The Nelson Family

Elizabeth Claire Nelson

2012-01-18T19:17:00.001-08:00

Elizabeth Claire Nelson

Born: January 17th, 2012 at 12:32 p.m.

6 lbs 15 oz 19 inches long

I woke up on Tuesday the 17th at 2:00 am to contractions uncomfortable enough that I could no longer sleep through them. (That and I was too excited that it was happening.) I rolled out of bed around 4:00 am, and went in the living room to labor alone for a while. At 6:45 I woke up the girls, and started getting them ready for the day. Then we woke up Cory, and told him today was the day. :)

We started getting things together to go to the hospital.

7:30 am, and getting ready to go to the hospital. :)

Smiling... but actually trying not to wince too much... on our way to dropping the girls off at Connie Ward's house.

Bye girls! Have a good day!

We checked in at 8:00 am, and were admitted about an hour later. They were surprised to find me at a 7. In the photo above, I'm at a 9 and in the zone... Once I hit a 10, there was no stopping the train, and she was out 7 minutes later.

So this is the real world... Brrr!!! Put me back!

This little wonder scored a 10 on the Apgar scale... Cory was especially proud. :)

Tired, but so happy. It feels like we've waited forever to meet this little sweetheart!

We are a happy family!

Meeting sisters for the first time.

The biggest big sister. (Don't you love the huge pink "bow-hat" thing the nurses made?)

The littler big sister

Sleeping Beauty

Lots of Elizabeth pictures now...

Daddy loving on his littlest little girl

There's those eyes!

Mom... I don't fit.

I was so happy when I was told I could KEEP the big cup. :) It's the little things.

Home we go.

This is it!

2012-01-17T03:47:00.000-08:00

Here I sit at 5:45 am, having been awake since around 2 am, when the contractions first started bothering me. I tried to go back to sleep, but with the anticipation, and, in all honesty, being uncomfortable, it wasn't happening.

So, I finally rolled out of bed at 4:00 to start laboring alone here in the living room where I can have the wonderful distraction of the internet.

So far so good. Today I will hold my baby girl. :)

Contractions are pretty close together, (anywhere from 7-4 minutes in the last hour) and they mean business, but I'm waiting for a less "yucky" time of the morning before I bother my friend to watch the kids. Plus, Cory could use some more sleep.

It's surreal KNOWING what I know while all around me are soundly asleep.

I'm happy to have this time to anticipate, and to be thankful!

Happy Birthday, Abi-Kate!!

2012-01-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

My baby (who won't be the baby much longer) turned THREE on December 30. It's a bit hard to believe. I currently serve in the Primary in our ward, and it was CRAZY to see little Abi sitting in the Sunbeam class, having just made the Jan. 1 cut-off to move up from Nursery.

BUT FIRST...

The girls were so happy to finally eat the candy off their gingerbread houses from Christmas

We got snow!!! It lasted for about 4 hours then melted away. The girls were in heaven playing outside.

We love the snow!

Okay... on to Abi's birthday pictures:

For Abi's birthday, we went to a gymnastics place called "Extreme Kids." They also open up the gym for kids to play with all kinds of fun things like ball pits, huge blow-up slides, trampolines, rope swings, etc. The girls loved this! We will definitely be going again.

Natalie thought the ball pit was pretty awesome.

Abi's a little bit happy about her current situation.

My red-eye reducer went a little overboard on this photo, but I wanted to show the foam block pit. The kids would swing out over this bit on a rope and just let go and fall into the super soft foam blocks. So fun!

Abi was probably the smallest patron to use the big slide... you can see her at the top of the line.

Abi loved the balance beam

Natalie was a little hesitant about the balance beam, but loved it so long as Daddy was holding her hand. She even did a "jump-spin" dismount on her own. :)

The little mountain goat, scaling the steep incline ladder up to the top of one of the slides.

Abi's favorites: The huge slides

Natalie's favorite: The rope swing

Abi's request this year: "A rainbow pony sprinkle cake."

Our special little 3 year old.

She was totally excited about the cake. She didn't even want a birthday dinner. She JUST wanted cake. She finally settled on scrambled eggs for dinner.... with nothing else. Ketchup. That's it. No sides, no anything. Eggs and ketchup. She wanted to move on quickly to bigger and better things...

She had to blow on those things like 50 times before she successfully snuffed 'em out.

Ahhhh... cake!

New dress and leggings from Grandma and Papa Idaho

Little People school bus from Grandma and Papa Utah

"What is it? ... whaaaaat IS it??... Come ON, TAPE!"

"I love pReSeNtS!!!"

On a completely "other" note, here's one more attempt at a belly picture (taken today). I think my belly is camera shy, because I DEFINITELY look bigger in person!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2011-12-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all!

We had a great time celebrating Christmas this year! Check it out:

Decorating snowflakes, while listening to Christmas music and eating Chex Party Mix. Pretty festive, if I may say so.

Sitting on Santa's lap at the ward Christmas party. The girls were so excited! No melt-downs, no shyness. They did great

The sweet primary children did the Nativity, and Natalie was a shepherd. Her (uncreative) mother threw together her costume in about 5 seconds. :) Tis the season to be super-busy.

Family Christmas photo for our Christmas card

Christmas Eve Day!! The annual shooting of the cookies. :) An Ellsworth family tradition is to make these little butter spritz cookies, and the girls loved taking turns "shooting" out cookies with the gun.

1 day until Christmas!!

The Christmas tree

All the girls' handiwork

Doing the Nativity on Christmas Eve. Abi was the angel.

Joseph, Mary, and "the donkey."

Angel proclaiming the Savior's birth, Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. (Not pictured: the inn keeper/shepherd... aka me)

Christmas Eve PJs from Grandma and Papa Utah. Pretty cute!

Santa came...

Christmas morning: sleepy eyes, cute jammies, and new toothbrushes in the stockings. :) (A tradition I think we'll carry on in our family)

New hair accessories

So happy that Santa came!

Distributing the Christmas presents

Some very merry people

Cory decided I needed a Christmas picture... I've got the squinty sleepy eye look down pat.

Abi made us all laugh with how much she loved her little orange. She carried that thing around through most of the gift opening. :)

The building of the "present forts." Something Cory did from the time he was little, and that will now be a tradition in our home. :)

Abi's fort

Natalie made us some Christmas ornaments in her pre-K program. Cory really really like them.

Thanks for the BYU hat, Chadd and Jodi! I think he likes it. :)

teamwork

Natalie's haul

Abi's haul

Making the traditional "Ellsworth" Christmas breakfast: Waffles with whipped cream and strawberries and sausage links. We added orange julius to the mix as well.

The girls showing off their new "My little ponies."

Nothing beats Christmas kisses

For those who have been asking: Here's my pregnant self. 1 month to go!!! I admit it's not the best belly picture ever, and PROMISE that I look bigger in person.

After Christmas church services. There is a swing hanging on the lawn near the church. The girls love to swing on it for a few minutes when church is over. Today, I had my camera. Also, note the green grass and lovely "Christmas-y" weather we are having.

Don't fall out, Natalie!

Cory with his girls. Don't know how we're going to fit three little girls on his lap in the future.

Natalie giving me a push on the swing. :)

Enjoying all the fun new Christmas gifts

Such a happy little face!

I hope each of you had "happy faces" for Christmas. We are so thankful for the birth of the Savior and the gift of His life. He is the One who truly makes "spirits bright." We are grateful for wonderful family and amazing friends who love and support us daily. Merry, Merry Christmas to each of you! We love you!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-02T07:05:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was WONDERFUL!! We were able to fly out west to see both of our families, and spend about 6 days with each. Bliss!

We spent the week before Thanksgiving with my family in Arizona, and Thanksgiving week in Utah. We were able to get lots of play time in, lots of good conversations in, TONS of fantastic food in, as well as two temple trips.

So, blogger is being crazy, and it won't let me organize the photos how I want to. Photos are ALL out of order, but after trying to fix it for the last 30 minutes, I've decided to accept defeat, and move on and put descriptions under the photos. So, if you're not Grandma or Grandpa, you probably don't want to take the time to go through the million photos and try to figure out what happened and when. Just sayin'...

Flying back home. Goodbye everybody! (I know this should be the last picture, but like I said, blogger is being a pill.)

Cute cousins

Cory was able to get some shooting in with his dad, Chadd, Travis, Brett, Trent and Cole.

Yeah, Cole!

Bunch of buff babies!... and crazy boys. It was SO cold!

Lots of the Utah kiddos playing on the trampoline. Can't wait to own one of these things someday!

Natalie with her buddy, Taylor

Cousin Anna was so great to read stories to Abi

Silly kids

My sister, Amy, received her mission call!! Cleveland, Ohio at the Kirtland Temple visitor's center!!

Abi still has a major crush on uncle Scott

Had to include this photo for Scott... I know he'll appreciate it. :)

Visiting my Grandpa Ellsworth at the VA hospital in Phoenix. He turned 93 this year. From left: Dad, Natalie, Abi, me, Grandpa, Ashley and Emily, and Aaron with his kids: Brooke, Logan, and Tanner.

Abi covered herself in marker... which wouldn't have been too bad, but she also covered the bed, pillow, and part of the wall with them. Nope. Not Crayola washable, either.

When I walked in and saw her she burst into tears, knowing she's made a "sad choice." But she sure was cute!

At the Phoenix Children's museum, making turkeys.

Loving on Daddy

Kids and cousins playing on the rocks outside the museum

Grandma Idaho sneaking into a photo. :)

The girls were mesmerized by the KitchenAid. They'd never seen one before and thought it was pretty slick.

Don't ask me why they do this

At the train park in AZ. There's a carousel, play areas, and a little train the kids get to play on. Pretty cheesy, Abi.

With Aunt Ashley and little Emily

All aboard!

Uncle Cory corrupting... I mean teaching kids with an internet game. :)

Reading with Aunt Amy

Natalie, Amy, Abi (who is sitting on girl #3), me, and Scott... Hey Scott.... who's the blonde? ;)

At train park again... playing on the stagecoach.

Abi trying her best to distract a very patient Anna

More reading time with Aunt Amy and cousin Logan

Natalie was doing Angela's hair. Super cute, ladies!

Making edible rocks at the Children's museum. Totally up Cory's alley.

Painting a rocket ship at the museum

We love Aunt Angela

What Abi thought about Ashley's cinnamon rolls

Whee!!!

Natalie was REALLY sick for about 4 1/2 days of our trip. High fever, throwing up, the works. Poor girl.

And these are just a couple of random photos here at home that I wanted to include:

The girls got bunk beds! And they love 'em. Here they are getting ready for bed.

Playing a "girl game" on Daddy's phone. Abi was really excited...

And I'm CAUGHT UP!!!

An Ode to Couponing and Deal Seeking...

2011-11-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I paid tribute to the wonderful world of couponing.

I thought it would be fun to share this week's fun Olay deal:

Purchased (1) Olay Beautifully Smoothing Gift Set - $10.00

Includes: Venus razor
shave gel
full size body wash
shower pouf

Purchased (1) Olay Luscious Indulgence Gift Set - $10.00

Includes: full size body lotion
body spray
fully size body wash
beauty bar
shower pouf

Purchase (1) Olay Soothing Moments Gift Set - $15.00

Includes: full size body lotion
beauty bar
full size body wash
shower pouf
6 oz. Febreze lavendar vanilla candle
(no picture available)

- Paid $ 33.94 out of my own pocket for gift sets, taxes, and stamps to submit rebate forms.

- Submitted for a $9.00 rebate for each different gift set instead of getting the 1 year Allure magazine subscription offer inside each gift set. = $27.00 refund

- Submitted for a $10 rebate from Olay for spending $30 on Olay products. = $10 refund

TOTAL COST: $3.06 money-maker

Thank you coupons and good deals!

Trick-or-Treat!!

2011-10-31T12:09:00.001-07:00

Tis the season... Happy Halloween! :)

Natalie's first Primary Presentation day. She did great! Love these sweet girls.

First day of Pre-K, and other happenings

2011-09-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

Natalie started Pre-K about a week and half ago. She LOVED picking out her back-pack, choosing her outfit for the first day, and deciding how she wanted her hair done. The girl loves going to school!

Little poser

Abi had to be just like her sister, of course. So, she got to pick out a $2 back-pack, which she insists on wearing every day when we take Natalie to school :) Nearly everyday, the second we drop Natalie off at her classroom, Abi says, "I miss my Natalie."

The day I was in charge of a primary activity day at the church, Cory took Abi to a parade, where she picked up practically illegal amounts of candy. We gave half of it to friends, and were still eating it for days afterwards.

Natalie "helping" make brownies

How can you refuse help when it's this cute?

For Family Home Evening a few weeks ago, we held The Nelson Family Olympics, complete with a mile race for Daddy and Natalie, and half mile race for Abi and I. We also did the shot-put, and long jump. Measurements/times were taken, and will compared when we do this again.

Natalie is "the winner" of the mile race - 13:33 was her time. Her ambition is to win a gold medal someday:)

Silly kids in the bath

All beautified and ready for church

Cory went with three of his buddies to the BYU/Ole Miss game. Good thing that was the game he spent money on, and not one of the two games that followed... yech. As my dad always says, you can't be a fair-weathered fan of BYU. Just plan on lots of extreme highs and lows. Consistency? Maybe not so much.

This made me laugh. One of the signs at the tailgate party preceding the game. ;)

Orlando Vacation

2011-09-23T07:00:00.001-07:00

Let's get this post crack-a-lackin.'

I'm so behind on blogging! Mainly because I've been horrible at taking photos.

HOWEVER. We recently took a family vacation to Orlando, while Cory attended a medical conference. It worked out great, because his employer covered most of the cost of the trip for us (because of the conference.)

We had a fabulous time!

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS - HARRY POTTER WORLD

Cory was SO excited for this! It truly was magical walking through Hogsmeade, and going into all the shops. It was so much like the books and the movie, I couldn't believe it. And of course, all knick-knacks and souveniers cost an arm and a leg... and probably a kidney. But totally worth it!

Zonko's joke shop. We were so happy to be joined by Cory's best high school buddy, Zac Madsen, who is doing medical rotations in Orlando. Notice the "Extendable Ears" right by Cory's head.

Inside Honeydukes. ALL kinds of candy described in the book, and other treats as well. Cory made it out of there with a Chocolate Frog, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a bottle of Pumpkin Juice.

Pick a wand... any wand.

Hogwarts castle, which Cory was able to tour.

This was such a happy moment for him: finally drinking Butterbeer. (Which tasted a lot like sugary cream soda in my opinion.)

Cheese!

The girls were up super late, and therefore merited rides from the guys to save their tired legs. They were sick of the stroller.

Natalie and Abi are DONE. Time to head back to the hotel.

DAYTONA BEACH AREA

We kinda thought we'd hit huge crowds, being at the famous Daytona Beach, and all. It was nearly deserted! The sand was as fine as sugar, and the water as so shallow. We loved it!

I could have watched this little stinker grin and giggle all day!

Natalie loved it too.

Silly girls

Better-than-Baywatch Babe

Building a sand castle... or tower... or some other sandy tall thing.

Our little skipper

DISNEY WORLD

Let the memories begin! :)

Evil Emperor Zurg... and Co.

The girls were in total AWE when they got to meet the real life princesses. Abi could hardly function at first. It was the cutest thing. The girls could NOT believe that their favorite princesses were so real! And so big!

The girls got super tired by the afternoon, so we took a break from the heat and excitement of Disney.

Daddy holding Natalie, Momma holding Abi, Abi sitting on baby sister.

Playing in Rabbit's Garden at the Winnie the Pooh ride.

Going on the underground boat ride of "It's a Small World." Tons and TONS of singing dancing dolls.

We can fly!

The girls loved the Prince's Carousel

It's all so magical. ;)

I love Abi's face in the picture! I think this is prior to getting on the Dumbo ride again.

My favorite! I LOVE the tea cups! Abi was giggling her head off and LOVED it more the faster I spun our cup. This ride was repeated. :)

Tired girls after a long day at Disney World

Watching the fireworks display that Disney World puts on every single night.

More Carousel... more cuteness.

Natalie was pretty happy to get the floweriest girliest horse on the carousel.

DOWNTOWN DISNEY

Disney world also has a place you can go for free to check out the shops, and live performances, etc. Of course there are tons of fun things to spend tons of money on. The girls were allowed to pick out ONE souvenir. They both picked princess charm bracelets. Shocker of the year.

Abi's favorite princess

Natalie's favorite princess

Showing off their charm bracelets.

Playing on the splash pad. The girls got SOAKED! Good thing Florida is not lacking in heat.

SATELLITE BEACH

My big strong family and their sand castle creation

Cute girl. I can't believe how grown up she is getting!

Two cute baby girls and a beached white whale.

Wait for it.... waaaaiiit for it...

Yay! Waves!

The girls could have sat and gotten attached by the waves all day long. I'm not exaggerating when I say I don't think I've ever heard so much giggling and seen to much joy on their faces.

Momma, I love the beach!

The whole vacation was a huge success! I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Happy 30th Birthday, Cory!

2011-08-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Cory's birthday on July 26. He said, "Good-bye," to the 20's, and hasn't looked back. :) I took him out earlier in the month to see Harry Potter, and go to dinner. His actual birthday - day was a pretty casual affair, as he had to work.

The girls made him a candy basket, and were really good about keeping it a secret for days. Abi nearly spilled the beans twice, but I caught her in time. I made Cory the birthday cake he grew up with: Angel food cake with frosting. (Though I'm sure I'll never be able to make it quite like his mother. ;))

The girls were excited when he told them to help him blow out the candles.

This doesn't capture it, but I had hoped to get all three pairs for puffy cheeks in this photo. My favorite people!

Opening of the presents

Abi made her daddy wear that white ribbon. Pretty darn cute. Pretty darn lucky he's letting me post the photo of it. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CORY DEE!!

Shortly after Cory's birthday we had this crazy sudden downpour. Like monsoon-ish type storm. Seriously. As I heard the thunder and saw the sky darken, I told the girls about when I was little, and LOVED to run out into storms and feel the wind and rain, and hear the thunder, and see the lightening, and scream only to have the wind take the sound away.

Well... they were intrigued, and with a bit of coaxing, we all headed out into the torrential rain. The photos don't do it justice.

Yes, that is a plastic grocery bag on my head. It takes serious WORK to get my short hair to stay straight in this humidity, and I wasn't about to ruin that work. Vanity? Not so much... otherwise this photo would NOT be on here. Practicality? You betcha.

Abi was soaked after about 20 seconds. She didn't enjoy it much... :)

This is the best picture to try to show you how crazy the rain was... Look at the water in the pool... it seriously was splashing around like crazy. Natalie was only out there for a few seconds, and she was completely drenched. Fun times with the Nelson fam.

Today, my friend Heidi let me and another friend, Lindsey, in on a secret: Carterville Beach. Apparently the city ran out of funds several years ago to keep it up, but people can still go there if they choose. It was great!

Nice sandy beach, no crowds, water stays shallow for a long stretch... perfect!

Natalie is the little pink mermaid floating around out there.

I can't get over how silly Abi looks in this speedo thing. She's going to hate me for having these pictures when she gets older. :)

The little pink mermaid coming back for some snacks and a photo op.

Ah... the beach. Thank you SO much, Heidi!

The New Do Debut, and Ninja Turtle Girls

2011-07-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to chop off my hair for a couple weeks now, and finally got around to it Thursday night. Cory was home to sit with sleeping kids, and I drove off to the high-end salon world of J.C. Penney to get the job done.

Here's my hair in all it's shortness:

I have to say, even thought it's super poofy a lot of the time, (due to a significant amount of humidity in the area) I like it okay. It's growing on me... my hair has always done better short than long-ish. The bangs are a new thing too, and kind of fun for a switch.

Before I get to the Ninja Turtle girls, here are the bitty-beauties after church today:

Abi is always sticking little people in her mouth.

Natalie is getting to be a grown-up little girl. WEIRD!

They are supposed to be blowing me kisses, but Abi just looks like she's eating another little person, and Natalie looks like she's suppressing a yawn of boredom. So much for my photography career.

And finally...

NINJA!

NINJA!

RAP!

(Go turtles, go!) For those who don't know where that came from, you OBVIOUSLY never listened to the music that made the movie.

"Am I not turtle-y enough for the turtle club??"

Happy turtle

These were taken yesterday at the ward party. It was held at an outdoor pool and dinner was provided. Lots of fun! I think Abi ate 3 huge slices of watermelon all by herself. Talented, that one is.

Natalie Ballerina

2011-07-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Natalie had ballet class once a week through the school year when we lived in Michigan. She LOVED it. She looked forward to every single class, asking me periodically throughout the week, "How many days till ballet?"

The evening we loaded up our Budget Truck, was also the evening of Natalie's recital. It happened to be about a 15-20 minute drive, and it was at 7:00 pm (the girls regularly scheduled bed time.) It also didn't help that we planned to be up and going super early the next morning to make the 11 hour drive to our new home in Illinois.

But... she LOVES ballet. How could we not do the recital? She was so cute in her little white and yellow ballet dress, wearing just a titch of stage makeup with her hair tied back with a big yellow ribbon. It was a joy to watch her.

Her class did their little dance to the song, "You've got a friend in me," from the Toy Story movie. Lots of smiles, happy murmurs, and light laughter accompanied their performance as little girls aged 3-5 tried to be synchronized. Some girls waved to the audience during their dance (Natalie). Some girls didn't move from their spots, and some just smiled and did their own thing, thrilled to be on a big stage.

We love our little ballerina!

Arizona, Utah, and a HOMECOMING!

2011-07-08T11:17:00.001-07:00

The girls and I were able to visit Arizona and Utah for 2 1/2 weeks. We saw lots of family, attended Rob and Aleesha's wedding (post below), and got to pick up Scott from the airport upon the completion of his mission.

The "Welcome Home" Committee. From left: Amy, Abi, me, Aleesha, Natalie, Rob, Angela, Emily, Ashley, Grandma Idaho, and Papa Idaho. We missed Aaron and Lacey's fam! They showed up the next day.

I thought Aleesha was such a good sport. She and Rob had their wedding photos taken on top of meeting Scott at the airport. She braved the airport with wedding-ready hair. :)

I was a bit nervous that Abi wouldn't actually hand over the balloons when Scott showed up...

My worries were unfounded. She handed them over quick as can be, and developed her first crush on Uncle Scott nearly as quickly...

Natalie wasn't shy about greeting her Uncle. :) Big surprise.

Angela's "Last Day of School" candy-bar cake. Can't believe she's going to be a Junior in the fall!

Abi playing a bit of Frisbee in the backyard of the mission home.

We took advantage of the super hot weather, and abundance of swimming pools to have some fun. Abi took her first experience in the pool a little too seriously... I tried for 5 minutes to get her to crack a smile... nada.

Natalie enjoying it all.

Riding in the mission's 15-passenger van to dinner at California pizza kitchen. I tried their veggie pizza. Not too shabby! ... Love the excitement, Jess.

My adorable niece, Emily. Love that sweet face!

Aaron and Lacey made it to Arizona the day after Scott. Natalie was in heaven with her cousin, Brooke around.

Along with many special highlights of my trip out west, I briefly got to see my Grandpa (Dad's dad). He is nearly 93 (July 16). It had been probably 2 years since I last saw him.

Trying to fit as many people in a photo as possible. This is dinner with a LOT of family on the back patio at the mission home. I love that my Aunt Roz is giving my Uncle George bunny ears. Along with seeing my Grandpa, I got to see my Grandma (Mom's mom) and Great-Aunt LJ. Those ladies are so dear, and it had been far too long since I'd last seen them... one of the downsides of living so far away.

First ever Ellsworth Family 5K. Even Aleesha's awesome family participated. We even made shirts for the occasion. :)

More swimming in the backyard pink pool. Abi was just too stinkin' cute in her little swim suit.

Abi being shy about being "caught" on camera with Scott. The girl literally loves this guy, and thinks he's the coolest thing since fruit snacks... and that is REALLY saying something.

More reading time with busy, busy, Papa Idaho. We had to take advantage of any few minutes he had to spare.

In front of the mission home.

More swimming time. Talk about your bathing beauties....

Saying goodbye. See you in November!

I'm so sad that by the time we got to Utah, my batteries were nearly dead. I have next to no pictures. Regardless, I'm so glad I got this cute photo of my wonderful father-in-law with the girls. We all had such a great time!

Oh how I love this Taylor man. He and Natalie were good buddies while we were there. He is such a sweet, funny little guy, and I love this picture of him!

Anna!!! See that pink leg sticking into the picture on the left? That's my beautiful niece, Anna, who just managed to escape this picture, thus thwarting my effort to include her in this blog post. I still love you, Anna.

I wish I had more pictures from Utah! Well... I did have one more from this Utah trip, but I'm thinking the person involved in the "upside-down cow" photo wants to remain anonymous... you know who you are!

Mawwidge...Mawwidge is wot bwings us to-gevah today

2011-07-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

In May, my brother Robbie married the beautiful "princess" (my girls think she is a real one) Aleesha Lowry in Mesa, Arizona. The girls and I got to go out for the wedding, see my brother Scott's mission homecoming, and visit my Utah family. (More on that in an upcoming post)

Talk about a party!

Photos from the wedding festivities:

Abi-Kate looking mighty cute, if I may say so

My youngest brother, Scott... standing next to some freakishly pale person...

Natalie: my other cutie-patootie

It was so wonderful to spend time with my incredible parents again. It had been a year! :)

Natalie, and her cousin, Brooke, waiting for the bride and groom. These two were best buddies.

The happy couple! Aleesha looked just like a princess. We're so happy she's a part of our family!

The cake: Baked by Sister Alldridge (sp?) who works in the office with my parents, and decorated by my talented sister, Ashley, who took care of all the floral aspects for the wedding.

Receptions = lots of standing and smiling ;)

Abi thought Scott looked a bit underfed, I guess...

Natalie loved being with her awesome aunts, Angela and Amy, and their good friend, Jessica. She was literally in heaven with all the attention!

Good food, good times, and lots of family = bliss!

All these pictures (particularly those including my beautiful Italian-skinned new sister) lead me to one question: How come I'm the ONLY one who looks A.) vampire-esque B.) like I must be constantly sick/about to pass out to be so white or C.) like someone edited these photos to make me look like a ghost?

Remember how we have a blog? (part 2)

2011-05-06T05:40:00.000-07:00

In June, we will be moving to:

Carbondale, Illinois!

Cory will finish the last two years of residency. We are on to new adventures! The best part right now is that we FINALLY have a home to rent:

Let the packing begin...

Remember how we have a blog? Part 1 of 2

2011-05-06T04:44:00.000-07:00

Blog?.... Oh, right.

It's only been 2 1/2 months. :)

The problem was twofold: I didn't change the batteries in my camera for like... ever. (Or at least 2 1/2 months.) Also, I wasn't feeling one iota of "blogging urge." Now, I'm super far behind, so I don't think I'll even attempt to blog 2 1/2 months worth of stuff I don't even have pictures for.

Anyway... EASTER:

Sweet Sisters

We had a huge Easter party with our friends and their families. Natalie loved the egg race!

...and the sack race

It was mud-city in the yard. Abi fell, and as a result was de-pantsed for the remainder of the activities. (The girl does NOT like to be wet/muddy.)

Natalie showing off her haul

And of course, we dyed eggs at home. I think Cory loves this as much as the girls. He gets super creative and colorful with his eggs. :)

Try teaching a 2-year old to "be soft" with eggs. If you figure out an effective method, let me know. Nearly all our eggs were cracked/broken before Easter.

The crew minus me

Silly 'N Stuff

2011-02-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

Usually when I post to this blog, there's an event that I'm chronicling.
Today not so much.
Just had to get the cute pictures that DIDN'T have a major "event" put up on here too. :)

This picture is TOTALLY Natalie and Abi!

Abi fell asleep standing up like this... I think she was aiming for the bed, but missed...

The Tuesday Playgroup crew. (From left: Jaide, Natalie, Audrey, Aubrey, Abi, and Brooklyn) Love each and every one of these precious girls!

Finishing up the 50 state quarter collection that Grandma and Papa Utah started for us. It took a couple trips to the bank and hundreds in rolled quarters to get them all. Natalie was Cory's best helper, and they had a great time doing it together.

Not. Flattering..... Must. Swallow. Pride. This picture is going up only for the sake of my sweetheart who snapped this unfortunate photo with such glee.

Abi's first pigtails. Our little baldy is growing up!

Beautiful Valentine's Day flowers from my sweet Cory. They got even more beautiful as the Lilies began opening up more. :)

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head glasses put to good use.

Not sure what they were going for... but they were sure cute!

Natalie's Birthday!

2011-02-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

On February 15, we celebrated Natalie's 4th birthday. It was a pretty casual affair, but lots of fun nonetheless. Here's Natalie's day in a nutshell:

*Played with friends
*Ate lots of cake/cupcakes
*Received awesome gifts
*Had dinner and play time at McDonalds.

She loved it all!

Happy Birthday, big girl!

Thank you Grandma and Papa Utah for the fun gifts! Natalie loves 'em.

Thanks to Grandma and Papa Idaho, Ashley, and Angela for the fun card and movie. I think I'll have, "Lollipop, lollipop, oooo lolly-lollypop," stuck in my head for months. ;)

Natalie's gift from us was a Leapfrog Tag reading system, and MAN does she love it!

This year, when I asked Natalie what kind of birthday cake she wanted, she said she wanted a butterfly cake... AND cupcakes. Basically, I love her to pieces, so that's exactly what she got.

Pretty squatty little one layer cake. Oh well. :)

She was super excited that she got both a cake AND cupcakes.

Yummo.

And of course, I HAVE to take a photo of this munchkin practically every time she eats stuff like this. The cheeks + the eyes + the cuteness + the quickly vanishing cake = Abi at work.

Happy Birthday, Natalie-Grace-Monkey-Face! We love you so very much!!

Twenty-Seven

2011-01-30T04:26:00.000-08:00

On January 8, I turned 27, and was asked multiple times if I felt "old."

My cheezer smile

Not a bit! Old? At 27?? I surely hope not! In fact, I don't plan on feeling "old" for a really, really long time. The idea of hitting thirty, or forty, or fifty, etc. doesn't phase me right now.

Abi picked out a red shower pouf :)

For me, there's not really a "magic number," and the only significant difference I am anticipating in my life with regards to my age, is when I qualify for the Senior discount at restaurants. And that will be a GOOD thing, right?

High-five for the awesome gifts

I've been thinking about it lately. I'm more focused on how I feel, how my body is functioning, and what I'm doing with my life, than I am with my age. I'm sure everyone feels differently about birthdays. For me, it's just another day... but with the added bonus of cake, gifts, and well-wishes. :)

Birthday loves. My favorite.

This year, I was spoiled with too many gifts, a super delicious chocolate cake, and breakfast courtesy of my handsome hubby. Can I please have another birthday soon?

Oldies but Goodies

2011-01-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

Lets take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

BYU-Idaho Graduation April 2006

Engagement photos 2005

And another...

And another.

Christmas Break from BYU-I 2004 with my family in Carey, ID

Basketball and Volleyball Christmas Break 2004 with my family. Rob on mission in Mongolia.

Grand Targhee sledding date Summer 2004

More Dating Summer 2004

Newly Dating 2004

I'm a lucky girl. :)
I love you, Honey!

Abi-Kate turns TWO!!!! (Post 1 of 3)

2010-12-30T13:46:00.001-08:00

BUT FIRST....

This is Natalie's first masterpiece with the new art easel. :)

BACK ON POINT:

Abi's birthday is near and dear to our hearts. I can't imagine what our lives would be like without our little sassy-pants. The one downer of the day is that Abi is sick. (Has been throwing up repeatedly). Luckily, she doesn't act like she's sick, so hopefully that means she's not feeling too poorly. Who knows? Maybe we can blame it on my cooking rather than illness...

Today has been loads of fun! To celebrate Abi's second birthday, we went sledding, built snowmen, and had hot chocolate and homemade chili after. Then, Abi opened her gifts, which thrilled her: A rocking horse, Cooties, puzzles, and Mrs. Potato Head. (Thank Grandma and Papa!) Then came the birthday cake. I took a video of it and it's in the previous post. It's worth watching. :)

And here are the photos of today:

Our pink Marshmallow

These two had a blast going down the hill in all sorts of strange ways. And yes, what appears to be a furry animal that has attached itself to Cory's face is, in fact, a beard. He's been growing it since his time off from the hospital. I've been informed that I'm to expect it to remain till he deems this furry phase to be "out of his system."

The three crazies

Playing on the slide by the sledding hill

Natalie is a GREAT snowman builder

...and snowman EATER!! Buwahahahaha!

The women
(don't mock the neon blue headband)

Going back home

Birthday lunch! It was supposed to be chili, but this is all little Abi's belly could handle

Hello Mrs. Tater

It's official: Abi has cooties.

The rockin' talkin' rocking horse

Abi sharing her cooties with all of us. Awesome.

Abi wanted a pink cake with flowers.

Raging FIRE of wishes!!! Happy Birthday, Abi-Kate! We love you!

Happy Birthday, Abi! (Post 2 of 3)

2010-12-30T13:11:00.000-08:00

Be sure to watch to the end. :)

A Merry Christmas! (Post 3 of 3)

2010-12-30T12:48:00.001-08:00

I. Am. Sugared. Out. :)
Christmas was so much fun this year! I think Cory and I may have been more excited than the girls, because we couldn't wait for them to see their gifts. Most of our Christmas pictures are on Cory's iPhone, which I don't have access to at the moment, so the following photos will have to suffice.

Making the Gingerbread house = Sugary Goodness

More Gingerbread house = Sugar High

Making Oreo Truffles for friends = Sugar Overload

Decorating Cookies for Santa = Sugar Shock
(note Abi)

The night before Christmas, the girls got to open one gift each: These cute pj's from Grandma and Papa Utah. I felt the little monkeys were just right. :)

Twas the night before Christmas...

Christmas morning, checking out the stockings... what could it be? New Dora the Explorer toothbrushes of COURSE! Yeesh. Had to do something about all that sugar...

Post-presents. Enjoying a new fun flick: Kung Foo Panda. Skadoosh!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T16:51:00.001-08:00

Our online Christmas card for the year... :)

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas from the Nelsons! We hope this letter finds you healthy and happy. 2010 has come and gone so fast, that Andrea still writes 2009 on her checks and in her journal occasionally.

We love this holiday season, and appreciate the chance to think about those we love, memories we’ve made, and to recognize how truly blessed we are. We also take the time to reflect on the experiences of the past year:

Abi-Kate (nearly 2): started nursery, became a cuddle bug, learned to jump and jump and jump, climbed on and over and into everything, discovered the joys of chocolate, ate dirt, counted to 14, said prayers, found a best friend in Natalie, and rolled down the stairs 5 times.

Natalie (3 ½): became engrossed in “princesses,” took swimming lessons, did the summer reading program at the library, went camping with Daddy twice, started ballet, has “school” with Mommy, became a “cheerleader,” and decided to marry 5 different people.

Andrea (26): ran 10Ks, got into couponing and deal-seeking, fulfilled a dream and swam with dolphins, enjoys teaching the 11-12 year old primary class, roasted her first Thanksgiving turkey, took a history course through Yale, and won the 4^th of July pie eating contest.

Cory (29): graduated from medical school, snorkeled through an underground river, started internship at St. John’s hospital, is in the final stages of securing a residency position, and after a year’s hard work of convincing, he finally talked his wife into buying a new TV.

Family Travel: January and February in ID and UT, moved from Grand Blanc, MI to Troy, MI, visited MO for Cory’s graduation, Cory and Andrea spent 8 days in Mexico, Andrea and Abi spent two weeks in ID, and Grandma and Papa UT visited in Nov.

As we look back on this year, we find much to be grateful for. Most especially, we are thankful for the Savior, and the gift of His life. We are also thankful for the relationships that we have with each of you, and for the joy we feel in our lives because of you. May God bless you this holiday season!

Much Love,

Cory, Andrea, Natalie, and Abi-Kate

"Les Oben It, Mom!!!"

2010-12-16T11:20:00.000-08:00

Just had to share:

Yesterday, we received a package in the mail from my parents. It contained wrapped Christmas presents for our family.

The girls were super excited about this, and I handed them gifts one at a time to place under the tree. When I handed Abi a long, thin, box wrapped in red paper, she gasped, her head immediately snapped up, looked at me with huge, alert eyes, and urgently yelled:

"IS CHOCLAT!!! LES OBEN IT, MOM!!!"

It was SO funny, because Abi absolutely adores the sweet brown stuff, but we never buy boxes of chocolate except around Valentine's day. For her to immediately sense what it was, and so adamantly demand we "oben it" and dig in, was just hilarious. Love that choco-holic baby!

Thanksgiving (Grandma & Papa Utah visit)

2010-12-06T10:43:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Michigan this year. The biggest reason being that Cory's parents came out for a week-long visit. We LOVED having them here! It was so fun to see them, and we miss them still. One week wasn't nearly long enough. But, we got to get some fun activities in while they were here. (The activities won't be in chronological order because A.) I'm being too lazy to put the pictures in their proper places B.) ... still just too lazy)

First up: FRANKENMUTH

Frankenmuth is a German-themed town about an hour north from our home. It has all kinds of shops, activities, and tourist attractions. The coolest thing about it is that it is home to the world's largest Christmas store, Bronner's.

Pied Piper of Hamlin

Cute little Abi...

Trying to convince Abi not to pick up yet another rock to throw...

Strolling through the shops

Covered Bridge

Cory's Favorite: The Cheese Haus (cheese house)

My favorite picture of the WHOLE trip. ;)

Bronner's Christmas Store: 12 acres of anything Christmas you can imagine awaits you inside

This is a TINY selection of the ornaments available

Natalie got along with Santa just great

Abi... not so much

Beautiful picture of the Abi-Kate

Grandma and Papa Utah brought the girls these adorable bears with four different outfits they can interchange. The girls love them!

Next outing: THE HENRY FORD MUSEUM

The bus Rosa Parks sat on

The only picture I have of Cory's parents from the whole week... sad. I did a horrible job of taking pictures while they were here. Most of the photos is this post are from their camera.

Natalie on a huge combine

Playing with the kinex toys near the automobile section of the museum

Chuga-chuga-choo-choo

Sitting in the conductor's seat of a huge train

Cute girls

And the big Finale: THE NEW TV.... oh man...

I know the secret to making my man happy now... 50" of college football goodness. He calls it beautiful. I call it "the Beast."

Random cute photo of the pant-less wonder

The crazy crew chillin' on the counter

And the whole gang by the tree :)

We're caught up!

You're gonna miss this...

2010-11-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

There is a song in my play list on this blog called, "You're gonna miss this," by Trace Atkins. I love this song. It is a wonderful reminder of just how good I've got it. Natalie and Abi are such beautiful, smart, sweet, wonderful little girls! Cory and I are so blessed.

Dear, sweet, Natalie. She'll turn 4 in three months, yet she seems so much older at times. She is so smart, loves doing "school" with Momma, and asking questions... lots of questions. :) She loves ballet, doing handstands, playing dress up, and playing with friends.

Natalie enjoys books, and loves trips to the library. When we get home, she plops herself down with her pile of books, and just starts going through them, even if I don't have time to read them to her quite yet.

Helping out in the kitchen when I bake is another favorite activity of hers. So is eating whatever "dough" or "batter" I might be attempting to make. She makes her bed, picks up her books, dresses herself, brushes her teeth, and does the different chores on her chore chart.

Natalie's favorite color right now is Purple. I recently asked her what her favorite animal was, and her reply was, "a mermaid." When I told her that mermaids weren't really animals, she said she liked sharks the best... I have no clue why. She loves flowers, and candy, and her current favorite cereal is Frosted Mini-Wheats. Strawberries are also a favorite.

Natalie loves to play hide-and-seek with her Daddy. She is getting better and better at finding good hiding spots. She takes good care of Abi, and shares well most of the time. She loves to play outside, go to the park, draw with sidewalk chalk, and jump on the couch cushions. She gives great hugs, and is always concerned about others feelings. We love you Natalie Grace!

Our dear little Abi-Kate. What a blessing she is! She'll be 2 on Dec. 30th. Abi is our independent/sensitive one. She is a little mountain goat, climbing on everything and getting into things I never once worried about with Natalie. She is very insistent on doing everything like the rest of us, and doesn't want help from anyone. She wants to be big, and she sure is! Abi is a tender soul at times, and loves to comfort and be comforted when things go wrong. She is a little sweetheart, and our little cuddle bug.

Abi loves playing with dolls of all kinds: Baby dolls, little polly pocket sized princess dolls, animal dolls, and little people dolls. She feeds them, puts them to sleep, and gets very worried about they crying. She'll say, "Oh no! Baby cryin'!" with a concerned look on her face, then do whatever she thinks they need to be happy.

Abi loves Dora the Explorer. She can do some counting, can say all the letters of the alphabet (though not in order), and knows her colors. She is SO good at closing her eyes during prayers... don't ask how I know that. Abi loves hot dogs more than just about any food... except maybe blueberries. Her favorite animals are kitties, doggies, bunnies, teddies, and pigs. Go figure. Her favorite color is pink. She loves to play with the toy dishes and food, and brings me "drinks" and "snacks" all the time.

Abi's favorite game to play with her daddy is "Dead Man," and she squeals with delight as she gets chased around the room. Abi has the cutest giggle ever. The poor girl is tickled endlessly purely for her parents' enjoyment. We love that laugh! We love YOU Abigail Kate.

The girls are such good friends. They play together, eat together, giggle together read together, argue together, and sometimes they fall asleep together.

Natalie takes good care of Abi, and always alerts me if Abi needs help. When Abi is sad, Natalie is anxious for her to be happy again. When Abi has a time-out, Natalie is sad for her. Natalie is a wonderful big sister.

Abi looks up to Natalie. She often tries to do whatever Natalie does, and is usually ready and willing to please Natalie by following her directions in games of pretend. Abi will often share her toys/snacks with Natalie is she thinks Natalie might like it. She sometimes gets out of her bed, and crawls into bed with Natalie at night time. I can hear them giggling, or arguing, or pretending until they fall asleep together.

As the song goes, "You're gonna miss this. You're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.
These are some good times. So take a good look around,
You may not know it now... But you're gonna miss this."

Our hearts are full of joy and gratitude to Heavenly Father for this beautiful gift. We love you, girls!

Halloween (among other things) :)

2010-10-30T16:47:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Halloween by going to the Church for a party/trunk-or-treating. It was a good time!

The Queen Bee

The Flower Fairy (don't knock the wings too much... )

Our excited girls all set to celebrate the true meaning of Halloween... CANDY!!!!

one more

Post trunk-or-treating. Did we make it home? to the car? to a patch of grass??? Nope... the girls plopped themselves down on a stretch of parking lot and dug in.

Yep. Cory and I dressed up too, using whatever we could find in our house. (I couldn't make myself be creative this year for some reason. So... Hillbilly and Mad Scientist it was.)

Awww.... it's LOVE!!! (I think I used half a can of aerosol hairspray for this... also, we decided later I looked more like Edward Scissor Hands than anything. All that was missing were the appropriate clothes and black lipstick.)

Cory playing, "Row Your Boat" with the girls. One of their all-time favorites!

I usually allow Natalie and Abi to watch one show a day. Here they are making sure they pick the perfect movie.

Balto!!!!

They're all set for the flick!

As you can see, Balto is a pretty intense show.

For the entire month of October, we were lucky enough to have one of the coolest guys on the planet stay with us while he was doing a podiatry rotation in the area. Cory and I knew Dan Patty back in the BYU-I days. Dan played with the girls (they loved him!), cooked for us a couple of nights, was our live-in-babysitter, and put up with our quirks like a champ. Thanks for everything Dan! We miss you already!

So the girl likes to eat. Anything. Cut her some slack.

Natalie's first braids. (So hard! Her hair is super fine and she doesn't have much of it, so kudos to me. :)

This picture is here simply because I've been informed that there are never pictures of Cory and I together on the blog. Also, because we are smokin' hot....

... sorta.

Smiles all around

2010-10-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

Happy photos to give you a glimpse of the last 2 weeks in the Nelson home...

Natalie continues to love ballet... and her sister. :)

Can it be??!!? Abi is SMILING for the camera?! Nothing short of a miracle.

Cory and Natalie jumping on a statue bear at a mall in Rochester Hills... Because what else are statue bears for, if not to jump on? ;)

Ridin' the bear

After all the "bear fun" we made our way to a cider mill, and enjoyed the donuts, cider, and the free bounce house admission. (One of the park attendants was super nice and let Natalie and I slip into the bounce house for free. Abi would have nothing of it. )

Riding bikes in the driveway...

...and into the street. We're all about safety first, I tell ya.

MORE smiles!? A record. Then again, she probably didn't know I was snapping a picture.

Sharing their "hot ride." Abi was less than thrilled with the squished-in-the-tiny-seat-ness of it all. But she wasn't about to be left out. :)

The Nelson girls chillin' in the play room. I sure love these stinkers!

Abi is all about baby dolls right now. So fun to see her "take care of" her babies.

My mischievous little sweetheart

And what could POSSIBLY bring more smiles than dirt and mud? Abi would say, "NOTHING!"

Well... at least two of the three of us were happy about this. Majority rules, right?

APPLE!!!

2010-09-28T15:25:00.001-07:00

A big, fat, juicy, sweet, tangy Honeycrisp apple to be exact. I do believe I swooned a bit when I cut it into sections to eat. The smell was THAT good!

This particular apple came from the Yates Cider Mill in Rochester, MI. Our family spent Saturday late afternoon enjoying this place. It was a hit with each of us!

Waiting in line for fresh pressed apple cider and home-made cake donuts. That water wheel powers the actual cider press. Cool stuff!

Original red barn

This mill had these WONDERFUL and INSPIRED little apple sippy cups for kids. I'm sure they save many parents from sticky messes, spilled cider, etc.

Despite the look on her face, Natalie loved these cake donuts, and horked down part of Abi's with her own.

Enjoying the treats

The petting zoo consisted of goats, sheep, and one llama whose name Natalie was sure was Cuzco. (Emperor's New Groove)

Ahhhhhhh Hahahahaha!!! Her face was HILARIOUS!

The only picture we got of all of us. We're taking a walk by the river at the mill.

My hitchhiker

It was so fun! We'll definitely have to make more cider mill trips in the future.

La Dee Dah

2010-09-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

I couldn't think of a good title for this post, because there's no real pattern/specificity to it's content. BUT the pictures and events themselves are great! ;)

Every night after the girls are tucked in bed, Abi ALWAYS climbs off her bed and up on to Natalie's bed. The next 30 minutes or so are filled with, giggling, squealing, talking and occasionally screaming, yelling, and injuries. (The last three things obviously require parental intervention.)

Once in a while, Abi will fall asleep with Natalie. It is so sweet! Heartwarming is a better word. I'm always reluctant to move Abi back to her own bed.

When Cory got home on Thursday night, he took the girls outside for a few minutes. It had rained, and their feet and sandals got wet. So, he took them off, and let them play in the gutter puddle. Abi proceeded to sit/fall down, so her pants were the next thing to go. The weather was downright chilly. We got many strange looks from neighbors driving past. Don't judge us too harshly! :)

Abi is the recipient of a surprise smack-a-roo from Natalie... Heeheehee

Cory has been telling Natalie he would take her camping again for several weeks. It's been a long time coming. There were rainy weekends, and hospital shifts to contend with. FINALLY, the day arrived on Friday. We made it a kind of family date night complete with outdoor grilling, a funny movie with treats (for most of us), and sleeping in the tent all night long for Natalie and Cory. Abi wanted NOTHING to do with the tent, and cried when we took her in it. "House!" "Bed!" (sob, sob, sobbbb.) Needless to say, Abi and I slept inside.

Family Date night dinner. Good lookin' bunch of hooligans.

Abi, as usual, is more interested in food than in the camera.

Our silly Natalie Grace. The girl continues to eat ketchup with everything... chips, cookies, grapes, apples, whatever I put on her plate.

Abi studiously ignoring me by staring off into the distance despite my repeated efforts to get her to look my way. I know you hear me, you little stinker!

Natalie and Cory were really roughing it... Huge, well-protected tent, the house not thirty feet away, tons of blankets, including an electric blanket plugged into an extension cord to the house. Man! Those two tough!

Yippee!!

2010-09-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Fall is well on it's way!!

Don't get me wrong. I love Summer and all the fun that comes with it! Fall, however, is possibly my favorite season. I love the crisp, cooler, "sweater" weather, the smells, the food, the deep, earthy colors, and the holidays associated with the season... okay, okay, and a lot of it might have to do with a new season of college football to enjoy... :)

This fall brings new fun for Natalie: A bit of "school" (with me) every afternoon, and BALLET!!! She has been so excited for this, and has literally asked me every single day for almost a month how many days till she could go to ballet.

The big day finally arrived on Monday, and she was so excited all day long, and when we got there, she had no reservations about running into the studio, and having the time of her life. She LOVED it!!! She loves her teacher, Miss Roberta, and loves being with all the other little girls. She loves her pink tights, her little leotard (thanks Jodi!), her ballet slippers, and her little "tutu."

Abi's ballet pose

Natalie kissing Abi's nose. These two love each other to pieces, and it makes me SO happy!

There's a smile! Lately, this girl is not a "smile for the camera" type of girl. Don't ask me why.

We've also been enjoying the park across the street from our house. The girls and I go there a lot. It's perfect! We are blessed to live in such a great area.

Abi, running to the play structure, yelling "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" all the way there.

This picture makes me laugh, because, once again, Abi will not crack a smile, and Natalie looks like she has a huge cartoon head, and little stick legs. :) (Okay, so she actually does have stick legs...)

We recently took our first trip to the Detroit Zoo. So fun! Cory had the day off, so he got to come too. :) The girls always love it when he gets to come on outings with us. It's like a holiday! We didn't take many pictures, but we did have a great time.

Natalie liked the big tigers,
Cory liked the cool-looking lemurs,
I liked the crazy chimps,
and I think Abi liked the seals the most.

Sitting on the bronze tiger near the tiger exhibit

Sweet Natalie... and Abi demonstrating her "no smile" policy

Again with the non-smiling... but she really did enjoy watching those seals swim around.

And just for fun... you know how you try to get your little one's first reaction to pickles, and other strong tasting substances? Well... no strong reaction here. She gobbled the whole thing down. That's our girl. :)

Body Art

2010-09-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

At least that's what the angel on my shoulder wanted to call it. The not-so-angelic creature on my opposite shoulder called it a big sticky gloopy mess!

Abi was a bit over-enthusiastic about her strawberry oatmeal while I was preoccupied. The pictures don't do it justice. I'll say this: It was splattered on the carpet, on the table, on the chair, in her hair, in her eyes, in every little crevice from her fingers up to her neck (since the spoon mostly served as a toy, and her hands as the utensils), and a tiny bit even made it the distance to cling to the wall. (Thank goodness for the awesome bib from Grandma Utah!!)

After showering her off (where she acted like she was going to die) I had to clean out the drain, just so the water would go down. Icky! But made for a good memory and fun photos.

She was so thrilled with herself, and was having the time of her life swirling the mush into patterns on her plastic blue tray or scooping up handfuls and tossing them in the direction of her choice, and then wiping her hands off on her face and in her hair. I sure love that little squirt! But no more oatmeal for a while....

Hair bows, pink polish, and eyeshadow, OH MY!

2010-08-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

Natalie's friend, Audrey, had a birthday party today. And it was STRICTLY a girlie-girl affair. The girls wore their fancy dresses, tiaras, jewelry, the works! Too bad I didn't take my camera with me... After the party, Natalie wanted to continue the fun.

What ensued next was a whirlwind of hair bows, eyeshadow, pink nail polish, jewelry, and ballet poses. I decked out the girls, and they returned the favor. Such fun! Totally worth the silly pictures. :)

My silly girlies
(they do have eyeshadow on...just not noticeable in the pics)

Woo woo!

Natalie's silly pose

Natalie's "ballerina pose"

Abi didn't tolerate the bows for long... but she's a cute little princess regardless. :)

Yes, my hair is SUPER short! I guess hair stylists now interpret touching the shoulders to mean touching the ears (perhaps they didn't account for the curliness of my hair) ;... thankfully, hair grows, and there's no shortage of hair bows. ;)

Little girls + pink + giggles + hugs = a great day in my "mommy" life

Growing Girls

2010-08-27T08:03:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I can't believe how BIG and GROWN-UP my girls are. Abi-Kate tries so hard to be like Natalie, that she acts older than her age, I think. With Natalie, it doesn't help that she's got the vocabulary of a third grader, and is taller than most kids her age.

It goes too fast...

Buds

That little face looks sweeter than that cherry popsicle

The bear cave

Does a body good

2010-08-08T16:09:00.001-07:00

I was severely bitten by the baking bug this weekend. I don't know what the deal is, but I definitely don't mind. Baking/cooking can be such a wonderful and relaxing outlet for me. It's especially enjoyable when I have time, and don't feel rushed. So...basically, either my body was telling me I was super stressed this weekend...

Or, more likely, my body was saying, "Get some of those good ole' CARBS in me, woman!!!"

Well, now really, what am I going to say to that?... "Excuse me, Andrea's body, but sugar, and chocolate, and FAT aren't all that good for you , so pipe down."

Of course not!

Body armor.... check.

Aura of confidence... check.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Dumplings

The noodles (Yes... they ARE noodles! At least they will be... I hope... )

The mess no one ever tells you about when they rave about the joys of cooking/baking.
It's reality, folks.

Awww... sweet little baby carrots

Hiiiii-YAH!
(Hmm..perhaps there WAS some underlying stress after all...)

"Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble..."
(I just finished reading a book about Shakespeare/Macbeth, if you were wondering where that came from.)

Hallelujah! It looks normal!

It was a hit. Thank goodness!

AND THEN.....

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Why settle for one variation on chocolate? How about a German chocolate cupcake with dark chocolate chips inside, frosted in Hershey's milk chocolate frosting, and topped with dark chocolate shavings... yes please!

A good rule when it comes to baking is to share the goodness!

Sugary Goodness

2010-07-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

Summer! And time for tasty treats. :) Cory decided it was time to introduce our girls to Krispy Kreme donuts. We'll just say introductions went well.

Natalie's choice: Chocolate glazed with sprinkles

Abi-Kate's choice (aka Momma's choice for her): Plain glazed

Holy Crow, a picture of ME! There's a good reason there's not many... as you can see photos aren't always my friend. Good-bye vanity! Hello Lemon glazed goodness!

Kaptain Krispy Kreme and his Kool Krispy Kiddos... I tell ya, we should be the poster family for these treats.

The strawberries have gone on sale a few times at our grocery stores. The result? Lots and lots of strawberry freezer jam, and bags of frozen strawberries for future use. We all LOVE this jam! I'm definitely making more if strawberries go on sale again. I didn't anticipate the rate we would go through this stuff. The girls frequently request PB&J and whole wheat pancakes, just so they can get this strawberry-goodness in their mouths. (I think I've made more pancakes the last month than I did the whole of last year.)

Someone's excited

And in other fun happenings:

Natalie NEVER does stuff like this, so I was surprised to see her this way...

"Oh MAN!! Mom, you're so mad at me right now, huh?"

"Oh! You're not mad? Well forget my attempt at a remorseful face! I'm BLUE! This is AWESOME!"

We love summer!

Crazy Sleeping Beauties

2010-07-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the pictures!

Daddy doing story time before Abi's first night on a
"big girl bed"...

Abi "reading" an old family calendar

How did her first night out of the crib go, you ask?
Well, she stayed up 2 hours later than normal had a
grand old time roaming around her room, and finally
crashed for the night... the good news is that once she
was asleep, she never woke up during the night to have free
reign of the house. Thank goodness!

This is how she ended up falling asleep.
You missed, you crazy baby!

Our other Sleeping Beauty came out of her room
when she was supposed to be taking a nap. I had gone
downstairs to work on something, and when I came back
up, this is how I found her.
Another miss....

Abi is a mountain goat. It's been decided.
The girl cannot help herself.
She climbs on EVERYTHING!!

Summer Fun

2010-06-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

I am the best blog updater ever! (Yes, this comment should illicit some rolling in the eye area.)

June has been busy! I went out with Abi to Idaho for the first week of the month to help my parents pack their house for their mission. We didn't mess around either... we packed and packed and PACKED! My sister, Amy, graduated from high school as valedictorian. (Yay you! Now, don't let it go to your head.... ;) And my sister Ashley and her husband Kevin had their first baby. Emily Kate was born on June 4th, and she is one cute little bug! I can't wait to see her again. My parents and sisters Amy and Angela are now in Arizona, and the mission will officially start July 1. You guys are going to be such a blessing to those you serve! Hurrah for Israel!!! I love you!

Now for pictures. (They're the reason you even come to this blog in the first place, right?)

Abi carried this plate around with her for hours licking every last little bit of sugar off of it, and would not allow me to take it from her...I can't even remember what treat was on it in the first place, but I just thought is was too cute not to share.

Starting the beginning of April, I tried to get into couponing. Where I haven't worked outside the home, I figured it could be a way to save some money, and I've been surprised at how much I enjoy it. I feel like I'm contributing (however minimally) to getting our family through on a tight budget.

Pictured: Aveeno hair gel, shampoo, conditioner, styling foam, Crest toothpaste, John Frieda condition +3 shampoos, oral-B toothbrush, 2 M&Ms, one Betty Crocker dessert, 6 double roll of Bounty paper towels.

Retail Price: $61.00

My Price: $0.00

(In fact, I made $5.00 on that purchase. So yes.. I like the whole couponing thing.)

Natalie started swimming lessons, and loves them! She's sad on the weekend when there are no lessons.

First level of Swimming lessons: passed!
Second level: in progress...

We love our backyard, and especially the deck. It's so nice to have a place to go outside and just sit, or play with the girls, and not worry about them.

Cory sharing his icee with some nekkid baby....oh wait, that's OUR nekkid baby!

Did you know that money can buy happiness? $7 worth of blue plastic sure can. :)

Natalie's been sneaking out to discos behind my back...

While I was gone, Cory and Natalie had fun together. Cory took Natalie to Chuckee Cheese for the first time, they camped in the backyard, and had hotdogs at a place called "Hippos" one night. They also got to deal with the flooded basement when the sump pump failed, and the back-up pump failed also. (Basement is now almost completely dry.)

Isn't the fire in our grill lovely? So glad I married a boy scout. :)

Apparently, Natalie was the "chef." She makes a mean hotdog.

Best Buds

One problem with camping... Natalie's bedtime is around 7- 7:30. The lights don't go out until around 10pm outside. She had fun staying up "late."

Cory got a gym membership at the community center, and I got one at LA Fitness, because the babysitting works out to be cheaper there. I LOVE BEING IN A GYM AGAIN!!!! I've really missed it. The girls love the "Kids Kamp" at the gym and look forward to playing with other kiddos while I workout. I know it's silly, but I really do love that place.

Stay tuned for more adventures with the Nelson family!

Mexico!!!! - #3 of 3 new posts

2010-05-31T04:46:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Cory graduating from medical school, and our 5 year anniversary, we headed down to Mexico to an all-inclusive resort and spa about an hour south of Cancun. Cory's wonderful parents watched the girlies for us, and while it was strange not having them, and we really missed them, we had a fantastic time.

Our first night. We ate at their Mexican restaurant. (Yes, it was the only Mexican Restaurant at our resort. There was a seafood one, an international buffet, two grills, one sushi, and one italian restaurant...and room service. Aahhhhh.... room service!) We enjoyed the stormy ocean view, and eating a three course meal...which we ended up doing for basically every meal we ate minus breakfast. REAL chips and pico de gallo.... yummmmmm

We got rained on a bit for the first couple days, but it was NOT cold. It was 80 degree weather in the rain.

NACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! ...

Fulfilling a life-long dream: Meet Frieda and Audrey...my soon to be new best friends. ;) There were other dolphins there, but they were the two I was lucky enough to spend a little time with. I know it's a little cheesy to some, but ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to swim with dolphins. It finally happened!

Holding a 400 lb baby.

Did you know that I am THE whitest white person in the world... why yes, you may have my autograph...

I have some videos from this experience, but for the life of me, I haven't been able to get them uploaded. Blogger is having some issues... Hopefully I'll be able to get them up soon.

As part of my swimming with dolphins experience, I got to play with the sea lions. Meet Robbie, the sea lion. Robbie likes to kiss...

... a lot.

Marina by our hotel

The Seaside Grill. A restaurant right by the pool and ocean. You could just come in after swimming, and this is where we usually went for lunch. Fajitas....mmmmmmm

The fancy-schmany Italian restaurant by our hotel. Pasta....mmmmmmmm

A bit of our beach area

Our resort: Dreams Puerto Aventuras

The gazebo...where like 6 couples got married while we stayed there.

Wall surrounding the ancient Mayan city of Tulum.

Do you see the face?

Me and our awesome tour guide

Ruins rock.

Saw about a million of these guys

Water inlet below the Mayan ruins on the beach

The Tulum lighthouse in the background...yep, they had those then.

Beach behind Tulum

Behold! The ancient Mayan god of plaid!

Whoops....

Either Mayans were really short....or when Tulum underwent some necessary reconstruction, some of the ceiling height was lost.

The temple

Playa Maya: a 10 minute walk from Tulum, and the place where Cory and I snorkeled for the first time. The most beautiful beach I've ever seen.

Tulum behind us

After boating behind Tulum, we jumped out into the ocean to check out a reef. Hopefully our underwater camera pictures turn out later...

Playing at Playa Maya

Relaxing on our beach back a the hotel

Cory = Pina Colada man Andrea = Strawberry Daquiri lady
Still white as can be...we both used SPF 50 sunBLOCK about 5 times a day. It was hot!!

XCARET!!! The best place we went on our trip!!

In the jungle

In the batcave... seriously

Cory loved climbing on those ruins.

Loved the trees

Yes. This is me. In a giant turtle shell. Thank you, Cory.

Aaaah...hammocks! Xcaret, besides being an amazing ecological park with awesome wildlife and plantlife, had an amazing beach, underground river, authentic restaurants, and areas where you could just relax.

In the butterfly house

Is this guy awesome, or what? Seriously! He's standing by a part of the underground river that's not so underground. Later, Cory and I snorkled right by him when we swam the river.

After doing the underground river, we watched a horse show, and had a free buffet that served such EXCELLENT and authentic Mexican food. Tostadas....yummmm

Xcaret has, as one of its main attractions, a night show that takes

you through the history of Mexico from the Mayans to present day. This was incredible! The costumes, music, acting, everything was perfect! The next few pictures show just at FEW of the actors in their costumes. They were all this elaborate! You should double-click on the pictures to see them close up.

Walking through the entrance to the night show

This pictures doesn't do this guy justice. He was the Mayan Chief, and he was just about the coolest thing I've ever seen...

Second half of the night show

Last day in Mexico. Sad to leave. Excited to see the kiddos again. Truly, a wonderful experience.

Fancy Nancy

2010-05-30T19:08:00.001-07:00

After Cory's graduation, his parents drove up to Michigan with us to stay with Natalie and Abi-Kate so Cory and I could take a big-HOOOrah vacation to Mexico. (Thank you again, a thousand times over!!) The day before we left, Cory's Mom had the world's greatest idea. We were having a Fancy Nancy party.

Now, if you haven't read the book, "Fancy Nancy," I highly recommend it. It's adorable! If you haven't read it, then this won't make a lot of sense, but at least you can enjoy the pictures for their entertainment value. ;) And yes... we wore those outfits in public.

"Oooo la la [our] family is posh!"
(Picture taken by Papa Utah, who also dressed up for the occasion.)

Fancy Natalie practicing her curtsy, and saying, "Merci!"

We ate with our pinkies up and called each other, "darling."

"When we walked into the [Pizza Hut], everyone looked up. They probably thought we were movie stars."

After the Pizza Hut extravaganza, we went home and had "parfaits." It was SO much fun, and Natalie, especially, had the time of her life! Thanks for the good times, Grandma and Papa Utah!

Medical School Graduation!!

2010-05-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

My wife just informed me that this is a family blog and that I need to participate by writing a post about graduation. Here you go honey, I do it for you.

Hallelujah!!! We're finally done with medical school! I'd have to say graduating from the 20th grade was much more memorable than graduating from the 5th grade (no offense Mrs Jessen). There have been lots of ups and downs along the way, but good memories overall. It's been a great journey and we have added some great friends to an already fabulous group of people that have made an impact in our lives. I've always been a little nostalgic, so it has been a bit sad moving on, but there is lots of fun to come in the future. Here are a few key points from the graduation festivities (minus the awesomeness of torching my white coat at the Theta Psi Party, burn baby burn!)

Awards Banquet: We received the Flight 5966 Humanitarian Award, and the Who's Who in American Medical Schools Honor.

Not only can I not believe they let me in, they are even letting me graduate.

Brothers Chadd (KCOM 2002) and Travis (KCOM 2006) were able to be my Guest Hooders. This was a very special moment for me to have these two guys I have looked up to for my whole life welcome me into their profession as a colleague. Definitely a highlight of the day.

Reed and Bev's 5th child to receive a Doctoral Degree (four doctors and a lawyer).

Dr's Nelson from the front. (Notice which Nelson son is wearing the honor cords and which two aren't. Just kidding, this was the first year they made the cords available, or they would be wearing them too.)

Dr's Nelson from the back

These two beauties were two of the biggest stress relievers during the rigors of school. Love you 'Cookie' and 'Chubs' (Natalie and Abi-Kate).

Go team Nelson Family! We all did it!

My best buddy Zac came up from KCUMB to show his support. See you in three years soon-to-be Dr Madson.

Thanks babe, couldn't do it without you.

Now that I have dutifully performed my task of writing this post, I now turn the computer back over to the real author of this Blog. Love you honey.

-Dr Cory Dee

And the WINNER is...

2010-04-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

After MUCH deliberation and weighing just about every pro and con we could come up with, and then some, we finally decided to rent this gem of a home in Troy, MI for the next year... and we are SO excited!!! This was our favorite place of all our options.

The home is ginormous... way more space than we need right now, but depending on what we do next year, we may end up buying this home from the landlord. It's close to the freeway, so Cory's has a nice commute. It's also close to shopping, the community center (gym and pool!!! yesss!!!), some amazing parks, and the drive to the temple is 10-15 minutes. *sigh* So, so, SOOOO happy.

The upper living room area

The dining area

The kitchen...with storage galore

More kitchen

Lower living room area that opens to the backyard

Downstairs bathroom

One of my favorite things about this home is the yard. I love that it's fenced, has trees, and there is an area where I can plant a small garden.

So, there you have it! We will not, in fact, be homeless. We will be moving in next Saturday. Wish us luck! Visitors are welcome. ;)

Happy "Last Day" Day!!!

2010-04-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today marks a monumental occasion:

Cory completed his last day of his final rotation for medical school. He is officially DONE as a student. No more "student doctor" badges. No more short white coat. No more not getting paid to do hard work. What a ride! He will graduate from the 21st grade on May 15, 2010. I couldn't be more proud of him. He has worked so hard, and given so much to get to this point, and been a fantastic husband and father along the way. Congratulations, Honey! You did it! On to the next adventure!

Stay Tuned....

2010-04-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

As we are quickly approaching the end of this crazy ride called medical school, we are getting more and more excited about what's to come. Cory's last official day is on FRIDAY!!! It's surreal...

With the end of medical school comes more changes: particularly moving again. We had found the perfect place to rent and were already mentally moving in. However, we weren't so lucky, and the home was sold last week.

You can imagine we were a bit sad, and more than a bit frantic about finding a new place before our lease here is up in 2 1/2 weeks. We scrambled. Made lots of phone calls, and made a big trip down to the Troy, MI area to see our "potentials."

We have it narrowed down to 2, and will hopefully be deciding today. Once we make an offer, it shouldn't take too long for all the paperwork to go through.

(Which is a good thing because we will either have somewhere to go or be homeless in 9 days. )

So, stay tuned for info, pics, and all that good stuff!!

Happy "Easter Bunny" Easter!

2010-04-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

We decided to celebrate the "Easter Bunny" part of Easter today. The girls woke up to a note from the Easter Bunny, and were so excited to look for their baskets to see what he had left for them...

I FINALLY have Abi's walking skills documented. I've been trying for like a month to get it on video, but have had no luck. Happy Easter to me! :)

Abi post-robin egg gagging. :)

Thanks for the peeps, Grandma and Papa Utah!

Abi was wary of Natalie the entire time... I think she feared for the safety of her sugary stash.

Pretty eggs! Prettier girl...

Abi was pretty sad that she couldn't be more hands-on in the egg-dying process. Next year, baby!

Thanks for finding us, Mr. Bunny! Come again next year!