Five years and counting! Wahoo!

I've been thinking about this...I have been trying to figure out the math for the past week. If I am still 21 years old, last week I just had Marshall, and Mitch and I got married a month ago...for the life of me I can't figure out how my driver's license says that I should actually be 26, and Marshall is turning three this August and Mitch and I have been married for FIVE YEARS!
It is so cliche to say, but it seems like only yesterday Mitch and I got married. Time seems to have sped up. It's passing so quickly that I can't wrap my mind around it. The past five years of our lives together have been the most incredible adventure of my life. If my present self was somehow transported to my past self and could speak with her what would I say? What truth could I say without scaring myself out of marriage? How could I tell myself that through the up and downs I would somehow find the greatest joy I never knew was possible? What would my past self thought of my present self? If by magic I met my past self I would find her tan, blond and 30 (okay maybe 40) pounds lighter roaming the campus of BYU-Idaho. I'd take her in a loving embrace. I'd sit her down on a bench in the privacy of a tall tree. Looking into her hopeful eyes, clearly remembering the love and excitement I felt the first few months I had met Mitch. Knowing very well that it hadn't take me long to fall in love with Mitch and want to start a life with him. I think, I think I would, I'd tell her this:
Love Mitch without fear. You will cry tears of joy, sadness, pure love and even anguish. There will be laughter caused by real happiness, mischief, adoring love, and awkward embarrassment. You will feel the triumph of success and the shame of failure. You will do everything you say, "I will never do..." the sooner you get over it, the better off you will be. You have found a friend that will walk hand in hand with you and even pull you to the edge. He'll carry you places you never imagined you'd go, and you'll find yourself places you didn't want to be, and you'll be surprised that you love him more for it. By your love you'll create a life and share the encompassing challenge that parenthood brings. He will find you in your darkest corner and stand firm beside you until you'll gather the strength to stand again. You will love motherhood. Not at first, it will take you time to adjust. You will find yourself at random times during the day looking into the eyes of your child and truly believing that your purpose on earth was to bring that life into this world. You will a develop a deep resounding gratitude for Mitch as you determine the best way to raise your family together. You'll acquaint yourself with despair, pride, and envy. You won't call them friend. You will find yourself comfortably in the companionship of love, joy, and persistence. You will believe that you share a mutual dependence for each other. You'll learn the long and hard way that all things have a way of working themselves out. I won't bother telling her to not worry because, I know it's what you do best. You'll dance a dance of victory. You will find your present self much like your past self. Looking forward to a bright future with the ones you love, planning only for the best that life has to offer, and unequivocally in love with Mitch.
Before I leave my past self, I'd hug her once more and warn her about your obvious affair with fast food, and try to convince her that you'll eventually like being a brunette.
Cheers to five years! May there be many many many more adventures and experiences so we can learn to love each other more than I presently know possible!

Let's go O's!

Friday we were walking around the brick laden paths at the Washington D.C. Zoo. On Saturday we doing the wave in the Baltimore Baseball Stadium for the Baltimore Orioles! (It still seems so peculiar to me, to be so close, to so many large and amazing cities. It's a trip - like a day trip.) Anyways...
We met up with the Emericks in Baltimore and had a great time watching the Orioles and the Atlanta Braves play. It was my first professional sporting event! I loved it! The atmosphere is energizing. The food, the music, the vendors, the crowd, the cheers are all exhilarating! I got goosebumps during The Star Spangled Banner. Marshall loves attending baseball games, probably for the same reasons I do! You can't help but love the atmosphere! He's been singing, "Take me out to the ball game..." for a couple of weeks now. He can sing the entire song by himself! He was thrilled out of his mind to attend!





Thanks Grammie and Pap Emerick. You're the best! We had a blast!

Washington D.C. Zoo!

In the center of a metropolitan city lies a majestic destination. Combining the graceful fragility of Asian foliage with the paunchiness of a Panda sitting along an Asian trail and the incongruous stripes of an African Zebra, with the colossal strength of a Gorilla. What possible place could I be speaking of? I'll tell you. The Washington D.C. Zoo! Okay, okay... so you were probably thinking that I was going to say something a little more cooler then the ZOO, right? Well, let me explain to you what an amazing adventure it is to go with a two year old! (Brace yourselves - this may only be exciting to me.)
In preperation for our adventure Marshall, Mitch and I visited the Zoo's website to look at all the pictures of the animals, a couple of times actually, really we did...I've conveniently posted the Washington D.C. Zoo's website right here: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm

When we approached the animals pins it was exciting to see Marshall's reaction. Marshall, and even I, were in aboslute awe at animals. Seeing their actual size, life and personality was incredible. The WashingtonD.C. Zoo has some of the most beautiful lions, elephants, hippos, aligators, cheetahs, wolves, orangutans, and a anaconda that completely unhinges my fear of dark water! The panadas were amusing to watch. Two of them were plopped down on their rears, reclined back against a large rock with their huge tubby bellies sticking out completely enjoying the shade of a tree. (They reminded me a lot of a couple of fat hairy guys that I've seen. None of which I know personally.)
Marshall's favorite animal was the aligator in the reptile house. This aligator, like most reptiles freaked me out.
My favorite animal was Mama gorilla with her baby. The picture that I took of them isn't the greatest; first of all I don't have a great camra and secondly, mama gorilla was kind of hidding with her baby behind some brush. It was absolutely adorable to watch her with this little cute baby clinging to her. I loved them!
No! This is not the gorilla picture that I was talking about. Andy - I know what you were thinking! That's rude! This was supose to be a picture of Marshall and I with the cheetah, but would you believe it - he kept moving out of the shot. It really is true that they are fast creatures
Mitch could not pick a favorite animal. He enjoyed watching this elephant drink from a little spiket. The elephants are really huge and entertaining to watch. It was a great adventure and exceeded our expectations!

Hello, is English there?

Funny story. So I have FINALLY moved into our new place in Virginia. Yes, I love it, thank you for asking as I am sure you would if we were talking instead of blogging. Earlier this week I was going through the mundane, time consuming, wishing I had internet access earlier, "I hate automated phone responses," task of calling all of my "change address list" list to, you know, change our address. Well, my sweet little two year was patiently coloring all over my "change address list" list while I was making my important phone calls. Unbeknowst to me, he was listening in on all of my conversations! Dun dun dun...(I think this adds suspense.)

The seventh company that was on my list was Tmoblie. The first automated question this company asks you is, "If you would like to continue in English say,"English." If you would like to continue in Spanish say, "Spanish." I loudly and clearly enounicated, "English." THEN I was put on hold. I waited a few minutes on hold (it's not my favorite thing to do when I have other phone calls to make) and then let out a low annoyed sigh. Marshall set his pen down on his glorious scribbled piece of artwork and looked at me. He said,"What, is English not home?"

I love being a mom, I must laugh at least a hundred times a day!

A whole new world

I have been introduced to a whole new world. I knew that it existed but never thought I would find myself completely engrossed and committed to it as I am. It's a cheapskate's heavenly world of, "Couponing."  

I haven't always loved being cheap. It's something that has kind of grown on me since I got married as a poor college student. It comes so natural to me now that sometimes I don't even know when I'm being cheap. ;) With that being said - shopping the clearance racks in all my favorite stores, or splurging at Ross and TJmax or finding an unexpected sale is the only way I roll. Now that I have learned the wonderful art of "couponing" there is a total elation that comes when I find a great sale and can use a coupon. 

I have heard stories about frugal moms that literally cut their grocery bill by 50 -70%. There are true stories of  women that can leave a store with a full grocery cart of over $100 dollars worth of groceries and their out of pocket expense was only $12.00. As I heard these fascinating stories my pocket book became more and more envious. SO, I did a little investigating and found that it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I watched an short informative video found here: www.savvyshopperdeals.com 

Grocery shopping will never be the same!

 

As I mentioned in my previous blog, we took pictures of the grandchildren for my mother's 57th birthday. Dave snapped a few pics of Marshall and I. Thought I would share...

Can you tell that Mitch is his daddy? Just a little?

I know that I am his mother and all...so I know I have a little bias going on here but, really, isn't he a stud!?! Even with the greenish tinted bruise in the center of his forehead; he melts my heart. I love his guts!

The Grandchildren Photo Shoot!

This is a true tale about an adventure one should not often take.

Taking a family picture of the Nielson Grandchildren has never been an easy task. Especially with cold, hungry, tired children. BUT what's a child to do when their 57 year old mother pleads in her crippling aged voice for a picture of her beloved grandchildren...

for her birthday...of all things. Sibling united; we did the only thing that there was to do! We dolled our little young'ens up the best we could, dressed them in a matching color scheme of white and dark blue jean, assigned the sibling with the nicest camera to be the photographer, aesthetically posed the children, patiently waited for them to ALL look at the camera and smile just right....we waited...

...then we lost our patience. We hopped up and down, clapped and screamed for their attention and smiles. I believe there were a few curse words and tears...the picture looks pretty good when you crop off their heads.

Happy 57th Birthday Grandma Nielson!!!

Hope you know how much you're loved.