Happy Birthday Kennedy!

Happy Birthday sweet Kennedy! This reminded us of you:

http://www.dashpoemmovie.com/

We hope you get to play with animals and eat some cake in heaven. We sure miss you here. We love you!

Love,

Tyler, Robby & Annie

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Dear Kennedy,

I will never forget the day you were born. I didn't know I would be able to be there until just a few hours before you came. You decided to surprise everyone by coming early, especially your mom. But then, you were always full of surprises. She had angels surrounding her that day...or maybe they were surrounding you. Either way, there were angels in the room. You were born facing heavenward, and maybe we should have seen then how soon you would need to go back home, but none of us realized how little time we would get to see your smile. I'm amazed at the life lessons you taught me. I think Heavenly Father couldn't let you talk too much because of all the things you could see, and we weren't ready to, but we still had so many glimpses of heaven through your signs and through your eyes. I love you Kennedy. Everyone who ever met you does. Thanks for watching over your mom and dad and brother and baby. They sure do miss you.

Love, Becca

The Dismal Science's Take on Financial Crisis

So, since Becca still hasn't posted in a while, you'll get another quick blurb from me. Those of you who know me well know that I sometimes lack... how shall we say... sensitivity. I like to think I have a special skill of being highly objective :-)

Anyway, after doing Accounting at BYU I decided I definitely didn't want to be an accountant, so I doubled up with a major in Economics to make sure I could get a job I wanted without being viewed as a bean counter (no offense to my really good friends who stayed in that world - haha). Going through the Econ program didn't exactly increase my "sensitivity", but gave me some great "objective" models to talk through the positions I take. Econ is often referred to as the dismal science because it's views aren't always the rosiest.

That said, I came across a great commentary by Jeffrey Miron on the current credit crisis. I probably think it's great since it's an economist's point of view and advocates some of the harsh realities of the free markets to play out -- meaning that bankruptcy and not bailout is the fate that should be met by most of Wall Street's finest. Miron explains pretty clearly how we got into this mess and gives his take on how to get out.

Give it a quick read and just hope that Becca has more free time so you don't have to hear another post from me for a while!

Time to Up the Ante

First off -- Hi Everyone!!!

I rarely write on this blog, especially since Becca has been doing such a great job. That said, I had to respond to a a rumor going around that I may have started a blog about how fat I am and my desperate need to drop 30 pounds.

Well, yes I did. So it's time to up the ante and increase the audience and thereby increase the humiliation and motivation that the blog is intended to provide. Feel free to link to it, blog about, etc. The more people that visit, the more pressure I feel. I welcome comments, suggestions, whatever... and yes, making fun is fair game.

So, here it is:drop30pounds.com

To read from the beginning, you can see the little blurb on the top right sidebar that says "new reader" or just read the first post here... then you can click on the link above each post with the title of the next post and the arrow.

Enjoy!

A Failed Attempt...and other things that make me laugh

Robby. Andrew calls him Chief. He's called him that since he was a baby. I don't really know how that started. Maybe because he's a take-charge kind of kid. Maybe because we have so many Roberts in our family that we needed a nickname that was completely separate from his given name. I know that Bear came from Ty-Bear and that Belle came from Annie-Belle. But Chief came from Robby's personality alone.

Yesterday was a failed attempt. Robby has completely refused naps for a very long time now. He gave them up sooner than Tyler did, probably because he wasn't going to miss out on anything that was going on. More likely because he is named after my father, for whom sleep is a dirty word. But rarely, even Robby will succumb.

Here's how I can tell he really needs a nap: It usually begins as an all out temper tantrum. After he gets out his excess energy and emotions, sometimes I can calm him down with a massage. (This kid is completely Pincock in this aspect. He LOVES a good massage. He'll also give a pretty good one for a fee, but I digress.) And then, if I'm really lucky, the massage will lead to sleep.

So back to the attempt. I finally got Chief lying down in bed and taking a few deep breaths while I rubbed his back and feet. His eyes started to droop. "This is it." I thought. "I knew he was tired!" I continued to rub, thinking it would only be another minute. But no, his eyes kept popping back open. I tried massaging his head, and my long time trick of running my finger gently down his nose. Nothing. If anything, he seemed to be getting more awake as time went by. I became discouraged. "I'm going to loose this battle!" I began to worry after several minutes.

I decided to make one last attempt, and lie down right next to him with my arm around him, trying to soothe him into sleep with my sleepy demeanor. Well, I sure became sleepy. And all of a sudden I realized that Robby wasn't so sleepy at all. He very carefully lifted my arm off of him and gently laid it on the bed. He then began to softly rub MY back. In a dreamy haze my mind slowly began to process what was happening. The massage on my back became softer and softer until I sleepily glanced up to see my little Chief tiptoeing out of the room.

I just can't believe how much I underestimated him. All this time, I really thought that if I didn't mention the horrible word (NAP!), but if I could just get him to relax...in bed...with the blinds closed...that I could get him to sleep without him ever knowing what I was doing. Come to find out, he not only knew exactly what I was doing, he knew that he could USE IT ON ME!!! I failed. But it sure was a relaxing failure.

My funny lesson today concerned Chief's bike riding skills. Today was gorgeous. None of us could stay inside. And so school became a long lesson in P.E. The boys love their bikes. I've known this. What I didn't know about was all the things they do on their bikes. I guess they are into tricks. Not only are they into tricks, but they like to create their own tricks, and Robby likes to name all their tricks. I mean, it makes perfect sense. I was just a little surprised by some of the names he has chosen.

One hand off a Buffalo (I've also been told that COW can be interchangeable with BUFFALO...both are acceptable terms and will be understood.)

This trick is done by taking one hand off of the handlebars while riding.

Two hands off a Buffalo

You accomplish this trick by taking two hands of the handlebars while riding.

Horns of the Buffalo

To do this trick, you need to make your hands into pointed horn shapes while riding.

A Tiger stole a Buffalo

I haven't yet had the opportunity to observe this trick, and so I can not explain it to you. I'm a little interested (and afraid) to know what it entails.

Zoom Tiger Zoom

You must ride really, really fast to complete the Zoom Tiger Zoom trick.

Tiny mouse jumps off a diving board

This is a complicated one. You must lift your front wheel while riding, and I've been told that I might not even be able to see the front wheel lift. I must observe very carefully, or I will miss it.

Mary on the donkey

My personal favorite. I hope it is not blasphemous. I just could not imagine under what context my little Cowboy was out riding his bike and thought to himself, when I ride with both my legs off to one side, I look like Mary did when she was riding the donkey to Bethlehem. Because he really does look like that, but I still find myself wondering exactly what his brilliant little mind is capable of. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He is a Chief, after all.

Mothers With Style (Part 1)

I was talking to a dear friend of mine the other day, and we were catching up on each other's lives. We don't talk nearly enough, and it was nice to hear what she has been up to. I met Marci several years ago during our BYU days...one of the 'your husband makes a friend in a class at school and wants you to meet his wife so we can all be friends' fabulous success stories. I loved her immediately. Who wouldn't? Marci is one of the most generous people I have ever met, she is incredibly intelligent and interesting to talk to-she knows something about everything, she is funny and kind, and she makes you feel good about yourself, even when you have done absolutely nothing to deserve it. We created many wonderful memories back in the days when we each had two small kids, and then graduate school took them away to a glamorous life in New York City. This woman is amazing. She juggles an insane amount of activities every single day. (And I am saying this as someone who grew up in a family that is acrobatic in their juggling abilities.) Along with discussing her adventures living in NYC with four young kids (who are all adorable and brilliant), we also talked about her cake decorating business. I know that most of you, like me, can probably only drool over these cakes, since you don't live near the Big Apple, but I wanted to show off her talents anyway. And as I was asking her for permission to share her fabulous-ness on my blog with all the people I know (and, if I'm being honest, probably some people I don't), I realized that I somehow ended up with several friends who are not only amazing mothers, but also have some stylish skills they are working hard to share. So stay tuned, because this won't be the only time I envy the skills of some women I love.

Family Fun

We wanted to do something special with the kids the day before Andrew & I went out of town.
We had a yummy breakfast (whole wheat pancakes with maple syrup) and then went miniature golfing, which everyone enjoyed. Andrew enjoyed beating everyone, Tyler enjoyed keeping score, I enjoyed being outside all together on a lovely day, Robby enjoyed taking everyone's balls at the end for multiple attempts to get a hole in one and win a free game ("Umm, Mom? Can I just see your ball for a minute?" he asks with a sly grin.), and Annie enjoyed picking out her pink club and pink ball, as well as taking a little swim when the golfing got boring.

The BYU game interfered a bit with our plans to all be together as a family the whole day, but Andrew & Tyler had a great time together at the game, while Annie & Robby & I had fun looking around Borders and then picking out a few movies at Hollywood video for a fun movie night. It was a great day.







Don't you love Annie's little 'bend one knee' pose?
Such handsome guys! My two ATPs at the game.
Robby's latest hobby: sneaking Andrew's Ipod to listen to around the house. His request: "If I can have just one thing in the whole entire universe for Christmas, can I have an Ipod? Please?!"

And the winner is...

Alright sweet Lindsay Jane, let's talk!!!

And a note for all my other friends...I miss you all, but I am really enjoying a little time away with my darling husband right now, so I don't plan to be posting much for a few days. I'll see you when I come back to the real world!

Hugs, rmp

Nie Nie Auction-Private Childbirth Classes

So it's taken me a little while to actually come up with something I can do to help the Nielsons. But I finally thought of something! In order to help raise money for Stephanie & Christian, I would like to offer my services as a childbirth educator for 6 hours of private childbirth classes in Utah County. These hours would need to be used in 2008 (if this is a problem, contact me and I'll see what we can arrange). The details (location, subject matter) can be arranged with the winning bidder. The value of these classes is $150. I will start the bidding at $50. For more information on my certification and experience, please see www.gentlebirthchoices.com (or contact me!).

One of my favorite Nie Nie posts was after she had Mr. Nicholas, her fourth child.

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Sunday, October 15, 2006

I'm a queen, look at what I just did!


Since my birth experience to Mr. Nicholas Jones Nielson was a rather spiritual and personal experience, I thought I'd share only a few highlights in minor detail.
Having Christian at my side was so soothing. He was there when this beautiful child was created, so of course he was going to be there every second seeing this baby here into this world. That included: holding me when contractions started, timing, rubbing, kissing, wiping tears and-OH those eyes! Those beautiful brown eyes of his! They were my guiding light as I pushed out this nearly 9 pounder. He was not just on the side lines watching from a distance, rather close at my every whim touching, encouraging and affirming.
A birth is a spiritual occurrence if we let it. It is how we treat the experience that makes it so beautiful. I lay in my room with the most comforting, calming, gorgeous music playing. It was quite. It was peaceful, and very safe. Occasionally I would wander outside to smell the air and feel the wind on my body. It was invigorating.
Christian fed me fresh cantaloupe and berries and kept me hydrated with pure distilled water (and recharge a healthy version of gatorade- my favorite) People think that I am crazy for having a baby without any medications or that I even consider the idea of having it in my home (on the bed in which the child was made-CRAZY). I hear lots of:
"ohhh you are brave" but deep in my heart, I know it is our divine make-up that gives us all that opportunity. It is not just for the brave, but for every woman searching for confidence she didn't even know she possessed.
Sure it hurts, of course it hurts. Of course I wanted to quit and give-up, but that's when the angels enter in and somehow the pain and suffering is all worth it. In fact as I sit here and type this, I don't remember the pain--funny, since I seriously thought I was going to die during it all.
When Nicholas came out my midwife placed him on my chest and Christian and I were quite emotional. It had been a long, intense 14 hour journey. He lay peacefully there and blinked his charming eyes at us and then fell asleep.
We examined his chubby fingers, large head, broad shoulders, and mini toes. I lay there with an outsized grin soaking up all those "I'm a queen, look at what I just did" feelings. Then I got into a hot shower.
Almost 5 years ago, Christian's sister who was 26 died of cancer. She died here at the house, the same house I brought life into. It was a very beautiful moment for us.
It was in one word, perfect in everyway. I am perfectly blessed to have such a wonderful body in which I can create, carry, and deliver in perfect health these darling little children into this world.
Posted by NieNie
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I absolutely love her thoughts, and aim to help more women feel this way about childbirth. You ARE a queen!!! For this reason, I thought this auction idea would be appropriate.


Here are the details:

Please bid in the comments section of this post. Bidding will end on Monday, September 1st at 11:59 pm (MST). Please keep bids to whole dollar amounts. On Tuesday morning I will post the winner of the auction, who will then be responsible for paying the high bid amount directly to the Nielson Pay Pal Fund. Then email me a copy of the paypal receipt, and your contact information, and we will arrange the details of the private classes together. Thank you for helping the Nielson family!

Nie Nie Day

So I hope you guys aren't getting completely sick of me talking about Nie Nie yet...if you are, you might have to find a new blog to read, because this won't be the last time!

I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew about the awesome idea Design Mom had to make tomorrow (thursday) Nie Nie day where several silent auctions are being held all over the blogosphere (did I really just use that word?!) in order to raise money for Christian & Stephanie's recovery. (For more information about this day, or several auctions that are going on, see the blog that one of Stephanie's best friends started.)

So...I have yet to come up with a great auction idea, but somehow I have landed all these incredibly talented friends. Please check out their auctions and if you feel so inclined, donate some money to a very good cause in exchange for something AWESOME!!!


Lovely Christina is making a wonderful surprise, and let me tell you from much personal experience that WHATEVER it is, YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Christina's hilarious sister Sarah, who has great taste, has another surprise in store.

My dear friend Sarah Jane, who is an amazing artist, is offering this fabulous set of prints that, I personally, am just dying for!

My cousin Rosie makes this darling jewelry. I've seen it up close and personal, and it is fabulous!

My old roommate and dear friend Jen is also a wonderful artist. Check out her darling children's prints.


Did I miss anyone? Please let me know! You ladies are awesome for doing this. Thank you!

OUR WEEKEND

This weekend we spent our time (in no particular order)...

#1 Reconnecting with old friends. It was so much fun to see Karin & Katherine (I can't believe I didn't take any pictures!) at Borders storytime, which, by the way, I highly recommend. There are TREATS!!!!! Oops...maybe I shouldn't have said anything. There weren't too many people there when we went, so all the moms got to share. I wouldn't want to have to give up my strawberry smoothie...but I would love to see you all, so maybe we can take turns? :)
I was also thrilled to discover one of my best friends from back in the day (through the wonderful world of blogging). Erin, SO happy to be in touch with you again!!!

#2 Falling in love with Nie Nie (that was just me, I guess). I spent almost every free second I had this weekend reading her blog. That weren't too many free seconds, but it was enough for me to totally fall in love with her and her family. Why didn't all you smart ladies who've been reading her for ages tell me about this darling woman sooner? It makes me even more heartbroken than I already was for what she and family, all of her family, are going through right now. And her recipe blog, it's sooo yummy! Christina, is that how you found her?

#3 Contemplating life, death, love, and other heavy stuff (again, just me--see #2). I don't know why certain events just hit you to the core. I mean, I am not unaware that there is tragedy occurring every day for SO MANY people. I realize that. There have even been several other plane crashes in the last week. I guess it is just that I have created a bit of a wall to protect my tender heart from all the hurt in the world, and when something catches me by surprise and breaks through, it overcomes me with grief. We don't have a tv, and so I stopped watching the news long ago. I know there are plenty of ways I could read about things online...but usually I don't. Sometimes Andrew mentions a MAJOR world event to me, and when I look at him in confusion, he sighs and says, "Becca, you really should at least glance at Drudge report or SOMETHING, you don't know anything that's going on!" Okay, so I didn't really realize the Olympics were coming up, I mean I found out soon enough to catch a few gymnastics & swimming events at Rob & Esther's. So I had no idea that there was a severe hurricane in Florida. I'm sorry. Andrew did send me a link to the news report on that one, which I did read. So I figure if it's important enough, I'll hear about it. (That's why I have you babe! To keep me mostly current!)

Well, I did hear about the plane crash, and ever since then I have been in tears an awful lot of the time (my poor kids keep looking up at me in confusion), and thinking over the blessings in my life, the heartbreak that so many people face in so many different ways, our Savior's love, fears about the future, and a lot of other things. I don't really think I can handle reading the news everyday. (Do you honey?)

#4 Having a sleepover with cousins, with not a lot of sleep (for me anyway...the kids took turns waking up and crying, so they all got plenty of sleep in order to be ready to go early Saturday morning).

#5 Attending a ward breakfast, which turned out to be a stake breakfast (so THAT'S why there are SO many people here, and we don't recognize ANYONE! I mean, I know we are new in the ward, but really...) It was quite the affair, with a moonbounce for the kids, volleyball nets set up, all kinds of food-we're not just talking pancakes and eggs here, there were breakfast burritos, bagels, every fruit imaginable (including pineapple, watermelon, kiwi, berries...), cold cereal, sausage, ham...okay, I'm getting sick now thinking about it all! Saved me making another meal for 5 kids though, so that was nice!

Tyler, Anna, Gwen, Robby

#6 Having interesting lunchtime conversations (well, the kids mostly conversed and I just listened in)

Tyler: If I had a goldfish, I'd name it Goldilocks

cousin Gwen: Oh, that's a beautiful name!

Robby: Why wouldn't you name it Gold or Goldie?

Tyler: That's too plain. I don't like names that just describe something.

this conversation quickly morphed into a discussion about meat...don't ask me how.

Tyler: Have you ever heard of meat-flavored gum?

cousin Anna: Eww...gross!

cousin Gwen: Meat...you mean like beef? I love beef.

Tyler: Yeah, and especially Beef Jerky. Mmmm...juicy beef jerky.

Gwen (not really sure how this fit into the meat conversation): Baby James (her newborn brother) threw up all over Dad! All over his whole shirt! It was disgusting!

Tyler, Robby, cousin Anna: laughing hysterically

Meanwhile, Annie is singing a song to herself throughout the entire lunch. I guess she doesn't much care about goldfish named Goldilocks or meat flavored gum.

#7 Planning & pulling off a Yard Sale...a kids yard sale that is...selling a few books and toys and seashells that the boys & their cousins decided to get rid of (for big bucks that is! "Umm...guys, that book wasn't worth $10 new...I don't think you'll get that much for it!). Some things were a little more in the reasonable 25 cent - $1 range, and since this is about the 4th time the kids have done this, and our neighborhood is full of other kids who seem quite excited by the prospect of a new toy (even if the 'new' toy does have Robby's name scribbled out with a permanent marker), the kids have actually each made a chunk of change--a chunk of change which I hear & see daily, since Robby refuses to keep his quarters anywhere except clanging around in his pocket, scattering across the road every time he falls off his bike.

Tyler pricing items.

See all those treasures?!

Check out all that cash!!!

#8 Having a few fights...Andrew and I arguing over who gets the last of the tomato basil tortellini and the apple bread we both love (he sweetly gave most of it to me!), the kids fighting over who hit who first, what game they're going to play now, and who likes who more ( I think the winners of those fights pretty much averaged out).

#9 Painting again...thankfully this was not done by me; I guess Andrew just didn't get enough of helping me finish up all of our painting projects, because he spent most of the day Saturday helping our brother-in-law paint their new house which they'll be moving into next week (which is also part of the reason we were honored with the presence of my nieces this weekend...I remember a little too well what it's like to attempt to pack with kids running around you!).

#10 Cleaning the house...again...and again...and again. Don't worry, it's a disaster again right now. :)

#11 Swimming with Aunt Esther. How did we ever think we would survive living more than 10 minutes away from you guys? Thanks for letting us completely monopolize your pool this summer. Is it really almost time for it to close? :(

I love how they always hold hands. So sweet!

#12 With DRESS UPS...LOTS & LOTS OF DRESSUPS!

#13 Enjoying A New Dog in Town...cousin Gwen gladly took over Annie's role as the family dog. I actually had quite a hard time getting her to relinquish that role and get ready for bed. I mean, I guess I can kind of understand...who wouldn't love to eat their dinner off the floor?

#14 Being grateful to Esther for saving me multiple times with a listening ear and Jamba Juice and snacks and kids songs in the car over and over and over again ("I have a name, I have a name, I have a name and my name is QUATRO!!!")

#15 Attending Stephanie & Christians' Balloon Release and fundraiser in Provo (see #2 and C Jane). It was very touching, and I'm grateful we could be there. (even if we did have to turn into insane crazy women for a couple of hours in order to make it on time--thanks for your help Es & Linds!)

There were so many people there. It was really amazing!

Poor Annie was just exhausted! So was I!

Darling Esther & Robby

#16 Eating Dinner at Pei Wei. I'd like to share my newfound knowledge, courtesy of Esther, for all of you out there. If you like PF Chang's, and you like saving money, then GO TO PEI WEI! The same delicious food for much less dinero because you stand at the counter to order it and wait at a booth for it to be brought to you. Highly recommended!!!

#17 Visiting the Thanksgiving Point Children's Gardens for our slow return to normal life after moving which includes FIELD TRIP FRIDAYS!!! It was a beautiful day, a gorgeous place and we had a lot of fun. Although I forgot the tip I was given to bring the kids swim suits to play in the sprinkler area, and so they played in their clothes. Which ultimately led to a complete strip down for the drive home (their idea, not mine).

#18 Making a GREAT (because it was FREE and EXACTLY what I needed) yard sale find when I wasn't even going to a yard sale. I saw it on the side of the road while driving with all the kids, flipped a U-turn, pulled up to the house, realized that these were the leftovers from the yard sale that had already ended, and that everything was FREE, heaved and shoved the enormous handmade room divider into my car myself ("EVERYBODY DUCK YOUR HEADS!!!"), which filled up the entire car (lucky thing these 5 kids don't take up too much ceiling space!), turned around and raced back home, unloaded it, ("YOU GUYS STILL DUCKING IN THERE?!"), and went back on our merry way!

#19 Watching the beautiful Closing Ceremony of the Olympics with Rob & Es...still sad I missed the opening ceremony, the but the closing was amazing to see.

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND???