I seriously love spending time with my Young Women. They had the idea to do a self-defense activity and we had the perfect guest in Aimee Grundberg. I wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley! She can kick some serious butt and she was more than willing to help us learn to do the same. We were so grateful she was willing to come share some of her expertise with all of us.
I'll never forget being 22 and moving across the country to a place that seemed so foreign to me. There was no one my age or in my stage of life at Church, and I had very little other ways of meeting people. I remember feeling comfort at Walmart because it was one of the few places that felt the same here as it did in Utah. I was lonely and struggling, and I thought I'd never have any friends. Well it didn't take long before my view of what a friend was, quickly began to change. I started to meet women who were no where near my age, came from very different backgrounds, and had different life stories, but I realized we didn't need to be the same to be friends. I'm so grateful that my limited outlook on friendship expanded because I would have missed out on so many friendships I now cherish. A couple weeks ago I was invited to breakfast with a great mix of ladies who I dearly love. Some are in their late 70's, some in their 60's, and some in our 30's and 40's, and I loved every minute of it. And I've learned so much from all these women, I'm grateful for their wisdom and life experience......plus being the youngest one there, I didn't feel quite so bad that I'm pushing 40! ;)
The past couple months the Activity Days kids have been working on making their Pinewood Derby cars. It was pretty awesome to have a majority of the building and painting all happen at the Church. Finally the big night arrived for their race and Dean and I both were in charge of Young Men and Young Women Activities at the same time. But we managed to pop in and see a little bit here and there and Braddock had a lot of fun. Grandpa Nelson, the Shugars, and Lisa Peacock were in charge of it and they did such a great job. The place looked great all decorated for the evening and there was tons of yummy cookies for refreshments at the end. Every single kid made it out and tons of family members to cheer them on.
First of all we got a phone blast Sunday evening from the superintendent letting us all know that the next day masking would be optional for school and for the buses. We could hardly believe it, in fact a week later and it still feels weird loading kids on buses each morning without their face accessories we've become so accustomed too. Truthfully Tanner's still hanging on to his. He'll probably go to his death bed with a mask still around his face....it's definitely become his comfort zone. It's crazy to think it's been two whole years now since these kids have attended school with their faces being seen. These smiles said it all that morning....
We aren't known for doing things simply around here. When Tanner was assigned to do an oral presentation on the French Revolution in his English class, a life-sized guillotine seemed like the obvious choice. Tanner designed it, and then he and Dean got to work whipping it up. Later his project partner Mackenzie came over to stain it and put the final touches on things. The day of the presentation I dropped cupcakes in the colors of the French flag off at the school, complete with a french baguette for them to chop in the guillotine. Rumor has it, it was a hit! Every kid in the class came up to take a turn getting their head chopped off and the teacher asked to keep the guillotine for the rest of the week.
think they're in charge around here, but really we all know the boys call the shots. Dean's the cyber school coordinator at the high school and has made himself indispensable as the go-to tech guy as well. Andrea loves being a stay-at-home mom, hanging with Keaton all day. She does her best to keep up with the boys and is Activity Days Leader at Church. She volunteers with the PTA and blogs in her "spare time."
is nearly 18 and is halfway through his freshman year at BYU. He's pursuing a degree in Chemistry but changes his mind often. He has pet snails in his dorm and is working on a podcast in his spare time. He also loves to cook and is enjoying his independence.
is 15 and in 10th grade. He plays the trumpet and piano and participates in the school musical every year. He can't wait to turn 16 and learn to drive and is enjoying being the oldest now that Tanner's away at school.
is 13 and in the 8th grade. He plays saxophone in the school band and continues to take piano lessons. He rocks the school musicals, plays on the boys soccer team, serves with NJHS, and a million other clubs. His mischievous smile keeps us all on our toes, and he is best known for his scavenging skills, bringing home all sorts of "treasures" he finds at school.
is a big 10 year old and rocking the 4th grade. He's the lone Nelson at the elementary, but handles that like a champ. He plays piano and is always talking our ears off. He's smart as a whip and loves playing soccer.
is almost 3 and absolutely full of energy. He loves music and sings all day long. He is smart as a whip and has an impeccable memory. He's adored by his big brothers and gets into EVERYTHING.
