Hamilton

It was a day we'd been anticipating for nearly 8 months.  When Cassie saw tickets go on sale for Hamilton, she asked Lisa and I if we'd like to drive out with our hubbies for the show.  We jumped at the chance and grabbed the tickets only to then have to gear up for the LONG wait.  It felt like the day would never actually arrive, but finally it was time!  We took off first thing Saturday morning just to play it safe, and Mitchell's were nice enough to drive.  It was 3 and a half hours to get there and we didn't want to risk missing it.  We got there in plenty of time and it was SO good to see Cassie and Ryan again! The theater was gorgeous, and the excitement was palpable.  We all wondered how the performance would compare to the recorded version we all love, but it definitely met our expectations!  The energy was amazing and the talent was incredible.  We hit up a semi sketchy Mexican restaurant afterwards and it was great to catch up.  Then it was another 3 and half hours home.  It made for a long day, but so worth it.  Grateful for great friends and wonderful memories made!

We're in the room where it happened!

An incredible weekend....

    Mom and Dad Hilton were nice enough to fly out to support Landon and Tanner in their priesthood ordinations, but that also meant a whole weekend of fun together too.  The boys were supposed to have school, but due to crazy weather and ice storms, they were virtual on Friday.  Thanks to previously scheduled dentist appointments, we still had to get up and go out in the snow and ice anyway.  Luckily the van handled it fine, and the boys all passed with no cavities!  Then I was grateful to have some extra hands to help with schooling throughout the day.  Later that night, we hit up Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  The food was delicious and it's nice to be at a stage of life that the boys can handle a dinner out and actually behave themselves.  

    Saturday Dean and I snuck off to Ohio to see Hamilton with friends, and we were grateful Mom and Dad were willing to hold down the fort while we were gone.  The boys sure loved getting to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa, and we were happy to know they were in good hands while we were gone.

    Sunday was the big day we had been waiting for.  Unfortunately, I was also in charge of the fifth Sunday, 2nd hour meetings with all the youth and their parents at Church.  The Bishop was supposed to teach with me, but he ended up with Covid last minute, and I had to do it all on my own.  I was just a *little* stressed about the whole thing, but for the most part it went fine, and I was extra relieved to have it over with and out of the way.  Tanner and Landon's ordinations were the icing on top of a pretty great cake.  I was so proud of them for choosing to follow in their Savior's footsteps.  Mom felt their great grandfathers there supporting them from the other side of the veil and it was a special time together.  We felt bad that Grandma Nelson missed out because she was in Chicago watching Geoff and Dianne's kiddos, but she sent her congratulations from Illinois.  Then after Church we had Dad Nelson over for Sunday dinner and took food over to Grandma and PapPap too.  Having Mom and Dad in town this close to our birthdays meant that Mom and I got to celebrate a bit early.  For her gift I got Mom matching pajamas, so we twinned that night, and the next morning Dad and I accidentally twinned when we got dressed for the day.  Hahaha!  Luckily they didn't have to fly out till Monday evening, so we were able to squeeze in one last family dinner and some Battle Dome before driving them to the airport.  It's always sad to say goodbye when it's time for Grandma and Grandpa to go, but we sure were glad they were willing to come visit and support us.

YM/YW Sledding Activity

One of the biggest perks of being the Young Women's President is getting to be at activities with my boys.  When we got hit with all that snow, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a Young Men and Young Women Sledding Activity.  So we scrapped our other plans for activities that week, and thanks to the Yovich's for hosting us, we had a fantastic night.  The temperatures had gone back up, so we weren't too cold, but still got to enjoy all the snow.  We made sure there was a steady flow of hot chocolate as well!  Kenny Yovich finished the night off by pulling the youth up the hill on his snow mobile.  They couldn't get enough of it, and I think they'll all be happy to repeat this activity again in the future! 

A SNOW Day

The boys were out of school for Martin Luther King Day, and we happened to get DUMPED on with 9 inches of snow as well.  Braddock and Landon had been scheduled to get their first Covid shots that morning, but the pediatrician's office called to cancel on us because of the snow.  But Braddock was still supposed to go to the orthodontist to get his braces off, so Dean (he still had work, but it ended up being from home) sent the boys out to shovel the driveway so we could get out with the van.  Well the amount of fighting that was going on over shoveling, reached epic levels, so I threw on my snow gear and went out to keep the peace and get the job done.  Tanner and Landon helped for a bit, but they fought so much they weren't getting much done and I was ready to beat them both.  It quickly became apparent that we wouldn't be going anywhere as we watched four wheel drive vehicles struggle up and down the road in front of our house.  So we called to reschedule, and resigned ourselves to staying IN for the day......well, until Dean finished work and ventured out to help several widows dig out of their snow as well.  Despite the ongoing bickering we still managed to squeeze in some card games and fun inside.  It's easy to get caught up in the difficulty of it all.  Autism has a way of making everything harder much of the time.  I recognize that the stress of getting the shoveling done in time for me and Braddock to leave was more than Tanner could handle, and it made him lash out at his brothers.  And his brothers have a hard time not taking that personally and I don't blame them....I do too!  But sometimes, well a lot of the time, I just wish we could get a reprieve.  That just once they could work on something together without losing their minds and fighting like crazy.  But we'll keep trudging forward, no matter how hard, how messy, and how heartbreaking it can be.  And try to count our blessings through it all.  I don't always post the nitty gritty, but I want to be able to look back and remember the reality of it all.  And yes, we have a beautiful life, but it doesn't come without its challenges, and that's ok.   

Tanner will forever be an igloo builder.  Too bad the snow was great at packing this time around.

Dad to the rescue on his lunch break.  That snow was HEAVY and backbreaking work to shovel.

Chloe sure gets excited about the snow!

This one had to be included.  It was too good not to. 😂

More Virtual School

It's hard to believe that two years later we are still having days of virtual schooling.  Luckily they aren't the norm anymore, but now that we're proficient at using the technology they'll call a virtual day for any bad weather.  That usually means Dean works from home in the basement, and I get to run from kid to kid to make sure they're getting on all the right classes, and finishing all their assignments.  It's not my favorite thing, but we've made it work.  The older boys are pretty used to it, but this is all new for Bridger.  The other day he was sitting at the kitchen table logged in to his live class with his teacher.  I was sitting across from him when he informed me that the camera was on me!  Hahaha!  Yikes!  Hope I wasn't picking my nose or something.  It's interesting to see their different personalities come through.  They all prefer to work from a different place and in different degrees of readiness for the day.  Hahaha!  Tanner's a solid pajama wearer and Landon would never dream of that! 

Scripture Study

We were invited by the Stake Relief Society President to send a picture of us having scripture study together for her to use in Ward Conferences.  We set up the tripod and sat down together on the couch to snap some shots.  We got what we needed, and then we figured we should take a more realistic picture of what things actually look like on a daily basis.  Not going to lie, sometimes it doesn't seem worth it.  It's impossible to get these four boys to sit still and listen.  There's fighting, and craziness every, single, night.  But I'm hoping and praying that despite how it feels, that maybe, just maybe, a little something is seeping into those brains and hearts that might stick and help them to establish their own testimonies of the Gospel.  If nothing else, we're trying.  And even though that second picture makes me want to cry some nights, it also has us all laughing hysterically at the crazy life we're leading, and truthfully I wouldn't trade it for the world!

This Kid

Tanner had a couple early-out days thanks to mid-term testing so I took advantage of a little one on one time and picked him up for lunch and some shopping.  I never got a daughter, but that hasn't stopped this kid from being an excellent shopping buddy.  The only downside is that he manages to talk me into buying way more than I planned, every, single time.  Hahaha!  Whenever I look at him it's crazy to me where the time has gone.  How did he get taller than me, and smarter than me, and funnier than me!?  Having a teenager definitely has it's ups and downs, and he LOVES to remind me how uncool and old I am, but he's also so fun to be around and I'm so proud of the awesome kid he's growing up to be.  

Playdoh Scare

Bridger came home today and casually mentioned that he *might* have *accidentally* put playdoh in his ear………..and that it kinda hurts and he can’t get it out. What!? 😳 So I quickly got a flashlight and sure enough his whole ear was full of the blue stuff. I tried grabbing it with tweezers a few times without success, and I was starting to get panicky that we’d need a doctor’s help. A couple more tries and miraculously we managed to pry that little guy from his ear, but I’m hopeful he learned a lesson from all of this! It’s definitely not something I feel like repeating! #youcantmakethisstuffup #boymom

I posted about it on Instagram and Facebook and at Church on Sunday the Bishop came over before Sacrament Meeting and asked him about it.  Halfway through Sacrament he turned to me and said, "wait, how did the Bishop know about my ear Mom!?"  Hahahaha!  Oops!  I've been caught.
 

New Years Eve 2021

 We spent all day New Years Eve partying before the official party started that night.  The kids played laser tag outside thanks to the unseasonably warm weather.  While Dean and I went home to give Bridger a nap and fix some food for the evening Tanner managed to lead half the cousins on a hike through the woods.  They had lots of fun, got covered in mud, brought home at least one tick, and only worried a few parents when they couldn't be contacted or found.  Then the real partying started at dinner time.  We had the traditional pizza and wings thanks to Grandma Nelson, combined with tons of treats, snacks, dips, shrimp, candy, and drinks.  It was an all night buffet and we all took full advantage.  We played games (Grandma Furin won every single one!), competed in Just Dance on the Wii, and Grandma pulled off an epic game of Bingo complete with tons of prizes.  It was another New Years Eve to remember and we loved ringing it in with family.

Tanner brought his new Cotton Candy Machine to treat everyone.....until he burned a bunch of sugar and accidentally gave a disgusting one to Kyron that ended up being tasted by Great Grandma and Aunt Dianne first.  Lucky Kyron!  Hahaha!

Bridger tried his first shrimp and he was a fan.

Kyron loved watching these two playing games together on their ipad. 

The hiking crew!