We Painted!!!!

I got a bug to paint. Of course Brian was not into it, he is a firm believer of, leave it to the professionals. Of course Lyci and I did not agree, so we painted. We had to paint, a new washer and dryer were being delivered. So we painted, and painted, and painted.

We painted the hallway to the laundry room, the laundry room, the mudroom and the dining room. Tomorrow, we will finish the mudroom(we ran out of paint), the kitchen and the foyer.

Here are some before and after pics.

Laundry room before-



Laundry room after- with the new washer and dryer













Dining room before-














Dining room after-

Merry X-Mas Eve

Things to do today-

1. bake cornbread/sausage stuffing
2. bake cookies and decorate with the kids
3. take kids to the movies
4. go pick up MY x-mas present
5. EAT!!!!
6. open 1 gift
7. watch Brian read to the kids, Twas the Night Before Christmas
8. go to bed and barely sleep until tomorrow

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Bootcamp...

Day 3 of bootcamp...

I am tired...

I am sore...

I am craving chocolate...

I am out of shape...

I feel AWESOME!!!

Long time... no blog

Ok, so I have been a little lazy on my blog sessions. I do however update my facebook daily.

Life in the Nelson household is as usual crazy. We have been so busy trying to get the school year started and learning how to manage three kids in sports. By the way, a very difficult task.

Football season is over and we managed to finish the year with zero(that's right, you read it correctly, ZERO) wins for Riain or Christian's team. Lyci has enjoyed her cheerleading, and is looking forward to cheering for boys basketball, but not girls. :) The boys are about to start wrestling.

As I sit here and write this, I can not help but smile and think about how crazy life is. I would not change a thing about it. I run myself ragged, but am loving every moment with my family. I am so thankful to have such amazing people in my life.

A husband that loves me not matter how much I spend. :)

Kids that drive me crazy and almost to tears sometimes. :)

My grandpa that even though he is far away, is always close in our hearts.

A mom that takes the kids when I need a break ( like this weekend)

My divine friend Karri- that interupted her day to go and pick Lyci up from school when she was not feeling well.

My thoughtful friend Liberty, who knows that teachers do not have any time to go and get lunch, so she brings it to me.

Michele and Dene'- who I can always sneak to during the day and vent about whatever is on my mind.

I love all of ya'll!!! You make my life better just having you in it.

Ok... now that I have gotten mushy and am about to ball... I will leave you with some pics of my family. They are crazy, but they are all MINE.

Our Furry Babies

Here are the animals. We are going to be sending our lab Bell away for a few months for training. She is so strong, that I have a hard time walking her.

Patton, is obsessed with any type of ball. Is is funny to watch. He actually looks like he is playing soccer.

Dallas(cat), well, she is a cat, what else is there to say. She is a loner, until she wants you to love on her.

They add a lot of love and irritation to our house.

New Family Traditions-

The pic has nothing to do with the post, except how fast they grow up. This was back in 2002. Seems like a life time ago. This pic was taken by my wonderful brother in law, Wayne. We used to go and celebrate 4th of July and Thanksgiving with them. He captured so many amazing shots of the kids. He had a knack for getting the perfect shot at the perfect time. Thanks Wayne!!!!




I found these in a magazine and knew I had to share.

1. Celebrate half birthdays- grill hamburgers and hot dogs, then cut them in half. Drink half glasses of soda, and enjoy a half chocolate/half vanilla cake for your half birthday.

2. Valentine's Day Mistletoe- hang crape hearts around your house and anyone caught underneath must kiss, or hug(if your kids refuse to kiss, like Christian and Riain do).

3. Topsy-turvy day- cake for breakfast, and other backward surprises all day

4. Turkey parade- we all know wait for the turkey is part of Thanksgiving, when the bird is ready, hold a parade with the family following the bird. Musical pots and pans to add to the mood.

5. Yes Day!!(this one can be dangerous :) Every time you tell your kids no to going or doing something, have them write it down and put it in the yes jar. Once a month choose one and everyone must got along with it.

I love all of these. My kids are too old for some, but I think I may choose one or two to try. Try these out for your family and start a new silly tradition for your children to remember. At the end of the day, the memories you have made are all that matters. Time goes by fast and kids grow up quickly. Savor every moment, breathe in every moment, soak up every moment!!!!

The Rain has left...

It rained and rained and rained. There was horrible flooding. We have been out of school all week. As a mom, I have loved this time with the kids, as a teacher I am dreading getting back into the swing of school. We do not go back tomrrow, the kids do not, I will.

We are under a boil water advisory. Needless to say, that is pain.

I-20 which is how Brian gets to work was shut down until today. It has been very crazy down here. But we are safe, and our house is safe. Our friends are safe. We were lucky, the next county over lost 9 people due to flooding. We are praying for their families.

Riain's turn

Riain's team lost yesterday also. He played well. He caught a pass and made a 2 yd gain. He has never caught during a game before. It was not meant for him, but if he had not caught it, then it would have been picked off. So way to go Riain!!!! He did get hit on his knee, so we were alittle worried. He was limping, but finished the game. We iced it and have made him stay off of it. Giving it until Tuesday, and if it still hurts, we will head back to dr. The team is getting better, maybe we will actually score next week.

Go Gators!!!

We lost both 7th and 8th grade games, but Lyci cheered her heart out and did a fabulous job. Christian played ok, he did not make any great plays, but what do you do? Here are tons of pics from yesterday.

Lyci looks so cute in her uniform. She was awarded the first spirit stick of the season. They said she always smiles and never complains. That's my girl.

Innocence at its best...

Driving home from Christian and Lyci's game, we were talking about a show we watch called Supernatural. In the show, the world has come to the apocalyse, and the devil is ready to start his trouble. Anyways, Riain missed the part of us talking about the show. He was asking all kinds of questions. His voice getting filled with a little more worry. I said the devil had taken off a human as his vessel and Riain was nervous. I said Riain, we are talkiing about a show and his busted out laughing and crying at the same time. He thought this was really happening. We calmed him down and he was ok. I cried, he cried it was so funny. He is still so innocent. Bless his heart:)

Taylor Swift

Lyci and I had a great night last night and went and saw Taylor Swift. She put on a good concert and is a great live singer. We got home late, but it was worth it.

Football tomorrow and then a long weekend. So exctied to not be working on Monday.

First Card

Lyci has a birthday party to go to tonight, so we decided to make a card and not buy. Lyci and I made it together. I think it turned out pretty good. Brian thinks it looks nice. I used my cricut for all the letters and cut outs. I love that thing, one of the best things Brian has bought me. I would recommend it to anyone who scrapbooks. Then I used a sticker maker in place of glue.

Football, Baseball and Lyci

Football...

-scrimmage game
-lost 32-0
-team played better than last game
-Riain helped coach on the field, see pic and u will see it in action
-Just in case I have not mentioned it this season, I LOVE FB SEASON
-Riain is in the long white socks-red jersey
















Baseball-
-Braves lost
-Riain's first game
-17 rows behind homeplate
-Jason almost caught a foul ball
















Lyci-
-Love her in her clothes
-first time in uniform is tomorrow night
-just want to squeeze her, she is wonderful!!!!!

Blog Tag

A couple of days ago I was tagged by Liberty. Now I have to tell 10 things about myself. This is hard to do, but I will do my best.

1. I love my job, but would do anything to be a stay at home mom again.

2. I really want to make the time to scrapbook.

3. I am addicted to tv, we have a TIVO with every tv in our house.

4. Texas is where I want to live the most, maybe it will happen some day.

5. Kinda sad, this next one, but it popped into my head. It has been 10 and a half years since Desi died and I still miss her as much today, as the year it happened.

6. I have a big mouth. I know you are thinking, no way Destine, not you. But yes it is true. i have a tendancy to say what I am thinking, when I should not. Another teacher on my team said they were glad I was around, cause what they are thinking and too scarred to say, is coming out of my mouth. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not :) I need a strainer over my mouth sometimes, I say something and in my mind I am grabbing at the words trying to make them come back. Oh well, I guess there are worse things to be then out spoken.

7. If Brian would let me, I would have way too many dogs. I just love dogs and the love they give. Having a pet really makes your family better.

8. When I retire, I want to bred and show English Bulldogs. I have this idea, of Brian and I loading up an RV with our dogs and traveling from show to show. Of course, this will never happen, b/c Brian is not crazy like I am.

9. I am hopefully getting a new car around Christmas. We desperately need something bigger, the kids are crammed in my little Accord.

10. Lets see, this needs to be a good one since it is the last, oh I got it. Brian is my favorite perosn on this planet. After 12 years of marriage, I still get butterflies when he kisses me. Our kids are so used to us just totally in make out sessions, they ignore it... well actually Riain says, "OHHHH making out with teacher" which usually makes us laugh. They have grown up seeing us being very affectionate with eachother. I think that is why they are affectionate. I love that we are this way. I can not say enough how much I love to be around him.

Well there you go. Talk to you soon.

First Scrimmage

Saturday was our first scrimmage game. Riain played pretty well, but as a team it was painful. We are on a team with only 3 kids that have ever played before. Riain being one of them. I think by the time games start we will be a little better. Riain is on the field the entire game. Once we play a full game he will be exhausted.

Here is a pic from the end of out first game. Do not worry, this is the beginning of our season for all three and there will be tons of pics. I am also going to try and do some video from the games too.

For those of you who did not know,Brian is coaching Riain's team this year. He just said to me yesterday how much he loved it, and how many other Dad's get to be on the field when their son is playing. I know Riain loves it as much as Brian does.

Life Then... Life Now...

Then...Mommy I want a dinosaur. Now...I want a new cell phone.

Then...I want a four pack chicken nugget. Now...I want an 8 piece.

Then...Mommy, I need bubble bath. Now...Mom, I am out of shaving cream.

Then...Barney's I love you, you love me. Now...I need 500 dollars in ones, it's time to ball out.

Then...I want a kiss. Now...I want 5 dollars.

Then...Can I please have some juice. Now...Mom, get me a frapiccino.

Then...Mommy I need your help. Now...No thanks, I can do it myself.

I miss back then!!!!

Last day of summer!!!

Here is how I spent my day.

1. Haircut ( best haircuts I have ever gotten, with tip 25 dollars, thanks Jennifer)
2. Lunch at Chipotle with all 3 kids
3. Makeup at MAC
4. shopping at LUSH
5. Starbucks
6. Macy's got Lyci Tommy Hilfiger shorts for 9 dollars
7. Publix for dinner
8. Tonight Football ( Riain is in red jersey, black pants with his back to us)

Back to work on Monday...

Weight Loss

I have not talked much about this, but for the past two months, I have been dieting. As of today, I have lost 24 pounds. 3 and a half inches off my tush, 2 inches off my tummy and 1 and a half off my bust.

24 pounds done and 30 more to go.

Football Practice

Tonight was the first night of practice. League rules say they can not wear pads the first four days. So next Monday, we will be completely dressed out. Be ready for tons and tons of pics.

Riain has always been on the small side. But tonight, his coach came to me and asked if Riain has been spending a lot of time on the couch. I laughed. He really has bulked up since last season. Pray that Riain's knee holds out. We are going to the orthopedic next Tuesday just to be sure. Hopefully his LCL has healed from his injury from last season. If you look hard on his left leg, you can see his knee brace he has to wear.




Doesn't he have the biggest smile on his face? It is priceless.

Football Begins...

Today is the first day of football practice for Riain. We are really excited, but it is alot of work. Four nights a week for 2 hours. It is very boring. The games are great, but practice not so much. We will be video taping all of the games of the boys and also Lyci's cheerleading. I think the Brian's idea is to post it on UTUBE so all of you can see them play. So be on the lookout for that. I will post it on here when we have footage. I will post some pics later this week of practice.

El Vacation

We have been back since Saturday night and it has been non stop readjusting to life. Our vacation was so much fun. The condo we stayed in was great. Three bedrooms, 3 and a half baths. A patio overlooking the ocean. A great place to stay.

The days were filled with sun, sand, swimming, and jet skiing. Our nights with eating, drinking, and sand crabbing. The kids loved the beach. They played in the water all day. It was so nice to look out and see and hear the ocean.






THe kids loved jet skiing. Brian was so good with them, he let Riain drive. Lyci was not allowed to drive due to her always crashing everything she drives. She is known for her fast speed and not keeping control of what she drives. So he opted out of risking her crashing the jet skiis.

We has the ocean of course to swim in and then at the condo we stayed at, there were three other pools we could swim in. THat was cool, b/c if you got tired of fighting the waves, there was always calm water to dive into.







One night we took the kids to a go kart track. Riain had a blast, Lyci on the other hand was so afraid. This was the first time she had ever been on a track racing with other people. I tried to take pics, but they did not capture how she felt. THe first time she passed us, she was almost in tears. All she yelled was I do not like this over and over again. We felt so bad for her, but she stuck it out and finished it. When I met her at the end of her ride, she ran into my arms and cried. Then Daddy came over and she left me for him... he always makes her feel better.
She went back a few days later, we went back and she loved it and enjoyed driving.




Most nights, we went out crab hunting. What you do is get a flashlight, or in Riain's case a helmet with a light in it. Then you get a net and chase after these little sand crabs and try to catch them. It is so funny to watch, there are adults and kids alike chasing these crabs. So you catch them and then let them go. It is actually very fun, and I held one in my hand, :)

We ate at lots of great places. One place was called the Hangout. It is an open restuarant that overlooks the beach. The breeze was awesome coming off the ocean. The food was great and we just loved the atmosphere. There were tons of things for the kids to do. They had foozeball games, a huge sand pile and a bubble foam party. We cannot wait to go back there.











We also ate at a place called Lulu's, which is a place owned by Jimmy Buffett's sister. This was also another place where the restaurant was open. THe wait was 2 hours, but we had fun waiting. THere are numerous places to get drinks, and also a window to order appetizers for while you wait. There was sand and live music. The wait was so much fun.



THis is us at LULU's!!!



THere is so much more to tell, but I will leave that for another day. We are looking forward to going back down there next year. But we are thinking of staying 2 weeks, and renting a house instead of staying in a condo.