The Nelson Family

Young Woman

2012-02-07T21:23:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday PAIGE!!!

My adorable baby sister Paige turned 12 today! She is by far the sweetest, most thoughtful, most beautiful girl on the planet and I'm so lucky to have her as my sister :)

We celebrated her b-day last Saturday at Cafe Rio (excellent choice Paige :) )

I can't believe how grown up she is, literally! She is the tallest girl in our family (which it isn't that hard to be, but c'mon, she's 12!) and I can't give her my hand-me-downs anymore because they're too small! So although she's still my baby sister, she's no longer my little sister :)

*funny side note: I realized this morning while I was giving her my birthday wishes that I was 12 years old when Paige was born! Crazy how the time flies...

Happy birthday Paigerade - I love you SOO much

excuses

2012-01-18T10:23:00.015-07:00

WELL, here is my list of excuses for not blogging in.....oh, like 2 months.....

1. holidays = crazy-ness

2. work = crazy busy stress-ness (in fact, too much stress that I decided to quit last week)

3. Church callings (one calling and one assignment - both time consuming)

4. EMMA (need I say more)

and.........

excuse #5 which is the best excuse of all,

(drum roll please)

Baby #2 is on the way!!!!! We are just ecstatic to be pregnant and feel so blessed to bring another baby into our family! I am 14 weeks along and my due date is July 18th, 2012. (not too thrilled to be 8-9 months pregnant in the dead of summer here in AZ but I'll survive........ I hope.....)

So since I've been so busy with trying to work and be a mom and be a pregnant mom, blogging had to be put on hold. BUT NO MORE. I am done working and my morning sickness/lack of energy is finally fading so I'm back. :)

Well let's just get to the punch - here are our holiday pictures (starting with Thanksgiving)

11-23-11: We headed up to St. George, Utah to spend Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family - such a fun bunch to be around. Thanksgiving morning we had our annual GAT 5K run and despite one major spill by my dad (he sustained only minor injuries) the race was a success!

matchie matchie

having fun at the park

11-26-11: Saturday was my birthday and we celebrated it bowling style.

I bowled my personal high score of 146! Just one small thing to point out: as you can see in the picture below, the player named GRAN is my dad (grandpa). It looks like he got bowled a 118...so let's see. 146 - me, 118 - dad........yup I won :)

It was a good birthday, thanks for letting me beat you dad (*wink*)

Only a few short days after getting home from Utah we purchased a new car! We sold our little Lancer (*sniff*) and bought a 2003 Toyota Highlander. We are officially a 'yota' family now with the Highlander joining our 4Runner in the garage.

love. it.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree.....

Over the christmas break we spent a weekend up in Pine at our friends' family cabin.

They had a little loft/playroom area that Emma had a blast playing in.

Acting out the Nativity - Emma was one of the angels

Visiting Santa with all the Nelson cousins

12-22-11: Christmas party at Kathleen's house (only, Kathleen wasn't there because early that morning Thomas' sister, who lives in Utah, went into labor and had her baby girl that day!) Congrats Emily!

Making a gingerbread house (well, gingerbread train but that sounds weird)

12-24-11: We spent Christmas Eve with our sister-in-law's family (since Kathleen was out of town with Emily and the new baby, the Weeds were nice enough to invite us to eat dinner with them!) The food was DE-LISH and I hope they invite us over again (*wink wink*)

12-25-11: Santa definitely did good this year. Emma LOVES her toy car that he got her.

12-27-11: We celebrated our 3rd anniversary at the Cheesecake Factory. Our waiter brought out our slice of cheesecake with 'Happy Anniversary' written in chocolate on the plate. So sweet and special. Three years goes by soooo fast! I am so grateful to be married to my best friend and sweetheart.

Bathtime with Porter :)

12-31-11: For New Years Eve we had a BBQ at Thomas' parents house with friends and grandpa blew up the bouncy house for the kids to enjoy

We ate good food and played games and lit sparklers with the kids before they went to bed.

Thomas had two weeks off of school so OF COURSE he had to go camping. It wouldn't be a proper break without at least one camp out. He went with some of his buddies in his program to Devil's Chasm (don't ask me where that is, I have no idea) to these old indian ruins - pretty sweet.

Now that the holidays are over, Thomas is back in school and things are finally settling down, Emma and I are back to spending quality time together.

Oktobur

2011-11-05T13:32:00.021-06:00

WARNING: PHOTO OVERLOAD. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

WARNING #2: PICTURES OF EMMA OVERLOAD. (we do not recommend that you view this post if you get sick of seeing the same person/child/face more than 100 times in one sitting. If you find yourself getting bored or can no longer look at the computer please stop immediately and contact a physician or poison control.)

what?

ok here we go.

Emma loves her toothbrush!

And getting into my wallet and taking everything out

Bubble bath! - love those buns :)

Emma requested Jell-O for breakfast one morning and I couldn't say no....

haha! cute, Emma

I can't sweep the floor without this little helper, although of course if I actually really want the floor swept I have to do it when she's asleep or otherwise occupied... :)

OCT 7-8th: CAMPOUT with the Perkinsons!

Happiest little camper in the world :) Thomas is like a kid in a candy store with that chain saw

We love camping, its one of our favorite family activities and it was even more fun with our friends Spencer and Taylor!

Photoshoot with Emma, trying to do fish faces
She fell asleep right after, I guess taking a million pictures while lying on the bed can wear you out

Emma is IN LOVE with Finding Nemo the disney movie. We got her a stuffed Nemo animal and she loves it.

She always gives him kisses. She affectionately calls him "meemo" (can't quite say the 'n')

I found this little disaster after I turned my back on Emma for two minutes...

gotta love being a mom :) so many fun messes to clean up

Pumpkin Patch time with Porter!

Emma had fun wandering through all the pumpkins, the hayride, and being in the petting zoo, even though she wouldn't even attempt to touch any of the animals

We finally got grass in the backyard! Thomas worked hard prepping, laying down the sod, and planting some plants around the yard. It looks amazing compared to the ugly patch of dirt it was before. Now Emma has a yard to play in!

Halloween was so much fun. I made Emma's costume and I think it turned out super cute! She was Pebbles from the Flinstones (not to be confused with Bam Bam. he's a boy. not a girl.)

Emma's latest obsession: necklaces.

Necklaces, necklaces, and more necklaces.

She seriously can't get enough of these necklaces.

She plays with them for HOURS. yes, HOURS.

She puts them on her neck, takes them off, puts them in her purse or stroller, moves them to a different part of the house, and puts them back on...one by one. And then does it all again. It is TOO CUTE! (hence the millions of pictures).

Nelson Family Update:

1. Thomas has his finals this week (pray for him to do well!)

2. I started working from home part-time and Thomas has been such a good sport putting up with the messy house and last minute dinners.

3. Emma turned 18 months and that means...........nursery! She hasn't been doing so hot but we expected that...hopefully the screaming and crying won't last too long.....

4. I got called to serve in Young Women's as a Beehive advisor and I'm really excited. The girls are so cute and I feel like I'm buddies with them already. (Plus, now we have babysitters!)

5. Thanksgiving is just around the corner!! Thomas gets the whole week off and we are headed up to St. George for the festivities.

6. The weather has finally cooled off and we are loving it :)

7. Not sure if this is worth mentioning... aw what the heck. Breaking Dawn Part 1 comes out on Friday! (hehe) I'll admit, I'm a tiny bit excited....and Thomas even agreed to see it with me! WOOHOO! date night, yes.

Coloring

2011-09-24T16:39:00.003-06:00

Emma loves to color! I got her this giant coloring book a few days ago and she has asked me to color everyday, like 3 times a day. SO cute. She's learned that crayons are not supposed to go in your mouth but every once in a while I'll catch her with one in there and she'll look at me and say "yucky". That's right Emma, yucky.

I kinda forgot how much I like coloring. I know what you're thinking, 'Jacey, coloring is for toddlers, how old are you?' But I actually enjoy it! Haha! Sitting and coloring with Emma reminded me of when my mom used to color with me when I was little and how I thought she was so amazing, and I would think, 'how does she stay in the lines so good??'

That started me thinking about how great my mom is. She always made time to sit with us and do whatever. She would stop right in the middle of her crazy day just to spend a few moments with us, and play or sing or color or twirl or do handstands or read. I hope I can be like that for all of my kids. :)

Happy Coloring!!

Charlotte

2011-08-30T22:21:00.000-06:00

About three weeks ago we moved into our very first house!! We have lived at Thomas' parents house the past 8 months and couldn't have been more grateful for their hospitality and willingness to let us invade their space! As much as we loved living there, we were so excited when we found this house in southeast Mesa and even more excited when our offer got accepted! It is the perfect size for our little family (3 bedroom, 2 bath) and we expect to be here for the next few years. Thomas conveniently had a three week break from school that started the week we signed on the house and so moving and unpacking and organizing took no time at all with all of his help! The first night we moved in, we put Emma down to bed, and Thomas and I just sat on the couch with huge grins on our faces. It was kind of an indescribable feeling, knowing that we had our own little house, all to ourselves, and trying not to think too much about all the responsibility that comes with it...we could save that for another day :). Now that we've been in here for about three weeks I am loving it. I feel like Charlotte Lucas in 'Pride and Prejudice' (the Keira Knightly version) when she says, "Oh Lizzy, it is such a pleasure to run my own home" :)

Here's what we've been up to prior to, and since moving, starting with the end of July:

Swimming with the Nelsons

Arizona Museum of Natural History with friends,

Aunt Paige staying with us for the weekend,

Emma growing up way too fast,

More swimming, only half naked this time :),

Camping up on the rim (Emma did super awesome = happy parents = more camping trips in the future)

Celebrated three birthdays in August: Grandpa Kody (sorry no pics), Uncle Tanner, and Thomas,
And going to a Cardinal's game!

Thomas started school again this week so now it's time for me to start on all my decorating projects! I'm so excited, can't wait :)

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!!

p.s. I'm trying to figure out what to do for Emma's Halloween costume (I know what you're thinking... it's WAY to early to be thinking about Halloween... BUT, I'd like to make her costume by hand and the chances of me having to re-do it a few times are really good...SO I want to start soon!)

Any suggestions ??

My honey bunches of oats

2011-08-23T11:59:00.003-06:00

Happy 26th Birthday, Thomas!!!

I love you more than words can say. Hope you have a wonderful birthday, sweetie :)

swimming, road trips, fireworks, family, games, and everything else

2011-08-02T21:41:00.000-06:00

Here it is at last. My June/July summer post!

First let's start with a cute picture of Emma:

Ok, now a picture of Emma doing her two favorite things:
Watching movies with her dolls and raiding the pantry for food.

Ok, now the real post :)
In June we went to Paige's dance recital,

had lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Thurston,
Thomas started PA school!
(Sorry no picture. Just imagine him sitting at a desk in a classroom staring at a computer for like 10 hours straight...everyday...)

we celebrated cousin Porter's 2nd birthday,

and started hanging out in the pool!

Then in July, Emma and I went on an Idahoan adventure :)
We took a road trip up to Idaho (with a pit stop in Provo) with Grandpa Thurston

We stayed in Provo for one night to pick up Parker in the morning. While we were there we just had to take a cruise around BYU campus, and we 'accidentally' ran into Parker at EFY. Then we had dinner at Cafe Rio. yumm.

Once we got to Idaho it was all fun and games at Grandma Thurston's house

We celebrated 4th of July with lots of family and food. Emma had fun with her patriotic headband :)

We went bowling with the Lambert Family and I scored my personal all-time high score of 123!

And to end off the 4th with a bang, we had our own personal fireworks show in my grandma's backyard, compliments of my cousin Jayli
We had a blast the rest of the week:

BBQ in the park with the Lambert Family,

morning walks/jogs with grandma and grandpa, more bowling, lots of frozen yogurt, and yummy food.

We headed out to Twin Falls one day to visit with some cousins,

and eat more frozen yogurt (at Kiwi Loco),

and went swimming in Oakley with the Gibby's at the end of the week,

We also played lots of golf (the card game, not the sport. Please, do I look like I golf? Not a chance) the entire time!

On Saturday we made the long drive home after spending 8 wonderful days in Idaho. It was time to come home though...I missed my hubby too much :)

Since we've been back, Emma has learned to walk in high heels...Haha she likes to walk around in these purple princess shoes and she's pretty good at it!

And she has her very own chair that she loves to climb into and sit on :)

We also had Tia Rosa's for dinner with my dad and Parker one night....mmmm...

And a week ago Thomas had his White Coat Ceremony to be officially inducted into his Physician Assistant program at A.T. Still University. He looks so studly in his white coat :)

gibberish

2011-07-20T20:58:00.008-06:00

So I've been working on my "catch up" post from the last couple of months and I'm trying something new so it's taking a while...plus I have a million pictures so that takes a while too. So I thought I'd do an update post of our little miss Emma in the meantime.

To say the least Emma is a little jabber jaw. She is constantly gibbering in her own little Emma language. It is simply adorable :) And she has quite the vocabulary of real words too. These are some of the words she says (and understands the meanings of):

Hi
Buh-bye
Mama
Dad
No (this is one of her favorite words, unfortunately...)
Uh-Oh
Thank You
Night-Night (for goodnight)
Up
Down
More
Hot (she says this whenever we get in the car)
Book
Bottle
Shoes
Bite (as in 'I want a bite of that')
Bubble
Water (she really says 'wa-wa'...close enough though :)
Eyes
Teeth
oh and she can also say Emma! She says it whenever she wants something...it's so hilarious.

Everyday I am amazed at how much she learns and comprehends. It is so fun to watch her explore and experiment with things. She is such a busy bee - always on the go. I love it. She has also gained quite the obsession with books. She could have me read to her for hours. Of course it never lasts that long because I can only handle reading 'Ten Apples Up on Top' and 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See' three or four times in a row. Anymore than that and I'm ready to throw the book out the window. She is such a doll and I am seriously the luckiest mom in the world to have such a beautiful little princess like Emma.

Hercules

2011-06-26T11:09:00.003-06:00

Who knew that Hercules would be so funny to a one year old??

Thomas and I could not get enough of this! We rewound it like 5 times and she laughed that way everytime!

Cabin Fever

2011-06-08T22:03:00.015-06:00

We got to spend the last two and a half weeks in our cabin up in Sundance, Utah! It was such a blast. We hung out with friends, shoveled snow, played games (Sequence was the game of the trip), went for walks/hikes, played N64, Emma learned to walk like a pro, hit up Costco a couple times, celebrated Memorial day with friends, went to the BYU bookstore twice, played at the park, Thomas' brother and sister and their families came up, went to the movies, went shopping with the girls, played pool, ate our brains out, watched too many movies, made Amish friendship bread twice :) and did a LOT of lounging around!

Oh, and I got my hair cut! Thanks Emily :)

M.I.B.A

2011-05-16T21:27:00.024-06:00

I've been M.I.B.A (missing in blogging action) since Easters (with the exception of a couple small posts) and I express my deepest apologies to all my readers....I know, I know....I only have about 5 and they're all related to me....NONETHELESS! I will carry on with my blogging duties and update you on all the Nelson happenings since Easters. Bear with me (or is it bare with me?), there are A LOT of pictures :)

The Saturday before Easter we had a beautiful dinner with the Nelsons and the kids had an egg hunt and played games.

On Sunday morning Emily took some adorable pictures of Emma in her Easter Sunday dress

After church we went up to the Thurston's for another egg hunt and dinner

Emma didn't really get the whole 'hunting for eggs' thing but she did get the 'eat the candy inside the eggs' thing!

We also celebrated Emma's birthday with them! My mom made these delicious chocolate cupcakes and made an especially huge one for Emma. She was a little hesitant at first (probably because everyone was huddled around her highchair staring at her..)

...but as soon as she realized it was chocolate she dug right in!

There was no stopping her!

She kept rubbing her hands all over her face - haha it got EVERYWHERE! And I couldn't believe she ate almost half of that huge cupcake!

On Tuesday April 26th was Emma's 1st birthday! She wore this cute shirt that said "I'm the birthday girl" I tried getting a picture of it but she kept moving around too much!

She loved the balloons we got her :)

We sang her happy birthday and I blew out the candle (she didn't get it)

After dessert, she opened her birthday present

A baby doll!

Just so you know, Emma is obsessed with baby dolls. She loves to hug and kiss them - it's SO cute.

The next day we went to a D-Backs game with some friends that were visiting here in the valley

And then on Saturday was my sister's wedding! Lindsay and Eric are such a great couple and I'm so glad they found each other! It was a beautiful wedding and I'm happy I got to help with everything! I was Lindsay's unofficial "official" wedding planner and I had a blast with it. I think that I want to be a wedding planner when I grow up :)

Porter and Emma stole the show with their cute outfits :)

The following Thursday we flew up to Seattle for one of Thomas' mission friend's wedding! Neither of us had ever been there so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and make a trip out of it :)

One of my favorite roommates from college lives in Renton so we got to stop by her house and see her! Hannah makes me laugh so hard - I seriously love her to death. She is expecting their first baby this year and I couldn't be happier for them :)

One of Thomas' other mission friends lives outside of Seattle in Puyallup and so we got to stay with them for our trip. Dan and Lindsey have been our friends since we've been married and it was so fun staying with them!

While we were there we went to Alki and drove around to Alki point

We saw the Space needle

We went to Pike's place - the huge street market

They had TONS of flowers in the market, especially tulips. They were so pretty

And the famous gum wall. Yes, it's a wall down in this creepy ally with millions of people's chewed up gum stuck to it. Disgusting.

We went to a Mariners game

At first Emma was not a big fan of Dan. Every time he tried to talk to her or even look at her she would turn away or make a mean face. Haha it was the joke of the trip. This is a picture of him trying to hold her but she kept trying to push him away! By the end of the trip she finally warmed up to him though :)

Went to the Seattle temple for Brandon and Malia's sealing

And they had their wedding reception in a barn - it was so beautiful!

We spent Mother's Day there and this was my present from Thomas and Emma. They made me this adorable mother's day shirt! :)

Front:

Back:

We had Sunday dinner at Lindsey's grandma's house and then we had to fly back home Monday morning. We had so much fun and enjoyed visiting Seattle for the first (and probably last) time :) Although it was overcast and rainy most of the time Thomas and I couldn't help but fall in love with how green everything is and how many beautiful trees there are!!

Big Girl Seat

2011-05-11T15:51:00.000-06:00

Sippy-cup holder? Check
Hidden compartment for snacks? Check
Meets the size requirements? Check
Able to see mommy driving? Check
Comfy enough to sleep in? Check
Ready to conquer the world? Check :)

One year ago today...

2011-04-26T22:15:00.007-06:00

...our little Emma Lyn was born! Although her entrance into the world was quite traumatic and life-threatening for her and myself, Emma is now a healthy and beautiful little girl. We are so lucky to have her in our lives and feel so blessed to be her parents. While I was in a coma the days following Emma's birth, Thomas made me this video of her to watch when I woke up. It still brings me to tears when I watch it, to think of everything that we went through during and after the delivery; it just makes me that much more grateful for my precious little Emma. Happy birthday Emma, we love you!

Steppin' Time

2011-04-20T21:49:00.001-06:00

Emma has become a pro at standing up by herself. She will push away from whatever she was holding on to and she stands in this sort of crouching stance with her knees slightly bent. It's hilarious because she gets this look in her eyes that says, "look at me, mommy, I'm doing something really cool" and then she'll start opening and closing her hands into a fist, like it's helping her balance or something. haha. SO CUTE. She's been doing this A TON over the past week and then this weekend she started taking steps! She'll only do a few at a time and it usually ends with her falling into us, but nonetheless she is moving her feet on her own!

Check out Emma's sweet kicks. Pink Sperry top-siders. Thomas and I have been waiting and waiting for her to fit into them and she finally does! So obviously we had to do a photo-shoot :)

Last week I came home from working out and I walked into our room to find this:

If that doesn't define the word precious I don't know what does...
And then there's this:

Not quite as precious...more like the "this is really hard to get any sleep with Emma's head and arms glued to my face all night" kind of precious...

A couple Saturdays ago it was rainy so we took the 4runner out for some off-roading in the mud and to see if we could get to the snow on the mountains. Emma was so cozy in her snow princess coat that she fell asleep right away and slept THE. WHOLE. TIME. (we were gone for over 3 hours)

EMMA'S SPOT

If you seem to have lost track of where Emma is, chances are you'll find her in her favorite hiding spot: under the kitchen table :)

Love in a basket

2011-03-31T15:36:00.012-06:00

Emma turned 11 months on March 26th! Here is her latest trick:

One of Emma's favorite things to do is ride around the house in the laundry basket! I love how the simplest things bring the greatest joys (plus, it's the only way I can get the laundry done!) :)

"Mom, why do you have to take so many pictures??"

We got to do some fun things this past month!

At the beginning of March we went to the Body World Exhibit at the Arizona Science Center (sorry no pics...) and then we went to the Bass Pro Shop in Mesa. Emma got to see all the cool outdoorsy manly man stuff and all the fish in the huge tank.

The next week we went to a D-Backs spring training game with Jake, Brittney, and Porter. Emma got some serious lovin' at the game by getting on the jumbo-tron AND getting some special attention from Baxter the D-Backs mascot!

The very next day we went on an amazing weekend cruise to Mexico with the Nelsons
(for pics from that trip click here )

The following week was spring break and we got to spend time with our good friends Roman and Shaley Madsen. They came down from Provo and we got to see their adorable new baby Lucy! We went swimming one of the nights they were here - Emma and Lucy loved it :)

Also, we go to go to dinner one night with our friends Bryce and Ashley. They took us to a pizza place called Spinato's and it was de.lish. mmmm...you should try it.

Remember this bad boy?
Last week we obtained my family's old Nintendo 64 game system (yes it still works). Needless to say, we've spent LOTS of time getting our game on playing MarioKart. YaaHooooooo!
And yesterday we went to the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Butterfly Exhibit. It was such a cool experience to be surrounded by hundreds of butterflies! We even got to release baby butterflies into the pavilion for their first time.

Brittney, Paige and my mom were lucky enough to have butterflies come and land on them!

The month of March flew by and April has a bunch of things in store for us! Emma will be turning one before we know it! And I can't wait for General Conference this weekend - we're so lucky we have the chance to hear from our prophet and church leaders.

Ahoy!

2011-03-20T21:34:00.008-06:00

On Friday, March 11 we got to go on a CRUISE with the Nelson family! We went on a 3 night 4 day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico with all of Thomas' siblings, their spouses, Thomas' parents and, yes, you guessed it - no kids! It was so fun to be all together for the weekend :)

Playing mini-golf on the top deck

Our favorite part about dinner every night: molten chocolate cakes with two scoops of ice cream oh, and when all the waiters/waitresses would start singing and dancing for us...

Having fun playing games....lots of games!

One night the girls went dancing in the 'REX' room! We had so much fun that we convinced the guys to come with us the next night and it was hilarious. The Nelson men DON'T dance so it was quite the experience - let's just say it only lasted for maybe 15 minutes...but it was worth it! Haha :)

We had so much fun and it was so nice to have an adult getaway for the weekend. Thank you Kent and Kathleen for making the trip possible! When can we do it again??

10 months

2011-03-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mommy,

I am now 10 1/2 months old - can you believe it?? I know you and daddy already know how awesome I am but here's a list of all the things I can do just in case you forget:

I can crawl so fast that when you look away for 2 seconds I am long gone!

I love to play with anything that isn't my toys - I just want to play with your stuff, please :)

I can drink out of my sippy cup all by myself now!

I can hold my bottle all by myself so you don't need to hold it for me anymore

I love giving you and daddy hugs :)

I HATE getting my diaper changed so if you could just not do that anymore I would appreciate it...

I can give you kisses when you ask me too!!

I don't like to eat my food when I see you eating your food so if you could just give me your food everyone will be much happier, thank you

I like how my toe nails are always painted

I can say 'uh-oh' when I drop things on the floor, and I say 'ow' for everything else

I love to point my index finger at everything I see or want

I finally learned to fall asleep on my own at bedtime! Thanks for all those hours you and daddy spent rocking me to sleep every night, now you don't have to :) yay!!

Only a month and a half till I turn one!
Love, emma lyn

Family pictures

2011-03-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

In February we got to go to Cedar City to spend a weekend with Emily and Jared. Emily took some family pictures for us! They turned out so cute - thanks Emily! :)

ALOHA

2011-02-17T18:37:00.010-07:00

A couple weeks ago we got to spend a whole week in Hawaii! Thomas' parents were nice enough to let us tag along with them on their vacation to Maui for Kent's radiology conference. As hard as it was, we left our little Emma behind. But despite my motherly withdrawals we had an amazing and very relaxing week.

Here is the first view you see when you enter
the hotel....can you say gorgeous??

Snorkeling at 6:30am...it was pretty dang chilly
on that boat but the water was actually warmer
than the air outside so that was nice!

In Lahaina we went to a magic show that
was so hilarious! and, of course, magical :)

View from our hotel deck

Lounging by the pool: our daily activity

Our favorite place to eat: Cheeseburger...yum

At sunset you could see the whales way out in the ocean
blowing their spouts and swimming around, it was awesome.

This was the rug on the floor of the elevators. They
changed depending on the time of day. So in the
morning it said good morning and then good
afternoon at noon, etc. We never did catch who it
was who changed those rugs every 6 hours or so.......

The infamous macadamia nut pancakes! These were
so delicious that we had them for breakfast twice!
They came with bananas and coconut syrup and
oh man, Kathleen and I still dream about them....

On our last day we drove on the road to Hana.
It was long but the views made it well worth the trip!

Oh, and the gi-normous ice cream snow cone
helped make the trip worth it too!

We found some cool trees and vines along the road so
naturally I had to try and swing on them like Tarzan...
needless to say, it was unsuccessful

Hawaii was such a blast and quite the dream vacation.
Thanks Kent and Kathleen for making our tropical
dreams come true! We are so lucky to have you as
parents/in-laws!

Also, shout out to Emily and my parents, our fearless
babysitters, who watched Emma for us while we were
away! We couldn't have left her in better hands,
thanks so much :)

*To see some adorable photos Emily took
while watching Emma, click here

My life is good..reeeeeeaaaaally goooood

2011-02-04T20:28:00.011-07:00

January has come and gone and our little Emma is now 9 months old! She's growing up so fast and she's got some new tricks up her sleeve. She's crawling like a pro and she'll be walking before we know it :)

A couple weekends ago we decided to go camping
It's one of our family hobbies :) It was a
little nippy but we had a blast!

Emma was a little trooper as always!Robert and Melanie came up just for the evening and
brought their two little boys Clark and Kurt. It was
fun eating and chatting around the campfire!
(sorry I didn't get a picture with them)

Thomas brought his gun so we got to go shooting in the
morning before we went back home. Thomas did pretty good...

...but I did a little bit better :)
(just kidding, but I did knock over a soda can and I hit a bullseye)

Emma drove us home. Thanks Emma :)

That same day after camping we went
ice skating with the Thurston fam!

Paige and I are ice skating pros.
We took this picture while skating.
Can you do that? I don't think so....

Thomas and grandma had fun watching
Emma while the rest of us skated :) Thanks!

We are having so much fun living in Arizona
being surrounded by family. Life is good.

....oh, and we went to Hawaii this past week...
hahaha I'll post the pics soon!! :)

These are a few of my favorite things...

2011-01-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

#1. These two people :)
#2. Emma's two bottom teeth - adorable and hilarious
(if you look close enough you can see them in this pic)

#3. Inside jokes with my hubby (he makes me laugh so hard)
#4. Blue Bell ice cream - YUMMM. My new favorite flavor is Tin Roof - you HAVE to try it

#5. Getting ready in the morning with this girly on my lap...

#6. The Pioneer Woman blog - it's official, I'm obsessed!

#7. When Emma cuddles with me - this is VERY rare so I cherish every second I can get!
#8. Food Network. You can pretty much count on this channel being on at anytime during the day. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-01-17T10:36:00.006-07:00

On January 8th Thomas and I took a day trip to DISNEYLAND!!!
(it was my Christmas/Anniversary present!)
We flew to Orange County in the morning, rented a car,
spent the day at Disneyland/California Adventure,
and then flew back to Phoenix that night

Look how grown up we are with our rental car

California Screamin' is one of our favorite rides!
(and Tower of Terror but we didn't get a picture)

We had such a fun time at the happiest place on earth
and we lived happily ever after :)

Yikes

2011-01-07T15:00:00.024-07:00

Where has the time gone?? It's almost been 2 months since my last post (besides my rant post a couple days ago...) and sooo much has happened! I'll just pick up where I left off...

NOVEMBER 2010

Emma and I spent the greater part of November in Arizona! First with the Thurston's for about 2 weeks and then we spent Thanksgiving week with the Nelson crew!

Having fun with Great Grandma Nelson

Thanksgiving morning my sister-in-law Emily and I ran the Mesa Turkey Trot 10K (6.2 miles) It was a blast! Here we are before the race:

and after:

My birthday was the day after Thanksgiving. It's so good to be around family for your special day (especially when everyone is glued to the TV watching football....yes, it was special....)

DECEMBER 2010

After all the Thanksgiving fun ended it was back up to p-town for one last hoorah before packing up and leaving Provo for good!

Thomas' flag football team played in the semi-finals,

we went to my cousin Jami's baby shower,

we had a bath time photo-shoot,

and we had a going-away party to say goodbye to all our friends!

Thomas finished his finals, we got our apartment all packed up and said goodbye to Provo! It was a bittersweet goodbye for me but we're so happy to be in Arizona! (just in time to miss the freezing Utah winter :)

We celebrated the Christmas festivities with the Thurston's

Monday for FHE Paige hosted a game show involving the married couples in the family asking questions about their spouses. It was a blast even though Thomas and I didn't win...But hey, we still got a prize of double-stuffed oreos :)

Emma got all decked out for Christmas Eve, what a doll :)

Playing nerf ball out in the street

And then, of course, we recreated the Nativity story.

Lindsay was our narrator,

Parker played the angel(s),
Mom played the wiseman/photographer,

Paige was Mary, Tanner was Joseph, and Dad
played the donkey...he fit the part perfectly :)

Jake, Brittney, and Thomas were our audience/photographers/videographers.
(oh, and I was the shepherd)

This was my surprise Christmas/Anniversary gift from my darling hubby!!

It's hard to tell but he printed off a map of DISNEYLAND!! and on the back he printed off our flight itinerary! He is so cute :) We actually leave tomorrow!! Just a one day trip - fly to Burbank in the morning, spend all day at disneyland/california adventure, and fly back to Phoenix that night. I'm so excited I can't even believe it!

I was so surprised to open this from him - he thought that I knew but I had no idea! Talk about the best present EVER, not to mention the best husband EVER!

We ended the year 2010 by celebrating our 2 YEAR anniversary (I know, we made it two years!) with dinner and a movie. For New Years Eve we had a few of our good friends over for a night of games and a Seinfeld marathon! Goodbye 2010, here we come 2011 :)

ugh

2011-01-05T23:14:00.004-07:00

So I probably spent about an hour and a half last night working on a post of all our holiday pictures. By midnight I still wasn't finished so after saving my post a million times I closed it out to finish it up tonight...Well to my utter dismay, my draft disappeared!! I can't find it anywhere!! and I'm not kidding you I saved it at least 6 or 7 times! And doesn't it automatically save like every five minutes anyways? Someone please tell me how this happened, I'm so mad right now I could break something

Well, since it's 11:23pm right now I'm not going to restart my whole post tonight...you'll just have to wait. So in the meantime please enjoy this adorable video:

Sometimes I wonder why we even bother buying toys
when she's perfectly happy playing with a wet paper towel!!

Fall Festivities

2010-11-06T15:59:00.008-06:00

First things first. Thomas got accepted into the
Physician Assistant program at
A.T. Still University!
WOOHOO!! Arizona here we come!!!!

We kick started our fall festivities with a trip down south
to St. George to watch Kody Thurston run in the marathon
(he's in the ten year club, he can show you all his medals)

I also got to watch my best friend Natalie cross

the finish line - she did amazing for her first time!

(sorry no picture)

I was feeling very crafty once fall season started
so I decided to make an autumn wreath to hang on
our front door. It was fun buying all the different
pieces and putting it together :) I think it turned out cute

On October 16th, Lindsay, Eric, Emma and I took a road trip
up to Rexburg, Idaho to watch Tanner play in one of his
football games. It was such a blast and he played awesome!

After the game we hit up this awesome
Mexican restaurant. It was delicious

Then, less than a week later my parents came up to
Provo for my mom's birthday (she turned 39)
We celebrated her b-day at a Thai restaurant in Salt Lake

This is our 'Heidi' pose :)

My parents enjoyed a rainy weekend with us
(complete with a BYU game)
and then headed back to AZ on Sunday.
I love having family around :)

The next weekend was Halloween!
I got so excited about making Emma's costume
that I made it at the beginning of October.

If you do the math, by the end of October she was
a tad bit bigger than at the beginning of the month.
So, unfortunately her costume was too small!
But she wore it anyways and she was the cutest
Little Red Riding Hood I've ever seen :)
She was so entertained with her little basket.
It was in her mouth almost the whole night!
We went to our ward Halloween party and we
dressed up as little red riding hood's parents. . .

I attempted to win the doughnut eating contest but I utterly
failed coming in last place - half of it ended up on the floor

Emma had a long night and crashed on our way home.
It was probably from all the candy she ate

On the 26th Emma turned 6 months old!
Weight: 16 lbs 13 oz
Height: 26 in

And finally, today we went to the BYU game
against UNLV. But we didn't just 'go to the game'
We got to sit in box seats thanks to
our friends Ben & Lauren!

Are you ready for this??

2010-10-21T23:30:00.000-06:00

Well here it is... the moment you've all been waiting for
(of course when I say "you all" I really mean you, dad :)

Here is my blog post of picture overload!
I barely posted anything from our summer
adventures and since summer was
officially over LAST month,
that means I'm way overdue!

This summer was full of FIRSTS for Emma, naturally,
and here are just a few:

First time Hiking,
(Stewart Falls, June 5)

First Road Trip,

(Cedar City to visit Emily & Jared - June 15)

First Camping Trip,
(Strawberry Lake, June 18)

And first time Swimming!
(June 23)

Our Fourth of July adventures were SO MUCH FUN
and packed with festivities. This picture was taken on the
hill by the temple while we waited for the fireworks show
(July 3, 2010)

Lambert girls get-together lunch
at Zupas, of course (July 12)

My cousin HEIDI's bridal shower
(July 17, 2010)

McBride Family Reunion (Grandma Thurston's family)
in NAT-SOO-PAH, Idaho (yes, that is how you spell it)
(July 23-24)

Lambert Family REUNION
in Flagstaff, AZ
(July 28 - 31)
FOUR generations of Lambert girls :) Cousin Cuteness :)
Family pics taken at Grandma &
Grandpa Nelson's in Arizona (August 14th)

Having fun playing with daddy at Grandma's
house in Arizona (and yes, that is a
baby doll stroller that Emma is in...haha)

Thomas' 25th birthday dinner!
celebrated at BJ's, of course
(August 23rd)
Cute face dad :)
Emma and I spent a week with the Thurston's
while Thomas went on his backpacking trip in the Tetons
(end of August)

BBQ with some friends in our ward
(beginning of September)

Precious picture of Emma sleeping. These are the
moments that make me so happy to be a mom :)
Sometimes I find myself just staring at
her sleep - you know you all do it.

Kendal's Birthday Lunch!!
We got to hang out with Ken & Brady
and Linds & Eric in Salt Lake for lunch.
So fun! (September 11)

Camping trip! with Lindsay and Eric
in Bountiful, Utah
(Sept. 24 -25)

Good morning angel face :)
You knew we had to have one of these pics. . .

Well that sums up our summer - it was so much fun

and we can't believe it went by so fast!
Thanks for looking through ALL of these pics, you're the best

BELIEVE it or NOT, I have more pictures coming
from our fall-time fun (alliteration intentional)...

...but you'll have to be patient, just like you always are :)

Dear mommy

2010-10-06T15:52:00.009-06:00

Dear mommy,

I'm already over five months old now, can you believe it??

I've been really busy growing up and learning
how to do lots of things.
Look at all the stuff I can do:

1. I grab anything and everything
within my reach, especially your
hair when you leave it down

2. I started eating rice cereal.
It's really yummy when I actually
swallow it, but it's fun to spit it out too

3. If I try really hard I can roll from
my back to my tummy!
(I've already mastered rolling from my
tummy to my back, piece of cake)

4. I LOVE my new big girl bathtub
I cry every time you take me out

5. Now I can grab my feet when I'm
laying down. But don't worry,
I haven't figured out how to stick
them in my mouth yet

6. I'm really good at bouncing
up and down in my bouncy toy!

7. I'm learning how to sit up all by
myself (but I still need some
help so I don't topple over)

8. I laugh at all your funny faces and
now I can laugh when you tickle me :)

9. And I love to read my books. . .
well, I love to PLAY with my books
while you read them to me!

It's so fun learning all these new things

but I promise I won't grow up too fast :)

Love, Emma

4 months and FABulous

2010-09-02T22:59:00.006-06:00

Emma is four months and is as fabulous as ever :)
Here are her stats:

Height - 24 1/4 in...........................47 %
Weight - 14 lbs 1 oz.........................58%
Head Circumference - 16 in............57%

Isn't she a BABE??
(picture courtesy of mlephotography)

Guess what Emma can do?!?
watch and see :)

The great thing about this is that I literally
spent all day trying to video her and
seriously, every time I turned on the
video camera she wouldn't do it.
I was soooo happy when I finally got it!

And this video is just adorable, I had to share it!
Listen to her cute little laugh
Thomas and I get a kick out of it :)

Happy Birthday Thomas!!

2010-08-24T16:42:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Thomas' 25th birthday!
what a stud muffin :)

We've been in Arizona for a couple weeks and
that's about how long we celebrated his birthday.
It was one of those "Jacey Birthday's"
that lasts for basically the whole month...

By the time it was his actual birthday he said
he didn't feel like it was; like it was already over :)

Anyways...he is currently enjoying one of his many
birthday presents:

A five day hiking, backpacking,
bug infested, bear fighting, manly man's trip
up in the Grand Tetons in Wyoming...

...while Emma and I spend a relaxing, sun bathing,
movie watching, mall shopping, milkshake drinking
week with the Thurston's in Arizona :)

Although we are having a blast
we already miss daddy (Thomas) like CRaZy and
can't wait to see him on Saturday!!!

Lost and Found

2010-08-06T17:50:00.004-06:00

So, about a month ago amidst all the comings and goings
of family, we somehow lost one of Emma's pacifiers,
and it happened to be my favorite one (pictured above)!
Needless to say, I searched everywhere for it in our little
apartment and never found it. I was heartbroken :(
Then just yesterday, while looking for something else that was lost
(do you notice a trend?),
I FOUND IT!!!!!
This seriously made my day! (okay lets be honest,
it made my whole week)

This reminded of something I've always known about myself:
I get very attached to insignificant objects
like pencils or chapstick, (and now Emma's pacifiers..)
but I don't realize the extent of my attachment until they get
lost or broken or ruined and then I get super upset!!
Oh man.

Anyways, all I really wanted to do was share the
good news that I found my favorite pacifier.......for Emma, of course.

Nelson Family Updates:
(we took this picture on father's day)
1. Emma had pink eye earlier this week but she's fine now :)
2. Nelson family get together next week in AZ - can't wait!
3. Excited to take family pictures while in Arizona :)
4. Emma weighs 12 lbs. 6 oz. and measures 22 in. long
5. Thomas' birthday is coming up!! (on the 23rd)
6. I'm planning an Italian feast for dinner on Sunday
complete with a caprese salad and fried polenta :)
I'll take pictures and let you know how it goes!
7. Curled my hair today - turned out...interesting
8. One of these days I'll post pictures from all of our summer adventures....

All smiles

2010-07-27T17:08:00.003-06:00

Emma is 3 months now and is ALL SMILES :) :) :)

Smiling for daddy :)

Total Diva

Having fun with Aunt Paige and Uncle Parker

2 months

2010-06-28T14:57:00.013-06:00

Emma is already 2 months old - I can't believe it!
She's growing up so fast.
Here are her two month stats:

Weight: 10 lbs. 12 oz.
Height: 21 7/8 in.
Cuteness: off the charts

Thanks, Grandma Nelson for the cute outfit :)

Here's a video of Emma talking/singing/whining?
And I also caught her sneezing - I love it!
(sorry for the poor videography . . . I'm working on it . . .)

Emma Lyn Nelson

2010-05-09T19:53:00.009-06:00

Emma Lyn Nelson was born on April 26, 2010 weighing 5lbs. 7oz. and 18 inches long. We are so grateful that she is healthy and doing well after spending 3 days in the NICU and 7 days in special care waiting for mommy to get better. We want to thank everyone for your prayers and support offered to us during this difficult time. We have truly felt your love and know that we have been watched over. I am still recovering but doing so much better - I'm so happy to be at home (and out of the hospital) with my amazing husband and my beautiful daughter.

Thomas' sister Emily (mlephotography.blogspot.com) was able to come down this weekend and take pictures of our precious little Emma - Enjoy!

FOR MOMMY

2010-04-28T11:57:00.002-06:00

I made this for Jacey whenever she wakes up completely and will remember whats going on. She is doing much better thanks to all your faith and prayers. Im sure Jacey will go to town on the blog with all sorts of baby stuff, but since I don't have my blogging degree I will leave that up to her. So for now enjoy our sweet little girl.

Home sweet home. . .

2010-03-15T20:53:00.004-06:00

It's official - my new home is the bathroom. If you can't find me at my apartment or in class just check the bathroom because I'm probably there. It doesn't matter if I went 20 minutes ago and I haven't had a drink of something for hours, somehow when I get up to walk somewhere I have the urge to go - again! Ridiculous. Good thing I know where all the bathrooms are on campus :)
And these are my new best friend (only I have the knock-off brand - poor college student, remember). I never leave my house without my precious tums because you never know when you'll have a heartburn attack. Only, I know I'll have one at least 10 times a day - hence carrying them with me everywhere. . . literally.

Nelson Family Updates:
1. Thomas is doing the Lake Havasu Triathlon this Saturday with his friends - so exciting! Wish him luck :)
2. 30 weeks pregnant - only 10 more to go!!
3. I am graduating in 6 weeks - thank goodness :)
4. Thomas made waffles for dinner
5. Melanie and Rob had their baby last week, little Kurt Nelson, sooo cute!

Rocking Chairs, Opening Ceremonies, and Poodle Skirts

2010-02-25T22:32:00.009-07:00

We got a glider! - Thomas did an amazing job assembling it!

Thomas = Handyman of the Year = Best Husband EVER

For President's Day weekend we got to go to Arizona and spend time with the Thurston's.

Paigerade, my favorite little sister

1,000 piece puzzle that we worked on - did you finish it mom??

We watched the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics...I think both mom and I fell asleep... :)

PORTERHOUSE!!!!

He can't wait for his little cousin to come :)

Paige got to go to the '50s school dance. Doesn't she look adorable??

This is the view of my feet from my perspective. Haha it's so fun being pregnant :)

Ramses Is No Longer #1

2010-02-02T23:23:00.006-07:00

My wife Is #1

Her smiles are #1
Her keeses are #1
Her hairs are #1
Her eyes are #1
Her baby child is #1
Her muscles are #1
Her cooking is #1
Jess, she is #1

Baby Bump

2010-02-01T11:20:00.002-07:00

I am officially at 24 weeks today and this is what I'm lookin like :) Lindsay came over for dinner last night and so we took some pictures. We had fun making cookies, playing bananagrams and watching Planet Earth too. :)

Triathlon here we come!

2010-01-30T17:01:00.004-07:00

Thomas is at it again. He'll be doing another triathlon at Lake Havasu in March - only this time he's doing a relay with a couple of his friends. He's doing the biking part. It will be so much fun! I posted this picture for his motivation and inspiration as he trains :) Good luck Thomas, you stud!

Just for Fun

2009-12-05T20:00:00.003-07:00

I found this old video on our camera and I just thought it was hilarious. This is the perfect example of a typical evening in the Nelson home - Jacey falls asleep while trying to do homework and Thomas takes advantage of the situation.

DISCLAIMER: Although she might seem upset, Jacey does love her husband sooooo much!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-02T19:02:00.004-07:00

Some of our friends had an extra Christmas tree and let us borrow it to spice up our Christmas spirit! Thank you Roman and Shaley!!

The Adventures of Tom and Jacey

2009-10-10T14:31:00.012-06:00

Spudman Triathlon!!!
Burley, Idaho - July 25th, 2009

Thomas, my dad, my uncle Jon, and my cousin Hyrum
competed in the Spudman this summer. They all did so
well and it was so fun to watch - great job guys!

Grandma Thurston's - Rupert, ID
July 2009

We had a blast at Dody's house this summer playing
tons of games and eating some real good food!

Precious :)

Ladder-ball tournament = intense

I don't think there was a single moment during this
trip where someone was not playing wii golf.... excellent

Greatest game of Eenie-Inie-Over

Thurston crew

BYU Intramural Softball Champions!!!
July/August 2009

That's my husband - the best pitcher ever!

The Adventures of Tom and Jacey Continued

2009-10-10T13:35:00.009-06:00

Cabin/Park City - August 2009
Alpine Coaster with the Nelson family = too much fun :)

DISNEYLAND!!!!! - August 2009
We were so lucky we got to go to Disneyland and California
Adventure during the end of our summer vacation
SO MUCH FUN!

Tower of Terror - absolute favorite ride of all time!

LOVE IT!

Kent is super excited to ride California Screamin'

Happy 24th B-Day Thomas!!!
August 2009

We Love you Tomaaa!!!

More Adventures of Tom and Jacey

2009-10-10T12:23:00.008-06:00

Festival of Colors - Spring 2009

Nelson Cabin - June 2009

We finally trapped that dirty raccoon!!

CAMPING with the Porters!!
4th of July weekend, 2009

Sweetest camping site ever.

This is how real men fish...

Guess What.......?!?!

2009-09-15T20:17:00.007-06:00

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!!!

After two tests, it's confirmed - our first baby is on the way!!
I went to the doctor today - the due date is May 24th, 2010
We are so excited, we can't wait! Only 9 more months... :)

Our New Blog!!

2009-09-15T13:17:00.005-06:00

It's official - Thomas and Jacey Nelson now have a blog! I know, so exciting.

Our website is: tjnelsonfam.blogspot.com

Family updates coming soon...... :)