The only thing to fear...

Let's talk a little bit about phobias, shall we? Some people have a great fear of spiders, or likewise snakes. That's understandable, seeing as they can kill you. Some people are deathly scared of heights...while being high up can't kill you in itself, there is some definite risk in when it comes to falling. Now let's go to my phobia...puke. I know "nobody likes throwing up" or "But you feel so much better after you do!" blah, blah, blah. Seriously, I'm petrified of the stuff. If I even think there's a possibilty that I might throw up, my hands start to sweat and I have to start to try and breathe slowly-in 1,2,3-out 2,3..So, imagine me waking up today to a baby covered in puke. After I picked myself up off of the floor, I was actually pretty surprised at how well I took it. I managed to breathe in that certain way that becomes instinct once you become a mom- in through the mouth, out through the nose- strip the sheets, strip my daughter, and march straight for the bathtub. She seemed fine, so I thought that it was perhaps just the soup I had made her for supper the night before (considering that that's what the sheets were covered in..mmm, yummy). So I fed her a bottle and we took it pretty easy. Then I laid her down for her nap, still doing well. About 20 minutes later she puked again. No big deal...I guess. We went through the drill again (strip then tub). She wanted to stay in the tub and just sat there eyes half closed. The poor thing was so tired. After I finally pulled her away from her "fun" I took the glider out to the living room and rocked her as we watched the wiggles....then the bomb went off. I, luckily, still had the towel in hand and managed to play catcher with much more speed and agility than I ever thought possible (I also managed to not pass out, which in it's self is a minor miracle) only a drop on the rug! And then off to the bathtub we went. While I think I managed alright, I don't want a repeat performance, and I definitely don't want to be the understudy!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...My daughter!

The talent in my family is spilling over. (Please, hold your applause until the end-and remember, no flash photography). You can see by the wonderful technique used here, that my daughter is quite the budding musician. Yes, yes...she makes me so proud (tears are actually welling up in my eyes as I type). Now..I must say, I can't take all the credit for this beautiful musical display of epic proportions, as I believe it does in fact come from her fathers side. So thank you Nickles...thank you for teaching her well. Her talent will not be wasted.

(This is totally for you Liz!!!)

She's Crafty!

Attention all crafty chicas! Oh...wait. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one out of my family and circle of friends who actually likes to do crafts. BUT after I found this website, I just had to post it (just in case a few of you are closet crafters). Adorn is a magazine, but you can get free projects online:

http://www.adornmag.com/

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!!

When I was a little girl, my family made a big deal out of Easter. Out of all the Holidays, Easter was probably the family favorite. We always had Easter dresses, a few times we made our easter baskets, and we always went camping on Easter weekend (although, we never went too far). When we went camping, my mom would say something like "Oh, darn...I can't believe I forgot the matches! Now how are we going to start the fire. I guess I'd better run home and get them." Noone really thought this was strange because, well...of course my mom would forget something (as would any of us, for that matter. Forgetfulness is a dominant gene in my family). Well, when we'd get home after camping, all of our Easter baskets would be full and waiting on the kitchen table! But how could that be? We were all camping! Man, was I surprised to find out that it wasn't the Easter Bunny...but my mom.

The Nickle's had a pretty fun Easter this year. I really want to incorporate some of the same traditions with my little family. I made Mikayla's Easter basket out of a doily, glue, and a bowl. Next year she'll be able to help a little more with it. It was so cute when she found her Easter basket, she whispered "whoa" and proceded to climb onto the chairs to rummage

through all of her new goodies.However, besides the basket...this Easter wasn't the greatest. Mikayla was super rowdy at church, which mad Joel cranky...so I ended up taking them both home, then I came back to teach my class. PLUS...I have a super head cold and I can't breathe. So, instead of a fancy Easter dinner...we had frozen Pizza (which when I remembered that we had bought it, I almost cried I was so happy. I did not want to cook!) On the plus side..deosn't Mikayla look pretty in her Easter dress...awww...

We definitely had a fun St. Patty's Day! We had a fairly traditional Irish meal (with just a wee bit o' flare, hehe...) Shepherd's pie (with green mashed potatoes on top), green limeades, green rice crispy treats, and mint chocolate chip icecream...yummy! I really wanted to go to the Flogging Molly concert, but since it's a Monday, it was a no-go. Maybe we'll go next year..hmm..but then it will be on a Tuesday...so I guess we'll go in 2012? Hey, at least it'll be easier to find Mikayla a babysitter!!

I've Been Tagged

How long have you been together? Married 6 years (but our first date was on St. Patty's Day 7 years ago)
How old are you? too old... 26.
Who eats more? Joel.
Who said, I love you first? Joel. I was about to, but he beat me to it. That was about 3 days before he proposed.
Who is taller? Joel
Who sings better? I would say me, just because Joel doesn't sing, so I have no idea if he's good or not.
Who is smarter? Academically...me. However, I do have the occasional "blonde moment"..and I'm really forgetful..so I guess it really depends.
Who does the laundry? both of us...don't get me started..
Who does the dishes? I do most of the time.
Who pays the bills? Joel
Who mows the lawn? Joel. I'd probably lose a limb or run over the dogs.
Who cooks dinner? I do. Except when he makes pizza.
Who is more stubborn? We're both pretty darn stubborn, but I'd have to say that I am.
Who kissed who? He kissed me...and it probably wasn't the easiest of things. I made hime work hard for that first kiss.
Who asked who out first? hmm..that's a tricky one. Joel was down here from Utah to go to traffic school. He went out with some buddies to a YSAP dance. My friend Sarah wanted me to go with her to this dance so I could see the guy she had met and really liked- well, that guy happened to be the friend that took Joel to the dance. The next night Sarah asks me if I would go on a date with Joel, and Josh (Sarah's boy) asked Joel if he would go on a date with me...so....neither one of us asked the other one out.
Who proposed? Oh, dear..another tricky one. My sister? hehe...j/k. She just got the ball rolling. We'd probably still be dating if she hadn't asked Joel if he wanted to marry me. He said he did (but was a little guarded about why she was asking), so they went ring shopping. She told me he was going to propose, but if I wanted him to do it I'd better tell him that I loved him (hence the 3 days)
Who is more sensitive? Me
Who has more friends? We both have about the same.
Who has more siblings? Joel
Who wears the pants in the relationship? Depends on what the situation is. He thinks he does, but that's how you know I do..hehe..j/k

I tag my mom, Liz, and anyone else who wants to have some fun...

Baby block cake

Okay.. last night, on the Food Network channel, there was a baby shower cake decorating Challenge.. Let me just say, I totally would have won that cake challenge! Okay, maybe not, but after watching it I wanted to show off my baby block cake. I love watching the cake decorating shows on the Food Network. I can't get enough. Two of my favorite things are home decor and cake decorating. But it's so much work! I know a couple of my friend's like to decorate cakes as well, so let's see your favorite cakes ladies!

St. Patrick's Day is Almost Here!!

I love Holidays and one of my top 3 faves is St. Patrick's Day!! My mom is about a quarter Irish, but I claim to be 100% Irish. So, in honor of this fun festive day where you get to wear green, kiss people, pinch people, eat green food, and play pranks...I've decided to add a bunch of Irish music to the top of my playlist. I know not everybody likes my kind of music, but I love it!!

Playdate

Yesterday Mikayla and I went to a friend's house for a playdate and we had a blast! Mikayla had fun with the 2 older girls playing upstairs in the loft and outside while I was able to get some "grown-up" time. I was telling Mikayla that the stairs were a "no-no", but everytime I went and knelt down beside her and tried to act firm she would grab my face and squish her cheek against mine and laugh and give me kisses- how am I supposed to sound mad when I'm too busy laughing! It was so cute. I love my little girl!