The Nielsen News Now

Emery's 6th Birthday!!

2012-02-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that is was 6 years ago that Emery was a small baby in our arms and now he is in Kindergrten and learning to read and write and helping take care of two little brothers. We had a couple of fun parties. Emery wanted Pokemon parties so for his family party, with the help of Aunt Toria, we had a pikachu cake and Pokeball fruit pizza and his party with Brandon we made a Pokeball cake. He got a lot of fun books and pokemon stuff and was real happy with his week long celebration.

Allister's 9 Months Old

2012-02-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

Allister sure is growing. He has learned how to crawl real fast as he tries to keep up with his brothers. He kneels up to the furniture and if you try to walk him by holding his hands he is more running then walking. He is almost always happy and is still trying to cut his first tooth we can feel it, but it just has not broken through. According to the doctor’s office he is 18.52lb and 26.38in. the doctor said he is thin and tall and we hope he stays that way as long as it is healthy.

Allister 8 Months

2012-01-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

Allister is now 8 months old and is crawling. It took him awhile to learn to go forward since he was getting around fine going backwards, but he is getting the hang of forward now. He is still the happiest little guy and his brothers still think he is pretty special.

Christmas

2012-01-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

3 wise guys

Angel Baby

Santa's Star Wars Cookies

We had a great Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve Chad surprised us by getting off early and being home with us. That evening we went to the McArthur’s for traditional clam chowder dinner and visiting. We then did the nativity where Alisa and Chad were Joseph and Mary and Allister was baby Jesus along with wearing the hats of every other part Emery was a sheep and a wise man and we were lucky if Arthur stayed in the same room with us. Then it was time for Christmas Eve pajamas, cookies out and bed. This year Chad received Star Wars cookie cutters from our friends at an earlier party and so Emery said Santa needed Star Wars gingerbread cookies this year. Christmas Day was nice we found that Santa found us then had breakfast and went to church. Then was time for the presents under the tree. We had a great time and got very spoiled. Then the day after Christmas we went and had another Christmas with Chad’s side of the family where we were once again spoiled.

Leader of the Pack

2011-12-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

Emery has once again proven what a great kid he is. Today he received the Leader of the Pack Character Counts Award for being a Leader of Prioritizing at his school. His school is working on what a person needs to become a leader and every month they work and talk about a characteristic. Each teacher then gets to choose one student from their class who shows that characteristic well. Then the PTA gets everything set up and the principal gives out the awards. Emery's teacher chose him and said:

"Emery is a great "Leader in Prioritizing". He gets his homework done first and then he plays. Emery spends time on things that are important. He studies his letters, sounds, and numbers with his parents and practices reading to them daily as well. Emery is an excellent example of a hard worker who is disciplined and organized. Awesome job Emery!!!"

We are very proud of him and what a smart, happy and all around great kid he is.

Emery and Principal Bona

Gingerbread House

2011-12-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

One of our friends shared one of their Christmas traditions with us this year. They gave us a gingerbread house kit to decorate. We had a real good time decorating it and trying to convince Arthur the candy was not for eating.

Allister at 7 months

2011-12-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Allister turned 7 months old. He has not changed much this last month. He is real good at sitting up and he is, as usual, the happiest little guy. He really likes all the new foods he is trying and has not disliked any of it. His brothers sure think he is special. They give him a lot of love and Arthur, who mostly in the past would play around him, has been offering him toys and sometimes sits next to him when they play in the same room. We are so blesed to have such good little buddies. (He is in the cutest little shirt our friend Michelle gave to him.Thankx Michelle)

Ninja Day

2011-12-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Alisa's sister has kinda got this ninja thing she is into and when she found out it was National Ninja Day on December 5th she let everyone know. So, just for fun Grammy made a ninja cake and cupcakes based on the character Toria draws, the kids decorated the house and we had a little ninja party. It was fun and silly, but a good excuse to do something fun together.

Visit with Santa

2011-12-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

We went to our ward Christmas party and Santa came to visit. Each sat with Santa and then all 3 of them got in for a picture. Emery asked Santa for a scooter, Arthur was really not sure about the man, but sat on his lap and Allister was placed on Santa's lap and had great big grin on his face (just wish his grin would have stayed for the picture). Just love Christmas time.

Christmas Time Has Come

2011-12-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

The new tree and Emery being a monkey.

Thanksgiving night Alisa and her sisters had fun going to a couple of the black friday sales. Alisa went with the intent of getting an artificial tree(Chad finally let her have one). So with the new tree bought Friday night we decorated for Christmas and started listening to Christmas music. A couple of days later we went to see all the lights on Temple Square and see Aunt Sis sing with her institute choir at the Assembly Hall. We had a great time taking the train downtown, having dinner, seeing the lights and attending our first Christmas actvity for the year.

The group on Temple Square(sorry it is dark).

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving was a little differnet this year, but it all worked out in the end. Originally we had plans to spend it with the Nielsens, but Chad found out he would have to work that day from 11am to 8pm. We were sad becuase we were going to miss out on seeing family along with missing Chad's grandmother from up in Idaho(she had not met Allister yet). So we were thinking Alisa and the boys can go over to the McArthurs. Well, we then found out that last minute Alisa's Mom was going to see Kason and his family over Thanksgiving which was great. In the end everything worked out fine. We had Thanksgiving with the McArthurs on the Sunday before Thanksgiving so Chad and Grammy could be there and we got to see Chad's parents and Lisa along with Grandma when they came down to get Grandma from the airport. So even though things were not normal they were perfect.

Arthur's 2nd Birthady

2011-11-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Arthur turned 2 so it wast time to gather family and friends to have a couple of parties. He is really into cars and airplanes and carries them all over the house so we did a transportation theme for his family party. He was really not sure what to think about the candle blowing out, but he did it and when it came to present opening afer a couple he got how to open them with much concentration on his face, but was not thrilled that the gift was put in a pile so he could open the next one he wanted to play with it right away. The only gift he threw to the side was the blanket Alisa made for him, que sera. Our friends also threw a party for him with our two families. When it was time to open presents he was not too happy becuase of other toys he was playing with, but once he got home he sure has enjoyed them.

Sometimes When it is Too Quiet

2011-11-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

When it is too quiet in the house we have to go find out what Arthur is up to. He in the past has flooded the bathroom, flushed the toilet with who knows what in it if anything and gotten into the A&D ointment and made a mess, but recently when it is too quiet we have found him looking at books. We like this new quiet activity and so does he.

Allister 6 Months

2011-11-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

We are so excited and amazed that Allister has been with us for 6 months already. He is sitting up, he started solids other then cereal and is very happy. He is 15 lb 3 oz and 26.38 inches tall so he is a little small at average height. He rolls from his back to his stomach fine, but refuses to roll from his stomach to his back, but between Chad, Alisa and Emery he just has to whine a little and he is rolled right over, probably why he does not roll. We are so glad he is part of our family and that all the boys get along so well.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

We had already had quite an adventurous Halloween weekend before the day finally arrived and there was a lot more fun to be had. Emery participated in his first own Costume Parade at school. In the past he has helped Grandma with hers. Then after the parade Alisa helped out with his class Halloween party which seemed to have gone well. That night was very nice weather so we all went trick-or-treating with Uncle Bryson, Grampy and Roxy. It was a fun night and surprisingly Arthur went out as long as Emery and Allister lasted for one block.

Happy Halloween Cake

2011-11-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

Alisa made this cake for a fun Nielsen family get together right before Halloween. We had fun visiting and playing bingo.

Pumpkin Time

2011-11-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of days before Halloween we got together with the McArthur family and carved pumpkins. First we went and chose our pumpkins from an actual pumpkin patch which was a first for us. The boys had fun running around in the field with their aunts and uncle. Arthur especially loved putting dirt on the pumpkins. Then we went to the McArthur's and had a quick dinner and then carved the pumpkins. Emery wanted to do a lot more this year and Arthur wanted absolutly nothing to do with it. Allister just sat there and watched. It was a fun night.

Halloween Fun With Friends

2011-11-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

This Halloween we did a couple of fun things with our friends the Browns. We did a Family Home Evening where we decorated haunted gingerbread houses and had a really good dinner and then we had a Halloween party where we made reflector necklaces and had fun cake. We are so lucky to have such good friends where ever we go and miss the ones we are not with anymore.

We are Off to See the Witches

2011-10-26T13:53:00.000-06:00

Since we are in a new place this year we are looking for fun things to do in the fall. Our friends (yes we have some) suggested we go to Gardner's Village where they have a bunch of witches out on display. We had fun looking at the witches and walking around the fun shops.

5 Months Old

2011-10-05T11:46:00.000-06:00

Allister is now 5 months old. He is still a real happy little guy. He loves playing with his feet and like Arthur always has just in finger in his mouth. He is a good little sleeper and is starting to eat rice cereal. He sure is growing fast.

He Won! He Won!

2011-10-05T11:42:00.000-06:00

Last week was Safety Week at Emery's elementary school and they asked all the kids to draw a picture of them being safe. Then at the end of the week they would choose one picture from each grade as the winner. Emery drew a picture of him and Chad holding hands as they walk since you should always walk with a buddy. He did a great job and won for all the kindergarten. He won a safety helmet with space ships and rockets on it. He was very excited about it now we just need to get something for him that he can use the helmet for, good thing Christmas is coming up.

New Foods

2011-09-30T08:07:00.000-06:00

Allister had rice cereal for the first time. He wasn't really sure at first and even gagged on it a couple of times (there is a history of gag reflex in the family), but he seems to be getting it now. They sure grow fast.

September 11, 2011

2011-09-16T15:36:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe it has been 10 years since the tragedy of 9/11. There have been many things in our lives which have reminded us of this day and the aftermath especially with Chad's thesis. None of the boys were alive then, Chad was getting ready to come home from his mission and Alisa was getting ready for school and work. We believe this is something the boys need to be told about. Not because of all the death and hate, but the unity it brought and the sacrifices that people made for each other especially the firefighters and police. In Sandy City they have a Healing Field where there were 3,000 US flags set up each representing an individual who was killed on that day plus they unveiled a new statue in front of their city hall for the 10th year. We went to see this magnificent sight and to remember what our country is and who we are.

Emery's First Day of School

2011-09-16T13:08:00.000-06:00

School has begun and Emery started Kindergarten. We started with a 10 day count down on a Things to Get Ready for School Chain which was a lot of fun to tear off each ring and do what it says like get a hair cut, get bag ready and best of all go to school. So far he likes it he comes home very excited each day on what they did.

Allister 4 Months Old

2011-09-16T12:57:00.000-06:00

Again time sure does fly and Allister seems to be growing a lot faster then Emery and Arthur. Allister is now playing with toys on his own and falls asleep all by himself without being held or even swaddled. He has found how fun his feet are and is starting to roll over. He sits up pretty good with support on the couch. Before we know it he will be sitting and crawling. He is a very happy little guy and is growing fast. He is 12 1/2 lb and 24 in. tall. We sure love this little guy and his brothers.

Family Pictures

2011-09-16T12:49:00.000-06:00

We had this years family and Allister's newborn pictures done. Stephanie and Jay took time to take them and make them look awsome and we sure do appreciate their work. Here are a few of the ones we liked, as usual there were many more. There are more on the left of the blog also.

End of Summer Fun

2011-09-16T10:39:00.000-06:00

As summer is coming to an end and Emery was about to start school we wanted to do some fun things since we spent most of the summer moving. Throuh out the last couple of weeks we have been getting together with the Browns and doing fun things like swimming, feeding ducks and playing with toys. We had fun with the McArthur Aunts and Uncle to the farm at Thanksgiving Point and saw the animals and went on a cart ride. Right before school started Alisa and Emery went to the dinosaur museum which was real neat. Emery got to see all kinds of dinosaur displays and even got to dig for dinosaur bones. It was a good end of summer.

New Beds

2011-09-16T10:24:00.000-06:00

Allister finally got too big for his basinet and we had to move Arthur to a bed so Allister could move to the crib. Arthur likes his bed and the idea that he can get out of it. We have had some interesting times trying to get him to stay in his bed. Allister looks so small again in his crib.

Movie Night

2011-08-26T07:31:00.000-06:00

One of our families and the McArthur families favorite Disney shows premiered a movie and so we had a little movie party. Alisa voulenteered to bring dessert and probably went a little overboard, but had a lot of fun decorating a cake. It was a fun night with the McArthur family.

Allister is 3 Months

2011-08-26T07:26:00.000-06:00

Wow, time flies when you are busy. Before we knew it it was the begining of August and time for Allister to be turning 3 months old. He is sure the happiest little buddy, but when he is mad he lets you know. He is starting to hit at the toys hanging from his playmat and is quite the little talker. His brothers still think he is pretty nifty.

To Salt Lake We Go

2011-08-26T07:17:00.000-06:00

Chad's new job is in the Salt Lake area and so we sadly had to leave our wonderful place and friends in Logan and search for a new place a little further south. We found a place and on the 24th weekend moved. Alisa's sister Toria came and helped with the boys and packing while Chad was in Salt Lake for his first week of work, boy was she and the Nielsens the biggest life savers that week. Then we packed a truck with a lot of help from our neighbor and the next day Chad's entire family came out to help us unload along with our good friends Dave and Michelle. We sure appreciated everybody. Emery was sure excited to help move and refused to stay at Grandma and Grandpa's house the evenin we packed the truck and Arthur enjoyed playing with all the boxes and getting into things.

Chad's Birthday

2011-08-26T07:07:00.000-06:00

It has been awhile since the blog has been updated we have been a little busier then usual. Chad had a good birthday this year. It was around his birthday he applied and was hired in a new job. It is not in the history field, but in a field where he has the most experience. We then started getting ready to move.

Allister is 2 months old!

2011-07-07T15:29:00.000-06:00

As always it is hard to believe that Allister has been here already 2 months. He is now 9lb 11oz and 22 1/2in long. He is a smily little guy and is starting to make vowel noises when we talk to him. His two older brothers still think he is okay and fight over who gets to be in his face when he is playing on the floor.

July Fourth Weekend

2011-07-07T15:23:00.000-06:00

Oh, what a weekend we had this Independence Day holiday. On Friday we got to go with the Nielsens to the Logan City fireworks. We had a great time with the family and enjoyed the show. Then on Saturday the whole Nielsen family got together and we celebrated July birthdays with a picnic and parachute fireworks. Emery caught some of the parachuters as they came down and thought that was so cool. Sunday we blessed Allister and then on Monday we took things easy and made red white and blue strawberries. It was a good weekend.

Allister's Blessing

2011-07-07T15:14:00.000-06:00

Allister was blessed this last Sunday. We had a lot of family that came up and Chad did a great job. We appreciate everyone who came and helped with the luncheon we could not have done it without your help.

Surprise Summer Vacation

2011-06-30T14:01:00.000-06:00

We had a total surprise summer vacation. Out of the blue our friends the Browns came to Logan and kidnapped Alisa and the boys for a week in Salt Lake. Chad then joined us over the weekend. We had so much fun. We went shopping, attended a fun t-ball game, enjoyed the aquarium, ate lots of good food, saw the dinosaurs at the zoo, played outside a lot, visited family and took the kids to see Cars 2. We sure do appreciate the Browns and the wonderful time we had it was a much needed break

Allister's First Month

2011-06-06T13:28:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that Allister is already 1 month old. It has been a very busy month with visitors, a funeral and sick brothers, but we are so glad he has been here to be part of us. It is amazing how quickly this new little guy came and the family feels like it has always been that way and it was never anything different.

Walk By The River

2011-06-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

The weather does not want to warm up. It is hard to believe it is June and we are finally starting to have some nice days to actually go outside and have some fun. We decided a walk along the Logan River would be fun. The water is high and the older boys would have fun throwing stuff in the water. The trail walk was beautiful and Emery quite enjoyed throwing sticks in the river, but it was moving way too fast for Pooh Sticks on the bridges. We will probably end up walking this trail many times this summer.

Great Grandpa Gentry Passes Away

2011-05-24T10:38:00.000-06:00

The funeral for Great Grandpa Gentry was very nice. It was great seeing all the cousins and aunts and uncles who were there and missed those who could not make it. The neat stories and memories of Grandpa Gentry were fun to hear and as expected there was a lot of beautiful music. Grandpa Gentry served as a scout in the Philipines during World War II and was barried with full military honors which was a very neat expirience. It is going to be hard not seeing him, but we know that he is finally back with Great Grandma Gentry after being apart for 18 years along with his family and friends who have also passed away. We also know he is a lot happier where he is and we will see him again when it is our turn to return to our heavenly home.

St George and Family

2011-05-24T10:20:00.000-06:00

Alisa's grandfather passed away and the family headed down to St. George for his funeral. It was a good trip and it was really nice to see all the extended family. We were fortunate enough that Kason and his family were already in Salt Lake for the wedding of Sara's brother so they extended their visit and the entire Scott McArthur family was there. We had such a good time being with just us McArthurs also. While is St Goerge we all went swimming, had yummy meals together and had a great time visiting.

Arthur 18 Months

2011-05-18T09:42:00.000-06:00

Arthur turned 18 months this month. With the arrival of Allister he grew up very fast all of the sudden, but is still Mr. Personality. He is learning to catch a ball and already has a pretty good arm when he throws. He likes making the sound of animals especially the tiger's roar. He is also at the age where he has found the parts of his face and found his belly button which goes beep beep. He is a good little buddy who for his age is pretty good with his new little brother and Emery is sure excited he now has someone to play with, when they cooperate.

Allister 1 Week

2011-05-13T18:45:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that Allister has been with us for one week already. Time sure does fly.

The Boys

2011-05-13T18:42:00.000-06:00

The first picture of all three of the Nielsen Boys.

And many more to come.

Allister Has Arrived

2011-05-05T22:38:00.000-06:00

Allister Chad came today at 1:15pm weighing 7lb 6oz and is 19" long. Everybody is doing fine. We are so excited for our third little boy.

Easter Time

2011-04-25T12:14:00.000-06:00

Easter was a lot of fun this year. The weekend before Easter we were visiting Grammy and Grampy and the Aunts and Uncle and while the old adults were at a show all the kids, mostly Sis and Toria, made and decorated egg shapped Easter cookies. Then the next day we all dyed Easter eggs except for Arthur who was sleeping. We had a great time. Then the Saturday before Easter we invited the Easter Bunny to come over to hide eggs and leave his baset for the boys. Arthur understood better what was going on this year and picked up the eggs, but thought the sound they made was great. Later on when he discovered what was in them he was even more thrilled. Emery was very excited about the candy and the new little golf set he got from the Easter Bunny. On Easter Sunday the boys looked very nice in their Easter ties and spent the day focusing on what the true meaning of Easter is as we did throughout the month. Easter Sunday evening we spent with Chad's family and had a great time with even a visit from the Easter Bunny there.

Already climbing

2011-04-05T11:50:00.000-06:00

Emery was never really a daring little buddy. He was very cautious almost to a fault. Well Arthur, not so much a dare devil, is far more willing to do whatever especially if Emery is doing it and so way before Emery even thought of climbing Arthur has started. This is both exciting and very worrisome at the same time. He really likes to brush his teeth especially if he gets to play in the water so he climbed up on a stepstool in the bathroom like Emery does to get to the water. Now we need another stepstool because the two boys fight over the one a little bit. We know one of these days we will find Arthur on top of the counter or somewhere else we do not want him to be which never happened with Emery.

Great Grandma's 80th Birthday Party

2011-03-14T07:38:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend we celebrated Emery and Arthur's Great Grandma's 80th birthday with a big party for all the family. We had a great time visiting, playing games and enjoyed a very yummy meal. Great Grandma even went out and bought a bunch of fun toys for all the great grand kids which made everyone of them very happy. It is always nice to see grandma and all the extended family to catch up and just be together.

Emery's First Note to Mom

2011-03-14T07:33:00.000-06:00

This may be a just Alisa thinks this is way too awesome, but I think this is the best and it so made my day. After the boys lost interest in making cookies Arthur took a nap, Emery went to his room to play and Alisa was finishing up Emery comes in and says he wrote something on the magnetic writing pad. So Alisa went to go see what he had done and to her surprise he had written a little note to her. Usually his writing is just his name, but this time it is was more. Emery wrote his name and I (heart) Mom. This kept Alisa smiling all day.

Chef Nielsen Boys

2011-03-14T07:21:00.000-06:00

Last week we needed to make cookies for a birthday party and the boys wanted to help as usual. Alisa finally was brave enough to let Arthur sit on the counter and participate which he really seemed to enjoy and proceeded to make quite a mess. Emery was good enough to share his Chef Emery stuff and let Arthur wear the chef hat.

FunSaturday

2011-03-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday our friends came up from Salt Lake area to celebrate with us. Both their sons and Emery's Birthdays are in February, born the same year, so we have mini parties for them. We went to lunch and then we celebrated a pirate themed day with a treasue hunt and cake and ice cream. It was a great day and we look forward to spending more time with them in a couple of weeks.

Emery's Birthday

2011-02-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of celebrating of Emery's Birthday this year. On his actual Birthday he choose Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast which of course got a candle put in it. Then we spent the day doing what he wanted to do. That evening we had a bunch of the neighbors come over to help us celebrate. Emery said he wanted cookies instead of cake so we obliged. We had a great time and Emery loved being the center of attention. A week later Emery had his first friends Birthday party. The theme was Phineas and Ferb and he really enjoyed playing games, running and goofing around with his friends. Emery and Arthur enjoyed helping Chad set up and clean up the clubhouse for the friend party. We all had a lot of fun, but are all birthdayed out and glad it is done until next year or the next birthday.

New Cubbies

2011-02-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Since Arthur will soon be moving into the same room as Emery with the arrival of Allister we are trying to get things more organized and got this great idea from some friends of ours. We call them the cubbies which ends up holding a lot of their toys, frees up a lot of space in the closet and it is easier for them to get to their toys. The transportation figures say what is inside each of the boxes. Now we just need to get Arthur to stop pulling off the name cards.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

We had a good Valentine's Day this year. Chad and the boys made breakfast in bed for Alisa. We then gave the boys their Valentines before Chad had to go to work for the evening. Emery liked the books and Arthur thought the balloons were a ton of fun. During the afternoon Alisa and the boys made cookies and decorated them to give out to the neighbors. Even Arthur decorated cookies this year. Last of all we had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa. It was a fun day.

Emery's Family B-Day Party

2011-02-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

This week Emery turns 5 and we had a fun birthday party for him with his extended family. He wanted a Phineas and Ferb birthday this year so we made cakes and decorated he even got a shirt to wear that day. He really likes all his new toys and we have had a great time playing with them.

Big Boy Walking

2011-01-24T12:46:00.001-07:00

Arthur is walking now!!! He is such a big boy and has seemed to grow up so fast in just the last little while.

Sorry iti s on its side. I have not figured out how to turn it.

Reading Nook

2011-01-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

Emery and Arthur received bunk beds so Arthur can join Emery after Allister comes and needs to move into the nursery. So we rearranged the furniture in Emery's room and created a corner with his bookshelf and a big pillow for him to go read in. We call it his Book Nook and he loves it. If he disappears and it suddenly gets quite, which is usually a reason to be concerned, it no longer is, he is in his Book Nook looking at books.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and were as always very spoiled. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning on our own which was very nice and then in the afternoon on Chistmas we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to be with Chad's family and had a great time eating, playing games and visiting.

It's Another Boy

2010-12-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of days before Christmas we found out that we will be adding another boy to the family. His name will be Allister and we are so excited to have 3 boys.

First Gingerbread House

2010-12-20T12:05:00.001-07:00

We had a lot of fun last night decorating our first gingerbread house. Emery was real good at helping out, but Arthur just watched. Emery didn't even eat the candy until we were done, good self control. The house will probably not win any prizes, but we had a great time together.

Christmas Sunday Best

2010-12-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Every year Alisa has the fun of buying Christmas Sunday clothes for the boys which she enjoys doing. They looked so good together this year and they are even smiling not always an easy task with these two. They smile a lot together just not for pictures.

Christmas Tree

2010-12-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

We had a very interteresting weekend with the Christmas tree this year. Chad insisted we have a live tree since he likes the smell and he grew up with them. Alisa was cool with that since we had great tree when we did live ones in the past. Well this year it was a little different. Chad choose the best tree he could in our budget. We usually like the really full ones, but this year we got a tall one instead with fewer branches. Alisa likes the hight, but wishes there were more branches. After struggling with the tree stand for almost two hours we finally went and bought a new one and that one worked great. Then it took some time to decorate since we had to choose the decorations that did not weigh too much for the branches and it was not easy to hide the light wires with the sparser branches. Once it was up it looked great and we are happy with it, but it sure was a struggle putting it up.

Arthur's First Year Pictures

2010-12-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of days after Arthur's birthday we got him all dressed up and had our friend Wendi Coombs take his first year pictures. He was so good we were only there for about 20 minutes. He is such a cute little guy. Here are a few of them, there were so many to choose from.

Decorating for Christmas 2010/ First Snow Storm

2010-11-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Since we were spending Thanksgiving in Salt Lake this year we decoated for Christmas a little early. Emery sure was excited. He ran around singing Christmas songs when he was not helping. We plan on getting a real tree this year, but will wait until December to get one so we set up and decorated out little tree in the window. While we were decorating it started to snow which made it a little bit more fun. The snow storm was a good one of a couple that came and left plenty of snow to play in. The next day while Arthur took a nap Emery and Alisa played in the snow. Emery learned how to make snowballs.

Emery's First Primary Program/Arthur's First Birthday Party

2010-11-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy Sunday a couple of weeks ago. Emery participated in his first primary program. For being 4 yers old he did pretty good. He stayed in his seat and did as he was told. We were very proud of him that he had his part memorized. After church we had dinner with family who came for the program. Then we celebrated Arthur's first birthday. It is hard to believe he is already so big. Of course the party was themed Mickey Mouse and friends and family came to wish him happy birthday. Arthur got spoiled and loved tearing his cake apart.

Great Grandpa McArthur's Funeral

2010-11-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

Saddly and happily Alisa's grandfather passed away a couple of weeks ago. He had lived a very wonderful life full of service and music and has returned to his wife and family that has passed on before him. Chad could not get the time off to come to the funeral so Alisa and The Boys went with Alisa's parents. It was a nice couple of days. We got to go swim in the hotel pool, see and talk with many cousins and family members, as always enjot hearing my parents sing and enjoy hearing the many great stories about great grandpa.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T00:42:00.001-06:00

What a day. Even though Halloween was oficially on Sunday we celebrated on Saturday a long with most of our neighbors. Emery dressed up as a pirate and Arthur was a frog prince. We did some trick-or-treating at stores in town and then we went out in the neighborhood in the rain. Emery had a great time walking down the street singing Halloween songs and collecting candy even with the rain. He would tell people "Arr matey" and if asked he would sing pirate songs for a treat. Arthur was not sure about what was going on. He was glad to be outside, but sure did not like having his costuume on for very long. Alisa ended up soaked and cold while the boys were fine with their hats and stroller cover. First thing Chad said to Alisa when we got back to the house was "your dripping." After such a great month and so much fun we are glad November is about as busy or we would be bored.

Halloween Food Fun

2010-11-02T00:27:00.000-06:00

While looking at pictures this year of Halloween Alisa realized we did a lot of fun stuff dealing with food for Halloween. We had soup in Pumpkin shaped bread bowls, Emery helped make Halloween cupcakes that looked like spiders and pumpkins, we had friends over for a pumpkin dessert party and made rice crispy treat pumpkins and pumpkin pie and someone brought pumpkin cookies, Emery made a grahm cracker haunted house and we had jack-o-lantern piza a couple of times. It was a good month for yummy food and fun.

October Halloween Fun

2010-11-02T00:17:00.000-06:00

Arthur at the Pumpkin Walk cutouts

We had a great October full of all kinds of Halloween fun especially toward the end of the month. Emery was really excited at the first of the month so we made a count down calander for the month. We attened the Pumpkin Walk which was great. Alisa remembers going to the Pumkin Walk growing up and is glad she can take her famly while we are here. The theme this year was the art of animation. Emery really enjoyed it since he knew most of the displays. One night we had a couple neighbors over for a pumpkin dessert social and had a good time visiting. Another night we carved pumpkins and Arthur had his first expirience with pumpkin guts. He just kindof touched it and had this look of disgust on his face. Emery chose the faces staying traditional and still refuses to touch the stuff inside with his hands he usues the shovels. The Friday before Halloween we visted Grandpa's work and played at Grandma's school. Emery played Halloween Bingo, participated in the class party and walked with Grandma in the costume parade. Then helped decorate the car for the ward trunk-or-treat and had a good time walking around getting treats that night.

Arthur is 11 Months Old

2010-10-26T14:09:00.000-06:00

One more month and we will have a one year old little boy. He is sure getting big. He has 5 teeth now and likes to walk around with his walker toy. He tries to talk to us all the time and has discovered what fun he can have in the bathroom with a roll of toilet paper.

Hill Aerospace Museum

2010-10-18T11:37:00.000-06:00

Saturday ended up being a busy but fun day. We decided since we needed to be out of the valley for Nielsen family pictures we should do something fun, since Emery is not exactly liking taking pictures at this time, so we went and visited the Hill Aerospace Museum. It was different and way better then what Alisa remebers as a kid. Emery liked all the faces on the planes and watching a couple of men restoring a plane they will put out on display in the future. It was fun to go with Chad since he knew a lot about the history of the different aircraft and weapons telling us some interesting information. We even bought ourselves our own set of World War II spotter cards. Chad can name most of them without even looking at the names.

Cookie Thief

2010-10-04T10:45:00.000-06:00

Alisa and Emery had saved Chad the last cookie and Chad was excited. He was holding Arthur after getting home from work and went to eat his oookie. Once Chad put it in his mouth before he could even take a bite Arthur reached out and took it out of Chad's mouth and put it in his own and took a bite. Arthur has not had a cookie yet. He rather liked the cookie and took a couple of bites while Alisa took pictures. Ironically enough Arthur was wearing the same PJs Emery did when Chad gave Emery his first Oreo. Chad was real sad he did not get his cookie. I quess Alisa makes good cookies.

Arthur is 10 Months Old

2010-09-21T17:35:00.000-06:00

Sooner then we know it Arthur is going to be one, time flies. He crawls everywhere and fallows Emery around. He is already a big tease. He is getting teeth slowly, poor little guy. He is sure a lot of fun at this age and it gets better and better. Poor little guy has allergies so his nose is a little sore.

Grandparents Day 2010

2010-09-13T11:12:00.000-06:00

We found out there is such a holiday as Grandparent's Day so we made a card to send to Grammy and Grampy, who live not so near us with hopes next year to be with them, and invited Grandma and Grandpa over for lunch to celebrate the day. Grandma and Grandpa read books with the boys and had lunch. When they had to go Emery did not want to say goodbye because he did not want them to leave he was having too much fun.

Emery and Goliath

2010-08-30T11:28:00.000-06:00

This last weekend we went to a Scotish Celtic festival at the American West Heritage Center and had a good time. We witnessed a bagpipe competition, found the McArthur tartan on a map of Scotland and watched an Irish dancing troop, but the best part, for Emery, was the fight a giant area. We were walking around and saw a couple of kids with fake swords and shields going after a tall gentleman and Emery really wanted to try it out so we let him and he loved it. They put him in a helmet, gave him a pretend sword and shield and he ran right out into battle. Eventually he "knocked the giant down and defeated him" even with his helmet slipping to the side. He was very excited he had defeated the giant. There were other things at the festival, but the bad wind made things difficult. Hopefully next year things will go a lot better.

Visit with the Browns

2010-08-23T11:42:00.000-06:00

While poor Chad stayed home and worked Alisa and the boys went to visit Dave, Michelle, Brandon and Ellie for a couple of days. Michelle had surgery the week before so we got to hang out at their place to play and visit. We had a lot of fun. Arthur even got to have his first french fry.

Arthur is 9 Months Old

2010-08-23T11:31:00.000-06:00

Another month has past and we cannot believe how big our little guy is. He is now crawling all over the place and has started kneeing up to things pretty soon he will be standing up to things and walking. He had his first haircut this last month and is such a hansome little buddy. At his 9 month appointment he was 19lb 3oz and 28 1/2 inches and all is good.

Weekend with the McArthurs

2010-08-23T11:16:00.000-06:00

Soon after Kevin and Anna's wedding our family headed to West Jordan to have a mini McArthur reunion. Kason and his family were in town and so there was of course the need to have family pictures done and a get together. Friday morning was pictures and then everyone, but Grammy and Grampy went to Hogle Zoo and to lunch. It was a neat seeing the baby elephant and watching the bird show is always a highlight. Arthur seemed to enjoy his first trip to the zoo. We then all met back and Grammy and Grampys' house for a BBQ. It was a great day. The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and having fun with family.

Uncle Kevin and Aunt Anna's Wedding

2010-08-23T11:03:00.000-06:00

We are so excited Uncle Kevin and our new Aunt Anna got married. The day was exquisite. The ceremony was awsome, the weather for August was perfect, the luncheon was in a beutiful place and very yummy and with no reception, the evening relaxing. All dressed in their best our boys were the most handsome little guys there.

What parents of the groom do at wedding luncheons.

A Fun Weekend

2010-08-09T11:45:00.000-06:00

We had a very busy weekend. On Friday evening we went with Grandma and Grandpa to the Aquatic Center for very yummy hambergers and swimming. Emery had a blast in the water as always and even stuck his face in the water to blow bubbles and floated on his back. This was Arthur's first time in the pool and he had a lot of fun. He would splash and laugh then after enough water hit his face he would look at us like we did something wrong then smile.

Saturday we went to the local farmers market and walked around. We bought some really yummy salsa and pastries for breakfast. That afternoon we had the Dial family reunion where all of Chad's mother's cousins and thier families got together for a picnic lunch and visiting. It was nice to see all the family.

Emery and Chad's cousin's daughter Kyli

On Sunday they made 4 wards in our stake into 6 and we were put into a new ward which was fine. Chad's Dad was also called as the bishop in the new ward we were just put in so that is going to be fun. We are excited to have Grandma and Grandpa in the same ward as us. Chad is not sure how he should rebel since he is now a Bishop's son.

It was a great weekend and we are excited for another next week.

Arthur's First Haircut

2010-08-09T11:16:00.000-06:00

Arthur's hair finaly got long enough to get it cut. We kept on letting it get longer hoping it would lay down, but it just would not in the back. So, we had our friend come over and cut his hair. He did really well and held pretty still. There were very little tears. It was sad to see it cut, but he sure looks handsome and grown up now.

Pioneer Day

2010-07-26T18:36:00.000-06:00

We had a great Pioneer Day this year. It all started out with a great breakfast and playing at Willow Park with Grandma and Lisa. We then walked through the little zoo at the park and looked at all the booths set up for the 24th celebration. We also went and talked to the "Mountain Men" and Chad had a great talk with them about history. That evening we went to the Nielsens for games, a BBQ and to watch the fireworks it was a blast. Athur and Emery really enjoyed the fireworks. Emery was so excited we could not get him to sit down before hand for even a couple of seconds unless he was eating hame made icecream.

Arthur is 8 Months Old

2010-07-20T18:51:00.000-06:00

Eight months have come and gone so fast. Arthur is making the begining steps of crawling. He is up on his knees and rocking then going backwards. Before we know it he will be going forwards and then walking we can not wait. He also has another tooth and is saying mamamam and dadadada. Next he needs to learn emememem for Emery.

Bear Lake 2010: At the Lake

2010-07-19T12:04:00.000-06:00

We also had a great time at the lake. Emery was super daring and walked out into the cold water up to his chin. He also rode again on the wave runners. He went out with his grandpa and was way excited when they were going fast. He also enjoyed playing in the sand. This was Arthur's first year and he seemed to like te play on the beach but the water was a little to cold for his taste.

Bear Lake 2010: At the Condo

2010-07-19T11:52:00.000-06:00

Once again this year we had the oppurtunity to go with the Farnes Family to Bear Lake for a week and what a great time we had. We had fun playing games from card games to playstation 3 games, visiting, reading and of course eating lots of yummy food. We can't wait for next year.

Day with the Browns

2010-07-19T11:29:00.000-06:00

We all headed down to Farmington a couple of weeks ago to spend the day with the Browns and had a great time. The kids absolutly loved playing outside in the water with their friends and then playing with toys inside. We even got a surprise Star Wars Birthday cake after dinner. We have such great friends.

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-06T12:04:00.001-06:00

We had a great Independance Day weekend. We went to the stadium in Logan to see fireworks, which as usual were absolutly amazing. Arthur stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Lisa came with us. Emery enjoyed the entertainment and the begining of the fireworks, but eventually fell asleep towards the end. Then on Saturday we went to see our new niece Mia. She is very sweet and compared to our bigg little boy Arthur she is very little. We then headed to West Jordan for a family BBQ and to see the fireworks there. This time Arthur got to come to see the fireworks and he just stared at them. Sunday Alisa's Dad had flag neck ties for Chad, Bryson and himself for church and our boys were in blue. That night we watched fireworks on TV. Monday morning some of Grammy and Grampys neighbors had a beakfast and we then came home so Chad could go to work. It was a great weekend. We are so fortunate to live in a free country.

Great Grandpa Gentry's Birthday Party

2010-06-28T13:18:00.000-06:00

All the great grandkids in attendance

We celebrated Alisa's Grandfather's 86th birthday with a big picnic in the park this is the man Emery is named after. There were many of Alisa's cousins, their children and all the Aunts and Uncles all together. Grandpa seemed really happy to see everyone especially the little babies. Emery had a blast playing with Alisa's cousins children they played in the sand and water for a couple of hours.

Emery and Triple G. (We call Great Grandpa Gentry Triple G at home)

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-21T12:12:00.000-06:00

So Father's Day weekend was very productive. We bought a 2009 Chevrolet HHR and were able to go to Summerfest in Logan. Then on Sunday Emery made a special bow tie from a pack of M&Ms at church for Chad. We gave Chad some gifts for being such a great Dad and then we spent the evening with Chad's family and had a great time shooting off the tennis ball cannon and being with family. We sure love and appreciate Chad and all he does for us through all that is going on in our lives at this time.

Arthur is 7 Months Old

2010-06-17T12:15:00.000-06:00

Wow time sure does fly. Arthur is now 7 months old he is sitting up real well and is still rolling around everywhere. He now has 1 tooth in the bottom front and smiles a lot so we can see it and there are more teeth on the way. He sure is a happy guy and a joy to have around. He is starting to tease Emery a little already.

Disneyland 2010

2010-06-12T19:11:00.000-06:00

Our trip has come and gone and it was a great time. We are all very sad to have to come back to reality. Emery had such a good time he liked Dumbo, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain and Star Tours. He was able to participate in the parade and loved swimming in the hotel pool. Alisa had a great birthday in Disneyland. We were very sad to leave and glad to get home safe.

New ears.

Emery not wanting to leave the park. With Mickey Mouse.

Arthur is 6 months old

2010-05-17T15:16:00.000-06:00

Wow, it is amazing to us that our Arthur is already 6 months old. Arthur is sitting up on his own well, he is laughing and loves to squeal at everything and he likes to vocalize.

Arthur Blessing Pictures

2010-05-12T17:32:00.000-06:00

Jay also took Arthur's blessing pictures and here are only a few of the many wonderful pictures.

Family Pictures 2010

2010-05-12T17:24:00.001-06:00

Our brother-in-law Jay took awsome pictures of our family and here are a few of them.

The End of Soccer

2010-05-07T14:36:00.000-06:00

Emery had his last game of soccer for the year. He does not seem to understand the season is over for him, but he sure had a good time and made some new friends. He learned a lot and so did Alisa. He did great; he stayed out on the field, ran with the ball and tried to kick the ball he even made a couple of goals. When he got hurt he got up, needed a hug and went right back out on the field. We are sure proud of him.

Disneyland Countdown

2010-05-07T14:24:00.000-06:00

We are starting our countdown until we go to California. Emery and Alisa made a paperchain with a movie on each link, which is related to a ride, attraction or show at Disneyland or Claifornia Adventures, to watch each day until we go. Emery is real excited, Alisa is too excited for her own good and Chad is just happy to see Emery and Alisa excited. We think Toria is getting excited, too.

First Time Mowing

2010-05-07T14:18:00.000-06:00

Well spring has come to Logan which means some days are sunny, nice and warm and on others it feels and looks like February. It then can be both sunny and warm and then be cold and snowy all on the same day. It was one of those sunny but cold and later snowy days when we had to mow our lawn for the first time since Chad and Alisa have been married over 7 years ago. Notice Chad has his coat and hat on it was real cold. Our neighbors later that day were out mowing while it was snowing we thought that was rather funny.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

2010-04-26T11:56:00.001-06:00

It was nice weather and windy this last week so we went out and flew kites. Emery thought they were fun especially since this year he got to fly them all byhimself. He did a great job and held on never letting go.

Emery is in Soccer

2010-04-16T17:52:00.000-06:00

Emery started indoor soccer this week. His team name is Thunder. He is loving it and is learning a lot, like not to pick up the ball which was a big thing with all the kids. He asks if we are going to soccer many times each day and likes to go out and play soccer now that the weather is nice.

Arthur is 5 Months Old

2010-04-16T17:44:00.001-06:00

Wow, another month has come and gone and Arthur is now 5 months old. He is very vocal and lets us know he is around, but in a happy way. He is eating cereal and starting to eat babyfood like green beans and squash. He still thinks Emery is the world and fallows him with his eyes whenever they are in the same room together and has a great big smile when he sees him.

Baby Animal Days

2010-04-12T11:08:00.005-06:00

On Saturday our good friends the Browns came up to go to Baby Animal Days at the American West Heritage Center with Emery, Arthur and Alisa. Poor Chad had to work. We had a lot of fun petting baby farm animals and riding on the train. The boys were especially excited about the train. Alisa was very happy that Arthur slept the entire time. After we had lunch at the house and visited. It was a great day.