The Fancy Car

My parents came for a visit this weekend, which is always a fun thing for us. This time they came over in their new car, a cute little Mazda Miata that the kids have been referring to as "The Fancy Car". Nana and Papa were nice enough to give them each a ride - even the little boys with their booster seats. Papa said that he felt like Danny was 15 instead of 5 as they drove off and he exclaimed, "This is sweet!"

Nana took Haley on her ride and while they were stopped at a red light the guy in the next lane leaned out his window and said, "You chicks have a cool car!" Haley was red in the face just repeating that story...but she recovered quickly because within a half hour she was begging Papa to drive her past her friends' houses and honk the horn (don't worry, he didn't).

Fun visit - thanks for coming, Mom and Dad!

I've Been Tagged (click here)

Instructions
1. Post the rules
2. Answer the questions
3. Tag 3 other people

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Brad was just finishing up optometry school. We lived in Forest Grove, OR in some seriously scary government subsidized housing, which we now remember fondly and with humor (if you haven't heard our exciting stories from this time in our lives, ask us!) We had two little girls - Amber was 3 and Haley was 1.

2. What are 5 things on your to-do list for today?
- laundry
- laundry
- laundry
- laundry
- laundry

3. Name 3 snacks you enjoy.
- Pop Secret light popcorn
- raw almonds
- Diet Rite cola

4. What are 5 places you've lived?
- Bellevue, Washington
- Provo, Utah
- Forest Grove, Oregon
- Walla Walla, Washington
- That's it - I'm not much of a mover!

5. Name 5 jobs you've had.
- Hotel maid when I was 14 (gross job - wouldn't recommend)
- Hallmark Cards clerk at 16 (worked w/friends - a blast!)
- Daycare Teacher when I was 17 (loved that - cute kids)
- BYU Athletic Department (through college)
- BYU Admissions Office (through college)

6. 5 things people don't know about me.
- I hate trying to come up with things people don't know about me.
- I enjoy writing school papers (like essays and all that)
- I've never broken a bone
- I have two children from a previous relationship
- Just kidding

7. 3 bad habits
- Cracking my knuckles
- Too much time on computer
- I'm always addicted to at least one TV show (right now it's LOST)

8. What would you do if you were suddenly a Billionaire?
- Be able to afford to fill the tank in the suburban!

I tag Lisa, Lee, Chelsea (sorry guys, is this like the blog equivalent of an Email FWD?)

Fun 'n' Games

We had a nearly momentous event at our house the other night. Amber came closer than any of us ever have to beating Brad at Monopoly. It was so exciting a prospect that we documented it with photos. Sadly, her luck ran out and she began to land on his hotel-laden property. Brad retained his title as Nielson Family Monopoly Champion. He was sweating for a while, though, and I think that her "almost" victory is good enough for a blog post! I was impressed!

The other game were are seriously enjoying is Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii. I realize that DDR is not a new phenomenon, but we are late bloomers and have only just discovered it. We played last Monday night for Family Home Evening and it ended with blood and gore...and almost stitches! Brad, in a moment of excitement, flailed his arms a little too exuberantly and smashed a lamp, slashing the back of his hand in the process! It looked like it could have benefited from a few stitches to be honest, but I think he was too embarrassed to go in and explain just how his injury occurred! He settled for some butterfly bandages and has tried, in vain, to avoid peoples' questions about his DDR battle wound.


And finally, any game on the trampoline is a good game! The kids love it when Dad and/or Mom join them...but I'm not so sure the trampoline loves it.

My Whole Life Stinks

Danny has pneumonia and has been stuck in the house (more or less) for almost 2 weeks. Those of you who are moms realize that this means I have been stuck in the house (more or less) for 2 weeks also. He's been pretty miserable and so he's had a few more outbursts than what we would normally expect from him. We've had to be extra patient.

A few days ago he wanted ice cream for a snack. I told him that ice cream isn't a healthy snack, but that I would make him some cheese and crackers. When I called the boys to the kitchen for their snacks Danny took one look at it and got very angry (if he were a cartoon he'd have had steam coming out of his ears) and said, "YOUR SNACKS STINK!" I chuckled to myself, but just ignored it (see 'trying to be patient with his outbursts' above) Having not gotten the reaction he was looking for he next yelled, "IN FACT, YOUR WHOLE LIFE STINKS!" This time I couldn't help laughing out loud (especially considering I've been pent up with sick kids for days and days - my whole life does kind of stink right now!) I calmly told him he needed to go up to his room for a time out because he was talking to his mother rudely. He said, "Okay" in a sad voice and left the kitchen. Then he poked his head around the corner and sweet as pie asked, "Can I take my snack with me?"

I'm hoping he'll be well again soon. Today he got mad at me about something and said, "Mom, you're wrecking my whole life!"

"Cool Mom" Status

Our girls are pretty much loving me right now.

I've been planning to take the kids to Utah to visit family this summer. Haley is registered for a BYU basketball camp in early July so we're going to drive down and visit cousins, aunts/uncles, great-grandma...etc. When we heard that Hannah Montana was one of this year's Stadium of Fire entertainers Brad and I thought it'd be fun to try and get tickets for the girls and I to go. They were expected to go quickly though, so I wasn't sure we'd be able to pull it off.

Now, I'm not a woman of many notable talents. My Mom even used to make up talents to attribute to me since I had no blue ribbons and/or trophies like my brother, Scott ("making friends" was my most famous made-up talent) But today some of the few talents I do have finally paid off!

1) I'm good with the internet

2) I'm a fast typist (84 wpm, thank you very much)

3) I am a gifted online shopper.

Mix those skills together and you get STADIUM OF FIRE TICKETS FOR FOUR! The girls were jumping up and down (okay, not Amber, she's more excited to see The Blue Man Group, who will also be performing) So...I'll enjoy my cool mom status while it lasts. It's a fragile thing...could be gone by dinnertime. Now I just need to use my widely heralded friend-making abilities to try and procure a babysitter for the boys in the greater Provo area for the night of July 4th!