The everyday...

Well this has proven to be the Winter that NEVER ENDS!!!! Uhh! One day there will be a little glimpse of warmth and sunshine....just to be followed by another dark, cold, breezy day!!! Where are you Spring?!? We are definitely eagerly awaiting your arrival!

Here are a few pictures of ways we pass the time here at the Nelson Home and also a few of Denver causing mischief during these long days inside!:) Enjoy!

 Snack time!

 Noelle with pal Asher after getting out for a walk.

 Why is the toilet water black you ask? Well Denver decided to pour all his bath color fizz tablets into it of course! What you can't see is that it was also bubbling!

 Looking good, D!

 Lots of book reading.

 Denver gets so excited when he can get Noelle to hold onto his finger.

 Denver loves this foamy pumpkin soap. No matter how many times I put it away - he will get it out and swap it with whatever soap I have out. 

 First bath together. It was a little splashy but both had a great time!

Project

First, let me say that most of the time having a husband that works in ministry is wonderful. He has a somewhat flexible schedule and is home for lunch most days, which is a nice break in my day from just me and the kids and they love seeing him then, too. Well......the less wonderful thing about it is the three week-long trips he takes throughout the year, as well as the other two or three day trips sprinkled amongst those. It's always hard for me to be "left behind" to tend to the kids while he is meeting new people, sharing Christ's love, etc. I wish we could experience those kinds of things together, and as any mom knows - the weeks get really long when it's just you and the children! Well, this week was Spring Break and it was no exception. We were planning on going to my parents for most of the week, but.....traveling with two kids - one of them a baby, the other a very active two-year-old - was a lot different than the other weeks when it was just me and Denver. I won't get into it - but we ended up coming home on Tuesday instead of Saturday! So here we were....all week just the three of us. Thankfully, my mom came up Wed afternoon to Thurs morning which really helped break up the week. Thank you Mom! 

Okay, anyways, I was feeling the need for a project to work on while Steve was gone. Just something to get my mind off the kids and give me a break from the housework that's always here to do!

I decided to make a name sign for Noelle's room once we move. (That's another topic to post about) We are signing the papers on our house next week and it is SOLD! Hallelujah God is good! So, after that we will look for a new house (we can live here til November...but want to move by May). Anyway, again - that's for another post. 

Right now Noelle is in our old room and I haven't done anything to it besides have girly crib sheets because I knew we'd be moving in not too long. So I decided my project would be making something for her new room in our next house. So mom and I headed to Hobby Lobby to get the supplies.

We didn't really have a vision, just kind of picked and chose while we were there. Here is the finished product. I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out!

Not sure if I'll hang the letters on the pegs or above the board and use it to hang other things on...either way I think it will be cute!

My Love

This blog always seems to be about the kids, but they wouldn't be who they are and neither would I without the best husband and daddy in the world.

THIS GUY:

Steve, From the time we met, I have loved your outgoing personality, ability to make me laugh, the way you know just how to get a rise out of me, your faith in Christ and ability to share it with others, your gift for asking intentional questions, your love of the outdoors, how well you fit in with my family...the list could go on and on. After we got married I came to love and appreciate your willingness to help me with whatever I needed, how you want to take care of me, your "fix-it" abilities, your wisdom in leading our family, and again...the list could continue. Once we had children, I've come to admire your patience, tender heart, desire to provide for and take care of them, creativity, endurance, and how you're able to keep the fun alive in our house when I'm stressed out.

God has truly blessed me and our children by giving us you. I know I don't tell you enough how much I appreciate you and all you do for us. You add so much fun to my life and can always make me laugh. Thank you for being who you are and being my rock when I can't stand on my own. I'm so excited for the next few months and years to see where God leads our family. I love you and so do Denver and Noelle! Also...you make the best pizza around. Seriously, it's amazing. (Come over sometime and try it!!!!)

Oh, and the best bread, too!!!!

Can't wait to spend the rest of my life being loved by you!!!

D

I think it's fitting that Denver should get a post now! Can't forget about our little 2-year-old! Where do I even start? Denver - or D, as he is most often referred to in our house - is a one-of-a-kind little boy! Steve and I often talk about how God has big plans for this little guy. He is one of the most tender-hearted little boys I know, but also very independent and sometimes strong-willed. He has so much energy and life in him I can hardly keep up. Parenting a two-year-old boy has proven to be so much fun but also quite challenging. We are still figuring out how to train up this little boy to know Jesus, be respectful, use his manners, obey, and so many other things. I am reading Bringing up Boys right now and it has offered so much insight into the way little boys are created uniquely and helping me understand how their little minds and bodies are wired. Probably the biggest thing I've taken away from it so far is that little boys "masculinity" needs to be praised and encouraged. God created them to have a tendency towards rough-housing, climbing all over everything, being more reckless than girls, etc. I've learned I need to offer him more opportunities to do big guy things and the freedom to use that rough and tumble side. If he and Steve wrestle on the bed and the covers all end up on the floor, that's okay! Denver needs that time with his dad. If he jumps from the coffee table onto the couch then from the couch to the floor, I'm learning to be okay with that and cheer for him as he wants us to see how far he can leap. When he wants us to watch him golf ALL DAY LONG and nearly takes off our heads with his mighty swing, knocking over some of my decorations...well, I can only encourage him and say Nice shot! (with a little "be careful" in there too!)

Anyway, here are a few of Denver's favorite things to do these days.
*As always...EAT. This boy can eat with the best of them. He loves pretty much anything I make and eats veggies like a champ. He also loves to dip things. It doesn't matter what it is, he'll dip it in something if he can. Today it was his ham in peanut butter and cheetos in his milk. And this was not done to be funny, it was like it was normal for him. I just chuckle.
*Read books - we went to the library this week and checked out a big stack. His favorite is Biscuit. He loves reading Biscuit books and if you know him - you know he has a little stuffed dog named Biscuit that often sleeps with him and gets tucked in right beside.
*Watch tv and movies. Yes...this is a frequent occurrence at our house. His favorites: Curious George, Clifford, and most any other PBSKids shows. Veggie Tales come in on top for movies.
*Golf. Anyone who comes over to our house will probably get to watch Denver golf. It is crazy how good he is! Daddy is very very excited for when he can take D out to the course and play a round with him!
*Play outside. Though we've only gotten out a few times lately, we love to go for walks. Denver picks up all sorts of rocks, sticks, leaves, and carries them as we go. We went to the park this week! I carried Noelle in my baby bjorn and D walked. It was so nice out and we had a great time!
*Read his Bible and tell Bible stories. He talks about Jonah, David, and Daniel a LOT. He can tell each of the Bible stories and it is so cute to listen to.
*Get on pbskids.org and play some of the games. He can actually work the mouse or use the laptop and play. It is fun and he is learning a lot while doing it.

Denver is such a smart little boy. We are realizing that there was so much going on in his mind that is just starting to come out through his words. He knows all his letters - both upper and lower case, can count to 12, sing the abc's, spell and recognize several words, knows all his shapes and colors, and can sing quite a few songs. We haven't really "taught" him any of these things, he is just so observant and soaks everything up like a sponge.

Ok, this has gotten very long. I know this was probably boring for most people to read, but it's more for me to look back on and remember these days. I need to make a post of some of the hilarious things he says these days, but that will be for another time! I'm not getting any work done during nap time!!!
Here are a few pictures of our big boy who is growing up so much these days.

Ready to go choring with Papa Donnie....well not quite ready!:)

 Yes, he ate the whole carrot stick.

 I came into Noelle's room to find this. He heard her in the monitor and was helping get her up from nap.

 This kid will find a way to golf no matter how cold it is outside!

 CANDY

And probably my favorite. He found our box of cheez-its downstairs on top of the cupboard by the deep freeze. I should have zoomed this picture out so you could see the clothes basket turned over with his potty on top which he used to climb up onto the freezer to reach the box. Also on the floor was a little ziploc baggie he was going to put them in, but dropped on the way. Oh Denver, we love you!!!

A Special Time

We are so blessed to have parents who love our children like crazy. Denver gets so excited when he gets to see Grandma Joyce and Papa Jim or Wawa and Papa Donnie. He has a special connection with each grandparent and often talks about them throughout the days and prays for them at night.

Denver and now Noelle have been given a special time each week with "Wawa." As most people know, Denver didn't start talking much at all until he was well over 2. Now he jabbers away to himself or anyone and is saying new things every day. Well, when he was just starting to form words, he started calling my mom Wawa. We're not really sure how it came about but just one day she was Wawa and it has stuck.
Anyway, each week Wawa comes up to watch the kids during my Wednesday afternoon piano lessons, spends the night, and then also during my Thursday morning lessons. It is so wonderful! We look forward to her coming each week. She always brings her "Grandma Bag" and Denver hustles to it as soon as he wakes up from his nap to see what Wawa brought this time. Books, playdoh, paints, and other surprises are some of the many things he finds. She also always comes with a helping hand for me around the house and encouragement to me through her words as times with two kids have proven difficult for me now and again. I told her this week it's a Win Win Win situation. She wins, I win, and most of all the kids win.

Here is a picture of Wawa reading to Denver and Noelle. Thanks, Wawa, for all your love and making our children feel so special. We love you!

2 Months

This post is a little late, considering Noelle will be 3 months in 8 days, but I wanted to write it anyways to keep a record for myself.

This month Noelle started smiling a lot. She is such a happy girl most of the time. She'll smile for about anybody and often times wakes up happy already. I love coming in to her big gummy smile waiting for me to come get her.

Can I just say that we love our doctor. We see Dr. Riggs at the Covenant Clinic. He is the father/father-in-law of our very dear friends Ryan & Mallory and we feel so blessed to have a doctor who we know holds the same values and beliefs as we do. We can trust his opinion and advice, knowing that he has a solid faith in Christ and truly wants the best for our kids. He is also SO encouraging. I look forward to going myself just because he is so affirming to us as parents. We couldn't be happier!

So, onto Noelle's two month stats:
Weight: 10 lbs 13 oz. 50th%ile
Length: 22 1/2 in. 50th%ile
Head: 15 in. 25th%ile

She is doing so well! The weight gain is always a relief for a breastfeeding mother to hear. It gives me a peace knowing she's getting enough. She was so happy the whole time and so smiley....I laid her on the table before her shots and she was just cooing and smiling...then the shots came and she cried so hard. Oh it makes me tear up every time. It never lasts long and she calms down as soon as I pick her up but it sure does tug at my heart strings!

Oh our sweet Noelle, you have forever changed our family. We were living life pretty well as a family of three and never knew anything was missing until you came along. You have filled a place in my heart I didn't even know was there. We love you so much. We could never imagine life without you now. You are such a great girl! So happy and cuddly. I love to snuggle with you while you are awake or asleep.
You sleep so great for us. Last night you went from 8:30-7:30 between feedings. It was wonderful and you woke up just as bright-eyed as ever! You've been eating between 3 and 4 hours during the day now. You are a pretty good napper....sometimes you'll sleep solid for over 2 hours and sometimes you wake up after 45 minutes. But mommy or daddy can usually get you back to sleep either by giving you your binky or rocking you. I love how you cuddle right up in my arms and zonk out. It's a peaceful time and I just pray for you, Denver, and our family. You're such a gift to us. We love you so much and can't wait to know you more and watch your little personality unfold.

Now for a picture of our little doll. I already posted the two cutest ones lately, but this one is pretty sweet, too. Can you guess who put all her toys onto her so she could play?

I forgot about this first: she started batting at her toys while in her bouncy seat! I was so excited when she first did it and now it keeps her busy for quite awhile!

Cutie Pie

 It's so fun to dress a girl!!!!

Two of my favorite things....

Feeling blessed today to have two of the sweetest kids around!

And feeling blessed by this nice weather!!!!! Wooohoooo!!!!!

Two Months!

Noelle is two-months-old today! We love you sweet pea!

Winter...

Well I can honestly say I am so ready to bid this Winter so long! With a newborn we've found ourselves spending the majority of our days inside.....with a 2 1/2 year old the days are starting to get LONG! We've found many new things to occupy our time - sinks full of water to play in (a wet floor to clean up after!), bowling tournaments in the basement, fort-building, coloring, lots of book reading, and anything else we can think of! We've gone out to play in the snow quite a bit - Denver loves going out with Steve while he's shoveling. I bundled him up and took him to the park awhile back on a nicer day to play on the equipment. It was really fun!

One of my favorite things about these last few weeks is watching Steve with the kids. He is an amazing father and we are so blessed he can pop in throughout the day and spend time with us. Honestly, anytime Noelle hears Steve's voice she smiles sooo big. She already adores him! He has his special way he holds her and it just lulls her right to sleep. She just stares up at him when he holds her. It's the best! He is also so good at playing with Denver - the wrestling, rough-and-tumble boy play that Denver needs and I'm not so good at! They find all sorts of things to do and Denver loves it!

Another favorite thing for me is to see Denver's heart towards Noelle. Never once have I seen him get jealous of her when I hold or feed her. And when she's around he's always in her face kissing her, holding her hand, covering her up with his blanket. It's precious. He says her name so cute. I feel so fortunate that he loves having her around. He has started calling himself Brother Denver. More and more I am seeing the truly special boy God has created him to be. He is "all boy" and loves to roughhouse...but at the same time he is so gentle and tender. I think he is so wonderful.

Noelle will be two-months-old on Saturday! I can't believe it! She is doing so well! We had a rough first month - I was all over the place emotionally and she was so fussy. I truly think it was because I was so out of wack that she was having a hard time finding security/settling. This last month has been so much better and we are seeing that she is such a happy girl and not so fussy at all! (Of course she does have her moments, though!) She smiles all the time and has started cooing. Once when I was holding her while she was sleeping she giggled twice in her sleep! It was so cute!

Well there's a little update from us. Looking forward to warmer days! After we head to Noelle's 2-month checkup next Tuesday I'll write a post on what she's up to these days and her stats. I also want to post a pic of Denver when he was little beside one of Noelle right now - they really look so much alike!
Now for a few pictures. Enjoy!

Sweet Girl

Just wanted to share a picture of Noelle from this week. Life has been so crazy and this girl has definitely rocked my world. I always heard that going from one to two children is the hardest and well......it has definitely proven to be a challenge for me. We are finding our way a little more each day and loving getting to know our little girl more and more. Denver is still so loving towards her and rarely gets frustrated by me holding or feeding her. I'm very thankful for that. He's also become very familiar with pbs kids shows...:)

Some info on Noelle:

She will be 7-weeks-old on Sunday.

She has taken over Steve & my room and we now have our bed in the basement.

She sleeps amazing at night. I feed her around 8:40 and she's usually asleep by 9 or shortly after, then she only wakes up to eat around 4 or 4:30 and sleeps til 8 or 8:30 and we start the day again.

She eats every 3 hours during the day.

Naps are leaving a little to be desired - but with time I know they will be longer.

She LOVES to be held or close to Steve or I.

She loves to lay on her tummy on my boppy and hold her head up. She's a strong little girl!

She smiles a lot now - especially when she's getting her diaper changed and I talk to her.

Lastly.....Spring please come soon because we are definitely feeling cooped up in the house and we all need some fresh air and to run around outside!!!!!