Charlotte Bloom

My brother and his wife Samara just had their second baby girl, Charlotte Bloom.  She is a beauty.  Here are some pictures from my recent photoshoot with her:

Ellen & Twitch

one of my very favorite shows is So you Think You Can Dance mostly because I have always coveted people with the ability to dance.  I also LOVE Ellen Degeneres.  I find her bright, refreshing, funny, and happy.  And I love when she dances...

Click on link below to watch:

Ellen & Twitch  

No Getting Any Bigger!

Every once in a while...


I'll pick up one of my older children


Head, hands, and feet overflowing


And I'll say, "I thought I told you No Getting Any Bigger!"


And they'll inevitably say, "I can't help it Mama!"


And then I usually say, "You're never too big to be held by your Mama."


And I'll realize that time is slipping through my fingers


And I am reminded of a line in one of my favorite books


"I'll love you forever,
 I'll like you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be."


And then I recall the moment when my oldest asked me if it was
okay not to call me "Mama" anymore.  And I said through a silently
breaking heart because I knew it was for the best, "Of course."
And he said, "You'll always be my Mama in my heart."


How I despise fleeting time making a mockery of moments so sacred.


How I love my babies.


Even if they are not babies anymore...

The Cabin

Robert asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday and I said I wanted to spend it at my favorite place:  my grandparent's cabin.  Heaven on Earth and soooo many memories.

I am experimenting with lightbulb pictures here.  She reminds me of myself in this one.

They really do love each other.

He kept saying, "I wuv Christian" in this picture.

Is he handsome, or what?!

Yay!  We reached the top!  And they are actually all smiling!

Madison wants to be a rock star or movie star.

So Precious

How I love the freckles on her nose.

Body Image

Let's face it, if you are a woman, you've had your ups and downs with your confidence in the "body image" arena.  Goodness knows I have.  One of my goals in the past year was to come to total acceptance and appreciation of the body that I have.  Are there things I would change about it?  Yes.  Lots of things.  But, my body has also done some truly amazing things.  It has brought 5 beautiful babies into the world with NO complications.  It has been healthy and strong my whole life, giving me the freedom to do anything I have desired.  I have tried very hard to take care of it throughout my life by exercising regularly which is extremely difficult with 5 children!  Confidence in my body is still a work in progress, but at some point I just came to the conclusion that there are so many more important things to dwell on in life and I certainly DON'T want my children to become body conscious, so I have to show the way.  Some of you may have seen the You Tube video circulating the web about the LDS Mom and Dad who were severely burned over 80% of their bodies in a plane crash, but had miraculously come to terms with their new and different lives and are even thankful for the experience that had put everything into perspective.

The first picture of the Nielsen family was taken 3 weeks before the plane crash and the following two are more recent.  I have been so overcome with awe over Stephanie and what she, in particular, has been through.  The physical pain, the surgeries, the emotional pain, the recovery process, and as a woman, looking in the mirror and not seeing the attractive image that you were used to.  But nonetheless, she has somehow transcended that and found incredible peace and gratitude in her life.  She is a modern day hero.  She truly puts me to shame in the way that she has found such joy in her life in spite of her trials.  She has inspired me to continue my quest to not dwell on my outward appearance as I continue to age, but to put gratitude, faith, and love as my main priorities.  Thank you Stephanie Nielsen for being an inspiration to me.

***If you would like to read her INCREDIBLE blog, here is the link:  http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com

Bear Lake

This whole week, Robert and Christian are at scout camp at Bear Lake so we decided to join them! Me and my friend and her kids rented a cabin a couple of miles from the camp and had an absolute blast for 3 days! On the second day, Robert and Christian joined us and we rented a boat. Bear Lake is gorgeous and we were just in time for Raspberry Days. Fresh raspberry shakes and chocolate covered raspberries. YUM. Here are some pictures of our adventure: