Nielsen's

Cakes!

2011-08-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Its been a while again and blogger takes so long to uplaod pics that I am just going to do a couple quick. Sorry! I would do more but I dont have all day to wait for it. I am having a dumb moment and couldnt get the pictures of the gabba cake turned. So sorry!

Hello? Are you there?

2011-05-13T15:19:00.001-07:00

Wow! Has it been a long time or what since I have posted anything. I'm sure some people thought I disappeared or lost my password or something! But in fact, I have not. I am really really busy...OK and a little lazy!

Anyway, Life is great at the moment! We are moving out of Daybreak right now into a house with a nice big fenced off backyard, 6 bedrooms, 3 baths, and so much more living space! The place we are in and have been for the last year is great! But circumstances have changed and this is going to be a better place for us. Plus it will make it so Eric (my brother) can take our place and not have to share with roommates. That will be great for them since they are getting married next month! Now for the family update.

Lynnli, sweet adorable Lynnli is 3 now and just as crazy as ever! She is starting Preschool in the fall (INSANE!!) and he can't wait! She talks about school all the time! I know she will love it. She is still hilarious and always keeps us moving! She is very independent as well! She went to use the bathroom yesterday and came out with a new haircut! :/ She now has bangs that are a whole 1/4" long! That is going to be fun trying to hide for the next few months while it grows out! She is definitely getting some attitude too! Shopping with dad the other day she wanted to push the cart. He let her and after a while rested his hand on the side just out of habbit. When she saw she yelled at the top of her lungs, "Dad! Get your FREAKIN' hand off the cart!" I'm telling you, there is never a dull moment with Lynnli around!

Alyssa is now almost 2! She is full of life and so sweet to everyone! I can't get over how beautiful she is! She has such a different personality from Lynnli. It is so funny! She loves to share everything and if there is ever someone unhappy about something, she will do everything she can to make them happy again.She is just now starting to really want to talk and she is starting to get pretty good. She is catching up to Lynnli size wise and they get mistaken for twins all the time now! Alyssa is in love with animals. Anytime she sees a picture, one on tv, or a real one, she goes crazy! She wants to hold them and kiss them and just love them! It so cute!

Andrew is doing great as a Licensed Massage therapist. He has been at The Spa Club for about 6 months now and he is steadily building a nice clientel! He loves massaging and helping people that way and he really has a natural gift for it. Its not so bad for me either! ;) He is starting school in June to get his Master Esthetician license as well. That will take about a year and then being dually licensed he will have so many more opportunities open up.

I stay home now and watch kids. I watch a 10 month old, 18 month old, and 9 year old girls and then a 3 year old, 18 month old, and 4 month old boys. Some days get a little crazy, but overall we do alright. Its fun for my girls to have other kids to play with and they typically do well sharing all their stuff. I have recently taken up a new hobby, sewing, and love making things for my girls. They have a few dressing so far and I am working on some adorable slippers! I do have a little problem though. I have become an addict to Facebook contests! I am on their multiple times a day entering all sorts of things! It doesnt help that its so easy to get on from my phone. I recently have won body wraps and a face wrap by ItWorks and I LOVE them! A gift card to a little Etsy shop with custom party supplies, and a huge scentsy package (a full size and plug in warmer plus 9 scentsy bars!!). I LOVE winning things! I am entered into dozens more that I am waiting to hear the results on as well. Free thing ROCK!

As a family we are wonderful! We get lots of family time since Andrew only works 15-20 hours a week massaging and I am home all day. We recently went to San Diego and took the girls to Sea World, the Zoo, and the Beach. It was so fun! A full week vacation was just what we needed!

Well, I will throw some pictures up and then I need to get back to packing! I just needed a quick break and thought I would blog quickly! Thanks for taking the time to read about my life and love and hopefully I will be able to get myself back to writing regularly!

PS If anyone has a truck and want to help us move next weekend, let me know! 801-696-0398

Only 2 pictures!? So disappointing, I know! I thought I had uploaded all the pics on my camera but apparently I have yet to do that. So this is my promise that in the next week sometime I will find the time to upload and post them all on here!!

Come back soon!

Alyssa is 1!!!

2010-08-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that my baby is a year old already! On August 11th one year ago, she was just 4 1/2 lbs and in the hospital. So tiny and fragile! Now she is crawling all over the place, trying to walk, up and down stairs! It's truly amazing how much can change in the short span of a year!

Andrew and I both had to work yesterday, but did get off early enough to have a nice dinner. But we are celebrating her birthday on Friday. I like to have a bordered picture of my girls at their birthday for everyone to sign the border that was there. The last couple of weeks have been hard to get some pictures done so I took the girls just outside to a park and snapped a couple. I'll put a couple of my favorites here.

It's amazing how different my girls are, not just in appearance but personality as well! It has been so fun seeing the differences and their personalities really both starting to show. I can't wait to see how they change even still!

Tried getting some in the sand, but all she wanted to do was eat it!

My girls just being goofy!

These next 3 are the ones I am trying to pick my favorite out of for her 8x10

And here is Lynnli at her 1 year picture

Huge Update! Warning, its a long one!

2010-06-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

I thought I would do a real update of everything going on for us right now. My last few haven't been too great. So here we go...

While unpacking, Lynnli saw the Halloween costumes I got for the girls for this year. She wanted to try them on so we did! Lynnli is going to be a lady bug and Alyssa is a bat girl. lol

Not sure what Alyssa is doing with her tongue here.

Lynnli's hair I've been doing to keep it out of her face. We are going to try and grow out her bangs and This is nice to hold it all back.
Alyssa's hair is finally long enough to get the tiniest little pony tail in. haha Sure it looks a little goofy with how small it is, but I just love it!

Lynnli wanted to jump in the pictures when she saw me taking them

Lynnli is now in the cheesy smile stage

Cheese!
Alyssa
There is a little kiddie pool literally around the corner from my house. It only goes to 1.5 feet deep so Lynnli can run all over in it while I just sit on the side. It is fantastic! One of the many great things about Daybreak!

Alyssa loves to be outside doing anything

I have had a brain fart and can't remember how to turn the pictures. Sorry

Lynnli loves to jump on the tramp.
Then she likes to show off her CRAZY hair (as she calls it)

This in in my moms front yard. I love the colors in these pictures!

For Memorial day we took the girls to their first Baseball game. It was so fun (even thought the Bees lost).

Alyssa

The baseball field
Eating cotton candy

Me and Alyssa

Lynnli with a Yankees bat...Go Yankees!
The FINGER!

Family
Stinkin cute girls!
Family again
Lynnli has this Jeep she got for her birthday last year. She loves going out and riding around. It;s made fir just 1 but we can squeeze Alyssa in with her to go for rides. Lynnli was posing for every picture this day. I wish that were a normal occurrence!

Lynnli and Alyssa

Riding together, Lynnli holding onto Alyssa to keep her in.
My beautiful Lynnli!

Candice and I go rock climbing once a week and my mom came with her young women one time. There is this arch (goes up one side, across the ceiling, and down the other side) that we have been working on. I can finally do it. It is by far harder than anything else we have tried, but it is so worth it!

Candice and I

I am just getting to the top of the arch here

Here are some pictures of Lynnli's 2nd birthday (April 3). We had the party at my work ing the child center. It was so fun! The kids loved it and Lynnli thought it was just awesome having everyone there. Mostly I just videotaped the whole thing and I had Andrew in charge of pictures. Thats why there aren't many. lol

Lynnli's cake I made
My sister Candice and I with Alyssa
Lighting the candle for Lynnli. We practiced blowing candles out a lot and she was so ready!

We have just moved! We are now in Daybreak and are loving it! My brother owns the house and my dad finished the basement for us to stay in while Andrew finishes school and we decide what we want to do. It is fantastic! It has 3 bedrooms still so we have plenty of room. Hard wood floors, granite counter tops, trim throughout. We are going really slow with the decorating so I will post more pictures once we have that all done. For now, here is what I have.

Here is the outside of the house...

My Vinyl clock (haven't gotten nails to put the middle up yet haha)

The bathroom

The family/living room
My favorite, the kitchen
And my clock again with the light above on this time

Spring Update!

2010-05-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Our last few months have been fun, exciting, tiring, busy, busy, and busy! We have been living with our in laws while my brother is having the basement in his house finished for us to rent from him. It should be done and us moving in this weekend as long as everything goes right. We can't wait! It is so nice and will be so much more room and our own place again.

Andrew only have 4 months left of school and can't wait to graduate. He will be starting again in January but is taking off a few months to recuperate. He is now working at lifetime fitness (where I work) but is working the ops at night. His current schedule goes, school at 6pm-1030pm, then straight to work until 6am, then come home and sleep until about 3, wake up and shower and study for a couple hours and back to school. That goes Mon-Thurs a9or Fri morning). Then he has to try and switch back to sleeping at night so he can do clinics on Saturdays from 12-630. And then get up for church Sun and take a nap so he can get back to the graveyard schedule. Let me tell ya, it is HARD! Not only on his, but me and the girls. It will be so nice when he gets a normal schedule again and we can be a normal family again. lol

I am still working in the child center at Lifetime. Alyssa is just about big enough to bring and that will make everything a little easier. Right now my mom and mother-in-law watch her while I am working. It is a great help but will be nice when I don't have to worry about that. Other than that I am about the same.

Lynnli talks more than ever! She is the cutest little thing and she has such a funny personality. We have been teaching her about modesty, and bow whenever she sees a guy without a shirt, or a girl with a sleeveless shirt she tells them to put more clothes on because they aren't being modest. She also will correct anyone who says stupid "we say silly, don't say stupid!" ha ha She loves to be outside and loves playing with her little sister. She is such a sweetheart and always entertains us.

Alyssa is almost 10 months old! She had her first tooth break through yesterday (finally!!!) and she is just about crawling. She is such a mama's girl! I can't even walk behind her without her fussing because she can't see me. It's cute, but definitely gets old.

Anyway, that is us in a nutshell. I have thrown a few pictures of some of our adventures so far this year. Can't wait to see what is next! Take care everyone!

We feed the horses all the time!

Roller skating!

My little models!

Kennecott copper mine

Lynnli learned how to open my eyeliner and wanted to put it on. It is liquid so it was very easy to put all over her eyes! haha

I lost 16lbs. in 3 weeks!

2010-04-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

As a lot of you may know, there is a diet going around right now called Hcg. There has been a lot of controversy about it and a lot of positive and negative talk. I wanted to lose my baby weight quickly and after TONS and TONS of research and talking to my doctor, I did it!

In 21 days, I lost 16 pounds. I cheated pretty frequently as well (Lynnli's birthday, Easter, weekends in general lol) and I still did great! I love where I am at now and I love how fast and easy it was.

The way Hcg works, is you eat only 500 calories a day (very specific things) and you use the hcg daily. Even though you are eating so little, because of the hcg (which, btw, is a natural hormone your body already produces), your body takes the other calories it needs from your stored fat. If you werent using the hcg, you would lose muscle, get sick, have no energy, etc. I have felt better than ever while doing it and I look so much better!

I found a spray because I didn't want to use the shots and the drops sounded like such a pain (if the dropper touches anything it is contaminated, you have to hold it under your tongue for ten minutes each time, etc.). With the spray, you shoot 2 sprays into your mouth morning and night. Thats it!

I am so in love with this and I would totally recommend it to anyone! I am putting a link to where I got it on here so anyone interested can take a look.

http://www.hcgclinicusa.com/cmd.php?af=1167562

I will post pictures soon so you can all see the difference. I LOVE it!

Andrew

2010-02-21T17:15:00.000-08:00

Today is not a special day, nothing special has happened, and there is nothing special going on. I have just been thinking a lot lately about how much I love my husband, and how lucky I am to have him and I wanted to do a post about him.

Andrew is, hands down, the best husband a girl could ask for. He is loving, caring, a great dad, and so devoted to doing everything possible for our little family.
Andrew is so busy all the time. He gets up every morning at 6, and leaves for work about 6:30. He works until 5:30 when he leaves to go straight to school. He is at school until about 11, then he comes home and gives me an hour or so to talk and complain about everything that happened to me during the day, and how tired I am (I typically work from 8:45-12 and again at 4:45-9, and I often get a nap in the middle. Not that hard of a day). He has not once complained about his lack of sleep or my griping about how hard my days are.

Andrew always lets me be myself and he never judges or criticizes me for it. I have all my stupid quarks and I can be just plain weird, but Andrew just laughs at me and tells me he loves me. Even when I get upset over something stupid and cry and sulk about it, he doesn't complain.

Andrew never gives up. A lot of you know we have been going through some hard times financially (as most people have) and Andrew keeps looking ahead and keeps focused on our goals and dreams. Even when its hard and there is so much going on, he will set new goals and map out a plan on how to achieve them.

Andrew is great with words (something I lack, and envy him for). He always knows just what to say and he always can cheer anyone up. Even Lynnli when she is upset and we don't know why. He can talk to her and he always makes everything all better.

Andrew is the best dad in the world. He is so loving and so adorable with the girls. He will stop anything to spend time with them. He is great at doing the little dance songs with Lynnli, especially Ring Around The Rosy. He is fantastic at getting the girls to fall asleep at night and I still can't figure out what he does differently than me.

Andrew has always kept his standards high and he is a great example to me and the girls. He would never do anything he doesn't want our girls to do one day. He as such high standards for them and has done so good at keeping those standards part of our daily lives.

Andrews love has helped me to rediscover myself. I have a new love for myself that only he has been able to give me. I see myself in a whole different way and I know that, with him, I can do anything. Just being with him feels like I can defy the whole world.

Andrews love all together is unconditional. Whether it is love for a friend, child, relative...Meaning that no matter what, he always has love for them and is there whenever they need him. When you love someone, you do the best you can to make them feel great about themselves. Love them for who they are, not what they do, because that is just an aspect of who they are.

To everyone who knows Andrew, he is a bright, capable over-achiever who is handsome and remarkably confident. Without him, their lives would be a little more difficult and a little less pleasant. To me, he is me. Without him, I would not be me. I would not faintly resemble the girl I am today.

And, of course, I love his intelligence, because he was smart enough to fall in love with me. ;)

I love you Andrew! You are amazing and strong, and incredible, and the best M.A.N. in the entire world!

Hope Andrew doesnt get mad at me for sharing this!

2010-02-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

Lynnli makes me laugh everyday and there are so many stories that I would love to share with everyone, but some are embarrassing to Andrew or I so I try and refrain. But some are just too hilarious!

The other night, Andrew was about to jump in the shower and Lynnli heard. She loves to shower with mommy, but due to anatomy, she can't shower with daddy. lol She got very frustrated and upset that daddy was telling her no. She cried and cried so before showering Andrew took her to eat dinner. He tried to sneak away and made it to the bathroom before Grandma slipped and mentioned something about daddy being in the shower. Lynnli ran down the hall screaming that she wanted to shower with daddy. She layed on the ground and stuck her fingers under the door and tried to see daddy. Andrew got down on the opposite side of the door to talk to her. After trying to console her, their conversation went like this...

Andrew "I'm sorry sweetie, you can't shower with daddy. But we will play when I am done."
Lynnli "No! No! Daddy bad!"
Andrew (heartbroken) "Lynnli? Daddy is bad?"
Lynnli "No! Daddy bad...breath!"

Hahahaha! I guess dinner right before didn't leave the freshest smell in daddy's breath! Lynnli is so funny and such a cutie! I couldn't help but share this story!
I hope it gave you all a good laugh!

My new job

2010-01-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

Not all of you know, I have recently started a new job. now let me tell you, this has got to be one of the best jobs in the world. My amazing sister Candice got it for me. It is at Lifetime Fitness in the child center. I get to go and play with kids all day and get paid for it. Plus I get a free membership to the Gym and I can take my kiddos to work with me. How fantastic is that? Lynnli absolutely loves it and has a great big list of friends she always talks to. Her favorites, Lance, Caleb, Noah, Bridger, and Easton. That is right, she is a total boy chaser! Andrew is a little more worried now, but it is all just friendly right now. And I think it is pretty cute.

Today, we had a big paper airplane contest. There were about 20-25 kids and we all made our own paper airplane (some were very interesting to say the least). We stood in a big line on the wall and let them go! It was so fun!

The toddlers all like to watch Yo Gabba Gabba (can't stand that show). It keeps them very entertained and they get along much better that way. It's worth the headache you get from the show to keep the little ones happy without their moms there.

While we were leaving today, Lynnli's favorite teacher, (as the kids call us) Caity, walked past us and gave Lynnli a cute little mini cupcake. Lynnli gobbled it up and then ate mine too! haha She loves Caity and now she loves her even more. She has been talking about the "cake from Caity" all day!

I am so glad I work with so many great people there (*almost everyone) and they are all so nice to Lynnli! I am getting some great stories from that place. I will post two of my favorites to end my post for today.

There is a little boy named Isaiah who is about 9 I think. His dad is a personal trainer at the gym so he is there a lot. He is have black and a super cute and fun little boy (he says I am his favorite teacher). He always plays and has a great time. A couple days ago I was cleaning some toys and I over heard a group of kids talking about him. They weren't being mean so I just listened. He came walking by and they stopped him to ask the funniest question ever!
"Isaiah, we were wondering if your dad is Chris Brown?"
I almost burst out laughing! He said no and didn't know why they would think that. Welcome to the white population state of Utah!

We have a rule in the child center that kids are not allowed to pick up or hold another kid, even if they are siblings. And there are little rooms all over the child center for different ages and stuff and there are only half walls (with granite tops) so we can still see everyone. This gets really frustrating to the older kids that arent quite tall enough to see over and who want to check on their younger siblings. For example, a little girl, we'll call her Sally, wanted to see how her baby brother was doing so she asked a bigger girl, we'll call her Jill, to hold her up so she can see her. We kept getting after Jill for picking up Sally but she kept doing it. Finally, the supervisor went up to Jill and said,
"You can't keep picking her up. What is you slipped and dropped her and she hit her mouth on the top and all her teeth got knocked out? Wouldn't you feel bad? I know I would."
Jill nodded and put Sally down but you could see she was in deep thought. Then she replied,
"Well, If all her teeth came out she could put them under her pillow and get a lot of money. So she probably wouldn't care."

Haha! The things kids think of.

Potty Training!

2010-01-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

It's official! Lynnli is potty trained! WOOOOOO!

After only 20 days, Lynnli is completely potty trained. She stays dry every night and through naps, she wears her big girl panties everywhere, she can hold it when we are in the car. What an awesome little girl I have! My goal was to have her done my her birthday in April...CHECK! I think half of it was training me to know when she is ready to go. And the reward system we used worked GREAT! I sure hope Alyssa is as easy as Lynnli was.

New Pictures of the Girls!

2010-01-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

I decided I needed some new pictures of the girls so we did a photo shoot today. Lynnli loved it and loved trying different poses. Alyssa, not so much.
Anyway, I am happy with the pictures and now just need to print some out!
Hope you enjoy!

1 Week Down!

2010-01-14T20:55:00.000-08:00

I have now been potty training Lynnli for just over a week. I tell ya, that little girl is AMAZING! She does something that just surprises the heck out of me and I think she can't get any smarter...then she does something like this!

After only a week, she now tells me when she has to go, she is sleeping in big girls panties and staying dry, when she does forget to tell me, she stops herself from going till she is on a potty. It is so stinkin cute! She doesn't even care about the rewards anymore. She likes to go and be a big girl. I am going to try and take her to see a movie in the big theater to celebrate how well she is doing. Nice thing is she doesn't know the difference between the real theater and the dollar theater. lol

Anyway, I am so proud of Lynnli! She is such a doll and so much fun all day. What a blessing it is to be her mommy! I love watching her grow up and I can hardly believe she is almost 2!

You are awesome Lynnli!

Potty Training day 2

2010-01-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

I woke Lynnli up this morning at 8 and tried to get her to go potty. She couldn't and I had to leave to take Alyssa in for a doctors appointment. Grandma Nielsen was feeding her breakfast when I left and took her down right after. She did it! Then as soon as I got back, we switched girls and Lynnli and I headed into work. She didn't want to stop playing the whole times, but I was able to get her to try twice during the 4 hour shift. She was dry both times but didn't go either time. On the way home she fell asleep. She did go during her nap and when she woke up she went in the potty again. Tried a few more times with nothing and then she has gone two more times in the potty.

That means, besides her nap, she hasn't had one accident today! I was pretty worried with taking her to work and all, but she is a trooper! Tomorrow I am home all day so it should be easier to make sure she is drinking a lot again.

Yay for Lynnli! We are so proud of her and so very thankful she is making it so easy on us (so far)!!

Alyssa's Blessing

2010-01-06T20:28:00.001-08:00

We want to thank all our family and friends who came and supported us last Sunday. It was an amazing day and we are so happy to of had the opportunity to bless sweet Alyssa. Here are a few pictures from that day and I will add more later!

New Adventure

2010-01-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

We are finally doing it...

Lynnli's Potty Training!!!

I wanted to start the training months ago. But then we were moving, then the baby was born and I was away, then Alyssa came home, then we moved again. It just seemed like big things kept happening and I felt like we were never going to be able to start! But we finally have! Day one has been a huge success! With 7 successes (one was even number 2!!) and only 3 accidents, I can only hope Lynnli continues to do so well! The last 3 times today she has some to me and told me she needs to go before she has. I am so proud of her and I feel so lucky she is so smart! I am ready for some relapses as they are typical, but I hope they are few and far between!

Wish us luck and be prepared for stories as we go on this adventure!

Here is Lynnli's cute potty! She just loves it!

This is the candy we keep on display for her. Anytime we check her and she is dry, or when she goes on the potty she gets one. Great incentive for her!

This is her special book where we keep track of everything! The hits and the misses!

href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TJqkSDzj10Q/S0Vcoklw8uI/AAAAAAAAAjY/Lj_W5o6pdy0/s1600-h/potty3.jpg">
She gets to pick a sticker to put in every time she goes on the potty.

She has a LOT of stickers to choose from!

She is doing great and seems to be having a lot of fun! I am making her drink a lot more so she has to go more often (notice the juice running down her shirt)

Happy Birthday Allister

2009-12-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

Today is our sweet baby boys 3rd birthday! I can hardly believe it has been 3 years since I held Allister in my hands. Here is a link to a song that always reminds us of him. I will also post the lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xenSzMQfaug

Sunny days seem to hurt the most
I Wear the pain like a heavy coat
I feel you everywhere I go
See your smile, I see your face
I hear you laughing in the rain
Still can't believe your gone

It ain't fair you died to young
Like a story that had just begun
But death tore the pages all away
God knows how I miss you
All the hell that I've been through
Just knowing, no one could take your place
Sometimes I wonder, who you'd be today

Would you see the world
Would you chase your dreams
Settle down with a family
I wonder what would you name your babies
Someday's the sky's so blue
I feel like I can talk to you
And I know it might sound crazy

Sunny days seem to hurt the most
I wear the pain like a heavy coat
The only thing that gives me hope
Is I know, I'll see you again someday

Someday, someday

It is such a blessing knowing that our baby is with our Heavenly Father and that he doesn't have to go through all the struggles in this world. We know that we WILL see him again someday. We will have our baby with us again.

We Love and miss you so much Martin Allister!

2009-11-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

Here are a few random pictures of my little girls!

Update!

2009-11-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I think I have just come to realize that I will never be an avid blogger. As much as I love to get on here and share pictures and news with everyone...I just am not good at it. But that is ok. I will still get on and update everyone when that moment hits me just right! SO here is my latest update.

Alyssa is now 3 1/2 months old. She is growing like crazy! She weighs about 9 1/2 lbs and seems to be heavier everyday! She is generally pretty happy, but does have collic. I think it is almost over, but gripe water is still my best friend in the evenings!

A couple weeks back, I took her into the instacare with a slight fever. Because she was a preemie and is so young still, they sent us to primary childrens. 6 hours later...at 4 in the morning, they sent us home. They had done a few tests and the results they had looked fine. I guess in babies this small, a fever means something more serious...like meningitis. Ends up she has the flu...not swine, just regular. She got over it pretty quick at least. With the help of medicine. I can't wait for the collic to end though. Then I will have better luck getting smiling pictures.

Lynnli also got the flu and I think its taking a little longer for her to get over it. But she is getting better. She also had medicine. She still loves being an older sister. She helps all the time. Tries to feed Alyssa. She does pretty good at not trying to hold her or anything without help though. She really is such a good girl. I couldn't be happier with me daughters. I am so blessed to have such wonderful kids! I can't wait to see how they act as they get older.

Andrew has been in Massage therapy school for about a month and a half now. He absolutely loves it! He has been loving learning all the different types of massage. He has new stories for me everyday. I haven't gotten him to practice on me much yet, and he claims it will be different once he has his table (it should be coming in the next week or two). I can't wait. The little I have gotten is amazing! He also has started a new job working at Sears as an appliance salesman. So if anyone needs any new home appliance, call us! :) Sylex is going well, but its just at a point that he can't make money until it is up and running. And as we all know too well, you can't survive without money.

Overall we are doing really well. We are all healthy again and very happy. Life is slowing down for a while but as soon as Andrew finishes school I'm sure it will pick right back up!

Welcome Home Alyssa!

2009-09-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Alyssa is now home! After 22 days in NICU, she is now with us. We picked her up today around 1:30. She is doing great. She's just been sleeping. Lynnli loves her so much and was so cute holding her. She just giggled and kissed her over and over. She doesn't want other people to hold her. Brooklyn took her for a turn and Lynnli just fussed and tried so hard to get her back. She is doing good so far, and I hope she doesn't get too jealous. Here are some pictures. I will give an update of her first few days at ome in a few days!

My mom got Lynnli a new doll today to hopefully help her get used to me having the new baby. Tere are pictures of her taking care of her baby too. She will be a great mommy one day! :)

Baby Alyssa

2009-08-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm sure most of you know we had our little baby this week. She is 8 weeks early but doing good. I thought I'd write the story of everything that happened here so you can all read it instead of me telling it over and over (not that I really mind).

Friday evening, the 7th, Andrew and I got into bed early after Lynnli had fallen asleep so well and we were able to watch a movie, enjoy each others company and everything. It was the first time in a long time we were able to just be together without work interfering and what not.

About midnight I started feeling a few contractions, nothing strong, but frequent enough I decided to pay attention to them. By 1 they were coming consistently every 10 minutes. I know that usually that isn't quite enough to really be too concerned, but with my cerclage I decided I better call the doctor just to be safe. I was told that if I was really worried I could run into the hospital just to get checked. Like I said, the contractions weren't strong so I left Andrew home with Lynnli and I went in.

They did a check and started giving me tributaline to try and stop the contractions. By about 5 they had slowed to just a few an hour so they sent me home. Anytime I was standing I would have them so they said to just stay in bed as much as possible. I went to bed and woke up at 10 the next morning. Put Dora on for Lynnli and as soon as I was up started having more contractions. I layed back down but they weren't stopping. Only getting stronger. I called the doctor and they had me run and pick up a prescription for tributaline. My mom came and picked Lynnli up and I went back home to try and rest and let the contractions stop.

By 1 they were every 3 minutes apart and getting pretty intense. I called Andrew (he was working) and let him know I was going back into the hospital. He met me there and they hooked me back up and started a couple other kinds of medicine. After an hour or so on each it started to help, but then they would start back up again. By Sunday afternoon they decided I was going to have to stay in the hospital until she came. Doctors were hoping to keep her in for a couple weeks at least.

Monday morning things started to look a little better and my doctor told me if I stayed the same for 24 hours, that he would let me go home on very very strict bed rest orders. Well, I guess Alyssa heard him. About 8 o'clock that evening, I stared steady contractions again. They increased my medicine (still on both) and tried to wait it out. By midnight they were getting closer and more intense again. They tried giving me some morphine shots which I guess can also stop or slow contractions. They tried a couple times in the next few hours. Still wasn't working.

At 5:30-ish they sent me back to Labor and delivery (I had been up in the recovery). They didn't want to do anything until my doctor was able to come check me for himself. Last they had checked, I was dilated 2cm. They still weren't to worried because that is all I was when I first came in. They felt that even though I was having contractions, they weren't doing anything. I disagreed. They were getting very very painful, so much that as the contraction came, I just cried. Keep in mind that with Lynnli, I didn't even know I was in labor and was almost 6cm before I even felt the first contraction.

Shortly after 7 my doctor came in (he was in a c-section and couldn't come sooner). He checked me and I was now a 3. He decided this baby wasn't going to change her mind and ordered the epidural. Hallelujah!!! We got that finished about 7:45, then just after 8 my doctor removed my cerclage and broke my water. My 9 I was dilated 10cm. Completely done and ready to go. We went back to OR so they could pass Alyssa right thru to NICU. She was born at 9:19am on Tuesday August 11th.

Alyssa tried to cry as they were passing her through. It was great to hear. I was all cleaned up and we went back up to recovery to wait. Around noon they told us we could go see her. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but told that she was doing very well.

Alyssa McCall Nielsen was born weighing 4 lbs 9 oz and 17.5 inches long. For the first 24 hours about she was on oxygen and everything was being monitored. She switched to room air the next morning and is now completely off all help breathing. She is getting fed through a tube that goes directly to her stomach and next week sometime we will try and introduce breastfeeding. All the nurses tell us how great she is doing and how fast she is improving. She is still being monitored on most things and today had to sit under lights for a little jaundice. Nothing more than normal though.

I am home now (staying with my mom for a few extra days to have help with Lynnli still) and I miss her tons. It is just good to know we have such good doctors and nurses at our hospital so she is in great hands. Andrew and I are able to hold her and see her anytime we want. I love going down and I can't wait to get her breast feeding so she can come home. Once we have established that and as long as everything else is still so good, she can come home with us.

Andrew absolutely adores his little girls. He is such a great dad and so cute to watch with both of them. He loves that he has 2 daughters now and I think he secretly enjoys knowing he will be the only male in our home. :)Lynnli has yet to meet her baby sister and probably won't be able to until she comes home. But she is very glad to have her mommy back. It was a hard week for her. She stayed with Grandma Hermansen and loves being with her, but didn't like being away from mom.

I am doing great, recovering quickly and excited for the next chapters in our life. It crazy to think that at 22 I have a family of 5. I wish our little Allister was still with us, but am happy to know he is watching from above, looking after his little sisters.

Here are a bunch of pictures of our Alyssa. I will continue to update this as she is in the hospital and hopefully in a couple weeks will be able to add pictures with her home! Thanks for reading and feel free to leave any comments or questions you want! We love you all and appreciate all the thoughts and prayers we've received.

She is off the oxygen here, but has tubes in with the room air and to make sure she doesn't stop breathing.

All bundled up and cozy!

Big yawns! All the time!

She was peeking a little here, and look at all that hair!

Tiny little fingers!

Ha ha! She was under the bili lights for jaundice here. I think she looks like an old lady!

Trying to wake up, little smile!

Daddy's first time holding her! Adorable! One of the best memories I have!

Mommy's first time holding her! Precious!

Doing Kangaroo Care for the first time (skin to skin contact). She loved it, I loved it, daddy loved it, can't wait to do it again!

I couldn't forget my other princess. We had just gotten her ready for bed and she was telling us "Shhh" She makes the sound through her nose. lol

I guess my flash was bright. She kept holding her hand up when I would take pictures. lol So funny she even thinks to do that!

Update!

2009-08-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

It has been a while and I keep getting crap from people for not updating this. So here I go!

Andrew is still working on Sylex. The building is almost completely finished. It needs carpet in the offices and the parking lot and landscaping finished. It looks great! I'll put a couple pictures on here. Some are from a little while back, so the stucco and a few other things aren't done in them.

A couple weeks back it got broken into and a few tools got stolen. They are going to have an alarm system eventually, but don't have enough in the building to make it worth the money right now. They decided something was needed though and they talked to some police out in that area. They said the best defense for something like that is to have a dog there. So we now have an 8 month old pit bull security system. His name is Chico. He is definitely a puppy still, but big enough he looks and sounds scary. A few people we know have gone out to see the building when we aren't there and he is very protective already.

Andrew is looking at some online schools and is trying to pick one so he can get back into school and get a degree. He isn't sure what he wants to go into but wants to get his associates in the meantime.

Here is our Awesome security system Chico

Lynnli likes to go visit and help daddy work

Here is how you'll see the building from the road.

Here is the front again after the stucco and stone was completed.

Lynnli is now 16 months old and crazier than ever! I can't believe how fast she learns and everything she can say. Her new words are, purple, bubble, ernie, hello, pink, airplane, moon, animal, Lynnli, and tons more. She loves to take our phones and pretend to talk on them. She is always dancing, loves all other babies, and is still always happy. She tries so hard to jump but usually just falls on her bum. She has12 teeth now, 4 of them molars! I can't believe how fast she grows! She is so easy to take care of. She plays and does great by herself while I have to do my own things and she is great with every little kid she sees. She still loves reading books and brings them to us to read to her all the time. I couldn't be happier with the cute little girl we have been blessed with!

We're camping and Daddy is teaching her about the hot fire. She did really good to stay away and only threw things in when daddy helped her.

We're getting ready to see fireworks and she wanted to look pretty and put lip gloss on.

This is our soon-to-be sister in law Marisol (marrying Jameson). She was camping with us and Lynnli just loves her!

I am now almost 31 weeks along. This pregnancy has gone so fast compared to last time, but I am so ready to be done! I was given the steroid shots again for the baby's lungs because I have started dilating again. So far this pregnancy has gone the exact same as last time. My measurements and everything have literally been exactly the same each week as they were with Lynnli. That makes me happy to know that it is all going so well, but I also hope that this little one comes a bit early and not the day before her due date like Lynnli. I am actually hoping for September 9th. Just under 4 weeks early and her birthday would be 9-9-09. Wishful thinking I guess. Really as long as she come when she is strong and healthy I will be happy. A couple more month of this won't kill me.

Well I think that is about everything going on for us right now. Lynnli and I go to a splash park by our house a lot and we go swimming as a family a few times a week. If anyone ever wants to come with us or just hang out we are always available! We would love to see you all and catch up! Thanks for reading our blog and being patient with my slow updates! Until next time, be safe and enjoy the rest of summer!

The Truck

2009-07-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

So i have looked into the trucks part availiability prices and of course looks. and i have two trucks i am trying to decide between. the first is the 1955 chevy and the other is the 1955 ford. i love the overall look of the chevy, but the stubby bed and the grill on the ford is just awesome! So tell me what you guys think. The chevy is the Red one, the ford is orange. i am leaning toward the chevy, cause thats how dad always did it! lol but give me some feed back. Thanks!!

Thats enough!

2009-07-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

There is way to much estrogen on this page. so its time to man it up! first, Sylex is going well, the building is about 90% inside and 100% outisde. the parkinglot is the next big step. but everything is moving relativly smooth.

Second, i am thinking about buying an old truck, im looking at chevy trucks from 47-59. im not being to picky, but want somthing that can run. iw ant to have a project vehicle. im hoping if i do so i can get my brothers and my dad to come work on it on the weekends with me. kind of create a male bonding experience and end up with a sexy truck to cruise around in .

so i will keep you posted on my findings and also on sylex!

anyway, that is my update, Peace!

Please help!!

2009-05-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

I have a question for any lady who has been pregnent before out there. Lucky for us, as we get further along in our pregnancies, our pelvis and hip bones start to soften to get ready for delivery. With Allister and Lynnli I did ok, but this time has been so horrible! I would almost rather go through labor every night (ok, not that bad, but it hurts!). Last night I just sat in bed half the night because it hurt so bad to lay down. I have tried putting the pillow between my legs and I have tried heat and cool packs, but nothing has seemed to help. It gets more and more painful as the day goes on and by night I can't sit longer than five minutes or so without standing for breaks because if I do I can't get up to walk after.

What I am wondering is if anyone has ever had this as bad as me and what can I do to find some relief? If I could I would take a hot bath every night, but because of my cerclage I can't be submerged in any water. If you even have any ideas that you think might help, please let me know!

2009-05-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well I have now had 2 ultrasounds and this baby is defenitely a girl! We are so excited and can't wait to have another mini Lynnli running around. She is so much fun already, I can't imagine how it's going to be with 2! My due date was also moved up 4 days. So now it is October 6th Although, like most soon-to-be mamas, I hope she comes a week or 2 early. :)

We recently have moved. We are now in Herriman in a cute little townhome. It's about the same size as our house was. The bedrooms are a lot bigger and we have an extra bathroom now. We only have a living room, No Family room. It works out good for us though. It's nice to have someone else take care of the yard. Our ward is great with tons of little kids, and we have a pool, hot tub, fitness center, and parks all over! We love it!

Anyway, I am getting ready to head home. But here are a few newer pictures of Lynnli!

Lynnli was trying to smile here, but angry at me because I took away her drink

Coloring with Aunt Brooklyn while sitting on the deck. She loves it outside and loves coloring so she was in heaven!

Playing in the sand at a park. Another of her favorite things!

I originally took this picture because I wanted to show the family the first time I put pig tails in her hair. I absolutely love her face in it though! It's one of my favorites!

We were playing hide and go seek here. I was looking for her and she hid on the side of the couch next to the wall. When I found her she couldn't stop laughing so I had to get a picture! It is so fun and I love that she actually knows to go hide!

Update!!!

2009-04-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I keep making these goals to do a post once a week...or at least once a month! LOL But who am I kidding. I don't have internet at home and I always forget my camera when I go somewhere with it. I just put it off everytime. So now, I am just making a goal to update when there is something exciting. Now that I'm not working I am hoping I'll de better, but We'll see. Anyway, here is what's going on in my family.

Andrew is still working on getting Sylex Concrete started. After so many issues with getting the building permit, we have it and it is coming along nicely. THe just poured the foundation and Framing should be done this week. We wanted to have it done before May, but we'll just have to do what we can now. The weather hasn't helped very much...one of the many joys about living in Utah I guess. He is doing wonderful and working so hard everyday though. He is out the door by 6:30 or 7 everyday. I didn't even know he could get up that early! :) He has also done amazing at helping me with this pregnancy. He is an amazing husband and I am so lucky to have him!

I recently had my cerclage. I was flat in bed for a week after, but now I am just on light bedrest. Meaning I can do light activites as long as I am careful and at least sit as much as possible. I am no longer working as that would be too hard on the baby. I am 15 weeks along right now. My doctor waits until 20 weeks to do the ultrasound and that feels like its so long away! We can't wait that long to find out what we're having...and luckily, our good friend Melissa has a sister who is willing to give us one. So next Friday we will be finding out (as long as baby cooperates). Other than that I am just staying home with my amazing Daughter everyday. I LOVE being a stay at home mom finally and I hope that it will be able to last after this baby comes.

Lynnli is great! She is a year old and a bundle of joy! I have never seen a baby happy like her all the time. She wakes up with a smile and it's still there when she falls asleep at night. She is walking and even trying to run a little now. She wants to talk so bad and tries all the time. Her favorite shows are Barney (baaaaar in her words) and Elmo (emmo). She loves to do songs with Actions and she can do them all herself. She is just so fun all the time and it gets me even more excited to have this baby. I just hope this one is as good and happy as Lynnli. I've been trying to teach her there is a baby in my tummy. She's looked under my shirt a couple times, but usually just gives me a funny smile then kisses my stomache. She is going to love being a big sister. Babies are her favorite!

We are all very happy and very excited for the changes coming in our future. We are so blessed and so thankful for everything we have. We love all of you and are so happy to have you as friends!

2009-03-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

We all know what "tagging" is..well here is tagging with a twist. I don't tag people..you tag yourselves! This is a fun little thing my cousin started and I thought I'd give it a try! Lets get this going all over! Have fun!

The first five people to leave a comment on this post will receive something made by me. However there are some limitations:

1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year. (although may take a while)
4. You have not a clue what it is going to be, poetry, shoes, bags or a little invention of my own. I may bake something and mail it you . Who knows? Not you that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. It may blow your mind!

Here's the deal, though. If you choose to comment and happen to win, you have to post this same deal on your blog and do the same. Be ready to make or create five things for five different people. When you receive the wonderful thing I make for you, you must post a picture of it on your blog.

I’ll contact the first five super-lucky comment-givers. Who’s it gonna be???

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T20:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I missed a post last Sunday because I had to work. So I will do two this week!

Here are some pictures from our Christmas. It was wonderful! Lynnli had so much fun! She got so many new toys and clothes! She doesn't know what to do with half of them! Her favorite is her little bike she got. She never wants to get off it! She also just LOVES her dolls. She got a talking Elmo and Cookie Monster, and a Cheer Leader doll who sings a few cheers. She got just a soft baby doll and Barney. Lots of Elmo and Barney movies, a bunch of new outfits with a new bow and headband for each one! Just tons of fun stuff!

Andrew also got some fun stuff, which including, "the best Christmas present I ever got" he says, 3 Zebra Finches. They are so much fun! The sing all day and are just fun to watch! We have 2 girls and 1 boy. Andrew said he didn't want to name them...but I still did. :) There names are Flip, Flop, and Flutter. I will put pictures on with my next post.

I also got the best Christmas present ever! Andrew got me a Phoenix HP22. A little pistol. It is so small and cute! The clip holds 10 shots which is more than what I thought it would hold. I love shooting and now need to hurry and get my concealed weapons permit. We are going shooting tomorrow and I will put some pictures from that on as well.

It was such a fun day! I am so excited for Lynnli's Birthday, in a few months, when we can do it all over again! For now, enjoy the pictures and be sure to check back soon!

Enjoying a cold one after a long day (root beer)

Aunt Candice sharing a ride

Uncle Eric helping her figure it out

Steering all by herself (even if its in circles)

Walking along the table

Andrew and I...so sweet!

Watching in aw as cookie monster wiggles and rolls around by himself

Now he's standing back up by himself

Too excited for the next gift to care about the one on her lap

Reading her new book

Just looking around!

We're back!!

2008-12-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a long time since we've put up any posts. Since I've taken over the Riverton Sally's, we are just always busy! But I am determined to get back into writing a post at least a couple times a month. Hopefully once a week. Lets just say I'm starting my New Years Resolutions early. :)

Anyway, I'm putting a few pictures of Lynnli in front of the tree. She loves the lights, but she loves smiling for pictures more. She is 8 1/2 months old now and as fun as ever! She crawls backwards and can move both arms and one leg forward. She just can't get that other leg in front of the other. As soon as she figures it out, she'll be all over though.

Andrew is still working on getting Sylex started. They are so close! West Valley City is just being stubborn (to put it nicely) and won't give us our building permit still. Soon...very soon. While we're working on that, he is going up to Idaho to work on a school with his dad, uncle, and brother. He likes working with his family, hates to travel, and is sick of waiting for the building permit. We just keep telling ourselves it will be worth it in the long run.

I still love managing Sally's. It's a great job, they are a great company, and I love being able to pick my schedule and boss everyone else around. :) I have been making wedding announcements for friends in the little free time I have and love doing it. If anyone knows someone looking for someone to do theirs, I'd love to! I'm working on making a blog for just that, I just need to have enough examples on it. I can also do baby announcements, Senior announcements and anything you'd like. It's only a hobby though. So don't worry, I'm not trying to advertise to you all.

Anyway, I'm going to throw on a few more pictures form the last couple months of some of the stuff I missed blogging on. We hope everyone is healthy and happy! We'll be back next week (hopefully)!

Lynnli under the tree!

Grandma Hermansen and Lynnli

Aunt Brooklyn and Lynnli

Aunt Candice and Lynnli

Hermansen Christmas Card Picture

Uncle Jeff's Birthday

Uncle Eric and Lynnli

Lynnli's 6 Month Pictures

2008-10-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

We just recently took Lynnli's 6 month pictures and wanted to share them with everyone. We just took them in our front yard. We can't belive how fast she is growing! She is so much fun! She is so close to crawling now. She gets on all fours and rocks. She can go backwards but hasn't figured out forward still. lol She is wonderful!

Sweet!

2008-10-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Here's Lynnli with Uncle Eric. She loves him so much! Whenever he comes in the room she just light up. Her favorite is Apollo though. Yes, she likes the dog more than mommy and daddy even. lol We will get a video of it soon and put it on. It's so fun!

Your'e all invited!

2008-10-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

This saturday, Oct. 11th, is Andrew's 25th birthday. I am taking him shooting for it out by Utah lake. Anyone who would like to come is invited. Just meet at our house at 9. We'll try to be on the road by about quarter after. We'll shoot for a couple hours and then we'll probably go to lunch. The weather isn't looking like it will be great so if you want to just come to lunch with us after your welcome to. Just let me know so I can give you a call when we leave. My number is 815-1876 for anyone who doesn't know. Your'e all welcome to come to our house anytime later in the day as well. We'll just be home with the baby! I hope we see you all then! Thanks so much! Call or text me with any questions!

Yum yum!

2008-10-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

My sister Brooklyn needed to take some pictures for her reflections contest at school so she asked if she could use Lynnli for them. Lynnli didn't mind being it at all! :) Here's what she got!

She loved the ice cream but was not happy when we stopped feeding her! lol
Anyway, I will be trying to do a new post more often! Thanks for looking!

I can't believe its been a month and a half!

2008-09-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

Wow I have been bad at posts lately. We've been very busy with Andrew's brother coming home from his mission, weddings, baby showers, and my promotion. I feel like we haven't even had time to breath!! Hopefully things will slow down now though. I think we're getting back into the swing of things. Anyway, my camera battery just died, but I have to put pictures so here's a few from my phone. Sorry about the quality!

Here is our always happy Sweetie! Lynnli is so fun! I can't believe how big she is already!

Here I am with the hair extensions I got...Andrew thought they were so cool he had to try them for himself. Our friend Jeff Morrison tried them too.

Can you say...Pedophile?

CREEPY!!!!

The Zoo!

2008-08-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday, we went to the zoo with some of my sibblings and their dates. Here are a few pictures of all the fun we had, and some of Andrew's great photography skills!

Crazy White Alligator!

Lynnli loved it!

Huge Elephant!

Almost...ok, not even close!

Andrew's favorite picture! What a mean looking Gorilla!

More Pictures

2008-07-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pictures of our happy baby! There is also an adorable picture of her and her Daddy. He loves her so much! She is going to get everything she ever wants!

Lynni's New Toy!

2008-07-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

We got Lynnli a Jenny Jump Up yesterday and she loves it! Just look at how much fun she has!

Ok, so maybe she can't quite do it on her own yet. But she does still like it. Especially eating it. She really can turn around in it and she straightens her legs and gets excited, but doesn't jump yet. She will soon though. It's fun!

Mom and Daughter

2008-07-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

I have been having so much fun with my baby! I didn't work the other day so we played together all day! It was a blast! Lynnli didn't take any naps at all, we just played and played. She laughs all the time and when you sing to her she tries to sing back with long drawn out la la la's. It is so cute! She is really trying to sing! Andrew is out of town for a couple days and I am so sad that he is away from her! I can do dinner and a movie fine, but if I had to sleep without her I don't think I could handle it! I love her so much! Motherhood is the best thing that has ever happened to me. My family is wonderful! I am so excited to get up in the morning, give my sweetheart a bath and then play with her. I love my job, but I wish I were a full time mom again. Until I can be, I will keep spending all the time I can with my angel. Lynnli is the best!

Here we are together

Big kisses!

She likes to watch me play the piano. She will play one day as well!

Big beautiful eyes!

Always happy, as usual!

We did it!

2008-06-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

I know many people have mixed feelings, and we may get crap from some, but being Lynnli's parents we believe it is our choice and we have just pierced her ears. She did so wonderful, only crying for a minute, and the lady who did them did a great job. They even gave her a sucker for being so brave! :) We did cute little silver balls, that way they match everything. Here are a couple pictures. You can't see much of the marker they used to mark where to pierce, but it is there making them look a bit bigger than they are. These pictures were taken not even an hour later, and look at how happy she is already! She isn't upset at all! She is so wonderful!

Andrew

2008-06-25T23:23:00.001-07:00

Andrew has had a lot going on lately and has had a lot to be stressing out about. He is such a wonderful husband and I am so grateful for him. I wanted to let him know I love him and list just a few of the reasons why he is so great.

1. His Patience - For those of you who know me well, I am not the easiest person to be around for long periods of time. I repeat myself over and over and I act like a kid half the time. Andrew not only puts up with me, but loves me still! He is also the best father in the world. It doesn't matter how long Lynnli has been crying, Andrew never quits. He just keeps trying and trying. He sings to her, takes her on walks, plays with her, and whatever else he can think of. It's amazing and so so cute to watch.

2. His ability to laugh at me - I am quite the ditz, but try to hide it. For the most part, I think I do a pretty good job, but when it is just me and Andrew I slip all the time. I have a lot of stupid accidents all the time too. Andrew never tells me I am dumb, or criticizes me for any of it. He just laughs and laughs!

3. His ability to make me laugh - I can be having the absolute worst day ever and when Andrew gets home he will do all he can to Cheer me up. He'd be embarrassed if I revelled some of the many things he'll do in order to get a giggle from me, so we will just leave it at that!

4. His kindness - Andrew is the sweetest man I know! We can be driving somewhere, incredibly late, and if he sees someone on the side of the road needing help, or someone walking in the rain, we always pull over and lend a hand or offer a ride. He has taught me so much about putting others before yourself.

5. His motivation - For those of you who don't know, we are in the process of getting a new company started. Andrew is going to be running it and he has so much to do still. It is something that if he did only the minimum, it would get by, but he is so motivated to make it the best it can be. He comes up with new plans and strategies everyday and he never quits or complains. It is amazing that one person can have so much drive and dedication!

6. His attitude - Andrew is always getting after me when I have a negative attitude about something. He looks on the bright side and reminds me of all the positive things.

8. His love of family - Andrew would never let anything happen to his family. It is so important to him. I am so glad that he has grown up knowing how great family is. I know that our kids will have the same love for family as he does, just by watching his example.

9. His desire to be better - Andrew is always working on some goal and asking me to help him be better at something. He wants to live his life so that he will be remembered as a great man. He never accepts average, he has to be the best. He does all he can to achieve it. He always strives to be better. It's a good reminder of what the focus should be in life.

10. Last but not least, His worthiness to hold to priesthood - There have been many times, especially throughout my pregnancies, that I have needed blessings. It is so wonderful to be able to ask and receive one right then. I was so happy that he was able to bless our beautiful daughter and that he will always be able to use his priesthood to better our lives and the lives of those around us.

Andrew, you are wonderful. I love you with all of my heart. Thank you for giving me such an amazing life and a beautiful family. I am so excited to grow old and ugly with you. I will always love you forever and always!

Love your wife, Marci

You're not alone!

2008-06-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

I just had to let Carrie know she's not alone! The other night, after giving Lynnli her bath, I was walking downstairs to make her a bottle before bed. The last couple steps I slipped and fell. I was holder her, but luckily a fell back so she stayed on me. As I was falling I pulled her on top of me so she couldn't hit anything, but I used both my hands to do so, therefore I landed with a stair right in my neck and in the middle of my back. I have been pretty sore, but I am just glad Lynnli is alright. That was probably the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. The feeling you get is even worse than you could imagine.

On a happier note, it looks like I am going to become an assistant manager for a Sally Beauty and most likely take over the South Jordan store within a couple of months. If not that one, I will take the Sandy or Draper store. We are very excited.We've talked about opening some kind of spa or salon for a while, but having my own Sally's is pretty close! Well, in the same industry at least. If anyone needs any beauty supplies let me know! I'll get you a great deal!

Fathers Day!

2008-06-15T23:02:00.000-07:00

We had a nice Fathers Day. Andrew had to work until 9, but after that we went and saw his dad. Mine is in New York for the week. I thought for my Fathers Day post, I'd put up what makes Andrew a father! Pictures of his gorgeous daughter Lynnli! These first couple are her in his favorite outfit. We have had it since before she was born and she is finally beg enough to fit it. It has an adorable hat with it too, but she has a tiny head (20th percentile!). Here she is!

Her big eyes grew bigger by the flash!

Her smile is getting so big! She squeals all the time, but isn't quite laughing yet.

Hooray!!!

2008-06-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we have some very exciting news. Andrew has finally quit his job!!! That's right. He has been at LBI Sat for 3 years now, and last week he was able to put in his 2 weeks. Because of the way his schedule is, his last day will be this Thursday. It has been a great job for him. but it gets to the point when moving up is no longer an option. He now will be working at a new company called Sylex. It is still in the process of getting open and running, and Andrew being able to work at it full time will get it there that much quicker. We are excited to have this change and hope it will all work out good. If for some reason it doesn't, we will go back to school and start over while we're still young. Wish us luck!

Babies!

2008-06-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today we were able to go have a BBQ with some of our good friends, the Layton's and the Lyman's. Rusty and Melissa have an 8 month little boy (Josh) and a 3 year old girl (Rachel) and Brett and Carrie have a 5 week little girl (Lauren). It was so fun with all the little kids! I never thought that I would get to the point in my life where we hang out with friends, and there are kids all over the place. It was so much fun with the three babies so close, we had to get some pictures. Josh is going to have a tough time picking a wife out of the beautiful girls in front of him. For now, he can just enjoy them both!

Here's the stud Josh, and he is checking out the ladies here!

Our princess Lynnli
Lauren (she will be a ballerina one day)
Here's the trio! I don't think we'll have to worry about Josh being smaller than either girl anytime soon!
And last, how sweet! At least they aren't fighting over him ... yet!

We had so much fun and are looking forward to the next time we all get together for a play date!

Apollo

2008-05-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

The other day, we were doing some yard work, and brought Apollo out front with us. At first he was just laying down baking in the warm sun, but once the sprinklers were on, he went crazy. We love watching him play. He is an awesome dog and I am glad he can still entertain us! I thought I'd put some pistures on, I know not everyone has seen him still.

Beautiful?

2008-05-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you who really know me, you know I absolutely LOVE to cook and try new things. My family is huge on desserts (who isn't) and this Memorial Day I thought I'd try a new three layer cake I saw. Well, this is what its supposed to look like,

And here is what my beautiful cake looked like. You can see the top layer split completely in half, but not until I had the entire thing frosted. It looked somewhat decent until that happened. The frosting, for some reason, would not thicken up so it was running all over the place, over the plate and all. The plate wasn't quite big enough either. The cake tasted amazing though! Everyone loved it, but I doubt I'll ever make this one again!

Make Me a Model!

2008-05-18T02:15:00.001-07:00

That is the title of my new blog. I am trying to get back into shape and I am hoping I can do so with the help of public humiliation! :) I am going to be adding my progress and pictures of myself hopefully a couple times a week. I will have my goals and plans on as well. I don't mind if you never care to go see it, as it can be boring. I am going to ask for a little comment every now and then though. Just something to keep me motivated! Make me think you all care. ;)

Anyway, I hope this works! Don't be surprised if Andrew does one soon also. If it starts working for me, I might make him start one!

Thanks everyone!

Smiles!

2008-05-15T15:46:00.001-07:00

Lynnli has been so much fun the last few days! She is now cooing all the time and trying so hard to smile. We caught a few pics of it, but still haven't gotten any big smiles. She is so cute!! We couldn't have asked for a better baby!

I now have a new "Most Embarrassing Moment"

2008-05-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, for Mother's Day, Andrew and Rusty Layton planned a date for me and Melissa. They did a great job and I had tons of fun, but I have to tell you the most memorable part.

While driving home, Andrew and I decided that since Grandma was tending Lynnli, we would take advantage of the alone time we had. It was almost one in the morning so we thought it would be faster to just pull off the freeway instead of going home. We were driving home from Layton and we were around Rose Park, West Valley area. Right off the freeway was an old abandoned building so we pulled in and parked.

Well, right after the pants were off, I saw a car pull up behind us. We saw the cops get out of their car and start walking up both sides of our car, hands on guns and everything. We covered ourselves as best we could and rolled the windows down. As we came into view, the faces of the cops completely changed. I'm sure with our Cadillac, low pro tires and wheels, blacked out windows and all, they were expecting a drug deal about to go down.

The cop on my side teasingly (and somewhat relieved sounding) asked, "Are you guys makin' out?" I honestly answered, "No". With only bunched up pants and my purse to cover ourselves, we were both bright red with humiliation. They then proceeded to ask for our ages and I.D. Andrew was so flustered and embarrassed he handed his whole wallet over.

Once they found out we were married and legal (not by much!), they laughed and asked us to just take it out of their city. Needless to say, the moment was passed so we just got Lynnli and went home to bed. I'm sure we gave the cops a great story though.

And as always, here are more pictures of our little princess! This is one of our favorite pictures!

The Binky looks so big in her mouth!

She sleeps so peacefully!

She covers her face a lot when she sleeps.

This picture was taken right after she woke up and on my phone, so it is pretty pixely. She is staring to smile at us and this is the closest to catching one of them we've gotten. By the way, she had beautiful dimples!!

The Blessing

2008-05-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to thank everyone who came to the blessing. It turned out so great. Sorry the house was so crowded, but thanks for making it so memorable! We were so happy most of our family and friends could be there! We love you all! Thanks again!

Adorable!

2008-05-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

My Pictures are a little blurry, but I wanted to show everyone what a fun thing we did! At Hobby lobby you can buy a kit to make little statues of your baby's hand and foot. We made this on Sunday. Lynnli was moving all over when we tried to make the mold, but as you can see, it still worked out perfect! We will have them out at the blessing for anyone to see there. The kit is only about ten dollars also. Totally worth it!

Motherhood!!

2008-05-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

Well, Lynnli is an amazing baby, sleeps all the time, is always happy, tons of fun, but there are still those times when I want to pull my hair out! Like last night for example. We didn't do a great job at keeping her up the last few hours before bed, and when the time came, she did not want to go to sleep. Normally, this wouldn't bother me, but last night, she would get fussy if I wasn't walking. This went on for 3 1/2 hours. A couple times I laid her down and told myself it was ok if she cried a little bit, but then she would start and I would feel so bad. I also didn't want her to wake Andrew up (yes, he slept through the entire night!). Once she did go to bed though, she slept all night. I was able to sleep in until 11 with her. It is all worth it in the morning though when she looks at me with her big eyes and I can see how much she loves me. I am so happy to be a mom! It is the best thing in the world! I love Lynnli!

Here is my little angel with Grandma Hermansen. She looks like she is about to smile, but really....

Oh! Look at that sad face! It makes me want to cry every time I see it! And no, grandma is not choking her, just tickling her chin. lol

Blessing Lynnli

2008-04-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to make sure everyone knows when we are blessing Lynnli. You are all invited and we would love to see you there, but we understand if you are busy and can't make it.

We will be blessing her on May 4th at 1pm. Our church is located at about 8000 South on the East side of 2700 West. We will be having refreshments at our house after, so if you think you will make it please let us know so we get enough.

Thanks everyone! I hope we see you there!

Here's some more photo's!

2008-04-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Dad holding her little hand

Relaxing on mom

She has to have her arms under her head. It's so funny!

Uncle Jeff

Aunt Brooklyn

Aunt Candice

Grandma Hermansen

Grandpa Hermansen

Happy Granparents

I got tagged!

2008-04-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

5 things on my to do list:
1) Clean the spare bedroom
2) Get Lynnli on a better schedule
3) Work on some laundry

4) Clean out the Fridge

5) Watch a movie

5 places I've lived:
1) Murray
2) California
3) Kearns
4) South Jordan
5) West Jordan

5 jobs I've had:
1) Assembling Cabinets
2) Restaurant Manager
3) Dealership Accounts Receivable
4) Car Salesman
5) Curves Manager

5 things people don't know about me:
1) I bit my tongue off when I was three
2) I've always wanted to be a news reporter
3) I used to want 8 kids
4) I absolutely love cooking and trying new things
5) I wish no one wore clothes. Not cause I want to see people, I just love being naked! It's so much more comfortable!!

I tag Jenna, Kristen, and Deidre.

I really do know my daughters birthday!

2008-04-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I put the wrong date on my last blog. Lynnli was really born on April 3rd, not 4th. I must have been talking to someone when I wrote it and was thinking of the day we came home or something. Who knows.

Anyway, Lynnli is wonderful! We have had so much fun with her! She holds her head up already! She is so strong! She smiles at us and makes some of the funniest faces. She burps so loud! I don't know how such a loud noise comes out of such a tiny body!

I took her to her first doctors appointment on thursday. She now weighs 8lbs 11oz (48%) her length is now 20.5 inches (50%) and her head is 35cm (20%). Besides her head she is pretty average. I always said I didn't want a baby to hit 7 lbs before they were born. I have to say now that the 8 1/2 lbs baby wasn't bad at all, and I think her being bigger makes everything else better. She sleeps great, eats great, and is just a great baby!

Anyway, it's time for me to go cuddle with her some more! I'll put more pictures on here next time!

She's Here!!!

2008-04-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 2nd, I was sitting at home thinking Lynnli would never come. I had some strange things happening, but didn't think much about it. I called the doctor thinking it was possible it was my water, but highly doubting it. The doctor had me come in to check. He didn't think it was my water either, but went to check under a microscope anyway. Ended up, I had a tiny tiny leak. Not enough to do much, but anything with the water, they try to get you going. I went down to the delivery rooms and they hooked me up to all the monitors. I was having contractions 5 minutes apart, but couldn't feel anything. After about 4 hours, I wasn't progressing so the doctor decided to completely break my water. When he went to check me again, before he did anything, it broke on its own.

After 6 hours, I was completely dilated and after only 3 pushes she was here! It was 1:22 AM, April 4th. She weighed 8lbs. 8oz. and was 20 inches long. We were able to go home Friday afternoon and she has been so wonderful! Her jaundice count was a little high when we left and the next day even higher, so we had to put her under billi lights. By Sunday evening she was back in the normal range.

She eats great and sleeps almost all night! She wakes up twice, eats, and goes right back to bed. I am getting more sleep now then when I was pregnant! Andrew is such a good dad and will cuddle with her all day if I didn't steal her. We couldn't be happier! She is just wonderful!

She is very content just looking around. There is always a smile on her face!

My sister Candice is holder her here while she has the billi light on her back.

Just chillin' nothing going on.

This was the first day we had her home. Big yawns!

Right before we started the billi light treatments. You can tell she is pretty yellow.

She makes some of the funniest faces while she sleeps! Its so fun to watch her.

This is right when we got home. Again, you can see the yellow.

Sleeping with daddy. This was today, her color is much better!

2008-03-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm now 39 weeks. I'm starting to not believe anything my doctor says. At first, he was worried about making it to 28 weeks. Once I hit that, he didn't think I'd make it past 32 weeks. Once I hit that, she was going to be coming around Valentine's Day. It's now over a month later and she is still inside! I went to the doctor on Monday and he said he doesn't think I'll make it past this week. Well, the week is almost half done and I am not even having braxton-hicks contractions. So much for an incompetent cervix!

Other than being big, tired and swollen, I am doing great. I could sleep all day if I didn't have to use the bathroom every hour. Andrew is getting more and more excited everyday. Hopefully by my next post I will be telling all about our little princess! Take care!

I got Tagged! All About My Man

2008-03-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

1. FULL NAME: Martin Andrew Nielsen
2. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MARRIED? 3 years this June
3. HOW LONG DID YOU DATE? Actually dating, it was 3 months before we were engaged, then we were engaged for another 6 1/2
4. WHO SAID 'I LOVE YOU' FIRST? Honestly? I have no idea! I think we both just knew. I can't remember who was the first to actually say it.
5. WHO IS TALLER? Andrew, of course!
6. WHO SINGS BETTER? Definitely Andrew. I'm not a singer.
7. WHO IS SMARTER? Depends on what you ask. But really, probably Andrew.
8. WHO DOES THE LAUNDRY? I think Andrew has moved the laundry from the washer to the dryer twice. He is very good at complaining about it not being done on his schedule though.
9. WHO PAYS THE BILLS? Me. He asks about it sometimes, but if I died, he would have no idea what to do.
10. WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED? Right now, I do. But for some reason whenever we rearrange our bedroom we seem to switch sides. Not planned, just happens.
11. WHO MOWS THE LAWN? Usually Andrew, but if he can't or is gone I do.
12. WHO COOKS DINNER? I do. He made me george foreman chicken once, but he doesn't cook.
13. WHO DRIVES? Usually Andrew. If it's on the motorcycle it's always him. Since I've been pregnant though, he likes to drive the motorcylce and have me follow in the car.
14. WHO IS MORE STUBBORN? I think we are both very stubborn. Luckily, we tend to agree and we both know each others limits.
15. WHO KISSED WHO FIRST? Andrew kissed me. If you ask him, he'll say I begged him too. Not true. I may have "hinted" but I never begged. Our first kiss was pretty mean too. Andrew leaned in really close, I was leaning in and up on my tip toes. Then right before contact, he stood up quick and said "Almost". He laughed so hard so I went and "pouted" and he came over and really kissed me. Needless to say, I didn't lean in this time. He had to come all the way himself.
16. WHO ASKED WHO OUT FIRST? I asked for rides in his huge jeep wrangler, but we never really asked each other out. We just were together everyday for months and then it turned into dating. We just knew we'd be together so no one had to ask the other out.
17. WHO PROPOSED? Andrew, of course. And his proposal was so amazing it won us a $25,000 wedding. Ask sometime and I'll tell you the story if you don't already know or haven't seen it on TV.
18. WHO HAS MORE SIBLINGS? Andrew. He has 3 younger brothers and 3 younger sisters. I have 1 older and 1 younger brother, and 2 younger sisters.
19. WHO WEARS THE PANTS IN THE FAMILY? It's really probably pretty even. Andrew is definitely the man of the house, but we both have a lot of say. We really agree on pretty much everything and we are both so laid back that life is just easy wih each other.
I love him! He is the best!

Still Waiting!!

2008-03-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

Everything is still going well, just taking forever! On Thursday, we went into the hospital because I was having some weird feelings. No pain or anything, but thought we should just check things. I ended up getting my cerclage out because the feelings I had were contractions. I dialated to a 2 before the Doc. decided to give me tributaline to stop them. I don't know why he did though. I am 37 weeks along and I also had the steroid shots for Lynnli's lungs so everything should be fine. Oh well though. At least the cerclage is out now and I am no longer considered high risk. Now I just need my water to break and to get her out!!

Our house sold this past week. We had it on the market for a month. I don't know what everyone is talking about the market being slow. We had a couple showings everyday since we listed it. We still are having people call even though it's under contract. I'm very glad it sold so fast though.

Spending some time with the family now. I'll finish the update later! Take care everyone!

This is for the Layton's!

2008-03-08T03:51:00.000-08:00

Saw this and thought it would be cool for everyone to do, so if you are reading this, you can do it on your blog too! Answer the questions with images from Google image search and pick a picture from the first page! Here it goes!!

Age I'll be at my next birthday:

A place I'd like to see or visit:

(Jerusalem)

One of my favorite places:

My favorite object:

My favorite food:

(Yes yes, I know, Mexican food doesn't seem so appealing seeing these guys!)

My favorite color:

My favorite animal:

(Yes there is such thing as a PINK dolphin!)

Name of a past pet:

Where I live now:

My middle or maiden name:

My college major:

(That would be cosmetology, not the study of Asians)

A bad habit I have:

My favorite holiday:

Ready for Lynnli!

2008-03-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I went to the doctor on Tuesday. Everything looks good still, but I am a little upset with him now. For the last few times I've gone in, he has told me we will be taking my cerclage out this next week. Well, on Tuesday, he decide we are going to wait 3 more weeks!! I don't want to be pregnant that much longer! My stomach is so tight right now, when she turns so she's facing my back, her little bum pokes out and makes it look like my pregnant stomach has another stomach of its own! The rib kicking and lung squeezing is getting a little old too. Not to mention the hiccups she always has. We tell her every night it's time to come. It's been long enough. We are ready and I'm sure she is too. All 3 ultrasounds we've had she has weighed a little more than average. Plus I had those fun steroid shots to help her lungs speed along. She is ready. She can come now. :)

Anyway, everything else is going well. Our house is still getting tons of showings, just no offers yet. Our realtor said there is one couple trying to get approved right now and then they are planning on making an offer, but we haven't heard anything yet. Andrew is getting tired of the same job, and hopefully things will go well with our future plans and he will be able to leave in the next few months. We are happy though. We have been so blessed and it is very nice to know that he has this job that has been so good for us. He can always stay there a while longer and go through school or something.

Well take care and have a wonderful day!

Trying my own!

2008-02-23T17:50:00.000-08:00

Andrew can't remember the login info for our page because his computer at work automatically signs him in, so I am going to be doing my own now so that I can add my blogs and news that I want to. For the first little while I will jsut be trying to get the hang of things and learn how to do it all, so don't expect much too soon! Take care!