4 Month Check-Up

 Minnie had her 4-month check-up today.

She's a healthy 17-pound chub doing all the normal

things perfect 4-month-old babies do.

We're now in size 3 diapers, headed fast to size 4.

After her shots, (sad) I just loaded her up in the car seat 

without putting her clothes back on.

In the car, I rolled all the windows down, and she

slept the whole way home.

She loves the wind and the noise.

8th Grade Dance

 The end-of-school festivities have begun!!!!

Over the weekend, Lottie had her formal dance and dinner party at school for

the 8th graders stepping up to their first year of high school!

Lottie looked so beautiful, and Jane, Minnie, 

 and I had so much fun watching her get ready.

Then we took her to the school dance to meet up with her friends.

But, wasn't it just last year she went to her 6th-grade dance??

In By 7:00

Our Friday nights look so much different these days.  

Instead of going out to dinner or seeing a movie, 

like we used to do,

Christian and I are in by 7:00 when Minnie starts her wind-down phase.  

Bedtime these days is around 9:00 pm, and by that time, 

we are snug in our bed, too.

I actually don't mind.

As the sun sets and the first fireflies start to twinkle in the dimming light, 

I so much joy in nursing Minnie in the rocking chair in her room after her tub

and fresh jammies.

This evening, she fell asleep in Christian's arms while he 

was on the phone talking to his dad in Arizona.

Tomorrow is our studio's FIRST BIRTHDAY!

I can't believe it!

Rocky Mountain Oysters

 

Minnie is in her adorable slobbery phase! 

I just got her some cute little bibs that make her look like a flower. 

We’re also fully embracing the white onesie phase—it's pretty 

much all she wears these days!

It's basically what ALL my baby Nies 

would wear during the hot summer months.  

But is there anything cuter than a baby in a white onesie?

Speaking of cute, baby George is doing great!  

This afternoon, he was castrated.

Christian is such a pro at it; the calves hardly bleed, and it's done

in like three minutes.  

Do you know what Rocky Mountain Oysters are?

George!

 

Introducing George, our newest calf!

He's a big fella, named after the father of America, 

George Washington.

Christian and I decided that, as we celebrate 250 years of our country, 

all the calves born in this year's crop will be named

 after key figures in the founding of America.

Welcome, George!

Dressed For June!

 Well, well, well, Adele looks snappy in her June yellow polka dot bikini!

June has already hit a heat wave here!

We're reaching nearly 100 degrees!  BLAHHH!

Minnie and I wake up in the morning and sit on the front porch swing

while she nurses, but lately it's been WAY too hot for that.

I think Adele is properly dressed for June!

June!

Welcome, June!

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I found out 

I was pregnant with baby Minnow! 

One entire year! 

I got Minnie a small swing called "the coconut" to hang on our porch, 

where we spend our evenings when the heat dies down and 

the fireflies buzz around in the dark. 

Summer in North Carolina is magical!

Christian is going to hang it next to the swing on the porch,

but for now it's under the cherry tree.

I put her in it and mowed the lawn.

Angus lies under her feet, and it's all very quiet and charming.

She hates when he barks, but I think she likes to watch him

wandering around.

We all like to watch Minnie.

She is the most incredible, adorable baby in the whole wide world!

I Did Get On The Plane

Today I got a text from Claire with a photo of 

her and Nate in their backyard in Mesa.

As it turns out, I was wearing THE SAME OUTFIT as she was 

seventeen years ago, in Mesa while visiting Christian's sister, 

Charity's graveside, almost to the DAY in 2008!!!!! 

That skirt is still going strong.  

Here I am with Christian's sisters, parents, and 

my little dude Gigs behind me with bleached blonde hair.

I felt a little homesick for those days.

In nearly 3 months, my life would completely change.

It's unfathomable.

I look at myself here in this picture, and I look so happy with my healthy body

from teaching yoga, slender neck, freckles, cute hair, 

 super busy, happy life in Mesa with 4 little children, and I want to yell, 

"Just don't get in the plane!!!"

But then a bigger part of me wants to just hug

her and tell her that it's all going to work out, and I love her

and what she's going to overcome and face, and how it will

change so many lives and teach resilience and growth.

The truth is, some days I wish I hadn't gotten on the plane,

but the reality is, I did, and I am proud of who

 I am, and what I went through to fight for a happy life.

Our Morning Routine

Minnie and I have a morning routine.

We wake up, and I let her kick naked on my bed for about 5 minutes,

any longer than that, and she'll tinkle.

Then we go to the kitchen, and I take my vitamins and fill up

my water bottle.  Then we go outside, and I put

her in her little seat on the porch swing, give her a push, then

check my flower garden, and water my hanging baskets and porch pots

all while she is swinging and kicking her legs.

I think she likes listening to the cardinals nesting in one of my fern pots.

Then we go back inside for a tub & body massage.

Then I nurse her, and she's ready for her first nap.

Minnie is not a great napper...yet.

I can lay her down after nursing, but she usually wakes up 10-20 minutes later.

I am hoping that as she gets older, she'll sleep longer.

I PRAY she'll be a good napper.

It’s such a bummer when I gently lay her down, rush for a quick shower, 

and with shampoo in my hair, hearing Minnie’s little cry just moments later. 

Snoozing With Lottie

This afternoon, I asked Lottie if she'd hold Minnie while I made dinner.

After about 25 minutes had passed

I went to check on the girls since it was pretty quiet in and saw the

 cutest sight ever! Lottie had rocked Minnie to sleep.

Lottie assured me she was fine and so 

I went back into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner 

and silently offered a prayer of gratitude for this unexpected life 

I'm living, for my beautiful children, and for our health. 

I am always so thankful for good health!

Eat Her Up!

Today, Minnie and I joined Christian to rotate the tires in my car, 

make a Costco stop, and of course, the best part, get lunch.  

Usually, when Christian needs to run errands and wants me to join him, 

he prefaces the invitation like this,

"I was thinking of grabbing lunch tomorrow. Want to come?"  

and then I say, 

"Oh my gosh, yes I do!  What errands are we going to run, too?"

I usually don't care what it is; Minnie and I are in!

And Minnie is starting to love being in the car.  

When she gets fussy, we roll all the windows down, and she likes the sound.  

My 4-Runner's rear window goes down, too, and she loves that the most.

While we were getting the tires rotated, I called Claire in Arizona

and I sent pics of Minnie and me, and she sent us photos back

of the adorable garden that Nate planted for her, and 

on her front porch eating a smoothie.

I told Claire I wanted her and Minnie to FaceTime once a day 

so Minnie will know her biggest sister.

I love watching Minnie observe the world around her.  

She is growing up every day, and I can visibly see it!  

She is starting to reach for things, and her chubby fingers

 get wrapped up in my hair, 

and she pulls on my necklaces when we nurse.

She drools a lot, too.

I got her some cute little bibs that make her look

like a little flower.

Ohhhhh my goodness, we could ALL EAT HER UP!

4 Months Old

Hello everyone! 

It’s me, and I’m alive!

 I don’t know if you’ve noticed, 

but I’m gradually returning to blogging with sporadic posts starting 

in December, from where I left off. 

I have so much to share, and I want to make sure I don’t forget anything 

because my life has been truly surreal.

Having Minnie has been so cool- especially with all my

older children around who want to be involved and are so helpful.

 I have always known that having a baby teaches some of the 

best lessons in life about love, selflessness, patience, joy, and

 especially about the Savior. 

But being a new "old" mom has put these lessons in a new light for me-

and it's been challenging, too.

 Christian and I marvel at this sixth chance 

with a new, perfect baby that we get to raise and care for.

It's mind-blowing!

Minnie is officially 4 months old now and doing the cutest things like

rolling, smiling, drooling, and producing the cutest little giggles.

We ALL love Minnie!

MinNie Dialogues

 Hey all!  

I am working on updating my blog.

I'm about three months behind if you haven't noticed.

Feeling horrible during pregnancy for months really

did me in, plus having a newborn has been a huge change.

Literally the only thing I do is nurse.

I'm not complaining, but, well...it's all I do.

But my goal is to update and catch up.

For now, an update on baby Minnie, also known as Nielson six:

she arrived safe and sound on January 21st, at 3:21 am

7 pounds 1 ounce, 19 inches, and is beautiful

 and amazing and fussy all at the same time.

Or maybe I forgot what newborns were like?

Or maybe I'm just old and tired.

Whatever it is, I can't wait to share more.

I only take 50,000 photos of her a day,

so buckle up, pretty soon this blog might sound more like

 the MinNie Dialogues.

Like A Broken Vessel

On December 27th of last year, one of the greatest men to 

ever live passed away—President Jeffrey R. Holland,

 who was a personal friend of my family. 

He was an incredible minister to our family and the whole wide world.

I remember right after the accident, when I was still so very sick,

 listening to a talk he gave 

at a devotional at BYU called " Lessons from Liberty Jail."

I'd lie on my bed and listen to that talk on repeat, 

sometimes five times in a row for nearly a year.

It was incredibly comforting and soothing, and 

I knew every word he spoke was true.

 He spoke to my soul, and in those early dark days after the accident, 

his words made everything feel like it was going to be all right.

 That reassurance was everything to me. 

I will miss him deeply—his wisdom, his sense of humor, 

and his unwavering conviction in Christ.

"You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience 

with the Lord in the most miserable 

experiences of your life—in the worst settings,

while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the

 most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced...

So for every one of you in attendance tonight—here in this vast auditorium 

or in other locations around the world—I bless every one of you, 

each one of you in your individual circumstances, 

as if my hands were on your head. 

 offer that to you as honestly as I offer my testimony. 

I bless you in the name of the Lord that God does love you, 

does hear your prayers, is at your side, and will never leave you.

Later, he shared our story at the 2013 General Conference

which was one of his most memorable talks, like a Broken Vessel.

What an honor.

"Whatever your struggle, my brothers and sisters—mental or

 emotional or physical or otherwise—do not vote against the preciousness

 of life by ending it! Trust in God. Hold on in His love. 

Know that one day the dawn will break 

brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee.

 Though we may feel we are “like a broken vessel,” as the

 Psalmist says, we must remember, that vessel is in the

 hands of the divine potter. Broken minds can be healed just the

 way broken bones and broken hearts are healed. 

While God is at work making those repairs,

 the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind."

Back To School

This morning, I went upstairs to help Ollie pack for his trip back to Idaho

after one of the most fantastic Christmas breaks to date.

Minus the barfs.

  The upstairs loft room, which housed Jane, Ollie, 

and Lottie during Christmas break, 

was a mess, and oddly enough, it really got my heart.  

I will miss this mess so much.

Having all the kids home for the last few weeks has been such a gift,

and seeing the Nies so excited about their sister's birth

 has been one of the sweetest gifts I could ever receive.

They are all going to be the best big siblings to their very much younger sister.

Later in the evening, after Ollie was packed up and the loft was back to normal,

 Ollie played cards with Jane and Lod, and then we all piled

 in the car and took him to the airport.

The last thing I said to Ollie as I hugged him goodbye was,

"This is the last time you will ever see me pregnant.

The next time I see you, you'll have a new sister, and I won't

throw up anymore!"