March-April Happenings...

JOEL WAS IN A FASHION SHOW!

As a lot of you know, Joel has been working with a trainer, and watching his diet since November 2009. He has been working out at Lifetime Fitness. Lifetime decided to host a Fashion Show, with all proceeds going to the Cancer Foundation. They wanted to highlight about 28 of their members that have been successful with weight loss, and Joel was one of them. Joel is still working out, he is by no means finished with his weight loss journey, but he is nearly half way! We are so proud of him and his choice to have a healthier life style. We love you!!

Before

After 60 pounds off!

Joel values the support he gets from friends, family and his trainer. He has really had to re-program his eating habits to lose the weight he has lost. He has also sweat buckets full with his trainer, Presley. He is so so strong to take on such a large feat and be so successful. Keep it up! You are doing awesome!

I am SO glad he has such great, supportive friends! They were so awesome to show up to support Joel for his weight loss!

WE HAVE A NEW NIECE...

Charlotte Leigh Nielson was born on April 9, 2010 and weighs 7.1 pounds and 18 inches long. She is so gorgeous! She looks like a Nielson with her dark hair, olive skin and eyebrows (unfortunately I didn't obtain any of those features). We are so happy for Jeremy and Lindsay for their new arrival! We are so happy that Kennedy's (Charlottes 3 yr. old sister) baby finally got out of Lindsay's tummy ha ha!

Happy Easter!

I love how Joel's parents have cute blow up decor for every holiday. It is so fun, and the kids just love it!

Huddy had to kiss it before saying good-bye.



THE CASE OF THE SECRET ADMIRER-ER FOR JORDAN...

Her name is Josephine, she likes to door bell ditch our house, bring us yummy cookies, with a few gross ones included on the plate, and then she wrote on our window..."Josephine loves Jordan more than a girl loves chocolate". P.S. I know who his admirer-ers are!

Our neighborhood has a fun group of kids, all about Jordan's age, right now they like to pull pranks on each other...the boys pulling pranks on the girls and vice-verse. It is so fun to watch the kids grow, the weird part is, is waiting up for Jordan at night.

EASTER EGG HUNTING...

We had our annual Easter egg hunt at Aunt Karen's house this year. Jordan won the "Golden Egg" which had $5.00 in it... lucky! Huddy loved to look for the eggs and Madi got 2 buckets of eggs somehow and all her prizes.

RANDOM PICS...

Our heads are above the water now!

So, lots has happened...life has been so crazy! It has been full of sorrow, with the loss of our wonderful great grandma. She was (is) such a beautiful, caring, and loving lady. She had a love for our Heavenly Father that is far more for anyone to understand. She loved to visit, loved to take pictures, make memories, and make everyone happy who came in her path. She has a beautiful rose garden. I have to say, the loss of our great grandma has had a definite impact on our family. We love her, and we are so glad that she is able to do her work on the other side now.

The very day of great grandma's funeral, we found out that my grandma Ruth was admitted to the hospital for Pancreatitis. As of the date of this post, she has barely started to eat real food. She was hospitalized for 2 weeks and in the recovery center for another 2-3 weeks. She is a sweetheart. She is always on the go, I feel so sad that this has put her down for so long, and it will take a while before she will be able to gain her quality of life back.

Oh! So, I haven't been really up to blogging. Sometimes things are hard to put into words. But on the upside, and in the meantime of all these things, Madison is doing SO well in school, and dance and entered the Reflections Contest for her school, and she made it to the state level. She wrote the cutest story about a butterfly named "Apricot".

Jordan has a 4.0 GPA for the school year, and just received a school award called "Eagle of the Quarter". He was 1 of 4 boys that was chosen for this award in the 7th grade! He just finished up basketball season, and has taken an interest in snow skiing. So, he went snow skiing last week...and is hoping to go more often.

Hudson! He is just a ball. He grunts, snorts, growls, barks and is just a boy in every way! He is starting to talk a little...he knows how to say Madi really well, because she gets him anything he wants, and he doesn't have to say a word! Mean ol' me...I make him try to say words! Then he just wrestles and snuggles with Jordan. He is so much fun, we feel so lucky to have him.

Joel, I AM SO PROUD OF MY MAN! He has lost a lot of weight and looks awesome! He is so determined, and I admire him so much. I love him.

I will get some pictures on here. I have started taking them again, and I hope I don't fall in the slump I've been in. I have to say...the Fibro, and Dystonia have taken a huge toll on my energy level this winter, and it's hard to write about things, when sad things have happened, and my health has been what it's been. I am just so thankful for such an awesome family.

SUNSHINE AHEAD.... :)

Madi's baptism

This is Madi and Reilly helping each other out to the car. They are so cute together and Reilly is so thoughtful toward Madi. We were so glad the Harris' family could be here for the baptism.


Right after Madi got baptized and came into the changing room, she burst into tears. I thought it was because she was letting go of the anxieties, but she said she couldn't stop the tears because she felt Heavenly Father and knows that he loves her. She told me she was so glad she chose to get baptized. She just sobbed of happiness after her baptism and all through her confirmation. Her confirmation was beautiful. I feel so blessed to have a husband so "in tune" with the spirit. Madi is such a strong spirit, we feel so lucky to have her as our child on earth.

The following Sunday, Madi got up in church, all on her own and expressed that she knew her Heavely Father loves her and her family loves her. It was such a beautiful, spiritual experience for me too. It was such a great testimony strenthener!


Joel and Madi coming out of the dressing rooms.


Right before the baptism.


This was on Madi's birthday. She chose to go to Texas Roadhouse....Yummy! So the waiters/waitresses sang to her as she was sitting on a saddle. She loved it of course (being the center of attention).

November-December

Happy Birthday Madi!!

We woke her up by singing to her and giving her cake for breakfast and a bunch of gifts.


Our Madi...always up to something!
Madi won Reflections for her age group in the Literature Category... We are so proud of her!


Yeah, I know we are huge Star Wars nerds, but we went to the coolest Concert ever! They had a whole orchestra playing John Williams Star Wars music to scenes from the different movies. They had real Star Wars costumes and guns that they used in the movies. I think we got pics with all the characters that dressed up, but this one scared me the most...the emperor acted like the real one...he acted so evil. Oh, and Darth Vader kept teasing Jordan by saying "you have a sister??". We had tons of fun!


Madi and I joined up with Kelly and Reilly to go see the witches at Gardner Village. It was a fun day with the girls.


Awwww....


First time ever that Hudson had a sucker, it made him so happy! I love that smile... it makes me giggle!

October

Halloween 2009

Madi made an adorable, fashionable witch. She was so funny, she would walk around casting spells on everyone! Then, when she didn't know what else to say...she would say "shall we move on?" She was hilarious!


So, Jordan is usually a football player, but as we were decorating pumpkins, and my pumpkin turned out looking like the Joker, it gave Jordan an idea...very last minute, to be the Joker. So off to DI and the costume store. So some parties he would show up as a football player, and some he would be the Joker.


Football Season! Wow! Joel coached again this year, but unfortunately Jordan spent a lot of the season on the sidelines due to Tendinitis in his leg. He was so disappointed and frustrated. He did play a few games, and he totally rocked! He played as quarterback, safety, and defensive end.

Family Update...

Hudson got his first haircut on September 2, 2009. He also started pointing on the same day. On September 4, he called Jordan "Dun, Dun" and Madi "Dee, Dee". Some other words he will say is, Mama, Dada, and Bubba. He loves to play with cars. He will sit and just spin the wheels around, then drive them around on the floor. He gets a little scared around the noisy cars though... it takes him a while to warm up to those. At Hudson's 1 year check, he weighed 22.5 lbs and 31 inches long. He is doing so great. He is taking about 2 steps, then he'll fall, he is so close to walking!

Madi started second grade this year. Her teacher is Mrs. White. Madi loves school and gets a star (A) on every paper! She is so helpful with Hudson and the whole family. Right now, she is working on Reflections. For Reflections, she decided to do literature. So she wrote a cute story about "Apricot", the butterfly. She is just a sweetheart! She loves to listen to Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus. She is in Jazz dance again this year. She is a gorgeous dancer.

Jordan started the big Jr. High at Oquirrh Hills Middle. He is recovering from tendonitis. He is playing football, however with the tendonitis, he hasn't been able to play much. He is also doing great in school, we just went to Parent Teacher, and he is getting straight A's as of mid-term. He tried out for Student Council this last week, and made it to the top ten! They now will narrow it down to four. Cross our fingers! I think he would be great in the Student Council!

Hudson's First Birthday!

Our baby is 1! I got a little emotional about it...but it's ok. He will have to wear shoes now, he started on whole milk, he's starting to have just a fun disposition about him. He laughs at himself. He is so fun, and such a great addition to our family. What did we do without him?
This cake is #3 of 3. He had parties all week! This pic makes me laugh because he likes Grandma's cake better...it has more candles!f


Hudson loves cars! Grandma B. gave him this toy...it's in the process of being put together.


This was the #3 of 3 cake up close. I made it so that it would be just his size. He got to share this birthday party with Grandma B. Her birthday is on September 23! Only 1 day after Hudsons.


Oh! I already know... I am such a mean mom. I had him have his 12 month check up and immunizations on his birthday. I'm sure I'll hear about it when Hudson gets older. I didn't realize he would have 4 shots (including the flu shot), but he did :( He really liked the Band-Aids though. Joel took the day off to help with the trauma and celebration.


Hudson learned how to show us how old he was. He will stick out his thumbs if you ask him "how old are you?" He is so funny!


This is #2 of 3 cakes. He got this cake on his birthday with his celebration with our little family and mom. He really was in to the wrapping and bows more, as a normal 1 year old would be. We all enjoyed the cake though!


He is showing the coolest thing of all! The ribbon of course!


We enjoyed our celebration on his birthday. The kids gave him this remote airplane. Right now, I think Madi and Jordan are enjoying the remote part more than Hudson.


O.K., so this sounds really quirky, but last year, when Hudson was in the Nursery learning how to eat and breathe at the same time, we all spent a lot of time in the Alta View Hospital Cafeteria. We would have meals there, treats, and wait until the next feedings. Well, through the year, we all missed the Cafeteria food. So, we all decided months ago that for Hudson's first Birthday, we would have dinner in the Alta View Hospital Cafeteria. It was great. The kids love the Ala Carte things, and the dinner menu wasn't too bad...Turkey or Sweet and Sour Chicken. Hudson enjoyed his baby food :)


We took him to the toy store on his birthday. He loved being on Joel's shoulders!


This is cake #1 of 3, but this is a pie. Hudson loves Grandma's peach pie, so that is what she made! He got spoiled with 3 parties!


The cute kids.


Grandma and Grandpa got him some cars to go with his pie.


Woo Hoo! He got a BYU shirt! Great Grandpa and Grandma B. gave him this shirt. Hudson had a great birthday. Everyone is so sweet to think of him on his birthday. He got some really fun toys, a puzzle, clothes, and his first pair of shoes (Robeez) . It was so fun to celebrate Hudson's 1 year birthday and we are so thankful that he is here, healthy, and happy.

Random Pics...

Well, the summer is ending, the pool is being covered, and school is starting, but football is starting! Yipee!
Madi was trying to take a pose, when Jordan kept putting his face in every picture!


Hudson's first time swimming, before the pool got covered. He was so happy in the pool! He cried and cried when he had to get out.


Madi, Mikayla and Kylee (Raiford) at a BYU party over at Raifords. Great game, we were all so glad they beat Oklahoma! A nail biter though. I was worried some of the guys there were going to have a heart attack!

Wedding Party With The Baumgarts

In Mid-August, we attended a beautiful wedding for Drew and Aubrey, our cousins. I love the way weddings bring family near and far away together. It was so nice to meet family from the Baumgart side that I had never met before. We were so excited to have Lance and Kelly and their family stay with us for a few days. It was so much fun to have them here.
There was dancing at the wedding... I got to dance with Joel! That was a first! He just doesn't like the dancing thing to well. I love this pic of Joel and Madi dancing. Madi was in heaven, dancing with her dad!


Milt and his brother, Elmer. They are so funny together! They act just alike. I love to talk to Uncle Elmer and Aunt Anne. They are so sweet.


And Jordan...forget about it! There was so many goodies in every nook and cranny he was all over the food! It was yummy I must say.


And the cute girls. Madi and Reilly had so much fun together. We even let Madi skip a day of school to spend with her cousin. They are truly soul mates, and I don't think I saw Madi or Reilly for almost the whole time they were here, because they were always playing. For the wedding, they wore matching shirts, necklace and levi skirts. It was so cute! They even danced the night away together :)

Hudson 10.5 months!

We just love this kid! He is always smiling, giggling and gets so excited when everyone is around. He still loves to growl, and make those boyish noises. He is standing and walking with support, he is starting to put finger food in his mouth and he can clap! He just recently started showing interest in books. He will grab a book, and crawl over to the rocking chair, for someone to sit and read him a book (Madi started this habit with him). He is quite an adventurous kid. I have had to do the Heimlich on him, and he has fallen down a full flight of stairs. Luckily, no breaks, just bruises. Hudson's favorite things to do is play with his kitchen, read, play with his Mickey and Madi's Baby. Most of all, he loves just being with everyone. We take him over to football while Joel is coaching and Jordan is playing and Hudson crawls all around the grass... he LOVES the grass.