Dracula Jr???

Lovely fang....what happened to the front teeth?????

To view my and others art work go to the above web site. You can purchase original works of art, as well as prints, greeting cards and other novelties.

Halloween 08

Another Halloween! Belle decided she wanted to be a "pink" kitty cat... it was such short notice that I had to come up with my own design!

Rose was our little princess this year, she was very happy in her princess costume, and said thanks to everyone when she got her candy!

In the front yard in front of my bushes that turn red in the fall!

Princess Rose, Giraffe Joseph and kitty cat Belle.

Rice Cereal is soooooo Yummy!

"Hey mom, I am so excited to finally try this eating thing.....I think I could really be good at this!"





"Hmmmm, how does this spoon get in here...."






"Oh there we go....hmmmm....not sure....."






" Wait...Wait....Okay, Yeah this is really great. I am diggin this thing called food!"





"Mom, when do I get to eat again?"


Joey 5 months old!

4:30 am

Here I sit, having given up on ever sleeping again in my natural life. Nine times I have had to get up with the kids, and finally I just gave in, ate some cereal, and decided to write a short post since it has been so long. Having three children under the age of four definitely has its challenges. I am exhausted all the time it seems. I have never in my life had such bad dark circles under my eyes, and I think I look older than I ever have in my life. (children really do age you...it is a fact!) I do love them though, and they give me a lot of joy.....especially when they are sleeping....peacefully....think I will TRY to do the same...........or perhaps I need to get some painting time in before the chaos starts......decisions decisions

Belles third year!

Belle had many firsts this past year, first time going to preschool, first time to play at a friends house, first dance recital, and her first baby brother! We had a fun exciting year, and it is so fun to watch her grow. She is a big help to me, and a delightful little girl. I am sure 4 will hold as many wonders and adventures as 3.

Belle learned how to ride the scooter, and in her Sunday shoes no less!


Cousin camp watching poppy give four wheeler rides with cousin Ryan

Sissy's playing dress up!

In our Sunday best with sissy Rose and baby brother Joey.

Looks like Belle got him to take the Binky!!! The first and last time Ha!



Belle also had her first dance recital. I thought she was absolutely beautiful in her tutu! They were the Red Roses. It was a flower theme.



Getting ready to leave....for the dance recital. She was very excited that she got to wear "real" make up and not markers.



Belle and her birthday cake. Belle had a great day, and many wonderful presents. Her Aunt Janae and cousins came to celebrate with us, and it was a wonderful day! (The cake almost killed me though)!!!!

Rose this past year

It is hard to believe that my little Rose is a two year old. Her birthday was clear back in May, and we celebrated her birthday party the night before I went into the hospital to have baby Joey. I promise baby girl your birthday next year will be lots better! Anyway here are some shots from the past year, some are real action shots because this little girl doesn't slow down for anything or anyone! Rose has really tested my endurance and creativeness in keeping her little inquisitive mind busy! I love you Rose, and am looking forward to another busy toddler filled year!



A rare contemplative moment, she must have been watching a really good TV show. Like Little bear, (one of her favorites). This little dress was a birthday gift from Mammy.

I love this smile on Rose, this is my little mischievous Rose.....

Loves hanging out with daddy and big sissy in Daddy's dump truck.....which is no longer....we sold it this year.


Busy, Busy, Busy. This is the picture I am going to show her when she is eight months pregnant, along with the picture of the mess on the floor! By then she will be able to empathize!


Growing into a little girl that loves to play dress up with Sissy. (this is quite recent....before when I would try to put on a dress up out fit on her, she would shrug her little body right out of it). However, now she loves to do everything that Belle does!

Rose is walking pretty good in high heels now, better than her mom!

Ah the joys of cousin camp......

She found her love for painting her body at cousin camp.....since they painted the kids hands for an apron for my mom. Now she enjoys painting her face legs, tummy, feet, and anything else she can get exposed!


Holding baby brother the day after he was born. She always wanted to get him to suck on that binkie, oh how I wish she could have persuaded him.

Rose's birthday celebration with daddy and cousin Beth Ann


This beautiful cake was made and decorated by my very talented sister Janae! I think you need to take this on the road Janae, and start your own business! It was absolutely delish! (just like everything you make) That pretty much hits the high lights of the past year, and I look forward to taking lots more pictures in the year to come. As hard as it is to keep up with this little one, I will sure miss her little chubby cheeks when she smiles, the great kisses you blow to me every night, and your sweet loving disposition (which always seems to go with age....a mamma can always hope tho)

GRADUATION CEREMONIES

May was a very eventful month for our family! Spencer turned 12 and graduated from the sixth grade, and most importantly received the priesthood! Rose turned the big 2, and of course the birth of our last child, baby Joey. Here are some pictures from Spencer's graduation.



Walking down the cafeteria to take his place among the other graduates. His name starts with a W so he was one of the last ones. He looks so handsome in his tie and white shirt! We are seeing a lot of that now that he is passing the sacrament on Sunday!






He even sang in the graduating class choir! I was a proud mom!




Spencer receiving his diploma, his teacher is the one with the lei.


Spencer has gotten a lot of maturity this past year. I can see a glimpse of the man that he will be some day. I love you Spencer, and I am so proud of all that you have accomplished!

I am starting to feel human again!

Well, I realize it has been waaaayyy too long, but hey things are pretty much crazy around here with a new baby, a two year old, an almost 4 year old, and a 12 year old!!! Did I say crazy? How about totally chaotic, but I will survive, what choice do I have! :)



Baby Joseph Michael Nicholson
born May 27, 2008
7 pounds 14 ounces
19 1/4 inches long




Our cute baby Joey is now six weeks, and getting cuter and chubbier every day. He has a great smile, and the kids love to "play" with him. (this gets a little scary for me). Spencer has been a huge help, he has even changed diapers and put on clothes. I really have needed the help because the recovery process for this pregnancy was a rough one. I got a raging infection, had to go back to the hospital, it was rough. Thank goodness I have an angel sister and brother in law that really saved us! (love you Janae and Doug)






I have plans for several new posts.....Belle had a dance recital, Spencer had a birthday and graduation ceremony from grade school, and Rose had her 2nd birthday, and of course the birth of our precious new boy! We have cousin camp coming up this week, so the other posts will have to wait until at least next week. So see you all later!

Little Girls in Easter Dresses

Easter 2008 Belle and Rose, (Spencer was with his dad this year) we missed him.















I seriously tried to get a posed smiling shot.....not gonna happen with these two! As you can see, Belle's "make up" did not wear off. She insisted that her primary teacher really loved it.

WARNING....WHY MOTHERS CAN'T TAKE NAPS!!!!!!

So Rose was down for a nap, I absolutely zonked out, because I hardly slept last night, and this is what I wake up to. I am not quite sure of the look she was going for.....but I can't get this off. I am really hoping that it will be gone by Easter Sunday. I just don't think that the hot pink will go with her yellow dress real well.

Today Belle came in from outside and announced she found a toe nail. I said oooo yuck throw it away! Belle said no mommy I can put something in the wall with it.....oh, I said, a nail! Then she says oh you are just teasing me.

Today Rose decided she wanted to sit on the potty! All her own idea, how do I get her to figure out that you pee in the toilet, and not swim???

one year old

As of March 9, 2007, my blog turned one years old! Wow, who would have thought that I would make it through a whole year of family pictures, adventures and painting! I must say that during this past year, my painting has gotten better, my kids have grown a bit larger, my life has gotten more complicated, and I have grown a little more tired! Wow, what a year will do! When Spencer comes home on Wednesday, I will post a then and now picture of the kids!

Janae Tagged me

10 Years Ago I was doing........

Lets see that would make me 31. I was finally the thinnest I had been since high school, and dating up a storm!!!!

Five things on my list today........

Only five?
*Get my prescription filled
* clean the kitchen floors
*make dinner
*buy a rake painting brush, blender brush, and some mineral spirits
*work on Mike and Karla's painting

3 Bad Habits?


*Disorganized, Disorganized, Disorganized. The only way I know how to organize something is to throw it away. (this has really been bugging me lately like huge)
*impatience
*procrastination

Snacks I enjoy

Cake, warm brownies and ice cream, yogurt with granola, apples with peanut butter

Five places I have lived

*Las Vegas
*St Anthony, Id
*Rexburg, Id
*Green River Wyoming
*Utah

Five Jobs I have had

* motherhood
* hostess at resteraunt
* Waitress for about five minutes
* Social worker
* Real Estate agent

Five things you don't know about me

*I bet you didn't know that I have a magic sink. The minute that I have put all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, the sink is immediately replenished with more dirty dishes!
*I don't like jewelry unless it is real, and even then I have a hard time wearing it....I am just not a detail person.
* I wish it was socially acceptable for women to have hairy legs. I would be perfectly happy in Europe. (sorry mom)
* I am a bit of a loner....but I still get lonely....what an oxymoron that is.

If I suddenly had a million dollars

Hire a nanny, and paint, and take lots of classes from different teachers, travel and take lots of pictures so I could paint them, and I would take my kids to fun places like Disney land a lot. I would also get central vac like tomorrow. Oh yeah, pay off all my bills.

Well, there ya go.....that's me in a nutshell!

The Hand of God

My sister LaRae started a journal of sorts to start recognizing the hand of God in her life. I committed to doing the same thing, and can't believe that a week has gone by without me doing a thing. Now you might think this means I don't really want to do the journal. This is something that I do want to do. I am finding it really hard to balance all the things in my life. (A common theme of my blog I am sure most of you have noticed.) Either I am busy with kids, husband, painting or house....and then I leave the rest to haphazard occasional moments. I know that I have neglected my Spiritual health immensely in the past few years, and that is not something I want to continue to do. I do want to set a good example to my children, and showing them a well balanced wife, mother and daughter of our Heavenly Father. I know that the hand of God is in my life, but I let all the noise drown him out. The fights between little ones, discouragement, money problems, physical problems, and just surviving day to day eat up all of my energy. Yet, somewhere deep in my soul, I know that I need this to not only survive, but to be a happy person. Everyone is busy, and using being busy is just an excuse. At this point in my life, I don't think I can commit to doing this everyday, but I know that I can do it at least three times a week. So next week I commit to myself that I will have something to share about how the hand of God affects me.

My Messy Rose

Who would think that a delicate petite little girl of almost two could be a total hurricane! Every day we have at least one major catastrophic clean up. She really is amazing this child! Here was her latest total mess that she got into...........









She really looked a lot worse with her clothes on, that would be the black ash looking cloth to the right of her. She was so heart broken when we had to take "me me" into the wash, (her blankie). I wonder if this trend is going to continue into adult hood?

This is for you Madi.........Aunt Dawnae's most embarassing moment

Honestly it is hard to pick just one, there are so many embarrassing moments in my life !!! Judy had posted her most embarrassing moment....and I thought it was a great post. How often do we get the chance to have a good laugh at ourselves, and who knows maybe if I write it down for anyone to read.....it won't be so embarrassing anymore.

Anyway, I was just about to graduate from college. It was my last quarter. I had an early morning class, can't even remember what it was. I was pregnant with Spencer, overweight, and very tired. I rolled out of bed running late, I had no time for a shower. It was the spring, so it was pretty nice weather, and I just hurried and put on a big moo moo dress. I can still remember the dress. It was a guazy beige dress with big flowers on it. I rushed out the door, and it was surprisingly cool I thought, especially on my back side. I drove to the University, and rushed all the way to my class, and settled into my seat about five minutes late. I sat as far back as I could, but just like at church, all the back seats fill up first. I remember there was a group of young men behind me. About five minutes into class I felt a tap on my shoulder, and the young man behind me informed me that my dress was tucked into my under things!!! Oh I was so mortified, I can feel my face red right this minute to this day! It was all that I could do not to walk out of that class and never return! From time to time this incident will pop into my mind, and I still get so embarrassed, so Judy don't feel bad about the slip, at least you kept your bum covered!!!!

I can see clearly now the Rain and SNOW have GONE!

Hallelujah, the sun is out, and it rained yesterday and even last night! Do I dare utter the words and chance that maybe spring is coming despite what Puxatawny Phil saw? It was so nice to send the girls out this morning, and they were so excited! It has been a very long time since they could play out doors!





Rose was a little confused wondering where all the leave went?

This is a painting I just did in class, and it was really super fun! The minute that I saw the colors, I thought of my sister LaRae's home. So I want to give these to her, as a belated Birthday present, and a thank you for all the hard work that she did for my mom's birthday party. Hope you like them! Janae, your turn is next!