The Nielsen Family

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...

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 abov...

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!