Getting it done.

(Claire getting her hair in french braids by Grandmary...
not sure why she has two different shoes on)

I am getting my hair done today. Done. I have never ever in my life gotten my hair done-cut, but not done. I am excited! I will report back tomorrow on just what I have done. Ohhhhhh!

****

I am getting it done here.

-Nie

Brotherly Love

It is for reasons like this (picture above) that I love having children.
Ollie and Nic best pals.
They love each other and will forever.
They will always have each other.
They will share clothes, underwear and a high school car.
Growing up, neither will be cool without the other
I am the mother of two handsome and healthy boys who will take care of me.

Ollie loves to smooch me for minutes and hear me say
"you are such a good kisser"
then he says
"Better than dad"
and I tell him yes and not to tell him so
.
Nic makes me sing to him while he goes to the bathroom. (thanks Grandmary)
As awful as it sounds some mornings when I am lazy and tired, believe it or not, I know I will miss the days of singing to him while he poops.
Just like now I miss changing his diaper.

I need a baby.

The Easer egg hunt 2010

It was the annual Easter egg hunt at Lucy and Andrew's farm. All the kids, armed with their Easter baskets and fast shoes ran around the sprawling area searching for not only eggs, but the one and only Golden Egg. Whoever finds the egg gets to sign his name on it and take the loot inside. It is a fun tradition. Last year I looked similar to Skelator and hardly had much to do with much of anything. Its nice to know that time changes so much.

(My very handsome brother Andrew.)

Next year Ollie is certain HE will succeed and find the golden egg......

I'll see you there.

This afternoon I am headed to Draper (in UT) for the opening of my favorite cupcake store-
Sweet Tooth Fairy.
Please come.

****
Also, enter your name in a chance to win 1 year supply of delish
cupcakes. Could you imagine?
I would defiantly be in heaven.
See you there.

***

Check this out, it is pretty awesome. (click on button)

I love you

I thought about me BC.
It made me cry.
I have been doing so good about it lately, and hardly any tears.
But Mr. Nielson was looking for some pictures on my computer and it tempted me to look through them. I saw me. Normal. With skin, and beauty.
I broke down.
But what really got me was this picture.
Courtney and Lucy with my babies.
They dropped everything for me. They planned on keeping the children forever if needs be.
I needed them them so much just as I need them now.
I need Lucy to come up and make me laugh, steal my clothes and paint together.
Page and I swap children to play for afternoons at a time.
And, I love honking at Courtney in her sunny living room (with gold walls) as I pass her house to take the children to school.

I still have them, and I'll take them over skin any day.
Happy Weekend!

And let me not forget the husbands involved too.
I love them just as much (Vance, Chris, Andrew)

(photos by Blue Lily)
the best photos ever

Another beautiful day.

(Ollie on the foothills behind my house)

Today I woke up to Alicia Keys singing.
It was my alarm on my iphone.
Time to pick up Cindy (mom) for her 10 year colonoscopy. (or check this out)
She wanted me there to hold her hand and make up funny jokes so she would laugh instead of thinking about a long stick up her bum.
So I made a few flartie jokes, and seriously, who doesn't laugh at flartie jokes-even mission presidents do.

Then after when she woke up, and asked me if it was over and how long she had been asleep for. (for the 50th time) We went to get french toast at our local bakery, but the clock in my car was still AZ time, and they wouldn't make breakfast for us past 11:00. Rude.
So, we got cinnamon pull-a-parts from another delicious bakery.
I dropped her off to sleep-off the rest of the day.

(My mom Cindy in the hospital)

I went home, Mr. Nielson had a fire going and Wart was in his undies playing with brother Nic.
I was so happy being home. Home. Home. Even saying it sounds good.
Mr. Nielson and I went to Old Willow lane for a hand in hand walk.
Then we got crazy and went for a motorcycle ride around Provo.
It was cold, but we pretended like it was warm.
I feel no pain when I am happy.

And that's how it should be.

Tomorrow Wart is going to cousin Hugh's 5th birthday party.
Nic will cry then fall asleep for his 3 hour nap.
The girls will be home early from school-Parent teacher conferences.
I will hope for another beautiful day.
And, possibly go to Target with Lucy and Bets.
A perfect day is not complete without a Target trip in there somewhere...right?

This is a good video, and if you like Steve Young you will love it.
(it has sweet background music too)

Its come.

(my entryway on a very spring day)

Welcome Spring!

With you comes a new hope of faith and confidence.
I need a change and it comes with your afternoon winds, morning chills,
blooming buds and sweet sunsets.
It comes with children playing outside, sofa pillows changed,
and my home aired out with your evening breezes.
A new beginning and a new start.

Welcome Spring!
(I welcome you with all my heart)

A day like today.

(Don't judge him, he's only human)

Last night I wrote yesterday's post- really late in the night. Could you tell? Maybe you couldn't because, lets be honest, I really stink at writing, but Mr. Nielson and I had a really good chuckle this morning when we read what I had written.

Anyway, it is really late tonight and I am tired. And I am doing it again.
I have been rearranging and dusting my house so it will be my home again.
I can't do it anymore today.
My legs hurt when I walk and I have Grandma Marion ankles.

Mr. Nielson is laying beside me. He has flarted at least 20 times since we have been in bed. Every time I look at him I shake my head in disbelief. Then he say's that I do it all the time and sometimes in his face. (as if to excuse him). Then I asked if I was asleep or awake when I did it, and he said it didn't matter-sometimes both. And then he says when he does it, it doesn't count because he is busy playing with his phone and doesn't even know it.

Sorry for the potty-mouth.
Today I had a few visitors and after they left, I ran to the bathroom to see what I had stuck in my teeth, on my nose and in my hair. It usually was all the above. Including the monkey-tail from hell, that keeps poking out of my shirt.

Today I am having lunch with Lucy and Betsy. I will decide on a new color of nail polish and we will decide what Betsy will be wearing this Spring. We will talk about Court's new baby and hope for a girl but will be OK with another boy.
Because they are pretty cute (even if they do flartie's)

This is so much better than being in the hospital.

(ps...dear friend who offered your cabin in bear lake, could you e-mail me- I'm shameless)

Hair and the F@#$ word

I am home.
We wrestled about 10 hours in the navigator until we finally drove up Briar Avenue to our sweet abode around 1:00 a.m.

Mom had planted colorful pansies in my planters, and stocked the refrigerator up with the type's of food she knew my family would devour.
Inside my home, smelled of me. My house, my life, my things. It was awesome.
I worked all day bringing in stuff from the car until I was interrupted when Claire out of the blue asked me why the word F@#$ was a bad work.

"What??...what don't answer that, who on earth did you hear that from".

I was shocked. Am I there already? Do I have to worry about swear words? I am already fighting over her issue that she needs a bra, yeah right all she needs her paper dolls and dress-ups, and that is ALL!
Now she wears her bikini top everyday like a bra. This is going too far.
What next, she will paint her room purple, put posters up of Taylor Lautner
(in my day it was JTT)
I can't stand it. Stop growing, stop.

We put the kids on the cruisers down to Umi's house for Dad's famous dinner. Pretty soon every one of my siblings and spouses came over (missed you steve and suze, and Chris). It was so fun seeing my brothers and sisters that I desperately missed while I was gone.
Each one had a cleaver joke to say about my disgusting monkey tail..but it wouldn't be coming home if no one mentioned something -so I was ready for it.

Families are so beautiful. Everything little bit about them make me happy. They remind me why I worked so hard to live-so I could enjoy listening Christopher play a beautiful piece on the piano, for Courtney who can crack a joke so effortlessly, for Lucy who remains as skinny as ever and and is always happy to see me. It is the kiss on the cheek I get from Jesse, the way Matt looks in to my eyes when we talk, the way Page preforms a health check on me within minutes of seeing her. Its the was when Andrew tells me something awesome that went on at church that day.
And if Steve were here, it would be how he tickles my back and asks me questions.

That is heaven on earth.

I tried real hard to do my own hair today. It was a ginormous job. I went through 17 rubber bands until I was fed up and asked Mr. Nielson to do it for me.
Someday...right?

Back with a monkey tail to prove it.

I am home and made it through my surgery free and clear.
I was wheeled into the OR greeted by Dr. L. and others.
Dr. L. asked me what I wanted to listen to while he worked on me.
For some reason all I could think of to say was Taylor Swift.
She sang while I was told to breathe in and out nice and slow.
Then came the huge gas mask and off to sleep I went.

When I got home Mr. Nielson and I slept for about 4 hours. Then we remembered that we were parents of 4 children who were being cared for at Aunt Alice's house. So we went and got them and Nicholas begged me to watch him shred it up outside on his jellyfish racer.
The sun was shining and I was pleased to do it.

Plans for Utah are looking closer and being in my own bed sounds better than ever.

Monkey tail is back, but plans are back on track. A few months of rest near the mountains and back to the desert for surgery.

Have a good weekend, and many hours of listening to Taylor Swift.

I heart the hospital

This is Dr. L.
Because I know you have all wondered who he is and what he looks like.
He is a hunk.
He and I have a little date in the OR this morning.
Pray for us.


Kisses,
Nie

Green Day

("Beware of Leprechaun's cooking" a note Claire wrote 2 years ago, BC)

I went to the doctor today.
Dr. L. said my monkey tail has to be put back in because hunchie is growing again with accumulated fluid.
That is not a good thing.
Monkey tail is supposed to drain any fluid in my back so hunchie doesn't get infected.
Good grief.
Back to the OR tomorrow.
But, lets not talk about that, lets talk about the sweet holiday today-St. Patrick's day.

*Little known facts about St. Paddy's day and me:

*Once, my Mom said that if I were born a boy my name would be Patrick.

*I never wore green to school on St. Patrick's day to trick people.
I would tell them my eyes were green. Ha. Face.

*Once I tried that trick in 5th grade (not wear green) and my cousin Katie got really mad at me and told me that I couldn't do that anymore. It was heart broken.

*The next year I wore green undies to trick everyone and Katie got really mad at me again and said I couldn't hide my green it was against the rules.

*Then I told her that I was Irish and I didn't have to wear green
(still didn't work) even though I really am. (hello! green eyes, freckles)

This year, my girls fought over every last bit of green clothing in their closets.

It was super annoying and Jane ended up crying.

On another note, Sweet cakes-who makes the famous tasting oreo's uses green in their frosting for a holiday treat, go try them out. I did, and I gave Dr. L. a whole box of them to tell him I love him even though he is Italian and not Irish.

(Kiss Nic, he's Irish...kinda)

losing my mind, again.

(Claire eating lunch after a hard day shopping in Scottsdale)

A happy weekend to you!
Since Mondays are the worst, I pretended it was Friday again and took my girls on a date.
First we went to Anthropologie where my girls and I searched for a formal dress.
To see what the girls were coming up with was beyond words.
Very Betsy Johnson meets secretary clothes.

After the third turn around the store with piles of clothes in each of our arms Jane began the dreaded whine. And it didn't stop for about 1 hour. As a result, I was shopping in a hurry and purchasing things that I will be taking back tomorrow. See you again there ladies!

Each season I treat my girls to a new "smell".
A new fragrance that will remind them of the Spring in 2010.

Then they were tired.
And hungry.
And so was I.

Out to the car, except which way did we park? Was it the north, or the south entrance.
Oh boy, it could be the west or even the east for all we know.

We spent a good hour wandering around wondering where we were parked and how we got in this situation in the first place. At every wrong turn I promised my girls to swear to not tell their Daddy. I don't want him knowing about my dreaded disease for not knowing my whereabouts. Hey, I was a bronwie for heavens sake, I should know all that jazz.

Anyway, finally we found where we were, except we didn't see out car. Awesome.
We searched up and down, on the garage levels.
In my desperate attempt I asked for help.
Soon a chipper lady skidded around the parking plaza in a little 4 man cart.
It was awkward and after trying 4 different levels we found my car.

Should I have tipped her?

Oh I am much to tired to think about that, I am headed to my famous Dr. L today to check my draining. I have a few things to give him at our visit as well.
He just got back from South America helping children and others who need
medical help. Dr. L is a hero.
With a good singing voice ;)

-Nie.