the nielsen family

give and take

2012-01-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

you would think that by now i've learned that writing blog posts while feeling loopy due to lack of slumber doesn't usually deliver pleasing results. when i return to re-read the words i came up with at a later time, i'm usually baffled but i shall make an attempt. last night i tried my darndest to sleep at the respectable hour of 11:00. i tossed and turned for quite a time. sweet husband's alarm was set for 3am yup, three o'clock am, you read that right...as he had big plans to venture to mexico to play in the ocean against my will. the trek to mex scares me a tad and i don't love hanging out at home worried that he will be savagely ripped apart and eaten by a school of hammerhead sharks or a mexican for that matter. not being able to call his cell doesn't help the situation. I couldn't sleep after he left. worried for his life and for my own once i started hearing odd early morning noises around my house that had me shaking in my slippers. i nearly woke up Emmy to bring her in bed with me, and then i realized that a two year old probably wouldn't be able to save me from a vicious attack of an intruder, so i let her sleep. i finally dozed off around 6am. Emmerson decided to wake up at 6:30 for the day today. you can imagine the disorientation of my brains at this very moment. I felt that to make up for my tired worrisome heart, there was really only one thing aside from a safe return from the husband that would be able to make me feel at ease. shopping. that was the deal. gregory john goes surfing in mexico, i can indulge in some retail therapy. I bet poor husband didn't see it coming that his fairly cheap - once you have the gear, nearly free hobby would get so expensive one day. regardless, today, i give thanks for living 4 minutes from the mall...and for the credit cards sweet husband pulled out of his wallet and left on the computer desk to avoid getting stolen in mexico. happy saturday!

in with the new.

2012-01-21T16:12:00.001-08:00

we are slowly but surely getting all settled into the place we now call home and we love it. we have the majority of the rooms unpacked with the exception of our room and the baby nursery, which still needs some attention. also two of the bathrooms need some paint on the walls before i can show pictures but until then we have some before and afters of the nearly complete areas...

living room before.

and after.

we don't have a before picture for our eating area,but aside from the paint on the walls and obviously our furniture added there were no changes.

kitchen before. clearly the oven needed some love...

and after.

Emmerson's room before.

and after.

i will be sure to show more as we fully complete the other rooms.

as for 2012, so far it's been quite lovely living closer to sweet husband's family and we have certainly been saving money on gas if nothing else. I feel like i can finally focus on this little human that will soon enter our lives. my current hobby is planning out his nursery. i'm getting rather excited to meet the little bundle.

Happy new year

2011-12-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

It's our final night in our sweet little coastal 2 bedroom apartment. We have been here for 3 1/2 years and it's been good to us. I'm mostly excited to move forward with our lives as our little family grows to 4 in just a few short months but as Emmy pointed excitedly to the hot air balloon floating above us outside this evening as we walked to our car and was proud to announce "Emmy's house!" when we pulled into the parking lot upon returning home it dawned on me that this is the only place she knows as home, and the only place we've ever called home together as a family. I got sad for a second...and then I thought of my pretty new kitchen and got excited again. Moving day tomorrow!!! Hooray! I will share pictures once everything is put together. What a great way to end our wonderful year, and start a new one. Cheers to 2011 and a happy hello to 2012! Happy new year.

it's here!

2011-12-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

HAPPY merry HOLLY JOLLY everything!!! I am beyond joyful and i don't know how to contain my excitement. our little place is tidy for santa as tidy as it can possibly be in the middle of this packing madness, we watched a christmas movie this morning and have been listening to christmas music non stop. emmy helped me bake brownies with candy cane frosting topped with chocolate shavings, our presents are ALMOST all wrapped and under the tree, our festive outfits are out and ready to be worn to our christmas eve celebration at the Moore residence, and we have christmas spirit like never before. oh christmas, you will forever remain the most wonderful time of the year! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Love Greg, Nikki & Emmy

christmas countdown

2011-12-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

christmas/moving/baby chaos is making my brains crazy. trying my hardest to take one thing at a time is keeping me somewhat sane. i'm doing something festive everyday this week with Emmerson to focus on the first of the craziness to come...my beloved holiday, christmas. today we nearly finished up our christmas shopping and attempted to see santa, who was taking an EXTREMELY long break. he never did show up, but we had fun riding the train and jumping our buns off in the jumpy, so santa will have to be sat on another day. tomorrow we shall enjoy the jungle bells festivities of the zoo. wednesday we shall bake and watch christmas movies, thursday we are getting our christmas nails done, and friday we have a holiday party to attend taking us to the holly jolly weekend! due to the little one's enthusiasm with tearing open presents, i have been slacking in the wrapping department. all of which will have to wait until christmas eve day. i'm a lover of wrapping presents, so this won't be overly overwhelming for me. speaking of presents, my sweet parents have generously gifted us with an ipad2. we promised we would not open it until christmas morning and so it sits in our closet, completely unopened. this is a solid display of obedience, that i've never in my life been able to follow through with. i'm quite proud of myself to say the least and i'm overly excited to have a fun toy to play with on christmas morning! and finally, i leave you with a picture of Emmerson at Disneyland. she was going to town on her special lollipop and i felt the need to give her sticky colorful face a little scrub down. she licked the wipe that i was using on accident, and greg captured her mid-gag.

here's to a week full of all things christmas!

home sweet home.

2011-12-13T22:55:00.000-08:00

remember how we completely ran out of space in our sweet two bedroom apartment once the little one moved in two years ago with her massive amounts of baby gear? and how we have another one joining us in april? well, that calls for a change of address. we shall pick up and return inland a bit to join greg's family and we couldn't be more excited. slash stressed. plenty more space and a nice change is refreshing, but trying to pack up our life during the holiday season is going to get hectic real quick. i'll be glad to be happily settled in within the next few weeks.

our new place is a three story townhome. it has three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, which is far too many toilets to clean if you ask me. and a two car garage. it is currently getting a slight makeover, as the last renters went a little buck-wild causing some minor repairs. the upside...i got to pick out all of the paint colors! we took some before pictures, and i will be sure to show before and afters once we are all moved in.

mickey the mouse.

2011-12-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

Our christmastime disneyland trip 2011 was a success! we had so much fun and Emmerson was such a good girl. her excitement made disney more fun than ever...in a magical kind of way. a little less fun in the thrilling kind of way as we had to steer clear of the roller coasters this time due to the little gal's height, and the sweet dude growing in my gut. regardless, we had the best day ever!

christmastime is here!

2011-12-05T22:31:00.001-08:00

it is finally december and the rest of the world has joined in with the christmas cheer!! family,friends, disneyland, hot cocoa, christmas movies, christmas cards in the mail, wrapping gifts, shopping, cold nights, sparkles, christmas dresses, santa at the mall, slippers, fires, christmas music, dancing, decorations, smiles, cookies, blankets, christmas pajamas, i love it all. i hope you're enjoying this holiday season as much as i am!

warm wishes, Love The Nielsens

goodbye november.

2011-11-29T21:47:00.001-08:00

december is quickly approaching, and i've just realized that i haven't even come close to completing my christmas shopping. normally by this point i have a respectable amount done with. oh my slacker, what ever will i do? i don't even have any good ideas. i feel lost. insert deep sigh. on the up side, my sweet little family all 3 1/2 of us will be partaking of some serious happiness next week at none other than the happiest place on earth, disneyland!! I've never seen the spectacular christmas decorations, and emmy has never experienced the magic, so it's about time.

i had a couple weeks of craftiness. its all i wanted to do. i've calmed down a little. i leave you with the cute wreath that i made which now hangs on our door...

goodbye to november for another year, i truly always enjoy this goodbye the very most.

oh goodness.

2011-11-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

last week i went to the dentist. i have avoided the dentist for 10(ish) years, and i still manage to have all of my teeth. i read somewhere that getting your teeth professionally cleaned while you're pregnant is healthy for the baby (sorry emmy, i missed that memo when i was growing you) so off i went. well, they did a real number on my pearly whites and the lady commended me for finally coming in. especially while being pregnant since it helps avoid low birth weight. timeout. i guess i should have read further into this article. allow me to remind you of this...

that's my sweet husband as a not-so-wee baby. as in 3 weeks old. as in the photographer positioned him so that his rolls were holding him up. as you can clearly see, we aren't all that concerned about low birth weight. i don't know whether to stop brushing my teeth until april, or just simply pray that this little lad takes after his sister and her perfect 7lbs15oz newborn size.

1/2

2011-11-25T21:35:00.001-08:00

we have officially made it to the half way mark! 20 weeks pregnant. that's nearly 5 months down. i'm feeling perfectly fine and thoroughly enjoying the little kicks, rolls and snuggles going on inside my guts.

the bump for whatever reason is not fully visible, but it's there. i promise.

thanks.

2011-11-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

happy thanksgiving americans. dinner celebrations starting tonight. loads to be thankful for this year. love to all.

dear ellen degeneres

2011-11-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

I'm dreaming of a white christmas...oh and tickets to Ellen's twelve days of giveaways. my oh my what a dream come true that would be!!!! I don't even know what i would do with myself? probably the usual jumping up and down screaming like a spaz, while peeing in my pants a little bit. did i tell you that happened at the Taylor concert? as in ALL of the above. i even bought really expensive shiny purple leggings to wear with my tutu and kept the tag on fully intending on returning them after the show. i'm not normally that kinda gal...the one who buys something to wear once and pray that nothing spills on it or harms in any way so that a worry-free return can be made the next day. well let me tell you...i was EVER so careful eating pizza and drinking soda in my shiny expensive purple leggings. we left for the concert without a hitch and i thought since i got through dinner without a spill, i was in the clear. never ever did i anticipate the moment when the lights went down low, the music started, and Taylor Swift appeared on stage before my very eyeballs that my ridiculous amount of excitement would trigger an ever so slight trickle in my knickers. i continued the show with plenty of toned-down slightly less obnoxious singing, dancing, jumping and screaming without anymore outbursts from my bladder. i wasn't too distraught, with hopes that no damage was done. I examined the situation and sure enough, that mild dribble left those mighty expensive leggings untouched. success! and yes, i still returned them, and no i didn't even feel bad...and i don't even remember why i just shared that story in the first place? OH- Ellen. i'm reaallllllllyyyy longing for tickets this year. i'm entering to win said tickets every single say. i'd be more than delighted. and if i indeed won these ever so desirable tickets, i'd surely wear less expensive pants that i already own. just incase.

e + b

2011-11-14T13:54:00.001-08:00

forget rubber ducky...

2011-11-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

in our little home we like to spice up bath time on the weekends...how you ask?

turn the lights down low and throw in some glow sticks of course!

deck the halls

2011-11-12T22:01:00.000-08:00

Gah! i keep getting goosebumps ALL over my body when i look around my sweet little home. lights and sparkles and all things christmas! oh my! i may be SLIGHTLY early this year, i'll admit...but i just couldn't hold out any longer and boy am i glad that i didn't. i'm fully aware of the fact that i'm annoyingly obnoxious when it comes to this wonderful holiday season but it really truly brings me pure joy for months straight and you just can't beat that.

here's to holiday cheer!

now go decorate.

the party

2011-11-01T22:08:00.001-07:00

for Emmerson's 2nd birthday we threw her a halloween dance party and this is what it looked like...

happy halloween

2011-10-31T10:03:00.001-07:00

happy halloween..trick or treat... and stuff! honestly? i'm ready to move on. I LOVE holidays...and halloween is no exception...we just did so much halloween stuff this weekend that i feel like it's dragging on. and on and on.

this morning i learned the real importance of the "trap door" in one-piece footy pajamas. mine don't have a trap door. i didn't think it was completely necessary to have one. WRONGO. i had no idea how FREEZING COLD it would be to have to nearly undress completely just to pee in the morning. not to mention the fact that the little male human in my gut prefers my bladder as a pillow causing me to frequent the bathroom more than normal. in the middle of the night. when it's extra cold. my next footy jammies will have a trap door.

grandpa is looking for a wife now. preferably one who doesn't mind that he wont remember her name.

emmerson's favorite toys are currently my little pony. they keep her entertained long enough for me to get things done. she walks them around and talks to them and makes farting noises followed by "he pooped it!" yep, still scarred from the elephant video...and probably a little of greg's influence in there too...

we've narrowed our boy name selection down to two. naming a boy is hard for us. i have been shopping a couple of times for the little nugget and his wardrobe is coming along nicely! i just can't wait to snuggle him.

and tomorrow....on to all things christmas! hooray!!!

2

2011-10-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

today we celebrate the birth of my very first human! our sweet Emmerson Claire is two and i feel so lucky to be able to call her mine! Happy birthday to our beautiful not-so-baby girl!! we love you!

Emmerson, age zero

Emmerson, age one

Emmerson, age two

94

2011-10-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

sad news from home. today my dear grandfather passed away. he lived for 94 happy years and i am blessed to have an endless supply of some of the sweetest memories of my life. he was loved by all and one of the best men i've ever known.

we got to see him while we were home for christmas last year. i'm so glad emmerson got to meet him and enjoy his company

he shared his ice cream and scored points with the little one immediately.

and then they were pals.

he will be missed.

results

2011-10-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

our little family that will soon be four will feel so much more complete when we welcome our sweet baby boy in april! a pink one and now a blue one! we wont need to have any more! (kidding patti)

pink or blue?

2011-10-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

it's crazy for me to think that two years ago from this very day was my due date with sweet emmerson claire. i should have known right then and there that she was going to be a stubborn little thing when she decided not to relieve me of my hugeness on that day. 2 days later she graced us with her cute face. my baby turns two in two days. wahhh. good thing we have another one coming in the spring because i miss having a sweet little snuggler. today happens to be a special day yet again. stephanie and i both find out if we are having a boy or a girl. i wasn't all that anxious to know this time around ...until today. now i'm pretty pumped to start shopping, decide on a name and make some plans! i don't really have a preference in the gender department with this babe. (i'm ashamed to say that i was set on having a girl first. and i got what i wanted.) i would love for emmy to have a sister, but then having one of each would be just lovely too! boy or girl? boy or girl? this appointment is suddenly taking forever to get here!!!

elephants

2011-10-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

gregory and emmerson were sitting at the computer watching animal videos on youtube. greg clicked on an elephant video, which just so happened to be an elephant birth. before he could click away the baby elephant dropped along with a gush that has engrained a rather unpleasant image in my brain forever. sweet emmerson was perplexed. "wassat?" i pretended it was no big deal "that was a baby elephant!" emmy flashes a look of concern and replies "he pooped it!". clearly she doesn't miss a thing. smart cookie. we asked her if she wanted to watch a different video. she looked at us sweetly "no elephants." perhaps we wont have to renew those zoo memberships after all!

nice!

2011-10-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

plugs

2011-10-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to share with you a text i received from greg's dad many weeks ago. enjoy.

chuck: I came home to make grandpa lunch and the usual small talk led me asking if he did his laps in the pool and his resounding reply "yes! but the doctor told me to do something but i can't remember what" I then looked for his new swimming ear plugs and asked "did you use these?" showing him one of the pink ear plugs not knowing where the other one was. "what are those for?" he asked. "your ears. you put them in your ears to keep the water out." grandpa replies "oooohhhh i thought it was a pill so i ate it! damn i better write these things down!"

wee cousins

2011-09-30T21:41:00.001-07:00

remember that one time, i'm due on april 14th, and my sweet sister steph is due on april 17th? yeah that's pretty close. i don't know what we will do if we birth these sweet cousins at the same time, because not only do we need to share the motherly love of patti, but we also share a doctor. that could get tricky. i would suggest just putting us in beds side by side to solve all running back and forth issues, but i'm 100% certain that the sweet husbands would vote strongly against that for obvious reasons. not a sight for brothers to see. regardless, these wee babes will be bff's and i can't even wait!

insert: greg just read this post and cringed "i don't want to be there when she's naked!!!!" haha i rest my case.

tp

2011-09-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

have you ever seen the charmin toilet paper commercials with the bears? the ones where the momma bear has to inspect the little bears' buns, come to find out that it is covered in itty bitty pieces of toilet paper. i just can't seem to come to terms with this concept. i've used a wide variety of toilet paper brands in my lifetime and i've truly never experienced such a thing. it blows my mind that the people of charmin assume that humans can relate. is that really a common issue? common enough that it can be used to sell the charmin brand? i like charmin toilet paper. it is soft. i just get flustered when i see those commercials. thats all.

spilling the beans

2011-09-09T22:28:00.001-07:00

last month, we had greg's family over for dinner. after we ate we were all kicked back relaxing, when sweet husband suggested that we get a group shot. everyone gathered on the couch while he set up the camera. he peeked out from behind the lens and said "okay, everyone smile and say....

...Nikki's pregnant!!!"

their immediate response? "yeah right, funny joke"

I reassure them that greg isn't being ridiculous. "no really! i promise! i'm due in April!"

...and then it sinks in.

please take note of sweet landon's shock...

excitement all around.

ya hear that Em? you're gonna be a big sister!!!

the nielsens 3.5

2011-09-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

it's been awhile.

2011-08-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

hi, how are ya? i had no intentions of being so absent for so very long, nor did i even realize my lack of updates for that matter. needless to say, i have returned after many complaints and will try my darndest to keep you all better informed of our nielsen family happenings from this day forward. life has been filled with the beach, pools, naps, camping, waterparks, food, movies, friends and family. as much as i have loved summer, i'm ready to get into holiday mode. shocker? not so much. my sweet girl turns two soon, my hair is back to dark incase you were wondering and my husband made the news today for something i'd really rather not think about, but i'll share nonetheless.

balloons

2011-08-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

one of our very favorite things to do in the summertime evening is to watch the hot air balloons that practically take off in our backyard.

livin' on the edge.

2011-07-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

it's friday night and we ordered pizza, then we all got our jammies on, busted open the pull out couch, got our pillows, blankets (and bunny) put in a movie of the animation variety, ate treats and snuggled. my heart is full.

dunzo.

2011-07-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

i'm going to take you back...way back to 2007 when gregory john and i were courting. we were young and carefree. there would be times when we would just go for drives with no destination in mind. often times, this would lead us to a street we frequented not far from his house. we found ourselves coming back to this street time and time again because of the dip in the road. if you took it real fast, and hit it just right your guts would drop down to your asshole for a moment and we liked the rush. one sunny afternoon we headed for "our street". just like any other day we approached the street, the anticipation making us giggle like little school children. gregory slammed his foot down on the gas, causing the turbo in his 1994 volvo 940 to kick in. we took that dip like champs and enjoyed every millisecond of it...until we hit an innocent squirrel. it was crossing as we dipped and not in sight until it was too late. we felt bad. even though i don't have much love for beasts, i'm not into harming them let alone murdering them. i guess you could consider that our last adventure with the dip in the street. last week we had some time to kill. on our way to a store, sweet husband took some side roads, glanced over at me and asked if i recognized where we were. "the street with the dip!" i replied. he was glad i remembered. he let out a little sigh "the last time we were here we hit that poor squirrel..." and he barely finished the sentence when a squirrel with a death wish ran out in front of us. stupid squirrels. we weren't even driving reckless this time. they really should think about putting a squirrel crossing sign on that street. or do they only do that for larger beasts? regardless, it's a hazard. we turned around to see if it was really done for, and greg made me take a picture. RIP squirrel number two.

puppet show

2011-07-27T22:49:00.001-07:00

is it terrible that i can't get enough of this video? so good.

it hasn't rained in months...

2011-07-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

but i love me some rain boots. i want.

enter giveaway here.

grandpa round three.

2011-07-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

i've heard two grandpa stories lately that deserve a post...

greg's dad and grandpa were sitting on the couch watching a game on television. grandpa's cell phone rings. he looks around. he spots his wine glass sitting in front of him. he picks up his wine glass. chuck watches with curiosity. grandpa holds the wine glass up to his face and yells into it "hello?...hello!? hello???? i can't hear you..." i can only imagine chuck's laughter.

today, chuck took grandpa out to lunch. they were the only two customers in the whole place. they were seated at a table with a mirror behind chuck. chuck notices grandpa looking around his shoulder and into the mirror. finally grandpa leans in and whispers to chuck "that man over there has the exact same hat that i do!"

I really wish i could have been around to witness both of these gems!

27

2011-07-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

twenty seven years old as of july sixteenth.

that.

sounds.

old.

oh darlin' don't you ever grow up

2011-07-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

you like my bed?

2011-07-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

a small part of me loves when sweet husband hits the sac before i do, solely because i am usually entertained at what will come out of his mouth when he stirs as i crawl into bed. last night?

g: "you like my bed?"

n: "yes?"

g: "you like my bed?"

n: "yes!"

g: "you like my bed?"

n: "yes!!!"

g: "me too."...(snoring)

nerves

2011-07-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

we were driving to greg's parents' house for sunday dinner and stopped to get gas. gregory decided to wash the windows and was taking for. ev. er. so naturally i laid on the horn. he was startled and started laughing then quickly finished and hopped in the car. he pretended to be angry and said sternly with a slight smirk "you are getting under my nerves!" i start to laugh and shake my head. "close, try again" he quickly corrects himself "and over my nerves too" i laugh harder as sweet husband gets further from the correct phrase" sorry for getting on your nerves, love." he rolls his eyes. little does he know that i find his mix ups charming.

i would walk 500 miles...

2011-07-10T10:15:00.001-07:00

i would consider the walk/run a success. there were minimal fits due to being woken up at 6:30am. the majority of said fits thown by emmerson claire and only maybe one from me. gregory was a trooper. i wont lead you to believe that we dominated that course like champs...we did take a slight detour to spice/speed things up and we were sure to scoop up as many free things as we could get our hands on. we all know sweet husband loves himself some free goods. the weather was perfect and it was refreshing to do something out of the ordinary. oh, and i kid you not...those socks gave me energy. lifesavers.

nothing like 30 lbs of dead weight to add to a brisk walk.

showing off the socks.

tube socks.

2011-07-09T23:02:00.001-07:00

tomorrow i'm going on a walk/run for blood ...or something like that? regardless, i'm participating. laugh if you will. those who know me are well aware of my workout habits. nonexistent. unless i'm power walking through a mall, or chasing after the little one, i pretty much prefer to remain stationary. i really don't like to sweat and being out of breath isn't my favorite. sweet husband has promised that we can walk tomorrow...and i'm fully banking on a leisurely stroll. my main motivation for agreeing to something so out of my comfort zone? our outfits. emmerson has some amazing 1970-esque running shorts and tube socks, and i may just have to bust out my tube socks as well. i just feel like they make a run/walk WAY more fun. scratch that. they make ANYthing more fun. i should probably wear them more often. we all should.

sing your heart out.

2011-07-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

i just feel strongly that a career in music is in her future...

it's a party in the USA

2011-07-07T00:11:00.000-07:00

red, white & blue + july + family + friends + amazing breakfast + swimming in the pool + baseball + slip'n slide + photo shoots + laughs + hot sun + cute littles + naps + delicious desserts + chatting + bbq + lounging + tanning + sidewalk chalk + silliness + dance party (to none other than party in the USA by miley cyrus) + singing + laying in the grass + matching outfits + pajama party + movie on the grass (the sandlot of course) = 4th of july with the nielsens.

rock star in training

2011-06-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

five things.

2011-06-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

sweet husband came up with a little game for us to play this evening. he told me that he would come up with 5 characteristics about me that he wished he had, and i should do the same for him. he went first, and thought of a couple pretty quick and then struggled to come up with the rest. nice. I listed mine one after the other without hesitation and bragged "so there, i think i even listed 6 for you!" a big cheesy grin flashes across his face with that heart-melting dimple in plain sight on his left cheek, as satisfaction takes over he replies "oh, well i'm sorry you're so envious of me!" he is so. sassy. at least he walked away feeling good about himself. i, on the other hand will not be playing that silly game again!

whoops

2011-06-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

last night i climb into bed just after midnight muttering to myself...

n: "i'm such a night owl and i always regret it in the morning"

g: (stirs in his sleep) "i'm an owl flying high in the sky and oh my! it's bright in here!"

n: "what are you talking about? and it's definitely dark."

g: (whispers) "shhhhhhhhhhhh! don't hear me!"

n: "you're insane"

g: "lets go to the casino" (followed by babble)

n: "good night love"

as i'm turning to lay on my side sweet husband uses both of his legs to get a death grip hold on my poor leg. i remain calm

n: "excuse me? what are you doing to my leg?"

g: (lets my leg free) "whoops".........(snoring)

...and that's just another example of how entertaining my husband is...even when he sleeps.

on the mend.

2011-06-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

we are nearly over this terrible awful illness that effected each of us differently. for me, something tragic has happened. allow me to explain. there's no classy way to put this, the last thing i eat before i puke = eliminated from my diet for years. growing up i parted ways with cream cheese on bagels and dunkeroos for a fairly long period of time. well, on thursday night i went all out - betty crocker style and nailed the sprinkles strawberry cupcake recipe. it was perfection. i ate a. lot. probably more frosting than one should consume in a year let alone an evening. it was just so very delicious to my taste buds. i indulged. gregory was already infected with the vicious disease that took over our little family therefore making his buds dull to the taste and highly unable to share in my complete bliss. i enjoyed on his behalf. i woke up the next morning feeling the very same symptoms sweet husband felt earlier in the week. i knew a dreadful cold was creeping up on me. i had no appetite. later in the day, i felt the wrath of the flu. my beloved strawberry cupcakes being the last thing that i consumed.

what. a. shame.

i could look at this as a good thing. i'll definitely save money as in greg will save money. it's just that sprinkles and i had a love affair that only a handful of people understood and i feel like we just broke up. so there you have it. sprinkles and i are done. for the time being. sad face.

in the mix of this sickness junk sweet husband and i were about to take a sunday afternoon nap. he always ends up having socks on his feet, and i just happen to always have cold feet so i have to sweetly coax him into giving up his warm socks for these sunday naps. we were both completely beat so he told me i could only have his socks if i took them off his feet myself. i figured we should compromise, so i told him to lift his feet up so i could grab them without causing either one of us any serious strain. little did i know, gregory john is the most ungraceful human in tarnation and what a sight this must have been. as he struggled to lift his leg, and i struggled to grab his socks without losing the warmth of the blankets wrapped around me like a cocoon. i laughed and then got flustered. "greg!" just give me your foot! this shouldn't be so hard!" he struggles some more and responds with slight anger in his tone "well i'm not a freakin cirque du soleil!" we both burst out laughing at how tired and ridiculous we sounded getting so worked up over socks. it's silly moments like this, that i tuck away in my brain and keep forever. i am happy. even when i'm sick.

bye buddy, hope you find your dad!

2011-06-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

this father's day was filled with stuffy noses, sore throats, and terrible coughs. all three of us. poor greg had a pretty uneventful and not so special father's day but he was a trooper, bless his heart. I plan to make it up to him in the days to come once my head isn't so foggy and pumped with drugs. my sweet emmy girl is one lucky gal to have a dad so patient, loving and kind. we are beyond happy to have him in our lives. happy father's day to him, to his dad and especially to my very own dad who i miss every single day, but EXTRA on days like today. love you all.

grandpa says: father's day edition

2011-06-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

grandpa says the darndest things continues...

this one is special for father's day, which we will celebrate in just one short week.

patti was driving grandpa to get blood work done. she says to him "hey dad, father's day is coming up, is there anything you can think of that you'd like?" grandpa explodes with laughter. patti is confused. grandpa regains his composure and chuckles "father's day!" still confused, patti asks what's so funny about that? i don't get it dad!?!?" he continues laughing and explains to her "oh patti, you're funny! i'm not a priest!!!" she then shares in his laughter and tries to explain "no dad! father's day, like celebrating dads! dad's day!" grandpa pretends to follow "ohhhh dads. okay!" patti asks again "so what do you want for father's day?" grandpa doesn't take long to think it over and replies "well, i guess i want a sandwich!"

he's easy to please! never had a better day! :)

color blind.

2011-06-09T20:14:00.001-07:00

a conversation with emmerson this evening...

em: "mommy! apples!"

me: "nope, those are oranges."

em: "ohhhhh. green!"

me: nope. oranges are orange."

em: "ohhhh. purple!"

me: ...............blank stare.

clearly we are still working on our colors....

so great.

2011-06-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough of this little guy right now.

twenty

2011-06-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

emmerson claire will be 20 months old at the end of this month. it's so bitter sweet to see her grow up. I love her little personality so very much! she is happy 98% of the time, but that doesn't make her easy. she has more energy than anyone i've ever met except maybe patti and so i am constantly on the go. she's a mommas girl, which i kinda like because i'm quite certain that i'm equally attached to her. she sings lots of songs and just learned to count to 10 like a champ. she takes a gym class and a ballet class, which she turns into more of a freestyle dance class. she is still as entertaining as ever. she sticks her finger up her nose and says "mommy! boogers!" and then a couple seconds later..."i got it" thanks greg. she can say just about anything and seems to have a really good understanding of everything except "no". go figure. selective memory for sure. she has a fiery little temper every now and then, like when she knows i have cupcakes, but make her wait to eat one. raging bull status. not cute. she's a little more shy than she ever used to be, and slighty more timid to do certain things so i don't fear for her safety nearly as much as i used to. she is really into fancy dresses, shoes, gloves and hats. i have a feeling that i wont be able to avoid the princess scene much longer. beckett is still her very best friend, but we've added cousin landon into the mix. she adores both of them. i'm truly cherishing the time i get to spend with this sweet little girl just her and i.

baby surfer

2011-06-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

greg bought emmy a wetsuit last week and they headed straight for the ocean! she's getting some serious boogie board training first, and then we will give the longboard a go.

so proud to wear a "suit" like daddy's.

watching his every move.

getting used to the board

riding the little waves.

choking hazard

2011-05-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

we ate lunch at a mexican restaurant today. i ordered rolled tacos and i'm normally pretty fond of them. as i took my first nibble i found this place to be no exception. delish. that was until i was viciously attacked by a tooth pick. i'm not even kidding, i nearly lost a hangy ball. i was in complete shock as i retrieved the wooden spike from the back of my throat. i showed my table mates and they too, shared feelings of concern. greg's mom was not happy. she spoke up immediately. "um excuse me! she just had a tooth pick lodged in her rolled taco! is that normal?" the lady working at the counter responds "uhh no, just uhhhh..." and then she makes a kind of "pull it out" motion with her hand. yep. just pull it out says the kind worker lady. just pull it out?!?! has she lost her mind? there was no "i'm so sorry, we will give you free food. no "i'm sorry i'll go get my manager" no "i'm sorry, here's a check for $100,000" what the heck kind of business are these people running? and then my husband went up to get a drink refill and she tried to charge us for it!!! greg's mom was not going to have that. don't you worry, we definitely walked away with a free refill out of the deal, but what a joke. ummm, don't eat at Chitos in escondido. you might die. and you wont even get a free drink refill.

tick tock on the clock

2011-05-25T00:15:00.001-07:00

I've been wearing my new watch for exactly a month now, and it was recently brought to my attention that the time is not correct. so there you have it, secret's out. i suck at telling time. thank heavens for digital clocks because i would be lost in life or at least really late without them. i guess i shouldn't lead you to believe that i am a complete time telling failure. i did indeed attend the second grade and i can figure out what time it is eventually, i just feel strongly that if minutes are going to pass me by as i struggle to determine the time of day, it makes more sense in my brain to locate the nearest digital clock or just ask someone else. if ever my watch is set to the correct time, you better believe that i most definitely hold my wrist up for the nearest human's eyeballs to see and ask them to figure it out. that, in most cases calls for an explanation on my part and when there are clear-as-day numbers involved i can surely see why one would find my weakness slightly absurd/amusing but good golly, some clocks and watches are designed with lines and even dots and sometimes only four of them without a single number in sight!! are you kidding me? i don't even stand a chance with foolishness like that. in my life, my watch is purely for looks and in most cases my cell phone provides me with the time of day and i make do just fine.

tickled and twittered

2011-05-16T12:59:00.001-07:00

why is it that when i put a delish sandwich together made with love for my sweet gal, she doesn't want anything to do with it, yet when i put all of the contents of that very same sandwich separately on her tray, she is tickled pink? mind boggling.

my sweet husband now compares everything that is good, to bob. yes, sweet bob. the cat. he says that emmy is just like bob in every way. pleasing to the the eyes, loves food and attention, doesn't like to cuddle, a real crowd pleaser. i personally don't like my little girl being compared to a beast, but my husband gets slightly offended when i don't take his "kind" words as a compliment to our child.

last night i was tickling gregory's arm as we watched television. i asked "hows that feel?" his response? "like sweet bob nuzzling against my ankles with no shoes on."

...if you ask me, he has an unhealthy relationship with that feline.

oh, so about twitter...i tweet now. you should follow me and i'll follow you. xoNikkiNielsen is the name.

thanks loves!

oops, i did it again.

2011-05-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

cheese grated my knuckle off that is. me and the cheese grater are officially done. there's a reason why cheese comes already shredded in a package and it's not just for the lazy, it's also for people who can only wish that they still had knuckle skin in tact. unfortunately, i found this out the hard way.

months ago, i forced sweet husband to get rid of the massive closet he once received from a client. a couple of weeks ago, i forced him to part with the man chair. we are now trying desperately to get rid of the dinosaur of a television in our living room, any takers? it's free! we might even pay you at this point. and once that happens, i might just finally be content with our furniture for the time being. Mmm, contentment is so wonderful, yet ever so rare in my life. i need more of that.

recently, i told gregory that he was my sweet love boat. we come up with new names for each other daily. maybe even hourly. in return, and without hesitation he told me i was his cruise ship. i didn't get it/got slightly offended that he chose such a large ship to describe me he then went into further detail explaining as if he'd thought about me as a cruise ship already before and i should be following his logic, that a cruise ship has everything he could ever want or need. his brain is indeed different from anyone else i've ever known and i never know what will come out of his mouth. i like that. as i was laughing at how sure he was of his comparison of me and a cruise ship, he asks if this will appear on my blog. yep, i think he secretly likes being featured!

rain rain go away

2011-05-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

in beautiful san diego, april showers brings may...... gray.

we needed some cute pictures of all three of us for the walls in our little home. thanks ash! we love them!

three.

2011-05-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

i'll start this monday post off with a picture of emmerson because she's pretty cute and she sure makes my mondays a hell of a lot better, why not share the joy?

and i wouldn't be able to sleep soundly for another night without giving sweet husband major points for our anniversary getaway. emmerson woke us up early in the morning on our special day. she was chattering away in her crib. sweet husband gave me a sweet little snuggle and was the first to say "happy anniversary!" he had to work for a small portion of the morning, and i was going to drop emmy off with michelle until nana could pick her up for their sleepover. when i got back, gregory was already home. as i got closer to our front door, i saw a small note taped to it. on it was a sweet little message. i already felt loved. i walked inside to find yellow flowers, see's chocolate that he handpicked including all of my very favorites, and a gold nixon watch. what a gem of a lover i have! we packed our bags and took off for downtown where we booked a room at the sheridan on harbor island. we got settled in, and headed out to walk around the shops. we ate at an indian restaurant for dinner (i have an obsession with curry lately) and then we went to the padres game. we left a little early and hit up ghirardellis to share a milkshake before making our way back to the hotel. we had a lovely denny's breakfast the next morning, and then enjoyed the pool for a couple of hours. we picked up a few cupcakes on our way to the beach to meet up with greg's parents and emmy, where we spent the remainder of the day. it was perfection and i feel like the luckiest wife alive!

here's to a great three years!

the hunt

2011-04-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

on saturday, we got a bunch of little ones together for easter activities!

dying eggs

hula hooping

the cute little lineup

unleashing the little beasts

the search is on

enjoying their finds

probably should have stuck to the white ones.

loving easter.

mm hmm.

2011-04-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

first off, a special shout out to facebook for the anniversary reminder i received days in advance. forgetting after only three years would have been terrible!...but seriously, a reminder? for the day i was married? really?

we had a sleepover at the nielsens place for easter over the weekend. grandpa of course was there, and so i have a couple of stories to share. actually...this first one happened a few weeks back and i failed to mention it.

are you familiar with those bracelet/ hologram things that people wear with pride and claim that it takes all of their aches/pain/weakness/stress/unhappiness away? perhaps not, but several individuals in the family have bought into that craziness sweet husband included and find joy in trying to prove it's power through simple balance and strength tests. greg's uncle expressed his skepticism and so the bracelet wearers in the family had him stand up so they could perform their mind blowing tricks of the brain tests on him. grandpa watched in horror as they pushed on his arms, spun him around, had him try to balance their weight among other silly things. he shook his head in disapproval and stated "i don't know, this is looking pretty gay!" that, coming from grandpa, make us all burst out in laughter!

on easter evening we, as a family, were discussing our many special talents. that sounds vain, but when i say special, i mean special. magic tricks that rarely work right, gleaking as in squirts of saliva exiting the mouth on command...and yes, you guessed it. that is of course gregory john's speciality, dance moves never before seen in public unless of course you've spent time with michelle, and many other unique qualities that we'd be more than happy to share if you want to come hangout with us sometime! greg's dad was performing one of his famous magic tricks. we were all seated to watch, grandpa included. chuck needed a penny for his trick. grandpa claimed he had pennies coming out of his ears and handed chuck two. we waited for him to get set up. and waited and waited and waited...as time passed, grandpa grew slightly confused as to why he was seated and what he was watching. finally, chuck was ready. he got us all fired up with anticipation. we were on the edge of our seats annnnnd, magic trick fail. this happened a few more times. grandpa grew bored, and maybe a little bit annoyed. he shook his head, as he stood up to leave. "i want my 2 cents back!"

grandpa found his ipod over the weekend. yes, grandpa has an ipod. he nearly sprinted out of his room in excitement to show us his find. ear buds in ear, he starts swaying back and forth to what i assume was the music blaring. he nods his head and smiles with his eyebrows high. i gave him a nod and smile of approval in return. he continues swaying noticing my lack of dancing and asks if i can hear the music. i shake my head no and his dance moves come to an abrupt stop. "no?" he asks at an insanely high volume. i'm assuming the music is fairly loud in his head. "no", i explain. "only you can hear the music from the ear buds. it doesn't play for everyone to hear" my attempt to explain the situation was useless when dealing with a partially deaf man with music at maximum volume blasting into his brain. he removed a bud. "you really can't hear this music? naahhhh, you're just fooling me. you can hear it! right?" the blank look on my face indicated otherwise, but he just thought it was ridiculous that i could not hear this wonderfully loud music that he continued to dance to and ignored me. i then noticed that he had the wall charger plugged into his ipod and the part that would normally plug into the wall was just in his hand. he noticed my curious glances at the object in his hand and explained "isn't this just great! i'm so glad i found this! and look! it's charging right now as we speak!" that's when i could no longer contain my laughter and i needed backup to help explain things to dear old grandpa. i hope patti was able to get through to him.

and with that, i'd like to leave you with well wishes received from a sweet asian waitress to patti at her birthday dinner last year. words i now live by and you should too!

insert your best asian accent now "i wish for you...more money, more happy and more sexy"

have a lovely week!

the twenty sixth of april

2011-04-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

celebrating three years.

happy anniversary lover boy!

losing sleep....and marbles.

2011-04-21T23:00:00.001-07:00

gregory and emmy were playing in the little one's room. i heard lots of squeals and laughter. that was coming from greg of course, but emmy was pretty wound up too. they were having a grand ol time. then i hear sweet husband say "no no emmy! that's mommy's garter!" *insert sounds of car tires on asphalt coming to a hault. i pause, in confusion. mommy's garter?? what on earth is he talking about? not only did he flick my garter to some random single fellow on our wedding night, but i'm almost 100% certain that i don't leave extra garters hanging around our little girls' room, but then again, i wouldn't put it passed me. i peek my head around the corner and into the hallway just in time to have a small lace object flicked at my face.

it was a baby headband. close.

i diagnosed myself with having an ulcer today, which would explain the icy hot sensation i've been feeling in my midsection for the duration of the day. i've been losing sleep the past few nights stressing about unnecessary details of life, and my stress induced teeth grinding problem is taking a real toll on my jaw. i feel like i need to do something different, but i can't quite pinpoint exactly what. aside from changing my diet. i hear cadbury creme eggs aren't all that compatible with ulcers. but i did of course diagnose myself, which isn't all that accurate, so until i receive a second opinion, the creme egg diet remains, solely to help keep my spirits up.

i'm pretty sure that i'm losing my marbles and i really don't love that feeling. i like all of my marbles. and i really can't afford to lose any.

nikki's book club.

2011-04-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

my sweet husband once had a crush on jennifer lopez. i don't think it fully went away because he now watches american idol with me. he makes comments about her appearance. comments like "i really like when her hair is down and full of body!" full of body!?!?!? who are you? sweet husband also has a crush on catherine zeta jones, which makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit for some reason, and his biggest crush aside from me would probably be on jessica alba. i'm completely understanding when it comes to jessica alba, she's smokin hot. in fact, i think i just added her to my celebrity crush list. right up there with david beckham.

i just read a book. hold the applause. not an intellectual book by any means. it is called "are you there vodka? it's me, chelsea" by chelsea handler, who by the way i found to be quite obnoxious until i read her words. change of heart. she had me in hysterics and although the language was inappropriate, and come to think of it the majority of the topics were also slightly inappropriate, i found it to be ever so amusing. if you're in the mood for a humorous read with questionable content, look no further my friends.

and on that note, i leave you with a picture from gregory's phone that made my day.

front and center

2011-04-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

emmerson enjoys a good sing-a-long with the other little ones at church!

hope you all had a lovely sunday!

mr. golden sun, please shine down on me!

2011-04-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

based on last year's experiences, i was a wee bit hesitant to take our girl to the beach this year. she couldn't even walk for the majority of last summer, yet she managed to bolt for the waves without an inkling of fear. i even let her get knocked down a couple of times just to teach her a valuable life lesson about the mix of the powerful ocean and gravity, but that didn't phase little fearless whatsoever. she had little to no interest in playing in the sand, and so unless i wanted to be ass deep in salt water bobbing the baby up and down in the waves for our entire stay, i avoided the beach at all cost. luckily, last summer wasn't all that hot and so the beach trips were kept to a minimum. today was pretty warm and so i decided to give it a go, just emmerson and i. i explained to her in the car on the way that this was a test, and would determine how our entire summer would play out. i told her that if she was a good girl, then we could make the beach a regular event, and if she was naughty then she would be banned from the sand until further notice. she looked confused, but some of my words must have soaked into that big head of hers because we had so much fun. little social butterfly made some new friends who happen to have a house right on the sand, way to pick 'em, kid! she played nicely in the sand, she played in the small waves in the shallow water, and she remained happy the whole time! it was so pleasant. what a relief. summer, i officially welcome you with open arms.

L is for the way you look at me.

2011-04-11T08:53:00.001-07:00

i pranced over to my sweet husband and wrapped my arms around his neck. i smiled a big smile, gave him a heartfelt hug, then gazed into his sparkling blue eyes. "i'm glad you're mine" i told him. he smiled back at me and replied lovingly, "forever..........as long as you don't do anything to screw it up!?" not the response i was looking for.

mmmmmm isn't he charming? i'm one lucky gal.

haha

reviews.

2011-04-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

I stole a balloon. i don't know what got into me? we were walking out of henry's and there were two helium balloons taped to a post. the little one lost her cool and went bananas for said balloon, so i yoinked it. it was just a henry's balloon, i figured we were practically doing them a favor by advertising for them. no big deal. what's gonna happen? is a worker gonna come running after us to get the henry's balloon back? nope. wanna know what happens when you steal a balloon? it pops off of the string when you're getting your kid out of her stroller, and then you have to jump up and down in an excited manner while clapping your hands in the street like a lunatic to make it seem like it's so much fun when your balloon flies up into the sky with the birdies to avoid a major meltdown, thats what. wanna know what else happens? you get to sprinkles just a little too late, missing out on a free cupcake. don't steal. it will ruin your life.

and now for a cupcake review. i wish i could do this for a living.

we tried a couple of new places. cb cupcakes located in carlsbad outlet mall there are other locations including utc mall, not that you'll really care all that much after reading my thoughts. to be blunt, disgusting. and that's a rather difficult thing to accomplish for an avid lover of cupcakes like myself, but i couldn't even finish it. leftover king himself didn't even finish it, and he pretty much eats trash. so that just goes to show how unpleasant these cupcakes truly are. not to mention the fact that they cost the same as sprinkles!? what a rip.

last night, greg went on yelp to write a bad review, only to find that everything we had to say, had already been said. i guess we should have read reviews before trying it out. this however, led us to a bakery in encinitas with nearly perfect reviews. it sparked our interest, so we checked out the website to learn more. sweet husband read off the flavors "strawberry kiss, chocolate toffee, the bee's ka-nees"...i nearly lost it. gregory?? is it the bee's knees??? yeah. it is. he forgot that the "k" was silent in knees for a moment. i'm pretty sure he was blonde for a short time as a child. we'll blame it on that. regardless, i made him promise to take me there today and it really truly seriously is the bee's knees!!! i had a hard time deciding whether i liked this new place or sprinkles better if you can imagine that! i just have a secret love affair with the frosting at sprinkles, it is perfection to me, therefore i think sprinkles will always remain #1 in my heart, but this is a really close second which is huge, and i will admit the flavors offered may just be even better than sprinkles. ladies and gentlemen, if you have yet to try it, and you live in the san diego area, i strongly encourage you to make your way to elizabethan desserts. you won't be sorry. i don't know how i didn't find this place sooner? just feast your eyes on these concoctions and try to tell me you don't want to rush there immediately.

your welcome.

gettin my beach bod on.

2011-04-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

yesterday was monday, and today is thursday. i've gone mental and i don't know how to regain my sanity. i hate weeks like this where i just can't seem to do anything right, or even think straight for that matter. i also hate weeks when i forget to eat all day long and find myself stuffing an entire days worth of calories into my body at 10:00pm. those calories mainly consisting of chocolate, ice cream and cookies. that really can't be good for the bod. sometimes during these spring months i struggle trying to decide what makes me happier. feasting on these decadent treats? or the thought of fitting nicely into my new bathing suit? why oh why must they come out with chocolate mini eggs and cadbury creme eggs just months before we prance around nearly naked in public, i will never understand. harsh.

there is music in emmy's soul today.

2011-04-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

the days of our lives. (titled by greg)

2011-04-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

sweet husband's work van, vanna white is her name, is barely hangin on. he's made the decision to buy a newer more fancy, less creepy/molesterish van. i came up with the genius idea to buy an ice cream truck, and turn it into his detailing vehicle. i feel strongly that the ice cream aspect of the truck should remain intact, as i'm sure customers would totally appreciate a cold treat along with their clean car on a hot summer day. i know i'd be calling him back to work on my car again, but then again i'm biased. i think he's ridiculously good looking, and i really like ice cream. in our search for the perfect nielsen mobile detailing ice cream truck sweet husband entertained my idea long enough for me to get it out of my system...bless his heart we came across this gem

a melting ice cream truck!! what clever humans we have surrounding us! well my dreams of owning an ice cream truck are long gone, but he did find the perfect van to buy and so i am glad for him.

i'm going to introduce a new addition to my blog. i call it "grandpa says the darndest things". greg's grandpa cracks us up on the daily with the things his brain comes up with as his memory continues to fail him. i feel like it would be a shame for some of these conversations to go unheard.

grandpa's sister-in-law, Kathy and her husband Bob were visiting a few weeks back. they arrived at grandpa's place and he immediately starts giving them a tour. they've been there before. he nods towards the backyard and turns to Bob with a pleased look on his face "how do ya like my lake?" as he points to the pool. Bob plays along not sure if he's joking or not and replies "that's great! got any fish in there?" grandpa's face turns to pure confusion as he looks at greg's mom and in all seriousness responds "no! i think they took them all out?!" Bob smiles "we're gonna have fun!"

grandpa: "so what have you been doing with your days?"

me: "oh, nothing too exciting, i usually just spend my days playing with Emmy" as i give her a little squeeze while she sits on my lap

grandpa: "oh that's just great! maybe you'll have some of your own one day!"

me: "....yeah" don't know how to respond...just leave it alone.

this one was just yesterday. a bunch of us were out by the pool or possibly by a lake in grandpa's head? uncle dennis and michelle were trying to get grandpa to try cheetos. they made the mistake of saying that they have cheese on them, which grandpa clearly isn't a fan of.

grandpa: "oh, i quit cheese when i was 3 years old. i worked in a cheese factory and that smell just put me off cheese for life." a 3 year old working in a cheese factory? something about that story didn't quite add up, but he did end up liking cheetos.

grandpa is amazed at babies these days. he says they are so advanced. back in his day, babies just sat in the corner and didn't do anything and now they walk, talk and eat and it's just great! if only he could tell the boys from the girls. emmy could be dressed in a pink dress with a bow the size of her head, and grandpa will comment on how fast he is growing up. and it is funny that he's consistently wrong. maybe he's playing with all of our heads to keep life interesting?

the other day dear grandpa pulled greg aside.

grandpa: "have you seen those dogs around here?"

greg: "no, there aren't any dogs grandpa. chris had one here for a few days, and sometimes matthew brings his over, but thats it."

grandpa: "no, they've got dogs here. i see them around. there's a white one..."

greg: "oh, you mean sweet bob???" (the cat)

grandpa: "yeah. that one. do you know how to get rid of it?"

i don't know if sweet bob is unusually large for a cat, or if grandpa was used to having smaller dogs in his life, but he just can't wrap his head around the fact that his new fluffy roommates are indeed cats. i'm not sure how much longer sweet bob will be gracing us with her presence?

we sure love sweet grandpa and i'm certain i'll have plenty more stories to share!

yum.

2011-03-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

not only are cupcakes high on my list of needs lately, i must also fill you in on another secret to my happiness. THESE bad boys...

caramel filled chocolate chip cookies. oh. golly. this post will require a trip to the store to purchase some immediately. i'm not even kidding, i see that luscious caramel pouring out of that scrumptious chocolate chip cookie on the package and i'm sold every single time without fail. love them. need them.

warning:

5 pounds gained in 2 weeks.

insert: annnnnd two hours later...

i wasn't messing around.

now go get yours before i eat every toll house caramel filled chocolate chip cookie in tarnation!

old macdonald had a farm

2011-03-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

on saturday we went to bate's nut farm. i love bate's nut farm solely for their fudge. aside from cute holiday craft fairs and pumpkin patches, it really has nothing else to offer me. emmy however, loves the petting zoo. i've said it before, and i'll say it again i don't love animals. i take one for the team every now and then just to see the smiles all over my sweet girls' face. we drive up to the farm and we see a bazillion cars, trailers and rv's. a man directing traffic at the entrance informs us that there is a dog show taking place. not my cup of tea, but i'm fairly certain that if emmy imagined heaven at this point in her sweet little life, a dog show would be it. we started with the petting zoo...

the "gucks" are one of Em's very fave.

the turkey: easily one of the most hideous creatures in creation.

sweet husband says that god has a sense of humor.

animal lover.

the gucks say cack cack.

the reason why i endure the ferocious scent of animal from time to time.

bonding with the sheep.

delighted.

baby lando loves animals too.

feeding.

just a dumb ol donkey.

taking a break.

1. 2. 3. swing!

...and off we went to see what this dog show business was all about after purchasing large amounts of fudge first...duh! to be perfectly honest, i don't even know where to start. i didn't quite realize that there was a completely different brand of human that we were sharing the earth with. an obsession with dogs would be an understatement. some of these people were worse than toddler and tiara people! we made our rounds and we saw plenty of dog fur being sprayed, hired professionals to properly poof and fluff, ridiculous human-to-beast pep talks, full grown men in suits prancing their pride and joy around in circles, referring to the animals as their son/daughter and being fully serious about it and all this was completely normal for them. i understand people treating their pets as part of the family, and that's totally valid have you met sweet bob the cat? she is pretty much nielsen royalty but you need to draw the line somewhere. aside from dog show disappointment, it was a lovely time, and oh my goodness gracious that fudge was good.

there is sunshine in my soul today

2011-03-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

want to know my new favorite color? sparkles!!! i am so in love. nails, shoes (i'm currently lusting over sparkly cream-colored toms...they WILL be mine one day) lotion, you name it. speaking of lotion there is a lovely new scent at bath & body works called carried away...and it definitely comes with shimmer lotion to enhance the summer glow of sun kissed skin. i must invest in that before summertime. i ordered two bathing suits and i've been window shopping for hats, sandals, bags, and all things summer. i love when the feel of spring finally sinks into my brain and i just want to drive around with my windows down and welcome the warm sunshine that will soon consume my life.

today, we wear green.

2011-03-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

haircuts.

2011-03-12T22:44:00.000-08:00

last night, i cut the hairs on sweet husband's head. i finally got the balls to do it. or more like he got the balls to let me do it. i set up my salon in the kitchen. i had the chair, the towel to wrap around his shoulders, the comb, and the dull scissors. seriously, dull. as. can. be. and did you know sweet husband has crazy thick locks in the back? yeah, most wouldn't guess judging from the top front section (sorry lover, you're still smokin hot) but it is a zoo back there and as a first time hair cutter, it was terrifying to tackle. i just went for it...just like back when i used to cut my dolls' hair, right? needless to say, we were both quite nervous for the results.

well, i'll have you know his haircut turned out absolutely stunning! i am fully impressed with my new found skill, and he is rather pleased as well! here's to free haircuts for the rest of life! and thank goodness we didn't have a haircut fail because we had church bright and early this morning.

:) happy sunday.

good television, early mornings and picnics

2011-03-11T12:16:00.001-08:00

i am obsessed with the bachelor. i probably think about the finale that will air on monday night a minimal of 7 times a day. we are going to have a party that night. i am team emily. she is a perfect breed of human. so flawless it nearly hurts my brain to look at, and sweeter than a cupcake. brad really can't go wrong in choosing her.

i hate that the time changes on saturday. i like when it's light in the summer evenings and all, but it seems too early for that this year for some reason. plus, my girl has been waking up at 6:30 every morning. does that mean it will be 5:30 starting sunday? no thank you.

but just in case, it's a good thing she's so sweet in the am. not to mention cute as a button.

emmy and her cousin landon's age gap is seeming less and less everyday and i love it. she gets excited when he plays with her, and they make each other laugh. i hope they grow up to be the very best of friends.

here's to good television, early mornings and picnics at the park! :)

flower girl down.

2011-03-09T09:51:00.001-08:00

Emmy and I were in my friend Taryn's wedding over the weekend in Banff Alberta, Canada. it was a perfect day and the snow covered mountain scenery was breath taking. literally. it was FREEZING. and we took pictures. outside. in dresses. in negative 20 degree weather. i have goosebumps forming just thinking about it. my sweet little emmerson was the flower girl and she got the job done in true emmy fashion! All of us bridesmaids did our walk down the aisle, and it was up to the ring boys mom to guide the little ones before the bride. she gave them a push and away they went. emmerson came to a halt about half way, plopped herself right down on her buns and started unloading her basket. once a bunch of her petals were surrounding her, she said "uh oh" and starting filling the basket back up. someone seated next to her helped her up and she continued to make her way down the aisle handing out the petals to the people seated next to the aisle saying "here go. here go. here go." she was definitely comic relief for all those on the verge of tears. it was a beautiful wedding and a lovely time with my dear friends!

extrovert

2011-02-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

Emmerson and i attended her toddler gym class yesterday morning at jw tumbles. they have a bunch of fun equipment for the little ones to play on and music blaring. Em loves it. they do have some structure, including circle time at the beginning and end to sing a couple of songs and do some exercises. Emmy thoroughly enjoys circle time. she waits until all her little friends are seated with their parents and then she bolts for the middle to be center of attention. she says "hi!" to everyone several times, then shows off some of her fanciest dance moves. the other momma's think she's hilarious, and i just sit there in awe of how outgoing she is. never in my life have i ever been quite like that. i really am glad that she didn't inherit my shy bones. i'm pretty sure Emmerson looks at life as her stage and everyone as her audience. what a little showgirl we have!

now every february you'll be my valentine, valentine...

2011-02-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

five years ago, gregory john and i celebrated our very first valentine's day with a picnic at the beach. that was back before we were even officially boyfriend/girlfriend status.

obviously a lot has happened since then, and we thought it would be delightful to relive that first valentine's day we spent together. in fact, we decided we would do the same thing every five years from now on. we found a spot close to our original one and set up shop. we have come a long way, and it was a lovely valentine's day once again.

and lets not forget our little valentine...

hope you had a happy valentine's day, lovers!

wedding crashers

2011-02-11T10:34:00.000-08:00

?

2011-02-10T12:25:00.000-08:00

on today's menu: a new gregism, and a phrase he created especially for me.

so you know those water park play areas where the water shoots up from the ground in a bunch of different places? we were talking about how great those are for little ones. gregory and michelle both agreed that they thoroughly enjoyed them when they were youngsters. gregory added "yeah i used to love to sit on those holes. water would shoot right up my butt like a catheter!" ...clearly he meant enema.

a few nights ago i told gregory i was going to make cookies, or something of that nature, and he looked me with pure joy in his eyes and said "you single my zest."

......huh?

yeah, i don't even know?

the fairly odd parents.

2011-02-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

we were in arizona over the weekend visiting some of greg's family. aside from our nielsen three feeling ever so under the weather, it was a lovely trip. looking back at our pictures i was quickly reminded as to why my darling little one has some peculiar tendencies. her spastic outbursts, her exceptionally loud voice, her bizarre dance moves, her comical gibberish, her ridiculous facial expressions, her talent to entertain...she's learned from the best. even when we don't realize it, we are influencing this girl with everything we say and do. i can't help but love that fact that she's turning out to be every bit as weird as we are.

and as if that isn't enough, allow me to remind you of the men in her life...

yep, she's bound to be a little special! :)

oatmeal

2011-01-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

sweet husband got home from work this evening and told me in a very nonchalant manner that he was on the radio this morning. oh. no big deal...why were you on the radio? he said he called in response to their questioning what food has a texture that makes it hard to eat. okay.....and what did you say? oatmeal. fair enough, oatmeal makes me want to gag...good, what else? well then they asked why. gregory john told me that he explained to the kind radio people that if oatmeal isn't microwaved properly with the correct amount of water it can get super mushy and gr.....gr....he couldn't remember the next word he used. oh no, what could he possibly have said. on the radio. think gregory, think. he pondered it for a moment, puzzled...and then the light bulb turned on in his brain. "Gristly!" gristly??????? greg, please tell me you're kidding. gristly??? as in like a gristly piece of meat????? did they laugh at you??? the puzzled look returns and he thinks about it some more..."well it was a "g" word for sure. guh....guh....i don't remember??? the guy that eats weird things on the food network uses it a lot, it sounded perfect at the time". he immediately got on the computer and you tubed the food guy. sure enough food guy didn't disappoint. greg turns to me thrilled with his find and plays the clip for me. the word? Gelatinous. i laughed. not because it sounded like a hideous use of the word, but more because THAT word, of all words even came to his brain while on the radio. and he had the guts to use it without any knowledge of it's meaning, which is quite the risk with his rocky track record and all. we searched the meaning, and i'm proud to tell you, it makes sense. SUCCESS! and thank HEAVENS gristly wasn't the word he chose to describe oatmeal.

spaz.

2011-01-22T16:53:00.000-08:00

cooking and baking have become a part of my life lately and i'm learning to like it. we're not quite to the love stage yet, but there's potential. sweet husband is definitely a fan. i will try to keep at it, so long as i don't cheese-grate all of my knuckles off. just can't seem to get the hang of that tool.

emmerson and i went to the park this afternoon and she made a new friend named Lulu. i just loved that her name was Lulu. so great!

yet another downfall to being freakishly tall...my ticker can't seem to pump strong enough for the blood in my veins to reach my hands and feet. they are always like popsicles and i'm starting to enjoy the thought of summer.

we miss our neighbors dearly. ash, jeremy and beckett moved to a town in a far away land (15 mins max) and we don't see them nearly as much as we would like to anymore. SO we might just have to move too. i can see that happening in the near future if all goes as planned!

my dear old grandad has seen better days. he will be 94 this week, and a broken hip landed him in the hospital in early december. he's been hangin in there ever since. once they got him all situated in the hospital, his doctor came in to see if there was anything he was missing or needed. my grandfather replied without hesitation "yes, my beer. i have one everyday at 4:00, always have." low and behold, good ol doc wrote him a prescription. for beer. in the hospital. oh canada! :) oh and speaking of my homeland, baaaaack to canada for us (emmerson and i) in march! I am a bridesmaid, and emmy is a flower girl! Taryn gets hitched and it should be a good time had by all!

my apologies for jumping topics like a spaz. apparently i can't control myself.

well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance

2011-01-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

saturday night the little one had a sleepover with the grandparents so that sweet husband and i could go out to dinner. we went to cheesecake factory and it was everything i had hoped for and more. the food is delicious and the cheesecake is enough to bring a tear to any dessert lovers eye. we enjoyed our time just the two of us and it reminded me how much i truly do like that handsome fellow of mine! sometimes a small energetic human takes away from the "us" that we used to be. it's nice to take a break from the crazy and fully appreciate one another once again! during our last bite of that heavenly cheesecake we so thoroughly enjoyed, you'll never guess what song started blaring over the speakers. why, it was Moondance by Van Morrison of course. Gregory smiled a big smile, wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way, put his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair. i decided to spare those seated within view of us and refrain from reliving our first date, but it was a perfect ending to our perfect night out. to really top it off, on the way home we were talking about how easily we get along (almost) all of the time and gregory john came to the conclusion that it's because we have so much love for each other, we always laugh and have fun together, and we don't have any ghosts in our closet. and by ghosts he of course meant skeletons. and it was just funny that he added that to the list in the first place! i'm so glad he's mine.

special order... received.

2011-01-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

Nearly two years ago, i found out that i was pregnant. shortly afterwards, i found out that i was having a baby girl. the year was 2009, the month was may, and the day was sunny. i was flipping through a magazine when i came across a face so sweet. i ripped the page out of the magazine and showed greg and his family my find. I told them that if you put greg and i together i was fairly certain the result would be pretty close to the sweet face of the precious girl in the picture. they thought i had lost my marbles for trying to predict such a thing, but i told them that i was going to put in a special order for a look-a-like because i thought she was oh so cute. a little shallow? perhaps. well, the sweet face of the stranger child was forgotten completely when i laid eyes on my own darling baby's face. i was so in love, and she was practically perfect in every way. it didn't even cross my mind until last week when i came across that picture on the page that i once tore out of a magazine and let me tell you, the striking resemblance is undeniable.

almost creepy.

caveman.

2011-01-07T08:19:00.000-08:00

remember the concerns i once shared about sweet husband and his leftover problem? all concerns vanished when he appeared to take my public plea to heart. from that day on, i have been given no reason to worry. what a relief...until yesterday. he worked all day, when he returned home, he chugged an unusually large amount of water explaining how thirsty he was because the only thing he was able to drink all day long was Half of a bottle of water from someone's car. someone's car?!?!?!?! greg, who's car???? he didn't know. just some car he was working on. Oh. My. Golly. what a caveman of a husband i have! who knows what "treasures" he finds in random strangers' cars? i didn't even consider this option for leftovers that he is faced with nearly every single day. who knows the frequency of these actions? i'm scared to ask. ohhh the germs. he's like a wild beast bringing disease into our home and it. must. stop. i'll have to pack him a lunch and plently of liquids in hopes of taming the beast. i'll do whatever it takes. his defense? "oh, it's fine, i didn't touch my mouth to it!"

ew.

brother for sale, twenty five cents.

2011-01-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

being an only child, i find it fascinating to now find myself in a mix of siblings. i love that in most cases they grow up to be best friends and although i am well aware of the perks of being an only child, i really do want little emmerson to have a brother or sister (or two) someday. I love how greg can be completely disgusting and annoying to his sisters, but they still love him. steph and shell can be all kinds of sassy, but their brothers will always stick up for them (we haven't eaten at Oggie's to this day...but that's another story) it's a wonderful and unique kind of love that i will be thrilled to have in my home one day!

speaking of siblings, i laugh at how grossed out and worked up greg gets over some things regarding his sisters. yesterday shell was about to feed baby landon...in the nursing sense...so we told my sweet husband to keep his eyes on his game. instead of handling himself like a mature human, he got extremely dramatic and disgusted complete with gagging motions and a response of "oh trust me, i WILL. the LAST thing i want is to see the areola of my SISTER!! UUUGH!!" oh my goodness gracious the choice of words that boy comes up with blows my mind...and the fear of him someday using that word in the wrong sense lingers in my brain. another example of his unique choice of words came yesterday when he was describing a hippie. in his words (stated in a very matter of fact manner): "a tree hugging, honey from the bee, organic." the honey from the bee part is what really got me. i nearly busted a gut. i don't know where he comes up with these things?

snap back to reality.

2011-01-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

back to real life. all settled back in our place, the holiday joy is gone and sweet husband is back to work. oh reality, i'm not sure that i missed you all that much after all. I think i must be bored because i find myself cleaning things, tidying up after emmy, grocery shopping, planning dinner AND dessert, putting clothes away, thinking of projects i can start, and all things domestic that are highly out of character for me. i'm normally more of a "pack up the little girl and go spend money at the mall rather than the grocery store in hopes that we can get takeout for supper" kind of wife. poor gregory. remember how last year i wanted to try meal plans? yeah, that never worked out for me so well. perhaps now would be a good time to start. yup, consider it done.

on to more exciting business...want to hear the best news of my whole year so far? I got an invite to attend a sneak peek for the new sprinkles cupcakes opening in La Jolla and i'm fairly pleased about it!!! oh man, i get goosebumps just thinking of the delightful morsels that will soon be just minutes away from my home whenever i desire. a special thank you to sprinkles for coming to san diego.

best.

decision.

ever.

two thousand eleven

2011-01-03T09:36:00.001-08:00

why is it that when i take a nap in the afternoon, i drool a little bit and when i sleep in the night, i don't? so odd. just one of those things in life you can't explain. and i probably just discouraged other humans to ever want to share a pillow with me again.

on another sleep note, i had a great 8.5 hour slumber last night with no interruptions and i woke up tired. why does that happen? greg seems like he's using up so much energy and having the time of his life when he sleeps with all the talking and bouncing around he does and yet he wakes up bright eyed and bushy tailed before the sun is even out, while i lay there ever so still all the night long and wake up feeling like i just ran a marathon. not right.

now on to the point of my typing, which has nothing to do with sleep and that's new years resolutions. i made one. this years new years resolution is to stop swearing. i decided on this because, one - it's not very nice and two - i have a sponge of a child who is starting to repeat things i say and honestly, who wants shit to be one of their sweet little girls' first words? i only swore twice yesterday and not at all yet today. good progress. i'm not saying i am a complete potty mouth by any means...i would just drop a choice word here and there throughout the day, but that has come to an end. i guess i should agree to not even type these words...starting now. there you have it.

i've been chewing plenty of orbit gum to assist me with this challange. those commercials are legit. totally helping.

best of luck in keeping your resolutions for 2011!

a canadian christmas

2011-01-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

being home for the holidays was just what i needed! i got to see family and friends i haven't seen in far too long and it was just oh so very nice to be back.

highlights:

-only one meltdown on the airplane (both ways) ...success!

-hanging out at home with grammy and grampy

-eating loads of chocolate not available in the US.

-playing pool

-visits from family and friends

-watching our friendly little girl bring joy to everyone she met

-spending time with my grandad

-beating my parents at every game we played! (okay not quite, but we held our own.)

-making gingerbread houses with the Mingos

-singing songs

-santa came!

-roast beef and yorkshire pudding supper

-snow!

-teaching emmy to make a snow angel

-emmy and violet playing

-daily hugs from my dad

-learning to knit

-seeing auntie kimmie and jay at the airport

-candy cane topped chocolate covered cheesecake bites

-making cookies with emmy for santa

-greg drove through a blizzard to surf and made it home in one piece

-watching the grinch

-crispers

-white hot chocolate

-eggs benedict for brunch

-love

-smiles

-laughter

-joy

...just to name a few. it was most definitely a magical christmas :)

happy new year!

six

2011-01-01T08:41:00.001-08:00

an animal i would love to have as a pet...

well i am not really an animal lover, therefore my answer is easy. i don't want a pet.

five.

2010-12-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

a photo of me two years ago.

so long!

2010-12-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-12-18T09:32:00.001-08:00

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.

2010-12-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-12-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

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

All i want for christmas is my two front teeth.

poor gal.

fourteen.

days.