26 Years...

Well, this is what I look like on my 26th birthday. I was doing my own personal photo shoot, but didn't really like the pictures alone, so since Hallie was the only one home with me, she got to join in on the fun. :) So, do I look wiser & older too? My sister-in-law informed me that you can now register at Target for your birthday, just like your wedding! How cool is that! If only I would have known that sooner... and you could all go and see my list, just wait until my 30th birthday, and I will send out little invitations with a "I'm registered at Target" card inside. Haha ha ha ha... I thought it was pretty funny, It's a fun idea though. ;) Anyway, my birthday has been wonderful! I'll write the details later.... but for now, here are some pictures from the past.
Here I am when I was a wee little babe.
I think I'm 5 or 6 here, so 20 years ago... wow I think I look the same, just older...
Now this is one of my favorite pictures. I think I am 7 or 8, and I'm with my best friend Alison. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing here... I think I was afraid her head was going to fall off, so I'm supporting it... ha ha ha haha :) And by the way, I met Alison when I was in 2nd grade when I moved to Idaho. My first day in school there was a child sitting in front of me with really short hair, and I couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl, that's all I thought about until lunch when I met her, and it was Alison. She was such a tomboy, and I was a prissy girl, & we hit it off great. I remember her teaching me how to climb trees, and a couple of times she even came to school with no shoes on (of course hiding them under her long jeans so the teachers wouldn't see) We had so much fun together, & are still great friends. You should see her little family now on my sidebar (Alison) she is GORGEOUS & has a beautiful family! Anyway, after that little tangent :) don't you just LOVE my outfit, the nice tight biker shorts along with the belly shirt... you gotta love the 80's. :)

Cute Little Hallie

For our families who live away...

For all of you that live away and haven't met or seen our cute little Hallie for a while, I decided to put this video on here. She has been so much fun lately. Today she kept arching her back and scooting up with her heels... funny girl. The other night at 3:00 in the morning, she woke up and just talked like this in her bed. She is such a good baby. She rarely cries & just keeps smiling and laughing... is that abnormal? :) I count it as a blessing that she is such a good baby. :) Anyway, I was trying to get her to smile and video tape her at the same time, so sorry about the half shot of her face, but you get the idea. ;) And notice how fast her arms are flapping, yeah, her legs are going just as fast if not faster. :) Enjoy!

Scrapbook Pages

This weekend I worked on my digital scrapbook pages. Now I just need to print them. :) I love the way this first one turned out. This is my best friend Melanie, and she is amazing! I think that the Lord blesses us with friends who effect our lives at different times. When I was 8, my best friend was Alison, when I was 15 my best friend was Lisa, & when I was 18 and in college, my best friend was Jamie. I still keep in touch with these girls, & I am so grateful for the way they have impacted my life. On my page I typed some of the words from "For Good" from the Broadway play "Wicked" (which I am dying to see!!! ) The song is beautiful, and talks about how we are better people because of those that come in our lives. The second verse says, "It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime so let me say before we part, so much of me is made of what I've learned from you, you'll be with me like a handprint on my heart & whatever way our stories end, I know I have you in mine by being my friend." I am so grateful for all of my friends, especially my family, I love you all so much!
I know I already posted these pictures, so I won't explain. ;)

Cute little Hallie. I'm not sure what I think of this page. The blue looks a little too plain, oh well. :)

Morgan's Favorite Dress

Last year, when Brian and I went to Cancun, we bought this dress for Morgan. When we bought it, it went to the middle of her legs, towards the end of the summer, it was getting shorter, and I didn't know if she should wear it anymore, well, I kept it hanging up in her closet, and last Sunday she begged me to wear it to church. It came right to her knees, but I figured it was still long enough, so she put it on with a shirt on underneath, and was beaming all day in church and showing everyone her dolphin dress... funny girl! On Monday, the dress was still on her, and amazingly enough... no stains yet, but of course this time she didn't want to put the shirt on underneath, then comes Tuesday, the dress is still on, & of course no stain, and no shirt, I told her that if she wanted to go to Grandma's house she needed to change into warmer clothes, Tuesday night I saw the dress on the floor & thought, I should put it in the laundry while she's sleeping, but I didn't, so Wednesday morning, she comes bouncing into our room at 7:00, and of course with the dress on... sadly at lunch she spilled a tiny dot of barbeque sauce on it, and it FINALLY went to the laundry... yet to be cleaned. ;) I do love the dress though. At least she's not wanting to stay in her favorite pajamas all day. :) In the bottom pictures she's posing... she kept saying, "mom take a picture of me twirling" So she'd twirl and then pose. I love her so much! Even though our personalities clash sometimes (we're so much alike) she is such a sweetheart, and I love her more than anything in the world!

Morgan's Haircut

I haven't cut Morgan's hair for a year now, and it was getting so long & stragly, I had thought about donating it, but I didn't want to cut it too short, and Morgan loves putting curlers in her hair at night, and with short hair she wouldn't be able to, so after she and Jackson took a bath, we began the haircutting process. Wow... do you have any idea how hard it is to get a 4 year old to hold her head still, while an inexpierenced mom tries to cut the hair??? At one point I wasn't sure how even it was, and I still find little spots that look a little bit longer, but overall, it was a fun experience for both of us, and I LOVE how cute the new look is. She looks gorgeous, & she's only 4!!! Now, if you were to ask me to cut Jackson's hair, I would most likely need to buzz it because I would do a hack job... just ask Brian... words of wisdom... DO NOT have your 5 month pregnant wife (who is pregnant for the first time) cut your hair!!! You will most likely have to wear a hat to work, and your wife will cry because of the terrible cut she gave you. (of course this NEVER happened to us) :) ha ha ha Let's just say, Brian cuts his own hair now, & I do a little trimming in the back. :)
I think I cut 4 to 6 inches off... Brian felt bad because I cut off a lot of her baby blonde hair... his little girl is growing up.
Da Da Da Daaaa.... Isn't she cute!!!! I LOVE her hair!
And the back. I think it looks pretty even...just agree with me, don't look to close. ;)

6 years ago yesterday...

I can't believe it's been that long... 6 years ago yesterday Brian and I had just been married for 4 months. We had both gone to work on a windy and cold day. Brian didn't want to work because of how cold it was, but his boss said they needed to get the house they were building done. (At the time Brian was working as a framer) At 3:45, Brian called me at work and told me something bad had happened to him, and that he couldn't feel his legs. A wall that they were framing had been picked up by the wind, and when Brian saw it coming towards him, he started to run, but the wall knocked him down. The force was so strong, that it caused both femurs to shoot up through the pelvic area causing both balls in the sockets to be crushed, thus needing immediate surgery. The ambulence took Brian to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, but they felt the job was too hard for them, so he was life flighted to the U of U... meanwhile I was in shock & terrified of what was going on. My parents were in Navoo for meetings & I couldn't get ahold of them, and I have never felt so alone in my entire life. Our really good friends Ben Cook & his wife Darci came to the hospital to give Brian a blessing. I remember my sister coming, and me just sobbing... I had no idea what to expect would happen now. Karen (my mother in law) drove me up to the U of U & we tried to see what would happen. They decided to do surgery the next morning, I don't remember that first night... I didn't sleep or eat, I just cried... in my mind Brian was dying, because to me, I had never been in a hospital, and people only went to the hospital to die. The next morning they did the surgery... 6 hours long... I think the Lord works in mysterious ways. One of my aunts, who I consider most like my dad just happened to be in the area from Texas (i think) to visit her daughter. She was an angel! She dropped everything so she could come and comfort me. She didn't try to tell me what to do, she just hugged me & comforted me & helped pass time during the surgery. 6 hours later the surgery was over, and Brian had done really well through it. The interesting thing is that just before the surgery they took a picture of us together, and gave it to me. Brian thinks it was in case he died, which I honestly don't like to think about. We spent a week at that hospital, and then went back to UVRM for about 5 days, and then we went to live in a nursing home... yep we lived in a nursing home for 6 weeks... as newly weds mind you. ;) We made it our home along with the elderly. ;) Brian improved really well, & got used to watching the Price is Right every morning like the elderly too. :) It was a long summer... but enjoyable because we were able to spend so much time together. I am amazed at how much love our Heavenly Father & Savior have for us. The entire time this was going on, I could feel angels & the Lord around me, and comforting me. One doctor who knows Brian and his family really well, is always amazed each time we have had a child... according to him, we weren't supposed to have kids because of all the trama and radiation to Brian's body... so each child, really is a miracle and a blessing. That time was probably the hardest in my life, but it became our foundation of our relationship, we knew we could conquer anything together. I am so grateful that Brian is alive today & that he can walk & live a normal life. There is the occasional pain or discomfort, & eventually he will need to have a total hip replacement, but overall we have been truly blessed & have been able to continue our life together & with our kids.

Fun Kids

Well, although I am anxiously awaiting my blog stockers to make themselves known to me (thank you to those of you who have let me know... we now consider you our best friends! :) ) I decided to put some more cute pics on here. This is Hallie's 3 month pictures. Isn't she a cutie!!! Her new thing is holding her hands together. She is so much fun, and I don't think there could be an easier baby. She only cries when she wants to eat, and if Morgan & Jackson are loving her a little too much. She is cooing and laughing now, and it is so fun... I'm afraid she will talk a lot, and be our social & happy little bug. She is so much fun, and is growing up too quickly.
My girls, today I noticed as I was watching Morgan's baby movie, that they have the same eyes, but different smiles. Morgan looks a lot like Brian, and Hallie looks a lot like me... kind of fun huh!
Here's Morgan's 4 year old pictures. She was so funny. When I got ready to take her pictures she said, "now where do you want me to sit Mom?" She started singing a song today to Hallie
Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Bakers Man, Bake me a cake as fast as you can, pat it and roll it, and mark it with a 'B' & put it in the oven for 6 minutes!"

This is by far the funniest picture ever, to me anyway, so Jackson was actually quite helpful with his pictures. I kind of let him do whatever he wanted, so he told me he wanted me to take one of him sleeping, why, I don't know, but I did. He curled up on the floor and put his hands together just like this, and then let me know that he was ready. Don't you love how he is concentrating on keeping his eyes closed. ;) He is so funny, and is always making us laugh.

Ode to Blog Checker-outers

Here is my ode to all of my blog stockers. I actually don't like the word "stockers," so we will change it to "Blog Checker-outers" also known as those who visit our blog. Enjoy! :)
Now I know it sounds crazy,
or so it may seem,
but I REALLY want to know
whose reading these things.

It started with one &
grew to a few
& before we knew it,
there were 1,000 of you!

Some are family &
some are friends
but others are strangers
with their own story to lend.

Some are from Utah,
Pennsylvania, or France,
and some are from
Australia & Texas
just taking a glance.

The truth is I tell you,
I'm curious too...
to know about life,
& a story from YOU!

Now don't feel embarrassed
or scared to admit...
I PROMISE I'll be HAPPY
& I won't throw a fit!!

So, I know this sounds crazy
or so it may seem,
but I REALLY want to know
whose reading these things!


Ha Ha Ha, okay, so I know this is extremly cheesy, but honestly, I really do want to know who is reading our blog. Mostly for my family. I really don't want to go private, but I have a map at the bottom of our blog that I check at least once a week, and there are people from other states and countries (like the United Kingdom, of which I don't know anyone there, in fact, I don't think I even know where that is. :) It is a state right? :) jk And, there are TONS of states that I don't know anyone in either. So, if you have not left me a comment on the last 2 posts, PLEASE let me know who you are. I'm excited to see who is reading our blog, and I'm excited to find out more about each of you. At this point, I think I will be going private in 1 week, so if you would like to be added on to my list of buddies, please leave a comment with your e-mail address ( I'll change it so it gets sent to my e-mail first so no one else will see your e-mail address) Anyway, I LOVE the blogging world... it's my escape everyday, to see how you all are doing. So, have a wonderful day & don't forget to comment! :)

Garden Pictures

For some reason, my garden pictures didn't post right, I don't know why, so here they are. Happy gardening... :)

Hallie's 3 months!

I was going to take 3 month old pictures today, but with the rain, I will do them later. Isn't she so sweet. I am so glad she is a part of our family. She is so calm, and rarely cries, even in the night when she wants to eat, she just kind of snorts, to let me know she is ready to eat. She is so much fun to be around, do you see that little teasing look in her eyes, oh no, another teaser.... ;) Hallie has been such a fun baby, and I love being around her. The other day Brian noticed that her feet were kind of white & we wondered if she wasn't getting enough circulation to her feet... the answer... just look at her rolls in the picture by her wrists... she is such a chunky baby, and I LOVE it. I LOVE her rolls, and how big she is. Go baby go! For some reason, she is growing up so much faster than Morgan and Jackson. I love her so much.

A look into the Past

A couple of weeks ago when I was at my parents house, I went through an old box of pictures from when I was younger. I have to say that these were 2 of my favorites. I think Hallie looks so much like me in this picture. I love it! There is also a picture of Brian on here too... what a cutie! So, who do you think our kids look like?
Yep, ya gotta love the cheesy smile. This is me and my sister Jen. My question though, is what on earth is going on with my bangs? I think they start in the middle of my head. Do you see that teasing smile... yep, that was my personality back then, but of course I NEVER tease now. Poor Jen, she really put up with a lot from me. For some reason she was always screaming or crying, I tried to explain to my dad that I didn't know what her problem was, and that "I" HADN'T done anything to bother her.. for some reason she just started crying... and now, I think I have a copy of myself... also known as Morgan. :) Morgan teases anyone, especially Jackson, just to get him to scream, and then she uses the same trick I used, "But, Mom, I didn't do anything!" Yep, I know that trick. Look at Jen's cute face, so sweet and innocent, and me ready to tease. :) It's a good thing that I grew up. ;)
What a handsome little kid! I love this picture! He kind of looks like a little Jackson only with brown hair. Doesn't he look so sweet! I think he was 2 1/2 in this picture.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you women out there. I found these cute pictures of my mom and mother in law and decided to share them. I just tried to post this nice long post about our moms, but somehow, it wouldn't post, and deleted it instead... so hopefully I can remember what I wrote. :)
On May 31st, my mom became a mom for the first time to me. :) I was a such a cute and wonderful baby, that they decided to have 6 more hoping they would be just like me. :) ha ha ha I never realized how much my mom did for our family until now, as I do the same things for my family. I never realized how many meals she cooked, or the laundry she did, or the school projects, or our hair, or all the cleaning she did. I wish I could go back in time and say "thanks for doing my hair," thanks for coming to my school party" "thanks for driving me to work" "thanks for dinner... it's delicious!" and anything else that I took for granted. My mom amazes me. I wish I would have helped more around the house, I wish I would have offered to cook dinner, or help with the laundry, or clean my room without being asked for the 5th time. My dad used to say when we were younger "you'll never understand until you have kids of your own." I used to hate it when he said that, and would usually roll my eyes, but he was right, I am now beginning to understand how much she did for us. I'm starting to realize how much she sacrificed, especially her own dreams for ours. I am so grateful for my mom. She is "a Mother who knows" ... she taught us the gospel, she taught me how to keep a house clean, how to cook, how to take care of children, and sometimes when she may have felt that no one cared, I cared, and I followed her & learned so much from her. I am so grateful for my mom's example and testimony. She taught me the importance of paying tithing, of being honest, or daily scripture study (personally & as a family), she taught me so many things that I am able to apply in my life now. I am so grateful that I am still able to learn from her. I love her so much, and I'm so grateful she is my mom. She is my best friend. I love you so much!
My 2nd mom is Karen (Brian's mom). She too is "a mother who knows." During Brian's teenage years, he watched him mom go to church, and wanted to go because she was there. He followed her example. I watch all that Karen has gone through, especially as her kids were little and in the hospital for broken bones, or other things, and I look back on the courage and faith that she had to continue on. To me, Karen is one of the greatest examples of enduring to the end, even when times are tough. I am so grateful that almost 7 years ago she welcomed me into her home, and has loved me like a daughter ever since. I am so grateful for how she raised Brian. She did and AMAZING job, and I will always be grateful for her because of who Brian is today. I am so grateful to have her in my life. I love her so much!
Here we are together on Hallie's blessing day. I am so grateful that I am able to be a mom. I know it's a sensitive subject, especially for those who do not have children yet. But I hope you all know how important your role as a woman is. There have been many times when I have been able to help children (that weren't my own) and make a difference in their life. I am so grateful for my 3 beautiful children, and though they test me, and I am getting "minature melissa's & brians" they continually show me what this life is about... family & love. Today Jackson started singing, "lead me guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way, teach me all that I must do to live with him someday" I hope that I can teach my kids what I have learned from my mom & karen, to return to our Heavenly Father. I love you all, and wish you a wonderful mother's day!

New kind of Tag

So, I saw this on a friends blog, and decided to copy it. It is a tag about your husbands. I feel like I know a lot about all of you, but what about your sweethearts? So, here we go... here is a little bit about the man in my life....
What is his name? Brian H. Nuttall
How long have you been together? Since September 9, 2001
How did you meet? I was set up on a blind date in college, with my friend Paul's friend who had just returned home from his mission (2 weeks earlier) Brian had met these 2 guys at a singles ward earlier that day, and they were all gived tickets for the single adult fireside at the Conference Center in Salt Lake. Brian was told that Cory was being set up on a date with me, but that he and Paul could just hang out together. We all rode up together, and it really was love at first sight for both of us, so Paul was sweet and let Brian and I sit together at the Conference Center while he talked to Cory, and Brian and I just hit it off. And, the rest is history... ;)
How long did you date? 6 weeks and then he proposed, 3 months later & we were married... what can I say, when it's right, it's right!
Who eats more? Usually me, unless it's steak & shrimp or anything seafood, or Wendy's burgers, and then it's him. I have a special craving and tasting for food, I don't know why, I just LOVE food...mmmmm, okay sorry this isn't supposed to be about me. :)
Where do you like to eat together? We LOVE Cafe Rio salads, and our new favorite is Ruby Tuesday. Yummy!
Who said I love you first? In my mind I said it right when I met him, just kidding, he said those blissful magical words first... :) & of course I said them back.
Who does the laundry? 3 loads of kids clothes-me, whites-me, lights-me, (I'm kind of picky with my clothes) towels-him, his clothes-him, but I do have to say, he does ALL the yard work, unless I feel like mowing the lawn.
Who does the dishes? both, Brian is a HUGE help with the dishes
Who sleeps on the right? Wait, I have to think for a minute...me? I think, well it depends on how you're looking at the bed. If your standing in front of the bed and looking at the bed, then him, but if you're laying in the bed (which I don't know why you would be laying in the bed with us) then me. :)
Who pays the bills? both
Who cooks dinner? Usually me, but Brian makes an amazing breakfast.
Who is more stubborn? It depends on the situation, I think we're both about the same. Acutally probably me.
Who kissed who first? He kissed me first... my first kiss ever! My prince charming came and rescued me from the virgin lips club where I was currently serving as president. :)
Who proposed? Him, and he was so creative with it! I had no idea that he was going to propose when he did, the sad thing though, is we were on a hike, and I was not dressed cute at all! I was wearing an ugly t-shirt, "holy" jeans, & my hair was undone, & he STILL proposed! I guess the inside really counts the most. :)
Who has more siblings? me
Who wears the pants? me, unless we're going to church on Sunday. ;)
Where do you fit in birth order? We're both the oldest or eldest?
What's your favorite thing? Brian loves me for who I am, and always supports me, but never tries to change me.
One word to describe him? dreamy :) (I HOPE I'm the only one thinking that about him) ;)
So, I know challenge ALL of you, to write about your honey, or your sweet pie, or what ever you like to call him. I look forward to reading about it! ;)

Planting Our Garden

Brian has spent so much time & effort in moving our garden to the side of our house. The kids were so excited to help him plant the seeds. I'm not much help when it comes to getting in the dirt, but I'm excited to cook the food that grows... that is if any food actually grows. :) A couple of years ago we started a garden, and we got tons of zucchini (sp?) and squash, but nothing else. I really wanted bell peppers, so hopefully, we can get some this year. Morgan was so excited to help. I love how sweet she looks in this picture. She was so exact in counting, & was outside with Brian the whole time.
Yeah, I'm not sure what he's doing in this picture either. Actually, he's showing me that "We Planted all of this Garden!!" He's kind of been acting a little crazy lately. I'm not sure why... I don't think we're giving him extra sugar, and then last night it dawned on us... we are raising Dennis the Mennis. He is so curious about everything, and does things just to try it out, even if he shouldn't, or knows better, but he can't help but make us laugh.

And, here is the man of the hour, minute, day, month, year, etc... okay, I have to be careful of what I write on here, so I don't embarasse (what is my deal with spealing today?) him. But really, he has done so much hard work outside to get our garden started, and I am so grateful for him. Without him, I don't think we would have a garden. He is such a hard worker, and I love what he is teaching our kids.














I love this picture. Brian had already planted the corn, and Jackson decided that he wanted to plant the remainder of the seeds somewhere else, and accidentally dumped them along the way. He is so cute!

Stories to Make You Smile

I have more pictures to post from Morgan's birthday, but much to Brian's dismay, I HAD to post this story. This morning I went to a baptisim (sp?) I was planning on taking Morgan with me, but it was at 9:00 and Morgan wasn't dressed, and I couldn't find her sandals, so I decided that she wasn't going to go with me. I left, and Brian was SO SWEET and decided to get the kids dressed and ready. He thought that the clothes that I had laid out for Morgan to wear to the baptisim were clothes that I had set out for him to dress Hallie in. Hmmm... so here she is in clothes that are meant for a 4 year old. I asked Brian at what point he realized that they weren't her clothes. He said it was when Morgan who was kind of upset said, "Hey, those are my clothes!" Brian thought that they were bigger clothes like 6-9 months for Hallie. How funny! Morgan has worn this skirt so many times, but I don't think guys are really into details after all. :) But hey, to give Brian credit, at least she had clothes on with a clean diaper, the kids were all happy & fed, and the kitchen was clean, plus he made me laugh. :)
Our cute kiddies
oh, and by the way, Morgan is styling her own hair these days. You've got to love the clips!
On to our next story. Last week, after the kids were showered & dressed, I was doing my hair, and hadn't had time to comb Morgan's yet, so she decided to comb it herself. It was still wet, and while it was drying, she combed it very nicely into this mess. Yep, it is wrapped around the comb. How she did it, I'm not quite sure, but she did a pretty good job. I worked on it for a little bit, and I couldn't tell if I was helping the situation, or making it worse, so I called my neighbor across the street who has 5 daughters. She came and saved the day, and got it out in no time! Hmmm, maybe next time I should comb it quicker. :)