4th of July FUN!!

We started the weekend by going to Provo for 'Freedom Days' - we enjoyed entertainment, food, booths & rides. We also got to see the car show - Kaleb liked the army truck.

The next morning we went to the 4th of July Parade.



The kids favorite things to see are the drummers in the school bands, the cool floats and balloons.

Mine & Andys favorite parts - the Liahona Band & dancers........and of course, the Provo Mission float - we LOVE missionaries!

After we took naps & the kids swam in the pool, we had Ela's birthday BBQ........with an indoor pinata (ha ha).

Then we went to Grammy & Papas neighbors home for a big party with bouncers!

Debbie, Lana & Lydia enjoyed the slide.....

.......while Kaleb loved the trampoline & entertainment.

We ended the night enjoying the Thanksgiving Point fireworks display.

We hope that everyone had a fun & safe Independence Day - what a wonderful country we live in!!

5 days later.....

Well, the Nielson family is really busy through the summer with birthday parties.........we start with Kolby on June 19th & then 5 days later is Grandpas & then 5 days later is mine & then we end with Elas, 5 days later on the 4th of July. Yip, it ends with FIREWORKS!!

Our cute boy is now 9 years old!

I am now 30 something (ha ha).........we had such a fun birthday picnic at the park.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!!

Our baby is 3!

We started her birthday celebration going to watch the movie 'UP' - she loved it!

After the movie, we ate McDonalds & then the kids wanted to swim.

On Sunday night we had family come to Grammy & Papas house to eat cake & ice cream........and of course watch Lana open presents.

Blowing out the candles! She had such a wonderful birthday!

She is such a big girl now - she talks a lot, yells at the boys like she's Mommy, eats popsicles like crazy, calls Daddy on the phone, plays Mario Kart (she only knows how to move, not turn), loves to ride her scooter or car, loves giving hugs to Aunt Debbie's dog & cats, enjoys playing 'Candyland', is very picky about what to wear, her favorite colors are pink & purple, and the only yogurt she likes to eat is the 'kiwi lime pie' LIGHT (ha ha)......which she has to have before she goes to bed. Yip, she's the boss!

We love you Lana - HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!

Congrats, Kaleb!

He's FINALLY done with Pre-school - he has a late birthday, so he's had pre-school for 3 years! (ha ha). We are so proud of him! He loves to learn, so we're hoping that sticks with him straight through to High School (ha ha). He will definitely miss his teacher "Miss Brenda" & she will miss his 'thumbs up with a wink' whenever he does something good.

They had the classroom decorated so cute......can you find Kaleb?

Miss Brenda read a few books which the kids helped read.

I made him an m&m lei and fruit snack lei (ha ha) - he loved it!

Grammy & Papa were able to come and they treated us with McDonalds to celebrate!!

Our little boy is growing so fast.........can't wait for Kindergarten this Fall!!

Riley's 5th Birthday!

Cool looking 'volcano' cake, huh? My best-friend Nicole made it for her son, Riley.

He had a 'Dinosaur' party!

We've known Riley since he was born & he just LOVES Lana & sometimes Kaleb (ha ha).

Here's Riley hitting the pinata......and Kaleb trying to help. (Yip, I think he did hit Drew in the head - but Drew's tough, it didn't hurt).

Even Lana got a turn......she didn't want to hurt the dino, so she just tapped it lightly (ha ha). She didn't realize that there was candy in it.

The kids enjoyed playing on the playground.

They also played "Pin the sticker on the dinosaur" (right, Nicole?) I didn't listen to the instructions (ha ha).

Lana was so cute being blindfolded & putting the sticker on.

The best part of parties! CAKE!

Kaleb, busted picking at the cake crumbs!

My favorite part of parties - PRESENTS!

We bought Riley some shorts & shoes.

I know, what was I thinking? Kids love TOYS!

Well, it was a great party - now I need to plan for Lana's 3rd birthday that's coming up!

Field Trip!

I was able to go with Kolby on his school field-trip to Salem Pond for "Kids Fishing Day".

All the special-needs schools in the Utah County attend every year & this was my second time going with Kolby - it was so fun!

All the kids at his school were given a pink fish with their school name on it, so they don't get lost.

Of course Kolbys first stop was the playground. Then we had lunch, provided by Albertsons - hot dog or sloppy joe with potato salad, chips, fruit & drinks - YUMMY!

We stopped to say HI to 'Smokey the Bear'

We caught a fish! (Kolby hated it - he just held onto me the whole time)
We watched the ducks & geese

Most of the time, I was just chasing Kolby - he loves that!

Kolbys class (his teacher, Mrs. Downs is in the blue shirt)

I LOVE MY MOMS!!

Who are these beautiful ladies in the pictures?

My Mom & my Mother-in-law!

I know the pictures are a little old, but I don't think they'd like me to post the updated ones I have of them (ha ha - My Mom eating & Claudia with a chocolate frosting beard).

I am so grateful to be a Mom & to have such wonderful examples in my life. Because of them, I am the awesome Mom that I am today (ha ha). I love you both!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!

Lana's favorite flower!

Now that Spring Break is over & the boys are back in school, Lana & I have been enjoying our mornings together.....so this week we were able to take a walk to the park.

Spring is definitely in the air....the weather is nice, my allergies are annoying & there are beautiful flowers everywhere!

Of all those beautiful Spring flowers, Lana only seems to enjoy picking.....

Dandelions!

She definitely sees the beauty in everything.

April Birthdays!

For those who don't know, I am the oldest child in my family & I have 7 younger siblings. It makes me feel really old knowing that 2 of my siblings are young teenagers......and the youngest is a year older than Kolby (ha ha).

Anyway, I totally forgot to post Birthday wishes for my brother Michael, who turned the big 13 on April 2nd & my sister Candacey, who turned 14 on April 17th.

Candacey was born the year I graduated from High School & Michael was only born 11 months later. I left for my mission when they were only about 1 & 2 years old, and so it was hard for them to understand that I was their Sister, not their Aunt (ha ha). Even after my mission, I got married & still didn't get to be a big sister to them. I love them both so much & I'm trying to be there for them when I can.
Candacey is graduating from 8th grade in June and is the smartest person in our family. She loves to read & enjoys studying - she's a huge Twilight fan - she plays sports, but is taking a break this year to focus on her school work.......yes, it's true (ha ha).
Michael is in the 7th grade & loves to play basketball & football. He loves riding his longboard & watching YouTube videos - he always finds funny ones. I'm not sure if he loves school as much as Candacey (ha ha).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL & CANDACEY!!

HAPPY EASTER!!

Lana in her Easter dress with her Easter Barbie!

Conference Weekend!

We went to Phoenix again for a quick visit & to watch Conference with my fam - it was fun! Saturday was a full day & the men went to the Priesthood session - then my sister Lesley & her boyfriend Dennis stopped by. Dennis invited us ALL to his home to watch the Sunday morning session & said he'd have lunch for us too - HOW NICE! How could we refuse a free lunch? (ha ha). Dennis is not LDS, but he is a great guy & so is his twin brother Matt, who is Lesley's best-friend.

Dennis & Lesley throwing Kaleb & Lana in the air.....Dennis had trouble lifting Kaleb (ha ha).

57 YEARS YOUNG!

Last weekend we celebrated Claudia's 57th birthday - it was a blast! We had dinner with them Friday night at Mi Ranchito mexican restaurant, then Saturday we went to watch Ela's soccer game & then took the kids to Kangaroo Zoo (pics later). That night we had yummy pizza & enjoyed a game of Quiddler.

On Sunday, we all got together & had a BBQ - YES, even though there was a crazy storm that morning. Here's Grandma with all her grandkids getting ready to sing Happy Birthday. Kaleb already blew out the candles - that explains Dave's look (ha ha).

It was a fun time with family!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM & GRAMMY - we love you!!

Disneyland Trip - Day 2

This day was a little colder, but we were ready for a fun time!

Lana's first tea-cup ride - I get dizzy just watching them.

Dumbo is always fun - poor Kaleb had bad allergies that day & YES that is Lana squished between us (ha ha).

We enjoyed the train ride, TWICE!

Lana was REALLY hungry....the restaurant we were at had a broiler problem, so we just bought these from outside & enjoyed the entertainment inside (ha ha).

Kaleb & Lana were so excited to see Aladdin & Jasmine.

For the first time we went to Innoventions (I think that's what it's called) - so the kids enjoyed a interactive hockey game.

It was another LONG day, so here's Kaleb entertaining us with kung-fu moves, while we waited for our shuttle.

We love Cookie Cutters!

Kaleb & Lana were able to go to Cookie Cutters to get new haircuts yesterday & they loved it! You can make a kid do anything when you put them in a cute little car, while watching a movie.

BEFORE

& AFTER

Thanks to Anna - Kaleb loves having a mohawk (ha ha).

MY BIRTHDAY BOY!!

My handsome hubby just turned 31 on Sunday.....yes, he's younger than me (ha ha) - but for some reason I kept thinking that he was going to be 32 (ha ha). We had a great weekend together - we went out to eat on Friday night at Hibachi, a Japanese restaurant & then I gave him one of his presents......a new wallet - he loved it! On Saturday we took the kids to Wendys....yes, fine dining (ha ha) & then we went to the 4A State Basketball Finals that Provo High was in.

The kids LOVED the snacks & cheering!

Provo cheerleaders did a routine that Annamarie choreographed - it was awesome!

Unfortunately Provo High didn't win this year....this is the 1st time in 3 years.

On Sunday morning, since our Ward starts at 9am, I just gave Andy chocolate donuts for breakfast & then I made his favorite Sunday meal for everyone - Roast! He also received his other presents - his OWN ipod & new work boots. I love spoiling Andy, cos he totally deserves it!!

My brother-in-law Mitch celebrated his birthday on Saturday - so it was easier to have our family party on Sunday. Steve & Claudia got a 'Madagascar' birthday cake & it was delicious! We just gave Mitch a gift certificate to a restaurant....who doesn't like to eat out, right?

Marsh respected the family tradition & took a bite of the cake.

We had a 'Kung Fu Panda' theme for the party & the kids wanted to wear masks - so Anna is wearing the 'Tai Lung' (is that how its spelt? ha) mask & chasing the kids around....see Marshall scream. He was 'Master Shifu', while Lana was 'Tigress' & Kaleb was 'Po' - it was hilarious to watch. It was a fun party!

HAPPY 'BELATED' BIRTHDAY ANDY!!

I love you so much!