When I was sick

Sophia played with the camera,

and the scissors.

Actually I walk into rooms all of the time with small bits of paper spread all around. She loves cutting things, and is obsessed with making "cell phones" and "laptops" with her paper, scissors and glue stick. Here she was cutting hearts. I was quite impressed with how well she did with the home-made valentines this year, and even more impressed that she remembered how to fold the paper and cut to make the heart look the same on both sides without any supervision. So different from the boys.

The Girls Room (a tour)

I wouldn't enter it into a cutest room contest or anything, but it's clean (for now) and I thought I'd share.

Their doll house is still not assembled, but I love Grandpa "C's" artwork anyway.

Sophia's bed... actually she's so ready for a big girl bed... maybe with our tax return?

This huge window lets in so much light and warmth, it's the first thing I open when I walk into the girls room.

I just converted Jennie's crib into her toddler bed yesterday. She loves it!

The shoes and their vanity of course. We found so many lipglosses when we cleaned their room yesterday, they're in heaven.

I love when their closet is closed. I think the doors are so pretty, and it makes the whole room look cleaner.

Thanks Lenora and Sally for all of the wonderful hand-me-down's. The changing table that Papa made for me when I was a baby has endured 11 kids now, (me, Chad, Kellen, Jeff, Mark, Austin, Quintin, Dalton, Joe, Sophia, and Jennie.) And, it's loaded with even more clothes.

The Nelsons take over Lake Havasu City

Some families get together for Christmas or Easter, but our family celebrates Presidents Day with a bang! Lake Havasu City hosts the WPA Winter Blast each year which amounts to 2 hours of the best fireworks I've ever seen set to music and perfectly timed. That's the draw... or maybe it isn't. Maybe it's the 75 degree weather in the middle of my freezing Idaho winter. Maybe it's the Nelson Iron-Chef-cook-off, or the three new babies and their parents or maybe just spending time at my parent's new winter home or watching Chad in action serving his heart out in his ward as the Elders Quorum President, or seeing my nephews for the last time as they plan on serving the Lord on a mission for The Church of Latter-Day Saints or allowing my children to grow even closer to their cousins to deepen those relationships. Whatever the draw, I loved this past weekend, I enjoyed every second of it, (even though I was super sick the whole time) and it was absolutely worth the 16 hour drive. I love my family!

Christmas Gift Cards Speant

Honestly it took over an hour to spend Grandma C's gift cards. The girls changed their minds dozens of times and then landed on what they always want while we're checking out--cuz I never let them have 'em.

Sophia teaches herself how to write her own name...

On Grammy's desk.


On her sheets.


Under our brand new kitchen counters.


On top of our kitchen counters through crepe paper streamers.


And, on her preschool Olympic painted ring project.

The Piano

Photo courtesy of Sophia Crawford

It's a Stark Upright Grand circa the 1930's. I found it on CraigsList for only $350! It'll be tuned on Monday and I can't wait! So far, the kids and I are loving it, and it hasn't suffered much abuse at our hands.

Since we're so new still to the costs of living here, we're not committing to lessons yet. I do however have my old books from my one year of lessons, (all I can seem to remember is where middle C is :) and I have a new teach-yourself-piano course by my old, old, old Bishop's wife. Dalton is enjoying learning his 5 note scales, and I love the sound of real music in our home!


Here, Sophia is attempting to play the Book of Mormon.