The Green Purse.

Remember this drama??? And this? And this super awesome gem? In my defense I was a touch hormonal, but as I re-read that...dude. DUDE. That was so hard. When Belle number two comes along; I just wait. And wait. And wait. Until it's apparent I can't wait any longer and she is now REALLY ready. And yet, the memories of bending down on pregnant knee mopping up pee and crying because I can NOT entice my toddler to even go near the potty come rushing right back. And after I shake off those horrid memories I start to mull over how I repeatedly waited in the FREEZING cold heatedly begging Brutus to just PEE already outside in our front yard. I just couldn't face it again. Potty training, ugh. What an absolute and total nightmare. And so, during Christmas break, I just pulled the trigger and decided to take the proverbial bullet. To my complete and utter shock: Harper took to it like a bird to flight. The girl got it. And she got it in like 2 days. Even poop! Even washing her tiny hands. Wiping like a professional. I literally and figuratively had to pinch myself. Could it be? It can actually be THIS easy? Before Harp, I thought Moms were just making up these easy potty training myths to make us all feel bad. But here I am, passing on the potty shame. Sorry for this realized irony...I then said a quick prayer of pure thanks to God. What if Harp had been my first? I'll tell you what, I say with total confidence: I'd be typing this particular post from the nearest state-run mental facility. That's what! Save for an accident here and there, we have been diaper FREE for a month now and let me tell you: It's weird. I like it. And it's weird...One very fashionable silver lining is this amazing little green number I bought to carry about. It can't hold a diaper and wipes, because it DOESN'T have to! Ahhh...a weird and fun moment and hope for the potty challenged. Here's to you, Harp! Go littlest lady...

The Inauguration of the Tooth Fairy

Seriously, forget the President. The headline this January is: First Coming of the Tooth Fairy to Bell Home. Ladies and Gentlemen, Tonight Pea lost her first tooth! In the spirit of total honesty I must confess two things. The first is that I accidentally ripped it out before it was actually ready to come out. I suppose I didn't know my own strength. And maybe more importantly the second (scandal alert!): I didn't vote her into office. I had a hot moment where I choked back a slight sob. That coupled with my next post (teaser alert!) means that my babies are not babies anymore and a new more independent era of parenthood is being ushered in. Don't get me wrong, I'm not fighting the passage of time outright. I've read the Great Gatsby too many times... I know you can't repeat the past so I'm praying for God to wake me up to the special moments IN the moment. But I digress... Announcing the inauguration of the Tooth Fairy! May she be a bi-partisan fairy; not taxing her people too much for her collection services. I think the set bracket of two VERY sparkly quarters per tooth is fair(y). My dad informed me via text that inflation has certainly occurred since the reign of the Tooth Fairy in the 1960's. Times they are a-changin' just like they promise to do...

Disneyland 2013

We have been planing this trip for a while now. Before Pearson's 5th birthday she knew that when she turned 5 we as a family were going to do two big "D's" Dog. And Disneyland. We received Brutus before her birthday because we wanted to get him as a puppy and so it's been a longer wait for Disneyland. Why? Because it's expensive folks! My goodness. I have to say, it was worth every single penny. Both girls had such a magical experience. Pea went on almost every ride. From the mundane to the truly scary rides. She went on Space Mountain and Splash Mountain twice, Pirates of the Caribbean (which we got stuck on and she started screaming that she was, "Going to have bad dreams!"), and Indiana Jones (which apparently she also got stuck on). Small world wasn't as big of a hit this time and neither were the princesses. We loved the new Cars Land, "The Jasmine Show" as the girls call it, and corn dogs/churros. Ps. It was REALLY cold there. Really cold, BUT no lines. There's always a silver "line"ing. Harp loved every second of her time there. She just smiled all the time and was such a trooper going all day for three days. Her reaction to seeing Minnie and the parade were about as priceless as they come. I loved seeing her joy at just being there. While we were there we went to a character breakfast where the girls met Minnie, Tigger, and Hook among others and we got the amazing experience of being with our cousins for a whole 24 hours in the land of Mickey. Andi and Casey and girls came before we got there and we overlapped a bit. I think it made the girls (all 5 belles) so happy. I loved that. As a special treat we also got to see Uncle Chase and Shanna. So fun. They met us in downtown Disney to watch the Seahawks game and though we lost; Chase said he loved it because it made home not feel so far. I loved that. It was true. Here are a portion of the hundreds of pics I took. Here's to more magic in the years to come! For pics go Here. And here.

Some Marked Moments

I just love these from life the past two weeks...especially Brutus's 1st birthday on Jan. 5, but mostly because the girls decorated for him.

Cheers!

As you all know, Pea is five this year and that means: Cheer! She started a cheer-leading class (Upward) and bonus: Aunt Andi is the coach! She's loving it. We started practice before the Christmas season. Sometimes checks out during games, but really tries her hardest the majority of the time. Today she and Heidi got to say the pledge of allegiance in front of the whole crowd. It was so cute:) Here's my little cheer captain...