Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The Maiden Voyage

I'm leaving tomorrow for Women's Conference (Josh asked me today what BYU spelled...) and even though I'm not ready and still have a LOT to do, I can't stand to leave my blog with a slide show of a darn bird at the top.


Nathan got a wagon for his 1st birthday and here are the pictures of him riding along for the maiden voyage on a family walk. He was ready for a ride! I could tell he felt big in his wagon. So much more freedom than a stroller... The big brothers got to take turns riding with him. Josh was happy to be first. Jacob likes to explore. He takes his own...sweet...time checking things out on walks. For some must push and some must pull! (I promise I took a turn too.) The wheels were very intriguing. Nathan was mesmerized at how they kept going around and around.Here's a family shadow picture. This is a good look for us...The one-year-old enjoying his new wheels!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Robin

A sweet-singing visitor landed on the swingset today. We were all excited to see a robin. We're crossing our fingers it's a sign that spring is here to stay!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Weekend Company

My sister and her family came to visit us this weekend! It has been fun to see my sister and her cute little girls...oh yeah...and her husband too. The whole deal of the trip was Cynthia's friend would pay for her ticket, IF Cynthia would babysit her kids. We ended up with seven kiddos ages five and under! (Ages 5,4,3,2,1, and two 5-month babies!)

We took the troops to the park to enjoy the nice post-earthquake weather. (Okay, so we just felt a rumble...but STILL exciting.) Here are some pictures from today. I'm not in the mood for details. They're pretty self explanitory, or just make up your own comments for them. Did I mention next week I'll be at Women's Conference?

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Las Vegas

I (and Nathan) got to spend the past weekend in Las Vegas with my family. Scott is prepping for his mission, which blows my mind because it seems like he should still be about 5 years old, and he was ordained Sunday. It was a wonderful visit but I don't have any pictures, so check out my sister's post to see some. This isn't really cheating because although I didn't take my camera, most of the pictures she posted...I took!

This weekend she'll be coming to visit me and then next week...Women's Conference at B.Y.U.! I simply can't wait!!!

Smile of the Day

I know this was weeks ago BUT I can't help chuckling every time I see these pictures. I love April Fool's Day! Even though my plans of trickery didn't go exactly as planned...I love that I got my boys with this classic. Their punch with straws at dinner was really Jello.No matter how hard they tried sucking on that straw (and they were really trying) the juice just wasn't coming out!Willie said he was grateful the boys tried it first because he would have surely fallen for it. I crack myself up just thinking about it...

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Fairytale Town

This past weekend we were able to make a quick trip to Sacramento. One of the things we did was visit Fairytale Town. (Watch out boys...Humpty Dumpty is about to fall on your heads!!)It was a boy's dreamland. They ran free and could do everything ALL BY THEMSELVES, which is a big thing around here. The boys enjoyed playing on Captain Hook's pirate ship, watering the Chinese gardens, chasing chickens, climbing Jack's beanstalk, sliding down the slide at Owl's house, and seeing Peter Rabbit, the Three Little Pigs, Mary's Little Lambs...We were all worn out by our adventure!If you're ever in Sacramento, you've got to check this place out. (Located across from the zoo.) It's perfect for imaginations and bringing favorite stories to life. Everything is cleverly named and holds true to the theme...even the bathrooms!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Well Checks

I took Jake and Nathan to see the doctor for their birthday checkups. They both did a great job, and I was extremely proud of Jacob for being so brave about his shots. (I was also glad to have Joshua there to witness Jake being so brave about his shots...maybe it will rub off on him come August!)

Here are Nene's 1-year-old stats:WEIGHT: 22 lbs. 4 oz. (65th percentile)
HEIGHT: 30 inches (75th percentile)
HEAD: 47 cm (75th percentile)
CUTENESS: 10 (100th percentile)

Nathan is "real" crawling but not walking yet. He likes to pull himself up (and often tumbles over) and can cruise while holding onto things. Nathan can say "ball" (his favorite thing), "bird", "baby" (when he sees himself), "Mama", "Dada", and "more" (He's always hungry). He has eight teeth and more on the way. He thinks his big brothers are very funny and likes to play in/eat dirt.

Here are Jake's 5-year-old stats:WEIGHT: 47 lbs.(95th percentile)
HEIGHT: 44 inches (75th percentile)
INDEPENDENCE: 10 (100th percentile)

It's amazing the transformation that has taken place in Jacob now that he's FIVE. After the nurse told him he won't need shots again until he's 12, he exclaimed, "Oh my HECK!" He can't wait to start Kindergarten and thinks that once they've learned about the letter Z in preschool he'll be completely ready. He's suddenly become completely independent with his new slogan phrase being, "I want to do...what I want to do."

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Clean Teeth!

My mouth is feeling good today. After an eight-year span of not seeing a dentist (that's right, I haven't been to the dentist since I've been married!) my appointment today went surprisingly well. NO cavities. My teeth and gums are a bit sore from all the scraping and cleaning that had to go on from eight years of build up, but I'm so pleasantly surprised I didn't need additional work. Don't worry, I have an appointment already scheduled in six months...I will not be going another eight years!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

The BEST gift

Probably the favorite birthday gift of all was the visit from Grandma and Grandpa Nelson. Grandma helped Jake fill his pinata. Grandpa was the hero when it came to transformer building with Jacob.Jacob and Joshua loved playing baseball out back with Grandpa and Dad. Everyone had to get a snuggle in...except for Nathan who was snuggling in his bed for a nap.

It was wonderful to have Grandma and Grandpa come stay with us and to spend time with them. BUT they are not allowed to come back any time soon...when they leave it reminds me how much I miss them.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Birthday Bash

The baseball birthday party was a hit! We started off with a home run derby and the kids tried to hit the ball over the fence for a home run (and to get a gold metal). Hooray for our wonderful pitcher.Then, of course, we ate and ate and ate some more. The munchies included all the things you would get at the concession stand: hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, cracker jack, popcorn, licorice, pickles, cotton candy...you get the idea!
The cake was (no shocker here) a baseball!And there were cupcakes for the little guys.Nathan liked his cupcake...a lot!


Then it was pinata time. You've probably already guessed...it was a baseball! Everyone took a swing at it and it ended up breaking off the swing set but not breaking open.Willie bravely (as the picture demonstrates) held the pinata for the kids to whack. I had my camera ready to capture any injuries...but there were none.Once the contents had spilled it was every baseball player for themselves.
Both Nathan and Jacob were thrilled with their gifts. There is a HUGE difference between a five-year-old opening presents......and a one-year-old opening presents!Happy Birthday Boys!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Nathan is ONE

Our dear baby Nathan was born one year ago on this day...no foolin'. Happy birthday, Nathan.

As a one-year-old you may now look forward to peanut butter, honey, sippy cups of whole milk (bye-bye bottles), and a carseat that faces forward!