little hunks

Samuel and Joseph were invited to do a photo shoot with a BYU student photographer a few weeks ago. They took along swords, light sabers and a few Nerf guns and came up with this...

Who knew they could both be so still and serious at the same time? If anyone knows the energy of these two combined you would know that it was no small feat. They put the chaos in comfy. Way to go Christine!

A person I call Papi

A couple months ago I was able to spend quality time with some of my favorite people including the handsome gray haired guy I affectionately call Papi.

Since he is the #1 reader of this little blog, I thought I'd share some of these sweet pictures of him and also wish him a Happy Birthday! One of my favorite things is when he calls all the way from Mexico and in his thick Spanish accent starts quoting things I've written followed by a "Wow" or "Really?".

Being with him at Disney was like taking a child to a candy store for the very first time. He kept saying he felt like he was in a movie come to life. He did however wish he'd taken a pass on Space Mountain. "Mija, don't ever put me on a ride like that again!" he said. Nemo and Soarin' were more his speed. We chuckled hard when Moni got a call on her cell phone from a Disney cast member saying, "Hello. Mrs. W. I have a your Dad here with me. What is your location?"

Here he is with 15 of his soon to be 19 grandchildren. He'd call it a little bit of heaven. I call us blessed.

little tokens of love

I am a card lover. I have files and files full of little notes I've saved over the years. Thank you notes, letters, birthday cards and valentines are little treasures that fill boxes in my basement. I even have notes my mom sent me back in my Camp Liahona days! Something about her beautiful penmanship still warms me up inside.



A fun thing for visitors to do when they hang out with me in my kitchen is to glance at my wall of Christmas cards and hear stories of how so and so is doing and so forth. Towards the end of summer I add each card to a designated scrapbook page corresponding to that particular family and see how much their family has grown and changed over the years. It's so fun.



My own pile of Christmas cards which meant to double as New Years cards still sit in a basket on my counter :( Maybe I'll send them as belated Valentine's, Mardi Gras or even St. Patrick's Day cards. Regardless, if you happen to see one poking out of your mail box, know that it was sent with much love and heart felt wishes coming your way.

sweethearts 2010

Now that the costumes have been cleaned and returned and my own home is somewhat back in order, I thought I'd share pictures of my girls at the latest dance-(Sweethearts).

Analisa went with her friend Will. She once asked him jokingly if she could hold his hand. As she went to take hold, he gave his a hand a twist and left her holding his detached prosthetic hand. Nothing like a guy with a good sense of humor.

Miss Sarah went to her dance with her good buddy Kooper. She made his night apparently with a big smooch on the cheek. The only kiss of the night I might add.

Making the change from Skyline to SPA has brought so many blessings. The biggest ones being the three girls pictured below: Zoe (pictured on the left), Marte (a Norwegian exchange student, on Sarah's right) and Maddie (who we affectionately call blue eyed beauty) are the best-est friends a girl could have.

Opening Night

I've been MIA for the last two weeks getting the finishing touches on costumes for The Boyfriend which opens tonight! Pearls have been strung and feathers have been hot glued into place. They are ready. If you come you might see...

A spunky french maid named Hortance

Some Girlfriends...


and Boyfriends...


and one flirty little gal named Maisie.


Analisa said she looked like me from stage. Not so I said, "My hair's not black. Just a very, very dark brown;)"


You might see a stage kiss or two...


and kids having a roaring good time...


There is a tango...


a costume ball...


and 20's style dancing that leaves you wanting to join in the Charleston.

It's been a fun and exhausting ride. One that I don't think I'd do again. At least for a year or so.

The Beach/Take 2

Telling the kids they could only get their feet wet on their first visit to the ocean was like taking them to Baskin-Robbins and saying they could only get vanilla. Reluctantly I conceded to letting them dive in, properly dressed this time around.

Sammy, in his "surfer dude" pose



My darling niece Sophia joined in the fun. Isn't she adorable!



Victorious!

Once the sun had begun to set and everyone was shivering from mild cases of frostbite, we packed up our picnics and headed out. All 23 of us gathered at the home of Jody's cousin as we hurriedly rotated kids in and out of showers while Moni, Marisa and I cooked up a Mexican feast.

Kids were jumping off furniture, Matthew found the his way to the piano while others begged to know how much longer 'til dinner. Comfy chaos was at it's peak, and all was well with the world.

Found this picture on Katherine's camera. I didn't know she'd even made this. Summed up the day perfectly.

A day in Newport

The first few days of our Christmas break were spent on the coast. It was so green and lush. While I am grateful for all four seasons, it is a far cry from the snow I see sitting on my window sill at this very moment.

While Sarah and Katherine had visited the ocean a year ago, this was a first for Analisa and the boys. Analisa insists that hanging out at Lighthouse beach for three years of her life in Evanston, IL does not count.

My Mr. Nielson in his ever famous, "I Am Nephi" pose. Some things never change. Love the images of Joseph skipping benches and Analisa and Samuel holding hands in the background.

As we walked towards the ocean. I told the kids they could only get their feet wet.

"It's way to cold, and I don't want you getting sick while we're on vacation!" I said in my firm mommy voice.

Yeah right. Who was I talking to? The pigeons? At least they listened.

Can't you just see the coldness on his red feet?

Something about the sound of the waves makes Miss Kate dance for joy!

Within 20 minutes every bit of Samuel's clothes were soaked.

"The waves just sucked me in!" he cried.

About 20 minutes later, the next victim came shivering over. Joseph said to Brett as they were walking towards the van, "Mom's gonna be furious. But I don't care, it was worth it." Little stinker!

And of course, you can't visit Newport without a visit to the one place that put cupcakes on the map. Ah, yes. Worth it indeed.

causing a Ruckus

The kids got a new game for Christmas. They were gathered around Kristen's family room table stealing cards from each other when Katherine shouted out, "Hey, don't touch my..."

All three boys blurted out in unison..."BOOTY!" (As in shake, shake, shake...) The pictures tell the rest of the story.

Cute, crazy kids. Gotta love 'em.