Been wondering what we've been up to? Well..read on...and on...and on!

Yes...The Nielsen's are still alive! No....We didn't fall of the planet. We were just all over it. Let me rewind to Feb for a bit since that's where I left off. Geesh...its been a while hasn't it! I keep saying that I will be better and then I don't, so I'm making no more promises:)

In the middle of Feb we decided to go visit my sister Heather in Idaho, travel on up to Portland to see Jared and then up to Mellisa and Ben's in Seattle. Lorens boss wanted him to take some time off before he started his new job and so he got some paid vacation so we took complete advantage of it. You know me....I am ALWAYS up for a raod trip. I will never pass one down. Anyways, come to find out, Loren needed to work in Ca for a week after the trip so I decided to just tag along and we drove down to So Cal from Portland. We stayed in Turlock for abit with Ryan's family on our way down. Once we got to Ca, we stayed in a nice hotel with a pool in Rancho Cucamonga and the kids and I partied while Loren worked.

Here are some Portland Highlights

An incredible dinner at Jakes. The oldest seafood restaurant in Portland. All I can say is WOW! I even tried oysters for the first time.

A trip to Voodoo Donuts! Of all the times I have been to Portland, I have never been able to go there. It was on the top of my list this time and I made it a serious priority. The magic is in the hole!

Lots of play time with Jack and Maggie...Jared and Joe's dogs


Highlights from Seattle

Walking Pikes Place with Grandma, Grandpa, Melissa, Ben and baby Cameron.

Visiting the troll under the bridge. Who knew this even existed?

A ferry ride over to Banbridge Island


A visit to the "Boat Locks"

Highlights from Turlock

Visiting Ryan's Family and eating some bomb digity Mexican Food.

Solving the four year hammer toe mystery! No wonder Rowan has one. Uncle Ryan has one too!

Feeding the ducks and nasty carp at Donelly Park...my childhood park.

Taking my family to see my childhood home on Fullerton Dr.

Visiting my elementary school Crowell

Eating WAY too many calories form my favorite Bakery Old Tyme Pastries and introducing my kids to the chocolate mice I loved so much as a kid


Visiting Amber (aka Rosie)one of my best friends that I grew up with and meeting her beautiful baby girl for the first time

Watching Rowan play with his new friends. Man this kid makes friends wherever he goes. He cried when we had to say goodbye to Alex

We got home On Sunday and then packed ourselves up for the big move that Thursday. Everything went smooth as pie and we are here living in a small apartment while we sell our house. Did I mention it was small? Yeah...REALLY small. I cant wait to get some more space.
Saying Goodbye to Grammy and Granpy. This was especially hard because they were moving to Guatemala City to serve a mission for our church for two years


Goodbye dinner with my family at Tepanyakis

Saying good bye to some of my wonderful friends

Saying good bye to the kids friends and preschool buddies





Lorens parents came to visit us in California for a while and so did Ryan and his family. It was nice to have the company and it definitely helped us transition. It was nice to be around family.

Loren is liking his job however he is working over 80 hours a week. Last Sunday was his first day off since the move. He is up at 4:00 am and home at 7:00 pm. It sucks, but I appreciate his hard work.

While Loren has been working his tail off, the kids and I have been vacationing. We have hit Sea World, the beach, Disneyland(we bought season passes), lots of park time, hanging at the pool and so on. Its been a ton of fun. The only thing that would make it better would be if Loren could come too. I don't feel like we are living a normal life...it still feels like a vacation.
Rowan and Lia started gymnastics and loved every minute of it.

We do story time on Tuesdays at the library with some new friends, and Rowan plays soccer on Mon and Wed. The kids are going to start swimming lessons in May so that should be fun also. Cant wait! I love doing fun summer activities with the kids:) They are happy and Rowan has only mentioned Utah a few times. Occasionally he askes to go home to see his cousins and his Grandparents.

I have been extremely busy working since I got here. Ive been working just about every weekend. I met a nice girl Amanda in my ward that has been helping me out with the kids so that has been nice. They like her alot and so do I. We are going to be doing some fun things together this summer! I recently bought a beach cruiser with a bike trailer for the kids and plan on cruising around town on it. I have wanted one for EVER and am excited to get it all put together.

We LOVE our ward and have found that people here are extra friendly. I have already made friends and feel very comfortable here. People just talk to you and I have met so many people just being out and about. Its a different world here but I really like it. The weather ROCKS too!

We are hoping to come home this Month for Memorial Day weekend if it works out. It would be nice to see everyone and to check on the house. Things are good here and we are happy. Change can be good! Sorry for the SUPER lost post but Im catchin up on two months here! Man this was rough!

My silent struggle...

This post may take most of you by surprise but I feel the need to share my story. I feel as if I need to express how I have been feeling the last year so that I can start to move on and heal. I haven't expressed my silent struggle to many of you because I was patiently waiting and hoping that it was something that wouldn't be around for long. I was hoping that it wouldn't become an "issue" and that I was feeling nervous over nothing. I was hoping that this struggle wouldn't become a part of my life. I was secretly hoping that I wouldn't have to deal with this.

Loren and I have been trying to get pregnant now for about a year and nothing has happened. I would have never thought in a million years that I would struggle with this. I easily got pregnant with my first two within a few months of trying and had great pregnancies. I guess I just assumed that since my first two came so easily that the others would too. This wasn't the case. After Loren and I had Lia we felt like there were more babies to come. We didn't feel like we were done growing our little family. When we got married, we always talked about having 3 or 4. That was our little plan. Last June we decided to officially start adding on to this little plan and started trying when we went to Hawaii. After Hawaii, my period was late for two weeks and I thought that I was pregnant. Then my period came and so did the disappointment. I struggled with my periods being off schedule after that and I couldn't really figure it all out. It always seemed to come late and with that I would feel tired and sick and then it would arrive. I went to see my doctor and she took blood tests and said everything looked fine. She encouraged me to tame down my runs and as hard as that was, I did. My periods calmed down a bit but I still felt off. I was taking a lot of pregnancy tests every time I was late and they were always negative. Every time I saw the negative test I was sad but I kept trying to be positive. I started taking ovulation tests to make sure I was ovulating and to try and time it just right. I started getting a little worried and I knew that that wasn't helping so I stopped. I stopped taking the tests and decided to just relax and let it happen if it was to happen. I had to stop and remember that Heavenly Father had a plan for us and that this child would come at the right time.

Soon after this trial began, I kept feeling as if maybe it wasn't our child that we were waiting for, but maybe it was someone elses. I kept this feeling a secret and didn't say anything to Loren but this feeling wouldn't go away. Loren and I discussed not taking any medical measures to get pregnant and that adoption was not in our future but I always had the idea in my head about being a Foster Parent. I even discussed this with Loren when we dated and wondered how he felt about it. He agreed that if we were in a position where it was something that we felt we wanted to do, that he was Ok with that. It was something that has always been in my heart and it is something that has become a stronger desire. After a few months I decided to bring it up again and Loren was so sweet about it. He said that he was still open to the idea. We decided to go to CA and get settled and see what would happen. We want to make sure that we will stay here and that we could get a house with the extra room if we decided to do this. So here we are and we definitely are not ready yet but we are working on getting there. We are in no hurry to make a decision quite yet and we are still trying to sell our house in Utah. Right now, we don't know how this will all play out but I feel like I needed to write this. I need to remember that just beacause I cant get pregnant that nothing is wrong with me and that I am not being punished. I have to realize that my plan may not be Heavenly Fathers plan and that I need to have faith. His timing may not be my timing and I need to be patient. It is something that we have prayed long and hard about and we need to be patient and wait for his guidance. I know he knows my trails and he is there to comfort when I need him. I know to some of you this may sound silly. I know some of my friends are also struggling and that some have never been able to get pregnant. I know many of you have had miscarriages also. That is something that I have never dealt with either. I hope I don't sound ungrateful. I am truly grateful to have had two wonderful healthy children and I have come to terms that these may be my only two and that's Ok. Those two children have brought me so much joy and I am so grateful for them. However, I still feel like I have more love to share and that we are not done growing our little family. Whether it is our own child or someone elses, we are not done sharing this love. I am grateful for the opportunity of being a mother and feeling all the joys that come with this calling. It definitely isn't an easy calling but it is so rewarding and something that teaches me so much! It has made me more caring, more understanding, more patient and more loving and I need all the help I can get! I still have a long way to go and I know that motherhood is making me a better me!

January has come and its nearly gone....

I cant believe January is almost over and I haven't even posted the rest of my Christmas pictures.I have had a lot of other things on my mind lately and have been really busy. However, I have to say that Christmas was perfect! My sister Heather came form Idaho, Jared came from Portland and Julie from Maryland. I love that most of us were able to be together. Especially since we will be moving and my parents will be leaving to serve a mission in Guatemala. It was definitely something that I cherished and needed. We were also able to be together with the whole Nielsen family as well and we loved being with everyone on that side of the family also. I am really going to miss being so close to all these special people. It makes me sad to know that we cant just go on over any time we want like we usually do. I love my family and appreciate every single one of them. OK...enough of that. It makes me sad thinking about it. I cant go there yet. I will save this for another post
My Mom and sisters

Julie and Cristian

Anyways....Back to Christmas. Christmas was wonderful. We has a great time. I actually was able to surprise Loren this year with a flat screen TV. That was a perfect moment for me because he is very hard to surprise. I will always remember the shocking look he had on his face. Totally worth it! I cant believe that I actually pulled it off. I cant wait to do it again. We also spoiled ourselves with iphones this year and I am LOVING it! I have never been so organized in my entire life. I also love having the Internet in the palm of my hands. It has made life so much easier for me personally and for the business. I couldn't be happier with my new phone. I stil need to run over my Blackberry. I hated that phone and always swore that when I got a new phone that i would run that piece of crap over!


The Nielsen "line up in the hall" tradition.


Loren and I STILL look like this

Now onto the business. The business usually gives me a little break this time of year but not this time. I have been applying for craft shows for this upcoming year in CA. I have been busy filling out applications and working on getting the business going. I actually already have some shows lined up and will be setting up for a 4 day show the first week that we get there. I am so excited for the business to grow and am so motivated to keep it running successfully. We have been extremely blessed and are grateful for all the opportunities that we have had. I appreciate Lottie more than she knows and appreciate all that she does also. She and Terry will now be running Utah on there own and that will be hard work but I know that they will do great! They have been the best business partners ever and I love that we still like each other:)

The kids are doing well also. Rowan is still in preschool and I am sad that he will have to leave this cute group of kids. Hopefully I can find something like this in Ca and if not, I will start one up. I have loved being involved with the neighborhood and being able to teach the class here and there. Lia also enjoys the kids and its good for her also. Lia is my little devil princess. She can be so sweet but also very feisty. A lot like her Mommma I guess. I enjoy her so much and love her sweet hugs and kisses so much.

Loren is happy and feeling good about this change that our family will be going through. At first he struggled with the idea but now after much prayer he feels good about it. He has a great job and we are grateful for that. We are also grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow as a family. We feel like this is where we need to be and we are OK with it all.

We haven't sold the house yet. We've had two horrible offers and are waiting for something better to come along. We are in no hurry. Dollar tree will be setting us up in temporary living in Rancho Cucuamonga until we can sell. We feel confident that Heavenly Father has a plan for us and we are trying to have faith and be patient. Honestly, I can say that I'm OK and that I trust in his will. That is a good feeling to have especially among change. I feel very peaceful.I know that things will work out in due time.

We will keep you all posted on whats going on with us. Our official move date is Feb 26th. Only one more month and then sunny Ca here we come! Now THAT part I know Im going to like!

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!