Merry Christmas

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy this most wonderful time of year! This year has been filled with a lot of changes for our little family and we have been blessed beyond measure. We know that the choices we have made for our family were the right ones and our adventures are only beginning. Thank you to all of you who love and support us from close and from a far. We are grateful for all our friendships, they mean the world to us!

Love,

The Nelson's



O Christmas Tree

Just wanted to give you all an update that our tree is still standing straight up!!! I may be cursing myself by writing this post but I think we may have picked a winner. Although my mom called our tree hideous (ok she said that prior to seeing it so beautifully decorated) we love our little tree and are so excited to celebrate our first Christmas as a family waking up in our own home!

Early Christmas...Modern Family Style

If you watch Modern Family you will think my title is funny...if you don't than move on with the post! ha ha

Since my brother is in residency he gets little to no time off! So that meant we had to take the week off he got and celebrate Christmas early! We tried to fit in some of our Christmas traditions and had a blast with our big, loud, crazy family! 

First up: Annual Family Ski Day! Since people still had busy schedules with work and school we did two different ski days. It was so fun to spend the day on the mountain with a smaller group and just relax!

Next up: Christmas Dinner/Chris' Birthday Party!
My mom held a dinner at her house and like always it was delicous and we ate a lot of food. Allen's know how to eat. The dinner was followed by a birthday celebration for my nephew Chris who turned 7! He wanted to have a dance party and boy did we dance. Imgaine all 17 grandchildren and all adults going crazy. Lights out, strobe light going, music blasting. I would have to say it was probably the higlight of my year. Hank has some video on his phone I have to upload. Imgaine Blakely doing a pony step for a straight hour. EPIC!

 I love my sisters!

No we are not greek, but apparently we like to carry the birthday boy in a chair! ha ha

Ski Day Take 2! The rest of the crew headed up Saturday for another round of ski day. I sat this one out with Blakely but Hank got in on this action and they had a great day.

 Seriously cannot stop laughing over this picture and how my sister Bekah looks like she is 10yrs old next to her son who is only 14 years old!



We had such a fun week and I am so excited that we basically get to do it all over again this next week as we celebrate real Christmas...Judd, Jackie, Christopher, Tyler, and Caroline you will be missed!!!!

Thanksgiving California Style

For thanksgiving this year we decided to head to sunny California to spend the weekend with 2 of Hank's sisters that live there. The weekend was filled with all my favorite things....running, eating, shopping, sunshine, a newborn baby girl, and the beach! We couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Thank you Greta for hosting us and thank you Ingrid for bringing beautiful baby Grace into the world so we could snuggle her! Blakely put a kibosh on a lot of my cuddle time with baby Grace, she still holds strong in wanting to be an only child! :)

*my veritcal pictures won't turn so just tilt your head to get the full affect :)

Dana Point Turkey Trot 10k. I got my fastest time...I love sea level!

UCLA vs. USC, I think Blakely was the only toddler in sight but she held her own!

Kickin it VIP Style with Steve and Greta!

Long Beach Aquarium

Greta and her neices!

Baby Grace 4 Weeks Old!

The BIRD!!!

My homemande Mac and Cheese, I was very proud of myself for making it, I am not a cook you know!

Some of the crew sitting down for thanksgiving dinner!

Blakely's hair and skin were a dream in Califorina. I think she is meant to live there!

Newport Beach Take 1

Newport Beach Take 2! Blakely got a little too brave and got taken in by a wave. Scared mom and dad to death!

Wet diaper post tumble in the waves!

 

We had such a glorioius time in Cali. The weather was perfect and it was such a relaxing thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for this year and are feeling very blessed this holiday season!

Sunday Snapshots

Here are some snapshots of things we have been up to lately!