All I want for Christmas is Lego, Lego and more Lego

I hope he brings a rubbermaid tote to hold it all. :0)

The Christmas season is quickly approaching and I will be happy to spend some time with all of us together. Life can be so busy with Scouts, dance, school activities, meetings, playgroups, playtime, and so on. The holidays bring a welcome relief .

What do you like most about this time of year? Some of our family responses are PRESENTS, Christmas, making people happy, time with my family, and Jesus.
One sad thing I noticed this year, since I was not participating in the community choir, is that I know almost all of the Christmas songs.

What is your favourite Christmas song? Some of ours are Old Toy Trains, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Baby Please Come Home (U2), Grandma got Run Over by a Reindeer, Oh Little Town of Bethlehem and Sting's rendition of I Saw Three Ships.

Our home wishes your home a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

"Christmas is more than trees and twinkling lights, more than toys and gifts and baubles of a hundred varieties. It is love. It is the love of the Son of God for all mankind. It reaches out beyond our power to comprehend."
Gordon B. Hinckley

This has turned out to be another busy month

Like the rolling stone that gathers no moss, so is our life after Halloween until January.
This year we had a leprechan, a snowboarder, a couple of army men and superman. We went to a halloween party and bobbed for apples, ate donuts and lots of treats, had a treasure hunt and watched Scooby-Doo 2.

We then keep rolling along with birthdays. Carter is 13 now! A new phase in life has begun. Carter is doing well in most things. French is a challenge. But I think we can handle this one. For Carter's big 13th party he had a sleepover with 5 of his friends. They slept in the tent in the backyard. I did worry a bit that it would be too cold but only one complained, the lone boy who had to go pee in the middle of the night. In the morning they ate a lot of waffles. Carter baked his own angel food cakes for his birthday and his party. Hyrum enjoyed the time with all the BIG boys. In amongst all this Alick turned 4. Woohoo! He loved the presents, especially the Lego. His party is going to happen soon. Dexter decided it would be more fun to go sleep over at his friends house. They watched a number of movies and ate a lot of junk food.

Today, 3 of the 4 boys participated in the Primary Program during Sacrament Meeting. They sang beautifully and spoke clearly. lil A even did a little part with Drew about Prophets. The microphone was very intriguing to him. He said "Don't you think I sound like a robot?"

Next comes the craft days, Christmas social parties, school Christmas programs, Drew's birthday, Christmas itself and New Year's. Phew! I hope to be able to get a few afternoon naps in before the New Year. I won't go into the New Year yet.

I feel that in more ways than one my life as I know it has changed for ever more. "And I feel fine!" I have joined the exclusive club of SHEs and am a FLY baby. This is a group, on the net, that I have joined for women like myself that struggle with the day to day routines of home life. I am excited for the new woman I am going to become! Well actually I look forward to the organized, freedom I am going to enjoy as Alick will be going to school in less than a year. I can hardly believe that after almost 14 years of being home with a child or children I will get some time for me, alone, every school day.! Phew, that is a long time and for a long time I thought it would never come. As it draws near I look forward to it. I am glad to have Alick at home still and the thought of sending him to pre-school is something I avoid.

Poems by Us

I love to read Dr. Seuss stories. Some of them tend to get a little tricky but I am attracted to the rhymes. The years of reading to the boys have brought many authors into our home. Yet to be honest, I still love the fun rhymes best. We have tried our hand at poetry and creative writing. The best one Drew has composed is one titled "The Wicked Sheep of Wiskey Gap". Like most writers the things I write about have to do with family activites and experiences. One was about eating ants because Hyrum and Carter have eaten some. I even wrote a lenghty clean up poem. I won't bore you will all of my stories and such but here are a few collective efforts for you to enjoy.

Signs of Fall
Leaves falling
Birds migrating
Sweater wearing
Mushroom hunting
Jam making
Flowers dying
Wood stacking
Garden harvesting
Trick or treating
Others helping
Signs of Winter
Fires burning
Snow falling
Gloves warming
Star gazing
Toboggan riding
Fort building
Present wrapping
Lights shining
Carols singing
Signs of Spring
Dandelions Flowering
Grass growing
Trees budding
Birds nesting
Children playing
Hummingbirds humming
Geese returning
Bike riding
Signs of Summer
Gardens growing
People swimming
Baby birds chirping
Lawn mowing
Salmon fishing
Sunset watching
Beach exploring
-by Hyrum and Mom

There's a spider in the window. He's lurking there I know
Can't see him cause he's hiding, but his web awaits his foe.
-by Dexter and Mom


I Like Ants
Do you like ants?
I do.
Some are red.
Some are black.
Some are big.
Some are small.
Some are fast.
Some are slow.
Ants live in the dirt in my backyard.
When ants crawl on me they tickle my arms and my legs and my belly.

Have you ever eaten one?
I have.
Some are juicy.
Some are dry.
Some are like bubblegum.
Some are spicy.
Some are crunchy.
Some are squishy.
Some tickle my insides and make me itchy.
They tickle my arms and my legs and my belly.
Ants are delicious.
-by Mom

In the Kitchen with Carter and Drew

I must not tell a lie. I dislike cooking everyday, day after day. In the summertime Drew shares his culinary expertise with us. Yum Yum! It is a welcome change from the regular routine of Mom's cooking. I like having helpers in the kitchen. It does involve more clean up for me but I enjoy the taste of someone elses cooking. Carter began helping in the kitchen a few years ago when he learned to make cream puffs. Unfortuneately they only turned out right the next time he tried making them. The next 3 times were a flop. Since then Carter has tried quite a few things from eggs to noodles. The most popular and most used recipes are as follows, Waffles by Carter and Cookies by Drew.If you venture to use a recipe I hope you enjoy the fruits of your labours as much as we do! :)

Waffles

2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Preheat waffle maker
In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and creamy. Continue beating adding milk. Mix dry ingredients together and gradually add to milk and egg mixture; beat until smooth.
Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites and melted butter.
Add 1/2 cup batter to preheated waffle maker. Close waffle maker. Bake until golden. Approx. 3 min.
-courtesy of Philips

Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips (Preference milk chocolate)

Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla.
Stir flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda together and add. Stir in chips.
Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake in 350 F oven for 10 min.
-courtesy of Company's Coming Cookies

Back in the Saddle

School is now in session. The life of fun and freedom has been replaced by the daily routine of gettting up and going to school. The summer season lingers as the weather is clear enough to enjoy some outside activities. Since returning from the dry land vacation to Utah and Alberta Hyrum has been anxious to go fishing in the ocean and to smell the clean, moist air. I don't think he will stray far from this beautiful place. We went fishing today and he caught 7 small Bullheads. It was very exciting and a wonderful way to be welcomed home. I am looking forward to biking around town with Alick in his new seat. I found a seat that allows him to sit in front of me. It centers the weight and allows for better bike control. The nights are too cool for a campout but I hope to go out for a picnic at the lake and soak up the last of the suns summer rays before the grey clouds settle in for a season. It was sure nice spending time with extended family this summer. We live so far from everyone else that the busy time we spent will be revisited in my mind many times over. I remember times of past with cousins, aunts and uncles. My how everyone has grown and changed. Each living a wonderful life. Now when I share memories with my boys they can understand who I am talking about and share in the fun times and stories. Thank you to all of you that made our summer a happy one.

For Carter this is an exciting time because he has moved to the big school-NISS, the Secondary school for a number of communities. He finds himself in a class with boys and girls from Woss, Sointula, Alert Bay, and Port McNeill. One new classmate named Patrick was a competitor in the previous Track Meet. The 4 classes Carter has this semester are CAPP, PE, English, and French. So far he likes all his teachers and has a locker by a couple of Grade 11s or "Juniors" for our american cousins and family.

Quiggly and Hyrum's 10 guppies survived our time away thanks to some great friends and neighbours. The house is still standing after weeks of neglect, packing, unpacking and general chaos. I have begun to understand the meaning of Fall Clean Up and hope the tent that was left out in the rain for 2 weeks will still be useable next year. Everytime I think it is dry enough to roll up the rain starts again. We had a very dry summer and now that the weather has cooled off a bit it has begun to rain on and off. The beauty of it still being summer is that we still get to see the sun between the showers.

Our Town, Port McNeill

Hello Everybody and welcome to our 2nd Issue of The Neilson Nephews News.



Our town is a beautiful small town located on the inside of Vancouver Island up at the north tip. We do not have a view of the ocean from our home but it is down the hill from us and we can see the channel from the street front of our yard. We often step out there to watch the wonderful sunsets in the spring, summer or fall. The town is so small there is not a traffic light. Only one flashing light at the intersection by the firehall and police station. I think there are almost 3000 people that live here. It is very green. Lots of trees and plants.



There are lots of things for us to do. Parks to play in, a beach to explore at, lakes to swim and fish in, a skating rink, an outdoor swimming pool, friends to visit with, and trails to hike.

We do not have a movie theatre but we have great friends that invite us over for dinner and a movie. It is much more fun this way. We get to visit and can pause the show for a potty break.

The funnest thing we do in the summer is camp. Life is so easy and laid back. Easy food to prepare that eveyone eats. Simple clean up. Time to explore new places or just sit back and relax.


I have requested some old favourite books from the library. I enjoy reading to the boys and during the school year I tend to start a book and never finish it. Harry the Poisonous Centipede by Lynn Reid Banks is a fun story that was Carter's favourite. We'll let you know what our favourite summer reading books will be at the end of the summer. Dexter enjoys the Dragonlance books. Carter enjoys comics such as Calvin and Hobbes and Garfield. Hyrum enjoys the Magic Tree House series. lil A enjoys anything you read to him but he'll ask you to read Curious George Adventures time and time again-Curious George goes to the Beach has been borrowed from the Library countless times.

July 7, 2004

"Summertime and the livin' is easy....."
One of my favourite songs describes what summer should be but thus far it has been a lot work. The last few weeks of school were very busy and now I am trying to put things right. I have wonderful friends that come to my rescue whenever I "Fall off the wagon". The wagon I am referring to is the housework and everyday routine of life.

Carter and Dad are at camp. Mom and the 3 amigos are at home.
Swimming, biking, reading, cleaning, internet surfing, eating and of course sleeping are the weekly activities. We look forward to our upcoming activities away from home.

We have a new addition to our family.....a pet guinea pig. Quiggly is her name and she has been introduced to all the neighbourhood friends and visitors. She is black and white. She likes to hide in her igloo hut. When we first got her she was shedding a lot of hair now she sheds only a little bit.

The 3 school boys successfully completed another year of school. They will all be moving on to the next grade. For Carter, grade 8, this means he will be going to the big school-NISS. Dexter, grade 5, he will get to go to Camp Homewood. He can hardly wait for his trumpet to arrive so he can start playing. Hyrum, grade 3, a wonderful time for learning and exploring.

Alick has one more year at home before he starts Kindergarten. He talks a whole lot and likes to go to places. We usually go to the Parent and Tots time for 1 morning, Storytime at the library, and swimming in Port Hardy(a couple times a month). Other times we visit friends or the school.

And that's all for this edition of the Neilson Nephews News. Join us next time when we tell you about our town.