Tree Hunt 2009...

Tony and Marc hosted the 3rd (maybe 4th) annual church Christmas tree hunt. The weather was great, which has not always been the case, and the participants were cheery. Potatoe and chicken noodle soup was served along with hot cocoa and cookies. The boys are making their way down the mountain with ten trees in tow. They are quite a ways behind the girls as they stayed behind to help a lady who got her car stuck in the snow. They will spend the evening delivering the tress... GOOD STUFF!!! Can't wait 'til next year.

Made the Most of It...

I really feel we made the most of our week off. I certainly could get used to this week long fall break.

Kyndra and I have officially taken up embroidery and can hardly wait until we can work on our projects. It is going to be a fun thing for us to do together.

Kyndra had her first 4-H meeting with leader Anne. She LOVED it and has asked a million times when the next meeting is. She working on a pin cushion... and shhhhhhh... she is getting a sewing machine for her birthday ( picked up at 4 a.m. on Black Friday). We are considering going the chicken route around our house hold... I don't mean the opposite of brave chicken, I mean the poulty kind. I'll keep you posted.

The girls had breakfast with Santa.

Those things coupled with cherished time with family made our week. I captured a few moments with the camera.

We're Home...

We had a great trip. It wasn't great because we had a bunch of monumental adventures. It was great because I got to share my humble roots with my girls. It has been more than ten years since I have spent time (literally more than a couple of hours) with my mom. I showed them the house I lived in as a child and my grandma's house that I spent most of my childhood moments in. I just kept protecting my girls in a bubble where they are the center of the universe and while they are that very center for me, life isn't always "perfect" and doesn't always cater to them. They needed to be patient in a world that isn't used to little ones, in a world that isn't exactly in their family reference right now. I needed to be taken back to life "before" I started my own family. We are so blessed, but from where I came has everything to do with where I am. Tears were shed when we left, because the visit was more than a blip on the radar. It meant something to us all. Love doesn't always look the same, but it is always important and meant to be shared.

Final Gratitudes...

Of course, not my final gratitudes EVER, because I am always feeling blessed, but because the girls and I head out on our journey tomorrow.

Today I am super thankful for...

~Getting to meet Alec and Blake. They are so tiny, adorable, precious, loved, sweet, etc. etc. etc. I just can't believe they are here (double gulp). When we pulled up to the house Kyndra said she was so excited she had butterflies in her tummy. It was so peaceful at the house. Of course Taunya, Tony and their moms have a schedule worked out and all is well. I only held Blake because he was fiesty (aka Little Tony) and Alec was snoozy (aka Little Taunya). I didn't want to wake Alec because they are still having to wake to feed every three hours. I can't wait to see them again and again and again. You may note that Kylee is looking a little grouchy in the pictures (blurry I may add... TONY). Don't be too shocked, but she was a little angry and pouty. A little pizza did clear that right up.

~This was one of the deer that made its way through Tony and Taunya's yard. Kyndra loves deer and has great aspirations about hunting. She was proud to tell Tony B. that she is getting a beebing (yes, beebing) gun when she turns seven. She wanted us to take many pictures of the deer. This is the only one that made the cut if you know what I mean. I do love that she enjoys nature and says that the woods are her favorite place to be.

~This beautiful bird quilt that Anne made for our house. I don't know if I have blogged it yet, but I always look at it and smile.

~ Kylee said she missed Kyndra about ten times from 7:00 until 8:30, because she left for a sleepover. Even though they get crabby at each other I know they really really love each other.

~Today our calendar said family day and it really was. We ate pancakes together for breakfast, watched "The Wind in the Willows", drove to LaGrande to see the babies, ate pizza for lunch, got Kyndra dress shoes for her Christmas concert, bought a present for a birthday party she was going to, took her to the party, went to D and B to buy socks, cleaned together for a couple of hours, built a fort, ate leftovers for dinner, hugged Kyndra goodbye as she left for a sleepover, watched "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (again), and played Polar Express train. It was a busy day, but that is what our "family" is like. I just need to go with this flow and take in as many moments as I can.

Signing off for this Thanksgiving holiday... God Bless :)

Friday & Saturday Morning Gratitudes...

Ooops I was a little too busy, followed by a lot too tired to post last night. I am here to catch up :)

Yesterday and this morning I am thankful for...

~A wonderful feast with my students! The kids all did a great job reading their essays and making their bread. We had many visitors and smiling faces.

~Lessons plans done for the week we get back from our week long break.

~And, of course our week long break. I am so excited to spend time with my family. It has seemed a bit too busy lately and I know December will be even more so. This break will help us reconnect and gear up for the busy, magical holiday season.

~Fun times playing bunco last night. I even WON the big prize!

~That twenty dollar prize will purchase some Starbucks for our trip to LaGrande to see Alec and Blake.

~Last but not least I am so thankful that I will not get lost in my own home thanks to the signs that Kyndra has posted all over. I am also in luck if I need to find a yard sale, deer, bugs, ham or jerky.

Have a great Saturday :)

Thursday Gratitudes...

On this Thursday I am thankful for...



~Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving special



~Swiffer sweepers



~A clean organized fridge



~Kyndra loving school. She wrote a very sweet note to her teacher today... she also wrote a note to a boy. It said Dear Zach, I like you. You are nice. From, Kyndra. She included a picture of the two of them. SO NOT READY FOR SUCH THINGS!!!



~Kylee's honesty... today she is very grouchy and told me so. When I asked her why she was so grouchy she told me it was because she didn't want to be happy. Okay then.



~A big storage area to hide away Christmas presents.



~Our afternoon free of obligations.



Ta Ta for now :)

Wednesday Gratitudes...

Today I am thankful for...

~My sweet Kyndra telling me about a boy in her class who doesn't live in our town. I asked her what town he lives in and she said he lives in Rodeo City, which some of you may know is a motel just outside of town. I had to explain this situation to her. She was broken hearted and wanted to know if we could help them. I am so thankful today and ever day for my kind hearted daughter.

~Kylee writing her name on her paper in CCD class tonight and completing her work on her own. I have recently been informed by her pre-school teacher that I just may help her out a little too much on her work. We have been working to curtail that learned helplessness and it was working tonight.

~Listening to Kylee sing "I'm In The Lord's Army". The lady leading the songs said, "Oh, we shouldn't be too loud." Has she met my children? They don't understand too loud, but I don't mind them being too loud when they are shouting AMEN!

~Clay relief maps gone right in my class today.

~Working together as a family on our new chore chart. What began as really stressful has now turned the corner to relieving stress.

~The fact that I can go to bed right now at 8:30, because I have a headache.

Good night all... sleep tight.

Tuesday Gratitudes...

Today I am thankful for...

~Kyndra washing and conditioning Kylee's hair this morning. We only asked her to go check up on her sister in the tub and she went the extra step to help her out.

~The big tub of train tracks, Tony's old Matchbox cars, planes and various other things with wheels that we got down out of the closet. The girls have had no interest in TV since we let them dump it out in the office and play to their hearts content.

~Fishy swimming lessons... I love all of the opportunities for kids our town has. Kylee is now a fishy and loving it. Kyndra is now a fishy with flippers.

~Cinnamon Life cereal for dinner.

~And, oh yes, that fence job that Kyndra's teacher had for us. Some of you may be familiar with "The Farm" from the bridges math curriculum... well the our fence job is for just those farms that have invaded our school hallways for years. Now I am thankful for being a mom of a first grader who is going to create one of those farms, and we get to cut the thousands of pieces of fence. I really am thrilled to be able to help :) Just wondering where this farm will end up after it is completed???

~Three new magazines in the mail today, including Family Fun with lots of fun holiday ideas.

~The turkey centerpieces the girls and I made this weekend and the generous certificate Tony's mom sent us to purchase our holiday bird with. The best news out of these turkey gratuities is that Tony's parents get to spend Thanksgiving with us.

Catch ya tomorrow :)

Thankful Series...

I am going to start my first blog series (well, maybe second). I wanted to blog each day next week about the things in life that I am thankful for, but I realized that one of those things would be that the girls and I will be gone to visit my family. And, so it begins now and everyday until we depart that I will focus on all the many, many things in life that I am thankful for.

Which are...

~My dear friend Taunya who will no longer have much time to read this blog, as she is the proud mother of twin boys. Alec William and Blake Anthony joined us on Taunya's birthday, November 7th. They are little, but doing well. I am completely overjoyed for my friends. I seriously think Taunya may have been a little sick of me forgetting her birthday, so she just had to give birth on that day. Now if I forget I will really feel bad.

~The upcoming trip that the girls and I are taking to see my mom and dad. We are staying in a hotel in a town near where they both live. We are going to make ourselves completely available to visit with just them. I have no idea what those three nights and four days will include and that is the beauty of it. As necessasary, I have no expectations. In the very least we will swim in the pool, jump on the bed, eat happy meals, and shop at the second hand stores that I used to go to with my grandma (gulp, a few tears at that thought). In my greatest hopes, my girls will get to spend some quality time with my mom and dad. They will get to better know these two little angels that we are blessed with.

~The wonderful essays my students are working on about what they are thankful for... and our upcoming feast on Friday. I was nervous to pull off a feast on my own (minus my six year teaching partner who has moved on to snottier noses aka. first graders), but I think it just may be wonderful. I am learning not to underestimate myself.

~My star student of the week's photo montage that was the talk of the class. She, that would be my friend Grace, was beaming as her classmates admired her pictures (thanks Anne). There was laughter, conversation, and most importantly a huge smile on Grace's face as her friends gathered 'round her pictures. It melted my heart.

~Our new bed that will be delivered tomorrow. I feel that we have come full circle as our current bed was our first "big" purchase together. It was such a huge deal all of those eleven years ago. And now we are starting over, this time with a head and foot board as well as a pillowtop... ahh!!! Dreamy!!! Best of all, our old bed that really isn't awful is going to a single mom with four little boys who is starting from scratch... total and complete scratch.

~Our dinner tonight of ham leftover from the church breakfast, scalloped potatoes from a box (I know that probably mortifies some people... sorry), mini pancakes (not from a box) and scrambled eggs (from a chicken). Kyndra hardly took a breath as she was so excited about dinner. Really it is those $1.13 per person dinners that really pack the most bang.

~The fact that my wonderful husband is going to Kyndra's class tomorrow to pick up fence that needs to be cut. I am not exactly positive what the fence is for at this point. I am sure it is the construction paper variety, but nonetheless I LOVE that he is willing to help and be present. I really struggle with not being present and truly appreciate his efforts.

More to come tomorrow and the next day and the next day...

I would love to know what everyone is thankful for these days :)

Borrowed Leaves...

We don't have leaves of our own yet. Our mini-orchard trees are just babies and our new Red Maple only spreads a few leaves in our yard. I really don't imagine we will ever have many leaves, as we built our house of wood on a place where the wind huffs, puffs and blows terribly hard on a regular basis.

But... thankfully our church had some leaves we could borrow and partake in piling, throwing, and jumping in.

Birthday Hats...

Kylee turned four yesterday. We can hardly believe it... it seems like it was just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital and she needed us for everything. I thought I should record exactly "what is up" with her these days.

She...

-loves Barbies
-loves Polly Pockets
-loves playing dress up
-is working diligently on learning her letters
(there is a deal on the table for a breakfast out with mommy when
she has mastered them)
-wants to wear only dresses and velcro shoes
-is sleeping in her new BIG bed
-has started swimming lessons and loves it
-started CCD with mommy and Anne as her teachers
(this is truly going to be a test for both of us)
-eats endless amounts of cheesesticks and yogurt, but that seems to be about it
-still cries when we take her to pretty school
-enjoys painting
-asks to sleep with someone every night
-is afraid of the dark and must have her nightlight on and her music box playing when we put her to bed
-quotes the monsters from Monsters vs. Aliens quite well
(her favorite is quote is when Bob greets the giant robot and says, "hey there, hi, we are here to destroy you". She does it in a completely animated manner)
-tells us she loves us all day long... we are the best mommy and daddy in her heart and to God and the sun and back.

Tony brought home his retired work hats. It was hard, but he managed to part with them and now the girls are wearing them all the time. They were this year's birthday hats. And, by the way I was joking about Tony having a hard time parting with these blue cowboy hats... not really his favs. This beautiful package from Taunya contains lots and lots of Polly Pockets... yeah! Thanks Taun.

Just The Family...

I just realized that this weekend was spent solely with my family. We didn't hang out with anyone, besides ourselves. I just read a wonderful blog about being content and that is just what I am right now. It must take a 48 hour dose of two adorable, loving, little girls and a fun, considerate husband.

We...

~had our first family movie night, seriously, that I can remember anyway. Tony does not sit still for the length of a movie, ecspecially not a kid appropriate movie. We were able to captivate him with Monsters vs. Aliens. We all started out cuddled on the couch, but needed our space about halfway through (around popcorn and M & M time).

~hung out (the girls and I) at school for three hours while Tony slept. I got my classroom library reorganized by genre. Today I picked up camp chairs for my reading corner (I really hope lice don't like camping chairs).

~BBQed chicken and made twice baked potatoes for a lovely dinner for four. I was sad that I couldn't remember where exactly everyone sat. It has been too long since we sat down for a nice family dinner. We used to never miss... time to slow down.

~dressed the girls in matching pumpkin shirts and went to Tri-Cities to let Kylee pick out her own birthday present. She choose a pre-school teacher Barbie set and a baby nursery doctor Barbie set. We dined at Red Robin and hit Costco and the Mall.

~read books, drew pictures and watched cartoons.

~did lots of laundry and a smidge of other household chores.

~went to church.

~heard I love you about a million times!!! and got oodles of kisses and hugs!!! The girls are so generous with their love... what a blessing!!!

I have to remember to pencil in these family weekends... I do think they are good for the spirit. Next weekend the girls are going to spend the weekend with grandma and grandpa ALONE. I usually always go, but they are ready to go by themselves. Tony is working both days. It is going to be so weird... I am guessing I will cry. At least we will have just had this weekend that was "Just the Family".

Our Latest Insults...

Kyndra and Kylee really seem to be getting on each other's nerves these days. It is hard not to laugh when they are insulting each other because they use such funny words. There is a lot of "head" and "pants" involved. "Meanhead" and "crabbypants" are two favorites. Kylee often tells Kyndra, "I am frustrating at you". Kyndra is constantly complaining that Kylee "is in her business". There is constant mimicking and endless face making. Kylee's latest comeback for everything can be viewed on this video.

Don't get me wrong we are truly working on using our kind words, but I am thankful these are the worst of our insults (for now).

Disney '09...

I labeled this post Disney '09 because we realized on this trip that we are tried and true Disneyland junkies. We originally thought we would wait about ten years before returning again, but we now know that won't be the case. Whatever ails you can be cured with a dose of Disney. We are thinking there will, in the very least, be a Disney '12. To our surprise, Kyndra was a complete adrenalin freak. We couldn't keep her off the super thrill rides. Kylee had her favorites too, but they were a little slower paced. We are hoping we didn't scar her for life with a couple of the rides we did coax her on. Her heart rate was easily slowed with a spin on the Tea Cups or a leisurely trip in Pooh's honey pot.

I was sooooo happy to see Sully...

The Nelson girls...

It's Halloweentime in Disneyland...

First at the gates...
The water park at our pirate hotel...

The characters were everywhere (some were even dressed in their Halloween attire)...

A few more pics from our journey...

I can't begin to express how blessed we feel to have been able to accompany our girls on this magical trip.

We're Off...

I have officially started my 8th year of teaching third grade (11th year of teaching). Kyndra has officially became a 1st grader. And Kylee has joined her buddies at pretty school.


-I love my new room (that would be my 6th new room at my school), I love my class, and I love all the sights, sounds, and smells of school in the fall (not to be confused with the springtime smells P.U.). And, I love love love my Promethean Board. I don't like leaving my girls!!! Thank goodness the day in the life of a teacher exceeds the speed of light and the aches of missing my girls aren't felt much during the day.


- Kyndra has been filled with anxiety about the school year. Her fears subsided a bit right after open house, but returned shortly after. I was worried for her (I don't know where her worrying comes from), but never fear she "LOVES" first grade. "It is better than the best!" Most of the details are unknown of course, but she has been playing school all afternoon with Kylee. I think I am getting a glimpse into her classroom. The discipline policy is clear in my mind as Kylee is not the greatest pupil. I do believe there is also some sort of sign language to use the restroom.

-Kylee, oh Kylee has started back to pretty school much to her dismay. She informed us that a lot of the kids in her class don't really like her. My curiosity sparked, I asked her why that was. She said she just couldn't understand why since she is the nicest girl in her class and the best listener. Hmmm, I just don't know why the kids are a little put off. That part is funny... the tear filled, clawmarked, screaming drop offs... NOT SO CUTE. Doesn't help with the guilt factor.

Here she is ready to go... this is not what she picked out to wear, but her choice outfit required ironing that was just not happening this morning... maybe tomorrow.

Back to school bash...


And now I must go, I am supposed to be cleaning the super dirty trailer for our upcoming Labor Day trip. Whose idea was it to plan a trip the first weekend after school starts??? I'm sure it will be just what the doctor ordered when the time comes.

Have a great first week of school all of you school goers and educators!

Busy Days...

Today was a busy, busy day. It seems like the one and only summer when I have a three and six year old is on fast forward all of a sudden. We are trying hard to meet our mounding obligations and still take the time for summer fun. Today was filled with cheerleader camp, delivering a hot blackberry cobbler to the police department, moving classrooms, piles of dishes, working on cartwheels in the backyard, picking our first homegrown tomatoes, multiple viewings of Beverly Hills Chihuahua, mac and cheese and eggs for dinner two hours late, watermelon, lawn mowing, etc...

I thought we had better stop and grab some shots in front of our Giant Sunflower patch. As you can see we only had one survivor, but he is strong.