that's right folks, i did it. laugh and scoff, you may, but i sent a letter to oprah to feature stephanie's story on her show for "do you know a superwoman?" why yes i do...start praying she'll do the scoop ya'll!

where it all began

it has officially happened. i finished the nieniedialogues. what will i do during brennan's naps now? at the end there was a little teaser:

"A new name is given to my blog.
stephaNIENIElson.
www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com
Welcome.
(also, if you want to check out my old blogs
www.graciejbrunswick.blogspot.com)"

the only problem is that it is set to private. boo.

cheers steph, and thanks for the great ride.

daylight STAB MY EYES OUT time

i used to love this time of year when the clocks set back...that wonderful extra hour of sleep to recharge my batteries for the week ahead. it just felt SO good. no more people b/c the little one is still going to think 7am is 7am, even though now it will be 6am. boo hoo hoo, i know. in three days we'll be okay and back on track, plus it's good practice for our christmas visit to CA, but i'm still cringing at the thought of tomorrow morning.

click HERE for an article telling you how to help your little one adjust their schedule to the daylight savings time.

p.s.

(all of you arizona & hawaii people are making me jeolous this weekend, don't know why?click HERE)

H-NIGHT

getting sloshed on green punch, isn't the beaker fabulous!?

(great job shannon, awsesome P-A-R-T-Y)

spooky brew
it's all about the details, the eyeballs tasted great...squishy, but great
cousin shawn, always the main event (i wish i had a pic of the fam b/c his wife shannon was the wife from the movie to match him and their youngest son was a trick or treater from the movie: nightmare before christmas, so stinkin' cute)

H-DAY

the lion & his tamers

rooooaaaaaaarrrr!!!
"baby's 1st boo"
(thanks grandma gibson, too cute)
that's right folks, kitty litter for dessert!

no animals were harmed during the making of this dessert. kitty litter box and pooper scooper were cleaned and disinfected before use (come on, only one cat used it before, lol j/k).

recipe:
1 spice cake mix

1 white cake mix

1 package white sandwich cookies

1 large package vanilla instant pudding mix

16 small tootsie rolls

1 litter box & pooper scooper (maybe spring for a new one!)

green food coloring

how to:
1. Cook cakes like normal in separate pans (can bake at same time, just add a little time).

2. Make pudding, chill.

3. Crush cookies in bag before opening (finely crushed for sand), set aside 1/4 cup

4. Put 1/4 c. cookie crumbs in baggie, add green food coloring, set aside

5. When cakes have cooled, crumble in the biggest bowl you've got, mix

6. Add 1/2 regular cookie crumbs & chilled pudding

7. Put mixture into clean kitty litter box (you didn't honestly think i used a used kitty litter box did you!??!)

8. Heat tootsie rolls in microve in 10 sec. intervals until soft and pliable: shape ends and curve to look like poo

9. Burry 8 tootsie rolls in mixture

10. Sprinkle other 1/2 of regular cookie crumbs on top, then Scatter 1/4 c. green crumbs (to look like chlorophyll in kitty litter)

11. Place remaining tootsie rolls on top of cake where you like.

**you can place kitty litter box on top of newspaper for added affect, serve with new pooper scooper (or old one for added flavor) ENJOY!**

i'm taking bets!!!

HOW many DAYS before Brennan crawls!?!
the winner will get a fabulous batch of my famous cookies shipped straight to them, no charge!!! so place your bets now and tune in for the winner. (more contests and give aways to come!)

BRING ON THE BOO

i got a little excited for christmas today. i was reading stephanie's old blog posts (b/c we are reading her blog for book club this month, p.s. heather, you rock!), and i found these lyrics:

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas Just like the ones I used to know. Where the treetops glisten, And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write. May your days be merry and bright. And may all your Christmases be white.

does that not get you into a little bit of the christmas spirit? now i don't know if i can fully enjoy halloween! naw, of course i can, bring on the BOO!!!!

for the latest on the nielson's click HERE.

brennan's nemesis

babies should be able to blow their nose, this should not be a learned habit.

the end.

scariest bath ever

it went kinda like this...

1. big tub

2. baby doing splits

3. baby sliding around in tub

4. baby reaching for swimming lobster toy

5. baby slamming head into side of bath

6. baby face planting into 4 inches of water

7. mom pulling baby up & trying to pretend she is not freaking out so baby won't freak out

8. mom using dad's stethoscope to listen to baby's lungs b/c she is PARANOID

9. baby's lungs sound clean and good

10. baby gets to play with comb on mom and dad's bed while mom hugs and kisses baby

11. baby takes nap

12. mom checks on baby 5 times during nap to make sure baby is ok

conclusion: back to the sink it is folks!

seriously?

date: October 29

location: costco

items in picture: adorable baby (in halloween colors), christmas tree, light up santa, snowman

seriously? it's still october! (and not even halloween yet, come on)

click HERE for today's update on stephanie & christian!

what did your family eat last night?

this is what we ate:

tostadas. my new favorite dinner b/c:

1. fast

2. easy

3. satisfying

4. colorful, therefore pretty!!!

how to make:

1. cook 1lb ground beef (or any meat) w/onion, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can corn, & sliced olives (i crush the olives with my hands)

2. spray pan with Pam and flip corn tortillas back and forth until golden brown and slightly crispy (medium heat)

3. turn heat down slightly, sprinkle cheese and let melt

4. remove from pan and put on plate, cover with meat mixture

5. top with more cheese, sour cream, & green onions (which i didn't have yesterday, but it makes it so much prettier)

6. garnish with limes and squeeze them ALL over, yum

famous 5k runners!

check out a slideshow here that was created after the 5k run. the photographer loved our cute brennan...and apparantly disregarded my bright red face.

congratulations my love!!!! i am SO proud of you (proud in a good way).

reasons why sean was awarded scholarship

as described in letter:

1. committee was compelled by his service and academic record

2. hard worker

3. hottest pt student ever (okay, that one is mine)

4. smartest pt student ever (okay, that one is mine also)

**they were unable to print items 3 & 4 b/c of jealousy issues that other students may have**

perks of award

as described in letter:

1. write a thank you letter (we really do enjoying doing this, so it IS a perk)

2. picture taken with program director & president of the APTA with scholarship plaque

3. attend luncheon to meet donor and eat yummy food

4. feel warm fuzzies about how great he is (okay, that one is not in letter, but it is inevitable!)

5. have picture framed on wall at home (okay, also not in letter, but just wanted you all to know)

D&C 112:7

Therefore, gird up thy loins for the work. Let thy feet be shod also, for thou art chosen, and thy path lieth among the mountains, and among many nations.

these are the moccassins that stephanie was wearing in the plane crash. they saved her feet from being burned. in the scriptures feet are regarded as a sacred symbol. feet are everything in my life. they take me where i need to go, where brennan needs to go. feet are one of those tender mercies.

the walk I'M on

i chose the scarf. it was fabulous.

i woke up this morning, nursed brennan, fed him cereal, checked cjane, and bathed all of his chunky little rolls. i dressed him, put him down for his morning nap, put a load of laundry in, and returned to my morning cup of cjane. i sobbed through an article that was written this weekend on the nielson family. click here for the article, BUT beware!!! it's a two tissue one folks.

i continue to marvel at how much this woman's story has changed my life. i used to get so frustrated when things didn't go "just right." i still have moments of frustration as a mother, who doesn't? but i quickly remember all of my rich blessings.

even with my belief in god (click here to learn about my faith), i find myself wondering "why did this have to happen to stephanie and her family?" then i cry b/c i'm thanking god it didn't happen to me. then i cry b/c it's just not fair. then i remind myself that bad things just happen to good people (and to bad people for that matter), and that there really is a greater plan than any of us can comprehend. thank goodness these people believe in a loving heavenly father who will help them prevail (b/c he really will, help that is).

if you've read the article you may have welled up when you read about 2yr old "gigs" (nicholas) who's baby fat is slowly disappearing, something stephanie is missing out on. those chubby cheeks she adored! the ones i can't get enough of in my son!!! stephanie's sisters wonder if he will remember his mom, recognize her. it kills me to think about that. one of the things i cherish most about staying home with brennan is seeing the changes from day to day. i love being a mom. it is the best thing i do all day. i love the things it teaches me about sacrifice, love, and life. why do i stay home? why do i not "work" (it makes me laugh that people think i don't "work" just because i'm not getting paid)? i guess it's different for every mother and every walk of life. i'm glad for the walk i'm on.