My Kids

Christian 14 years old and never hangs up the phone before he says, "I love you, mama." It does not matter who he is around.

Alycia 12(13 in 18 days)- the sweetest, best girl in the world. She would help anyone, and do anything for you. She cleans the house all the time, and expects nothing in return.

Riain 10 years old, always comes right to me when he comes out to the playground and gives me a kiss and a hug. WHen he walks by my room, he will flash me the I love you sign through the window.

THis is just a few things that make them the most wonderful, loving, and amazing children in the world.

I am so lucky to be their MOM!!!

Great product

Here is a great idea for those of you mom's out there. I know even though we have older kids, we are ordering a few because Brian is friends with the guy whose friend created it. It was featured on The View.

Check it out!!!

http://www.goodnitelite.com/index.php?page=testimonials

Lyci's 13th b-day

Help... I need theme ideas/ any ideas for Lyci's party. We are going big this year. I really want to make this a party for her and all her guests to remember. It is her first boy/girl party as a young adult.

Here is what I know for sure-

1. we will have a DJ for a couple of hours.

2. It will NOT be at our house.

3. I want to have a game that all about Lyci. I was thinking of having a Jeopardy game or something like that, and all the questions are about her.

4. Lyci has insisited on having a chocolate fountain and a cake with chocolate icing.

So, please overload me with ideas, websites and anything else party related.

I can not beleive that she is almost 13, I want to celebrate her and what a special young woman she is becoming. I am lucky to be her mom.

How come I have not bought from here before?

I spent a little time on Etsy. I have never really looked there for much, but now I am addicted. I bought a sign from there that looks similar to this.














I am also in love with this bird's nest. I want to have all of our names put on one.

I am in the process of looking for cute ideas to put on the bookshelves of our entertainment center. I want things besides books. These are a few things that I will have on it. If you have any ideas, please share. Also, I am still looking for new dishes. Let me know of any websites with cute dishes.

On another note, Brian is starting his flight lessons next week. He goes up for his intro flight Sunday morning. I am nervous, but so excited for him. This will be a great hobby for him. He loves flying. I will post some pics of him in his plane. He is taking his lessons in a plane that has a parachute, so that makes me feel better. Please pray for his safety and for my nerves to stay calm.

Free at last... but no pic

I had my cast taken off yesterday. Needless to say that my leg looked nasty. I took a pic for Brian, but I will no post it and gross you out.

I was very nervous. A ladt I did not know had a saw very close to my skin. Riain went with me and was sitting across the room, watching with excitment. This is the kind of thing he loves. So, he watching me and the nurse, then he must have seen the fear in my face. He walked over to me, grabbed my hand, and started pushing my hair to the side of my face. THen he bent down and kissed my forehead and said, "It is ok Mommy, you will be ok." KIsses me again and tells me to think of chocolate and bunnies. It was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me or done for me. I love that boy!!!!

So my cast is off, and my foot feels strange. I had a pedi yesterday, so that felt better. My ankle is really sore and my calf is weak. I have lost a lot of muscle mass, and it I think it will take a while to built back up. I am glad to be wearing two shoes again. Hopefully my foot is better. My bones did not fuse back together, so if they keep giving issues, surgery is an option. I hope it does not come to that. Only time will tell.

I just want to take a minute and thank my family and friends for helping me over the last 6 weeks. I love you all!!

Broken Foot and Baseball

Having a broken foot is a pain in the you know what. I walk slow, and when I walk alot it, it hurts. Brian likes this b/c this means my shopping issue will be put on hold for at least 6 weeks. I am having a lot of trouble sleeping, but the doctor has given me some pain meds. Driving is an issue, but I am working it out. Brian has been driving me around and waiting on me, what a sweet man. Also, showering, not so much fun. Brian has to help me, and trust me it is not very sexy. Five and a half weeks to go.





Baseball...

Riain has decided to be a baseball player. We went and signed up, bought all the equipment and are ready for the season. I can not wait to see him in his uniform. He will look adorable. We are on the same team as some friends, which will make the season way better. Can't wait Karri!!!!! Be ready for tons of pics.

So, lets hope for a quick healing foot and a good season of baseball.

A dish hunting I will go...

I am in desperate need of new dishes. I have white ones from Pottery Barn that my sister, Val, gave me a long time ago. As classic as white ones are... I am ready for some color. I am not sure exactly what I am looking for, but I know I will know it when I see it. So if you have any great sites with dishes, send it to me.

Take the pledge with me

I am sitting here tonight catching up on Oprah. The show I just finished watching has my stomach in knots. The show was about texting and driving. Here is what I learned.

1. If you are on the phone talking, you are 4x more likely to be in a crash.
2. Talking and driving is equal to having 4 beers and driving.
3. Texting and driving is worse then drinking and driving.
4. If you aren texting and driving, you are 8x more likely to be in a crash.

The families on the show, did not have to lose thier loved ones. I sit here thinking how many times, I have run off the road, or crossed the center lines because I was distracted by my phone. I realize how lucky I am to have not hurt myself, someone else or my children. I am pledging to not text on my phone while I am driving. I realize that message is not worth my life, someone else's and especially my children.

Brian and I have taken the pledge, join us, take the pledge and pass it on!!!

Log on to take the pledge-

http://www.oprah.com/questionaire/ipledge.html?id=4

Kitchen Pics and Christian Pics

Here is a pic of the kitchen color. Lyci and I knocked this one out in 1 day. We are changing all the light and plug fixtures also. These are of course before and after. The blue is my fav. It is very calming.






















We are sitting right now, about to watch the Texas v. Alabama game, and of course Chrisitan being the huge fan, had to go and get his game outfit on.


GO TEXAS!!!!!

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.