Family Update

A lot has been happening around the Nielson household lately. Our first big news is that we finally got a bigger vehicle that can comfortably fit our family. We went big and got a Chevy Suburban. We are excited to finally have room to buckle up without squishing fingers inbetween carseats and booster seats, and be able to carpool other kids! We picked it up on our way down to Utah County last week to spend time with the Nielson clan for General Conference. What an amazing conference that was to listen to!

Then this past week Peter got a phone call offering him a job as an EMT for Cache County Ambulance. He still hasn't stopped smiling. It will be a lot to fit into his busy schedule. However it is only part time and he gets to somewhat pick his shifts. So he now will be juggling working nights at BATC 3 times a week, the occasional CPR class, Accurate Homes (which is picking up), and Cache County Ambulance. It is a huge stepping stone and it feels like we are crossing a bridge. Our goal is that he can be an EMT full time and do Accurate Homes part time. Right now the roles are reversed, but that is okay. He hopes to find a full time job this year as an EMT. Last year at this time he was volunteering for BATC and the construction business was non-existent. So we are happy that both have turned around this year. However that means that I don't see my husband very much, but I try not to complain, because it is for a good reason.

Also this is the first time that we have hit a two year mark in a home. It feels good to feel settled, even if for a little bit. Casey is still in speech, but will hopefully be done with that this year. He starts soccer this week and is so excited for his first game. He is a huge helper for me: he gets Corey's shoes on, can buckle him up in the car, 'babysits' for me while I go VT next door, sometimes gets Corey out of bed in the morning and feeds him cereal so I can sleep a little longer.

Brooke is doing well in speech and it is fun to hear the progress. She loves going to dance and playing with her best friends. She is really growing up and asking a lot more questions and making good observations. She loves to make Corey happy and help me pull weeds. She probably has cereal for 360 out of the 365 days of the year for breakfast.

Corey loves to go outside and brings me his shoes often. He is pointing a lot and can say mom and dad, ready set go (in a grunting way that we understand), and lately we think he is trying to say thank you. He is still shy if you give him too much attention, but he is super friendly to other kids and will engage in peek a boo whenever possible with strangers. He has gone to nursery twice so far, and done really good. He hardly cries. However both weeks I have found him sound asleep on someone's shoulder before church is over. He is our cuddler and knows when he is tired he just lays his head down and zonks.

Life is good, just a little crazy at times. We are all excited for summer to come and hope we have some willing people to go camping with us. My kids ask us daily if we can go camping. I have to say I'm looking forward to it as much as they are. It's like taking a break from life every weekend.