The Amazing, Wonderful, and Action-Packed Nelson Reunion

Back in 2013 during a family skype session, Mom announced that we were going to have a family reunion the summer of 2015 so we were all to keep our calendars open and available for the event.  I remember thinking, that is SO far away!  But now, the time has come and gone and boy, was it worth waiting two years for!

Mom and Dad were generous to reserve a beautiful beach house on Holden Beach in North Carolina.  It was perfect.  You walked out the back door and found yourself directly on the beach.

We loved every minute!  All the family was able to be there, we had PERFECT weather, yummy food, great laughs, evening devotionals, and just so much fun.

Hylie enjoyed all her cousin time and now that we're home, she keeps asking where everyone is!

 Leah showing off her mad skills of keeping little ones happy!

 Hylie and Dad hitting the beach at 7 AM on the first day!

 Cousin bonding time with Graycee (4 mo) and Eliana (7 mo)

 Back porch of the beach house, perfect view of the ocean!

 Even Grandma got in the water--that's how warm and wonderful it was!

Janna in her element

 Every day all the kiddos were exhausted.  Hylie would crash and be in such a deep sleep, she wouldn't even realize she was sideways (or upside-down, or even off the bed!)

Hylie really hit it off with Amy

 Can you tell which one is Hylie and Amy from behind?

Eliana wasn't the best at warming up with everyone... 

We only had one small spot of rain Thursday evening, it turned out to be the perfect night for a glow-stick dance party with the little cousins. 

Another highlight was Minute to Win it.  This game was full of smiles, laughs, some great moves, and fantastic memories!

Truly, this was such a wonderful week.  Thanks so much, Mom and Dad, for putting this all together.  Every minute of every day was enjoyed by all.  We love you so much and are so grateful for families--especially this family.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Our little raised garden bed is doing pretty well.  So far we have been able to enjoy beans and lettuce and look forward to some zucchini and tomatoes!

Fourth of July Weekend

This was our first weekend in Chicago for the Fourth of July.  Morton Grove has a little fair, and like a little school girl, I was giddy all week to finally go and experience a town fair again--it has been years and years since I've been on fair grounds and I missed being in that atmosphere.

Geoff humored me and we walked with the girls to the fair.  The rides looked just as sketchy-town as ever and unfortunately (or is it fortunately?) Hylie wasn't tall enough for them yet.

I must say, my favorite part was smelling the fair food.  Ha ha!  Geoff thought I was nuts, but corn dogs and funnel cakes just smell so, so good to me.  Before leaving we did splurge and get a funnel cake to share...just as yummy as I had remembered!

On the 4th our little town also had a parade.  Hylie went down for a much-needed nap just before it started, so Geoff stayed home with her while Eliana and I went to check out the festivities.  It was a very slow-moving parade, but I did enjoy the drum corp group and seeing the veterans march.  I stayed for an hour but probably only saw 1/3 of the floats--not because it was so big, but because it was. so. slow.  I called it quits when Eliana was showing signs of needing a nap.

That night we gathered with a few families for a BBQ and then watched the city fireworks from our front yard while getting consumed by mosquitoes.  It was a nice display and it was sure wonderful to just walk back into your house when they were done instead of fighting traffic.

We are so blessed to live in this country where we don't live in fear and enjoy the freedoms that we do.  Thank you to all who serve and all who have served and sacrificed so we have this blessed land today.

Let It Go!

I have found that Geoff has a hard time letting go of clothing.  He has shirts from high school that he claims are 'perfectly good'--but as he holds them up to show me, I can see his face through the thread-bare material sprinkled with holes.  I know, I know, he's frugal and that's wonderful, but sometimes it is just time to move on.

A few days ago Geoff announced (with no recent nagging from me) that he was finally tossing out his old (I use that term lightly, of course) sneakers.

It's about time.

Eliana - 7 months

This little cutie turned 7 months at the beginning of July!

She's getting better and better at sitting up, she kind of skipped over the rolling over phase.  Let's hope that doesn't mean she'll go from sitting to walking and skip the crawling phase...

Don't you just want to squeeze her?

If there is something within two feet of Eliana, she will wiggle, grunt, reach and pretty much do ANYTHING (except roll over) to get that item in her hands...well, mouth.

I think it is so stinkin' cute when she sucks her bottom lip and her cheeks get even chubbier.

Solid foods are finally becoming an enjoyable experience.  For a little while Eliana would ONLY eat applesauce.  I tried feeding her sweet potatoes one time and she fussed and swatted the spoon so I figured she wasn't hungry.  To be sure, I pulled out the applesauce and once she tasted that on her lips, all the fussing stopped and she gobbled it all down!  Ha ha!  I was worried I had a picky eater on our hands, but now she has been eating (in addition to applesauce) peaches, bananas, and carrots.  (I'll be trying sweet potatoes again soon!)

She loves playing with her toys and being entertained by her big sister, Hylie.  I love that these two adore each other.  May this continue through all the years.

Happy Father's Day

Each Father's Day I find myself reflecting on how blessed my life is because of my Father.  Dad is such an example to me of hard work, patience, common sense, faith, and wisdom.  I'm grateful for the guidance he provided all through my childhood years and continues to provide now that I'm grown.  Anytime I have a fix-it-up project, 99% of the time it is accomplished because of the help Dad willingly gives as I call him (non-stop) through the entire process.  I also have greater understanding of gospel principles and scriptural application because of his example and insight.  Without complaint, Dad made sacrifice after sacrifice through his years of employment to provide for our family.  If he wasn't involved in shift work, he was enduring long commutes and tiring hours.  Even now, whenever one of us has a move to accomplish or work that needs to be done on our home, Dad gives so much of his time and energy to go out of his way to help us.  Thank you, Dad, for all the piggy-back rides, father's blessings, and much needed advice.

And now, I'm doubly blessed on Father's Day because of my amazing husband and father of our daughters.  Geoff's patience never ceases to amaze me, his sense of humor carries me, and his willingness and ability to provide has blessed us all so much.  I'm a stay-at-home mother because of his determination and sacrifice.  I love that Geoff turns every experience into a learning opportunity and is always looking for ways to grow and improve.  Geoff is grounded in the gospel, is in tune with the spirit, and goes out of his way to serve those around him.   It's no wonder that Hylie is a "Daddy's Girl"--Geoff spends so much quality time with our kids and is just as crazy as they are.  :)   My life is infinitely blessed because of him, I am so grateful to be on this adventure with the best man around.

I love this pic, it really shows how much Hylie looks like Geoff!

 Happy Father's Day, Geoff.  What a blessing you are to all of us.

Eliana's Name Bench

Thank you to the Rittenhouse family (friends of Geoff's parents) for this super sweet name bench for Eliana.

My sleep-deprived brain thought it made sense to have the name facing Eliana while I took the pictures,

but then Geoff set me (and the bench) straight!