thanksgiving / Nelson Notes

A Traditional Nelson Thanksgiving {Video}

12.05.2019

We just spent yet another Thanksgiving weekend doing what I think we all prefer best: hanging out on the Nelson Family Dairy Farm! Merri Sue does not get enough credit (nor gives herself enough credit) for all that she does to make this holiday so special. Those Nelson boys all come flocking home for a reason -- or maybe twenty reasons. And they're all so good. I feel so lucky to have married into such a loving and solid family.

This year, I decided to practice my budding videography skills to make a moving video of a typical Nelson Thanksgiving. This video really is made just for sentimental value and the learning experience. There was low light, mixed light, color casts... all sorts of difficult and unpretty photography situations. Plus, my weaknesses in videography are becoming pretty apparent to me, which honestly just makes more anxious to hurry and learn some more!

BUT this is what a typical Nelson Thanksgiving looks like. It's pretty special, actually. The house is busting at the seams with people and noise. We chat and play games and eat until our stomachs can't stand the thought of another bite. Then the next day, we go bowling. It's a tradition worth repeating every year.

P.S. I love how the cabin/farm is a character all of its own!

11.27.2018

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you had as fantastic weekend full of food and family as we did. As per tradition, we spent the holiday on the Nelson dairy farm which we all love. However, this year, my three boys were the only grandchildren (of 19 going on 21) there! We gathered with Bron's parents and brother Kaleb and his wife Chantee and Call. That was it. It was the most quiet and relaxing Thanksgiving I've had in memory and it was exactly the kind of weekend I needed to unwind.

You see, I've been missing my boys. Life has been so busy. Even though I limit the boys' extracurricular activities to help simplify our lives, it seems as if there is always ten more things to do and I am twenty items behind. One big reason is that my photography business exploded this Fall. It's a wonderful thing; it really is. I feel so lucky that I get to make some money doing something I am passionate about. There was so much demand for photo sessions this year that I actually put a deadline on when I was done shooting for the season and then stuck to it. We don't rely on my small income to pay the bills, so it is completely up to me to set parameters. I enjoy the challenge of shooting clients and honestly love the social interaction, but the time and coordination it requires with my family's schedule can be stressful and draining. I am happy to announce that I am finally done editing everyone's pictures - but my own, of course. I thought I would feel relief, but I don't. Instead, all I can think about are all the projects and deep cleaning I've put off for the last three months!

I figure I am constantly switching between wearing four different hats in this current stage of life:

1. Myself: my personal needs like exercise and the hobbies that give me life through photography and music.
2. Mother: my greatest joys are my children and nothing makes me happier than tenderly teaching them and spending quality time with them.
3. Housekeeper: dinner needs to be on the table every evening, kids need to be taken to activities, laundry needs to be folded, dishes washed, the closets reorganized, the bills paid, and the list is never ending.
4. Community: I believe being active in the community is an important aspect of life. I just received a new calling to be the primary chorister at church (awesome job!) and I've agreed to take on the title of Lacrosse Coach again this Spring. Also, taking time to be a friend definitely ranks high.

Anyway, there are only so many hours in a day and the four parts of my job, or myself, seem to be constantly competing. I guess that's just what happens when you're an extroverted multi-talented person? Haha. I think I have my hands in too many honey pots? In other words, I'm just treading water in the deep end of the pool trying to keep myself from drowning. It's hard not to feel stressed sometimes! Such a delicate balancing act, life is.

11.26.2017

^^Jed and Levi coloring in their jammies. Long live slow, cold mornings!^^

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the people we enjoy it with. I surprise myself with how much I look forward to our silly traditions! We do them every year: we gather at the Nelson Dairy, we eat a fantastic dinner, pies line the kitchen countertops for dessert, we play board games in the evening, the ladies shop til we drop on Friday morning, and we all meet for bowling that afternoon. It's a riot! This year, however, Mama Nelson changed it up for us girls. Instead of playing games, we made a Christmas craft after the kids went to bed. I enjoyed it so much!

I accidentally made Bron really worried on Thanksgiving day. I left the house with Conrad and my camera in hand (but not my phone) intending to spend just a few minutes outside. We wandered down the trail towards the river and suddenly 15 minutes turned into 90! Ooops! But with views like this, can you blame me? Thanksgiving day was sunny and sixty degrees and BEAUTIFUL. Lesson learned: I'll remember to take my phone with me next time I decide to go for a walk.

12.01.2015

We enjoyed a busy yet relaxing wonderful break from our daily grind last week as we celebrated Thanksgiving!

I think it all started Tuesday morning when Levi and I showed up--along with a host of other parents and little siblings--to the annual Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast at school. Those innocent five and six year olds didn't disappoint in their cuteness. Jed walked in wearing his handmade Indian costume eagerly looking for me. I'm so glad I was there to witness it. He was sooo excited to show off his costume and say his lines! Levi, on the other hand, was just excited to eat. Haha.

We wound up bringing home an entire untouched Costco pumpkin pie with us. I had no idea that Costco pie would be so tasty! For $6, I may never make my own ever again. Not kidding one bit, between Levi and I, we ate an entire half a pie in 24 hours. Gobble! Gobble!

Wednesday morning we woke up to a beautiful blanket of white snow! Add on the fact that there was no school and I was officially in vacation mode. The kids and I dressed up and played for a full hour together in the front yard while the snow continued to fall. I attached a rope to one of the boys' sleds and proceeded to drag them around. The boys were all smiles from there! Whew. I think I need a four wheeler or something. That was a workout. But their giggles and laughter made it all more than worth it. Can't wait to play again.

^^Jed has the right idea. Future snow boarder right there.^^

^^Yummy! What's with kids always eating snow?!^^

We decided to leave for the Nelson Dairy Wednesday evening to beat the potentially icy roads Thursday morning. And we are so glad we did. We had plenty of Nelson family Thanksgiving traditions to uphold and we weren't about to be late!

Our Thanksgiving morning began with more snow. Why can't the magic of snow last all winter long?! There's nothing like waking up to a layer of fresh powder. It is sooo pretty! All three of us, (Jed, Levi and I), were anxious to get out and play. First, we gathered eggs... ahem, I mean chased Grandma's chickens. Then Jed and Levi caught a tractor ride with Grandpa. They were so excited they practically oozed happiness out their ears. They think Grandpa hung the moon because who else could possibly be cool enough to drive real life monster sized tractors? Levi even went out again the next night... in the freezing cold and dark. He's a die hard fan.

But enough about the farm. Let's talk food and traditions. Flint and Bron smoked the turkey and ham this year. Delicious! And naturally, we had more pies than we knew what to do with. It was a weekend of gluttony, I must admit. After Thanksgiving dinner, we played games, opened up matching Christmas jammies, and finally broke out the store ads to plan our Black Friday shopping spree.

It was Nichole and Chantee's very first trip and I think Merri Sue and I indoctrinated the girls very well. We were out the door by 6AM and shopped til we dropped, or actually, sat down to a warm breakfast at Perkins. I love getting 90% of my shopping done in one swoop like that. It really helps make the Christmas season feel less stressful for me.

Then we met the boys in Rexburg for our traditional bowling game followed by pizza. Yum! (I told you we ate a lot. Haha.) And we talked and teased a lot too. Good times. Oh, but I can't forget our little date Friday night with Kaleb, Chantee, and Call to play laser tag! It's been so long since I've done something like that. I got killed. A lot. But hey, it was a riot.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

^^Loving on the baby calves.^^

^^Happiness in a nutshell for Jed and Levi.^^

^^It always surprises me how cool something as ordinary as a stack of wood can become when given a few tweaks in Lightroom.^^

^^Beautiful log cabin looking quite festive and inviting during a snow storm!^^

^^Sandy, 'ol girl.^^

^^Snowball fight with Dad! Notice how Bron is growing facial hair!!! No shave November, or something like that. I'm actually really liking it and so is he.^^

^^Eating more snow.^^

^^Freeezing in the single digits or not, I cannot get enough of these GORGEOUS frosted trees lately!^^

^^I know! I need to force the family to get used to my camera. We need more pictures of everyone, right? Right. Documentation is important.^^

^^The yummiest dinner and cutest name card!^^

I feel so very blessed to belong to such an incredible family whom love and work and play. It's hard to put all my feelings of thankfulness into words because as I've looked around me this past month, my blessings become numberless. It's the big things like a home and heat and food on the table. But it's also the small things like the pretty light on that leaf in the picture above and the way Levi just thanked Jed for doing something thoughtful. Every single blessing is no more important than another and they weave themselves into the most beautiful tapestry that is my life. All these beautiful blessings and moments that I am surrounded with everyday but hardly take the time to notice! I want to bottle up my children's silly jokes, chatter, and laughter, their limitless imaginations, and all the affection I am smothered with daily by all three of my men. No, life isn't perfect, but I'm learning to appreciate the here and now. And I feel so very happy and whole. Life and God are good.

12.03.2014

Jed was so excited to go to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving that he had his bag packed--with two pairs of pants, three shirts, three pairs of underwear, socks, a night light, his bear, and a blanket (not too shabby, little man!)--by 9AM Wednesday morning. I had a hard time telling him he'd have to wait until I finished baking some pies and Daddy came home from work!

Speaking of pies, I made three: an apple, a pumpkin, and a berry pie. The berry pie didn't even make it to Thanksgiving morning. It was perfectly delicious! However, I forgot to mix in the sugar with my pumpkin pie. So sad! Pie fail. Oh well. Two out of three ain't bad. And a little added sugar on top goes a long way.

This year, Thanksgiving was everything I'd hoped it would be. (Thanks to all your preparation, Momma Nelson!) I love getting together with family to carry out traditions we do year after year. And though we often add on something completely different each year as well, the feelings of love and warmth mixed with delicious food, good company, and a ~~little bit~~ heaping spoonful of chaos are what make Thanksgiving on the Nelson Dairy so memorable.

We ate ham in addition to turkey this year. Best. Decision. Ever. The boys played a game of football in the backyard. The men finally finished constructing the interior of the pool room. The women shopped till we dropped on Black Friday. (I love that my Christmas shopping is 95% done!) The entire family met for some raucous games of bowling and pizza on Friday afternoon. We all gabbed and played board games till bedtime. And the grandkids opened brand new Christmas jammies from Grandma. It was all so fun!

I even snagged the opportunity for some quiet reflection on my mile long walk to the mail box and back (for the Black Friday sale ads, of course!). My heart has felt a little achy these last months--every time a friend announces her pregnancy it's like a kick in the gut--as a third baby for our family seems to elude us. It's been nearly a year. I don't know why it seems we can't get pregnant again, but I'm trying to trust that God knows the big picture and He knows best. I haven't lost hope though. As I said a silent prayer and counted my blessings that day, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. My Heavenly Father loves me. I have been blessed with so very much! It's all going to be okay; no matter what happens.

It was truly a Happy Thanksgiving.

^^Notice Jed's dirt fence for his army guy. I love his imagination.^^

^^Levi's first football touchdown and kick on Thanksgiving day. He's so cute I could just gobble him up!^^

^^And then the disappointment when it wasn't his turn to handle the ball.^^

^^Luckily, some frozen raspberries picked up his broken spirit lickety split.^^

^^What this corner of the house often looked like. Bron's brother has nine children. We have two. That makes a total of eleven miniature crazies ruling the roost and playing with all of Grandma's cool old school toys.^^