Wiffle Ball Injury...

Never fear Kyndra is unscathed... Tony on the other hand was not as fortunate last night at wiffle ball. He was pitching an average of thirty balls to each player before they made contact... usually a safe position to be in, except when you are holding four or five balls while pitching. You are left defenseless when you get the random power hitter. One of our six year old GIRLS took the plate, squared up, and whacked the first pitch. After that it was like slow motion as the ball nailed Tony in the eye. He tried to avert as he swung his head around, but it was too late. His glasses flew through the air in pieces and he came up with his hand cupping his eye. There was no blood, but from the sidelines the instant redness and swelling was obvious. The onlookers were trying not to laugh (too much) as we discussed the big, tough policeman explaining the shiner that he got from a six year old girl in pigtails. We thought maybe he would make up something much more exciting. I tried to capture pictures, but I just couldn't get a good one. If he does end up with some blue and purple eye shadow I'll be sure to post.

A Busy Little Five Year Old...

Kyndra really really really couldn't be any sweeter. She is such a good big sister. She loves school and finds joy in everything she does. We are so blessed!!!
She has been really busy lately. She just got her first big girl bike. She is about to "graduate" from pre-school-- I can't believe it. She is all ready for kindergarten... shots and all. She has been practicing her songs for her spring concert A LOT. She is also gearing up for her first ballet recital, which is the same day as the Hershey Track Meet, and her rock painting class at the art center. Her newest adventure is wiffle ball and yes I am sitting on the sidelines watching and smiling. Tony is coaching and is really enjoying himself (more than he thought he would). She was telling us the other day that some of her old friends are on her team with her. She clarified that they weren't wrinkly old, rather she had known them since she was a baby. We got a lot of laughs out of that conversation. She went to a birthday party today for one of her "old" friends where she decorated the hat she is wearing in this picture.

What I Am Most Grateful For Today...

I know this takes a special daddy...

Our Little Baby Sweetheart...

La La La La Elmo's World...

Amy, Paige, Gracie, Kyndra, Kylee, and I trekked to Tri-Cities last night to see "Elmo Grows Up". We started with dinner at Red Robin... Yummy!!! The girls loved the show... so did the grown-ups. Smiles were had by all... Gracie and Kylee had clown mouthed smiles due to the constant red rope consumption :) Sesame Street has definitely withstood the test of time... Sunny day chasing the clouds away...

Personality Profiles...

I am working on a family mission statement (I got the idea from Kate on Jon and Kate Plus Eight). I would like to complete this before we get into our new house. I think we have been floating on a breeze this last year, which was a must. Taking life as it came was our theme. I think that will be part of our mission statement as we are pretty easy going people, but we do want clear vision and direction for our family. We want to establish our goals and boundaries as a family. Anyway as I have been researching this idea I came across a fun link for personality profiles. Check it out on my fun links. I am thinking at this point and time I am a golden retriever.

A Little Help From Above...

Tonight was a pretty amazing night for our family. Tony has acquired a pretty painful back problem. The doctors are thinking herniated disc. An MRI next week will give the full picture. He was flat on his back for three days. He is taking baby steps now. Anyway, talk about bad timing with an entire exterior of a house to caulk, a yard to put in (to rock hard earth mind you), and moving to do. We were a little stressed to say the least, but we should have had faith. A friend put out an e-mail for prayers with a sprinkle of manual labor. We got both in abundance. Tonight nine men from our church came over and caulked our entire house. They are coming back in the morning to help rototill and roll the yard. It was hard for Tony to accept help, but I think he was pretty touched and absolutely grateful.

Newest Member of the Nelson Family...

We are pleased to introduce our little princess Jazmyn...






The girls and I hopped in the car Friday right after work, drove to grandma and grandpa's in Hillsboro, and snuggled in for the night. We got up the next morning to begin the quest for a pup. We were planning on picking up an older pup from my mom, but that didn't quite work out. I opened the classifieds, made one call, climbed in Grandpa Bill's pick-up, and drove to Clackamas. First one black female was pulled from the box... nope not the one, then another little girl... nope not the one, and lastly out came "THE ONE". The girls named her Jazmyn. We knew we wanted a Disney name, since it is the year of Disney for us. Grandma Patty was playing a Disney princess CD, so we got to listen to "A Whole New World" on our trek back to the house.
The girls and I drove home last night and have spent the day falling in love with this sweet, little girl. She is a perfect fit. We are hoping for success with potty training before we move into the new house... Wish us luck!!! That chewing is going to be another issue all together.
This month marks a year since we lost Margaret. The thought still brings a lump to my throat, but we have so many fond memories with her. Havik got a spunk back in his step that we haven't seen since he lost his companion. We watch him with Jazmyn and recall those same type of moments from when we brought him home to Margaret. Life does always come full circle.