Brentwood

We spent Friday night and Saturday in Brentwood with Marsha and Whitney. It was a real nice visit. We watched Pride & Prejudice Friday and just relaxed. Saturday we ran some errands and then hopped in the pool to cool off. Although the water was pretty warm since it was 112 degrees out there. We then made a trip to Olive Garden to fill us full of delicious grub. Evan went home with Grandma & Whitney to play while Matthew, Dallin & I went to watch Pirates. We enjoyed it and it was nice to go on a semi-date. We relaxed for a little bit more and then had to head home so we could speak on Sunday. There were 4 of us speaking and Matthew and I were the last two. Needless to say we had about 10 mintues for the both of us to speak. Well, at least we got it over with. Happy Pioneer Day everybody!

New Friends

The greatest part about moving so much is all the new people we get to meet. Evan and I have these great new friends that live in our complex. We've played with them pretty much everyday since we met them. Evan is about a year older than Brighton and Dallin is 2 weeks younger than Kanyon. We went to our "new" beach. Evan likes it more because it's a lot more calmer than our "old" beach. It's just the docks here in Sausalito and so it's part of the bay. We caught Dallin and his little buddy holding hands. It was so cute! They are just both at the age of grabbing on to everything and they just kept grabbing onto eachothers hand. Later on Dallin sat and played with his head and put him to sleep.
Evan and Brighton though they would take the kayaks out for a little trip. Kanyon follows Evan around everywhere and Evan is becoming such a good big brother that he doesn't even mind. He really has matured quite a bit in the last month or so. I'm so proud of him! We are having a great time here in Marin City with our new surroundings and friends!

Happy Birthday Evan

My little boy is 3 years old. I can hardly believe it, but he'll proudly let you know. It wasn't the funnest day ever for him. We're still in the process of unpacking boxes and getting everything situated. I thought it would be a good day to unpack his toys, the poor guy. We did manage a little birthday party. I was watching 2 kids so they were our party guests and we had cake and opened his presents when Matthew got home from his white coat ceremony. We gave him a bicycle "The Gravel Buster" and a helmet. He got a box of wooden blocks from Grandpa & Grandma Bishop and some "Cars" underwear from the Wolfe's. Hopefully, we'll get him in those soon. He had a pretty fun day and was glad to have cake with lots and lots of frosting. It was suppose to be a soccerball for those who can't tell. We went in for his 3 year checkup today and he is doing great. He is about 30th percentile for weight and 20th for height. Dallin had his 3 month as well and is also doing really well.
He is 20th for height and 50th for weight. He is about the size Evan was when he was 7 months old. It's so fun and he is such a good kid still. Practically perfect, never fussing and always smiling. Evan really loves him and can make him laugh. We're all adjusting to our new surroundings and Matthew is busy with school. He sees his first official patient on Monday. He's kind of nervous but I'm sure he'll do great!

Time in Utah

We drove to Mike & Heidi's in SL on Monday June 26 and spent the evening chatting until Mike went to work. Of course that didn't stop us. We kept Heidi up talking all night long. The next day we just hung out and talked more. We tried to play a game or two with the little ones helping us out. It was nice to see Evan eventually stop picking on Austin and be friends. We all went down to Provo on Wednesday. I wanted to video tape some of the places that were important to Matthew and I. Like where we met, where our first kiss was, where we lived etc. It was fun! We met up with Meghan and Casey and chatted in the Wilk. Then Matthew and I wandered around the campus. It's amazing what one new building can do to make us forget what it use to look like. We've only been gone for 3 years. We met up again with Mags & Casey to eat at Cafe Rio. There are some things we really miss about that place. On our way to Dan & Julies we stopped at my grandfathers gravesite to visit him for a bit.


Dan & Julie were a whole lot of fun. They have 2 cute little girls now. We had never seen Sienna before and Holly was so much bigger. We stayed with them 2 nights and had fun like we use to do, plus 4 kids. Sure wish we lived closer to them. We drove up to Bear Lake Friday morning for my Bishop reunion and spent some time in the water. I've wanted Wave runners forever and I think I finally convinced Matthew to seriously consider it. I saw a wild side of him I'd never seen before. He even managed to throw me off one. Evan was a big fan of them as well, as long as he was the one driving. The lake was gorgeous and we enjoyed being out in the sun & rain & hail. Evan had more fun playing with cousins and playing in the nature.
We stuck around in Logan on Sunday because my brother blessed his baby boy, Ian Bradley and then headed to Kaysville to visit Grandpa & Grandma Green. They seemed to be in pretty good spirits. Of course grandpa was cracking jokes the whole time. They got a kick out of watching Evan running around their house. And also enjoyed meeting Dallin for the first time. After that we spent the night with my sister in Tooele, got up (not too)early in the morning the next day and made the long trek home, both boys were angels but got pretty tired of it near the end, but by that time we were already in San Rafael so it wasn't too bad.

Having fun

We just did a whole lot playing. We had a picnic at the park with some cousins. There were 2 large play structures so Evan was back and forth the whole. Grandpa got stuck with swing duty for a while. We went to a neat toy store afte and played with Thomas trains for a while. We celebrated my dad's birthday (Wendy's b-day) and then fathers day and then my mom's birthday (Marsha's b-day). Needless to say we had lots and lots of sweets and good food. Bridgette and her family came over for a few days and played. We went out on the boat.
Matthew and I rode the tube and realized the next day that we are a couple of old farts when 1 ride on the tube can make us so sore we can hardly move our arms. It was fun though! We hopped in the hot-tub quite a few times and Evan was always in the back yard just excited to be outside on nice soft grass. We had many visits from Becky Ann & James and Evan really like playing with JJ. We took Evan to the Meridian Dairy Days carnival. We splurged and let him ride a few of the little kid rides. Nothing too exciting, but he enjoyed it. We stayed and watched the Dairy Days parade and Evan got a TON of candy. Of course his favorite part was all the cars. Speaking of cars we went and watched Pixar's Cars and Evan thought it was great. He keeps asking to watch the Racecar movie on the big TV. A few days later Grandpa took us all to watch over the Hedge and Evan has been nicknamed Hammie now. If you've seen the movie you know why. Grandpa took Evan to the zoo too. Ummm, I think that about covers what we did for the few weeks we were there. I loved enjoying the sun and my family. Matthew enjoyed watching the Soccer games and relaxing. Evan just played and played all day long. Dallin was spoiled rotten by all the loving he got, especially from Grandma, but it's hard to resist someone so darn cute.

Idaho & Bushman Reunion

My parents drove me and the boys to their house on Memorial day. We spent the next day helping my mom celebrate her retirement at school and then a dinner at our house. I was able to see some old teachers and friends and show off my 2 handsome boys. What mother doesn't love to do that.
Then on Thursday we drove to Heber, UT to stay at the new Girls camp place for our Bushman reunion. It was great to see lots of family that I haven't seen in quite some time. Especially those of my immediate family. It had been over a year since I had last seen Bridgette and her kids. It was a nice place, especially for girls camp. Dallin always had some one to hold and kiss him. Evan loved having lots of cousins his size and age to play with. I never knew where he was at and it was dirty from head to toe all day long, but oh did he have a blast. His uncle Bradley took him on a hike down to a lake and he was a real trooper. We actually stayed in a hotel, thanks mom & dad, and so every night he was concerned that we were leaving all his friends on the mountain. The first thing he would say when he woke up was, "Where are all my friends?" I love reunions and I think Evan does now too. All the while poor Matthew was going to school, studying for finals and getting our new apartment lined up. Thanks for being such a hard working dad!

We're Back!

We just got back from our nice, long vacation. We had a blast and got to see lots and lots of family and a few friends. It was so nice and went by too quickly. We came home on the 3rd to our new place full of boxes. We've been working like crazy trying to get settled but it is taking a little longer because Matthew has been sick and I'm chasing Evan and taking care of Dallin. I'll give some recaps on our fun times but I want to post the pictures I took of Evan and Dallin for Mothers Day. They turned out so cute and I used the one for our baby announcements which I am still working on getting out. I'm a few months behind because I was having too much fun.

Tilden Park

I've been wanting to check out this park in the Berkeley hills because it has a steam train. So while my parents were here we decided to go. We saw some gorgeous views and the train ride was great. The park even had a Carousel that we let Evan ride on a couple of times. It was a nice place for a picnic although we didn't have one. We'll definitely go back and ride the train again. We met the Nielsens at Plearns and of course had some yummy food.
Me and Dallin went back to San Fran with my parents and Evan & Matthew went to Fentons with his family to top themselves off with some icecream. It was fun day out and about and it's always good to spend time with family.

Angel Boy

We blessed Dallin today in church so I guess he's officially Dallin Brant Nielsen. It was so great to have his Grandpa & Grandma Bishop all the way down from Idaho. Of course Grandpa & Grandma Nielsen came over from Brentwood and brought with them Meghan, Casey, Emily, Whitney, Joshua and even Uncle Dave. The 2 grandpas and Dave stood in the circle with Matthew. Afterwards we went to China beach and had a little picnic. It was pretty windy down at the beach, but overall a very beautiful day. Dalllin was and is just the best little baby.
Very sweet until he has to get his diaper changed and then the rage appears. Me and the boys are headed up to Idaho tomorrow for a few weeks of fun. We still don't know where exactly where we'll be but we're all packed up and ready to go. We're excited for the arrival of little Joshua tomorrow. Good-luck Sarah!

Too Fast Too Busy

I can't believe that Dallin had his 1 month check-up yesterday. Where is the time going? He weighed in at 9 lb 8 oz and 21 inches long. He is growing really well, but still feels so little to us. He's still such a good baby and wakes up 2 maybe 3 times a night, but mostly 2. Evan is having a little harder time with him being around all the time. It's probably because I've been so darn busy lately. I'm running out of time! My parents are coming down Memorial Day weekend so we can bless Dallin and then so Evan, Dallin & I can go back to Idaho with them and attend some family reunions. I'm so excited, but their arrival also means that I need to have the house all packed up and ready to move. Not to mention I should have a new place for us to live all lined up before I go.
Matthew is nice enough to not grumble about the fact that he will be moving us all by himself. I'm sure he'll enlist some help from his family and maybe from some of his friends. We applied to one place, but there are so many darn people in this city that we're going to have to apply to a lot more places I think before we finally get a place. We are definitely not cut out for the city life. We can't believe the prices people pay to live in a place without a washer & dryer, a dishwasher, a place to park your car and a living quarters the size of a shoe box. It's just crazy talk to us, but we'll be joining the ranks I suppose. The weather has been nice so Evan and I have ran around the beach and the park a couple of times while Dallin sits and sleeps. It's been nice, but I am really looking forward to spending the summer in Idaho and going water skiing, camping, hiking and just spending time with family members I haven't seen in over a year. Those happy thoughts keep me going. So do my 2 sweet angels!

What a day

I have ventured over the Golden Gate by myself 3 times and 2 of those times the car has broken down and I've had to leave it. The first time was 2 days before Dallin was born. The second time was Tuesday. Evan and I pulled off to check out a scenic overlook of the bridge so we could be sure to drive over the bridge during free toll time. When we got back in the car it wouldn't start. Matthew's phone was off and so I called a friend but didn't know the directions to where I was. During that phone call my cell phone ran out of batteries so I was really stranded. i talked to a couple of people who could hardly speak English. Finally I found a lady who spoke English and asked if I could borrow her phone. She offered to take me home because she couldn't imagine being stranded there with 2 kids. She was up there taking pictures of the bridge and snapped a couple of my boys. She has a website that she put them up on so everyone should go check them out. We made it home safetly thanks to Carol and I don't think I'll venture over there again by myself. Fun times!
http://www.actsofbeauty.net/gallery/1423523

Sweet Dreams

Little Buddy

We read the scriptures with Evan every night from those Easy Reader scripture books. He won't read unless Dallin is there beside him. It's so precious to see Evan telling Dallin about Jesus. Evan is such a great big brother!

Who's Who

So, do they look like brothers?

Baby Squeaker

Just some darn cute pictures of little Dallin.

More of the new guy

This little Dallin is sure easy to handle. He is a great eater and already has a nice little schedule. At least
for right now. He doesn't even flinch when Evan is running around screaming like a wild child, which is so nice. We're just having a lot of fun with him. He does have this sad, little shrill that goes off everytime he wants to eat immediately. It's pretty cute! He does have a real cry but saves it for special occasions. Most of the time he just squeaks, so Evan calls him Squeak-squeak. Evan sure is excited about his little brother.
He fell asleep on the way home from chuch and so Matthew put him right into bed. We saw him a minute later wandering around looking for his little brother. It makes him so sad when Dallin cries that he immediately runs in from wherever and hunts down the pacifier so he can stick it in his mouth. Then he'll stand there and hold Dallin's hand and rub his head to try and soothe him. It's so sweet, but we've always known that Evan has a pretty tender heart. Evan is at the movie theatre with his Grandpa
Bishop having his 2nd experience in front of the big screen (#1 was Polar Express at 16 months old). They're watching Ice Age 2. I hope it's a good experience for both of them. I'm just sitting here snuggling on the couch with my new little munchkin. Man, I love being a mom!

Dallin Brant Nielsen

Dallin was born on April, 13th 2006 at 3:54pm, just three hours after Bethany was admitted. He weighed 7 lbs and one-half ounce, and was 19.5 inches long. Bethany did amazingly well, especially in light of her not having an epidural. Congrats to both of them.

Free Days

We love free days here in San Fran and we try to use them as much as we can. We went to the Steinhart Aquarium on Wednesday with some of our friends and saw lots of cool fishes. They have a giant Sea Bass which I found frightening to look at. They also have turtles with snake necks and turtles with alligator heads. Crazy stuff! Saturday we went to a Discovery Museum across the Golden Gate. It has a big train table village and that is where we spent most of our time. They also had a large playground with some interesting structures and plenty of water to play in. a Of course Evan had a great time, and loved playing with his friends. He really is a little social bug. I love it!

Handsome Fellows

I just wanted to show off my 2 handsome boys. We sure would have liked to have a third one in the mix, but alas he is not in as much of a hurry as his brother. Evan wasn't so sure about his tie at first but now that he realized anybody who is anybody wears one we could hardly get him to take it off to go to bed. The boy has an iron will. He sure loves to go to church and I hear that he is one of the only ones who participates in song and lesson time. He makes sure that we read scriptures every night before bed and says some of the sweetest prayers. These little ones are pretty amazing.

Father & Son

Matthew and Evan finally got around to doing the Home Depot craft project that Grandpa & Grandma Nielsen gave to us this summer. They had a lot of fun hammering and painting. Evan wants it to be his fire house for all his fire trucks, police cars and ambulances. Sounds like a good idea!