Bell Family Update–November, December, January, February 2019-2020

Clearly, I’ve not stayed on top of these… So here goes! Four months of pictures of our crazy lives.

Sending Mom tie pictures for her opinion. Which Mom then just made another mom decide.

The guys on Liam’s soccer team who got awards. He got Man of Honor.

Little man arm wrestling with his Uncle Tony.

Victoria and Josiah with their choir listening to a book by their fantastic choir teacher and my friend.

Our third teenager!!

And her birthday “cake.” Yep, 13 candles on a sugar cookie.

She wanted to decorate sugar cookies for her day.

Even Aunt Holly participated.

These six did choir this year and took this picture for a fundraising brochure, offering to do jobs around the neighborhood.

Aiden’s way to clean my bathroom mirror.

School with my littles.

Day date with Daddy

SkyZoning

A Children’s Museum day with some of the kids.

A weekend visit from Bill’s brother, Paul, and family.

Cousins!

Victoria being big and reading her cousin, Sarah, a book in the morning.

Stacking bears

One of the hundreds of pictures I find on my phone every month that I didn’t take…

Working on our basement. Bill made a marketplace!

And our new hanging tent!

I know this is super exciting, but I had this designed for our laundry room. Oh my stars I’m in love!

Earrings made for Ariana’s birthday party.

Some of the food for her Gilmore Girls Birthday party. Cause Gilmore Girls know how to eat.

Have to have coffee

And a pop tart cake

The girls made hair ties along with the earrings.

And tried to answer these questions.

Did I mention Gilmore Girls know how to eat?

Al’s Pancake World!

Then the second November birthday–Nana!!! She wanted a smoke machine. We just had her blow out all her candles instead.

Did I mention hundreds of pictures?

Decorating for Christmas

They wanted me to take this picture and make it my screen saver. Cause they’re more special than their siblings…

Bill and his man crush.

Christmas mantle. I WILL get all twelve knit someday. I WILL get all twelve knit someday. I WILL get all twelve knit someday.

Already beautiful girl wearing makeup for the first time.

Getting to attend a friend’s gymnastics event

Her dad and little brother. I love that little man!

Legos with my girls.

Ariana at a Christmas party

Concert day with three besties!

Victoria decided Noah was her best friend.

Two Bells (and a Grunden and a Bagnall) playing bells for the kids’ choir concert. Cause Bells play bells. In case you didn’t get it.

It’s not yellow.

Ariana took this picture at a children’s museum in Dayton, OH. I think it’s beautiful!

And so is she

She took this one, too.

These three pastored together for a few years. So good to have them together again celebrating Dan becoming an elder at his church now.

Creating together

Another surprise pic on my phone. And it makes me laugh every time cause my Cindy friend got in on it!

Do you think Santa will leave that under the tree?

We are so special…

And so is he

And they are, too.

Taking Miriam out to shop for a gift for Heaven’s birthday.

Double date to Taco John’s

While our sixteen kids held down the fort. Without adults…

January bubbles

I wasn’t there. I don’t know what’s happening.

They’re so pretty!

This looks so sweet. I’m pretty sure, knowing these two, there was more to the story.

When you go in for a selfie but bump heads instead.

Our sweet neighbor who’s become an eleventh Bell kid. We love her!

So flattering

Like I said, an eleventh Bell kid. Lol!

Right after I had my hair dyed darker.

Visiting the Home and Garden Show with one friend and seeing another!

And seeing Shannan, too!

It’s science really

The kids took this when I was in one of my infamous laugh-can’t-breathe moments.

Kids aren’t the only ones who find your phone when you aren’t around…

Another pic with my oldest girl

Me on the trampoline with the kids

We’ve joked for a bit that these two couples will get married someday, so we cracked up to see them at the island together. The parents called it a double date. I think the kids just gave us dirty looks.

Birthday dinner with Bill

He took me downtown for a couple of nights in celebration of my 40th.

Downtown Indy one morning from our hotel room

The welcome home from the kids. Best birthday gift.

Lincoln Square Pancakes family breakfast on my birthday

And a family walk

My mom made my birthday cookie, and Ariana decorated it!

And the final part of my birthday–a surprise 80s party!!! My friend, Cindy, took all these pictures. They are so gorgeous and fun!!!

Homemade earrings from a sweet teen friend of ours!

I’m obsessed with my new dot to dot book.

Our girls cleaning toys at our local library.

Attending our friend, Sean’s, masters recital. Josiah was totally into it.

Walk with friends

Celebrating each other’s 40th birthday! I love this friend.

Cause it wouldn’t be a family update without sleeping kids.

We’ve made the same future joke about these two getting married someday. Same dirty looks afterward. This pic will go in the slideshow.

There were sweeter pics of these two on my phone, but this one was the most real.

Got to spend a weekend in Cincinnati with these besties! So much fun. And so quiet with no kids around.

Bell Family Update-July 2017

I feel like I say this a lot these days, but I really have no idea where July went. Like <blink> and it was gone! But it was a fun month, with some beautiful weather and a lot of time spent outside getting used to being a family of twelve. And that’s what we’ve been since July 3rd, when Malcolm and Cheyanne became official residents of the Bell home. It’s been wild and hard and amazing and hard and wonderful and hard. God’s kindness has been evident, because we’ve found so much common ground with a new family composition. But please do continue to pray, because just like anytime you add a new kid (or kids!) to a family–whether through birth or adoption–the transition always takes a lot of work and getting used to.

Anyhoos, here’s our July 2017:

Courtney on a date with our sweet Essie, seeing some ducklings on the canal.

The Vernons from our church were camping one weekend and invited us all to join them for our gathering. Here we are listening to Dan remind us of the good news of King Jesus right before eating some grilled hot dogs.

Pool fun!

Making ginormous bubbles.

Celebrating Independence Day with some Patriotic Strawberries.

We also stayed up to watch the fireworks together a few blocks down from our house.

Brother-Sister bonding time?

Ariana reading to her siblings.

Enjoying a beautiful day at Coxhall Gardens.

Another Mom date, this time with Miriam…

…and this one with Josiah.

Brothers!

Just hanging around at the Children’s Museum.

Five of our kids got to participate in the summer StarPoint camp at the Children’s Museum. That place has been such a blessing to our family!

Josiah attempting (and failing) to be asleep in our bed.

Since Aiden and Josiah both turned five, we decided to have their big birthday party together. The theme this year? Mario Bros! Ariana was our photographer for the party and took something like a thousand pictures, which were totally awesome. Here’s a very small sample, starting with some of the decorations.

Mario (Josiah)

Luigi (Aiden)

Mustached Princess Peach??? (Victoria, the only sibling guest at the party–though all the older siblings were awesome helpers)

Part of the party was a scavenger hunt with notes from some of the Mario characters. Here’s Courtney, being the usual animated thespian.

The party craft (and just because Leia has to make it into most of our family updates).

Throwing ice balls at Bowser. (And by the way, this is how awesome I would look with an epic ‘stache.)

The actual Yoshi egg game is in the back, but for some reason Liam is getting some air time. No idea why, but I think it looks cool.

“Bowser” (me) throwing fireballs at Mario and Luigi.

Just two of the food items.

These two little guys had their annual check-ups together. While they were waiting, Victoria read to Josiah (how sweet!).

I now find myself facing off against ten children in our family wrestling matches…

…which then later just turned into the kids getting turns with me throwing them onto the couch.

Liam in reflection. Oil on canvas. 🙂

We took a day trip over to Loogootee, Indiana, for a civil war reenactment. Unfortunately, we found out after we arrived that some storms early that morning had waterlogged just about everything, so most folks were packing up by the time we got there. But there were still a few things around, so we explored what we could.

One group stuck around to fire the cannon a few times. They were spectacular and shot a few extra blanks for us, then taking questions. It was a really cool joy.

We finished our month off with a day trip up to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It was super windy with some crazy current stuff, so the waves were incredible (though we never got very deep at all).

The ‘rents enjoying some time together while the kids played in the sand and water.

Esther made her own castle, complete with moat.

These five made this “building” together.

And a good time was had by all…