Early Birthday Tribute

There's a Brown Haired Blue Eyed Something
by James

There's a brown haired
blue eyed something,
it is sitting in a chair.
It's been here since December
and it hasn't moved a hair.
One million times I've tried
to remove it from it's spot,
along with how it's acting
I guess it's here to rot.
Sometimes it hits or kicks,
it's given me a blister.
Turns out that brown haired
blue eyed something
is my seven year old sister.

Attraction

Amy is having so much fun in her weekly preschool class. At today's Christmas party she made a beaded bracelet & brought home a really cute goodie bag. One the way home she started singing the days-of-the-week song...which led to her telling me she's attracted to two things: 1, Singing and
2, Talking.

In other news, Scot has a surfing part in the upcoming school musical. James received 2 activity pins & a belt loop at the pack meeting. Maggie is so close to her birthday, she can taste it. Paul is learning what "I get what I get and I won't throw a fit" means (thank you Katelyn & Marissa).

Besides normal school & work activities, we are all getting very excited for Christmas. I conquered a mountain of laundry yesterday & created a mountain of caramel corn today. The countdown has begun!

Play Calling

So, this morning Paul dictated how he wanted his peanut butter sandwich-
Paul- (pointing to the top of the fridge) "Bread there dad-"
Paul- (making a book shape with his hands) "Fold like this dad-"

Never let it be said that he doesn't know what he wants.

Later, he was walking around with his hand in his pocket. Sara put her hand in her pocket. He objected and pulled her hand out. Of course, as a good dad, I immediately put my hand in my pocket. Paul responded with a very dejected look and came pouting over to me. I picked him up and we had the following conversation:

Me- "Listen little boy. After awhile, some things just become predictable. Like football teams shifting to a running offense because the weather has turned cold. You need to know that not only are you child #5, you come after 2 sisters, who were the queens of fake whining."

Paul- (immediately, and suddenly bright and happy) "Me ok now dad."

Ghostly Parties

We've been celebrating Halloween all week, here in Cincinnati. From church & school parties to friend and neighborhood gatherings, we had a fun holiday.

Our ward's trunk or treat party got rained in, and it became classroom door to door treats. Brian helped coordinate scone-making. All the games and treats were excellent.

Amy was Tinker Bell, and Maggie became a pioneer for the event.

Here is James getting ready for a game. He wowed a lot of people with his disappearing wand trick.

Thanks to some fore-thought by really cool aunts (years ago), Scot was transform into an English Bobby. He wasn't as nice as he looks. Neither was Paul when he got a hold of the club.

Carving pumpkins with friends. They looked great on the steps Halloween night.


The real deal. Amy and Scot's costumes changed. I guess Paul's changed too since he went to the ward party as a obstinate 2 year old. On Halloween he was an obstinate elephant.
Paul went up to every house and said, "candy-mine-pumpkin." Then he commenced to ask for M&Ms, if they hadn't given him any. Yes, he was a very rude double-dipping toddler. Unfortunately, no one seemed to care, especially when he smiled and said "thank you!"

Amy as a "beautiful ballerina."

Scot was an accident prone roller blader. Under the helmet he's sporting a nice array of bandages and a black eye. Can you hear James's taunting?: "Scot's got make-up on!" The boys went on their own this year with friends. Scot wanted to make this the best year ever since it's his last. He's already excited to hand out candy for next year.

Hope you all had a great Halloween! For the Nielson clan, I've posted on the recipe site. I missed getting my ingredient, but I did pass along a site with some fun holiday treats.

Zombies? No, just sick kids.

Our Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation was today. I didn't count, but I would estimate that 1/3 were not there due to sickness. If they had all been there I don't know where everyone would have sat--we would have been piled on the piano and down the aisles. Unbelievably, the Nielson kids were all there. Scot missed school all last week, and Maggie missed Friday. I'm looking forward to a busy non-kid-sick week. There is too much going on, including finishing up some Halloween costumes and (of course) partying with the ward, school, and neighbors. I'll try to have some good costume photos in the next couple days.

I was going to give you a clue of what everyone was going to be, but when I just asked them they've all changed...again. So, they may be a mass of mystical, hand-cart pulling ladybugs or tinkering elephants wearing top hats. Your guess is as good as mine.

P.S. The Primary Program was great!

Tour of Kirtland, Ohio

Grandma Charlotte visited us a couple of weeks ago. What a fun time we all had, especially visiting early church history sites in Kirtland, Ohio, and the surrounding area.

We started with Lake Eerie.
The rain had stopped just that day, so we didn't stay very long due to the windy chill. It is strange seeing such a large body of water that is not an ocean. Maggie wanted to know where the sea shells were hiding. If it comes from a lake, is it still a sea shell?

Here are all the kids at the visitor's center in Kirtland. Love the beautiful mums! At first we had a little difficulty getting a spot for a tour. They didn't tell us then, but it turns out that President Monson was there the same day, and they were trying to arrange things around his visit. How cool is that? Perhaps not as cool as actually seeing him, but we'll take what we can get.

The Kirtland Temple. Unfortunately, our group was too big to go up the the 3rd floor, but we still enjoyed walking up the steps to the 2nd story.

Perhaps our favorite place was the John Johnson farm. It was just our family on this tour (and Paul was behaving--first time all day). This is all of us on the front steps where Joseph Smith preached the night after being tarred and feathered.

I'm grateful to have visited these places, especially with my family. I learned a lot, and being there sure makes church history come alive. Next summer we look forward to going to more sites--hopefully Palymra and Niagara Falls. We'd love for someone to come go with us!

Annoying? Too bad.

A few phrases have surfaced this week that I thought you all might enjoy. Most of them are Paul's, but I couldn't resist adding something from Maggie.

Paul is improving his social skills. Now instead of just saying "no," he answers with a polite "no, thank you." Does this mean he gets out of putting his coat on, washing his hands, or going to bed? "No way" --which unfortunately has also become a possible response.

One morning I was brushing Maggie's hair for school. This is never a pleasant experience for her. Snarls are just not fun. She and Amy had been playing and talking on their way up to my room where all the hair stuff is kept. Maggie settled on the chair and I started brushing her hair. Immediately Maggie's mood changed and she turned to Amy: "You just keep talking and talking and talking!! It's really annoying me!!" If only I could use this phrase as well.

With all the older kids in school, Amy and Paul have been having fun hanging out together. On the way to swim lessons at the YMCA they were telling each other knock-knock jokes. Paul liked to summarize the whole joke by saying "knock, knock...banana who! hahahaha!" At least Amy waited for a "who's there?"

A final phrase from Paul. I really hope I didn't inadvertently teach it to him, because it drives me crazy!! I thought "no way" was bad, but this taunting, teasing phrase is way worse. Ask Paul to clear his plate or put his blanket away, he might respond with a smirk and a "too bad!"

In Paul's words, I'll "be right back" with some new posts this week about my mom's visit and our trip to Kirtland. "See you later."

September Highlights

Our highlights for September:

• Chipper/shredder marathon weekend. Scot's the one in the chair "observing." --no flash photography, please.
• Labor Day family hike. I think I'm finally recovered.
• We enjoyed dinner and ice cream with my brother, Erin.
• I met all the kids' teachers at the school.
• I took an impromptu drive with Amy & Paul to D.C. area for Quinn's baby shower. Hated to give up the rental car.
• Brian & Scot attended the Stake 11-year-old Scout Day Camp.
• Two friends helped celebrate James' birthday with a trip to the movie theater. The popcorn shaped cake failed, so we just stuck cake & ice cream in popcorn bags. The kids all took turn destroying a party hat pinata, and goodie bags with microwave popcorn & candy were sent home in popcorn bags.
• Paul practiced to hit James' pinata. He overcame many obstacles, most of them being his hat.
• Brian and I went to the Louisville Temple and were actually able to attend a session.
• Maggie turned into Nannie McPhee. She did finally lose the other front top tooth. Not sure if the Tooth Fairy has made it here yet.
• We bought a tree for the front yard. We'll get around to planting it in October.

It was pretty busy around here, getting through the first month of school and transitioning to fall. We are looking forward to General Conference and a long list of items to accomplish between sessions.

2009 Backpacking Trip

Our family's summer goal was to train for and participate in a backpacking overnight trip. While we didn't achieve the end goal this year, we were able to complete all the training segments we planned. Here are the pictures from our last big hike. Starting out in the rain, everyone is now asking Santa for better raingear.

At the trailhead. Ready to go...(back to the car? Please?).


Break time. Trail mix, anyone?
Watch for the mud & poison ivy now that you can see without the poncho.


Nice pack, Scot!
We took all the gear we would need for an overnight trip. The boys pulled their weight and more.


What are you doing outside the pack?
Paul walked a good portion of the trail on his own, which saved me (he's not a light kid!).


We'll follow this guy anywhere.


We had a great time reaching for this goal, including lots of little hikes, equipment assessments, and overnight camps. We will keep working on getting the right gear, improving bathroom ettiquette, and dehydrating our own meals. There are so many beautiful places to explore here in Ohio, we are anxious to make this a family tradition.

Drool Me a River

Subtitle: "Nap Hard"

I don't know if Paul's sudden decision to take his naps wherever/whenever is a result of early morning family prayer, extra ball-kicking activities, or an unusual loss of stubborness but this is the second time we've caught him asleep in the family room. I got these shots while I was making lunch after walking to the park this morning. He did spend more time walking than riding in the stroller, and he laughed a whole lot going down the twisty tube slide. Poor little guy keeps wearing himself out!

Sweet Honey of a Summer

Brian & the boys (minus Paul) got home from DC where they were helping Lauren & Ryan move. Not all of the Cheez-Its from the car ride were eaten & they became our afternoon snack. I came into the kitchen & what did I find? Paul up on the counter, dipping Cheez-Its into a bowl of honey. He thought that was quite tasty!

I'm glad everything got moved in. It would have been fun seeing everyone, but I'm glad at least half of us got to go and help. And thanks for not telling me about the bump on James' head until after he got home.

We are looking forward to a full week of school, with all the associated homework. As a recap of summer and a hope that summer will again return, I wanted to do a quick list of some of the things we did:

We dutch ovened:

We gardened:

We watched movies:

We swam:

We canoeed:

We camped:

Summer, we welcome you in 10 months. Give us a year to grow up--but not too much.

Kick...Ball

Paul knows a good many words. Actually, Paul can copy a good many words. There are only a handful which truly make up his vocabulary. "Again" is one, plus "mom," "dad," and the siblings. "Bus" is making its may up to the top as well. But by far, Paul's favorite two words are "kick" and "ball." Usually together & in that order. This phrase is heard over and over in our house & yard, anywhere he sees a ball, and, I'm sure, in his dreams.

This phrase, has many purposes. Sometimes it's his rallying war cry. Like Boromir's horn, he shouts "kick...ball!", calling all to join him in the fight. Yesterday we had an errand at Target. Does your Target have big red concrete balls in the front sidewalk? Our does. Crossing the parking lot Paul glimpsed one. Summoning all his strength he ran as fast as his legs could go across the lot. "Kick...ball!!" Luckily he hasn't perfected his kicking aim. Others have kicked concrete and not lived to tell the story.

Other times it's a warning. Get out of the way because I'm going to "kick...ball"! You better duck because somewhere a ball is getting kicked. And don't watch out just for the giant size soccer ball that can only roll to you, look sharp for a golf ball to the head.

Mostly it's a pleading question. Will you "kick...ball" to me? Or, can I "kick...ball" to you? And especially, can I have the ball in the middle of the huge bin at Target to "kick...ball" down the aisle? I admit, it's a little hard to resist the puppy dog eyes, and harder to stop him from pulling me out the door to play. At the pool, I end up fetching the ball out of the water just so he can throw it back in.

I have a feeling some type of ball sport is in store for this little guy. Balls of the world, you've been warned.

Back to the Bus

Roaring up the hill, the yellow school bus officially declared our summer is over. Of course, there are no complaints from the kids in our house--so far.


Scot is ecstatic to begin 6th grade. He is looking forward to a locker & being the oldest in the school. I can tell he's ready to begin because he's been watching NOVA clips on pbs.org for the last few days. He's fascinated with fractals & the idea that chimps use tools to get their food.




James will be in 4th grade. Last night we played "Upwords" for FHE (a variation of Scrabble). While he did not win, he made an incredible come back with some awesome word combinations. Can you get "remodel" from "yokel"? We had a fun time & it was reassuring that all our minds had not gone to mush.



Maggie is now a 1st grader. We took her supplies yesterday during the open house. We saw her new desk & who she sits by. She took a piece of paper & pencil to draw a map of the classroom. Her favorite thing in the room was the seashell calendar at the front blackboard, which she drew completely before we left.


As we took pictures this morning, I asked what their favorite activities were this summer. Their answers:

Scot--having Paul move into the boys room & getting his bike fixed
James--no homework
Maggie--camping
Amy--having help cleaning her room-- "it was really hard"
Paul--doing things "again...again...again"

We have done a lot of fun things. Swimming, camping, hiking, gardening, reading. Cleaning, lawn mowing, gardening, preserving, gardening, edging, gardening...ok, so it all wasn't fun. But we got a lot done!

The One That Got Away

All the rain these last couple weeks has given me the necessary excuse of avoiding the garden. Unfortunately, besides not weeding & watering, I also did not look closely for zucchini. This one takes the prize for the biggest one yet. Brian made this deal with the kids: whoever could eat just one zucchini by themselves wouldn't have to eat any more for the rest of the season. Then he showed them which zucchini they'd have to eat. No takers, but they are all very excited to turn this one into zucchini bread--and lots of it.

Birthday Delights

We celebrated Brian's birthday with a backyard bbq with friends. The Ritzmans and our fun neighbor family came over to enjoy playing in the backyard and some good grilling by Brian.

The end result was cuban-style grilled pork chops and new potatoes from the garden.

We had planned to play with Paul's new birthday toy, an animal water park, but the timing wasn't right. We waited an extra couple days to have a hot summer day. Unfortunate for Paul, he was taking a nap when we tried it out. Hey--we were just working the kinks out for him. :)


It's so fun to celebrate close birthdays. We sent out best wishes to Grandma Charlotte by splashing in the new wading pool!


The best tribute to our country's birthday were our cleomes (or spider plant). They were in full bloom and really seemed to be exploding on the 4th of July.Even though it was a rainy day we got to enjoy the best amateur firework show ever. The neighbors up the street put on an incredible show. It reminded me of blowing up old tin cans on the porch in McCall with my dad--not quite the same caliber, of course, but definitely that same spirit of celebration!

Make a Wish...

Forgot to post this video of Paul blowing out the candles. By the 2nd candle Paul was out of breath and Scot ended up blowing from behind him (so as not to hurt his feelings that he wasn't kid enough to get them both).

All Smiles

The reason for the last post about the shoes was, of course, because Paul got some really cool new shoes for his birthday. Can you believe my little guy who could never get a drink without clinking his front teeth on the glass now skids around corners like he's a Mariocart classic roadster? Those new shoes are going to get a run for their money!

In honor of his never ending smile, pleasant "OK"s, and gracious "thank you"s, Paul got to blow two candles out of a smiley face cake (which Scot made).

Paul surrounded by presents. Yes, they are all in white paper--but the girls colored the outsides to make each unique.

Happy Birthday!!