Seven

Miss Bompie AKA Olivia Isabelle Nielson turns 7 today. This little bundle of joy came into our lives at 12:50 PM weighing 7 lbs 4 oz. After years of fertility drugs, both before and during each child...BELIEVE me when we say she was a "surprise." Most people don't (believe us), but we know the truth and she is a little living breathing miracle and proof of God's hand in our lives one more time.

Ok--enough of the sap.

Her nicknames are many: Bompie (from birth... it was a name in a book I was reading at the time, and it stuck, 7 yrs. and going strong!)

Also: Fluffy, Puddy, Sniffy, Bubbles, and

Little 'O' to name a few. It's a wonder she even knows who she is quite frankly since she is rarely called by her God Given Name of Olivia.

She loves salad and all things healthy...very strange I know.

Her favorite Ice Cream is Bubble Gum.

Her Favorite Colors are Turquoise and Lime Green.

She is 100% girl and loves dolls and more dolls. She also LOVES to swim, play outside, ride her bike and jump on the tramp. She is a great reader and an expert 'color-er'.

And she is the last of my kids who still snuggle with me every day.

Happy Birthday MISS O!! We love you!

best.apology.ever

I have a 13 year old daughter.


That is a loaded statement.


IF you have had a 13 year old daughter, you will understand
what I am talking about.


IF you WILL HAVE a 13 year old daughter at some point during your life and have yet to actually "live" this experience...God Bless You.


IF the Good Lord saw fit to bless you with all sons...then you will just have to live vicariously through me.


This particular 13 year old was mad at me all weekend. I was getting the "silent treatment" and while I guess I should have enjoyed a few days relief from her constant chatter, I actually missed her voice buzzing in my ear.


The "reason" WHY she was mad is of no consequence really, let's just say she is opposed to one of our family rules that supposedly "every other family in the ENTIRE WORLD" does not have. Nuff said?


Bright and early Monday morning after she had gone to school (mind you, this is after 48 hours plus of no communication from her to me) I got the first text:



Grace to my phone: "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."


Me: to myself....did she send that to the wrong person?


An hour later, Grace to my phone again: "Buddy the Elf-what's your favorite color?"


Me: Purple


The next hour: "I love your dress, it's so PURPLE-Y."


Me: 3 texts, this can't be a mistake 3 times right? Maybe she loves me again?


The next hour: "We elves try to stick to the 4 main food groups...Candy, Candy Corns, Candy Canes and Syrup."


Me: Yup, she loves me again.


The NEXT hour: "I'm sorry I ruined your life and crammed 11 cookies into the VCR" ...She then went on to apologize for the past few days and said "I am sorry for being a 'cotton headed ninny-muggins'."


Me: apology accepted!


Grace, one last text at the end of the day: "I think you're really beautiful and I feel really warm when I'm around you and my tongue swells up."


Me: ha ha


Her, one last LAST text: "Have you seen these toilets? They're GINORMOUS!"


Me: forgiven and forgotten!


I told her that was the cutest, most creative and clever apology I have ever received in my lifetime.



It made having a 13 year old daughter who didn't speak to me for 2 days worth it....


Now I only have to survive this for how many more teen years?


Couple that with the fact I have 2 more daughters behind her to go....


Pray for me people, pray for me!

what's in a name?

What's in a name you ask?


Well, apparently not much...in MINE anyway. I was at my daughter's soccer game this weekend, watching her chase down that elusive soccer ball. A mom sitting next to me leaned over and asked if I knew "so and so". I smiled politely and said, I didn't think so. She then proceeded to introduce us. "This is so and so and this is Dorien..."



The blank stares said it all...we had NO CLUE who the other was.



Until...I shook my head knowingly and said, "I am OLIVIA'S mom!" The light bulb went on. She got a broad smile on her face and spewed for 5 minutes about how cute Miss O is, and how Olivia was so sweet every time she helped out in class, etc. etc. I still blush to think how great it was to be "Olivia's mom" on Saturday.



Who knew it was so great to be someones mom? Certainly being "just Dorien" does not normally elicit such a grand response from people now does it?



I had found my identity as "Olivia's mom".



Some days I am easily recognized as "Josh's mom", other days I answer to the name of "Grace's mom" and on other days still, I smile when I am called "Eliza's mom".


Who knew that for the length of my children's childhoods I would no longer be just Dorien?


Secretly, and not so secretly, I am OK with that. Seriously, there is NO GREATER JOY than answering to the name of "Olivia's mom", "Eliza's mom", "Grace's mom" or "Josh's mom".


I am thrilled with my new name.


Some day I will go back to being "just plain Dorien", but until then, I can live with being "someones mother".

earth day, so what if we're 2 days late?

and i know, my girls like to "garden" in skirts...what can i say? they are all girl.

countdown

That super cute, non beastie girl, my BABY! will be turning 7 exactly one week from today.

We have been counting down for, oh, about 11 months now. Be still my heart, I seriously wish that I could freeze her forever at this sweet young age. Why do they have to grow up? Is she not the cutest living breathing thing you have EVER seen? She is to me...and that's all that matters-right?

One more week Miss Oliva AKA Bompie AKA Flufffy AKA Puddy AKA Sniffy AKA Bubbles...

don't ask--we don't even have a good answer as to why she has all those names, she just does.

hair today, gone tomorrow

For some reason, when Josh hit about age 14, his naturally "straight as a board" hair turned curly. Whenever he has "long" hair he has waves and curls, it is the craziest thing. He can also sport a "Heat Miser*" hairdo. Meaning he can run his fingers through his VERY thick and VERY course and VERY wavy hair and make it stand straight up. (see first picture of Josh above).

That's when I step in. I, his very humble, very kind, very underpaid hair dresser. And OFF comes all that hair!

Please excuse all facial expressions from the boy in pictures--I sincerely try my hardest to get him to smile, all to no avail (most of the time).

* Heat Miser from the old "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" Christmas cartoon. Tell me you don't see the resemblance in that first picture--I dare you! I double dog dare you!

POST EDIT: I had to add a picture of the HEAT MISER, can you see the resemblance? See what I mean?

tax refund

You're lookin' at it!

Well, most it anyway.

The rest of it,

we are pretty sure,

is going to be put to good use

on our roof.

As in, the actual roof...

...a new one.

And to think we could've taken that

long anticipated trip to Italy

-or somewhere equally as cool- with it instead.

Oh well, a dry home and a million dollar

smile will have to do this year! :O)

grace's braces...it has a nice ring!

Ka-ching!

Half Birthday

My parents --whom I mostly do this for, to keep them up on our daily life--told me I had been neglecting my blog of late.


I have. I am sorry. To make up for it, I am trying to do 7 blog posts in 7 days!


Here is #2 in as many days.


Josh's Peanut Butter Cheesecake.


Made by yours truly in celebration of his(Josh's) half birthday.



The thing is, one must love Oreos and Cheesecake and Peanut Butter and Reeses and sugar (lots of sugar) to love this cheesecake.


The thing is, we all do! (except Kyle and we all said "YOUR LOSS!)


Happy Half Birthday my tall son! Where did the time go? It seems like just 6 months ago you were turning 16! (hee hee)

literal

We asked Olivia to "lay out" her clothes for soccer on Friday night...meaning "get them ready." Well, when you are 6, "lay out your clothes" means to LITERALLY lay them out.



In a nice straight line, if you will.


Needless to say, she was ready for her game. For what it's worth, she has moved past simply running after the ball--this week she actually KICKED IT!!


Go Olivia! Who knows, by the end of the season, we may make it all the way to scoring a GOAL!



We only have Sam (our "metro-sexy" coach) to thank for whatever MAD SOCCER SKILLZ she acquires!


Thanks Sam, you rock... and GO OLIVIA!

Grandpa's 80th...Just Pictures!

There they are...the rest of the 80th Birthday Pictures!