Happy Halloween

I know it's been a while, but I finally have some pictures to post. This year for Halloween Lexi and Jack were pumpkins. As usual I forced Jeff into a costume that coincided with mine. He was a particularly good sport this year because I forced him to wear a beard and wig. He was Zeus and I was Athena. I thought it was pretty creative especially since I already had all the required clothing items.

Lexi had a parade and trunk-or-treat at her preschool. There was a small performance where the children say Halloween songs, but Lexi had another bout of stage-fright and came crying off the stage. I guess she doesn't have a future in theater.

Tonight was the ward trunk-or-treat that we all got dressed up for. It was fun, but I'm glad to have the stress of Halloween over.

Back to School

Lexi started preschool this week. I can't believe she'll be going to Kindergarten in a couple years. I wish there was a drug that you could give kids to keep them from growing up so fast. Maybe I should put my chemistry degree to good use and start working on something for that. Somehow I think the FDA wouldn't approve it though. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to savor every moment of these adorable years.

The Ultimate Death Match

If you've ever wondered who would win in a fight, a scorpion or a spider, read on to find the answer. First, a little background...

We've been living in Arizona for a few months now and absolutely love everything about it. We love the weather, the landscape, and the people. The only thing we HATE about living here are the scorpions. Because of the copious amounts of rain this summer, we have found multiple scorpions inside the home (one was climbing up my arm). Yesterday we found yet another scorpion in the house, but instead of our usual response (a swift smash with a shoe) Jeff decided to catch it and then feed it a bug. In my quest to find a yummy meal for our new pet, I found a LARGE spider. So, being the immature and curious adults we are, Jeff and I decided to put the two together and see which disgusting insect would win in a battle to the death.

Now, before I continue, I feel like I must explain something. I absolutely hate spiders. They're creepy and crawly and they freak me out. The only things I hate worse than spiders are scorpions. So, call me masochistic, but I have no qualms about putting a spider and scorpion together for a death match.

So, place your bets. Scorpion or Spider?

Our 2 contestants. An average sized scorpion and a large spider (probably a wolf spider)
At first, I was convinced that the scorpion had the upper hand. He was very aggressive and had the spider's legs in his pincers several times, while the spider seemed only concerned with escape. But, in the end the scorpion couldn't compete with the spider's large fangs and lost the battle. After about 6 hours together all that remained was a few bits and pieces of scorpion carcass and a very happy (and full) spider.
Here's what's left of the scorpion. Poor guy never had a chance.
Now, after the battle was over we were left with the conundrum of what to do with our winner. To me, the only good spider is a dead spider, but we decided that our spider friend was the lesser of 2 evils, and that if he could help decrease the number of scorpions in the yard he was worth something. So, we let the spider go free with the hopes that he'll devour any scorpion that crosses his path.

The End (at least for the scorpion).

PRIVATE

Just to let you know, I am making my blog private this week. Hopefully I got everyone on the list. I hope you all continue to view my blog and check up on my family.

Yum Yum!

Jackson had his first taste of baby food this past Sunday. We decided to start with squash in the hopes that he will become a vegi-lover like his sister. He did pretty good for his first time, although the bulk of the food ended up on his bib and up his nose. He's getting better every day and his diapers are getting stinkier. It's fun to start feeding your baby solids, but man does it make the dirty diapers worse! Oh well, whatcha gonna do?

Here are some random pics of the kids that I've been meaning to post...

Andrew came to visit and he and Lexi decided to swap clothes. I'll spare you the picture of Andrew wearing Lexi's clothes, but I'm sure you can imagine a 16-year-old wearing a 3-year-old's clothes. Luckily he wore his boxers underneath.

Getting ice cream as a family. What's up with kids always wanting sprinkles? Seriously yuck! We were actually surprised because on this trip she went for mini m&m's. Maybe her tastes are maturing.

Jackson and his cousin Olivia. It is so nice living close to family so we can get together and hang out.

As many babies do, Jack started sporting a mullet as his baby hair began to fall out. I have a strict no-mullet policy and so had to pull out the clippers and take care of the problem immediately.

WITH MULLET

WITHOUT MULLET

Much better!!!

Lexi is always happy to pose for the camera. She's defintely our little actress.

My Last Will and Testament

In my attempt to lose the last 30 pounds of post-pregnancy weight I've decided to do the P90X workout program. It's basically 90 days of sheer torture. I started yesterday and am already sore to the max. So, if I die from a heart attack or my body is rendered useless from the pain, please tell my family that I love them. On the other hand, if I make it through the 90 days I should be one buff chick!

Mission Beach

I am recommitting to blogging and since I am so behind with my posts, my next several entries are going to be a little out of order.

First of all, I should give an update on how our family is doing here in Arizona. We are still living with my parents and will probably for a while. Jeff got a job at a local chiropractor's office that he hasn't been too enthusiastic about, but again our family has been blessed and he got an offer to work in a clinic that focuses specifically on his field of chiropractics. This new job will provide him with amazing opportunities to learn and grow before we open our own clinic. He starts working there next week and is ecstatic.

So, on to the actual topic of this post. Last week my parents rented a beach house at Mission Beach in San Diego for a Nielsen family reunion. The house was literally right on the beach about 75 yards from the ocean. The entire family was there including my sister Jerilyn's 3 boys. It was great to get everyone together and exciting to take Lexi to the beach for the first time. She loved playing in the sand and had no fear of the ocean.

This is a picture of us on the trip down. We had the car packed so full we were busting at the seams. It was a little crazy for the first few days because both Jeff and my brother Eric had to work and so didn't come until later in the week. It was definitely rough being a single parent for those 5 days. (Notice Jackson and Savannah in the very back seat).

Jack loved hanging out in his pop-up tent. He even napped in it. Of course the second I would get him to sleep, Lexi would decide that she wanted to go back to the house.

Lexi flying the very popular $3.00 Spongebob kite.

On the second day Lexi woke up with a sore ankle and refused to walk at all. Instead, she spent the whole day crawling everywhere. It was pretty funny. The next morning she was fine. Weird. Maybe she just wanted the attention.
London was our little sand princess. She spent more time on the beach than anyone else. She never wanted to come in. She was happy to play in the sand all day.

Matthew smiling (or growling) for the camera
My dad is the king of sand castles and this is the one he created this year (will the help of the grandkids of course).
Lexi was one of the few kids (or adults) who actually got in the water. She's a fishy like her mommy.
Lexi and London really enjoyed playing together. They are only a couple months apart in age so it was great to get them together to bond.

At the aquarium. Notice that I'm missing from the picture. That's because I stayed home and slept all morning.