Future Hunter

Steve's brother sent this pic to us the other day. Excuse the bloody doe...but he looks so handsome and someday he will be standing in front of a deer he shot!!! Love my little outdoorsman.

My Man

Steve & I rarely get pictures together so I figured I'd put this one on here. Enjoying some pizza on our Bowling night with the Benders. Love him.

Kitchen

Through some awesomely timed posts on facebook we were able to score this adorable kitchen for only $25!!! Add some food & dishes and we're set!:) Even Denver gets pretty excited about cooking up some good food!

Buddies

We are so thankful for our new church family and all the awesome kids (especially BOYS...lots and lots of BOYS!) Denver gets to hang out with every week. We are so blessed to have solid families with kids his age to grow up with!!! We definitely had that in Cedar Falls so it is a huge answer to prayers to find it here, too!!! Here are a few of Denver's new buddies!

 D & Lincoln

Bowling & Pizza with the Bender clan. I wish this was a better picture...but through the craziness of the night it's the best I could do. Denver with Grant, Rhys, and Mason. He talks about these three guys all the time!:) (excuse Steve's head in this pic hehe)

Lil' Huntin' Girl

A few examples of things Noelle loves to put around her neck...lots of hunting themes in the Nelson household thanks to daddy!

The other day Noelle came walking into room like this. It cracked me up! 

Daddy is extra proud of this video. She is a girl on a mission to call in some big bucks!!!:)

TIMBERRRR

Last week we were driving home from Wellman and had to stop at my parents to get something. We came at just the right time because they just happened to be chainsawing down a 100-year-old pine tree that had gotten struck by lightning a few years ago and was dead. Denver was enthralled! I stayed for awhile then left to get the groceries home and make lunch and Steve went there on his way from work to lunch and got in on the action, too. Denver couldn't wait to tell me all about it when he got home! What a fun experience for a very outdoorsy and explorative little boy!

Standing by the trunk after the first notch was cut out.

Ready to pull it down with the big cable.

TIMBERRRRR!!!

My handsome men!!!

Big boy on a big old tree trunk!

Cousins Lilly, Ruby, and D sitting on the stump.

Just for a Smile

A few pictures to share today. A sweet girls in piggies and boots and a boy with a new train (thanks to daddy and their shopping trip the other day). Hope they bring a smile to your face.

 

House Tour

Ok I've been wanting to do this for awhile instead of taking a bunch of pictures, so here is a video tour of our new house. It's not the best as far as shakiness, jerking, but it at least gives you a glimpse at where we're at now. I hope it doesn't give you a headache!:)

Noelle

There's so much I could tell you about our sweet pea. But for now, a few fun facts about Noelle Dawn.
*she is 13 months now
*has four teeth
*weighs 20 pounds - 25th %ile for both height & weight
*walks everywhere
*loves to eat
*loves whole milk
*still loves to sleep (with her blankie & binkie!) - at least 12 hours at night, a short morning nap, and a 2-2 1/2 hour afternoon nap
*always points at her coat and wants to go outside
*puts up with big brother quite nicely - and loves to play with him
*says a few words - mama, daddy, kitty (ti-t), baby, uh-oh
*a climber
*an explorer - especially the kitchen cupboards
*always finds a way to play peek-a-boo
*loves her dollies
*happiest girl around

There will be posts to come on this little munchkin, but we love her dearly. It's been so fun watching her grow over the last year and turn into a little girl! She did everything quicker than Denver ever did and looks so tiny to be walking! We think she is just the sweetest! Here is my favorite pic of her taken recently.

Kitties

When we moved, right away Denver noticed we had quite a few "barn cats" living on the farm. He was always trying to catch them, which usually ended up just chasing them around as they ran scared from him. There are a few nice ones now, that come close - especially when it's time to feed them! Well, we had some friends from church who live in town have two kitties show up on their doorstep one chilly Fall night. They couldn't keep them at their house - so we gained two adorable kitties. Denver named them Keekee - a calico, and Coocoo - a black kitty. He and Noelle both loves these kitties! Noelle's first real word besides mommy & daddy was "TI-T!" Lately, as it's gotten a little chillier outside...Denver's new thing is sneaking them inside to play with him. It's too cute to get upset with, so often times during the day I'll let him pick a kitty to bring inside for awhile. This particular day he took turns bringing both in. Here are a few pics of a boy and his kitties.

A Boy and a Box

Last week we ordered a vacuum off amazon and it came in a big cardboard box. Denver really wanted to play with it - so we cut out a door, put on a door knob, made a kitty door (post to come about our kitties), cut a few windows, and wa-la! Fun for the day! Denver (and Noelle) had so much fun in the house. He ate his snack in there, had a few "visitors" come knocking, brought a few toys in. Soon the house turned into a train station. He took all his trains (future post on his train obsession) in there and played for awhile. Later on it became his hunting blind. He sat in there hunting out the window for ducks, pheasants, snow geese, deer, elk, etc. etc. (future post on his hunting obsession). That cardboard box provided much entertainment for the day! Here are a few pictures! Enjoy:)

And last...a video of a little boy who loves to hunt. It's kind of hard to understand...but this particular hunt is for pheasants, using the new vacuum extensions as his gun. He has developed quite a hunting vocabulary since moving down here and listening to all the talk about hunting with his daddy and uncles. Kaboom!:)

Back in the Saddle

It's been almost a year since I've posted! After awhile it got so long that I just got overwhelmed thinking about posting!!! So here I am - January 14 and ready to start a-fresh! MUCH has changed for the Nelson family since I last posted. We moved, Steve got a new job, and we are living in the country - loving every second! I will be posting in the near future with pictures of our new house, updates on Steve, myself, and the kids, and then will hope to keep the posts coming with what life looks like for us now! So check back in soon for a look at Life in the Country with the Nelson Family!:)

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!!!