10 years!

This weekend was my 10 year reunion from ACU. We had a WONDERFUL weekend. Cody, the kids, and I left Friday morning and really enjoyed the time with family and friend. What a special, special place with people who are the salt of the earth.

The weekend kicked off with some time at the Homecoming Queen's tea. It was great to visit with some of my sweet girl friends over cookies and punch like the old days. No kids, no husbands, just lots of laughing. Then my family went to the bookstore where we spent a ridiculous amount of money. Carley saw lots of purple and white that she needed. After that we went to the carnival. It was SO great. I bet there were 8 bounce houses, face painting, petting zoo, pony rides, bean bag tosses, games, prizes, and lots of cute families running around. After that we hit Bueno with some friends then turned in for the night.

Saturday morning began bright and early with Siggie breakfast. It was so fun to see so many from our pledge class and sing the songs that we sang one million times in college. It was pure joy. After breakfast we went to the parade where Carley got too much candy and a really cool highlighter that she loves. That was followed by chapel with some of my most special friends. I promise that singing The Lord Bless You and Keep You in Moody still can bring a tear to my eyes. It was especially neat to share this moment with Cody, Carley, and Corey.

After that we did lunch in the Bean, which is MUCH cooler than it was when we were there. We got to see lots of other classmates there and catch up. We went back to the hotel and took much needed naps. That evening Melody took Carley and Charlie to Chuck E Cheese while the rest of us when to our reunion dinner. Carley said Chuck E Cheese with Charlie and Melody was the best night of her life. The reunion dinner was great and filled more hugs from friends. After the dinner, Amy and I broke away for a little date at Chilis while Cody and Andy put the kids down.

Sunday morning we met Mark, Tara, Jaxon, Clay, and Jessica Rich for breakfast. Why did I not have my camera? Love these sweet families and really enjoyed IHOP with friends. After that the Nelsons headed home.

There was so much more I wanted to do, so much more I wanted to see, and so many places to see, but it was a wonderful weekend. I am so thankful for my 4 1/2 years in Abilene and pray that no matter what my kids decide to do for school, they are blessed by as many Christian friends.

A couple of things were on my mind a lot this weekend. Cody could not have been more kind, gracious, selfless, and wonderful. He let me float around and talk to everyone and kept the kids going. I also thought a lot of Jenny Ross Bizallion and the fact that her reunion with us is in Heaven. Saying good bye to my friends felt a little different this time because the world has taught us that you never really know what lies ahead for tomorrow. I also thought my my sweet friend whose families include children with special needs. Some were able to be there and let us see their sweet miracle babies like Corbin Mock and Ella Carder. Other blessings like Brooklyn Beaver, Ryleigh Cox, and Bennett Speck were on my mind and I can't wait to see them and their mommies soon.

Here are some shots from the weekend.

The Queen's Tea

Brooke, Kendra, me, Sarah Jane, Amy, and Katie

Meeting Sarah Jane Bowman at the carnival

Some of our pledge class

Ann in from Thailand!

Old roomie Lindsay

Kendra and Brooke

Loved Siggie Breakfast

Carley and Charlie were a riot all weekend. They were the best of friends.

Carley and Corey at the parade

Amy and I replicating a picture of us holding our first kids with us holding our second

Andy Bowman, Ken Murray, Corey in Ken's lap, and Cody

Shanta, me, Amy


Cody and I before the dinner

Pepper Rally Day

Carley's school had a "pepper rally" for the TTU /UT game. We tried to tell Carley it was a pep rally, but she was sure it was pepper.

She and Corey looked super cute in their TTU shirts. She insisted I wear one too in case my school had a pepper rally. I assured her that we wouldn't but once again, she is hard to argue with so I put on my shirt too.

All week leading up to this she kept walking around cheering for the red raiders, she taught Corey how to get his guns up, and started saying, "Down with the longhorns". She really started to say mean stuff about the Longhorns until we had this conversation:


Carley: Longhorns are bad. Bad people go to jail or hell so the longhorns are going to jail or hell.

Me: That is not true. There are lots of great longhorns out there and people are not bad because of the team they like. Do you know who LOVES the longhorns?

Carley: The Devil??

Me: No, Papa. (my dad) He loves them and only cheers for them

Carley: Does Papa know they are bad?

Me: Papa thinks they are good and Papa is right a lot of the time.

So Carley called Papa and decided to cheer for both teams that nights. She loves her Papa too much to let sports get in the way. :)

A Letter to Chase - September 30, 2009

Several of you followed along last year in the journey for our friends, the Jacobs family. God has done amazing things through their horrible situation. He has turned mourning into dancing. He has turned this into a festival of praise. He has reclaimed this situation that was meant for tragic, raw, pain, and turned it into His refined glory.

Mark and Chelsea, thank you for sharing this and letting your story bless so many of us. We love you.

Playing Catch Up

The Nelsons have been busy. September is over and it seems unreal to me. Time sure does fly. Here are the random things we have been up to:

1. Corey had his second set of tubes on the 29th. We sure hope this helps him feel better and helps him stay well.

2. Cody and I discovered the Brownie Bling Pothole Concrete at Sheridans. Brownie + Peanut Butter + Hotfudge = delicious.

3. Carley left a sign on her door that sad, "Do nt Dstrv". translation Do Not Disturb. Apparently she wanted to jump on her bed without us knowing. :)

4. Corey started saying more in sign language and waving bye bye. He still says Hi, Mama, and Dada the most. He is turning into a serious eater. We barely can keep that little guy fed. He gave up bottles on his own the week after he turned 1 and just loves sippy cups and food!

5. Our church started Dave Ramsey's Momentum Financial Peace. Cody and I are group leaders for it. It is kicking our tails into shape on the financial side. We have never been big spenders or had debt other than the house and car but we sure see how we could be making better choices with our money.

6. Budgeting is hard when you have to pay double child care. :)

7. Carley counts to 100. She is getting so big.

8. Fall TV is back on and I am not adding anything new. Brothers & Sisters, Chuck, Parenthood, Modern Family, Glee, Grey's, and Private Practice. That is about it for me. This list is much shorter than previous years, so be proud of me.

9. Today is my sweet Mom's birthday. My parents have been a huge blessing this past month especially. They have helped with sick kids, doctors appointments, school meetings, and everything. I am SO very thankful for them! September has been a roller coaster month for them, but they have provided SUCH stability for me. Thanks Mom and Dad! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NANA!

10. Carley loves to turn herself into letters. Here she is as a naked K.

11. Corey loves a little naked grocery shopping. Then again, who doesn't? ( I tried and tried to get the photoshopped image to upload with all parts covered, but I couldn't. Sorry for the nudity!)

Corey's One Year pictures

Where are the Nelsons??

Answer: At the doctor's office

Man, we have not had a very healthy fall so far. The first week of the month Corey was sick with throat stuff and he got a fever virus. Poor baby ran fever of over 100 for 5 days. The second week it was Carley's turn. She had bad allergies and got sick. She also had an upset stomach. Her fever only lasted 2 days. The end of the week was Corey's well check. He is doing great. He got 3 shots plus a flu shot and he was puny over the weekend. The next week we were healthier, but Corey had a tube in his ear come out. We are having a new one put in next week. This week it was Corey again. He had a cough and cold virus and rubbed his green boogers into his eyes. Both of his eyes got an infection. It was really scary, they were both swollen shut this morning and he was terrified. Went back to the doctor and he got some meds and is much better. The amazing thing during all of this is that Corey has not had an ear infection in two months! This is very exciting! The irony is he goes back in for surgery next week to have a tube put in so his ear will hurt anyway. Go figure!

SO that makes:
5 doctor's appointments so far this month (only the 20th)
1 scheduled surgery
3 rounds of antibiotics
1 round of antibiotic eye drops
2 kids on Singular
2 kids on allergy medicine
one bottle of motrin consumed
0 weeks where I did not miss any work
0 weeks where we always slept through the night
0 weeks where the kids made it to daycare all 5 days
1 tired momma with
2 very sweet kids

I am ready for a good freeze, the allergies to get better, and 2 more motrin.

Who is with me?

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy

I cannot believe today is Corey's first birthday. What a joyful year it has been. I really believe the first year of a child's life is blissful exhaustion for the parents.

Here are a few things about our baby boy:
- He says mama, dada, ca (for carley), Hi, yeah, duck, quack, nana, ma (more) , wawa (water), baba(bottle)
- He loves to point (nickname is Pointer)
- He loves books and his favorite is Bedtime Wish for Little Fish. He also loves Moo Baa Lala and Mirror Me
- He can take a couple of steps at a time. He still mostly crawls.
- He goes to almost anyone.
- He always cries at drop off for Bible Class and Daycare, but stops crying as soon as we are out of the room.
- He would rather put himself to sleep then be rocked all the way to sleep.
- He loves his paci with the frog on it.
- He has 7 HUGE teeth :)
- He loves baths in the kitchen sink.
- He has bad allergies and has had several ear infections in his little life and even had tubes at 6 months.
- He can clap his hands and loves to sing "If you are happy and you know it"
- He kisses Jesus in his Bible.
- He adores his sister and thinks she is the funniest thing ever!

Corey Wayne Nelson - We loved you before we knew you. Every parent knows their child is a gift from God and every parent knows that their child's life is in God's timing. Because you took longer to get here than we wanted, because we weren't sure if we would ever have a second child, because God's timing was not our own, and because of His Great Love for us, we feel this profoundly when we look at you. Dad and I know you are a miracle and you are our blessing. God gave you to us to teach us more about His love. For me, you are a physical manifestation of God's faithfulness. May you always live your life in a way that shows you are chosen by God and your life reflect the love that was shown to us. Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy. We love you!

1st birthday pictures coming soon!

Corey's 1st Birthday Party

Even though we still have 4 days till Corey turns 1, we wanted to celebrate this special day with our families over Labor Day weekend when they were mostly available. We also invited a few family friends to celebrate with us. It was a simple party...hot dogs (because they are shaped like the number 1), chips, cake, and ice cream, but it was really perfect for our sweet little guy. He loved watching everyone. My family calls Corey "pointer" because he points at EVERYONE and ANYTHING he likes. Cody said the sweetest prayer thanking God for our sweet boy, that we weren't sure we were ever going to have. Corey loved his cake, when we all cheered as he dove into his cake and scared him half to death. Carley loved giving him her card that she made and the present she picked out. She was one proud Big Sister today.

Granny's 90th Birthday

Cody's sweet Granny turned 90. Cody loves Annie Nelson with all of his heart. Granny was a constant in Cody's life. She was always there to love him, direct him, talk to him, and support him. This weekend was the big family reunion on her side of the family. Her brothers and sisters that are still living and their children, grandchildren, and great grand children were all together to celebrate.