I just wanted to do a quick post and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope we can all remember Christ's birth and the miracles that took place. I'm so grateful for my family and friends and for this time we get to have a break and reflect on our lives and blessings! We love you all and hope this new year gives new opportunity for good changes.
Love,
The Nielsons!
Here are some pictures/highlights of 2008
Nick and I got to go to the Forgotten Carols last night and it was awesome! I seriously cried with every song that was sung and it wasn't just because I'm hormonal! I would recommend everyone see it! Nick got the tickets for me as my Christmas present and I'm so glad he did. I can't wait to get tickets for family members as presents through the years. It's especially powerful if you're having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. Nick even cried, even though he will deny it if you ask him.
Today we got to go to Fetal Fotos and found out that we are having a BOY! We are really excited and can't wait to agree on his name! Nick likes Timothy a lot (as do I), but I really love the name Elijah too. Decisions, decisions!
Nick has his final on Monday, so after that hopefully we'll have many more exciting weekends! Wish him well, he needs it!
Today was Andrew's first day of part-time preschool. When we would talk about going to school he would get a little sad (probably because I told him he couldn't be naughty to his teachers and friends) and say he didn't want to go to school. We got there at 8:30 to meet his teacher and check things out before class started and he did so well. Once he saw his own cubby and sitting mat with his name on each, he was sold! The teacher had just made a bear den because they are learning about bears this week, he was so excited! When I picked him up he got to put his papers in his backpack and wear it out to the car, how cool is that?!? After school he played on the playground with his good buddy Isaak. Madelyn even played with the big kids and went down a big twisting slide( taller than me) all by herself! She wanted so badly to stay at school with Andrew, she even pulled a chair up to the table to play with him when I dropped him off this morning, but she still has a few years to go. It was weird not having a load of kids for a couple hours, it was just Madelyn and me! I didn't even have work for the two hours I normally do on Monday-so we got to go grocery shopping, with just the two of us. You'd think with not having so many kids that I'd have my house all cleaned up from our huge long trip to Oregon, but no, it's a mess! I think it's going to take a couple weeks for me to recoup from this one. One highlight of the trip was that we got to stop in Portland on the way home and see Nick's sister, Lisa, and her fiance, Steve. It was nice to get to see my grandparents again, it's been 2 years since I saw them last and they are going through a lot. My grandpa is 94 (turns 95 nextMarch) and my grandma is 88 (89 next June). My grandpa just had his third stroke and my grandma suffers from dementia. They are still in their home, with my aunt and uncle taking turns caring for them. It was good to be in Oregon again, but sad to see my grandma and grandpa, whom I adore, suffering so much. I'm really thankful for my amazing family and that I was blessed to grow up with so many great memories with them!
We get to find out next Saturday (December 13th) what the gender of our baby is...Fetal Fotos here we come! Nick is liking the name Timothy (my dad's name) for a boy and we're still thinking Ella for a girl. Although we're not sure of middle names because there are so many good people in our families to name our children after...so we'll see.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and that you're all recovering from turkey coma!
So last night I got to see Twilight at the midnight showing and it was fabulous! I haven't read the books because I don't like to be disappointed with the movie. I'm not a person that would read or even give the time of day to vampire entertainment, but this was actually really good. So I think I'm ready to read the first book now! I didn't get to bed until 3am, but luckily Kristie (Hailey's mom) was nice enough to have Hailey come over later than usual so I could sleep in! I don't think I've stayed up that late (having fun) since I was in college, good times! I have to get pictures from everyone else that was smart enough to bring their cameras, so I'll post those at a later time! Oh and I almost forgot that I had my 3rd appt on Wednesday and everything is going really well. The baby's heartrate was in the 160-170's range. Fast little heart! If I remember correctly Madelyn was usually in the 145-150's range and Andrew was in the 160's range...just a thought. My doctor changed his mind about when we're doing the next ultrasound (changed to December 31st) but for insurance reasons we're going to change it to after the first of the year to help with our deductible for next year. Since we're doing that it'll save us about $250, so Nick said I could do fetalfotos! So we get to find out in a couple more weeks what we're having.
I think it's time for another post. Although, not much has changed! Halloween was so fun with the kids. We were able to go with our friend Summer Larsen to a trunk or treat and the kids loved it. Madelyn was really scared of people and wouldn't walk towards them to ask for candy, but Andrew had no problems at all! We went to the Olive Garden because we had a giftcard and were there for 2 hrs! The waitress was so slow!!! We then went to see Nana and Fa on the way home and then stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Nielson's for some pictures. Thank goodness for a father-in-law that loves to take pictures! We didn't end up getting home until like 10:30 or so and the kids were so tired! I felt bad because we didn't see any of the older couples in our ward or take the kids to their friends houses. Next year, we will be better!
In our ward there are about 5 ladies that are pregnant right now. All of them have cute little baby bumps, but I just look the same. People can't ever tell I'm pregnant until I'm at least 6+ months along. On a good note. I just ordered all these pants from Old Navy because they were having a fabulous deal and I got the size I normally get and I had to return them all because they were huge on me! Oh Yeah! And I just got a ton of clothes from Jenn Tukuafu, so that's a plus! Thanks Jenn!!!! Well, that's all I can think of for now. Night!
I'll start off with the good news. I had my second ultrasound last night at the doctor's office and the baby is looking awesome! We saw the heartbeat for the second time and he/she looks just like the pictures online show he/she should look. Just two more visits before we find out if we're having a girl or boy. I'll have to start a poll someday, to see what ya'll think.
The bad news. Andrew has been sick and very miserable! He's had fevers for three straight days and his tonsils are swollen and filled with pus (sick, I know)! When he talks I can hear his tonsils touching, it's so nasty. His eyes have also been really bugging him. They are red and swollen and bloodshot. I think this must be related to allergies or something. Even on tylenol and motrin his fevers don't really go below 101. He's had two rapid strep tests that have come back negative and we're waiting on cultures, still! Last night the doctor said he could have a bacterial infection that they can't test for (right!) and to go in again if he starts getting a stiff neck! Nick missed my prenatal appt. again because he was at the doctor's with Andrew. I've been really mean lately because I'm sleep deprived and just want Andrew to feel better. I just hope Madelyn doesn't get this because she has been sneeking sips out of Andrew's sippy cup. She is so naughty!
Well the little miss is up now, gotta go! I hope you all are healthy and happy!
Sometimes bad things happen for a reason. A couple days ago Nick's computer starting wigging out and everything he tried wouldn't fix the problem (system wise). So yesterday and this morning he started taking out drives to see which was causing the problems. Well, in doing so, guess what he found?!? My glasses! One of the kids had pushed them into the back of the armoire behind the computer tower. We would've never found them if his computer hadn't, out of the blue, started wigging out! Now my glasses are found and his computer is fixed! The Lord answers our prayers all the time and I am so thankful!
This kind of reminded me of funny dreams I have related to babies...
One night I started sleep walking around our bedroom saying "where are the babies" as I was turning on all the lights in the room and flinging blankets off the bed. Nick finally woke me up (at least he thought he did) and we went back to bed. The next morning he told me all about it because I didn't remember a thing. We had been trying to get pregnant and all the tests for weeks said negative. I took one last one and just kind of left in on the floor, thinking I'd get the same result as every time before (this is the day after my sleepwalking, trying to find the babies episode) and it was positive! That was our Madelyn...
So my story this time- I had gone to my doctor to talk about starting clomid because we had no success otherwise and he suggested we start with the next cycle. Well a couple weeks after that (Setember 15th) I had a dream that I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. So that morning after Nick had left for work, I used my last pregnancy test and it was positive! These stories just make me think of how the Lord knows us, our concerns, and answers our prayers!
Saturday we were at our ward party and right when we got there Madelyn knocked my glasses off my face. They fell on the gym floor and broke (not something I could fix). I thought no big deal, I just bought new prescription glasses and sunglasses and I could just start wearing the new ones. I had been keeping them in my purse just in case something happened to my old ones. We got home and I went through my purse and my glasses weren't there. I searched the whole house, both cars, everywhere, but no glasses! I've called a ton of places I've been in the last while but no one has turned in my glasses. The last time I remember wearing them was at the Utah State Fair on September 12th and the last time I thought I saw them in my purse was a couple Thursdays ago when I went to work for a couple hours at SelectHealth. I wore contacts the last couple days (which I can't stand for more than a couple hours) and now I have a stye or something in my eye that hurts all the time! I can't believe we just spent $175 on these glasses in August and I've already lost them! It makes me sick! Summer gave me a couple of her old pairs of glasses to use the frames with my new lenses (which I did use one frame for the new glasses but the others wouldn't work for the sunglasses) so I have one pair left. One of the lenses is my prescription but the other isn't, so I've been wearing those around for a couple hours but I start feeling weird and have to take them off.
Last week I was at my OB/GYN for an appt and he said I have a UTI, so I've been on antibotics for that, right when I got off antibiotics for my ear infection. I get really sick taking them and instead of morning sickness I get evening sickness. So with the combined antibiotics and evening sickness, Nick has had to pick up a lot of slack! I feel so bad for him and our house is in constant shambles. The kids have been pretty good besides Madelyn finally getting her two teeth in, so things will have to start looking up. I only have 3 more days of antibiotics!
I guess you're probably wondering about the "morning sickness" comment, yes we're expecting baby #3! I've been so worried because I haven't been sick like I was with Madelyn and Andrew, but we've seen the baby's heartbeat and everything looks good so far. The due date so far is May 24th and I couldn't be more excited to be pregnant during the winter! We didn't even have to take clomid, the timing was the Lord's and we are so thankful for the answer to our prayers!
The names we're liking right now are Ella Kirstie and Elijah Kirk (all family names except Elijah). We'll probably find out in December if we're having a boy or girl. With Madelyn we did fetalphotos when I was 17 weeks pregnant, but that was when my sister was due at the same time and we went together. This time we might just be patient and wait for the 20 week appt. with my doctor.
Sorry for the long post! They all seem to be long lately!
Go to Google images and type in your own answers for the topics below. Pick your favorite image on the first 3 pages of results and post it. (Try to do a different image than these if you have the same answer). Sorry Liane for not seeing this post sooner, I've been slow!
My First Name:
My Middle Name:
My Last Name:
Favorite Food:Italian!!!!
My Grandma's Name: Helen
A Pet I Use to Own: Cocker spaniel
My Age:
Favorite Place: (This is the Oregon state capital building, I used to play in the water in this black fountain when I was little, fun times!)
Favorite Color:
Nickname of a Friend: Nasty#1
Past Love: I used to love hotdogs when I was little...
What I'm Doing Right Now: (besides blogging)
Bad Habit:
A Place I Want to Visit:
My First Job (Besides babysitting):
I tag anyone who wants to do this on their blog!
I feel like I haven't blogged in a long long time! We've been so busy that I haven't been able to read others blogs or write on my own. Things have been so busy mostly because of Nick's schooling and how much time he dedicates to it.
The kids have been doing really well. Andrew is having a hard time not acting like the parent to Madelyn, but we are working on that everyday. He tries really hard to keep her out of things (which is nice) but the way he does it is the problem. Usually he'll drag her away from something by grabbing her by her head! She'll usually fight back by biting him, then they get into a fight. For the most part they get along well, the fights usually happen when one, or both of them are tired. We love naps around here, that's for sure!
I went to the doctor today because I've been having pain in my right ear for a little while and then this morning I woke up with pain radiating on the outside of my ear. The doctor said I have an ear infection and gave me some amoxicillin to take for the next 7 days. I hope it starts helping me feel better because I haven't been sleeping very well for awhile because I sleep on my right side or stomach.
Nick seems to be catching on to his class really well and is enjoying the new knowledge he's getting. Even though I'm exhausted from picking up the extra slack, I'm really excited for him to further his knowledge! It makes any time we get to spend together very precious, that's for sure!
I'm really excited for conference this weekend and can't wait for the talks that will be given. They always uplift and give me hope and sometimes I get great naps too!
I hope this next week finds everyone happy and well! Hopefully I'll be better about blogging and will have better and more interesting updates for next week...
This last Friday Nick and I packed up the kids and went to Bear Lake. We met my parents there (they had already been there since Labor Day) and had fun swimming in the pool, sauna, and playing on the awesome toys they have for kids. Then Nick got a call from work wanting him to come in and fix something that only he knew how to fix. My parents had just left with our van to drop my sister off in Rexburg to start school, so there wasn't really any way for him to get to work. He ended up leaving at around 7pm, when my parents got back from Idaho. He went into work that night and then stayed home the rest of the weekend and went back to work Monday (which he had originally taken off for the vacation). I ended up staying with my parents and the kids had a lot of fun. I felt bad for my family because Madelyn kept crying randomly through out the night because she had a really bad bum rash and is teething. I had to be at work Monday by 2pm (the first appt was 2:10) and we were supposed to be checked out of the condo by 10am, so I thought we had plenty of time to get me to work on time. Well, we didn't end up leaving the condo until just before noon and I thought there was NO way I would make it to work. It took Nick 2.5 hrs to get home just driving in our car (at 80 mph after the canyon) and my dad was in the suburban pulling a huge boat! I felt like I was 12 again, throwing a fit about how I wouldn't make it to work and it wasn't really a day I could miss... My dad got me to work at 2:15, only 5 minutes late-so that means he made it from Bear Lake to West Valley City in 2 hrs 15 minutes, pulling a boat! My parents dropped me off and watched the kids for the 1.5 hrs while I was at work and then picked me up when I was done. When I got home my mom had unpacked almost everything and had done 2 loads of laundry-dried and folded! I couldn't believe it, she was exhausted but still managed to help me out so tremendously!
I haven't posted my weight update lately because my scale has been saying the battery is low and won't weigh me, but when I got back from the lake it decided to work again. So the news is I haven't lost anything more but I haven't gained. Which I'm very happy about because we've had so many birthdays and parties in the family-so I haven't been counting my cals or doing anything I was before. I just bought a jogging/bike stroller so now I can start walking and biking with the kids. I'm really excited and have Natalie to thank for finding a great deal for me!
Nick is starting to really like the class he is taking and to add a cherry on top-he just bought a new laptop for school. I told him he should try and get his work to cover some of it because it's for school but he doesn't think he should try. Whatever!
Madelyn turned one yesterday and we had a little birthday cake for her and sang to her. We didn't do a friend party for her because she wouldn't remember it and wouldn't even know what's going on but either next year or when she turns 3 we'll party...She goes in tomorrow for her 1 yr appt. so I'll put her stats up after then.
Andrew is growing and learning like crazy. We've been exploring different preschools for him and he's REALLY excited about the thought of going to school. He's on the waiting list for Hillside Elementary and the school district is sending me info on the other schools that have preschools and their stats. It costs about $80 a month through the school district and about $240 through Challenger.
Here are some pictures of what we've been up to...
Madelyn's first pigtails, cheese!
She'll let me do her hair if I let her splash in the sink at the same time
Andrew took about 20 pictures of things around the house (i.e. me, toys, cars in the garage, shoes, bottle caps, etc.) This is just one of the many pictures he took of Hailey right after she ate. He loves Hailey! I did a slide show at the bottom of the post of the random pictures he took because it's pretty funny. He knows how to turn the camera on and off and take many many pictures. He even knows how to change it from taking pictures to viewing them all...he's just like his daddy!
Madelyn at Bear Lake having a blast with daddy on the swings. Notice the matching nail polish? This is actually the first time I painted her nails-I know I'm lame!
She was being so photogenic!
Here's Andrew waking up from his nap to get ready to go to the lake. He opened his Pooh tent and put his spiderman sheets, Owl Babies book (gift from Rachel Harding when he was born), tin box, baby doll, and other treasures with him. I was really surprised when I opened his door to wake him and Madelyn up! 
Madelyn and daddy going down the slide.
Andrew climbing a rockwall at the Bear Lake park. He insisted on wearing this swimming floatie "life jacket" thing even though it's way to small for him. I would post the other pictures of him but you can see his "junk" way too clearly because the thing is so dang tight on him!
A rare moment when Andrew would smile for me while I had the camera. He's so devilishly cute!
Here's the slideshow of Andrew's pictures...
I was tagged by Christie.
The Rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks you possess.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.
1. I have a really sensitive gag reflex. I can barely swallow tiny pills let alone big huge vitamins. I can't even take prenatals when I'm pregnant because I absolutely will throw them up. When I go to the dentist and they take my xrays, the tech ends up running to push the button to take the picture and runs back because I'm gaging so bad and tears are rolling down my face. I reassure them I'm not crying, just gaging.
2. I can't wear turtleneck shirts or really anything that touches the front of my neck. Again relating to the gag reflex...when I'm pregnant even if the seatbelt sits on my neck I will throw up. I have to wear v-necks or round neck shirts, which are sometimes hard to wear with g's.
3. I hate swimming alone. In my family we would often go camping for long periods of time, of course only where there were lakes present. My older brother (Ryan), my older sister (Monica), and I would always try and swim across any lakes we were at. One time I was in the middle of a lake (Suttle Lake I think, which has tons of full size, huge trees on the bottom) when my brother started telling me about fresh water sharks...Needless to say, I found a huge tree that was floating in the lake and sat there for a good while, until I could find the courage to swim back to shore. One thing that probably aggravated my hate of swimming alone was that my classmate in 6th grade, Rory, drowned at the same lake during that summer.
4. I have very high expectations when it comes to Italian food and I love fettuccine alfredo! I order it almost all the time when at Italian restaurants. Even when dieting I just order the kids meal and eat half of it, to fit it into my calorie range for the day. It's so yummy! My best friend Kelli and I would always go to an Italian restaurant in Bend, OR that served spinach fettuccine alfredo with chicken, it's rated #1 on my list, Carrabba's #2, Macaroni Grill #3 (just recently moved up), and if I'm dying for an Italian fix and the above named restaurants aren't close- Olive Garden comes in as #4.
5. Speaking of food...I could eat a whole batch of cookies by myself! Cookies are my weakness, if I didn't like cookies I would probably weigh 100 lbs. less! My favorite are Oatmeal chocolate chip and white chocolate macadamia nut. Nick's sister just made some chocolate chip zucchini cookies that were delicious and are now a favorite.
6. I refuse to clean the toilets! Nick and I had a discussion before we were married about this. I let him know that I would not be the one who would be cleaning toilets (this only pertains to toilets that guys use). I don't know if it was from living with brothers, or what, but guys make bathrooms disgusting! When he cleans the bathrooms, Nick does a fabulous job!
You're it:Lianna, Natalie, Summer, Allana, Rachel, Shellie
You all just couldn't wait for me to post my weigh in update! I know I'm a little late posting it, but here it is...this last week brought me down 3 more lbs. Not the huge numbers I was hoping for, but a loss and I'll take it. That leaves 46 lbs. to get to my 1st step goal. I only have about 7 weeks to be at that goal, so it probably won't happen-but I'll take whatever I can get. Nick has finished 2 class days out of 32 for this semester and I hope he will hang in there. The first day was a huge disaster because right before he left work to be at school things blew up (that of course he designed) so orders could not be tested and sent to customers, then the teacher announced that the course was going to be very fast paced and they weren't going to do much review at all (Nick last took the pre-req classes 3 yrs ago), and then on the way home from class his car started smoking! What a way to be welcomed back to school, eh? I think if Nick can take it one class at a time, he'll do really well. We were able to go to the temple tonight, thanks to Nick's mom watching the kids and the bishop's daughter filling in last minute as well. It's such a nice way to hush the mind and not think about all the little everyday things. I have to give a shout out to Natalie for being willing to watch the kids even though she wasn't feeling well. THANK YOU!!! Well I think that's it for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!
We're having a dilemma because apparently Nick and I aren't capable of making decisions (especially REALLY important ones)...Here's the deal. When we got married we decided that once we started having kids, we would space them 2 yrs. apart. So we were planning on getting pregnant this September or October, but...we can't decide if we should wait another year or not. I don't know if it's better to wait because I could lose a lot more weight in a year or just keep losing until I actually get pregnant within the next couple of months and then lose the rest after the baby comes...One reason I don't want to wait is because the sooner we're done having kids, the sooner I get to go back to school. Another is I really like the age difference with Madelyn and Andrew. The reasons for waiting are losing more weight and of course saving more money...So any opinions about spacing between kids, please let me know what you think...
Yesterday I didn't have time to post my update for the weigh in because I was watching my sister's 3 yr old twins and 11 month old baby. Needless to say, it was a busy day!
Well my weight loss totaled 4 lbs. for this last week (2 lbs. more from my last weight update), leaving 49 more to go. I was hoping for 5 lbs.+ but I think the monthly cycle didn't allow that to happen. I'm hoping next Tuesday I'll be able to put up some good numbers to catch up to my goals. I have 10 more lbs to lose in order to be at the half way mark of meeting my goal.
Every day Madelyn is walking more and more. It's good to see her try over and over again, even when she falls. She keeps saying random words here and there, mostly repeating what we say. Some of the things she says: Dada, mama, here, yeah, And (for Andrew), Madyn (for Madelyn), and of course the famous "NO."
Andrew seems to be going through a phase of testing the limits again. I don't know what brought that on, but he is finding himself on timeout quite often. He's been really quick to say "I'm sorry", and somehow thinks that means he shouldn't have to face any consequences. Hopefully this new phase will pass quickly!
Nick and my dad are getting tons done in the basement. Plumbing is done, vents are pretty much done, framing is almost done. I can't wait for these last rooms to look like the rest of the basement. It will be so great! Well I think that's it for now.
The first video is of Andrew "helping" Madelyn walk/dance. They are the craziest kids and we love them so much!!!!
This next one is Madelyn walking...Tonight she took 11 steps by herself so we grabbed the camera to capture it on video. She ended up only taking about 6 steps or so to Nick but we got it on video. Her hair is crazy because we had just taken out her pigtails to get her ready for bed...
Tagged by Christie
8 things that I am passionate about
I've lost another pound, so I have 51 lbs. to go. I do my weigh ins on Tuesdays so maybe I'll just do weight updates once a week, that way it will look like an impressive number instead of 1 lb here and 2 there!
I've started watching Jenn's niece, Hailey, and she is so cute! It's amazing how well she just fits into our schedule. Andrew keeps telling me that he loves Hailey and talks about her all the time! It's pretty cute.
Andrew had his 3 yr. appt. last week and is in the 95th percentile for weight and 97th percentile for height. The doctor said he is doing really well and that I should probably think about putting him in pre-school because he's functioning on a 4 yr. old level. I think we'll keep our eye out for something, but it's not something I think is super important right now. When we were waiting for the doctor they gave Andrew a little paper robe to put on because he had to be only in undies. I put it on him because he was "coldie" and it looked like a little dress. So naturally I took a picture of him with my phone, which then mad him really mad. So he took off the dress and then because he was naked when the doctor came in, he hid under the chair! This is the same kid that will run outside NAKED for the whole world to see, what a weirdo!
Madelyn is growing like a weed. She has taken 4 steps by herself now, she can't seem to get past that number, but I'm still enjoying her being in the pre-walking phase. I can't believe that she will be one in just 3 weeks! It's crazy how time flies.
Nick starts school in 2 weeks. I hope that he'll adjust well to working full time while being in school. The one thing I'm not looking forward to is the extra gas money to drive up to the U, hopefully it will pay off some day.
Well, I guess that's all for now. We taken some pretty cute pictures of the kids that I'll post in the next couple of days. Good times!
Another two pounds hit the dust! I had Nick weigh himself to make sure the scale wasn't just being nice to me...52 more to go for now.
2 more pounds down, 54 more to go. I'm really happy because I just passed a milestone that I haven't been able to get pass since before I got pregnant with Madelyn.
Oh and can I just say that I'm really excited for the Olympics to start!
Yesterday was Andrew's 3rd birthday and I just can't believe he is already 3! I think back on the 3 years we've been privileged to have him in our family, and the joy he has brought to us just overwhelms me! It's amazing how insightful and fun he can be. He picks up on everything (especially on things I don't want him to)! The things I love most about Andrew are: his smile, how he dances (like his daddy), how he loves his sister, his interest and concern for everyone, how most of the time he listens really well, and how smart he is. Both Nick and I love to watch our kids play together and we are excited to have more! I'm really excited to see what the future brings for Andrew.
Oh and sorry to those that came to the party...Usually our house is very cool but the air conditioner broke right as people started coming and then wasn't fixed until about 6:30 that night. We appreciate all of your support and hope you all had a good time regardless of the heat!
4 lbs. down, only 56 to go...for now anyway. I guess exercising for a couple hours a day works. Geez!
I am so frustrated with Wasatch Homes right now! We've had Ram builders come and give us a quote to repair the stucco on our house. They basically said that the builders did the stucco incorrectly and that is why it is cracking and breaking off. He also said that a lot of the houses in the neighborhood he noticed many problems with how the stucco was done. We've emailed the builder with the quote from Ram builders ($3K to fix it) and they will not answer us! Nick is going to call the guy again tomorrow and talk to him about how our house is only 5 yrs old and the condition was in no way caused by something we did, or did not do. We've also told him if he'd like to foot the bill for a stucco inspector to come out and do an inspection to "certify" that things were not done correctly or per code, we'd be happy to do that...but nothing. I don't think he understands that this isn't something we'll just let go of. There have been too many things they have not finished with this house or done incorrectly (not to mention not finishing many things from the walk through!). I mean is this something that you'd expect a newer home to have happening? When I first bought the house the roof starting leaking during some rainstorms and it took me going over to the model house almost every week and faxing in complaints for them to come out and look at the problem. When they did end up coming they just put a tarp over the skylight where the leak was for weeks. The skylight has still not been completely fixed from them sealing it off.
If anyone has any advise or has dealt with this before, we'd really appreciate your input!
This week went by pretty fast, it seems. Today Madelyn and I missed church because she wasn't feeling too great and was pretty ornery. I think it's just all the teeth she's getting in lately.
Andrew is really excited about his birthday being on Saturday and he can't wait to send out invitations. Hopefully I can get them finished up soon. I can't believe he's 3 on Saturday, it's so weird! I feel like I'm still 18! I keep having dreams where I'm in high school still and guys will ask me out, but I tell them I can't date because I'm married and after a while in my dream I remember that I have kids too. I think maybe that's just me trying to hold onto being young and carefree...but those days are long gone.
Tonight I saw a picture that was taken in Oak City at Nick's grandpa's 90th birthday celebration, Nick took me with him to meet his family there right before we were engaged, and we both looked so skinny and young! It's crazy what married life will do to a person! Just kidding, I think it's the kids' fault... seriously! Anyway, I'm back on the weight loss shenanigan again. I only have 10 weeks as of tomorrow to lose 60 lbs. That's probably when I'll start clomid again. I've been doing really well, eating 1000-1200 cals a day and exercising. I'm pretty much to the point where anything is better than nothing, so I'll give it my best. One thing is for sure, I get so sick being pregnant I always lose at least 15 lbs. and keep it off almost the whole pregnancy. With Madelyn I gained about 8 lbs. and that was only the last month when I had to take it easy.
Well, this next week should be a pretty good one. I imagine most of the time will be spent in the basement and hopefully outside (if it gets cooler).
I hope everyone has a fabulous week!
Here he is!
Jackson Douglas Smith born July 15, 2008 at 6:18pm weighing in at 4 lbs. 5 oz. and 16 inches long.
He is seriously the cutest premie I've ever seen and we're very excited for Doug and Shellie! He's almost back up to his birth weight and doing really well.
Well, in two weeks from this last Saturday Andrew will be three years old. I can't believe it! We haven't really decided what to do for his party yet, but I think we'll have a friend party and then a family party. Last year we didn't have a friend party for him (that I remember), so this year we will definitely be doing one. He's been telling me forever that he wants a spiderman cake this year, so we'll see how that one goes. So for all his friends' parents keep Saturday August 2nd from 1-3pm open on your schedules. I think that's when we'll do the friend party.
I don't have much new to report with Madelyn...she just gets into everything and is a big time busy body! Oh, today she did come down a flight of stairs at Nick's parents house all by herself. She did it very cautiously! The only way I got her to do it was to take a toy from her and move it to the bottom of the stairs. It worked like a charm. She's also been standing on our baby gate waiting for Andrew to open it so she can swing back and forth on it. She thinks it's pretty funny.
Nick gets to register for class next week and then starts school in a month. We're both pretty nervous about it because it seems like there's never time as things are now, and then we're adding more to the pot.
We've bought the whirlpool tub, vanity, sink, faucets for the tub and sink, and tub surround for the basement bathroom now. My dad and Nick are going to try and finish the plumbing this week. Last minute we decided to put hook ups for a washer and dryer in the bathroom down there, so that changed some of our plans, but I think we're back on schedule now. There's only a tiny bit of framing left to do and then we'll be on to wiring and insulation. So far this year we've spent a little over $3K on the basement and about $5K total in the past 2 years. Luckily that includes most of the expensive items for the bathroom. I can't wait until it's ALL done and then we can get on with our lives! Like actually exercising and going to the gym...
Well I guess that about wraps it up. I hope everyone has a great week!
Here's some pics from the past couple weeks:
Madelyn getting all her dinner in her hair and everywhere, as usual!
Andrew learning how to suction cups onto his chin, that'll come in handy for sure!
My sister Jenny pulling the kids around, while pretending to be a horse.They seemed to enjoy it!
Picture of Madelyn's crazy teeth. If you look closely you can see the front top one is through.
Andrew kickin' it after a long day of putting barrettes in his hair. It's hard to be beautiful!
Madelyn doing her silly smile...
I just wanted to write a quick post that Nick's sister, Shellie, just had her baby boy today! He is so cute! She was 32 weeks pregnant when her water broke today on her way home from having some prenatal screening. He weighs 4 lbs. 5 oz. and is doing really well. We couldn't be happier for them! Last year on the 4th of July they lost their little Max when Shellie was just 18 weeks pregnant and her water broke. Since then they've been sealed together and to their daughter, Sadie, and now have their sweet Jackson. I'd say they've been busy! It's pretty neat that he came on their anniversary and my birthday! We can't wait to meet him! I'll have to put up the picture they sent of him, he looks so good for being just 32 weeks. Any prayers in their behalf would be much appreciated!
Love to you all!
This has been Andrew's answer to anything I ask him to do. He also wanted his sippy cup filled up so he threw it to/at Nick and said "fill up my water bottle dad." No please or thank you...fun times.
We've been thinking of selling our van and just using Nick's car. With trax making it's way out here, he could just ride that to work because there's a station directly behind his work building. It would save so much money. So if anyone is, or has family that is looking for a new vehicle let them know about us. It only has 12K miles on it and is a 2006. We bought it brand new and it's still under warranty.
Today Madelyn finally said mom and mama for the first time. It was cute she kept patting me on the back saying it. Every time we'd ask her to say mom in the past, she'd just say dada and smile.
We've also moved Madelyn into Andrew's room and it's been going pretty well. She's been a little fussy because her other front tooth is about to pop through, but it hasn't really bugged Andrew too much. Today she was crying after naps so Nick went up and got her. When he went in the room Andrew informed Nick that he was still going to sleep some more, and he did for another 2 hrs!
I need some ideas on how to decorate the room to accommodate both kids. I was thinking of painting 2 walls a nice chocolate brown and then putting up pink vinyl dots (or flowers) on Madelyn's side and then light blue dots on Andrew's side. My dad thought of the idea of doing the saying of what little girls and boys are made of in each color. Anyway, any thoughts would be nice.
Nick's brother in law came on Saturday all day, and framed most of the rest of the basement. It looks so good! We love it! He just has a little bit more to be finished. Tomorrow my dad and Nick are renting a cement cutting saw and going to do some major work to get the bathroom down there ready for plumbing. The retarded builders had the shower drain too close to the stub out for the toilet, so we get to move the toilet over. Then they also put the sink right next to the toilet, so we get to move that way over too. It takes so much work to do, so I'm glad my dad has dealt with this all before.
Well I guess that's the end of my random thoughts for the day.
Yesterday was a long day. I woke up at 6:30 am to make Nick and my dad breakfast before they went to work(not to mention went to bed after midnight the night before). Then we had a dentist appt. for Andrew and after that we went to a free movie in Bountiful with Monica, Jacob, Joseph, Porter, Shellie (Nick's sister) and her daughter Sadie. Then we got some party supplies for Andrew's birthday party (not for another month). Needless to say when we got home, I put the kids to bed and then had a little bit of quiet time to myself to pick up the house. I had just laid down on the couch when my Nana called. I answered the phone with kind of a yawn. The first thing she said to me was "Are you pregnant?" I was a little surprised and asked her where she came up with that. She said "you just sound really tired." I told her I was very tired, but very NOT pregnant (at least not that I'm aware of)! I need to lose at least 30 lbs. more and be on clomid or something before that happens...
Anyway, I just thought that was kind of funny...
With the help of Gatsby from the Blogger Team I was able to fix the blog! Yeah! I also updated and personalized my blog, finally! I wasn't in love with the pre-made templates so I experimented and this is what I came up with...Fun times!
I'm so happy! Well it's off to bed for me, Nick is probably wondering where in the heck I am!
I was trying to update my layout/template, which happened successfully. But then I had to delete the add from the pyzam website from the html code and some how screwed up everything! Now I don't have the option to add back some of my page elements that are missing and I don't have a layout tab. Lovely little mess! I know Nick will know how to fix it, but I wanted to do it myself. I should have just left well enough alone! Oh well, at least I can still post...
Nick made me breakfast this morning, it was so fabulous! The kids both stayed asleep, so we got to eat in peace which rarely happens. Nick's parents are having some problems with their sprinkler system so we were at their house most of the evening with him in a 5 foot hole, trying to fix things. Nick's mom, Mary, was nice enough to buy pizza so I wouldn't have to cook on our anniversary. We had fun in the yard with the kids running/crawling around. Madelyn still hates grass, so we had her on a blanket. She would try and play peekaboo with Nick while he was in a huge hole he and his dad dug the day before. Today Madelyn had her 9 month appt. (she's almost 10 months old, but they couldn't get her in sooner) and she is doing really well. I was really surprised that she's almost 20 lbs., she seems so small! She's in the 60th percentile for her weight (up from the 30th last time!), in the 70th percentile for height, and 80th for head circumfrence (thanks to both her parents having huge heads)! She now acts like she's talking on the phone all the time, regardless if she has a pretend phone or not. She just holds her hand/fist up to her ear and talks endlessly...She also plays peekaboo all the time, but fails to actually cover her eyes. She's taken 1-2 steps by herself and stands for short periods of time by herself too. I can't believe that she is already almost a year old! This year has gone by so fast! We love her so much and she truly adds spice to our lives.
Andrew is pretty much totally potty trained now. Four nights ago he was begging and crying telling us, while we were trying to put a diaper on for bedtime, that he wanted to be a big boy. So he promised us that he would keep his diaper dry that night and then the following nights we would let him go to bed with only undies on. The next morning I came out of my room and he was in the bathroom washing his hands and told me he needed his treat. I told him he couldn't have one because his diaper wasn't dry (I hadn't checked it, I just assumed he was trying to hide it because he had already taken it off and thrown it away). He pulled the diaper out of the trash, and thrust his hand in it saying "it's not wet mom, it's all dry!" Sure enough it was, he had woken up and gone to the bathroom and kept the diaper totally dry. I was so happy I gave him a brownie for breakfast! It's the best thing in the world! I told my mom I could have 10 kids if they would all be potty trained when they were two. The kid even goes in the kitchen and gets his own treat when he's done! It's freakin' amazing! Sometimes we have to remind him that washing his hands is a must BEFORE treats are given, but not too often. He's gone three nights without diapers and about a week without diapers during the day. Last night he pee'd a little in his undies which woke him up enough to stop, but I think he was confused because he got in bed with me (I felt him and he was dry) and I asked him if he had wet the bed and he said "no." Nick took him back upstairs to bed and said that his undies were wet but not through to his jammies.
Good times! I guess that's enough of a novel for today. I'm just so proud of my big boy!
Well, it's been four years tomorrow that we've been married and I love my husband more than ever! He is the best! I can't believe how much patience he has with the kids and especially with me! I remember the first time I met him playing human foosball and how I know he thought my best friend Kelli and I were/are so crazy! It's crazy to think of all the places I could've bought my first house and I ended up being 1.5 miles away from him! I always get excited to think that we get to be together forever, especially with our crazy kids! I love the gospel for the truth and joy it brings to this world and our lives. I am so grateful we were able to be married in the temple for time and all eternity. I couldn't imagine a better (or hotter) man to spend all that time with-he is the BEST! I love my monsieur! Oh la la!
These are some of my favorite pictures of him/us...
Today we officially paid off the rest of our school/Nick's car/basement debt. It's all gone! Now we just have the house and van to payoff. It's so nice to have it done with. Luckily all of it was 0%, so we never paid a dime of interest but we made about 5% in interest income on all of it. We decided to pay it off because the interest rates went so low and we were about done with the 0% deal. If we can stick to our budget then the van will be paid off in two years, luckily we don't pay any interest on that loan either. Then we'd just have our house left to pay off, but I think we'll end up moving long before that ship sails. My goal when I bought the house was to have enough in savings to be able (if I wanted) to pay off the house. We've lived here 5 years now and I don't know how that will play out.
We've decided that Nick is going to go back for his Masters and has officially applied at the U. We looked through all of his classes for the next 5 years and the only one that is taught at a good time is his first one. The others are basically in the middle of the day. Oh well, things always seem to work out for the best.
Yesterday Madelyn stood up by herself for the first time. It was really cute. She pulled herself up against the wall and then spread her legs out pretty wide and then let go of the wall. She was so proud of herself that she was standing there with nothing helping her. She lasted a few seconds and then fell on her bum but she was giggling a lot and clapping her hands. Good times.
Well the mudding is all done! A huge thanks to Jessie, the Black's neighbor, for doing a fabulous job at a fabulous price! We'll definitely be asking them to do the garage and rest of the basement when the time comes. Nick and I were so excited to prime and paint, but then the flu came to visit us AGAIN! And again it started with Andrew and then the rest of us got it. Nick and Madelyn didn't get it too bad, so again Nick was cleaning the whole house and keeping up on the nasty laundry while I slept and tried to get better. The only places Andrew has been are church and Grandma and Grandpa Nielson's. None of the Nielson's are sick, so I've come to the conclusion that it was probably from nursery at church. Nick missed work yesterday but went today even though he was feeling not so great. I'm missing work today but I don't want anyone to get sick because of me.
The week before last we got new clothes from Kelli in Oregon for Madelyn! Cuttest things ever! We put her in one of the dresses and took some pictures. She was loving it! Especially the shoes, yummy stuff! Oh and the last picture shows my childrens true personalities towards me!
Nick has finished the sheetrock in the basement!!! It's looking so nice. Terry, Nick's dad, is coming over this week for a couple hours each day to do some mudding! He's so good to us.
Today I snapped my fingers at Madelyn to stop crawling to the bathroom (you know the three snaps) and she gave it back to me, waving her arm in the same motion I snapped at her. She's definitely got a 'tude. I was laughing really hard, so she started laughing and snorting, cute.
My best friend Kelli sent me two more boxes of clothing for Madelyn and one of the dresses fits her now. It was the cutest little dress I've ever seen! We took lots of pictures and need to post them on here. We also took some video of Andrew "helping" in the basement. The new word he learned Saturday was sawsall and today he learned what a sidekick is. When Nick got home from work Andrew told him "I'm a sidekick," and pulled his pants up really high, while tucking in his shirt. Can anyone say Steve Urkel? I guess how I explained it to him wasn't very clear...
Yeah right! Actually it's kind of exciting working on the basement again. Last night Nick and I cleaned up the mess he (it was all Nick) made all winter long. It turns out that anytime I asked Nick to put something away in the basement through the winter, he would just put it (or throw it) down the stairs...So needless to say, it needed the cleaning/re-arranging big time! Today Nick put up more sheetrock and I threw away junk and swept like a mad woman. It's looking so good! We just have 2 more sheets to put up in a walk in closet and then a linen closet to do and then it's time for the mud! Nick's dad was gracious enough to come last summer and mud and tape the family room and one of the bedrooms. We just need one more coat on those rooms and two coats on the one room that didn't get anything and then it all needs texturing (which we are going to pay someone to do). Then Nick and I will paint everything. I think we're going to get a couple more bids for the job and then go for it. If anyone knows someone who does a good job mudding/texturing, please hook me up with their info!!! We've decided also that once all that is done, we will buy wood to finish framing the rest of the basement( 1 room/walk-in closet, cold storage, and a bathroom) with any money we have left over from our stimulus payment from Bush!
Anyway, more importantly the kids are growing like weeds and make us laugh so much everyday! Today was the first day Madelyn pulled herself up to stand all the way! She's pulled herself before up on Nick while he was laying down on the floor, but that wasn't a very big climb. So this time, I had just turned around to put her bottle down and her binkie was on the ottoman and she climbed up and got it, in that short amount of time. She was very proud of herself. I grabbed the camera and video taped it, but it was just her standing there.
A funny thing Andrew did...we had just come up from the basement and Andrew had just woke up from his nap and noticed how dirty Nick's pants were and said "Oh man, you have pee-pees!" I was in the bathroom down the hall and laughed so hard! He is so crazy! We love that little mister!
Hello everyone, this is Nick, and Sonja was just saying how I never write on this thing. Yesterday, Sonja's grandparents (hereafter known as Nana and Fa) called us while we were at my parents for dinner. They said their new home (down by the fitness center) was very hot, and that they didn't sleep at all on Saturday night. We told them we'd be over there by nine because they made it sound like it wasn't that bad. So, after dinner at my parents, we went down to Nana and Fa's and we checked out their thermostat. It said it was 90 in their home! I reprogrammed it and thought all was fine and good.
Then Sonja, being the brilliant, observant person she is, noticed that the air coming out of the vents wasn't cold at all. I checked into it and noticed that the breaker for the air conditioner was off! So, we turned it on, and voila, nice cold air was coming out of the vents.
We told Nana and Fa that next time they should tell us how bad the problem is! Needless to say, we felt pretty bad!
Okay, I love it when people update their blogs so I guess I should do the same. Today we went to Nick's cousin's husband's graduation party (did you get all that?). It reminded me why I love this time of year. This same time last year I got my husband back from the University of Utah! I think he still wishes he was in school sometimes. Especially when he gets asked to do something around the house. Back then the only people he had to answer to were the professors and his beloved integrated circuits. Anyway, I think connecting with my old roomies and friends from school makes me want to finish and get my degree. I guess we'll see what Nick decides about getting his Masters degree...
oh I wanted to write in this blog in order to remember some of the funny things Andrew and Madelyn do. So I have to write Andrew's new answer to everything "yeah, yeah." Of course he says this like a gangsta. I don't know where he gets these things.