Posts

Showing posts from August, 2008
Lydia is a great EASY little baby. Her only issue is thinking that the time she wants to be awake the most is from 4 am to 7 am. Other than that she is extremely easy ...if it wasn't for Kiera needing some entertainment while daddy is gone to school and mommy is trying to catch up on sleep, she wouldn't need me here at all! Such a little dolly. She is a little Jaundiced, so today, we had her sunbath in the sunlight (behind the glass) in the living room. After awhile Breanna who was here, HAD to pick her up "just so that the sun could hit her better" YEAH, WHATEVER BUFF! Kiera has a new handle for Breanna: it is "Buffo" but it sounds more like Bubo. So BJ< which do you prefer? Buffalo, or shall we just call you bubbles for ever now? :) Her new favorites are Elmo and Nemo. The parental units are just a wee bit tired of baby signing time. CANT UNDERSTAND THAT! Nadine it causing a big problem for her Old Branch Pres/Stake PRES. I am going to

ROAD TRIP

Image
Yer mom left this morning about 9:30 to drive to the Nelson place of residence to see if she could be of any assistance (but really so she could kiss on that cute little Lydia)
So, I went to the doctor and he told me I really should start exercising and that I should come up with an exercise plan I could stick to. I think I've really done it! I can totally stick to this one: Mon: 1~Wade through the morning paper 2~Start the ball rolling 3~Jump to conclusions Tues: 1~Drag my heels 2~Make mountains out of molehills 3~Hit the nail on the head Wed: 1~Bend over backwards 2~Jump on the bandwagon 3~Run around in circles Thurs: 1~Toot myown horn 2~Push my luck 3~Pull out all the stops Fri: 1~Open a can of worms 2~Add fuel to the fire 3~Put my foot in my mouth Sat: 1~Beat around the bush 2~Go over the edge 3~Climb the walls Sun: 1~Pick up the pieces 2~Pack up my troubles 3~Rest on my laurels Whew!!!! What a workout!

When I get out, someone is gonna die...

Image
Looks like Marilyn the last time I tried to scare her while she was in the shower.

Wii REPORT

We have our Wii set up. The "Wii fit" is pretty cool. It weighs you and tests your balance & strength then keeps track of your exercise, lets you set goals, etc. My favorites so far are slalom skiing, ski jump, and hula hoop. You should see your mom do hula hoop. 'nuf said. It even takes your Mii character and expands/contracts the body depending on your height/weight ratio. We've also played some Mario Olympics. Heck, I get more of a workout doing that then on Wii fit! I always run out of air swimming! I'm a pretty good javalin thrower though. It's set in Beijing 2008 with the Birds Nest arena etc. Pretty cool. Wii is the first video game console I've rally liked a lot.
VOTE FOR PEDR...er....KIM Watch this video to the very END, you won't regret it.

AND THE WINNER IS......

Gramps: September 1st, 4:00 PM, 6 lbs 12 oz. Grandma: Aug 28, 2am, 7 lbs 5ounces, and 19" in length Christa:August 27th, 7 lbs. 10 oz., 19 inches, GIRL, human. Brigham: Chad: 3:52 P.M., on the Third day of September, 2008. Weighing 7 lbs 6 oz. Erica: August 27, 9:00 AM, 7 lbs, 0 oz. Girl. (Disqualified: Chad cheated!) Cambrie: August 29th 7pm, 7 lbs 8 oz Steve: Brett: Katie: Breanna: Benjamin: Jacob: Kiera: August 30th 6pm 7 lbs 1 oz
I HAVE A NEW BABY GRANDDAUGHTER, LYDIA, WORLD!!! She is SOOOO darling! My arms are aching to hold her! The plan right now is for me to leave on Sunday to go help, so I will be there when Steve goes back to school. Do you all realize that in 4-5 months our family picture will be 3 people out of date? Next gathering of the troops after that, we are going to have to do it! So start working on your courage to do so! Cambrie says that Kiera was 6 lbs 11 and that this baby was 7 lbs. I think a lot of that extra 5 ounces went to her cheeks! So cute!

GETTING A GOOD DEAL

When you go to a store, do you ever wonder if you are getting a good deal or if you are paying too much? If you have data available on your cell phone you can point your browser to http://google.com/products/wml and you can instantly get current prices on that item at multiple stores. (If you are at your computer, you can just go to http://google.com/products )

She's Here!

We've posted pictures of Liddea on our Nelson Family blog for now, but we'll be sure to add more later...Happy Birthday Jacob!

Jacob Turns Three!

First of all, welcome to our family, Lydia (I guess that I'm assuming that your parents haven't chosen some crazy alternate spelling like "Liddea")! We can't wait to meet you! Some day in the future I hope that we live close enough to each other that you and your cousin Jacob can have joint birthday parties! This year Jacob joined the club of grumbling kids who have to go to school on their birthday. I made him some cupcakes to share with his class to celebrate, and his teacher said that he actually ate one, which is amazing. Brigham came home from work early for once, so when Jacob got home we had a little party and went to McDonalds for a birthday dinner. Afterwards we had cake and ice-cream with our friends the Gondas, but Jacob refused to even try a bite. I'm not sure that Jacob understood that it was his birthday, but he sure knew what to do with those presents this time! He didn't need any help at all! Brigham and Benjamin had to rush off aft
Image
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYDIA!!!!!! I get to be the first one EVER to wish you a happy birthday. Also...good luck Punkin' and we're thinking of you today. Waiting for that phone call! (hey...who changed the blog template?)
Well folks, this is it: I'm off to go give birth first thing tomorrow morning (6:30 am). Steve will be dropping me off at the door of the hospital and taking off to go take a test and then attend class for a while so hopefully I won't have the baby too quickly. I spent the day today "nesting" (aka cleaning) and spending time with my little lady. It makes me sad when I think that it will never be just me and Kiera again and that she is not going to be my baby anymore... but I guess that is life. Good night ya'll-- hope you all sleep better than I will.
SURVIVOR!!!! Block out Sept 18th on your calendar folks. SURVIVOR is back!
Image
MOVIE REVIEW: August Rush Maybe my expectations were too high because people said this was such a good movie. I was disappointed. The premise of the movie was good and it had potential. A boy raised in an orphanage tries to find his parents through his almost supernatural gift of music. The problem was in the execution of the movie. There were *SO* many points where logic went out the window that it ruined the beautiful story. Even the filming was bad. (For example his leading the music and being totally out of beat with it). Through the movie Marilyn and I sat there saying "That's ridiculous" and after the movie all we could talk about were the obvious incongruities of it. Neither of us liked the ending which missed out on an opportunity to really bring the good story to conclusion. To it's credit, I thought the acting was pretty good and the story itself was unique which made it watchable.
Image
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE JACOB! Dastrups, please give that cute little guy a big hug from his Gramps.
For those of you out-of-stater-tots, I was driving in Provo today and looked north and saw a big huge smoke cloud. I turned on the radio to hear about it. Here's what it was .
What Michael Phelps is doing now the Olympics are over.
Criminals are getting more creative , but still think I fell off a turnip truck. I must be known around the world as a good person because I've received multiple letters like this from people I don't know in various countries. My stance has been that I wouldn't want to cheat these people out of their money so I've declined their offers. However, this poor nun is obviously in great distress and needs to get rid of this money so I'm considering the offer. ------------ >>> "MRS.ANNE BATES NANDA" 08/21/08 3:31 AM >>> Hello, This is Anne from Trinidad &Tobago . I am writing from the hospital in Cote D'Ivoire , therefore this mail is very urgent as you can see that I am going home. I was told by the doctor that I was poisoned and has got my liver damaged and can only live for some months. I inherited some money ($28.725 Million) from my late father and I cannot think
I hate to upstage Dad's beautiful slideshow, but here are pictures from Jacob's first day of school.
Listen to the words of the music on this:
Just a "small world" coincidence: Brigham's Sister Annie just married the guy that Devin DuVals wife sent on his mission and then Dear Johned him for Devin. Christa ran into Crystal at the reception this week and put that one together. Annie's husband said to Christa "It was YOUR cousin that married Crystal? I HATED him without even knowing him!" But he got Annie Dastrup, which in my book is a GREAT accomplishment ! Strange though, eh?
It's time to guess the stats on Baby Groneman! Don't edit the post, since it appears that there is a maximum number of edits that can be done. Instead, comment. We will mathematically determine a winner. Lowest score wins. Wins what? Probably a candy bar (subject to change), but you have to pick it up yourself. Here's the formula for your score (formula is subject to change until Thanksgiving Day, 2008): ((difference in days from date of actual birth) * 0.5) + ((difference in minutes from time of actual birth) * 0.03) + ((difference in ounces from actual birth weight) * 0.7) + ((difference in inches from actual height) * 0.2) + (if wrong gender then 5, otherwise 0) No Purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Valid only to legal U.S. citizens. Not valid in AK, VT, NY, or MA. Must be 2 or older. Contest ends when Baby is born. All guesses must be complete to be considered.
For those of you who don't read the Nelson blog: our baby is going to be induced on the 27th (next wednesday) if I don't pop before then.
S o , I k n o w this is e a r l y , but there's extenuating circumstances. We've got a little girl comin' in December, and she doesn't want her 0th birthday diminished with Christmas shopping, parties, etc. She's requested that we get our shopping done by the end of September. So, we want to know who's buying for who, and for the wishlist to be updated.
Image
Yesterday while I was with the Dastrups in Cedar Hills , we briefly talked about the age of the Chinese Gymnasts and why the IOC refuses to investigate. The conclusion is because it would be accusing the Chinese government of lying. Well, this dude has dug up some stuff and proved the Chinese have changed their official documents . It's interesting that Google is involved in the coverup as well.
32 YEARS!!!! Happy Anniversary to us! To celebrate, I bought myself this and I bought your mom this . Really. I bought it for your mom. I'm not lying. I did. For your mom. Really.
Image
Dastrups arrive in Utah today ........YEA!!!!!!!!!! Dastrups are driving to our house today. Annie's wedding is Friday and they are staying at our house 'cuz there's too many people at the Dastrup house. They leave to go home on Saturday. Thursday daytime, they are hanging around our place...we're thinking about taking them up to the mountain....haven't talked to them about that yet. I'm taking Thursday and Friday off to spend time with the boys. Yer mom is at Education Week, but will stick around on Thursday/Friday to play.
Image
MICHAEL PHELPS - They say he is going to come back to Baltimore with $30,000,000.00 to start with in I would guess businesses that will pay to use his name....I will be he will suddenly have MANY more"friends" than he did before! I am not sure I would like that much fame as he now has.
MMmmmmm. I smell Triple-Berry and Rhubarb pie cooking in the kitchen........ [inhale deeply] Mmmmmmm
Ever wonder about Michael Phelps' dad? I saw an interview where Bob Costas was interviewing Michael and his mother. Good people. She's an elementary school principle and had to leave China to be back for the start of school today. At the end of the interview, she planted a big kiss on Michael's cheek. Michael was talking about his goggles filling up with water on that butterfly race where he passed Spitz' record. He was totally blind the last 50 meters so he was counting his strokes so he had an idea where the end of the pool was...and he still won gold. Amazing. In talking about this he referred to it as a "Wardrobe malfunction" and I thought Bob Costas was going to swallow his microphone. Oh, and I'm with you folks that think that Bela Karolli (sp?) should be left out of the NBC commentary. When he gets excited he's impossible to understand.
Image
I guess I ought to give you all a brief update on my mom and dad. Dad was going to join us yesterday at the mountain "even if I have to come by myself". He didn't make it, so we took his lawnmower that he needed that he had left up there down to his house. So I asked dad why he hadn't come up. He said that mom "collapsed on the bed this morning and was throwing up repeatedly on the spread, carpet" etc. Once again he thought she was dying. He called Keith over to help give her a blessing, and afterwards she got up and was able to act pretty normal (for her) for the rest of the day. He also said this morning when she got up that she called to him to come and help her, cause she just didn't have the balance to be able to walk alone. He helped her into the kitchen and got her some breakfast, and then she wanted to lay down on the couch, which is where she had stayed until about 3 pm when I was talking to him. He also told me about 3 weeks ago that sh
We had a nice weekend at the mountain with Chad/Erica/Brett/Katie. The weather was perfect if you ask me (but nobody does). Friday night we had Rouladen for dinner and we played some games. Chad was glowing in the dark so we had to banish him to the back of the trailer. Katie & Brett made us a wonderful french toast breakfast and we all stuffed ourselves. At lunchtime Erica/Chad provided all the stuffin's for Hoagie sandwiches. Everyone did some ATV riding. I know Brett/Katie went down to the spring (they say the trail is still there in parts) and brought us up some good cold spring water. We played some more games. When we got home, Marilyn & I were so stuffed from breakfast/lunch that we skipped dinner altogether. Chad didn't get attacked by a bear, but he did get attacked by a grasshopper.
The best Olympic routines.... HERE , HERE and HERE and then there are some gymnastic disasters .
Image
It could be worse.......... I haven't felt so hot for the past few days: I'm pretty much 9 months pregnant now, I've got an itchy rash that covers my torso and legs, I've got a bladder infection, I've got what they think is a viral respiratory infection causing me to to have flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, no appititie, etc.), and I'm starting to have some pretty nasty contractions (although they are only about every 30-60 mins appart). I must say though: I'd MUCH rather be in my shoes now knowing that the misery will be over in a matter of days at the most than be nauseated with no hope of relief for months. It sure makes this a lot easier to put it in perspective. I can totally handle this for a few days. I feel sorry for all you married folk who don't have an auntie buffalo who lives close by to be able to utilize in times of need. Buff has been absolutely wonderful to come and play with Kiera so that I can rest and Kiera can have someone to
For those going camping with us this weekend, here's the weather to expect .
Image
Well....nevermind......nothing I could say can add to this so I'll just let it stand on it's own.
Image
Date: 13 August, 2008 Time: 0859, MDT I sat at my computer, hitting the F5 button, waiting for the link to change. What link was that? The link to buy tickets to the UCLA game! It happened. I quickly navigated through the "Best Seats Available", then sdf8i3 CATCHPA test to get the tickets. "There are no matching seats found. Please try again". Which I did. Same result. I called up BYU Tickets. I was on hold, listening to a message about high call volume. I left my desk and headed out to the car, cell phone still pressed against my ear. I drove down to the Mariott Center, hung up, and got in line (about 10 people). I got to the desk and asked for UCLA tickets. "Okay. We have some on the very top row, against the rail". Hmm... That's pretty high up. I know! "What about season tickets?" I asked. "We have some available still". I whipped out my phone again and called Erica. Multiple times because of no answer. What
Image
Update on Me (if anybody cares) The Dr's office called yesterday and said they'd scheduled an appointment for discussing taking care of my thyroid through radiation. I said OK. Then, the Radiologist called me an hour later and said he wanted to do it over the phone, and give me the radiation treatment today. So I talked with him for quite a while. He says I have Graves disease (updated : I previously said White's disease), and highly recommended the radiation treatment, although there are a couple of other options. After weighing out the options, I've decided to go ahead and do the radiation treatment, because it doesn't completely kill the thyroid. It just severely hurts it. I'll be taking a good dose of Iodine-131 , which has the sideaffect of not being around my unborn baby for a while, which in turn means staying away from Erica. That won't be fun.
Update on me (in case anybody cares). I'm now 37-38 weeks pregnant (depending on if you say my due date is the 27th or the 3rd). I'm large, in-charge, doing 3 point turns (6 point turns to turn over at night). I've been walking 2 miles every night in an attempt to make delivery sooner/easier. I eat enough for 2. I've developed a very itchy rash on my belly which I guess happens in 1% of pregnant women and isn't a huge concern (just abnoxious). In reading about it online though I learned that 70% of women to get this rash have a boy. I guess it is a possibility.... but I hope not because I've geared myself up for a girl! Anybody remember where on the blog the guess-chart is that we all filled out months ago? I couldn't find it.
A really cool next generation search engine . Look out google.
Image
Finally got pictures of my arrowhead find up Reservation Ridge. Look at this one then view the whole album . I've got a new theme song for arrowhead hunting. Here's the lyrics
YAY for us! Our other house rented! We had to lower the price to lower than we wanted, but it's better than losing another month of rent. I feel like Heavenly Father is taking care of my little family, so that we can afford our little Girl. Oh, and speaking of our little one, we have decided on a name. But we don't want to say anything until she's born, so don't ask.
Protect your privacy. It is often unclear to who you need to give your social security number. Do you need to give it to get/renew your drivers license? Do you need to give it to your health insurance or to your doctor's office? There's some good information down a few sections on THIS PAGE that talks about the need to use your SSN for other than social security issues. Worth a read.
Image
Okay so this is how I imagine this conversation went: Walmart Employee : 'Hello 'dis be Walmart, how kin I hep you?' Customer: ' I would like to order a cake for a going away party this week.' Walmart Employee: 'What you want on da cake?' Customer : 'Best Wishes Suzanne' and underneath that 'We will miss you'.
Late, but here's some pictures of the cruse if anyone wonders what a cruise looks like. If you're wondering what it feels like, stand in a slowly rocking room and stuff yourself full of good food for a week.
I don't want to write this too big, in case co-workers are looking at my screen, but.... I got promoted!!! I was actually thinking about asking about a promotion soon, but it came, unsolicited! Not only that, it comes with a 10% raise. That will help with our little Girl.
Olympic opening ceremonies fireworks were faked. Read all about it . Those sly Chinese.....
Image
WHAT A RUSH!!!!!!! Yesterday was my neighbor, Kristen Simons birthday, so I took her over a little gift, but while I was there they invited Kim and I to go with them up to the Alpine slide/resort . Kim didn't want to go, but we did go to lunch with them. I wasn't planning on going without Kim, but they ALL were pushing me to do it (Kim included)...so I went. THAT WAS THE MOST FUN I HAVE EVER EVER EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!!! I HIGHLY recommend it. The cost was pricey, but way worth it. It was $60.00 for an all day pass or $18.00 per ride on like the zipline, slide, and alpine coaster. The Simon's wanted to do the all day thing, and I knew if I said I would just watch they wouldn't have done it, so I did it too. At first, I was thinking it was a big mistake. Saturday afternoon, the lines were long, and I figured we'd probably be lucky to get 3 rides in...not worth it. But the good news/bad news was that it rained. Everyone (about 97%) of the crowds went home, but
Image
Restaurant Review: Rib City Grill American Fork We went with our neighbors (Simons) here for lunch. It's good and quite reasonable. My lunch special of a combo pork/beef BBQ sandwich and choice of two sides (I got beans & applesauce) was $5.99 and was definitely enough to fill me. Marilyn had a half rack of ribs. Dunno how much that was (we pooled the check with the Simons) One thing I liked was that though the drinks were free refills, they came in these huge glasses. We had some onion rings for an appetizer. Pretty good. Reasonable price plus decent food. We'll probably go here again.
This is one awesome water fountain . Watch it for a while....it just gets better.
All y'all that are / want to be my friends on GoodReads - I don't read that much. Maybe over Christmas I'll read something. Trust me, having me as a Goodreads buddy is not as exciting as you might think.
Stuck on the back of a big truck I was following this morning was a sign: " Over the Road Truck Drivers Wanted ". Are there truck drivers out there that only drive beside the road? Under the road? It just got me thinkin' and you know how dangerous that can be..............
What do you think... shall I buy one? I've always wanted my Prius to sound like a Ferrari. On the other hand, it's probably cheaper to just yell out the window "Make way, silent car coming through!" and scare old ladies.
I just have to share my exciting news (well, I think it's exciting anyway). I saw my MD today and she said that I'm dialated to a three!!! Yes, I still technically have 3 weeks to go, but it just feels nice to know that baby is headed out (literally).
Useful Firefox addon If you use Firefox as a browser, HERE is a cool addon for weather. It sits in the toolbar only in unused space so it's not in the way and gives constant forecasts including radar.
Image
Restaurant Review : Rumbi Island Grill Well, it's kind of halfway between a restaurant and a fast food joint. You have to go to the counter to order, but they bring it to your table, you get real plates and real silverware, and you don't have to clean up your own table. We went to the one by Costco in American Fork. I ordered the Luau Pork Plate and yer mom ordered Caribbean Chicken & Shrimp. Hers came with a small but good Ceaser salad. Mine came with a side of macaroni and something similar to cole slaw, but better. I had mine on regular rice and she decided on Rumbi bean rice. Both were excellent and in sufficient portion to fill us up completely. We also ordered a Mango-Passion smoothie which IS, without a doubt, the best smoothies I've ever had. We had no coupons and the total for both of us was exactly $22 which we feel is reasonable for what we got considering it's a no-tip place. This is definitely a place we will go back to since yer mom ra
BRAINBASHERS - COMMON ANSWERS July results: 294 Chad Groneman 1 1 4 1 4 3 1 1 1 1 3.4466% 496 Kim Groneman 3 1 1 1 3 4 5 1 1 1 1.3559% 644 Christa Dastrup 1 1 15 1 1 4 3 1 1 1 995 Cambrie Nelson 1 1 2 3 2 2 3 2 1 1 1080 Breanna Groneman 1 2 6 1 3 5 4 2 1 1 1205 Steven Nelson 1 1 15 1 2 1 7 2 1 1 2160 Erica Groneman 3 3 UR 1 UR 7 1 1 1 1 And I would like to point out that the entire newest Groneman family isn't even represented. WHAT ARE WE CHOPPED LIVER?!?
Image
Image
Oops...
Image
I vote Brett off the island.
Image
Just adding to Kims previous entry: The robber didn't have an escape. He'd found a loose corner of the screen that would push inward, but couldn't be pushed outward. So yes, he was pretty nervous about being trapped in the trailer. We left the door open, so he could escape...but he was still on top of the counter with a 3 foot drop-off. Course, he didn't think that would be a problem...he climbs up and down vertical surfaces every day...so imagine his surprise when he couldn't cling to the side of the cabinet. He sort of slid/screetched his way to the floor and then to the escape out the door. I had taken Knoka Bars up with us. I decided that he should have the left over peanuts. And they also got to feast on our leftover melon scraps and bread etc. I told them as I left, "You will miss us!" Nice to know that we won't depart un-noticed! :) Yes, I did see a cougar. He was probably about 50 feet away from us. Saundra must have flushed him out whe
Pictures from this past weekend added to our camping pictures. We got a couple of really good butterfly pictures. We also caught a robber in Saundra's trailer. This weekend both yer mother and Randy saw a cougar. Not the same one.
E rica and I are back from the honeymoon. It was so much fun! I won't bore you with the details though. In other news, Erica is entering her final EFY session this week. She's a little sad about it, but not so much when she remembers that it's because we have a little one on the way. Baby gives her a little nudge every so often, and it makes her laugh. Chad had his Nuclear Medicine thing for his Thyroid. It turns out he has one. It's sick though. It obsorbed 52% of the radioactive Iodine in a 24 hour period, where the upper end for a normal person is 37%. There are more tests to come though. Did you know they have a Nuclear Treadmill at UVRMC? The door was closed, but I think they must keep some gerbils on it all the time to keep Provo from becoming a pool of green ooze. Erica and I are enjoying some yummy milkshakes right now. Recipe: 3 Bananas, 10 Ice Cubes, 1/3 cup milk, 4 ginormous scoops of ice cream, one milkyway bar. But it in the Vitamix on high for