This blogging thing feels foreign to my fingers right now! Don’t get me wrong, Bill and I are always just short of feeling like our chicken heads are all the way off as we’re running, but this year has been the craziest yet me thinks.
We moved. Twice. Living in Indy, Carmel, and now Greenfield. A couple of our children had some pretty significant mental health issues with all that transition (and one a HUGE breakthrough, praise God!!!) which threw us for a loop. Bill started a new job. We both feel like this year has flown and dragged all at the same time. I’m grateful we keep posting these updates because otherwise I might have no memory of the past six months.
By God’s grace, though, our family still played and laughed together (and cried for sure!). My kids have shown more strength than I would have dreamed to give them credit for, both in Jesus and physically. They stayed honest with us about where they were struggling with the transitions, with us, and with each other. They encouraged Bill and I when we felt weak. And oh, my, word. We have a professional moving crew within these walls. Those kids work hard! I’d love to take credit, but I’m the laziest human known to mankind, so that all goes to Bill. We were out of boxes in a week when we moved to our new build because of their immense diligence and help!
OK, to the pics.
We started June with this gal’s birthday. And we love Andrew Luck something fierce and will miss watching him play each fall, so I love that she’s sporting his number here. Celebrating her day with Chuck E CheeseCreek stomping. Avert your eyes from the half-naked boy pics! So inappropriate.Summer movies with a true mascotThis woman was doing landscaping at one of our favorite parks and invited our kids to help. Most were on the ground with her by the end, but I didn’t take more pics.We started a subscription to Think Outside Boxes this year. Each month you get new items to help you enjoy being outdoors. Our kids have loved it! And we’ve learned so much. Here they are on a walk with their backpacks and hats. So cute!When in IKEA, why not practice some yoga?Or design a brilliant couch?Most of our children joined the Hancock County Children’s Choir this year. This was a day-camp they attended this summer.Having one final traditional family pic on the front steps of our beloved Indy home. We already miss it and the people there. That house served our family so well.Resting in between hikes at a state parkStrawberry time!Each month a different kid is assigned as my cooking helper. This little man makes flipping french toast look super cute. Blessing his daddy for Father’s Day.And Bill with his birthday present, a new guitar!A turtle in our yard one dayJosiah’s Lego 2 cakeAnd losing a tooth on his birthday!Back to Chuck E Cheese for Josiah’s daySwimming at my parents’ neighborhood pool with my nieceFishing with their Uncle JoshUsing an ax as a hammer to help his grandfatherShe’s the only one who caught one!!! So much joy.Checking in to this five-star hotel with the most professional front desk worker of all timeCatching a ride at Conner Prairie. This pic cracks me up because it pretty much defines my childhood: me talking incessantly while my mother patiently listens. My brother being, well, my brotherJosiah playing a game with a worker at Conner PrairieEsther delivering a cupcake to the blacksmithMiriam making a copper braceletSay “Cheese!”Or “I’m constipated!”Training our children to live off the landCousins racing at the Children’s MuseumThey’re both just specialFlashback building with Lincoln Logs againThe crew visiting the Children’s Museum while most of our kids were in camp there. The Madison crew all together! My brother and family were here when we found out the earthquakes were happening in his hometown in California. Grateful God protected them and continues to do so with the many aftershocks they’re still getting.The Children’s Museum has been a second family to us. Since we moved 30 minutes away, this was our kids’ last year to do camp and the after-school program there. I love this picture of Miriam hugging one of her teachers at the camp celebration because it depicts the years of devotion and love we shared with those people.They got the metal mouth superpower!The day we finally closed on our new home we had built!!! Our dear friend hung this the night before to surprise us.Enjoying the new carpetCooking in my kitchen for the first timeShe’s always experimenting with new recipes. She and Esther made a chocolate dip here.I will never tire of Bill reading picture booksBill introduced hacky sack to the kids. It’s a hit, even if we stink at it.Us being us. Notice how few pics in this post have Bill just smiling.At an art festival. Bill captures Victoria in this pic, and I thought it was just lovely.Our new home!!!! We love it and the neighborhood and the community already. God has been truly kind to bring us here and to give us so much.Some of the kids randomly posed with this statue at one of our parksThe beginning of our library area in our loft!How I captured Liam at the end of the day after assembling all the furniture for said library. Bill and I assembled these new art cabinets, and the kids 100% took charge of organizing all the art supplies in them!!! There has been constant crafting at that table since.Out on her day-trip with DadWhen you ask your child to hold your phone while you shop…Jumping with Dad on her day-tripSweaty after-jump picsBlueberry cake just cuzThe day our living room furniture was delivered!Our big thank you to the kids for months of hard work with the moves was dinner at the Melting Pot. So much fun!! Playing with steamVisiting West Kentucky family. Our niece is the cutest three-year-old ever. I dare you to disagree.Playing catch with his grandfather.Bill’s parents took us to a water park while we were there. We all had a blast!Told you. Cutest three-year-old ever.I have always loved Heaven in water. It’s her happy place.Sleeping kid pic in the place we stayed while visiting family. And also because one of our friends picked on me for always having a sleeping kid pic in each of our updates so now I think it’s necessary. You’re welcome, Annalese. First day of school with a new writing curriculum. Love how the kids are enjoying it!Using my grading pen our talented friend made for meWeed-eating for the first time! My children now have better life skills than I do because I’ve never used a weed-eater. We had our annual Dunes Day and had several friends join us this year!! Here we are eating at our traditional diner afterward at the Port Drive-In.Grieving the burial of her sister… Should I be concerned that Cheyanne seems happy about this?More cooking. Me loves me new kitchen!He wanted to hang out with us. Get it? Cause he’s hanging. And he’s out…side.Cause if you have one sleeping kid pic, why not have two? Annalese is going to be so happy.First voice lesson with mommyOur favorite part of Greenfield by far has been the community. One night we were assembling these chairs for our movie room (yes, God’s blessings have been so abundant that we have one of those!). Some of our dear friends randomly stopped by, saw what we were up to, and jumped right in to help, kids and all!!! We got all twelve chairs and ottomans done, and they helped Bill finish installing dimmer switches, too! Here’s one of their sons chillaxin’ after some hard work.Just some grandparent pics. Cause we live six minutes from them now!!!!!!!!!Heading down to the Louisville area for Liam’s soccer gameThis little man makes me happy. His family have already become dear to us, and he loves me pulling out my phone to take pics of him.Here he is with his gorgeous mommyHow do you teach your kids writing? Cause here’s how it goes down in our house.Esther had a day trip with Bill, too!I’m blocked!Pool of foamClimb high, girl.We bought a checkers game that uses football helmets as the playing pieces. The teams were the Colts and, wait for it, the Patriots. Everyone, correctly, wants to be the Colts.Labor Day fun with friends. Even the grandparents got out to throw a football.Our friend, Cindy, showed the boys how to properly stack.This friend is a master baby whisperer.The men taught the kids how to properly play Texas Hold ‘Em.These two lovelies chatted at the bar.Esther has really been enjoying holding this sweet one every chance she can.Liam’s soccer team may be my favorite group of teen boys in the history of ever. This is fake them.This is real them.And back to fake them.Apple picking extravaganza How many of the little ones spend their timeBoom box apple jamming. Wait, apple jam! I’m hilarious without even trying…Photo for the foyerThese apples are usually gone in two weeksDaddy’s prisonerAriana and Esther helped their Nana tie blanket ends one afternoon!My cooking helper for the month of SeptemberCrowned by our kidsOne of the soccer moms is a professional face painter! And therefore is my kids’ best friend during each soccer game. Which means mainly the little ones sit right beside her because they’re sure she’d rather hear ALL their stories instead of watching her son play the game.Beautiful! Both the art and the girl.Turkey Run day!Mountain climberSome were brave enough to climb to the top of this cool rock.We got to see our favorite musical group again, the Gray Havens!!!Surrounding them. Literally.Our first broken bone. Liam fell just right on his elbow, both dislocating and fracturing it, during a soccer game. While lying on the field, he told the ref he was fine, told the coach he could still play, apologized to the coach for holding up the game, and apologized to the player who tripped him. Heading to a pajama party!Our first Colts game!!!! And it was the perfect game at which to be. It was tight, but they won in the end.Training the little boys to sit on their bums for a full 30 minutes. Josiah thinks we must hate him, because it’s the worst form of torture imaginable. Prepping for surgery, and taking a pic that will be shown at his wedding.Lego creations for daysHanging with great friends. Told you I was hilarious. Their faces tell you so.
The Bell Family 