the boys....

I figured I showed the kids but needed to show the parents too...
The Bell Boys... My husband and his brothers




My husband and I (Rodney and Traci)

Ricky and Dena


Ryan and Ashlee

Randy and Stacy

whats to become of our schools??

so this poem came across my email me last night and I thought I would share it with all of you.. I thought it was really a cool poem and hits on what truly is happening in our schools.. Read and feel free to leave a comment... Enjoy..

WRITTEN BY A 15 yr. old SCHOOL KID IN ARIZONA :

New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME)!
Since the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord's Prayer
are not allowed in most public schools anymore
Because the word 'God' is mentioned....
A kid in Arizona wrote the attached
NEW School prayer : Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.
It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen

motherhood....

I had an interesting email sent to me and it was quite long, but very good. So on Mother's Day I thought I would share a little of it with you...

Happy Mother's Day..

The Cost of Motherhood

:Once a lady went to visit her friend. During the visit the children of the friend entered the room and began to play with each other. As the lady and her friend visited, the lady turned to her friend and said eagerly and yet with evidently no thought of the meaning of her words: “Oh, I’d give my life to have such children.” The mother replied with a subdued earnestness whose quiet told of the depth of experience out of which her words came: “That’s exactly what it costs.”


There is a cost of motherhood. And the price is no small sum. And if you are not willing to pay this price, no amount of encouragement about the joys of motherhood will satisfy.

But the price of motherhood is not fundamentally different from the price of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. In fact, Christian mothers see their duty as mothers flowing from their calling to Jesus Christ. And what is this cost?
Christian motherhood means dedicating your entire life in service of others. It means standing beside your husband, following him, and investing in the lives of children whom you hope will both survive you and surpass you. It means forgoing present satisfaction for eternal rewards. It means investing in the lives of others who may never fully appreciate your sacrifice or comprehend the depth of your love. And it means doing all these things, not because you will receive the praise of man — for you will not — but because God made you to be a woman and a mother, and there is great contentment in that biblical calling.


In other words, Motherhood requires vision. It requires living by faith and not by sight.


These are some of the reasons why Motherhood is both the most biblically noble and the most socially unappreciated role to which a young woman can aspire. There are many people who ask the question: Does my life matter? But a mother that fears the Lord need never ask such a question. Upon her faithful obedience hinges the future of the church and the hope of the nation.:

The Question:

Teacher: Susie what do you want to be when you grow up?
Susie: I want to be a doctor.
Teacher: How wonderful! And what about you Julie?
Julie: I want to be a soldier.
Teacher: How commendable! And what about you Hannah?
Hannah: When I grow up I want to be a wife and mother!
Teacher: [dead silence]...


After years of society belittling the calling of motherhood, something wonderful is happening — something wonderfully counter-cultural! In the midst of the anti-life, anti-motherhood philosophies which pervade the culture, there is a new generation of young ladies emerging whose priorities are not determined by the world’s expectations of them. They have grown up in homes where fathers shepherd them, where children are not merely welcome, but where they are deeply loved. Some of these women have been home educated, which means that many of them have grown up around babies and their mothers. They have learned to see motherhood as a joy and a high calling, because their parents see it that way.

And when asked about their future, these girls know their own minds. These are the future mothers of the Church. Young women who are not afraid to say that the goal of all of their education and training is to equip them to pursue the highest calling of womanhood, the office of wife and mother.

“Children are a blessing and the fruit of the womb is His reward.” Psalm 127:3.

If you would like to read this article in its entirety, please email me and I will be happy to send it to you.

a sneek peek for mrs. a and ms.m..

I had so much fun capturing the two of you. Enjoy the quick preview... Talk to you soon:)

family ties...

Mother's day is fast approching so we did this great photoshoot that was so fun with all the grandkids.. You can see so much character in these pics. This is all the cousins or as we call it, "the bell bunch"...and of course with 7 kids it was very hard to get the perfect posed picture so we settled for character shots instead... Its crazy to see how quick a personality can change.. My favorite is the one on the grass. Looks like something out of a fairytale...Enjoy the peek..<