Claire's first food

Hi friends! Yesterday we took Claire to the doctor and she is still in the 95th percentile for height and weight. She is so big! He also gave us the go ahead to starting feeding her. Today we fed her rice cereal. She seemed really weirded out by the texture (but most babies are) and she was so funny. It was really a blast. Being a mom is the greatest thing in the world!

Just saying hi!

Hey everyone! It has been a long time since I have posted and although I don't have a lot to share, I'll share what's going on right now with me!

Quickly Happy Birthday to Emily Waltman on the 23rd, which is in a couple of hours here! Justin's birthday is Sat., on the 24th and it is his golden birthday! 24 on the 24th! We are driving to Star Valley, WY tomorrow after 5 for the weekend to celebrate with his family. We haven't been up since Christmas, so it should be really fun! Justin's youngest brother Brad who is a freshman here at BYU received his mission call at his parents house and he will be opening it either tomorrow night or Saturday, depending on when the other siblings arrive!! We are very excited for him.

Work is going well for me. We are working on launching American Founders Academy (14-18 yr. old kids) and University. We are teaching morals and principles that schools no longer teach these days in public schooling in our courses. For the kids who may be attending school, this will be a supplement to their education. We are teaching classes on the Constitution, classes on economic prosperity, family studies, a bunch of other classes. Anyway, I could say a lot about it, but there's an idea!

Justin is still going to school full time and working 32 hours on the weekends! I'm really excited that I get to spend some time with him this weekend!! He plans on attending spring and summer terms at BYU and will study in the meantime for the LSAT which he will take either Sept. 29th or Oct. 1st. He will only take two classes fall semester to finish up and graduate in December of this year. He will then work full time starting in January of '08 until law school at the end of August...that's the plan anyway! He will start taking his prep class for the LSAT this summer again and he feels confident he will do well, so we hope he will!

I also wnat to report that Layers is very soon going to be introducing their spring line! I am really excited because I've seen a couple of pics and they are going to have some really cute stuff! Of course I'm supposed to say that, but I would say it even if I weren't a distributor! :) They are coming out with swim suits, boy shorts for swimming, spring/summery dresses, and of course shirts! I plan on having a party with our friends sometime possibly in April, so I will post about that when the date is sure so you can all come! Primarily it will be fun to just have a hang out so we can see everyone! It feels like it's been a while!

Well I hope things are going well with each of you. Christine your pics make me want spring to be here really soon! Ah! If only I lived in Vegas!!

Love, Nicole

My Reaction

I just can't believe all of these babies!! Are we really that old? Crazy!!!

Summer

So, since Kathryn mentioned summer, I had to brag about this weekend! We tried the pool out for the first time this season. The water is 80 degrees! A little too cold for Claire, but still lots of fun. Feel free to come visit anytime :)

Pinch!

I hope you're wearing green! Happy St. Patrick's day!!! And it's almost summer, I'm so excited!

Good day mate! (is that Irish? I don't think.) Top o the mornin!

Watch Out!

Okay, I've decided to be brave and post a picture of myself and my belly. Christine requested pictures of the little ones; this is the best I can do. :) In answer to the most common questions/exclamations I receive: Yes, the belly is huge. Yes, I still have two months to go, even though yes, it looks like I could pop any day now! At least this pic can give you a fair warning so you don't die of shock if you see me...

More Posts!

Hi everyone. So I have decided that people need to post more. I know you might think that you have nothing intersting going on, but you do! I want to know what everyone is up to, and I want pictures. I especially want to see pictures of the kids. They grow so fast and I want to see them change, so please post! Well, Claire is almost 5 months and we just took our first flight to Utah. She did pretty well. She is as big as her one year old cousin (in the pics). It is now in the 90's here in Vegas and I am not looking forward to the summer! Well, hope to hear from everyone soon!

Save some money!

Hey guys - As you're doing your tax returns this year (if you haven't already done them), here's a couple of things you might want to check out.

First, for those of you that moved in 2006, you might qualify for a deduction. I did and was able do deduct almost $500! Go to http://www.irs.gov/publications/p521/index.html to see if it applies to you (it's kind of long to read through, but you have to be sure you meet all of the qualifications).

If you paid tuition in 2006, you may be able to get a credit (even better than a deduction) for it. Go to http://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/index.html and check it all out. I was able to take the Lifetime Learning Credit and save $250.

If you made a contribution to a retirement savings plan (like a 401K or IRA), you can take a credit for up to $1,000 or $2,000. Check out http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=107686,00.html. Note, you cannot take the credit if you were a student for any part of 5 months during the year.

Make sure you take the credit for federal excise tax paid ($30 for single and $40 for married filing jointly). Everyone gets this one.

There are other deductions/credits that you might qualify for, but I think these are the most common for the situations most of us are in. It can get pretty complicated, so if you do it yourself, make sure you are really thorough and fill out the forms correctly. It would probably be worth it to hire someone. Let me know if you have any questions!!

Miss you all!! xoxo

Diapers

Hi guys

So, I receive a monthly email from a conservation organization called NRDC. (National Resources Defense Council)
The topic this month was the most eco-friendly way to use diapers; whether cloth diapers are better because they reduce waste, or worse because they require water and chemicals to clean. The answer was that it is hard to say, but they talked about a new company that offers flushable diapers. I think the general idea is that you buy fabric diapers, but there is a snap-on thing that you flush when it gets dirty.
I don't totally get how it works, but here is their website, if anybody is interested:
http://www.gdiapers.com

It seems cool, but not being a mom and having to deal with messy diapers, I don't know how it would really work.

Also, here is a link to the whole article about diapers:
http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/

Sorry if you're bored by now, I just thought it was such a cool solution!!!
Just for fun, here are some pictures from our President's Day climbing trip to St George.
It was 76 degrees! It felt soo good!!! (:

Me climbing at Chuckawalla

Jared bouldering at Moe's Valley

Happy Birthday Nanette!

Nan,

just wanted to wish you a happy birthday! Hope you are doing well