It's a .....

GIRL!!!!!! If you can believe it Jeff and I had a little girl on May 5, 2011 at 4:27am. Actually she wasn't that little considering she was born 2 and a half weeks early. She weighed in at 9.9 pounds and was 21.5 inches long. We are all good and everyone is smitten. Her name is Cecilia Maurine Nelson.

new car

I have wanted to post for a bit but haven't had my pictures uploaded. So instead of waiting any longer here goes...
We bought a new car that will fit our family with the upcoming addition. It is a 12 passenger van. Jeff was not sure if he wanted to go that big. I just didn't want it to be white. I have been tired of not being able to have the boys bring a friend anywhere or car pool. We ended up finding a silver 2010 Ford 350. I think the reason Jeff was okay with the van was thanks to Mike and Danielle. Thanks you guys-- you really helped me out.

The boys love it. The first night we took a drive Oliver commented, "I get a whole bench to myself." However, when he saw a slug bug and tried to punch one of his brothers, he couldn't reach. "Oh no, it's too big." he cried. I had to laugh.

I am liking the van. Driving it hasn't been bad either. I don't find it too much different than my parents past Suburbans or Excursion. I just can't wait until the running boards come in. I have to pull myself in right now.

Anyway when Jeff gets back in town (gone for 10 days to Chicago to take boards), I will get pictures up.

Hope died today

Last Saturday we got some baby chicks. We are hoping to have the boys help take care of them and when the chick mature get some eggs to boot. Each of the boys picked and named a baby chick. It was quite cute to see. They all did pretty well, but I worried about the 2 smallest chick. And rightly so-- Oliver named his chick Yoko, (after Ice Age 3) and Bryant named his chick Hope. Both these 2 little chicks had a short life. We all felt really sad when Yoko died. I think she had gotten wet on the coldest night. Even the heat light didn't save her. Then later that next evening Hope died. She just didn't fend for herself. I feel really sad saying that Hope died. Bryant came up with the name all by himself. Even if Hope is just a little baby chick it seems somewhat profound. Luckily the rest of the chicks, Baby, Sydney, Kimney, and Goliath all seem to be doing well.

St. Baldricks 2011

Here are a few pictures of the event. We had lots of fun. The news was there and the boys were shown. Pretty cool. At home we shaved Dane's head too. Now there are 5 bald boys running around. As Tyler put it they are easy to spot, hard to distinguish.

A lot of catching up

Somethings to remember and write down before we forget....

We planted 7 apple trees for family home evening this last week. You could say we miss them from Syracuse. The boys were so excited. Oliver had the lesson for Family Home Evening. He asked, "Can we work and plant the trees?" What does a parent say to that? The boys were great and worked until every tree was planted. We had to pull out a flashlight to finish the last ones. The scripture for the night-- paraphrasing, You reap what you sow, but not always for a couple of years.

The boys all got their report cards and did great. Oliver got into the gifted program for next year. Bryant wrote a poem form a contest. I love his poetry. Seth won a math contest at school with the first graders. (Bry's 4th grade team came in second). It is great to see their motivation. Alex and Dane are also learning in leaps and bounds-- phone number, letter, sounds and colors.

Half way there....

The boys have raise with lots of help just over $1000 for St. Baldrick's and children's cancer research. Saturday is the day they each lose about a pound of hair. As a mom I can't wait. Their hair has been driving me crazy.

By the way....

I have neglected to post about some exciting news for our family. We are expecting #6 in May. We don't know if we are having a boy or girl, although our odds are a boy. The boys think that a 6th boy would be great. We could name him Joseph like Lehi's 6th son in the Book of Mormon or Ron like the 6th Weasley son in Harry Potter. Anyway we are all well and looking forward to the next Nelson.

For a Cause

Once again Oliver, Bryant, Seth and this year Alex are trying to raise money and awareness about childhood cancer through The St. Baldrick's Foundation. All 4 boys are shaving their heads March 12, 2011. They are hoping to raise $2000 as a team-- Bald Brothers.

This started as the boys wanted to do something after their cousin died of cancer. We often feel helpless and think our efforts will not amount to anything. However by working together, little steps make a big difference.

If you can and would like to donate to the cause follow the steps below. Donations can be made at any time even after the event. If you are in the area you can join us the day of-- March 12 at 3pm.

1. Go the website at www.stbaldricks.org.
2. Under Participants click find a team or participant.
3. Click on Team Search. Type in Bald Brothers and Search.
4. More than one team with bald brothers may show up. The boys are shaving their heads in Sandy, UT at Club 90. Select correct team. Oliver is the team captain.
5. Go to the Make a Donation section and follow the directions.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for everything you do to support our boys and childhood cancer research.

Sincerely,
Jeff and Erin and boys-- Oliver, Bryant, Seth, Alex and Dane.

2010 St. Baldrick's Before...

2010 St. Baldrick's During...

2010 St. Baldrick's After...

New picture for a new year