Merry Christmas 2014

Merry Christmas to you and your family! 2014 has been quite an eventful year for us. A year ago I couldn't have imagined we'd have had the year we have had!

Brett finally succumbed to his itch for banking and left the law firm to go back to Zions Bank. Yes, that's right, full circle. He now works in downtown Salt Lake, riding the FrontRunner train to and from work each day. It makes for a very long day, but he is enjoying the work. He misses his wonderful coworkers from the law firm, but overall considers this a positive change. Brett started his new job just a few weeks after our family welcomed our fourth daughter.

Boston Rachel was born on July 11, at 7# 13 oz. She is a sweetie and we adore having her! She started smiling at 5 weeks (which was such a welcome sight to her frazzled Mommy!) and is a happy, delightful baby. And so cute, if I do say so myself!!

I have been completely wrapped up in Rachel, trying to get accustomed to Brett's new schedule, and keeping up with the big sisters' various activities. Most days, I run full speed and barely keep up. But they are days full of good things, and I’m told that shortly we'll look back and miss these days, so I try to enjoy them! I do catch a “break” every once in a while when I cover a shift at the clinic.

Katie made the decision this summer to be baptized. We are so proud of her choice and her desires to choose the right. Katie continues with gymnastics; in the spring she was invited to be on a team and has really improved her skills with the extra practice. She is often found doing handstands, cartwheels, round-offs, etc. whether it is outside or inside the house. She is in 3^rd grade and her third year of Chinese Immersion. Her teachers rave that she's a great student and quiet in class. (What?!? We wonder if her teachers are really talking about our daughter.) She is learning multiplication this year, and is often heard chanting the times tables in both English and Chinese. It's been a delight to her parents to hear her coaching Amanda in Chinese! For Halloween, Katie dressed up as Pocahontas, even making her own moccasins to wear!

Amanda was also invited to participate on the same gymnastics team as Katie. They love competing and doing all things gymnastics together. Amanda's smaller frame lends her to enhanced gymnastics abilities. She has a bubbly personality and easily makes friends wherever she goes. Amanda started 1^st grade and also started the Chinese Immersion program. She comes home every day singing in Chinese.  She is a voracious reader, preferring reading to most other activities. She joined the Frozen throng this year and was Queen Elsa for Halloween (thanks, Grandma, for the dress!).

Ellie started gymnastics this year as part of the toddler class at the gym. She loves to wear her leotard and go with the big girls. She also started a preschool this fall that she LOVES! She is picking up lots of new songs and working on letters, numbers, and social skills. She loves to share what she learned at preschool with her dad when he gets home from work. It's hard to believe she'll have another full year of preschool before she starts kindergarten. Ellie loves all things Ariel, peanut butter sandwiches, and Daniel Tiger.

 

We pray the spirit of Christmas will distill upon your family as we celebrate the humble birth of our glorious Savior!

Nichols News 2013 Edition

Ellie is turning 3 in just a matter of days. She loves going to preschool each week and playing with her friends. She loves singing and is getting quite the repertoire of songs. She had her own tumbling class this fall and LOVED getting on her leotard like her big sisters. The hardest part was getting her to sit still to listen to directions! Ellie loves to set the table and dress herself, and is learning to hold her own with her two big sisters.

Amanda started kindergarten just after her 5^th Birthday. She is an excellent reader and loves it! She is a great helper to Mom and Dad. Amanda loves to spend her mornings playing with Ellie, going to story time, helping at preschool, and having play-dates, before spending the afternoon at school. Amanda is excelling in her gymnastics and amazes us with her progress.

Katie is in her second year (2^nd grade) of Chinese Immersion at school. This year they are focusing more on reading and writing the Chinese characters. She is doing well and her teachers rave about her. She has entered the world of Legos (they now have girl Legos!). She is also in gymnastics and taking piano lessons. Katie is a social butterfly and loves to organize play dates whenever possible. Katie is preparing for her baptism this next summer when she turns 8.

Wendy continues to work in clinics in Salt Lake and Provo. She takes turns teaching Ellie’s preschool and volunteers in Katie and Amanda’s school classes. She’s learning to juggle two sets of homework and keeping everyone up on chores. Sometimes the house gets cleaned, but at least the family gets fed every day! J

Brett continues work with his business law firm in downtown Provo. He celebrated the completion of a successful case this fall. He keeps busy with his church calling, maintaining home and yard, taking his girls to baseball, football, and basketball games, and has even read a few books this year!

We miss our Disney trips, but this year we headed north to Island Park, ID. We had a great time at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, sledding, and exploring West Yellowstone.

May you be blessed this season as we rejoice in the glorious birth and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Love, The Nichols Family

Merry Christmas!

What a year 2011 has been! It's been so fun and I've done poorly at recording more, but here's the recap in a nutshell:
Let's begin at the beginning: New Year's found us with a one week old baby daughter! Noelle Anne (Ellie) was born December 22 at 6 lb 15 oz, and came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve. Needless to say, Christmas 2010 for me is a bit of a sleepy blur. We love having this beautiful girl in our family. She is a little Momma's girl and cuddle bug. She knows her name and "no no". She is beginning to learn some sign language to help us communicate. She is famous for her "gimpy" crawl (right foot, left knee) and she loves to climb (my first big-time climber). She climbs up on stools, stairs, and rocking chairs, etc. whenever she is given the chance. She is adored by her sisters (sometimes competitively). She loves rocking and having stories to read her, playing cars with Amanda, dancing with Katie (I love the baby tooshie dance!) and her pink penguin, Penny. Ellie is well-loved and our sweet Christmas baby who is growing up so quickly!The second big event of 2011 came in April. We officially ended our financial relationship with the universities, in the form of Brett's graduation from BYU Law School. It came with great joy, and mild (bordering on hysterical) trepidation, as Brett still remained unemployed. After applying all over the nation, he ended up 2 miles from home working for a small business law firm in downtown Provo! It's a relief to know we can start paying back those student loans with something! He has a lot of independence in setting his own work terms, which is nice. I'm enjoying the lack of homework, but it's been sad to give up the holiday breaks and the flexible hours (that was a two-edged sword). I'm so proud of Brett and all that he's accomplished. I'm also glad that his schooling is over! :)Third big event: Katie entered kindergarten in the fall. She thinks her teacher is grand, and so do her parents. She has already taken another jump toward reading and writing. She loves art and learning new songs. She has a great time making new friends. If she could, I think she'd love to go to school all day, every day! Katie mastered riding a two-wheel bike this year, as well as tying her own shoes. She loves dressing up and dancing, pretending to cook (we all know real cooking isn't as much fun!), and acting out stories with sisters, dolls, animals, etc. I can't believe I have a child in school, but she's great to face new challenges.Fourth big event: Amanda and Ellie took their first family vacation for their first time at Disneyland! We've waited for years to be able to get traveling again and it was a joy to see Amanda experience all that is Disneyland! She loved having many rides that she could go on (a few were still too big) and loved the characters and princesses. We plan to go again next year, and I think Ellie will enjoy it more and more too. (Yes, I know I still need to post the trip!)Amanda enjoyed becoming the big sister this year. She loves to read stories to Ellie every morning, and insists on pushing the stroller when we go out. Amanda loves to put together puzzles, play at the park, dance, sing, play with cars, and tag along her big sister. It's been hard to be left home when Katie goes to school each day, but once we're home she does enjoy being the biggest kid at home with no one to boss her around! Amanda has enjoyed more opportunities to play with friends her age. She is usually very cooperative and sharing with her friends and sisters. What a joy to have our Manda-Panda.

Wendy is one year older, and wiser too. I try each day to prioritize and remember that dirty floors will keep much longer than my babies will. But I still need reminders. I finally made a good contact with a community clinic in Provo (similar to the other clinics I've worked at), and so I've been able to pick up a couple of shifts closer to home. It's sublime to have an 8 minute commute instead of a 58 minute one! I still work about two shifts a month in Salt Lake as well. This year, I finally completed Amanda's birth cross-stitch sampler, and am working to design Ellie's. I still enjoy reading, paper crafts, traveling and more, and just keep trying to find little bits of time along the way to give to my interests.
We feel so blessed as we look back on an eventful year. We have been buoyed up and provided for at every turn. We know these are blessings from our Savior and we rejoice in celebrating his birth and life. We hope you and your family find joy as you also remember the Lord whose birth we celebrate, and whose life saves each of us.

Merry Christmas!

Brett, Wendy, Katie, Amanda and Ellie

Merry Christmas to All!

From our family to yours, we send warmest Christmas Greetings. We hope you are well and happy, and enjoying the spirit of this season. We are grateful to celebrate the birth of our Savior and remember Him as we delight in the joy of spending Christmas with those we love.

Katie (4) is growing and learning so much. She loves to move and dance. This year Katie has been in gymnastics and dance. She loves the balance beam and the uneven bars where she can do flips. We are impressed with her strength. Katie is in preschool four days a week. Her teachers rave that she is doing so well. She loves to count and can almost count to 100. She enjoys letters and has been sounding out simple words, as well as writing her name and other words. Her favorite seems to be reading the cereal box! Katie loves playing trains and building elaborate train tracks. She also loves role playing with dolls; she has a great imagination and tells great stories! We are so proud of our Katie-bug!

Amanda (2) is finding her voice. She loves to sing—at the top of her lungs! And since she doesn't know all the words to any one song, she combines a line or two from each one (ending usually with "all through the town.") She loves Signing Time and practices sign language each day, sometimes as she lies in bed trying to go to sleep. Speaking of sleep, around her birthday Amanda learned to sleep in a big bed! Katie and Amanda now share a room and have bunk-beds, which they both think is pretty cool. Mom and Dad think it's pretty cool when they stay in bed long enough to go to sleep! She hates being left behind when Katie goes to school and her other "big girl" activities. Soon enough, though, Amanda won't be the littlest one and hopefully that will help her feel all the more like the big girl she's becoming! We adore our Manda-Panda!

Baby Sister is expected to make her debut on Christmas. We are ecstatic about this Christmas present, and are counting down the days to her arrival. Katie has been excited to be able to feel her sister move around inside Mom, and Amanda loves to pat the growing belly and ask, "Baby?"

Brett completed a very busy second year of law school in the spring. He immediately began a summer work experience at the State Capitol in the Office of General Counsel and Legislative Research. It was a good experience, despite long bus rides to Salt Lake. He is back at school with only one semester left! Yippee! This fall he worked at a local firm to gain more experience in different fields of law. Hopefully these explorations will eventually lead to a job! We can't believe that we are looking at only one more semester of school, but are grateful for the experience and all the wonderful people we've met along the way.

Wendy has been busy shuttling everyone around to various part-time jobs, school, after school activities, etc. She has been involved in Law Partners, the organization for spouses of BYU law students. She occasionally gets a few moments to sew, make hair bows, scrapbook, write letters or cards, and other little hobbies. She looks forward to meeting this new daughter and having some quiet winter moments to bond and snuggle. Wendy also continues to work one weekend a month in Salt Lake at the emergent care clinic. The hours tend to feel long, but it’s great to practice her nursing skills and Spanish language; and the girls love to be able to visit with Grandma Great, Grandma Nichols, and Papa Jack while their mom is away at work.

Merry Christmas from the Nichols family!

Merry Christmas to You!

Warmest Holiday Greetings!

We are enjoying the holiday season, looking much forward to a wonderful Christmas and hoping you are doing the same. As we reflect upon 2009, life has been good to us and we are much blessed. We have enjoyed more stability and good memories and activities.

Brett continues his study of law, now almost to the half-way point. He is working a few hours a week as a Teacher’s Assistant for a first-year writing course. He is ever enjoying the course materials, professors, BYU perspective, and especially his Joseph Smith and the Law class. His “free time” is filled with service to the Bishop as the ward executive secretary. He is also on the Parent Council for Katie’s preschool. Needless to say, “free time” is a bit of a joke, but we love the times that he makes to spend at home with us.

Wendy has spent the year exploring Utah County with the girls. Our favorite spot may be, however, a picnic lunch with Daddy at the law school! Wendy has been active in Law Partners, a support group for spouses and families of law students. She also serves as the Compassionate Service Co-Leader and on the Enrichment committee in Relief Society. She also volunteers almost weekly at Katie’s preschool. Although the activities are good and fulfilling, next year may see a bit of simplification. Wendy continues to practice nursing at the emergent care clinic in Salt Lake. This usually entails a monthly weekend trip for the whole family.

Katie is flourishing and learning so quickly. She celebrated her third birthday this summer, and is moving on to 14 next year! She loves to TALK and sing, dance and tumble, ride her bike, dress up as Belle, tote her Dolly nearly everywhere, put together puzzles, read and act out stories, and more. She amazes us with the memory she has and the things she learns. She knows the first three articles of faith, loves to sing all the primary songs, and is looking forward to joining the sunbeam class in January. Katie spent much of the summer with us at Seven Peaks Water Park and has become adventurous in the water. She keeps asking when we can go back to Seven Peaks (they are closed for the winter season). For now, we have an occasional dip in “Grandpa Greer’s pool” when they come to town to visit. Katie also started attending preschool this fall and loves going to school. Her favorite things about school may be gluing and recess!

Amanda has really bloomed in recent months, showing more personality than ever. She will be 16 months at Christmas. She began walking in early October and only took a few weeks to move on to running and climbing. She is determined to go everywhere Katie does and mimics her sister in many things. This can be good and bad, as you may imagine. They do love each other, though, and it’s a joy to us to watch them play and laugh together. Amanda’s first and easiest laughs have always come for Katie. Mandy loves books and cuddling, and often finds her Dolly or a soft animal to hug. Her Lamby is still the irreplaceable number-one friend. Mandy has taken to sign language and is a bit quieter than her sister. Mandy is a little tease, playing hiding games, or taking something to “run and hide.” It is quite hilarious and she’s thinks she’s pretty funny, too. We so love having her in our family and are enjoying the the toddler stage.
Many decisions are showing on the horizon and we often wonder where our path may lead next. We have faith that we will be guided and blessed to find the right place for us, as we have been so many times in the past. May the birth of our Savior serve to ever remind us of his love and grace. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Brett, Wendy, Katie and Amanda Nichols