The Bell Family

Blogging is a bust this summer! - Lola turned 1 preview... :)

2009-08-25T22:01:00.004-06:00

Girls Trip - Vegas!!

2009-07-06T21:08:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago a few of my girls and I decided to run off to Vegas for a little R&R. In the end.... it was a little less R&R and a little more fabulous fun!!!
Don't know how we managed to entertain ourselves, but stayed out all night and laid by the pool all day, and it was such a blast! Here's a few of our fav pics.

The airport...

Arriving in style... :) it was almost cheaper to get an SUV limo to take us from airport to the Bellagio... so why not!!?? Nat Neilson, Kira Olsen, Heather Morzelewski and Brooke White.

Day 1 - poolside babes!

That night - Nat Ras (Neilson) and me! Posing of course!

These silhouette shots are cool right?

Nat and Morgs cuddling up at the fountains :)

We did a little shopping at our favorite little lady Betsey's store!!

Nat eating her double stacker sugar cookie... which looked... um... a little too delish... :) - hahaha well .... okay, maybe not for everyone - But for Nat- YES, she's a sucker for her sugar cookies.

all of us in the garden at Bellagio - where we stayed!! Clockwise top to bottom - Brooke White, me, Nat Ras (Neilson), Rachel Cowen, Kira Olsen, Heather Morzelewski, Morgan Ferran and Lindsay Wright

Our fabulous sun glasses in the Juicy store! hahaha we were just trying them, not buying them.

A quick pose in front of the fountains at Bellagio

and then.... the aftermath... the look on our faces at the SLC airport says it all... above and below... we were all pretty much sick with the flu or otherwise when we got home. But it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I love you girls!!

St. George, Easter, Vegas... and Lola's 10 months...what???!

2009-05-22T23:37:00.013-06:00

Lola turned 10 months this week. I can't believe she's almost 1 year!!!
She's got 8 teeth, claps and waives hello/goodbye, loves being outside, army crawls like a champ, and is pulling her self up to standing on almost everything!
She's just getting extra ticklish, and her laugh is getting cuter and cuter.

My mom and I decided to take some "10 month" pics of her today, in my parents backyard because it's sooo beautiful right now.

Lola snugging with her Grams above... and then a bunch of my fav's below...

um, yes... that's Lola - trying to eat dirt... (below)

and this (below) was a fabulous example of Lola "smiling with her eyes" - hahaha until she's actually got them almost closed. She takes after her daddy that way. Those beautiful eyes... :)

Big girl - reading her book... OK - she doesn't realize...she's reading up side down... :)

and just being funny....

VEGAS!! - Zack, and I, and our BFF Brian went to Vegas for 3 days, 3 nights. It was so much fun! Brian got us tix to "O"... the MOST AMAZING performance I've ever seen. Thanks Brian!!

Zack and Lacey - Old Las Vegas - the glorious place where I made $1.... into $375 playing the good ole' game of craps! I felt like a million bucks (even though it was just $375 - haha)

Brian's cool pic idea... in the Bellagio (below)

EASTER - Lola was ornery on Easter... so we never did get a pic of her in her Easter dress... I did however make her wear these bunny ears before bed that night...

And earlier that morning...she found her Easter basket that Easter Bunny had left... with a little help from her Dad of course. :)

Then later that day, she went nuts for the empty Easter eggs at her Grandma Bells... seriously, chased them around for hours... and then continued to chase them for weeks and weeks back at home!!

ST. GEORGE - Lola's first time in the pool, and she LOVED it!!

in NYC - missin my little fam - at least I got some Red Mango Goodness...

2009-04-21T16:38:00.003-06:00

Zack txted me this pic of my little sweet darlin this morning. I'm in NY for work this week, so he faithfully txt's me pics a few times per day... I love the pics, but of course makes me miss them more!

At least I got this AWESOME pic of my most favorite treat on my phone's camera. I was wandering around today after a meeting, and stumbled upon this goodness! Red Mango made my day. :)

Just us girls.... Moab!!

2009-04-15T06:55:00.007-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, very last minute, and spontaneously - Nat, Heather and I decided to go to Moab to watch Heather's dad run the Moab half Marathon, and of course, have a little getaway in the sun, just us girls.

The trip began at Smart cookie, in American Fork, where we purchased more than a dozen cookies.... which we did eat.

Next morning was the race - and it was a beautiful morning. Natalee Nielson, Heather Warner and I at the park where the race ends.

We got there just in time to see Heathee's dad Rick finish. Nice job Rick!!

Then we went to Arches - and hiked up to Delicate Arch - the one on all the UT license plates. It was beautiful!!

That night, went out on the crazy town of Moab for some wood fired pizza!

I pretended to drink a little ranch, cause it was SO delicious, and... of course in honor of Nat's little sis Boo Boo (Brooke White) - who would drink ranch too! :)

The sleeping situation. :) all three of us, one king sized bed. LOVED it!!!

Next day, we went to Dead Horse Point, where it was UNBELIEVABLE windy!! But as always, SOOOOO beautiful!

Heather looks glamorous with the wind in her hair!!

Nat and I with the winding Colorado River behind us. : )

That day, we also did some SICK 4-wheeling. It was "just us girls" remember, so I did the driving. It was quite an adventure! Below is a pic of Heather's Dad's jeep that we followed. You have no idea how high we were at the time we took this pic.

My BFF Brian Thaut SOOOOOOOOO generously let us borrow his Bad A FJ for the weekend adventure, and I was so proud to show him how dirty we made the tires! :)

Thanks Brian!! Thanks Nat and Heddy, it was SOOOOO much fun!

i almost forgot i have a blog...

2009-04-03T06:58:00.005-06:00

I haven't updated my blog in months... so, here's a few random pics of Lola over the past little while.
Lola playing with Stells, below. . . (Stella sneaking in licks...)

Lola LOOOOVES her bungee exersaucer, she fell asleep in it the other day - exhausted from all the jumping!

Our BFF Brian. Lola loves him. :)

and below, Lola playing with her friend Cozy (Cozette Williams) - Bentley's sweet & beautiful daughter.

Lola's 6 months (well... now she's 7 months..) but we got her pics done a few weeks ago

2009-02-22T18:23:00.007-07:00

Okay... so my favorite little things about Lola at 6 months...
Height - 26 1/4 inches
Weight - 15 lbs, 8 oz.
Hair - some... dark blonde, light brown looking... finally starting to really grow
Eyes - Greenish Brown... and turning darker and darker by the day. Bye Bye baby blues
Teeth - two front bottom teeth. ADORABLE
Temperament - sweet angel baby all the time. Always happy, seriously only cry's when hungry or tired. :)
Headband/Bow status - she has lazer precision, and can get a bow off in .2 seconds.
Binki status - loves it, but can live without it
Sleeps through the night - if you coun't the 5:01am wake up EVERY day, as sleeping through the night, then yes.
Favorite Baby Food - NONE (she is very naughty about eating her solids, doesn't like any of them) Once in a while Lola will do a fake out, but ONLY for either her Grandma Mock, or Grandma Bell, she'll eat an entire container without fussing. Only pretending like that's how she always does it. hahaha. Otherwise, the rest of the time, the moment Zack, Kerri or I put the spoon in her mouth her mouth stays open, the food pools up under her tongue and she sings.... She does LOOOOOver her formula however.
Favorite Nap position - on her Daddy, or Mama's chest. She'll sleep this way for hours.
Favorite trick - she rolls over, and over... backwards and forwards, also, she sits up on her own like a little champ, recently started doing this hilarious thing with her pointer finger... she points at everything...
Favorite naughty trick - she looooooves to put her hands in her poop. Yes... the moment the diaper opens she get's after it. I'm constantly having to wash poop off her hands, and sterilizing them. Zack and I have come up with the arm bar, which seems to work nicely.
Favorite thing - Stella! She watches her all arond the room, and has started interacting, to Stella's dismay, because Lola to Stella interaction = Lola holding a fist full of Stella fur. Lola always wants Stella's toy out of her mouth too. Pretty soon, they'll be playing tug of war, which actually IS one of Stella's fav games.
Favorite toy - her Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo - HIGHLY recommended instead of an excersaucer... she jumps and laughs, and plays for a hour at a time!!! She even fell asleep in it once!!
Other Favorite thing - her bath!!!
Favorite word - "daaa daaa daaa daaaa" yes, okay, I admit it.... is sounds like Dadda.
Favorite other noise - she makes a little perfect o with her mouth and say "eww eww eww" soooo cute!

Here are some of the best 6 month pics from Katie Moss.

Lola's half birthday - so how about some newborn pics.... :)

2009-02-01T20:40:00.005-07:00

Since Lola recently turned 6 months, we celebrated her half birthday (okay - not really), but I did remember that I had been wishing I had posted her newborn pics. . . and since we got her 6 month pics done yesterday by Katie Moss - peekaboophotos, i'll be posting those soon, so figured I better get these added. Below are all my favs, from when Lola was 8 days old. She's grown so much!!! The first two were actually the front and back of her birth announcement and the rest... random favs. And stay tuned for the 6 month pics, I saw a preview tonight, and I'm so excited to share!!!

hahaha - this one is Zack's absolute favorite (below). She looks so funny! Cute, but funny!

My sweetest girl

2009-01-11T22:16:00.002-07:00

Took a bunch of pics today. There were too many cute ones that I had to share. . . :) like always.

Lola getting a kick out of our her dad above!

Lola and I getting acquainted with our newest little best friend Breck Leigh Sundloff. She's such a doll! and Lych looks amazing for having a baby 7 days ago...

Lola palling around with her other littlest best friend Payton Morzelewski. Since Lola is a big girl and sits up now, Payton is seeming like a lot of fun.

... and of course, Lola is starting to seem fun to Payton too (above)... especially when Lola lets her share her binki. It's SOOO cute.

Below begins the a collection of my fav pictures from our mini "6 month old" photo shoot. I'm getting her pics done professionally in a couple weeks, but... I started learning how to make Lola's flower bows, and happened to make the one she was wearing today and was happy that it ended up matching her little tutu outfit so well - all around she looked so cute I wanted to eat her up. Instead, I just took a million pictures. :)

Big girl Lola above sits in high chairs now too!

Lola is already known for her smile. She smiles with her eyes like you wouldn't believe. The pic above is the start of a smile, and the one below.... is one of her notorious smiles in full force. She was laughing at her dad above me, who was making the Donald Duck noise. She get's a kick out of him!!

Also, Lola has a fascination for her hands. Could watch them all day... :) (below)

My ALL TIME FAVORITE pic of the lot, below!!!

twas the night before Christmas...

2008-12-27T23:27:00.011-07:00

Okay, well, actually, twas the Month of Christmas! Here are some fun, random pics leading up to, and the day of Christmas. As you can probably imagine, this Christmas had a whole new perspective this year, and it was so sweet for us. Our little Lola was the center of it all! We also found time for lots of family and friends too, and definitely are thanking our many blessings for all the wonderful people in our lives. Here are a few pics capturing our Holidays this year.

So, we first kicked the month of Christmas off with a little "photo shoot", that I did with Stells and Lola. I had my mind set out to get some cute pictures of them together for our Christmas card.... this was a much tougher task than I had imagined it would be... :) Here are a few that didn't make the cut on the Christmas card, but that I loved anyways...

Couldn't you just bite those delicious Lola cheeks above, or kiss those little toes below...

Oh, and Stella looks so pretty in her bow. . . :)

The funniest part about this "photo shoot" is that Stella (the dog) hates getting her picture taken, she was much more difficult to work with than Lola. She was pouting, and would NOT look at me, OR Lola... then, Lola started to drool, and Stella was all over that. She actually got a few licks in, what was I to do, camera in hand...? I decided to seize the moment... :) Lola takes Stella's kisses in stride below as always. And, from then on, Stella was much more cooperative. So.. I was grateful for a little baby drool, that is apparently a delicious treat for puppy dogs...

This shot (below) was funny... of course it didn't make the card, because Zack says "It looks like we're like - TA DA, here's our dog, oh, and by the way... we have a new baby too - since she's a mere blurred image in the background.." yes, I agree with him, it does look a little off.

Later in the month... A little shin dig with friends called for a little cupcake love... once again. Thanks Linds for bringing these ADORABLE Santa hats, and "who-ville" cupcakes. Pretty much made the party!

The girls (our hubby's were here too - though not featured:). Alycia, sitting next to me is 9 months pregnant here!! What the...? She looks so amazing. I can't wait for her baby girl to arrive in a few days.

Then I decided to take a creative shot of my decorations (below). I seriously had to pump myself up about setting these up this year. What a silly thing. I'm so happy to have them, they make me warm an fuzzy all through December.

Then there was this non-Christmas moment (below) that was just some random day in December. Zack, Lola and Stella were lounging on the bed, and it was such an adorable photo opp that I couldn't resist. I love my little family!!

Later in the month, I got together with my best girlfriends from forever and ever for our annual Christmas dinner. We planned way ahead so we could accommodate every one's schedules, then we made it easy on ourselves, and met at Market Street for an amazing dinner, and lots of story telling, and laughs. Some things never change. I love you so much girls! (Randi Morgan, Erin Damjanovich, Me, Amy Jones, Heather Warner & Natalee Neilson)

And then..... it was finally Christmas Eve!!
Below, our first Christmas family pic in front of my mom's beautiful Christmas Tree.

And... Madeline (my little sis) with Stella. We made Stella wear a "ho ho ho" t-shirt, she looked like a little fatty, since it was a muscle t-shirt, it was funny.

Lola babes was all dressed up for the annual Christmas party hosted by my mom, and wearing her most beautiful new bow that my darling cousin Christina hand made for her!!!

Then there was my dad (below), snugging with Gizmo, his fav of the dogs.

Lola with her mama (below). I love my little sweety!!

Another solo shot of Lola... and the BOW!!

Ah, and finally.. that evening, Zack made me shut down the picture taking, his patience with my "photography hobby" is always wearing a little thin. This pic was his best imitation of the wolverine, trying to frighten me into putting down the camera... nice try sweety, I just think you ended up looking handsome - even though you were trying to pretend you were being mean... hahaha

Christmas morning!!! - I surprised Zack with a new road bike(below). We've got lots of great rides minutes from our house, I think he's going to love it next summer.

He also surprised me with a few of my favorite things, including... a new camera (yep, he's further encouraging the annoying photo taking antics..:), a new Lois Hill ring & some earrings - (for those of you that know Lois Hill, you would be so proud of him for picking out a ring all on his own that I absolutely love!!), a hot glue gun (to go along with the sewing machine my mom got me!!! - I'm going to work on my domestic side this year)... and a bunch of other fun stuff.

Little Lola got everything she had hoped for! hahaha, since she didn't even know what was going on, what she really wanted was that cute hat, right?! Well, the nice thing about being the parents, is when they are that little Mom and Dad get to pick out what you're going to get. So, there was the hat... :) and some other fun stuff.

More than anything, we feel so blessed to have our little angel in our lives this Christmas. That was the very best gift of all this year!!

I'm a sucker for pics of my bro Grady with Lola (below). He actually usually makes her cry, cause he doesn't know when to stop kissing those cheeks, but on Christmas morning, up at my parents, she was happy as can be in his lap.

I got this shot of my Grandpa Mock with Stella who HAS to be on his lap constantly, even when he's opening presents. I thought it was very sweet. My Grandpa is a very sweet man.

Then it was on to the Bell's for the rest of Christmas day.

Upon arrival at the Bell's we had Jeri's delicious Christmas breakfast including coffee cake, egg casserole, etc. - then we did some presents. Lola was napping... then, it was on the the Grandma's for a quick hello. After the Grandma's Lola was napping again... and then, when she woke up, we decided to try some real baby food for the first time. It was fantastic! She actually liked it, and was such a messy girl. She ended up totally destroying her Christmas outfit, but we didn't care!!! Here's one of the best shots, near the end of the feeding frenzy...:)

After that, we put her in her jammy's, and sat her down with Kate (below), her sweetest 9 month old cousin. They we're pretty cute together!!

Then, since Lola had been napping during present time, she finally got around to opening her presents in the evening. She was very cute about it.

First, below - eyeballing the wrapped box... "what do I do with this"...?

Then, hanging on tight to the paper....

And finally (below), the look of excitement once it was unwrapped. We hope you had a wonderful 1st Christmas our sweet Lola!

I have a new love in my life...

2008-12-27T23:17:00.004-07:00

His name... is Titus, he's a Chug (yes... Chihuahua/Pug mix).. and OMG, the cutest little bounder you ever laid eyes on. He actually belongs to our friend Bentley, and I just can't get enough of him. Bentley brings him over sometimes, and I finally got out the camera so I could show the rest of you how adorable he is. . .

Flashback... about 5 months ago

2008-12-10T09:58:00.004-07:00

Okay, so I was scrolling through my pics in my phone yesterday, and found this hilarious pic that I took of my own belly, the day before I went into labor. It is officially the largest belly ever - looking more like a missile. Since I got a good chuckle, I thought maybe I should share.

I've really come full circle this year... (no pun intended..:)hahaha. In January, no sign of being pregnant, by June/July.... looked freakin enormous, and now in December... pretty much back to normal... except well, much squishier than I ever thought was possible. :)! Either way... the woman's body does amazing things. I'm so excited for my girly's that are going through it now!!

Lola eats with a spoon!

2008-11-23T18:11:00.003-07:00

Our bebe is so big she eats off a spoon! Okay, so she tries to eat off a spoon then. This was actually her very first attempt, and really the only thing we were successful at was making a mess. Here are a few of the best shots.

and this is what she thought of the whole thing. . .

hopefully in round two we'll actually get her to swallow something. :)

Lola's Skype call with Kate!

2008-11-23T17:54:00.003-07:00

Since Lola's never met her cousin Kate who lives in Virginia, we decided to do a Skype Conference call the other day. It was so cute, especially Kate on the other end, she is about 5 months older than Lola, and was fascinated to meet her cousin.

Kate and Christie Bell (above)

Also... Lola got a new toy and LOOVES it! Okay, okay... she only really loves it for like 3 minutes, but that is a fun three minutes!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-03T10:51:00.013-07:00

We had a LOT of fun this Halloween. Even though I did spend hours, and hours, and hours planning and decorating at Omniture (Omniture goes ALL OUT for Halloween)... that was a little nuts, but we still ended up having lots of fun.

90% of the fun was dressing Lola - So... Let's take a vote, which of the Lola's Costumes was your favorite?

Costume #1 - the Adorable scowling Pumpkin (she wore this to Kaden Morzelewski's costume birthday party & to Zack's work party):

Costume #2 - the beautiful Pink ballerina (she wore this on Halloween to the Omniture party, and for "trick or treating"):

in this pic... Lola was LOVIN on her uncle Jake... it was so cute..

or... Costume #3 - the beautiful Blue ballerina (she wore this to another Halloween party the next night):

Obviously we couldn't choose, that's why she got to wear all three! :)

On Halloween night we went to visit my parents & Grandma Brian, and also Jake and Deb. Here's a cute pic of Lola with her sweetest cousins Liv and Kendyl in their costumes.

Also... of course my mother had to dress up her pups (Stella got the year off, and she was elated) but these two looked too cute, and too ridiculous for me not to post a pic.

So first we have Gizmo - the hot dog, and Chloe the witch. Cutie patooties!

Then, the night after Halloween, the Wrights (Brody & Lindsey) threw a Halloween party. It was SO much fun! Thanks Linds and Bro!!! We all got dressed up. Here's a few pics from the party.

Zack & I as Rockers above, and below.... Todd Ferran as . . . ??? a man in pink spandex and a pink bow... he wore it proud, and wore it well!

James Morzelewski, Zack & Dave Irving (Dave's some sort of super hero)..

And Ben Olsen.. was wearing a one piece unitard under his outfit. So awesome!

These were the cupcakes I brought to the party. This gal Lesleigh (http://cupcakesbyles.blogspot.com/) does this out of her home, and it is unbelievable how talented she is!

Ah, little Lola with her mama on Halloween.

Oh, and one more HUGE thing! Lola debuted her BLING at the party. My mom and I took her to get her ears pierced on Saturday. She did so good. Such a brave little sweety! She just looks so fabulous.

Lola is 3 months!!

2008-11-03T09:55:00.006-07:00

So.... our little sweety turned three months on October 18th. We can't believe how fast she's growing up! I wanted to make sure an post some pictures of her at the three month marker so we can keep track of how she looks at the different ages. Here are a few of my favs.

I had to post this one (above), because she's been trying for about 3 weeks to get those fists in her mouth. It's her new thing.

"Oh wow... daddy brought me home a weird present for my three month birthday..." Yes... Zack did shoot this deer. I was happy for him. For those of you that know much about hunting, this was a 31 incher... a nice sized buck!

Boy does she LOVE to smile.

and boy do I LOVE those chubby baby legs (and chubby baby cheeks)!!!

The older she gets, the more she wants to love on little Stells... LOL, Stella is being a little apprehensive above... but really, she loves our little babe too!

"Now that I'm three months, I'm so big that I can sit up on my own.." okay - well maybe she's leaning a bit... :) but she's just starting to love the BUMBO chair.

and more eating of the hands... and LOTS of drooling. My mom "SWEARS" she's already getting teeth. I honestly don't think that's possible... but I guess you never know.

And last, but not least (below), such a cute shot of Lola curling her cute little toes around her daddy's finger. We're loving every moment with our sweety who's growing up WAY too fast.

Lola's Baby Blessing - September 28th

2008-11-02T11:35:00.006-07:00

This post is a little late... but, of course we could not skip it. We blessed Lola on Sunday, September 28th. It was a BEAUTIFUL fall afternoon. Zack did such a wonderful job. I was so proud of Lola's Daddy! We had tons of friends and family there to support us, and we were so grateful. Thanks everyone! Here are a few pics to remember the day.

The special girl of honor... she's not quite sure what's going on of course...

Lola with her mama.

Lola with one of her favorite auntie's Danielle (above). Okay, pseudo auntie, so no one gets confused. But it's all the same if you ask me. Everyone can love her like an Auntie and you won't hear me complain. :)

Above - Lacey & Lola with Heather Warner and Erin Damjanovich. Two of my very best friends over many, many phases of life. We've covered a lot of different kinds of ground over the past 15 years, and I was so glad to have them there to celebrate this new wonderful milestone for Zack, and I!

The BEAUTIFUL cupcakes that my mom made, of course they had to make a cameo.

And finally - above, our happy little family (minus Stella - still haven't been able to get Stella AND Lola to cooperate for a family photo...:)

Dubai

2008-10-14T16:44:00.014-06:00

Okay, for anyone who is wondering why we've been M.I.A. for a few weeks... I'm happy to report that we have made it safely to and from the fascinating city of Dubai. We went with my company - Omniture, and had a most interesting adventure.

For those of you unfamiliar with Dubai it is a little (or rather HUGE) city in the United Arab Emirates. And yes, the United Arab Emirates is a comfortable (OR NOT) 19 hour plane ride (one way) conveniently bordered by Saudi Arabia... and it's beach front property is just stones throw across the Persian Gulf from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan...and all the others.... :) Suffice it to say, we were really in a foreign land. We of course took tons of pics, and I just really am not able to summarize the trip without posting several... so here we go.

Day 1 - Omniture surprised us and drove us far away from the city, and into the Arabian Desert. We eventually arrived at resort called "Emirates Al Maha - Resort and Spa" It was unforgettable!! It was night time when we finally got there, and each couple was handed a key to their private (very secluded) bungalow. Here's a few pics of ours.

It even had it's own pool, and overlooked an oasis that they had built in the desert so that animals would come drink there. Quite a spectacle!

The oasis view from the bungalow the next morning. Wow!

Day 2: First (at 6am - to beat the 100 degree heat + 100% humidity) horseback riding in the Arabian Desert on ex-Arabian race horses.

(above) Our fun little horse riding crew. Our buddies Doug and Catherine Jensen on the far left, and Wolf and his wife from the UK next to Zack and I.

My freakin' sweet borrowed horse riding boots. These were a men's size 9 - TOO big!

and a glimpse of a ride in the hills. Our tour guide in front, her name was Chris, from South Africa - she loved us crazy American's - then Zack, and Dougy following behind.

Then there's me - I wish I could remember the name of my horse! She was a meanie!! She was biting and kicking the other horses the entire ride.

Then later that morning (below) we went for a safari ride in the sand dunes. Doug and Catherine again + Zack and Lacey... it was really starting to get hot now..

(below) Zack and I on top of the highest sand dune around. Such an incredible view!!

Toyota needs to pay us for these pics, and our stories, because it's UNREAL what those landcruisers will do!

Then there was our hilarious - notorious friend Stevo... (below)

Then there was the camel... wandering around the desert...

Pretty amazing ride!

Next adventure - that night, we had a special, authentic dinner gathering under the stars - in the desert. We actually all had to dress up in the Arabic robes.. not my first wardrobe choice. ;) but it was funny to see everyone dressed like this.

Stevo, Derek (my boss), Dougy & Zack (above)

Zack and Lacey below - just in case you couldn't recognize us... :)

Biggest mistake of the night (below)! The local ladies were painting all our hands with tatoo's. They didn't speak English, so... of course couldn't explain to us that these will last for 5 weeks... and would be the color of baby poo (yes, I'm very familiar with that color:) ... for 5 weeks....

Zack with the spitting camel below

And we actually got to ride the camel...

Day 3: we departed from the Desert, and took the long bus ride into the city. We checked into a new hotel, and hunkered down for a couple days of city life in Dubai.

First stop was the Hotel Burj - the famous 7 start Resort with the tennis court/helicopter landing pad on top. Of course we didn't stay here, rooms are something like $4,000/night minimum! But we had the most amazing brunch here. The French Toast was mine and Zack's fav!

Below - Zack in front Hotel Burj - next to one of the three Rolls Royce parked out front...

And, here (below) was a shot from our hotel's beach.. the "city beach" as we called it. The Persian Gulf was as warm as a hot tub, and extra salty.

(below) on our last day - we went to the "City of Gold" A.K.A. the "souk" where you can buy sparkly things.

Just about to enter the souk - Dan and Brooke Wells, Doug Jensen, Zack - and some dude... picking his nose in the background. Classic!

The Gold was beautiful here!!!

(below) Our last night - I chose this picture, because by now, Zack was getting sick and tired of my "photography hobby"... this is why he is choking me ... hahaha such a patient guy. . ;) But a beautiful view of the city of Dubai at night. What an amazing vacation this was!

Bathtime fun!

2008-10-08T23:56:00.004-06:00

Well of course Lola's had a ton of bath's but this was one of the cute one's when I actually had the camera available. Her daddy bathed her. He's so sweet!

She's always so relaxed, because she LOOOOVES her bath.

Beautiful little sweety!

"There is Plenty of Lola to Go around"

2008-09-30T06:47:00.004-06:00

Okay, Kerri - is Lola's sweetest babysitter. A couple weeks ago, she sent this story, which is so funny, and so cute, that I wanted to post it, along with some pictures of the three characters in the story. So I also asked Kerri take some pics, and email them so that we can remember these cutie patuties!! Thanks Kerri!!

The Story:

"Well, it was only just before 9:00 and Samuel had already cried over Lola. Both Sam and Sophie wanted to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to Lola at the same time... (Sam doesn't like that, he wants to be the only one singing). Sophie made it to the bathroom to wash her hands before Sam, so that she could touch Lola's feet while she sings to her. Sam was soooo sad! He went behind the chair and cried, I gave him a hug and told him 'there is plenty of Lola to go around' everyone can have a turn to sing to her, and touch her feet. Sam said 'Kerri, I wisheded I had a baby sister so that I could be a big brother' (yes... he said wisheded) it was so cute.
They are calling her 'Princess Jasmine Lola baby' today because Zack said she had on an Egyptian outfit. To make Sam happy I told him he could be Aladdin if Lola was Jasmine, Sophie quickly got upset with me for leaving her out and said... 'huh! Grandma! Then who am I!?' (I can't win!) Sam suggested we put Lola on the blue rug 'so that it could be her magic carpet'. Don't worry, yes I did remind the kids that Lola is not a toy she is a baby.
Thank heaven Ashlii came shortly after this to take both Sam and Sophie to pre-school. Wow what a morning! Funny kids!"

in the picture above... if you look at the body language... Sam is eyeballing Sophie to make sure that she's not touching Lola - LOL he can't even share her for the picture. Looks like little Lola has her first little boyfriend...OMG!

Here's the cutest pic, they are all three behaving in this one. (below) I'm so happy that Lola is so loved by all the kids!!

Zack and the Boys - Hunting in Torrey

2008-09-28T20:55:00.005-06:00

Zack along with his Dad, brother Jake, Uncle Randy, and cousin Mike just got back from a hunting trip in Torrey. He took some VERY impressive pics. It's really so beautiful there. I guess they had a lot of fun.

Below - the Handsome Bell Boys (Ronnie, Jake and Zack)...

Ron & Jake Bell (below)

And this pic (below) is so funny because Zack really, really, really loves his new truck. He took this picture, which actually looks like a commercial for the Toyota Tacoma, and yes, he meant to get a pic of the truck, with no people in it. He's so funny. I love you babe!!

I think he said this lake is call "Green Lake" - this is on the Boulder Mountains, Torrey is in the far background, where you see the red cliffs. It really is so beautiful.

Okay, and Zack took this pic below of his Dad, it really is an unbelievable picture. Nice work Zachary!

Lola's first Sunday - at Church & our last Sunday with our Primary kids

2008-09-28T20:39:00.004-06:00

Well, two Sunday's ago today - yes, I've been too busy to keep up with the blog... But two Sunday's ago today was Lola's first time to church. It was so exciting. We got her all dressed up, and took a few pics to remember the day. Here's a couple of her and her daddy on the back patio before we left.

Then, once we got to church, we gave our Primary kids our last lesson, since we've just been released from the calling (when I say we - I really mean Zack, because who am I kidding, I've always been in charge of treats, and Zack does the teaching - he really does such a good job! :) So anyways, of course, Lola was a HIT with the kids. We've basically been teaching them since I was JUST starting to show, so they've been really attached with the process of my belly growing, and all that goes with it. They got so excited when we finally brought her to meet them for the first time. They ABSOLUTELY mauled her to DEATH. I definitely see why the doctors advise you to wait at least 6 weeks before taking the babies to church...:) But it was really so sweet.

Here's a pic with us and the kids.

And below is one with Lola and Natalie - who loved Lola more than anyone. We actually let all the kids hold her, and get their picture. It was fun for everyone. Though, we made them all lather in hand sanitizer before any of this...

After Church, we hurried to Jake and Deb's house to celebrate our sweet little niece Kendyl's birthday. We got a ton of cute pics of Lola with the family. Here's one with the birthday girl, and Debbie.

And finally, Lola with her mama - I love this bebe!

Yankee's Fans - Eat your heart out...:)

2008-09-17T13:42:00.003-06:00

So... of course, while we were in NY a couple months before Lola was born, her daddy had to find her the cutest, littlest Derek Jeter jersey. Which he did find, and purchased with great haste. He's been wanting to try it on her for the past two months, and we finally decided that she might actually fit into it. Yes, our little sweety is growing so fast. Here are couple of cute pics of the youngest, cutest Jeter/Yankees fan there is.

LOL, did I mention that Zack also bought Lola her first pair of puma's while we were in San Diego a couple weeks ago...:) Of course, she didn't complain about any of this. She must already bleed blue for the Yanks!

My first week back to work - Lola's first week at the babysitter

2008-09-05T13:36:00.007-06:00

Okay, so... this week was a tough one, just like I expected it would be. I went back to work on Wednesday. After 6.5 wonderful weeks at home with Lola we took her the babysitter for the first time. I shouldn't say we... because I made Zack do it. Yes, I was too afraid I'd break down right in front of Kerri, who, by the way, is the sweetest lady I could ever dream up to take care of, and love my sweetest Lola while we're away. She knew that it would be hard on us, so that first day, she took several pics of Lola with all her new friends and emailed them to me in the middle of the day, and I can't even tell you how much it helped! Here's the pics, she really does look like she's having a good time.

Rubie is Ashlii Madsen's DARLING baby girl, who is 5 months older than Lola. They are going to be BFF's for sure! Rubie is fascinated with Lola already, I can't wait until they can play together. Currently Lola just stares at Rubie. :)

They are holding hands! OMG - how cute!!

She looks so tiny and cute in this one!

Okay, and this little boy is named Sam. He is SO good at getting smiles out of Lola. I mean, he gets them more than anyone. He loves her, and she is loving him. It's so cute.

She's taking lots of cat naps right now, poor Kerri - but I'm so happy to see that she's comfy!

Thanks Kerri for making a nice home for Lola to spend her days!

Misc. August & before .... (since my blogging is capricious...inconsistant....etc.:)

2008-09-02T11:45:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I don't claim to be the most consistent & reliable blogger. But... since I have the plan to print this blog and bind it as a book at the end of the year, and use it as a "family photo journal album", I don't want to forget any of my favorite parts of this summer. This summer has been a dream, since before Lola was born, hanging out in the hot summer heat, 8-9 months pregnant (with all the excitement waiting for her to come), to of course after she was born mid-July, and the past six weeks that we've been hanging out together, at home, at the pool, out to lunch, on long walks with Stella, and having such a dreamy & memorable summer! Since I'm going back to work tomorrow, I thought I should take the time to post a couple extra of my favorite missed moments of August and before. . .

The pool - Hadley Ferran loves her new little friend who she calls "LoLo" even every time they drive by our house. She's such a motherly little thing to Lola, and we all get the biggest kick out of it. At the pool a few weeks ago, Hadley made sure Lola didn't go a moment longing for her bink. She kept offering it to her so sweetly. So much fun!!

... and of course, Zack has had a way with the little ones lately (like always). They love just chillin with him. Kaden Morzeleweski and Hadley Ferran (and Stells of course) wanted to play video games with him the other day. :)

We've been out on a couple boating outings this month, so much fun!! Thanks Todd and Morgs!

Danielle with Lola - Lola and I have been out to lunch with Danielle, several times, along with many of my other girlfriends, my mom, etc.:). It's been so fun just pal'ing around with Lola, lunching and running errands. She's just such a sweet portable kid!

Just before Lola was born, our brother and sister-in-law TJ & Christie brought little Kate out from DC for a visit. She's just 5 months older than Lola, and they share the same middle name - Jayne - . Kate was SO darling when she was out here. I mean honestly, does she really realize it's her little cousin in my big belly in the pic, and it's like she's totally excited to play with her? Yep, Kate is very clever.

Lola gave Kate a little kick as if to say hello while Kate was sitting with me. We're really looking forward to having them together to play this Christmas!!

Kate was ALL SMILES with uncle Zack too. It was so much fun having them here!

Sunny San Diego... Lola is 6 weeks old!

2008-09-02T11:16:00.010-06:00

We went on our first family vacation since Lola's been born. She was exactly six weeks old while we were in San Diego for Labor Day weekend. My Mom, Dad, Grady, Madeline, Zack, Lola and I were there. It was so much fun! Lola was such an angel, on the airplane, and for the whole trip actually! We got tons of pics.... of HER...:) and a few other non-Lola pics. (I dragged out the Digital SLR camera to try out my new lens.. hopefully my skills will improve with more practice.) It was so fun getting Lola dressed in her little swimsuits. Here are a few of my favs....

Love these one's (above & below), because just this weekend we've been noticing that her eyelashes are growing in thick, and black. Just like her daddy! Just like I've been hoping for!!

Couldn't you just kiss those cheeks forever!?! And I can't help but melt when I see her in this swimsuit!!

I had to post this one of my mom, cause she looks so pretty!!

The boys (above)... Grady, Dad & Zack. They are a cute bunch too.

A cute shot of Madeline (above). Of course, she was in the pool 99% of the time. :)

We got Lola smiling a LOT this weekend. It turns out maybe she likes to be where the sun shines, and the weather is dreamy, just like her mama. She was a happy girl!!

We carried her around in the mama posh sling all weekend. Got lots of curious stares, I guess the trendy baby gear has not yet hit Southern California. . . much to our surprise. She's wearing a darling outfit that my Grandma gave her in this particular shot. We went to the Gas Lamp district for dinner, and shopping.

Next day, it was time for Lola to adorn the bikini... :)

And by the way, she LOVE's to stretch. It's her favorite thing. She also grunts while she's stretching!!

I love my little sweety!

And finally, I dragged Zack out for a family phot opp. Our first on the beach. :) Too bad Stella wasn't there too.

We had such a great time in San Diego, thanks Mom and Dad for the wondeful trip!

Past few weeks - Sharp's Triplets, softball champs, the Baby Bjorn, etc.

2008-08-17T22:32:00.010-06:00

Alright, so I've been busy, and haven't posted in a couple weeks. Here's a couple of fun things that have been going on.

About a week ago, a bunch of us talked Morgan and Lindsay Sharp into bringing their ADORABLE triplets out for a little fun. They are just a little bit older than Lola, but... she's a little bit bigger. It was so fun to see so many babies!!

Above - Lola, Seylor, Beaux & Greyson (sorry Morgan and Linsday for the spelling:)

Also - let's see. Zack's Softball team (The "Big Sticks) was victorious this summer. They played their last game last Wednesday night, and in the end, were the champs for the league. Zack was embarrassed when I tried to take a picture (below) of him holding the trophy... I love watching these guys play!

And . . . . the puppies at my parents are getting big, playful, and SO cute.

Even Zack can't resist the cute little pups!

My Grandma came over (to my parent's) for my birthday - and of course to visit our little Lola to see how much she's changed. I was glad she made the drive, and was able to spend some time with us all!

We ended up having a birthday dinner at my parents, and then birthday cake at the Bells. Thanks everyone for the special birthday! Here I snapped a pic of Jeri and Kendyl with Lola. Kendyl (and Jeri) LOVE's little Lola!!

Lastly - I've been using the baby Bjorn a lot, Lola, Stella and I try and get out for a nice long walk at least a few times a week. I'm tryin to get all the exersize I can in these early weeks! Lola loves it in the baby Bjorn, I'm sure it feels a lot like what it was like when she was in my tummy. She can be fussy one moment, then (after I strap her in) the next moment, calm, serene... either gazing up at me, or fast asleep within moments. It's hard to get self photo's... but Stella can't really help us.. so I did my best. I wanted to remember how cute she looks with her little tiny arms and legs dangling from the baby Bjorn.

Grandpa loves his baby Lola!

2008-08-17T22:21:00.003-06:00

I have a funny story that I've been wanting to post. So, it was the day before Heather's wedding, and I had to go up to Log Haven for a rehearsal. Zack wasn't ready for me to bring Lola out of the house and he had to be somewhere for work, so we needed a little help... Ronnie Bell (my father-in-law) came to the rescue. Without our even asking, he called up Zack, and asked if he could babysit for us. We happily, and gratefully agreed. Lola was under his loving care for a few hours. Ronnie fed her a bottle, and kept her happy the entire time. It was the MOST adorable thing ever. Just Grandpa and Lola. The funniest part of this story actually played out later that evening, when I got home, and Ronnie was off to the Provo river for some fishing. I went to change Lola's diaper... and found that the previous diaper that Ron had put on Lola was completely backwards. It was on good too! Magically, Ronnie had fastened the diaper tabs around behind Lola, in a very secure, and leak proof fashion. It was so funny!! Impressive too. Ronnie loves his little Lola. We're so glad!! Thanks for taking such good care of our bebe Ronnie!

Another week of Lola & my BFF's!

2008-08-03T19:13:00.015-06:00

PIC of the week! Little Lola all dressed up for Jamie Morgan's wedding this week. She looked SO adorable.

So this week, along with Heather & Jeff's wedding, we were able to get out of the house a bit more. Earlier in the week we went over to my parents for a visit. My dad was anxious for another chance to hold his new sweet little Lola, I got his adorable pic of them relaxing together...

Madeline also got a little quality time with her niece... (below)

Um... did I happen to mention that my parents have four, adorable chihuaha puppies? Here's one... they are about 5 weeks. I LOVE puppies! Zack says "I bet when you imagine what Heaven is like, you're imagining that there are puppies running around all over"... and yes, I do. :)

I also had some of my dear lady friends over on Thursday for a GNO - and we got some cute pics.

Lacey, Heather Morzelewski, Natalee Nielson, Lindsay Wright, Lola Bell :), Morgan and Hadley Ferran and Brooke White (boo boo)

Heather's daughter Peyton, and Lola are only 4 months apart, and will be the same age in school. We're introducing them early so they can be BFF. Lola really was reaching out to Peyton (below). So cute!

This one of Nat and Lola was too cute.

From GNO to late nights with Lola - while Zack was out of town for work... we had a really late night where Lola just decided to go to bed for the first time at 2:00am.. In these situations, during the late hours, Stella likes to hang out.. though it ends up being way past her bedtime. She had me laughing really hard this one particular night, because she had crawled her way into this pillow case, the odd shaped pillow, is pillow + Stella...

Silly girl.

Heather's Wedding!

2008-08-03T19:00:00.007-06:00

The big day finally arrived after months of planning. Us ladies were so thrilled for Heather (Robison), or dear friend of 13+ years. Heather and Jeff were married up at Log Haven on Wednesday, July 30th. It was beautiful! I was even up for wearing the bridesmaid dress, and celebrating all night. Lola was at the Bell's under the wonderful care of my mother-in-law, and two sister-in-laws. They rotated. Lola is taking a bottle well now, so we were able to relax a bit, and celebrate with Heather. Here are a few pics to remember the evening.

Above - a few of the bridesmaids - Randi Morgan, Natalee Nielson (Rassmusen), myself and Amy Jones

And of course, the beautiful bride!!!

The Rasmussen Girls, Nat and Boo Boo, and their affection for white cake... it's so funny, so predictable. I love these girls!

I had to add a pic of my handsome date... I really love this guy too!

Lola's First week, my most favorite moments... and THANK YOU!!

2008-07-27T09:59:00.010-06:00

So, she's been home exactly a week, and she's now a week and 2 days old, and we can't get enough of the cutest little bug ever. We wanted to first say thanks a million times over for all our sweet & wonderful friends and family for your outpouring of support, help, meals and friendly faces. We're so excited to share this time with those we love, and can't tell you how much it means to us, all you've done for us!! Thank you.

Lola had some adorable moments this week, and I wanted to share them. Starting with the day we got home, our good friends the Thaut's came over with dinner, and Brian set up his camera in her nursery, we got an adorable shot of her in her crib... all stretched out. She so long!!

Then there was the night I bundled her up in the "swaddle me" blanket that Jeri my sweet mother-in-law gave us ... she looked like she was squirming around in a potato sack. So adorable. We're still not sure if this helps her to sleep better, as we haven't had much sucess these last 7 nights... :)

I pulled out the boppy pillow that Teylor and Kim gave me (bless your little hearts for saving my back)... within 30 secons of laying it down on the couch, Stella... jumped right in, and got cozy, it was pretty funny and so typical of our sweet little puppy. She's a sucker for this kind of stuff.

Here is one of the other day when we were with Zack's family, and Jeri (my mother-in-law) was burping little Lola, she looks so cute, like a little monkey. I love this girl!!

Okay, and I saved my favorite moment for last. Of course we had to figure out how to bathe our little one this week... quite an intimidating challenge for first time parents... :) However, we quickly learned that little Lola LOVES her bath. It is the cutest thing. She gets all peaceful, and almost smiles when we pour the warm water over her. She's the cutest when she's on her belly, she looks like a frog... Get's us chuckeling every time!!!

What an awesome week! We love you Little Lola!

Lola Jayne Bell is here!!

2008-07-21T10:32:00.012-06:00

I'm SOOOO excited to announce that Lola Jayne Bell was born last Friday morning at 4:03am. I was scheduled to be induced on Friday morning, at 7am. So, on Thursday (her Due Date) I decided to take the day off to get prepared (mostly mentally:), I had a wonderful day. Got a massage in the morning, went to the pool, then went for a pedicure. Around 5:30pm when I got home, I started feeling some mild contractions, but finally they were some what consistent (i've been feeling inconsistent contractions for weeks and weeks). So, we decided to go to Zack's softball game, and then maybe stop by the hospital to check things out after wards. Of course, our sweet angel already loves softball, because we made it through the game no problem (i still felt great), and by the time we arrived at the hospital at 10:00ish, I was dilated to a 5.5, and they admitted me right away. We had pretty quick overall labor and delivery (about 6 hours), and we were SO excited at 4:03 in the morning when she made her entrance! We already love her so much!! She is the sweetest girl!!

She was 7lbs, 12 oz, and 20 inches long. She has really long fingers and toes, just like her mama, and beautiful dark hair like her daddy. Otherwise, we can't tell who she looks like. I'll update the blog with more details later on, but wanted to at least get some pics posted.

Our first family photo. The day she was born, at the hospital. Of course, our friend Brian took this picture. :)

We had lots of visitors at the hospital, and Zack and I were feeling really good, so we were thrilled to see all our loved ones!

Here's a cute one of my brother Grady, with our adorable nieces Olivia & Kendyl who couldn't wait to meet their new cousin.

Lola really likes to cuddle, I thought this was the sweetest thing ever when she curled up next to me in the hospital bed. :) :)

We finally got to go home on Sunday morning. Here's Zack with his new little baby girl, headed into our home for the first time.

We were pretty nervous to bring Lola home to Stella, but... Stella decided that she loves her new baby too. They already like to snug. :)

Of course I'll have lots more to add later. As for right now, I think I am in need of a nap... :)

Our other big project - The Yard...

2008-06-22T10:22:00.009-06:00

Okay, so for those that know us, you'd know that we moved out of our old house in South Jordan literally two months after we had 100% finished the yard. We moved into the new house - with a brand new project on our hands... what were we thinking?? :) Suffice it to say, we were eager to get the yard done this time around, and it was just finished a few weeks ago.

Here we have the before - front and back yards...

Oh, and the adorable sun worshipping Stella dog... :)

And of course, the end result. It's so lovely to have grass and trees. I'm very happy.

Stella is happy too!

One of our latest projects - The Nursery..

2008-06-22T09:37:00.018-06:00

We've finally finished the nursery. We're so excited. Zack did most of the hard work, including installing the bead board, and ALL the painting. Oh, and yes, he put together the furniture, and hung everything just where I wanted it. What a sweetheart!

Above is actually after we had already gotten started, just as Zack was working on the bead board. And below... is the finished product.

The chandelier that I am crazy for... :)

Dream baby dream!!

We hope our baby girl will have fond memories of her nursery - created with love. :)

Baby Bell!!

2008-06-09T14:17:00.006-06:00

I was cleaning my desk, and found the CD that Fetal Studio did for us when I was about 4 months pregnant. I thought it would be fun to post a couple ultrasound pics. This is when we found out we were having a precious baby girl!!

In this shot (above), she had her hand near her face, I'd like to think she's doing something adorable like sucking her thumb. :)

I also liked this one, cause it looks like she's just chillin in there. Sitting back, reclining, having a good ole' time.

Zack and the Boys in Torrey = trouble!

2008-05-29T22:09:00.001-06:00

I just found this crazy hilarious picture that perfectly helps describe my sweet crazy husband, and his buddies Ryan McDonald, Ryan Means, and our favorite red head, Brian Thaut in Torrey a few weeks ago. Yes, those are all real guns. . . :) Did I mention that my Aunt Camille ended up running these crazy boys out of town? LOL

Just got back from NYC!!

2008-05-22T16:07:00.002-06:00

I needed to get out to New York for work one more time, but this is for sure the last flight I'll take before the baby comes. The 5 hour plane rides each way were a little brutal on the 7.2 months pregnant gal (my ankles were so swollen they were unrecognizable...LOL). But... we had a lot of fun!!! Zack decided to come with me for a couple days. I was SO glad to have him there!! Here's a couple of pics from the trip. . . .

Our Good Friends Brian Thaut, and Danielle Bowcut met us on Sunday for a Sunday night Yankees Game. Yankess vs. Mets - I'm sad to say, the Yankees got spanked!

Zack in Momument Park at Yankee Stadium

Lacey - Central Park, you should have seen the stares (not nice stares:) all over NY, it was like either I was an alien, or these people had never seen a pregnant woman before. . . .

Zack and Lacey - Rockefeller Square

After Zack went home early Monday morning, Brian, Danielle and I stayed to do some work. We also decided to hit Tavern on the Green for Dinner one night. It was lovely!!

We went to St. George a few weeks ago...

2008-05-13T20:34:00.000-06:00

Here's a cute pic of Zack, James and little Caden Morzelewski

Kira Olsen, Heather Morzelewski & I at the Pizza Factory!

our sweet puppy Stella...

2008-05-12T22:33:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's just a dog, and yes, we adore her!

We're having a baby...:)

2008-05-12T15:52:00.000-06:00

Okay, so now I'm really just messing around, because I want to see what the new blog looks like with more than one post. So...it's not really news to anyone, cause we're seven months along, but we're having a baby! Our friend Brian took some fun pics of us a couple weeks ago, to help us document this exciting experience. I'll add more later, but for now... here are a couple of funky, cool ones. . .

The Blog has been launched!!!

2008-05-12T15:35:00.001-06:00

Okay, so... it only took me 6 months of saying "i'm going to do this", and 6 month's of my dragging my feet to learn that it actually only took me 3 minutes to set up my blog.... the real question... can I figure out how to post pics, video, and actually make this thing interesting??? Plus, I must talk with my sweet, clever girlfriends to find out how to make it look stylish!! Okay, so here goes the first post... and more to come.