The Thomsons

Birthday

2012-01-31T10:02:00.000-07:00

Mason had a 4th birthday party. It was a pirate party. It included everything from eye patches and pirate beads to a treasure hunt and sea-blue cupcakes. He had about 16 friends there, and had everyone had a BLAST! Here are a few shots:

"Aargh!"


This one was just funny to me. He has pizza all over his face and his hair was all messy from the fun of the party. He had a great time.

Thank you to all who helped me, and all who came!

4

2012-01-12T11:16:00.001-07:00

Four. That is how many years a have had my little 5lb 13oz baby. I can't believe he is 4. Even as I type this, it amazes me that I even have a child that old. But I do. My sweet little Mason will be 4 on Sunday (the 15th). He went from crying every 2 hours to eat from a bottle, to sneaking in the fridge and pantry every 2 hours for a snack. He is one awesome kid.

Mason as a newborn

From writing his own name, doing addition, and memorizing EVERY song he hears, to riding his bike, watching discovery channel shows, and drawing a million cars in a day, he is a super smart kid. We are amazed (continually) at how much this boy can do.


Masons first taste of baby food-little fatty

Mason is a very kind little guy. He is always helping with his little brother Ryker. Even if its pulling Ryker by any extremity and dragging him somewhere so they can play together. He likes to give everyone kisses. On any part of our bodies that is closest to his lips (I get elbow and hip kisses a lot). He tells everyone that he loves them. Even his preschool teachers. Lately, he has been inviting just about anyone (even strangers at the store) to his birthday party.


Mason as a two year old

Mason loves being outside. Now that we live in Arizona, we have spent a lot more time outside (even as we speak, he is playing out in the sandbox AND its Jan 12th). He loves going to different parks and outdoor play groups, and just likes going on a walk. He pretends he is a pirate, or superhero, or ninja sometimes when he is outside. Its fantastic.

Mason and Ryker, Fall 2010

Mason and Ryker have become the best of friends (most of the time). They play really well together, and laugh at the same things. They like the same shows, the same toys, and the same foods (except lettuce, which Mason hates and Ryker loves). Ryker desperately wants to be like Mason in every way. I don't blame him. They will play quietly together for hours. I love this about my boys. I love that both will each have a best friend for life!

Mason this last December

We love this kid. So so much. The day I found out I was pregnant with him, I cried. I cried for a hour or so because I was scared. Then, I cried because I was happy. And my husband cried because he was happy. And excited. And its been all excitement and happiness since then! He makes our lives so interesting and fun. I just don't know where we could be without him.

Happy 4th Birthday, Mason!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Pictures

2012-01-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks (again) to my very, very talented sis-in-law, we got some great pictures taken this last November. We are fantastically pleased how they turned out! Here are some of our favorites:

Thanks again, Melissa! We love you!

Merry Christmas To Everyone

2011-12-20T11:07:00.001-07:00

{Design by Ric Nielsen, Graphic Design Ninja. Pictures by Melissa Thomson, Photography Rockstar}

Doughnuts

2011-11-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Nielsen used to make us these when we would visit as children. These little babies are so good. I thought I would post this recipe if anyone was interested. They are super easy and yummy!!

Homemade Doughnuts
1 can Pillsbury biscuits (I use the flaky layers kind)
Vegetable or Canola Oil
Cinnamon
Sugar

Pour oil in large skillet. Just enough so the doughnuts will not be touching the bottom of the skillet (they will float when cooking). Turn on to medium heat.

Get about a cup or so of white sugar in a regular bowl. Sprinkle cinnamon to your liking. Remember a little cinnamon goes a long way when mixed in sugar.

Open the can of biscuits. Divide each biscuit dough in half. With your hands, knead the half of the biscuit dough and poke your thumb through the middle, making a hole. Stretch the dough a little so the hole is about 1 to 1/2 inches in diameter (you don't want it too small, or else there will be no hole in your doughnut!). Repeat with all the biscuit dough, but leave a small ball of dough to test your oil.

Put the little dough ball in the hot oil. If the ball seems to be frying, then your oil is ready for cooking. Do not make your oil too hot! Carefully put the doughnut dough in the skillet (I use tongs for this part). Let the dough cook for a little while, until the doughnuts start turning brown on that side. It is crucial to let the doughnuts cook on each side long enough for them to be done in the middle. With the tongs, turn the doughnuts over, and let that side cook all the way through. To test one, take it out of the skillet and with a knife, slice it open to see if the middle is done. That way you will know how long you want to cook the rest of them (you might want to fry one doughnut first to test it, before you put them all in at once.

Take the doughnuts out when done, and quickly dip them in the cinnamon and sugar mix, covering the whole thing. This needs to be done when the doughnut is fresh out of the oil, so the sugar will stick. Let cool and dry on a plate with paper towels.

My husband and kids love these! This is a quick yummy breakfast for family, or even a delicious finger dessert! Enjoy:)

Halloween

2011-11-03T09:57:00.000-06:00

We had a great Halloween this year. Mason went as a fireman, and Ryker was a fireman's dog. They were such good boys after the whole week of partying. And, Grandma T. came down from Utah to visit for the weekend! Enjoy:

Ryker and Grandma T.

With the Cousins Leslie, Ashley, and baby Carter

Motherhood

2011-10-07T10:36:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been in a situation where a mother is badmouthing her children, her role as a mother, or motherhood as a whole? I cannot tell you how many times (a lot with in a short couple of months) that I have heard this. And it upsets me. I chose today to do a pretty serious post on this, because it is something that I feel very strongly about.

I love being a Mom. I love love love it. I love being a wife and a mother more than anything in this world. I have heard countless times, Mothers who have said things like: "You're having a baby? Get ready for your prison sentence" or "You want how many kids? Oh my gosh I would kill myself" (yes I have heard that exact line) or "My kids are horrible". It breaks my heart for these young children that Mothers could possibly think this way about their own children or motherhood itself.

I knew countless moms-to-be out there that cannot conceive babies themselves, so they wait patiently for their children to come to them through someone else in this life. Of these kind of beautiful Mothers that I know, not one has said to me, or anywhere else (like facebook, blog, etc.) something negative about being a mom. I strive to live like them in being positive about being a Mother, and a wife. They are wonderful examples to me.

Julie B. Beck:
I was recently at a park where I met a group of women with mother hearts. They were young, covenant-keeping women. They were bright and had obtained advanced degrees from respected universities. Now they were devoting their considerable gifts to planning dinner that evening and sharing housekeeping ideas. They were teaching two-year-olds to be kind to one another. They were soothing babies, kissing bruised knees, and wiping tears. I asked one of those mothers how it came about that she could transfer her talents so cheerfully into the role of motherhood. She replied, “I know who I am, and I know what I am supposed to do. The rest just follows.” That young mother will build faith and character in the next generation one family prayer at a time, one scripture study session, one book read aloud, one song, one family meal after another. She is involved in a great work. She knows that “children are an heritage of the Lord” and “happy is the [woman] that hath [a] quiver full of them” (Ps. 127:3, 5). She knows that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily mothering is far more lasting, far more powerful, far more influential than any earthly position or institution invented by man. She has the vision that, if worthy, she has the potential to be blessed as Rebekah of old to be “the mother of thousands of millions” (Gen. 24:60). -Julie B. Beck April 2004 conference, 'A Mother Heart'

Julie B. Beck always has something wonderful to write about being a Mother. I loved this quote because it just has an underlying message of happiness and love. I still remember when this address was given (I was 16) and I remember what impression this put on my heart.

I guess what I am trying to let you know that I love being a Mother. Even through the snotty noses, the vomit, temper tantrums, and sleepless nights, I love it with all my heart. I know I may not be the best at it, but I love it and try so hard to be a good Mother. I do not regret becoming a Mother, and I look forward to having a lot more of those sweet spirits enter my home. I do not regret the age, or circumstances in which I had my babies. I know it is my Heavenly Father's plan (and not everyone else's, or their business for that fact). I hope anyone that reads this can stand back and look at their lives and children (or children they will have!) and see how truly blessed they are to be a Mother. As I type this, I have my little Ryker cuddling up to my chest. What a wonderful thing it is to be a Mom!!

Preschool

2011-10-03T20:29:00.000-06:00

Mason started preschool today. He was super excited, and when he got there he ran all the way to the door and forgot I was behind him. He LOVED his first day, and we are all super excited for him to make new friends.
He (and myself) love his sweet teachers. I can't believe this is already happening. He was walking around the house later today singing the 'days of the week' song. I am so happy to add just a little more happiness and variety to his little life. He is such a sweet boy! Some people asked if I cried, but he ran in so fast (and its only 2 days of the week for a couple hours) I was more happy that he was happy! Ill keep the crying for the first day of kindergarten (not till 2013...whew!).

Look how happy he is, with his new little backpack

Ryker is 16 Months.

2011-09-28T18:03:00.000-06:00

Sometimes he thinks he is 16 years old though. I know, I know, usually this kind of post should be saved until he is like 18 months, but I couldn't resist (and seeing as how he is 18 months around Thanksgiving, the post may never be put up at all).

Ok. All about Ryker at 16 months:

Ryker is my silly, silly boy. When he was born, I was darn sure after the way that his brother is (stubborn, wild, and loud...hm...I wonder where he gets that...gotta be his Dad, ha ha) that I would get a little guy that is quiet, preserved, and gentle. NOPE. He had to match his brother and exceed him in any sort of way. He is an intense and sweet little guy, and we love him so bits and pieces. (And I love my sweet Mason just the same, too!)

Ryker loves to sing and shout, and make sure that everyone knows that he is around

Ryker (like his older brother) has an intense seriousness. When it is time to serious, its time to be serious. Even when its pretzel eating time.

This little guy is a porker. Don't get me wrong, he is still under the 50th percentile for weight and height, but he eats like there wont be any goldfish or bananas left in the world tomorrow.

I realize this picture looks like he is eating one of grandma and grandpa's fish. Its not. Its a chocolate doughnut hole.

Ryker's Vocabulary:

Dad-dada

More-mo

Outside-aou

Cracker- caca

Car-ca

Drink-ba ba

Cheese- teees

Apple- a-poe

Banana- nana

Thanks-teeee!!

Ryker drinks out of regular cups, stands on tables, gets his own kid meals at restaurants, takes showers, and insists on doing everything else his 3 year old brother can do.

Did I mention that he is ALWAYS happy? Just a crazy, happy baby. Baby. Yes, little bug. Please stay a baby for as long as you can:(


Love my little Ryker. Everyone loves him and his little baby blue eyes. And his fuzz head. And his little cheeks.

Happy 16 Months, Little Bug

Friends.

2011-09-17T23:59:00.001-06:00

Mason and Ryker are friends. And I love it. They share cars, food, a bedroom, clothes (sometimes), and a stroller. I hope they will always be good friends. I love having these two kiddos together all the time. Life is fun and crazy! (warning: there are a couple of naked little rear-ends in this post, so just beware of the cuteness)

I added this one in because i think its funny. Powdered doughnuts are his thing.

Sometimes, these boys don't act like friends. Here is an example (sorry about the little bums, but they are cute little bums, no?)

Before:

After:

And, they do have other friends. Mason and Ryker ADORE both sets of their wonderful Grandparents. Here are a couple of fun pictures I took last week, while in Tucson:

Sweet, huh?

50th

2011-09-08T14:20:00.000-06:00

Sisters and Mom:)

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM!

(a day late...sorry) She looks great...come on, now really. Does she even look 40?? Ha...Happy birthday to you, Mommy! Love you!!

Happy Home

2011-08-29T11:29:00.001-06:00

We are all happy this morning. Maybe it was our fun-filled weekend that included the happiest place on earth, or maybe happy because one of us is napping, or even happy because the brand new television that we thought had already broken, isn't broken (which we would've known if we were the instruction-manual-reader type)! I, myself am even happy blogging right now with Go Diego, Go! songs blaring in the background. I normally despise anything Diego, but today, the little loud-mouthed boy is ok with me.

We had a fabulous weekend! We got invited to go to disneyland with Jeff's brother and his great family on Saturday. So, we left around 2:00 on Friday, drove 6 hours (YES! Disneyland is only 6 hours away!!), played hard with cousins, slept, woke up, Disneyland, naps, California Adventure (with world of color, which is top notch!), slept, woke up, church, lunch with my brother Chad and his sweet girlfriend Jenny, beach, then 6 hours home. It was fast, but absolutely fun! Here are some really great beach pictures, courtesy of Chad:

Ryker had a keen interest in all things seaweed. He just carried it around with him everywhere.

Binkie stealer

Chad called this one: "Mason contemplating boats"

Jenny called this (form a yoga name): "Downward Dog". We were all laughing so hard! Still trying to figure out what he was trying to accomplish!

We had a great time! I will get some pictures off Jeff's phone, and hopefully there will be some Disneyland pictures!

So yes, we have a happy home. Happy to be a family, happy to have so many blessings, and happy to be home:)

Wisdom Teeth

2011-08-15T20:28:00.000-06:00

I got my wisdom teeth out today. All 4 were crazy impacted, and now that they are gone, I have a hole in my sinus, and stitches on both sides of my mouth. I can't stand without barfing (blood, I might add) and, due to the pain killers, I can barely type a word of this without messing up on each one. I might be crazy, but I would rather have another baby compared to this!! Ha ha...no, I am doing fine. It was a crazy day, and I am thankful to my mother who came up to help with the kids while Jeff works.


Look at that jaw! And its only gonna get worse...:)

Mason asked me today if I got an 'owey'. I told him yes, and he asked me who gave me it. I told him the doctor. Then, he said, "Oh, was he mad at you?"...haha...I am actually beginning to think that could be correct. What did I do to him??

Hope you all have a wonderful week! I know I will...:)

28th

2011-07-26T12:01:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Jeffrey. This is how excited he is to be getting older:

Love You,

Kelsy

Time

2011-07-20T11:12:00.001-06:00

One of the most wonderful things about Jeff having a new job, is the hours. I have seen more of my husband these last two months, than in our whole marriage! Jeff has a great (and sometimes annoying) characteristic of always having to DO something. He has a hard time not always being busy. So, when the boys and I went to Utah for a week, this is what he did:

Is that not the cutest sandbox you have ever seen?? I was so impressed! The boys haven't missed a day playing in it since we got home. This is one of the dear reasons why I love my sweetheart so much!! He is so good to me, and his little boys.
Anyway, thats all I really have, but here is Mason this morning:

And Ryker: (already on his first nap, its only 10)

Have a great wednesday:)

May/June

2011-06-29T11:27:00.000-06:00

May and June were crazy. Like insane. Here is the deal: Jeff graduated on April 29th. About a week and a half after, Jeff got a job offer in Mesa, Arizona. We accepted the job, found an apartment the next day (in Gilbert), but they gave us only two weeks until his start date. So, after a series of events, we were on our way (with my awesome parents tagging along) down to Arizona with our car packed to the brim, and a 16 foot moving truck. And here we are. Having the time of our lives, starting out new in a totally new place. But, before all this, it was Ryker's 1st Birthday. I can't believe how time flies!! Here are some pictures:

Notice the stamp on his head? It says May 25th, 2010. Thanks to his aunt Chanelle:)

His cute cake made by grandma T.

Chanelle and Tyler

Chanelle and I

Here are some pictures in Arizona, after we arrived:

using the couch for a traffic jam

There was a quick catch up! I am going to Utah tomorrow and I promise I will take more pictures. And post. And post about more. I am not doing a great job at this blogging thing, and I need to! It is essentially our family journal. Hope you are all having a fabulous summer!

Arizona!

2011-06-14T10:11:00.000-06:00

Yep, thats right. Were alive. Short update (since the camera cord is still buried in a box somewhere):

Jeff started his job and is LOVING it
The sun actually exists(I was beginning to think something bad happened to it)
Its warm. I love it.
The boys are having a blast playing outside all day!
I LOVE Gilbert! Everything is close by, including Jeff's office (like 3-4 minute drive from our place!)
We have already made some great friends
Love our new ward! Church is fantastic and we can still WALK there!
I have seen my family more in the last 2 weeks than in a usual 6 month period which is beyond awesome
We are already scoping out houses because we have loved it here so much already
I have a free gym, thus the reason I have lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks
We are constantly at the pool. I forgot that I can actually be another color other than white!
We buzzed both of the boys heads. They look so cute. And nice and cool in the summer heat!

Until next time, hope you all are enjoying the summer! Or spring...summer starts in a week I believe...could have fooled me. It supposed to be 108 tomorrow! Love it! Home!

Announcing...

2011-05-18T11:28:00.000-06:00

No, I'm not pregnant (thank goodness)...BUT...I am announcing our move to Gilbert, Arizona! Now that Jeff has graduated, we decided to try our luck in finding a job in another state. We chose Arizona (Phoenix area) because of the saturation of software jobs, the great family area (which is Gilbert), and, of course the great weather (at least that's what I think. Or better weather than we are currently having here in American Fork). Jeff found an awesome job, and we are beside ourselves. It is a great one:) I am originally from Tucson, and my parents both live there still, so it will be nice to have a hour drive to see them instead of a 13. We have two weeks and are pretty panicked. But excited!

A couple of facts about Gilbert:

-Fastest growing municipality in the United States from 1990-2003. U.S. Census Bureau
-Currently the 4th fastest growing municipality in the United States. U.S. Census Bureau - 2009

-Ranked by CNN's Money magazine in 2008 as one of the best places to live in the United States.
-34.5% of Gilbert residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
-Highest household median income in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area with Population 50,000+ U.S. Census Bureau 2005

-Gilbert was recognized in 2010 as the "36th Best Place to Live in the nation",^[3] as well as among the

nation's "top places to live and learn"^[3] by GreatSchools.org

Cool, huh?! We have signed a small lease on an apartment so we can save up to buy a nice house within the year. We are so excited that our life as a family is starting out at such a great place, and a great time! We will miss all of our friends and family in Utah, but promise to visit often (Christmas is my favorite in Utah). I might not post for a while, seeing as how we have less than TWO WEEKS to pack up and move (Jeff starts May 31st). Oh, and if you have any boxes that you don't need, we will take them off your hands!

Sweet Cheeks

2011-04-19T18:37:00.000-06:00

It hit me when Ryker took his first two steps the other day, that he is actually growing out of baby stage. What??! Growing out of baby stage??! Mind you, he still is a baby. But he will be 1 next month, and to me, thats growing out of baby stage. I am sadhappy. (Sadhappy is what I tell Mason about things that are bittersweet, just so he understands better). His two little nubs-for-teeth finally broke through on the top. Yes, he now has 4 teeth, but alas, still no hair. Anyway, Here are a few other pictures of Ryker lately. Enjoy my 'lil sweet cheeks:)

Notice the scratched schnoz...poor baby got in a fight with the sidewalk.

Craftiness

2011-04-04T11:13:00.000-06:00

Saturday and Sunday were full of two things...spiritually uplifting messages, and craftiness. My sister and I love to try to be crafty (notice, the word 'try') and we got knee deep in it this last weekend. You might be thinking, 'wait, Kelsy has only boys, and Chanelle has no kids'. Well, you are right. But there is always hope. Anyway, this weekend was great. Here are some things I made:

PLEASE...if any of you with little girls (they don't have to be babies) like any of these little things, feel free to come and take them off my hands. Really. Call, fb, or email me. Or, if any of you want a certain color or anything to match a dress or whatever, just let me know. Ill make them:)

Ryker during conference. Having a good time with a balloon.

Again with the balloon


Jeff during conference (See honey...I told you if you slept I would put it on the blog...love you.)

Also, Jeff and I got in an accident on Friday. It was scary. Seeing as how this was our first one ever (and it wasn't our fault) we are kinda clueless on this and don't want to be taken for a ride. If you have any suggestions on what to do and what not to do as far as getting the car fixed, insurance companies, etc. let me know. Our car has limited damage to the outside, but some substantial on the back underside and frame (we were hit by a car going 25mph). Im sure Jeff will do his best, but just if you have any advice, let me know. Thanks! p.s., we are all ok, if you were wondering.

Mason

2011-03-29T10:41:00.002-06:00

The other day, Mason told me I was his favorite Mom 'in the whole world'. I was honored. Yesterday I bumped my head on a kitchen cabinet. Immediately, Mason asked if he could kiss it for me. Then he said "I will feel better once it stops hurting, Mom.". When I get upset with Mason, I usually use his full name-Mason Jeffrey Thomson. Then, I magically become 'Mom Thomson' for the next couple of hours.

This Kid is my most favorite Mason in the whole wide world. He keeps everyone in his presence entertained. He still loves anything with wheels. Most likely always will. Todays favorite: A Ford F-150. I just asked him.
A few fun things about Mason:

His favorite animals are giraffes. He has a giraffe, and two dogs to sleep with at night. They always have to be present.

He and his Dad are best buds...You should hear the celebration when Dad returns home from work/school. Its a party everyday. This is them when they found a geochache.

Always happy, and so smart. Mason can sound out short words, and write two or three letters in his name. He loves any word that begins with S, or T. Don't know why.

He is most definitely a dare devil. He will try anything. Disneyland, here we come:)

He loves his friends and family. He doesn't stop talking about nursery at church. When I told him last Sunday that he couldn't go because he was sick, he cried. For a long time.

Mason could probably move out and take care of himself. He gets his own snacks, pours his own drinks, goes to the bathroom completely on his own (I had to say that because I LOVE that he is completely potty trained, night/day, all the time! No accidents=happy parents), can use Netflix all on his own (Ok, not that proud of that one), cleans things by himself, buckles himself in the car, puts on his own clothes and shoes, and takes showers like an adult. He is my independent boy, and I couldn't be more proud!


Like I said, loves chruch. And is a very snappy dresser. That tie has little cars on it, btw. Cute.

I love my Mason to bits and pieces. And everyone that knows him loves him too. I am so proud of him all the time. He is a good brother, and a good little boy to have around to keep me entertained. I wish everyone could have a Mason.

February in Tucson

2011-03-20T19:21:00.001-06:00

We spent 2 weeks in Tucson in February. There are so many fun pictures to explain. So here they are, my Tucson pictures (finally):


Probably my most favorite picture of all. My sweet boys (even look at the little rainbow on the bottom left corner:).

A lunch at Eegee's. For those of you who have not yet experienced the wonderfulness that is Eegee's, here is the joy that one finds on their face after they eat an Eegee. Especially strawberry.

My little eater. He eats way more than his 3 year old brother. I promise.

Happy to be eating again

Mason and Grandma N. at the Tucson zoo. Notice the short sleeves. Yep. Were outside.

Ryker's reaction to the ducks.

Mason and his great-grandpa Bingham. Grandpa Bingham and Mason share something very special-The need to have fun, and big machinery. Great-Grandpa Bingham is the only great grandpa Mason has:)

My sweet lil happy baby!

The love of big machinery. Grandpa taught Mason how to use a full-size backhoe. Now Mason could probably do it on his own. Not kidding.

Ryker chewing on a mesquite bean. He wouldn't let it go.

Mason in front of Grandpa's backhoe.

Grandma got a new car. Fully equipped with a movie, and earphones for it. Mason was in heaven...a new car AND a movie.

Another one of my happy baby. I can't believe how different he looks now, only a month later.

Grandma N. and Ryker


Mason pulling Ryker in a wagon down my street. Notice the short sleeves again:)


Ryker and Myself. We had a fun time.

I never wanted to leave. I was sad when I had to...till next time Tucson:)

My Teenage Hair

2011-03-17T23:36:00.000-06:00

I wore my hair in pigtails today. Well, pigtails made into buns. Why? I went skiing and I tried to create a hairstyle that would fit in my beanie/helmet better than a ponytail. With my hat on and my goggles on, and all my skiing apparel, I must have looked like a teenager. It felt good. I have been visiting my teenage years lately (cleaning out all of our JUNK in the basement). I have been reading old journals and looking at old pictures. I realized how much I truly did love high school. It was fun. Thanks for all who are reading this and were a part of my awesome teenage years. And thanks to those who made those years even more awesome.

Ryker went with us to the ski resort, but stayed in the Lodge with my great mom-in-law. And loved every minute.

Speaking of awesome, my childhood best friend, Haylee, just started a blog. Check it out here. She already sounds like a seasoned blogger.

Jeff and I have been learning how to make sushi. We love sushi. If anyone ever wants to go get sushi with us, we are up for it. Look at our homemade shush:


Fantastic, I know

Also, here is the list for tomorrow:
Gym, Take Jeff to work, pick Chanelle up from the train station, visiting teachers come, eyes checked at Costco (and most likely frozen yogurt with berries from Costco), FIND ANOTHER CARD FLIPPIN READER (because the one I ordered online DOESN'T work and even my computer genius husband couldn't do anything about it), pick up Jeff, Provo Beach Resort, Hobby Lobby (hopefully!), and wedding reception.

Saturday:
Geocashing. Yup.

Happy St. Patrick's day, by the way. Have fun celebrating the color green. Anyone wanna explain to me what else the day is for??

Updation

2011-03-08T11:15:00.001-07:00

I have had many questions in my head lately, and one of them includes why my camera cord (or my camera? who knows) has decided to not work properly. So, courtesy of Amazon.com (and my credit card) I should be getting a microSD card reader in the mail soon, so I can post all the cute pictures that I have just waiting on my camera (and believe me some are CUTE). So, today I decided to share with you the last 6 pictures I have taken on my cell phone. They are of the most *ahem* crappy quality pictures, but its what I have today, and I am beginning to get the I-need-to-blog itch. So, until further notice, here are my updated pictures:

Mason goofing around with my Mom's glasses. Doesn't he look like the little boy from Stuart Little?? Tee Hee.

The boys in the bath

Ryker the Builder

My VERY spoiled boys playing in their playroom (anyone want any toys??!)

Taken this morning--watching Handy Manny.


Taken a couple of minutes ago (probably why I have a small window of time to blog, right??). Sweet boy.

Welp, there you have it. My last 6 cell phone pics. None of me or Jeff? Thats right. I don't like to keep pictures of myself on my phone. I think its weird. Some people do, and thats fine:)
See you when that lil package comes from Amazon...

Buddies

2011-02-03T18:51:00.001-07:00

I love my two little buddies. I love the friends that they are turning into be. When I was pregnant with Ryker, people kept telling me things like "Two boys? They are going to be buddies! Perfect" and "Two boys? How are you going to handle that?". Well, I am here to say that I indeed did not know how much I would love having two buddies, and that well, they are hard to handle sometimes (we must all remember that I did do this to myself intentionally). But, it is so fun.

I put Ryker on a stool tonight so he could play up at the car table just like he wanted so bad. Then I walked in a couple minutes later and this is what I found:

Mason took his booster seat from off the kitchen chair and set it down so he, too could play with his brother. Can I just say I LOVE having two boys?!

My smiley little 8 month old. I love this sweet kid.

I noticed that I don't have a lot of head shots with just me and the boys. So I took some tonight. In my grungies. Without makeup. So, don't ever tell me you haven't seen the real me. Now are you glad I wear makeup usually? Tee hee.

{I love my boys}

Sibs

2011-02-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

I love this picture. Just wanted to share it with you today. This picture doesn't need words to describe my siblings and I. It just does.

My Friends and Blessings- a Journal Post

2011-01-31T10:42:00.004-07:00

Please excuse my lengthy thoughts. This is more just for me to sort my brain out because thoughts have been crowding it a little more than usual. So, if you don't want to read a 'wordy' post, its fine by me. However, if you do read it and have a comment, or suggestion/advice, or an answer to my question at the bottom of the post, I would love it.

Lately I have been having somewhat of a nervous/excited feeling. Mostly just questions lingering in my head about our future as a family. Jeff is in his last semester of college, which means we will be transitioning to the real, real world. I don't think that is what we have been living in for the last 4.5 years. However, as anxious as I may be about this future or 'real world', I am SO happy that I get to take a few people with me, and I don't have to do it alone. Words cannot describe how happy I am to have my wonderful husband and sweet children to help me through this. They are my everything and I am so happy that I get to share the road with such friends.

The other day, I was talking to Mason about friends. I had just been taught a lesson in Sunday school about Jesus Christ. The teacher pointed out that in the Bible, Christ referred to his 'friends' quite a bit. And most of the time, he was meaning us. Meaning me. Then I thought how important it is that I realize who my true friends are in my life (including my Savior). I was asking Mason if he knew what friends are, followed by who my friends are. I told him that his Daddy is my best friend. The conversation ended there, but then, just yesterday, he asked Chanelle (my sister) if Tyler (her husband) is her best friend. It got through to him. Our small conversation about friends really got his attention. It was apparent to me once again that I have such an opportunity as a Mom to really teach and shape a little boy so that he has a bright future ahead of him. I have an opportunity to teach my child the teachings of Christ. What could be more important? Can I just say I am SO grateful for that?? Grateful that I HAVE the knowledge that Jesus IS the Christ and that I can learn and in turn teach it to my own children! The fact that I get to have my family with me forever also makes me indescribably grateful and happy.

We just found out that moving is a good possibility. Through a series of events, we found out that I can get FREE schooling in what I want to do...just two hours away from my family. It just happens to be a place with numerous software jobs (we have done significant research) and according to Forbes, it is the third BEST place to buy a house in the entire country (here). However, I am still mindful of the fact that what the Lord has in store for us is still the right thing, wherever and whatever that may be. I am grateful that Jeff and I have the means and power to ask him in faith what is best for us and our family. So, yes. We are quite anxious, but very excited.

So, as I sit here typing this, I am so mindful and thankful for my many, many blessings. Things like:
*Mason is ALMOST done potty training (que hallelujah chorus)

*Jeff and I have such loving and thoughtful families (We love you Mom and Dad T, and Mom and Dad N)

*Both our beautiful children are healthy and happy

*Jeff has a job he loves

*Our tax return (?? Ok to be on this list??)

*Jeff is almost done with school (in a degree that we didn't realize 2.5 years ago that when he graduates in it, it will be one of the least-affected job markets by the bad economy--BIG blessing)

*For me, the fact that Jeff is even in my life, let alone my best friend
*Our knowledge of this whole wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ!

Sorry for the sentimental thoughts, but really, lets be honest, this doesn't happen on my blog like ever. But I mean every word!

So this brings me to a question for you:

What blessings at this exact moment are YOU grateful for??

If you want to answer...just comment. Even if I don't know you. I would love to read them. If not, its ok.

Swagger

2011-01-26T09:42:00.001-07:00

This is one of the funniest videos I have seen in a long time. Jeff and I had some seriously great laughs. Way to go Toyota. It ALMOST makes me want to buy a minivan...almost. Enjoy:)

The BIG 3!

2011-01-21T09:29:00.005-07:00

Three years ago on the 15th, I brought home a 5 lb little piggy named Mason. Now, he is my sweet, BIG, 3 year old! We celebrated his birthday with lots of fun things.
A couple of facts about my fun Mason:
-He STILL loves anything with wheels (my favorite: 'structionmobiles'. He made that up I think)
-He LOVES nursery at church, story time at the library, and the daycare at the gym
-He is starting to be buddies with Ryker
-He still talks about stuff that happened over six months ago
-Favorite store? Walmart
-Favorite show? Probably a tie between Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Team Umizoomi, and Little Einstiens
-Favorite Movie? Tie between Princess and the Frog and Cars

We went to the mall for the morning on his birthday
Spent most of our time at the car machine, build-a-bear and Brookstone (go figure?)

He made a dog at build-a-bear named Buster
Buster has nothing on except big boy underwear
were potty training
I made his shirt (gotta love hob lob, once again)

His totally awesome Mustang Shelby cake

Grandpa T and Ryker with their party hats on

Uncle Nate made Mason this sweet BMW treasure bin
Mason got to hunt inside the packing peanuts for presents
It was so cute

We took Mason to the Mayan (the jungle restaurant) for lunch on his birthday, too
Aunt Chanelle and Mason loved the cliff divers

Oh, and did I forget to mention...Ryker has two teeth (look at the little nubbins) and can officially crawl

Ryker was very good and tried to lay low for Masons birthday
Just a good little guy

Happy Birthday to my sweet little Mason! We are so glad you are getting so big (maybe we are sad somewhat:)!

Happy 2011

2011-01-04T10:34:00.003-07:00

We are all excited for 2011! There are many new and exciting things that will be happening in 2011. Things like, Mason turns 3 (in 11 days!!), Jeff graduates, Ryker turns 1, and I start school again!!
We had a fabulous low-key Christmas which was just the ticket for us after a 21 credit semester and a new job for Jeff. He passed all his classes with flying colors, and I am so, so proud of him. They were all 4000 level classes (senior) and hard as it can get. Jeff showed me once again that when he really makes a goal, he completes it magnificently.
Here are some pictures of the boys these last two weeks:

Ryker-almost crawling...the little slither he has is hilarious.

My sweet almost three-year-old. I don't know if you noticed the shiner on his forehead, but he got that this morning--slipping into a chair. I felt horrible for him, but he was really brave and only cried for a minute:)

My family has been here for a little while. My mom and my sisters made these little cuties. If you can't tell, they are refrigerator magnets. Way fun and way easy. Gotta love Hob Lobs.

Ryker in the bath. Ryker LOVES baths.

Another bath picture. I like it because he is holding an 'r'. Like for Ryker. Get it??

Mason and Santa at our block party. We were glad Santa took the time to come to our neighborhood!

My silly boy by the tree. I just noticed that most of the pictures I posted of him, he has food on his face. I promise he is clean most of the time.

Happy 2011 to all of you! Hope it is a great year for you and your family!

6 Months

2010-12-02T13:38:00.002-07:00

My baby boy celebrated his half birthday on November 25th. In honor of Ryker, we had a big Turkey feast complete with all the fixin's. Just kidding. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Now a word about this little guy below...

Ryker is still bald. And toothless. But thats how we like 'em. And for those of you who have known me my whole life, you are probably thinking...'look at his light-colored fuzz and those bright blue eyes! That doesn't look like it could be Kelsy's child...' or those of you who know Jeff are thinking 'Blue eyes and light hair?? Not Jeff...'. Yes. We know. Pick a Grandma, any Grandma. They are both blue-eyed blondes:) He is beautiful, no?

We just started him on 2nd stage foods. He is gobbling them up like there is no tomorrow. Baby Mason style

Happy, happy baby. We are ecstatic that he has slept through the night since 3 weeks. He is a delight. Just like his older brother. He likes to think he can crawl. But not yet. Almost:)

I just added this picture because I thought it was cool. This is our front yard. Doesn't it look like the mountains are on fire?? Gotta love Chan and Mase's cheesy grins.

Happy Winter (my most FAVORITE season of all....NOT) and Happy half birthday to Ryker! We love you, bug.

Halloween and Fall

2010-11-01T09:38:00.002-06:00

We had a great Halloween weekend. Mason woke up this morning and said-"Can I have more Halloween?". I giggled to myself and decided that he was actually asking for his candy. He had a great Halloween (his costume picture is below). He went to a pumpkin patch, a Halloween party at his great grandma's assisted living facility (Mason calls it 'Grandma's Castle'), a Trunk-or-Treat, and of course, door-to-door trick-or-treating. He went all night. Lots of candy. He was a Happy 'lil pirate.

Pumpkin patch

Mason and Dad (what is with Jeff's face?? Me posting this is his punishment for hamming the picture up so much)

Mason as a Pirate

It snowed this last week for the first time. There was a good 3 or 4 inches on the ground. Mason and Ryker had fun in it

Mason in the snow (our front yard)

Jeff and I in the leaves up Alpine Loop

Last but not least, Ryker's pirate costume. This cell phone pic is all I got of him. Like the mustache??

Family Pictures

2010-10-25T18:12:00.004-06:00

We had family pictures taken a couple of weeks ago by my awesome and talented sister-in-law, Melissa. It was kind of a last minute thing, but they turned out pretty good! My husband and I are less than 'photogenic', so there were some funny faces of ours, but great of the boys. Take a look:

One of my favorites. Hammin it up. :)

A little

2010-10-04T10:39:00.004-06:00

A little bit about a little. We haven't been doing much around here, but having fun doing it!

Ryker just had his 4 month checkup (and three shots?!!)
If your interested: 50th% Weight(he's no Mason who was in the 90th by 4 mo.)
and 75th% Height
Just a normal guy
But SO fun

Mason being his regular cute self. He likes bubbles. And Little Einsteins. Mom is beginning to loathe Little Einsteins (at least he is watching something educational, right??)
He also loves otterpops
and sloppy joes
and grandmas
and having no clothes on
and brushing his teeth
and books
and letters
and words
and coloring on walls
and not so much sleeping anymore (what happened to my child???!)
and nursery
and friends
and yogurt (joegoit is how he says it)
and cars--his new favorite are construction vehicles (loaders, excavators, backhoes, rollers, etc. just ask him. He will tell you which is which)

Another picture of Ryker. He has a wacky personality. He wants to let you know he is in the room. He doesn't care who you are.

Look what we got!!! Finally!! Jeff and I both play, and have been wanting to get a piano for ages. It is 8 years old (gotta love ksl.com), black enamel, perfect condition, and a STEAL. It is wonderful to have music in our home! I will probably start teaching piano/voice soon, so if you have anyone who would be interested, just lemme know!

About the next pics: I am a Beehive leader in my ward, and we did a garbage fashion show. It was great, and the girls really loved it. These are the three models:
Look at these shoes!! Apple juice containers!!

On another note, Jeff and I have been trying to lose weight. Tomorrow will be two weeks on my plan and I am down 6 lbs. already. Please pray for me!! I just generally want to feel better (I already do) and lose some of that ever-present baby fat (that I have had since my FIRST baby). And if any of you American Fork people want to tag along with me to the rec center at night, I would love it!

Also, does anyone read this?? I am just curious. I don't like blogging to an empty cyberspace...just wondering. ALL of you keep posting. I love reading your blogs. I read every single post on my blog list. I really do enjoy it!

They're getting big!

2010-09-20T15:21:00.004-06:00

Just a little bit about the boys. I just giggle with joy when I think about my two little buddies.
Update: Ryker will be four months this weekend, so we will find out his weight/height soon. He eats a lot so it should be up there.
Mason is just a crazy two year old. I can hardly keep up with him in everything he does. I mean everything. He is so sweet and fun to be around!

Ryker

Mason doing what he does best

Ryker doing what he does best (besides eating)

Mason on his first airplane ride. He was so good and so excited to go on 'the big purple plane'. We went down to Tucson for Chanelle's wedding, and to stay with grandma and grandpa for about 3 weeks. We had a blast. Chanelle and Tyler are so happy living in Salt Lake, and I am glad to be living so close to her! I miss her presence in my home, though. It feels slightly like there is something missing.

Chan and Ty had their Utah reception on Sept. 11th, so Tyler only thought it would be appropriate to wear his dress uniform-awesome, huh?

Update on Jeff and I:
Jeff is still finishing that degree, but getting ever closer to graduation in April. He is currently enrolled in 21 credits! Needless to say he is very busy. He is also still loving his calling in Primary.
I just got called to be a beehive leader in my ward. It is very fun and I love it! I just love staying home with my boys and taking care of us all. Hopefully someday it will be my turn to get school done!

We had an awesome summer, and look forward to a great fall!

Chanelle's Bridal Shower

2010-08-12T20:19:00.006-06:00

Two weeks from tomorrow, Ms. Chanelle Nielsen will officially become Mrs. Chanelle Anderson. I thought I would throw her a little shower here in UT to celebrate her upcoming nuptials! Just a couple of pictures. We had a good time!

Appetizer Table!

Chanelle and her future Mom-in-Law

She got some awesome presents...this one was a basket full 'o spices. I guess she will HAVE to cook now:)

Guests: Chan's (and mine) friend Keira, and my Mom-in-Law

Tyler's wedding night apparel: Golf hat and 'super powers' boxers. I won't show you hers. Sorry.

Guests: Chanelle's aunt Natalie, Grandma Donna, Cousin Tess, Cousin Kristi, and Cousin Morgan (and baby to be!)

Another great gift. Im jealous.

She picked this one out a while ago, but the person who got it for her didn't know. It was a great surprise! Thanks everyone who came.

Outdoorsy

2010-08-05T11:25:00.006-06:00

Sometimes I wish I was a little more 'Outdoorsy' (isn't that what people say?). I have, however been going on some long bike rides to help-well lets just say its no secret that I have a few extra pounds on me. So, here is an 'outdoorsy' post.

Mason, Ryker, and I have been trying to spend our time outside in this beautiful weather as much as we can until it starts turning bleak, dark, and cold. I decided to take some pictures of my ride this morning because it was such a gorgeous day. You may not care, but I am trying to keep this blog up for journaling purposes. I got my blog printed, and bound in a book for Christmas last year and it seemed to be a good idea for a journal. But, enjoy two cute pics of Mason first.

After running around outside with a blue snowcone. Those are his favorite.

At cold stone in his PJs. Their new flavor is blueberry (its purple) and Mason wanted to try it.

And here was this morning's ride:
This hill is epic. I know it looks flat, but really its a LONG hill. It hurts, but I can now make it all the way up it without having too hard of a time. In case you were wondering, this is the Cedar Hills Trail. If you live nearby (I live like 3 blocks from the start) you should try it. Its beautiful. Oh, yes and it DOES bother me that some of those trees are turning yellow. I didn't notice it until right now. Can you just hold on for a little while, fall? PLEASE take your time.

This is on part of the trail that goes by a couple of un-fenced yards. I took a picture of this because the little hut is cute. I always pass little kids playing in it. It reminds me of home and how we used to build great forts in the desert.

This is Heritage Park. This part right here is the location of Chanelle's Open house here in Utah. Its going to be pretty. This is also the part of the trail where I got stung by a bee on my head. It didn't feel good.

Just another bend along with the stream. Really nice a shady.

This hill is a doozie. Can you see the berries and the leaves all over the ground? There was like a 12 hour lightning storm last night, and alot of the berries and leaves fell off the trees. I liked the sound of my tires squishing all the little berries and seeds as I rode.

Ok, so this is a great picture. This part is where you come around the mountain, through the Cedar Hills golf course and all of the sudden there is American Fork Canyon.

Then I turned around and took this. The golf course. Im sure my husband would rather be there than anywhere else right now (he is taking a test as we speak).

Just a little further down the road. I turned around after I took this. Cool bike ride, huh? I imagine I went about 10 miles that ride. Maybe 8. Lets just say 10 (5 miles each way). Anyone want to go with me next time? It will probably be tomorrow.

Stay tuned to more 'outdoorsy' posts. I like being outside.

27 Candles

2010-07-28T17:39:00.002-06:00

My sweet husband turned 27 on Monday. Old? I think yes. Just kidding. Happy birthday to my cutie pie.
The day started out with Ryker's doctor's appointment (He is 60th percentile for weight, 90th for height, head is 50%) and he got three shots, so it wasn't such a good start. I made Jeff be the one to hold Rykers little hands while they gave the shots--it was his first time experiencing this because he didn't come to any of Mason's shot appointments. He admitted it was a little harder to see than he thought. I usually walk away with tears in my eyes, but Jeff didn't go that far. I felt so bad for our little bug.

However, Mason felt really bad for him and wanted to hold him all day. Sorry for the bad shot, but I just wanted to show you my two cute boys together. Yes, that is Ryker's belly popping out of his shirt. He is a piglet. That is also chocolate on Mason's face. Its almost cuter when its dirty than when its clean, right??

Ahh...after church naps. I just couldn't pass this one up. Sorry, Jeff.

Just a couple of things from my garden. Its starting to produce yummy things!!

Believe it or not, this is the best picture I could get of Jeff at his soccer game. He is adorable, is he not? He plays on a team called The Ratpack. They play El Scorcho on Saturday. Im excited.

Ive been thinking a lot lately about life. And, I know this sounds weird, but it actually is like a box of chocolates. But not the way Forrest Gump says it is. To me, life is like a box of chocolates becuase even though some of the chocolates in the box are filled with gross stuff, there still is the chocolate, right? Even though somethings turn out not the way you want, there is always a bright side (even when its hard to find). And this is my attitude that I am working on keeping. I count my blessings every day and seem to find again that I am sure a blessed girl. Just thought I would share with you.

I am happy for all the engaged ones that I love out there. My best friend growing up, 2 or 3 friends from high school (REALLY good friends), a great English teacher, and my sister. I just wanted to tell you all that marriage is such a wonderful thing. The best thing (next to having little ones) if fact. I hope the best for all of you and I hope you have as good of friendship with your spouse as I have with mine!

P.S.--Under the friends and Family blog list there is Mike and Mary's blog. Read that one. They have had a truly an amazing expirience lately. It makes me smile. Hopefully you will do the same.

Sorry about my rantings. Just some thoughts. Hope you have a really great week!

July So Far

2010-07-17T10:24:00.005-06:00

Things have been a bit wild here in the Thomson home. And when I say wild, I mean fun and crazy. With Ryker's baby blessing and family on both ends in town, we have barely had time to breathe, let alone blog. So sorry for my long absence, but this summer has been just wonderful and busy so far. This post has a lot of pictures, but I promise I will be short-winded. At the end of the pictures there is a little bit about how the boys are doing.

Some of our Summer excitement:

Mason's hair is shorter and cuter than ever before. He is actually beginning to LIKE haircuts. I give all the credit to this place.

Someone else is getting fat. He will be two months on the 25th, and ill let you know the two month stats shortly thereafter

Another model pose for this little guy

One of MANY camping shots that we took on our camping trip. Stay tuned for more. My parents took the most pictures (ahem, Mom, please send me some asap). This is a picture of the valley on my grandparents land--Bear Claw Valley.

Yes, more bruises and butterfly stitches for this dare devil. Its starting to scare me how brave he is.

Tyler (Mason's Uncle-to-be) has an awesome bike. Or, at least Mason thinks so. My Mom doesn't.

Speaking of my Mom-Grandma and Ryker

Mason and his cousin Sawyer throwing rocks. Im pretty sure these boys could be at this for hours if we let them.

Mason and his cousin Leslie. She was more willing to pose for a picture that Mason was. Again, throwing rocks into water (who thought such a little activity would bring such joy to little kids??) .

I was able to get a shot of Mason holding Ryker for the first time. It was precious. He loves his little brother!

Mason has been such a fun little guy this last month (maybe all the attention he is getting?!). He has been so sweet to his new little brother. He likes to tell me when Ryker is crying and exactly what he needs.

"Mamma, Rykers crying."
"Uh oh. We better go see whats wrong."
"He needs his binki."
"Well, maybe. But he might also be hungry."
"Oh. He wants a hamburger and fries." *little smerk*
"No-Mason! Silly boy! Babies don't eat that yet! You're so funny!"
"Ha ha...he wants his milk."

That would be a regular conversation with Mason. Another funny thing that Mason does (and I PROMISE I don't sit down and teach him these things) is he can name EVERY SINGLE car in the parking lot. His favorite ones are Hondas, Fords, Chevys, and Toyotas. Don't ask me how or why he does this but its pretty funny and shocks a lot of people. I will try to get a video of it sometime!
Mason is our smart little boy. He talks so well most people think he is a lot older than he really is. I guess he just like to talk. Im pretty sure he gets that from his Mom:) He gave up his binkies last April (before 2 1/2, I am proud to say!) and he likes the fact that his little brother now uses them. Sometimes its almost like he is giving them a good endorsement when he is literally forcing one into Ryker's mouth!

Ryker is doing great. Not much to report on a newborn, other than the fact that he is a solid sleeper! 11-7 usually. Good thing, too. Mason, Jeff and I all LoVE to sleep. Apparently so does Ryker. He is a way good eater and a good trooper to cart around places. He did really great camping and we couldn't be happier. Like I said, after his 2 month checkup, we will let you know the stats.

Anyway, there you have it. Summer has been so great so far. We are looking forward to the rest of it! I love the warm weather, and the many activities that come along with it! When my parents were here, they spent a whole day helping me get wall paper off my dining room walls, then helped me paint it. It looks SO good. Anyone want to come over? We would love to have you!!

Mason and Ryker

2010-06-07T09:41:00.005-06:00

It has been a great couple of weeks with a new little one in our house. We have had lots of visitors, family from out of town, and warm weather! I am having a great time with my two little boys. I honestly couldn't ask for more! Mostly this post is just to update you with some pictures, so enjoy! Hope you all have a great week.

Ryker is Almost Two Weeks Old!

So Sweet! For the 10th night in a row, he sleeps about 4-5 hours before waking up to eat. Then goes back to sleep a half hour later, and doesn't wake up again for another 3 hours. We are so lucky to have this great little sleeper!

These next ones are just of Mason in his swimming pool in our front yard. He spent all day Friday in it. I am so thankful that it finally decided to be warm around here! So is Mason...

Gotta love the Green Popsicle

If you're interested, the Labor and Delivery of this new little guy went great. After coming to the hospital 4 times with false labor contractions (twice they couldn't decide weather I was in labor or not), I finally elected to get induced. My doc told me it was probably a good idea. However, when I got to the hospital to be induced, I was half dilated, which means I was probably in labor already. After a 6 hour labor and 10 minutes of pushing, Ryker was here. He was an average weight and in great health. I am so thankful that everything went so well with him, and we are so lucky to have him in our home.

This slideshow is of our first week with the new little guy. Enjoy!

Ryker Lee Thomson

2010-06-04T16:20:00.002-06:00

He is here!

Everyone Meet:

Ryker Lee Thomson
Born May 25th, 2010 American Fork Hospital
7lbs 5oz 19in
3:07pm

The Labor and Delivery couldn't have gone better. We are all beside ourselves with joy. Mason is taking it by the day. Ryker is such a sweet little personality to join our family. He eats like a little piglet. He sleeps like his brother--just awesome (we are so lucky). More pictures to follow!

Countdown, Gardens, and the Happy Couple

2010-05-09T14:59:00.002-06:00

This first week of May has been really great and eventful. Jeff is between school semesters (and between jobs**), so he has had some time to get things done on our "before the baby comes" list. He has done such a great job.

Speaking of the baby, I am due in three weeks. THREE WEEKS! I am so excited and am anticipating this event heavily. We have officially finished cleaning, painting, and putting furniture up in the baby's room! I wont show you a picture just yet, because I want it to look its best. But I can say that the cherrywood baby furniture set looks GREAT with the light brown of the walls. I am impressed I can pick out something that actually matches as far as decorating goes! I was so excited to dig out the double stroller (not that I will use it for a while, but still fun) and the baby seat. Mason helped me adjust the straps and kept patting the seat and saying 'baby's carseat'. Its getting closer, folks!

So today is mother's day, and first of all I wanted to wish happy Mother's day to my Mom. Y'all know a lot about my Mom (I talk about her quite a bit) but I just wanted to reiterate how much I love her and appreciate all she has done for me (and will do for me, i.e. hop on a plane the minute my labor starts to be here to take care of me and my 'lil family). Love you Mom. Anyway, here are some pictures of MY mother's day present that I got yesterday. I wouldn't have wanted anything more than this:

I planted Eggplant, Cantaloupe, 2 types of lettuce, Snap Peas, and 2 types of carrots in peat pots yesterday (to be planted in our garden in 2 weeks). Aren't they cute?? They are in our sunroom right now, but I can't wait to see what we get.

Here is the rest of the gift. My garden! My cute husband cleared out part of our yard and we got busy picking out, buying, and planting our little garden. 6 tomatoes, 2 basil (ill prob buy more), 4 different pepper plants, and strawberries. I am totally excited. The nursreys here in Utah finally gave the 'go ahead' to plant, so that is what we did! Happy mother's day to me!

Also this last week, we got some exciting news in our family. The cute little couple (Chanelle and Tyler) below will be getting hitched in August! We are so glad we have gotten to be a part of their courtship (and glad we didn't scare a great guy like Tyler away) and gotten to see their exciting times together.

This is the ring below:

Way cute, huh?! She designed it herself and it is so beautiful. It fits her well. It has another band that will be attached once they are sealed. So, mark your calenders EVERYONE (two receptions: Utah and Tucson) for sometime in late August. Congrats you two cute people. Welcome to the family, Tyler! We couldn't be happier!

Last but not least, here is a much belated picture of Mason I took 20 minutes ago. I just can't go three posts without posting a picture of my favorite little guy. He is sound asleep (finally! I honestly don't know what they feed them in Nursrey). And yes, that is chocolate on his face. I shared my Mother's day candy bar with him (maybe that was it?!). Just can't get enough of him.

Anyway, there you have it. Our countdown to baby, the baby room, the garden, Mother's day, and an engagement. How was your last week? Hope it was as good as mine. I also hope next time I write Ill have a new little guy in my arms. See you soon!

**If anyone here in Utah county that reads my blog know of any place where Jeff can apply to be a full time Software developer, Web developer, Network Administrator, etc. let us know! He has a great resume and a nice portfolio. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Happy

2010-04-25T22:31:00.002-06:00

My sister Chanelle posted this on her facebook page. The picture is of my brother Cort, sis-in-law Chandra, and their little Lincoln. When I saw it, it made my heart fill with joy (and as cheesy as that is, its way true). I love to see that my brother is genuinely happy and that he has a wonderful wife, and a great little son. I am so happy to see him happy. Just wanted to let you know what makes me happy. This does.

(Oh, and Im happy for the fact that its at one of the BEST Mexican eateries ever, El Guero Canelos. Just sayin'.)

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

2010-04-23T10:53:00.002-06:00

If you give a 2-year-old a rock, he will want to throw it in the water. If you let a 2-year-old throw a rock in the water...

...He will want to go in and get it.

I hope the nice weather comes back so Mason can have more time in the stream. His favorite thing so far this spring:)

Just in Case You're Interested

2010-04-19T10:48:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone...happy Monday to all! I figured its been a month since my last post. The reason being is that I just feel dumb sometimes writing things when there are no pictures to go along with it. I will be asking for a new camera for my birthday (my current one isn't that old, but just doesn't take pictures right and it makes me sad). However, I thought I would just update y'all on the family. So I added a little color to make it at least a little more interesting.

Jeff is finishing yet another semester in school. We are still shooting for a December graduation date, but we will see. His job has offered him a full time position and we hope to still continue school at this rate along with the new job. But, 16 credits and 35+ hours/week just doesn't give him much time to do anything! What do you think, all you people who have gone through the whole school thing with your husband/kids/work--a slower summer, or should we just get it done as fast as possible? Keep in mind the new little pea coming in May. After 3 changes in majors, and 2 minors completed, hopefully this is the end. Hopefully:)

Speaking of the little pea, I went to the doc today for my 35 week check up. Everything looks great. This is a sigh of relief for me and my little family! We had a little preterm labor scare about a month ago (ish) which ended up being an infection, that took a little while to go away. Not to mention ALL the contractions that I have. Daily! Apparently the baby is still measuring a little big, but the heart rate is great and he is in a good position. Just in case you wanted to know. Oh and another thing: Lots of people have been asking about names. Here are the two that are in our plans as of NOW (it could always change, as was the case with Mason): Chase and Jack. Let me know what you think If you have an opinion!

We are getting a new baby room done for the new little guy as well. Painting and everything! It will look cute when done, and hopefully I can show you!

Mason is doing just awesome as our great little 2 year old. We are so proud of how smart he is! His new favorite things are: Dinosaurs, Coloring, Team Umizoomi (on Nick Jr.), Finding Nemo, playing outside, soccer, and running as fast as he can around the house. He still is obsessed with cars. If you want to have a great conversation with Mason, just mention a BMW. He will be willing to talk about it for a while. Right now it seems to be the most recognizable car icon in the parking lot (he doesn't miss a one). We are so happy to have him around because he makes us laugh even when its been a not-so-good day. We are beside ourselves with excitement for him to have a little 'brudder'. He isn't so sure at this point!

We are so excited for the weather to have finally taken a turn for the better, here in this arctic climate (as I like to call it). We can finally slip on the sandals, and maybe stop looking like those vampires on Twilight. Sometimes I think I hurt peoples eyes when I walk out in the sun. Hopefully we will all have some color by the end of the summer!

We are planning a big family trip to Yellowstone this summer. I haven't been anywhere for a while (besides Tucson, but I just call that home) so we are glad to be able to get away for at least a little while this July. We will see how everything goes with a new baby and a 2 year old:)

So, just in case you are interested, there is a little update. I hope all your families are doing well, and I think about you and read all your blogs often. Till next time!

St. George

2010-03-16T10:46:00.005-06:00

Did you know that St. George was named after a man who traveled across the plains as a pioneer, settled in St. George, and planted many potatoes along the way? If you did know that, you sure do know your stuff. I just learned that this weekend when we went down to meet my Mom for a little weekend of fun and warmth. Here are some more things I learned this weekend:

Snow Canyon is so gorgeous, and Mason loved it too

Mason also likes lemons, but they are oh so sour

Brussel sprouts are not as bad as people say (I decided to try one for the first time in my life)

Even an Arizona sweatshirt doesn't cover up how unbelievably huge and pregnant I have become (nevertheless, a great picture in the St. George Temple Visitor's Center)

Mason loves wheel barrow rides, and has the best daddy ever

Mason loves flowers. And likes smelling them.

Mason is one cool dude

We can still smile and have a good time even when its windy and cold in the canyon

The trip was way too short, and Mason was feeling the side effects of such a short trip

last but not least, have SOMEONE keep an eye on your cat while you are away, or he will get spray painted orange without you knowing.

It was a fun and warm trip. I am so glad we did it, and I hope to visit St. George again soon. I love it so much there. Maybe because it reminds me of home so much! It was great to see my Mom, and I can't wait to see them again in two weeks! I am excited for Easter AND general conference!

In other recent news: My sweet, adorable little nephew was born on February 14th.

Meet:

Lincoln Farnsworth Nielsen
Born: Phoenix, AZ
Weight: 6 lbs 13oz (I think)
Just as sweet as can be! Congrats Cort and Chandra!

Update

2010-03-05T15:15:00.003-07:00

I don't have many pictures for you, and, to be completely honest, have little or nothing to update you on. But, with the relentless nagging of my mother, I decided to give you a lil' update on our lil' family. Read if your interested, but don't read if you don't like long posts:)

Kelsy:
Sorry there are a lack of pictures of us this time, its for a good reason on one side of things. Mason is so darn cute that yes, I should be taking more pictures of him. However, I just entered into my third trimester of my pregnancy. That being said, no pictures of me, sorry. BUT, the pregnancy is going good. I am going on 28 weeks, and have finally started to be able to wear maternity jeans! I got some cute ones this time, so its pretty nice. The doc says that baby #2 is doing great. I am measuring right on time, so his size is lookin' good, too. He kicks a lot, so its fun to finally believe that there is another little guy in there, just waiting to come out! I know you are all wondering about names. Sorry, none are sticking in our minds right now. We know it will come, even if its the day he is born. Official due date is June 1st, so hopefully it will be warm here by then. Its not today. We got nearly a foot of snow on our grass this morning. Yes, Im not happy about that!
Other than that, things are going great. Just taking care of this little family until that very last semester of Jeff's--still holding on a little longer (at the great advice of Pres. Uchtdorf). Mason keeps me smiling and happy every day, so I am thankful for that!

Jeff:
Jeff is still working hard at both his job and school. He is finishing up his final senior project and its throwing him through a bit of a loop. But that is what senior projects are for, right? The project is really nothing that I understand (as usual) but he is working closely with Microsoft on a college education program (I won't bore you with the details, but I we think its pretty cool). I am still so thankful for him everyday and all the sacrifice that he is putting into getting a good education so he can keep supporting us as a growing family. He is my best friend in the whole world and I am so glad that I got to be the one he chose to be with! He is so smart and is so ambitious...I am so lucky. School is hard, but I know it will pay off! We will hopefully be applying for 'real' jobs at the end of this year! He is also looking toward golfing season this year. He keeps reminding me. He is so great.

Mason:

Mason is growing by leaps and bounds! He is such a smart little guy, he tends to OUTsmart us a lot. We are now in the process of teaching him what each letter sound makes. We have been told that he has such great speech and comprehension that we need to already start to teach him the first steps of reading. He talks so clear sometimes its scary! When I say scary, I mean when he dropped his spoon the other day and said 'Dang it!' clear as a bell. I gasped and said 'Mason don't say that!' so now, he goes around and tells people 'don't say dang it, don't say dang it'. Not so successful teaching him the right thing on that one. It was pretty funny.Another 'Cheese' moment...this time with food in his mouth.

He is most defenitely a 2 year old now. He lets us know everytime we ask him to do something and doesn't want to. But, we are still lucky with everything he brings to our home. He is really into the church stories and pictures right now (the new gospel art book is is favorite book right now) and tells us a lot about Jesus being baptised and how Jesus came and saw the people with lots of problems that he made 'all better'. He loves those stories!
If you want to be Mason's friend, you have to own a car. Thats pretty much it. If you want to be his best friend, you need to own either a Mustang, BMW, Jaguar, Firetruck, Front loader, Backhoe, or a corvette. You will be his forever! He is SO into cars right now, its borderline obsessive. He can pick out any of those cars on the road (and almost be 100% correct-weird, I know).
Anyway, Mason is our favorite little guy ever. He makes us laugh and makes us happy everyday.

So there is a little-or maybe not so little-update on our family. We are having many great times together (WHEN we are together) and I am so thankful for our health and ability to be together. How is your family doing?

Smiling

2010-01-26T13:22:00.002-07:00

In my previous posts, Mason isn't smiling. I noticed this and was determined to try my hardest at getting a good smiling picture of Mason. I didn't have to try very hard because at that moment, Mason was getting ready for bathtime. He LOVES baths. All I said (with camera in-hand) was "ok, Mason one, two..." "THREE!" he says. I can't get enough of him! I can't wait to add another little guy to the bathtub.

This next picture was when I asked Mason to cross his eyes. This is what he came up with. He makes me giggle.

Are any of you excited to LOST to start next week? I sure am! I have never really been a TV show geek until this show came out. And now there is Glee. Dear Network Television, stop making such entertaining shows. Its annoying how much time I have spent watching them.

Oh, and another funny thing. Chanelle just walked in the room and insisted I watch THIS video. Please let me know what you think. I didn't know weather to laugh or feel sorry...

Winter

2010-01-25T14:17:00.002-07:00

As much as I complain and dislike winter weather, it sure is beautiful! I took the following photo at my in-laws, and just thought it was so amazing what a light bit of snow can do for a landscape! I think I need to be a little more thankful for what I have been given. Snow really is quite pretty...then it gets in your shoes.

This is Mason's bed. He has slept in a twin bed now for about a month. I kept hearing all these stories about how hard it is to go from a crib to a real bed, and was dreading it for a while. I decided to give it a try with Mason, and lo and behold (like I really expected Mason to give me a problem with this) we have not had ONE problem of him getting out of his bed, or falling off, etc. Its amazing! We just started potty training this week--we will see if Mason handles this the same way. So far, so good, but...we'll see.

2 Years Old

2010-01-19T13:14:00.006-07:00

Remember 2 years ago? I do! Like it was yesterday...like when Mason was this small:

(Somehow this horrible picture of me always comes back to haunt...just look at the little guy, not me)

And when he looked like this:

...And this:
And now, my baby is {2} and I can't do anything to make it stop. Oh, and he just doesn't look like a baby anymore, right? Mason turned two last Friday (the 15th) and we did so many great things. The first few are of us ice fishing (the day after his b-day but he considered it still part of the festivities. It was great fun.

Uncle Nate showing Mason how to strain the ice

Masons cute cousin Sawyer is a great fisherman

The next pictures are of Mason blowing his candles out, and opening presents. He loved this day.

When we told Mason to eat his cake, he just wanted a lick. Thats all.

The Cake pre-lick.

Mason was a good blower.

Mason's Uncle Preston has a friend that is a firefighter in Orem. He was so kind to let Mason and his cousins see the fire truck and even ride on it! Mason got to ride in the front seat, and the firetruck even had is lights and siren on!

Bad pic, but three cousins Mason, Sawyer, and Beckett on the firetruck

Captain Mason Thomson!

Looking at the firetruck upstairs. It was almost an overload for his excitement.

These last ones are of Mason's birthday party at Pirate Island Pizza in Orem. If you haven't been there, and you have ANY age children--its a must. Its decorated so cute, and the prices are decent. We had a blast!

I look like a humpback whale here, but this is the lot.

Uncle Matt made a really good pirate, especially with his scruff.

Mason, not sure about the hat.

Jeff and Myself, (Jeff's eyes are of course SHUT) but we were happy parents. Happy that our little boy is 2 AND...that he is going to have a LITTLE BROTHER June 1st!Happy Birthday, sweet little guy!

Family Pictures

2010-01-04T08:59:00.003-07:00

These last two months have been filled with lots and lots of great fun and busy times. Right during Thanksgiving time, my cute and very talented sis-in-law was able to snap a few shots of our little family for our Christmas card (and because we haven't had any taken for quite some time). I will just show you a couple of cute ones that we loved! Thanks again, Melissa-you are so wonderful!

Most of those were on our Family Christmas card for the year. They were so much fun. Oh, and ps--Mason DOES smile. A lot. I promise.

Christmas Time

2009-12-11T12:42:00.003-07:00

Christmas is most definitely my favorite time of the year. I love the spirit of Christmas, and the food, family, and fun that comes with the holiday. We have done a couple of festive things this year, and still plan on doing more!

We had a neighborhood block party. This party was hopping with lights, food, carriage rides, hot chocolate and of course Santa! It was really cold but it didn't stop 50+ people from coming and having a good time!

Mason, Santa, and myself. Notice the smile on Mason's face. He loves Santa, but won't sit on his lap. He did give him a high five, though.

I know this is a boring photo, but I just wanted to show you how great and festive the block party was.

I hate this picture, but I loved that tree. It had no leaves, but red berries, and white and red lights on it. It was cool.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Home Depot to get a tree. It was a steal, 6.5 feet for $25! We had a good time, and of course went to cold stone after!

Jeff tying the tree on top of the Highlander

Our delicious ice cream. Notice how much bigger mine is. Dark chocolate and cake batter ice cream, with brownies and fudge. You NEED to try it. I didn't finish it, but I was glad the next day when I had some more in my freezer!

Jeff and Mason checking out the ice cream flavors.

Mason liked my ice cream best. He kept making good faces for the camera.

What have you done for Christmas? We have also gone to a really great live Nativity in Alpine. Email me if you want details. It was way cool, but too cold to take pictures!

Next post: Family Pictures!!

Hello Again

2009-11-30T14:55:00.005-07:00

We have taken family pictures, as well as some pictures of our Thanksgiving weekend (thanks to my great sister-in-law) so don't fret when I show you three new CELL PHONE pictures that I have taken over the last week. We have some great ones in the making. I have made a vow that I will be better with my camera this December! So stay tuned for some great new pictures from November. Anyway:

Here is my Cherry-Raspberry pie that I made for Thanksgiving. It looked almost better than it tasted, but we will work on that.

This one is just a cute thing I found Chanelle and Mason doing. They were just laying on the floor reading books. I am so glad Mason loves books and Chanelle. It makes my house nice.

Now, look away, all you Men with sensitive stomachs (especially ones who are related to this child). We went to the store this morning in Chanelle's car (where she left her shoes from Church yesterday) and this is what I found when I opened the door to get him out. Notice he got both feet in both shoes, and on the right feet, too! Do you think he needs a brother??

....Speaking of Mason getting a sibling...for all of you who don't know or haven't heard...Im expecting my Second baby in May! As of now Im about 14.5 weeks and am starting to feel so much better! This could be the reason for lack of blog posts, but who knows. We will be able to find out the gender in January, so expect a good post then!

The Month Of October

2009-11-06T10:00:00.003-07:00

Since I have been totally horrible at updating my blog this month, I just decided to make this a small, quick, update because lets be honest-you DO NOT want to hear ALL of it in detail.

First of all, we went to Tucson in the middle of October. We had a really good time and I should learn not to trust my parents in sending me all the pictures they took. It never happens. Anyway, it was a really great week and we did lots of fun things. Maybe one day I can show you!

Other than that, we had a great Halloween, too. I got only one picture (my camera ran out of batteries shortly after) but the one picture does the whole day justice. Here it is:

We hope you all had a great October! We did! Have a great November!

Alpine Loop

2009-10-08T11:36:00.005-06:00

The mountains all along the Wasatch Front are absolutely gleaming with red, yellow and orange coloring. On Sunday, we couldn't resist driving the alpine loop to soak in some of the beautiful scenes for ourselves. We had a good time, even when it snowed as we neared the top. We couldn't get Mason to smile for our lives, but nevertheless there are some great ones. Thanks Chanelle, for taking the pictures!

Vivian Park

Chanelle's fake-elementary school picture-(remember the ones we all took next to the fake tree trunk?)

My absolute favorite!

All About Mason!

2009-10-02T18:15:00.003-06:00

Its been a while since I wrote a post just about Mason. Well, here it is. He has grown up so much over the last few months and we can hardly keep up! If anyone has figured out how to stop a toddler from growing so fast, let me know. We are just enjoying him WAY too much!
Mason got his first real haircut today(see above). It is so stinkin cute that I can't even stand it. I can't believe how big he is getting, and just how smart he is. Mason is a full-on talker. He will repeat any word you ask him to say. I guess that means Mom and Dad will need to be more careful about what we say around him!

Mason is also extremely silly. I love silly Mason.

The picture above(I will explain this) as well as the next two are of Mason playing with his new friends next door. They like to hop our little white-picket fence just to play with Mase. One of them is only a couple months older, so they get along great, and are in the same nursery class.
This particular day, Mason and his little friend decided to throw the foot ball around, but while this happened he fell into the bush and got scratched up. Didn't cry for a second. (I think he was trying to be brave around the other boys, but who knows).
This one is just cute with his little friend and him playing ball. Mason loves trucks and sports. He is a boy through and through. And now that he has an actual boy haircut, he looks like one too!

This one is just cute too. Mason is really curious about other little kids (he secretly wishes he could do what they do...sigh...someday) and loves watching them. This is while he watched the older boys kick the soccer ball. It was way precious.

Oh and by the way...he still takes two naps a day, and sleeps through the night 8 hours...I am starting to realize how lucky I am that he loves sleep as much as a teenager does.

You're growing up too fast, Mason. Please just slow down! We love you!

I Love

2009-09-28T12:41:00.004-06:00

When I was younger, I LOVED making lists (I still kinda do). One of my very favorite lists to make was an 'I love...' list. I think I got the idea from a young women leader, or one of my friends. I did it ALL the time. So, as of today, I am making a 'blog tradition'. Once a month, I will post an 'I Love' post, just to let you know what I truly do love. Today's will be short, but here it is!

{I LOVE}

1.Freshly picked apples. When you see fresh apples, you think fall. As I have said before I LOVE fall.

2. Kneader's bread sample bags. I buy this bag of yummy slices of different kinds of bread from kneader's (in Alpine) for 2.99. Its the best buy I make all month.

3. My pink baby rose bush. I have this cute bush outside of my front door that has the most adorable baby roses. I can vividly remember that my great grandma Burke loved baby roses and had lots of them. I loved it when she would let us pick some and bring them home. Everytime I see baby roses, I think of her.

4. My next door neighbors. I have the best neighbors on either side of me. They both have the cutest kids, and Mason begs to be handed over the fence to them so he can play. They are so nice, AND my west side neighbor cooks just awesome. Below are the treats they brought over today.

5. My little Mason. Enough Said.

6. My Best Friend Haylee. Its her birthday tomorrow (happy birthday!) and I still Love her. (For those of you who don't know, I am in the pink and Haylee is in the B & W. Her brother Tyler is sitting next to her. You can see his blog here. This picture cracks me up every time I see it.)

Maybe you should think about the things that YOU love, then blog about it! Its really quite fun...Have a great week!

Bumpa's Weekend

2009-09-23T12:28:00.004-06:00

Some people might think that I am holding out on them, or that Im just being lazy and not updating my blog. Well, to be completely honest, its really because I haven't really had anything to blog about! However, my Dad emailed these pictures below to me the other day, and I have to share them. They are so fun.

Boo! Just in time for Halloween! This is the only one where Mason is actually Smiling. I promise he does smile, just not when he is thinking about things. Im pretty sure he is going to be a philosopher when he grows up.

Mason and Grandpa in his new red wagon (which he LOVES and wants a ride in everytime we go outside for anything. "Ouu-sie?! Wah-gon??! Pees?!"). Its just precious. I wish Mason smiled in this one.

This one is of Mason at the family search center in Salt Lake. He was so good all day, until we had to leave this bad boy.

The next two are funny, but pretty. My face is really weird, but Jeff and Mase are so cute. Notice how wet Mason's pants are from splashing in the reflection pool.

Ok, here is a smile picture. This is Mason watching Clifford the Big Red Dog. He wants Clifford to come and live with us one day.

3 Years Ago...

2009-09-15T09:10:00.003-06:00

The picture above is one of the many engagement shots Jeff and I took three years ago. TODAY is our 3 year anniversary! As I opened all our pictures from the engagemet/wedding, I couldn't help but see how unbelievably happy we looked. I love seeing the looks on our faces, and the love that we had for eachother! The best part is that if it is possible, we love eachother even more now. I went through and picked some pictures from 3 years ago (only about 1% of what was actually taken) and once again made a slide show.

Happy Anniversary, my sweet Jeffrey. I love you!

Get Out the Orange Decor

2009-09-10T12:00:00.006-06:00

Fall is coming. I can almost smell it. Jeff and I decided to walk to the Temple at 6:30 this morning. As I stepped outside I felt that chill that all Utah residents feel when you just know that the seasons are changing. I quickly ran back inside to grab my sweater. Even as we speak, I am enjoying some absolutely delectable pumpkin bread from Kneaders. When Kneaders comes out with their pumpkin bread, you know its time to start picking all your veggies in your garden and slowly change your wardrobe from flip flops and shorts to boots and pants. There are some things I will miss about the warm weather, but some things I am entirely excited for during the fall. Above is my pumpkin I planted for Halloween! Doesn't it look cute?

I will miss picking my pretty roses in my backyard to make beautiful bouquets for my table.

You know its turning into fall when your son wants every soft blanket in the house in HIS bed, and doesn't wake up sweating like a piglet. I will also miss the cute plaid shorts collection.

Fresh fruit and veggies, for a yummy Hawaiian Haystacks dinner! (I just had to take a picture of last nights dinner, it was so colorful!)

This one doesn't have much to do with fall, but it was way cute.

I caught Mason walking around the house with his keys and his cell phone talking to someone...I still haven't figured out who. With his messy hair and cheeto-mouth he just looked so stinkin' cute.

Anyway, you will be missed, Summer. Come back next year. As for fall, glad you're finally arriving!

Belly Button

2009-09-01T11:54:00.003-06:00

I asked Mason yesterday (while he was laying on my lap) where his belly button was. He of course lifted up his shirt and showed me. It was a surprise to see a gigantic rash all over him. He has had a fever for about 3 days, now a rash. He has fifth disease. Nothing too serious, but still sad.

I gave him a brownie to make him feel better. My mom always says that ice cream makes everything better. I didn't have any on hand, but I guess a brownie would be the next best thing.

Get better little buddy.

Dear Summer

2009-08-24T18:36:00.002-06:00

I am so happy to have a hose. The hose was something that I played with A LOT as a little girl (and I know all you people from Tucson did the same) when the sweltering heat was beating down outside on the driveway. Well, lets say it wasn't SWELTERING, but I let Mason play with it today and got some fun shots. I had to take his soaking clothes off at some point, but again, he didn't mind. Then, the game switched from getting everything wet, to racing his cars down the driveway.

Dear Summer,
Please don't go away. None of us are ready for it.
With love, Kelsy

Myself

2009-08-19T17:20:00.005-06:00

There is a blog that I follow that is written by an amazing woman. She is fantastic and beautiful in every way. As I read her blog posts, I can't help but find that despite her major trials, she still knows who she is.

She doesn't pretend.

I have made a promise to myself lately that I will try to be myself more often, not what I think others would have me be. I need to pursue my dreams more often. Everyone should. I am proud of who I am and of my accomplishments and am very excited for the things I have before me in the future. Thanks, Stephanie. You are a great example and inspiration.

{To follow her blog, click here. You wont be disappointed. I promise.}

AND...

Speaking of being myself and accomplishing my dreams, I came home from Mutual tonight to a huge surprise. AND its not even my birthday or anything like that. Jeff had been all over and decided that he needed to buy me some cake decorating supplies (my new and fabulous hobby) --which he TOTALLY did not need to do, but thought he would once again be my sweet knight in shining armor!

***This is what I saw when I walked in:Sweet, huh?? Reason #997 why I love my Jeffrey--He is SOOO good to me. I love you sweetheart-you're the VERY best! {the first pic is of the note that went along with his gift}

ALSO

Mason turned 19 months on Saturday. Yeah, 19 months. Can you BELIEVE this?!! He is such a good little guy and I am still (once again) SO happy to be his mommy (or as he would say his 'mom' since that is what he has decided to call me. Not Mommy or Mama, just 'mom').

He is also now saying 'PLEASE'!! What could you ask more?

My Mom had this one on a recent post on her blog. I couldn't resist. So stinkin' cute.

Just Mase being Mase.

Mason's prized posessions. Anyone who knows him knows what I mean:)

Just a cute boy.

Being silly:)

Life is good when you have good people surrounding you. Believe me, I do.

{hey, that rhymed!}

Till next time!

A Girls Weekend, and A New Place

2009-08-13T09:02:00.005-06:00

We usually wake up every morning to Mason singing beautiful songs through the monitor. This morning we woke up to "bumpa?" and I kinda got a little sad for my cute 18 month old monkey. He obviously misses his grandpa that was there to help get him up all week last week. Half of my immediate family was in town (along with my cousin, Ty) and we had a great time. It was full of outdoorsy (sp?) stuff like hiking, yard work, and the pool. {Most of those pics are coming soon}, so hold tight, and hopefully my Dad will get on the ball and send me all the good ones he took (his camera is way nicer than mine will ever be).

AND

The weekend was just as great! The girls (Mom, Me, Chanelle, Kayla, Aunt Shea, Brittney, and Grandma) all went to vegas for the weekend!! We goofed around, but the definite highlight of the trip was PHANTOM at the Venetian! I have seen it live before, but NEVER like this. I tried to convince Chanelle that she needed to ask Raul out on a date. She wouldn't do it. Anyway, here are some goofy pics of our fab weekend.

Hammy picture of us and our delightful desserts at Caesars Palace! Guess how many chocolate strawberries Chanelle ate? Yeah...16.

Dressing room Girls...I am actually not sure how we all ended up in there at once.

This is right after Phantom. It was a BEAUTIFUL night.

Another one.

Mason stayed home with his Dad, but still had a blast. Do you think he would make a cute Santa Claus?

We have now been in our new home for a little more than a month! The following pics are of the beginnings of our new house. Keep in mind that they are still in their beginning phases, so forgive the emptiness, I just wanted to show them to ya.

This isn't exactly a big part of the house but it is our front door. It just happens to have a cute little Mason on the other side. Do you think he wanted in?

The Beginnings of a living room:) Next Step: New paint!

The other half of our living room. Yay for fireplaces in Utah! Mason begged to be in this one...

One of my favorite features of the new place...a spacious (and beautiful) backyard!

Anyway, there ya have it. Stay tuned to more family vacay pictures. We sure had fun. The worst part is the missing part. I miss them:(

Hello Again

2009-07-29T08:14:00.002-06:00

The computer was nagging me this morning. Jeff and I blew through our morning walk (mostly becuase Mase was awake and he wanted to go with us), but I gotta say that my new house is in such a lovely place! Its absolutely beautiful with the nicest of people. Anyway, I knew I had not blog posted in a while, due to the move, and lack of a working internet connection. {SO HERE i AM}, I hopped on to say a word or two.

We have had a whirlwind month! July has been full of summertime activities, and boy to they keep on coming. I didn't have my camera all month (I let someone use it), however, I DID have my trusty Blackberry, and took a picture or two. So, enjoy a small percentage of what we have been doing with these FAB cell phone pictures:

American Fork Steel Days Parade! What an awesome day!

Another picture of the parade...Jeff and our friend Kyle in a Mtn Dew Chugging contest. Jeff lost, but was wired for the rest of the day:)
The new Lindon pool/water park! We have already been here more than once. Its brand new, and is great for little kids. And toddlers. Oh, and babies! Its fun. They also have one of those surfing simulators, too. You know, like the ones on cruise ships. If you have small kids or a need to surf, go there. Its fantastic.

Here is a glimse of our backyard. Mason was looking for Chanelle, and was asking where she was. But I just wanted to show you our pretty gazebo. We strung white christmas lights in it already and enjoy many a meal out there. You need to come and see it!

We have about 6 raspberry bushes, 2 blackberry, A cherry tree, 5 tomato plants, a pumpkin plant, zuchinni, 2 basil plants, and 2 pepper plants. We are having a great time eating our fresh veggies and fruits.

Mason is too.

Here are some cherries we got from our friends, the willis's. They were SO good.

I wish we had more pictures, but it just didn't happen this month. I promise I will be better in August. Until next time, hope you all are having a GREAT summer.

Blog-acation

2009-07-01T11:19:00.002-06:00

It is the last day my computer will be working for a few days (it is being transferred to our new location:) so I thought I would create one last post for the week. I decided to try the trashed card reader ONE more time, and lo and behold it worked. I guess sometimes it likes me, sometimes it doesen't. Anyway, here are some long overdue pictures. They are pretty random, but fun. Enjoy!

Have you ever been to Dippidee? We just recently went there, and it is scrumptious. I highly recommend it for those with a need for sweet stuff.

These were my Young Women handouts for my last lesson on Sunday. It was on forgiveness. They were so cute I had to take a picture! (Notice my brown bananas is the background? I guess its time for banana bread!)

This is what we call 'the cheesey face'. Whenever we ask Mason to 'make cheesey faces' this is what we get. I can't get enough of it.

These are blocks for Mason to play with. I had to post a picture because they are so cute. My mom made them! On one side, a picture of the whole family. Flip them over, a picture of just Grandpa and Grandma Nielsen. Flip 'em again, you get just a picture of Mason, Mom and Dad. Then, flip them once again and you get this:

SO cute, huh??? Mason loves to make towers out of them, then knocks them down. He loves finding the block with Grandma Nielsen's face on it. I think its his favorite.

See ya in a couple of days...or weeks. Depending on how crazy the tornado gets in our new house. See ya soon! Oh, by the way...those of you on facebook, my MOM got one. You should request her friendship. We are all excited for her decision (finally) to join the rest of the world:)

Amongst the Packing Tape and Cleaning Supplies

2009-06-29T11:06:00.004-06:00

The alarm clock went off this morning at five. So, yes, its 11...and I have been up for 6 hours! BUT, its a wonderful thing getting up early (what a novel idea, right mom?) because Jeff and I got SO MUCH PACKING done this morning! All my decor is down, in boxes, and labeled. Half the kitchen is put away, and many more things are awaiting the short ride to a new place in a large banana box. Everything is so empty...but its definitely a GOOD empty. We will miss our ward (who we said goodbye to yesterday, sniff sniff) but we know that we are moving into an awesome one!

Last week was a whirlwind one. Jeff was sick as a dog, Chanelle was sick as a dog, Jeff had finals (as I mentioned before), Chanelle started school (as I mentioned before, again), we are moving AND we went to a fantastic family reunion on friday and saturday! I am a little sad that we couldnt stay the whole time, but somehow abandoning our ward on our last sunday didn't seem like the right thing to do. AND I am sad because my photo card (in my camera) is full, so I couldnt use my camera there (its full because the card reader for the computer is in the trash, trashed). But I did take TWO cell phone pictures. {Here they are}:

Sorry about the 'camping' look...no shower in a day or so kinda makes a person look...well...dirty.

Mason and Chanelle had a blast, too. Mason mostly just liked the mud and the quads.

We had a fabulous time and my Aunt Mydona did an awesome job planning it. We still missed grandpa, though. It always seems like something is missing when we go up to the cabins.

Anyway, quick post, but there you have it. Now I best continue my never ending adventures in packing...hey I can't complain. These are all blessings:)

The Sweet Life of Jeff and Kelsy

2009-06-22T12:43:00.003-06:00

Things keep stacking on my to do list today...I don't know how I will ever get everything done before the moving. Guess what we GET to do this week?!!!

-Jeff's FOUR finals (including Software Engineering I, Discrete Mathematics, Discrete Structures, and to top it off, Physics for Scientists and Engineers)

-Pack things up in boxes! Oh wait pack EVERYTHING up in boxes!!

-Help get the new house ready to move into, whilst the construction crews tear up the street right in front of it (Mason doesn't mind the whole tractors and big machines part, if he had his choice he would be helping them tear up that road for the love of 'big trucks')

-Jeff and I will work at LEAST 35 hours between us

-Find Chanelle a Job!

-Chanelle starts school on Friday! Yay for her first semester of College!!

-Family Reunion this weekend (which i am HOPING we can get to...)

-Clean both my townhome, and the new home

As you can probably tell, {Im a little stressed}, but you gotta take it one baby step at a time (baby step pack one box...I wish Bill Murray was here to help support me), and all these things are GOOD things and BLESSINGS, so I shouldn't complain. It actually helps to get it out in list form. Yay for blogging.

So, you're probably thinking 'why is she blogging and not doing those things on her list??'-well, you are right, but I couldn't go another day and not tell you about my fantastic weekend!

It was my birthday (which was one of the most FABULOUS I have ever had, thanks to my cute sweetheart) so we went to Lagoon for a day, and had dinner with family, birthday cake with other family, and then I got a sweet gift from my husband. I LOVED lagoon ( I am a sucker for crazy roller coasters, and, if you haven't ridden WICKED yet, DOOOO IIIT!) and dinner was really great because there were family members there that I haven't seen in years. It was an awesome day (i got soaking wet and sunburned, but it was so worth it) and I won't forget it!

Saturday I went to Ogden with my aunt and Mason to a huge family function. Again, it was great to see family that I haven't seen in years. Good times.

For all y'alls sake, I didnt go into details, but by-golly was it a detailed weekend. Im up for another one..but im sure this one will be filled with cardboard boxes, rather than family. Have a great week!

Oh yeah, sorry about the lack of pictures...forgot the camera the whole weekend...oops.

Socially Talented

2009-06-18T11:04:00.007-06:00

Chanelle is still sleeping...and its 11:20 am. Its been said (by her new friends) that she is "socially capable". I think you can take it a little further by saying she is "socially TALENTED".

Tomorrow it will officially be 4 weeks since she arrived here in the small confines of our town home.

She has made an enormous amount of friends, been on a date, and has not gone to bed before midnight very often...she is socially talented. But, can I just say that I am happy for her??? Me, being the friendless person that I am, hopes everyone can have the joy of having friends, and lots of them. I am happy my sister has found a handful of people that actually appreciate the great person she actually is!

Anyway, that is what has been happening around here...other than the fact that we are MOVING!! We aren't going very far (and, as this being a public blog, I wish I could tell you where, but I won't) but it is a big step for us, because we are now going to be proud RENTERS of a HOME (the selfish Kelsy in me would say that she wishes the word OWNERS could replace the word RENTERS, but I count my blessings)!! Lots of work needs to be done, but we are excited none the less to be moving to a *ahem* safer neighborhood.

We have had so many people already offer us help, and I just wanted to tell you THANK you and we will need it!!

**There will be more updates on that situation when it is more underway (we are hoping within the next two weeks).

My mom sent a CD with more pictures of her Utah trip on it, so enjoy. Some of them are absolutely silly, but some were so fun! Mason is our little piggy (and by that, also our little HAM) and none of us could get enough.

We went to the parade of homes...had a blast! Chanelle couldn't believe there was an elevator in someones house.

My mom told me I would hate the sauna picture of me...I do. A lot.

This one was on my Mom's blog, but it was so funny I needed to blog about it, too. Every time my mom would go to sip a little of her drink, Mason decided that he, too was thirsty. Thus, the sharing of the lemonade...

Chanelle being cute with her booties on.

We spent a lot of times at the park...even with dark clouds rolling ahead...(which don't seem to be letting up yet, but I can't complain...)

Another picture of the Timponogos hike, but this is on the way down...as evidence of our smiles...oh, wait, its a picture.

I think my sister took this one...I thought it was pretty. Not exactly the prettiest of me, but the view and the b&w coloring. We were just goofing at yet another park. Good times.

This is when we got to the top...I muted the colors so you couldn't see our red faces, but I put it on here because it is a rarity to see us all three in a picture together. I also look like I have no arm from the elbow down at first glance...I can't figure out what I am doing.

There you have it...some more pictures of our fun summer adventures. May they keep on comin'.

Some of Us Miss Her

2009-06-14T09:53:00.004-06:00

Heres to the person who: Took me to the park, gave me yummy junk food, held me when I wanted, played with me, watched baby einstein's with me, and rocked me to sleep. Miss you Grandma. Love,
Mason

We went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House...It was breathtaking...and really bright(as evidence of our squinting)

We also went to Timponogos Cave one of the days. Harder hike then I thought. More fascinating than I thought. If any of you have the chance, do it. Poor little Mason's head is blocked by his Mom's big, pasty one.

This is Mason and his second cousin, Lauren who decided to take him on a cruize in her mustang. Even though they were both in their P.J.s, they had a blast driving the streets...or the cul de sac...either one.

Thanks Mom for the best week and a half...I miss you too.

Technical Difficulties

2009-06-12T18:47:00.002-06:00

Just so y'all know, I have:

a. A broken computer

b. A new resident in my household

c. A broken card reader

d. No photography skills

SO, sorry for the lack of posts and/or pictures. Not that many people read this anyway, I just do it for mi familia. We have been extremely busy these last two weeks, so don't give up on me. Better posts and pictures will be coming. My mom was in town dropping off my little sis (thus the new resident in my house hold) who is currently living in my third bedroom. We have been having a blast, and Mason has been over-occupied with many different things. Today we went to the pool. It was fabulous, mostly because it was in the lower 80's outside.

Anyway, I will hopefully be posting some more interesting things soon. Thanks for being patient!

Oh, yes and a shout out to:

-Stacey Wilson and her new baby Libby (LOVE the name btw)
-My brother Cort, who's birthday is TODAY! Happy 24th!
-My cute sister-in-law Melissa who's birthday is TODAY!
-My best friend Haylee, who got her first little nephew TODAY!

Congrats and happy birthday to all.

Have a happy weekend everybody. Enjoy summer, I sure am.

Spoons

2009-05-28T10:32:00.002-06:00

We are having computer issues at our house, so I apologize for the lack of blog posts lately. But here is a quick picture of my little monkey Mason eating with a spoon. As soon as he figured out he could do it, he wouldn't tolerate being fed, or using his own fingers very much. We are strictly spoons and forks these days.

Good job, Mase. You are growing up way too fast.

The Climb

2009-05-18T16:25:00.002-06:00

My last post was a little too sad to keep on for a long time so I decided to post something a little more on the lighter side of things.

I probably have only seen maybe 2 full episodes of Hannah Montana. The show came out a little too late for me to enjoy it as a teenager (or younger girl? I don't know which generation she tends to appeal more to). BUT....

I LOVE this song.

Don't any of you judge me. Miley Cyrus hasn't exactly been in my top 5 musicians ever. She may be moving up. Enjoy this song. It has a great message.

10 Years Ago

2009-05-17T08:44:00.002-06:00

10 Years ago:

-I was 11, wanting to be 12 so bad.
-I was in 6th grade.
-Both of my brothers were in high school.
-My sister Kayla had just finished kindergarten.
-My sister Chanelle had just finished 2nd grade.
-My mom was brand new at being a Real Estate Agent, but doing well.
-We were living in a 1600 sq foot, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house, my favorite place on the planet.
-It was 1999.

-My Dad was called to be in the Rincon Stake Presidency, as 2nd counselor.

Today:

-I am 21, married, live in Utah, and have the sweetest little boy
-Both my brothers have served honorable missions
-Cort is married, with a beautiful wife and house.
-Chad is going on his last year of Architecture School at the University of Arizona
-Kayla is finishing her sophomore year, as a beautiful 16 year old
-Chanelle is graduating from high school, and moving to Utah for school in 2 weeks
-Both my sisters can drive!
-My mom is still a great mother, and is doing well as a Real Estate Agent, even in these hard economic times.
-Both my parents have a grandson
-My family lives in a much bigger house, only 2 miles away from the old one
-Its 2009

-My father is being released from the Rincon Stake Presidency as 2nd counselor.

This post is mostly just for my family, but I just wanted to put my thoughts out there (mostly because I cannot be there for you, Dad).

I just wanted to thank you, as your daughter, for being such a wonderful and steadfast leader of the Lord's church. He is proud of you, and so are all your family members. Looking up at the list, can you see how much you have blessed the lives of your family by serving the Lord so diligently? Thank you for my blessings. Thank you for the family's blessings. Most of all, thank you for being my Dad. I am so proud of you everyday. I love you!

Love,

Kelsy

My Week So Far

2009-05-14T11:27:00.005-06:00

This is a picture of what we did on Sunday. We drove up to Tibble Fork in American Fork Canyon. It was a beautiful day, and we had such a great time. Until Mason decided that the lake was a swimming pool. Thank goodness for his mini-sized flip flops. Oh, and sorry about my hubby's eyes being shut. He does that. It was a great mothers day.

Today I decided to post a picture of my hair that I cut nearly two weeks ago. I kept waiting until I got a little less of a cheesy picture than the one on my cell phone, but I gave up. Here is the one from my cell phone. Sorry about the horrible cheesiness.

Monday I got the mail and to my great surprise (and utter unbelief that my sister is growing up so fast) I got my little sister Chanelle's grad announcement (from high school!)! I thought it was the cutest one I have EVER seen. And guess who made them? You guessed it. My cute dad. SO, if you need any sort of announcement or graphic done, you know who to call. He does a great job. Congrats Chanelle! I wish I could be there!

These were all cell phone pictures, by the way. Sorry about the low quality. Have a great rest of the week!

Update

2009-05-04T15:24:00.005-06:00

(Yes, that is a soda can. And No, I don't let him have it often)

Ok, so I have had a lot of people ask me about Mason lately. They have been wanting to know what he has been up to, into, and how his hair and teeth growing progress has been. So, I decided to dedicate this post all to Mason (like I NEVER do that, right?). I don't have many new pictures, but some cute ones.

If I could choose one word to describe this little ball of cuteness, it would be 'sweet'. There is NO other word that would describe Mason so thoroughly. Mason rarely cries, still sleeps so well, gets along with others, and eats,eats,eats, and eats. Oh, and did I mention that he eats? Anyway, he has a sweet little personality. He loves blowing kisses to everyone, gives Mama LOTS of kisses, and gives people he knows lots of hugs. When Mom sings in the car, he is usually listening intently or singing right along with her. He has a great set of pipes for a 15 month old. When Dad wants to wrestle, boy you better know that Mason IS THERE.

Mason still takes 2 naps a day, then sleeps for another 9-10 hours at night. I keep telling my husband that more kids would be wonderful, but I doubt all will be like Mason. We will cross our fingers. We are so lucky to have such a great little guy. Now, I kinda sound like I am bragging a little, and I am sorry! I just can't help it. I am just so proud of my little one.

Mason and the Cornflake Incident. He still just loves those Cornflakes

Mason's new thing is his words. He tries SO hard to say words that he hears, and a lot of them are actually understandable. His vocab consists of Banana('nana'), apple, out, bath, bye-bye,ba-ba(for his sippy cup), Dada, Mama, Grandma, Grandpa, this, that, what,cracker, mmmm,hello ('heewo?'),eat,fish, and some little moan that sounds like thank you. We are still working on that last one. Its probably not a shock to those who know him that half of his words are food. Oh, well. He is a big boy. The rest of his talking includes some very complicated gibberish. Sort of like some Mason dialect.

Mason gets excited about so many little things. He has a silky little blanket (the first one he ever got) that he likes to carry around, pressed to his face. He loves his toys, especially those with compartments. The compartments are a huge deal to him. We find lots of interesting things in interesting places around the house. We always check the garbage can before taking out the trash. One time my cell phone was heard ringing in there! If youre wondering, yes, that IS sour cream. He stole it from my plate at Chili's. He kept scooping it and eating it. When I say this boys eats everything, I mean EVERYTHING!

He also LOVES balls. He throws his ball very well. I feel bad because our backyard (I call it our backnook) doesn't have nearly the space for a good soccer game. Both him and his Daddy are disappointed about that.

Mason has a smile on his face probably 50% of the day. He is just always happy to be where he is. Even church. He likes watching all the other little kids. I know if he actually knew he will be in Nursery in July, he would be counting the days. He will do great in there. I can't believe how big he is getting! His shoe size was bumped up to a 5, and none of his shoes fit him anymore. He is growing too fast, and is just so great to be around.

As for his teeth and hair, I did cut his hair (his first haircut), and he has 6 teeth now! So yes, he is doing well in those departments. I can't wait until the pools start opening around here. We will have tons of fun.

Anyway, there you have it. A little (or not so little) bit about my sweet little Mase. He, as I have said before, is the joy in our lives. Jeff and I both love every minute we can get of him. I just hope he stops growing so fast:)

Cornflakes

2009-04-28T11:12:00.002-06:00

You know when you are busy doing something and you all of the sudden realize that you don't hear your 15 month old anymore? Well, thats what happened to me. And I found him on the floor in the kitchen with his personal box of cornflakes. I just had to share it. Mason makes me laugh everyday.