Some pictures

Kenneth and Jack and Grandma came to visit!

Bright rainbows

Marigold gets cuter and cuter! Here she is chortling with Daddy.

I like the way her tiny fists just float around in the air

Talking

Welcome, sweet baby!

What a happy Mother's Day it was! Our sweet baby girl came Sunday at 3:23 a.m.

Marigold Eve Nielson

9 lbs; 20.5 inches long

12 May 2013

I think baby Marigold has the happiest, most excited bunch of brothers and sisters in the whole world!

This little fellow had everyone convinced we were having a boy, but he is so happy about his little sister!

So proud

My two babies

Welcome to the world, little Marigold!

Recently

Pinewood Derby (Abe's car is called "The Poison Dart"---painted to look like a frog)

Piano recital

Bubbles

Playgrounds

Two!

Here is our sweet two-year-old Junie. She has seemed to grow up so much in the last few months! Now that she can wear "Junietails" and use the toilet and speak (more) like a person, she reminds me more and more of Daisy. Sometimes one of them comes into the room saying something, and I can't tell which one it is out of the corner of my eye. But Junie is her own person too---so happy and exuberant and animated. We love her so much!

A bit taken aback, but pleased, about the applause after she blew out her birthday candle at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Opening presents---with three eager "helpers" to oversee the process

Spring!

Spring Daisy

Matching girls. Junie always asks me to put "Junietails" in her hair. Then she calls them "Daisytails" on Daisy. So cute!

From behind :)

I LOVE this picture of my mom and Malachi wearing her favorite color

Gorgeous Easter pie my mom made

Rainbow eggs

Easter Sunday with Grandma

At home and abroad

After a short but wonderful trip to far-off climes, we're home and enjoying the regular things:

Wall-E made of blocks (by Malachi)

Long-needed haircuts (I like this picture because it shows how each boy's hair is a sliiightly different shade and texture)

Abe's lovely cake for the Blue and Gold Banquet (this was when he had his hair grown out long for the opera)

Mini pizza night

Daisy hugging "Bunny Baby"

La bohème

Abe was in the children's chorus for Utah Lyric Opera's production of La bohème last week. He did so well. I loved the performances and I was so impressed with the children, running around acting onstage while singing (the quick-tempo Italian lyrics) so beautifully! I was in the children's chorus for Carmen at BYU when I was about his age, and it was such a great experience. I can still remember how exciting it was, dyeing my hair black and getting dressed in my costume, carrying around the little snacks my mom packed for me in my tiny coin purse backstage, and being lifted onto the shoulders of one of the nice BYU students in the last scene. Abraham was really sad to have this be over, and said he hopes he can be in another production soon! I could do without the late nights dragging all the kids down to Provo and back, but I'm so glad he got to participate.

It was cute to see how excited the younger children were to see Abe (Seb went to a performance and Malachi and Daisy saw the dress rehearsal). They're already familiar with much of the music, and even though they probably didn't get half of what was going on, they watched the acting with great interest and laughed sociably at all the jokes. (I asked Seb if he cried when Mimi died, but he said he didn't.) Sebby made his own stage and set with blocks at home later, though he told me his La bohème ended with "everyone going to Disneyland." Sounds good to me!

They are so cute! I love the girls in their ringlets.

Lately

Junie loves to walk around the house in Daisy's boots. She is not the first to have this predilection.

Now that they can go by themselves, the boys go sledding about 90% more often than they went when they had to wait for me (and the small ones) to go with them. They looooove sledding.

The girls usually have to be content with pretending to sled.

Junie always has her Baby with her.

Daisy's been wearing some of the dresses I wore when I was a little girl. She looks so cute!

Here's me in that same blue dress (on my birthday?)

Ferris wheel, etc.

We went to the new Scheel's store near us on a cold grey day recently. There was hardly anyone there, so we had the Ferris Wheel all to ourselves. It was great fun. I think there are other things to do there also, but we just rode the Ferris Wheel and then walked around and looked at things---big fish tanks, and stuffed elk and moose, and so forth.

Junie was open-mouthed with excitement about the fish