Nelsen Corner

Halloween hasn’t held the same magic and excitement for me since the day I grew too old for people to load up my pillowcase with sweets at their doorstep simply because I was a cute little kid in a makeshift costume. This year however, I got to re-live the excitement in the shadow of my little Cinderella! Rachel absolutely loves princesses this year and it was a great treat to put on her Cinderella dress made for her by Grandma Becky and experience her first real trick-or-treating! Our whole family dressed up for the day, Adam as a leprechaun, Emily as an Egyptian, Rachel as Cinderella, and Carter as Charlie Brown (the hair squiggle wasn’t great but remember, this is a 7 month old squirmy little boy I was working on here!).   We met Adam at work and started by trick-or-treating on Main Street in Logan. The first few stores went pretty well and Rachel was very polite to always say thank-you, but then she discovered the power of the words “trick-or-treat”! Soon she was off runn...

I love the moments when we learn something about ourselves from our children. This past week I was reminded by my precocious little two year old, how strong my love for my faithful companion really is… From the get-go, pediatricians will tell you that it is very common for babies to have a fussy time of day, where they aren’t hungry, messy or sleepy, they don’t want to be held, set down, or bathed, they are just grumpy. From the day Rachel was born, that time of day was always the hour before Daddy got home -no matter what varying time that may have been- she (and I) would get just plain grumpy. Rachel is two and a half years old now (don’t ask months, I lose track after 12) and the grumpy time continues. By now it has become second nature to me to hear the whines begin and just say “You’re okay, Daddy will be home in one hour Rachel, you’re just fine.” And then move on with whatever I’m doing. The other day I had a tender little moment with her when the tables had turned. Th...