Category Archives: Uncategorized

Omaha!

We spent the weekend in Omaha! Nate’s cousin Lucas got married and asked the boys to be ring bearers in his wedding. We road tripped the 6 hours to Omaha and it was a great weekend! I was very nervous about being in the car that long- I hate being in the car and I wasn’t sure how the boys would do. I had approximately 1million snacks with me. I had new DVDs. I had coloring books and other surprises to entertain them. I had motion sickness medication. 

On the way there, we stopped in Des Moines and had lunch and played at a park. The whole trip only took us 6.5 hours and they did great. 
We got to meet baby Nell for the first time! Having a cousin is very exciting and she is a cute cousin! 

. 
. 
On Friday, we went to the Omaha Zoo and got to see lots of cool things. 
 

. 

Nate and I were trying to pace ourselves since we had several evening things in a row. So we were only at the zoo until lunch and then we came back to the hotel to rest a while. The boys still had a lot of energy and resting wasn’t very successful, so we went to the pool instead. Even Baby Nell got to swim! 

 

On Friday night, we had the rehearsal dinner. The restaurant was SO nice and it was one of the fancier meals I’ve had. Yes, our 3 year old ate a very expensive Wagu Beef tenderloin. Nate and I had cocktails that came with limes on the outside of the glass and Xander was very passionate he wanted the same. The waiter was wonderful and brought out extra lemons for Xander’s lemonade and he as very happy. We had the best creme brulee I’ve ever had, but the next morning, Xander said, “is the wedding going to have better treats than last night?” so it’s possible the fanciness was lost on him. 

 

. 

. 
Saturday went headed back to the pool and also tried to pace ourselves since we’d been up so late the night before (dessert was served at 9, which is a solid 2 hours later than normal bedtime, but the boys did well!).

. 

After some rest time, it was time to get ready for the wedding. On Friday morning, we had gone to the store to have their pants fitted, and I knew they were going to be an issue because both boys are pretty particular about their clothes. Xander didn’t have any issues (which I was surprised about) but Augustus was in full 3 year old mode. He was NOT interested in fancy pants, a dress shirt and a vest. I had expected a meltdown, but still hadn’t managed to get us ready with enough time. So Nate and Xander left (luckily the venue was right next door to the hotel) and once they left, Augustus snapped out of it (like only a 3 year old can) and said, “I’m ready to put on my suit” and that was that. 

We got him dressed and made it over in time for pictures. 

 

. 

. 

 

. 
. 

They were nervous to walk down the aisle, but they did a great job. After the ceremony, they drank kiddie cocktails and ate dinner nicely. 

They got their dinners when the salads came out for everyone else, so they were done quickly and then a small kid gang formed in the back. The twirled and ran and goofed around, but did so quietly enough so that speeches weren’t interrupted. 

Xander danced for a little while, and at 8:30, Augustus said, “I am tired and ready to go back to the room now” so that was that. I missed the photo booth (which is my favorite thing in the world) but was happy that Augustus had made it through the day and done so well. 

 

. 

On Sunday, we went to Nate’s aunt and uncle’s house for brunch. It was the same caterer as the wedding and it was LOVELY. 

Then we got back in the van for the long ride home. We actually made it home in 5.5 hours, but it felt WAY longer. 
While we were gone, Hudson went to the daycare for boarding. He made lots of friends and had a very fun time. They said he got tired quickly and so the staff spent a lot of time snuggling him too. I think he was a little confused, but he was very happy to be home with us last night. 

 

. 

A Fun Weekend!

It was a great week! The weather was nice and we spent several evenings outside. On Wednesday, we walked to the park after dinner. Hudson enjoyed the playground and tried to climb the slide like the boys- his shoes are also rubber bottom, so he made a little progress. 

 
 
The wonderful thing about bulldogs is a few blocks of walking and he’s out! 
. 

. 

On Saturday, we were BUSY! 
Our neighborhood is filled with fun friendly people who have welcomed us and I am so grateful to live here. It’s one thing to pick out a house- you can make a wishlist of how many bedrooms you want or where you want to be. “Filled with friendly people” is MUCH tougher to find, so I think we got really lucky. On Fridays, everyone gathers in one of the neighbor’s front yard for “happy hour”. The kids ride bikes and run around. Everyone has their dogs out. It’s so lovely. On Saturday, the neighborhood held a bags tournament. Xander had basketball at the same time, so I didn’t get to play, but Nate came in second! The only photo we got from the morning, was Augustus hanging out and watching the action. 

Xander and I got to watch the tournament for a few minutes, but then we headed to the Y for basketball. He’s getting so good and it was fun to watch both him and Leo practicing. 
 
After basketball, we got to catch the end of the bags tournament and hang out for a while. Then it was inside for some rest time for the boys, while Nate and I got the house ready for an afternoon party! My cousin Jason and his son Jackson were in town from Texas. Jason has 2 boys, and his oldest son will be heading off to college next year, while my oldest is starting kindergarten. He is touring colleges while I am touring elementary schools. It was very fun to catch up with him, see my aunts and uncle and cousins. The only photo I took was of Hudson, who really enjoyed the amount of attention he got throughout the party. 
After everyone else left, Danny, Heather, Nate, the boys and I had a fire and hung out for a while. The boys climbed into a giant cardboard box and yelled for Danny to tip them over about 20 times in a row. They ran around, the puppy ran around, everyone climbed into my lap at one point. Danny said, “whenever I leave your house, I have to open a meditation app.” I told him that is why my face looks tired all the time. 
. 

Double Holiday Week!

 

We’ve had a busy week, including 2 holidays! The weather was gorgeous on Monday, so we started our week walking to the ice cream shop.  

On Tuesday, I got to read a book to Xander’s class over zoom. I also got to show off Hudson to everyone by holding him up to the camera. 
 
On Wednesday, Hudson went to puppy class for the first time. There were 8 other dogs, including 2 other bulldogs! Of all the dogs, Huddy was, BY FAR, the craziest. He was SO excited. He couldn’t focus, never once even got close to sitting, and just wanted to play with his new friends. He is smart but he might be TOO social for class. We’ll see how next week goes. 
 

Xander did some homework- he had to ask everyone in our family our favorite color and then write them out. He wrote the words in the color we chose and did a great job! 

Thursday April 1, AKA April Fool’s Day. I’m not a huge fan of pranks. I don’t enjoy videos where parents tell kids they ate all their candy or anything that makes kids cry. But Xander has been talking about April Fool’s Day for MONTHS. Randomly, he will come up with an idea and say, “that would be a good prank, wouldn’t it?” (they are never good ideas). On Wednesday night, when I told him the next day was April Fools, he rubbed his little hands together and was SO excited. I decided that I would pull a little prank, so I made cake pops for a treat after dinner. But ONE of the pops wasn’t cake… it was a brussel sprout! 

. . 
. 
Xander was a good sport. He was a little outraged that he got pranked, but once he had a real cake pop, he recovered quickly. 

  
On Friday, the boys went to 2 parks- one with me and one with Nate. It was another lovely weather day. 
.  
Saturday was basketball for Xander. Xander’s best buddy Leo is also in basketball, but he had to miss the first 2 classes because he was on vacation. Xander was SO excited to have Leo in class this week. They got to be partners for a drill and it was a good day! 

Augustus was my assistant at the grocery store while Nate and Xander were at basketball. 
 
On Saturday night, Nate went golfing, so the boys and I had movie night dinner. We rarely eat in front of the tv, so it was an exciting night. 

Today was Easter!! The Easter bunny found our new house and left the boys (including Hudson) Easter baskets, and he hid a bunch of eggs around our house. The boys were up by 6:30am and very excited to find all of the eggs. 
. 
. 
 
. 
. 


We had bunny butt pancakes for breakfast.

 

After breakfast, Nate and the boys assembled our new patio furniture (which I didn’t actually take a photo of). The most exciting part was that ALL of the furniture came in one GIANT box, which quickly turned into a fort (I cut some windows for light)

My mom, Danny and Heather came over and hung out all afternoon. I forgot to take any photos, but it was a fun day hanging out outside, playing Nintendo Switch (Danny and Heather were teaching the boys some tips and tricks) and ended with Danny and the boys doing sprints on the front sidewalk. Xander really wanted to race and fun Uncle Danny was a good sport (especially considering he was wearing Birkenstocks).


It was a very busy week for us and now it is April!! 

Catching Up

 

I’ve been slacking on the blog lately and I’m sure you’re all dying to know what we’ve been up to! The boys have been busy in school- this month is women’s history month and Xander is learning about many great women. 
Last week was St. Patrick’s Day and the leprechaun found us in our new house. Xander was pretty sure that Santa, the Elf, the tooth fairy and the leprechaun are all connected so they all got the news we moved at the same time. He was right. That silly leprechaun left some cool surprises for the boys! 

Last weekend, Xander started basketball class. He’s been very excited and was ready in his sweatband, wristband and basketball outfit. Nate said that when they arrived, he got a little nervous because none of the other kids had all the gear, so he removed his sweatbands and headband, but as he got more confident, he put them back on. 

Xander was in the 4/5 year old class, and in what may go down in history as the peak athletic achievement of his life, the teacher told Nate Xander should move to the kindergarten class, because he was TOO GOOD for the 4/5 class! It turns out, all that dribbling practice with Grandma Debbie really paid off! 

. 

While Xander was killing it on the b-ball court, Gussie and I were running errands. At some point along the way, he managed to jab a straw right into his eye and started SCREAMING. I pulled over and, yes, there was a visible scratch across his eye, so I called the doctor and made an appointment right away. He pretty much screamed nonstop until we arrived. Luckily he just had a scratch and the doctor gave us some antibiotic drops and a patch (and a sucker) and all was well. Patching his eye lasted less than 24 hours, but by the next morning, his eye felt much better and he has since made a full recovery. 

Last Sunday Xander lost his second tooth! Now he has a decent sized hole in his mouth that he can push peas and other small food through. 

This weekend was busy and fun! On Saturday, Xander got a new bike (his way much too small) and a basketball hoop for the backyard! We are ready for the Spring to be here! 


The second week of basketball went well. Xander had a new basketball outfit, but decided the sweatband was too hot (wristbands were still good though).

On Saturday afternoon, the Nelson crew came over for a busy afternoon of playing with the puppy, decorating cupcakes and running around like only 5 energetic kids can! They ate snacks, ran, screamed, and all whined a lot when it was time to leave, so I think it was a huge success. 

 

Hudson is growing and is now 22 pounds! When he walks, he drags his back paws and his nails have ground down so much his toes were bleeding. We’ve tried skipping walks for a few days, but every time we’d go back to walking, he would bleed. So when we were at the vet for his shots, I asked and they suggested buying him some shoes until he learned to pick up his feet. So now we have a puppy in shoes and it looks ridiculous, but they didn’t seem to bother him much. And Nate and I were surprised by just how loud the dragging sound was once he had shoes on, so it’s not surprising he was getting so beat up. 


I’ve been baking nonstop and my very small business is keeping me busy. I like selling cookies because it allows me to be creative and bake as much as I want. But I don’t have a desire to grow- I don’t want to be TOO busy with cookies or have it become stressful. I am gaining a small following though, which is fun.

A Few Pictures

Last weekend, it was Xander’s best buddy’s birthday party, which he was very excited about. Augustus got to spend a special one on one day with Grandma and they went to Target, McDonald’s and the park. It was a great day for everyone! 
. 
. 
The weather this week was fabulous, so after school, we have been playing outside and one day after dinner we were even able to ride bikes to get ice cream. 

. 

.  
. 

. 


This week, I’ve met 3 different people this week for walks- I love going out to lunch or coffee, but meeting for a walk is one thing from the pandemic that I hope sticks around forever. 
. 
Yesterday, the boys were at Grandma Debbie’s all day and then we went to Danny and Heather’s house for dinner. They have a new Nintendo Switch that was VERY fun. On the way home, Xander called a family meeting to propose that we buy one. We told him we’d consider his request and get back to him. 
. 

Our First Lost Tooth

It feels like just yesterday, we were excited to see a tiny tooth popping through our baby’s gummy smile. And now those teeth are falling out! How is he old enough to have teeth falling out?! 

But yes, indeed, his tooth is gone! When the boys got home from Grandma Debbie’s house yesterday, Xander’s tooth was BARELY attached. We were about to sit down to dinner and I said I wanted to pull it out so he wouldn’t accidentally eat it. Shockingly, he agreed. I used a napkin, grabbed it, and it popped right out with half of the root still attached. It didn’t even bleed that much. He was a little shocked, a little excited and very proud of his big moment. 


Bedtime was a little bit challenging because the boys were just so excited for the tooth fairy to come. Xander had his tiny dog house set out- the tooth inside the water bowl (actually a perfect little holder) and we reminded him several times that even if he was excited, he still had to stay in bed until 6am. 

When we first discovered Xander’s loose tooth, he requested tooth shaped macarons filled with oreo filling for when his tooth fell out. I made them and put them in the freezer for the big day and tonight we will have a special treat to celebrate. 
At 5:30am, we discovered that the tooth fairy had made a visit to our house! She brought a “very rare gold dollar” (according to the 2 small boys who mansplained it to me), the tiniest toothpaste any of us have ever seen, and she sprinkled gold fairy dust all over the dollar, and on Xander’s cheeks (I figured if glitter for cookies is safe enough to eat, it was safe enough to put on my child’s face). But the craziest thing of all was that Xander woke up with a second loose tooth! 
I LOVE stuff like this- creating magic is my passion at camp and even more special (which I didn’t think was possible) with my own children. My instinct is to go BIG! CELEBRATE! Fireworks. A parade. Festive accessories. I’ve been thinking about the tooth fairy since Xander started growing teeth. But I had to remind myself that between 2 boys, we would be doing this 40 times, so to try to make it scalable. I went to the bank and took out 20 one dollar coins (let’s just be prepared for all the rest of the lost teeth for years to come) and happened to have a very mini toothpaste for this first tooth. I added some glitter for a little extra magic. I wanted to go bigger, but future Natalie is thanking me for not setting the bar too high. 

Xander was SO excited this morning and brought cookies to school for his teachers. He was absolutely glowing with happiness. Pretty soon he will have no bottom teeth and enter that goofy, gangly phase and I can’t believe our baby is growing up! 

Not Much to Update

It was a very busy week at work- I had calls in the evening several nights this week and I felt like I was thinking about, talking about or plannings something for work every minute of every day, including when I was sleeping. So as I sat down to recap our family week, I actually couldn’t think of much. Nate did school drop off and picked up every day. I spent a lot of time on the phone. It was a bit of a blur. 

Every photo I take of Hudson is of him snuggling or sleeping or being adorable, but don’t let that fool you- he’s the actual devil. He is constantly filled with energy (he seems to get an endorphin high from walks). He wants to bite everyone and everything. He is insane. He is, however, very good at going for walks, and quite jaunty and friendly to everyone he sees. He is getting the hang of potty training and I think he’s pretty smart. He is interested in the outdoors now that it’s not negative 15 degrees out. But 10/10 I would not recommend a puppy to anyone. When Olivia was a puppy, I was far less tired, had far less responsibility and I had no idea how bad puppies were, so 12 years ago, my puppy experience was different. But yeah, he’s giving me a run for my money. 

. 

The boys were busy at school and with Grandma Debbie. Xander’s tooth is SUPER loose (but still in his mouth). Xander also decided this week that he was going to become a basketball player. He is able to semi-successfully dribble a kickball at least 7 times in a row before it hits his foot and rolls away, so I think there’s promise there. After I agreed to sign him up, he quickly had a list of things he needed, including a sweat band and wrist bands, basketball shorts and basketball tank tops (and an actual basketball). I asked him if he actually wanted to play basketball or if it was more about the accessories, but he’s sure he’s ready to be a baller. So in March, he will begin 4/5 year old basketball class at the YMCA. Once we have all the gear, learning the skills is just a formality. 

On Friday we took Hudson to the vet for his next round of shots. The vet said he looks good and was very friendly, so that was nice to hear. He was exhausted after his big outing, although I am finding that you can bring a dog almost anywhere and if he’s in a bag, people smile and do not kick you out (Target and the bakery were both successful errands). 

On Saturday, the Nelson family came over for a very fun morning of playing. When I mentioned it to Xander a few days before, I said I was going to make sandwiches for lunch. 99% of the time, Xander is a clone of Nate- mild mannered, easy going- they are so similar. But when he said to me, “we should have ‘make your own pizzas’ I was reminded that he has some of me in him after all. Xander loves some quality programming and appreciates when the details are special. So make your own pizzas for 5 children became the new plan! And they did a great job! They spent the morning playing with Hudson and alternating between the playroom, basement and porch. All 5 whined when it was over, so that’s definitely a success. And Hudson slept the whole afternoon, so we’re going to have to have a repeat playdate soon! 


Tomorrow is March 1 and I think Spring is nearly here…

Big News for X!

It’s been another busy week for our family. The weather has been freezing- like -15 degrees. I got a notification that in McGregor (where camp is) that it was NEGATIVE 33 degrees! We haven’t even tried to potty train Hudson outside yet. We took him out 3 times in the first day and it was apparent that being that cold, he was not able to concentrate. He is learning to go in his puppy potty pen and use the potty pads, and he’s getting the hang of it, so I feel optimistic that once it warms up outside, he will be potty trained in no time. 

On Tuesday, Hudson made a new friend. My co-worker Stef brings her dog Huck to the office. Huck is a 6 month old Boston Terrier and he and Hudson played really well, although these pictures look slightly insane. We tried to get them to sit next to each other and pose, but that wasn’t happening.  

. 
 And once Stef left in the early afternoon, Hudson slept the entire rest of the day! Luckily he’s small, so I can still use my computer while he was asleep on my chest. 


On Wednesday, Xander came into our room and said he had something stuck in his tooth. When I flossed his teeth, I realized that his tooth was feeling strange because he had a LOOSE TOOTH!! I’m not exaggerating when I say that he had a full on Miss America reaction- hands flew up to cover his mouth, deep breath, shock/excitement/awe. He was VERY excited. I happened to have 2 new books about the tooth fairy that I’d bought the last time I was out and had tucked away in my closet for this moment. We had to drop everything and read about the Moose’s Loose Tooth and How to Catch a Tooth Fairy. 
Xander insisted I come home early and take him to the store to buy a special box for his tooth (despite the fact that I don’t think it’s going to fall out for at least a week, maybe 2). He had something very specific in mind and I was nervous that we wouldn’t find it. We were looking for a red, pirate treasure type chest. When we found EXACTLY what I just described, I was ECSTATIC! He carried it around the store for a while, but I could see that it wasn’t exactly right. He had some concerns about the Tooth Fairy’s ability to open it. We ended up in the fairy garden section and he found something a little less conventional than a box or a pillow (which is what I had as a kid). He knew right away that he wanted a tiny dog house to place his lost tooth. I was happy he found something and I think it will be a great place for the tooth fairy to leave something special for him. 

On Thursday, he wore a special, “I have a loose tooth” pin so that everyone knew his big news. 
. 


. 

The rest of the week has been uneventful. It is COLD outside. We are ready for the weather to warm up. 

Some cookie orders from the week- I got to use my blow torch for s’more macs. 

. 

Happy Valentine’s Day

 This blog might end up turning into just pictures of a puppy pretty soon. Hudson has been here for a week and mostly he is super annoying- biting constantly, going to the bathroom everywhere and sneaking into corners of our house that didn’t seem dangerous until he gets trapped. In between all of that, he is snuggly and adorable and I love him. But mostly I’m eager for him to get past this stage. 

. 
.  
. 

This week was Valentine’s week at school, so the boys were busy decorating boxes and having several days of valentine parties. Augustus got a cold on Wednesday and so he stayed home with me to recover. 

. 

On Tuesday, I brought Hudson to work with me and he did really well. He hung out, got to meet my co-workers and explore my office. After work, I needed to run 2 quick errands to the Dollar Tree and Michaels, so I decided to risk the possibility of getting kicked out of either store and I put him in a bag and carried him in with me. No one noticed him or said anything in the Dollar Tree. And in Michaels, no one seemed to notice until I got to the register and the check out woman said, “a puppy! How old?” and then told me that they don’t mind dogs as long as they are contained. I am going to need a bigger bag for when he gets to be 60 pounds. 

. 

On Thursday, it was the official Valentine party for both boys and it was also PJ day for both of them. 
. 

. 

I’ve been baking nonstop leading up to Valentine’s Day. 15 dozen cookies and 5 oversized “cake-style” macs later, I am DONE! I am exhausted. But I did get a lot of nice tags on social media and good feedback, so I think I’m doing a pretty good job. 

. 

My family doesn’t typically eat any of my cookies, but we had a mac “cake” (just a large macaron) on Saturday night and both boys and Nate all said, “wow! This is really good!” I should probably be offended by how surprised they sounded, but I will let that slide and just be happy they enjoyed it. 

It is 15 degrees BELOW zero, so everyone is huddled inside. On Saturday, we ventured out for a little while and headed to Petco for a few new toys and treats. I think everyone was trying to get their dogs out and about in a warm way, because it was madness! Hudson got to meet lots of new dogs and he was very good! He walked on his leash, he was friendly. I’m not sure how to best socialize a puppy during a pandemic, but we’re trying. 

Nate and Augustus went out yesterday and stopped at my favorite candy store for my favorite candy. When they got home, they hid it well for about 5 minutes, but then Augustus got the bag out and let me know they had a surprise for me. So lucky me got early Valentine’s candy. Today is Valentine’s Day and we had some special treats for the boys when they woke up. 

Valentine breakfast for dinner. 


It’s supposed to be another chilly week, but should warm up after that. Mother Nature needs to help us potty train this puppy and give us a little milder weather! 

Our Boy is Here!!

Allow us to formally introduce you to Hudson! 9 weeks old, we’ve been getting photos since he was a week old. On Friday, Nate and I drove 3 hours through TERRIBLE roads (the first hour wasn’t bad, the second hour was so bad we should have turned around and the third hour was ok) picked him up and then turned around and drove 3 hours home. It was a very long day. The boys went to school and then were surprised by Grandma picking them up- a fun day for everyone. 

Before Friday, we had a regular week. The boys have been busy in school. Xander’s pre-k class is working on doing research on different locations for a project. Gussie’s favorite thing is playing outside. 

. 

. 

Gussie has been really into sleeping on the floor (for the record, his brand new bunk bed is very comfortable, because I have slept in it). 

I’ve been baking Valentine cookies nonstop, but paused on those to make some puppy cookies to bring to our breeder and some baby shower cookies (pink baby Yodas!)
. 
It’s February and thus far, the weather has been very mild. It’s been a lovely winter. Obviously the day we got a puppy (who we need to potty train OUTSIDE) the temperature dropped to below zero and will be staying that way for the next week or more. 
So potty training has been awful (if that sounds familiar it’s because our sweet 3 year old is also not potty trained yet). It is SO cold outside that our little puppy is just so cold he huddles near our legs for survival. After reading a bunch of websites about potty training, I was slightly reassured when a few mentioned that puppies are developmentally ready by 12 weeks. Our dude is only 9 weeks, so it was helpful to remember just how little he is. We’ve switched to potty pads for now, hoping to teach him the word “potty” and associate treats with going potty and all the right steps. And eventually we’ll get his little butt outside. I’m trying to stay patient and know it’s a process. 
. 

. 

.  

. 

These photos make it seem like he’s just sleeping all the time. And he is an expert snuggler already. But he is also quite sassy. I forgot that puppies are actually the worst thing ever. First of all, having a puppy is the same as having a pet crocodile. He bites constantly. The boys are slightly afraid of him because he is just so chompy. He is curious, wants to chew on everything, and every time I turn around, he pees. Puppies are the WORST. But he is also so so cute. So snuggly. So sweet. He is our little baby. 
On Saturday, the boys played in their playroom for several hours. I have worked hard to fill the playroom with cool things for them (a couch, an Alexa, a cozy corner, etc) and they rarely play in there. So I was thrilled when they spent so much time in there. They had a dance party. They were very busy. So on Saturday night, we had family pick up time and all 4 of us worked hard to put the room back together after a busy day. 
. 
So now we have a little biting, peeing baby who we are getting used to. I am crossing my fingers that the weather warms up soon. 
Follow Hudson on insta and help me make him an influencer-