five.

a photo of me two years ago.

so long!

between packing and tidying, sweet husband and i managed to fit in a friendly game of monopoly. gregory was winning. i told him that he had horseshoes up his ass. he said he didn't get it so i explained that it just means he's lucky. he says that kind of talk is way too deep for his brain and i should just speak english. i think he's funny. that little story however, wasn't the point of this post. this post is to try to explain even an OUNCE of my excitement for tonight's voyage across the country to THIS pretty little house...

to see these wonderful people...

yup, tonight is the night i've been anxiously awaiting for months...heck, YEARS! i've been prancing around my house all day. good bye california, have a lovely christmas.

bon voyage

and my theme song this fine month of december two thousand and ten...

"i'll be home for christmas"



but there's no "if only in my dreams" this year!! we fly to lovely nova scotia tomorrow night to spend ten glorious days with my family and i cant even wait! tonight and tomorrow will be filled with packing our bags, tidying our little home and hot chocolate to ease the stress of trying to fit everything i want to bring and not forgetting anything essential. i'm desperately hoping for a good little traveller for our 10 hour journey east. Hope your holidays are Merry!

Merry Christmas and lots of love,
Greg, Nikki & Emmerson

four.

my favorite photo of my bestest buddy is THIS:

whether it be bubbles, hot soup, or kisses, the average human will pout their lips out a bit when blowing something. not sweet husband. he sucks his lips in and it always makes me laugh. not only is he making a face that i love, but it is christmas morning, and he is playing with bubbles that santa put in his stocking. this picture just makes my heart happy!

three.

your idea of the perfect first date.

okay, so i'm going to change this around a little bit and tell you how mine and gregory's first date went down...

he shows up at my door wearing questionable attire. granted he was on his mission in australia for two years prior, but that will never excuse the poofy brown skater shoes that took over his feet, oversized jeans, and a side part in his hair. what have i gotten myself into? He took me to Islands for dinner, and that was nice, but please keep in mind they play surf videos on televisions at every angle in this place, and we all know a good wave will consume gregory john's attention no matter who he's with. We did have pretty good conversation and i managed to keep his attention a good portion of the time, so all was not lost quite yet. After dinner gregory suggested we go do something else, but he didn't have anything planned. i like plans. We hopped in the car, and he drove into a shopping center parking lot to "decide what we were going to do". well, we started playing 21 questions, which then turned into 50 bazillion questions and hours spent talking and getting to know each other which was lovely! I guess he got pretty comfy with me because that's when he pulled a stunt i will never forget. He got completely serious and told me about a dream he had recently. "i was with this pretty girl, and this one song was playing....what was the name???...OH! Moondance by Van Morrison...that was playing...and she kissed me. it was a great dream!" okay..........anyway. He then continued. "wait a sec...i just might..." and he goes ahead and Pulls out a van morrison CD and plays the song in his car. you've GOT to be kidding me. He puts his hands behind his head, leans back in his seat, and waits. i look at him like he is completely mental and then he goes and flashes that deliciously attractive smile of his, so i fold my arms, and look straight ahead contemplating in my head whether to kiss this kid or not. i like him. but i'm not going to kiss him. but i kind of want to. but not on a first date. im not that kind of girl...second verse...gotta decide..okay maybe i am that kind of girl...I lean over, smile sweetly, and lay one on him. we kissed in that parking lot for about an hour, and then he took me home, walked me to the door, kissed me good bye, and that's when i knew he was different from any other boy i'd ever known and i wanted to keep him around forever.

first came love.

then came marriage.

then came emmy in a baby carriage.

gosh oh gee how happy i'd be, if i could only whistle.

This christmas, emmerson claire's theme song is fairly obvious.

All i want for christmas is my two front teeth.

poor gal.

fourteen.

days.

two.

a photo of something i ate today. WELL dino shaped chicken nuggets of course...but here's the cherry on top. keep that ketchup/ranch/bbq sauce in the fridge and try dipping it in jam.

oh.

my.

goodness.

gracious.

you'll never forgive yourself for not thinking of it sooner. so very good. reminds me of a monte cristo sandwich...and if you've never had that either, well try it, you're in for a treat. bon appetite.

the stockings were hung by the chimney with care

i decided last christmas that i was going to buy plain velvet stockings from pottery barn and then create my own design for all of my kids' stockings so that they are somewhat special to them. last year i didn't get around to it, but this year i finally put on a pair of crafty pants... errrr...put on my crafty hat?? i finally got crafty and went to work. i'm happy with the results and my sweet emmy thinks it's marvelous, so mission accomplished!

please note: i cannot take credit for the design of mine and greg's stocking. that was pottery barn

one.

ok, you got me. i'm going to do it. this might not be 30 consecutive days, but i will do my best to keep it going incase you cared to learn even more about me.

30 Day Blog Challenge:

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past.

Day One:

This is me today.

I had quite an uneventful day, but i'm not complaining. Emmy and i stayed home for the majority of it, but took little field trip to the horse establishment at the bottom of the hill this afternoon. Miss Em loves her animals, and i'm learning to tolerate their filth and hideous scent for her sake. We read books, watched raffi, played peekaboo, had a couple dance parties...nothing out of the ordinary. gregory came home and we had supper, watched a little television, ate ice cream, played silly games with our sweet girl, then when she went to sleep we played monopoly and now i'm about to call it a night. i would consider it a good day. low key, but good.

ho ho ho

My itty bitty christmas lover has caught on quickly. we went to visit santa for the first time this year a few weeks ago. shy is not in emmerson's nature, and she wasn't at all scared. she happily sat on santa's lap, smiled sweetly for the camera and was thrilled to learn that the jolly man gives candy canes to all the little girls and boys that visit him. we went back to the mall a week later and she wanted to have another visit with mr claus. she turned on the charm, got another candy cane and merrily went on her way. we were at a different mall yesterday playing in the kids area with a santa cottage set up close by. she was minding her own business when she heard that famous "ho ho ho" and within seconds she was up and bolting for old saint nick. there were no other kids waiting in line at the time so i let her barge in. she got quite excited, and the workers were eating it up. they played music for her, and she danced for them. it didn't take long before she spotted the basket of joy. Santa saw that she was eyeing the candy, reached in and gave her a candy cane. she gave him a hug, and so he gave her a stuffed animal too (the kid really knows how to work it) once she got what she wanted, she pranced passed the crying/terrified children now in line and continued playing. what a champ. here are the photos from our first trip, and a few others taken recently.

on the nice list! (cousin Landon too)

being so gentle with the ornaments.

enjoying the pretty tree

love for cousin Landon.

seventeen.

days.

countdown

happy december! Emmerson and I cracked open our first chocolate in the ol advent calendar this morning and oh my golly what a great moment. she lit up when she saw "ho ho ho" on the package and did a happy dance when she realized there were treats inside. now let me tell you, getting older and having kids doesn't make it ANY easier to resist the temptation to rip open every single flap and devour all 24 (used to be 25 back in my youngster days. what a rip.) pieces of chocolate on the first day. i reluctantly refrained from doing so for the child's sake but what a task this will be to relive EVERY single day until christmas. i think next year i might have to get crafty and bust out a homemade one that can fit a cupcake or something more satisfying than that itty bitty piece of chocolate barely the size of a penny.

twenty.

five.

days.

joy to the world!

this week we celebrate thanksgiving in the united states of america. i have a lot to be thankful for, and i shall share a few of these things. Sweet husband and darling little girl. my family. gregory's family. sugar cookies. snow. snow globes. church. epidurals. (this was top of the list last year after birthing a small human, but i added it again this year after witnessing the dreadful pain michelle suffered when hers didn't work, i am now extra glad that they work for me) nail polish. being able to travel home. (finally!) good friends. Raffi. slippers. hot baths. hot chocolate. parks with swings. Taylor Swift. friendly neighbors. cupcakes. books. movies. flowers. love. candles that smell like cookies. rain boots. naps. excitement. laughter. monopoly. date nights. cell phones. snuggling. making snow angels. creativity. guitars. pasta. and because it's that time of year, i'm really thankful for the feeling of joy that takes over my entire soul at christmastime. when christmas music is playing and i get a burst of excitement, i keep asking greg "are you happy like i am right now!?!?!!" and he always tells me that no one gets happy quite like i do over this time of year. bummer. i mean, i'm sure i could find some crazies just like me, but most of the folks i've encountered find me a little overboard and i just feel sad for them. who wouldn't want pure bliss for 2 months straight in their lives? oh martha!! oh christmas!!

happy holidays love the nielsens

and counting.

my fireplace DVD is playing on my tv with christmas music, i just baked sugar cookies, i have some decorations up, and i cannot stop smiling!! i've even come to a compromise on the christmas tree dilemma. although it makes no sense to have one this year, i figure we can go get a real live tree of the charlie brown variety to satisfy my needs. it will be fun to go pick one out as we normally just pull branches out of a box each year and assemble a very fake fur in our livingroom. our house will be filled with the fresh scent of pine and i won't feel like a complete failure of a christmas lover.

forty.

one.

days.

it's beginning.

i was going to try extra hard this year to hold the christmas cheer until after thanksgiving. i can't do it. i am physically and mentally incapable and i'm not even sure why i set such impossible goals for myself. not only did i bust out the christmas tunes today, but i think i may just decorate this weekend and i have two valid reasons for doing so. one. we are leaving for ohhhhh canadaaaa on dec. 19th, so i need to start early this year to be able to enjoy my decorations for a good solid month, and two. because a little human who appreciates pretty lights and sparkly things has taken over my life and i can' t be holding back on something that brings great joy to both of our souls.

seriously though, Emmerson is embracing holidays like a champ. she was so excited about pumpkins (or "pumpools" in her words) at halloween, thought costumes were great and loved being able to eat her trick-or-treating loot. Now for Lights, christmas music, hot chocolate, snowmen and mr claus!! she will be thrilled about the festivites that consume our lives during the holiday season. this is one part of me she has inherited.

happy 1st birthday Emmerson!

yesterday, my sweet baby turned one!

click here to watch emmy's birthday party video!

so no one told you life was gonna be this way *clap clap clap clap*

tonight is the night. i'm going to start watching friends from season one-ten and i am so very glad about that! i watched it here and there growing up...and i still do, but there is a lot i have yet to see and i need to do it right this time! here's to friends! and to michelle for owning all 10 seasons!! :)

how much is that doggie in the window?

i'm singingggg. i'm in a store... and I'M SIIIINGINNNGGG!

as noted in the past, sweet husband makes up songs and sings them to me on the daily. i love it. they rarely rhyme and they make me laugh. last night i was laying in bed reading (or trying to read)...while he was laying next to me singing. he was singing something about how he thinks i'm the very best when suddenly he paused...i thought he was trying to think of a clever rhyme...but then the snoring started.

i don't know how any human can fall asleep that fast. i'm pretty sure he holds the record.

did i mention that i plan to keep him around forever? it's a done deal.

lil peanut

i love him.

Emmerson's hair has been growing at a rapid pace.

she's not so sure about extensions.

Emmy update: she walks. she talks. she dances. she sings...she's a complete entertainer and she eats up any kind of attention coming her way. she went surfing with dad and grandpa for the first time a couple of days ago and LOVED it. (pictures to come) and get this.....we finally have a tooth coming in!!! hooray!

one two buckle my shoe.

2 things.

first, yesterday was more proof that i'm slightly brain damaged, which i continue to blame on the small human in my life. my brain has not been the same since pregnancy. I stepped into the shower with my socks on. i poured the pouch of cheese into boiling water with the mac. i did a load of laundry only to realize that i failed to remember the soap therefore having to re-do the load, and to top things off i found the remote in the freezer. these are examples of what happens to me on a daily basis, yesterday was just extra special.

and...

second, i love music...but i don't want to hear it when i click on your blog. i can't focus on reading what you have to say when your favorite tunes are blaring in the background, which leaves me forced to either locate the pause button or X out of your page....more often the latter. i. don't. like. it.

unicorns

my husband has another issue that i need to share, and he's dragging his friends down with him this time. it's a game. a computer game. the most rediculous game i have ever seen...as in stars, unicorns, rainbows...and the same silly song plays over and over and over until i'm positive i need to be admitted for a mental illness.

i have Greg's brother to thank for his new addiction.

here is the link. give it a go.

UNICORN GAME

apples

well it looks as though the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree...

exhibit a: greg

exhibit b: emmy

go to jail. go directly to jail.

i'm addicted to monopoly. i am. the disney version.

i thought i hated that game. it seemed so long and boring...but apparently i didn't even give it a chance because it is wonderful. michelle got me hooked, and i crave to play on a daily basis.

that's what i've been doing in my spare time...

sunshine.

that awful day spoken of below was made lovely with the help of a couple friends and the love of my life. i was sitting on our couch bumming about our broken car, when i get a text from a pal saying she had cupcakes for me. she didn't even know the bad news. heaven sent. after that, a kind friend offered to bring pizza for dinner and watch wipeout with us...he didn't know my bad news either. heaven sent. and as if that wasn't enough...sweet husband came home from work with the most beautiful bouquet of sunflowers i've ever laid eyeballs on, my favorite chocolate, ice cream, AND a sweet card that reminded me that it was only a car. :)

now THAT is sunshine on a cloudy day!

just my luck.

let me take you back a few years...2006 to be exact. it was around the month of april...maybe even may. i purchased a pretty new car. a black mazda 3 and ohhh boy was i happy. my first car. brand new. so good. my dear pal Ashleigh and I decided to take a lovely drive to julian for some famous apple pie. Ash was driving my car, as i was still a little frightened to drive in unfamiliar territory and as we were cruising the winding roads singing along to The Veronicas...a drunk idiot on his motor cycle totaled my brand new car. so new that i hadn't even made the first payment yet. it cost more to rebuild that car than what i payed for it. bummer right? bad luck right? thats what i thought. until today happened. remember that one time...we just got a new car. i loaded sweet baby girl in for a quick trip to the park before nap time. we were cruising down the street singing along to The Jonas Brothers... slowing down for a red light ahead when BANG. another one of earths idiotic humans slammed into my pretty new car. so new we haven't even made the first payment yet. what are the odds. this is a conspiracy against me owning a completely unharmed car for longer than 3 weeks.

i. don't. get. it.

alive.

i got a little burnt out on blogging. i did. it's the truth. and i'm not sayin i'm back full force, but i figured i should at least let the family and other out-of-towners who read this know that we are still alive and well!

i dyed my hair back to dark, i have red nail polish on my fingers and toes, i just had an AMAZING game of yahtzee (seriously amazing...five yahtzees and a 738 total. no kidding.) and i'm trying to think of a way to make money in my spare time. i like having my own money. i need it. if you have any ideas for me...i'd love to know.

baby girl is not so much baby anymore. she's big. real big. and silly. and so much fun!

we might be moving soon. it's a maybe. cheaper rent and more space sounds appealing...even if leaving the ocean breeze doesn't. i'll keep you posted.

i guess summer is supposed to start here this weekend...oh good. now that i'm starting to crave fall and all. silly southern california.

Mmm new car smell.

Sweet husband and i went shopping this afternoon, and he bought me THIS

a brand spankin new creamy white 2010 nissan rogue and i am in love.

officially 9 months.

almost 9 months.

curls.

i have curly hair.

i straighten it always. sometimes i straighten it, and then i curl it with a curling iron to make it wavy.

i'm starting to feel like i'm wasting my life away.

i'm learning to accept that curly hair isn't a curse.

expect more curl in the near future.

if you're happy and you know it clap your hands!

*clap! clap!*

my green card came in the mail!!!!! this long road to permanent resident status has finally come to an end. oh happy day!

sweet sister steph got hitched and i am so happy for the darling dunhams!

a sneak peek of her amazing wedding:

july 16th

i ate a cupcake and gummi bears for breakfast.

the sun is shining.

today is my birthday.

oh my my my

if sweet little boy and sweet little girl find themselves madly in love with each other one day, you can be sure to find this gem on the wedding invite...

photo: ashley smith

little sailor

alien status

after nearly a year of paperwork and waiting, i am proud to announce that this immigration headache is coming to an end. gregory and i had an interview this morning to prove that we truly are lovers. the child helped. we passed, and so i will be receiving my green card in the mail within three weeks!! this means i can leave the country and return without issues! i can work! i can get pulled over for speeding and not get deported!! (jk i don't speed.) ohhh the possibilities!!!

a special thank you to my sweet parents for funding this awful process. and to the radical attorney from church who hooked me up with the filing process. i will forever be grateful.

goodbye alien status. i won't miss you a bit.

he makes me melt like a popsicle on the fourth of july.

shell is home to stay.

fourth of july celebrations.

birthdays.

love and marriage.

poolside.

sunshine.

beach days.

summer is goooood.

ps. happy fourth, americans! listen to music. play with sidewalk chalk. eat a popsicle.

guessing games.

we went to the grocery store to pick up a few items. as we were unloading our goods at the checkout, sweet husband carefully prices each item in his head. he looks at me with confidence and says "it'll be about $31.50." i barely pay attention to his guessing games anymore. he does it every single time, and it gets old. although he is usually pretty close in his estimating...i'm just no longer amused. Our vons checkout man rings up our things..."that'll be $31.46" Gregory looks at me with wide eyes, and then to the vons checkout man. his excitement is humorous to me at this point. vons checkout man is confused. greg clears thing up by announcing "I GUESSED IT WOULD BE $31.50!!!" and then nonchalantly adds "i was on the price is right..."

lets not forget he actually lost on the price is right, (otherwise there would be a jacuzzi on my balcony) so i don't know why that information was crucial in guessing so closely, but now sweet husband thinks pretty highly of himself, and his sweet skills.

fair

last week we made it to the fair!

emmerson's first bus ride...

we took her on some kiddie rides....

we ate delicious food...

(yes, that is grease pouring out of the container)

...and we nearly died.

i had intentions of sharing full details of our after fair adventures, which included many rides on the porcelain bus...but that would likely be more information about sweet husband and i then you ever cared to know...so i will spare you.

goodbye beloved fair for another year. it was good. real good.

happy father's day. :)

midnight madness.

a couple of nights ago i woke up on all fours with my arms wrapped around sweet husbands legs in a panic. "EMMY IS GOING TO FALL OUT OF BED!!!" is what came out of my mouth. i awoke immediately following those words. Greg was already awake and confused. i couldn't pretend like nothing happened. he laughed and asked if i had lost my mind. apparently i did for a moment and for some reason i was super embarrassed about it. it's usually him that pulls these silly stunts in the middle of the night...and then i blog about it. thats just how we work.

well the next night he sat straight up and started feeling around the bed like he had lost something! i said "uhh greg, whatcha doin?" he looked worried and said "there's an oil spill!! emmy is falling out of bed!!! don't let her fall okay??" i told him i would take good care of her. he got a rather pleased look on his face, patted my head, then laid back down and continued his sleep.

his weirdness is rubbing off on me, but he still takes the cake in that department.

stay tuned for last night's fair adventures...(and after the fair adventures)

copycat

needed: sleep...and deep fried goods.

i can't sleep. it's been awhile since i had this issue. pregnancy ruined my sleeping habits, but it was easy to get back on track once the little human was extracted from my gut, greatly improving the comfort level... not to mention tending to the needs of an infant. it's exhausting, and sleep is treasured. don't get me wrong, chasing a crawler is tiring as well, but...tonight....i. can't. sleep.

after a useless amount of tossing, turning and trying to turn my brain off, i wondered out into our dark living room and saw an unusual amount of light pouring into our sliding glass doors, which brought a smile to my face once i realized what it was...

the fair.

ohhhhhh the fair. the delicious fair. hot sun, crowds, the ferris wheel, hypnotist shows...and very best of all, the food. my taste buds have been craving the sweet sweet grease saturated treats for a solid year now. this year i hear they have deep fried butter. ummm, yes please. my heart practically stops just thinking about it, but i have to have it in my life. don't judge. i live for fair food....among other things :)

rub a dub dub