Nelson Review- Moving Is Our Life

Ok, so clearly, blogging has fallen to the side lately. Our lives have been busy and lots of changes are in the works/have just happened, so here's an (ideally) condensed version of what we are up to and what's keeping us busy.

- Jonathan has a new job working at BCA (Bicycle Corporation of America)! He started working on 10 May. It pays better than his last job, has more time off (he went from 4 holidays to 9!), and he gets to be home more with the boys (new hours 7:30-4:00). The company is 49% Chinese owned and 51% US owned. So, Jonathan gets to go to China 3-4 times a year. He was hired as translator/whatever else they decide for him to do.

Ezra the firefighter
(We went to a park when Jonathan had his first interview with BCA) 

Peter climbing cypress tree roots at the same park

- Nelson Family Beach trip! After three days of Jonathan working at BCA, we left for a week for the NC Outer Banks. It was a little crazy getting ready for the trip since Jonathan was gone and I got really sick- high fever, achy and super sore throat. I was supposed to be packing for the beach and for moving. Instead, I laid on the couch and made Peter get me more blankets. I'm pretty sure Peter and Ezra survived on graham crackers and apples for a couple of days. Ha! But, we made it through that week and got rewarded by a beach week! We got to see lots of fun things, hang out with family, and spend lots of afternoons on the beach.

Ezra, Jonathan, Peter and Robin and the Bodie Lighthouse

- We're moving again! The new job is in South Carolina, about 2 hours from where we are now. Presently, Jonathan drives down at the beginning of the week and stays with some friends and comes back on Friday. Hopefully soon we'll get down there too....which leads to....

- We are buying a house! Short version- a lady from church's daughter is moving to Kentucky and they are trying to sell their house fast. They hadn't even listed it, and they are selling it for less than it's worth. It needs some work, but it has good bones (and a nice backyard, which we've been needing) and I think we can make it really cute. It took more to convince me to buy it than it did Jonathan, but it's really happening. We hope to close in the end of June. But, we hopefully get to move in within a week or so and just rent from them until it closes.

- Peter is getting eye surgery mid-July. Our current eye doctor is still in our insurance network and we'd rather stay with him than have to start over getting to know a new doctor. So, we'll drive up and stay with my parents a couple of days for the surgery. He'll have the surgery and then 4 days later he'll have a post-op appointment. It's an out patient surgery, and I'll try to write a post about that in the future.

- Ezra has started talking more! It's still at the parent understood level, but he's getting more and more words! He says, Mama, Dad, dog, apple, up, help, bubble, shoes, a word for plant/tree- but it doesn't sound like plant/tree, and a few more. He signs- more and please.

- Robin- I started working for a cool company called Tinkergarten. It's a nature based learning class that meets once a week for 8 week seasons. I was hired to be a Tinkergarten teacher! They have great curriculum and send me all the materials I need for the classes. I get to bring my boys with me to classes. We go and explore and create things outside. It's super fun and we love it. I have to recruit kids to come, but the company does lots of the other work. I started teaching, but then Jonathan got the job and with being sick and packing and crazy life, we canceled the classes here and I'll get going again once we get moved down to SC.

Ezra making stone soup

Peter and his potion

- I just asked Jonathan what things were happening in our life, just to check and see if I forgot anything. He laughed and answered, "Everything is happening."

It's crazy, but we feel like we are progressing and that all these big changes will give us a better life. We are excited to move and to be able to see Jonathan more everyday. I'm excited to be able to paint the house any color I want. The boys are excited for a backyard- we've been telling Peter for about a year that we can get a dog once we have a yard with a fence...and he has not forgotten that. It's crazy, but it's good. Onward and upward.

Peter Turns Four

Alex, Ashton, Gabriel, Lisa, Vivian, Jim, Ezra, OdaLisa, Natalie, Julia, Jade holding Adaline, Amelia, Robert and Peter peeking in

We celebrated Peter's birthday the same day as the snow day. I was a little worried on Friday that we might have a really low turnout due to the coming storm. But since we didn't get too much snow and it didn't ice the roads too bad, everyone was able to make it! Both sets of grandparents were there, Uncle William, Peter's NC cousins with their mom, Natalie, and some neighbors that Jonathan invited earlier that morning. 

We played a quick game of pin the balloon on the birthday poster, then opened presents, ate cake and played. Peter had a blast playing with the other kids. It was a little crazy, but overall it was a fun little party. It reminded me that kids don't need much to have a great day. They don't need everything matching or a huge present or anything crazy. They need love and a happy home. 

The circle of presents

I love Julia holding Ezra in this one, cousin love!

When I first asked Peter what kind of cake he wanted, he said, "Chocolate." I asked what kind of shape he wanted and he responded with, "Circle. Oooo, and I want sprinkles on top!" I almost prompted him to do something else, when Jonathan stopped me, "If he wants a circle cake, let him have a circle cake. I'm sure he'll ask for harder things in the future." Good point, good husband. So, we were set, chocolate cake with sprinkles on top.

Then, when Jonathan's parents were in town, I told Peter to tell OdaLisa what kind of cake he wanted. He said chocolate circle. Then, Jonathan's dad, Jim said, "Peter, you could have a castle cake, or a train or..." and just like that, the circle cake with sprinkles was out the window. Peter tends to work in extremes, he's either in a great mood or terribly sad, or he knows exactly what he wants (like Batman for Halloween) or he is incredibly indecisive. He took the indecisive route with this cake. Every color, every flavor, every shape and changing on a dime. He finally settled on a blue train cake with half strawberry and half funfetti cake. Peter and Jonathan decorated the train with a little guidance from Google, other's train cakes and me. I think it turned out pretty awesome.  

Train cake for the win!

Blowing out the candles

For his birthday, Peter got an aircraft carrier, some cute (handsome) clothes, a Nemo scrubber for baths, a couple of books, a circuit building set, magformers magnet building set, playdough, and some peanuts. Jonathan got him this Snap Circuits Jr (affiliate link) but I'm pretty sure Jonathan actually bought it for himself. I was a little hesitant at first, but it has turned out to be a great activity for them to do together. It's a set that has a base and lots of different pieces that you can fit together to make a circuit that turns on a light, or a fan or make a little alarm go off. There are a bunch of different directions that tell how to make the things work. It's pretty cool. Peter is still to young to really do it by himself, but he loves doing it with Dad.

Building circuits with Dad

I've seen a couple of friends do these little surveys with their kids each year to see how answers change and how kids grow. So, we decided to give it a go with Peter. Here's the results. 

1. What is your name? Peter, Peter Benjamin Nelson
2. How old are you? I don't know
3. When is your Birthday? It was next week...wait I already had my birthday
4. What is your favorite color? Green and Orange
5. What is your favorite food? Dough that's not cooked
6. Who's your best friend? Eloise 
7. What is your favorite song? (sings) We all live in a yellow submarine
8. What is your favorite animal? Triceratops
9. What are you scared of? Nothing
10. What makes you happy? you, just you (then he snuggled up to me, extra points)
11. Where's your favorite place to go? Restaurant (I asked- which one?) all of them
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Worker- building houses
13. How tall are you? (he had Jonathan stand up and he stood up next to him) Dad is large, and so I am medium. (then he made Robin stand up next to him) Mom is like my size. You are medium. So I am medium. 
14. Who is the smartest in your family? me and dad
15. Who is the cutest in your family?  Mom
16. Who is the funniest in your family? Haha, Dad
17. What is one thing you want to learn how to do? Maybe driving
18. What does Dad do for work? Get money.
19. What does Mom do for work? You don't work! (he later clarified that I don't go to work...slightly better)
20. What is something Mom always says to you? Clean up
21. What is something Dad always says to you? Go sit in time out

Ezra at 10 month old!

Our littlest superhero!

Ezra has officially made it to 10 months old! He has survived a number of tackles by Peter, being sat upon, a few tumbles off of beds and chairs, and getting hit in the head with blocks, balls, and dinosaurs. He has tried to eat rocks, acorns, chalk, and any old food that  hasn't been swept off the kitchen floor, and he's still around to tell us about it. Being a second child is harder in some ways.

Ezra and Peter, playing in the laundry basket. It entertained them for a good 20 minutes.
(Moments after this photo, the basket fell over and Ez got a big fat lip...sad baby)

Being a second child is also more awesome. Ezra gets more hugs and kisses. Peter tries hard to help him be happy during diaper changes and sad times in the car. Ezra has a brother who watches out for him and lets me know when he has climbed up something dangerous or has something in his mouth. He has a built in playmate, all day every day. He watches his brother and learns things faster than Peter did because he has a good little teacher.

He was eating dirt prior to this picture.
Because I raise my children in the woods.

We love this boy. He brings lots of smiles every day. He is a happy easy going boy, for the most part. He takes a bit to warm up to strangers (something we never saw in Peter), but once he knows you, he loves you. He has very strong feelings on when he wants to be held and when he wants to be on the ground walking...although what he wants sometimes changes in a matter of seconds lots of up and down around here lately. He loves being walked around (when he holds your fingers and leads you around). He is walking better and better every day, usually taking about 10+ steps at a time. He can pivot and change directions, crouch and pick up things and he's getting steadier on his little legs. He still wakes up every night- usually two times and nurses and goes right back to sleep, although one is getting shorter, so hopefully he'll drop it and just go down to one waking up.

Ezra taking a break

He gives more cuddles now, but in his own way. He snuggles the most after he wakes up and if someone else is around. So, if my parents or a friend is over visiting and he wakes up from a nap, I'll go get him and upon him seeing the visitor he puts his little head on my shoulder and just snuggles down and stays that way until he is ready to go play. It's fantastic.

Ezra snuggles are the best.

Ezra 10 month stats
Height- 28 3/4 inches (46%)
Weight- 21 lbs 3.5 oz (69%)
Head circumference- 47 cm (90%)

Loves
- Food- he loves most everything, but sometimes prefers specific things and will refuse to eat other things, but it just depends on the day and time. Sometimes he hates yogurt and eats all the cereal, sometimes he throws all the cereal and eats the yogurt.
- Peter, Mom and Dad
- Dogs (we visited my sister this weekend. She has a dog and Ezra was frantically laughing trying to climb out of my arms to pet the dog. It's a good sized dog and loved licking Ezra...who wasn't quite so sure about that, but overall, Ezra was thrilled to be around the dog.)
 - Splashing water
- Opening cupboards and pulling everything out of them
- Being outdoors
- When Jonathan rubs his beard in Ezra's ear- it makes him laugh, so we assume he likes it

Ezra, Robin, Peter
Hiking to 40 Acre Rock

Dislikes
- Diaper changes
- Having his hair washed
- Clothing changed
- Car seats
- If you give him a food he doesn't want he'll spit it out and throw it on the ground.
- Being away from Mom for any extended length of time

"Look, here's my cape."

Abilities
- 6 teeth: 4 on top and 2 on bottom
- Walking pretty decently
- Babbles a ton, says Mama when he's distressed (usually when he's in the car seat and wants out, or if I'm not fast enough to get him post nap.)
- Waves hello
- Sometimes will initiate and play peek-a-boo
- Has more focus on things and does not easily give up on obtaining whatever he wants
- Can go backwards down stairs (but only one or two at a time)

Jonathan, Ezra and Robin
(photo taken 12 Nov in NC mountains)

He's growing fast and soon he's not going to be a baby anymore! We love this boy and are so happy he's a part of our family!

Jonathan's Job

I don't think I've done any updates on Jonathan's job since we've been out here, so I should probably write about that. Before we moved out here, Jonathan had contact with a company in South Carolina about 30 minutes away from where we'd be moving to. He had a phone interview with them when we were in Utah and they said to contact them when he got to NC and they would do a formal interview then. We knew that if that didn't work out, my Dad was willing to hire Jonathan out for odd jobs until he found something. So, even though we moved here without a job, we knew we would be okay. 

We were here for a week or two before Jonathan contacted the company. We were trying to get the house in order before he started (hopefully) working full time. He met with them and they told him there were two different positions, one as a factory floor manager and the other as the purchasing agent. So, he had to decide which one he wanted to go for- he wasn't offered either job, just told about both of them and asked which one he wanted to be considered for. We discussed it for a night, then he called them the next day to say he was interested in being the purchasing agent. The guy he talked to said he had to talk to the boss and he'd call back. By the end of the day, Jonathan had a job. He is a lucky charm that boy.

I asked Jonathan a bunch of questions about his job, because he doesn't like to write, but I thought some people might want to know what he does...and for posterity. So, without further ado, Interview with Jonathan.

Q: Where do you work? 

A: Keer America- a cotton mill in SC.

Q: What do they do?

A: We make cotton yarn.

Q: What is your job title?

A: Purchasing Agent

Q: What do you do?

A: Buy everything the company needs

Q: What do you enjoy about your job?

A: I get to speak Chinese a lot. It's hands on and real. I get to work with parts and fix things...make things better. I like that it's pretty flexible.

Robin: What does that mean?

Jonathan: I can do whatever I think is best. I pretty much have no direction, which is good and bad. I also had no training...get used to that. I also like that they trusted me with lots of things really fast. 

Q: How much Chinese do you use? 

A: A lot. 

Robin: Expound on that.

Jonathan: Everyday I use a lot.

Q: What do you dislike about your job?

A: I do a lot of paperwork sometimes.

To fill in on Jonathan's lack of words, He's working for a Chinese company based here in the US that makes yarn. The majority of workers at the factory are Chinese nationals who are here on work visas, so Jonathan reads, writes and speaks Chinese every day. The factory workers will tell him (in Chinese) what piece of their giant machinery they need fixed or a replacement. Jonathan then has to figure out what the piece is called in English and then buy it. He has expanded his vocabulary in both languages and gets to go to Home Depot all the time. He seems to really like this job. He comes home happier than his last job. He didn't ever come home sad or angry with the last job, more just bored. I think he also really likes that he is not stuck behind a desk all day long. He goes between the office and the factory and also gets to drive around getting things. Jonathan deals with stuff like this: 

Numbers, heaps of them.

Giant Wheels- I think from their venting system.

Machinery pieces

Chinese and numbers!

Diagrams

Jonathan likes his work, which means he comes home happy, sometimes with good stories and sometimes, when we are really lucky, donuts. Also, sometimes he comes home with zong zi (meat wrapped in rice, shaped in a triangle, wrapped in a leaf...of bamboo...maybe, they are delicious). I'm glad he is using his Chinese again. His boss, Mr Ma, seems to like Jonathan, which is always a good thing. So, now you know a little more on what Jonathan does every day. Thanks for reading!

Peter's Crazy Eye

We finally went to see the eye doctor this week for Peter's eye. We got everything in order with insurance, and we had to get a doctor's recommendation before we could go to the specialist (even though he already had glasses and we've seen a specialist before and we knew his eye was turning in). So, we saw the pediatrician and they said, "Yep he needs to see an eye doctor." They said would send the recommendation in to the eye doctor and we would get a call about appointments. Two weeks went by without hearing back from anyone. I called the pediatrician and they said they sent the request in and that the eye doctor should have called me. So, I called the eye doctor and they said they didn't have a request for Peter! But, they set up an appointment and said they would clear everything up before we came, which I will assume they did because it all went fine once we got to the eye doctor.  

Peter dressed himself this day- three shirts.
You can see his eye turning in.

Peter got glasses a year ago to help correct his left eye which was turning in towards his nose. We noticed his eye turning in, March 2015, and he got glasses in July of that year. The glasses did wonders for his eye for the first while, but then slowly they started helping less because his eye got stronger to match the prescription but they needed a stronger prescription now. We should have gotten him in to the eye doctor sooner, but last year kept throwing things at us and I kept putting off setting up an appointment. But, we finally made it a priority and got in. 

My brother, William, came to help with Ezra during the appointment so I could better pay attention to the doctor and help Peter do what they needed. I am so grateful he came. Ezra did really good, but he got tired and a little cranky at the end, and it would have been really hard to juggle him and get Peter to listen to the doctor. We waited about 15 minutes after we got there and then we saw the doctor. Dr Haney is a pediatric ophthalmologist and she did great with Peter. She was quick in her work and playful with him. They had Peter look at some letters and say what they were as the letters decreased in size. They looked at his eyes for a minute with different lenses. Then they dilated his eyes- not fun, but he only cried for a minute. Then we got to go back to the waiting area to play while his eyes dilated all the way. We watched Kung Fu Panda and Peter played with some other kids. I talked with another mom about kids' eyes. Her daughter has a similar eye problem as Peter's and they have been going to see the same doctor Peter was seeing for the past 6 or 7 years. 

We went back in to see the doctor after about 45 minutes. They looked at Peter's eyes to get his prescription- which has changed since his last appointment. We were also given eye patches for Peter. He gets to wear one every day for two hours. So far, he does awesome with them. We have learned not to call him a pirate unless he is wearing the one with pirate ships on it. If you call him a pirate while he is wearing the other ones he says, "I not a pirate, I just have the green (bike/monster/etc) one on." He doesn't complain too much and he likes to choose which one he wears. He has 5 different prints. The patch goes on his right eye to help strengthen the left eye. Hopefully this and the new prescription of glasses will be enough to get his eye back on track. 

Eye patch Peter

 We did learn one really interesting thing during the eye exam. Dr Haney was trying to get a good look at Peter's optic nerve. They want to check the optic nerve because if it's swollen then it could be a brain problem causing the eye to cross in. Peter was keeping his body really still, but he kept moving his eyes around, making it hard for Dr Haney. At one point she got a good, brief, look then Peter put his hand up to block the light- tricky kid. So, she got a quick look, but not as good as she wanted. She said it looked a little swollen, but since he hasn't had any other signs of brain problems- lots of throwing up, headaches, falling over, etc she isn't worried. She will check it again next time we go in, and we'll talk with Peter at home to try to prep him better for that so he can sit really still.

But, from that look that she did get of the optic nerve, she said that there is a really good chance that Peter has albinism. As in, albino. So, naturally, I've read up on it and I talked with her about it a bit. When we think of albinism, we think of people with no pigmentation, light skin, white hair, blue eyes...wait, that's Peter. Turns out, albinism can show itself in that manner, but it can also just be in the eyes. Dr Haney said normally the optic nerve is reddish or pink colored and very crisp looking. She said Peter's was grey. So, that alone tells her that he most likely has albinism. She said that it can just present itself in the eyes only (ocular albinism) or in the entire body. So, it is very possible that he is light haired and skinned because his parents also were as kids, but it's also possible that albinism plays a role in his lightness. Also while reading, I learned that albinism may cause eye conditions including what Peter has with his eye crossing. Dr Haney said she could refer us to a geneticist to get blood work done and genes charted. I think that would be super cool to do, but it is very unlikely that insurance will cover that and it costs a couple thousand dollars, so it probably won't happen. Dr Haney checked my eyes and William's to see if we had any signs of albinism in our eyes. We both had 'normal' optic nerves. But, the doctor said that I could still be a carrier (as could Jonathan) without anything presenting. So, there is your fun fact about Peter. He also has astigmatism in both eyes.

So, he'll wear the patch and get new lenses and we will go back to the doctor in early September. He is hoping to get new glasses because he wants orange ones. I'm hoping we can just get new lenses...because these glasses aren't cheap. But, I may have found them a little cheaper on amazon...so we'll see if he gets new orange glasses or gets to keep the blue. And, we'll see how effective his new eye patches are. Stay tuned to more eye updates as we go!

Pet Children

There are times I question if I have human children or animal children. For example, many mornings, Peter likes to find the sun spots coming in from the kitchen window. He curls up into a little ball and lays there for a bit. Just like a cat...but a cat that can talk and tells great stories. Peter is a talker and makes me laugh a lot. He plays hard, but is also a snuggler. He loves his baby brother. The other day when Ezra rolled from back to tummy to back again, Peter said, "Ezra, I am impressed with you!" Haha. His favorite uncle is still Uncle David. We were walking from the barn the other day and Peter said, "I love parties!" I asked, "Who is your favorite person to party with?" His immediate response was, "Uncle David and Jackie!" So far you are holding strong David. 

Cat boy

As for the second child, I laid him on his playmat the other day and when I checked on him a minute later I found that he had wiggled himself to the edge of the mat and was chewing on the cloth pole. He chews on everything these days...either because he is teething or because he is indeed a puppy. Luckily, he doesn't ruin anything he chews on, just makes it covered in slobber. He's been "teething" for over a month, but still has no teeth to show for it. He can roll now, but gets mad if he's on his tummy for too long (too long is different lengths depending on his mood). He tries hard to eat any food that anyone else has. He can scoot backwards when he's on his tummy but not forward. He laughs the most for Peter, and second for anyone who makes silly sounds at him.

Puppy Ezra

Wiggling skills got him there.

Nelson Family Update

I'll write a short update first and see if I have time for anything else afterwards. All the boys are asleep now (Jonathan included). I know some people would say, "You should be resting too!" But sometimes I think it is better for me I write some things down instead of sleep- get it out of my mind. Sure I'll be tired, but I'll have some memories stored. So, I'm writing and eating some Easter candy...none of which made it into baskets...because it was that kind of a night (I also spaced the Women's Conference address...good thing I can listen to it later online), and because I was trying to finish up a church talk because my brother is the bishop (leader of our congregation here) and asked us to talk in church today. I'm glad Peter is too young to know about Easter baskets, because he wasn't sad not to have one. Maybe we'll do it tomorrow, that can be our family tradition. But in the meantime, I'll eat some chocolate eggs and let you know what we've been up to.

We decided to move back east (I don't think I even wrote a post on that decision). So, we packed up, sold a lot of things and drove out. We made it across America!! We took 5 days for the trip, staying at various friends and family of friends along the way. The boys did surprisingly well and we saw some neat things. We stayed with my parents for about a week as we got paint and floors into the house we will be living in for the next bit. It is looking pretty great now, although we still have some projects we are working on.

The best news is Jonathan got a job!! He's a lucky charm. He will be working as the purchasing man for a Chinese textile factory based in South Carolina (about 30 minutes away from our house, so we don't have to move again!). Most of the workers speak Chinese, so Jonathan will get to use his language skills everyday. Their goal is to transition from Chinese workers to American's. So, Jonathan will also help in cultural differences and how to work together. We will really really miss having him home everyday to help with life, but it will be nice to have an income again. Also, another Jonathan update- he shaved his beard! My dad said that it might help in job acquisition as many people in the south equate beard with redneck. I'm pretty sure Jonathan would have gotten the job even with the beard, he'd spoken with them before and they really liked him, but we thought we'd better be safe. He looks good, and said he might grow it back sometime, but take a beard break for now.

Ezra, Peter and beardless Jonathan
These faces are my favorites.

We both spoke in church today. I spoke on how we can improve our lives by following Christ's example, and Jonathan spoke on the Atonement, justice and mercy. The talks went pretty good. The boys sat great as we switched speaking and sitting with them.

Peter: He is having a little bit of a tough time adjusting... again. We know from the last moves/Ezra's birth to expect about a 2 month transitional period where he is extra cranky and emotional, and boy are we getting it. Overall, he is doing great. He loves playing with his cousins, seeing Grandpa and Nainai, and playing with his Uncle Ian and William. He loves being outside to play and seeing the birds by the pond. There are just many more tears than a "normal" day and more foot stamping when we ask him to do things. It's exciting. He's also been really lovey to us, extra snuggles and hugs. So it's nice and hard at the same time.

Peter at the church Easter egg hunt

Ezra: He is growing and growing. He is in 6-9 month clothes for the most part. He is getting better at grabbing things. He is still super smiley and happy. He has developed the love of falling asleep not while being held. He will wiggle and squirm and then I can put him in his swing and he will calm right down and close his eyes. He is currently napping in the swing. I love that thing. Quick Ezra story: Today he was dressed up for Easter- and super adorable, as was his older brother and I was going to get an Easter picture of the family when we got home from church. So, naturally, Ezra pooped out his entire outfit- giant diaper explosion...it was terrible. And, naturally, I'd forgotten to pack an extra outfit. So, for the remainder of church, Ezra wore a zip up hoodie and shorts that I didn't know I had in my bag. He was pretty stylish. I learned my lesson to take pictures as soon as they are in their cute clothes and not to wait for any diaper explosions.

Ezra loves his thumb.

Robin: I'm also adjusting to living back in the South. Everything is simultaneously familiar and foreign. Buildings along the roads have changed and areas have grown. I get lost half the time when I drive because I don't have mountains to guide me and I didn't drive most of these roads when I lived here as a teen. There are people at church I've know since I was 11, but I haven't spent time with them since I was 18, so they don't know me and I don't know them, but we both think we do. I've been away longer than I lived in this city and the person I was when I left is not the person I am now. I am usually a visitor here, but now it is my home and I have to figure out where I fit in. But, I love it. My "yard" is full of trees and birds. We had a good rain yesterday and today, and I love it. This is a good spot for us right now. We'll see what comes next in life.

Taking selfies while we wait for Jonathan and Peter