Arnold and Sun Valley

 Two weeks ago we went to Sun Valley for a couple days to be with my family.  My brother Cole and his wife Sara just got back from being in Hawaii for 6 months and this week they are moving to Missouri for medical school.  This was last our chance to spend time with them before their big move and new adventure. 

Nate was not planning on coming with me and Kate but last minute decided to come.  He wasn't able to do the activities with us during the day but he enjoyed eating, talking and playing games in the evening with everyone. 

The weather was not ideal but that did not stop us from enjoying beautiful Sun Valley.  

We rode bikes, hiked to a lake, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Red Fish Lake while sipping hot chocolate.  

One our last day we had breakfast at The Kneadery.  When we were waiting for a table to open up, in walked Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Nate looked at him straight in the face and gave him a nod.  Arnold kind of acknowledged Nate has he went into the restaurant.  We ended up being a table away from him so Nate sneaked a picture of Kate and I with Arnold in the background.

Me and Kate with "the terminator."

Getting out of Sun Valley was quite the process.  Right before we left, I locked the keys in the car.  Well I cannot say I really locked them in there because I never pushed the lock button.  I had no idea the car locked itself but it does.  It took the locksmith an hour to get to the cabin and then it took him 10-15 minutes to unlock the car.  He didn't know how to unlock the Civic and he didn't want to look it up in his book so it took him much longer than it should have.  

Once we got on the road it took about 3 minutes for Nate to get pulled over.  He wasn't paying attention to how fast he was going and right after my dad said he should slow down we were passing a cop.  The cop turned around and pulled Nate over.  It is never good to speed in Sun Valley.  The cops always pull you over.  

So the cop comes up to the window and Nate gives him his drivers license, registration, and insurance.  He asks Nate if he knows why he got pulled over and of course he does cause he was going like 25 over.  Nate then explains why he wasn't paying attention: we just locked our keys in the car and the locksmith just helped us and now we are trying to meet our family.  The cop decides to give Nate a warning, which I was so surprised but happy for.  Like I said, the Nielson family knows all too well that cops like to pull people over and give them tickets in the Sun Valley area.  

The cop then says well next time you get locked out of your car just call me cause I used work for this guy as he looks at my dad.  The thing is we don't know he is looking at my dad cause he is wearing sunglasses.  When he first said this we thought he was talking about working for the locksmith but he was talking about working for my dad.  The cop then goes on to tell my dad how he just saw his father, my grandpa, 3 weeks ago.  He tells my dad how he worked for him a couple of years ago but my dad does not remember this guy.   The cop talks some more and when he is about to leave Nate asks him if he went to Pocatello High School, which he did.  Nate then asks what year.  The cop responds, the same year as you.  Haha.  Man it was so funny.  Nate then asks him to take off his sunglasses to see if he recognizes him.  Nate did recognize him but he didn't know him that well in high school.  It was so crazy the cop knew my dad and Nate but they didn't really know him.  It was pretty awkward. Haha.  I think the only reason why Nate got off was the fact the cop knew my dad and Nate.  It was a huge blessing that cop was the one to pull us over!

Pocatello in May

Before Nate started studying for the bar we spent some time in Pocatello. 

While we were there, my little, big brother received his mission call!  He will be serving in the San Fernando California Mission.  I am so proud of him.  I know he is ready to serve and will be a great missionary!  He leaves on August 28th.

We were in Poky over Memorial Day so we spent some time at the cemetery visiting my Grandma Nielson's grave, along with other Nielson relatives and family members on the Carlson side.

 I was really close to my Grandma Nielson.  I spent a lot time at her house when I was a child.  I always enjoyed playing games with her, doing puzzles, painting our nails, making cookies, picking raspberries, helping her in her garden and selling cucumbers on her front lawn.  I have such fond memories of her.  I am pretty lucky that I get to remember her each time I look at my wedding ring.  My main diamond was hers.  My grandma actually left it to my mom but my mom decided to give it to me.  I love that I have a little part of her with me.  

I always thought Grandma Bonnie would be alive for when I got married and always hoped she would be here when I had children.  She may have not been alive when Nate and I got married or when Kate was born but I am positive she was watching over me with love and excitement in these important times in my life.  I am sure she would have loved Nate and would absolutely love Kate and her big, bright eyes.

On one of the days I went to Utah with my parents.  We stopped to see my Grandpa Stratford.  This was Kate's first time meeting her great-grandpa.

We also visited my Grandma Stratford at the nursing home.  She has dementia and cannot remember much.  It is hard visiting her because she rambles and nothing makes much sense that she says.  So... it is pretty difficult to have a conversation with her.  The one great thing about seeing her is she is usually excited to have visitors.  I am sure it gets lonely at the nursing home so she loves when people come to see her.  She loved meeting Kate!  She couldn't get over how cute she was.  I am sure we made her day by introducing her to Kate.  Kate enjoyed Grandma Barbara, too, and gave her some great smiles!  

Kate also met some of my aunts and cousins. 

Kate loved grabbing the leaves on the tree outside grandpas house.

Kate is getting good at standing on Grandpa Nielson's hands.  

She is starting young at being a "flyer!"

Kate has started to become more cuddly and lovey dovey.  

It makes me a happy momma!

Pocatello, we will see you again soon.

6 Months

My baby turned 6 months old last week. 

She brings a lot of joy into my life.  

My love for her grows each and every day.

She is one special little girl.

I am happy to say Kate is getting over her stranger anxiety stuff.  We went to Pocatello for a week and she never had a bad crying episode.  She has gone to a couple of people at church for short periods of time and has done great.  I still get nervous giving her to people cause you never know with Kate what will set her off.  So far she hasn't really cried but if she starts fussing then I take her back to make sure she doesn't explode.  I hope it continues to get better!

 Kate has the cutest, sweetest voice.  Nate and I love it when she is in another room by herself and she begins to talk.  We will peak in and watch as she explores and talks to herself.  She has become quite the talker!




    

This month Kate learned to roll from her back to her tummy.  She now loves being on her tummy.  If I lay her on her back she will roll over.  She is much happier on her tummy than her back.  She can see and play with things on a whole new level.  Kate now sleeps mostly on her tummy.  I always start her on her back but she prefers to sleep on tummy so she always rolls over.  I know with SIDS they say they are supposed to sleep on their back but there is no way I am going to wake up multiple times during the night to make sure she is on her back.  Kate is not the best sleeper but she sleeps so much better on her tummy than her back so I am not going to disrupt her peaceful sleeping. 

 

Since Kate spends a lot of time on her tummy she has begun to push up on her hands and knees.  She doesn't really move but she can kind of push herself backwards.  In a couple more weeks she will probably be crawling.  Crazy.

 

 
 Kate is working on sitting by herself.  She is stable if she is sitting still but once she starts reaching for things side to side she usually falls over.  It is hard to believe my baby is starting to sit.
This past month Kate seems so much older because she is doing more human like things such as sitting, rolling all over the place and even eating food!

Kate is a smiley baby but she doesn't laugh a whole lot.  Nate was able to get Kate really laughing a few weeks ago, though.  I am so glad I got it on video because I haven't heard her laugh like this since.  It is pretty hard to get her to laugh continuously but she will do small laughs that almost seem fake.  I love watching this video and even Kate likes watching it.  She loves to look at pictures and videos of herself.  She gets pretty excited to see how stinking cute she is!

I really cannot get enough of this girl.  Love Her.

Law School Graduation

Nate graduated from the University of Idaho Law School on May 1st.

I could not be more proud of him.

These past 3 years have flown by.  It seems like yesterday we moved to Moscow to start this journey and now we have been in Boise a year and have a 5 month old.  It is crazy how fast time goes and home much changes in a couple of years.  As fun as it was to move far from home and meet some of our dearest friends, I am glad to be done.  I know Nate is really excited to be finished and to begin his career.  We are ready to settle down in a permanent place.  Nate doesn't have a job lined up right now but he is waiting to hear back about a couple of jobs.  We are optimistic something will work out!  I know wherever he gets a job he will do a great job and they will be lucky to have him.
 

 

Since graduation was on a Wednesday night it wasn't easy for family to come celebrate Nate's accomplishment.  We were lucky to have Nate's mom, my parents and Grandma Carlson come for dinner and the commencement. 

Nate had some great friends in law school.  It was even better that his friends had great wives!  We have had some good times with the friends we met through law school.  I will miss the game nights, dinners, frisbee golf, girls nights, intramural football and basketball, shopping trips, the husbands wrestling, walks, workout groups and all the laughing.

A couple of the families also came to Boise for their 3rd year.  It was fun to have friends in Boise to do things with.  Wherever we end up we will miss our law school friends.  I hope wherever we move we meet as great as people to be our friends as we had in law school.  We will not forget the friends we met and we hope to have many reunions with them!

 The weekend before graduation we got together with law school friends to have a party. 

It was fun to get together with the friends we have come to love through law school.

As you can see Kate was having one of her episodes and was not so excited about being at the party.

For the next two months, Nate will study for the deathly bar.  Kate and I hope these next two months go fast because I don't think we will be seeing much of daddy.  We love Nate and are so proud of all the hard work he has put into school for our family. 
See you in two months daddy!

Happy 5 Months

 

  

This past month has had its highs and lows.  Last month I wrote how Kate had become so much happier and fun.  While some of that is true, she has also developed stranger anxiety.  I don't know if you can even call it that because we have never left her with anyone.  When she has her stranger anxiety episodes we are right by her side.  The first time it occurred was about a month ago.  We were in Utah with family for the weekend.  The night we got there she just started to scream bloody murder and it pretty much was that way the rest of the weekend.  If she got too close to other people she would start fussing which would sometimes lead to screaming.  The worst part about it is I could not console her.  She would not have anything to do with me when she got this way.  She would not even feed to calm down.  That weekend she would go 4 to 6 hours without eating when she usually eats every 2 to 3.  Luckily, she liked Nate and he would be able to calm her down but if he would try and give her to me after she had calmed down she would freak out again.  It was like she was mad at me.  It was the worst couple days of being a mother.  I did not know what to do for my baby and she did not even want me.  I cried a lot.  Since that time it has happened at a get together with friends and then with Nate's family last weekend.  Last week Nate at one point could not even console her so she sat in her car seat and cried/screamed.  People probably think we are horrible parents but when nothing consoles your baby you just have to let them scream.  I am really hoping this is a phase and she grows out of it SOON.  If anyone has any tips/advice we would love to hear it.

I am so grateful Kate is not that way all the time.  At home, Kate is quite pleasant.  It makes me sad that people, especially family, do not see her cute, fun, happy side.  Yes, Kate does have her moments at home where she is not happy and cries but nothing like around other people.  Me and Kate have such a good time at home.  We sing, read books, play on the ground, I dance and act crazy while she smiles and laughs at me, we sit in front of the mirror so Kate can touch and figure out how the heck she can see herself, we go for walks, Kate babbles and babbles while I pretend I know exactly what she is talking about, we just have fun.   She is one bundle of joy! I love my baby Kate!

4 Months

How is my baby already 4 months old?  Sometimes it feels like she is older.  Other days I wish she were still a newborn.  When I look at pictures of Kate as a newborn I cannot even remember her looking or being as small as she was.  I am sad I cannot remember those days but I sure love the little girl she is becoming.

This past month Kate has seemed to really blossom.  She is becoming a much happier baby.  She had her first giggles this past month.  Her Uncle Derek was able to get them out of her which is quite fitting.  He is the comedian in the Nielson family.  Since then, we have gotten her to giggle a couple of times.  When we get her to giggle we will try the same thing the next time and she won't have it.  What was once funny becomes boring to her...funny girl.  We keep having to try new, crazy things to get her to laugh.  It is quite the task.

 Kate is such a mover.  It seems like she is wiggling all the time.  She used to be such a good girl and sit still when I would change her diaper.  Now she pushes her feet against my hand to move backwards when I try to put her diaper on.  She thinks she is pretty funny but it is not easy to put a diaper on a moving baby.  Kate has rolled from her tummy to her back quite a few times.  She is working on rolling from her back to her tummy.  I think it will happen any day now.  She is so close.

 Kate's new thing is to reach and grab things.  She wants to touch everything.  Her hands are now in her mouth all the time.  She loves to look at her hands and mine.  She could grab and play with my hands for hours.  She has also discovered her feet and will grab for them when I change her diaper.  She isn't obsessed with them like she is her hands but I am sure she will like them more in a few weeks time.

 Kate is the little talker/singer.  Her voice is so cute.  Kate will sometimes lay in her crib and talk to herself.  When she does this I like to hide and watch her because if she sees me she usually stops.  It is so fun to see her using her voice.  Kate will also sing along with us when we sing to her.  At church on Sunday she sang through the sacrament hymn.  I couldn't stop laughing but it was the cutest thing. 

I love this little video of Kate.  It seems she is trying to figure out how she is going to get her binky in her mouth without any hands.

I cannot wait to see what Kate learns and does next month!