My First Christmas Letter

I don't know if this really counts as a Christmas Letter since all I am doing in posting it on to my blog but I figured it is better than nothing. :)

Greetings from the Bell Family. We have had a really good year and would love to update you on the happenings from Rexburg, ID.

It has been a year since we moved up to Rexburg and have really enjoyed our experience up here. We have had to make some adjustments since we were moving from Las Vegas and were no longer used to all the snow.
Eric has really been working hard this year on his undergrad in Accounting. He has been juggling school full time, part-time tutoring job, and his family. He has really done well in school this year as he has been studying really hard. He has really enjoyed being back up at BYU-Idaho and enjoying the wonderful spirit this school brings. He has one more year of classes up here and then he will be looking for an internship and a job. He plans on continuing in some graduate classes so he can qualify for the CPA exam. He is working part time on campus as a math tutor. Although he doesn't get paid nearly what he used to in Vegas he still loves his job and enjoys being called a "genius" almost everyday. When he is not too busy with school and work he loves just being a dad. He looks forward to coming home and seeing Aaron and playing with him.

I have had a year full of ups and downs. In January I accepted a job as a dorm manager. We live in the dorm with 120 other girls. It has been a challenged to be on-call 24/7 however I enjoy the opportunity to work and stay home with Aaron. My job consists of working 4 office hours each day and being available when problems arise. There are some quiet weeks and there are some weeks when everyone is about to kill their roommate and I try to convince them to get along. However, I really enjoy my interaction with each of the girls and I am learning so much from these girls. I have seen myself grow because of them. I also had the opportunity to take a couple of classes on campus. I just finished my clothing construction class and I was able to learn how to make pants, shirts, and skirts. I learned from the whole experience that it is cheaper and easier to just buy the clothes at the store instead of making them myself. I love learning how to sew and plan on developing that skill in the future. The best part of each of my day is being a mom and watching Aaron grow up and learn. I love to see him laugh and play. I am so grateful that I can be home with him and learn how to be a good mom. I am learning as I go so I know I am not doing everything right but I love to figure it out.

Aaron is now 17months old and is looking forward to nursery in church in January(well he has no idea but mom and dad are looking forward to it). He is getting so smart each day. I am shocked almost everyday when he learns something new. He definitely knows what he likes and what he doesn't like. Things we have discovered that he loves are his green blanket(he drags it everywhere), his Binky, his favorite show is Elmo's World, his favorite toy is the stacking cups (he can stack all 10 cups without any help), his favorite foods are green beans, peaches, taquitos, and milk. He also loves to play with balls. "Ball" was his first official word. He can't say much else yet but he is trying and mimics us when we talk. He does play around with different sounds. He loves it when mommy sings to him to calm him down. His favorite song right now is "Popcorn popping" because he loves the hand motions to that song. He is one happy boy and brings a smile to his parents faces everyday.

Baby Bell is just relaxing and growing in mommy's tummy. I am 4 1/2 months along (halfway there). The baby is scheduled to make an appearance some time around May 9th. We find out if the baby is a boy or a girl on January 8th so come back to the blog then to find out. We are so excited to have another little spirit join our family.

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope you all have had a good year. I look back over the last year and find myself grateful for the many blessings we have been given. I love this time of year when we can reflect on the life of Christ and celebrate his birth and life. He was a great example to me and I try to live everyday for and in behalf of him. I am truly grateful for all that he has done for me and my family.