It's been too long....

Ok, so I haven't updated my blog in A LONG TIME. Sorry, just a few things going on right now. We've moved into the new house. Jeff and I spent a week pulling almost all nighters to paint before we moved in. We painted everything except the kitchen and the bathrooms......ugh! Talk about long days, tucking the kids into bed then going over and painting till2 or 3am- not fun, not good for your body!
But we did it and it's done (well almost). We had the big move-in last Saturday and a BBQ on sunday for father's day. Of course I have pictures, but they are locked in the vault of memory cards and not coming out yet.
Now I am in full wedding mode. Semi- I guess since my brain is still trying to digest the new house and all that needs to be done....company is coming MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY and FRIDAY before the wedding and we're going to have a houseful. Let's just hope we get all of the boxes out of the way first...haha!

So I've been asked by a few friends and family to create some sort of wedding registry, against my previous wishes, I made some this week. So, if you desire, we are registered at Target online and Bed Bath and Beyond.

I promise I will post pictures before the kids' next birthdays:)
Talk to you soon....hopefully again before the wedding but no promises, as we have NO internet yet at the new house!

Tricia

WE are OFFICIALLY Homeowners AGAIN!!!!

Today, we finally closed on our new house. It's been months in the making and it's finally done....well almost. We have to wait until monday to take possession, but that's ok:)
We can't wait to start our lives again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Olivia and Mommy

After Olivia's first year graduation of Montessori pre-school:)
She made her own flag (the country of Bolivia, haha). And she has her dipoloma in hand.

Sideways MiMaw and Olivia

MiMaw has the joy of coming to see Olivia's graduation program.
:)

(sorry it's sideways)

Billy

Olivia's school has two goats out back, Billy and Homer. She loves them and says hello to them every morning on the way in! We even brought them carrots a few times:)

Olivia and Madison, her bud from school.

Sweet Olivia, Proud of Herself:)

She was so proud, they did their program and sang songs- she didn't miss a beat!

Olivia Receiving her Diploma

Each child got to walk up in front of everyone and get their diploma from miss Lois. And then they said a sweet thank you. Shy little Olivia bolted back to her seat real fast:)

Momma Swan and her babies:)

This is the swan that lives on our lake, we've been following them since the parents made the nest a few months ago. And then we watched as the eggs hatched overnight. They are so fuzzy and so cute!

Deagan Cracks Me Up

Deagan has been teething these four inscisor (?) teeth for like six months now, and they still haven't broken the surface! Plus four molars in the back (which might actually appear first). Anyway, the kid is so outside of the mold of a normal child....
I've been rubbing Anbesol on his gums- you know, the nasty tasting stuff that numbs the whole interior of your mouth?
Yeah, well he thinks it's hillarious. I rub it on and then he runs around crazy shaking his head and making crazy eyes, and then comes and asks for more. I have to hide it from him! He loves it!
The kid CRACKS me up!
p.s.- I used to have to hold olivia down to get any in her mouth! Then I just gave up and stopped trying to help her because she hatted it so much:)

Uncle Tim and Aunt Sherry on their Wedding Day

So in love, so young, so innocent- beautiful!!!!!!

Uncle Tim

We received a call early Thursday morning from my grandma telling us of my Dad's brother's passing. He died of what they think was a heart attack in his home late Wednesday night. Uncle Tim was a great man. He was always happy to see you and so gentle and kind, saying "well hello there" with a big smile. He's the kind of guy that was always very young at heart with big aspirations. We constantly talked of trips we'd take and the wild and crazy stuff he'd done. Uncle Tim was so excited when I brough Jeff into the famliy and welcomed him with open arms. They loved to b.s. at famliy functions about camping, hiking, skydiving and anything else that happens outdoors. He's been there for all of my kids birthday parties here and countless ones of my own growing up. I'm kicking myself for not backing up my files and having my computer crash (this week of course) when I have some great pictures of him and his famliy at Deagan's birthday party!
Losing Uncle Tim is another terrible blow to this famliy. Going through the grieving process again is especially hard this time around. It seems like just yesterday we were all in this same position dealing with my brother's death. I can't believe it was actually six years ago. Does the pain ever go away? Does it ever stop cutting your heart so deep? Like it just happened! I am a very emotional person, moreso since having kids, and I just can't handle certain things well. I re-live things so deeply in an emotional way and just have a hard time letting go, not moving on, just letting go. So I try not to let myself get wrapped into the memories, but this time it was inevitable. I had to dig through it all and bring Nick right back to the surface day by day what we went through. Memories I've tucked far away. And now, thinking of everyone else on my Dad's side of the famliy and all they have been through...I wonder can it get any worse? Can the pain of loss get deeper, I hope not in my life. It's just so hard to understand. So hard to attempt to try and figure out why things happen the way they do, but the sad part is that you really can't understand it or make sense of it.
The visitation is tomorrow, keep us in your prayers!
THANK YOU!

Tim, Andy, and Tony

I am making a slideshow for my uncle's viewing on saturday, and someone gave me this picture- it's my new favorite of my Dad and his brothers! Tim is on the left, little brother Andy in the middle (a whole helmet head shorter), and my dad on the left:)

Obituary I wrote for Uncle Tim

Nelson, Timothy, 53, died at his home late Wednesday in Ann Arbor, MI on May 30th, 2007. Tim was a loving father of two, uncle, brother, husband and son. Tim was the son of Fritz Nelson of Whitmore Lake and the late John Nelson. He was born March 22nd, 1954 at the Burtonwood Air Force Base in England. During his childhood, he was the resident of many countries and states, with fond memories of growing up with his brothers and sister in Gulfport, MS and Savannah, GA. Tim graduated from St. Thomas High School in Ann Arbor in 1972. He was an avid outdoorsman who found joy in hiking, camping, kayaking and had a thrill seeker passion for skydiving. Tim enjoyed spending his free time at Isle Royale in Michigan. He was a Master Gardener from the MSU extension program that took pride in the craft. Tim perfected his skills as a mechanic and enjoyed working on cars. He is survived by his loving wife of 24 years, Sherry Nelson and their two children, Daniel and Patrick Nelson; Brother and Sister-in-law, Tony and Kathy Nelson of Brighton, MI; and Brother, Andy Nelson of Whitmore Lake, MI. A visitation service in honor of Timothy Nelson will be held at Stark Funeral Home 101 S. Washington Street in Ypsilanti, MI on Saturday, June 2nd, 2007 from 6-9pm. Funeral Services fo will be at 2pm on Sunday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to his family for a future memorial tree to be planted in the Arboretum in Ann Arbor. Please contact Stark for more information at 734-482-4900. “When enjoying the flavor of life, take big bites…moderation is for monks!” a favorite quote of Tim’s by Robert Heinlein.