Life it is changing!!

It started with just James and I. Then one by one six children entered our lives. They laughed they played they argued they cried, but most of all they grew! Then came the first dates, first concerts, first plays, first dances, first heart breaks and first graduation from high school, followed by a second and a third and a fourth. Along with this comes the first phone call from your child saying, "I've met the most wonderful man and he has popped the question!" Now comes the first wedding and all that goes with that. And your house seems just a tiny bit different.

Then comes the first grandchild bringing with her joy and laughter, and then a second little girl with beautiful eyes and a devilish smile. All the while time passes.

During all this the first son gets his mission call and then the next, one close, one far away. And once again your house is just a little bit different, a little bit quieter.

There is joy and there is heartache, a son comes home, two little spirits grace our lives for a brief moment and then return to their heavenly home.

Time moves on. Your oldest son gets engaged. Another daughter follows suit and another son returns home. Your first Christmas in a long time with all of them home. Spring break and the second son gets engaged and you wonder if you'll survive! April, June, August- weddings 1, 2, 3,.

And your house is quieter!

More growing, more stress and heartbreak, more joy and laughter. One couple goes away to school and another to work and the miles seem long. Once again it's Christmas and there are just a few gathered together within your walls.

Another grandchild is on his way and the excitement mounts.

Still two of your own are home and keeping you busy, with there firsts and your lasts. Last child to leave jr high, last pinewood derby, last seminary orientation.

And now it's time for James and I to start again with some of our own firsts. First evening when no one else is home. And again the house is different quieter.

Oh How Time Flies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you can see from this pic. Kevin made it home from Brazil! This was back in December. We were all excited to see him and the following Friday we had family pictures done! Little did we know just how quickly they would be outdated! :) Christmas came and brought with it joy and laughter and a house full of family!!!! It was heaven for me! There is just something about having all your family around you that fills a heart with joy!

Look at what a great group we have! Sorry to say the picture is missing an important member of the family! But I get ahead of myself! Rayalee and Jon have been married for five years and Dennis and Lauren have been engaged for awhile. Right before Christmas Katlyn got engaged to Taylor Ferrin adding another blond to our family! Kim has lived with us since August so the pic was complete at the time it was taken. Well in February Kevin met the future Mrs Kevin Nielsen. So as you can see the picture is now out of date! Little did James and I know when we had them this close together that they would decide to all get married close together! Katlyn and Taylor tied the knot in April.

It was great to have so many family members together! They really are a great couple! Katlyn got to dance with her great uncle. (Uncle Louis) And Grandma Boston made their wedding cake it was beautiful! Grandma Nielsen and Two of the Aunts came from Utah!

This is a pic of Kevin and Kaitlynn Nielsen on their wedding day! Yes I wrote the name Kaitlynn, she is our newest addition to our family! Kevin met Katie as we call her in February at AZ state convention! Yes it was the cavies that brought them together! Her name was Kaitlynn Dautel and she is a joy to have in the family! They were married in June in Utah! That only leaves one couple left to be married and they will be tying the knot in August!!!

They have waited so long and now it is their turn! It has been and will continue to be a busy spring and summer!! But oh the Joy of an ever increasing family! Well that will catch us up for a bit!

Recovering The Couch

Two Thousand Nine

This past year has been one of ups and downs and twists and turns. Joys and sorrows and times of reflection.
James and I were able to take two trips together this year, one to Pennslyvania and one to California, both were great times for us to share and enjoy one anothers company! Maybe it would be best to start with each child and go through the year.

Dennis Has been working for Harkins theatre and has managed to work up to a managers position. He works long hours but seems to enjoy his job! He is also engaged to a beautiful young woman, Lauren Olsen. They are looking at August for their wedding. (Good month) ;)
Lauren has been attending BYU Idaho and they will both continue their educations there.

Kevin has been serving in the Sao Paulo South Mission for the last two years and on the 17th he will be returning home! We are all excited to see him and see the changes that have occured in the last two years with him. His mom is not excited at all!!!!! ;0 Thursday can't come soon enough!!!!!!

Katlyn is 19 now and has met a wonderful young man, Taylor Ferrin,they are getting married April 23, 2010. He proposed in front of the Christus at the Mesa Visitors center. They are so fun to watch together! O the joys of young love!

Kim Yes you read right! For those of you that don't know we have another member of our family. Kim came to live with us just after Labor Day. She is cute and fun and fits right in with the other children. She is also working for Harkins and love sto come home and tell us about all the people and the strange things they do! Kim is almost 19.

Andrew will be 17 in a few weeks and is busy and active with school, choir, Stagecraft, and computers! He loves to tear them apart and then put them back together! He has gotten good at it! He went to his first school dance in October and he looked marvelous!

Braden is 13 going on 30 :) He is in jr high and loves all his classes! He is in Choir and Orchestra and is doing cross country this year! He made it into the school allstate orchestra and will be performing in march with them! he has gotten taller and is hopeing to pass Kevin someday!

Rayalee and Jon are staying busy. For those of you who have read my blog you see that I have written little this year! Rayalee was expecting twin girls but because of things that happened Ashley and Nichole have returned to live with their Father in Heaven! Rayalee and Jon have been really strong and though this has been a heart breaking experience we have also seen many blessings and tender mercies of our Father in Heaven. Many lives have been touched by these two little angels! Rayalee has stared sewing and is getting really good at it! She got a sewing machine for her birthday. It's all she wanted, and she has so far put it to good use! Jon is working for B of A and staying busy with his exe sec job in their ward! Rayalee is the choirister/ ward choir director.

Brooklyn is three and will talk your arm off! she is such a joy to have around Grandma loves when they both come to visit! She can tell you exactly what is on her mind and when she prays she makes her Grandma cry! Brookln has brown hair and pretty brown eyes

Hailee is almost 2 she is a bundle of joy and energy! She keeps me on my toes! I love to listen to her talk to me when she calls me on her moms cell phone, that little voice calling me gama just melts you! Hailee is her daddies little blondie and her eyes are blue! They both have papa wraped around their little fingers! (ok Grandma to!) :)

James is staying busy with work and ACBA and his church callings. He is now our ward clerk. Right now they are in the middle of tithing settlement and the usual Christmas hustle. He is loving being in this calling and is florishing! He turns the big 50 this year and is always telling me how OLD he is and that he is falling apart. It is quite funny to listen to! :)

I am enjoying being a mom and grandma! I have still been making handmade cards and doing all my scrapbooking and it is still something I truely enjoy!! I have been released as the visiting teaching coordinator and have now been called as the ward Humanitarin Specialist. I hope that I can learn what it is that Heavenly Father wants to teach me!

Well that's what has been happening in the last year! I hope that all of you enjoy this time of reflection of the birth and life of our Saviour Jesus Christ! I see his hand in my life each day!

May you have a joyful Christmas!

New pics of Kevin

It's all good!


Look Mom I'm strong!



He and Elder Poffo!

Kevin will be coming home after to years on December 17th! I'm so excited to see him and see the changes in him!

Anniversary!!!!! 25 years and going strong!

Yesterday was our 25th wedding anniversary! I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man! So many changes over the years! So many memories both happy and sad! So many chances to grow!

Lancaster and Specialty

Pennsylvania Country Side

Amish Buggy



Intercourse PA

The phonebooth used by Harrison Ford in the

movie 'Wittness'

Strasburg -------------------- Bird-in Hand

Strasburg Train ---------------- James

Amish buggy up ahead!

These are a few of the places we saw! I will post more later! It was sooooooooooo much fun!!!!!

Babies

Rayalee is having identical twin girls!!!!!
Grandma had better get busy making their afghans!
Four girls that will be alot of fun!

VACATION - TIME WITH JAMES!

I get to go with James to Lancaster PA in April! I am SOOOO excited! Four days with just the two of us! I love when he takes me on his business trips! I get to see a little of the country and enjoy time with him! I'll post pics when I get home!

SPRING!

Where does the time go?

March is almost over and here I am trying to figure out where the month has gone. So many things have happened that I don't know where to start. So I'll Start with James and go from there.

James- James has been busy with work and ACBA and GCSCC and with Stake audits. February and March are audit times for the church and he stays busy with making sure all the wards in our stake get audited. He also is one of the advisors in the teachers quorum. When people ask how many jobs he has I tell them I've lost count! :)

Dennis- Dennis is working for Harkins Theatre and trying to get all the hours he can! He is still in his Elders quorum presidency and sings in the Singles choir. He is working hard and I see little of him!

Katlyn- Katlyn is no longer living at home. Yesterday we helped her move all her things to Rayalee's house, she will be there to help Rayalee and Jon when the twins come. She may be working part time for the Bank of America out by their house. Keep her in your prayers!

Andrew- Andrew has been spending his spring break playing on the computer with his brothers and driving his mom crazy! (I think he likes the crazy part!) :) Tomorrow he starts back to school for the last nine weeks! Like I said 'Where has the time gone!?' He is growing up more all the time!

Braden- has been 'BORED' during spring break, all his friends have been out of town and there are no good books left in the house to read! (I wonder what those things are sitting on all those bookshelves?) He has played on the computer as well and I hope to start seeing his face again soon! He also starts back to school tomorrow and I think he will be glad to get back to school! (?)

Rayalee & Jon- Rayalee and Jon are gearing up for the arrival of the twins! They now have twin beds for both the girls and two cribs for the babies. Still don't know the genders of the babies, they would not cooperate at the last ultrasound. Tomorrow she goes in for a 3d ultrasound maybe they won't be so shy? :)

Brooklyn- Brooklyn is growing cuter all the time. Yesterday when we were done bringing all of Katlyn's things over and we were getting ready to leave, she panicked. She thought that we were going to take Aunt Katlyn with us and she was MAD! This shall be interesting?

Hailee- Hailee will be one next month! She is growing sooo fast! She is walking around all the furniture and climbing up on everything! She is a smiley girl with the cutiest faces! She will even come to Grandma without being coaxed!

Kevin- Kevin is doing well! He is still in the mission office and thinks that this will be his last transfer there. The others that are there now are calling him the 'office dinosaur' because he has been there longer then any one. he loves his mission and loves being in Brazil.

ME- life has had it's moments this past month, with Aunt Doris passing, I've had time to think about family and how greatful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ! I am thankful for the plan of happiness and the knowledge that if I repent and come unto Christ, I will have an oppertunity to see Him again! I've also thought alot about my dad and the things that I have learned through his example! I know that he also had (and still has) a testimony of Jesus Christ and His atonement. I learned that it's okay to fight for what you think is right. I miss him! It's hard to believe that it has been five years since he died!


Well that sums up part of what has been happening in our lives!

Kevin sent pictures!

LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE HAS BEEN BAKING!

This is Kevin and other Elders pointing to a VERY empty mailbox.

This is his way of saying, "PLEASE WRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

This is the mission office! That's Kevin at his desk! Not bad!

One thing I can say for Arizona, we have amazing sunsets!
This was taken in our back yard a few evenings ago!
What a sight!!!

Ouch!

Rayalee is coming to grips with the sad fact that children will get hurt and hurt themselves accidentally, especially at the young age of 9 months. Hailee is just starting to pull herself up on everything and she fell the other day while pulling herself up in her crib, causing her mother much distress. Well today she was in her car seat and decide to rub her eyes with her fingernails. Needless to say OUCH! Once again the crying insued and emotionally Mom recieved the worst of it! (I think she cried more then Hailee!) Hailee gave herself these pretty scratches. :{ Oh the joys of growing up! And oh the joys of motherhood!

How well I remember the days when one of mine would fall or bump themselves or get hurt! I would cry right along with them! Now they're grown and starting families of their own. Time moves way to fast!

Rain Rain Go Away...

Here comes the rain!

Five minutes later!

The kids thought we had bad rainstorms! This looks like fun! :}

How to kill a spider!

This is a video from Kevin! This is my son that HATES spiders!

I got a kick out of it! It's funny to hear him speak in Portuguese

Grandmas Bears

Brooklyn loves to play in grandma's bears! She threw them all on the floor and decide to jump in the middle of them! She is such a cutie!

Andrew's Birthday

I was finally able to download Andrew's pictures from his party. They had alot of fun and thought the games were a blast! I think a few of them got a little dirty! (oops)