Nicolaysen & Co.

Overwhelmed...

2012-02-07T17:39:00.002-07:00

I have been trying to do too much after this kid. I've been cleaning, grocery shopping, and working out all too soon. I have been prancing around with make up on my face feeling like I've got it all together. Maybe it's because I didn't get much sleep last night, or for the last 7 weeks, but I'm tired.

Holden was born with "Big Balls" as I'd like to say. We joke he's got Nicolaysen balls. We've had several doctors examine them and ensure us it's just fluid and it's called "hydro seal". Took him to a urologist and she thought it was a hernia and referred us to a surgeon. Saw the surgeon today and found out it is for sure a hernia (where some of his intestines dropped when his balls did) and kind of a bad one. Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow and shouldn't be a big deal but I'm still scared.

I have a Ford Five Hundred which I absolutely love. It is a great car, however I truly think we need a mini van. We have 2 booster seats and an infant carrier with it's base in the back seat. When you have to have your kids raise their arms so you can shut the door, you know it's time for a new car. It's going to be a long time before we can afford to get one though. With the new house and all the medical bills. Good hell. I had no idea babies had to do their own $500 deductible. We planned Holden's circumcision after Jan 1st so our deductible would be met for this year and found out he had one to meet between December 24th and Jan 1st also, so that's fun!

Breastfeeding this time around has been a joke. First mastitis, then thrush, then buying every damn cream or medicine the Dr's office suggests just so they don't have to see me. Was going to quit all together because it was taking 40 min and he was still hungry when I was done. Finally saw the doctor yesterday for my 6 week check up, he gave me the name of a supplement that will increase my milk supply. So here's to one more try at that.

Holden wakes me up every 2-3 hours and has been sleeping in our beds with us because he'll spit out his binki and I'm too tired to get up and put it in his mouth every time. I don't like kids in my bed, I don't sleep well. I get naps occasionally on the weekends, other than that, I'm up around 8. Good hell I'm tired.

We went from 1200 sq ft house to 2700. Gone are the days where it takes an hour to clean. I do love the space though and am grateful to have it. And it's so nice to clean a brand new home.

Terrible two's? No my friend, terrible 3's. My sweet loving Preston has turned into something fierce. He's always scowling and whining about something. Breaks my heart. We have come up with a reward system and hope it will improve.

Katelyn, Katelyn, Katelyn. Convinces kids at school to give her toys. Tells us she returns them when she does not. Keeps drawing on herself and her brother, even did it at school today. Told her Sunday school teachers that her mom and dad died and she lives with her grandparents. Should I be scared? :) Seriously though, I am not sure what to do with her and her lying.

I got a gym membership and started working out 4 weeks after Holden. I really do enjoy it. I have missed exercising. I love being able to get a break from the kids by sending them to the day care. That alone is worth it! I lost all of my baby weight by chance after 2 weeks, but for some gay reason I'm gaining weight now. And no it's not muscle. :) I bought some jeans while I was 9 months pregnant and they fit over my hips, had the baby and they still do not fit over my hips. I am ready to be fit instead of fat. I saw on Oprah that she didn't realize how bad her weight was until she saw a picture of herself. I had that moment last night and have been sad ever since. I am trying to eat healthier and hopefully working out and breast feeding will work. Oh and time. Can you tell I am not very patient with myself?

Thanks for letting me vent. I am kind of a nut job right now. Taking my frustrations out on people that don't deserve it, crying, and yelling at my kids to quit yelling. Go me.

Newborn pictures...

2012-01-10T18:36:00.002-07:00

Holden Porter...

2011-12-26T16:37:00.005-07:00

Holden Porter Nicolaysen

Born December 24th at 1:20 am

8 lbs 10 oz, 20" long

Ultimate date night, right?! Complete with long walks down the halls, jacuzzi baths specializing in nipple stimulation, a fierce game of Phase Ten, and to finish out the evening, jello shots.

Ah, our completed cute little family! Katelyn's 5, Preston's 3, and Holden is 1 day old here.Bonding time with my new little man. Don't let the lipstick and pearls fool you, I looked great there, look like hell here.

Pregnancy Pics

2011-10-29T22:15:00.003-06:00

So people keep giving me "compliments" on this pregnancy. Like, "You look so much better this time around than you did before." "Probably because your hair was so short and this time it's not." Or, "You're so cute, you must be due any day! No?" Gotta love it. Oh and shout out to the guy that tried to "pop" my stomach with his fork tonight at dinner. Nice one. I attempted to take some "sexy" shots with my friend. I realize I am wearing a dress with no sleeves, no g's were harmed in the making of these photos and no I do not dress like that everyday. And yes, fat people do look better in black and white. So there you go.

Stephen Preston

2011-10-29T22:05:00.002-06:00

Our little Preston will be 3 tomorrow! He is getting so big and is still a little lover boy. He has a couple imaginary friends and loves to tell stories and play pretend with Katelyn. For Halloween he is going to be a cowboy with his horse, whom he named Ick. He is so excited to have a baby brother who he insists we name "Baby Brother." We have discovered he is a bit shy, when singing Happy Birthday to him at his party, he ran into the corner to hid. He also loves the ladies, and smiles when he sees a cute one. We love him so much! Happy Birthday Buddy!!

Katelyn Riley

2011-10-29T21:37:00.008-06:00

These are just some of my favorite photos of Katelyn. We were in the middle of moving when her birthday happened and I didn't really get to do a post for her. I just want her to know how much we love and adore her and how we are so grateful she is in our family. She absolutely loves kindergarten and is getting smarter every day. She is a sassy frass which we are trying to cure with spankings, time out, and love. Happy 5th birthday (in August) Katelyn! We love you!

We've Moved!

2011-09-03T19:15:00.011-06:00

A pantry. Yes I am taking a picture because this is the first pantry I've had in my 7 years of marriage.

Preston's huge closet. Katelyn, Preston, and the office have huge walk in closets, so nice!

Master Closet

Babies room, yet to be decorated, yet to be named. Oh by the way blogging world, we are having another boy!

Preston's room. It's huge.

Katelyn's room, there is a window seat but I couldn't get a good view.

Stephen's office that I get to occasionally use. :)

Kitchen

Dining Room

Master Bedroom, our bed and night stand used to be a light wood color but we recently painted them black and I LOVE them!

Master Bath

Living Room

Back Yard

Front of house

We've been wanting to move for a while but were set on the fact that it was never going to happen, so we bought bunk beds for the kids and were content in our little home. Then we found out we could rent out our home and qualify to buy another one! So at the beginning of July we started really looking and getting all of our "affairs" in order. We found the home we liked mid July, made an offer, had it accepted....yada yada yada... we moved! We are living in Meridian now and we absolutely love it. It's still close to Stephen's work and close to family. Oh and now I don't have to drive an hour to go grocery shopping! We had some stressful times because the lender told us at anytime it could fall through so not to pack and not to tell anyone. Our closing was delayed, we got to go to LA and came back and closed that day on our new house. Katelyn's birthday and party shortly followed, and then Katelyn started kindergarten. We are all moved in and loving life. It's very nice to have things slow down and get back to normal. And we had our 7 year anniversary thrown in there too!

We're pretty much famous now...ha.

2011-06-29T08:05:00.007-06:00

Stephen has had the opportunity to work closely with Mitt Romney on his campaign to become President. About 6 months ago he got to go have dinner at one of Mitt's homes in California. Then he went to Vegas for the National Call day where you call people to donate for the cause. The most recent event I got the pleasure to tag along, a breakfast with Mitt. In order to get one of these pictures you had to donate way too much money, which we did not. But because Stephen got others to donate, we got to go. It was good times. Mitt sure is handsome, for his age. :)

New Shirts...

2011-06-14T09:47:00.004-06:00

We're PREGNANT!!!!

Katelyn has been saying she wants a ton of brothers and sisters. I have warned her that this one may be our last. The other day she said, "If it's a boy, I am going to be really mad."

Things

2011-03-05T22:08:00.003-07:00

My life seems kind of boring but I guess we do have some fun stuff going on over here. Stephen has been busy with work, it seems like he leaves earlier and comes home later. We are thankful for his job and that stability that it brings.

Katelyn is 4 1/2 now and goes to preschool 3 days a week now. She is doing really well and cannot wait for Kindergarten.

Preston is almost 2 1/2 and he is my little lover. He still likes to snuggle and hug and kiss but he is getting to be a feisty little 2 year old. I think if he were a first child he'd really be playing us but we got smart after Katelyn and we've got him under control. They play really well together which makes my heart happy.

I am still growing out my hair and I love it. I got a gym membership and I am IN LOVE with ZUMBA! I go every time Katelyn is at preschool so I only have to pay for Preston to go to the daycare. I have also been tanning in preparation for our cruise to Mexico! We are leaving the kids with my favorite cousins Krista and Cathy. They are graciously coming out to my home to take care of my kids. How cool is that?

We've been off of birth control since November and nothing is happening. I am starting to get discouraged and feeling like something must be wrong with me, I heard it's harder to get pregnant when you have thyroid issues, maybe that's the problem? I don't know.

We recently switched wards and I am loving our new one. We feel very welcomed there. I was really struggling with my testimony and then I had a bunch of crap happen to me and I just quit going to church for a while. My first Sunday in our new ward I felt the spirit so strong that I just bawled my eyes out. I couldn't believe that I ever doubted, it's like the cloud has been lifted and I am back to believing, it feels good. I've been put in as a Laurel Advisor and I really enjoy it. I love my girls and all the activities and I swear any type of spiritual meeting I've bawled my eyes out at. I wish I would have been able to love myself back then, I think it would have saved me a lot of heart ache. I never completed the Young Women's program, although it won't count, I think I am going to complete it as an adult. That will also help with my testimony I am sure. I have great friends and family and life is really good, I am really grateful for that. Well that about sums it up.

2010-12-27T20:04:00.001-07:00

I'm all blogged out.

Oh how I love this boy

2010-12-16T09:56:00.002-07:00

One morning at 4 am this little boy woke me up by yelling "Mom", over and over. I go into his room and he says, "I scared." So I pick him up to comfort him. Then he says, "I hungy, I'na Faffle with Keme (whip cream)." So we go into the kitchen to get a snack and he says, "I'na watcha show." At this point in my sleepy state I realize I've been played big time so I take him back to bed. I climb back into my bed and I hear Preston yell, "Daddy." Freaking hilarious. BTW Stephen was out of town and did not get him out of bed but it was so funny that he knew all the things to say to get him where he wanted to go. Preston has been counting without me explicitly helping him. I count all the time through out the day with the kids over various things but I haven't sat down with him like I did Katelyn so it really surprises me. The other day he pointed to his shirt and said, "orange," and it was orange. He does this with several colors which also surprises me. He is the cutest little puppy and will get on all fours and fetch whatever his sister throws. He still loves to hug and kiss and cuddle which I am loving. He has truly been a blessing in our home and I am so grateful that he is my son. And he is so handsome! Oh those eyes melt my heart!

Seesters

2010-11-29T21:54:00.003-07:00

Tawsha Ellen Stanford

Kind, loving, beautiful, wife, mother of two, daughter of God, follower of Christ, she gives freely of herself and her time, she is a wonderful decorator and keeps her home clean, she loves children (even other people's. I know AMAZING!) She doesn't judge others, she easily forgives, she listens with an open heart, she makes you laugh, she loves to dance, she doesn't boast, she is honest, she is very outgoing, she loves to go and do fun things, she is amazing and I am so glad that she is my friend! Love you Taco!

Katelyn Riley

2010-11-21T20:17:00.003-07:00

I remember being pregnant with this little girl and I was overjoyed. I remember being 20 years old and not being able to get pregnant with this girl and I thought my life was over(ha ha, hindsight is 20/20). I had a laparascopic surgery and was pregnant within a week. This little girl is so smart, and so very sassy. She is in preschool now and loving it, and I am loving my time with Preston. Anyone that has been around her knows that she can throw fits with the best of them, we are working on it, and she is getting better. This girl talks about Jesus all the time and how she misses him. She is sensitive to other's feelings and will cry when I cry. She loves her little brother and is learning how to get him to trade toys by offering him another one so she can have the one she wants. She will sing at the top of her lungs in any public place and I just laugh. I love her to pieces and am so grateful heavenly father sent her to our home.

This Guy

2010-11-19T10:51:00.003-07:00

This guy loves me unconditionally. This guy is so handsome and when he kisses me, I still get chills. This guy works so hard to provide for his family. This guy likes to go on dates with me and opens the door for me when we go out. This guy has never called me a mean name and he fights fair. This guy loves his kids so much. This guy comes home from work and will get down on his hands and knees and bark like a dog to amuse his children. This guy has the strongest testimony of the Gospel. This guy loves his his parents and siblings and enjoys spending time with them. This guy is super smart, graduated with honors with a double major and then went on to do something totally unrelated to his degree, computers!! This guy loves to cheer on the BSU Broncos, in football and basketball. This guy will pause his shows at night time and take time to listen to me talk about the most random stuff, it's like a sleepover with your best friend every night! This guy is the guy of my dreams and I love him more today than yesterday and cannot wait for what the future holds. I love this guy!

Disney World

2010-10-17T13:10:00.003-06:00

This is what I thought our vacation would be like....This is what it actually was like... But seriously...Stephen had a business meeting in Orlando and we were lucky enough to be able to join him and his family. We had a great time. You'd think it would be really easy to keep a 4 year old and a 2 year old happy in the "Happiest place on earth" but then you remember their ages. They are tired, hot, hungry, and don't want to stand in line for 40 minutes. We pumped them full of ice cream bars and cotton candy and it all worked ot.

Cheating

2010-10-15T09:41:00.004-06:00

Yesterday's Dr. Phil was about dreams and why we have them. It got me to thinking about my reoccurring dream and why I am having it. Since we have been married I have been having these dreams that Stephen cheats on me. I have them about once every 2 weeks. The first one when I found out I tried to call his dad and tell on him and I was absolutely devastated. I have tried to consciously make progress in my dreams (while I am unconscious) to solve the dream so I can quit having them. Well I still have them but now when he tells me he's cheated and he's leaving me, I am prepared. I know exactly what I am going to do. I know that I'll go to school at nights and see if he'll pay me instead of day care to watch the kids during the day. I know how our things are going to be divided and everything else. It's really quite sad. Sometimes I wake up and I am a little jealous and hurt. But I have gotten to the point where I don't get angry at Stephen anymore, and I am so thankful that it was just a dream. I think I am watching way too many talk shows that are implanting my mind with the thoughts that this could happen to me. I watched Oprah the other day and got some good ideas on cheaters. Ha. Because of that show I totally thought Stephen was cheating on me...Stephen has been working nights and the other night I woke up and went to look in the garage and his car wasn't there. There was some laundry on top of the dryer and I thought in my sleepy state that he came home, rummaged through the clothes to find a different outfit, and then left again to meet his lover. I was so distraught, my dreams had finally come true. I then realized that the clothes were the kids' sweaters from the car that I forgot to put away. When Stephen walked through the door, I burst into tears apologizing for feeling this way when he hadn't done ANYTHING to cause suspicion. So to Dr. Phil analyze myself...I think the underlying issue is that I feel unworthy. I had a pretty hard childhood growing up and yet I always knew that I would have a good marriage and adult life. I am so very thankful for all the blessings I have. I am just unsure as to why I have such a good life. Most of the time, like 95% of the time I don't worry about things and I just enjoy my life. But then about 5% of the time I am waiting for something bad to happen. It's weird but sometimes I think it would be a relief if he did cheat because it would show that I was right all along and I am not worthy of love. I am a big believer that you make your life turn out how it does and I do not want to cause bad things in my life to happen by having these bad thoughts. I know these issues stem from my dad leaving my mom and even though I was just a baby it absolutely does still affect me not growing up with a father in the home. Yet because of growing up without a father in the home I am so very thankful for Stephen and that my children will have a father. What a difference it makes! It's kind of funny too because I feel like Stephen showed me what unconditional love is and by him loving me that way I was able to finally find out just how awesome I am and in turn love myself. So I don't know why I am having these dreams but I am getting tired of having them. I think I will take a break from the talk shows for a while and kiss my husband more.

I'm losing it

2010-09-11T20:02:00.002-06:00

Okay so my mother in law often talks about how she is worried about her 80 year old mother's memory because she sometimes repeats herself. Well I am 25 and I am losing it!!

-A couple of days ago while I was waiting for my English muffin to cook in the toaster I took out 2 different knifes in a matter of 2 minutes. Yikes!
-I often wash my face twice in the shower and don't realize until the 2nd time that I have already done it (and I take 5 minute showers).
-I forgot to buckle Katelyn up in her car seat a couple of days ago and she was the one to tell me. -Sometimes I tell people things that are private and when they ask me about them, my reply is, "Who told you that?" Um, I did! What the crap!
-And this one is my favorite. Sometimes someone will say something to me (usually Stephen) and then I try and tell him in a story about someone telling me something..that doesn't really make sense but it's him! Like he will tell me something and then I am like, "Oh my gosh someone told me this," and he's like, "Ya that was me." Embarrassing.
-And today I was trying to clean my stove with a certain cleaner and realized I was cleaning it with carpet deodorizer. LOSING IT!! Be afraid, be very afraid!

Katelyn and her Sister

2010-09-11T19:53:00.002-06:00

Yes, I wrote that right and you read it right. And no, I am not pregnant. Katelyn has been obsessed now for about a year for having a baby sister. She talks about her constantly and trys to buy things at the store for her, like outfits and shoes. She recently said that her bathroom is hers and her sisters. Often I ask her, "What happens if it's a boy?" One time she replied that she would cry and another time she replied, "Well then just have another one and another one and another one..." Yikes. I told her yesterday that I want her to stay four forever and she replied that she needs to turn 5 to go to kindergarten so she can have a baby sister! Too funny, she is so stinking smart. That was the deal we made by the way. Anyways I was totally not even wanting another child for a very long time and I had a very special experience and now I know that shortly it will be time. I cried for a long time because I felt I wasn't prepared; physically, emotionally, we would have to trade in my beautiful luxury car for a mini van, and I feel like our house is too small. In a matter of weeks I went from feeling like NO WAY to now I am baby hungry. Crazy. I still feel like I am too young to have 3 kids but here are the positives. We own our own home. Stephen has his college completed and a steady job. I can stay home with our children and we can afford it. So age doesn't really matter at this point because we are prepared. Today we all went for a jog as a family. This was Katelyn's comment, "Oh man our family is tired aren't we?" I said yes and then she said, "Just like my baby sister is tired of waiting in heaven." Melts my heart. I love my kids so very much and am so excited to see what the future holds for our little family.

Ah Outlet Stores...

2010-08-16T13:28:00.003-06:00

Ok I am a total nerd but I am so excited about these deals that I got from the Carter's outlet store and Osh Kosh. Spent $100 total and got clothes for fall and next summer. Here's the list of the loot.

Katelyn:

-1 hooded sweater

-1 pair of khakis

-2 long sleeve shirts

-1 short sleeve shirt

-2 shorts

-3 pair of socks

Preston:

-2 short sleeve shirts

-2 pair of shorts

-2 pair or jeans

-2 long sleeve shirts

-1 pair of jammies

-2 hooded sweaters

Isn't that crazy? I love it! Went with my good friend Kaysha, and had a really good time. Then we went to Burger King to eat and let the kids play. That was super fun until some little Mexican girl started peeing right above my head, felt something wet on my arm and luckily jumped out of the way. Her parents, bless their little hearts, thought it would be acceptable to just clean the floor with napkins and not bother going up to clean or telling anyone since they don't speak English. They did say sorry for pee landing on me, which was nice. So I told the manager but the line was too long for them to do anything about it for the time. SICK!!! For those of you who are my friend on facebook, about 2 months ago, at a different Burger King, Preston went up dry and came down the slide soaked in some other kids' pee. What the crap? Seriously done with Burger King play places. Still so excited about my deals though!!

Party Time

2010-08-05T21:07:00.002-06:00

So I am double hosting a party on August 12th at 1 pm at my house. It will be a Vault Denim jean party and a Jewel Kade jewelry party. Bring your kids and come on over! If you don't live in the area, don't fret, you can still order jewelry! ;) No but seriously check out their website because it is so freaking cute you are going to want some. www.jewelkade.com/sarahfoutz. The jean company doesn't allow you to order or even see their product online, boo. Hope to see a lot of you there. If you don't know where I live, and you want to come, (and I know you), put your email address and I will send you an email. Thanks my ladies!!

Whole body makeover

2010-08-02T08:45:00.002-06:00

Okay so my cute cousin Amberly is participating in a fitness challenge. I was going to do it but didn't get my money in time. It has constantly been on my mind though. I am going to do it but I am going to mix it up a bit because I feel I would fail the first week with hers, and my friend Hillary suggested we change it a bit. So here's the deal. With Amberly's you have to send in money, mine you don't. I am not doing this to win anything, I am doing this to develop health habits. No soda for her, (1) 12 oz. can a day for me. No desserts/candy except on Sunday, and I am good with that one. Read your scriptures every day, at least one chapter, again a good one that I need to develop. Have family home evening once a week, also a good one. Don't eat after 7:30 with hers, with mine, I am extending that to 8. And finally exercise 6 days a week with hers and for me that is not realistic since I don't have a treadmill and my gym is 10 miles away with no kids allowed, so I am going to do 4 days a week. Also she has weekly challenges to eat enough fruits and veggies and drink plenty of water. For me, I am just going to try and do that everyday. I already got the water part down, just need to increase the healthy good. So anywho, this is what I am starting today. If you'd like to just join me for fun and make some healthy habits, let's do it! I feel like if you do it for a contest or to win something, after it's over, so are the good things. I am doing this to develop good habits. So there is no one to police you to make sure you're not going to eat a Snickers bar, but if you've been feeling bad about your pooch, let's do it!

-Exercise 4 days a week, at least a half an hour
-No eating after 8 pm
-Read scriptures every day
-No candy/desserts
-Drink plenty of water
-Eat fruits and veggies daily
-(1) 12 oz soda day if you need it like me ;) That is a serious decrease for me

This is a 12 week challenge! Today is my first day and I am excited!

My Hair Journey

2010-07-25T11:13:00.002-06:00

This picture was taken in Maui in November of last year. This was when I decided to grow my hair out with the help and opinions of others. My hair was in an A-line so it was a lot shorter in the back.

This picture was taken about 2 weeks ago. As you can see it has grown quite a bit and I can actually put it in a pony tail. Six years ago I grew my hair out almost this long for my wedding and cut it shortly after. Prior to that my hair was this long in 8th grade. I am really enjoying it and can't wait until it's even longer! I haven't even been tempted to cut it. Hopefully someday, I can be sexy. My theory on that is girls with short hair are generally pretty cute and to have short hair, you have to have an outgoing personality. You don't see many shy girls with short hair. But I can't think of a lot of women that I would categorize as "sexy" with short hair, besides Hallie Berry. But women with long beautiful hair often get categorized as sexy. Some of them don't even have cute faces but that doesn't seem to matter. So hopefully someday, I can be sexy. How's that for a random rant? :)

Prayer

2010-07-23T20:41:00.003-06:00

After an exhausting day of shopping at Costco, cleaning my home, cooking for my family, and mowing the lawn...I gave the kids a bath, and rushed through the bedtime routine.

Read two books- check
Brush teeth- check
Say prayers- check

Sometimes prayers with little children can be so hectic and you wonder why you even bother. Tonight as I said a quick Amen, I opened my eyes and my sweet little Preston had his arms folded and then popped them open and said a joyful "Amen". My heart is full of love and gratitude. I guess they actually are listening.

Father's Day

2010-06-21T11:44:00.002-06:00

My cute step sisters gave me this idea for Father's Day 3 years ago and I continued my little traditon. Stephen and the grandpa's got some custom made cards, luggage tags with pictures of the kids on them and t-shirts and hats that say "Worlds greatest bla bla bla." Hee hee. I was not really a good wife yesterday, Stephen doesn't eat breakfast so I couldn't do that, and I didn't make one meal. Oops. But I did mow the lawn for him on Saturday so hopefully that counts for something. He is such a great father and my children and I are so blessed to have him. I am so thankful that they will be able to grow up with a Father figure in the home who can give them the unconditional love that they need and rear them in righteousness. We are truly blessed.

Candy Anyone?

2010-06-21T11:40:00.003-06:00

Okay anyone that has been to my house has seen my dirty little secret. I am addicted to sugar, among other things. I don't think I can go to a grocery store or gas station without buying something. So here is a picture of my stash. I eat a little every day and I quite enjoy it. I justify it by saying if I didn't have it then I would be buying and eating a whole candy bar and this way I am just getting my little fix. Baa haa. Oh and this is not including the Costco sized Rice Krispie treats, Gushers, and Fruit by the Foot. Yikes.

Coeur d'Alene

2010-06-19T08:57:00.002-06:00

Got to go on a business trip with my man, with no kids. Here were some of the fun things we did.

-Dinner cruise around the lake (lasted 3 freaking hours, but it was fun)
-Room service
-Got to work out every day at the little gym there
-Read a whole book, cover to cover in less than 3 hours with no interruptions. I was starting to think I was slowing down at reading, turns out I can do it without interruptions. :)
-Sunday Brunch buffet with a chocolate fountain (and everything to dip in it), creme brulee, cheese cake... it was simply amazing.
-Company dinner at a 5 star restaurant. We ordered sirloins which we had to ask to be well done rather than just "pan seared"...I think I would much rather just have a steak, baked potato, and salad for $10 from Texas Roadhouse. Too fancy for my blood.
-The weather was kind of bad so we just stayed in the room. Turns out there are a lot of fun things you can do there...
-Went swimming several times with Stephen. This is my favorite part of the whole trip. When you are married for 6 years it seems like when you have time to talk its just about bills and the children, right? Well I was afraid that our trip was going to be consumed with this. Turns out we do have a lot in common! Ha. Anyways, Stephen was adorable in the pool and we played a lot of childish games. I am not going to list my very favorite things because I want to keep them private, they are memories I hope I cherish for a long time. It was just so nice to not worry about anything besides being with one another. Almost like we were dating again. I think we need one of these trips every single year to reconnect with each other. By the time we left, I was madly "in love" with him.

Camping

2010-05-29T21:51:00.005-06:00

(Yes there are children in there)

Katelyn has turned several spaces in our house into "camping". There is our walk-in closet, burrowed in Stephen's clothes, and behind our couch under a table. I have been wanting to get her a tent for a very long time. I was trying to wait until her birthday which is in August, but I got too excited and finally convinced Stephen. I have been doing a lot of shopping around because I am cheap. I found this baby for $20 on walmart.com and it comes with a "pack pack" and flashlight. Katelyn got in and was so excited and just sat there. Preston got in and immediately started rough housing. So now when they get in, it tips every which way and because our living room is small, they run into furniture. About every 5 minutes we have to console one of them from getting an owie. I love it--Stephen not so much.

Deep thoughts by K-Dawg

2010-05-26T20:29:00.002-06:00

So I am constantly trying to think of funny things to say on facebook and today I had too many so I am doing a post. And I know some of these are not funny...

-It's humorous to me now that I posted pictures of my ankle looking like that because it looks 10x worse. Bruises everywhere. Good news is I manned up and I can walk on it now.

-I have been occasionally taking hydrocodine for pain and after today I cannot justify it anymore, Dang I am going to miss it.

-Haven't been able to drive since I sprained my ankle, did a practice drive all the way to Quik Wok in Kuna today. Never ate there before and never had the desire until that one day in Garden Valley, when my pregnant sister in law had a craving. Since there are not a lot of options there we found ourselves at the good ol' Crouch Merc. She was craving Potstickers, and of course there weren't any so we went home with microwave Chinese food and egg rolls. Sick you say? I say delicious. I went back the next day and bought more and ever since I have been craving this food. Oh the really funny part about that story is that we went on her little moped scooter. With our ear muffs and snow gloves.
"We're really doing it Harry." We had to start it like 20x because it kept dying, but it sure was the highlight of our night.

-So anywho, I got the food and was sitting there and was so thankful I got it to go because I could not stop moaning! Now that is sick. Since when did chow mein bring me so much pleasure?

-Preston thinks it's hilarious when you tell him no. He seriously laughs and does it again. Stephen lightly spanked him several times today and he still kept doing it. We are in trouble.

-Speaking of trouble..Katelyn has decided my crutches look like guns and "killed" all of us last night, ironically right before family prayer. Then she turned the crutch on her and said, "Now I am going to blow myself." What the crap? Definitely did not get that from one of my shows, and we do not let her pretend they are guns now. Freak.

-I have this friend that posts things on her blog that most would be afraid to say. Everyone always commends her on her honesty and how its refreshing. I find that when I try to do serious posts, I get the least amount of comments. I guess I am not very good about being honest or people are not very good about talking about awkward things.

-Since my cousin past away, I have tried to appreciate life more. I have tried to hug my children more and enjoy little moments that I normally wouldn't.

-A lot of my friends are struggling right now, all for different reasons. I am really thankful for all of their friendships and it saddens me to see others hurt. I also am walking on egg shells waiting for my turn for life to turn upside down. So thankful that things are going so well for me right now though.

-On that same note, I find myself worrying entirely too much about other people's problems. I do need to feel bad for them and do what I can to help, and then move on. I keep worrying about things that are out of my control.

-This year I have made it a goal to actually follow through with things. Like instead of just saying, "We should get together," I actually want to do it. I have initiated several things with people and the ball is in their court, should I reach out again? Don't want to appear desperate, just don't want to be a flaky friend.

-Had a pregnancy scare and am so thankful that I am NOT pregnant. I want this year to be one where I don't have to share my body with another human being. Just me. I am getting excited to see what next year brings though...

-Stephen and I are able to go on a little vaca without children coming up. I am super excited and I know I will miss my kids. Also Stephen will be in meetings for a good portion of the day, so I guess I will bring a good book and plan on sleeping in. Ahhh, can't wait.

-My good friend Sabrina is in town and tomorrow we are going to have a girls night out. I know I had one in April but that feels like so long ago.

-Got to go to a Sugarland concert recently and I LOVE them. I didn't really that much before I went but this girl is so stinking cute and you can totally feel her awesome personality from your seat. I can't get enough! Had a good friend go with me too, can't beat that! You know who you are!!!

Not that cool

2010-05-23T21:03:00.003-06:00

So last minute I decided to take my kids to their cousin's birthday party. It was being held at a place called Jumping Jungle. When I left I told Stephen this was a bad idea because it was so close to their bedtime. My lovely step sister Anna challenged me to a race through an inflatable obstacle course. This is not the one, just an idea for those who haven't seen one before. So of course I took her up on her offer because I am still so cool, right? Wrong. Towards the end there was this steep part where you have to climb up these tiny steps. The wall was about 6-7 feet high. Anna and I kept falling and laughing, until I fell and landed on my ankle and heard a POP noise.

Long story short, we went to the ER, got Xrays, and a shot of morphine (which didn't really help). Didn't break it, but sprained it bad. Didn't realize it was bruised until tonight.

It is really swollen, hurts super bad and I am on crutches now. Good times. Because it is my driving foot I am also unable to drive for a while. Anna was such a doll and took me to the ER and didn't laugh at me while I cried my eyes out. Stephen and his dad came to the rescue too. I am blessed with such great family.

Lindy

2010-05-20T09:44:00.002-06:00

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700033763/Colorado-woman-killed-in-crash-near-Tremonton.html

My 2nd cousin was killed yesterday in a car crash. Let me first say that I am not writing this because I need any one's sympathy. I am fine. I actually was not really that close to her, which now makes me pretty sad that I didn't take the time to get to know her. It's been a while since someone I am related to has past away. I didn't think it bothered me that bad and then last night I just was bawling, I felt like I couldn't breath. It scares me because when I think of death for me, I think I will be old. And that is not necessarily true. My cousin was 23 and had 3 children under the age of 4. I can't get the image out of my head of them being in the car still and being so afraid with no one to comfort them. It literally breaks my heart. I think what hits so close to home is that she is a young mother like me. Life is so fragile, and this has taught me to make the most of it. I am so thankful to be alive and to have my immediate family members living, what a great blessing that is. I think that sometimes the LDS people over simplify death. When someone dies we say, "Oh well they are in a better place." Yes that thought is comforting but it will probably be another 70 years before her children will get to see her. In the meantime her husband will be a single dad with three small children who will have to grow up without a mother. That is really sad. I think a lot of people also think that when something like this happens it was meant to be. I don't think God works that way. I think that we are all supposed to die and there are different ways for that to happen. I don't think he took her intentionally, I think he doesn't intervene that closely with our lives. But I don't really know, those are just my thoughts. Anyways, I hope that everyone who reads this can be a little more thankful for their current situation and not take advantage of the ones you love. Thanks for reading.

New rocking chairs

2010-05-11T08:54:00.001-06:00

So I am terrible at projects that take longer than an hour to make. I bought these wood rocking chairs from Michaels and bought 2 cans of spray paint. I thought I would just spray them and be done. My sweet Mother-in-law informed me that I need to spray, dry, sand, wipe, and repeat about 8 times. We went through 2 cans of spray paint and a couple of season changes. And that's where she lost me. I think she got tired of these just sitting in her garage because she finished them for me!! Yay! The kids love them. Yesterday we read books in them and sorry for the picture overload but I just think their facial expressions are the greatest.

Thankful

2010-05-05T20:57:00.004-06:00

Written on May 5th...

I just got done watching a video from a friend's blog and bawled my eyes out. I am literally sitting here with tears and snot running down my face. I also got really teary eyed reading Amberly's blog. I feel like such a fool. The people that made an offer on our house backed out due to not being able to get financing. I have been up and down with my emotions on not moving, and I have been a little sad about it. After watching this video I just thought how petty and stupid I have been. One of the biggest reasons why I am upset is because I am embarrassed that I told everyone we are moving and now we are not. I feel like I lied although I didn't. This woman was burned all over in a plane crash and is not embarrassed about that! So why am I? I am not very patient person and this has been a learning lesson for me. I kind of feel like it's humbled me a bit too. I am just so thankful to have such a wonderful family. I have the most handsome, supportive husband that a girl could ask for. I have two wonderful children who have vibrant, spunky personalities and they love me to death. (On a side note, Katelyn was having a hard time going to Primary on Sunday and lovingly told me, "I freaking hate Primary." Nice.) Preston runs up to me all the time and hugs me, and now when I ask him if he wants to go to bed he replies NO and shakes his head. I love them both so very much and am so thankful that Heavenly Father entrusted me in their care and that he sent them to me and not to someone else. I just recently reconnected with an old friend on facebook who is now in the Peace Corp and is living in the Philippines. I was a little embarrassed to tell her that I don't have a college degree and I am "just a stay at home mom". That is ridiculous. I love being a mom!! I wouldn't change my life for anything, so why am I embarrassed to say that? I am so thankful that I already own a beautiful house. We were able to buy it when I was 20 and Stephen was 21, and it hasn't foreclosed! That is a blessing that we can afford it and we can save. I am thankful that we can continue to save even more in anticipation for moving sometime in the future. I am so thankful for my new found friends in the Kuna 8th Ward. I feel so close to these women and their friendship came just at the right time, so I am glad that I get to still be in their group. I am thankful for my Savior and the love that he has for me. I know that he is aware of me. I may not have the strongest testimony in all aspects of the church, but I have a very strong testimony of God and Jesus Christ, and for that I am thankful.

New Adventure

2010-04-27T08:22:00.002-06:00

This last week and a half has just been crazy!! We found out probably 3 weeks ago that our friends put their house up for sale and it sold quickly and that got us inspired to see if anything would happen with ours. So I called a real estate agent and she said there is no way we could get what we owe for it and we would have to pay too much money to get out. So I was pretty bummed because word on the street is things are only going to get worse before they get better. Then I was talking to my good friend Miss Kami and her husband Steve does real estate on the side. He suggested that we just put the market on the house for 10 days and see if anything happens. Due to the tax credit ending he thought people waiting on short sales would be interested in making a deal in time. So we put it on the market for exactly what we owe (114,900) and expected the worse. It got shown 3 times, and Monday morning (4 days later) we had a full offer and the people are willing to pay their own closing costs! This is seriously a miracle! Houses with our square footage because of short sales and foreclosures are going for $109,000. Actually the highest closing price was 111. We have to be out by June 20th. Until then we will be frantically looking for a place to live and counting our blessings that we get to upgrade. Right now in this area you can get a really nice house for pretty cheap. We will be staying within 5-10 miles of Stephen's work so will live in Meridian/Kuna area still. We are so excited and a little nervous. I told Stephen that when we get ready to sell our new home we are going to be in for it. It reminds me of giving birth. With Katelyn my water broke so I just went to the hospital and they admitted me. With Preston I had 2 false alarms because I had no idea what it felt like to actually be in labor. This was just too easy. We are going to miss our cute little house. Katelyn goes back and forth on wanting to move, I think once she sees the new house she will be thrilled. So the above pictures are our of our first home on Escondido street, she will be missed, but I am freaking excited to get our new home!!

My Birthday

2010-04-16T09:19:00.004-06:00

I got so spoiled for my birthday this year. I was able to go to lunch with my Dad and step-Mom Rochelle at Applebees. I went to lunch with my Mom at a little Mexican restaurant here in Kuna. I got to go spend the day at Wahooz with Stephen playing laser tag, miniature golf, and go cart racing. He even let me win 3x playing the basketball game and he bought me some cotton candy. My cute little neighbor boys share my birthday and they chose to go there too, so we had a lot of fun together. They turned 9 by the way and I turned 25, and we chose the same place, yikes. I wanted a Princess and the Frog birthday cake because I am immature so Stephen picked up this beauty for me, it was delicious. I got some super cool jeans, some perfume, and a bike trailer/jogging stroller. Tonight I am going to a girls night out and we are going to dinner and a movie. I planned it on my birthday week but didn't really tell people it's for my birthday, but in my head it's totally for my birthday. And next week I am going ice skating with my favorite cousin, I am super excited for that. Thanks for all the cards and wishes on facebook. I have really felt the love. You guys are all the best.

Out of the mouth of babes

2010-04-13T09:17:00.003-06:00

Katelyn has been quite the back seat driver. She tells me when we are going too fast, too slow, points out stop signs and anything else she can think of to help. When being prodded to go faster I explained to her that if I go too fast the police officer will pull us over and give me a ticket, which means I will have to pay him money. I know this is a lot of information to give a 3 year old but when she constantly asks why after every statement you make, she gets a lot of information.
So she was saying how if the police officer pulls us over and is mean to me that she will kill him. Yikes. I said, "No, we don't kill people. If he pulls us over we will say, thank you for giving us a ticket and we will not speed anymore." Katelyn starts grinning and says, "Okay, let's do that tomorrow!" Yesterday she was being very good at noticing when I only had one hand on the wheel and would frantically say, "Two hands mom! We're going to crash!!"

Yesterday she was noticing how beautiful the clouds were and she said, "Oh look at the sun shinning over there! Is Jesus coming down? I really want to see him!" I replied that he probably wouldn't come down until she was an old lady. "Oh like you mom?" I always tell people that I feel like I am 40 (even though tomorrow I will be 25!!) Now do you get it?

On another note we have been having some contention in our home with our little sassy molassy not minding or listening. It appears as though she likes it when we yell. We don't. We've been trying a little experiment to bring peace into our home. We are reading scriptures. It's been promised that it will bring peace and even though we've only been doing it less than a week...it's working and it's wonderful! Who would have thought?! :)

Easter Dresses and having an older sister...

2010-04-08T14:29:00.002-06:00

Since Conference was during Easter weekend, we got dressed up the week before. Katelyn had her hair curled like mine and wore her hat that Grandma Mary bought for her last year and a sweater from Grandpa Mike and Grandma Rochelle.

She really wanted her bear to be in the picture. Ha ha.Okay I am sorry, maybe I am a bad mom but this just cracks me up. Preston walked out of Katelyn's room wearing this today. I was going to originally just post this but then found the cute Easter pictures too. It's just a coincidence that it is the same hat.Just for kicks I had him pose next to a baby stroller. Watch in 20 years Oprah is going to say that I either made him gay or encouraged it. Whatever! He's just expressing his femine side. I have no doubt that he will turn out normal, it's because of that reason I can laugh about it. Come on, it's funny! We have a video of him playing basketball that I promise will be coming soon. It's funny too!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T11:43:00.005-06:00

On Friday I went to the mall with my good friend Tara from high school. I had no idea the Easter Bunny comes to visit, the kids really enjoyed themselves and I had a good time too. This picture cracks me up because in reality the bunny is waiving, but it looks like he is shooing Preston away.

Katelyn was with me when I purchased everything that went in her Easter basket. But she still thinks it came from the Easter bunny which is fantastic, I know this won't last. The kids got a few pieces of candy, new tooth brushes, and Katelyn received "Princess and the Frog" I love that movie!!

We have had 2 FHE's about the real meaning of Easter. The first one had pictures and stories from the Gospel picture kit and a booklet to color. Then the next one, the night before Easter we had her watch a clip of the resurrection. She was so distraught that people would do that to Jesus. She was almost in tears with sympathy for him. That made me feel like we are doing something right. Then later I heard her tell her cousin Jayla, "Did you know a long time ago Jesus died on the cross. But he's alive now!!" Kids are the greatest.

I did watch Conference on Sunday morning and I did enjoy the talks. I have felt a lot of pressure (put on myself) about being the foundation for my children's' testimonies. I feel like I didn't really have a strong base, got married when I was 19, and now I am the base. It is intimidating at times. I hope that I can raise my children in love and righteousness and with a love for mankind. I also hope that they appreciate me when they get older. I want them to remember the good times. I am trying so hard to be a good mother.

We went to my Dad's house for a wonderful Easter dinner and Easter egg hunt. We had a fabulous time. I forgot my camera, sorry. On the way home Katelyn started complaining that her stomach hurt. Fast forward 30 minutes, Katelyn is in bed and I am reading her book. She sits up and starts puking everywhere. We changed her bedding, gave her a bath, and then an hour later we did all of it again. Yesterday all my laundry was done, then suddenly I had 4 loads to do. Well I got them all folded and put away! I also vacuumed, swept and mopped all my floors, cleaned the bathrooms, and did the dishes. I keep up on my chores so to do all of these things, it doesn't take long. I also gave the kids a bath. All of this before 10:30 am, I am exhausted now. I am grateful that Katelyn feels better now, she is in good spirits. Preston is napping and I think I might join him on the couch for 20 minutes. Take care.

Things

2010-03-31T16:23:00.002-06:00

-I am thinking of getting this sewing machine. The Brother one that I bought from Costco quit working and I tried calling them for a company to fix it and they told me to just return it. So I get to start all over, which is good and bad. This one is a Singer, let me know if you have any good or bad opinions.
http://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/singer-7463-sewing-machine.php?gclid=CNiOkMGR46ACFRQhnAodWG1PDQ

-This story is a prime example of my little sassy girl. Today I was cleaning the tub and she wanted to help but decided the only way she could was if she stripped down and got into the tub. Half way through she got out, dried off, and I found her laying naked on my couch.

Mom: "Katelyn, you need to get dressed, I don't want your butt on my couch, that's gross."

Fast forward a half an hour, I was showered and was sitting in front of the mirror doing my make up. Don't ask why, but I always get ready in the buff. Only I am not so buff and the views aren't too great, that's besides the point.

Katelyn walks in..."Mom, why are you naked? I don't like your butt on my carpet, it's really gross."

TOUCHE'. I had to laugh about that and had to share, sorry if I offended anyone. Hey at least there are no pictures with that story! Eh?!

-I almost scared Preston for life. Good thing Dad stepped in to save the day. I was at Target and saw washable swim diapers. What a great idea, I think to myself. Well the girl ones were little panties and the boy ones were like a swim suit. I already bought him a swim suit, I just needed the panties. So I brought home these pink panties with flowers on him to go UNDER his swim suit. Stephen insisted that his son will not wear those and so I will be taking them back to the store.

And the good times keep on rolling....

Frusterated

2010-03-29T13:53:00.002-06:00

I have realized that I am cranky lately and I don't like it at all. I do not like to fight and I do not like to argue, I especially do not like to raise my voice. I feel like sometimes I have to with Katelyn. She doesn't listen to me, if I reprimand her she says it right back to me in her sassy little voice. I am constantly telling her that I am the mother and she needs to treat me with respect. I am just frustrated.

Today we went to Costco and she was fighting with Preston in the double cart. Anyways there was this sweet old couple sitting next to us that felt the need to comment on every action my kids performed. "Oh she's going to drop that drink. Oh look at him wiggle, he's going to fall. Oh he just spit out his pizza." Thank you for the play by play. Then the little old lady asked me how I handled Preston at home. I replied that I have a high chair at home and he can run around freely so it's easy. Then she said mockingly that I need to have another baby. Give me a freaking break. Can't you tell by the look on my face that I am having a bad day, and I am on the brink of tears? I do want more children some day but honestly I don't know how people do it. Both of my children have very strong personalities, which can be good and bad. It's time to get serious and dive into the books I have purchased for ideas. Today I am trying not saying anything when she sass's me, just quietly taking her hand and putting her in time out. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for letting me vent.

Updates

2010-03-24T19:54:00.002-06:00

This morning Katelyn said, "Take a picture with me and all my junk stuff. Oh wait, let me do my mermaid tail." Ha ha. She is so freaking awesome. So like 4 days ago we were having the hardest time with her. She was throwing fits like crazy and we were both at the end of our ropes. Then yesterday and today she has been a perfect angel. She went to dance class all by herself and didn't throw a fit which hasn't happened in months. She is such a spit fire but man I love her. Oh Stephen taught her about boobs so now she randomly brings them up. Today she pointed to her Cinderella Barbie and was like, "Look at her boobs." She asked when hers were going to get big and I told her when she is 20. Then she asked if they were going to get huge like a giant. Yikes, new subject please!

This picture is what Preston is made of. When he is sleepy, he carries around his binkie and his blanky and he is the sweetest little boy. Eventually I will wean him but he's not even a year and a half and he is my baby. He has recently said bath, roll, and grandpa, all in the right contexts. He is starting to watch tv shows which is awesome for a slacker mom like me. He will sit on the couch or lay on my bed and watch Barney. It allows me to do necessary things, like I don't know, shower!

I am so excited about these next 3 pictures. We have lived at our house for 5 years now and for 5 years I have wanted new light fixtures. We previously had nasty gold ones that were way out dated. The first picture is the new fixtures in the bedrooms and the hall.

This is our new chandelier for our kitchen. It's simple, but I love it. You can't tell from the picture but these fixtures are black with an antiqued brown showing through. I heart them, and the fact that it was only $60. Katelyn said she wants one like this in her room. Hee hee.

This is the new fixture in our entry way. I love doing home improvements. Next is our ceiling fan in the living room. It makes me feel like we have a whole new house, which helps when I get a little stir crazy.

I am so grateful to be married to such a talented and intelligent man! He is a white collar worker that can do a blue collar job too! This fixture was especially hard to do and I am so grateful that he didn't give up. Thanks honey for making our home beautiful!!

Jason Aldean Concert

2010-03-21T13:12:00.002-06:00

My in-laws really love me and gave me some tickets to the Jason Aldean concert at the Taco Bell Arena. At first I only had 2 tickets, then 4, then last minute I found out I could have 6! I had the hardest time finding people to go last minute, but I got some seriously awesome girls to go and we had the greatest time ever!!!!! Luke Bryan, the opening act, I liked him more than Jason Alean. He would shake his tush on the stage like nothing else. We danced like retards and had the greatest time. I did this crazy dance move and Luke Bryan pointed at me and did my dance move!!! I am not even kidding you! It was the coolest thing ever!

Okay so I did not wear a cowboy hat. This nasty group of old cowboy men were sitting in front of us and kept staring at our super awesome dance moves. So one of them hands his hat to Carolyn and tells her to put it on my head! Sick huh? But I just went with it. I am pretty sure that I contracted lice from it.

Carolyn, Krista, Kaysha, and Kendra.

Carolyn took our picture and before she did I said, "Hey it's the KKK." I was the only one who thought that was funny.

Kaysha has been my good friend for 8 years now. We have had our ups and downs and now we both have 2 children and are stay at home moms. It's super fun.

Happy Birthday

2010-03-16T09:17:00.002-06:00

(This picture was taken the night before we got married.)

Happy Birthday to my brown eyed boy!! I love you more today than yesterday. Thanks for 7 great years together and here is to forever. You truly are my best friend. And if I knew how to upload music on our blog, I would put the Bob Dylan fast version of "May You Stay Forever Young." Thanks for being such an awesome father and a great husband. I love you more than life itself. To quote Tom Cruise, "You complete me." Baaa haa, Love you lots!!

Little Ruffer

2010-03-13T22:05:00.003-07:00

For those of you that have the pleasure of knowing my Grandpa and Grandma Fowler, I just love them. They are from Alabama and they are hilarious. I think they have dated since grade school or something ridiculous like that, and they are still so in love. I went up to Garden Valley a couple of days ago with the kids for a little break. Katelyn relayed a story to Stephen and you'll get the punch line later, it's pretty darn funny.

Katelyn: "Um Daddy when I was in Garden Valley, my Grandpa called me a little ruffer. And then my Grandma said, Ben don't call her that, she's a sweet little girl. And then my Grandpa said, I know, she's a sweet little ruffer."

I laughed and laughed when I heard this. My grandpa calls people little heifers. He always says, "In our family that's a term of endearment." Sorry I just thought that was too funny.

On another note, Preston said Grandpa while we were there. It was so stinking cute. I keep thinking he is still a baby because to me he is, and I am not planning on having another one for a while. Anywho, he throws his food all the time and I just pick it up. Well yesterday he threw it and Stephen disciplined him by firmly telling him no, and patting his hands. Preston pulled out the biggest cutest frowny face I have ever seen in my entire life. It made me want to laugh and cry. He handed Stephen his hot dogs. This proves that he can actually understand us and needs to be told no more, by me. Oh my baby is growing up.

Let's talk about S...

2010-03-12T16:37:00.001-07:00

SODA! You naughty. It is seriously getting to be so expensive. I tried to find coupons online and couldn't, can't find them on the box anymore, so I decided to write Diet Coke a little love note. Here is my actual email to them, I will let you know if it produces any results.

Dear Diet Coke,

I love you so very much. Especially with Lime. You are my favorite. I am just not sure if I can afford to drink you anymore. Everywhere I go, it's almost $5 for a 12 pack. I have kept my eye out for coupons on your cute little box but I haven't been seeing them. Any suggestions on where to find coupons so that you and I can continue our little love affair?

Sincerely yours,
Kendra Nicolaysen

My Birthday

2010-03-10T19:08:00.003-07:00

So for those who know me pretty well, I love my birthday. I celebrate it as long as I can. I think of what I am going to get the day after my birthday for the next year. This year is a big one because I am going to be 25!! That sounds so old, although I feel like I am 40. My dream birthday party would have ponies, cotton candy machine, a jump house, and a bbq. Pretty much like a fair but for my birthday with all my friends and family. It's really not realistic or mature for me to have a birthday like that in my old age, someday I might just go for it, it will probably end of being one of my kid's birthdays. Anywho, this year I've got it all planned out. And these are all going to happen on different days to drag it out as long as I possibly can. :)

I am going to go ice skating with my favorite cousin Krista. We are going to hold hands and dance and pretend that we are retarded for majority of the time.

I am going to go to Wahzoo with Stephen and spend the day playing lazer tag, miniature golf, and racing go carts.

I want to go to the YMCA with my mom and brother Jordan, and my brother Jake and his cute wife and kids. I haven't cleared that one yet though. Or any of the following.

I want to go to lunch with my Dad and Step-mom Rochelle.

I think it would be super fun to go bowling with the Nicolaysen Clan.

I would love to get my girlfriends together and go to lunch or dinner.

Basically I just want to spend time with the people that I love and I find it easy to get them to hang out with me by pulling the birthday card. And I freaking love my birthday.

And if I have enough money, I would LOVE to go on a HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE!!! They are about $250 bucks though. Just don't know if it's worth it or not.

So my birthday is on April 14th, we've got a long way to go. Stephen's birthday is March 16th. We may get to sneak away to a hotel for the night. I try to do big stuff for his birthday but he's not really into all that stuff.

Anywho, these are just my random thoughts and an excuse to blog. Thanks for listening!

Funny to me stories

2010-03-01T06:06:00.002-07:00

Okay so you'll have to excuse me. I am weaning myself from Tylenol PM. So instead of just crashing when Preston just woke me up, I laid in bed chuckling to myself about how semi-funny I am. So here's two stories that I think are pretty funny. Keep in mind it's 6 am, thanks.

Okay so some of you 8th warders might remember this one. About 2.5 years ago I went to an Enrichment activity at some one's house. It was outdoors and they had a trampoline. So already my mind was thinking of how I could be super cool and do a back flip in front of all these ladies, because then of course they would think I was super cool. So we played this guessing game and I said that I could do a back flip, they guessed it was me who said it but didn't ask me to do it. What? My plan failed miserably. Well before we all left some sweet sister mentioned that I never did my back flip. So I ran over there as fast at my legs could carry me. I didn't get enough air and ended up doing a back flip, then a backward summer salt, then hit my back on the bar and fell on the ground. Boy was I cool! I sucked in my tears all the way until my car and didn't try it again...until YESTERDAY! Let me rewind a bit now to when I was younger. We always wanted my mom to jump on the tramp with us and every time she would, she would pee her pants a bit and go into the house. Disgusting right? Well considering I am an old lady now, I did it too! And it wasn't disgusting, it was hilarious! I am supposed to be in my prime, and here I am once again thinking I am super cool doing a back flip, and I pee my pants! But to quote Billy Madison, "You ain't cool, unless you pee your pants." That makes me feel much better, thanks Billy!!

Story Number 2: This one isn't that funny but again, it's 6 am, so to me it is. I have been taking out the trash our whole marriage. Does it bother me? Not at all. I am actually a little freak about it. About every 2 days I go around and empty all the little trashes even if there is hardly anything in them. I have read books where women think that if their husband doesn't empty the trash they take it to mean he doesn't love them. Well that's just crazy. I don't empty it because I love Stephen (although I do, very much) I do it because it is full and it needs it. It's a common sense thing for me. So anywho, we missed trash day last week and have had even extra this week. I was seriously stressing about fitting it all into the trash can so we could clear it out. The garbage was full and I had bags on top of it too. Well Stephen went out there yesterday and came back in two minutes, I was expecting bad news, but he fit it all. Here is the funny part. He said that he thinks the wrong person has been doing the trash. I know that was supposed to be a dis, but I took it as a compliment. As President of this operation, I took it upon myself to fire the crappy worker, and hire the good one! Thanks honey for volunteering! You rock!

Little Miss Sassy Frass

2010-02-26T10:57:00.002-07:00

After chasing Katelyn with a camera and getting terrible pictures, see below. She finally decided she did want to look cute on the blog. Haa.

I have been dying to get Katelyn's hair cut in an a line. So I cleverly convinced her that she wanted to get her hair cut like mine. She was pissed while getting it cut. In the car she said, "I telled you that I wanted YOU to cut my hair like yours! UGH." She wants me to cut it like her's now. Baa haa. If she ever kept a bow or rubber band in, then that could be a possibility. She has been such a stinker bug lately. She is constantly defying authority and pushing the limits. Sometimes I want to spank her or pull my hair. I have been pulling her close and hugging her and that seems to work the best. Who would have thought? :) I love my little sassy frass so much even when she is a stinky bug.

New Desk and V-Day

2010-02-26T10:38:00.003-07:00

For Valentine's Day Stephen and I went out Saturday night. We weren't able to get into Texas Roadhouse so we grabbed a quick bite at Q'doba's or something like that. And then we went and saw Avatar in 3d. The first 5 minutes I was pissed that we paid the extra 6 bucks for blurry glasses, and then my eyes adjusted and I really liked it. Such a weird movie, but actually pretty good. I didn't want to see it because I hate doing things that everyone else does. It's really the only way I can rebel in my life now. :) Stephen took Katelyn with him to pick out flowers for me and she picked these out for herself. Ha. I got teary eyed when I saw that he got her flowers too. She is so very lucky to have a Dad that loves her so very much!
Check out these gorgeous flowers! I took a picture because they don't last long and I want to remember how beautiful they are!

Okay this is our awesome new desk. It's so freaking cute and we are finally "in style". We bought it from Office Depot or Max, I get confused for $119! What up?! It's cheap, but so are we, and it fits perfectly in our overstuffed living room.

This is our old desk that I bought before we got married for our little home. I got it from a garage sale for $50. It's served us well, but I will not miss it.

Get your craft on..

2010-02-25T09:22:00.002-07:00

Preston's new picture frame. My camera super sucks. Looks all blurry, sorry.

And for the life of me I can't get these to turn. They turn on Picasa and on my pictures file and then they download sideways. So I guess my computer sucks too. User error you ask yourself, not possible. :)

Katelyn's picture frame that actually has a picture in it.

And Katelyn's magnet board, that is, you guessed it, sideways. Anywho, I have had a frame and magnet board made for Katelyn, and the supplies for Preston, just haven't done it. I just went to the scrapbook store yesterday to get paper for Buddy's. And then I decided to bite the bullet and just do them, considering Preston is almost a YEAR and a HALF OLD! Gosh I suck. I still have yet to do a scrapbook of his first year, haven't even started it. I didn't have the color of paint that I wanted so I mixed literally like 6 different colors. It turned out a greyish, blueish, poopish color. But hey, it's done. I did a car theme for his because that's what we will have in "Our infamous next house." Ha ha. His room is painted in a jungle theme and I just don't feel right about mixing the jungle with cars. Call me crazy. Alright, I'm out of here.

Fiesta Bowl

2010-02-25T08:51:00.003-07:00

So I just uploaded pictures from my sd card and found all of these fun pictures from the Fiesta Bowl. Stephen was able to go with his Dad and Brother on a "Boys trip". They had a great time.

Preston sporting a Taco Bell hat that Grandpa Carl brought back for him. Stephen's Uncle Roger and Aunt Elaine live in Arizona and came to the game too!

The cute Nicolaysen boys!

Oh check out this hunk! I love him so much! He's so freaking cute!

L.O.V.E.

2010-02-08T16:35:00.003-07:00

I LOVE these shoes. I found them online today and called Stephen to see if I could have an advance on my birthday money. Hee hee. We have started the Dave Ramsey Debt program and this is the first month that we are officially on a budget. So it would only make sense that I found my dream shoes for $40. Lucky for me, my husband LOVES me and he said I could get them for Valentines Day. Thanks baby! My feet are going to look Hot in these shoes! By the way, we are not in debt at all and if we were then I wouldn't even be thinking about this. :)

Buddy Boy

2010-02-04T20:18:00.002-07:00

So Preston is just adorable. This picture perfectly captures the mischievous grin that I get from him on a daily basis. What is he eating in this picture you ask? Oh that would be a rock. Lately he thinks it's great to tip over our garbage can several times a day. We finally went out and bought a chrome one, Parents=1 Preston=0. He also loves throwing his food when he is not interested in it. The moment I head in his direction, he gives me the look and frantically starts throwing.

He has become obsessed with balls. When we are at church he points at the hoop and yells, "Ball Ball Ball." He is always making deep throat noises and that's also how he laughs. It's hard to explain but it makes me laugh every time. It's almost like a bear growling.

He has begun to "run". It is hilarious because he has a pretty good sized belly and butt, it's more like a waddle. He says Mommy, Daddy, sissy, ball, juice, and kitty. He is always running up to me and gives me loves. The other day Stephen was leaving for work and asked, "Who wants to say good bye to me?" Preston whipped around and said, "Bye bye" and waived.

He loves to splash in the tub and when you tell him no, you are only adding flame to the fire. Tonight he filled the bath time cup full of water and threw it at me. I was mad at first but when he repeated my, "No, no" with a serious looking face, I couldn't help but laugh, a lot. I am in trouble because he is so stinking cute, and I think he already knows it. I love this kid.

Ah Katelyn

2010-01-22T14:43:00.002-07:00

A couple of mornings ago Katelyn woke up and in a teary voice asked me, "Do you remember yesterday when the Daddy got killed by a pirate?" The night before Stephen and Katelyn played Risk together, I asked her if she was talking about the game or if she had a bad dream. She replied it was in a dream and it was really scary. For the last 3 days if you get in the vicinity of Katelyn she will tell you about her dream where, "Her daddy named Stephen was killed by a pirate." And then she decided to add onto the story by saying that Myself, Katelyn and Preston killed the pirate after he killed Stephen. I don't know where her obsession with killing comes from but I hope its a phase that ends quickly.

I have been working with Katelyn on chores because I don't want it to be an issue when she gets older and has to do them. Whenever she is done eating she puts her dishes in the sink. I have been having her put her clothes away after I fold them and I give her a coin right after she accomplishes the task. Well the last time we did it she chose her coin (I have a bag full of coins) and originally she chose 2 quarters. Well then she decided to switch them and get 2 pennies. Sweet! I love this age where you can get them to do things for practically nothing. She asked me if I was getting coins for doing laundry too. I replied yes, she asked me where my bank was and I said that I didn't have one. So the sweet little thang went into her room and got her pink piggy bank full of money and gave it to me so I could have one too. Don't worry, I am not going to keep it. I tried to give it back and she was offended, so I will give it a couple of days.

Katelyn has been such a sweet girl and is understanding that throwing fits doesn't work. She is so stinking smart and I love being her mother.

Sometimes I wonder

2010-01-09T11:56:00.002-07:00

Sometimes I think about what my life would be like if I'd waited longer to have children. I married when I was 19, bought our first home when I was 20, and had Katelyn when I was 21. I remember wanting to be pregnant so badly and crying often about it. We tried for 6 months and nothing happened, then I had a lapriscopic surgery and BAM, I was pregnant within a week. It seems I think of this especially when Katelyn is acting out. A couple of nights ago Stephen was out of town and I was putting Katelyn to bed. I was expressing my love to her and I felt the spirit so strong. I stared bawling. I love my children so much. I want to instill in them my unconditional love for them. I want there never to be a doubt how much I love and care for them, and how proud I am of them and their accomplishments. I may not have a degree, I may not have gone to 3rd world countries to help people, but I am helping my family. I am just where I am supposed to be. I love my life just how it is and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

**I am recording this so in a week when I question it again I can remember those sweet feelings again. Baa haa.

Love a good deal

2010-01-03T19:20:00.004-07:00

So we just got family pictures with my in-laws done. I was freaking out because my Mother-in-law wanted to get like a poster sized picture made. I was on the hunt for a black modest sexy dress. I searched everywhere and was mentally prepared to spend $100. Stephen even okayed it, which is a high amount for him. Any who, a couple days before the picture I went back to the mall to try on this dress that was $140. We asked the saleswoman at Dillards if there were any dresses under $100 and she insisted that there were not, snottily. Well I walked a 100 feet behind her and found this beauty for $37.00. What what!!!! It was originally $120. Man I love a good deal. Also included some pictures of my kids working the camera. Katelyn's dress had an overcoat but she refused to wear it until we actually left. Stink bug!

Do me a favor...

2009-12-29T22:13:00.001-07:00

If you are a reader of my blog and you have a blog that is not listed on my list, could you please post a comment with it so I can add it. Chances are I have no idea you have a blog and if I have seen it, I've lost the address. I love reading blogs because I feel like I get to know people better that I might not otherwise have the chance. Thanks much!

Christmas Parties

2009-12-23T22:03:00.005-07:00

I have tried like 15x to upload these photos and it kept timing out. Finally got it to work tonight. We had such a blast at my Dad's Christmas party. We first had a wonderful Mexican feast. Then the grandchildren re-enacted the Nativity scene. As you can tell, Katelyn was ecstatic to be Mary, she even carried her role when she met Santa. Preston was a Wise Man. Then we sang Christmas carols and Santa came. My step Mom Rochelle knows how to do sign language and she taught her grand daughter the signs to "Mary Did You Know." Katelyn and I have been singing it ever since. We had such a great time and can't wait until next year!

Callister Family Party was last night and it was such a blast. The white elephant gift exchange was eventful to say the least. This year we opened a live mouse, a frozen dead goose, and a jar of ya da da da.... POOP! What the hell? Poop, yikes. We need to have rules for next year. The mouse was the life of the party. Well besides the lottery tickets, which Stephen ended up with. I have never seen so many Mormons fight over lottery tickets. And then they all crowded around to watch him scratch and see if he won. Which he did, $9 bucks baby! What up?

Home-Made Hair Cuts

2009-12-19T19:39:00.002-07:00

Home-made hair cuts at the Nicolaysen house!! Stephen cuts his own hair, he has since I have known him. So anywho, he cut his hair today, then tonight we cut Preston's hair. Katelyn was feeling a little left out. I told her I would take her somewhere and she said she wanted me to do it. So I did, and it actually looks pretty cute, if I do say so myself. We probably took 3 inches off. Buddy is bald, it will take a while for me to get used to it, he's still pretty cute though. I couldn't get him to pose for the camera, Katelyn is a champ.

Post Overload, keep scrolling

2009-12-17T10:37:00.003-07:00

Katelyn had her dance recital last night. She was so stinking cute. I was so proud of her. She did really good. I told her that her dad was going to buy her a rose and then they sold out. So when she got done, she asked for her roses like 5 times. Stephen ran to the store and bought her a dozen. They danced to "These are a few of my Favorite things."

Katelyn is in love with the Grinch movie. During rehearsal the song before she was to go out was Mr. Grinch. Katelyn started crying because she wanted to dance to the Grinch song. I was terrified she was going to throw another fit, but she did really good. She sang along to the song, it was cute.

Afterwards we went to Artic Circle with Aunt Julia, and Grandpa and Grandma Nicolaysen. What a great family night. My mother also came but left right afterwards.

I love this picture with her in her winter coat and rain boots. Hello, Idaho!

2009-12-17T10:16:00.006-07:00

I love this picture because it appears that they are having a conversation and Preston thinks it's pretty amuzing.

Katelyn seemed timid and shy the whole time but she sat with Santa for 5-10 minutes, sang a song at the top of her lungs and let him read her letter.

Stephen, Preston, and "the soilder of love". Katelyn was in love with him last year, this year it's Preston's turn.

I really wanted these pictures, I didn't turn out as attractive as I had hoped.

When in doubt, turn the picture into black and white. :)

Katelyn colored a picture for Santa and I helped her write a letter. Apparently there is a Santa and then there is a Clause. Clause is going to turn into a little baby, a baby girl. Katelyn has been obsessed with babies. She has been telling people that her mom is going to have a baby girl. Not true by the way. :) She sang him a Christmas song that went like this, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..(gibberish to the tune)." and then repeat about 10 times.

Bronco Games..

2009-12-17T09:55:00.003-07:00

Katelyn hanging out with cute cousin Cade. She adores him. He looks so stylish and was a great fan clapping for the Broncos!! Here's Stephen teaching Preston what he knows how to do best. Yell and taunt the other team. Preston got the hang out it pretty quick.

I love this picture with Carl and Preston intently watching the game. Too cute.

We have only been able to go to one Bronco Basketball game this year but are planning on hitting a whole slew of them. Last year was chaos because I was breast feeding Preston and Katelyn kept running off. This time Preston just hung out and yelled and clapped. Katelyn wanted to go upstairs to get her coated almonds and then she was great. We look forward to more games and our kids behaving!!

Freaky

2009-11-30T15:59:00.002-07:00

Sometimes I have these things that I would like to refer to as "night terrors". One time I thought a man was standing by the side of my bed and I started screaming. Another time there was a ghost lady at the end of my bed and I freaked out. One time I thought a spider was coming down on my head and I freaked out again. And sometimes I just scream and wake myself and Stephen up or I just start crying. Usually I am in a trance and I am not sure what happened, but everytime it freaks me out. Well last night I had one and Katelyn was in our bed. I don't remember what happened but when I came to, she was at the end of our bed and said that I was pushing her. She wouldn't even sleep by me for the rest of the night because I scared her so bad. Isn't that freaky? How do you even help something like this? I am obviously a freak. Just kidding, but seriously I feel bad that it affected Katelyn. Thanks for letting me vent, it was a whole lot cheaper than counseling! :)

My awesome kids

2009-11-28T22:37:00.003-07:00

Okay maybe I am a bad mom but I burst out laughing when Katelyn told me this and I have been laughing ever since. We went to a movie with the Nicolaysen's today and Katelyn and Preston were babysat by this sweet 13 year old girl from their ward. When we got home she told us the kids were angels, Katelyn confessed later that this was not the truth.

Katelyn: Guys I have a question.

Mom and Dad: Okay what's your question?

Katelyn: Molly was really mean to me and said, "Don't pick your nose." And I started crying and I said, "I will kill you."

Mom and Dad: (Laughing but trying really hard not to) Katelyn we don't talk like that, we don't kill people.

Katelyn: Well I won't kill her but if she is mean to me, then I will kill her.

Yikes. Don't know where she learned that. She cracks us up everyday.

On a Happier note:

Preston has been talking up a storm. He says "juice" when he is thirsty and sees a drink. He can say da da, ma ma, ba ba, but now he has also started to say sissy, and cheese. How cute is that? Stephen was eating a roll the other day and we both swear he said jibrish that sounded almost identical to "my roll". With him walking all over the place and his cute little hair cut, he is turning into a little boy. I am so thankful for both my children.

Grateful Downgrade

2009-11-15T20:18:00.002-07:00

Sorry but I don't want to annoy anyone with 5 things to read so I am just going to do one a day. That way I can elaborate if I want to.

Today I am grateful that I get to be a stay at home mom. I am also grateful that I enjoy it. I think that every mom needs to do what works for them. I don't think every mom should stay home because some are better off working and so are their children. I feel bad for the mom's that have to work when they would prefer to stay home. I am just so grateful that I am able to and I feel that it is my calling in life. Even though my children can't thank me for doing it, I feel fulfillment by being with them.

Grateful Day 4

2009-11-14T15:50:00.001-07:00

1. I am grateful we own our home.
2. I am grateful we are not in debt besides our home.
3. I am grateful we have a savings account.
4. I am grateful for all the friends I have made from the Kuna 8th ward.
5. I am grateful for date nights, tonight is one of those and I can't wait!

Grateful Day 3

2009-11-13T11:30:00.003-07:00

1. I am grateful for my sewing lessons that I received for Christmas last year and am just now doing today. Opps.

2. I am grateful for Preston sleeping through the night the last 3 nights. I have been conditioned to jump up and make him a bottle whenever he cries and the Doctor told me to cut him off. I have and surprise, he has slept!

3. I am grateful for Diet Coke. I am addicted, and I love it.

4. We were supposed to go on a dinner date last night and Katelyn got a fever so we had to stay home. I am grateful for Stephen picking up a pizza last minute so I didn't have to cook. And for picking up popsicles, and for unloading and loading the dishwasher. You rock my socks.

5. I am grateful that we have 2 beautiful cars that function properly and I don't have to worry if they are safe to transport my children. That is a huge blessing.

Thankful Day 2

2009-11-12T05:17:00.002-07:00

1. I am thankful for health insurance. It is a great blessing that I don't have to stress when my family is sick and to be able to get our teeth cleaned 2x a year.

2. I am thankful for my weight loss. It has helped me to feel more like myself and also feel that I am important enough to take time for myself. Mychildren are better off because I am happier.

3. I am thankful that I got to go zip lining in Maui, it was something that I have always wanted to do.

4. I am thankful that Preston is walking. He is too cute and it is so fun to see him grow.

5. I am thankful for Katelyn and her spunky attitude and shear honesty. She is the reason that I am up right now at 5 am. She had a coughing fit which turned into a drink, a snack, potty time, and who knows what. Normally I don't give her juice at night, but she asked for it and I said yes because she is sick.

She said, "Wow you are being really nice to me. Why are you giving me juice at night?"

Mom: "Because you are sick and I love you."

Katelyn: "Ya and when I am better and you tell me no, then I will cry and say, I want juice, I want juice."

YIKES!! Well at least I know that when she whines that she knows exactly what she is doing which makes it 10x easier to tell her NO. Ha ha.

This is for you Amberly...

2009-11-11T09:54:00.003-07:00

Okay so my cousin Amberly challenged readers of her blog to post 5 things they are grateful for until Thanksgiving. I will do my best, so hold on for the ride. I am grateful everyday, it's just posting it that will be the challenge. :) These are all random for the days and aren't in order of importance.

1. My iphone has these awesome apps. Like one that tells me all of the calories in fast food items so I don't eat something crazy. And my newest favorie that is a checklist. I am definately a list person. This reminds me to floss my teeth, say my personal prayers, and read my scriptures. I know that's sad for a girl my age but I didn't grow up doing it daily so I am a work in progress.

2. I am grateful that I can go to the grocery store and I don't have to worry about what I am buying. I can afford all the food that we need and then some. I always want to buy groceries for people when I see them in line putting things back or not buying alot. It makes me sad, people should be able to buy groceries.

3. I am grateful for my adorable children. They challenge me everyday, and they make me laugh everyday. I love that I loved them from the first minute they arrived and I love that they also loved me. Our love is eternal and unconditional, it amazes me quite often.

4. I am grateful that Stephen and I are still very much in love. He gets more and more handsome to me. We have a fantastic relationship. We are very good friends and we enjoy being with one another.

5. I am grateful that I can continue to grow and learn with my knowledge of the gospel. My testimony isn't the strongest and I love that I can still work on it.

See you tomorrow! Any one else want to get in on this? Just until Thanksgiving, let's be grateful!!!

A Week in Maui

2009-11-08T20:49:00.008-07:00

We just went to Maui and had a blast. While we were there we saw:

The ocean.
The Geico gecko.
Exotic island girls.
Preston and Stephen topless. (It wasn't pretty.)

Beautiful Hawaiian sunsets.

Happy Birthday Preston!!

2009-10-31T12:54:00.006-06:00

Just a random picture of Preston when he was a little baby. Preston got a truck, a walker, a book, a ball, a bear, and lots of clothes.

This is a picture of Preston's cake. As you can tell, it got a little destroyed at the bottom. While we were showing the cake to Preston he started to kick his little legs and his foot went right where his name was. Ha ha.

Katelyn was a big helper and was more than willing to help Preston open all of his presents. She even volunteered and blew out his candle. What would he do without her?

Okay so in this picture Preston looks fairly clean. Don't let it fool you, he ate the frosting, then the cake, then the plate. He just couldn't get enough.

Our baby boy is now a big boy. He is such a joy to our lives and we can't imagine life without him. Part of me is sad because I don't want another baby for a long time but then I am excited to watch him grow and experience new things. He was absolutely spoiled for his birthday. Our house is filled with new toys and clothes. Katelyn has claimed his toys as her own and throws a fit if he gets close. Preston is very fast at crawling, has taken steps, can usually take about 4-6 steps in between things. He has 10 teeth and 2 more molars are on the way. We love this boy so much!

Hilarious

2009-10-29T21:59:00.002-06:00

This video is hilarious. It is a little long, so don't feel like you need to watch the whole thing. Half way through you see what Katelyn is doing to make Preston laugh. Man I love these kids!

Cry

2009-10-21T20:24:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Katelyn told me she was going to die and I got a little sad. Tonight while I was putting her to bed she told me she was going to die and I cried my eyes out. She was saying that she was going to die and she was going to be all sparkly and it's okay because she would still be Katelyn. She even mentioned that she would still have long blonde hair. Is that not scary? I love that little girl so much and I cannot even imagine my life without her in it. She is so beautiful and intelligent. She has such a strong will and personality, she talks all day long, sometimes she drives me crazy, but she is mine and I love her with all my heart. So Katelyn, please don't die. I am going to dry my tears now and try to enjoy the evening with my hubby without my hormones getting in the way. :)

Girls Night Out..

2009-10-17T14:12:00.002-06:00

Just decided last night to do a girls night out. If you want to come, call me and I will give you the details. Should be lots of fun!!

Need some advice..

2009-10-11T17:55:00.003-06:00

Okay I don't know how to do a poll thing and even if I did, I want to know who is saying what. I am going to get my hair done soon and I am wondering if I should do blond again or go brown. Also I am considering growing my hair out, do you think I should or do you think I should cut it shorter? Thanks. Please help me out on this.

Married to Daddy...

2009-10-06T20:44:00.003-06:00

Okay so funny story. I dropped off a thank you note to Lee Read Jewelers for fixing my ring, and Katelyn noticed it was a jewelry store. I told her that was where Daddy bought my wedding ring. I showed her my finger and briefly explained the purpose of it. She replied, "Oh ya, you are married to daddy and so am I." So I snottily said, "Oh where's your ring?" She looked at her finger and replied that she didn't have one but when she gets bigger, she will have one. And then a minute later she replied, "Oh yeah, I do have a ring, it's at home in my princess game!" I love that girl.

I wanted to give a shout out to my in-laws. Stephen's grandparents came into town unexpectedly and it was so good to see them. I absolutely love my in-laws. I have felt so welcomed into this family and I love each one of them. I started crying tonight as we were saying our good-byes because they are both in their 80's and I am terrified that every time I see them it will be the last time. My father in law gave me a big hug and told me how much he loved me. I am so thankful to that man and the fatherly love that he shows to me every time I see him. He always greets me with a smile and we part with a hug. I am so grateful for him, we tease each other all the time, but I know that he knows who I am and loves me unconditionally. I am very lucky.

New Family Pictures

2009-09-25T09:45:00.002-06:00

We got our pictures taken at the Boise Train Depot by Kay C. Gordon. She did such a great job, we are so excited on how they turned out. For those of you who know me, you know I am not this cute in real life, Stephen and my kids are however. Kay C. does such a great job with kids. Katelyn kept running off and she was able to capture her attention for just the right amount of time.

The Beach

2009-09-23T10:04:00.003-06:00

Okay so I love this picture of Preston. He has had his tounge out constantly but I can never capture it right. That is totally a trait from my side of the family, thanks to my dad. I used to also do it as a child, I think it's adorable. Preston reminds me of a puppy. Constantly has his tounge out, crawls on all fours, throws up and then tries to eat it, begs for food, drools constantly, you get the concept. I love that kid.

Katelyn trying desperately to get away.

So I am not biased. I love both my children equally. The only difference is Katelyn knows how to walk and nearly refused to pose for pictures. Preston on the other hand, didn't have a choice. We had a great time at the beach. Preston loved the water and kept trying to get away from us to go to it. Katelyn loved the sand, she kept finding "friends" to play with. Usually I don't like to get dirty but that day I played like a kid. We threw sand on eachother and built a sand castle and buried one another. It was really quite fun and relaxing to not worry about the mess.

Six Flags

2009-09-21T21:31:00.004-06:00

While we were in California, I got to choose something fun that I wanted to do. So I did a little research and found a Six Flags an hour away. There were dolphins, whales, giraffes, elephants, lions, fun rides for adults and kids. It was like everything rolled into one. I was so excited. My uncle watched Preston all day and my aunt took Katelyn for most of the time so I could go on some fun rides with my cousin. Katelyn with Sylvester. She didn't know who he was but she was still excited!Look carefully at the elephant, he is holding a man in there!

Katelyn threw the biggest fit of her life on the car ride there. Her eyes are proof with the bags, this was right after the dolphin show started.

This was one of the roller coasters that I rode on a couple of times. I wanted to take a picture to remind me that I am still kind of cool. Although I did feel sick after a lot of rides, I can't take the G force since having kids. Stay tuned for pictures of the beach and to see me in a swim suit. Woot woot. I know you are so excited.

Faulty Products

2009-09-16T10:42:00.002-06:00

I hate it when I buy a product and it fails. I used to just cut my losses and be annoyed with the company. Not any more. Now if I am sold a faulty product I call the 800# of the company and give them the chance to make it right. I don't do it dishonestly to get free product, only to replace the product that failed. I bought some jeans from the Gap for $60, they started to fall apart. I went to the store, emailed, called and got the run around everytime, so I wrote into the Corporate address, and got a coupon for jeans!!! I am so pleased that they do care about customers. Just wanted to give them a positive shout out. Also one to Lee Read. My wedding ring kept splitting at the bottom. They really fixed it this time without me having to ask them because they recognized it wasn't my fault. I am so glad this is over and ended positively.

Dance Class and French Fries

2009-09-09T20:00:00.002-06:00

Okay this picture just makes me laugh. I was on the computer and suddenly it got very quiet, so I came to investigate. This is what I found. Preston in heaven. He has a nugget in each hand shoving both in his mouth and is surrounded by french fries. Good thing Katelyn didn't eat all of her dinner.

Katelyn started dance today with Miss Kami. Her class is a mixture of ballet, jazz, and tap. She did such an awesome job. I was so proud of her. Her teacher does a great job and I am sure that she is going to love it. She kept laughing and checking herself out in the mirror. When we got home we did some of our moves for dad. I reminded Katelyn of one, and she said, "You did that bad, you need to do it like this." She has such a funny yet sassy attitutude. I am in trouble.

Tomorrow we are off to San Fransisco to see my Aunt Robyn. My grandma graciously agreed to go with us to help me on the flight. We leave our house at 6:30 am, wish me luck!

McCall

2009-09-07T18:42:00.009-06:00

Okay I finally got some pictures of McCall. It was such a fun vacation, it was so relaxing. We played a lot of games and watched old movies and went on several walks. Katelyn turned three while we were there and we celebrated her birthday. We also did a family talent show where Stan played the trumpet, Bret sung, Jenn played the guitar and sung, and I did a rendition of "My Thighs." Thanks to all my wonderful aunts for writing and performing that at a reunion, I have used it several times and it always gets laughs. We went boating for a full day and I stayed behind the boat on a tube for probably 2 hours. Katelyn was also brave enough to go with me and she was hilarious. She had a great time and even said, "I love this so much!" What a great trip, I am such a lucky girl!

All in an hour...

2009-08-29T19:29:00.003-06:00

In an hours time we... Made a slide out of a changing table and pad.

Played the piano Nicolaysen style. Everyone wants to sit on Mom's lap. It doesn't look like it in the picture, but Preston did enjoy it.

Did what's known in the Callister family as either "airplane" or "superman". And I thought Mom's didn't have time to work out.

Katelyn got the confidence to stand all the way up on Mom's hands. Preston didn't want to be left out so he crawled in for the picture. After that we had baths, snacks, and we are off to read some books and go to bed. I love being a mom!

We had an AWESOME time in McCall with Stephen's family. Of course I suck and forgot my camera once again, so I am awaiting pictures of boating and Katelyn's birthday. More to come!!

Last minute trip to Utah...

2009-08-18T20:55:00.003-06:00

I took a last minute trip to Utah to see my old step siblings that I haven't seen in over 10 years. Stephen came really last minute, he decided to come 45 minutes before we left, and boy we are glad he did. We had a great time laughing and crying and remembering old times.

Okay sad, I stole this picture from my friend Brittainy's face book page and this is how it turned out. But we met for lunch at the Olive Garden and it was so nice to catch up with her and her husband.

Katelyn and Rachel hit it off right away. When we were leaving Katelyn said, "Oh I forgot, I need to give my friend loves." Like her pants low riding? Mom forgot to pack a belt.

Chad and his girls, Heather, Mandi, Katelyn, Kendra and Stephen

Chad, Heather, Kendra, and Mandi. I did see Ricki another brother, but I didn't bring my camera and I am too impatient to wait for them to email me. I also got to see my old step mom. It was so much fun and I hope to keep in contact with all of them.

Can't believe it's been 5 years...

2009-08-13T12:34:00.006-06:00

On August 14, 2004 we were married for time. I was 19 and he was 20.

On July 15, 2005 we bought our first home.

On August 16, 2005 we were married for eternity.

In May 2006 Stephen graduated Magna Cum Late with a double major in History and Political Science and Kendra quit her job to stay home.

On August 25, 2006 our daughter Katelyn Riley was born.

On October 30, 2008 our son Stephen Preston was born.

We've had some really good times and a couple of road bumps along the way, but life is really treated us well. Oh how I love this man!!!

Tonight we are off to dinner, a movie, and a hotel suite for some much needed time alone. Shout out to Carl and Pam for watching our kids. I can't wait. I even shaved my legs! HA!

Our trip to the Oregon Coast...

2009-08-06T09:29:00.004-06:00

This is Katelyn. See Katelyn play in the sand. See Katelyn smile.

Katelyn ran into the ocean. See Katelyn face plant in the water. See Stephen. See Stephen run to save Katelyn.See Katelyn without a shirt. See Mom. See Mom run. See Mom run after Katelyn with no shirt.See dirty Katelyn play in the sand. So we went to the Oregon Coast and me being naive, thought we would actually be able to swim in it. It threw us all for a loop when we drove an hour and half and went from 104 degree weather to 58. Needless to say, I was not prepared. When I realized it was apparent that we would not be swimming I thought we could at least get cute family pictures. HA! These are about all we got. Katelyn had a blast, and we did end up having a good time.

Deep Thoughts by Kendra Nicolaysen...

2009-07-26T21:23:00.007-06:00

This post is totally random things. I think about posts often and these are on my mental to-do-list, so here you go. This is our hall that I love now. For those of you who have come over in the last couple months, I know this is old news, but I am still excited about it. We used to have this icky green leafy wall paper, now we have a stylish brown with wainscoting on the bottom, love it.

I worked at the Humanitarian center a couple of weeks ago and took home some pillow cases to sew, it inspired me to finish some other projects. I cut bite marks out of the middle apple on the shirt, I think I am pretty clever. Sewing with a toddler and a baby, good times. Doesn't happen often.

I bought this cute little sign and we hung it up on our front patio (Stephen actually hung this one with his mom, tee hee hee) it will not stay straight. But I decided I like it crooked, because that's my life. It's wonderful, and it's a little crooked. :) Deep, I know.

I gave Preston his first hair cut with Stephen's face razor that has this neat blade to cut side burns. He kept trying to grab it, so I was pretty proud of myself that I didn't mess up.

And my last thought, (there are no pictures on this one, you'll thank me later). After being bit 4 times in 36 hours, we gave up on nursing. Preston loves bottles and formula. It's weird to me, but good. I was sad for a little while but realized I don't need nursing to bond with him.

And the Mother of the Year award goes to....

2009-07-23T16:54:00.003-06:00

Da da da da...Kendra Nicolaysen!! Way to go on making sure that the tray and floor were clean instead of insuring that the tray was securely on. I pretty much hate myself right now.

Dodd Reunion

2009-07-20T13:48:00.002-06:00

Long Drive, Beautiful mountains, nice sleeping quarters, great food, great company, Rook, Rook and More Rook. Soft Ball, Sliding down the mountain slide and screaming because you can't hold on. Intimate moments caught in the making, (not going to mention any names), laughing so hard. Katelyn peeing her pants and then running around without them for all to see. Attempting to be cool and go "Running" with Stephen. Elevation is 6,000 feet, allergies are bad, I am not as cool as I think I am.

On the way home Katelyn trying to get out of her car seat.

Mom, "Katelyn you can't get out because if Dad crashes you'll get hurt."
Katelyn, "Crash the car Dad."
Repeated several times and getting louder each time, by the 10th chant, Mom joins in.

Get home, 4 loads of laudry to do and surprise it's done!!! Relief in knowing that the next reunion is not for another 2 years. Ha.

Ahh Kenny...

2009-07-15T21:50:00.006-06:00

I was lucky enough to go to the Kenny Chesney concert with my super awesome new friend, thanks to my AWESOME IN-LAWS!!! We had so much fun!!! I suck and didn't bring my camera so I stole these off of Kami's Facebook. So, thanks Kami. It was so good to get away for a bit...we didn't have too many drinks last night but we danced like we did!! You'll get that last joke if you check out Kami's blog post...

http://steveandkami.blogspot.com/2009/07/we-went-out-last-night.html

Mad

2009-07-14T11:55:00.003-06:00

My Mother-in-law has always been an expert picture hanger. Whenever we need to hang something, Stephen calls his mom. And she comes over with a ruler and a level. It's always driven me crazy. Why can't I just eye ball it? I learned a very important lesson today.

Argh! Preston's mad because he is teething, he doesn't really cry, he yells, very loudly. Mom is mad because she can't hang some stupid pictures and because Preston keeps yelling. Katelyn is mad because Preston is yelling and she is trying to watch her show, and because Mom is yelling at Preston. "Don't lell at my buddy!!" Katelyn yells. Good times at the Nicolaysen household. And Stephen will be mad tonight when he sees how many holes his sweet wife with good intentions put into his freshly painted wall. There is solace (for me anyways) knowing that tonight I get to go shake my groove thing like a little school girl while Kenny Chesney prances around in his tight jeans. Ahhh.

More Milestones with Preston

2009-07-11T13:23:00.005-06:00

It's been just over a week since Preston started talking in full sentences and we were starting to wonder when that kid was going to man up and crawl. He's always responded well to beef sticks being waved under his nose, so we withheld food for three days (try 30 minutes) and then busted it out. We didn't get the backflip on tape, but did catch him crawling/rolling/shimmying a good 5 feet across the living room floor while the rest of us patted the floor repeatedly, desperately cheering him on. Just remember, it's SLOW and steady that wins the race. With the full sentences, this confirms that the kid's got brains and braun, so for anyone who might have any lingering doubts, he's definitely a Nicolaysen. We will update as soon as we have more info on which episode of Oprah we are appearing. On an unrelated note, we were able to capture Kendra doing her best impression of a rabid chipmunk about 1 minute into the video.

Got a riddle for ya...

2009-07-09T16:00:00.004-06:00

What do you get when you take a little girl who is painting and her mom who thinks it's okay to do a quick load of laundry?

Answer: A bloody mess! Man, I love this girl!

Milestones with Preston

2009-07-02T20:56:00.005-06:00

Today we FINALLY caught on video another milestone for Preston. Katelyn's sure that he's been talking to her in full sentences all along (and he's been babbling "da-da" nonsensically for months), though the video below is the definitive proof we were waiting for to make it official: not only can Preston say "da-da", he's speaking in full sentences at 8 months. At several points throughout the video, while Katelyn tries to convince him to say "Katelyn" instead of "dad", you can clearly hear him speaking at different times in English, French and Castilian Spanish. While the word "da-da" is obvious, I won't bother transcribing the rest of his sentence since it's laced with profanity. (While shooting the video I was actually blocking his view of Baby Einstein to get the lighting right. He's clearly not happy.) We're still waiting anxiously for him to crawl, though we've decided we'll settle for immobile child prodigy over moronic jock. Oprah has yet to return our calls.

You can't handle the truth...

2009-07-01T18:39:00.003-06:00

This is crazy because yesterday in the shower I was thinking how I wanted to write a real post. Not one about cute kids or something fantastic but something real. And then I got a challenge from my friend Kami to do just that. So here it goes. Sometimes I wonder what's the point of going to church when you have young children. I have 2 kids under the age of 3 and I am in the hall the most of the time. If I am able to sit in the class, you can guarantee I am not actually paying attention because I am feeding Preston snacks to keep him happy. I realized that I thoroughly enjoy the social aspect of church, but what good does that do me? And when my "friends" don't say hi, I get really sad. I know I need to make more of an effort to get some spirital time in for me.

I have been yearning for a best friend. I have lost some recently due to different reasons, and it makes me really sad. Along time ago I didn't really make an effort for friends but I realized that I should be reaching out because others probably feel the same way I do, well I am tired. I don't want to be the one who always initiates a friendship. I want a friend to laugh with, cry with, call when we need something and even when we don't. I want someone to hang out with frequently and be able to trust them with my secrets. I give a lot in a friendship and I expect a lot also.

Yesterday I was busy all day long and I was wishing I had some time to be alone. Well I got 10 minutes alone in the shower and realized I don't like to be alone.

So those are some bad thoughts, and now here are some blessings.

1. We recently got a new car for Stephen that I love and when I get to drive it I feel super hot because it's clean and there are no car seats.

2. Preston's 2 front teeth have come in and he is just funny lookin' but still cute. He is a very happy yet very intense baby. We love having him in our home.

3. Katelyn told me a couple of days ago that she had to go potty, I have been just taking her every 2 hours. Her accidents are rare.

4. I absolutely love being a stay at home mom, especially in the summer because there are so many fun activities to do and I think I have figured out how to handle 2 kids in public. Today we went swimming together and we had a great time.

5. My car needs new tires, which sucks but my life has been really good that I am always waiting for something bad to happen, so when this happened I thought, "Sweet, we can handle that, and now that's out of the way." It was sort of a relief in a weird way.

Runner's High

2009-06-17T21:59:00.002-06:00

I have never been a runner, although I am aspiring to be one. Not a major one, just a minor one. I wussed out on moving to week four of my couch to 5k program, so I just did week 3 again. I was listening to Christina Aguilera and BAM! My legs started moving faster than they ever have in my entire life, I could breathe, and I was smiling! I loved it. I even ran more than they told me to. I was having a loser day today, in my pajamas all day, frusterated for no apperant reason, and this just popped me out of it. Too bad it's 10 pm now. Well anyways, I like it a lot, and I am looking forward to the next time.

Gold Star

2009-06-13T18:41:00.003-06:00

I love blogs. I came to the conclusion that I like getting praise from people for everyday things. I think when your a child you constantly get it and then it goes away the older you get. Blogs are a way to obtain that praise once again. For instance, your child is in swim lessons, you do a post and everyone says how great you are, or like Katelyn's hair cut. Little things now become big. And you can depict how you would like your life portrayed. I trimmed our huge rose bushes yesterday and mowed our lawn today, and of course I took pictures. I would post them but the only one who truly appreciates my hard work is Stephen (because he didn't have to do it) and my neighbor Rendi because my yard isn't such an eye sore anymore. So I am going to give myself a gold star.

I would post about the beautiful new car that we just purchased, but I have been restricted.

But I will say this..I just got my hair done 3 weeks ago, I paid $60, and it looked like it needed to be done again. So tonight Stephen pulled it through a cap for me and for a home made coloring job it looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself. I am a blond again, I will post a picture when I actually style it. So if anyone would like to borrow "Esteban" as I'd like to refer to him as, too bad!

Katelyn's Updates

2009-06-03T11:49:00.002-06:00

Katelyn got her hair cut yesterday. We took about 2-3 inches off although you can't really tell by the pictures. She sat so still and was so quiet, it was kind of unusual. She is officially POTTY TRAINED!!! We are so excited. I was inspired by her cousin Jayla getting potty trained that I figured it was time to bite the bullet. She hasn't had an accident for the last 3 days. She keeps telling everyone that she gets to go on a "potty train" so we are going to take her on a train ride. She is already so lucky. I have never been on a train ride, so it should be lots of fun. Preston is working on getting his 2 front teeth in. We all have some type of sickness, it's good times.

We Are ALL Witnesses

2009-05-30T21:13:00.006-06:00

NBA Finals start June 4 in LA--without Lebron James. I didn't know basketball could make me this happy.

Interested?

2009-05-27T21:40:00.002-06:00

Before I became a wife and a mother I was a huge adrenaline junky, and in my heart I still am. I have been sky diving, white water rafting, cliff jumping, and before I die I will go para sailing. Well I stumbled upon this idea and Stephen said yes, which suprised me but hey I'm running with it. Now I just need someone who is as crazy as I am to join me. Are you interested? http://www.zipidaho.com/

On another note. Stephen, Julia, and I are participating in a fun yet grueling activity. Apparently it is the cool thing to do right now in our ward, we are doing the couch to 5k event. So far so good, thought I would post it to hold us accountable. I hope to acquire a love for running. Stephen thinks we should race in a real 5k and make it into a bet, I am smarter than that because boys are just naturally faster.