It's Beggining to Look a lot like Christmas

So, here are the pictures of the last couple of days around our house. A lot going on as usual. This one of Juliana was not my favorite, but she insisted on putting it on, so here you go. She was a little bit grumpy going into opening presents, but she soon warmed up to it. We had a really great Christmas and Christmas Eve. Mike had to work on Christmas Eve so, the kids and I planned a fun day to pass the time. In the morning we went to Skate City where every Thursday they offer a $4 class for an hour an half of skating. What a great deal, my kids loved it. We were the only ones there. There were more Skate City workers than class members, but they were all so cute and fun with my kids. They skated and I read a book, fun had by all. I just finished Micheal Connelly's newest book "9 Dragons." It was really good, entertaining and thought provoking as usual. The end took my by surprise, but he usually does that every time I read him. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy crime fiction. So, back to the festivities. I had the kids open up presents from Grandma and Grandpa Nelson and Romney that morning. Grandma Nelson picked out really cute jammies for the kids and then gave them money. We used our money to go and see Princess and the Frog. The kids loved it, it was really cute and the perfect way to spend the afternoon. The next day was Christmas morning. The kids woke up around 7:00 and then we opened up presents. They loved what they got. Mike got a nice shirt and I was given some great gift cards which I have already spent! Thanks dear you are the best! I then cooked a turkey and made a nice Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. It was yummy if I say so myself. That night we were invited over to some friend's house and put together some boxes for service men overseas as a service project. It was a fun evening of service and visiting. Thanks again Ames' for having us over, we had a great time.

We went to see Katherine as well, her headstone has been placed and looks beautiful. Let me know if anyone wants to come with me to see it sometime, anyone is welcome.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Looking forward to having a fun New Year's Eve as well.

Our big Peanut News

I failed to mention in the last post our other really great news that we found out on Monday. I took Joseph in for his peanut allergy food challenge test at the allergy doctor. The food challenge test involves a person giving Joseph a little peanut butter at a time. This made me nervous since this was the first time he has eaten it in almost nine years. But earlier this summer he had gone in and was re-tested for his allergies. His reaction to the tests were very slight and the doctor was fairly certain that he was no longer allergic. He then recommended the test. So, there we were in the doctor's office, the kids were watching Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer and Joseph was eating peanut butter and having apple juice to wash it all down. It was quite the scene. But, he ate all of it in small doses and then she watched him for over an hour while he ate it. He passed and is no longer allergic to anything. Peanut butter sandwiches here we come.

My Big Birthday Girls

So, here are a ton of really cute pictures of the festivities that we have enjoyed the last couple of days. The girl's had their 5th birthday party this past Saturday. We all went to Chuck-E-Cheese and then Red Robin for dinner. They each invited a friend. So, the other cute girls are Ellen the cute red head and Phoebe the cute blond. They had so much fun at Chuck-E-Cheese and then all dined on macaroni and cheese. I enjoyed the cheese burger, so yummy. They all had a great time. The cute dress up clothes are from Grandma Nelson and the pretty church dresses are from Grandma Romney. Thanks guys, they look so cute in them. Happy 5th Birthday my dear sweet Rachel and Juliana. I sure love you!

We also went to our ward's Christmas party and Joseph and Juliana sat on Santa's lap. Rachel had nothing to do with him and was crying and very upset as usual when it comes to Santa. Oh well, maybe next year for her. Merry Christmas to everyone.

The Big Weekend

Well, the long anticipated weekend has come and gone.

We as a family along with Ron and Margaret enjoyed the graduation of Michael Joseph Nelson. He received his MBA from the University of Colorado, Denver yesterday. The graduation was held downtown at the convention center. The kids and I rode the light rail down there and they loved every minuet of riding it to and from Denver. I had packed a large bag of toys to keep them entertained, but they did not play with any of it of course. Mike's parents went early with him and saved us some seats right up front near the graduates. The kids did really well and were troopers sitting through the long ceremony. Fortunately, there were no long winded speeches, very brief remarks and then the presentation of each graduate. Mike looked very distinguished and handsome in his black robe and the graduate colored collar. It was blue and gold which represented what collage he graduated in. We all wore Katherine pins to help keep her close to us. The kids and I felt her there as well. After the ceremony, there was a business collage reception held and we had some cake and lemonade. Then the kids got to ride the train home. But, not before Joseph got to go see the big blue bear. For some strange reason, there is a two story size big blue bear that stands outside the convention center facing inside the large windows of the main entrance. Joseph is obsessed with this. He loves to say, and I quote "Big Blue Bears Bare Bottom." Oh, the joys of a nine year old boy. So, unknown to me, as we were leaving the building, Grandpa Nelson gave Joseph a boost up to the bear bottom and Joseph spanked his bottom. Needless to say he was delighted! Thanks to Ron for making Joseph's dream come true. Joseph is still laughing about it.

We got home in time to attend Joseph's piano recital in which he played a great version of "Frosty the Snowman." He did so good, we were all delighted to see him perform. We then all went out for dinner to Chile's for a great dinner. Thanks to Ron and Margaret for treating us, it was yummy and we had lots of leftovers. We then went home and celebrated Mike's birthday by enjoying some strawberry pie and ice cream. Happy 35th birthday dear. I sure love you and are proud of all your hard work for your degree.

The night before, Mike and I had a great date night at the annual Janus Christmas party. We did not go last year because I was so sick. We really had a great time. It was held at the Marriott Downtown. So, we went downtown twice this weekend. We were riding the light rail a lot! The party was great. They had a great buffet with yummy food. Mike really enjoyed the shrimp and prime rib. I liked the risotto bar where I could order my risotto with what I wanted on the top. So good, that was my favorite thing that night. They had a great live jazz group playing. We sat and listened to them for a while and then called it a night. It was a great date night, thanks dear for taking me.

I was also able to break my new boots in with Montego, I had another great lesson on Friday. I worked on steering through turns and going over trot poles. It was a challenge, but so much fun I love it.

On Wednesday, we had our last night of group therapy at Children's. The kids are sad that it is over. We all really enjoyed doing it as a family. We are planning to go to the Christmas party this week. We will miss going, it has been really good for our whole family to enjoy what they had to offer.

A Cute Christmas Play

So, here are some pictures over the last couple of days. The one at the top is of the dinner with my friends Monday night. The rest are of the girl's pre-school play. They are doing a Christmas play for their party on Saturday. We cannot come to the performance because it is at the same time as the graduation. So, their teacher let Mike and I come today and watch the dress rehearsal. Juliana is in the red and she was a wind up dancing doll. Their friend Phoebe was the elf who was winding up all the toys from Santa's shop to make sure they worked. So, all the toys wound up. Juliana sang and danced. Then Rachel was a dancing ballerina. Then at the end there was a boy who popped out of the box as the Jack in the box. He had to be reminded to stay down in the box until it was his turn. So cute, he kept popping out too soon.

Did you know we have a lot of Birthdays in December?

Well, I think that I will officially declare that we have a lot of birthdays in December. There I said it, "so let it be written, so let it be done". (Bet you cannot guess what movie that is from?) Our good friends the Hart's have their daughter Phoebe who had her birthday last week. The girls and I went over to a fun McDonald's playdate and dined on hamburgers and sundaes, they loved it. We gave Phoebe a Little Pet Shop toy that she could decorate. The girls picked it out, it looked cute. Then, they had another birthday party for one of their friends at pre-school at Little Monkey Business. Phoebe joined us as well. I had three girls in the back seat of the van from here to Parker, it was an adventure. They chatted the whole time. I am not sure about what, but I just enjoyed listening to their little voices, so cute. Monkey Business is a place where they do indoor birthday parties. It is designed for little kids under the age of 7. So cute, the girls loved it. They had an indoor gym and a huge bouncy slide. It was nice for me, I was able to sit in a nice leather chair and read a book while they played and had cake and ice cream. It was quite dreamy. I love the new book I am reading. I have begun Phillipa Gregory's newest "The White Queen." So good, I love it. She has chosen to to a new series this is book one of three about the War of the Roses. The queen she is highlighting is Elizabeth Woodward who was the first queen after the wars. It is told in true Phillipa style, so well written, a great read.

So, back to the birthday celebrations. Mike and I then went out to PF Changs with our home teacher and his wife. He treated us to a yummy dinner, that was so much fun. I am not sure what makes PF Changs food so good, I just know I love it. We got the lettuce wraps and then some beef and chicken dishes. Yummy! We also got free desserts for our birthdays. I got the red velvet cake and Mike the carrot cake.

Then last night, some friends surprised me by taking me out to dinner at Maggiano's. My favorite. I had my usual which was the spaghetti and meatball. So good. We celebrated my friend Rochelle's birthday as well. Happy Birthday Rochelle! I am 8 days older than her. We were given some free lemon birthday cookies and blew out some candles as well. They also surprised me by getting some new paddock boots for me to ride Montego with. This is great, they are so nice and beautiful. Almost so nice, I do not want to wear them to get them dirty at the barn. That means it will not take the whole family to get the boots off my feet. Before, it took the kids holding me down and then Mike yanking them off of me. It was quite the process. In the birthday card, Rochelle wrote that the boots will help me jump over some of the smaller hurdles of my life. That has since brought tears to my eyes (and you know I am not a crier). I have had some really big hurdles lately. But, good food and even better friends make things more bearable.

I guess that means that Mike and the kids will have to come again to the barn to get pictures of me in the new boots so everyone can see how nice and beautiful they are. In case you are wondering what paddock boots are, they are ankle boots worn while riding.

Oh, by the way, the movie quote is from The Ten Commandments starring Yule Brennor and Charleston Heston. Yule plays the foreboding King Rames and that is his famous last words although he says it several time throughout the movie. It is a great movie if you have not seen it, I would recommend it.

This weekend is the birthdays and the graduation, it will be fun and busy and crazy. But, Mike is graduating and I am so proud of him. He has worked so hard and this is something he has wanted for a long time. Job well done dear. I sure love you, you are the best!

The Turkey Trot, Me and Montego Bay

So, here are the pictures from the last couple of days. We had a fun and quiet Thanksgiving. We cooked the meal at the house and then packed it up picnic style and ate with Katherine. We spread out a large blanket and ate as a whole family. It was great weather and a nice dinner. We gave her some pink roses because they always reminder me of her. I used a new recipe from Food Network for the turkey after it cooked. I poured over a cranberry maple glaze, it was yummy. I also tried another new recipe that was called pumpkin cake, so good, I think I may like it better than the pumpkin pie. It was nice to spend the day as a family and we love and miss Katherine so much, we wish she was here but felt she was there in spirit.

The other pictures are of Montego and I as requested by several people. I began the lesson in the outdoor arena and then ended in the indoor arena just in case you are wondering why it looks like two different places. Mike and the kids came today and he was my fantastic photographer, thanks dear you are the best! If Montego looks like he has a buzz cut he does. They buzz cut the horses who live outside in the winter so when they are ridden they can cool down more quickly and not be effected by the cold weather. It was another great lesson, Montego and I worked hard together. The only hiccup was he was spooked and tried to buck me off. But, I held on and was calm and he slowed down. Oh yeah, I remember what it feels like to be bucked off. It is a feeling you do not soon forget. Other than that everything went well. The kids loved seeing the horses again and Mike seems to be warming up to him as well. The whole family if falling in love with him. It is just a Montego love fest.

A Thanksgiving Performance and Play

So, here are some of the pictures of the festivities over the last week or so. The ones of the girls are of them at pre-school doing a little play about Pilgrims and Indians. Rachel is dressed up as the Indian and Juliana is the Pilgrim. They had a ti pi as well, which the girls informed me that was where the Indians lived and slept. The other picture is of them in their paper bonnets like I mentioned the other day. Juliana's ripped pretty much as soon as we got home, thank goodness for tape. When you have kids you seem to go through a lot of it. The other pictures are of Joseph singing in the Timberline choir. The choir is opened to all kids in 4th and 5th grade. He has joined and had a couple of performances last week. The first performance was at the gym in Timberline and the second one was at Barns and Noble night at Southlands. The PTO was doing a fundraiser there at the store and the choir performed. The program was titled "Journey to Freedom: The Story of the Underground Railroad." They sang 6 songs based around the history of the Underground Railroad. The songs were written by a woman whose relatives survived the railroad. You can see hanging in the background a large quilt that their music teacher made with all the different types of symbols that they used to communicate clues to the runaway slaves. The kids had speaking parts that gave the story of each symbol. It was a great night, very historic and informative. Joseph did great (of course). As we were walking into the gym that night he was pointing to the stars and said: "Look mom, look there is the drinking gourd that the slaves used to call the big dipper, they used it as a clue in quilts. That is how they found their way when they were traveling at night." Needless to say I was impressed, I said that is right and then ten minuets later he was singing about it. It was a great learning process for him, I felt he got a lot out of it.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

"Programs and Indians"

The girls had pre-school yesterday and came home wearing some cute bonnets. I took a picture and will plan to put it on the blog when it is on the computer.

For the rest of the day the girls talked and sang about "programs and Indians." I thought that the program meant that they were practicing for the Christmas program that they are performing for the pre-school party. Finally last night after dinner, they were putting their bonnets on again after changing into their jammies and Rachel said that she was a beautiful program. I finally figured it out program meant Pilgrim. The mystery was solved. They made very cute programs, oh I mean Pilgrims.

Montego Meets the Family

Due to the fact that Mike has worked late every night for the past two weeks, we decided to all spend the day together on Saturday. This meant that everyone came down to the barn with me. We bundled up the kids and Mike because it was about 40 degrees and some flurries in the air.

We arrived at the barn and found Montego. The kids adored him. He of course slobbered all over them but seemed to like them quite well. I had a captive audience as the family watched me tack him up and lead him into the arena.

We walked into the arena and Laurie welcomed the whole family. This was the first time she met Mike and Joseph. They sat on the side in tall director chairs so they could have a good view. There was a space heater next to them, so they were quite warm. All of them began laughing at me as I began to mount Montego. I said come on guys, you can't laugh at me yet I am not even on the horse.

I got on and the kids were fascinated with watching me, they loved it. Every time I went by Joseph would say good job Mom, you are doing great Mom. The girls loved seeing all the horses, for there were several riders in the arena at the same time. At one point Juliana tipped over her chair some how. I am not sure how, I just saw her falling. But, her chair was caught by a large trash can sitting right behind her. So, crises adverted.

I was able to do some more jumping over the cross rails. I could hear the kids saying get ready, she going to jump. They loved it and so did I. I just happen to be riding a horse who loves to jump so it is working out really well for me. He makes me look great. He has such great speed and form. Thanks Montego.

We then went to see Katherine and her headstone is ready to be placed. We saw it and are just waiting for it to be installed. It looks beautiful, I am looking forward to seeing it in its proper place.

At Children's Hospital Last Night

My family and I are doing some group therapy at Children's Hospital to help us with the loss of Katherine. It is a 9 week course and includes a 7 week course for Joseph. They provide free child care for my girls. As these weeks have gone by we are enjoyed going more and more. Joseph loves his group and they work on fun and interesting stuff. He made a memory box last night to put things in that remind him of Katherine. He also made a body size of himself out of butcher paper and then wrote how he was feeling on there. It was a good night for him.

Mike usually comes with me to the group but is still working late every night for almost two weeks now. We missed him and look forward to him coming next week.

The reason why I am writing is that I wanted to talk about what I saw last night that warmed my heart and made me think that the world we live in is actually a great place and there are people here who do great work.

After the groups, Joseph and I went downstairs to pick up the girls. We rode down on the glass elevators that are open and you can see down into the lobby. I noticed that the girls were sitting in a group of tables working on crafts. The hospital volunteer staff had organized a craft night for the patients at the hospital. There was a fairly large group of teenagers surrounding the kids and helping them make turkeys and color in coloring books. As I walked up I was surprised to see that two boys each were helping my girls make their turkeys. They were intently watching them and patiently helping them. This was a sight for sore eyes coming from a mother who is grieving. It was so nice to see that these boys took the time to come down to the hospital to help with these kids that night.

There were several other kids there who were patients at the hospital. I lost count with how many different I.V. bags they were hooked up to. One little girl was so weak that her father was helping her hold the crayon to color her turkey.

How blessed I am to have three healthy children. How blessed I am to have one in heaven waiting for me. How blessed I am to be able to take my three children and walk out of the Hospital that night. How grateful I am for these nice young men to come and spend time with my girls. They made my girls night. They even got some really cute stuffed animals as part of the craft night. They are in love with them. They choose an elephant and a dog. It was an uplifting and healing night.

So Much Fun at the Barn

I went and played at the barn again this past Friday. It was so much fun! I had to arrange a sitter as Mike is working on a huge project at work and I have been a single parent for over week. It is getting very tiresome. I admire those parents who do it alone all the time. It is a lot of work.

So, back to the story of the barn. I had arranged a sitter who came a little early so I took off to go there. I arrived early and then got to play with the horses for a while. The horse that I ride truly has a mind of his own. He is a great horse in the arena but can be a bit of a stinker outside the arena. While I was leading him into the cross tie section of the barn to tack him up there was a large bag of carrots sitting off to the side. He was eyeing them and then decided to help himself to the whole bag. He grabbed the bag and bit a whole in the bottom and then grabbed out a carrot with his huge teeth. All the while I am trying to stop him yeah right. I will work more on demanding some respect out of him in the future. The problem is he is not my horse. It is like you are watching someone else's child with the discipline. I do not want to be too mean or over powering. It was a great way to make an entrance. "Hello everyone, look at my ill-behaved horse." It took two other adults to get the bag away from him. It was quite the spectacle. I tacked him up and then waited for my lesson to begin.

The woman who I take lessons from owns several horses and was transacting a sale of one of them while I was there. She was lounging the horse while I watched on. Such a beautiful animal, he looked great. While I was warming up Montego in the arena, she was on the phone with the buyer's lawyer. The buyer was in Michigan. The asking price was $15,000, just $15,000. After the call, I asked Laurie how much Montego was worth and she said more than that. I am riding an expensive horse!

The lesson went great. I am getting better and my legs are not nearly as sore as they used to be at the beginning. All I need now is a new pair of boots and a helmet and I am all set. I was wearing my helmet from when I rode back when I was 12. Laurie informed me it was too old and not safe to ride with. So, now I am borrowing her helmet, tack, and horse. She is so sweet and so willing to help me. Soon I will have a birthday and plan to get some of my own supplies. At the end of the lesson, she let me jump. It was so much fun. It was very basic jump over the cross rails, but it was great. Montego is a jumper, he loves it and is very good at it. He has great speed and great form. Laurie said that I was an ideal jumper because of my size, it makes it easy for the horse to get height and speed. She said the next lessons I will be able to jump some more. Sign me up, I cannot wait.

I have also started my piano lessons with my friend Kayla. It is going great. I think I may actually learn how to play. I am excited. She said in a couple of weeks I will be ready to play some basic primary songs. So "I am a Child of God" here I come. I told her our standard songs sung in FHE are "Love is Spoken Here" and "I Love to see the Temple." She said that I am not ready to play those, but maybe someday. Thanks Kayla for teaching me.

Well, I guess that is all for now, best go have some dinner now the kids are in bed.

About the pictures

I finally have a quick moment to sit and write about the pictures I posted the other day.

The one of just Joseph is from this last month's pack meeting. They had a Rain Gutter Regatta. This means that all the boys in the pack made boats and then sailed them down two rain gutters. It was a race between two boys at a time. It is very similar to the pine wood derby only it is with boats. He won several races and then placed 6th overall in the pack. He won a ribbon that is now on his shirt. He loves it. He had a great time. Joseph is enjoying 4th grade and loves his teacher. I am pretty sure his favorite subject is still recess but who can blame him right?

The middle pictures are of us at the pumpkin patch which I have already written about. The one picture of Mike picking a pumpkin is the one we picked for Katherine. We then gave it to her, I believe there is a picture of us with her as well. I hope she likes it, I am sure she was there with us.

The other pictures are us with all the Halloween festivities that went on. It was a Halloween extravaganza. Joseph had his school parade and then the girls had their pre-school party later that day. Then that night we all went to a fun Halloween party. We all had a great time and enjoyed wearing the costumes. The girls told me that I looked like a beautiful red princess and loved caring the back of my cape around. Have you ever tried to load a dishwasher while wearing a long red cape with two four year olds caring the back of it? I would recommend it if you have nothing else to do. It was an adventure. We went and saw Katherine on Halloween as well, needless to say it was a busy day.

Now onto Thanksgiving, I just love the fall what a great time of year.

All the Halloween Pictures

So, here are all the cute pictures from the last couple of weeks for Halloween Festivities. We all had a great time. I will write more later, off to church now.