I {chart} you.

The Little Nies pulled into the driveway late last night.  

We were all so happy to be home and then we all indulged in a bowl

 of cereal and went straight to bed.

I think we all slept really well too.

It was hard dragging the children out of bed for school.

I got up early and hiked- as I usually do, 

and thought about the Thanksgiving holiday.

I am so thankful for a good family.  

I reflected on my time in Arizona with my Nielson side.

They love each other and enjoy being close and sharing time together.

I know every family has issues with over 75 of us, there are bound to be 

differences, and frustrations.  

But I also know that families are eternal, 

and God put us in families for a reason.

I love my family- both sides. I love being a part of two VERY LARGE FAMILIES.

I recently had family genealogy charts made for Mr. Nielson and 

myself as well as one for each of my children.

I want my children to take pride in their amazing family and know 

where and who they came from.

I recently heard that psychologists found that the more children understand 

about their family's heritage, the stronger their sense of control over their

 lives and the higher their self-esteem. 

The thinking behind that is children realize 

they belong to something bigger than themselves. 

These charts make amazing gifts and would be perfect for Christmas.

You find the names of your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc

 (I found mine on the website FamilySearch.org--it was super quick) 

and then enter them into their website. 

They send you back a digital file of your chart and you can print it however big or small you want.

With the holidays coming up I think these make the best personal gift for the mother-in-law or grandmother that are tough to shop for.

 You can check out the darling color combo's or do what I did, 

and custom create a few of your own.

{I love Charlotte's!}