate are two objectives that contribute to our Heavenly Father’s perfect happiness. Creating and being compassionate are two activities that we as His spirit children can and should emulate.

If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect... Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

Ever since "Super Saturday" (craft day), I have just been craving something crafty, & creative...and now I realize why. It was so soothing and calming for me to sit and create something useful and beautiful. Really, it wasn't anything fancy. But I feel addicted. I have been looking for more inspiration and ideas to create. So here is my list of things to create and a few pictures I found to inspire me (mostly so I don't forget)...

1. A quilt for each of my girls. (Kalli, could you maybe give me some direction with this? How do you bind a quilt? How do you create the pattern?) They have some way cute fabric at Broadbent's Department Store in Lehi.

2. Learn more about photography & photoshop. (I really really want to upgrade to the full photoshop and learn "aged", & all the other ins & outs of lighting and composition.)
3. Turn the empty bedroom upstairs to be my craft room. (So I don't have to put anything away, where I can be nice & organized with all my stuff and be able to see it)

4. Crochet those really really cute baby girl hats for my girls.

5. Make some picture puzzle blocks for Bella for Christmas...

6. Okay I really need to learn to make homemade rolls & cinnamon rolls & bread. (Rhodes is pretty close, but doesn't count according to Levi).


What ideas do you have? Anyone want to join me?

The Twins are Almost 4 Months!

So I love that my girls are interacting more now. I love this video clip...Paislee helping Kailia out by literally "lending a hand". I love it when they are naked! I can't resist kissing their bellies and nibbling on them. Look at their chubbiness! They have come so far from their skinny gauntness when we first brought them home.

Kailia is Levi's alarm clock. She wakes up and starts squawking just to be heard. When I am feeding the girls, Kailia does not hold still. Paislee tries to keep up with her sis by cooing and making the sweetest sounds ever heard. She tries to squawk, but it just comes out as angelic little noises. Paislee seems to be calmer and more laid back. She can be very cuddly and is mostly content. I love them both so much and just can't believe they are almost 4 months old. It makes me want to cry. They are growing up way faster than Bella did. That's why I take lots and lots of pictures and video clips.

Holiday Cards!

Last year I started a company called Bella Boo inc. designing photo announcements & cards. My website hosting account expired, and to keep costs down, I thought a blog format would be perfect for my needs. So, I am excited to have it up and running just in time for the holidays. To make it easier and more affordable, I am offering "print your own" designs for just $15. Check it out, you may see some familiar faces on there.

www.bellabooinc.blogspot.com

my new bed!

Levi built us a bed. After 5 years of marriage, we have been sleeping 4 inches off the ground with a bed frame. Our mattress is sweet (thanks to brad johnson), but no head or foot boards. So Levi got creative and designed, built, and stained us a beautiful bed with two matching night stands! It's gorgeous. He has also made tons of picture frames, my curio shelf and lots of other things. He is so talented. He already has orders for a custom office desk, rustic bedroom set, and "shipwrecked" themed bed for a bed & breakfast. If he had his way he would build furniture all day long. I am so glad he found something he is passionate about. Any ideas for a business name?

first snow day!

I woke up and knew that it had snowed before I even looked out the window. I could just sense it. When Bella woke up I couldn't wait to show her. She was so excited! While I was doing things around the house, I noticed she kept opening and closing the door to the deck. Then I discovered she had been building a snowball in my living room! I realized I wouldn't be able to win this battle, so I got her all bundled up with some toys and sent her out to the deck to play. She was outside in the snow for a good three hours! She kept saying, "I love to taste the snow." Levi got a picture of her laying face-down in the snow, tasting it. I am glad she is so adventurous. She didn't even complain about getting cold.

Does anyone have any creative ideas for fun indoor things to do? I can't take the twins out much and I think we are going to go crazy! I have thought of a few things: Kangaroo Zoo, Jump on it, library, lehi swimming pool, paint our toe nails, make cookies, play dough, make slime, visit grandmas, visit the pet store, the aquarium in sandy, make movies, finger paint, thanksgiving point dinosaur museum...what else?

{hAlloWeEn}

halloween is finally over! not to be a grinch or anything, it was just dragging on and on this year. The girls did look adorable in the their little costumes. Bella was a "Tiger" (a lion), Paislee was a bunny, and Kailia was a giraffe. My three little animals looked so cute. We took the girls to Macey's to visit Nana and see her crazy costume. She was a poodle. Then we went to Nana & Papa's (Levi's parents) and they took them and their cousins (gunner, gavin, & taya) trick-or-treating down the street. They fed us pizza too! Then we stopped by the Goss/Snyder home to show off costumes and see their cute kids. Then we went to Grandma Renee's house to see cousins Jayce and Jax. By that time Bella was acting so grumpy, so we decided it was time to get everyone to bed after a good bath.







Then we pulled out the old mullet wig. Why are mullets so dang funny???

We miss Papa Don

After spending a couple weeks in Utah, my Dad left back to Canada yesterday. We already miss him so much! We always have so much fun when he comes to visit and I am always surrounded by lots of family. Before he left, we went out to eat at IHOP. After saying a tearful goodbye, I immediately felt so lonely. It felt like a big empty space in my heart. We miss Papa Don so much! On the way home, Bella was crying and kept saying, "where is every bodies?" "i miss every bodies" "papa don is way far away in cannanna". It's funny how you get used to a routine and when that changes, you miss it. My dad has a great way of bringing my whole family together and making us laugh and making you feel special. We are already counting down the days until his next visit.