Nielsen Corner

1st 5K race

2010-10-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have a fun bunch of friends from church, that have been running for the past year. They got me hooked this summer, and I have been loving it. I went twice in July, and decided it was way too hot for me, so I picked it pack up in September and have been going anywhere from 1-3 times a week. We have been going on a 6 mile run lately, and it is fairly challenging. The trail that we run has a wicked 200 ft. climb at about mile 3 and lasts a full mile!

Anyway, I decided to take my running a step farther and sign-up for a race. My 1st 5K was this morning. I ran the Bella Vista 2nd annual Hallween 5K. It turned out to be a cold week this week, and this morning was not the exception. It was in the lower 40's, and I nearly froze to death before the race. I finished at a P.R. of 32 minutes! I am so blest to have such wonderful friends that support, and motivate me in my running. I find myself feeling defeated during some runs, but they keep me positive and motivate me to go on. I love them!!

Next up: an all girls 10K race, coming up in November!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-30T18:44:00.001-07:00

Reagan as a ladybug. Addison as a blonde Snow White

This was just before our ward trunk or treat. Addison decided that she wanted to have black hair, like Snow White, so we found her a wig.

Pumpkin patch

2010-10-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

For the past two years, we have gone to this great farm in Missouri for their fall festivities. They have a hayride (that is waaaaaaay to long), a cow train (which is one of the favorites), some really fun slides built into the hillside, a corn maze, and a pumpkin patch. We went on the 1st saturday in October, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect (well, the weather has been perfect for pretty much all of October).

The cow train. Reagan was not liking it at first, but as soon as the driver honked the moo horn, she loved it and moo'd the rest of the ride

Reagan going down the gunny sack slide. It did not go fast enough for her.

Addison going down a slide.

The girls in the pumpkin patch

Catching up

2010-10-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Addison started her 2nd year of preschool back in September. She is a butterfly and has the same teacher. Her best friend is also in her class. It will be a sad, sad day if her best friend is not in her class next year in kintergarden.

A couple of weeks ago, Addison had her 1st field trip with her preschool class to the fire station. Reagan and I went along. One of the firemen put his fire proof coat and oxygen mask and hat on, so that the kids could see what he looked like, and that they wouldn't be afraid of him. Let's just say Addison wouldn't get within 10 feet of him. She was probably the only one that wouldn't take a picture with the fireman.

the preschool class beside the fire truck

Addison and her best friend

Reagan's favorite part of the fire station

Lake Powell trip part 2

2010-07-27T20:45:00.001-07:00

Some more random pictures of the trip.

Drop down plasma screen

Addison posing in the water

Reagan on the boat, with her life jacket on

Brad, driving the boat

Reagan, Me, and Addison on the top deck of the houseboat

Aunt Jaime, Reagan, Grandma Nielsen, and Addison on the top deck of the houseboat

We had such a great time, and we wish it had lasted longer. We are so greatful to mom and dad Nielsen for making this trip possible, and even though they don't read my blog, thank you Knight family for being so generous!

Lake Powell trip

2010-07-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons that we went to Arizona to visit Brad's family, was to go on a family vacation with Brad's family up to Lake Powell. We were very fortunate, that a friend of the family was generous enough to allow us to use their 2 million dollar houseboat on the lake.

The drive there was interesting. We did a lot of driving through Arizona on our whole trip, and I was amazed at the Indian reservations! I didn't get any pictures, but I did find this picture online. There were hundreds of these buildings, called hogans, throughout the reservation. I don't know if they live in them, but they were small, and they would be out in the middle of no where!

Anyway, about the houseboat, it was amazing! I don't know the specific details of it, but it was huge! 70+ feet long, and 20+ feet wide, with 3 levels! It had 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The main level was air conditioned. The kitchen had top of the line, Viking appliances. Every room had plasma t.v.'s. The second level was an open sitting area with a second kitchen and a 60 inch drop down plasma t.v. The third level was pretty much a sun deck with lounge chairs. I got a few pictures of the boat.

The grand view

our room with a king sized bed

The second level kitchen with a grill

The main level kitchen

The Magic speedboat that came with the houseboat. It was really fast, and Addison loved it!

The back of the houseboat had two jet skis, so we had plenty of toys to keep us occupied. The weather was perfect, low 90's with a few mild storms that blew in and cooled things off. We couldn't have had a better time! Addison loved going fast on the boat and jet skis and I even let her drive the jet ski with me. Reagan was a trooper and napped and slept well in the pack-and-play. She hated having the life vest on when we were in the boat, but pretty much fell asleep every time we went out on the boat. Both girls loved swimming in the water as well.

Addison driving the boat with Uncle Rob

Addison riding the jet ski with Uncle Mike

The cove that we were anchored at was called "Cookie Jar" because the rock formation looked like a cookie jar.

Addison standing in front of a rock formation

Summer happenings & Addison's B-day

2010-07-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been too long. I have alot of excuses, but I won't go there. A few things have happened since the last time that I posted. Not much happened in April. In May, Addison finished her 1st year of preschool.

Addison with her two best friends at preschool: Ruby and Gus

Also in May, I was fortunate enough to fly out to Idaho with the kids and celebrate my Grandpa's 80th birthday. It was very special because, my parents and all my siblings were able to go out too. We had a blast seeing cousins, and uncles and aunts that we hadn't seen in a long time. I am so bummed that I didn't get any pictures though. I did steal this picture from my sister's blog of my Grandpa (thanks Whitnie!). We love you Grandpa!

Not much happened in June, really, I only have maybe 3 pictures that I took all month!

July, has been busy. Last week, we celebrated Addison's 4th birthday. We were in Arizona visiting Brad's family, so she got to celebrate it there.

We also went on a family vacation up to Lake Powell in Page, Utah, but there are too many pictures, so I will put that tidbit on another post.

Reagan's 1st Birthday

2010-03-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

I know it's a little late, but Reagan had her 1st birthday last week. Yes, she is already 1. Time has flown by so quickly, it makes me a little sad that she is growing so fast. The day didn't start out to well, as I came down with the stomach bug. I mustered up as much energy to pull off a quiet little celebration for her day. We had a little cake, compliments of Walmart and she opened her presents with a lot of help from Addison. (As a side note, no, I did not feed my baby the whole cake. She ate a few bites and the rest she crumbled into pieces and squished between her fingers. Just in case you were wondering.)

I made an appointment for Reagan's one year baby exam for the day after her birthday. She got 3 shots and had to have some blood drawn to check for anemia. Poor baby, was not a happy camper after that. Her stats were very suprising for I thought she was a lot bigger then she is. She is 19 lbs. 13 oz.= 30% in weight, 28.5 inches= 31% in height, and 45.2 cm for head circumfrance= 55%. She FINALLY has a 3rd tooth, I thought the day would never come, and 2 more working their way through the gums. Lastly, she is taking 2-3 steps unassisted and is getting braver and more confident by the day. My life is about to get a little more complicated, but she keeps me on my toes for sure and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I love you Reagan, Happy Birthday.

Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam!

2010-01-12T20:00:00.001-08:00

My baby is officially a Sunbeam. Addison's 1st day of primary was this past sunday, and she was so excited to be in her new class. It took her a long time to get used to nursery, but since she has been in preschool it definately helped her adjust to primary. She loves her teachers and they are great, so I am excited for her. Her favorite part about primary is singing.

Reagan

2010-01-12T19:41:00.001-08:00

I thought that I would fill everyone in on Reagan. She is such a pleasant baby, and we have so far enjoyed having her in our family. She just turned 10 months and I am so sad at how the time has flown by so fast. Here are a few things that she is doing so far:

~At her 9 month appointment she weighed in at 18 lbs!

~She started crawling right around Thanksgiving, and is super fast

~Loves to smile and it doesn't take much to get her to laugh

~Says: mama, dada, daw (for dog), nana (for banana, which is her favorite)

~She loves dogs. Everytime she sees a dog, wether it is Winston, or a picture of one, she points and says "daw"

~She has just 2 bottom teeth, and has "a few teeth" on top (according to her doctor) coming in.... since November, ahhhhhh!

~She loves to eat. Anything you offer her, she will eat. She loves baby food, but lately wants to eat what we are eating. Her new favorites, are banana and maccaroni and cheese

~She has been pulling herself to a standing position and pulls herself up on everything

Snow

2010-01-12T19:31:00.001-08:00

While we were in Arizona for Christmas, we got snow....... in Arkansas. Yes, it snowed Christmas Eve, and we missed it. Well, we got home New Years Eve, and three days later it snowed again. It had snowed during the night, so when Addison got up that morning, she immediately wanted to go out and play in it. I convinced her that she needed to eat breakfast first, but by 9:00 am we were tired of hearing her ask us over and over, so we bundled her up. Brad was a good daddy and volunteered to go out with her. It didn't last more then 10 minutes and she was back in the house crying that her fingers were numb, and she didn't ask to go back out the rest of the day. We need to invest in some nice snow gloves for her, because her mittens just didn't stay dry long enough.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

I know, I've been slacking. Christmas is over, and things are back to normal, so I feel like I have some time to blog.

We had a great Christmas this year. We spent it in sunny, warm Arizona with Brad's family. We ended up being sick for the 1st 3 days with the stomach flu. Thankfully it was just a 24 bug, so it didn't last long. It just hit is all on different days.

Addison loved Christmas last year, but loved it even more this year. She got the whole Santa thing last year, so we decided to teach her about the true meaning of Christmas this year, of Christ's birth and of giving. She even took her part of being Mary very seriously when we acted out the nativity.

This picture was from a family get-together with my family before we left for Arizona.

Reagan could have cared less about what was going on during Christmas. She has been crawling, and fast I might add, so she is just busy getting into things that she isn't suppose to. The week after she started crawling, she started to pull herself up to things to stand, I know my life just got more complicated! She is a happy baby for the most part, except when she is teething which is now. She can be happy one minute and then get super cranky then next.

She did not like sitting on Santa's lap. She hated it so much that she started shaking before she even got to his lap.

Not Christmas related, but I had to show off her cute smile

Halloween cont.

2009-11-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

Reagan, 7 months, as a baby chick

Addison, 3 years, as Cinderella

Addison and Reagan

Addison and cousin Pagelynn

Pumpkin carving

2009-11-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, before we went trunk or treating, we had my sister Whitnie and her family come over for some Halloween festivities including carving our Jack-o-lanterns.

Addison scooping out the guts

more pumpkin guts

so proud of herself for helping daddy create the design

finished product

our jack-o-lanterns lit up at night

Preschool Halloween Party

2009-11-03T18:50:00.001-08:00

Addison's preschool had a Halloween party last week. It was fun to see Addison among her classmates. She talks about all the kids in her class by name, and so it was nice to have a face to go with the names. They went trick or treating to some stores in the area. It was raining that morning, but it stopped as soon as they started, so it turned out to be a nice day. I dressed Reagan up and she was mistaken for a boy about 90% of the time. I finally got tired of correcting everyone, so after awhile I just agreed that "he was a cute baby chick".

The class outside of the bank

Addison as Cinderella

at the grocery store, where they gave out sugar cookies from the bakery, and apples from the produce section

Addison in her classroom on the "circle time mat"

Fall= pumpkins

2009-10-05T19:17:00.001-07:00

Fall is right around the corner, and it is pretty much my favorite time of year. What better to do in the fall then visit a pumpkin patch. There is a farm about 1/2 an hour north of here in Southwest City, Missouri, that I took Addison to last fall. We had so much fun that we decided to go again this year. We met up with some ladies from our ward and let the kids enjoy all the fun stuff that the farm offered.

They had 2 really fun slides. This particular one, you sit on a plywood board and the bars would roll you down the slide.

There was a really long, hayride that they stopped various times to "educate" you on how corn growns and how they plant it. Let's just say the kids didn't listen and threw hay at each other the entire time, I didn't blame them though, it was pretty boring.

Addison's favorite, the Cow Train. It was a train of cows that was pulled by a tractor

The pumpkin patch

We were there pretty much the entire day, and Reagan was really good to sit in her stroller the entire time. I had the sun shade down on the stroller, but sometime during the day the sun got her and she got a mild sunburn on her cheeks, nose, and chin. I felt so bad, but she didn't seem bothered by it. What a cutie all bundled up in her jacket!

Sidewalk drawings

2009-10-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

The other day Addison wanted to draw on the cement with her sidewalk chalk. She loves to draw people, and if you can see, she does a pretty good job. (I know, I am bragging, but that is what mom's do best!)

Benton County Fair

2009-10-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

O.K., so this is a little late, but we went to the Benton County fair a few weeks ago. At Addison's preschool they were learning the letter F and talked about various things that started with the letter F, including the fair. I thought that it would be fun to go to the fair since Addison had just learned about it.
The 1st thing she wanted to do when we got there was to ride the rides. Most of the rides were pretty old and looked like they were going to fall apart, so we stuck to the safest looking ones. The tickets for the rides were too expensive, $1 each and most of the rides took 2-3 tickets, so we limited it to 2 rides. The 2 that we swayed her to go on were:

The ladybug ride,

and the gunny sack slide, that I made Brad go on with her.

We also let her have a pony ride, which was a special treat

I didn't get any pictures of the animals, because that was our last stop, and by that point Reagan was ready for bed and got fussy. We ended up walking through the livestock building pretty fast, but I wish that I got a picture of a goat because they are my favorite.

Reagan, 6 1/2 months

2009-10-05T18:17:00.001-07:00

I seem to only post about Addison, so I will change it up a bit and let you all know what is going on with Reagan. She is almost 7 months old, and is growing too quickly. When I say growing, I literally mean growning. At her 4 month appointment she was in the 60th % on her weight. Her height was only in the 30%, so she basically is short and square. We are behind on her doctor's visits, so when we go in for her 6 month visit, I will let you know on her stats then.

I have been feeding her rice cereal now for a few months. This picture is from when she first tried it, as you can tell by her face that it took her awhile to like it. She is now a pro at eating puree'd foods, and opens her mouth nice and wide way before I get the spoon to her lips.

No, she hasn't started crawling yet, thank goodness, and a predict that it won't be for awhile, because like her sister, she hates being on her stomach and doesn't even try to roll over on to her stomach. She will probably learn how to crawl from a sitting position, which brings me to my next subject....

Reagan is sitting up, yeah! It is so nice when the learn to sit up, because they are happy for longer periods of time as they play with their toys.

A few other things about Reagan, she loves her big sister and will only laugh at Addison. I can get her to laugh sometimes, but she really thinks Addison is the greatest! She is usually laidback and delightful, as long as she is napping well. She has finally gotten her 1st tooth, and working on a second, because heaven forbid my kids get 2 teeth at a time!

Addison's 1st day of Preschool

2009-09-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Addison had her 1st day of preschool today, and she was so excited. She woke up this morning and was wanting to go right away. The method of dropping them off at the preschool was great. The parents, just pull up to the door and the teacher comes out to get them and you drive away. Addison didn't even look back, until I yelled out that I would be there to pick her up when preschool was over. She had 2 kids in her class that she knows from church, so hopefully it will be an easy adjustment for her.
When I picked her up after school was over, I asked her what her favorite part about preschool was and she said that it was the slide in the playground. Hopefully she will continue to like it. We will know come Thursday when she goes back for day 2!

Addison, ready for preschool

After school with her teacher, Mrs. Schaffer

Vacation

2009-09-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Utah and Idaho for a friends wedding and to visit extended family. We had a really good time and enjoyed seeing friends and family that we hadn't seen in awhile. We stayed at my grandparents house in Preston, Idaho. We were suprised at how well Addison took to them, and she loved playing with their dog, Mitsy.

Highlights of the trip:

Visiting my uncle and aunt's diary farm, which Addison didn't like too much because it was stinky!

Going to Willow Flats with my grandparents. The weather was so much cooler in the canyon, we loved it!

Attending my childhood friend's wedding. Addison loved seeing Rebecca's dress so much that she wants to marry Brad, so she can wear a white princess dress!

We also did few other things, but didn't get pictures of. We met up with one of Brad's friends from high school, and his family. We stayed the night at one of Brad's cousins' house, and also stayed at one of my aunts. All in all we had a fun time and want to thank all that took us in and allowed us to have such a great time.

"That Little Devil"

2009-08-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

One day, a couple of weeks ago, Addison was in the living room watching a program while I was taking a shower. After I got out, I decided to check on her. When I found her on the couch she had quite a chocolate smudge around her face. When I asked her what she had been into she replied with a nonchalant "nothing". I knew she was lying (where do they learn that?), so I asked her again, with which she replied "nothing", this time a little bit louder and annoyed. I proceeded to tell her that I needed her to tell me the truth and that I wasn't going to be mad at her, and that I just wanted to know. She then started to smile and pointed to the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen and looked around for some sign of mischief. I couldn't see anything. Addison then ran into the kitchen and stopped in front of me, and says, "Don't say bad words to me mom!". What the heck! I paused to figure out what I have said to her in the past that she might consider bad words. I was speechless, and couldn't help but laugh inside. She apparently didn't want to get in trouble at what she had done, and was afraid that I was going to get mad at her. She finally pointed to the cakestand that was on the counter. I walked over to it, and removed the glass cover to find the top layer of icing, from the cake I had made for Brad's birthday, had been scraped away with little finger swipes! I was just amazed that she got the cover off and put it back without dropping or breaking it. What a funny kid! She never ceases to amaze me.

Garden

2009-08-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last year was our first year at trying our hand in gardening. It started out well, and looked so pretty. Then, in June, it started to get really hot and we didn't water it as often as we should, so the corn dried out (or maybe we didn't pick it on time), the green beans didn't grown enough to can and the tomatoes did o.k..

This year we attempted it again. We decided to plant carrots, watermelon, and cucumbers (random, I know). The carrots didn't come up at all. I think I planted them too deep and too sparse. The watermelon and cucumbers did great. We had cucumbers comming out our ears for awhile and had so much that we gave quite a few away. Addison loved just having me peel the skin and she would eat an entire cucumber by herself. I also, made pickles out of most of them.

The watermelon too, did very well. Altogether we had/have about 10. All in all I would say this was a successful year for gardening. We will see what will come of next year.

Addison's 3rd Birthday

2009-07-23T18:41:00.001-07:00

Addison turned 3 years old last Saturday. We celebrated it with a princess birthday party, that she has been waiting to have for the past year. We are blessed to have so many friends that have children close to Addison's age, and that she was able to have them come to her birthday. We are also blessed that we have family close, and that my family was able to come to the party. We ended up having quite a few kids, because Addison just kept naming off all her friends that she wanted invited, including the cousins.
Addison is getting to be such a big girl, and it makes me sad to see her so grown up! She is such a good big sister to Reagan and always wanting to hug her and kiss her. It has been so fun to see her grow up these past three years and watch all her accomplishments, and as so many parents do, we think that she is too smart for her britches! We love you Addison, and we look forward to watching you grow into a beautiful young lady.

Addison, the morning of her birthday, opening her present from G. & G. Nielsen

Just before her princess birthday party
opening her presents durning her party, pictured with cousin Aspen

blowing out her candle

all of the birthday attendees

Tanyard Creek

2009-07-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

We have lived here in Bella Vista now for three years and we had heard about this creek, but had never been. Last Friday was our first time, and we don't know why it took us that long to go. The funny part is, that it is less then 10 minutes from our house! We will definately, go again.

Eeeeeek!

2009-07-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

We pretty much love where we live, but there is one bad thing about living in the sticks....the bugs and creepy crawlies. Yes, the chiggers and ticks are gross and you don't want to get bit by them, but even worse than them are all the spiders that we have. The other day we found this big guy outside our garage door! In case you can't see the RED hour glass marking, staring you in the face, it's a BLACK WIDOW.

It was dead, (at least we think it was, because it wasn't moving) and I am glad because it was just waiting for the garage door to open so it could go inside and make a nice nest, in say.. the baby stroller or our shoes!!! Even though it was dead I could just picture it jumping out and biting someone, so I wouldn't let Addison get too close.
As I was leaving to go to town I made Brad direct me, so that the tire of the Pathfinder would run it over and smush it to smitherines as I was backing out. Let's just hope that their isn't babies or it's mate running around lurking outside my door!

My house key beside it to show it's actual size

Too cute for words

2009-07-09T21:38:00.001-07:00

Addison found Reagans headband and decided to try it on. What a cutie!

4th of July

2009-07-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

On the 4th we went up to Missouri to spend it with my family. We started off going to my sister's house to swim in their pool and have a BBQ. Afterward we went to a local park for a fireworks display. It had been overcast all day, and sure enough as we were waiting for the display to start a big storm cloud rolled in. Of course it waited until the fireworks started before the rain came, so we all had to dash to our cars as it downpoured and we ended up watching them from inside our cars. It was still fun and we had were able to get some cute pictures while we were waiting.

Addison with her cousins, Pagelynn (2) and Kailey (4 1/2)

Addison with a sparkler

Addison and Reagan (yes, my baby eats well, hence the chubby cheeks)

from front left- Pagelynn (2), Addison (2 1/2) holding Reagan (3 1/2 months), Kailey (4 1/2) holding Jaden (2 1/2 months)

Back left- Braxton (6), Keaton (7 1/2), Kelsey (10) holding Emma (3 months) and Kaleb (6 weeks)

Reagan's photo shoot

2009-07-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

I decided I needed to take some pictures of Reagan. It is hard to take pictures of babies, because all they do is just lay there. So, I tryed to make them interesting. Sidenote: these pictures were taken back in May, so sorry they are a little old, but enjoy anyway.

And of course, Addison couldn't stand not being in the picture so she jumped in for the last one

Catching up

2009-07-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have posted anything, so I am going to do some catching up. Over Memorial day weekend we had my sister, Whitnie and her family stay with us. She has two little girls, Pagelynn 2 years and Emma 3 months. We had fun hanging out and letting the girls play.

Regan and Emma trying to hold playing

Reagan and Emma holding hands

Addison and Pagelynn playing outside

June went by fast. Brad's mom came to visit, which is always a treat. Addison got her hair cut, and looks so grown up. She also loves to dress up, as you can tell. She put this ensamble herself.

When Addison gets bored and doesn't have anyone to play with, she plays with Winston. She loves to dress him up and he lets her do it (he has been tortured by her enough that he doesn't bother to run away anymore).

We also got all 5 of the new babies together this past month for the 1st time. For all of you that didn't know, all three of my sisters and my sister-in-law had babies within 4 months of when Reagan was born!
Hadley born January, Reagan born March, Emma born March (2 weeks after Reagan), Jaden born April, Kaleb born May.

This last picture was just too funny to leave out.

My Girls

2009-05-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

I got a new camera for Mothers' day, thank you Brad! I love it, and have had a few moments here and there to snap some pictures. Here are a few, (mostly of Addison, because she is fun to photograph) enjoy!

Cousins

2009-05-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, we had the opportunity to attend 2 blessings in one day. Both of my sister's that live in Springfield blessed their babies, so that we could attend them both. After the 1st blessing we had lunch while we waited for the 2nd blessing, that was going to be 3 hours later. Addison had a blast playing with her cousins, Aspen (2 years) and Pagelynn (23 months).

Miss Independant

2009-05-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

Addison likes to pick out her own clothes and dress herself lately. The other day she came out of her bedroom dressed like this:
Her shirt was on inside out and her pants were on backwards with out panties!

Song

2009-05-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago on Grey's Anatomy I heard a song and loved it. I searched itunes, but couldn't find it. I finally found it on Youtube, so enjoy!

Daddy's little princess

2009-04-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

Since the baby has been born, Addison is becoming less attatched to me. I am a little sad, but she was way too attached and needed to detach herself a little. Lately at the end of the day, she looks forward to when Brad gets home from work so she can play with him. The other day, they were playing outside while I was getting dinner ready and juggling Reagan who was very fussy. They were having so much fun that I decided to snap some photos.

Silver Dollar City

2009-04-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Brad, I and the kids went to Silver Dollar City, in Branson Missouri. We had a great time, and couldn't have asked for better weather. Most of the amusement rides had a height requirement of 36 inches. Addison just missed it by 1/2 an inch! We tryed a few kid rides to see if they would let her go, some let her go and some didn't. We felt bad, because she was not scared of any of the rides and most of the ones she wanted to go on, she couldn't. We ended up finding a water ride called the "American Plunge", that allowed smaller children on as long as they were accompanied by an adult. At the end of the ride the boat climbs a big incline and plunges down a slide into the water below. In the past when I have ridden it, I was scared, but not Addison. She loved it and wanted to ride it over and over. I don't know what she liked better the plunge or getting splashed with water and getting drenched. All in all we had a blast and are in hopes that by the end of the summer she will be tall enough to ride more of the rides.

Not the greatest picture, but it captures the look of joy on her face

Reagan Smiling

2009-04-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

We have been able to get Reagan to smile. It usually happens when she has just finished eating and is happy. Once and awhile when she is smiling she will open her mouth wide, like she is yawning and make a coughing sound, I think it is an attempt to "talk".

Yes, Reagan has some munchable cheeks on her, and this angle really shows it!

Since Reagan was born, we haven't really noticed Addison get jealous of the her until we get the camera out to take a picture of her. As soon as Addison sees us get the camera out she wiggles her way in the pose so she can be apart of the picture.

Easter

2009-04-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Easter on Saturday with the Bella Vista Easter Egg Hunt. There ended up being more kids then they expected so, when the egg hunt started the eggs were snatched up in a matter of seconds and so Addison only ended up getting 5 eggs. The easter bunny was there, and surprisingly Addison was not scared of him and wanted her picture taken with him. It ended up being a nice day and the weather couldn't have been better, which was nice because Sunday ended up being rainy and cold all day long.

Addison with her 5 eggs after the egg hunt

Addison with her friend Max

Easter Bunny

Addison with Gus, Charlie, and Ila

Addison with her Easter dress

Mommy's helper

2009-04-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

Reagan's blessing day

2009-04-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

We blessed Reagan this past Sunday, and were very fortunate to have such a great turnout. We are so greatful and blessed to have such supportive family and friends. Thank you to all of those that came. Here are a few pictures from the eventful day.

Addison vs. Reagan

2009-03-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Addison, one day old

Reagan, one day old

I think that both my girls have some similar looks from birth. Let me know what you think.

Recent pictures of Reagan

2009-03-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Reagan since we have brought her home from the hospital. Addison insisted on being in one of the pictures, but she loves her baby sister. Enjoy!

Baby Update

2009-03-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I will fill everyone in on how the birth of Reagan. I was scheduled to be induced today, but I ended up going in to labor Monday night/Tuesday morning. The contractions started around 11:30 Monday night. We decided to go in to the hospital at about 4:00 Tuesday morning. When they measured me at the hospital, I was dilated to a 5. By 8:00 am, I was at a 7. They gave me Nubain for the pain, which made me really sick, so I ended up throwing up for about an hour. The contractions stopped, so they had to put me on pitosin to start the contractions back up. I didn't want to be sick and throwing up during labor, so I decided to get the epidural. By 1:00 pm, Reagan was born.
My mom came to the house to watch Addison, when we went to the hospital. So when they got up Tuesday morning, they came by. Addison didn't like seeing me in the hospital bed throwing up, so my mom took her to the mall while they waited for Reagan to be born. When they came back to the hospital, Addison was so excited to finally meet Reagan. She insisted on holding her, and wispered to her and was very gentle. She was not very happy when she had to leave, but after she found out she was going to go stay at Grandma's house, she got over it real fast.
We will get some more pictures taken and post some in the next couple of days.

Newest Addition

2009-03-10T19:48:00.001-07:00

Here are some "Fresh from the Oven" pictures of Reagan Claire Nielsen. She weighs 7 1bs 5 oz. and is 19 inches long.

Great Deals!

2009-03-07T07:10:00.001-08:00

For all of you out there that have babies in diapers, there is a coupon from Huggies for $5.00 off "Gentle Care" diapers and $3.00 off "Natural Fit" diapers. Even if you don't have any babies wearing diapers, you can always use them as a baby shower gift. You can go to www.couponbug.com or www.coupons.com to print them off. I am pretty sure that they allow you to print each coupon twice. Hurry and get them now, because they are only good for a month!

Cousins

2009-02-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

My brother and his wife had a baby girl, Hadley June White, about 2 1/2 weeks ago. We saw her at the hospital when she was born, but were only able to see her through the nursery window at that time. Addison and I decided to go visit them today. As you can see in the picture, Addison got to "hold" the baby, and insisted over and over to hold her. I was a little worried that she would get jealous when I was holding the baby, but she didn't! She handled it very well, and loved to touch and kiss on the baby. I hope that this is what she will be like when our baby is born, if so I will be very happy.

Sorry about the picture, it wasn't sideways until it downloaded to blogger

Addison with her cousins, Aspen (26 months) and Kailey (4 years) in their sunglasses that they got with their Happy Meals

Dance moves

2009-02-05T14:33:00.001-08:00

Last night Addison wanted to dance. I couldn't help but get the camera out after awhile of watching her dance. She has some pretty good moves and she is actually on beat. She definately didn't inherit her rhythm from her daddy! Oh, and the nightgown she is wearing is new and her favorite pj's. She wouldn't take it off for 2 days straight after she got it.

34 weeks and counting

2009-01-28T18:32:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I stole this picture pose from a friend (sorry Meg, but I couldn't resist). I am pretty sure that I am so much bigger, then when I was pregnant with Addison at this stage. Oh well, what can you do! Addison is so excited for her baby sister to arrive. Let's just hope it stays that what once the baby is born.

Ice Storm

2009-01-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

Once again we encountered an ice storm here in Arkansas. I think that every winter since we have been here there has been an ice storm. We were blessed and our power didn't go off this time.
We got about an inch to an inch and a half of ice and then about a half an inch of snow on top of the ice.

Addison was able to go out and play in the frozen snow with Brad. About all she could do with the snow was to make a snow angel.
We did decide, after the second day of being couped up in the house, to brave the roads so that we could run to Lowes. We thought that since Brad had the day off we could do some indoor house projects.

Snow Angels

2009-01-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

When Addison wakes up in the morning, she likes to go to the back door with the dog and wait for me to let the dog out. Well yesterday morning, before I got to the back door, I hear Addison yell out, "Mom! Look, it's snowing!" I didn't know that it was suppose to snow, so I figured that maybe we had some frost on the ground. To my surprise, when I got to the door, it had snowed. It was only about an inch, but to a 2 year old, I am sure it looked like a lot. She immediately wanted to go outside and play in it. Me, being a big whimp when it comes to cold weather was not fond of the idea, especially at 7:00 a.m.. It was trash day, so I told her that when we were finished with breakfast, that we would bundle up, and that she could go outside and play while I took the trash out. While I was busy taking the trash out she insisted that she wanted to build a snowman. I told her that there wasn't near enough snow to build a snowman. Then she wanted to make snowballs, but the snow wouldn't form a snowball. The next thing I know she is laying down, on her back, in the driveway making a snow angel. I am pretty sure she got that idea from the Nick Jr. t.v. show, "Max & Ruby". Hopefully, we can get one more snow storm in before it starts to warm up, that will produce enough snow, so Addison can build her a snow man and make a snow angel.

Cupcakes

2009-01-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

Every week Addison and I try to attend the library story hour on Fridays. Addison loves to visit the library and check out new books. Her favorite series of children's books are the "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" series. We have read all of them. Well, they came out with a new titled "If you give a cat a cupcake". Well, after reading it, she decided she wanted to make cupcakes. The book talks about putting sprinkles on the cupcakes, so she insisted that they have "spritles" too! Thank goodness we had some friends over that night to help us eat some of them, because she asks me 2-3 times a day for a cupcake! Her best part of the cupcake is....the frosting. She just eats the top of the cupcake until the frosting is gone. Now she lets me know everyday that she wants princess cupcakes for her princess birthday party. Her birthday isn't until July, so I think I am going to hear about everyday for the next 6 months!

Big Girl

2009-01-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

Last week we decided to transition Addison into her "Big Girl" princess bed. We were a little worried that it would be a hard transition, but she suprised us and did it without any problems. We had to talk up the "princess" bed, because at this stage everything containing the word princess gets her attention. She is so proud of her new room and her big girl bed that everytime she wakes up in the morning she yells out that she slept in her princess bed, and that she didn't fall out (she fell out the first night).

This past sunday, being the 1st sunday of the New Year, Addison got to go to her new nursery class. Our ward has two nurseries (a Jr. nursery and a Sr. nursery), because we have like 20 nursery aged kids, with more to join this year. Well, we were a little nervous with this change too, because it took her awhile to adjust to Jr. nursery and that they have 2 males teaching the Sr. nursery (Addison is very shy and timid around men). To our surprise she went without crying and stayed the entire time. She is definately growing up and it makes me sad to see my baby becoming a "Big Girl". We just have one more big obstacle to tackle, potty training, and she will officially be a "Big Girl", and not my baby anymore.

Christmas

2008-12-30T14:15:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Addison was so into it that it made it so much fun for us. We were able to spend the day at my parents house on Christmas Eve, and had some fun festivities including Santa. On Christmas day, Addison surpised us and was so excited to see what everyone got and was good about taking turns opening presents. She even said thank you after each gift was opened. Her favorite present I will have to say, is the princess dress that her cousin gave her.

Addison dressed as Mary with her cousins: Braxton (5 years), Aspen (2 years) and Pagelynn (18 months)

Addison sitting on Santa's lap

Addison with her cousins in their Christmas pj's from Grandma White. Pagelynn (18 mo.), Kailey (4 years), Keaton (6 years), Braxton (5 years), Kelsey (9 years) and Aspen (2 years)

Addison with her beloved princess dress

Jingle Bells

2008-12-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

27 weeks and a new look

2008-12-11T17:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am 27 weeks pregnant now, and am definately feeling it. I took these pictures on my own with the timer on our camera, so they didn't turn out that great. The one that is up close kind of cut the top of my head off.

Also, I got a new haircut yesterday and am pretty pleased with how it turned out. I am in great need of a highlight, but the salon was so booked I was lucky to even get an appointment for a cut, so I will have to wait until next month for the highlight.

Addison had such a blast watching me try to take a picture of myself, that she wanted to pose for a picture too. Enjoy!

Santa's lap

2008-12-07T16:54:00.001-08:00

Addison got to see Santa at our Ward Christmas party on Friday. When Addison caught sight of him, she could not take her eyes off of him. She kept pointing him out to me. When it was time to sit on his lap, she was a bit hesitant until he pulled out a candy cane, then she climbed right up onto his knee.

Christmas Decor

2008-12-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

After we saw the Christmas light at the Mesa Temple the other day, Addison has been wanting to put lights up for Christmas. She kept saying she wanted to help Grandpa put lights on his house. When we got home on Tuesday, I promised her that we would decorate the house for Christmas. So, yesterday we put up the tree and decorated the mantle. Addison giggled with glee the entire time. Each ornament we took out of the book, she would exclaim, "Look mommy!". It was so fun to see the excitement in her eyes. She is in the princess stage right now, and so every ornament that had an angel on it was a princess. Christmas time has always been an exciting time of year, but has definately been a wonderful experience seeing it through her eyes!

Our Thanksgiving Vacation

2008-12-04T14:39:00.000-08:00

We recently went to Arizona to visit Brad's family for Thanksgiving. We had a great time while we were there, and got to see some extended family that we hadn't seen for a few years.

I was lazy and didn't take very many pictures, but thankfully Stacey, my sister-in-law, took some and emailed them to me. Thanks Stacey for some great pictures.

Addison loved playing with her cousin Cooper (15 months). Last time we were in Arizona, she had a hard time sharing and was kind of mean to him, but was better this time around.

Addison with cousins Cooper and Camden (8 years)

Addison loved spending her time with Grandma Nielsen

Phoenix Zoo (Addison was sick with the 12 hour bug that day and puked at least 5 times, poor thing)

Mesa Temple Christmas lights with Brad's parents

Last weeks' events

2008-11-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

Addison has been wanting to watch the new Disney movie, Tinker Bell. So, 2 Saturday's ago, Brad rented Tinker Bell and we had a movie night with Addison. She thought it was so much fun, because we got in our pj's and had popcorn. We decided to do that more often. Oh, and if you haven't seen Tinker Bell, I would highly recommend it if you have little girls, it is soooo cute!

Then, on Wednesday this past week, I actually had energy in the afternoon, so I decided to go outside and blow the leaves in our yard with the leaf blower. It was nice weather, and Addison was begging to play in the leaves. She was a little scared of the leaf blower at first, but decided that it was fun to stand among the leaves as I was blowing them. After I got the leaves in a pile, she would run and jump in the piles. At one point, she was laying in the pile of leaves and the leaves started to blow over her face. Well, our dog, Winston, didn't like her being "burried" in the leaves, so he started to dig her out. We thought that he was being very protective of her, but during the process he managed to scratch her face and ear! Addison didn't think that it was very nice of him.

Finally, this past Saturday, while Brad was on the youth temple trip with the youth from our ward, Addison and I were all alone and bored. When I get bored, I bake, so I made homemade cinnamon rolls. While I was baking, Addison wanted to play with her watercolors. I guess they get a little carried away when they are not being watched over too closely. Good thing I had her stripped down to her diaper.

22 Weeks

2008-11-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I hate having pictures taken especially being pregnant. There is a reason why I am always posting pictures of Addison, because really who wants to see pictures of me.
Well, when I was pregnant with Addison, I had Brad take a picture of me each month so we could see the progress of how fat I was getting. This time around we have slacked, so we decided to take a picture, so we could compare it to the last pregnancy. Lets just say I am bigger this time around (although the pictures are at different depths, so it is hard to tell). See for yourself.

Pregnancy with Addison-about 22 weeks

Pregnancy with baby #2- 22 weeks

Fall Leaves

2008-11-04T17:16:00.001-08:00

It has been looking like fall here for a couple of weeks now, but the weather sure has been warm for fall. The leaves on the trees were so colorful this year, but it only lasts about a week before they start falling. We were on a walk the other day, and Addison wanted to play in the leaves. She had such a fun time playing in them that I had to get some pictures.

Halloween

2008-10-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we had our church Halloween party and Trunk or Treat tonight and I forgot my camera!! So, you will have to settle with a picture of Addison in her costume that I got just before we left the house. She made the cuttest ladybug ever! Thank you Old Navy for making the best costumes.

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

We carved our pumpkin this past Monday for FHE. I will start out by saying that Brad has not been a big fan of carving pumpkins. One year, we were probably only 2 years into our marriage, we carved pumpkins with his brother and sister-in-law. He got pretty frustrated with it and I think I ended up finishing it. Then last year, I wanted to carve a pumpkin and have Addison help. Well, Brad decided not to participate with that one. So, this year I wanted to carve a pumpkin again and have it be a FAMILY project, so that is why I did it for FHE. Brad was very motivated and stepped right in and started preping the pumpkin. After cutting the top off, he had Addison help scoop out the seeds which she didn't end up liking the fact that it got her hands dirty. After scooping out the pumpkin, Brad proceeded to poke the holes in the pumpkin for our pattern (we use the kit with the fancy patterns). Meanwhile, I stood back to watch and take pictures. Then comes the good part. Brad finishes making the pattern and starts to saw away. We choose the cat pattern for our pumpkin. Brad is getting pretty anxious to get this pumpkin finished, so he starts to get faster and faster at cutting. Then all of a sudden, he brakes the tail off. He gets a little up set, but keeps going. No longer then 3 minutes later, a leg brakes off. Brad is now finished cutting and the cat design is not finished. I had to step in and take over to try and salvage the tail-less, 3 legged cat design we carved in our pumpkin. I think that it is safe to say that pumpkin carving isn't Brad's favorite Halloween activity.

My baby

2008-10-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Addison found the baby bottles yesterday when I was putting dishes away, and wanted to drink her juice out of one of them. I decided to let her, but regretted it when she woke up first thing this morning, she wanted the bottle again. I am sure it is a phase, and she will get over it quickly. The funny thing is, I could never get her to take a bottle when she was a baby. As soon as I decided to stop nursing her, she went straight to the sippy cup. Somehow she got the steps backward. What a funny girl!

Pumpkin Farm

2008-10-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

So this past Thursday, Addison and I and our friends went to a pumpkin farm. It took about 40 minutes to get there, and was out in the sticks, but was a cute and fun farm. Addison was so excited to go, and loved every minute of it. The weather was a little chilly, but we were able to stay warm as long as we stayed in the sun.

Addison trying out the duck race.

Going down the slide

The pumpkin wagon

Addison, Charlie, and Gus

The cow train, that was pulled by a four wheeler

The tire swing that Addison fell off of right before we left, and hit her head on the ground

The hay ride

Flower princess

2008-10-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

So back in September, our beautiful rose bush got a bug and started to die. I had to cut it back quite a bit. I thought for sure it was dead, but after a few rain storms and some nice weather it came back to life. So, we have a few roses again until the first frost comes along.
While Addison was playing outside the other day, she decided she wanted a rose in her hair. She thought that she was a princess and wanted me to take a picture of her.

Baby Girl!

2008-10-20T10:32:00.001-07:00

I had my 20 week ultrasound today, and are pleased to announce that we are going to have a baby girl! I had mixed feelings up until today about what it was going to be. At first I was convinced it was going to be a girl, but then for the past couple of weeks I started to think it was a boy because this pregnancy has been very different then with Addison. Brad knew all along that it was going to be a girl. We are both excited, and are gearing Addison up to be a big sister. It will be fun having 2 girls together, I just hope Brad is ready for tea parties and princess dresses for another few years.

Parade

2008-10-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

This past saturday we went up to my parents house to watch the annual "Maple Leaf Parade" that I have been to since my family has lived in Carthage, Missouri. Addison loved the horses and marching bands, and not to mention the loads of candy that was thrown to us.

Also, I had my 26th birthday this past monday, and Addison loves getting her picture taken with the person whose birthday is being celebrated.

Aspen, Addison, and Pagelynn

Pagelynn & Addison

Drive-thru Safari Park

2008-10-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Grandma Nielsen came to visit. It was a short visit, so we decided to do something fun while she was here. There is a drive-thru safari park about 45 minutes from us, so we decided to go. It was a fun day, and the weather was great. They has a few baby animals that you could pet, one of which was a baby tiger. Addison was not scared at all by any of the animals, and went right up to the tiger to pet it. I will have to say though, that I think the baby tiger was Brad's highlight of the day, we couldn't get him to walk away. They also had a petting zoo that had some goats and pigs that you could pet. Addison and mommy loved the goats. If we had a fenced in back yard, I would so get one of those for a pet!

I think Addison's highlight of the day was going on a "pony ride". As soon as she say that they had an area set up for pony rides, she got so excited! I was afraid that as soon as she got on the pony she would start crying, but she didn't. It was funny, because as she stood in line waiting she already had the pony picked out that she wanted to ride, the white one. She was all smiles the entire time, and she kept repeating "riding pony!"

During the drive-thru we were very lucky to have quite a few animals come right up to our window. The rules were to keep your windows up at all times, but I couldn't resist putting the window down to get a good picture of the zebra. Let's just say it ended with the zebra's nose in the car, me screaming, and rolling the window up fast.

Thanks Grandma for comming to visit. We had a great time!

Feeding the dog

2008-10-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

Addison has been very helpful lately, and her job is to help feed the dog. The other day she wanted some chips, and there was just come crumbs left so I gave her the bag. Well, I guess she thought that Winston wanted some too. She emptied the last of the chips on to Winston's eating mat. Winston loved her after that!

Diaper cream- take 2

2008-10-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

Addison, yet again, got into the diaper cream. This time she put it on Winston.

Diaper Cream

2008-09-17T17:45:00.001-07:00

I was on the phone today with my mom, and then turned around and called my sister-in-law. While I was leaving a message for my sister-in-law, Addison came into the room and had white all over her face and legs. With her cute little voice saying "look Mommy", I couldn't help but pause during the message that I was leaving, and stare shockingly at her. At first I couldn't figure out why she was white all over, but when I realized that it was some sort of cream I couln't help but chuckle. As soon as I finished leaving the message, Addison took off back down the hall and into her room. I followed her and found her sitting in the middle of her room, on a changing pad (the one that she pulled off the changing table), along with a tube of diaper cream and a few other items that she got from the changing table. She just sat there with this proud look on her face. She aparently had taken her potty chair from the bathroom and carried it to her room to use as a stepstool to get to the top of the changing table. As I scaned the room to see what other items she painted with the diaper cream, I didn't see any. So, I asked her what else she had painted and she replied with once again, "look Mommy" as she pointed to the front of the dresser and her potty chair. Sure enough they too were painted with diaper cream. I couldn't help but laugh as I cleaned everything up. She was very proud of what she did, and I am not sure if she thought that she was using lotion or make-up, but she looked cute with a white face!

"Say Cheese"

2008-09-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

I was browsing through the pictures on my camera today, and I come across this picture. According to Brad, Addison wanted to take a picture of him, but she insisted on doing it herself. Well, needless to say, she held the camera up to her face pointing the wrong way and took a picture of herself instead. Now I understand why she has been pretending that everything she gets a hold of is a camera and has been pretending to take pictures all week. Looks like we need to find her a toy camera!

Baking at Grandma's house

2008-09-02T19:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to my mom and dad's house to visit. While we were there, my mom was brave enough to let Addison help her make cookies. Some of you may know that I can be quiet obsessive compulsive about things. Well one of things that I am obsessive about is the way I cook and bake. When I cook or bake, I have to measure things out exactly. I have to clean up as I go. I have to follow the directions to the T, and have certain ways I do things in my kitchen. Needless to say when Addison wants to help me, I have a hard time letting her, without taking over. Well, my mom is very care free in her kitchen. She had no problem letting Addison do whatever she wanted, down to measuring and stiring and cracking the eggs. In the end there was flour all over, the ingredients left out on the counter and too much baking soda in the cookie dough, but all in all Addison had a great time. I guess thats what Grandmas are there for, to let their grandkids do things that they don't get to do at home VERY often.

#2 on the way

2008-08-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have been wondering or speculating, and some of you may already know, but I am pregnant with #2. I am about 12 weeks along and am roughly due on March 8th. We are very excited and are already preparing Addison for this big change. We have talked to her about it, but we don't know that she fully understands. She is very much a mommy's girl, and gets jealous when I hold other babies. Hopefully it won't be that big of an adjustment for her, but we are preparing ourselves. We will know in about 2 months what we are having, so I will be sure and post that when the times comes. We are excited to be adding to our family, and are looking forward to having another little baby around.

A few random pictures

2008-08-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

Addison loves taking bubble baths. The water was so deep in the bath that all you could see was her head.

Addison has been obsessed with Barney lately and watched an episode where they had a picnic. So, for a week after watching it, she had picnics in the middle of the living room with her toys.

Brad's Birthday

2008-08-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking and am way behind on posting. Brad celebrated his 28th birthday on the 4th. It was a quiet day, but a fun one. We ended up inviting some friends over for a barbeque and had Brad open his present. It was funny because Addison was excited about the birthday thing, since her's was still fresh in her memory. We had to remind her that it was Brad's birthday and not hers. She went shopping with me to get one of Brad's presents, earlier in the week, and when Brad got home from work that day she told him what we got him.

Addison's 2nd birthday

2008-07-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Addison's 2nd birthday this past weekend. Addison insisted on having an "elmo birthday", and has been talking about it for the past few months. So, needless to say we gave in and threw her an "elmo birthday" for her with friends and decorations and all. She knew what a birthday was all about and unwraped present after present without stoping in between. She also knew how to blow out her candles without any prior practice. All in all she had a great birthday, and loved having her friends over to help celebrate it.

Yogurt mess

2008-07-14T20:06:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when you leave a toddler alone with yogurt for less than 5 minutes!

Best Friends

2008-07-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Addison and her cousin Aspen, have become great friends. They are 5 months apart, Addison being the eldest. Every time we mention that we are going to Grandma and Grandpa's house she says, "A'pes", which is the way she says Aspen. When the are together they have to hold hands, which is funny, because wiggle their hands around until they find a good hold. We have decided to have a little birthday party for Addison's 2nd birthday, which is coming up this weekend, and when we ask Addison who she wants to come she says, Aspen. We hope that as they get older that they will stay close and become even greater friends.

San Diego for the 4th

2008-07-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

While in Arizona we were able to make a special trip over to San Diego for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th. We just spent the days at the beach in Carlsbad, relaxing. Addison wasn't fond of the ocean, but loved playing in the sand. We had a great time!

Visit to Arizona

2008-07-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

We recently went to Arizona to visit Brad's family. We had such a great time. Addison loved playing with her cousin Cooper, who is a year younger than she. They got along for the most part, but Addison learned very quickly that he was younger and that she could boss him around and take toys from him without him fighting back. She also loved helping with Cooper, such as making his bottle and feeding him his baby food.

Addison loved her cousin Lexi, who is turning 10 years old. She asked for her at least once a day. Lexi was so great to play with her, that she even agreed to play tea party with her.

Arizona weather in the summer is pretty brutal, especially when it gets in the 100's. While we were there we experienced 112 degrees which was pretty hot. Needless to say we spent some days in the water. Addison learned to "swim" with floaties, and was very proud of herself.

While there, we had a chance to see some friends. We went to Mandy and Kelly's house for dinner. Their daughter, Grace, and Addison played well together. When we were getting ready to eat, we didn't know where the girls were. We found them in Grace's room playing.

And last, but not least, Addison loved her Grandma Nielsen. The minute she woke up in the morning to the minute she fell asleep at night she asked for "dama". Thank you dama and dampa for a great time!

Camping

2008-06-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

Table Rock Lake

This past weekend we went camping with my family, to Table Rock Lake which is about an hour from here. It was tons of fun, even though we had rain for the entire 1st night we were there. We have had so much rain this season, that half of the campground we stayed at was under water. Addison was quit a bit scared of the water, so she didn't want to swim. She would just pretty much wade her feet in it.

My brother Brevin and his wife, Kim, brought a wagon for their daughter, Aspen. Needless to say, Addison and Aspen had a ton of fun riding in the wagon through the water.

We did alot of lounging around, which was nice just to relax. My sister, Trudy, brought a hamock that was a hit with the kids and my 20 year old brother, Andrew.

My family has been camping once a year, and have been doing it for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, we haven't been going up until this year. My mom has a tradition to take a picture of her grandkids each year in the same place at the campground.

Kelsey(9), Keaton(6 1/2), Braxton(4 1/2), Kailey(3 1/2), Addison(23 months), Aspen(18 months), Pagelynn(1)

We had a great time, regardless the rain storm and a few bug bites (which I only managed to get, because bugs don't like Brad's blood and apparently Addison's either). We are looking forward to next years family camp.

Family Reunion

2008-06-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Brad's mom's family had a reunion this past week in Nauvoo. We had a great time spending time with extended family and touring the church historic sites. The first day we were there, we went to Carthage, Illinois, to see the jail.

This picture is of Brad and his cousin, Brian with Addison and Cody (Brian's boy, who was born on the same day as Addison).

The statue of Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith at the Carthage Jail, with Brad's parents.

The next day we toured the historic sites there in Nauvoo. Addison decided she wanted to pose for the camera.

Addison on a wagon

Addison with her 2nd cousin, Kaiden

While we were there the Mississippi River was flooding. This picture is of the "Trail of Hope". The road was suppose to end at the tree line, so you can see how far the water has risen.

Family

2008-06-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law graduated from college back on May 31st, so he and my sister had a little party at their house. It was fun having all the cousins play together. The picture is of Addison with some of her cousins. (Kelsey, age 9; Aspen, age 1; Kailey, age 3)

Summer Fun

2008-06-18T13:30:00.001-07:00

Addison loves playing in the water. This particular day, while I was planting my garden, she decided to use the tomato pot as a hat.

Green Thumb?

2008-05-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

O.K., so I have a history of killing plants, as soon as they are in my possession. I don't mean to kill them, I am just not good with plants. Well, last year I found a great deal on rose bushes at Lowes, and so I got one to go in our front yard. After summer was over last year, I didn't know whether to let it go, or if I was suppose to do something with it to prepare it for the winter. So, I have heard of prunning, and I figured I might try that to the rose bush. Afterward, I for sure thought I had killed it, but I left it for the winter. Low and behold, this spring it started growing new branches and started sprouting leaves, and 2 weeks ago it started budding. I guess rose bushes are resilient, because not only has it lived, but it has florished. I am so proud of my little rose bush! It was such a confidence booster that I have decided to tackle a garden. So, wish me luck.

Nauvoo

2008-05-22T20:37:00.001-07:00

Brad and I recently went to Nauvoo for my best friend, Gina's wedding. Gina and I were in the same Ward growing up, but we didn't become friends until High School. We moved to Arizona together and lived together until Brad and I got married. She served a mission is Provo, and then attended BYU-Hawaii where she met Matt.

Nauvoo was great, and we had fun in the short time we were there. We were able to attend a session at the Temple, and then the following day attended the sealing. We didn't do any sight seeing, because we are fortunate enough to be going back next month for a family reunion.

Addison and "Bubba"

2008-05-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think Addison thinks that Winston, our dog, is her brother. She loves him to death, and is always bugging him. She can't say Winston very well, so she has been calling him Bubba. She loves to pile blankets and clothes and toys on top of him, and he just sits there and takes it like a champ. Sometimes I say I want to get rid of the dog, but then I see how much Addison loves him.

Bubbles

2008-05-06T13:19:00.001-07:00

1st Hair Cut

2008-04-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, it killed me to do this, but I decided to cut Addison's hair. I didn't cut it all, just the back. It was getting pretty long. Long enough to consider it a mullet. Hopefully now the rest of her hair can catch up, and it will all even out.

I forgot to take a before picture, but I found this one from last month. Her hair was long enough to put in a pony.

Before

After

I am not a professional, by all means. Hopefully it doesn't look too bad. We may end up having a few senior citizens at Wal-Mart call her a boy again, until it grows out. I know, they used to call her a boy, before she got hair, even if she was wearing pink!! I don't know about you, but she looks all girl, even with short hair.

True Blue

2008-04-14T19:10:00.001-07:00

My digital camera has a feature that takes a black and white photo, but accents some color. Last weekend my sister and I were messing around with it, and came up with this picture by chance. She gets them from her Daddy!

Another weekend of Easter Fun

2008-04-14T19:03:00.001-07:00

On conference weekend, we went up to my mom and dad's to watch conference. While there, my mom wanted to do a few fun Easter activities for the grandkids.

Coloring Easter eggs (with a yellow T-shirt on for an apron)

And hunting for Easter eggs. This is Brad and my brother, Brevin, with Addison and Brevin's daughter Aspen.

Copy Cat

2008-04-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

The other day Brad was fixing our kitchen table. It has been real wobbly, so he turned it upside down to adjust the feet with a screwdriver. After he was done, he does what most men do and left the screwdriver on the table. Well, Addison found it and decided to fix her shopping cart. And the best part is, not only did she turn the cart over, but she had the screwdriver right over a screw! Copy cat, or Smarty Pants, you be the judge.

Trouble!

2008-04-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

I have kind of fallen behind on posting. A few things have happened since the last post. Addison has again, utilized her creative side. This is what I found after getting out of the shower one morning.

If you can't tell, it is crayon scribbled all over her popper, and...

the tile, and...

the Kangaroo Klimber!

Thank goodness is was crayon, because it washed off pretty easily. After cleaning them, and straightening the room, I go to pick up one of her puzzles.

And this is what I find on the back..

I am sure to Addison it was a masterpiece, but to me, it was a mess that wasn't going to come out!

2008-03-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

Easter

2008-03-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Theme Song-a-Tron

2008-03-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this website! You will love it, I promise.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/2008focus/index.asp?section=ThemeSong&mid=26473769

Crazy Weather

2008-03-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

We have had some crazy weather these past couple of days. Saturday and Sunday brought us nice weather of the upper 60's. Monday came with a cold front that brought us 30 degrees and dropped below freezing with snow in the middle of the night. Tuesday morning we woke up to 4 inches of snow. The pictures were taken from the front of our house. Addison and Winston had a ball playing in the snow. Needless to say, we started our March out on the wrong foot. Please, send some warm sunny weather our way!!

P.J.'s

2008-02-27T12:38:00.002-08:00

Don't you like that my daughter is in her p.j.'s in almost every one of these pictures? I do dress her for the day, once in awhile. What can I say? If we don't have anywhere to go, we lounge around in our p.j.'s!