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!

Walls going up!

Came home Monday and saw this happening!  Walls are going up!

By Tuesday we had this.  This picture is the front entry way of the house!

This is to the right where the garage will go.

This is the side view from where I sit at my desk right now next door. 

The window straight ahead is where the bathroom will sit and the two

windows to your left is where our bedroom will be. 

Closet in between the two rooms

and on your left is where the office will be.

Here sits the other side of the house where the kitchen, kitchen nook, storage/pantry, laundry room/mud room, bathroom and entrance into the garage will be.

So, it's getting exciting.  The only thing Mike and I regret now is putting the bedroom on the side that we did.

We would have had a better view of the mountains if we switched sides with bedroom and kitchen areas! Dangit!

We toured the house last night in the dark.  It was fun to imagine how it will all look.

Down in the basement is where the 3 other bedrooms and bathroom will be.

Today it is snowing again so, it looks like progress will be on hold for a day or 2.

Christmas 2010

Well, Christmas eve started off with breakfast at Mom and Dad's

then we went to play in the snow with Mark and Coleen's family!

We always have a great time with them...the kids have a blast together!

( got a totally cool shot of stephen jumping over devyn

 while she was sledding down the hill)

Then the guys worked on the house for a while.

Christmas eve dinner consisted of a yummy lobster and steak dinner with

Mom, Dad, Brad and Jamie and kids.

Doesnt this look good?? 

Me Bridger and Reese...Brad and Jamie's kids..they love me what can I say!

I love them too!  They are so stinkin' cute!

Here's Jamie, my cute sister in law...I didnt get many pictures that night.

But we had a good time and the food was delicious!

Thanks to Jamie and Brad!

We tried a million times to take a family photo by our christmas tree

but someone always ended up with their eyes closed, blurry, with a goofy face

 or out of place so we finally gave up!

Christmas morning we got up and started opening presents and this was the only picture

 I got when my camera battery went dead! This was Mike's gift from Stephen

pj's with the Spanish Fork Don's logo..the high school Mike graduated from. 

The guys got some warm comforters to use downstairs while they watch movies in the basement since it gets kinda cold down there...because we finally broke down and got a tv!

We've had it since Thanksgiving but it was our main family gift! 

It is really nice to be down there at night with all the lights off watching a movie

It's like being in the theatre!

 Grandpa couldn't wait to get out there again and work on the house! Yes, even on Christmas morning.

The weather was so great both Christmas eve and Christmas day...

he just couldn't let the day go to waste.  (Mike a says Dad is celebrating life and the fact that he can still work and do what he loves most!) The boys went out and helped before we left for Theresa's for

our Stephenson family get together.

First we met my family at the theatre where we saw "Tangled" 

Such a very cute Movie!

Then we headed over to Theresa's

Here's Mom with her newest grand daughter Monroe...Rickie and Krista's baby.

We ate and hung out with everyone there...it was great

except we missed the games because Michael called about that time and we must have talked to him for 2 hours.  That's okay, next year he will be here for Christmas and we can play all the games we want to together as a family....AGAIN!

As we drove away from my sisters to head back home I felt like someone was missing.  As I thought about it I realized it was because we had been talking to Michael for so long and it was as if he was with us again. So, as we were heading home I could feel that void again.

So, we drove by the Draper Temple on our way out

It was very beautiful!

All in all it was a very nice Christmas!