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!!!

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!