Our trip to Silver Mountain

So, because Mike misses Tyler so much, he couldn't stand the thought of doing the annual General Conference/Snowboarding trip to Utah. He decided that it would be better for our family to take a trip to Kellogg, Idaho and visit Silver Mountain for a little ski & swim. At the resort there they have a big indoor water park complete with 3 tubular slides, a lazy river, a surf station, a kiddies' play area and a couple of hot tubs and more. We showed up on Thursday in the late afternoon. After check-in, Mike and the boys went down to the water park while Mykalyn and I had to make a "stuff forgotten" trip to the nearest Wally World. We came back, made up Jordan River Mud Cake and threw it in the crock pot to cook while we hit the water park too. It was fun. Mike was brave enough to do the surf station and he wasn't half bad! We stayed and played for a while, but then it seemed to be a little stuffy in there and we went to the outside hot tub. It is amazing that a 15 minute gondola ride away there is a whole mountain for them to snowboard on because the weather down in the resort was pretty dang mild.

After playing we sat down to watch Tangled which was a pretty cute movie. I am glad that the kids still like Disney movies. I'll be bummed when I have no one left to buy them for but me. Maybe by the time that Brigam thinks that they are ridiculous, I will have grandkids to buy them for and watch with. It could happen, Brigam is 9, Jeremy is 16 and still watches them. I wonder what Tyler will be doing in 7 years.........

The next day was April 1st. Better known as April Fool's Day. For breakfast the kids had cereal with milk and these great bacon and egg concoctions. It was great to call them to the table for this little "surprise" and start their day off with a sugar high!

The 4 of them were so happy to come back on the gondola at lunch and eat their lunch in this great room we got. It was super nice with a full kitchen, bedroom with a king sized bed and a couch that pulled out for a queen sized bed. They were toasty and the lunch made them refuel for another round on the mountain.

When they came home for dinner, I had a crock pot chicken dish cooking all day and they said they could smell the deliciousness of that smell all the way down the hall. Their tummies were going to be happy. Little did they know that I had another April Fool's food choice on the menu. It was fish sticks (rectangular wafers covered in peanut butter and corn flakes), peas (made from Laffy Taffy) and potatoes and gravy (made from a scoop of vanilla ice cream and hard shell chocolate topping). This type of meal is a traditional April Fool's Day happening in the Nelson household.

Last year Mykalyn helped out by making a sugar cookie "pizza" with candy toppings. She was very creative. But this year she made my day when she said,  "Mom, I didn't even see the April Fool's breakfast coming. I thought, 'Maybe she'll do the dinner', but then I was like 'we're on vacation. She's not going to pack all that stuff.' Mom you are so cool." Ok, forming all 120 peas from Laffy Taffy just got "worth it" with that comment.

After dinner, we went to the hot tub again. Then they played in the water park some more.

You know, I enjoy going on vacation with everyone, but the kind of vacations that Mike likes to take - well they aren't really for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being with them, I just enjoy my vacations to include at least one or more books, shopping (which includes buying stuff - not food), classes and stuff like that. Mike likes total ACTION and MOVEMENT. I enjoyed my time with all of them, but they are concerned that I didn't have fun. I did! I just like to do my own thing.

A little bit of catch up from January 2011 to the end of March 2011

 So this is a picture of Me and Jeremy up in Walla Walla where Jeremy FINALLY got his drivers license.  It took an extra week to get because he failed the first time, but the second time was the charm. 

Jeremy finally gets his license on January 25. 2011

 This is one of our great elders that we were privileged to get to know.  Elder Joseph (Seph) Smith (I am not kidding) was so green, but had the strongest  testimony and was so courageous.  He was the one that asked Kim if she would take the discussions.  He was awesome!  And had the same birthday as our Tyler, so it was fate.  He spent his birthday with us.  We had turkey dinner, cake and his parents sent a video of them singing Happy Birthday and a bunch of letters.  He was so happy.

Elder Smith in the middle of birthday wishes



Elder (Seph) Smith and Elder Boren celebrating Elder Smith's birthday - same day as Tyler's!

 This is part of our downstairs.  I bought us a game table for fun in the fun "Broncos" room.  It will be a lot of fun in the future!

New game table downstairs

 

So this was the Southridge Rock on Jeremy's birthday.  His friends got together to put their birthday wishes on the painted rock.  Unfortunately for someone else whose birthday wishes were on the rock first, Jeremy's name got placed over theirs.  Bad boys!  But happy Jeremy.

Jeremy and the rock of birthday wishes

Jeremy and the back side of the rock

Jeremy's friends love him

Valentines Stuff!

Valentine's Day for Brigam's teacher

My Valentine's Day gifts from Mike.  Beautiful Roses (yes, Mike broke down and gave me dead flowers for the special day) and a Cricut Cake cutter.

Valentine's gifts.  Brigam's valentines - Dum Dum suckers as crutches.  Water as Love Potion.  Sugar cookie hearts, yummy!

Valentine's Day gifts



Valentine's Day gifts.  Pop the top in case of a chocolate emergency.

Mykalyn's first Softball Tourney March 2011.  She was having some fun there!

Mykalyn working on pitching, I mean posing.



Mykalyn as shortstop and Sara as pitcher at their first softball game.





Mykalyn's Diamond Buster Team singing the taco bell song?



Mykalyn at bat

 In January, a local church put on a Daddy/Daughter Ball that Mykalyn attended with her dad and two other girls and their fathers.  They went out for dinner and had photos and everything.  It was to teach the girls just how they should be treated on a date.

  

Mykalyn all ready for the Daddy/Daughter Ball





Mykalyn and Dad ready for the Daddy/Daughter Ball





Sara and Brea at the Father/Daughter Ball



Mykalyn and Sara at the Ball





Mike's prepared for snowboarding.  Yes, I am serious.



Jeremy placing his very first wrist corsage on Emmy Vaughn

Did you know those run $20 a wrist?  I think I'll be making the next one!

Emmy and Jeremy ready for the Priest/Laurel dance

My kids LOVE Cool Whip!



I told Brigam to go get a spoon for a spoonful of Cool Whip - this is what he came back with.  Smart boy.

I had a free Saturday (yes, odd I know) so Mykie and I made crown cookies.  We wanted to stress the importance of the upcoming Young Women's General Broadcast.  It brought back great memories of last year when a group of us were lucky enough to attend the broadcast in person.  LOVED IT!

Crowns packaged for my Young Women as an invite to the YW General Broadcast



Sugar Cookie crowns for the Young Women.  Yummy

Funny, funny MONDAY!

Here's a joke to start your Monday off with a laugh.............



An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.


Dear Bubba:

I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me.

Love, Dad

A few days later, he received a letter from his son.

Dear Dad:

For heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the BODIES.

Love, Bubba

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local Police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.

That same day, the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Dad:

Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. It's the best I could do under the circumstances.

Love, Bubba

Hee, hee, hee!

Elder Nelson - Phone Home!

So Christmas is always something to look forward to, but this year it was special because I knew that we would be able to talk with Tyler.  We were so excited when he called about 10 am our time.  We had some trouble because he gave us a number to call back to, but it was pretty hard to get through.  We finally did it though and we all talked to him for like 2 hours.  It was great.  We all just hung out on a phone and said whatever we wanted when we wanted.  It was like having him in the house because we were all walking around and hearing his voice wherever we were. 

He is doing so well.  We are so proud of the things he is learning about himself.  And the Christ-centered life he is trying to live. 

He told me in an email the week before that he was really looking forward to our phone call and that he "freakin' loves me".  Now I am really not a fan at all of the word freakin, but if he is going to use it in that way, I'll take it!

We had sent him two packages before Christmas.  It's hard to send stuff to a missionary because they don't really have a lot of room to pack a lot of stuff around.  But we found some stuff.  Luckily he did get both of them which I was concerned about because they say that Mexico is pretty tough to get packages through to their intended recipients.  There are others that think that I am actually sending boxes to them, even though they say CLEARLY  to Elder Nelson  So that's what his picture of the boxes are.  He was pretty happy to get some stuff from home.

We did find him some stuff he'd enjoy.  Just some stuff from the States that he couldn't get there.  I made him a Denver Broncos stocking and filled it with all of his favorite Christmas candy.  He was thrilled with his packages and felt the love we wanted him to feel sent from his family at home to him.

Just to the right of the center/top of this picture is a little black book that I made.  It was based on this video on youtube.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAjZ8mfoYw

Its from Elder Busche and it's a great uplift for anyone.  I made one for Jeremy after he introduced me to the video on line.  So I decided to make one for Tyler as well.  He was so appreciative of it.  He told me that he loved the book and told his companion, "Look!  My mom made this!"  He's never been so proud of my crafting before!

This is a picture of Elder Nelson with his Mission President.  His name is President Alin Spannaus.  Tyler really loves him.  His testimony has grown so much because of the experiences that they have had together.  It's been a great experience for him.  

So our Christmas was complete with Tyler in the picture as well.  We miss him so much, but we know that he is doing something that will benefit not only him and his future family, but many others in his future.  He's already been out there a little over 300 days, so we are almost 1/2 way to a Homecoming Party!

2010 Ketchup! Hee, hee, hee......

I thought I'd update my blog a bit since it hadn't been done in a while.  I can't remember if I included some of the following photos or not, so if I did - enjoy the trip down memory lane!

So this was of my birthday.  A DQ cake.  YUMMY!  They are so nice to me (well, I'd have to give all the credit to Mike because the kids don't have enough allowance pooled together to get me a slice of DQ cake, let alone a whole one!  Only because their allowance is $0.00 per week!)  Mike also generously gave me some moola for a shopping spree and I did indulge (in both the cake and the shopping spree!)

Here's Brigam trying on snowbarding gear in Dec.  It's all hand-me-down stuff (notice the pink goggles :), but he seemed excited to hit the slopes. But when the first couple of opportunities for "snow fun" came, he didn't want to go.  He was under the impression that he would be getting all new gear from Santa for Christmas and said he would wait until then.  Then he would "tear up the slopes" with his siblings.  I was doubtful he would go at all even if Santa filled his wish list with shredding gear.  Where did he get the idea Santa was a snowboard giver anyway??????

Brigam got to make his own gingerbread house at school.  He was so excited to bring it home and show his artistic/creative side.  I know that it just looks like angled graham crackers surrounded by candy on a plate, but believe you me, just about each candy was something special.  It had a job and a purpose.  I'm telling you that he'd do great building booby traps for high security buildings.  After photos, he was a pretty nice guy who was more than willing to share his treasure-trove of sugar bliss with his siblings.  He's nice like that, you know.

 So here we are getting ready for the Cable Bridge Run.  Don't we all look so dang cute in our "fun" hats?  We actually all ran in the hats.  It was a crazy day to do it.  We got a fresh blanket of snow during the middle of the night of a few inches.  It was cold and slick, but it was fun.  We all did the 3 mile run (you can do 1, 3 or 6 miles) and their times were pretty good.  Of course, mine would have been better but I had to bring up the rear to make sure no Nelsons were lost during the running of this tradition!

Our results are as follows:

Jeremy 27:38

Brigam 34:31

Mike 38:40

Mykalyn 44:10

Terilyn 44:27

Not too bad, but now we have a baseline to beat next year!

 So here is Christmas Morning.  Of course, Mykalyn is always prepared for the camera.  They were so excited!  Brigam did get is board from Santa.  It looks like Jeremy was as excited for Brigam as he was!

Jeremy got a new board as well.  It was sorely needed since he decided to grow a bit this past year.  It was funny because he was so wrapped up in Brigam's board, that he failed to see his own leaning against the wall.  Needless to say, he was excited.  I had to tell him to "take that thing out of your mouth"!  I know, and he's almost 16.

 Brigam got a snowboarding helmet (thank goodness Dad's a safety geek and thinks it's important.)  He was so excited because his helmet can plug into the new to Brigam, used Ipod that Peggy gave him.  He's rockin' ready for the slopes now.

 Jeremy has an oral fixation.  He loves things, he puts them in his mouth.  Here is his Denver Bronco leather wallet.  "Jeremy, get that thing out of your mouth!"

 Mykalyn got new goggles.  Unfortunately they were not pink, but they did fit and that is a step up from the pink ones.  Isn't she so photogenic?

 She desperately needed a new camera.  Her one she got last year got loved to DEATH.  She is so happy to not have to hang on to a battery compartment while she takes the shot so that the batteries don't pop out!

It was a great Christmas morning.  One in which we got to talk to Tyler for quite a while.  Please see previous post.

And this is how we celebrated New Year's Day.  We had a baptism.  It was truly a great way to start off the year.  Our friend, Kim Dueno, got baptized.  That is Elder JOE Smith (not kidding) on the left.  He has the same birthday as Tyler.  He is awesome.  Next to him is Bishop LaDow.  That's who Kim wanted to have baptize her.  There's Brigam.  He's the reason Kim wanted to find out more about the church.  She saw something in Brigam that was missing from her own life and the lives of her boys.  She was brave enough to check it out.  Next is KIM!!!  She is truly awesome.  She is golden.  She is such a strong daughter of our Heavenly Father.  I am so glad to call her my friend.  She amazes me and makes me want to be a better Latter-Day Saint.  On the end is Elder Boren.  He came in the picture the Wednesday before Kim's Saturday baptism.  Not pictured is our Elder Perkes who was transferred just that Wednesday before the 1st of Jan.  He was very instrumental in Kim's teaching and learning as well.  Great missionaries!  Greatest of all experiences for me to be a part of.

Brigam and Kim.  His "second" mom and I am truly OK with that. 

Here's the latest pic of my Mom and Dad.  I told my parents they better enjoy their last Christmas in Mongolia.  They need to come home now and hang out with their grandkids before they are all out of the house.  Isn't my mama beautiful?  You know she is.  They are expected back the first part of May.



Snow Day

So this was our first snow day of the year.  It definitely lived up to it's name!  There is a ton of it out there, so much that it was hard for everyone to keep up with shoveling it!

I enjoyed myself. This is what I worked on on this fine winter day!

 Come on in Christmas.....it's warm in here!

Just a mild indication that my children will NEVER drink coffee

So Mykie had her first experience with a Starbucks today.
It all started last week at middle school in one of her classes. Mykalyn is working on a clay sculpture illustration from one of the pages of her favorite books. She needed some clay which her teacher provided. Well, Mykalyn was doing a terrific job with the clay provided (that's a different story, but she's really good at sculpturing), but needed a little more to complete the job, so she went back to the teacher for more. Unfortunately, he was out of clay.
Somehow they got into a discussion about clay and if Craft Warehouse did or did not have any. So both wanting to be right, a bet was made. I know what you're thinking, "A bet? Isn't Mykie a Mormon?" The answer is YES she is and that life lessons are always being taught. Our job is to learn from the lesson being taught!  Mykie was going to learn that betting could be not enjoyable.
So she bet. The bet was that Mr. Tolkey would buy Mykalyn a soda if she was correct about clay NOT being at Craft Warehouse and on the flip side, Mykalyn promised to buy Mr. Tolkey a COFFEE if he was wrong. Sometimes we are so blinded by wanting to be right, that we don't know what we are doing!
Long story short.....Mykalyn LOST the bet. So she needed to pay up. Mr. Tolkey wrote down exactly what coffee she needed to purchase and she brought the paper home.
This morning, she told me that we needed to go buy him a coffee. I informed her that I would not be buying any coffee. I told her that she would be buying the coffee herself. Originally, I had given her $5.00 to buy more clay at school. She asked me if she could use the $5.00 I had given her for clay to purchase the coffee. I said, "Sure, Mykie. Take the money I gave you for school supplies and use it to pay off your bets." She looked a little pleased with that statement so I clarified that I (unsuccessfully) was using sarcasm and that there was no way that I was going to pay off her bet. She'd have to use her own money.
So I was nice enough to drive her to Starbucks this morning before driving both Jeremy and Mykalyn to school. She asked me to go through the drive thru. I told her "NO! I am not ordering the coffee." I told her that she'd have to go in the store herself, order it herself and purchase it herself. She wasn't too happy, but did it anyway. Jeremy and I sat in the car being happy, Jeremy didn't want to have to go in and "smell the coffee"!
Soon she came out holding the coffee like it was acid. She did spill some on her and the way she acted, you'd have thought she was picking up dog poop with her bare hand! She put it in the cup holder and started to complain about the smell of the coffee house - she was all worried that she smelled like coffee.
So then we have Jeremy in the car who has THE MOST SENSITIVE nose ever created. He had to have all the windows rolled down and he "can still smell it! Gross!" He was worried that he also was going to smell like that "evil substance" all day. All the way up to his school, she and Jeremy were talking about the smell and the way it makes one's breath smell, and wondered VIGOROUSLY why anyone would ever drink something that smelled so bad. It was a little comical, really.
Although it was funny, I have to conclude that coffee drinking will never be an addiction for either of those kids.