Families

Today I bought myself a movie, a movie that I have always loved... Spanglish. I have decided I need a really good collection of the type of movies I like. The funny thing is that it is hard for me to put a finger on things I really like. I do know I like anything that has to do with the idea of family. I am completely enamored by this idea of famiy. My family growing up... I won't call disfuntional, because we know all families are disfuntional in some way, but I had an ever evolving family. It looked and felt different at any given time. It wasn't traditional in any sense, but it was my family, it is why I am who I am. Webster's dictionary has eight definitions for the word family and I had about eight or so different evolutions of family growing up. I always dreamed of family... I still dream of family... I ponder family. I have a beautiful family of my own now and I often can't believe it. I love the movie Spanglish, because it is in part about the relationship between a mother and her daughter. A beautiful relationship where she protects and cherishes her daughter... her family. I watch the movie and think what a spectacular mother she is in spite of being a single mother in a foriegn country. I love watching beautiful mothering, I love watching a worrying mother. I worry about worrying so much. I just want the best for my daughters. I want them to grow up strong and happy and kind. I can't believe I am a mother.

This Christmas...

Trailer living didn't curtail our holiday cheer. The girls and I spent the first part of our holiday catching up with friends that we hadn't got to spend time with in too too long. Tony was working working working. Sunday morning we headed for the valley at 6 A.M. That day Tony sort of caught up on sleep and the girls played.
Christas Eve was a whirlwind... starting with brunch at Tony's grandpa's house in Scappoose and then a trip my dad's house in Grande Ronde to pick up my Christmas surprise, a little red and white retro scooter, followed by a present opening session as soon as grandpa got home from work. The girls and grandma went to a 3:30 childrens' mass and Tony and I went to midnight mass... both were very very crowded, none-the-less we were able to focus on the reason for the season. Christmas morning was magic as the girls delighted over their stockings. My dad, Matt, Amy, Paul, Zorah, and baby Chloe joined us for ham, scalloped potatoes, smiles, and laughter. Sadly, Tony had to depart the next morning. The girls, grandma, grandpa, and I caught the new Chipmunk movie. It was hilarious. At one point Kylee lept out of her seat and started shaking her booty to the Chipmunk version of Witch Doctor. We all gave it two thumbs or should I say cheeks up:) The next day the girls and I ate lunch with my mom and got to shop at my favorite second hand shop in McMinnville. My mom had been sad over the holidays, but I think the girls cheered her up. We spent that afternoon at aunt Amy's in Newberg. Our last day on retreat was spent touring the Pittock Mansion in Portland which was decorated room by room with fairy tale decor. After our tour we dined at Papa's Pizza with the giant indoor play structure. We got up early on Saturday and went out to IHOP...yum yum yum... and then drove to the Dalles, where Anne picked us up and brought us home. Tomorrow Tony and his police brood are playing football against the affectionally labeled hosers (firefighters). Tackle and all, I guess if you want to get pummeled in your brittle thirty to fifty year old bones a group of paramedics is a good company.

Life is good!!!

Christmas Concert

I was first to arrive at Kyndra's pre-school performance and got a front row seat to see our little star shine. Her grandma had bought her a beautiful dress which she donned with pride as she sang the three songs she had rehearsed at least a million times in the back of daddy's pick-up. Dad would always provide the lead-in for Rudolf. I can't believe what a beautiful, big girl she is getting to be. The other part of the story... Sweet Kyndra and her grandma were shopping and found very fashionable reindeer antlers. Grandma bought them for her and Kyndra expressed with glee that she would be able to wear them in her program. She said all the kids were wearing them and most would have homemade antlers. So, Kyndra and Kylee got new antlers and Kyndra snatched them up while getting ready for the program. We brought along Kylee's in case someone else needed antlers. Tony and I sat with loving grins as the children entered the stage and the ONLY child wearing the REQUIRED antlers was Kyndra LeighAnn Nelson. It was a moment!!!

Construction Update

I haven't blogged in forever due to the frigid, arctic conditions in our garage/ living room/ gym/ play room/ Tony's closet/ office. Today was pretty warm and we were able to heat the space to about 54 degrees, so I am catching up.

We have actually had progress on our house. It has been really fun the last few days as they have taken the forms off of the foundation and put in the floor joists. Our current hero is the excavation guy. He is really carving out some cool yard areas for us and has done some backfill that has covered some gigantic concrete walls that we were worried would be u-g-l-y. We are super excited about the cellar/ basement area that we ended up with as a bonus. It was really the random space that was created since we couldn't dig down as deep as we had originally hoped. It turned out to be a fabulous thing... 700 sq. foot of usable space. Were not exactly sure what for yet, but something cool... someday.


The girls sitting on the front porch.


The girls standing on the future BBQ porch.
Those are the floor joists for the entire main floor.


The girls and I looking through the wall of our bonus basement.


Under the house...soon to be plumbed and ducted for heat.

On the next update it should really look like a house. I'm told the framing really doesn't take too long. We aren't totally anxious to finish, well let's be honest we are, but we seem to be pretty content as long as we are seeing progress.

The girls and I are spending Christmas vacation with Tony's parents. We have written Santa and let him know we will be at a temporary address this year. We even get to have daddy on Christmas and Christmas Eve. It has been a long time since he has been off. We know we are blessed with wonderful friends and family to support us through this house building business. While trying at times it just hasn't been bad. I have a lot of new heroes.

Well my fingers are just about frozen to the keyboard... time to head into the trailer.

Just a few pictures that make me smile.


Kyndra after riding the holiday train at Oaks Park in Portland.


The train was a little much for Kylee too.


Excuse us while we enjoy our Thanksgiving dinner with our cousins Paul and Zorah.


Truly our best attempt at Christmas card pictures... we bagged the idea. Kylee is in "that" phase where anytime I want a staged picture she will do everything in her power to foil my plan. I still think they are cute as can be in their party dresses.

The Only Ones

Tonight was one of those nights when I felt like we were "the only ones"...

We are going up with a group from church in the morning to get Christmas trees at Tollgate, so we went to church tonight. I am really excited, because Kyndra is completely in love with snow and Kylee thinks she is ecstatic to go to the mountain... I think she will feel differently when she realizes there is even more snow on the mountain and she refuses to take a the teensiest, weensiest step in the snow. Anyway...

Tonight at church I felt like we were the only ones who...

-had to remove their two year old in the first ten minutes for excessive talking and pointing at the elderly people behind us
-had to keep checking for very smelly false alarms in the same two year old's diaper
-had to dry their four year old's tears, because she fell on her bottom as we were running through the parking lot in the ice in order to get home (and back again) to turn off the oven so we didn't burn our trailer down
-had to remove a beligerent drunk from the second to the last pew as he was yelling racial comments and swinging his arms (obviously Tony)
-had to yet again remove the two year old after she fell and hit her head on the pew in front of us... producing a really big dent (in her head, not the pew)
-let their four year old wear her very clunky snow boots to church
-had to offer the sign of peace to people who really didn't seem to like us
-were wearing jeans and sweatshirts because our laundromat schedule is off and it was that or snow pants
-make sure and shake hands with the priest to ensure we were still welcome at the parish
-have these things happen when the bishop is visiting our church
-have these things happen when parents of children in your class are looking on

I am sure we are not the only ones, but it sure felt like it tonight.