The Nielson 5

First Day of School 2010

2010-12-19T13:10:00.000-08:00

This year, our kids had a very different first day of school. Not only was it in the traditional sense but, they also transferred to a different school so they were literally having a very first day! Now that we are in December, we realize it was the greatest decision we could have made for our family. It definitely wasn't easy and we prayed and prayed about it but, it has worked. I can't believe how big they have gotten.

Silverwood 2010

2010-12-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

We took Jordyn and Jeylin to Silverwood this past August for the very first time. They were excited but also very nervous about riding the roller coasters. We managed to get them two go on two, Timber Terror and Tremors...but that was it! They both screamed their heads off. We didn't take Kierra because she would have been too small to ride anything but the kiddie rides and we would have not be able to experience enough to make it worth our money. We'll go again in a couple more years with all of them. Even though it was CRAZY busy and we were only able to get on a couple of rides, we still had a blast! The kids were tuckered out by the end of the day too. We stayed in Spokane and did school shopping the next day too. It was a nice mini-vacation.

Jordyn's 9th Birthday

2010-12-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

With so much going on this year around Jordyn's birthday time, we opted for a small sleepover with some of her best friends. They enjoyed pizza and then smores made on the BBQ. All of the girls had a blast...and the Smores were SUPER messy...check it out for yourself...

Brittny's Baby Shower

2010-12-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

I have ALWAYS wanted to throw a baby shower and never had the opportunity...until I found out Brittny was expecting! I begged and begged for her to let me and she was generous enough to cave and let me do it...thanks Britt!!!

Since her and Brad were not finding out what they were having, I had a challenge ahead of me....so, I recruited my wonderfully talented mother as back-up :) We decided on just a general "baby" theme and we had SO much fun!! We even took a girls trip to Spokane to shop for supplies. Thanks Britt for giving us a reason to do this because it was the very first time we had ever done anything with just the two of us and it was awesome!

We had quite the extravagant event planned in Mom's back yard...that is, until it decided to downpour on us. Unfotunately, we had to move it into the garage but...it still was a ton of fun. Celebrating with Britt's wonderful family and all our great friends, we enjoyed fabulous food and great hilarity. I did manage to sneak a few pictures though before the rain hit so here you go.

Also, as a little "PLUG", my Mother and I absolutely LOVE planning parties so if anyone is ever in need, please give us a call and we'll work something out. As well, my mom is trying to get into doing Candy Buffets for all types of events. Look her up if you're ever in the need. Okay, enough with the shameless plug, here's some pics...I would have added more but for some reason, I can't find all of them...

Here is the invitation which I made using Paint program (hadn't yet gotten Photoshop)

The centerpieces on the tables.

These doubled as gifts for the Mom-to-Be and when looked at from the walkway into the party, the word "BABY" was written out.

Brittny & the Cake

Cake was made by Cakes by Marcella

This lady is AWESOME!! I sent her a picture and she created this masterpiece! Just look at the detail work below...

All buttons & clothes were handmade out of fondant! I recommend this lady to anyone who loves fondant work...and, it tasted better than any fondant I have ever had. She said it's because she uses the same kind that Duff from Ace of Cakes uses! Seriously amazing!!!

Mom's Candy Buffet

Ooooh Yum!

These Whirly Pops were awesome!

Seriously speaking everyone...this shower was a ton of work and took two months to plan but let me tell you, despite the work and the rain, it was so worth it. My whole goal was to make Brittny feel like a Queen. We are so incredibly blessed to have her as part of our family and I would do this 100 times over just to see the smile on her face. She is so beautiful and I am so thankful to call her my sister-in-law!

And, for those who are wondering...it was a Girl! I'll post more on that later :)

Jeylin's 6th Birthday Pics

2010-12-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

I told you I would post more...just didn't realize I would finally post about his 6th birthday 2 1/2 months before his 7th. Okay well, here you all go....

Jeylin's Colts Inspired Cake

All the party-goers

Jeylin & Abby

Jeylin & His Cake

Jeylin & His buddy, Braeden

Jeylin & Giada

Celebrating the Life of a Great Man

2010-10-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, my Uncle Allen passed away on September 24th. He was one of my Mom's brothers and a great man. Now, I know that most people always think the dearly departed are "great" people, but my Uncle Allen...he really was. Even if you wanted to say something bad about him, you simply couldn't. I'm going to add what my Mom wrote and spoke at his Memorial. She has a true gift with being able to write so beautifully that you feel as though you lived through the experiences with her. And, as a disclaimer (or as you can see in the pictures), my Uncle Allen spent the majority of his life in a wheel chair. He was a quadraplegic and had very limited use of his arms...this will help to make my Mom's story more understandable during parts. So here goes nothing...the story of the most amazing man I've ever known, my Uncle Al...

"Hello everyone, I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today to celebrate the life of my brother. Most of you know me but some of you don’t so I’ll introduce myself. My name is Rita Henderson Mundt and I’m Allen’s youngest sibling.

Those of you who knew Allen best would know that he wouldn’t want a big fuss made over him; he wasn’t into dramatics or being in the spotlight, but funerals are for those left behind, so, sorry Allen here goes…

First of all I would like to thank everyone who donated food and thank you also to the Rebecca’s for providing the dinner. I also want to thank Dee, Tony, Jackie and Fonda for being the children Allen always wanted and for loving him and being so good to him. And lastly, thank you Janet. You were his constant companion, wife and caregiver for 23 years. Because of you, Allen was able to live a full and happy life. You sacrificed your life for him. Well done Janet, you saw it to the end and you finished the race.

If I had a month to stand here and speak I couldn’t possibly touch upon all that my brother was or what he meant to me and to so many others. Some of you here today knew him from the beginning, others maybe for only a little while. One thing was certain; Allen was a man who left a lasting impression upon everyone he met.

Allen was 13 years old when I was born. He used to tell me that he was embarrassed to walk down to Ma Haney’s store with mom while she was pregnant with me because he knew everybody would look at her and know what she had been up to! We had some good laughs over that one.

Like my brother Dick, Allen was a loving and devoted big brother. Allen gave me his undivided attention, spending endless hours talking to me, playing with me and yes, teasing me. Later, when I became an adult, he would often tell me that all the teasing and harmless torment made me tougher. There have been numerous times since, that I’ve had to tap into that mean streak, and so for all the endless teasing Allen, I thank you.

One of my earliest memories of Allen was of him grabbing me by the arms and swinging me around and around in circles until he got me dizzy. He would then set me down and laugh at me as I staggered around the yard. To this day I can still hear his laughter, and to this day I still can’t stand carnival rides…

Allen used to tell me the story about how he & Dick would put me in my stroller. I was probably less than a year old at the time. They would run that stroller, with me in it, around the alley and down the dike at top speed. Mom said it wasn’t unusual for them to have it on two wheels as they went by, with me bouncing around like a rag doll. Apparently that was before anyone had ever heard of “shaken baby syndrome”. The stroller incidents seemed to have a different affect me than the spinning escapades, because to this day I still like anything that goes fast!

One summer I can remember Allen taking me out to the creek to a swimming hole he had behind the house. I couldn’t have been over 4 years old at the time and didn’t swim yet. He would put me on his back and swim underwater, being very careful not to let me fall off. Allen was like that…whether he was taking me to the beach, teaching me to shoot or how to defend myself; he always had my best interest at heart.

Many times he would take me with him when he would go for a drive. I was the coolest of the cool riding shotgun in his ’57 Chevy. My best friend Teena & I would play for hours in that old ‘57. He never seemed to mind, in fact, it was a favorite story of his to the end that he could always tell when we were pretending to drive his car because there would be little sticks in the ash tray. Being children of the 50’s, Teena & I didn’t know you could drive a car without a cigarette!

As you might expect, Allen taught me how to fish. Having White Bird creek in our backyard was a natural classroom for fishing lessons. He would tell me step by step how to tie the fly onto the line and then explain in great detail, how I was to flick the fly out into the creek and let it float down through the ripples, making sure to keep it dry so it looked real to the fish. On my first trip to the creek I found a Sucker someone had thrown up on the bank. I immediately thought I could fool Allen, so I picked it up and took it back to him just as proud as could be, telling him I had caught it. He ewed & awed over that stiff, stinking old Sucker and played along with me because he didn’t want me to be disappointed.

In the summer of 1969, when man first walked on the moon, Allen & I would spend hours out in the back yard gazing up at it through his spotting scope. Like everything else, he used it as an opportunity to teach. He would say “see those big craters, valleys and mountain ranges”. I have never looked at the moon since without remembering that summer and the nights spent gazing up at the moon with him.

Allen had a real interest in my education and would spend endless hours helping me with my homework. If I had a problem I couldn’t get figured out, he would always find a way to explain it to me so that it made sense. He even went so far as to offer me a $1.00 for every “A” I got on my report card. It didn’t take long and he was accusing me and Mrs. Robie of having a conspiracy! Never the less, he paid me anyway, just as he had promised. This was a promise that he continued to keep for as long as I was in school.

Allen cared; he was in tune with my life and what was going on and what was important to me. When all the other kids in town had bicycles and I didn’t, Allen and Dick saw to it that I got one.

Allen had an unbelievable gift in that he could explain something only with words because he couldn’t show me with his hands…he even taught me how to braid. He would tell me, and I quote: “It’s easier than falling off a Log.”

You could say that Allen and I were “nutritional overachievers”. In other words, we liked to eat! One of Allen’s favorite pastimes was to read Cookbooks and to try new recipes. Allen would find something that he thought looked good and he would recruit me to fix it. He would read the instructions to me step by step as I assembled it. Mom never complained and would let Allen & I make a complete mess of her kitchen. Because of those early culinary experiments with Allen, I learned to cook.

Humble beyond words, Allen always gave the praise to others and would down play his own accomplishments to allow others to bask in the lime light. Allen was incredibly funny and could find humor in everything... usually himself. No matter how serious a situation was, Allen could find something in it to laugh about. It was this type of attitude, the ability to find humor or joy in even the worst of circumstances, that preserved him and allowed him to live 46 years after his injury. (Incidentally, that was thirty six years longer than the Drs. predicted he would). I believe there is a passage in the Bible that perfectly describes my brother:

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 verse 4 reads:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I guess you could say then, Allen was the perfect example of love.

I am sad beyond words and there is a void now in my life that will never be filled. I’m not sad for Allen; he’s in a much better place now. I’m sad for me and for the future generations of our family that will never have the privilege of knowing him.

Allen had an unwavering love of White Bird and the Salmon River. He loved every rock, every blade of grass and everyone from here. I’ve heard it said that heaven is different for everyone. If that’s true then I already know what heaven looks like to Allen… it looks just like White Bird."

Uncle Allen & My Mom

Uncle Allen & Me

Uncle Allen & one of his favorite pastimes

(What he could do with limited use of his body was amazing!)

The Henderson Family

Back row (Left to Right) Aunt Marie, Uncle Dick, My Mom

Front Row (Left to Right) Uncle Allen, Grandma Margie, Grandpa Horace

Catch-Up...Cuz I was Yelled At!!

2010-10-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure anyone still reads this...except for my Mom...who, after yelling at me for an update will hopefully enjoy this...*wink*wink* Well, obviously I have been vacant from the blogging scene for an incredibly long amount of time. It's called life, very, very, very busy life. But, 'nuf said, how about an update.

Last time, I was going through trying to chronologically update and while I would still like to do that, I just simply don't have the time...especially since the last post that mattered was talking about events from last November...11 months ago!!! Sooo, I will still update but I'm going to list all the new events in this post and pick and choose some of my favorite moments to devote an entire post too...sound good? Well, who cares...no one reads this anymore anyway right?

So here goes (at least as much as I remember)...

Thanksgiving 2009

Celebrated at my parents house with the family. It was a very nice, very tasty celebration. I love spending the holidays on the Farm :)

Christmas 2009

Celebrated at our house again for the very first time without my parents. This year was the Nielson family Christmas. All of the kids made it home for the holidays. Even Kasey and Laura surprised us all with an impromptu visit. It was nice to have us all together.

January 2010

Started a diet yet AGAIN...to get in better condition for my brother's upcoming wedding to the most wonderful girl EVER, Brittny Behler!!! We just love her.

February 2010

Jeylin turned 6!! We celebrated his party at 360 Gymnastics & Cheer. He had such a BLAST!! He loves football and so he decided on an Indianapolis Colts party which was great since we had a lot of supplies left over from the Super Bowl that I really would rather not talk about at this moment. Yep, still a little bitter. Anyway, he invited all of his classmates and they had a great time running, jumping, swinging, and of course eating cake. I will post more on this later.

March 2010

Bradley's Grandma Opal passed away this month. It was sad but at the same time nice to know that she had moved on to a better place. The family got together once again minus two sister-in-laws and 4 grandchildren. We had a good time considering...especially telling stories of Opal.

April 2010

Easter was spent at our house with Brad's parents. We had a great dinner of ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, citrus roasted asparagus, green bean casserole, rolls & dessert. We were also blessed with a new nephew this month. Parker Ray Nielson was born :) He is so cute and pudgy...just love it. It was neat to finally see Sam as a daddy. You can check him out more by checking out Amy's site here.

May 2010

We had the Holy Family School Auction this month. It went very well. I was in charge of data entry (along with my great friend Anne) so we had actually been working night and day since February to get everything entered perfectly. It went off with only a few glitches but nothing we couldn't handle.

June 2010

Can't remember!! The kids were out of school this month so maybe that accounts for my lack of memories...haha!

July 2010

Border Days in Grangeville as usual! It's awesome! Unfortunately this year, my entire family except Bradley, got sick on the day of the 4th. Food poisoning or some nasty flu bug. Since the 4th was on a Sunday, we had planned on coming home for the fireworks rather than watch them in Grangeville. Brad's brothers Kasey and Sam, and his sister Jodi came over to celebrate...but, I stayed in bed the entire day. I did manage to group together enough energy to partake in the fireworks show but that was about it. July 31st, my mom and I threw a baby shower for Brittny! It was a lot of months in the works and the only downside (not exactly small either) is that it was an outdoor party and downpour hit at starting time. Brittny was able to see it all put together as we would have wanted it but then we had to quickly move it indoors to celebrate in the garage. I'll post more on this later.

August 2010

This was a big month! Jordyn turned 9. We celebrated with a slumber party with three other girls. It was a bunch of fun. I lost my job too. Yup, that was fun. I'm glad to be done with that place but just wish they would have had a little more tact in the way they dealt with it. We had a family (minus Kierra) vacation to Silverwood. The kids had a blast. Didn't like the coasters, loved the water slides and of course, spending the night in a hotel and doing school shopping the next day too :) And FINALLY, school started!!! The kids changed schools this year too. They are now enrolled at Asotin Elementary. They are having a great time.

September 2010

We were blessed with the MOST beautiful niece this month. Finally, my baby brother is a daddy...[tear] Isabella Brooklyne Mundt was born on the 9th. She weighed 6lbs 9oz and is absolutely perfect! Definitely look for a post on this one. Lookout world, I started selling Scentsy. If any of you are not familiar, click here!! I absolutely LOVE these products!! They smell so great, last for so long and are stylish to boot. Check them out NOW...heehee :) Also, on the 24th, our family lost one of the greatest people ever. My Uncle Allen passed away. He was the embodiment of the power of positive thinking. I will also be posting more on this later.

So pretty much, that's it in a nutshell. Since we are just starting October, I'm not adding that in here. I will definitely try to become a more disciplined blogger :-) For those of you who do read this {Mom}, let me know if I missed anything. I'm sure I did as I can't even remember what I did yesterday...let alone 6 months ago. Hopefully though, this finds all of you in good health. Until next time...

Silhouette Machine

2010-06-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of or seen this machine, oh my!! It looks fabulous. I have entered a contest to win a giveaway and thought I would share that contest with the rest of my friends and family...plus, blogging about the contest gets me another entry :-) So, here you go, check out this giveaway by clicking the link below.

SILHOUETTE MACHINE

Oh and if any of you win by way of this blog entry....just remember, I get to borrow...*wink*wink*

30th Birthday Bash...Literally!

2010-05-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, November 21, 2009, my best friend Dawn celebrated her 30th birthday. Dawn and I have been best friends from birth sooo, 30 years and some change. Since this was the first birthday we had spent together in a while...at least since elementary school, I decided to go all out and throw her a big shin-dig! We had dinner and cake and lots of laughter planned for the evening. Trust me when I say, the picture definitely helps out the look of this cake...there were quite a few flaws to it...

We finished with a night of bar-hopping, finally closing down MJ Barleyhoppers. I generally don't drink at the bars because I can't stand beer and my "foo-foo" drinks are expensive so I chose to be the DD for the evening. There were 5 of us piled in our van, Dawn, Mike, Koleen, Brad & myself...leaving Dawn's car & Koleen's car parked in front of our house. Off we went for our evening of fun!

Dawn, Koleen & I

Bradley & I

At 2:00am when the bar closed down, we headed for home. Remember what I said earlier...5 of us in one vehicle...2 vehicles remained at the house. Uh huh, sure! We came home to one van full of 4 "very happy folks" and 1 driver thinking...where the heck are the other two cars? It didn't take long for the 4 "very happy folks" to turn into 3 "not-so happy folks" and 1 "very concerned husband of driver". I immediately ran inside and dialed 911. After giving the dispatcher my information...twice...she informed me that police were on the way to talk to us and that sometime after midnight, a drunk driver had driven off the road and into both cars and that a tow-truck had come to pull both of them out of our yard. WHAT?!?!?!

After the Deputy arrived to talk to the hysterical group of folks, we learned that the driver was obviously intoxicated and was driving at a higher rate of speed than the norm. He totalled both cars, leaving them in our front yard...and had continued to drive. Another driver witnessed the crash and called 911. Just under the Southway bridge (probably a mile from our house), a Deputy was waiting. From what I believe, the Deputy had already pulled the driver over before the announcement came across the radio due to severe damage and no headlight. The driver tried to deny that he had anything to do with the crash, while sitting in an obviously wrecked vehicle and no headlight, but as the Deputy said, "Are you sure you want to deny that?" To which the driver finally admitted..."No."

So, he was hauled off to jail and Dawn, Mike, Brad & I tried to calm a very overly-freaked out Koleen. Once it was all said and done and everyone in bed, it was around 5am. Here is a picture of Koleen's car since I don't have any of Dawn's...

Kierra's 2nd Birthday

2010-05-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

e just did a small celebration for Kierra's 2nd Birthday with just family and friends. I made cupcakes in place of a cake and just kept it all real simple. She loved it and it was nice to have the family together...

"Mom, step away with the flame!!"

"Oh now I get it, they are singing TO me...oh I'm so bashful"

"Mmmm, the rewards of almost being burned to death & humiliating singing...I think I can live with this"

"Yep, I could totally live with this!"

Halloween 2009

2010-05-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween marked a historic time for the Nielson family...for two separate reasons. The first reason, Jordyn decided to opt out of the traditional Princess, Barbie, Cheerleader roll and go Gothic!! Never thought I'd be happy to see my child that way but for Halloween, it's "to-each-her-own" in my household. I relished in the thought of my child standing out has a ghoul for the evening. Here she is in all her fright before the Holy Family Halloween Party...

We're not exactly sure what to call her but, it was fun...and I think a very comfortable costume. We added the face paint, which I might add, she has never allowed before and we had black fingernail polish but we didn't actually use it. We had to safety-pin the slits in the costume though as they were a little high-cut for our liking but, we thing the pins added to the effect. Doesn't she look awesomely ghoulish???

The second "Call Guiness!" moment came when Bradley decided to dress up for the party as well. In the 10 years we have been together, he has never once even entertained the thought of dressing up for Halloween....and believe me, I've tried!!! I think what finally tipped him over this year were the kids. They begged and begged. Finally, Brad said Jordyn could pick out a costume for him (in return for a week's worth of completed chores, etc. I believe). She already had one in mind but unfortunately when we went to pick it up, they were all gone. Here is what she wanted her dad to go as...

Since we couldn't find this costume, Brad naturally assumed that he was going to be let off the hook...think again! We weren't going to let this happen. Instead, Jordyn and I picked out numerous costumes which Brad eventually shot down. We decided to be nice and told him he could pick his own costume then as long as he wore one. We later found the perfect fit at ShopKo. Not only was in on sale, but it took his already tall stature and magnified it. When he walked into the party at the school, he was the center of attention. He scared the Principal and kids and was asked by a few to get their pictures taken with him. It was awesome! Maybe it will even start a tradition. Here is what he finally picked out for himself...

Jeylin, Kierra and myself completed our dressed up family. Jeylin was a Ninja...fighting evil.

Kierra was a cow. The pictures totally do not do this justice. The butt in this costume was to-die-for! It waddled when she walked and was so stinking cute. The only downside to the costume...she was too tall for it so she never wore the hood. We completed it with white face paint and one black painted patch around her right eye (even though this picture wasn't taken the same night). She was pretty stinking cute.

And naturally, I went as a Queen...because I really wanted to wear the right outfit :-) Hahahaha!!! Our rag-tag bunch of dressed up gothic-weapon yielding-crime fighting-farm animal-royalty. Until next year!

The Pumpkin Patch 2009

2010-05-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

This year, we decided to try Red Barn Farms just outside of Colton, WA for our pumpkin gathering fun. Unfortunately, the day we decided to go was INCREDIBLY busy and even more INCREDIBLY cold. We still went and took in the sights of the day as they had many wonderful vendors and fun but we decided to do our traditional pumpkin picking at the ol' stomping grounds of Wilson-Banner Ranch. Here are some pictures

from the patch...

Kierra was a little grumpy

Jordyn was in a posing mood this day

See, told you...

She found the perfect one

So did Jeylin...he was tuckered out from all the searching

Not sure what it was, but it must have been funny

Horses & Tractors

2010-05-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so fortunate to have lived on a farm growing up and even more fortunate that my kids still get to visit that same farm today. Our family has such a love of animals and the outdoors that it is a great place to be. My parents' farm is a wonderland for me and for my kids. This past September, we stayed for a weekend. The particular highlight was Jordyn going on a horseback ride with Nana.

Getting ready to head out

Starting on their way....they were gone for a long time

Kierra LOVED her turn

Jordyn took Kierra for a couple trips around the yard...

...before taking a couple laps with Papa on the Big Red Tractor

(Anyone notice who's driving?)

Kierra & Sara Grace

2010-05-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Sara Grace is the youngest child to my kids' Godparents (Andy & Wendy) AND, she is my mom and dad's Godchild. Last summer, Mom watched her for a couple of days while Andy & Wendy were out of town. Of course, we couldn't miss the opportunity to go to Grangeville for the weekend and hang out...here are some great pics from the trip!!! Sara is just 4 days shy of being exactly 8 months older than Kierra.

Ponytails

Such a ham

Haha, too funny

Too Cute for Words

Kierra Randoms

2010-05-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Eatin' green peppers

Sleepin' with Daddy

"Cheeeesssse"

Learning how to say "I'm 2" or "Peace" whichever the scenario calls for

"Hey Goat!"

Ridin' the Carnival rides

Seattle Day 4

2010-05-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

Day 4: Sunday, August 16th

MAIN EVENT DAY!!! The only thing planned for this day was our main reason for the trip. My long awaited chance to watch the Mariners play the New York Yankees!!! I have wanted to watch the Yankees play as long as I can remember. Only two things could have topped this day and as of this publish date, only one of those things is still available....watching the Yankees play at Yankee Stadium (the since retired stadium) and watching the Yankees play the Red Sox at Fenway park. Don't worry folks, that is definitely on my bucket list! Brad and I have actually looked at tickets online and we're seriously contemplating it somewhere in the future.

In February, when Brad and I were starting to think about planning a family vacation for the summer, we weren't sure where we wanted to go. We knew we couldn't afford an extravagant destination such as Disneyland or Hawaii but we wanted to do something fun and interactive just the same. We had considered a couple options such as, traveling the Oregon coast (I made this trip with my parents at the age of 5 or 6 and had a blast) and other places. I was busy at the computer trying to come up with more options when Brad, {watching ESPN as usual} yelled down the stairs that Ken Griffey, Jr. had decided to come back to the Mariners organization. We immediately had our vacation destination...and no need to determine which date we were going...we already knew. They had to be playing the Yankees! We found the dates...which worked perfectly because the kids were on summer break and it would be one last fantastic trip before school started up again. We decided that we would splurge a little bit on our tickets and guarantee great seats. Fortunately for us, Brad's brother Sam lives in Olympia and he and his wife Amy decided to come too. Sam purchased the tickets opening day and we had great seats...left field line, about 16 rows up from the field! Unfortunately, a week or so before the game, Sam and Amy realized they couldn't make the game so they sold their tickets :-( From there, the rest of the trip just sort of planned itself....and voila! here we are on game day...

We woke up early, had breakfast and started packing our goods. Since we were headed home after the game, our van had to be packed all day with our belongings. Not a bad deal since the entire day was going to be spent at the field. We left bright and early...found a great FREE parking spot and even had enough time to stop at Krispy Kreme for coffee and donuts before the gates opened. We were all dressed in our Mariners garb (yes, I love the Yankees but I also love the Mariners...it really was a win-win situation for me...and, I'm not stupid enough to wear Yankees clothes unless we're watching them in New York)!

We lined up early at the gate and anxiously waited. Finally, the doors opened and it was a mad dash to our seats to watch the teams warm-up.

Alex Rodriguez was warming up right in front of us. I took TONS of pictures! We even witnessed Derek Jeter tie the all-time record for hits by a short stop with #2,673. {On a side note, it was fun to watch the kids' amazement when the Yankees won the World Series...they thought it was awesome that we watched the best team play that season!} Before the game, we walked around the park and took in everything.

We had our pictures taken with Moose...

...and at center field.

The kids played in the playground and just had a blast. They were soooo excited to be there...as was I.

The game was awesome but it went by at a fast rate of speed. I was bummed. I could have stayed there for at least another week. We enjoyed our favorite foods....fresh squeezed lemonade, hot roasted peanuts, chocolate-dipped strawberries & garlic fries!!

We watched the Mariners defeat the Yankees by a large margin and just had an overall great time.

Alex Rodriguez warming up

Jorge Posada

Derek Jeter

He was looking right at me...I was very noticeable in my bright pink Seattle shirt!!!

Ichiro gettin' a hit

Griffey swinging for the ball...

...and then holding up on 3rd

Then it was time to leave. The drive home was bitter- sweet. It's always nice to come home but it's always sad leaving your fun times behind. I guess that is why I take so many pictures. I want to remember every moment. And here is one more of Mt. Hood...not as visible as the trip over but just as beautiful and massive.

We did have a long drive home for various reasons (car-sick kids, cranky kids, hungry kids, well, you get the point), but eventually we made it. Even though Brad insisted on driving across the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge...aka the floating bridge..that goes across Lake Washington from Seattle to Mercer Island. For those of you who know me, you know I don't like bridges very much. Not sure why, I just don't...but he just loves to torture me.

We all had a great family vacation and can't wait to do it all again in another couple years...except we'll probably skip the zoo next time ;-) So, with summer just around the corner this year....I'm wondering where we should go...hmmmmm.....

Seattle Day 3

2010-05-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

Day 3: Saturday, August 15th

This day was not quite as busy as Friday as we only had three major items planned....Pike Place Market, the Zoo, and a tour of Safeco Field.

We had planned to spend the morning at the Market and head for Safeco after lunch and hit the Zoo up last. A very relaxing day...uh huh sure? Because really, what more relaxing place is there than Pike Place Market on a Saturday morning in the middle of August??? Actually though, it really wasn't that bad. The hardest part was the kids were less than thrilled with the adventure of a busy market that smelled of fish and no one was buying fish so of course, no flying fish. It was a let down but I think more so for us adults than for the kiddos. They did enjoy the fresh apples we bought and I got to step inside the first-ever Starbucks!!

When the market had lost its appeal, we realized we were way ahead of our schedule. Even though it was a less-than-busy day, we still knew what time we needed to be at certain places. Luckily for us though, we found that we could hit Safeco for an earlier tour than we had originally planned if we could just hurry...and so hurry we did. We were just a smidge late for the tour...just missing the meet and greet with the tour guide so really nothing of too much interest.

Let me tell you, for those of you interested in seeing the inter-workings of a baseball field, this tour is awesome. It was pretty inexpensive, very knowledgable and of course fun. The only downside...actually, two downsides were our less-than-thrilled guide who wanted to breeze through everything that he was literally pushing the group ahead of us out of rooms AND the fact that we and another couple had gotten lost. We stopped to take pictures and because the before-mentioned guide didn't like to stop for such nonsense, we turned around and the group was gone. Yep, it took us a while but we finally found them...but not before we considered joining another group we found. We learned some cool facts and even sat inside the Mariners' dugout. I think Bradley even sat where Ichiro sits. The kids were entertained but oh how I would have loved to lay in that grassy infield...but, no walking on the grass allowed...bummer :-(

Jeylin taking in the veiw from the upper deck

Each Suite at Safeco was named for legendary players...from Ty Cobb to Lou Gehrig and Sandy Koufax to Mickey Mantle.

View from the Owner's Suite I believe.

Kierra Nielson...future journalist...inside the Press Box.

A 2nd Strike foul ball that missed some journalists but left a lasting impression on the wall behind them.

This is the infamous family picture which caused us, and the couple who took it, to lose our tour group.

Walking out of the tunnel onto the field...this was an AWESOME feeling!!

The kids...being ever so careful not to step on the perfectly trimmed grass :-)

Sitting in the dugout.

Ichiro's seat.

I'm thinking about this time we went to eat lunch but honestly, I can't remember where. Hmmm, who knows? I guess it's possible we skipped lunch and headed for the zoo though. That was fun {**to be read in major sarcastic tone**}!!! The Seattle Zoo was honestly, one of the worst I think I've been too. Now with that being said, I haven't gone to many...actually, I think I've only gone to two others...but, it really wasn't that great. In fact, many people I have talked to, weren't even aware there was a zoo in Seattle. Well, there is and since we had tickets from the City Pass Booklet, we went.

While driving to the Zoo, you realize that you are still in the middle of the city...the residential part of the city. We're talking several different small parking lots all on opposite sides or walking distances away from the zoo, no street-side parking because like I said, residential area...and small city streets and busy traffic. Holy toledo Batman...it was crazy! After driving around for about 10 minutes looking for a parking spot, me freaking out at the closed-in streets and near misses of pedestrians and other traffic and of course, three kids complaining from heat and boredom and possibly hunger, we decided to skip the zoo, head for the hotel and take a nap, and come back later. Since we had yet to use our night-time Space Needle pass, we figured we'd do it all together.

Once back, we found a great parking spot in the main lot, but of course not without some great Nielson family luck. While searching through the back pack (on Brad's back) for my larger camera lens, I opened the zipper too far and out fell my huge lens on the concrete sidewalk. Fortunately, it only cracked a little bit around the rim that holds the cap on. The lens itself was OK (since I was able to take the picture at right) but it still ticked me off. Once inside the zoo, we were sorely disappointed. It was hard to find anything and very small exhibits. I think the zoo tried to keep the look of a more "natural" habitat so the trails were interconnected and even with a map, it was hard to maneuver. I think we visited half of the park and then headed out. Maybe under less stressful situations, the zoo would have been relaxing but I soon realized that (at least as an adult), once you've seen one giraffe, hyenna, hippo, lion, tiger, monkey, etc...you've really seen them all. But for future reference, I think we'll stick to the Portland Zoo...it's much better!

Since it was starting to turn dark, we headed for the Space Needle. We were very excited to take this trip up since neither Brad or I had been to the top at night. We parked in our usual lot, jumped out, and I pulled out the camera to take a picture from the ground, only to realize that CRAP!!!...my camera battery had died. I had forgotten to charge it when we went back for our nap and after taking the pictures at the zoo, I had drained it. Even more frustrating that I drained it at THAT zoo...ugh! So, we took a few pictures with our cell phones but that was about it. I was so bummed because it was absolutely beautiful up there at night. But, this just means we'll have to go back and do it again sometime...with a fully charged camera battery.

Now, onto day #4...the main event and driving force behind this particular vacationing spot...

Seattle trip...revisited.

2010-05-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

I noticed that I didn't finish the posts for our entire Seattle trip...how crazy of me huh? I guess once you see the Crab Pot, everything else just pales in comparison. So, here is a quick final run-down of Day #2 from our first family vacation...

After the Crab Pot, we went home to sleep off our fabulous dinner...but of course, in true Nielson family style, it didn't go quite as melancholy-ish as it sounds. After dinner, Brad realized that our parking pass was about 10 minutes or so shy of expiring so off he took, on a dead run up the streets of Seattle, heading toward the Tram. I had told him the kids and I would be behind him and we'd meet him back at the Space Needle since our City Pass Book allowed us a chance to go to the top at night too. Once he left, I thought to myself..."What in the HELL was I thinking?" Me, traveling the streets of Seattle....alone...in the early hours of the evening...with one stroller and two kids in tow...seriously???? Apparently Crab Pot feasts make a person feel like they are invincible...definitely making a mental note of that for the next time we eat there. You know, the type that goes something like this..."Note to self: Eating large quantities of seafood do not make you less-vulnerable to muggings nor does it empower you with superhero capabilities." Well, too late now since Brad was already out of ear-shot and besides, I was pretty sure I remembered the way back.

I was right, I did remember the way except for one small detour. Instead of taking the elevator up from the pier which would take me directly to Pike Place, I took one a few blocks done so I had to walk up and take another elevator. On a much more pleasant note, I was completely amazed by how kind most people were when they saw a frazzled country girl dragging three kids along from elevator to elevator. Once we made it to the mall to get on the Tram, I was beat from the uphill push of a stroller. We stood in line for our turn and met a very nice couple with their two daughters. The guy was so incredibly polite he helped get us in the Tram and settled...even meaning he had to sit away from his family because it was PACKED! I was very grateful for his help. We made it back safe and sound and met Bradley right off the bat. Boy was I glad to see him. Since we were both so tired from that significant venture, we decided to see the Space Needle the following night. So, we headed for the hotel and a good night's sleep.

Again with the Month-Long Absense...Geesh!

2010-05-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Goodness, I'm such a slacker!!! I really need to kick myself in the rear and do much better at updating this more often. I doubt there are any of you left out there.

Well, a few posts ago, I mentioned that I needed to add pictures of Jeylin's 6th birthday and do an Easter post. I think I will combine those and then try to add a couple more posts later of the happenings since oh, probably last year!!!

Again, for those who don't know or don't remember the last ancient post I did, Jeylin's 6th birthday party was spent at 360 Gymnastics here in Clarkston. Great place, great staff & such an easy party idea!!! The adults just sit back and watch someone else entertain the large group (up to 16) children...or, if wanted, they may join in on the fun too :-) Jeylin wanted a Indianapolis Colts party...it turned out way cute! See....

His cake

{the field was provided by Costco sans color}

{the football was copied from a cake I found on the internet. I loved the way it turned out}

A close-up

The Guests

{L to R: Riley, Lane, Makayla, Giada, Nicole, Abby, Jordyn, Chassidy, Maddie, Braeden, Jeylin, Ben, Nate & Gabe}

Jeylin & his best buddie Braeden

Jeylin & his cousin Giada

Couldn't pass this one up...it is sooo stinking cute!

Jeylin & Abby

This year, I hosted Easter dinner with Brad's parents. My mom had just gotten back from visiting my uncle and aunt in Las Vegas late Saturday night so they did not attend. Since both Brad and I had to work on Monday, we just decided to stay home. This was the first time I had ever prepared an ENTIRE Easter dinner...a monumental experience...even though there were only 7 of us in attendance. My mother-in-law did bring dessert and it was fabulous...Strawberry shortcake of course. Our menu was as follows.

Glazed Spiral Sliced Ham

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Citrus Roasted Asparagus Spears

Sweet Corn

Marshmallow-Pineapple Salad

Deviled Eggs

Rolls

Strawberry Shortcake

It was a great, tasty & fun dinner! Next step to conquer...either Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner...whichever seems less daunting. Then eventually, both :-) Okay well, enough for this post. I will try to get a few more posts added today to make up for my month-long disappearance.

Thanks to all who might still be reading about us :-)

Ice Cream Maker Giveaway

2010-04-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

I follow a great blogger who blogs about the joys she finds in her kitchen. This month, she is giving away two Cuisinart Ice Cream Makers from CNS Stores. Please click HERE in order to participate in this wonderful giveaway. Good Luck to all!!!

Myspace vs. Facebook

2010-04-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

So, here I am again, at work...bored stiff...randomly searching the world wide web for anything to peak my interest. Unfortunately, every hit of the "Go" button brought no more interesting items to the computer screen. Therefore, I decided to dig into my own past. You see, since becoming a member of Facebook, as well as many of my friends and family...yes, even my mother has an account...I have completely abandoned my orignal link to the web, Myspace. I think I check it about every two months...but it's really for nothing since there is no activity on it.

Anyway, today I decided to check it again only this time, I wasn't looking for updates or messages. I was looking at my profile to remember what I had written about myself and to see the qualities of that page. I was entering the site with the full intention of deleting it but found that I couldn't do so until I transfered a lot of the items to another outlet. Basically, I found that I love the pictures and slide shows that I have installed on that page...as well as the baby tickers telling me exactly how old my runts are...decorations of favorite quotes, and a list of my other favorites, i.e. books, movies & tv shows. Nothing that really can't be told on another site, but it is just an odd connection. You know, this was my first networking site...and it's a little hard to let go. Don't worry, I'm really not that freakishly obsessed...I will delete it...but only after I transfer the information :)

So, with that in mind, I would like to share some of the items I have listed on that page for those of you who have never seen them firsthand...

My Favorite Quote

"Anyone can love the mountains but it takes a soul to love the prairie."

(I have no idea where I found this quote but it completely described me and so, I stole it)

My "Deep Thinking" Quote

"It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not."

My General Interests

Spending time with my family and friends

Scrapbooking & card making

Baking & decorating cakes

Softball & Volleyball

Yard Sales & Photography

My Music Interests

Mostly country but also christian

Moderate amounts of rock and R&B

Minimal amounts of rap

My Favorite Movies

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

The Count of Monte Cristo

Pirates of the Caribbean (all)

Sweet Home Alabama

My Favorite TV Series

LOST

Grey's Anatomy

Desperate Housewives

CSI: Miami

My Favorite Books

Lovely Bones

The Notebook

The Cottage

Northern Lights

P.S. I Love You

My Heros

Any and all individuals who risk their lives on a daily basis to protect the lives of those around them and the freedoms of this country. All of our ancestors because let's face it America, if the children of the modern world had to go back in time and survive, we'd fail miserably. Please take the time to thank the elderly...it's because of them that you're here with your modern conveniences.

Stay tuned for more on this subject, including...my "About Me" section, favorite pictures of my 3 favorite people & how my life has changed since making these lists & filling out these sections :)

Has it really been that long?

2010-04-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Holy smokes!! How fast time flies when you're busy :) I can't believe I haven't posted since February...a big "I'm Sorry" to those of you who like to read this blog. I'll give a quick update of our lives and if I have the time later, I'll add some pictures.

We wrapped up February with Jeylin's 6th birthday party. I honestly can't believe he is 6 already. I know every parent says that but it really just flies by. We celebrated with a party at 360 Gymnastics in Clarkston. It was a great time and very affordable...plus, I don't have to think of things to entertain the kids. The staff there is great and we will definitely be using them more in the future. He had wanted a football themed party for as long as I could remember but this year, in keeping with the Superbowl tradition, he chose a Colts party. Yes, I am well aware they didn't win...curse you Hank Baskett...but, I am a Colts fan and so he is too. We had the partyware leftover from our Superbowl party and some sent to us from Brad's cousin, Linda so that helped. Then I found a cake design I wanted to duplicate and it turned out awesome. For this, I will definitely post pictures later.

March was pretty uneventful until later on in the month. Both kids started soccer and seeing as no one ever wants to coach the Kindergarten age groups, Brad and I are once again coaching Jeylin's team. Practices work well because I chose the same time and place as Jordyn's practices but game days (Saturday) are a different story. Jeylin plays in Lewiston and Jordyn plays in Clarkston...and usually close to the same time. If Brad's off work, we each go in different directions. On the days that Brad has to work, I find myself bumming rides for my daughter. Fortunately, my great friend Anne's son is on the same team so she usually becomes my taxi service.

March was also the month we said good-bye to Brad's Grandma Opal. In taking word's from my sister-in-law's blog, "I don't feel like "mourned" is the right word. She had led a long, good life and has now moved on to a better place where she's been reunited with loved ones and is no longer in pain." The weekend was a nice break, even if it was spent dealing with a funeral. I met many family members I had never met before (and I've been part of the Nielson family now since 1999) and also had a "sort-of" Nielson reunion with all of Brad's brothers. Only 6 members of our immediate family were not there but they were missed greatly. You might think 6 is a lot but when you consider there are altogether 19 of us...soon to be 20, it is a small number. I will have to "borrow" some of the pictures from my sister-in-law's site as well...since I really didn't take too many.

Other than that, it's pretty much day-to-day activities. Wake up, go to work, leave work, pick up kids, chores, head to soccer practice, dinner, sleep...and then repeat for the next day. I did however start adding into that mix, the data entry for our annual Holy Family auction. It's set for May 8th so we are in full force auction mode. That takes several hours each week but it is rewarding knowing that I am helping out the school that I love. By the way, if you or anyone you know has a special talent or skill that they might like to donate, please let me know. I will be accepting donations up until May 7th. Cash donations are also accepted for anyone who wants to know. As well, the auction is open for all people and has free admission so please come and check us out. We have a silent auction and a live auction full of wonderful items!!

That's enough for the catch-up. I will post later about Easter and the first half of April. Have a great day!

Too Cute For Words

2010-02-26T17:17:00.000-08:00

A friend emailed this to me and so I thought I would share...it is stinking cute and actually quite impressive! Make sure you pause my music player and then click the link and have your volumn turned up. Hope you enjoy because we sure did.

TOO CUTE FOR WORDS

It's Official!!!

2010-02-16T17:01:00.000-08:00

Kierra's potty trained!!! Woohoo! Actually, she has been for the past couple days but I've been too afraid to commit to writing the post and jinxing all the efforts...but, she's been so great lately, I couldn't stand it!

She is the first kid we have trained before the age of 3 and we are sooo happy!!! She still wears pull-ups for naptimes and bedtime because she's still in a crib and the bathroom is upstairs but that soon will change. In the near future, we plan on converting her crib to a full-size bed, giving that to Jordyn and transferring Kierra to Jordyn's twin sized bed. Then all we have to do at nighttime or naptimes is bring the potty chair into her room and assuming she wakes up, she'll be done.

She even graduated herself to the regular toilet...at least part of the time. I think she switches back and forth throughout the day. She's even so good that she does both "duties" and does it on her own without telling us. Great except she hasn't quite mastered the art of wiping so we try to notice when she's sneaking to the bathroom.

We are so excited to finally be without diapers. I can live with pull-ups for a while...but no more diapers, halleluja!!! We have been changing diapers since August 2001!!! That's a long, stinky time! What are we going to do with the extra $40 a month AND the empty drawer in our hall storage? Ohhh, the possibilities are endless. Okay, not quite...really, how much can we really do with an addition $40 lying around?

Well, I'm being summoned to the bathroom by the sound of pitter patter and rustling potty chair noises. Everyone have a charming day!!!!

The Lovely Bones

2010-02-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are aware of the newest movies to hit the theatres, I'm sure you're no stranger to these words.

When this book first came out, I bought it thinking it sounded interesting. I'm not much of a reader unless something really catches my eye and peaks my interest. For me, to just grab a book and start reading just doesn't happen. Anyway, I remember LOVING this book the first time I read it that I was extremely happy when I heard about the movie...although, I'm still deciding if I should watch it.

For those of you who are not familiar with this book or film, it is a very good book centered around the rape and murder of a 14 year old girl in 1973. Not a true story so it makes it a little easier to swallow but a heavy topic nonetheless. The first time I read this book, it took me a while to convince myself to finish reading it. I was compelled because the victim narrates the story from Heaven. The author, Alice Sebold, jumps straight into the heaviness and details the plot of the book within the first chapter. I must say, it's hard to even think about continuing to read this when it hits you that hard within the first 5 or so pages....but, I persevered and am glad that I did.

This book was fantastic! Since it had been quite a long time since I had read it and with all the publicity of the movie's release, I decided to read it again. I hadn't forgotten the complete plot but was still surprised by a lot of things I had forgotten about the book. This time, I read it in one day...technically two if you consider I started Saturday evening but, I finished it yesterday. I have never read a book twice before but think I will start making this a trend as it was interesting to have some idea of what was going on but to still be surprised by the little forgotten pieces.

Despite the heavy subject matter, I would recommend this book to everyone. It's a nice, easy read and really does break away from the heart-sickening disaster and share the beauties (in the author's mind) of Heaven. It captures like a love story, the growing and changing lives of many different characters which keep you just wanting to turn the next page. I really think I might watch the movie now that I fully remember all that the book offered. Has anyone seen it yet? If so, what did you think?

Jeylin's 100-Day Project

2010-02-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the kids' 100th day of school for the 2009-10 school year. This usually falls during Catholic Schools Week and the kids enjoy lots of fun activities and crazy dress-up days at school.

This year, I decided to help the kids make really fun and interesting projects. I forgot to take a picture of Jordyn's project so this is just Jeylin's post. Jordyn gave her project to her BFF Maddie so when I get a chance, I'll have her bring it down so I can take a picture of it...she only lives next door :)

All 100-day projects need to be created using 100 of some item. The most common project I think is fruit loop necklaces, paperclip strings and other stuff. This year, Jeylin and I decided to use pasta...oh and not just any pasta, but big pieces of rigatoni. And what would a 100-day project be without coloring added...well, just plain boring. So, we colored 100 pieces of rigatoni in each of the following four colors (25 per color)...

RED

YELLOW

GREEN

BLUE

Then all of the finished pieces were strung onto an extra long piece of orange rope. Here are two pictures of the finished project and the wonderfully elated 5 year old who was so proud of his craftiness...

Dressing Herself...Part 2

2010-02-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

Couldn't resist posting Kierra's outfit of choice for today....

She is so going to hate me when she gets older!

Water....Water....Water....

2010-01-31T13:55:00.000-08:00

Potty time!!! Potty training has officially started and is in full swing at the Nielson home. Since I am not working Fridays now due to a slow stint at work, we decided to take this weekend and start potty-training Kierra.

I had this feeling that since Kierra is quite bright and seems to figure things out on her own that this would not be very difficult. I thought that all it would take would be a coincidental pee-ing in the potty chair and a big celebration and she would have it down. I was about half right in that assumption.

After dropping Jordyn and Jeylin off at school on Friday, I went to see my friend Dawn's new house. Brad worked late so he started the morning with Kierra. Unfortunately, it didn't go so well for him. When I came home, I jumped right into it. I immediately took the diaper off and put her in training pants. Luckily for me, the first accident was on the linoleum in the kitchen. I took her to the bathroom and made sure she knew what needed to happen. I changed her into a fresh pair of training pants and set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes before we would "try" to go again. A whole whopping eight minutes later I hear, "Mommy, uh oh." That's right folks...eight minutes. Again, luck was on my side and it happened in the kitchen. So, we repeated the previous steps only this time, I set the timer for 8 minutes and again, four minutes later...."Mommy, uh oh." Argh!! Really???? And then one more time with the clean underwear....I'm already starting to run out of clean underwear....yikes!

Four minutes later, I set her on the potty and we waited. Not sure how much time had passed but she finally went and the big celebration followed from Mommy. I'm sure she thought I looked like a fool but oh well. This is the half of my assumption that was correct! She now knew that when she had the "urge" she needed to go sit on the potty chair....and she continued to do just that all day long. The half that I didn't think about nor was it correct, she hasn't quite figured out the concept of taking the undies off to go potty in the chair.

By the end of the day, we were in real big girl underwear because they proved easier for her to remove and put back on. Her little butt was so cute in those things...I totally should have taken a picture. There were of course more accidents throughout the day but she did get the idea down of going to the potty every time the "urge" strikes. Now if we can just continue to work on the undressing part first.

Saturday it was the same and so far today is the same as well. Hopefully next weekend she might get that half figured out completely. I must say though that we are lucky to have a wonderful babysitter for Kierra throughout the days that we do work. She will keep up the work throughout the week so we don't waste valuable time and efforts.

Basically, I just wanted to say "BRAVO Kierra!!!" Then I wanted to point out that once she is finished with diapers, we will have our own celebration. We have been changing diapers ever since August 2, 2001 with the exception of about 3 months between Jeylin finishing training and Kierra being born. We are definitely looking forward to the end of the training! By the way, if anyone has any ideas of how to teach Kierra to take the undies off before sitting on the potty, do tell because this is a new scenario for us.

Little Fashion-ista

2010-01-27T18:15:00.000-08:00

She just loves to dress herself...

...and in true Diva style, shoes are her favs....

However, I think something might be missing from her wardrobe....we'll have to work on that :)

Costco Winter Party

2010-01-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday the 9th was the annual Costco ~~Christmas~~ Winter Party. We always have a blast at these parties. It's funny sometimes because no one really knows just how crazy we all are. If there is one thing people at Costco know how to do, it is definitely PARTY!!!

This year, I vowed to go all out and enjoy myself. Usually I don't dance very much because I am always worried about my appearance. This year, I didn't care. In fact, I embraced the dancing. I was banking on the following equation....More dancing = More weight lost. That is until you throw in the absolutely fabulous Prime Rib dinner & countless adult beverages!!! Oh well, it was a fun night and I still maintained my weight loss goal for the week.

Here are some pictures from the night. The theme this year was Cowboy. LOVED IT!!!

Our Friend Shawn Balzer. Only a REAL man could pull of the Leprechaun look that well!!!

Getting my Good Luck Kiss in before the night started

Real hubby, me, & my Costco party hubby....it's an inside joke :)

Our Boys!!!

Jenna & Shawn....Greatest Friends EVER!!

Our self picture with Jenna's camera

I'm trying to make nice with the Sheriff :)

Until Next Year.....

New Blog

2010-01-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

I am taking a break from updating this blog...way behind too I might add...to inform all of you that I have started a secondary blog. It is a private blog set up as more of a journal for myself. I will however allow readers to join as I believe you will all give me positive feedback that will be worthwhile. If any of you are interested, just let me know and send me your email and I will add you.

I am listing this as a disclaimer though...this is a journal to document my journey for the year of 2010. The subject matter might be hard for some to handle but it is not intended to hurt any feelings...it is merely a tool I am using to reach my goals for the year.

Thanks to all who take the time to read this blog and I do promise, I will update it soon enough. I hope you all have a very blessed New Year!

The Infamous Crab Pot

2009-11-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

In the months proceeding our Seattle trip, Brad and I made sure to watch every episode of the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food in order to find one restaurant that we could splurge on...and by golly, we definitely found it.

For those of you who have never heard of The Crab Pot, I suggest you check it out. They are most known for their feasts. These feasts include many different varieties. All the food for the feast is boiled/steamed together, thrown in a large stainless steel bowl and then dumped on the middle of the table for your eating enjoyment. Each hungry person is equipped with a wonderful plastic bib, a wooden mallet, and a wooden slab to crack the crab shells open. It's such a wonderfully fun experience. We had decided in advance to order the largest "feast" they offered and share that between the two of us and some with the kids if they wanted. We ordered “THE ALASKAN” and it was fantastic! We even managed to stay at the budget!

Here are some pictures of our experience...

Brad getting ready to "feast"

Myself preparing for the big catch

Jordyn's all geared up to start whacking some crab

Jeylin can't wait to tear those legs apart

Kierra just liked the photo op

Ready, set,.....FEAST!!

A close up of our meal....thrown across the table.

Just a goofy picture of Jeylin after dinner :)

Seattle Day 2

2009-11-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

Day 2: Friday, August 14th

This was the busiest day of our vacation! We had so much we wanted to accomplish that we were non-stop moving all day. Busy but oh so fun! Since I am writing this post almost 4 months after the fact, I might not have as much detail for the story but I will try my best.

This day started with a very early rise from Momma! I woke up at I believe 5am so I could get my shower out of the way and get my hair done before I needed to start getting the girls ready. Since our hotel didn't offer a continental breakfast, the kids ate Capn' Crunch berries in the room....from our stash of previously purchased food. It worked out perfectly because there was no need to leave the room and we could all get ready without the disruption. Oh yeah and the in-room (or bathroom) coffee pot was a blessing too :)

We finished getting the kids ready for the day and were getting all the final items packed in the backpack for the day when I realized that I had forgotten to empty my camera's memory card before our trip! I couldn't believe it! On a 4Gb card, I had only a few pictures remaining....and the card holds over 900 pictures!!! We rushed to the nearest Wal*Mart so I could transfer the pictures to CD and here is where the day takes an ugly turn...

Since we were on a very strict schedule, we left the hotel a little early to account for this added trip. In this particular Wal*Mart, the photo center was located in the back. As I raced through the store, I remembered we also forgot to pack umbrellas. Hello dorkus!! We're in Seattle and I forgot to pack umbrellas...yep, I'm a smart one. Oh well, we're at Wal*Mart, we'll pick them up on our way out. Anyway, I go to the Photo center and notice they have 3 different computers for the processing of memory cards. Since we were early, no one else was in line. Great, I thought....wrong!! The first computer stalled and so I went to the next computer...same thing again. When I asked the "associate" for her help, she completely ignored me and told me that it would load in a short while. Five minutes later, nothing! I again tried the original computer I was on since the third was of course out of order. At this point, the wonderfully helpful and every-so courteous "associate" stated she needed to reboot the system. I figured no big deal, we'll just buy the umbrellas and wait the two minutes or so for the system to load...yeah, not so much. She said it could be 20 minutes or so!! I kept wanting to look at her and say, "LISTEN HERE LADY!!! I AM ON A STRICT SCHEDULE! COULD YOU PLEASE QUIT STARING AT YOUR PHONE AND HELP ME!!!!" but, I managed to keep "some" composure. I was very displeased. Long story short, we left without processing the pictures...oh, but we did manage to get two umbrellas...so I guess the trip was not for not.

During the trip to the Space Needle, Brad tried to calm me down as I stared at my camera screen, risking car-sickness, to delete pictures I think I could live without. We arrived at the Space Needle, found a great parking spot and were on our way! We breezed ahead of the ticket line thanks again to our City Pass Booklets and made our way to the top of the Space Needle. I had forgotten how fast and crazy the elevator ride was....it was such a rush!!! The kids really enjoyed it as well. We walked around and looked at the sites and of course, had a minor melt down from Jeylin because we weren't purchasing a full-course breakfast at the top however, we did give in and splurged for a Starbucks coffee, two waters, a yogurt and a cinnamon roll. They were all deliciously expensive but oh well, we're on vacation right?? Which reminds me, we also got souvenirs from the gift shop too. Here are a couple pictures from Trip #1 to the top of the Needle...

The Space Needle

(Sorry for the weirdness of this picture...I was taking it from inside while they were outside)

I love it when nice people offer to take your family picture...oh and you don't have to worry about them running off with your $1000 camera because really, where could they possibly go??

Next on the agenda was a stop at the Pacific Science Center where we would once again be meeting up with Sam & Amy. First on the PSC agenda was a 3-D Imax experience called Underwater or something to that effect. It was all about fish and such stuff. Highly educational and also incredibly neat to see. It was the first 3-D experience for the kids and it was hilarious to watch them try to grab the images coming at them. Kierra kept the glasses on for a short while but then eventually just sat there and watched the blurry screen without them.

After the show, we actually only met up with Sam since Amy and her family went to see the same Imax showing after us. The six of us toured the remainder of the PSC. It was so much fun to watch the looks on the kids' faces as they saw the dinosaur replicas and all the fun hands-on exhibits. They really enjoyed their time here. Here are the three of them sitting in a dinosaur footprint and a stone Triceratops at the entrance of the PSC...

Leg #3 of the busy journey took us to the Piers... but first to the Tram. We took it from the base of the Space Needle to a shopping mall a couple blogs above Pike Place Market. The kids enjoyed it so much! At the mall, we decided to stop for some lunch and once again, much to Jordyn's dismay, we had budgeted for fast food. I guess all mall food is generally fast food but in our case, we hit the McDonald's. It seemed to be processing the customer's the fastest so that was our choice. We ate and then headed to the ground level to walk the remaining distance to the Piers. We were spending the remainder of our day down there visiting the Seattle Aquarium, taking an Argosy Harbor Tour and eating at the infamous Crab Pot restaurant (to be featured in the following post). The Aquarium proved to be very interesting and fun for the kids. It was so fun to see their reactions to everything.

Can anyone say "Chocolate milkshake???" (Deuce Bigelow)

Hey look, it's Dori...a little fuzzy but still her :)

Don't "wook" at me :)

Jordyn & Jeylin posing in front of the otter pen

The scuba diving fish feeder was posing for the camera as well

A giant starfish

After the Aquarium, we headed for our Argosy Harbor tour. This was something that we had planned on leaving out of the itinerary if we had started to run behind. I am so glad however that we didn't do that because it was a very relaxing and beautiful trip. While waiting to board, we checked out a nearby t-shirt shop, purchased a couple more souvenirs and then noticed that Kierra had fallen asleep in her stroller. She managed to sleep through 1/2 of the tour too. It was very interesting to learn facts about the city of Seattle and to see things around the Harbor that we would not normally see.

Jordyn & Jeylin posing with the giant penguin at the T-shirt shop

The tour before us making it's way back to the dock

4 of the 5 of us on the cruise....Kierra was still sleeping ever-so-soundly

(and once again, where was the guy gonna go that offered to take this picture)

A view of the Space Needle

Little Miss Kierra decided to wake up and take in a bit of the scenery

Part 2...The Crab Pot to come....

Seattle Day 1

2009-09-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Thursday, August 13th

After spending all of Wednesday afternoon and part of the evening packing for our trip, Bradley decided to head to bed since he would be doing ALL of the driving for the next four days. I stayed up until midnight loading the car and tidying up the house. Once my short 4 hours of sleep were over, we woke at 4:00am and loaded the rest of the stuff that could not be done the night before...i.e. cooler full of snacks, toiletries, oh yeah, and the kids :) Then we were on the road by 5am.

We had made it 5 miles or so, just approaching Chief Timothy, when Brad's mom called us and asked if we would like to take her GPS with us to make our traveling in Seattle go a little smoother. "Heck YES!" we say! So, we turned around and met her halfway back to pick it up. While on the way back, I realized that I had left our itinerary somewhere in the house...oh crap, how would I make it through without a plan?? Luckily, Maria (Brad's mom) was watching the cat while we were gone so she said she would call me that night and read the plan over the phone...yippee! Okay, so I know all of you reading this are thinking..."oh my word, she even plans her vacations???" And all I have to say to that is, "why yes I do ladies and gentlemen"....because we had a lot to do and see, only 4 days to do it in (including 12 hours of drive time), three kids to think about AND a very, very tight budget. I planned our schedule so that, according to all the websites, we would visit the well known places of Seattle during the least busy parts of the day and so that we wouldn't accidentally miss out on something we wanted to see because we weren't sure when they opened and/or closed.

So anyway, by 5:30 we were on our way. We decided to go through Dayton and then hit 124 and go thru the Tri-Cities. This way is I think only slightly longer but a much less boring trip since there are so many small towns along the way...it really feels like we are traveling faster. We stopped in Yakima for breakfast at 8:00 or so. Since Jordyn despises McDonald's for breakfast and we had only allotted enough money for fast food dining we opted for Burger King. Apparently, that isn't much better than McDonald's. So, my little girl ate chicken nuggets and french fries for breakfast...it was great. After breakfast, we were on the home stretch.

We weren't heading into Seattle for the first day since we were staying in Renton and had stuff to do out there. We met Brad's brother Sam and his wife Amy at the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila...and we made it in record time, we arrived at 11:00!!!! For those that aren't counting, we turned a 6 hour drive into a 5 1/2 hour drive AND we stopped for breakfast! It was a great start to the trip...even though Kierra was incredibly tired of her car seat by the time we were ready to leave Yakima.

We walked around the mall for a couple hours and let the kids release some energy. Then, we headed for the Museum of Flight. For anyone considering a family vacation to the Emerald City, I highly recommend purchasing the City Pass Booklets. These booklets let our family of 5 into the main attractions in the Seattle area for 46% off the admission prices you would pay at the gate. Plus, they offer immediate entry and no waiting in line to buy tickets!!! We cashed in our E-tickets at the counter, got our wrist bands and headed for the museum. The kids were in awe! Since we really didn't have much of our itinerary based on this day, we could take our time...that was until we were told that the Concord and Air Force One planes that you can tour would be closing in 90 minutes. We headed straight for those exhibits. The Concorde line was well, non-existent....the line for Air Force One...HUGE! They were only allowing four people on at once and we were a group of 7. Luckily for us, the ticket checker had a soft spot for families and let us all on together. After touring the planes, traveling through the museum, buying our first souvenirs at the gift shop...with a wonderful 10% off coupon courtesy of the City Pass Booklets, we were finally on our way to the hotel.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Renton. It was a nice hotel with a pool and not too far away from everything we wanted to see...plus, we got a KILLER deal on the room....only $40/night!!! We had Taco Bell for dinner because the kids didn't want to try anything new and then we settled in to get some rest for the next busy day on our trip.

Here are some wonderful pictures of Day One

The Museum of Flight

Kierra the Astronaut

Jordyn the Astronaut

Jeylin the Astronaut

Jordyn & Jeylin posing in front of a Blue Angels fighter jet

Jordyn "Flying Stallion" Nielson all clear for take off!

Jeylin "Ace" Nielson gives a thumbs up! He's ready to take to the skies.

Air Force One from days gone by

Jordyn's 8th Birthday

2009-08-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

This year, our beautiful baby girl turned 8 years old. Since she shares a birthday with one of her classmates, we decided to do a joint-party...you know, since they invite the same kids anyway. We celebrated at Claire's house since they have a pool and had an awesome Hannah Montana Pool Party. Music played in the background, kids splashed and sang and danced, ice cream cake was served, presents were opened AND, we also enjoyed a wonderful Sudsy-foam event too.

This is Makayla, one of Claire and Jordyn's classmates....she's such a goofball ;)

And of course Jeylin had to take part in the fun

All the guests!!!

He's such a Ham!

And here is the source of all that foam. A giant garbage can filled with water and loads of bubble bath with an air compresser hose tucked in for the air factor. It was so hilarious to see the kids race for the foam and just slip and slide all over the tarp. Then, just rinse and repeat for the perfect bath time =)

Kierra loved the pool

Daddy & Kierra

A View from Above

2009-08-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

On top of the mountain to the south of Grangeville is an area which showcases a beautiful view of the Camas Prairie. Where we are standing is known as "The Cross" simply because during religous holidays such as Christmas and Easter, a lighted cross appears on the mountain. There is an access road which makes it easy to get to although it hadn't looked like they had maintained it as well as it had in the past. This was Bradley and the kids' first time up to the top and it was such a wonderful day.

Kierra & Mommy

Grangeville, Idaho

The house in the middle of the picture is my parent's house.

The Nielson Clan

Jordyn & Jeylin

Fishing

2009-08-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

While camping, we went fishing in the creeks and a nearby pond. It was a bunch of fun. The kids absolutely LOVE to fish as does my mom....

Jordyn always has loads of luck using her fabulous pink Barbie fishing pole...

Camping

2009-08-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

This July, we took off on our first camping trip in over a year. We had a blast!!! We stayed for three nights and four days at a small campground above Grangeville. We normally do not stay in campgrounds however, we were short on time and so we didn't want to travel too far away from home. The kids had a blast riding their scooters and we loved the peace and quiet of the outdoors. I wish every day could be a camping day :)

Home & Family

2009-08-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

NO other place is this perfect!!!!
"Anyone can love the mountains but it takes a soul to love the prairie."

The Nielson 5
July 2009

Our Blessings from Above

How Cute is This??

2009-08-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hot Sunny Days & Cool Summer Treats

2009-08-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

With summer coming to a close, I thought I would post some pictures of our fun-in-the-sun times. Jordyn & Jeylin with our neighbor kids, Nate, Maddie & Kristen

All 5 of these kids spent the night outside that night and had an absolute blast

Kristen Ketola, Maddie Hoffman & Jordyn

(Best Friends for Life)

Jeylin in action on the Slip-n-Slide

Maddie cruisin on into the pool

Kristen slides in safely

Jordyn army-crawling rather than sliding under the spray

And the winner is....

It's a TIE!!!!

Ooooh yummy, my 1st Ice Cream cone!!

"I wonder if I would make less mess if I used my fingers?"

Ice Cream Cones at NaNa's house

Lounging in the pool

Yep, he's soooo cool!

What Do You Get When You....

2009-08-17T23:23:00.001-07:00

TAKE THIS

+ THIS

????

THE ANSWER IS....

ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!!!!

Fourth of July 2009

2009-08-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

This year, as usual, we spent the 4th of July, a.k.a. Border Days, in my hometown of Grangeville, Idaho. Border Days in Grangeville is a very large 3 day celebration of America's Birthday. We are home to Idaho's Oldest Rodeo as well as the Largest Egg Toss around. Not sure if it is the largest in the Nation but probably pretty close. This year unfortunately, we weren't able to make all 3 days due to work but we still enjoyed our 2 days of fun!! Every morning kicks off at 9am with the Street Sports. These include foot races for people of all ages to the infamous Egg Toss. There is a parade and rodeo all 3 days as well. On the night of the 4th, there is a large fireworks display. This year was fantastic! Well, I hope you all enjoy the pictures and if there is ever a year when you're just not sure what to do over the 4th, why don't you try good ol' Grangeville, Idaho and be a part of the most wonderful celebration ever!!!

Jeylin running in the Street Races

(American Shirt with the sunglasses on)

Kierra running (with Daddy's help of course)

Bradley & my brother Brad running in the races

(the two goofballs in the white shirts)

Jeylin patiently waiting for the Egg Toss to begin

Jordyn & her sparkler

Jeylin & his sparkler

Miss Kierra & her 1st sparkler

My parents, Jordyn, Jeylin & Bradley waiting for the fireworks

And now with Kierra & myself

One beautiful spiral firework from the night's show

Probably the best firework picture I got the whole night

Happy Anniversary To Me

2009-07-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Okay so I know it's a little corny and yes, two days late but, I have officially had a blog for one year!!!

Such a wonderful way to keep in touch with everyone and what better way to remember an anniversary than to have it celebrated over the Fourth of July, aka. Border Days in Grangeville.

We are up here celebrating our annual trip to the festivities and I will post many pictures and great stories when I come home for the short 3 1/2 days before we leave again for a camping trip.

Hope you all have a wonderful Fourth of July...Happy Birthday America!!

Now I know...

2009-06-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Now I know why there are always rocks in our house from the kids' play area...

Lightening her load so she can safely go down the slide :)

Hoopfest & Horses

2009-06-29T19:55:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, Brad and I ventured to Spokane so he could play in
Hoopfest...this meant, a weekend WITHOUT the kids!!! How fabulous! But that also
meant joining in the madness of over 200,000 people cramming the streets of
Spokane for basketball. It was great!! There were 6,600 teams alone which
translates to 24,000 people just to play basketball...it was a record turnout!

Thursday, my mom took the kids to Grangeville with her and I had the rest of the
night and all of Friday (after work) to get packed up and ready to go. Brad
ended up getting off work early on Friday so we busted butt to leave early but
as fate would have it, we actually ended up leaving at about the same time as
originally expected. We met up with our friends Shane and Angie who were going
with us at Taco Johns for dinner before we left. When we were finishing up and
getting ready to leave, Shane received a phone call that his mom had broke her
arm. His parents were packing for a week long camping trip and she had fell down
the stairs in their house and broke her Humerus. So, after a quick stop at the
hospital to check on her, we were finally on our way at 7:45 pm.

We reached our destination, Ben & Kim Burt's house in Liberty Lake at 10:00. Ben was playing on the team and was gracious enough to allow all six of us stay at his apartment. It was a beautiful apartment and even better, Kim cooked on Saturday night!!! She was a great hostess and we really are incredibly grateful. We also liked the free parking pass that Ben had. All 8 of us loaded up in the mini van and parked for free....wonderful perk!! After about 2 hours of talking, unpacking and settling down, we all headed to bed. The boys played at 8:00 am and since we were 30 minutes from downtown Spokane, we needed to leave by 7:00 am and that meant, with only one bathroom and 8 people, we needed to wake up early.

The boys were ready to play Saturday morning but unfortunately, they lost that game. After that, we watched a couple of other people play since we didn't play again until 2:30 that afternoon. We watched our friend Tyler's team play as well as my cousin Brandon. My other cousin Brock was playing but we just missed his game since we decided to eat lunch at the good ol' Olive Garden.

The boys won their next game which was not the greatest game since the other team were a bunch of whiners. They tried to pull a bunch of fast ones but the Court Marshal made some good executive decisions and Shane scored the winning point with a great foul shot. After that, they had one more game at 5:00 that night. They also won this game because Shane was ON FIRE!!! I'm not sure how many 2 pointers (the equivalent of 3 pointers in normal basketball) he made but let's just say that they made it to 20 points in a matter of 18 minutes when the games have a 30 minute time limit. It was the best game they played and it was AWESOME!!

Sunday morning, they played again at 8:00. This game, we'd rather not talk about but oh well, I will anyway. Everyone was tired but the boys came to play. They did a good job but unfortunately, the other team bested them. This other team was truly a disgrace to Hoopfest. I'm not saying that just because they beat our team but truly because they were ridiculous. At one point, one of their players "chested up" to Bradley stating, "I've taken bigger men than you before!" It was absolutely retarded. When that happened, all of us girls were starting to walk onto the court as well as another team that was waiting to play the following game. No one could believe that this guy was being a jerk. At the end of the game, two Court Marshals became involved and said that for the next game that team played they would probably have the city police surround the court just to keep the peace. Really people, for Hoopfest??? That is stupid! Just kick the stupid team or at least that idiot out and let the rest of us play and have fun. Okay, enough of that, I'm done.

So anyway, the boys went 2 for 4. Not bad because at least they got to play both days. It was a fun weekend and we really enjoyed it. Not sure if we're going to go back next year but who knows.

Sam setting up the play

Brad taking the shot

And another one

Shane taking it to the hoop

Ben putting it up

I love Ben's face in this picture. It just says, "Dude Brad, I think that's a foul...yep, it's definitely a foul!"

Our friend Tyler making the jumper

While we were in Spokane, the kids had a blast at Nana & Papa's house. They went fishing on Saturday (which they kept the rewards for us to bring home) and they also had a great time riding their four-wheeler and Jordyn rode her pony Chico for the first time outside of the corral. The four wheeler was a Christmas present for the kids and they are now getting the hang of riding it. The pony was a birthday present for Jordyn. She loves him and talks about him every day. We wish that we were able to keep him closer to us so that she could take care of him and ride him more often but renting pasture is expensive so he stays on the farm. Chico is such a great pony and he LOVES Jordyn. He knows when she is on his back that she is inexperienced and he takes his time and listens very intently to what she wants him to do. It is so wonderful our kids have these experiences

Viva Las Vegas

2009-06-29T19:46:00.001-07:00

My Uncle Allen and Aunt Janet just recently relocated to Las Vegas. A day or so before they left my mom and her three siblings all got together for one last dinner before their big trip. Here are some pictures of all of them together.

Back Row: Uncle Dick & Mom

Front Row: Uncle Allen, Aunt Marie & Grandma Margie

Now with my Aunt Janet

We will miss them greatly and can't wait to go see them!!!

My New Favorite Song

2009-06-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

I've always loved this song but this version probably tops all of those I have heard before. Hope you all enjoy...

HEAVEN

**Sorry, couldn't figure out how to get the video on here so you'll have to use the link and wait through the "commercial".

Happy Father's Day Dad!

2009-06-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

To my Daddy....

My Dad & 2 Brothers, Brad & Dave

My Dad (aka PaPa) with Kierra

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY BRADLEY

2009-06-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

I know that every wife and mother might say this of her husband but oh well, I'm going to say it anyway....I married the most amazing man in the world. Not only is he a great husband but he is a FANTASTIC father! I can't possibly imagine a better man to raise our kids. He is attentive, loving, and honestly, still a kid-at-heart himself. I love you Bradley and thank God every day that he brought you into my life.

Happy Father's Day!!!

Sliding with Jordyn
April 2002

Being Silly with Jordyn

May 2002

With Jordyn

July 4, 2002

Jeylin & Daddy at Uncle Korry's Wedding

July 7, 2006

Daddy, Jordyn & Jeylin at Arches National Park

July 6, 2006

Swimming with the Kiddos

August 2007

Making Snow Angels with the Kiddos

December 2007

Kierra Lee & Daddy

November 18, 2007

Hauling Pumpkins with Jeylin

October 2008

Daddy & his Girls

August 2008

Father & Son

August 2008

Some forgotten pictures...

2009-06-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Kierra's 1st Bowling Experience

Kierra & NaNa Rita

Asotin County Fair 2009

The wind-up....

...and the release!

Easter 2009

2009-06-10T16:26:00.001-07:00

The kiddos and I

The kids in their Easter outfits

And now, individually...

Hunting Easter Eggs
Enjoying her treat from the Easter Bunny

Photo Updates

2009-06-09T16:17:00.001-07:00

Jordyn & Jeylin Soccer 2009

Jordyn & Jeylin Softball/T-ball 2009

Jeylin's 5th & Grandma Margie's 85th Birthday

Asotin County Fair 2009

Cake I Made for the "Birthday Party" Auction Item

JUST KIERRA!!

Jordyn's First Holy Communion & Confirmation

2009-05-26T09:44:00.001-07:00

Sunday was such a Blessed day! We celebrated Jordyn's First Holy Communion & Confirmation into the Catholic Church. She was so beautiful as were all the rest of her group. In order to fully understand how this day came together, you must understand the turmoil it took to get her to this day.

At the beginning of April, I decided to start looking for dresses for Jordyn. Specifics I had were obviously, the color HAD to be white and I wanted it to be a very meticulous and beautiful dress. Jordyn rarely has the occasion anymore to be special and the center of attention so I wanted to make sure this day was absolutely perfect. I went to eBay and searched the sites. I chose several different styles of dresses and then let her pick the one that she liked the most. On April 11th, I purchased her favorite dress in a size 8 since that was what was being offered.

On April 12th, after putting on her Easter dress which I believe was a size 7, I realized that a size 8 would be much too large. I immediately emailed the seller and asked if I could get the dress in a size 7 instead of 8. Before they ordered it, she wanted me to send her Jordyn's measurements so I could get the absolute correct size. Within the next week, I took her measurements and she registered oddly. She had the height that would require a size 8 but everywhere else, she was measuring a 6!!! She's such a skinny little thing! We decided however that since the dress is designed to be full-length that we would get a size 7 so that it would be long enough and then we would just have it altered a tad to fit her in the waist and chest.

On May 1st, the seller finally received the dress from their supplier. At this point, we have three weeks before the big day! She sends it out and we received it May 5th. The minute we get it, we take it out of the box and try it on and as luck would have it, she was SWIMMING in it. It was huge!! I ran downstairs, emailed the lady and asked if I could send it back Priority Mail on the 6th and have a size 6 sent to me. She wrote back saying that would be great. Brad sent the dress out on the 6th with a Delivery Confirmation number saying they should receive it by the 8th.

On May 10th, I still had not heard anything from the seller. I email asking her if she had received the dress and if she had sent the size 6 out. She emailed me later that day asking if I had a Delivery Confirmation number. I was LIVID because the confirmation number said the dress had already been delivered on Friday, May 8th!!! On May 11th with only 13 days to go, this is the message I receive in my eBay inbox...

"Sorry to inform you that our supplier has already sold

out all sizes of this white dress because now is the

season for white communion.

So they've sold everything once shipment

comes in last time. We're going to revise all listings

as new shipment may not come in shortly.

Please advise if you can take other color as substitute. Thanks."

I could not believe it!! Why on earth did the lady think I needed the dress??? NO!! Of course I can't take another color!! And please tell me why she waited a full 6 days to order the size 6 dress when she KNEW that I was sending the dress back. She had the confirmation number to prove it!!! OHHH, I was so angry and to top it all off, she had already confirmed my payment of $90!! Well of course she did, why shouldn't she get paid for all this hard work of terrorizing me??? I wrote her back and told her...

"I HAVE to have a white dress as this is also for

communion and I need to have it no later than May 23rd.

If you cannot get me a size 6 dress by that date

then please send the size 7 back and we'll have to make due I guess.

Do you know when you might be receiving a shipment of these dresses?

I will pay for overnight shipping of a size 6 dress...

but this is an absolute MUST for me to get this dress

as I have no other options at this point. Thanks for keeping me informed."

Not wanting to wait for a response, I immediately started looking for other dresses but every single one I found just wasn't as beautiful. Oh and also by this point, I had already paid for an organza jacket for her to wear over the top of her dress...ANGRY!! The seller ended up sending the size 7 dress back telling me that she had "Refused" the package I sent and that it should be there within two days which would have been Wednesday the 13th. By Friday the 15th, I still had not received a dress! Here we were, one week away and no dress! We had shoes, veil, jacket and tiara...but NO dress! Our mail usually arrives by 2:00pm every day so by 5:00 on Friday when I hadn't received the dress, I ran to the computer to leave what very well could have been the nastiest email ever but decided one last time to check the same delivery confirmation number we had been given and see if it would tell me the return delivery status. The message on the phone said "Package was successfully delivered at 4:24pm on May 15th, 2009." WHAT??? WHERE??? So not only was our package over 2 hours late, it was delivered somewhere else...or worse, stolen from our front porch. We later found it on the back patio in one of our patio chairs....Thank goodness it wasn't raining that day!

So, we finally get the dress and rush it up to my Aunt's house on the 16th since she said she would try to alter it for us. Since she was limited with time, she did a quick fix and sort of "hemmed" an area that would work. The dress was so ornate that in order to do the job correctly, she would have had to take the seams completely apart and relocated appliques and such. My Aunt was AMAZING!!! We had forgotten to make little marks when we tried it on for her so she hemmed it by just guessing the correct size. On Sunday, the 17th, the dress was ready to be picked up! I couldn't believe it, all of that terror was gone and this was actually going to turn out okay.

Needless to say, the day was going to be great! I had ordered a cake from Sue Jacobs at Creative Cakes who had designed Bradley & I's wedding cake. She had the cake done on Saturday the 23rd and everything just fell into place. On Sunday, I woke up early and got myself ready. I was so anxious that I had Jordyn's hair done, complete with veil and tiara, by 8:30 am and Mass wasn't even until 11:00!!! She looked absolutely breath-taking. Here are some pictures of that most wonderful day!!

After Mass with her Jacket off

To show the back of the dress

The entire group of 14!

Receiving Communion for the very first time!

Jordyn with her classmate, Jacob Ketola

Jordyn and Jacob with another classmate, Jake Tatko

Jordyn with her Godmother & Sponsor, Wendy Kaschmitter

Jordyn with NaNa Rita

Jordyn with NaNa Maria

Before Mass....so Beautiful!!!

With Bishop Skylstad after Mass

Being Confirmed by Bishop Skylstad

Receiving a Blessing from Bishop Skylstad

Our little girl is growing up so fast

Jordyn Alexis Nielson

First Holy Communion & Confirmation

May 24, 2009

Let me explain the month of May...

2009-05-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

Every May, with the exception of last year, I make the yearly trip to White Bird with my best friend Dawn to visit her son's grave. Little Garit Charles was born overdue on May 2, 2001, exactly 6 months before I had Jordyn. On my birthday that year, a mere 4 days later, I got the call no one ever wants to hear. Garit had a birth defect which went undetected by everything. To sum it all up, he had twisted bowels which were not noticed until it was too late. Yes, he could have had surgery upon surgery and MAYBE survived another couple years but my friend decided to make the most un-selfish and hardest decision any mother could make. She did not want her little "angel baby" to live in pain and spend what years he might have in a hospital bed without ever knowing if any of these surgeries would fix the problem so, she let him go. I got the call around 9:00pm on my 22nd birthday. Garit survived past midnight but that doesn't make me remember my birthday very fondly.

Fast forward three years to my 25th birthday. Jeylin was only 2 months old. Brad was home that day and thought he would be a great husband and let me sleep in. I remember hearing the phone ring and later found out it was one of my parents. They told Brad they would call back and so, I didn't let it bother me. A little while later, the phone rang again. This time, Bradley brought the phone in and told me I had to take this call. It was my cousin Stacy. He was calling to tell me that our Grandfather had taken his last breath that morning. Oh Happy Birthday yet again! My Grandfather had been sick for several years, suffering from emphysema. We were all surprised honestly that he withstood the disease as long as he did. Even though we had a lot of time to prepare for this, it didn't make it any easier. That day was spent in tears and ended with a trip to Grangeville.

This year, I was celebrating my 30th birthday! I dreaded it for so long but now realize how foolish that really was. The day started off as any normal day. Being a Wednesday, I had to work...yucky! At 11:00, Brad came and took me to lunch at Red Lobster...very awesome since he really dislikes the restaurant. It was a nice lunch and afterward, I went back for a couple hours of really boring work and then it was off to the gym. I left the gym at 3:30, came home and jumped in the shower. We really didn't have much planned for that night because Jordyn had a softball game and I too had a double-header. We were actually hoping the rain would hold out so they would get cancelled and we would be able to go hang out with our friends. Unfortunately, the rain let up and a new dark cloud took it's place. I was on the phone with my friend Anne planning for our auction duties that week. My cell phone rang and seeing that it was my mom, I tossed the phone to Bradley to have him answer it. After saying his usual..."What's Going On?" greeting, his face went pale white, he stood up from the couch and proceeded to walk into the kitchen. This was not good. I told my friend that something was terribly wrong and I had to go. When I got off the phone, I heard Brad telling my mom to come over to our house. At that point, he hung up the phone, walked back into the living room and told me the fateful news..."Your Aunt Sara died!" I was so caught off guard and dumbfounded that the only response I could say for the next several minutes over and over again was "WHAT?". I couldn't even cry because I was in so much shock! How could this be true? She wasn't even sick?

My Aunt Sara was 54 years old. She had two biological children, my cousins Stacy (mentioned before) and Missy who had just celebrated her 29th birthday the day before. I stress the biological because my Aunt Sara had many "non-biological" children throughout the years. She owned her own in-home daycare for the past 27 years. She touched many lives and was even caring for kids of the kids she had watched in the past. That day, my Aunt was home watching four young kids...those that weren't old enough to be in school during the afternoon. She had just made them lunch and then went to sit on the couch because she wasn't feeling very well. She never stood back up again. One of the mother's came by at 3:00 to pick up her son and was told by the kids that "Gramma Sara" was sleeping on the couch. After seeing my Aunt, she immediately knew something was not right. She called 911 and then my cousin. An hour and a half later, was when my mom had called me. She was gone. Completely unexpectedly and left us all in a state of shock. Five years to the day, she went to be with her dad.

For various stupid reasons, our families had not been close for many years. This was just the reason to end all that stupidity. Life is too short and if I had one more day with my Aunt, I would have told her that I loved her. She left behind her husband, Neil who is also battling his own illnesses, my cousin Stacy, his wife Abby and their two boys, Cameron and Cal. My cousin Missy, her husband Kobi and their son Leighton. Missy is also due in September with baby #2. My Aunt Viv, her younger sister (who is battling breast cancer) and her children, Clint and Spencer. And of course, my Dad, my Grandmother and us. No one can prepare you for what comes with an unexpected death. At least with me, there was a period of denial...like I kept waiting for the "Punked" crew to jump out from behind the bushes. Then, the guilt of all the things left unsaid and all the years spent in feuds that were incredibly pointless. And lastly, the grief came in waves. One minute I would be "dealing" and the next I would start bawling over the simplest things. I can't even imagine what her own children are going through. We had five days together reminiscing her life, her laugh, and her caring nature. As a family, we decided that we weren't going to wait for another tragedy to hit this family before we finally started acting like a family. On Mother's Day, we had a private family viewing and had a chance to say our farewells. I told her I was sorry that we hadn't spent more time together and that I loved her. I told her that if I was wanted, I would help watch over Missy, and then, I told her goodbye. Yesterday, we had her funeral. It was beautiful and there were so many people who came. It was nice to see that she had many people who loved and cared for her. It was also on this day that we received the results from her autopsy. I'm hoping I am listing this right but it was "Lethal Arrhythmia". Pretty much, her heart skipped and that was it. We now had the cause and also know that she felt no pain and basically just went to sleep.

For those of you who read this and already knew of this story, thank you for all your thoughts and words during this hard time. Thanks for the Facebook messages, the cards, the food, the flowers and the presence of your love. Please continue to pray for her children and grandchildren that the healing process will be speedy. Please pray that our families heal together through this tough time. And please pray for my Aunt Sara that she is where she needs to be....watching all the children in Heaven....oh and getting on Grandpa's nerves :) Oh and for the record, Missy and I are going to start celebrating our birthday's in JULY!!!!

Updates

2009-05-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I was going to go back and update each month however, time has gotten away from me yet again. Therefore, I will be wrapping everything up in one long package!!

January: January found me working 7 days a week. I did this for 7 weeks in a row! It was incredibly exhausting but the pay was good. I have since gone back to my 5 day a week schedule although, I think I burnt myself out and now just wish I could go back to being a stay-at-home mommy.

February: As stated below, February was a very busy month. We celebrated Valentine's Day although honestly, I can't remember what we did for it. All throughout the month, Jordyn continued to practice for her role in Father Tom's adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. There were four productions this year which ran from the 19th to the 22nd. At the end of the month, we celebrated Jeylin's 5th birthday with a big bash at McDonald's for all his school friends and then a family get-together afterwards at our house.

March: Soccer practices started this month. Four practices a week and two games every Saturday until May! I got lucky because they did practice one night at almost the same time at the same place...you know, the whole "two birds with one stone" idea. We also had dentist appointments this month. Following along with the "birds", all three kids were seen on the same day! I was a little nervous because this was the first time any of them had seen a dentist. I was really lax about it because my mom, a dental assistant, always looked at their teeth. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about! They had great teeth with no problems to report!!! It's a good thing they love to brush their teeth! Last year at our annual Holy Family Auction, Father Tom, my friend Anne Ketola, and myself auctioned off two birthday parties for kids. These were geared towards younger kids with around 8 guests and all the fixings. Last year, we brought in $250/each for a total of $500 for the school! We had the first party set for March 21st. It was for a little girl in Jeylin's class. All three of us helped with the decorations, Anne made the food and I decorated the cake...I'll post pictures later too. It turned out fantastic!! That same day, was my Grandmother's 85th birthday! We had a large family party at Roosters Landing. It was a busy, busy day but tons of fun! Spring Break started March 28th and we lucked out because Bradley was able to take the entire week off with the kids.

April: On April 1st, I started my personal training sessions at Gold's Gym. This lady is awesome! She has really been incredibly professional, unlike the last so-called trainer I had. I have really enjoyed spending time with her and getting back in the gym. April 3rd, Brad and I headed out to Spokane for an adults weekend away! We needed a break and it was AWESOME! For Easter, we split the day with our two families. We went to church in the morning all decked out in our Easter dresses and suits. After church we headed to my Aunt Marie's house for dinner. It was fabulous. Afterwards, Brad and I headed to his parent's house for even more dinner. Brad's brother Sam and his wife Amy were down visiting and it was nice to see them as well. April 18th was the second installment of our Birthday auction. This was a little more challenging because it was for a 13 year old. We went with a Garden Tea Party theme and I must say, it turned out beautifully!

So there, all the updates for the past few months. May will have it's own post since there is already so much to write. Thanks to everyone for being so patient and I hope you all are still reading this.

Sleeping Beauty

2009-03-26T20:25:00.001-07:00

Every year, Father Tom puts on a school play with our kids. These are not your typical run-of-the-mill plays and when you're sitting there in the audience or working backstage, you have a hard time remembering that you are watching children. This was the fourth year for the play and the production was Sleeping Beauty. In previous years, Father Tom has done Jonah and the Whale, Cinderella, and The Wizard of Oz. Being a very well-read individual, all of these plays are Father Tom's adaptations of the books. For example, anyone who has read the true story of The Wizard of Oz knows that there are some differences between it and the movie with Judy Garland. These usually lend themselves to be more indepth productions. As well, Father Tom always adds characters so there are opportunites for every single person who wishes to act.

This was Jordyn's second year in the play. Last year in The Wizard of Oz, she had four smaller parts with only a couple speaking lines because she was only in 1st grade. This year, she had one key part with several scenes and a lot of speaking parts. I can only imagine what next year will hold. This year, the kids started practice on their first day back from Christmas break which was January 5th. They basically practiced every single day and on days such as President's Day when they didn't have school, there would be large 5 hour practice sessions!! Every year, ladies volunteer to make the extravagant, period-exact costumes and props. The gym is transformed into a wonderland. There were four separate productions this year which lead to an exhausting week but to see the joy in Jordyn's eyes is soooo worth it.

Jordyn was a servant to the King & Queen and she nailed her lines beautifully! As soon as I get the pictures uploaded, I will post them.

Long Overdue

2009-03-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

After many requests for an update, I've finally got the time to comply. It has been three weeks since my last post and let me tell you, those three weeks have been a whirlwind of activities! I will add posts later about each activity but wanted to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about you or the fact that I need to update this thing. Full-time work, three kids, two soccer players, dentist appointments, birthday parties, and more. Look for more frequent updates as well as a few pictures over the next couple weeks.

Hope you are all healthy and happy and I'm sure we will all talk soon!!!

Happy Birthday Jeylin!

2009-02-28T10:28:00.000-08:00

My little man is 5 today...well sort of anyway :) When I was pregnant with Jeylin, I was given the due date of February 26, 2004. Woohoo! I thought this because if he came early like Jordyn did then we would miss Leap Day by sure...but little Mr. Jeylin had other ideas :) He stayed in just long enough for me to get an induction date set up (for March 1st) and then decided to come on Sunday the 29th of February! So, he was all confusion from day one....both coming late AND early. Jeylin arrived into our little family at 9lbs 8 1/2 oz and 21" long. He was born at 5:34pm and it was the easiest delivery ever!! Since then, this little man has come to grace our lives everyday with his quirky attitude, big brown eyes with extra-long eyelashes, and of course, who could forget those dimples :) We are celebrating today since that is what we do on the "off" years. He asked for a party at McDonalds so I guess Happy Meals all around it is!!

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY

JEYLIN MICHAEL!!!

Picture Tag

2009-01-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by both Alaina and Becky. This version of tag is called "Photo" Tagging! The RULES are to go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures. Go to the 6th Folder, then pick the 6th picture in that folder. Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture. Tag 6 other people that you know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.

I just recently cleaned the pictures off my computer so I only have the pictures that have already been posted on my blog still available but I'll try to come up with a new and interesting story for it...

Here is Jeylin in all his wonderful glory up on top of the straw-fort at the pumpkin patch at Wilson-Banner Ranch this past October. We take the kids every year to get their pumpkins, apple cider and of course, play around. This year it was a beautiful day and we were able to get some really great pictures. I have decided to tag the following six people...

~Anne~

~Laura~

~Chrissy~

~Taffee~

~Natalie~

~Amy~

Truly the Best Ever!!!

2009-01-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

I'd just like to point out the obvious...any man who can stick with me for nearly 9 years is truly amazing but he just keeps proving his wonder!!

Last night I was craving Belgian waffles...or at least that was what I thought. Brad decided to go to the store to pick up some random things and I told him to find something for dessert. If that something didn't quench my craving, I was going to make french toast...waffles just take too long.

Anyway, Brad came back with the following items...

Strawberries

Blueberries

Vanilla Ice Cream

Whipped Cream

And then he combined those ingredients with the following things we already had on hand...

Krusteaz Pancake Mix

Chocolate Chips

Bananas

Chocolate Syrup

To make me this wonderful dessert/late-night breakfast treat....

Oh and by the way, this was at 7:30 at night and they were by far the BEST pancakes I have ever eaten!!!

And the Doctor Says...

2009-01-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

...astigmatism!!! Yep, our little girl was in need of glasses and so, here is our little girl with her brand new "big girl" glasses :)

Wait for it...

Ta-Da!!!!

Please help sponsor Jarrod...

2009-01-17T18:15:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine put this on her blog about her husband Jarrod. I am passing this along to all of you so we can get the word out for his efforts. I will be donating on payday, I hope the rest of you can help as well.

Support Oregon Special Olympics!

Jarrod recently became a member of a fund raising committee for the Special Olympics Oregon. Prior to this, he was already involved in going to the events and handing out the medals to the athletes (in his military fatigues since its more exciting for a soldier to hand out the prizes!). On February 21st of this year, Jarrod will be taking part in the Portland Polar Plunge. This means that he will be jumping into the FREEZING Columbia River in an effort to raise more money for the cause. Unfortunately, the current economy situation affects non-profit organizations more than you might think. Fundraisers, such as this one, are vital for the athletes continuing success. If you are interested in supporting the Special Olympics athletes of Oregon, please make a donation by visiting Jarrod's Firstgiving page:

http://www.firstgiving.com/jarrodjohnson

You can donate online with a credit card. All donations are secure and sent directly to Special Olympics Oregon by Firstgiving, who will email you a printable record of your donation. Any donation will help and is greatly appreciated.

Welcome Kimberly Paige

2009-01-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

Brad's brother Kasey and his wife Laura were blessed this Monday, January 12th, with the addition of their third baby girl, yes that's right everyone, another girl! Poor Jeylin is so far the only male grandchild on either side of our families. Anyway, she was born at 12:23 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 17 1/2" long!!! She joins big sisters, Makayla who is four and Ellie who is two.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

A Mundt Family Christmas 2008

2009-01-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

The following story was written by my Mom to be put on my blog for all to share. I hope you enjoy her wonderful writing as much as we enjoyed our Christmas holiday...

Christmas 2008 found the Mundt family all together at the farm house. What a blessing it is to see my grandchildren playing and running through the house of their Great-Great Grandparents. Coincidentally it’s the same house their Great-Grandmother was born in! How pleased George and Elsie would be if they were alive today! I often wonder what Christmas’s past must have been like in this old house. Sometimes I come across old photos of George with his horse drawn sleigh, the beautiful silver sleigh bells (which we still have) hanging around the old brown mare’s neck. I imagine how deep the snow was and how they must have had the old wood stoves roaring. I can almost smell the pies cooking in Elsie’s old wood cook stove.

The following family were here: Dave, Brandy, Jaycee, Jake, Shaundee, Brandi, Bradley, Jordyn, Jeylin, Kierra, Brad, Papa Dave, Grandma Velda (aka Granny), Grandma Marge (aka Nana-Nana) and of course me. On Christmas Eve we put on our Sunday best and as is tradition for our family, went to Christmas Eve Mass at our church, Sts. Peter & Paul. As usual the church was decorated beyond compare! We entered the church to the sound of beautiful Christmas carols being sung by the choir. The only lights in the church were the candles, the Christmas trees and tons of Christmas lights! It’s so wonderful to watch the awe in the little one’s eyes as they sat so patiently and quietly waiting for the baby Jesus to be brought to the front and put in the manger! Father Brad asked if all the children would like to come to the front of the church and sit around him on the floor as he read them the Christmas story from scripture. He interacted so beautifully with the kids as he told the story in words they could understand. He asked them questions and of course Jordyn knew the answers!

After church we headed home to start the traditional Mundt feeding frenzy. Every year we have sliced meats, cheese, salads, chips, dips and other foods we only prepare on Christmas Eve. We eat and drink like kings, play games, watch A Christmas Carol and of course stay up way too late! Finally it’s time to get the little ones to bed. I read The Night Before Christmas, the kid’s hang the “Santa Key”, cookies and milk are left for Santa (this year we added carrots for the reindeer) and then it’s off to bed! (The Santa Key is a skeleton key tied with a red ribbon that is hung each Christmas Eve outside on the door latch so that Santa can get into the house!) This is when the work really begins for us adults as it’s at this time that the gifts from Santa are placed under the tree. Finally we adults get to bed only to be up before daylight on Christmas morning. It is an old German tradition to have a pickle ornament on the tree. The first little child to find the pickle gets a special gift (this year it was a $1 bill). Jordyn had cased out the tree in advance and of course found it first!

Once all the gifts were opened and the mess cleaned up it was time for me to start round two of the feeding frenzy. As usual our turkey is as big as a Buick and this year was no exception. He was dressed and stuffed, put in Great-Grandma Mundt’s roaster and in the oven by 8:00 a.m. Our home smells so good on Christmas Day!!! We had turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberries, a fresh vegetable assortment, pumpkin, berry and cherry pies. Of course we had tons of Christmas cookies, fudge and candies as well! The dining room table is set with my best Christmas table cloth, my china, crystal and Great-Grandma Mundt’s silver. We usually eat dinner around 2:00 p.m. After the table is cleared and all the dishes are done the games come out again and of course the boys head for the barn lot to shoot trap! Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas if the boys didn’t shoot up several hundred rounds of ammo.

This year we had a beautiful white Christmas so all the kids went up on the hill with the sleds and ATV’s. They built a big bonfire and had one heck of a time! When they finally froze out they headed back to the house for more food, hot cocoa and hot buttered rums!! After all of that the kids and Papa decided to go “drift busting” with the ATV’s as several of these country roads were drifted shut, well somewhere along the way Papa Dave decided that the old man was going to try to wrestle his boys (Dave & Brad) down. As fate would have it he got his lunch handed to him and his left earlobe nearly torn off! A trip to the E.R. and several stitches later, he was back in business. (By the way, this type of revelry is completely normal in our family!) You can’t buy memories like that.

I am truly blessed to be surrounded by my family and I thank God every day for them and for this old house. I pray that we share many, many more Christmas’s here on this old farm and I pray that long after I’m gone my children’s, children’s, children will have fond memories of Christmas here and of me.

Our Christmas Miracle

2008-12-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday at 9:21 am, I received a text message from my mom telling me that her and my dad were taking my Grandma Velda (my dad's mom) to the Cottonwood hospital since she wasn't feeling very well. The previous Sunday, she had been admitted in the Grangeville hospital for exceptionally high blood pressure. Anyway, the text came a little scrambled but I just figured she would get back to me and explain what she had meant. At 9:24am, my brother Brad called me and told me that my Grandma had passed away. At this time, I was on the other phone with Bradley so they both heard me break down into hysterics and yelling "No!". It was crazy!!! I immediately called my boss, went home and started packing the family up to go to Cottonwood and be with the family. At 9:39, my brother called again and said, "Did you hear, they revived her???" I was at first angry because I thought it was some cruel joke but after calming down, he explained it all to me so, here you go...

When I received my text from Mom, they were on the way from Grangeville to Cottonwood. Both towns are 14 miles apart. As they started going through Fenn (it really only takes a couple seconds to do so), Grandma started complaining that she was getting warm and wanted to take her coat off. They were traveling in her Durango with Dad driving, Grandma in the passenger seat and Mom in the back behind her. That is when Mom sent the jumbled text. She reached forward to help Grandma take off her coat and they said she made a big exhale of air and leaned forward...only being held up by the seat belt and her eyes were wide open. Mom immediately unbuckled and started trying to find a pulse but there was none to be found. She told my dad that she was gone. The next thing was to either get her to the hospital or pull over, call 911 and start CPR. They decided to drive as fast as humanly possible (roughly 115 mph from what I was told), call ahead to 911 and let them know they were coming and see what the outcome would be. After calling 911, my mom called my brother to call the rest of the family and let them know...which, is when I found out...a whole whopping 3 minutes after this happened.

When they pulled into the ER at St. Mary's Hospital in Cottonwood, a team of nurses, including my mom's best friend Teena, met them at the door. They immediately started CPR and within a minute or so, they said Grandma just opened her eyes and started looking around. She doesn't remember a thing!!! After an EKG and CAT scan, they set her up in a room and fed her lunch!! Can you believe it, within hours of having life-saving CPR done after being without a pulse for about 10 minutes, she was eating lunch!! The doctors aren't sure what exactly caused her to "die" but they are assuming it was from a UTI that made it's way into the bloodstream. My brother Dave and his family as well as my family of 5 came up that afternoon and gathered together to do what a family does. That evening, she had an MRI. The next day, my Aunt Vivian came and visited with her as well.

This morning, when all of us had left to come home (we all had to go back to work), they received the results from the MRI. She has a benign tumor in her brain which they say is pressing against her pituitary gland causing her to have problems with her vision. They are going to keep her until at least Monday since her blood pressure was starting to spike again this morning. It was a whirlwind of a day and quite the crazy couple of days. I am especially happy to know that all those people who care deeply for my Grandma were able to come and give her the support she needed during this crazy time. I guess those Mundt women are pretty darn tough!!! Thanks also to all my friends who called with love and kindness during this ordeal, you will truly be blessed in life because, we all know now that miracles happen everyday!

And Baby Makes Three

2008-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

My brother-in-law Korry and his wife Taffee have finally had their beautiful baby girl, Jaci Nikol Nielson. She was born December 13th at 8:00am and weighed in at 8lbs 6 oz and was 21" long. She has tons of hair and is absolutely adorable. I can't wait to see her in person!!!

And He Completely Redeems Himself...

2008-12-08T17:38:00.001-08:00

Yesterday evening was the annual Costco Kids Christmas Party. For those of you who are not aware of what this is, I will give you a quick rundown. It is basically a party for all children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of Costco employees, put on by our planning committee that is held during the month of December sometime...the only exception, last year when someone thought it would be cool to throw a Halloween party instead...guess I wasn't the only one who was bummed! Anywho, there are usually activities such as cookie decorating, ornament crafting and of course, pizza, dessert and a special visit from Santa. Each kid, if they cooperate, get their picture taken on Santa's lap and then they receive a goodie bag. Everyone also dresses up in their very best Christmas outfits.

This year, a magician was hired to entertain the kids during the last hour that the store was open. We all crammed inside the breakroom and watched the show. The guy was really good. I believe he is a local guy and his name is Christopher Smith. He kept everyone entertained and was hilarious. When the show finally ended and the announcement was made that pizza was being served out in the food court, all the kids and parents rushed out to get in line. A few kids stayed back to see if Mr. Magician Smith would perform a couple more tricks. That's when my son COMPLETELY redeemed himself for knocking over my Christmas tree. He walked up to the magician, reached out, shook his hand and said "Thank You!". I was in awe. I must let everyone know that not a single person told or asked him to do this...it was all his own idea. The coal is now being replaced in his stocking. It's nice to know that some things we are teaching him are sinking in!!! For all those interested, I will post pictures later on of this event.

Someday I'll Look Back And Laugh...

2008-12-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

But today is definitely NOT that day!!! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to display my anger so you'll just have to make do with my exceptional story-telling abilities...

Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I put our Christmas tree up. Usually this is something I do solo but this year, I decided they were old enough to help. Miraculously, it was beautiful and perfect in every way. The kids decided on purple and white decorations this year since we have done red and gold the last several years (if you know me at all, you'll know that I have hundreds of color-themed ornaments). Anyway, we spent a good portion of the afternoon setting it up, decorating it, tweaking it to make it just perfect and then decorating the rest of the house. All of that lasted one beautiful night!!!

Today, we arrived home around 4:00 in the afternoon, plugged the tree in and started to get ready for our evening. I had to make a phone call to my dear friend Anne and decided to step into Jordyn's room to do so...it was a little quieter. No more than a minute later, Jordyn came running in saying, "Um Mom, something happened..." As I looked out through the bedroom door, I noticed my otherwise beautiful living room corner was empty. Stepping into the living room, I realized why....my tree was knocked over on the floor!!!! I have never in my life been so incredibly mad at my children. My friend quickly made her departure from our phone conversation.

It turns out that Jeylin, being the ever-hyper kid that he is, thought that running and jumping on the couch were good things to do....especially since being told to never do that again. The two were bickering about who knocked the tree over but I finally got the truth out...Jeylin had actually kicked it over! I was fuming and both kids were sent to their rooms until I had a substantial amount of time to "cool down".

We, or rather THEY, were lucky though; none of my ornaments broke! That might be due in part to the fact that we no longer have hardwood floors in our living room. Another lucky part, the tree did not fall into Daddy's brand new TV and probably the most lucky aspect of all, it did not fall on Kierra!!!

As I stood the tree up, I realized that not only had it fallen over, it had rolled and so, the ornaments were strewn everywhere as well as glitter and hooks. I set it back up, bagged up all the ornaments that were on the floor and decided to leave it until Bradley came home. Once again, if you know me at all, you'll realize that there was no way I was going to leave my tree looking like that for 3 hours!!! I took all the decorations off, straightened the light strands and redecorated. It took me an hour and I still don't think it looks as perfect as it did but I guess I'll have to live with it.

One final warning to my children this evening...."Don't even so much as BREATHE on my tree or you will both be sent to your rooms!!!" Well, I hope everyone got quite the chuckle...I know Anne and my mother did....but, I guess it will just take me a little bit longer to look back and laugh. Sure wish I would have snapped some pictures though! Here is oneof my "second" finished product...sorry but the camera really doesn't do it any justice at all. I'll try to post better ones later.

Cooking A Turkey According To Jeylin

2008-11-24T19:38:00.001-08:00

Jeylin's preschool teacher has each kid tell her how to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving and then she compiles all the responses, types them up and sends them home. Not so good for eating but quite wonderful for a belly full of laughs.

How to Cook a Turkey According to Jeylin...

Go the feed store and get food for your turkey. They eat a lot, like one piece a day, so buy lots. After he eats, bring him into your house, but he will poop and your parents will get mad. When he's in your kitchen, open the oven door, and make him go inside. Turn the oven on super hot. Leave that turkey in the oven for a half hour. When he is all done cooking, take him out of the oven and put him on the table and start eating him. When everyone is done eating him, put all his feathers on and you can put him back in your yard. Keep feeding him and take care of him, and let him in your house sometimes so he doesn't get cold.

Quite the imagination huh?? Here are a couple more of my favorite "not-so-recipes"...

From Claire: First you need to go to Costco and look for a turkey. You should give the lady $3.00 in money. You know, the lady who takes all the money, give her your money and then you can take your turkey home. When you get home, put the turkey on a pan. Pour some oil on that turkey. You will need to sprinkle some cinnamon and some salt. I think my mom cooks it a little like that. Put your turkey in the oven on 600 hot for 10 minutes, that's how my mom always does it. Take it out of the oven and my mom always lets it cool off for 4 minutes. Put some salt and pepper on it and then sit at your table and everybody eats it.

From Abby: Get in your car and drive to the Wal Mart store. Get one of those pushy carts and push it until you find the turkey. It will be by the clothes place. The turkey will be so big it will be 30 pounds. Put him in your cart. Give the lady $30.00 and take him to your car and put him inside. You should drive home right away so he won't melt and make a mess in your car. When its cold, cook him but don't put any stuff on him cause it would be icky because Walmart already put tomatoes on him. You put in the microwave for just 1 minute otherwise he will burn and turn black and icky. Take him out of the oven with an oven glove. Cut him all into pieces and put some pieces on lots of plates and all of your family can eat him and they will say "Mmm Mmmm Mmmm Yummy in my tummy".

Oh the imagination of 4 year olds!!! I'll have to try and find Jordyn's renditions and post those later. Hope you all got a good laugh and may you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Now That's Self-Control

2008-11-23T14:54:00.000-08:00

I would like for all of you to meet our fiesty cat, Maddie....

Now before I reveal to you the other pictures on this post, I would like to give you a little bit of her history. In September of 2007, the kids and I made a weekend trip to Grangeville to visit my family...no big deal, we do that often. One of those days, we needed to tend to my Grandmother's cows. Since I was 7 months pregnant and had the two young kids with me, we mostly just tagged along and watched everyone else round them up. At my Grandmother's barn, there are quite literally hundreds of barn cats. She feeds and waters them but for the most part, they are all completely wild. She had told us that in August one of the cats had kittens and we decided to show them to the kids. We completely expected them all to run away, which, they all did except for one (you see where I'm going with this)?? Well anyway, Grandma told us that little "Maddie" (she wasn't named yet) was abandoned by her Mom, thus resulting in us leaving from Grangeville with a tiny kitten. On her first visit to the vet, they determined she was around 4 weeks old and she weighed a-not-so-astonishingly 9 oz!!! We fed her well and now, as you can see from above, she's HUGE...without ever having to lift a paw!!

So to get me to the point of this story. The other day I tried to sneak some pictures of Jeylin kicking around the football in the back yard but when I went to the window, I could see him crouched down talking to Maddie. After careful observation, I realized he was giving her directions for getting this....

That's right, we had a mouse in our back yard and our crazy cat, didn't have the slightest idea what in the world to do with it. Somehow, it was either injured or sick because it just wasn't acting normally and walked around in circles a lot. At one point, Maddie got bored, walked away and laid down in the grass. After a little struggle (our grass was really long), the little mouse made it's way over to Maddie and oddly enough, started climbing on her. She jumped and ran away...it was the most hilarious thing EVER!!! My thinking is that the mouse was either blind or he really did have a death wish...of course then again, he might just know that Maddie was raised as an indoor cat. However, who would have thought that my chubby, crazy cat could have this much self control????

P.S. For anyone who cares, the mouse did die but not by the hands, or rather claws, of our Maddie. Good thing because I really think the thing was sick...hey, maybe he was on a "suicide mission"?!?!?!?!

Birthday Party Pictures...Long Overdue

2008-11-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

I promised you all pictures of the birthday party and FINALLY, here they are!!! As you could tell from the invitation I posted earlier, there wasn't much a theme really. I mainly just stuck with the color scheme and polka-dot theory and went with that. All in all, it was a great day! We had to push her party back to 3:00 to allow for some out-of-towners to make it and quite honestly, I was glad because it gave me more time to prepare.

We were blessed by the appearances of Nana & Papa Mundt, Nana & Papa Nielson, Great-Aunt Marie, Uncle Brad, Uncle Dave & Aunt Brandy, Jaycee & Jake, Wendy Kaschmitter and three of her kids, Ellie, Thomas and Sara, and Alaina, Tristan & Natalie Simons. After the party, my parents, two brothers, sister-in-law and my niece and her boyfriend all stayed and we ordered Fazzaris pizza and the UFC match on Pay Per View. It was a great get together!!

I would like to thank everyone who came and those who sent cards and well-wishes along. I still can't believe she's a year old but I guess I'll have to get used to it. Until next year everyone...

For My Little Birthday Girl

2008-11-17T18:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an incredibly FAST year we have had. I honestly can't believe that my baby girl is one today. I have been sooo close to crying today that I'm not sure I'm even going to make it through this post. If only they could stay this little forever.

On Friday, November 16th, I went in for my 39 week appointment. My family had been struggling for quite a while with my Grandfather's health and several other issues that I asked my doctor if she wouldn't mind inducing me so that I could be with them just in case something happened and, I didn't want to eat Thanksgiving dinner in the hospital...Kierra was due on Black Friday of 2007. Anyway, my doctor told me that I was able for induction being at 39 weeks and she was scheduled to be on-call the following day and I could do it then if I wanted. I was so incredibly excited...until I got home and then the nervousness sunk in. This would be my first induction. Brad and I weighed our options and talked about everything. We liked that we would be able to get our house in order, get someone to watch the kids, call in for Brad's time off from work and be completely rested before the BIG arrival and so, we called the doctor and scheduled the appointment for the following morning, November 17th at 6:00am. Beforehand, the doctor had given me all the possible details, including the fact that I might not start pushing for 12 hours after the administering of the medication...but, oh well I thought. We called all our family members, made the arrangements for the other two kids, cleaned the house, packed our bags, called and told work and then settled in for a very needed yet uneasy night of sleep.

I'll spare you all of the "hospital" details but, we were finally blessed with the fifth member of our family, Kierra Lee Nielson, at 3:29pm on November 17, 2007. She weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 1.5 oz and was 21" long.

She was soooo adorable, of course, which newborn baby's mother doesn't think that?? Right away, she was a mellow baby and yes, she even slept through the night the first night in the hospital!!! We couldn't believe it...unfortunately, that trait did not last very long. She has since been our mellow child, and people are honestly shocked if they ever hear her cry. Let me reassure all of you folks though, she does have a good set of lungs on her! We've been through so much with her the past year and rather than bore you with the "in-type" version, we'll guide you through it in pictures.

Those pictures pretty much get you caught up to the date I started my blog. I may have some more but would have to search through my box of CDs in order to find all of them. I'll post Birthday party pictures on another post. Well, I guess there is just one more thing to say...

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!!

Where has the time gone...

2008-11-15T09:17:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that in just two short days time, our little Kierra will be turning one!!! This year has flown by and honestly, I'm not ready for Monday to come. To me, she only feels 6 months old!! Anyway, today we are having her birthday party. I'll post more pictures from today on Monday but I thought I'd show you all the invitation for today's bash!! I was searching through blogs one day out of complete boredom and found this as the invitation for her daughter's first birthday. Since I didn't have a theme in mind, I decided to "steal" hers and viola, the party started taking shape. I had to recreate the invitation in Photoshop so it is a little different than the one I found but I still love it!! Well, look for more updates on Monday!!

Eight Years Ago Today...

2008-11-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

Eight years ago today, Bradley and I were married. It was a very blessed and beautiful day. It's hard to believe it's been that long but look at how many changes our little family has gone through. I'm not sure how many people read this but I would like to thank each and every person who was a part of our special day, especially my parents for making it happen.

Mr. & Mrs. Bradley N. Nielson

Our First Kiss

Our Wedding Party

Maid-of-Honor

Dawn Allen, friend of the bride

Bridesmaid

Brandy Garrett, sister-in-law of the bride

Bridesmaid

Liesbeth Garrett, friend of the bride

Bridesmaid

Jodi Nielson, sister of the groom

Junior Bridesmaid

Jaycee Garrett, niece of the bride

Flower Girl

Shaundee Garrett, niece of the bride

Best Man

Korry Nielson, brother of the groom

Groomsman

Kasey Nielson, brother of the groom

Groomsman

Pat Laney, friend of the groom

Groomsman

Brad Mundt, brother of the bride

Ring Bearer

Christopher Garrett, friend of the bride

Pianist

Marsha Lance, friend of the bride

Vocalist

Jaycee Garrett, niece of the bride

Miss Kierra & the Blue Stamper

2008-11-04T16:15:00.000-08:00

One of the downfalls of having a wonderful Halloween Bash which gives kids the choice of many different prizes (this was after we wiped her down a bit)...

The product of a mini blue stamper & Kierra's ever-loving "hand-to-mouth" motion!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

Witches, goblins, ghosts and more...

Left us with candy galore!!!

This was Kierra's first Halloween and we had a blast!!! Not only that wonderful milestone but also, Jordyn did not dress up as a princess this year, talk about drastic changes in the Nielson household!

Our Halloween started on Thursday the 30th with the Halloween Bash at the kids' school. This is done every year and it is fantabulous!!! The gym is open for a two hour block and it offers so very much. Kids of all ages as well as parents and this year, grandparents (wink, wink) dress up and celebrate. You buy tickets at the door at a wonderful 5 for $1.00 price (proceeds went to the youth group) and scattered all over the gym are games for the kids to play. You receive prizes for participation and even better prizes if you succeed at the game's purpose. There is also a cake walk. Father Tom is a very talented man. He once worked in a flower shop with I believe a family member and he learned to make gorgeous gift baskets, flower arrangements and somewhere along the line, picked up baking and decorating cakes and such. I guess when you plan to live your life in celibacy, you have to know how to feed yourself and why not go all out. Anyway, there is a cake walk at this Halloween Bash and Father Tom makes all the cakes for the prizes. The first year we went he had a cupcake walk and there were over 100 fanciful decorated cupcakes to give out...they were amazing. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of that.

After about an hour into the party, Trunk-or-Treat starts in the parking lot. Parents pull their vehicles into the parking lot, decorate them up (there is a contest) and then distribute goodies to the "trunk-or-treaters". It really is nice not having to trudge door-to-door on an incredibly packed street. This year, they had a costume contest and Little Miss Kierra won her age group...when you see the pictures, you'll see why. My mom and I dressed up this year when we took the kids. She was St. Rita (fitting since she is named Rita) and I dressed up as a witch or according to some, dressed down...either way, it was fun!!

Halloween night, Brad and I took the kids to downtown Clarkston to go to the area businesses and scavenge for candy. They block off all of 6th Street and you just have a great time going from one place to the next in search of the mother load. We were about 3/4 of the way done and it started down pouring but that left us with a beautiful rainbow to enjoy! We decided we had had enough and spent the rest of the night seeing my Aunt and Brad's parents. All in all, it was a very fun holiday. So, without much further ado, I give to you our crazy bunch...

Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Sale

2008-10-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! It's that time of year for us...you know, the never-ending fundraisers!! We started our Cookie Dough Sale today and order forms and money are due November 4th. This fundraiser is going towards Holy Family School's general fund which helps pay teacher salaries, buy supplies and help with other bills the school has.

We are offering the "Original" gourmet cookie dough and other outstanding delectables from Otis Spunkmeyer and Red Apple fundraising families. The Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough comes pre-formed for your convenience and packaged in a resealable tub. All Otis Spunkmeyer products may be kept frozen for up to 12 months.

The ease of preparation makes these perfect for afternoon snacks, holidays and just when you need a little bit of comfort. There are 12 irresistible flavors to choose from and each tub makes about 36 delicious cookies however, I have known people to cut them in half and therefore make 72. We are also offering thaw and serve brownies and gourmet pretzels. Each tub is $15.00.

CHOCOLATE CHIP

Loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips

PEANUT BUTTER

Creamy smooth peanut butter for a moist, chewy cookie

WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT

Macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips

CARNIVAL

Our signature chocolate chip cookie with milk chocolate candy coated pieces

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

A unique blend of strawberries, cranberries and white confectionery chips

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHUNK

Milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chunks and white chocolate chips

BUTTER SUGAR

Sweet creamy butter makes this a classic

CRANBERRY OATMEAL

Plump, juicy cranberry bits with chewy oatmeal, sweetened with brown sugar and cinnamon

WHOLE GRAIN CHOCOLATE CHIP

Less than 30% calories from fat, less than 10% calories from saturated fat & less than 30% sugar

OATMEAL RAISIN

Bursting with plump juicy raisins

NEW CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP

A chewy chocolate cookie mixed with mounds of white and semi-sweet chocolate chunks

NEW CHOCOLATE & PINK

Chocolate cookie loaded with pink candy-coated chocolate pieces.

Purchases of this cookie help to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.

ORIGINAL BROWNIE

These fudgy, dense chocolate brownies are topped with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Specialty chips are melted throughout the batter to create an extra-moist brownie. Comes frozen, just thaw and serve!

GOURMET PRETZELS

Comes frozen with salt and cinnamon packets. Just bake & serve. Makes 12!

You may purchase any of these items through me by sending me a message or giving me a call. All money must be submitted to be so that I may have it it to the school no later than November 4th. If you are interested in purchasing on-line, that is also available. To order online, follow these simple directions in order to credit Holy Family with your purchase...

ON-LINE SHOPPING

Please click Here to purchase items that contribute to our fund raising efforts.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP!

You're Invited!!!

2008-10-15T20:38:00.000-07:00

Please join me at my Josie~Girl Bowtique bow party.

Josie~Girl Bowtique specializes in custom handmade hairbows and accessories. At my party, you can shop from a huge selection of pre-made hair barrettes, boutique quality hairbows, headbands and other accessories for girls of all ages.

I encourage you to bring outfits to match-up with the hairbows and accessories that will be on hand. If a pre-made bow or barrette is not available, we can create a custom order just for you at the same price.

Please join my friends and I, for a fun time of mixing and matching ribbons and bows for that special girl in your life. Bows and barrettes can be purchased on-site and customorders will be handmade and delivered or shipped to you in 3 weeks or less.

Check out the josie~girl Bowtique website and blog for information on styles, colors, ribbons and upcoming events. For those of you who live out-of-town and cannot attend but would still like to purchase items, let me know and we'll get you accomodated!!!

http://www.josiegirlbowtique.etsy.com

http://www.josiegirlbowtique.blogspot.com

Looking forward to seeing you!

Date: October 25, 2008

Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm

Place: 1548 5th Street; Clarkston, WA

Hostess: Brandi Nielson

RSVP Please: 509-758-2676

Don’t forget to bring a friend or neighbor!!!

Holy Family Annual Bazaar & Turkey Dinner

2008-10-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. Get ready for this year's Bazaar and Turkey Dinner for Holy Family School & Parish. Come enjoy the best turkey dinner in the valley, stick around for the wonderful raffle drawings and don't forget the Game Rooms including the cake walk sponsored by the PTA.
So come join us for good eats, good fun & great company, October 26th from 11am-5pm in the Holy Family School Gym.

For those of you who aren't aware of how the Bazaar raffle works, here you go. Each ticket is $1 and puts you in the drawing to win one of 27 grand prizes!! For those of you who live out of town, winner need not be present to win! The drawing will be held following the turkey dinner around 5:15pm. Anyone interested in purchasing a ticket, please let me know. If out-of-towners would like to purchase them, simply tell me how many you would like, I will tell you your ticket stub numbers, mail me your money and I'll return your stubs to you. It's simple, easy and is supporting a good cause!

Here is the list of the 27 grand prizes....trust me folks, these are GREAT!!!

1. $2,500 CASH
2. A PIZZA A MONTH FOR A YEAR FROM FAZZARI'S FINEST
3. $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM FUCHS FLOWERS
4. $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM SCHURMAN'S HARDWARE
5. GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR PENDLETON THROW FROM LEE MORRIS COMPANY
6. $500 GROCERY CERTIFICATE TO CLARKSTON HEIGHTS FOOD CITY
7. QUILT STAND AND AFGHAN
8. $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM HAY'S PRODUCE
9. $400 CASH
10. AFGHAN
11. $25 SAVINGS ACCOUNT FROM THE LEWISTON CATHOLIC CREDIT UNION
12. $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM CLARKSTON HEIGHTS FOOD CITY
13. $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM RICK'S FAMILY FOODS
14. $300 GIFT CARD FROM HOME DEPOT
15. $100 CASH
16. $ALL SPORTS SEASON PASS FROM LCSC
17. $300 GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM SKELTON'S CARPET ONE
18. 20#'s SAUSAGE
19. $100 CASH
20. $100 CERTIFICATE FOR SCRIP (If you would like to know more about this, email me)
21. $200 GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR HAY'S PRODUCE
22. $400 GAS CARD
23. $100 CASH
24. $250 CASH
25. $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE FROM EARLY BIRD SUPPLY
26. $125 GAS CARD
27. $150 CASH

Remember, if any of you are interested in attending or purchasing tickets, please let me know. Admission for the dinner is $9 for adults, $5 for grades K-8 and Pre-school age and younger are free.

For those of you wondering what SCRIP is, this is a WONDERFUL fundraising program which costs you no more out of pocket than you would normally spend on everyday purchases such as groceries and gas. In cooperation with hundred's of nationwide businesses, the SCRIP program allows you the opportunity to purchase gift cards from these businesses and they donate a percentage of your purchase to our school. For example, when I am heading to Albertson's to buy groceries, I pick up a $100 Gift Card from the school for $100 and then Albertson's donates 4% of that back to Holy Family. This is incredibly easy to do and also think about your Christmas list this year!! Gift cards make great stocking stuffers so why not give back to our school when you purchase them!! For anyone interested, let me know and I will send you more information.

Thanks to each and every one of you! It's with your support that we are able to keep this wonderful learning environment open for our children.