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!

Pickin Pumpkins!

This morning Lia came up to me and out of no where said that she wanted a pumpkin. It was too cute! I told her that if she was a good girl today, we would go to the pumpkin patch tonight. So thats exactly what we did. It was fun and a perfect evening to be outside. The kids had a blast in the corn maze and on the hay ride. After that, they picked out there big pumpkins and there baby ones. The big ones are out on the porch and there baby ones are inside. They have been carrying them around and I wouldnt be suprised if they wanted to sleep with them.

I also have to add that I think Lia is starting to understand that Halloween is scary because everytime she sees something halloweenish she says "Im scary" It crackes me up everytime! She saw a witch at the store and she clung on to Loren for dear life. Rowan got freaked to because he touched her and she moved. It was quite the scene!

Im hoping Halloween will be fun this year! We will get to celebrate at Disneyland. We are still trying to figure out costumes. Im leaning toward Woody and Jess from Toy Story. Rowan wants to be him because he has a gun. I thought it would be cute to have them match. I tried to talk them into being Garden Nomes. Rowan thought it was hilarious but wasnt interested. I love Halloween but really hate the stress! That is why I NEVER dress up and I understand why Halloween drove my Mom crazy every year! I dont blame her one bit!

Rowan loved the tractor

Lia did not...she keep saying help me!

Tee-Ball Time!

Last Thursday Rowan started tee ball. He was pretty dang excited about it too! He felt comfortable and got right into the game. He is very outgoing and not very shy at all. I love that about him! Its pretty funny watching these boys try and play the game. They are all over the place. Eventually they'll learn I guess. I love watching him but its not as exciting as soccer. They dont really score playing teeball and they only get to run to one base. However they all get a chance to hit and the kids are happy...and thats all that matters!

California...here we come!

So its official! We are moving to Southern CA! Loren told his company yesterday that we have accepted there offer. The new building will be in San Bernardino but we WONT be living there. Its a serious dump! Dollar Tree flew us to California for a few days to check out the area before we gave them our decision. We loved Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and Yucaipa. We are now going to get a realtor to help us get a sweet deal on a home. There are tons of foreclosures right now so that is a huge plus! We are getting a little excited. We have to I guess. There is just nothing we can do to stay and we have prayed about it. We fasted on Friday and went to the temple. We both felt peace about it all. We know that Heavenly Father will guide us to where he wants us to be and we are doing our best to listen to that guidance. We will be putting the house on the market this week. Uugh! I am not excited! I just went through all this a year ago and now we have to go through it all over again. The stress of keeping up an immaculate, organized, perfect looking home is a bit overwhelming but worth it. We hope to sell it quickly so that we can start making some offers in California. Dollartree wants Loren to be there recruiting January 4th. Thats not far from here. They have offered us a lot and are doing all they can to make this transition and easy one. They are paying for everything and have also offered to cover a huge loss if we were to take one on the house. They are an incredible company to work for!

We will keep you all updated on everything. Keep us in your prayers. We will be going down again at the end of October to look at some more houses and go to Disneyland. We cant wait! Ive been playing all sorts of Disney movies for the kids so they will know who everyone is. It will be a wonderful vacation! I feel like a kid already! I get so giddy just thinking about it! Then its all business when I get back. The Fresh Pearl is booked for Christmas shows and that will be my life until December. Ive got to have some fun while I can right?

Cha-Cha-Cha Changes!

There are a lot of changes going on over here at the Nielsen home. I feel like I haven't blogged about our family forever and need to do some catching up.
First off....Lorens job is moving to Southern California. That is one HUGE change! We are praying about making the right decision but are feeling like we might be going. Luckily we wont be going until after the first of the year.... so Ive got time to slowly adjust to the thought of this change. We were planning a trip to Disneyland in October anyways and are now going to go look at the area and see what we think while we are there. We are going with some good friends and are going to have a blast!

The second change is...I chopped my hair. This was a long awaited, must needed change. My hair was getting long enough to start hanging out with the hippies... so its gone. I feel ten pounds lighter and realize now that its short, that I was looking like Hagatha putting it in a ponytail most of the time. Now that's its short...I am forced to style it...and that's a good thing!

Rowan is sure changing into a big boy. He has started preschool and is loving it. He also plays soccer with the neighborhood crowd on Wednesdays. He is suddenly obsessed with guns and whenever we go somewhere he wants to know if they will have a gun to play with. He has a big boy bike and I just smile watching him ride around.

Lia is changing as well and is jabbering a lot all though she often doesn't speak my language. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what she wants. She just got a bike like Rowie...a trike...and its a good thing I bought one that has handles like a stroller and I can push and steer her.... otherwise my back would be in worse shape. She copies everything Rowie says and is completely crazy about him. She cries when I drop him off at school:( We have also learned on a recent camping trip that she loves to Hike. I have learned to not pick her up and carry her......she gets pretty mad!

Loren really isn't changing because he is training for Marathon number THREE and that is his life. Running, running and more running. He is hoping that third time is a charm and that he can qualify for the Boston. If so....we are going back east so he can run this April. He is running with his sister Jen and I am so excited for her as well! She couldn't run the Salt Lake with me due to an injury right before the race.... so this is her time to shine! I will be there to cheer her on at every stop I can. That is what she did for me and she was an incredible support!


As for me...every day life has been hard. I have been dealing with a torn disc. I have two bulging discs that I have dealt with before, but this torn disc is a whole other ball game. Usually I am out for a week with a bulging disc, but this time it has been about six weeks. I miss running, spinning and weight lifting. You all know that exercise is my THING and its been hard not doing it! I got two steroid epidural shots today and will know if they worked in a few days. I do have to say however, that I am grateful for blessings and know that my life may not always be easy. I know that I may struggle for the rest of my life with my back, but the Lord will help me through these trying times. I have to always remember that things could be worse and I am grateful that they are not. I am also learning that I need to put just as much time into building my self spiritually as I do my physical self. They are both important and I know I need to work on my spiritual side just as much. I love life lessons don't you?

There will be some changes around the house as well. On Saturday, my good friend Ian from England will be coming to stay with us for a while. I met him years ago and haven't seen him for 9 years. He was a roommate of Jared's at BYU. I will never forget the first time I met him. He was dancing in his boxers (they had British flag on them).... around in the living room. I just about died and have loved his infectious laugh and fun personality since. I cant wait to have some of that around THIS house. This picture is called Ian in Yellowstone.

I hope all of you are doing well and hope that now you know a little more about whats going on in our lives. Blogging is a great way for me to keep in touch with everyone and I need to be better at doing it more often!

Here's to changes!