Keeping up with the Bells

Love the Sunsets on the Beach!

2012-01-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

Doesn't this look like fun?

Merry Merry Christmas - It Was Indeed!

2012-01-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed doing lots of puzzles this Christmas. Here are a few that

we completed with the help of Jeff & Kathy, Kim, Katie, Tom, Grandpa Bell,

myself and even a little help from Ashton and Weston.

Weston sure loved the Christmas train he really likes ALL trains!

One of his favorite gifts was the Thomas train pirate ship.

Both Ashton and Weston loved playing in their SUPER HERO costumes! They were a big hit!

It is not Christmas without getting some new BYU gear to wear!

Can hardly wait to open presents.

The boys really like the cartoon tree.

It is a favorite of mine too.

Katie and Kim love their nephews.

We even celebrated the December birthday kids - Jeff, Katie and Kim. Tom and Katie were exhausted before the holidays had even barely begun. Had to add this photo as it happens a lot around here.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-17T12:19:00.001-08:00

Not everyone will be home for christmas this year so I thought that I would bring a little bit of our christmas home to YOU!

This year I have added a christmas TRAIN that goes around the tree. It is cute and plays fun music as it goes.

It is under my smores tree which is decorated with smores ornaments and other ornaments that remind me of the outdoors such as fishing gear, camping gear, bears, stars, lanterns, gingerbread men, winnie the pooh looking for honey in a hive, a moose in a canoe and of course some santas!

This hangs on our front door.

Our formal tree. . . looks very pretty with the lights all on!

One of my favorites is our CARTOON tree. Look and see if one of your favorite disney and cartoon characters are on the tree. If not then you better request that I find one! We have ornaments for "CARS", "The Incredibles", "Dora", "Finding NEMO", "Scooby Doo", "Star Wars", "Batman & Robin", "Bob the Builder", "The Ginch", "Cat in the Hat" and other Dr. Seuss characters, "Monsters Inc.", "Toy Story", "Blues Clues", and a few others! The kids love this tree.

My Singapore tree with ornaments from the chinese new year that I got while living there. Plus a wooden reindeer that belongs to Katie given to her from our neighbor in Folsom.

Some of our nativity sets collected over the years.

Good all Cowboy Santa and Fireman Santa, and don't forget Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Tory gifted me Mrs. Claus one year :)

As you can see Christmas decor is everywhere.

My Red, White and Blue Patriotic Tree! It has everything red, white and blue to include white house ornaments, santas in USA themed dress, flags, colonial ornaments, stars, etc.

Don't forget good old Santa and our bamboo nativity set from Indonesia.

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas

and a Happy Holiday!

And The Grand Canyon with Katie!

2011-12-01T09:46:00.001-08:00

You can barely see it but there are people over on top of that cliff to the left! That gives you a idea how awesomely large the Grand Canyon

really is!!!

Hopi Point . . . a favorite place to view the canyon. Hopi Point is one of the most popular viewpoints for watching the sunset and sunrise because of its wide vistas. The Colorado River comes into view to the west.

Ok, it looks pretty simple that Katie is "just" sitting there looking out

over the canyon . . . BUT it was kinda of scary

because there really wasn't much ground below you

if you were to slip and fall. I told Katie

I don't want to go home from the Grand Canyon and say oh, yeah

we lost Katie to the CANYON! BE CAREFUL

Tom almost freaked OUT!

Okay, so Tom isn't freaking out here. I was cuz I didn't want him to lean on me and stumble and knock me over. It was a beautiful sight though!

Again, here you can see little tiny tiny people over on the next cliff over from us. The canyon is just plain MASSIVE!

This is the scary point where Tom was pacing!

This was taken at Hermits Rest located at the far West end of the Grand Canyon National Park. It is here that there is a beautiful building with a awesome fireplace built by . . . . Mary Colter, one of Grand Canyon's most famous architects, built Hermits Rest in 1914 to look like an old miner's cabin, complete with a giant fireplace and front porch.

The Colorado River as it winds

down through the Grand Canyon

This is taken at the East end of the National Park looking Northward. At Desert View.

Sunset on the Grand Canyon east end at Desert View.

We had a nice time. It was a beautiful day. We wish we could have taken Kim with us too but that was not to be. Glad we were able to spend the weekend with the twins and now they are back in Utah and we are back in California. Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving Week too!

Thanksgiving in Flagstaff, AZ

2011-12-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving we drove to Flagstaff, AZ to be with Kim and watch her as she played in a couple of games against Northern Arizona and Kent State. We lost the first game to NAU but beat Kent State. In the first game Kim was high point with 14 and high rebounder with 7 all while coming off the bench and only playing 16 minutes of the 40 minute

game. We were proud of her efforts and the next game she had a team high 12 rebounds in a one point victory! We love you Kimmie and keep up the hard work!

A Second Birth

2011-11-08T01:18:00.001-08:00

Katie was the lead in this play performed Oct. 20.

She was outstanding! Tom and I were both able to be there

to see her perform. I really enjoyed watching. We got to see it three

times and Katie did a great job all three times.

Way to go Katie . . . . Can't wait to see you in another!

Katie plays a bright young girl who has been raised as a boy since the age of 5.

Having no boys in the family she dresses in characteristic male

clothing and does all that a male would do. But when she turns of

age is required to be female again and marry. Having

played the role of a male it is believed that she will have a better

chance for having male children to carry on the family name.

A very interesting subject as she does not want to give up the

opportunity that she has been given, to get an education, hold a job

and go about freely. She is very smart and wants to continue

going to school. She doesn't know how to do female tasks.

It is a huge transformation! Well played Katie.

Old Car / New Car

2011-10-11T11:14:00.001-07:00

Ok, I really loved this old VW Van we owned way back when.

(Yes, that is parked outside the old Wymount Terrace Apartments in Provo!

Tom holding little Tommy).

What do you think this van or . . . .

This new Kia Sorento?

Actually they don't really compare very well.

Totally different cars but I loved my VW van and

now I love my new Kia Sorento! :)

Old House/ New House

2011-10-09T23:38:00.001-07:00

We traded this sweet home in VA which had loads of

space and a sweet kitchen for . . . .

. . . a super sweet home in CA full of new spaces to love!

BUT most of all I get on my new sweet . . .

Beach Cruiser Bike

and ride for 5, 6 maybe 7 minutes and

where do I find myself?

Oh, yes on a SUPER SWEET BEACH!

Gotta love it!!!

Huntington Beach!

2011-10-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

The slide pool for the kids.

The beautiful Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach.

Our room was very nice. We could see the big

swimming pool and some of the beach

from off our balcony. :)

This photo was taken with my phone camera

and it still looks great. Thats how wonderful

of a place it was. Sweet!

Finally! Huntington Beach!

This is our fabulous hotel that we stayed in for

the first week in California.

It was very nice. The walkway took us right over

to the beach. We parked our CRV in the parking lot right

at the foot of this bridge with all of our beach gear

in it. . . umbrellas, beach chairs, mats, etc. so it

was very easy access. And straight on the beach.

This is a picture of Huntington Beach Pier.

Kim and Katie lovin it!

We all got a lot of sun. So we tried to protect our faces

at least a little. Katie rocks this hat!

Oh, the twins are so much fun!

Even sighted a few dolphins. Not a very good photo of it but

saw 3-4 together one day not far off the beach.

Beautiful waves, beautiful water, beautiful place!

Tommy, Shayna, Ashton and Weston came down for the day to

play with us. We played all day in the pool area where there

were fun slides for the boys, warm pools and yummy food. I can't find my

photos of the slide but if you look at Shayna's blog you will see some there.

:( but later that night we made yummy smores over the fire pit!

Ashton is checkin out his marshmallow on his stick!

Here is the whole gang!

Notice we are in the middle of August wearing our sweatshirts

by the warm fire pit. Oh, life is beautiful!

Sticky fingers you can be sure!

We had a great day. Thanks for coming to join us!

. . . . more of our cross country trip!

2011-09-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Is that really true?

All I know is that Texas is a REALLY BIG State!

Yup we're in TEXAS!

Somehow I didn't get any pics of Jeff and Kathy.

We only saw them for one evening but we had a nice dinner with them

at the fabulous Pappasito's Cantina where Greg, Donna and Emily

first introduced us to this fabulous fine dinning experience.

What is a phone booth? Never seen that before . . . LOL!

The Alamo!

Does this look familar to anyone? Anyone?

That's much better Kim . . . get it together! NOW!

It was super way hot. Trying to cool off as we wait for the video.

Very pretty and interesting grounds at the Alamo.

Kim did NOT like her parents snoring!

Stopped by the UTEP Miners football stadium nestled in the rocks.

Looked out across the border into Mexico. A way different landscape.

Found a new temple along the way . . .

The Gila Valley Arizona Temple the 132 operating temple.

NEXT HUNTINGTON BEACH!

On The MOVE

2011-09-15T11:48:00.001-07:00

Finally I'm getting around to posting about our summer. It has been a busy busy busy

summer. We finally sold our home in VA and moved to CA!

Coast to Coast almost. WE . . . Tom, myself and the twins drove

two cars across country and made a few stops along the way.

Here a few things that made our trip

enjoyable.

Above is a street sign showing that one side of the street is

in Virginia and the other side is Tennessee.

Goodbye Virginia!

Katie and Kim Playing it UP! The cars and truckers

on this busy intersection enjoyed the photo shoot.

Bristol Tennessee home of Country Music and

NASCAR's fastest half-mile track.

The metal sign in the distance showing us VA - TN.

That's right Dad and the twins are in the MIDDLE of the street!

All I know is that it was pretty darn hot in there and the stadium wasn't

even full of people and hot race cars heating it up even more!

Had to get a few pics of a real nice old fashion drive-in theatre!

Believe it or not the Katie said she had never seen one before. . .

That's just crazy!

Next on to New Orleans.

Cool place to visit and see once but not for me.

It was interesting to see the downtown and river area BUT it was

so nasty hot and humid my goodness! Never want to

live there. The best part of New Orleans was seeing

Tory, Jessica and new baby Cali.

They are doing very well and it was nice to spend a little time together.

Also got to see Todd and Shelly Grigor for a bit.

. . . still more to come!

WE LOVE OUR GRANDSONS!

2011-07-07T18:48:00.001-07:00

Enjoying our grandsons at play.

Riding bikes and playing with nerf guns in the driveway.

On a beautiful day!

Grandpa getting some big hug time.

These are photos of the rag quilts I made for Ashton and Weston.

A green and brown monkey one for Weston . . . . .

. . . and a blue and orange shark one for Ashton.

I hope they enjoy their warmth and softness for years to come.

A Tribute to Our Moms and Dads

2011-06-19T20:41:00.001-07:00

My Mom

In the beginning . . . . my parents and

Tom's parents.

. . . . long long ago.

The family minus Nephi.

My information says this is Mom with Heather at 5 weeks old.

This is in the laundry room of the original farm house.

Mom and Dad with Nephi, Ruby and Heather I'm guessing.

Dad and Teresa with the grandkids.

Dad and Teresa

Still looking young :)

I love this photo. Crazy couple. :)

The girls sharing a moment with Grandma

Teresa and Jack

Grandma and Grandpa Bell

Nothing better than a visit from Grandma and Grandpa!

We love our Mom's and Dad's dearly! Thank you for putting

up with us all these years and watching over us.

We have so many wonderful memories and love you for

everything you have done for us. Cheers to you all and have a great day.

I Had Fun Making These . . . .

2011-06-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

A quilt for Katie made from her drama and high school T'shirts.

A quilt for Kim from her high school sports T's.

I really enjoyed making these and hope the girls

can enjoy their warmth and memories for years to come!

Just One More Time!

2011-05-18T05:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, we went to Busch Gardens!

We left Northern VA in a rain storm hoping the

weather would hold out further south just

long enough for us to enjoy one more day

at Busch Gardens before the move.

Katie is home for the summer after finishing her first year

at BYU. Kim is home for a little over a week before heading

back to UVU for the summer to work and workout with

her team. Marianne came home for a week to

visit Northern VA one more time before our big move.

As you can see Katie, Dad and Kimmie are super excited!

Regardless of Marianne's interesting look I think she was

very happy to be home one more time to visit her home

for many years. Do you see the Loch Ness Monster in the background?

This is at the beginning of the day when we were FULL of

energy and very excited for our day at the ParK!

Our lovely daughters all grown up!

Kimmie and her Daddy!

Can't have a day in the theme park without yummy

COTTON CANDY!

The twins looking mighty fine in front of the

Land of the DRAGONS.

Do you see THAT!

This is the newer ride the GRIFFON!

After climbing to 205 feet into the air,

the Griffon mercilessly eases you over the edge.

AND STOPS!

For a few seconds you dangle -STRAIGHT DOWN-at the

ground below as you're suspended above it.

Then down you plunge 90 degrees straight toward the ground

racing at speeds faster than 70 miles per hour!

It was a CRAZY RIDE!

Kata, Mars, Kimmers and Jen enjoy the day.

The girls used to play in the Land of the Dragons

for many an hour in their younger years.

The twins at it again!

Mom and Dad sat this one out. . . . the Alpengeist!

We all had to ride the Kinder Karussel.

. . . . and the Le Scoot.

We decided it was time to get a little wet!

And we succeeded . . . We got a little more than we thought!

So we go on more wet rides . . . the Roman Rapids and then . . .

Escape from Pompeli!

That's where the group got drenched!

We had a great day at the park. Tried to stay

a bit to long though and got caught up in a downpour of rain

and lightning! Had to walk to the car as the trams were not running

for a while because of the lightning I guess. All in all it was a great day!

Marianne's Birthday & Graduation from BYU

2011-04-27T11:23:00.001-07:00

Graduation Day . . . . Way to go Marianne!

Kim, Marianne and Katie. We love you all!

Proud and happy Dad and Mom!

The Bell Tower

Karee, Kim, Marianne and Katie

The Bells and Jurgensmeiers enjoy the day with Marianne.

Brad and Mars in front of the BYU Cougar!

Enter To Learn Go Forth To Serve!

The World Is Our Campus!

A lovely graduate!

Melissa (Melanie Mullis's sister) and Marianne . . . . . it's a small world.

In the Marriott Center.

Happy Birthday Marianne from everyone!

Kathy's Visit to DC

2011-04-25T22:41:00.001-07:00

The Lincoln Memorial

Kathy & Jen with the Washington Monument in the background.

The reflecting pool is under renovation.

The Vietnam War Memorial wall.

The Korean War Memorial

In front of the White House.

Blossoms in front of the White House.

The South Lawn of the White House.

The Washington Monument

The Capital Building . (picture taken from top of the Old Post Office Pavilion)

In front of the Old Post Office Pavilion.

The Washington Monument from across the Tidal Basin.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial from across the Tidal Basin.

The Washington Monument. Pretty cool colors with the clouds and such.

You can really see the different shades of the monument where

they started and stopped building it for a time due to lack of funds.

The Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin.

Cherry Blossoms and the Washington Monument.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial in the background.

The World War II Memorial

The Washington Monument taken from the World War II Memorial.

These next few photos were taken when Jen, Kathy and I went

to visit the Eastern Market. We tasted lots of yummy food

and enjoyed walking around the market looking at paintings,

photos, hand made items, all kinds of flea market type things,

fresh baked goods, flowers and fresh produce.

One of the most interesting things was this guy making animal figurines

out of strips of tin from beer and soda cans. Amazing!

And yes it did rain but we were lucky enough to be under cover

during the cloud burst and then made it to the car before

too many rain drops fell on us.

I had a great time and hope that Kathy enjoyed her visit of DC.

Next post . . . Marianne's graduation from BYU!

Tommy & Peter - Ashton & Weston

2011-04-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well here you go Mike! I've found a few photos that I think are fun to compare.

I think that it's more Tommy to Ashton body type and

Peter to Weston body type than it is looks now.

They have different expressions but it still is interesting

how similar they seem to be. You decide . . .

Memories . . .

2011-04-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

over 19 years ago . . .

Crazy times to remember :) . . .

look at that video camera!

room for everyone . . . .

Thanks to everyone for their support in this

crazy time in our lives especially to

Ray, Char and family!

Trains, Trains and more Trains!

2011-04-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

We spent a lot of time playing with Ashton and Weston's trains!

Building, rebuilding, chasing, loading, dodging, crashing . . .

yup we did it all.

Weston is very serious about his trains!

Enough for everyone to play.

Fresh Air & Sunshine!

2011-04-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Couldn't get any cuter . . .

and handsome!

I had so much fun playing with our grandsons!

It was so much fun they are both awesome kids!

San Diego

2011-04-06T09:09:00.001-07:00

I recently visited Tommy, Shayna and our beautiful grandsons.

I had a great time. One afternoon we all visited the USS Midway.

I had a great time watching them enjoy all there was to see and do!

All aboard . . .

USS Midway

Ashton having a good time. . . .

The boys having fun flying the aircraft!

Okay let's figure this out. . .

A beautiful family . . . .

Up we go . . . .

Hi there Grandma :) . . . .

The USS Midway is HUGE!

This is Ashton your Captain speaking!

Dad and son in the drivers seat!

Mom and son checking out the controls.

Ashton checking out ALL the planes!

Time to go . . . . .

Flow Rider

2011-03-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

I went with Katie, Kim and Jeff to try out the Flow Rider.

Here are some of the results. And NO I did not try it!

Great West Conference Tourney

2011-03-15T07:42:00.001-07:00

The Utah Valley Wolverines!

First game of the Great West Conference Tourney

Team introductions

The family FAN CLUB! Sign by Kathy :)

A first game winner Utah Valley over Texas Pan American 81 - 65.

Kim had 19 points and 10 rebounds her first college double double!

Add 2 blocks and 1 steal. Nice game Kimmie!

Family & friends FAN CLUB!

Game # 2

Kim is a BIT OUTSIZED here!

Utah Valley lost to Tournament Champion Chicago State.

Kim had early foul trouble limiting her minutes and all

around UVU did not have the game they were expecting to play.

Kim finished with 6 points 7 rebounds and 1 block.

No seniors on the team so hoping to come back better and

stronger for next year! Go Wolverines!

Winning in New Jersey!

2011-03-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

Kim's teammates and Coach Nielson

Kim and her roommate Kali

Tom and I drove up to see the game. We spent the night at the

same hotel as the team and shared ice cream and cookies together.

It was a great trip. Fun times to be with Kim and the team.

We were the only TWO fans for womens team cheering

right in the middle of everyone else proudly wearing our

Utah Valley T's

A win over NJIT and a 4th place finish in the league.

The Great West Conference

A good finish after a tough start to the season.

Kim finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals!

Kim guarding the middle.

The starting five - with a cheesy grin from Kim.

Kim and her SWEET jump shot warming up before the game.

The banner in the visitors gym for UVU.

Great Game KIMMERS!

2011-02-27T07:57:00.001-08:00

Four Utah Valley players finished in double figures as

UVU ran away with an 85-58 win over Houston Baptist.

Kim Bell and Jenna Johnson both finished with

a game high 21 points to lead UVU.

Kim also had 4 blocks, 4 steals and 8 rebounds!

What to go Kimmie!

Kim in action against South Dakota

Kim playing hard inside.

Kim had such a solid game yesterday. Scoring, staying out of

foul trouble, boxing out, getting her hand on the ball for blocks,

steals and tip aways. Her only turnover came when she blocked the ball

into her chest and caught it and took a couple of steps before

being able to control it. WAY TO GO KIMMERS!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-05T10:31:00.001-08:00

We spent an afternoon in Downtown DC.

And then a few nights later we spent

New Years Eve at First Night

in Old Town Alexandria.

We had a fun time but I forgot my camera :(

Maybe Marianne will post a few pics!

We listened to various music groups and then

saw a sound and light show complete with fireworks to

bring in the New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE 2011

And went to the visitors center and temple grounds on

Christmas evening.

. . . and had a wrapping gifts party!

. . . . had a wonderful Christmas Day!

Kim wore her pink footed pj's

We had beautifully wrapped gifts using glittered paper . . . that

may quite possibly be the last time. The packages were

fabulous but there was glitter EVERYWHERE!

We had a wonderful Christmas hope yours was too!

UVU vs. BYU

2010-12-10T06:42:00.001-08:00

Kim had a nice second half in a loss to the BYU cougars.

Keep working hard Kimmie. We love you.

UVU Highlights

2010-11-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Kim does well again in the second game of the season. We lost again despite

being upin the first half and pushing to the end.

Kim scores 17 points with 14 rebounds!

Look here she has her photo up again next to the game news release.

I keep seeing double when I read the headlines and it says

"JENSEN AND BELL both had double-doubles for UVU in the game."

now that is unique!

http://www.wolverinegreen.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/110410aaa.html

Katie's BIG BIG JUMP!

2010-10-11T07:52:00.001-07:00

Sorry these photos are not good quality. This is what

was passed on to me to blog for all to see.

Wish I could have been there to get my own photos!

BUT Katie had a great time! She loved the experience!

I guess here she is getting her pre-jump instructions.

Ready to JUMP!

Wish I had better photos of her jumping out of the plane but

it is what it is. Pretty darn cool!

Katie's 24 hour Theatre & Zion National Park

2010-09-27T07:09:00.001-07:00

Katie's 24 Hour Theatre Group. She performed the same day as the

opening BYU football game. I was in town for the weekend so

naturally I was excited to go. Kim and I left the football game early to

be able to see Katie on stage. You can see from Kim's

somewhat sweaty looking face that we were quite

warm coming from the stadium. It was very warm in

those stadium seats! The Cougs won though!

Five different groups of five performed skits that were written

practiced and performed in 24 Hours.

I think the twins are glad to be in the same area going to college.

That way they can still do things together but still get their

own unique college experience.

They know how to have fun!

After spending Labor Day weekend with the kids in Provo I met up

with my best friend Lori. She was taking her son up to BYU Idaho

and I tagged along. After getting Taylor settled in school we headed back

towards her home in Arizona. I've never seen the

Grand Canyon so I talked her into taking me there.

Our first stop though was at Zion National Park.

These massive canyon walls ascend towards a brilliant blue sky!

Zions National Park was beautiful. The valley was a beautiful

contrast to the massive cliff walls.

The Virgin River flows through the canyon.

We hiked up to the Emerald Pools area.

There are three levels lower, middle and upper pools.

There was not much water flowing over the falls but

it was still a beautiful site being able to hike so close

to the towering cliff walls.

We even saw a tarantula along the trail!

We had to take a photo of all the little rock statues that everyone has made.

They are called cairns. (A human made pile of stones.)

These were taken at the upper pool area. The cliff walls went

straight up from that point. It was awesome!

This photo is of the middle pool falls.

Part of the unique trail we were hiking on.

We we lucky enough to see some Bighorn Sheep on our drive

through part of Zion National Park. Some say they are rarely seen

so we were excited to get some nice photos of them and watch them for a bit.

Part of the Vermilion Cliffs. I want to go back to hike and take

photos of this area as well. THERE IS SO MUCH TO SEE!

More coming soon - THE GRAND CANYON

And WE WENT TO THE BEACH!

2010-09-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

Ashton's feet catching some waves.

Weston checking out the water.

I'd like to do this someday.

We all had a wonderful time.

The boys RUNNING from the waves!

Grandpa's thumb is in the picture too.

It was a bit cold, but it was still fun.

Playing in the sand warmed us up :)

I love my grandkids!

. . . so does Grandpa!

Daddy playing with his boys.

We had a great trip relaxing and spending time with

Tommy, Shayna, Ashton and Weston.

We also enjoyed our visits with

Great Grandma and Grandpa Bell.

Thank you for letting us come stay with you.

I'm BACK . . . From SAN DIEGO!

2010-09-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

ASHTON, WESTON and I made cupcakes for

SHAYNA'S BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to SHAYNA!

Finger licking good!

Weston's approval!

Ashton's approval!

CHOCOLATE cake with PINK frosting and

CHOCOLATE sprinkles!

And we RESTED from our LABORS.

Jensen Family Reunion 2010

2010-07-10T21:53:00.001-07:00

Most of the clan . . . playing and cheering on the field games.

Have you visited the web page I built with all my reunion photos?

The twins give Ander lots of loving . .

we really missed our two guys

Ashton & Weston!

Kathy showing us some of her skills.

Kimmy and Ali try following in Kathy and Jeff's footsteps.

The girls try their best against the guys . . .

. . . the only way to win was to let go. OUCH!

Is that winning?

Jeff against the many in a tug of war contest . . .

. . . okay many children :)

Kathy making a great catch!

Tom getting blasted by water ballons!

Marianne and Brad tie for 1st place in the ballon toss with

Tripp and Brandon.

Teams are ready of the water ballon toss.

Kimmy adds a pretty bow to Abby's outfit.

Enjoying the evening sunset on Grandma Teresa's backyard.

Graduation Day 2010

2010-06-21T20:56:00.001-07:00

Katie & Kim

Graduation Day June 21, 2010

Briar Woods High School

The happy graduates waving to US!

Congratulations to Katie & Kim

Kim & Jon . . . they said they didn't plan their outfits? Wow!

The twins receiving their diplomas.

Walking in at the beginning.

We are happy to be able to celebrate this day with you both.

Me too! :-)

2010-06-17T10:57:00.001-07:00

I'm very pleased to have received my piece of

BYU history! I loved my years of playing there.

And it is cool that Marianne got her piece of the floor too!

Way to go Marsipan!

A Reminder of The PAST

2010-06-03T19:07:00.001-07:00

Yes, the good old days! My old BYU teammates are having

a reunion this summer. I've been looking through old

photos and my scrapbook remembering a lot of good

times and wonderful memories. Thank you to all my

teammates and coaches for making this season so special!

13-0 Intermountain Athletic Conference Basketball Champions 1977-78

AIAW Region 7 Champions

BYU 60 - Utah -58

Go Cougars!

Powder Puff Football

2010-05-28T20:21:00.001-07:00

Even though we lost :( and the twins are dirty and

weary they let me take a few photos after the game!

Do you remember the twins being called "Search and Destroy"?

Well, that is what they put on the backs of their t-shirts for

their names. :) too funny!

Jon and Kim after the game!

Dad wants in the picture.

Katie thinks she has broken her nose? She smashed into

another girls head! Ouch.!

I think it looks straight but it is very sore!

Katie on defense.

Kim at quarterback and Katie playing center.

Let's go SENIORS!

Our Last Seniors 2010

2010-05-27T06:32:00.001-07:00

We had some fun while in Redlands for the Jeff & Kathy's wedding.

And took some pictures of the twins to hopefully use

as Senior Prints. Marianne and Kellie B. hung

with us and we had fun even though Kim and I

thought we might be LOCKED in the library

patio area! FOREVER! :) I love my daughters!

I think they are beautiful, fun and down right awesome!

It was quite windy and the air was very chilly even though the

sun was bright and sunny. It wasn't the best time of

day to take photos but we made the best use of our

time. I NOW want more than ever a REALLY SWEET CAMERA!

I hope your last days of being a high school senior are fun and happy times. Cherish the memories made forever.

Hair BY Jen

2010-05-23T20:06:00.001-07:00

Yes, Jen is our hair dresser! And We Love Her!

Thank you Jen for a wonderful hairdo!

You're the best Jen. . . don't know what we

would have done without YOU!

K & K Senior Prom

2010-05-23T19:49:00.001-07:00

Kim and Jon Senior Prom 2010

There are more senior prom pics to come

this is just some of the many!

thanks to Mars for finding the DRESS!

Thanks to Jon for helping Kim find the jewelry!

The final high school flower ceremony!

Hair by JEN! :)

Photos by DAD!

Dad and his girls'

Katie with her date Matt.

Katie with a few of her friends.

Katie loves the guys!

Group shot!

In front of the Limo!

Our turn to get in the limo!

Dance DANCE DANCE!

2010-05-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Dance

DANCE

DANCE!

Just married Kathy & Jeff dance the night away!

Bradley & Marianne

Kim and Ashton swinging on the swing!

Jake, Brandon, Katie, Kim & Tory

The Bell Girls are Dancing Beauties!

Everyone really had a great time

dancing together. The music was

perfect. The weather was perfect!

AND so was the company!

The guys dancing it up too!

Peter & Ashton

Kellie and Ashton were dance partners for quite a while.

Shayna with Westie Bear!

Peter and Weston

Jeff & Kathy cutting the cake.

Mmmmm. . . . . .

Just Married - Jeff & Kathy Bell

2010-05-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Happily Married Couple!

The Bridal Party

Jake, Tory, Jeff & Brandon

Groom & Groomsmen

We are FAMILY

Tory, Katie, Tommy, Jeff, Kim, Peter, Marianne

Tommy, Peter, Jeff, Tory

Katie, Jeff, Kim, Marianne

Mars & Jeffy

What kind of kiss is that PETER?

Grandpa with Ashton, Shayna, Tommy & Weston

Mom & Dad with their daughters

The Bell Girls with Grandpa Jack & Grandma Teresa

Kim, Grandpa Bell & Katie

Thank you everyone for coming to share this

day with us. . . Bell Family & Friends.

San Diego Temple

Family Time @ The Wedding

2010-05-06T12:25:00.001-07:00

Relaxing with family at the hotel.

Older newlyweds Tommy and Shayna.

Almost one year newlyweds Marianne and Brad.

Katie, Ashton , Woody & Buzz Lightyear!

Seasoned newlyweds Peter and Jen.

Mars & Westie showing their "cheesy" smiles!

Grandpa Jack with Weston.

Uncle Ray & Katie

Tory & Kim

The Bell daughters welcome another daughter into the family.

Weston on the slide.

Peter, Jeff and Tory

Peter trying to smile like JEFF!

Brothers and Groomsmen

These last pics were taken after the dinner Friday

night we had with Kathy's family. Tommy & Shayna

had left for the evening because the little

ones were getting tired.

"CLUE"

2010-04-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

The Poster for the Show

The Cast . . . Do you remember their names?

Who killed the Body's?

Mr. Plum with the ROPE?

Miss Scarlet with the WRENCH?

Col. Mustard with the CANLDESTICK?

Mrs. Green with the REVOLVER?

Mrs. White with the KNIFE?

Miss PEACOCK with the LEAD PIPE?

Katie and Lindsey

Katie & Dillon

With Mom & Dad after the show. Those are her dead eyes.

(and after a fewtears since this was the seniors last show

on the Briar Woods Stage.

Cherry Blossoms and Fun!

2010-04-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

It was a near perfect day for viewing the cherry blossoms

on the mall in downtown DC. The weather was perfect.

The crowds were big but not the biggest we've seen.

The only downside is the driving. But we were able to minimze that.

Greg, Donna and Emily came to visit us for a long weekend.

WE all enjoyed the weather, the sites and their company!

In front of the Capitol Building!

Down on the FARM at Mount Vernon

George Washington's Manison and Planation.

Peter and Jen in front of the Mansion!

Peter putting the squeeze on his GIRL'S!

But this GIRL is his ALL TIME FAV!

Emily and Kim messing around.

So So SO SO CUTE!

A younger George Washington

The sun starting to set off the Tidal Basin!

New Blog Added - And So It Goes

2010-03-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Can you guess who?

We are so excited!

Congratulations to Jeff and Kathy

The date is MAY 1st, 2010
10 AM in San Diego, CA
with a reception in Redlands that evening.

Ashton's Birthday Trip

2010-03-01T05:13:00.001-08:00

I had a wonderful visit with Tommy, Shayna, Ashton and Weston.

We celebrated Ashton's 3rd Birthday!

It was a fun party and I really enjoyed my time with the boys.

Thank you for letting me come.

Love you . . . . Grandma Bell

Ashton hard at work putting stickers on his birthday visor.

Weston loves the birthday ballons.

Shayna made a fabulous star birthday cake!

Grandma LOVED playing with Ashton and his toys!

Weston loves to fly?

Enjoying a BEAUTITUL afternoon at the beach!

It really is beautiful along the ocean.

Our adorable little Weston!

Ashton is ready to PLAY BALL!

Ashton with Trev the Train.

More birthday gifts from others.

Snowed in . . . .

2010-02-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were offically snowed in. It was a real BLIZZARD out there. Not fit for man or beast. So we just stayed inside all day until 4 pm when it calmed down so we could once again shovel our driveway! We got around another 5 - 6 inches I think and the winds were 30- 40 mph gusts! It was COLD and miserable outside. So no new snow pictures from yesterday. :(

So what have we been doing? Lots of TV a few video games and for me SCRAPBOOKING. I ran across this picture of us with Greg and his boys many years ago. Cute :) Do you think Tommy and Peter look a little like Ashton and Weston. Well, maybe a little? Funny!

And After the Storm . . . .

2010-02-07T12:18:00.001-08:00

YES, 32 INCHES OF SNOW RECORDED AT DULLES AIRPORT!

I'm always amazed at how beautiful it is after a storm.

It is Sunday morning and it is a gorgeous day!

Tons of pure white snow! And a beautiful BLUE sky!

And a warm sun!

We are certainly grateful for a warm home and

the health and strength to be able to

dig out from the 32 inches of SNOW!

:-)

One of my favorites. It's cool to see a perfectly carved out
walkway. You can really see how deep it is!
Never seen quite this much at one time.
I do enjoy the snow but glad we still have power!

Do you think the mailman will be able to deliever the mail?

Another hidden mailbox and the stick with the pink ribbon
. . . well that's is where the fire hydrant is hidden.

The snow is too deep for the children to play in the back yard.

Small children would be lost . . . . in one small step.

SNOW UPDATE . . .

2010-02-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

Now most of you realize that Tom is called BIG Tom for a reason.

Do you see that he is throwing the snow over his head

to clear the driveway. CRAZY

and we are somewhat tired after all that snow removal today!

This side is not quite as high but pretty close.

Our front tree is getting lost in all that snow :(

Kim is trying to "slide" out the front door.

But she got a little stuck in the deep snow.

Snow Queen for Record Snow Fall

2010-02-06T08:21:00.001-08:00

That's right! Katie is this year's SNOW QUEEN!

The Snow Ball has been SNOWED OUT!

Maybe the SNOW QUEEN could make it

STOP SNOWING! Maybe she wants it to snow more!

So they just announced her winning the honor

at school before they closed the school down

and the actually all of the Northern Virginia Area and more.

We are officially SNOW IN!

It's hard to see but Tom and I did the first part of the driveway

earlier this morning and the snow is already piled up

almost as high as the lamp post. The mailboxes are close

to being covered up. I don't think we will bother with clearing

off the front porch it will be a chore just toget the driveway

cleared to get out someday. It is still snowing and expected to

snow until later today early night time. We are resting up

before heading back out to shovel more!

The real problem is that we have a very long driveway! HELP!

The mail boxes.

Already shoveled this clear once.

Looking out the back door.

The neighbors fence is almost covered up. And it's still snowing strong.

More . . .

2010-02-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Singing . . . .

2010-02-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

More Cinderella . . . .

2010-02-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

Singing in the opening village scene.
Bumping into her Prince by accident in the village.
Love at first sight?

The spotlight is on Cinderella as she decends the stairs entering the " Ball".

The magical romantic dance.

The "glass slipper" fits!

Cinderella with her fairy god mother and little furry little friends.

The "wedding dress" .

Another the "shoe fits".

Cinderella singing with her step-mother and step-sisters.

Off to the castle in the pumpkin carriage.

Some of the cast after the show.

Cinderella and her Prince!

Cinderella is so pretty!

Cinderella was very popular after every show!

Her legs were a little shaky after squatting

to sign autographs and take photos with all the little princesses!

A New Star For Hollywood?

2010-01-24T04:51:00.000-08:00

That's right . . .

Katie was a hit over the weekend playing "Cinderella" for her

school's musical. She did a fabulous job.

Mom thinks maybe katie should have

her own "Hollywood Star"!

She really had STAR POWER on that stage!

Kim's Knee

2010-01-18T05:35:00.001-08:00

Kim had knee surgery on Jan. 6th. It was sad to know

she will be out for her senior season

but it will be better in the long run for her future in basketball.

Kim's YW friends brought this by to cheer her up.

Kim is doing well Sure and steady she goes.

Cinderella

2010-01-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

Wish Katie all the best for her upcoming performance in

"CINDERELLA"

The Musical

Briar Woods High School

January 21st at 7:00 PM
January 22nd at 7:00 PM
January 23rd at 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM

Tickets: $10.00 for adults $5.00 for students/children
Tickets sold at the door and pre-sale in the Black Box

during regular school hours
**Special Event**
After the Saturday Matinee show, all the little Princesses and Princes

may go on stage to meet the cast for autographs and photos!

Christmas Christmas Christmas

2009-12-25T14:26:00.001-08:00

Very tasty cinnamon rolls!

Showing off of few new items.

BYU Beats Oregon St. in Vegas Bowl

2009-12-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

Max Hall and Coach Mendenhall with the trophy!
Jeff"s turn with the prize.

Gotta sign for the fans!

Happy Mom and Dad.

Jeff with Kathy and her parents.

Jeff with the Barbour brothers.

Jeff & Tom with Greg, Jared and Cole.

On the field with Jeff and the team celebrating the WIN!

Kathy sporting my warm over pants. :) It fits?

Folding the flag up.

Having a difficult time putting the flag away with all the wind.

It was very pretty seeing all the waves in the football field sized flag just it was difficult for those trying to hold the flag down. I thought for a minute it was going to lift some guys off the ground. They had to put all their weight into holding it down. Then Cosmo and the BYU cheerleaders and others helped to hold on to the flag as everyone could see it was starting to get away from some.

Before the game.

Jared, Cole and Greg!

Jeff and Coach Mendenhall

SNOW SNOW AND MORE SNOW

2009-12-20T20:04:00.001-08:00

Another Happy Birthday to Katie and Kim

This time with Dad and Peter.

Day two of shoveling SNOW . . .

Our Sunday morning family service project.

Peter arrives just in time to help finish the neighbors driveway.

That's alot of SNOW my friend!

It all looks good now.

Time for some fun in the SNOW!

And SNOW sledding!

And FALLING down!

We had a great day together!

TheBig 18!

The Twins B'day

2009-12-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

Flowers for Kim from Jon :0 !

Alex from the ward wishing the twins a happy birthday and for
Kim's 1000th point in basketball as well.
Jen went out to dinner with the girls and I. Tom was out of town
for a couple of days and Peter was busy with finals. We will celebrate
again on Sunday with the whole family that is here.
More pictures to come I hope.

SNOW SNOW SNOW

2009-12-19T21:02:00.000-08:00

I'll try to get more pictures tomorrow. I only got ones from the front or back door. It was cold and windy AND SNOWING ALL DAY! I'm not sure but I think we got at least 13 inches of snow but I think more like 16 or so. The high tomorrow is only going to be 29. Church has been cancelled. All stores are closed even 24 hour grocery stores. You need an SUV type car to get out of the neighborhoods now. The main roads are passable but barely. Not enough snow plows to keep up with all the snow. Tom spent over 5 hours out shoveling the driveway through the first foot or so. I helped for half that time. and then we swept the driveway several more times as an inch more or so was on the first half by the time we got to the end. And now there is another 4 -5 inches on the drive way we get to clear in the morning. :) It's pretty crazy!

1000th Career Point . . . and counting!

2009-12-04T21:29:00.001-08:00

Kim and her teammates right after scoring her 1000th Career Point!
Kim at the foul line scoring one of her 29 points for the game!

The team during a time-out.
The team after the game celebrating Kim's 1000th Point!
We also won the game (very important) 50 - 37.

Jen took the picture of us all there to cheer Kim on!

(Katie had to work tonight) :(

Kim showing her skills! Evening though it may not look like it, she is

spinning the ball on her finger not just holding it there!

Kim 1 point away from 1000th career point at BW!

2009-12-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty certain Kim will score her 1000th point in tonights game

since she is only one point away currently at 999!

We are excited for her and will

post pics later after the game. Go Briar Woods Falcons!