Happy Holidays!

Okay, so we've gotten pretty bad about updating our blog these days. Things at the Nielsen home are good. We're excited for some upcoming R&R this Christmas. Not too much to report, but here are some recent pics of us and the girls...

JDRF Walk 2009

We are participating in this year's JDRF walk here in Idaho Falls this coming Saturday, the 12th. Just about all of us has a friend or family member who has diabetes, or you may even have it yourself. JDRF is a great organization that aids research to better treat and cure this disease.

We are despartely trying to raise more contributions for our upcoming walk! We had a great turnout last year, exceeding our goals, and we hope to do the same again this year. Please feel free to donate as little or as much as you are willing. Donating is quick and easy and you can do it from the comfort of your chair! Just click the following link: http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87439899 and take a few seconds to help a great cause.

To find out more about the JDRF's involvment to cure juvenile diabetes, just logon to www.jdrf.org.

Thanks!!

Summer Vacation '09

We spent the last week on vacation here in Idaho Falls with my mom and dad visiting from Florida. We had Sydney's baby blessing on Sunday, spent a few days bumming around town, and then we made a run over to Yellowstone later in the week. Just like all vacations, it was great fun but was too short. Saylor was especially excited to spend some time hangin' with her Floridian Grandparents and Sydney was happy to meet them! We were all sad to seem the go back home and are looking forward to our next visit back in Florida! Here are some pictures taken throughout the week...

Catching up...

Sydney is officially 2 months old already today. Here are some picture of her that were taken over the past month along with some pics of us all at the July 4th fetivities.

Martie

Martie, we miss you!

Martie Nielsen (Nov 16, 1999 - Jul 13, 2009)

Today has been a very sad day here in our household. Martie passed away early in the morning of unknown causes. We suspect that his little heart gave out on him. He was nearly 10 years old. He was loved dearly and will be sorely missed.

Sydney's 4 Weeks!

It's been 4 weeks already, and we're still trying to get used to having a newborn again. Sydney is doing great and growing - she weighed in just the other day at 8lbs 1oz. Jamie is also doing well and is slowly getting back to a normal routine. Here are some pics over the past month...

Welcome Sydney Rae!

Sorry for the late posting on this... it's been a busy week! This week we welcomed the arrival of our Sydney Rae. After some compliations in delivery, an emergency c-section, and an emotional rollar coaster ride, she was born at 7:37pm, Monday May 18th, weighing in at 7 lbs 2 oz and is 18.5 in long.

As it turns out, Sydney had the umbilical cord wrapped tightly around her neck and it was keeping her stuck in place at the very end of the birth canal. Her vitals dropped quickly and the situation quickly changed as we were rushed to surgery. A c-section was performed and as a result of Sydney's positioning, Jamie suffered a bit of extra internal tearing as Sydney was pulled free. As a result, Jamie lost a significant amount of blood while the doctor worked to get the bleeding stopped. Sydney was having a little difficulty breathing at first, but her vitals perked up.

After a few more days in recovery, a couple units of new blood, and lots of good medications, Jamie and Sydney were both released to go home. Both Jamie and Sydney are doing well here at home. Sydney has a case of the Jaundice but it seems to be getting better. Jamie is gaining more strength each day and is doing well (as long as I keep her pumped with meds!)

Sydney is a beautiful addition to our little family. We can already tell some personality differences between her and Saylor. Saylor is our little wild child, and it looks like Sydney may be the mellow one. Saylor seems to be taking very well to her new little sister's arrival. We can't really tell yet who Sydney favors more in terms of her looks. We'll see!

Here are some of the pictures we have so far...

Fun in the Sun

So, no Sydney just yet... Jamie was due this past Wednesday and it looks like Sydney just wants to stay put a little longer. Unfortunately for her, she's getting evicted tomorrow morning as Jamie is scheduled for an induction. Jamie's a little nervous of course, but we're very excited to finally meet our little one tomorrow! I thought I'd be posting Sydney pics by now, but here are some recent pics of Saylor. The weather has finally turned and we are loving spending more time out in the sun!

Spring has arrived!!! Right?

Okay, so we're a little late but here's some Easter pics along with some other stuff. We had a great Easter and the bunny was good to us this year. We're now frantically trying to get a long list of "to do's" completed before Sydney arrives. We're loving the nice weather we finally have as well. (Although it was interesting to have planted our first garden yesterday, and wake up to snow this morning).

Anyway, we're now on the Sydney watch. We're down to the last 3 weeks, but we're thinking she may arrive a little early. Jamie is more than ready to not be pregnant anymore! That's it for now - we'll keep you posted!

Saylor's New Room

Here are a few pics we taken over the past couple of months and some pictures of the new room for Saylor. We've retired the "Star Wars Room" and it is now almost ready for Saylor to move in once Sydney kicks her out of the "nursery" room. Sydney is growing normally and Jamie is very anxious to have Sydney out of her belly! Sydney is very active and seems to be a bit larger than Saylor was. We have less than 6 weeks to go!

New Mode

So here at the Nielsen household, we are of course anxiously awaiting the new Depeche Mode release. The new album "Sounds of the Universe" dosen't come out until mid April, but here's the upcoming first single "Wrong". The U.S. tour dates have also just been released, and we'll be looking forward to seeing them perform in Salt Lake City this August (the day before my birthday!).

Just a Quick Update

Here are a couple of recent pics of Saylor being Saylor. Things are very busy here lately at our home. Jamie is working hard to get her new business venture up and running. It's a lot of work, but hopefully well worth it.

Saylor is a true busy body - more than ever. She's fearless and likes to get herself into trouble. We love every minute of it though. Sydney is growing and things seem to be going well. We're down to 3 months already -time flys! We're still getting used to the idea of being a family of four.

Our animals are availble for adoption - package deal! Actually, they (mostly the older dogs) just seem to be acting up more and more out of jealousy. They drive us nuts, but we still love them.

It's still cold here in Idaho, but its really not too bad for February. We're just happy that the days are starting to get longer again and spring is on its way!

That's about all that's going on here. Talk to you soon!

GRAND OPENING!!

As most of you know, I have been searching tirelessly for a good opportunity to work from home and become my own boss. Our need for more flexibility in, and control over our careers has grown over the past year and a half since Saylor was born and as we anticipate the arrival of our second daughter Sydney. I'm very relieved to have finally found a truly reputable company that is both saving, and making Americans everywhere, a lot of money. The company is AmeriplanUSA, and I'm excited to share it with everyone!


Essentially, what I do can be broken down into two parts:


1. HUGE SAVINGS ON DENTAL, VISION, PRESCRIPTION, CHIROPRACTIC AND MORE! AmeriplanUSA is a discount benefits company that helps those who are un-insured or under-insured. By joining, its members have access to truly incredible savings on dental, vision, prescription, chiropractic, and medical services. In the event that you or someone you know may be in need of any of these services, please feel free to contact my website for more information: www.MyBenefitsPlus.com/JNielsen

2. STAY AT HOME and FIRE YOUR BOSS!This is the part I am most passionate about! As many of you know we were facing the predicament that many couples with young children face - trying to obtain secondary income without shipping most of it (if not all of it), along with our children, off to some daycare. AmeriplanUSA has offered the perfect solution. I know how hard it was for me to find this company, so I just want to make it easier for others. Do you know of anyone that is looking for extra ways to generate additional income from home? If so, please feel free to forward to them my website www.FreedomAtHomeTeam.com/JNielsen and I'll take it from there!

Thank you in advance for any referrals and I'll talk to you soon!

Farewell O'Bannon

So here's to my old ship... I just discovered today that the USS O'Bannon was the victim of a "sinkex" excercise following it's decommissioning not long ago. At the time when I was stationed on her, I probably would have enjoyed sinking her, but I can't help feeling a bit sad about it now.





USS O'Bannon