Gollum's Cookies

Jumping Cousins

2012-01-24T15:43:00.002-07:00

We had lots of fun the week after Christmas when our cousins were in town. Malachi and Alex are the best little friends! I was amused at this series of pictures of them together, alike as two little peas in a pod (right down to the stuck-out tongues).

My other favorite picture: Daisy adoring Andy

Things Ky says

2012-01-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

This four-year-old just keeps saying cute things. Some recent gems:

Calling highlighters "Delight Markers"

(Smacking himself in the forehead while reading his Bird Book): "Ohhhh! I forGOT about the Painted Bunting!"

(Recounting an earlier conversation with Daisy): "First we started talking about coliseums, and then we went straight on to cranes!"

"Because my tummy hurts, I think I'm just attracted to drinks right now!"

Everyone loves him. We just can't help it!

Velvet

2012-01-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Seb has always been a Monkey Man, as you know, but in his school class this year he has a pet bunny named Velvet. (Seb's teacher reminds her class that Velvet has very sensitive ears and that things that are loud to us are extra loud to a bunny. If the class is too loud, Velvet can't come out and hop around the class.) Sebastian LOVES Velvet. When he comes home from school he tells me all about what Velvet did that day, he plays Bunny, he builds bunny cages with his blocks, he hops around the house and nibbles things, etc. It's really so cute!

We got him some little toy bunnies for Christmas, which he loves, but best of all is:

His own little "pet" Velvet (puppet)! I love to see Sebby stroking him and snuggling with him and hopping him around the house. So sweet!

Glowing

2011-12-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

It was a happy Christmas Eve and Christmas. We loved our dinner by candlelight

and our Elf Olympics.

Everybody liked their glowing finger-lights.

Junie happily ate this superglue package

Daisy placed her new post-it notes carefully all over the house

The boys built the first few of what will be many, many marble tracks with their blocks.

Clearing Out

2011-12-23T00:13:00.002-07:00

She eats! She has a great appetite and is our cleanest eater yet (waves her arms elegantly to the sides as she eats rather than grabbing the spoon)

Abe Dances, Seb Sings

Christmas lights at Riverwoods---so pretty! I like this lower picture: Sebby gazes enthralled at the fire, Daisy warms her hands, and Sam tells everyone (unsuccessfully) to "Look at Mommy!"

Cold and Rosy-cheeked (and Sorry, Sam)

Do these people go here?

Much Excitement and Running To and Fro over the insulation truck which came to blow more insulation into our attic

Sebby loves the pipe organ

Daisy puts Junie in the doll stroller

J'adore Four

2011-12-14T21:33:00.001-07:00

Mr. Malachi turned four last week, to universal acclaim. He is the funniest, sweetest, cutest, smartest little four-year-old you'll ever meet! He requested butternut squash soup and wheat bread for his Birthday Dinner, with Sebby Cake for dessert. Here are some (slightly blurry---he moves fast) pictures of him on his Happy Day.

(explaining something)

Festive

2011-12-06T16:11:00.001-07:00

We got our Christmas decorations (mostly) up and have been enjoying the festive atmosphere they lend.

Juniper loves the Little People Nativity, as every baby has and does. This is one of the best presents we've ever gotten (thank you, Sheila!).

She was really playing with it, putting the animals in the stable and so forth.

She was slightly put out, but resigned, when the inevitable happened (i.e. Daisy came and took over)

The kids got some new pajamas, which I decided they should wear all month instead of

waiting till Christmas Eve.

Matching gingerbread babies

Our rainbow Christmas tree

Late-November Garden

2011-11-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying several weeks of sunny-but-cold weather, interspersed with sunny-and-even-almost--warm. One day we went to Red Butte Garden to enjoy the sunshine and let everyone run around for a few hours---expecting to find everything pretty much brown and dead---but we were pleasantly surprised by how lovely everything still was. Many of the leaves were still bright on the trees, and we saw lots of interesting textures we might not have noticed in more verdant company. There is something so uplifting about being outside in the sun and the air after many days of indoors, even if it's a little chilly!

Fly, birdie, fly!

This birdie is always hunkering down and hoping someone will pet him. I love his expectant "birdie" look (he gets this particular expression on his face only when he is being a Birdie)

The evening light was unbelieveably pretty---so golden and slanted. It always takes me by surprise when this light comes on at about 4 p.m.; I guess I'm not used to winter hours yet. But it is so gorgeous for the brief time it lasts.

The pond was iced over in places (very interesting to our little explorers)

Last rays of sun

Two feasts and five turkeys

2011-11-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time at our Thanksgiving Dinners (both of them!) this year! We had 19 delightful people at our house on Thursday. The best part was hearing everyone perform: several original arrangements, solos, duets, songs where we all joined it---I loved it. Such beautiful music!! It's my favorite thing to have on Thanksgiving and I wished it could go on forever.

We cooked two turkeys at the same time, one in each oven (one brined, one unbrined, and they were surprisingly similar. Both very good. And my mother-in-law's turkey the next day was even better, and she didn't do anything to it! So I am not certain whether I will brine next year's or not.), and of course there were also rolls and all the traditional dishes. Everyone's contributions were delicious, but the pies were the crowning glory: French Silk, Blueberry Cream Cheese, Pumpkin Crumble, and Caramel Apple Cheesecake. All wonderful.

Daisy took to David immediately and wouldn't leave him alone all night. It was cute to watch her chattering to him (and pilfering what she could from his pockets)

Friday it was quite warm outside, so we went on a walk and took some pictures before Feast #2. I put the girls in their matching gingerbread girl dresses (SO cute). I really hope Abe had a better grip on Junie in this picture than he appears to.

Such giggly wiggle worms! I love them!

She's not entirely sure about this

Ky helps Daisy across the treacherous rocks

Snug and warm

Free!

This is all they ever really want to do (figure out how things work)

Block Creations of Note

2011-11-10T12:14:00.001-07:00

Some recent things the boys (mostly Sebastian) have built, which I found worthy of preserving for posterity:

Theater

Railroad Arms

Planetarium (note projector shining from above)

Pendulum

Castle (by Malachi)

Temple (note "Pigoni" on the spire)

Veteran's Pool and Waterslides

Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco (with Golden Gate Bridge at left, and Alcatraz in foreground)

Bo-dee

2011-11-02T11:28:00.000-06:00

As Malachi explained ad infinitum to anyone who asked him, he sometimes dressed up like a monkey, but for "the actual Halloween" he was going to be a "Bo-dee." Almost no one understood what he was saying when he said it (which seems odd; bo-dee-->birdie doesn't seem that difficult of a leap to me. But then, I do have the gift of interpretation of baby tongues.) Luckily Ky has a grandma who can transform all these high-flying (ha ha) costume dreams into reality. I did some quick searching online to find bo-dee inspiration, and my Mom eventually came up with the cutest birdie costume ever. Ky looked just like his stuffed Birdie, and since he is always pretending to be a birdie anyway, he was finally dressed appropriately for the part.

We had to add a "peek", of course, though he didn't wear that all the time

Waiting to be petted

I love this birdie-boy!

Halloween Menagerie

2011-11-02T11:10:00.001-06:00

We had a happy (and warm!) Halloween this year. I love it when the snow holds off till after Halloween. It was so nice on Halloween afternoon that we were playing at a playground and lying around on the grass in our short sleeves. We loved it! It got a little chillier that evening, but luckily, furry animals don't feel the cold much.

This bunny went home to her bed earlier than the others, but she was darling. (As have been other bunnies before her)

Here is a sweet baby monkey

(Ky and Sebby have worn this suit in other years)

She was soon joined by another monkey. Malachi wore this monkey suit to our church Halloween Party and around the house for several days while my mom slaved away on his real costume.

These monkeys are simultaneously fascinated by their tails

Really, between two monkeys and three there is merely a single unit of difference (there you go, Sam)

If we'd had a couple more monkeys we could have been Five Little Monkeys. Rachael's family did that one year and it was the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life.

A friendly elephant joined us as well

Ready for the costume party!

My boys told me I can't call it "San Fran"

2011-10-31T22:51:00.000-06:00

While Abraham was living it up in Seattle, the rest of us headed in a more southerly direction, to San Francisco. It's a great drive, excluding much of Nevada, of course. :) We stopped for a look at the Salt Flats on our way out of Utah. We were so surprised to find them mostly covered with water! Apparently this is normal in the Fall/Winter (we've only been there in the Summer before). So we didn't do any car racing (ha ha) but we stood on the shores and gazed out at the alien landscape.

The light was beautiful

Ky pretended to be a hang glider

Small girl in front of big . . . world

We drove by way of Reno and then through the mountains to Lake Tahoe, where we stopped for a few minutes. It's beautiful. There were some changing leaves in the mountains there, and the water was really clear.

Junie enjoying the pebbly sand

Another lovely spot where we stopped for a picnic---in the mountains just over the California border

We stayed a few days in San Francisco and then went to a couple State Parks where we could see Redwoods. It was a lovely mix of scenery and activity. We (though we missed Abey) had such a good time! A few highlights:

Japanese Garden at Golden Gate Park---I still remember this as my favorite thing in San Francisco when I went there the summer before 2nd grade. I loved the moon bridge, and how everything was green. This time it was smaller, but just as pretty, as I remembered it.

Views of the city from a glass elevator in our hotel---endlessly fascinating. Whenever there was no one else in the elevator with us, we rode up and down several times. :)

Hot fudge sundae

Ky tries to pet a birdie---perhaps Sid?---but without success

Daisy was delighted with the cable cars (as were the others)

Boat ride under the Golden Gate Bridge. It was chilly and windy at first, and the wind blew our hair (but we are grateful she has any hair to blow)

On the other side of the bay, the sun came out and warmed us up

Sebby got to drive the boat!

And he cuddled Junie, of course

There were birds everywhere, so of course Malachi pretended to be a birdie much of the time

Pretty light by the water

Riding the carousel---cat and ostrich (Daisy rode a frog)

Golden Gate Park Playground. Seb and Ky loved riding pieces of cardboard down these cement slides.

The beach. There were lots of dogs here. I think it was a dog party. (No, really.) Oddly, there are no dogs in this shot.

We love the redwoods! They are so awe-inspiring. Sam and I have seen them before, but the kids haven't, and it was so fun to see their delight.

Great place for a picnic

Beautiful green mountain overlook

Abe's trip

2011-10-31T22:04:00.000-06:00

Recently our family was (as my Aunt put it when she was urging us to come join them) "torn asunder" for a week or so---but for the best of reasons, as my Mom invited Abraham to be her traveling companion on a trip to visit her sister in Seattle. It wasn't Abe's first time in Seattle; we visited there six+ years ago when I was expecting Sebastian, and Kay and Harold were the best hosts imaginable. So we knew Abe would have the time of his life with Grandma---and to add to it all, he got to fly on a plane for the first time!

Abraham in Harold's Model T---then (2005) and now

Feeding the seagulls at Ivar's (then and now)

Monorail

Space Needle

They saw all the best Seattle sights, visited spots both well-known and less-known, and enjoyed themselves in inimitable Hancock style. Abe loved his trip and we were so happy he got to go! Thank you, Mom and Kay and Harold!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-26T17:00:00.001-06:00

We've been off gallivanting about the country (about which, more to follow), but now we are back just in time for our annual visit to the Red Barn/Pumpkin Farm. Because I always take pictures of our visits, this has become a good time for me to look back and think about what has happened in the previous year and how much everyone has changed. It's so amazing. Daisy was a practically just a bald baby last year, and before that KY was just a baby! Why do these people change so fast? Perhaps baby Junie will refrain from following the trend, and still be a baby next year. We will see.

A not-entirely-willing trio of huggers. Do they all have the same color of eyes?

They climb. Perhaps Daisy, mindful of her smaller appendages, will remain behind? She does not.

Oh, we love her. She is a tiny bit sick and bleary, but still smiling, of course.

Malachi saying, "Heeeere weeee go!

I can't resist close-ups of soft little cheeks. So biteable!

Girl with blue truck. How picturesque.

Driving it (which is what she wanted earlier)

Carrying my own little pumpkin

Everyone has to choose a pumpkin they can carry themselves. Malachi was very pleased and protective of his. He hugged it so sweetly as he walked.

Strong Abey could handle a big one this year!

Even Daisy could hold hers (as long as there were some helping hands and quick reflexes hovering nearby)

This is like one of those artsy family portraits you see everywhere these days, where the family is out on the Siberian steppes somewhere, holding balloons and staring off in different directions while sitting on a mid-century-modern couch and wearing carefully non-matched clothing.

Here Daisy is making dismayed whimpering sounds and whispering "dooo heaby!"

Silver Lake

2011-10-13T21:40:00.000-06:00

Last week we had a few glorious days before the cold and rain hit. I'd heard weather reports so I was feeling urgent about getting back up the canyon while the leaves were still at their prettiest. So, one day the kids and I (minus Sam, who was teaching his class) went up to walk around Silver Lake at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon. It was BEAUTIFUL. The colors were amazing. So amazing, in fact, that we returned five days later (after the snow had come) with Sam to see if they were still as good. They weren't, of course (which made me extra glad we hadn't missed them earlier) but the mountains are beautiful anyway. It is a lovely walk around the lake (boardwalk and easy trail) and we hope to return again next year! I'll include a few pictures from both of our trips, the warm and the cold.

Before and after. Not much change in this sweet girl's sunny mood, but her head was better bundled the second time. :)

Before

After (brrr!)

My faithful helper

This was on the second trip--see the snow on the mountainside--but what a lovely mirror lake!

Squaw Peak

2011-10-03T10:44:00.001-06:00

We drove up to the Squaw Peak overlook to see the leaves on our way down to the football game last week.

While we were there, we got to watch two hang gliders launching off, as well as . . . whatever this winged thing is (paraglider?). It was really cool. The hang gliders were caught up in the wind so smoothly, it didn't even look scary.

Naturally, everyone spent the rest of the time pretending to be hang gliders (no one actually launched himself or herself off the mountainside, luckily)

Later, we saw them waaaay up above us, like tiny birds

This was shortly after I told Junie to "go on ahead"

A lot of cute people (by the way, Abe's Honey Bear shirt "counts as his BYU shirt", he says, because he loves it so much). Last time we went here, there were a few fewer.

I was there too

Textures and yellow light

2011-09-26T16:43:00.000-06:00

Another lovely time of year at Red Butte Garden. There are still a lot of flowers but everything is starting to look a bit exorbitant and overgrown. France in the 1780s. We better enjoy it while we can!

Eating her sandwich. She did eventually finish it.

Junie loves to be outside

There were lots of butterflies out and I saw these two gorgeous ones!

Love these textures

Black-eyed susans

Glowing berries

I like this picture; it captures the warm and cool dichotomy that seems so characteristic of Fall

Luminous baby at sunset

Wild animals, and other zoological curiosities

2011-09-21T15:03:00.000-06:00

There has been an infestation of animals in the yard lately. I would call animal control but they don't seem to be hurting anyone. Just building factories and things.

The birdie will lie down with the bear

A lovely little nest

Cheetah-print (very on-trend for the season)

A braid (back and front)

I made a bunch of hats for Daisy a long time ago and she wouldn't keep them on her head. Now she will (but they are starting to get too small). And now that she has hair I don't feel like she needs a hat so much. Ah well.

She likes to dress herself up in anything she can find lying around (and by "lying around" I mean, even in laundry baskets, drawers, etc.) Here she has Abe's sunglasses, Ky's shoes, Sebby's socks, and somebody's old backpack. And Sebby's lawnmower. When the older boys are at school she really lives it up with their toys. :) (Don't worry Mom, this is before I fixed the sleeves on her dress)

Aren't they cute?

The CSF (I call it the CSF)

2011-09-21T14:50:00.000-06:00

Tootsie-roll-mouth

We don't actually live in Provo, but we make it a point to attend the Provo City Services fair whenever we can. Last year it was rained out, so this was Daisy's first time. She rode in the bucket truck with the others and loved it! (5 people in one bucket--a new record!) I was happy to stay on the ground and record the event for posterity. Malachi thought he would be scared, but afterwards he said, "I was NOT scared a BIT!"

It was about 90 degrees in that hot parking lot. We thought we would die of thirst. These helicopter blades provided a nice breeze for a few minutes, though.

I really like these tiny people

2011-09-21T10:23:00.000-06:00

Frown and Smile

Happy runners

If we do this stuff, we will run and not be weary

2011-09-12T10:57:00.001-06:00

A long time ago I recorded one of Abraham's Primary talks and posted it here. While I was listening to it again, I was thinking how I had totally forgotten that sweet little voice of his. (He was good at saying his "r"s . . . unlike some others I could name :))

So here is Malachi giving his recent Primary talk about the Word of Wisdom. I love the way he talks while breathing out AND while breathing in (very efficient). I also love the little touches with which he makes this talk his own ("If we do this stuff," Leek Soup as part of the word of wisdom, etc. One time while practicing he used "Fanta Orange" as an example of something we should drink). It is strange to think that someday I will have forgotten how 3-year-old Ky sounds too. Then I'll listen to this to remind myself.

word_of_wisdom_talk
Bonus Track: Ky reciting a poem ("What a conunder-drum!") Eggs

A campfire

2011-09-12T08:22:00.000-06:00

A seat for everyone (almost)

I think she's singing

Tongue

Seb, and someone's watermelon

September sunflowers

2011-09-11T22:18:00.000-06:00

It is that sunny sunflower time of year again. We were taking pictures by some sunflowers exactly a year ago too! Was it really only one year ago that Daisy was a little bald baby? I can hardly believe it.

She still gets this same look on her face, though.

Silly

All Daisy really wanted to do was sit by Malachi and watch a swarm (?) of ants. She loves bugs.

Words with Malachi

2011-09-07T10:38:00.001-06:00

Malachi talking to Sebby on the phone (while Sebby was at work with Daddy)

Some things Malachi has said lately:

Aaa, you scared me out of my wits!

Aaa, you scared the skylights out of me!

A quail = "that birdie with a stick on its head"

(Reading a story about a policeman)
Malachi: That policeman might give that man a ticket, and then shoot him!
Grandma: Oh no, I don't think he would shoot him!
Malachi: No, only if he has nothing better to do.

"If I were a gingerbread man, I would just lie down on the ground and let people eat me."

Daisy wearing a dress I used to wear

2011-08-31T11:51:00.001-06:00

I don't know if Daisy looks like me in it; I'll have to see if I can look up some old pictures. But isn't the smocking beautiful? My mom made all kinds of beautiful dresses for me when I was little. I'm glad we still have some of them!

Thanksgiving Point flowers

2011-08-30T11:35:00.000-06:00

I haven't had the camera with me on our last several visits to Red Butte Garden, but there are plenty of pretty summer flowers around! We went to Thanksgiving Point with Beth last week, and it was HOT, but beautiful.

They said they wanted a picture with the windmills, but then it was too bright to look up!

Running down hills was about as exciting as it got (since the Noah's Ark fountain was way too crowded)

Here I was worried they would never make it back up without help (but they did!)

The flowers are so bright! They almost hurt your eyes to look at.

Seb's birthday

2011-08-30T11:10:00.001-06:00

Sebastian's birthday dinner request this year was Eggs Benedict with avocados and tomatoes, with sausage AND bacon on the side (a very rare treat). And volcano cakes for dessert. He carefully arranged his second plate (and wanted me to "take a picture so we can remember how nice it was") thus:

Perhaps on his next birthday he will have some front teeth!

He's such a happy, funny six-year-old. We set goals this week of things we could do to increase love at home, and Seb's was that he would be Abraham's "Morning Servant." As he related to me, this means he would make Abe's bed for him---get out Abe's clothes---pull Abe from room to room on his beanbag (so Abe wouldn't have to walk)---give Abe Honey (his bear) when needed---get drinks for Abe---and whatever else Abe requested. He was so pleased and excited about it (as was Abe).

Sebby is also my best sous-chef---he loves to help with anything in the kitchen and especially likes to taste and adjust seasonings. I always try to let him help with things that need to be adjusted because he's so SERIOUS and meticulous about it. "A little more cayenne pepper, Mommy---but just a BIT. And a little more sour cream to balance it out." He's usually right, too. He must have a well-developed palate. :)

He's so outgoing and friendly, he wants to talk to everyone we meet. I loved the man-to-man talks he had with the workers when we were having our basement finished, asking them if they liked their work, asking them to explain what they were working on, telling them about school and what he wanted to be when he grew up ("I might be a worker like you, but I'm still thinking about it. I might also be a carwash man, or a sprinkler man, or a physicist, or an artist. I haven't decided yet for sure."). Everyone who meets him, likes him. And we like him the most of all! Hooray for Sebby!

A tea party with Miss Daisy

2011-08-24T11:54:00.000-06:00

The boys have little porcelain dish sets (which they call their "tea parties") that Daisy is always getting into and breaking. So it was to everyone's great satisfaction that she got her own (plastic) "tea party" for her birthday. Here are some pictures of her playing with it (after playing outside in the carwash, thus the swimming suit) the other day.

Oh yellow bunny, you are so funny!

Drink this, white bunny!

She decides this is a fancy event, requiring hats

This used to be a baby hat, but someone has now stretched it out

But Mommy is NOT allowed to wear this hat

"VVvvvv!" (mixing and pouring noises)

First day of school

2011-08-24T11:43:00.000-06:00

Abe and Seb headed out the door

Daisy and Malachi yell "Bye-bye! Have a good day!"

Summer fun

2011-08-22T11:31:00.001-06:00

We're so sad that summer vacation is over already! The boys went off to their first day of school today. Here are a few more pictures of things we did this summer:

Junie bites Daddy's head

Waterfall on new Botany Pond trail

Battle Creek Falls hike

Ky tiptoes close to a duck

Rivertrail

Playing in the carwash

Woohoo, Two!

2011-08-18T16:26:00.000-06:00

Daisy has seemed astoundingly grown-up ever since Junie was born, so I didn't experience the disbelief I sometimes feel on birthdays. She is a talkative and capable two-year-old who keeps up admirably with her older brothers. She still calls me "Mimi" (I love it!) and she loves babies, bunnies, monkeys, Daddy, doggies, and froggies. If you were to hear her describing those things it would sound like: Beebee, mummy, mumpy, daddy, doddy, and fff-doddy (she gets that "f" sound with prompting but then finishes off with her preferred "doddy"). Her pronunciation is slowly improving, thank goodness, because she chatters at us constantly, so confidently and so expectantly that we often feel like we must be the ones speaking the wrong language!

Both her grandmas gave her stuffed doggies, as it happened---she loves them both (one is "baby doggy," and one is "doggy purse," into which she carefully zips and unzips her chapstick)

This is quite a characteristic expression (like she's trying to hide a smile)

As is this---reaching and asking for something plaintively (here she wants her blanket, which she refuses to call anything but "na")

She has always had such bright eyes! They still look quite blue---but not, I think, as blue as they used to

I love how rosy she gets when she is hot; it makes her look like a little cherub (or "Arab" as I called them when I was little)

We love this smart, sweet little two-year-old! Happy birthday, Daisy dear!

Cedar City

2011-08-17T11:57:00.000-06:00

We had a great time on our overnight trip to Cedar City. Jane and Abe were so nice to babysit the kids so Sam and I could go to a play (Noises Off; we LOVED it; we laughed so hard we couldn't breathe). The kids had a great time with Gwen and said it was their favorite part of the trip. We also had a fun time swimming, hiking and exploring up the Canyon and near Cedar Breaks. It was gorgeous!

There were wildflowers everywhere. I guess the cooler air in the mountains must allow more flowers to grow. They were SO pretty.

This was a beautiful hike (with view of Zion National Park there in the background). The kids (even Daisy) are such great hikers. They love it just like we do!

Red Daisy

The hike ended at a waterfall which came out of a hole in the rock and then spilled down the hill like this. Spectacular.

This is the lake the waterfall comes from. (Water goes through a sinkhole in the lake and comes out below to make the falls.) Navajo Lake, it's called.

I thought one of the most amazing things we saw was Mammoth Cave. It was formed by lava flows (there are huge lava fields and a bunch of old cinder cones in the area) underground. We went in and explored with flashlights, and it was SO interesting. You climbed down from above, like this:

And then there were several different chambers/tunnels to explore. This one was really tall (way above my head when I was standing) and went on for a long way. (Picture isn't great. It was pitch dark in there; only so much the camera and the flashlight could do.) It was cool to imagine these chambers being lit by glowing rivers of lava at one time.

Would you like them in a box?

2011-08-15T15:50:00.000-06:00

Beautiful dress, Act II

2011-08-08T15:54:00.000-06:00

Hooray! We got another chance to use this beautiful blessing dress.

Can you tell which baby is Daisy and which is Juni?

(Daisy is just under 3 months in this picture; Juni is 3.5 months)

Juniper's blessing day was lovely. In the evening, after church, we celebrated Daisy's birthday with Grandma, and went outside to take a few family pictures. Juniper was sober for the first round, but later she became quite delighted with everything and obliged me with some guffaws (I had been wanting guffaws ever since Sam decided they were unseemly while wearing blessing dresses). And don't let those picturesque-ly clasped hands fool you--she was frantically trying to get them into her mouth so she could gnaw on them!

After taking several pictures of her with this pretty rosebud blanket, I scooped Juni up for bed. When I returned, I found that Daisy had done this:

Such a happy baby girl! We love her!

New TRAX line

2011-08-05T10:19:00.000-06:00

We liked the free Trax day ("Food was our fare") so much that we rode it twice, once in the morning all the way downtown, and later in the evening while Sam put Daisy to bed. I wasn't so ambitious as to bring my camera the first time (had a great time with Beth and Grandma, though), but we brought it for Round 2. It was such a pretty night!

Next train coming

Oh, the anticipation

The train arrives! (Pure joy)

Juni enjoys the ride

Ky communes with his reflection

Seb peruses the schedule

Sisters

2011-08-04T11:30:00.000-06:00

I came downstairs one morning to find that Daisy had tucked her babies and blanket in around Juni. I don't know which is cuter, this picture of Juni gazing up at Daisy adoringly:

Or this one, when she smiled at her:

And here they are in their matching dresses my mom made for them. So adorable!

Mummies

2011-07-25T15:58:00.000-06:00

We have been waiting a long, long time (18 months, to be precise) for Daisy's hair to allow her to wear these clips from Auntie Sheila. They are her (Daisy's) favorites---she calls them her "mummies." Of course, the fact that she likes them so much also means that 3 minutes after I put them in, she pulls them back out of her hair so she can look at them and hop them around saying, "Hop, hop, mummy mummy!" I managed to get a few pictures before succumbing to the inevitable.

Some pictures

2011-07-17T23:06:00.000-06:00

Gingham jumper

Taking care of babies

A hat

Ky's first hike to the Y

Ready for swimming (her narrowed eyes are due to the bright sun)

Nice big brother

Flag dresses

2011-07-05T11:11:00.000-06:00

The daisies in our yard (all Shastas) are out now. The front yard ones are kind of stumpy and the backyard ones are monstrous. (I have searched in vain for some kind of metaphor in that.) Anyway, Daisy likes them all.

My mom made Daisy and Juni these darling dresses out of old T-shirts. So clever!'

I got this dress when I was expecting Abraham. (I wish I had made it. I love smocking.)

There were fireworks going off when we took these pictures. Here Daisy is saying, "What IS that boom-boom-boom?" Except she says "moom" instead of "boom." "Iddat moom-moom-moom?"

We had a nice Fourth of July and hope you did too!

One night

2011-07-04T13:56:00.000-06:00

Lovely blue wildflowers

Finally, it's warm enough to play in the fountain!

So fun to get wet! Until . . .

You get sprayed in the face :(

Happy

Malachi spent the whole evening flying around, pretending to be a birdie

He stayed very still as I carefully approached him. . .

And then I was so lucky! Because he was a friendly birdie ("Do you see him smiling?" Ky asked me),

And he let me pet him!

Then he flew away.

The first of many times they will match

2011-07-04T13:45:00.000-06:00

Juni was unperturbed by this turn of events

Sober

Trusting look at Grandma

Two on a horse, twice

2011-07-04T13:40:00.000-06:00

Philip and me, 1980

Daisy and Benjamin, 2011

Frolicking

2011-06-26T22:39:00.000-06:00

This is my favorite picture---Sebastian playing ring-around-the-rosy with Daisy

The daisies were at their peak a few weeks ago. They make the perfect scenery for a Sunday evening walk. So pretty!

How did Abe get so tall and grown-up?

Adorable Seb (I wonder if he'll have front teeth next year?)

Rock-paper-scissors

A dog walks by

Poor little Daisy looks so worried in some of these pictures. I don't know what was making her so nervous. The tickle-y grass? Or maybe this is her attempt at smiling?

Juni was peaceful and patient, as usual. Seems like Daisy was just barely wearing this dress!

Giggle

I've seen several brides getting their pictures taken by the daisies too. I wonder if our Daisy will do that when she gets married? If so, she'll have plenty of practice! :)

Porch Swing

2011-06-26T11:09:00.000-06:00

Three

"What's going on out here?"

Four

2 wide-mouthed frogs+2 far-off gazes +1 dutiful pair of arms=Five

My true love's a blue-eyed Daisy

2011-06-14T17:01:00.001-06:00

If it's true that 'grass doesn't grow on a busy street' then I fear for the state of her brain, because her hair is growing like crazy right now!

She thinks her skirt is to be worn like this. It makes her look very odd.

She has such pretty eyes.

She loves to run-run-run everywhere! Also, to pull her arms out of her seatbelt straps. She obediently puts them back in when we tell her to, and then promptly pulls them out again. Hmm.

She loves drawing. On everything. The crayons have been relocated to the highest shelf (since she figured out how to get them out of the art stools).

She makes this face when she thinks she is being funny

How did my baby become a little girl (and a big sister) so suddenly?

Lucky

2011-06-14T16:44:00.000-06:00

Something very good happened the other day. You recall how much Malachi wants to pet a birdie (or a bunny)? And is sad because he can't? Well, one evening Sam came running in the house calling Malachi. As he drove home, Sam had seen a robin sitting on the side of the street not moving, and when he got close to it, it just sat there and looked at him. Then it fluttered a little way away and sat still again. It didn't look hurt, so Sam came and got Malachi and brought him outside to see.

They walked very slowly and carefully up to the birdie and it stayed still, watching them, and finally they got very close and Malachi carefully reached out and petted his back. ("How did it feel?" I asked. "Like fur," said Malachi.) And then the birdie fluttered off. It was so amazing; I never thought such a thing would happen. Maybe Grandpa Nelson had a hand in it? :)

I have NEVER seen a happier boy than Ky when he came racing inside to tell me about it. (Here he is explaining. "I love that birdie, Mommy! I didn't touch his peek [that's beak], because I didn't want him to bite me, so I don't know what his peek feels like. Maybe it's soft. His feathers were so soft! And he wasn't even scared of me! He let me pet him because he knows I'm so, so nice and I love birdies and I'm NEVER going to hurt him! He's a nice birdie and he LIKED me!")

Evening garden

2011-06-13T18:20:00.001-06:00

I should probably be Red Butte Garden's official blogger, don't you think? This week the light was so pretty and warm, it finally felt like a summer evening. We saw a bunny again! And a rattlesnake. (I hope they stayed far away from each other.) There are a lot of pictures. Daisy just looked so cute in her little skirt, and then Juni started being extra cute, and then it all just escalated out of control.

She likes to run right up to the camera and peer into it

So happy!

My shirt matched these irises

Sunlight through wisteria---so pretty

The rain has made everything so green! Gorgeous with the sun coming through.

They have the same strange mouth-twist here

Hair!

A bath

2011-06-13T16:55:00.000-06:00

She likes it. But then, she likes almost everything.

Especially her daddy.

Spring Garden

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

While Philip and Allison were here visiting we went with them and my mom to Red Butte Garden. All the daffodils we'd seen a few weeks earlier:

were gone, but so many other things had come out instead! It was beautiful. You can see in these two pictures below how much things change in just a few weeks:

mid-May

early June

It feels so great to be outside finally! It was kind of chilly while the sun was behind clouds, but still nice enough to feel like Spring. I'm afraid Spring is going to get shortchanged again this year, but we're enjoying what we can of it.

In a house

Juni looking interested and serene

We saw lots of of squirrels and birds, and even a bunny! Malachi loves them all so much---he talks to them just like people. "Hi, Little Birdie! Come over here! I want to give you a hug!" I keep telling him that birds are too scared of people to allow hugs, but he just can't accept it. "But why are they scared of ME? I'M not going to hurt them!" It makes him so sad. This time, when we got home from the garden and were getting the kids ready for bed, Ky came into the bathroom with tears in his eyes. Sam asked him what was the matter and he said, "I just WANTED that bunny to come home and LIVE with us!" It was the saddest thing. Sam had to go on and on about how happy the bunny was, how it had a little home with other bunnies and they all snuggled together, etc., to cheer Ky up again. And even then he said, a little sadly as we tucked him in, "I wish WE had a bunny home like that."

The friendly bunny. He hopped right up near us and looked at us for awhile before hopping away. "He loves me!" Malachi said happily. And was then extra sad when the bunny departed.

Pink dogwood---so pretty!

I love this tunnel of trees!

Kindergarten Program

2011-06-04T20:13:00.000-06:00

Seb had his end-of-year Kindergarten Program last week. It was cute, and he was cute. If I had been another parent watching him I might possibly have thought there was something odd about that child, but being his doting mother, I knew his repetitive autistic-savant-like motions were just him counting the chairs. And the books behind him. And possibly the parents and siblings. And poking his finger nervously into the tiny, tiny hole in his shirt about which I had given him many stern warnings about not poking it or it would get bigger before he left for school that morning.

He said his part perfectly, and sang very nicely, when he remembered to. He is so sweet and I love him. His teacher (who has been the BEST, and Sebby said he wanted to be in her class every year and even when he got a job after college) got very teary about saying goodbye to her kindergartners, and I was a little teary myself thinking about how much Sebby has grown up. I don't know how I'll stand having him gone all day next year!

Shyly receiving his certificate

Self-portrait

I asked him if he wanted any pictures of his classroom and this was what he wanted to memorialize. It is a very cute, tiny toilet, I must admit. (Good thing I had the focus so sharp on the important part of this picture!)

Lehman Caves/Memorial Day

2011-06-03T15:46:00.000-06:00

On Memorial Day we took a quick daytrip over to Lehman Caves. It wasn't our first time there, and the baby in the carrier was a different one, but the cave remains spectacular. Sebby has a new plan for what to be when he grows up: a park ranger that leads cave tours. He was fascinated with everything and asked our guide lots of adorable questions. Malachi said he saw a stalactite that looked like an elephant. Daisy glared at the ceiling when she got dripped on.

Afterwards, we were pleasantly surprised to find the weather warm and sunny for our picnic. We found a playground and everyone ran around happily.

Daisy had the happiest smile ever when she got to ride this bouncy horse

In short, a lovely day.

Better than nothing

2011-05-25T11:30:00.000-06:00

Certain parties have complained about the lack of Juniper pictures these days. I am sorry to say I don't take as many as I'd like to; certainly not as many as that cutie deserves! But here are a few (and I even almost managed to catch some smiles).

Peaceful

The small ones

2011-05-23T13:06:00.000-06:00

Tithing's over in Asia

2011-05-23T13:03:00.001-06:00

"Squeeze my cheeks and I'll give you a kiss!"

So sweet to his sisters!

This boy has never been one to avoid using a word just because he doesn't know what it is or what it means. My favorite thing is to hear him singing (at the top of his lungs) various songs he's overheard, as he interprets them. (And he hears LOTS of songs around here, especially since Abe joined the Utah Children's Choir last year.) Here are some of his (mis)interpretations:

"Nova, Nova, Tidings of Salvation"="Nova, Nova, tithing's over in Asia"

"As I sat on a sunny bank"="A slice was on a Johnny-bank"

"Won't we look purty in the ballroom"="Won't you put birdie in the ballroom"

Lettuce wraps="soda scraps"

My other favorite thing he's said lately? The following:

Ky: (crying) I got hurt on my tail!

Me: Your tail?

Ky: (crying harder) Yes, and I don't even HAVE a tail!

Our pursuits stay remarkably constant

2011-05-23T12:47:00.000-06:00

2007

2011

Bear II, smiles, diapers

2011-05-16T10:17:00.000-06:00

Sebby got to bring Kinderbear home again. He brought the girl kinderbear this time. We loved her.

This girl's hair is growing and growing! Rachael, do you see that ponytail and clip? So cute!

I asked her to smile and she produced this hideous grimace. Her real smile is much cuter, naturally.

This tiny one smiles at us ALL THE TIME---definite, unmistakeable smiles. I still haven't been able to capture one in its full glory with the camera, but here is the tail end of one. She is such a remarkable baby :)

The bag of disposable diapers I bought for right after she was born ran out, so now she is in the cloth and looks like a Real Nielson Baby: tiny little body with big soft bottom. Cloth diapers always look SO BIG on newborns! I was experimenting with making fitted diapers (using flannel pieces I had) which is why the one above is more decorative than usual---usually she just looks like this:

May Day

2011-05-03T14:30:00.000-06:00

Daisy looked so pretty in her flowery dress. And, Beth, please take note:

HAIR!! Enough to (sort of) put a little clippie in. Do you see it?

Soon she'll be sporting French-braids and all sorts of other hairstyles, no doubt. :)

Beautiful

2011-04-26T16:51:00.002-06:00

I find this little one so beautiful---I could sit and look at her all day. Of course she is darling when she sleeps, but she is so serene when she's awake. Her little eyes are interested in everything, but she has a peacefulness about her, a lack of that "what's-all-this-then?" bewilderment I've seen in some of my other babies. It's very calming.

Easter, etc.

2011-04-26T16:45:00.000-06:00

I think Malachi loves Juniper the most (he always has had a soft spot for babies and other tiny things). He runs in to see her first thing in the morning, wants to kiss her goodnight before she sleeps, and is just generally always interested in where she is and what she's doing.

Children with Easter Bunnies (Juniper is the same size as hers).

What tiny person could make tiny Daisy look so BIG?

Colored Bubbles

2011-04-26T16:35:00.000-06:00

We got these bubbles a long time ago (Christmas) but had ~~forgotten we had them~~ been saving them for the right time. Finally a couple weeks ago we had a nice day to get them out. The bubbles were beautiful against the blue sky---Abe's were pink and Seb's were blue. Amazing how novel and special they seemed because of being colored!

It was alarming, because the bubble solution dripped everywhere and was SO dark and color-y, like ink. I was so afraid it would stain everything it touched. But then it just evaporated completely. The color disappeared like magic. So cool!

I like how hard Seb is working for this one tiny bubble.

Happy day

2011-04-24T15:30:00.001-06:00

Hooray, we have another baby girl! We thought maybe baby was waiting for the rain to stop and Spring weather to really come before making an appearance. But when the weather refused to cooperate, maybe this sweet girl decided that a beautiful sunrise would suffice. And finally getting to meet her made even the labor, all four days of it, worthwhile. We wanted so much to know who she was. SO happy to finally have you here, baby dear!

Juniper Lark Nielson

6 lbs 10 oz.; 20 inches long

April 21, 2011

Two hours old. Sideways. Interested in the world.

Tiny!

Daisy is not sure what to think, but knows this thing is delicate.

Pinewood Derby

2011-04-15T10:34:00.001-06:00

Or "Fine-ma Derby" as the boys inexplicably call it. Abe's car got second place! We could hardly believe it. He was quite pleased (but rather than basking in the glory, just kept asking me when he could go get some of the nachos they were serving).

Abe's rainbow car at the starting line. The other cars had names like "White Lightning" or "Flame Rider." Abe said his was named "Zoomy."

Great concentration

Watching the race like a big person

In the lead!

Hike, Tiny, Faces, Found

2011-04-15T10:24:00.001-06:00

Here we are hiking to the "Y" Sebby made for us

Ky drinks a tiny, tiny cup of cocoa

Sometimes I don't know what her expressions mean

And sometimes she tries to hide her smile

Brownie was missing for two sad weeks---he finally turned up inside the Cake Stand box (we'd had the cake stand out for awhile and found him when we tried to put it away). Sebby told us that Brownie had called on the phone while he was gone, and Seb tried to ask him where he was, but all Brownie said was, "I don't know . . . somewhere dark."

Marshmallows, Pinecorns, and a Nice Day

2011-04-05T16:17:00.001-06:00

We have had a few days where we remember that it might be Spring soon. (I have protected myself against disappointment by pretending that real Spring doesn't come till May.) We went to Red Butte Garden one day, where we were treated to a sight of the very rare Marshmallow Tree. Oddly enough, it only blooms one day a year, on April 1st!

Ky is holding a pinecone on his forehead, like a "pinecorn" (unicorn)

I asked Seb why the marshmallows only came out on April 1st. He seemed perplexed.

I think he's still wondering about it here.

Everyone ran down the hill.

Even this tiny girl.

But mostly she carried her blanket around and looked serious.

Resting on some Resting Rocks

At one point we lost track of Sebby. Of course we found him here:

Update on this Ky-guy

2011-03-19T09:22:00.000-06:00

Some things about this picture:

He is so sleepy he can hardly stand up.
The scratches on his face aren't chicken pox. (They're from an unfortunate encounter with Daisy. Unintentional, of course.)
He holds Birdie by his tail like that.
He is wearing a fire department sticker he got from the fireman that came to check our CO detector. (False alarm.)
His toe is poking out of his pajamas.
His hair.
I love him.

Things she wears well

2011-03-18T15:09:00.000-06:00

Sunny yellow

Malachi's Sunday shoes (she pulls off the look, but gets mad because they fall off her feet so easily)

Haaaaats (but only if she chose to put it on herself)

Muu-muu (bought in Hawaii when I was expecting Abraham!)

The wispy/bald look

St. Patrick's Day Ensemble (yes, purists, we know the dress isn't green, but our options were limited)

Snug

2011-03-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

We've been sick for a little while, and poor Daisy has been quite sad with a fever and cough. She goes to the coat closet and points to her coat and says things (long, complicated things which no one understands) until we put the coat on for her. Admittedly it is a very furry coat and she likes wearing it anyway. But I think she especially likes it when she's cold and shivery and feverish.

She looks very cute even when she's sick. The boys made her a nice little nest to be in (we favor nests, as cures for all manner of ills, in this family).

Sticky, found, reading

2011-03-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

We love this book (called Hug)

(she notices the camera)

Cold Picnic

2011-02-17T14:46:00.002-07:00

We had such a nice February day the other day that we had to take advantage of it with a picnic and a playground. The boys got warm enough to take their coats off! Good thing too, because it snowed the next day . . . brrr!

Sebby was adorable hauling Daisy around. He said, "Mommy, can I be the one who supervises Daisy?" "Supervising" evidently means carrying someone around and controlling their every move. Luckily, Daisy loved it (this time) just as much as Sebby did. She thought she was SUCH a big girl, playing on all the equipment.

Her favorite part was the slide. She laughed and yelled "Wheeeee!" She insisted that Sebby take her over and over and over.

Valentine Girl

2011-02-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

In this picture she is holding up her skirt and saying, "Pretty, pretty!"

Not one; one and a half

2011-02-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

Ready for church (and nursery!)

She also likes to wear a tie

Kinderbear

2011-02-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Sebby's school class has a bear that gets to come home with one child every night. His name is Kinderbear. The kids have to write about and draw a picture of what Kinderbear did while he was at home with them. When it was Sebby's turn, he was so excited he could hardly stand it. He LOVED Kinderbear. It was so cute to watch Seb take Kinderbear around everywhere, showing and telling him things. ("And this is Brownie. Not a brownie to eat! That's my monkey's name! And this is my bed. And this is Malachi's bed. And this is our little sister Daisy" etc.)

I love the picture he drew, with its meticulous detail (even the embroidered words on Kinderbear's overalls). You can see Sebby tossing the cookie pizza onto the counter, and the side view of our two ovens with their racks inside, waiting for the pizza to be put in.

Little Rose

2011-01-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

Sculpture, balloon, pizza

2011-01-19T16:09:00.000-07:00

The other day Sebby called me to "come see the sculpture I made!" It was this. I liked it.

Sunday clothes, with Seb's balloon (he got it at a school party). It's the best balloon we've ever had. It's been up for nearly two weeks now. Have you ever heard of such a thing?!

Boys waiting anxiously for the Cookie Pizza to cool. Everyone decorated his or her own piece. I remember LOVING a Family Home Evening where we did this when I was little.

Monsters

2011-01-03T18:46:00.001-07:00

I wanted to take pictures of the boys in their new Monster shirts (they got little monster iron-on pieces for Christmas, and you can choose which parts to use so you make your own monster on the shirt). They had so much fun putting them together, and they turned out so cute!

Ky's idea of a suitable monster expression

But suddenly, as I lined them all up to get a picture together. . .

. . . someone began to feel left-out. And like she should really be a part of this.

So she inserted herself into the line-up.

She really does not appreciate anything going on without her involvement.

And, since she seemed to wish it (and since I am certainly not a model of self-restraint when taking pictures of my little darlings) she got some pictures of her own. Here she is saying, "Hiiiiiii!"

Christmas

2010-12-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

I now present a few images from the Christmas festivities. There was much feasting and furriness (due to cuddly children in soft new pajamas; why can't they ever STAY that furry?).

Abe created the place settings for our Christmas Eve dinner. Negative-space Christmas trees for the forks to go into, and the resulting cut-outs placed on the plate. Efficient and elegant use of resources.

I like their matching sideways expressions. They're making monkey noises, if you must know.

In fact they're very strange playmates (or shall I make use of the excellent phrase "strange bedfellows"?) at times, these two. But funny, always funny.

I made these sock animals for the kids this year. One of my friends taught me how, and it was great fun. I really liked figuring out how to make the different animals (original pattern was for a bunny) look like they were supposed to. And the furry socks hide all my messy stitchery. Stitch-witchery.

Christmas Eve "Elf Olympics." Great concentration being exercised here.

Christmas dress

2010-12-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of this pretty girl in her red Christmas dress. (I never did put her in the Santa Suit but maybe I will sometime before I put all the Christmas stuff away.) I must say that dressing her up in cute dresses is THE BEST. I love it.

(she's always getting things out of the garbage and carrying them around triumphantly)