Nielson Hot Spot

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!

2010-02-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

I had a major shopping day today! I left work and headed straight for Walgreens, coupon binder in hand. I was a woman on a mission...
*Hint - click on the pics to enlarge and see my savings!

I planned on going to three different Walgreens stores (the first two were only a few blocks apart in Idaho Falls). Gillette Fusion razors for .99 cents was SO worth it! Especially since Jade has to shave his entire globe every day now (BYU rules). Sure, I ended up with a lot of candy, but its great to sit down with the kids, the hubby, a bowl of popcorn, theater candy, and a good movie :)

After the first two Walgreens, I stopped at Smith's. I spent about half an hour in the car just organizing my coupons, which I now know I should have done at home the night before. I'll be better prepared next time! Another glitch came when I was checking out: the Grocery Smarts list stated that you would get $3 off when you spent $10 on selected items. I had it all figured out: $30 worth of said items=$9 in savings. However, the sale was actually $3 off when you purchase 10 items. So I actually only saved $6 on those. Bummer! But, again, I'll be better prepared next time. Plus, I just noticed that I only got 7 cans of soup instead of 8, so I wasted a coupon!

Next up was Fred Meyer. This is where the drama really starts...(you know I have to have a little drama!)

Hi, my name is Dorothy and I am a shopaholic.

I knew exactly what I was going into Fred Meyer for: Towels and cough drops. Easy peasy.
But when I walked through the doors I was bombarded by my worst possible enemy: The 70% off clearance sign!
(I'm getting heart palpitations just thinking about it)
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a SUCKER for a clearance sign. I'm drawn to those rounders of underpriced, past season, and slightly mismated steals. Its more than a hobby. It sucks me in.

Hi, my name is Dorothy and I am a shopaholic.

I valiantly walked past the deals that screamed at me as they overflowed into the aisles. The bright colors were nothing against my resolve to SAVE instead of SPEND. "You can do this," I told the woman that mocked me from the endcap mirrors as I rushed past the shoes and misses career wear. And then my phone rang and as I stopped to chat with my BFF, I absently began browsing the toddler girls' clearance rounder. Oh, the torture! So cute, so precious, so PINK! I even found myself justifying purchases for other people because ITS SUCH A GREAT DEAL!

And then, by some miracle, the spell was broken and I quickly vacated the department which enticed me with its horrible red signs, with nothing more than $2 pair of shorts for my own child.

Next, I found my towels and my cough drops and headed for the cashier. SUCCESS!

I hit one more Walgreens when I got into Rexburg, then Albertsons, and finally I was home! It only took me four hours...

Just to clarify for those of you who are thinking of couponing:
It took me a while to clip my coupons and organize them in my binder the first week (over an hour), but the next week, putting the current coupons away was a breeze. The only reason this trip took four hours was because
A- I wasn't prepared ahead of time (it's only my second trip)
B- I started at 4:30 in the afternoon. TRAFFFIC!
C- It involved a 45 minute commute back to Rexburg
D- Stupid clearance event!

9/11

2009-09-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

I was reading another friend's blog about her memories and feelings of September 11, 2001. It reminded me of how it felt that day listening to the radio and waiting for every tiny new detail. I feel like that was my generation's Pearl Harbor. I can still feel the shock I felt that morning. I was on my way to work and stopped at a stoplight. I punched the power button on the radio and the voice was saying that planes had hit the Twin Towers. I thought it was a movie advertisement. The next part happened in slow motion: I glanced left and noticed the man in the car next to me. His mouth was hanging open in shock and he was shaking his head. At the same time, the voice on the radio said the station name and that this was a special announcement. The Twin Towers in New York City had just been hit by airplanes. No other information was available.

The light turns green and the cars start moving. I couldn't get to work fast enough. Those of you who worked with me at Boulevard Home Furninshings during that time will remember that everyone was gathered around the big screen TV in the middle of the store. No one spoke. We just watched. And then the towers fell.

What a scary and out of control day that was. Everyone was in a daze. No one knew what to think. Everyone seemed to know someone who was flying that day. There were about five of us in the office who were young, newly married women. I remember the older people telling us that we would surely go to war and that the draft was coming. Would they send our husbands to fight? I also remember the terror we felt every time they announced that an airplane wasn't landing or wouldn't respond to controllers. Most of them were false alarms...and then they weren't.

The Pentagon. The pentagon, too? It was surreal. This was something out of a movie. I just wanted to go home and be with Jade. I wanted to understand what was happening. For my entire life I had believed that I would never see an act of war in my own country. The Gulf War hit close to home, but this was closer. And then Shanksville, Pennsylvania. I remember thinking that itmust just be a rumor, until I saw pictures of that one, too. Too much, now. I was "for real" scared. Not just scared because everyone else was and it was the appropriate emotion for the situation. This was real and I didn't understand it. And we were all at work and we couldn't call our loved ones and we couldn't make sure everyone was okay. I think those feelings lasted a year.

On 9/11/2002 we all watched the footage again and realized how we had triumphed over adversity. We took a breath and realized we are the United Stated of America, and if nothing else, we have that in common. As strong as my fear was, my patriotism was stronger.

Yesterday, I was prepared to talk about what happened on 9/11. I wasn't prepared NOT to talk about it. I must have spoken to two hundred people yesterday and not one person wished me a happy Patriots Day. No one wore a flag on their lapel. No one said, "Wow, has it really been eight years?" Was I the only one who felt like this was an important day in American history? I hope not. I hope we never forget what happened on 9/11/01, and I hope we never forget who we are and what we stand for!

My Love for Him is Not of This World

2009-07-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

It is exactly 12:57 a.m. I am still awake because the Love of My Life and Life of my Love is coming home and I want to see him the minute he walks through the door. I want to look at him and and smile and welcome him home because he has been gone from me for a week. A whole week! Almost unbearable. Almost, because I visited him for a few hours before I had to rush back home to work.

So I will wait here by the door until he comes home. He'll walk in carrying a sleeping child, hurry past me to put said child in bed, then come back for a kiss and a hug. I'll hug him back as hard as I can so that he knows I really, REALLY love him. He'll ask why I'm still up, and I'll rub his velcro-y head and ask if he lost his razor in Cane Beds. He'll laugh, kiss me again, and go get the other two bebes out of the car. Everyone will be tucked into bed and when we wake up we will be a whole family again. No more staying up waiting for Prince Charming to return, because I will not let him leave me again for a VERY long time.

I saw this on someone else's blog and thought that it perfectly describes how I feel about Jade:

"My love for him is not of this world. It can't be broken by anything, not by any worldly ideas of what love is. Not by death. Nothing. Love is Godly, God is love. And we are his children. Our bond will carry us to the eternities and beyond. Its not cheesy, its the truth."

Family Pictures

2009-04-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

We decided, on the spur of the moment, to hurry and do family pictures before Jade leaves for San Francisco. Oh, did I mention that my boyfriend will be gone ALL SUMMER?!? Jade's got a job installing alarm systems for APX, so he and our bro-in-law, Sam, are heading to SanFran on May 2nd. I miss him already! Anyway, Jade really wanted to take some pictures of us with him, so we threw together a quick self-portrait session and I have to say that I am really proud of how the pics turned out! I'm amazed, too, because I only took 13 shots (I usually do 300 to 600 during a session). The kids (and SkinnyButt Jade) were cold, so we had to hurry. You can tell how cold Gabe was by the goofy look on his face. I was a little bummed about that, but on the other hand it totally shows his personality, so now I love it!

99 COOL MOM THINGS

2009-01-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

Post this list on your blog and bold the ones you've done.

1. Felt the world shift and change when you held your newborn baby.
2. Thought, "Hey, they didn't tell me about this when I got pregnant."
3. Given away perfectly good pants because they just don't seem to zip up anymore
4. Walked around with snot on your shoulder and pretended it's normal
5. Wrestled with a car seat and won
6. Cursed the makers of really loud annoying toys
7. Rocked your baby until she fell asleep, and then kept rocking anyway.
8. Gained superhero kissing powers-- you kiss it, it's okay.
9. Learned the art of counting to three, in a loud, patient voice
10. Avoided swearing like a pirate when a small child stepped on your bare feet with heavy-heeled princess shoes (NOPE!)
11. Dressed up as a butterfly and floated magically around the room with blanket wings
12. Made a tent out of blankets and chairs and crammed your really large body into it.
13. Learned you really aren't a patient person, but tried to work on it.
14. Listened to really bad, heartfelt, vibrato out-of-control, children's music that for some reason your children love.
15. Succeeded in doing an awesome hairstyle on a squirming, uncooperative child.
16. Decided that bribery really does do the trick.
17. Read a Parenting book and thought, "Do they even have children?"
18. Gotten nothing but lessons in patience and enduring to the end from the past 3 years of church
19. Allowed others to think you're crazy as you drive down the road doing the actions to "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed."
20. Smiled and managed not to punch the people without children who give you advice on how to discipline them.
21. Pitied the pioneers, who didn't have movies/television.
22. Thought sadly about landfills, but put it out of your head by remembering what dunking poopy cloth diapers in the toilet is like.
23. Managed to get the grocery shopping done with one or more children in tow.
24. Put yourself in time out.
25. Given up career opportunities, wistfully, but gladly.
26. Thought, "This is so worth it. I have the best job ever."
27. Thought, "This is so not worth it. I quit." But woken up and fixed breakfast and taken care of the kids anyway.
28. Heard your child say, "I love you so much!"
29. Watched with delight as your child lurches around the room with their first dinosaur-like steps.
30. Ignored your dirty house to play ponies.
31. Taught a child to use the potty. (And wanted to start an ad campaign with signs posted above every public toilet that read, "If you can use this, thank your mother.")
32. Tried a home business to make just a little extra money
33. Actually sewn something, that turned out pretty good if no one looked too closely
34. Played the choo-choo or airplane game to try and convince your child that food is not evil.
35. Slipped, tripped or twisted on a left out toy
36. Fished pennies/small toys/anything small out of your child's mouth, while keeping the panic at bay.
37. Lost brain cells while watching a Baby Einstien movie
38. Wondered where the instruction manual is.
39. Thought that you could improve upon the baby design model by adding three lights on the side of each baby-- one for hungry, one for tired, and one for poopy.
40. Listened with chagrin as your child repeats your favorite adjectives.
41. Crept into their room at night, just to make sure the covers are on and that they're still breathing.
42. Thought while breastfeeding, "No wonder people get breast implants. My shirts actually fit." (!!!)
43. Laughed out loud at the optimistic "6 weeks after birth prognosis" by your male doctor. (STILL LAUGHING!!)
44. Learned that you really aren't a pleasant person with only 2 hours of sleep.
45. Tried to explain why clothing is mandatory.
46. Had to eat your words because, "I would never do it that way," but then you do. (Yeah, Big time)
47. Called Poison Control.
48. Left the store without buying anything because your child is screaming. (Nothing gets in the way of my shopping)
49. Had to apologize to a stranger.
50. Wanted to petition that handicap stalls also be available to mothers with 2 or more children under the age of 6.
51. Said, "That's not funny," when really, if you weren't the parent, it was funny.
52. Felt extreme anger at another child when they hurt your child.
53. Cleaned up throw up more times than you wish to count.
54. Eaten a soggy cracker. (On accident, and I'm gagging at the memory!)
55. Thought sadly of hungry people as you scrapped your child's uneaten food into the garbage.
56. Threatened to do something awful (and untrue) like leave your child at WalMart, or cut off their toe if they didn't stop misbehaving.
57. Even though you vowed never to say it, yelled, "Because I said so."
58. Not left the house for three or more days.
59. Discussed buying stock in paper towels, wipes and diaper companies.
60. Conversed with other adults about poop, drool, and snot. (SOOO sorry!)
61. Thought, "My gosh. My children are the most adorable things in the entire world."
62. Smiled when your kids hugged each other.
63. Thrown away Halloween candy (after fishing out all the chocolate bars).
64. Realized the true use of a timer is not for baking.
65. Thought, "Isn't there at least some period of their lives where they adore me and listen to what I say?"
66. Cried and cried, because you feel like you're just not cut out for this sort of thing.
67. Felt triumphant when your child spelled their name without prompting to your now impressed neighbor/relative/friend.
68. Put on boots, coats, hats, gloves and snow pants and just as you're walking out the door hear a rumbling from your child that indicates severe diaper problems, or having your older child say, "I have to go to the bathroom."
69. Realized that children's books are sometimes written for adults.
70. Had to remind yourself not to talk in a sing-songy, supercalm happy voice when speaking to other adults.
71. Sometimes the only constant in your day is that it will eventually end.
72. Discovered that a really childproof room is empty and padded and only exists in insane asylums.
73. Had to backpeddle quickly when you told your child not to do something and they said, "But Mommy, you do it."
74. Dug out a sliver
75. Been ignored. Over and over.
76. Felt that if you get touched one more time you might have to become a hermit.
77. Laughed (with just a bit of hysteria) at the magazine picture of well-behaved children that put together beautiful crafts.
78. Gotten an unexpected kiss and a hug.
79. Had your heart melt when you hear, "Hold me, hold me."
80. Cleaned up a blow out diaper, and managed to salvage the onesie.
81. Thought, "Oh, my parents were right."
82. Prayed really hard that you're raising them to be good, thoughtful, happy people.
83. Hoped they won't remember the time you accidentally dropped/forgot about them.
84. Hoped they will remember the times you read stories/sang/played with them.
85. Felt like the Wicked Witch of the West.
86. Given an Eskimo kiss.
87. Felt your heart strings tug when they first let go of your hand to venture off on their own.
88. Pretended you liked something just to get your kid to eat/do it.
89. Wore matching outfits with your kids and thought it was awesome.
90. Tried to keep the car nice by not allowing food, then gave up and tossed food randomly at your children in an effort to quiet them.
91. Heard your child yell excitedly, "Mommy!" when you walk into the room.
92. Caused extreme giggling (on purpose).
93. Vanquished a monster with a spray bottle.
94. Answered "Why?" questions with preposterous and crazy answers but still not managed to stop the "Why?"s from coming.
95. Bought a really padded bra for protection from elbows and other stray limbs
96. Played the, "I'm going to hide in the _____" version of Hide and Seek
97. Learned to traverse the kitchen with a small child clinging to your legs and the phone on your shoulder.
98. Told yourself, "This is for her good."
99. Known this is the best and hardest job in the world. (But wished for paid time off)

iN GOD wE TrUsT!

2008-12-31T15:53:00.000-08:00

My AWESOME friend Heather just sent me this email and I LOVE the message, so I thought I would share it with all of you. Enjoy!

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.

Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.

He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.

A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?

"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words " United States of America "
"No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

More Holiday Pictures!

2008-12-20T12:58:00.001-08:00

Good news! Maya has piggy tails now! I know, they're a little pathetic, but a girl can dream, right? Besides, she's at that awkward stage where her hair pokes out like a scarecrow when she wears a headband, so I had to get creative.

I stayed up late the night before Thanksgiving to prepare all the yummy food that would be baked the next day. It was so nice to cook in a clean kitchen with no kiddos underfoot!

Jade made THE MOST AWESOME TURKEY ever! He brined it over night and then cooked it to perfection. It was still sooo juicy after a few days and a microwave. MMMMM!

Gabe, of course, wanted to try the drumstick...Any guesses on how far he got?

Christmas Cookies!

DISCLAIMER: All other holiday food, including the gingerbread men decorating the Christmas tree, were homemade from scratch. You know me... crafty, crafty, crafty!

And...Here we go again!

2008-12-20T00:11:00.000-08:00

Like I said, here we go again...We're moving AGAIN! That was not a happy exclamation point...no, this awesome house with the huge back yard and t.v. loft and great kitchen and HUGE garage, was not meant to be our home. It is being auctioned on January 6th (call me, I'll give the the info so you can buy us a house). So now we're frantically looking for another place to live. So fun....I don't even know what else to say about it.

On a brighter note, if you want a good laugh just click on my friend Heather's blog and read about her first prenatal appointment...it's a doosey!

And here are some pics that I have been too busy to post until now:

Alright...Here's your update:

2008-11-20T16:32:00.001-08:00

This is going to be a very long rant-style post. But, hey, you wanted an update, so here it is!

Setting: Nielson apartment in St. Goerge. Beautiful weather outside. Nielson family (meaning Dot) is preparing for the move to Dot's mom's house in West Jordan. The move is still two weeks away but there is plenty to do...

But wait, help is on the way...hmmm...or not....

Jade's mom came down from Idaho to work at the Huntsman senior games. She also brought her brother-in-law and Angela, Jade's little sister. So I thought I might have some help, but it turned out that what we really got were three more adult mouths to feed and less room in which to work around the house. What was I thinking! (to Larie, Shane, and Angel: you are always welcome, it just happened to be bad timing, but we love you!)

It turned out like this: Angela, in the event that her mother, Jade and I, and Lori and Shea, were all moving away and would not be able to come back down for a while, decided to plan a wedding on the fly. Meaning that the last two weeks of packing turned into a week and a half of wedding plans and photography and two days of packing (thanks, Shea, for coming over to kick my butt into gear on Thursday!) Oh, yeah, and I didn't even make a list for the move!!! (that's a very big deal in my list-governed world)

All of you who know me know that i am a little (just a little) uptight when there are lots of people around. Well, this was no exception. I was having bouts of hysteria broken up by little episodes of rainman-like chanting...

...Wednesday, October 15th was the wedding and it was the most romantinc civil ceremony i've ever witnessed! Congratulations Sam and Angela (now affectionately known as Samgela)! Thursday was pack-the-trailer-clean-the-house day. Just as we were hitching the trailer up to S & L's pickup, we got a call from my mom. She had "good news"... she'd sold her house and we had to be out in three weeks. And we weren't even in it yet!!!

So...more bawling...more hysterics...more frantic packing.

Friday was supposed to be hit-the-road day, but it turned into do everything at the last minute and hope we get out of town befor dark-day...and we did...barely. But not before buying a new tire for the borrowed box trailer. Okay, so we were finally on the road and things were looking good for a couple of days....

Then we went back to SG on Sunday to clean the apartment, which was a joke because we were exhausted from the previous two weeks. It took us three days (not that it was that bad, we were just in bad shape) instead of a day and a half. All the while we kept saying to ourselves, "the Lord will bless us for following His counsel. The Lord will bless us for following His counsel..." (and He has, I'll get to that later)

Jaden was sick when we got back up North, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. But then Gabe got sick...really sick...he had fevers and didn't eat so much as a booger for four days. It was awful. He just kept puking and laying there not moving. We were really worried, but then Jade fixed it. I won't tell you how, but this is what Gabe had to say about it: "Daddy gave me medicine in my bum and I'm not sick anymore!" So, there you go. He eventually got better and started to eat.

Meanwhile, Maya was suffering from another ear infection, complete with ruptured eardrum and oozing. We were also dealing with her seemingly incurable diaper rash. After two months and two courses of treatment, and with the ear getting worse and worse, I finally found a doctor up here. First I have to explain how bad things were for poor Maya. The rash was so bad that it had turned into puffy, red, bleeding, blisters. And it was spreading. Her face was also infected with what looked like yeast infection. Little red spots all over and around her eyes. She looked horrible! And the smell...well we couldn't figure out why she smelled so bad until I was holding her one day and realized it came from her ear! It was really BAD! Like something died in there, which I totally considered because of the smell.

So the Awesome Dr. Rasmus saved the day. She told us that maya definitely had a pseudomonas infection in her ear and a yeast infection...no, wait, let me look again (that's what she said)... a STAPH infection on her bum and her face! EEEEEWWW! And it was spreading to the rest of her body. It's an oportunistic infection, so anwhere she had the slightest open wound (even pierced ears) it was growing. And, to add insult to injury, her pseudomonas infection had passed to me and I had the worst UTI ever! I know, t.m.i., but, hey , its all part of the story. So, we were both on anti's and eventually getting better. Oh, yeah. That was on Friday. On Saturday, Jaden dislocated Maya's elbow and we had to go to the emergency room.

Then we moved again. I mean the whole house. Twice in a month. With three kids and no babysitter. Super fun...

Okay, things are really starting to look up for us now. The Lord has blessed us for following his counsel and we were able to find a house in the same neighborhood as my mom's house and the owner is charging the same rent as my mom (which is very little). So, now you know why we haven't returned any phone calls or emails for a while. It's been crazy and not a lot of fun, but we've definitely grown and grown closer. Oh, yeah, and Maya learned to walk! It's awesome to see her toddling around after the boys! She's so cute!

I'll post pics of the kids and the new house and our crazy life tomorrow. I'm sure you're all blogged out after this anyway.

The Moral of the Story is.....

2008-10-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

...pay attention to your child, even if you're on the phone, when he's yelling your name louder and louder.

Conversation:

Mom: (talking to Kristi on the phone) "How long is it?"
(ahem...I was talking about the trailer we're borrowing from them)

Jaden: (somewhere in the background) "Gabe!!! I will get it! I will get it!!!"

Gabe: (also in the background) "Mommy! I have a Hoween eyeinmyeeeeaaaaaarr!"
(I didn't quite get what he was saying because I was listening to Kristi)

Mom: "SHHHHH! I'm on the PHONE!" (not nice, I know....)

Gabe: (still in the background) "Mommy! I have a Hoween eyeinmyeeeeaaaaaarr!"

Mom: ignoring Gabe to the best of my ability

Gabe: "MOM!!! I HAVE A HOWEEN EYE IN MY EEEEAAARRR!"

Okay, Buddy, you got my attention... Translation: My big brother stuck a Halloween eye (googly eye) in my ear. Great. I'm sure the instacare ladies will be happy to take care of that for us...again.

Good news! Uncle Shea held the flashlight and pulled on the ear while I extracted the offending googly eye from Gabe's ear canal. All is well in the Nielson house....for now.

School Picture Time!

2008-09-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Doesn't my sweet little boy look handsome!

How NOT to keep the Sabath holy...

2008-09-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

WARNING: DO NOT SCROLL DOWN IF YOU IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE GROSS PICTURES

It was turning out to be a really nice Sunday Afternoon. We'd made it to church before the end of sacrament meeting, we didn't starve to death before getting home, and everyone was in a pretty good mood. We get home from church and this is how the conversation goes:

Jaden: "Hey, Gabe, let's wrestle!"

Gabe: "Yeah! Wrestle!"

Mom: "It's okay with me if you wrestle, but run upstairs first and put your church clothes on Mommy's bed, okay?"

(to which there is no reply because as I was making my request, Jaden lunged at Gabe, who fell backward and whacked his head on the corner of the t.v. stand.)

Mom: (suffering from back pain and unable to leap to the rescue) "Jade! Grab him! That was a bad one!"

Jaden: "Dad, he's bleeding! Is he's brain falling out?!?!"

Mom: "Is it bad? Put pressure on it!"

(Gabe isn't crying at all, just letting Daddy drag him by the head into the bathroom)

Daddy: "Great! He's definitely going to need at least a couple of stitches! (grumble, grumble)"

Mommy: "Hon, this is awesome! Its our first big boy injury! Don't worry so much about it, we have two boys, so this is kinda supposed to happen, right? Before we go, can you get that blood out of the carpet please? I don't want it to stain."

Daddy: "(sounding a little queesy) I guess if I'm going to be a doctor, I'm going to have to get used to the sight of blood."

And this is the result of not listening to your mother who told you to go upstairs and change out of your church clothes (which, by the way, now have blood all over them):

So off we rush (and by rush, I mean clean the carpet, get Maya dressed, make a bottle, call Lori to see if #2 and #3 can stay with her, make sure the camera battery is charged, grab Jade's backpack so he can study if there's a long wait, then go) to Instacare to get stitches. Gabe still didn't cry, which gave me conflicting feelings of "what a brave boy!" and "if he's not crying and the bleeding has stopped, do we really need stitches just because we can see a little bit of bone?"

Jade was kind enough to hold the napkin on Gabe's head so that he didn't bleed all over the waiting room chairs.

So Doctor Sam (I don't know if that's really his name or if he was just teasing the nurse who's name is Sam) Come's in, pulls out the little surgical stapler thingy, and goes to town on Gabe's head. Gabe still didn't cry! He just stood there wincing a little while Dr. Sam clicked away.

Here is one of our favorite nurses, Sam, who happened to be on loan from Dr. Thompson's office. Sam took really great care of Gabers, and I think he was comforted to have someone he knows working on his owie.

So, a great big THANK YOU to Lori and Shea for helping out with the kiddos, Sam for being a familiar face, Jade for cleaning up the blood, and Dr. Whatever for being kind, funny, and putting Gabe at ease. THANKS!

Chris & Nick

2008-09-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

These are some new pictures of my SUPER CUTE nephews, Chris and Nick. You can't really see Chris's face, but they're twins, so ya seen one, ya seen 'em all!

Happy Birthday Molly!

2008-09-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

Our cute little neighbor girl is celebrating her first birthday TODAY! She is absolutely adorable and we just love her and her awesome family! So, happy birthday Wogger!

Baby Tag!

2008-09-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks Necha! Glad to have you around! Anyone who knows me, knows that I have no problem at all talking about my pregnancies...So of course I took THIS challenge!

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant?
#1- In the bathroom at Terget in Bountiful. I was on my lunch break. Yeah, I'm not the "wait for morning pee" type.
#2- Gorgeous pink trailer in Cane Beds
#3- Bathroom at Bloomington Walmart...again, not a patient woman.

2- Who was with you?
#1- Nobody
#2- Nobody. I thought it was negative and then Jade got home and I checked it one more time before I told him...lo and behold, it was positive.
#3- Some lady wearing sneakers. I didn't tell her though...

3- How did you find out that you were pregnant?
#1- My pants quit fitting and I was STARVING all the time.
#2- My nose got fat...AGAIN
#3- Everyone else was pregnant, so I figured what the heck, I might as well take a test.

4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregn ant?
#1- Super excited! Tried for two years to get pregnant.
#2- Excited, but embarrassed, too because I thought they were really close together. I hadn't actually done the math yet:)
#3- Again, excited, but it was bittersweet because I knew this was probably the last one we would have, and I love being pregnant.

5- Your Husbands reacton? Jade was low key, as always, each time I told him. He was always happy, though.

6- Who was the first perso n you told?
#1- One of the ladies with whom I worked at the fabric store. She guessed that there was something going on when I got back to work and could't quit grinning and would burst into random bouts of "the giggles".
#2- Jade
#3- Jade

7- Did you plan to get pregnant? Yes, No, Yes

8- Was everybody happy for you? Yes!

10- Did you go out and celebrate? Nope. Like I said, Jade's pretty low key. Oh, yeah, when I was pregnant with Jaden, my mom took me right out and bought me maternity clothes.

11- Did you want to find out the sex? Yes!! I didn't want to find out with Maya, but Jade doesn't like surprises, so we did anyway.

12- What was the sex? Both girls

13- Did anyone throw you a baby shower? Yeah, I had two with Jaden, and then three with Maya. I'm pretty spoiled!

14- If yes, who?
#1- My mom gave me a SURPRISE shower with Jaden. I had been at Lagoon all day and was exhauseted, puffy, and half dressed. I walked into the living room and there were twenty people waiting for me. How embarrasing! It was a blast, though. Momma Larie also gae me a shower in St. George.
#3- My mom, The Park Mommies, and My young womens (church group) presidency.

15- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby? Yeah, Jade's little sister, Daina, gave me a little yellow dress for Jaden. I don't know what that was about...

16- How much weight did you gain?
#1- 70 lbs
#2- 65 lbs
#3- 40 lbs... And I kept ten stinkin' lbs from each one!

17- Did you loose all of the weight that you gaine d? Uh, NO

18- Did you get a lot of stretch marks? Yeah, I think there are a lot of them, but I guess I'm not very objective...

19- What did you crave the most?
#1- Macaroni and cheese, YUCK! I've always hated that stuff, so when I was craving it I put off eating it for a few months and then gave it a try...still YUCK! Oh, and that's when I was converted to fry sause. I practically drank it! And raisinettes, and Bic Macs, and chicken nuggets (you see where that 70 lbs came from)
#2- I can't remember...
#3- SPICY! It was the only food that didn't make me sick! The spicier the better!

20- Did you crave anything crazy? Yeah, most of it was crazy at the time I was craving it. I thought I was going to starve to death when I couldn't get a big mac at seven in the morning!

21- Who or what got on your nerves the most? Jade. That poor guy couldn't seem to do anything right, and then I would start balling and tell him how sorry I was. (he was actually awesome...it was all me!!)

22- Were you married at the time? Yep. Happily ever after!

23- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
#1- Nope
#2- Not during the pregnancy, but my uterus inverted when I delivered Gabe and I went into shock so fast that they couldn't give me any pain medication ( I didn't have an epidural). I kept kicking poor Dr. Thompson because he wouldn't "just leave me alone and let me rest" (said in a crazy, maniacal voice while being held down by the nurses)
#3- Nope. Business as usuall

24- Where were you when you went into labor? I was always at home (chugging the castor oil and blue cohosh).

25- Did your water break? Nope. And I was so geared up for that part, too! What a disappointment...

26- Who drove you to the hospital? Jade

Where is # 27?

28- Did you go early or late? Early all three times. Only a couple of days, though.

29- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth?
#1- Jade, my mom, Momma Larie, and my sister Lizz.
#2- Jade and Momma Larie. And Apryl was there part of the time.
#3- Jade, Momma Larie, and Lori

30- Was it video taped? The first one was, but the other two weren't.

31- Did you have any drugs for the pain? Yes, no, yes.

32- Did you go Natural or have a c-section? Natural

33- What was your first reaction after giving birth?
#1- I was still pretty chill from the narcotic, so I just closed my eyes and chilled some more. I figured someone else could handle it from here, right :)
#2- It was a little crazy....I can't remember much after that whole fiasco!
#3- Is it really a girl?!?! Finally!

34- How big was the baby?
#1- 7 lbs. 11 oz.
#2- 7 lbs. 12 oz.
#3- 8 lbs. 3 oz.

35- Did your Husband cry? I think he cried with Jaden, then he cried when he realized there was something wrong after Gabe was born. I don't remember with Maya.

36- What did you name the baby?
#1- Jaden Noah
#2- Cage Somethingorother which got changed to Gabriel Ragains the next day
#3- Maya Elizabeth

37- Did the baby have any complications? No, No, and Jaundice with Maya

38- How old is the baby today? Jaden is 5, Gabe is 3, and Maya is almost ten months.

39- When is the next one coming? I don't know the answer to that one. Probably a mid-life-crisis baby in a few years.

41-If you could, would you do it all over again? Heck yeah! I'm pretty good at having babies. Its all that stuff that comes after that I need help with!

Alright, you know who you are. I tag YOU! I want every juicy detail from all my mommy friends!

LeApIn LiZaRdS!

2008-09-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

Boys will be BOYS! Jaden, Gabe, and a neighbor boy found a LIZARD
and decided to pick it up and PLAY with it...

Taking a CLOSER LOOK...

and a KISS for good luck...

And some great childhood MEMORIES!

iN a pIcKle!

2008-09-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Maya was brave enough to try a pickle the other day...
Obviously she enjoyed it, right?

Q-T-EEES!

2008-09-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

We recently went to an open house for one of Jade's sisters that got married (in Vegas, the little hussie!). It was the perfect opportunity to take some family picture..... But you know what they say about the best laid plans!! So instead, we got pictures of the Cameron kiddos and the Nielson kiddos, which turned out pretty darn cute, if you ask me. Let me know if you want the name of the photograper because she's really really good! :)

This is my AWESOME father-in-law, John, and Jade's little sister, Daina

Kaeli, Jaden, Maya, Abbi, Gabe, and Jacob

The Cameron cuties: Kaeli (3), Jacob (4 1/2 mos.), and Abbi (19 mos.)

Me 'n my homegirl, Lori

Handsome Fellas: Gabe (3), Jacob, and Jaden (5)

Gabe sweeping Kaeli off her feet!

Who Are You?

2008-09-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I was looking at all the sweet comments that my dear friends and family have left on our blog, and I found a cute one from someone who must be a long lost friend of mine. But I can't figure out WHO YOU ARE!!! I know my brain isn't running on all cylinders lately, so don't take it personally that I can't quite place you. Plus, when I clicked on your blog title, it's set to private, so I can't get in... Anyway, Damian & #39's mom and/or dad, would you please write me back and tell me who you are? I would love to hear from you!

FiRsT dAy oF ScHoOl!

2008-08-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Jaden started kindergarten! This was his first day of school, so of course I had to record the day... He loves his teacher, Miss Ellett, and he's excited to have Tatum and Cooper in his class!

All the kiddos waiting in Miss Ellet's line

Cooper and Tatum

TaGgEd!

2008-08-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

RANDOM FACTS:
When I feel anxiety I open the door to my linen closet and just stand there take a deep breath, and enjoy the calmness of the organization, and it grounds me.

You probably already know this, but Jade and I only knew each other for four days when we got engaged.

When I was seventeen my sister was dyeing her hair and she told me to smell it because it "smells soooo yummy!!" I did, and now I can't smell anything unless it is really strong. And most of the time stuff doesn't smell like what it really is. Like how bananas smell like vomit. Oh, and I can't taste things very well, either.

Jade and I have been married longer than anyone in my family (except my gram), and I am SUPER proud of that! This includes my parents SIX marriages!

CURRENT OBSESSION:
I LOVE digital scrapbooking! It is so much easier for me than traditional scrapbooking, and its cheaper, too! Plus, I don't have to worry about leaving a mess of papers and stuff that the kiddos can get into.

GOALS:
#1 Find a daily routine that works for me and STICK WITH IT!
#2 Get Jade through medical school
#3 Lose 20 lbs.
#4 Build up food storage and emergency fund

MY FEARS:
That I won't ever learn to keep my mouth shut and that I will alienate people with my moronic sense of humor and gossip.

That Jade and my friends will realize how uncool I really am and stop loving me (wow, that was deep...)

MY JOYS:
I LOVE my husband! He brings me joy every minute that we are together. I am so happily married it's ridiculous! My children bring me joy, and my friends bring me joy. Lori, Heather, Dana, Stacy, Stacey, Kay, Melissa, Becca, Tiffany, Natalie, Mighty Meg, Mandi, Sam, Ashlee, Holly, Sina, Elizabeth, Apryl, Kristi and the rest of you girlfriends that take care of me and keep me going, you bring me joy! Photography and good books. The first time I get under the sheets with freshly shaved legs brings me joy. Cleaning music and guitar hero. THANKSGIVING...mmmm...that definitely brings me joy! Game night with the Whytes brings me joy. The thrill of learning something new brings me joy.

Finally Updated!

2008-08-11T05:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally updated my blog! Actually, most of these pics are at least a month old, so there are plenty more that need to go up. But I was his with a crazy bout of insomnia tonight and haven't slept at all, so I spent the time working on my blog. They might be out of order, but it doesn't make much difference anyway. Enjoy!

P.S. - Don't call today because I'll be in bed asleep. If you could manage it, can someone please come over around noon to feed the kids? It'd be real helpful!

Who Are Your Parents?

2008-08-11T05:04:00.001-07:00

I know deep down that these cute kids are perfectly functional human beings, but looking at these pictures makes me question myself. They grow out of the toe sucking stage, right?

And once again, the Nielson boys without their clothes on.

Ah, how far we've come...

2008-08-11T04:49:00.000-07:00

Didn't boys used to huddle together looking at bugs through a magnifying glass? This is Jaden, Gabe, and Jackson watching a cartoon on a 2 1/2 inch screen. I guess you know what kind of house my boys are growing up in!

Bros Before Hos!

2008-08-11T04:36:00.000-07:00

I know, its a little irreverent, but that's what these pics make me think of... I am enjoying my children while they are still little, but can't you just see them as teenagers talking about girls and basketball? I can't tell which I'm more excited for, kindergarten or high school!

BaBy bLuEs

2008-08-11T04:29:00.000-07:00

I just love that my baby girl has blue eyes just like mine! Isn't she adorable!

Yeah, I heard that's been going around...

2008-08-11T04:22:00.000-07:00

Poor Gabe! Our family was hit with that flu bug that went around, too, but Gabers got the worst of it! He was sick every day for a solid two weeks! He would wake up seemingly alright in the morning, but then at the stroke of four o'clock in the afternoon, the poor guy would get a fever and start throwing up... it was so sad! He was just miserable.

Of Youth and Jammies

2008-08-11T04:13:00.001-07:00

In the Nielson house, jammies are considered a perfectly acceptable form of clothing for both indoor and outdoor activities, as long as Kaeli and Abbi still have their Jammies on. On this particular Wednesday, Lori brought Kaeli and Abbi over, and Kristi Jones brought Taylor, so that Lori and Kristi could go to their WW meeting. Lo and behold, Taylor got the memo and wore her Jammies, too! I caught all five of them hanging out on Ben and Heather's doorstep. Those are the memories that last forever!

She's Almost Got It!

2008-08-11T04:03:00.000-07:00

Maya's been practicing her crawling technique lately, and at this family party we were able to catch her in action. She gets up on her hands and feet, but then she gets stuck. She doesn't know what to do next, but she knows that she must somehow go forward. So there she is with her belly way up off the ground and she starts to rock back and forth. It starts out relatively slowly, but it builds up until she is violently lunging and then she lets her arms collapse and she lands six or eight inches in front of where she started. It's not perfect, but it gets the job done!

**UPDATE 08/10 Maya is in full-on crawl mode now. Oh, yes, girl gets around! Time for the baby gates!

Our Miss Heather

2008-08-11T03:55:00.000-07:00

We love Miss Heather! She's actually my awesome friend Heather Cram, but the kiddos call her Miss Heather (because its polite). She is so good to our kids and she an even better friend to me. I don't deserve her love and generosity! Heather, thanks for always making yourself available to help me out in a pinch, for taking Maya when Jade and I want to catch a flick at the dollar theater, for bringing over samples of your awesome cooking, for letting me tag along on your photo shoots, for coming to my photo shoots and mentoring me on the "little things" that make a good session better, and for sharing our special moments bonding over our idiosyncrasies. Here's to you, Heather!

gIrLy TiMe!!

2008-08-11T03:46:00.000-07:00

Kaeli and Abbi had a fun time playing dress up with Maya. And Maya had a blast, too! It was pretty cute when Maya just sat still and let Kaeli put the lipstick on her!

Have you seen that kid next door? He's HUGE!

2008-08-11T03:32:00.000-07:00

My best friend Lori, who also happens to be my sis-in-law, just moved in to our apartment building. YEAAAAAHHH! Its sooo fun to have them so close. Our niece, Kaeli, comes over practically every day to play with the boys, and her little sister Abbi is always just a few steps behind. It's cute the way they just open the door and walk in like they own the place (which I'm sure Kaeli is convinced of.). We don't mind at all because we love having them over. Anyway, Kaeli and Abbi have a not-so-little little brother who was born in the middle of March, so that makes him two months old in this picture. Lori and I wanted to see how close Jacob and Maya were in size (Maya was seven months at the time). We had just weighed them and Jacob was less than half a pound smaller than Maya (which you can't tell from the pic because he's so beefy!) I couldn't believe it! Jacob and Maya were the same length from head to crotch (sorry, couldn't think of a better word), and the only difference was that Maya's legs were about two inches longer. We love Jacob, though! Nothin' better than a big ole baby boy !

At Long Last...

2008-08-11T03:03:00.000-07:00

To say that my dad's side of the family isn't close would be an understatement.... They don't even talk for years at a time! And, just to give you a little perspective, I get my "chatty" nature from them. So, yeah, they're not close. Consequently, I haven't seen my Aunt Loretta's family for almost fourteen years! Since she live a short two-hour drive away in Vegas, that's a shameful tale. So, to give this story a happy ending, My mom and sister and I finally made the trip down to see Loretta and my (awesome) cousin, Michael. We met up for lunch at a really great restaurant, where Michael drilled Mom and I on all the "funny little things about Mormons", which was hilarious, especially when he and Aunt Loretta got serious and asked, just to make sure, whether we were really polygamists... not that they would judge:)

I have to relate this funny story that Michael told us about his Halloween costume from a few years back: Mike and a friend were debating on whether to dress up as two Jehova's Witnesses or a pair of Mormon missionaries.... They finally decided to go with the missionary idea because, as Mike says, "You guys have way better accessories!" So off they went with their white shirts, ties, backpacks, and "future missionary" name tags! I love it!

Taiya, Loretta holding Maya, Gabe getting squished, and Jaden

Mom and Loretta

Jaden thinks he's a dog, and the dog is confused...

That's right folks, those Nielson boys are no respecter of circumstances when it comes to when or where they will take their clothes off.

This is Mike teasing Gabe with the dog's ball. Mike was AWESOME with the boys and was willing to throw that ball as many times and they would catch it and bring it back. I know, "fetch" is a game you usually play with a dog, but apparently its great for toddler boys as well.

Aunt Loretta and Maya

Dot, Maya, Loretta, and Mike

See, I'm not the only one who has a life!!!

2008-08-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, for those of you who keep bugging me about not having any new posts since May, just take a look at Lori's blog... See, I'm not the only one!

Aaaagghhhh! HELP

2008-07-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

Will somebody please come over to my house and update my blog?

SwEEt MaYa

2008-04-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Fun With The Bay Meadows Gang!

2008-04-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Jaden, Gabe, Kaeli, Abbi, and our neighbor Jackson, all had fun playing in this HUGE box they got when our other neighbor bought a new washer and dryer. They were so excited to play in it! Did they pretend it was a house? Noooooo....Gabe came inside crying, "Jaden won't let me in his work truck!" That's my boys for ya'!

Here's Abbi sitting in her box o' boys... Lucky lady!
Our nieces, Kaeli and Abbi, were hanging out at our house on Monday because their mommy, and my best friend, Lori, was in the hospital having their baby brother, Jacob. Yeah for Lori and Shea!! He is soo cute and I can't wait to take some pictures of him. I think this picture is probably the first time Abbi got to play with the "big kids". She was pretty excited!

Jaden wrapped up the evening with a fireworks show from the college a couple of blocks from our house. He thought it was so cool that he just had to run upstairs to get Daddy.

Made In The Shades!

2008-04-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Maya got her first pair of shades this week and Auntie Heather (awesome friend and fellow photog who lives next door) just had to take pictures! She did so well at keeping them on - it lasted for a couple of hours at least. She never even grabbed for them except for when they fell in front of her mouth and blocked her thumb-sucking. Maya's tiny little nose was barely big enough to hold up the sunglasses. It was soooo cute!
I love this picture! I have no idea what's with the banana on Maya's shirt, but something about just made me laugh :)

MoM, LoOk WhAt I fOuNd!

2008-04-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Jaden loves looking for the snails in the moist dirt outside our front door. On this particular day, he ran into the house yelling about what he had found. I told him it was cool and that he should take it back outside because the snail was still inside. That must have been the wrong thing to say because it prompted my sweet little boy to start banging the poor creature on the counter and screaming "Come out! Come out!" Well, he might love animals, but he's deffinitely not "in love" with animals. But they can still be friends, right?

P.S. - As I'm writing this, Jaden has just come inside to show Mom and Dad the dead cockroach he just found. Wonderful....

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY, CAPTAIN GABE!

2008-04-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

Gabe turned 3 on March 26th! Yeah!!! We are out of the terrible twos!....Wait, there's a terrible threes? I should have known...

Gabe was so excited for his birthday party this year! Every day for a week before the party he would say, "Mom, is this day my birfday?" So on the day of the party it wasn't too tough to get the boys up and out the door. They were both BIG helpers to get everything at the park set up and ready for all the kids.

I'm bummed that I forgot to save a copy of the invitation for his scrapbook!:( They were printed on brown paper with a pirate map in the background (like a watermark) and then the edges were burned to make it look old. Gabe and Jaden held them and took them everywhere for two days. I was pretty proud...This was the wording for the invitation:

Ahoy There Matey!

Arr!...Ye be invited

fer some swashbuckling fun to

Captain Gabriel’s

Pirate Birthday Party!

Chart yer course fer the
Pineview Estates Park in Washington Fields. Be on deck Thursday, March 27^th at 10:30, or ye’ll walk the plank!

Wave yer flag if ye be attendin’!

We started out with a pirate treasure hunt. There was a big kids team and a little kids team, each with their own map and a "mommy helper" to take them through the park to find the goody bags. This was a HUGE success! And the animal crackers in the goody bags did a pretty good job of buffering the eight pounds of buttercream icing the kids were about to consume!

So, about the cake... I was pretty proud of myself for this being my first time decorating a cake all by myself, and at the same time I was praying that Momma Larie (Jade's mom and the best cake decorator EVER) wouldn't see it. It looked pretty sloppy compared to her masterpieces, but not bad for a beginner, eh? And the icing was homemade, too!

Maya's Ready For Spring!

2008-04-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't done any formal pictures of Maya yet, so the other day I borrowed my neighbor's backdrop and planned on taking some spring pictures. I wanted to get some of her in her Easter dress, but by the time I got around to doing it, Maya just wasn't in the mood. But I got a couple of cute ones and thought I would share her cuteness with the rest of the world.

I am in love with her blue eyes! The are much bluer than mine ever were, and I hope they stay that way. And this little patriotic dress is absolutely my favorite. I am hoping it will still fit her on the Fourth of July. Let's see, that's three months away...that may be pushing it!

Lazy Hazy Crazy Days in AZ

2008-03-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

I took a trip down to Phoenix in the middle of the month. Momma Larie kept the boys for a week, so it was just my mom and I, and Maya. What a great trip! My mom is moving back to AZ from West Jordan, so we spent some time looking at houses with her sister, Tish, who is a Realtor. That was sure an eye-opener! There are so many homes in foreclosure down there that it is pretty easy to find a nice one in any price range. It made me want to move down sooo bad, until I got back home to all of my friends and Jade's awesome family and the weather and the views and the.... I could go on and on about how much I love St. George.

I also spent a day with my AWESOME cousin, Jeff. We had SO much fun! Jeff and I had planned on going to breakfast somewhere, but didn't think to ask for directions to the nearest JB's/Village Inn/Denny's. Instead, we drove all over the area until we found somewhere to eat. It was an awesome little mom-and-pop diner that served breakfast all day (it was now 11:00 in the morning) and had the best pancakes. Jeff flirted with the waitress who had a cute Southern accent.

Then we went bowling, which I haven't done in years and which Jeff had done just the weekend before. Of course he creamed me! You can clearly tell by the photos which of us has better "form"... Maya even got in on the action and helped me get a strike!

Aunt Tish and Gram had fun playing with Maya...She's the first granddaughter in ten years! Except the adorable Taylor Thomas, but we didn't get to enjoy her as a baby.

Mom and I spent some time visiting Gram (and enjoying her food!). We made one last stop there on our way out of town. Paul picked some oranges off of Gram's tree for us to bring back. MMM!

Spring is Here!

2008-03-23T04:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it's officially Springtime in good ol' St. George. Yeeeaaaahhh! I love the weather this time of year because it means the boys can play outside without any kind of specialized clothing or sunblock. But I didn't need Al Roker to announce the first day of spring. I have two little "weather bugs" right in my own home. Jaden and Gabe took the opportunity to celebrate the new season with a nice nude jaunt around our parking lot (nothing new there!).

They were supposed to be having "quiet time" upstairs on Mommy's bed, but instead I found them both hiding in the car, crouched down behind the front seats. Even the most veteran mother would have had a hard time keeping a straight face at the sight of two naked boys running home with their hands covering their bums to avoid and spanking. I wasn't too worried, though, until Jade warned be to keep the boys' bedroom clean just in case somebody called the authorities....

Jaden has finally learned how to ride his bicycle! Jade and I were looking at Ben (Jade's cousin) and Becky's blog and saw that Kael, who is the same age as Jaden, is already riding a two-wheeler. Jade went right out the next day and "tuned up" Jaden's bike. He came in the house shouting, "Jaden, get your pants and shoes on!" And that was how Jaden learned to ride his bike. Incidentally, Gabe also learned to ride that day.

Third Time's A Charm!

2008-02-23T23:44:00.000-08:00

We now have a fifth mouth to feed in the Nielson house. Maya Elizabeth was born on November 23, 2007. She came cruisin' in at 8 pounds 3 ounces, 20 inches. Jaden and Gabe are totally in love with her (except when Mommy's holding her), and Daddy Jade is excited to finally have his little princess. Everyone asks me if its fun having a little girl, but to tell you the truth I am too tired to notice the difference right now! But, I am having a total blast accessorising (sp?) my little dolly. Bows, bracelets, earrings, and shoes, all in miniature, have become my obsession. The poor girl is going to have a permanent bald spot on the top of her head because of the bow that is stuck there from the moment she wakes up until she is asleep for the night.