Here they are in all their camping glory...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Fathers'/Sons' Camp
Brad and the boys attended our Stake's Fathers'/Sons' Camp a couple of weekends ago (or, as Jacob likes to call it, "Sons' Camp"...guess the fathers are expendable?) They had a great time together, stayed up late and came home filthy. Amazingly, Danny did not throw up this year - he's got quite the track record where puking his s'mores all over his sleeping bag is concerned!
Here they are in all their camping glory...
Here they are in all their camping glory...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mothers' Day
Had a great Mothers' Day and felt spoiled and pampered all day long! One of my favorite things about Mothers' Day at this stage of life is the cute kid-made gifts and sentiments. I love the way kids express themselves and the cute things they have to say about their moms. Our ward often does a little mommy questionnaire for the Primary kids to fill out and then they put the highlights in the Sacrament Bulletin on Mothers' Day. This tradition had a hiatus a few years back after the Primary did it on Fathers' Day as well and one little boy said his Dad's favorite tv show was Baywatch...didn't see the Mothers'/Fathers' Day questionnaires for a couple of years after that.
Here are the Nielson kids' questionnaires from yesterday:
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DINNER YOUR MOM MAKES?
Alyssa: Meatballs
Danny: "Spgede" (spaghetti...same meal as Alyssa's, actually)
Jacob: Pizza
IF YOUR MOM HAD A FREE AFTERNOON, WHAT WOULD SHE DO?
Alyssa: Sleep
Danny: "Klean"
Jacob: Take a walk
WHAT IS YOUR MOM'S FAVORITE TREAT?
Alyssa: Cheesecake
Danny: Carrots
Jacob: Lollipops
WHAT'S SOMETHING YOUR MOM ALWAYS SAYS?
Alyssa: Rather safe than sorry!
Danny: Daniel, stop doing that!
Jacob: Put your PJs on.
WHAT MAKES YOUR MOM SMILE?
Alyssa: My Dad telling jokes.
Danny: When I listen, as rare as it is!
Jacob: When I look at her.
Cute, huh? Well...I'm going to go 'klean' and then treat myself to a big bowl of carrots. Rather safe than sorry, you know!
Here are the Nielson kids' questionnaires from yesterday:
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DINNER YOUR MOM MAKES?
Alyssa: Meatballs
Danny: "Spgede" (spaghetti...same meal as Alyssa's, actually)
Jacob: Pizza
IF YOUR MOM HAD A FREE AFTERNOON, WHAT WOULD SHE DO?
Alyssa: Sleep
Danny: "Klean"
Jacob: Take a walk
WHAT IS YOUR MOM'S FAVORITE TREAT?
Alyssa: Cheesecake
Danny: Carrots
Jacob: Lollipops
WHAT'S SOMETHING YOUR MOM ALWAYS SAYS?
Alyssa: Rather safe than sorry!
Danny: Daniel, stop doing that!
Jacob: Put your PJs on.
WHAT MAKES YOUR MOM SMILE?
Alyssa: My Dad telling jokes.
Danny: When I listen, as rare as it is!
Jacob: When I look at her.
Cute, huh? Well...I'm going to go 'klean' and then treat myself to a big bowl of carrots. Rather safe than sorry, you know!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Brace Face
It's no secret that Brad is a fantastic Dad. He plays games, coaches teams, fixes owies (especially the big ones!), tells jokes, helps with math...the list could go on and on. But today he did something that I feel goes above and beyond. Haley has been nervous for months about getting braces so Brad decided to help her feel more comfortable by getting them too!
Okay, in reality, our Orthodontist is living large off the Nielson kids, so offered to give Brad braces for free! Can't pass up free! His offer came right as Haley was due for her braces so he had Haley and Brad schedule a double appointment. This morning they sat side-by-side and got braces at the same time!
This picture of Brad is for Amber. Call it karma.
And here they are after their appointment:
BRING ON THE SOFT FOODS!
Okay, in reality, our Orthodontist is living large off the Nielson kids, so offered to give Brad braces for free! Can't pass up free! His offer came right as Haley was due for her braces so he had Haley and Brad schedule a double appointment. This morning they sat side-by-side and got braces at the same time!
This picture of Brad is for Amber. Call it karma.And here they are after their appointment:
BRING ON THE SOFT FOODS!
First Dance
Amber attended her first dance a couple of weeks ago, while at an overnight stake youth conference. She had a blast!
It was definitely one of those times that I wished I could be a fly on the wall, but I was lucky enough to have a couple of informants present - my friend, Cookie, and my husband, Brad. I thought for sure I'd have to rely fully on Cookie for the details, but have to admit that I entirely underestimated my husband! Brad, much to Amber's great chagrin, came home able to recount exactly who she danced with throughout the night AND, get this, he even took pictures of her dancing! They are small, blurry and dark pictures, but pictures all the same! He tried to be sneaky, but she eventually caught him and gave him a "WHAT THE HECK!" look (captured below).
Realizing he was busted, Brad started to take some random pictures of other kids to try and make Amber feel less singled out. My impression was, however, that taking pictures of other kids probably only added to the creepy factor! I can hear it now, "Who is that 38-year-old man taking pictures of all the kids on the dance floor?" Oh well. He did his best and at the end of the day I HAVE PICTURES OF AMBER'S FIRST SLOW DANCE! How awesome is that?!
Yes, she was about a foot taller than one of the boys who asked her to dance :)
It was definitely one of those times that I wished I could be a fly on the wall, but I was lucky enough to have a couple of informants present - my friend, Cookie, and my husband, Brad. I thought for sure I'd have to rely fully on Cookie for the details, but have to admit that I entirely underestimated my husband! Brad, much to Amber's great chagrin, came home able to recount exactly who she danced with throughout the night AND, get this, he even took pictures of her dancing! They are small, blurry and dark pictures, but pictures all the same! He tried to be sneaky, but she eventually caught him and gave him a "WHAT THE HECK!" look (captured below).
Realizing he was busted, Brad started to take some random pictures of other kids to try and make Amber feel less singled out. My impression was, however, that taking pictures of other kids probably only added to the creepy factor! I can hear it now, "Who is that 38-year-old man taking pictures of all the kids on the dance floor?" Oh well. He did his best and at the end of the day I HAVE PICTURES OF AMBER'S FIRST SLOW DANCE! How awesome is that?!
Yes, she was about a foot taller than one of the boys who asked her to dance :)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Not Young
Our ward is having a 'Young Couples Dinner' in a couple of weeks. Today I asked Brad, "What's a 'young' couple"? He said, "Not us."
So there you have it. We're officially not young.
On a happier note, the cut off was 38, so we are just barely not young.
So there you have it. We're officially not young.
On a happier note, the cut off was 38, so we are just barely not young.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Sincerest Form of Flattery Gone Awry
My sister, Lisa, got married a few months back. Once the truly important details were established (the choosing of the groom, the scheduling of the temple, etc.) she began to focus on the details of the event. She had very definite ideas about what she wanted - the dress, the reception venue, the invitations, her shoes, hair...etc. She put months of blood, sweat and tears into planning her wedding (maybe the blood is an exaggeration, but the sweat and tears are definitely not) She even designed her own dress and had a seamstress she found online custom make it for her.
Unfortunately for Lisa, she has a problem with following the pack. While it's great that she is creative and original, it does make life harder at times that she can't allow herself to take the easy route and do what other people are doing. She likes to be her own person, unique, a free thinker. This is sometimes taken to the extreme, in my opinion. For instance, she wouldn't see the movie Titanic in it's hey day because everybody was seeing it. If something is "the thing to do" you can bet that Lisa is not doing it. In fact, she's probably purposely doing the opposite of it. I like to tease her about this from time to time, so it will come as no surprise that her current situation is cracking me up.
Lisa, Lee, and their wedding photographer all put pictures of the wedding on their blogs. In the last few weeks the happy couple, the wedding dress and various wedding photos have been popping up all over the blogosphere with people adoring everything about the wedding and desperate to know, "Where can I get that dress?", "Who did your hair?", "Where was the reception?"...etc. It seems that everyone wants a Lisa/Lee wedding and, while flattering at first, the idea of everyone having a Lisa/Lee wedding is Lisa's worst nightmare! I am getting panic-stricken calls and emails from her on a daily basis - am I a mean sister that this is so funny to me?!
Here are the blogs they've been featured on so far (that I know about). If you're bored and have the time, read through peoples' comments and think of my sister cringing as she reads them!
Here, here, here, here, and here.
Below are a couple of my favorite pictures of the trend-setting couple themselves...just so you can see what all the fuss is about.
By the way, I know exactly who can make that dress for you, exactly where the reception was held, exactly who did her hair...even her nails! And for the right price, you too can have this sought after information ;) Sorry, Lis. I have 5 kids and there is a recession on. Priorities.
Unfortunately for Lisa, she has a problem with following the pack. While it's great that she is creative and original, it does make life harder at times that she can't allow herself to take the easy route and do what other people are doing. She likes to be her own person, unique, a free thinker. This is sometimes taken to the extreme, in my opinion. For instance, she wouldn't see the movie Titanic in it's hey day because everybody was seeing it. If something is "the thing to do" you can bet that Lisa is not doing it. In fact, she's probably purposely doing the opposite of it. I like to tease her about this from time to time, so it will come as no surprise that her current situation is cracking me up.
Lisa, Lee, and their wedding photographer all put pictures of the wedding on their blogs. In the last few weeks the happy couple, the wedding dress and various wedding photos have been popping up all over the blogosphere with people adoring everything about the wedding and desperate to know, "Where can I get that dress?", "Who did your hair?", "Where was the reception?"...etc. It seems that everyone wants a Lisa/Lee wedding and, while flattering at first, the idea of everyone having a Lisa/Lee wedding is Lisa's worst nightmare! I am getting panic-stricken calls and emails from her on a daily basis - am I a mean sister that this is so funny to me?!
Here are the blogs they've been featured on so far (that I know about). If you're bored and have the time, read through peoples' comments and think of my sister cringing as she reads them!
Here, here, here, here, and here.
Below are a couple of my favorite pictures of the trend-setting couple themselves...just so you can see what all the fuss is about.
By the way, I know exactly who can make that dress for you, exactly where the reception was held, exactly who did her hair...even her nails! And for the right price, you too can have this sought after information ;) Sorry, Lis. I have 5 kids and there is a recession on. Priorities.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Haley's All Better!
A few weeks back Haley had yet another round of x-rays on her knee and ended up with a clean bill of health! We were all so excited to get this good news! Haley immediately had me sign her up for softball and is enjoying her return to normalcy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)