The Nielsen Family

Do you even remember me?

2011-09-12T14:31:00.000-06:00

I'm super far behind on my blog, so this should be interesting. Will I stick with it? Probably. . . or not. But I hope because I have too much to be thankful for to keep it all to myself. So, this is an update since last OCTOBER when I last posted an entry here. No picture for now. No time!

About us as of late-ish. . .
JJ- He's 35 and he goes to work everyday. He has crappy knees. But he is a gem. He's a hard worker and a marvelous dad. He moved us into a new house that we love in April. We are still close to our old neighborhood and get to see old friends a lot. It's great.
April- That's me. I am a headless chicken. But not right now because I have two kids napping, one at a friend's house, and one at school. That is why I am blogging! I am taking classes online to earn my elementary ed degree so I can start a preschool next fall. I'm pretty excited about that. Pretty awesome. I hate math and I'm not good at it. I'm sort of feeling good about myself, like that I finally have things together enough to have a little free time, which is good since the 2012 Nielsen will be released this January. It's a boy! I'm fat but as always, I have no room to complain about being pregnant. In all five, I have never barfed because of the pregnancy. Not many can say that!
Cadence- She is shy and bossy and cute and fun. Good mix if you ask me. Her hair is getting so long and I am so jealous of it. She doesn't seem to have grown much though. I'm pretty sure she's going to be the shrimp of the family. She started first grade and is learning French! At least, I assume she's learning French since she's in the dual immersion program. She doesn't really tell me anything about it, other than every now and then when a little french word slips out. She is sadly and much to my dismay outgrowing dress-ups. I feel the tween years sneaking up on me faster than I would like. At least she's still positively captivated by anything regarding princesses. Lets be clear- Disney princesses.
Zack- is a cook. Not someone who makes food. He's a c-long o-k. Like Adam's Family (Their crazy and their cookey). He is full of wit and likes to use big words. He's also a very big hearted little boy. He likes to take care of his sisters - most of the time. Example, at the 4th of july parade Zack was picking up candy and putting it in Carlie and Cadence's buckets instead of his own. We thought it was really sweet. Once he realized that we were oohing and awwing about it , he made sure to check to see if we noticed each time he did it. Still cute though. He's in Amy's preschool and he loves it. He's getting to be a good reader and likes to spit out math sentences to me. And his blue eyes still get me all the time.

Carlie- She's two in so many ways. She's really lucky that she's adorable because that alone has saved her more than once. Well, actually the two's are starting to wear off her. She is the master of puppy dog eyes and her smile and laugh are just cute. She is as much of a girly girl as her older sister and spends every allowable second in a dress-up. She loves to sing and dance and boss. (Yes, there is a trend with the Nielsen girls.) Her hair is getting really long too, and the longer it gets, the more I confuse my girls with each other. She has always been a good talker, but she is really starting to sound like a big kid! It makes me laugh the way that she uses complete sentences with (typically) correct grammar. Yesterday we were playing with water balloons and JJ told her not to throw one at him because it would make him sick. A little later JJ's dad grabbed one and was about to nail him when Carlie yelled, "NO! Not my dad! He will get sick!" Ha ha!

Cooper- may never walk, but man is he CUTE! He's got so many noises and he' so LOUD! He can take all the other kids in a screaming match. He has two looks that he knows are hilarious. The first is the stink-eye. Just when you least expect it, you might glance over at Cooper to find his big brown eyes burning a hole into your eyes from underneath is furrowed eyebrows. And then he laughs. And then he does it again. He also likes to display his super baby strength by flexing every muscle in his body, including the muscles in his face. It's so fun. If you haven't seen it, you really are missing out. While he actually is making very slight attempts to walk, he definitely prefers to crawl. He's got two weeks to get his feet going because I need him to walk to Mickey Mouse! Yep, Disneyland is just around the corner!

You know, this really didn't take me that long. I should do this more often. Now I have to go clean out my car.

Cooper is here!!!

2010-10-15T14:10:00.003-06:00

And never mind that he is sitting up on my lap playing with a chew toy. He's just such a fun little boy that all my free time goes to playing with him (and not blogging)! Since he is nearly four months old and I haven't had a single post about him, this entire entry is dedicated to our favorite baby in the world.

Cooper's Creed

I will only have blowouts when it's convenient for mom, like when she's blogging.

I will sleep really well through the night, but only after I do one or two fakeouts.

I will keep you guessing about my eye color for at least 3 and 3/4 months.

I will grow like a weed.

I will be the size of a nine month old when I'm three months old.

I will not barf too much.

I will give a big adorable smile to anyone who looks in my direction.

I may scream at the top of my lungs if I feel that someone should be looking at me, but as soon as I get some attention, I will coo and kick my feet.

I will be a snuggle bug.

Instead of laughing I will hold my breath until my face turns red, but I'll still give great big smiles.

I will love to be hung upside down by my thighs.

I will not take a binki. I will not take a binki.

If you try to make me take a binki, I will smile at you and then pop it out. The arch thereof shall be great.

I will be adorable.

I will make you fall instantly in love with me.

That pretty much sums up our sweet little Cooper. (If you have a weak stomach and a low tolerance for gooey, you may want to stop reading here.) Holding him feels like holding an angel. Whenever he snuggles up with me, Cadence will say, "Ohhh! He sure does love you, haw mom!" That's exactly how I feel too! It's funny to think that a baby who is so young could be so good at letting me know I'm loved. I'm pretty sure he knows how much we love him too.

Cadence Zack and Carlie seem to have a special bond with him and tell me daily (sometimes hourly) how cute he is. They are all good helpers and are great at making him happy when I have to be doing other things. I love them all!!!

Behind

2010-06-16T16:36:00.002-06:00

I am behind and I better fix that or all the fun things we've been doing will be lost with the introduction of our new little star! So I'm off. . .

Boogie Woogie Bumblebee

2010-05-22T23:29:00.000-06:00

Cadence dances at a studio called Dance Impressions. Their recital was SO GOOD! I love this picture.

Her dance was after intermission, so she came in her t-shirt.

I can't believe so mom let her kid crawl up on stage before the show started. She was probably sitting there taking pictures and thinking it was so cute. . .

I should have stopped her, but I was busy taking pictures and thinking she was so cute.

A few of the hive-

There's my bumblebee!!!

This is Miss Teresa. She's really cute with the girls and I hope we can get in with her again next fall!

Cadence did a great job, and had the support of her little bro.

Preschool Graduation

2010-05-22T21:49:00.000-06:00

So this was Cadence's big day! Her graduation and her recital were scheduled for the same time, but lovely Miss Amy contacted all the parents and we were able to move it to earlier in the day! I'm so glad to because Cadence just blew me away! She sang every song, did every action, and even smiled through the whole thing! She can be a little timid, so when she performed so well, we were all smiles.

This is her buddy Alex. We live next door to each other. Since the gates to our backyards are on opposite sides of the house, we saved them a little time by putting a hole in the fence. If my kids aren't home, they are playing with Charlie and Alex.

The crossed legs cracked me up. Such a lady!

"I sat still and also wiggled." That was her part of the poem, recited perfectly!

"AAAAAA-lagator"

She's the medium Billy Goat Gruff.

It's official (sniff, sniff). She's not a preschooler anymore!

Did I say I think she's super cute? Am I allowed to say that? (It's the purpose of a blog, right?) I just love her to pieces. I love her insistence on all things pink, her little blonde curls, her hazel eyes that look just like her dad's. I love her crinkle nose smile and her constant stream of complements (Mom, you're beautiful, your lovely, I like your hair, you're the best mom ever. . .) I love her need to wear dresses and to have her hair fixed like a princess. I love her hugs and her kisses. I love love love her!!

Last Day of Preschool

2010-05-20T21:45:00.000-06:00

Look at this little girl! This is what she looked like when she started preschool 1 1/2 years ago!

And this is what she looked like on her last day of preschool. She's grown up so much and loves Miss Amy to no end! She's going to miss her when she's in Kindergarten!

After school we got a knock at the door and found a special delivery just for Cadence! Her daddy sent her a dozen pink roses to tell her congratulations on her preschool graduation! What a cute dad!

Yes, of course, Cadence is wearing a dress up. (This one is a favorite, even though the slits on the side clearly display the color of undies she's wearing.)

My Day

2010-05-10T21:06:00.005-06:00

I get my own special day for having the greatest job in the whole world! I had a perfect Mother's Day and loved extra hugs, kisses, and help.

We went to Temple Square after church and a two hour family nap. The flowers were gorgeous and the kids looked cute, but they were just a little too goofy to get anything spectacular. We still got a few cute ones though.

Zack is always the hardest to get pictures of. Out of the 80+ pictures I took, this is one of the only ones that he wasn't pulling a silly face.

So I need your opinion, which picture of the kids do you like better? Neither is super duper great, but I want to print one of them.

I sometimes get a little teary-eyed when I see an ad where the kids are looking and smiling and not pulling weird faces. I know that to ever get a picture like that, it would take hundreds and hundreds of photos and hundreds and hundreds of hours of editing, although I'm pretty sure the most skilled of photo editors would agree that working with my turkeys would be a lost cause. (Even though I do think they are pretty cute.)

Did someone say Princess?

2010-05-01T05:26:00.000-06:00

A princess carnival. Of course we had to attend, given the children we are raising. The carnival was. . . well, it was what it was. But any excuse to dress up like a princess is worth it.

Cadence taught Carlie how to do "Princess hands." She's working on it.

This was a little petting zoo that consisted of two goats, a giant rabbit, a chicken and a duck.
The goats were cute,
And so was the giant rabbit.

But the feathered friends took flight while these guys were in the petting zoo. Watching them chase a duck around a little classroom was probably the best part.

Never mind, I forgot about the cotton candy.

Me in all my fluffiness.

Cotton candy does gross things to little kids.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail!

2010-04-19T21:39:00.007-06:00

There's nothing like waking up on Easter morning to a blanket of fresh, white snow. Good thing we had conference, because our little bunnies would have looked silly tromping through the snow in their strappy sandals.

This is Easter Eve. Some people color eggs earlier than 7:30 the night before, but not us.

I'm so glad Cadence insisted on the socks. They really look fabulous.

Here they come!

It really was mean of us to make her wait until Easter to get The Princess and the Frog. She'd been begging for it since it was released in March. But she was super happy.

Carlie was super happy with her candy.

And Zack was super happy with his shirt. Actually, he was super happy about getting Toy Story on Blu-ray. I just missed that moment.

Click on this one. Zack has figured out how to cross his eyes, and it's pretty funny. However, it's getting hard to take a serious picture of him.

The Sunday after Easter was perfect weather for their new duds. Aren't they cute?

There were two little girls with the same dress as Carlie. When we walked out of the chapel and she spotted another little purple dress, she pointed at her and yelled, "NOOO MINE!!!!!!!!" It made me laugh a little.

We were late with our FHE, but we had a lesson on the atonement a few nights before Easter. This is a subject I had avoided. I just thought it was a lot for a little kid to take in, but we did it. I taught them the basics of Easter, and I was overwhelmed by how strong the spirit was. They listened so intently and took it all in. I love those little moments when the spirit testifies that everything I believe is true.

We went to the Logan Temple the following Thursday and my dad was sealed to his parents. It was a great experience. When I explained to Cadence and Zack that we were going to the temple so Grandpa could be with his mom and dad when he died, I was happy they made the connection between eternal families and the atonement from the FHE lesson we had. I guess they understand more than I think they do. Probably a lot more than I do.

The Happy Ending

2010-03-29T14:01:00.000-06:00

After a year of showing the house and never actually selling it, we have decided to call it quits. We are too stubborn to lower the price and we are sick of leaving our house so that strangers can come look at it and not buy it.

We made the startling discovery that we have no good reason for moving right now anyway. We would love to be in a bigger place, but we actually fit quite well. We are having another boy, which means bedrooms are no problem. JJ's job is just 7 minutes away, and we live in a great little neighborhood. And we have a whole list of things that we have always wanted to do to our house, and now we're actually going to do them!

To my dear neighbors. . . you are welcome. Not for the gift of our continued presence, but for the fall of the big red cross that uglied up the street. It was one big sign. In fact, I have never seen one so huge, or conspicuous. I'm pretty sure it was visible from space, but apparently no aliens were in the market.

Look at him haul that sign off! Yah, he works out.

p.s. I wanted the second picture first, which means I should have loaded them backwards, which I didn't do, and now I can't move them. Could blogger make it a little easier to rearrange things?

Great Deal on Toy Story 1 & 2 Combo packs

2010-03-25T13:09:00.005-06:00

Okay, if you haven't already heard about this screaming deal, you have to get to Target! I just bought Toy Story 1 & 2 combo packs for $18!!!

If you have a Disney Movie Rewards account, log in and enter the UPC from your old VHS or DVD copy of each movie in the code field on the right hand side. When you do, it will pull up a $10 off coupon for you to print. Be sure to get both of them.

Target's price per combo pack is $22.99, so that brings the price to $11.99.

Then when you buy them both at Target, you automatically get another $10 off!

Sweet deal huh?

But that's not all!!!

Each DVD has a movie ticket worth $8.50 for Toy Story 3, which, of course, we must all go see in the theater. If you take that into account, I just bought two Blu Ray's for $1! Enjoy the deal!

p.s.

If you don't already have an account with Disney Movie Rewards, you really should. The website is www.disneymovierewards.com

26 Weeks!

2010-03-24T15:51:00.003-06:00

I'm starting to think bending over is overrated. I'm just thankful for my monkey toes which aid me in picking up the little toys and do-dads that cover the floor of a house where a 4, 3, and 1 year old reside.

I have also decided that shirts that meet my pants line, and pants that button, are overrated as well. (But I'm still considering doing some shopping.)

Other things. . . oh yes! Legs that look good in shorts. Unnecessary.

A full night's sleep without 3 + trips to the bathroom. Boring.

But, in the midst of all these little joys of pregnancy, I get to feel our little guy swimming around and hiccuping. How cool is that? I also get to hear Zack and Cadence tell me everyday that my baby is so cute, or that they love him, or tell me that he is so nice. Yesterday morning Cadence woke up and asked me if the baby was here yet. Zack is looking forward to sharing bunk beds with his bro.

It's all good stuff, and I'm getting pretty excited to meet him in a few more months. :)

Cookies, Princess Style

2010-03-21T21:38:00.009-06:00

Cadence has been begging me for Jasmine hair, so after church she took out her braids and informed me it was time. This was apparently necessary to do before we began making cookies.

She wanted me to have Cinderella hair, but she settled for me wearing a red headband and a skirt and calling myself Snow White. (You'll just have to imagine it, and I'll continue to be thankful that I was running the camera.)

Next she was ready to help me add all the ingredients.

(She was also ready to eat all the ingredients.)

And all in the land were grateful for the princesses delicious chocolate chip cookies.

Especially this one.

The End.

Boondocks

2010-03-06T22:50:00.002-07:00

We spent the day of the 6th driving around Kaysville dreaming of the houses we will never have because no one will buy our house. It was super duper fun, but the kids were bored. B-O-R-E-D. So we took them to Boondocks. Fun place to go, as long as you are prepared to burn a hole through your pocket. Still, it was a lot more fun than Chuck-E-Cheese.

That's Zack. He was trying to keep up with Cadence.

Carlie loved the bouncy floor. It was really funny. She didn't care about climbing through the rest of the thing.

Yes, both of those great big kids are mine.

I'm pretty sure the kid next to Cadence is getting a lump of coal for Christmas. He was a naughty boy!

We told Carlie her wristband was pretty, which kept her from going crazy trying to get it off.

This picture scares me. Not because of the booger nose, but because he looks so old!

I think everyone should have one of these bouncy thingys in their house. So does Carlie.

The kid bowling was pretty cute, even though the balls were kind of heavy.

More of the Birthday Boy

2010-02-26T16:45:00.003-07:00

You are probably burned out on Zack's birthday by now, but I'm really into video stuff on the puter lately, so I have to share my creations.

Funny Things

2010-02-24T14:54:00.003-07:00

Zack got up early to go potty this morning and proudly told me he didn't have an accident. I told him good job, and that it must be because he was three now. When he was finished he walked away for a minute and then ran back with big eyes and said, "MOM! I AM THREE!!!" Then he pointed to the bathroom scale and said "See! I am!!!" He had stood on it, and it gave him an error and displayed an "E", which he thought was a 3. See how honest the bathroom scale is?

While eating breakfast this morning, Cadence asked me what day is was. I told her it was Wednesday. "Oh, it's Wednesday because it's a windy day, haw." I think all little kids make that assumption at some point, but it doesn't make it any less cute.

Baby Gaga

2010-02-24T11:47:00.004-07:00

Carlie always asks for music. Her high chair is right by the ipod player, and she will stand up and turn it on herself if I don't get to it soon enough. She has her favorite songs, and Poker Face is close to the top. I'm just glad Small World is up there too, to balance it out and make me feel like a little better mother.

Zack's Third Birthday

2010-02-23T12:28:00.002-07:00

I wish I could remember all the funny and cute things Zack does at this age, but here are a few. And lest you think that we call anyone or anything a "crap", I would like to clarify now that I have no idea where he heard that. In fact, the whole Lightning McQueen song was all new to me, but it was too good to edit.

One quiet February morning three years ago. . .

2010-02-18T22:59:00.022-07:00

We met our baby Zacky for the very first time. It was a perfect day to fall in love.

He started out so tiny and sweet, but he grew.

And got sweeter.

And funnier.

Now he's such a big kid, and a constant source of entertainment.

He loves:

Lightning McQueen! (Before he could say much else, we knew exactly what he meant when he said "Nakeen Nakeena!" We often heard that about 6 times each prayer.)

Swimming

Cadence and Carlie

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and is not afraid to request the theme song during music time in nursery. (When he's watching, there's not much you can do to get his attention.)

Disneyland

Babies, especially his new twin cousins

Our favorite Zacky quotes:

"Oh brother"

"Hey, what's the big idea?"

"Who bout I have one more treat?"

and of course, "I love you"

Crazy how you learn a whole new love when you become a parent. We are so glad Zack is ours!

Happy 3rd Birthday Zacky!

February 23, 2010

Do they all need titles?

2010-02-12T16:09:00.002-07:00

I love digital cameras, but I have SO many pictures. So, they don't all have a clever title. But hey, I AM blogging, so I need credit for that.

Little Miss Priss needs a kiss. . .

Not even Zack could resist that pucker.

I snapped this picture when JJ was telling Zack no about something. Can you believe he could say no to that sweet little face?

Yah, turns out he couldn't

Sweets Candy Factory

2010-02-11T15:53:00.002-07:00

This little girl would not leave her hairnet on. She was nice enough, however, to trick me into thinking that she would. So about five minutes into the tour, we had to be escorted out. That was so not embarrassing.

Cadence kept her lovely hat to play Doctor.

That is taffy in their mouths. I bought 3/4 pounds of it, thinking that was a lot, but a nice little treat to have. They ate all but maybe 5 or 6 pieces on the way home. Stinkers.

This is what I love about Cadence. There is never a picture of her without her head slightly tilted, or her hands to her side. Even wearing her lovely hairnet, she's still posing!

Since I am not smart enough to put text above my pictures, now I'll tell you why we were there. Cadence had a field trip for preschool. The kids had fun and I would have liked to see the factory, but it was just as fun to watch Carlie run around the lobby I guess. Cadence had a lot of fun and it was nice that Zack got to join her. I had planned to leave Carlie at a sitters, but she called me with news of her sick kids, so we took the whole gang.

Little Valentines

2010-02-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

I have always loved Valentines Day, and it's never had anything to do with the "romance." My mom used to give us little treats in the morning and sometimes she even made a cute little sack to put it in. Now I'm loving how much my kids like this holiday. Cadence is still giving out hugs and telling us Happy "Valentimes" Day!

Cute Little Dancer

2009-12-09T11:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=198774651845&ref=mf
I know, I know, I'm her mother. But I can't see how this little girl could be any cuter! She had her dance recital on Saturday and did a great job! I'm so proud of her!
p.s.
I can't seem to load the video to blogger, so I hope you can see it on Facebook. I'm hoping to be able to add it soon!

I'm going to update. I am. I really am.

2009-11-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

First though, I have to draw your attention to my other blog, Practically Perfect Parties. practicallyperfectparties.blogspot.com. Just so you are all aware, I don't think I'm awesome, and I don't think I look like Julie Andrews. But I do think my dress is awesome and I know I have fun being Mary Poppins. That is the important thing right?

So Much to say

2009-07-13T23:21:00.004-06:00

But I'm just going to post some pictures instead. I love these kids!

How does this happen?

2009-04-15T14:28:00.001-06:00

I look at this picture and I think Carlie looks so big, and this was taken a month and a half ago! I love watching the kids grow and learn. It's amazing how smart babies are. How can they know so much when they've been on earth for such a short time?

These are her first attempts at sitting up. She tipped over a lot at first, a few weeks into it she was sturdy as a tree! She's happy to be sitting up!

Zacky is 2!

2009-04-03T13:39:00.003-06:00

Zack had a great birthday, but don't sing to him. He will hurt your feelings We had a little party at our house on the 21st and then bounced over to Kangaroo Zoo. I feel bad that everyone doesn't have a Kangaroo Zoo 3 minutes from their house. Our kids love it!

Where should we go, Disneyland maybe?

2009-04-02T21:16:00.002-06:00

What's better than three kids under 4 in a van for 12 hours? Well, a lot really. But I'll tell you what's not better is trying to go through security with three kids, two strollers, and a car seat (plus other assorted crap that you have to carry on with you to keep the kids occupied). So, all things considered, driving was better than flying.
The best part was that we didn't tell the kids where we were going, and we were in St. George before either one of them even became curious. JJ told them we were going to a hotel, which seemed to completely appease Cadence. Zack continued to ask where we were going for the next five hours.
When we got to Harbor Blvd it was dark outside, but we could still see a few familiar reminders that we were near the happiest place on earth. I'm pretty sure Zack knew where we were and I could swear I heard him say Disneyland when he saw the entrance. They both said they could see Mickey Mouse, but it didn't seem to turn on any light bulbs for Cadence. So we just went to our hotel and waited until the next morning. We knew for sure she'd instantly recognize her surroundings in the daylight.
Only, she didn't. We stayed right across from the Maingate, so you could see the park as soon as you walked out of our room! Zack knew, and he was saying Disneyland (over and over). So we stood at the corner waiting for the light to cross, and Cadence still didn't notice. We crossed the street. Nothing. We walked under the "Welcome to Disneyland" sign. Finally, a few yards into the entrance she looked up at J.J. and said, "Dad, is this Disneyland?" Success!
Although we were outnumbered by our kids, we got by pretty well! Zack became more selective of when he chose to throw tantrums, substituting instead the most dismal pout I've ever seen. It's okay. I'll take a quiet sulk over a screaming, stiff-bodied, 32-pound toddler any day. He was a good boy and fun to watch. Disneyland sure does seem to bolster his Lightening McQueen fetish.
Cadence only needed half as many napkins in her shoes to reach the 40" mark. Maybe next visit she'll be napkin free! I don't know why I even bothered packing a suitcase for her. She was much happier prancing around the park in her princess dresses than in her boring old clothes.
Carlie seems to be happy with her milieu. She liked being carried around and loved seeing the characters. She got really excited with Pooh and Eyeore. It was so cute! (Don't ever let anyone tell you that your kids are too young to enjoy Disneyland. It's a bunch of hooey.)
Rain and tummyaches limited our time spent in the park to only about 6 hours each of our first three days, but it was actually a nice pace to keep.
The third night of our stay, my mom and dad showed up! It's so wonderful to have Disneyland extremists for parents! Yes, we did okay by ourselves, but having the extra help was like suddenly growing four extra arms! (Or a hot fudge sundae, or something else really really good.) Karen and Alli also joined the party for our last two days. See, it's not my fault that we have this affinity for Disnelyand. Apparantly it's a genetic thing. Maybe a genetic defect, I don't know.
Karen, as always, was very helpful with our brood, and Alli is adorable! She's hilarious too. Karen once told me that Alli plans to rule the world. She's definitely in the running for for the position.
So why did we go? Well, JJ decided to follow two of his bosses to Diversified Investment Advisors. It was a bit sudden, but he was able to take a week off before diving into the new job. By the way, he loves his new job. His manager is great and the work is great. He's a happy boy. The office is right in North Salt Lake, ironically enough, and his commute is only 7 minutes long! But enough about that, let's get to some pictures (if you don't see any pictures, it's because I haven't posted them yet. I'm working on it. This parenthetical statement will be gone tomorrow, so if you're reading it, I hope you enjoy it.)

New Post Coming Soon!

2009-04-02T21:10:00.002-06:00

I don't know why my blogging has become so sporadic, but I'm thinking that's got to stop. Or start. So be prepared bloggers. . . . I'm back!

Thanksgiving Point

2009-02-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

Nice view, adorable girls!

This is Zack and JJ playing cars on the tile. Zack was having too much fun and didn't want to get dressed. Luckily, JJ was already dressed before they started playing.

Gabbi loved carrying Carlie around for me. Carlie was quite happy with the arrangement.

Cadence and Maddi. Aren't they cute?

Jeremy played the match game for the longest time! That is one patient guy. Playing with Zack can be, well, difficult.

All ready for a soak in the hot tub

Zack and gorgeous Nikki getting ready to make some cookies
It's so nice to be related to the Kingstons. When they are bored, they like to rent out very nice vacation homes. On Valentines Day, they ended up in a sweet twin home at Thanksgiving Point. They were nice enough to let us and Deardens stay a night with them. It was huge, and nice, and fun and stuff, and I'm now addicted to checking VRBO's website!

A fairy gets her wings. . .

2009-01-25T14:53:00.003-07:00

Carlie is a happy baby. If you I haven't told you, she's about the world's easiest baby, and she's so smiley! JJ has gotten her to laugh more than I have, and this video is just cute. It's Sunday afternoon, and the kids are all wearing their typical after church attire- Cadence's third dress-up, Zack's undershirt since his church shirt is now dirty, and JJ wearing his pj's.

Christmas Card

2008-12-15T09:07:00.001-07:00

I actually have begun to feel some remorse for my behavior with my siblings whenever it came time for a family picture. I had it coming I guess, our Christmas card is a product of over sixty pictures and about five hours on photoshop.

This is a non-winner.

as is this.

Smiles abound

2008-12-04T23:36:00.000-07:00

Appropriately enough, we saw some of Carlie's first smiles in Disneyland. She's a happy baby and we love seeing her smile!

Zack stopped using a binki at Disneyland, and started talking! For some reason, his vocabulary seems to have tripled since our trip!

As you can see, Disneyland was good for all of us! :)

Disneyland!

2008-11-28T19:08:00.002-07:00

If you are around Zack for 3 minutes or more, you will know he's a HUGE Cars fan. He was so excited to see a picture of Mater!

This is the only picture we have of all three kids with a character!

I think this is my favorite Disneyland picture!

Thanksgiving Dinner: pizza, cupcakes, and yes, a bowl full of M&M's.

What can you expect when Goofy is the Chef?

We ate Thanksgiving dinner (sort of) at Goofy's Kitchen. This is our whole group, except for Michael and Sarah's family.

My pictures aren't in order, but this was late at night after watching fireworks. We walked out of one of the stores and found cute little Mickey standing there all by himself. All the kids were asleep, but I had to wake up Zack to see his favorite mouse.

The greatest snow on earth isn't in Utah.

Cadence was 16 months old when she went to Disneyland for the first time. Pluto has always been the sweetest character to her (even on the Disney Cruise) so she always gets really excited to see him. So. . .

When she tripped on the curb walking away from Pluto, it was so cute how he ran after her and gave her a hug! We love Pluto!

Goofy is tall.

So is Cadence! (with 2 1/2 inches of napkin stuffed in her shoes.)

Zacky loved baby Gracie.

We had to put Zack's pants on the top of the stroller to dry twice this day! He got wet at Brother Bear, and then we thought he was too cute to make him quit running through the water at Bugs Land.

Cars in Bugs land.

Carlie watching the fireworks. Isn't she cute?

She loved the carousel! (As much as any 6 week old baby would anyway.)

Cadence and her cute girl cousins posing with Cruella. Of course, Cadence isn't posing.

This is JJ purchasing Snow White in one of the stores. She was just too cute so we had to buy her!

Cadence pranced around like a princess the rest of the night in her new dress. She and Savannah had so much fun! Cadence is especially kind to Zack when she's in princess attire.

Yah, she had fun.

Savannah was cute with Zack. She liked helping him up the stairs.

This is in Brother Bear. I think the kids would have been happy to stay here all day!

Every time we go to California Adventure and wait for a parade to start, Cadence runs around these trees and thinks it great!

Maddi is a good baby-sitter. Carlie's cute hat was made by Lyndzi, and I'm so sad to say that it was lost in Disneyland! :(

Carlie is tiny compared to Monsters!

Zack can't sit through the movie, but he sure loves Wall e

No jokes about Cadence's future profession please.

Zack LOVED the Pixar Play Parade!

We had so much fun spending eight days at the happiest place on earth! We love being able to take the kids to Disneyland! This was Cadence's 4th time, Zack's 3rd, and Carlie's 1st. Everyone says we are brave for taking a newborn, but she was no sweat! It's the ones who are big enough to run around like ding-dongs that keep us busy. :) We can't wait to go again!

We love Uncle Micah!

2008-11-18T21:43:00.001-07:00

Micah was able to come home from Kosovo for a few days over Thanksgiving. He wanted to spend most of his time with Shalice and Bailey (of course!) but he was gracious enough to have dinner with all the Nielsen's one night. It was fun to see him, and my kids are some of his biggest fans! He will be home for good in April, and we're so excited!

I thought this picture was cute. John spent the whole night trying to figure out what the little kids were saying. Can't you see the effort on his face?

My kids at a restaurant usually goes something like this.

Lynda brought a cake with a tank on the top. Micah was nice enough to give it to Zack!

Such a cute family!

Micah's adoring neices and nephews.

He's buff. Zack is not light.

Aww! This is Carlie meeting her uncle for the first time.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T14:35:00.002-06:00

We had fun taking the kids around the neighborhood for a little bit before the rain came! They are both a tiny bit shy so while they had the best intentions of saying "Trick or Treat", when the door was opened, they both froze up a little bit. They were good about saying thank you though!

We put shoe polish on Zack's head to make his hair black. Here's a tip- if you are going to need black hair spray on Halloween, don't wait until the day of. We went to five different stores and they were all out! Shoe polish does wash out in the bathtub, in case you do procrastinate.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-30T14:54:00.000-06:00

Cadence's first field trip was to the Pumpkin Patch in Kaysville. It was a nice warm day and they had so much fun! Her teacher, Miss Amy wasn't able to go though because she broke her foot the night before!

Cadence was the last one in her class to pick a pumpkin. She just couldn't seem to find the right one.

Zack was happy with any pumpkin he could raise off the ground.

Cadence thought these guys were so funny and insisted on having a picture by them.

She had fun running through the hay maze with her friend, but she left Zacky in the dust most of the time.

Our Trick-or-Treaters

2008-10-27T09:53:00.010-06:00

I realize they are my kids, but you should click on them and look at them big. They are so cute!

Carlie's dress is from Kmart! It said it was for a child age 4-6. Yah right. It's big on Carlie, we tied it in the back, but I can't imagine any mother putting their 4-6 year old in this dress. It was a last minute pick and I thought it was going to be kind of dumb, but it turned out really cute!
Zack's costume is a non-skillfully home made garb with Mickey Mouse ears from Disneyland. He's Wizard Mickey, since he may possibly be Mickey Mouse's biggest fan ever.
Cadence's dress is from Disneyshopping.com. She got it at Easter time and wore it when we went on our Disney Cruise. If they had it in my size, I would be Aurora for Halloween too! (not really.) Last year she was Cinderella and she became pretty tight with her. If you ask her if she's Aurora, she'll tell you she's Cinderella pretending to be Aurora.

I took the pictures on our kitchen table. :)

Trick-or-Treat Street

2008-10-26T21:13:00.000-06:00

These guys are good at this!

Carlie and Grandma!

Karen introducing Carlie to her cousin Hannah

Wizard Mickey and Princess Aurora

Trenton, Travis, Alli, Zack, Cadence, Sarah Kate, Missi, Hannah, Nikki, Carlie, Gabbi, Gracie, Maddi, Ben
Aren't they so cute!?

What a fun Halloween! My whole family, minus Mindy's family, all went to Trick-or-Treat Street at the South Towne Expo Center. It was all treat! So many cute little cousins all dressed up. We got to show off our two week old baby to those who hadn't seen her yet. Cadence when when she was 16 months and was mostly interested in touching all the pumpkins. This year, she was a pro at going door to door for more candy than any three year old should ever eat. Zack had fun, for a while, but by the end of the night, he was a screaming ball of impatience. Carlie was good though! After the expo center, we all went out to eat. The kids were tired, but pretty good. Just as we were about to leave, Cadence and Zack started fighting over a red slushie drink which ended up in Carlie's car seat. Cleaning up an icy red mess was the trick for the evening.

2008-10-24T18:12:00.004-06:00

Zack was a little cranky today since Carlie woke him up from his nap after about 20 minutes. He was so frustrated that he couldn't take a picture on the fisher price camera that he threw it against the wall and himself on the floor. I pulled him on my lap and started taking pictures and he thought that was great, not that you can tell in this picture.

Time to stay little.

2008-10-24T17:45:00.004-06:00

Mike and Liz, our much missed neighbors from Jordan Landing, came a few nights ago to see the new baby. Sweet Liz brought us dinner too! I love when I don't have to cook. Anyway, Cadence and Sarah were just best friends when we lived in the condos, but we don't see each other much anymore, since we live at opposite ends of the valley. The girls had so much fun playing together! I went through my old pictures to see what they looked like back then, and I almost cried! Where did my baby Cadence go?

Such a sweet girl

2008-10-15T20:05:00.002-06:00

Carlie is such a good baby! She spends most of her time sleeping, but she just hardly ever cries. She's great at night and only wakes up about three times. She has this cute little look when she's awake, like she's happy even though she's not smiling yet. We can't get enough of her.

More Pictures

2008-10-10T11:17:00.003-06:00

Three kids is no sweat! I know it may have something to do with JJ taking work off and my mom staying to help us, but hey! Carlie is just as sweet as can be, and both Cadence and Zack have been very pleasant since she's been home. They say your kids may act out with a new baby, but these two have been so good! They've been very happy for the last few days and are both good helpers with the baby. This little girl sure is loved!

Carlie Elizabeth Nielsen

2008-10-08T09:46:00.005-06:00

Carlie is here, and she's wonderful! She arrived at 6:48, after a quick delivery. She weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and is 21 inches long. If you saw Cadence as a newborn, then you already know what Carlie looks like. The only difference is her dark hair, which is much thicker than what Zack or Cadence came with. Needless to say, we think she's just beautiful!
We've only heard her cry about twice, and she had a great night. She seems to be very easy going. I got to watch JJ give her a bath, which I didn't get to see with the other kids. She was crying then, but when JJ got down close to talk to her, she calmed right down. It was cute enough to make me cry. :) Of course, many things in the last 24 hours have made me cry.
Cadence and Zack came to the hospital last night to meet Carlie, and she was a big hit. Cadence couldn't get enough of her and just wanted to hold her. While I think Zack is very excited about her, he's very cautious and will pat her head a little and then run off like he doesn't want to do too much. She's going to love both of them!
I'm so overwhelmed with emotions, and even if I had a clue of how to begin to express them, words wouldn't be enough. Last night as I sat with my not so little family of five, I just felt so blessed to be sitting with my sweet angels. What fun being a wife and a mom has proved to be!

Here Comes Carlie!!!

2008-10-07T12:57:00.003-06:00

Thank you all who voted for our baby girl's name! We think Carlie is the winner, and by the end of the day we'll know for sure. We are at LDS hospital right now waiting for her arrival! We are so excited and we know how incredibly blessed we are to be adding another sweet little baby to our family. as soon as I get some pictures, I'll add them!

Happy July 4th!

2008-09-08T08:14:00.003-06:00

We spend the 4th in Grace with Deardens and Kenny's family, and three of Karen's girls. We had a great time going to the parade in Soda, playing at the geiser, and doing a few illegal fireworks at mom and dad's house.
While at the geiser, the wind shifted and Mindy, Mom, Zack, and I got stuck against a fence with our backs to a wall of water. I was trying to keep Zack from getting soaked and all three of us were so caught off guard that we didn't think to try to run out of the shower. The men all laughed at us. Rude.
Fireworks in Grace were fun. Cadence preferred watching from the couch, inside the t.v. room, behind one set of glass doors and a window. She was a little nervous of Grandpa's pyrotechnics. I think we all were (except for Kenny), but she was still little enough to admit it.

Who Loves Camping?!

2008-08-04T08:15:00.004-06:00

I do. And Cadence and Zack really do. JJ. . . well, he's not as big on it. But we still had so much fun spending the weekend up Logan Canyon with my family. We stayed Friday and Saturday night and came back Sunday. Our campsite was right along the river edge, and the kids had so much fun playing in the ice cold water. Here are some of my favorite pictures. . .

I got a Golden Ticket!

2008-07-31T12:30:00.004-06:00

Well, not really. I got the "no thanks" from Idol producers on Tuesday. And yes, I'm aware that I look like a blob; this is just the way I do my pregnancies. But what an experience! I had so much fun! JJ and I got in line at 5 am, and one of the Idol guys saw me and he was like, "You're really pregnant, you can go to the front of the line." So, while everyone else stood outside for hours and hours, JJ and I sat inside the arena on the floor level! Before we went inside, the American Idol cameras interviewed me for a few minutes and it was so fun! He wrote down my name, so I thought I'd get an audition for sure, but it turned out that that didn't mean anything. I
The most fun part was when they were filming the whole crowd singing, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and "Get Ready." All of the Idol producers were really cool and I'm glad I did it.
I was feeling really good about my songs when I was practicing in the morning, but my nerves got the best of me and I definitely did not do well when I auditioned. So, as I walked out the loser door, I was choking back tears. I've always known I'm a pretty mediocre singer, so I seriously wasn't expecting anything. Not expecting, just hoping.
As I walked to the car with JJ, I realized how sad I would be to change the perfect life I have right now. Not going any farther in American Idol just means that I get to be at home every afternoon when JJ comes home from work. And I get to be the one to put Cadence and Zack to bed at night, and I get to be the first one to see them in the morning. I'll get to be the one to take care of our with baby girl when she comes, just like I could with Cadence and Zack. So, I'm extremely thankful for two things, 1, JJ's hard work that lets me be home with the kids, and 2, my appropriate-for-singing-in-church-functions-but-that's-really-all singing voice!
If auditions ever come your way, you should do it! Even with the rejection, it was a very fun day and I have no regrets!

Our "Rough and Tumble" takes a tumble

2008-07-11T23:20:00.001-06:00

So, we have this long flight of stairs from our deck to the patio below. I've never worried about Zack on the stairs because he's always been so cautious. Tonight we had Mindy and Jeremy over for a bbq, when we heard a sound that makes your heart stop beating- it was Zack rolling down the stairs.

We flew to the bottom of the stairs to find Zack laying on the concrete looking, well, not good. We thought his wrist might be broken. I scooped him up and held him while he cried. That lasted about 47 seconds. Then he giggled and was ready to get down to play. I don't know how this kid is so tough, but the funny thing is that JJ had just been telling Jeremy how Zack hardly cries when he gets hurt, like bumping his head on the corner of the computer desk and then just going along his merry little way! I think a few little angles may have carried Zack to the bottom of the stairs tonight. We're counting our blessings that the only injury he incurred is a tiny bruise above his right eye.

I hope this picture doesn't offend you, but what a tan huh??

Cadence and Savannah had fun going down the slide and making a big splash. They both really did have fun the whole time, I just thought this one was pretty funny.

He's in a better place

2008-07-10T21:42:00.000-06:00

After four years together, our friend Jack has moved on to a happier place. It's a place where he can run freely with other schnauzers, play with little boys, go camping, and bark to his heart's content.
With Cadence and Zack, and one more on the way, he wasn't getting the attention he needed from us, so we did the best thing we could for him and found him a new home. The family is absolutely wonderful and I know Jack's going to have a great life with them.
I have been so surprised how much crying I've done over this though! If you know me, you probably find this shocking too. When his new family came to pick him up, I had a hard time even talking because I was bawling so hard! We are sad and we miss him, but we know he's happy. Thanks Jenson Family!

Father's Day

2008-07-10T15:53:00.000-06:00

If you are not the mother or wife of the individuals in this video, you probably won't love it as much as I do, but you have to hang in there until the end, it's my favorite part! This is what the kids and I gave JJ for Father's Day.

No more scooting around

2008-06-23T15:34:00.000-06:00

JJ bought a scooter about a month ago to save gas money.
He just sold it to save his life.
Okay, that may be a bit dramatic.
We may be a little chicken, but hey, we're still alive, right? Neither of us had ever heard about anyone being in a scooter accident, but one girl was killed on one not too far from our house. A few weeks later, JJ was the second to stop and help a guy who was in an accident on his scooter. We're not really your extreme sports kind of people, but the kids did get to have a few very slow rides around the block and loved it! BTW, the extremely dirty little boy pictured above is covered in red dust from the concrete we had just poured. He's usually a little cleaner.

Baby Bailey

2008-05-28T08:48:00.000-06:00

We got to watch Micah and Shalice's baby a few weeks ago while they went to Lagoon. She's an absolute doll and so good! Cadence and Zack loved her! We ran some errands with all three kids in tow, and got a sample of what life will be like in a few months! Not too bad!

Basement

2008-05-27T19:58:00.000-06:00

My mom and dad were here over Memorial Day weekend, and the men spent three days working in the basement. They got a lot done! JJ is quite good with sheetrock now, but he's not planning a career change. Zack's main job was to be cute, and he did well with his task.

Mindy and Jeremy came on Saturday and Jeremy helped in the basement also. Since the boys were downstairs playing with their tools all weekend, Mindy, Mom and I decided to scrapbook all weekend! My kids became too used to me saying, "Just a minute, I'm almost done, then I'll help you."
We're so lucky that my mom and dad's favorite way to spend their free time is by helping us with our basement!

A picture is way better than time-out.

2008-05-26T15:11:00.000-06:00

She's just too cute to be mad at when she gets into my purse and finds my lip glosss. . .
Here's some information about Cadence that may help you get to know her personality a little bit-
If she has her choice between a pink, green, or blue plate, she'll choose pink.
If she has her choice between a green, blue, or yellow plate, she'll choose pink.
If it isn't pink, it must be Zack's.
One day I found her toenails painted pink, and quite nicely, I might add. Luckily, she'd done her pedicure on the kitchen floor and not the carpet. I noticed about an hour later that she'd also painted Zack's toenails.
Cadence notices people's shoes, earrings, purses, and outfits, and is always very quick to offer a complement on them. My favorite is when she says, "Cute shirt dad!" to JJ. She's always very sincere.
As mentioned in a previous post, she loves to change her clothes. We had to hide all her swimsuits because she was going through four a day (at least). I don't know what she's going to do when winter comes.

Poor David Archuleta.

2008-05-22T07:17:00.000-06:00

I have lost all my faith in Utah girls, ages 12-18! David COOK? I thought for sure our baby faced, Disney Channelesque home boy was going all the way! Oh well. He just should have sung Apologize before the finale. The good news is that I did stop hating David Cook a few weeks back, so. . . and at least he's not Fantasia. Yikes! I couldn't take another one of her!!!

Zacky Doesn't Need Help!

2008-05-21T21:50:00.000-06:00

This is not a picture of Zack bleeding from the mouth. This is a picture of Zack after I took away the red and blue icee that he insisted on eating by himself. He doesn't like to have help, but he doesn't quite have the hang of a few things.
He's a little better with the spoon, and he's pretty happy about it!

"I Got Pretty Jammies, Haw?"

2008-05-21T18:30:00.000-06:00

If I don't pay close attention to Cadence, she will go in her room and take off the clothes she wearing and put on either a "pretty dress" a "whipsoup" (swimsuit) or jammies. This seems to be the outfit of choice lately, Minnie Mouse jammies, Christmas hat, and fur shoes.

But our favorite part of her look is her sweet smile!

Vinegar is your Friend!

2008-05-19T10:31:00.000-06:00

So, about a year ago, my sister suggested that I try cleaning with vinegar. I thought she was crazy. Then a few months later when I was out of glass cleaner, I tried it. I have been cleaning every inch of my house with vinegar since then! And, JJ just talked to a lady on the phone at work with lung cancer. She's never smoked in her life, and had never been around anyone who does, but her dr. told her it may be caused by household cleaning supplies! AAAHHHH! Makes sense, I about cough up a lung every time I use scrubbing bubbles. . .
So here are some good reasons to try it out, if you haven't already,
It shines great!
It disinfects!
It won't kill you!
Your kids can swallow it without having their stomach's pumped!
It's dirt cheap!
April says so!
I use it in a squirt bottle undiluted and it works great! Click the link under my favorite sites to get more great ideas!

I know, it's a weird post.

It's a Girl!

2008-05-12T10:30:00.001-06:00

You may not know that we're expecting, but we are, and we're having a girl! She's due on October 17th, and we're so excited! Cadence told us all along she was a girl, and she was right. Her ultrasound pictures are hanging on the fridge, and everyday Cadence points them out and says, "Look, it's baby sister haw!" Once again, I'm having an all too easy pregnancy, so yay for me!
Three kids! Wow, we're old!

Disney Cruise

2008-05-12T10:00:00.001-06:00

Last week we returned from a 7 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise aboard the Disney Magic! We spent the whole trip making sure we got to see everything, and we still missed most of it. The kids had a lot of fun, but next time we go, we'll make sure they are all old enough to leave in the kids club! It was Cadence's dream come true to see so many princesses, but Zack wasn't a huge fan.
We enjoyed the food a little too much, but have worked off our extra vacation pounds. One of our favorite things was a midnight desert buffet. It was probably so great because both the kids were asleep in the stroller by the time we got to the table. We didn't have to share a bite!
The shows were great too. One of them was ranked #1 in the world for cruise ship shows, and for good reason! We saw a lot of characters, and half of them were flying around the stage, so, it was pretty spectacular. It was even good enough that it kept Zack's attention.
Castaway Cay was gorgeous! It's Disney's island in the Caribbean. If anyone can make an island more beautiful than it already is, Disney can!
We only got to take this vacation because my Uncle Bruce is extremely giving, and that's an understatement. He paid for over 100 people to go- my mom's whole side of the family. They were able to reserve a room every night where we could all meet. I think a big part fo the fun was bumping into cousins the whole trip.
Anyway, if you ever have the chance to take a Disney Cruise, do it!

We're Bloggers Now

2007-12-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Nielsen family Blog! (We really jumped on the bandwagon with this one.) We have a lot to be thankful for, and topping our list are our two little sweetie pies, Cadence and Zack.