Maren Christmas!

Christmas is exponentially more joyous with kids. Can't wait for Maren to find the giant, stuffed dog santa left under the tree! Merry Christmas to all...

Happy Birthday, Maren!

Happy Birthday, Maren! Here are just a few facts about YOU at age one.

1. Maren weighs 19 lbs and is 29.5 inches tall. She is in the 20th percentile for her weight (which is up from the 11th just a few months ago). She is incredibly active, started walking at exactly 10 months and has been on the move ever since. She also loves to dance!
   
2. Maren has 10 teeth.
3. She takes two naps a day (9am and 1:30pm). She goes to bed at 7:30pm and wakes up at 7am...not counting her 11pm and 4:30am feedings. She likes to sleep with her monkey softee.
   
4. She love watching Baby Einstein MacDonald and will try to imitate all the animal sounds, including the rooster.
5. Maren is very huggable and loves to be cuddled. She loves stuffed animals.
   
6. Maren can say the following words: hi, dada, mama, ball (but says this while pointing to balls and other objects that are not balls), and baby.
   
7. She likes to be chased. She'll scream and run away when you say, "I'm gonna get you!"
8. Maren loves books and will sit sweetly on your lap while you read to her. She will also turn the page when told.
9. Her favorite place to be is outside. If she can't be outside, the next best thing is looking out the window. Maren spends a large portion of her day playing behind the couch where she can look out the huge window into the back yard.
   
10. She does not like bananas or bubble bathes.
11. She can climb in and out of things (such as laundry baskets, cupboards and drawers). Maren is also great at climbing UP the stairs. We are still working on safetly climbing down and she is getting good at getting of the couch by herself.

We are so grateful you are part of our family. It is exciting to watching you grow and learn. We love you, Maren!

Beehive Bazaar is here again!

Yesterday, I was buying some oil for my sewing machine at the Cornwagon when I spotted some postcards for the Bazaar. Boy, am I excited! Also, thank you Chris for oiling my sewing machine...it runs like new again. (Note to self: changing needles and oiling machine on a regular basis really DOES keep machine running smoothly and also prevents scary quilting lady from gasping and scolding you for being so lazy.)

8 Years

I love you because you are...
supportive, funny, forgiving, a great provider, smart with money, strong, tall, a wonderful father, a good driver, punctual, sympathetic, a people person, happy, a good story teller, a guitar hero, a music lover, a worthy priesthood holder, patient, a good law mower, mr. fix-it, techy, responsible, a creative gift-giver, outdoorsy, a good student, intelligent, supportive of me as a stay-at-home mom, a good communicator, a good son and brother, (have) strong forearms, thoughtful, encouraging, a peacemaker, brave, not a complainer, sincere with your compliments, open to change, a cuddler...

I am glad you picked me!

My Chigurh babe

"Call it, friendo!" I have had a couple of comments about Chris's Halloween costume, so I guess I need to post a few pics. He was Anton Chigurh from the movie No Country for Old Men (a scary movie I do not recommend). He grabbed Grandma's old oxygen tank from the garage, bought a red tube and borrowed some gadget from my dad to fix to the end of the tube (it ended up looking pretty authentic and kind of freaked me out). I cut up a wig and Voila! We went to a Halloween party where upwards of two people actually "got it." Either way, Chris and I had a pretty good laugh putting it all together.
I was a witch. I know, boring.

A fond farewell

Maren and I want to say good-bye to the last of the fall leaves in our yard. We have huge trees in the front and back, which have allowed many hours of fun. Everyday we go out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather, get a little exercise and a lot of fresh air. I will miss watching Maren run and fall into a big pile. So, until next year...
Also wanted to share my new favorite CD. I like listening to hymns, but MoTab can get old. This is beautiful and fresh. I love it!

Happy Halloween

Darn! I am totally regretting that I never got a picture of Chris wearing his farmer overalls! He looked so cute with our chicken. Happy (belated) Halloween!

And 3 more makes...28

My brother was married this weekend. The wedding was beautiful, with perfect fall weather. We are excited to have Kyra and her two cute boys in our family.

A change in the weather

We are loving this cool, fall weather! Monday night was spent picking out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. That is our little pumpkin with other little pumpkins. She is now 10 months old and is WALKING. She loves her independence and waddles all over the house finding trouble. Chris is busy with school. Last week, he accepted a full-time job offer from PricewaterhouseCoopers. He graduates in April and we will become official east-coasters next fall. YIKES! (And NO, we have not fallen off the face of the earth. I just haven't had much enthusiasm for blogging lately.)

Happy Fourth

We had a fun fourth...bowling, balloon rockets and fireworks!

Nielson family awesome internship good job

Apparently, when I am out of town and blogging would actually come in handy for friends and family, I stop. Go figure! This week marks the halfway point in Chris's internship. We are very happy here with the Larkins, who are the most hospitable people you will ever meet. Maren has changed so much. I think being around her cousins, Annie and Taylor, has made her believe she is older than she is. She tries to move around and loves "walking" around the house (with the help of mom and dad, of course). She also LOVES to swim! Chris is doing great at PwC (but doesn't neccessarily love the 2 hour commute). We still miss Utah and are excited to get back home.

New tricks

Maren recently learned how to do this...very charming.

Summer Internship

I have an awesome husband! He successfully finished his first year of the MBA program and accepted a great internship from PwC. We are very excited to spend this summer in Washington DC. I love you, sweetie!

Tulip Festival

This evening, we went to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. We took a few engagement photos of Chris's brother and his fiance, and we tried to get a few picture of our small family...no easy task. That little crocheted hat Maren is wearing is my little purchase from the Beehive Bazaar.

Beehive Bazaar

This is where you'll find me on Friday morning.

5 months

Maren is 5 months old today! She is the sweetest baby in the world and her parents love everything about her. More new milestones: sucking her thumb, sticks out her tongue, pounds both feet down as hard as she can when she is excited or mad, and is trying to roll from back to tummy. We also got our first "what a cute little guy" comment today. I guess I should stop buying so much green, brown and navy.

BYU Museum of Art

A neighbor recommended seeing the Walter Wick exhibition at the BYU Museum of Art, so Maren and I stopped in on our way to meet Chris. Walter Wick is the author of the well-known I Spy children's books and the exhibit included large photographs and models. It was so cool! My favorite was the "Once Upon a Time" series.
There was also a Dan Steinhilber exhibition, with art using mundane mediums such as dry-cleaner hangers (my fave), garbage bags, and duck sauce packets. Crazy! You can see images of his work here.
The exhibits are free and totally worth your time!

Our pretty girl

Maren rolled over yesterday...an exciting moment for us (especially mom who has been helping M "practice"). It's hard to imagine this little baby getting any cuter, but she does. Maren is always ready with a huge smile for anyone willing to give her attention. She laughs for us every day and randomly squeals in delight. All the grandmas at the grocery store rush over to remind me that she has "such a pretty face." She's a total momma's baby, and loves for me to carry her around on my hip all day long...I now know why God gave women hips and watching Chris try this same maneuver is pretty hilarious! I really love having a little girl!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter all! Maren woke up to find fun goodies in her basket, including this funny book by one of our favorite children's book author, Amy Krouse Rosenthal (also wrote Little Hoot, Little Pea and Little Oink).

Cowboy Cookies

Found this recipe for Cowboy Cookies in a Martha Stewart Living and thought they were really delicious.

Single Girl

I just got my new Pottery Barn catalog in the mail and noticed they are now selling this Denyse Schmidt creation, called "Single Girl." This is one of the few quilts you can actually find a pattern for. I think it's pretty charming.

Maren is 4 months old!

Maren turned 4 months old on Saturday! She is now 25 inches long and weighs 12 lbs 15.5 oz (Chris won the bet). Here are some pictures from our "professional" photo shoot.

Awww...

"It is not a slight thing when those so fresh from God love us."
-- Dickens

Come back, spring!

Sure is hard to go back to cold weather (and snow...yuck) after the warm spell. Maren and I miss the sunny mornings and afternoon stroller rides. Come back, spring!

Miracle Maren

One year ago yesterday I found out I was prego with this little monkey. I remember because it was a day before my mom's birthday. Chris and I had been trying for a couple years and it seemed to happen when we least expected. Obviously, things worked out great...definitely better than I could have planned. I guess "nothing is as constant as change" and I am still amazed when I reflect on how much change one year can bring.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Grandma!!!

Oh, Baby!

Yesterday, I saw a little five-week-old baby at church and it made me realize how BIG my little peanut is getting. Time flies and that newborn stage is over before you know it. But as I am lamenting Maren's rapid growth and development, I am also becoming aware that the older she gets the more fun she is (and the easier motherhood is). Maren is so cheerful these days. I have noticed more big changes this past week - she is more aware of her surroundings and herself. Very fun times at the Nielson home.

String Theory

I really love, love, love this Denyse Schmidt quilt. I think it is so creative and quirky and scrappy. Sundance sells it, but it's like $500...so I am thinking of attempting to recreate it myself in a throw size. I just adore her stuff!

Family Update

Our cute little nephew, William, was blessed on Sunday. We took the opportunity to snap a few photos. We also celebrated Maren's 3 month "birthday" last week. She is getting so tall (but is not very fat) and more beautiful each day. She's a little chatterbox and laughed for the first time a couple weeks ago.

G&G Benson with William and Maren.

Little Red

This photo is a little blurry, but I love Maren's expression. She is getting bigger and more fun each day. Here are a few recent developments:
1. LOVES looking at herself in the mirror. She will smile, coo, squeals, blow bubbles, etc. at herself.
2. LOVES looking and smiling at her dad (but still wants mom to hold her 24/7).
3. Spends all day spitting and blowing bubbles, and I spend all day trying to keep her dry.
4. Is a champion reader. Her favorite book is Olivia and she will actually let me read the book in its entirety each night while she quietly looks at each picture. She also loves The Snowy Day.
5. Had her first little stroller adventure today and loved every minute.
Life is good!

Be Mine!

Dear Dad,
Thank you for surprising me and mom with new coats. Now I stay toasty warm when I go outside, and PINK is definitely my color. Happy Valentine's Day! I love you.

Maren

New Mobile for Maren

I have been looking for a mobile for Maren's room for awhile now. She is getting more curious each day and loves looking at everything, but I didn't want to buy something that was too "baby." I considered ordering this, but came up with hanging paper lanterns instead. I bought some lanterns for Chris's birthday party about six years ago and had them packed away in the basement. I was inspired by some pictures of nurseries online (see below) and got creative. (I still like the bunny mobile and might get it eventually, but for now I will stick with my thrifty creation.)

Top 25 (my favorite books so far...)

I've always loved books and lists, so here is my list of favorite books. Of course, there are plenty of entertaining books out there, but this is a list of novels that I think have some real value and I could read over and over again. I am not the most widely read person, but I do try to continually choose good books...hoping to find a new "gem." (There is nothing quite so satisfying as finishing a really great book!) Here they are in no particular order:
1. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
I sat next to Chris in Mrs. Merrill's 7th Grade English class when I first read this book, so I have fond memories of Winnie and the Foster family. Brings up a great question: If you could choose to live forever, would you?
2. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Chris gave me this book for Christmas a few years back and it is one of my favorites. It's about a modest English butler who embarks on a country drive in which he ponders over his 30 year duty-filled existence. It won the Booker Prize.
3. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Wonderful memoir of a boy growing up poverty-stricken in Ireland; proof that children can make it out of a miserable childhood and still become a success. It won the Pulitzer Prize for a Biography or Autobiography in 1997. It's hard to explain how a book this sad can make me laugh so hard. I would definitely suggest finding the audiobook, which is read by the author. Can't beat that Irish brogue! The sequel 'Tis is also worth your time.
4. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
This book came out the year I started teaching and was heaven-sent. McCourt was an English teacher, like myself, and his experiences and struggles in the classroom are very relatable and hilarious (those crazy teenagers!). This interview is also interesting.
5. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
I read this in 10th grade and remember being stunned by the ending. A masterpiece!
6. Persausion by Jane Austen
While I LOVE the Pride and Prejudice film starring Keira Knightley, I think Persausion is Jane Austen's finest novel.
7. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
My bro-in-law gave me this book as a gift. As I was reading it, I kept telling Chris, "This book is crazy! You've got to read it." He eventually did.
8. Beauty by Robin McKinley
A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, in which Beauty is really not that great looking. The story still captures the selflessness of a young girl and her gradual affection toward the Beast.
9. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
If you need a little get-up-and-go to assemble your year supply of food storage, this is the book for you! Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this post-apocalyptic story is totally dark and suspenseful but a great read. The movie is supposedly coming out next year but I don't know if I will have the emotional courage to see this "book come to life." Yikes!
10. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
My 11th-graders read this play. During the last scene with John Proctor and his wife, one of my students asked, "Mrs. Nielson, did you cry the first time you read this book?" Yes I did. Based on real events, Miller parallels the Salem witch trials to McCarthyism. I thought the film was pretty good, but it does leave out some of the dialogue.
11. Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
Winner of the Newbery Medal, Missing May is a short, simple story of a young girl, Summer, who is passed among relatives until she ends up with her Uncle Ob and Aunt May. Summer is touched by her new parent's devotion to one another and May's sudden death leads Summer and her foster father on an insightful journey.
12. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
This book is not so much a romance as a story about needing to be loved and valued...and to find equality in our relationships.
13. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Tells the story of Wang Lung, a poor farmer in twentieth century China, who deals with political and social upheavals. I found O-lan, Wang Lung's dignified, hardworking, resourceful (and marginalized) wife, to be a very memorable character for me. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. It is the first book in a trilogy that includes Sons and A House Divided (which I have not read, but should).
14. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia McLachlan
Newbery Award winning book about two children's anticipation over the possibility of a new mother when their widowed father invites a mail-order bride to their home.
15. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

"They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." -Atticus Finch

A Pulitzer Prize winning classic featuring one of literature's most virtuous characters.
16. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
About a religious zealot who drags his wife and four daughters into the Congo to embark on missionary work. The story is told from the point of view of the four daughters.
17. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
An inspired book that everyone should read. In this age of consume and waste, Thoreau reminds me to "simplify, simplify" to find more satisfaction in my life. Tons of great quotes! I also really enjoyed this talk during October 2008 General conference.
18. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
I am not one to sit down with a book of poetry, but I do love Emily Dickinson's work. You can find all 1,775 beautiful verses in this volume.
19. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The story of an odd friendship between two migrant workers. (I also really like East of Eden.)
20. The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Had to add it to my list after reading it last month.
21. Atonement by Ian McEwan
A 13-year-old's imagination leads to demise in the lives of several characters. A tearjerker.
22. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
I recently read this book and loved it. Really loved the characters and found the story to be very spiritual. I also want to read Enger's new book, So Brave, Young and Handsome.
23. The Professor's House by Willa Cather
While Cather is known for O, Pioneers! and My Antonia (I also recommend), I still think this book is my favorite.
24. Hawthorne's Short Stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne
This is not the easiest reading, but I still managed to enjoy Hawthorne's dramatic and "moody" short stories. My favorites are "The Birthmark" and "Rappaccini's Daughter." Hawthorne was born in Salem, Mass and one of his ancestors was a judge in the 1692 witch trials (Hawthorne actually added the "w" to his name to seperate himself from these relatives)...you can see his issues with religious intolerance and hypocrisy in his works.
25. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Ishiguro is becoming my new favorite author. I read this book last year and thought it was a little creepy and very sad...I can't share too much or I will give away the "surprise." I plan on reading Artist of the Floating World this year.

This year, I have decided to reread some of these favorites. I also love suggestions!

Happy Friday!

My little sister Leah and her two cute kids were in town yesterday, visiting from Colorado. They all came over for a few hours. Baby William was born just three weeks after Maren so it's fun to see them reaching their milestones together.