On the Road Again!

Ever since I was a little girl, I could never resist a good road trip. Traveling with 8 girls could never have been easy for my dad. I remember good times in our 11 passenger van. Singing the hello song back and forth to each other so vigorously that the van would sway to and fro, or sleeping on the floor between the two captain's seats feeling the warmth of the engine below me or the treats we got to get on one of our numerous gas station pit stops are among my favorite memories of those road trips.

Well this time it was my girls turn to create some of those fond memories. In June we headed down to Mesa for my nephews wedding. It was fun for me to think of all of my sisters out on the road since each one of us made this same trip, allowing our children the chance to create those fun memories.

Along the way, we stopped at a trading post where we spent at least an hour admiring indian jewelry and cowboy boots. It was a great rest from the road. The girls loved the old stage coach and carved bear out front.

Along the way we sang songs, told stories, played DS games, watched videos, jammed to music and ate snacks. Good times!

Madam Butterfly!

Neeley and Kayla just love to have friends over to play. When they do, they often plan fun activities and crafts. One of their favorites is when we do face painting. They love to look online and find just the right idea for me to copy. They never turn out quite like we see them, but the girls never seem to be disappointed. It's amazing what excitement a little paint can add to a play date!

Reunited!

This spring at a family wedding I noticed that some of my own cousins didn't even know me and certainly didn't know I was even part of the family. Being the youngest of my family it makes me one of the youngest cousins, add the fact that we lived in New Mexico much of my younger years and I can see how they don't know me. Our last family reunion was at least 17 years ago so I decided it was time we start up the tradition again. I called my sister Suzanne and asked her to help me put a reunion together. We had so much fun planning and organizing everything. We got together several times during the months before the reunion, each time we spent more time gabbing and laughing than we did planning. I think our husbands thought we put much more time into the actual reunion than we ever really did.

My sister Janell was nice enough to put together the craft. The kids all loved doing sand art, especially my girls. I know we weren't the only ones to come home with nearly a beach worth of sand.

The afternoon started with lots of activities. We had volleyball, horseshoes, ladder ball, crafts and a playground to play on. And of course, as we Nelson's do well, a whole lot of visiting. For dinner we had Grammies own sloppy joe recipe that she used to make us a lot when we all got together.

After dinner we had a little program. My Uncle J Rulon spoke about my grandpa. Most of us never got to meet Grandpa because he died when my mom was just 8 years old. It was really fun to learn more about him and his life. After J Rulon, my Uncle Reed spoke about my Grandma. I have many fond memories of her and visiting her at her house. Then my mom talked about her sister, my Aunt Louis who passed away several years ago. After their tributes we watched a slide show of pictures, both old and new, of everyone in our family.

Gloria (aka:Mom)

Reed

J Rulon

We then finished up the evening with smores around the fire and a lot more gabbing. I enjoyed seeing the family again and thought the evening was a great success. The best part was that we passed on the duties of planning the next reunion so the tradition will continue once again!

My aunts and uncles: Cheryl, Reed, Lila, J Rulon, Janice, Dave and Gloria (my parents) Missing from the picture is my Uncle Jim (Cheryl's husband who was on a business trip), Uncle Gene and my late Aunt Lois.

Kate was relaxing on a blanket and the next thing I know she was surrounded by boys. Is this a glimpse of her future?

Making friends with my cousin Becky's little boy!

This is me!

Hi, I am Kate! I am 9 month old and I can do lot's of stuff!

I love to eat real food. This morning I had pancakes, but my favorite is watermelon, oreos and spaghetti.

I can crawl real fast but my tummy never leaves the ground.

I love to smile and be tickled.

I finally learned how to say "Mama!" but I like to say "Dada" best.

I can palm my bottle and feed myself.

I sleep from 5:30 pm to 7:00 am and still take two naps during the day.

I have just learned that exploring the house is really fun. I can leave my mommy if I go on my own. But if she walks out of the room, I cry.

My mommy is afraid to test me again to see if I am still allergic to milk, but I really want ice cream!

I have really good eye sight and can find every little morsel on the ground. They are the tastiest! (My mom's not a very good housekeeper!)

I can melt my mommy's heart.

(Bottom pictures by my niece "Big Sissy Photography."

This Little Piggy

I remember when Neeley was about 7 months old I was working and Aunt Nikki was Neeley's cute little nanny. She always kept such good care of her, making sure she was happy and looking cute. Despite this all I ever wanted was to stay home with Neeley. Growing up, my mom always stayed home with us and it was a priority for me to do the same. I remember coming home one day and Neeley had her first little piggy in her hair.

Although it was so adorable, part of me was sad that I wasn't the first to do this for her. That is when my dream of staying home became an urgent priority and soon became reality.

Since then, many, many sacrifices have been made so I can stay home with my little girls. Some little and some giant, but this has remained a priority for us.

This is why, when it was time for Kate to have her ceremonial "first piggy" I am so thankful I was there to do it for her. Being a stay at home mom isn't always glamorous or fun, but it always gives little paybacks along the way!

Bring On Summer!

Just after school ended we had a "Bring on Summer" party planned. After a few reschedules for bad weather and sickness, we were finally able to have the party. What started out as an idea to have a few friends over snowballed into a giant party. Nothing says summer more than 30 giggling girls, good food and unlimited popsicles! Thankfully, a few moms stuck around to help.

Grandpa's Game

Grandpa started a "game" with one of the grandkids. The rules are: Be good for 7 days straight. Call Grandpa each night to report. After 7 days Grandpa takes you on a special date to pick out a special toy. What started with just one grandchild is spreading to all 23. Neeley was the first in our family to play the game. She had to start her 7 days over once but was successful and loved going on her date to pick out a new DS game. Kayla was second and had a rougher start. After having to start her seven days over several times she looked at me and said, "I am not playing this game! I'll just wait and ask Santa for what I want!" But, after a little more thought and the temptation of a new DS game she kicked it into gear and won the "game". Next was Lilah's turn. We decided to make her game very specific. She has been potty trained since she turned two but suddenly decided she was just too lazy to go into the bathroom at times. So her game was 100% potty success. Luckily Grandpa was out of town during hers so she had to play the game for almost two weeks. That gave her plenty of time to master the game. After asking me every day if Grandpa was home yet, the day finally came. She ran around the house flailing her arms with excitement. Grandma and Grandpa came and picked her up and didn't bring her home until she was thoroughly spoiled. She came home with a new bike, a barbie, a box of coveted dots and having been to Burger King for a play on the toy, a kids meal and a new crown. This was the crowning glory of 2 weeks of hard work. And the best part of the game: she won and keeps winning everyday! Thanks Grandpa for spoiling our girls and spoiling us with some good behavior!