Thanksgiving!

It’s been almost another month since we’ve posted (crazy how fast time flies). We thought we'd post some updated pictures of Rylan. He’ll be 4 months old next Sunday. He’s doing well, almost sleeping through the night, pushing up on his arms during belly time and has rolled over too (just once, but yeah!), he got his first tooth a few weeks ago, and is such a chatter box. We absolutely love this little boy so much, especially his gum filled smiles.





(I love his huge brown bug eyes!)




(Rylan helping Mommy cook!)


We went to my brother in law’s family's home for Thanksgiving this year. We’re grateful they welcomed us with open arms. Here's a few cute pictures of Rylan throughout Thanksgiving Day!



(My Cousins passed me around....they love holding me!)


(Aunt Chrissy and cousin Kaylee)





(Oh no!! He found the thumb!)


(What a long day, didn't even make it to the crib.)

Halloween 2009

It’s been a while since we’ve posted. Here’s an updated picture of Rylan… He’s now 3 months old; A very interactive and happy baby. It's so fun watching him as he's exploring this new world around him. He's always so wide eyed every time we go out.

Such a cutie!


This Halloween we got together with Kyle’s brothers and friend Emily. We went Frisbee Golfing. We’ve seen the parks before, but never actually played. It was pretty fun except the fact they didn’t have a bathroom anywhere...which made for a very long day. :) It was such a beautiful day though! Gorgeous fall weather! It took a few “holes” to get the hang of it. I got tired of chasing after my Frisbee every time, so I decided to be the designated stroller pusher and watched everyone else play.



Kyle on the other hand was pretty good. He even got a hole in two. Which is pretty good considering there were lots of obstacles like trees and rivers, making each hole a little tricky. It was a pretty cool sport.



Kyle, Greg, and Jeff (Brothers)


All bundled up!


By the end sweet Rylan had had enough excitement.


Pretty classic…a pumpkin for Halloween!


It turned out for a pretty nice day... not too spooky or scary. We were even able to get a little candy thanks to Rylan going trick or treating with Daddy at his work. We can't wait until next year when he's a little older and can actually enjoy it himself.

Yeah for Fall

I love the fall time...when the weather begins to get a little cooler and the trees and leaves begin to change. Time for warm blankets, comfy sweaters, cuddling, and baking yummy treats!! October is the beginning of all the fun holidays during the winter. The last few months of the year are always so much fun to decorate for and full of lots of different activities to participate in. We met up with some old friends yesterday at Gardner Village which was completely decked out in Halloween, fall style. We got some cute pictures… so we thought we'd share!



Our Little Pumpkin :)

Smiles

This past week Rylan started smiling. He's such a sweetie! It's so fun to have him actually react to us when we talk and play with him now. I caught this sweet picture yesterday of him and his new little smile. He's 8 weeks old now! :)

Sweet Little Rylan

Very Sleepy

Time is flying by... I go back to work in 2 weeks. It’s crazy to think that it's already been 5 weeks since Rylan was born. I'm very grateful that I have had the time to spend with him now….all day, every day! He’s such a sweetie! Kyle works until midnight and misses out on some of the cute things Rylan does in the evenings. I take lots of pictures so I can show him later what happened.

One particular night last week after feeding Rylan, he was incredibly sleepy! When normally he would cry because he was tired plus kick and fuss as I changed him, he was completely out of it. I was able to change his diaper, get him undressed, and dressed again in his sleeper as well as lay him down in his crib without him opening an eye or even making a peep. (A very rare thing!) I moved him around a lot too in the process! I had to take a few pictures to show Kyle so he’d see just how sleepy Rylan really was. Below is a little “slideshow” to show the process of me changing him with him still sound asleep.

(Off with the Onsie outfit)

(Slip the sleeper over the head)

(Pull it down and over his body)

(Pull the arms through the sleeve)

It was definitely off to bed with sweet little Rylan. :)

Blessing Day

This past Sunday Rylan had his baby blessing. It was a very special occasion and we enjoyed having so many family members here to visit!! Kyle seemed pretty calm prior to the blessing, I however was nervous for how Rylan would be during it. It's a good thing we have such a wonderful bishop who helped him stay calm by pushing in his pacifier every time he got fussy over and over again. We are grateful for all those who traveled quite a distance to see and hear his blessing. It meant a great deal to us to have you all here!





We had a good friend take most of our pictures so I'll post more (and better) ones later. :)

#1 Daddy

I’ll admit that I had never seen Kyle interact with many babies or even hold one for that fact and we’ve been married for two years now! Although I’ve seen Kyle play around with lots of our nieces and nephews, anytime there was a baby around, let’s just say he was a little “shy.” He never wanted to hold them, claiming they were too scary? So for this reason I was excited to see him with baby Rylan.

Well, I would just love to tell all how adorable of a Daddy Kyle makes. He is so protective and careful with Rylan. He’s so helpful as well! He changes diapers (without even being asked might I add), dresses and wraps him up tight, sings hymns to him, rocks him to sleep, bathes him and goes on walks. He also takes him at night so that I can get a little rest! Kyle even does “belly time” with Rylan. Here are a few pictures of Daddy and Son.

(Early Morning)


(Belly Time)


(After Bath)




Kyle is doing well in his new job. He’s been there for a few months now. For those who aren’t quite sure what it is he does, he works for a company that provides internal technical support for larger companies, specifically eBay in his case. He really loves what he does and is good at it too. He finally got a calling in our new ward as well. He was called to be the first counselor in the Elder’s Quorum Presidency which I know he’ll be dedicated to and be great at. Kyle is doing well considering the lack of sleep and busy schedule that he is taking on. :) I love him so much… he is the best Daddy to Rylan and will continue to be as he grows older. I appreciate his love, support, and help with all that I do as well.

Rylan David Nielsen

We are thrilled to announce that we had our baby boy August 6 at 12:17am. He came a little unexpected two days before his due date (I had been told a number of times that your first rarely comes early or on time). But as I’m sure every mother knows the feeling…. Let’s just say it was a new experience… this whole labor thing. :) It was not what I expected. When we arrived at the hospital, I was dilated to a 3 1/2 only to be at 5 1/2 about an hour later. The nurses were surprised I was progressing so quickly for my first baby. Not too much later, I was at an 8 when I decided to go with the epidural. Now with feeling a lot more relaxed, it hit me what we were doing there and that the day had finally come.

It all went by so fast before our little boy was in my arms. He was 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 19 inches long. It honestly still took a day or two to realize the miracle that had just taken place and to realize that this little angel belonged to Kyle and I. I’ll admit that Rylan definitely took some getting used to the first 2 weeks with nursing and all the other motherly demands. He is 3 weeks old today and is such a joy to have! I can’t seem to stop staring at him. He puts a smile on my face; ironically even when he’s crying with his sweet little scrunched up face.

School is also now back in session. I went to meet my 5th grade class on the first day. It was weird to walk out only after about an hour. There’s a lot going on the first two weeks of school and it’s weird to not have to worry about it at all. I get about a month before I go back. Until then, there is much to stay busy with! It’s hard to find the time for the things I used to do, so we will try our best at keeping up with posting pictures and the progress of baby Rylan! Enjoy the pictures of his first two weeks of life!

Summer 2009

Time for an update! I am almost 38 weeks along! Ready and waiting :) Here are few pictures.

The last picture you saw of me at 32 weeks:


Me at 37 weeks:


Well, not too much has actually happened this summer. I’ve spent a lot of time getting ready for baby Nielsen’s arrival. We have a name in mind, but we’re still not sure 100% so you’ll have to wait to find out until he’s actually here. :) I've been busy getting my classroom ready for next year and writing out sub plans for when I'll be gone. I have also done a lot of scrapbooking, sewing, emergency preparedness stuff, organizing, playing around with new recipes, and a number of other things that have been needing to get taken care of throughout this past year (School kept me busy).

Kyle’s been busy with his new job. He will officially be on his swing shift (which they hired him for) next week, working from 3-12. Sort of a bummer for me since evenings are when everything happens, but I’m happy for Kyle. He has really enjoyed this new job. He loves the people he works with and is so grateful for the fact that it keeps him busy constantly (which makes for some fast days). Our ward here has been wonderful. There are a lot of fun couples that we’ve had the opportunity to hang out with and get to know.

The only downside to summer so far is that we haven’t been able to travel anywhere. Since I’m in my last trimester now, we’ve had to find fun around town. Thank goodness we’ve had so many others who’ve been sweet enough to come and visit us. My sister Chrissy and her crazy family came into the city from Vernal and I was able to get together with them after their long trip away in Virginia. We had Kyle's family Kristen and Seth make a stop on their way to Las Vegas. We got together with all of his brothers and sisters out this way which was a lot of fun! And my cousin Jessica is coming to stay as she picks up her family from Virginia (Tiffany and my Aunt) to go to good old Rexburg, Idaho. Tiffany will be starting BYU-Idaho this semester (sigh…. good times). There have been many others as well, but next month we’re hoping to see my Mom and Kyle’s parents too which I’m so excited for! So although we haven’t been lucky enough to take off ourselves, it’s been fun to see everyone!

Life is great; we're just waiting for the big day (at least I am). Hopefully my next post will have pictures of a particular sweet little baby boy!

Two Years!

Today we celebrated our second year anniversary!! We were married in the Washington D.C. Temple!

Update :)

So April and May were a busy, but fast two months. I can’t believe that we’re more than half way through with June already! So here’s an update with the past few months up until now. My sister Chrissy and her family came into town back in the beginning of May. Kyle and I joined her family for a day at the zoo. We couldn't remember the last time we had been to the zoo, so it was a fun visit to be a kid again and check out all the different animals. We took a lot of pictures of the animals of course, but this is a picture of Kyle at the zoo kid park. I didn’t think he could fit, so he wanted to prove me wrong.

(He's a turtle in case you can’t tell.)


We also moved from Orem to West Jordan. It’s closer to where I work in Draper, so the commute isn’t too long and dull now. Kyle also found a new job working for ebay that isn’t too far down the road either. It’s a nice apartment complex, a little bigger from our last apartment so we're slowly moving up. :) The ward here has been very friendly. We're excited to get involved.

Towards the end of May my mom, sister Kimmy, and good friend Colleen took a road trip from Virginia to Utah. They were here for about a week. They first stopped in Vernal, Utah where my sister Chrissy and brother Timmy live. They invited me to come stay for the weekend and threw me a fun little baby shower. There were many pictures to choose from, but here's a shot of a my two sisters and I.



It was an entertaining and beautiful shower where we had a delicious lunch and played some silly baby shower games. You know, the usual... sniffing diapers filled with nasty looking food that we had to name. I got a ton of great stuff to help prepare for baby Nielsen (we haven't decided on a name yet)! Seriously, thank you so much for all the gifts!! It's been such a huge help and blessing since we started with absolutely nothing.

While in Vernal we went to Flaming Gorge for a day! There was a lot to see all throughout that area, definitely beautiful. We even stopped by the Flaming Gorge Dam. After the trip to Vernal, my family came to Salt Lake City. We went around to the normal sites. It had been a while since I've sort of "toured" Salt Lake, so it was fun to see some of the historical church sites and so forth again. Last but not least, for those who have been asking… Here you are!



This is me at 31 weeks. I've been hesitating posting pictures of myself. In my own eyes... I feel like a cow so I haven't wanted to post any. Honestly, this picture does not make me look as big as I feel! I know I still have a long ways to go and rumor has it that about this time is when the baby is really supposed to grow. So I'll have to post another picture in a month or so. I'm at the stage where I'm beginning to be uncomfortable when I try to sit or sleep and the aching back is starting to be a constant issue. I'm honestly ready to be done. I'm so excited for baby Nielsen's arrival! It's a good thing that he's not here yet though. Besides the fact that we still haven't picked a name, :) I do still have a lot more to get organized and ready before he comes. Summer break for me started a week ago, but I went to a conference all last week. So this will be my first real week of summer. Trust me; I've got the projects lined up! I just hope I have enough energy each day to accomplish it all. It's so ironic how tired I get and so quickly too. Well, until next time!

School's Out

It has been a busy past 2 in a half months and so much has happened! Sadly, I'll have to catch you all up a little later. I just wanted to post a quick slideshow of my last week of school with my awesome 5th grade class. It was a crazy week with Hat day and Crazy hair day, our 5th grade Olympics, Jogapalooza (Fun Run), Field Day and much much more. I took a lot of pictures and I told my kids I'd be posting them on my blog for them to see. So here's my crazy 5th grade class. You may not quite understand what's happening in these pictures (sorry), but they will. They have honestly been so awesome this year! I have really enjoyed these last few months. Friday was my last day of school and I can honestly say that I was sad to say goodbye! Summer break now has officially started though, so much to do since everything was put on hold because of the many tasks to complete at the end of the school year. So I'm not sure how much of a summer break it will be, but at least I'll have some time to sleep in, breath, and catch up with life. Two months until baby Nielsen arrives and I can honestly say I haven't done a thing. I'll post again soon about our big move, family in town, trip to the zoo, baby shower, and yes... a picture of my prego self (for those who've been asking to see one). :)

Seeing Blue

We're having a BOY!! :) We went to the ultrasound appointment on Thursday and got a fun little DVD to take home. It's hard to believe that we're half way through already! We are very excited!! Now it's time for the real shopping to begin :)

Kyle's Day!

We celebrated Kyle’s 24th birthday this past Sunday! Although it was a quiet day, with it being a Sunday, we still had a good time. He finally got the iPhone he had been dreaming of since it was first released! After dinner, we sat down to have some ice-cream cake he picked out from Cold Stone. Twenty-four candles didn’t seem like a whole lot, but as I was lighting the last few, the smoke alarm went off! Poor Kyle, who would have guessed that on his 24th birthday he’d set off the alarm. :) It was pretty funny… I know the picture below isn’t the best, but I thought it was hilarious how much smoke there was, just to prove to everyone that it really happened. The timing of the picture was perfect; It made for a great laugh!

Whats New...

I can’t believe October was the last time I posted. It honestly doesn’t seem that long ago! I guess to catch you all up to speed… we went to Virginia for Christmas and New Years. We had a great time! I celebrated my 23rd birthday and was blessed with two weeks to spend with my family out there! January has come and gone now and I’m still teaching of course in Draper. I will admit that I can tell a huge difference between last year and this year. I definitely know what I’m doing and I’ve got my feet on the ground. This means I’ve been able to have more fun teaching, although, the month of January was very exhausting….which might have something to do with the fact that I’m finally pregnant! Yeah!! I’m now 15 weeks along and it’s great to be getting back into the swing of things now that the tiredness and sickness has finally faded away. I had a doctor’s appointment a few weeks ago where I had my first real ultrasound. It’s not the best picture, but I thought I’d post it anyways since I don’t have any of myself. I know it doesn’t look like much so for those who can’t tell, there’s the head on the right side and its little bum on the left. We’re basically looking at the backside. :) I thought it was a cute picture, it looks like its snuggled, fast asleep, turned away from the “camera” and basically too tired to get a picture taken. Anyways, Kyle and I are both very excited and eager to have this sweet little bundle of joy join us in what now seems so far away! I’m due August 7th!