The Nelson Family

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T10:08:00.003-07:00

Toothless McGee...

2010-10-25T12:57:00.003-06:00

So I go to pick Blake up at school this morning, and he has a hole where his front tooth used to be! He lost his tooth! He is so pleased! (Side note: Yes, it is a bit early to be losing teeth, but this one has been hit so many times, it was literally a snaggle tooth! Not gonna miss it sticking straight out! LOL)

We went to Target for groceries, and he had to show EVERYONE! He carried the tooth around in a plastic baggie. Gross? Yes. Did he love it? Absolutely!

Cousins! All boys!

2010-10-25T10:17:00.003-06:00

For my dad's birthday, we (my sister and I) got our kids together for a picture. This was the best one we got. The others included a crying Connor, a moving Henry, and a cheesy Blake. Phew, that was a work out!

Apparently we can only have boys in this family.

the Connor chronicles

2010-09-02T15:13:00.004-06:00

Because the last little bit I have been focusing on Blake, I thought it may be nice to see Connor.

He is now 18 months old! I can't believe it! Sometimes I feel like I just had Blake, let alone Connor! Connor is a sweetie. He is way more cuddly and clingy than Blake ever was, but he also prefers Matt to me. Kinda funny.

He loves to laugh, and is super silly. (pardon the messy house! LOL)

Connor LOVES shoes! He takes my shoes out of the closet and just leaves them all over the house. Call me crazy, but nothing is cuter than a baby in nothing but a diaper and adult shoes.

By now, Blake was talking, but Connor says only about 5 words in connor-ese... I am guessing it is because Blake talks enough for the two of them combined!

He chases Blake up and down our hall, and no one can get him to laugh like Blake. I love having two boys!

The soccer mom...

2010-08-25T12:56:00.004-06:00

It's official. I am now a van driving, soccer mom.

Blake's first soccer game was last night. I thought it was so funny! No referees, just the coaches out on the field basically telling the kids what to do. Bunch Ball at it's finest (and cutest!) Blake had such a huge cheering section (me, Matt, Connor, Aunt Paige, Henry, Gma Christy, Gpa Drew, Gma Annette, Gpa Gary, Uncle Mike, Aunt Alyssa, Uncle Scott), that he spent the entire time running after the ball while waving. So so cute. Can't wait for more!

4 of the 6 members of his team. Blake is #4. Yup, the one with the baggy shorts. Next year: Order an Xsmall, not a Small.

Hamming it up for the camera.

"Mommy, the sun is in my eyes."

Oh, hi mommy.

2010-08-14T09:36:00.004-06:00

Lesson # eleventy-seven... leaving a 4-year-old alone in the bathroom is a dangerous (though hilarious) idea OR if you give a 4-year-old a lip gloss.

Blake has been a little obsessed with things I am doing. Make-up, nail polish stuff like that. He still doesn't quite get that not everyone uses that stuff! The other day I told him that girls wore eye shadow and he said, "That's ok. Someday when I marry Lexi (his grandma's cousin's daughter--adopted, calm down) I will buy her lots of eyeshadow." I told him she would probably like that.

What a funny kid!

It's a MI-RA-CLE!

2010-08-12T10:53:00.002-06:00

Holy cow! Brooke is gonna start blogging again?!?

Okay, okay, I have been a slacker. BUT, I am gonna get going with the blog again! Stay tuned!

I love my boys!

2009-11-05T13:47:00.004-07:00

I love that Matt will just sit down on the couch and laugh and giggle with the boys. I know that I joke about actually having 3 kids (Well, I do in lots of ways! Sometimes Matt acts like a 5 year old!) but it is times like this that I am glad!

What a great dad! I love you honey!

My first.... Chocolate Chip Cookie

2009-11-05T13:43:00.003-07:00

Words can't express the mess, or how much fun he had! He is his mother's son! We are choc-aholics!

Happy Halloween from the Nelson's

2009-11-05T13:39:00.001-07:00

Yes, I realize I don't have a pic of Connor on here. I have to grab my mom's photo card! I will add it as soon as possible.

Ahhh, the joys of a boy...

2009-10-23T19:04:00.003-06:00

So today I was taking a nap after Matt got home (thanks Matt!) and when I woke up, this is the story I was told... I don't know if this would have happened if I had had girls...

So, Blake had left a rake out in our backyard by the tree. He decided to go and grab it and put it in the garage. Matt figured we don't have a gate leading out of our backyard (we can thank the previous owners of this house for that), and he can't reach the button for the garage door, so he was safe enough.

After 5-6 minutes, he realized that Blake wasn't back inside yet, so he went out back, and saw Blake trying to shove the rake up and over the fence into our neighbors yard.

"Blake!"

"ooohhh---yes?"

"Stop doing that. Put the rake away, and come inside."

"okay daddy"

5-6 more minutes pass and he still isn't inside. So Matt opens up the back door and scans the back yard from right to left. He doesn't see anything until he gets at to 9:00 from where he was standing. He sees a little bum, and that is it.

"Blake!"

"oooohh--yes daddy?"

"What are you doing?"

"going potty"

"we don't go potty outside! It isn't a bathroom."

"sure it is!"

"no, it isn't. come inside."

"I'm not done yet"

He proceeded to finish his bidness.... just a little stream. Pulled up his pants, and came inside.

Now, I for one would never have done that when I was young! Is this just a boy thing?

Cisco- better than Bank of America

2009-10-21T08:18:00.004-06:00

So I am only three days into my new job and I already feel a huge burden off my shoulders. No cardholders yelling, nobody asking me to do WAY more than I get paid for, and no more agents complaining (non stop) about how much they hate their jobs.

There is still some ambiguity as to what exactly I will be doing at Cisco, but I do know that many of my new employees are Portuguese speakers, and will be helping clients located in Brasil. I am happy to be using my language skills again.

Funniest video ever...

2009-10-16T10:31:00.003-06:00

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

I laughed really hard at this...

Swimming Lessons

2009-10-13T18:11:00.003-06:00

So I am too cheap to pay someone to teach Blake to swim, so for the last few weeks I have been taking him to the Bubble (now the South Davis Recreation Center) and have been trying to get him to get over his fear of water. He and I took lessons together when he was about a year and a half old, and he loved it. But now, it is a pain to get him to go beyond where he can touch the bottom.
Each time we go, he gets a bit more courageous. Maybe by the time he is in college he will be willing to go int the deep end. The major downside of public pools is two-fold: 1) They put SO much chlorine in the pool that I smelled like chemicals for days. 2) Creepy, naked old men in the locker room. If you know what I mean, you know what I mean. If you do not, then you are a very lucky human,

Donny Osmond and Me

2009-10-11T19:02:00.005-06:00

So do you want to learn what Donny Osmond taught me in my dream last night? Of coarse you do. Well just after bringing him a Coke rather than the Sprite he had ordered (sorry about that Donny, I still feel bad about that), he taught me how to pop the top off a Coke bottle without a bottle opener by just using my wedding ring.

1- Give the cap a twist (to loosen it. Donny did it better than I ever could)
2- Put the bottle cap's edge just under your wedding ring
3- Bend your fingers down like your are holding the top of the bottle
4- With your right hand, grab the bottom of the bottle and move it away and up while holding the top of the bottle in place with your left hand (with your grip keeping the edge of the cap in place under you ring)

I have not tried it yet, but for you boozers out there, let me know if it works (remember: this all came to me in a glorious vision with Donny on a yacht. I know, weird)

And if you are reading this thinking that Brooke wrote it, you are wrong. As ashamed as I am, this is a Matt dream. :(

Confessions of a Desperate Mother

2009-10-09T12:53:00.006-06:00

Every mother at some point has one of those desperate moments in which you do crazy "look-at-that-poor-mother" things!

Like the time I ran out of wet wipes and Blake had a massive explodo poop in the car. I didn't have wet wipes, but I did have armor all wipes for the interior of my car! Yes, I armor-alled Blake's patootie! Wha-What? His back side sparkled! But I did take him home and give him a bath.

Desperate mothers do desperate things! Like today. I know that I don't need to explain this, but I basically put my son in a rolling cage to go to sleep! What? Let me show you.

First this happened.... (Yes, he can sit in a cart now! I do not miss being tethered to that car seat!)

So I picked him up. That looked extremely uncomfortable! But, then he got really heavy! 18 pounds of baby can really weigh you down! So I did this...

Yes, he is in the front of the cart under the little seat.... i just set him down. He is sleeping on Blake's sweater, so he has a little pillow. That counts for something right?

Up up and away! or CHARGE!

2009-09-12T19:46:00.004-06:00

Depending on how you view a cape, the title will make sense!

For Blake's Halloween costume, we decided that he would be a knight (which means that Mommy found a really cheap knight costume at Dollar Tree!! Helmet, breast plate, and shield--$3! YES!) . So I decided I would make my first ever Halloween costume... well part of it. I found a great tutorial HERE... and this is how it turned out....

Notice the incredibly attractive "too small but he won't let me throw them away" jammies.

(Yes I forced him to stand here for this pic... awful mommy!)

Remember When?

2009-09-06T10:02:00.002-06:00

Matt and Blake went to the movie store tonight and came back with "The Last Unicorn!" Doy ou remember that movie from way way way back when? Matt and I watched it when we were really little, but we remember some parts of it... so we got to take a trip down memory lane, and laugh at the early animation, and the "great" music...

enjoy!

1 + 1 = Ew Gross

2009-08-29T19:29:00.003-06:00

This...

plus this...

equals....

EW GROSS! (And this is a clean feeding!)

Ahhh the joys of solid food. (those are sweet potatoes)

Emergancy Prep Kinda Sucks

2009-08-24T21:17:00.002-06:00

So, the ward seems to think that the end is near. Every first Sunday (starting with August) for the rest of the year we will have (and have had) Emergency/ Disaster Preparation. The first set of items that we were asked to get ready were water and personal documentation. I had no idea how much water I need, lame. The human body needs at least 1 gallon per day. Not to mention all the water you need to clean.
So after class today, I went and picked-up four 7-gallon containers, one for each of us. So based on the aforementioned calculations, I hope the next disaster lasts for less than 3-4 days. Oh yeah, and it cost $75. That's the sucky part. I'm all for post-apocalyptic survival strategy, but does it have to put me out by so much hard earned.

Now, for the next few days, I will be scanning in drivers licenses, SSN cards, life insurance policies and the like. Lucky me.

2009-08-24T16:07:00.007-06:00

This weekend we went to my parent's cabin up outside of Evanston, WY back into Utah. It is in a place called Uinta Lands... up by East Fork of the Bear Scout Camp (in case you were wondering...haha). Anywho, we went out of town. And it was so much FUN!

Blake went fishing for the first time with my sister Paige, her son and her husband. After this picture was taken, then went swimming in the river. Of course Blake wanted to take his clothes off. But what they didn't know was he took EVERYTHING OFF. I have a pic, but i think that is verging on kiddie porn if I put it up here. Just know that he is the only one naked, and he tromped through 50 feet of forest in nothing but his crocs. I guess he truly is a boy. I don't know that a girl would have done that!

Then he went poop in the river! Holy COW! Not that I blame her, but Paige refused to clean him up. So here he is washing up. Notice Paige is cracking up. He kept asking why he had to sit down in the river.

I guess I should count my blessing though because at least he went #2 somewhere other than his diaper. That has been our most recent struggle.

We also watched for squirels...

Did you think we forgot connor? Nope!
He decided to ham it up and pose for me!

OH! and look at the GORGEOUS view!

Okay, enough pictures! Anywho, that was our weekend!

Finger Puppets

2009-08-14T11:12:00.001-06:00

I found these on etsy, and I decided to make them myself! They were $8 a piece! I made 15!

He is our bean.... He is our bean...

2009-08-07T19:05:00.002-06:00

Matt is gonna kill me for putting this up, but it was too cute not to. This is my favorite sound.

From the mouth of a 3 1/2 year old...

2009-07-20T09:19:00.003-06:00

Lately Blake has been coming up with lots of excuses as to why he does things. But my favorite one (okay it is my least favorite because I hear it 10 times a day) is this...

Me: Blake, why did you hit connor?
Blake: Sometimes I do that.

or

Me: Blake, why did you throw that?
Blake: Sometimes little boys do that.

UG! The other day I turned into a monster!

Me: Blake! Why did you do that? AND DON'T YOU DARE SAY "SOMETIMES I DO THAT!"

I really don't wake up and think.... "Hmmm, today I am gonna be a mean monster mommy and scream at my kid." I swear I don't. But lately? It is becoming easier and easier!?!

On the other hand, he has been doing some insanely funny things lately, so I don't stay mad too long. It is too hard to be mad when your son is saying

"Lions, and tigers, and bears... and hippopotamuses (sp?)".

Or singing the ABC's like William Shatner..."A... BC... DEF... G... HI... JK...etc." Breathy spaces in between each break.

I can't wait for Connor to start talking. Then they can talk to each other!

sleeping like a baby...

2009-07-20T08:09:00.001-06:00

Do you know what I want? I want to be able to sleep soundly anywhere!
Connor slept this way (on the hand) for half an hour, and gpa Gary just sat there...
How cute!

enfamil and pampers coupons--need any?

2009-07-11T09:48:00.003-06:00

Yeah, so i know this is not necessarily the best place to give you this info, but... it reaches the most people... i think.

I get a bunch of enfamil and pampers coupons in the mail. And I don't use either of those brands! Connor is sensative to lactose, so I need a special formula, and we have a ton of diapers.

So--if you or someone you know needs/wants these coupons, please let me know. I will send you/them the coupons in the mail. You may as well save the money that I am not able to!

my cute boys

2009-07-05T21:47:00.002-06:00

Before Eric & Heather (Matt's brother & his brother's wife) and their family moved to Japan, we had pictures taken of all of the grandkids on my husband's side! We had a few with all the kids, and a few with each family.

Here is the picture with all four grandkids (Connor, Blake, Ethan and Kailey)

And the next ones are just of my stinkin' cute boys!

best buds

2009-07-03T13:29:00.003-06:00

antelope island june 2009

blake and his "grandpa gary" are great friends. i love these pictures.

motherhood...

2009-06-25T21:26:00.005-06:00

warning: if you have a weak stomach or you don't like grossness, just skip this post. right now. run in the opposite direction as fast as you can. go ... GO!

So before I tell you my horrifying story, I have to say something.

When you are young, and you are playing house with your friends. You don't imagine anything bad. First you have to pick a new name (for me it was always Nicole, Tiffany or Nicky. They sounded like oober grown up names.) Then you have to figure out who the mom is--and you always wanted to be the mom. You were the one in charge, and you were the one that got to be grown-up.

Then, you grow up, and you think having kids will be so much fun (and it is, don't get me wrong--but stick with me here). You are going to have all fun, no bad stuff. The worst thing that will happen is a dirty diaper. You are going to be the perfect mom who bakes cookies, and keeps up with laundry and cleaning. Have dinner on the table when your hubby gets home, and generally live a perfectly fantabulous life.

What people never tell you, is you will have nights like I just had.

The day started nicely. My brother in law and his sweetie got married in a really wonderful ceremony at the temple. (congrats mikey and alyssa!) We came home and the boys took naps. Then we went to the wedding reception. That is when the niceness ended.

Blake decided that he was going to be as difficult as possible. "Do you want a drink?" "No." "Do you want to go find grandpa?" "No." "Do you want to go find Connor (or whomever... we tried lots of people)?" "No. I want to do nothing." Leave it to Blake to be so proper and yet so stubborn at the same time. So I end up grabbing a drink and handing him off to Matt. Yes, I had had enough. About 15 minutes later, Blake is brought to me in tears. He couldn't find me. He decided that he actually did want to do something. He wanted to sit on my lap and just cuddle (sweet). I asked him if he felt okay, and he said he was just tired. WRONG!

At this point, I have to interrupt my story and tell you about a term that Matt has coined (well maybe someone else coined it, but he is the one who introduced it to me...). B.U. (prounounced boo). What does B.U. stand for? Butt Urine. You read right... we actually discuss stuff like this. Gross! B.U. is the equivalent of brown water coming out your... nevermind. Anyway... back to the story.

So I am sitting there talking to friends, rubbing Blake's back and rocking him. I go to scratch his back under his shirt and I feel something. Something a bit gooey, and warm, and wet. I pull my hand back and UG! My fingers were COVERED in B.U. I just cringe and look at the rest of the table, and I am at a loss for words. So, not only am I at a wedding, with a "tired" son, and a lot of friends, my hand is covered in --and my lap is filled with--B.U! My brother-in-law's poor friend just looked at me and said "What can I do" and I sent him after Matt. The rest of the table got up and got water and napkins, and I just sat there with a B.U. covered child and lap. LOVELY. Blake just cries, and I send him to the car with Matt for a change of clothes (which I am so glad we had! LESSON LEARNED... always have a change of clothes). Then I get to wind my way through the wedding reception to the bathroom. I am sure that the people at the wedding thought I had really really bad gas or something. I can see it now... "What is that stench? Oh it is that poor poo covered woman."

So we finally get out of there, and make our way home.
We bathed him (Yes... B.U. in 3 inches of tub water is a great thing), then rebathed him. Got him in jammies. And in bed.

So... tonight was not my favorite night as a mother.
There are times that being a mother is a crap shoot (in this case, pun intended). No lie. But then you see something like this....

and you realize that it is all worth it, and exactly where you want to be.

graduation vacation

2009-06-13T19:45:00.002-06:00

You all know that matt is a little boy at heart. Well, we decided to go to Disneyland/Universal Studios to celebrate his graduation! Here are a few pictures. I will let matt fill you all in on our vacation!

Slacker mommy

2009-06-13T19:16:00.001-06:00

So because I am the blogger in the family, blame me for the lack of pictures and news lately. We have been battling the cold from HELL! (I wouldn't say hell, but heck just doesn't cut it. It is a really really bad cold!)

So here are a few pictures of what we have been up to....

Blake loves being a big brother, and he loves that he can take care of Connor. True, we had a struggle with teaching Blake to be gentle... he liked to act like Connor was his age. He just loves to update me on Connor...

I guess this is the difference between the first child and the second. I NEVER propped Blake's bottle up when he was little. But with Connor, it is just so convenient! It allows me to watch out for Blake and get something done! Geez, I must be a horrible mother!

Why is it that babies are so stinkin cute when they sleep? Look at those pouty lips! And speaking of sleep, Connor is sleeping a full 7-8 hours every night now! YEAH! He sleeps from around 9 PM to 4-5 AM. I wish that was a bit later in the morning, but I can't complain after being up all night with him!

2009-05-26T22:37:00.001-06:00

CAUGHT it!

2009-05-12T14:19:00.002-06:00

Connor has been attempting to smile for a few weeks now. He has that smile that is in his eyes, and maybe a corner of his mouth twitches... you know he is trying.

Well, the past few days he has been a smiling fool! LOVE IT!

The job I gave myself was to catch it on film! I did it today. It was right after meal time (so like a man...) and he finally smiled for me when the camera was out! Yeah! Here is my smiling bean! (we call him BEAN as a nickname)

Yes, i realize the onesie is wet--we were messy eaters!

2009-05-09T13:15:00.002-06:00

Yippee! Can you hear me yelling? Lucky for me he knows left and right!

The joys of being a mother--and a housekeeper!

2009-05-09T11:46:00.003-06:00

Before (unfortunately, how my living room usually looks--because I have a tornado that follows me wherever I go)

After--what I wish my house looked like all the time! DREAM ON!

PS: notice the couch cushion cover is gone. Yep... vomit. Fun stuff! Dry cleaning is a great thing!

@ the zoo 2009

2009-05-09T11:44:00.002-06:00

So, in the grand tradition of us, we got the annual zoo pass. Mostly because Matt is a 6 year old, and loves to play with blake there. Here is the latest pic of them! They have so much fun together! (Sometimes I am jealous, and sometimes, I just shake my head and roll my eyes--OK I admit it!)

Yeah Matt! Class of 2009!

2009-05-09T11:36:00.002-06:00

Well honey, it took you a while, but you stuck with it, and you are DONE! D-O-N-E!!!

We are all so proud of you! Congratulations! I love you!

PS: WE have the cutest sons ever!

Lederhosen....Es ist gut!

2009-05-09T11:15:00.005-06:00

EW! gross lederhosen!

AW--cutest lederhosen ever!

Okay, Brooke. Where the crap did you get lederhosen (and yes, that is how it is spelled, I checked it out, and found the aformentioned gross lederhosen picture!)?

Well, I will tell you! Matt's mom visited her friend in Switzerland when Matt was little, and she came home with lederhosen for her boys.

Somewhere there is a picture of Eric and Matt together wearing it. Evidently, they wore it every sunday to CHURCH! I am a bit embarassed for them, but have to admit that dressing your child up in crazy foreigh clothes is a lot of fun! Of course it helps when your son doesn't want to take it off, and when he has a friend to frolic in lederhosen with!

PS: That is Eric's son with him (Ethan). So eventually we will have a picture of matt & eric, and then their boys wearing the same outfits! Yippee!

Just for good measure, because I am sure I will never type this again...

LEDERHOSEN, LEDEROSEN, LEDERHOSEN!

(I think it is out of my system now!)

Spring

2009-04-22T23:50:00.004-06:00

So, Brooke was telling me that I never update the blog... Well
I would not say never. I like "infrequent."

I wish that spring lasted longer. I spent my first morning in the
yard today, and I am already dead-heading my tulips. The yellow
and red ones have only been out for a few days,
but I think that they are the best of show in our small
front yard. By the way, if you have a lawn mower,
make sure that you run it dry in the fall. It took me
FOREVER to get it to wake-up this morning after slumbering
for almost five months.

The baby's room...

2009-03-22T14:58:00.003-06:00

Here it is! I was scared about the brown paint (it was dark! Not used to that!) But I am so glad we did it that way! Turned out cute, and I need to go get some curtains... so pretend they are there.

Blake seems to like it... we found him in there the other day...

My favorite picture of my boys... so far!!!

2009-03-20T20:21:00.002-06:00

Okay, I promise I won't post each and every page I do, but I LOVE this picture! Such a sweet moment of my two boys meeting each other. Blake was so excited, and Connor was oblivious! LOL. I had to scrap it... It is what I do! I am addicted to designing and digital scrapping!

2009-03-12T17:52:00.000-06:00

More Connor pics! Told you I would do it!

2009-03-11T10:37:00.002-06:00

Introductions...

Meeting Blake, #2

Just hanging out...

Bath Time...

Our New Arrival!

2009-03-08T12:08:00.003-06:00

Announcing!

Connor James Nelson

March 5, 2009 8:07 pm

6 lbs, 4 oz.

21.5 inches long

(More pics--though he is a cone head in these... HERE)

Time from arrival at hospital to delivery: 59 minutes

Drugs: None (well until after he arrived, then they kicked in... um--too late!)

We are all home, and doing very well! I will keep you all updated, and have more pics soon! I just wanted to get this out there!

Yeah! A new skill!

2009-02-12T17:23:00.003-07:00

Do you like the new blogger template? I made it! I learned how this afternoon, and I am super excited! See the papers and string and everything? I even designed those! If anyone is interested, I would be willing to help them do a new blog background! Let me know!

Brooke

Update and an early Valentines Day!

2009-02-11T11:01:00.002-07:00

Update:

As of yesterday I am dilated to 1 1/2 cm. Not a huge deal, except for the fact that things are progressing! And now I have proof, besides the pain, uncomfortable nights, and swollen feet! Yeah for me! So my doctor thinks a few more weeks!

And cute matt got these for me for Valentines day! Early yes, but very much appreciated! Yeah!

Getting ready for baby...

2009-02-06T12:40:00.003-07:00

So I have been in a whirlwind mood--getting everything ready. I realize that this is a typical expectant mother thing, but with Blake, we didn't do anything... and I do mean ANYTHING. I had him 5 weeks early, so we didn't even have a car seat and matt spent the whole time I was in the hospital shopping for everything we needed. I decided that I was not going to do that this time.

So I have spent the last month washing all of Blake's useable old things (old sounds nasty, but they are still new looking). Connor (the name we are trying out so far) has a closet full of clothes ready for him, and 2 outfits for the hospital... Who knows what he will end up wearing. In addition to nesting, I am also indecisive... LUCKY MATT. His crib is set up and ready for him (or for mama bear, as Blake likes to tuck his bear in at night there). The car seat is ready, and clean (and has curious george in it--again another Blake thing).

All we have to do is paint his room (chocolate brown I think) and we are set! Yesterday I got bored and made these frames for his room... So easy! Took me about 15 minutes a piece. Under $10! I love a good deal!

Sorry about the crappy pics, I tried to fix them, but it didn't work so well. Just know that the colors DO match, and they match the bedding.

Anywho, 34 days and counting.... Wish me luck!

Brooke

News in a few Layouts!

2008-12-27T23:37:00.005-07:00

Okay, in the grand tradition that is me (lately) I have been a blog poster pooper! I have been so busy with Xmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the pregnancy, and my store that I totally don't even think about the personal blog! Not that anyone out there is reading it, but I figure if I post a few layouts, you can see what we (and I) have been up to!

My friend Chelcee and I created this kit and I made a layout to demonstrate what you can do with it. This is a picture that Blake insisted we take. (He is very bossy all of a sudden...hmmmm.)

My mom has an all santa clause tree, so Blake and I made this ornament for the tree. So that every time he goes up there, he runs to find it. Thank you Target for having such cute ideas (all done up in a package so I don't have to be creative, and all I have to do is assemble, and look like I am the best mom in the world...)

This is the first year that Blake has even cared about the snow. Last year he was almost 2, but he just didn't care. Finally, he cares about Santa Clause, and snow, and treats... and snowmen. So this is Blake in the snow. Outside shoveling (with his own shovel) with Matt. Thank goodness I have boys/men in my life to take care of the dirty (cold, heavy) work!

Merry Christmas Everyone! Blake got an art easel from Santa, and a ton of art supplies. He even got his first play doh (yes, I have been an abusive mother and made him wait--he didn't know what it was until 3 days ago! Now he is hooked!).

Anyway, we hope your holidays are/were fabulous! We love you guys!

Oh--and a baby update. Due date is now March 11 (but probably early again, like I said in a previous post). We are expecting sometime in February. Still a boy, and the names have changed to either Connor or James... Jack is out. Sorry Jack... Hit the Road.

It's a...

2008-10-22T16:00:00.003-06:00

Boy!!!!!

So far we are thinking Jack or James for the name, but knowing us--that will change! Yeah!

We are super excited!

quick post...

2008-10-08T19:53:00.001-06:00

Today I felt the baby kick! Much sooner than with Blake. I guess I know what I am feeling for this time! I find out what I am having on October 21, so I will post again soon!

brooke

It's a baby!

2008-08-22T11:23:00.003-06:00

So, when I went to the hospital to see my sister and her new baby (see the previous post--yes I know it has been a while) I was so baby hungry. Turns out, I was pregnant! I am 10 weeks along, and here is the first pic! Blake keeps walking around saying, "New baby in the house! Just like baby Henry!" He is so excited! I am technically due March 21, but I was early with Blake so my Dr said not to be surprised if I was early again! So I will keep you up to date!

Henry Brooks Nielsen

2008-06-16T08:31:00.002-06:00

Announcing! My sister had her baby on Friday, 06/13/08. He weighed 8 lbs, 13 oz. Was 20.5 inches long. AND--he is sooooo stinkin cute! Congrats Paige and Ryan!

What an awful wife I am...

2008-05-24T14:23:00.004-06:00

Found this on a website (http://www.retro-housewife.com/) and just laughed my heiney off! I guess I would not have fit in! Poor Matt! (Wait--none of this poor matt crap! Poor women in the 1950's!) I know it is small... check out this link for the whole thing (in a normal size!)

Beware the silent 2 year old!

2008-05-13T11:40:00.003-06:00

So, I am sitting in my room folding laundry when I realize that Blake is being too quiet (he talks all the time... non-stop so this was a weird thing!) I walk down the hall, and around the corner into the kitchen, and my mouth just dropped open! This is what I saw...

A whole box of baking soda on the floor. All over him, and all over my feet (now!) Ahhh the joys of being a mom!

And why sometimes... I don't like spring...

2008-05-02T11:42:00.001-06:00

Oh, the difference 24 hours will make...

(you may not be able to see the snow... that is not dust, it is SNOW!)

Why I love spring...

2008-04-30T19:06:00.002-06:00

This is the tree in my backyard... Gives new meaning to popcorn popping doesn't it?

Have you ever...

2008-04-24T10:06:00.002-06:00

Walked like a mummy with your hands out in front of you to get to bed in the pitch black (so you don't hit anything) because your husband is sick and asleep? I did that last night... only I also had to find my earplugs in the dark on the floor (1 because matt snores, and 2 because blake put them on the floor!) So, add mummy to gopher, and you've got a pretty good mental picture of me last night. Fun stuff.

Ring around the Rosies...

2008-04-20T11:49:00.003-06:00

Just like the title of this post says, Blake has finally learned how to play ring around the rosies. I had been trying to teach him for about 8 months, now. Leave it to a four year old (Zoe--his pseudo cousin) to teach him. She just grabbed his hands, and went, and he laughed the whole time!

Pay no attention to the lovely red tile walls. We were at Artic Circle--again. That boy loves play lands! (and chicken nuggets!)

Holy long time since I posted, batman!

2008-04-03T19:45:00.004-06:00

Whew! Since I started my digiscrap blog (see previous post) I have not taken the time to update this blog! Honestly? Not much has happened.

Yes, Matt has grown a beard, but I have put into practice a few stipulations. 1) The icky neck beard will never be seen. He has to keep that shaved... 2) He needs to keep it shaped. That means, he needs to look like a business man with a beard, and not like a freakin mountain man who has been cutting his beard with his dull knife. Other than that, I don't mind the beard at all.

Blake has been SOOOOOOOOOOO busy lately. Yes, he is in the "terrible twos", but I just think they should be called the "I-finally-have-a-sense-of-self,-and-rather-than-sitting-here-like-a-bump-on-a-log,-I-have-to-go-go-go-go-go,-and-not-have-a-set-sleep-schedule twos". So needless to say, I am worn ragged by the end of the night. Story of my life. Hmmmmm...

Funny things he has done lately...

He has taken to fake crying at night. If have ever had kids that are two, you know what I am talking about. But this boy has taken it to an art form. Somehow he has learned to produce actual tears along with his "crying". How do I know it isn't actual crying? Because I go to check on him, and he just looks at me and smiles. So, yeah, evidentally I am raising a thespian without even knowing it. When I don't go to check on him, he will pause dramatically and then call out, "Crying!!!!" In the "Hello, mother. I'm crying--that is your cue to come and get me! Whatever!"

He talks in 3 word sentences now, but he mixes up the order of the words. Example, "Lay down it" instead of "lay it down." And, he confuses mine with mommy's. He is learning so fast. I now know why people think their children are brilliant. If I could learn this fast, I would be a genius!

He likes sparkly necklaces, like the ones you wear for Mardi Gras. Oh, and reading glasses. He wears those two things all of the time. Oh oh oh--and he loves scarves, too.

Anywho, as you can see, with the exception of Blake, things are normal, boring, and just routine. (I wouldn't have it any other way!)

my new digital scrapbooking blog...

2008-04-01T08:58:00.003-06:00

Well, the title says it all. I have opened a new blog where digital scrapbookers can come and download my kits for FREE! Hopefully I will be able to make a name for myself, and then start to sell my stuff. That would be so much fun!

Brooke

OOOHHH--and the address is http://www.ahhhscrap.blogspot.com/.

Hope to see you there!

2008-03-14T15:32:00.001-06:00

I'm growing a beard. I'll update the blog with pictures if Brooke does not make me shave.

2008-03-06T23:30:00.004-07:00

I started posting pages to my comic book. Just click on the link in the sidebar (at the bottom, on the right called "matt's main blog").

Our weekend in Midway

2008-02-24T21:24:00.004-07:00

Hello there! Long time, I know, I know... I have been awful about keeping up with this blog! Let me at least fill you in on what happened this weekend in Midway. The picture below is one we got of Blake on the bridge where we had family picture taken... He just loves to pose!

On Wednesday afternoon, Matt's brother Eric, and his family (wife: Heather, son: Ethan) came into town from Conneticut, where Eric is stationed as a Navy Jag. Instead of trying to cram everyone into my house, Annette (My mother-in-law) arranged for us to stay at a cabin in Midway with the entire family! It was so much fun! (Let me just tell you how many people were there... me, matt, blake, eric, heather, ethan, annette, gary, mikey, adam, tara, shawna, kyle, nate, cameron, bradley, jamie, brad, allie, jordy, tyler, faith, and garrett. Phew... lots of people in a pretty big cabin.) It was a blast to see everyone!

On the way home (Sunday) Matt, Blake, and I got caught in Parley's Canyon, just past Kimball Junction for 3 hours. They had closed the entire canyon due to snow, so that was stupid, but other than that, the weekend was so much fun!

Before we left, we had family picture taken (well, not professionally, but at least we all got together!) So, here it is! We had them taken on Legacy Bridge in Heber.

like mother like son

2008-02-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! I don't usually post my scrapbook pages on this blog (if you wanna see those, check out my other blog http://www.brooklyn1416.blogspot.com/) but I found these pictures that were so similar, it made me laugh! ENJOY! I guess he really is my son!

We are fish killers!

2008-02-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

The title of this entry says it all! We have had another death in the family. I am now seriously thinking of naming our first daughter Darla. She would then fit right in to the family! DANG! What did we do wrong?

In loving memory if Pollack the fish... found belly up 01-28-08.

Matt's site is up

2008-01-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

My own web site is up, it just sucks still. Check it out here: http://www.matthewrnelson.com/

A death in the family

2008-01-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Sad news this morning folks. One of our beloved members of our small family died today at about 12 Noon. Poor Reginald the fish left us after only one day in the family. You may be gone, but not forgotten.

Blake on his birthday

2008-01-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Blake on his 1st birthday (with his uncle Scott), and Blake on his 2nd birthday. I can't believe how much he has changed!

We are having cake and a small get together with immediate family tomorrow, so I will get pictures of that!

Our newest family additions...

2008-01-25T12:25:00.001-07:00

Hello there! Blake is obsessed with fish, so for his birthday (Today! Holy cow he's 2!) we went to Petco and each chose a fish. We couldn't exactly figure out which fish, that Blake wanted, so Matt and I each chose one. He chose the orange bug eye fish, to be named Reginald (??) and I chose the speckly one that I named Pollack (but really I will call her polly... do I know it's a girl? no... too bad, his/her name is Pollack after Jackson Pollack because that is what he/she looks like, a Jackson Pollack painting!)Anywho, there you go!

Hopefully Blake doesn't think you can pet fish!

Obsessive-Compulsive at its finest!

2008-01-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

I went out to lunch today with my friend, Starr. We went to Paradise Bakery in SLC. On the way there, I stopped at Wendy's to get chicken nuggets for Blake, so that he wouldn't need anything at the restaurant. After his meal, I gave him some fruit snacks. He decided he needed to line them up by color in a straight line. That is my little OCD baby! Just thought you all would like to know what kind of kid he is! What a kook!

oh dear!

2008-01-07T13:54:00.000-07:00

This afternoon when we returned home from grocery shopping (and seeing fish at Petco--exotic, right?) I had a hard time getting into my driveway because all of the snow had turned to ice. I kind of screamed a bit on the way into the driveway, and then stopped to park. Blake just looked at me and said, "oh dear, oh dear". Too bad it sounded like, "oh damn, oh damn" (pardon the language, but you needed to know what it sounded like! :) ) I promise I am not teaching Blake to swear!!! I have to admit, though, I laughed really really hard.

new blog! new slideshow!

2008-01-04T23:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, it is now 11:53 pm. I really really need to go to bed. I got obsessed with this blog tonight, and Matt is in the other room snoring. Just thought I would let you know when I get the most work done! hahahahaha!

On a side note, I finally got a slideshow on here. I have been trying for a while to figure it out. Gold Star to me!

PS: I am going to bed now.

PPS: Does anyone know how to change the background to a design? Not just a color?

PPPS: Blake is talking in his sleep... I can hear him.

PPPPS: Okay, now, I'm gonna go to bed.

PPPPPS: Wait.... now.

ho hum New Years Eve

2007-12-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know what Matt is talking about, but I for one had an EXTREMELY exciting new years eve. First, I went to the ever exciting (and I say this in a tone of awe) Walmart. That is right, I stocked my fridge, and looked at fish. OOOOOhhhhhh...aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh... Then I went out for a gourmet meal at Taco Time. Nothing rings in the new year like a crisp bean burrito and ranch dressing. Next, I may just get to see a naked boy! Oh wait, that means I need to give Blake a bath. Dang... maybe Matt is right.... we are just too exciting...

New Year's Spectacular

2007-12-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

We are such a fun group of people here. We're are doing nothing for New Year's Eve, and if I am lucky, I'll be asleep by midnight.

Our Christmas Vacation part II

2007-12-27T17:10:00.001-07:00

Okay, now blake is busy watching Finding Nemo (for the billionth time!) I have a minute to finish updating everyone on our vacation...

And, before I start my second half, I have to show you my cute toes! My sister and I got a pedicure before we left. You don't care.... but pretend, okay?

Day four: North Shore

We spent the entire morning on the fourth day driving to the north shore. I was not too impressed, but I was also extremely car sick, so I think that may have clinched that one. We ate lunch in Kapa'a where I had the best tuna melt I have ever had in my life! I don't know what they did, but it was excellent. We pretty much bummed around the rest of the day. Oh--and the traffic from Kapa'a to Poipu was insane!

Day five... again, relaxed by the beach, and bummed around the island.

Day six: Fish Food

The boys went deep-sea fishing. Scott and Matt got so sick that they threw-up multiple times! Scott finally called the fishing trip to an end a half hour early. They didn't even get one bite!

That night we went to see National Treasure II, in Lihue. It was a small theater, but really clean so it didn't matter.

Day seven: Kipu Falls fiasco, Spouting Horn, 9.99 special

So, on day five, we were given crazy directions to a waterfall where we could jump into an inland pond. Right, didn't find it, and ended up in the middle of no where while the boys hiked through the "jungle". Matt and I found good directions from a local and on the seventh day, we actually made it. Well, most of us made it. I wasn't wearing the best of shoes, and I slipped down the first three feet of the trail, and couldn't get up! Seriously! It hurt so bad, and I was crying like a baby. What a woos! I ruined my pants. Oh, and matt kind of ruined his, as well. I had to walk through costco so that we could buy me some different clothes with a spot on my butt! It looked like I had an accident.

As you can see, Matt eventually made it, but he walked around with gross feet all day! The dirt even stained his toes! He did get a picture so I could see what I missed though...

After getting me new clothes, we drove to spouting horn and shoped at the venders there. It was the highlight of our trip. Just Matt and I and the ocean. It was gorgeous, and relaxing. (The rest of the family went back to the north shore) We did our annual 9.99 special at the Lihue (and I use this term loosely) mall. (For those of you who do not know what this is, my family all puts their names into a hat, and then draws one out. You spend 10 dollars on that person, and then we go to dinner and give each other those presents... It is always the highlight of the year). Choices for presents were pretty limited, but we were able to come up with something. We had dinner at JJ Broiler outside overlooking the ocean. It was great!

Day eight: Relax/Church/BBQ

Being the good mormon that they are, my mom, dad and matt went to church. The rest of us ditched. It started at 9:00. That is about all I can tell you! hahahaha... I will have to have Matt up date this.

The rest of the day we spent bumming around on the beach (that little speck is Matt), and then we BBQ'd steaks at the BBQ pit. It was the best meal we had there.

Day nine: Breakfast by the pool/Good-bye/Traveling
On the last day we met my parents at their hotel at 9:30 and ate breakfast by the pool. They had a breakfast buffet, and it was so good! We all ate like three plates. After that, my parents and brother left, and we had to kill time until we left that night. So, I sat by the pool and read, and then watched a movie and took a shower. We no longer had a car, so we were stuck at my parent's hotel. We got to the airport about 7:15, and then we flew back to Oahu. at 10:45 we boarded a plane for home. We arrived at 7:45 am.

This was a great vacation and a great holiday. I can't wait to do something as a family again! Merry Christmas from the Elkins/Nelson/Nielsen Families!

Our Christmas Vacation...

2007-12-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka! That is right, Matt and I went to Hawaii for Christmas with my family. No, Blake didn't go, so we had a vacation all to ourselves! We have been planning and saving since last christmas because that was one of our presents from last year. My dad flew us over, and paid for a condo on the beach in Kauai. It was so much fun!

Day 1: (after the 7 hour flight there!) We went to our hotel (ye old holiday inn) and then we went to the Ala Moana Mall in Waikiki. The mall is not something you would find in utah. First of all, it is open air, and second of all, it is full of stores like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Hugo Boss.... you know the really expensive ones that wouldn't survive in Utah. It was late, so we pretty much just relaxed the rest of the night.

Day 2: Polynesian Cultural Center: After paying $16 for two muffins and two drinks--ouch! We hopped a shuttle to the PCC. Our shuttle was full of offensive smells what with the smokers that had that smoke smell, a woman who literally bathed in her perfume, and the burger king breakfast someone brought. Needless to say... by the time we reached our destination, we were both kind of sick. That feeling didn't go away until about 4:00. (Oh--on the way there we saw where they filmed 50 First Dates. That was kinda cool...) We really did have a good time there, considering. We were exhausted by the time we got back to our hotel. 10:30 there, 1:30 here. Our bodies had not quite gotten used to the time diffence.

Day 3: Bumming around Oahu. Our plans were as follows: First, go to the valley of the tempes to see the Byodo-in temple--a replica of one built in Japan. Second, go to the Dole Pineapple plantation to get a dole whip (the absolute best stuff in the world) and go on the tour, and Third drive by the North shore to see if there was any good surfing to watch. Well. we eventually did all of those things, after getting really lost and misplaced on the freeways there. Evidently if you get on H3 (their newest freeway through the mountain) you really can't get off for about 20 minutes which takes you right back to Honolulu and right back to where we started! So about 3 hours later, we got back on schedule...

Byodo-in Temple...

Feeding the Koi at the Byodo-in temple...

At the Dole Plantation:

By the way, if you are wanting pictures of the north shore... too bad. The ocean was literally glass and there was no one there. So that was stupid, but beautiful.

Day 3: China Town/Arrive in Kauai:

We went to chinatown. I was expecting the China town from San francisco that is mostly for tourists. Um, no. China town was full of gross smells from the many fish and meat markets, and lots of things I didn't recognize. We did get Matt a few trinkets. But other than that, it was pretty nasty. We were on our way to the airport to fly to Kauai anyway, so we didn't stay long.

In Kauai, we stayed at the Waiohai Marriot resort on Poipu beach. To give you an idea of this place, Pierce Brosnan was there the same week, but we didn't see him. These are pictures of our room...

And this was our view... true it was the public side of the beach, but still beautiful.

And the private beach belonging to the resort...

Okay, so now, Blake wants me, so I will have to finish our vacation later. I will post again when he goes down for his nap!

Another week, another post

2007-11-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay (as Blake says when he is leveling with you) I realize that the design of my blog has changed. Um, yeah, I can't even leave furniture in the same places, so be prepared for the design to periodically change.

This past week has been a little crazy and hectic. Lots of stuff going on.

My brother-in-law (that is almost too formal a term) returned from his LDS mission on Wednesday, November 7. We went to the airport to get him, but we missed him coming down the elevator because the parking was atrocious! Seriously, I have never gone to the airport and not parked in the high rise parking that leads to the different terminals. This week, however, we had to park in outer darkness (as our aunt shauna called it) to even think about getting in to the airport. We even had to wait for, and take a shuttle from the parking lot to the terminal. So, when he came down the escalator, only Blake and Annette were there. He must have thought no one cared! When we went back to our cars, we got off the shuttle just as a bunch of Osmonds were getting on (as in Donny Osmond). They were on their way to the Oprah show.

So, now I have one more person living in our house. (If you didn't know by now, my in-laws are living in my basement while they build a house.)

I will make sure to post pictures soon.

Oh--and my sister Paige (see a link for her blog on the right) took this picture of Blake, and while I already documented our trip to the cabin, I have to put it on my blog. It is too cute not to post it.

The hobbit walk

2007-11-05T17:55:00.001-07:00

Okay, so Blake has taken to walking in the ugliest way I could ever think to walk. He kind of hunches his back, sticks out his arms (think mr. burns from the simpsons), bends his knees, and shuffles around the house. I have been trying to get a video of this for a long time now, and I finally did it tonight! ENJOY!

Our Anniversary

2007-11-02T19:43:00.000-06:00

Hello to all! Matt and I have officially been married for five years! Count them! 1-2-3-4-5! I am so glad I married that kid! He had to work all day, so he woke up early and made me breakfast. He doesn't know I took a picture of it. But, it was so sweet. AND--he let me sleep in, so I woke up to this! What a sweet heart.

The fifth year is "wood" as an anniversary gift. We decided to follow traditional gifts for anniversaries, because we can never think of what to get each other. So... I bought Matt a Bonzai Japanese Ficus tree. He is way excited, and he even said we have to go get one of those ugly little pagodas to sit underneath! Dang... that thing is gonna be in my kitchen til the day I die now, right? He designed me these incredible earrings that are yellow sapphires! (Sapphires are my favorite gemstone) and they were in a wood box. True, it is really pushing the "wood" limits, but I won't complain. I will take jewelery over wood any day of the week! Haha!

This weekend we are going to a bed and breakfast in Park City. I will post pics later next week about our "trip".

Blake has been incredibly busy this week. I caught him sweeping the floor in the kitchen the other day. I guess he watched me, and then decided to "help". I also got a great picture of him sweeping. I can't wait to scrapbook it! Notice the incredibly manly pink socks!

2007-10-18T13:27:00.000-06:00

Another week, another post to what is quickly becoming blake's memoirs! He is so busy all day long, that I (brooke) just about fall over after he goes to bed at 7 PM. I know I shouldn't complain because he does go down at 7 and sleeps until 8 AM...I will just have to keep reminding myself that he is a great baby, and I am LUCKY!

An explanation of this picture...Blake loves to throw things away in the garbage. After he puts anything (and I do mean anything--we found two of our spoons in there last week) in the garbage, he throws his hand triumphantly in the air and expects us to clap. Way to go OCD Blake. Don't leave anything on the floor!

Another thing he loves right now, is CURIOUS GEORGE! I swear that little monkey is raising our son. He watches that and Winnie the Pooh everyday. I can quote the dialogue to you if you want...just ask me next time you see me! He does laugh at it a lot which is good, because that means I don't have to entertain him as much. What a slacker mother I am!

He has been ransacking my house lately. Cereal boxes all over the house (he can reach them in the pantry--I finally had to tie the door closed with a ribbon!), bowls and dishes out from under the counter, tissue strewn about like it is snowing... you get it. While it is really really cute, it also makes a lot more work for me! Luckily I have a son that (as I stated above) is a little OCD and loves to put things in order!

At the zoo...

2007-10-08T17:43:00.000-06:00

Today we went to the zoo... well, let me back up a bit. First, Matt went to school and called asking me why no one was on campus. I had to call the main University of Utah line to find out if school was in today. Um yeah-- it wasn't. Surprise, it is fall break...duh, Matt! So, we went to the zoo instead.

We were only there for about an hour, but we had so much fun! Blake ran around the whole time, and refused to ride in his stroller, but that was okay, because the lay out of the zoo is really good for little kids. I think his favorite part was the rhinocerouses (rhinoceri? I don't know what the plural of that is!) There is a viewing window and a rhinocerous was right by it. I think it kind of scared Blake because he gave a little jump.

PS: The reason I (Brooke) am not in any of the pictures, is because I am taking them! I will have to get Matt on the ball!

Going to the Cabin...

2007-10-07T21:34:00.000-06:00

A few weekends ago, we went to the cabin (half way in between Evanston, WY and Park City, UT). We went up for the whole weekend which would account for Matt's scruffiness. Blake and Matt went for a ride on the 4 wheeler, and they were gone for over an hour. And I got worried. (Evidently they went and threw rocks in the pond, and went looking for moose, mistakenly taking the long way home.) When we went to go look for them, they pulled up, and Blake was fast asleep. I guess he thought it was a long ride, too.

Unfortunately, the entire trip to the cabin was not as much fun for Blake. We got up there on a Friday night, and threw up all night Friday (no sleep for mom and dad). The next morning while I was trying to catch up on the sleep I lost, Matt and my brother Scott went into Evanston to do the laundry from the night before. Saturday night was the same thing, as was Sunday night. Luckily Blake is a happy baby, and he was still very pleasant the whole time. By the time we got home, we were all exhausted.

Oh--and my sister Paige, my mom, and I got sick as well (we brought it home with us, though). I can say, from personal experience, I wanted to die!

My first post in my fist blog...

2007-10-07T21:23:00.000-06:00

Holy cow! I cannot believe I am doing this. Those of you who know me, know that I love to talk, but who would have thought I would be rambling via the internet to everyone (and quite probably, no one.)I guess I have to give some credit (or blame, however you look at it) to my brother and siter-in-law, Eric and Heather, for giving me the idea. I love looking at their son on their blog, and it keeps me up to date since I live so far away from them. So here it goes. Cross your fingers for me, and keep checking back. Hopefully, this will be something I want to keep up.