Christmas Break Fun

This poor kid spent a lot of the break looking like the picture on the left.  But when tylenol would kick in we'd get more of the picture on the right!  He loved his blanket from Grandma and Grandpa Hilton to snuggle in and his little OCD heart was thrilled that it matches his new Christmas pj's! ;)

All of Jared and Genevieve's kiddos bunked at our house at night.  Bridger was excited to see some cousins since he was doing his best to stay away while he was sick.  They all helped break in the new Nintendo Switch for us.

Braddock was sporting his new blanket from Grandma and Grandpa too.....and I spy a Christmas pillowcase Grandma Hilton made years ago as well!

Cousin Time = The BEST Time

We had a strangely warm day for December and Landon got to try out his new compound bow from Grandma and Grandpa Nelson.

We took advantage of the nice weather and did some swinging too.  Too bad the mud was also prevalent. 

And then we all snuck away for two hours of fun at PA Pinball.  Everyone had a blast and even Grandpa got in on the action....

A Very Nelson Christmas

Everyone was extra nice this year to push Nelson Christmas until Bridger was feeling up to coming.  That poor kid started running a fever after Christmas for five straight days and we didn't want to share with everyone else.  This year we had Grant and Rachel's Family.  We sent "Santa Calls," the game Herd Mentality, and an antler for Cleo to enjoy.  We all were spoiled here by Mom and Dad and Grandma and Pap Pap, and man were we happy to still be celebrating with them this year.  We don't take for granted the fact that they're still here on the earth with us the older they get.  Geoff and Dianne had our family, and man, did they outdo themselves.  We were each handed an envelope with different puzzles and clues to figure out what our gift even was.  After some serious detective work we pieced together that we have coupons to go do a local escape room as a family.  They nailed it!  We sure loved celebrating together with everyone who was here.

 

Christmas Card 2022

Another year has flown by and we’re excited to celebrate our Savior’s birth. Here’s a peek at our lives this past year… 

DEAN continues to be the go-to guy for everything these days. He’s still over the NHS, Class Club, Student Council, Stage Crew and serves as the Union VP at school, and we’re not sure how he fits it all in. He’s also been taking classes for a software engineering degree. He loves learning and soaks it all in. His digitizing business also takes his time and he’s often found doing odd jobs for people too. 

ANDREA continues to serve as the Young Women’s President at Church. She loves working with the youth and enjoyed a week at Girls Camp with them this summer. Just when she was adjusting to a life of no diapers and big kids, they decided to mix things up and start all over with the grand news of a Baby Boy due this coming April.  2023 will definitely not be short on excitement at the Nelson household! 

TANNER is 14 and plays the clarinet in the High School Marching Band. That turned us into “Band Parents” and we’ve loved attending football games and field-shows. He’s also involved in Mock Trial and is learning all about the courtroom. He’s in the German Club and in his free time he’s often found lighting something on fire or blowing things up with his Chemistry knowledge. Thanks to Grandma Nelson’s years of training, he also started accompanying our Ward on the organ this year. He’s especially excited for the upcoming band trip to Disney World this February. 

LANDON is 12 and has had a big year. He’s helped Braddock adjust to the Jr. High by showing him the ropes. This fall he tried out for and landed the lead role of “JoJo” in his schools production of “Seussical.” Mid-preparations for the show, he managed to break his foot which made things tricky, but he powered through practices in a boot and lucked out by getting it off the week of the show. He continues playing the trumpet and the piano, and he recently tried his hand at the organ at Church too. 

BRADDOCK is 10 and has adjusted well to the Jr. High. He and Landon are prepping for a RoboSumo competition together at school. It’s been fun seeing them work on their robot together. He continues taking piano lessons and just started playing the saxophone this year too. He joined Tanner in the curly haired club and is often stopped by comments on his blond curly locks. He’s our resident engineer who is always building, making, and creating something. 

BRIDGER just turned 7 and is our lone elementary student. He played soccer this fall and really caught on to it, scoring lots of goals and mastering defense. He started piano lessons with Grandma and is picking things up quickly. He’s probably the most excited about our big news that he’ll be getting a little brother this spring! 

We didn’t make it out to Utah this year, and miss our family and friends there, but we enjoyed trips to D.C. and Palmyra, New York this summer with a stop at Niagara Falls on our way home. We can’t help but count our many blessings as we wrap up another year, and that includes each one of you! We hope that your holidays are full of peace, joy, and love this Christmas Season!

Christmas 2022

Christmas on a Sunday always presents a bit of a challenge to squeeze everything in and make it to Church, but I honestly love it.  What better way to celebrate the Savior's birth than spending it worshiping Him!?  Dean and I got up and ready for Church before the boys woke up (or should I say, while they waited patiently in their rooms for a reasonable hour!). When the decided upon time arrived we snapped a pajama picture and then let them loose.  There's few things quite as fun and rewarding as watching their faces light up Christmas morning.  Everyone was thrilled with their gifts and we had a nice morning getting Santa gifts and eating a delicious Christmas breakfast before heading off to Church.

Braddock made quick work of this building set and it turned out SO cool.

Tanner with his new (to him!) film camera.  Excited to see how his pictures turn out!

Landon got his .22!  Now if the weather would just cooperate enough to do some target shooting.

Bridger will soon be wowing us with his magic skills!

Dean ended up with a Penguins theme this year.  He'll be sporting new gear from Santa, co-workers, and Ward members.  Haha!  I guess great minds think alike.

Andrea's thrilled with the new Frame TV that doubles as decor with beautiful artwork.  And we're all happy to be rid of the dying old TV that was getting darker and flashing more each day.

When we got home from Church we snapped a family photo before diving in to more presents from under the tree.  The boys did their gift exchange with each other.  They got gel guns from Dean and I and then opened presents from Grandma and Grandpa Hilton too.  Bridger was thrilled to FINALLY have us all open the gifts he got for everyone at Santa's Workshop at school....patience is not his strong point! ;). Then we spent the rest of the day playing with new toys and enjoying a slow day together.  Dean and I even squeezed in a well deserved Christmas nap.  How grateful we are for that sweet babe born so many years ago.  Our lives would mean nothing without Him and His grand mission here on the earth.  My greatest desire is that each of the boys come to know Him and make Him the center of their lives as well.

Landon got a circuit set from Tanner, Braddock got a case of Hug drinks from Landon, Bridger got candy and digging kits from Braddock, and Tanner got a case of Ginger Ale from Bridger.

Chloe loved her new bones.

Braddock got oysters full of pearls.  Such a cool gift!  He was sweet and saved a few to give to his friend Ty too.

Bridger got to dig for gems in his gift from Braddock!

And just for memories sake....

Bridger

Braddock

Landon

Tanner

Dean and Andrea

Baby Boy and the Pets

A few things for EVERYONE!