Photo Dump

I haven't been able to get my instagram pics on the blog lately, but alas that is fixed.   So here is the last few weeks of our lives captured thru the lens of my iphone.   Linking up over at Life Rearranged.   Warning:  This is a Lexi-picture-heavy post.  I can't help it.  

 

Chillin . . . she has the life - fat and happy.

 

 

Little face, big pacifier.

 

 

Bought this ice cream scoop at the Dollar Tree - where everything is $1.

It lasted all of five seconds.

You would think I would know not to buy cooking utensils at this fine establishment.

But no, I continue to waste money trying to get a good deal.

 

 

I made this headband last week.

And then I made three more.

Saw an example on a friend's facebook page, and she graciously gave me the website to copy.

 

 

We saw Santa before Thanksgiving this year.

Sue us.

It was Lexi's first time, and she was a champ.

 

 

He seriously can't get enough of her, and it is so cute to watch.

 

 

We had lunch with George at school on Wednesday, and it was fun.

Obviously.

 

 

This is how he sleeps.

It is funny how your kids carry habits from the womb.

When Ethan was born his nose was smooshed to one side.

My doctor said it was probably from his constant need to push his face against something while he was inside.

When he was an infant he liked to scoot to the side of his crib and smoosh his face in the corner before he went to sleep.

He also loved for us to cover his face with some sort of blanket if he fell asleep in our arms.

Now he has to have his blankie over his face whenever he takes a nap or goes to sleep at night.

Kind of cute.

Kind of weird.

All Ethan.

 

 

She sleeps with her mouth open.

I don't have a good story about it.

Except that she comes by it honestly because I have been told (my entire life) that I do the same thing.

 

Happy Weekend!

 

Decorating

As you may have heard a time or two, we are currently residing in a one bedroom farm/loft apartment.   Obviously, this quaint residence does not lend itself to my usual over-abundance of Christmas decorations.   At first I was kind of sad that I wouldn't be able to break out all my favorites and put them in their special places like years before.   But . . . then I got serious and realized that I wouldn't have to unload and reload a hundred bins of decorations.   A break.   That is what I got this year.   So I decided to milk it for all it is worth and enjoy just a few little decorations around our home.   Mostly for the kids' sake because I knew George would be asking me once an hour why we didn't have a tree.   These are the few things I decided to do:  

 

This is a $25 already lit tree that we picked up a few years ago on one of our black Friday escapades.

 

We usually get a real tree, but this sure came in handy this year.

 

The ornaments are a combination of walmart cheapies and a 25 cent bag of old school ball ornaments I got at the thrift store.

 

Garland is courtesy of the Dollar Tree.

 

 

I did break out our real stockings because they were expensive, and I want to get as many years out of them as I can.

 

I didn't, however, think to bring our stocking hangers.

 

I looked a few places to buy some cheap ones, but the cheapest was 20 bucks.

 

That totally goes against what I am going for here.

 

So hanging them on the window treatments it was.

 

It was Tim's idea . . . and it looked good with the even four stockings we started with.

 

 Until we had to add Lexi's stocking which came in the mail this week.

 

 

 

How cute is that?

 

I just love the extra girliness next to the snowman and train ones we have for the boys.

 

 

I also brought this quilt that my mom bought me a few years ago.

 

It is so soft and warm.

 

I love having it on the couch for those cold, 75 degree days we get here in December.

 

I also decorated our table a bit with a walmart-snowman-plastic tablecloth.

 

But you don't need to see that because it is currently full of crap that I have no where else to put.

 

There you have it . . .

 

Bettelli Decorations 2012.

 

It isn't much, but I know it will be a year we will remember.

 

Happy Anniversary Babe!

Louise: Today we have been married for 7 years. Every day I love you more than the day before. I know that sounds cliche, but it's true nonetheless. 
Our love has grown and changed over the years. I still remember our first "secret" date when I asked you to go to the movies with me after the Calvary basketball game. 
I firmly, believe, that God brought you into my life to make me a better man of God. 
I thought I'd let the world know how much I love you, so here it goes....
I love how much you love Jesus I love your challenging intellect I love your clumsiness I love how you love our family I love (I can't say that online) I love our long conversations (when we get to have them) I love that you stick by me through our crazy life and all that we are going through right now
and I've said it before, but I'll say it again...
I love all the things about you that I never knew I always wanted! I love you Louise.
Crazy Love,  T-Mo

Thankgiving Memories

We were at Tim's parents house for Thanksgiving this year. 

 

It was a fun-filled holiday with lots of kids.

 

We ate dinner with Tim's mom and dad, and his sister's family which includes 4 boys.

 

My parents and sister were having dinner 20 minutes away at my aunt's house, so we all did dessert together as one extremely large group.

 

The more the merrier around here.

 

My mom and I made all the kids special Thanksgiving t-shirts to wear.

 

And here are the Bettelli kids modeling the goods . . .

 

 

No, no harm was done to the baby in the making of this picture.

 

Here is how little Lexi spent most of her day.

 

 

She was a perfect little angel all day and night.

 

We always participate in the Black Friday madness, and this year she had to tag along.

 

You know, since I am her all-hours buffet and everything.

 

She was a trooper.

 

We went out about 8:30 pm - came back to nap at 3:00 am - and then back out again from about 9:30am until 2:00 pm.

 

We basically finished all our shopping for the boys, so I considered it a success.

 

For all the black Friday haters out there . . . here is our perspective on it:

 

When else can you get that much shopping done in one night sans kids???

 

Tim and I pretty much consider it a date.

 

That is how desperate we are these days.

 

Moral of this blog is . . . don't knock it till you try it.

 

Oh, and . . . Happy Thanksgiving too!

 

Feasting

So yesterday I got to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams.   I got to participate in my very own kindergartener's Thanksgiving Feast at his school.  

 

It exceeded all my expectations.

 

He was dressed as a cute Indian, and we got to watch him put on a little show before digging in.

 

It was adorable.

 

Now, in all the dreams I have had about this day I never expected how hard I would have to work to make it happen.

 

Starting the night before . . .

 

I signed up to make sweet potato casserole for the event.

(Why I didn't just write my name next to fruit bowl we will never know).

 

I figured I could take my time after the kids were in bed and put together the whole thing to just bake in the morning.

 

Well, since I am so wonderful at planning ahead (not really) I totally overlooked the fact that my kids now basically sleep in the kitchen because we are in this apartment.

 

So . . . 8:30 pm rolls around and my potatoes still have an hour to bake in the oven.

 

I had to keep checking on them and simultaneously yelling nicely asking my boys to lay down and go to sleep.

 

I finally got them all put together and in the fridge by 10 (not without waking Tim up to mash multiple times because did I mention the amount being made? . . . enough for 55 people - yes, 55.)

 

We got up in the morning and took George to school, then we had to run home to have enough time to put the casseroles in the oven and get them back to the school by feast time.

 

Once they were done I had to make 5 (yes, FIVE) trips down the stairs to the car to get everything in.

 

One for Ethan.

 

One for Lexi and her monstrous carseat.

 

One for casserole #1.

 

One for casserole #2.

 

And finally my last trip to get my diaper bag and lock the door.

 

To say I was perspiring a bit and had slightly burnt fingers would be the understatement of the year.

 

But it was all worth it to see George's face light up when he saw me there.

 

It truly never ceases to amaze me . . . the things we will do for our kids.

 

I would literally kill myself to be there for them.

 

George will probably forget this day within the week, but I won't ever forget watching him enjoy my presence and being so proud that his mom made the event.

 

 

 

It was a great day.

 

But truth be told . . . for the first grade Thanksgiving feast I will be first in line to sign up for the fruit bowl.

Ending October

Since it is pretty much the middle of November, I have decided to post about our October events.   I am nothing if not punctual.  ahem.   Ethan, Lexi and I moved in on October 25th.   That weekend my parents came down to visit, and we all took a trip to a pumpkin patch.  

 

Our Littlest Pumpkin this year . . . 2 weeks old.

 

 

  The place we went had this cute train ride, so the boys took a trip on the Halloween Express.   We also celebrated our first Fort Myers Halloween that week.   We have gotten involved with a "life group" (love those Christian cliches) in our church down here, and they invited us to trick or treat with them.  

 

We had an Incredible Hulk and Spiderman, who I am pretty sure couldn't see out of his mask the entire night.

 

Sidenote:  Ethan (aka Blind Spiderman) received the most candy out of all the kids we were with that night.

 

Because he really, really got into taking his own handfuls instead of once piece out of containers.

 

We would try to discipline him and say "just one," but then those darn people would say, "oh no, let him take as many as he wants . . . he is so cute."

 

Once again, his cuteness saves him.

 

Lucky.

 

This was Lexi's get-up.

 

I decided not to put her in a costume because let's be honest, costumes are a pain.

 

My mom made this cute pillowcase dress from some cute fabirc, and we called it a day.

 

She was in the stroller the entire time anyway, so it worked out perfectly.

 

Funny how differently you feel with number 3 . . . I know I would have never given up the chance to dress George no matter how little he was on his first Halloween.

 

Oh how our perspective changes with time and additional kids.

 

All in all, we enjoyed our October festivities.

 

Looking forward to November's . . . Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and our anniversary.

 

plugged in

We are officially plugged in over here at our loft apartment in the country.   It took a little while to get everything figured out, but I am happy to say that browsing the internet never felt so good.   And guess what else exciting happened . . .   We. have. cable.   Why is this so exciting you might ask . . .   Because at our nice three bedroom house in Largo we did not have cable.   It is all give and take around here.   One bedroom loft for our family of five seems a bit tight, but with the addition of cable I think I could live here forever. (I kid, I kid).   It is a nice perk that we are enjoying, and it was a package deal for the internet.   Anyway . . . I guess I can move on to more vital information.   We are making it.   As I said . . . It is a little tight, but not as tight as I originally thought it would be.   I have been pleasantly surprised.   Not sure if I already wrote about the property we are on (and I am too lazy to go back and read previous posts), but the people who own the apartment live on 19 acres.   It is a kid's paradise.   Campfires, rope swings, trampoline, slides, dogs, cats, a horse (coming soon), and so on.  

 

The inside is set up really well too.

 

Here is a look at the kitchen . . . really functional, but it doesn't take up too much room.

 

 

 

It is almost refreshing to be here if I am being completely honest (which I always try to be).

 

All five of us share one closet . . .

 

But it is kind of nice to only have a few choices in the morning when getting dressed.

 

Tim and I can't watch tv once the kids are in bed because their room is the pull out couch in the family room . . .

 

But it gives us time to talk and be with Lexi while the boys sleep.

 

We are further than I am used to from civilization . . .

 

But it forces me to stay home and just enjoy the kids and the outdoors more.

 

We don't have most of our "stuff" . . .

 

But it forces me to make due with what we do have (which is kind of like a game for me . . . seeing what I can accomplish without all the right "tools").

 

We are taking it day by day and finding joy in so many little things.

 

Although, in keeping with full disclosure, the "little" thing of no internet was easy to give up.

 

Glad to be back.