The Beginnings of Springtime

Belle in her adorable Easter dress my Mom made for her.

Little Platte in his Easter outfit.

Family photo at the famous Easter cave near Bluff, Utah.

Belle after her debut Easter egg hunt.

Nielson cousins.  Love these little rascals!

Learning to skip rocks at the San Juan River.

Adam and Kristina:  The proud BYU graduates!  Way to go!

Little Platte:  Future BYU grad.  Jimmer's records are in jeopardy!

Wearing the fascinator hats we made for the Royal Wedding.  Yes, we woke up at 2 and watched it all.  And yes, we had our own tea party.

The future bride of Prince William and Princess Catherine's first son.  :)

So cute.

Posing in the secret garden at the Tulip Festival.

Fat and happy at the Tulip Festival.

Another trip to the Tulip Festival.

Now Presenting...Six-Month-Old Little Platte!

Time flies when you're a growing, chubby baby.  Today is little Platte's half birthday.  As you can see, he is a healthy and happy little boy.  Here are some pictures of our little man and some of the other things we've been up to the last few months.


Always keeping an eye on Belle.


So stinking cute.

Little Platte's first experience swimming.


Already working on his vertical.


Let's just say rice cereal isn't his favorite.


Belle putting Daisy down for a nap before going to church.


This little puzzle is the best present Belle has EVER received.  She can play with it for hours a day, literally.


Belle FINALLY learning to drink from a cup.


Classic Combos:  Dora and Boots, Arthur and DW, Harry and Hermione, Platte and Belle.


My Dad earned his Silver Beaver.  Way to go Dad!


Platte at the Boston TD Garden to watch the Celtics play the Lakers.


Platte and Madi.


My Mom and I ran the Moab 5 mile race.


Platte ran the Moab Half Marathon.


Madi and little Platte slept through all of the races.


Best friends together again--Belle and Olivia.


We just love this little guy!

Amanda

My amazing sister, Amanda, won the General Sterling Scholar for Utah last night. She first won the Music Sterling Scholar category, and then of all the 13 winners of the other categories, she was picked as the General Sterling Scholar.

I am so proud of my sister. I am so happy that others were able to see how amazing she is. While I know that those judging were able to understand that she is incredibly talented and smart, I am sure they don't know how truly wonderful she is. So here is my tribute to my sister--the things that the judges don't get to see.

Amanda is beautiful inside and out. She is one of the most righteous people I have ever known. She works hard. She adores my children, and they ADORE her. She is oblivious to the fact that she is incredible. She always tries to do the right thing, no matter what. She is hilarious. She is an incredible writer. She is well rounded. While piano is her most incredible talent, she actually is an amazing singer and guitar player. She will watch Gilmore Girls, or Glee with me whenever I want. She will go running with me. She will cry with me. She teaches Belle the funniest things. She loves with all her heart. Amanda is going to do incredible things with her life, and I can't wait to live next door to her and Whitney and raise our families together. :) While I could go on and on about my sister, the thing that I love best about her is that she is my best friend (along with my husband, mother, and other sister). I am so lucky to have her in my life. And I am so lucky that I can click here to see her on the front page of the Deseret News, along with Jimmer! :) I love you, Babe!

Platte Preston Nielson

Well the biggest news from the last six months is that we had our baby boy! Platte Preston Nielson was born on October 5, 2010. We think he is the cutest thing ever! He weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. and everything went well with the delivery. We have had so much fun with him, and luckily, Belle simply adores him. We feel so lucky that she is so nice to him and loves to play with him. It's so fun when she talks to him, helps me change his diaper, or puts his binky in his mouth. She loves to get right up close to his face and say things like, "Hey little guy," or "What's the matter, buddy?" or "You look so handsome!" Sure, he doesn't always love it when she is in his face, but hey, she loves to play with him so much that I just can't tell her not to. He is such a good baby and is so content. He smiles a lot more than Belle did when she was his age, and that makes me so happy. So far, he looks just like Belle did in her first 3 months, except he is A LOT chunkier. He couldn't be cuter! He is such a joy and we love him to pieces.
























This last picture is what he looks like today. There is a huge lack of pictures from the day after he was born until about Christmas time. Sorry about that.

The Last Six Months

In other news, Belle turned two in September! She talks all day long and we read books now more than ever. She loves to play with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She loves to go to nursery. She loves building "castles" (made entirely of blankets) with her daddy. She loves playing with her baby doll Daisy, pushing her shopping cart all over our apartment, and singing songs. She is getting better at playing by herself. It's so fun to watch her read books aloud and sing songs to herself. Almost every day I text Platte at work to tell him funny things Belle has said or done. She is hilarious and is such a joy to me. I feel so lucky to be able to spend all my time with her.

In September, Platte found out he passed the Utah bar. He was officially sworn in as an attorney just a week after little Platte was born. He's thrilled that he is finished, hopefully forever, studying for tests. Now he is busy working as an attorney at the U. I am busy being a stay-at-home mom. I absolutely love being at home with the kids reading books, playing make believe, doing puzzles, and cooking.

We blessed little Platte at the beginning of December and are grateful for all of our family who were able to come! Life is good. Here are some more pictures from the last little while.