Why Doesn't Anyone Tell You

That having 3 kids really feels like you have 23 kids??? Or maybe they did and I just didn't listen...

Okay don't get me wrong. I am loving our new little guy. In fact I feel better than I have in awhile. But wow- this whole being a mom thing is actually starting to feel like work!!! Go figure...

I'll admit-I think he's pretty cute
First Christmas

Tate Robert Niceler

Summer Slide Show

Just to show you that since June I really have been doing other things besides watching the New Moon trailer...

I Don't Think I Took A Single Breath!!!

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer


Is it November Yet??!!

Back On the Scene

It's been awhile since I've posted. I guess you could say my life got a bit turned upside down when I found out at the end of February that I was.......PREGNANT.....yes that's right pregnant with baby #3! So after a few months of a doing my best to get a grasp on my new unexpected reality of 3 children and with the help of a lot of friends and family(and let's not forget that ever so important generic form of Zoloft) I am finally starting to feel "normal" or at least functional:)
In spite of the stress though a lot of really wonderful things have happened over the last few months. Ryan and I went on a 3 day getaway to New Orleans and Mississippi (thanks Molly for watching the kids). After that we got back in the car again and went to Cape San Blas Florida with ALL of the Nicelers for a spring break family reunion. This was a fantastic trip! It actually felt like a real vacation. And the kids had a blast playing in the sand, going crabbing and hanging out with their cousins. Then my husband had a birthday. Then Ryan Hinckley had Field Day at school and won 2 first place ribbons and we are so pleased to announce that Adelaide's hair is finally starting to grow back:)She also got to ride a horse for the first time with her friends at our home preschool. Although as fun as the horse field trip was I think I am more excited about the hair.
So that is a brief update of life at the Nicelers House. Or as I sometimes like to call it- Crazy Town:)

Happy Birthday Adelaide!!

Okay so exactly one month ago today our sweet little curly blond girl turned 3!!! Yes she is 3!!! And has been for 30 whole days. It seems like just last week I was rolling over in bed around 4 in the morning when my water broke... 10 hours later we had our baby girl. She loves books and playing in the sandbox. She cracks us up every day. The other day she got mad at me cause I accidentally bumped her when I was changing her clothes. She looked at me, put her hands on her hips and said "I'm telling on you. Gramaw is gonna be so mad at you!" How can you not love this girl???!!!

Here we are at the circus the morning of her birthday. Later that afternoon we had some friends over for cake. It wasn't really a party but we couldn't resist the hats.

Georgia Phenomenon

Today at church it started to snow! You should have seen all of the kids when they came out of primary. You would hav thought it was Christmas all over again. And believe it or not it has kept snowing all afternoon. I have many other things to post about (Adelaide's birthday for one) But I just had to share our fun, snowy afternoon. We did our best to find weather appropriate clothing but when this happens once every few years you just don't have all the gear to keep warm and dry. In spite of the wet and cold we indulged in multiple snowball fights, made snow angels and built the kids first SNOWMAN!!! (we dressed him like a Mountaineer of course)!

10 Things

A long while ago my friend did a post about 10 of her favorite things that start with the Letter D. I read it and enjoyed it so much I volunteered for a letter. She randomly assigned me R. So here are 10 of my favorite things that start with the Letter R.

1. Roller Coasters-b/c who doesnt' love a good thrill right?! I still remember my first roller coaster, the Matterhorn at Disneyland. I was about 7 and road it with my mom. And what better way to start my love of thrill rides than doing it with a fun loving red head and an abominable snowman. Now don't get me wrong. There is a lot of fear that goes into this whole thrill process. Someone usually convinces me to just "wait in line" with them. I hesitantly agree because they assure me that I don't really have to go on it. When we get to the front I can always just "not get on". Yeah right! Somehow, I always manage to wind up strapped in with the shoulder harness firmly clicked into place before I realize I never wanted to do this. And then it is too late because we are slowing making our way up the first hill. When we finally reach the summit, I actually begin to lose consciousness-whether these momentary black outs are from altitude poisoning or the fact that I've been hyperventilating since I sat down remains a mystery-But before I know it we are plunging straight down into what feels like the center of the earth. It is about this time when I realize I am not dying, I am actually having fun. And then it is over, I feel great and anxiously await to start the entire process over on the next one.

2. Road Trips-over the years I have had the opportunity to go on hundreds of fabulous road trip adventures. I've piled in with parents, siblings, my dog, roommates, kids, my husband, best friends and have been to some really cool places. Sometimes it's been to somewhere new. And sometimes it's on to an old faithful like Morgantown. Sometimes it's in a car, sometimes it's on a coach and once even on a "chicken bus". Each trip I take is special in it's own way and I am so grateful for all of the amazing things I've seen and the amazing people I've shared them with.

3. The Red Bellied Woodpecker-These are truly a lovely bird. And you might be surprised how common they are. If you live in a neighborhood with trees chances are you've got red bellied woodpeckers living right under your nose. Just take a few minutes when you're outside doing yard work or on a walk. I often see them up high on the trunks. Really they are there and they are fantastic!

4. Reading-One of my favorite things to do in the world is put the kids to bed, grab a great book, get all cozied up in my favorite chair and read. It is especially nice when it is chilly and raining outside and I can snuggle up under Me Maw's afghan.

5. The Ritchey's-My best friend Mandy and her entire family really made my Jr high and high school experience not only bearable but enjoyable for me. Mandy's house was the place where we'd all hang out. I have such happy memories spending many o Friday nights there playing games, eating yummy food and having fun. Plus they took me to the beach with them for 8 summers in a row!!!

6. Reese's Peanut butter Cups-I feel no further explanation is needed.

7. Rain-There is nothing better than waking up to a heavy downpour on a Saturday morning when you have no place to be. I love hearing the pitter patter on my roof and windows even before I open my eyes. And then it is positively fabulous when I realize I can stay in my cozy bed, listen to the rain and let it lull me back to sleep.

8. Rachel-my niece- What is not to love about this adorable 3 year? She's cute, she likes to cuddle and she always says something that makes me laugh. Plus as Anne of Green Gables would say she is my daughter's "kindred spirit". They were born just 13 days apart and are great friends. Such a blessing.

9. Running-now I am using the term "running" rather loosely b/c it's more like jogging. And I actually don't really "love" it. But it is something that has brought me a lot of satisfaction. And I've also run further than I ever thought I could. And even though I often want to cry while I'm in the middle of it(sometimes I actually have), I also always feel great when I'm done.

10.Ryan D, Ryan H and Robert.

Husband, son, and dad.

Again no further explanation needed...

The Next Oscar Blandi?? I Think Not!!

About a month ago our sweet Adelaide had herself a scissor party!! Is this a right of passage that all little girls must go through? I don't know but I've stopped asking why. These pictures really don't do it justice. This was a serious hack job! It actually brought tears to my eyes. But hey it grows back right?!

Happy Birthday Ryan H.

Please indulge me with another slide show...
With Ryan's birthday being 2 days after Christmas I have a feeling we'll be doing these back to back slide shows annually.
We are so happy to have this fun and healthy 6 year old boy in our lives. If Ryan keeps growing the way he is, he will not only be taller than his mom(not too hard) but his dad as well-something he thinks is really cool.
Ryan loves to play and be silly and have a good time. I've loved watching him grow and learn. He can be very determined sometimes. He actually spent an entire afternoon teaching himself how to jump rope. Lemme tellya He's pretty darn good at it. And I am so thankfully for those moments when we share a good hardy laugh together.
We had a fun birthday party at our house with some buddies. I think the hit of the afternoon events was not the cake(thank you Emma for so thoughtfully making that for Ryan's special day) or even the presents but watching Gramaw and daboyz get down to The Blacked Eye Peas during the dance off. I never knew my mother-in-law had such moves.
That night we went as a family(about 20 of us total) to Medieval Times. I highly recommend this fabulous jousting tournament. Of course I've done it now, My son turns 6 and he gets knighted by the King, how am I ever to top that? Chick File is just not gonna cut it next year...

A Bounteous Christmas-in Toys, Food and Love

1st and Goal

Why write about Christmas, A birthday or even Grandparents when I can write about COLLEGE FOOTBALL....It's Bowl Week Baby!!!

I'll admit I'm kind of on jersey overload right now. Over the past 2 days I've probably watched (now this is a rough estimate mind you) about 15 hours worth of Bowl Games. And yet, I am genuinely sad that there are no games on today. I mean there's always the NFL wild card if I need a fix but college ball is where it's at for me (not as many egos and ridiculous touchdown dances, plus I just really can't stand that they don't stop the clock on the 1st down). Now just so ya know, in all this football watching I have in fact managed to not entirely neglect my family, my running or my house. I've washed the dishes, played multiple board games with my son, read stories to my daughter, jogged around the neighborhood and done 3 loads of laundry. It really is kind of amazing the things you can accomplish during half time ...