Discovery Place

Another great trip we did while in North Carolina was to do to Discovery Place with Natalie and her girls. Discovery Place is an amazing kids science museum in Charlotte. Natalie had passes to go and they got in an extra person, plus her family. Peter was free since he was under 2, so we all got in for free. My 2 younger brothers also came with a friend of theirs, but they went off and did their own thing while we went slower with the little ones. We'd see them from time to time and they didn't get into any trouble, so all was well. 

The museum was great. The first thing we saw was a touch pool area where the kids could touch sea stars, a horseshoe crab, and little crabs. They also had lots of other animals- newts, bugs, small fish, in little tanks with touch screen information signs next to them. They had a few hands-on activities that the older girls enjoyed, but were still a bit too advanced for Peter.

Next we went to the rain forest area. There was a bottom area where they could look through the glass and find animals. There were fish, turtles, birds and frogs. 

Julia, Peter, Amelia and Jonathan finding animals

Then, you could go upstairs and view the animals from above. There was a net that the kids could walk through and look out of to see the "rain forest". We could also hear a man downstairs talking about snakes. I'm assuming he was showing a snake to the audience as he taught them about animals that live in the rain forest.

Peter making his way through the next bridge.

Vivian leading the way, then Julia, and Natalie

Then, once upstairs, we went through a huge room that has tons of science activities throughout. There were exhibits about kinetic energy, waves, sound, pulleys, buildings and architecture, wind power and so much more. Each area had boards with information as well as lots of hands on things. It was incredible. Peter loved playing with everything that moved and was not scared to go anywhere.

Peter and his building

Future architect right there 

Learning about wind power

Learning about pulley systems

After we played and learned for a while, we went to see the dinosaur exhibit. There were lots of dinosaurs made of metal and attached to a system of cables that would move the dinosaur when you pushed or pulled the lever or turned the wheel. Jonathan would work the lever/wheel to get the dinosaur to move and Peter would get nervous every time, which is fair...a huge metal beast moving around...I could see how that would be scary. He was fine with it by the end, but still wanted to be close to mom/dad.

Making the T-Rex move his head.

Jonathan and Peter, admiring the beast.

Julia and the feathered dinosaur

Peter, Jonathan and Julia playing with the magnetic gear board.
They could move the gears around all over, since the board was magnetic.

Amelia, Peter and Jonathan making models

Peter and the biggest light-brite wall of his life.

This museum was lots of fun. I love kids' museums. They teach great concepts in a fun way. There were activities all over that kids could do. There was a good range of things for older and younger kids. There is a neat play room on the main floor for younger kids with a water play area, instruments, a wall of tubes that have air blowing through the tubes and kids can put little scarves in the tube and control the path it takes, an area with lights and colors, and a building area. It is a great place for fostering creativity.

We had a fun time going with Natalie and her kids. It was a good sized group, not too many kids, and enough adults to wrangle all of them. I think the kids all had a fun time too. It was a great activity to do. I had a blast. I'd love to go back again with Peter when he is older just to see what things he is interested in then.

Walking Waxhaw

One day during Christmas break, Justin invited us to go to Waxhaw with him and his wife, Alissa, to wander around. Waxhaw is a small town near Monroe full of antique stores, neat little shops, and some cool looking restaurants. The weather during Christmas break was warmer than normal, which made this a great outing, as it was lovely to walk between the shops- a touch windy at the start, but within a bit of time it was just beautiful weather. It was great to spend time with just them. Turns out, when you have over 15 people together it's harder to visit on a more one on one level, so this was a great way to have a quieter time to catch up on life.  

He will be an adorable old man

Every cowboy has his parrot...

We went into a couple of the shops and I wish then that I was living in NC...except then I would have spent more money than needed. There were lots of really cool things I found. Great books, kids toys, dishes...but we didn't have a ton of room in our suitcase, so no money was spent, just lots of oooohs and ahhhhs. Peter found every animal in the shops and every Santa. He was a little dangerous to let loose, but overall he did great.

Robin, Peter and Jonathan on the bridge

We walked around outside and enjoyed the sunshine and being in a small town where it was quiet and calm feeling.

My guys

He told me over and over there was a horse...
No horse, just an alley

Then, we realized that Justin and Jonathan were wearing almost matching shirts, so naturally I made them to a photo shoot. They humored me and we learned they could be part-time models, but they'd probably have to keep their normal job.

Here we have Justin and Jonathan in the latest trend...looking good boys.

We walked along the train tracks to get back to where we'd parked. It was here we learned that Peter might have some strong organizational or cleaning habits. As we would walk over each railroad tie, he would clear it of any rocks that had gotten kicked up before continuing on. I started walking ahead of him and kicking the rocks off the ties to keep him moving...we could have been there all day. 

Peter keeping the ties rock free

Family picture on the railroad tracks

It was lots of fun to spend some time with Justin and Alissa and to explore Waxhaw. Even though I grew up nearby, I never really appreciated this little town. A bunch of my friends lived nearby, but it was always just a sleepy little town, nothing cool there. We drove through it to get to other places, but I never spent time in this town. But as you grow up, you realize that "cool" isn't always just what's trendy and fancy. Cool can be antique and second hand stores, exploring with your little brother and moving rocks off railroad ties. Bowties are cool.

Christmas Day- More Pictures

My dad has a nice camera and like to take pictures at gatherings. He caught some great pictures of goings on during Christmas day. I like these pictures because they are a good collection of what the break was like for us. Hanging out with family, not doing too much, but bonding. Thanks for being the photographer Dad and capturing some memories.

Jonathan with 2 of my brothers- Justin and William playing video games
Most likely playing James Bond 007- Goldeneye.

Christmas Breakfast
Left Side- Peter, Ian (sporting his new hat from Japan), William, Robin
Right Side: Jonathan, Carissa, and Mom

In the above picture, the high chair that Peter is in, is neat. It just attaches to the table, so no big chair to have to move around in the kitchen. They bought it so when Andrew came over with his little ones, that the smallest could have a seat. Peter used it whenever Vivian wasn't there. And you can take it off the table and it folds down when not being used. It is neat.

TV stare- Jonathan, Peter and Carissa in the back

Surprise tickles from his Uncle Justin
One of my favorite pictures from that day

Did anyone else have one of these phone cars as a kid?
They are remaking old toys, and my mom found this for Peter.
So many memories. Another favorite picture.

Lots of the gang
Left to right: Justin, Jonathan, Robin, Peter, Mom, Julia, Natalie, Amelia, Deborah, and a glimpse of Vivian. Admiring presents and chatting.

I have a terrible memory, so I love having pictures to remember things. There were so many things I'd already forgotten, and it's nice to be able to look back on days.

Christmas Eve and Day in North Carolina

Christmas 2014 was spent in North Carolina with the Gleaves family. We did a lot of fun things and I'm going to catch up on the blog and write about all the happenings over the break. First off, Christmas Eve and Day. 

For Christmas Eve, everyone came over- everyone being my older brother- Andrew, his wife- Natalie, and 3 girls- Julia, Amelia and Vivian, the brother just under me- Justin and his wife Alissa, and my Aunt Deborah. Then at the house were my younger siblings- Carissa, Ian and William, my parents and of course our little family. We were missing 2 siblings- David and Allison, and her husband Nate. Those guys stayed in Utah for Christmas this year. We ate good food, let the kids play and caught up on life.

Peter and his a candy cane.

Eventually everyone who came to visit went back to their homes, we got Peter to bed and went to sleep ourselves. This was the first Christmas of my life that my parents woke up everyone instead of the kids waking up the parents. Our excuse is jet lag...I don't know why everyone else was sleeping in. Mom and Dad finally got us up and going, and downstairs we all went.

William, Ian, Carissa, Peter, Jonathan and Robin
Waiting to be allowed in the living room to see what Santa left

New books are the best!

That face...love him.

Peter got some little finger puppets- which he loves, some books, animal crackers, a little phone car, some bath toys, and a cute little outfit. I got some great smelling lotion, 101 cookie cutters, two cool pictures from our trip to the National Parks this August, a sushi kit, a movie night kit, and a cute bag.

Talk with the animals.

Cookie cutter bracelets 

We had a good time with the family that morning and the other siblings came by in the afternoon to exchange gifts and have Christmas dinner together. We learned quickly that our table doesn't fit everyone as well with added spouses and new little ones. We managed to fit everyone but it was a squeeze...good thing we love each other. We ate good food and had a good day. Merry Christmas in North Carolina for us!

Tomorrow We Ride

On Monday, we flew to North Carolina. Now, I have a history of having some of the most unfortunate flight delays in the history of my family and flying. I've spent the night on two different trips during a layover in the Chicago O'Hare airport, as well as had many a delay there. I've had numerous flight delays that prevent me from getting home until well after midnight. I've been the kid to call home with the words of, "Hey Dad, I've got some bad news." I've sat on the tarmac for hours before takeoff and had everything from mechanical to weather delays.

But, since being married, the delays have all but vanished. I joke that Jonathan must be flying good luck. We are almost always on time, and the worst delay we had during all our Asia travels was the first flight headed to China. So, we've been pretty lucky in catching our flights recently...I should have known it was too good to be true.

We drove up the the airport, stopped by to pick up Jonathan's parents, who were going to drive our car back to our house from the airport, and made it to the airport in great time. The luggage situation was a little crazy- trying to carry Peter, a diaper bag, a messenger bag with the computer, a small roller suitcase, a duffel bag and a toddler car seat...it was a little unwieldy. But, we made it through security super easy and found our gate with ease. Jonathan talked to the airport gate person about when we could check the car seat and learned we had to wait until boarding. But, that was fine. We didn't have too long to wait. Peter walked around a bit, we ate some food, and soon it was boarding time.

We started to go on, and one of the airport workers asked if we would wait a moment. She was trying to change the passenger who was sitting in the row with us to another seat so Peter could have his own seat. We waited for a bit, and then we went to our seats and she said she would keep paging him and see if he would switch. I figured, anyone in their mind would switch given the options of sitting next to a couple with an almost 2 year old verses sitting next to adults.

We boarded, got everything put in its place and hoped the guy would switch seats. Everyone was on the plane and we were ready to go, and no one came to sit with us! She switched him! So, we had extra space. Then, just as we were getting comfy, a flight attendant came on the speakers and delivered the bad news. The plane had hit a bird on its last flight, and the dent on the wing was too large to pop out. So, we would have to de-board and switch planes so they could repair the wing.

So, we waited until almost everyone else was off, then we pulled all of our bags and the small one off the plane. We waited at the gate until they told us where to go next. After a few minutes of waiting, the news came. We were switching gates and waiting for a plane that was coming in from a flight from Cabo. It would be two and a half hours before that flight landed and got checked for us to fly on. Gah. So, I called my dad with the bad news. Instead of getting in around 11pm...we'd be arriving around 1:30am. The only plus was that with the later leaving time, it would be around Peter's bed time, so ideally he would sleep the majority of the flight.

We went to the new gate and made friends with a couple who had a son who was a year and a half old. They shared toys and snacks. We fed Peter and changed him into pajamas in hopes he would recognize that it was time to sleep soon. Finally the flight arrived and it was time to board. The airport worker came on and informed us of more exciting news. The pilots were coming close to their limit of being on the clock. So, if we took longer than 30 minutes to board, they would have to find new pilots and we would have to wait even longer. Well, that was all the motivation we needed. Everyone was on, buckled and luggage stowed in record time, and we finally took off. While everyone was getting on, I sent a text to my dad, "Reboarding now." His response, "Good job. Don't touch anything."

Peter exploring his seat.

It was a pretty calm flight. A little turbulence, but nothing bad. I tried to sleep for the first half to no avail. Peter on the other hand did not try to sleep at all. He had so much energy, and because it was so late, he was quite cranky. He wouldn't take his binky or blanket and he would scream from time to time. Jonathan took him for walks, we fed him, other parents gave us books and toys to let him play with. It was exhausting. Finally for about the last 30 minutes, he laid down on the floor and was out within minutes. We landed in foggy Charlotte, got off the plane, waited for the car seat and found my dad. Peter fell asleep during the ride home and stayed asleep once we got there. It made for a crazy night, but we made it home.

Nelson Family Christmas

The Nelsons switch off every year for Christmas between their family and the in-laws families. This year was an in-law year, but since Erica's in-laws live in Utah, and since all the other Nelson children live in Utah, it was decided to have an early Christmas with the Nelson's before we flew out to North Carolina for Gleaves Christmas.  

We did all the traditional Christmas things. We had Christmas Eve dinner at Aunt Jean's house, where we ate enchiladas with all the fixin's. We had corn cakes, chicken, green sauce, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, cheese sauce, guacamole, and so on. Peter loved eating the beans and tomatoes, but didn't care about much else. We ate everything else. It was delicious. But the problem with going to Aunt Jean's house is the same problem every time. There is always way too much delicious food and I eat a ton and get stuffed, and then someone walks in and says, "Are you ready for dessert?" and I'm like, "No! I couldn't possibly eat more!" And then I see the dessert and think, "Just kidding." Then I go home and can't move for a couple of hours because I have just ingested so much amazing food. Sigh. The price of visiting Aunt Jean. But it was great. We saw lots of family and had great food. 

Then, on Christmas day, everyone came over to our little house to open presents. There was a little bit of difficulty of sharing between the two little boys (cousins Charles and Peter). Charles would open a gift and Peter would try to take it instead of opening his own gift. And, even if Peter had the same thing, he would still want Charles instead of his own. It was a little exciting. Peter got a cool wooden tool kit, wooden magnet alphabet letters, some cute clothes, a train set, books, animal and dinosaur toys, and some tub toys. He only got to play with his things for a day, since we flew out the next day, but he will go back home and get to play to his hearts content.  

Peter and his future job in construction

The tool set is great for all ages- Peter and Jonathan building

Peter trying to get to his new trains

Peter and Charles, who gets the present?

Peter and his frog pillow pet.

I got Jonathan a blue, grey and black Mexican blanket. Jonathan made me two rings out of spoon handles, a necklace holder and a wooden holder for my essential oils. We also got shirts, socks, lotion, candy, books and a dutch oven that can go from stove top to oven. I got a skirt also- with pockets!

We had a great Christmas day. After we opened presents, we ate breakfast and then went to church. When we came home, we had homemade pizza for dinner. Jonathan could eat pizza every day if I let him, so he was a super happy camper. 

It was fun to have early Christmas with the Nelson side. I especially loved watching the interactions between Charles and Peter. The last time they met, Peter was only 6 months old. So this time they were old enough to actually interact with each other. Sometimes it was a little dangerous. They are still at the age of being rather possessive with their things, but the longer they were together the better they were at sharing things and playing with each other without constantly stealing each others' toys. Someday they will be better friends, and that will be fun. 

The faces we get when we tell them to smile. Charles and Peter

Christmas Lights on Temple Square

Back Row: Beccah, Christina, Peter, Jim, Jonathan
Front Row: Charles, Erica, OdaLisa, Peter, Robin
At Temple Square in Salt Lake City

When the Nelsons gathered together for Utah Christmas, we took one night and went up to Salt Lake to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. It took a bit longer to get up there than we planned due to traffic from cars and accidents, but we got there. We walked around the visitors center for a bit and then walked around outside to see all the lights and nativities that were set up all around. One of my favorite parts are the nativities. They have one that depict different cultures nativities. There is one that looks Japanese, another that is from the islands, another that looks Mexican and so on. They are really cool to me. Peter was good at finding the baby Jesus and the animals. 

Kiwi Nativity

Robin, Peter and Jonathan at Temple Square

 It was cold that night, but not freezing. We bundled the babies up really well- double socks and pants, shirts, warm jackets, hats and gloves. They did pretty well. Except Peter wasn't a fan of being in the stroller, so he got carried most of the time.

Christina and Peter looking at the stone lion

 Once we were done with the lights, we went inside the Joseph Smith Building and saw their big Christmas tree. It was huge and all done up with pink and purple ornaments and bright lights. We also saw their FamilySearch room. Family Search is a family history site where you can research your ancestors and find documents- census, birth/marriage/death certificates, newspaper articles and other records about them. The room set up was really cool. They had a bunch of computers where you could go and do research and they also had an area for kids with old-fashioned toys to play with. We let the kids play a bit before we headed home.

Peter, Robin and Jonathan with the huge Christmas tree

Overall the night was a success. We saw all the things I wanted to see and Peter did awesome until the end. Then we bought him some cheese and crackers and after he ate he was a good kid again. The only fatality we had was my water bottle, which I must have left there because after that night, it was never seen again. Well...good thing we can buy a new one of those easy enough. Good times with the family, good times with Christmas!

Santa Baby

Peter has a winter hat that he loves. I think it was Jonathan's and it must have gone through the dryer or something because it is quite a bit smaller, but on the bright side it fits Peter great! He loves wearing it and will gladly put it on before we got outside. He frequently asks for his hat and likes it when other people also have hats. He mostly likes it when he and Jonathan both are wearing hats.

The other day, I was at work and I got this picture from Jonathan...

Woodsman Boy

The little one wears that hat even inside...but is doesn't wear pants. Also, that plaid...he's ready to go get another Christmas tree. Adorable.

Story Number 2
We had a church Christmas party in which they had a dinner, singing and pictures with Santa. As we had no Santa last year, We wanted Peter to get a picture with him this year. Peter on the other hand had no desire to take a picture with the bearded stranger. So, Santa patted his knee and said, "Have a seat Dad." And Jonathan sat down with Peter in his lap, and we called it good. Peter got a candy cane out of it, which made him happy, but he continued to give Santa a wide berth anytime he walked past the photo area.

Santa, Jonathan and Peter

Utah Christmas Tree

After we got back from Thanksgiving Break, we had to get our own Christmas tree for our little house. Since we've been married (except for our China Christmas) we've gone to the same Christmas tree place to get our tree. It's a family run business and they go somewhere during Thanksgiving break and cut down heaps of trees to sell at Christmas time. They always have a great selection of trees. 

This year, we went a little later than we usually go, and the tree selection was much less than we were used to. They usually have front, back and side yards full of trees, and this time, it was just front yard. Turns out, they opened a day or two earlier than usual, and had a ton of people come early. But, even with having less trees, we still found a tree we loved. It wasn't a typical looking Christmas tree with dense branches and rounded cone shape. It was much thinner and had less branches, but it was neat and it seemed to fit our house. Not everyone loved it, but we did, and since we live in the house where the tree is, I think that works out just fine. 

Peter doing the tree inspection

We went straight from the tree buying to a performance on campus, so we didn't get it set up until later than night. But, this tree went up much easier than the California tree and that was a great thing. Also, we did some excellent living room furniture rearranging in order to have a good place for the tree. We moved the piano to the back room and brought out a small bookshelf and little drawers. We moved couches a couple of times before the night was over. I think only 2 things in the entire room stayed in the same place. But it worked great! The new set up makes the whole room feel much bigger, which was good because we had lots of family in our house for Nelson Christmas. Also, a bonus because moving the tree in didn't make anything feel cramped.

Jonathan setting up the tree.

We didn't get any lights or decorations until the next day, but even without decorations I think it was great. It was just a quaint little tree that felt like it belonged. We decorated it was a couple strands of white lights. Then we added a bunch of small wooden ornaments and a couple of big red and gold glass globe ornaments. It was perfect for the little tree. We didn't put too much on, that would have overwhelmed the tree, but the small amount of ornaments we own was just right this year.

Peter practiced doing splits while Jonathan got the tree steady. Peter sometimes slides his feet out and out as far as he can, and this is the only time I've been able to catch it, so that is what is going on for the next few pictures. We aren't sure why he started doing this, but he does it from time to time.

Starting to slide...

A little lower

Tada! The gold medal goes to Peter!

To make our tree complete this year, we were gifted an amazing tree skirt thanks to the skills of Jonathan's mom and Aunt Glinnea. It is reversible with red on one side and red/white/green plaid on the other side. Glinnea embroidered "Joy to the World, the Lord is Come" on one side, and "Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm, All is Bright" on the other. She also found great nativity pictures to put on both sides, and it has our name. It is better than I imagined it would be, and I love that it reminds us about the religious part of the holiday and hopefully helps us to focus more on that.

Look at that smile. Merry Christmas!

We loved our Utah Christmas tree. It was fun to pick out, decorate and have in our home. It made such a difference and just made our home feel like Christmas.