Photo Catch Up/ Update

Rachel's Birthday

"Heavy-Heavy Hang Over"

Rachel's Ice Cream Birthday Cake

Eric's Birthday More "HHH"

I love all the boys expressions in this one. Moment capturing
His Lego present
High powered "HHH"

So imagine being a week out from taking the most important test of your life and then while your daughter is learning how to sew from her awesome mother, she cuts the whole end of her finger off!! Very traumatic.

Nothing like children to help you keep an eternal perspective

The New York Trip for the Big Test. My parents joined up with us afterward and turned a sour moment into a cheerful one. We went all over Manhattan, and had lots of fun.

At a restaurant called Serendipity 3 where they serve "Frozen Hot Chocolate". Somewhat of an oxymoron, but you've got to try it to understand. It was the best hot chocolate I have ever had

On top of the Empire State Building

To Chuck E. Cheese for Andrew's Birthday

...of course there was HHH but pictured below.

Then to Oregon for some Portland Beaver Baseball and hiking with the Gibbons and G'ma & G'pa

Eric even participated in one of their on field events and scored a sweet ball cap from it.

Always ready to strike a pose.

"Dad, take our picture!"

I provide the humor on this trip with a very up close a personal meeting with the swamp.

The ol' Heavy-Heavy Hangover!

Andrew turned 6 this year and was long overdue for me to teach him how to ride a bike

My Father's Day Dinner - - Ribeye Steak, bake potato, asparagus, and fresh fruit. One of the best ever

And of course the Best Family ever too!!!

Eric's New Passion
Cutthroat Trout caught on a fishing trip with Grandpa!

but it is getting late, I'll hopefully post more later.

Wendy's Recent update to MyFamily. com

So let me catch you up on life at the nelsons.We recently went to Central CA for our other family reunion. It was a lot of fun. We visited San Fran a few times, and did a Pleasenton version of "The Amazing Race" which was very hard but very fun. We got to visit Modesto for the weekend and hang out with all the Ricks family except for Gail, who was with mom, and Brent, who dosn't live there. Any way. We got to see Aaron's sweet house, and Bryan's huge house, and we got to visit with Uncle tons, and we got to see the girls and Adam and hear their plans for the future...they scare me a bit.

Anyway, we visited our old house, and actually went up the hill! We think it was much more open and beautiful they way mom and dad had done it. There are so many huge things taking up all the space, a tracter, boat, RV and a big barn, and they put up a big fence around the front of the house that closes it up so much. It was very cluttered. The driveway center planter area was still the same, same olive tree. The rose garden is halfway still there, and the little statue in the rose garden is still there. The orange trees are still there and the garages are still there. The house looks the same on the outside, but they put in a new front door and painted the house a dark tan color. It was weird but really fun to see again.

We are finally remodleing our master bath. Everything in it is broken, so we thought it was time. The shower plumbing broke and caused a lot of leaking under the lanolium and that all looks really bad, or toilet is broken, our cabinets door on our bathroom cabinate is unfixable, and there are so many weird things going on with that room, so we are finally doing something about it. We will have to take pictures of before and after.

We went out on the boat on monday and I had a little acident on the inertube. I caugt a big wave and the inertube bounced up really hard and hit my neck and did a litte damage to my vocal cords, and neck. I can't talk really well, so if you call I sound kinda weird. I went to an ENT doc yesterday to make sure there wasn't anything really bad going on and I should heal up fine on my own. My vocals are brused, and have a blood blister on them, and they are swollen, that is why talking has been so hard. So, with all this we have had 100 degree weather here and we don't have AC so life has been a bit uncomfortable, but we are trying to stay positive. It is 12:30 right now and my thermostat is at 82 ! Our house is at it's hottest at about 5-6 at night so we have a long day ahead of us. This is record high for here. Last year I think we had 1 or 2 days in the low 80s.

On a more positive note, Scott is not studying for the boards!!!! My kids are wonderful, and healthy, I did a french manicure on myself yesterday, and I loved seeing the Harry Potter Movie! Thanks to Audrey, I saved 6 dollars on Monday when I went grociery shopping (She has great coupon sites she sent me) and Heidi is coming on Saturday! I am excited to have her. I hope all is well with you all. Love, Wendy

Angels

Children, no doubt, are some of the most frustrating things to live with at times. Juxtaposing that frustration on a scale with the amount of joy and happiness that they also bring, the scale not only tips to the side of joy and happiness, but it comes crashing down at the very attempt of trying to compare the two. And with that I give you some more "Ribbits" as they have been come to be know or in other words "Nelson Nickels" from E, R, A, or B.

Our always charismatic Andrew who often can have a flare for the dramatics when he is trying to get what he wants was in the middle of throwing a loud, high-pitched, self pity-party tantrum that just gouges the last nerve. What it was over evades me at this point, but in my attempt to handle the situation by obfuscation and distraction, the following conversation took place:

Dad: Andrew, if I told that I would give you five dollars to stop screaming and crying, would you stop.

Andrew: (in his whimpering fallen sparrow voice, tears still dripping): what dad?

D: I am asking you if you would stop screaming and crying If I told you I was going to give you five dollars for stopping

. . . ( a very measured pause of silence)

A: I'll take twenty

At this point I lost all expressions of seriousness from my face and walked away throwing my arms up in air, holding in the laughter, befuddled at how to counter what Andrew had just said.


Andrew, upon realizing that there would be no greenbacks coming his way, continued his whining and crying.

Not that the other children don't say anything quote-worthy but Andrew had another insightful 'ribbit' that must be told as its implications of what goes on in his head is staggering.

Last night he was eating his well earned otter-pop after dinner out on the deck as usual to keep the kitchen clean. I was cleaning up the grill after having successfully cooked pork chops when I hear some excitement from behind me. He comes running over with a hole in his smile and a tooth in hand. "Dad!" he exclaimed "my first loose tooth." I can not adequately express his exuberance that he had just lost his first tooth. You see, during kindergarten this last school year, each child had there name on a paper laminated tooth cut-out in the classroom. Each time someone lost a tooth, they would get to put a star on their paper tooth for everyone to see. Andrews remained empty the whole year despite other classmates teeth filling up with stars. He was so intent on being able to put up stars that he brought his tooth home and has adorned our refrigerator since getting out of school in June. He was so excited about putting up a star on his tooth, the whole tooth fairy concept had somehow passed him by. So Wendy and I were educating him on the ins-and-out of the how the tooth fairy works. Well Eric couldn't help but add that sometimes it takes a while for the tooth fairy to get around to coming which in turn made Andrew very concerned. We explained that the tooth fairy never misses the first tooth, and her timely response is all based on whether or not the child who lost their tooth believes in the tooth fairy.

Andrew took it all in stride and then asked "Mom, what if the the tooth fairy goes bankrupt?"

Can you believe a six year old is concerned that a tooth fairy might be bankrupt and he may not get his money. It must have something to do with our increased frequency of playing Monopoly as of late.

Another one from yesterday occured while I was teaching in my new calling as a Deacons quorum advisor. Present in the lesson were three deacons including the our oldest Eric, and two other leaders, Brother Sean Stout and Brother Jeff Nelson. My topic was Christ-centered repentance. The nice thing about this deacons quorum is there willingness to participate in lesson. Eric is no exception.
As we are going along, I notice that Eric is starting to race to answer the questions before any of the other boys. So I remind the whole class to raise there hands before speaking. The other two oblige my request, but Eric continues to more or less blurt out the answers before raising his hand. So being his Dad and deacons quorum advisor, I am conflicted about how to approach singling him out to get him to be more polite. I don't say anything at first, continuing on with the lesson, since he is the only not raising his hand. Meanwhile I am pondering how to effectively get the point across to him. Finally, after once again blurting out answers while my back was turned to the class writing on the chalk board, I just call him out "Eric , you need to wait to talk until you have raised your hand, and I have called on you." To which he quickly replied in his quieted whimpering voice as if I had just asked him to do impossible chore "I'm trying, its just sooo hard when I know all the answers." Brother Stout and Nelson couldn't hold back the laughter while I just kept my back turned and rolled my eyes.

Anyway, gotta love these angels that Wendy and I have been blessed with.