Holidays... So Nice

Isn't this just the greatest time of year? Maybe it is too stressful for some people but I just get so happy around holiday time. Maybe because we don't get to be around our family very much and within a few months we usually get to see everyone. And, though I am very aware she won't be able to appreciate any of it, it is always so fun to think about my little ball of chubs who gets to experience it all for the first time.

Starting with Halloween of course. Not that we have big plans this year. The ward trunk or treat is the big occasion of the evening. By the way, I am totally excited to see everyone's kids all dekked out in their costumes so after Wednesday, start blogging. I'm going to keep Scarlet's first costume a surprise until I post the pictures. Though I will warn you, Jon picked the costume.

For Thanksgiving this year we are going to Jon's home town, Gridley California. I LOVE going to Gridley for Thanksgiving. There will always be a part of me that wants to be home... but admittedly that part gets smaller and smaller every year (sorry mom!) Not only is Gridley filled with people I love, but it has some dang good food. I'm not just talking the Thanksgiving meal, I'm mostly talking about my mother-in-laws garden. Imagine Gail Earl's garden/lawn with the added benefit of being in Northern California where everything grows. I absolutely love it. We leave every year loaded down with boxes of tangerine and mandarin oranges, kiwis (Gridley is the kiwi capital of the USA, fun fact for the day), pomegranates, walnuts, and anything else that happened to produce well that year.

And Christmas, is there anything more I have to say? You just can't help feeling good, everyone just seems a little bit nicer. Jon and I took our Christmas pictures yesterday. I think we got a few good ones. I personally prefer the pictures with just Scarlet but Jon is insisting on a whole family shot. Our first year of Christmas cards... how special! (small tear)

All else is well in the Nielsen house. I actually was just hired as a dance teacher for a new studio that is starting in my area. I'm really excited about that. It should be starting up in February. It's part musical theater, part dance. The company has already been going in the east side of the city and now they are moving to my side of the valley so hopefully they will be as successful over here as they have been over there.

And because I always love a good picture, here is Scarlet from last Sunday. She was just so pink and girly looking I just loved it! Nobody was going to call my baby a cute little boy that day!

Somebody told me that's where dreams will be...

I am listening to Sara Bareilles' CD right now and it is just perfect for my mood right now. Sweeping the kitchen floor, finishing dinner, baby is sleeping, and life is just smooth going. I always get her song, "Love Song" stuck in my head. I actually only borrowed her CD from the library. I'm wwaayy too cheap to actually buy CDs.

Speaking of music, we had some friends in town this weekend so we make a little stop at "Bite of Las Vegas." It's basically a big vendor/fair setup at a park but they also have a big stage set up and they get some good acts to come. We caught Vanessa Carlton's performance and it was soo good! Just her and the piano onstage for 45 minutes. I'm such a sucker for the piano and people who write their own music.

The weather in Vegas is just about perfect right now. Still warm during the day with nice cool evenings. It feels so great to just leave your windows open and let the breeze flow through the apartment. That is until our neighbor's apartment got broken into. Someone went through that delightful open window and, luckily for them, ran into the family dog. They didn't take anything in their mad dash out the door, but it doesn't make my dog-free, window open condo feel very protective. Bad people ruin all the good things in life.

Speaking of the good things in life, my kid is cracking me up more and more every day. She is getting so independent, she doesn't even feel like a baby anymore. I just love her.

Lotta Scarlet

My sweet sister Kendall emailed me the other day and asked me if Scarlet had any new tricks. Instead of describing them, I thought I would post this little video for her. Anyone not immediately related to her (i.e. aunts, grandparents) will probably not find this video super interesting. OH and please excuse my super annoying voice throughout.

B Y U!!!!

Oh Rise and Shout the Nielsens are out...

It's so great when the Cougars play in your backyard. Saves us a lot of unnecessary efforts to show our true Blue spirit. Jon met up with an old mission friend at the BYU vs. UNLV game last night. We took Scarlet along, after we found out that EVERY available babysitter in our ward was already reserved.

I'm actually so glad we took her along. She loved it! The minute we walked in the door she was just in awe over the lights and players. We were there for over 4 hours. She didn't sleep a wink but was the happiest most excited little kid you have ever seen. It was too funny.

The really pathetic part was we had absolutely no insignia to show our support of the cougars. I'm not sure how Jon and I both made it out of BYU without any apparel but we managed. Scarlet who at one point owned a little BYU onesie has long since grown out of it. We were pretty pathetic fans. But I guess they didn't need us cause they won!

My mom is in New York this weekend for a costume show. I'm pretty jealous. I loved my time in New York. I'm not sure I could do it again, I don't imagine NY with a baby would be as fun, but I just have the greatest memories from that semester. My long subway ride to work, all the crazy stuff they made me do at Letterman. I was an intern in the worst sense of the word most days. I would fetch dry cleaning, made at least 2 coffee runs a day, always had to run to the grocery store for his personal chef, I even had to return some clothes for Letterman one day.

But the fact that I could just take a stroll in central park, or wait in line for student tickets and see any broadway play for under $30, or just be standing in Times Square. So so fabulous.

Home again, home again

Scarlet and I trekked back to Colorado with Jon this week. And thanks to his extended effort and skill, Coloradians are now able to buy discounted clothing from employees with much greater ease. I'm a Ross regular. I have a hard time paying more than $10 for a shirt thanks to them. My second most frequented shopping place is Nordstrom Rack. It is perfect for an oddly shaped girl like myself. Occassionally they will have a random super long pair of jeans that make my life just a little bit happier. I actually found a really cute dress there just a few days ago, originally $150 and I got it for $10. It's kinda fancy too. Now I just need an occasion to wear it!

Speaking of good deals, Courtney just went to Homecoming recently and wore a dress my mom found for under $40. Added a few sparkles here and a little material there, and she looked goregous!





Colorado was great. We didn't do much more than hang out in the hotel room, but it was a great hotel. The nicest people worked there. Scarlet slept in the closet while we were there and she has never slept so well in her life! She didn't take a nap that was under 2 hours. I was pretty sad to leave that closet...

I got a little antsy one of the days we were there and needed to get out of the hotel. I didn't have a car so I could only go to places within walking range. And, as luck would have it there was a nail place across the street. I RARELY have my nails done. In fact, I have never had nails put on and I think I have gotten like 1 manicure in my life. But I love love love pedicures. I think they are so relaxing. I have terrible feet from the fact that I wear flip flops every day of my life. It is so nice to get them all cleaned up and looking so cute. I very much enjoy looking down at my feet and seeing cute toes.

Nail places are also one of the only places where I am a really good tipper. I am an overall good tipper, but I go all out at nail places. Mostly because I can't believe someone has been willing to spend so much time with my feet.

Oh and...

My mom also complained that my mohawk pictures weren't 'mohawky' enough, so I've included some pictures that show a more vivid mohawk. I'm just here to please, any other blog improvement suggestions from anyone else while I'm at it?!

Love you mom :)

Nevermind

My mom told me she didn't like my new blog layout... and ever since she said something it started bothering me too. So back to the old ways we go. Oh well.

Uh, how cute is my blog?

I found this new blog template layout page and I'm so stoked about it. I always used to look at Jared and Lindsay's and be so jealous of how original and cool their blog was. Of course I didn't make it myself so I'm not in Bates Blog territory yet... but still I am a much bigger fan. Is it sad that my day just got a whole lot better because of a blog addition?

I had a diet breakdown this evening. I have been on a pretty serious 'dont eat anything good' diet for the past month and I don't have a scale so I don't really even know if it worked. Many of you might not understand this but when you're 6'1" it takes a major of weight gain and loss to actually look any different. You know some people you can tell when they lost like 5 pounds? It takes like 10-12 before I look different at all. I'm not even sure why I bother.

But anyways, as I was saying, major breakdown. Everything in the fridge looked so gross, I didn't have anyone but Scarlet to make dinner before and she loved her mixed vegetable puree. And she was already ready for bed so I didn't want to run out and get anything... so I ordered Chinese takeout. a LOT of Chinese takeout. And let me tell you it was gggooo-oooddd. Mmm.

My food getting cold... gotta run.