GoPro Adventures

Nels is awesome.

From our Mother's Day adventure at Kootenai Falls.

Our Kids Love Santa Claus?

Before I forget . . .

Around the middle of November, I started asking the girls what they wanted for Christmas. I was determined that there would be no last-minute scrambling this year and I wanted it out of the way so that I could just enjoy the season with my family.

I had come across the coolest dragon and showed it to Lilie, sure that she would LOVE it.

(Since we don't have cable or satellite, my children pretty much never watch commercials. And wouldn't you know it? Without the barrage of advertising, compiling their Christmas lists was a pretty open-ended affair.)


This is the conversation that we had as she gazed happily at the dragon figurine:


What do you think, Lilie? Is that something that you might like for Christmas?

MMmmmmmm . . . {sigh} . . . . . yeah. :)

Great! Maybe you could ask Santa Claus.

{worried and skeptical look} Um. I don't know.

What do you mean? I thought you just said that you liked it. Is there something else that you want more?

{still with the screwy face} No. I really like it! I just don't know if I want to ask Santa.

Why? You don't have to like it, just because I showed it to you . . .

Well. Why don't YOU just get it for me?

What? Why not Santa? Is there something else you want?

No. It's just . . . well . . . I really like it . . . and . . . sometimes Santa doesn't bring me what I want. Like one year I asked for a Wall-E computer and he just brought me a dinosaur instead . . . 

{{me stifling a HUGE laugh}}

. . . So. I just think you should get it for me instead and I'll just ask Santa for something that I don't really care about very much.


Hahahahahahahaaaaa!


In light of our children's supreme confidence in the Man in Red, I also present to you Nels's most recent bestest creation. :)

Blah Blah Blah

Hey, it's another guest post from Nels. I had to work a little late tonight, and when I came home, this was in store for me:



Those sweet kiddos always know how to put a smile on my face! I'm proud of Clara's new vocabulary. I can see where she gets it!

Thanks Rachel, for giving me the best family in the world!

About Bees

A friend of mine asked me the other day where this video was. I then spent about an hour searching through my blog, because I was sure that I'd posted it on here, but to no avail.

So if I did, I'm going to repost it and if I didn't, shame on me. Because I still think this is my favorite family video that we have.

Two and a half years ago my dramatic little Lilie got stung by a bee. It was traumatic.



Post edit: I found it. But I'm still reposting this anyway. Because it makes me laugh. Hard.

The Day the Colors Were Gone

Hey gang, this is Nels doing a guest post! After almost a year and a half (longer than it took to produce In Convenience) I have finally finished our newest family film, "The Day the Colors Were Gone."

The idea was to make a 2010 birthday film for Hazel and Elsie (since there birthdays are only a few days apart).  We shot about half of it in 2010, but due to busyness (and laziness) I didn't finish shooting everything until the end of summer 2011! Even after it was shot, it has still taken me months to put together this simple edit.

With all that being said, I love how it turned out. Rachel told me I had to include some of the behind the scenes footage. Now you can all see how impatient I can be when I'm losing light! We had some fun, and have made a great memory for our family to share. Enjoy!



Big thanks to my big girls for their patience and love. I hope we can keep making fun family flicks like this one. If you have time, watch some of the others on YouTube or Vimeo, and please give them the big thumbs up and a comment or two! Thanks!

– Nels

The Dino Finder

Nels started a new tradition on Hazel's last birthday, and Lilie has been looking forward for six months to making a movie of her very own with her daddy! It makes me so happy to hear them collaborating together and planning their "shots". :) So glad that he's willing to do such a special thing for his girls. - Something that they will love and enjoy for a very long time.



Not entirely sure why Lilie's hair didn't get fixed before her close-ups :) but she's adorable, even behind her stray hair! :)

The Littlest Pet Shop Kitty Got Buyed

One of the many reasons that my family is RAD!!

Nels and the girls made this sweet movie (written by Hazel) for Hazel's birthday.

I love it!!! It makes me so happy! I love that Lilie says "perstac" instead of perfect. I love the say Hazel says "They went . . . to the JUNGLE!". And I love my little Monkey! I love that Nels wanted to give his big girl such a special birthday present!

Spring Chick

So remember when I wrote . . . well, you probably don't, because I've written practically nothing for months . . . but when I wrote about how when I can't seem to write much of anything if I can't write everything? Yeah well, I'm tired of reading everyone's posts and only having dumb silence from my end. I like my blog. It's been neglected.

So . . .

Nels and I have exciting news! We are expecting our fourth little baby in March! We're excited to open our hearts and home to a new little Chick.

I figure it's time that I told everyone -- because apparently Hazel already is. Also, this may not be breaking news to most of my family anyway, as we aren't prone to keeping exciting secrets. ;)

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In other news, this week I am looking forward to spending some sunny days in the warm pools of Arizona.

Nels and I FINALLY completed the majority of a project that has been waiting a year to be completed. The main body of our yard is now 98% covered with soft sod. -- Goodbye, dirt (read: rock-hard-clay) clods being piled up and smashed by my back door, later to be watered and turned into the most irresistible, gooey goop any Hazel or Lilie could get their little hands on.

Hazel started school last Monday and is LOVING it!

Lilie recently cut her toe open. Narrowly missing the chance for her second set of stitches by having a trained nurse (Grandma) close at hand to make homemade butterfly bandages and calm her skeptical mommy.

Elsie loves our new trampoline. She asks daily to go jump on our tlamline. :) She loves puzzles, helping mommy clean, and pretty much following me around. She has also recently developed an overactive possessiveness that makes me happy that this new baby didn't decide to come 7 months earlier. :)

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That's all for now. I promise, once I get back, to start updating all that's been happening for the past several months! :)

Also, for those of you who haven't yet seen Lilie's "Bee Movie", I thought you might enjoy this. :)