Aly TV: Alexa's Greatest Hits, Voume 1

Tonight at dinner Alexa asked for some songs.  This led to a performance of some of her classics including "Popcorn Popping", "The ABC Song", and "Five Little Monkeys". From a live performance over dinner, we present Alexa's Greatest Hits, Volume 1.

Could you tell which letters of the alphabet are her favorites?

Oregon is Weird

We've been vacationing in Oregon, one of our favorite places ever! We really love it here, but it sure is weird!

That was reaffirmed when I went to a huge bookstore, Powell's, in Portland, and had to park in a structure that only had 12 spaces per level. Yeah, it was small, narrow, and just ridiculous. Why? Because people in Portland hate cars.

So, I enjoyed a couple clips from YouTube last night celebrating weird Portland, so you should enjoy them as well.

More deets on our vacay in future posts. Peace, yo.

 

Decorating the Christmas Tree 2012

One of our family traditions is that we set up Rachel's camera and take pictures while we decorate our Christmas tree.  Then we put the pictures together in a little video. Without further ado, here's the Nelson Christmas Tree Decorating Party 2012:

We were hoping to include Alexa in this year's tree decorating, but someone got a little cranky right before we were about to start and needed to be put to bed.

Aly TV: Animal Sounds

One of Alexa's favorite books is "Quack Quack!".  It's a book with large pictures of various animals with little patches of "fur" on each one that you can touch and feel.  For several months now she's loved to read it before bed.  There really aren't many words in the book, so we end up going through, asking what each animal says, and making the appropriate animal noise.  Some of them she picked up really quickly, like the cat saying "meow". Some of them are still a little rough.  She has no idea what the pig says most of the time. Still it's been fun to see her figure them out.  And it's even more fun to show her real live animals and then see her make the connection between her book and the real world.

Yesterday Rachel caught Aly after lunch on video and asked her about the animal sounds.  Enjoy!


Animal Sounds from Nick Nelson on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Sunday was my 26th birthday, and the party started on Saturday! Nick and I went out with some friends who treated us to pizza and then we hit up the bowling lanes, a lost art for sure -- but not a sport. Here's a little video to backup my philosophy:

Anyway, so on Saturday we went bowling, our friends Brooke and Ben treated us to pizza and some kind of delicious tort, and we had a great conversation revolving around appropriate and ridiculous Olympic events (ie. motherhood should be one, curling should not...just sayin'). 

Oh, Nick and Alexa also gave me a really beautiful authentic leather jacket. I was floored! It's so beautiful!

Don't you kinda wish your husband was as awesome as mine? I would if I were you.

Sunday was pretty typical but I did get a ton of phone calls and texts from friends and family, which was so wonderful!

But the party doesn't stop there. On Monday, a few friends of mine took Alexa and I out to a wonderful Italian Grill for lunch. We had such a great time! 

The three little mess-making monsters we had the courage to take out in public. They don't look vicious, but they're maniacal, mark my words!

It was such an incredible birthday weekend, full of friends, family, and fun! My 27th year is going to be the most awesome year ever!!

My Thoughts on Teen/Single Moms

Remember that one time before Alexa (I barely do sometimes...) that I was working? Well, I was, and I worked for this non-profit in Denver that helped run an alternative high school for teen moms. Maybe you've heard of it: Florence Crittenton High School? Ring any bells?

Well, if it does ring any bells, it might be because that high school is now the subject of the new TLC show High School Moms. I haven't been able to watch any episodes yet, but I've seen clips and interviews and mostly the school looks just as incredible on TV as it does in real life.

While I was working there, seeing all these pregnant or parenting teen moms, and at that time very much wanting my own children in my family, the question I got most often was "Is it really hard working there?"

I don't know this student, but I know the nurse and she is one of the most fabulous people ever met!

I must admit that some days/situations were harder to bare than others, but mostly I found so much unexpected love, admiration, respect, and joy for those moms and their children! I was planning on going in there, doing my data analysis work, and going home. The problem with that plan was that as I spoke with the students and learned of their love and dedication to their children and families that it was so easy to fall in love with them and their children! My whole experience there made it possible for me to let go of my jealousy and envy and anger towards single moms who choose to parent and embrace them as loving mothers, just like me.

My sister was a teen mom and parented her daughter (Abby), and is now a wonderful mother to her three children. She is married to her children's father, and they have created a wonderful family together of which I admire and strive to emulate on a regular basis.

 Me, my niece Abby, and my Sister Cindy after a trip to the mall.

I hold no resentment towards teen moms or single moms, like Hayley, who choose to parent their children instead of placing them for adoption. They're not preventing me from parenting my own children, they're just loving theirs. How can I be angry when their biggest crime is that they love their children too much to let them go? My only hope is that I can help them through their challenges as a mother, as I hope they can also help me through mine. Lord knows my life has been immeasurably blessed by teen/single moms, and I am so grateful for those moms who have shown me so much of what being a loving mom is all about.

***Disclaimer: Alexa's birthmom does not fit that single or teen mom description at all, so I maintain that my admiration for teen/single mom's is unbiased and extremely reliable. I have not been compensated for this post, nor will I be because, honestly, no one is willing to pay me for it.*** 

Music Monday: Concert in the Park

All I Need Is You, Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband

One of our favorite bands came to our town, a mile from our house, and put on a free concert in the park. It was incredible! Really perfect for a family with a toddler as there was a park right there! They were so entertaining and we all had a great time! Sorry about the sound and shakiness, but I hope you can hear what a great group Ryan Shupe and The Rubberband is!

Plus, what a great song, right?

Aly TV: Classic Literature

Aly's favorite book these days is the Dr. Suess classic The Foot Book.  She's loves to turn the pages and is even learning the "story".  You just might be able to tell what her favorite part is if you watch carefully.

Aly TV: Let's Do The Chicken Dance With Elmo

Last week was Aly's first birthday and she got a lot of gifts from friends and family including books, a toy piggy bank (for our piglet), a top, a play school-bus, a purse, and a "Chicken-Dance Elmo".  I have to admit that Rachel and I were pretty baffled by that last one when it came in the mail, but it turns out that we just didn't appreciate how fun it is to do the chicken dance with Elmo.


And lucky for us, it doesn't have an off switch, because why would you ever not want to do the chicken dance with Elmo?

Thanks to everyone for the gifts and especially to Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan for Elmo.

Aly TV: Silly Time

Like most babies people, Aly gets a little silly when she's sleepy - particularly when Mommy helps with a little tickling.


Just a little silly.

Mom & Dad Nelson's 30th Aniversary

On December 29th, 1981 Nick's parent's were married and 29 years, 364 days later their children and grandchildren threw them a little party. It was great little party on the only day that (almost) everyone was able to be there - we missed you DaNeill, Keira, Aysa, and Phoebe - but it was a great chance to get together and celebrate what Mom and Dad have built over the past three decades.

Rachel (with a lot of help from Kandice, Jessica, Cassidy, Camille, and Aly) put together a lovely video of photos from the Nelson family's first 30 years.  Enjoy!

For those of you paying attention, yes, the date on the video is wrong.  Interestingly, all of Nick's siblings somehow got Mom and Dad's anniversary off by one day.  Nick said it was the 28th several months ago and somehow nobody caught the mistake (including Nick) until the start of the party when Mom mentioned that their anniversary was the 29th.

Mom and Dad go to all the trouble to raise us and we can't even be bothered to get their wedding date right.

Aly TV: On the Run

We have previously commented on Aly's serve case of happy feet here and here, but lately she's developed a new symptom:  running.

As you can see, this is getting serious.

Aly TV: Let Me Eat Cake

Aly is getting very good at feeding herself these days, so for Nick's birthday we decided to let her loose on a piece of very moist chocolate cake.  Aly actually got most of the cake in her mouth (and was on a sugar high for about an hour afterwards), but it took her almost 15 minutes of hard work.  Here is her eating at 5 times normal speed along with a little musical accompaniment.


Isn't cake great?

Aly TV: Happy Feet

Aly has recently come down with a serious case of happy feet.  She loves to dance when she's standing, swing her legs when she's being held, and kick the floor when she's rolling around.  It's not unusual to hear repeated thumps coming from our wood floors these days as she idly kicks her heels into them.

Here's Piglet dancing (with a little help from Mom):


And here she is kicking the floor as she rolls:

Thursday Latelies: A Video Post

I'm video blogging today, and it's not even of Aly (don't let that deter you though)! Please don't laugh at me too much, but I hope you enjoy yourselves!

Here is a link to Bex's blog. And of course it's short for Becky...silly me.
Here is a link to the scarves I found on Amazon! So cute!
Here is a link to the pictures of Aly and Molly. They are so freakin' adorable!
And I forgot to mention about the jewelry board, it's covered with cheap-o fabric and ribbon from Hobby Lobby. Don't you love how everything there is like always 50% off?!

PS Isn't there something about seeing the person talking to you that makes you feel more connected with them? And doing this made me feel more connected with you, so that's double prizes!

Adventures in Oatmeal

We've mentioned before that Alexa is eating oatmeal these days.  As she's getting older she is getting more and more insistent on feeding herself - or at least trying.  Here are some highlights from her recent attempts to get that yummy oatmeal into her mouth.

 

Sometimes oatmeal requires intense concentration....

Sometimes you taste the bitterness of defeat....

Sometimes you experience the thrill of victory...

But whatever happens it's always an adventure.

Parents in 9 Months...I Mean Days!

That's right, we had 9 days to prepare for Alexa's birth. And frankly, we wasted a couple of them because just a week earlier our hearts had been broken, so we were a bit jaded and didn't really grasp the insanity of everything until a few days after we got the news. Anyway, here's a story about a family who had even less time. What cool people, I'd love to meet them someday.

And they're right, blood doesn't make a bit of difference. She's theirs, and Aly is ours.

Also, if you were curious, she will be ours legally on September 20th, and eternally ours on October 8th! The countdown begins...

Happiness is... Aly's New Favorite Game

Our little Piglet is getting to a very fun stage where she likes to play with us.  Before when we tried to tickle her or blow on her tummy, she didn't really get the joke.  Now she not only gets the joke but loves it.

Aly's First Experience with Food

Our little Piglet has been sucking down formula like a champ since literally minutes after she was born, but in our last visit to the doctor, our new pediatrician Dr. J (yes that's actually what he's called by his office staff and nurses) recommended that we start trying to feed Aly baby oatmeal.  The main purpose is to get her used to the idea of eating from something other than a bottle, but the oatmeal should also help her mess her pants a little more often.  As parents we're thrilled for more poppy diapers, but we decided to go for it.  Today Rachel fed Aly her first spoonfuls of food and this is how it went.



Okay, so she's not exactly a natural when it comes to eating, but at least she keeps it interesting.

Aly's Thoughts on Static

Alexa will probably never even experience static when watching TV, but her favorite new trick is a great impression of static.