Don't Cry Because it's Over. Smile Because it Happened.

Cheesy quotes are so great. They bring me right back to when I was 12 and kept a quote book. It contained such insights as "If you love something let it go. If it comes back, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was." and "No boy who is worth your tears will make you cry". So, so deep.

Anyway...we in the Nielson household are all smiles now that the basketball season is officially over for Daniel. No tears over here! Well, Sadie may be shedding a few tears that she doesn't get to go play in the arena during games anymore, but I love it when I get my husband back.

Last week we attended the Great West Conference basketball tournament. Look at Sadie, sporting the UVU shirt and the headband that actually started out on my head.

Sadie and I arrived early enough to see the teams introduced (first time that's ever happened).

She immediately got to work playing on the stairs.

Why watch the game when there are stairs to be played on?

Stairs are also apparently a perfect place for some light reading

She ran over to show me a picture of Willy the Wolverine in the book- didn't even notice her dad in it.

UVU won the game in these pictures, but lost the next one. Too bad they couldn't repeat the magic of last year. Too bad, so sad. Oh well.

Like I said, the season is officially over!!!

Birthday Boy

Yesterday was Daniel's birthday. We don't usually do much to acknowledge birthdays on our blog, but Daniel's a pretty good guy and yesterday was a pretty good day so I'll tell you about it.

While Daniel got up in the dark for bishopric meetings Sadie and I slept. Happy birthday!
We got up and made Daniel some yummy stuff for brunch before he got home.

Sadie helped by putting toys into bowls and attempting (unsuccessfully) to stand in bowls.

Following church Sadie took baby for a walk around the house.

Please note she's wearing my shoes.

Here she stopped to add a few magnets to the stroller, because, well, you never know when a magnet might come in handy.

Then Sadie and Daniel snuggled while I made dinner.


We sure hope you had a terrific day, Daniel! I like you and I know Sadie thinks you are cool.
But why wouldn't she? You show her Backyardigans and old videos of her on youtube. (I never let her get this close to my computer- mean mom)

And you show her what she should be doing to work on her form.

(Daniel was genuinely excited to show me that Sadie could get some backspin on the ball)

Tucson = Paradise

I spent last weekend with some of my favorite friends- all my bridesmaids from my wedding. In college we always talked about how we'd grow up and live all over the country and get together for girls' weekends. Well, 5 years after college we did it! And it was 75 degrees and sunny in Tucson. And there were no responsibilities. And I ate a whole lot. It was heaven. I will admit I missed Sadie (and maybe Daniel) a whole lot by Sunday.

We spent the long weekend talking, eating, shopping, and relaxing.

One morning we went on a hike/walk in the scenic Arizona desert.

We also spent time relaxing by the pool. The only problem with sitting in the sun while pregnant is you can't lay on your stomach so I got sun (maybe some burn) on the front of my legs, nothing on the back.

Seriously, it was an amazing weekend. I am ready to face the last 9 weeks of this pregnancy!

Here's a shot of the 3 pregnant ladies, in order of due date (l-r). We are all due within a month of each other- spaced 2 weeks apart. See, my stomach doesn't look that huge while standing with other pregnant women. It may also help that I am wearing a dark shirt standing against a dark window.

Pictures of my crazy toddler coming soon.

Picture

For all you picture-free blog post haters,

Here you go ya jerks

(Thanks for the shoes Garrett! Your stuff is on it's way soon)

V-day

We had a pretty decent Valentine's Day. Some scattered thoughts:

1. Sadie and I both had doctor's appointments in the late afternoon. I had to do my gestational diabetes test, which I was actually pretty nervous about since I failed the 1-hour test last pregnancy (see post here). My new doctor's office just does a finger prick and they can tell you the results within a couple minutes- it was a big fat pass for me! We also found out Sadie is still alive and healthy at her appointment. Phew.

2. We actually did more for Valentine's this year than normal. Daniel picked up dinner from Outback and 2 very thoughtful presents. First, Sadie got Tyrone (from Backyardigans- a tv show Sadie enjoys). For some reason Tyrone has turned into a tickle monster and she uses him to tickle us. I got Mockingjay (the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy). I enjoyed it- suspenseful just like the other two books, but I felt like the ending was too short. There was such detail in every part of the book and then the end was like- oh and this is what Katniss ends up doing.

3. Daniel got some much-needed new black dress shoes. Boring, I know.

4. Our first Valentine's Day together (back in 2003) actually wasn't awkward, despite the fact we had been dating less than 2 weeks. Probably because the drama surrounding us beginning to date forced us to admit that we liked each other a lot from the very start- we knew where we stood already.

5. I like the way my mom did Valentine's Day when we were growing up- it was about family and general love and not romance. We had a nice family dinner party. We were not allowed in the dining room while she decorated- decorating all cute is not like my mom at all. My dad did the cooking (as usual). We each got a long hand-written, very personal, Valentine's card- not just generic "I love yous" but why specifically she loved us individually. Then we got a small present along with a plastic cup of Valentine's candy. Who knows why the candy had to be in a cup- but it did. Later on she also added the tradition of making heart-shaped cakes and delivering them to people who we really appreciated or thought could use a pick-me-up.

6. My father-in-law's birthday is on Valentine's Day- happy birthday Tom!

7. I don't hate or love Valentine's Day. I plan on using it as a day to remind me to make sure my family knows how much I love them. Daniel and I can celebrate us on our anniversary.

8. Sadie is still nutty

(My last 3 posts have included numbered lists)

Texas

Last week Sadie and I headed to the great state of Texas for a little visit with our Nielson family. Some of you may be thinking "wasn't it just a month ago that Carly devoted an entire blog post to complaining about her trip back from Boston alone with Sadie?" The answer would be yes, yes it was. However, there was a perfect storm of events to get us to Austin- we needed a break from the cold and monotony of Utah winters, Daniel was going on a long road trip, and the airfare (a direct flight!) was a great deal.

Here are the highlights of the trip:

1. Spending time with Bear paw and Cici (Daniel's parents)- I'm not sure how they decided on those names, but it's what Sadie is calling them so there's no going back now. Sadie says "bahpa" and "cici".

2. Eating at Chuy's- one of my favorite Austin restaurants. They have the best diet coke. No joke. It is the best diet coke I have ever had. I avoid caffeine while pregnant but I let myself have 2 big cups of it. The baby liked it. Sadie loved the creamy jalapeno dip. Yes, it is spicy and yes, it was too spicy for me the first time I had it 8 years ago, but my daughter loves a little kick to her food.


3. Courtney's birthday- we got to be with her on her birthday (my brother Matt's birthday too). The greatest gift was Sadie actually cooperating for a nice picture.


4. Piano playing- Sadie loved having access to her grandparents' piano 24/7. She performed multiple concerts with her face as close as possible to the keys and then dramatically ending it with the lowest possible note.

(I just missed the ending here)

5. Seeing Mel- one of my best friends from college lives in Austin. I didn't take any pictures but she treated me to a delicious lunch one day. We spent 2 hours after lunch walking around an outdoor mall in 65 degree weather. It was amazing.

6. Coloring- Sadie's new favorite activity is coloring.

Courtney's boyfriend James bought Sadie one of those sets where the markers only work on the coloring book. Sadie spent hours (literally) coloring. I was a mean mom and refused to sit with her sometimes so that's when Bapa stepped in and relieved me.


7. The park- Sadie got her first taste of the park this year. She is actually big enough to climb up and go down some slides by herself. I can't wait until spring!

8. The Austin Children's Museum- we went on a morning that was designated for kids under 3 only. I almost felt like I was back in Utah- tons of young moms (many of them pregnant) with little kids.



There were all kinds of ramps you could put golf balls down. Here's Sadie and Cici taking their turn. The ramps had buckets at the end for the ball land in. At one point we were talking and didn't notice Sadie take a dive head first into a bucket. She wasn't too bothered by it- just wanted the ball in it!

Sadie was a little unsure of the exhibit that played animal sounds, but she loved the "Mi familia" exhibit. It took her a couple tries, but she played those drums like she'd done it a million times before. We steered clear of the room you could color in- didn't want to be stuck there all day.


9. Finally, Sadie's absolute favorite thing had to be Abby- the Nielson's 9-year-old basset hound.

It took Sadie about 1/2 hour after we arrived to decide Abby was amazing. She constantly wanted to know where Abby was. She shared her toys, food, and lots of hugs and kisses with Abby.

The first thing she wanted when she got up in the morning and from naps was "goggy...habby"
Here she is helping bring Abby in from the backyard.

Kisses for Abby. Sadie is still mourning the absence of Abby. She occasionally calls for "goggy" when she's eating or sitting at the table coloring and I have to remind her that there's no dog in our house. Almost makes me want a dog....but not really.


We had so much fun getting out of Utah and seeing the Nielsons. Sadie is trying to adjust to not having constant attention. I am so so so glad we went- thanks for being great hosts Tom and Carolyn!

Basketball Game Veteran

In Sadie's short 18 months of life she has been to at least 30 basketball games. She goes nuts when I tell her we are going to daddy's basketball game. She sprints to the back door and tries to open it.

Here's how the basketball game process goes:

1. Giggle excitedly upon arrival inside the arena- yell "ball!!!!!"

2. Find daddy- point and yell his name (he may or may not notice)

3. Watch game occasionally

3a. especially if Daniel yells


4. Eat snacks


5. Climb on and off every chair on the row (yes, we always have an entire row to ourselves)

6. Entertain people sitting around us


7. Drink water


8. Go crazy when "Willy" the Wolverine mascot comes around- give him a high five with one hand and get a death grip on mom with the other. Do NOT let him out of your sight until he has left the floor

9. Claim stair area as own

9a. Sit on them

9b. climb up and down them

9c. kneel on them


9. Run around the court after the game like you own the place