i have a court order in california with other parent we tried to work our relationship out but i want out and custody of the kids. dont know what i

The overall situation is a bit unclear, but if the facts are: Everyone was living in California. While there, some court entered some kind of custodial order (temporary? permanent?  separation? divorce? subsequent reconciliation?) Somehow despite that order both parties and the children are living in Nevada.  Apparently, no one has registered the CA order in NV. Given the short time frame (less than 6 months), if you returned to CA, and moved to modify the custody order the court might consider those facts adequate to continue the prior litigation (the States are a bit divided on such back-and-forth moves and their impact).  Or Nevada might now be considered the most appropriate forum. To answer "how the system works here," see: http://willicklawgroup.com/child-custody-and-visitation/. But you really should consult with a family law specialist, answering all the above questions and explaining exactly what happened when and where -- and should do so before 6 months have passed since leaving CA -- to get a more reasoned analysis.