The Good Life

ya... it has been awhile..

2012-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

so ya.. it has been awhile.. since we have been gone...
here is a quick update..
we are having a baby...
it is a boy... (that makes 3...)
due in May

russell has a new fancy camera that I should not touch.. some day he will post pictures...
nag him please

END of summer review

2011-09-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

So the summer is officially over- the last few weeks we were able to pack in a few things- camping with the Green's, Demo Derby with Joe and Carly, Swimming, LOTS of parks and playing outside-

School has started and I am really loving having a schedule again. My class is a handful but is lots of fun.

Korbin starts Preschool on Tuesday (at my school) I am excited to go and spy on him every day!

His birthday was last Tuesday (blog soon)-Cant believe he is four already

Quinn has adjusted to Day Care just fine but still has lots of attitude.

They LOVE the new place which is REALLY nice!

We go on our cruise in TWO weeks-CANT wait!

Korby's first swim lesson

2011-08-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

Korbin had has first swim lesson this last week. I credit the success on the goggles and goggles only--We have been so worried about this one for awhile bc he does not share the same love I have for the water-But we discovered that if we put goggles on his eyes he becomes a whole different kid in the water-

To make the whole situation better the pool we are going to allows siblings to swim and play for free while the lesson goes on.. this is a huge life saver bc Quinn does share the same love of water as me and keeping him strapped in the stroller for 40 min was going to be a disaster ;)

Liberty Park

2011-08-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

Liberty Park is by far the coolest place in Utah- We have gone a few times this summer. If you have not been you need to add that to your to do list!

2011-08-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

After we hit up Disney Land for two days- we went to the beach (my favorite place)- it was a little windy but we didn't let that stop us from playing.

Disney Land Vacaction

2011-08-01T13:42:00.001-07:00

This last June we went on our first real family vacation. We went to Disney Land and met up with Russell's side of the family. The drive down and back was tons better that expected-- and the park itself was tons of fun- we are definitely going back in a few years!

Summer so far

2011-06-20T13:17:00.001-07:00

We have had a blast of a summer so far! I do have to admit I LOVE having summers off to spend time outside with my boys!
I ran my first half marathon a week ago and now that the soreness has left my body I am looking for another one to sign up for. I was shooting to get a time under 2:30 and came in at 2:09...It will be fun to try and beat that time now that I know I can survive running that far without dying.

We have a ton of stuff lined up for the next coming weeks. We are heading to Disney Land on Wednesday and can't wait- Korbin has had a count down chain for a quite awhile now and is getting VERY excited to see the Cars and Toy Story sections- It should be fun- assuming Russ and I survive the trip down....

A trip down to Cedar for my youngest brother's wedding in July

A trip to Oregon to visit my older sister in August

Camping trips (much better than last year now that Quinn can walk)

Then there is always the 7 peaks passes that we got with the rest of Utah

Russell and I booked a cruise with my older brother for the end of the summer (since when did passports cost SOO much)

Should be a fun and busy summer- gotta fit it all in before I get to go back to work in the fall!

Spring Vacation part 1

2011-04-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

So seeing as there is snow on the ground and it is almost MAY 1st, I felt it fitting to post pictures of our Spring Break and Easter to help remind me that warm weather and tan lines are not a myth...

We had a lot of fun going to Cedar to visit my family. We did a mini Easter egg hunt in the mountains, where we felt that Joesph was the best match for the Easter Bunny. Korbin and his cousin Ahna had a blast gathering the eggs. But that was not the best part. After collecting all the eggs my sister, Amy told Korbin to look in the eggs to see what was inside. He had no idea that there was candy. He had to open each egg to see the prize. Each time he got more and more blown away that there was a jelly bean. :)-- Holidays are SOOO much more fun with kids :)

We also were able to go fishing with one of my brother's, David. As much as I detest fishing and all that goes with it- Korbin and Quinn ate every second up and had so much fun I may have been swayed to do it again.

random pic catch up

2011-03-14T08:25:00.001-07:00

Quinn has developed a nasty habit of blowing raspberries as his way of not approving of what you are telling him.... it would be a lot easier to stop this habit if it wasn't so hard to not laugh when he does it.

I won tickets to Disney on Ice for Saturday.. I think it was more geared towards girls since more than half the show was princesses.... the last 5 min buzz light year and his crew came out and made the whole 2 hours worth it for Korbin tho

Quinn has learned how to say "deeze" when you point the camera at him :)

Korbin sporting his new hair cut-thanks to Russell

Peek-a-boo

Kordizzle

2011-03-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

Korbin informed me my legs were ticklish.....guess it is time to shave......

new stories from 3rd grade

2011-02-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

So this year is more than half way over and I have not done a single post about my class this year... to begin with.... there are 20 boys and 7 girls.... that right there should be all I have to say about my class and let your imagination do the rest...but for your entertainment I will continue...

1. There is one boy in my class who has been banished to have his desk right next to my desk to try and keep him under control- today he has REALLY bad gas... who is being punished now...

2. Third graders have a lot of imagination and use that to create new games to play... apparently the game of tag needed to be reinvented..

- ware wolf and vampires * included kids bringing little sacs of garlic to school

- 'what' game: persons it calls out your name and if you answer 'what' you are it * i have been it a few times....

- Cheese touch * i now hate the book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and have been known to say "No cheese touching in here!" a few times a day

3. I also have a boy in my class who at a last desperate attempt to get him to stay in his seat and do his work.. we have him sitting on an exercise ball-

4. The lady I teach with shared this story with me...
We have a set of twins in our class this year and about a month ago a little boy in our class stopped them in the lunch line and informed them that they looked a lot alike.. somehow i feel that i am failing him...

5. We do a lot of shared writing in our class (that is where we all write a story/paragraph together) and because of the fact our boys out number our girls by more than half our stories ALWAYS end up about zombies and dead things... one day when we were working on descriptive sentences we ended up with the following on the board :

The moshed, dead, zombie cat, with a missing eye ball, barked like a starving, angry pit bull.

Just as I was putting the period on the board the principal walked in.. needless to say, I had some explaining to do....

6. Yesterday there was a sub for the morning half--her suggestion to me was to let the kids out every half hour to run around the play ground...

This year has been tons of fun-- and interesting and my kids really do keep my on my toes as far as not being able to just coast by this year- but I love it and wouldn't change classes if I could ....just maybe switch out a few kids ;)

Chuckie Cheese

2011-01-10T18:41:00.001-08:00

This last Saturday we took Korbin to Chuckie Cheese for the first time. We didn't tell him where we were going and the second we entered the parking lot he had a cow. It was so fun to watch. Once we got inside it was complete chaos... as all kid places are. He and Russ had fun playing the games. Poor quinn will have wait till he is big enough to hold his own against the 2 million kids running wild.....

MY lil boy is in SunBeams....

2011-01-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

How is my little boy old enough to be a Sun Beam???

Wasn't it just yesterday I was dealing with ... that...??

New Years

2011-01-10T18:08:00.000-08:00

Our New Years was spent ringing it is with some good friends. We had fish tacos and cheese stuffed crust pizza. Quinn (finally) passed out just before 11 and korbin decided to stay awake with us adults.

As far as New Years Goals go:

Quinn:

1. learn how to use REAL words to ask for things instead of pointing and shrieking

2. Learn how to share with Korbin

3. Make it through ALL three meetings of church W/O a nap.....

Korbin

1: Start Preschool this February

2. Learn how to share with Quinn

3. Learn how to swim

Mary:

1. Run a 1/2 marathon WITH ALYSE ;)

2. keep working on that whole not being largo thing...

Russ:

1. Making Mary happy by doing ANYTHING that she wants ;)

Christmas part 3

2011-01-10T16:52:00.001-08:00

For Christmas part III: we loaded up and flew to Washugal Washington to visit Russell's side of the family. This meant the first airplane ride for the boys... it went.... as expected... the plane was delayed going out due to the toilets being broken-- allowing us to burn through all forms of entertainment BEFORE the actual plane ride... once we boarded the plane things were somewhat okay..other than having to pass Quinn back and forth every ten min or so to keep the kid entertained... Korbin was nice enough to accidentally spill his entire glass of complementary OJ ALL over my lap within the first fifteen min of takeoff...( we skipped drinks on the ride home..lesson learned..)

Once we got to russ's parent's house we were able to hang with the fam and have amazingly delicious food. Russ;s mom has 9000 chickens that Korbin had a blast helping collect eggs from and chase around. It was a fun trip and it will be nice to go back sometime to see what it is like when it is not raining ;)

Christmas part 2

2011-01-10T16:12:00.002-08:00

For part II of Christmas we loaded up the car and drove home to have Christmas Day at our own home. We started out having Christmas Eve dinner with Heather and Mike- and went to a really cool light show in PG.

Christmas morning we woke up with Korbin RACING into our room telling us it was "wake up time!" and he wanted to see if Santa ate his brownie. He had a blast Christmas morning ripping open any present he could get his hands on while Quinn tried to keep up. It was a really good Christmas and Russ definitely made me feel loved with the gifts he gave me ;)-

Christmas part 1

2011-01-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Part I: We (everyone except Russ who had to work -sucker-) went down the week before Christmas to spend so time with my side of the family. Korbin has a blast with his cousin, Ahna. Quinn had to deal with not getting all the attention because of his EQUALLY as cute cousin Toby...

As of lately.....

2010-12-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

We decorated our Christmas tree tonight, after convincing Korbin that a small tree was better than a big one--

Russ ended his 5 year relationship with his truck--we upgraded to a 4-Runner that fits our growing family much nicer

Went to a Jazz game with russ's fam

Quinn has discovered the bottom drawer of 'fun'

He also took his first 'steps' a few days ago.. he hasn't taken very many more since- i have a feeling he will take his sweet time to make it official

Quinn's first birthday bash

2010-11-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

So Quinn had his first birthday yesterday- it is still blowing my mind that his is already one- time has flown by!-

Russ and I made him a really cool Mr. Potato Head Cake.-- he was terrified of it as first-- until Russ figured out that it was the eyes on the cake staring back at him- once the M&M's were removed he dug right in!-

The party was fun and Korbin did well considering the attention was not all on him and the presents were not his to open!

Thanks to all that came to help celebrate!

Halloweeny time

2010-11-01T07:23:00.001-07:00

Halloween this year was fun! Korbin LOVED every min of it and had a blast being buzz light year--and was pretty cute too-- we had to Saran wrap his wings for the big trick or treat because of the rain storm we had. He was constantly running around saying 'I'm Buzz Light Year!" "To infinity and beyond!"--

Quinn's first Halloween was a success too- he had fun chewing on any candy possible and it only took him about 5 min to give up trying to get out of costume before he accepted it:)--

pic catch up

2010-10-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

new family pics

2010-10-23T12:49:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I pretend I can run

2010-10-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

Pre race (we look so naive)

After the race (pretty sure that is was death looks like on my part)

So I have always wanted to run a 5 K, but after deciding that running was not as bad as it first seemed I decided to up the mileage to a 10 K. So i suckered my friend Alyse to run one with me last May. We did really good for first timers and enjoyed it too. So we decided to do another one last weekend. This one however was different. One there was little training (it is amazing how much time/energy teaching zaps out of your day. Two there were LOTS of hills--up hills--

So without proper preparation we set out to 'run' this 10 K.

I only added 2 min to my run this time-- usually adding time is a bad thing _BUT_ this time the course was not flat it was very much up hill both ways ;) and lack of training was evident. I am happy to say I am still very much alive and seriously considering running a half in April. (this time with training the right way)

I do feel bad for not seeing Russell and my boys till after the race was over though. I did not want him to come and watch to save myself from embarrassment. But, he decided to surprise me and come and support. However, some how we missed each other at the finish line--

sometimes i wonder why i try

2010-09-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

... so my second year at teaching third grade is going MUCH better and I am loving it a lot more than last year. I think a HUGE part of that is bc I not PREGO this time..
I have had several fun conversations with my kids but this one was a kicker today..

Boy: I have a favorite Letter

Me:.. oh ya.. what is it?

Boy: "T"

Me: and why is that?

Boy: bc it is my favorite color

Me.. ended the conversation there bc we were in the middle of learning how to round the the nearest hundred and it was already proving to be a long day....

And now I have a three year old

2010-08-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

Korbin had his birthday party today- really how do i have a 3 year old??? props to me/russ for keeping him alive three WHOLE years.. only two ER visits.. that is good right???

Korbin has replaced Cars with Toy Story for his new love in life and bc of this, he received multiple gifts from the Toy Story isle at Walmart.
We made him a really cool cake and discovered that working with fondant is not the easiest... He loved it though and it turned out really good! The cake made an early exit when Korbin attempted to sneak a piece on his own.... :) It was a memorable ending to a fun birthday haha!

It's really over....

2010-08-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

yes.. he is a stander now...

The Christensen Grandkids

Uncle Colby caught a fish, Korbin thought

it was the coolest thing ever untill Uncle Joseph

tried to eat it

Korbin and Ahna's birthday cake

Russ was so proud of the fire- he made it without any help....... unlike the campers next to us....

Watching Russell make a fire

One of the coolest crashes!

Korbin's Favorite cars battleing it out

Our favortie cars!

It is sad to see that summer is officially over for our family. I go back to work on Monday and schools starts Wednesday. We did have fun the last few weeks though. We went on our first camping trip for Quinn, to a Demolition Derby, a trip down to Cedar to see the family.

Korbin had a blast watching the cars crash into each other including his favorite car Lighting McQueen and the Pig car. He was so sad to see him die at the end when he got rammed into the wall. Camping was fun-until i got peeded on in the middle of the night by Quinn's leaky diaper... it was warm though ;) Cedar was also fun - it was fun to see how BIG baby Toby (two month)He is about the same size as Quinn (ten months) was. And to see how much Korbin adored Ahna and how well they played together.
But now it is back to work..woe is me..... I will keep you posted.. fingers crossed i wont have a pee boy this year!!!

summer post #3

2010-08-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Our summer is coming to a close- only a few more weeks left- how did that happen?!?

We are still having fun though- the list this time includes:

- 7 peaks

- visit from uncle joseph and aunt carly
- Cowabunga bay

- Cedar Hill park/stream
- Wheeler Farm and feeding the ducks

- Park
-Puddle jumping

- Swimming with Abigail and Jude
- Dinosaur Museum

- Picnics

- Inception with Russell (thanks Lanette)

* btw russell it is now Aug so get planning it is YOUR month for the next kidless date

- Read hunger games series (can't wait for the next one to come out!

- Got hooked on the Fable Haven series until Russell stole them to occupy his time on his flights

summer post #2

2010-07-19T09:24:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that summer is almost over. I have to start gettign ready to go back to reality and be a teacher again!- We have been having so much fun. I dont think we have stayed home one day this whole time.

This past week we went down to Cedar to say goodbye to my little brother (Uncle David) so he could leave on his mission. We had a lot of fun and LOVED the new lake that Cedar City built. The water was freezing but Korbin didnt seem to mind to play in the sand instead. We also played at Park Discovery which Korbin loved.

Korbin is offically potty trained and not even wearing plastic pants at night Wahoo!

Quinn has his two bottom teeth and better be getting some more in soon so he has a real reason to be so crabby

We have also discoverd my new favorite pool! The Scera Pool in Orem is perfect- it is outside all shallow and allows floaties so I dont have to pack around two kids- we have gone there a few times and have loved it!

5 years ago today

2010-06-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

5 years ago today we said our "I do's". I would still do it all over again- even knowing all I do now- I love you baby cakes!

Happy Father's Day Baby Cakes

2010-06-23T08:44:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day babe! We love all the work you do for

us so I can have summers off and work part time to play with our boys!

Our summer so far (LONG PIC POST)

2010-06-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

in case you are wondering if my boys look alike... you guess who is who

Notice who is getting hosed 0n accident...

Hanging in my parents backyard

see how excited he is?? little he know that the water is not heated like he is used to in Lehi

At the parade

Feeding the ducks at Wheeler Farm

Pre stitches

So it has been really nice to actually have a summer to myself (and my two boys) for the first time since I was 15 years old...The idea did scare me as to finding things to keep me occupied and not bored out of my mind at home. So far we have been able to do SO many things that I have wanted to do for a long time but just couldn't due to work and nap time schedules. But now that work is out of the picture for a few months I have ALL the time I could ever want to work around nap times (or just skip them)

As a VERY condensed version since pictures say much more-

1. Korbin got his first set of stitches (6 on the chin- he some how slipped at the pool and cracked it open saddest thing I have ever seen him have to go through)

2. Wheeler farm SEVERAL time

3. Swimming a TON

4. Parks

5. Zoo

6. Living Planet Aquarium

7. Grandma's house for a visit

8. Uncle Danny coming to visit

9. Uncle David coming to visit

10. Having a Saturday ALL to myself ( no swim meets/guarding/school work)

11. Hanging out with NO itinerary of plans or things to get to

12. Ran a 10 K with Alyse and training for another one in Aug (RIGHT ALYSE???)

13. Went to the Eagle Mountain Parade

14. Played with some really good friends

15. Potty training for Korbin (going REALLY good)*dare i say he is done aside from night time episodes

16. took Korbin swimming at MY pool in cedar before it is torn down at the end of the summer (so many memories there)
This summer really has been so fun so far! I'm am excited to spend my freedom for the next two months with my boys! Enjoy the pics!

chasing birds

2010-05-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

We went to Wheeler Farm today for entertainment since russell is in FL for the week. I met up with an old friend from HS and let our boys run all over the farm-mostly chasing the bird. It was a blast. I got color to my skin and quinn got a good nap.

We went down to Cedar for my little brother's wedding.. hard to think he is THAT old.. man.....
and my other brother got his call to Nebraska for his mission. It was good to spend time with them seeing as they are all moving on in life. Korbin is going to miss his Uncles now that one moved to TX, one will be in NE. Good thing Joe will still be around...

I also officially have the part time job for next year. I will be teaching 3rd grade in the afternoons. My partner is one of the same teachers I worked with last year as a student teacher. I am REALLY excited and lucky to have gotten a job. 500 applicants for one position.. ikes!

Quinn is one step away from crawling and I am not sure how that happened--- he army scoots SO FAST! Korbin has to learn how to share and how to be MUCH more patient now that he is mobile.

I choose this

2010-05-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

(this is what we woke up to after telling Korbin to go play down stairs while russ and I slept in)

So today is Mother's Day and it is still kind of weird to think that I am "grown-up" enough to actually be a mom.. let alone a mom to TWO kids... but in all honesty, I choose nothing else for my life right now.

I had a kid-less friend ask me if I miss being able to go do things without having to plan ahead and without hesitating my answer was no.

I don't feel that I am missing out on ANYTHING that is more important than being a Mom. I don't care about the 'sacrifices' that I make daily/hourly. Anything I have 'given up' is made worth it ten fold in the smiles I get from my boys. I'd have it no other way:

- Even if that means wake up calls at 3:30 am on a Saturday asking for 'mac 'n cheese

*true sign he is my child

- being told "you being mean- you go'n corner!" for not giving in and giving an extra cookie
- not having a clean and organized house or a clutter and crumb free car

- the never ending pile of laundry full of miniature outfits that you swore you just washed

- Sponge Bob and Cars over ANYTHING not animated

- the perfect outfit ruined by a LONG stream of drool and or spit up

- my days "off" from work starting at 6:00 am and filled with trips to the park

- trading Wingers or Olive Garden for Artic Circle bc they have the best play place

- getting 'help' to do simple chores that should take five min but end up taking 20 min

- seeing your kid get SO excited when you got them a surprise or tired extra hard to make them happy

- hearing "luff you mama" randomly throughout the day
- getting slobbery wet kisses

- seeing the look of pure joy come across Quinn's face when your eyes meet

- getting giant bear hugs from Korbin

- being told at 6:00 am that it is "wake up time" and asked if I had a good dream

- being asked to cuddle on the couch instead of going to bed

- watching your oldest give 'luvs' to your youngest without being directed to

- getting told you are "butiful' when you are feeling like a floppy whale

The experiences I have had from being Mom are and have been better than anything else in my life. As I see it the pros out way the cons every time.

It was bound to happen eventually

2010-04-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

My students have discovered a new game..

Q: how many fingers am I holding up?
A: 5...duh.....
Response: NO FOUR ..... Plus one thumb.....

man that joke never gets old.................even after you get asked 10 time within one hour

As promised

2010-03-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Here's what you have missed since the last post of the kids:

- Took Quinn swimming for the first time

- Had to pay to go swimming for the first time (ouch)

- Russ went to Hawaii for 2 weeks for "work" (pictures say other wise)

- Russ survived a Tsunami

- Got a new wedding ring to replace the one that WE (I) lost

- Quinn learned how to roll over (wish he would learn how to roll over the the other way now to save from frustration)

- Quinn is eating big boy food (meaning he SLEEPS through the night)
- Took Korbin to Kanagroo zoo and he LOVED it (except the "scary guy" ones)

- Korbin went to Grandma's for a whole week

- My house stayed clean for a whole week

- Korbin told me to go sit in the corner

- Got "called" to the Primary to teach nine 6 year olds....................

- Contemplated signing up for a half marathon

- Ran 5 miles and made my decision to be largo for the rest of my life

- Have only 40 more days left of school left (this year went by SO fast)

One should not have to be told to stay out of the recylcing dumpster more than once...

2010-03-24T10:25:00.001-07:00

I know I said that I would post pics of the kids next. but this was too good to not share-

So one of the students has decided that it is in her best interest to go "dumpster" diving. She was found in the dumpster on Monday "looking for boxes" and looking for answers for HW for forth grade next year. We had a chat about how unsanitary and unsafe that was. I assumed she understood why one should not climb inside a recycling bin...

Today she said she had to go to the bathroom.. I let her go and kept an eye on the clock since she has a habit of being easily distracted...10 min went by and she did not return- so I sent a responsible student to go and find her. She came back without her and said she didtn see her in any of the bathrooms. So I called the office and had them page her over the intercom... "insert name here.. Go back to class please......"
5 min later she comes waltzing in....
I pulled her aside and had another conversation with her and before I could open my mouth to ask she blurted out "I wasn't in the recycling bin Mrs. Nelson."
Me: Okay, where were you?
Her: The bathroom
Me: You were in the bathroom for 1/2 hour? Bc if you were we might need to tell your mom to call the doctor.
Her: No, I had to check the recycling bin bc i saw a bunch of kids taking a box full of stuff to dump in it.....
Me: You said you were not in the recycling bin
Her: I know- I didn't mean to fall in- it was on accident- (keep in mind this a LARGE dumpster that you would have to climb up into in order to get in)
Me: Okay, why did you accidentally fall into the dumpster?
Her: BC i was looking in to see if I could get the box
Me: Stay out of and away from the recycling bin

What is a polygon

2010-03-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

I know all I seem to be blogging about is my class, but I have one more funny quote and then someday I will blog about the fam again..

So in class we are talking about Polygons and what defines a polygon, for those uneducated indviduals who forgot: A polygon is a closed (meaning the ends touch) figure without any curves (meaning all straight lines).

When it is time for the kids to go at the end of the day I make them tell me something they learned that day. One of my girl's informed me that she was infact NOT a polygon. I asked her to explain she said " because I can open my mouth and I have girly curves"...
I am pleased to say that my lesson was successful.

Dear Third Grade Students...where have i failed you

2010-02-18T06:48:00.001-08:00

It snowed... snow is wet... snow is wet and cold....
Don't slide down the slide that is covered with wet and cold snow or you will be a very wet and cold snow covered person....

oh and to the girl in my class that wrote "those pants make your but look bigger than a elafant" and "Insert name here, I hat you! becuse you are a pig!".... and broke all the pencils in the poor girl's desk:

1. learn how to spell if you are going to write mean notes
2. dont write mean notes to poor girls who have self esteem issues as it is..
3. dont deny writing it when YOU SIGNED your name and you are the only kid in my class who writes her "b's" backwards
4. you get to spend recess with me now... lucky lucky me

I caught you... thanks you made my day

2010-02-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

so.... note writing in third grade is the thing to do. I have threatened my kids that if they are caught writing or reading a note I get to read it.
This afternoon when we were working on our valentine stories for writing, I caught one of my girl's getting up to "sharpen her pencil." I watched her as she took the long way the sharpener and and drop a note off at a boy's desk. I got up and grabbed the note before he could read it.(secretly i love reading their notes). She about died when she saw me grabbed it. I opened the note and it was your basic, "i like you note" except one line

"You are my internal organs. AKA my heart"

that is m new favorite line

Some days I love third grade

It is the end of the world

2010-02-03T09:33:00.001-08:00

Most of the time my kids (students) LOVE specialty (music, art, pe, computers) ... this week they are in PE. usually their favorite... BUT for the month of Feb ( the month of "love") they are learning dancing... meaning they have to dance with the oppisite sex... This is apparently a big deal since it is the ONLY thing that they can talk about and all BEG to wash their hands after PE is finished. Even after they wash their hands, when we get back to class they all head straight for the hand sanitizer.. LOVE IT

also i had my evaluation done today by the principal.. i being a GENIUS decided to tell the kids that he was here to watch them so he could decide who could be together in fourth grade next year. Meaning if they were caught talking to a friend, they would not be in the same class next year. my plan worked!

I usually keep the sappy in my head

2010-01-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

So after a LONG night with a child who decided that it was is job in life to not sleep.. I was pretty frustrated and tired. After being on the verge of being ornery all day, Korbin changed my mood. While he was taking a bath he randomly said, "you look bu-tiful" to me. I love how no matter how crappy you feel or how much you wish you could still be in bed sleeping that one little comment or smile from your kid changes everything and puts it all into perspective. To make it even better Korbin has started to randomly say "luff you mom".

Having kids really is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I am so blessed to have such an awesome responsibility and I know I should'nt take it lightly. Never have I understood the statement of, enjoy what you have now bc soon it will be gone. It seems like yesterday that Korbin was small enough to be swaddled and now he is all grown up and asking to go to the "bafroom". Quinn is already changing before my eyes. I wish I could just press pause and stop them from getting older.

... done with the sappy.... of the two pics at the first .. which kid is which???

how did two months come so fast

2010-01-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Quinn is offically two months old- man where did the time go! i hate how fast time goes when you are thinking of your kids growing up. He is starting to smile more and more and i cant seem to get a decent picture of him-lanette help please- i got a few showing his many faces- his pout face is priceless and makes it incredibly hard to be annoyed at 3 in the morning when he is ready to eat again.

I started school last Monday. It was really good to be back in my classroom with my kids. I loved getting all the welcome back hugs from the kids. They were really cute. I was even informed that i didn't look pregnant anymore (thank goodness)

The boys started daycare. I think Korbin was excited he finally had some kids to play with. It was hard to not be with them, but at the same time i cant keep my sanity and stay at home. I need to be teaching for now. I am just glad we are able to send them to such a good place where i know they will be loved for a few hours while i am at work.

Korbin is progressively doing better at peeing in the toilet ( we are "potty training" him in the summer..but for now just letting him go when ever he asks..) he pooped in the toilet the other day and for anyone who knows my child knows that is a HUGE accomplishment:)..i have never been so proud.

Christmas

2010-01-01T13:01:00.001-08:00

We had a good Christmas- we started out Christmas Eve morning with our own little one and then headed down to Cedar to surprise my family. Korbin was super fun to watch open all his presents.. and ours... I love that he is so into it and cant wait till he is just a little older and is even more excited :)

That was Korbin's First Christmas..hard to think he was that little..

family pic 2009

2009-12-18T12:36:00.001-08:00

We went and got family pictures taken the other day, the kids did really well considering how cold it was. Lanette did an exellent job and we LOVE them!

Korbin's 1st hair cut

2009-12-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

It was a much needed thing, cutting Korbin's hair, but I was terrified that his curls would go with the cut so i kept putting it off. But as you can see from the pics his curly mess of hair needed help.. so i gave in and we got it cut on Saturday. He did really good and held absolutely still- even bigger shock- his hair is still curly and we love it. It make him look so much older now!

Korbin has been a handful these last few days and it has reminded me, for the sake of my sanity, why i am not cut out to be a stay at home mom- he has

1. drawn all over his wall, and face with a pen

2. got into the flour and made a fun mess...

3. locked himself in his room

4. broke the letter 't' off my lap top

5. broke Russell's computer

6. snuck into the Christmas presents (got it all on video and will post later)

7. started to hide piles of cereal around the house in random spots

BUT has been really good with Quinn and my orneriness- he is quick to find the plug for Quinn when he is crying, and often asks to hold him or sit next to him . I am glad he understands Quinn's needs and demands for me and doesn't get annoyed at Quinn's crying either.

Quinn is doing good- as long as he is changed, feed, sleeping or being looked at. He is your typical baby and I couldn't ask for anything more- aside from maybe sleeping more often at 4 am..

how i handle two kids

2009-12-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

Once might ask how life is handled going from one to two the answer is simple- give the older one a marker and fill the tub- that provides korbin countless mins of entertainment while i attempt to fill Quinn's unquenchable hunger without interruption-
Don't worry i will be posting pics of Quinn soon-- (as soon as i get the camera out of the truck) or convince Lanette to work her magic on my children ;)
in case your are also wondering his drawings on the wall are of Abigail, Jude, heather, Lucy, daddy and mommy, a truck and Quinn

Life with two kids--

2009-11-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

Because of the swine flu epidemic Korbin was not allowed in the hospital- meaning he could not see me or the baby till we came home- poor kid- mom disappears for a few days and then returns with a baby attached.. I was worried he would not take the adjustment well-but he has extremely well. When we fist got home his first words were "baby!" "Hold it Hold it".. so we let him hold it- he has been so interested in him and has been a good big bro so far- when ever we have Quinn chilling 0n the ground, he gets right up into his face and says "Hi baby" over and over- when quinn cries he heads straight for the binkies saying "baby sad" - I even caught him singing "ashes ashes" (ring around the roses) to him this afternoon
As far as Quinn goes- he is perfect-aside from the amount of poop that he makes- or maybe we just aren't used to a normal pooper thanks to korbin- He sleeps for three hours plus (which i am loving) and is very chill, hope he stays that way.

I didn't realize Korbin was as big as he was till having Quinn. In my mind he was still a baby, but now that Quinn is here, Korbin is far from a baby. My first realization of that was when I changed his diaper right after changing Quinns, he is huge!

Baby Nelson #2

2009-11-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

www.russiferandfam.blogspot.com

My super cool kid

2009-11-01T09:21:00.001-08:00

So I am kinda sad that Halloween is over only bc korbin was so cute in his lion costume and now I don't have a real reason to make him wear it anymore without looking like a freak.. he loved trick or treating and after each house got REALLY excited and kept saying "candy! candy" over and over. Russ had fun taking him to each door as I hid my still prego self from public view. When we got home korbin had a blast setting out each candy bar on the floor out in front of him and then was so kind to gather them all up each time the doorbell rang and put 1+ candy bar into the bag of a little kid. We had a movie night with Marshall and Lanette after the kids (Abigail, Jude, Korbin) went to bed and I am quite proud to announce that i stayed awake for the WHOLE thing.. probably due to the end of pregnancy insomnia.. over all it was an awesome halloween and now that korbin is older and actually gets what holidays are all about i am excited for more

Long time no post

2009-10-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well, yes it has been a LONG time and tons of stuff has happened...

Work is going good- I still love it. I survived Parent Teacher Conferences and I think I tricked most of the parents into thinking that I was a confident and well prepared teacher for their kid. I even confronted pee boy's father about the issues of having him sit in his own pee all day and am pleased to say that pee boy is still pee boy..BUT.. brings a change of pants with him to school.. and only with whining and coaxing he goes and changes when he has his daily mishaps... he did mention the other day that he doesn't like to change bc we always do fun stuff when he is gone(muhaha)

We got korbin into a big boy bed... and I played Martha and bought a CARS sheet/fitted sheet/pillow case and a another sheet and made koribn his very own twin size quilt that he LOVES and cuddles with regularly. We even got him to take nap AND sleep all night with out his plug-- I win... well for now anyways..he still asks for it and we tell him we will go and get it.. but then we never go back.. sorry korbin mommy and daddy are liars.. you will get used to it...

These pics are from a photo shoot we did awhile ago with lanette and her jazzy new camera who was extremely patient with korbin being .. well himself.. It is weird to think that he is as old as he is, so big too.. and i am loving that we can have real conversations with him (makes me less lonely when russ is gone). He has such fun personality and makes me PRAY baby number two is as "unique" as he is... anyways enjoy the pics.. more are promised to come.. and i am sure when i get put on baby leave there will be more posts due to my lack of being busy

From the mouth of 3rd graders..

2009-09-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

So for the past few weeks school has been going on and I have gotten to know my kids pretty well and I have discovered that the minds of third graders are well... interesting ...

1. Mrs. Nelson you are having a BOY bc only GIRLS have BOY babies

2. Mrs. Nelson I couldnt turn in my spelling contract bc my little brother peed on it

3. Mrs. Nelson my THIRD dad moved out this morning because my mom said he didnt make dinner.

4. Mrs. Nelson We all have a boyfriend (4 girls) his name is stuart... .. (one boy four girls... hmmm )... i asked them how that works... they replied... I dont know he just gave us his number

5. Mrs. Nelson if I had a key to the school i would sneak into the cafeteria and eat all the food (completely random comment in the middle of a lesson)

6. Mrs. Nelson, my mom said i CAN only do hw on Mondays and Thursdays

7. Mrs. Nelson, my dad says pregnant women can get ornery easy

8. Mrs. Nelson the reason why I was bad today is bc i forgot my pill this morning

9. Phone call from a concerned mother: Mike (name change) told my daughter to wear something sexy to school ...

10. Mrs Nelson I can't sit in the front (boy who was recently moved to the front of the class because of talking) bc i cant see the board

11. Mrs. Nelson instead of skipping recess, (says the boy who had his recess taken away for not reading) can't I just tell my mom I wasn't reading and she will yell at me?

12. Kenzie ( name change) why are you not reading (they were supposed to be silent reading while i worked with groups)? - her reply- I already read last night for 40 min.. and i only have to read 20 min a day... SO.... I am done...

13. Mrs. Nelson can we line up in Alphabetical order so i can be first (her last name started with the letter N)

14. Boy asking for hw for the week bc his grandpa died and he was going to his funeral... Me: i am sorry he died.. Him: i am happy he died bc now we dont ahve to go there for dinner on sunday anymore OR christmas

I am sure there are more... but my brain hurts from trying to remember them... and i am sure there will be more.. all and all i like my job.. and the kids..... only thing i would change is pee boy and his lack of control of his bladder,.. and transfer cry at anything boy to another state

Stolen thunder--but i am over it

2009-09-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

Russell apparently got sick of waiting for me to update my blog... or he was looking for entertainment while we were at my family's house in cedar... so he did an update on his blog about Korbin's birthday and since i am much too lazy to make another one you can go to his site - russiferandfam@blogspot.com to see some obviously cute pic of my kid.

School has now been going on for 4 weeks.. and I am thinking i am getting the hang of things.. and feel like my head is above water for the moment. I am loving it... Most the kids are cute- aside from pee in my pants EVERY day boy and cry if you look at me the wrong way boy. But out of a class of 26 .. only haveing two kids with "issues" is pretty good right? I even have some of my sub plans made for when i pop (which is in less than 8 weeks thank you!)

swimming

2009-07-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

these are from a few weeks ago-looks like he is leaning more towards my way of life eh russell ;)

Watering the lawn

2009-07-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

Korbin had a blast watering the lawn untill he had a party foul and had to be sprayed off.......

NOUGH SAID

2009-07-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

So since russell went blog crazy i dont have to much to write.. and you will have to go to his blog to see all the pic :)-
But here is the quick update of our lives-- we DID NOT find out what baby number two is.. my bet is now changed to girl... i think.. it is really neat to feel her (it) move now- i forgot how much i loved it with korbin-
We went camping over my birthday with some really good friends.. and russell was a good sport about going again after we had only been home for two hours (we went Friday to Saturday with Bob and Alyse came home unpacked showered and napped and then got a call from Marshall and Lanette and we decided to head back up... for another night.. so repacked and hit the road) it was TONS of fun, and for the first time in three years didnt rain TOO crazy bad ;)
Russell is yet to do the camping pic but has said he woudl..so I will give him a fair chance ( i want to encourage his blogging habits..) so stayed tuned to his site and leave a comment of two and maybe he will become a regular-- next thing he knows poor kid will be on facebook :)
russiferandfam.blogspot.com

Being the bigger person (giving in)

2009-06-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

So no Russell never updated his blog..but i couldn't resist anymore bc of my lack of a life..

A few things happened since the last post...

1.. I am officially a teacher now... 3rd grade.. eagle valley elementary in eagle mountain. I am excited. it is a lower grade than i was shooting for.. but who knows maybe i will end up loving it.. i am excited/lost all at the same time.. good thing i have a summer to get it all figured out :)

2.. korbin knows how to climb out of the tub.. i know this because he climb out of the tub onto the toilet onto the sink grabbed my phone back to the toilet and then ... back into the tub all in a matter of five min when i was folding wash.. teach me to multi task.... so NOW all i want for my birthday is a new phone.. ( same phone..but not one that is water logged) AND to get my way about baby number two and not finding out ... but we will see i guess :)

3.. korbin got a bike.. and he LOVES it.. i like that i don't have to push him in the stroller anymore

and here are a few pic for mostly Russell's entertainment but you can look too:)~ LOVE YOU BABY SEE YOU FRIDAY :)--

STRIKE

2009-05-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

so i here by refuse to update my blog untill russell updates his! he has TONS of good material- Oh AND we get to find out what baby number two is on my birthday (happy birthday to me:) )
BUT i kinda want to wait and see what it is-- russell is anti this and i am trying to convince him it would be a fun game- seeing as he thinks girl and i think boy- it would be the ulimate bet seeing as i am ALWAYS right i could use this chance to pove it--- what do you think???

PICTURES

2009-04-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

These are a few.. alot of pictures from the past little while- enjoy

BLEH

2009-04-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

So most of you know the GRAND news I am about to share because I lack the ability to keep my mouth shut.. but WE ARE PREGNANT.. due Nov. 8th ( I have plans to move that date up already) ... I am officially 12 weeks prego... and have officially decided that this is the LAST one.. due to the amount of time spent getting to know the inside of my toilet...unless they some how figure out how to allow men to have children.. morning sickness has been well... rough... it is soon over though... we are trying teach KOribn where the baby is.. and he is pretty much getting the hang of it by pointing the general direction. He also is very sympathetic to my bonding time with the toilet... and has learned to sadly imitate me... On more than one occasion he has been in the tub when the barfing time calling and he watched with a confused look followed by a laugh.. and then copying the sounds.. he has even been see a few times spitting into the toilet.. should I be proud of this?
We are excited though and it will be good and about time to turn our family into a foursome

I interviewed for that job on Monday... in my humble opinion i feel i did spectacular... I didn't even say a bad word OR thought when the first question was " OUt of the 600 PLUS people who applied for the 11 openings that we have WHY do YOU feel you deserve it....."600 are you kidding me.. MAN that sucks.. but I should pat myself on the back for even GETTING an interview.. to bad you don't make a pay check for just that.. crap- needless to say I am anxiously awaiting the " you have good qualities but we went with someone else letter" to come in the mail AND for Alpine school district to open more jobs.. there is going to be a riot soon i am sure-

About Time

2009-03-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

So I have been a major slacker in the world of blogging.. but I am here to redeem myself...
I am ALL done with student teaching, and oddly I actually miss it.. a lot.. the kids were really fund and it was nice to be the one that knew all the answers for once (or at least could fake like I did). Now i get to play the waiting game till jobs start posting for next year.. (fingers crossed that a PART time FIFTH grade is on the list... )

My house has taken a major hit in the cleanliness area over these last ten weeks..but is slowly getting put back together only to be torn apart again by Korbin-- don't worry i am not complaining.. He really is a ton of fun!

He has grown so much these past few weeks. He really is getting so big-- he has a very LARGE vocabulary..but chooses to say NO more often than not. and then proceed to throw him self on the ground in a fit.. it really is hard to not laugh..but really that is not possible.. but once you start laughing he forgets about the item you just took away and then laughs too..

Almost every night the past few weeks he has been extremely hyper around bed time... and but that is only encouraged by Russell wrestling with him--which is yes--going in my favorite memory book. It is hard to think of as a little baby that he was almost two years ago.. he so BIG and SO independent now.. I love that i can have a full blown conversation with him, and instead of empty stares i get an actual reaction back from him. I love it. He has become a little attached now that i am home all day.. when i am trying to get some cleaning done he will randomly come up and give me a hug on my legs... nice to know i loved :)

He still is obsessed with coloring... russell and i are desperately trying to teach him that coloring belongs in coloring books NOT the walls, floor, bathtub, reading books, fridge, doors, couch, himself, oven, dishwasher, stairs.. and anything else that is NOT supposed to have any marks.. He got the aqua doodle for his birthday and is recently really taking to it.. i love it bc .. water cant hurt ANYTHING if he decided to draw on it..

When i was taking his picture for (below) i told him to smile.. and he looked up and got all squinty eye and went "eeeeeeese" i am going to count that at CHEESE.. not sure where he learned that one..but hey the kid really is a genius!

Yes i know he REALLY needs a hair cut-but i promise when i am not being lazy and put gel in it it really does go super curly and is really cute..but on days that i lack the motivation.... it looks like butt.. sorry ... get over it.. we are NOT cutting it....right russell????

Back to normal

2009-02-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

So I am sitting down stair and everything that was put away all clean and tidy is no longer in that state..but rather strewn around the house like a tornado hit.. hmmm korbin must be home...
but i am ignoring the massive mess in effort on gettign a good start on my senior project for school (yea right).. russell took korbin upstairs for some male bonding.. and through the walls i can hear him talking to his son. ( from what i can tell they are playing a combination of cars (based off of the sound effects) and "where is your nose?"
Korbin is getting so big- he is talking SO much..it hit me the other day that is no longer a baby-- he is a toddler-- a walking-talking-MIND OF HIS OWN toddler-- lucky me eh:)
I love the fact russell is os good with him bc there are some days when i am not so good with him- i have loved wathcing russell over the past 18 months transform into a better husband by being the perfect father to korbin. It is one of my favorite things to see korbin shriek with excitement when he knows "daddy" has just pulled up from work. He loves his dad-- and so do i for that matter :)

Then there were two....

2009-02-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

So.. I had the ingenious idea of shipping korbin down to my mom's house for the week bc she was up here for my little bro's state swim meet this weekend (which he was one of the ONLY ones to drop time on his team and KICKED butt!) and then coming back up next weekend for my aunts and uncle wedding (temple version).... so i figured she would have fun playing grandma for a week while i got caught up (ahead if i am lucky) on house cleaning/school work)....

well ... my house is so freaking quiet! I AM GOING CRAZY! it is weird how much my life really does revolve around korbin.. everything i do is done with him in mind.. and now that he is gone.. I am so....i don't know -- cheesy to say--but lonely..... it has been one day and i already miss his babbling and his contagious laugh... it is going to be a long week... dont know how russell does this for a week EVERY month---

I called my mom this morning to see how the night went.. and she said good-- but this morning when he got up he wandered the entire house calling out my name... poor kid.. she put him on the phone and he got so excited to hear me call his name...glad to know i am missed...

but on a plus side... it was the first time in a LONG time russell and i made it through not one but TWO entire episodes of HOUSE without having to pause it to get korbin out of some type of no good....
..this picture is old..but i love how blue is eyes are...

OH and i almost forgot! russell as joined/sucke into the world of blogging so GO READ http://russiferandfam.blogspot.com/

Rip off and why i went to school today

2009-01-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

So i am in the process of registering for graduation... and i have become extremely bitter about the fact that i have to PAY for the certificate that says i graduated.. have i not paid enough already the last 5 years of my life? i mean i am paying 2 grand just this semester alone (keep in mind i am spending the LARGE majority of that semester not even at the actual college but at an elementary school...) where is my money going???? to the evaluator that said i say "good job" too much and need to google other ways of speaking praise to students.......

on a less irritated note.....
today at school i was grading the DAR (fancy name for reading test that i don't really know what it stand for) anyways this one kid.. we will call him Herbert.... is extremely "special" .. they had to write a summary of the story that they read (about a girl who makes movies using her guinea pigs and one of the movies was titled "carrot wars" and played off of the whole star wars theme.... so in his summary that was one page long he had three lines fill with "duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh.......more duh's.... and the carrot wars.... and then more words pertaining to the summary.. " confused i asked him to come and explain what he did and wanted to give him another chance at a higher score.. he said he did summarize it and didn't want to change it bc the "duhs" were the theme song for the movie... ( say "duh" to the beat of the star wars song and it will make sense..)... really it took all i had not to laugh, but i refrained and told him he was being very creative and to return back to his desk........ some days i LOVE my life...

oh and on a " reasons why i know i have entered into true motherhood stage in my life"
this afternoon when i got home i left Korbin downstairs while i ran to use the restroom upstairs(teachers don't get a time to use the bathroom) when i came back he had his pants AND diaper off AND was PLAYING with the continents of the diaper........... ........ some days i DON'T love my life....

So Far away......

2009-01-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

So... i have attempted to capture the face that korbin is now "in" to making on a regular basis... and is usually followed by a "Woooow" or a "dat".......

At this present moment i am slacking on my duties as a mom so i can make this blog.. i am letting korbin feed himself..... applesauce.. which is really just him playing and making a MASSIVE gooey mess that i will not have the desire or motivation to clean up..but will do anyways bc that gooey mess would then turn into nasty crusty mess.. and i am sure will somehow end up all over something that it is not supposed to.. like the dog or the lap top........

Love ya babe wish you were here... see you on Friday... (5 more days)... GOOD luck this week!

Please dont run.. on the ice that is....

2009-01-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

So for the last X amount of years i have worked at a pool and one of the most commonly said things is "NO RUNNING"... maybe this is why i becoming a teacher...

Today i got the privilege (all week long) of having the glorified job of recess duty.... and all recess long( 15 min ish by the time i get out there) I get to say NO RUNNING.. on the ice the ice that is... it is lots of fun, but you would assume that children would have the common sense of if they ate it going one way on the ice they would sure as hec eat it again going the other way... ... BUT the major plus side is i have been teaching for only y 3 days and i have learned the true value HAND WARMERS!!! one of my teachers husband's got her some for Christmas and she gave me one today to help with the below zero temperatures one faces with recess duty... and it was AWESOME and stayed AWESOME all say.. in fact it is still awesomely warm in my pocket (they last 10 hours! i think they will be come my next investment for sure

i now officially have 47 more days left of my student teaching..and i TOTALLY love it! The kids are super fun (chatty but fun :) ) My two cooperating teachers have been AMAZING so far and i am so lucky to get the good ones out there ( i have heard a few horror stories...)

So now the real test is to make it through the next 47 more days without getting sick, or wanting to stab my brains out with a fork.... (oh ps Russell AND korbin stayed home sick today with the FLU..) Odds are it is heading my way....

(ps .. korbin has decided that wondering aroudn the house saying "oshe" which we can only assume means "shoes".... )

Some day he will make me rich...

2009-01-07T11:05:00.000-08:00

So lately korbin has been EXTRA into drawing... He carries this little note book (my index book of recipes) and sits and doodles.. yes his pictures look like massive hair balls..but non the less they are artwork. This new interest is a plus for me and Russell since we recently discovered the world of the TV show HOUSE can i just say how much I LOVE this show.. i think it is a new fav.. the guy on there is SO funny... i highly recommend this to ANYONE with a sense of humor.

The other picture is from when we went down to Cedar for Christmas and Korbin got to play on the Harley with my dad.. he LOVED it... hopefully that is not a sign of things to come........

My life is officially booked for the next three months.. student teaching starts Monday at 7 in the AM.. i am excited but the same time a little weary of the amount of work that will come... i just Hope i can keep up with it all and stay on top of being a mother and a good wife.

I take the praxis again on Saturday.. (i failed it by 3 flippin points the first time.. ever heard of rounding up?!?!) I have attempted to study for it but all the information i find to study is stuff that was NOT on the last test... LAME.... so for a shot of hope i have NOT signed up for the next test if i fail (really because we lack money .. not because i am confident i am passing, but who knows we will see maybe i will get lucky!)

ODE to my ONE true-real life eternal and all things mushy love

2009-01-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

So i have been transferring pictures from my OLD laptop to my NEW laptop so we can give my OLD laptop to my little bro.. while i have been doing this i have found that we have taking a CRAP load of pictures of korbin.. and the switching pictures over process may have been two hours shorter if i didnt take a trip down memory lane at each folder... so yes.. you guessed it russell... baby number two????? yes??? we do make cute babies.. why not make another one????

.... just a thought???

LUFF YOU!!

ode to rachel

2008-12-31T10:44:00.001-08:00

RACHEL I MISS YOUR FACE SO SO SO MUCH I COULDN'T BEAR TO WRITE IT ON THE BLOG.... BUT MY SEVERE DEPRESSION OF BEING MILLIONS OF MILES AWAY HAS BROUGHT ME TO THIS MOMENT OF SORROW... RACHEL GREEN COME BACK! MY LIFE IS MEANINGLESS WITHOUT YOU IN IT.. I HEART YOU :(
you are my true one and only (russell disregard the previous statement)

Our son, the indoor boy

2008-12-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

Korbin has had several issues with the grass this last summer and whenever russell and i sat him down in it he would freak out and lift all limbs possible....
Russell and i hoped that maybe his fear would differ for snow.... our luck was not so.
the other day he had his first real taste of snow bc of the MASSIVE snow that dumped on us in Eagle Mountain..

(his mood did improve when we
showed him how to make a snow ball)

Christmas was fun this year. For the first time russell and i got to play Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause and were in charge of Christmas at our house. Korbin got tons of presents including a really cool activity table that my super talented brother made for him

After Christmas morning we went sledding with some friends and let the boys show their "manly-ness" and make a massive snow man:)

OH and for anyone who is curious what happens to korbin when Russell babysits here is an example :)

ps.. i love you Russell and am grateful you are home to watch Korbin so i can go to work (which we all know is sadly my social life)

oh and alyse i miss your face... :(

Why I heart PRUNE juice

2008-11-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

Lately Korbin has been having some MAJOR issues with well...the lack of poop..... to solve this issue I turned to the aide of prune juice....
When I bought the bottle of prune juice, and gave it to Korbin I expected it to take its course naturally, but I had NO idea it would take its course as quickly and well as it did... I really think the makers of prune juice should put a warning on the label... had I would have known how well and fast it would have worked I would not have given korbin a WHOLE bottle..X3.....
He loved the stuff... he downed it bottle after bottle... I being quite naive kept giving it to him....so stupid...

well a half hour went by and the unsuspecting me, heard something that sounded like water falling on the floor... I looked to see what I thought was korbin playing in the dog water again..but in turn found him in his famous pooing position.......
so to spare you the graphic details... lets just say the juice worked.. and continued to work for the next SEVERAL hours....
... NO more peanut butter for korbin...or prune juice...
on a happier note.. ya for the two hour "premiere" of 24 tonight.. AND me getting to sleep in till 6 AM because i am DONE with student teaching for this semester (for those that care I got all 3 (that's the highest :) )... guess I am one semester away from being "Mrs. Nelson" for the rest of my life....

It's been a while.. HENCE the MASSIVE post

2008-11-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

(look how little he was, now he is a fatty:( )

Korbin was Yoda again for Halloween.. last year his costume that russell demanded we had him wear was WAY too big, but this year it was JUSt right. So to save some cash we jsut had him wear it again! He loved it adn have to admit he was cute:)
It is sad to look at how much he has grown over the year and makes me EVEN more baby hugnry (sorry Russell, I know the deal ;) )

I bought him a rocking chair and HE LOVES it we tell him to go sit in his chair and he runs over to it and sits and looks through book, and will every now and then point at the pictures adn say doggy or baby. He is learnign more and more words now and i proclaim him to be a genius.. if asked he will point to his belly button, nose, and feet. He sit and lay on demand ( sounds like a dog, I know.. russ taught him that one..) He is also very into drawling.. my walls are now covered to prove it.

Student teaching is going REALLY well (i think) and i LOVE it! I only have one mroe week and hten i am done adn will be sad to leave the kids are cute and my teachers are really great! it will be good to go back for three months in teh spring...

Took teh praxis today.. probably should have studied... oops.. guess i will take it again in Dec.. another 100 bucks down the drain..

OH and i got a ticket... yes i was "speeding" and i TOTALLY thought the speed limit was 35 NOT 25.. maybe they should post a sign.. STUPID LEHI! .. but no worries Russ got one too-- (his story is better ask him :) )

Why I am falling farther and farther behind in school....

2008-10-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

we were able to have a photo shoot the other day with some really good friends, and i do think that the one behind the camera is a miracle worker bc
1. she got Russell to not look stoned in his picture.
2. she made korbin look photogenic.
3. she made me look some what decent :)
THANKS again:)
oh and korbin is talking non stop now--most of which is gibberish.. BUT his big boy words now include: doggy(first) ball, mom, da, ba ba (bottle) uhh..( more, up etc) be be (baby).... HE LOVES to dance music and sadly the boy has more rhythm than i do, we caught him bobbing along to 50 cent in the club the other night, he does the hand gestures and everything.... Reading is another one of is prime distractions! he will sit and look at a book for hours (makes it really nice for when i do decide to take a crack at the never ending pile o hw...)

greatful for neighbors, kitchen windows and ladders...lesson learned

2008-10-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

so.... i being the total genius that i am... locked myself out of the house.. russell has my keys in Arkansas till next Thursday, and i have his- without any keys to the house. yes you can nag me now about having two sets of keys..
anyways in my early morning rush out the door htis morning at 7, i locked both the garage door AND the back door AND the front door... (normally we leave the garage door unlocked and shut the big garage door). so after i try all the ground level windows and saw that they were locked (all bc i watched csi last night) i was at a loss of what to do other than attempt to climb on the roof and try the windows upstairs...

THEN
my very prego neighbor saved the day by sharing her amazing talent of breaking into houses with cc cards... so while she attempted to cc her way in to my house through the front door, i remembered the kitchen window was most likely unlocked and grabbed her ladder and tried it from the back of the house.. my way won.. and i am sure it was quite the show for the nasty stinky ol neighbor who lives behind us (he was sitting on his porch smoking while i lifted myself up through the window (thank you swimmer arms:)
and now i am VERY proud to say my child is asleep INSIDE in his crib.. i win...
needless to say i am going to get a spare key

Let Me Clarify

2008-10-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

You can tell when I have a paper (or two) to write bc i suddenly have a massive jump in the amount of blogs......
So i need to clarify my feelings about snow... In an earlier post i stated that snow needed to stay up in the mountains... well actually i am fine with it coming down to my level..but on two conditions...
1. when i wake up i have the chance to look out my window and see everything covered in gorgeous white (with out annoying footprints)
2. it melts and all evidence of the whiteness is gone by lunch time...
so with those ground rules stated..bing it on...

I love my job

2008-10-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

two stories

1. tonight at work there was a lady who needed to buy two swimming suits...she had left her suit and her children's suits at home and claimed that she didn't want to waste the gas to get home and get them......... her grand total came to 65$.... so the way i see it is.. unless she lives 4 hours from here and drives a massive diesel truck it would have been easier to go home and get the forgotten suits...but bc i lack a life i looked up her name in our system (she paid with a cc..) to see where she lived... Saratoga Springs.. (ie less than 10 min away.)... some people are stupid....

2. Also tonight there was a family that reserved the pool for a party from 8-10 pm.. there was a large hairy man in that family.. and it was brought to my attention that on his rather hairy back there was heart that had been waxed or shaved into his back hair.. it made my night... i wanted to take pictures for proof but i chickened out....

Should be doing my homework Part 2

2008-10-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

so... instead of writing a much dreaded response paper (I secretly dont even know what i am supposed to respond to.. i dont pay attention in class..) i am chooseing to do two things instead... blog stalk other people and create my own blog entry..
this entry will be without pictures seeing as the camera is with the husband atnerd confrence..... so.....
today i took Korbin swimming with Carly and Lannett and their offspring. It was so much fun! Korbin really loves the water and it is fun to see him get so excited when he plays in it. I hope he will love it as much as i do when he gets older.. and not so much the other sports (wink wink russell :P) But we will see!
So when i was driving home i noticed the snow in the mountains... and this makes me happy and botherd.. one the snow is still FAR away.. and that is where the snow should be, for those who like snow they can go and see it there.. WAY up there... and down here us normal folk we can remain untouched by the nasty wet cold stuff...Two .. Snow brings the inventable death cold.... I HATE being cold.. THe only pleasant thing abuot being cold is getting warm... rumor has is that the snow will be creeping its way down here to my level this saturday.. this does not please me... well it except in one way.. it will cover up my very poor excuse of a yard and stop the city from yelling at us for our lack of grass and massive amounts of weeds...
now i am rambling and Korbin thinks he is done with his dinner (gound beef and peas..ew) i know this because he is now feeding the dog...so have to go bathe the child before he starts to smell again..
ps.. russell it is sad to look out the window and see your truck and not have you here... :( come home

Yesterday I was productive... Today I am not

2008-10-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made:

made toast
went grocery shopping
made peach jam (freezer)
made peach jam (normal.. not freezer)
made peach syrup
peach cobbler
peach pie
canned peaches
made frozen peach Popsicles
cleaned up mess from peach mania
changed two MASSIVE blow out diapers (children under teh age of potty trainign should not eat burritos....lesson learned)
painted my whole kitchen
painted my whole kitchen again
picked up after the small child (several times)
cleaned up dog poo (stupid zoey.. you would think that after three years she could poo outside.. how am i ever going to potty train the small child???)
choose a color for my white boring living room
did homework
did homework some more
bills
AND
worked at the pool....

Today I:
dodged a yet another phone call from my visiting teacher supervisor (poor lady.. you think she owuld give up after six months)
ate a WHOLE bag of popcorn (health for the holiday does not start till two more weeks!.. bring it)
made this blog

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

2008-09-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

So my dear sweet wonderful husband agreed to take me to the So You Think You Can Dance concert tour thing last night! Can i just say it was freaking amazing! i am still in awe at how coordinated some people can be! I mean really how do they do that! If you don't know what i am talking about...Google it ..or better yet you tube So you think you can dance .. and you will see...

We even brought Korbin with us--with high hopes of him being good-- we were even shot a few looks of "what were you thinking" when we sat down with him in our laps... but they ALL ate their words -in fact on phrase we heard was "he should win the baby of the year award" :P our child SLEPT the ENTIRE time! He was fussy at first with all the screaming and the music but... he gave up and laid his head on my shoulder and PASSED out and did not wake up until we left.. dang good child:)

The concert really was so fun to watch! the only draw backs were the stinky foot girl in front who assumed that everyone behind her can see when she stands up or SITS on her legs to get a extra few inches higher.... stupid stupid girl.. and the neck breather behind Russell and the fact that we did not have a remote to turn down the sound.. it was INCREDIBLY deafening between the music and 4000 screaming girls +10 boys...... but the hearing loss Russ and i will have to endure was very much worth it!

APA my A$$

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

So i have to write a paper.. in APA format. Which is not really that bad.. i am a SUPER senior in COLLEGE, this is not the first time i have had to do this. My original major was ruled by the world of APA format.... I USED to know how to do this.. i USED to have the stupid manual that told your how to write according to the STUPID guidelines... but seeing as i HATE clutter i did what i do with anything that has no real value in my life... THROW IT OUT... I now regret this decision A LOT...

Why cant i just say where i got the quote in a simple sentence. Why do i have to claim my findings in some STUPID nonsense formation that just makes things look to complicated to even care about. It is not like i am claiming that i wrote the quotes i am using, they are TOO far above my intelligence and written by someone who has WAY too much time on their hands... there is no way i want to even pretend to be them. so why cant i give them their credit how i want to and not in the stupid APA format wants me to.. GAY .... that is all i have to say....

I should be doing homework....

2008-09-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

so.. i THINK i have kicked korbin of his NASTY habit.... key word THINK... he has slept through the WHOLE night every night this week and I have loved life--if only i could let myself sleep in now.. i guess one step at a time eh... getting up at 6 am isn't THAT bad....

Korbin has a new nasty habit now.. he HATES his car seat and it has become a game to get him into his car seat which FYI is LOTS of fun when you are in a hurry or when it is raining. .cant wait to see how it is when is it snowing.......... he thinks it's really funny to stand in his seat and laughs really hard when he does this..but when it;s time to sit down and get

buckled in he arches his backs and trys to get out..

this picture is crap..cuz it's with a cell phone.. but it

gives you an idea of what i am up against.. naughty

little boy......

I win..... or it's a MEAN trick

2008-09-06T09:37:00.001-07:00

So I am proud to say that Korbin did sleep through the entire night... he didn't make a peep the whole night through..but sadly that did not allow me to sleep the whole night through.. I still got up, sadly out of habit, around three..... dang.... BUT the fact is he slept the WHOLE night... so therefore I win... :) Now this can be a big mean trick he is pulling on me... would be the first time.. he is awfully smart... so keep your figures crossed!

SLEEP TRAINING : AKA : HELL..... HELP

2008-09-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

SO I KNOW THIS PIC IS REALLY WASHED OUT BUT LOOK HOW BLUE HIS EYES ARE!!

So we had Korbins one year doc apt. today- and i am glad to say that he is a healthy thriving one year old... he is 22 lbs, and 30 inches long, with a big head (we knew that already hence the c-section.) The Doctor asked if I had any concerns or questions like all good doctors do... I said YES! My lovely child for the past MONTH has found it in his heart to WANT to wake up around 3 ish and demand nothing but a bottle.. now keep in mind I did try other methods such as, plugs, ignoring it, and water in his bottle... NOTHING worked, the kid knows what he wants... so I being the mother climb out of bed with flashbacks of when he was a tiny newborn, for these "late night feedings"....

WELL... the Doctor did have something to say about this... apparently I am in the COMPLETE wrong with this and I need to so what is called SLEEP TRAINING, and now that a month has gone by it will be EVEN harder to break this late night snack habit... lucky me... according to the doc I am to let him cry until he falls back to sleep, and continue this till he is rid of the nasty habit.. easy enough... he even said it will take about two weeks.... I can do that!

So night one....

Three a.m.... I hear him start to whimper... I stay in bed and pretend not to hear it.... the whimper begins to turn into a cry.. which leads to pissed off I hate the world cry.. and then to the my mom doesn't love me, sad cry..... to silence....and then back to the whimper...etc....

This CRY CYCLE (as I will call it) continued for ONE HOUR.... I am sure it would have gone on for more than an hour but his pissed off I hate the world cry turned into really bad sounding coughs bc his thought was so dry..poor kid... and I could'nt take it anymore..... so sadly I GAVE IN.. .and went to comfort him with the thoughts of..., I CAN get up every night for the rest of my life at three for a few min to make my child happy (I was sleep deprived and CRAZY in this thought process)...........

Well he had been crying so hard he was really warm and had a small fever... ( I feel like a horrible mother) so I gave him some Tylenol and rocked him to sleep. (which by the way is the best feeling in the entire world... holding your sleeping child... so i placed my sleeping child back in his crib and went back to bed at 5:00 a.m. this morning... NOW i am sure i will here several suggestions and PLEASE DO! I apparently need them..........my goal is tonight I WILL NOT give in.... so stay posted and hopefully you will read a success story and not a failure one......

I LOVE MY HUSBAND

2008-09-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

So I have been contemplating on making this new recipe I got in the relief society binder... Cheesy broccoli casserole... sounds simple enough..and I do like cheese.....

So I bought the ingredients and made it for dinner tonight... and ... it tasted like BUTT! I think the new name should be BUTT IN A BOWL. I managed to eat two bites and then gagged down a third till I said NO MORE.. sweet Russell is still denying of its resemblance to the taste of butt.. BUT did agree to cook a pizza.... :)

So I have learned my lessons...1. stay clear of Relief Society recipes.....

2. Next time i feel like betty crocker... DONT

3. Always keep frozen pizza in the fridge (it can never turn out wrong)

ps: KORBIN FEED IT TO THE DOG... and she ate it...

And he is one

2008-08-31T21:22:00.001-07:00

(any suggestions about to filp this without starting all over?!?!?)Korbin and his girls (Kennedy and Avery)

Korbin and Kennedy "sharing" jello...

So it is official, Korbin turned one on Saturday. Russell and I made a cake, and we had a big party and he got WAY too many presents for a one year old:)

He loved it all though especially cake:)

It is SO sad for me to think about how big he really is. I can remember when the doctors first lifted him up for me to see how sur-real it was and then holding him to first time and realizing the he was all mine. I remember taking him home from the hospital and putting him all wrapped up tight in his crib and thinking how tiny he was compared to everything around him. I miss him cuddling with us on the couch, I miss his little boy coo's and sounds. I miss him sitting still for more than two min at a time. I miss having a little baby....

I used to make fun of my mom for crying at every littel thing when we were growing up, but now that I am a mom I totally understand. I have caught myself several times tearing up over stupid little things... Last night russ and i were looking through his new born pictures and videos of him, and couldn't help but to cry.. sad I know... But to me he is all grown up and not a baby anymore... I just miss it, that's all..... hmm time for baby number two???????

PHOTO SHOOT!

2008-08-31T21:11:00.003-07:00

So russ and I have spent a large majority of our time trying to get a "good" picture of Korbin and have failed.... so we gave in and went and had them done professionally..and I am proud to admit that he did his whole session in a matter of min! He was extremely cooperative and cute:)

I just had to throw this one in there so reminisce of how little he once was.......

Sometimes you just never know

2008-08-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

I have never had anyone I actually knew really well pass away in my life before this... Last week a plane went down in Moab with killing several people I knew from Cedar City. It really effected me and really makes you think how grateful you really are for the things you have. I received several phone calls Friday night from friends all passing along the same message. I am so grateful that the people that surround me have a strong hold on the gospel and can see the bigger picture and can easily bring it back into focus. Dallin was a good friend throughout high school. We had several classes together and was in my circle of close friends. I had many experiences with him, not one was negative, he was an outstanding person. He was always a prime example for how we should always live our lives. I am so grateful for the gospel and the knowledge that life is not over after we leave Earth. It is such an overwhelming feeling of comfort to know that families are forever and everything does have a purpose and some day eventually we will not wonder why anymore. http://www.cedarcondolences.blogspot.com/

LOOK AT ME 3 IN TWO DAYS

2008-08-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

TAG YOUR IT...Again

So this blog is supposed to be about something (experience or person, etc) that has had the most influence on you in your life.

For me this is a simple question and does not require a lot of thought. I know without a doubt I would not be where I am in life with out the world of swimming. Almost everything in my life that is good is in someway related to the pool.

THE POOL

1. My first kiss ( and many other kisses for that matter)

2. My first real best friends (and a LARGE majority of all my acquaintances and friends)

3. The ability to get past how shy I really am

4. 1st time in my life I was actually really good at something

5. Gave me the ability to eat whatever I wanted (huge plus in my life)

6. My 1st job/current job ( which equals money)

7.Gave me my outlet to think things through or run away and hide

(FYI the top of the slide at the Cedar Pool is the BEST spot for a hideaway)

8. Where the majority of ALL my boyfriends were discovered

9. Has taught me that regardless of where you go, high school drama will always rule the world

10. ONE place that no matter what I can always manage to find something to be happy about

11. Kept me out of trouble

12. Made me keep my grades above a C

13. Helped me decide what I want to do with my life

14. Something I can rely on being a constant in my life

15. Where I found out I was really pregnant

16. Frist place Korbin crawled and walked

17. How I met Russell, which in turn gave Korbin, the two most important/influential things in my life.

TAG LANETTE, CARLI, SKYE, and ALYSE, RACHEL, and JANELLE... YOUR IT

PICTURES

2008-08-20T10:31:00.001-07:00

One of Korbins favorite things to do is to play in water, usually the dog's water since it so easily accessable to him.. on most days i keep the dog water on the tabel so he cant make a mess,but sometimes when i am feeling fun i just give in and put him on a towel and let him have at it!

This picture doesnt quite caputre the moment, but if you will.. imagine him screaming adn panicing bc he cant get out of the little box that two seconds earlier he tried so hard to get into to get his ball....

SLACKER

2008-08-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

So it has been A LONG time since I have BLOGGED ..and I just have been busy with life I never had time to do it..but now that I have a sleeping (sick) baby, my house is clean (minus the computer room) I will rejoin the world of BLOGGERS... HERE WE GO (warning LONG post will follow)

Well where do I begin,
Korbin is now more mobile than ever- he does not believe in crawling anymore-he is too good for that. Walking is his way now-- he is so good at it, it really does make me sad to think he will be one in less than a month (Aug 30th)
I am proud to admit that his first steps did take place in a pool! Russ and i were at 7 peaks in the wave pool, and he took a good three steps between russ's arms and mine. I was so glad Russ got to see him be such a big boy for the first time. i have been worried that he would miss it since he is on the road so much...
He is such a good baby i could not have asked for more- He is currently under the weather now, and life is no fun for the poor kid, he threw up 4 times last night, and i have never heard such a sadder cry. three of the four times were all over me. One would think that being covered in foul smelling liquid would result in more foul smelling liquid..but it didn't, it is amazing what becoming a mom will do to you. This morning when i went to wake him up, he was covered in more foul smelling liquid (came from the other end this time) he had the saddest look on his face. I couldn't resist but to pick him up(wrapped in a blanket) and hold him for a moment while he cried. it is so hard to have such a sad sick baby and not be able to do anything to make him feel better except hold him.. poor kid...

Right now I am done with coaching for the summer, and honestly it does make me sad, we had a really good year this summer. A TON of county records were broken by my swimmers and it was fun to watch them get so excited. I am secretly glad to admit i am not sad for swim lessons to be over for the summer it was a pain to fins teachers and then keep the ones i found... but i am sad to see those paychecks dwindle by a few hundred now that i cant work as much..

I start school on the 27th. I am not excited except for this is my last year of school (ever) aside form being a teacher that is...
i went to meet my teachers that i will be student teaching under and i really like them a lot. That is huge relief bc there are a lot of not so nice people out there. I even did something i thought i would NEVER do.. On the first day of school (elementary) I went and observed the class i would be teaching in. On my way in a man i assumed was the Principal was walking in, i walked right up to him said hello, are the you Principal? he said no he was the VP, ... i introduced my self told him i was going to be student teaching there and shook his hand.. Now i know for many that is not a huge accomplishment,but for me that was a massive move on my part. i am quite proud of my self (russell is too)

I even have a sitter for korbin (kinda) Carli has agreed to watch him once she moves to bluffdale (or surrounding area) and that is going to be the biggest help and relief for me, i am glad to know he will be in such good hands so i can focus on school and not worry about the kind of abuse or trauma he would be exposed to in some day cares............

Russ in in Indiana for the week, and he comes home on Thursday and i cant wait I miss him tons and every time he leaves i realize more and more how much i love him and need him in my life. with him leaving for this week, i have also gained a roommate for the first time in my life!
Alyse is between apartments and i told her she could stay at my house till her new apartment was ready for her! it has been fun and we have done a lot of talking. She started her first job as a 3rd grade teacher on monday and loves it! it is good to hear all her "horror" stories so i have a heads up for next year!

Well i think that is all.. i Will have to post some pictures from this Summer too..i will do that next,m seeing as i have all this free time :)

LARGE (300 lbs) PEOPLE SHOULD NOT SWIM

2008-07-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

Over the passed few years I have worked at the pool, I have had the privilege of seeing things I in no way ever want to see again.... one individual imparticular.... the individual is the reason we have a weight limit posted on our slide because they thought they could fit their large mass in the tiny hole.........

This individual is the most ornery man you will ever meet in your entire life. ( I would be too if I had to carry around all that weight) He always finds something to complain about, usually our lifeguards. My favorite encounter with him happened a few months ago. I was in the office and I heard a double whistle (we HG have been trained answer to whistles ... much like dogs..) so I went to go see what the "fun" was. The man asked to see the person in charge, and I was the lucky one. I went up and he began to tell me his new complaint. He apparently took time out of his extremely important life to sit and stare at one of my life guards. And in his starring he discovered that the lifeguard was in a "daze" and was not moving his head... or eyes (something most lifeguards do, but would never admit too) He then proceeded to time the life guard and count how many times he moved his EYES. The grand total came to 7. Now yes this is a valid complaint and a good concern...but really come on.... OH I forgot one crucial detail... there were ONLY 3 people in the water... the large man's nephew and the large man (I count him as two people) I know few people who lack a life so much that they find joy in counting how many times a lifeguard moves his eyes... they should discover the world of blogging.....

TAG YOUR IT

2008-07-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Tag your it
3 joys:
1. ANY one that knows me ( or pretends to know me) knows that I love the water. I spend the LARGE majority of my time at a pool and have done so for a VERY long time. If I had it my way and the world was perfect I would never leave the pool setting.
2. FOOD. I love food. I have a very long history with it and I can not go more than on hour with out having an encounter with it. I am however a very picky eater... but anything that includes bread, cheese, potatoes, Marconi I am ALL over it :)
3. (keep in mind these are not in order of importance or most joyful) MY family. Russ travels at least two weeks out of the month making me a single mother... and it sucks... I admire those that do this full time. Having him gone really makes me appreciate him when he is home. I never thought I would admit to missing the mess he leaves in the computer room at night... Korbin is almost a year now and it has gone by so fast. I was so blessed to get such a good natured baby. I cant imagine life with out him and am so grateful i have him in my life.
3 fears:
1. KIDNAPPING : now that I have a kid, I can now recognize the real fear out there of the phyco and sick and twisted people that steal children. Once when Korbin was 3 months I went to the store. He was in the cart behind me and i was looking at something on the shelf (probably food) While I was looking the cart rolled ( nothing more than 5 feet) away. I turned around to grab the cart and discovered it was not where I left it. I immediately paniced. Yes he was only not in my presence for a matter of 2 sec, but that was the longest two sec of my life. That was by far the WORST feeling of my life. I cant imagine having that feeling for the rest of my life.
2. Not having any money on my card. Even though I always have money in the bank, and i have that protection plan where it will just take money out of my savings. I am always fearful that my card will decline at the check out in Walmart with forty people in line behind me and my child screaming...
3. BEING LATE : I HATE being late. This is way I am always a good 20 min (ish) early for EVERYTHING. I have been known to drive around the block a gazillion times so I am not extremely early...
3 goals:
1. Not go insane next year with student teaching, working and being a "single-mom"
2. STOP PROCRASTINATING
3. Return to my pre prego weight..............................
3 things you didn't know
1. I am allergic to salad....... Russ still doesn't believe me..but lettuce makes my lips/tongue like crazy... any type of vegetables does this.. I SWEAR! but for those of you who think i can not live with out eating my veggies IS WRONG.. i am living proof.. AND I even made a VERY healthy child doing it!
2. CLUTTER I hate clutter, which is why my house is clutter free.....
3. I AM EXTREMELY shy (if you don't believe me watch me around new people... or situations)
TAG ERIN YOUR IT

The discovery of stairs

2008-07-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was upstairs spotbotting (an amazing hand held carpet cleaner) and my child was content downstairs playing in the dog water. It wasn't too long until I noticed that Korbin had magically appeared upstairs trying to stand up on me and smiling ear to ear... I was deeply confused for a good 5 min. until I figured out that my child had mastered the art of crawling up stairs in one try apparently. So I decided to time him to see how long it would take him to climb both flights of stairs.. less than 2 min... I am sure that is a world record of some sort... Unfortunately he thinks climbing stairs is the new best thing to do with his spare time... I guess it's time to invest in a baby gate...dang

A Long Two Years

2008-07-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have been around me the past two years know that I have been counting down the day till I got a new phone... Two years ago I gave in and got a "cheap" phone because I didn't want to deal with having the same phone that everyone else had (the pink razor.) Because of this choice I have had to deal with the moron phone.. two moron phones for that matter... the original phone I got, mysteriously fell into a glass of water off the bed at 2:30 in the morning ( I blame the husband.. I was fast asleep when he came to bed and knocked it into the water.. he denys this claim however...) So I did what most cheap people do.. head to EBay and bought a phone for 5$ to last me a whole year. Well this phone was worth the whole 5 $ and nothing more... it did however serve as a nice toy for Korbin. It entertained him for hours on end. But entertaining also took its toll on the 5 $ phone. So my crappy, cheap, ghetto, retard phone is no more and has been put away..far far away. So here's to the new phone... may you never find your way into a glass of water at 2:30 in the morning or into the mouth of a young child :)

PREGO

2008-06-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy Tag
1. Was your first pregnancy planned? NOPE

2. Were you married at the time? Yes we had been married for 1 and 1/2 years

3. What were your reactions? Confused, Excited, and Happy.

4. Was abortion an option for you? NO WAY... we definitely wanted a baby! (in the end)

5. How did you find out you were pregnant? We went to the doctor to get a refill of birthcontrol.. and turns out I didnt need it...

.6. How old were you? 21

7. Who did you tell first? RUSSELL

8. Did you want to find out the sex of the baby? Yes of course, that way we could plan a little.

9. Due Date? Aug 31st

10. Did you have morning sickness? Yes, but as long as I kept a full stomach I felt ok.

11. What did you crave? Those frozen chocolate covered ice cream bars ( I would eat two while I showered.)

12. What irritated you the most? Getting large

13. What was your first child's sex? BOY!

14. Did you wish you were having the opposite sex of what you were getting? ONly when I was getting peeded on

.15. How many pounds did you gain during pregnancy? I am not telling

16. Did you have a baby shower? Three of them

17. Were your showers a surprise? Nope.

18. Did you have any complications during pregnancy? Not really other than he had a big head and I had too small of hips.. so thats where a c-section came in.

19. Where did you give birth? American Fork Hospital

.20. How many hours were you in labor? We went in at midnight had him at 3 the next afternoon, you do the math

21. Who drove you to the hospital? RUSSELL it was midnight- who else would do it

.22. Was it a vaginal delivery or c-section? C-section

23. Who watched the birth? The doc (russ was behind the curtain

24. Did you take medication to ease the pain? Yes, epidural all the way! . the first three epi's were crap-- only half my body went numb (super fun) and then I had a spinal for the C-section 25. How much did your baby weigh? 7lbs 11 oz

26. When was your baby actually born? Aug 30 3:36 pm

27. What did you name him? Korbin Russell Nelson

28. How old is your first born, today? Almost ten months

Greatful for the MAN

2008-06-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

First off, it is Father's Day so Happy Father's Day!
It is Russell's first Father's Day and he gets to spend it doing two miserable things. For work he travels two weeks out of the month (crappy but the bills have to get paid.) So this being the first week he travels this month, he left this morning at 7:00 am.. after being up all night sick with the CRYPTO. I am not sure how his 5 hour plane ride will go seeing as when one has the CRYPTO one spends a lot of bonding time with the toilet. Even though his week appears to be at a horrible start, he still has an extremely positive attitude and allowed me to crack a few jokes here and there dealing with his new issue.
I just want him to know that I love him and am so great full that he does what he does so I can do what I do. I don't think I would handle leaving for a week at a time and not seeing Korbin very well. But he does and he does it because he love me and Korbin. He really is amazing and a much bigger person than I could ever be.

Stupid people are dumb

2008-05-31T17:11:00.000-07:00

So at the pool I work we have started to enforce the double diaper rule (one reusable and one disposable swim diaper) for ALL children under 3 yrs. We have also started to clear the pool every few hours in hopes that people will be "smart" enough to take their children to the bathroom. We even have NO POOPING as one of our pool rules posted on several signs around the pool. All this is done with the high hopes that there will be no poop in the pool.

But our efforts are in vain because on almost a daily basis we have "accidents." And because of these so called "accidents" we have to close the pool for 8 hours. Now keep in mind this does make my guards really happy because they get to go home.. secretly it makes me happy because my pool is empty. It does not however make the public happy and I get to hear about it...in several choice words. As if it is my fault a random child used the pool as their toilet. :)

So to all those reading this -please don't poop in the pool........

MMM MMM OREO!

2008-05-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Korbin really loves food--and despite my best efforts I had to give in and let him try one of the finer things in life... an oreo.. Without any surprise he loved every min of it..including getting it all off in the bathtub. simple pleasures

Sucked In

2008-05-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

So through several requests and the secret envy of those who already have one and the fact Korbin is passed out in his crib, I have given in and started my own blog. Hopefully I will not become addicted to it like I am to face book, although if I didn't work where I worked I don't think I would get on it as much - well who knows - we will see what happens:) So enjoy!