Santa Pictures

A Visit to see Santa

We were able to take the kids to Santa on Friday night. Santa comes to the Carosel and that in and of itself is a highlight. The boys only wanted to ride the horses, but I made them sit on Santa's lap before they could ride.

We are ready and excited for Christmas. The girls have three more days of school and then get a nice long break. We have so much excitement it is oozing out the door at our house.

Playing Catch Up

It has been awhile since I have posted. Life has been a little nuts. I have had alot of projects going with Christmas and Primary. I think I am to the point of having all of my shopping done. Now I just have to wrap it all and do some of the last minute things.

We were able to spend this weekend for the Nielson Family Christmas Party. It was a day full of games, food, presents and spending time with the cousins. We were able to do a family picture with all of Matt's family. It has been about 5 years since the last one, so it was fun to do that.

Most of the grandkids who participated in the Nativity.

Our nephew Ryan is leaving on his mission on Wednesday, so we were able to also attend his Mission Farewell. It was a fun weekend and we look forward to the next couple of weeks as we count down to Christmas.

Our family with Elder Nielson. We love you and good luck to you as you leave on your mission.

Change is Good (Right?)

Change is going on all around us. I am checking some big to do's off of my list. Number one was get the boys potty trained. Check. Number two was to get the boys out of their cribs and into toddler beds. I have been putting this off, just because they have never climbed or even tried to climb out of their cribs and it is so nice having them contained in one spot at night. I finally decided they are almost 3 1/2 and they are big boys now, so it was time. Last night we took two of the cribs down and put two toddler beds in and then we converted one of the cribs to a toddler bed. They were all so excited and could hardly wait to get in bed. The first night was good, so let's hope they continue to do well in their beds and stay in bed at night.

Before....

and after...

Aiden with a very cheesy smile.

Brock showing me his "gamey."

Collin playing his Leapster.

Winter has arrived. Today we got a couple of inches of snow. Matt and Kayla went out to move some snow and get a start on our snow hill for sledding. Whether we like it or not, it isn't going to be warm until May around here.

We are looking forward to all of the upcoming holidays and I have a really good start on my Christmas shopping. Hopefully I can finish up in the next couple of weeks and then we can start decorating and really counting down the days.

They Did It

The boys are actually potty trained. The first 2 days were really rough and we had several accidents. After the first few days they started figuring it out pretty quick. They get excited to go and love getting the potty treats. We have been accident free since Thursday. Let's just hope they don't digress from where they are. It was something I was totally dreading, but after the first few days, it wasn't to bad. I actually survived potty training multiples.

Aiden, Brock and Collin all ready for church

Last night we carved pumpkins. The kids have been looking forward to that all week since we bought the pumpkins. The girls had fun cleaning them out and choosing their faces, and the boys had a lot of fun as well. I bought them the little kits that they could put their own pieces on and that was fun for them. Collin loved it the most. He even wanted to take his pumpkin to church with him today, and it was quite traumatic.

Aiden and his witch pumpkin

Brock and his Frankenstein pumpkin

Collin and his pirate pumpkin

Friday night we went to the Spookfest at the girls school. The kids loved all of the carnival games and got some fun prizes. They are really excited to go trick-or-treating and get lots of candy.

Potty Training

Yes. Those are two words I have dreaded for a long time. It is finally time to bite the bullet and start the potty training process. We have bought the cool underwear, bought M & M's for potty treats, filled a basket full of prizes and made potty charts. What more could we need? A little cooperation. I am constantly asking them if they need to go potty or always trying to make them sit on the potty to go and I am getting some resistance. They have all gone only once in the potty but we have spent a lot of time sitting on the potty. I am getting frustrated already, and we just started. I am wanting to get it done before the holidays, but I am beginning to wonder if they will every figure it out.

Aiden and Collin trying to be successful.

Brock in front of his potty chart.

I have never potty trained boys before, so I am clueless if my approach is going to work. If any of you have any suggestions, I am totally open to them.

I had to share this funny picture of Kayla from the other night. I went in to turn her lamp off and she just looked so cute with her pig and her hair done up in little buns. (The little buns make the girls hair kind of wavy/curly if you put them in wet and let them dry completely.)

Also, a couple of weeks ago, Matt was able to go over to the pool and test the redone water slide. It took them several tries to get the water slide right and this time it was good. Several guys went down this time around and no one got injured. The kids and I were able to go in and watch while they tried it out. It was fun for the kids. (I am pretty sure Matt enjoyed it as well.)

Family Pictures

It is that time of year when I get excited, because we update the family picture. I love to get an outdoor picture and I love to get it in the fall. Our pictures turned out so good this year and I love them. Here are just a few of my favorites. Also check out the pictures on the right hand side down the blog.

Cave Falls

Last weekend we took a drive to Cave Falls. It was a gorgeous day and I think that our nice weather isn't going to last much longer. It was fun to get out and take the kids somewhere they have never been before. It was a really fun day.

Tree Trimming

On Saturday we went up to my parents house to help them with a little project. They have a huge tree that is their neighbors, but it hangs over their fence. This summer it has pushed out and broken their fence, so my dad decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He rented a boom truck to handle the issue. He started out going up first to cut the branches down, but he couldn't do the height factor, so Matt was next in line. Matt willingly go in the boom and went up about 50+ feet with chainsaw in hands. After a couple of hours, all that remained of the problem was the mess on the lawn. Matt loved every minute of this. It was right up his alley of fun Saturday projects. I guarantee if we ever need trees trimmed again, he will just go rent himself a boom truck.

Fishing Trip

On Monday night we went with our next door neighbors to the Nature Park to fish in the ponds. The kids had a fun time. All the kids caught at least one fish and some caught more than one. By the end the boys were being a little to adventurous for me, so I was ready to go. Here are some of the pictures with the fish.

Brock with the fishies.

Collin with the fishies.

Last weekend we went to Kemmerer, Wyoming, to see Matt's brothers family. It was a fun trip. Matt was able to go fishing all afternoon on Friday with his two brothers and dad. They caught some nice fish. On Saturday we got to see all of the Nielson Family at my nephew's baptism. It was a fun time and a fun weekend together.

On the way home from Wyoming, Brock and Aiden fell asleep and they looked exactly alike. I guess that's what happens when you come from the same gene pool.

Back on Schedule

It has been so nice having the girls back in school and getting back on a schedule. I function better with schedule and I enjoy being back on it. The girls are loving school and their teachers. Kayla adjusted really well to going to school all day. I am enjoying my time in the afternoon after I put the boys down for their nap and before the girls get home from school. I feel like I get a lot more accomplished.

The boys are missing the girls while they are at school. They always want to go somewhere and when I take them, they aren't good kids at all. I am really struggling lately dealing with three three-year-olds. We are in the terrible three stage times three and there are days I want to pull my hair out. I keep telling myself that they are just kids and don't know any better, but I am beginning to wonder if I am going to survive.

The girls dressed Brock up the other day in a dress and cute little headband and even the shoes. He thought it was pretty funny, but his dad sure didn't think so.

Today has been really nice having Matt and the girls home. We went on a bike ride to the park this morning and the kids were able to play on the toys. Then we had a picnic lunch and rode the carousel for the last time this year. It was a fun morning. Matt and the girls are off to the pool this afternoon for one last swim before the season ends. It is hard to believe that September is already here. Fall is just around the corner. I don't know if I am ready to be cooped up for the winter yet. We better enjoy as much time outdoors as possible.

1st Day of School

Today was the first day of school for the girls. They have been so excited and anxiously waiting for this day to arrive for a couple of weeks.

Kayla is a big 1st grader this year. I am excited for her to go all day. She was as well. She could hardly wait to eat lunch at school.

Paige is in 4th grade this year. She has been excited for school to start all summer long. She loves school, and I hope she continues to enjoy it this year.

We got them up, ready and ate breakfast and then I walked with them to school this morning. They were excited and anxious to start the day. They will be home in about half and hour and I am anxious to see how their days went.

The boys were a little out of sorts today. They kept asking where Paige and Kayla were. It is going to be a big adjustment for them. They have enjoyed having their sisters to play with all summer. Now that the girls have started school, I get to tackle a big project that I have been dreading for awhile now. POTTY TRAINING!!! It is going to be challenging to say the least, but it is something we have to do. We went and bought them some underwear yesterday and they think it is so cool. They like to wear it over their diapers around the house. They also like to wear it on their heads (Thanks Matt.) I am keeping my fingers crossed that it goes smoothly. If you have any advice, let me know.

Collin, Aiden and Brock sporting their Cars underwear

Kayla's 6th Birthday

Yesterday Kayla celebrated her 6th birthday. I can't believe she is that old. I remember the day I had her. She is such a stinker sometimes, but we sure love having her in our family. She brings nonstop excitement and drama. We sure do love her and had fun celebrating with her.

On Friday she had a friend birthday party. The theme was Tangled and she had a fun time. We did some fun games and activities, had sugar cookies on a stick (she informed me she didn't want cake this year) and she got some fun presents.

Yesterday we had my mom and dad over for birthday dinner and presents. She got the Tangled polly pocket castle, a cd player, a BFC doll, a pillow pet and some clothes. She has played all day with her fun gifts.

Now we only have a week and a half of summer left and school starts. I don't know who is more excited, me or the girls.