Nilsson Nut Factory

Sanibel Island Fun

2009-05-21T14:09:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago the Nilsson family all met on Sanibel Island, FL for a lovely wedding!! We had a great time! Thanks to Mom and Dad Swann for watching the kids. The weekend was perfect, warm water, warm sun, alligators and fabulous people.

How To Beat The Heat

2009-04-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Remember last week when it was 95 degrees outside. Well, we don't, because we chose to go to the mountains and play in the last bits of snow left!!!! It was fabulous, shorts, t-shirts and snow. The kids loved it!!!! Their parents enjoyed it a lot too!!

EVAN TURNS 5

2009-04-26T20:44:00.001-07:00

Our sweet little Evan celebrated 5 years of life with a Star Wars Party. We sure do love little Evan and you couldn't find a sweeter boy if you tried!!! Yes those are homemade light sabers made out of pool noodles!! Quite the hit with kids both young and old as you can see!!

"Princess Raia Turns 3"

2009-03-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

My BABY turned 3 a few weeks ago. Here are a few of her photos. She loved her party, it was a "Purple Princess Party." She was very thankful for all of her gifts. We sure do love her and thank our lucky stars every day that she is ours.

Dad's Day

2009-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

In Church yesterday I taught a lesson to all 45 of the Primary Kids (that's a lot of kids for 2nd Ward) on the importance of families. I handed out a questionnaire to the kids that asked very general questions about themselves and their families. Like, How old Are You? How many brothers do you have? How many sisters? And a few more. One of the questions asked What is your favorite holiday? I would say that 98% of the kids answered Christmas. Probably because that was the holiday we just had, or maybe the present factor, who really knows. The point is.... I didn't really pay attention to that question because it didn't pertain to families and their differences very much. Bradon always makes his handouts into paper airplanes after church and I always throw them away by Sunday Evening. This Sunday I opened his airplane to read his answers. He answered them all correct, 7 years old, 1 brother, 2 sisters, and favorite food Pizza and Pancakes. The next answer was the most profound of them all. He had next to Favorite Holiday: Dad's Day!
Bradon has an amazing connection to his dad. One that I am sometimes a little jealous of. But yesterday I was humbled by it. His favorite holiday wasn't one that got him presents, or baskets full of chocolate, or dressing up and getting candy. It was simply the day that celebrates his favorite person in the whole wide world. His DAD!!

WOW- - It's Been A Long Time

2009-01-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry to all of you faithful friends that check my blog. . . . it's been forever!!! Here are a few of the Festivities that have happened since the first few weeks of November. Darron's Birthday, Morgan's School Program, and Decorating the house in Christmas cheer. All important events, and all should have been shared. Darron and I also took a trip to Florida for my little brother's wedding. Maybe next time when we decide to pack light, we won't forget the camera!!! Oops. Anyhow, enjoy the pictures and I will try to keep you more up to date. Oh and by the way, my husband was called to be the 2nd Counselor in our Bishopric. That is also big news, but no pictures for that either.
Morgan thought of this all on her own. She turned our living room into a carnival for dad. We had games and tickets and prizes. It was great.

I made Darron a Cheescake. It was tasty, very time consuming, but tasty!

Morgan was one of the main dancers in her school program. She ate up the attention. She did a great job too!!

I had the kids put up the nativities this year. Bradon did this one, I told him he did it wrong, and then realized he has it more right then the rest of us. All the people and animals were there to look at Jesus. I love 7 year-old logic.

Happy Vegetarian's Day

2008-11-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

Bradon runs home from school yesterday and bursts through the door:

"Mom, mom we don't have any school tomorrow!"

I reply as though I know nothing about the upcoming holiday,"Why do you get the day off??"

Bradon replies, " Well because mom, it's Vegetarians Day!"

So to all you non meat eaters Bradon celebrates with you.

And to all you Veterans I do hope that you had a great celebration also!!!!!

AAARRGGGHHH MATIE!!!

2008-11-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

This years edition of the Nilsson Halloween Extravaganza was a Pirate Theme. We had a great time, great weather, and of course great CANDY!!! I think we should have Halloween once a month, if not, at least once a quarter.

VOLKSLAUF 2008

2008-10-30T21:00:00.001-07:00

This Year we did the Volkslauf a little different. Darron and I ran together as a team instead of separate. In turn, I ran it significantly faster, and he significantly slower!!!! But the point being, we were together, dirty, and had a great time. The kids ran in the Junior Volkslauf after, it was great. Yes.....Even MORGAN!!!!

"PRETTY NAILS"

2008-10-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you leave a two year old alone by herself for to long. This actually happened one afternoon in late August when River's End was so busy that I was just happy she wasn't being loud in the office while I was on the phone with customers. Luckily she had the sense enough to take it in the bathroom and not on the carpet.

Can Summer Really Be Over????

2008-08-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

The Nilsson house has started school again!! We blinked and completely missed summer. Granted, summer is ridiculously busy around here, but we are sad to have our children back in school. Morgan started the 5th grade. At Harris Elementary the 5th graders are the oldest kids on campus. What a fun year this should be for her. Bradon started 2nd grade. He is really excited about school, but more excited about selling his candy bars after school. My little Evan started preschool. He is going twice a week and had his first day today. He loved it, and can't wait to go back Thursday. So for now Raia and I are loving life and getting lots done, well, we will as soon as the darn river runs out of water......come on Labor Day!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL

2008-07-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Morgan turned 10 years old on Wednesday, the only thing I can figure out is that maybe I was 12 when I had her since I feel about 22. In all seriousness....Morgan is an amazing young girl. She is a great sister, wonderful daughter, awesome singer, and fabulous friend. Morgan changed my life in so many ways, and I imagine in her lifetime she will have the same affect on lots of people. To the most beautiful, friendly and wonderful 10 year old I know...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

"I CHOSE THEM"

2008-06-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

In Church on Sunday someone was relaying a story about a young mother struggling with one of her children. She was complaining and wondering why she was given such a difficult child to deal with. She was counseled by her bishop that she wasn't given this child....she "chose" this child. Sometimes it takes only small stories like this to remind me how much I love my children and that although being a mother is one of the most difficult roles in the world, , , I CHOSE THEM!!!!!

"THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU"

2008-04-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

To all of you that participated in my 30th Birthday Extravaganza, I thank you!!! To my wonderful husband who thought of the great idea, you are amazing in so many ways. To those of you who don't know, Darron found 30 people including friends, family, old roommates, college friends starting the 30th of March to SHOWER me with gifts. One a day to be exact, for 30 days, for my 30th birthday. A clever and very thoughtful idea!!!! I kept a list and wanted to share. So here it goes...

March 30th: Raia Nilsson-$30.00 I-Tunes Gift Card

March 31st: The Moore Family- Homemade Hot Fudge (oh so delicious) with Ice Cream

April 1st: The Biron Family- $25.00 I-Tunes Gift Card

April 2nd: Aimee Olson- Spa Pedicure

April 3rd: The Mulkay Family- $15.00 Tahoe Joe's Gift Card

April 4th: Nicole Ferra- Smelly Good Candle

April 5th: Myron Nilsson- $20.00 Target Gift Card

April 6th: The Dowd Family- Jake's Tex Mex Sheet Cake and Ice Cream

April 7th: The Sorensen Family- Various Lotions :)

April 8th: Adam & Pek Nilsson- $25.00 Barnes and Nobles Gift Card, and Flowers

April 9th: The Walker Family- Jon Walker Photo of my choice, $5.00 Mannings Yogurt

April 10th: Amy Judd- Family Photo Album

April 11th: Dave Nilsson- Ceramic Knife (the coolest knife I've ever used)

April 12th: Micah & Cheryl Nilsson- Sago Palm, Smith's Pecan Pie, Date with Morgan

April 13th: Dan & Sarah Nilsson- Norman Love Gourmet Chocolates

April 14th: Lindsay Dugan- 2 Spa Pedicures

April 15th: Natalie Dadey- Leather Wallet

April 16th: Bradon Nilsson- Reef Flip Flops and A New Key Ring

April 17th: Michelle Nixon- Super Fantastic Carrot Cake Cupcakes

April 18th: The Maughan Family- Kitchen Fun (stuff you want to buy for yourself but don't)

April 19th: Evan Nilsson- Black Fancy Shirt and Flip Flops

April 20th: Ben and Stephanie- Fishing Rod and Reel and all the gear to go with it

April 21st: Kevin and Beth Swann- Card with Whoopee Cushion (hours of fun) $20.00

April 22nd: Darin and Wendy Swann- Edible Arrangement (see photo)

April 23rd: Kip Nilsson- 2 cleaning ladies for 3 hours to clean my house (AWESOME)

April 24th: Morgan Swann- Meat Thermometer (I really wanted one of these), pot holders

April 25th: Cara Swann- Scrapbook of the last 30 years(made me cry) Chocolate Malted Crunch

April 26th: Holly Griffiths- Earrings and Necklace

April 27th: My Mom & Dad- Homemade Jam, The most gorgeous Quilt (see photo)

April 28th: My WONDERFUL husband- Microwave and Non-stick Pots and Pans(I REALLY wanted these)He's learned that I love practical Gifts!!!

WOW......I am comletely spoiled and loved. Thank You again to everybody. It's somewhat overwhelming. I've had a great month. I love you Darron, you are the best.

"Mom, I Got To Go Pee"

2008-04-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Those words are music to my ears. We have officially potty-trained our last child. I think Huggies will be sad to loose a loyal customer of 10 years!!! She is so cute in panties, and she knows it. "Good Job" Raia. You're AWESOME!!!

The've Had Birthdays Shout Hooray!!

2008-04-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

My babies are now 2 and 4. I'm not sure I really believe it myself, but it seems to be true. Raia turned 2 on March the 16th. And Evan turned 4 on April 16th. A girl at work asked me what I would do without a baby in the house. In my opinion they are both still babies and will be until they are 12 and 14. So Happy Birthday to the most beautiful and sweet 2 and 4 year olds in the world. I love you both!!!!

Easter Green

2008-04-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the late entry, but here are the Easter Pics. I love holidays in which you can dress your kids up and make them look alike. We spent the Easter weekend in Irvine with all the cousins on the Nilsson side. It was a blast. And if that picture of Evan and Raia doesn't make you want to melt there is something wrong with you. I sure do love these kids!!!!

Is It Summer???

2008-03-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

You've got to love Bakersfield, swimming mid-March!!!

You Be The Judge

2008-03-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

Does all of this go against the
Child Labor Acts
or is it just Ingenious Parenting????

You Be The Judge!!

Welcome to the Family

2008-03-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

There was an addition to the Nilsson Family made yesterday.
Like all Nilsson girls she is beautiful and unafordable..........yet IRRESISTIBLE!!!

"Raia Rocks"

2008-02-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

So Raia discovered the rock wall not to long ago and decided she should get a turn like all the other kids. I hesitated putting a harness on her and told her to take it to Daddy. I assumed that dad wouldn't let her go. I was wrong!!! The harness tightened up right around her and the following display of pictures tells the whole story.

At first she didn't quite understand what she was supposed to do.......
Do I just hang here and look cute???
Or do I just plain look cute??
Maybe if Dad just shows me what to do I could get the hang of it. . . .

Yeah, that's me more than half way up the wall.
Whatever you do, just don't make me come in for dinner!!!!!

She loved every minute of it, and nearly every day she says, "Climb...wall...high" "Yes Raia you did "climb, wall, high!"

Every Girls Dream

2008-02-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

Raia has really taken up cooking.
It is her favorite thing to do.
Most of the time she just wants to taste everything.
So I decided to let her do what EVERY girl wants to do while making brownies.

Just One of the BOYS

2008-01-29T20:04:00.001-08:00

It sure is fun to have girls as the bread of our little family sandwich, and the boys as the meat. The only downside I have found is that sometimes the bread on the bottom of the sandwich gets a little saturated with the meats flavor!!!! I don't know, you can be the judge of that.

I do think she was the winner of that push-up contest!!

Photo Shoot

2008-01-29T19:43:00.000-08:00

These are my beautiful children on the day of our Christmas Photo Shoot. I had forgotten about these pictures because of the busy December we had. It was fun to find them again. Some days I wonder how I got so lucky to be their Mother!!!!!

Trip of a Lifetime

2008-01-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

Darron and I had the opportunity to attend his brother Adam's wedding in Sri Lanka a few weeks ago. Sri Lanka is a large island off the coast of India. Yeah, that's on the other side of the world. It was truly a trip of a lifetime. We saw, heard and smelled things that we will probably never see, hear or smell again. We had the best time. We are so grateful to all who made it possible. Most importantly to my parents who took our 4 children for 9 days and became their parents. This is a challenge in itself but at Christmas time......we love you mom and dad. We took lots of pictures, but I will include mostly those with people in them. Congrats Adam and Pek, and thank you for making this a memory never to forget.
This was our layover in Bangkok, Thailand. We went to a snake farm, bought tailored suits, and ate food off of the street. We stuck out like sore thumbs, as I am taller than nearly every person, male or female. It was kind of fun to be obvious tourists.

The wedding photos on our end are very sparse for 3 good reasons. Reason #1: We didn't take our good camera, and this one doesn't work great indoors. Reason #2: We were in the wedding party so carrying around our camera wasn't a great option. Reason #3: Darron had the stomach flu and was pretty miserable. So what you do see is me in a Saree (which was really fun to wear), Adam and Pek in their "homecoming outfits" (a Buddhist tradition after the wedding, which they combined with the wedding), and Darron in his short appearance at the reception.

After a couple days of relaxation in the most beautiful hotel (not pictured...oops) we set out on a tour of the island. This was one of our stops. An elephant orphanage. It was very cool to see those large animals up close and personal.

This was one of the Buddhist temples that we saw on our trip. This particular temple was inside caves that were naturally made inside this large rock hill. This was a really interesting place. We had to take our shoes off out of respect. For those of you that know me well, that was REALLY hard for me. But I survived and it was a great place. It was also our first of many monkey sightings.

This is Christmas Day...Can you tell???? This was an ancient archaeological ruin (right up Darron's alley) that the Sri Lankans believe will some day be named the 8th Wonder of the World. I wouldn't be able to tell you first hand, as I was layed up in bed all morning with that nasty stomach flu, but I hear it was awesome. There were lots of stairs involved, monkeys, monitor lizards, and breathtaking views.
This was the last stop for us, a very large, very beautiful botanical garden. We were the ONLY white people in the entire place. We had our picture taken by a small girl, it was very entertaining. We saw large fruit bats here also, Darron was in heaven.

Overall, it was extremely amazing. Darron's brother Dan took 3 times the photos we did and for more visit his blog savannahofsanibel.blogspot.com. We are so grateful for the opportunity we had to do this trip. We had so much fun and experienced so much. Thanks to Dave for being such a great travel companion, Thanks to Ambien for being such a great Sleeping Pill, and Thanks to Darron for being my newlywed on a second Honeymoon.

What did you do for Family Home Evening????

2008-01-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

This is the newest addition to the family. We hope we aren't the only ones who enjoy it. We want others to want to climb it so much they'll pay us. Sorry the pictures aren't great. We could afford a better camera if our toys weren't so dang expensive!!!!!

Nilsson Thanksgiving

2007-11-30T10:20:00.000-08:00

So here are a few pictures from the Nilsson Thanksgiving. We had Turkey dinner at the Darron Nisson house. Papa Dave, Myron, Micah and the Boys all made it for the upside down Turkey Extravaganza. It was good fun, and good food. We missed all the other Nilsson's, and can't wait to have an entire Nilsson get together.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-13T21:44:00.000-08:00

The Whole Cast

The cutest "Wildcat" Cheerleader

Championship "Wildcat" Basketball Player

The Beautiful Gabriealla

Handsome Troy

So, usually I would have posted Halloween pictures the very next day, but this year was a little different. It was a ton of fun, and the kids looked great.....but, nobody knew who we were!!! Had we been surrounded by girls ages 9-14 we would have been the stars of the show. As it stands, we were only recognized by one group of people. So next year we will try harder to be a little more recognizable. For those bloggers who don't know, we are the cast from
High School Musical.
A darn cute cast if you ask me.

Old News

2007-11-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

I finally got some pictures on the computer from months ago. So here is some old news.Evan is on two wheels. It took him about 2 minutes to figure out how to do this. He's been riding since early June. Just 2 months after his 3rd birthday. We went to Pismo for a family vacation at the end of Summer. We had so much fun. No river, no phones, no worries. Mom and Dad loved it....the kids loved it more. School started in August. Morgan had an emergency Appendectomy. Yes, that is a major abdominal surgery. She swears it was the cotton candy at the fair that gave it to her....if it gets me out of going to the fair ever again let her believe that. She's fine now and loves to show off her scar. Bradon's playing soccer. He loves it...but isn't very aggressive. Sorry that's so much at once but enjoy the pictures.
I sure LOVE this family!!!!

After all of that I realize there were no pictures of our sweet little Raia.... here she is. She is growing up so fast....too fast if you ask her parents.

Wicked, Pantages, Thirty-One, Oh My

2007-11-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

For Darron's 31sth birthday we went to the Pantages to see Wicked. It was everything we expected and more. I'm already plotting a way to go back. What great talent. The kids stayed with Aunt Rara. We then made our way down to see Amy and Brian. We caught Amy in an upright position and feeling the best she's felt in 8 weeks. It was a great day.
Happy Birthday to my wonderful, beautiful, handsome, awesome, fun-loving husband.

2007-11-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

MY BABY COUSIN

BY MORGAN SWANN-MALAMMA

I HAVE THE BEST BABY COUSIN. HE IS SO SMALL AND CUTE HIS NAME IS ASHER. THIS IS HOW HE LOOKS. HE HAS BROWN HAIR AND BROWN EYES AND ALWAYS WEARS BLUE CLOTHES. WEN I LOOK AT HIM I SEE A BUNDLE OF JOY.

AND SOMETIMES WHEN I HOLD HIM HE CRIES AND CRIES. AND WHEN HE COMES OUT OF THE BATH HE SMELLS LIKE BABY SOAP. ALSO, WHEN I HOLD HIM HE FEELS LIKE A BUNDLE OF CLOUDS. MY COUSIN IS SO CUTE AND LOVABLE.

Morgan had to write a short story using as many descriptive words as she could. Can you tell she loves her new baby cousin!!!!!

RESULTS

2007-10-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

The results are in.....well they have been in for awhile, but here they are.
Darron was 28th overall. Out of 453 participants, I'd say that gives him a solid A. I was 175th overall, which keeps me at about my average in all that I do, low B, high C.
I have always said that C's get degrees.
We had a ton of fun and can't wait to do it again.
Darron of course wants to be in the top 10 next year,
I on the other hand would be happy to be 175th again.
If you would like to see for yourself go to www.volkslauf.com

"Volkslauf 2007" aka MUD RUN

2007-10-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

Darron and I and a few of our friends participated in the Volkslauf 5K yesterday. It was an obstacle course and mud run designed by the US Marine Corpes. It was a blast. We had so much fun we can't wait for next year. Neither of us got first place....but neither of us got last.

The photos are courtesy of Bradon and Morgan. I think they are aspiring photo journalists. All the kids got to come watch their parents play in the mud. A big thanks to Papa Dave and Ethie for watching them.

Super Busy Nilsson Summer

2007-09-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

As you can tell, Summer brings a new meaning of busy to this family. So now that we are not doing paperwork, booking trips, and coordinating rafts running down the river, I can get back to the blog. We have done numerous things this Summer. Trips to the beach, trips to the mountains, Darron climbed Mt. Whitney and Evan learned to swim. Raia has turned in to a wonderful little toddler, Morgan is nearing teenage years long before her time, and Bradon learned to skateboard better than I ever will. We had a good season on the river. Water was low, but with not much to do around here, any water is great. We love our summer time business, but are always relieved to have a season end without incidence. Here are a few pictures to proove we didn't fall off of the planet for three months. . . . . Just extremely busy!!!!

"Perfect Attendance"

2007-06-04T21:45:00.001-07:00

We haven't yet figured out why we didn't have anything better to do than send our kids to school for the past year, but appearently we are pretty boring. Bradon received a trophy for "Perfect Attendence" for his kindergarten year. Not one day of school missed. Congrats Bradon. You are awesome.

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED

2007-06-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Summer has arrived in true Bakersfield fashion. HOT, HOT, HOT. The kids don't mind. The pool has been there best friend for months. At least now they don't get hypothermia if they stay in more than 20 minutes. Raia is truely a Nilsson. She LOVES the water...I don't think she had a choice.

4-Wheelin Fun

2007-06-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

The "kids" in this family are really enjoying the great outdoors on 4-wheels. Of course the "big kid" is just glad to have more of an excuse to get out. Morgan is extremely cautious. Bradon isn't cautious enough,
and dad well....we will just leave it at that!!!!
Mom and the smaller kids just watch and try really hard not to get EATEN by the wildlife.

"THE BIG 20"

2007-05-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Food-Ex had TWENTY deliveries yesterday.
WE are so proud of the business man in the family.
Keep it up Dad

"Flutaphone Fantastica"

2007-05-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

Morgan was selected to be a part of the Bakersfield City School District 3rd Grade Flutaphone Concert. She was 1 of 7 kids in her school to go. She did a fabulous job. She practiced very hard to memorize the 4 songs so she could be there. WE love our little flutaphone player.

"Peter Rabbit"

2007-05-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

Bradon landed the lead role in his kindergarten rendition of "Peter Rabbit". He
WAS
Peter Rabbit and did a fabulous job. He loved to be the star (I think he got that from his dad). He had to memorize all of his lines and songs. We are really proud of him.

"STICKY POPCORN"

2007-05-24T13:12:00.001-07:00

As Evan calls it, "sticky popcorn" is a Swann tradition. Also known as carmel corn, Evan asks for it almost every day. I did indulge his request several days ago and this is what it looked like.

I think if RAIA could talk, she would ask for it every day also.

Evan=3, Sandee=29, Bradon=6

2007-05-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US.

We recently celebrated many birthdays in this family. My blogging skills have been lacking lately so here are many updates. Evan got his very own scooter. I got an evening out with my lovely husband. And Bradon got a "kid" quad. Bradon was definately the best reaction. He cried. One of our friends was at the party and said,"I've made my kids cry, but never with JOY."

"Aloha and Mahalo"

2007-05-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks to this wonderful man.......

I had the priveleage of doing all of this!!!

Maui is such a beautiful place. Myself, my mother, and my sister spent 4 days in paradise. Kid free, boy free, and care free. We had so much fun, ate so much food and made great memories. Thanks to all who made it possible.

Easter Beauties

2007-04-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

There is noting more cute than 4 children that have matching outfits. They got so many comments on Easter Sunday they kind of got a complex by the end of church.

Out 2 beautiful girls........

Our handsome little boys.......

KIDS that we couldn't be more proud to call OURS.

"LOCKS FOR LOVE"

2007-03-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

Before................

After.............

I hope that this can make some little girl happy. So far so good on this end. I haven't cried, and neither have any of my children. We'll see how I feel when I have to get up and try to style it tomorrow.

Evan has played with my long hair for 3 years now. He says he misses it, but that I look pretty with my new hair. He's so Sweet.

Morgan's First Piano Recital

2007-03-23T20:55:00.001-07:00

Morgan had her first piano recital last night. She's been taking lessons since February and is loving it. She seems to be quite talented. She memorized her pieces and looked oh so cute while playing (note the new outfit), nothing she had would quite do. Her teacher is our good friend Anne Biron. Morgan adores her, and so do we.

Am I African???

2007-03-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Bradon says to Darron last night,"Dad am I African?"
Dad replies,"No son, your European!"
Bradon,"I'm Peein??"
Mom and Dad Laughing hysterically.
I LOVE my kids!!!

"Happy Birthday To Raia"

2007-03-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl is officially 1. She is truely a joy to be around. She doesn't say much, but for what she lacks in communication she makes up in cuteness.
She is all over the place. She practically runs to keep up with her siblings. She has even learned to maneuver the small steps out back. Those Nilsson genes are great.

We had a luau for her party since she is our "Hawaiian Princess" We love you Raia.

Mid-March Pool Fun

2007-03-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Only in California can we enjoy the backyard pool in mid-march. Even Evan, the warm water swimmer, was in the pool for nearly an hour. These fish will stop at nothing to get wet. Raia really enjoys the pool too. Throwing anything she can get her hands on into it. We sure do love these kids. Notice Evan's new swimming attire. If any of you have swam with Evan it's usually naked. This is our compromise. He sure is adorable.

"Daddy Darron"

2007-03-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

We are so proud of our dad. It is mid March and Food-ex is surviving, and so are we. We love you Dad, husband, friend.

Battle of the Bands

2007-03-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Recently we had a battle of the bands in our very own backyard. It was the "Little Cheetah Girls" versus the "Rock and Roll Vampire Band" It was truely entertaining. The Cheetah Girls worked all week at school on their performance. If we would have had a video camera going, we would be rich.

SEATS SIX

2007-02-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

It's not brand new, it's not a Suburban, it's not even a very fun color, but.......we can go places as a family in one car again. Dad is pretty happy with the compromise. He's always wanted a truck of his own. Yes, I was disowned by my family for buying a FORD, but hey, we're happy.

"Papa Can I Fly It Please"

2007-02-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

Raia is discovering very quickly that the quickest way to papa's heart is through a remote control helicopter. She's not a very good pilot yet, but she's learning.

"If only we were in Africa"

2007-02-17T20:32:00.001-08:00

Over Christmas break we went to Irvine to visit the Maughans for a couple of days. While there we played with cousins, ate good food, and went to the zoo. We found "Becky" the elephant there and she let us have a ride.
Evan was most excited to go. Morgan was NOT. But after the boys went she figured she would be brave and go too. She was happy with her choice.
We all had a great ride, we just wished it was in Africa with Grandma. Well, maybe the elephants aren't quite as tame there....but who knows.

Dinner Time is SOOO Boring Sometimes

2007-02-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

We took these pictures awhile ago, but all of my kids have them know. I guess rice and green beans just isn't her idea of fun. She usually can stay awake for meals, but this day was just too much for her to handle.

LIFE

2007-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

The Nilsson family is doing well. A little slow on updating the blog. Darron is doing so well and is so happy being his own boss. Food-ex is trucking right along. He occasionally has to turn down business because he wasn't expecting such quick growth. I've never seen him so happy.....and so tired. For the rest of us, we are just living LIFE. I worked last night and when a mother comes in 35 weeks pregnant and we can't find the heartbeat, it really puts life and my wonderful pregnancies and children into perspective. How blessed we are to have healthy, happy children.

Why every Daddy needs a Girl!!!!

2007-01-10T22:22:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures of Raia in her Christmas dress. Her daddy and I think she's the cutest 9 month old on the planet. We're not biased though.

"Is She 8 or 16......"

2006-12-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

On Friday night Morgan went with her friend Mauricia to High School Musical the Concert at the Rabobank Arena. She spent over an hour getting ready and was extatic when her friend showed up to pick her up in the same shirt. They were adorable and I realized that I have a very long road ahead of me.... Full of fun times and good memories.

"The Polar Express"

2006-12-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

We recently took a trip down to Fillmore, CA to ride "The Polar Express." It was fun for all involved. We went with 6 other families from the ward. The kids loved every minute. A train, chocolate milk, cookies AND Santa. What could be better? Oh yeah, mom and dad had fun too.

"Oh Christmas Tree....Oh Christmas Tree"

2006-12-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite family activities is picking out a Christmas Tree. The kids simply love to run around in all the trees while Mom and Dad search frantically for the PERFECT tree. This year there were some very strict parameters. A nice long top for the star and short enough to fit on the top of a car. We figured that is how people without trailers and big cars get their trees home. We found the perfect tree, and the kids even all agreed it was Morgan's year to put the star on. Wow a great tree and no star fighting, it's going to be a great Christmas.

"Motorcycle Boy"

2006-12-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

They call me "Motorcycle Boy".....

Actually I call myself "Motorcycle Boy." Evan puts on Dad's helmet and goggles very often and insists on the given name. We of course think it's adorable, but it is all serious business to him. Who said the Two's were Terrible. I've never met a more pleasant age.

Morgan's Favorite Dress-Up Doll

2006-12-01T14:52:00.002-08:00

Morgan really loves to dress-up her dolls, but when the doll actually smiles back at her it is even more fun for her. What beautiful girls we have. We are definately in LOTS of trouble when these girls get older.

"Cracked" Nut

2006-11-29T22:40:00.000-08:00

Our large grey nut didn't fair so well when combined with rain, 5:00 PM and 24th Street. Therefore it is now our "cracked" nut. Luckily, our boys faired much better. We are glad for small incidents like these to remind us how precious life is.

"Father Nut"

2006-11-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

This is "Father Nut" aka Darron doing his newest favorite thing. This past weekend at Thanksgiving in the desert, he discovered that 65mph on a dry lake bed is about as fun as it gets. The rest of us just enjoyed a quiet weekend with all of Sandee's immediate family. We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary last weekend and have decided we would love at least 60 more.

Blog World

2006-11-29T13:06:00.000-08:00

This is our first attempt to be part of the blog world. It should be fun. Be patient.