14 reasons why I love my family

#1  Well, it's not because they are neat freaks!

This is Stephen's room and I just had to find a reason to use this picture.

Just the night before he had cleaned his room only for me to find it like this the next morning after he had left for school(a daily occurance).  So, what's the use?  However, I will never give up reminding my boys to keep their surroundings clean.  I am glad that they keep busy doing lots of productive things and enjoy developing their talents and haveing a good time.  So, even though I have to constantly remind my men to clean up after thenselves...I love that they are usually anxiously engaged in a good cause!

Now lets see if I can come up with 13 more!  Shouldn't be too hard should it?

I AM - Nichole Nordeman

Have a beautiful Sabbath. We are so blessed!

Slowly but surely

Well the house is coming along.  That roof has been a HUGE job.

They are now sheeting it and then we can finally be dried in!

In the meantime Dad has been working on the stairs going down into the basement.

And here is where we will have the stairs going down from the family room.

I'm excited to see some progress being made down stairs as this is where

the boys rooms will be.  3 bedrooms and a bathroom on this side next to the stairs.

Looks like Dad is getting ready to put the wall up between the mechanical room

and the theatre room here.  On the othere side of the wall will be room to put in

a small kitchen area....someday.

Here is the back entrance into the basement.

Here's a look at the family room looking out the windows on either

side of the fireplace.  Master suite on the right and kitchen on the left.

Here is a view thru the wall into our master bedroom closet

and then thru to the bathroom where you can see the window in the middle.

And on either side of these rooms is our bedroom on

 one side and our office on the other.

Here a view of that whole side of the house.

Here is a view of the kitchen area looking from the bay window

and out thru the kitchen into the laundry room and pantry.

Last but not least is the back of the house.

Tomorrow is a big day as the weather is supposed to be pretty good

and Dad is anxious to get us all dried in.

We've been picking out colors of stucko, tile, hardwood, granite, windows and stone too.  I'll try to get some pictures soon to post later.

  So, we are getting there slowly but surely!

More Trusses

Well, the week started out with the trusses over the entryway and familyroom in.

Then the big guys showed up and started placing more of them over the garage and rest of the house.  It has been a slow progression trying to get all of them on and set.

It's been like peicing a puzzle together watching these trusses go up.

Here's a view from the street.  Still lots of work to do before it looks like a roof.

Jut thought I would give you a peek at how it is going.

Stay tuned and I will show you the finished product!

It's getting there.

Michael William

I stumbled upon this picture the other day while cleaning and organizing.

I remember this time in Michael's life so well. He was about 3 years old. It was just the 3 of us and all of our hopes and dreams.....which are now being fullfilled.

So proud of this sweet boy!

Cant we just have prayer??

So, you know how you start to wind down for the night and you gather the family around to have family prayer right before you go to bed?  Well, our family has this big problem it is called "Stephenitis"!  I swear that we can NEVER just kneel down and have prayer!  Stephen always gets the ball rolling and for some reason Mike and Bryce get sucked in everytime. So, the jokes start (with Stephen) and comments are made and then it is like a ripple in the water....they don't stop!  And they go on and on and then someone cant stop laughing and it seems like it never stops for another 20 minutes.  So, what once was a simple family prayer to finish off the night, ends up being a long drawn out comedy hour!  And I just get tired of it.  Especially because it is usually "guy stuff" they are laughing about.  Finally I say, "cant we just have prayer"???!!!! And then if I'm lucky and catch them in the middle of a joke....I start to pray or someone else is tagged to pray right at that moment and we are finally able to put the night to rest!  Geez!  This just happens to be a nightly thing.  And it seems to have started ever since Stephen became a teenager.  He is constantly quoting from movies or comedians.  He is a night owl as it is so, the later it gets the crazier he gets.

This can be an annoyance but it can also be a lot of fun...shhhhhhh!  Dont tell them I said that:)

Tursses

Yesterday Dad and Mike started getting the trusses up on the house.

(above the kitchen nook)

Okay, this just scares me!

(standing on top of the garage)

Dad, Stephen, and Mike

(kitchen nook again)

Mike was determined to get the familyroom area going even though it was getting pretty dark.  He and Bryce were out there until 6:00 getting this done.

Yah, they thought they were pretty funny!

I did not!

January Nelson Family update

Well, the new year has started out pretty good so far for the Nelson family.  Bryce finally gave up wrestling.  He decided that he didn't like being held down and strangled anymore!  I never really cared much for the sport but tried to be the supportive Mom.  I personally would hate wrestling for the same reasons!  So, he tried and found out that wrestling just wasnt his thing.  Now he wants to play lacrosse!  He also wants to take a dance class.  Not sure what we're gonna do.  Mike is not pleased that he dropped out of wrestling before the season was over but, he also needs to be doing something other than sitting around the house listening to his ipod and watching movies.  So, we will see what the spring brings for him.  We need to keep that boy busy...he is starting to get a little more interested in girls....HELP! 

Stephen has decided to play baseball again.  It was a toss up between baseball and soccer.  He loves soccer and played it for 7 years when he was little.  But all his friends are playing baseball again and the coaches have been trying to recruit Stephen so it was kind of a no brainer for me that he should go ahead and play baseball.  Baseball is a bit more challenging for Stephen although he is good at it as well.  Just not his best sport.  They really needed a catcher and he is a good catcher.  So, baseball it is for Stephen for the spring.  He continues to be involved with Choir and really enjoys that.  He is also taking his second year in spanish...I bought him a hymnal in spanish for christmas this past year and he loves it!  Said it was his favorite gift!

Summer activities for Stephen are already being planned. He has the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic to do service work with a group from school.  He also has the opportunity to go to EFY but he cant do both.  It will be interesting to see what he ends up doing.  He really wants to go to D.R. cant blame him. If we can raise the funds to go that is what he will likely do.(we can kill 2 birds with one stone if he goes...as he could count it as his Eagle project.) Then football camp starts July 5th and that is what he will be doing for the rest of the summer. 

Mike's job is going well.  It was a rough start for him but now things are looking up and he is feeling more and more adjusted each day.  Whenever Mike is feeling like he needs some extra help he starts to attend the temple regularly making it a weekly visit, and he always gets the extra help he needs.  He is teaching Bryce's sunday school class and is a bit frustrated trying to get them to listen...such is that age.  Hang in there hunny!

I am enjoying being home and getting my home organized.  I have lots of projects that I am tackling and want to get done before we make the transition over to the new house this summer.  Looking forward to finally landing some place where we will stay for a long time!  I am enjoying working in the RS presidency in my ward.  We are really focusing on VT this year....so lots of visits ahead.  We are also planning a ward Emergency Preparedness activity for February.  Lots to do! 

We shall carry on!

An Extension

Well, it looks like Elder Nelson has more time left to do this than we thought!  I got a random email the other day from him stating that he has been asked to extend his mission.  So, instead of coming home on May 31 as was planned, he will be staying until the middle of July it looks like.  I have mixed emotions about it.  While I am so proud of him and the great work he is doing, I have to hold my excitement a little longer for when he returns.  These are the best years of his life and I am glad that he is loving it so much.  Go get em' Elder Nelson!

A beautiful day to build a house!

The sun was shining today!  Look at that clear blue sky!

Now you can see the garage

being framed on the far right side of the house.

Today Dad worked on the Bay window in the kitchen that will sit

here with a view out to Mom and Dad's house.

This is where I will sit in our office and look out the windows.

Here is another view of the office.

This is looking out from the front door.

Here is the other end of that room where the fireplace will sit in the middle

of that far wall with windows on either side.

Here is a view of our bedroom too.. there is lots more

done but didnt want to bore you with all the framing.

So exciting though.  Today was a beautiful day to build a house!

It's time to get organized!

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" - D&C 88:119

Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.

New Years Day

New Years Day Mike was so excited that he got to work on his house!

This is our family putting up a wall together!

Then the 3 of us(Mike couldnt tear himself away from working) went over to Mom's for some Albondigas soup and a fun time with family for New Years day afternoon.  We played some uno and watched the movie "Salt" quite the action movie.  It was just the Mason's and the Nelson's there.  It was a nice to spend time with Mom at her place.

Here are the 4 cousins together. 

Joey, Stephen, Christopher and Bryce.

New Years Eve 2010

We spent our New Years eve day at Soldier Hollow this year. It was much colder than Christmas eve was when we went tubing and it snowed the whole time we were there...brrrrr! Unforntuately Mike had to work so he wasn't able to come:(
 This is Stephen with his good friend Cami from school, they are good buds. Then of course Bryce and I. Soldier Hollow is up Provo Canyon and it was a beautiful drive.

We went with Mark and Coleen and their family, Stephie and Ryan and their family, Kara and Nathan and theirs, and Uncle Keith and Aunt Sondra.
 It was a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate the last day of the year. I think we will make it a tradtions to go tubing or sledding and just play in the snow on this day  every year from now on!

Tubing with family, a great way to celebrate the last day of the year!

Happy New Year!