Memo to Me, Memo to Me

Don't leave the camera where Reagan can get it...

Ballet Lessons

Ireland had a major blowout on the way to the outlet mall in Park City. It was the perfect excuse to frequent the Gymboree for a fresh outfit! They had these ballet onesies that I couldn't resist. When Whitney saw her in it, she decided to pass along some of her wisdom:

We Are Family

While we were in Utah my sister Katrina thought we'd take the opportunity to get cousin photos. All the Nielsen cousins were together minus Hunter and Harley. We're still looking to see if we can Photoshop them in. I think the photographers did an amazing job getting all the kids looking in the same direction and smiling. Liesel went into a fit of tears for unknown reasons. I'm posting some individual shots of the girls we didn't end up getting prints of. It was really tough deciding between so many good photos. Ireland always looks so concerned when Liesel holds her. Kind of like she's thinking, "Haven't we already determined this is a BAD idea?" They looked adorable though and I'm glad we could use the watermelon outfits again.

Afterwards we celebrated Jack and Benjamin's birthday at a gymnasium. By gymnasium I mean a place where gymnastics is taught. It was bar none the BEST children's birthday party I've ever attended! The kids were able to jump, flip and tumble into foam pits. There were trampolines and climbing walls. The idea was to exhaust the kids so after photos and the party they'd nap all afternoon. Somehow the adults got into it too. Reagan decided to take a running jump into one of the foam pits using a springboard. That was seriously one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life because when she hit the springboard it somehow threw her backwards rather than propelling her forward. Katrina agreed to hold Ireland while I dusted off some old cheerleading jumps on the tramps. I haven't even attempted those in years and I laughed myself sick trying them again. Too bad my camera battery died. If anyone out there has any video or photos, please, please, PLEASE pass them along!

At one point I noticed Liesel had braved a foam pit and I decided to jump in and join her. Bad move. More like no move. I am not a light toddler! I am a woman who recently had a baby. I could feel my pregnancy weight sinking me deeper and deeper into the foam. I tried moving the foam pieces directly around me but that just sunk me further. My nephew Eli noticed and ran over to where I was. "Need some help?" he cheerfully asked from the edge. "Yeah, I'm kind of stuck." He somersaulted in the pit. "You just have to get on top of it and crawl!" he said as he did just that. I didn't want to tell him I couldn't roll over on my stomach so crawling was a remote possibility. I managed to do it but couldn't get on top of it all like he advised. "Use your knees!" I was like a fish on dry land as I ever so slowly flopped myself over to the edge. When I got out I was completely sweating and everyone else was wondering why I took so long. Still the best birthday party I've ever been to. The girls had a blast, the cousins bonded and the adults were greatly entertained by it all. What a brilliant idea!

Peach Days

The girls and I went to Brigham City to visit some dear friends and celebrate Peach Days. My home ward bishop who later became our stake president, and is now again bishop is from Brigham City. He often talked about their peaches... usually on fast Sunday. He'd describe how you could take just one bite and the juices would drip down your chin. Visions of a bowl of fresh cut peaches and sweet cream danced in my head while my stomach rumbled on those Sundays. I of course have forgotten the spiritual message that went along with these stories. I was thrilled to experience these legendary peaches first hand.

Liesel went on her first carnival rides. She enjoyed the cars which just went around in a circle. Then she didn't enjoy them so much... not sure why. Then she cried to go on them again. We did the slides which looked innocent enough. It was midway down that I realized my extra weight was making us go faster. By the last bump we were airborn and I'm sure Liesel was wondering why I forced her onto something she wasn't so sure about in the first place.

Not only did I score some peach cobbler, but one booth sold fried Twinkies and I just had to try it. I had a fried Oreo at a street fair in NYC and looooved it. They dip it in batter, fry it and then put powdered sugar on top. I'm salivating remembering it. The Twinkie came with some jam too. I'm still regretting that Twinkie but I'm glad I tried it. I've heard fried Snickers are supposed to be amazing and someone told me about fried cheesecake. If I come across them, I'll definitely have a taste but I'll pass on the fried Twinkie.

Powder Fresh

I was alone with my girls at Reagan's house when I realized it was awfully quiet. "Liesel?" "Uh, I okay!" I thought that was an odd response so I tried again. "Liesel?" "I okay Mom!" This clearly required investigation. When I went into the living room I was met with this scene:

Watermelon Babies

My sister Reagan and I are similar in many, many ways. Among those traits is a love for all things Gymboree for our two daughters. While we were at the Gymboree outlet in Park City, I pitched the idea of getting coordinating outfits for our girls and taking some photos. I already had some items from their Watermelon line and she spotted the same tops. Then she held up the white tennis skirt with tiny watermelons for Ireland and I found myself yelling across the store, "I WANT THAT!!!" So the photos became a reality. Here are some of the results:

Liesel, Piper and Paisley
All the girls. I have about 6 photos and one person isn't looking at the camera in each of them. I selected this one because Liesel and Ireland's faces crack me up.
Ireland's first taste of watermelon
We were finished taking photos so the girls ran to change and I started playing with Ireland. She went into a laughing fit and Reagan got some pictures of it.
I had SO much fun hanging out at Reagan's. She has no idea how lucky she is we actually left because we would've happily stayed another month!
I hope my girls grow up to be good friends like I am with my sisters!

Oldie but Goodie

Can you tell Brent is in town and I'm frantically catching up on my blogging while I have access to our laptop? Anyway, this pic is just too cute not to share. We were minutes away from O'Hare airport to catch our flight to SLC when the girls fell asleep... holding hands. Moments like these make me love being a mom!

Over the River and Through the Woods

The girls love being here in Iowa! Grandpa not only has a dvd player but Grandma picked up some ultra cool pink headphones. Throw in a spippy cup and some Veggie Tales on top of all that and Liesel's happier than a pig at slop.
Not that it's a free ride around here. After some training from Grandma:

Liesel was charged with watering the plants and flowers:
For some reason Ireland didn't seem happy with her work:
Ireland is the consummate observer. She particularly loves taking in all the wildlife as she looks out on the deck from her Bumbo:
Aside from the usual squirrel we've seen a raccoon, many deer and wild turkeys. Our evenings are relaxing with a bit of local entertainment:
And the sun goes down on another beautiful Iowa day:

En Route

Driving from Boston to Iowa City we decided to veer north to see Niagara Falls and drive through Canada a bit. It was a mind scramble going from miles to kilometers (or as my dad tells me they're called, "klicks"). Suddenly we had so much further to go but somehow we were getting there so much faster. Anyway, years ago I stopped in Niagara coming back from Cleveland but only saw the US side which is incredibly shabby, campy and to be frank, a bit scary. The Canadian side is a whole different story. I felt uber prepared with my passport and a copy of both girls birth certificates. For whatever reason my mind was working super slow as the border police asked me routine questions.

Names of the children? That one was no problem.
Dates of birth? Uhmmmm, the little one was born in *think* *think* MARCH. She was a pi baby so that was the 14th of uh this year and the other one.... April 1st, no 2nd because I was induced on the 1st and she was late and that waaaaaaas 2008. Yeah, 2008.
Do you have a letter from the father giving you permission to travel here today? (don't ask me why, but this question irritated me a bit) WHY would I need that? We're happily married!
The police spoke slowly as he eyed me suspiciously with the next question: Is he aware you're taking the children out of the country today? Oh, yes! He is. I could call him if you like.

He let us in. It was beautiful! It was also incredibly busy near the falls so unfortunately much of our time was spent stuck in traffic. My Dad found a nice bench and hung out with Ireland while I took Liesel for a closer look.

She loved the mist coming off the water
Horseshoe Falls is my favorite and I loved showing them to her.
One advantage of going to the Canadian side is we were easily able to see the Scow barge stuck within sight of horseshoe falls. After we got to Iowa City my dad looked up the amazing story. It's apparently been there since 1918 and two men were rescued from it. I wonder when it will finally break free and go over the falls? What an incredible sight that would be! This is one destination we are definitely going to have to return to when Brent is able to come along. We'll do the Maid of the Mist.

Getting back into the US at Detroit I was no better with the border police.
Purpose for crossing the border today? I want to go home! Let me back in!
Clearly irritated, he tried me again: WHY were you in Canada? Oh! To see Niagara Falls and avoid toll roads.
Relationship? A little antagonistic... it's been a long day.
More irritated, he tried this one again: Your relationship to the occupants in your vehicle? Oh, that's my mother and these are my two children.
I rattled off their birthdays so I'd have a little more cred and was relieved when we he waved us back on home soil.

Boston You're My Home

I've had a lot of time to think about how much my life has changed between my move to Boston and my exit from Boston. Here are some significant differences I'll pass along to the 3 people who read my blog:

When I came to Boston I was broken-hearted and truly believed I would never marry. I left Boston married to the love of my life and with my adorable two daughters.

When I came to Boston I had no job and no place to live. When I left I'd recently retired from working life and walked away from our apartment. In the meantime Brent and I sold his house in Arizona. I now have way more experience with home ownership than I would like.

When I came to Boston everything I owned fit into my 1994 Honda Civic. When I left we used a 16 ft moving truck (still not bad considering we're now a family of four). The Honda Civic died long ago however.

When I came to Boston I thought it was a huge city that absolutely intimidated me. I left feeling Boston is a little-ish big city and feel perfectly comfortable not only in Beantown, but NYC and DC.

When I came to Boston I had just heard of the Red Sox who hadn't won the World Series in 86 years. When I left, they had broken the curse and won the World Series on my birthday. I'm now an avid Red Sox fan having seen a dozen or so games and am making plans to see them on the road.

When I came to Boston I knew there was a temple. I left having been an ordinance worker not only when I was single but alongside Brent. I was fortunate enough to serve for five years before being released.

When I came to Boston I didn't know a soul in or anywhere near the city. I left with some of the best friends of my life and a different perspective on how brash New Englanders can be. They really are some of the nicest people if you just give them a chance.

When I came to Boston I didn't care much about the mountains or beach. When I left I used every chance I could to take in this type of scenery in the surrounding area. Crane Beach in particular will always have a spot in my heart.

When I came to Boston I hadn't traveled much. When I left I'd seen much of the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. Brent and I have made out in a dozen airports. My frequent flier miles are now a part-time obsession.

When I came to Boston I had a hard time understanding some of the locals because of their thick accents. Now I think some things are wicked hard, now and again I bang a U-ey and prefer to have jimmies on my ice cream rather than sprinkles.

Boston has shaped my life and my personality in so many ways. Although leaving now feels right, I will always carry parts of Beantown with me. I'm so happy to have lived there and learned all I did. Whenever I hear Dirty Water by the Standells I'll have a moment of silence for this city that took me in when I needed it most. That may sound cheesy but it's true.