Alaska

Here is a picture of the lodge. Eric said they built it themselves out of the trees they cut down. Talk about building from the ground up! Maybe Eric and I will build a cabin in a remote place when we retire. (Of course we will have to build a Chili's as well. :) I love the picture of my Dad carring his fish. He looks a little smug, saying,"how many fish did you catch? Oh I just got these two small ones." I am sure he didn't say that but you never know his face looks like the "trash talking" had already started. Love ya Dad!

Eric's Alaska Trip - Part 2

Eric e-mailed and said yesterday's fishing was slow but a lot of fun. (Slow compared to the day before when the limit was caught in 3 1/2 hours!) But they still caught some King Salmon and chased bears away from the fishing hole so they could catch. Fun! Crazy! Don't worry Dad had a gun, doesn't that make you feel better? (Side note: Before they left I specifically told my Dad that Eric has a fascination and draw to bears, so don't let him get eaten. His advice was, "Make sure he can run faster than the last guy. You know they only take one." Great advice Dad! Thanks for carrying a gun and looking out for my husband.) The picture of the bear running up the hill set me more at ease, even though bears can run up to 60 mph so I am sure he was a lot closer before Eric could take the picture. I know Eric's in "Bear Heaven." He took a picture of the bear paw in the sand to show where he was before it ran up the hill. They also saw sea lions and got a great shot of the scenery. What a great trip. More to come...

Big Sis to the Rescue

Yesterday was a fussy day for Chloe. Poor baby she has reflux and it makes her quite fussy and so the only thing that makes her feel better is holding her up at an angle. (Side note: If anyone has any ideas about what can help let me know. She is on a prescription med but she still has a lot of reflux.) Anyway, I was trying to make some since of the basement, yes four weeks in and still unpacking, that's a newborn mom for ya. Chloe was very fussy and everytime I got her settled if I laid her down she would cry. Well never fear Kenzie was there, yes the girl who can't stand the crying conquered her fears and learned how to console her baby sister. I can't tell you what a blessing this child is to me. She rocked her in the rocking chair and sang her songs, then made up songs when she ran out of ones she new, and rocked her, and rocked her for a whole hour. Yes that means I made a good dent in the chaos. Thank you Kenzie, I love you and am glad you are Chloe's big sister.

Chloe

We thought you might like to hear Chloe starting to make noise. This morning when I said "Hi chloe" she made a noise that sounded like "Hi." Corbyn looked at me and said, "so is that how they learn to talk?" Then she turned to Chloe and said, "Chloe, say Calvin." So cute. She really thought she was talking and it was that easy. Chloe can't really say hi yet, but she is starting to coo. How fun. My kids can't get enough of her.

Eric's Alaska Trip

Ok, I am officially addicted to blogging, yes Brittany you were right, but I thought I was stronger than I am. But since I am blogging I have to share these pictures Eric sent me today from Alaska. He is there fishing his adorable heart out and they said yesterday him and my Dad caught there limit in 3 1/2 hours, I knew he was just getting warmed up at Strawberry. I am almost as gitty as he is that he has this oppurtunity to see Alaska, catch amazingly large fish and enjoy my Dad's company. What more could a son-in-law ask for? Nothing if you know my husband, he is in heaven. I can't beleive the pictures of the whales! Beautifully amazing! How awesome to be that close to them! I am so living through this trip and I will post again as soon as I get more pics. And how about that great looking hunk? Sorry girls he is all mine. I love you Eric and thanks Dad and Mom for this wonderful experience.

Waiting for the bus

Yesterday my kids were actually ready early for school so we went out to the bus stop early. Lucky for us it is right outside our house by the park. All the kids play at the park until the bus comes. So now my kids want to get up earlier than 6:15am so they can play before school! (As if going to recess twice during the day and getting out every Monday at 1:15 isn't enough playtime already). Poor kids, so deprived. I just get a kick out of our neighborhood with all the kiddos running around, most of them Corbyn's age. Yes she is is social heaven, a new friend and playdate everyday. Anyway enjoy, and try to find Calvin, he likes to play peek-a-boo with the camera. I love you Calv!

Crocheting crazy

Right before we moved we lived with my Mom & Dad for a week and a half and Grammie lives there too. She taught my kids how to crochet and they were all so excited to learn. They have all gotten more yarn recently, complements of Grandma Cheryl, and they have all been working hard on mastering the technique. Corbyn has decided to crochet the longest bookmark ever and sell it for $3.00. Calvin and Kenzie have told her that her price is a little high but she is convinced someone will want this very long and skinny bookmark. Thanks Grammie for teaching my kids yet another skill. This crocheting is great for their motor skills at every age and hopefully it will improve their piano too!

Reflecting on Kindergarten Friends

Corbyn had such great friends in Kindergarten. She had fun times playing chase on the playground, swimming, telling jokes, having fun at school parties and making art projects. Gracie, Corbyn, Jenna, and Gracie thanks for a great Kindergarten year! You are all experts of the day to Corbyn!

First Day of School

Monday was the first day of school. The kids all met their teachers on Friday night and Corbyn kept asking me how many days left, over and over. She couldn't wait to go to school or ride the bus, were not sure which one she was more excited about. Corbyn's teacher is from South Africa, Australia,and England so her accent is very Aussie. She is very loving and huggy and most important to Corbyn, she has wombats all over her room. How cool is that? Corbyn loves to ride the bus and although she is very tired when she comes home from "walking around the whole school without resting," she loves to go every morning. Kenzies teacher is also awesome, this year she is teaching the kids about South America and where gum, chocoalte, erasers, and pen ink come from and what they are made of. They already have a field trip lined up and Kenzie can hardly wait. She also told us she has a best friend already, go Kenzie! Calvin really like his teacher, we aren't sure if it is because he is a guy or if he is just really fun. We do know one reason he is excited is that he hasn't had homework yet. Well it feels like they are all adjusting OK and making friends quickly. I really am blessed to have the most easy going and transitional kids in the world! I love you guys!

Fishing at Strawberry

We had so much fun fishing at Strawberry! Grandma brought her famous bag of tricks: the childrens friend, homemade flash cards for Calvin, a chapter book, and a mind game book that was fun for everyone. Grandpa strung all the poles on the way up so we would be ready for a great day of fishing, unfortunately the fish had other plans. We did catch 2 fish, one rainbow and one cutthroat, thanks to Eric. Yeah Daddy! But we had a great time anyway. It was so great to be on the lake and relax and enjoy the cool outdoor weather. It was Chloe's first experience fishing. Corbyn had a blast playing with the worms and power bait, Kenzie and Calvin loved being entertained by Grandma and the rest of us fished and napped along the way. What a wonderful day, thanks Mom & Dad!

Corbyn lost her two front teeth

Big Chunker

Ok are you sitting down, I took Chloe to the doctor and she now weighs 6lbs 12 oz. Yes you heard me right she is 6 weeks old and less than 7 lbs! When I go out everyone thinks she is a couple days old! Even though she is small she is actually gaining really well and other good news: she graduated from premie diapers to newborn diapers. A big day at the Nicol house! She is so cute and we love every tiny part of her!

Wear a helmet!

Well we drove two days from Texas to Utah and then proceeded to unpack for three days trying to make sense of our crazy month, when Calvin decided to spice things up a little more. We had only been in Utah three and a half days when Calvin decided to go skateboarding by our house, without a helmet. We were all getting ready to go to Costco and Calvin came in screaming. After he showed signs of a serious concusion we rushed him to the emergency room where they did a CAT scan and informed us he had fractured his skull and had a small bleed in his brain. They then careflighted him to Primary Childrens where he stayed for 24 hours for monitoring. Luckily the bleed stopped and the fracture will heal over the next 4 to 6 weeks. He was a great sport through it all. He told the doctor don't worry I have been through this all before, I am not scared. Yeah I am sure he remembers being 3 months old having skull surgery. But I have to say he must of hit hard because I thought his head was too hard to break after his surgery created extra layers of thickness. We love you Calvin and are glad you are doing fine now. Welcome to Utah! Oh and thanks to the kindness of neighbors, thirty minutes after we got home from the hospital we had homemade lasagna, bread and a garden zuccini to enjoy. Just in case you didn't know...I love Utah!

Royal Gorge Bridge

We went through Colorado on the way to Utah and we stopped by this town outside of Pueblo where the highest suspension bridge is found. When we got there Corbyn said, "Stop the car, I need to get to nature." She sure loves the outdoors. The bridge was crazy high over the Arkansas River and the wood slats on the bridge have gaps between them where you can see the river. While we were walking across the bridge a truck pulling huge bails of hay decided to cross the bridge. The bridge swayed and bounced so much we quickly tried to get across, or at least as fast as our feet would go. There is nothing like being a thousand feet above the Arkansas River and rock and swaying and hoping the bridge isn't going to collapse. It was a fun experience and we can't wait to go back and visit and see the gorge from the tram and the train that goes straight down. Fun! Fun! Fun! Or as Erics says it..."And fun was had by all!"

Friends Forever

Corbyn is best friends with Gracie and I am best friends with Gracie's Mom, Amy. How do I describe the single most supportive, humorous, thoughtful, positive, and caring person I have ever met?...her name is Amy. We met last year at gymnastics, then saw each other again a few months later at art class, and then at meet the teacher night, there she was again. Her daughter, Gracie, had Mrs. Davis just like Corbyn. After three times running into her I knew that we were supposed to be friends, and thank heavens we were. She was there for me during frustrating times with kindergarten, preterm labor, fun lunch dates, class parties, field trips, awkward car rides home from field trips, workroom cutting, expert of the day, and all the much need phone calls in between. How do you say thank you to someone that made everyday so much better. I am always only a phone call away.