December traditions.....

December has been full of some wonderful family traditions so far. The first one that we were able to enjoy together was giving unwrapped presents to the Bishops Store House. Can I just say that I have the best kids? Before we went to the store house we had Family Home evening and explained to the kids what we were doing. We then headed off to Target so they could pick out gifts to give. They never once whined or complained because they wanted the toys and I was so proud of them for that. We have done this the last few years and so I think they understand what its all about. It was a wonderful opportunity not only for our family but for our children. It was a wonderful lesson learned and something we will continue to do every year.
Having cookies and milk at The Bishops Storehouse

There were a lot of people there supporting our Stake and filling up these huge boxes with toys.

The next tradition we started just this year is "The Elf on the Shelf". Im sure most of you have heard me talk about this book already. I absolutely LOVE this tradition! We bought the book and read it. We then took out our elf which the kids named "Buddy" and set him on the shelf. Everynight Buddy flies home to Santa and reports the kids behavior. Every morning he hides in a new spot and the kids have to find him. The first thing they say when they wake up is "Wheres Buddy?". My kids love him to death and it has really helped them want to be good.


Now.... this tradition is one of our favorites. Every year we go to Lorens work to see Santa and have milk and cookies. The kids get very excited to do this. They really get spoiled by Santa too! Every year they get a stocking full of goodies and toys to play with. The kids were happy and loved seeing Santa. Rowan ran up to him and have him a huge hug while Lia was a little bit more nervous. By the end she was hugging him but she wouldnt sit on his lap.





Satuday night we went out to dinner with almost the whole Nielsen clan. This was a first but Im hoping that we can do this every year. We had a wonderful time at The Cheesecake Factory and enjoyed everyones company. The food was tasty and the Nielsens are always fun to be with. After dinner we went to see The Blindside and it was excellent! I love movies that make you feel good and inspire you to be a better person. Not many movies do that now a days. If you havent seen it...it is a must see movie!






For Family Night this week we made a gingerbread house. The kids were so excited to make it. They asked me all day long if it was time yet. I just bought a kit at the store and it was Ok. By the end... the roof was sliding off and it looked like it had been hit by Rita. Next year I want to make our own. I think it would turn out better and it would be WAY more fun!



Here are some pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits. Every year I get them matching outfits to wear to church on the Sunday before Christmas. They looked adorable and it was fun getting them ready. One thing though...do girls ever stop crying when you do there hair or will this be neverending? Seriously!





Well....these are a few of our Christmas traditions. We still have more to come...the months not over yet! My sisters and brother are coming from out of town this year so I will have a lot more things to post about. I love all the family time we get to spend together every year. Im already not looking forward to after Christmas. I always feel down when its all over and everyone goes home. January is always tough for me! Lets hope for a better one this year!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Zoobiddy Zoo lights!

A few weekends ago we went to Zoo Lights with my sister in law Jen and her family. We had a wonderful time even though we froze out toochies off. I think it was the coldest day of the year when we went. It was FREZZING! Good thing we bundled up and huddled by the heaters when we could. I must say that the lights were incredible. I had NO idea how much fun it would be. I think we may go again when my sister comes. It will definitly be worth it!

A highlight for Lia was seeing the squirrel monkeys. She has talked about them a lot since then. She keeps saying..."Monkey's eat carrots" because she and Savannah watched the monkeys eat there dinner and they LOVED it! Rowan liked everything but most of all he liked the hot cocoa.

Happy Birthday Monkey Boy!

Yesterday my sweet, silly, smart Rowie boy turned 4! I really still cant believe that he is no longer my baby. He has grown up so fast its just crazy! I have loved watching him grow and turn into such a good little boy. He is also quite the character. He really makes us laugh and he knows it and he loves every minute of it. He has also turned into such a good big brother. He loves Lia and is always concerned about her. I love to watch them run around like crazy kids do. They laugh and wrestle and love to play with each other. They are the best of friends!

Here are a few pics from Rowan's "friends" Hot Wheels party last night at Classic Skate . He invited all his preschool buddies and they all had a fun time bouncing. We had a great time and Rowan was in heaven! A big thanks to everyone who came!



Rowans face when he saw his new "real" golf clubs!

Heres a little list of things Rowan loves...

1. Cars and race tracks
2. chocolate
3. cutting paper with his green scissors
4. The Wii
5. Grandma cheese
6. Cafe Rio quesadillas
7. Riding his bike
8. Lining things up
9. Milky
10.Ice cream that has been stirred soft

I love you Rowan! Happy 4th Birthday buddy!

A day of Running, Relaxing, Turkey and Bang!

On Thursday we all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving day. We started the morning off with a 5K to support The Utah Food Bank. Its our new Thanksgiving tradition. We had a great run minus the cold weather. I guess I should have run a few times outside in the cold before I ran the race. I have been spoiled this winter and have been running inside on the treadmill. It was harder to breathe in the cold air so I didn't beat my previous 5k time however I will still happy with my time. Loren ran with me and pushed me and it was nice to run together. We had never done that before and so I loved it!

After the race we headed to my parents to enjoy a Thanksgiving lunch. I made the most bomb digity yams that Ive ever eaten. I just need to publicly thank Paula Dean for the recipe! I love yams and I enjoyed them dearly. They werent the healthiest to say the least but I still enjoyed them.

After lunch we played four games of our favorite game...Bang! I could have played all night but Terry's family had to leave. After the game we hung out and relaxed and I think I fell asleep around 9. I was really pooped after such an eventful day. I missed seeing The Nielsen's this year so it wasn't quite the same. I cant wait to spent some time with them at Christmas.

I also have to say how grateful I am for all the blessings in my life. We REALLY are truly blessed. Life couldn't be better and I am grateful for that. The gospel brings so much peace into our lives and we are grateful for our desire to live it!

Rowan! You stinker! What is up with all the faces?

Lia turns two...(three weeks ago)

I have to admit that I am completely slacking in the blogging world. I don't know why....I'm just not loving it as much. It just easier sometimes to just post some pictures on facebook and whalla! I'm done and I don't have to write anything. I have been meaning to blog sometime now. Gosh....Lia turned two 3 weeks ago! I have to remember that this blog is my journal and I know even though I'm late...that it is still important to blog and it will be just as important to my kids in the future. So here goes!


I will never forget the day my sweet angel was born. My labor was nothing like Rowans. Rowans was hard and painful and Lia's well....lets just say that I gave a few small pushes and she was here. I was very nervous about having a girl at first. I was afraid. I wasn't sure how having a girl would be. Now, I wouldn't trade having a girl for the world. She is so sweet, gentle and loving and I just cant get enough of her!








Here are few thing that I love about Lia....

1. When I get home from being gone, Lia will always give me a huge hug and say " I missed you". It always melts my little heart.

2. Lia is a fishy cracker and fruit snack addict. She whines constantly for them and it drives me crazy. She will say in her cute little voice "I have fishy cracka Momma, I have fishy cracka?" I hope I will always remember the way that she says this because it is so cute. She always seems to end her sentence with a higher pitch.

3. I love the way Lia asks me a question and then after I respond to her she always says "Oh yeah". Like...Oh yeah I knew that.

4. I love the way she jumps with excitement. She doesn't jump very high when she does. Shes lucky if she jumps a half of inch of the ground. It cracks me up every time.

5. I love the way Lia loves Rowan. She copies everything he does and if he doesn't like something, neither does she.

6. Lia loves to sing. Her favorite song is I love to see the temple. On Sunday, The children's choir sang it and when they finished she hung her head in sadness. She didn't want them to stop singing it.

7. I love the way my sweet little girl prays. She can pray all by herself and I'm so proud of her. I hope that as she grows she will continue to pray often and I hope that her testimony of prayer will also grow with her.

8. Lia is a Daddy's girl. She is crazy about Loren and I completely understand. I'm crazy about him too! She is one lucky girl to have such a sweet Daddy. Loren loves her so much and she just melts his heart. I admire there relationship. Every girl should be close to her Daddy. That is one very special relationship every girl should have.

9. Lia is the BEST sleeper. She always has been. As a matter of fact, she just transitioned into a toddler bed with no problems. I told her she had to stay in bed and not get out or she goes back into her crib. She listened and bed time is a piece of cake. She still naps and when I put down she says "nigh night" and doesn't make a peep.

10. Lia is a blankey lover. I have learned to never leave the house without it or she whines the whole time. She is also a thumb sucker but only when she is cuddling her blankee. She is so cute when she does it. I just hope she quits early and doesnt end up like I did.

11. I love the way Lia dances. She often shakes her bootay and says" Oh yeah..Oh yeah" I love absolutely it!

I am so grateful for Lias sweet spirit and for the joy she has brought into our lives. I cant wait to see her grow up and see what kind of woman she becomes. I know she will be something special!

I love you Lia and I hope I can be a wonderful mother to you as my mother was to me.

Disneyland 2009!

We got back from Disneyland on Friday and can I just say that we had a blast! We are a tad bit exhausted...but thats what we get for going to Disneyland three days in a row. I wouldnt change a thing though. There is no way you can do and see everything in one day or even two. It was perfect! A lot of walking but perfect. I think I was extra tired after the trip because I still ran that week AND did p90x amongst all that walking. I think THAT is what did me in. On Sunday, I pretty much slept all day. It was nice.

Anyways, our trip started out last Friday. I had the car all ready to go and the kids had there bags of Disney goodies to play with on the drive. We bought an outlet for the car so we could plug in the laptop. The kids watched movies the whole time and never complained. I have to say that my kids are angels on trips. Well...as long as you have lots of snacks and movies...there good to go.

We left in the afternoon and drove to Primm, Nevada. We stayed at "Barfallo Bills" and lets just say that we wont ever stay there again. The wild mustang wall border said it all. It was nasty dirty and there was a concert that night, so it was extra busy. All the drunk crazy folk really scared the kids. It was loud and not very family oriented. We waited in line for over a half hour to get our room key. I guess thats how casino are right? We stayed there before and it wasnt as bad as it was this time. On Saturday morning we got the hay out of there and drove to Rancho Cucamonga and had lunch and shopped at our favorite place (Victoria Gardens). We had some time to kill so we took our time and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Yes.....it was beautiful unlike snowy Utah. We were enjoying weather in the high 70's low 80's.

Rowan still loves eating butter...especially at California Pizza Kitchen!

They also took a ride on Choo Choo Monga!

We then drove to Anaheim and got settled in The Nielsen's time share. It was absolutley gorgeous and we loved loved loved that it had two rooms. We also used the kitchen a ton and that was so nice to have. We also used the pool a few times and the exercise room was used every day. It was a perfect place to stay and it made our vacation so enjoyable! We were also fairly close to Disneyland so we decided to walk there and back everyday. It couldnt have been better!

The weather was perfecto!




On Sunday I met up with a best friend from junior high and high school that I hadnt seen in 12 years. That was so nice to see her again and to meet her cute family. She lives in San Diego so it will be nice to have a friend semi close by when we move. Yes....I wont be friendless!

Angie and her adorable family!



On Monday we went to Disneyland and The kids loved it and it was so fun to see there excitement! Rowan loved the Dumbo ride and also Pirattes. Lia loved the carousels and seeing all the princesses and fairies. She also fell in love with Minnie Mouse. When she saw her for the first time...she yelled "Oh Minnie Mouse!". It was so cute. The kids loved seeing all the characters and I think we just about got pictures with most of them:)





I loved all the Halloween decorations!

We met up with some friends of ours that live in Victorville that had season passes to Disneyland Monday night. We are also excited to know that we will have some other friends when we move. Rowan and Kayden hit it off and became good buddies.

Jess and Reagan

Rowan was quite brave and he rode some roller coasters. He also went on star tours with Loren and was in amazement. During the ride he said" Dad, did we leave the earth?" I thought that was very smart of him and so darn cute! We got to go on all the rides and on the third day we went on all our favorite rides again. Loren and I took turns going on The Screamer at CA Adventures. Woah! I was a little sicky after that one! It was good though! We also loved the Toy Story Ride!

This is what the kids looked like every night when we walked home.


Another highlight of our trip was eating at The Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. We got to eat our dinner right by the elephants. Every twenty minutes there would be a rainstorm and the elephants would move and make noises. There were other animals as well and some cool aquariums all around. It was definilty a cool experience!



So as you can see....The Nielsens had a wonderful family vacation! We cant wait to buy season passes to Disneyland when we move. So...if any of you want to come stay with us and go to Disneyland, we would love to join you! We are getting more and more excited to move. I loved the weather in Ca and there are so many fun things to do there so I know we wont be bored. We have to be postive and look at the postive.....and there are some new adventures to be had!