family photos 2009-the unedited version

thank you melissa!!
we had so much fun and you did a great job
(especially considering who you had to work with)
we love you and love the time we spent together!

since i didn't have enough going on

with a move in a week from today, we decided to throw jaden a surprise birthday party tomorrow. the kids will already have been fed pizza at the primary program rehearsal so then we're going to kidnap a few of them and turn them into pirates...
rumor has it, there's some buried treasure somewhere around these parts so we're going to make em' find it:
then we'll feed em' some cake and send em' home w/ their booty!

a few more of the a-dults:

jaime, i was a witch

micah as mr. darcy/joseph smith

we went to a costume party, too where i was a witch and micah was my broom.

but remember, no camera.

look. we got a new camera

so now i have some pictures to show you:

HALLOWEEN 2009

batman for trunk or treat
























skateboarder, who chose to watch the costume parade this year.

































this is jack. from the nightmare before christmas. he won 1st place at micah's office pumpkin carving contest. the dilapidated look just gave it more character i guess. and yes there were other contenders, good ones, too i hear. it was even anonymous. our jack 0 lanterns didn't fair too well this year.














this is how they looked after 2 days. the other one is beckam's wolf, which was super cool but you'd never know if from this view would you? too bad we didn't get our new camera until after carving night!!

Trick or Treating

shadow ice wolf ninja.

guess who?

alfalfa, petey and froggy

asher was such a social little trick or treater. he wanted to stay and visit w/ everyone. i imagine he thought it quite rude to take candy from these people and then just leave!! he also wanted to eat each piece of candy as it was given to him. i'm sure he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. he even kissed each ghost that lined the walkway to one house going back to some just in case he missed them. he was so cute.
of course the other boys had a blast, too and their hard work trick or treating literally paid off. they were very selective in how much candy they ate so as not to decrease the weight of their buckets!! they were rewarded $15 each by a local dentist who offered $5 for every pound of candy!!

so one of my bestest besties ever, jenny has just launched an educational video game rental company providing monthly rental plans for 8 leapfrog and VTech game systems. her company works very similarly to Netflix and Gamefly. you rent the games, play them all you want for as long as you want and then return them.

read an article about them here. and go check out her website. then rent some games!!

if you didn't make it to monterey to visit us,

you should have! cause now it's too late (unless you're melissa white who pre-booked w/ us for the photo shoot she's coming to do for us on nov. 5). we're moving back to bakersfield in 29 days...by choice. yes. and it will be a great opportunity for our family so we're excited. and my kids can hardly wait to be close to their cousins. after i told beckam's preschool teacher, i said, "yeah, he's sad to leave." to which he replied, "NO, I'M NOT!! I'M SO EXCITED!!" well then, there you have it.

mondays are my least favorite

but it was a productive day: boys bedding changed, their room picked up (x10), a good long phone conversation w/ a bestie, 3 loads of laundry folded and put away, linen closet organized (again), towel drawer in kitchen organized, 3 more loads of laundry washed, two bathrooms cleaned, dishwasher unloaded, reloaded, big dishes washed, games played w/ boys, ninja-moves demonstration watched, homework done.

i like having monday as my workday because it makes the rest of my week a little easier (and cleaner) but it's also the reason monday is my least favorite day of the week. and the reason cooking on monday night is a challenge. the last thing i want to do is make a big mess that will have to be cleaned up (okay so a lot of nights feel like this but i usually do it anyway).

but tonight called for in-n-out. except that on our way to in-n-out we saw denny's. well micah saw denny's and we all agreed on that instead. because when is that last time we've eaten at denny's? and you can get breakfast for dinner!

so there we were. micah and i and three wild banshees seated in our booth. and the first set of silverware fell under the table. then a second and a third. and you know what it's like having a 2 year old out to eat. they want to sit by dad, no mom, no the high chair, not the high chair, so they have to go out w/ dad, now they're back and he wants the salt, to taste the salt, then the waiter shows up but the two year old steps on a big brother's finger so he's back in the high chair whether he likes it or not. but he doesn't like it so he's crying....and there's the waiter. still waiting. ever so patiently (thankfully). and i know that all 3 sets of eyes in the restaurant are on us: that family at the back of the restaurant.

then the 4 year old has to go potty so i take them all for a little diversion, flashing a quick smile as i pass the other 3 patrons. when i return, we have the place to ourselves (not surprising). micah asked if the man talked to me on his way out. i said, "no. why?" and micah said, "because he talked to me." this sweet older man came over not to impart his words of wisdom, not to criticize but to express a job well done for our diligence. for not dismissing or ignoring the misbehavior but trying to correct and teach. micah responded by saying it didn't feel very productive. the man assured him that there are rough nights but sticking w/ it is what matters. he left by saying we just needed to hear that tonight. and boy was he right! how nice it felt to hear a heartfelt expression of confidence rather than feeling a silent harsh judgment. i love that man and want to remember to be like him!

this incident reminded me of Elder Bednars talk from general conference. here are some excerpts:

....Sometimes Sister Bednar and I wondered if our efforts to do these spiritually essential things were worthwhile. Now and then verses of scripture were read amid outbursts such as “He’s touching me!” “Make him stop looking at me!” “Mom, he’s breathing my air!” Sincere prayers occasionally were interrupted with giggling and poking. And with active, rambunctious boys, family home evening lessons did not always produce high levels of edification. At times Sister Bednar and I were exasperated because the righteous habits we worked so hard to foster did not seem to yield immediately the spiritual results we wanted and expected.
....Sister Bednar and I thought helping our sons understand the content of a particular lesson or a specific scripture was the ultimate outcome. But such a result does not occur each time we study or pray or learn together. The consistency of our intent and work was perhaps the greatest lesson—a lesson we did not fully appreciate at the time.
....Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But just as the yellow and gold and brown strokes of paint complement each other and produce an impressive masterpiece, so our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results. “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33). Consistency is a key principle as we lay the foundation of a great work in our individual lives and as we become more diligent and concerned in our own homes.

i love elder bednar, too! and i also want to remember that sometimes you can see productivity like on mondays and it looks great. but a lot of times you can't see it and it's still there. that's really important and i must remember that especially!

our coastal cowboy.

in memory of the curls:

these pics arrived in my inbox today and made me so happy. they reminded me of our fabulous trip to nebraska (where they were taken). the boots you see above were found a the local thriftstore for $4 along w/ a matching pair for asher for the same price.

we stayed at ft. robinson, (see link) an old military fort with a lot of history. it was beautiful and there were so many fun things to do. we took a hayride up to the buttes for a chuck wagon breakfast where the boys mountain climbed to their hearts content, we went horseback riding, and watched a rodeo where afterward the boys were invited to lie down on cowhide while holding on to a rope for dear life as they were drug behind a horse around the arena!

which is how i nearly ended up shortly before this picture below was taken. ms. maggie mae (nilsson) raced passed me yelling, "yah, yah" in my horse's ear who promptly heeded her command and took off in a dead run. i managed to stop him, one foot out of the stirrup just seconds before we disappeared into the tree you see. this is me giving her a friendly shove. punk.
we spent three days at ft. robinson w/ all 5 of micah's siblings, each of their spouses and their 8 hildren in a three story house. there were 10 kids sleeping on the 3rd floor in bunk beds and all of the couples had their own room. so. much. fun! there were lots of cousins and extended family in the neighboring homes, too.

one night we all sat out on the porch and reveled in the magic of the most incredible lightening and thunder storm (and were glad that brian wasn't electrocuted by the live wire that was knocked down by a fallen tree).

we then headed up through the black hills of south dakota and custer state park to mt. rushmore. the drive was unbelievable. think wild buffalo grazing right along side of the road and big horn sheep literally running along side our car!! a tour through wind cave national park, the mammoth site and bear country usa were among other highlights of the trip!!

thank you kippy for getting us all there!! it was such a memorable experience!!

a staple at our house

i was so in love w/ the tomato basil hummus from trader joes but it was kinda pricey for a little container so i figured out how to do it myself:

1 can garbanzo beans, drain half the liquid
3 T tahini (ground sesame seed, found in the international food section of most grocery stores)
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 can stewed tomato
1/2 can tomato paste
5 big fresh basil leaves

pour all ingredients into a blender and puree.
pour into bowl and drizzle w/ olive oil

serve w/ pita chips or blue corn chips or any way you like

mexican quinoa salad

i know a lot of you read my happy little life but there are some who don't and i just wanted to add my testimony of the mexican quinoa salad! i know a lot of you would enjoy it, too!!

quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wah' in case you have to ask for it. read about it. it's so good for you. a whole grain that's hight in fiber and has 5g of protein in 1/4 c. you can find it at costco, tj's or any health food store.) was new to me but the salad sounded so good and after our meal tonight, i just sat there pondering the experience.

i'll post the receipe here because that puts you one click closer to making it.
it's from delicious by nature:

• Measure desired amount of quinoa into a large bowl
• Pour water over grain and scrub grains together
• Pour off top layer of water, add more water and scrub again
• Pour quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and now you’re ready to cook!

Salad:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 mango, peeled and diced (use a big one, it was my favorite part)
1/2 can black beans (8 oz), drained and rinsed (i used a whole can)
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced (i just used canned, already diced and drained juice. i also served them on the side so they could be added to each person taste.)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 avocado, diced

Dressing:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 4 lemons
1 chipotle pepper in adobo plus 1 tsp of juice (you can find these canned in the mexican section of your local grocery store)
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to boil in a medium pot on stove top. Once it is at a boil add in quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover - cook for 15 minutes until water has been absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, cut vegetables in preparation for assembling salad.

Pour olive oil into the bottom of the large bowl that you will be serving in. Blend the remaining dressing ingredients in a blender until combined (about 20 seconds). Pour into the bowl with the olive oil and whisk to combine. (i followed kelly's advice and served the salad w/ just the olive oil, juice from one lemon and salt and pepper. we served the blended dressing on the side so we could each add it to taste because it's a little spicy. the adults loved it!! but beckam perferred it w/o the dressing. jaden and asher would have preferred just plain black bean w/o the rest of the salad.)

When quinoa is done add it to the bowl along w/ the fruits & vegetables and toss.

If you have time, it is best if you let the salad sit covered in the refrigerator for about an hour to let the flavors combine. This salad was also great the next day, though you may want to add the avocado closer to serving in order to keep it from browning.

we served it as a meal w/ pineapple chunks, cantaloupe and rolls!

is there something seriously wrong with me?

we just got back yesterday evening from an AWESOME trip covering colorado, wyoming, nebraska and south dakota (more details later) and i'm already planning our next one. here is our agenda for any of you sac/davis folk who might be interested:

Monday
1:00: Jelly Belly Factory
3:30 ish: Play at Community park in Davis
Nugget Sandwiches for dinner!!!
Frozen Yogurt for dessert

Tuesday
10am: Sac Zoo
Lunch and Fairytale Town
No evening plans

Wednesday--Davis Day
9:00: Arboretum/Visit Horses (maybe cows,too)
10:30: Solano Park Playground by my old house

12:30: Plutos for lunch (or somewhere yummy downtown)
2:00-4:30: Rec Pool
(Clean up at the Wiscombe's)
5:30: Dinner at Farmers Market
More Frozen Yogurt

(I'd like to make a trip to the DI in Sac on Thurs. maybe)

We'll leave sometime Thurs. or maybe Fri.

long time no blog

and posting is the last thing i should be doing right now since we leave at 4 am to fly out to nebraska for a family reunion. except we don't actually get to fly to nebraska. we fly to colorado--the closest airport to the little town we're trying to get to in nebraska and then drive the rest of the way. the boys are super excited because it's cowboy country and truly they were born to live on a ranch. it will be a great trip i'm sure and a great excuse to see the whole nilsson crew again and a good amount of dyers (though some will be missed!).

today was the day that taco bell, a dr. pepper and finding nemo saved my life (or maybe it was my kids life). it's seriously the littlest things when you're a mom.

also today, i found jaden attempting to change asher's dirty diaper. clean diaper was in place, asher laying down on top of it, wipes open and ready and jaden mustering up the nerve to open the dirty one. i sat down and asked if he'd like my help to which he happily obliged. i handed him a wipe to help when he replied, "when the girl is doing the dishes, i'm going to offer to do them and she can change the baby." i asked if "the girl" meant his wife. affirmative. at least he's planning to share the work load. i also told him he may feel differently when he has a baby. because his dadddy had never changed a baby in his life and when jaden was born, i didn't change a diaper until he was 2 days old.

catch up:
we spent two weeks in bakersfield at the beginning of summer, which included a great getaway for micah and i to attend the wedding of two fabulous friends in los angeles and have a brief visit with the maughans. the boys did a sports camp together the week after we got home, which was the greatest decision ever (1-3, m-f: perfect). and today they finished their two-week swim school and not only do they look like little pros but they had a great time. beckam was SO excited for swim lessons to really learn how to swim, which is a huge change for him. he's usually very apprehensive about new situations but really seems to be maturing in that area. i'm sure it helps to have a big brother to keep up with.

last weekend we had a visit from the hill clan for 4th of july, which was a blast as usual. we met them in santa cruz and spent the day at the boardwalk. it was cousin heaven! ashlyn (14) was supposed to meet up w/ some friends but chose to stay w/ the family to hang out w/ her cousins--so sweet!!

so there's a quick recap on this familyofperpetualmotion. we'll be home a few days afer this trip before heading up to davis for some more summer fun. the jelly belly factory, sac zoo, rec pool, arboretum, farmers market, solano park and fun friends are all on the agenda!

they're engaged

he's 31 today

i had great intentions today to celebrate this fabulous man of mine. and i bought all (almost) the stuff we'd need for a birthday fit for a king. but here's how it actually went down.

7:30 i wake up and get ready for my 8am meeting, leave the house w/ everyone still in bed
10:15 return from meeting to find an empty house, homemade waffles w/ fresh fruit and not a trace of breakfast mess
10:25 boys return from playing at the park
10:30 put asher down for his nap and then visit with our very diligent and dedicated home teacher
11:15 wonder why the baby is still not asleep and just jabbering away, go in and sing some more songs
11:25 take a phone call and talk church business
11:45 head into kitchen to find the birthday boy happily adding the last ingredients to the thai chicken crock pot dinner. i got to put the lid on and start fixing lunch for the boys while he goes in and finally gets that baby to sleep
12:00 i finish getting ready for church while micah assembles his own chicken wrap (yummm)
12:45 i'm off to church w/ the big boys, micah hangs out for the next two hours while asher gets his nap in (i know we're bad mormons but honestly--why take an unnapped baby to 1pm church until 4 o'clock?)
4:30 return home to find a beautiful chocolate cake already baked and frosted. (strike 3 for me). so the boys and i at least get the table set all fancy w/ place mats, napkin rolls and henry weinhards before micah gets home from his after-church-responsibilities. jaden prepares a delicious salad, including fresh chopped cherries, tomatos, raisins and carrots all by himself hoping that his dad will say "yummmmm." beckam decorates the birthday boy's chair w/ beautiful artwork. we call grandma doris and wish her a happy birthday!!
5:30 micah gets home and we enjoy a fabulous dinner where we discuss why our daddy is so special which includes jaden's declaration that "he's the smartest dad because he chose the best wife in the world AND he always makes me first even when his friends are around." and i shared that i was grateful for him because he always makes all of us first all of the time! he's completely selfless and i know that even though today is his special day, he loved every minute of serving his family all day!! and he always makes me feel like the best girl in the world!
6:00 call britney to wish her a happy birthday, too! and then eat cake w/ chocolate brownie ice cream (oh, that micah bought himself at the store yesterday because i didn't even think of it while at the store earlier)

and why is jaden's face all red you wonder? because minutes before he looked like this:

scary. darth maul has nothing on him.
they got into the face paints.

happy birthday micah.
we LOVE you so!
and how lucky are you that the whole nation gets the day off tomorrow to celebrate!

(sorry to those of you w/ reader for the duplicate posts. )

happy mother's day.

mine was spent on sanibel island celebrating the marriage of my brother-in-law dan to the lovely sara kramer! it was such a beautiful and perfect beach wedding with lots of friends and family there to support them. when we arrived at the hotel the scene was reminiscent of our davis days looking like we'd landed at the bike barn. there were over 50 bikes lined up for every wedding guest each one personalized w/ a name tag. inside our rooms we had welcome bags including bios of each family member on both sides, sights to see on the island, a daily agenda, water bottles, sunblock, saltwater taffy and the beloved insect repellant! learning from my sister-in-law's 500-and-something no.see.um (the bugs are that tiny) bites, i bathed in that stuff every night and got away unscathed.



images taken from minna dyer here and here.

we put many miles on our bikes mostly at night alligator hunting. at night they can only be seen when light reflects off their eyes that glow like fire. it was crazy creepy cool. we only had two minor biking incidents. one was my father-in-law who indoed and flipped over his handle bars, sending me into complete hysterics for a good 20 min. (i seriously have a sick sense of humor. what is wrong with me?!) however, i was repaid for my cruelty the following day, when i duplicated his accident as my dress got caught in my break pads and sent me sailing. i wasn't laughing then but fortunately, my adrenaline was at its max since we were on a photo scavenger hunt racing against the other nilssons and two of our competitors were actually passing us at that very moment so i didn't even feel the cut on my leg. we also spent a day at sea exploring different islands and marine life. we saw lots of dolphins and a sting ray JUMP out of the water. apparently they do that!! micah took me out on my first brief sailing excursion. besides my fear of feeling like shark bait, it was exciting and scary for a second when micah fell overboard leaving me to man the sail.

this image from christy dyer.
both of my sweet mothers spent their mother's day taking care of my children. a mothers job really never does end. i hope i can give my daughter, oh wait! i don't have one!!! my sons and their wives a kidless getaway one day, too (just not all at the same time)! and then do all their laundry when they get home so they don't have to (thanks again mom!). i hope i can show my children how much i love them the way my mothers show me! we so greatly appreciated our time together and squeezed every second out of our kidless getaway!


darron, dan and micah



















i returned to a beautiful new set of dishes from my boys that they remembered i'd been wanting and the sweetest homemade cards! these made my heart happy:

HAPPY mother's DAY
to mom
love Jaden Nilsson

mom I Love You so much you are the brite side of my life. love Jaden Nilsson.

and a picture of me watering my garden filled w/ beautiful flowers, a ladybug and bee. and a picture of jaden saying, "your garden is pretty" with me saying, "thank you."

in six days all the nilssons (sans children) will be gathering in sanibel, florida to celebrate the marriage of dan to the lovely sarah. and because this family loves a competition, we have been playing sanibel trivia. everyday brian sends an email with sanibel trivia and the first one to respond with the correct answer gets a point. sometimes there are bonus questions or challenges. like a seventy two word blog post.

sadness

it was with sad, broken and heavy hearts that we buried our precious tiny tim tonight.
i hate it so much and it hurts my feelings so bad. he was a 6 month old desert tortoise and was such a fun little pet. micah and i were amazed at how much enjoyment a little turtle could bring. he was so cute and social. he woke up every morning w/ the rest of the family. we loved him!

we're guessing he got dehydrated yesterday in the heat wave. i put him out on the patio to bask in the sunshine. he is a desert tortoise after all. he had fresh water and food and was in his little habitat w/ shelter from the sun. sadly, i never checked on him again yesterday to replenish his food or water and today i found him lifeless. such a sad, sad day for our family. i cried a lot.

he did have a good life but he will be sorely missed! and it's going to take some work getting over the guilt i feel.

jaden is worried about how we'll find him in heaven. "it's going to be so crowded. there's going to be so many angels and how will we recognize him from all the other turtles." i like his heaven. and this was a good life (death being a part of life) experience for the boys.

and just in case you thought turtles were boring, please look at these tricks he could do:



















and can you see him in this picture nestled snugly under micah's leg?


sleeping in my hand.

















rest in peace tiny.

easter 2009

family pics = super challenging. wish i knew more about photo editing.

i've been holding out for danny gokey but adam has slowly been winning my heart and his performance tonight...stole it! this song seriously made my heart race. just watch and see...



p.s. i saw him in wicked in real life.