Christmas Creche Exhibit

This year, our ward did a creche exhibit and another woman and I were in charge of it. Needless to say, it was a very exhausting project, but I was very pleased with how well it turned out. We ended up having 83 creches, which we were very happy with, because we have a pretty small ward. The following are pictures from it-Enjoy! The silhouettes we had in the hall as you walked to the rooms, so you "followed the nativity." Another picture is a the city of Bethlehem that one woman built. We all called it "Vegas Bethlehem", because it was pretty flashy with all the metallic palm trees. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the few pictures I put up. It really was a wonderful event!

Yes, we feed Ethan!

One day, I guess Ethan was hungry and I had the fridge door open and he climbed in. We thought that these pictures were just so funny. Just to set the record straight, we do feed our child!!

Breakfast with Santa!

Today we went and had breakfast with Santa. On base they had this great event at the bowling alley. We got there and they had a great breakfast to eat. After breakfast, Ethan went and sat on Santa's lap. We were surprised at how well he did, he didn't cry at all. He was fascinated with Santa's beard and kept trying to pull it off and eat it. After Santa, we bowled a little bit, colored pictures and decorated a gingerbread man. Ethan loved decorating the gingerbread man. He started out putting one finger in the frosting and then would lick his finger. After a couple of times of that, he realized how good the frosting was and started sticking his whole hand in the frosting and licking it. What a smart little boy!!

Lieutenant Nelson!

I am a little slow in posting this, but Eric is now a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He got promoted the beginning of the month. We went into the office and had a little ceremony where I got to pin on his new rank. It was very nice, because Eric's grandparents ended up being here for the ceremony, so it was nice that they could take part. Way to go Lieutenant Nelson!!

Inca Trek to Machu Picchu!

This was probably the most amazing part of our trip. We decided to backpack into Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail. It was a four day hike very strenuous hike, but completely worth it. It was by far the hardest hike I had ever done and there were times that I thought we were crazy for hiking it, but I would go back in a heartbeat and do the whole thing again. The whole trail was just up and down, with a lot more up than down. Also, in our group of 15, we and one other guy were the only ones that carried our backpacks, weighing 20 lbs. Everyone else hired someone to carry their stuff. Like I said, we had a group of 15, 2 guides that were natives, and then about 20 porters. The porters carried our tents, the food, and other equipment for our campsite. We would stop for lunch and the porters would have our dining tent and table and chairs set up, bowls of hot water for us to wash up with, and then have a gourmet meal ready. We were amazed at the food that we were served. Lunch and dinner we always started off with soup and then after the soup they would bring out 5-6 plates piled high of authentic peruvian food that was SOOOOO good. After we would eat lunch, we would start hiking and the porters would break down camp and while we were hiking, they would run pass us to beat us to the next site so they could have it all ready. They were amazing, because most of them were running in sandals!

The day we entered Machu Picchu, we started hiking at 5:30 so we could watch the sun rise at Machu Picchu, however it was foggy that day. We arrived in Machu Picchu about 7:30 and the pictures that you see don't do it justice. I can see why it is one of the 7 wonders of the world. It is spectacular and it is amazing to me that they could build it so high up in the mountains. Apparently, the Inca's left before it was finished, because there are places you can see where they didn't finish building. If you ever have the opportunity to go to Peru, you have to. We had such a memorable time. I still have a hard time believing that we got to see all that we did!

Peru Vacation!!

The end of September, Eric and I left for a vacation in Peru. Eric's mom came and stayed with Ethan and they had a great time. Eric and I flew into Lima and then took another flight to Cusco, Peru where we spent most of our time. Cusco is considered "the Archaeological Capital of America"; it constitutes the biggest tourist attractiveness in Peru, and the most visited one. Cusco, was the biggest city and capital of the Inca Empire and then taken by the Spanish conquerors; today it has an architecture that fuses the Inca with the Spanish style. It was such an interesting place to explore and walk around. The following slide show are pictures from our time in Cusco and soon there will be another slide show of our trek to Machu Picchu.

Halloween Parade.

On Halloween, some of us from the neighborhood, dressed our kids up in their costumes and then we went to the nursing home (ironically called the Odd Fellows Home) so the kids could parade around for the residents. Most of the residents loved seeing the kids, there were a couple slumped over in their wheelchairs and I wondered if they were still alive, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was great to see the old people get so excited to see the kids. We had such a fun time and Ethan of course looked so cute, as usual!

Where is Ethan?

This is Ethan's new favorite hiding place. Also, he is in his camo pajamas, so he may be difficult to find.

Happy Halloween!!

We hope everyone has a happy halloween! (Also, I am sorry that I am behind on posting on our blog--don't worry, Peru pictures will be coming in the next week!)

My First Vacation With Grandma Nelson

Mommy and Daddy are away vacationing, so I get to write the blog. This is my first - of many, I hope - vacations with Grandma Nelson. She's awesome, and she thinks I'm even awesomer! We make a great team.

The vacation started out as a real snoozer. I slept most of the way to and from the Boston airport (to drop Mommy and Daddy off), but once Grandma and I got home, the fun began.

We go to the park every day. Sometimes we got twice - once in the morning and once in the afternoon when we walk with my friend Matthew and his mom Saskia. My favorite part of the walk is when I get to swing at the park.

Grandma says that we can't play all the time. She's afraid she's going to spoil me. So, she had me help her plant flowers. She says it's supposed to be work. Don't tell her, but I think it was fun. I especially liked it when I got to eat the wood chips. I thought the yellow flowers looked like they'd have a better flavor, but Grandma kept her eyes on me and wouldn't let me taste them. I had to be really sneaky to try out the wood chips.

Matthew and his mom invited us to go out to dinner with them at the Groton Townhouse. I loved the water fountain in the lobby. I was such a good baby. Mommy and Daddy have taught me some really good manners. I was served Gerber Chicken and Apples, but it looked like and tasted just like the Gerber food I get at home. Grandma says I must be my Mommy's, because I love anything that has applesauce in it.

I have a new hobby. I've decided I'm going to take up family history. Who says it's boring? Grandma taught me that cemeteries are special places, and I can see why. Where else can you go in your stroller and feel like you're riding a horse when you're pushed across the grass? If I move really fast, I can also grab the long grass while Grandma is pushing me. I'm getting pretty good at it. Grandma took this picture at the "Ancient Burial Ground" in New London. C.M. stands for Clement Miner. He was my 427th great grandfather (or something like that). He was born in 1638 in Plymouth and died in New London in 1700. I'm not sure, but I think he and Grandma Nelson are about the same age.

Mommy and Daddy have been writing me letters while they've been away. Grandma reads them to me and then gives me a copy. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with them, so I've been eating them. I think they taste better than the wood chips, but not as good as the Gerber food.

I hope my Mommy and Daddy are have as much fun as I'm having. I hope they have a good hike and that when they get there, mommy can have some applesauce with her rice and beans.
I love you, Mommy and Daddy! See you next week!

Maine Air Show

Sorry everyone, I am a little behind on our blog. We have just done so many fun things lately that I have a hard time keeping up. Anyways, a couple of weeks ago, we drove up and met Brent and Darcee (my cousin and his wife) in Boston and went with them to a clambake, where we ate lobster and had the best apple cider donuts--I am still dreaming about them. We spent half the day with them and then headed up to Maine. We drove through Kennebunkport, ME which is a quiet little seaside village with fun shops, antique stores, etc. We then drove up to Portland, ME where Eric's friend Tim lives. Tim Pasken is a JAG and is stationed up in Brunswick, ME. The air base had a huge air seats--it was great--THANK YOU TIM!! Anyways, Saturday night we picked up Tim and he showed us around Portland, ME, show that weekend and Tim got us tickets to sit in the VIP area where they had catered food, we had front row which is gorgeous and then we went to eat at the best seafood restaurant ever! This restaurant was out in the middle of nowhere and it was located right on a peninsula--so as we ate, we watched the sunset--it was so pretty. I had the best lobster stew ever and we ate the most delicious bacon-wrapped scallops...you can tell that weeks later I still remember how good it tasted. Anyways, the next day was the air show. Like I said, we had front row seats; from where we sat we watched the planes take off and land and the blue angels were right in front of us. The air show lasted all day and was by far the best air show I had ever been to. They had so many different types of planes, we watched people parachute out of planes, they had a woman that walked on the wings of a plane while it was flying and did other tricks, and then of course the finale was the blue angels which were amazing. Some of those pilots must have very strong stomachs, because they were rolling and twisting their planes all over the place. Ethan even had a great time. We kind of worried that it might be too loud, but he did great!

Exploring Newport, RI

Last weekend, we decided to take a mini vacation. Eric had a class up in Newport all week, so Ethan and I went up and stayed with him on Thursday and Friday in Newport and then Saturday we drove up to Boston for part of the day and then that afternoon we went up to Maine. We spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday in Maine and came home that night. We had a blast.

Thursday, Ethan and I had to entertain ourselves while Eric was in class. We decided to go see the Green Animals Topiary Garden. It is located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and it contains an extraordinary collection of topiaries, marvelous living sculptures. There are 80 pieces of topiary throughout the gardens, including 21 animals and birds in addition to geometric figures and ornamental designs, sculpted from California privet, yew, and English boxwood. We had a great time wandering around and Ethan had a great time riding his rocking horse! We also walked through a two more mansions in Newport. However, Ethan wanted to be the tour guide and was quite vocal while the tour guide was speaking. He has turned into quite the talker...I think he takes after his grandma Tolman!

St. Louis-Sept. 2007

September we made another trip out to see my parents. My dad had invited Eric to go hunting with him that weekend, so Ethan and I decided to go along and keep my mom company while the boys were gone. We had a great time. It is always fun to see how excited my parents get when Ethan comes to visit, especially my dad. I don't know who had more fun playing together, my dad or Ethan. In one of the pictures, Ethan and my dad are modeling matching corn t-shirts that he bought for the two of them. While we were back in St. Louis, we had a great time. Over labor dad weekend, we went to the St. Louis Fair and Air Show, which was a lot of fun. Another day, we went to Grant's Farm which is a nature preserve that is home to more than 1,000 animals representing more than 100 different species from six continents. It is really fun, because you take a tram ride around the park and look at all the animals, which we had a hard time getting Ethan to look at. There is a part where you can get a baby bottle and feed baby goats and my mom was brave and took Ethan in. However, she ended up getting mobbed by the goats and came out with little hoofprints all over her pants from where they were jumping on her. I thought it was so funny. Anyways, we had a great time visiting in St. Louis!

This video is proof that I am funny, regardless of what some people may say!

Ethan's first kiss!!

Eric is looking on as a proud father as Ethan locks lips with an older woman, a much older woman. This is Hannah, our friends' little girl, she is 5 and Ethan is in love with her. We can already tell the Ethan has the "Nelson" gene and is going to be a heart-breaker!

My hungry hippo!

Ethan is very quickly catching on to eating real food. In fact, if Eric or I are eating and he isn't, he will sit there and watch us until we give him something to eat. Also, when I am feeding him, he gets so excited and will grab my hand and pull the food to his mouth. I can definitely tell that he is a boy and soon will be eating me out of "house and home."

What a great Dad!

This Eric pretending to be Mr. Bumbohead for Ethan. That purple thing on his head is called a bumbo and is one of the best inventions ever. It is a chair that you can sit your baby in and it helps them to learn to sit up. Ethan absolutely loves it. I have been using it since he was about 2 1/2 months old. His favorite thing is that I will sit him up on the counter while I make dinner and he just loves to watch me (don't worry, I am always next to him, so he won't fall). While I am making dinner, I give him some measuring spoons to play with and then we cook together! Sidenote: A friend is actually letting us borrow their bumbo, we would not have bought Ethan a purple one--for our next child, we will be purchasing one.

More pictures, finally!

Here is Ethan at his first baseball game. Unfortunately, it happened to be between two of the worst teams in the league-the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates!