~Raylee Jo's Blessing and Random Pics~

Raylee Jo was blessed on October 9th by Brock. It was a really nice day and Brock did a great job! We weren't able to get a family picture but we sure did get some of the kids. :) Raylee's dress and headband were made by Brock's Gramma Haglund, so Raylee's Great-Gramma. It was so beautiful! We had a lot of comments on it. Thank you so much to all of our family that came and supported us. We are very lucky to still live close enough to see everyone!

 Here is Raylee in her dress. Her bracelet was made by her Aunt Randee.

It was the perfect accessory for this little girl!

Here's Brandt pulling a funny face.

He's such a cheeser sometimes.

Yellowstone Park

Brock's parents came up one weekend and we decided to go to Yellowstone for the day. It was an eventful trip. We weren't lucky enough to see a lot of animals but we did get to see some buffalo and a 5 point elk. It was a fun getaway.

Here's Brandt again. He was having so much fun on this bridge.

These pictures turned out so cute!

Here is Brock and Brandt on that same bridge.

I love this picture!

Here is one of Brandt, Brock, Shaun, Raylee in the blanket and me. It was pretty cold so I was trying to keep her warm while we went to see the hot pots.

Raylee Jo's New Jewelry 

On Wednesday I took Raylee to my Aunt Debbie's Salon and had her pierce her ears. We gave her Tylenol before and I had a watermelon sucker for her to suck on while we did it. She barely even cried!

She is such a tough girl!

*New Arrival & Turning 1*

We can finally announce the arrival of our little girl! Raylee Jo Nielsen was born on August 18, 2011 at 5:08 p.m., weighing in at 6 lbs 5 oz and 19.5 inches long. Labor and Delivery went very smooth and quick. We checked in at 12:30 p.m. so we only had to wait for a little over 4 1/2 hours.

A lot of our family members were able to come up and see her. We are so thankful for all the support and love that they have shown to us. We have had a lot of help from both sides of the family. My little sister Natalie was able to come up here and help me for 6 weeks this summer before Raylee was born. And both my mom and Brock's mom have stayed with us to help out.

Here is Daddy and Raylee when she was two days old. A really nice nurse found the litte hat and put it on her.

Here is Daddy, Mommy, and Raylee after her first bath.

Here are Grandpa Greg and Grandma Kari with Brandt and Raylee.

Here are Grandpa and Grandma Nielsen with Brandt and Raylee.

Finally here is our little family the day we came home from the hospital. Brandt has been so good with her and has been so sweet to give her kisses on her head and he now knows how to say sister.

This was her take home outfit. I loved it when I saw it so I had to make sure it's what we brought her home in.

*Brandt's 1st birthday*

Brandt turned 1 on the 22nd. So yes, my kids are 361 days apart! Almost made it to a year but not quite. We kept it really small this year because I wasn't sure when Raylee was coming so I didn't plan anything huge. My mom and I made him a cake that he could dig into and he did a great job of that! Brock decorated the #1 and put the Boston Red Sox baseball cap on the bear and my mom and I decorate the bear.

Here he is chowing down on the leg he ripped off. He was loving it! It was so fun to watch him. My mom has had this cake mold since I was little. It has been tradition to let all the kids tear into this cake on their 1st birthday. And so far, Brandt has been the only one to actually grab a piece and start eating it.

This one has to be my favorite pic of him! He has grown so fast! He can now say a few words which include...

*Mama

*Dada

*Papa

*Sister

*Bath

*Dog

*and he can tell you what a cow says.

This last year has flown by and I'm sure it's not going to slow down any time soon with the addition of another one. I feel so blessed to have the wonderful family that I do and to have so many people around us that love and support us. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us out and who has been there for us whenever we may have needed it.

*Summertime Fun* (so far)

~First haircut~

Brandt had his first haircut a couple months ago. I know it looks like there was nothing to cut but he had the old man hairdo going where it's really long on the bottom and he had a bald spot from rubbing on his mattress. So I decided to use my clippers on him and even it out. He did an amazing job!! He sat so still and it looked so much better after. He's had another haircut since then too. I figured I might as well get him used to haircuts so it's not a struggle when he's older.

~High School Gradution~

My younger brother Brady graduated from Fremont in May. I can't believe he's old enough to be done! He was a Student Body Officer his senior year but has pretty much been an officer every year since he was in 7th grade. He played on the Varsity Soccer team for Fremont also. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished!

~Brock's Birthday~

Brock had a birthday in June. His parents were able to come up and stay for a little bit. They took us to dinner for his birthday and Brandt would not sit still once he saw the balloons! It was so funny! So grandpa Nielsen decided that Brandt should have one and went and grabbed one for him. He loved it!

~Random Pics~

Now here are just some random pics I've taken this summer so far.

Here's me and Brand't just hanging out at home.

This is Brandt at Brock's softball game last week. He loves being outside!

Brandt has now developed a habit of falling asleep in his jumper. It's been great for me since it's getting harder and harder to hold him while he's sleeping without his little sister trying to kick him off!

And finally here I am at just over 31 weeks pregnant. Definately been harder this go around with a small one to chase after and keep out of everything.

*First Mother's Day Ups and Downs*

My first official Mother's Day was wonderful! We weren't able to visit family in Utah but that just meant that we were able to have a quiet day with just my little family, and we didn't have to run around like crazy. I loved it! My sweet husband and adorable son gave me a few shirts that are more comfortable for me to wear right now. And Brock had no help picking them out. He did an amazing job finding some of the cutest tops ever! He also found a shirt for me that was his favorite to give me. He's been wanting to find me a Boston Red Sox shirt for a while and fnally did! It was so cute! Now we just need to find Brandt one and we can get some family pictures. Here's me and Brandt on Mother's Day with my Boston shirt. It's not easy to see but it was way cute!Here's our cute little family! Brandt didn't want to cooperate too well, we took quite a few pics to get one good one. The down side to my Mother's Day is that Brandt is trying to cut 4 teeth and is pretty fussy. He is getting the two teeth next to his front teeth, so he may look kind of funny for a while since his two front teeth are coming after the ones on the sides.

I was able to talk to my little brother Alex who is serving a mission in Minnesota right now! His mission president let him call the family on Skype. It was great! We were able to have me, Brock, and Brandt on with my brother that lives in Virginia, and the rest of my family that lives in Utah. He's doing great but can't wait for summer to come either!

Here's Brandt thinking about trying to crawl. He went backwards a little bit but then gave up.
Here is Brandt's new favorite thing to eat! He loves ice cream.
Here he is on Easter with Papa Craft reading a book. We had a lot of fun visiting family on Easter.
Here he is with Aunt Natalie in his Easter outfit.
This is the day before easter coloring eggs at Grandma Nielsen's. We had to entertain him with the spoon so he wouldn't keep trying to reach the cups of dye.

Hope everyone else had a great Mother's Day also! I am so lucky to have so many wonderful examples of mother's in my life! Thank you mom for everything you have and are still teaching me! I love you!
Here are two of the wonderful women in my life! This is my Grandma Burke and my mom at Brandt's blessing. They have been a huge help to me and I love them both so much!

~It's A....~

Well we were finally able to get my targeted ultrasound done! Everything looks great with the baby. The ultrasound tech almost forgot to look and see what we were having. She was getting ready to finish up and I had to ask if we could try and see if it's a boy or girl. She tried really hard to make sure and get a good look before she announced what she could see and by the way that nothing was really "showing up" she told us she is pretty sure that it is a GIRL!!! Just goes to show you that I should never guess what anyone is having, especially my own. I was convinced I was having another boy which I was so excited for so that Brandt could have a brother so close to him, but I was wrong, yet again. We are so very excited! We were able to get a 3D ultrasound this time which was really interesting.

Here's our little girl's face, well her profile anyway. She is sure a mover like crazy! I don't think she stops all day or night. It'll sure be interesting when she gets bigger. This pregnancy has been a lot easier than my first after the first trimester was over. With Brandt I was nauseous all day every day and now I am no longer sick which has been wonderful! We're just hoping that the shots I have to get work and I can stay off of bed rest and enjoy this summer with my family. So far so good!

*Six months and Irish Twins*

I can't believe how fast these last couple months have flown by! Brandt is now 6 months old. He had his checkup last week. He weighs 15 lbs. 14 oz. he is 20th percentile in weight, 80th in height and 84th for his head. So I guess I have a tall, thin, big headed little guy!

I took this pic yesterday morning. I needed my Diet Coke with a lime, and figured it would be cute to send to family and friends that are also addicted to Diet Coke. I love his expression! He looks like I caught him doing something bad.
This one cracks me up so bad! I had him on my lap and had my phone turned trying to get a picture of him smiling to send to his grandmas, and this is the face he pulled right when I took it. I laughed and sent it anyway. Everyone loved it.

He has been so much fun! He was able to start eating baby food and he absolutely loves it! He had squash first and was furious when I stopped feeding him. He has been wonderful with sleeping through the night but he has now learned that he likes sleeping on his tummy. Kinda freaked me out the first time I found him but I soon learned he sleeps better that way and he loves it.

~Irish Twins~

For those of you who have not heard of the term before you're not alone. I had no idea what it was until it was used by my neighbor to explain my situation. People are considered to have irish twins when their kids are born within a year a each other. Yes, you heard right. We are expecting baby number two 5 days after Brandt turns 1!!!! I delivered Brandt 2 weeks early so if I repeat history this baby will also come early and be Brandt's Irish twin. Complete shock? Of course! And just for those of you who don't know, you can use this as a heads up, some anti biotics will cancel out birth control. We had no idea. But we are so excited to see what new little angel we get! I am just over 14 weeks so we won't find out what we are having for about 6 more weeks.

Just goes to show you to be careful when you think to yourself, "what were they thinking?!" when you hear of someone having their kids close together, I did that all the time and swore my kids would be at least 3 years apart! But now mine are going to be closer than anyone I asked that question about.

So, wish us luck! This will sure be a year to remember!

Here's our little peanut at 11 weeks! Sorry it's a bad picture. I took it with my phone from the ultrasound. I love this little person so much already and can't wait to meet him or her. And before anyone asks I would love either a boy or girl! I think a boy would be great so Brandt can have a partner in crime and someone to use the clothes he's already grown out of. And I would love a little girl to dress up in pink and do her hair. So I figure, either way, I'm set! Feel free to predict if you want though!

~A Blessing & A Farewell~

We have been so busy lately, but have had so much fun! Brandt has been such a joy! We were able to have Brandt's blessing on October 24th. It was so good! Brock gave such a beautiful blessing and Brandt didn't even make a sound. Almost all of our family was able to make it up for it. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful and supportive family. Thank you to all who made the long trip up north for us! We love you all!

Here we are! Our happy little family!

Here is Natalie, Kathleen, Me, Brandt, Brady, and my mom. My poor dad wasn't feeling well so he was at my Grandma's.

Here is Randee, Brandt, and Brock. Brandt is actually smiling in this one.

~Mission Farewell~

We also had my little brother Alex's farewell in October. He was called to serve in the Minneapolis, Minnesota mission. He did so well with his talk and I was amazed at how many people showed up to hear him.

Here are my three wonderful brothers! My older brother Nick, and my younger brothers Alex and Brady, with Brandt screaming.

This one cracks me up! Apparently Brandt was really hungry while Alex was holding him so he was searching for something to eat. Poor little guy.

Here are all of the kids in my family in order from oldest to youngest. Nick, Kathleen, Me, Alex, Brady, and Natalie. Nick was able to fly in from Washington D.C. for Alex, it was great to see him again and to let him finally meet Brandt.Here's the whole family minus my sister in law Tati, she wasn't able to get away from work. There's Nick, Brock, Brandt, Me, Kat and her husband Tom, Alex, Brady, my Dad, Natatlie, and my Mom.

It was so nice to be able to be there for Alex. We will miss him so much but we know he will do such a great job!

~Baby Overload~

Me, Heather, and Alicia were finally able to get together for just a little bit and get pictures with all three of our babies. We are all so grateful to be done with pregnancy and finally have all of them here!
Here is Brandt, Korbin, and Kyndree. Placed oldest to youngest. It was so fun to see them all!

~Random Pics~

Here are some random pics of Brandt that I just wanted to share.

I'll end with this one because I love it! His eyes are so big! Hope you all enjoyed my overload of an update!