The Nelson Family

Halloween 2011

2011-11-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

Cowboy Derek
Cutest Cowboy in town!!
Derek continues to wear his cowboy boots almost every day.

Now batting number 1 on the Yankees...Nathan!!
I have to admit, this was the easiest costume in history! Thank you Nathan! You looked so cute.

m & m Livie
This is the first year that Livie and Matty made their own costumes. I did help a bit, but they really did a great job coming up with their ideas and creating their costumes. It was fun to see them be so proud of their creations. And they turned out FABULOUS!!

Flaming Marshmallow Matty
We used an upside down collapsible hamper for the shape of the marshmallow and then covered it in white fleece and of course every 8 year boy wants flames on his marshmallow.

My Halloween Cuties
They were all dressed and ready for their school Fall Festival
(carnival games, food, contests, and lots of fun)

This year the kids got to enjoy the carnival with their cousins. Anne, Emma, Sarah, Laura, and Adam joined us for the afternoon. Rachel and Howard too :)

Livie and her BFF Briley ("Fear the Beard")

Emma and Matty participated in the mummy wrapping contest. Emma wrapped and Matty stood still. It was so fun to watch Emma run around Matty as fast as she could and try to cover him in the entire roll of toilet paper.

Here's my little Cowboy blowing me a kiss. He had been throwing up the night before...so he really wasn't feeling all that well. I was just happy to see him having a good time. David came with us to the carnival, but left as soon as we got there because his stomach wasn't feeling so great. I felt so bad for him.

Go Emma, Go!! (oh, there was a hair spraying booth that my kids really enjoyed...hence the green hair)

Briley & Olivia in the mummy wrapping contest. They actually placed First! Way to go girls!

Kids needed to cool down in the shade under the pie eating contest tables. It was a beautiful sunny day. Not sure the cousins were used to feeling so warm on Halloween...they just moved to California from Colorado.

Halloween night. This is our trick or treating group just before they headed out to collect pounds of candy. After a Sunday of barfing in our house (by EVERY ONE of our family members), it was a relief that David and Howard could take the kids trick or treating on Halloween. I walked with them to the houses in our court, but then headed home due to my achy body. And Rachel was home with a messed up toe. It was killing her to walk on it. We were both home on the couch. Even with all the sickness throughout our Halloween weekend, the kids managed to have a great time and they looked so stinking cute!

Keeping My Promise

2011-06-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the numerous end of the school year activities the kids were able to participate in:

Olivia and her 4th grade teacher Mrs. Clarke

Mattingly and his 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Hayashida

David was able to walk with us to school in the morning during the kids' last week of school (his students were already out for summer...so his start time each day was a little more flexible). Derek enjoyed the stroller in the mornings throughout the school year. In the afternoon, he loved riding his Razor scooter to school to pick up his siblings.

Flowers for their teachers on the last day of school. We were so blessed this school year with fantastic teachers. Just loved each of them!

Nathan & Daddy on Kindergarten Promotion Day!

Me & Nate with his promotion certificate (it was also pajama day at school for spirit week. Funny story...we dropped Nathan off at his classroom that morning and every kid in the class was all dressed up for the promotion, but not Nathan. He was wearing his pajamas because that is what was scheduled for spirit week. I told him that pajamas were fine with me, but if he wanted me to go home and get dressy clothes for him, I would. I thought he might feel silly being the only kid in pajamas. He wanted the pajamas! He was comfortable and happy and that made me happy.

Here is Olivia receiving Superintendent's Honor Roll (the highest academic honor). Wish the picture wasn't so blurry.

Mrs. Mullins and Nathan

Perfect Attendance Awards Assembly for the 3rd Trimester

Perfect Attendance Assembly for Matty too. He received the award for Perfect Attendance for the entire school year!

4th Grade Recorder Concert & Career Day...what you want to be when you grow up. Livie is dressed as a teacher of course :)

Nathan ready to ride his scooter home after his last day of Kindergarten. That was a tough moment for me. I will miss walking home with him at 11:10 am each day and hearing about his Kindergarten fun. He's growing up. Dang it!

Walking home after a fantastic 2010-2011 school year.

Here's Nathan receiving his award for Perfect Attendance for the 3rd trimester.

Kindergarten field trip to Fairytale Town

We went to the Sacramento Zoo that same day. Aren't these Kindergarten monkeys so cute!!

Mother's Day Tea in Kindergarten
(one of my most favorite days of the school year)
I was spoiled with songs, flowers, a beautiful portrait by Nate, a bracelet, a cupcake and lemonade. What a great day!

4th, 5th & 6th Grade Spring Choir Concert
All the songs were about food. Great music and a lot fun songs. The choir had such cute movements too. My kids love singing to the soundtrack. Livie has a music/band teacher that really puts in a lot of time. Livie is taking her summer band class that she offers out of her home on Wednesdays. Her flute playing is already much better than I ever was on the clarinet. She is thinking she wants to be a music teacher when she grows up.

Briley & Olivia

It has been very difficult for Olivia to accept that Briley will be moving this summer. We love her and her family. Really great people!

Softball 2011 Championship Game
We placed 2nd. Tough on the girls when we lost our championship game (hence some tears), but they had so much to be proud of! We had an awesome season! Way to go Dodgers! We celebrated our terrific season together with a huge swim party (BBQ, swimming, bounce house) at our catcher's home. It was a blast.

School is out now and we have been laying around the house, doing nothing. NOT!! Next post will consist of summer fun...swimming, bike rides, play dates, basketball camp, Mattingly's 8th birthday & baptism, baseball camp, Cub Scout Day Camp and............................!

Believe it or not!

2011-05-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know that my blog has been dead for a long time now...but hey life is busy. Maybe this little entry will be enough to jump start my blogging habit once again. So enough about that! Here's a little spring summary of our life...

We got to sit through almost 4 innings of Matty's first baseball playoff game tonight (IN THE POURING RAIN). I'm sorry, I pay good money to live in "sunny" California. This is not baseball weather! His game was called/ended due to the rainy weather. They were ahead 1-0, but not sure if they will have to finish the game before moving onto round 2 of the playoffs. It has been a challenging season for Matty. He started off feeling like the worst kid on the team (which he wasn't), then he started making contact with the ball at the plate. They funny thing to me was that he thought he was the worst because he was striking out often, when most of the players on his team had the same problem. He didn't notice that strike outs were a team struggle. In the end, I am just happy that he is having fun being on a baseball team and that he wants to keep playing baseball. He had me worried there for a while. I was beginning to think we jinxed him when we named him "Mattingly". He has learned a lot this season about perseverance.

Tomorrow night is Olivia's first playoff softball game (highly doubt that game will happen, dumb rain). We are the #2 seed. We have to win 2 games to make it to the championship game. I really think her team can do it. She made me so proud last Saturday when she hit a hard ball off of the best pitcher in the league. She got on base and got an RBI. It was a very big moment in our game and I was so happy for her when she came through for her team when they really needed it. She is having so much fun with softball. It's hard for me to believe that she is old enough to be in the dugout singing softball cheers with her team (wasn't I just doing that??). Livie is very busy with school, homework, reading, school choir, playing the recorder, piano lessons, and now she is in beginner band at school (playing the flute). She loves spending time with her friends from school and from her team. Sometimes I feel more like her manager than her mom. I tell her all the time that she has a better social life than I do. It's ok, I love that she is involved in positive things. If only her allergies were better :(

Nathan is so close to finishing his Kindergarten year and that makes me so sad! I love everything about Kindergarten and I just don't want it to end yet! He is so smart and so funny. I am just happy that the "funny" hasn't become a problem at school like it can at home. He is everyone's friend (boys and girls) and I love that about him. He has become a pretty independent little boy. He really doesn't want me walking him up to his classroom anymore but I told him "too bad, I'm doing it anyway". He recently had his first ambulance ride when he accidently ate a small Snickers at school. I could really live a calmer life without those allergic reaction experiences. He has turned into a baseball stud this season. He is playing "coach pitch" and he impresses me each game with his hitting and fielding. He loves playing first base (of course, all the plays are to first base). He looks forward to every game and practice. His season ends this Saturday and he is going to miss playing on his Yankees team. Maybe soccer in the fall?

Derek is the champion little brother. This boy goes to at least 5 baseball/softball games a week and cheers for his siblings and their teams. He has learned some cheers and he loves to run out at the end of the game to put his hand in the huddle for the after game cheer. He follows Nathan's team to go and shake the other team's hands. He dresses for the game (his own baseball pants, an old t-ball Yankee shirt, his Yankees hat and his black high top Converse shoes). He's the cutest little bat boy out there. He can't wait for it to be his turn and I don't blame him. He gave me the greatest Mother's Day gift. He decided that day that he wanted to use the potty. I wasn't planning on potty training until after the baseball season, but he is doing so well with it. So independent and so excited about using it. How bad is it that there is a little part of me that is sad to see him wearing big boy undies? How did he get to be 3 so soon? He is completely addicted to his Razor scooter and he tells me he loves me at least 10 times a day. He likes to sing to me and it just melts my heart.

David is a very busy man this time of year. He has lots of school activities going on that keep him at work late into the night, but he makes the time to help Matty's team as an assistant coach. The two of us are having fun coaching Nathan's team. We have a great group of kids on the team and really nice families. These parents help out on the field and in the dugout. It helps make our experience enjoyable and not stressful. David and his dad recently built a mantel for our fireplace. It is almost completely finished and I really like how it looks in our house. I wish he had more time for projects. He's good at them and I know he enjoys them. Someday. He his recovering from the butt kicking his Lakers suffered in the playoffs. Hopefully the Yankees won't disappointment him as well. He had a proud daddy moment a few weeks ago when Olivia completed a research project/presentation on "Why Everyone Should Be a Yankees Fan".

As for me...well my spring days are filled with wife & mom duties, coaching 2 teams, volunteering in classrooms, chaperoning field trips, teaching the 6,7&8 year old kids each Sunday, fighting my battle with allergies and trying to get some exercise. I am beginning to really enjoy running. I have to admit that I am looking forward to the kids being on summer vacation. No homework and no school schedule to keep up with. Can't wait to swim, play, watch movies, BBQ, camp, visit family & friends, sleep & relax. Just a few more weeks to go :)

I think one day I will look back, read this and think, man I was busy! And believe it or not, I think I will miss those days.

Next post will include some pictures!

Winter Vacation is Here!

2009-12-20T22:55:00.001-08:00

I just have to say how happy I am that winter vacation has finally arrived. Don't get me wrong...the school year really is flying by. I am just so happy to have my husband home with us for the next 3 weeks! His new job as an elementary school principal has been such a blessing to our family, but the downside of this job is that it keeps him away from home lots of days for very long amounts of time. We get to have him home with us now for the next 3 weeks and I am very grateful. No school schedules to worry about! Lots of play ahead...and maybe a few "honey-do" chores.

It's Great to Be 8 !!

2009-11-29T21:38:00.001-08:00

Olivia Madeline
8 years old

Olivia turned 8 years old on Friday. Her birthday celebration began a little earlier in the week. She invited 5 friends over for a sleep over. The girls each created their own personal pizza, we baked cookies, had cake & ice cream, presents, watched a movie and were asleep by 11:40 PM. One friend felt a little homesick, so at midnight, she called home. In the morning, David made chocolate chip pancakes and then the girls did a little more baking (chocolate dipped pretzels). They played and laughed and really had a good time together. The boys did a good job being the "pesky little brothers", but overall it went well. I was very impressed with how well the girls all got along. It was a great party.

On Friday, she had the traditional birthday breakfast in bed and then we celebrated at home with our family and my parents. We had a steak dinner and more chocolate cake! Olivia opened the many cards she received, as well as some gifts. She got a new bike, a new yellow lab webkinz (she of course named Sophie), an easy bake oven and some boots that she hasn't really taken off yet. She couldn't wait to ride her new bike, so she bundled up and went out in the dark to try it out. It's a good thing we live in a court. She loved when the boys went to bed and she got to stay up a little later to play some Uno with her dad. It was a very nice birthday evening together.

So pretty in her baptism dress. David's dad (Papa) took some wonderful pictures of Olivia a few weeks before her baptism. These pictures are very special to us.

Dressed in the baptism jumpsuit...ready for her daddy to baptize her.

Saturday, was her special baptism day. It was a very special experience. She had invited lots of family to participate in the program (including a special song performed by her brothers, Hannah, Sydney & Kendall). Grammy & Papa shared very thoughtful words about baptism and the Holy Ghost. The spirit was very easily felt by all of us. I know that Olivia will remember this day with lots of love in her heart because of the efforts by everyone that participated in the program and who came to support her. One of the thoughts that continually ran through my mind during that great day was how blessed we are to have so much love and support shown to us by so many people. Truly a blessing.

Mommy & Livie right before her baptism program began.

This photo was taken after the baptism. Olivia had been so excited to wear her special white dress. She looked absolutely beautiful. David looked awfully handsome too.

Olivia picked out a chocolate cake with all white frosting for her special baptism day. After her baptism, we enjoyed cake together in the cultural hall.

Group shot of most of the kids! They were all so sweet and happy for Livie. I am so proud of Olivia and the example she sets for all these kids.

Livie & her brothers!

Nelson Family photo with our 8 year old daughter!

Here is Olivia opening cards and gifts that family & friends had brought for her. She received some very special things (scriptures, scripture bag, bracelets, bookmarks, journal, baptism keepsake book, stickers, pens & highlighters).

After a quick clean-up at the church, family joined up back at our house for some pizza, salad, and more visiting. It was really fun getting to spend some more time together. Mark & Becky, Steven, Bill & Helen all headed back to R.P. Thanks you guys for traveling and sharing this day with Olivia. It really meant a lot to her and to us.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT!!

2009-11-14T00:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, believe it or not...I have worked on my blog with updated info and photos. Now, hopefully I can stay committed to posting once in a while. We will see. I realize life is always going to be busy, but I really do want to find a routine again for posting more often. Ok enough about that.

Last Tuesday night was a super fun evening. Olivia, my mom, Sean & Lisa and their girls, and I all went into San Francisco to see "Wicked". It was amazing. I can't say enough about it. We bought tickets back in September. Olivia and I had been very quietly counting the days until our special night. I am so glad we went and got to experience it together. Olivia was familiar with the music (her 2nd grade teacher played the music often in class) and she kept up real well with the storyline. It was so interesting to follow the stories of the witches. The performance done by Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) was incredible. I just loved how the storyline unraveled. It ended up being quite a late night for all of us, but totally worth it (the following day was a school holiday). I hope this is a lasting memory for an almost 8 year old. I would really like to see it again sometime. We have had so much fun listening to the soundtrack.

Here we are just outside the Orpheum Theater doors. I thought it was so cute that Olivia wore her green sweater to the performance. On our way home she told me that the "Popular" scene was her favorite.

Mom, Lisa, me, Olivia, Sydney & Hannah
(photo taken by Sean)
Orpheum Theater
San Francisco, CA

April Happenings...Part 1

2009-05-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

Well...I know it is already May, but I am still going to blog about our crazy month of April. We managed quite a few exciting milestones in our family this month. I will work this blog starting with the happenings from the end of the month and work my way backwards. We celebrated Nathan's 4th birthday with a small family party at home (with a walking fieldtrip of fun to the park). Nathan really enjoyed playing on the slides, being pushed on the swings by Grandpa, racing in Derek's red car...courtesy of Uncle Jon's speed, and doing somersaults down a little grassy hill with all the other kids (and this was only the excitement at the park).

Here he is blowing out the 4 candles on his Lego cake. The Lego character cake was a surprise for Nathan. David, my father-in-law (Bill) and I all helped decorate the b-day cake. We had Lego Indiana Jones racing across the cake in a raft and the "good" Lego Star Wars guys battling with the "bad" Lego Stars Wars guys. Nathan really seemed to like the surprise and that was all I wanted.

How can Nathan already be 4 years old? Here he is loving his birthday breakfast in bed. He wanted pancakes and a piece of his leftover strawberry cake for his breakfast. Let's just say, he didn't eat much of the pancakes. I just can't believe how fast time has gone. He seems like such a big boy to me now. He has such a funny and silly personality. He loves to make others laugh. I love that about him. He makes the funniest faces and sound effects. He constantly changes his clothes throughout the day (and that drives me nuts) and he prefers to wear shorts and colored socks. He cracks me up!
I love you my little Nathan William.
Happy 4th Birthday you crazy kid!

We had a few warm days in April. One Monday evening we spent time outside having squirt gun fights and washing David's car. Derek discovered the hose. He had such a good time playing with it. He later managed to find the soapy bucket we were using to wash the car. He dove right in while no one was looking, and his mommy had to rescue him from drowning during the car wash. He had solid bubbles from the top of his head all way to his belly button. You couldn't even see his little face.
Babies + buckets = trouble.

Here is a picture of Matty and Nathan riding bikes together in our court. Nathan is loving his new bike and helmet. He is really coming along with his bike. And notice, Matty is riding without training wheels! He had set a goal (homework assignment from a few weeks ago) to learn to ride without training wheels...and he accomplished it. He has never really been all that into riding his bike. We had practiced a couple of times before with taking the training wheels off, but he just wasn't ready. Well on this particular night, we took them off, I held on to the back of his bike for about 20 seconds and let go...he rode off without any problems (he even turned and came right back towards me). He was so proud of himself and he now just loves riding his bike. He actually rides better without the training wheels. It's one of his favorite things to do now. Great job Matty Boy!

Derek loves riding on the back of my bike. David rode around with Derek during Matty's exciting night of bike riding. I just think he looks so cute with his little bike helmet (he doesn't mind wearing it anymore...thank goodness).

Well like I said, this is just some of the April fun for our family. I still need to catch up on Easter, our Spring Break trip to R.P. and Bodega Bay, and of course Baseball Season 2009 has begun! Have I mentioned that Derek is now walking???

Date Nights

2009-04-08T23:54:00.001-07:00

After David returned home from a weekend in Utah (mission reunion), we had the opportunity for a date night. Back in December, he received some NBA tickets for the Kings & Lakers game from a very generous family at one of the schools he works at. The game was Tuesday night and I was very much ready for a date night. We had really great seats and the game was full of dunks (2 important things at a professional basketball game). Getting to spend a fun evening with my husband was the highlight of the night for me. During our night out I got to thinking about how we REALLY need more of these date nights. Life is so busy with our family, work, church callings, sports, etc.,. These are all important and great things to be busy with, but I feel like we need to make "us" a priority more often than we do. I know I can do a better job even in small & simple ways to make my marriage more of a priority.

A picture from the game.

Before kids, we took lots of pictures together. Something to remember.

David of course cheered for his Lakers. Here's Kobe ready for his free throw.

Final Score

Date Nights = Winning

Happy Birthday Derek!

2009-03-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

Well today, our baby turned 1 year old! I really can't believe it! The first year went by too quickly for me. We had a family birthday party last Saturday at our house and we really enjoyed spending time with everyone. Derek was fantastic. He was happy on his special day and really enjoyed the time we all spent playing outside in the court. David pushed Derek around in his red car that he loves while he watched all of the cousins play with lots and lots of outside toys.

This is how Derek feels about being 1 !

Getting ready to sing "Happy Birthday" to Derek!"

Yummy, chocolate cake! He really liked it. Not really a surprise...he is my son and all.

Oooh, that mint chip ice cream is cold!

Daddy and Derek opening gifts from family. Derek loved the dollar bill he received from Grammy & Papa. He held on to it for quite a while...of course he liked putting it in his mouth...yuck.

Derek giving the gift opening a try all on his own. He really only cared about the paper.

The birthday party crew!

Tonight (his official b-day) our little family shared what we think is special about Derek. Here are the responses:

Olivia: "I really love Derek because he makes me laugh. I like when he wants to play on my bed with me at bedtime."

Matty: "I really love playing with Derek."

Nathan: "I really like going in Derek's room in the morning when he wakes up."

Mommy: "I really love the big hugs Derek gives me when I get him up out of his crib. And when he pats me on my back."

Daddy: "I really love when I come home from work and Derek crawls over to me because he wants me to pick him up and hug him."

Our baby Derek has brought so much love and joy to our family. We love him and value the sweet spirit he is!

Happy 1st Birthday Derek David!

Snow Trip 2009

2009-03-03T10:52:00.000-08:00

We made a day trip to Tahoe on the last Saturday of February. Thanks to my mom & dad, Derek was able to sit this adventure out. A day in the snow would not be considered an enjoyable day for him and way too much work for his parents. The "big" kids in our family were very much excited for the snow trip. We dropped off Derek at my parents' house and arrived at Soda Springs Resort around 11:30 AM. We quickly ate our lunch in the car and got dressed in all of our warm snow clothes (we were a little too warm to be honest...it was a pretty warm day in the Sierras...we ended up taking off a layer of clothing later in the day.) Well, Soda Springs was a bust. Too much money for no tubing! We paid and made it up the hill...only to wait in a long slow line. After realizing that this was not going to be at all what we wanted for our kids for the day, we headed back to the ticket sale window and asked for a refund. Surprisingly, I didn't have to go nuts on them to get our money back. We went back to the car and headed to a great "free" play area with plenty of snow and a few hills for the sleds. This little road trip to a new place provided Nathan with an opportunity to take a much needed snooze before heading out to play in the snow (AGAIN).

Here is Matty attempting his first snow ball of the afternoon. He and Nathan were all about the snow ball fight. They had a war with their dad for the first hour of play. They hid behind a bunker of trees and David launched snow balls over in their direction. They laughed and laughed and managed to throw a few snow balls at him.

Here is Nathan after his first run down a small hill with our blue disk. The disk was more manageable for the kids than the sled. He zoomed down and walked up the hill to try again.

Here is David and the kids on the "magic carpet" as we called it. It moved us all up the mountain with the tubes Soda Springs had available to use. Too bad we couldn't actually go down the run with the tubes. The lines were terrible and the tubes were moving very slowly down the hill (bad combination). I really did like the "magic carpet".

A quick pose together in the beautiful white snow!

We had our photographer snap a quick photo of us! She even asked us to kiss and she got that photo too. Thanks Livie.

Here comes Matty on the sled. Watch out below!

Dog-pile on Daddy!

This is a great little video of Olivia flying down the hill on the disk. She really enjoyed it.

Student of the Month

2009-03-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

Olivia was selected as "Student of the Month" for February for being a good problem solver and for good decision making. We are proud of her. She went up in front of the whole school to receive her award. There have been times when she hasn't felt comfortable in front of audiences, but she did it without any problems! Way to go Olivia! Keep up the great work!!

Livie's "Liberty" Basketball Season 2009

2009-03-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo from Olivia's final game of the season. She is in the blue shirt in the middle of the picture. She worked really hard at being aggressive on defense. I was really proud of the way she kept on striving to get better throughout the season. She definitely wasn't the tallest girl out on the court, but she made up for it with her speed and aggressive attitude. She made one basket all season and that moment was awesome. She was so happy and proud of herself. The look on her face was priceless! Both sets of grandparents happened to be at that particular game, as well as her daddy and brothers. Everyone cheered liked crazy for her. Being her coach and referee of the game, I got to run up and congratulate her right away. Her first words to me were, "Mommy, I did it! I did it!"

A medal to congratulate the basketball player for a great season. Can't wait until the next season of girls basketball. We had a great time together!

Wet & Wild!

2009-02-24T09:36:00.001-08:00

It was raining & pouring at our house Monday after school. It was raining so hard...we just had to go outside and enjoy it. Looking back, I have no idea why I had my kids get jackets and boots on. It would have made much more sense to put on swimsuits and flip flops! They got soaked and absolutely loved every minute of it! Derek and I watched from the dry garage. As I took pictures of the little wet maniacs, I felt grateful for this silly moment they were having together. I am grateful I get to be home with my kids and experience moments like this (even though there are days I don't feel so grateful for the opportunity).

Matty and Nathan just getting started out in the rainstorm.

Nathan loved splashing in the puddles with his new fireman rain boots and matching umbrella!

SPLISH, SPLASH!
Yes, Matty is using the princess umbrella (his BOY umbrella broke weeks ago)

They were trying to see who could make the biggest splash!

All wet and totally worth it!

(of course when we were finished, one of the kids...guess who...didn't take his clothes off in the garage and decided it was a good idea to walk through the house... leaving a small river in my hallway and living room!)

Baby Derek is Learning to Walk!

2009-02-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

Derek is practicing his walking more and more each day. He loves when everyone is watching and clapping for him. "D.D." (Nathan's nickname for Derek David) likes to show off for us. It is hard for me to believe that he will be one next month. His first year has certainly gone by in the blink of an eye.

Beginning Bowlers!

2009-02-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

Monday (our day off from school) was a family bowling day! My parents invited us to go bowling. The kids were really into the experience. This was their first time and they were so excited with just the bowling shoes. Nathan asked if he could get a pair just like his rentals for his birthday.

Too cute.

Here is a photo of our "cool bowling shoes".

Velcro bowling shoes...so smart!

My kids love their Grandma & Grandpa!

Nathan gives the "thumb up" about bowling. The automatic metal bumper guards sure helped his score. This new bowling alley was quite fancy!

Here is the score card during the 8th frame. "D" (Daddy...aka David) and "M" (Mommy...aka me) were tied with 100. Of course that all changed by the end of the game. Ha ha ha.

Livie, Matty & Me having fun being silly together!

Winter Weather??

2009-02-04T22:10:00.001-08:00

I know we really need the rain, but we have enjoyed playing outside these last few weeks. We have spent a lot of time riding bikes, scooters, playing basketball, swinging on the rope swing, and I even busted out my rollerblades. I have been able to spend some time working on our yards as well (work that we usually can't do until the spring). The kids and my plants are a little confused about the seasons. Each morning, Nathan and I fight over his clothes. He doesn't want to wear pants because the weather is so nice by lunch time. Nathan loves wearing shorts and t-shirts (he has even got away with wearing flip flops a few days). Nathan and Derek have loved playing with Derek's car (that used to be Nate's) out in our court. It has become a daily ritual. Both of the boys are all smiles as Nathan zooms Derek around the neighborhood. Derek cries when it's time to get out. What is it with boys and their cars??

Derek & Big Brother Nathan

One happy little guy!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-01-20T21:38:00.001-08:00

So, today is my dad's 60th birthday! Happy birthday Dad! I love this picture of him with my 3 older kids because it reminds me so much of being a kid myself. This was the kind of dad he was to my sister and me. He always made time to play and have fun with us and I am thankful he continues to do that as a grandfather. My kids have the greatest time with their "Grandpa Tommy". He's not very fond of getting older, in fact he manages to continue life like he was in his 30's or so (ha ha ha). He is a great waterskiier and enjoys spending time with his waterski (I mean his 8 grandchildren). We all love him and are thankful for all that he does for each one of us.

HAPPY 60TH DAD!

Family Relationships Mean Everything!

2009-01-18T22:10:00.000-08:00

Well I finally finished blogging a bit about our December experiences (look back to December...I finally finished updating my blog for that month) and now January is more than half way over. Time flies! We recently said goodbye for now to David's grandfather ("Grandpa Nelson" as we all call him). He passed away on Jan. 6 at the age of 92. I am so grateful my children were able to build a relationship with him before he passed on. I will always remember how much he enjoyed being around the kids and how he always told us, "I sure love ya." When he was able to come to church he made a great effort to share his testimony of the gospel. It was very important to him to share his feelings with those that he loved.

We will miss him.

I love this picture I took of him laughing.

It makes me smile every time I look at it.

June 2008

He always had kisses for the Great Grandchildren.

Great Grandpa Nelson and Derek
June 2008

David's sisters flew out for the funeral and stayed with us for a few days. It was so great to have some time to spend with them and their babies. This is the 2nd time Karen, Rachel, and I have all had babies within months of each other. Here is David, screaming Derek, Rachel, Laura, Karen and Joshua. We stayed up late visiting and laughing with one another. David's brother, Steven and cousin, Zaron came as well. We all enjoyed spending time together and sharing what we had learned during the days we had together as we said farewell to Grandpa Nelson. Family relationships are FOREVER. I think we will all work on strengthening those family ties. My kids sure enjoyed having their aunties at our house for a few days. Wish we could do it much more often, that's for sure.

Christmas Memories!

2008-12-31T21:42:00.000-08:00

So, December in our house was full of a whole lot of fun. We began the month with a fantastic trip to Disneyland. My parents were able to come again with us (couldn't have imagined doing it without them) and we had such a fun time together. We enjoyed spectacular warm weather, snow on Main Street, Christmas decorations like nothing else and most of all, 3 fun-filled days together as a family. The kids were such troopers. Olivia was all about the roller coasters (even California Screamin' at CA Adventure). We (Olivia, my mom, and I) enjoyed dancing and singing during the "High School Musical 3" concert. Nathan enjoyed "Star Tours", the "Playhouse Disney" show and even "Space Mountain" (that one surprised me). Matty really enjoyed "Buzz Lightyear" (again) and he really liked the new "Toy Story Mania" ride. He was even chosen to participate in the "Jedi Training Academy" show (don't worry, I filmed the entire thing). Derek couldn't have been a better baby throughout the 3 crazy days. He went on all the rides he could and liked looking at all the lights. He wasn't very crazy about the characters though. Our trip was full of laughter and smiles and that is what I will remember most. Even when Matty got a sliver in his hand while waiting for "Thunder Mountain", all he really cared about was the extra fast pass a Disneyland worker gave him because of it. I really can't believe all we were able to do and see in those 3 small days. It was amazing. (You can see some great photos from our trip below in an earlier blog entry.) We ended our Southern CA trip with an overnight visit with David's grandparents. I took some really great pictures of the kids with their great-grandparents. December was off to a great start.

Christmas Kindergarten Performance

2008-12-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

The last week of school in December brought Mattingly's Kindergarten Christmas Performance. They sang some really cute songs and he did great. He knew the words and all the hand movements. He really liked singing, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". Here he is all dressed up for his big night. My parents, Lisa (my super great friend) and her girls were able to join us for the performance. We went back to our house afterwards for some hot chocolate and cookies.
He learned all the sign language for the song "Silent Night". Very cool.

"Park-a-Thon"

2008-12-31T19:39:00.000-08:00

On our first Monday of Winter Break, David took our 3 older kids on a special outing while I took Derek to his 9 month check-up. He called it a "Park-A-Thon". They took a timer with them and set it for about 12 minutes. When the timer went off, they stopped playing at the park they were at and moved on to the next park. They did this 6 times...visiting most of the parks in Galt. They absolutely loved moving from park and to park and getting to play with their Daddy. It was a perfect sunny morning for such an adventure. I love that my husband is the type of father that thinks of these kinds of ideas for his kids. I also love that he gets to be home with them during their winter, spring, and some of their summer break. They really are blessed to have him for a dad.

Light Saber battles at the park.

Hi Matty!

Hi Livie!

Hi Nathan!

Below is a great video of Livie and Nathan laughing and enjoying their "Park-A-Thon" day with Daddy. I have no idea why it isn't showing in a vertical format. Sorry about that. Just tilt your head a bit. :)

Christmas Tree Lane

2008-12-31T18:23:00.000-08:00

Monday night before Christmas, we had a great Family Home Evening together with our friends, Sean & Lisa and their girls. We drove up to a fancy neighborhood in Sacramento to check out an area I had read about in the paper. All the houses on a few streets have created a really neat display of Christmas lights, inflatables, nativity scenes, and more. We parked our cars and walked "Christmas Tree Lane" together.Most of the sidewalks were lined with archways lit up with Christmas lights. It felt like you were walking in a tunnel. Here is Matty, Livie, Sydney, Nathan & Hannah. (Kendall & Derek were being pushed in strollers)

Santa was there taking last minute Christmas wishes from kids. It was great. Derek was the only one afraid of the jolly old elf. Each of the kids took turns sitting on his knee long enough for me to snap a photo and for them to ask for something for Christmas. Livie asked for a vanity. Matty asked for a Wii and Nathan asked for "Star Wars Stuff". One out of three was pretty good, Santa. Nathan did get some "Star Wars Stuff".

After "Christmas Tree Lane", we headed over to the Sacramento Capital Building to see the Christmas tree. We had a few kids who needed a bathroom, so it was time for us to get going to our last stop...Cold Stone for ice cream.

We needed one last photo together. We had to make it a silly one. Not hard to do with this group. We had a great night celebrating not only the Christmas season, but friendship too.

Christmas Day 2008

2008-12-31T17:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning brought lots of excitement to our house. The kids were happy with the gifts they got and were very excited to give their gifts too. Both Olivia and Matty got to shop alone this year for their family members. There was a Santa's Shop at their school. I can remember doing the same thing when I was in elementary school. They each brought $5 to school and got to buy 5 gifts (I love the Dollar Store). They picked out great gifts for their siblings and parents. Good job guys! This year Olivia was very excited about the pink Razor Scooter Santa brought her. She also liked her pink and white polka dot basketball from Grammy and Papa. And of course she loved all the doll clothes for her American Girl doll sewn by Grandma Lynnie. Matty was excited about his remote control Hummer from Santa and loved his new Webkinz from his Grammy and Papa. Grandma and Grandpa spoiled him with a great Legos Speed Racer set and a new Indiana Jones whip that plays the theme music with every crack of the whip (gotta love that!). Nathan was thrilled with his new Clone Wars dress up Clonetrooper outfit from Santa. He shoots Nerf darts all around these days thanks to his very own Nerf gun from Grammy and Papa. And yes, Nathan has an Indiana whip, too. He and Matty have fun playing "Indi" as they call it. Derek was happy playing with all the wrapping paper and his new stuffed dog. He got to wear his red "Baby's First Christmas" pajamas and we chased him away from the Christmas tree over and over and over.

Christmas evening at my mom and dad's house. I finally got a Christmas photo of all 4 of them under a tree.

Derek's First Christmas 2008

Christmas Disneyland Trip

2008-12-18T23:15:00.000-08:00

Minnie & Olivia

Toontown

Olivia was really excited to get her face painted on our last day at Disneyland.
It turned out so pretty.

We really only needed to bundle up on our last night.
We felt so lucky enjoying the almost 80 degree weather in December.

David, Derek & Matty catching a ride on Dumbo. Love that sunshine!

We were thrilled when Matty was selected from the crowd to participate in the Jedi Training Academy. He dressed up in his Anakin Skywalker costume (thank you Rachel for that tip) and waved his hand around...and sure enough, he got picked. After his training, he was the first kid to fight Darth Maul. He did so great. It was so much fun to watch.

Tea Cups with Mommy.

It snowed (soap suds) on Mainstreet while we were there. Disneyland was beautiful with all the decorations and the lights. Wait till you see the picture below of the castle.

Our first ride, of course.

Is this a happy baby or what? Grandpa looks pretty happy at Disneyland, too!

Grandma and the kids on the Jungle Cruise

See what I mean about the castle...it was amazing.
Matty, me and Derek

You can now tour the inside of Sleeping Beauty's castle.

Sophie

2008-12-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

After spending Thanksgiving Day with my parents, we returned home to a very sad situation. We couldn't find our 8 year old dog Sophie. She somehow got out of the backyard while we were away and she was missing. There was no indication as to how she got out. She loved to chase any animal that walked along the top of our fence...so maybe this time she managed to jump it? David immediately went to look for her with the car. It was dark and after searching for over an hour and a half he returned home without her. We hung signs, made phone calls and searched for her again the days following. Yesterday afternoon we got a call from a lady in town who saw her running on the highway Thanksgiving night near the exit closest to our house. She told us how she turned around and tried to find her but couldn't. I knew I needed to go look for her in the area this lady told me about. I found her lying in the center divide of the highway. My heart broke and I couldn't believe this was happening. We told the kids last night and Olivia was just crushed. Our friend Sean went and picked up Sophie for us and then took her to the animal shelter today. Olivia is doing better today, but she misses Sophie. The boys I don't think really understand what has happened. Matty has been working to cheer up Olivia as best as he can. Nathan asked again today, "When will Sophie come home?" Sophie was a fun and energetic dog who absolutely loved to chase a ball and that is what I will remember most about her. She was a pain at times (like a lot of pets), but that really doesn't seem to matter to me. I will miss watching her play with my kids and just being the crazy dog that she was. I really wish this hadn't happened. Losing a pet is tough on us grown-ups too. Rest in peace Sophie.

We love you.

Sophie

July 16, 2000 - November 27, 2008

"Shake It!"

2008-11-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

On Veterans Day, David needed to unlock the school for the crazy teachers who like to work on their days off... so he took Nathan and Olivia along for the ride. He took them into the cafeteria to play around for a while. Olivia and Nathan got on stage with some microphones and music. Here is some video of our little "Rock Stars"! Check out Nathan's hip action!

This video below is a flashback for me. When I was about Olivia's age, I starred in a home video that my family has never let me live down. I shook my groove thang to "Mickey". Here is Olivia shaking her body to "Shake It". The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.

Girls' Night at the Movies!

2008-11-10T22:53:00.001-08:00

Olivia and I had the chance to go and see "High School Musical 3" tonight. We have been looking forward to this for a couple of weeks. Tomorrow is a day off from school, so we planned a date. We got to go with some pretty great friends too! Sean & Lisa and two of their girls (Hannah & Sydney) picked us up and we all headed to the Lodi theater. The boys in my family went together in August to see "The Clone Wars" (Star Wars movie), so tonight was the girls' turn. Sean is the daddy of 3 super cute girls, and he was great about coming with us to this movie. Olivia and I enjoy getting to spend time together doing "girl things". I really like it when I get to spend one on one time with my kids. I know they really like it too. We were moving our feet to the music tonight and predicting what would happen to the different characters throughout the movie. We enjoyed it and had a fun time being girls! When the movie was over, Olivia, Hannah & Sydney danced around to the music underneath the giant movie screen...it was really cute. I am thankful Livie has these surrogate sisters to do fun and crazy things with. Good times!

Cheerios!

2008-11-07T23:28:00.001-08:00

Yep, that's a Cheerio, Derek!

"I got it, but how do I get it in my mouth?"

Proud Brothers
Nathan with his mouth open (a phase for him right now with photos...it's driving me nuts!), Derek a little overwhelmed by his excited big brothers, & Matty ready with the bowl of Cheerios.

Derek has reached the "Cheerios" milestone. He tried them yesterday with the help of his two older brothers. I had to convince Matty and Nathan that the highchair tray did not need to be entirely covered with cheerios. They thought this was a very exciting moment (I love that they get so into the new things Derek experiences). Derek played with the cereal for a bit and then he figured out he could put them in his mouth. From that point on, there really was no stopping him. He is getting big entirely too fast for me. I can't believe he is days away from being 8 months old. And yes, I know his hair is a little long (I get asked what "her" name is even when he is wearing blue). I can't bring myself to give him a real big boy haircut yet. I'll get there... some day.

A Great Night with Grandma!

2008-11-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday night, the kids (Livie, Matty, Nathan) and I were treated to a very special evening with my mom. My sister and her oldest boy (Jacob) were able to join in on the fun as well. David was "Super Daddy", staying home with a sick baby Derek (I love you David!). We started the night with dinner at Chili's Restaurant near Arco Arena. My kids enjoyed their favorites (Olivia loves corn dogs, Matty really enjoys quesedillas lately, and Nathan is all about the macaroni & cheese). After they inhaled their food, we all piled into my van and drove through the rain to Disney on Ice. The kids were so excited and so cute. Nathan and my nephew Jacob were dressed in their Buzz Lightyear costumes from last Halloween and Olivia wore a beautiful princess dress. Matty resisted dressing up, but he did settle on wearing his Buzz Lightyear t-shirt. Nathan and Jacob are at the age (3 1/2) where they were waving to all of the characters and asking millions of questions. Olivia liked the music and the princesses. Matty was into the fight scenes with "Gaston" and the "Beast" and the battle scene from "Mulan" (typical for Matty). The show really did have lots for all the kids to enjoy. It was fun to be out with the "older" kids, but the first thing Olivia said in the car on our drive home was, "I wish Daddy and Derek could have been there with us." I am so thankful she loves her daddy and her brothers as much as she does. I am also thankful for my mom for planning this fun night out for all of us. I really needed to get out and have fun with my kids that week. GRANDMAS TRULY ARE THE BEST!!

Grandma Lynnie with 4 of her "Little Sweeties"

Buzz Lightyear Buddies
Jacob & Nathan

We had a blast together!

Love these guys!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

2008-10-31T16:16:00.001-07:00

"Dorothy"

"Rhino Power Ranger"

" Luke Skywalker "

Halloween 2008

This is how Derek picks out a pumpkin!

Pumpkin Heads !

Do you think Nathan should lay off the candy?

Big Morning for Nathan!

2008-10-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

Nathan was very proud of himself!

This is a picture of the actual note Nathan made for Matty.

Working hard on the envelope.

On Monday morning, Nathan asked if he could make Matty a card. Matty and Livie were at school and Derek was taking his morning nap. It was a perfect time for Nate and I to make something together...only he did NOT want my help. First, he wanted to use some fun stamps on the paper. Then he asked for a pen to write Matty's name. I got Nate the pen and the next thing I realize, he has written Matty's name on the top of the paper. He needed a little help with the "y". I was impressed he remembered how to spell Matty's name and with how well he wrote it. He said he needed to write "Nathan" at the bottom of the note. I just sat and watched with my mouth wide open as he proceeded to write the letters in his name. He couldn't remember what an "h" looked like, so I wrote one on a separate paper and he copied it onto his note. He then finished the other letters in his name. It was a very exciting moment in our morning. I cherish experiences like this with my kids. I absolutely enjoy observing them learn and accomplish something new...but I do have to admit, it is a little sad for me too. They are growing up so fast.

Nathan put his special note in an envelope and wrote Matty's name on the front of it. He brought it with him when we left to go pick Matty up from school. He instantly gave the note to Matty and this became a big moment for Matty. He took the note and said, "Thank you Nathan. DID YOU WRITE MY NAME?" Nathan replied, "Yep. All by myself." Matty opened the note and said, "Nathan I am so proud of you. I am going to keep this forever...even when I am all growned up." How great was that? Matty could have blown him off (like he sometimes does)but he really celebrated Nathan's accomplishment and that meant the world to Nathan (and especially to me). Nathan and his mommy bragged about the note all day. I am proud of you Nathan!

The End of a Great Soccer Season!

2008-10-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Livie defending the goal.

"Shooting Stars" 2008

Go "Stormtroopers"! 2008

(Matty's in the white jersey)

We wrapped up a fun and exciting soccer season yesterday, as Olivia and Mattingly each played in their last games. David, Nathan, Derek, my parents, David's dad, and I cheered the kids on during each game. Olivia worked her little buns off trying to score a goal. She played in the Under-8 division this season and she did remarkably well. She learned to be very agressive and to not be afraid to take the ball away from the opposing team. I was very proud of how determined she was in every one of her games. Her coach said, "Olivia bleeds soccer!" She makes me want to get out there and play. It was a blast watching her improve every game! Way to go, Livie!!

Mattingly played in the Under-6 division again. He really came alive towards the end of the season. Last week he was dribbling the ball up the field and taking it right to the goal. He scored his second goal during that game. His face lit up with excitement as his ball rolled into the net. It was incredible as a parent watching from the sidelines. He had worked hard all season to improve as a soccer player... and he did it. During yesterday's game, Matty was a rock star goalie. He jumped on the ball and used his body to stop the other team from scoring. (Funny story... earlier in the season, David was standing behind the goal to help Matty as goalie. The other team had taken a shot at Matty's goal and David yelled, "Jump on it, Matty!" And literally, Matty tried to jump on the ball with both feet. It was hilarious. Just a kid, trying to do what his daddy told him to do.) We enjoyed watching our kids learn to love playing the game of soccer. Their little bodies had big desires to get out on the field each week and play some serious soccer. Can't wait for next season!