The Web Files

Samantha's school does two musicals every school year.  They do one in December and one in June.  This is a video of Sammy's dance in the first grade musical.  She is the one with a pink long sleeved shirt under the gray t-shirt on the right side of the movie.  Because of our dial-up I had to make the video really small in order to upload it...sorry.  I was also using a new video camera and had no idea how to use it!  I was mad because it wouldn't zoom and I couldn't figure it out.  Apparently when you are in 1080 mode you can't zoom!  So, that is why there is no zooming in on Samantha.  She did a really good job!  I can't wait to see what they do in June!!!  One last note...the kids dancing were not supposed to sing the song and it seems the first graders didn't know the dirty rat song very well!!  Oh, well!

Elf

My kids have been loving the movie Elf the last couple weeks.  I bought it a year or two ago and never opened it...and now we love it!!  Don't ask my why but even 2-year-old Josh loves to watch it.  At dinner tonight the girls were discussing which characters in Elf they like to pretend to be.  Sammy told Jeff, "You could be called Buddy.  Then, you could give your dad a present that is a dress with boobs.  Really, he gives his dad a dress with real boobs and you can put it on!"  I was trying hard not to roll on the floor laughing but I did laugh a little!!  If you have never seen this movie, watch it and you will totally get what she is talking about!! 

Who Am I???

I always thought I knew who I was.  I have been Melissa Mabey for over 30 years and then I became Melissa Mabey Nichols over 9 years ago.  Apparently I was totally wrong...according to Facebook that is.  I tried to log in to my Facebook account yesterday and was told my account was disabled.  I went through the process and sent an email to Facebook asking them about this and telling them I really am Melissa Mabey Nichols and that I really only have one facebook account.  Their response made me a little angry because they basically called me a liar.

Hi,
Fake accounts are a violation of our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Facebook requires users to provide their real first and last names. Impersonating anyone or anything is prohibited, as is maintaining multiple profiles on the site. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reactivate this account for any reason. This decision is final.
Thanks for your understanding,
The Facebook Team


Apparently they changed their minds tonight because I was able to log in.  I did send them an email letting them know that my name really is Melissa Mabey Nichols and I wanted to know if they could explain to me what happened...who knows???  I wonder how long they will let me have my Facebook account back!!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to a fun pumpkin patch in Utah with my mom and sister.  Andrea and her cousin Joey loved to run and run and run.  I don't think my kids were used to so much open space!!  Sammy was a little freaked out that I was just letting Andrea run away!

Running in the Hay Maze

Andrea and Joey running (I was zoomed in as far as I could).

Josh's first pumpkin

It's heavy Mom!

Andrea's Pumpkin

Sammy and her pumpkin.  She was a little concerned about all the dirt on the pumpkins!!

Playing in the Leaves

While we were in Provo, we went to visit Wendy, Katie, and Amanda.  The kids had fun playing with their cousins Amanda and Katie.

Rockband

I think we have a couple up and coming rockstars in our house!!  The kids LOVED playing Rockband at their Grandma and Grandpa Nichols.  Their Uncles and Aunt played along with them.  Sammy thought she was the coolest kid in the room because she could read the words to the songs and sing along!

Temple Square

Provo

No trip to Utah is complete without a trip to Provo to visit BYU!!  Sammy, Andrea, and Josh were a little spoiled by their Uncle Chris who took them to the BYU Bookstore and let them pick out a candy!  They LOVE their Uncle Chris!!!

Fall Pictures

If any of you are looking for a good photographer in Salt Lake for a very reasonable price...let me know and I can get you the information for our photographer.

Ups and Downs

This last month has been an interesting one.  It is amazing to me how quickly things in your life can change.  One minute can change things and make life better or make life horrible.  I have had to experience both of those things this last month.  I felt so blessed at the beginning of the month to find out that our waiting was over and that I was finally pregnant with baby #4!  I was so happy, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I was.  I have this problem when I get pregnant...I show immediately...REALLY I do!  I took the pregnancy test because my pants were no longer comforable.  Because of the baby bump we told the girls a few days after I found out about the baby.  They were also VERY excited and immediately started fighting over the gender of the baby.  Sammy wants a boy so Josh can have a brother and Andrea wants a little sister!  Everything seemed perfect...for a week.  Then, the pain came...I immediately went to the doctor to get my horomones tested and to have an ultrasound done to make sure it wasn't an ectopic pregnancy.  It wasn't.  The doctor was pretty sure it was a miscarraige.  In the back of my head I knew that was what was happening but I didn't want to believe it.  I was scared to death and cried the whole way back from the doctor's office.  The blood work confirmed that I was having a miscarraige and so it began.  I was doing pretty good the first day or two, other than I kept crying over nothing.  I still cry and I am not one to cry.  The doctor prescribed me pain meds but I really didn't understand why until the cramping really hit!!  I am not going to into the details but let's just say it hurts really bad.  It has been almost two weeks since this started.  I would have had my first OB visit this Thursday to find out my exact due date...that visit has been cancelled.  I have debated whether or not to even post anything on my blog about this but felt like I needed to for me.  I will be honest and say this has been the hardest thing I have ever had to go through.  I don't think you really understand how hard physically and emotionally a miscarraige is until you experience it.  Even though I was only about five weeks pregnant I feel the pain of having my baby die.  Things are slowly getting better and will keep getting better.  Through this whole thing I have been able to draw closer to my Heavenly Father and truly put my faith in him.  I know there is a reason this is happening to me right now...I just have to figure out why!!!

Now, could someone please invent a house that cleans itself so I don't have to try to catch up on all the housework I have not done in the last two weeks while I have been trying to take it easy!!!!

I found this poem online and really like it:

I thought of you and closed my eyes
And prayed to God today.
I asked what makes a Mother
And I know I heard him say.

A Mother has a baby
This we know is true.
But God can you be a Mother
When your baby's not with you?

Yes, you can He replied
With confidence in His voice
I give many women babies
When they leave is not their choice.

Some I send for a lifetime
And others for a day.
And some I send to feel your womb
But there's no need to stay.

I just don't understand this, God
I want my baby here
He took a breath and cleared His throat
And then I saw a tear.

I wish I could show you
What your child is doing today.
If you could see your child smile
With other children and say

"We go to earth to learn our lessons
Of love and life and fear.
My Mommy loved me oh so much
I got to come straight here.

I feel so lucky to have a Mom
Who had so much love for me
I learned my lesson very quickly
My Mommy set me free.

I miss my Mommy oh so much
But I visit her each day.
When she goes to sleep
On her pillow is where I lay.

I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek
And whisper in her ear.
Mommy don't be sad today
I'm your baby and I'm here."

So you see my dear sweet one
Your children are ok.
Your babies are here in My home
And this is where they'll stay.

They'll wait for you with Me
Until your lesson is through.
And on the day that you come home
They'll be at the gates for you.

So now you see what makes a Mother
It's the feeling in your heart.
It's the love you had so much of
Right from the very start.

-Author Unknown

My little fish

I love these pictures of Andrea from swimming!  I was trying to get a normal looking picture but she was making funny faces the whole time (I think it had to do with the goggles)!!  The first picture reminds me of a picture we have of my Dad from one of his races...looks like she is singing the National Anthem with Grandpa (if I had the picture you would understand....my dad didn't really sing but there is a pre-race picture that looks like he is belting out a tune)!!

How wide can I open my mouth??

What can I say??

Little Fish

Swimming Videos

Last week we finished our 4th session of swimming lessons this summer...that is 8 weeks spent at the pool...3 times a week...2 hours in 100+ degree heat...it was a long summer!!!  My kids love to swim!  Josh is a little fish and will probably be swimming on his own in the next couple years.  Sammy and Andrea are starting to catch on and learned so much over the summer.  I am so proud of each of them.  The videos are more for their grandparents to see than anyone else!! 

My dad has been a swimmer his whole life.  He still competes in swimming so my girls want to swim like Grandpa.  They really wanted to show him how good they are at swimming now so these are for you, Grandpa!!

Sammy Sliding

Sammy Swimming

Josh Sliding

Josh Swimming

Josh Jumping

Andrea Swimming

Andrea Sliding

I LOVE my bed

We bought a King size bed a few months ago and I must say that I LOVE IT!!!  A couple weeks after we bought the mattress we found the headboard/footboard at the RCWilley Clearance Center for a REALLY good deal!  It is fun to have a real bed for the first time in my life...we have always just had a mattress on a bed frame.  It looked LOTS better before we had to add the queen mattress and box spring behind the headboard!  The girls got twin beds so we have an extra queen mattress and the only place to put it was against the wall behind out bed....one day we will have a bigger house and will be able to put it somewhere else!!

My new bed!!

This is a close-up of the detail on our comforter.  I LOVE this comforter set we found at Bed Bath and Beyond.  It was exactly what I have been looking for.  I want to paint a canvas with this pattern to put on the wall behind our bed (we'll see how long it takes me to get that done!).

Ready For FOOTBALL!!!!

Josh is ready for football to start!!

Nine Years

Jeff and I were married nine years ago!  CRAZY!! 

Six Years!!

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Sammy had cupcake balls instead of a cake this year.  I would love to say I made them but I didn't.  My extremely talented friend Brooks made them for me!

My baby is six today.  She has been waiting for this day for a long time.  I think her party was planned for a year!!  She wanted a tea party so that is what we did.  When Sammy's guests arrived we made crowns, bracelets, and picked out some other jewelry.  The girls LOVED it!  After everyone was all ready for the tea party, we feasted on sandwiches, chips, watermelon, cashews, mints, cucumbers, and carrots.  The tea was Sammy's favorite drink...PINK Lemonade!  We were able to have Brooks come and help us out for the party and we are so thankful she was there!  It was a little crazy at times!!  Thanks for all the friends that made Sammy's party fun.

FRUSTRATION

Remember the post awhile back about the excitement at our house because the bank had finally accepted an offer on our house......yeah....it was a good day....now they have taken that back!  I hate it!!  Now they keep wanting more and more out of us and it is getting very frustrating.  I just keep praying and hoping that it will all work out in the end.  I really wish the bank would make up their mind and see that we really can't afford to stay where we are so we are trying our best to take care of things.

Our First Tri

My brother, mom, and dad are big triathletes.  My kids love that their Grandma and Grandpa race and are very proud of this.  We went and watched them run in a half-marathon in St George one year and my kids loved watching their Grandparents run across the finish line.  They were just sad they didn't get to see them swim and ride their bikes.  My mom has started to do a triathlon with the daycare kids at the end of the school year so this year she also did a race with the grandkids.  The water part of the race consisted of the kids throwing water balloons at their parents.  Then the rode their bikes around the high school track one lap.  They finished with a one lap run around the track.  My nephew Isaac was the fastest.  He raced around the track on his bike and then proceeded to run the whole way around the track...I think we might have another athlete in the family.  My kids LOVED every minute of their race.  Here are a few pictures...

Getting ready to throw the waterballoons.  Jeff had to help Josh hold the balloon...he was a very eager to get started in his race!!

Running around the track...Sammy got a really bad cramp so she wasn't very happy.  Andrea smiled and loved running around the track.  Josh got a little distracted at times but he did it!!

My mom ran around the track with Andrea and also helped her on the bike.  They looked very cute running around together!

All the racers at the end of the race with their medals, treats, water bottles and swim caps!

First Grade...Here We Come!

Today was Kindergarten Graduation!!  Sammy is done with Kindergarten and ready to move on to First Grade (most days)!  She is a little nervous about being in school all day but she will do great and I am sure she will love it.  We are going to miss her teacher, the FABULOUS Mrs. O'Leary!  We have LOVED her!!  She is the best kindergarten teacher in the world.

The schools do these really cool certificates and pictures for promotion.  I was very impressed

Curly Hair

Sammy slept in sponge rollers for the first time.  Her first reaction after I brushed her hair this morning, "I look retarded!"  After I pulled up the front she thought it was cool and she has been very proud of her curly hair! 

New Pictures

It has been a year since we had professional pictures taken of the kids!!  We finally made it to JCPenney Portraits a week ago to have pictures taken.  I think I jinxed myself because I took Sammy every month during the first year...I took Andrea every 3-6 months...Josh has 3--TOTAL!!  OOPS! :)