More pictures

2008 Christmas Picture

Every year I get the kids pictures taken for our Christmas card. It's kind of tradition to get them matching sweaters, and I usually do the card with a more casual picture. This year was different. I got the kids matching outfits for church and had to get the picture done in them. I had a cute friend in my last neighborhood that had 3 beautiful girls and always had them in matching dresses. I always thought it would be fun to do if I had another girl and boy. Lucky me, I got them both! It was fun, though very long. I couldn't get them all to smile in the same picture, but at least they're all looking in the same direction! : ) I'm not sure if I need to give credit or not, but the pic was done by Kiddie Kandids.

I sent the last batch of cards off tonight.. yes, very late I know, but at least they went out. Last year I got the picture done, the cards printed, and none of them went out... oops!

What we've been up to...

I've had a few emails from people I don't see on a frequent basis wondering what we've been up to. Here are some of things we've done over the last few weeks:

Annual tradition of decorating the gingerbread house. Since they were little, they've each taken half the house to decorate themselves. Neither one has ever asked for their own, they seem content on sharing. The house always shows the split personalities! Bet you can't tell who did what side! Ha ha...

Kindergarten Christmas Program: Tyler sang a small duet with a little girl. Imagine, our Tyler, a Nielsen, singing in public.... he was great!

Amber's dance class demonstration: Each December Amber's dance class does a demonstration of what they've been doing each week. Kev stayed home with the twinners this year, so my mom and Tyler came with me to watch. I know I'm biased, but I'm so proud of her! She did such a great job and is so cute. She is a natural at ballet, but she tried tap also this year and is doing quite well. It was fun!


School Christmas Gifts: Amber wanted to give out little jingle bells, so we tied those onto some ribbon with the tags. Tyler's gift was a small treat bag. We had a lot of fun putting them together and talking while we did it. The twinners had fun with the bells, but they quickly figured out how to take them off the ribbon and put them in their mouths, so I had to throw the leftovers away.

New Posts to come!

I know, I know! It's been a month and a half since my last post. Life has been anything but dull. We had Thanksgiving here, then sick kids for 2 weeks (flu then rotovirus- sp?) and tons of things going on. I know some of you have been in the same boat with sick kids- it stinks. I washed crib bedding daily for most of the 2 weeks, gave the babies baths 2 to 3 times daily... ugh. I can't even begin to talk about all the laundry... but anyway, it reminded us that it is great to have good health. We are so blessed to enjoy the health that we have. I have 4 healthy kids and a healthy husband that works hard to provide for us. I thank my Heavenly Father every day all that I have.

Here is a pic of my little guys on the couch. Even with all that we went through, I had to take pics- I thought Kaden was so cute how he fell asleep on the couch!

Annual Nielsen Family Christmas Slideshow

Slideshow doesn't even describe it.... ever since before Kev and I got married, his extended family (Grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins...) has gotten together before Christmas for a party. The year Kev and I got engaged his Uncle Jody started doing a slideshow of different family pics with Christ and the reason for this season set to music for us to watch. Each year it gets bigger and better. He even sets up trees all over the room with lights, and they blink on and off to the music- it's great!

The family has grown so much over the last 12 years. The majority of his cousins are married now and are having kids of their own. Jody has put so much time and energy into putting together this presentation for us, it's just amazing. We've had it at our house the last 2 years, which is great because I can put the little ones to bed and enjoy the show. We just slide the couches out to the perimeter and there's extra room on the floor. We have people sitting on the stairs and in the kitchen and alot are standing up. I love it - it's so much fun having everyone there. And I love Kev's family, every last one of them (even Dave!) {family joke} I feel so blessed to have married into such a great family! This annual event really sets the tone for me as I head into next few days. It helps me to remember what life is really all about.

Update on Frankie

Frankie had surgery on his jaw today. Back when he had his first surgery to wire it shut to heal, they had to put screws into the plates they surgical implanted so they would have something to wire to. If you remember, he lost a lot of teeth, so they couldn't wire his jaw shut as they normally would. Anyway, today they went in to take the screws out. Luckily he was able to be put under so he wouldn't have to feel the pain during the surgery.

He told me he plans on going back to work a week from Monday. They'll be lucky to have him back. Hopefully this is another step closer to recovery and normal life.

Trick or Treat!

Halloween was tons of fun. I normally don't enjoy it that much, it's not one of my favorite holidays, but Amber and Tyler were so excited a little of it rubbed off on me. We had 3 different days to dress up (church party, school parties, and Halloween day.) The twinners were very cooperative at the school parade and kids' class parties so it wasn't stressful; I got to enjoy the company of a friend when the kids went trick or treating; and the kids scored some of my favorite candy (thanks Michelle for remembering!!!)

I'm still too new to this to figure out how to get my slideshow with the comments (yes, I'm a little slow!) so they are on the side for now.

Welcome Winter?

How did we go from this:

To this: ?

Our leaves turned color a little later this year, so I was just enjoying everything when the snow hit. What a bummer. It does look pretty all white, and I have to say I do like how bright it makes the house (it gets a little darker in the summer with all the shade from the trees.)

Tyler is having fun, though. He begs to play outside before school and after school he wants to spend all his time out there. Knowing Utah weather, it'll be a little warmer again soon!

Don't forget to vote!

I voted last week at the firestation, but wanted to remind everyone to vote today!

A third baby in the house?

Yes, crazy! lol We had the pleasure of watching my sister's baby today. Amber had fun holding her (Kaden and Katelyn are out of that phase;)
the twinners were wondering what their swing was doing back in the house and why someone else was in it; Tyler was wondering how something so little could make so much noise (he apparently forgot how loud the other 2 were!); and Kev wondered if that cured my need for just one more! (um, yes!) She is a cutie- it was tons of fun!

Fall Recess otherwise known as UEA

I'm sure many mothers out there are breathing a sigh of relief that school will be starting again tomorrow. Although I won't miss the fighting that started toward the end of the break, I will miss having both kids around all day and doing all the fun stuff we did. We are so busy during the week, it's hard to find time to enjoy each other. By the time Amber is home from school, homework is done & we've attempted practicing piano (during which we have babies crying for attention and hungry little boys wanting food) it is time for dinner. Either preceeding or following all that is soccer practice, piano lesson with Beth and ballet. whew! (yes, we do need to simplify!)

I really enjoyed just spending time with each other and having fun. Luckily the weather was great this weeked, so we got to enjoy Gardner Village with some friends, the park with cousins and the highlight? Gram and Papa taking the kids to breakfast on Saturday. (Kev and I got to stay home and do yardwork.) We also built a fire in the backyard fire pit and roasted hot dogs for lunch. Each night the kids had a "sleepover." Their definition of sleeping somewhere other than their beds which always ended up being in the downstairs family room with the couch cusions spread out or in a fort Kev made for them. They got to stay up late and watch tv (a huge thing since we're pretty strict on bedtime and how much tv they watch.)

They did get tired toward the end, but it was a fun weekend. Back to the grind I guess...

My Favorite Time of Year

I love fall! This is my favorite time of year- always has been. A friend asked me a few weeks ago what my favorite color was and I had a hard time answering her. It depends on what for I think I said. My home is mostly earth tones, I wear a lot of brown, I love red and purple flowers. I don't know why I'm rambling about that other than the fact that I think that's why I love fall/autumn so much. I love the bright, vibrant colors against the contrast of the brown/green we see during other times of year.

I'll have to post some pics of my house. I think I enjoy decorating for fall (no, not halloween, just fall) more than I do for Christmas. I love pumpkins and leaves, they just make me happy. I'll put that on my to-do list for this week. For now, I'm enjoying the new blog background in honor of fall. : )

Trek to Logan

We went up to Logan this weekend to visit Frankie and Angie. I call it a trek because I felt like I was packing the world just to have everything I needed for Kaden and Katelyn. We tried watching the second session of conference, but with 5 kids and 7 adults in a small space, it didn't really happen. Good thing for tivo and next month's Ensign!

While the guys went to Priesthood session, the rest of us went to the Logan Zoo. It had been raining all day, but it stopped long enough for us to enjoy 2 hours outside. It was great. The kids had tons of fun (more with the puddles than anything!) and we got to spend time with each other.

Unfortunately, Katelyn cried most of the way home. What a looooong drive! Kev's comment: no long trips again for a while. lol

It was good to see Frankie up and about. He still isn't feeling too hot, but he's here and we are so glad. I still thank our Heavenly Father every day that he made it and will be around for me to harass for years to come!

Tyler is such a bad example!

I thought it was cute how they were tallest to shortest. Little Maya (Andrea's baby) is in Amber's arms.

Our Favorite Soup

Kev and I love Olive Garden. Since the addition of the twins, you can imagine we don't get out like we used to. One day we decided we'd try to copy that potato soup they serve. After a few attempts, this is the recipe we ended with and love. We like to serve it with balsamic vinegar in oil to dip the bread. Recipe is below. Disclaimer: I am not one to follow instructions, I make it to taste and based on how much we need. This will make about 8 servings.

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Italian Sausage Soup

1 12oz package of low fat pork or turkey sausage

6-7 red potatoes

2 handfulls of chopped, fresh spinach

chopped fresh garlic to taste (I use 1 spoonfull)

1 10oz can Rotel Mexican Lime Cilantro diced tomatoes

1 32oz box of chicken broth

1/2- 1 cup of milk

Dice potatoes to desired size. Put in pot and add enough water to cover. Cover and cook until potatoes are ready. Add cooked sausage and all other ingredients. We put in the spinach last so it's not too soggy.

Frankie is home from hospital!

Things have been soooo busy the last few weeks- sorry for not posting sooner. Lots of you have asked about Frankie, and it is all pretty good news! He went home last week (sooner than we all thought he would,) and he seems to be doing a lot better. I think he is like most of us, the healing speeds up when you're in a happy place, not stuck in a hospital.

His trach is out and almost healed (did you know they don't stich up the hole? They just cover it with a dressing and it heals on its own,) he is able to talk even though is jaw is wired shut, and I can actually understand him most of the time! He did get some crummy news, though. He will have to back in for another nose surgery because the nasal cavity is still not how it should be.

I'm still amazed at the rate of recovery considering how bad he started off. His spirits are high and he continues to impress with me with how he's handled everything. The only down side is he is farther away so it's harder to go and see him now. We have a trip planned in a few weekends to go see him and Angie and take the kids to the zoo. We're looking forward to it.

This has been a big testimony building experience for me. I have always had a testimony, but I have seen first hand the power of the priesthood through the blessings Frankie received over the last few weeks and the prayers of friends and family all over. I am so grateful to all those who were worthy to bless my brother in his time of need. Don't ever take your family for granted... we had a good ending in this, but you just never know how quickly your life can change.

I don't have very recent picks, but here's what I have from the last time I saw him.

The kids walking with Frankie from ICU to another unit. Amber was a little scared at first, but as soon as she realized it was still him and his personality, she was fine.

Frankie and Angie

So what does a mom really do all day?

I'm sure many a husband has thought this from time to time. What does she do all day? Picture him walking into the house after working hard all day and it looks exactly the same and dinner is not even started yet. Luckily, Keven is an awesome husband and has never spoken this musing out loud (thanks for that babe!)

I admit, this is a little out of the ordinary, but messes like this do happen. And if I didn't spend all day cleaning these up, then the house would be worse than the way it was in morning! This particular mess happened the other day when I was on the phone with my brother's employer trying to work out his disability leave. I don't know how they got into the cereal cabinet (I usually have a baby-proof lock on it, but they found the Cheerios anyway.) Tyler and his buddy were up there and say it was all Katelyn and Kaden, but I have a feeling they had a little fun with it too.

Kaden had the dust pan out and you can tell Tyler did make an attempt to sweep. I couldn't be mad... I just had to hurry and get the camera and laugh about it. What else was there to do?? :)

My Hero

My little bro was in a really bad accident on Monday. He was driving home from school on his scooter and was cut off by a driver of an SUV. He suffered from broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a concussion and every bone in his face was broken from his forehead down. He has a trachiostimy (I won't claim to know how to spell it,) and a feeding tube. His jaw is wired shut and his eyes were swollen shut until today. Can you even imagine not being able to see or speak and breath out of your neck instead of your nose or mouth? I think that would be terrifying.

I've seen the power of the priesthood blessings he's received. His brain swelling went down fairly quickly, he only needed one surgery to repair his facial fractures (the originally anticipated 2-3) and he is handling all the pain better than we imagined.

Through all this he has kept a positive outlook and is worrying more about how this is effecting his wife and the boy who hit him than himself. He has forgiven the boy who hit him and worries about how this will effect his future. What a perfect example of how to be Christ-like. I am so proud to call him my brother.

I've been taking pictures every day to document how he looks . I'm sure he won't mind if I share a few.

Tyler's First Day of School

I can't believe he's in Kindergarten! I'm used to him being gone for a few hours during the day because he's been in preschool for 2 years. What I can't get used to his not having him with me when I walk home from dropping Amber off at school. He's been my walking buddy for so long, it was strange walking home without the extra noise and energy.

I now have 2 kids to do homework with. What a change of pace!

The top picture is his cute little group from the ward (minus his bf's little bro on the left.) There are actually 3 missing from this picture too. Can you believe it? The poor teacher. Yes, we did warn her about all these little boys who are great friends. She says she would've figured it out soon enough- how could you not? lol She is in for a fun ride this year.

I also just have to point out his cute friend Langdon just to the right of Tyler. Yes, the one who looks like he should be in first, maybe even second grade. He did all that growing in just a few months. He used to be close to Tyler's height and just shot up all of a sudden. It's so cute seeing the 2 of them next to each other!

Back to School!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Ha ha...my friend Gretchen said her husband has been singing that to their kids for the past week. Remember the Staples (or some other office supply store) commercial with the dad all happy and the kids pouting? lol

I can't believe Amber is already in 2nd grade. She's growing up way too fast. These are her cute friends from the ward. It's just the 4 of them. Aren't they a cute group? Right now Neal probably thinks life is terrible being surrounded by girls. Some day he'll know how lucky it actually is! I think the girls are pretty lucky too. : )

Kindergarten doesn't start until next week, so I get to keep Tyler for a few more days. It wasn't as hard on me as 1st grade was (with Amber.) At least this year he'll be around half a day. Next year it will be all day that they'll both be gone. I know I'll be bummed when that happens. As needy as they are sometimes, and as much fighting as they were doing the last few weeks of summer, I enjoyed having them around and will miss them!

Wheeler Farm

We went to wheeler farm with the Richmond's as a last activity for summer. The kids had a lot of fun feeding the ducks and geese and looking at the animals. The best part? Playing in the riverbed...nothing to do with the farm at all!

Camping at Cedar Hollow

So this last weekend we went camping with the Richmond's. Kev and I suggested Cedar Hollow primarily because it's so close and also because it's usually empty. We got there Friday morning and setup camp. Camille, Doug and kids weren't going to be there until Friday night. So all day, what happens? The entire town of Francis (yes, literally!) drives in and puts up camp around us.

Apparently they were having a ward campout. Just our luck! We suggest a "great, secluded" place to friends we haven't camped with before and this is what happens. We'll see if they ever trust us again! lol

We had a great time anyway. The kids spent most of their time playing and riding. They even had a few "sleepovers": our kids sleeping in their trailer (Camille and Doug are either brave or crazy!!!) and Marlie sleeping over in ours. They had an adult-kid marshmallow fight (no, they're not for roasting!) and all of them got very dirty!

I wasn't able to get a lot of pictures since I was keeping the babies from eating rocks, but here are the few I did get.