SLIDER

Happy New Year! 2021 Recap

12.31.2021


This happy rollercoaster of a life just seems to be gaining speed.  Our year 2021 was busting at the seams with things to do and places to see.  We made our new house into a home, put in a yard, added some animals, squeezed in some adventures, and tried our best to keep up with four wild and independent boys.  

I admit, adding a fourth child has been hard.  There's so much joy in having a baby and I wouldn't for a second wish Ezra away, but meeting one more child's daily needs has stretched my time and overwhelmed my mental load.  I think I honestly forgot how demanding it is to keep a tiny toddler alive and happy!  So I've been doing my best to write everything out in my planner (I became my own mother after all!  Lol.), say 'no' whenever possible, and to remind myself that nothing is usually wrong in any given moment.  It's just me, stressing out.  If I had one wish it would be more time.  Time to dedicate to myself for exercise and creative outlets.  Time to listen intently to each of my boys and to play with them.  We just seem to be jumping from one thing to the next!  School, dinner, sports, bedtime... and before I know it another day has passed us by.

I'm doing my best to just appreciate this phase of life.  I know it will last too long and simultaneously not long enough.  I have everything I ever dreamed of for myself and more!  So I make a conscious effort to notice the good things the boys are doing -- they really are amazing -- and to cherish that hug, that laugh, that "I love you too, Mom".  And then I pray to my Heavenly Father to make up for all that I lack.

As for Covid and the current state of the world, well, I'm expecting to prove my 23rd booster shot for a $55 dollar Hot and Ready Little Ceasar's pizza by the year 2026.      


These are the highlights of 2021:


January: We sold our home of nine years and moved into our white farmhouse on five acres.  A dream come true!  Pinch me.  I still cannot believe I get to wake up every morning here.

February: We spent the month unpacking and organizing.  I fed a chubby baby 7-8 times a day.  I just remember spending hours either spoon feeding or breastfeeding Ezra!  Jed and Levi also started practice on swim team twice a week.

March: Bron and I got scuba certified!  We took the whole family to hike and bike in Moab, UT for spring break.

April: We celebrated Easter and Jed's 11th birthday! 

May: My baby boy turned one year old!  Bron and I celebrated 14 years of marriage.  Jed and Levi brought home their 4H dairy heifers, Domino and Pepper Jack.  My dad, Liz, and Mia visited for a fun filled weekend.  We did a lot of dirt work on our property and planted two dozen trees and even more plants!

June: Ezra started walking!  Conrad began the summer with swimming lessons.  Jed and Levi boarded their very first airplane alone to spend a weekend in California playing with Commander and family.  

July: We enjoyed an epic family hike along the Fishhook Creek Trail.  We also attended our first official Nelson family reunion.  Jed had a fun three days at a golf camp.  And we played hard when my sister Lauren and her three kids came to visit for a week!  Then we gathered in Boise with more family to go through the temple with my little brother Michael and send him off on his LDS mission.

August: Conrad became a fish and took more swimming lessons.  Bron enjoyed a week of high adventure with the young men.  We planted GRASS in the yard!  Football and mountain biking practices began dominating our evenings.  Levi turned 9 and started the 4th grade.  Jed started 6th grade at the MIDDLE SCHOOL and picked up the trumpet in the band.  At first, he sounded like he was blowing his nose when he practiced but fortunately now he can carry a tune!

September: We spent a week as a family at the Twin Falls County Fair.  Jed and Levi washed and showed their cows daily; they even won a few ribbons.  Conrad started preschool five days a week and can now write his name and sing lots of silly songs.  Our church stake split and we were organized into the brand new Rock Creek Ward.  Then I was promptly called to be the young women's president!

October: We went on an overnight family adventure to Redfish Lake where we stayed in a cozy cabin, went for a boat ride, and did a lot of hiking.  I flew to Arizona to conquer the 24 mile rim to rim hike of the Grand Canyon with my sister Lauren and two cousins, Rachel and Necia.  It was a blast!  The boys went trick-or-treating on Halloween.

November: Conrad turned five years old!  We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Nelson dairy and tried not to drown in new church callings and responsibilities.

December: Bron and I escaped on a week long vacation to Cozumel, MX (aka Paradise!) where we went scuba diving and soaked up the warm sunshine.  Then we enjoyed a magical and chaotic Christmas with our four boys.  Finally, we ended the year with some freezing temps and a snow storm!


It's a crazy beautiful life!          

Christmas, But Make It Merrier 2021

12.28.2021


We celebrated our first Christmas in our new home!  And it was nothing short of a combination of chaos and magic.  Bron and I weren't sure if Levi still believed in Santa Clause, but when he came out soon after going to bed saying that we forgot to leave cookies and milk for the big guy, we exchanged knowing smiles.  As per tradition, we read the second chapter of Luke and watched It's a Wonderful Life after the kids went to bed.  It's always a favorite.

Bron and I were up before 7AM to turn on the lights and music and *fireplace*.  Then we ushered in three very excited boys plus one who was just happy to be a part of whatever was taking place.

Artifact Motherhood | The Sting of the Last First

5.27.2021

It's been a wonderful year watching him grow and learn.  He's becoming his own little person.  There is so much joy in having a baby.  But when it's the last one, there's a distinct sting to it too - for every one of his firsts is my last as a mama.

Happy First Birthday, Ezra!

artifact motherhood, #artifactmotherhood

This is Artifact Motherhood -- a project shared with other female artists who are documenting our journeys as mothers and creating memories for our children through our photographs and words.

Please visit the next wonderful artist LAUREN WEBSTER to read her post in our blog circle.

Reflection on an Upcoming First Birthday

5.13.2021


At this time last year I was about 38 weeks pregnant. I felt huge and uncomfortable but was eagerly anticipating the arrival of our last little boy. I wish I could go back in time. There's nothing in the world quite like the exciting anticipation of birth. Few other times in my life have made me feel as if I was fulfilling my soul's divine destiny more than caring for a newborn. 

I have cherished Ezra's babyhood as much as humanly possible. I feel so grateful that he joined our family and I was able to enjoy a fourth baby. But babies change so fast! And though I can hug Ezra right in this very moment, each picture I see is a reminder of the child who no longer exists. 

Needless to say, I am feeling a whole range of emotions as his first birthday approaches. I'm grateful, yet sad. 

Ezra's babyhood is slipping right through my fingers! However, I know there are a million and two reasons to smile because there is so much more ahead to look forward to. Ezra's first birthday is simply a very bittersweet milestone for me as my last baby. 

So happy birthday Baby Boy! I love you more than words can say. You've brought so much joy into my life - our family's life - this year and I cannot wait to experience the happiness you'll undoubtedly bless us with in the future.

 


A Day in the Life 2021

5.11.2021

These are my 9th annual (can you believe it?) day-in-the-life photos!  I've been taking photos of one ordinary day in May every year since 2013.  I still cherish those very first photos when Jed was just 3 years old and refer to those past blog posts often because so much changes in just one year!

So welcome to Wednesday May 5, 2021 -- our 14th anniversary!  I chose our anniversary because, why not?  I love my Honey Buns.  But I also chose it because I've been taking the big boys to swim team every Monday and Wednesday since the beginning of February.  It's become a part of our routine.


*****


Jed and Levi's alarm goes off at 6:50AM.  They are the world's best kids at getting themselves up and ready for the school day.  It makes me feel like the world's laziest mom, but hey, I give myself some credit for teaching them this kind of discipline.  Lol.  Levi comes out to the kitchen wrapped in a blanket to grab some breakfast while Jed hops in the shower.  Then they switch.

I roll myself out of bed a few minutes after 7:00AM to come say good morning, make sure they've got their backpacks together, and most importantly, kiss them goodbye.  The bus picks them up promptly at 7:30AM.

I've been trying to get myself into a morning exercise routine.  Some days I don't fit it in til nap time, but on this particular morning, I'm able to fit in 20 minutes of kettlebells.  Kettlebells have been helping to strengthen my back and core.  I feel so much better after swinging some weight around, it's crazy!

It's also our anniversary, so I place a little card I've signed on the kitchen countertop next to some sushi I bought the day before; sushi is one of Bron's favorite food.

Then I help Conrad pour some cereal... from a box that he ripped open like an animal.

I can hear the baby has been fussing through the monitor for several minutes so I go to his room to greet him.   

Ten Months with Ezra

4.02.2021


At 10 months old, Ezra weighs a whopping 25+ pounds. He's easily my baldest and fattest baby. And my first to consistently sleep through the night at this age. Baby Boy has graduated to crawling across the house on all fours and has proudly begun pulling himself to a stand as he tries to climb the furniture. He's as busy as his big brothers whom he adores! In fact, he's already part of the crew with his nonstop jabbering, growling, and wrestling. Ezra doesn't miss a meal, obviously. He can sign "more", still nurses four times a day and eats just as many meals in his high chair. Between food prep and clean up, I feel like I live in the kitchen.

But Ezra is such a joy! He is just happy to be alive. I keep squeezing his chubby legs and kissing those round cheeks, just to make sure he's real. I feel so lucky to be his mama.

Monkey Jumping on the Bed

3.12.2021



One little monkey jumping on the bed.  He jumped so hard, his pants fell down... and we both laughed about it!


Some things Conrad has said recently:


"Mom. Dad.  I'm the coolest person in Kimberly."

"I'm not a baby anymore.  My feet are big and they're STINKY!"

Grandma Kelley: "Ezra is getting so big!"
Conrad: "He's not big enough."

The cheese man is here!  (The FedEx man brought us a monthly subscription for cheese last year.  Now the FedEx man is known as the cheese man.)

"Mom, the boys shoot me, so I call them big dummies and then you take away their {nerf} guns."

While getting his hair cut, "I look like a clown!"

He throws my parenting tactics right back at me.  "Mom!  Stop moving your feet... I'm so proud of you." 

MONDAY

3.10.2021

^^Ezra got through his nasty stomach bug with a lot of warm baths!^^

The stomach bug hit our family.  It took down Ezra first.  He threw up four nights straight!  Poor baby.  I slept (well, more like napped through the night) on a mattress in his room just so I could help him out.  Then Jed came down with the bug on Monday.  I picked him up from school and he slept on the couch for the majority of the afternoon.  Finally, Levi threw up in the car on the way home from swim team.  He said he felt fine... up until the moment he suddenly didn't.  Fortunately, he threw up in a bag.  Good boy!  I was so relieved to find out that I didn't have to clean out the back of my car.  So far, the rest of us have been lucky enough to avoid it.  I'm crossing my fingers it stays that way.  The even better news is that Jed and Levi are bulletproof.  They bounced back quickly and are back in school.

Anyway, Monday was a day where I felt inspired to get out my camera a bunch.  I love how much variety I can get just in a day -- even if it was a very imperfect, slightly derailed and messy day.

Pictures and a Few Paragraphs About Life Lately

3.05.2021

Eight and Nine Months with Ezra

3.02.2021



Ezra,

Nine whole months with you, Baby Boy! I cannot believe how fast your first year is flying by. I've been desperately trying to cherish every precious moment of your babyhood -- from the way your heavy little body feels in my arms as you nurse to sleep at night to the way you smile and flap your arms with happiness when you first see me in the morning. You have brought so much peace and happiness into my life. You, Ezra, were the one I was waiting on. I intuitively knew one more little spirit was meant to join our family and it was YOU. 

Snapshots of Life Lately

2.26.2021

^^Moobs = Man + Boobs^^

Snowshoeing. I Mean, Parenting is the Hardest Thing I've Ever Done.

2.15.2021


Goodness, these photos were taken on a Saturday afternoon following a really rough week.  Parenting is HARD.  It is constant round the clock work.  I feel overwhelmed with people to help and listen to and things to do.  This entire year has felt chaotic and defeating.  Was it worth it to build a new home and add a brother to the family?  Absolutely.  But I feel like I try only to fail.  I pick myself up again just to get knocked down, over and over and over.  I make plans only to have them derailed.  I'm talking about simple things from getting enough sleep to eating better to exercising to getting that one thing ticked off the to do list.  And what about my efforts to teach the boys how to properly clean their own bathroom or turn off the light or behave like thoughtful human beings?  Over and over again I teach.  I hand out consequences.  Sometimes I yell.  Nothing seems to work; I am not seeing any changes or progress.  I am swimming against the current.  Stagnant.  Frustrated.  Miserable.

And then there's this one successful afternoon when everything felt okay!  Getting out with my crew of boys always leaves me feeling happier and lighter.  This afternoon of snowshoeing was just what we needed as a family.  The snow was fresh and beautiful!  The air brisk and cold.  We laughed and played and explored a new trail.  Conrad is such a stud.  It was his first time wearing snowshoes and he rocked it!  Kid is capable of anything.  And it was Ezra's first time riding in the hiking backpack.  He seemed to enjoy his perch and the views.

I love them.            

We Moved Into Our New House!

1.14.2021


We officially packed up and moved into our dream home!  I'd heard awful stories about local moves, but moving went about as smooth as it could possibly go.  Low expectations?  Possibly.  But really, we were extremely fortunate to have so many friends step in to help - from 20 people showing up for a "cleaning party" to my friend Lacey babysitting my babies so I could pack boxes to men who showed up to load and unload the Uhaul.  It was pretty amazing.  In fact, we moved a whole day earlier than expected!  I was planning on packing all day Friday and actually moving on Saturday when many of our friends texted Bron saying they were available to help Friday but not Saturday.  So we did it all at once in a single day!  Whew.  Our family of six slept in our own beds in the new house Friday night.  I was so excited I could hardly wind down to go to sleep... but I was so tired that I slept like a rock.  Lol.

The last few days have been a whirlwind of unpacking and organizing. It has been SO FUN to play house. I actually get to put things all together in my DREAM HOME.  The little daily conveniences that we planned out are still blowing me away.  I feel spoiled rotten.

Also, on another note, I totally bawled as we cleaned and locked up our old home for the last time.  So many sweet memories were made in that home with the tera cotta tile.       

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

© Nelson Notes • Theme by Maira G.