The Nielsens

The Holidays

2011-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

The last couple months have been a whirlwind of events. The kids have all gotten so big and it's been fun to share these memories with them. Here are some noteworthy pictures.

We went to Grammy's house in Boise a little before Thanksgiving. I'm glad we got to go one last time because my parents are in the process of moving to Sacramento. We have had a lot of fun there and we will definitely miss it.
We visited my Grandparents while we were there a few times. My Grandfather built this rocker for me when I was about Mia's age and it was fun to see her enjoying it. Grandpa even let us take it home for her.

Grandpa held Tessa exclusively. They are kindred spirits I think.
We got snow in November which is a rare treat in Western Washington. Despite it being cold, we just couldn't keep the kids inside. I had to run and get them all outfitted because we didn't have any snow gear for them. Alas, it only last a a couple of days.

We went down to Vancouver for Will's 6th birthday. Good ole' Chuck E. Cheese!

We started a new family tradition this year and had salmon soup and Christmas Carols at the Tuckett's home.

Kevin's Grandma's side had a family reunion. It was fun to see everyone and how they have all changed.

The Stark's came up for New Year's Eve and we rang in the new year together.

Sidse's Birthday!
Mia has been really into dressing up lately. Every couple minutes she'll emerge wearing a new get up. It's funny how different boys and girls are.

Chistmas Day at The Nielsens

2011-02-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

We spent the majority of Christmas Day at Kevin's parents house. If you ask my kids, there is no other place they'd rather be.

Christmas Morning

2011-02-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

After opening all the presents from Santa, the Maiava's had us over for the BEST breakfast ever!

Everyone was a little tired from the late night before - especially Jasmine :)

Santa Comes

2011-02-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

The spoils of Christmas morning!

Christmas Eve

2011-02-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas Eve, all of my family on my Mom's side came over to our house. We had the most deliscious spread of food and when we couldn't eat anymore, we had a Christmas program. The kids put on a very ecclectic nativity. Mia is the stable's resident butterfly, in case anyone was wondering. It was wonderful to have everyone together again, although Grandma and Grandpa were sorely missed.

The boys sang a Christmas carol after a little coaxing.

Tessa's First Birthday!!!

2011-02-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

Tessa had her first birthday with family about a month ago. She is our only child to actually eat her birthday cake. We were so proud :)

We got her an ice cream cake. I swear she can smell ice cream because she knows when you have some, even if you keep it well consealed.
Tessa's one year doctor's visit. Poor girl had no idea what was about to happen.

Miami!

2010-10-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

This is not a postcard! This is the veiw from our balcony at the Fairmont Turnberry Resort! Kevin had a dental conference in Miami last weekend and his boss told him to bring me along. Holla!!! Kevin's sister, Kelly, came and kept me company as well. It was an awesome trip. We went to South Beach, did a bay cruise, sipped pina coladas poolside, ordered room service, did some serious shopping, went on an airboat in the everglades, and saw tons of gators. I originally had lots more amazing photos, but of course, I left my brand new camera at a restaraunt half way through the trip. Sadly, it was never returned. Shocker. These are the ones I snapped with my phone. Not quite as pretty, but you get the idea.

Kelly on the airboat getting ready to see some gators.
South Beach.
The pool at our hotel. It had a huge waterslide, lazy river with intertubes, a waterfall, and cabanas. Kelly and I kept thinking we were in a dream. The resort was amazing!

Grammy's Visit

2010-10-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Grammy came to visit last week. Here we are at the airport awaiting her arrival.

Of course while Grammy was here, Mark and Tessa had croup and Mia got strep. Figures :( Even if it ended up not being quite the vacation my mom had in mind, I sure was glad she was there to help.
Fortunatly, we were all well enough to go to the pumkpin patch with Mark's preschool class.

Corn Maze

2010-10-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

We went with some friends to a local corn maze with the kids.

I couldn't beleive I got them all to look at me for this shot. It's a Sunday miracle!
Game night with Daddy.

Puyallip Fair

2010-10-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Kevin's parents had some free tickets to the fair so we all decided to go last minute. It was awesome!! We went on a Friday, so it wasn't crowded and the weather was perfect. Tessa posed for her first charicature and the kids rode on as many rides as we would let them.

Mark was such a good big brother. He always made sure Mia was having fun and was safe. Our girls are very lucky to have such a sweet protector.

Grandma and Grandpa decided to take the day off work so they could come too. The kids were in seventh heaven having them there.

Mark takes the consumption of his corn dogs very seriously.

Mark turns 5

2010-10-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

Once again, Mark insisted on having his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's. I made many other suggestions, but he thought those were good ideas for next year. Big surprise. Can't beleive he's already 5 and turning into such a little man. I'm glad he had a fun party!

Tessa has become quite the sitter and has recently started pulling herself up onto things. She definitely has Mark's attitude when it comes to crawling. She would much rather start walking. Lucky for her, she has a sort of army crawl thing going on for when she has to get from point A to point B.

Mark's first day of preschool. Can you tell he had been ready for weeks to get back to his class?

2010-09-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

Our kids are sure going to be sad when school starts because that will mean there cousins, Kendall and Taylor, won't be able to have sleepovers during the week. Our last slumber party, the kids wanted to watch a movie in the playroom, so we just had them sleep in there. This is how they were when the movie was over.

Obviously, this is pre-movie. They are so cute.

Anytime Kevin is home when the kids wake up, he makes them pancakes. The kids have started catching on to this fact and seem to be getting up earlier and earlier. Here we all are at 6:30 AM. Kevin managed to cook breakfeast for them and get to work by 7. He's awesome.

Tess is getting so big. She is sitting on her own now, and rolling around like crazy. She has also discovered the joys of eating solid foods. She'll eat just about anything, unlike her picky brother. It's been great.

Mia has found a partner in crime, Ella. Here they are at the park.
Mark and his buddy Tate, thinking they're tough.
Mia on the swings at Grandma's house.
Tessa loves to swing with her Auntie Sidse.

Grandpa built a chicken coop and took the kids to help him pick out six hens. They are excited for them to start laying eggs.

So here are some pictures of the new house. We are all settled and enjoying the new digs.

The Starks came down for the weekend and Jen and I couldn't resist this Holloween costume.
Jen and I took the kids to Charlie Safari to burn off some energy.
Tessa and Grandma.

2010-09-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

We had a ward camp-out a couple of weeks ago. Mia gravitated immediately to the s'mores spread and shoved as much chocolate into her mouth as she could. I think she had a permanent mustache the entire night. Mark spent the entire evening killing bad guys with all his friends from church. I am so glad he was there to protect us. Tessa got to spend the night at her Aunt Kelly's house in a nice warm bed.

Mia is betrothed to Will Maiava, so back off ladies.

Whenever it's sunny, I try to take the kids to the public fountain downtown. Here is one of our trips with some friends.

Tessa loves to be outside.

Mark-o and Tess love bathing together. He is such a doting big brother. Our girls are so lucky to have him around.
Grandma and Grandpa put in an industrial swing set in the backyard that we can all enjoy. It's also been an easy way to get some cuddle time with Mia.
We are in the new house. This is a pre-landscaped shot, but it shows the paint color I chose.
Mark playing Kevin's i-phone with his shirt on backwards. Classic.

2010-08-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Just so everyone knows, we are all moved in to the new house and have already had company. A couple of weeks ago, we had a family reunion here in Olympia and Kevin took all the able men on a four-day hike in the Olympics. The rest of us hung out and chased the little ones around. My two cousins, Ali and Amy, both had little girls a few months after Tessa. What are the chances that we'd all have gorgeous babies?!!

Here are the pictures Kevin took on the hike. It looks amazing. When the kids are a little older, I definitely want to go.

Kevin's grandmother, Maxine, knitted this dress for Mia. I love it!!
Kendall and Taylor were in an awesome theater camp, and we got to go to the performance. Mark and Mia both thought it was pretty cool to see them on stage. Good job girls!
Tessa is our little cabbage patch kid :)

We're still alive!!

2010-07-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

So, I took an unintentional blogging hiatus, but I'm back. I know I'm always saying this, but we really have been going a hundred miles an hour lately. The next few posts are completely out of order and you'll have to work your way from the bottom up. Oops. I'm just glad I got something up at all, so I'm not being picky. Anyways, if you hadn't already heard, we have been building a house for the last five months and it is finally nearing completion. We are set to move in next Friday, August 30th. It has been so much fun picking everything out and building it exactly how we want. It's near where we are currently renting and we absolutely love the area and ward. I can't believe we are finally going to be owning our first home!! This picture was taken a couple months ago, but it's fun to see how far it's come. I'll post more updated ones later.

My babies are getting so big!
This was taken on Mark's last day of school. They had a parent "tea party" for us.
Mark and Mia have been sleeping together for the past couple months. They both love to cuddle.

2010-07-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

After our stay in Boise, my mom and Joe drove us back to Olympia and stayed for a couple weeks. We had all sorts of fun. These first two are from the local farmer's market.

Robin graduated from Evergreen with her Bachelor's and here is a picture from that day. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of Robin, but we were there.
Charlie Safari!!
Tumwater Falls Park

Our good friends have a daughter with Rett Syndrome and they hosted Olympia's first annual 5K "Run for Rett". Jen and Derrik came down and did it too. Jen, Joe and Kevin ran it and did really well. Jen was the fifth girl to finish, and Joe was the second boy under 18 to finish. Derrik, Kelly, Crystal, Taylor and I brought up the rear with seven kids between us, otherwise I'm sure we would have beat everyone :)

Boise

2010-07-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

After Jasmine's wedding, the kids and I stayed in Boise for a couple weeks. There was a lot of swimming involved.

Jasmine's Wedding

2010-07-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

Jasmine got married to Josiah Colt May 22nd in the Boise Temple. It was beautiful, despite the horrible weather. Josiah is AWESOME and we are so glad he's a part of the fam. He fits right in. All and all, it was a gay ole' time.

Mia Turns 2!

2010-07-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

May 21st was Mia's second birthday and we had a little get together at Walker Park. It's become one of our favorite parks. When the tide is low, there are lots of star fish and rock crabs. We all had lots of fun celebrating Mia's big day. I can't believe she is TWO! It feels like I just had her yesterday and now she is talking and acting like such a little lady. We love her so much.

2010-04-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a busy couple of weeks and I haven't been as diligent as I should be about uploading photos to the blog. As a result, I have three massive posts below. First we have Jonny's 3rd birthday party. The Starks took us all bowling, including my Mom and Joe. It was great fun. Of course my camera died for cake and presents, but I got a few cute pics beforehand.

This is Easter Sunday. We went to Kevin's parents home and had an Easter Egg Hunt inside because of the weather. Joe dominated all the little kids. He's so tough.

Mark thought it was weird to hunt without a gun.
The Easter Bunny got a little carried away this year. Whoops. I'm blaming it on Grammy :)

Both Grandma and Grammy helped the kids dye eggs while the men were at Priesthood session.

A few weekends ago, The Tucketts came over for game night, and every so often these three would come prancing down in different outfits. Now everyone knows why I don't let the kids pick out there own clothes :)
Tessa has been so smiley lately. She is getting so big. She'll be four months in a couple days. I can't believe how quickly time flies.
Mia kept stealing Uncle Joe's ipod the week he was here.
More wrestling on Mommy's bed.

Kevin's 30th Birthday

2010-04-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

So, if you hadn't already heard, it was Kevin's 30th party this last week. I had to do something awesome, so I rented out the skating rink in Lacey and invited all his friends and family. It was a great surprise and Kevin had no idea. My Mom and Joe were able to come out for it too. We had a great time! By the way, can I just say roller skating is way harder than I thought it would be. Happy Birthday Kevin!!!

The Washington Coast

2010-04-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, we decided to all head to Westport for a day at the beach. It was super chilly, but that didn't stop Mark and the Tuckett girls from getting in the water. Crazy kids.

We ate at some hamburger joint on the boardwalk.

Tessa loves her baths!

Mark and Mia wanted to put on these matching tattoos. They are so tough.
Mia likes shopping with me at Trader Joes. She fills up her cart with everything I tell her to get. She feels so big.

2010-03-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Kevin's nieces had a slumber party Friday night and we decided to take them to Charlie Safari. The kids had a great time playing mini-golf and climbing around a huge jungle gym.

Going to church.
Tessa loves her new play set.

My good friend Lauren is taking a photography class and took some really amazing photos of the kids with my camera. Here are a few of them.
Playing outside with Lauren's son, Anders.
Here the kids are playing hide and seek. Mia was it, but she didn't have a difficult time finding them. Anders and Mark don't really have a stealth mode yet.

2010-03-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

Mia was sick the last two days, but she perked up when Marko came to cuddle with her.

Getting ready to go to church.

Mark at swim lessons. He is getting really good.
We went down to Vancouver for Katie Stark's first birthday. Happy Birthday Kiki!

Tessa is starting to be much more aware when she is awake.

Mia being a stinker.

Fan Fest

2010-02-15T22:09:00.000-08:00

We took Mark, Mia and Kevin's nieces to Safeco Field for Fan Fest a couple weekends ago. The Mariner's host it every year and allow the fans to walk on the field and hang out with the players. It was a lot of fun. Here are the pics. FYI - There are two more posts below. I had a lot of catching up to do.

Update

2010-02-15T21:52:00.000-08:00

We took Mark to Avitar. He loved it, and so did we. If you haven't seen it yet, you should. It was AWESOME!

Mia likes to sneak into Tessa's crib, especially when she's in it. I'll walk in on Mia sweetly laying next to her, with her arm gently placed around her. It is really cute, and a little nerve racking at the same time.
Kelly made this super cute hat for Mia. She gets compliments on it everywhere we go. I've already put in another order :) Thanks Kelly.
This picture is no joke. Mark is really asleep. He was like this for about thirty minutes before changing positions.
The Stark's came and visited us a couple weekends ago to pay homage to little Tess.
Tessa loves her swing. It was a great purchase, huh Kevin? :)

Tessa's Second Month

2010-02-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know it's been a while, but life with three kids is a little crazier than I anticipated. After receiving several death threats, I have finally posted more pictures of Tessa. I even threw in a couple of the other kids too. My Mom flew out for a friends wedding in Seattle and then came and stayed with us for a week afterwards. As always, we had a great time. When she leaves, our whole family has a mini breakdown. I'm so grateful for all the time she has been able to spend with us. If it wasn't for my in-laws, I would go crazy when she leaves. Thanks to them, I can cope when my Mom has to go back to Boise. Anyways, Tess is wonderful and fits in perfectly with our little family. It's like she's always been here. Mark and Mia adore her and love having the new addition. We are truly blessed. Life is good!

2010-01-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

What can I say? It's been a crazy couple of weeks. My family and Grandparents came out for Christmas and Tessa's baby blessing. These are in random order, but I thought I'd just post a few pics of the family, especially the new addition. Enjoy!

Tessa Bella Nielsen

2009-12-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

Tessa Bella Nielsen was born Tuesday, December 15th at 6:30am. She weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. It was all planned for her to come on Friday, the 18th, but she decided that didn't work for her.

Here we are at the hospital.

Ready to have this kid!

And here she is!

Grandma, Mia, and Tessa.

Grammy, Mia, and Tessa

Poor little Tessa was "singing" when she was born which meant she had breathed in some amniotic fluid which created a neumothorax. They had her on oxygen for 24 hours to help resolve the problem, and now she is doing great.

Mommy and baby came home from the hospital today. Everyone is doing great and we are excited to have this little girl in our home!

Our First Christmas Tree

2009-12-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

So, this has been an action packed last couple of days and I had to break down everything into three separate posts. This first one is of Monday. We finally got a Christmas tree this year, a first for our little family. We went to a local tree farm and cut it down ourselves (when I say we, I mean Kevin). Mark picked out the tree, after we gave him a few guidelines. It was a fun day.

After we got the tree home and I made a quick trip to get lights, we decorated it. Mark was awesome at hanging the ornaments, and Mia was amazing at taking them down. It was really cute and they were both big helpers.

Christmas lights

2009-12-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is the first year Kevin and I have ever had a house to decorate, so I had to post some pictures of Kevin going crazy with the lights.

Saturday night, Kevin's cousin hosted a little Maryland get together at their house in Maple Valley. Their were 14 kids all together, and it was pretty insane. Thanks for being such a good sport Marisa! We had a great time. It was great to see everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-12-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

We had quite the Thanksgiving break. The day before, all of Kevin's patients cancelled so he ended up with the day off. We decided to go to a local cider mill and get fresh pies and cider for Thanksgiving. They also had tons of animals for the kids to feed and look at.

We spent Thanksgiving Day in Renton with my cousin and her family. My Aunt and Uncle came from Idaho, and my other cousin and her new husband came from California. It was the best day. The kids played hard, Kevin and My Uncle John included. The food was amazing and the company couldn't have been better. Thanks so much for having us Allens!

2009-11-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

Last week, I got to go to Mark's preschool class. It was his turn to be the leader, which meant he got to bring snacks and a favorite toy to share. He also got to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. It was great to see him interact with his teachers and classmates. All of his teachers had nothing but wonderful things to say about him. He is turning into such a big boy, I can't believe it.

Here is Mia after one of our nightly wrestling sessions with Daddy.
After naps a couple days ago, I came upstairs to this spectacle. I hope this crib can make it for one more kid.
Mark drew Santa a letter for Christmas. He spent at least half an hour drawing every detail of a Batman cave he wants. We mailed it the next day. He is very excited to see if his hard work will pay off. We better leave Santa some cookies Christmas Eve, just to be sure.

Halloween, carving, bowling, gymnastics and more

2009-11-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

We have had a busy last couple of weeks, so I had to break this into separate posts to fit it all. These first pictures are of Halloween, which we did at our house this year. All of Kevin's family came over for a potluck. We also made carmel apples and then went Trick or Treating in our neighborhood. It was really fun to all be together for one of my favorite holidays.

We discovered that Mark's old Monkey costume from a couple years ago fit Mia. When Mark found out Mia was going be a Monkey, he really wanted to be one too. He was so excited to match his baby sister. They were really cute paling around all night.

2009-11-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

Here we are at Robin's carving Pumpkins for Halloween. The Tuckett's fed us all and then we, in turn, trashed their house. Thanks you guys! We had a blast.

Kevin always complains that I take over the carving, so I gave complete artistic license over to him. Mark helped a lot too and it turned out awesome.
Kevin's dad grew all the pumpkins for us this year and I think we all did them justice.

2009-11-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

We went Bowling for Family Home Evening with some friends in the ward. It was Mark's first time, and he LOVED it. I, on the other hand, would not recommend it when you're eight months pregnant.

Mark has been going to Gymnastics twice a week for the past two months and this was his last day of class. He actually learned quite a bit and has some sweet new moves.

2009-10-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday we decorated our house for Halloween, much to Mark's delight. He says we have the "spookiest house" on the block. I also finally uploaded some pictures of Allison's birthday party. It was a couple of weeks ago, back when it was still warm.

2009-10-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mark's pre-school had a field trip to a local pumpkin patch this last week and Mia and I tagged along. The kids had a great time.

2009-10-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

So, it was my birthday a few weeks ago and if you forgot, it's too late now. My in-laws spoiled me rotten and took me to dinner and then out to DQ for ice cream after. Here's some pictures from that night.

2009-10-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

This post is a collection of old and recent photos from the summer. This last weekend we did a buddy walk for Kevin's cousin, Sam, to help raise money for the research of Down's Syndrome. It ended up being really cold and raining, but we all still had a great time and the whole Nielsen clan was able to come help support Sam.

This picture is from a couple weeks ago. The kids really enjoyed running in the sprinklers at Grandma's house this summer. Doesn't Mia have the cutest tush ever?!
We also took Kendall and Taylor to "The Ledges" in Shelton a little while ago. It is a creek that runs by Kevin's house that has a water hole to swim in. We even saw a snake, which everyone, except me, thought was pretty exciting.

I have really been loving Olympia. Every Thursday and Friday, Olympia has the coolest Farmer's Market down by the water. They always have live music and local vendors. It's become one of our favorite things to do while Kevin is at work.

The other night we decided to try and have a slumber party. Bad idea. Kevin and I ended up on the couch around 4 AM, watching TV.
Kendall and Taylor got to come have a long awaited slumber party two nights ago. Mark and Kendall decided they wanted to sleep together on the top bunk, and Taylor got the whole bottom bunk to herself. Sounds like Taylor got the better end of that deal:) It was hilarious listening to all sorts of acrobatics going on upstairs until around 11:00, until they finally conked out for the night. In the morning, Kevin made pancakes and the kids painted with these cool watercolors my mom got Mark for his birthday.
The Nielsen's, Jenny and Gavin came over for breakfast Saturday. I made Texas French Toast, which is always a crowd pleaser. Thanks for the recipe Cindy!!!

2009-09-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Kevin's mom took us all to the Puyallup Fair. Here are the spoils.

Mark's 4!

2009-09-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was Mark's birthday and, upon request, we held it for the second consecutive year at Chucky Cheese. I must say, Olympia's Chucky Cheese was a lot less ghetto than the one in Baltimore. I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was a fun night, even if we did get a little tipsy from all the food coloring :)

2009-09-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we had quite the exciting weekend. Friday night, Kevin's cousin had a surprise birthday party at a super swanky lounge in Seattle. Kevin's parents took Mark and Mia overnight, the first time we've ever been able to do that, and we partied till the sun came up. Well, we partied till 11:00 PM. Close enough for us old people. It was a blast. Kevin spent most the night at the bar getting us Shirley Temples and dancing around like a total white guy. It was very entertaining.

Saturday, Chris and Kelly took Mark shooting for the first time. Mark was in Heaven killing all sorts of bad guys.
After shooting, we all took a dip in some river. It was quite cold.

When we came to pick the kids up from Grandma's Saturday, we discovered that Mia had some how swindled Grandma into getting her this Princess car. She also found some Princess slippers and strutted around in them all day. What a girl.

Sunday was stake conference, so we went to Kevin's parents ward and then lunch afterwards. We also took a drive up to the Steel Bridge. I've been to this bridge a million times and it was always so fun acting stupid and trying to freak Kevin out, but this time I was a total wuss. I don't know if it was because it was the first time we took the kids up there or what, but it was very traumatic.

The weather has been really nice, so we've been going to different parks in Olympia almost everyday. Mia is quite the fearless adventurer. It's no wonder she's always recovering from some self-inflicted injury.

SIKE . . . It's a GIRL!!!

2009-09-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

So April Fool's came early for us. We are 100% having a girl!! After two ultrasounds with my doctor, on his ultra-ghetto machine I might add, we decided to take matters into our own hands and pay to get it done at one of those clinics. We got the first, and last :) pictures of our baby's privates in crystal clear 2D. There is no doubt, it's a girl. We are so excited, although it took us a day to get over the initial shock. For the last 6 weeks we've been planning on a boy! It's going to be awesome. Mia and this baby will be 19 months apart, so I'm glad they'll get to always have each other as girlfriends. Plus as a bonus, I don't have to try and think of anymore boring boy names. Moving on, here are some random, and out of order, pictures of the last week. The Starks came up for another visit over Labor Day weekend and we had a great time. Other than that, things have been pretty chill. Hope everyone is well!

2009-08-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

This past week, we journeyed to Boise, Idaho for my parents annual summer party, equipped with live band and BBQ. This first picture is of us on a break during our eight hour drive. You can tell it was towards the beginning of the trip because everyone is still happy. It didn't last long.

Here's Mark busting out his best Superman dance moves at the party the next night.

Mia thought she was a member of the band.
The Cochran's joined us for the festivities. It's always a good time when they come.
Anyways, Kevin had to leave after the weekend was over to get back to work, but I stayed with the kids for a few more days. On our last day, we all went to the Boise zoo.

2009-08-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to our sixth year anniversary. Six down, Six to go. Just kidding. We have had some pretty good times. I couldn't be happier! To celebrate, Kevin took me on a ferry ride to Seattle and we ate at some super posh restaurant. Kevin felt really underdressed, but we didn't let it stop us from enjoying the amazing food. Anyways, there are also some pics of a Mariner's game Kevin scored free tickets to. They were great seats right behind home plate. Kevin took Mark, his niece and dad. They had a great time. I must admit, I was a little jealous. I opted to stay home and watch an awesome movie with Kelly and Robin :)

2009-08-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I am 21 weeks and had an ultra-sound today to determine the sex of the baby, but unfortunately, our little peanut wasn't very cooperative. My doctor was very patient, and tried for a long time to get the baby to uncross its legs, but to no avail. He did however think it was probably a boy, but we won't know for sure for another four weeks. So here's to more waiting!! Anyways, Robin and Jeremiah watched the kids and Kevin's parents came with us to the appointment. I think it was fun for them to get to see the baby, despite not finding out the sex for sure, and it was nice to get to share the experience with them. All and all, it was a great day. Oh, and if anyone has any suggestions on boy names, it would be much appreciated. We've got nothing!

2009-08-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

Our good friends from dental school came up for the weekend!! It sure was good to see them again. The kids all had a great time, and I dominated Kevin and Derrik in ping-pong for two days :)

2009-08-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

We're alive!! We are finally all moved in and settled in our new house. I'd like to give a big shout out to the Tuckett's for enduring our two month stay. Because of them, we got exactly the house we wanted, and I think we had some fun along the way. Our house is great and the kids are loving having a playroom and backyard. During the move, we misplaced our camera chargers, so there are very limited photos of the last two months, but I did take some this last week after uncovering the camera box. Kevin's family single handedly moved all our stuff in and then my mom and brother came from Boise to help us get all situated. It was good times, as per usual. Anyways, I'll be sure to post more later. Love you all!! Olympia Rocks!!

2009-06-19T09:11:00.001-07:00

Hello from Washington! Sorry it's been so long since the last post, but we've been in limbo for the last little while. I also can't post any pictures until we set up our desktop, but I figured I could give a little update. Kevin started working June 2nd and is really enjoying it. We've been staying with Kevin's sister while we get settled and map out the area. It's been really nice to be living with family, especially since this pregnancy has been kicking my butt. On top of all this craziness, Mia broke her leg two weeks ago and hasn't exactly been her perky self. Good times! Other than that, we're having a great time being back on the west coast. Hope all is well with everyone and I'll keep you posted on what's going on.

2009-05-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well, if you haven't already heard, we are expecting our third and FINAL little stinker. If it's coming as quite a shock to you, don't worry, it was an even bigger shock to us. It looks like we'll be having a Christmas baby. We are all looking forward to another baby in the house. Mia's gotten so big so fast, I'm kind of glad I'll have one more chance to enjoy another newborn. Anyways, here are some pictures of the last week. My cousin, Aaron, and his family came up for a visit Saturday. It was so good to see them. We had fun just chillin' and watching the kids interact. Saturday night a family in our ward threw all the dental students a going away party and there are some pictures from that. It was a great time. We're really going to miss our ward and all the people in it.

2009-04-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

So, we've had quite an exciting last couple of weeks. Kevin turned 29 (what an old fart) and Mia had her first Easter. Here are some pics from all of these events, and some other random ones thrown in for good measure. Three more weeks and we are outta here! Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

I've been receiving some threatening phone calls lately due to the lack of updated photos on my blog, mostly from the Sarantis clan. It has, however, motivated me to fill everyone in on what's been going on. This last couple of weeks have been crazy and fun at the same time. Brian, Becky and Baby Crystal all came out to B-More for a visit. Not surprising, we spent the majority of our time in DC. Brian and Becky agreed that Baltimore has only so much to offer, although, this first picture is of a pit beef joint in Baltimore called Chap's that was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It was really good, and in front of a strip club, an added bonus :) Mia has also started walking in the last week. She is only able to take a few steps before resorting to a more reliable crawl, but its exciting none the less. Also, we found out Saturday that Kevin passed his boards and he is sending all of his papers to Washington to get his dental license. I can't believe it. I am so proud of him and can't wait to move back to the west. Washington, here we come! Anyways, these pictures are in a random order. Enjoy.
Here are the boys watching a scary part of Scooby-Doo.
Mia had an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin she was taking for an ear and sinus infection. Awesome.
Kevin in baby heaven.
It just so happened the week Brian and Becky were here, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, so DC was especially beautiful. This is us at Arlington National Cemetary.
We spent one afternoon in Fell's Point for some authentic gelato.
This is the Brain's pit beef sandwich. Holy huge!

The Smithsonian Castle.
We also spent some time at the park. All the kids loved it.

2009-03-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well, the parties over, but not without one final hurrah. We finished up my family's visit with a trip to Baltimore's Science Center, compliments of The Fairbanks (you're the best Joannie). Mark, Luca and Joe could have stayed there forever. It was the perfect way to end there trip. It was great having them out one last time. Unfortunately during the trip, Mia got sick and ended up with two ear infections. We all feel really bad saying this, but it's really fun when she doesn't feel well because she turns into such a great snuggler. She's just too dang busy otherwise. Anyways, she's on an antibiotic now and is already up and at 'em again, no time for cuddles. Brian and Becky, Kevin's brother and sister-in-law, are coming Tuesday, so we have a few days to re-coop and get ready for another party. Let the good times roll!!

2009-03-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

My family, minus my dad, has been here for the past week and we've been cramming in as much fun as possible. We went to one of our all time favorite places, Jump Zone, and hit up D.C. and B-more. It's been great having everyone here.

2009-03-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

So, I know I haven't posted anything in a while, but life has been pretty busy. Kevin signed a contract with a dentist in Olympia and Kevin's mom flew us all out for a visit. We were there for a week and then I went to Boise for a week while Kevin came back to Baltimore to take his boards. Anyways, everything is going really well and it looks like Kevin might actually get a real job for the first time in our marriage (he he). Here are some pictures from Boise. I think I was so anxious about Kevin legitimizing his job in Olympia that I didn't take any pictures. Bummer. We did have a great time there though. Kelly was kind enough to let us crash at her place and Mark loved getting to have Allison around 24 hours a day. Thanks Nadeau's!!! We can't wait to be in Olympia. Only 7 1/2 more weeks, but who's counting.

2009-03-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics of Mia up to her usual mischief. Mia also has a new partner in crime. Jen and Derrik had a gorgeous little girl, Katie. She is so cute. We love her. Congrats Starks!!!

2009-02-23T05:12:00.000-08:00

Mark had his first primary activity on Saturday.

Mia's into everything!

Oh, and Mark's still a bed hog.

2009-02-10T04:59:00.000-08:00

Our good friends, and old neighbors, came over the other night with their new baby, Luke. He is seriously the cutest baby EVER!! He's only three months old and already as big as Mia. I definitely foresee football in his future. As for our kiddos, Mia is growing so fast. She loves showers and baths, just like her brother. She's also a picky eater like Mark, but I guess I have no one to blame but myself :) She's so close to crawling but I keep hoping she'll just take her time. I'm not ready for another mobile child yet. Mark started swim lessons at the beginning of the year and is doing really well. Both my kids seem to love the water. Other than that, we are just counting down the days until Kevin graduates in May. He passed his first round of written exams and takes his clinical tests in about a month. He was offered a really great position in Olympia, where we want to live. We are so excited and can't wait for the next phase in our lives, the one where Kevin is actually getting a pay check :)

2009-02-10T04:53:00.000-08:00

My dearest friend, Jen Stark, is expecting her first girl and we had a baby shower for her on Saturday. I hope everyone had a good time. We ate at a fun restaraunt called The Grill at Harryman House. It was a lovely afternoon. Conrats Jenny!!!

2009-01-19T05:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know I haven't posted anything in a really long time, but our little family was out of town for over two months and I'm using that as my excuse. As a result of being gone so long, I'm pulling a Kelly Nadeau and posting a whole bunch of pictures. I broke it up into five different posts, starting with the beginning of our trip all the way to the end. The first post, and our first stop out west, is of Washington. Kevin's beloved grandfather, who had been suffering from Alzheimer's for the past five years, past away. He was a wonderful man and a huge part of Kevin's life. It was a beautiful funeral and although he'll be missed, we know he is in a better place. We all look forward to seeing him again someday.

2009-01-19T05:35:00.000-08:00

After the funeral we went to Boise for Thanksgiving. Kevin flew back to Baltimore afterwards, but the kids and I stayed for six weeks. We had a great time swimming and watching movies.

2009-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

Here's some more pictures of our time in Boise. We had a mini Christmas with my family before we left for Washington.

2009-01-19T05:24:00.000-08:00

After six weeks in Boise, we went back to Shelton for Christmas vacation with Kevin's family. It rarely ever snows where they live, but this year they had the largest snow fall in over twenty years. It was crazy and super fun. Mark built his first ever snowman. He was very proud.

2009-01-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas eve at Kevin's Grandma's house and sang Christmas carols. Santa came in the morning. Mark was so excited that Santa came he didn't even want to open presents right away. It was adorable.

2008-11-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

We had a great night Trick or Treating. The Fairbank's hosted an awesome Halloween party and then we went around there neighborhood together. It was so fun.

Here's the kids at the Kelly's house. Pete took way too long to answer the door :) I guess they did just have a baby.

Happy Halloween!!!
The gym had a costume party and I had to get a picture of all of Mark's teachers. They are so awesome and take such good care of my kids everyday. We sure are going to miss them when we leave.

2008-11-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or is Mia getting so big? Time sure is flying by.

Our good friends Pete and Katie just had a little boy, Luke Andrew Kelly. He was 9 lbs. 1 oz. He truly is adorable. Good job Katie!!
We discovered a walking path by Jen and Derrik's house and have been taking the boys for long walks lately. The kids love all the outdoor time. The older Mark gets, the smaller our apartment feels.

Joannie had this great idea for "monster bags" for play school. Mark loved his so much, he wouldn't take it off all day. He even slept in it.

2008-10-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

So our Ward's annual Halloween Party was this past Saturday night and this year they had a pumpkin carving contest. I spent all night Friday drawing and carving this amazing pumpkin in hopes of a win, but I didn't even place. I'm never carving a pumpkin again!!

Mia was a mermaid, Mark was Mickey Mouse and Kevin was a cow. Random, I know. Kevin has to get our moneys worth out of that costume, so he's gonna be a cow the rest of his life :) Plus I like the utters.

Here's Mark with his buddies enjoying the fruits (candy) of his labor.
All the kids had a little costume parade. Mark's hard to miss.

2008-10-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

We went to a local pumpkin patch this past week to pick out a pumpkin. We went with the Starks and all the boys had a great time outside. There was a corn maze, hay ride and petting zoo. Plus mark hand picked our awesome pumkin.

2008-10-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, Mark's play school group had a little Halloween party at our house.

Look what Daddy taught Mark - am I allowed to post this on the web? He he.

2008-10-10T05:46:00.001-07:00

So this past week I turned 25. Don't feel bad if you forgot, I'm still accepting gifts. I had a great birthday. We actually got a babysitter for Mark and went out with our friends, The Starks. I wanted Chevy's (random) and then we went shopping at the outlets. Kevin insisted that they sing to me, so I got this sweet hat. Happy Birthday to me!

Mia's been making this goofy face lately. I thought it was blog worthy.
Kevin made his famous pulled pork sandwiches for some of our friends. Mark had a blast with his buddies, as usual.

2008-10-03T04:44:00.000-07:00

Kevin likes to play this game with Mia.

So Kevin told Mark we'd go to Chuck E Cheese if he went poopoo in the potty. Mark spent a good part of the day on the toilet trying, but to no avail. I did however get this hilarious picture. I wonder where he learned to read dental magazines on the pot :)
We've been catching Mark reading to Mia alot lately. She loves it. Lucky girl.

As most of you know, Aunt Sara got Mark really into Shrek and Mark took a particular liking to "The Cookie Man" from the show. The other night he made this all by himself. It's the Cookie Man. Pretty good I think.

2008-09-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

Mark and Mia absolutely adore each other. Anytime Mia is upset, all Mark has to do is talk to her and her whole disposition changes. It's so cute how he can make her smile.
This is Mark with his friend Maddie playing dress up. He's been doing it a lot lately.
Here he is with Luca and Maddie, this time pretending to be Buzz Lightyear. He's getting ready for Halloween early.

2008-09-20T04:30:00.000-07:00

It was Mark's birthday this week. Mark and his three best freinds, Will, Luca and Maddie, all went to Chuck E. Cheese. It was crazy, but fun.

I had to put in a picture of the Spiderman cake and cupcakes that I slaved over :)
Mark was so excited to play. We had to hog tie him to the table so we could sing and open presents.
Four three-year-olds at a table alone is just asking for trouble.
This was suppose to be a group shot, but we couldn't get the kids together long enough to get them in the same picture.

In the end, some of the parents grabbed the nearest child so we could get them in a picture together. Good times.

2008-09-20T04:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures of the last week.

This is Mark with his friend Maddie.
We finally got some new neighbors, and they have two kids. Mark has had a blast having friends to play with right next door.
Mark is very into helping whenever he can with Mia.

Aren't they cute?!

2008-09-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

A friend told me about this amusement park up in Amish Country called Dutch Wonderland. We decided to go for Labor Day with our best friends, Jen and Derrik Stark. All of our kids had a great time. It was perfect for there age group.

Raise the roof!
Mia's pissed she didn't get to go on any rides.

It was a long day. Mia and I were worn out. We dreamt about Dutchmen all night.

2008-08-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, here are the pictures of Disneyland I promised. There are quite a few.

For our first ride, we decided to take Mark on the Matterhorn (no idea how to spell that). Not the greatest idea. If you've ever been, there are freaky looking abominable snowmen that jump out at you. Needless to say, Mark got scared and it was quite a challenge to coax him onto anymore rides.
This is the Mark Twain boat ride.
Kevin's first order of business was to get a turkey leg. He loves them but I think they look sick.

2008-08-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is everyone waiting in line to get on the Tower of Terror in California Adventure.

The Dumbo ride was by far Mark's favorite.

2008-08-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

Well, here are some more pictures from our trip to Santa Monica. This one of Mia with my Unlce John was too cute to leave out.
One of the days we were there, my parents rented us all bikes and we cycled up the beach a couple miles to the boardwalk. It was amazing.

2008-08-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a fabulous time in Shelton during our vacation. Mark had so much fun playing with his cousins and watching Shrek with his Auntie Sara. This is Mia chillin with Sidse, as she often did when Sid was around.

Here's Mark and his cousin Allison trying to act cool after chowing down on some cookies.
We also got to go see Kevin's cousin, Marisa, for the day. They just built a beautiful house.
Kevin's brother, Brian, just had a little girl also. Aren't they so cute (the girls, not Kevin and Brian).

After we spent a week and a half in Washington, we spent some time in Santa Monica with my family. Here are some pics from the beach. We also spent a couple days in Disneyland, but I'll post those later.

Here's my sister, Jasmine, with Mark. They had a good time hangin together, but Mark only had eyes for his Uncle Joe. Sorry Jazzy!

2008-07-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Well, not much has changed as of late, but we are getting excited to leave for Washington Tuesday. I thought I might post a few last pics before the break. It will probably be a couple of weeks before I get a chance to post again. I can't beleive how wonderful Mark is with Mia. He truly adores her. It's so cute how he makes sure to include her in everything we do and always wants to be with her. Daddy has also been into purchasing these blue cupcakes that have more food coloring in them than I've ever seen. You may not want to know this, but the next day, Mark's poop was bright blue and stained his bum. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. Good times!

2008-07-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. It still feels like we just brought Mia home last week, but she is already two months old and changing so much. She is starting to recognize our voices and smile. It is so cute. She also went swimming for the first time last week, hence the picture of her in her super cute suit (compliments of the Burnhams). Mark also had a good time with his buddies Will and Jonny. They take there Thomas watching very seriously. Anyways, we are really looking forward to vacation in a week. We leave the 29th for Washington and then we'll be in Santa Monica for a week in August. Kevin is ready for a break, and I'm ready to spend more time with him. Hope to see you all soon!

2008-07-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

Mia looked so adorable in the summer dress my Grandma gave her that I had to post some pictures of it. She's worn it once before, but it's finally starting to fit. Mark's also been playing doctor alot lately, only with family though :)

2008-07-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

This last week was a typical Baltimore scorcher, so we've been trying to spend as much time at the pool as possible. Mark is an awesome swimmer. He has no fear when it comes to the water, and he loves to belly flop. I also thought I should include Mia's first time sunbathing (don't worry, she was only in the sun for minutes).

2008-07-09T05:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some more random pictures of the last week that I thought were cute enough to warrent posting.

2008-07-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

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While Kevin's family was in town, we took a trip up to Anapols. It was so beautiful. We got to see the city from a guided boat tour. It was really fun.

2008-07-09T05:46:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I took advantage of his parents being in town and went and saw Hancock with his dad and grandma (great movie, by the way). Anyways, when we got home around 10:00, we discovered that Grandma Nielsen had put Mark to bed with the Leapster she bought him. Needless to say, he wasn't even close to asleep. So cute. I also threw in a picture of Mark and Mia in bed together. Mia is looking a little nervous about it all :)