Gobble Gobble

For some reason, this Thanksgiving felt like it should already be Christmas. Maybe because i started playing Christmas music on the first of this month? Maybe because we were eating LOADS of yummy food? Maybe because we got our first REAL snow of the season? Maybe because my brother was in town and having family in town is a treat?

Drew got in late Wednesday night. And the boys had him up and wrestling with them by 7:30 Thursday morning. They had been anticipating his visit for probably what seemed like forever to them. And they had a blast. And Drew was a lot of fun and a really good sport.

We had a tasty Thanksgiving dinner with all the traditional nibbles. The boys roughhoused with Drew. The boys went to bed. We played a few rousing games of Sequence and watched a movie. Relaxed and easy. My kind of day.

This morning we got up and took Drew to visit the Garden of the Gods. It snowed a decent amount on Thanksgiving so it was really beautiful--the red rock with the snowy accents. It was really cloudy when we got there but on our walk back down the sun was coming out and the sky was blue. Bode and Keegen spent a lot of time gathering snow to throw on everyone. And we got some great pictures.

We came home and crashed, watched some football. Ate some more. And then Drew had to head to the airport. On his way to sunny California for a friend's wedding.

We had a great time. I think we wore him out! The first thing Bode said to me when i got home from dropping Drew off was, "I can't wait until Uncle Drew can come to our house again!" You game, Drew?

Twilight

So, the wickedly wild woman that i am....

Oh, sorry. Did you pee your pants a little bit reading that?

OK. Well. Living on the edge, i went to the midnight showing of the Twilight movie on Thursday night/Friday morning.

I really enjoyed the book. And was curious to see the movie. The trailers didn't have me feeling very confident in it. But i was excited to see it.

I was introduced to the books by my Maryland friends' blogs. I read many a post about these young adult vampire fiction books. And thought they were crazy. Until i decided, well, they have great taste. Many are practically non-stop readers. I picked up Twilight and loved it.

I thought it would be appropriate to go see Twilight with them. But. Oh. Ya. Well. I don't live in Maryland anymore. BUT. Jenni just moved near Denver and i thought it would be a lot of fun to see it with her.

We had a great dinner with another Jenny (also used to live in Maryland!)(and thanks for the pic). Fun conversations. A great time out. We headed to the theater once we heard that they were letting people in way early (around 10:30). I was so glad we could wait inside a warm theater instead of outside in the 28 degree weather that i was anticipating.

It was a fun atmosphere in the theater. Lots of picture taking and Team Edward t-shirts. Then the movie started and there were the occasional girly squeals that i found so amusing.

It was really fun to see the book acted out on-screen. I didn't love it. I thought it was a bit disjointed. I thought they casted the lesser characters really well, but notsomuch Edward and Bella. Edward was not smooth. Why did Jaspar look so constipated all the time? There were a number of scenes that felt more like part of the outtake reel than what should be in a finalized movie.

Despite all that? It was a great time. I loved hanging out with Jenni. The movie was a good escape. Jenni, or should i say her daughter Sophie, was gracious enough to let me spend the night in her room so i didn't have to drive home at 3AM!

And I think i'll have to see it again. Since i was nearly comatose before the movie even started, i may enjoy it more in a more alert state!

Are You Tired of Reading About this Topic from Me?/Stupor of Thought

So let's see if this post of rambling and random thoughts ever comes together to make a point. Or sense.

I've realized that at 33, my metabolism isn't what it used to be. I gained 10 pounds this summer. Just because. I didn't change any of my (bad) habits. I've still been on the eatwhatiwantwheneveriwantanddon'texercise routine. And i suppose my mom was right. I will eventually get fat. Her prediction was at age 16. So making it to 33 is quite the feat. (And i'm not claiming to be fat. Just unhealthy). i don't take care of myself. i used to love going to the gym. Love running. Love spinning. Rollerblading. Anything active. But in the past 5 years, i've let it go (i lost that lovin' feeling, i guess). i haven't felt good for a long time and i've been very much aware of that fact. But it hasn't been enough to motivate me.

So here's a tidbit most of you probably didn't know. Doug and i were very seriously considering adding to our brood. I know. I said i was DONE. Satisfied i believe was the word i used. I had what i could handle. i didn't feel my mental health could deal with a third. But there we were, talking baby. I got myself in order as best i could. Did all the doctor check-ups, dental trips. Had my kidney stone blasted. Started prentatal vitamins. Talked to my OB about our plan of attack to hopefully avoid the woe that is preterm labor.

I've felt very conflicted about having another baby. To list just a few thoughts, the journey of pregnancy hasn't been a joy for me. There's all the worry with the pregnancy. Will it stick or will i miscarry? Could i open myself up to that possibility again? The bedrest. The anxiety, worry and fear. How will my children fair? The lack of patience that i already have toward my children even when i'm feeling well. i am a wretched woman when i don't sleep. i had problems with postpartum depression with both babies. At best, i struggle. We feel extremely lucky and blessed to have two healthy children. And could i really ask for more?

So i'd be hot then cold on the idea of having another. And then i just felt like, yes, this is what i want to do. And i was kind of excited. And now i've gone back to feeling conflicted.

Unbeknownst to me, Doug decided to fast and pray about it the other day. When he told me this, i figured he'd either get an "either decision is fine" answer or a definite feeling that we should. (And yes, i've prayed about it but no "clear" answer). Because having more children is a good thing, right? He felt that we shouldn't have more. At least for now. I was surprised. Not blown away. Just surprised.

At least for now, it's decided. I still sit here and think, you know, in 20 years, i will have wanted to have had another. Another little person, personality, energy to be around. To come home for the holidays. But for the present? It just doesn't feel right. Maybe things will change in the future and we'll feel ready and capable. i've also realized how very much of my own energy that i've spent turning things over and over and over in my mind. Trying to convince myself? Feeling like, because i believe it's "the right thing to do," that there's something wrong with not? ("Mothers who know desire to bear children..."). And i think about how i've stopped taking care of myself like i should and realize that part of that mentality has been the feeling that, why get in shape if it's all going to go to pot again with another pregnancy (i know. Faulty reasoning. i should get into GREAT shape before attempting another pregnancy. But this is my blog so i'll just be stating my thoughts, as flawed as they may be). Oh. And how did i start going on and on about this in this post in the first place? The weight gain. I gained the 10 pounds and sort of shrugged it off because of our plans to get pregnant. I was underweight before i got pregnant with Keegen and was told i needed to gain 15 pounds before getting pregnant. So when i gained those 10 pounds i thought, great, add it to the pregnancy plan.

So now that this is where we're at, i've noticed some changes in my thought processes and plans and attitude. i almost immediately started back at the gym. i've been waking up around 5AM since the time change (guess i needed to worry about ME and not the boys getting up too early!) and now M-W-F i'm at our neighborhood gym when it opens at 6:30 and home by 7:30 so Doug can go to work. i'm making more of a conscious effort to spend more quality time with the boys and Keegen specifically. We feel like he doesn't get great one-on-one time. Is it just the fate of the second child? Or is it the very concentrated time we spend working with Bode? Regardless, it needed to change. i'm trying to make more positive changes at home--less TV, less internet (me), more home-cooked meals, working on getting the house into some semblance of order, getting back on track with consistently doing Bode's programs again (kind of slacked off after our Dallas trip). Etc. etc. etc.

For whatever reason, this decision has given me some freedom and lightened my "mental load" (for lack of a better descriptive). i somehow have more energy and feel a whole lot less bogged down. And for now i'll go with it. And we'll see what the future brings.

Indignation

So the other night when i was putting Keegen to bed i said something like, "Sleep tight, baby. Love you." His response? "Mommy! I NOT a baby!"

I said, "Oh. OK. Good night, big boy." And i tried to smother him with kisses. Which was met by, "Mom. I'm not a big boy eeder!"

So i said, "Well, then, what are you? A Keegen?"

"No! I'm a little kid!"

Good to know.

Newest Members of the Cabinet

Alternate title "No Man is an Island." But you can't really tell this is my kitchen island...

Who'da Thought...

a new humidifier could cause such a fuss!

We're replacing our humidifiers that have filters with the filter-less ones. We run them all winter and i'm not good about cleaning and replacing them. So. And yes, we have a humidifier on our basement furnace, but it's not enough. (quite the switch from running a DEhumidifier in VA & MD).

I brought this one home last night. Isn't it cute? Kinda reminds me of a neti pot. You can see the humid air coming out if you crank it up. The boys fought over who could turn it on and off. Who could be closest to it. Who could stick their face in it. It is for Keegen's room and i actually threatened him at bedtime that i would take it out of his room if he was going to obsess over it instead of falling asleep.

Here's to moist mucus membranes!

Winds of Change

So the election is finally over--can i have a hallelujah??!

I am not a particularly "political" person. I used to be a serious news-junkie, but, honestly, after 9/11, things got so negative that i had to turn it off. I keep track of things online. I watch CNN on occasion. I feel like i'm a fairly well-informed person. But i don't like "talking" politics. Much like i don't like "talking" religion. It's just not my thing. I am a somewhat quiet and very private person. But this isn't a post about religion.

Surprisingly, this is a post about politics. This will most likely be my one-and-only such post ever.

When it came down to Obama and McCain, i remember thinking, "is this really the best we have out there?" In a very small nutshell, I liked Obama's positivity but didn't like his lack of experience. I liked McCain's experience (military service, foreign policy experience, years in the Senate) but didn't really like the way he comes off in the press (and Sarah Palin?). When it came down to the vote, i voted McCain. I felt like i aligned a bit more with his views than Obama's. And i did feel like he would implement positive changes and wouldn't be "just another Bush."

So McCain lost. No big surprise. And so many people out there who voted for him are absolutely beside themselves.

Me? I'm OK with it. I'm upbeat and cautiously optimistic that these next four years in our nation's history will be met with more good than bad. I hope the economy can turn around. I hope my parents will be able to retire soon as they planned with the money they've worked so hard to save. I hope that if we bring troops home soon, that we can do so safely and leave those countries somewhat stable. I hope for less turmoil here and abroad. I hope for a safer world to raise my children (hey, i can hope, right?). And while, personally, i could care less if a candidate is female or a race other than white ( i just want the best person for the job), I'm happy that we have a black president. We can now leave that issue behind. It's fantastic to see that race isn't as much of an issue as some people like to make it out to be. I hope Obama is as great a president as he is an inspiring speaker. I hope Obama surrounds himself with an excellent administration and advisors to fill in some of the gaps he may have (i mean, they all have gaps. i certainly questioned some of the advice Bush got over the years). I hope that we the people can actually work together instead of being so divided.

Of all the memories i have of 9/11, one good that actually came out of it, was that Americans came together. People were kinder and more aware of their neighbors. A little more patient and helpful. It only lasted a short while, but it would be so nice if that were more the norm again.

Now, what i look forward to in my immediate future? NOT receiving 15 political calls a day (i think next election? i'm changing my status to something other than "independent." Maybe that will cut down on calls!). I'm looking forward to time with my family. I'm excited my brother is coming here for Thanksgiving. I love that Christmas is around the corner. I can't wait to break out the music and enjoy all the fun of the holidays with friends and family.

So I'll stand behind president-elect Obama and hope that he can make a positive difference. And hope that he has a very Happy Holiday, too, because he's got a whole lot on his plate come January 20th.

A Haunting We Did Go

In true Bell family tradition, we spread out the Halloween happenings this year. Bode had a party and hayride at school. We had our church Trunk or Treat Thursday night, which i hear was fantastic. Sadly, I had to work and was on-call after work till 1am. This is what i consider our "true" Halloween celebration and was bummed to have to miss it. They had great games, a bounce castle and face painting that they boys enjoyed, topped off with the actual Trunk or Treat. Oh. And the fire department rolled in with a couple trucks. Bode got lots of extra attention since he was dressed for the part!

Last night we invited ourselves to Kristen's house and had a yummy dinner, the kids played and possibly had more fun handing out candy to trick or treaters than actually trick or treating (possibly. Not probably). They were cute in their costumes--Bode a fireman, Keegen a monkey. I decided to call Keegen an Ewok since he was using his glowlight necklace as more of a light saber and had multiple "battles" with a number of total strangers who were happy to play along. I had to tell him to knock it off when i saw that he was poking a few people, though. After some hot apple cider we called it a night.

Today has been candy-filled (i missed most of it since i had to go back to work for most of the day). We have two tired boys who are going to bed right now. It's 6:15 here. Hopefully they'll catch up on some sleep and NOT greet us at 5am with the (damn) time change...