Big Yawn.....

NOBODY PANIC.
But our once mild and so sweetly mannered (but more recently turned dr. Jekel (or would that be Hyde? I can never remember which is the evil one) two year old, has started NOT taking naps.
Okay. Mind is racing again. Heart is starting to beat faster. Palms are sweaty.
It's not the end of the world, right? No, not quite the end of the world. But.....how do they say it in "Over the Hedge"?.....
Just the end of the suburban peace and TRANQUILITY!

Here's the daily routine, you know - the one I'm used to. Wake up, have a nice normal morning, do normal stuff that we all do, eat lunch, put said two year old down for nap, read scriptures, do a little cleaning (or a lot of cleaning....depending on the day and the mess), work on primary things, prepare for piano lessons, make dinner, exercise if needed, and take a shower if necessary (note: not ALL of these things happen everyday. That would take some sort of super powers that I definitely do not possess)......
It's a selfish schedule, I know.

When two years olds don't take naps, here's the routine..... Have a nice morning, do normal stuff that we all do, eat lunch, put said two year old down for nap. Said two year old has LONG conversation with self. Two year old sings. Two year old jumps in crib like trampoline. Talks to baby. Pushes the buttons on the Little Einstein fishy music thing in her crib. Makes more conversation. Sings more songs. Jumps a little more. Meanwhile, mom is not being a lick of productive due to the sounds and wonderment of still awake child, and a tinge of guilt over leaving obviously not tired two year old in crib. Looks at the clock... could an hour and a half really have gone by and she's still singing?

AREN'T YOU TIRED YET???

She's not a bit interested in a little shut eye apparently.
So, mom retrieves child and all is well. Until 4:30. Then Mr. Jekel arrives for the remainder of the evening.
Actually, the temperment is probably more comparable to Dr. Jekel with a paper cut, a headache, and a moderate case of pms.
Love her as we do, this self-prescribed no nap taking child has been slightly less than pleasant to be around....mostly after 4:30. By 7:00 we're ready to give her to the Gypsies.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. Oh wait....maybe I am. Sorry.
I love her none the less. We all still adore her. We're just not sure what to do when two yeard olds decide not to nap anymore.

From This.....to This.....

Wasn't it just yesterday she was this cute chubby cheeked, blond hair 3 year old?????? Where did the time actually go??



Alright, before I haul off and start singing a fairly sappy rendition of Sunrise Sunset, let it suffice to say that really truly and honestly....I can't hardly believe she's eight.
Her birthday (which she has LITERALLY been planning and talking about for 9 months now) was a big success. From our traditional birthday breakfast in bed.....a tradition that had a fairly fancy beginning years ago - waffles with strawberries & whip cream, bacon, and orange juice....or WHATEVER the birthday person requested for breakfast. However, the past 3 years, the kids have all opted for a box of cold cereal.
Of their choice.
The sugary kind.
And it's not Chex. Or Honey bunches of Oats either.
Cookie Crisp so far has been the standing favorite. (Why they'd choose that over waffles with strawberries and whip cream is beyond me....)



Swimming that night was triple amounts of fun! How could you go wrong at the Bountiful pool - that place is awesome! And top the weekend off with a her Baptism on Saturday (Thanks for our fabulous family and friends for coming to share that day with her!)

Emma is our very independent, wants to do things her way, but still tender hearted, mostly girly-girl -(but occasionally a Tom-boy....she'll remind me) - who quite often reminds me of spiritual things that are far more important in the bigger scope of things!

Here's to you -
Happy 8th Birthday Emma!

Kid funny

We were talking about baptism in that thing we do on Monday nights.....seeing as how Emma will be doing that in a couple of weeks.

So....she asks if they FOR SURE drain the font of ALL the water after someone is baptized, then fill it up with fresh water for the next person?

Not sure where she was going with this one.... was she worried the water would be cold? Our faces may have looked a little puzzled. She noticed we weren't quite getting her question and simply said....

"I don't want anyone elses 'washed out' sins all over me!"

What made it even cuter was the fact that she was completely sincere and very WORRIED about this...If you are 'clean' after being baptized, then surely your sins must somehow fall into the water, then the next person being baptized in that same font would absorb all the residue of sins floating around in the water....

or something like that.

She gets the cute comment of the day award!

It's a MIRACLE!

Maybe some of you 'stay-on-top-of-it-house-wives' will not have an appreciation for this post because you..well, stay on top of it. Not so much at the Nelson house. I hate laundry. I know hate is a fairly harsh word, and we teach our children not to say it. But, I think I really am feeling that emotion for the laundry. period. And I'm not afraid to admit it.
I do love empty laundry baskets. And I love the smell of clean laundry. But the laundry it's self is probably one of my worst re-occurring nightmares.
Maybe because it's never done. Done done. The moment the laundry bin is empty, you look at the clock - realize it's 8:30 p.m., the kids will be putting on their pajamas in 10 minutes or so - which means the clothes that were ON their bodies - will be going into the laundry bin. So....you spend the next ten minutes standing in your laundry room - for a moment of peace and tranquility, admiring the empty baskets that will be empty no more.
Argh.
As of late, I've not been all too fabulous at keeping the laundry circle moving. I can get it washed and dried pretty good, but once I'm one or two loads behind in folding - well, I might as well be 100 loads behind. Good Husband has rescued sad wife (more than I'd like to admit here) by holding late night family folding sessions. And sad wife always has load of guilt hanging over her head at her inability to stay on top.

But...brace yourselves people......for 14 days straight......
I HAVE DONE IT!!!! WAHOOOOO!!!!
Say it with me.....THE LAUNDRY CAN BE DONE!!!!
I know our mothers taught us not to toot our own horns, so consider this a non-tootage shout out that for the past 2 weeks there have been clean socks, underwear, and pants readily available for all to wear.
Let me hear a WOO-WOO!
Okay, lest I take all the credit and become lifted up in pride, I best digress a little. It might be helpful here to mention that for the past few weeks the boys have been doing their own laundry in order to pass off a line in their Faith in God and Duty to God.
So, maybe I shouldn't be quite so ecstatic about this situation - seeing as how the amount of dirty clothes I single handedly handle has been minimized by two bodies. OR maybe I should be completely thrilled at the seaming solution we have inadvertently found here.

I think I'm liking this arrangement.

Crazy eights

8 Item Tag

Here are the rules:

1)Post the rules on your blog.

2)Answer the six '8' items on the tag.

3)Let each person know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

8 Favorite TV Shows: Hum....I'm really not a TV watcher. But I guess if I am going to watch anything, it would probably be
1. 10:00 News - KSL please
2. Mash re-runs
3. Cosby Show
4. ....um
5. .....
6. I really am not kidding...I don't watch TV
7. .....
8. Oh, how could I forget the Jazz games? I do watch those and they are awesome!


8 Things I did Yesterday:
1. Helped at kids school
2. Ran 2 miles....huffing and puffing the whole way!
3. Made Freezer meals (hoorah.....I love these freezer meal groups!)
4. Taught piano lessons
5. Went to Tyler's futsol game
6. Spent nearly 2 hours on the phone between primary phone calls and a call to my mom
7. Watched Emma show me her new tricks on the bars at the school playground
8. Read bedtime stories - my favorite!


8 Things To Which I'm Looking Forward:
1. Blue sky and 85 degrees!
2. Nelson family trip to Disneyland...hopefully this November :)
3. Emma getting baptized
4. Hiking
5. Running a half marathon with Jason (well...I'm KIND OF looking forward to that :)
6. Green grass, and the smell of a freshly mowed lawn
7. A garden - fresh tomatoes and fresh peaches
8. Serving a mission


8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. PF Changs - the lettuce wraps are to die for!
2. Dragon Hill
3. Olive Garden (just for the bread sticks, alfredo sauce, and salad)
4. Applebees (they make a killer oriental salad)
5. Osaka - a little Japanese place in Provo
6. Subway (okay, boring selection I know.....but sometimes a good Veggie sub just hits the spot!)
7. Wingers wings are pretty good. Tyler LOVES wingers celery. Go figure.
8. Tempanyaki



8 Things on My Wish List:
1. A good thick head of hair - oh what I wouldn't give for that!
2. Grand piano (I'd even settle for a baby grand)
3. A finished, fully functional master bathroom....oh what the heck - how about ALL the house projects finished.....and while we're wishing, how about some extra money to decorate as well?
4. A mouth with out major dental issues.
5. To be financially secure. Completely.
6. Confidence
7. perfectly manicured yard (I know I copied from Mechelle....but I LOVE perfect yards!)
8. A college degree (someday....)